The House of the Wolfings
sinking, and the evening was hard at hand.
So at last Thiodolf led forward with Throng-plough held aloft in his
right hand; but his left hand he held out by his side, as though he were
leading someone along. And as he went, he muttered: "When will these
accursed sons of the nether earth leave the way clear to us, that we may
be alone and take pleasure each in each amidst of the flowers and the
sun?"
Now as the two hosts drew near to one another, again came the sound of
trumpets afar off, and men knew that this would be succour coming to the
Romans from their main-battle, and the Romans thereon shouted for joy,
and the host of the kindreds might no longer forbear, but rushed on
fiercely against them; and for Thiodolf it was now come to this, that so
entangled was he in his dream that he rather went with his men than led
them. Yet had he Throng-plough in his right hand, and he muttered in his
beard as he went, "Smite before! smite behind! and smite on the right
hand! but never on the left!"
Thus then they met, and as before, neither might the Goths sweep the
Romans away, nor the Romans break the Goths into flight; yet were many of
the kindred anxious and troubled, since they knew that aid was coming to
the Romans, and they heard the trumpets sounding nearer and more joyous;
and at last, as the men of the kindreds were growing a-wearied with
fighting, they heard those horns as it were in their very ears, and the
thunder of the tramp of footmen, and they knew that a fresh host of men
was upon them; then those they had been fighting with opened before them,
falling aside to the right and the left, and the fresh men passing
between them, fell on the Goths like the waters of a river when a sluice-
gate is opened. They came on in very good order, never breaking their
ranks, but swift withal, smiting and pushing before them, and so brake
through the array of the Goth-folk, and drave them this way and that way
down the slopes.
Yet still fought the warriors of the kindred most valiantly, making stand
and facing the foe again and again in knots of a score or two score, or
maybe ten score; and though many a man was slain, yet scarce any one
before he had slain or hurt a Roman; and some there were, and they the
oldest, who fought as if they and the few about them were all the host
that was left to the folk, and heeded not that others were driven back,
or that the Romans gathered about them, cutting them off from all succour
and aid, but went on smiting till they were felled with many strokes.
Howbeit the array of the Goths was broken and many were slain, and
perforce they must give back, and it seemed as if they would be driven
into the river and all be lost.
But for Thiodolf, this befell him: that at first, when those fresh men
fell on, he seemed, as it were, to wake unto himself again, and he cried
aloud the cry of the Wolf, and thrust into the thickest of the fray, and
slew many and was hurt of none, and for a moment of time there was an
empty space round about him, such fear he cast even into the valiant
hearts of the foemen. But those who had time to see him as they stood by
him noted that he was as pale as a dead man, and his eyes set and
staring; and so of a sudden, while he stood thus threatening the ring of
doubtful foemen, the weakness took him again, Throng-plough tumbled from
his hand, and he fell to earth as one dead.
Then of those who saw him some deemed that he had been striving against
some secret hurt till he could do no more; and some that there was a
curse abroad that had fallen upon him and upon all the kindreds of the
Mark; some thought him dead and some swooning. But, dead or alive, the
warriors would not leave their War-duke among the foemen, so they lifted
him, and gathered about him a goodly band that held its own against all
comers, and fought through the turmoil stoutly and steadily; and others
gathered to them, till they began to be something like a host again, and
the Romans might not break them into knots of desperate men any more.
Thus they fought their way, Arinbiorn of the Bearings leading them now,
with a mind to make a stand for life or death on some vantage-ground; and
so, often turning upon the Romans, they came in array ever growing more
solid to the rising ground looking one way over the ford and the other to
the slopes where the battle had just been. There they faced the foe as
men who may be slain, but will be driven no further; and what bowmen they
had got spread out from their flanks and shot on the Romans, who had with
them no light-armed, or slingers or bowmen, for they had left them at
Wolf-stead. So the Romans stood a while, and gave breathing-space to the
Markmen, which indeed was the saving of them: for if they had fallen on
hotly and held to it steadily, it is like that they would have passed
over all the bodies of the Markmen: for these had lost their leader,
either slain, as some thought, or, as others thought, banned from
leadership by the Gods; and their host was heavy-hearted; and though it
is like that they would have stood there till each had fallen over other,
yet was their hope grown dim, and the whole folk brought to a perilous
and fearful pass, for if these were slain or scattered there were no more
but they, and nought between fire and the sword and the people of the
Mark.
But once again the faint-heart folly of the Roman Captain saved his foes:
for whereas he once thought that the whole power of the Markmen lay in
Otter and his company, and deemed them too little to meddle with, so now
he ran his head into the other hedge, and deemed that Thiodolf's company
was but a part of the succour that was at hand for the Goths, and that
they were over-big for him to meddle with.
True it is also that now dark night was coming on, and the land was
unknown to the Romans, who moreover trusted not wholly to the dastards of
the Goths who were their guides and scouts: furthermore the wood was at
hand, and they knew not what it held; and with all this and above it all,
it is to be said that over them also had fallen a dread of some doom
anear; for those habitations amidst of the wild-woods were terrible to
them as they were dear to the Goths; and the Gods of their foemen seemed
to be lying in wait to fall upon them, even if they should slay every man
of the kindreds.
