hen Martina threw her arms about me
and burst into wild laughter. Someone caught her away; next moment
two hair-clad lips kissed me on the brow and the mighty voice of Jodd
shouted,

"Thanks be to all the gods, dwell they in the north or in the south! We
have saved you! Know you where you stood, Olaf? On the brink of a pit,
the very brink, and beneath is a fall of a hundred feet to where the
waters of the Bosphorus wash among the rocks. Oh! understand this pretty
Grecian game. They, good Christian folk, would not have your blood upon
their souls, and therefore they caused you to walk to your own death.
Well, they shall be dosed with the draught they brewed.

"Bring them hither, comrades, bring them one by one, these devils who
could sit to watch a blind man walk to his doom to make their sport.
Ah! whom have we here? Why, by Thor! 'tis the lawyer knave, he who was
president of the court that tried you, and was angry because you did not
salute him. Well, lawyer, the wheel has gone round. We Northmen are in
possession of the palace and the Armenian legions are gathered at its
gates and do but wait for Constantine the Emperor to enter and take the
empire and its crown. They'll be here anon, lawyer, but you understand,
having a certain life to save, for word had been brought to us of your
pretty doings, that we were forced to strike before the signal, and
struck not in vain. Now we'll fill in the tedious time with a trial
of our own. See here, I am president of the court, seated in this fine
chair, and these six to right and left are my companion judges, while
you seven who were judges are now prisoners. You know the crime with
which you are charged, so there's no need to set it out. Your defence,
lawyer, and be swift with it."

"Oh! sir," said the man in a trembling voice, "what we did to the
General Olaf we were ordered to do by one who may not be named."

"You'd best find the name, lawyer, for were it that of a god we Northmen
would hear it."

"Well, then, by the Augusta herself. She wished the death of the noble
Michael, or Olaf, but having become superstitious about the matter,
would not have his blood directly on her hands. Therefore she bethought
her of this plan. He was ordered to be brought into the place you see,
which is known as the Hall of the Pit, that in old days was used by
certain bloody-minded emperors to rid them of their enemies. The central
pavement swings upon a hinge. At a touch it opens, and he