Heriulf and his men, and they set up the war-whoop, and ran
forth to meet them, axe and sword aloft, terribly yet maybe somewhat
unwarily. The archers and slingers never came within sword-stroke of
them, but fell away before them on all sides; but the slingers fled not
far, but began again with their shot, and slew a many. Then was a horn
winded, as if to call back the horsemen, who, if they heard, heeded not,
but rode hard on our kindred like valiant warriors who feared not death.
Sooth to say, neither were the horses big or good, nor the men fit for
the work, saving for their hardihood; and their spears were short withal
and their bucklers unhandy to wield.

"Now could it be seen how the Goths gave way before them to let them into
the trap, and then closed around again, and the axes and edge weapons
went awork hewing as in a wood; and Heriulf towered over all the press,
and the Wolf's-sister flashed over his head in the summer morning.

"Soon was that storm over, and we saw the Goths tossing up their spears
over the slain, and horses running loose and masterless adown over the
westward-lying slopes, and a few with their riders still clinging to
them. Yet some, sore hurt by seeming, galloping toward the main battle
of the Romans.

"Unwarily then fared the children of Tyr that were with Heriulf; for by
this time they were well nigh within shot of the spears of those mighty
footmen of the Romans: and on their flanks were the slingers, and the
bowmen, who had now gotten their bows again; and our bowmen, though they
shot well and strong, were too few to quell them; and indeed some of them
had cast by their bows to join in Heriulf's storm. Also the lie of the
ground was against us, for it sloped up toward the Roman array at first
very gently, but afterwards steeply enough to breathe a short-winded man.
Also behind them were we of the other kindreds, whom Thiodolf had ordered
into the wedge-array; and we were all ready to move forward, so that had
they abided somewhat, all had been well and better.

"So did they not, but straightway set up the Victory-whoop and ran
forward on the Roman host. And these were so ordered that, as aforesaid,
they had before them sharp piles stuck into the earth and pointed against
us, as we found afterwards to our cost; and within these piles stood the
men some way apart from each other, so as to handle their casting spears,
and in three ranks were they ordered and many spears could be ca