herefore."

The Welshman stared, and answered rather stiffly, "This is not a matter
of chance medley, young sir, but an ordered affair. But doubtless this
is the first time you have been in this case, and do not know the rules.
Let me tell you, therefore, that your earl, being the challenged man,
has choice of weapons.

"Why, then," answered Havelok, "it seems to me that if we say as I have
already said, it is fair on our part. For it is certain that the earl
will want to use the axe, and your man is about half his weight, so that
would be uneven."

"As the challenged man, the earl is entitled to any advantage in weapons."

"He needs none. Let us fight fairly or not at all. The earl takes the
axe.--What say you, Radbard? Griffin takes what he likes."

"You keep to the axe after all, and yet say that it gives an advantage."

"Axe against axe it does, but if your man chooses to take a twenty-foot
spear and keep out of its way, we do not object. We give him his own
choice."

Then the other second said frankly, "This is generous, Cadwal. No more
need be said. But this young thane has not yet asked his earl whether it
will suit him."

"Faith, no," said Havelok, laughing; "I was thinking what I should like
myself, and nothing at all of the earl."

So I went across to Ragnar, who was waiting patiently at one end of the
clearing, while Griffin was pacing with uneven steps backward and
forward at the other, and I told him what the question was.

"I thought it would be a matter of swords," he said, "but I am Dane
enough to like the axe best. Settle it as you will. Of course he knows
naught of axe play, so that you are right in not pressing it on him. He
is a light man, and active, and maybe will be glad not even to try sword
to sword; for look at the sort of bodkin he is wearing."

The earl and we had the northern long sword, of course; but when I
looked I saw that the Welsh had short, straight, and heavy weapons of
about half the length of ours, and so even sword to sword seemed hard on
the lighter man; wherein I was wrong, as I had yet to learn.

I went back, therefore, and told the others.

"The earl takes the axe, and the thane has his choice, as we have said."

"We have to thank you," said the other second, while Cadwal only laughed
a short laugh, and bade us choose the ground with them.

There was no difficulty about that, for the light was clear and bright,
and though the sun was up, the trees bid any brig