From the center booth hung the yellow flag of
Tepus, the famous bow bearer of the King; next to it, on one hand, was
the blue flag of Gilbert of the White Hand, and on the other the blood-
red pennant of stout young Clifton of Buckinghamshire. The seven other
archer captains were also men of great renown; among them were Egbert of
Kent and William of Southampton; but those first named were most famous
of all. The noise of many voices in talk and laughter came from within
the booths, and in and out ran the attendants like ants about an ant-hill.
Some bore ale and beer, and some bundles of bowstrings or sheaves
of arrows. On each side of the archery range were rows upon rows of
seats reaching high aloft, and in the center of the north side was a
raised dais for the King and Queen, shaded by canvas of gay colors, and
hung about with streaming silken pennants of red and blue and green and
white. As yet the King and Queen had not come, but all the other
benches were full of people, rising head above head high aloft till it
made the eye dizzy to look upon them.
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