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Page 549
insisted upon waiting until the tide went out again. The carts were so broad and heavy that he hoped some at least would not have been swept away or completely swallowed up, Ian and a few others had thrown off their furred cloaks before they rushed into the water. Anyone who had a dry stitch contributed it to warm the king. The wind blew sharp across the marshlands. Ian crouched against his destrier, shivering until he thought the flesh would shake free from his bones.
Before the tide had even run out again, they were back in the icy water, groping and tugging. The king had been right insofar as the carts not sinking completely, but they had all tilted or overturned. The small, heavy items had slid off and sunk deepdeep beyond recall. The treasure was lost forever. A few broad plates were saved, but none of the gold; that had sunk.
When they came forth from this second wetting, Ian was numb. His head felt huge and his chest tight. Weary of body and stunned with the magnitude of their loss, they struggled on to Sleaford. There, a distant cousin of Alinor's gave them shelter, and they stayed over the fourteenth and fifteenth. Ian heard the king was worse. He was not well himself, coughing continuously and finding difficulty in catching his breath. The weather was horrible. It poured rain, and the wind howled so that it could be heard even through the enormous walls of the old keep.
Unbelievably, on the sixteenth of October, John insisted on moving again. Whoever had influence with him begged and pleaded, but he would not listen. Alinor's cousin looked at Ian when the word came that the king would go.
"You should not," he said. "Stay here. You are more than welcome. He will not miss you."
The eyes said more. They said the king would miss no one and nothing any more, and when Ian saw John it was plain that this was true. Death was on his face and his flesh seemed loose on his bones. Ian knew the king would not realize that he had remained behind and that, even if he did, it would not matter. Nonetheless, he could noT do it. Hate and duty had bound them together through all the years. Shivering and coughing, Ian mounted his own horse and fol-

 
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