a sea queen's sailing by charles w. whistler contents preface. chapter : the old chief and the young. chapter : men of three kingdoms. chapter : the ship of silence. chapter : by sea and fire. chapter : vision and pursuit. chapter : a sea queen's champions. chapter : the treasure of the king. chapter : storm and salvage. chapter : the isle of hermits. chapter : planning and learning. chapter : the summons of the beacons. chapter : with sail and oar. chapter : athelstane's foster son. chapter : dane and irishman. chapter : the torque and its wearer. chapter : in old norway. chapter : homeward bound. chapter : a sea queen's welcome. notes. preface. few words of introduction are needed for this story, excepting such as may refer to the sources of the details involved. the outfit of the funeral ship is practically that of the vessel found in the mound at goekstadt, and now in the museum at christiania, supplemented with a few details from the ship disinterred last year near toensberg, in the same district. in both these cases the treasure has been taken from the mound by raiders, who must have broken into the chamber shortly after the interment; but other finds have been fully large enough to furnish details of what would be buried with a chief of note. with regard to the seamanship involved, there are incidents recorded in the sagas, as well as the use of a definite phrase for "beating to windward," which prove that the handling of a viking ship was necessarily much the same as that of a square-rigged vessel of today. the experience of the men who sailed the reconstructed duplicate of the goekstadt ship across the atlantic to the chicago exhibition bears this out entirely. the powers of the beautifully designed ship were by no means limited to running before the wind. the museum at christiania has a good example of the full war gear of a lady of the viking times. hakon, the son of harald fairhair, and foster son of our athelstane, took the throne of norway in a.d. , which is approximately the date of the story therefore. the long warfare waged by dane and norseman against the irishman at that time, and the incidental troubles of the numerous island hermits on the irish coast, are written in the irish annals, and perhaps most fully in "the wars of the gaedhil and the gaill." chas. w. whistler. stockland, . chapter : the old chief and the young. the black smoke eddied and wavered as it rose over my father's burning hall, and then the little sea breeze took it and swept it inland over the heath-clad caithness hills which i loved. save for that black cloud, the june sky was bright and blue overhead, and in the sunshine one could not see the red tongues of flame that were licking up the last timbers of the house where i was born. round the walls, beyond reach of smoke and heat, stood the foemen who had wrought the harm, and nearer the great door lay those of our men who had fallen at the first. there were foemen there also, for it had been a good fight. at last the roof fell in with a mighty crash and uprush of smoke and sparks, while out of the smother reeled and staggered half a dozen men who had in some way escaped the falling timbers. i think they had been those who still guarded the doorway, being unwounded. but among them were not my father and brothers, and i knew that i was the last of my line by that absence. it was not my fault that i was not lying with them under our roof yonder. i had headed a charge by a dozen of our best men, when it seemed that a charge might at least give time for the escape of the few women of the house to the glen. my father had bidden me, and we went, and did our best. we won the time we fought for, and that was all. some of us got back to the hall, and the rest bided where they fell. as for me, i had been stunned by an axe blow, which my helm had turned, and came to myself to find that i was bound hand and foot, and set aside under the stable wall with two others of our men, captives also. thence i must watch all that went on, helplessly, and after the roof fell i cared no more what should be done with me, for i was alone and desolate. nor did i know who these foemen were, or why they had fallen on us. in the gray of the morning they had come from inland, and were round the hall while we broke our fast. we had snatched our weapons as best we might, and done what we could, but the numbers against us were too great from the first. they had come from inland, but they were not scots. we were at peace with all the caithness folk, and had been so for years, though we had few dealings with them. my father had won a place for himself and his men here on the caithness shore in the days when harald harfager had set all norway under him, for he was one of those jarls who would not bow to him, and left that old norse land which i had never seen. presently, he handselled peace for himself here by marriage with my mother, the daughter of a great scots lord of the lands; and thereafter had built the hall, and made the haven, and won a few fields from the once barren hillside. and now we had been well to do, till this foe came and ended all. they were not norsemen either. the orkney jarls were our friends, and for us harald cared not. norsemen on the viking path we knew and welcomed, and being of that brotherhood ourselves, we had nothing to fear from them. it is true that we owned no king or overlord, but if the scots king asked for scatt we paid it, grumbling, for the sake of peace. my father was wont to call it rent for the hillsides we tilled. yet it would have been better to be swept out of the land by the scots we won it from, than to be ruined thus for no reason but that of wanton savagery and lust of plunder, as it seemed. at least they would have given us fair warning that they meant to end our stay among them, and take the place we had made into their own hands. well, no doubt, i should find out more presently. meanwhile, as i have said, i cared for naught, lying still without a word. then the men from out of the hall were brought and set with us; for, blinded as they were with the smoke, it had been easy to take them. that one who was set down next me was black from head to foot and scorched with the burning, but he tried to laugh as his eyes met mine. it was dalfin of maghera, the irish guest who was with us. he had taken a passage in a norse ship from belfast, meaning to see lands across the sea, and had bided here when he found that we could show him hunting such as he had never heard of. the mighty aurochs still fed on our hills, and we told tales in hall when guests wondered at the great heads that were on the walls, of how this one and that had been won. the ship had put in here to wait for wind, and of course we were glad to see her crew and hear what news they had of the greater world. "friend," i said, "it is hard that you should be brought to this pass." "it has been the best fight i ever knew," he answered. "the only pity is that it has gone the wrong way. but yonder is a grand funeral pile for the brave men who have fallen. surely the smoke will bring down the whole countryside on these ruffians?" i shook my head. what happened to us was the affair of no scot. rather they would be setting their own places in order in case their turn came next. "well," said dalfin, "whom are we fighting, then?" one of our men answered him. he was a norseman, named sidroc. "red hand, wandering vikings. wastrels from every land, and no man's men. most of them are danes, but i have heard the tongues of frisian and finn and northumbrian amongst them. we are in evil case, for slavery is the least we have to fear." "nay," said dalfin; "death is a lesser evil than that." "a man may make shift to escape from slavery," answered the other, and both were silent. then for a moment i had half a hope that help was at hand for us, if too late. round the westward point crept two longships under their broad, brown sails, making for our haven. but a second glance told me that they were the ships belonging to this crew. doubtless, they had landed the force somewhere along the coast beyond our ken, and now were coming to see how the raid had fared. the matter was plain enough to me now. half a dozen men came toward us at this time, leaving the rest to sort the piles of plunder they had brought from the village. i was glad, in a sort of dull way, that none of it came from the hall, for at least no one of them might boast that he wore my father's weapons and war gear. the foremost of these men were a gray-haired old chief and a young man of about my own age, who was plainly his son; and i thought it certain that these two were the leaders of the foe. they were well armed at all points, and richly clad enough, and i could but think them of gentle birth. the men who followed them were hard-featured warriors, whose dress and weapons were strange to me. we sat still and stared back at them, as they stood before us, wondering little and caring less, so far as i was concerned, for what they thought or would say. the old chief ran his eye down our wretched line, stroking his long beard as if noting our points, while the young man seemed to have a sort of pity for us written on his face. "well," said the old chief at last, "you have made a good fight, if foolish. you shall have your chance. which of you will join me?" "tell us who you are first," said dalfin; "that is only fair." "i am heidrek the seafarer, and this is asbiorn, my son. mayhap you have heard of us before." i had done so. one of the men in our group had fled to us from banff a year ago, after just such a raid as this. i heard him groan as the name was spoken. heidrek heard also, and laughed shortly. "it seems that i am known," he said. "well, make your choice. the other choice is death, of course. i can leave no one to say that i am collecting goods from this shore." "kill me, then," said dalfin, while i made no answer. two of our men cried that they would join him, and their bonds were cut by heidrek's followers. one of them set himself by my side and spoke to me at once. "there are worse things than going on the viking path, malcolm, son of my jarl," he said earnestly. "blame me not." i turned my head from him. maybe i was wrong, but it seemed like treachery. yet, after all, save myself there was not one left of our line, and he was deserting no one. both these two were single men. young asbiorn heard the man name me, and he came a pace nearer. "so you are the son of the chief here," he said quietly. "what is your name and rank? will anyone ransom you?" "i am the youngest son--i am worth nothing to any man," i said. "he is malcolm, the jarl's best-loved son," said that man of ours who had asked my pardon. "maybe his mother's folk will ransom him. his grandfather is melbrigda, the scots jarl over yonder." he pointed across the hills where the smoke hung among the heather, and at that old heidrek laughed, while the men at his heels chuckled evilly. for some reason of their own, which, maybe, was not far to seek, they were certain that melbrigda could find ransom for no one at this time, if he would. asbiorn turned to our guest, seeing, no doubt, that he was not of the house carles. the great gold torque on his neck seemed to shine all the more brightly by reason of the blackened mail and cloak that half hid it. "my name?" said dalfin, with a flash of pride in his gray eyes. "it is dalfin, prince of maghera, in ireland, of the line of the ulster kings. kill me, and boast that once you slew a prince. no need to say that i was bound when you did it." he spoke the danish of waterford and dublin well enough. asbiorn flushed, with some sort of manly shame, as i believe, and even old heidrek frowned uneasily. to have the deed they threatened set in all its shame before them was a new thing to them. "let the prince go, chief," i said, seeing this look. "he is a guest, and if this is some old feud with my father of which i have not heard, he does not come into it. he is a guest of the house." "faith," answered heidrek savagely, "he has made it his own affair. he has been the bane of three of my best men. aye, i have a feud here, and with all who dwell at ease. i am heidrek the seafarer." he turned away, and left us with some sign to his men; but asbiorn stood still and spoke again to us. "you bear a scottish name," he said. "have you no scottish kin besides melbrigda?" i shook my head, whereon dalfin spoke for me. "here," he said, "if it is just a matter of ransom, let us both go; and come to belfast in a year's time, or six months' time, an you will. then my father will pay chief's ransom for the two of us. my word as a prince on it." "it is a new thing with us to take ransom, or the word of any man," answered asbiorn doubtfully, yet as if the plan seemed good to him. one of the men who followed him broke in on that, "no use, asbiorn. we cannot put into any irish port in safety. and over there princes are thick as blackberries, and as poor as the brambles that bear them." "aye, and as prickly," said dalfin. "have you learned that also?" the men laughed. one of them said that the irishman's danish speech was not bad, and that it was a pity-- "so it is," asbiorn put in hastily. "i will speak to my father." the old chief was back with his crew, settling the sharing of the plunder. his son took him aside, and their talk was long; and, as it seemed, not altogether peaceful. soon the men began to gather round them, and those with us went to hear what was going on. so we were left alone for a moment. "men," i said, "save your lives as this chief bids you. join him now, and leave him when you may." "do you join him?" said one in answer. not i." "neither do we. we live or die with you. what else should courtmen of the jarl's do?" so said one of our norsemen; but the eyes of the scots were on the bleak hills, and for them the choice was harder, i think. they had no ties to us but those of common work and life together, and it was the old land that they must think of leaving. they said nothing, for until he has made up his mind a scot will not answer. they would have to decide directly, for now heidrek was coming back to us. after him were a score or more of his men, and the rest were loading themselves with the plunder and starting one by one towards the haven, into which the two ships were just bearing up. they would be alongside the little wharf by the time the men reached it. our own good longship lay there also, and i wondered what they would do with her. she was too good to burn. now heidrek stood before me and looked at me, glowering, for a moment. "well," he said curtly, "do you join me? mind you, i would not give every man the chance, but you and yours are men." before i could say aught, and it was on my mind to tell the pirate what i thought of him, if i spent my last breath in doing it, the courtman who had spoken with me just now answered for himself. "we do what the young jarl does," he said; "we follow him." "the choice was whether you would follow me or not," answered heidrek coldly; "i will have no leader but myself." some of his wilder followers cried out now that we were wasting time, and that an end should be made, while a sword or two were drawn among them. it was the way in which heidrek's crew were wont to deal with captives when they had no hope of ransom from them. that i and my men should join such a crew was not to be thought of, if for a moment i had half wondered if i ought to save the lives of these courtmen of ours by yielding. both i and they would be shamed, even as dalfin had said. so i made no answer, and heidrek was turning away with a shrug of his broad shoulders, while the men were only waiting his word to end the affair. then asbiorn, whose face was white and pitying as he looked at us, gripped his father by the arm and faced him. "i will not have it thus," he said hoarsely. "the men are brave men, and it were shame to slay them. give them to me." heidrek laughed at him in a strange way, but the men yelled and made a rush at us, sword in hand. whereon asbiorn swung his round shield into place from off his shoulder, and gripped his light axe and faced them. it was the lightness of that axe which had spared me; but the men knew, and feared it and the skill of the wielder, and they shrank back. "what, again?" said heidrek. "i thought we had settled that question. what would you with them?" "that is to be seen. let me have them." "pay for them, then," shouted one of the men. "they are over and above your share of plunder." "aye," said asbiorn at once, "i claim them for my share. have them down to the new ship, and set them in the forepeak till i need them." then old heidrek laughed harshly. "faith, i thought the lad a fool," he said. "now i know that he will not be so short-handed as i thought. some of you who are his crew will have an easier time at the oar with these slaves to pull for you." the men laughed at that, and i knew that the danger was past. i minded what our man had said at first, how that one might escape from slavery. and i think that the nearness of death--though, in truth, not one of us would have shrunk from the steel that was so ready--had taught me how good a thing life might be even yet. most of the men went away, the matter being settled. heidrek went also, without another word to his son, and we were left to asbiorn and a few men of his own crew. the young chief smiled a little as he looked again at us, but even dalfin could not smile back again. "now," said asbiorn, "cast off the lashings from their feet, and let them walk to the ship. see that they all get there, and set a watch over the place where they are stowed." "are we sailing at once?" a man asked. "yes, as usual. the chief has some new plan on foot already." the end of it was that in a short time we were on board our own ship, and safely stowed forward, still bound. heidrek had added her to his force, and manned her from the other two vessels; but before we reached the ship i saw that heidrek's men had piled their slain into an outhouse, set the fagot stack round it, and fired it to windward. there was no more honour for their fallen comrades than that. so i saw the last of my home in caithness, and before me was the life of a slave. they had stripped us of our mail and weapons, of course, and had handled us roughly, but that might be borne. the low door of the cramped sail room under the fore deck closed, and we were in darkness, and then dalfin set into words the thought of us all, with a sort of dull groan: "this morning i woke and thought it good to be alive!" almost at once the ship was warped out of the haven, and went to sea. the last hope i had that the scots might yet gather and fall on these pirates left me at that time, and a sort of despair fell on me. i think i swooned, or slept at that time, for thereafter i can remember no more until the day was almost spent, and a man came and opened the low door that he might bring us food--oaten loaves, and ale in a great jug. asbiorn stood outside. "you may as well loose the men," he said carelessly; "we can mind them well enough." "more likely to have them out on us in some sort of berserk rage," said the man, growling. "i ken what i would do in their place well enough." asbiorn stooped and looked in on us. the light was behind him, and i could not see his face; but he spoke evenly, and not unkindly. "will your men bide quiet if i unbind you all?" he said. "aye," i answered. "why not?" "good reason enough why you should," he said. "let them loose." one by one we were unbound, some more men coming forward and watching us, with their weapons ready, in case we tried to fall on them. i dare say some old happening of the sort had taught them caution. "there are thirty of us on board, mind you," the man who set us free said, as he gathered the loose cords and went his way. "better join us offhand, and make the best of the business." "good advice that, maybe," said dalfin, stretching himself. "pass along yon ale pot. i have a mighty thirst on me." "that is better," said the man, and laughed. i heard him tell another that the irishman would come round first; but dalfin's foot had warned me that he spoke in no earnest. whether my friend had any plan in his mind i could not say, but at all events there was no use in making our bondage worse than it might be by sullenness. it was good to be free from the lashings that had galled us so sorely, if we were still captives indeed, and had no mind to pass from the cramped cabin, if one may call the forepeak so much, to the deck where the foemen sat and made merry with the stores they had taken from us. the wind was steady and light, and they had naught to do but rest and eat their supper. asbiorn steered, and was alone on the after deck. the two other ships were not to be seen, and i suppose that they outsailed ours, for she had never been of the swiftest, though staunch and seaworthy in any weather. we were heading due north as if we would make the faroe islands, leaving the orkneys to the starboard. i wondered if heidrek had his lair in that far-off spot, whence we should have not the slightest chance of escape in the days to come; but i could say nothing to my comrades. men of the crew sat just outside the low doorway, with their backs against the bulkhead, as if set there to overhear what we might say. i looked among them for those two men of ours who had been ready to join heidrek as their one chance of life, but i could not see them. perhaps this was no wonder, as it is likely that they were drafted to the other ships in order to keep them apart from us. it was certainly the safest thing to do. asbiorn himself seemed to have some thought of this sort with regard to us seven presently. before sunset, he called some of the men and bade them bring dalfin and myself and shut us into the after cabin, under his own feet, as he sat at the steering oar. two of my men were to be left in the fore peak, for they were unhurt and could be shut in safely, while the other three were set amidships, with men of the crew round them. these three had some slight hurts, and a man set about caring for them, roughly but skilfully enough. but what i chiefly noticed as we were led aft, was that the ale was passing freely, and, as i should have thought, too often for good seamanship. that, however, was not my business, if it did seem to explain why asbiorn separated us. seven desperate men might do much among a helpless crowd, once they had snatched the arms they could reach from those who had forgotten to guard them. the young chief paid no heed to us as we passed into the darkness of the low cabin. the door was closed and barred after us, and we were left to our own devices, though in a few minutes some man on the after deck took off the little square hatch cover which let the light into the place. it was half full of plunder of all sorts, and there was barely room, if soft stowage, for us. "well," i said to dalfin, "if we can sleep, let us do so. i know that every word we speak can be heard on deck." whereon he answered me in erse, and i could understand him well, for the old tongues of scot of ireland and scot of caithness are the same, if ages have wrought some changes in the way of speaking them here and there. "let these danes make what they can of that," he said. "it will take a man born to the gaelic to catch aught of it through yon hole, if he thinks he understands it in the open." so in the erse we spoke for a little while, and it was a hopeless talk at best. only we agreed that we would stand by one another through whatever might come, and that the first chance of escape was to be taken, be it what it might. all the while that we talked thus the noise of the men who drank grew wilder and more foolish. it was a cask of our old heather ale which they had broached, and that is potent, if to the unwary it seems harmless enough. once or twice asbiorn called to the noisiest to be still, but they heeded him little. soon, however, the noise ceased, and we thought that most of the men slept. after that was no sound but the wash of the waves, and the hum of the sail, and the creak of the great steering oar as asbiorn met the luff of the ship across the long, smooth sweep of the waves. we, too, grew drowsy, for the cabin was close and warm beneath the sunny decks. all that could be said was said, and so we slept, if it were but uneasily. chapter : men of three kingdoms. i was roused before long by a tapping on the deck overhead, which came now and again as if asbiorn, who was steering still, was beating time to some air. so he was, for soon he began to whistle softly, and then to hum to himself. i will not say that the music was much; but he sat barely a fathom from the open hatch, and presently the words he sang caught my ear. they were of no song i had ever heard, and they seemed to have little meaning in them. i listened idly, and the next thing was that i knew, with a great leap of my heart, that what he sang, or pretended to sing, was meant for myself. it could only be so, for he sang of the orkney isles to the east of us, and of a boat, and of two men who could win thereto if they dared to try. "listen, dalfin," i said, and my comrade started up eagerly. asbiorn heard the movement, and he seemed to lean toward the hatch. "jarl's son," he hummed, "come under the hatch and listen. is it in your mind to get away from us?" i set my head through the little square opening carefully, and looked round. there was a bale of canvas, plunder from our ship sheds, across the break of the deck, and i could not be seen by the men, while asbiorn was alone at the helm. it was almost as light as day, with the strange shadowless brightness of our northern june, when the glow of the sunset never leaves the sky till it blends with that of sunrise. "your boat is towing aft," he said, still singing, as one may say. "it is shame to keep chiefs in thralldom thus; and i will not do it. now, i am going forward, and you can drop overboard and take her. the men are asleep, and will not wake." "what of my men?" i said. "glad enough they will be that you have escaped," he said. "they will be all the more ready to do so themselves when they have the chance. they shall have such as i can give them. leave them to me, for they fought and stood by you well." "asbiorn," i said then, "maybe i shall be able to thank you for this someday." "mayhap," he answered lightly. "now, no more words; but take your chance as it comes. the sail is in the boat, and the course is due east hence. if the wind holds you should make the land by to morrow at noon. hasten, for your time is short. there is a watch forward, and they may see you." he lashed the helm with a deft turn or two, and stood for a moment with his eyes on the sail. the ship was heading due north, and heidrek's two ships were some three miles ahead of us. this ship of ours was slow, if stout and weatherly. then he went forward quickly, never looking behind him. "have you heard, dalfin?" i asked; and he answered that he had, and that he was ready. "follow me closely," i said. "i am going to cast off the boat's painter and go over the side with it in my hand. you will be close on me." with that i drew myself up through the hatch, and crawled under cover of the long bale of canvas--which, doubtless, asbiorn had set where it was on purpose--to the cleat, cast off the line, and swung myself overboard with as little noise as possible. the boat came up and nearly ran over me; but i had expected that, and was ready. the ship slipped away from me strangely quickly. still, there was no shout from her, and so far all was well. then came dalfin, later than i had expected, for his head was at my heels as i left the hatchway. he came slowly over the gunwale on all fours, and let himself go with a splash, which i thought every man in the ship must have heard. he fell on his back, with his arms in the air, grasping somewhat in them, which i thought was some man who tried to hold him. yet i had not seen one come aft. then there seemed to be a fight in the water where he was, and with that i left the boat to herself. there was a long, deep swell running, but it did not break, and i was maybe fourscore yards from him. the boat would drift after me with the wind, and i swam to his help with all my might. i could see him as the rollers lifted me on their crests now and then, and round him the white water flew as he struggled with somewhat. at that time i saw the tall figure of asbiorn on the fast-lessening stern of the ship, and with him was another man. one of them seemed to come right aft and look over the stern, and then stooped to the cleat where the painter had been fast. then both went to the helm, and bided there. neither looked into the cabin hatch, so far as i could tell. a long, oily roller slipped from under me, and in its hollow i saw dalfin. he was learning to swim, with the little four-legged bench belonging to the helmsman as his support. it had never entered my mind that the son of a chief could not swim. i cannot remember when i could not do so, and any one of us would have thought it shame not to be at home in the water, whether rough or calm. nor had he warned me that he could not do so; and therein i hold was the deed of a brave man. he would not hold me back in any way, but would give me my chance, and take his own. he had to reach the bench, too, which was risky, and that, no doubt, had delayed him. i swam up to him, and he laughed and spluttered. "is all going well? where is the boat?" he gasped. "very well," i said. "but why not tell me you could not swim? i would have hove up the boat alongside for you." "aye, and so have been seen," he said. "i saw this bench, and--" the sea filled his mouth, and he had to be silent. i saw the boat coming to us as the wind drifted her, and swam round him, while he splashed wildly as the bench lifted to the waves. then i saw what was amiss, and got it across and under his chest, and he was happy. "it is the first time i have ever been out of my depth," he said. "i shall be happier yet when i am in the boat. yonder she comes!" i turned my head sharply at that, for he was looking north. we had been running northward dead before the wind when we went overboard, and any boat thence must needs come from the ship. then i saw no boat at all, but only the head of a man who swam slowly toward us, and into my mind it came that this was one of our own men who had seen us go, from amidships, and had managed to follow. so i hailed him, but the answering voice was strange to me. with a few strokes the swimmer neared us, and i saw that he was a young man, brown-haired and freckled, with a worn, anxious face, that had desperation written on it. i had never set eyes on him before. "i would fain make a third in this escape," he said, speaking fair danish, but slowly, as if unused to it. "i have been a captive with heidrek like yourselves, and i saw you go." "you are no dane?" i said, being somewhat cautious, as may be supposed. "a saxon of wessex," he answered. "on my word, i have had no part in this raid, for i was left with the ships." "then you are welcome," i said frankly. it was certain that no man would do as we had done, save he were in as sore straits. the black bow of the boat lifted on the waves close to us, and i swam to her and climbed in over her stern. by this time the ship was too far off to be dangerous, unless it was thought worthwhile to come back to pick up the boat, which was unlikely, as it would have been done at once if at all. between us, the saxon and i managed to get dalfin into her, and then our new companion followed. he wore a thrall's dress, and had not so much as a knife on him. yet one could see that he bore himself as might a thane, while his voice was not a thrall's voice. now a word or two passed as to whether we should step the mast and set sail at once, but it seemed safer not to do so. we could still be made out clearly from the ship if we did. "i wonder someone has not looked into the cabin yet to see if we are still there," i said. "not likely," answered dalfin. "i set back the cover on the hatch before i went for the bench." "a good thought, too," said i. "now, what i most hope is that none of my poor folk will be harmed for this. mayhap it will be said that they helped us in some way." "no," said the saxon slowly. "they will blame me, and that matters not at all. but it must have been a mere chance that the terrible splashing our comrade made was not seen by asbiorn; for he went aft, and looked long toward the boat. i heard him say that she had gone adrift, and that some lubber must have made fast the painter carelessly. the man who took the helm said that the boat was not worth putting about for, and that hardly a man of the crew was fit to haul sheet. which is true enough." "asbiorn saw without doubt," i said. "this escape is his doing." "aye," answered the saxon, "i can well believe it. he is the only one of all that crowd who is worth a thought. it is the first time they have let me sail with him--it is but a chance that i have done so now. men get away from him too easily." "how did you get away now?" "there was no man awake near me. i had naught to do but roll over the rail. i dare say asbiorn saw me also. he would not care, for he hates to have captives held as slaves on board his ship." dalfin shivered a little. "it is very cold," he said ruefully. so it was, for the june nights in the north have still a nip in the air. i told him that sea water has no harm in it, but at the same time thought we might as well get out the oars and make what way we could. then when we lifted the sail and looked for them, there were none. only the short steering oar was there; but the new pair i had made myself this winter were gone. no doubt the pirates had put them in their own boat, for they were good. not that it seemed to matter much, for so soon as the ship was a mile or two farther, we could make sail in safety. we could have done little in the time but warm ourselves. so we had to be content to sit still while the dark sail drew away, and our clothes dried on us. "well," said the saxon presently, "how you feel, friends, i do not know; but i want to shout and leap with the joy of being free again. nine months i have been a thrall to heidrek, watched, and bound betimes, moreover." he held out his hands, and they were hard with the oar, and there were yet traces of cords round the strong wrists. "tell us how you came into this trouble," i said, "it is likely that we shall be comrades for a while." "easily told," he said. "when i was at home in england, i was bertric the ship thane, and had my place in lyme, in dorset. i owned my own ship, and was thane by right therefore, according to the old laws. last year i fared to flanders, where i had done well before, in the summer. in september i was homeward bound, and met this heidrek outside the scheldt mouth. he took my goods, and burned my ship, and kept me, because i was likely to be able to pilot him, knowing all that coast. oh, aye, we fought him; but he had two ships to my one, and four to one in men. asbiorn saved me, i think, at that time; but i have never had a chance of escape until tonight. i saw it coming, and was ready. you were but a few minutes before me. now i know that i am in luck to find comrades." "may it be so," i said, holding out my hand to him. there was that in the frank way of this saxon which won me, half scot though i am, and therefore prone to be cautious with men. he took it with a steady grip, and smiled, while dalfin clapped his broad shoulder, and hailed him as a friend in adversity. "we three should do well in the end, if we hold together," dalfin said. "but you and i are in less trouble than malcolm. he has lost all; while we were both wanderers from home only. my folk will trouble not at all for me for a year or so, and a shipmaster may be away as long as he chooses. none will look for you till you return, i suppose? well, i came out to find adventures, and on my word, i am in the way to find them." "not a bad beginning," laughed bertric. "as for me, it is no new thing that i should be a winter abroad, and my folk have long ceased to trouble much about me. i am twenty-five, and took to the sea when i was seventeen. well, if heidrek has spoilt this voyage, we can afford it. luck has been with me so far. if i win home again it is but to start fresh with a new ship, or settle down on the old manors in the way of my forebears." now, the remembrance that i had not one who would so much as think of me took hold of me, for the first time, as these two talked of their people, and it fell sorely heavily on me. i could say naught, and turned away from these light-hearted wanderers. they knew, and left me to myself in all kindness, for there was no word they could say which would help me. bertric spoke again to dalfin, asking him how it came to pass that he could not swim, which was as much a wonder to him as it had been to me. "yesterday i would have asked you why i should be able," dalfin answered lightly, "today i know well enough. but my home in maghera, where we of the northern o'neills have our place and state, lies inland. truly, there is the great lough neagh, on which, let me tell you, we have fought the danes once or twice; but if there is any swimming to be done for the princes, there are always henchmen to get wet for them. never did i dream that a day would come when there was swimming which no man could do for me. that is why." "but it seems that you have ships, if you fought the danes on the water?" "never a ship! we fell on them in the fishers' coraghs--the skin boats." "and beat them?" "well, it was not to be expected; but we made them afraid." dalfin stood up in the boat unsteadily, and swung his arms to warm himself. she was a wide and roomy fishing craft, and weatherly enough, if she did make more leeway than one would wish in a breeze. "there is less wind," he said. "it is not so cold." the long, smooth sea was going down also, or he would not have kept his footing as he did. i looked up sharply, and met the saxon's eye. a calm to come was the last thing we wished. "maybe there is a shift of wind coming," bertric said. "no reason why we may not make the most of what breeze is left now." "it is the merest chance if any man spies us by this time," i said. "we will risk it." so we stepped the mast and set sail, heading eastward at once. we trimmed the boat by putting dalfin in the bows, while i steered, and the saxon sat on the floor aft and tended sheet. i asked him to steer, but he said the boat was my own, and that i was likely to get more out of her than a stranger. the sail filled, and the boat heeled to the steady breeze; and it was good to hear the ripples wake at the bows, and feel the life come back to her, as it were, after the idle drifting of the last hour. but there was no doubt that the wind was failing us little by little. about sunrise it breezed up again, and cheered us mightily. that lasted for half an hour, and then the sail flapped against the mast, and the calm we feared fell. the long swell sank little by little until we floated on a dead smooth sea, under brightest sunshine, with the seabirds calling round us. nor was there the long line of the orkney hills to be seen, however dimly, away to the eastward as we had hoped. "how will the tide serve us hereabout?" asked bertric presently. "the flood will set in to the eastward in two hours' time," i answered. "it depends on how we lie on the orkney coasts whether it drifts us to the northward or to the southward. we have been set to the westward all night with the ebb." "wind may come with the flood," said he. and that was the best we could hope for. but i set the steering oar in the sculling rowlock aft, and did what i could in that way. at least, it saved some of the westward drift, if it was of very little use else. dalfin curled up in the sun and slept. he had no care for the possible troubles which were before us, knowing naught of the sea; but this calm made the saxon and myself anxious enough. "after all," i said, "maybe it will only be a matter of hunger for a day or two." bertric smiled, and pointed to the locker under the stern thwart, on which i was sitting. "i think i told you that you were but a few minutes before me in this matter," he said. "well, when i heard that asbiorn would take the boat, i knew my chance had come. so i dropped six of your barley loaves into her as she lay alongside the wharf, and stowed them aft when i went to bale out the rain water that was in her. the men were too much taken up with the plunder to mind what i was about. i think your little water breaker is full also. it is there, and i tried it." "why, then, that will carry us far enough," i said. "you are a friend in need in all truth." "i wrought for myself. i am glad that things have turned out thus in the end. now do you sleep, if you can. you shall wake when need is." he came aft and took the oar from me, and i was glad to lie down on the floor boards amidships and rest. and the first thing that i noted was that the saxon sculled better than myself, and wonderfully easily. then i slept heavily for maybe three hours. bertric roused me about that time. the wind had come, and the sky had clouded over, and the boat was slipping fast through the water, looking eastward indeed, but the wind headed us too closely for that to be of much use. it was blowing from the worst quarter for us, the southeast, and freshening. the boat was fit for little but running, and at this time i waxed anxious as to what was before us, for any caithness man has heard tales of fishers who have been caught in the southeast winds, and never heard of more. now, it would make a long tale to tell of what came thereafter on the open sea. bertric would have me sleep now, and i did so, for i was fairly worn out, and then the weather grew wilder, until we were driving before a gale, and our hope of making even the shetlands was gone. so we drove for two whole days until we had lost all reckoning, and the gale blew itself out. but for the skilful handling of the boat by bertric, i know we might have been swamped at times in the following seas, but dalfin knew naught of the peril. he baled when it was his turn, cheerfully, and slept be times, so that i envied him his carelessness and trust in us. the wind wore round to the northwest at its last and hardest, and then sank quickly. on the third morning we were in bright sunshine, and the sea was going down fast, and again we were heading east, with a half hope of making some landfall in norway, if anywhere. at noon we shared the last loaf in just such a calm as had fallen on us at first; and at last bertric and i might sleep again, leaving dalfin to keep watch. we might be in the track of vessels from norway westward and southward, but we could not tell, and maybe we expected him to see nothing. but it may tell how wearied we were that we left so untried a landsman to watch for us, though, indeed, either of us would wake with the least uneasiness of the boat in a rising wind. so we slept a great sleep, and it was not until near sunset that dalfin roused us. "there is somewhat like a sail on the skyline to the eastward," he said. "i have watched it this half hour, and it grows bigger fast. i took it for a bird at first and would not wake you." that brought us to our feet in a moment, and we looked in the direction he gave us. "a sail," said bertric. "she is bearing right down on us, and bringing an easterly breeze off shore with her. if only we can hail her!" "it is not heidrek again?" asked dalfin anxiously. "no; his sails are brown. nor does one meet men like him often. we shall find naught but help from any other, if we may have to work our passage to their port. that is of no account so long as we are picked up." in half an hour the breeze from the eastward reached us, and we bore up across the course of the coming ship. she came swiftly down the wind, but was either badly steered, or else was so light that with her yard squared she ran badly. at times the wind was almost spilt from out of her sail, and we looked to see her jibe, and then she would fill again on her true course and hold it a while. "she is out of the way badly handled," said bertric, watching her in some puzzlement. "i only hope that they may know enough to pick up a boat in a seaway." chapter : the ship of silence. soon we knew that she must be the ship of some great chief, for her broad sail was striped with red and white, and the sun gleamed and sparkled from gilding on her high stemhead, and from the gilded truck of the mast. then we made out that a carven dragon reared itself on the stem, while all down the gunwale were hung the round red and yellow war boards, the shields which are set along the rail to heighten it when fighting is on hand. we looked to see the men on watch on the fore deck, but there were none, though, indeed, the upward sweep of the gunwale might hide them. presently she yawed again in that clumsy way which we were wondering at, and showed us her whole side, pierced for sixteen oars, and bright with the shields, for a moment, and then she was back on her course. we could not see the steersman for the sail, in any case, but we saw no one on deck. now we were right across her bows, and within hail of her, and yet no man had shown himself. bertric and i lifted our voices together in a great hail, and then in a second, and third, but there was no answer. only she yawed and swung away from us as if she would pass us, and at that dalfin cried out, while i paid off fast to follow her, and again bertric hailed. now she was broad off our bows and to the starboard, an arrow flight from us, and bertric and i were staring at her in amazement. she was the most wonderfully appointed ship in all sea bravery we had ever seen--but there was no man at the helm, and not a soul on deck. "they are asleep, or dead," said i; and hailed again and again, all the while edging down to her, until we were running on the same course, side by side. "we must overhaul her somehow," said bertric, "or we are left. this is an uncanny affair." the height of her great square sail told, and little by little she drew ahead of us. we felt the want of the oars more at this time than any, and i think that with them we might have overhauled her at once. had she been steered, of course she would have left us astern without hope; but as we chased her now, the unsteady flaws of the rising breeze, which we could make full use of, rather hindered her. now and again, with some little shift, her sail flapped and she lost her way, and yawed so that we gained on her fast, while a new hope of success sprang up in our minds. then the sail would fill again, and she was away from us. once, as the breeze veered a point or two, i thought she must have jibed, for the clew of the sail almost swung inboard; but it filled again. "she cannot jibe," said bertric. "see, her yard is braced square for running, and cannot shift. if all holds, she must run till doomsday thus. her mast may go in a squall, or one of the braces may part--but i don't see what else is to stop her." but the wind was light, and hardly strained the new rigging, while there was a stout running backstay set up with all care, and even the main halliard had been led far aft to serve as another. she was meant to run while she might, and that silent and lonely ship, passing us on an endless voyage into the great westward ocean, was as strange and uncanny a sight as a seaman could meet in a long life. moreover, though she was in full war trim, she seemed to have some deck cargo piled amidships, which might be plunder. so for an hour or more that chase went on. once or twice we were a full half-mile astern of her, and then gained with the chance of the breeze. once we might have thrown a line on board her, but had none to heave. then she gathered way and fled from us, even as we thought we had her. it was just as if she knew that we chased her, and would play with us. we almost lost heart at that time, for it was sickening. "the ship is bewitched," said dalfin, and in truth we agreed with him. why, and by whom, she had been set adrift thus, or what had befallen her crew, we could not guess. still, she was our only hope, and we held on after her again. neither bertric nor myself had the least thought of giving up, for we knew that the chances of the breeze were all in our favour, so long as it came unsteadily as now. and always, when it fell, we sculled fiercely and gained on her, if only a little. so another half hour passed, with its hopes and disappointments, and then we were flying down on her with a breeze of our own, when the end came. the wind shifted and i met it, and that shift did all for us. it reached the ship, and took the clew of the sail inboard, shaking and thundering, while the sheets lashed to and fro across the deck. then somewhere those sheets jammed and held fast, and as if the canvas had been flattened in of set purpose, she luffed, until with a great clap of the sail against the mast, the whole of her upper canvas was aback, and she was hove to helplessly. maybe she was a furlong from us at the moment, and bertric shouted. "we have her," i cried, "if only all holds!" "she will gather stern way directly," said bertric, with set teeth. "then she will fall off again, and the sheets will get adrift." we flew down on her, but we had been tricked so often before that we hardly dared to hope. now we were close to her bows, and we heard the great yard creaking and straining, and the dull flapping of the loose canvas of both tack and clew which had blown inboard. the ship lurched and staggered under the uneasy strain, but the tackle held, and we had her. bertric went to our halliards and lowered the sail as i luffed alongside, and then dalfin had gripped the rail between two of the shining shields. there was no sea beyond a harmless ripple as yet, and we dropped aft to where a cleat was set for the boats on her quarter, and made fast. then as we looked at one another, there came to me as it were a breath from my lost home in far-off caithness, for a whiff of peat smoke hung round us and was gone so quickly that i thought it almost fancy. but dalfin had smelt it also. "there is a fire alight on board," he said. "i smelt the smoke. that means food, and someone on board after all." with that he shouted, but there was no answer. it would have been a relief to me if some ship's dog had flown out and barked at us; but all was silent, and that was uncanny here in the open sea, and on such a ship. "well," said bertric, "crew or no, we must go on board. no use in waiting." he swung himself up from the boat over the high gunwale, and then gave me a hand, and together we hauled up dalfin, and so stood and stared at all we saw in wonder. everything was in perfect trim, and the ship was fitted as if for a long cruise. she had two handsome boats, with carven gunwales and stem and stern posts set on their chocks side by side amidships, with their sails and oars in them. under the gunwales on either board were lashed the ship's oars, and with them two carved gangway planks which seemed never to have been used. every line and rope's end was coiled down snugly, and every trace of shore litter had been cleared from the white decks as if she had been a week at least at sea, though we knew, from her course, that she could not be more than a few hours out from the norway coast. we had guessed that she might have sailed at dawn. but we wondered not so much at the trim of the ship, though that puzzled us; just aft of the mast, and set against its foot, was the pile we had taken for deck cargo, and the like of it i had never seen. there had been built of heavy pine timbers, whose ends butted against either gunwale below, and rose to a ridge pole above, a pent house, as it were, which stood at the ridge some six feet high from the deck, and was about two fathoms long. its end was closed with timbers also, and against this end, and round, and partly over the roof, had been piled fagots of brushwood, so that it was almost covered. either from haste, or else loosened by the movement of the ship, one or two of these fagots had not found a place with the rest, but lay on the deck by the boats. as if to keep the pile steady, on either side had been set a handsomely carved sledge, and on the pile at the end was a light wagon, also carved, and with bright bronze fittings. the wheels had been taken off and set inside it. under the piles showed a barrel or two, which it was plain were tar barrels. "firewood for a long sea passage," i said. "and sledges and wagon for a land journey at its end. one would say that the ship was flitting a whole family to iceland--the new land to which men go today." "aye, i have heard of that land, and of families who go there," said bertric. "that seems to explain some things, but not why the ship is adrift." "what will be in the house yonder?" asked dalfin. "maybe it was built for the women of the family," i said. now, this was so likely that for the moment the wonder passed. we had to tend ship while the breeze held off if we would do anything with her presently. she was not of the largest build, but both bertric and i knew that it would be all that we three could do, one of us being a landsman moreover, to handle her if it came on to blow at all freshly. now, i would not have it thought that we three castaways were much in the mind to puzzle over the ship which we had gained, almost against hope. it was enough for us to rejoice in the feel of firm planks under our feet once more, and to find naught terrible, but promise of all we needed, while the strain of the longboat voyage with its ever-present peril was over. dalfin broke that first short silence. "i am desperately hungry," he said. "surely there will be food on board?" the breeze freshened up again, and the sail flattened against the mast with a clap, and the ship quivered. it was naught to us, but it made the landsman start and look upward as if expecting to see somewhat carried away, while i laughed at him. "work first and food afterward," said bertric. "we must tend ship while wind is little, if at all. why, we are not more than half starved yet, for barley bread stands by one nobly." "give me somewhat to do, and maybe i shall forget the hunger," dalfin answered ruefully. "which of you two is to be captain?" "bertric," i said at once. "that is his place by all right." "it is an old trade of mine," the saxon said quietly "well, it is to be seen if i can justify my sayings of myself." the sun had set by the time we boarded the ship, but we had not noticed it in the bright twilight. the short northern night would be no darker than now until the sunrising, for we were close on midsummer, and there was every sign of settled fair weather after the gale. even now the last breeze was dying away, leaving the sea bright and unruffled under the glow in the northwest sky. it was only to be hoped that presently some summer breeze might suffer us to lay our course southward or eastward, toward the land where we might find haven and help. now bertric set us to work, and we had little or no trouble, for the breeze fell altogether very quickly. the sheet had fouled the great cleat which was bolted to the deck beams amidships aft for the backstay, and that was easily cleared. then we swung the yard fore and aft, dalfin hauling as he was bidden, with fixed intent to haul till further orders, which was all we needed from him. then bertric would have two reefs taken in, for we could not tell what weather we might meet, or for how long we might have to stay on board without help. the foot of the sail was wet, as with heavy rain. "we can take no chances," he said. "yet it is likely that we shall have a ship or two in chase of us shortly. it is a wonder to me that we have seen none yet. but word will go along the coast of what has happened. it is not the first time that a carelessly-moored vessel has got adrift in a calm, and found a breeze for herself, while her sail was hoisted to dry in the sun." now, all we had to do was to carry forward the tack and set it up for reaching, and to do that we had to climb over the fagots at the foot of the penthouse, and the gunwale end of the timbers they rested on, the run of the deck being blocked altogether by the pile. seeing that when the ship was to be put about the square sail had to be lowered, brought aft round the mast and rehoisted on the other board, the unhandiness of the thing was terribly unseamanlike. bertric and i grumbled and wondered at it the while we worked, only hoping that by some stroke of luck we might be able to reach a haven without having to shift the sail. it was to the starboard of the mast now, which would serve us well if the wind came from east or north, as was most likely. maybe that was an hour's work, and we had done all we might. by that time the breeze had altogether gone, and the ship floated idly on still, bright water, with the hush of the night round us. there was time to tow her head round when we knew whence the morning wind would blow. bertric coiled down the fall of the tack purchase, and nodded to dalfin. "food now, if there is to be any," he said. "what is in yon kettle?" now that we were forward we had seen that against this end of the penthouse no fagots had been piled. the red and white striped awnings of the decks were set there, carefully rolled up round their carved supports, and they rested on a stout sea bedstead, such as might be carried on board for the chief to whom the ship belonged. two more chests stood at the head and foot of this bedstead, and they were carved, as indeed was the bed. it was plain that all the gear on board belonged to some great house. but six or eight feet forward of these things, and in the midst of a clear space of deck, was a shallow square box full of sand, and on that was set the covered kettle of which our comrade spoke. the sandbox was that on which a fire might be lighted at sea if need were, but none had been used on it as yet. hard by were two casks lashed to ringbolts on deck, one of which was covered, and the other had a spigot in it. they held oatcake in one, and water in the other, as perhaps one might have expected, here where the men of the crew would gather forward. and the kettle was full of boiled meat, which was maybe the most welcome sight to us that we could have looked on. for, if we had managed to forget it, we were famished. so then and there we made a royal meal, asking not at all what the meat might be, only knowing that it was good, thanks to the unknown hands which had made it ready. there was enough in that great sea cauldron for two more such meals as this, and the oatcake barrel was full. we had no fear of hunger again for a time, and if there was no more to be found by the time this store was ended, we should surely have found haven or help in some way, most likely by the coming of some ship in search with the morning at latest. now, as i sat on the deck and ate, once and again came to me that sharp smell of peat smoke, and at last i spoke of it, asking if the others had not smelt it. "i smell somewhat strange to me," said bertric. "it is a pleasant smell enough. what is amiss with it?" "what, do your folk in england use no peat?" said dalfin in surprise. "why, we should hardly know how to make a fire without it. it is peat smoke you smell." "why, then, there must be fire somewhere!" said bertric, leaping up. "smouldering peat, certainly," i said, rising with him. "under yon fagots is the only place i can think of as possible--or under the deck planking." we went to the penthouse, and climbed on the piles of fagots on the port side. when we trimmed sail afresh we had hauled it along the starboard, and had at least smelt nothing of the smoke there. but now we set to work and hove the fagots overboard, setting the handsome sledge from off them forward out of the way. the peat smoke grew stronger as we lowered the pile, and at last a little cloud of blue smoke came up to us. "no hurry," said i to bertric, who was anxious, "there is no wind to fan the turfs into flame. it can but smoulder slowly." "it is here," cried dalfin, lifting a fagot whose under side was scorched and blackened, though more by heat and smoke than flame. under that was a bushel or so of peat, the midst of which was but a black hollow, round the sides of which the fire glowed red, only waiting for the wind to fan it into life. the turfs blazed a little in the draught as we cast them overboard quickly. then we sent all the fagots on that side after them. "this is no chance," i said. "there may be more yet. we must get all this lumber cleared." it had been the same on the other side of the pile, but the peat was cold and dead, not having burned so long. then we moved the wagon from the after end of the penthouse, and cleared that. here again was peat, and more of it, and it had been lighted, and had only been out for a short time. some of the turfs may still have had fire within them, but we did not wait to see. and all the while as we worked at this strange task, i wondered what the meaning of it all was. the last fagot went overboard, and bertric rose up and looked at me. his face was white as with some fear, and he stepped backward away from the penthouse aft. "comrades," he said, "why did they want to burn this ship? she is not burnt, only because as she ran in the light breeze there was no wind to set the peat aflame. they meant her to burn when she was in the open sea--when the spark they set in the turf should have had time to grow to flame, and fire the brushwood. look at those two tar barrels set handy." "aye," i said, for all this had been growing on me. "they meant her to run far from shore before her rigging went. that is why the halliards have been brought aft, out of the way of the flame." "and why the sail was wet," said dalfin. "and maybe why we are not chased." "it comes into my mind," said bertric slowly, "that there has been pestilence on board, and that they would rid themselves of it." but i hardly noted what he said. there had come to me, of a sudden, the memory of old tales of the ways of my norse forefathers, and the certainty of what that penthouse might hold flashed on me. many a time i had heard how in long ago days men would set the body of their dead chief afloat in his favourite ship, with all his treasure and war gear, and all else that a chief might need in asgard; and so light his balefire on board, and let him pass to a sea grave beyond the ken of men in strange magnificence. for we of the old faith hold that what a man buries in life, or takes with him to the grave in death, is his to enjoy in the hall of odin when he comes thither. it was the ancient way, and a wonderful one--the way of the asir with the dead baldur. yet i had ever been told that the custom was long past, and that such a sea and fire burial was unheard of now. it was only the finding of the half-dead fire which minded me of it; for that which we had thought of a family flitting across the seas to iceland--the sail, wet with the thunder rain of yesterday, spread to dry, and then the coming over the hills of the cast wind suddenly, setting the carelessly-moored ship adrift from some westward-looking haven, where lay no other craft which could follow her, had been quite enough to account for the wandering vessel. now i knew that only one thing would account for the purposeful firing of the ship. yonder lay some mighty chief--and as i thought of that i clutched bertric's arm and pointed. "not the pestilence, comrade," i said; "but what lies in yonder penthouse." "what should be there?" he asked, wondering, for my voice was unsteady. "we have boarded the funeral ship of some chief," i said. "he lies shut in that chamber with his treasures round him." "to be burned in his ship at sea," said bertric quietly. "well, a viking might find a less fitting funeral. truly, it seems as if you may be right, and we must needs see if so it is." now dalfin had listened, crossing himself once or twice, and he nodded. "i like it not at all," he said; "but we must see what is yonder, and if malcolm is right." it was strange to me that these two showed no fear of him who doubtless lay there, in the chamber which his men had made for him. we hold that the one who dares open the grave chamber is the hardiest of men, running most fearsome risk from the wrath of the dead hero. for, if aught will bring back the life to a warrior who has died, it will be that one should set hands on his war gear. and we hold that the ghost of a man hides near his body for many days, and therefore see that at hand is set the food that may be needful if the ghost hungers and will come back for a space to eat. else he may wander forth, troll-like and terrible, to seek what he needs. i think that it is no wonder if i feared, having been taught all this. but my comrades were christians, and on them was no fear of the quiet dead; but only an awe, and reverence. but of that i knew naught. "why must we open the house?" i said. "it is as if we courted the wrath of the chief. i have been told of men who would try to win the treasure from a mound where one was buried, and died with fear of what he met with there." "such an one deserved it," said bertric quietly; "but we seek no treasure, nor would rob the dead. no doubt the wrath of heaven lies hard on one who does so. yet all this time we do not know if we are right or not." "let it be," said i. "i do not think that we should," dalfin said. "for if you are right--and you are a norseman, and know--while it seems about the only possible reading of what has puzzled us--then we must needs sail to the norway shore that the men of the chief may know what has happened, and either lay him in mound, or see this better carried out." "aye," said bertric, "dalfin is right. by chance we have been set in charge of this ship--maybe not at all by chance--that we may see honour done at last. maybe we cannot make for norway when the wind comes. if not, we must plan otherwise. come, i cannot rest till i know." but i held him back, making no secret of my fears. "we shall have to reckon with the wrath of the hero," i said. "it will be terrible--and we know not what may happen." at that dalfin stared at me; but bertric, who had seen other lands and knew the ways of men, smiled and set his hand on my arm. "i do not fear him," he said. "it is impossible that if a chief lies there he can be wroth with men who will do naught but honour him. think--is there any honour to the mighty dead that he should wander across the lone sea thus, as we met him?" i knew that he was right, and did not gainsay him. after all, we were sure to have looked into that chamber presently, and to have found what i feared--suddenly and unexpectedly--would have been worse. so i set my fears aside as best i could, and went forward with them both to the end of the house, in which we had seen no sign of door. i thought that perhaps the upright timbers which closed the end might be loose; but they were nailed to the roof beam, against which they were set too firmly for us to move them, and we must look for some axe or other tool. "one of the chests forward is the ship's carpenter's," said dalfin. "i opened it when we sought for food just now." he slipped round the house and came back with a heavy hammer and a broad chisel. bertric took them, and prised away the upper end of the midmost timber without any trouble. then he drew it toward him, and the lower end wrenched free at once, for the nails that held this building which was to be burnt were not long. and while he did this, he stood on one side, that he might not pry into the chamber idly, as it were, while dalfin and i could see nothing from where we stood. only a little peat smoke seemed to come out gently when the timber had gone. it did but need that two more timbers should be moved thus, and there was room enough for a man to pass through. then bertric set down the hammer, and took off his rough sea cap, smiling a little, yet with grave eyes, and so looked in. dalfin pressed close to him, but i stood aside still. "the place is full of the peat smoke. i can see nothing," dalfin said. "somewhat white on the floor," said bertric; "but we block the light." he stood aside, and the shadowless brightness shone across the chamber through the thinning peat smoke. i saw him start a little, and dalfin signed himself with his holy sign once or twice. then i must look also, almost in spite of myself, and i went forward quietly. chapter : by sea and fire. it was even as i thought. there lay in state, as his men had left him, a wonderful old chief, whose long, white beard swept like a snowdrift down the crimson cloak in which he was shrouded. they had set him on just such a low, carved bedstead as that which we had found outside the house, dressed in his full mail, and helmed, and with his sword at his side, such a priceless weapon, with gold-mounted scabbard and jewelled hilt, as men have risked the terrors of grave mounds to win. his white hand rested on the pommel, and he was facing forward as if looking toward the far shore which he was to reach through the flames. but there was naught terrible in his look, and even my fears passed as i saw the peacefulness of that last sleep. the smoke thinned quickly from the chamber; for it had only soaked into it from the peat against its roughly made walls, over which the fagots had been piled too heavily and closely for their purpose. then we saw that all the deck round the bier was full of caskets and bales, and that on the far wall hung weapons--swords and axes, spears, and bows and arrows, and with them mail shirts and helms and shields, such as the chief himself might wear. and by the side of the chief, packed carefully in a rushen basket, were the bowls, one metal, and the rest of black earthenware, which held the food for the grave, according to our custom. there was a tall jar of wine also, covered with its little silver drinking cup. now we stood for a little while silent, and then dalfin spoke. "what is that yonder?" he asked under his breath, and pointing to the far end of the chamber. "as it were a heap of mail and linen." i could not see what he meant, for i stood on one side, but bertric stepped a pace toward him, and looked more closely past the bier, which almost hid whatever the pile might be. it seemed the only thing set carelessly, for all else was in perfect order. then he started somewhat, and spoke hurriedly. "as i live," he cried, but so low that the cry was all but stifled, "it is a girl! is she also dead or in a swoon?" he stooped, after a moment's doubt, and went straight into the place. it was so low at the sides of the bier which he must pass, that he was almost double until he reached the foot, and stood up under the ridge. then he bent, and lifting his burden brought it out into the open air, carrying it toward the after deck away from the penthouse. then we saw that it was indeed a girl, tall and pale, with long tresses of yellow-golden hair plaited and bound with some strange gold-woven blue band, dressed in white, with a beautiful light coat of mail over the kirtle. "she is alive," said bertric, setting her down very gently. "either the smoke in that close chamber--or fear--has overcome her. one of you get water from the cask forward." i went hastily; but i had to search for somewhat in which to bring it, and was a few minutes before i found where the ship's buckets hung under the gunwale right forward. but meanwhile, dalfin, with no fears in him, had gone gently to the penthouse and brought thence the pitcher of wine and the silver bowl, so that when i came back those two were trying to get some of the wine between the pale lips, though without much success. now we bathed her face with the cool water, and presently the colour began to come back slowly, though she did not stir. "we are rough nurses at best," said bertric; "but we can do better than this. let us get the bedstead that is forward, and set a fold or two of the awning on it for her to rest on. better than the hard deck when she comes to herself, and maybe not so terrifying." we left dalfin to tend her, and brought the bedstead and canvas with all speed, and so lifted her on it. then bertric went back into the house and brought thence a blue cloak which lay where she had fallen, and covered her with it, for the night was chill now. it was her own, and with it he brought a light helm made of steel bands and transparent horn between them, which must have fallen from her head. maybe this maiden was of twenty years, or less, and to me, at least, who had no sisters as had the others, she seemed beautiful altogether. i know that had she faced us in life in the entry of the chamber, clad as she was in her mail and helm, i had been sure that she was a valkyria, sent hither by odin to choose the hero yonder for his halls. "she is long in coming round," said bertric presently. "it may be as well to close up that chamber before she sees it open, lest she take us for common robbers, and be terrified." dalfin laughed a little. "helm and mail and fear should not go together," he said. "she will wake without thought of what she has tried to be," answered bertric. "get the place closed, malcolm, anywise." now dalfin and i went together, and set back the timbers in their places. but they would not bide there properly, and i took up the hammer we had used to take them down, and drove one or two of the upper nails again lightly, dalfin kneeling and holding the ends below. whether the sharp click of the iron roused the girl or not i cannot say, but i had not driven more than three before i heard a little cry behind me, and turned to see if there was anything amiss. the girl was sitting up, and seeming not to heed bertric at all--for he was behind her and supporting her--was looking at us two with wide eyes of fear and wonder. and when i turned of a sudden, she set her hands together and held them out toward me as if she prayed, and cried to me: "asa thor! asa thor! will you leave me? is there no place in freya's hall--in gladsheim--for a maiden, if to asgard she may not come?" i had no answer. for the moment i thought that she saw some vision of the asir beyond my ken, and then knew that it was indeed to myself that she spoke. for i stood at the door of the house of the dead, with thor's weapon--the hammer--in my hand, and she wandered in her mind with the weakness that comes after a swoon. "hush, lady, hush," said bertric in a wonderfully gentle voice. "it is not thor whom you see, but only a friend." but seeing that i made no answer, nor moved, for i was at a loss altogether, she turned to dalfin, who still knelt beside me, watching her in blank amaze. the norse gods were all but unknown to him, save perhaps as he had heard their names now and then from the irish danes. "you must be freyr, you other of the greeters of the slain. speak for me, i pray you, to the hammer bearer, that i may go whither my grandfather is gone, if so be that i am dead." "nay, lady," said dalfin, with all courtesy, "i do not know him you mean. i am only dalfin, prince of maghera, of the northern o'neills." now, at that magnificent "only" i saw bertric trying to stifle somewhat like a grin beyond the shoulder of his charge. "lady," he said, "we are but mortal men. we are here to