voice, "but blind or no, I see others with thee."

"Good friends all!" quoth Walkyn.

"Stand forth that I may see these friends o' thine!" Drawing near,
Beltane beheld a man in filthy rags who held a long bow in his hand
with an arrow on the string, at sight of whom Roger muttered and Giles
held his nose and spat.

"Aha," growled the man Perkyn, peering under his matted hair, "I like
not the looks o' these friends o' thine--"

"Nor we thine, foul fellow," quoth Giles, and spat again whole-heartedly.

"How!" cried Walkyn fiercely, "d'ye dare bid Walkyn stand, thou dog's
meat? Must I flesh mine axe on thy vile carcase?"

"Not till I feather a shaft in thee," growled Perkyn, "what would ye?"

"Speak with Eric o' the Noose."

"Aha, and what would ye with half-hung Eric, forsooth? Tostig's our
chief, and Tostig's man am I. As for Eric--"

"Aye--aye, and what of Eric?" spake a third voice--a soft voice and
liquid, and a man stepped forth of the rocks with two other men at his
heels.

"Now well met, Eric o' the Noose," quoth Walkyn. "I bring promise of
more booty, and mark this, Eric--I bring also him that you wot of."

Now hereupon the man Eric drew near, a broad-set man clad in skins and
rusty mail who looked upon Beltane with head strangely askew, and
touched a furtive hand to his battered head-piece.

"Ye come at an evil hour," said he, speaking low-voiced. "Tostig
holdeth high feast and revel, for to-day we took a rich booty at the
ford beyond Bassingthorp--merchants out of Winisfarne, with pack-horses
well laden--and there were women also--in especial, one very fair. Her,
Tostig bore hither. But a while since, when he bade them bring her to
him, behold she had stabbed herself with her bodkin. So is she dead and
Tostig raging. Thus I say, ye come in an evil hour."

"Not so," answered Beltane. "Methinks we come in good hour. I am fain
to speak with Tostig--come!" and he stepped forward, but Eric caught
him by the arm:

"Messire," said he soft-voiced, "yonder be over five score lusty
fellows, fierce and doughty fighters all, that live but to do the will
of Tostig and do proclaim him chief since he hath proved himself full
oft mightiest of all--"

"Ah," nodded Beltane, "a strong man!"

"Beyond equal. A fierce man that knoweth not mercy, swift to anger and
joyful to slay at all times--"

"Why, look you," sighed Beltane, "neither am I a lamb. Come, fain am I
to speak with this Tostig."

A while stood Er