They clubbed the horses, they clubbed the mules, they clubbed the bearers and their reliefs.

They gave us no time to explain, and though I yelled out who I was and who was with me, though Hirnio and Tanno and Martius yelled similarly, their explanations were unheard in the hubbub or unheeded.

Also our effort to explain was brief.

Swathed as we were in our cloaks the hot gush of rage that flamed up in us drove us instinctively to free our arms and fight.
Now anyone might suppose that it would be an easy matter for some eighteen horsemen to ride down and scatter a mob of varlets afoot.

So it would be in the open, when the riders were aware of the attack and ready to meet it.