House of the Wolfings: The William Morris Book that Inspired J. R. R. Tolkiena *s The Lord of the Rings (27 page)

So now having driven back the Goths to that
height over the ford, which indeed was no stronghold, no mountain,
scarce a hill even, nought but a gentle swelling of the earth, they
forebore them; and raising up the whoop of victory drew slowly
aback, picking up their own dead and wounded, and slaying the
wounded Markmen. They had with them also some few captives, but not
many; for the fighting had been to the death between man and man on
the Wolfing Meadow.

Chapter 25

The Host of the Markmen

Cometh into the Wild-wood

Yet though the Romans were gone, the
Goth-folk were very hard bested. They had been overthrown, not
sorely maybe if they had been in an alien land, and free to come
and go as they would; yet sorely as things were, because the foeman
was sitting in their own House, and they must needs drag him out of
it or perish: and to many the days seemed evil, and the Gods
fighting against them, and both the Wolfings and the other kindreds
bethought them of the Hall-Sun and her wisdom and longed to hear of
tidings concerning her.

But now the word ran through the host that
Thiodolf was certainly not slain. Slowly he had come to himself,
and yet was not himself, for he sat among his men gloomy and
silent, clean contrary to his wont; for hitherto he had been a
merry man, and a joyous fellow.

Amidst of the ridge whereon the Markmen now
abode, there was a ring made of the chief warriors and captains and
wise men who had not been slain or grievously hurt in the fray, and
amidst them all sat Thiodolf on the ground, his chin sunken on his
breast, looking more like a captive than the leader of a host
amidst of his men; and that the more as his scabbard was empty; for
when Throng-plough had fallen from his hand, it had been trodden
under foot, and lost in the turmoil. There he sat, and the others
in that ring of men looked sadly upon him; such as Arinbiorn of the
Bearings, and Wolfkettle and Thorolf of his own House, and Hiarandi
of the Elkings, and Geirbald the Shielding, the messenger of the
woods, and Fox who had seen the Roman Garth, and many others. It
was night now, and men had lighted fires about the host, for they
said that the Romans knew where to find them if they listed to
seek; and about those fires were men eating and drinking what they
might come at, but amidmost of that ring was the biggest fire, and
men turned them towards it for counsel and help, for elsewhere none
said, “What do we?” for they were heavy-hearted and redeless, since
the Gods had taken the victory out of their hands just when they
seemed at point to win it.

But amidst all this there was a little stir
outside that biggest ring, and men parted, and through them came a
swain amongst the chiefs, and said, “Who will lead me to the
War-duke?”

Thiodolf, who was close beside the lad,
answered never a word; but Arinbiorn said; “This man here sitting
is the War-duke: speak to him, for he may hearken to thee: but
first who art thou?”

Said the lad; “My name is Ali the son of
Grey, and I come with a message from the Hall-Sun and the
stay-at-homes who are in the Woodland.”

Now when he named the Hall-Sun Thiodolf
started and looked up, and turning to his left-hand said, “And what
sayeth thy daughter?”

Men did not heed that he said thy daughter,
but deemed that he said my daughter, since he was wont as her
would-be foster-father to call her so. But Ali spake:

“War-duke and ye chieftains, thus saith the
Hall-Sun: ‘I know that by this time Otter hath been slain and many
another, and ye have been overthrown and chased by the Romans, and
that now there is little counsel in you except to abide the foe
where ye are and there to die valiantly. But now do my bidding and
as I am bidden, and then whosoever dieth or liveth, the kindreds
shall vanquish that they may live and grow greater. Do ye thus: the
Romans think no otherwise but to find you here to-morrow or else
departed across the water as broken men, and they will fall upon
you with their whole host, and then make a war-garth after their
manner at Wolf-stead and carry fire and the sword and the chains of
thralldom into every House of the Mark. Now therefore fetch a
compass and come into the wood on the north-west of the houses and
make your way to the Thing-stead of the Mid-mark. For who knoweth
but that to-morrow we may fall upon these thieves again? Of this
shall ye hear more when we may speak together and take counsel face
to face; for we stay-at-homes know somewhat closely of the ways of
these Romans. Haste then! let not the grass grow over your
feet!

“’But to thee, Thiodolf, have I a word to
say when we meet; for I wot that as now thou canst not hearken to
my word.’ Thus saith the Hall-Sun.”

“Wilt thou speak, War-duke?” said Arinbiorn.
But Thiodolf shook his head. Then said Arinbiorn; “Shall I speak
for thee?” and Thiodolf nodded yea. Then said Arinbiorn: “Ali son
of Grey, art thou going back to her that sent thee?”

