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To that end he caused a proclamation to be written, and to be affixed to the door of the village church at the fair of Evesham. Cnut and several of his followers were there, all quietly dressed as yeomen. Seeing a crowd round the door of the church, he pressed forward. Being himself unable to read writing, he asked one of the burgesses what was written upon the paper which caused such excitement.
Their ignorance of the language brought most of my troubles upon me, and Cnut had something of the nature of a bull in him. There are certain things which he cannot stomach, and when he seeth them he rageth like a wild beast, regardless altogether of safety or convenience." In the evening the two knights again talked over the course which Cuthbert should adopt.
And when I heard of danger that must be skirted she would tell me that none would dare molest the queen that she would declare herself and all would be well. And seeing that of all hostages to Cnut the queen would be the most valuable, that plan would be fatal.
But he had sent messengers to Ulfkytel at Thetford to warn him to watch his coasts, for he must go back to London with the ships to guard the Thames. "And you, Redwald, my cousin, must go to Ethelred or Eadmund and warn them, and make them rouse, and raise and have ready the mightiest levy that they have ever led, for I think that all Denmark and Norway have sent their best to follow Cnut.
The other warrior was Ottar the scald, my friend, and now I had all that I could wish. We sat together in the old places, and he said presently: "You seem contented enough with Cnut, to judge by your face, my cousin." "I had forgotten him. I am content with all things," I answered. "How came you here?" "Nay, but you shall tell me of yourself first," he said.
So swift had death been dealt that all men fell back a pace and were yet staring down at this awful dead thing when forth from the brush an archer crawled painfully, his bow yet in his hand, and so lay, panting loud and hoarse. "Ha!" cried Cnut, "'tis lusty Siward of our archers! How now, Siward?" "I'm sped, Cnut!" groaned Siward, "but yon hag lieth dead, so am I content.
The latter rose with a fierce cry of anger; but Cnut with a blow of his heavy fist again stretched him on the ground, this time to remain quiet until they had walked on and passed out of sight. "A meddling fool," Cnut grumbled. "He will not, methinks, have much to report to Sir Rudolph this time.
We did not doubt for an instant that you had fallen into the hands of some of the retainers of that villain Count; and from all we could learn, and from the absence of any dead body by the side of that of Cnut, I imagined that you must have been carried off. It was clear that your chance of life, if you fell into the hands of that evil page, or his equally vile master, was small indeed.
"What is it?" he exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "Terrible news, Master Cuthbert, terrible news!" exclaimed the man. "The wicked earl came down this morning, with fifty of his men, set fire to the house, and all its buildings and stacks, and has carried off the lady, your mother, a prisoner to the castle, on a charge, as he said, of harboring traitors." A cry of fury broke from Cnut and his men.
I thought that the earl would stand alone in Eadmund's counsels, and did not dream yet that he was indeed working for Cnut in order to take the first place in England as Thorkel did in Denmark. But that was plain enough ere long, and all men know it now.
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