The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1904-06-24

Randalin rode in a dream. The son
of Iodbrok was beside her, singing al
he went, and tossing his great battie-
axe in the air, to catch 1t again ny
the handle. In front of them roue
Canute the King; in his hand MS
cleaning blade whose thin edge ne
tried now and again on lock Oh
his floating hair, while he laughed
with boyish delight.
On. till the bowmen's faces were
plain before them; then suddenly II
began to hail-"the hail OF the string.
Arrows! One Kissed by the girls ear
and one bit her cloak, to hang there
ouiyering with impotent fury The
man on her right made terrible CUR
Cling sound and put up his hand TO
tear n shaft from his throat. Would
thew be slain before-Canute rose IN
his stirrups with great shout. Inc
horns echoed it; the trot became
gallon. and the gallop run. On, on
into the very heart of the hail-cioud.
How the stones ratified on the armor!
And hissed! There! man was
death-doomed; he was falling.
To the side of the young leader
Tborkel the Tall was squirting, bend
ing urgently from his saddle. Graft,
nv King! Craft! Why spill so much
good blood? Listen to Edric the Gain
er@"
Canute's furious curse cut him short.
"To the Troll with your craft! Swords
shall make us, or swords shall mar
us. Use your blade, or will sheathe
it in you"
Only the wind that took 1t from his
Inns heard the Tall Ones answer; LOT
at that moment his horse reared and
sheered away before spear-prick'
and into the rift handful of English
rushed with shouts of triumph.
There were no more than half-a-
dozen of them, and all were on foot,
the two whose gold-hilted swords pro-
claimed their nobility of birth sharing
the lot of their lesser comrades, &C
cording to the old Saxon war-custom;
but II needed not the daring of the at
tack to mark them as the very flower
of English chivalry. The young no
bile. who lowered around his cher
much as Rothgar circled about Canute,
would have been lordly in serf's tu-
| mic. and the leaders royal bearing
| distinguished him even more than MS
mighty frame.
At the sight of him Rothgar uttered
a great cry of Edmund" and moved
forward, swinging his uplifted axe.
But the Ironside caught it on his
shield and delivered sword-thrust In
return that dropped the Danes arm
nv his side. AS it fell, Rothgar's left
hand plucked forth his blade, but the
English king had pressed him toward
his master.
Canute's weapon had need to dart
like a northern light. The noble and
one of the soldiers had forced their
wav to the side from which Thorkel
had been riven, and third threatened
him from the rear. Three blades stab
hing at him as with one motion.
1t was strange tnlHS INA. oo'0u
bim-Randalin could explain it least
of ALL But in a lightning flash 1t
was burnt into her mind that, while
her kings sword was match ior
the two in front of him, the one pe-
hind was going to deal him his death.
And even as she thought it, she found
that she had thrown herself across her
horses neck and thrust out her sword
arm-out with the force and frenzy
and down into the shoulder Oh the
Englishman. In kind of dazed Won
der she saw his blade fall from MIS-
grasp and his eyes roll up at her, as
he staggered backward.
Canute laughed out, well DONE
Berserker!" and redoubled his play
against those before him.
A turn of his wrist disarmed the
soldier. and his point touched the
voung mobiles breast; but before ne
could lunge, the mighty figure OF Ed
mund rose close at hand, his blade
beaved high above his head.
ITO be continued