INTRODUCTION. 



13 



son of William the Norman, who first made 

 the forest. He was as fond of hunting as 

 his father, and had been busily engaged in 

 his sport during the day. Towards evening 

 he and Sir Walter Tyrrel were separated from 

 the company. William, perceiving a stag 

 coming towards them, let fly his arrow and 

 wounded, but did not kill, the animal. Tyrrel 

 at that moment saw another, and shot at it ; 

 but the arrow, missing the deer, glanced from 

 a tree, and struck the king to the heart. 

 Tyrrel, alarmed at the event, clapped spurs to 

 his horse, nor stopped till he got to the sea-side, 

 where he went immediately on board a vessel, 

 and made his way to the Holy Land, to fight the 

 Saracens. Perhaps, it was only to escape the 

 vengeance likely to attend his unhappy deed ; 

 or else, according to the superstition of the 

 times, he might hope to expiate the crime of 



