"Not till we are sure all is lost," said another.
"Tristam, thou must remain here and watch, and warn us if any approach."
"But how long shall I stay?" sobbed the alarmed boy.
"Nay, he is too young," cried the fugitive from the marsh; "besides, it is needless. I know they are all coming upon us--they are thousands strong instead of hundreds, as that liar, the guide, stated. We must fly ourselves, for the time, and bid the monks, the women, and children to fly also."
"Shall we burn the castle, lest it fall into their hands as a stronghold?"
"Nay, that were to give up all; we shall return thither again, and that soon; leave it open for them. The Norman lion will prove more than a match for the English wolf in the long run."
"Onward, then--home--home."
And the dispirited men returned to the castle.
It was manifestly useless to attempt to defend the place; all that could be done was to save their lives, and such "portable property" as could be removed on the instant.
So the old men only returned to warn their astonished comrades, and then gathering such household goods as they most valued, they loaded the horses and oxen which remained, and journeyed to bear the news to Warwick.