wood, when the furious wind
heaveth it with strength!" Flew over the wealds thirty thousand
shields, and smote on Colgrim's knights, so that the earth shook
again. Brake the broad spears, shivered shields; the Saxish men fell
to the ground! Colgrim saw that, therefore he was woe--the fairest man
of all that came out of Saxland. Colgrim gan to flee, exceeding
quickly; and his horse bare him with great strength over the deep
water, and saved him from death. The Saxons gan to sink--sorrow was
given to them! Arthur hastened speedily to the water, and turned his
spear's point, and hindered to them the ford; there the Saxons were
drowned, full seven thousand. Some they gan wander, as the wild crane
doth in the moorfen, when his flight is impaired, and swift hawks
pursue after him, and hounds with mischief meet him in the reeds; then
is neither good to him, nor the land nor the flood, the hawks him
smite, the hounds him bite, then is the royal fowl at his death-time!
Colgrim fled him over the fields quickly, until he came to York,
riding most marvellously; he went into the burgh, and fast it
inclosed; he had within ten thousand men, burghers with the best; that
were beside him. Arthur pursued after him with thirty thousand
knights, and marched right to York with folk very numerous, and
besieged Colgrim at York, who defended it against him.

Seven nights therebefore Baldolf the fair, Colgrim's brother, was gone
southward, and lay by the sea-side, and abode Childric. Childric was
in those days a kaiser of powerful authority; the land in Alemaine was
his own. When Baldolf heard, where he lay by the sea, that Arthur had
inclosed Colgrim in York, Baldolf had assembled seven thousand men,
bold fellows, who by the sea lay; they took them to counsel, that back
they would ride, and leave Childric, and proceed into York, and fight
with Arthur, and destroy all his people. Baldolf swore in his anger,
that he would be Arthur's bane, and possess all this realm, with
Colgrim his brother. Baldolf would not wait for the kaiser Childric,
but thence he marched forth, and drew him forth right north, from day
to day, with his bold folk, until he came into a wood, into a
wilderness, full seven miles from Arthur's host. He had thought by
night with seven thousand knights to ride upon Arthur, and fell his
folk, and himself kill.

But all it otherwise happened, other than he weened; for Baldolf had
in his host a British knight; he was Arthur's relat