CHAPTER XXXVII. OF THE FOLK-MOTE OF THE DALESMEN, THE SHEPHERD-FOLK, ANDTHE WOODLAND CARLES: THE BANNER OF THE WOLF DISPLAYED.
NOW came the day of the Great Folk-mote, and there was much throngingfrom everywhere to the Mote-stead, but most from Burgstead itself,whereas few of the Dale-dwellers who had been at the Fair had gone backhome. Albeit some of the Shepherds and of the Dalesmen of thewesternmost Dale had brought light tents, and tilted themselves in in thenight before the Mote down in the meadows below the Mote-stead. Fromearly morning there had been a stream of folk on the Portway settingwestward; and many came thus early that they might hold converse withfriends and well-wishers; and some that they might disport them in thewoods. Men went in no ordered bands, as the Burgstead men at least haddone on the day of the Weapon-show, save that a few of them who werearrayed the bravest gathered about the banners, and went with them to theMote-stead; for all the banners must needs be there.
The Folk-mote was to be hallowed-in three hours before noon, as all menknew; therefore an hour before that time were all men of the Dale and theShepherds assembled that might be looked for, save the Alderman and thechieftains with the banner of the Burg, and these were not like to comemany minutes before the Hallowing. Folk were gathered on the Field insuch wise, that the men-at-arms made a great ring round about theDoom-ring, (albeit there were many old men there, girt with swords thatthey should never heave up again in battle), so that without that ringthere was nought save women and children. But when all the other Houseswere assembled, men looked around, and beheld the place of theWoodlanders that it was empty; and they marvelled that they were thusbelated. For now all was ready, and a watcher had gone up to the Toweron the height, and had with him the great Horn of Warning, which could beheard past the Mote-stead and a great way down the Dale: and if he sawfoes coming from the East he should blow one blast; if from the South,two; if from the West, three; if from the North, four.
So half an hour from the appointed time of Hallowing rose the rumour thatthe Alderman was on the road, and presently they of the women who were onthe outside of the throng, by drawing nigh to the edge of the sheer rock,could behold the Banner of the Burg on the Portway, and soon after couldsee the wain, done about with green boughs, wherein sat the chieftains intheir glittering war-gear. Speedily they spread the tidings, and aconfused shout went up into the air; and in a little while the wainstayed on Wildlake’s Way at the bottom of the steep slope that went up tothe Mote-stead, and the banner of the Burg came on proudly up the hill.Soon all men beheld it, and saw that the tall Hall-face bore it in frontof his brother Face-of-god, who came on gleaming in war-gear better thanmost men had seen; which was indeed of his father’s fashioning, and hisfather’s gift to him that morning.
After Face-of-god came the Alderman, and with him Folk-might leading theSun-beam by the hand, and then Stone-face and the Elder of theDale-wardens; and then the six Burg-wardens: as to the otherDale-wardens, they were in their places on the Field.
So now those who had been standing up turned their faces toward the Altarof the Gods, and those who had been sitting down sprang to their feet,and the confused rumour of the throng rose into a clear shout as thechieftains went to their places, and sat them down on the turf-seatsamidst the Doom-ring facing the Speech-hill and the Altar of the Gods.Amidmost sat the Alderman, on his right hand Face-of-god, and out fromhim Hall-face, and then Stone-face and three of the Wardens; but on hisleft hand sat first the two Guests, then the Elder of the Dale-wardens,and then the other three Burg-wardens; as for the Banner of the Burg, itsstaff was stuck into the earth behind them, and the Banner raised itselfin the morning wind and flapped and rippled over their heads.
There then they sat, and folk abided, and it still lacked some minutes ofthe due time, as the Alderman wotted by the shadow of the greatstanding-stone betwixt him and the Altar. Therewithal came the sound ofa great horn from out of the wood on the north side, and men knew it forthe horn of the Woodland Carles, and were glad; for they could not thinkwhy they should be belated; and now men stood up a-tiptoe and on other’sshoulders to look over the heads of the women and children to beholdtheir coming; but their empty place was at the southwest corner of thering of men.
So presently men beheld them marching toward their place, cleaving thethrong of the women and children, a great company; for besides that theyhad with them two score more of men under weapons than on the day of theWeapon-show, all their little ones and women and outworn elders were withthem, some on foot, some riding on oxen and asses. In their forefrontwent the two signs of the Battle-shaft and the War-spear. But moreover,in front of all was borne a great staff with the cloth of a bannerwrapped round about it, and tied up with a hempen yarn that it might notbe seen.
