From the ealdorman's door Elfrida watched us go very bravely, and
the glimmer of her white dress was the lodestar that kept the eyes
of her lover turned backward while it might be seen. It vanished
suddenly, and he heaved a deep sigh, and I knew that she had been
fain to watch no longer lest her tears should be seen.
As we went along the Polden ridge we met flying men, and men who
came to the levy, and by twos and threes we added to our little
force, until we had a full hundred more than when we started.
Thorgils took us to a tidal ford that crosses the Parrett River far
below any bridge, which he thought would not yet be watched by the
Welsh. There is a steep hill fort that covers this ford, but on it
were no fires as of an outpost yet. Then we were a matter of eight
miles from the great camp on the highest ridge of the Quantocks
which we had to take, and we had ridden five-and-twenty miles. I
was glad that we had to wait an hour or more for the fall of the
tide before we could cross, for we rode fast thus far.
So we dismounted and watched the slow fall of the water, and we
planned what we would do presently; until at last we splashed
through the muddy ford, and rode on through dense forest land until
the great camp rose above us, a full thousand feet skyward, and we
saw the glow of the watch fires of those who held it.
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