out from their caves, from sleeping-places hollowed within the rocks,
stumbled his ragged following--an unordered rabblement, half-naked,
unarmed, that ran hither and thither, shouting and rubbing sleep from
their eyes, or stared fearfully upon the dawn. Anon Beltane sounded
again, whereat they, beholding him, came thronging about him and
questioned him eagerly on all sides, as thus:

"Master, are we attacked forsooth?"

"Is the Red Pertolepe upon us?"

"Lord, what shall we do--?"

"Lead us, master--lead us!"

Then, looking upon their wild disorder, Beltane laughed for scorn:--

"Rats!" quoth he, "O rats--is it thus ye throng to the slaughter, then?
Were I in sooth Red Pertolepe with but a score at my back I had slain
ye all ere sun-up! Where be your out-posts--where be your sentinels?
Are ye so eager to kick within a hangman's noose?"

Now hereupon divers growled or muttered threateningly, while others,
yawning, would have turned them back to sleep; but striding among them,
Beltane stayed them with voice and hand--and voice was scornful and
hand was heavy: moreover, beside him stood Roger and Giles, with Walkyn
and Eric of the wry neck.

"Fools!" he cried, "for that Pentavalon doth need men, so now must I
teach ye other ways. Fall to your ranks there--ha! scowl and ye will
but use well your ears--mark me, now. But two nights ago we burned
down my lord Duke's great castle of Garthlaxton: think you my lord Duke
will not seek vengeance dire upon these our bodies therefore? Think ye
the Red Pertolepe will not be eager for our blood? But yest're'en, when
I might have slain yon knavish Gurth, I suffered him to go--and
wherefore? For that Gurth, being at heart a traitor and rogue ingrain,
might straightway his him to the Duke at Barham Broom with offers to
guide his powers hither. But when they be come, his chivalry and heavy
armed foot here within the green, then will we fire the woods about
them and from every point of vantage beset them with our arrows--"

"Ha! Bows--bows!" cried Giles, tossing up his bow-stave and catching
it featly--"Oho! tall brother--fair lord Duke, here is a sweet and
notable counsel. Ha, bows! Hey for bows and bills i' the merry
greenwood!"

"So, perceive me," quoth Beltane, "thus shall the hunters peradventure
become the hunted, for, an Duke Ivo come, 'tis like enough he ne'er
shall win free of our ring of fire." Now from these long and ragged
ranks a buzz arose that swelled and swelle