House of the Wolfings: The William Morris Book that Inspired J. R. R. Tolkiena *s The Lord of the Rings (23 page)

Now, when the host was but a little past the
Galting dwellings men began to see the flames mingled with the
smoke of the burning, and the smoke itself growing thinner, as
though the fire had over-mastered everything and was consuming
itself with its own violence; and somewhat afterwards, the ground
rising, they could see the Bearing meadow and the foemen thereon:
yet a little further, and from the height of another swelling of
the earth they could see the burning houses themselves and the
array of the Romans; so there they stayed and breathed their horses
a while. And they beheld how of the Romans a great company was
gathered together in close array betwixt the ford and the Bearing
Hall, but nigher unto the ford, and these were a short mile from
them; but others they saw streaming out from the burning dwellings,
as if their work were done there, and they could not see that they
had any captives with them. Other Romans there were, and amongst
them men in the attire of the Goths, busied about the river banks,
as though they were going to try the ford.

But a little while abode Otter in that
place, and then waved his arm and rode on and all the host
followed; and as they drew nigher, Otter, who was wise in war,
beheld the Romans and deemed them a great host, and the very kernel
and main body of them many more than all his company; and moreover
they were duly and well arrayed as men waiting a foe; so he knew
that he must be wary or he would lose himself and all his men.

So he stayed his company when they were
about two furlongs from them, and the main body of the foe stirred
not, but horsemen and slingers came forth from its sides and made
on toward the Goths, and in three or four minutes were within
bowshot of them. Then the bowmen of the Goths slipped down from
their horses and bent their bows and nocked their arrows and let
fly, and slew and hurt many of the horsemen, who endured their shot
but for a minute or two and then turned rein and rode back slowly
to their folk, and the slingers came not on very eagerly whereas
they were dealing with men a-horseback, and the bowmen of the Goths
also held them still.

Now turned Otter to his folk and made them a
sign, which they knew well, that they should get down from their
horses; and when they were afoot the leaders of tens and hundreds
arrayed them, into the wedge-array, with the bowmen on either
flank: and Otter smiled as he beheld this adoing and that the
Romans meddled not with them, belike because they looked to have
them good cheap, since they were but a few wild men.

But when they were all arrayed he sat still
on his horse and spake to them short and sharply, saying:

“Men of the Goths, will ye mount your horses
again and ride into the wood and let it cover you, or will ye fight
these Romans?” They answered him with a great shout and the
clashing of their weapons on their shields. “That is well,” quoth
Otter, “since we have come so far; for I perceive that the foe will
come to meet us, so that we must either abide their shock or turn
our backs. Yet must we fight wisely or we are undone, and Thiodolf
in risk of undoing; this have we to do if we may, to thrust in
between them and the ford, and if we may do that, there let us
fight it out, till we fall one over another. But if we may not do
it, then will we not throw our lives away but do the foemen what
hurt we may without mingling ourselves amongst them, and so abide
the coming of Thiodolf; for if we get not betwixt them and the ford
we may in no case hinder them from crossing. And all this I tell
you that ye may follow me wisely, and refrain your wrath that ye
may live yet to give it the rein when the time comes.”

So he spake and got down from his horse and
drew his sword and went to the head of the wedge-array and began
slowly to lead forth; but the thralls and swains had heed of the
horses, and they drew aback with them towards the wood which was
but a little way from them.

But for Otter he led his men down towards
the ford, and when the Romans saw that, their main body began to
move forward, faring slant-wise, as a crab, down toward the ford;
then Otter hastened somewhat, as he well might, since his men were
well learned in war and did not break their array; but now by this
time were those burners of the Romans come up with the main battle,
and the Roman captain sent them at once against the Goths, and they
advanced boldly enough, a great cloud of men in loose array who
fell to with arrows and slings on the wedge-array and slew and hurt
many: yet did not Otter stay his folk; but it was ill going for
them, for their unshielded sides were turned to the Romans, nor
durst Otter scatter his bowmen out from the wedge-array, lest the
Romans, who were more than they, should enter in amongst them. Ever
he gazed earnestly on the main battle of the Romans, and what they
were doing, and presently it became clear to him that they would
outgo him and come to the ford, and then he wotted well that they
would set on him just when their light-armed were on his flank and
his rearward, and then it would go hard but they would break their
array and all would be lost: therefore he slacked his pace and went
very slowly and the Romans went none the slower for that; but their
light-armed grew bolder and drew more together as they came nigher
to the Goths, as though they would give them an onset; but just at
that nick of time Otter passed the word down the ranks, and, waving
his sword, turned sharply to the right and fell with all the
wedge-array on the clustering throng of the light-armed, and his
bowmen spread out now from the right flank of the wedge-array, and
shot sharp and swift and the bowmen on the left flank ran forward
swiftly till they had cleared the wedge-array and were on the flank
of the light-armed Romans; and they, what between the onset of the
swordsmen and spearmen of the Goths, and their sharp arrows, knew
not which way to turn, and a great slaughter befell amongst them,
and they of them were the happiest who might save themselves by
their feet.

