Now, as ye may deem, Osberne was more thrust forward than any other,
and somewhat of a space he had cleared before him, and his yellow hair
came down from under his basnet, and his long red surcoat streamed all
rent and tattered in the wind, and Boardcleaver was bare and bloody in
his fist, and his face was stern but not exceeding fierce; for he
would the slaughter of the day were over. Now he hove up Boardcleaver,
and before him was a tall man in gilded armour and a gay yellow
surcoat of silk, and his armour was little rent and his sword
unscathed in his hand; a stark man he was of aspect, but terror was
come into his soul because of the slaughter of the press and that
there was no escape therefrom. So when he saw Boardcleaver arising he
cried out, "O Red Lad, Red Lad, O thou seeker, let me live, that I may
tell thee what thou wouldst give many lives to know!"
Then Osberne restrained Boardcleaver and let him fall to his wrist,
and stretched out his hand to the gilded man. But even therewith his
hand was thrust aside, for many a man there was mad and drunk with the
slaying: and a short, dark, long-armed man of the weavers' craft,
armed with nought else save a heavy short-sword cutting on the inner
edge, drew him on to the gilded man's horse, and brought his sword
back-handed across his face and neck, and fell with him as he fell,
and mangled him that he was more than dead, and then got up again
amidst the horses and fell to work again. Then Osberne, when he saw
the tale was done, groaned aloud; but none heeded him, for it was to
them but as a cry of the wounded. Then he uphove Boardcleaver again
and cried out shrilly: "The Red Lad, the Red Lad for Longshaw and the
Crafts! On, on at them!" And that all heard, both his and theirs. And
now they of the foemen began to cease pressing forward, and many fled
without a stroke stricken, till there was somewhat more room for the
rest to flee, but little leave, for even so was more room for the
pursuers, and soon was the square clear of all but dead and sore hurt;
and the chase endured all up and along the carfax, and mad-fierce it
was, and that mostly at the hands of the townsmen, who deemed that
they had much to pay back to the men of the King and the Porte.
Now after this Osberne and his drew not back from the carfax, but by
the rede of him the townsmen made trenches and walls to strengthen
them right up to the said carfax. And for three days the King's men
durst not fall upon them there, save that they tried a little
arrow-shot from afar, but did not much hurt thereby.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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