Each of the others should have fourscore silver pennies for
his shooting. The first prize was to be twoscore and ten golden pounds,
a silver bugle horn inlaid with gold, and a quiver with ten white arrows
tipped with gold and feathered with the white swan's-wing therein. The
second prize was to be fivescore of the fattest bucks that run on Dallen
Lea, to be shot when the yeoman that won them chose. The third prize was
to be two tuns of good Rhenish wine.
So Sir Hugh spoke, and when he had done all the archers waved their bows
aloft and shouted. Then each band turned and marched in order back to
its place.
And now the shooting began, the captains first taking stand and speeding
their shafts and then making room for the men who shot, each in turn,
after them. Two hundred and eighty score shafts were shot in all, and so
deftly were they sped that when the shooting was done each target looked
like the back of a hedgehog when the farm dog snuffs at it. A long
time was taken in this shooting, and when it was over the judges came
forward, looked carefully at the targets, and proclaimed in a loud voice
which three had shot the best from the separate bands. Then a great
hubbub of voices arose, each man among the crowd that looked on calling
for his favorite archer. Then ten fresh targets were brought forward,
and every sound was hushed as the archers took their places once more.
This time the shooting was more speedily done, for only nine shafts
were shot by each band.
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