The Well at the World's End: A Tale

by William Morris

  CHAPTER 21

  A Battle in the Mountains

  When it was morning they arose early and ate a morsel; and Clement gavefreely to the Warden and his helpmate on behalf of the fellowship; andthen they saddled their nags, and did on the loads and departed; andthe way was evil otherwise, but it was down hill, and all waters raneast.

  All day they rode, and at even when the sun had not quite set, theypitched their camp at the foot of a round knoll amidst a valley wherewas water and grass; and looking down thence, they had a sight of thefruitful plain, wherein lay Cheaping Knowe all goodly blue in thedistance.

  This was a fair place and a lovely, and great ease would they have hadthere, were it not that they must keep watch and ward with more painsthan theretofore; for Clement deemed it as good as certain that thewild men would fall upon them that night.

  But all was peaceful the night through, and in the morning they gat tothe way speedily, riding with their armour on, and their bows bent: andthree of the men-at-arms rode ahead to espy the way.

  So it befell that they had not ridden two hours ere back came thefore-riders with the tidings that the pass next below them was thickwith the Strong-thieves.

  The fellowship were as then in such a place, that they were riding ahigh bare ridge, and could not be assailed to the advantage of thethieves if they abode where they were; whereas if they went forward,they must needs go down with the road into the dale that was beset bythe wild men. Now they were three-score and two all told, but of thesebut a score of men-at-arms besides Ralph, and Clement, who was a stoutfighter when need was. Of the others, some were but lads, and of theChapmen were three old men, and more than one blencher besides.However, all men were armed, and they had many bows, and some of thechapmen's knaves were fell archers.

  So they took counsel together, and to some it seemed better to abidethe onset on their vantage ground. But to Clement and the oldermen-at-arms this seemed of no avail. For though they could see theplain country down below, they would have no succour of it; and Clementbade them think how the night would come at last, and that the longerthey abode, the greater would be the gathering of the Strong-thieves;so that, all things considered, it were better to fall on at once andto try the adventure of the valley. And this after some talk theyyea-said all, save a few who held their skins so dear that their witswandered somewhat.

  So these timorous ones they bade guard the sumpter beasts and theirloads; and even so they did, and abode a little, while the men-at-armsand the bowmen went forward without more ado; and Ralph rode betwixtClement and the captain of the men-at-arms.

  Presently they were come close to the place where the way went downinto the valley, cleaving through a clayey bent, so that the slipperysides of the cleft went up high to right and left; wherefore by goodhapthere were no big stones anigh to roll down upon them. Moreover theway was short, and they rode six abreast down the pass and were soonthrough the hollow way. As he rode Ralph saw a few of theStrong-thieves at the nether end where the pass widened out, and theylet fly some arrows at the chapmen which did no hurt, though some ofthe shafts rattled on the armour of the companions. But when Clementsaw that folk, and heard the noise of their shouting he lifted up agreat axe that he bore and cried, "St. Agnes for the Mercers!" and setspurs to his horse. So did they all, and came clattering and shoutingdown the steep road like a stone out of a sling, and drave right intothe valley one and all, the would-be laggards following after; for theywere afraid to be left behind.

  The wild men, who, save for wide shields which they bore, were butevilly armed, mostly in skins of beasts, made no countenance ofdefence, but fled all they might towards the steep slopes of thevalley, and then turned and fell to shooting; for the companions durstnot pursue in haste lest they should be scattered, and overwhelmed bythe multitude of foemen; but they drew up along the south side of thevalley, and had the mastery of the road, so that this first bout waswithout blood-shedding. Albeit the thieves still shot in their weakbows from the hill-side, but scarce hurt a man. Then the bowmen of thefellowship fell to shooting at the wild men, while the men-at-armsbreathed their horses, and the sumpter-beasts were gathered togetherbehind them; for they had no dread of abiding there a while, whereasbehind them the ground was broken into a steep shaly cliff, bushed hereand there with tough bushes, so that no man could come up it save byclimbing with hand and knee, and that not easily.

  Now when the archers had shot a good while, and some of the thieves hadfallen before them, and men were in good heart because of the flight ofthe wild men, Ralph, seeing that these still hung about the slopes,cried out: "Master Clement, and thou Captain, sure it will be ill-doneto leave these men unbroken behind us, lest they follow us and hangabout our hindermost, slaying us both men and horses."

  "Even so," quoth the captain, who was a man of few words, "let us go.But do thou, Clement, abide by the stuff with the lads and bowmen."

  Then he cried out aloud: "St. Christopher to aid!" and shook his rein,and all they who were clad in armour and well mounted spurred on withhim against the strong-thieves. But these, when they saw the onset ofthe horsemen, but drew a little up the hill-side and stood fast, andsome of the horses were hurt by their shot. So the captain bade drawrein and off horse, while Clement led his bowmen nigher, and they shotwell together, and hindered the thieves from closing round themen-at-arms, or falling on the horses. So then the companions wentforward stoutly on foot, and entered into the battle of the thieves,and there was the thrusting and the hewing great: for the foemen boreaxes, and malls, and spears, and were little afraid, having thevantage-ground; and they were lithe and strong men, though not tall.

