The House of the Wolfings
and let it cover you, or will ye fight these Romans?" They answered him
with a great shout and the clashing of their weapons on their shields.
"That is well," quoth Otter, "since we have come so far; for I perceive
that the foe will come to meet us, so that we must either abide their
shock or turn our backs. Yet must we fight wisely or we are undone, and
Thiodolf in risk of undoing; this have we to do if we may, to thrust in
between them and the ford, and if we may do that, there let us fight it
out, till we fall one over another. But if we may not do it, then will
we not throw our lives away but do the foemen what hurt we may without
mingling ourselves amongst them, and so abide the coming of Thiodolf; for
if we get not betwixt them and the ford we may in no case hinder them
from crossing. And all this I tell you that ye may follow me wisely, and
refrain your wrath that ye may live yet to give it the rein when the time
comes."
So he spake and got down from his horse and drew his sword and went to
the head of the wedge-array and began slowly to lead forth; but the
thralls and swains had heed of the horses, and they drew aback with them
towards the wood which was but a little way from them.
But for Otter he led his men down towards the ford, and when the Romans
saw that, their main body began to move forward, faring slant-wise, as a
crab, down toward the ford; then Otter hastened somewhat, as he well
might, since his men were well learned in war and did not break their
array; but now by this time were those burners of the Romans come up with
the main battle, and the Roman captain sent them at once against the
Goths, and they advanced boldly enough, a great cloud of men in loose
array who fell to with arrows and slings on the wedge-array and slew and
hurt many: yet did not Otter stay his folk; but it was ill going for
them, for their unshielded sides were turned to the Romans, nor durst
Otter scatter his bowmen out from the wedge-array, lest the Romans, who
were more than they, should enter in amongst them. Ever he gazed
earnestly on the main battle of the Romans, and what they were doing, and
presently it became clear to him that they would outgo him and come to
the ford, and then he wotted well that they would set on him just when
their light-armed were on his flank and his rearward, and then it would
go hard but they would break their array and all would be lost: therefore
he slacked his pace and went very slowly and the Romans went none the
slower for that; but their light-armed grew bolder and drew more together
as they came nigher to the Goths, as though they would give them an
onset; but just at that nick of time Otter passed the word down the
ranks, and, waving his sword, turned sharply to the right and fell with
all the wedge-array on the clustering throng of the light-armed, and his
bowmen spread out now from the right flank of the wedge-array, and shot
sharp and swift and the bowmen on the left flank ran forward swiftly till
they had cleared the wedge-array and were on the flank of the light-armed
Romans; and they, what between the onset of the swordsmen and spearmen of
the Goths, and their sharp arrows, knew not which way to turn, and a
great slaughter befell amongst them, and they of them were the happiest
who might save themselves by their feet.
Now after this storm, and after these men had been thrust away, Otter
stayed not, but swept round about the field toward the horses; and indeed
he looked to it that the main-battle of the Romans should follow him, but
they did not, but stayed still to receive the fleers of their
light-armed. And this indeed was the goodhap of the Goths; for they were
somewhat disordered by their chase of the light-armed, and they smote and
spared not, their hearts being full of bitter wrath, as might well be;
for even as they turned on the Romans, they beheld the great roof of the
Bearings fall in over the burned hall, and a great shower of sparks burst
up from its fall, and there were the ragged gables left standing, licked
by little tongues of flame which could not take hold of them because of
the clay which filled the spaces between the great timbers and was daubed
over them. And they saw that all the other houses were either alight or
smouldering, down to the smallest cot of a thrall, and even the barns and
booths both great and little.
Therefore, whereas the Markmen were far fewer in all than the Roman main-
battle, and whereas this same host was in very good array, no doubt there
was that the Markmen would have been grievously handled had the Romans
fallen on; but the Roman Captain would not have it so: for though he was
a bold man, yet was his boldness that of the wolf, that falleth on when
he is hungry and skulketh when he is full. He was both young and very
rich, and a mighty man among his townsmen, and well had he learned that
ginger is hot in the mouth, and though he had come forth to the war for
the increasing of his fame, he had no will to die among the Markmen,
either for the sake of the city of Rome, or of any folk whatsoever, but
was liefer to live for his own sake. Therefore was he come out to
vanquish easily, that by his fame won he might win more riches and
dominion in Rome; and he was well content also to have for his own
whatever was choice amongst the plunder of these wild-men (as he deemed
them), if it were but a fair woman or two. So this man thought, It is my
business to cross the ford and come to Wolfstead, and there take the
treasure of the tribe, and have a stronghold there, whence we may slay so
many of these beasts with little loss to us that we may march away easily
and with our hands full, even if Maenius with his men come not to our
aid, as full surely he will: therefore as to these angry men, who be not
without might and conduct in battle, let us remember the old saw that
saith 'a bridge of gold to a fleeing foe,' and let them depart with no
more hurt of Romans, and seek us afterwards when we are fenced into their
stead, which shall then be our stronghold: even so spake he to his
Captains about him.
