horsed, with nothing to lose and all to gain, and vengeance the first of all.And our knights had every man his all to lose and nothing to gain, and feltthemselves far from their homes and lands, and aching to get back andstrengthen their own fences. And there were these hordes of Welsh, hungry forplunder, and their own goods and gear safe as sanctuary in the west, with noman threatening. What should we look for? When the disinherited hit our horsefive earls broke under the shock and ran. On the left Stephen’s Flemingsdrove the Welshmen back: but you know their way, they went but far enough andeasily enough to mass again without loss, and back they came, archers almost toa man, able to pick their ground and their prey, and when the Flemish footmenran, so did their captains—William of Ypres and Ten Eyck and all. Stephenwas left unhorsed with us, the remnant of his horse and foot, around him. Theyrolled over us. It was then I lost sight of Gilbert. No marvel, it was hand tohand chaos, no man saw beyond the end of his sword or dagger, whatever he hadin his hand to keep his head. Stephen still had his sword then. Cadfael, Iswear to you, you never saw such a man in battle once roused, for all his easygoodwill takes so much rousing. It was rather the siege of a castle than theovercoming of a man. There was a wall round him of the men he had slain, thosecoming had to clamber over it, and went to build it higher. Chester came afterhim—give him his due, there’s not much can frightenRanulf—and he might have been another stone in the rampart, but that theking’s sword shattered. There was one somewhere close to him thrust aDanish axe into his hand in its place, but Chester had leaped back out ofreach. And then someone clear of the melee grubbed a great stone out of theground, and hurled it at Stephen from aside. It struck him down flatlings,clean out of his wits, and they swarmed over him and pinned him hand and footwhile he was senseless. And I went down under another wave,” said Hugh