“Verily I thought on the hard chapel stones,” muttered Guthlac, the lay brother, behind me.

“It is the war chime, not the matin bell, you shall hear this morning,” said one of his brethren.

“That is better—­mea culpa,” said Guthlac, clapping his hand on his mouth to stop his own warlike ejaculation.

Then came Wulfhere back, swiftly.  Barely a mile were they from the hill, he said, and coming on quickly in loose order.  Moreover, a horseman had passed, riding hard to the ships, doubtless to bid them be ready.  But that would take little time, for these vikings are ever ready for flight, keeping their ships prepared from day to day.

CHAPTER XV.  THE GREAT FIGHT AT PARRET MOUTH.

Now very silently we drew off from that place to the edge of the hill which looks across the road to Stert.  And there the bishop drew us up in line, four deep, and told the men what we must do, bidding them be silent till we charged, though that could not prevent a hum of stern approval going down the line.

One man the bishop called out by name, and when he stood before him, bade him, as a swift runner, hasten back to Eanulf or Osric, and bid them on here with all speed.  And, when the man’s face fell, the bishop bade him cheer up and go, for the swifter he went the sooner would he be back at the sword play.  Whereat the man bowed, and, leaving his mail at a tree foot, started at a steady run over the ground we had covered already, and was lost in the trees.

Then we waited, and the light grew stronger every moment.  As we lay in line among the bushes we could see without much fear of being ourselves seen, and by and by we could make out the ships.  They had their masts raised, and the sails were plain to be seen, ready for hoisting.  The men were busy about their decks, and on shore as well, while the vessels were yet close up to the land.

They must haul off soon, little by little, or they would be aground, as doubtless they had been with every tide till this, for rocks are none, only soft mud on which a ship may lie safely, but through which no man may go, save on such a “horse” as the fishers use to reach their nets withal, sledge-like contrivances of flat boards which sink not.

The wait seemed long, but at last we heard the hum of voices, and the tramp of feet, and our hearts beat fast and thick, for the time was coming.

Over the hill and down it they streamed in a long, loose line, laughing and shouting as the ships came in sight.  A long breath came from us, and there was a little stir among the men; but the time was not yet, and we crouched low, waiting to make our spring.

Then ran up a long red forked flag, with a black raven on it, from the largest ship, and that seemed to be a signal for haste, for the tide was failing, so that some of the foremost men began to stream away from their comrades.  And then I saw that many carried packs full of plunder, and also that the last of them were on the level.