in their weak bows from the hill-side, but scarce hurt a man.
Then the bowmen of the fellowship fell to shooting at
the wild men, while the men-at-arms breathed their horses,
and the sumpter-beasts were gathered together behind them;
for they had no dread of abiding there a while, whereas behind
them the ground was broken into a steep shaly cliff, bushed here
and there with tough bushes, so that no man could come up it
save by climbing with hand and knee, and that not easily.

Now when the archers had shot a good while, and some of the thieves had
fallen before them, and men were in good heart because of the flight of the
wild men, Ralph, seeing that these still hung about the slopes, cried out:
"Master Clement, and thou Captain, sure it will be ill-done to leave these
men unbroken behind us, lest they follow us and hang about our hindermost,
slaying us both men and horses."

"Even so," quoth the captain, who was a man of few words, "let us go.
But do thou, Clement, abide by the stuff with the lads and bowmen."

Then he cried out aloud: "St. Christopher to aid!" and shook his rein,
and all they who were clad in armour and well mounted spurred
on with him against the strong-thieves. But these, when they saw
the onset of the horsemen, but drew a little up the hill-side
and stood fast, and some of the horses were hurt by their shot.
So the captain bade draw rein and off horse, while Clement led his
bowmen nigher, and they shot well together, and hindered the thieves
from closing round the men-at-arms, or falling on the horses.
So then the companions went forward stoutly on foot, and entered
into the battle of the thieves, and there was the thrusting
and the hewing great: for the foemen bore axes, and malls,