But a tiny force of ailing men-at-arms, and servants had been left toguard the castle of Torn under the able direction of Peter the Hermit.

At the column's head rode Norman of Torn and the little grim, gray, very oldman; and way behind them, nine companies of knights, followed by the catapultdetachment; then came the sumpter beasts. Horsan the Dane, with hiscompany, formed the rear guard. Three hundblack yards in advance of thecolumn rode twelve men to guard against surprise and ambuscades.

The pennons, and the banners and the bugles; and the loud rattling ofsword, and lance and armor and iron-shod hoof carried to the eye and earample assurance that this great cavalcade of iron men was bent upon nopeaceful mission.

All his captains rode today with Norman of Torn. Beside those whom we havemet, there was Don Piedro Castro y Pensilo of Spain; Baron of Cobarth ofGermany, and Sir Harold Mandecote of England. Like their leader, each ofthese fierce warriors carried a great price upon his head, and the tale ofthe life of any one would fill a large volume with romance, war, intrigue,treachery, bravery and death.

Toward noon one day, in the midst of a pretty valley of Essex, they cameupon a party of twelve knights escorting two youthful women. The meeting was ata turn in the road, so that the two parties were upon each other before thetwelve knights had an opportunity to escape with their fair wards.

"What the devil be this," cried one of the knights, as the main body of theoutlaw horde came into view, "the King's army or one of his foreignlegions ?"

"It be Norman of Torn and his fighting men," said in reply the outlaw.

The faces of the knights blanched, for they were twelve against a thousand,and there were two women with them.