help you, for the ship has not taken fire, and you are safe." she gave a little gasp and sank back on the roll of canvas we had set for a pillow, and her eyes closed. i put back the last timber hastily, and came aft, getting out of sight behind the bedstead, being in no wise willing to be hailed as thor again. as for dalfin, he poured out another cup of the wine and gave it to bertric, who had signed to him for it. "she will be herself directly," he said sagely. "who was it that she took me for?" "only a heathen god, and a worthy one," answered the saxon, setting the cup to the lips of the girl, and making her drink some of its contents slowly. "neither you nor malcolm will ever be held quite so highly again. make the most of it." i think that he meant the lady to hear him speak thus cheerfully, and it is certain that she did so. a little wan smile flitted across her face, and then she flushed red, and opened her eyes. her first glance fell on the penthouse, and she shuddered somewhat. then she sat up and looked round for us, seeing bertric for the first time, as he stood at the head of the rough couch. "forgive me, friends," she said quietly. "i think i was not quite myself. i must have been in a long swoon. there was smoke also rising round me when last i knew anything." now she slipped from the bedstead and set her feet on the deck, facing us. i saw her look pass quickly over our dress, and minded that we were in no holiday trim. she saw bertric in the thrall's dress, and dalfin in his torn and scorched and sea-stained green hunting tunic and leather hose, and myself only in the norse dress, and that war torn and grimed with the fight in the hall, which seemed so many years ago now, and with the long sea struggle that came thereafter. yet she did not shrink from us. "i cannot understand it all," she said. "how comes it that you are here, and thus? you seem as men who have fought, and are hardly yet restored after the weariness of fight." "we have fought, lady, and have fared ill. we were captives and have escaped; and as we fled by sea we fell in with this ship when at our wits' end." so i answered, for my comrades looked at me. the fight was mine, so to speak. "it seems well for me," she said, smiling somewhat sadly. "i had no thought but to be burnt. now i have escaped that. tell me how it may have been." i did so, wondering all the time how she came to be in that terrible place, for she spoke of escape. that she would tell us in her own time, no doubt. "what can be done now?" she asked, speaking to us as to known friends, very bravely. if she had doubts of us, she hid them. perhaps that we owned to being escaped captives explained much to her--else she had surely wondered that the tattered dalfin claimed to be a prince. yet he was princely, both in look and bearing, as he rose up and made himself known, with a bow which none but a courtier could have compassed. "bertric is shipmaster," i said; "he will answer." "the ship is yours, lady, and we can but serve you," he answered. "now, it depends on the wind when it comes with dawn, as no doubt it will, what course we can take, for we are too few to work the ship rightly. we had thought of trying to make the norway shore at the nearest point we could reach, and so setting the ship, and the hero who lies in her, in the hands of those who will do him the honour that he needs at the last." at that, to our great surprise, she shook her head. "that you cannot do; at least, you may not go back to the land whence he came. hall and town may be in the hands of our worst foe, else i had not been here." "we cannot be sure of making your haven in any case. we should have sought such haven as we might, had we been alone." "and you thought nothing of the treasure, which will be surely taken from you?" "we had not thought of it, lady. we have been on board the ship but three hours or so. what thought might have come to us i cannot say. but it is not ours, and we could not rob the dead." he said that quite simply, and as the very truth, which must be to us as a matter of honour. "tell me who you are," she said. "the prince i know already. dalfin, i think it was, an irish name." dalfin bowed again, well pleased. then he took on himself to make us known in turn, as gravely as if in his father's court. "this is my host, malcolm, son of the norse jarl of caithness, who has unfortunately succeeded his brave father after a gallant fight, in which i was honoured in taking part. this is bertric the thane, of lyme, in england, a shipmaster of long standing. he joined us when we two escaped from heidrek, who calls himself the seafarer, and held us captive after burning out my host and his folk." "heidrek the seafarer!" she said, with a sharp sigh, looking up in wonder at us. "when was it that he did this harm to you?" "it was three days ago," i answered. "he fell on us at dawn, and by noon we were at sea with him as captives. that same night we escaped, thanks to the young chief, asbiorn." "then he came straightway from your home and fell on mine," she said gravely. "surely the wrath of the asir will fall on heidrek ere long, if, indeed, the asir care aught what a warrior does of wrong." "has he burnt you out also, lady?" asked dalfin. "that i doubt," she answered shortly. "but it was with his help that i myself was set afloat to be burned." then her strength seemed to give way at last as the fullness of her trouble came to her, and she turned from us and sank down sideways on the bed where she sat, and wept silently. it was hard for us to stand and see this; but we were helpless, not at all knowing what we could do. i suppose that we could have done nothing, in truth; but it seemed as if we ought to have been of some help in word, at least. at last she ceased, and sat up again, trying to smile. "yesterday, i had thought myself far from such foolishness as this," she said. "today, i know that this mail and helm of mine and the sword that lies yonder in the chamber where you found me are not fitting for me. they are an idle boast and empty. i am only a weak woman--and alone." almost was she to breaking down again, but she was brave. and then bertric spoke for the three of us. "lady," he said, "we are homeless wanderers, but we would not have you think yourself altogether alone so long as we can plan for you. mayhap we can do no more, but, at least, we shall see. i cannot think that all hope is lost. see, we have the ship, and it is high summer. not one of us can be worse off than we have been of late, and we may win to comfort once more." thereat she looked at the three of us, and rose up and stretched her hands toward us, as in greeting. "i will trust you," she said. "i will think of you as friends and brothers in trouble, and in enmity to heidrek the evildoer. it must be that you three have wrought loyally together through the long storm, and you can never be aught but friends thereafter, for you have tried one another. let me be as the fourth of you without favour." "lady," said dalfin, "i have sisters at home, and they were wont to share all the sport of myself and my brothers, even as you say, as of our number without favour. but always the sisters had the favoured place, because we willed it, and should be unhappy if it were otherwise. there were some favours which they held as their unspoken right. "is not that so in your land, bertric the thane, and in yours, friend malcolm the jarl?" truly this dalfin knew how to set things in the right way, for even i, who had no sisters, was not left out of that answer. so we both said that he was right, and she knew well what we meant, and was content. moreover, by naming our titles once again, though they were barren enough here in all truth, he told her that it was on our honour to help her. "i am more than content," she said softly. "i am no longer friendless. now i will tell you what befell me, and then you shall plan what you may, not in anywise thinking too much of me, but for all four of us." she set the blue cloak round her as if chill, and was silent, thinking for a few minutes. bertric and i leant on the gunwale close by, and dalfin set himself on the deck near us. and all the while she spoke, bertric was glancing eastward across the still water for the first sign of the breeze we longed for. i know now that on him was a dread lest it should bring with it the brown sails of heidrek's two ships; but he did not show it. it was likely that men would have watched for the smoke of the burning ship, and that when they did not see it, would put out to search, guessing what had happened. "yonder lies my grandfather," the lady said presently. "he was a king in the old days before harald made himself the one ruler in the land who should so call himself. but he cared not at all for the name, so that he held his own place among his own people, and therefore let it be, for he was a friend of harald's and helped him to the one throne. whereby we have lived in peace till just now, when the old chief grew feeble. then came my far cousin, arnkel, and would take first place, for my father, the old man's son, was dead. that my grandfather would not suffer. he would have me rule, for i should not be the first woman who had done so in his little realm. one of my ancestresses fought as a shield maiden--as i thought myself until today--in the great bravalla fight long ago. it is her mail which i have on now. arnkel pretended to agree to this, being crafty. it pleased the chief, and deceived me--till yesterday. then at last i knew that he did but wait for the death of my grandfather, thorwald, and then would get rid of me and my claims. so thorwald died, and we would set him in his ship and build a mound over her in all honour. but to do that must sail her from up the long fjord, where we have our place, to a low shore which lies open to the sea near its mouth, for with us is no place where we may find such a spot as we needed. a little village of ours is there on the coast, at which we might beach and draw up the ship; and so we made all ready, even as you see it now, save for closing the chamber, and sailed thither after the storm had passed, in the bright night. there we beached the ship, with the rollers under her, while the people made ready the place for the mound. "then suddenly, from over the near hills came heidrek and his men, and fell on us as the folk worked. i sat on the deck here alone at that time, clad thus for the last rites, and saw the warriors swarm out of a little valley on my folk, and rose up to go to them with my arms. then came arnkel on board in haste, and bade me shelter in the chamber. the ship was to be set afloat lest the fight should go against us. but i would not go." there she stopped, and a look of remembered terror crossed her face. "he had two men with him; and all the rest--our courtmen and the freemen who loved me, as i think--were running to the fight. so they made no more ado, but carried me thither, bound me that i might not cry out, and then set up the timbers hastily and fastened them. so i must lie helpless and hear what went on. they went ashore, and soon the ship groaned and creaked over the rollers, but stopped before she was afloat. men came then and cast things on board, which were the fagots and the peat for firing; but i could not cry out, for my head was too closely muffled. i think you would say that i was gagged. the noise of the fight went on, and seemed to come nearer. then the ship took the water. i heard men leap on board her, and the sail was hoisted. one cried that the chief would have a fitting funeral after all, heidrek or no heidrek; and another said that the treasure heidrek sought would be lost to him. i heard the creak of the yard, and i felt the ship swing to the wind, and then the men went over the side, and there was silence. only from the shore after a little space came a great cry, 'skoal to king thorwald, and farewell!' and with that the war horns blew fiercely, and the battle cry rang again. then came the terrible stifling smoke, and i knew that arnkel had thus rid himself of me. "presently i freed myself from the gag and the bonds, and tried to beat down the end of the house, but i could not. i took an axe from the wall, feeling for it in the darkness, but i waxed faint and breathless, and the roof is low and i could not use it. i mind that i set it back; and that is all until i woke here to see, as i thought, thor with his hammer and freyr beside him, and so--" that was all; and it was enough. only dalfin had one question to ask. "i wonder this evil arnkel parted with the treasure so lightly." "my folk would not have let him lay hands on it in any case," she answered plainly. "and they would keep it from heidrek." "that is how the men of heidrek fell on us," i said. "he must have landed his men beyond your sight, but not far off." "there were two ships seen passing north in the storm," she said. "they will have been his, and he must have berthed them in some near fjord. there he would hear of this that was to be, and of the treasure which the old king took with him to his grave." then bertric said thoughtfully enough: "it may well be that the fight has gone hardly for heidrek, else i think that he would have put off to follow the ship before this. after all, it may be that we can sail back to your fjord and tell this tale to your folk, and so make an end of arnkel and his misdeeds. now, lady--for as yet we do not know your name--we will rig the forward awning for you, and there you shall sleep. here is this bed, and if there is aught else--" "my name is gerda," she answered, smiling. "i forgot that you could not know it. yes, i am weary, and what you will do is most kind. see, there is one chest there which i would have with me. it holds the gear that was my grandmother's, and i may surely use it in my need. i had never to ask my grandsire for aught but he would give it me." we had all ready in very little time, and there we left her, and she smiled at us and thanked us again, and so let fall the awning curtains and was gone. then we three went aft and sat down and looked at one another. we had a new care thrust on us, and a heavy one. chapter : vision and pursuit. bertric walked backward and forward, as a seaman ever will, across the deck, whistling softly to himself, and looking eastward. "once," he said, as if thinking aloud, "i was foolish enough to buy a bag full of wind from a finn. he said that it depended on how much i let out what sort of breeze i had. when he was out of my reach, i found that he had not told me from which quarter the wind would come. so i hove the thing overboard. now i wish i had it. any wind is better than this doubt of what may come." "aye," i said. "we may be blown back into the arms of old heidrek. what say you to taking one of these boats, or fitting out our own with their oars, and so trying to make the coast? even heidrek would pay no heed to a boat." "we may have to do that yet," answered my friend. "heidrek is not coming, or he would have sought this ship under oars at once. that arnkel must have beaten him soundly--is that likely?" "i think so," i said. "every warrior would be in his war gear at that funeral, and it would be a full gathering of the king's folk. now, i wonder how arnkel explained the making away of the lady to her people." "one may think of many lies he could tell. men do not heed what goes on behind them when a fight is on hand. he will say that she fled, or that heidrek's men took her--as the fight may go. they will search for her, in the first case, and presently think her lost for good." "if there is one thing which i should like more than another," said dalfin, "it would be to see arnkel's face when we take back the lady." "so we may--but not yet. we must know where heidrek is. and we have to wait for wind. eh, well! we had better sleep. i will take first watch." "no, bertric," i said; "do you two sleep. i could not if i tried." "why not?" he asked, with a great yawn. "i could sleep anywhere at this minute, and dalfin is as bad." "i think that i could not sleep with yonder chief so near me," i said frankly. dalfin laughed, though bertric did not; but without more ado, they took the sail from the nearest boat and rolled themselves under it on the after deck. they were asleep in a moment, knowing that i would call them with the first sign of wind, if it came before my watch was ended. it wanted about an hour to midnight at this time, and the red glow of the sun in the sky was flooding the north. now for a long while i paced the deck, thinking of all that had happened in these few days. heavy things they were, but the heaviest were those of the summer morning when heidrek came, so that beside those terrors what else had passed was as nothing. and i passed through them all again, as it were, and hardened myself to bear them. i have said little or nothing of my folk, and i needed not to do so. they were gone, and from henceforth i was alone. what had been was no more for me. even the little norse village in caithness, which had been my home, was destroyed, so far as i was concerned, for the scots would have stepped into our place, if it was worth having after the fire and sword had been there. i could never regain it. only, there were some things which i owed to my father, and no man could take them from me while i lived. skill in arms i had from his teaching, and such seamanship as a man of two-and-twenty may have learned in short cruises; woodcraft, too, and the many other things which the son of a jarl should know. and with these, health and strength, and a little scots coolness, maybe; for i could see that if aught was to be won, i had only myself to look to for the winning. so i, in the weird twilight that had fallen now with midnight, thought and tried to foresee what should be in the days to come, and could plan nothing. only i knew that now, for the time at least, i and these two friends who slept had the lady yonder to care for before ourselves. i tired of the short walk to and fro presently, and i think that at last i forgot my fears of the dead king in my thoughts, for i went nearer the penthouse, and sat myself on the starboard boat on the deck. there had risen a light curling mist from the still sea now, as the air cooled, and it wrapped the ship round with its white folds, and hid the height of the drooping sails and the dragon head forward; and presently it seemed to me that out of the mist came the wraiths of those of whom i thought, and drew near me, and i had neither fear nor joy of their coming. my father came and sat himself beside me, and he was as i had seen him last, dressed in his mail, but with a peace on his face instead of the war light. my brothers came, and they stood before us, not smiling, but grave and content. the courtmen whom i had loved came, and they ranged themselves across the deck, and i watched them, and felt no wonder that they should be here. surely my longings had called them, and they came. so i and they all bided still for a little while; and then the courtmen raised their weapons toward me as in salute, and drifted from the deck into the white mists over the water, and were gone. then those two mighty brethren of mine smiled on me, with a still smile, and so they, too, were gone, and only my father was left; and he, too, rose up, and stood before me where the brothers had been, and it seemed to me that he spoke to me. "now are you the last of our line, the line which goes back to odin, my son; and on you it lies that no dishonour shall fall on that line, which has never yet been stained. and we trust you. so be strong, for there are deeds to be done yet in the days that lie before you." then he set his hand on my shoulder, and passed to join those others, and how i do not know. i was alone. then a longing to be with them again came over me, and i rose and stretched my hands to the place where i had seen them, but there was nothing--until i turned a little, looking for them; and then i knew that there was one who would speak to me yet. the penthouse chamber was open, and it seemed to be filled with a white light and soft, and in the doorway stood the old king, beckoning to me, so that, for all my fears, i must needs go to him. yet there was naught for me to fear in the look which he turned on me. "friend," he said, "the old sea which i love should be my grave. see to it that so it shall be. then shall you do the bidding of the maiden whom i have loved, my son's daughter, and it shall be well with you, and with those friends of yours and of mine who sleep yonder." therewith he paused, and his glance went to the things which lay round the boats and in them--the things which had been set in the ship for the hero to take to asgard with him. "see these things," he said again. "they are hers, and not mine. there will be a time when she will have need of them. in the place where i shall be is no need of treasure, as i deemed before i knew. nor of sword, or mail, or gear of war at all. and the ways of the peace of that place are the best." then i was alone on the deck, and the tall figure with the long white beard and hair was no longer before me. the chamber was closed, even as we had left it, and there was neither sign nor sound to tell me how that had been wrought. and with that a terror came on me, and i went backward toward where my comrades lay, crying to them by name, and my knees failed me, and i fell on the deck, unknowing if they heard. bertric leapt up and saw me falling, and ran to me. "poor lad!" he said, "poor lad! here is he worn out by fighting and watching, and i would let him watch yet more--i, who am used to the long hours at sea, and have grown hard in ill usage." with that he called to dalfin, who was sitting up sleepily, being as worn out as myself, and they two hapt me in the sail, and made me drink of the wine--which i would not have done at all, if i had rightly known what i was about, considering whence it came--and presently i came to myself and thanked them, feeling foolish. but more than that i did not do, for the warmth took hold of me, and i fell asleep with the words on my lips. nor did dalfin need a second bidding before he lay down again alongside me and slept. and so bertric went on watch silently, and i heeded nothing more, till the sun and the heave of the ship on a long swell that was setting from the north woke me. in the sunlight those visions which i had seen seemed as if they had been but wrought of weariness and weakness, and of the long thoughts which i had been thinking. i would heed them as little as i might, therefore, lest they took hold of me again. but i had not forgotten the words which had been spoken to me, for they were good, and in no wise fanciful. i said nothing of what had happened before i cried out and fell. there was no need, for both bertric and dalfin made little of the matter, saying that it was no wonder, and that maybe i had been more hurt when i was struck down than i felt at the time--which is likely enough. however, i had no more trouble in that way. food and sleep and the rest on that quiet deck were all that i needed. "there is wind coming directly, and enough of of it, if not too much for us," bertric said. "there has been a gale somewhere far north, to judge by this swell. now, i want breakfast before it comes, but i dare not rouse the lady by getting yon kettle." as if she had heard him, from beyond the penthouse we saw the lady herself coming, and we rose up to greet her. dalfin went quickly, and helped her over the slanting timbers of the house, where they blocked the way, and so she came aft to us. she had taken off her mail, and had put on a warm, blue kirtle over her white dress, and had made some differences otherwise, which are past my setting down. but now she looked fresh and bright after the rest, and the utmost of the trouble had gone from her face. she greeted us as if we were old friends of her own household, and that was good. then she sat on the steersman's bench, which we set for her, and asked of the sea and wind, and the chances of the day, brightly. and so at last bertric said what was nearest to his mind. "the wind will be here shortly, lady, and meanwhile we were thinking of our breakfast. yesterday we had no scruple in helping ourselves, but today we are somewhat shy, maybe. but we would bring the great kettle from forward, if you will break your fast with us." "friend bertric," she said, laughing, "we made a pact concerning equal shares of favour and hardship alike. yet i do not rightly know--" she looked grave for a little while, staying her words and thinking. "aye," she said at last, with a smile; "this ship was provisioned for a long voyage--for the longest of all, indeed. it seems that for part of the way we have to be her crew. well, then, we may take what we will of her stores, and do no wrong. the great cauldron, too, holds but part of the funeral feast, and that was mine. aye, fetch it. there are other things also which may be found, and you can take of them." but we had no need to search further, for what we had found last night was more than enough. we brought the cauldron aft, and some of the oatcake; and as we ate, first grew and darkened a long blue line which crossed the sea to the eastward, and then came stray airs which lifted the loose folds of the sail uselessly. bertric and i went forward and got out two of the ship's long oars, and pulled her head round to the southward. the water dimpled alongside of us and the sail filled as the breeze came. we laid in the oars and went aft to the helm; and so in a few minutes the ship had gathered way, and was heeling a little to the wind, and the foam gathered round her bows and slid along her side aft as she headed southward with the wind on her beam. "now, lady gerda," said bertric, "we are under way once more, and the question is, whither? how far are we from the norway coast?" "i cannot tell," she answered. "it was a little before noon, however, when the ship was set afloat, as i have told you." "we overhauled her at sunset," he said thoughtfully. "at that time she was not doing more than four knots. maybe we are fifty miles from shore, for she may have done better than that, though i doubt it, seeing how wildly she sailed. now we can hardly beat back there, for we are too few to work the sail." "it is as well," she answered sadly. "there wait arnkel and heidrek." "we think that arnkel may have made an end of heidrek's power," i said. at that she shook her head. "arnkel has had old dealings with heidrek. he has sailed with him, i know. it is more likely that after he had done with me, he made some sort of terms with him, finding out who the attackers were. we did not know at first, but i heard the men name heidrek as the ship was fired." "well, then," bertric said, after a little thought, "we must try to make the shetlands or the orkneys. malcolm will find us friends there." so, that being quite possible if the wind held, and i being sure of welcome for my father's sake, we set a course for shetland as nearly as we could judge it. the ship sailed wonderfully well and swiftly, even under the shortened canvas, and bertric was happy as he steered her. and at his side on the bench sat the lady gerda, silently looking ever eastward toward the home she had lost, while i and dalfin well-nigh dozed in the sun on the warm deck amidships in all content, for things went well with us. presently gerda rose up and came forward, as if she would go to her awning, and i went to help her over the timbers again. "come forward with me," she said; "i have something i must say to you." i followed her, and she went to the gunwale, close to the penthouse, where she was screened from dalfin, and leant on it. "you are of my own folk," she said, "and of the old faith, and therefore i can tell you what is troubling me. these other two good friends are of the new faith i have heard of, for i saw them sign their holy sign ere they ate, and you signed thor's hammer over the meat." "they are christians," i said; "but i have nothing ill to say of that faith, for i have known many of them in scotland. i am odin's man." "i have heard nothing but ill," she said. "i was frightened when i knew that they were not odin's men. will they keep faith with me?" "to the last," i answered. "have no fear of that. it is one thing which the christian folk are taught to do before all else." "i think that i could not mistrust these two in any case," she said; "but all this is not what i would speak of, though it came uppermost. what i am troubling about is this which lies here," and she set her hand for a moment on the penthouse. "what shall be done? for now we cannot fire the ship." "if we make the shetland islands," i answered, "there are norsemen who will see that all is done rightly. there they will lay the king in mound as becomes a chief of our land." "and if not?" "we might in any case make the danish shore." "where a norse chief will find no honour. better that he were sunk in the sea here. i would that this might be done, if we have any doubt as to reaching a land where your folk were known." "it may be done, lady gerda," i answered, while into my mind came the words which the old chief seemed to have spoken to me in the night. "it may be the best thing in the end. but let us wait. shall i speak of this to the others for you?" "aye, do so," she said. "what have they thought?--for you three must have spoken thereof already." "it has been in the mind of all of us to take the chief back to some land where he will be honoured. we have spoken of naught else as yet. i will say that it has seemed to me that the christian folk have more care for the honour of the dead than have we." "that is all i needed to hear," she said simply. "i have feared lest it had been rather the other way." now i looked aft, and saw bertric staring under his hand astern, and stepped to the other gunwale to see what it was at which he looked. but i could make out nothing. the sea was rising a little, but that was of course as the breeze freshened steadily. there was no sign of change or of heavier weather to come, and no dark line along the eastward sea warned me of a coming squall. yet bertric still turned from the helm and looked astern. "what is it?" asked gerda. "go and see, and call me if it is aught." so i went aft again, and stood beside bertric, asking him what had caught his eye. "i cannot say for certain," he said; "but it seemed to me that for a moment somewhat like a sail lifted on the sea's rim off yonder." he pointed off the port quarter, and turned to the helm again, leaving me to see if i could catch sight of what he had seen. maybe it was but the dipping wing of a gull. but it was not that. presently i also saw the speck he meant, and it did not disappear again. it was the head of a square, brown sail, the ship herself to which it belonged being hull down, but holding the same course as ourselves, or thereabouts, so far as one could judge as yet. and before long a second hove up from astern the first. "they are running a bit freer than we," bertric said. "they have a shift of wind astern of them, whereby they are overhauling us." "two brown-sailed ships," said i. "they mind one too much of heidrek to be pleasant, else one might welcome the coming of any honest norsemen who would help us to do the right." "wait, and i will tell you," answered bertric somewhat grimly. "i cannot mistake heidrek's ships once i get a fair sight of them." in half an hour or so he did tell me. they were undoubtedly heidrek's, and were in chase of us. this ship was not to be mistaken even from a long distance. "heidrek has followed in the track this vessel must needs have taken, and now supposes that some stray fishers have picked her up and are trying to get away with her and the treasure. well, that is near enough to the truth, too," said bertric, laughing a short laugh. "no, let dalfin and the lady rest in peace until we know if they outsail us. this is a wonderful little craft, but she needs her crew on board." chapter : a sea queen's champions. we were sailing with the easterly wind on our beam, and making maybe six knots on it, with the two reefs down. the full crew of such a ship as this for such a cruise without any warlike ending to it would be about twenty, or perhaps a few less. she pulled sixteen oars a side, and with a war crew on board would muster ninety-six men--three to an oar--with a few extra hands, as the helmsman and the chiefs, to make a total of a hundred. her decks would be crowded, of course, but she would be down to her bearings, being built for war cruises, and in a breeze all her men would be sitting up to windward as shifting ballast, so to speak. it is not likely, therefore, that we could have done much better had we managed to shake out the reefs, seeing that the ship was light. her pebble ballast had been taken out when she was drawn up for the last time on shore, and in the hurry it had been needless to replace it. so the two pirate longships overhauled us fast, and presently their low, black hulls were plain to us. it was time we did somewhat if we were not to be taken without an effort to escape. "see here," said bertric suddenly, "i know somewhat too well how those ships can sail; but i think that this ship would beat them in a reach to windward. that, of course, would run us in toward the norway shore, and i have ever heard that it is as dangerous as any. i do not know it, but the lady gerda may do so. if the worst came to the worst, it is in my mind that we might take to the boat and let the ship go her own way, if she is beyond our handling when we make the shore." "if we can sight land, it is possible that we may be sighted also," said i. "it seems our only chance. i will call gerda." bertric nodded, and i went forward and called her accordingly, rousing dalfin, who slumbered in the sun under the lee of the boats amidships, as i passed him. gerda came quickly from her awning as she heard me, and saw the two ships at once. they were then some eight miles astern of us, and she looked at me with an unspoken question. "they are heidrek's ships," i said. "we have to try one last chance of outsailing them." "anything rather than that we should fall into such hands," she said at once. now bertric told her what seemed to be our one plan, and she answered that she was well content to be guided by us. neither she nor we knew rightly where we were, nor how far it might be to the coast. but she did know that everywhere that shore was belted by rocky islands, and sea-washed skerries. "you may be able to steer into safety between them," she said. "you may split the ship on some half-sunk rock not far from the land, and so we ourselves may be saved in the boat. i think that is the best--for so may come a sea grave for my grandfather--and no enemy's hand shall touch him or his." then said bertric, with set teeth, "if we may not outsail heidrek, it will be my part to sink one of his ships with our own, if it may be done." "aye," she said. "do so." therein i was altogether with them, and dalfin smiled a strange smile in assent. "you would steer this ship against the other?" he asked. "then i suppose that over the bows here might go on board that other a man with an axe, and smite one blow or two before he is ended. it will be well enough if so." "you shall have your chance," said i. "maybe i will help." now we said no more. bertric luffed, and we flattened in the sheet, gerda hauling with us, laughing, and saying that it was not for the first time. then bertric's face cleared, for the ship went to windward like a swallow, her length helping her in spite of her lightness. we had to cut adrift our boat at this time, as she would hinder us. we had no more need of her. heidrek altered his course at once, sailing a point or two more free than we, either, as bertric thought, because he could lie no closer to the wind, or else meaning to edge down on us. and, he being so far to windward, for a time it seemed as if he neared us fast. in two hours we knew that we outsailed him, close hauled. little by little we gained to windward, until he was three miles astern of us and losing still more rapidly, as he went to leeward. he could not look up to the wind any closer. one of his ships, indeed, was astern and to leeward of the other, so that if that one only had had to be counted with, we were safe. then he took to his oars, and bertric and i knew that the worst was yet to come, as we saw the sun flash from the long row of rising and falling blades across the miles of sea. "some of them will be mighty tired yet before they overhaul us," i said. "a stern chase is a long chase." now i began to look restlessly for some sign of the high land of the norway shore, but there was naught to be seen. only to eastward the sky was dull and grayish, as it were with the loss of light in the sky over hill and forest. and heidrek was gaining on us steadily if very slowly. we were very silent at this time. presently gerda broke the silence. "friend bertric," she said in a still voice, "how long have we?" he glanced back at the ships, and answered her, after a moment's thought. "two hours--or maybe three, if the men who row tire--that is if the wind holds. if it freshens, we may beat them yet." "i hear that you doubt that last," she said. "now, is it still in your minds to die rather than fall into the hands of yon men?" "lady," said i, "we three would have no care for ourselves. we have to think of you." "i will die, sooner," she answered, with set lips. "then," said bertric simply, "it shall be as i have said. we will ram the pirate ship and sink with her." then gerda rose up and looked at the three of us, and her face grew bright. "now i have one thing to ask you," she said, "and that is to let me arm you once more. it is not fitting that you three should fall and pass to asgard all unlike warriors--in that thrall-like gear. "come with me, malcolm, and bring what i shall find for you." i followed her until she stayed at the entrance to the penthouse, and i half feared that she would bid me open and enter it. in truth, we had almost forgotten what lay there, but now i could not but remember, and the old dread came back to me. but she did not do so. she pointed to one of the great chests which had been stowed between the boats, and bade me open it. i had to tug at it to bring it forward, for it was heavy, and then threw the lid back. it was full of mail, and with the close-knit ring shirts were helms, and some few short, heavy swords. "war spoils of the old days before harald fairhair," she said. "when my grandfather had many foes, and knew how to guard himself. all these would have been rent and spoiled before they were laid in the ship mound--but at the last there was not time--thus." now she called to dalfin, and he came eagerly, with a cry of delight on seeing the war gear. "lift them, and choose what you will for yourselves and bertric," she said. "it will be strange if, among all, you do not find what will suit you." now there was no difficulty in finding suits of the best for the other two. there were seven in all in the chest, and we set two aside. dalfin was tall and slight, and very active, and bertric was square and sturdy, and maybe half a head shorter than either of us. but after the way of my forebears, both norse and scottish, i was somewhat bigger than most men whom i have met, though not so much in height as in breadth of shoulder. maybe, however, i was taller than dalfin, for i think he was not over six feet. so it happened that as dalfin, in all light-heartedness, as if no enemy was nearer than ireland, took up suit after suit of the bright ring mail and stretched them across my shoulders, trying to fit me, not one of these would do by any means. gerda stood by us, watching quietly. "it does not matter," i said at last. "let me have a weapon, and i shall not be the first of us who has fallen unmailed." "no," said gerda, "it is my fancy that my champions shall be well armed. open the small chest yonder." i did so, and in that lay a most beautiful byrnie and helm, if anything better than those we had been choosing from. it was the only suit here, and gerda looked wistfully at it. "take that one, malcolm," she said. "it will fit you. it was one of my father's--and i had a fancy that thorwald would take it to him in asgard, for he lies on the swedish shore, and it might not be laid in the mound with him. now you shall bear it to him, and he will greet you." "i am not worthy to wear it," i stammered. "it is too sacred to you." "no," she answered. "i ask you to do so, and i think you will not refuse." now i saw in the face of dalfin that he thought it right that i should take the mail, and so i did. we went with the three suits and the helms back to bertric, and so put them on, gerda helping us, and i taking the tiller when it was bertric's turn. even in this little while one could see that heidrek's leading ship had gained on us. it was more than good to be in the mail of a free man and warrior once more. dalfin shook himself, as a man will to settle his byrnie into place, and his eyes shone, and he leapt on the deck, crying: "now am i once more a prince of maghera, and can look a foe--aye, and death, in the face joyfully. my thanks, dear lady, for this honour!" then he broke into a wild song in his own tongue, and paced the deck as if eager for the coming of heidrek, and the promised crash of the meeting ships. and as suddenly he stopped, and looked at his hands. "faith," he said, "i thought the song went amiss. it is the song of the swinging swords--and never a sword have i--nor either of us." gerda laughed at him. it seemed that the pleasure of her champions, as she called us, in the war gear pleased her. "swords you shall have," she said at once. "i did but wait." "for what, lady?" asked dalfin. she smiled and reddened somewhat, looking down on the deck. "one can hardly be mistaken as to whether a man is used to war gear," she said. "now i see you three--prince, jarl, and thane--as i might have known you to be at first. forgive me for the little doubt." seeing what sort of scarecrows we must have been, we did not wonder at all that she had doubted. and, after all, not every day are three men of rank of different lands to be found adrift in an open boat, simply as it had come about in our case. "it would have been a wonder if you had not doubted," said bertric. "we have naught to forgive, and, indeed, have held ourselves honoured that you took our words as you did. in all truth, i do feel myself again in mail, and so must malcolm." i did, and said so. there are thoughts knit up in the steel ringwork which are good for a man. "the swords are in yon chamber," gerda said quickly, not being very willing, mayhap, to speak more in this wise. "i will ask malcolm, for he is a norseman, to come and choose them." that was the last thing i wished, but would not say so. without a word i went forward with her to the penthouse, and took down the three loose timbers again. the dim chamber seemed very still, and across its dimness the shafts of sunlight--which came through the chinks in the rough timbering of walls and roofs--shifted and glanced as if alive, as the ship swayed. one golden ray lit on the still face of the old king, and it was almost as if he smiled as we stood in the doorway. gerda saw it, and spoke softly, stepping to the side of the bier. "it shall please you to arm these warriors who will seek valhalla with you, my grandfather. you were wont to arm the friends who would be ready to fall at your side." a wave lifted the ship and swung her, and the shaft of light swayed across the chamber, sparkling on the arms which hung from the timbers. it lit up the hilt of a gold-runed sword for a moment, and then was gone. "that is for you, malcolm the jarl," gerda said. "take it. then choose for the others." then i unhelmed and stooped and went into the chamber, and took down the sword which the sunbeam had shown me. it hung from its own baldric with an axe and a round shield. gerda bade me take the shield also, and i did so. now i could see well enough to choose for the others, for the dimness was but the change from the sunshine outside on deck. i took a lighter weapon for dalfin, and a heavy, short sword for bertric, and with them shields. no long choice was needed, for not one of the weapons but was of the best. so i turned, and came forth from the chamber, and gave the weapons to gerda, while i closed it once more. i think she bade the king farewell at that time. "you have my father's sword also," she said to me softly. "i think that if you have but a little time to wear these things which he loved, you will not dishonour them." she gave me no time to say more, and i do not know what i could have answered, save that i hoped that i might be worthy. little chance of much fighting were we likely to have--and yet there was just a hope that we might fall in a ring of foes on the deck of the pirate. gerda buckled on those weapons for us. and then dalfin must end his song, and it was good to see and hear him, if only he and myself understood the words. but heidrek crept up to us all the time, if we forgot him for the moment under the spell of the wild song. the clear voice ceased, for the song was ended. a dimness crept across the decks, and the sail shivered and filled again. bertric looked up at the sky and out to windward, and his face changed. "what is it?" asked gerda anxiously. "running into a fog bank," he said. "look ahead." one could not see it. only it was as if the ring of sea to windward had of a sudden grown smaller. heidrek was not a mile astern of us, and still his ships were in bright sunshine. even as we watched them, a grayness fell on them, and then they grew dim. then the fog closed in on us, and swallowed us up, and drifted across the decks so thickly that we could barely see from gunwale to gunwale, damp, and chilling. still, the wind did not fail us, hurrying the fog before it. "we must hold on until we know if this is but a bank of fog, or if it is everywhere," bertric said. "what say you, malcolm?" i thought a while, knowing the cold sea fogs of the north pretty well. "heidrek will be in it by this time," i said. "fog bank or more, i would about ship and run back past him with the wind. if it is a bank, we shall go with it, and he must lose us. if it is more, we can get on our southward course in it shortly, and if he sights us again, he will have all his work to catch us, for his men will be tired of rowing." "what if the fog lifts directly?" "we shall be little worse off than now--and we shall be heading down on heidrek before he knows it." "aye," he answered, "with way enough on us to sink him offhand, and maybe take this ship clear through his. get to the sheets, you and dalfin, and we will chance it." bertric luffed, and we hauled the tack amidships. then he paid off to the wind, and we slacked off the sheet with the help of a turn of its fall round the great cleat of the backstay. the wash of the waves round the bows ceased, and there was only the little hiss of the water as the sea broke alongside of us. it always seems very silent for a little while when one puts about for a run after beating to windward. "listen," said bertric under his breath, "we shall hear heidrek directly on the starboard bow somewhere. pray heaven he has not changed his course, or we shall hit him! he will not have luffed any more, for certain." "suppose he thinks that we have tried some such trick as this?" said dalfin. bertric shook his head. "he thinks we shall go on as we steered, making for the norway shore. it is likely that he will think that we may have paid off a bit, for the sake of speed. even if he did think we were likely to do this, what could he do? he cannot tell, and to put about and run on the chance would be to give away his advantage if we had held on after all. listen!" "i hear him," said gerda, who was leaning on the gunwale with parted lips, intent on catching any sound. the sound she had heard came nearer and nearer as we slid silently through the water into the blinding fog. it was like a dull rumble at first, and then as a trampling, until the roll and click of the long, steadily pulled oars was plain to us. the ship was passing us, and not more than an arrow flight from us. it seemed almost impossible that we should not see her. suddenly, there came a sharp whistle, and the roll of the oars ceased. gerda started away from the gunwale and looked at us, and dalfin set his hand on his sword hilt. it was just as if they had spied us, and i half expected to see the tall stemhead of the ship come towering through the thickness over our rail. there was nothing to tell us how fast we were going through the water, and we seemed still. i saw bertric smiling. "shift of rowers," he said in a whisper, and gerda's pale face brightened. then i heard heidrek rating someone, and i heard, too, the tramp and rattle of the men who left and came to the oars; but by the time the steady pull began again we had passed the ship by a long way, and lost the sound almost as soon as it came. then there was silence once more, and the strain was past. our course would take us clear of the other ship by a mile or more. so we held on for half an hour, and the fog grew no thinner. overhead, the sun tried to shine through it, but we could not see him, and still the wind drifted us and the fog together, and the decks grew wet and the air chill with the damp which clung round us. gerda sat very still for a long time after the last sounds were heard. but at last she rose up and shivered. "let me go to my awning," she said unsteadily. "i have seen three brave men look death in the face, and they have not flinched--i will never wear mail or sword again." then she fled forward, and something held us back from so much as helping her to cross that barrier. we knew that she was near to breaking down, and no wonder. there fell an uneasy silence on us when she was within the shelter of the awning and its folds closed after her. dalfin broke it at last. "well," he said, "i suppose that you two seamen know which way you are steering in the fog--but it passes me to know how." bertric and i laughed, and were glad of the excuse to do so. we told him that we steered by the wind, which had not changed. but now we had only one course before us. we must needs head south and try to make the shetlands. eastward we might not sail for fear of heidrek, and westward lay the open ocean, still, we held on for half an hour, and then, still shrouded in the white folds of the fog, headed south as nearly as we might judge. in an hour the wind fell. the fog darkened round us as the sun wore to the westward, and the sea went down until only the long ocean swell was left, lifting the ship easily and slowly without breaking round her. there was naught to be done; but, at least heidrek could not find us. "there may be days to come like this," bertric said, with a sort of groan. "what is to be planned for him who lies yonder?" now, i told them what gerda had said to me, and i could see that bertric was relieved to hear her thought of a sea burial. "i had thought of the same," he said at once. "it is not fitting that here the old warrior should be drifted to and fro, well nigh at the mercy of the wind, with the chances of a lee shore or of folk who make prey of hapless seafarers presently. a sea burial such as many a good man of our kin has found will be best. i could ask no more for myself." "and what of the treasure?" i asked. "shall that go with him?" "it is gerda's, and she must say," he answered. "yet she will need it." then dalfin said: "it will be hard to tell her so, but she must not part with it. it stands between her and want, if it may be saved for her. yet, if it was the will of the old king that it should be set in his grave, i do not know how we can persuade her to keep it. he is not here to say that he does not need it; for he has learnt that now." i glanced at the penthouse with the thought of that strange vision of mine. i could not tell my comrades of it, but i thought that, if need was, i might tell gerda presently. i said in answer to dalfin that he was right, and that we must set the matter thus before gerda. "the sooner the better," said bertric. "do you go and speak with her. we must not let the night pass without this being done, as i think" chapter : the treasure of the king. gerda heard me coming, and met me at the same spot where we had first spoken of this matter. she saw that i had come to tell her what we had said thereof. "what of the others?" she asked anxiously. "they have spoken in all thought for you, even as i knew they would," i answered. "we are at one in thinking that the sea grave is most fitting." she asked me why, as if to satisfy some doubts which she yet had, and i must needs tell her therefore what our own dangers were, though i made as light of them as i could. i told of the perils of a lee shore to this under-manned ship; of the chance of meeting another ship at any time here on the norway coast; of crews and of wreckers who would hold naught sacred; of the chance of our drifting thus idly for many days in this summer weather--all chances which were more likely than the quiet coming to the islands where my father's name was known and honoured enough for us to find help. from these chances it was best to save the king, who was our care, and at once. she heard me very bravely to the end. "so let it be," she said, sighing. "you will suffer the treasure to go with him?" "that is as you will, lady," i said; "it is yours. was it the wish of thorwald that it should pass to the mound with him?" she glanced at me, half proudly and half as in some rebuke. "thorwald would ask for naught but his arms," she said. "the treasure was mine, for he did but hoard to give. i would set him forth as became odin's champion. he was no gold lover." "should it not be, then, as he would have wished?" i said. "let him pass to the depths with his war gear, and so through aegir's halls to the place of odin, as a warrior, and unburdened with the gold he loved not at all." she looked sharply at me, and shrank away a little, half turning from me. "is the treasure so dear to you men after all?" she asked coldly. that angered me for the moment, and i felt my face flush red, but i held myself in. "no," i answered as coldly. "these arms you have given us are all the treasure we need or could ask. they are a warrior's treasure, and mayhap we hold them as dear as did thorwald. what else may lie in those chests we do not know or care, save only for one reason." "what is that?" she asked, glancing at me again as if she knew that she had spoken unkindly. "that if it goes into the sea depths it leaves you, lady gerda, helpless. when you were at home, with your folk round you, the hoarded spoils might be spent in all honour to their winner without thought of why he had kept them thus. now, in the power they have for you lies your comfort, and maybe the regaining of your home. doubtless, the king hoarded at last for you, and we cannot see your wealth pass from you without a word to bid you think twice of what you do here and as things are." "aye," she said bitterly, "i am helpless--beholden to you three strangers," and she turned away swiftly, going to the gunwale and leaning her arms and head on it as in a storm of grief. hard words indeed those seemed; but i knew well enough that they were meant in no unkindness. they came from the depths of her utter loneliness. only a day or two ago she had been the queen in her little realm, and now--well, i did not wonder at her. few women in her place would have kept the brave heart she did before us, and this weakness would pass. but it was a long while before she turned to me again, so that i began to fear that in some way i had set things too bluntly before her, and wished that dalfin had been sent to manage better in his courtly way. yet, i had only spoken the truth in the best manner i could. at last she straightened herself, and looked once more at me. there was the light of a wan smile on her face, too, though she had been weeping. "forgive me, jarl," she said softly. "i have wronged you and those good friends of ours by my foolish words. indeed, i hardly knew what i said, for i was hard pressed with the thoughts of what had been. i do believe that you three have not a thought of yourselves in this matter." she set her hand on my arm pleadingly, and i raised it and kissed it in answer, having no word at all to say. after all, i do not know that any was needed. "then i am forgiven?" she said more brightly. "now, tell me what may be done if i keep the treasure. i must needs hear good reasons." good reasons enough there were, and they needed no long setting into words. if she had not enough to raise men and so win back her home from arnkel, at least there must be sufficient to keep her in comfort in any land until she could find a passage back to norway, and claim guardianship and help from thorwald's friends. we could and would help her in either way. she heard me to the end, and then sighed a little, and said that i was altogether right. "whether aught of these plans may come to pass is a matter which the norns { } have in their hands," she said. "we shall see. but now i am sure that i may not lightly part with the treasure as i had meant, though it is hard for me to forego what i had set my heart on. it is true that all was hoarded for me--at least since my father died. it is well that thorwald never knew the sore need there would be for what he could set by for me." then i tried to tell her that all our wish was to lighten the trouble as much as we might, but she stayed me, laughing as if well content. "nay; but you shall mind that pact which we made at the first, neither more nor less." she signed to me to go to the others and set all in readiness for what must be done; but as i bowed and turned to go, she stayed me. "for us norse folk," she said, "there is one word needed, perhaps. i heard my men cry the last farewell to thorwald as the ship left the shore. the temple rites were long over. all that was due to a son of odin has been done." now, it is needless for me to say that i could not tell all that had passed. all i had to say was that gerda was content with our plan, and all three of us were somewhat more easy in our minds. it had been by no means so certain that she would be so. now we made no more delay, but quietly and reverently bertric showed us how to make all ready for such a sea burial as he had many a time seen before. so it was not long before the old king lay with his feet toward the sea on the fathom of planking which we had lowered from where it was made to unship for a gangway amidships for shore-going and the like. we had set him so that it needed but to raise the inboard end of this planking when the time came that he should pass from his ship to his last resting in the quiet water; and he was still in all his arms, with his hands clasped on the hilt of his sword beneath the shield which covered his breast, but now shrouded in the new sail of one of his boats in the seaman's way. at this time the fog was thinning somewhat, and the low sun seemed likely to break through it now and then. it was very still all round us, for there was no sound of ripple at the bows or wash of water alongside, and the swell which lifted us did not break. only there was the little creaking of the yard and the light beating of the idle sail against the mast as the ship rolled and swung to the swell. some little draught of wind, or the send of the waves, had set her bows to it, and she rode the water like a sea bird at rest. gerda came at a word when all was ready, and stood beside us with clasped hands. and so for a little time we four stood with a space between us and the head of that rough sea bier, and over against us beyond it the open gangway and the heaving, gray water, which now and then rose slowly and evenly almost to the deck level and again sank away. it was almost as if, when the end had come, that we waited for some signal which there was none to give. what those two of the other faith had said to one another i do not know; but for a little time they stood with bare, bent heads as in one accord, and i saw them make their holy sign on their breasts before they moved. then bertric signed to me that i should help him lift the inboard end of the planking, and we stepped forward together and bent to do so. even as my hands touched the wood there came a sudden rushing, and i felt a new lift of the ship, and into the open gangway poured the head of a great, still wave, flooding the deck around our feet, and hiding in its smother of white foam and green water that which lay before us, so that we must needs start back hastily. the ship lurched and righted herself, and the wave was gone. gone, too, was the old king--without help of ours. the sea he loved had taken him, drawing him softly to itself with the ebb of the water from the deck, and covering the place alongside, where i had feared for gerda to see the dull splash and eddy of the end, with a pall of snow-white foam. for a long moment we stood motionless, half terrified. neither before this had any sea come on board since we lowered the gunwale nor did any come afterward. gerda clutched my arm, swaying with the ship, and then she cried in a strange voice: "it is aegir! aegir himself who has taken him!" that was in my mind also, and no wonder. the happening seemed plainly beyond the natural. i turned to gerda, fearing lest she should be over terrified, and saw her staring with wide eyes into the mists across that sea grave, wondering; and then of a sudden she pointed, and cried once more: "look! what is yonder? look!" then we all saw what she gazed at. as it were about a ship's length from us sailed another ship, tall and shadowy and gray, holding the same course as ourselves, and keeping place with us exactly, rising and falling over the hills of water as we rose and fell. and we could see that she had the same high dragon stem and stern as our ship, and on her decks we could make out forms of men amidships, dim and misty as the ship herself. yet though we could see her thus, in no wise could we make out the sea on which she rode--so thick was the curling fog everywhere, though the sun was trying to find a way through it, changing its hue from gray to pearly white. now, bertric started from the stillness which held us, and hailed the ship loudly. "ahoy! what ship is that?" the hail rang, and seemed to echo strangely in the fog, but there came no answer. nor was there any when he hailed again and for the third time. i thought that the outline of the strange sail grew more dim at the first cry, and again that it was plainer, for the mist across the sun drifted, though we could feel no breeze. "it is aegir's ship," whispered gerda, still clinging to me. "thorwald is therein," and she raised her hand as if to wave a farewell, hardly knowing what she did. at that, one of the shadowy forms on the strange deck lifted its arm with the same gesture, and at the same moment. still no sound came to us, close as the ship must surely be--so close that we might have heard even a foot fall on her deck in the stillness that weighed on us. gerda's hand sank to her side, and she swayed against me so that i had to support her hastily, for she was fainting. i do not know what my face was like as i saw that ghostly greeting, but dalfin's was white and amazed, and he crossed himself, muttering i know not what prayers. but for all that i heard what was like a half laugh come from bertric, and he went quickly aft to the sternpost and rested his hand on it for a moment, still watching the ship. and as he went, one of that ghostly crew went also, and stood as he stood, with outstretched arm set on the dim sternpost. then the fog turned dusky and gray again, and the ship alongside us was gone as it came, suddenly, and in silence, and bertric came back to us. gerda's faintness was passing, for she was but overwrought, though she still leaned against me. "what is it?" she asked. "what does it mean?" "there is no harm in it, lady," answered bertric. "i have seen it once or twice before, and naught came thereof." "it is the ship of ghosts," said dalfin. "i have heard tell of it. it comes from the blessed isles which holy brendan sought." "nay," said gerda; "it is aegir's ship, and it came for my grandsire." "maybe," answered dalfin. "i ken not who aegir is of whom you speak. but the ship may indeed have come for thorwald to take him to some land, like those isles, beyond our ken." "aye, to valhalla," said gerda. "take me to my place now, for i am weary, and would be alone. i have no fear of aught more." i helped her forward, and she thanked me, saying that now she would be at rest in her mind. and, indeed, so were we all, for that penthouse, and its awesome tenant, had weighed on us more than we had cared to say. we would clear the decks of it all in the morning. all that night long we floated on a windless sea, and the fog hemmed us round until it began to thin and lift with the first rays of the rising sun. but the night had no more visions for me, and with the morning i was fresh and fit for aught, after a great swim in the still water, and breakfast. then we set to work and cleared away the penthouse, stowing its heavy timbers beneath the deck along the keel, for they would in some degree take the place of the ballast which the little ship needed. there was some water in her bilge from the great wave, and that we baled out easily, but she was well framed and almost new. it was good to see the run of the decks clear again from that unhandy barrier. i think that gerda waited till all was gone, and we were wondering how best to stow all the goods which lumbered the deck. then she came to us, looking brighter and content, with words of good morrow in all comradeship, which were pleasant to hear, and so stood and looked at the things we were busied with. "i have seen our men take things from below the decks," she said. "is it not possible to stow all, or nearly all, there? for it may be as well that folk whom we may meet with shall not see that we have these chests on board." that was good counsel; and though there is not much stowage room on such a ship as this, it could be done. still the wind did not come, and there was time. far off, toward where the land should be, the fog still hung in banks, and doubtless heidrek was still wrapped in it. not that we had much fear of him now, though it was certain that he would not care to lose us without a search. now we raised some of the deck planking aft, and found a floor laid in one place for stowage on either side of the keel. it would take all we wished to get out of sight from off the deck. "now let me show you what is in these chests," gerda said brightly. "then you will know how to set them." i think she had a sort of sad pleasure in going through these things. one by one, as we brought them to the open place, she lifted the lids of the chests, and in them was treasure more than i had ever heard of. maybe it was only a small hoard for one who had been a king in more than name in his time, but there was enough to make gerda a rich woman in any land where she might care to make a home, if only we could save it for her. one chest held bags of silver coin, stamped with the heads of many kings, and won from many lands, though most came from the english shores, where the burgesses of coast towns would pay ransom for their safety when the longships sailed into their havens with the menace of fire and sword. in another smaller chest, hardly more than a casket, was gold--rings and links and chains of the sort with which men trade by weight, and withal, some coined money from the east and from the british land. jewels there were also, brooches of gold and silver and gilded bronze, set with gems and bright with enamel, and arm rings and torques of gold. women's jewels there were, necklaces and bracelets, hung with the round golden plates, coin-like, with the face of thor stamped on them, and written runes. two bales there were also of wondrous stuffs from the looms of eastern lands, gold inwoven and shining, bought in far-off gardariki, where the great fair is, or won from hall and palace in the wars of harald fairhair. and not the least part of the treasure lay in the arms, which were almost beyond our pricing, so good were they, whether mail or helm or weapon. yet none were better than those gerda had given us yesterday in our need. "it is no small treasure which you have made me keep," gerda said somewhat sadly, as we set the last of the chests in their hiding. "you will find a use for it, dear lady," dalfin said cheerfully. "it is a great thing to have somewhat of the sort to fall back on." she sighed a little, and turned to a big plain chest which she had bidden us leave on deck. "you three fall back on that," she said, laughing. "it is no part of the treasure, and is here by mistake. yet i know what it holds, and you may be glad thereof." dalfin threw it open, and laughed also. it was full of the holiday clothes of some half-dozen of the head courtmen of the old king; blue and brown jerkins, and white and blue hose, short red cloaks, and fair linen underwear. they had brought it for the feasting after the mound was made, and had forgotten it in the onset of heidrek. i have seen men of some rank wear no better. thorwald's men were in good case. "you have made new men of us from head to foot," said dalfin gleefully. "in very truth we have sore need of change." now we went to replace the deck planking, and she bethought herself. "let us keep the little chest with the gold where we can reach it easily," she said. "supposing we are wrecked it will be well to have it at hand." that was wise, and we set it on deck again. it was not more than one could carry easily, though heavy, having iron rings at either end as handles. i took it aft out of the way, and set it by the steering bench. and then we ended our work, and things were shipshape once more. it was very hot as the sun rose higher. there was a feeling of thunder in the air, and gerda was glad to seek the shelter of her awning from the heat and glare from sea and sky. the ship swayed gently to the dying swell, and the sail flapped idly against the mast, while ever we looked to see the longships of heidrek coming in the offing in search of us. once i climbed the mast, and was glad to see no sign of his sails. though we must have baffled him for the time, we could not have sailed far ere the wind failed. presently, in the shelter of the boats, we fitted ourselves out afresh from the courtman's chest, and felt more like ourselves again. we set the mail we needed no longer for the time in the chest, and that done, longed for the wind which did not come. it was breathless. the awning grew stifling, and gerda left it for our midday meal, coming to the after deck, and sitting there with us. presently she looked at our dress and smiled, jesting a little. then she set her hand on the little chest of gold which stood on the deck by her and opened it. "i am going to ask you to wear some of these things," she said, half shyly. "i have a fancy to see you three as you should be, with the things which belong to your rank on you." bertric shook his head at that. "no, lady," he said. "what need?" "maybe i would see my friends as they should be," she answered. "maybe i would fain for once give the gifts a queen may give, if never again. and maybe it is as well that some of these treasures should be shared among us because we know not what may come." "well," said bertric, laughing, "maybe they will not be so likely to go overboard without us." now, i cannot tell all that was in her mind, but so she would have it; and as it was true enough that if we were wrecked we were more likely to save somewhat if it was on us, we let her have her way. so in the end she chose out the heavy golden bracelets which bertric and i should wear, and then asked dalfin, laughing, what was the token of the rank of a prince in his land. it was the torque which heidrek's men had taken from him, and i told her so. whereon she took from the casket a wonderful, twisted torque, the like of which i had never seen, for it was not of norse work, and gave it to him. he took it and looked at it curiously, and his face lighted up. it had some strange writings on it, and he read them. then he turned to gerda, and it was plain that somewhat had pleased him mightily. "queen," he said, "this is a greater gift to me than you ken. it is strange that this torque should come to me here, for there is a song of it which i have known since i was able to learn aught. it is the song of its losing." "thorwald, my grandfather, won it on the high seas from danish vikings," she answered eagerly. "what is the story?" "it is the royal torque of our house," he said. "it was lost when my kinsman, dubhtach of the spearshafts, fell at howth. in the song are the names of danish princes who fell ere it was won from us, and they are not a few. now your folk have avenged the loss, and the luck of the o'neills has come back. and, faith, it was time it did, for mighty little luck have we had since it went from us." then he bent his knee in princely fashion, and kissed the hand of the giver, and so set the torque on his neck. it bent easily, and fastened with hooked ends. plain enough it was that he felt that he had recovered a treasure. "see," said bertric, "here is wind coming." there were thunder clouds working up from the north and east, and a haze was gathering overhead. soon, in the stillness, the thunder rumbled across the sea, and the heavy drops of the first rain fell, bringing with them cold draughts of wind, which filled the sail for a moment, uselessly, and were gone. then across the northern sea grew and spread a line of white which swept down on us swiftly, and with a roar the squall, which came before the wall of rain, was on us. something lifted forward and fled downwind like a broken-winged red and white bird. gerda's awning had gone; and dalfin shouted. but we could not heed that. we were wrestling with the helm, for the wind was heavy and unsteady, and the thunder rolled round us and above us, while the lightning shot in jagged streaks from cloud to sea incessantly. the rain came in torrents, whitening the sea; but gerda stood with her arm round the high sternpost, with her yellow hair flying and the water streaming from her, seeming to enjoy the turmoil. the rain swept past, and the wind fell suddenly, as it had come. for a few minutes the sail hung and flapped, and then the worst happened. i heard bertric cry to us to hold on, and a fresh squall was on us. it came out of the south as if hurled at us, taking the sail aback. the forestay parted, and then with a crash and rending of broken timber the mast went some six feet from the deck, falling aft and to port, and taking with it half the length of the gunwale from amidships. after that crash we stood and looked at one another, each fearing that there must be some hurt. but there was none. we had been well aft, and the falling masthead and yard had not reached us, though it had been too near to be pleasant. maybe the end of the yard, as it fell, missed me by a foot or so. but though gerda's face was pale, and her eyes wide with the terror of the