THE WOUNDED HERON 103 



stretch beyond the creek. After a few minutes' 

 eager conversation in a broad dialect that 

 Renoult imperfectly understood, the foresters, 

 speaking in Norman-French, explained to the 

 boy the position in which they were placed by 

 his reckless archery. If he told of his deed, they, 

 at least, would never more be present in his 

 pastimes. He quickly recognised that he had 

 wronged his staunchest friends, and protested, 

 with tears, that he had meant no harm, and 

 would on no account divulge his doings even to 

 the seneschal or the friar. 



Renoult and one of the archers presently 

 returned to the Castle, leaving Serewulf with 

 the heron in the glade. The archers, though 

 they loved the boy sincerely, felt they could 

 not rely on him to keep his recent action secret. 

 They believed that, sooner or later, proud of 

 his first successful shot at a bird on the wing, 

 he would whisper the news to a playmate, or, in 

 some moment of endearment, to his lady-mother. 

 So, when Renoult had gone to the Castle, Sere- 

 wulf again examined the heron, determined, if 

 possible, to carry out the plans he had briefly 

 discussed with his comrade. To his great relief 

 he found that the bird was only slightly wounded 

 in one of its wings ; the arrow had cut through 

 the thickest quills, and blood was oozing from the 

 fleshy sockets of the split feathers. Concealing 



