Now Alman had set his heart upon winning the daughter of a neighbouring chief for his bride. She was named Ineld, and her father was the Lord of Woley--which at that time was a fair-sized town. He was a brave old man, but his forces had been defeated, and his territory ravaged by Alman's soldiers, so he was somewhat afraid of the Prince of Mouselow, and more than half inclined to bestow his daughter's hand upon Alman without ever consulting the girl's wishes at all.
But it chanced that Ineld had views of her own upon the subject, and Alman and his robber ways were not to her liking. She had heard things of Alman and his doings which made the blood run cold.
One day there had come to her father's gate an old woman, who craved an audience of the chief.
"Why are thine eyes so heavy with mourning?" asked the Lord of Woley. And the old dame made answer:
"O Chief, I am a widow, and the only stay and comfort of my old age was my son--an only child. He kept me from beggary and want. He loved a maiden, and hoped shortly to make her his wife, and even to-day they talked together by the roadside. But it chanced that the Prince of Mouselow rode by with his retinue, and, happening to catch sight of the maid, he ordered his guards to seize her and carry her to the castle. My son interfered, and in an instant the Prince of Mouselow slew him with his own hand. And now, O chief, I cry aloud to thee for justice."
And another day one of her father's serfs had come in weeping.
[Illustration: ROMAN COINS, BRICKS, AND TILES, FOUND AT MELANDRA CASTLE.]
"My lord," he cried, "I am heavy of heart. I have suffered a great wrong, and I look to thee for redress. My farm, as thou knowest, is on the boundary of the Prince of Mouselow's territory, and to-day, in my absence, his men came and carried off my cattle and much store of corn. Also, when my wife, who is very fair, remonstrated with them, they seized her and carried her away to their prince, and my little child they slew with the sword."
These things had Ineld heard, and they in no way predisposed her in favour of Alman, nor did the appearance of the chief when he came a-wooing, alter her first opinions of him. He was a rough, boisterous man, who drank deep, and swore loud oaths--fine and handsome of outward appearance, but a man lacking that refinement which most women prefer to see in men.