But even as she thought it, the hand left her hair and closed about her
wrist.
"No cause for knife-play or leg-play either, my hawk," the gruff voice rebuked
her. "To no one are we more anxious to show friendship than to Canute's ward;
and you act like no true man if you cannot, when occasion requires, leave off
your high-born ways and be a plain comrade among plain men."
Again a murmur approved his words: "That is well spoken. Frode of Avalcomb
would be the first to thank us for teaching it to you."... "He carried no such
haughty head, young boy. I fought more than one battle at his heels."... "
Come on, now!"... "Make haste! We want to get into place before they come to
land."
This time it was not a shadow but a sparkle of sunshine that mocked in
Randalin's ear: "You have not dared to be a woman, so you must dare to be a
man." She acknowledged the pitiless truth with a sigh of submission.
"Take your hands off me, and it shall be as you wish." The big Swede released
her wrist to catch her around the waist and toss her like a bone upon the
platter of his shield, which four of them promptly raised between them and
bore along, laughing uproariously at her sprawling efforts for dignity. When
they came to a spot along the bank which was open enough to give them an
unobstructed view of the island, they permitted her to scramble down and seat
herself upon the grass, where they ringed themselves around her, twenty deep.
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