Then said
Bristler:
'Though Rusty was no good man, and though he followed thee to slay
thee, yet was he in his right therein, since he was following up his
goodman's gear; therefore shalt thou pay a full blood-wite for him,
that is to say, the worth of three hundreds in weed-stuff in whatso
goods thou wilt. As for the ransacking of Penny-thumb, he shall deem
himself well paid if thou give him our hundreds in weed-stuff for
that which thou didst borrow of him.'
Then Penny-thumb set up his squeak again, but no man hearkened to
him, and each man said to his neighbour that it was well doomed of
Bristler, and neither too much nor too little. But Folk-might bade
Wood-wont to bring thither to him that which he had borne to the
Mote; and he brought forth a big sack, and Folk-might emptied it on
the earth, and lo! the silver rings of the slain felons, and they lay
in a heap on the green field, and they were the best of silver. Then
the Elder of the Dale-wardens weighed out from the heap the blood-
wite for Rusty, according to the due measure of the hundred in weed-
stuff, and delivered it unto Bristler.
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