For now out of the shadows came Matelgar and stood beside me and waked
me, and he told me that when the tide was out I must be up and doing.
And so he passed. And the old crone, Gundred, came out of the shadows,
and sat on her bundle of sticks and looked at me, and she too bade me be
up and doing when the tide was low. And she looked at the standard that
lay beside me, and said, "Aye, a standard; but not yet the Dragon of
Wessex"; and so she, too, faded away.
And then came Alswythe, and as she came, it seemed, as I looked, that I
stretched my arms to her; but she smiled and said, "Love, when the tide
is out, I shall be praying in the abbey for you and your men."
And then from beside her came Turkil, the little child, smiling also,
but hanging to Alswythe's dress as he said, "Warrior, when the water
falls low, my father will call me from the hill, and I will pray for you
and for him."
So these two were gone. And at that I seemed to see our men lie in
Bridgwater, and there was Turkil's father, the franklin, sleeping with
the rest. But up and down among them went Eanulf the Ealdorman, watching
ever.
Then fled I, as it were, to that hill where lay the Danes, and on the
road thither I saw Osric and twenty men, looking up at the fires that
burnt where the enemy lay.
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