or to sever the shafts with a blow of his sword, while Osgod standing
by helped to cover him when two or three arrows flew at him together.
This was a daily exercise, and even after the month's regular work
was over some of the men came up every day to shoot, until Wulf had
attained such coolness and skill that he could in the great majority
of cases cut the shafts in two with his sword.

But the whole day was by no means given up to warlike exercises.
Wulf rode out with the steward inspecting the houses and farms,
learning what there was to be learned of the rude processes of
agriculture, investigating the complaints of the depredations
committed by errant herds of swine or by neighbours' cattle and
sheep, seeing what was required in the repairs of farmhouses, and
learning from Egbert to discriminate between those who were unable
to pay their dues owing to misfortune, illness, or murrain among
the animals, and those whose Josses were due to their own sloth or
carelessness. Upon these visits, too, the arms of the tenants were
inspected to ascertain that they could properly fulfil their service
if summoned to take the field.

The lands embraced by Wulf's feof were of considerable extent,
reaching down to the sea, where they were some eight miles broad,
and running back twelve miles beyond Steyning. Several small hamlets
lay within it, and in case of war he could summon more than three
hundred men to his banner. Several of the neighbouring thanes rode
in as soon as they heard that Wulf had returned to fill his father's
place at Steyning, and these visits were duly returned. But accustomed
as Wulf had been to the orderliness of the court of the ascetic
King Edward the rude manners and nightly revelry of these rough
thanes by no means pleased him, so that he was glad when the visits