第71章

When Ket saw that the king regularly walked apart alone in order to train his strength, he took up his arms, and with his brother followed the king as he walked in front of them.Athisl, when he saw them, stood his ground on the sand, thinking it shameful to avoid threateners.Then they said that they would take vengeance for his slaying of Frowin, especially as he avowed with so many arrogant vaunts that he alone was his slayer.But he told them to take heed lest while they sought to compass their revenge, they should be so foolhardy as to engage him with their feeble and powerless hand, and while desiring the destruction of another, should find they had fallen themselves.Thus they would cut off their goodly promise of overhasty thirst for glory.Let them then save their youth and spare their promise; let them not be seized so lightly with a desire to perish.Therefore, let them suffer him to requite with money the trespass done them in their father's death, and account it great honour that they would be credited with forcing so mighty a chief to pay a fine, and in a manner with shaking him with overmastering fear.Yet he said he advised them thus, not because he was really terrified, but because he was moved with compassion for their youth.Ket replied that it was idle to waste time in beating so much about the bush and trying to sap their righteous longing for revenge by an offer of pelf.So he bade him come forward and make trial with him in single combat of whatever strength he had.He himself would do without the aid of his brother, and would fight with his own strength, lest it should appear a shameful and unequal combat, for the ancients held it to be unfair, and also infamous, for two men to fight against one; and a victory gained by this kind of fighting they did not account honourable, but more like a disgrace than a glory.Indeed, it was considered not only a poor, but a most shameful exploit for two men to overpower one.

But Athisl was filled with such assurance that he bade them both assail him at once, declaring that if he could not cure them of the desire to fight, he would at least give them the chance of fighting more safely.But Ket shrank so much from this favour that he swore he would accept death sooner: for he thought that the terms of battle thus offered would be turned into a reproach to himself.So he engaged hotly with Athisl, who desirous to fight him in a forbearing fashion, merely thrust lightly with his blade and struck upon his shield; thus guarding his own safety with more hardihood than success.When he had done this some while, he advised him to take his brother to share in his enterprise, and not be ashamed to ask for the help of another hand, since his unaided efforts were useless.If he refused, said Athisl, he should not be spared; then making good his threats, he assailed him with all his might.But Ket received him with so sturdy a stroke of his sword, that it split the helmet and forced its way down upon the head.Stung by the wound (for a stream of blood flowed from his poll), he attacked Ket with a shower of nimble blows, and drove him to his knees.Wig, leaning more to personal love than to general usage, (2) could not bear the sight, but made affection conquer shame, and attacking Athisl, chose rather to defend the weakness of his brother than to look on at it.But he won more infamy than glory by the deed.In helping his brother he had violated the appointed conditions of the duel; and the help that he gave him was thought more useful than honourable.For on the one scale he inclined to the side of disgrace, and on the other to that of affection.Thereupon they perceived themselves that their killing of Athisl had been more swift than glorious.Yet, not to hide the deed from the common people, they cut off his head, slung his body on a horse, took it out of the wood, and handed it over to the dwellers in a village near, announcing that the sons of Frowin had taken vengeance upon Athisl, King of the Swedes, for the slaying of their father.Boasting of such a victory as this, they were received by Wermund with the highest honours; for he thought they had done a most useful deed, and he preferred to regard the glory of being rid of a rival with more attention than the infamy of committing an outrage.Nor did he judge that the killing of a tyrant was in any wise akin to shame.It passed into a proverb among foreigners, that the death of the king had broken down the ancient principle of combat.