"Lord," said the man, "let there be a dozen to hear our talk I care not;for I tell thee that I come to give thee a gift, and gift-bearers are oftenestwelcome."
Quoth the King: "Maybe, yet before thou bring it forth I would seethy face, for meseems I have an inkling of thy voice."
So the man cast back his hood, and lo, it was Simon the squire."Hah!" said Christopher, "is it thou then! hast thou another knife to giveme?"
"Nay," said Simon, "only the work of the knife." And therewith heset his hand to the bag and drew out by the hair a man's head, newlyhacked off and bleeding, and said: "Hast thou seen him before, Lord? Hewas a great man yesterday, though not so great as thou shalt be to-morrow."
"Once only I have seen him, "said Christopher," and then he gave methis gift" (and he showed his father's ring on his finger): "thou hast slainthe Earl Marshal, who called himself the King of Oakenrealm: my traitorand dastard he was but thy friend. Wherefore have I two evil deeds toreward thee, Simon, the wounding of me and the slaying of him. Dostthou not deem thee gallows-ripe?"
"King," said Simon, "what wouldst thou have done with him hadstthou caught him?"
Said Christopher: "I had slain him had I met him with a weapon inhis fist; and if we had taken him I had let the folk judge him."
Said Simon: "That is to say, that either thou hadst slain him thyself,or bidden others to slay him. Now then I ask thee, King, for which deedwilt thou slay me, for not slaying thee, or for doing thy work and slayingthy foe?"
Said Christopher to the guard: "Good fellow, fetch here a good horse ready saddled and bridled, and be speedy."
So the man went: and Christopher said to Simon: "For the knife inmy side, I forgive it thee; and as to the slaying of thy friend, it is not forme to take up the feud. But this is no place for thee: if Jack of the Tofts,or any of his sons, or one of the captains findeth thee, soon art thou sped;wherefore I rede thee, when yonder lad hath brought thee the horse, showme the breadth of thy back, and mount the beast, and put the most milesthou canst betwixt me and my folk; for they love me."