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Zorzi had been rescued at the corner of San Piero's church by men who had knocked senseless the officer and the six archers. No one knew who these men were, nor their numbers, but they were clearly friends of Zorzi's who had known that he was to be arrested. "Accomplices," suggested Giovanni. "He has stolen a valuable book of my father's, containing secrets for making the finest glass.
D'Artagnan looked at them with much uneasiness; it was evident that these men who were making such a fire for no apparent purpose had some strange intentions. The condemned appeared upon the Place. They were walking, the executioner before them, whilst fifty archers formed a hedge on their right and their left. Both were dressed in black; they appeared pale, but firm.
Tell looked down uneasily, and twisted his bow about in his hands. "My lord," he said at last, "it is a bowman's custom. All archers place a second arrow in their belt." "No, Tell," said Gessler, "I cannot take that answer as the truth. I know there was some other meaning in what you did. Tell me the reason without concealment. Why was it? Your life is safe, whatever it was, so speak out.
It was the custom among pagans for the priest to embrace a new altar, and Jesus in like manner embraced his cross, that august altar on which the bloody and expiatory sacrifice was about to be offered. The archers soon made him rise, and then kneel down again, and almost without any assistance, place the heavy cross on his right shoulder, supporting its great weight with his right hand.
They called it The League of the Long Bow; thus attaching themselves by a double bond to their motherland of England, which has been steadily celebrated since the Norman Conquest for its heroic archery and for the extraordinary credulity of its people. At last it seemed to the four archers that their hour had come.
He had in readiness a body of men-at-arms, well mounted, who rode at full gallop among the archers, and as they had no weapons save their bows and arrows, which they could not use when they were attacked hand to hand, they were cut down in great numbers by the Scottish horsemen and thrown into total confusion.
"They are asking forgiveness!" "Yes," said a baron beside him, "but they ask it from God, not from us. These men will conquer, or die upon the field." The battle began with a flight of English arrows. The archers, drawn up in close ranks, bent their bows, and poured their steel shafts as thickly as snow-flakes on the Scotch, many of whom were slain.
The street through which they led Jesus was both narrow and dirty; he suffered much in passing through it, because the archers were close and harassed him.
But Opimius, who was resolved that a battle should ensue, caused the youth to be apprehended, and committed into custody; and then, with a company of his foot-soldiers and some Cretan archers, set upon the party under Fulvius. These archers did such execution, and inflicted so many wounds, that a rout and flight quickly ensued.
In this booth were casks of ale, free to be broached by any of the archers who might wish to quench their thirst. Across the range from where the seats for the better folk were raised was a railing to keep the poorer people from crowding in front of the target.
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