his resolution, but when he saw that his captors werein earnest, and about to light the fire, his courage failed him. Heconfessed that he was a scout, and that Addedomar was there with severalother well-known chiefs and a body of four hundred men.
Thereupon the man was bound and put in the safe keeping of several men,whose lives were to be forfeited if he should escape. Then Gunrig,Dromas, Beniah, Arkal, Maikar, and several other chief men retired undera tree to hold a council of war. Their deliberations resulted in thefollowing conclusions.
First, that the number of warriors at their disposal, counting those ofKing Hudibras and those under Gadarn, amounted to a sufficient forcewherewith to meet the invaders in open fight; second, that a junctionbetween their forces must be effected that night, for, according tousual custom in such circumstances, the enemy would be pretty sure toattack before daybreak in the morning; and, third, that what was to bedone must be set about as soon as darkness favoured their operations.
"You can guide us in the dark, I suppose," said Gunrig, turning toBeniah.
"Ay, as well almost as in the light," replied the Hebrew.
"Let the men feed, then, and be ready for the signal to start," said thechief to his officers, "and see that no louder noise be heard than thecrunching of their jaws."
The night was favourable to their enterprise. The moon was indeedrisen, but clouds entirely hid it, yet allowed a soft light to passthrough which rendered objects close at hand quite visible. Beforemidnight they started on the march in profound silence, and, led byBeniah, made a wide _detour_ which brought them to the encampment ofGadarn. As may easily be understood, that chief was well pleased at theturn events had taken, for, to say truth, his little joke of trottingBeniah about the land and keeping him in perplexity, had begun to pall,and he had for some days past been hunting about for a plausible excusefor abandoning the search and going to visit King Hudibras.
His difficulty in this matter was increased by his unwillingness toreveal the true state of matters to Bladud, yet he knew that unless hedid so the prince would utterly refuse to abandon the search for Cormac.Another thing that perplexed the chief greatly was--how the Hebrew,knowing Branwen as he did, had failed to recognise her in the ladCormac, for of course he knew nothing of the promise that held theHebrew's lips tied; his daughter--who was as fond of a joke as himself--having taken care not to reveal _all_ the complications that had arisenin regard to herself.
The sudden appearance, therefore, of foes with whom he could fightproved to be a sort of fortunate safety-valve, and, besides, he had thecomfort of thinking that he would fight in a good cause, for the regionof the Hot Swamp belonged to his friend Hudibras, and this robberAddedomar was a notorious rascal who required extirpating, while thechiefs who had joined him were little better.
The council of war that was hastily called included Bladud, who was sentfor, being asleep in his own booth when the party arrived. The councilchamber was under an old oak tree.
When Bladud came forward he was suddenly struck motionless and glared asif he had seen a ghost. For the first time in his life he felt anemotion of supernatural fear--for there, in the flesh apparently, stoodhis friend Dromas.
A smile from the latter reassured him. Leaping forward he seized hisfriend's hand, but the impulsive Greek was not to be put off thus. Hethrew an arm round the prince's neck and kissed his cheek.
"Dromas!" cried Bladud, "can it be? Am I dreaming?"
"This is all very well," interrupted the impatient Gadarn, "and I haveno doubt you are excellent friends though somewhat demonstrative, but weare holding a council of war--not of affection--and as the enemy may beclose at hand it behoves us to be smart. Shake hands, Gunrig; you and Imust be friends when we fight on the same side. Now, let us to work.Who is to have the chief command?"
By universal desire the council appointed Gadarn.
"Well, then," said the commander-in-chief, "this is my view: Addedomarwill come expecting to find us all asleep. He will find us all verywide awake. There is a slope in front of this camp leading down to theSwamp. At the bottom is a nice level piece of flat land, bordering onthe Swamp, that seems just made for a battlefield. We will drive himand his men down the slope on to that flat, from which, after givingthem the toothache, we will drive them into the Swamp, and as close upto the spring-head as we can, so that they may be half boiled alive, ifpossible. Those who escape the Swamp will find men ambushed on theother side who will drive them into the river. Those who escape theriver may go home and take my blessing along with them."
