Page:The Sundering Flood - Morris - 1898.djvu/194

 troubled was Osberne when he fell to thinking that, as the robbers were wending, they must needs chop upon Hart Shaw Knolls; so the best he could hope was that Elfhild might flee from her house to some other, or even, it might be, hide her in the wood, which she knew so inwardly.

Meanwhile he bade his men go quietly downstream on the river's edge. Saith he: If aught is to be done from this side, we shall presently have the folk from the lower steads drifting in to us, and we should make a good band were it not for yonder wet dyke which the thieves have gotten them for a defence.

So they fared on, and now and again some man of the lifters turned somewhat toward them to look on their demeanour, and whiles one would speed an arrow to them, but did no harm; at last, as they began to draw nigh the narrows above the Bight of the Cloven Knoll, a whole sort of the foemen came riverwards, but somewhat more than half held on the straight way down the Dale. Even therewith came to join the Wethermelers a many of the folk from the downward steads, stout fellows all, and well armed with shot-weapons. And now there was nought for it but on both sides men were drifting toward the Bight of the Cloven Knoll, nor needeth words to tell of the anguish of Osberne's heart and the fierce wrath of his spirit. When the aliens, who were thronging to the river-bank, saw how narrow the stream was growing, they set up a whoop and drew closer to the East Dalers, and the more part of them