ls
came the smell of the horses and the savour of the sweat of warriors
riding close together knee to knee adown the meadow. So he lifted up his
voice and sang:

"Rideth lovely along
The strong by the strong;
Soft under his breath
Singeth sword in the sheath,
And shield babbleth oft
Unto helm-crest aloft;
How soon shall their words rise mid wrath of the battle
Into wrangle unheeded of clanging and rattle,
And no man shall note then the gold on the sword
When the runes have no meaning, the mouth-cry no word,
When all mingled together, the war-sea of men
Shall toss up the steel-spray round fourscore and ten.

"Now as maids burn the weed
Betwixt acre and mead,
So the Bearings' Roof
Burneth little aloof,
And red gloweth the hall
Betwixt wall and fair wall,
Where often the mead-sea we sipped in old days,
When our feet were a-weary with wending the ways;
When the love of the lovely at even was born,
And our hands felt fair hands as they fell on the horn.
There round about standeth the ring of the foe
Tossing babes on their spears like the weeds o'er the low.

"Ride, ride then! nor spare
The red steeds as ye fare!
Yet if daylight shall fail,
By the fire-light of bale
Shall we see the bleared eyes
Of the war-learned, the wise.
In the acre of battle the work is to win,
Let us live by the labour, sheaf-smiting therein;
And as oft o'er the sickle we sang in time past
When the crake that long mocked us fled light at the last,
So sing o'er the sword, and the sword-hardened hand
Bearing down to the reaping the wrath of the land."

So he sang; and a great shout went up from his kindred and those around
him, and it was taken up all along the host, though many knew not why
they shouted, and the whole host quickened its pace, and went a great
trot over the smooth meadow.

So in no long while were they come over against the stead of the Erings,
and thereabouts were no beasts afield, and no women, for all the neat
were driven into the garth of the House; but all they who were not war-
fit were standing without doors looking down the Mark towards the reek of
the Bearing dwellings, and these also sent a cry of welcome toward the
host of their kindred. But along the river-bank came to meet the host an
armed band of two old men, two youths who were their sons, and