But Corinius’s sword leaped half naked from the scabbard, and he made a stride toward Corsus and his sons. “Give me the king’s name when ye speak to me,” he said, scowling upon them. “You sons of Corsus are not men to make me a stalk to catch birds with or to serve your own turn. And thou,” he said, looking fiercely on Corsus, “wert best go meekly, and not bandy words with me. Thou fool! think’st thou I am Gallandus come again? Thou that didst murther him shalt not murther me. Or think’st I delivered thee out of the toils thine own folly and thrawart ways had bound thee in, only to suffer thee lord it again here and cast all amiss again by the unquietness of thy malice? Here is the guard to bring you down to the ship. And well it is for thee if I slash not off thy head.” Now Corsus and his sons stood for a little doubting in their hearts whether it were fitter to leap with their weapons upon Corinius, putting their fortunes to the hazard of battle in Owlswick hall, or to embrace necessity and go down to the ship. And this seemed to them the better choice, to go quietly ashipboard; for there stood Corinius and Laxus and their men, and but few to face them of Corsus’s own people, that should be sure for his party if it came to fighting; and withal they were not eager to have to do with Corinius, not though it had been on more even terms. So at the last, in anger and bitterness of heart, they submitted them to obey his will; and in that same hour Laxus brought them to the ship, and put them across the firth to Scaramsey. There were they safe as a mouse in a mill. For Cadarus was skipper of that ship, a trusted liegeman of Lord Laxus, and her crew men leal and true to Corinius and Laxus. She lay at anchor as for that night in the lee of the island, and with the first streak of dawn sailed down the firth, bearing Corsus and his sons homeward from Demonland. XXI: THE PARLEY BEFORE KROTHERING WHEREIN IS SHOWN HOW WARLIKE POLICY AND A PICTURE PAINTED DREW THE WAR WESTWARD: AND HOW THE LORD GRO WENT ON AN EMBASSAGE TO KROTHERING GATES, AND OF THE ANSWER HE GAT THERE.