“Fiends and dogs!” cried Kenric grasping firmly his sword.  “Cowards and brutes!” and wielding his weapon with a mighty swoop he brought it down once, twice, upon the miscreants’ heads.

“Now!” he cried yet again as he stood with one foot upon the bleeding head of one of the men he had slain.  “Now, you vile dogs! let another of you touch one of these innocent children that remain and my sword shall cleave his head in twain.”

He looked to some twenty fear-stricken children who with their mothers stood in a group at his right side.

“Back to your ships, ye brutes!” he continued.  “Back this instant!”

“Who, then, are you that you so dare to command my men?” exclaimed John Dornoch, their captain, as with dripping sword and menacing looks he stepped forward and confronted Kenric.

“What?  And you, the captain of these men, would excuse this spilling of innocent blood —­ this massacre of women and children!” cried Kenric, flushing crimson with just fury.  “Who bade you thus to take the lives of the helpless?  I am your leader here.  By the King’s own appointment do I lead you.  It is I who will be held accountable for this most wicked slaughter.

“And now, John Dornoch, I do command you to return to your galleys and take your band of ruffians with you.”

“Men of Galloway!” cried Dornoch, “heed not the mawkish cries of this upstart stripling.  Obey my bidding and spare not, but kill, kill!”

Then Kenric, hearing this, gripped with both hands his ponderous sword, looked round for a moment to see that his own faithful men were near to defend the children, and said with loud voice which all could hear: 

“Dornoch of Galloway, those men shall not obey your inhuman commands.  Come on! stripling or man, ’tis not such mean cowards as you whom I would fear.  Come on, I say!”

Dornoch advanced with a mocking smile on his lips and raised his sword.  The crowd drew back.  He was full ten inches taller than Kenric of Bute, and the muscles of his broad bare chest were as the roots of a tree that rise above the ground; as the nether boughs of the fir tree were his strong and hairy arms.  Little cause did he see to shrink from combat with the youth who thus challenged him.

Their weapons crossed and clashed.  It seemed to Kenric that his sword urged him with a force that he could not disobey.  He made a few quick passes, then with the full strength in his arms and his supple body he smote his antagonist a terrible blow upon the head, cutting down even to the collarbone.  Then Dornoch fell to the ground and moved no more.

The Gallwegians, seeing the fire that was in Kenric’s eyes and marvelling at his skill and strength, shrank back amazed and cowed.

“Now let one of you fail to obey me and I will serve him as I have served your captain,” cried Kenric with stern menace.  “Back to your galleys with you this instant!”