rthumberland refused
to allow his knights and men-at-arms to charge, seeing that they must
trample down both friend and foe; therefore they stood as passive
spectators of the desperate fight, not a lance being couched nor a blow
struck by any of them. When all was over they took up the pursuit of
the fugitives; many of these were overtaken and killed, and the pursuit
was continued to the Tweed, where, not knowing the fords, many of the
fugitives were drowned while endeavouring to swim the river.

"Roger, what say you to that?" Oswald asked, as he and his squire drew
rein, after pursuing the enemy for some distance.

Roger's face expressed the strongest disgust.

"Well, Sir Oswald, I don't call it a battle, at all. Who ever heard of
a battle where neither knight nor man-at-arms drew sword? 'Tis out of
all reason to fight in that manner."

"Nevertheless, Roger, as we have won a great victory, what matter is it
whether we or the archers bore the chief hand in it? The last battle we
fought in was a different matter. We had plenty of fighting, but no
victory."

"It was more to my taste, nevertheless," Roger grumbled, "even though
the Welsh well nigh made an end of me; and, for myself, I could not
help hoping that the archers would be beaten, and leave it to us to
take our part in the fighting. They had done more than their share when
they had broken the Scottish ranks, and slain I know not how many; and
it would have been fair of them, after that, to draw back, and leave it
to us to finish the business."

"'Tis well as it is, Roger, and for one I am well satisfied. We have
given the Scots a lesson that will keep them quiet for a long time. We
have recovered all the spoil they were carrying off, and we could have
won nothing more, had we been in the thick of the melee, and come out
of it, perhaps, sorely wounded again."

Roger, however, was by no means satisfied; and, to the end of his life,
always fell into a bad temper when the battle of Homildon was spoken
of.

All the prisoners of consequence were taken to Alnwick, where the army
fell back; much to the disgust of some of the more eager spirits, who
would fain have crossed the frontier, and made reprisals for the woes
the Scots had inflicted. Northumberland, however, was well satisfied
with what had been won, and did not wish to provoke the Scots to
extremities; feeling that with so many of their leaders in his hands,
he might be able to arrange terms that would