Лучшие английские легенды / The Best English Legends - стр. 12
Thus Gamelyn did what he wanted, laying hands on monks and friars, and sent them home wounded, while some of them muttered: “We were better at home, with just bread and water, than here where we have had such a sorry feast!”
Then Gamelyn turned his attention to his false brother, who had been unable to escape. He caught him by the neck, broke his backbone with one blow, and chained, sitting, to the post at which he had stood.
“Sit there, brother, and cool thy blood,” said Gamelyn, as he and Adam sat down to a feast, at which the servants served them eagerly, partly from love and partly from fear.
Now the sheriff happened to be only five miles away, and soon heard the news of this disturbance, and how Gamelyn and Adam had broken the peace. As his duty was, he determined to arrest the law-breakers. Twenty-four of his best men were sent to the castle to arrest Gamelyn and his steward; but the new porter, loyal to Gamelyn, denied them entrance till he knew their errand; when they refused to tell it, he sent a servant to wake his master and warn him that the sheriff’s men stood before the gate.
Then answered Gamelyn: “Good porter, go; delay my foes with fair speech at the gate till I have invented some plan. If I survive this incident, I will requite you truth and loyalty. Adam,” said he then to his steward, “Our enemies are on us, and we have no friend – the sheriff’s men surround us, we must go where our safety calls us.”
Adam replied: “Go where you want to go, I’ll follow you to the last or die abandoned. But this proud sheriffs will flee soon.”
As Gamelyn and Adam looked round for weapons, the former saw a stout post used for propping up the shafts; this he seized, and ran out of the back gate, followed by Adam with another staff. They caught the sheriff’s twenty four bold men from behind, and when Gamelyn had overthrown three, and Adam two, the rest fled.
“What!” said Adam as they were running away. “Drink a cup of my good wine! I am lord here.”
“No,” they shouted back; “such wine as yours scatters a man’s brains far too well.”
This little fight was hardly ended before the sheriff came in person with a greater group of soldiers. Gamelyn knew not what to do, but Adam again had a plan ready. “Let us stay no longer, but go to the greenwood: there we shall at least be at liberty.”
The advice suited Gamelyn, and each drank a draught of wine, mounted his steed, and lightly rode away, leaving the empty nest for the sheriff. However, when his party arrived, one of the officers dismounted, entered the hall, and found Sir John nearly dying. He released him, and summoned a doctor who healed his grievous wound, and thus enabled him to do more mischief.