Then the arrows came thickly again, and he crouched over me with
the shield, behind the horse. It was lucky that I was almost
covered by it as I lay, for it was between me and the wood. I
writhed and struggled and at last I was free again, and Wulf helped
me to get my own shield from my back as I rose, and then we stood
back to back and looked for our foes.

"Morgan's people, I suppose," I said. "We should not have left the
men, for I knew that he was leagued with Quantock outlaws."

"A nidring set, too," said Wulf savagely. "Can't they show
themselves?"

As if the men had heard him, they came from the cover even as he
spoke. There were more than I could count after a few moments, for
they poured out in twos and threes from all along the edge of the
wood, and came cautiously toward us, in such wise as to surround
us. Wild looking men they were, with never a helm or mail shirt
among them, but they were all well armed enough with bow and spear
and seax, and more than one had swords.

Then I looked round to see if I could see my men coming, and my
heart sank. We were hidden from the road by the crest of the hill,
and I knew that the flight of the hawk had led us some way from it.
We could not be less than a full mile from them at the rate we had
ridden, and I did not think it likely that they had hurried after
us, for they would not spoil sport.

Now the men were round us in a ring that was closing quickly, and
Wulf and I had our swords out and were back to back facing them.