“Bring them hither, comrades, bring them one by one, these devils who could sit to watch a blind man walk to his doom to make their sport.  Ah! whom have we here?  Why, by Thor! ’tis the lawyer knave, he who was president of the court that tried you, and was angry because you did not salute him.  Well, lawyer, the wheel has gone round.  We Northmen are in possession of the palace and the Armenian legions are gathered at its gates and do but wait for Constantine the Emperor to enter and take the empire and its crown.  They’ll be here anon, lawyer, but you understand, having a certain life to save, for word had been brought to us of your pretty doings, that we were forced to strike before the signal, and struck not in vain.  Now we’ll fill in the tedious time with a trial of our own.  See here, I am president of the court, seated in this fine chair, and these six to right and left are my companion judges, while you seven who were judges are now prisoners.  You know the crime with which you are charged, so there’s no need to set it out.  Your defence, lawyer, and be swift with it.”

“Oh! sir,” said the man in a trembling voice, “what we did to the General Olaf we were ordered to do by one who may not be named.”

“You’d best find the name, lawyer, for were it that of a god we Northmen would hear it.”

“Well, then, by the Augusta herself.  She wished the death of the noble Michael, or Olaf, but having become superstitious about the matter, would not have his blood directly on her hands.  Therefore she bethought her of this plan.  He was ordered to be brought into the place you see, which is known as the Hall of the Pit, that in old days was used by certain bloody-minded emperors to rid them of their enemies.  The central pavement swings upon a hinge.  At a touch it opens, and he who has thought it sound and walked thereon, when darkness comes is lost, since he falls upon the rocks far below, and at high tide the water takes him.”

“Yes, yes, we understand the game, lawyer, for there yawns the open pit.  But have you aught more to say?”

“Nothing, sir, nothing, save that we only did what we were driven to do.  Moreover, no harm has come of it, since whenever the noble general came to the edge of the opened pit, although he was blind, he halted and went off to right or left as though someone drew him out of danger.”

“Well, then, cruel and unjust judges, who could gather to mock at the murder of a blinded man that you had trapped to his doom——­”

“Sir,” broke in one of them, “it was not we who tried to trap him; it was those jailers who stand there.  They told the general that he might exercise himself by walking up and down the hall.”

“Is that true, Olaf?” asked Jodd.

“Yes,” I answered, “it is true that the two jailers who brought me here did tell me this, though whether those men are present I cannot say.”

“Very good,” said Jodd.  “Add them to the other prisoners, who by their own showing heard them set the snare and did not warn the victim.  Now, murderers all, this is the sentence of the court upon you:  That you salute the General Olaf and confess your wickedness to him.”