'
And he strode on, and his men followed clad and weaponed like those
of the Steer, save that some had axes hanging to their girdles
instead of swords; and most bore casting-spears instead of the long
spears, and half a score were bowmen.
Then came Fox of Upton leading the men of the Bull of Middale, an
hundred and a half lacking two; very great and tall were his men, and
they also bore long spears, and one score and two were bowmen.
Then Fork-beard of Lea, a man well on in years, led on the men of the
Vine, an hundred and a half and five men thereto; two score of them
bare bow in hand and were girt with sword; the rest bore their swords
naked in their right hands, and their shields (which were but small
bucklers) hanging at their backs, and in the left hand each bore two
casting-spears. With these went two doughty women-at-arms among the
bowmen, tall and well-knit, already growing brown with the spring
sun, for their work lay among the stocks of the vines on the
southward-looking bents.
Next came a tall young man, yellow-haired, with a thin red beard, and
gave himself out for Red-beard of the Knolls; he bore his father's
name, as the custom of their house was, but the old man, who had long
been head man of the House of the Sickle, was late dead in his bed,
and the young man had not seen twenty winters.
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