The garrison, too, were strong and desperate; and the baron, knowing
what must follow his outrage of the day before, would have been sure to
send off messengers round the country begging his friends to come to
his assistance. Cuthbert had begged permission of his mother to ask the
earl to allow him to join as a volunteer, but she would not hear of it.
Neither would she suffer him to mingle with the foresters. The utmost
that he could obtain was that he might go as a spectator, with strict
injunctions to keep himself out of the fray, and as far as possible
beyond bow-shot of the castle wall.

It was a force of some four hundred strong that issued from the wood
early next morning to attack the stronghold at Wortham. The force
consisted of some ten or twelve knights and barons, some one hundred and
fifty or one hundred and sixty Norman men-at-arms, a miscellaneous
gathering of other retainers, two hundred strong, and some eighty of the
forest men. These last were not to fight under the earl's banner, but
were to act on their own account. There were among them outlaws, escaped
serfs, and some men guilty of bloodshed. The earl then could not have
suffered these men to fight under his flag until purged in some way of
their offenses.

This arrangement suited the foresters well.

Their strong point was shooting; and by taking up their own position,
and following their own tactics, under the leadership of Cnut, they
would be able to do far more execution, and that with less risk to
themselves, than if compelled to fight according to the fashion of the
Normans.