so stirred in us that we were like to
let all go and ride down on them."

Said Richard: "Thou biddest us wisdom of war; let them have the hill
against them." Said Clement: "Yea, for they are well learned and well
armed; another sort of folk to those wild men whom we otherthrew in the
mountains."

And in like wise said they all.

Then spake Stephen again: "Lord, since thou wilt fight afoot with our
friends of the Shepherds, we of the Dry Tree are minded to fare in like
wise and to forego our horses; but if thou gainsay it----"

"Champion," said Ralph, "I do gainsay it. Thou seest how many of them
be horsed, and withal ye it is who must hold the chase of them; for I
will that no man of them shall escape."

They laughed joyously at his word, and then he said: "Go now, and give
your leaders of scores and tens the word that I have said, and come
back speedily for a little while; for now I see three men sundering
them from their battle, and one beareth a white cloth at the end of his
spear; these shall be the challengers."

So they did after his bidding, and by then they had come back to Ralph
those three men were at the foot of the hill, which was but low. Then
Ralph said to his captains: "Stand before me, so that I be not seen of
them until one of you hath made answer, 'Speak of this to our leader
and captain.'" Even so they did; and presently those three came so nigh
that they could see the whites of their eyes. They were all three well
armed, but the foremost of them was clad in white steel from head to
foot, so that he looked like a steel image, all but his face, which was
pale and sallow and grim. He and his two fellows, when they were right
nigh, rode slowly all along the front of Ralph's battles thrice, and
none spake aught to them, and they gave no word to any; but when they
came over against the captains who stood before Ralph for the fourth
time, they reined up and faced them, and the leader put back his sallet
and spake in a great and rough voice:

"Ye men! we have heard these three hours that ye were coming, wherefore
we have drawn out into the meads which we have taken, that ye might see
how many and how valiant we be, and might fear us. Wherefore now, ye
broken reivers of the Dry Tree, ye silly shepherds of silly sheep, ye
weavers and apprentices of Wulstead, and if there by any more, ye
fools! we give you two choices this morn. Either come down to us into
the meadow yonder, that we may slay y