to act; but the advice of little Maikar corresponding with that of
the captain decided him.

In those primitive times the rules and ceremonies connected with games
were few and simple. "Entries" were not arranged beforehand; men came
and went, and competed or refrained, as they pleased, though, of course,
there were a few well-known greyhound-like men and athletes who competed
more or less in all games of the various districts around, and whose
superlative powers prevented other ambitious men from becoming too
numerous. These were, we may say, the "professionals" of the time.

No special costumes were worn. Each man, as he stepped to the front,
divested himself of wolf-skin, deer-skin, boar-skin, or cat-skin mantle,
and, perchance, also of his upper coat, and stood forth in attire
sufficiently light and simple to leave his limbs unhampered.

A long race--ten times round the course--was about to come off, and the
men were being placed by the judges, when Bladud pushed through the
crowd and made his way to the starting-point. There was a murmur of
admiration as his tall and graceful figure was seen to join the group of
competitors in front of the royal stand. He gave the Greek letter
Omicron as his name, and no further questions were asked him. Divesting
himself of the rug or mantle, which he wore thrown over one shoulder
after the manner of a plaid, he stood forth in the thin loose tunic
which formed his only garment, and tightened his belt as he toed the
line.

It was with a feeling of satisfaction that he observed several of the
king's warriors among the runners, and one of these was Gunrig. Being
an agile as well as a stout man, he did not consider it beneath his
dignity to join in the sports.

The king himself gave the signal to start. He descended from his stand
for the purpose, and Bladud was greatly pleased to find that though he
looked at him he evidently failed to recognise him.

At the signal, about twenty powerful fellows--mostly young, though some
were in the prime of life--started out at full speed for a short
distance, as if to test each other; then they began to slow, so as not
to break their wind by over-exertion at the beginning. Bladud felt at
once that he was more than a match for the best of them, unless any one
should turn out to have been concealing his powers. He therefore placed
himself alongside of Gunrig, and kept at his elbow about half a foot
behind him the first two rounds of