According to William, the children were unable to account for their arrival in Woolpit; they had been herding their father's cattle when they heard a loud noise (according to William, it was like the sound of the bells of Bury St Edmunds abbey) and suddenly found themselves by the wolf pit where they were found. Ralph says that they had become lost when they followed the cattle into a cave and, after being guided by the sound of bells, eventually emerged into our land.
According to William, the children could not describe how they arrived in Woolpit; they had been herding their father's livestock when they heard a loud noise (according to William, it was like the sound of Bury St Edmunds abbey bells) and suddenly found themselves by the wolf pit where they were discovered. Ralph says that they became lost while following the cattle into a cave and, after being guided by the sound of bells, eventually entered our land.