nine o'clock
For a considerable portion of the distance , the roads led through forests , which at that time covered the greater part of the country . Oswald , at the invitation of the knights , rode with them at the head of the cavalcade . The way was beguiled by anecdotes , that had been passed down from mouth to mouth , of the last Welsh war . They reached Knighton by nine o'clock . The enemy had not , as yet , come within sight of the town ; but , throughout the night , the sky to the west had been red with the flames of the burning villages and homesteads . The male inhabitants were all under arms . Many had already sent their wives and children , in waggons , towards Ludlow ; but , as the town had a strong wall , the men were determined upon making a stout defence .