this band?"

"Enough to sack the Penhurst miners' village," the thane said. "Men
say that there are Danes among them; and I know that there are men
who are well armed beyond the wont of outlaws and forest dwellers."

Then Wulfnoth called to us:

"See here, King Olaf, this is your fault; you have driven the Danes
out of Kent into our forests, and now we have trouble enough on our
hands."

"Then, Earl Wulfnoth," answered Olaf, "my men and I will fight them
here again."

But when we drew near I was fain to look on one of the two ladies
who still sat on their horses waiting for the earl's pleasure. One
was Relf the thane's wife, and the other his daughter; and it was
in my mind that I had never seen so beautiful a maiden as this was.
It seemed to me that I could willingly give my life in battle
against those who had harmed her home, if she might know that I did
so.

But the thane was telling Olaf that there must be some three
hundred of the outlaws and others.

"I had forty-two men yesterday, and I have but twenty with me now,"
said he.

"Then you fought?" asked Wulfnoth.