their
property, gave up their positions and abandoned their careers, and made
their way across the border to join him. Still, for some months no
operations were undertaken, on either side; and, a week after the
return of the king and his forces, Sir Edmund Mortimer said to Oswald:

"I will no longer keep you and your following from your lord's side. I
have largely strengthened my garrison, and twenty men, however valiant,
are no longer of importance. As you know, I should not have asked Percy
to aid me, had I not thought that, perchance, he might have come
himself, bringing with him two or three hundred men; and that my sister
might have accompanied him. Maybe, if matters go on quietly on the
northern marches, he may be able to do so yet; but I fear that the
Scotch will take advantage of the troubles here, and may, for aught I
know, have entered into communication with Glendower, so that they may
together harass the kingdom. I have written several times to him,
telling him what good service you and his men have rendered; and that I
would I had five hundred such good fighters with me, in which case I
would undertake, single handed, to bring this fellow to reason.

"I have written a letter which I will hand you to deliver, saying that,
as at present things are quiet and Glendower is in hiding among the
mountains, I have sent you back to him; not without the hope that,
should greater events take place, he himself will come hither, for a
while, to give me the benefit of his knowledge of border warfare, even
if he comes accompanied only by my sister and a dozen spears. I may
tell you that, some two months since, he wrote saying that he should be
glad to have you, and the captain of his garrison of Alnwick, back
again; and I then wrote to him, saying that while the king was in Wales
I would hold you, seeing that Glendower might make a great foray here,
while the king was hunting for him in the north; but that, as soon as
he left with his army, I would send you home."

Alwyn and the men were all well pleased when they heard that they were
to return; for, since the raid on Glendower's house, their life had
been a dull one, to which even the fact that they were receiving pay
from Sir Edmund, as well as from Percy, was insufficient to reconcile
them; and it was with light hearts that they started, on the following
morning, for the north, arriving at Alnwick ten days after leaving. Sir
Hotspur came down into the courtyard, as th