"Ask him what brought him here," said Ina, when he heard who he
was.
"I have a mind not to answer you," Mordred growled, when I put the
question, "but seeing that there is no use in keeping silence, I
will tell you. I hate Saxons, and so when Gerent asked me I came to
help him."
"With your men?"
"A shipload of them. They are up in the hills yonder, where you
left them, I suppose; and they will be a trouble to you until they
get home, if they can. I am well quit of the cowards."
Now I began to understand how it was that this force went aside to
fall on Watchet, and had little heart in the defence of the camp.
They were strangers, who hated the name of the Northmen from their
own knowledge of them, and could not miss a chance of a fight with
them here. After that the men of Gerent who were with them at the
camp cared nought for their strange leader.
"Take him, and hold him to ransom, Oswald," Ina said, when I told
him all this. "From all I ever heard of Morganwg, he should be some
sort of reward for what you have done. I should set his price high
also, for he deserves it for coming here."
So I took Mordred to my tent, telling him that I must speak of him
of ransom.
"Ransom? Of course, that will be paid. What price do you set on
me?"
Now that was a question on which I had no thought ready, seeing
that I had never held any man of much rank to ransom before, and I
hesitated.
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