high upon Sweyn, and
horses, armour, arms, and slaves had been freely wagered upon his
success; but as the fight went on the odds veered round, and the
demeanour of the combatants had as much to do with this as the skill
and strength shown by Edmund in his defence. The Dane was flushed and
furious; his temper gave way under the failure of his assaults. The
Saxon, on the contrary, fought as calmly and coolly as if practicing
with blunted weapons; his eyes never left those of his adversary, a
half smile played on his lips, and although drops of perspiration from
his forehead showed how great were his exertions, his breathing hardly
quickened.

Twice Sweyn drew back for breath, and Edmund each time, instead of
pressing him, dropped the point of his sword and waited for him to
renew the combat. At present he had scarce struck a blow, and while his
own shield was riven in several places and his helmet dinted, those of
Sweyn were unmarked.

At the third assault Sweyn came up determined to end the conflict, and
renewed the attack with greater fury than before. Three times his sword
descended with tremendous force, but each time it met the blade of the
Saxon; the fourth time his arm was raised, then there was a flash and a
sudden shout from the crowd.

With a mighty blow Edmund had smitten full on his opponent's uplifted
arm, and, striking it just above the elbow, the sword clove through
flesh and bone, and the severed limb, still grasping the sword, fell to
the ground.

A loud shout of approval burst from the Danes. Although the conqueror
was their enemy they appreciated so highly the virtues of coolness and
courage that their applause was no less hearty than if the victor had
been a countryman. Sweyn had fallen almost the instant the blow had
been struck. The ring was at once broken up, and his friends ran to
him. The Norsemen were adepts at the treatment of wounds, and
everything had been prepared in case of emergencies.

A bandage was instantly tied tightly round the upper part of the arm to
stop the rush of blood, and the stump was then dipped into boiling
pitch, and Sweyn, who had become almost instantly insensible from the
loss of blood, was carried to his father's tent. According to custom
handsome presents of swords and armour were made to Edmund by those who
had won by his success.

It would have been considered churlish to refuse them, and Edmund had
no thought of doing so, for he needed money, and these thin