Ashamed of his weakness, he turned to the other side of the tower, and
bent his gaze upon the woody heights of the great park. These recalled
Herne the Hunter; and burning with resentment at the tricks practised
upon him by the demon, he determined that the first use he would make
of his liberty should be to seek out, and, if possible, effect the capture
of this mysterious being. Some of the strange encounters between
Herne and the king had been related to him by the officer on guard at
the Norman Tower but these only served as stimulants to the
adventure. After a couple of hours thus passed on the keep, he
descended refreshed and invigorated. The next day he was there
again, and the day after that; when, feeling that his restoration was well
nigh complete, he requested permission to pass the following evening
in the dry moat of the donjon. And this was readily accorded him.
Covered with green sod, and shaded by many tall trees growing out of
the side of the artificial mound on which the keep was built, the fosse
offered all the advantages of a garden to the prisoners who were
allowed to take exercise within it. Here, as has been mentioned, King
James the First of Scotland first beheld, from the battlements above,
the lovely Jane Beaufort take her solitary walk, and by his looks and
gestures contrived to make her sensible of the passion with which she
inspired him; and here at last, in an arbour which, for the sake of the old
and delightful legend connected with it, was kept up at the time of this
chronicle, and then bore the name of the royal poet, they had secretly
met, and interchanged their vows of affection.
Pages:
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428