Then I pointed to Ashingdon hill and cried: 

“We can rally yonder!”

And Eadmund gainsaid me not, but groaned, and called to his men, and we got together and faced round, so that the Danes drew back a little, as men will when a boar turns to bay.  And we fought to reach the Lindsey and Borough men through the Danes, who had filled the gap that the flight of the Mercians had made—­and won to them.  There was the greatest slaughter of the Danish host at that time.  But we could not win to Ulfkytel, for the centre and left wing of the Danes lapped us round, and their right drove him back on the marshes, away from us.

Then we were pressed back along the higher ground, and we were forced into a great ring that the Danes could not break, and ever where sign of weakening was Eadmund rode and shouted and smote, and the Danes gave back before him.  Once or twice I could hold my hand as he sat in the midst of our circle watching all that went on, and I saw many things in those few moments while sword Foe’s Bane rested.

The Mercians had not followed us for very shame, but they sat on the open hillside in the place where the Danish line had been.  I think it was not Streone’s fault that they were not fighting hand to hand with us.  I saw him ride to Ulf the jarl, and I saw Ulf turn his shoulder on him, and then he sought Rink, and that chief spoke but a word to him, so that he tried not to reach Cnut, who never looked at him.

Then I saw Ulfkytel’s men breaking and taking to the marshes, where the Danes cared not to follow them.  More than one I could see sinking under the weight of arms in the fen slime among the green tussocks of grass that he had slipped from, and I saw that the flying men made for Ashingdon hill.

Now as we drew back some word went round among the Danish host and their onset slackened, and presently they drew off and left us to retreat as we would.  They could not break our ring, and we were coming to broken land where we might have some advantage.

Then Eadmund said: 

“We will go to yonder hill and hold it.  Then will East Anglia come to us, and we can begin again tomorrow, maybe; and if not, we can watch the Danes away.  All is not lost yet.”

So we went to Ashingdon hill, and there formed up.  Only the Danish horsemen followed us to find out what we did.  And we saw the main force drawing back towards their earthworks on one wing, while the other held the place of battle, and it was not plain at once why they thus divided.

We rested for a short half hour on Ashingdon hill, and the men of Ulfkytel gathered to us.  But the brave earl was slain, and with him Abbot Wulsy, and the Mercians had slain the Ealdorman of Lindsey when they turned on us, and many more lay in the place where the flight began, good men and noble sold to their deaths by the traitor.

It was about midday when we won back to the hill, and the battle, from the time when we had first met, had lasted but a short time.  Yet what with slaughter when we broke, and the desertion of the Mercians, we were short of a full third of our men now.