The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 23

  They Ride to Bear Castle

  But while they spake thus and were merry, the dawn had wellnigh passedinto daylight. Then Ralph bade old Giles sleep for an hour, and wentforth and called Roger and Richard and went to the great barn. Therehe bade the watch wake up Stephen and all men, and they gat to horse asspeedily as they might, and were on the road ere the sun was fully up.The spearmen of the thorp did not fail them, and numbered twenty andthree all told. Giles had a horse given him and rode the way by Ralph.

  They rode up and down the hills and dales, but went across country andnot by the Greenway, for thuswise the road was shorter.

  But when they had gone some two leagues, and were nigh on top of acertain low green ridge, they deemed that they heard men's voices anighand the clash of arms; and it must be said that by Ralph's rede theyjourneyed somewhat silently. So Ralph, who was riding first withGiles, bid all stay and let the crown of the ridge cover them. So didthey, and Giles gat off his horse and crept on to the top of the ridgetill he could see down to the dale below. Presently he came down againthe old face of him puckered with mirth, and said softly to Ralph: "DidI not say thou wert lucky? here is the first fruits thereof. Ride overthe ridge, lord, at once, and ye shall have what there is of them assafe as a sheep in a penfold."

  So Ralph drew sword and beckoned his men up, and they all handled theirweapons and rode over the brow, and tarried not one moment there, noteven to cry their cries; for down in the bottom were a sort of men, twoscore and six (as they counted them afterward) sitting or lying about acooking fire, or loitering here and there, with their horses standingbehind them, and they mostly unhelmed. The Champions knew them at oncefor men of their old foes, and there was scarce time for a word ere thefull half of them had passed by the sword of the Dry Tree; then Ralphcried out to spare the rest, unless they offered to run; so the foemencast down their weapons and stood still, and were presently broughtbefore Ralph, who sat on the grass amidst of the ring of the Champions.He looked on them a while and remembered the favour of those whom hehad seen erewhile in the Burg; but ere he could speak Giles said softlyin his ear: "These be of the Burg, forsooth, as ye may see by theirdogs' faces; but they be not clad nor armed as those whom we have metheretofore. Ask them whence they be, lord."

  Ralph spake and said: "Whence and whither are ye, ye manslayers?" Butno man of them answered. Then said Ralph: "Pass these murderers bythe edge of the sword, Stephen; unless some one of them will save hislife and the life of his fellows by speaking."

  As he spake, one of the youngest of the men hung down his head alittle, and then raised it up: "Wilt thou spare our lives if I speak?""Yea," said Ralph. "Wilt thou swear it by the edge of the blade?" saidthe man. Ralph drew forth his sword and said: "Lo then! I swear it."The man nodded his head, and said: "Few words are best; and whereas Iwot not if my words will avail thee aught, and since they will save ourlives, I will tell thee truly. We are men of the Burg whom thesegreen-coated thieves drave out of the Burg on an unlucky day. Well,some of us, of whom I was one, fetched a compass and crossed the waterthat runneth through Upmeads by the Red Bridge, and so gat us into theWood Debateable through the Uplands. There we struck a bargain withthe main band of strong-thieves of the wood, that we and they togetherwould get us a new home in Upmeads, which is a fat and pleasant land.So we got us ready; but the Woodmen told us that the Upmeads carles,though they be not many, are strong and dauntless, and since we now hadpleasant life before us, with good thralls to work for us, and withplenty of fair women for our bed-mates, we deemed it best to have themost numbers we might, so that we might over-whelm the said carles atone blow, and get as few of ourselves slain as might be. Now we knewthat another band of us had entered the lands of the Abbot of Higham,and had taken hold of some of his castles; wherefore the captainsconsidered and thought, and sent us to give bidding to our folk southhere to march at once toward us in Upmeads, that our bands might meetthere, and scatter all before us. There is our story, lord."

  Ralph knitted his brow, and said: "Tell me (and thy life lieth on thygiving true answers), do thy folk in these strongholds know of yourpurpose of falling upon Upmeads?" "Nay," said the Burger. Said Ralph:"And will they know otherwise if ye do them not to wit?" "Nay," againsaid the man. Said Ralph: "Are thy folk already in Upmeads?" "Nay,"said the captive, "but by this time they will be on the road thither.""How many all told?" said Ralph The man reddened and stammered: "Athousand--two--two thousand--A thousand, lord," said he. "Get thysword ready, Stephen," said Ralph. "How many, on thy life, Burger?""Two thousand, lord," said the man. "And how many do ye look to havefrom Higham-land?" Said the Burger, "Somewhat more than a thousand."Withal he looked uneasily at his fellows, some of whom were scowling onhim felly. "Tell me now," said Ralph, "where be the other bands of theBurgers?"

  Ere the captive could speak, he who stood next him snatched anunsheathed knife from the girdle of one of the Dry Tree, and quick aslightning thrust it into his fellow's belly, so that he fell dead atonce amongst them. Then Stephen, who had his sword naked in his hand,straightway hewed down the slayer, and swords came out of the scabbardseverywhere; and it went but a little but that all the Burgers wereslain at once. But Ralph cried out: "Put up your swords, Champions!Stephen slew yonder man for slaying his fellow, who was under my ward,and that was but his due. But I have given life to these others, andso it must be held to. Tie their hands behind them and let us on toBear Castle. For this tide brooks no delay."

  So they gat to horse, and the footmen from Garton mounted the horses ofthe slain Burgers, and had the charge of guarding the twenty that wereleft. So they rode off all of them toward Bear Castle, and shortly tosay it, came within sight of its rampart two hours before noon. Soonerhad they came thither; but divers times they caught up with smallcompanies of weaponed men, whose heads were turned the same way; andGiles told Ralph each time that they were of the Shepherd-folk going tothe mote. But now when they were come so nigh to the castle they saw avery stream of men setting that way, and winding up the hill to therampart. And Giles said: "It is not to be doubted but that Marthahath sent round the war-brand, and thou wilt presently have an hostthat will meet thy foemen without delay; and what there lacks in numbershall be made good by thy luck, which once again was shown by ourfalling in with that company e'en now."

  "Yea truly," said Ralph, "but wilt thou now tell me how I shall guidemyself amongst thy folk, and if they will grant me the aid I ask?"

  "Look, look," said Giles, "already some one hath made clear thineasking to our folk; and hearken! up there they are naming the ancientFather of our Race, without whom we may do nought, even with theblessed saints to aid. There then is thine answer, lord."

  Indeed as he spoke came down on the wind the voice of a chant, sung bymany folk, the words whereof he well remembered: SMITE ASIDE AXE, OBEAR-FATHER. And therewith rose up into the air a column of smokeintermingled with fire from each of the four corners of that strongholdof the Ancient Folk. Ralph rejoiced when he saw it, and the heart rosewithin him and fluttered in his bosom, and Ursula, who rode closebehind him, looked up into his face well pleased and happy.

  Thus rode they up the bent and over the turf bridge into the plain ofthe garth, and whatso of people were there flocked about to behold thenew-come warriors; sooth to say, there were but some two hundreds, wholooked but few indeed in the great square place, but more werestreaming in every minute. Giles led him and his men into thenorth-east corner of the castle, and there they gat off their horsesand lay down on the grass awaiting what should betide.