So now having driven back the Goths to that height over the ford, which
indeed was no stronghold, no mountain, scarce a hill even, nought but a
gentle swelling of the earth, they forebore them; and raising up the
whoop of victory drew slowly aback, picking up their own dead and
wounded, and slaying the wounded Markmen. They had with them also some
few captives, but not many; for the fighting had been to the death
between man and man on the Wolfing Meadow.
CHAPTER XXV--THE HOST OF THE MARKMEN COMETH INTO THE WILD-WOOD
Yet though the Romans were gone, the Goth-folk were very hard bested.
They had been overthrown, not sorely maybe if they had been in an alien
land, and free to come and go as they would; yet sorely as things were,
because the foeman was sitting in their own House, and they must needs
drag him out of it or perish: and to many the days seemed evil, and the
Gods fighting against them, and both the Wolfings and the other kindreds
bethought them of the Hall-Sun and her wisdom and longed to hear of
tidings concerning her.
But now the word ran through the host that Thiodolf was certainly not
slain. Slowly he had come to himself, and yet was not himself, for he
sat among his men gloomy and silent, clean contrary to his wont; for
hitherto he had been a merry man, and a joyous fellow.
Amidst of the ridge whereon the Markmen now abode, there was a ring made
of the chief warriors and captains and wise men who had not been slain or
grievously hurt in the fray, and amidst them all sat Thiodolf on the
ground, his chin sunken on his breast, looking more like a captive than
the leader of a host amidst of his men; and that the more as his scabbard
was empty; for when Throng-plough had fallen from his hand, it had been
trodden under foot, and lost in the turmoil. There he sat, and the
others in that ring of men looked sadly upon him; such as Arinbiorn of
the Bearings, and Wolfkettle and Thorolf of his own House, and Hiarandi
of the Elkings, and Geirbald the Shielding, the messenger of the woods,
and Fox who had seen the Roman Garth, and many others. It was night now,
and men had lighted fires about the host, for they said that the Romans
knew where to find them if they listed to seek; and about those fires
were men eating and drinking what they might come at, but amidmost of
that ring was the biggest fire, and men turned them towards it for
counsel and help, for elsewhere none said, "What do we?" for they were
heavy-hearted and redeless, since the Gods had taken the victory out of
their hands just when they seemed at point to win it.
But amidst all this there was a little stir outside that biggest ring,
and men parted, and through them came a swain amongst the chiefs, and
said, "Who will lead me to the War-duke?"
Thiodolf, who was close beside the lad, answered never a word; but
Arinbiorn said; "This man here sitting is the War-duke: speak to him, for
he may hearken to thee: but first who art thou?"
Said the lad; "My name is Ali the son of Grey, and I come with a message
from the Hall-Sun and the stay-at-homes who are in the Woodland."
Now when he named the Hall-Sun Thiodolf started and looked up, and
turning to his left-hand said, "And what sayeth thy daughter?"
Men did not heed that he said _thy_ daughter, but deemed that he said
_my_ daughter, since he was wont as her would-be foster-father to call
her so. But Ali spake:
"War-duke and ye chieftains, thus saith the Hall-Sun: 'I know that by
this time Otter hath been slain and many another, and ye have been
overthrown and chased by the Romans, and that now there is little counsel
in you except to abide the foe where ye are and there to die valiantly.
But now do my bidding and as I am bidden, and then whosoever dieth or
liveth, the kindreds shall vanquish that they may live and grow greater.
Do ye thus: the Romans think no otherwise but to find you here to-morrow
or else departed across the water as broken men, and they will fall upon
you with their whole host, and then make a war-garth after their manner
at Wolf-stead and carry fire and the sword and the chains of thralldom
into every House of the Mark. Now therefore fetch a compass and come
into the wood on the north-west of the houses and make your way to the
Thing-stead of the Mid-mark. For who knoweth but that to-morrow we may
fall upon these thieves again? Of this shall ye hear more when we may
speak together and take counsel face to face; for we stay-at-homes know
somewhat closely of the ways of these Romans. Haste then! let not the
grass grow over your feet!
"'But to thee, Thiodolf, have I a word to say when we meet; for I wot
that as now thou canst not hearken to my word.' Thus saith the
Hall-Sun."
"Wilt thou speak, War-duke?" said Arinbiorn. But Thiodolf shook his
head. Then said Arinbiorn; "Shall I speak for thee?" and Thiodolf nodded
yea. Then said Arinbiorn: "Ali son of Grey, art thou going back to her
that sent thee?"
"Yea," said the lad, "but in your company, for ye will be coming
straightway and I know all the ways closely; and there is need for a
guide through the dark night as ye will see presently."
Then stood up Arinbiorn and said: "Chiefs and captains, go ye speedily
and array your men for departure: bid them leave all the fires burning
and come their ways as silently as maybe; for now will we wend this same
hour before moonrise into the Wild-wood and the Thing-stead of Mid-mark;
thus saith the War-duke."