. Now, knight, this is best to do: hold with
thee three of our best men, so that ye may safe guard the Lady, and I
with the others will prick on and look into this."

"Nay," said Ralph, "thou mayst yet be apaid of a man's aid; and if
there be strokes on sale in the cheaping-stead yonder, I will deal
along with thee. Leave thy three men with the Lady, and let us on; we
shall soon be back."

"Nay once more, dear lord," quoth Ursula, "I fear to be left alone of
thee, and it is meet that thou free me from fear. I will ride with
you, but three horse-lengths behind, so as not to hinder you. I have
been worse bestead than this shall be."

"It is good," quoth Redhead, "let her ride with us: for why should she
suffer the pain of fear in the lonely waste? But let her do on a
hauberk over her coats, and steel coif over her head, for shaft and
bolt will ofttimes go astray."

Even so they did, and rode forward, and presently they saw the spearmen
that they were somewhat more than their company, and that they were
well mounted on black horses and clad in black armour. Then they drew
rein for awhile and Redhead scanned them again and said: "Yea, these
are the men of the brother of thy hot wooer, Lady Ursula, whom I cooled
in the Ram's Bane, but a man well nigh as old as his uncle, though he
hath not made men tremble so sore, albeit he be far the better man, a
good warrior, a wise leader, a reiver and lifter well wrought at all
points. Well, 'tis not unlike that we shall have to speak to his men
again, either out-going or home-coming: so we had best kill as many of
these as we may now. Do on thy sallet, my lord; and thou,
Michael-a-green shake out the Bull; and thou, our Noise, blow a point
of war that they may be warned. God to aid! but they be ready and
speedy!"

In sooth even as the pennon of the Bull ran down the wind and the
Utterbol horn was winded, the Black men-at-arms came on at a trot, and
presently with a great screeching yell cast their spears into the rest,
and spurred on all they might, while a half score of bowmen who had
come out of the thicket bent their bows and fell a-shooting. But now
the men of Utterbol spurred to meet the foe, and as Redhead cast his
spear into the rest, he said to Ralph: "Glad am I that thy Lady is
anear to see me, for now I worship her."

Therewith the two bands met, and whereas on neither side was the armour
very stout, some men of either band were hurt or slain at once with
sp