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,
and many were already astir. So in a little while they were all in the
saddle, and the mist yet stretched low over the meadow; for the morning
was cool and without wind. Then Otter bade the word be carried down the
ranks that they should ride as quietly as may be and fare through the
mist to do the Romans some hurt, but in nowise to get entangled in their
ranks, and all men to heed well the signal of turning and drawing aback;
and therewith they rode off down the meadow led by men who could have led
them through the dark night.
But for the Romans, they were indeed getting ready to cross the ford when
the mist should have risen; and on the bank it was thinning already and
melting away; for a little air of wind was beginning to breathe from the
north-east and the sunrise, which was just at hand; and the bank,
moreover, was stonier and higher than the meadow's face, which fell away
from it as a shallow dish from its rim: thereon yet lay the mist like a
white wall.
So the Romans and their friends the dastards of the Goths had well nigh
got all ready, and had driven stakes into the water from bank to bank to
mark out the safe ford, and some of their light-armed and most of their
Goths were by now in the water or up on the Wolfing meadow with the more
part of their baggage and wains; and the rest of the host was drawn up in
good order, band by band, waiting the word to take the water, and the
captain was standing nigh to the river bank beside their God the chief
banner of the Host.
Of a sudden one of the dastards of the Goths who was close to the Captain
cried out that he heard horse coming; but because he spake in the Gothic
tongue, few heeded; but even therewith an old leader of a hundred cried
out the same tidings in the Roman tongue, and all men fell to handling
their weapons; but before they could face duly toward the meadow, came
rushing from out of the mist a storm of shafts that smote many men, and
therewithal burst forth the sound of the Markmen's war-horn, like the
roaring of a hundred bulls mingled with the thunder of horses at the
gallop; and then dark over the wall of mist showed the crests of the
riders of the Mark, though scarce were their horses seen till their whole
war-rank came dark and glittering into the space of the rising-ground
where the mist was but a haze now, and now at last smitten athwart by the
low sun just arisen.
Therewith came another storm of shafts, wherein javelins and spears cast
by the hand were mingled with the arrows: but the Roman ranks had faced
the meadow and the storm which it yielded, swiftly and steadily, and they
stood fast and threw their spears, albeit not with such good aim as might
have been, because of their haste, so that few were slain by them. And
the Roman Captain still loth to fight with the Goths in earnest for no
reward, and still more and more believing that this was the only band of
them that he had to look to, bade those who were nighest the ford not to
tarry for the onset of a few wild riders, but to go their ways into the
water; else by a sudden onrush might the Romans have entangled Otter's
band in their ranks, and so destroyed all. As it was the horsemen fell
not on the Roman ranks full in face, but passing like a storm athwart the
ranks to the right, fell on there where they were in thinnest array (for
they were gathered to the ford as aforesaid), and slew some and drave
some into the deeps and troubled the whole Roman host.
So now the Roman Captain was forced to take new order, and gather all his
men together, and array his men for a hard fight; and by now the mist was
rolling off from the face of the whole meadow and the sun was bright and
hot. His men serried their ranks, and the front rank cast their spears,
and slew both men and horses of the Goths as those rode along their front
casting their javelins, and shooting here and there from behind their
horses if occasion served, or making a shift to send an arrow even as
they sat a-horseback; then the second rank of the Romans would take the
place of the first, and cast in their turn, and they who had taken the
water turned back and took their place behind the others, and many of the
light-armed came with them, and all the mass of them flowed forward
together, looking as if it might never be broken. But Otter would not
abide the shock, since he had lost men and horses, and had no mind to be
caught in the sweep of their net; so he made the sign, and his Company
drew off to right and left, yet keeping within bowshot, so that the
bowmen still loosed at the Romans.
But they for their part might not follow afoot men on untired horses, and
their own horse was on the west side with the baggage, and had it been
there would have been but of little avail, as the Roman Captain knew. So
they stood awhile making grim countenance, and then slowly drew back to
the ford under cover of their light-armed who shot at the Goths as they
rode forward, but abode not their shock.
But Otter and his folk followed after the Romans again, and again did
them some hurt, and at last drew so nigh, that once more the Romans
stormed forth, and once more smote a stroke in the air; nor even so would
the Markmen cease to meddle with them, though never would Otter suffer
his men to be mingled with them. At the last the Romans, seeing that
Otter would not walk into the open trap, and growing weary of this
bickering, began to take the water little by little, while a strong
Company kept face to the Markmen; and now Otter saw that they would not
be hindered any longer, and he had lost many men, and even now feared
lest he should be caught in the trap, and so lose all. And on the other
hand it was high noon by now, so that he had given respite to the stay-at-
homes of the Wolfings, so that they might get them into the wood. So he
drew out of bowshot and bade his men breathe their horses and rest
themselves and eat something; and they did so gladly, since they saw that
they might not fall upon the Romans to live and die for it until Thiodolf
was come, or until they knew that he was not coming. But the Romans
crossed the ford in good earnest and were soon all gathered together on
the western bank making them ready for the march to Wolfstead. And it
must be told that the Roman Captain was the more deliberate about this
because after the overthrow of his light-armed there the morning before,
he thought that the Roof was held by warriors of the kindreds, and not by
a few old men, and women, and lads. Therefore he had no fear of their
escaping him. Moreover it was this imagination of his, to wit that a
strong band of warriors was holding Wolf-stead, that made him deem there
were no more worth thinking about of the warriors of the Mark save
Otter's Company and the men in the Hall of the Wolfings.