only.

In the morning matters fell out so that we had never need to say
what danger we had run. For the men had seen Brand's plight, which
was pitiful, after Danes and thickets had done their work on him,
and told Olaf that the man had met with and escaped Danes from the
mere woods.

So with twenty men we searched those covers in broad daylight, and
found no token of any dwellers in the place. Nor were any Danes
left, save one, and that was the man whom Olaf had smitten, for he
had died. The embers of the fire were near him, and on the bank lay
the severed belts that had bound us.

"These Danes have fought among themselves," said our men, and hove
the body into the water. So the Dane lies there instead of Olaf the
king and me, with the Welshmen whom my heathen forefathers cast
into the black depths, in revenge for the death of the White Lady.

Now when we came back to Bures there was a tired horse standing by
the house door, and in the hall waited a messenger from Colchester,
and he brought the news that we looked for and yet feared, so that
we had hoped against hope that it would not come.

A Frisian trader had put into the Colchester river, and he brought
word that even now Cnut might be taking the sea for England, for in
all the western havens of Denmark was gathered such a mighty host
and fleet that no man had ever known the like, and he had heard
that the day for sailing would soon come.

Then Olaf made no delay but rode to Colchester to see this
shipmaster and speak with him, for he thought that he might find
out from him what point on our coasts would be that at which Cnut
aimed first.

So Gunnhild and Olaf were right, and the little peace we had had
was to end. Now would come the last struggle of English and Dane
for mastery in our land, and in my heart I wished that we had such
a king as Olaf Haraldsson. For it seemed to me that we were not
ready, though we had had a year and more in which to prepare.

Chapter 9: The Treachery Of Edric Streone.

When Olaf had gone I sought out Father Ailwin, for the danger that
I had seen for Hertha lay heavily on my mind, and now also I would
tell him of the certainty of coming warfare, asking him what he and
Gunnhild would do. So I went to the place where one might be sure
to find him during the last two days, and that was in the
churchyard, where our people and Olaf's men were working together
to raise for him a little wattled chapel among the ruins, that