six hundred of them, killed half their number, and put the rest to
flight; but their main body left of their own free will, and without
any urging. 'Tis a pity that they were so hurried, for in another
twenty-four hours we should have had some four thousand men on the
march against them, besides those who first went on."

"Have they done much damage?"

"There is scarce a house left standing, between the hills on this side
of Llanidloes, and Knighton. From what we can gather, they must have
slain three or four hundred, at least. At first the total was put much
higher; but, as soon as they retired, many fugitives made their way
into Knighton; having slipped away in the darkness, when their villages
were attacked, and concealed themselves in the woods, or among the
rocks."

"There has been fighting up in the north, too," Sir Edmund said. "When
I got to Ruthyn, I found that Lord Grey was away; but I talked over
matters with his knights. I was to have left on the morning of the
fifth day after leaving here, but at night Glendower's men raided
almost up to the gates of the castle. Their plans were well laid; for,
just at midnight, an alarm was given by a sentry on the walls. Everyone
ran to arms, the instant the warder's horn was sounded; but when I
reached the top of the walls, fires were bursting out in twenty places.
It was not long before the knights rode out, with a hundred and fifty
men-at-arms, but the Welsh were already gone. It seems that they had
laid an ambuscade round every village and, on the signal being given,
fell at once upon the sleeping inhabitants, put all to the sword, fired
the houses; and in ten minutes from the first alarm made off, driving
horses, cattle, and sheep before them.

"I was with the party, and we rode hard and fast, but we came up with
none of them. Each party must have gone its own way, striking off into
the hills. As soon as we returned to the castle I started, with my four
men-at-arms, and we have lost no time on the road; especially after the
rumour reached us that there had been a Welsh raid here, also.

"Now, Sir John Burgon, will you give me an account of the doings of
your party?"

The knight reported their proceedings, after leaving Ludlow, and
concluded:

"It is like that the story would not have so run, Sir Edmund, had it
not been for the bravery shown by the northern men, under the young
squire Oswald and his captain, Alwyn. So furiously did the Welsh assail
us, in rea