The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 29

  They Go Down to Battle in Upmeads

  Before it was light were all men come into the market-place, and Ralphand Richard and Clement and Stephen a-Hurst fell to and arrayed themduly; and now, what with the company which Ralph had led into Wulstead,what with the men of the town, and them that had fled from Upmeads(though these last were mostly old men and lads), they were a thousandand four score and three. Ralph would go afoot as he went yesterday;but today he bore in his hand the ancient staff of war, thegold-written guisarme; and he went amongst the Shepherds, with whomwere joined the feeble folk of Upmeads, men whom he had known of oldand who knew him, and it was as if their hearts had caught fire fromhis high heart, and that whatever their past days had been to them,this day at least should be glorious. Withal anon comes Ursula fromSt. Austin's with the Sage of Swevenham, whose face was full smilingand cheerful. Ursula wore that day a hauberk under her gown, and washelmed with a sallet; and because of her armour she rode upon a littlehorse. Ralph gave her into the warding of the Sage, who was armed atall points, and looked a valiant man of war. But Ralph's brother,Hugh, had gotten him a horse, and had fallen into the company of theChampions, saying that he deemed they would go further forth than asort of sheep-tending churls and the runaways of Upmeads.

  As for Ralph, he walked up and down the ranks of the stout men of theDown-country, and saw how they had but little armour for defence,though their weapons for cutting and thrusting looked fell and handy.So presently he turned about to Giles, who, as aforesaid, bore a longhauberk, and said: "Friend, the walk we are on to-day is a long onefor carrying burdens, and an hour after sunrise it will be hot. Wiltthou not do with thy raiment as I do?" And therewith he did off hishauberk and his other armour save his sallet. "This is good," said he,"for the sun to shine on, so that I may be seen from far; but theseother matters are good for folk who fight a-horseback or on a wall; westriders have no need of them."

  Then arose great shouting from the Shepherds, and men stretched out thehand to him and called hail on his valiant heart.

  Amidst of which cries Giles muttered, but so as Ralph might hear him:"It is all down hill to Upmeads; I shall take off my iron-coat comingback again." So Ralph clapped him on the shoulder and bade him comeback whole and well in any case. "Yea, and so shalt thou come back,"said he.

  Then the horns blew for departure, and they went their ways out of themarket-place, and out into the fields through the new wooden wall ofWulstead. Richard led the way with a half score of the Champions, buthe rode but a little way before Ralph, who marched at the head of theShepherds.

  So they went in the fresh morning over the old familiar fields, andstrange it seemed to Ralph that he was leading an host into the littleland of Upmeads. Speedily they went, though in good order, and it wasbut a little after sunrise when they were wending toward the brow ofthe little hill whence they would look down into the fair meads whoseimage Ralph had seen on so many days of peril and weariness.

  And now Richard and his fore-riders had come up on to the brow and satthere on their horses clear against the sky; and Ralph saw how Richarddrew his sword from the scabbard and waved it over his head, and he andhis men shouted; then the whole host set up a great shout, and hastenedup the bent, but with the end of their shout and the sound of the trampof their feet and the rattle of their war-gear was mingled a confusednoise of cries a way off, and the blowing of horns, and as Ralph andhis company came crowding up on to the brow, he looked down and saw thehappy meadows black with weaponed men, and armour gleaming in the clearmorning, and the points of weapons casting back the low sun's rays andglittering like the sparks in a dying fire of straw. Then again helooked, and lo! the High House rising over the meadows unburned andunhurt, and the banner of the fruited tree hanging forth from thetopmost tower thereof.

  Then he felt a hand come on to his cheek, and lo, Ursula beside him,her cheeks flushed and her eyes glittering; and she cried out: "O thinehome, my beloved, thine home!" And he turned to her and said; "Yea,presently, sweetheart!" "Ah," she said, "will it be long? and they somany!" "And we so mighty!" said Ralph. "Nay, it will be but a littlewhile. Wise man of Swevenham, see to it that my beloved is anigh meto-day, for where I am, there will be safety."

  The Sage nodded yeasay and smiled.