Now after this storm, and after these men
had been thrust away, Otter stayed not, but swept round about the
field toward the horses; and indeed he looked to it that the
main-battle of the Romans should follow him, but they did not, but
stayed still to receive the fleers of their light-armed. And this
indeed was the goodhap of the Goths; for they were somewhat
disordered by their chase of the light-armed, and they smote and
spared not, their hearts being full of bitter wrath, as might well
be; for even as they turned on the Romans, they beheld the great
roof of the Bearings fall in over the burned hall, and a great
shower of sparks burst up from its fall, and there were the ragged
gables left standing, licked by little tongues of flame which could
not take hold of them because of the clay which filled the spaces
between the great timbers and was daubed over them. And they saw
that all the other houses were either alight or smouldering, down
to the smallest cot of a thrall, and even the barns and booths both
great and little.

Therefore, whereas the Markmen were far
fewer in all than the Roman main-battle, and whereas this same host
was in very good array, no doubt there was that the Markmen would
have been grievously handled had the Romans fallen on; but the
Roman Captain would not have it so: for though he was a bold man,
yet was his boldness that of the wolf, that falleth on when he is
hungry and skulketh when he is full. He was both young and very
rich, and a mighty man among his townsmen, and well had he learned
that ginger is hot in the mouth, and though he had come forth to
the war for the increasing of his fame, he had no will to die among
the Markmen, either for the sake of the city of Rome, or of any
folk whatsoever, but was liefer to live for his own sake. Therefore
was he come out to vanquish easily, that by his fame won he might
win more riches and dominion in Rome; and he was well content also
to have for his own whatever was choice amongst the plunder of
these wild-men (as he deemed them), if it were but a fair woman or
two. So this man thought, It is my business to cross the ford and
come to Wolfstead, and there take the treasure of the tribe, and
have a stronghold there, whence we may slay so many of these beasts
with little loss to us that we may march away easily and with our
hands full, even if Maenius with his men come not to our aid, as
full surely he will: therefore as to these angry men, who be not
without might and conduct in battle, let us remember the old saw
that saith ‘a bridge of gold to a fleeing foe,’ and let them depart
with no more hurt of Romans, and seek us afterwards when we are
fenced into their stead, which shall then be our stronghold: even
so spake he to his Captains about him.

For it must be told that he had no tidings
of the overthrow of the Romans on the Ridge; nor did he know surely
how many fighting-men the Markmen might muster, except by the
report of those dastards of the Goths; and though he had taken
those two women in the wastes, yet had he got no word from them,
for they did as the Hall-Sun bade them, when they knew that they
would be questioned with torments, and smiting themselves each with
a little sharp knife, so went their ways to the Gods.

Thus then the Roman Captain let the Markmen
go their ways, and turned toward the ford, and the Markmen went
slowly now toward their horses. Howbeit there were many of them who
murmured against Otter, saying that it was ill done to have come so
far and ridden so hard, and then to have done so little, and that
were to-morrow come, they would not be led away so easily: but now
they said it was ill; for the Romans would cross the water, and
make their ways to Wolfstead, none hindering them, and would burn
the dwellings and slay the old men and thralls, and have away the
women and children and the Hall-Sun the treasure of the Markmen. In
sooth, they knew not that a band of the Roman light-armed had
already crossed the water, and had fallen upon the dwellings of the
Wolfings; but that the old men and younglings and thralls of the
House had come upon them as they were entangled amidst the tofts
and the garths, and had overcome them and slain many.

Thus went Otter and his men to their horses
when it was now drawing toward sunset (for all this was some while
adoing), and betook them to a rising ground not far from the
wood-side, and there made what sort of a garth they might, with
their horses and the limbs of trees and long-shafted spears; and
they set a watch and abode in the garth right warily, and lighted
no fires when night fell, but ate what meat they had with them,
which was but little, and so sleeping and watching abode the
morning. But the main body of the Romans did not cross the ford
that night, for they feared lest they might go astray therein, for
it was an ill ford to those that knew not the water: so they abode
on the bank nigh to the water’s edge, with the mind to cross as
soon as it was fairly daylight.

Now Otter had lost of his men some hundred
and twenty slain or grievously hurt, and they had away with them
the hurt men and the bodies of the slain. The tale tells not how
many of the Romans were slain, but a many of their light-armed had
fallen, since the Markmen had turned so hastily upon them, and they
had with them many of the best bowmen of the Mark.

Chapter 21

They Bicker about the Ford

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 Warduke?” “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 Gothfolk: 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.”