Now at that time we drove cattle in Red Harald's land. And we took no
hoof but from the Lords and rich men, but of these we had a mighty
drove, both oxen and sheep, and horses, and besides, even hawks and
hounds, and huntsman or two to take care of them.
And, about noon, we drew away from the cornlands that lay beyond the
pastures, and mingled with them, and reached a wide moor, which was
called "Goliath's Land." I scarce know why, except that it belonged
neither to Red Harald or us, but was debatable.
And the cattle began to go slowly, and our horses were tired, and the
sun struck down very hot upon us, for there was no shadow, and the day
was cloudless.
All about the edge of the moor, except on the sidefrom which we had
come was a rim of hills, not very high, but very rocky and steep,
otherwise the moor itself was flat; and through these hills was one
pass, guarded by our men, which pass led to the Hill castle of the
Lilies.
It was not wonderful, that of this moor many wild stories were told,
being such a strange lonely place, some of them one knew, alas to be
over true. In the old time, before we went to the good town, this moor
had been the mustering place of our people, and our house had done
deeds enough of blood and horror to turn our white lilies red, and our
blue cross to a fiery one. But some of those wild tales I never
believed; they had to do mostly with men losing their way without any
apparent cause, (for there were plenty of landmarks,) finding some
well-known spot, and then, just beyond it, a place they had never even
dreamed of.
"Florian! FIorian!" said Arnald, "for God's sake stop! as every one
else is stopping to look at the hills yonder; I always thought there
was a curse upon us. What does God mean by shutting us up here? Look
at the cattle; 0 Christ, they have found it out too! See, some of them
are turning to run back again towards Harald's land. Oh! unhappy,
unhappy, from that day forward!"
He leaned forward, rested his head on his horse's neck, and wept like
a child. I felt so irritated with him, that I could almost have slain
him then and there. Was he mad? had these wild doings of ours turned
his strong wise head?
"Are you my brother Arnald, that I used to think such a grand man when
I was a boy?" I said, "or are you changed too, like everybody, and
everything else? What do you mean?"
"Look! look!" he said, grinding his teeth in agony. I raised my eyes:
where was the one pass between the rim of stern rocks? Nothing: the
enemy behind us- that grim wall in front: what wonder that each man
looked in his fellow's face for help, and found it not. Yet I refused
to believe that there was any troth either in the wild stories that I
had heard when I was a boy, or in this story told me so clearly by my
eyes now.
I called out cheerily, "Hugh, come here!" He came. "What do you think
of this? Some mere dodge on Harald's part? Are we cut off?" "Think!
Sir Florian? God forgive me for ever thinking at all; I have given up
that long and long ago, because thirty years ago I thought this, that
the House of Lilies would deserve anything in the way of bad fortune
that God would send them: so I gave up thinking, and took to fighting.
But if you think that Harald had anything to do with this, why-why-in
God's name, I wish I could think so!"
I felt a dull weight on my heart. Had our house been the devil's
servants all along? I thought we were God's servants.
The day was very still, but what little wind there was, was at our
backs. I watched Hugh's face, not being able to answer him. He was the
cleverest man at war that I have known, either before or since that
day; sharper than any hound in ear and scent, clearer sighted than any
eagle; he was listening now intently. I saw a slight smile cross his
face; heard him mutter, "Yes! I think so: verily that is better, a
great deal better." Then he stood up in his stirrups, and shouted,
"Hurrah for the Lilies! Mary rings!" "Mary rings!" I shouted, though I
did not know the reason for his exultation: my brother lifted his
head, and smiled too, grimly. Then as I listened I heard clearly the
sound of a trumpet, and enemy's trumpet too.
"After all, it was only mist, or some such thing," I said, for the
pass between the hills was clear enough now.
"Hurrah! only mist," said Amald, quite elated; "Mary rings!" and we
all began to think of fighting: for after all what joy is equal to
that?
There were five hundred of us; two hundred spears, the rest archers;
and both archers and men at arms were picked men.
"How many of them are we to expect?" said I. "Not under a thousand,
certainly, probably more, Sir Florian." (My brother Arnald, by the
way, had knighted me before we left the good town, and Hugh liked to
give me the handle to my name. How was it, by the way, that no one had
ever made him a knight?)
"Let every one look to his arms and horse, and come away from these
silly cows' sons!" shouted Arnald.