The Grit-advocate., 1904-07-22

Rardal!n rode in a dream. Tho .o,
of I-odbrob was beside her. sinefrp as
he went and tossing his great battle
axe in the ar. 10 catch it again by
the handle In front of them rode
Canule tho King; in his hanE Is
cleaning blade, whose thin eGla lc
tried now and again on a lock ~
his floating hair, while he laughed
with boyish delight.
On. till the bowmen's faces were
plain before them; then suddenly lr
begaa TO hail-"the hail of the string.
Arrows, one hissed by the girl eur.
and one bit her cloak. to hang thcrs
qUiveriug with impotent fury Tle
man on her right made terrible g gr-
Cling sound and PVT up his hand rI
tear shaft from his. throat. WouI
they be slain besore-Canute rose u
his stirrups with great shout. Tae
horns echoed it; the trot became a
gallop. and the sallop run. On. on.
into the very heart OF the hail-rIouI.
How the stones ratified on the arrnc-t
And hissed, There. man was
death-doomed: he was falling.
To the side of the young Ieadpr,
Thorkel the Tail was spurrins, bend
ing urgently from his saddle. "CIa't.
my King. Graft. Why spill so much
good blood? Listen to Edric the CAN.
er---
Canute's furious curse cut him shc-t,
ITO the Troll with your craft. Swords
shall make us, or swords shall mar
us. Use your blade, or will sheatLo
ii in you"
Only the wind that took it from his
lips heard the Tall Ones answer; for
at that moment his horse reared AID
sheered away before spearpriCE,
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 p.o-
claimed their nobility of birth sharing
the lot of their lesser comradeS ac-
cording to the old Saxon war-custom;
but it needed not the daring Of the at
tack to mark them as the very flower
of English chivalry. The young no.
BILE. who hoyered around his chief
much as Rothgar circled about Canute,
would have been lordly in serfs tn-
mic: and the leaders royal bearing
distinguished him even more than his
mighty frame.
At the sight of him Rothgar uttered
a great cry Of Edmund and moved
forward. swinging his uplfted ave.
But the Ironside caught it on his
shield and delivered sword-thrust in
return that dropped the Danes arm
by his side AS it fell, Rothsar's left
hand plucked forth his blade, but the
English king had pressed him toward
his master
,Canutes weapon had need to dart
like northern light The noble and
one of the soldiers had forced their
way to the side from which Thorkel
had been riven. and third threatened
him from the rear. Three blades stab
bing at him as with one motion.
1t was a strange thing that saved
him-Randaln could explain it least
of ALL But in lightning flash it
was burnt into her mind that, while
her kings sword was a match for
the two in front of him, the one be-
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 of the
Englishman. In kind of dazed won.
der, she saw his blade fall from his
grasp and his eyes roll up at her, as
he staggered backward.
Canute laughed out. well done.
Berserker!' and redonbled his play
against those before him.
A turn of his wrist disarmed the
soldier. and his point touched the
young mobiles breast; but before he
could lunge. the mighty figure of Ed
mund rose close at hand, his blade
heaved high above his head.
ITO he cOntinued)