  Then Ralph looked along the ridge to right and left of him, and sawthat all the host had come up and had a sight of the foemen; on theright stood the Shepherds staring down into the meadow and laughing forthe joy of battle and the rage of the oppressed. On the left sat theChampions of the Dry Tree on their horses, and they also were tossingup their weapons and roaring like lions for the prey; and down belowthe black crowd had drawn together into ordered ranks, and still theclamour and rude roaring of the warriors arose thence, and beat againstthe hill's brow.

  Now so fierce and ready were the men of Ralph's company that it was anear thing but that they, and the Shepherds in especial, did not rushtumultuously down the hill all breathless and in ill order. But Ralphcried out to Richard to go left, and Giles to go right, and stay theonset for a while; and to bid the leaders come to him where he stood.Then the tumult amidst his folk lulled, and Stephen a-Hurst and Rogerand three others of the Dry Tree came to him, and Giles brought threeof the Shepherds, and there was Clement and a fellow of his. So whenthey were come and standing in a ring round Ralph, he said to them:

  "Brothers in arms, ye see that our foes are all in array to meet us,having had belike some spy in Wulstead, who hath brought them the taleof what was toward. Albeit methinks that this irks not either you norme; for otherwise we might have found them straggling, and scatteredfar and wide, which would have made our labour the greater. Now ye cansee with your eyes that they are many more than we be, even wereNicholas to issue out of the High House against them, as doubtless hewill do if need be. Brethren, though they be so many, yet my hearttells me that we shall overcome them; yet if we leave our strength andcome down to them, both our toil shall be greater, and some of us,belike many, shall be slain; and evil should I deem it if but a scoreof my friends should lose their lives on this joyous day when at last Isee Upmeads again after many troubles. Wherefore my rede is that weabide their onset on the hillside here; and needs must they fall on us,whereas we have Wulstead and friends behind us, and they nought butNicholas and the bows and bills of the High House. But if any haveaught to say against it let him speak, but be speedy; for already I seea stir in their array, and I deem that they will send men to challengeus to come down to them."

  Then spake Stephen a-Hurst: "I, and we all meseemeth, deem that thouart in the right, Captain; though sooth to say, when we first set eyeson these dogs again, the blood so stirred in us that we were like tolet all go and ride down on them."

  Said Richard: "Thou biddest us wisdom of war; let them have the hillagainst them." Said Clement: "Yea, for they are well learned and wellarmed; another sort of folk to those wild men whom we otherthrew in themountains."

  And in like wise said they all.

  Then spake Stephen again: "Lord, since thou wilt fight afoot with ourfriends of the Shepherds, we of the Dry Tree are minded to fare in likewise and to forego our horses; but if thou gainsay it----"

  "Champion," said Ralph, "I do gainsay it. Thou seest how many of thembe horsed, and withal ye it is who must hold the chase of them; for Iwill that no man of them shall escape."

  They laughed joyously at his word, and then he said: "Go now, and giveyour leaders of scores and tens the word that I have said, and comeback speedily for a little while; for now I see three men sunderingthem from their battle, and one beareth a white cloth at the end of hisspear; these shall be the challengers."

  So they did after his bidding, and by then they had come back to Ralphthose three men were at the foot of the hill, which was but low. ThenRalph said to his captains: "Stand before me, so that I be not seen ofthem until one of you hath made answer, 'Speak of this to our leaderand captain.'" Even so they did; and presently those th
ree came so nighthat they could see the whites of their eyes. They were all three wellarmed, but the foremost of them was clad in white steel from head tofoot, so that he looked like a steel image, all but his face, which waspale and sallow and grim. He and his two fellows, when they were rightnigh, rode slowly all along the front of Ralph's battles thrice, andnone spake aught to them, and they gave no word to any; but when theycame over against the captains who stood before Ralph for the fourthtime, they reined up and faced them, and the leader put back his salletand spake in a great and rough voice:

  "Ye men! we have heard these three hours that ye were coming, whereforewe have drawn out into the meads which we have taken, that ye might seehow many and how valiant we be, and might fear us. Wherefore now, yebroken reivers of the Dry Tree, ye silly shepherds of silly sheep, yeweavers and apprentices of Wulstead, and if there by any more, yefools! we give you two choices this morn. Either come down to us intothe meadow yonder, that we may slay you with less labour, or else,which will be the better for you, give up to us the Upmeads thralls whobe with you, and then turn your faces and go back to your houses, andabide there till we come and pull you out of them, which may be somewhile yet. Hah! what say ye, fools?"

