thane, fully armed and ready.

"Stand back, friend," cried Biorn hastily, fearing for the unarmed man,
and caring nothing that beyond the foremost was a group of some half
dozen more warriors.

But he spoke too late, for as Griffin stepped back a pace on seeing his
enemy himself in the doorway, Havelok had gone a pace forward, and now
was outside, where he had a clear swing of his unhandy weapon.

Now Griffin gathered himself together, and spoke some few words to his
men in his own tongue; but my brother paid no heed to them, for he knew
what the way of the Briton was likely to be. And he was not wrong, for
without warning Griffin flew on him, sword point foremost, and left
handed, for he might not use the right for many a long day yet.

Biorn shouted; but Havelok was ready, and the heavy bar caught and
shivered the light sword, and then swung and hurled the thane back among
his men with a rib broken. Havelok followed that up, falling on the men
even as their leader was among their feet. Two he felled with downright
strokes, and another shrank away in time to save himself from the like
fate. Then a fourth got in under his guard, and wounded Havelok slightly
in the left arm; and unless Biorn had been out and beside him by that
time it would have gone hard with him, for both those who were left were
on him, and another was hanging back for a chance to come.

There was shouting enough now, for the Briton does not fight in silence
as do the northern men, and we had waked. First of all Raven ran down to
the great room, half dazed with sleep, and blaming himself for all this
trouble, for he had seen that a ship was coming in, and he might have
thought it possible that it had brought Griffin and his men, whose
tongue had told him at once what had happened.

Now he called to us to arm quickly, and sought for a weapon for himself;
and in that familiar place he went to the old corner where the oars were
wont to be set. There was one, for I have said that this Biorn was a
fisher, and the place that was handy for us had been so for him. That
was a homely weapon to Raven, and out into the moonlight he came with
it, and swept a Welshman away from Havelok's side as he came. But now
more men were coming--townsfolk who had been roused by the noise--
and they knew nothing of the attackers, and so thought them friends of
ours, who joined us in falling on their sheriff; and there was a wild
confusion when Withelm and I came down arme