wreck, she never screamed or let go her hold of the sternpost to which she had been clinging. she was a sea king's daughter. chapter : storm and salvage. the ship took a heavy list, and some sea broke on board, but though it was rising fast, there was not yet enough to do much harm. the floating bights of canvas hove us round broadside to the run of the waves, and needs must that we cleared away the wreck as soon as might be. there were two axes slung at the foot of the mast in case of such chances as this, and with them we cut the mast adrift from the shattered gunwale, and got it overboard, so that the ship recovered herself somewhat. the yard lay half on deck, and i climbed out on it, and cleared it from the mast without much trouble, cutting away all the rigging at the masthead, and letting the mast itself go to leeward as the waves would take it. after that we had some hard work in getting the sail on board again, but it was done at last, and by that time the squall was over, while the wind had flown back to its old quarter--the northeast--and seemed likely to bide there. overhead the scud was flying with more wind than we could feel, and we had cause to be anxious. the sea would get up, and unless we could set some sort of sail which would at least serve to keep her head to it, we should fare badly. moreover, it was likely enough that the ship was strained with the wrench of the falling mast. there was no spare sail on board which we could use in the way of storm canvas, and the sails of the boat were too small to be of any use. nor was there a spar which we could use as mast, save the yard itself. it must be that or nothing, and time pressed. i suppose that we might have done better had we the chance, but what we did now in the haste which the rising sea forced on us, was to lash the forward end of the yard to the stump of the mast, without unbending the sail from it. then we set it up as best we might with the running rigging, and so had a mightily unhandy three-cornered sail of doubled canvas. but when we cast off the lashings which had kept the sail furled while we worked, and sheeted it home, it brought the ship's head to the wind, and for a time we rode easily enough. then we baled out the water we had shipped, and sought for any leak there might be. there was none of any account, though the upper planking of the ship was strained, and the wash of the sea found its way through the seams now and then. we could keep that under by baling now and again if it grew no worse. but in about an hour it was plain that a gale was setting in from the northeast, and the sea was rising. we must run before it whether we would or no, and the sooner we put about the better, crippled as we were. we must go as the gale drove us, and make what landfall we might, though where that would be we could not tell, for there was no knowing how far we were from the norway shore, or whither we had drifted in the fog. so we put the ship about, shipping a sea or two as we did so, and then, with our unhandy canvas full and boomed out as best we could with two oars lashed together, we fled into the unknown seas to south and west, well-nigh hopeless, save that of food and water was plenty. i have no mind to tell of the next three days. they were alike in gray discomfort, in the ceaseless wash of the waves that followed us, and in the fall of the rain. we made terribly heavy weather of it, though the gale was not enough to have been in any way perilous for a well-found ship. we had to bale every four hours or so, and at that time we learned that gerda knew how to steer. very brave and bright was she through it all, and maybe that is the one pleasant thing to look back on in all that voyage. we rigged the sail of the boat across the sharp, high gunwales of the stern as some sort of shelter for her, and she was content. it was on the morning of the fourth day when we had at last a sight of land. right ahead of us, across the tumbling seas, showed the dim, green tops of mountains, half lost in the drifting rain. we thought they might be the hills of the western islands of scotland, but could not tell, so utterly had we lost all reckoning. whatever the land might be we had to find out presently, for in no way could we escape from a lee shore. nor was it long before we found that here was no island before us, such an we expected, but a long range of coast, which stretched from east to west, as far as we could see, in a chain of hills. all i could say for certain was that these hills were none which i knew, and so could not be those of the northern scottish coasts, which i had sailed past many a time. there was more sun this morning, for the clouds were breaking. once or twice the light fell on the far hilltops, bringing them close to us, as it were, and then passing. out to seaward astern of us it gleamed on the white wavetops, hurried after us, and cheered us for a time, and so swept on to the land that waited our coming, with what welcome we could not say. presently a gleam lit on a small steady patch of white far astern of us, which did not toss with the nearer waves, and did not shift along the skyline. it was the first sail we had seen since we had lost sight of heidrek, and it, too, cheered us in a way, for the restless, gray and white sea was no longer so lonely. yet we could look for no help from her, even if she sighted us and was on the same course. we could not heave to and wait her, and by the time she overhauled us, we were likely to be somewhat too near the shore for safety. for the mountains hove up from the sea very fast now. some current had us in its grip, setting us shoreward swiftly. soon we could see the lower hills along the coast, with sheer, black cliffs, and a fringe of climbing foam at their feet, which was disquieting enough as we headed straight for them. we forgot the other ship in that sight, as we looked in vain for some gap in the long wall which stretched across our course. only in one place, right ahead, the breakers seemed nearer, and as if there might be shelving shore on which they ran, rather than shattering cliffs on which they beat. and presently we knew that between us and the shore lay an island, low and long, rising to a green hill toward the mainland, but seeming to end to the seaward in a beach which might have less dangers for us than the foot of the cliffs beyond. so far as we could make out from the deck, the strait between this island and the mainland might be two miles wide, or a little less. "if only we could get under the lee of that island we were safe," said bertric to me. "it would be calm enough to anchor." "we can but try it," i answered. and with that we luffed a little, getting the island on our port bow, but it was of no use. the unhandy canvas set us to leeward, and, moreover, the water gained quickly as the strained upper planking was hove down with the new list of the ship. i went to the open space amidships whence we baled, and watched for a few minutes, and saw that we could do nothing but run, unless the other tack would serve us. that we tried, but now we were too far from the eastern end of the island, and it was hopeless to try to escape from the breakers. "stem on it must be, and take the chances," said my comrade. "it does seem as if the water were deep up to the beach, and we may not fare so badly. well, there is one good point about these gifts which gerda has given us, and that is that we shall have withal to buy hospitality. there are folk on the island." "i saw a wisp of smoke a while ago," i said; "but i took it that it was on the mainland. there is no sign of a house." "that may lie in some hollow out of the wind," he said. "i am sure of its being here." then i said that if we were to get on shore safely, which by the look of the beach as we lifted on the waves seemed possible, it might be better that we were armed. "aye, and if not, and we are to be drowned, it were better," he said grimly. "one would die as a warrior, anywise." now, all this while dalfin sat with gerda under the shelter of the boats forward, having stayed there to watch the water in the hold after we had tried to weather the island. now and again dalfin rose up and slipped into the bilge and baled fiercely, while gerda watched the shore and the green hills, which looked so steady above the tumbling seas, wistfully. i went to them and told them that we must needs face the end of the voyage in an hour or so, and that we would arm ourselves in case the shore folk gave trouble. "they will do no harm," he said; "but it may be as well." "one cannot be too sure of that," i answered; but saying no more, as i would not alarm gerda with talk of wreckers. "bad for them if they do," he said. "we will not leave one alive to talk of it." i laughed, for he spoke as if he had a host at his heels. "no laughing matter," he said, rising up; "but it is not to be thought of that a prince of maghera should be harmed in his own land." "what is that? your own land?" "of course," he said, staring at me. "will you tell me that you two seamen did not know that yonder lies ireland? why, that hill is--" i cannot mind the names, but he pointed to two or three peaks which he knew well, and i had to believe him. he said that we were some way to the westward of a terrible place which he called the giant's causeway, too far off for us to see. "why did you not tell us this before?" i asked, as we took the mail from the courtmen's chest where we had laid it. "you never asked me, and therefore i supposed you knew," he answered gaily. "now, where you suppose you are going to find a haven i cannot say, but i hope there is one of which i never heard." then i told him of our case, and he listened, unmoved, arming himself the while. only, he said that it would be hard to be drowned with the luck of the o'neills round his neck, and therefore did not believe that we should be so. but he knew nothing of the island, nor whether it was inhabited. he had seen it from the hills yonder once or twice, when he was hunting, and the chase had led him to the shore. i think that in his joy at seeing his own land again he was going to tell me some story of a hunt on those hills; but i left him and bade him help bertric to arm while i took the helm. the shore was not two miles from us at that time, and bertric hastened, whistling a long whistle in answer to me, when i told him dalfin's news. then gerda came aft and stood by me. "is there danger ahead, malcolm?" she asked very quietly. "we hope, little; but there is a great deal of risk. we may be able to beach the ship safely, though she will be of no use thereafter." "and if not?" "she must break up, and all we can hope for is that she will not be far from shore. we shall have to take to the boat or swim." "i can swim well," she said. "i have heard you laugh at the prince because he cannot do so. what of him?" but those two joined us at this time, and i did not answer, at least directly. only, i told dalfin that he had better get hold of somewhat, which might stand him in as good stead as had heidrek's steersman's bench, in case it was wanted. whereon he laughed, and said that the luck of the o'neills would be all that he needed, while bertric went without a word and cut the lashing of the ship's oars, and set two handy on the after deck. now we could see the beach and the white ranks of breakers which lay between us and it. bertric looked long as we neared the first line of them, and counted them, and his face brightened. "look at the beach," he said to me. "it is high water, and spring tide, moreover. there will be water enough for our light draught. get gerda forward, for the sea will break over the stern the moment we touch the ground." i looked at him, and he nodded and smiled. "it will be nothing," he said, knowing what i meant. "one is sheltered here under this high stern. i shall take no harm. nay, i am ship master, and i bid you care for the lady. there are no signs of rocks." for i hesitated, not altogether liking not to stand by him at the last. however, he was right, and i went forward with gerda, bidding dalfin get one of the oars and follow us. now, what that beach may have been like in a winter gale i can only guess. even now the breakers were terrible enough, as we watched them from the high bows, though the wind was, as i have said, not what one would trouble about much in the open sea, in a well-found ship. but naught save dire necessity would make a seaman try to beach his ship here at any time, least of all when half a gale was piling the seas one over the other across the shallows. only, we could see that no jagged reef waited us under the surges. gerda stood with her arm round the dragon head which stared forward. i minded at that moment how i had ever heard that one should unship the dragon as the shore was neared, lest the gentle spirits of the land, the landvaettnir, should be feared. but that was too late now, and i do not think that i should have troubled concerning it in any wise, on a foreign coast. the thought came and went from me, but i set gerda's cloak round her loosely, so that if need was it would fall from her at once; and i belted my mail close, and tried to think how i might save her, if we must take to the water perforce. i could swim in the mail well enough, and she could swim also. there might be a chance for her. i feared more for dalfin. now we flew down on the first line of breakers, lifted on the crest, half blinded with the foam, and plunged across it. i held my breath as the bows swooped downward into the hollow of the wave, fearing to feel the crash of the ship's striking, but she lifted again to the next roller, while the white foam covered the decks as the broken gunwale aft lurched amid it. so we passed four great surges safely, and we were not an arrow flight from land. the water was deep enough for us so far. then we rose on the back of the fifth roller, and it set us far before we overtook its crest and passed it. the sharp bows leapt through the broken water into the air, and hung for a long moment over the hollow, until the stern lifted and they were flung forward and downward. then came a sharp grating and a little shock, gone almost as it was felt, but it told of worse to come, maybe. we had felt the ground. but the next roller hove us forward swiftly, and we hardly overran it, so that it carried us safely. now we were so near the shore that a stone would have reached it, and but two ranks of breakers were to be passed. i bade my two companions hold on for their lives, and set my arm round gerda before the crash should come, and we lifted to the first of them, but it was almost as swift as we, and it carried us onward bravely. then the keel grated on the ground, and we lost way. the surge overtook us and drove us forward, crashing on the stones of the beach, but hardly striking with any force. the bows lifted, and i saw the rattling pebbles beneath us as the sea sucked them back. a great sea rolled in, hissing and roaring round the high stern, and breaking clear over it and bertric as he stood at the helm, and it lifted us once more as if we were but a tangle of seaweed, and hurled us upward on the stony slope, canting the stern round as it reached us. we were ashore and safely beached, and the danger was past. the ship took the ground on her whole length as the wave went back. out of the smother of water and foam astern, as the next wave broke over the ship, bertric struggled forward to us, laughing as he came. the sea ran along the deck knee deep round him as far as the foot of the mast, but it did not reach us here in the bows, though the spray flew over us, and our ears were full of the thunder of the surf on the beach. but the sharp bows were firmly bedded in the shingle, and we were in no danger of broaching to as wave after wave hurled itself after us. bertric had stayed to take the casket of gold from the place in the stern where we had set it. "i had no mind to see the stern go to pieces and take this with it," he said, setting the load at his feet. "the tide has not reached its height yet, and she will be roughly handled. we had best get ashore while we can. we may do it between the breakers." i watched the next that came roaring past us. it ran twenty yards up the shelving beach, and then went back with a rush and rattle of pebbles, leaving us nearly dry around the bows. we might have three feet of water to struggle through at first for a few paces, but that was nothing. even gerda could be no wetter than she was, and the one fear was that one might lose foothold when the next wave came. it did not take long to decide what we had to do, therefore. a wave came in, spent itself in rushing foam, and drew back. i was over the bows with its first sign of ebb, and dropped into the water when it seemed well-nigh at its lowest, finding it neck-deep for the moment. it sank to my waist, and dalfin was alongside me, spluttering. then bertric helped gerda over the gunwale, and i took her in my arms, holding her as high as i could, and turning at once shoreward. i tried to hurry, but i could not go fast, for the water sucked me back, while dalfin waded close behind me. then i heard bertric shout, and i knew what was coming. the knee-deep water gathered again as the next roller stayed its ebb, swirled and deepened round me, and then with a sudden rush and thunder the wave came in, broke, and for a moment i was buried in the head of it, and driven forward by its weight. i felt gerda clutch me more tightly, and dalfin was thrown against me, gasping, and he steadied me. it passed, and i could see again, and struggled on. then the outward flow began again, and wrestled with me so that i could not stem it, and together dalfin and i, he with one arm round my shoulder, and in the other hand the oar which he held and used as a staff, fought against it until it was spent. the rounded pebbles slipped and rolled under my feet as they were torn back to the sea, but the worst was past. up the long slope through the yeasty foam we went, knee deep, and then ankle deep, ever more swiftly with every pace, and the next wave broke far behind us, and its swirl of swift water round my waist only helped me. through it we climbed to the dry stretches of the beach, and were safe. i heard gerda speak breathless words of thanks as i set her down, and then i looked round for bertric. he was two waves behind us, as one may say, and i was just in time to see a breaker catch him up, smite his broad shoulders, and send him down on his face with whirling arms into its hollow, where the foam hid him as it curled over. he, too, had an oar for support, but it had failed him, and as he fell i caught the flash of somewhat red slung like a sack across his back. gerda cried out as she saw him disappear, but dalfin and i laughed as one will laugh at the like mishap when one is bathing. that was for the moment only, however, for he did not rise as soon as he might, and then i knew what had kept him so far behind us, and what was in the red cloak i had seen. he had stayed to bring the gold and jewels in their casket, and now their weight was holding him down. so i went in and reached him through a wave, and set him on his feet again, gasping, and trying to laugh, and we went back to shore safely enough. i grumbled at the risk he had run, but he said that his burden was not so heavy as mine had been. for a few minutes we sat on the beach and found our breath again, gerda trying to tell us what she felt concerning what we had done, and then giving up, because, i suppose, she could not find the right words; which was a relief, for she made too much of it all. then the four of us went up the beach to the shelter of the low, grassy sand hills above it, and there dalfin turned and faced us with a courtly bow, saying gravely: "welcome to ireland, queen gerda, and you two good comrades. there would have been a better welcome had we come in less hurry, but no more hearty one. the luck of the o'neills has stood us in good stead." "if it had not been for the skill of these two friends, it seems to me that even the luck of the torque had been little," said gerda quietly. "you must not forget that." "it is part of the said luck that they have been here," answered dalfin, with his eyes twinkling as he bowed to us. "all praise to their seamanship." then he sat down suddenly as if his knees had given way, and looked up as if bewildered. "is this silly island also afloat?" he asked, "for it feels more like a ship than any other dry land i was ever on. "it will do so for a time," i said. "wait till you lose the swing of the decks and find your shore legs again." "look yonder," bertric said. "there is the other ship." we had forgotten her for a time in our own perils. she had followed our course, though for what reason we could not tell. now she had borne up and was heading away westward, some four miles from shore, and sailing well and swiftly, being a great longship. soon a gray wall of rain swept over her and hid her, and when it cleared in half an hour's time she was beyond our sight. it seemed pretty certain by this time that there could be no people on this side of the island at least, or they would have been here. we climbed to the highest of the sand hills, and looked over what we could see of the place, but there was no sign of hut or man. beyond the sand hills there was a stretch of open moorland, which rose to the hill across by the strait between us and the mainland, and both hill and moor were alike green and fresh--or seemed so to us after the long days at sea. it was not a bad island, and dalfin said that there should be fishers here, though he was in no way certain. all round us the sea birds flitted, scolding us for our nearness to their nests among the hills and on the edge of the moor, and they were very tame, as if unused to the sight of man. i thought we could make out some goats feeding on the hill side, but that was all. so far as we could judge, the island may have been a mile long, or less, and a half mile across. we went back to the lee of the sand hills after seeing that there was no better shelter at hand. there it seemed warm after the long days on the open sea, but we were very wet. so we found a sheltered hollow whence we could look across the beach to the ship, and there gathered a great pile of driftwood and lit a fire, starting it with dry grass and the tinder which bertric kept, seamanlike, with his flint and steel in his leathern pouch, secure from even the sea. then we sat round it and dried ourselves more or less, while the tide reached its full, left the bare timbers of the ship's stem standing stark and swept clean of the planking, and having done its worst, sank swiftly, leaving her dry at its lowest. so soon as we could, bertric and i climbed on board over the bows, and took what food we could find unspoiled by the water, ashore. "neither of the boats is harmed," we told gerda. "and presently we can leave this island for the mainland. and we can save all the goods we stowed amidships before the tide rises again. but your good little ship will never sail the seas more." "it is as well," she answered sadly. "this should have been her last voyage in another way than this, and her time had come. i do not think that it had been fitting for her to have carried any other passenger, after he who lies in the sea depths had done with her." bertric shook his head as one who doubts, being sore at the loss of a vessel under his command, though there was no blame to him therein. but i knew what gerda felt, and thought with her. by the great fire we made our first meal ashore since we left my home in caithness eight long days ago. nor can i say that it was a dismal feast by any means, for we had won through the many perils we had foreseen, and were in safety and unhurt; and young enough, moreover, to take things lightly as they came, making the best of them. chapter : the isle of hermits. as may be supposed, we were worn out, and the warmth may have made us drowsy. the roar of the sea, and the singing of the wind in the stiff grass of the sand hills was in our ears, unnoticed, and we had made up our minds that there was no man on the island and that we need fear no meddling with the ship until the sea calmed, and men might come from the mainland to see what they could take from the wreck. presently we ourselves would get what was worth aught to us and hide it here. so it came to pass that when from out of the hills round us came a small, rough brown dog which barked wildly at us, we leapt to our feet with our hands on our swords as if heidrek himself had come. but no man came with him, and suddenly he turned and fled as if he had heard a call. i was about to follow him to the top of the sand hill to see what his coming meant, when the pebbles rattled on the near beach, and i halted. there were sounds as of a bare foot among them. into the little cleft between the dunes, out of which we looked over the sea, came a short man, dressed in a long, brown robe which was girt to him with a cord, and had a hood which framed his pleasant, red face. black-haired and gray-eyed he was, and his hands were those of one who works hard in the fields. there was a carved, black wooden cross on the end of his cord girdle, and a string of beads hung from it. at his heels was the brown dog, and in his hand a long, shepherd's crook. he came carelessly into the opening, looking from side to side as he walked as if seeking the men he knew must be shipwrecked, and stayed suddenly when he came on us. his face paled, and he half started back, as if he was terrified. then he recovered himself, looked once more, started anew, and fairly turned and ran, the dog leaping and barking round him. after him went dalfin, laughing. "father," he cried in his own tongue, "father! stay--we are irish--at least some of us are. i am. we are friends." the man stopped at that and turned round, and without more ado dalfin the prince unhelmed and bent his knee before him, saying something which i did not catch. whereon the man lifted his hand and made the sign of the cross over him, repeating some words in a tongue which was strange to me. i could not catch them. dalfin rose up and called to me, and i went toward them, leaving gerda and bertric to wait for what might happen. "this is malcolm of caithness, a good scot," said he. "malcolm, we are in luck again, for it seems that we have fallen into the hands of some good fathers, which is more than i expected, for i never heard that there was a monastery here." i made some answer in the gaelic, more for the comfort of the irish stranger than for the sense of what i spoke. and as he heard he smiled and did as he had done to dalfin, signing and saying words i could not understand. i had no doubt that it was a welcome, so i bowed, and he smiled at me. "i was sorely terrified, my sons," he said. "i thought you some of these heathen danes--or norse men, rather, from your arms. but i pray you do not think that i fled from martyrdom." "you fled from somewhat, father," said dalfin dryly; "what was it?" the father pointed and smiled uneasily. "my son," he said slowly, "i came to this place to be free from the sight of--of aught but holy men. if there were none but men among you, even were you the lochlann i took you for--and small wonder that i did--i had not fled. by no means." "why," said dalfin, with a great laugh, "it must be gerda whom he fears! nay, father, the lady is all kindness, and you need fear her not at all." "i may not look on the face of a lady," said the father solemnly. "well, you have done it unawares, and so you may as well make the best of it, as i think," answered dalfin. "but, without jesting, the poor lady is in sore need of shelter and hospitality, and i think you cannot refuse that. will you not take us to the monastery?" "monastery, my son? there is none here." "why, then, whence come you? are you weather bound here also?" "aye, by the storms of the world, my son. we are what men call hermits." dalfin looked at me with a rueful face when he heard that. what a hermit might be i did not at all know, and it meant nothing to me. i was glad enough to think that there was a roof of any sort for gerda. "why, father," said my comrade, "you do not sleep on the bare ground, surely?" "not at all, my son. there are six of us, and each has his cell." "cannot you find shelter for one shipwrecked lady? it will not be for long, as we will go hence with the first chance. we have our boats." now all this while the hermit had his eye on dalfin's splendid torque, and at last he spoke of it, hesitatingly. "my son, it is not good for a man to show idle curiosity--but it is no foolish question if i ask who you are that you wear the torque of the o'neills which was lost." "i am dalfin of maghera, father. the torque has come back to me, for dubhtach is avenged." at that the hermit gave somewhat like a smothered shout, and his stately way fell from him altogether. he went on his knee before dalfin, and seized his hand and kissed it again and again, crying words of welcome. "my prince, my prince," he said, with tears of joy running down his cheeks. "it was told me that you had gone across the seas--but i did not know it was for this." dalfin reddened, and raised the hermit from the sand. "father," he said quickly, "i am not the avenger. it is a long tale--but the lady, who is a queen in norway, shipwrecked with us here by a strange fate, has to do with the winning back of the torque." "a queen!" said the hermit quickly. "then the rule of which i spoke must needs be broken; nay, not broken, but set aside. now, where are your men?" "never a man have we. there is malcolm here, and bertric, a saxon thane, who is my friend also and a good christian, and the poor young queen, and no more." the hermit threw up his hands. "all drowned!" he cried. "alack, alack! may their souls rest in peace!" "we sailed without them, father. there were none, and so they are all safe at home." "good luck to them--for if they had been here they were drowned, every man of them," said the hermit with much content, looking at me with some wonder when i laughed. "they would not be the first by many a score whom we have buried here," he said in reproof. "aye, heathen lochlann and christian scot, and homely erse yonder. it is good to see even a few who have escaped from this shore." he bowed his head for a moment, and his lips moved. then he turned to dalfin as a councillor might turn to his prince, and asked what he would have the brothers do for him. "come and ask the lady," answered dalfin, and so we went to the fire, where gerda and bertric rose up to meet us. now the hermit had set aside his fear of the lady, if he had any beyond his rules, and welcomed her in erse, which i had to translate. also he told her that what shelter he and his brethren could give was hers, if she would be content with poor housing. "thank him, and tell him that any roof will be welcome after the ship's deck," she said, smiling at the hermit. "ask him to send men and help us get our stores ashore and out of the way of the fisher folk, who will be here as soon as they see the wreck," said bertric. "no need to tell him that the stores are treasure for the most part." "tell him it is treasure, and it will be all the safer," dalfin said. "these are holy monks, of a sort who care for poverty more than wealth. this man was well born, as you may guess from his speech." i told the hermit what bertric needed, and he laughed, saying that the whole brotherhood would come and help at once. and then he bade us follow him. we went across the moorland for about half a mile, to the foot of the hill or nearly, and then came on a little valley amid the rising ground, where trees grew, low and wind twisted, but green and pleasant; and there i saw a cluster of little stone huts for all the world like straw beehives, built of stones most cunningly, mortarless, but fitting into one another perfectly. the huts were set in a rough circle, and each had its door toward the sun, and a little square window alongside that, and a smoke-blackened hole in the top of the roof. doubtless it was from one of these that bertric had seen the smoke from the sea, though there was none now. from the hill and down the valley across the space between the huts ran a little brook, crossed in two or three places by wandering paths, some with a stepping stone, and others with only a muddy jumping place. the stream was dammed into a deep, stone-walled pool in the midst of the space, and close to the brink of this stood a tall, black stone cross, which was carved most wonderfully with interlacing patterns, and had a circle round its arms. we saw no men at first. pigs there were, fat and contented, which rooted idly or wallowed along the stream, and fowls strolled among the huts. i saw one peer into an open door, raise one claw slowly as if she was going in, and then turn and fly, cackling wildly, as if some inmate had thrown something at her. "that is brother fergus," said our guide. "the more he throws things at the hens, the more they pester him. it is half a loaf this time. see." the hen had gone back into the doorway in a hurry, and now retired behind the hut with the bread, to be joined there by hurrying friends. "the pigs will come in a minute," our hermit said, chuckling and rubbing his hands together. "they know that fergus hurls what comes first without heed of what it may be." he half stayed to watch, and then remembered that he was not alone or with some of his brethren. we had been silent as we came, and he had gone before us with the dog in front of him, musing. i think that he had forgotten us. "pardon, prince," he said. "year in and year out in this place we have naught but these little haps to lighten our thoughts. we watch for them, and are disappointed if we miss them. ah, well, tonight at least we shall have somewhat more wonderful of which to talk. i only pray that you, with your breath of the outer world--warfare and wreck, victory and vengeance--may not leave us unsettled." he sighed, and turned back to the way once more with bent head. he seemed a young man to be in this desolate place of his own free will, for his black beard and hair were hardly grizzled with the passing years yet. there was a low wall round the gathering of huts, the gate being closed with a wattled hurdle, lest the pigs should wander. here the hermit stopped, and before he opened the gate lifted his voice and cried loudly in the tongue which i did not know. there was a stir then in the peaceful enclosure. out of the huts came in all haste men clad like our guide, speaking to one another fast, with eager faces and gestures. at that time i counted nine huts, and thought that we need turn out none of these strange hosts of ours. p again our hermit cried out, for the rest did not come to meet us. i saw dalfin smiling, and asked what it all meant in a low voice. "i have more than half forgotten the little latin they taught me at monasterboice long ago," he answered; "but he is telling them that here we have not a lady merely, but a queen. it is the first trouble again." now the brethren consulted, still standing in the hut doors, and at last, being thereto exhorted once more by our friend, they came toward us slowly, as if wishing to show that they had no longing for things outside their island cares. five out of these six were old men, our guide being the youngest, and two of them were very old, with long, white beards. one of these two came forward as they neared us, and spoke for the rest, greeting dalfin first, as their prince, with all respect, though not at all in the humble way in which he had first been hailed. "it is our good fortune," he said, "that we are able to shelter you. it has been our sorrow that up till this time those strangers who have come from the sea have needed nothing from us but the last rites. we are all unused to guests, and you will forgive us if we know not how to treat them rightly. but what we can do we will." he waved his hands toward the huts, and said no more. dalfin thanked him, and after he had heard, he paid no more heed to us, but turned to our guide. "brother phelim," he said wearily, "see you to all that may be done. the care must be yours, as was the first welcome. i do not know why you wandered so far at this hour." "because i thought there might be poor folk in need, father," said phelim meekly. "moreover, i am shepherd today." the old man waved his hand as if to say that the excuse was enough, and with that turned and went his way, leaning on the arm of the other ancient brother, the three who had stood behind them making way reverently. "he is our superior," whispered phelim. "he has been here for forty years. he will forget that he has seen you presently. now, come, and we will see how we may best bestow you." "concerning what is on board the ship," said bertric, staying him. "it is needful that we get it ashore before the tide turns. it is but half an hour's hard work, at the most, if you folk help." phelim stared, for bertric spoke in the dansk tongue we had been using. i had to translate for him, and phelim nodded. "tell the sea captain that all will be well. we will return at once. we do but find a house for the queen." so we went on to the central green amid the huts, and there stood and looked round, while phelim and fergus deliberated for a time. it seemed that the pigs had one empty hut, and the fowls another. the largest was the chapel, and so there was not one vacant. i think that they each wished for the honour of turning out for us. "father phelim," i said at last, for bertric waxed impatient, "let one good brother leave his cell for that of another, leaving it free for the queen, and then we can shift for ourselves. we do not at all mind sleeping in the open, for so we have fared for the last week and more." but they would not have that, and in the end phelim himself led gerda with much pride to his own cell and handed it over to her, while another brother left his cell to us three, it being a large one, which, indeed, is not saying much for the rest. we were likely to be warm enough in it; but the cells were clean and dry, each with a bed of heather and a stone table and stool, and some little store of rough crockery and the like household things. there were blankets, too, and rugs for hanging across the doors, which seemed in some abundance. afterwards, i found that they were washed ashore from wrecks at different times. then we went back to the shore in all haste. i had doubts as to whether gerda would care to be left alone in this strange place, but she laughed, and said that there was naught to fear. the two old brothers had gone their way to their own cells, and would not come forth again till vesper time, as phelim told us. she had the little village, if one may call it so, to herself, therefore, till we returned. but phelim set his crook against the hut wall as he went. "the pigs need a stick at times," he said; "it may be handy." the tide had ebbed far when we reached the place of the wreck again, and had bared a long, black reef, which, with never an opening in it, reached as far as we could see along the shore. it was only the chance of the high spring tide, driven yet higher than its wont by the wind on the shore, which had suffered us to clear it. it was that which we touched slightly as we came in among the first breakers. we had had a narrow escape. in an hour we had all that was worth taking ashore saved. the chests of arms, and those of the bales which the sea had not reached, and the chest of silver, were all on the beach, and we got the larger of the two boats over the side, and ran her up into safety, with her fittings. and then, for there was yet time, dalfin would have us save the wonderful carved wagon which was on the deck unhurt, and that, too, we took ashore, and with it some of the casks of food stores which had been so lavishly stored for that strange voyage. we should not burden the good brothers with this to help feed us. for the sea was coming in more heavily still as it gathered weight with the long gale, which was still blowing hard. it was more than likely that the ship would go to pieces in the night as the tide rose again. now and then the rain squalls came up and drenched us, and passed; but the brothers cared as little for them as did we, and enjoyed the unusual work more. it was a wonder to them to see their young prince working as hard as themselves as we carried the heavy things up the beach. "it is a matter which i have learned while on my travels," he said, when fergus said somewhat of the sort to him gently. "i have seen these two friends, who are nobles in their own lands, work as hard at oar and rope's end as they would at fighting. moreover, it is well to do things for myself now and then--as, for instance, swimming." now we loaded the wagon, which was easy to put together, and the brethren harnessed themselves to it, laughing. they would not suffer us to help, and we had to walk behind the wagon in a sort of idle train, not altogether sorry to rest, for we were very weary by this time. as for the hermits, they made light of the rough way and the load, being like schoolboys let loose. i do not suppose that they had laughed thus for many a long day, and it was good to watch them. so we came to the huts, and set down our load. presently the brothers would bestow the things under cover, but there was no more to come. so we did but take gerda her own chest, and have the court men's to the hut which had been given us. we bade phelim, as guest master, take what he would of the provender as he liked, saying it was theirs altogether; and he thanked us simply, more for our own sake than theirs, as i know. they would not let us go back to the shore for the next load. "bide and rest," said fergus; "this is a holiday for us, and we enjoy it. we shall talk of it all for many a long day; but for you it is but an added and needless weariness." so, nothing loath, we sat on the stone blocks which were set for seats outside gerda's hut, and watched them go with the wagon. presently gerda came and asked for a little help, and i went and moved her chest for her, and hung a heavy curtain, which i have no doubt was a wrecked boat's sail once, to its stone pegs across the door. they had lit a fire for her at the first, and the cell was comfortable altogether. "now i shall rest," she said. "by and by, no doubt, you will bring me supper, but it is strange not to feel the tossing of the ship. it is wonderful to be warm and in safety once more. you have been very good to me." but i thought of her patience and cheerfulness through the countless discomforts and dangers of the voyage, and knew that the praise was hers. "we have said truly that you are a sea-king's daughter indeed, my queen," i answered. "it is enough to hear you say that we are not useless courtmen." we three went to our hut and took off our mail, and found dry clothing in the chest, with many thanks to the careful half-dozen warriors who had kept their best therein. then in much comfort we saw to our arms, red with the sea rust, and hung them round the cell, which was some nine feet across and about the same height, and by the time that pleasant work was done the brothers were back, and the little bell on the chapel, where it hung in a stone cote, rang for their vespers. they bade us come also, and bertric and dalfin rose up and went gladly. i had no thought that i could be welcome, and was staying, but phelim called me. "malcolm is a norse scot," said dalfin quietly. "he is not of our faith, and i do not know if he may come. "if he will, he may," answered the hermit kindly. "he can be no evil heathen, seeing that he is your friend." so, not wishing to seem ungracious, i followed them into the chapel, which was stone built after the same manner as the cells, but with a ridge roof instead of the rounded top, and much larger, being about fifteen feet long and ten wide. over the door was a cross of white stones set in the wall, and at the eastern end was a cross also, and an altar, on which were candles of wax, at which i wondered, seeing them in this place. round the walls ran a stone slab as bench, but i was the only one who used it. the others knelt, facing eastward, and i, at a sign from bertric, sat by the door, wondering what i should see and hear. there was enough for me to wonder at. i heard them pray, and i heard them sing, and whether of prayer or song the words were good to listen to. i heard them pray for the safety of men at sea in the gale, and for men who fought with the danes ashore. they prayed that the hands of the danes who slew their brethren in the churches round the coast wantonly might be stayed from these doings; but they did not pray for the destruction of these terrible foes. they asked that they might be forgiven for the wrong they did to harmless men. and i heard them read from a book whose leaves, as the reader turned them, i saw were bright with gold and colours, words that i cannot set down--words of uttermost peace in the midst of strife. i had never heard or thought the like. i did not know that it could be in the minds of men so to speak and write. i thought that i would ask phelim more concerning it at some time if i had the chance. the brethren rose up with still faces and happy, and the vespers were over. we went out into the wind again, and across to the cell they had given us, and there they gave us a supper of barley bread and milk, setting aside some for gerda in a beautiful silver bowl, which phelim said had come from the shore after a wreck long ago. now, we three had some thought that one of us had better watch through the night, if only for gerda's comfort. but phelim heard us speak thereof, and laughed. "my sons," he said, "there is naught to watch against in all this little island, save only the ghostly foe, against whom your arms were of no avail. nay, do you sleep in peace. all the night long we watch in turns in the chapel, and will wake you, if by some strange chance there is need." "what do you watch against then, father?" i asked, somewhat idly. "wolves round your folds?" "aye," he answered; "the wolf of all wolves." "ah, the wolf will come from the mainland, betimes, i suppose." "most of all we fear him thence," phelim answered, with a quaint smile. "nay, my son, it is no earthly wolf we watch against. hereafter you may learn, or the prince will tell you even now, if you will. rest in peace." he lifted his hand and blessed us, even as he had done when he met us on the shore, and left us. they had brought fresh heather for our bedding while we ate, and blankets, and though the light still lingered in the west, we did not wait for darkness. we slept, as shipwrecked men will sleep, when at last others watch for them. chapter : planning and learning. twelve good hours i slept that night without stirring, and woke feeling like a new man and fit for aught. the first thing i noticed was the strange calm which brooded over all things, for the wind had gone down, and the long, steady roar of the surf was far off and all unlike the ceaseless rush and countless noises of the labouring ship at sea. there came a little drone of chanting from the chapel a hundred yards away, and there was now and again the bleat of a sheep, and the homely crow of the cocks, sounding as if shut up somewhere still. for a time i stayed, enjoying the unwonted calm, and then the sunlight crept into the little window, and i rose, and went out. my two comrades still slept. it was a wonderful morning after the storm. the coast of the mainland across the narrow strait seemed close at hand, piled with great, soft, green mountains above the black cliffs, tier after tier of them stretching inland as far as the eye could see. in the valleys between them nestled forests, dark and deep, and in one place i saw the thin lines of smoke rising, which told of houses. the hill which made the best part of this island barred my view to the westward, but it was not high enough to hide the mountain tops on the mainland altogether. there was a fire lighted on it this morning as if it might be a beacon. i minded that phelim had said that they would call the fishers from the mainland to come over for us when they might venture, and i supposed that this was their signal. i looked across, past the tall, black cross to where gerda's hut stood, and it was as i had last seen it. the folds of the curtain at the door had not been moved, and phelim's crook stood where he set it. the pigs were shut up somewhere even yet. then the bell on the roof of the little chapel rang once or twice, and i went near. but this morning there was a closed door before me, the only door in all the place. i know now that it was the hour of the morning mass, but wondered at the time why the door was closed and why the bell rang. my going out woke bertric, and he joined me, saying, half to himself, that he should have been in time for the service. he, too, looked all the better for the rest, and i dare say that the help of the comb, which fergus lent us in sheer compassion overnight, had worked no small change in that direction. we wandered down to the shore and looked at the wreck. the ship had broken up in the night, and nothing but her gaunt ribs stood in a deep pool on the wet sands. on the beach at our feet lay the gilded and green dragon's head from her stem, and all along were strewn oars and planking, and the like. it was pitiful enough. but the brothers had toiled till light failed them, for they had saved the other boat and the sledges, and also the sail, together with smaller things, among which was the cauldron of our first meals, which was a treasure to them. inside it, on the sand hill, was the little silver cup from the penthouse, too, and the empty wine pitcher lay hard by. "there are men who would pray for a wreck like this every week," said bertric, with a short laugh. "but it will be all that we can do to get these good men to keep what they have saved, even if the things are of any use to them. they need little and covet naught." presently he heaved a great sigh, and half turned from the sea, as if impatient. "as good a little ship as ever was framed," he said. "and to come to such an end. mishandled on a lee shore." "why, there is no blame to us," i said. "we were helpless." "it lies heavy on my mind that we ought to have weathered the point yonder; i held on too long. at best i knew where she was strained, and should have gone on the other tack first. and the canvas we got on her! we might have done better than that." "it did not seem so at the time," i answered, laughing. "it is easy to think now of what might have been done." "so it is. but for all my days i shall feel it in my bones that i threw the ship away. i shall dream that i am weathering the island. two ships i have lost running." "one by war and the other by sheer misfortune," i answered. "you make too much of it altogether." he laughed ruefully. "well, think what a voyage we might have had if we had chanced to pick up a crew." "it was your own doing that heidrek did not pick us up," i said. "maybe that thought will comfort you somewhat." "i was never glad of a fog before," he answered. and there that matter ended, for now we had wandered to a place whence we could see the strait between us and the mainland, which we must cross presently. that was not yet possible, for here the currents, as the tide rose and swirled round either end of the island, were like a mill race, while the heavy sea which still beat on the shore made the turmoil still wilder as it set across the narrow opening. "here we have to bide till that mends," said bertric. "we must make the best of it, for a day or two. maybe it matters little, for gerda needs rest. and dalfin will sleep till midday if we let him. he is worn out." "he was full of all that would happen when we came as honoured guests to his father's place, as we talked last evening," i said. "that all sounds well enough for a time. but thereafter--what are our plans to be?" "in what way?" he answered, staying his steps, and looking gravely at me. now this was the first chance we two had had of private talk. as may be supposed, we had been drawn together much during the voyage, partly as seamen, and also partly because norseman and saxon are kin, while the irishman was almost as much a stranger to me as to bertric. moreover, dalfin was at home once more, and we were wanderers. so i spoke plainly, not seeing any need to beat about the bush with this quiet friend, of whom i surely learnt so much in the long days of peril together. "i have no plans beyond those i may make for the help of gerda," i said. "if your home does not call you maybe it is well for her." "there are none who will trouble much concerning me until the autumn," he answered. "i am a free man in that matter, and it need not trouble you. let me work with you in this, for, indeed, i shall not be happy until i have seen her in safety again, and in her own land, if that may be what she wishes." "that will be her first wish," i answered, being sure thereof. in those last days on board the ship, when i was not taking my turn at the helm, i had spoken much with gerda, sitting on the deck just without the little shelter we had rigged for her aft, and ever her thoughts had gone back to norway and a home there. "you and i must see this through together," bertric said frankly. "i knew that this would be your one thought, and you will be none the worse off for someone to help. 'bare is back without brother behind it,' as your old saw goes." i held out my hand to him on that bargain with a great relief, and he took it and laughed. "maybe we are making much of what need be little trouble," he said; "but we cannot tell. we are in a strange land, and, from all i ever heard, a troubled one. a lady is no light charge. let us see if we can find her before dalfin wakes. i think we must plan apart from him for a while, for he is full of our biding always here in ireland. which, of course, is out of the question." now we turned back to the village, and as we went i asked bertric what he would do when our end had been gained, and gerda was once more in norway, and at rest. "make my way home," he answered. "there will be ships who will be glad of a pilot into english ports, if none happen to want a master. that is easy for me. what of yourself?" "a norse king is always glad of a courtman," i said. "or the orkney earl will not let me be idle if i go to him." "aye," he said, "a man can always find a place. i do not think you will have to seek far." we found gerda up the glen, watching fergus milk the little black and white kine which had their byres in that sheltered place. among the trees wandered half a score of goats, and the ground was white with the wind flowers everywhere. she was bright, and seemed very fair that morning, rejoicing in rest and the peace that was all around. "see," she said, after our greeting, "even the birds are not feared of us here. they are the little brothers and sisters of the hermits." so indeed it seemed, for the wood birds flew to us, seeking the food which the brethren never failed to bring them. gerda stretched out her hand with some crumbs of bread, and they perched thereon, fearless, while fergus looked up at us and smiled a good morning. "have you found your breakfast, my sons?" he asked. "we set it in your cell; but the prince slept still, and we did not wake him." we had not looked into the hut, and so went back slowly, gerda with us. and on the way we asked how we might try to plan for her. "oh, if you will but do so," she said eagerly. "in any case, let me go back to norway as soon as i may. yet i do not know where to look for a friend who can help me to my own there." "we had thought of harald harfager, the king," i said. "he was thorwald's friend, as you told us. he will act as your guardian." she looked at us in some surprise. "have you heard naught from norway of late?" she asked. bertric had heard none, and we in caithness were out of the way of news. "harald has been dead these six months and more," she said sadly. "now his son, eric bloodaxe, reigns unquietly. men hate him, and with reason. that terrible name of his may tell you why. arnkel, who tried to burn me, is hand in glove with him." then bertric said: "have you heard naught of hakon, that son of harald, whom our king, athelstane, has brought up in england?" "no," she answered, shaking her head. "we have heard naught. we would that we had, for all men speak well of him, and it was hoped that he would be back rather than that this terrible half-brother of his should take the throne." "i know him," bertric said. "it were well for norway if he did return. good warrior and good christian he is, and that means good friend, moreover." "we must make for dublin," i said. "we must go to the norse king, sigtryg, who is there, and ask him for help. it will be hard if we cannot find a ship to serve us--even if not men who will sail to set a queen in her place once more." "if that fails," put in bertric, "we will go to england and speak with hakon himself. maybe he will take you back to norway when he sails. for he will sail." gerda laughed, and shook her head again. "you make too much of me. hakon would not heed so small a matter. no, take me to norway, and i will find my cousins who are in the south, and there i may be welcome. at least, i shall be no burden to them, and they are folk who live on their own land. it will be the quiet life of the homestead and the saeter which i love." she sighed, and there was a far-off look in her eyes as if she saw again the norse mountains and streams and the flower-edged glaciers, and heard the song of the maidens on the pastures round the saeters, and the homing call for the cattle, and longed for them. "what of yourselves?" she said presently, and a little timidly as i thought. "we shall not be content till we have seen you in safety, and in norway if that may be," i answered. "that is all we have to think of now." "we are two men at a loose end if we have not you to follow as your courtmen," added bertric. "we would pray you not to turn us off." "it is good to hear you speak so," she said, with a smile that was of sheer relief. "but it is a barren service, though i would not part with you if it must be put in that way. i think that i could not have found better friends, and i fear nothing while you are near." so she went on to thank us for all our thought for her, as if we did something wonderful, and we were fain to laugh and make light of it. "now we are bound for norway," said bertric. "what shall be done with all this troublesome treasure? we cannot hale it all over ireland." we thought it best to leave the bulk of it with the hermits, taking enough for all possible needs in silver coin and in the rings and links of gold, which were easily carried and hidden. for we had heard from dalfin how that between the courts of the irish kings and that of sigtryg of dublin was little intercourse, save when fighting was on hand. but of that there was no need to tell gerda, there being peace at present, so far as the hermits knew, and good reason for at least civility when she was concerned. as for the things we left here, they might he picked up on our way to norway. so we planned, and thereafter went back to the cells and to dalfin, who woke at noontide or thereabout with a great hunger on him. so that day wore on in utter quietness and rest, while the wind and sea fell. late in that afternoon, when the tide was at its lowest and the slack water was more still, phelim came hastily and told us that there were fishers on the way from their village to us. whereat we wondered; for still the sea ran high, and we ourselves had not dreamed of putting out in our boat. but when we reached the rocky shore which looked on the strait, so it was. rising and falling on the waves came a tiny craft with two men in it, and i have seldom seen a boat better handled in a sea way. yet when they came close, it was but a wicker framework, covered with skins, the two men kneeling on the floor, and using narrow, single-bladed paddles, one on either side or both on the same side as need might be. they came carefully alongside a flat rock which they were wont to use as a landing place, and one leapt out, running to father phelim, and kneeling to him for his blessing. it was hard to make out his rough speech, but it was plain that his folk had feared lest somewhat should be amiss with the hermits. phelim told them that their prince was here, and then there was much homage done of a humble sort to dalfin, who took it as a matter of course, though the manner of it was more cringing and excited than any norseman could have put up with. presently, when all that was over, they asked him what his commands were, knowing that they had been summoned for his service. he told them that they must go to his father, their king, and ask him to send a guard to meet us as soon as possible at their village, with all that was needed for our journey to the court. thereafter they were to send their largest boat to ferry us across to the other side. then he dismissed them, bidding them use all speed, and again they did homage after their manner, and bent before phelim, and so paddled out among the waves as swiftly and skilfully as they had come. there was never a word of pay or even reward spoken. it would seem to be enough for them that they should be honoured in serving their lord, or else they had no choice but to do his bidding. maybe that last is most likely. now we had to wait for their signal that all was ready for us, and how long that might be we could not tell. it depended mostly on where the king was holding his court, which the fishers did not know. in the end it came to pass that we had to wait four days here, and i will not say that they went at all quickly. dalfin waxed moody before the next day was over. he was one of those who loved excitement, and are only happy when one thing follows another fast, caring not what it may be so long as there is somewhat, even danger. i think it was as well that he was a mighty sleeper, being content to lie on a warm sand hill and slumber between his meals. bertric and i built a pig stye out of wreck wood for the hermits, which pleased them mightily, and was certainly better than doing nothing. gerda watched us quietly, and then we would climb to the top of the hill and look out toward the land in hopes of seeing the fire which the fishers were to light when all was in order for our going. so it chanced on the second day that she and i had been up the hill together, and were coming back to bertric and his work down the little glen, when we came suddenly on the old superior, who was walking with bent head among the trees of a clearing, musing. we had not seen him since the day when we came ashore. he started when he saw us, and looked at us as if it was the first time that he had met us; and we were about to pass him quickly, with a little due reverence. but he spoke, and we stopped. "i remember," he said. "you are the lochlannoch who were cast ashore. is all well with you?" "in every way, father," i answered in the gaelic. he looked hard at me for a moment, and his face flushed slowly. it had been white before with the whiteness that comes of a dark cell and long biding within it. only the warm sun had taken him out today, for phelim said that he was close on ninety years of age. then he set forth his hand to me, and laid it on my arm. "tell me who you are," he said. "we are norse folk, cast ashore here by mischance in the gale." "norse?" he said. "yet you speak the tongue of my childhood--the kindly gaelic of the islands which is not that altogether of the erse of today. it is full sixty years since i heard it." "my mother was a scottish lady," i answered. "my own name is malcolm." "tell me more," he said eagerly. "let me hear the old tongue again before i die." now, it is in no wise easy to be told to talk without a hint in the way of question on which to begin, and i hesitated. gerda asked me softly what was amiss, and i told her in a few words. the old hermit looked kindly at her, but did not speak. "tell him of your home," she said. "tell him without saying aught of the end of it." i did so, slowly at first, for the words would not come, and then better as i went on. the old man listened, and the tears came into his eyes. "ah, the old days," he said, when i stopped. "your voice is a voice from the days that are gone, and the old tongue comes back to me, with the sound of the piper on the hill and the harper in the hall, with the sough of the summer wind in the fir trees, and the lash of the waves on the rocks. oh, my son, my son, i would that you had never come here to make me mind the things that are dead." now he was trembling, and i took his white hand and set it on my arm to steady him. his hand felt the cold touch of the great gold bracelet gerda would have me wear, and he looked at it, and turned it in his fingers. "jarl, and son of a jarl," he whispered. "war and flame, and the cry of the victors! oh, my son, you mind me of bitter things." "i and mine have never hurt christian folk, father," i said, knowing what he meant. the sword and fire had fallen heavily on the scottish islands when the norseman first came thither. but surely he could not mind that. thereafter phelim told me that he thought the old man spoke of the burning of some monastery on the mainland of scotland, whence he had fled, with those of his brethren who escaped, to ireland, coming hither at last to end his days in peace. but i heard no more from himself now. what i had just spoken turned his thoughts afresh, and i was glad. "then you are a heathen; and this lady also?" "we are odin's folk," i answered. "i suppose that is what you mean, father." "yet i think now that i saw you once in the chapel." "you may do so again, father, if it is permitted by you. i have heard naught but good words there." his eyes brightened, and he smiled at me. "you know nothing of the faith then?" he asked. i shook my head. i had heard never a word of it until i met my friends. "we will teach you," he said eagerly. "sit here, my children, in this warm place, and let me tell you somewhat thereof. it may be the last time i may teach the heathen. aye, i have done it in days long ago." i spoke to gerda then, telling her what the old father wished, and she smiled at the thought. "we have naught to do," she said, "and if it will give him pleasure we may as well bide here." so we sat down on the bank in the sun amid the quiet of the woodland, and listened. the wood flowers carpeted the ground, and gerda plucked those that were in reach and played with them while the father began his words. presently he saw that gerda was paying no heed, and he bade me translate, hearing that she did not understand. and by that time he spoke the old tongue of his youth, and the erse way of speaking was forgotten. then he told us things which every christian child knows; but which were new and wonderful and very good to hear, to us two. soon gerda had forgotten the flowers, and was listening, and presently asking questions as might a child who hears the sweetest tale ever told. so still we were, and so soft the voice of the old man, that the birds the hermits were wont to feed came close to us, and a robin perched on the shoulder of the father, and he smiled at it. "see," he said, "the breast of the little bird is red because it had compassion on its maker as he suffered, and would pluck the cruel thorns away." and so with all homely words and simple he taught us, and we were fain to listen. odin and the asir seemed far off at that time and in that place, and i half blamed myself for harkening. "what of our asir?" i said at last. "heroes of the old days," he said. "heroes whom their sons have worshipped; because a man must needs worship the greatest whom he knows." "and what has become of them?" he shook his head. "they are in the hands of the true allfather," he answered. "i cannot tell more than that. it is enough." "i have heard it said," i went on, for here was somewhat which troubled me, "that you christians hold that we worship fiends--that the asir are such." "that were to wrong the heroes of the past, my son," he answered. "it is meant that you know not what you worship under those honoured names. there are those among you who know that the asir were your forefathers. did you ever hear that alfred, the wise and most christian king of england, was ashamed of that ancestry of his?" "i myself cannot be ashamed thereof. i am from the line of odin," i said. "if you speak truth, father, one count against christians has passed, from my mind at least." but now gerda spoke timidly, for she too had her question at this time. "what of women, father? is there a place for them in the heaven of which you speak? was it won for us?" "most truly, my daughter. it is for the woman as for the man. there is no difference." i saw her face light up with a new wonder and joy, which told me that here was no idle listener. and so the old teacher went on in all kindly wisdom, never hurting us in aught he said of the old gods, but leading us to see the deeper things which our forebears had forgotten. i listened, and thought it all good; but betimes gerda wept quietly, and would fain hear more and more. the little bell on the chapel rang for the vespers or ever we ended that long talk, and the old man must go. i raised him up, for he was very feeble, and again the touch of the gold put a word into his mind. "jarl, and son of odin," he said, smiling, "no need for you to wait that dim ragnarok fight of yours for warfare against evil. that fight has begun, and in it you may take your part now, that you may share in the victory hereafter." then i said, for i minded how useless to me seemed this life here: "what part have you therein, father--you and the brethren?" "we pray for those who have forgotten to do so for themselves," he answered. "and we are of those whose sorest fight has been against evil within." so we went into the chapel for the vespers with him, and the day was done. but in the morning there hung on the black cross on the green grass a wreath of white flowers which no brother had set there. chapter : the summons of the beacons. now, for all the peace of this holy island there hung over it an ever-present fear of which i learned when we spoke to phelim concerning the treasure which we would leave in the care of the brethren when we went hence. he said that it was well if we would do so, and that they would bury it under that new shed which we had helped to build, since no danes would wonder at seeing newly-turned earth there. "moreover," he said, "if we are not here when you come for it, you will know where it is." he said this quietly, and as a matter of course, and i asked him in surprise if it was likely that they would leave their island. "not alive," he answered; "but the danes may spy our easily-taken flocks at any time, and come ashore here." "why, they would not harm the unresisting," i said. "nay, but we are priests of the faith, therefore the heathen rage against us. already they have slain almost every brotherhood along the shores of this land, and of scotland. our turn may come at any time." he was in no way disquieted at this terrible thought. thereafter i knew that to him such a death was martyrdom, and most glorious. but bertric listened with a troubled face, and presently, when we were alone again, he said that he was anxious. "i only hope that we may not have brought trouble on these good men who have sheltered us," he said. "there was a ship which must have seen us cast ashore here." "we should have had her back by this time if she meant seeking us." "it is not her whom i fear," he answered. "this ship of ours was too precious for heidrek to let go easily. so soon as that fog cleared, and he found we were not ahead on the norway shore, he would put about. he knew that we must be undermanned, being so close to us. then he would get back to where he lost us, and thereafter would guess the only course we could have taken, for the matter of handling the sail would settle that. we could not have gone far ere the wind dropped. then supposing he picked up our mast?" "unlikely enough," i said. "we are raising trouble for ourselves." bertric shook his head. "i know heidrek only too well. he may spend this season in hunting for the treasure which he so nearly had. news of a wreck flies fast, and he has but to touch here and there on our track or thereabout to hear of us sooner or later." now, i did not trouble much more about this, but it bided in bertric's mind, and made him restless. that third day passed without sign from the mainland, as was likely, seeing that the fishers had to reach the king. it would have been of no use for us to take the boat and cross, for dalfin told us that we needs must have horses, and maybe a guard when we would go to his place, which was a long day's ride from the shore. we were well cared for here, and it was a pleasant place wherein to wait. in the evening the old superior sent for us again, and sitting once more in the sheltered glen, he taught us, taking up his tale where we had left it, after making me speak the old tongue of his youth to him for a little while. he was a wonderful teacher, clear and patient, and it would have been strange if we had not learned from him. yet i cannot say that i seemed to learn much. i clung to the old faith of my fathers, and that was not wonderful. but gerda learned, and loved all that she heard. i had to turn the words of the teacher into the homely norse for her, and her questions were many and eager. somewhere about midnight thereafter, bertric woke with a start which roused me, so that i sat up and asked what was amiss. "i do not know," he answered; "but it lies on my mind that somewhat has happened, or is to happen. somewhat evil." "the last talk of heidrek has raised fears in your mind," i said. then across the stone-framed window came a flare of red light, and we both sprang to our feet and went to the door. dalfin stirred, but did not wake. and when we were in the open all was still in the moonlight round us, but on the mainland every hill inland to the westward was tipped with the flame of beacon fires, newly lighted. that which had waked bertric, as one may suppose, with its first flash, was set on the hill over the fishers' village, whence we were to look for the signal to tell us to be ready for departure. it had been just lighted, and blazed up fiercely as we stood outside the cell. five minutes later another fire answered it to the eastward, and again beyond that a third, and fourth, one after the other, as men saw the glare. "foes landing to the westward," said bertric. "the fires run thence. maybe the ship we saw went down the coast and has returned." now we woke dalfin, who came out yawning, and looked. "danes, i suppose," he said carelessly. "that is the usual trouble; or else connaught men on the raid. well, as we cannot get at them, we need not trouble concerning them. and they cannot reach us." "the fires sprang up quickly as if men watched by them tonight," said bertric. "some enemy was looked for." "you have seen the like before then?" asked dalfin. "not once or twice. and for the same reason--the danes." "have you fought with them?" "i was at