the wood had all burst out into fire, so bright a light
shone out. Christopher shouted, and hastened on to pass
Simon, going quite close to his right side thereby, and as
he did so, he saw steel flashing in his hand, and turned
sidling to guard him, but ere he could do aught Simon drave
a broad dagger into his side, and then turned about and fled
the way they had come, so far as he knew how.

Christopher fell from his horse at once as the stroke came
home, but straightway therewith were there men with torches
round about him, a dozen of them; men tall and wild-looking
in the firelight; and one of them, a slim young man with
long red hair falling all about his shoulders, knelt down by
him, while the others held his horse and gat his feet out of
the stirrups.

The red-head laid his hand on his breast, and raised his
head up till the light of a torch fell on it, and then he
cried out: "Masters, here hath been a felon; the man hath
been sticked, and the deed hath to do with us; for lo you,
this is none other than little Christopher of the Uttermost
March, who stumbled on the Tofts last Yule, and with whom we
were so merry together. Here, thou Robert of Maisey, do thy
leechdom on him if he be yet living; but if he be dead, or
dieth of his hurt, then do I take the feud on me, to follow
it to the utmost against the slayer; even I, David the Red,
though I be the youngest of the sons of Jack of the Tofts.
For this man I meant should be my fellow in field and fell,
ganging and galloping, in hall and high-place, in cot and in
choir, before woman and warrior, and priest and