triumph, and Sigebald, the ealdorman, was lost to
Dorset also.

Presently we laid Nunna in his mound on the Blackdown hills where
he had fallen. There he bides as the foremost of Saxon leaders in
the new land we had won, and I do not think that it is an unfitting
place for such a one as he. It is certain that so long as a Wessex
man who minds the deeds of his fathers is left the name of Nunna
will be held in honour with that of the king; his kinsman.

CHAPTER XVI. OF MATTERS OF RANSOM, AND OF FORGIVENESS ASKED AND GRANTED.

Now I must needs tell somewhat of the way in which Ina won Norton,
for that had so much to do with my fortunes as it turned out,
seeing that all went well by reason of our holding the hill fort,
in which matter, indeed, Thorgils must have his full share of
praise.

Gerent halted in his march when the flying men from the camp came
in to him, telling him that we were in strong force on the hill,
and so our men crossed the Parrett unhindered, and won to the long
crest of the southward spurs of Quantocks, where the Welsh gathered
against Kenwalch in the old days and stayed his farther conquest.
There was some sort of an advance post by this time in the Roman
camp at Roborough, and Ina sent a few men to take it, and that was
easily done. Then Gerent heard that Ina was on him, and went to
meet him, and so the two armies met on the westward slope of the
hills above Norton, and there all day long the battle swayed to and
fro until the Welsh broke and fled back to the town itself. Then
was a long fight across the ramparts, and at last Ina took the
place, and so chased his enemy in hopeless rout across the moorland
westward yet, until there was no chance of any stand being made.

But Gerent escaped, though it was said that it was sorely against
his will. I was told that the old king came to the battle in a
wonderful chariot drawn by four white horses, and that he stood in
it fully armed, bidding his nobles carry him to the forefront of
the fighting, but that they would not heed him. And presently when
they knew that all was lost they hurried him from the field, though
he cursed them, and even hewed at them with his sword to stay them
as they went.

Now Ina's camp was set within the walls of Norton among the yet
smoking ruins of the palace, where not one stone was left on
another; and the Dragon banner of Wessex floated side by side with
the White Horse of the sons of Hengist, where I had been wo