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She spurred him, and then as he made a little leap forward, checked him, and that was yet worse. Then I saw Erpwald, with an ashy face, dismount and go hastily toward the edge behind her, sidelong, and I swung my horse away from him, so that by chance hers might follow me out of danger. But that was useless. The brute was yet backing, and his heels were almost on the brink.
So it came to pass that in an hour and a half Thorgils and I and Erpwald, who would by no means let me go without him, and three of his Sussex friends, rode across the causeway to the Polden hills in the dusk, with a matter of six score men behind us, well armed and mounted all for these borderers have need to keep horse and arms of the best, and those ever ready.
The hinder hoofs lost hold on the rocky edge as the horse made its first slip backward, and even as the loosened stones rattled down, and it lurched with one leg hanging over the gulf, Erpwald leapt forward and tore Elfrida from the saddle, and half threw her toward me.
I think that I knew what it meant at once, but Erpwald laughed and said: "More of our guests, belike. One rides fast to a bridal, but they are over careless." But I did not answer, for the hot pace of those who came never slackened, and spurring and with loose rein they swept across the bridge over the stream and so thundered toward us.
Erpwald made no secret of his devotion. He minded me of a great faithful stupid dog, whose trust was boundless and whose love was worth having. One could lead him anywhere, but he was true Sussex he would not be driven an inch. So Elfrida had a hopeless slave at her beck and call, and by and by I was on the old footing, and we used to make much of my vow of service to her.
There were but six men of ours in the house behind Owen. Then came Erpwald, leaning, sorely wounded, on one of his men, and Owen spoke to him. "You have wrought enough harm, Erpwald, for this once. Let the rest of the household go in peace." "Harm?" groaned the heathen. "Whose fault is it? How could I think that the fool would have resisted?"
They were all Christian men, and they stood in a sort of line behind him across the closed gate with their faces set, listening. "Don't suppose that there is any help coming to you from the village," said the hard voice from outside. "There is a guard over every house." "Erpwald," said my father, "it is a new thing that any man should be forced to quit his faith here in Sussex.
Then some of our house-caries said in a low tone to Owen: "Better to die with the master. Let us out and fall on them." But he said: "This is for the boy's sake. Let me be, my brothers; I have the thane's word to carry out." Then they knew that he was right, but they bade him make Erpwald swear to keep faith with them all.
Now, as one may suppose, Owen's first thought was to get me beyond the reach of Erpwald, whose mood might change again, from that in which he let us go with what we would, to that in which he came on us.
There he found Erpwald himself close at hand, sitting in my father's own chair while the wound that Owen himself had given him was being dressed. At the side of the great room sat the rest of our men, downcast and wondering, and half a dozen of the foe stood on guard at the door. It was plain that nought in the house was to be meddled with. Erpwald turned as he heard the sliding door open.
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