Then he called to them one of the captains of the Tofts and they threespake together heedfully a little, and thereafter they fell to work arrayingthe folk; and King Christopher did his part therein deftly and swiftly, forquick of wit he was, and that the more whenso anything was to be done.
As to the array, the main of the folk that were spearmen and billmenbut moved forward somewhat from where they had dined to the hangingof the bent, so that their foemen would have the hill against them or everthey came on point and edge. But the bowmen, of whom were now sometwo hundreds, for many men had come in after the first tally, were spreadabroad on the left hand of the spearmen toward the river, where the groundwas somewhat broken, and bushed with thorn-bushes. And a bight of thewater drew nearer to the Tofters, amidst of which was a flat eyot, edgedwith willows and covered with firm and sound greensward, and was somethirty yards endlong and twenty overthwart. So there they abode thecoming of the foe, and it was now hard on five o'clock.
But Christopher went up to Goldilind where she stood amidst of thespearmen, hand turning over hand, and her feet wandering to and froalmost without her will; and when he came to her, she had much ado torefrain her from falling on his bosom and weeping there. But he cried toher gaily: "Now, my Lady and Queen, thou shalt see a fair play towardeven sooner than we looked for; and thine eyes shall follow me, if thebattle be thronged, by this token, that amongst all these good men and trueI only wear a forgilded basnet with a crown about it."
"O!" she said, "if it were but over, and thou alive and free! I would payfor that, I deem, if I might, by a sojourn in Greenharbour again."