"Springer, Nancy - Book Of The Isle 2 - Silver Sun" - читать интересную книгу автора (Springer Nancy)

"So that was how the big bastard came to be pelting
through the Forest yesterday, with his britches soiled and
his helmet askew, and his face red as a beet!" cried Ket.
"We saw, but we little knew the reason. Twas sweetly
done, lad." Then he sobered. "They'll be looking for ye,
long and hard. Ye must be wary."

Hal winced at the praise, and he changed the subject
"Ket, if you are no longer angry with me, I would like to
ask your help. I have shot a deer. Half is for you. And I
would like to trade a haunch and the hide for bread and
eggs and such, if you will tell me where."

"Ye shot a deer! But I see no bow, nor did we find
the remains of a kill."

"Here is the bow," said Hal, drawing it out of a bag. It
was less than half the length of the outlaws' bows, very
thick and powerfully curved. Ket the Red whistled. "It
takes a strong arm to draw that." he said, and eyed Hal

8 THE SILVER SUN

narrowly, with mingled suspicion and respect. "But where
is the deer, and how did ye hide the offal?"

Hal laughed. "I cannot give away the secrets of Craig
the Grim, even to you," he said. "Let us say that it was
well hidden. But as for the deer, it is here." He parted the
bushes to reveal the hanging carcass.

There followed some argument. Ket maintained that it
would be too dangerous for Hal to go to the village, be-
cause of the affair of the previous day, "and also," he
added kindly, "because ye're far too young, for all that
ye're of man's height, lad." He offered to go, or send one
of his men. Hal would hear nothing of it

'^Yovt are all well known in these parts, especially you,
with your flaming hair," he retorted. "Every time you
appear, you are in great danger. But who is likely to
recognize me from any description our husky friend may
have given? Since I must be a lad today,"ЧHal took a
significant pauseЧ"I'll be just another farm lad. I shall
leave the horse in the Forest, and walk. Only tell me
where to knock."

"For the matter of that," asked the outlaw, mildly,
"where is (he horse?"