ft the town, and
that being ready to do so I came not with you; and say how it was
that this man was slain, and that I am sorry therefor."

"We will tell him," they said.

So I spurred my horse and rode after my company, knowing that it
would be hard for Edric to know the rights of the matter. The men
would certainly not wonder at the slaying of Godric, seeing how he
had behaved. I thought that Eadmund would never hear of this.

I believe that I escaped very narrowly, and also that the silver
penny was the cause thereof. For, first of all, it had been likely
that Eadmund's messenger would not have found me so easily had I
gone elsewhere than back to get it, and so I should have been
belated and attacked in the street by these men. And next, the
goldsmith warned me that the armed men waited outside. And then it
was certain that Godric, the earl's man, would have cut me down
before I could have drawn sword, had I not already held the weapon
unsheathed. And that was because I looked on the penny and its
setting before belting on the scabbard.

Now I thought, when we were fairly on the road, that we would go to
Peterborough, to my good friend the Abbot Elfric, for I would fain
tell him all this, thinking that he might warn Eadmund of Streone
to more effect than could I. And inside the abbey walls would be a
safe place for the night. It was not so certain that we should not
be pursued, and so we went quickly, the horses rejoicing in the
road after their idleness, for we had been three weeks in Stamford,
waiting for the earl.

So we rode till we came to Castor, the old Roman town, and stayed
not there, but went to the ford over the Nene at Water Newton, the
road beyond the river being better than that on this side. It is
not an easy ford, for a horseman has to turn downstream when nearly
over, else he is over head and ears before he knows. One of my men
had known somewhat of the place, and was going through first, but
as his horse shied a little at the sparkling water and he was
urging it in, a man rode fast down the opposite bank, and into the
river, coming over to us. I heard his horse snorting, as if out of
breath.

"Watch how he comes," I said to my man.

But there was little use in that, for he went to ride straight
through, and next moment his horse was swimming, and he was crying
for help, being bewildered, for the river was full and current
strong.

Now, I was used to swimming my horse in our Stour fords,