  Then spake Clement and said: "Ye messengers of the robbers andoppressors, why make ye this roaring to the common people and thesergeants? Why speak ye not with our Captain?"

  Cried out the challenger, "Where then is the Captain of the Fools? ishe hidden? can he hear my word?"

  Scarce was it out of his mouth ere the captains fell away to right andleft, and there, standing by himself, was Ralph, holding the ancientlettered war-staff; his head was bare, for now he had done off hissallet, and the sun and the wind played in his bright hair; gloriouswas his face, and his grey eyes gleamed with wrath and mastery as hespake in a clear voice, and there was silence all along the ranks tohearken him:

  "O messenger of the robbers! I am the captain of this folk. I seethat the voice hath died away within the jaws of you; but it mattersnot, for I have heard thy windy talk, and this is the answer: we willneither depart, nor come down to you, but will abide our death by yourhands here on this hill-side. Go with this answer."

  The man stared wild at Ralph while he was speaking, and seemed tostagger in his saddle; then he let his sallet fall over his face, and,turning his horse about, rode swiftly, he and his two fellows, down thehill and away to the battle of the Burgers. None followed or criedafter him; for now had a great longing and expectation fallen uponRalph's folk, and they abode what shall befall with little noise. Theynoted so soon as the messenger was gotten to the main of the foementhat there was a stir amongst them, and they were ordering their ranksto move against the hill. And withal they saw men all armed comingfrom out the High House, who went down to the Bridge and abode there.Upmeads-water ran through the meadows betwixt the hill and the HighHouse, as hath been said afore; but as it winded along, one reach of itwent nigh to the House, and made wellnigh a quarter of a circle aboutit before it turned to run down the meadows to the eastward; and atthis nighest point was there a wide bridge well builded of stone.

  The Burg-devils heeded not the men at the Bridge, but, being allarrayed, made but short tarrying (and that belike only to hear the taleof their messenger) ere they came in two battles straight across themeadow. They on their right were all riders, and these faced theChampions of the Dry Tree, but a great battle of footmen came againstthe Shepherds and the rest of Ralph's footmen, but in their rearwardwas a company of well-horsed men-at-arms; and all of them were wellarmed and went right orderly and warrior-like.

  It was but some fifteen minutes ere they were come to the foot of thehill, and they fell to mounting it with laughter and mockery, butRalph's men held their peace. The horsemen were somewhat speedier thanthose on foot, though they rode but at a foot's pace, and when theywere about halfway up the hill and were faltering a little (for it wassomewhat steep, though nought high), the Champions of the Dry Treecould forbear them no longer, but set up a huge roar, and rode at them,so that they all went down the hill together, but the Champions werelost amidst of the huge mass of the foemen.

  But Ralph was left at the very left end of his folk, and the foemencame up the hill speedily with much noise and many foul mocks asaforesaid, and they were many and many more than Ralph's folk, and nowthat the Champions were gone, could have enfolded them at either end;but no man of the company blenched or faltered, only here and there onespake soft to his neighbour, and here and there one laughed thebattle-laugh.

  Now at the hanging of the hill, whenas either side could see the whitesof the foemen's eyes, the robbers stayed a little to gather breath; andin that nick of time Ralph strode forth into the midst between the twolines and up on to a little mound on the hill-side (which well heknew), and he lifted up the ancient guisarme, and cried on high: "Homenow! Home to Upmeads!"

  Then befell a marvel, for even as all eyes of the foemen were turned onhim, straightway their shouts and jeering and laughter fell dead, andthen gave place to shrieks and wailing, as all they who beheld him castdown their weapons and fled wildly down the hill, overturning whateverstood in their way, till the whole mass of them was broken to pieces,and the hill was covered with nought but cravens and the light-footedShepherds slaughtering them in the chase.

