ell on the people; for some knew
him, and had heard of his strength, and those who did not stared at him
as at a wonder. But the silence did not last long, for the porters who
were there set up a sort of shout of delight, and that one who had made
the longest cast so far began to tell him how best to heft the stone and
swing it.

Then Havelok bent to raise the stone, and the noise hushed again. I saw
his mighty limbs harden and knot under the strain, and up to his knee he
heaved it, and to his middle, and yet higher, to his chest, while we all
held our breaths, and then with a mighty lift it was at his shoulder,
and he poised it, and swung as one who balances for a moment, and then
hurled it from him. Then was a shout that Alsi might have heard in his
hilltop palace, for full four paces beyond the strong porter's cast it
flew, lighting with a mighty crash, and bedding itself in the ground
where it lit. And I saw the young thanes with wide eyes looking at my
brother, and from beside me Berthun the cook fairly roared with delight.

And then from across the space between the two lines of onlookers I saw
a man in a fisher's dress that caught my eye. It was Withelm, and we
nodded to each other, well pleased.

Now there seemed to be a strife as to who should get nearest to Havelok,
for men crowded to pat him and to look up at him, and that pleased him
not at all. One came and bade him take the silver pennies that the
thanes had set out for the prize, but he shook his head and smiled.

"I threw the thing because I was bidden, and not for any prize," he
said. "I would have it given to the porter who fairly won it."

Then he elbowed his way to Berthun, and said, "let us go, master; we
have stayed here too long already."

"As it pleases you," the steward said; and Havelok waved his hand to me,
and they went their way.

He had not seen Withelm, and I was glad, for I wanted to speak to him
alone first.

Now men began to ask who this was, and many voices answered, while the
porter went to claim the prize from the thane who held it.

Two silver pennies the thane gave him, and said, "This seems to be a
friend of yours, and it was good to hear you try to help him without
acrimony. Not that he needed any hints from any one, however. Who is he?"

"Men call him Curan, that being the name he gives himself; but he came
as a stranger to the place, and none know from whence, unless Berthun
the cook may do so. Surely he is a friend