esperate. I knew not what to do.
Then of a sudden, while I wavered, some voice seemed to whisper in my
ear; I thought it must be that of St. Hubert. It seemed to say to me,
"Kari trusts to his god, cannot you trust to yours, Hubert of Hastings,
you who are a Christian man? Go forward, and trust to yours, Hubert of
Hastings."

Kari's gentle voice died away; he had finished his speech and all men
looked at me.

"What word?" I said roughly to my captains.

"Only this, Lord," answered their spokesman, "Fight you must, of that
there can be no doubt, but we would fight with you, the ten of the
Chancas against the ten of the Quichuas."

"Aye, that is good," replied the first of Kari's nobles. "This business
is too great to set upon one man's skill and strength."

"Have done!" I said. "It lies between the Inca and myself," while Kari
nodded, and repeated "Have done!" after me.

Then I sent one of the captains back to the camp for my sword and Kari
commanded that his should be brought to him, since according to the
custom of these people when ambassadors meet, neither of us was armed.
Presently, the captain holding my sword returned, and with him servants
who brought my armour. Also after them streamed all the army of the
Chancas among whom the news had spread like wind-driven fire, and lined
themselves upon the ridge to watch. As he came, too, I noticed that this
captain sharpened Wave-Flame with a certain kind of stone that was used
to give a keen edge to weapons.

He brought the ancient weapon and handed it to me on his knee. The
Inca's man also brought his sword and handed it to him, as he did so,
bowing his forehead to the dust. Well I knew that weapon, since once
before I had faced it in desperate battle for my life. It was the
ivory-handled sword of the lord Deleroy which Kari had taken from his
dead hand after I slew him in the Solar of my house in the Cheap at
London. Then the servant came to me with the armour, but I sent him
away, saying that as the Inca had none, I would not wear it, at which my
people murmured.

Kari saw and heard.

"Noble as ever," he said aloud. "Oh! that such bright honour should have
been tarnished by a woman's breath."

Our lords discussed the manner of our fighting, but to them I paid
little heed.

At length all was ready and we stepped forward to face each other at a
given word, clad much alike. I had thrown off my outer garment and stood
bareheaded in a jerkin of soft sheepski