  But Ralph called Clement to him and they drew a stalworth bandtogether, and, heeding nought the chase of the runaways, they fell onthose who had the Champions in their midst, and fell to smiting downmen on either hand; and every man who looked on Ralph crouched andcowered before him, casting down his weapons and throwing up his hands.Shortly to say it, when these horsemen felt this new onset, and lookinground saw their men fleeing hither and thither over the green fields ofUpmeads, smitten by the Shepherds and leaping into the deep pools ofthe river, they turned and fled, every man who could keep his saddle,and made for the Bridge, the Dry Tree thundering at their backs. Buteven as they came within bowshot, a great flight of arrows came fromthe further side of the water, and the banner of the Fruitful Tree cameforth from the bridge-end with Nicholas and his tried men-at-armsbehind it; and then indeed great and grim was the murder, and the proudmen of the Burg grovelled on the ground and prayed for mercy tillneither the Champions nor the men of Nicholas could smite helpless menany longer.

  Now had Ralph held his hand from the chase, and he was sitting on amound amidst of the meadow under an ancient thorn, and beside him satthe Sage of Swevenham and Ursula. And she was grown pale now andlooked somewhat scared, and she spake in a trembling voice to Ralph,and said: "Alas friend! that this should be so grim! When we hear theowls a-nighttime about the High House, shall we not deem at whiles thatit is the ghosts of this dreadful battle and slaughter wandering aboutour fair fields?" But Ralph spake sternly and wrathfully as he satthere bareheaded and all unarmed save for the ancient glaive: "Why didthey not slay me then? Better the ghosts of robbers in our fields bynight, than the over-burdened hapless thrall by day, and the scourgedwoman, and ruined child. These things they sought for us and havefound death on the way--let it be!"

  He laughed as he spake; but then the grief of the end of battle cameupon him and he trembled and shook, and great tears burst from his eyesand rolled down his cheeks, and he became stark and hard-faced.

  Then Ursula took his hands and caressed them, and kissed his face, andfell a-talking to him of how they rode the pass to the Valley of SweetChestnuts; and in a while his heart and his mind came back to him as itdid that other time of which she spake, and he kissed her in turn, andbegan to tell her of his old chamber in the turret of the High House.

  And now there come riding across the field two warriors. They drawrein by the mound, and one lights down, and lo! it is Long Nicholas;and he took Ralph in his arms, and kissed him and wept over him for allhis grizzled beard and his gaunt limbs; but few words he had for him,save this: "My little Lord, was it thou that was the wise captainto-day, or this stout lifter and reiver!" But the other man was Stephena-Hurst, who laugh
ed and said: "Nay, Nicholas, I was the fool, and thisstripling the wise warrior. But, Lord Ralph, thou wilt pardon me, Ihope, but we could not kill them all, for they would not fight in anywise; what shall we do with them?" Ralph knit his brows and thought alittle; then he said: "How many hast thou taken?" Said Stephen: "Sometwo hundred alive." "Well," quoth Ralph; "strip them of all armour andweapons, and let a score of thy riders drive them back the way theycame into the Debateable Wood. But give them this last word from me,that or long I shall clear the said wood of all strong-thieves."

  Stephen departed on that errand; and presently comes Giles and anotherof the Shepherds with a like tale, and had a like answer.

  Now amidst all these deeds it yet lacked an hour of noon. So presentlyRalph arose and took Richard apart for a while and spoke with him alittle, and then came back to Ursula and took her by the hand, andsaid: "Beloved, Richard shall take thee now to a pleasant abode thisside the water; for I grudge that thou shouldst enter the High Housewithout me; and as for me I must needs ride back to Wulstead to bringhither my father and mother, as I promised to do after the battle. Ingood sooth, I deemed it would have lasted longer." Said Ursula: "Dearfriend, this is even what I should have bidden thee myself. Departspeedily, that thou mayst be back the sooner; for sorely do I long toenter thine house, beloved." Then Ralph turned to Nicholas, and said:"Our host is not so great but that thou mayst victual it well; yet Ideem it is little less than when we left Wulstead early this morning."

  "True is that, little lord," said Nicholas. "Hear a wonder amongstbattles: of thy Shepherds and the other footmen is not one slain, andbut some five hurt. The Champions have lost three men slain outright,and some fifteen hurt; of whom is thy brother Hugh, but not sorely.""Better than well is thy story then," said Ralph. "Now let them bringme a horse." So when he was horsed, he kissed Ursula and went hisways. And she abode his coming back at Richard's house anigh the water.