Withelm saw at once that Havelok had no weapon but the bar, and he ran
to him and held out his own axe.
"Thanks, brother. Mine is inside the door. Get it for me," said he; but
now he was laughing, and doing not much harm to anyone, and as I got
behind his back I saw why this was.
There was only one of Griffin's men left, and all the rest of the crowd
of half-armed men were townsfolk. Havelok and Raven were keeping these
back with sweeps of their long weapons, and behind them against the wall
was the sheriff, swearing and shouting vainly to bid his people hold off
and listen to him. And the noise was so great that they did but think
that he was calling them to rescue him from these who had taken him
prisoner. It seemed that the Welshman was keeping this up also; but
neither he nor any of the men cared to risk any nearness to the sweep of
bar and long oar in such hands. There were many broken heads in that
crowd; but it was growing greater every minute, and those who were
coming were well armed, having taken their time over it. They say that
there were sixty men there at one time.
Now ran Withelm with the axe, and at that Havelok parted with the door
bar, and ended the last Welshman at the same time, for he hurled it at
him endwise, like a spear, and it took him full in the chest, and he
went down to rise no more.
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