troops had collected, and against them stood, perhaps, four hundred
men in all, so that the odds were great. Still, they had no horsemen or
archers, and our position was very good, also we were Northmen and they
were Grecian scum.

On came the Byzantines, screaming "Irene! Irene!" in a formation of
companies ranged one behind the other, for their object was to break in
our centre by their weight. Jodd saw, and gave some orders; very good
orders, I thought them. Then he sheathed his short-sword, seized the
great battle-axe which was his favourite weapon, and placed himself in
front of our triple line that waited in dead silence.

Up the slope surged the charge, and on the crest of it the battle met.
At first the weight of the Greeks pressed us back, but, oh! they went
down before the Northmen's steel like corn before the sickle, and soon
that rush was stayed. Breast to breast they hewed and thrust, and so
fearful was the fray that Irene, forgetting her rage, clung to me to
protect her.

The fight hung doubtful. As in a dream, I watched the giant Jodd cut
down a gorgeous captain, the axe shearing through his golden armour as
though it were but silk. I watched a comrade of my own fall beneath a
spear-thrust. I gazed at the face of Heliodore, who stared wide-eyed
at the red scene, and at the white-lipped Irene, who was clinging to my
arm. Now we were being pressed back again, we who at this point had at
most two hundred men, some of whom were down, to bear the onslaught
of twice that number, and, do what I would, my fingers strayed to my
sword-hilt.

Our triple line bent in like a bow and began to break. The scales of
war hung on the turn, when, from the dense belt of trees upon our left,
suddenly rose the cry of "_Valhalla! Valhalla! Victory or Valhalla!_"
for which I, who had overheard Jodd's orders, was waiting. These were
his orders--that half of the Northmen should creep down behind the belt
of trees in their dense shadow, and thus outflank the foe.

Forth they sprang by companies of fifty, the moonlight gleaming on their
mail, and there, three hundred yards away, a new battle was begun. Now
the Greeks in front of us, fearing for their rear, wavered a moment and
fell back, perhaps, ten paces. I saw the opportunity and could bear no
more, who before all things was a soldier.

Shouting to some of our wounded to watch the women, I drew my sword and
leapt forward.

"I come, Northmen!" I cried, and was greeted wit