Yet in a moment the hare was back again out of the cover, and running along its edge in the open as though she had met with somewhat that she feared even more than the winged terror which she had so nearly baffled.  And that was strange, for it is hard to get a hare to stir from her seat if there is a hawk overhead, so that sometimes men have even picked up the timid beast from her place.

“There is a fox in the underwood, and she has seen him,” I cried, and then forgot all about the strangeness of the matter in watching the stoop of the ready hawk, who waited only for one more chance.

Not far did the hare win this time.  The hawk swooped and took her close to the edge of the wood, and I rode quickly to take the bird again and give her her share of the quarry.  And then, while my eyes were fixed on her, and I was just about to dismount, I was aware of something like a streak of light that flew from the underwood toward me, and suddenly my horse reared wildly, and fell back on me, pinning me to the ground.

At the same moment I heard Wulf roaring somewhat, and then he was between me and the cover, and I saw him, through the dazedness of my eyes with the fall, dismount and unsling his shield from his back, with his eyes ever on the wood.  Then an arrow struck the ground close to me, and I heard another smite Wulf’s shield with the clap that no warrior can mistake.  At that his steed took fright and left us.

“Get my horn and wind it,” I said, struggling to get free from the horse.  It was no mean bowman who had sent that first arrow, for the poor beast never moved after it fell, and had spent its last strength in rearing.

“That is crushed flat, Master,” Wulf said between his teeth, and he tried to lift the weight that was on me.

Then the arrows came thickly again, and he crouched over me with the shield, behind the horse.  It was lucky that I was almost covered by it as I lay, for it was between me and the wood.  I writhed and struggled and at last I was free again, and Wulf helped me to get my own shield from my back as I rose, and then we stood back to back and looked for our foes.

“Morgan’s people, I suppose,” I said.  “We should not have left the men, for I knew that he was leagued with Quantock outlaws.”

“A nidring set, too,” said Wulf savagely.  “Can’t they show themselves?”

As if the men had heard him, they came from the cover even as he spoke.  There were more than I could count after a few moments, for they poured out in twos and threes from all along the edge of the wood, and came cautiously toward us, in such wise as to surround us.  Wild looking men they were, with never a helm or mail shirt among them, but they were all well armed enough with bow and spear and seax, and more than one had swords.

Then I looked round to see if I could see my men coming, and my heart sank.  We were hidden from the road by the crest of the hill, and I knew that the flight of the hawk had led us some way from it.  We could not be less than a full mile from them at the rate we had ridden, and I did not think it likely that they had hurried after us, for they would not spoil sport.