When morning was, and it was yet early, the town was all astir andthe gates were thrown open, and weaponed men thronged into it crying outfor Christopher the King. Then the King came forth, and Jack o' the Toftsand his sons, and Oliver Marson, and the captains of Brimside; and thehost was blown together to the market-place, and there was a new tale ofthem taken, and they were now hard on seventy hundreds of men. Sothen were new captains appointed, and thereafter they tarried not save toeat a morsel, but went out a-gates faring after the banners to Oakenrealm,all folk blessing them as they went.
Nought befell them of evil that day, but ever fresh companies joinedthem on the road; and they gat harbour in another walled town, hightSevenham, and rested there in peace that night, and were now grown toeighty hundreds.
Again on the morrow they were on the road betimes, and again muchfolk joined them, and they heard no tidings of any foeman faring againstthem; whereat Jack o' the Tofts marvelled, for he and others had deemedthat now at last would Rolf the traitor come out against them. Forsooth,when they had gone all day and night was at hand, it seemed most like tothe captains that he would fall upon them that night, whereas they werenow in a somewhat perilous pass; for they must needs rest at a little thorpeamidst of great and thick woods, which lay all round about the frank ofOakenham as a garland about a head. So there they kept watch and wardmore heedfully than their wont was; and King Christopher lodged withGoldilind at the house of a good man of the thorpe.
Now when it lacked but half an hour of midnight, and Jack o' the Toftsand Oliver Marson and the Captain of Woodwall had just left him, afterthey had settled the order of the next day's journey, and Goldilind lay abedin the inner chamber, there entered one of the men of the watch and said:"Lord King, here is a man hereby who would see thee; he is weaponed,and he saith that he hath a gift for thee: what shall we do with him?"
Said Christopher: "Bring him in hither, good fellow." And the manwent back, and came in again leading a tall man, armed, but with a hooddone over his steel hat, so that his face was hidden, and he had a bag in hishand with something therein.
Then spake the King and said: "Thou man, since thy face is hidden,this trusty man-at-arms shall stand by thee while we talk together."