For it must be told that he had no tidings of the overthrow of the Romans
on the Ridge; nor did he know surely how many fighting-men the Markmen
might muster, except by the report of those dastards of the Goths; and
though he had taken those two women in the wastes, yet had he got no word
from them, for they did as the Hall-Sun bade them, when they knew that
they would be questioned with torments, and smiting themselves each with
a little sharp knife, so went their ways to the Gods.
Thus then the Roman Captain let the Markmen go their ways, and turned
toward the ford, and the Markmen went slowly now toward their horses.
Howbeit there were many of them who murmured against Otter, saying that
it was ill done to have come so far and ridden so hard, and then to have
done so little, and that were to-morrow come, they would not be led away
so easily: but now they said it was ill; for the Romans would cross the
water, and make their ways to Wolfstead, none hindering them, and would
burn the dwellings and slay the old men and thralls, and have away the
women and children and the Hall-Sun the treasure of the Markmen. In
sooth, they knew not that a band of the Roman light-armed had already
crossed the water, and had fallen upon the dwellings of the Wolfings; but
that the old men and younglings and thralls of the House had come upon
them as they were entangled amidst the tofts and the garths, and had
overcome them and slain many.
Thus went Otter and his men to their horses when it was now drawing
toward sunset (for all this was some while adoing), and betook them to a
rising ground not far from the wood-side, and there made what sort of a
garth they might, with their horses and the limbs of trees and
long-shafted spears; and they set a watch and abode in the garth right
warily, and lighted no fires when night fell, but ate what meat they had
with them, which was but little, and so sleeping and watching abode the
morning. But the main body of the Romans did not cross the ford that
night, for they feared lest they might go astray therein, for it was an
ill ford to those that knew not the water: so they abode on the bank nigh
to the water's edge, with the mind to cross as soon as it was fairly
daylight.
Now Otter had lost of his men some hundred and twenty slain or grievously
hurt, and they had away with them the hurt men and the bodies of the
slain. The tale tells not how many of the Romans were slain, but a many
of their light-armed had fallen, since the Markmen had turned so hastily
upon them, and they had with them many of the best bowmen of the Mark.
CHAPTER XXI--THEY BICKER ABOUT THE FORD
In the grey of the morning was Otter afoot with the watchers, and
presently he got on his horse and peered over the plain, but the mist yet
hung low on it, so that he might see nought for a while; but at last he
seemed to note something coming toward the host from the upper water
above the ford, so he rode forward to meet it, and lo, it was a lad of
fifteen winters, naked save his breeches, and wet from the river; and
Otter drew rein, and the lad said to him: "Art thou the War-duke?" "Yea,"
said Otter.
Said the lad, "I am Ali, the son of Grey, and the Hall-Sun hath sent me
to thee with this word: 'Are ye coming? Is Thiodolf at hand? For I have
seen the Roof-ridge red in the sunlight as if it were painted with
cinnabar.'"
Said Otter, "Art thou going back to Wolfstead, son?"
"Yea, at once, my father," said Ali.
"Then tell her," said Otter, "that Thiodolf is at hand, and when he
cometh we shall both together fall upon the Romans either in crossing the
ford or in the Wolfing meadow; but tell her also that I am not strong
enough to hinder the Romans from crossing."
"Father," said Ali, "the Hall-Sun saith: Thou art wise in war; now tell
us, shall we hold the Hall against the Romans that ye may find us there?
For we have discomfited their vanguard already, and we have folk who can
fight; but belike the main battle of the Romans shall get the upper hand
of us ere ye come to our helping: belike it were better to leave the
hall, and let the wood cover us."
"Now is this well asked," said Otter; "get thee back, my son, and bid the
Hall-Sun trust not to warding of the Hall, for the Romans are a mighty
host: and this day, even when Thiodolf cometh hither, shall be hard for
the Goth-folk: let her hasten lest these thieves come upon her hastily;
let her take the Hall-Sun her namesake, and the old men and children and
the women, and let those fighting folk she hath be a guard to all this in
the wood. And hearken moreover; it will, maybe, be six hours ere
Thiodolf cometh; tell her I will cast the dice for life or death, and
stir up these Romans now at once, that they may have other things to
think of than burning old men and women and children in their dwellings;
thus may she reach the wood unhindered. Hast thou all this in thine
head? Then go thy ways."
But the lad lingered, and he reddened and looked on the ground and then
he said: "My father, I swam the deeps, and when I reached this bank, I
crept along by the mist and the reeds toward where the Romans are, and I
came near to them, and noted what they were doing; and I tell thee that
they are already stirring to take the water at the ford. Now then do
what thou wilt."
Therewith he turned about, and went his way at once, running like a colt
which has never felt halter or bit.
But Otter rode back hastily and roused certain men in whom he trusted,
and bid them rouse the captains and all the host and bid men get to horse
speedily and with as little noise as might be. So did they, and there
was little delay, for men were sleeping with one eye open, as folk say,