where he had fallen, very still and with his face hidden in the
grass.

Of a sudden, Beltane laid by his axe and reached out his hands.

"Brothers," said he, "how long will ye be slaves?"

"Slaves, forsooth?" cried one, "slaves are we to no man--here within
the green none dare gainsay us--we be free men, one and all. Is't not
so, comrades?"

"Aye! Aye!" roared a hundred voices.

"Free?" quoth Beltane, "free? Aye, free to wander hither and thither,
hiding forever within the wilderness, living ever in awe and dread lest
ye die in a noose. Free to go in rags, to live like beasts, to die
unpitied and be thrown into a hole, or left to rot i' the sun--call ye
this freedom, forsooth? Hath none among ye desire for hearth and home,
for wife and child--are ye become so akin to beasts indeed?"

Now hereupon, divers muttered in their beards and others looked askance
on one another. Then spake the man Eric, of the wry neck.

"Messire," quoth he, "all that you say is sooth, but what remedy can ye
bring to such as we. Say now?"

Then spake Beltane on this wise:

"All ye that have suffered wrong, all ye that be broken men--hearken!
Life is short and quick to escape a man, yet do all men cherish it, and
to what end? What seek ye of life--is it arms, is it riches? Go with
me and I will teach ye how they shall be come by. Are ye heavy-hearted
by reason of your wrongs--of bitter shame wrought upon the weak and
innocent? Seek ye vengeance?--would ye see tyrants die?--seek ye their
blood, forsooth? Then follow me!"

Now at this the outlaws began to murmur among themselves, wagging their
heads one to another and voicing their grievances thus:

"They cut off mine ears for resisting my lord's taxes, and for this I
would have justice!"

"They burned me in the hand for striking my lord's hunting dog!"

"I had a wife once, and she was young and fair; so my lord's son took
her and thereafter gave her for sport among his huntsmen, whereof she
died--and for this would I have vengeance!"

"They burned my home, and therein wife and child--and for this would I
have vengeance!"

"They cut off my brother's hands!"

"They put out my father's eyes!"

Quoth Eric:

"And me they sought to hang to mine own roof-tree!--behold this crooked
neck o' mine--so am I Eric o' the Noose. Each one of us hath suffered
wrong, great or little, so live we outlaws in the green, lawless men in
lawless times, seeking ever vengeance for our wrongs. Who the