the mastery of the road, so that this first bout was without blood-shedding.  Albeit the thieves still shot in their weak bows from the hill-side, but scarce hurt a man.  Then the bowmen of the fellowship fell to shooting at the wild men, while the men-at-arms breathed their horses, and the sumpter-beasts were gathered together behind them; for they had no dread of abiding there a while, whereas behind them the ground was broken into a steep shaly cliff, bushed here and there with tough bushes, so that no man could come up it save by climbing with hand and knee, and that not easily.

Now when the archers had shot a good while, and some of the thieves had fallen before them, and men were in good heart because of the flight of the wild men, Ralph, seeing that these still hung about the slopes, cried out:  “Master Clement, and thou Captain, sure it will be ill-done to leave these men unbroken behind us, lest they follow us and hang about our hindermost, slaying us both men and horses.”

“Even so,” quoth the captain, who was a man of few words, “let us go.  But do thou, Clement, abide by the stuff with the lads and bowmen.”

Then he cried out aloud:  “St. Christopher to aid!” and shook his rein, and all they who were clad in armour and well mounted spurred on with him against the strong-thieves.  But these, when they saw the onset of the horsemen, but drew a little up the hill-side and stood fast, and some of the horses were hurt by their shot.  So the captain bade draw rein and off horse, while Clement led his bowmen nigher, and they shot well together, and hindered the thieves from closing round the men-at-arms, or falling on the horses.  So then the companions went forward stoutly on foot, and entered into the battle of the thieves, and there was the thrusting and the hewing great:  for the foemen bore axes, and malls, and spears, and were little afraid, having the vantage-ground; and they were lithe and strong men, though not tall.

Ralph played manfully, and was hurt by a spear above the knee, but not grievously; so he heeded it not, but cleared a space all about him with great strokes of the Upmeads’ blade; then as the wild men gave back there was one of them who stood his ground and let drive a stroke of a long-handled hammer at him, but Ralph ran in under the stroke and caught him by the throat and drew him out of the press.  And even therewith the wild men broke up before the onset of the all-armed carles, and fled up the hill, and the men-at-arms followed them but a little, for their armour made them unspeedy; so that they took no more of those men, though they slew some, but turned about and gathered round Ralph and made merry over his catch, for they were joyous with the happy end of battle; and Clement, who had left his bowmen when the Companions were mingled with the wild-men, was there amidst the nighest.

Said Ralph to him:  “Well, have I got me a servant and thrall good cheap?” “Yea,” said Clement, “if thou deem a polecat a likely hound.”  Said the Captain:  “Put thy sword through him, knight.”  Quoth another:  “Let him run up hill, and our bowmen shall shoot a match at him.”