第 21 页

"I fancy so too," Osgod said. "It seems to me like a sort of whisper or

rustling of leaves."

"That is just what it seems to me, Osgod. Let us stay where we are. We are

just in the centre of the line now."

"There are certainly sounds, my lord. I thought it was fancy before, but I

am sure now."

"I hear something," Wulf said. "It comes from the front. Run round to the

right and bring the sentries from that flank and post them in the intervals

of those in front, while I do the same on the left."

They had but just returned, when they heard a sharp sound like the cracking

of a stick a short distance in front. A dozen of the sentries at once

challenged. In an instant a number of figures sprang to their feet at a

distance of some fifty yards in front of them. Then a wild yell was raised,

and swarms of men came rushing towards them, while a volley of arrows and

javelins whizzed through the air.

"Fall back on the others, men!" Wulf shouted at the top of his voice, and

the line of sentries rushed back to Beorn's party, who leapt to their feet

at the sound of the Welsh war-cry. They had scarce formed in line when the

enemy were upon them. They received them with a volley of javelins, and

then shield to shield they withstood the attack They were fighting in their

own way now, and numerous as the Welsh were, they were unable, as they ran

up in scattered order, to break through the line.

"Steady, men, steady!" Wulf shouted out from his post in the middle of the

line. "Our friends will soon be up. Show a stout front. Do not give way a

foot."

In vain the Welshmen, with wild yells, strove to beat back the Saxon line.

Their very numbers were a hindrance to them. Those in front pressed

forward, so that those behind were unable to use their javelins or arrows.

Many creeping between the legs of the fighters of the front rank leapt with

a cat-like spring upon the Saxons, and strove to rip them with their

knives, but the light wicker-work shields covered with leather, which had

taken the place of the solid and heavy ones generally carried by the

housecarls, stood Wulf's followers in good stead; and although many of the

shields were penetrated by the knives of the Welsh, they in most cases

effectually screened the bodies of the soldiers.

The lightly-armed Welsh, on the other hand, were hewn down by the long

swords of the Saxons in the front rank, while the javelins of those behind

them flew with terrible effect among their assailants. There was, however,

no pause in the fury of the attacks of the Welsh, until, with a great

shout, the main body of the Saxons came up, and pressed forward in line

with the little body who had hitherto borne the brunt of the battle, while

on their flank the thane's levies poured in volley after volley of darts

and arrows. The fight ceased as suddenly as it began. The sound of a

deep-toned horn rose in the air, whereupon the Welsh instantly abandoned

the struggle, and before the Saxons had time to realize that the fighting

was over, they had disappeared in the forest.

"By St. Peter, young thanes!" Earl Gurth exclaimed as he came up to Wulf's

band, who were panting from their exertions, "you have saved us from a

grievous mishap this night. I take shame unto myself that I treated your

suggestion so lightly; for, by the saints, we should have fared badly

indeed had this wild foe taken us asleep. The thanks of the whole force are

due to you, and I will take care that my brother Harold knows how narrow an

escape we have had, and in telling the tale I shall not spare either myself

or the older thanes, who were disposed to mock your proposal to keep guard

over the camp, as showing an amount of caution altogether unnecessary. The

attack has been a lesson to me that I shall not forget, and henceforth I

shall select you and your force for any special service requiring

watchfulness and valour."

In going among their men Wulf and Beorn found that but six had fallen, for

the most part under the shower of javelins with which the Welsh had

heralded their attack. Many of the others had received wounds more or less

severe, but few of them were so badly hurt as to render it necessary to

leave them behind. Gurth called the thanes at once to a council. Fresh wood

was thrown on to his fire, and some twenty of the thanes took their places

round it. Wulf and Beorn were specially asked by Gurth to attend. The

attack of the Welsh had shown that they were by no means dismayed at the

extent of the preparations for the invasion of their mountains, and that

the advance must be conducted with the greatest caution and prudence.

"It is well," Gurth said, "that in the absence of Griffith they have many

leaders, and will therefore fight without any general plan. Did their whole

force fall upon one or other of our columns it might go very hard with it;

but we may be sure that each chief will desire to keep his followers by

him, in order to defend his own valleys. Nevertheless, they have shown

to-night that they can gather rapidly and in considerable force, and we

shall have to root them out piecemeal, and shall not be able to scatter our

force too widely. I am told that the valley at whose mouth we now are

contains a large number of villages, and to this we must confine ourselves

until we have done the work there. I trust that they will oppose us

stoutly. In that case we shall have the less trouble with them when we

come to undertake the more difficult task of pursuing them among their

hills."

The next morning the advance began, and they had proceeded but a short

distance when the Welsh again poured down upon them. This time the force

was prepared for the attack, and although the Welsh fought obstinately,

they were driven back without much difficulty. As soon as the attack ceased

Gurth gave the order for pursuit, and the housecarls held their course

straight up the valley at full speed, while the levies swarmed up the

hillsides to prevent the Welsh from rallying and attacking in flank. The

troops now felt the benefit of the abandonment of their heavy armour and

weapons, and pressed so hotly upon the flying Welsh that they entered the

first village with them. For a time the natives turned and fought

desperately in defence of their homes, but they were unable to withstand

the skill and discipline of the Saxon troops, and the measure that they had

so frequently dealt out to the Saxon villagers now fell on them. No quarter

was given. Every man, woman, and child was slaughtered, and the houses

given to the flames. Village after village was captured and burnt, but the

resistance became fainter and fainter, and the last three villages at the

head of the valley were found to be entirely deserted. Then, just as the

sun set, the force bivouacked for the night, the horns calling in the

scattered levies, who gradually rejoined them.

