r the
outlaw--if we may thus characterise a man in a land where there was
little or no law of any kind, save that of might.

It was a strong band, numbering nearly four hundred warriors, all of
whom were animated with the supposed-to-be noble desire to commit theft
on a very large scale. It is true, they called it "conquest," which
word in those days, as in modern times even among civilised people,
meant killing many of the natives of a place and taking possession of
their lands. Then--as now--this was sometimes styled "right of
conquest," and many people thought then, as some think even now, that by
putting this word "right" before "conquest" they made it all right! and
had somehow succeeded in abrogating the laws, "Thou shalt not steal,"
and "Do to others as thou wouldest have others do to thee," laws which
were written by God in the human understanding long before Moses
descended with the decalogue from Sinai.

However, as we have said, there was little or no law in the land of old
Albion at the time of which we write, so that we can scarcely wonder at
the aspirations of the band under Addedomar--aspirations which were to
the full as strong--perhaps even as noble--as those of Alexander the
Great or the first Napoleon.

It had been ascertained by some stray hunter of Addedomar's party that
considerable bands of men were ranging the valley of the Springs and its
neighbourhood in search of something or some one, and that they went
about usually in small detached parties. The stray hunter, with an eye,
doubtless, to his personal interest, conveyed the news to the robber
chief, who, having made secret and extensive preparations, happened at
the time to be on his way to raid the territories of King Hudibras,
intending to take the town of Gunrig as a piece of by-play in passing.

Here, however, was an opportunity of striking a splendid blow without
travelling so far. By keeping his force united, and sending a number of
scouts in advance, he could attack and overwhelm the scattered
detachments in succession. He, therefore, in the meantime, abandoned
his original plan, and turned aside to the neighbourhood of the Hot
Swamp. There he remained in the sequestered hollow, which has been
described, awaiting the return of his scouts. There was no difficulty
in feeding an army in those days, for the forests of Albion abounded
with game, and the silent bow, unlike the noisy fire-arm, could be used
effectively without betra