"Be ready, spearmen, when I give the word." And they lay clutching their weapons, with their eyes fixed on him as he stood on the hilltop, surrounded by his thanes, gazing on the last assault of the Danes, whose archers from the wings were already at work, so that the men of the shield wall closed in around him.
I think that the Danes had no knowledge of what force was hidden by the hill brow.

For when they were within half arrow shot, and Alfred gave the word, and the long ranks of spearmen leaped from the ground and closed up for their charge, a waver went along the shielded line, and they almost halted, though it passed, and they came on even more swiftly.
Then Alfred lifted his sword and shouted, and, with that awful roar that I had heard before on the Combwich meadows, over the hill crest and down upon the Danes the spearmen rushed.

The lines met with a mighty crash of steel on steel, and while one might count two score they swayed in deadly hand-to-hand strife.

Then Guthrum's men gave back one pace, and howled, and won their place again, and again lost it.
Then forward went Alfred and his shield wall, and I was on one side of him and Ethered of Mercia on the other, while after him came Heregar, bearing the banner.

The Danes in the centre closed up as they saw us come, and there were shouts in which Guthrum's name was plain to be heard, and I saw him across a four-deep rank of his men.
Straight for him went Alfred, and the Danish line grew thin before us.