` He hung up his sword -- this sword -- on the wall of the Great Hall , because he said it was fairly mine , and never he took it down till De Aquila returned , as I shall presently show . For three months his men and mine guarded the valley , till all robbers and nightwalkers learned there was nothing to get from us save hard tack and a hanging . Side by side we fought against all who came -- thrice a week sometimes we fought -- against thieves and landless knights looking for good manors . Then we were in some peace , and I made shift by Hugh 's help to govern the valley -- for all this valley of yours was my Manor -- as a knight should . I kept the roof on the hall and the thatch on the barn , but ... the English are a bold people . His Saxons would laugh and jest with Hugh , and Hugh with them , and -- this was marvellous to me -- if even the meanest of them said that such and such a thing was the Custom of the Manor , then straightway would Hugh and such old men of the Manor as might be near forsake everything else to debate the matter -- I have seen them stop the Mill with the corn half ground -- and if the custom or usage were proven to be as it was said , why , that was the end of it , even though it were flat against Hugh , his wish and command . Wonderful ! ' ` Aye , ' said Puck , breaking in for the first time . ` The Custom of Old England was here before your Norman knights came , and it outlasted them , though they fought against it cruel . ' ` Not I , ' said Sir Richard . ' I let the Saxons go their stubborn way , but when my own men-at-arms , Normans not six months in England , stood up and told me what was the custom of the country , then I was angry . Ah , good days ! Ah , wonderful people ! And I loved them all . ' The knight lifted his arms as though he would hug the whole dear valley , and Swallow , hearing the chink of his chain-mail , looked up and whinnied softly . ` At last , ' he went on , ` after a year of striving and contriving and some little driving , De Aquila came to the valley , alone and without warning . I saw him first at the Lower Ford , with a swineherd 's brat on his saddle-bow . ' `` There is no need for thee to give any account of thy stewardship , '' said he . `` I have it all from the child here . '' And he told me how the young thing had stopped his tall horse at the Ford , by waving of a branch , and crying that the way was barred .
`` And if one bold , bare babe be enough to guard the Ford in these XXXXX , thou hast done well , '' said he , and puffed and wiped his head .
Aquila England Normans Saxons chain-mail chink days first nightwalkers week