m on the vantage-ground. So then there
was girding of swords and doing on of helms; as for ordering of the
folk, it was already done, for all the host was ranked on the bent-side,
with the banner of Oakenrealm in the midst; on its left hand the banner
of the Tofts, and on the right the banner of Brimside.

Now when Christopher was come to his place, he looked down and saw how
the foemen were pouring over the river, for it was nowhere deep, and
there were four quite shallow fords: many more were they than his folk,
but he deemed that they fared somewhat tumultuously; and when the bowmen
of the Tofts began shooting, the foemen, a many of them, stayed amidst
of the river to bend bow in their turn, and seemed to think that were
nigh enough already; nay, some went back again to the other bank, to
shoot thence the surer and the drier, and some went yet a little further
back on the field. So that when their sergeants and riders were come
on to the hither bank, they lacked about a fifth of all their host;
and they themselves, for all they were so many, had some ado to make up
their minds to go forward.

Forsooth, when they looked up to the bent and saw the three banners of
Oakenrealm and the Tofts and Brimside all waving over the same ranks,
they knew not what to make of it. And Christopher's host, when they saw
them hang back, brake out into mocking whoops and shouts, and words were
heard in them: "Come and dine at Brimside, good fellows! Come up to the
Tofts for supper and bed! A Christopher! A Christopher!" and so forth.
Now all King Christopher's men were afoot, saving a band of the riders
of Brimside, who bestrode strong and tall horses, and bore jack and
sallet and spear, but no heavy armour.

So Christopher heard and saw, and the heart rose high in him, and he
sent messengers to the right and the left, and bade the captains watch
till he waved his sword aloft, and then all down the bent together; and
he bade the Brimside riders edge a little outward and downward, and be
ready for the chase, and suffer not any of the foemen to gather together
when once they fell to running; for he knew in his heart that the folk
before him would never abide their onfall. And the day was yet young,
and it lacked four hours of noon.

King Christopher abode ill he saw the foemen were come off the level
ground, and were mounting the bent slowly, and not in very good order
or in ranks closely serried. Then he strode forth three paces, and