" I asked them.

"The keeping of Eadmund, your king," answered Ingvar; "nothing more
nor less."

"It seems to me that you will have to fight before you take him," I
said plainly; for no man in all the Anglian ranks would have
listened to that.

"That is too much," said Guthrum. "Tell him to own you as overlord
and pay scatt {xxi} to us, holding the kingdom from you, and
that will save fighting--and surely the whole land will be weregild
enough for Jarl Lodbrok."

Then Ingvar thought for a moment, and said to me, still frowning:

"Go and tell your king those terms, and bring word again."

So I went back and told Eadmund, knowing full well what his answer
would be. And it was as I thought.

"Go and tell this Ingvar that I will not give my land into the
hands of the heathen, or own them as lords."

Now what I told Ingvar and Guthrum was this only, knowing that to
give the full message was to enrage Ingvar:

"Eadmund refuses."

"Your king is a wise man," said Guthrum, "for who knows how a fight
will go?"

Ingvar reined round his horse to go to his own men, and he and
Guthrum left me standing there. I was turning away also, when the
hoof beats of one horse stayed, and Ingvar called me in the voice
he would use when most friendly with me.

"Wulfric," he said, "glad was I to find you gone, for I should
surely have had to slay you before the shrine; but Thor is far off
now, and I have forgotten that, and only do I remember that good
comrade to us all you have been in hall and forest. And ere I
sailed--one whom you know--that one who stayed my hand from
Beorn--made me promise--aye, and swear by my sword--that you at
least I would not harm. And I will not. Stand aside from this
fight."

Now, had I not known the great love and reverence in which those
three wild brothers held Osritha, I should have been amazed at
these words from Ingvar; but there is somewhat of good to be found
in every man.

Then I answered:

"I must fight for my land, Ingvar, but I also would fain not fight
against yourself. Where stand you in your line?"

"On the right," he said; "Guthrum is on the left."

"Where is Hubba?" I asked, wondering.

"He is not far from us. He will come when I need his help."

"Then we need not meet," I said; "I am in the centre."

Now we both returned to our places, and again Eadmund, after I had
told him that we must fight, asked me to stand out.

"For," said he, "you are in her father's place to Eadg