"'Tis a thousand pities," Sir Edmund said, when the news of the defeat
of the Flemings reached him, "that these fellows did not send news to
me, a day or two before they undertook this business; for in that case
I would have myself headed a force of a couple of hundred of my best
men-at-arms, and joined them at some spot in the mountains; and had we
been there, you may be sure that Glendower would never have fought his
way out. The Flemings are doubtless stout fighters, as they have proved
over and over again, in their own country; but they are all unused to
mountain warfare, or to fight with wild men, and were doubtless scared
by the shrill cries with which the Welsh always advance to battle.
Doubtless, too, these men Glendower keeps with him are his best
fighters, and they knew that, if they did not succeed in making their
way out, no mercy would be shown to them, seeing that they have shown
none themselves. Had the battle been on a plain, I doubt not that the
Flemings would have stood against many times the number of Welshmen
that Owen had with him; but this hill warfare was altogether strange to
them, and of course they had not the habit of quickly rallying, and
meeting the attack, that is second nature with our men-at-arms.
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