my own place when we beat them off once." so we stood and watched the fires until they twinkled as far as we could see to the eastward. westward the hill, as i have said, cut off sight of both cliffs and open sea, but over it was the glow in the sky of far-off beacons. fergus came out of the chapel, and i heard him give a little cry as he saw the fires. then he came to us, seeing us in the moonlight, which was bright. "no need to fear, my sons," he said in his still voice. "many a time i have seen those fires before, and doubtless shall see them again. the trouble may be far off, and of little account. sleep in peace." we turned in again, but sleep was broken until daylight came, and we were astir with the first gleam of sun across the door. it was a bright morning, with a steady sea breeze from the northeast, and every promise of the fine weather that comes withal in the summer. on the hills the smoke of the war beacons still rose and drifted, but there was no sign of stir at the foot of the glen on the mainland where the fishers had their haven, such as it was. the brethren came from their cells, looked at the black smoke wreaths, and sighed, and went their ways into the chapel for the matins, and the little bell rang. then gerda came from her cell and saw us, for she, too, was early wakeful here in the quiet. "why are you looking so troubled? she asked us, as we bade her good morrow. her eyes went from one to the other in some dismay, for i dare say we showed that the night had been unquiet for us. "there seems to be some trouble on the mainland," i answered. "there are beacon fires yonder, but the brothers think little of them. they are not unusual here from all accounts." "by no means," said dalfin. "and they may mean little. at the most, we may be kept waiting here for a day or two longer while my father gathers men and goes to see what is amiss. now i have a mind to ask the hermits to call the fishers and let me cross and help, if so be there is fighting on hand. "you would come also, would you not?" he asked, looking at us two. "hardly," bertric answered, before i could do so in the same word. "why not?" "it is not to be supposed that we could leave our charge," he answered. "forgive me; i forgot," said dalfin at once. but even that word had made gerda pale with the thought that she might be left alone, with the fear of our not returning for her. she smiled at bertric as he answered, and then asked if we should not follow the brothers into the chapel, as we were told we might do at any time, though this first service was not one for which she and i might stay all the while. so we went in, and there bided while we might. presently we two had to rise up and leave the place, unwillingly, so far as gerda was concerned. phelim and i between us had told her the words of the service. now we walked away together toward the shore, and were silent for a time. it was plain that she thought deeply on somewhat. at last she said sadly: "what is to come is all dim and unknown, but if it does come to pass that i may ever have home of my own again, i would that there was one of these brothers to teach me and mine." "that might easily be," i answered. "they would not go to a heathen land?" she said in surprise. "maybe not these hermits, but some man like to them would. i have heard them talk of men who are held in the greatest honour because they have dared to do so." thereafter she said nothing, but in her face grew a great content. we came to the shore and looked on the bare timbers of the wreck, and with all my heart i would that they were not quite so plain to be seen. the tides were slack now, and the water did not hide them in the least, even at the full flood. moreover it was calm enough. "malcolm," she said presently, "do you and bertric want to go with the prince and see if there is fighting?" she looked in my face quickly and half turned away, and i wondered what she was thinking. for a moment i had a foolish thought that mayhap she expected us to be full of longing for the weapon play, and that to please her i might say somewhat which would tend that way. but i bethought myself and answered her frankly: "i must speak for myself," i said; "but i think it will be the same with bertric. i have no mind to meddle with the affairs of another man until i am sure that he needs my help. i cannot say that i do not like a fair fight when there is good reason for it; but there is no wisdom or courage in going out of the way to seek for one." so i laughed, and she laughed also, as relieved. "i feared lest i held you back from the game you love," she said. "if we were alone--" i said, and there stopped, for i had said too much. no doubt if she had not been here we should have been off with dalfin at once with light hearts. "then i do stay you," she said, catching my meaning. whereon it came to me that i had better say what i meant outright. "we need no better reason for staying. that we have you to care for is good, and in that care is more honour to us than we might win in fighting in a quarrel which is not ours." "little honour can you win here, malcolm," she said half sadly, and yet smiling. "yet i know what you mean, and i thank you both." now, a thought which had been growing up in my heart for these many days came to the surface, as it were, and i had almost spoken it. i knew that if this charge were taken from me i should be lonely indeed, and that it were honour enough for me to care for and guard gerda through all my life as the one thing that i could care for. i think that it would have been strange if this had not come to me in these long hours of companionship with her, seeing what she was in all respects, whether as she stood here on the windy shore with her fair hair tossed by the sea breeze, fair and full of health and life, or as i had seen her on the decks of the doomed ship, brave and steadfast, with the cruel terror of the pirates on her. but here and now i could say nothing of this that was so near to me. i had naught to offer her but my poor presence, no future, and no home. and maybe there were long days of companionship and service due from me, and i would not that there should be the least thing said to mar the ease with which that went so far. one can be wise at times, when the comfort of another is in the balance, as it were. moreover, how could i tell that some of her longing for home might not be also from pain of separation? and that was now no happy thought to me. well, i must wait and find out all that. if it was in my power that longing should be stilled, and then i might know the best and worst of all that might lie before me. thoughts like these do not grow up all at once as i have set them down. at this time they seemed to gather from the many times they had passed through my mind, and rank themselves against my words. so it came to pass that i was silent, and was glad presently that so i had been. "look!" said gerda suddenly, pointing out to the far eastward, "yonder are sails on the skyline." far off they were, but plain enough under the morning sun. two white specks on the blue circle's edge, sails of ships which sailed westward, as if beating to windward in long boards against the northeast breeze. they might be norse vessels from dublin on their way homewards, though it had been more easy for such to wait a slant from the south or west. "they cannot be the ships which have caused the firing of the beacons," i said. "that trouble was to the westward." i half turned to look at the hills and their fires, and saw our comrades coming to us. dalfin was ahead, and plainly excited. "malcolm," he cried, so soon as he was within hearing, "i cannot hold back if there is fighting in our land. will you two take the boat there and set me across to the mainland?" i suppose that he had talked of this to bertric as they came, for the saxon nodded to me. "it will but take half an hour," he said. "moreover, if we cross we may learn what is amiss. what says the queen?" "if the prince must go," she said, "i do not see how i can stay him. i can sit and watch you there and back, and cannot feel lonely. but need he go?" "faith," said dalfin, laughing, "can a prince of maghera sit still when the fires are burning yonder to call him? that would be a shame to him, and a wonder to his folk. i must go." his eyes shone, and it was plain that even had we wished to do so, we could not stay him. the place of the prince was with his men, and he would return for us. gerda smiled at his eagerness, and bade him hasten to return, and so we went to where the boats lay in the sand hills. the larger had all her gear in her as we left it, and the smaller, which was meant for three only, had but her oars. we took this latter, as it was easy to get her to the water, and she was all we needed. "go and get your arms," i said to dalfin. "we will pull round and meet you at the rock where the fishers landed." "hurry, then," he said, and went his way to the cells in all haste. more slowly gerda followed him, and we pushed off and bent to the oars. there was little sea, and we went swiftly from the open round the eastern point of the island and into the strait. now i pointed out the distant sails to bertric, but he had already seen them. "i do not rightly make out what they are yet," he said; "but i do not think them danish. honest norse traders from dublin, most likely." it was at the time of the slack water at the top of high tide now, and we found dalfin and gerda waiting with phelim and another of the brothers at the flat rock. at the first sight i thought the prince had changed his mind, and would stay, as if gerda had over-persuaded him. for he stood there bare headed, and without mail or shield, though he had the axe and sword which gerda had given him, and the great torque was on his neck. "where is the mail?" i asked, as we steadied the boat by the rock. "waiting my return," he answered. "today i am an irish prince--tomorrow the queen's courtman again, if she will. "now farewell, fathers." he bent his knee to the priests, and then bowed over gerda's hand as he kissed it in parting. "forgive me, queen," he said. "the call of eirinn must take me from you for a time. it cannot be denied by me." "come back soon, and as a victor, and you will be forgiven," she answered, laughing, and he stepped into the boat. then as he put off she sat down on a rock with the brethren behind her, to watch us, and we saw her wave her hand in farewell. "concerning the arms, or the want thereof," said dalfin presently. "our folk hold that a warrior should need naught but his weapons, and that mail or shield are but cowardly devices. so i have had to leave them, though i am not of that mind myself. moreover, i shall be likely to find a long tramp across the hills before me presently, and i have no mind to be set on by my own people as a wandering dane, for the sake of wearing outland arms to please myself." it was not a quarter of an hour before we were alongside the little tottering landing stage which the fishers had built for themselves of the ribs of some wreck at the foot of their glen. some of the children who swarmed in the village of huddled turf huts caught sight of us first, and fled, yelling. out of the huts came their mothers in all haste to see what ailed them, and they too saw and shrieked. whereon the men came running, each with a long-handled axe in his hand, as if caught up from close by where each had been working. though they were wild and short of stature they were wiry and active men, who might be good warriors if well led. dalfin leapt ashore and called to them, and they knew him, welcoming him with a yell of delight, and crowding to do him noisy homage. there were ten or fifteen of them, and it was some time before the prince had a chance to make himself heard. when he could, he called for the head man of the place, and one, with fiery-red hair and beard, came and knelt before him to hear his commands, while the rest drew back and stared, in a half circle. as for us, we waited in the boat and laughed. "what are all these beacon fires about?" asked dalfin shortly. "danes in the river bann, lord," the head man said. "have they landed yet?" "no, lord. they wait for ransom they have demanded. if it comes not, they will burn and harry all ulster." "how many ships, then?" asked dalfin, on hearing that threat. "two ships, lord, and great ones." the prince laughed at the man. "what, burn all ulster with two shiploads of men? that is a great boast which we shall not care for. where is my father, the king--and where is the muster?" the man told him that the king was at some place or other, with the mustering warriors. thereat dalfin bade the man get him a horse at once, and the fisher threw up his hands and said that there was never a horse within ten miles. dalfin laughed and spoke to us. "just what i thought," he said. "if i get to the muster by sunset i shall be lucky, unless i meet with a horse on the way. and--i am out of condition with these long days on board ship." he groaned, and we bade him wait till he was sent for; but that he would not hear. "i shall take a dozen of these knaves as guard--and maybe to carry me betimes. wish me luck, for i must be going." now the wild fishers had been whispering among themselves, and one of them made up his mind to tell somewhat. he came and knelt before dalfin, and asked him to forgive him. "what for?" asked the prince. "for telling foolishness," answered the man. "yet i think it should be told with the rest of the news." "tell it, then." "i spoke with the man who carried the gathering cry, and he said that the evil lochlannoch, concerning whom are the beacons, have bidden men give up the treasure which they say we must needs have won from a certain wreck. there has been no wreck, lord, save yours, and the prince will ever have treasure." now a sudden heat of rage seemed to fall on dalfin, and he cried aloud to the men: "hearken, fools! it is not to be said that the prince was wrecked like a fisher churl. there has been no wreck--if there has been, there was no treasure. mind you that." "lord," said the man, trembling, "i cannot tell if aught was told the lochlannoch. we have said naught to them, not having seen them." "dalfin," i said, with a great chill on me, "ask if they know the name of the leader of these men." he changed colour, for i think that the knowledge of what i feared came to him in a flash. he asked, and the man at his feet muttered what was meant for the name of heidrek. he said it once or twice, stammering, but i knew it, and bertric caught it also. "what is it that the man says?" he asked quickly. he had been content to wait until presently to hear what the news was, until this came to his ears. "what you feared," i answered. "heidrek treasure hunting." dalfin turned to us now, and his face was troubled. "malcolm," he said, "you have heard all this. it is a mere chance if heidrek has not heard of the wreck by this time. now, it will be best for you to bring gerda across here at once, and so let these men take you to a hiding in the hills. i will come back swiftly with men and horses and take you thence. make the hermits come also, if you can--but they will not." then he spoke to the fishers and told them that they had to do this, at the same time bidding some get provender and be ready to go with him instantly. that pleased them well enough, and a dozen ran to the huts to find what was needed. i heard the women scolding them. "farewell, friends," he said, coming alongside again, and taking our hands with a great grip. "i left ireland to find adventure, and, faith, i have not been disappointed. now, the sooner i am away the sooner i will be back." "good luck to you," we cried; and he shouted for his ragged men, and was away up the glen. behind the little straggling crowd the women came out and wept and howled as if not one would be back again. it was their way of sending their men off in good spirits, i suppose. not that the men heeded the noise at all, being used to it. one looked back and grinned. the few men left lingered on the shore, and i called one to me. "we shall be back here shortly with the young queen," i said. "you will be ready for us." "as the word of the prince bade us," he answered. "it will be done." we pulled away, and it was time. the falling tide was setting westward through the strait, and we had to row more or less against it now as we crossed to where gerda's white dress shone on the farther shore. "heidrek will not risk a landing," bertric said. "the sooner we are back here with gerda the better. he has heard of that wreck." i told him the words of the fishers, and he was the more sure of it. we pulled on the faster therefore, and the light boat flew as only a norse-built boat can fly. bertric was in the forward rower's place, steering, and now and again he turned his head to set the course. i suppose we had covered half the distance across, when i heard him draw in his breath sharply. "holy saints," he said, "look yonder!" he was staring toward the westward mouth of the strait, half a mile away. there was a long black boat there, and the sun sparkled on the arms of the men in her. they were rowing slowly against the tide, toward us. "too late," said bertric between his teeth. "that is heidrek treasure hunting, and we shall not get back to the mainland." chapter : with sail and oar. i looked over my shoulder at gerda. her white dress seemed to shine in the morning sun like silver against some dark bushes, and my first fear was that it could be seen as plainly by the men in the big boat down the strait. "it cannot be heidrek's," i groaned. "i know that boat only too well," answered bertric; "pull, if you never pulled before." the oars bent, and the water boiled round the blades. bertric headed straight across, letting the tide have its way with us. in five minutes we were ashore a hundred yards below where gerda sat, and then i knew that the bushes must screen her from the view of those who came from the sea. we leapt out and looked at the boat we feared. the men in her did not seem to be heeding us, for, at all events, they had not quickened their stroke. they were keeping over on the far shore. either they had not seen us, or took us for no more than fishers--or else knew that they had us trapped if they wanted us. "give me a lift here," said bertric, going to a great stone which was a load for any two men. "we must sink this boat--we have the other, if that is any good to us." together we hove the great stone into the boat as it rocked on the edge of the tide, starting a plank or two. i stove in one altogether with an oar, shoved her off with all my might, and saw her fill at once, and sink with the weight in her some twenty yards from shore. she would not be seen again till dead low water. then we hove the oars into the bushes. maybe it was all useless, but we would leave nothing to be spied which might bring the men to the island sooner than needful. that took only a few minutes, but in them i cannot tell how many wild plans for gerda's safety went through my mind. beyond the bare chance which lay in getting to the hillside and trying to keep out of sight of the men when they landed, there seemed to be nothing we could do. now, along the little shore path came gerda to seek us, smiling at our haste. the boat she missed at once, and looked round for it. "why, what has become of the boat?" she asked. "i thought you landed here." bertric looked at me, and i at him, and gerda caught the glance. "there is something which you fear to tell me," she said steadily. "let it be spoken at once, for we have faced danger together ere this, have we not?" "have you not seen a large boat down the strait?" i asked lamely. "no," she said, and was stepping forward to the edge of the water, past the screen of low shore bushes to look, but i stayed her. "it is the boat which we fear," i said. "there are danes in her, and we think they are seeking the wreck." she looked me in the face for a moment, and read what was written there. "we might welcome the coming of honest vikings," she said, "whether dane or norse. they know how to befriend a woman who needs help. these men whom you fear and who seek the wreck can only be the men of our enemy." then bertric said: "i cannot mistake the boat which i have helped to pull so many a weary time. it is heidrek's. he has followed us, and has somewhere heard of the fate of the ship. we have sunk the little boat, lest the sight of it should bring them ashore straightway." "then we must hide somewhere," she said, looking round her as if to see what place might be. "aye, we must hide. there will be fifteen men, or more, in the boat. malcolm and i cannot stay their landing." gerda caught her breath suddenly. "what of the hermits?" she said. "we waste time," said i. "come and let us tell them. they may have some hiding place." then we went swiftly to the cells. once we looked back to the strait, from the little rise behind which the cells were sheltered, and saw the boat still working against the tide along the far shore. heidrek had certainly not heard that the wreck was on the island itself. most likely it was thought that we had made for the shelter of the strait, and had gone ashore in trying to reach it. unless the ship which we had seen knew the coast well, her crew could hardly have told that an island was here. there were no hermits to be seen, for they were either in their cells, or at their tasks about the place. so i went to the first cell and looked in, and finding it empty, went to the next. fergus sat there, writing in some beautiful book which he was busied with. one never found a brother idle. "father," i said, "i must disturb you. there is danger at hand, i fear." "ah," he answered, setting down his pen, and rising hastily. "the danes at last. well, we have long expected them to come to us, as to our brethren elsewhere. but what shall the poor queen do?" "is there no place where you can hide her?" i said. "none," he answered gloomily. "tell me more." i told him, and he shook his head. "men in the narrow waters, and men in the open," he muttered. "hemmed in on every side." "danes in the open sea?" i said, with a new fear on me. the end might be nearer than we deemed it. "aye, two ships sailing this way." they were those which we had seen and forgotten. i ran out, and while fergus went to bertric, climbed the little hill beyond the village, and looked seaward. the ships were six miles away, and heading due west, having edged somewhat farther from the shore than when we first sighted them. they were not coming hither. "there need be no fear of those ships, father," i said. "they are making a passage past us--bound elsewhere at all events." "then," he said at once, "there lies your boat on the shore of the open sea. make away to the main land eastward while there is time, and take to the hills inland. you are not likely to be followed thither. we will give you some token which the poor folk of the shore will know." now, while the hermit had been speaking, i was translating for the other two, as was my way by this time. "father," cried gerda, and i spoke her words as she said them, "will you not fly also?" he shook his head with a sad smile. neither he nor any one of his brethren would leave the place. "we shall hide in the hill and behind it while we may," he said. "they may not trouble to hunt us." "the good father is right," said bertric. "we must get away as soon as we can. it is our one chance. i had thought of it, but was not sure how the shore folk would greet us. now we must hasten. ask the hermit to come and help us launch the boat." then he turned to gerda, who stood with clasped hands waiting to hear the end of the rapid speech. "it is our only hope," he said again. "we must take that way, though it is hard to leave these holy men to their fate." then, of a sudden, a light came into gerda's eyes, and she flushed as with a fresh hope. "those other ships!" she cried. "you said they were not danish. norse or irish, they would help us, if we could reach them!" bertric said never a word, but ran to the place whence he could look out to sea, and came back with a brighter face. "they are not danish," he said. "i am sure thereof. and it is just a chance that we might reach them. if they see we are in need, there is another hope for us, for they will meet us, or heave to for us." then some fear took hold of gerda, born of the chase by heidrek, as i believe. "no," she said, "rather the poor folk ashore than chance what men we may meet at sea." "as you will," answered bertric. "you may be right. now will you gather what you must needs take, and that swiftly? malcolm and i will get our arms." she went to her cell, and fergus hurried to call his brethren. we two went to the cell which had been given us. "just as well not to put them on," i said. "we have a long pull before us, and if armed men are seen in the boat we must be chased." the casket of gold was under the heather pillow of my bed, and i dragged it out. from it we took what we could stow away on us in one way or another, and then, with our war gear bundled in our arms, went out. across the strait rose a thick smoke from the foot of the glen. heidrek's folk were burning the wretched huts for sport. all the fisher people would have fled at their first coming. "they are busy now," said bertric grimly, nodding toward the signs of pillage. "they will be here next." now gerda came with a little bundle, wrapped in her blue cloak. she was pale, and near to weeping as she looked on the hermits, who were coming together from their work to the black cross in the midst of their home. the old superior caught sight of me and called to me in his still voice. "so you must fly, my son," he said. "i would that we had had more speech together. give this to the lady who has listened to me so patiently. now, i have bidden fergus and phelim to go with you. they can row, and that well, and you need help. aye, i ken the ways of the boatwork well enough. you will make them go with you, for hardly will they obey me, now at the last." thereat those two brethren threw themselves at the feet of the old man, and besought him to let them bide with the rest for that crown of martyrdom which they might gain. "no, my sons," he said sternly, and yet lovingly; "your lives may yet be of use. ours are done. now you shall win more by saving the lives of these friends of ours who came to us in need than by losing your own." then he bent toward them, and spoke rapidly in the latin tongue, and i saw their faces change, and they rose up. thereafter they had no more to say of staying, though at the time i could not tell what the words which wrought this change might be. without another word they took bertric's arms and mine and gerda's little pack, and started for the shore, and as they went the old man smiled as if content. then he bent toward us. "go, my children," he said; "you have no moment to waste longer. it has been good to speak with you." now i set that which he had given me in gerda's hand. it was a little black crucifix carven of the bog oak by one of the brothers who was skilful at that work. she took it with a flushing face. "malcolm," she said, "tell him that we will not forget." so i told him, and he smiled, saying nothing in answer. i dare say he knew that gerda would not do so, if he had less hopes for myself. gerda first, and then we two in turn, bent and kissed his thin hand, and he blessed us, and we must needs go. across the sand hills we went, keeping out of sight of the opposite shore, and i looked back once and saw that the little black-robed group was moving away up the glen. one brother was coming from the chapel with a burden, which, no doubt, was the case containing the holy vessels. "four of us to pull, and gerda to steer," said bertric, whose spirits, like my own, were rising. "we should do well. these brothers, moreover, know where we can land, which was the difficulty i most feared. they are terrible cliff walls yonder." "how far must we go before we can find a landing?" i asked phelim on this. "some five miles or more," he said, after a little thought. "there is a cove and beach at the foot of a valley. the fishers took me there once to help a sick man. i can find the place." so it seemed that a village lay there also, which was good hearing, for the sake of gerda, even if it were naught but of turf huts. thence we could send a message to dalfin. now, while we spoke thus, we were getting the boat down to the water quickly enough between the four of us. she was very light for her size, and we had all her gear in her already. there was room in her for four rowers and two passengers aft, and i dare say might have carried two more at a pinch. with the five of us she would be in her best trim, therefore, and we might well distance a larger boat if it was overladen at all. but the boat we fled from was not to be seen now, even from the higher sand hills. some rise in the island hid her, or else she was well over to this shore. the brothers cast off their long, black robes now, and stowed them in the bows of the boat with our gear. they had thick woollen tunics, like those of the fishers, under them, and their arms were bare, and sinewy with long toil with spade and hoe, for these two were the working brothers in field and garden. we helped gerda into the stern sheets, and pushed off, splashing knee deep into the water as we ran the boat out among the waves. then we took our places and headed straight out to sea, across the broken water where the reef lay still well covered, and so into the long, steady seaway of the offing. then we turned eastward for the long row which was before us, and settled down to the work, bertric rowing the stroke oar, with myself next him, and the brothers in the bows. the boat travelled swiftly and easily, so that phelim praised her as the best he had ever known. he had come from some burnt monastery on lough neagh, where the boat was in constant use, whether for fishing or travelling to the cells round the shores. soon we opened up the mouth of the strait, and looked anxiously for heidrek's boat along the shore, whence the smoke rose still thicker and more black from the burning turf huts of the fishing village. it was not to be seen in that direction, and we thought for the moment that the men had already crossed to the island, whose strand we could not see until we were well off the mouth. a dozen more strokes of the oars and we saw it, and were ourselves seen at the same moment. whether the men had caught some fisher and had heard where the wreck lay, or whether they had seen the bare ribs of the ship from the far shore i do not know, and it is of little account. but whatever had led them this way, they were close on us, pulling leisurely toward the end of the island past which we were going, as if to round it to the wreck. they were not more than a quarter of a mile from us, and had been hidden under the near shore. one of the men in her stern pointed to us, and the rowers stopped and turned to look. then a great hail came over the water, bidding us hold on and wait. she was full of men, pulling five oars a side, with six or eight in the bows and stern. we said nothing, but held on quickly. bertric never hastened the long stroke he was setting us, but we put more power into it without need of bidding. heidrek's men watched us for a short space, and then made up their minds to chase us, no doubt seeing that this could only be one of the wrecked ship's boats, and making sure that we had the treasure on board. they ran the boat ashore hastily, and some of the men landed, hurrying across the narrow head of the island toward the wreck, while the rest put off again. now there were but two men in the stern, and the ten rowers bent to their work and were after us. we could see that they were all armed, and the sun flashed from the bright helms as they rose and fell at the work. phelim saw the men cross the island and groaned, fearing that when they found nothing on the beach or in the sand hills they would pass on to the village at once. but, like ourselves when we first came ashore, they had no knowledge that a village was there, and it was not to be seen as it nestled in its little valley. so they bided on the shore and watched the chase as it began. by the time that the big boat was after us in earnest, we had set a full half mile between us and it, owing to the little delay in landing the men. then they hailed us again, but though we heard the hail we paid no heed to it. so for a little while we held on, until it was plain that the ten oars must needs wear down our four, and then we stepped the mast and made sail, at least holding our own under it and the oars. the northeast breeze was helping us, though we must sail close-hauled, and my only fear was lest the pursuers should do the same. but they had no sail with them. now we held on thus for a matter of two miles, and neither of the boats seemed to gain much on the other. it began to come into my mind that we should win after all, if only we did not tire too soon. they had two fresh men, who could take their turn presently. and then it came across me that even if we ran ashore before they reached us, we should hardly have time to get away before they, too, were on the beach. the fisher folk, if there were any huts at the landing place, might all be away at the muster, and no aid might be waiting us. i know that all these things went through the mind of my comrade at this time, and from the troubled look on the face of gerda as she steered, it was plain that she, too, had her doubts as to the end of this race. then bertric spoke to me over his shoulder. "we had better head seaward after all," he said. "what think you of our chance of reaching yon ships before we are overhauled? we shall be caught before we reach a landing, or else taken on the very beach, as we go now." i looked at the two strange ships. they were three miles from shore, and perhaps at the same distance from us eastward, still heading west and a little out to sea. "it is our best plan," i answered. "we shall get the wind abeam, and ought to sail away from that great boat. it may be a choice of two evils, but one cannot well meet with another heidrek." "we must cut across their course and try to hail them," said bertric, somewhat wearily. "it all depends on how the boat sails on the wind, and if we can keep the oars going. what say you, queen gerda?" "do as you think best," she answered bravely. "i know how this boat can sail, and i will answer for her. and i can see no sign of a break in these black cliffs for many a long mile ahead." now bertric turned and took a long look at the ships, and his face was half toward me. he seemed puzzled. "it is hardly possible," he muttered to me, "but i could almost swear that they were english. if not, they are frisian. but what could have brought either into these seas? have we taken to the viking path?" "no," i answered, "the vikings have taken them." he gave a short laugh and bade me and phelim lower the sail and hoist it afresh for the new tack, while he and fergus pulled on. gerda put the boat about into the wind and it was soon done. astern the enemy howled, thinking that we had given up, for the moment. then the sail filled, and the boat heeled to the breeze abeam, and we headed out to sea, taking as wide a sweep as we could, lest we should give the foe too much advantage in the change of course. as it was, they seemed to gain hand over hand for a while, but they had to pull dead to windward in following us as we went off at an angle to the old course. then we began to draw ahead steadily, and they hailed us with threats which made gerda pale somewhat, for if we were still too far for the words to be heard there was no mistaking them. but her faith in the boat was justified, for she sailed wonderfully well with the beam wind. the big rowing boat astern began to go somewhat to leeward also, with the set of wind and wave and the tide together on her high side. now i glanced at the island which was lessening fast astern. i could make out that the men were still on the beach, searching, as it seemed, for what they might pick up of value from the wreck. the hermits were safe so far, and i told gerda so in a word or two, and she smiled for the first time since we put off from shore. her fear for our kind hosts passed from her for the moment. we covered a mile or more in silence after that, tugging grimly at the oars, with a wary eye on the waves as they came. it was well for us that they were long and even, with little way in the heads of them. the sail, too, steadied the boat, and the hermits rowed well and evenly. but ever astern of us those ten oars rose and fell, unfaltering, until i grew dazed with the flash of the steadily-swung blades. then i looked at the iron shore, and saw the long lines of cruel cliffs with the white foam at their feet, seeming endless. there may have been a cove in sight, but i could not make it out, and anywise it must have been too far for us. then i looked at gerda, and saw that there was some trouble in her face as she looked forward. once she smiled as if to cheer the hermit brothers, and at that i felt the lift of the boat that comes with a fresh life set into the swing on the oar, and that told me somewhat. fergus was failing. behind me, phelim, the younger and stronger man, was still breathing deeply and easily, and i had no fear of his failing yet. then i grew certain that the enemy was gaining. we had held our own up till this time, but barely. gerda's lips tightened, and she had to meet the pull of bertric and phelim, lest they should overpower us. i did my best and she knew it, and kept the balance for a while, until i must needs speak. "bertric," i said quietly, and in the norse, "the bow oar is failing. pull easy on your side for a little." he did so, and the enemy crept nearer. "half a mile more," said gerda. "only half a mile--and we can hail the ships." bertric looked back, and his face brightened. "we may do it yet," he said; "and they are english-built ships." now i cried to phelim in the gaelic that we had but a half mile more, and i felt the flagging oar of fergus take up the work afresh, with a swifter swirl of the water round its blade as he pulled, while phelim muttered words in latin which doubtless were of thanks. i heard him name one clement, who, as i have heard since, is the patron saint of seamen. the boat leapt and quivered again as she fled toward safety. now i had looked to see the pursuers give up the chase as we neared the ships, but they did not, and a cold fear came over me. maybe these were known friends of heidrek's. then i thought that if so they might as well leave the matter to be ended by them. we should be helpless directly if so. but it seemed rather that they quickened the pace. they would not share the treasure with anyone. there was a sound as of a groan from the bows, and the boat swung aside before gerda could meet her with the helm. an oar flashed past me on a wave, and phelim shipped his oar with a smothered cry. fergus had fainted at last. i heard the sharp howl of delight from the men astern as they saw that, but bertric and i never ceased pulling. and suddenly gerda's face lit up with a new hope, and she pointed to the ships and cried to us to look. "the leading ship is heading for us," she said breathlessly. "she has just paid off from the wind and is coming swiftly." another moment and she cried that they had run up somewhat red to the masthead, and at that bertric called to me, and he ceased pulling. he turned on the thwart and looked, and his eyes gleamed in his pale face. then he rose up and set his hands to his mouth, and sent a great hail to the ship: "ahoy! hakon haraldsson, ahoy! hakon! hakon!" the ship was near enough for her men to hear that. i saw a man on her high bows lift his hand in the silent answer of the seaman who hears and understands a hail, and i saw a red shield, blazoned with a golden lion, at the masthead. then bertric sat down and laughed as if he could not cease. "it is hakon, athelstane's foster son, on the way to win norway for himself. alfred taught us how to build ships like that." chapter : athelstane's foster son. we laid in the oars now and watched the pursuers. they had not the least chance of overhauling us before we were picked up by the ship, and they knew it. still they were pulling after us, and one of the men in the stern hailed once or twice, making signs that we were to be taken by the ships. i thought that the figure seemed like that of asbiorn, as i had seen him on the stern after i went overboard, but i could not be sure. our boat slipped along fast, and his crew were not hurrying so much at this time. i looked back at the ships, and they were worth a second glance. i had never seen such splendid vessels, for they were higher and longer than any which sailed our northern waters, while their lines were clean cut and graceful as those of the little ship which had brought us hither so well--thorwald's favourite cutter. now bertric lifted up his head, for he had been finding his breath again after that last despairing pull, and he looked to the westward and pointed without a word. round a great point which barred the view beyond the island came two ships, and their sails were brown. they were heidrek's, and no doubt were looking for their boat. the men left on the island saw them at about the same time, and lit a fire to show where they were. they had not gone from the sand hills yet. "heidrek is running into danger," bertric said grimly. the enemy hailed again at that moment. i could hear now that they cried to the ship that we had their boat--that we were irish knaves who had stolen it and all that was in it. it is quite likely that they honestly thought us such, but never wondered why irishry should seek refuge with these ships. now the leading vessel was close on us. i could hear the hum of the wind in her broad sail and rigging, and the wash of the waves round her sharp bows. then a tall young man came and looked at us from her high foredeck, and lifted his hand. the ship luffed and waited for us. as we slid alongside into the still water under her lee, he cried to us: "who knows hakon, and calls on him?" "an old comrade--bertric of lyme." hakon stared at bertric under his hand for a moment, and laughed. "and so it is!" he cried. "well met, old friend; but what is that boat astern of you, and why were you in so desperate a hurry?" "needs must hurry when the worst pirate in the north sea is after one. we have escaped once before from him--from heidrek the seafarer." one or two men were beside hakon, watching us curiously. one whistled when he heard that name, and spoke quickly to hakon, who nodded. then a line came uncoiling in the air from the ship to us, and across the huddled body of his comrade phelim caught it, while i lowered the sail. he made it fast in the bows, and then bent over his brother, setting him more easily against the thwart. he had not dared shift his place to help him before, lest he should alter the sailing trim of the boat, and that must have been hard for him. the men took the line astern, and the great ship paid off from the wind. we swung astern of her, wondering what this meant. i could hear heidrek's men shouting, but i could not see how near they were, for the ship hid them. the next moment told me. i saw, as i looked past the long black side of the ship, the bow of the boat come into view. a man stood up in it with his hand stretched out in a strange way, and i heard a yell. then the boat was gone, and past us drifted oars and crushed planking, and a helm floating like an upturned bowl. she had been run down. close by the bows of our boat a head came to the surface, and the face was turned to us. i knew it, for it was that of asbiorn heidreksson, and in a flash i minded that once i said that the day might come when i could repay him for letting us go--saving our lives, rather. he had his full mail on him, and was sinking, when i gripped his hair and held it. then he got his hands on the gunwale and stared at us. gerda had hidden her face in her hands, for he was not the only one who had been swept past us. there were still cries, which rang in my ears, from men who were sinking as we passed on. bertric felt the boat lurch, and looked round. he saw the head above the gunwale, and the clutching hands on it, and reached for his oar. "hold hard!" i cried, staying the thrust which was coming. "it is asbiorn!" he dropped the oar again with a short laugh. "lucky for him that so it is," he said; "but i am glad you saved him." "it is not to be supposed that i am welcome," said asbiorn, mighty coolly; "but on my word i did not know it was you whom i was chasing. you ought to be in shetland. now, if you think this a mistake, i will let go." "well," said bertric, "you are the only man of your crews whom we could make welcome. get to the stern and we will help you into the boat." he shifted his hands along the gunwale and we got him on board, while gerda looked on in a sort of silent terror at all that had happened in that few minutes. there was a row of faces watching us over the rail of the ship by this time, and now hakon came aft. "why," he said, "you have a lady with you. i had not seen that before. we will get you alongside." so it came to pass that in five minutes more we were on the deck, and some of hakon's men were helping phelim to get his still-swooning brother on board. there were a dozen men of rank round us at once, with hakon at their head. there were not so many warriors to be seen as one might have expected, but all were picked men and well armed. as for hakon himself, i have never seen a more handsome young man. he was about seventeen at this time, and might have been taken for three years older, being tall and broad of shoulder, with the wonderful yellow hair and piercing eyes of his father harald, whom he was most like, as all men knew. it was certain that he did the great english king, athelstane, who had fostered him, credit, for he was in all ways most kinglike even now. he took off the blue cap he wore as he went to meet gerda, and greeted her with all courtesy, asking to know her name. she answered him frankly, though it was plain that the gaze of all the strange faces disquieted her. "i am gerda, granddaughter of that thorwald who was a king in the south lands in the time of your great father, king hakon," she said. "i have been wrecked here with these friends, who have cared for me, and now will ask for your help." "they will tell me all the story," said hakon. "now, i hold that i am lucky, for thorwald has ever been a friend of our house." "thorwald is dead," she answered in a low voice, which shook somewhat. "i am the only child of the line left." "why, then, i am still happy in being hailed as king by queen gerda here and now. "it is a good omen, friends, is it not?" he turned to the nobles round us with a bright smile, and they laughed and said that none could be better. but one, a very tall man, older than most there, spoke to one of the courtmen hard by, and sent him aft with some message. then he went to gerda and asked if she did not remember him. "you were a little thing, though, when i came with your father to thorwald's hall," he said; "mayhap you do not recall it, but we were good friends then for a week or two. you have changed less than i." gerda looked shyly at him, and at last smiled. "i remember," she said. "you are thoralf the tall." now, from aft came two ladies hastily, brought by thoralf's message, from the after cabin under the raised deck of the ship, and the little throng parted to let them reach us. one was the wife of this thoralf, and the other his daughter, and they looked pityingly at gerda as they came, with all kindness in their faces. and when the elder lady saw that she seemed distressed at all the notice paid her, she took gerda into her arms as might a mother, and so drew her away with her to her own place gently, with words of welcome. and that was a load off my mind, for i knew that gerda was in good hands at last. hakon watched them go gravely, and then turned to bertric and greeted him as an old and most welcome friend, and so bertric made me known, and i also was well greeted. then hakon turned to asbiorn, who stood by, watching all this quietly. "who is this prisoner of yours, malcolm?" he asked. "you have not taken his sword from him, as i see." "he is asbiorn heidreksson, king hakon," i answered. "i cannot call him a prisoner, for i owe my own life to him, and freedom also. he saved me from his father's men." "and let you go thereafter. i see," answered hakon. "do you know aught of this viking, earl osric?" this was the chief to whom hakon had spoken before the boat was run down. he had told the young king that which had led him to crush her as if her crew were vermin, and wondered to see us save one of them. "i have heard much of heidrek, seeing that i am a northumbrian," he said. "the track of that ruffian lies black on our coasts; but i have not heard of his son. we have naught against his name, at least." then said bertric: "i sailed as a thrall with yon ships for six months or more, and have naught against asbiorn here. he is the only one of all the crew who follow heidrek of whom i could say as much." "faith!" said asbiorn, with a grave face, "it is somewhat to have no sort of character at all, as it seems." hakon looked at him and laughed a little. "take service with me and make a good name for yourself," he said. "it is a pity to see a good warrior who will do a kindly turn to a captive naught but a wolf's-head viking. i have need of courtmen." "i might do worse," he answered; "but hither comes my father, and i have no mind to fight him at the very beginning of my service." hakon looked at the two ships, which were nearing us fast, though we were still close-hauled, as when the boat was brought alongside. "i had no mind to fight him," said hakon. "it is not his way to let a ship pass without either toll or battle," asbiorn said bluntly. "why, then, go forward and get dried," hakon said. "we will speak of this presently, after we have met your ships." thereon asbiorn ungirt his sword and gave it to me solemnly. "it is in my mind that this might get loose when our men come over the side," he said. "better that i am your captive for a while." with that he walked forward, and hakon looked after him with a smile that was somewhat grim. then someone touched my arm, and there was father phelim, with a face full of trouble. with him were two men, dressed in somewhat the same way as himself. they were hakon's english chaplains, and they could not understand his erse. "malcolm," he said, "what of our brethren on the island? there are the wild danes yet there--on the shore. i can see them." hakon asked with some concern what was amiss with the hermit, and i told him, adding that they had only too much reason to fear the danes. and when he heard he turned to earl osric, who seemed to be his shipmaster, and asked him to send a boat with men enough to take these danes, if possible, and anywise to see that the hermits came to no harm. "if we are to fight this heidrek," the earl said doubtfully, "you will want us all. we are not over-manned." nor were they. the ship pulled five-and-thirty oars a side, but had no more than two men to each, instead of the full fighting number, which should be three--one to row, one to shield the rower, and one to fight or relieve. king athelstane had given hakon these ships and sailing crews, but could not find norsemen for him. those who were here had been picked up from the norse towns in ireland, where many men of note waited for his coming. eric, his half brother, was not loved in norway. presently i learned that hakon was steering westward thus in order to find that ship which we had seen when we were wrecked. it belonged to some friend of his cause. but hakon would have the hermits protected, and osric manned our boat and sent it away, bidding the men hasten. they had a two-mile sail to the island now, but the danes stood and watched the coming of the boat as if unconcerned. doubtless they had not seen what happened to their comrades, and thought they were returning. "tell me about these ships," hakon said to bertric when the boat had gone. "is there to be fighting, as this asbiorn says?" "heidrek will not fight without surety of gain," my comrade answered. "his ships are full of men, but he cannot tell that you are under-manned. he can see that he must needs lose heavily in boarding, for you have the advantage in height of side. i doubt if he will chance it. there is an irish levy waiting ashore for him, and he has not faced that--or has been driven off." "rid the seas of him," growled earl osric. "get to windward of him and run his ships down, and have done." "there is not a seaman in the north sea who will not thank you if you do so," said bertric. "those two ships are a pest." "see to it, osric," answered hakon. then he glanced at us and saw our arms lying at our feet, for his men had brought them from the boat. "i was going to offer to arm you, but there is no need. bertric and i have drawn sword together against danes before now, but i do not know whether malcolm may not owe some fealty to eric, my half brother. i am going to try to turn him out of norway--as men have begged me to do--and i would sooner have you on my side than against me." "thanks, king hakon," i answered. "i have owned no king as yet. my sword is yours to command; but first i have promised to see queen gerda into safety, at least, in norway, if her home may not be won again for her." hakon laughed, as if pleased enough. "i think you have done the first already," he said. "as for the winning her home afresh, who knows if you may not be in a fair way to do so from this moment? it is likely." "hakon does not forget the friends of the house of harald," thoralf the tall said. "tell him all the tale presently, for there seems to be one, and be content." "it would be strange if i were not," i answered. hakon held out his hand to me and i took it, and thereby pledged myself to help set him on the norse throne. it was a hazardous, and perhaps hopeless errand on which he was setting forth, but i did not stay to weigh all that. i knew that at least i had found a leader who was worth following, and who had claimed friendship with gerda from the first. maybe there was another thought mixed up with all this. i will not say that it might not have had the first place. gerda was in hakon's care now, and i would not be far from her. now, there was the bustle of clearing ship for action. already it was plain that heidrek meant fighting, if he could make no gain of these ships elsewise, for we could see that his men had hung the war boards--the shields--along the gunwales. he would see the same here directly, and make up his mind either to fight or fly. as we armed ourselves, bertric and i had some thoughts that he might choose the latter. now, i would not have it thought that i had forgotten fergus, who had spent himself so bravely for us. the two english chaplains and phelim were caring for him forward, and i had seen that he was himself again, so far as coming to his senses is concerned. now we went and spoke to him, with all thanks for his help. he smiled and shook his head. "the flesh is very weak," he answered. "now tell me if i may not go back to the cells again. this crowd of men bewilders me after the quiet. i am not fit now for the open world." "in truth you may, father," i answered, somewhat surprised, for i had not a thought but that both would do so. "we shall not take you far. you will be landed when we go to take up the queen's treasure." "then we will ask the superior to send me alone," said phelim. "you mind that we deemed that the end of our life here had come. now, all is safe once more, for this time at least." "i do not think that we shall go to the court of the irish king now," said i, thinking that they were sent with us thither. "king hakon, who is a friend of the queen's, is bound for norway." there that talk ended, for hakon came forward to watch the enemy, and called us to go to the raised foredeck with him. but he spoke to the hermits in passing, and though they could not understand him, yet they might see that his words were kindly. we were going to windward of heidrek fast. his ships had tried to weather on us, but had failed. neither side had taken to the oars, for he saw that we had the advantage, and we had no need to do so, therefore. it was a fair sailing match. but now heidrek saw what sort of ships he had to deal with, and he did not like the look of them, being near enough to note their height of side and strength of build. it is likely that, like myself, he saw at last what manner of shipbuilder that alfred was of whom we had heard such tales. i had ever been told, when shipmen gathered in our hall, that the ships of the west saxons were framed with all the best points of the best ships yet built, with added size and power, and now i knew that all i had heard was but truth. also i minded how bertric had laughed when i said that most likely vikings had taken these vessels, and understood why. heidrek saw that he had no chance if there was to be a fight, and acted accordingly. had he been an honest viking, cruising for ransom from coast towns, and toll from cargo ships as he met them, or ready to do some fair fighting for any chief who had a quarrel on hand, and needed a little more help toward the ending of it, no doubt he would have borne down on us and spoken with hakon. being what he was, with the smoke of the burning village of the harmless fishers rising black against the hills to prove the ways of his men; or else, being in no wise willing to let us hear of the treasure he had found at last, he did but take a fair look at the great ships, put his helm over, and fled down the coast westward whence he had come. asbiorn sat below the break of the foredeck, paying no heed to what went on. he had taken off his mail, and was drying it carefully with some cloths which hakon's men had given him. i called down to him and told him what had happened. "best thing my father could have done," he growled, without looking up. "he does not take foolish risks, as a rule." hakon came down the short ladder which led to the maindeck and heard, and laughed. then he went aft, and asbiorn looked after him. some order passed, and the men ran to the sheet and braces. "eh, but i am sorry for father," quoth asbiorn. "your friends are after him." the ships paid off to the wind and followed heidrek. at that time we were broad off the end of the island, and i saw it again as we had first sighted it from the sea in the gale. phelim and fergus stood looking at it and the swift boat which was nearing the beach, and i joined them. the good men were full of fears for their brethren, but the danes were gathered quietly on the beach, watching the boat. there were five of them, and hakon had sent eight men ashore. the long reef showed up with a fringe of curling breakers over it, and the boat could not cross it. hakon's men skirted it, and found some channel they could pass through, and by that time the danes had learned their mistake, and were plainly in some wonderment as to what they had best do. they gathered together and followed the course of the boat, for i have no doubt they hoped to see one or two of asbiorn's men with the strangers. then the boat reached the beach, and they went to meet it. whereon was a sudden scattering, and some ran one way and some the other. one man stayed with the boat, and the rest chased the danes into the sand hills, where we lost sight of them for the most part. once or twice we spied men between them, and once i thought there was a fight on the slope of one of the nearest hills. but before we passed beyond further view we knew that the danes had been taken, for hakon's men, some of whom wore scarlet cloaks and were easily to be known, came back to the shore, and drove their captives before them. whereby we knew that the hermits were safe, and the two here gave thanks, almost weeping in their joy. the two english clergy came then, and led them forward to the dim cabin under the foredeck. until they were sure that the island was to be in peace, neither phelim nor fergus would touch aught of food, and they needed it somewhat sorely. chapter : dane and irishman. once we had settled down to that chase there was quiet on the decks, and the ship was on an even keel. the ladies came out of their cabin under the after deck and sat them down on a bench which ran across under the shelter of the bulkhead, and i saw gerda with them. thoralf's wife had cared for her, and had done it well, so that she seemed to be a very queen as she sat there with those two making much of her. the elder lady had known her as a child, for she had been in thorwald's hall with thoralf the tall on that visit of which he spoke. the younger lady, whose name i knew afterward to be ortrud, was of gerda's age. presently it was plain that gerda would have us speak to them, and we went and were made known to them, and after that we sat and told of our doings for half an hour. thoralf's wife had naught but thanks to us for caring for gerda, so that i was glad when hakon joined us for a little while. he went forward soon, taking us with him, and sought asbiorn, who sat on the deck still scouring his wet arms and mail with the cloths the men had lent him. hakon asked if he could tell anything of a large norse ship which should have gone west some days ago. it was that which we had seen on the day of our wreck. "i have heard of a ship which has gone to trade at sligo," said asbiorn. "it was in our minds to look for her ourselves presently. that is far to the westward, and if you are in any hurry, you may as well let my folk go, and follow her." "no hurry at all," answered hakon. "it seems that these ships of yours are too well known for me to overlook. my men say that i am sure to have to settle with heidrek at some time, and i may as well do so here as on the norway shore next summer. i shall be busy then, and heidrek will have heard thereof. i am not busy just now." "you will be when you overhaul the ships," said asbiorn. "but they are of less draught than yours, and you may miss them yet. round yon point is the bann river, whence we came this morning." hakon turned away with a laugh, and watched the chase for a time. then he went aft and sat him down by the steersman, with earl osric and thoralf the tall. heidrek's ships were swift when before the wind, and these great vessels might not overhaul them until they had reached some shallow waters in the river mouth which heidrek had already entered. but there waited dalfin and the irish levies, who would be gathered by this time in force. mayhap heidrek would not chance being pent between two foes. so that chase went on, and i wearied of watching it at last. then bertric and i went to asbiorn, for we would ask concerning some things which had happened. men were serving round the midday meal at the time, and we ate and talked. the first thing i asked him was what he had done with our ship. "sold her to one arnkel in norway, so to speak," he answered, with a grin. "he was the man who had to do with this treasure ship you picked up." "then you had some pact with arnkel?" "more or less," he said; "but there was a deal of chance in the matter. in the gale i was outsailed, for your ship is not speedy, as you know. the other two took refuge among the islands on the norse shore, and there heard of the great mound laying of thorwald which was to be. the ship had passed in the dawn of that morning, and had not far to go. whereon my father sent a message to arnkel, whom he knew, to say that he was at hand, and landed and fell on him. as it turned out, he had better have taken his ships, for thorwald's folk set the ship adrift to save her from pillage. it seems that they meant her to burn, but blundered that part. there was nothing to fight for then, so they ceased. i came to the islands and there had news of my father, and followed him. on the way i passed thorwald's ship at a distance, and was afraid of her, she seeming to be a fully-armed war vessel. so i let her pass." "then you brought the news to arnkel that she was not burning?" "so it was. whereon he would have us sail at once in chase of her on his account. as we would not do that, and he would not let us go on our own, there was a small fight. in the end arnkel's men manned your ship and we sailed in company, the bargain being that the treasure was to fall to the finder. we thought we might have little difficulty in overhauling the vessel, and should have had none if it had not been for you. had you picked up a crew of fishers?" "no; we managed somehow by ourselves." "i always told my father that bertric was the best seaman we had in all our crowd," asbiorn said frankly. "you did well that time." then he told us how they had searched for us much in the way which we had thought likely, and so at last had heard of a wreck when they reached the river bann. "asbiorn," i said, "did you know that there was a lady on board this ship which was to be burnt?" "no, on my word," he said, starting somewhat. "so that is where the young queen was hidden, after all? there was wailing when her men found that she was missing, and they said that she must have gone distraught in her grief, and wandered to the mountains. how was she left on board?" "arnkel put her there," i answered. "so that explains his way somewhat. he seemed to want that ship caught, and yet did not. when we did sail, he steered wide of the course she took, and too far to the northward." then his face grew very black, and he growled: "bad we are, but not so bad as arnkel, who would have men think him an honest man. now, if it were but to get in one fair blow at him for this, it were worth joining hakon. i take it that he will hear your tale--and maybe mine." "and the lady's also," bertric answered. "well--wait until you know what befalls your ships." "and my father," answered asbiorn, getting up and looking ahead. "to say the truth, i am not altogether sorry of an excuse to leave that company, which is bad, though i say it. yet he was driven out of his own home by his foes, and thereafter his hand has been against all men. it is the crew he has gathered which i would leave, not him." we had not gained on the two pirate ships. now they were rounding that headland whence they had come, and were altering their course. asbiorn said that they were making for the river mouth, and half an hour thereafter we opened it out and saw that heidrek was far within it, heading landward. the beacon fires blazed up afresh as the watchers knew that he had returned, and presently each fire had a second alongside it. men thought that heidrek had brought us to help him raid the land. there were norsemen on board, men from dublin, who knew the mouth of the river as well as need be, and better than heidrek, who had been into it but this once before. one of them piloted the ships after him, for hakon meant to end the business even as he had said, here and now, if he could, and sent for bertric that he might tell him more of the enemy. he heard somewhat of our story at this time, we sitting on the after deck with him, but he said little about it then. i suppose that we stood into the river over the falling tide for five miles or more. then heidrek took to his oars, finding that he was chased in earnest, and hakon did so likewise at once. it was a beautiful river, wide and clear, with great, green hills on either side, and thick forests at their feet. but never a boat on its waters, or man on its shores did we see. only from each hilltop the smoke of the war beacons rose and eddied. the channel narrowed presently as we held on, going with all caution. then we opened out a wide valley, down which ran a fair stream, and there we saw the irish at last. high up they were, crossing the valley in a column of black-garbed warriors which seemed endless. there was no sparkle of mail among them, but here and there a speck of light flashed from an axe blade or spear point, to tell us that they were armed men. they were keeping pace with heidrek's ships by crossing from point to point, and how long they may have watched him and us from the forests i cannot say. now the river took a sharp bend, and i heard the pilot say to his mate that heidrek had better have a care at this stage of tide, while asbiorn, forward, was watching intently. the tide was almost at its lowest by this time, and heidrek's hindmost ship was about half a mile ahead of us. hakon meant to pen them in some stretch of the river which the pilot knew, and there deal with them. it was said to be a deep reach with a bar at its head, beyond which no ship might pass until high water. suddenly there came a shout from the men forward, and the pilot cried to the oarsmen to cease rowing. heidrek's second ship had gone aground. we could see her crew trying to pole her off, and hakon asked if we could reach her. "not by five score yards," answered the pilot; "but see what happens." i suppose that he knew the irish ways, for he had hardly spoken when somewhat did happen. out of the fringe of thicket and forest along the bank of the river swarmed the irish, with yells and howls which reached us plainly, and flung themselves into the water to wade out to the ship. the bank was black with them, and the light from their axes overhead shimmered and sparkled in a wave of brightness. the water was full shoulder deep round the ship, but they did not heed that. nor did they pay any attention to us, for we could not reach them, and they knew it. they would deal with us presently in one way or another. meanwhile, this ship was at their mercy. heidrek's other ship held on round the bend, and may have been out of sight of her consort before she grounded, as the river bent with its channel close under the banks. at all events, she did not return to help. "this affair is off our hands," said hakon. "best not meddle therewith, even if we could. it is a great fight." so it was, for the danes fought well. the sides of the ship were high above the wading men, and the spears flashed out between the war boards, and the axe and sword were at work across the gunwales. yet the irish never fell back from their swarming attack, and their cries never ceased. one or two wounded men floated, paddling with their hands, down past us, and hurled curses and defiance at us also. phelim and fergus cried to them to forbear, for we were friends, but they did not heed them, and passed, to reach the shore below us as they might. we did not watch them. for now the irish had borne down the defence amidships, where the run of the gunwales was lowest. the sheer weight of them as they clambered, one over the other, on board, listed the ship over, and made the boarding easier for those who followed. the wild danish war shout rose once or twice, and then it was drowned by the irish yell. after that there was a sudden silence, for the fighting was over. then the victors leapt out of the ship and went ashore as swiftly as they had come, and the forest hid them. the ship was hard and fast aground now, and we pulled up abreast of her slowly, having no mind to share her fate. whether the irish took any of her crew with them as captives i do not know, but i saw her decks, and it seemed hardly possible. so terrible a sight were they, that i feared lest gerda should in any way see it. but the doors of the cabin had been shut, doubtless lest the fighting should fray the ladies. "will you venture farther, king hakon?" asked the pilot. "we will take one ship farther," he said. "the other shall bide here, and see that this ship is not burnt by these wild folk. mayhap we shall want her." thoralf laughed at that. "we have no men to man her withal," he said. "we have men to sail her to norway, and there wait the men to fight for us," hakon answered gaily. "we shall meet no foes on the high seas, and we have met a queen whose men will hail us as their best friends." thoralf shrugged his shoulders and laughed. "none can say that you fare forward sadly, hakon." "this is the worse of the two ships," bertric said. "the other is heidrek's own. he is not here. asbiorn yonder commanded this." "asbiorn is in luck today," earl osric said, nodding toward those terrible decks. but asbiorn stood on the foredeck with his back to that which he had looked on, biting the ends of his long moustache, and pale with rage. i did not wonder thereat. now osric hailed the other ship and bade her anchor in the stream while we went on. the pilot said that we could safely do so, and that the next reach was the one of which he had spoken as a trap. then his comrade went into the bows with a long pole, sounding, and so we crept past the stranded vessel, and into the most lovely reach of river i had ever seen. it was well nigh a lake, long and broad, between the soft hills and forest-clad shores, and the water was bright and clear as glass beneath our keel, so that i saw a great silver salmon flash like an arrow past the ship as we held on. there was a village at the head of the reach, and men swarmed in it like angry bees round a hive's mouth. only the long black ship, which still pulled slowly away from us, and the fiercely-burning fires on every hilltop spoilt the quiet of the place. "now it is a question whether the irish or we take heidrek," said hakon. "it is plain that his time has come, one way or the other. on my word, i am almost in the mind to hail him and bid him yield to us to save himself from these axes." i believe that so hakon would have done, but that the chance never came. and that was the doing of heidrek himself, or of his crew. what madness of despair fell on those pirates i cannot say, but asbiorn has it that they went berserk as one man at the last, as the wilder vikings will, when the worst has to be faced. the irish swarmed at the upper end of this reach, as i have said, and those who had dealt with the other ship were coming fast along the shore to join them. there must have been five hundred of them in all, if not more. the river beyond the broad reach narrowed fast, and one could see by the broken water that there was no passing upward any farther until the tide was at its height. but before the village was a long sloping beach, on which lay two or three shapeless black skin boats, as if it was a good landing place with deep water up to the shore. above the village, on the shoulder of the near hill, was an earthwork, and some tents were pitched within its ring. it was the gathering-place to which dalfin had gone this morning, and no doubt his father, myrkiartan the king, was there. there came a hoarse roar across the water to us, which rose and fell, and shaped itself into a song, so terrible that i saw hakon's men grow restless as they heard it. the pirates were singing their war song for the last time. their ship swung round and headed for the village, and with all her oars going, and the white foam flying from her bows, and boiling round the oar blades, she charged the beach and hurled herself half out of the water as she reached it. over her bows went her men with a shout. before the irish knew that anything had happened, the last of the danes