Moments before they smashed into the Saxon wall with its bristling barrier, the riders peeled away and both horsemen and chariots loosed their first volley of spears and arrows. It was impossible to aim from the platform of a bouncing chariot so, just as on the training field, those in the chariots waited until the last moment, then loosed, inflicting a wave of death that slammed into the bunched Saxons, each spear and arrow seeking those holding the long sharpened poles. A fraction of a moment behind the horsemen, the chariots hit the Saxon line like a hammer slamming through the side of an ale barrel, breaching the shattered defences in an instant. The taunting war cries were replaced by the shrill screaming of injured horses and crushed and trampled men as the chariots jumped and bucked
