Arthur came swiftly and
secretly upon Cheldric. He fell silently upon the Saxons, making no
stir with horns and clarions. King Arthur and his men slew so many in
so grim and stark a fashion, that never was seen such slaughter, such
sorrow and destruction, as they made of the Saxons in one single day.
The Saxons thought only of flight. They stripped off their armour to
run the more lightly, and abandoned their horses on the field
Some fled to the mountains, others by the valleys, and many flung
themselves into the river, and were drowned miserably, striving to get
them from their foe. The Britons followed hotly at their heels, giving
the quarry neither rest nor peace. They struck many a mighty blow with
the sword, on the heads, the necks, and bodies of their adversaries.
The chase endured from Lincoln town to the wood of Cehdon. The Saxons
took refuge within the thick forest, and drew together the remnants of
their power. For their part, the Britons watched the wood, and held
it very strictly. Now Arthur feared lest the Saxons should steal
from their coverts by night, and escape from his hand. He commanded,
therefore, his meinie to cut down the trees on the skirts of the
forest. These trunks he placed one upon another, lacing the branches
fast together, and enclosing his foe.
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