“Yea,” said the lad, “but in your company,
for ye will be coming straightway and I know all the ways closely;
and there is need for a guide through the dark night as ye will see
presently.”

Then stood up Arinbiorn and said: “Chiefs
and captains, go ye speedily and array your men for departure: bid
them leave all the fires burning and come their ways as silently as
maybe; for now will we wend this same hour before moonrise into the
Wild-wood and the Thing-stead of Mid-mark; thus saith the
War-duke.”

But when they were gone, and Arinbiorn and
Thiodolf were left alone, Thiodolf lifted up his head and spake
slowly and painfully:

“Arinbiorn, I thank thee: and thou dost well
to lead this folk: since as for me that is somewhat that weighs me
down, and I know not whether it be life or death; therefore I may
no longer be your captain, for twice now have I blenched from the
battle. Yet command me, and I will obey, set a sword in my hand and
I will smite, till the God snatches it out of my hand, as he did
Throng-plough to-day.”

“And that is well,” said Arinbiorn, “it may
be that ye shall meet that God to-morrow, and heave up sword
against him, and either overcome him or go to thy fathers a proud
and valiant man.”

So they spake, and Thiodolf stood up and
seemed of better cheer. But presently the whole host was afoot, and
they went their ways warily with little noise, and wound little by
little about the Wolfing meadow and about the acres towards the
wood at the back of the Houses; and they met nothing by the way
except an out-guard of the Romans, whom they slew there nigh
silently, and bore away their bodies, twelve in number, lest the
Romans when they sent to change the guard, should find the slain
and have an inkling of the way the Goths were gone; but now they
deemed that the Romans might think their guard fled, or perchance
that they had been carried away by the Gods of the woodland
folk.

So came they into the wood, and Arinbiorn
and the chiefs were for striking the All-men’s road to the
Thing-stead and so coming thither; but the lad Ali when he heard it
laughed and said:

“If ye would sleep to-night ye shall wend
another way. For the Hall-Sun hath had us at work cumbering it
against the foe with great trees felled with limbs, branches, and
all. And indeed ye shall find the Thing-stead fenced like a castle,
and the in-gate hard to find; yet will I bring you thither.”

So did he without delay, and presently they
came anigh the Thing-stead; and the place was fenced cunningly, so
that if men would enter they must go by a narrow way that had a
fence of tree-trunks on each side wending inward like the maze in a
pleasance. Thereby now wended the host all afoot, since it was a
holy place and no beast must set foot therein, so that the horses
were left without it: so slowly and right quietly once more they
came into the garth of the Thing-stead; and lo, a many folk there,
of the Wolfings and the Bearings and other kindreds, who had
gathered thereto; and albeit these were not warriors in their
prime, yet were there none save the young children and the weaker
of the women but had weapons of some kind; and they were well
ordered, standing or sitting in ranks like folk awaiting battle.
There were booths of boughs and rushes set up for shelter of the
feebler women and the old men and children along the edges of the
fence, for the Hall-Sun had bidden them keep the space clear round
about the Doom-ring and the Hill-of-Speech as if for a mighty
folk-mote, so that the warriors might have room to muster there and
order their array. There were some cooking-fires lighted about the
aforesaid booths, but neither many nor great, and they were
screened with wattle from the side that lay toward the Romans; for
the Hall-Sun would not that they should hold up lanterns for their
foemen to find them by. Little noise there was in that stronghold,
moreover, for the hearts of all who knew their right hands from
their left were set on battle and the destruction of the foe that
would destroy the kindreds.

Anigh the Speech-Hill, on its eastern side,
had the bole of a slender beech tree been set up, and at the top of
it a cross-beam was nailed on, and therefrom hung the wondrous
lamp, the Hall-Sun, glimmering from on high, and though its light
was but a glimmer amongst the mighty wood, yet was it also screened
on three sides from the sight of the chance wanderer by wings of
thin plank. But beneath her namesake as beforetime in the Hall sat
the Hall-Sun, the maiden, on a heap of faggots, and she was wrapped
in a dark blue cloak from under which gleamed the folds of the fair
golden-broidered gown she was wont to wear at folk-motes, and her
right hand rested on a naked sword that lay across her knees:
beside her sat the old man Sorli, the Wise in War, and about her
were slim lads and sturdy maidens and old carles of the thralls or
freedmen ready to bear the commands that came from her mouth; for
she and Sorli were the captains of the stay-at-homes.

