ice. Then came a couple of groans, and then Dick rose to his
feet again, and the man lay motionless, stabbed to the heart.

"On!" said Dick; and he once more pelted forward, Matcham trailing in
the rear. To say truth, they made but poor speed of it by now, labouring
dismally as they ran, and catching for their breath like fish. Matcham
had a cruel stitch, and his head swam; and as for Dick, his knees were
like lead. But they kept up the form of running with undiminished
courage.

Presently they came to the end of the grove. It stopped abruptly; and
there, a few yards before them, was the highroad from Risingham to
Shoreby, lying, at this point, between two even walls of forest.

At the sight Dick paused; and as soon as he stopped running, he became
aware of a confused noise, which rapidly grew louder. It was at first
like the rush of a very high gust of wind, but soon it became more
definite, and resolved itself into the galloping of horses; and then, in
a flash, a whole company of men-at-arms came driving round the corner,
swept before the lads, and were gone again upon the instant. They rode
as for their lives, in complete disorder; some of them were wounded;
riderless horses galloped at their side with bloody saddles. They were
plainly fugitives from the great battle.

The noise of their passage had scarce begun to die away towards Shoreby,
before fresh hoofs came echoing in their wake, and another deserter
clattered down the road; this time a single rider and, by his splendid
armour, a man of high degree. Close after him there followed several
baggage-waggons, fleeing at an ungainly canter, the drivers flailing at
the horses as if for life. These must have run early in the day; but
their cowardice was not to save them. For just before they came abreast
of where the lads stood wondering, a man in hacked armour, and seemingly
beside himself with fury, overtook the waggons, and with the truncheon
of a sword, began to cut the drivers down. Some leaped from their places
and plunged into the wood; the others he sabred as they sat, cursing
them the while for cowards in a voice that was scarce human.

All this time the noise in the distance had continued to increase; the
rumble of carts, the clatter of horses, the cries of men, a great,
confused rumour, came swelling on the wind; and it was plain that the
rout of a whole army was pouring, like an inundation, down the road.

Dick stood sombre. He had meant to follow the