Stark and mighty men they looked; tall and lean, broad-shouldered,dark-faced. As they came amongst the throng the voice of their horn diedout, and for a few moments they fared on with no sound save the tramp oftheir feet; then all at once the man who bare the hidden banner lifted upone hand, and straightway they fell to singing, and with that song theycame to their place. And this is some of what they sang:
O white, white Sun, what things of wonder Hast thou beheld from thy wall of the sky! All the Roofs of the Rich and the grief thereunder, As the fear of the Earl-folk flitteth by!
Thou hast seen the Flame steal forth from the Forest To slay the slumber of the lands, As the Dusky Lord whom thou abhorrest Clomb up to thy Burg unbuilt with hands.
Thou lookest down from thy door the golden, Nor batest thy wide-shining mirth, As the ramparts fall, and the roof-trees olden Lie smouldering low on the burning earth.
When flitteth the half-dark night of summer From the face of the murder great and grim, ’Tis thou thyself and no new-comer Shines golden-bright on the deed undim.
Art thou our friend, O Day-dawn’s Lover? Full oft thine hand hath sent aslant Bright beams athwart the Wood-bear’s cover, Where the feeble folk and the nameless haunt.
Thou hast seen us quail, thou hast seen us cower, Thou hast seen us crouch in the Green Abode, While for us wert thou slaying slow hour by hour, And smoothing down the war-rough road.
Yea, the rocks of the Waste were thy Dawns upheaving, To let the days of the years go through; And thy Noons the tangled brake were cleaving The slow-foot seasons’ deed to do.
Then gaze adown on this gift of our giving, For the WOLF comes wending frith and ford, And the Folk fares forth from the dead to the living, For the love of the Lief by the light of the Sword.
Then ceased the song, and the whole band of the Woodlanders came pouringtumultuously into the space allotted them, like the waters pouring over ariver-dam, their white swords waving aloft in the morning sunlight; andwild and strange cries rose up from amidst them, with sobbing and weepingof joy. But soon their troubled front sank back into ordered ranks,their bright blades stood upright in their hands before them, and folklooked on their company, and deemed it the very Terror of battle andRender of the ranks of war. Right well were they armed; for though manyof their weapons were ancient and somewhat worn, yet were they the workof good smiths of old days; and moreover, if any of them lacked goodwar-gear of his own, that had the Alderman and his sons made good tothem.
But before the hedge of steel stood the two tall men who held in theirhands the war-tokens of the Battle-shaft and the War-spear, and betwixtthem stood one who was indeed the tallest man of the whole assembly, whoheld the great staff of the hidden banner. And now he reached up hishand, and plucked at the yarn that bound it, which of set purpose was butfeeble, and tore it off, and then shook the staff aloft with both hands,and shouted, and lo! the Banner of the Wolf with the Sun-burst behindhim, glittering-bright, new-woven by the women of the kindred, ran out inthe fresh wind, and flapped and rippled before His warriors thereassembled.
Then from all over the Mote-stead arose an exceeding great shout, and allme
n waved aloft their weapons; but the men of Shadowy Vale who werestanding amidst the men of the Face knew not how to demean themselves,and some of them ran forth into the Field and leapt for joy, tossingtheir swords into the air, and catching them by the hilts as they fell:and amidst it all the Woodlanders now stood silent, unmoving, as menabiding the word of onset.
As for that brother and sister: the Sun-beam flushed red all over herface, and pressed her hands to her bosom, and then the passion of tearsover-mastered her, and her breast heaved, and the tears gushed out of hereyes, and her body was shaken with weeping. But Folk-might sat still,looking straight before him, his eyes glittering, his teeth set, hisright hand clutching hard at the hilts of his sword, which lay nakedacross his knees. And the Bride, who stood clad in her begemmed andglittering war-array in the forefront of the Men of the Steer, nigh untothe seats of the chieftains, beheld Folk-might, and her face flushed andbrightened, and still she looked upon him. The Alderman’s face was as ofone pleased and proud; yet was its joy shadowed as it were by a cloud ofcompassion. Face-of-god sat like the very image of the War-god, andstirred not, nor looked toward the Sun-beam; for still the thought of theafter-grief of battle, and the death of friends and folk that loved him,lay heavy on his heart, for all that it beat wildly at the shouting ofthe men.