Said Folk-might: “In all this thou sayest sooth, brother of the Dale; and to cut this matter short, I will tell you all, that yesterday we had with us a runaway from Silverdale (it is overlong to tell how we fell in with her; for it was a woman). But she told us that this very moon is a new tribe come into the Dale, six long hundreds in number, and twice as many more are looked for in two eights of days, and that ere this moon hath waned, that is, in twenty-four days, they will wend their ways straight for Burgdale, for they know the ways thereto. So I say that Face-of-god is right in all wise. But tell me, brother, hast thou thought of how we shall come upon these men?”
“How many men wilt thou lead into battle?” said Face-of-god.
Folk-might reddened, and said: “A few, a few; maybe two-hundreds all told.”
“Yea,” said Face-of-god, “but some special gain wilt thou be to us.”
“So I deem at least,” said Folk-might.
Said Face-of-god: “Good is that. Now have we held our Weapon-show in the Dale, and we find that we together with you be sixteen long hundreds of men; and the tale of the foemen that be now in Silverdale, newcomers and all, shall be three thousands or thereabout, and in Rosedale hard on a thousand.”
“Scarce so many,” said Folk-might; “some of the felons have died; we told over our silver arm-rings yesterday, and the tale was three hundred and eighty and six. Besides, they were never so many as thou deemest.”
“Well,” said Face-of-god, “yet at least they shall outnumber us sorely. We may scarce leave the Dale unguarded when our host is gone; therefore I deem that we shall have but one thousand of men for our onslaught on Silverdale.”
“How come ye to that?” said Stone-face.
Said Face-of-god: “Abide a while, fosterer! Though the odds between us be great, it is not to be hidden that I wot how ye of the Wolf know of privy passes into Silverdale; yea, into the heart thereof; and this is the special gain ye have to give us. Therefore we, the thousand men, falling on the foe unawares, shall make a great slaughter of them; and if the murder be but grim enough, those thralls of theirs shall fear us and not them, as already they hate them and not us, so that we may look to them for rooting out these sorry weeds after the overthrow. And what with one thing, what with another, we may cherish a good hope of clearing Silverdale at one stroke with the said thousand men.
“There remaineth Rosedale, which will be easier to deal with, because the Dusky Men therein are fewer and the thralls as many: that also would I fall on at the same time as we fall on Silverdale with the men that are left over from the Silverdale onslaught. Wherefore my rede is, that we gather all those unmeet for battle in the field into this Burg, with ten tens of men to strengthen them; which shall be enough for them, along with the old men, and lads, and sturdy women, to defend themselves till help comes, if aught of evil befall, or to flee into the mountains, or at the worst to die valiantly. Then let the other five hundreds fare up to Rosedale, and fall on the Dusky Men therein about the same time, but not before our onslaught on Silverdale: thus shall hand help foot, so that stumbling be not falling; and we may well hope that our rede shall thrive.”
Then was he silent, and the Sun-beam looked upon him with gleaming eyes and parted lips, waiting eagerly to hear what Folk-might would say. He held his peace a while, drumming on the board with his fingers, and none else spake a word. At last he said:
“War-leader of Burgdale, all that thou hast spoken likes me well, and even so must it be done, saving that parting of our host and sending one part to fall upon Rosedale. I say, nay; let us put all our might into that one stroke on Silverdale, and then we are undone indeed if we fail; but so shall we be if we fail anywise; but if we win Silverdale, then shall Rosedale lie open before us.”
“My brother,” said Face-of-god, “thou art a tried warrior, and I but a lad: but dost thou not see this, that whatever we do, we shall not at one onslaught slay all the Dusky Men of Silverdale, and those that flee before us shall betake them to Rosedale, and tell all the tale, and what shall hinder them then from falling on Burgdale (since they are no great way from it) after they have murdered what they will of the unhappy people under their hands?”
Said Folk-might: “I say not but that there is a risk thereof, but in war we must needs run such risks, and all should be risked rather than that our blow on Silverdale be light. For we be the fewer; and if the foemen have time to call that to mind, then are we all lost.”
Said Stone-face: “Meseemeth, War-leader, that there is nought much to dread in leaving Rosedale to itself for a while; for not only may we follow hard on the fleers if they flee to Rosedale, and be there no long time after them, before they have time to stir their host; but also after the overthrow we shall be free to send men back to Burgdale by way of Shadowy Vale. I deem that herein Folk-might hath the right of it.”
“Even so say I,” said the Alderman; “besides, we might theft leave more
