Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/209

Rh Edgar had been well trained in the use of arms, and he trusted that the Count, misled by the younger warrior's seeming weakness, might offer him an opening. The Count, thinking Edgar was putting forth his utmost efforts, now pressed upon him, and at last succeeded by a quick blow in wounding the young knight slightly on the left shoulder. Edgar dropped his shield, and the Count's men raised a cry, thinking that the combat was over, and that the Count had only to rush in and give the final blow. Apparently the Count was of the same opinion, for he sprang forward, delivering a sweeping stroke toward Edgar's defenseless left side. Naturally, Edgar had expected this, and he dropped to his knees, allowing the blade to pass over his head. The Count, carried round by the force of his blow, could not recover his balance instantly, and before he could turn, Edgar had leaped to his feet again and had brought his battle-ax down upon the Count's helmet with so fierce a blow that the Count fell to the ground; and Edgar placing one foot upon his neck prevented him from rising. The men of the castle broke into a cheer, but the cheer was cut short by a sudden rush of the angry soldiers of the Count. The two parties met once again at the gateway, and the old struggle was renewed. In the fierce fray that followed, the Count's men succeeded in