“As you will,” I answered; “they are plain enough.  I would say also that Harald our king has about him paid warriors whose living is to serve him, and more who hold lands on condition that they bear arms for him at any time.”

Now Harek had listened to all this, and could tell the thane more of Harald’s ordering of things than I; so he took up the talk for a time, and presently asked about the war and its beginning.

“Faith,” answered the Saxon, with a grim smile, “I cannot tell when the war began, for that was when the first Danes came to the English shores.  But if you mean the trouble that is on hand now, it is easily told.  Ten years has this host been in England—­coming first with Ingvar and Halfden and Hubba, the three sons of Lodbrok.  Ingvar has gone away, and Guthrum takes his place.  Halfden is in Northumbria, Hubba is in Wales, and Guthrum is king over East Anglia and overlord of Mercia.  It is Guthrum against whom we are fighting.”

“He is minded to be overlord of all England,” said Harek.

“That is to be seen if a Dane shall be so,” the Saxon answered, flushing.  “We beat them at first, as I have said, and have had peace till last year.  Then they came to Wareham from East Anglia.  There they were forced to make peace, and they swore on the holy ring {v} to depart from Wessex; and we, on our part, swore peace on the relics of the holy saints.  Whereon, before the king, Alfred, was ware of their treachery, they fell on our camp, slew all our horsemen, and marched here.  Then we gathered the levies again—­ay, I know why you look so impatiently, King Ranald—­and came here after them.  As for the rest, you have taken your part.  Now we have them all inside these walls, and I think we have done.”

Then his face grew dark, and he added: 

“But I cannot tell.  What can one do with oath breakers of this sort?”

Then I said: 

“Surely you do not look for the men of one chief to be bound by what another promises?”

He looked wonderingly at me for a moment, and then said: 

“How should it be that the oath of their king should not bind the people?”

“Why,” said I, “you have spoken of several chiefs.  If Guthrum chooses to make peace, that is not Halfden’s business, or Hubba’s, or that of any chief who likes it not.  One is as free as the other.”

“What mean you?  I say that Guthrum and his chiefs swore by the greatest oath they knew to return to Mercia.”

“If they swore by the holy ring, there is no doubt that they who swore would keep the oath.  But that does not bind those who were against the peace making.  So I suppose that they who held not with the peace made by the rest fell on you, when your levies went home after their wont.  One might have known they would do so.”

Thereat the thane was silent for a while, and I saw that he was troubled.  It seemed to be a new thought to him at this time that the Danish hosts in England were many, and each free to act in the way its own chief thought best, uniting now and then, and again separating.  This he must needs have learned sooner or later, but the knowledge came first to him there before Exeter walls.