  Ralph played manfully, and was hurt by a spear above the knee, but notgrievously; so he heeded it not, but cleared a space all about him withgreat strokes of the Upmeads' blade; then as the wild men gave backthere was one of them who stood his ground and let drive a stroke of along-handled hammer at him, but Ralph ran in under the stroke andcaught him by the throat and drew him out of the press. And eventherewith the wild men broke up before the onset of the all-armedcarles, and fled up the hill, and the men-at-arms followed them but alittle, for their armour made them unspeedy; so that they took no moreof those men, though they slew some, but turned about and gatheredround Ralph and made merry over his catch, for they were joyous withthe happy end of battle; and Clement, who had left his bowmen when theCompanions were mingled with the wild-men, was there amidst the nighest.

  Said Ralph to him: "Well, have I got me a servant and thrall goodcheap?" "Yea," said Clement, "if thou deem a polecat a likely hound."Said the Captain: "Put thy sword through him, knight." Quoth another:"Let him run up hill, and our bowmen shall shoot a match at him."

  "Nay," said Ralph, "they have done well with their shooting, let themrest. As to my thrusting my sword through the man, Captain, I had donethat before, had I been so minded. At any rate, I will ask him if hewill serve me truly. Otherwise he seemeth a strong carle and a handy.How sayest thou, lad, did I take thee fairly?" "Yea," said the man,"thou art a strong lad."

  He seemed to fear the swords about him but little, and forsooth he wasa warrior-like man, and not ill-looking. He was of middle height,strong and well-knit, with black hair like a beast's mane forshagginess, and bright blue eyes. He was clad in a short coat of greyhomespun, with an ox-skin habergeon laced up over it; he had neitherhelm nor hat, nor shoes, but hosen made of a woollen clout tied abouthis legs; his shield of wood and ox-hide lay on the ground a few pacesoff, and his hammer beside it, which he had dropped when Ralph firsthandled him, but a great ugly knife was still girt to him.

  Now Ralph saith to him: "Which wilt thou--be slain, or serve me?" Saidthe carle, grinning, yet not foully: "Guess if I would not ratherserve thee!" "Wilt thou serve me truly?" said Ralph. "Why not?" quoththe carle: "yet I warn thee that if thou beat me, save in hot blood, Ishall put a knife into thee when I may."

  "O," said one, "thrust him through now at once, lord Ralph." "Nay, Iwill not," said
Ralph; "he hath warned me fairly. Maybe he will serveme truly. Master Clement, wilt thou lend me a horse for my man toride?" "Yea," said Clement; "yet I misdoubt me of thy new squire."Then he turned to the men-at-arms and said: "No tarrying, my masters!To horse and away before they gather gain!"

  So they mounted and rode away from that valley of the pass, and Ralphmade his man ride beside him. But the man said to him, as soon as theywere riding: "Take note that I will not fight against my kindred.""None biddeth thee so," said Ralph; "but do thou take heed that if thoufight against us I will slay thee outright." Said the man: "A fairbargain!" "Well," said Ralph, "I will have thy knife of thee, lest ittempt thee, as is the wont of cold iron, and a maiden's body." "Nay,master," quoth the man, "leave me my knife, as thou art a good fellow.In two hours time we shall be past all peril of my people, and when wecome down below I will slay thee as many as thou wilt, so it be out ofthe kindred. Forsooth down there evil they be, and unkinsome."

  "So be it, lad," said Ralph, laughing, "keep thy knife; but hang thisword of mine thereon, that if thou slay any man of this fellowship saveme, I will rather flay thee alive than slay thee." Quoth the carle:"That is the bargain, then, and I yeasay it." "Good," said Ralph; "nowtell me thy name." "Bull Shockhead," said the carle.

  But now the fellowship took to riding so fast down the slopes of themountains on a far better road, that talking together was not easy.They kept good watch, both behind and ahead, nor were they set uponagain, though whiles they saw clumps of men on the hill-sides.

  So after a while, when it was a little past noon, they came adown tothe lower slopes of the mountains and the foot-hills, which were greenand unstony; and thereon were to be seen cattle and neatherds andshepherds, and here and there the garth of a homestead, and fencedacres about it.

  So now that they were come down into the peopled parts, they displayedthe banners of their fellowships, to wit, the Agnes, the White Fleece,the Christopher, and the Ship and Nicholas, which last was the bannerof the Faring-knights of Whitwall; but Ralph was glad to ride under thebanner of St. Nicholas, his friend, and deemed that luck might therather come to him thereby. But they displayed their banners now,because they knew that no man of the peopled parts would be so hardy asto fall upon the Chapmen, of whom they looked to have many matters fortheir use and pleasure.

  So now that they felt themselves safe, they stayed them, and sat downby a fair little stream, and ate their dinner of such meat and drink asthey had; and Ralph departed his share with his thrall, and the man washungry and ate well; so that Clement said mockingly: "Thou feedest thythrall over well, lord, even for a king's son: is it so that thou artminded to fatten him and eat him?" Then some of the others took up thejest, and bade the carle refrain him of the meat, so that he might notfatten, and might live the longer. He hearkened to them, and knit hisbrows and looked fiercely from one to the other. But Ralph laughedaloud, and shook his finger at him and refrained him, and his wrath ranoff him and he laughed, and shoved the victual into him doughtily, andsighed for pleasure when he had made an end and drunk a draught of wine.