Then Havelok made his way through
the crowd, and a silence as of wonder fell on the people; for some knew
him, and had heard of his strength, and those who did not stared at him
as at a wonder. But the silence did not last long, for the porters who
were there set up a sort of shout of delight, and that one who had made
the longest cast so far began to tell him how best to heft the stone and
swing it.
Then Havelok bent to raise the stone, and the noise hushed again. I saw
his mighty limbs harden and knot under the strain, and up to his knee he
heaved it, and to his middle, and yet higher, to his chest, while we all
held our breaths, and then with a mighty lift it was at his shoulder,
and he poised it, and swung as one who balances for a moment, and then
hurled it from him. Then was a shout that Alsi might have heard in his
hilltop palace, for full four paces beyond the strong porter's cast it
flew, lighting with a mighty crash, and bedding itself in the ground
where it lit. And I saw the young thanes with wide eyes looking at my
brother, and from beside me Berthun the cook fairly roared with delight.
And then from across the space between the two lines of onlookers I saw
a man in a fisher's dress that caught my eye. It was Withelm, and we
nodded to each other, well pleased.
Now there seemed to be a strife as to who should get nearest to Havelok,
for men crowded to pat him and to look up at him, and that pleased him
not at all.
Pages:
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181