"Then do you intend to divide our troops into two bodies?" asked Bladud.
"Of course I do. We can't have an ambush without dividing, can we?"
"Division means weakness," observed Gunrig.
"You were ever obstinate, Gunrig," said Gadarn, sharply.
"Division sometimes means strength," said Dromas in a conciliatory tone,for he was anxious at least to prevent division in the council. "AsAddedomar is ignorant of the strength of our force, his being attackedunexpectedly, and in the dark, by two or three bands at once, fromdifferent quarters, will do much to demoralise his men and throw theminto confusion."
"Right, my young friend," rejoined Gadarn; "though you do speak in thetones of one who has been born under other stars, there is sense in yourhead. That is the very thing I mean to do. We will divide into fourbands. I will keep the biggest at the camp to drive them down the slopeand begin the fight. Prince Bladud will take one detachment roundthrough the woods to the river and fall upon them from that side.Gunrig, who I know loves the post of danger, will go down between thetwo mounds and meet the enemy right in the teeth when they are beingdriven out upon the flat land, and Dromas, as he seems to be a knowingman, might take the ambush on the other side of the Swamp."
"Nay, if I may choose, I would rather fight under my friend Bladud."
"Be it so. Settle that among yourselves. Only I must have Konar withme, for he knows the Swamp well and can roar splendidly. All the enemybelow a certain point of courage will turn and split off when they hearhis yell. I'm going to make him keep it for them as a little treat atthe last. The Hebrew will also keep by me. Now marshal your men andtake them off at once. We shan't have to wait long, for Addedomar is anactive villain."
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
THE BATTLE OF THE SPRINGS.
Gadarn was right. The robber chief was very early astir that morning,and marched with his host so silently through the forest, that the verybirds on the boughs gave them, as they passed underneath, but a sleepywink of one eye and thrust their beaks again under their wings.
Not knowing the country thoroughly, however, Addedomar met some slightobstructions, which, necessitating occasional detours from the straightpath, delayed him a little, so that it was very near dawn when hereached the neighbourhood of Gadarn's camp. Hesitation in thecircumstances he knew would be ruinous; he therefore neglected theprecaution of feeling his way by sending scouts in advance, and madestraight for the enemy's camp. Scouts previously sent out hadascertained its exact position, so that he had no doubt of effecting acomplete surprise.
Many noted battles have been fought and described in this world, butfew, if any, we should think, will compare with the famous battle of theSprings in the completeness of the victory.
Coming out upon the flat which Gadarn had determined should be thebattle-field, and to the left of which the hot springs that caused theswamp were flowing, Addedomar marshalled his men for the final assault.Before reaching the flat they had passed almost within bow-shot of thespot where Gunrig and his men lay in ambush, and that chief might easilyhave fallen upon and killed many of them, had he not been restrained bythe strict orders of Gadarn to let them pass on to the camp unmolested.It is true Gunrig found it very hard to hold his hand, but as Gadarn hadbeen constituted commander-in-chief without a dissentient voice, invirtue of his superior intelligence and indomitable resolution, he feltbound to obey.
Bladud and his friend Dromas, with their c
ontingent, being at the lowerend of the flat and far out of bow-shot, were not thus tempted todisobey orders. The ambuscade on the other side of the Swamp had beenput under the command of Captain Arkal, with Maikar for his lieutenant.Being entirely ignorant of what was going on, the men of this contingentlay close, abiding their time.
Inaction, during the development of some critical manoeuvre, whileawaiting the signal to be up and doing, is hard to bear. Arkal and hismen whiled away the time in whispered conversations, which related moreor less to the part they were expected to play.
"If any of the robbers reach this side of the swamp alive," remarkedArkal, "there will be no need to kill them."
"What then? would you let them escape?" asked Maikar in surprise.
"Not on this side of the river," returned the captain. "But we