These
to the number of twelve abode with him, and did his bidding whenso it
pleased them. Two more had he had who had been slain by good men of
the Dale for their masterful ways; and no blood-wite had been paid
for them, because of their ill-doings, though they had not been made
outlaws. This man of Greentofts was called Harts-bane after his
father, who was a great hunter.
Now the full tidings of the ransacking were these: The storm began
two hours before sunset, and an hour thereafter, when it was quite
dark, for without none could see because the wind was at its height
and the drift of the snow was hard and full, the hall-door flew open;
and at first men thought it had been the wind, until they saw in the
dimness (for all lights but the fire on the hearth had been quenched)
certain things tumbling in which at first they deemed were wolves;
but when they took swords and staves against them, lo they were met
by swords and axes, and they saw that the seeming wolves were men
with wolf-skins drawn over them. So the new-comers cowed them that
they threw down their weapons, and were bound in their places; but
when they were bound, and had had time to note who the ransackers
were, they saw that there were but six of them all told, who had
cowed and bound Harts-bane and his twelve masterful men; and this
they deemed a great shaming to them, as might well be.
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