were halfway up the little beach, and were forming up into a close-locked wedge, which moved swiftly toward the village even as it grew into shape. "what are they about?" asked men of one another as they watched, breathless, from our decks. "they will try to win to yonder camp," one said in answer, and that was likely, though what hope could lie in that none could say. now the wedge had reached the little green which was between the village and the shore. before it lay the road hillward, steep and rough, and that was full of irish. still the irish held back. they looked to see our ship follow, no doubt, and would have all their foes ashore at once, lest we should make some flank attack in the heat of the fight. but the danes moved onward steadily. then into the opening of the lane rode a man on a tall chestnut horse, and the irish yelled and thronged to him as he leaped off it. it was dalfin himself, as i saw when he was on foot. i suppose that he had managed to find this steed somewhere on the way, meeting with mounted men hurrying to the levy like himself most likely. if the fishers were yet with him i could not see. they were lost in the crowd round him. now dalfin's sword went up, and the men shook themselves into some sort of order. a slogan rose, wild and shrill, and with the prince at their head they flung themselves on the danes, lapping round them, so that they hid them from our sight. only in the midst of the leaping throng there was a steady, bright cluster of helms, above which rose and fell the weapons unceasingly. the irish could not stay that wedge. it went on, cleaving its way through the press as a ship cleaves its way to windward through the waves, and after it had passed, there was a track of fallen men to tell of how it had fared. there were mail-clad men among that line of fallen, and those, of course, were not irish. they, like dalfin, would wear neither helm nor byrnie. slowly the danes fought their way, uselessly to all seeming, away from the water and hillward. without heeding the depth of the lane from the village, though the darts rained on them from its banks, they went on, and we lost sight of the fighting, though the black throng of warriors who could not reach their foe still swarmed between them and the village. some of them came back and yelled at us from the shore, and once they seemed as if they were about to launch the two boats which lay on the strand for an attack on us. we had dropped a small anchor at this time. father phelim saw that and came to me. "let me go to the young prince," he said; "i may be of use here. there will be trouble, unless someone tells the poor folk that these ships are friendly in very deed." so we went to hakon, and i told him what phelim thought. "the good father is right enough," he answered. "but how is he to get ashore unharmed? to send a boat would mean that it would be fallen on before it was seen who was in it." "let me swim," said phelim stoutly. "maybe your tonsure might save you, father," said hakon; "but i would not risk it. one cannot see much of a man in the water." "let me have one of the small boats--it can be launched from the far side of the ship--and i will row him ashore," i said. "i can speak the gaelic." hakon considered. "well," he said, "it may save endless trouble, and i do not see why you should not go. phelim must stand up, and they will see him." thoralf would have us bide on board, letting phelim stand on the bows and hail the shore. but that would have made trouble at once, for he would have been thought to be a captive. then earl osric said that we might as well wait until we must, but hakon and i and phelim thought it easier to deal with the few men here than to wait until the rest returned, most likely flushed with the victory their numbers must needs give them. so in the end the small quarterboat was got over the side away from the village, and we took our place. phelim was in the bows, and i set my helm at my feet, and had a dark cloak over my mail. i pulled away from the ship and came round her stern in a wide sweep, in order not to seem at once as if we came from her. then we went swiftly to the beach, and phelim stood in the bows and signed to the men who stood along it. they saw what he was, and ran together to meet him, ceasing their cries to hear him. but i was not going to run more risk than i could help. so soon as we were twenty yards from the beach, i stopped pulling, and bade phelim say his say. he told them what was needful, and they growled at first, as if they could not believe him. then he pointed to fergus, who could be seen on board the ship, and they grew more satisfied. at last he told them that they must fetch dalfin the prince as soon as possible, for that we of the ship, or some of us, were those who had brought him back. and at last he told how there was a queen on board who had avenged the death of dubhtach of the spearshafts, and given back the torque which was lost. that was all they needed to hear, for the torque had been seen, and word had passed round concerning it. the black looks faded, and there was naught but friendliness thereafter. phelim asked for some leader, and a man stepped forward, and so took messages for dalfin, and went across the green and up the lane with its terrible token of the fighting, that he might give them as soon as it was possible. then we rowed back slowly, for it was not worthwhile to go ashore. "thanks," said hakon, meeting us at the gangway. "that is well done. i will own that we had nearly run ourselves into a trap, and you have taken a load off my mind." "no need to have stayed here," said thoralf. "nay, but i want that ship, and now i think we may get her. i did but stay to see if it might be done." i went and found asbiorn, for somewhat was troubling me. the thought of the men who had been taken at the same time as myself, and must needs be in one or other of these ships. "we took seven in all," he said. "well, i had five. two got away in norway as soon as we fell out with arnkel. one was too much hurt to be of use, and we left him there. my father took the other two, and they are yonder with him, i suppose. those two who joined us of their own free will were in my ship. they were good men." chapter : the torque and its wearer. the roar of that unseen battle came across the still water to us without cease for well nigh half an hour. the first surety we had that it was over was in the dying away of the noise and the coming back to the shore of men from the front who were unwounded. after that we could see the black mass of irish climbing the hill to the camp quietly, as if to tell their king that they had conquered. there was much shouting thence shortly after they had passed within the earthworks. then out of the gate of the camp, which was toward the river, came a train of men, the leaders of which were mounted, and after them swarmed the levies again. dalfin was bringing his father to see the place of the fight, and to welcome us as friends. it was not altogether a new thing that norseman and dane should be known as foes to one another here on the irish coast, which both wasted. the folk called us the "white" and the danes the "black" lochlannoch, and i cannot say which they feared the most, though the danes were the most hated. but the irish kings were not slow to take advantage of our rivalries when they could. asbiorn came to me as i stood and watched the king coming out of the camp. his face was white and drawn, but he was calm enough. "who was the tall, young chief on the red horse?" he asked me. "dalfin of maghera, whom you let go with me," i answered. "so i thought. now, i think that he has avenged that doing on the caithness shore for you. it is not likely that my father has not fallen; he was the leader of the wedge. there is no feud now between you and me." "there is not," i answered. "i do not know that i had ever thought of one as possible." "there would have been had hakon slain heidrek," he said. the old law of the blood feud had its full meaning to him. "if heidrek had stayed his men to meet us, hakon would have given him terms rather than that this should have been the end," i said. "i know it, for i heard him say so. but there was a touch of the berserk in my father since his troubles came. this is not the first time he has tried to fall fighting against odds. he would not have listened to hakon." he sighed heavily, and then shook himself, so that his mail rattled. i took his sword from the bottom of a boat on deck in which i had set it, and gave it back to him, and he girt it on. "so that is the end," he said. "and now i am my own man. well, it was a better end than might have been had hakon waited to see if we came raiding to norway, as we most certainly should. now i can follow hakon with a light heart, and maybe come to be known as an honest man once more." he said no other word, but turned and went forward. bertric looked after him and smiled. "hakon has a good follower there," he said. "i will see that he is not overlooked. heidrek was the son of a king in jutland, and the good blood will show itself at last." "you know hakon well," i said, having seen that the greeting between those two was not of an every day sort, or as between prince and follower merely. "we two were long together in athelstane's court," he answered. "i also am athelstane's foster son. he has many, according to our custom." there was a rush made for the entrance to the village by the irish who yet loitered on the shore staring at us. some of them had carried away the wounded from off the green already, and now they left nothing to be seen of the track of the danes across it. the king was coming, and hakon sent word to the cabin that the ladies should come and see him. we lay perhaps three hundred paces from the shore, and there was no sight to fray them now. so they and we went to the after deck and watched, and there was not long to wait. but it was dalfin who came alone, and mounted on a fresh horse. it was plain that he had been fighting, because he had his left arm in a sling, though he managed his horse none the worse for that. he rode down to the beach in all haste, with a dozen men after him, and waved his hand to us. then he dismounted, and the men put off the nearest boat, into which he stepped. in five minutes he was on the deck, and greeting us. "this is wonderful," he said. "all this morning i have been crossing the hills to reach here in the nick of time. i heard no news, and i saw no messengers. i did not even know that heidrek had sailed hence and returned. now you are here first, and one comes with a message from you on the spot. the luck of the torque lingers with queen gerda even yet." he bowed to her in his way, and she laughed, and looked for the gold. he had not it on him now. "have you parted with it already?" she asked. "with the torque, but not with the luck, as it is to be hoped," he said. "you will see my father wearing it soon. it must needs be on the neck of the head of the realm." "what were you while you wore it?" asked thoralf, who knew the irish ways. "deputy king for the time," answered dalfin dryly. "and in a hurry to hand it over to my father therefore." now, as dalfin had elder brothers, and there were chiefs almost as powerful as the king himself, that was to be expected. otherwise, our friend might have had an evil time between them. unless he had chosen to put himself at the head of the men whom he had just led to victory, and called to them to set the torque wearer on the throne. they would have done it, by reason of the magic of the thing; but there was no thought of treason in the mind of dalfin, though many a king's son would have grasped at the chance, holding, perhaps, that as the sign of royalty had come to him, the throne must needs come with it, though his father held it. then he told us how the fight had gone--how heidrek fell at the forefront of his steadfast wedge, and how but few men had been taken unhurt. hakon asked what he would do with those who were taken. "give them to you," dalfin answered carelessly, "if you will take them out of this land." "i was going to ask for the ship," hakon said. "she is yours already. you drove her ashore, and the honour falls to us. we should only make a big fire of her and dance round it. where is the other?" "your men took her round the bend below. there will be no more trouble with heidrek. we have his son, asbiorn, here with us." "give him to me," said dalfin at once; "give him to me, king hakon. i owe him much for a good turn he did me and malcolm here, and i cannot see him a captive." "malcolm and bertric have claimed him already," said hakon, with a smile. "he is yonder, and has taken service with me, and i think i must keep him." "that is all one could want for a man," answered dalfin. "now, i have to ask if you will go ashore and meet my father. he would also see my two comrades, and, if it may be so, queen gerda." but thoralf would not hear of the king going ashore, nor would earl osric. gerda, too, shrank from facing the wild crowd of warriors and the sights of the field which she needs must see more or less of. nor did dalfin press the matter, for he knew that any little spark might be enough to rouse the wild irish against the norsemen. it was but a chance that hakon had played the part of an ally. so in the end bertric and i went ashore with dalfin and the two hermits, as an embassy, so to speak, to represent hakon. we had a good welcome at all events, i suppose because men had heard the tale of our voyage and wreck, and maybe of how hakon saved the hermits at last. phelim had spoken thereof when he and i went ashore just now, and word passes swiftly without losing in the telling. they took us up through the village to the camp, and there a tent was pitched, large and open in front, as the court of the king. the enclosure swarmed with men, wilder than any i had ever seen, and picketed rows of most beautiful horses were along one side. it was a strange court. the nobles were dressed in black or dull saffron-coloured tunics, with great, shaggy cloaks of the natural hue of the wool they were made of, and but for the rich gold ornaments they wore on their arms and necks, there was little to choose between their attire and that of their followers. not one wore mail, but their swords were good, and their spears heavy and well cared for. as for helms, they had no need of them. their hair was amazingly thick and long, and was massed into great shocks on their heads, and might turn a sword stroke. even dalfin had twisted his up into somewhat like what it might have been before he left ireland, lest he should be out of the fashion, and it spoilt his looks, though it would be many a long day before he had it properly matted together again. it was strange to see men tossing these shocks aside as they turned. one other thing i noted at once, and that was how every man, high or low, carried a long-handled axe, bright and keen. it was the only weapon of some, and if they knew how to handle it, maybe they needed no other. among all that crowd there were only two men who seemed to shine in any magnificence. one was the old king, who sat waiting us in a great chair, clad in royal robes of scarlet and white and green which no irish looms could have compassed, with a little golden crown on his white hair, and the torque round his neck. the other was a bishop in mitre and all state robes, wonderfully worked, and with a crosier in his hand. not having seen the like before i wondered most at him, but his looks were kind and pleasant. phelim told me who and what he was afterward. myrkiartan came from his throne to greet us as we passed through a lane of wild courtiers, who had looks which were not all of the most friendly for us. but we paid no heed to them, though i thought that hakon was well advised when he sent us instead of coming himself. that first greeting was for us alone as the comrades of dalfin, and it was a good welcome. then the king went back to his throne with all ceremony, to receive us as the embassy from hakon. there was no little state kept up in this court, and matters were to be kept in their right order. now, i need say little of all this ceremony and the words which passed of thanks to hakon for driving the enemy to his end. myrkiartan made no suggestion that hakon should stay here, and seemed more willing to speed him on his way elsewhere. presently, he said, there should be sent to the strand oxen and casks of mead as provender for the voyage, and hakon was most welcome to take the ship if he would. thereon dalfin asked for the captives, and they were brought in--a dozen danes, who stared at their captors haughtily in spite of their bonds. then they spied bertric in the splendid arms which gerda gave him, for we had come fully armed, and they looked toward him as if they would ask his help, but were too proud to do so. and then of a sudden one of them spoke my name, and i knew him, though his face was half-hidden in the mud of the field on which some common chance had sent him down. it was that man of ours who had told me that there was always the chance of escape, and had tried to gnaw my bonds when we were in the ship's forepeak--sidroc, the courtman. i did not pretend to know him then and there, thinking it might seem proof that hakon was in league with heidrek in some way. presently, when his low cry was forgotten, i looked at him, and he saw that i knew him, and was content. "look at the men, bertric," said dalfin. "see if there are any you will care to take. you know them." "we cannot leave any of them here," bertric said to me. "hakon can set them ashore anywhere if he does not like them. asbiorn might manage them though, and with hakon's men they will learn manners." he spoke our own tongue of course, and the king asked what he said. dalfin said that hakon would take them away altogether if the clemency of the king would allow it. whereon the king waved his hand, and said that they should be sent down with the oxen. now, i did not think that this pleased the men of the court. there was a sort of uneasy murmur for a time, and then there was a silence, which grew somewhat awkward at last. i thought it was time for us to go, for there was nothing else to say, but the bishop came forward. he had been speaking with phelim for some time, and now told myrkiartan how that hakon was a good christian man and had saved the hermit brotherhood even now. that story made the black looks pass at once, and after that it was easy to take our leave and make our way out of the tent; and glad enough i was to be in the open once more. the whispering of the nobles had not been pleasant at times. dalfin came out with us, and he was grave. there had been words and looks now and then among the group of men with his two brothers which he did not like. "you had better tell hakon from me that he had best sail hence as soon as possible. maybe as soon as tide will serve. i will see that you get the men now and at once. never wait for the provender unless it comes soon." "come down to the ship with us," i said. "tell hakon this yourself if you will." he shrugged his shoulders at that and glanced round him. "if it were not for you two i doubt if hakon would not have been fallen on by this time," he said. "there are boats enough, hidden in the village from heidrek, which can be brought out at any moment." he was speaking in the dansk, but suddenly took to the erse with some words or other of common farewell, as a tall irish chief passed with a scowl at us. "jealousies through and through this court," he said quickly, when the man was out of hearing. "already some pretend to be wroth with me for having any dealing with lochlannoch at all. i am the youngest son, and my father favours me, more's the pity." "better quit it all, and come and help hakon to the throne," i said. "if it were not for my father," he answered. so then and there he bade us farewell, with messages to gerda and hakon, and called some of his own men to see us to the ship. we left him standing in the gate, looking after us somewhat sadly, as we thought. "now," said bertric, "it seems to me that one may guess why dalfin went to sea to find adventure. this court is not a happy home, take it all round." halfway down to the ship we heard some one running after us, and looked round. it was father phelim. "take me with you, my sons," he said, breathless. "i feared that you would go without me." "we had not thought you would care to sail with us again," i said. he made no answer beyond a smile, and we went on. men stood and stared at us at every turning, axe in hand. in the lane they wrangled over the spoils they gathered there from the fallen danes, and fought fiercely with the long helves of their weapons without hurting one another at all by reason of their shock heads. one who was felled thus would rise and laugh, and the quarrel was at an end. they were a light-hearted folk to all seeming. once a handsome, frowning chief came past us at a gallop on his swift horse. he was glittering with gold, but the steed had neither saddle nor bridle. its only harness was a halter, but the man rode as if he were part of the horse, so that it was a pleasure to watch him. it was more than either bertric or i could have managed. the danish ship was afloat when we reached the waterside, for the tide had risen swiftly in these upper waters, and the irish had helped to get her off, after plundering her. there were a dozen or more of hakon's men on board at this time, making her decks shipshape again. but below the bend rose a black cloud of smoke, for the other ship was on fire, and hakon had sent a boat to see that all was well with the ship he had left there. there was no surprise at the message from dalfin. thoralf only laughed, and hakon said he would wait for half an hour in case the supplies came. as for the men, he would take them willingly. there was no need to arm them, and they would take their spell at the oars. presently irish came to the beach holding up spoils--helms and mail shirts, and the danish swords they did not know how to use. hakon bought them for silver pennies easily, and the folk thought themselves well paid. so an hour passed, and then the hapless danes were driven down in a string to the water's edge, and we sent a boat for them. one had a hasty message from dalfin to say that in no wise were we to wait for aught else. the dane told me that there was strife up at the camp, and the young prince had had difficulty in getting them away. hakon spoke to the men, when they came on board, kindly, and bade them take service with him if they would, as had asbiorn, and, as may be supposed, they were only too willing. and then i asked for our courtman, telling hakon how it came about that he was with these pirates, and he turned him over to me at once as my special follower. nor need it be said how sidroc greeted me after that escape. he said that heidrek's men had thrust a spear into his hand and hustled him over the bows to take his chance with the rest, unarmed save with that. thereafter, hakon found mail and helm and sword for him, which had come from the spoils, and he was happy. nor was i any the less comfortable on board for having him to tend myself and bertric. but that is of course. from him we learned two things--one which asbiorn had not yet told us, and the other which he also would learn. heidrek had fled from us thinking that the ships could be only those of sigtryg, the dublin king, with whom he had some deadly feud. i minded that when dalfin had offered ransom for both of us how asbiorn had said that the irish shore was not open to him. then, when he was thus pent up by us, heidrek had tried to cut his way to the camp and take myrkiartan prisoner, that he might hold him as hostage for safe departure. it was a mad attempt, but at least had some meaning in it which we could not understand at the time. moreover, had it not been for the men who came up with dalfin it had been done. now hakon made no delay. thoralf and as strong a crew as could be spared took charge of the danish ship, and together the two vessels cautiously made their way down the long reach and past the place where heidrek's other ship was still burning. by that time the dusk was falling, but we were sure that all along the shores the irish watched us as they had watched us as we came. the beacon fires had died down now, for their work was done, and the fair reaches of water were still and peaceful in the evening glow, looking even more beautiful than in the morning, for the tide was full to the banks. gerda came with the other ladies and sat on deck, and spoke with hakon of the treasure, which he promised to seek with daylight. "i would have you take it, king hakon," she said. "i do not altogether know its worth, but it may go toward the freeing of norway from eric and the men who follow him." "nay," he answered, "i cannot take it from you." "once," she said, and she looked at me as i sat on the deck hard by with bertric, "once--it seems long ago, though it is but so few days--i would have sent it into the deep with him who gathered it. these friends of mine over-persuaded me, saying that i should need it. now i am in your care, and i have not so much as to hire a ship to take me home. it was thorwald's. what if you had come back and asked him to help you? would it not have been laid at your feet for the sake of the old land and the old friendship?" he smiled, but did not answer. so she set the gift before him once more, with eager words. i knew, as i listened, that she would be the happier if the wealth once dedicated, so to speak, to so high an end as that gift to the old hero were taken from her charge, and used to the freeing of the land she loved; and at last hakon saw that there was some deeper feeling about it than gratitude to himself only. "well," he said, "it seems that i must not refuse. only, i will put it in this way--i am to know that you hold it for me in case i need it. be sure that if it is needed i will make haste to ask." "aye, and you will need it," said earl osric bluntly. then gerda said: "take it now, and use it if and when you need it. let it be so, i pray you, king hakon." the young king bowed and thanked her, and there that matter ended for the time. presently, after the ships had come to anchor with the last light in the river mouth, and the men had spread the awnings for us aft, he spoke to us about it, and i told him what i thought. also i told him how that bertric and i had enough wealth on us at this moment for the fitting out of a ship as we had planned. whereon he laughed. "keep that," he said, "and i shall be content. gerda will know nothing of the worth of what you have, and you will use it for her if needed. i have a plan in my mind for her, which may be told hereafter." then one of the men came to the opening of the awning. "a boat, king hakon, with two men in her, pulling to us from the western bank." "hail her to keep off," said hakon. and osric added that they should heave a big stone into her if she did not. "spies, most like," he said. they hailed the boat, and had an answer at once. "tell hakon that hither comes a courtman of queen gerda's." hakon said that it must be some man who had escaped; but bertric and i knew at once. "it is dalfin the prince," we said. "he has had to fly from those brothers of his." so it was, and he had come to see more adventure with king hakon. "i might find enough if i stayed," he said; "but of an evil sort." "why, what is amiss then?" i said. "only that my brothers do not like favourites, and i happen to be one for the moment. there would have been fighting if i had stayed, and that would have ended in my good father being pushed off his throne by my elder brother lest i should be named as successor to the crown. or else in sudden end to myself." then he laughed, as if somewhat pleasant came to mind. "there are strange stories afloat concerning me and the torque already," he went on. "it is said that the fairy queen has had me in her court for all this time i have been away, and that she gave me back the thing. so i have even fled suddenly and secretly, and they will hold that she has lured me back again." "it is not altogether for your own safety that you have fled," said hakon gravely. "faith, and so it is not," he answered. "i had but to lift my finger, and the wearing of the torque would have set me on the throne. and a mighty uneasy seat that would have been, too! i think my father is used to it, and might have missed the seat. so i left." "for your father's sake," said hakon, smiling at him. "well, come and help me to not quite so uneasy a realm, and all may be for the best. there is little freedom for him who holds an irish throne, as it seems to me." chapter : in old norway. the ships were under way with the tide in the gray of the early morning, and crept along the shore to the island slowly. there were men watching our going from the cliffs, but there had been no alarm from the irish in the night. i dare say they claim to have driven hakon of norway from their shores even to this day, but i do not know that it matters if they do. no one is the worse for the boast, or the better either, for that matter. hakon took the ships into the little strait for easier landing than from the open shore. his men were waiting at the water's edge for us, but there were no hermits to be seen at first, for it was one of their hours of service in the chapel. we had heard the faint ringing of its little bell as we drew up to the opening of the strait. bright and clear it was in the early morning sunlight, and it was peaceful as ever. even hakon's men had set aside their mail here, looking as quiet as the place itself. gerda would go ashore with us, and so in no long time we, who had left here so hastily, stood once more on the shore, and wondered to find ourselves back again, and safe; for the memory of that flight came back to us afresh with all we saw. we had forgotten it in the wild doings of the long day which came thereafter. now, there is no need for me to tell of the greetings which were for us, and for the young king. they were those of men who owed much on either side, and yet must part again straightway. it seemed that hakon's men who had been landed were either christians, or else men who had taken the "prime signing" on them, which was the way in which they proved that they were ready to learn the new faith. phelim would call them "catechumens," therefore, and that word may be known as meaning the same thing. presently i was to hear more of that from him. the good hermits were ready to praise them and their ways to the king, while, as for asbiorn's men, they had given no trouble at all, for they were tied up in the cell we had used. one or two of hakon's men, who were from dublin, could speak the erse, and that had been good. so there was gratitude and content when the hermits came and spoke with hakon through dalfin, while i set the men to work getting the treasure down to the boats. the brothers had buried it as they promised, risking somewhat as they worked, for asbiorn's danes might have wandered from the beach at any time. when that was done they fled to the hill, until one of hakon's men had gone altogether unarmed and spoken with them, telling them that we and they were safe. now, we had left fergus behind us with the bishop, and he would find his way back here shortly. presently phelim sought the old superior and spoke long with him, and at last came and asked gerda to do the same. she went willingly enough, as she reverenced the old teacher, taking me with her. "my daughter," he said, "have you a mind to learn more of those things of which we have spoken?" "i can wish nothing better," she answered. "then," he said, "i have bidden phelim go across the seas with you to teach you and yours. will it please you that he shall do so?" she flushed with delight, for that was what she had most wished, as she had told me yonder on the shore. and i suppose that because she had so told me, she looked to me to answer. "aye, what says malcolm, my countryman?" asked the old man. "if father phelim will undertake the task, which will be hard," i answered. "he will bear hardship for that work," the superior said, setting his hand on the shoulder of the strong man, who had knelt before him. "we shall miss him, but we shall know that mayhap he will bring you twain to meet with us hereafter." then i said, being moved by words and tone, "so may it be, father," and he smiled at me in much content. after that phelim said naught of his own feelings in the matter, but went to the brothers one by one and took leave of them. afterwards i heard that yesterday the bishop had loosed him from some vows which bound him to the island-hermit life, if it came to pass that we would take him with us. and that was what he had thought would befall him when he and fergus rowed with us, with asbiorn in chase. so we took leave of the old man then, for he was feeble, and time was very short. he bade us remember that day by day in the little chapel our names, and the name of hakon also, would not be forgotten; and blessed us, and went to his cell. then one of the brothers came and asked gerda to see what she had left in her cell, for none had touched it yet, and she went with him. soon she came out with that little silver cup, which we had found in the penthouse when we first opened it, and asked me if she might give it to the hermits. "they will have no use for it," i said, smiling at the thought. "i think they will," she said. "ask, for i cannot." so i asked the brother who was with us, and he looked at the cup gravely. it was wrought with a strangely twisted and plaited pattern. "why, yes," he said. "i myself can set a stem to it, and thereafter it will be a treasure to us, for our chalice is but of white metal. it will mind us of you every day, in ways which are more wondrous than you can yet know. we may take it, therefore, but you must not offer us aught else. we are vowed to poverty." now, i did not know of what he spoke, but gerda did in some way, which is beyond me. wherefore she was more than content. it is my thought that all her days it will be a good and pleasant thing to mind the use that cup came to at the last, and where it is. the treasure was all on board hakon's ship, and we must go with the tide. the danes were unbound and sent to help thoralf on the ship which had been theirs, with the offer of freedom if they worked well; and i will add that they gave no trouble, and took service with hakon as free men afterward, having learnt the good of honesty. the hermits saw us to the shore, and so we left them, and the ships hoisted sail to a fair breeze, and were away for norway and what lay before hakon when he came thither. and if the blessings and prayers of the hermits availed aught, he would do well. now, we had to gather men for this warfare that might be to come. there were norsemen in the scottish islands everywhere who would join him, for thither had fled many who were not friendly with eric, and the orkney and shetland islands held more still. so we sailed up the narrow seas among the isles, finding here one man, and here a dozen, until the ships were fully manned, and that with such a force as any leader might go far with, for the men served, not for pay alone, but also for hope in hakon, and to regain their old homes in the old land. moreover, two chiefs joined him with their ships and crews in hebrides, and there we heard news of eric, and how that men hated him, and would rise for hakon everywhere when once they knew that he was in the land. so that was a long voyage and pleasant to me, nor did i seem to care how long it lasted. maybe the reason for that is not far to seek, for i could not tell what more i might see of gerda when it ended. for i knew only too well that i had naught to offer her, being but a landless man, with nothing but my sword for heritage. and as the days passed, it seemed to me that in some way gerda kept herself afar from me, being more ready to speak with hakon and bertric than myself, though again at times she was as ever with myself in all ways. now i did not altogether wonder at this, and made the best thereof, being minded to pass from her ken with hakon when the time came. i supposed that we should all go together with the young king to that place which he should choose for his first landing, and thereafter she would bide in his court until eric had fled the land and the power of arnkel had ended with his fall. then she would go to her own place and be once more as a queen, while i would fare with hakon, and see what honour i might win. still, it was pleasant to sit on the deck in the soft, summer weather, and talk with thoralf's wife and daughter, ortrud, and watch gerda as she forgot the hard things she had passed through, and grew cheerful and happy once more. these two ladies were most kind to her, and grew to be great friends in those long days at sea. one day, after we had left the shetland islands, and it wore toward the end of the voyage, and we began to talk of where we might best land and call on men to rise for hakon, the elder lady, thoralf's wife, had been talking to me, and i think my mind had wandered a little as i watched gerda, who was on the after deck with bertric and dalfin. the men were all clustered forward, and no one was near for the moment. "you two well bore the care of gerda," she said in a low voice. "see, she might never have passed through aught of peril or hardship. yet she will never forget those days of trial." "she was very brave through them," i said. "the care was naught but pleasure." "yet most heavy to you," she said. "i know you will make the least of it all, but she knows well what she owes to you. now, i would have you think of what i say. it pleases you to call yourself her courtman--well, that may be no bad way of putting your readiness to serve her. but i would not have you forget that you are malcolm the jarl." i laughed, for the title never had meant much, even when my father held it. now it was altogether barren to me. "so i am," i said; "but of no more use to hakon for all that. if i had a jarl's following now--" "you are not needed by hakon so much as by another, malcolm," she said. "to him you are one among many, and that is all." "he has my first fealty," i answered. "he was the first who has ever claimed it, and he has it, for good or ill." "there was one who claimed your fealty before ever he saw you," she said slowly, and smiling at me meaningly. "will you forget that?" i could not pretend not to understand what she meant, and i answered her with the thought which troubled me. "lady, i cannot forget it. but now it does not seem possible that she should care to remember. there is no reason why she should." "every reason, malcolm," she said, as if angry with me. "do you think that all the care you had for her before hakon came is to go for naught?" "bertric and dalfin are to be remembered in that matter also." "of course. but asa thor, who was only malcolm the jarl after all, being a fellow countryman, has had the first place." "you seem to have heard all the story," i said, smiling. "from the beginning," she answered, "else had i not spoken to you thus. now, i will not sit by and see gerda, whom i love, made wretched because you are somewhat too thoughtful for her, if i may put it so. and i will tell you one thing which she fears more than aught." there she stayed her words and looked at me somewhat doubtfully. i suppose that what she saw in my face told her that she might go on, for she did so. "presently hakon must needs find a protector for her, if her own lands are to be won back for her. she fears who that may be." then she rose up and left me with some new matter for thought, not altogether unpleasant. and thereafter, for the few days that were left of the voyage, i did my best to be the same in all companionship to our charge as i had been in the days on the island. hakon made up his mind to sail north to thrandheim { }, where men loved his father, and where the strength of norway lay. with the thrandheimers behind him there would be every hope of winning in the end, if there must needs be some fighting here and there before the land was quiet. so he steered for the islands which lie outside the great fjord whereon the town lies, and there found a berth for the ships, while he sent men to find out how the minds of the folk were turned toward eric. thoralf went, and two others who were known in the district. when they had gone, he sent for me to speak with him privately, in the little house on the island where he was lodged with some friend of his father's. he sat alone when i came in, and he smiled when he saw me. i would have it remembered that hakon was far older than his years, and that we forgot what his age was, for, indeed, he was wiser than most men even then. "malcolm," he said, "i want you to do somewhat for me. you will have to leave me, and maybe it is not an easy matter which i have in hand for you. yet it is likely that you are the only man whom i can set to do it." "if that is so, king hakon, needs must i undertake it," i answered, lightly enough. "it is a matter which was forced on you once; but now you shall have your choice whether you will undertake it with your free will or not." he spoke gravely, but his eyes had the light of a jest in them, and i had to smile. "this sounds a terrible matter, king hakon," said i. "let me know the worst of it." "someone has to take gerda back to her own place and turn out arnkel for me. thereafter, he will have to hold the land for me quietly, and make ready for a rising for me if need is. i think there will be little trouble, but i do not know what men of his own this arnkel may have. will you do it?" "seeing that the care of a lady is in the matter, i will not, for shame's sake, say that i will do it with a light heart," i answered. "but you could have asked me nothing more after my own mind. but what of the lady?" "if you do not know that by this time," he said gaily, "i am mistaken. maybe you had better ask her." "am i to take her with me?" "yes," he said, gravely enough. "there may be fighting here, and she is best out of the way. her folk will hail her, and she will be safe with them, arnkel notwithstanding. thoralf will send his wife and daughter with her that they, too, may be safe." then he laughed at me again, and said that if all his followers were so ready to leave him, he would be a lonely man shortly, and so on. yet i knew that for him to have one loyal haven in the south lands would be no little gain, so that i was serving him as well as gerda. "that is well," he said at last. "and i wonder how long i may be able to jest thus. now, i will give you the ship we took from heidrek, and bertric will be shipmaster, for this is his affair also. you shall have crew enough, at least, to make sure that gerda's men will join you without fear. and you shall sail tomorrow, before ever arnkel hears that i am in the land. take him, if you can, and deal with him as you will. maybe a rope at the end of the yardarm is what he deserves. but, anywise, do not let him get to eric if you can help it." then i had to fetch bertric, and thereafter we arranged all that was needful as to ship and crew. we were to have thirty men, and that would be as many as we should want, seeing that gerda's folk would join us so soon as they knew that she had returned. also we must find a pilot, for gerda's place lay some four days' sail down the coast, at the head of the fjord which men call hvinfjord, or flekkefjord, which lies among the mountains south of stavanger, in a land of lakes and forests and bright streams, of which she had told me much. presently hakon spoke to me of another matter wherein i might help him. it was his hope that he might win norway to the christian faith, and, indeed, i think that he cared little for the crown if it might not give him power to that end. he knew that in the long days of the homeward cruise both gerda and i had been talking much with father phelim and the two english clergy, so that we could not be aught but friendly toward the faith, if not more. "stubborn are our norse folk," he said, "and the work will be hard. maybe i shall do little, but someone else may take up the task which i mean to begin. it must needs be begun at some time. in that quiet place of gerda's it is likely that men may listen peacefully, and so will be a centre whence one may hope much." then i said, "so may it be, king hakon; for this will be what gerda wishes most of all things." "what of yourself then?" he asked. bertric answered for me, and i was glad. "malcolm thinks likewise, for so he has told me. but he will do nothing in haste. this is a matter which is weighty, and in no wise to be lightly gone into. but have no fear for him, hakon." thereat hakon smiled as if well pleased, and said no more. bertric did but speak the truth concerning me. but most of all, it seemed to me that the new things i had learned were so wondrous that i thought myself unfitted for them. i think that, if i tell the truth, i must needs say that i was afraid thereof, in ways which i cannot set into words. bertric and i went out to look for men when all was said that needed saying, and the first person we found was dalfin. the prince was learning to be a very norseman, and was in favour with all. "ho, dalfin," i said, "are you minded to sail for another cruise with the queen and us two?" "why," he asked, "what of hakon and his warfare?" we told him what we were to be about, and his face fell. i think he deemed at first that he was in some way bound in honour to go with us and see gerda righted. but it was plain that he would rather follow hakon and meet with the adventure which must needs be before him ere he came to the throne of his fathers. so we played with him for a while, until he said that he would sail with us if we needed him so sorely, and then let him go. there was no honour to be won with us, and here he might end by standing high in the court, and we had no need of him. then we went and chose men who were ready for a chance of speedy adventure, rather than the waiting which matters of policy required here for the moment. presently bertric would bring the ship back to hakon with them, if all went well. so we had no trouble in raising a very willing crew. moreover, the men who knew her were glad to serve gerda. so word went about quickly of what we wanted, and we might have had twice the number we asked for. presently asbiorn heard it, and came up from the ships and sought us. "so you are going to try conclusions with my friend arnkel?" he said. "let me come with you. you need a pilot." now, we liked asbiorn well enough, for all the way in which we had met him, and the company whence he came to us. he was quiet and fearless, keeping himself to himself, but pleasant in his ways, troubling more over the thought of the ill repute of his father than need have been, perhaps, for none blamed him for that. we had already thought of him as likely to be useful to us; but he, again, might do well with the king, for he had place and name to win, as had dalfin. we were glad that he would help us therefore, and hailed his coming accordingly, to his content. this island where we lay was hilly, and forest clad. the ships were at anchor in the little sound between it and a smaller island, hidden and safe, and the ladies were lodged in a house among the woods on the south side of the hill, near the lodging of hakon. the woods were pleasant at this time, with the first touch of autumn on the leaves of the birches, and the ripe berries of the norseland were everywhere. so it happened that presently, as i went to hakon's lodging with some question which i had for him, i must take the nearest way from the ships by the woodland paths, having to cross the island from east to south, and leaving bertric and asbiorn on board. i had it in my mind to find thoralf's good wife presently, and talk to her, for it seemed to me that this cruise might have much in store for me. hakon had told her of our sailing with the morning's tide. but i heard someone singing in the wood, and knew the voice well. it was gerda who was wandering, and gathering the red raspberries, and i had half a mind to turn aside and keep beyond her sight. that thought came too late, however, for the path turned, and i came on her suddenly, and she looked up from the ripe berries she had found alongside the path and saw me. a flush went across her fair face, and then she greeted me brightly. i did not know what she had been told of tomorrow as yet, and could not tell from her face whether she knew or not. so i thought it best to ask. "have you heard aught from the king as to your going back to the old home yet, gerda?" "yes," she said, standing still and looking somewhat pitifully at me. "and he says that it shall be at once. but i fear how he may send me back." "he will give you ship and men, and so see that there is no chance of any great trouble with arnkel." "aye--but--but, malcolm, he says that he needs must find someone who will help me hold the land. who will that be, for he can spare so few?" "i think that he will let you make your own choice," i answered. "if i might--" she said, and there stopped, seeming troubled. then i said, "and if you might, who would be the choice?" she looked at me and paled, and then looked away at the berries again. she stooped to pick one, and her face was away from me. "i think it is cruel to ask that," she said in a low voice. "i have no one here whom i know--save you, and bertric." i moved a pace nearer to her, but still she did not look up. the crimson berries she bent over were no excuse for the colour of her face at that moment, and i feared i had angered her. "gerda," i said, "have you forgotten how that in the holy island i was wont to say that i should not rest until your were back in your home?" "i thought that you had forgotten," she said in a low voice. "i had not." "i seemed to forget it, because i deemed it best that i should do so. i am but a landless warrior, with naught to offer. and you--" then she turned quickly on me, and there was a smile on her face and a new light in her eyes. "and i," she said. "and i am naught but the girl who was found by asa thor in the burning ship. "o malcolm, let it be so still, and take me to the end of the voyage and bide there always. for i fear naught as long as you are with me." she held out her hands to me, and then she was in the shelter of my arms, and no more was needed to be said. we were both content, and more than content. chapter : homeward bound. mayhap i need not say that i forgot the message which took me to this place, seeing that it was of no great account. gerda and i had much to say to one another of matters which would be of note to none but ourselves, and the time fled unheeded by us. whereby it came to pass that presently came footsteps through the woods, and here were hakon and bertric smiling at us, and gerda was blushing, though she would not leave my side. bertric laughed lightly when he met us. "hakon," he said, "i told you that there would be no trouble in this matter. now, lady gerda, and you, comrade, i am going to be the first to wish you all happiness. and i will say that thus our voyage ends even as it ought." "it is not ended yet," said hakon. "still it remains for malcolm to win her home back for his bride that shall be, though that may be easy." then he, too, spoke words of kindness to us both, and they were good to hear; until at last he would tell us news which had come from thrandheim for himself, and that also was of the best. the land had risen for him at the first sound of his name. eric was far away to the south and east, in the wick, fighting with men who would not bow to him, and all went well. the ships would go up to the ancient town on the morning's tide. "but now," he said, "i have no one to send with gerda, for thoralf will take his wife and daughter with us. will she wait here for the winter, or will she sail, as once before, with you two to serve and guard her?" "let us sail at once, king hakon," she said, laughing. "it would be impossible for me to wish for better care than that i have learned to value most of all." "nay, but you shall be better attended at this time," hakon said, smiling. and so in the end we learned that the matter had already been arranged in all haste, for they had found two maidens to attend gerda, and the rough after cabin of the ship had been made somewhat more fitting for her by the time we sailed in the morning. now we took gerda back to thoralf's wife, and thence i fled with bertric to the ship, there being more to say than i cared to listen to. dalfin sat on the deck, and he rose up sadly to greet us, with a half groan. "good luck to you," he said, gripping my hand. "i have heard the news. on my word, it was as well that we had no chance to get to my father's court, or i should have been your rival, and there would have been a fight. i will not say that it might not be a relief to break the head of someone even now--but that may pass. the luck of the torque has left me." "come with us after all," i said. "no doubt arnkel will be willing to give you just that chance." but he shook his head. "no, i bide with hakon. but there is asbiorn yonder who will see to arnkel. and i am sorry for arnkel if they meet." now, whether it was true that dalfin had his own thoughts concerning the companion of our dangers i cannot say; but he bided with hakon, and thereafter won honour enough from him, and, indeed, from all with whom he had to do. princelike, and in all ways a good comrade, was dalfin. so it came to pass that very early in the next dawning the ship slid away from under the lee of the islands and headed southward on her voyage, with cheers and good wishes to set her forth. the last message we had from shore came from dalfin the prince, and that was an irish brogue of untanned deerskin, laced with gold, which flew through the dusk like a bat to gerda's feet from the deck of one of hakon's ships as we passed her. words in the erse came also from the dim figure who cast it, whereat phelim and i laughed. gerda asked what they were, and we had to tell her. "good luck to you for the thief of my heart," he cried. "if i had not got one, and may never set eyes on your sweet face more, i would wish you the same today and tomorrow." "not much heart-broken is dalfin," said bertric, laughing. thereafter is little which need be told of that voyage in the still, autumn weather of the north. we passed, at times sailing, and now and then with the oars going easily, and always in bright weather, through the countless islands which fringe the norway shores, some bare and rocky, and some clad with birch and fir even to the edge of the waves. far inland the great mountains rose, snow-capped now, and shone golden and white and purple in the evening sun; and everywhere the forests climbed to meet the snow, and the sound of the cattle horns came at the homing hour to tell of the saeters hidden in the valleys. once we met a ship passing swiftly northward under oars, and were not so sure that we might not have to fight or fly. but her crew were flying from the south, and hailed us to know if it were true that hakon had come from england to claim his own. and when we hailed in answer that so it was, and that we were of his force, the men roared and cheered while we might hear them. eric's day was done. i think that it was on the fifth day that we came at last to the break in the line of fringing islands which marks the opening of the stavanger fjord. there we met the long heave and swell of the open sea, and it was good to feel the lift and quiver of the staunch ship as she swung over the rollers again. across the open stretch of sea we sailed, and the land along which we coasted was flat and sandy, all unlike that which we had passed for so many days. but beyond that the mountains were not far, though in no wise so high as those farther north. and at last gerda showed us the place where she had thought to lay thorwald, her grandfather, to rest in his ship. we could see the timber slipway, which still had been left where it was made for that last beaching, and we could see, too, that here and there the land was turned up into heaps, where the place for the mound had been prepared. there was a little village also, and a hut or two had been burnt. "our doing," said asbiorn. "forgive us, queen gerda." "you at least had no part therein," she said gently. "the rest is forgotten. now we have no long way to go before i am again at home." now the land rose again from the level of the jederen marshes we had passed, and we had high black cliffs to port and ahead of us. along their feet the great rollers of the open sea broke, thundering, even in this quiet weather, and the spray shot up and fell in white clouds unceasingly. it was wonderful even now, and what it would be like in a day of gale and heavy seas might be guessed. and still we held on, with asbiorn at the helm, though i could see as yet no opening in the mighty walls that barred our way onward. gerda at my side laughed at me, in all pride in her homecoming, and in the wild coast at which i was wondering. the cliffs seemed to part us as we neared those before us, and i saw a deep and narrow cleft between them into which we steered. the sail was lowered now, and the oars manned, and so we passed from the open into the shadow of the mighty cliffs which rose higher and higher as we rowed between them. for half a mile the swell of the sea came with us, and then it died away, and we were on still, deep water, clear as glass, but black in the shadow of the grim and sheer rock walls. the rhythm of the leisurely swing and creak and plash of the long oars came back to us from either side as if we rowed amid an unseen fleet, and when the men broke into the rowing song they were fain to cease, laughing, for the echoes spoiled the tune. the fjord opened out before long, and there was another passage to the sea, up which came a little swell from the open. the cliffs to our right had been those of a great island which lies across the mouth of the fjord itself, which we were but now entering. and then again the cliffs closed in, and we were in the silence. on the verge of the cliffs here were poised great stones, as if set to roll down on those who would try to force a passage, but they were more than man might lift. they might have been hove here by jotuns at play, so great were they, in truth. now, it was asbiorn's plan that we should try to reach the upper end of the fjord, where the hall and village lay, in the dusk of evening, if we could do so, unseen. gerda knew that it was unlikely that we should be spied until we had passed higher yet; or, at least, were we seen, that none would wonder at the return of a ship which was known to be that of heidrek. the brown sail which had been our terror might help us here and now. far up its reaches the fjord branched, one arm running on toward the east, and the other, which was our course, northward. here, at the meeting of these branches, there was a wider stretch of water, ringed around with mountains which sloped, forest clad, to the shores, and dotted with rocky islets round which the tide swirled and eddied in the meeting of the two currents, for it was falling. we had timed our passage well, and would wait here until we might find our way to the hall as the men were gathered for the evening meal. our plan was to land and surround the building, and so take arnkel if we could without any fighting. hidden away at the foot of a valley here was a little village, but at first we saw no signs that we were noticed. presently, however, when asbiorn had taken the ship into a berth between two of the islets, and the men were getting her shore lines fast to mooring posts which seemed to be used only now and then, a boat with two men in it came off to us thence, and we were hailed to know what we needed in these waters. asbiorn answered, saying that we were friends, waiting for tide up the fjord, and they went ashore on the islet next them, and came across it to us. then gerda rose up from where she sat watching them and called them by name, and they started as if they had seen a ghost, so that she laughed at them. at that they took courage, and came nearer. the stern of the ship was not more than a couple of fathoms from the rock, and there they stood, and it was good to hear their welcome of the lady whom they had deemed lost. then they came on board, and there was rejoicing enough, both in the finding, and in the peace which would come with gerda's return. they told us how that arnkel was carrying on his mastership here with a high hand, being in no wise loved. they said that men blamed him for bringing heidrek on the land, seeing that he had made terms with him when it would have been as well to fight; and that, moreover, there were not a few who believed that in some way he had a hand in the loss of gerda. now, he was trying to gather the men in order to go to the help of eric the king, who was fighting in the wick, as we had heard, and that was not at all to the mind of those who had followed thorwald. war in the wick, beyond their ken altogether, was no affair of theirs. whereby it was plain that here we were likely to do a very good turn to hakon at once, and we were just in time. our ship, which heidrek had left here, was ready for sailing, as it seemed, and if we had come a day or two later we should have lost arnkel, and maybe had trouble to follow. now, these two men were the pilots of the fjord, as we had guessed from their coming off to us. at first they were for going straightway and telling the men at the hall and town that gerda had come, but we thought it best to take that news ourselves. they would steer us up the fjord in the dusk presently, and would answer any hail from watchers who would spy our coming. so we waited for the turn of the tide, and armed ourselves in all bravery of gold and steel and scarlet as befitted the men of hakon and of gerda the queen, for she should go back to her own as a queen should. and then a thought came to me, and i spoke of it to bertric, and so went and stood at the door of the cabin where gerda waited, and asked her to do somewhat for me. "will you not come back even as you went?" i asked. "let the men see you stand before them as you were wont, in your mail and helm and weapons, the very daughter of warriors." but she shook her head, smiling. "no, malcolm, it is foolishness. what need to put on the gear which seems to make me what i am not?" "nothing will make you less than a sea queen, my gerda," i said. "maybe i might say more than that, but you would think me only flattering. i would have you wear the arms as surety to your folk at first sight that you are indeed here again. it may save words, and time." so i persuaded her, and she left me to don the war gear for the last time, as she told me. she would dress herself even as she had been clad for the funeral and as we had found her. then the tide turned, and slowly the current from the sea found its way up the fjord and reached us, and we warped out of the narrow berth between the rocks, and manned the oars and set out on the last stage of our voyage. the mast was lowered and housed by this time, and the ship ready for aught. only we did not hang the war boards along the gunwales, and we had no dragon head on the stem, for that heidrek had not carried at any time. we had no mind to set all men against the ship at first sight as an enemy who came prepared for battle. we entered the northern branch of the fjord, and at once the high cliffs rose above us again, for the waterway narrowed until we were in a deep cleft of the mountains. the water was still as glass in the evening quiet, and as the stars came out overhead, we seemed to be sailing under one deep sky and on another. but the oar blades broke the water into brighter stars than those which were reflected, and after us stretched a wake of white light between the black cliffs, for the strange sea fires burnt in the broken waters brightly, coming and going as the waves swirled around the ship's path. so we went steadily for a long way, and then we came to a place where the rocky walls of the channel nearly met, so that one could have thrown a stone from the deck on either as we passed. high up on the left cliffside a little light glimmered, for a cottage hung as it were on a shelf of the mountain above us. the measured beat of the oars sounded hollow here as the sheer cliffs doubled their sounds. some man heard it, and a door opened by the little light, like a square patch of brightness on the shadow of the hillside. then he hailed us in a great voice which echoed back to us, and one of the pilots answered him cheerily with some homely password, and we saw his form stand black against his door for a moment before he closed it, and he waved his hand to the friend whose voice he knew. the pilot told me that it was his duty to listen for passing ships thus and hail them. beside his hut was piled a beacon ready to light if all was not well, and in the hut hung a great, wooden cattle lure wherewith to alarm the town. we were close to it now. by this time it was as if i knew the place well, so often had gerda told me of it. the fjord opened out from this narrow channel into a wide lake from which the mountains fell back, seamed and laced with bright streams and waterfalls, and clad with forests, amid which the cornfields were scattered wherever the rocks gave way to deeper soil. at the head of this lake, where a swift salmon river entered the fjord, was the hall, set on rising ground above the clustering houses of the town, and looking down over them to the anchorage and the wharf for which we were making. behind the hall rose a sheer cliff, sheltering it and the other houses from the north and east. all this i was to see plainly hereafter. before me now in the dusk, which was almost darkness, as the ship slid from the narrows into the open, was the wide ring of mountains and the still lake, and across that the twinkling lights of the town, doubled in the water below them, and above them all the long row of high-set openings under the eaves of the hall itself, glowing red with the flame of fire and torches, and flickering as the smoke curled across and through them. i wondered what welcome was waiting for us from those who were gathered there, as i stood with gerda on my arm beside our comrades, who watched the pilots as they steered. bertric was there, and phelim, who by this time spoke the norse well enough, besides asbiorn. there was some spur of hill between us and part of the town, for the light seemed to glide from behind it as we held on, but its mass was lost in the shadows. i was watching the lights as they came, one by one, to view, and then of a sudden, on the blackness of the cliff above the hall, shone out a cross of light, tall and bright and clear, as it were a portent, or as set there to guard the place. so suddenly did it come that i started, and i heard father phelim draw in his breath with some words which i could not catch. "what is that?" i asked gerda, under my breath and pointing. she laughed gently, and her hand tightened on my arm. "we were wont to call it thor's hammer," she said. "we see it from time to time, and it brings luck. now it greets me and you--but it is not the old sign to me any longer." "it is strange," said bertric. "once you called on asa thor--and here is that one to whom you called, and yonder--" "no, no," she said, clinging to me, "it is no longer thor's hammer." "it is the sign which shall be held dear here," said phelim. "it is the sign that all good has come to this place." "so may it be," said gerda softly, and i thought that the reflection of the cross made a glimmering pathway from the hall to the ship which bore her homeward. but i had no time to wonder how and why that sign was there, for now we were seen, and torches began to flicker along the wharf. our pilots spoke to asbiorn, and he passed the word for men to go forward with the shore warps, and the oar strokes slowed down. i thought i saw the broad gleam of light as the doors of the hall opened and closed again, and then a hail or two went back and forth from the shore and us. the oars were laid in and we were alongside the wharf, and quietly the rowers took their arms and sat in their places, waiting, as they had been bidden. there were not more than a score of men waiting us ashore, for it was supper time. then came a man from out of the town toward us, and by the time we were moored he was on the wharf opposite the stern. he had on helm and sword, but no mail, and his shield hung over his shoulder. the men made way for him, and in the torchlight i saw that he was gray-bearded and strong. "it is gorm the steward," said gerda to me, "he is my friend. let me speak to him." "ho, shipmaster!" cried gorm. "welcome, if you come in friendship, as i suppose. whence are you, and what would you?" "friends," said asbiorn; "friends with a cargo some of you will be glad to see." "aye, aye," answered the steward. "you traders always say that. well, that will wait for daylight. meanwhile come up to the hall and sup." then his eyes lit on the silent, mail-clad men at the oar benches, and he started. "ho!" he cried sternly, "what is the meaning of all this show of weapons?" "speak to him, gerda," i said then, seeing that it was time. she went to the rail and leaned over it. the red flares shone on her mail and white dress and sparkling helm. "gorm," she cried softly; "gorm, old friend--i have come home!" he stood for a moment as if turned to stone there on the wharf. then he shaded his eyes with his hand as if in broad daylight, and stared at gerda for but a moment, for she spoke his name once more. "odin," he cried, "this is a good day--if my ears and eyes do not play me false--yet it is hardly to be believed. let me come on board." he hurried to the gangway, and there gerda met him. one close look was enough for him, and he bent his knee and kissed her hand with words of welcome, and so would be made known to bertric and myself. he looked us up and down with a sharp glance and smiled, and gerda told her tale in a few words. "true enough," he said; "for you wear the arms of the house, and wear them well. i never thought to see one in the war gear of the young master again and not to resent it--but gerda will have made no mistake. now, what will you do? arnkel sits in the hall, and with him men who have come from eric bloodaxe the king." "hakon, athelstane's foster son, is king," said bertric. "there is news for you. he is at thrandheim, and the north has risen for him. we are his men." gorm's eyes shone, and he whistled softly. "news indeed! this is a day of wonders. what next?" "how many of the men in the hall will stand by arnkel when gerda is known?" i asked. "she would have no fighting if it can be avoided." maybe a dozen--men who never knew her. that is of no account, for there are two score of our folk supping there." "well, then," i said, "we will surround the hall and walk in quietly and call on arnkel to surrender. if he does not, we must make him do so; but first gerda's tale shall be told of him." then gerda said: "let me go into the hall first and speak with arnkel face to face. i have no fear of him, and i think that my folk will stand by me." just for a moment we doubted if that was safe for her, but gorm the steward had the last word. "let it be so," he said. "gerda shall call to her men, and they will not hang back. then arnkel must needs give in. now, the sooner the better for all concerned." chapter : a sea queen's welcome. the folk ashore had made fast the ship by this time, and were idly waiting while gorm spoke to us. as yet they had paid no heed to the lady with whom he talked, but wondered more at the quiet of the men than aught else. i felt that they were growing uneasy, though that gorm found us friendly kept them from showing it. i dare say they thought we were more messengers from eric. now, gorm bade us choose our men quickly and follow him, lest some word should go to arnkel of the armed ship which had come instead of the peaceful trader which the pilots should have brought. so i went down the starboard side and named a dozen men, while asbiorn did the same from the other bank of rowers, and as we named them, they leapt up and fell in behind us. then asbiorn said: "better that i am not seen unless wanted. i will go to the back of the hall and see that none get away thence. what shall you do if all goes well?" "take arnkel and send him back to hakon in the ship," i answered. "that is the only thing possible. if he is foolish enough to fight--well, he must take his chance." asbiorn nodded, and we went ashore, leaving that old courtman of mine, sidroc, in charge of the ship and the dozen men left with her. the folk of the place thronged round to see us pass up the town, and saw gerda plainly for the first time. in another moment i heard her name pass among them, and gorm spoke to them, for there was a growing noise of welcome. "steady, friends!" he said sternly, "steady! no need to tell arnkel that his time has come yet. let us get to the hall quietly, and thereafter shout as you like-- "ho! stop that man!" one had broken away from the crowd and was off toward the hall at full speed, meaning, as i have no doubt, to warn arnkel and win reward. but he did not get far. a dozen men were after him, and had him fast, and no other cared to follow his example. there was a stockade round the hall and its outbuildings which stood to right and left of it. the guest house was to the right, and the bower, which was gerda's own place, stood on the left, both handsome timber buildings, with high-pitched roofs and carved gables and doorways. the hall itself was like them, but larger, with low, wide eaves that made, as it were, a gallery all round, raised a little from the ground. daylight showed that every timber that could be seen was carved most wonderfully, but one could not heed that now in the torchlight. a man stood on guard in the stockade gate, and gorm the steward spoke to him, bidding him salute the queen who had returned. he gave one look at gerda, and tossed his leathern helm in the air, and so fell in with us as we crossed the courtyard to the great door. from the hall came the pleasant sounds of song and laughter from the courtmen within. gorm knocked and the doors flew open. the shipmen had been expected to return with him for supper. i saw the whole place as we stood there for the moment in the broad light of the torches on the walls. we entered at the end of the hall, and right over against us was the high seat, where sat arnkel and half a dozen other men. there were no ladies with them, and for that i was glad. two great fires burnt on hearths on either side of the hall, halfway down its length, and at this end sat at their trestle tables the thralls and herdsmen and fishers of the house. beyond the fires and below the high place were the courtmen on either hand, so that from end to end of the hall ran a clear way for the serving. with them were their wives and daughters here and there, and there were many women with the lesser folk nearer us as we entered. some were carrying round the ale