THE KING AND THE BONDMEN.

 hearts until the time comes to bring it forth, and so it
 went on in England up to the days of King Richard
 the Second.



 CHAPTER IL.
 GOING HOME FROM WORK-THE SURPRISE-THE RESCUE--
 THE MEETING OF THE VILLANS--COMMENCEMENT OF THE
 STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY.

AND now the story begins:-
 The sun was slowly setting on a calm evening in
June, and threw its golden beams afar over the land-
scape, and on the trees of a tall forest that stretched
away, from the base of a hill on which stood a strong
castle, to a long distance across the slopes and levels
of the county of Essex. The slanting beams pene-
trated here and there through the closely interwoven
branches, and sent a stream of light down into the
ddsky shade below, making the surrounding gloom
look the deeper by the contrast. The trees grew thick
and tangled together, not trimmed and thinned as the
forests are in our days; and the path which wound in
and out among the stems was rough and uneven,
sometimes making a sudden bend to get out of the
way of an old mossy root, or losing itself in a swampy
hollow, or crossing a little stream that crept lazily
along in its narrow channel. The owls were begin-
ning to hoot, and now and then the hoarse croak of a
raven was heard; indeed, all things showed that night,
the time for repose, was coming on.
 Along this path a young man was walking with a
weary step, as though he were very tired. His dress
was a gaberdine or frock similar to that worn by
 S3