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Show The herders immediately stopped the stampede, but the circular path the bison made to move back into the pass created a narrow opening through which, with a roar of triumph, the first company of foot soldiers poured. Zud shouted with joy, ran heavily to his horse, caught up a huge lance, mounted, and followed after them. The herders left their shields to run along the cliffs trying to reverse the charge and were dropped almost immediately by arrows from below. The YellowBison, lowing and screaming, began pouring through the pass with the warriors. Far beyond, through the newly opened southern pass, came stumbling a lone knight in a red plumed helmet with a bedraggled squire trailing behind him. Both wights looked footsore and weary. "Battle, at last," said the knight, indicating the screaming warriors ahead of him. He smiled faintly, showing a missing eyetooth. Then he dropped, exhausted, on a pile of sacked grain. "Aye," whispered the squire, dropping beside him. He lifted one foot to pull off a boot. Then he, too, collapsed on the sacks. In the space of a minute both men were sound asleep. 272 |