"
He could not answer, but the light leapt into his eyes, and he held
out his hand to me. Then I took him to the tent which my
house-carles had pitched next the king's, where Nunna's should have
been, and bade him sit down there. Then I went out and brought up
my own prisoners, passing the commoners into the hands of the men
who had been with me, but keeping the chief until the last. Two of
the house-carles led him up, and his face had as black a scowl on
it as I had ever seen, and he looked sullenly at us.
"Who is he?" asked Ina, turning towards me.
I did not know, and, to tell the truth, had forgotten to ask him in
the waiting for news of Nunna. So I asked him his name with all
courtesy, and could win no answer from him but a blacker scowl than
ever. Judging from his arms, which were splendid, and of the half
Roman pattern that Howel wore, he might be of some note. I thought
Jago might know him, so I asked him.
"Mordred, prince of Morganwg {iii}, from across the channel,"
he answered, looking from the tent door. "He is a prize for whoever
took him. Gerent sent word to several of those princes, and his men
are somewhere in the country yet, I suppose. They came at Gerent's
invitation."
I went back to Ina, who had set the chief aside for the moment, and
when some other man's captives had passed, bound to a long cord, my
men brought him forward again.
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