a hundred or
but twenty men--not less."

Then Eadmund made a sign to his people, and they went out and left
us together, and we looked on one another.

"Let me send for the earl," he said; but I put my hand on his arm.

"You are enough, my prince. But for sending for him your levies
would be here, and we should march together even now to London."

He groaned.

"You are right, and I am a fool," he said.

"Wait for the earl no longer," I urged; "raise your own levy, and
bid him follow you or the king as he will. There must be a raising
of all England. Send to the king tonight."

"What will Cnut do?" he asked me.

"Olaf thought that if he landed in Kent he would make for London
and besiege it. If so, you have time yet."

"There shall be no delay. Bide here and help me."

"I cannot," I said, and told him plainly of Edric's message to me,
and the way in which it was sent; and I ended: "Let me go to Olaf,
therefore, and take word from you that you come in haste. The earl
doubts me yet."

"I do not understand it," Eadmund said, "but it must be so. Go back
and tell Olaf to hold Cnut under London walls, and I will be there
in a day before he expects, gathering forces as I come."

I kissed his hand and went, and as I did so I heard him bid his
followers arm him. So I knew that he was roused, and that if he
were himself all might yet be well.

Then I got to horse, and I and my two men rode down the street as
fast as we had come. No man was about, and the bridge gates swung
open for us.

"They are in a hurry to get rid of us," said Thrand, as we went
through and passed the last houses of the town beyond the river.

Then the road lay white in the moonbeams before us until it ran
among the trees of the first woodland, and there in the black
shadow was a sparkle as of armour in the shafts of light that came
through the leaves into the over-arched hollow of the track.

If any man was there he could see us clearly, though we could not
well see him, for we were in full brightness.

Then Guthorm spoke, peering under his hand.

"Four men across the road, lord--horsemen standing still."

Then said I:

"If they are friends they will stand aside for us. If not, they
will expect us to halt and argue matters with them. Any way, they
have no right to the whole road, even if they mean us no harm. Ride
on steadily, one on either side of me, and when we are twenty paces
from them, if they yet bar our way, spur your horses