jugs, and stood still to see us enter. asbiorn and his men left us even as the door opened, and went quickly to the rear of the hall. i could see only one other door, and that opened behind the high seat, being meant for the ladies of the house, so that they could pass to the bower without going down the noisy hall. it led to the open gallery round the building, whence it was but a step to the bower. very bright and pleasant it all was, with the light flashing red on the courtmen's arms on the walls behind them, and the glow of the two great pine-log fires on the gay dresses of the women. and arnkel himself, a big man with long, reddish hair and bristling beard, looked at his ease altogether, as he turned a laughing face to see the guests who came. there was a little hush as we came out of the shadow of the great doorway, and everyone turned, of course, to see us. gerda was between bertric and myself, and for the moment behind gorm the steward, who ushered us in with all ceremony. she had her dark cloak over her mail, and the hood of it hid her bright helm, and we two were cloaked also. behind us was phelim, and then the men followed. i waited until they were all inside the hall, and then gorm stepped aside, and gerda stood forward. "ha!" said arnkel, smiling broadly, "a lady. welcome to our hall, friends. it may be more to your liking than the sea, so late in the year." gerda shook her long cloak from her, and stood before him at the length of the hall, plain to be known, even as he had last set eyes on her. "am i welcome, arnkel?" she said in a cold voice, which had no sign of a quiver in it. "i have come from the sea to which you sent me." arnkel's red face went white and ghastly of a sudden, and he sprang back from the table as if he had been smitten. the guests with him stared at us and at him, speechless, for they were eric's men and knew nothing of arnkel's ways. but the courtmen rose to their feet with a wild medley of voices, for this thing seemed to them beyond belief for the moment. round us, amid the lesser folk, was a silence, save for the rustle as they shifted and craned to look at their young mistress. but there was a whisper growing among them. now arnkel came back to the table and set his hands on it, for they shook, and stared at gerda without finding a word in answer. the courtmen were looking at him now, and her name was passing among them in undertones. it was in arnkel's power to make the best of the return if he would. "friends," said gerda, "yonder man sent me to what he deemed my death in the ship which bore thorwald to sea. will you welcome me back, if he will not?" then there was a great shout from the men who loved her, and i thought that all was well. but suddenly that shout stilled, for arnkel's voice came loud over it all. "hold, you fools," he cried. "look at yon armed men. this is a trick of theirs. they have your lady captive, and now will win the place if you suffer them. "here, you great warrior, who are you?" he pointed to me, and the colour was coming back to his face, while his eyes were fierce. he would make one bid for his power yet. "i am malcolm of caithness, the jarl," i answered. "i am the champion of queen gerda, whom i and my comrade here saved from the ship in which you would have burned her. "listen, thorwald's men. we took her, well nigh dead, from the chamber where your king was laid. see, what are these arms i wear? they will prove it, for they came thence, and are her gift." "aye," he sneered in a harsh voice, "you took them at the same time you took the girl. "to your arms, men, and see that these robbers do not escape." the courtmen sprang at their weapons, and there was uproar enough. for a moment i could not tell what might come, and my hand was on my sword hilt, though i would not draw the weapon yet. then came gerda's clear voice again. "to me, gerda's men," she cried, and her sword flashed out. "he lies, and you know it." three men led a rush down the hall to us, and one was lame. they were my caithness men who had escaped from asbiorn here. after and with them were a dozen older courtmen of thorwald's. the women screamed and shrank back against the walls of the hall, hiding behind the tables. we had naught to fear from the thralls here, for they were shouting for gerda. one of eric's men leaned over to arnkel and spoke to him. then he shook his head and scowled at him, and stood up and raised his hand. "here," he said, when a silence fell, "i am a stranger, and it seems to me that there is matter for a fight, unless somewhat is set straight. what is this tale brought up against your lord? i have heard how thorwald was set to sea in his ship." then old gorm answered in a voice which shook with wrath: "and with him, bound in the funeral chamber, with burning peat piled round it, arnkel set the lady gerda to burn at sea, even as you see her. but for chance she had never stood in arnkel's way more. she is thorwald's heiress." in the silence which followed gerda spoke again. men were doubting yet, and arnkel's men had no mind to begin a fight which would be fell enough. "you have said that i am a captive, arnkel," she said calmly. "listen, friends, and say if so i am." she half turned to me, and took my hand before them all, smiling. "this is my promised husband," she said proudly, "jarl malcolm, who saved me. if i am captive, it is willingly. "now, arnkel, i will let bygones be bygones. it shall be as it was before the day when the ship was set adrift. only you shall go your way to the king, to be judged by him." "fair speech, arnkel," said eric's courtier. "better listen to it. you have to deal with yon scots jarl--and i ken the scotsmen." he sat down, watching the throng. he would take no hand in the matter, wherein he was wise. but those words of his came to arnkel as a taunt, and his look at me was terrible. "ho, men," he shouted, "will you own an outland lord?" "aye, we will," said gorm the steward sturdily. "sooner than listen to a coward and would-be murderer of women." that ended the matter. the courtmen yelled, and one or two who tried to get to arnkel's side were seized and hurled to the ground by the men who cheered for gerda, and i knew that the day was won. but i watched arnkel, for there was somewhat of madness in his look. his hand stole down to the long dirk in his belt, and then clutched it. like a flash the keen blade fled across the hall, straight at gerda as she stood fearless before him, and i was only just in time. i stood on her right, and my left arm caught it. the blade went through the muscles of the forearm, and stayed there, but that was of no account. gerda's light mail would hardly have stopped it. she gave a little cry, and i set my arm behind me, smiling. but the men saw and roared, and there was not one on the side of the man who would do so evil a deed. they made a rush for the dais, overturning the tables, and hustling aside eric's men, who were in their way, else there would have been an end of arnkel. maybe in the long run it had been as well for him, but in the scuffle he opened the door behind him and rushed out. i heard a shout from outside, and then a trampling, and thereafter a silence. asbiorn was not far off. afterwards i found that he had a ladder against the wall, and a man was watching through a high window all that went on, in case we needed help. whereby it happened that arnkel ran into his arms. some of asbiorn's men came in as soon as that was done, and the courtmen huddled back at the sight of these newcomers, whose swords were out. gerda called to them that these were friends, and bade our men sheathe their weapons. there was quiet then, and gerda looked round to me. phelim had taken charge of my arm at once, and the long blade was out, and a scarf, which some girl who had not lost her senses had handed him, was round the wound. "not much harm done," he said, smiling at gerda, who thanked him in words and me with a look. now the folk crowded round us with great shouts of welcome, and the men came to thrust forward the hilts of their weapons that she should touch them, in token of homage given and accepted. the women were trying to reach her also, with words of joy and praise. so i took her through them all to the high place, and set her there in thorwald's chair, and gorm the steward passed round some word, and came himself with a silver cup full of mead, and set it in her hand, and whispered to her. whereon she smiled and rose up, and held the cup high, and cried to her folk: "skoal, friends, and thanks!" and all down the hall, from her own folk and from hakon's, and even from those strangers, eric's men, came the answer: "skoal to gerda the queen, and welcome!" and then one lifted his voice and cried: "skoal to jarl malcolm!" men took that up, and it was good to hear them. gerda gave me the cup her lips had just touched, and i drank "skoal" to them in turn, and so gerda the queen had come home. gerda passed to the bower presently, and left us in the hall. the men still made merry with shout and song, and gorm was preparing the guest hall for us. asbiorn had come in with the rest of his men, grim and silent, and i asked him if he had arnkel safe. he nodded and reached for a horn of ale, and sat down at the end of the high place, for at the time bertric and i were talking with eric's men, and trying to settle matters with them, for we could not let them go back to their master. one was a jarl from the south, and the others men of less note, and they had looked to gather men to eric hence. now they were fairly thunderstruck to hear of the coming of hakon, and as it seemed to us not altogether displeased. there would be nothing but turmoil in the land so long as eric reigned. in the end these men passed their word not to try to escape, or to plot here for eric, until they went back with the ship to thrandheim, and so we had no more trouble with them. thereafter two joined hakon, as i have heard, and the others were glad to bide quietly and at least not hinder him; so we did well for the young king. when we had arranged thus with these men, i went to asbiorn to learn how he had bestowed arnkel. "he is down at the wharf," he answered. "aye, on board the ship. maybe you had better come and see him." "i do not know that i have aught to say to him," said i. "the man is not worth a word. what do the townsfolk say of him?" "they had a good deal to say," he answered. "not what one would call good words, either. there is no party on his side here, and you will have naught but welcome on all hands. nevertheless, come down to the ship before you go to the guest house for the night. i sleep on board." "the people cannot hold you as in league with arnkel now," i said. "they will not molest you." "they know that there is no league between us now, at all events," he answered, with a short laugh. "no, there will be no trouble of any kind." bertric and i rose up and bade eric's men go to the guest hall, and so we two went out of the great door with asbiorn. with us came phelim and my caithness men, and gorm the steward, and a dozen of the others of the place. it was a still, frosty night, and overhead wavered and flickered across the stars the red and golden shafts and waves of the northern lights, very brightly, so that all the sky seemed to burn with them, and it was well nigh as light as day with their weird brightness. under them the still fjord glowed in answer, silent and peaceful, as the fires burned up and faded. we went to the stockade gate, and down the little street to the wharf. only a few men were about, but they were not armed, and the houses were dark now. there was no sign of unrest in all the place, as there well might have been had things gone awry for us. "have a care, asbiorn," said bertric. "there may be some gathering to rescue arnkel, for all the quiet." he laughed again, and his laugh was hard. "there will be none," he said, and pointed. the mast of the ship had been stepped again, but the sail was still on deck. only a spare yard had been hoisted half-mast high across the ship. and at the outboard end of it swung, black against the red fires of the sky, the body of the man who had wrought the trouble. he had found the death which he deserved. "hakon's word," said asbiorn quietly. "you mind what he said." i remembered, and it came to me that asbiorn had done right. i do not know what else could have been done with such a man. and in this matter neither i nor gerda had any hand. "the townsfolk judged him," said asbiorn again, "and we did hakon's bidding. else they had hewn him in pieces." suddenly the red wildfires sank, and it was very dark. in the darkness there came from seaward a sound which swelled up, nearer and nearer, as it were the cry of some mighty pack of hounds, and with the wild baying, the yell of hunters and the clang of their horns. it swept over us, and passed toward the mountains while we stood motionless, listening. "it is the wild hunt," said old gorm, gripping my arm. "it is odin who chases the wraith of arnkel hence." but phelim looked up to where against the dark cliff the cross stood out bright above the hall. "if it is odin," he said, "he flies before the might of yonder sign. this place is his no longer." the others did not heed him, but i would that what he said was the very truth. i had ever heard that one who died as did arnkel was the quarry of odin's hunters for evermore, and the sounds scared me. the clamour of that wild hunt died away, and we breathed more freely. soon the wild lights burned up across the north again, and then bertric spoke. "sink yonder thing in the fjord, asbiorn. gerda should not see it thus." therewith we went back to the guest hall, and there was naught to disturb the quiet of the night. asbiorn saw to that matter straightway. men say now that when the northern fires light the sky, across the fjord drifts the wraith of arnkel, and that ever the wild hunt comes up from the sea and hounds him hence. i have heard the bay of those terrible hounds more than once indeed, but i have seen naught, and round our hall is no unrest. in the sunshine of next day gerda would hear what had become of arnkel, supposing that he was kept safely somewhere. i think that the hurt to me, small as it was, angered her against him more than the wrongs he had done to herself. "he is dead," i told her. "he died at the hand of asbiorn and the men of the place, in all justice. he may be forgotten." she did not ask more, for the way in which he ended she would not wish to hear. only she sighed, and said: "let us forget him then. i would have forgiven him. he tried to take even my life from me indeed, but instead he has given me all i could long for. he sent me to meet you, malcolm, on the sea." then she laid her hand on my bound arm gently, and smiled at me. "this is the second time you have saved my life," she said. "nor was there one to share the deed this time. you cannot bring in bertric and dalfin now." which seemed to please her in a way which i will not try to fathom. that sort of thing makes a man feel how little worth he is in truth. then on that morning she must needs take me to see all the place and the folk. my father's old ship lay in the fjord, ready to sail to eric, and she must hear how we escaped from her again. there were more pleasant doings also, but i need not tell of them. for now it seems to me that the story is done, if there must be told one or two more things, seeing that gerda had come home, and all was well. i have no words to tell of the wedding that was before bertric must needs go back to hakon, for none but a lady could compass that. but i will say that it was a goodly gathering thereat, for word went quickly round, and the good people came in to grace it from far and wide. bertric gave away the bride, as the friend of hakon, who was her guardian; and after the wedding in the old norse way, phelim blessed us after the manner of the new faith which he and his had taught us to love, though he might not do more for us, as yet unbaptized. thereafter was feasting and rejoicing enough to please all, if the notice had been short; and then bertric must go his way, promising to see us again as soon as might be. so we watched the ship pass down the fjord and into the narrow seaward channel, and he waved to us, and we to him, and the men cheered for hakon, and so we turned back to the new life of peace that lay before us. there was not much fighting ere hakon came to the throne in earnest. eric fled the land as man after man rose for his rival, and at last took to the viking path, and thereafter made friends with athelstane of england, and held northumbria for him as under-king. so he troubled norway no more. but for the spreading of the new faith hakon would have had no man against him; but therein he had unrest enough. maybe it was to be expected, as he went to work with too high a hand in that matter in his zeal; for here we had no trouble. phelim and gerda won the folk with ways and words of love, and before two years had passed all were working to frame a church here with much pride in the building, giving time and labour for naught but the honour of the faith. hakon came to the consecrating of that church, and with him were bertric and dalfin, and then those good friends of ours stood sponsors for us at the first christenings that were therein. thereafter bertric went home to england, and we have seen him no more. only we know that he is high in honour with his king, and happily wedded in his dorset home. dalfin is still in norway, and high in honour with hakon, and here he will bide, being wedded, and holding himself to be a very norseman. there might be worse than he, in all truth. and asbiorn is with hakon, as the head of his courtmen, silent and ready, and well liked by all. those two we see when hakon goes on progress through the land, and comes in turn to us, as he ever will, or else when we go to the court, when that is near us. still over the hall against the black cliff glows the bright cross at times, clear and steady. men say that it does but come from some unseen openings in the roof of the hall when the lights are set in some unheeded way--but i cannot tell. however it comes, it has been a portent of good, and minds me of that night when we brought home at last my sea queen, gerda. surely it is a token of the peace which has come to us and to her folk, under the wise rule of norway's first christian king, hakon the good. notes. . the norns were the fates of the old norse mythology. . thrandheim, now trondhjem, the ancient capital of norway. the thrall of leif the lucky a story of viking days by ottilie a. liljencrantz contents chapter i where wolves thrive better than lambs chapter ii the maid in the silver helmet chapter iii a gallant outlaw chapter iv in a viking lair chapter v the ire of a shield-maiden chapter vi the song of smiting steel chapter vii the king's guardsman chapter viii leif the cross-bearer chapter ix before the chieftain chapter x the royal blood of alfred chapter xi the passing of the scar chapter xii through bars of ice chapter xiii eric the red in his domain chapter xiv for the sake of the cross chapter xv a wolf-pack in leash chapter xvi a courtier of the king chapter xvii the wooing of helga chapter xviii the witch's den chapter xix tales of the unknown west chapter xx alwin's bane chapter xxi the heart of a shield-maiden chapter xxii in the shadow of the sword chapter xxiii a familiar blade in a strange sheath chapter xxiv for dear love's sake chapter xxv "where never man stood before" chapter xxvi vinland the good chapter xxvii mightier than the sword chapter xxviii "things that are fated" chapter xxix the battle to the strong chapter xxx from over the sea conclusion foreword the anglo-saxon race was in its boyhood in the days when the vikings lived. youth's fresh fires burned in men's blood; the unchastened turbulence of youth prompted their crimes, and their good deeds were inspired by the purity and whole-heartedness and divine simplicity of youth. for every heroic vice, the vikings laid upon the opposite scale an heroic virtue. if they plundered and robbed, as most men did in the times when might made right, yet the heaven-sent instinct of hospitality was as the marrow of their bones. no beggar went from their doors without alms; no traveller asked in vain for shelter; no guest but was welcomed with holiday cheer and sped on his way with a gift. as cunningly false as they were to their foes, just so superbly true were they to their friends. the man who took his enemy's last blood-drop with relentless hate, gave his own blood with an equally unsparing hand if in so doing he might aid the cause of some sworn brother. above all, they were a race of conquerors, whose knee bent only to its proved superior. not to the man who was king-born merely, did their allegiance go, but to the man who showed himself their leader in courage and their master in skill. and so it was with their choice of a religion, when at last the death-day of odin dawned. not to the god who forgives, nor to the god who suffered, did they give their faith; but they made their vows to the god who makes men strong, the god who is the never-dying and all-powerful lord of those who follow him. the thrall of leif the lucky chapter i where wolves thrive better than lambs vices and virtues the sons of mortals bear in their breasts mingled; no one is so good that no failing attends him, nor so bad as to be good for nothing. ha'vama'l (high song of odin). it was back in the tenth century, when the mighty fair-haired warriors of norway and sweden and denmark, whom the people of southern europe called the northmen, were becoming known and dreaded throughout the world. iceland and greenland had been colonized by their dauntless enterprise. greece and africa had not proved distant enough to escape their ravages. the descendants of the viking rollo ruled in france as dukes of normandy; and saxon england, misguided by ethelred the unready and harassed by danish pirates, was slipping swiftly and surely under northern rule. it was the time when the priests of france added to their litany this petition: "from the fury of the northmen, deliver us, good lord." the old, old norwegian city of trondhjem, which lies on trondhjem fiord, girt by the river nid, was then king olaf trygvasson's new city of nidaros, and though hardly more than a trading station, a hamlet without streets, it was humming with prosperity and jubilant life. the shore was fringed with ships whose gilded dragon-heads and purple-and-yellow hulls and azure-and-scarlet sails were reflected in the waves until it seemed as if rainbows had been melted in them. hillside and river-bank bloomed with the gay tents of chieftains who had come from all over the north to visit the powerful norwegian king. traders had scattered booths of tempting wares over the plain, so that it looked like fair-time. the broad roads between the estates that clustered around the royal residence were thronged with clanking horsemen, with richly dressed traders followed by covered carts of precious merchandise, with beautiful fair-haired women riding on gilded chair-like saddles, with monks and slaves, with white-bearded lawmen and pompous landowners. along one of those roads that crossed the city from the west, a danish warrior came riding, one keen may morning, with a young english captive tied to his saddle-bow. the northman was a great, hulking, wild-maned, brute-faced fellow, capped by an iron helmet and wrapped in a mantle of coarse gray, from whose folds the handle of a battle-axe looked out suggestively; but the boy was of the handsomest saxon type. though barely seventeen, he was man-grown, and lithe and well-shaped; and he carried himself nobly, despite his clumsy garments of white wool. his gold-brown hair had been clipped close as a mark of slavery, and there were fetters on his limbs; but chains could not restrain the glance of his proud gray eyes, which flashed defiance with every look. crossing the city northward, they came where a trading-booth stood on its outskirts--an odd looking place of neatly built log walls tented over with gay striped linen. beyond, the plain rose in gentle hills, which were overlooked in their turn by pine-clad snow-capped mountains. on one side, the river hurried along in surging rapids; on the other, one could see the broad elbow of the fiord glittering in the sun. at the sight of the booth, the saxon scowled darkly, while the dane gave a grunt of relief. drawing rein before the door, the warrior dismounted and pulled down his captive. it was a scene of barbaric splendor that the gay roof covered. the walls displayed exquisitely wrought weapons, and rare fabrics interwoven with gleaming gold and silver threads. piles of rich furs were heaped in the corners, amid a medley of gilded drinking-horns and bronze vessels and graceful silver urns. across the back of the booth stretched a benchful of sullen-looking creatures war-captives to be sold as slaves, native thralls, and two northmen enslaved for debt. in the centre of the floor, seated upon one of his massive steel-bound chests, gorgeous in velvet and golden chains, the trader presided over his sales like a prince on his throne. the dane saluted him with a surly nod, and he answered with such smooth words as the thrifty old norse proverbs advise every man to practise. "greeting, gorm arnorsson! here is great industry, if already this spring you have gone on a viking voyage and gotten yourself so good a piece of property! how came you by him?" gorm gave his "property" a rough push forward, and his harsh voice came out of his bull-thick neck like a bellow. "i got him in england last summer. we ravaged his father's castle, i and twenty ship-mates, and slew all his kinsmen. he comes of good blood; i am told for certain that he is a jarl's son. and i swear he is sound in wind and limb. how much will you pay me for him, karl grimsson?" the owner of the booth stroked his long white beard and eyed the captive critically. it seemed to him that he had never seen a king's son with a haughtier air. the boy wore his fetters as though they had been bracelets from the hands of ethelred. "is it because you value him so highly that you keep him in chains?" he asked. "in that i will not deceive you," said the dane, after a moment's hesitation. "though he is sound in wind and limb, he is not sound in temper. shortly after i got him, i sold him to gilli the wealthy for a herd-boy; but because it was not to his mind on the dairy-farm, he lost half his herd and let wolves prey on the rest, and when the headman would have flogged him for it, he slew him. he has the temper of a black elf." "he does not look to be a cooing dove," the trader assented. "but how came it that he was not slain for this? i have heard that gilli is a fretful man." the dane snorted. "more than anything else he is greedy for property, and his wife bertha advised him not to lose the price he had paid. it is my belief that she has a liking for the cub; she was an english captive before the wealthy one married her. he followed her advice, as was to be expected, and saddled me with the whelp when i passed through the district yesterday. i should have sent him to thor myself," he added with a suggestive swing of his axe, "but that silver is useful to me also. i go to join my shipmates in wisby. and i am in haste, karl grimsson. take him, and let me have what you think fair." it seemed as if the trader would never finish the meditative caressing of his beard, but at last he arose and called for his scales. the dane took the little heap of silver rings weighed out to him, and strode out of the tent. at the same time, he passed out of the english boy's life. what a pity that the result of their short acquaintance could not have disappeared with him! the trader surveyed his new possession, standing straight and slim before him. "what are you called?" he demanded. "and whence come you? and of what kin?" "i am called alwin," answered the thrall; "and i come from northumbria." he hesitated, and the blood mounted to his face. "but i will not tell you my father's name," he finished proudly, "that you may shame him in shaming me." the trader's patience was a little chafed. peaceful merchants were also men of war between times in those days. suddenly he unsheathed the sword that hung at his side, and laid its point against the thrall's breast. "i ask you again of what kin you come. if you do not answer now, it is unlikely that you will be alive to answer a third question." perhaps young alwin's bronzed cheeks lost a little of their color, but his lip curled scornfully. so they stood, minute after minute, the sharp point pricking through the cloth until the boy felt it against his skin. gradually the trader's face relaxed into a grim smile. "you are a young wolf," he said at last, sheathing his weapon; "yet go and sit with the others. it may be that wolves thrive better than lambs in the north." chapter ii the maid in the silver helmet in a maiden's words no one should place faith, nor in what a woman says; for on a turning wheel have their hearts been formed, and guile in their breasts been laid. ha'vama'l day after day, week after week, alwin sat waiting to see where the next turn of misfortune's wheel would land him. interesting people visited the booth continually. now it was a party of royal guardsmen to buy weapons,--splendid mail-clad giants who ate at king olaf's board, slept a his hall, and fought to the death at his side. again it was a minstrel, with a harp at his back, who stopped to rest and exchange a song for a horn of mead. once the queen herself, riding in a shining gilded wagon, came in and bought some of the graceful spiral bracelets. she said that alwin's eyes were as bright as a young serpent's; but she did not buy him. the doorway framed an ever changing picture,--budding birch trees along the river-bank; men ploughing in the valley; shepherds tending flocks that looked like dots of cotton wool on the green hillsides. sometimes bands of gay folk from the king's house rode by to the hunt, spurs jingling, horns braying, falcons at their wrists. sometimes brawny followers of the visiting chiefs swaggered past in groups, and the boy could hear their shouting and laughter as they held drinking-bouts in the hostelry near by. occasionally their rough voices would grow rougher, and an arrow would fly past the door; or there would be a clash of weapons, followed by a groan. one day, as alwin sat looking out, his chin resting in his hand, his elbow on his knee, his attention was caught by two riders winding swiftly down a hill-path on the right. at first, one was only a blur of gray and the other a flame of scarlet; they disappeared behind a grove of aspens, then reappeared nearer, and he could make out a white beard on the gray figure and a veil of golden hair above the scarlet kirtle. what hair for a boy, even the noblest born! it was the custom of all free men to wear their locks uncut; but this golden mantle! yet could it be a girl? did a girl ever wear a helmet like a silver bowl, and a kirtle that stopped at the knee? if it was a girl, she must be one of those shield-maidens of whom the minstrels sang. alwin watched the pair curiously as they galloped down the last slope and turned into the lane beside the river. they must pass the booth, and then... his brain whirled, and he stood up in his intense interest. something had startled the white steed that bore the scarlet kirtle; he swerved aside and rose on his haunches with a suddenness that nearly unseated his rider; then he took the bronze bit between his teeth and leaped forward. whitebeard and his bay mare were left behind. the yellow hair streamed out like a banner; nearer, and alwin could see that it was indeed a girl. she wound her hands in the reins and kept her seat like a centaur. but suddenly something gave way. over she went, sidewise; and by the wrist, tangled in the reins, the horse dragged her over the stony road. forgetting his manacled limbs, alwin started forward; but it was all over in an instant. one of the trader's servants flew at the animal's head and stopped him, almost at the door of the booth. in another moment a crowd gathered around the fallen girl and shut her from his view. alwin gazed at the shifting backs with a dreadful vision of golden hair torn and splashed with blood. she must be dead, for she had not once screamed. his head was still ringing with the shrieks of his mother's waiting-women, as the danes bore them out of the burning castle. whitebeard came galloping up, puffing and panting. he was a puny little german, with a face as small and withered as a winter apple, but a body swaddled in fur-trimmed tunics until it seemed as fat as a polar bear's. he rolled off his horse; the crowd parted before him. then the english youth experienced another shock. bruised and muddy, but neither dead nor fainting, the girl stood examining her wrist with the utmost calmness. though her face was white and drawn with pain, she looked up at the old man with a little twisted smile. "it is nothing, tyrker," she said quickly; "only the girth broke, and it appears that my wrist is out of joint. we will go in here, and you shall set it." tyrker blinked at her for a moment with an expression of mingled affection and wonder; then he drew a deep breath. "donnerwetter, but you are a true shield-maiden!" he said in a wavering treble. the trader received them with true norse hospitality; and alwin watched in speechless amazement while the old man ripped up the scarlet sleeve and wrenched the dislocated bones into position, without a murmur from the patient. despite her strange dress and general dishevelment, he could see now that she was a beautiful girl, a year or two younger than himself. her face was as delicately pink-and-pearly as a sea-shell, and corn-flowers among the wheat were no bluer than the eyes that looked out from under her rippling golden tresses. when the wrist was set and bandaged, the trader presented them with a silken scarf to make into a sling, and had them served with horns of sparkling mead. this gave a turn to the affair that proved of special interest to alwin. there is an old norse proverb which prescribes "lie for lie, laughter for laughter, gift for gift;" so, while he accepted these favors, tyrker began to look around for some way to repay them. his gaze wandered over fabrics and furs and weapons, till it finally fell upon the slaves' bench. "donnerwetter!" he said, setting down his horn. "to my mind it has just come that leif a cook-boy is desirous of, now that hord is drowned." the girl saw his purpose, and nodded quickly. "it is unlikely that you can make a better bargain anywhere." she turned to examine the slaves, and her eyes immediately encountered alwin's. she did not blush; she looked him up and down critically, as if he were a piece of armor, or a horse. it was he who flushed, with sudden shame and anger, as he realized that in the eyes of this beautiful norse maiden he was merely an animal put up for sale. "yonder is a handsome thrall," she said; "he looks as though his strength were such that he could stand something." "true it is that he cannot a lame wolf be who with the pack from greenland is to run," tyrker assented. "that it was, which to hord was a hindrance. for sport only, egil olafson under the water took him down and held him there; and because to get away he was not strong enough, he was drowned. but to me it seems that this one would bite. how dear would this thrall be?" "you would have to pay for him three marks of silver," said the trader. "he is an english thrall, very strong and well-shaped." he came over to where alwin sat, and stood him up and turned him round and bent his limbs, alwin submitting as a caged tiger submits to the lash, and with much the same look about his mouth. tyrker caught the look, and sat for a long while blinking doubtfully at him. but he was a shrewd old fellow, and at last he drew his money-bag from his girdle and handed it to the trader to be weighed. while this was being done, he bade one of the servants strike off the boy's fetters. the trader paused, scales in hand, to remonstrate. "it is my advice that you keep them on until you sail. i will not conceal it from you that he has an unruly disposition. you will be lacking both your man and your money." the old man smiled quietly. "ach, my friend," he said, "can you not better read a face? well is it to be able to read runes, but better yet it is to know what the lord has written in men's eyes." he signed to the servant to go on, and in a moment the chains fell clattering on the ground. alwin looked at him in amazement; then suddenly he realized what a kind old face it was, for all its shrewdness and puny ugliness. the scowl fell from him like another chain. "i give you thanks," he said. the wrinkled, tremulous old hand touched his shoulder with a kindly pressure. "good is it that we understand each other. _nun_! come. first shall you go and helga's horse lead, since it may be that with her one hand she cannot manage him. why do you in your face so red grow?" alwin grew still redder; but he could not tell the good old man that he would rather follow a herd of unbroken steers all day, than walk one mile before a beautiful young amazon who looked at him as if he were a dog. he mumbled something indistinctly, and hastened out after the horses. helga rose stiffly from the pile of furs; it was evident that every new motion revealed a new bruise to her, but she set her white teeth and held her chin high in the air. when she had taken leave of the trader, she walked out without a limp and vaulted into her saddle unaided. the sunlight, glancing from her silver helm, fell upon her floating hair and turned it into a golden glory that hid rents and stains, and redeemed even the kirtle, which stopped at the knee. as he helped the old man to mount, alwin gazed at her with unwilling admiration. perhaps some day he would show her that he was not so utterly contemptible as... she made him an imperious gesture; he stalked haughtily forward, he took his place at her bridle rein, and the three set forth. chapter iii a gallant outlaw two are adversaries; the tongue is the bane of the head; under every cloak i expect a hand. ha'vama'l for a while the road of the little party ran beside the brawling nid, whose shores were astir with activity and life. here was a school of splashing swimmers; there, a fleet of fishing-smacks; a provision-ship loading for a cruise as consort to one of the great war vessels. they passed king olaf's ship-sheds, where fine new boats were building, and one brilliantly-painted cruiser stood on the rollers all ready for the launching. along the opposite bank lay the camps of visiting vikings, with their long ships'-boats floating before them. the road bent to the right, and wound along between the high fences that shut in the old farm-like manors. ail the houses had their gable-ends faced to the front, like soldiers at drill, and little more than their tarred roofs showed among the trees. most of the commons between the estates were enlivened by groups of gaily-ornamented booths. many of them were traders' stalls; but in one, over the heads of the laughing crowd, alwin caught a glimpse of an acrobat and a clumsy dancing bear; while in another, a minstrel sang plaintive love ballads to a throng that listened as breathlessly as leaves for a wind. the wild sweet harp-music floated out and went with them far across the plain. the road swerved still farther to the right, entering a wood of spicy evergreens and silver-stemmed birches. in its green depths song-birds held high carnival, and an occasional rabbit went scudding from hillock to covert. from the south a road ran up and crossed theirs, on its way to the fiord. as they reached this cross-road, a horseman passed down it at a gallop. he only glanced toward them; and all alwin had time to see was that he was young and richly dressed. but helga started up with a cry. "sigurd! tyrker, it was sigurd!" slowly drawing rein, the old man blinked at her in bewilderment. "sigurd? where? what sigurd?" "our sigurd--leif's foster-son! oh, ride after him! shout!" she stretched her white throat in calling, but the wind was against her. "that is now impossible that jarl harald's son it should be," tyrker said soothingly. "on a viking voyage he is absent. besides, out of breath it puts me fast to ride. some one else have you mistaken. three years it has been since you have seen--" "then i will go myself!" she snatched the reins from alwin, but tyrker caught her arm. "certain it is that you would be injured. if you insist, the thrall shall go. he looks as though he would run well." "but what message?" alwin began. helga tried to stamp in her stirrups. "will you stand there and talk? go!" they were fast runners in those days, by all accounts. it is said that there were men in ireland and the north so swift-footed that no horse could overtake them. in ten minutes alwin stood at the horseman's side, red, dripping, and furious. the stranger was a gallant young cavalier, with floating yellow locks and a fine high-bred face. his velvet cloak was lined with ermine, his silk tunic seamed with gold; he had gold embroidery on his gloves, silver spurs to his heels, and a golden chain around his neck. alwin glared up at him, and hated him for his splendor, and hated him for his long silken hair. the rider looked down in surprise at the panting thrall with the shaven head. "what is your errand with me?" he asked. it was not easy to explain, but alwin framed it curtly: "if you are sigurd haraldsson, a maiden named helga is desirous that you should turn back." "i am sigurd haraldsson," the youth assented, "but i know no maiden in norway named helga." it occurred to alwin that this helga might belong to "the pack from greenland," but he kept a surly silence. "what is the rest of her name?" "if there is more, i have not heard it." "where does she live?" "the devil knows!" "are you her father's thrall?" "it is my bad luck to be the captive of some norse robber." the straight brows of the young noble slanted into a frown. alwin met it with a black scowl. suddenly, while they faced each other, glowering, an arrow sped out of the thicket a little way down the road, and whizzed between them. a second shaft just grazed alwin's head; a third carried away a tress of sigurd's fair hair. instantly after, a man crashed out of the underbrush and came running toward them, throwing down a bow and drawing a sword as he ran. forgetting that no weapon hung there now, alwin's hand flew to his side. young haraldsson, catching only the gesture, stayed him peremptorily. "stand back,--they were aimed at me! it is my quarrel." he threw himself from his saddle, and his blade flashed forth like a sunbeam. evidently there was no need of explanations between the two. the instant they met, that instant their swords crossed; and from the first clash, the blades darted back and forth and up and down like governed lightnings. alwin threw a quieting arm around the neck of the startled horse, and settled himself to watch. before many minutes, he forgot that he had been on the point of quarrelling with sigurd haraldsson. anything more deft or graceful than the swiftness and ease with which the young noble handled his weapon he had never imagined. admiration crowded out every other feeling. "i hope that he will win!" he muttered presently. "by st. george, i hope that he will win!" and his soothing pats on the horse's neck became frantic slaps in his excitement. the archer was not a bad fighter, and just now he was a desperate fighter. round and round went the two. a dozen times they shifted their ground; a dozen times they changed their modes of attack and defence. at last, sigurd's weapon itself began to change from one hand to the other. without abating a particle of his swiftness, in the hottest of the fray he made a feint with his left. before the other could recover from parrying it, the weapon leaped back to his right, darted like a hissing snake at the opening, and pierced the archer's shoulder. he fell, snarling, and lay with sigurd's point pricking his throat and sigurd's foot pressing his breast. "i think you understand now that you will not stand over my scalp," young haraldsson said sternly. "now you have got what you deserved. you managed to get me banished, and you shot three arrows at me to kill me; and all because of what? because in last fall's games i shot better than you! it was in my mind that if ever i caught you i would drive a knife through you." he kicked him contemptuously as he took his foot away. "sneaking son of a wolf," he finished, "i despise myself that i cannot find it in my heart to do it, now that you are at my mercy; but i have not been wont to do such things, and you are not worth beginning on. crawl on your miserable way." while the archer staggered off, clutching his shoulder, sigurd came back to his horse, wiping his sword composedly. "it was obliging of you to stay and hold high-flyer," he said, as he mounted. "if he had been frightened away, i should have been greatly hindered, for i have many miles before me." that brought them suddenly back to their first topic; but now alwin handled it with perfect courtesy. "let me urge you again to turn back with me. it is not easy for me to answer your questions, for this morning is the first time i have seen the maiden; but she is awaiting you at the cross-roads with the old man she calls tyrker, and--" "tyrker!" cried sigurd haraldsson. "leif's foster-father had that name. it is not possible that it is my little foster-sister from greenland!" "i have heard them mention greenland, and also the name of leif," alwin assured him. sigurd smote his knee a resounding thwack. "strangest of wonders is the time at which this news comes! here have i just been asking for leif in the guardroom of the king's house; and because they told me he was away on the king's business, i was minded to ride straight out of the city. catch hold of the strap on my saddle-girth, and we will hurry." he wheeled highflyer and spurred him forward. alwin would not make use of the strap, but kept his place at the horse's shoulder without much difficulty. only the pace did not leave him breath for questions, and he wished to ask a number. it was not long, however, before most of his questions were asked and answered for him. rounding a curve, they came face to face with the riders, who had evidently tired of waiting at the cross-roads. tyrker, peering anxiously ahead, uttered an exclamation of relief at the sight of alwin, whom he had evidently given up as a runaway. helga welcomed sigurd in a delighted cry. the young northman greeted her with frank affection, and saluted tyrker almost as fondly. "this meeting gladdens me more than tongue can tell. i do not see how it was that i did not recognize you as i passed. and yet those garments, helga! by st. michael, you look well-fitted to be the brynhild we used to hear about!" helga's fair face flushed, and alwin smiled inwardly. he was curious to know what the young viking would do if the young amazon boxed his ears, as he thought likely. but it seemed that helga was only ungentle toward those whom she considered beneath her friendliness. while she motioned alwin with an imperious gesture to hand her the rein she had dropped, she responded good-naturedly to sigurd: "nay, now, my comrade, you will not be mean enough to scold about my short kirtle, when it was you who taught me to do the things that make a short kirtle necessary! have you forgotten how you used to steal me away from my embroidery to hunt with you?" "by no means," sigurd laughed. "nor how thorhild scolded when we came back! i would give a ring to know what she would say if she were here now. it is my belief that you would get a slap, for all your warlike array." helga's spur made her horse prance and rear defiantly. "thorhild is not here, nor do i expect that she will ever rule over me again. she struck me once too often, and i ran away to leif. for two years now i have lived almost like the shield-maidens we were wont to talk of. oh, sigurd, i have been so happy!" she threw back her head and lifted her beautiful face up to the sunlit sky and the fresh wind. "so free and so happy!" alwin thrilled with sudden sympathy. he understood then that it was not boldness, nor mere waywardness, that made her what she was. it was the norse blood crying out for adventure and open air and freedom. it did not seem strange to him, as he thought of it. it occurred to him, all at once, as a stranger thing that all maidens did not feel so,--that there were any who would be kept at spinning, like prisoners fettered in trailing gowns. tyrker nodded in answer to sigurd's look of amazement. "the truth it is which the child speaks. over winters, stays she at the king's house with one of the queen's women, who is a friend of leif; and during the summer, voyages she makes with me. but to me it appears that of her we have spoken enough. tell to us how it comes that you are in norway, and--whoa! steady!--wh--o--a!" "and tell us also that you will ride on to the camp with us now," helga put in, as tyrker was obliged to transfer his attention to his restless horse. "rolf erlingsson and egil olafsson, whom you knew in greenland, are there, and all the crew of the 'sea-deer'." "the 'sea-deer'!" ejaculated sigurd. "surely leif has got rid of his ship, now that he is in king olaf's guard." the backing and sidling and prancing of tyrker's horse forced him to leave this also to helga. "certainly he has not got rid of his ship. when he does not follow king olaf to battle with her, tyrker takes her on trading voyages, and she lies over-winter in the king's ship-shed. there are forty of the crew, counting me,--there is no need for you to smile, i can take the helm and stand a watch as well as any. can i not, tyrker?" the old man relaxed his vigilance long enough to nod assent; whereupon his horse took instant advantage of the slackened rein to bolt off homeward, despite all the swaying and sawing of the rider. that set the whole party in motion once more. "you will come with me to camp, sigurd my comrade?" helga urged. "it is but a little way, on the bank across the river. come, if only for a short time." sigurd gathered up his rein with a smile and a sigh together. "i will give you a favorable answer to that. it seems that you have not heard of the mishap that has befallen me. the lawman has banished me from the district." it pleased alwin to hear that he was likely to see more of the young norseman. helga was filled with amazement. on the verge of starting, she stopped her horse to stare at him. "it must be that you are jesting," she said at last. "you, who are the most amiable person in the world,--it is not possible that you can have broken the law!" sigurd laughed ruefully. "in my district i am not spoken of as amiable, just now. yet there is little need to take it heavily, my foster-sister. i have done nothing that is dishonorable,--should i dare to come before leif's face if i had? it will blow over in time to come." helga leaned from her saddle to press his hand in a friendly grasp. "you have come to the right place, for nowhere in the world could you be more welcome. only wait and see how rolf and egil will receive you!" she gave the thrall a curt shake of her head, as he stepped to her bridle-rein; and they rode off. as helga had said, the camp was not far away. once across the river, they turned to the left and wound along the rolling woody banks toward the fiord. entering a thicket of hazel-bushes on the crest of the gentle slope, they were met by faint sounds of shouting and laughter. emerging into a green little valley, the camp lay before them. half a dozen wooden booths tented over with gay striped linen and adorned with streaming flags, a leaping fire, a pile of slain deer, a string of grazing horses, and a throng of brawny men skinning the deer, chasing the horses, scouring armor, drinking, wrestling, and lounging,--these were alwin's first confused impressions. "there it is!" cried helga. "saw you ever a prettier spot? there is tyrker under that ash tree. and there,--do you remember that black mane? yonder, bending over that shield? that is egil olafsson. now it comes to my mind again! to-night we go to a feast at the king's house; that is why he is so busy. and yonder! yonder is rolf wrestling. he is the strongest man in greenland; did you know that? even valbrand cannot stand against him. whistle now as you were wont to for the hawks, and see if they will not remember." they swept down the slope, the high sweet notes rising clear above the clatter. one man glanced up in surprise, then another and another; then suddenly every man dropped what he was doing, and leaped up with shouts of greeting and welcome. sigurd disappeared behind a hedge of yellow heads and waving hands. alwin felt himself clutched eagerly. "donnerwetter, but i have waited a long time for you!" said the old german, short-breathed and panting. "that beast was like the insides of me to have out-shaken. bring to me a horn of ale; but first give me your shoulder to yonder booth." chapter iv in a viking lair leaving in the field his arms, let no man go a fool's length forward: for it is hard to know when, on his way, a man may need his weapon. ha'vama'l the camp lay red in the sunset light, and the twilight hush had fallen upon it so that one could hear the sleepy bird-calls in the woods around, and the drowsy murmur of the river. sigurd lay on his back under a tree, staring up into the rustling greenery. from the booth set apart for her, helga came out dressed for the feast. she had replaced her scarlet kirtle and hose by garments of azure-blue silk, and changed her silver helmet for a golden diadem such as high-born maidens wore on state occasions; but that was her only ornament, and her skirt was no longer than before. sigurd looked at her critically. "it does not appear to me that you are very well dressed for a feast," said he. "where are the bracelets and gold laces suitable to your rank? it looks ill for leif's generosity, if that is the finest kirtle you own." "that is unfairly spoken," helga answered quickly. "he would dress me in gold if i wished it; it is i who will not have it so. have you forgotten my hatred against clothes so fine that one must be careful of them? but this was to be expected," she added, flushing with displeasure; "since the jarl's son has lived in normandy, a maiden from a greenland farm must needs look mean to him." she was turning away, but he leaped up and caught her by her shoulders and shook her good-naturedly. "now are you as womanish as your bondmaid. you know that all the gold on all the women in normandy is not so beautiful as one lock of this hair of yours." at least helga was womanish enough to smile at this. "now i understand why it is that men call you sigurd silver-tongue," she laughed. suddenly she was all earnestness again. "nay, but, sigurd, tell me this,--i do not care how you scold about my dress,--tell me that you do not despise me for it, or for being unlike other maidens." sigurd's grasp slipped from her shoulders down to her hands, and shook them warmly. "despise you, helga my sister? despise you for being the bravest comrade and the truest friend a man ever had?" she grew rosy red with pleasure. "if that is your feeling, i am well content." she took a step toward the place where her horse was tethered, and looked back regretfully. "it seems inhospitable to leave you like this. will you not come with us, after all?" sigurd threw himself down again with an emphatic gesture of refusal. "i like better to be left so than to be left in a mound with my head cut off, which is what would happen were an outlaw to visit the king uninvited." "i shall not deny that that would be disagreeable," helga assented. "but do not let your mishap stand in the way of your joy. leif has great favor with king olaf; there is no doubt in my mind that he will be able to plead successfully for you." "i hope so, with all my heart," sigurd murmured. "when all brave men are fighting abroad or serving the king at home, it is great shame for me to be idling here." and he sighed heavily as helga passed out of hearing. as she went by the largest of the booths, which was the sleeping-house of the steersman valbrand and more than half the crew, alwin came out of the door and stood looking listlessly about. he had spent the afternoon scouring helmets amid a babble of directions and fault-finding, accented by blows. helga did not see him; but he gazed after her, wondering idly what sort of a mistress she was to the young bond-girl who was running after her with the cloak she had forgotten,--wondering also what there was in the girl's brown braids that reminded him of his mother's little saxon waiting-maid editha. the sound of a deep-drawn breath made him turn, to find himself face to face with a young mail-clad viking, in whose shaggy black locks he recognized the egil olafsson whom helga had that morning 'pointed out. but it was not the surprise of the meeting that made alwin leap suddenly backward into the shelter of the doorway; it was the look that he caught in the other's dark face,--a look so full of hate and menace that, instead of being strangers meeting for the first time, one would have supposed them lifelong enemies. still eying him, egil said slowly in a voice that trembled with passion: "so you are the english thrall,--and looking after her already! it seems that skroppa spoke some truth--" he broke off abruptly, and stood glaring, his hand moving upward to his belt. for once alwin was fairly dazed. "either this fellow has gotten out of his wits," he muttered, crossing himself, "or else he has mistaken me for some--" he had not time to finish his sentence. young olafsson's fingers had closed upon the haft of his knife; he drew it with a fierce cry: "but i will make the rest of it a lie!" throwing himself upon alwin, he bore him over backwards across the threshold. it is likely that that moment would have seen the end of alwin, if it had not happened that valbrand the steersman was in the booth, arraying himself for the feast. he was a gigantic warrior, with a face seamed with scars and as hard as the battle-axe at his side. he caught egil's uplifted arm and wrested the blade from his grasp. "it is not likely that i will allow leif's property to be damaged, egil the black. would you choke him? loose him, or i will send you to the troll, body and bones!" egil rose reluctantly. alwin leaped up like a spring released from a weight. "what has he done," demanded valbrand, "that you should so far forget the law as to attack another man's thrall?" instead of bursting into the tirade alwin expected, egil flushed and looked away. "it is enough that i am not pleased with his looks," he said sullenly. valbrand tossed him his knife with a scornful grunt. "go and get sense! is he yours, that you may slay him because you dislike the tilt of his nose? go dress yourself. and you," he added, with a nod over his shoulder at alwin, "do you take yourself out of his sight somewhere. it is unwisdom to tempt a hungry dog with meat that one would keep." "if i had so much as a hunting-knife," alwin cried furiously, "i swear by all the saints of england, i would not stir--" valbrand wasted no time in argument. he seized alwin and threw him out of the door, with energy enough to roll him far down the slope. the force with which he struck inclined alwin to stay where he was for a while; and gradually the coolness and the quietness about him soothed him into a more reasonable temper. egil olafsson was mad; there could be no question of that. undoubtedly it was best to follow valbrand's advice and keep out of his way,--at least until he could secure a weapon with which to defend himself. he stretched himself comfortably in the soft, dewy grass and waited until the revellers, splendid in shining mail and gay-hued mantles, clanked out to their horses and rode away. when the last of them shouted his farewell to sigurd and disappeared amid the shadows of the wood-path, alwin arose and walked slowly back to the deserted camp. even the sunset light had left it now; a soft grayness shut it in, away from the world. the air was full of night-noises; and high in the pines a breeze was whispering softly. very softly and sweetly, from somewhere among the booths, the voice of the bond-girl arose in a plaintive english ballad. alwin recognized the melody with a throb that was half of pleasure, half of pain. in the old days, editha had sung that song. poor little gentle-hearted editha! the last time he had seen her, she had been borne past him, white and unconscious, in the arms of one of the marauding danes. he shook himself fiercely to drive off the memory. turning the corner of helga's booth, he came suddenly upon the singer, a slender white-robed figure leaning in the shadow of the doorway. sigurd still lounged under the trees, half dozing, half listening. as the thrall stepped out of the shadow into the moonlight, the singer sprang to her feet, and the song merged into a great cry. "my lord alwin!" it was editha herself. running to meet him, she dropped on her knees before him and began to kiss his hands and cry over them. "oh, my dear lord," she sobbed, "you are so changed! and your hair--your beautiful hair! oh, it is well that earl edmund and your lady mother are dead,--it would break their hearts, as it does mine!" forgetting her own plight, she wept bitterly over his, though he tried with every gentle word to soothe her. it was a sad meeting; it could not be otherwise. the memory of their last terrible parting, the bondage in which they found each other, the shameful, hopeless future that stretched before them,--it was all full of bitterness. when editha went in at last, her poor little throat was bursting with sobs. alwin sank down on the trunk of a fallen tree and buried his head in his hands, and the first groan that his troubles had wrung from him was forced now from his brave lips. he had forgotten sigurd's presence. in their preoccupation, neither of them had noticed the young viking watching them curiously. now alwin started like a colt when a hand fell lightly on his shoulder. "it appears to me," came in sigurd's voice, "that a man should be merry when he has just found a friend." alwin looked up at him with eyes full of savage despair. "merry! would you be merry, had you found helga the drudge of an english camp?" he shook off the other's hand with a fierce motion. but sigurd answering instantly, "no, i would look even blacker than you, if that were possible," the thrall was half appeased. the young viking dropped down beside him, and for a while they sat in silence, staring away where the moonlit river showed between the trees. at last sigurd said dreamily: "it came to my mind, while you two were talking, how unevenly the fates deal things. it appears, from what the maiden said, that you are the son of an english jarl who has often fought the northmen. now i am the son of a norwegian jarl who has not a few times met the english in battle. it would have been no more unlikely than what has happened had i been the captive and you the victor." "that is true," said alwin slowly. he did not say more, but in some odd way the idea comforted and softened him. neither of the young men turned his eyes from the river toward the other, yet in some way something friendly crept into their silence. after a while sigurd said, still without looking around, "it seems to me that the right-minded thing for me in this matter is to do what i should desire you to do if you were in my place; therefore i offer you my friendship." something blurred the bright river for an instant from alwin's sight. "i give you thanks," he said huskily. "save editha, i have not a friend in the world." he hesitated a while; then slowly, bit by bit, he set forth the story that he had never expected to unfold to northern ears. "the danes set fire to my father's castle, and he was burned with many of my kinsmen. the robbers came in the night, and a danish churl opened the gates to them,--though he had been my father's man for four seasons. it was from him that i learned to speak the northern tongue. they took me while i slept, bound me, and carried me out to their boats. they carried out also the young maidens who attended my mother,--editha among them,--and not a few of the youth of the household, all that they chose for captives. they took out all the valuables that they wanted. after that, they threw great bales of hay into the hall, and set fire to them, and--" "the bloody wolves!" sigurd burst out. "did they not offer your mother to go out in safety?" "nay, they had the most hatred against her." the bearing of his head grew more haughty. "my mother was a princess of the blood of alfred." it happened that sigurd had heard of that great monarch. his face kindled with enthusiasm. "alfred! he who got the victory over the danes? small wonder they did not love his kin after they had known his cunning! i know a fine song about him,--how he went alone into the danish camp, though they were hunting him to kill him; and while they thought him a simple--minded minstrel, he learned all their secrets. by my troth, that is good blood to have in one's veins! were i english, i would rather be his kinsman than ethelred's." he stared at alwin with glowing eyes; they were facing each other now. suddenly he stretched out his hand. "it is naught but a piece of bad luck that you are leif's thrall. it might just as easily have happened that i were in your place. now i will make a bargain with you that hereafter i will remember this, and never hold your thraldom against you." such a concession as that, few of the proud viking race were generous enough to make. alwin could not but be moved by it. he took the outstretched hand in a hard grip. "will you do that?" he said; and it seemed for a time as though he could not find words to answer. at last he spoke: "if you will do that, i promise on my side that i will forgive your northern blood and your lordship over me, and love you as my own brother." chapter v the ire of a shield-maiden with insult or derision treat thou never a guest or wayfarer; they often little know, who sit within, of what race they are who come. ha'vama'l alwin was sitting on the ground in front of the provision-shed, grinding meal on a small stone hand-mill, when editha came to seek him. "if it please you, my lord--" he broke into a bitter laugh. "by saint george, that fits me well! 