defended himself, and so liberally scattered death to his opponents, that

he was now far ahead of the foremost of his knights, hewing his way, with

the truncheon of a bloody sword, to where Lord Risingham was rallying the

bravest. A moment more and they had met; the tall, splendid, and famous

warrior against the deformed and sickly boy.

Yet Shelton had never a doubt of the result; and when the fight next

opened for a moment, the figure of the earl had disappeared; but still,

in the first of the danger, Crookback Dick was launching his big horse

and plying the truncheon of his sword.

Thus, by Shelton's courage in holding the mouth of the street against the

first attack, and by the opportune arrival of his seven hundred

reinforcements, the lad, who was afterwards to be handed down to the

execration of posterity under the name of Richard III., had won his first

considerable fight.

The Black Arrow