madly into the
fray. Alleyne, at his lord's right hand, found himself swept hither and
thither in the desperate struggle, exchanging savage thrusts one instant
with a Spanish cavalier, and the next torn away by the whirl of men and
dashed up against some new antagonist. To the right Sir Oliver, Aylward,
Hordle John, and the bowmen of the Company fought furiously against the
monkish Knights of Santiago, who were led up the hill by their prior--a
great, deep-chested man, who wore a brown monastic habit over his suit
of mail. Three archers he slew in three giant strokes, but Sir Oliver
flung his arms round him, and the two, staggering and straining, reeled
backwards and fell, locked in each other's grasp, over the edge of the
steep cliff which flanked the hill. In vain his knights stormed and
raved against the thin line which barred their path: the sword of
Aylward and the great axe of John gleamed in the forefront of the battle
and huge jagged pieces of rock, hurled by the strong arms of the bowmen,
crashed and hurtled amid their ranks. Slowly they gave back down the
hill, the archers still hanging upon their skirts, with a long litter of
writhing and twisted figures to mark the course which they had taken. At
the same instant the Welshmen upon the left, led on by the Scotch earl,
had charged out from among the rocks which sheltered them, and by the
fury of their outfall had driven the Spaniards in front of them in
headlong flight down the hill. In the centre only things seemed to be
going ill with the defenders. Black Simon was down--dying, as he would
wish to have died, like a grim old wolf in its lair with a ring of his
slain around him. Twice Sir Nigel had been overborne, and twice Alleyne
had fought over him until he had staggered to his feet once more.
Burley lay senseless, stunned by a blow from a mace, and half of the
men-at-arms lay littered upon the ground around him. Sir Nigel's shield
was broken, his crest shorn, his armor cut and smashed, and the vizor
torn from his helmet; yet he sprang hither and thither with light
foot and ready hand, engaging two Bretons and a Spaniard at the same
instant--thrusting, stooping, dashing in, springing out--while Alleyne
still fought by his side, stemming with a handful of men the fierce tide
which surged up against them. Yet it would have fared ill with them
had not the archers from either side closed in upon the flanks of the
attackers, and pressed them very slowly and foot