A Tale of the Times of Edward the First
by Evelyn Everett-Green.
"La-ha-hoo! la-ha-hoo!"
Far down the widening valley, and up the wild, picturesqueravine, rang the strange but not unmusical call. It awoke theslumbering echoes of the still place, and a hundred voices seemedto take up the cry, and pass it on as from mouth to mouth. But theboy's quick ears were not to be deceived by the mocking voices ofthe spirits of solitude, and presently the call rang out again withgreater clearness than before:
"La-ha-hoo!"
The boy stood with his head thrown back, his fair curls floatingin the mountain breeze, his blue eyes, clear and bright and keen asthose of a wild eaglet, fixed upon a craggy ridge on the oppositeside of the gorge, whilst his left hand was placed upon the collarof a huge wolfhound who stood beside him, sniffing the wind andshowing by every tremulous movement his longing to be off and away,were it not for the detaining hand of his young master.
The lad was very simply dressed in a tunic of soft, well-dressedleather, upon the breast of which was stamped some device whichmight have been the badge of his house. His active limbs wereencased in the same strong, yielding material, and the only thingabout him which seemed to indicate rank or birth was a belt with arichly-chased gold clasp and a poniard with a jewelled hilt.
Perhaps the noble bearing of the boy was his best proof of rightto the noble name he bore. One of the last of the royal house ofDynevor, he looked every inch a prince, as he stood bare-headed inthe sunlight amidst the everlasting hills of his well-loved home,too young to see the clouds which were settling so darkly and sosurely upon the bright horizon of his life -- his dreams still ofglory and triumph, culminating in the complete emancipation of hiswell-loved country from the hated English yoke.
The dog strained and whined against the detaining clasp upon hisneck, but the boy held him fast.
"Nay, Gelert, we are not going a-hunting," he said. "Hark! isnot that the sound of a horn? Are they not even now returning? Overyon fell they come. Let me but hear their hail, and thou and I willbe off to meet them. I would they heard the news first from mylips. My mother bid me warn them. I wot she fears what Llewelyn andHowel might say or do were they to find English guests in our halland they all unwarned."
Once more the boy raised his voice in the wild call which hadawakened the echoes before, and this time his practised eardistinguished amongst the multitudinous replies an answering shoutfrom human lips. Releasing Gelert, who dashed forward with a bay ofdelight, th