The next morning the force was broken up into five or six columns, each

having a proportion of the regular soldiers and a body of the levies. These

penetrated side valleys and climbed the hills. In many cases they

encountered resistance, stones being rolled down upon them, and the Welsh

defending strong barricades of felled trees. But everywhere the Saxons were

successful, and day after day continued the work, until at the end of five

days they were able to move where they would without encountering any

resistance. The force now marched forward from the head of the valley,

crossed a range of hills, and descended into another valley. They had now

grown more confident in themselves, and while a third of the force

proceeded to lay waste the valley, the rest, broken up into small columns,

ascended the hills on either side, carrying fire and sword into every

hamlet they came upon.

Several of the fortalices of the Welsh chiefs, perched on almost

inaccessible eminences, gave great trouble, and were only taken after

serious loss. One day Beorn and Wulf, with their own following and two

hundred and fifty light-armed levies, were despatched by Gurth to Porthwyn,

a stronghold belonging to a powerful chief named Llewellyn ap Rhys.

"It is, from all I hear," he said, "a very strong place, and will require

all our force to capture it. Indeed it is reported to be so strong that it

may be necessary to leave it unmolested until we form a junction with

Harold, and can besiege it regularly. It would not do to make an

unsuccessful attack, for that would raise the spirits of the Welsh. All

that I wish of you is to obtain a view of the castle from all sides if

possible, to bring me back an exact account of its defences, and to give me

your opinion as to our chances of capturing it if we decide to lay siege to

it."

Porthwyn was forty miles distant, and Beorn and Wulf determined to march

some thirty of these, and then to push forward at daybreak so as to obtain

a view of the fortress in the early morning. They took with them a Welsh

boy as a guide. He had been spared in the last village captured, and had

been told that his life depended upon his guiding them faithfully. The

places of ten men who had fallen during the various fights had been filled

up by an equal number of Gurth's own housecarls. The seventy soldiers kept

with their leaders and the guide, the levies spreading out on either side.

Two of the irregulars who spoke a little Welsh accompanied the young thanes

to question the guide if necessary. The march was a heavy one. At times

they passed through thick forests in the valleys and on the lower

hillsides, at times crossed over bare hills, on whose summits the ground

was frequently so boggy that the men had to march with the greatest

caution. The guide, a sullen lad with matted hair, whose only attire was a

sheep-skin, was several times questioned sharply as to whether he was

certain of the way. He answered in monosyllables, saying that he knew every

foot of the road, and indeed he never hesitated for a moment.

"I suppose he is right," Wulf said, "although I thought it lay more to the

west than we are going, but we have wound about so among these forests and

hills that I am quite confused. There is one comfort, Beorn, if the guide

proves treacherous and we lose ourselves altogether, we have but to set our

faces to the rising sun and we shall find ourselves back on the border, for

I am sure that we could not retrace our steps to Gurth's camp."

The sun was just setting when they found themselves on a bare plateau on

the crest of a range of hills higher than any they had before crossed.

"Ask him how far we are from Porthwyn," Wulf said to the interpreter.

"He says twelve miles, my lord."

"Then when we get across this flat, which looks full two miles wide, we

will camp in the first valley we come to."

As they advanced the ground became more and more boggy, and the troops had

to move carefully, stepping from one tussock of coarse grass to another,

the intervals being filled with black slimy mud.

"Ask him if this gets deeper," Beorn said angrily, "for if it does so we

are like to be all swallowed up. I believe he must be leading us wrong."

Osgod had charge of the boy, and was walking close beside him. As the

question was put by the interpreter the boy muttered that he knew the way.

The man turned to translate his answer to Beorn, when there was a sudden

shout. At the moment that Osgod was making a long step from one tuft to

another the boy stooped and caught his foot, and with a roar of surprise

and fury Osgod fell head-foremost into the morass. At the same moment the

lad darted away with a yell of defiance, leaping from tuft to tuft with the

agility of a hare. Several of the men started after him, but unaccustomed

to the treacherous bog four or five were immersed in it to their waist

before they had gone a dozen paces.

"Shoot! shoot!" Beorn shouted, and a dozen javelins were thrown, but the

boy was almost beyond distance, and his rapid and irregular movements

rendered it well-nigh impossible to take aim with any accuracy. Most of the

javelins flew wide of him, and he was soon beyond reach. Osgod was

well-nigh smothered before he could be rescued, and some of the other men

were only hauled out with the greatest difficulty. Three or four of the

most active men were sent forward, but presently returned with the news

that the bog became worse.

"The sun has already set," Wulf said, "and if darkness catches us here our

plight will be a bad one. Let us retrace our steps at once, Beorn."

It was with great difficulty that they made their way back to firm ground.

By the time they did so darkness had fallen.

"This is a bad business altogether, Beorn," Wulf said. "In the first place

we have lost our guide; in the second place we have no idea where we are,

for we may for aught we know have been going in the wrong direction all the

time; and, besides this, the boy will raise the country against us, and in

the morning we may be attacked by an overwhelming force."

"What do you think we had better do, Wulf?"

"Well, I should say we had better, in the first place, retrace our steps to

the valley, there we will light fires and cook the meat we have brought

with us. Then I should say we had best march for some hours. It matters not

in what direction so that we get as far as possible from here."

As Beorn could suggest nothing better, Wulf's counsel was carried out.

Supper was cooked and eaten in the forest, and after two hours for rest,

for the march had been a very fatiguing one, they started. The night was

moonless, and in the shadow of the trees the darkness was intense. The

housecarls kept together, moving as closely as possible to each other. The

levies were ordered to follow them.

After proceeding for two hours, Wulf said, "Let us halt and see if we are

all together." The housecarls halted, but when he went to the rear Wulf

could see no signs of the irregulars.

"Let no man speak or move," he said, "I want to listen."