Therefore, mounted upon a good steed, and accompanied by Oswy, he
rapidly traversed the country over which his brother had been so
painfully borne; slowly, however, in places, for here and there large
tracts of swamp obstructed the way, and in other places the thickets
were dense and impervious; even where the country was cultivated the
unpaved roads were rough and hazardous for riders.
It was past the hour of nones, the ninth hour of the day, when the
riders reached the battlefield, which still bore frightful traces of the
recent combat; reddened with blood, which had left its dark traces on
large patches of the ground, and encumbered with the bodies of horses
and men which had not yet found sepulture, although bands of theows from
the neighbouring estates were busily engaged in the necessary toil,
excavating huge pits, and placing the dead--no longer rivals--
reverently and decently in their last long home. Several wolves could be
discerned, hanging about under the skirts of the forest, but not daring
to come out into the plain while the day lasted and the men were about;
whole flocks of ravenous birds flew about the scene, now settling down
on the spots where the strife had been hottest, now soaring away when
disturbed in their sickening feast.
It was the first time Alfred had ever gazed upon a battlefield; and now
he saw it stripped of all the romance and glamour which bards had thrown
over it, and the sight appalled him.
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