Osberne was well aware of them; and to be short, he
so ambushed the ambushers that he had them in the trap, and slew them
every one: small harm it was of the death of them. Now this was the
first time in his warfare that his men fell on with the name of him in
their mouths, and cried, The Red Lad! the Red Lad! Terrible indeed
became that cry in no very long time.

Chapter XLV. The Red Lad Scatters the Host of the Barons

So wore the seasons into winter, and all was tidingless at Longshaw.

Long were it indeed to tell the whole tale of the warfare of the House
of Longshaw, even for those years while Osberne abode with Sir
Godrick. For the Knight was not only a fearless heart in the field and
of all deftness in the handling of weapons, but he was also the wisest
of host-leaders of his day and his land, so that with him to lead them
an hundred was as good as five hundred, take one time with another.
But of all this warfare must only so much be told as is needful to
understand the story of Osberne and his friend of the west side of the
Sundering Flood.

But first it must be said that Osberne throughout that autumn and
winter spared not to question every wight whom he deemed anywise
likely to have heard aught of Elfhild; and heavy and grievous became
the words of his questioning, and ever his heart sickened before the
answer came. But of one man he gat an answer that was not mere naysay,
to wit, that months ago (and it must have been when Osberne first met
Sir Godrick at Eastcheaping) he and two fellows were journeying on the
other side of the Sundering Flood, but much higher up, and they came
across a thrall-cheapener who said that he had a choice piece of goods
if he could but get a price for it, and thereon showed them a damsel
as fair as an image, and she was like to what Osberne had told of her.
And then the thrall-cheapener said that he had bought her of the Red
Skinners, who had borne her off from a countryside far and far away,
but somewhere anigh the Sundering Flood. That man said that they
bought her not of the carle, whereas the price was high and it was not
much in their way of business.

Now this story was told a little after Yule, and the chapman who told
it was going back again presently through the Wood and across the
Flood, since the season was mild; and Osberne asked would he take him
with him, in case he might hit upon anything in those parts. The
chapman was nought loth, as may be deemed, to have