And to say the truth I did not
know if it was certain that I should come back, for Hodulf was hardly to
be trusted.
I did wait to break my fast, and that was all, for I had no mind to
spend the night on the road back from the talk that I should have had;
but though I wasted so little time, the people were already beginning to
prepare for rejoicing in their own way with games of all sorts and with
feasting in the open. I saw, as we rode down the street, the piles of
firewood that were to roast oxen whole, and near them were the butts
that held ale for all comers. There were men who set up the marks for
the archers, and others who staked out the rings for the wrestling and
sword play. And as we left the town we met two men who led a great brown
bear by a ring in his nose, for the baiting. I was sorry for the poor
beast, but the men called him "Hodulf," already, and I thought that a
good sign in its way.
Another good sign, and that one which could not be mistaken, was to see
the warriors coming in by twos and threes as the news reached them. They
were dotted along the roads from all quarters, and across the heaths we
saw the flash of the arms of more.
And ever as they met us they hailed us with, "What cheer, comrades? Is
the news true? Is Havelok come to his own?" and the like, and they would
hurry on, rejoicing in the answer that they had.
Pages:
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311