White and shaking with wrath and fear, he rose up and he cried,
"Murdered is Griffin! Ho, warriors, let not these go forth!"

Whereon the old chief lifted his voice also, "Ho, Gunnar's men! Ho, men
who love the old line! To Grim's son, ahoy!"

And he drew his sword, snapping the thongs that had bound it to the
sheath, so manfully tugged he at them in his wrath, and there was a rush
of men to us, and another to Hodulf.

Now I think that we might have slain him there, and after that have been
slain ourselves, for the odds were against us, even though I had the
courtmen; but that was Havelok's deed to do, for the sake of father and
sisters to be avenged, and so we only cut our way out of the hall to the
door, which my men threw open at once. There were two of Hodulf's men
hurt only, for the most of them had run to the high place, and few were
between us and our going. So we took five chiefs and their followers
back with us, and that was worth the errand.

We thought that it would not be long now before Hodulf was on us; but
the days passed, and there was no news of him, and all the while we grew
stronger. I do not know if the same could be said of him, and it is
doubtful if time made much difference to his forces. Those who followed
him were the men who owed all to him, either as men raised to some sort
of power when he first came, or else strangers whom he had brought in
with him. Some of the younger chiefs of the old families held by him
also, for they had known no other, and then there were old feuds with
Gunnar that held back some from us; but these few took part with neither
side.