the ways of your
brother. Blame him that I must needs have surety for his behaviour.
It cannot be suffered that he should go on plotting evil against
us, unchecked in some way."

Dunwal shrugged his shoulders, as if to say that all this was no
concern of his.

"Shall you hold my daughter as well?" he said. "I trust that your
caution will not make you go so far as that."

Gerent's eyes flashed at the tone and words, but he answered very
coldly:

"She will bide here also, and in all honour."

Then he beckoned to a noble who stood near him, and spoke to him
for a moment. It chanced that this was one of the very few whom I
knew here. His name was Jago, and I had often seen him at
Glastonbury, for he was a friend of our ealdorman, Elfrida's
father, holding somewhat the same post in Norton as my friend in
our town. Owen liked him well also, and he was certainly no friend
to Morgan and his party.

"Jago's wife will give your daughter all hospitality in his house,"
Gerent said, turning again to Dunwal. "Have I your word as to
keeping within bounds during my pleasure?"

"Ay, you have it," answered Dunwal curtly.

Then I slipped out of the door quietly, and went to that room where
Owen and I waited on our first coming here, and I sent a steward to
tell him of my arrival. There is no need for me to tell how he
greeted me, or how I met him.

Then when those greetings were over I heard all that had been going
on, and my loss had made turmoil enough. My men had brought back
the news, having missed me very shortly, but it was long before
they found traces of me. The first thing that they saw was my hawk,
as I expected, and after that the bodies of the slain. As I was not
with them, they judged that I had escaped in some way, but they
lost the track of the feet in the woodlands, and so rode back to
Owen in all haste.

Then was a great gathering of men for the hunting of the outlaws,
for it would take a small army to search the wild hills and
woodlands of the Quantocks to any effect. The whole countryside
turned out gladly, and the Watchet Norsemen helped also.

In the end, on the next day they penned the outlaws into some
combe, and took most of them, and then all was told by them, so far
as they knew it. Gerent laid hands on four of the men who had sworn
the oath Evan told me of, that evening after some leading outlaw
had given their names, but Tregoz had escaped.

He had been one of the most active in the matter of