Now came Thiodolf and Arinbiorn and other
leaders into the ring of men before her, and she greeted them
kindly and said:

“Hail, Sons of Tyr! now that I behold you
again it seemeth to me as if all were already won: the time of
waiting hath been weary, and we have borne the burden of fear every
day from morn till even, and in the waking hour we presently
remembered it. But now ye are come, even if this Thing-stead were
lighted by the flames of the Wolfing Roof instead of by these
moonbeams; even if we had to begin again and seek new dwellings,
and another water and other meadows, yet great should grow the
kindreds of the Men who have dwelt in the Mark, and nought should
overshadow them: and though the beasts and the Romans were dwelling
in their old places, yet should these kindreds make new clearings
in the Wild-wood; and they with their deeds should cause other
waters to be famous, that as yet have known no deeds of man; and
they should compel the Earth to bear increase round about their
dwelling-places for the welfare of the kindreds. O Sons of Tyr,
friendly are your faces, and undismayed, and the Terror of the
Nations has not made you afraid any more than would the onrush of
the bisons that feed adown the grass hills. Happy is the eve, O
children of the Goths, yet shall to-morrow morn be happier.”

Many heard what she spake, and a murmur of
joy ran through the ranks of men: for they deemed her words to
forecast victory.

And now amidst her speaking, the moon, which
had arisen on Mid-mark, when the host first entered into the wood,
had overtopped the tall trees that stood like a green wall round
about the Thing-stead, and shone down on that assembly, and flashed
coldly back from the arms of the warriors. And the Hall-Sun cast
off her dark blue cloak and stood up in her golden-broidered
raiment, which flashed back the grey light like as it had been an
icicle hanging from the roof of some hall in the midnight of Yule,
when the feast is high within, and without the world is silent with
the night of the ten-weeks’ frost.

Then she spake again: “O War-duke, thy mouth
is silent; speak to this warrior of the Bearings that he bid the
host what to do; for wise are ye both, and dear are the minutes of
this night and should not be wasted; since they bring about the
salvation of the Wolfings, and the vengeance of the Bearings, and
the hope renewed of all the kindreds.”

Then Thiodolf abode a while with his head
down cast; his bosom heaved, and he set his left hand to his
swordless scabbard, and his right to his throat, as though he were
sore troubled with something he might not tell of: but at last he
lifted up his head and spoke to Arinbiorn, but slowly and
painfully, as he had spoken before:

“Chief of the Bearings, go up on to the Hill
of Speech, and speak to the folk out of thy wisdom, and let them
know that to-morrow early before the sun-rising those that may, and
are not bound by the Gods against it, shall do deeds according to
their might, and win rest for themselves, and new days of deeds for
the kindreds.”

Therewith he ceased, and let his head fall
again, and the Hall-Sun looked at him askance. But Arinbiorn clomb
the Speech-Hill and said:

“Men of the kindreds, it is now a few days
since we first met the Romans and fought with them; and whiles we
have had the better, and whiles the worse in our dealings, as oft
in war befalleth: for they are men, and we no less than men. But
now look to it what ye will do; for we may no longer endure these
outlanders in our houses, and we must either die or get our own
again: and that is not merely a few wares stored up for use, nor a
few head of neat, nor certain timbers piled up into a dwelling, but
the life we have made in the land we have made. I show you no
choice, for no choice there is. Here are we bare of everything in
the wild-wood: for the most part our children are crying for us at
home, our wives are longing for us in our houses, and if we come
not to them in kindness, the Romans shall come to them in grimness.
Down yonder in the plain, moreover, is our Wain-burg slowly drawing
near to us, and with it is much livelihood of ours, which is a
little thing, for we may get more; but also there are our banners
of battle and the tokens of the kindred, which is a great thing.
And between all this and us there lieth but little; nought but a
band of valiant men, and a few swords and spears, and a few wounds,
and the hope of death amidst the praise of the people; and this ye
have to set out to wend across within two or three hours. I will
not ask if ye will do so, for I wot that even so ye will; therefore
when I have done, shout not, nor clash sword on shield, for we are
no great way off that house of ours wherein dwells the foe that
would destroy us. Let each man rest as he may, and sleep if he may
with his war-gear on him and his weapons by his side, and when he
is next awakened by the captains and the leaders of hundreds and
scores, let him not think that it is night, but let him betake
himself to his place among his kindred and be ready to go through
the wood with as little noise as may be. Now all is said that the
War-duke would have me say, and to-morrow shall those see him who
are foremost in falling upon the foemen, for he longeth sorely for
his seat on the days of the Wolfing Hall.”