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When he could speak again, Wulfhere answered the man, still smiling. "Aye, man, I saw him. And he was wondrous like Heregar, our master, here." And at that the collier stared at me, and then said: "There be painted saints in our church. But they be not like mortal men, being no wise so well-favoured as the master."
"Save us from starvation, Ranald," said Ethered, laughing ruefully, "and we will raise a big stone heap here in your honour." "Kolgrim will show you," I said; "let me go to the king." "I am a great ice fisherman," said Harek; "let me go also." Then Heregar laughed in lightness of heart. "Ay, wizard, go also. There will be charms of some sort needed before Ethered sees so much as a scale."
Then was I sorely abashed, not knowing how to say what I longed for, and the king stood waiting a little. And maybe I should never have got it out, but the atheling looked up, and said: "May I speak for you, Heregar?"
When I saw that, I thought that this dead man might as well pass for myself Heregar, the outlaw. So I examined billhook and quarterstaff, and at last said I knew them. They had been given to one Heregar, who had been outlawed and driven from the Moot even as I stood to watch the gathering as I passed by. "Then his outlawry has ended here," said the collier. "The wolves have devoured him."
Then fear for his life began to creep into our minds, and we came back to Cannington sorely downcast. Then Heregar spoke to me very kindly of what he thought I could best do, and it was nothing more or less than that I should leave this land, which seemed to have no hope of honour for me now. "Go rather to Rolf, your countryman," he said.
And I could see, as Osric would also see, that the matter would be spread through the levy by those against me. Now as I thought of the likelihood of one of Matelgar's men spearing me during the heat of fight, I wondered if he feared the same of me, for I have often heard tales of the like. Then Osric answered me, kindly enough, but decidedly: "Nay, Heregar, you hear that this must not be.
Once he read the letter through, and then again aloud for us to hear. Thus it ran after fit greeting: "Now what befell in the first fight you know or shall know shortly from our trusty messenger Heregar, by whom the flight was stayed from that field, on the Hill of Cannington. And this was well done.
And then he turned back to me and spoke. "Heregar; I promised to stand by you again when the time came. Now I bid you go to Combwich hill, there to wait what betides. So, if you will do the bidding of the dead who has wronged you, but would now make amends, shall you thank me for this hereafter aye, and not you only."
But he looked at me curiously, and then all of a sudden smiled very kindly and said: "Heregar, my son, are you the messenger?" And I knelt before him on one knee, and held out the ring for him to take, and he did so, laying it on the table before him for my errand was in hand yet.
There was silver and copper only in that, and I began to give him his reward. But still the man hesitated, and seemed anxious to ask me something, and, while I counted out the money, he spoke: "Master, the men call you Heregar, and that is an outlaw's name." "Well." said I, fearing no reproach from that just now, and being sure that by this time the man knew all about me from our thralls with us.
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