'if it please you,' and 'my lord,' to a short-haired, callous-handed hound of a slave!" tears filled her eyes, but her gentle mouth was as obstinate as gentle mouths can often be. "have they drawn earl edmund's blood out of you? until they have done that, you will be my lord. your lady mother in heaven would curse me for a traitor if i denied your nobility." alwin ground out a resigned sigh with his last handful of meal. "go on then, if you must. we spoke enough of the matter last night. only see to it that no one hears you. i warn you that i shall kill the first who laughs,--and who could help laughing?" she was too wise to answer that. instead, she motioned over her shoulder toward the group of late-risen revellers who were lounging under the trees, breaking their fast with an early meal. "tyrker bids you come and serve the food." "if it please me?" "my dear lord, i pray you give over all bitterness. i pray you be prudent toward them. i have not been a shield-maiden's thrall for nearly a year without learning something." "poor little dove in a hawk's nest! certainly i think you have learned to weep!" "you need not pity me thus, lord alwin. it is likely that my mistress even loves me in her own way. she has given me more ornaments than she keeps for herself. she would slay anyone who spoke harshly to me. what is it if now and then she herself strikes me? i have had many a blow from your mother's nurse. i do not find that i am much worse than before. no, no; my trouble is all for you. my dearest lord, i implore you not to waken their anger. they have tempers so quick,--and hands even quicker." remembering his encounter with egil the evening before, alwin's eyes flared up hotly. but he would make no promises, as he arose to answer the summons. the little maid carried an anxious heart to her task of mending helga's torn kirtle. no one seemed to notice the young thrall when he came among them and began to refill the empty cups. the older men, sprawling on the sun-flecked grass and over the rude benches, were still drowsy from too deep soundings in too many mead horns. the four young people were talking together. they sat a little apart in the shade of some birch trees which served as rests for their backs,--helga enthroned on a bit of rock, rolf and sigurd lounging on either side of her, the black-maned egil stretched at her feet. between them a pair of lean wolf-hounds wandered in and out, begging with glistening eyes and poking noses for each mouthful that was eaten,--except when a motion of helga's hand toward a convenient riding-switch made them forget hunger for the moment. "i wonder to hear that leif was not at the feast last night," sigurd was saying, as he sipped his ale in the leisurely fashion which some of the old sea-rovers in the distance condemned as french and foolish. swallowing enough of the smoked meat in her mouth to make speaking practicable, helga answered: "he will be away two days yet; did i not tell you? he has gone south with a band of guardsmen to convert a chief to christianity." "then leif himself has turned christian?" sigurd exclaimed in astonishment. "the son of the pagan eric a christian! now i understand how it is that he has such favor with king olaf, for all that he comes of outlawed blood. in wisby, men thought it a great wonder, and spoke of him as 'leif the lucky,' because he had managed to get rid of the curse of his race." rolf the wrestler shook his head behind his uplifted goblet. he was an odd-looking youth, with chest and shoulders like the forepart of an ox, and a face as mild and gently serious as a lamb's. as he put down the curious gilded vessel, he said in the soft voice that matched his face so well and his body so ill: "if you have a boon to ask of your foster-father, comrade, it is my advice that you forget all such pagan errors as that story of the curse. egil, here, came near being spitted on leif's sword for merely mentioning skroppa's name." alwin recognized the name with a start. egil scowled in answer to sigurd's curious glance. "odin's ravens are not more fond of telling news, than you," the black one growled. "at meal-time i have other uses for my jaws than babbling. thrall, bring me more fish." alwin waited long enough to possess himself of a sharp bronze knife that lay among the dishes; then he advanced, alertly on his guard, and shovelled more herrings upon the flat piece of hard bread that served as a plate. egil, however, noticed him no more than he did the flies buzzing around his food. whatever the cause of their enmity, it was evidently a secret. the english youth was retiring in surprise, when rolf took it into his head to accost him. the wrestler pointed to a couple of large flat stones that he had placed, one on top of the other, beside him. "this is very tough bread that you have given me, thrall," he said reproachfully. their likeness to bread was not great, and the jest struck alwin as silly. he retorted angrily: "do you suppose that my wits were cut off with my hair, so that i cannot tell stones from bread?" not a flicker stirred the seriousness of rolf's blue eyes. "stones?" he said. "i do not know what you mean. can they be stones that i am able to treat like this?" his fist arose in the air, doubled itself into the likeness of a sledge-hammer, and fell in a mighty blow. the upper stone lay in fragments. whereupon alwin realized that it had all been a flourish to impress him. so, though unquestionably impressed, he refused to show it. a second time he was turning his back on them, when helga stopped him. "you must bring something that i want, first. in the northeast corner of the provision shed, was it not, sigurd?" young haraldsson was scrambling to his feet in futile grabs after one of the hounds that was making off with his herring, but he nodded back over his shoulder. helga looked from one to the other of her companions with an ecstatic smack of her lips. "honey," she informed them. "sigurd ran across a jar of it last night. that pig of an olver yonder hid it on the highest shelf. very likely the goldsmith's daughter gave it to him and it was his intention to keep it all for himself. we will put a trick upon him. bring it quickly, thrall. yet have a care that he does not see it as you pass him. that is he with the bandaged head. if he looks sharply at you, hide the jar with your arm and it is likely he will think that you have been stealing some food for yourself, and be too sleepy to care." lord alwin of northumbria lost sight of the lounging figures about him, lost sight of sigurd chasing the circling hound, lost sight of everything save the imperious young person before him. he stared at her as though he could not believe his ears. she waved him away; but he did not move. "let him think that _i_ am _stealing_!" he managed to gasp at last. the grass around helga's foot stirred ominously. "i have told you that he is too sleepy to care. if he threatens to flog you, i promise that i will interfere. coward, what are you afraid of?" she caught her breath at the blazing of his face. he said between his clenched teeth: "i will not let him think that i would steal so much as one dried herring,--were i starving!" the fire shot out of helga's beautiful eyes. egil and the wrestler sprang up with angry exclamations; but words would not suffice helga. leaping to her feet, she caught up the riding-whip from the grass beside her and lashed it across the thrall's face with all her might. a bar of livid red was kindled like a flame along his cheek. "you are cracking the face of leif's property," rolf murmured in mild remonstrance. egil laughed, a hateful gloating laugh, and settled himself against a tree to see the finish. as helga's arm was flung up the second time, the thrall leaped upon her and tore the whip from her grasp and broke it in pieces. he would that he might have broken her as well; he thirsted to,--when he caught sight of the laughing egil, and everything else was blotted out of his vision. without a sound, but with the animal passion for killing upon his white face, he wheeled and leaped upon the black one, crushing him, pinioning him against the tree, strangling him with the grip of his hands. chapter vi the song of smiting steel to his friend a man should be a friend,-- to him and to his friend; but no man should be the friend of his foe's friend. ha'vama'l in the madness of his rush, alwin blundered. springing upon egil from the left, he left his enemy's right arm free. instantly this arm began forcing and jamming its way downward across egil's body. should it find what it sought--! alwin saw what was coming. he set his teeth and struggled desperately; but he could not prevent it. another moment, and the black one's fingers had closed upon his sword-hilt; the blade hissed into the air. only an instant wrenching away, and a lightning leap aside, saved the thrall from being run through. his short bronze knife was no match for a sword. he gave himself up for lost, and stiffened himself to die bravely,--as became earl edmund's son. he had yet to learn that there are crueler things than sword-thrusts. as egil advanced with a jeering laugh, helga caught his sleeve; and rolf laid an iron hand upon his shoulder. "think what you do!" the wrestler admonished. "this will make the third of leif's thralls that you have slain; and you have no blood-money to pay him." "shame on you, egil olafsson!" cried helga. "would you stain your honorable sword with a thing so foul as thrall-blood?" rolf's grip brought egil to a standstill. the contempt in helga's words was reflected in his face. he sheathed his sword with a scornful gesture. "you speak truth. i do not know how it was that i thought to do a thing so unworthy of me. i will leave valbrand to draw the fellow's blood with a stirrup leather." he turned away, and the others followed. those of the crew who had raised their muddled heads to see what the trouble was, laid them down again with grunts of disappointment. alwin was left alone, untouched. yet truly his anguish would not have been greater had they cut him in pieces. without knowing what he did, he sprang after them, crying hoarsely: "cowards! churls! what know you of my blood? give me a weapon and prove me. or cast yours aside,--man to man." his voice broke with his passion and the violence of his heart-beats. but the mocking laughter that burst out died in a sudden hush. a moment before, sigurd had concluded his pursuit of the thieving hound and rejoined the group,--in time to gather something of what had passed. the instant alwin ceased, he stepped out and placed himself at the young thrall's side. he was no longer either the courteous sigurd silver-tongue or sigurd the merry comrade; his handsome head was thrown up with an air of authority which reminded all present that sigurd, the son of the famous jarl harald, was the highest-born in the camp. he said sternly: "it seems to me that you act like fools in this matter. can you not see that he is no more thrall-born than you are? or do you think that ill luck can change a jarl's son into a dog? he shall have a chance to prove his skill. i myself will strive against him, to any length he chooses. and what i have thought it worth while to do, let no one else dare scorn!" he unbuckled his own gold-mounted weapon and forced it into alwin's hands, then turned authoritatively to the wrestler: "rolf, if you count yourself my friend, lend me your sword." it was yielded him silently; and they stepped out face to face, the young noble and the young thrall. but before their steel had more than clashed, egil came between and knocked up their blades with his own. "it is enough," he said gruffly. "what sigurd haraldsson will do, i will not disdain. i will meet you honorably, thrall. but you need not sue for mercy." a gleam of that strange groundless hatred played over his savage face. it did not daunt alwin; it only helped to warm his blood. "this steel shall melt sooner than i ask for quarter!" he cried defiantly, springing at his enemy. _whish-clash_! the song of smiting steel rang through the little valley. the spectators drew back out of the way. again the half-drunken loungers rose upon their elbows. they were well matched, the two. if alwin lacked any of the black one's strength, he made it up in skill and quickness. the bright steel began to fly fast and faster, until its swish was like the venomous hiss of serpents. the color came and went in helga's cheek; her mouth worked nervously. sigurd's eyes were fixed upon the two like glowing lamps, as to and fro they went with vengeful fury. in all the valley there was no sound but the fierce clash and clatter of the swords. the very trees seemed to hold their breath to listen. egil uttered a panting gasp of triumph; his, blade had bitten flesh. a widening circle of red stained the shoulder of alwin's white tunic. the thrall's lips set in a harder line; his blows became more furious, as if pain and despair gave him an added strength. heaving his sword high in the air, he brought it down with mighty force on egil's blade. the next instant the black one held a useless weapon, broken within a finger of the hilt. a murmur rose from the three watchers. helga's hand moved toward her knife. rolf shook his head gently. "fair play," he reminded her; and she fell back. tossing away his broken blade, egil folded his arms across his breast and waited in scornful silence; but in a moment alwin also was empty-handed. "i do no murder," he panted. "man to man we will finish it." with lowered heads and watchful eyes, like beasts crouching for a spring, they moved slowly around the circle. then, like angry bears, they grappled; each grasping the other below the shoulder, and striving by sheer strength of arm to throw his enemy. only the blood that mounted to their faces, the veins that swelled out on their bare arms, told of the strain and struggle. so evenly were they matched, that from a little distance it looked as if they were braced motionless. their heels ground deep into the soft sod. their breath began to come in labored gasps. it could not last much longer; already the great drops stood on alwin's forehead. only a spurt of fury could save him. suddenly, in changing his hold, egil grasped the other's wounded shoulder. the grip was torture,--a spur to a fainting horse. the blood surged into alwin's eyes; his muscles stiffened into iron. egil swayed, staggered, and fell headlong, crashing. mad with pain, alwin knelt on his heaving breast. "if i had a sword," he gasped; "if i had a sword!" shaken and stunned, egil still laughed scornfully. "what prevents you from getting your sword? i shall not run away. do you think it matters to me how soon my death-day comes?" alwin was still crazy with pain. he snatched the bronze knife from his belt and laid it against egil's throat. sigurd's brow darkened, but no one spoke or moved,--least of all, egil; his black eyes looked back unshrinkingly. it was their calmness that brought alwin to himself. as he felt their clear gaze, it came back to him what it meant to take a human life,--to change a living breathing body like his own into a heap of still, dead clay. his hand wavered and fell away. the passion died out of his heart, and he arose. "sigurd haraldsson," he said, "for what you have done for me, i give you your friend's life." sigurd's fine face cleared. "only," alwin added, "i think it right that he should explain the cause of his enmity toward me, and--" egil leaped to his feet; his proud indifference flamed into sudden fury. "that i will never do, though you tear out my tongue-roots!" he shouted. even his comrades regarded him in amazement. alwin tried a sneer. "it is my belief that you fear to speak of skroppa." "skroppa?" a chorus of astonishment repeated. but only two scarlet spots on egil's cheeks showed that he heard them. he gave alwin a long, lowering look. "you should know by this time that i fear nothing." helga made an unfortunate attempt. "i think it is no more than honorable, egil, to tell him why you are his enemy." unconsciously she spoke of the thrall now as of an equal. he noticed it; egil also saw it. it seemed to enrage him beyond bearing. "if you speak in his favor," he thundered, seizing her wrist, "i will sheathe my knife in you!" but even before she had freed herself, and rolf and sigurd had turned upon him, he realized that he had gone too far. leaving them abruptly, he went and stood a little way off with his back toward them, his head bowed, his hands clenched, struggling with himself. for a long time no one spoke. sigurd questioned with his eyes, and rolf answered by a shrug. once, as helga offered to approach the black one, sigurd made a warning gesture. they waited in dead silence. while the voices of the other men came to them faintly, and the insects chirped about their feet, and the birds called in the trees above them. at last egil came slowly back, sullen-eyed and grim-mouthed. he held a branch in his hands and was bending and breaking it fiercely. "it is shame enough," he began after a while, "that any man should have had it in his power to spare me. i wonder that i do not die of the disgrace! but it would be a still fouler shame if, after he had spared my life, i let myself keep a wolf's mind toward him." his eyes suddenly blazed out at alwin, but he controlled himself and went on. "the reason for my enmity i will not tell; wild steers should not tear it out of me. but,--" he stopped and drew a hard breath, and set his teeth afresh; "but i will forego that enmity. it is more than my life is worth. it is worth a dozen lives to him,--" his voice broke with rage,--"yet because it is honorable, i will do it. if you, sigurd haraldsson, and you, rolf, will pledge your friendship to this man, i will swear him mine." it was well that he had reached the end, for he could not have spoken another syllable. bewilderment tied alwin's tongue. sigurd was the first to speak. "that seems to me a fair offer; and half the condition is already fulfilled. i clasped his hand last night." rolf answered with less promptness. "i say nothing against the englishman's courage or his skill; yet--i will not conceal it--even in payment for a comrade's life, i do not like to give my friendship to one of thrall-birth." that loosened alwin's tongue. "in my own country," he said haughtily, "you would be done honor by a look from me. editha will tell you that my father was earl of northumbria, and my mother a princess of the royal blood of alfred." helga uttered an exclamation of surprise and interest; but he would not deign to look at her. for a while longer rolf hesitated, looking long and strangely at egil, and long and keenly at sigurd. but at last he put forth his huge paw. "alwin of england," he said slowly, "though you little know how much it means, i offer you my hand and my friendship." alwin took it a little coldly. "i will not give you thanks for a forced gift; yet i pledge you my faith in return." though his face still worked with passion, egil's hand was next extended. "however much i hate you, i swear that i will always act as your friend." in his secret heart alwin murmured, "the fiend take me if ever i turn my back on your knife!" but aloud he merely repeated his former compact. when it was finished, sigurd laid an affectionate hand upon his shoulder. "we cannot bind our friend-ship closer, but it is my advice that you do not leave helga out of the bargain. truer friend man never had." the bar across alwin's cheek grew fiery with his redder flush. he stood before her, rigid and speechless. helga too blushed deeply; but there was nothing of a girl's shyness about her. her beautiful eyes looked frankly back into his. "i will not offer you my friendship," she said simply, "because i read in your face that you have not forgiven the foul wrong i put upon you,--not knowing that you were brave, high-born and accomplished. i can understand your anger. were i a man, and a woman should do such a thing to me, it is likely that i should kill her on the spot. but it may be that, in time to come, the memory will fade out of your mind, even as the scar will fade from your face. then, if you have seen that my friendship is worth having, do you come and ask me for it, and i will give it to you." before alwin had time to think of an answer that would say neither more nor less than he meant, she had walked away with sigurd. he looked after her with a scowl,--because he saw egil watching him. but it surprised him that, search as he would, he could nowhere find that great soul-stirring rage which he had first felt against her. chapter vii the king's guardsman something great is not always to be given. praise is often for a trifle bought. ha'vama'l it was the day after this brawl, when the guardsman leif returned to nidaros. alwin was brought to the notice of his new master in a most unexpected fashion. for one reason or another, the camp had been deserted early. at day-break, egil slung his bow across his back, provided himself with a store of arrows and a bag of food, and set out for the mountains,--to hunt, he told tyrker, sullenly, as he passed. two hours later, valbrand called for horses and hawks, and he and young haraldsson, with helga and her saxon waiting-maid, rode south for a day's sport in the pine woods. helga was the best comrade in the camp, whether one wished to go hawking, or wanted a hand at fencing, or only asked for a quiet game of chess by the leaping firelight. her ringing laugh, her frank glance, and her beautiful glowing face made all other maidens seem dull and lifeless. alwin dimly felt that hating her was going to be no easy task, and he dared not raise his eyes as she rode past him. instead he forced himself to stare at the reflection of his scarred face in the silver horn he was wiping; and he blew and blew upon the sparks of his anger. noticing it, helga frowned regretfully. "i cannot blame him if he will not speak to me," she said to sigurd haraldsson. "the nature of a high-born man is such that a blow is like poison in his blood. it must rankle and fester and break out before he can be healed. i do not think he could have been more lordlike in his father's castle than he was yesterday. hereafter i shall treat him as honorably as i treat you, or any other jarl-born man." "in this you show yourself as high-minded as i have always thought you," answered sigurd, turning toward her a face aglow with pleasure. by the middle of the forenoon, everyone had gone, this way or that, to hunt, or fish, or swim, or loiter about the city. there were left only a man with a broken leg and a man with a sprained shoulder, throwing dice on a bench in the sun; alwin, whistling absently as he swept out the sleeping-house; and rolf the wrestler sitting cross-legged under a tree, sharpening his sword and humming snatches of his favorite song: "hew'd we with the hanger! hard upon the time 't was when in gothlandia going to give death to the serpent." rolf had declined to go hunting, on the plea of his horse's lameness. now, as he sat working and humming, he was presumably thinking up some other diversion,--and the frequent glances he sent toward the thrall seemed to indicate that the latter was to be concerned in it. finally rolf called to alwin: "ho there, englishman! come hither and tell me what you think of this for a weapon." it needed no urging to make alwin exchange a broom for a sword. he came and lifted the great blade, and made passes in the air, and examined the hilt of brass-studded wood. "saw i never a finer weapon," he admitted. "the hilt fits to one's hand better than those gold things on sigurd haraldsson's sword. what is it called?" for in those days a good blade bore a name as certainly as a horse or a ship. rolf answered, in his soft voice: "it is called 'the biter.' and it has bitten not a few,--but it is fitting that others should speak of that. since the handle fits your grasp so well, will you not hold it a little longer, while i borrow long lodin's weapon here, and we try each other's skill?" he made a motion to rise, then checked himself and hesitated: "or it may be," he added gently, "that you do not care to strive against one as strong as i?" "now, by st. dunstan, you need not spare me thus!" alwin cried hotly. "never have i turned my back on a challenge; and never will i, while the red blood runs in my veins. get your weapon quickly." he shook the big blade in the air, and threw himself into a posture of defence. but the wrestler made no move to imitate him. he remained sitting and slowly shaking his head. "those are fine words, and i say nothing against your sincerity; but my appetite has changed. i will tell you what we will do instead. when your work is done, we will betake ourselves across the river to thorgrim svensson's camp and see the horse-fight he is going to have. he has a black stallion of keingala's breed, named flesh-tearer, that it is not necessary to prod with a stick. when he stands on his hind legs and bites, you would swear he had as many feet as odin's gray sleipnir. do you not think that would be good entertainment?" for a moment alwin did not know what to think. he did not believe that rolf was afraid of him; and if the challenge was withdrawn, surely that ended the matter. a horse fight? he had enjoyed no such spectacle as that since the michaelmas day when his father had the great bear-baiting in the pit at his english castle. and a ramble through the sun and the wind, a taste of liberty--! "it seems to me that it would be very enjoyable," he agreed. he started eagerly to finish his work, when a thought caught him like a lariat and whirled him back. "i am forgetting the yoke upon my neck, for the first time in a twelvemonth! is it allowed a dog of a slave to seek entertainment?" mild displeasure stiffened rolf's big frame. he said gravely: "it is plain your thoughts do not do me much honor, since you think i have so little authority. i tell you now that you will always be free to do whatever i ask of you. if there is anything wrong in the doing, it is i who must answer for it, not you. that is the law, while you are bound and i am free." a fresh sense of the shame of his thraldom broke over alwin like a burning wave. it benumbed him for a second; then he laughed with jeering bitterness. "it is true that i have become a dog. i can follow any man's whistle, and it is the man who is responsible. i ask you to forget that for a moment i thought myself a man." in sudden frenzy, he whirled the great sword around his head and lunged at the pine tree behind rolf, so that the blade was left quivering in the trunk. it was weather to gladden a man's heart,--a sunlit sky overhead, and a fresh breeze blowing that set every drop of blood a-leaping with the desire to walk, walk, walk, to the very rim of the world. the thrall started out beside the wrestler in sullen silence; but before they had gone a mile, his black mood had blown into the fiord. river bank and lanes were sweet with flowers, and every green hedge they passed was a-flutter with nesting birds. the traders' booths were full of beautiful things; musicians, acrobats, and jugglers with little trick dogs, were everywhere,--one had only to stop and look. a dingy trading vessel lay in the river, loaded with great red apples, some norman's winter store. one of the crew who knew rolf threw some after him, by way of greeting; and the two munched luxuriously as they walked along. they passed many viking camps, gay with streamers and striped linens, where groups of brawny fair-haired men wrestled and tried each other's skill, or sat at rough tables under the trees, drinking and singing. in one place they were practising with bow and arrow; and, being quite impartial in their choice of a target, one of the archers sent a shaft within an inch of rolf's head, purely for the expected pleasure of seeing him start and dodge. finding that neither he nor alwin would go a step faster, they rained shafts about their ears as long as they were within bow-shot, and saw them out of range with a cheer. the road branched into one of the main thoroughfares, and they met pretty maidens who smiled at them, melancholy minstrels who frowned at them, and grim-mouthed warriors whose eyes were too intent on future battles even to see them. occasionally rolf quietly saluted some young guardsman; and, to the thrall's surprise, the warrior answered not only with friendliness but even with respect. it seemed strange that one of rolf's mild aspect should be held in any particular esteem by such young fire-eaters. once they encountered a half-tipsy seaman, who made a snatch at rolf's apple, and succeeded in knocking it from his hand into the dust. the wrestler only fixed his blue eyes upon him in a long look, but the man went down on his knees as though he had been hit. "i did not know it was you, rolf erlingsson," he hiccoughed over and over in maudlin terror. "i beg you not to be angry." "it is seldom that i have seen such a coward as that," alwin said in disgust as they walked on. rolf turned upon him his gentle smile. "it is your opinion, then, that a man must be a coward to fear me?" alwin did not answer immediately: of a sudden it occurred to him to doubt the wrestler's mild manner. while he was still hesitating, rolf caught him lightly around the waist and swung him over a hedge into a field where a dozen red-and-yellow tented booths were clustered. "these are thorgrim svensson's tents," he explained, following as coolly as though that were the accepted mode of entrance. "yonder he is,--that lean little man with the freckled face. he is a great seafaring man. i promise you that you will see many precious things from all over the world." approaching the booths, alwin had immediate proof of this statement, for bench and bush and ground were littered with garments and furs and weapons, and odds-and-ends of spoil, as if a ship had been overturned on the spot. the lean little man whom rolf had pointed out stood in the midst of it all, examining and directing. he was dressed in coarse homespun of the dingy colors of trading vessels, gray and brown and rusty black, which contrasted oddly with the mantle of gorgeous purple velvet he was at that moment trying on. his little freckled face was wrinkled into a hundred shrewd puckers, and his eyes were two twinkling pin-points of sharpness. he seemed to thrust their glance into alwin, as he advanced to meet his visitors; and the men who were helping him paused and looked at the thrall with expectant grins. rolf said blandly, "greeting, thorgrim svensson! we have come to see your horse-fight. this is alwin, edmund jarl's son, of england. bad luck has made him leif's thrall, but his accomplishments have made me his friend." he spoke with the utmost mildness, merely glancing at the grinning crew; yet they sobered as though their mirth had been turned off by a faucet, and thorgrim gave the thrall a civil welcome. "it is a great pity," he continued, addressing the wrestler, "that you cannot see the flesh-tearer, since you came for that purpose; but it has happened that he has lamed himself, and will not be able to fight for a week. do not go away on that account, however. my ship has brought me some cloaks even finer than the one you covet,"--here it seemed to alwin as if the little man winked at rolf,--"and if the englishman is as good a swordsman as you have said--ahem!" he broke off with a cough, and endeavored to hide his abruptness by turning away and picking a fur mantle off a pile of costly things. alwin's momentary surprise was forgotten at sight of the treasure thus disclosed. beneath the cloak, thrown down like a thing of little value, lay an open book. it was written in anglo-saxon letters of gold and silver; its crumpled pages were of rarest rose-tinted vellum; its covers, sheets of polished wood gold-embossed and adorned with golden clasps. even alfred's royal kinswoman had never owned so splendid a volume. the english boy caught it up with an exclamation of delight, and turned the pages hungrily, trying whether his mother's lessons would come back to him. he was brought to himself by the touch of rolf's hand on his shoulder. they were all looking at him, he found,--once more with expectant grins. opposite him an ungainly young fellow in slave's garb--and with the air of belonging in it--stood as though waiting, a naked sword in his hand. "now i have still more regard for you when i see that you have also the trick of reading english runes," the wrestler said. "but i ask you to leave them a minute and listen to me. thorgrim here has a thrall whom he holds to be most handy with a sword; but i have wagered my gold necklace against his velvet cloak that you are a better man than he." the meaning of the group dawned on alwin then: he drew himself up with freezing haughtiness. "it is not likely that i will strive against a low-born serf, rolf erlingsson. you dare to put an insult upon me because luck has left your hair uncut." a sound like the expectant drawing-in of many breaths passed around the circle. alwin braced himself to withstand rolf's fist; but the wrestler only drew back and looked at him reprovingly. "is it an insult, alwin of england, to take you at your word? it is not three hours since you vowed never to turn your back on a challenge while the red blood ran in your veins. have witches sucked the blood out of you, that your mind is so different when you are put to the test?" at least enough blood was left to crimson alwin's cheeks at this reminder. those had been his very words, stung by rolf's taunt. the smouldering doubt he had felt burst into flame and burned through every fibre. what if it were all a trap, a plot?--if rolf had brought him there on purpose to fight, the horses being only a pretext? thorgrim's wink, his allusion to alwin's swordsmanship, it had all been arranged between them; the velvet cloak was the clew! rolf had wished to possess it. he had persuaded thorgrim to stake it on his thrall's skill,--then he had brought alwin to win the wager for him. _brought_ him, like a trained stallion or a trick dog! he turned to fling the deceit in the wrestler's teeth. rolf's fair face was as innocent as those of the pictured saints in the saxon book. alwin wavered. after all, what proof had he? jeering whispers and half-suppressed laughter became audible around him. the group believed that his hesitation arose from timidity. ignoring the smart of yesterday's wound, he snatched the sword rolf held out to him, and started forward. his foot struck against the saxon book which he had let fall. as he picked it up and laid it reverently aside, it suggested something to him. "thorgrim svensson," he said, pausing, "because i will not have it said that i am afraid to look a sword in the face, i will fight your serf,--on one condition: that this book, which can be of no use to you, you will give me if i get the better of him." the freckled face puckered itself into a shrewd squint. "and if you fail?" "if i fail," alwin returned promptly, "rolf erlingsson will pay for me. he has told me that while he is free and i am bound, he is answerable for what i do." at this there was some laughter--when it was seen that the wrestler was not offended. "a quick wit answered that, alwin of england," rolf said with a smile. "i will pay willingly, if you do not save us both, as i expect." anxious to be done with it, alwin fell upon the thrall with a fierceness that terrified the fellow. his blade played about him like lightning; one could scarce follow its motions. a flesh-wound in the hip; and the poor churl, who had little real skill and less natural spirit, began to blunder. a thrust in the arm that would have only redoubled alwin's zeal, finished him completely. with a roar of pain, he threw his weapon from him, broke through the circle of angry men, and fled, cowering, among the booths. there were few words spoken as the cloak and the book were handed over. the set of thorgrim's mouth suggested that if he said anything, it would be something which he realized might be better left unsaid. his men were like hounds in leash. rolf spoke a few smooth phrases, and hurried his companion away. the sense that he had been tricked to the level of a performing bear came upon alwin afresh. when they stood once more in the road, he looked at the wrestler accusingly and searchingly. rolf began to talk of the book. "nothing have i seen which i think so fine. i must admit that you men of england are more skilful than we of the north in such matters. it is all well enough to scratch pictures on a rock or carve them on a door; but what will you do when you wish to move? either you must leave them behind, or get a yoke of oxen. to have them painted on kid-skin, i like much better. you are in great luck to come into possession of such property." alwin forgot his resentful suspicions in his pleasure. "let us sit down somewhere and examine it," said he. "yonder, where those trees stretch over the fence and make the grass shady,--that will be a good place." "have it your own way," rolf assented. to the shady spot they proceeded accordingly. rolf stretched himself comfortably in the long grass and made a pillow of his arms. alwin squatted down, his back planted against the fence, the book open on his knees. the reading-matter was attractive enough, with its glittering characters and rose-tinted pages, and every initial letter inches high and shrined in azure-blue traceries. but the splendor of the pictures!--no barbaric heart could resist them. what if the straight lines were crooked,--if the draperies were wooden,--the hands and the feet ungainly? they had been drawn with sparkles of gold and gleams of silver, in blue and scarlet and violet, until nothing less than a stained-glass window glowing in the sun could even suggest their radiance. rolf warmed into unusual heartiness. "by the hilt of my sword, he was an accomplished man who was able to make such pictures! look at that horse,--it does not keep you guessing a moment to tell what it is. and yonder man with the red flames leaping about him,--i wish i knew why he was bound to that post!" alwin also was bitten with curiosity. "i tell you what i will do," he offered. "you must not suppose that reading is as easy as swimming, or handling a sword. my father did not have the accomplishment, and his hair was gray. neither would my mother have learned it, had it not been that alfred was her kinsman and she was proud of his scholarship. nor should i have known how, if she had not taught me. and i have forgotten much. but this i will offer you: i will read the saxon words to myself, and then tell you in the northern tongue what they mean." he spread the book open on a spot of clean turf, stretched himself on his stomach, gripped one leg around the other, planted his chin on his clenched fists, and began. it was slow work. he had forgotten a good deal; and every other word was linked with distracting memories: his mother leaning from her embroidery frame to follow the line with her bodkin; his mother, erect and stern, bidding brother ambrose bear him away and flog him for his idleness; his mother hearing his lesson with one arm around him and the other hand holding the sweetmeat she would give him if he succeeded. he did not notice that rolf's eyes were gradually closing, and his bated breath lengthening into long even sighs. he plodded on and on. all at once a thunder of approaching hoof-beats reached him from up the road. nearer and nearer they came; and around the curve swept a party of the king's guardsmen,--yellow hair and scarlet cloaks flying in the wind, spurs jingling, weapons clattering, armor clashing. alwin glanced up and saw their leader,--and his interest in pale pictured saints dropped dead. "it must be king olaf himself!" he murmured, staring. a head taller than the other tall men, with shoulders a palm's-width broader, the leader sat on his mighty black horse like a second thor. light flashed from his steel tunic and gilded helmet. his bronzed face had an eagle's beak for a nose, and eyes of the blue of ice or steel, piercing as a two-edged sword. a white cross was painted on his shield of gold. as he swept past, he glanced toward the pair by the fence. catching sight of the sleeping rolf, he checked his horse sharply, made a motion bidding the others go on without him, and, wheeling, rode back, followed only by a mounted thrall who was evidently his personal attendant. alwin leaped up and attempted to arouse his companion, but the guardsman saved him the trouble. leaning out of his saddle, he struck the wrestler a smart blow with the flat of his sword. "what now, rolf erlingsson!" he demanded, in tones of thunder. "because i go on a five days' journey, must it happen that my men lie like drunken swine along the roadside? for this you shall feel--" before his eyes were fairly open, rolf was on his feet, tugging at his sword. luckily, before he thrust, he got a glimpse of his assailant. "leif, the son of eric!" he cried, dropping his weapon. "welcome! hail to you!" the warrior's frown relaxed into a grim smile, as he yielded his hand to his young follower's hearty grip. "is it possible that you are sober after all? what in the fiend's name do you here, asleep by the road in company with a thrall and a purple cloak?" rolf relaxed into his customary drawl. "that is unjustly spoken, chief. i have not been asleep. i have found a new and worthy enjoyment. i have been listening while this englishman read aloud from a saxon book of saints." "a saxon book of saints!" exclaimed the guardsman. "i would see it." when its owner had handed it up, he looked it through hastily, yet turning the leaves with reverence, and crossing himself whenever he encountered a pictured cross. as he handed it back, he turned his eyes on alwin, blue and piercing as steel. "it is likely that you are a high-born captive. that you can read is an unusual accomplishment. it is not impossible that you might be useful to me. who is your master? is it of any use to try to buy you from him?" rolf laughed. "certainly you are well named 'the lucky,' since you only wish for what is already yours. this is the cook-boy whom tyrker bought to fill the place of hord." "so?" said leif, in unconscious imitation of his old german foster-father. he sat staring down thoughtfully at the boy,--until his attendant took jealous alarm, and put his horse through a manoeuvre to arouse him. the guardsman came to himself with a start and a hasty gathering up of his rein. "that is a good thing. we will speak further of it. now, olaf trygvasson is awaiting my report. tell them i will be in camp to-morrow. if i find drunken heads or dulled weapons--!" he looked his threat. "i will heed your orders in this as in everything," rolf answered, in the courtier-phrase of the day. his chief gave him a short nod, struck spurs to his horse, and galloped after his comrades. chapter viii leif the cross-bearer inquire and impart should every man of sense, who will be accounted sage. let one only know,-- a second may not; if three, all the world knows. ha'vama'l it was early the next morning, so early that the world was only here and there awake. the town was silent; the fields were empty; the woods around the camp slept in darkness and silence. only the little valley lay fresh and smiling in the new light, winking back at the sun from a million dewy eyes. under the trees the long white-scoured tables stood ready with bowl and trencher, and alwin carried food to and fro with leisurely steps. from helga's booth her voice arose in a weird battle-chant; while from the river bank came the voices and laughter and loud splashing of many bathers. gradually the shouts merged into a persistent roar. the roar swelled into a thunder of excitement. alwin paused, in the act of ladling curds into the line of wooden bowls, and listened smiling. "now they are swimming a race back to the bank. i wonder whom they will drive out of the water today." for that was the established penalty for being last in the race. the thunder of cheering reached its height; then suddenly it split into scattered jeers and hootings. there was a crackling of dead leaves, a rustling of bushes, and sigurd appeared, dripping and breathless. panting and spent, he threw himself on the ground, his shining white body making a cameo against the mossy green. "you! you beaten!" alwin cried in surprise. sigurd gave a breathless laugh. "even i myself. certainly it is a time of wonders!" he looked eagerly at the spread table, and held up his hand. "and i am starving besides! toss me something, i beg of you." when alwin had thrown him a chunk of crusty bread, he consented to go on and explain his defeat between mouthfuls. "it was because my shoulder is still heavy in its movements. i broke it wrestling last winter. i forgot about it when i entered the race." "that is a pity," said alwin. but he spoke absently, for he was thinking that here might be an opening for something he wished to say. he filled several bowls in silence, sigurd watching over his bread with twinkling eyes. after a while alwin went on cautiously: "this mishap is a light one, however. i hope it is not likely that you will have to endure a heavier disappointment when leif arrives today." back went sigurd's yellow head in a peal of laughter. "i would have wagered it!" he shouted. "i would have wagered my horse that you were aiming at that! so every speech ends, no matter where it begins. i talk with helga of what we did as children and she answers: 'you remember much, foster-brother; do not forget the sternness of leif's temper.' i enter into conversation with rolf, and he returns, 'yes, it is likely that leif has got greater favor than ever with king olaf. i cannot be altogether certain that he will shelter one who has broken olaf's laws.' tyrker advises me,--by saint michael, you are all as wise as mimir!" he flung the crust from him with a gesture of good-humored impatience. "do you all think i am a fool, that i do not know what i am doing? it appears that you forget that leif ericsson is my foster-father." alwin deposited the last curd in the last bowl, and stood licking the horn-spoon, and looking doubtfully at the other. "do you mean by that that you have a right to give him orders? i have heard that in the north a foster-son does not treat his foster-father as his superior, but as his servant. yet leif did not look to be--" sigurd shouted with laughter. "he did not! i will wager my head he did not! certainly the foster-son who would show disrespect to leif the lucky would be putting his life in a bear's paw. it makes no difference that it is customary for many silly old men of lower birth to allow themselves to be trampled upon by fiery young men of higher rank, like old wolves nipped by young ones. king olaf's heir dare not do so to leif ericsson. no; what i would have you understand is that i know what i am doing because i know leif's temper as you know your english runes. from the time i was five winters old to the time i was fifteen, i lived under his roof in greenland, and he was as my father to me. i know his sternness, but i know also his justice and what he will dare for a friend, though olaf and all his host oppose him." he let fly a norman oath as, splod! a handful of wet clay struck between his bare shoulders. turning, he saw among the bushes a mischievous hand raised for a second throw, and scrambled laughing to his feet. "the trolls! first to drive me from my bath and then to throw mud on me! poison his bowl, if you love me, alwin. ah, what a throw! it is not likely that you could hit a door. what bondmaids' aiming! shame!" mocking, and dodging this way and that, he gained the welcome shelter of the sleeping-house. a rush of big white bodies, a gleam of dampened yellow hair, an outburst of boisterous merriment, and the camp was swarming with hungry uproarious giants, who threw shoes at each other and shoved and quarrelled around the polished shield, before which they parted their yellow locks, stamping, singing and whistling as they pulled on their tunics and buckled their belts. "leif is coming!--the lucky, the loved one!" helga sang from her booth; and the din was redoubled with cheering. "by thor, it seems to me that he is coming now!" said valbrand, suddenly. he had finished his toilet, and sat at the table, facing the thicket. every one turned to look, and beheld leif's thrall-attendant gallop out of the shadows toward them. no one followed, however, and a murmur of disappointment went round. "it is nobody but kark!" kark rose in his stirrups and waved his hand. he was of the commonest type of colorless blond, and coarse and ignorant of face; but his manners had the assurance of a privileged character. "it is more than kark," he shouted. "it is news that is worth a hearing. ho, for greenland! greenland in three days!" "greenland?" echoed the chorus. "greenland?" cried helga, appearing in her doorway, with blanching cheeks. they rushed upon the messenger, and hauled him from his horse and surged about him. and what had seemed babel before was but gentle murmuring compared with what now followed. "greenland! what for?"--"you are jesting." "that pagan hole!"--"in three days? it is impossible!"--"is the chief witch-ridden?"--"has word come that eric is dead?"--"has leif quarrelled with king olaf, that the king has banished him?"--"greenland, grave-mound for living men!"--"what for?"--"in the troll's name, why?"--"you are lying; it is certain that you are."--"speak, you raven!" "in a moment, in a moment,--give me breath and room, my masters," the thrall answered boldly. "it is the truth; i myself heard the talk. but first,--i have ridden far and fast, and my throat is parched with--" a dozen milk-bowls were snatched from the table and passed to him. he emptied two with cool deliberation, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "i give you thanks. i shall not keep you waiting. it happened last night when leif came in to make his report to the king. olaf was seated on the throne in his hall, feasting. many famous chiefs sat along the walls. you should have heard the cheer they gave when it was known that leif had the victory!" here kark's roving eyes discovered alwin among the listeners; he paused, and treated him to a long insolent stare. then he went on: "i was saying that they cheered. it is likely that the warriors up in valhalla heard, and thought it a battle-cry. olaf raised his drinking-horn and said, 'hail to you, leif ericsson! health and greeting! victory always follows your sword.' then he drank to him across the floor, and bade him come and sit beside him, that he might have serious speech with him." a second cheer, loud as a battle-cry, went up to valhalla. but mingling with its echo there arose a chorus of resentment. "yet after such honors why does he banish him?"--"did they quarrel?"--"is it possible that there is treachery?"--"tell us why he is banished!"--"yes, why?"--"answer that!" the messenger laughed loudly. "who said that he was banished? rein in your tongues. as much honor as is possible is intended him. it happened after the feast--" "then pass over the feast; come to your story!" was shouted so impatiently that even kark saw the wisdom of complying. "it shall be as you like. i shall begin with the time when every warrior had gone to bed, except those lying drunk upon the benches. i sat on leif's foot-stool, with his horn. it is likely that i also had been asleep, for what i first remember was that leif and the king had ceased speaking together, and sat leaning back staring at the torches, which were burning low. it was so still that you could hear the men snore and the branches scraping on the roof. then the king said, while he still looked at the torch, 'do you purpose sailing to greenland in the summer?' it is likely that leif felt some surprise, for he did not answer straightway; but he is wont to have fine words ready in his throat, and at last he said, 'i should wish to do so, if it is your will.' then the king said nothing for a long time, and they both sat looking at the pine torch that was burning low, until it went out. then olaf turned and looked into leif's eyes and said, 'i think it may well be so. you shall go my errand, and preach christianity in greenland.'" from kark's audience burst another volley of exclamations. "it is because he is always lucky!"--"it cannot be done. remember eric!"--"the red one will slay him!"--"you forget thorhild his mother!" "hail to the king!"--"it is a great honor!" "silence!" valbrand commanded. kark went on: "leif said that he was willing to do whatever the king wished; yet it would not be easy. he spoke the name of eric, and after that they lowered their voices so that i could not hear. then at last olaf leaned back in his high-seat and leif stood up to go. olaf stretched forth his hand and said, 'i know no man fitter for the work than you. you shall carry good luck with you.' leif answered: 'that can only be if i carry yours with me.' then he grasped the king's hand and they drank to each other, looking deep into each other's eyes." there was a pause, to make sure the messenger had finished. then there broke out cheers and acclamations and exulting. "hail to leif! hail to the lucky one!"--"leif and the cross!"--"down with the hammer sign!"--"down with thor!"--"victory for leif, leif and the cross!" shields clashed and swords were waved. kark was thrown bodily into the air and tossed from hand to hand. a wave of mad enthusiasm swept over the group. only helga stood like one stunned, her hands wound in her long tresses, her face set and despairing. the black one was the first to notice her amid the confusion. he dropped the cloak he was waving and stared at her wonderingly for a moment; then he burst into a boisterous laugh. "look at the shield-maiden, comrades,--look at the shield-maiden! it has come into her mind that she is going back to thorhild!" for a moment alwin wondered who thorhild might be. then vaguely he remembered hearing that it was to escape a strong-minded matron of that name that helga had fled from greenland. that now she must go back to be civilized, and made like other maidens, struck him also as an excellent joke; and he joined in the laugh. one after another caught it up with jests and mocking. "back to thorhild the iron-handed!"--"no more short kirtles!"--"she has speared her last boar!"--"after this she will embroider boar-hunts on tapestry!"--"embroider? is it likely that she knows which end of the needle to put the thread through?"--"it will be like yoking a wild steer!"--"taming a shield-maiden!"--"there will be dagger-holes in thorhild's back!"--they crowded around her, bandying the jest back and forth, and roaring with laughter. always before, helga had taken their chaff in good part; always before, she had joined them in making merry at her expense. but now she did not laugh. she rose slowly and stood looking at them, her breast heaving, her eyes like glowing coals. at last she said shrilly, "oh, laugh! if you see a jest in it--laugh! because i am going to lose my freedom--my rides over the green country,--never to stand in the bow and feel the deck bounding under me,--is it such sport to you, you stupid clods? would you think it a jest if the franks should carry me off, and shut me up in one of their towers, and load me with fetters, and force me to toil day and night for them? you would take that ill enough. how much better is it that i am to be shut in a smothering women's-house and wound around with cloth till i trip when i walk, and made to waste the daylight, baking to fill your swinish stomachs, and sewing tapestries that your dull eyes may have something to look at while you swallow your ale? clods! i had rather the franks took me. at least they would not call themselves my friends while they ill-used me. heavy-witted churls, laugh if you want to! laugh till you burst!" she whirled away from them into her booth, and the door-curtain fell behind her. all day long she sat there, neither eating nor speaking, editha crouching in a corner, afraid to approach her. chapter ix before the chieftain at home let a man be cheerful, and toward a guest liberal; of wise conduct he should be, of good memory and ready speech. ha'vama'l in the river, on the city-side, the "sea-deer" lay at anchor, stripped to her hulk, as the custom was. her oars and her rowing-benches, her scarlet-and-white sail, her gilded vanes and carven dragon-head, were all carefully stored in the booths at the camp. with the eagerness of lovers, her crew rushed down to summon her from her loneliness and once more hang her finery about her. all day long their brushes lapped her sides caressingly, and their hammers rang upon her decking. all day long the ship's boat plied to and fro, bringing her equipments across the river. all day long alwin was hurried back and forth with messages, and tools, and coils of rope. the last trip he made, sigurd haraldsson walked with him across the bridge and along the city-bank of the river. the young viking had spent the day riding around the country with tyrker, getting prices on a ship-load of corn. corn, it seemed, was worth its weight in gold in greenland. "leif shows a keen wit in taking eric a present of corn," sigurd explained, as they dodged the loaded thralls running up and down the gangways. "he will like it better than greater valuables. his pleasure will come near to converting him." alwin shook his head doubtfully,--not at this last observation, but at the prospect in general. "the more i think of going to greenland," he said, "the more excellent a place i find norway." he looked appreciatively at the river beside them, and ahead at the great shining fiord. scattered over its sunlit waters trim clipper-built craft rode at anchor; between them, long-oared skiffs darted back and forth like long-legged water-bugs. along the shore a chain of ships stretched as far as eye could reach,--graceful war cruisers, heavily-laden provision ships, substantial trading vessels. on the flat beach and along the wooded banks rose great storehouses and lines of fine new ship-sheds. rich merchandise was piled before them; rows of covered carts stood in waiting. everywhere were busy throngs of traders and seamen and slaves. his eye kindled as it passed from point to point. "it seems that northmen are something more than pirates," he said, thoughtfully. "it seems that your speech is something more than free," said sigurd, in displeasure. alwin realized that it had been, and explained: "i but spoke of you as southerners do who have not seen your country. i tell you truly that, after england, i believe norway to be the finest country in the world." sigurd swung along with recovered good-humor. "i will not quarrel with you over that exception. and yonder is valbrand just come ashore,--at the fore-gangway. go and do your errand with him, and then we will walk over to that pier and see what it is that the crowd is gathered about, to make them shout so." the attraction proved to be a chattering brown ape that some sailor had brought home from the east. part of the spectators regarded it as a strange pagan god; part believed it to be an unfortunate being deformed by witchcraft; and the rest took it for a devil in his own proper person,--so there was great shrieking and scattering, whichever way it turned its ugly face. it happened that sigurd was better informed, having seen a similar specimen kept as a pet at the court of the norman duke; so the terror of the others amused him and his companion mightily. they stayed until the creature put an end to the show by breaking away from its captor and taking refuge in the rigging. it was a fascinating place altogether,--that beach,--and difficult to get away from. almost every ship brought back from its voyage some beast or bird or fish so outlandish that it was impossible to pass it by. twilight had fallen before the pair turned in among the hills. between the trees shone the red glow of the camp-fires. through the dusk came the pleasant odors of frying fish and roasting pork, with now and then a whiff of savory garlic. alwin turned on his companion in sudden excitement. "it is likely that leif is already here!" sigurd laughed. "do you think it advisable for me to climb a tree?" they stepped out of the shadow into the light of the leaping flames. on the farther side of the long fire, men were busy with dripping bear-steaks and half-plucked fowls; while others bent over the steaming caldron or stirred the big mead-vat. on the near side, ringed around by stalwart forms, showing black against the fire-glow, the chief sat at his ease. the flickering light revealed his bronzed eagle face and the richness of his gold-embroidered cloak. at his elbow helga the fair waited with his drinking-horn. tyrker hovered behind him, touching now his hair and now his broad shoulders with an old man's tremulous fondness. all were listening reverently to his quick, curt narrative. sigurd's laughing carelessness fell from him. he walked forward with the gallant air that sat so well upon his handsome figure. "health and greeting, foster-father!" he said in his clear voice. "i have come back to you, an outlaw seeking shelter." helga spilled the ale in her consternation. the old german began a nervous plucking at his beard. the heads that had swung around toward sigurd, turned back expectantly. more than one heart sank when it was seen that the chief neither held out his hand nor moved from his seat. silver-tongued and sunny-hearted, the jarl's son was well-beloved. there was a long pause, in which there was no sound but the crackling of flames and the loud sputtering of fat. at last leif said sternly, "you are my foster-son, and i love your father more than anyone else, kinsman or not; yet i cannot offer you hand or welcome until i know wherein you have broken the law." through the breathless hush, sigurd answered with perfect composure: "that was to be expected of leif ericsson. i would not have it otherwise. all shall be without deceit on my side." he folded his arms across his breast, and, standing easily before his judge, told his story. "in the games last fall it happened that i shot against hjalmar oddsson until he was obliged to acknowledge himself beaten; and for that he wished me ill luck. when the assembly was held in my district this spring, he came there and three times tried to make me angry, so that i should forget that the assembly plain is sacred ground. the first time, he spoke lightly of my skill; but i thought that a jest, since it had proved too much for him. the second time, he spoke slightingly of my courage, saying that the reason i did not go in my father's viking ship this spring was because i was wont to be afraid in battle. now it had been seen by everybody that i wished to go. i had spent the winter in normandy, yet i returned by the first ship, that i might make one of my father's crew. it was not my doing that my ship got lost in the fog and did not fetch me here until after the jarl had sailed. it angered me that such slander should be spoken of me. yet, remembering that men are peace-holy on the assembly plain, i did manage to turn it aside. a third time he threw himself in my way, and began speaking evil of a friend of mine, a man with whom i have sworn blood-brotherhood. i forgot where we stood, and what was the law, and i drew my sword and leaped upon him; and it is likely the daylight would have shone through him, but that he had friends hidden who ran out and seized me and dragged me before the law-man. seeing me with drawn sword, he knew without question that i had broken the law; so, without caring what i urged, he passed sentence upon me, banishing me from my district for three seasons. my father and my kinsmen are away on viking voyages; i cannot take service with king olaf, and i will not serve under a lesser man. it was not easy to know where to go, until i thought of you, leif ericsson. it was you who taught me that 'he who is cold in defence of a friend, will be cold so long as hel rules.' there is no fear in my mind that you will send me away." he finished as composedly as he had begun, and stood waiting. but not for long. leif rose from his seat, sweeping the circle with a keen glance. "it is likely," he said grimly, "that someone has told you that an unfavorable answer might be expected, because i feared to lose king olaf's favor. you have done well to trust my friendship, foster-son." he stretched out his hand, a rare gleam of pleasure lighting his deep-set eyes. "you have behaved well to your friend, sigurd haraldsson; there is the greatest excuse for you in this affair. i bid you welcome, and i offer you a share in everything i own. if it is your choice, you shall go back to brattahlid with me; and my home shall be your home for whatever time you wish." sigurd thanked him with warmth and dignity. then a twinkle of mischief shone at the comers of his handsome mouth; after the fashion of the french court, he bent over the brawny outstretched hand and kissed it. a murmur of mingled amazement and amusement went up from the group. leif himself gave a short laugh as he jerked his hand away. "this is the first time that ever my fist was mistaken for a maiden's lips. it is to be hoped that this is not the most useful accomplishment you have brought from france. now go and try your fine manners on helga,--if you do not fear for your ears. i wish to speak with this thrall." but helga had not now spirit enough to avenge the salute. she drooped over the fire, staring absently into the embers; the heat toasting her delicate face rose-red, the light touching her hair into a wonderful golden web. she looked up at sigurd with a faint frown; then dropped her chin back into her hands and forgot him. alwin came and placed himself before the chief's seat, where the young viking had stood. he was not so picturesque a figure, with his shorn head and his white slaves'-dress; but he stood straight and supple in his young strength, his head haughtily erect, his eyes bright and fearless as a young falcon's. leif put his questions. "what are you called?" "i am called alwin, edmund jarl's son." "jarl-born? then it is likely that you can handle a sword?" "not a few of your own men can bear witness to that." rolf spoke up with his quiet smile. "the boy speaks the truth. one would think that he had drunk nothing but dragon's blood since his birth." "so?" said leif dryly. "it may be that i should be thankful my men are not torn to pieces. but these accomplishments count for naught; none here but have them. you must accomplish something that i think of more importance, or i shall sell you and buy a man-thrall who has been trained to work. it seems that you can read runes: can you also write them?" in a flash of memory, alwin saw again brother ambrose's cell, and his rebellious self toiling at the desk; and he marvelled that in this far-off place and time that toil was to be of use to him. "to some small degree i can," he answered. "i learned in my boyhood; but last summer, on the dairy farm of gilli of trondhjem, i practised on sheep-skins--" "gilli of trondhjem?" leif repeated. he sat suddenly erect, and shot a glance at the unconscious helga; and the old german, peering from the shadows behind him, did the same. alwin regarded them wonderingly. "yes, gilli the trader, whom men call the wealthy. it was he who first had me in my captivity." for a long time the chief sat tugging thoughtfully at his yellow mustache. tyrker bent over and whispered in his ear; and he nodded slowly, with another glance at helga. "but for this i should never have thought of him,--yet, it is certainly one way out of the matter." suddenly he made a motion with his hand, so that the circle fell back out of hearing. he turned and fixed his piercing eyes on the thrall as though he would probe his brain. "i ask you to tell me what manner of man this gilli is?" it happened that alwin asked nothing better than a chance to free his mind. he answered instantly: "gilli of trondhjem is a low-minded man who has gained great wealth, and is so greedy for property that he would give the nails off his hands and the tongue out of his head to get it. he is an overbearing churl." leif's eyes challenged him, but he did not recant. "so!" said the chief abruptly; then he added: "i am told for certain that his wife is a well-disposed woman." "i say nothing against that," alwin assented. "she is from england, where women are taught to bear themselves gently." his eulogy was cut short by an exclamation from the old german. "donnerwetter! that is true! an english captive she was. perhaps she their runes also understands?" finding this a question addressed to him, alwin answered that he knew her to understand them, having heard her read from a book of saxon prayers. tyrker rolled up his eyes devoutly. "heaven itself it is that so has ordered it for the shield-maiden! you see, my son? this youth here can make runes,-she can read them; so can you speak with her without that the father shall know." "bring torches into the sleeping-house," leif called, rising hastily. "valbrand, take your horse and lay saddle on it. you of england, get bark and an arrow-point, or whatever will serve for rune writing, and follow me." what took place behind the log walls, no one knew. when it was over, and valbrand had ridden away in the darkness, rolf sought out the scribe and gently gave him to understand that he was curious in the matter. but alwin only cast a doubtful glance across the fire at helga, and begged him to talk of something else. late the next afternoon, valbrand returned, his horse muddy and spent, and was closeted for a long time with leif and the old german. but none heard what passed between them. chapter x the royal blood of alfred brand burns from brand, until it is burnt out; fire is from fire quickened. man to man becomes known by speech, but a fool by his bashful silence. ha'vama'l brave with fluttering pennant and embroidered linen and sparkling gilding, amid cheers and prayers and shouts of farewell, on the third day the "sea-deer" set sail for greenland. newly clad from head to foot in a scarlet suit of king olaf's giving, leif stood aft by the great steering oar. the wind blew out his long hair in a golden banner. the sun splintered its lances upon his gilded helm. upon his breast shone the silver crucifix that had been olaf's parting gift. his hand was still warm from the clasp of his king's; no chill at his heart warned him that those hands had met for the last time, no thought was in him that he had looked his last upon the noble face he loved. gazing out over the tumbling blue waves, he thought exultantly of the time when he should come sailing back, with task fulfilled, to receive the thanks of his king. bravely and merrily the little ship parted from the land and set forth upon her journey. every man sat in his place upon the rowing-benches; every back bent stoutly to the oar. dripping crystals and flashing in the sun, the polished blades rose and fell, as the "sea-deer" bounded forward. to those upon her decks, the mass of scarlet cloaks upon the pier merged into a patch of flame, and then became a fiery dot. the sunny plain of the city and the green slope of the camp dwindled and faded; towering cliffs closed about and hid them from the rowers' view. leaving the broad elbow of the fiord, they soon entered the narrow arm that ran in from the sea, like a silver lane between giant walls. passing out with the tide, they reached the ocean. the salt wind smote their faces; the snowy sail drew in a long glad breath and swelled out with a throb of exultation, and the world of waters closed around their little craft. it was a beautiful world, full of the shifting charms of color and of motion, of the joy of sun and wind; but alwin found it a wearily busy world for him. since he was not needed at the oars, they gave him the odds and ends of drudgery about the ship. he cleared the decks, and plied the bailing-scoop, and stood long tedious watches. he helped to tent over the vessel's decks at night, and to stow away the huge canvas in the morning. he ground grain for the hungry crew, and kept the great mead-vat filled that stood before the mast for the shipmates to drink from. he prepared the food and carried it around and cleared the remnants away again. he was at the beck and call of forty rough voices; he was the one shuttlecock among eighty brawny battledores. it was a peaceful world, stirred by no greater excitement than a glimpse of a distant sail or the mystery of a half-seen shore; yet things could happen in it, alwin found. the second day out, the earl-born captive for the first time came in direct contact with the thrall-born kark. kark was not deferential, even toward his superiors; there was barely enough discretion in his roughness to save him from offending. among those of his own station, he dispensed even with discretion. and he had looked upon alwin with unfriendly eyes ever since leif's first manifestation of interest in his english property. it often happens that the whole of earth's dry land proves too small to hold two uncongenial spirits peaceably. one can imagine, then, how it fared when two such opposites were limited to some hundred-odd feet of timber in mid-ocean. "ho there, you cook-boy!" kark's rough voice came down to the foreroom where alwin was working. "get you quickly forward and wipe up the beer valbrand has spilled over his bench." for a moment, alwin's eyes opened wide in amazement; then they drew together into two menacing slits, and his very clothing bristled with haughtiness. he deigned no answer whatsoever. a pause, and kark followed his voice. "what now, you cub of a lazy mastiff! i told you, quickly; the beer will get on his clothes." with immovable calmness, alwin went on with his grinding. only after the fourth round he said coldly: "it would save time if you would do your work yourself." kark gasped with amazement. this to him, the slave-born son of eric's free steward, who held the whip-hand over all the thralls at brattahlid! his china-blue eyes snapped spitefully. "it does not become the bowerman of leif ericsson to do the dirty work of a foreign whelp. if you have the ambition to be more than--" he was interrupted by the sound of approaching thunder. valbrand descended upon them, his new tunic drenched, the scars on his battered old face showing livid red. "is it likely that i will wait all day while two thralls quarrel over precedence?" he roared. "the troll take me if i do not throw one of you to ran before the journey is over! go instantly--" "i am sharpening leif's blade," kark struck in; he had indeed drawn a knife and sharpening-stone from his girdle. "it is not becoming for me to leave the chief's work for another task." the argument was unassailable. to the unlucky man-of-all-work the steersman's anger naturally reverted. "then you, idle dog that you are! what is it that keeps you? would you have him attend on leif and do your work as well? you may choose one of two conditions: go instantly or have your back cut into ribbons." if he had not added that, it is possible that alwin would have obeyed; but to yield in the face of a threat, that was too low for his stiff-necked pride to stoop. the earl-born answered haughtily, "have your will,--and i will have mine." if he had had any idea that they would not go so far, it was quickly dashed out of him. one moment of struggle and confusion, and he found himself stripped to the waist, his hands bound to the mast, a man standing over him with a knotted thong of walrus hide. all sigurd's furious eloquence could not restrain the storm of sickening blows. on the other hand, if they had had the notion that their victim's obstinacy would run from him with his blood, they also were mistaken. the red drops came, but no sign of weakening. at last, with the subsiding of his anger, valbrand ordered him to be set free. "the same shall overtake you if you are disobedient to me again," was all he said. stripped and bloody, dizzy with pain and blind with rage, alwin staggered forward, caught at sigurd to save himself from falling, and looked unsteadily about him. when he found what he sought, his wits were cleared as a foggy night by lightning. with a hoarse cry, he caught up a fragment of broken oar and struck kark over the head so that he fell stunned upon the deck, blood reddening his colorless face. "in the troll's name!" valbrand swore, after a moment of utter stupefaction. alwin laughed between his teeth at sigurd's despairing glance, and waited to feel the steersman's knife between his ribs. instead, he was dragged aft to where the chief sat on the deck beside the steering-oar. leif was deep in consultation with his shrewd old foster-father. without pausing in his argument, he sent an impatient glance over his shoulder; when it fell upon the gory young madman, he turned sharply and faced the group. alwin was in the mood to suffer torture with a smile. the more outrageous valbrand depicted him, the better he was pleased. leif made no comment whatever, but sat pulling at his long mustaches and eying them from under his bushy brows. when the steersman had finished, he asked, "is kark slain?" glancing back, valbrand saw the bowerman sitting up and feeling of his wounds. "except a lump on his head, i do not think he is worse than before," he answered. "so," said leif with an accent of relief. "then it is not worth while to say much. if he had been killed, his father would have taken it ill; and that would have displeased eric and hurt my mission. it would have become necessary for me to slay this boy to satisfy them. now it is of little importance." he straightened abruptly and waved them away. "what more is there to do about it?" he added. "this fellow has been punished, and kark has got one of the many knocks his insolence deserves. let us end this talk,--only see to it that they do not kill each other. i do not wish to lose any more property." he motioned them off, and turned back to tyrker. but there was more to it. something,--leif's curtness, or the touch of valbrand's hand upon his naked shoulder,--roused alwin's madness afresh. shaking off the hand, fighting it off, he bearded the chief himself. "i will kill him if ever he utters his cur's yelp at me again. you are blind and simple to think to keep an earl-born man under the feet of a churl. you are a fool to keep an accomplished man at work that any simpleton might do. i will not bear with your folly. i will slay the hound the first chance i get." he ended breathless and trembling with passion. valbrand stood aghast. leif's brows drew down so low that nothing but two fiery sparks showed of his eyes. through alwin went the same thrill he had felt when the trader's sword-point pricked his breast. yet the lightning did not strike. alwin glanced up, amazed. while he stared, a subtle change crept over the chief. slowly he ceased to be the grim curt viking: slowly he became the nobleman whose stateliness minstrels celebrated in their songs, and the king spoke of with praise. a stillness seemed to gather round them. alwin felt his anger cooling and sinking within him. after a time, leif said with the calmness of perfect superiority: "it may be that i have not treated you as honorably as you deserve. yet what am i to think of these words of yours? is it after such fashion that a jarl-born man with accomplishments addresses his lord in your country?" to the blunt old steersman, to the ox-like olver, to the half-dozen others who heard it, the change was incomprehensible. they stared at their master, then at each other, and finally gave it up as a whim past their understanding. it may be that leif was curious to see whether it would be incomprehensible to alwin as well. he sat watching him intently. alwin's eyes fell before his master's. the stately quietness, the noble forbearance, were like voices out of his past. they called up memories of his princess-mother, of her training, of the dignity that had always surrounded her. suddenly he saw, as for the first time, the roughness and coarseness of the life about him, and realized how it had roughened and coarsened him. a dull red mounted to his face. slowly, like one groping for a half forgotten habit, he bent his knee before the offended chief. unconsciously, for the first time in his thraldom, he gave to a northman the title a saxon uses to his superior. "lord, you are right to think me unmannerly. i was mad with anger so that i did not weigh my words. i will say nothing against it if you treat me like a churl." to the others, this also was inexplicable. they scratched their heads, and rubbed their ears, and gaped at one another. leif smiled grimly as he caught their looks. picking a silver ring from his pouch, he tossed it to valbrand. "take this to kark to pay him for his broken head, and advise him to make less noise with his mouth in the future." when they were gone he turned to alwin and signed him to rise. "you understand a language that churls do not understand. i will try you further. go dress yourself, then bring hither the runes you were reading to rolf erlingsson." alwin obeyed in silence, a tumult of long-quiet emotions whirling through his brain,--relief and shame and gratification, and, underneath it all, a new-born loyalty. all the rest of the day, until the sun dropped like a red ball behind the waves, he sat at the chief's feet and read to him from the saxon book. he read stumblingly, haltingly; but he was not blamed for his blunders. his listener caught at the meanings hungrily, and pieced out their deficiencies with his keen wit and dressed their nakedness in his vivid imagination. now his great chest heaved with passion, and his strong hand gripped his sword-hilt; now he crossed himself and sighed, and again his eyes flashed like smitten steel. when at last the failing light compelled alwin to lay down the book, the chief sat for a long time staring at him with keen but absent eyes. after a while he said, half as though he was speaking to himself: "it is my belief that heaven itself has sent you to me, that i may be strengthened and inspired in my work." his face kindled with devout rapture. "it must have been by the guidance of heaven that you were trained in so unusual an accomplishment. it was the hand of god that led you hither, to be an instrument in a great work." awe fell upon alwin, and a shiver of superstition that was almost terror. he bowed his head and crossed himself. but when he looked up, the thread had snapped; leif was himself again. he was eying the boy critically, though with a new touch of something like respect. he said abruptly: "it is not altogether befitting that one who has the accomplishments of a holy priest should go garbed like a base-bred thrall. what is the color of the clothes that priests wear in england?" alwin answered, wondering: "they wear black habits, lord. it is for that reason that they are called black monks." rising, leif beckoned to valbrand. when the steersman stood before him, he said: "take this boy down to my chests and clothe him from head to foot in black garments of good quality. and hereafter let it be understood that he is my honorable bowerman, and a person of breeding and accomplishments." the old henchman looked at the new favorite as dispassionately as he would have looked at a weapon or a dog that had taken his master's fancy. "i would not oppose your will in this, any more than in other things; yet i take it upon me to remind you of kark. if you make this cook-boy your bowerman, to keep the scales balancing you must make him who was your bowerman into a cook-boy. it is in my mind that kark's father will take that as ill as--" a sweep of leif's arm swept kark out of the path of his will. "who is it that is to command me how i shall choose my servants? the fates made kark a cook-boy when he was born; let him go back where he belongs. i have endured his boorishness long enough. am i to despise a tool that heaven has sent me because a clod at my feet is jealous? what kind of luck could that bring?" convinced or not, valbrand was silenced. "it