refreshed. The drum was taken up once
more, and a dozen men came and unbound me. I also struggled as
Harek had struggled, unavailingly. When I was quiet they led me to
the circle, and I watched for my plan to work.

When I was within reach of the two who should hold me, I held out
my hands to grasp theirs, without waiting for them to seize me. The
man on my right took my wrist in a grasp like steel; but the other
was tricked, and took my hand naturally enough. Whereat my heart
leaped.

"Now will one know what a grip on the mainsheet is like!" I
thought; and even as the hand closed there came the yell, and the
thud of the earthen drum, and I was whirled away.

Now I kept going, for my great fear was that I should grow dizzy
quickly. I was taller than any man in the ring, and once I found
out the measure of the chant I went on easily, keeping my eyes on
the man ahead of me. That was the one to my right; for they went
against the sun, which is an unlucky thing to do at any time.

Once we went round, and I saw the great dolmen and the gleam of
sword Helmbiter beneath it. Then it was across the fire, and again
I passed it. I could not choose my place, as it seemed, and
suddenly with all my force I gripped the hand I held and around the
hones of it together, so that no answering grip could come. In a
moment the man let go of his fellow with the other hand, and
screamed aloud, and cast himself on the ground, staying the dance,
so that those after him fell over us. I let go, and swung round and
smote my other holder across the face; and he too let go, and I was
free, and in the uproar the dancers knew not what had happened.
Smiting and kicking, I got clear of them, and saw that the dolmen
towered across the fire, and straightway I knew that through the
smoke was the only way. I leaped at it, and cleared it fairly,
felling a man on the other side as I did so.

Then I had Helmbiter in my hand, and I shouted, and stepped back to
the narrow door of the dolmen, and there stood, while the wild men
gathered in a ring and howled at me. One ran and brought the long
line that had noosed me before, but the stone doorway protected me
from that; and one or two hurled spears at me, clumsily enough for
me to ward them off.

So we stood and watched each other, and I thought they would make a
rush on me. Harek lay within sweep of my sword, and his weapon was
nearer them than me, and one of them picked it up and went to
plunge it in hi