Page:The Sundering Flood - Morris - 1898.djvu/247

 and horsed them on the Skimmers' way-beasts, which were good, and armed them with such of their armour as was not too filthy for decent men to use. The rest of the horses and gear they left to the thorpe-abiders, to better their hard case withal.

So they departed, and that same day they came on two other thorpes, but not so big as this, which had been utterly ravaged, so that there was neither dog nor cat therein, save in one house two little men-children of two and three years old, whom they brought away with them for pity's sake.

The next day they came to a cheaping-town, walled and defensible, whose gates were shut for fear of the Skimmers. But when Sir Godrick had spoken to the captain of the guard at the gate, and had told him how they had fared of late, and of the slaughter of the Skimmers, they opened to them joyfully, and made them kindly welcome, and there they rested a three days, of which rest their way-beasts had great need.