The night was
moonless, and in the shadow of the trees the darkness was intense. The
housecarls kept together, moving as closely as possible to each other. The
levies were ordered to follow them.
After proceeding for two hours, Wulf said, "Let us halt and see if we are
all together." The housecarls halted, but when he went to the rear Wulf
could see no signs of the irregulars.
"Let no man speak or move," he said, "I want to listen."
But no sound broke the stillness of the wood.
"How foolish of Oswald and Edred," he said to Beorn.
"We told them to follow with their levies close behind us, and they must
have allowed them to fall to the rear. However, they can't be far behind."
They waited for half an hour, but the silence continued unbroken.
"Do you shout, Osgod," Wulf said; "they ought to hear miles away on a still
night like this."
Osgod--who had scarcely spoken since his fall, so furious was he at having
been outwitted by a boy, and having not only allowed him to escape, but
being himself rolled in the mire--raised his voice in a tremendous shout.
All listened intently, but no answering sound came back.
"They must have gone altogether wrong," Wulf said. "You know that we
crossed a streamlet that ran into this brook soon after we started. They
must have followed that up, thinking we had done so, and have gone up some
other valley. What is to be done, Beorn?"
"We crossed that streamlet half an hour after starting," Beorn said, "and
as we have spent half an hour here they must have by this time marched up
it two-hours' journey, and if we retrace our steps to that point they will
have got an hour and a half farther away; besides, they may have gone back
when they missed us.
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