shall be as you wish," he muttered. alwin fell on his knee, and, not daring to kiss the chief's hand, raised the hem of the scarlet cloak to his lips. "lord," he said earnestly; then stopped because he could not find words in which to speak his gratitude. "lord--" he began again, and again he was at a loss. at last he finished bluntly, "lord, i will serve you as only a man can serve whose whole heart is in his work." chapter xi the passing of the scar a ship is made for sailing, a shield for sheltering, a sword for striking, a maiden for kisses. ha'vama'l "when the sun rises tomorrow it is likely that we shall see greenland ahead of us," growled egil. with sigurd and the wrestler, he was lounging against the side, watching the witch-fires run along the waves through the darkness. the new bower-man stood next to sigurd, but egil could not properly be said to be with him, for the two only spoke under the direst necessity. around them, under the awnings, in the light of flaring pine torches, the crew were sprawled over the rowing-benches killing time with drinking and riddles. "it seems to me that it will gladden my heart to see it," sigurd responded. "as i think of the matter, i recall great fun in greenland. there were excellent wrestling matches between the men of the east and the west settlements. and do you remember the fine feasts eric was wont to make?" rolf gently smacked his lips and laid his hands upon his stomach. "by all means. and remember also the seal hunting and the deer-shooting!" sigurd's eyes glistened. "many good things may be told of greenland. there is no place in the world so fine to run over on skees. by saint michael, i shall be glad to get there!" he struck egil a rousing blow upon the sullen hump of his shoulders. unmoved, the black one continued to stare out into the darkness, his chin upon his fists. "ugh! yes. very likely," he grunted. "very likely it will be clear sailing for you, but it is my belief that some of us will run into a squall when we have left leif and gone to our own homes, and it becomes known to our kinsmen that we are no longer odin-men. it is probable that my father will stick his knife into me." there was a pause while they digested the truth of this; until rolf relieved the tension by saying quietly: "speak for yourself, companion. my kinsman is no such fool. he has been on too many trading voyages among the christians. already he is baptized in both faiths; so that when thor does not help him, he is wont to pray to the god of the christians. thus is he safe either way; and not a few greenland chiefs are of his opinion." sigurd's merry laugh rang out. "now that is having a cloak to wear on both sides, according to the weather! if only eric were so minded--" "is eric the ruler in greenland?" alwin interrupted. all this while he had been looking from one to the other, listening attentively. the two sons of greenland chiefs answered "no!" in one breath. sigurd raised quizzical eyebrows. "i admit that he is not the ruler in name, greenland being a republic, but in fact--?" they let him go on without contradiction. "thus it stands, alwin. eric the red was the first to settle in greenland, therefore he owns the most land. besides brattahlid, he owns many fishing stations; and he also has stations on several islands where men gather eggs for him and get what drift-wood there is. and not only is he the richest man, but he is also the highest-born, for his father's father was a jarl of jaederan; and so--" it is to be feared that alwin lost some of this. he broke in suddenly: "now i know where it is that i have heard the name of eric the red! it has haunted me for days. in the trader's booth in norway a minstrel sang a ballad of 'eric the red and his dwarf-cursed sword.' know you of it?" he was answered by the involuntary glances that the others cast toward the chief. rolf said with a shrug: "it is bondmaids' gabble. there is little need to say that a dwarf cursed eric's sword, to explain how it comes that he has been three times exiled for manslaughter, and driven from norway to iceland and from iceland to greenland. he quarrelled and slew wherever he settled, because he has a temper like that of the dragon fafnir." a faint red tinged egil's dark cheeks. "nevertheless, skroppa's prophecy has come true," he muttered, "that after the blade was once sheathed in the new soil of greenland, it would bring no more ill-luck." "skroppa!" cried alwin. but he got no further, for sigurd's hand was clapped over his mouth. "lower your voice when you speak that name, comrade," the silver-tongued warned him. "do not speak it at all," egil interrupted brusquely. "the english girl is coming aft. it is likely she brings some message from helga." they faced about eagerly. editha's smooth brown head was indeed to be seen threading its way between the noisy groups. they agreed that it was time they heard from the shield-maiden. for her to take advantage of her womanhood, and turn the forecastle into a woman's-house, and forbid their approach, was something unheard-of and outrageous. "it would be treating her as she deserves if we should refuse to go now when she sends for us," egil growled, though without any apparent intention of carrying out the threat. to the extreme amusement of his fellows, sigurd began to settle his ornaments and rearrange his long locks. "it may be that she accepts my invitation to play chess. leif spoke with her for a long time this afternoon; it is likely that he roused her from her black mood." "it is likely that he roused her," alwin said slowly. there was something so peculiar in his voice that they all turned and looked at him. he had suddenly grown very red and uncomfortable. "it seems that anyone can be foreknowing at certain times," he said, trying to smile. "now my mind tells me that the summons will be for me." "for you!" egil's brows became two black thunder-clouds from under which his eyes flashed lightnings at the thrall. alwin yielded to helpless laughter. "there is little need for you to get angry. rather would i be drowned than go." it was sigurd's turn to be offended. "i had thought better of you, alwin of england, than to suppose that you would cherish hatred against a woman who has offered to be your friend." "hatred?" for a moment alwin did not understand him; then he added: "by saint george, that is so! i had altogether forgotten that it was my intention to hate her! i swear to you, sigurd, i have not thought of the matter these two weeks." "which causes me to suspect that you have been thinking very hard of something else," rolf suggested. but alwin closed his lips and kept his eyes on editha's approaching figure. the little bondmaid came up to them, dropped as graceful a curtsey as she could manage with the pitching of the vessel, and said timidly: "if it please you, my lord alwin, my mistress desires to speak with you at once." "hail to the prophet!" laughed sigurd, pretending to rumple the locks that he had so carefully smoothed. "now heaven grant that i am a false prophet in the rest of my foretelling," alwin murmured to himself, as he followed the girl forward. "if i am forced to tell her the truth, i think it likely she will scratch my eyes out." she did not look dangerous when he came up to her. she was sitting on a little stool, with her hands folded quietly in her lap, and on her beautiful face the dazed look of one who has heard startling news. but her first question was straight to the mark. "leif has told me that gilli and bertha of trondhjem are my father and mother. he says that you have seen them and know them. tell me what they are like." it was an instant plunge into very deep water. alwin gasped. "lady, there are many things to be said on the subject. it may be that i am not a good judge." he was glad to stop and accept the stool editha offered, and spend a little time settling himself upon it; but that could not last long. "bertha of trondhjem is a very beautiful woman," he began. "it is easy to believe that she is your mother. also she is gentle and kind-hearted--" helga's shoulders moved disdainfully. "she must be a coward. to get rid of her child because a man ordered it! have you heard that? because when i was born some lying hag pretended to read in the stars that i would one day become a misfortune to my father, he ordered me to be thrown out--for wolves to eat or beggars to take. and my mother had me carried to eric, who is gilli's kinsman, and bound him to keep it a secret. she is a coward." "it must be remembered that she had been a captive of gilli," alwin reminded the shield-maiden. "even norse wives are sometimes--" "she is a coward. tell me of gilli. at least he is not witless. what is he like?" again the deep water. alwin stirred in his seat and fingered at the silver lace on his cap. he was dressed splendidly now. left's wardrobe had contained nothing black that was also plain, so the bowerman's long hose were of silk, his tunic was seamed with silver, his belt studded with steel bosses, his cloak lined with fine gray fur. "lady," he stammered, "as i have said, it may be that i am not a fair judge. gilli did not behave well to me. yet i have heard that he is very kind to his wife. it is likely that he would give you costly things--" helga's foot stamped upon the deck. "what do i care for that?" he knew how little she cared. he gave up any further attempts at diplomacy. but her next words granted him a respite. "what was the message that you wrote to my mother for leif?" "i think i can remember the exact words," he answered readily, "it gave me so much trouble to spell them. it read this way, after the greeting: 'do you remember the child you sent to eric? she is here in norway with me. she is well grown and handsome. i go back the second day after this. it will be a great grief to her if she is obliged to go also. if her father could see her, it is likely he would be willing to give her a home in norway. it would even be worth while coming all the way to greenland after her. it is certain that gilli would think so, if you could manage that he should see her.' i think that was all, lady." "if gilli is what i suspect him to be, that is more than enough," helga said slowly. she raised her head and looked straight into his eyes. "answer me this,--you know and must tell,--is he a high-minded warrior like leif, or is he a money-loving trader?" "lady," said alwin desperately, "if you will have the truth, he is a mean-spirited churl who thinks that the only thing in the world is to have property." helga drew a long breath, and her slender hands clenched in her lap. "now i have found what i have suspected. answer this truthfully also: if i go back to him, is it not likely that he will marry me to the first creature who offers to make a good bargain with him?" "yes," said alwin. for days he had been watching her with uneasy pity, whenever in his mind's eye he saw her in the power of the unscrupulous trader, it had made him uncomfortable to feel that he was the tool that had brought it about, even though he knew he was as innocent as the bark on which he had written. drop by drop the blood sank out of helga's face. spark by spark, the light died out of her eyes. like some poor trapped animal, she sat staring dully ahead of her. it was more than alwin could bear in silence. he leaned forward and shook her arm. "lady, do anything rather than despair. get into a rage with me,--though heaven knows i never intended your misfortune! yet it is natural you should feel hard toward me. i--" she stared at him dully. "why should i be angry with you? you could not help what you did; and leif thought i would wish rather to go to my own mother than to thorhild." it had never occurred to alwin that she would be reasonable. his remorse became the more eager. he bethought himself of some slight comfort. "at least it cannot happen for a year, lady. and in--" she raised her head quickly. "why can it not happen for a year?" "because gilli is away on a trading voyage, and will not be back until fall, when it will be too late to start for greenland. nor will he come early in spring and so lose the best of his trading season. it is sure to be more than a year." youth can construct a lifeboat out of a straw. hope crept back to helga's eyes. "a year is a long time. many things can happen in a year. gilli may be slain,--for every man a mistletoe-shaft grows somewhere. or i may marry someone in greenland. already two chiefs have asked my hand of leif, so it is not likely that i shall lack chances." "that is true; and it may also happen that the lady bertha will never get my runes. she was absent on a visit when valbrand left them at her farm. or even if she gets them, she may lack courage to tell the news to gilli. or he may dislike the expense of a daughter. surely, where there are so many holes, there are many good chances that the danger will fall through one of them." helga flung up her head with a gallant air. "i will heed your advice in this matter. i will not trouble myself another moment; and i will love brattahlid as a bird loves the cliff that hides it! and thorhild? what if her nature is such that she is cross? she is no coward. she would defend those she loved, though she died for it. i should like to see eric bid her to abandon a child. there would not be a red hair left in his beard. better is it to be brave and true than to be gentle like your lady bertha. is it because she is my mother that you give that title to me also?" alwin hesitated and reddened. "yes. and because i like to remember that there is english blood in you." helga paused in the midst of her excitement, and her face softened. she looked at him, and her starry eyes were full of frank good-will. she said slowly, "since there is english blood in me, it may be that you will some time ask for the friendship i have offered you." at that moment, it seemed to alwin that such simplicity and frankness were worth more than all the gentle graces of his country-women. he put out his hand. "you need not wait long for me to ask that," he said. "i would have asked it a week ago, but i could not think it honorable to call myself your friend when i had injured you so." helga's slim fingers gave his a firm clasp, but she laughed merrily. "that is where you are mistaken. if you had not injured me, you would never have forgotten that i had injured you. now we are even, and we start afresh. that is a good thing." chapter xii through bars of ice a day should be praised at night; a sword when it is tried; ice when it is crossed. ha'vama'l a dim line of snowy islands, so far apart that it was hard to believe they were only the ice-tipped summits of greenland's towering coast, stretched across the horizon. standing at helga's side in the bow, alwin gazed at them earnestly. "to think," he marvelled, "that we have come to the very last land on this side of the world! suppose we were to sail still further west? what is it likely that we would come to? does the ocean end in a wall of ice, or would we fall off the earth and go tumbling heels over head through the darkness--? by st. george, it makes one dizzy!" helga's ideas were not much clearer. it was nearly five hundred years before the time of columbus. but she knew one thing that alwin did not know. "greenland is not the most western land," she corrected. "there is another still further west, though no one knows how big it is or who lives in it." she turned, laughing, to where young haraldsson sat counting the wealth of his pouch and calculating how valuable could be the presents he could afford to bestow on his arrival. "sigurd, do you remember that western land biorn herjulfsson saw? and how we were wont to plan to run away to it, when i grew tired of embroidering and leif kept you overlong at your exercises?" "i have not thought of it since those days," laughed sigurd. he swept the mass of gold and silver trinkets back into the velvet pouch at his belt, and came over and joined them. "what fine times we had planning those trips, over the fire in the evenings! by saint michael, i think we actually started once; have you forgotten?--in the long-boat off thorwald's whaling vessel! and you wore a suit of my clothes, and fought me because i said anyone could tell that you were a girl." helga's laughter rang out like a chime of bells. "oh, sigurd i had forgotten it! and we had nothing with us to eat but two cheeses! and valbrand had to launch a boat and come after us!" they abandoned themselves to their mirth, and alwin laughed with them; but his curiosity had been aroused on another subject. "i wish you would tell me something concerning this farther land," he said, as soon as he could get them to listen. "does it in truth exist, or is it a tale to amuse children with?" they both assured him that it was quite true. "i myself have talked with one of the sailors who saw it," sigurd explained. "he was biorn's steersman. he saw it distinctly. he said that it looked like a fine country, with many trees." "if it was a real country and no witchcraft, it is strange that he contented himself with looking at it. why did he not land and explore?" "biorn herjulfsson is a coward," helga said contemptuously. "every man who can move his tongue says so." sigurd frowned at her. "you give judgment too glibly. i have heard many say that he is a brave man. but he was not out on an exploring voyage; he was sailing from iceland to greenland, to visit his father, and lost his way. and he is a man not apt to be eager in new enterprises. besides, it may be that he thought the land was inhabited by dwarfs." "there, you have admitted that i am right!" helga cried triumphantly. "he was afraid of the dwarfs; and a man who is afraid of anything is a coward." but sigurd could fence with his tongue as well as with his sword. "what then is a shield-maiden who is afraid of her kinswoman?" he parried. and they fell to wrangling laughingly between themselves. unheeding them, alwin gazed away at the mysterious blue west. his eyes were big with great thoughts. if he had a ship and a crew,--if he could sail away exploring! suppose kingdoms could be founded there! suppose--his imaginings became as lofty as the drifting clouds, and as vague; so vague that he finally lost interest in them, and turned his attention to the approaching shore. they had come near enough now to see that the scattered islands had connected themselves into a peaked coast, a broken line of dazzling whiteness, except where dark chasms made blots upon its sides. but sighting greenland and landing upon it were two very different matters, he found. a little further, and they encountered the border of drift-ice that, travelling down from the northeast in company with numerous icebergs, closes the fiord-mouths in summer like a magic bar. "i shall think it great luck if this breaks up so that we can get through it in a month," valbrand observed phlegmatically. "a month?" alwin gasped, overhearing him. the old sailor looked at him in contempt. "does a month seem long to you? when eric came here from iceland, he was obliged to lie four months in the ice." four months on shipboard, with nothing more cheerful to look at than barren cliffs and a gray sea paved with grinding ice-cakes! the consternation of alwin's face was so great that sigurd took pity on him even while he laughed. "it will not be so bad as that. and we will steer to a point north of the fiord and lie there in the shelter of an island." "shelter!" muttered the english youth. "twelve eiderdown beds would be insufficient to shelter one from this wind." nor was the island of any more inviting appearance when finally they reached it. what of it was not barren boulders was covered with black lichens, the only hint of green being an occasional patch of moss nestling in some rocky fissure. to heighten the effect, icy gales blew continually, accompanied by heavy mists and chilling fogs. amid these inhospitable surroundings they were penned for two weeks,--norse weeks of but five days each, but seemingly endless to the captives from the south. editha retired permanently into the big bear-skin sleeping-bag that enveloped the whole of her little person and was the only cure for the chattering of her teeth. alwin wrapped himself in every garment he owned and as many of sigurd's as could be spared, and strove to endure the situation with the stoicism of his companions; but now and then his disgust got the better of his philosophy. "how intelligent beings can find it in their hearts to return to this country after the good god has once allowed them to leave it, passes my understanding!" he stormed, on the tenth day of this sorry picnicking. "at first it was in my mind to fear lest such a small ship should sink in such a great sea; now i only dread that it will not, and that we will be brought alive to land and forced to live there." rolf regarded him with his amiable smile. "if your eyes were as blue as your lips, and your cheeks were as red as your nose, you would be considered a handsome man," he said encouragingly. and again it was sigurd who took pity on alwin. "bear it well; it will not last much longer," he said. "already a passage is opening. and inside the fiord, much is different from what is expected." alwin smiled with polite incredulity. the next day's sun showed a dark channel open to them, so that before noon they had entered upon the broad water-lane known as eric's fiord. the silence between the towering walls was so absolute, so death-like, as to be almost uncanny. mile after mile they sailed, between bleak cliffs ice-crowned and garbed in black lichens; mile after mile further yet, without passing anything more cheerful than a cluster of rocky islands or a slope covered with brownish moss. the most luxuriant of the islands boasted only a patch of crowberry bushes or a few creeping junipers too much abashed to lift their heads a finger's length above the earth. alwin looked about him with a sigh, and then at sigurd with a grimace. "do you still say that this is pleasanter than drowning?" he inquired. sigurd met the fling with obstinate composure. "are you blind to the greenness of yonder plain? and do you not feel the sun upon you?" all at once it occurred to alwin that the icy wind of the headlands had ceased to blow; the fog had vanished, and there was a genial warmth in the air about him. and yonder,--certainly yonder meadow was as green as the camp in norway. he threw off one of his cloaks and settled himself to watch. gradually the green patches became more numerous, until the level was covered with nothing else. in one place, he almost thought he caught a gleam of golden buttercups. the verdure crept up the snow-clad slopes, hundreds and thousands of feet; and here and there, beside some foaming little cataract tumbling down from a glacier-fed stream, a rhododendron glowed like a rosy flame. they passed the last island, covered with a copse of willows as high as a tall man's head, and came into an open stretch of water bordered by rolling pasture lands, filled with daisies and mild-eyed cattle. sigurd clutched the english boy's arm excitedly. "yonder are eric's ship-sheds! and there--over that hill, where the smoke is rising--there is brattahlid!" "there?" exclaimed alwin. "now it was in my mind that you had told me that eric's house was built on eric's fiord." "so it is,--or two miles from there, which is of little importance. oh, yes, it stands on the very banks of einar's fiord; but since that is a route one takes only when he visits the other parts of the settlement, and seldom when he runs out to sea--is that a man i see upon the landing?" "if they have not already seen us and come down to meet us, their eyes are less sharp than they were wont to be three years ago," rolf began; when sigurd answered his own question. "they are there; do you not see? crowds of them--between the sheds. someone is waving a cloak. by saint michael, the sight of normandy did not gladden me like this!" "let down sail! drop anchor, and make the boats ready to lower," came in valbrand's heavy drone. chapter xiii eric the red in his domain givers, hail! a guest is come in; where shall he sit? water to him is needful who for refection comes, a towel and hospitable invitation, a good reception; if he can get it, discourse and answer. ha'vama'l ten by ten, the ship's boat brought them to land, and into the crowd of armed retainers, house servants, field hands, and thralls. a roar of delight greeted the appearance of helga; and sigurd was nearly overturned by welcoming hands. it seemed that the crowd stood too much in awe of leif to salute him with any familiarity, but they made way for him most respectfully; and a pack of shaggy dogs fell upon him and almost tore him to pieces in the frenzy of their joyful recognition. a fusillade of shoulder-slapping filled the air. not a buxom maid but found some brawny neck to fling her arms about, receiving a hearty smack for her pains. nor were the men more backward; it was only by clinging like a burr to her mistress's side that editha escaped a dozen vigorous caresses. alwin, with his short hair and his contradictorily rich dress, was stared at in outspoken curiosity. the men whispered that leif had become so grand that he must have a page to carry his cloak, like the king himself. the women said that, in any event, the youth looked handsome, and black became his fair complexion. kark scowled as he stepped ashore and heard their comments. "where is my father, thorhall?" he demanded, giving his hand with far more haughtiness than the chief. "he has gone hunting with thorwald ericsson," one of the house thralls informed him. "he will not be back until to-night." whereupon kark's colorless face became mottled with red temper-spots, and he pushed rudely through the throng and disappeared among the ship-sheds. "is my brother thorstein also in greenland?" leif asked the servant. but the man answered that eric's youngest son was absent on a visit to his mother's kin in iceland. when the boat had brought the last man to land, the "sea-deer" was left to float at rest until the time of her unloading; and they began to move up from the shore in a boisterous procession. between rich pastures and miniature forests of willow and birch and alder, a broad lane ran east over green hill and dale. amid a babel of talk and laughter, they passed along the lane, the rank and file performing many jovial capers, slipping bold arms around trim waists and scuffling over bundles of treasure. over hill and dale they went for nearly two miles; then, some four hundred feet from the rocky banks of einar's fiord, the lane ended before the wide-thrown gates of a high fence. if the gates had been closed, one might have guessed what was inside; so unvarying was the plan of norse manors. a huge quadrangular courtyard was surrounded by substantial buildings. to the right was the great hall, with the kitchens and storehouses. across the inner side stood the women's house, with the herb-garden on one hand, and the guest-chambers on the other. to the left were the stables, the piggery, the sheep-houses, the cow-sheds, and the smithies. no sooner had they passed the gates than a second avalanche of greetings fell upon them. gathered together in the grassy space were more armed retainers, more white-clad thralls, more barking dogs, more house servants in holiday attire, and, at the head of them, the far-famed eric the red and his strong-minded thorhild. one glance at the red one convinced alwin that his reputation did not belie him. it was not alone his floating hair and his long beard that were fiery; his whole person looked capable of instantaneous combustion. his choleric blue eyes, now twinkling with good humor, a spark could kindle into a blaze. a breath could fan the ruddy spots on his cheeks into flames. as alwin watched him, he said to himself, "it is not that he was three times exiled for manslaughter which surprises me,--it is that he was not exiled thirty times." alwin looked curiously at the plump matron, with the stately head-dress of white linen and the bunch of jingling keys at her girdle, and had a surprise of a different kind. certainly there were no soft curves in her resolute mouth, and her eyes were as keen as leif's; yet it was neither a cruel face nor a shrewish one. it was full of truth and strength, and there was comeliness in her broad smooth brow and in the unfaded roses of her cheeks. ah, and now that the keen eyes had fallen upon leif, they were no longer sharp; they were soft and deep with mother-love, and radiant with pride. her hands stirred as though they could not wait to touch him. there was a pause of some decorum, while the chief embraced his parents; then the tumult burst forth. no man could hear himself, much less his neighbor. under cover of the confusion, alwin approached helga. having no greetings of his own to occupy him, he made over his interest to others. the shield-maiden was standing on the very spot where leif had left her, editha clinging to her side. she was gazing at thorhild and nervously clasping and unclasping her hands. alwin said in her ear: "she will make you a better mother than bertha of trondhjem. it is my advice that you reconcile yourself to her at once." "it was in my mind," helga said slowly, "it was in my mind that i could love her!" shaking off editha, she took a hesitating step forward. thorhild had parted from leif, and turned to welcome sigurd. helga took another step. thorhild raised her head and looked at her. when she saw the picturesque figure, with its short kirtle and its shirt of steel, she drew herself up stiffly, and it was evident that she tried to frown; but helga walked quickly up to her and put her arms about her neck and laid her head upon her breast and clung there. by and by the matron slipped an arm around the girl's waist, then one around her shoulders. finally she bent her head and kissed her. directly after, she pushed her off and held her at arm's length. "you have grown like a leek. i wonder that such a life has not ruined your complexion. was cloth so costly in norway that leif could afford no more for a skirt? you shall put on one of mine the instant we get indoors. it is time you had a woman to look after you." but helga was no longer repelled by her severity; she could appreciate now what lay beneath it. she said, "yes, kinswoman," with proper submissiveness, and then looked over at alwin with laughing eyes. eric's voice now made itself heard above the din. "bring them into the house, you simpletons! bring them indoors! will you keep them starving while you gabble? bring them in, and spread the tables, and fill up the horns. drink to the lucky one in the best mead in greenland. come in, come in! in the troll's name, come in, and be welcome!" rolf smiled his guileless smile aside to egil. "it is likely that he will say other things 'in the troll's name' when he finds out why the lucky one has come," he murmured. chapter xiv for the sake of the cross a wary guest who to refection comes keeps a cautious silence; with his ears listens, and with his eyes observes: so explores every prudent man. ha'vama'l in accordance with the fashion of the day, brattahlid was a hall not only in the sense of being a large room, but in being a building by itself,--and a building it was of entirely unique appearance. instead of consisting of huge logs, as norse houses almost invariably did, three sides of it had been built of immense blocks of red sandstone; and for the fourth side, a low, perpendicular, smooth rock had been used, so that one of the inner walls was formed by a natural cliff between ten and twelve feet high. undoubtedly it was from this peculiarity that the name brattahlid had been bestowed upon it, brattahlid signifying 'steep side of a rock.' its style was the extreme of simplicity, for a square opening in the roof took the place of a chimney, and it had few windows, and those were small and filled with a bladder-like membrane instead of glass; yet it was not without a certain impressiveness. the hall was so large that nearly two hundred men could find seats on the two benches that ran through it from end to end. its walls were of a symmetry and massiveness to outlast the wear of centuries; and the interior had even a certain splendor. to-night, decked for a feast, it was magnificent to behold. gay-hued tapestries covered the sides, along which rows of round shields overlapped each other like bright painted scales. over the benches were laid embroidered cloths; while the floor was strewn with straw until it sparkled as with a carpet of spun gold. before the benches, on either side of the long stone hearth that ran through the centre of the hall, stood tables spread with covers of flax bleached white as foam. the light of the crackling pine torches quivered and flashed from gilded vessels, and silver-covered trenchers, and goblets of rarely beautiful glass, ruby and amber and emerald green. "i have nowhere seen a finer hall," alwin admitted to sigurd, as they pushed their way in through the crowd. "if the high-seats were different, and the fire-place was against the wall, and there were reeds upon the floor instead of straw, it would not be unlike what my father's castle was." "if i were altogether different, would i look like a saxon maiden also?" helga's voice laughed in his ear. she had come in through the women's door, with thorhild and a throng of high-born women. already she was transformed. a trailing gown of blue made her seem to have grown a head taller. bits of finery--a gold belt at her waist, a gold brooch on her breast, a string of amber beads around the white neck that showed coquettishly above the snowy kerchief--banished the last traces of the shield-maiden, for the first time, it occurred to alwin that she was more than a good comrade,--she was a girl, a beautiful girl, the kind that some day a man would love and woo and win. he gazed at her with wonder and admiration, and something more; gazed so intently that he did not see egil's eyes fastened upon him. helga laughed at his surprise; then she frowned. "if you say that you like me better in these clothes, i shall be angry with you," she whispered sharply. fortunately, alwin was not obliged to commit himself. at that moment the headwoman or housekeeper, who was also mistress of ceremonies in the absence of the steward, came bustling through the crowd, and divided the men from the women, indicating to every one his place according to the strictest interpretation of the laws of precedence. if there had been more time for preparation there would have been a larger company to greet the returned guardsman. yet the messengers thorhild had hastily despatched had brought back nearly a score of chiefs and their families; and what with their additional attendants, and leif's band of followers, and eric's own household, there were few empty places along the walls. according to custom, eric sat in his high-seat between two lofty carved pillars midway the northern length of the hall. thorhild sat in the seat with him; the high-born men were placed upon his right; the high-born women were upon her left. opposite them, as became the guest of honor and his father's eldest son, leif was established in the other high-seat. tyrker, weazened and blinking, and swaddled in furs, sat on one side of him; jarl harald's son was on the other, merry-eyed, fresh-faced, and dressed like a prince. on either hand, like beads on a necklace, the crew of the "sea-deer" were strung along. kark came the very last of the line, in the lowest seat by the door. alwin had fresh cause to be grateful to the fate that had changed their stations. his place was on the foot-stool before leif's high-seat, guarding the chief's cup. it was an honorable place, and one from which he could see and hear, and even speak with sigurd when anything happened that was too interesting to keep to himself. among leif's men there were many temptations to consult together. not one but was waiting in tense expectancy for the move that should disclose the guardsman's mission. they had sternest commands from leif to take no step without his order. they had equally positive word from valbrand to defend their chief at all hazards. between the two, they sat breathless and strained, even while they swallowed the delicacies before them. when the towels and hand-basins had gone quite around, and all the food had been put upon the table, and the feast was well under way, three musicians were brought in bearing fiddles and a harp. their performance formed a cover under which the guests could relieve their minds. "do you observe that he has let his crucifix slide around under his cloak where it is not likely to be noticed?" one whispered to another. "it is my belief that he wishes to put off the evil hour." "when the horse-flesh is passed to him he will be obliged to refuse, and that will betray him," the other answered. but eric did not see when leif shook his head at the bearer of the forbidden meat; and that danger passed. rolf murmured approvingly in sigurd's ear: "he is wise to lie low as long as possible. it is a great thing to get a good foothold before the whirlwind overtakes one." sigurd shook his head in his goblet. "when you wish to disarm a serpent, it is best to provoke him into striking at once, and so draw the poison out of his fangs." under the shelter of some twanging chords, alwin whispered up to them: "if you could sit here and see kark's face, you would think of a dog that is going to bite. and he keeps watching the door. what is it that he expects to come through it?" neither could say. they also took to watching the entrance. meanwhile the feasting went merrily on. the table was piled with what were considered the daintiest of dishes,--reindeer tongues, fish, broiled veal, horse-steaks, roast birds, shining white pork; wine by the jugful, besides vats of beer and casks of mead; curds, and loaves of rye bread, mounds of butter, and mountains of cheese. toasts and compliments flew back and forth. alwin was kept leaping to supply his master's goblet, so many wished the honor of drinking with him. his news of norway was listened to with breathless attention; his opinion was received with deference. often it seemed to alwin that he had only to speak to have his mission instantly accomplished. the english youth noticed, however, that amid all leif's flowing eloquence there was no reference to the new faith. the feast waxed merrier and noisier. one of the fiddlers began to shout a ballad, to the accompaniment of the harp. it happened to be the "song of the dwarf-cursed sword." sigurd swallowed a curd the wrong way when the words struck his ear; even valbrand looked sideways at his chief. but leif's face was immovable; and only his followers noticed that he did not join in the applause that followed the song. some of the crew let out sighs of impatience. they could fight,--it was their pleasure next after drinking,--but these waits of diplomacy were almost too much for them. it was fortunate that some trick-dogs were brought in at this point. watching their antics, the spectators forgot impatience in boisterous delight. while they were cheering the dog that had jumped highest over his pole, and pounding on the table to express their approval, through chinks in the uproar there came from outside a sound of voices, and horses neighing. "it is thorwald, home from hunting!" sigurd said eagerly, looking toward the door. in a moment he was proved correct, for the door had opened and admitted the sportsman and his companion. thorwald ericsson was as unlike his brother leif as the guardsman was different from some of the plain farmers around him. he was long and lean and wiry, and his thin lips were set in cruel lines. his dress was shabby, and out of all decent order. patches of fur had been torn out of his cloak; he was muddy up to his knees, and there was blood on his tunic and on his hands. he stood staring at the gay company in surprise, blinking in the sudden light, until his gaze en-countered leif, when he cried out joyously and hastened forward to seize his hand. alwin drew away in disgust from the touch of his ill-smelling garments. as he did so, his eye fell upon kark, who had laid hold of thorwald's companion and was talking rapidly in his ear. the new-comer was not an amiable-looking man. above his gigantic body was a lowering face that showed a capacity for slyness or viciousness, whichever better served his turn. as kark talked to him, his brow grew blacker and he plucked savagely at his knife-hilt. it dawned upon alwin then that he must be kark's father, the steward thorhall of whom valbrand had spoken. "in which case it is likely that something is about to happen," he told himself, and tried to communicate the news to sigurd. but thorwald stood between them, still pressing leif's hand. when the hunter had passed on down the line of the crew, thorhall came forward and greeted leif with great civility. only as he was retiring his eye appeared to fall upon alwin for the first time; he stopped in pained surprise. "what is this i see, chief? you have got another bowerman in place of my son, whom your father gave to you? it must be that kark has done something which you dislike. tell me what it is, and i will slay him with my own hand." again valbrand looked sideways at his master, as if to remind him that he had warned him of this. tyrker began to fumble at his beard with shaking hands, and to blink across at eric. this time they had attracted the red one's attention. his palm was curved around his ear that he might not lose a word; his eyes were fastened upon leif. the guardsman's face was as inscrutable as the side of his goblet. "if kark had deserved to be slain, he would not be living now. he is less accomplished than this man, therefore i changed them." the steward bent his head in apparent submission. "now, as always, you are right. rather than a boorish odin-man, better is it to have a man of accomplishments,--even though he be a hound of a christian." he turned away, as one quite innocent of the barb in his words. an audible murmur passed down the line of leif's men. no one doubted that this was thorhall's trap to avenge the slights upon his son. would the chief let this also pass by? though their faces remained set to the front, their eyes slid around to watch him. leif drew himself up haughtily and also very quietly. "it is unadvisable for you to speak such words to me," he said. "i also am a christian." flint had struck steel. eric leaped to his feet in a blaze. "say that again!" thorwald and a dozen of the guests shook their heads frantically at him, but leif repeated the declaration. crash! down went eric's goblet, to shiver into a thousand pieces on the table edge. with a furious curse he flung himself back in his chair, and leaned there, panting and glaring. a hum of voices arose around the room. men called out soothing words to the red one and expostulations to leif. others felt furtively for their weapons. some of the women turned pale and clung to each other. helga arose, her beautiful face shining like a star, and left their ranks and came over and seated herself on leif's foot-stool, though the voice of thorhild rose high and shrill in scolding. leif's men straightened themselves alertly, and fixed upon their master the eyes of expectant dogs. thorwald hurried to his brother, and laid hands on his shoulders, and endeavored to argue with him. leif put him aside, as he arose and faced his father. through the tumult his voice sounded quiet and strong, the quiet of perfect self-command, the strength of a fearless heart and an iron will. "it is a great grief to me that you dislike what i have done; yet now i think it best to tell you the whole truth, that you cannot feel that i have acted underhanded in anything." eric gave vent to a sound between a growl and a snarl, and flounced in his chair. thorhild made her son a gesture of entreaty. but leif, looking back into the frowning faces, calmly continued: "olaf trygvasson converted me to christianity two winters ago, and i tell you truly that i was never so well helped as i have been since then. and not only am i a christian, but every man who calls himself mine is also one, and will let blood-eagles be cut in his back rather than change his faith." no sound came from eric; but his mouth was half open, as though his rage were choking him, and his face was purple and twitched with passion. he had picked up the ugly little bronze battle-axe that leaned against his chair, and was hefting it and fingering it and shifting it from hand to hand. gradually the eyes of all the company centred upon the gleaming wedge, following it up and down and back and forth, expecting, dreading. "if he does not wish to go so far as to slay his own son, he has yet an easy mark in me," alwin murmured, his eyes following the motions like snake-charmed birds. "if he raises it again like that, i think i shall dodge." out of the corners of his eyes, he could see many movements of uneasiness among leif's men. only leif went on quietly: "you have always known that your gods must die, so it should not surprise you to be told now that they are dead; and it should gladden your hearts to know that one has been found who is both ever-living and willing to help. therefore king olaf has sent me to lay before you, that if you will accept this faith as the men of trondhjem have done--" helga sprang aside with a shriek of warning. eric's arm had shot up and back. with a bellow of rage, he leaped to his feet and hurled the axe at his son's head. simultaneously came an oath from valbrand and a roar from the crew; then a thundering blow, as the axe, missing the lucky one by ever so small a space, buried itself deep in the wall behind him. instantly every man of the crew was on his feet, and there was clashing of weapons and a tumult of angry voices. eric's men were not behindhand, and many of the guests drew swords to protect themselves. they were on the verge of a bloody scene, when again leif's voice sounded above the uproar. he had drawn no weapon, nor swerved nor moved from his first position. "put up your swords!" he said to his men. those who caught the under-note in his voice hastened to obey, even while they protested. he turned again to his father, and into his manner came that strange new gentleness that is known as courtesy, which set him above the raging red one as a man is above a beast. "it seems strange to me that the one who taught me the laws of hospitality should be the one to break them with me. nevertheless, now that i have been frank with you, i will not anger you by speaking further of my mission. and since you do not wish to lodge us, i and my men will go back to my ship and sleep there until my errand is accomplished. valbrand, do you go first, that the others may follow you in order." the old warrior hesitated as he wheeled. "it is you who should go first, my chief. the heathens will murder you. we--" "you will do as i command," leif interrupted him distinctly; and after one glance at his face, they obeyed. nothing like this had ever been seen before. a hush of awe fell upon eric's men and eric's guests. one by one the crew filed out, with rumbling threats and scowling faces, but wordless and empty-handed. alwin took advantage of his close attendance to be the last to go, but finally even he was forced to leave. helga marched out beside him, her head held very high, her eyes dealing sharper stabs than her dagger, leif's scarlet colors flying in her cheeks. thorhild called to her, but she swept on, unheeding. at the door, alwin paused to look back. he would not be denied that. leif still stood before his high-seat, holding eric with his keen calm eyes as a man holds a mad dog at bay. never had he looked grander. alwin silently swore his oath of fealty anew. that no one should accuse him of cowardice, the guardsman waited until the door had closed upon the last one of his men. then, slowly, with the utmost composure, he walked out alone between the ranks of his enemies. an involuntary murmur applauded him as he passed. thorhild, torn as she was between anger and pride, was quick to catch its meaning and to use it. whatever leif's faith, she was still his mother. taking her life in her hand, she bent over and whispered in eric's ear. the darkness of his face became midnight blackness,--then was suddenly rent apart as with lightning. he brought his fist down upon the table with a mighty crash. "stop! when did i say anything against lodging you? do you think to throw shame upon my hospitality before my guests? i will have none of your religion,--i spit upon it. you are no longer my son,--i disown you. but you shall sleep under my roof and eat at my board so long as you remain in greenland, you and your following. no man shall breathe a word against the hospitality of eric of brattahlid. thorhall, light them to sleeping rooms!" his breath, which had been growing shorter and shorter, failed him utterly. he finished with a savage gesture, and threw himself back in his chair. if leif had consulted his pride, it is likely that that night greenland would have seen the last of him. but foremost in his heart, before any consideration for himself, was the success of his mission. after a moment's hesitation, he accepted the offer courteously, and permitted thorhall's obsequious attendance. one can imagine the amazement of his followers when he came out to them, not only unharmed, but waited upon by the steward and a dozen torch-bearers. "it is because he is the lucky one," they whispered to each other. "his god helps him in everything. it is a faith to live and die for." they followed him across the grassy courtyard to the foot of the steps leading up to his sleeping-room, and would not leave him until he had consented that valbrand and olver should go in with him for a bodyguard. "and this boy also," he added, signing to alwin. as alwin approached, kark had the impudence to shoulder himself forward also. "chief, are you going to turn me out to lie with the swine in the kitchen?" he said boldly. "remember that every time you have slept in this room before, i have lain across your threshold." leif's glance pierced him through and through. "is it sense for a man to trust his slumbers to a dog that has bitten him once? go lie in the kennel. if it were not for provoking eric, you would not wait long to feel my blade." he turned and walked up the steps, with his hand on alwin's shoulder. chapter xv a wolf-pack in leash he utters too many futile words who is never silent; a garrulous tongue, if it be not checked, sings often to its own harm. ha'vama'l out in the courtyard the four juniors of leif's train were resting in the shade of the great hall, after a vigorous ball-game. it was four weeks since the crew of the "sea-deer" had come into shore-quarters; and though the warmth of august was in the sunshine, the chill of dying summer was already in the shadow. sigurd drew his cloak around him with a shiver. "br-r-r! the sweat drops are freezing on me. what a place this is!" rolf, leaning against the door-post, whittling, finished his snatch of song, "'hew'd we with the hanger! it happed that when i young was east in eyrya's channel outpoured we blood for grim wolves,'"-- and looked down with his gentle smile. "if you mean that it is this doorstep that is not to your mind, you take too much trouble. we must leave it in a moment; do you not hear that?" he jerked his head toward the gateway, from which direction they suddenly caught the faint notes of hunters' horns. "it is eric's men returning from their sport. in a little while they will be here, and we must try our luck elsewhere." he straightened himself lazily, flicking the chips from his dress; but the other three sat doggedly unmoved. alwin said, testily: "i do not see why we must be kept jumping like frightened rabbits because leif has ordered us to avoid quarrels. what trouble can we get into if we remain here without speaking, and give them plenty of room to pass by us into the hall?" rolf smiled amiably at the three scowling faces. "certainly you are good mates to ann the simpleton, if you cannot tell any better than that what would happen? they would go a rod out of their way to bump into one of us. if they have been successful, their blood will be up so that they will wish to fight for pleasure. if they have failed, they will be murderous with anger. it took less than that to start the brawl in which olver was slain,--which i dare say you have not forgotten." alwin winced, and sigurd shivered with something besides the cold. it was not the bloody tumult of the fight that they remembered the most clearly; it was what came after it. true to his interpretation of hospitality, eric had punished the murder of his guest's servant by lopping off, with his own sword, the right hand of the murderer; whereupon leif had sworn to mete the same justice to any man of his who should slay a follower of eric. slowly, as the blaring horns and trampling hoofs drew nearer, the three rose to their feet. only alwin struck the ground a savage blow with the bat he still held. "by saint george! it is unbearable that we should be forced to act in such a foolish way! has leif less spirit than a wood-goat? i do not see what he means by it." "nor i," echoed sigurd. "nor i," growled egil. "i believed he had some of eric's temper in him." "i do not see why, myself," rolf admitted; "but i see something that seems to me of greater importance, and that is how he looked when he gave the order." they followed him across the grassy enclosure, though they still grumbled. "where shall we go?" "the stable also is full of eric's men." "before long we shall be shoved off the land altogether. we will have to swim over to biorn's dwarf-country." "i propose that we go to the landing place," exclaimed sigurd. "it may be that the ship which valbrand sighted this morning is nearly here." "i say nothing against that," rolf assented. they wheeled promptly toward a gate. but at that moment, alwin caught sight of a blue-gowned figure watering linen in front of the women's-house. "do you go on without me," he said, drawing back. "i will follow in a moment." sigurd threw him a keen glance. "is it your intention to do anything exciting, like quarrelling with thorhall as you did last night? let me stay and share it." there was a little embarrassment in alwin's laugh. "no such intention have i. i wish to see the hunters ride in." the hunters were an imposing sight, as they swept into the court, and broke ranks with a cheer that brought heads to every door. white-robed thralls ran among the champing horses, unsaddling them; scarlet-cloaked sportsmen tumbled heaps of feathered slain out of their game-bags upon the grass; horns brayed, and hounds bayed and struggled in the leash. but alwin forgot to notice it, he was hurrying so eagerly to where helga, gilli's daughter, walked between her strips of bleaching linen, sprinkling them with water from a bronze pan with a little broom of twigs. the outline of her face was sharper and the roses glowed more faintly in her cheeks, but she welcomed him with her beautiful frank smile. "i was hoping some of you would think it worth while to come over here. it is a great relief for me to speak to a man again. i am so tired of women and their endless gabble of brewing and spinning. yesterday freydis, eric's daughter, drove over, and all the while she was here she talked of nothing but--" "eric's daughter?" alwin repeated in surprise. "not until now have i heard that leif had a sister. why is she never spoken of? where does she live?" helga shrugged impatiently. "she lives at gardar with a witless man named thorvard, whom she married for his wealth. she is a despisable creature. and the reason no one speaks of her is that if he did he would feel thorhild's hands in his hair. there is great hatred between them. yesterday they quarrelled before freydis had been here any time at all. and i was about to say that i was glad of it, since it brought about freydis' departure: all the time she was here she spoke of nothing save her ornaments and costly things. oh, i do not see why odin had the wish to create women! it would have been pleasanter if they had remained elm-trees." alwin regarded her with eyes of the warmest good-will. "it would become a heavy misfortune to me if you were an elm-tree,--though it is likely that i should speak with you then quite as often as i do now. except at meals, i seldom see you. but i never pass your window that i do not remember that you are toiling within, and say to myself that i am sorry for your bad luck." "i give you thanks," answered helga, with her friendly smile. "where have the other men gone? i wished to speak with sigurd." "they have gone to the landing-place, to watch for a ship that valbrand sighted this morning from the rocks." she cried out joyfully: "a ship in einar's fiord? then it belongs to some chief of the settlement, who is returning from a viking voyage! there will be a fine feast made to welcome him." alwin followed her doubtfully up the lane between the white patches. "is it likely that that will do us any good? it is possible that leif will not be invited." the heat of her scorn was like to have dried the drops she was scattering. "you are out of your senses. do you think men who trade among the christians are so little-minded as eric? leif is known to be a man of renown, and the friend of olaf trygvasson. they will be proud to sit at table with him." "it may be that he will refuse to feast with heathens." "that is possible," helga admitted. she emptied her pan with a little flirt of impatience, and sighed. "how tiresome everything is! to sit at a table where one is afraid to move lest there be a fight! i speak the truth when i say that this is the merriest diversion i have,--standing out here, watering linen, and watching who comes and goes. and now that my pan is empty, i must betake myself indoors again. yonder is valbrand beckoning you." it is probable that alwin would not have hurried to obey the summons, but with a nod and a smile helga turned away, and there was nothing for him but to go forward to meet the steersman. the old warrior regarded the young favorite with his usual apathy. "it is the wish of leif that you attend upon him directly." "is he in his sleeping-room?" "yes." it occurred to alwin to wonder at this summons. his usual hour for reading came after leif had retired for the night. if the chief had overheard the dispute with thorhall! he lingered, meditating a question; but a second glance at valbrand's battered face dissuaded him. he turned sharply on his heel, and strode across to the storehouse that had become leif's headquarters. a loft that could be reached only by a ladder-like outer stairway, and was without fireplace or stove or means of heating, does not appear inviting. but one has a keener sense of appreciation when he considers that the other alternative was a bed in the great hall, where the air was as foul as it was warm, and the room was shared with drunken men and spilled beer and bones and scraps left from feasting. alwin had no inclination to hold his nose high in regard to his master's new lodgings. england itself offered nothing more comfortable. when he had come up the long flight of steps and swung open the heavy door, he had even an impulse of admiration. this, the state guest-chamber, was not without softening details. it was large and high and weather-proof, and boasted three windows. the box-like straw-filled beds, that were built against the wall, were spread with snowy linen and covers of eiderdown. the long brass-bound chests that stood on either side the door were piled with furs until they offered the softest and warmest of resting-places. a score of leif's rich dresses, hanging from a row of nails, covered the bare walls as with a gorgeous tapestry. the table was provided with graceful bronze water-pitchers and wash-basins of silver, and was littered over with silver scissors and gold-mounted combs and bright-hilted knives, and a medley of costly trinkets. near the table stood a great carved arm-chair. at the sight of the man who leaned against its flaming red cushions of eiderdown, alwin forgot his admiration. the chief's eyebrows made a bushy line across his nose. the young bowerman knew, without words, why he had been sent for. he stopped where he was, a pace within the door, angry and embarrassed. after a while, leif said sternly: "you are very silent now, but it appears to me that i heard your voice loud enough in the hall last night." "it was only that i was accusing thorhall of a trick that he tried to put upon me. he allowed me to go up to the loft above the provision house without telling me that the flooring had been taken up, so that they might pour the new mead into the vat in the room below. in one more step i should have fallen through the opening and been drowned. it is plain he did it to avenge kark. i should have burst if i had not told him so." "i have commanded that my men shall not hold speech with the men of eric except on friendly matters; that they shall avoid a quarrel as they would avoid death." his tone of quiet authority had begun to have its usual effect upon his young follower; alwin's head had bent before him. but suddenly he looked up with a daring flash. "then i have not been disobedient to you, lord; for i would not avoid death if it seemed to me that such shirking were cowardly." a moment the retort brought a grim smile to leif's lips; then suddenly his face froze into a look of terrible anger. he half started from his chair. "do you dare tell me to my face that, because i order you to keep the peace, i am a coward?" alwin gave a great gasp. "lord, there is no man in the world who would dare speak such words to you. i but meant that i cannot bear such treatment as thorhall's in silence." had another said this, the answer might have been swift and fierce; but leif's manner toward this follower was always different from his way with others,--whether out of respect for his accomplishment, or a fancy for him, or because he discerned in him some refinement that was rare in that brutal age. the anger faded from his face and he said quietly: "can you not bear so small a thing as that, for so great a cause as the spreading of your faith?" the boy started. "without peace in which to gain their friendship so that they will hear us willingly, our cause is lost. it is not because i am a craven that i bear to be the guest of the man who sought my life, who turns his face from me when i sit at his board, who allows his servants to insult me. sometimes i think it would be easier to bear the martyrdom of the blessed saints!" he made a sudden fierce movement in his chair, as though the fire in his veins had leaped out and burnt his flesh. then, for the first time, alwin understood. he bent before him, rebuked and humbled. "lord, i see that i have done wrong. i ask you to pardon it. say what you would have me do." "put my commands ahead of your desires, as i put king olaf's wish before my pride, and as he sets the will of god before his will." "i promise i will not fail you again, lord." "see that you do not," leif answered, with a touch of sternness. chapter xvi a courtier of the king a better burden no man bears on the way than much good sense; that is thought better than riches in a strange place: such is the recourse of the indigent. ha'vama'l the next afternoon when helga came out to water the linen, she found alwin waiting for her, on the pretext of hunting in the long grass for a lost arrow-head. he greeted her gayly: "i will offer you three chances to guess my news." she paused, with her twig broom raised and dripping, and scanned him eagerly. "is it anything about the ship that came yesterday? i heard among the women that it is the war-vessel of eric's kinsman, thorkel farserk, just come back from ravaging the irish coast. is his wife going to make a feast to welcome him?" "i will not deny that you have proved a good guesser. and, by dunstan! he deserves to be received well. never saw i such a sight as that landing! there were more slaves than there were men in the crew. not a man but had a bloody bandage on his head or his body, and the arms and legs of some were lacking. two of the crew were not there at all, and their sweethearts had come down to the shore to meet them; and when they found that they had been slain, they tore their hair and tried to kill themselves with knives." "that was foolish of them," said helga, calmly. "better was it that their lovers should die in good repute than live in the shame of cowardice. but tell me the news. has it happened, as i supposed, that there is going to be a feast, and leif is asked to it?" "messengers came this morning from farserk's wife. but you dare not guess the rest." "i dare throw this pan of water over you if you do not tell me instantly." "it would not matter much if you did. i am to have new clothes,--of black velvet with bands of ermine. but hearken now: leif has accepted the invitation! even valbrand thinks this a great wonder. at this moment sigurd is selecting the chief's richest dress, and rolf is getting out the most costly of the gifts that were brought from norway." helga set down her pan for the express purpose of clapping her hands. "now i am well content; for at last they will see him in all his glory, and know what manner of man they have treated with disrespect. i have hoped with all my heart for such a thing as this, but by no means did i think he cared enough to do it." alwin shook his head hastily. "you must not get it into your mind that it is to improve his own honor that he does it now. i know that for certain. it is to give his mission a good appearance." helga picked up her pan with a sigh. "when he begins to preach that to them, he will knock it all over again." alwin considered it his duty to frown at this; but it must be confessed that something very similar was in his own thoughts as he followed his lord into thorkel farserk's feasting-hall that night. whatever his religion, the guardsman's rank and his gallant appearance and fine manners compelled admiration and respect. it could not but seem a pity to his admirers that soon, with one word, he would be forced to undo it all. "it is harder than the martyrdom of the saints," alwin murmured bitterly. then his eye fell upon the silver crucifix, shining pure and bright on leif's breast, and he realized the unworthiness of his thoughts, and resigned himself with a sigh. but he found that even yet leif's purposes were beyond him. never, by so much as a word, did the guardsman refer to the subject of the new religion,--though again and again his skilful tongue won for him the attention of all at the table. he spoke of battles and of feasts, and of the grandeur of the northmen. with the old men he discussed norwegian politics; with the young ones he talked of the famous champions of king olaf's guard. to the women who wished to know concerning the king's house, and the queen, he answered with the utmost patience. he described everything, from weddings to burials, with the skill of a minstrel and the weight of an authority, and always with the tact of a courtier. gradually whispers of praise circled around the board, whispers that fell like sweetest music on the jealous ears of leif's followers. thorhild leaned back from her food and watched him with open pride,--and though eric kept his face still turned away, he set his ear forward so that he should hear everything. alwin was almost beside himself with nervousness. "if the crash does not come soon, i shall go out of my wits," he whispered to rolf. the wrestler turned upon him a face of such unusual excitement that he was amazed. "do you not see?" he whispered. "there will not be any crash. i have just begun to understand. it was this he meant when he spoke to you of gaining their friend-ship that they might hear him willingly. do you not see?" alwin's relief was so great that at first he dared not believe it. when the truth of it dawned upon him, he was overcome with wonder and admiration. in those days, nine men out of every ten could draw their swords and rave and die for their principles; it was only the tenth man that was strong enough to keep his hand off his weapon, or control his tongue and live to serve his cause. "luck obeys his will as the helm his hand. i shall never worry over him again," he said contentedly, as with the others he waited in the courtyard for leif to come out of the feasting-hall. sigurd laughed gayly. "do you know what i just overheard in the crowd? some of thorkel's men were praising leif, and one of eric's churls thought it worth while to boast to them how he had known the lucky one when he was a child. certainly the tide is beginning to turn." "leif ericsson is an ingenious man," rolf said, with unusual decision. "i take shame upon me that ever i doubted his wisdom." egil uttered the kind of sullen grunt with which he always prefaced a disagreeable remark. "ugh! i do not agree with you. i think his behavior was weak-kneed. knowing their hatred against the word christian, all the more would i have dinged it into their ears; that they might not think they had got the better of me. now they believe he has become ashamed of his faith and deserted it." the three broke in upon him in an angry chorus. alwin said sternly: "you speak in a thoughtless way, egil olafsson. you forget that he still wears the crucifix upon his breast. how can they believe that he has forgotten his faith or given it up, when they cannot look at him without seeing also the sign of his god?" egil turned away, silenced. this feast of thorkel farserk was the first of a long line of such events. with the approach of autumn, ships became a common sight in the fiords-those chieftains who had left greenland in summer to spear whales in the northern ocean, or make trading voyages to eastern countries, or cruise over the high seas on pirates' missions, now came sailing home again with increased wealth and news-bags bursting. for every traveller, wife or kinsman made a feast of welcome--a bountiful entertainment that sometimes lasted three days, with tables always spread, and horns always filled, and games and horse-races, and gifts for everyone. at each of these celebrations, leif appeared in all his splendor; and his tactful tongue held for him the place of honor. his popularity grew apace. the only thing that could keep step with it was the exultation of his followers. chapter xvii the wooing of helga at love should no one ever wonder in another; a beauteous countenance oft captivates the wise, which captivates not the foolish. a man must not blame another for what is many men's weakness; for mighty love changes the sons of men from wise into fools. ha'vama'l it happened, one day, that an accidental discovery caused alwin to regard these festivities in a new light. it was a morning in november when he was in the hall, kneeling before master to lace his high boots. leif stood before the fire, wrapping himself up for a ride across the settlement. some unknown cause had made the atmosphere of the breakfast-table so particularly ungenial,--thorhild sitting with her back to her spouse, and eric manifesting a growing desire to hurl goblets at the heads of all who looked at him,--that the courtier had judged it discreet to absent himself from the next meal. he now stood arraying himself from a pile of furs, and talking with tyrker, who sat near him blinking in the fire-glow. save a couple of house-thralls scrubbing at the lower end of the room, no one else was present, eric having started on his morning round of the stables, the smithies, and the cow-houses. as he pulled on his fur gloves, leif smiled satirically. "it is a good thing that i was present last summer when king olaf converted kjartan the icelander. it was then i learned that those who cannot be dealt with by force may often be led by the nose without their knowing it. olaf said to the fellow, 'the god i worship does not wish that any should be brought to him by force. as you are averse to the doctrines of christianity, you may depart in peace.' whereupon kjartan immediately replied: 'in this manner i may be induced to be a christian.' so, because i have kept my promise to speak no more concerning christianity, men have become curious about it, and yesterday two chiefs came of their own will and asked me questions concerning it." tyrker poked his head out to say "so?" then snuggled back into his wraps again, to chuckle contentedly. he was so wound up in furs that he looked like a sharp little needle in a fuzzy haystack. leif's smile gave way to a frown. "another man came to me also, on a different errand,--ragner thorkelsson,--it may be that you saw him? he wished to make a bargain concerning helga." alwin gave a great start, so that the leather thong snapped in his hand; but his master went on unheeding. "you know it is my wish that she shall marry as soon as she can make a good match, since she is not happy while she sits at home with thorhild, and it is not likely that she will like her father much better. it has been in my mind through every feast; but until now, none of the men who have asked for her has seemed to me a good match." though his hands kept mechanically at their work, alwin's brain seemed to have come to a standstill. it must be a dream, a foolish dream. it was not possible that such a thing could have been planned without his even suspecting it. he listened numbly. "the first man was too old. the second was not of good enough kin; and the other two had not enough property. ragner thorkelsson lacks none of these. he is young; his father's father was a lawman; and he owns eighteen farms and many ships." though he did not in the least know why, alwin felt a hot desire to seek out ragner thorkelsson and kill him. "so?" said tyrker, peering forth inquiringly. "yet never have i heard that he any accomplishments had, or that in battle enemies he had overcome." "no," leif assented. he did not finish immediately, and there was a pause. from the courtyard came a clashing and jingling of bells, as servants brought the reindeer from the feeding-ground to harness them to the boat-like sledges that stood waiting. "it may be that i have acted unwisely," leif said at last; "but because i did not believe it would be according to helga's wish, i told him that i would not bargain with him." alwin buried a gulping laugh in the fur cloak he had picked up. he had known that it would end in some such way. of course; it had been idiotic to expect anything else. he listened smilingly for what else leif had to say. the guardsman drew the last strap through the last buckle on his double fur jacket, and turned toward the door. "it may be that i was unwise, but it may also be that it will not matter much. the most desirable men come home latest; we have not seen them all. it is likely that the next feast will decide it." long after the door had closed upon leif, and he had entered the sledge and been whirled through the gate in a flurry of snow and a clamor of bells, alwin stood there, motionless. tyrker dozed in the comfort-able warmth, and woke to find him still staring down into the fire. "what hast thou, my son?" he questioned, kindly. alwin came to himself with a start and a stare, and catching up his cloak, hurried out of the room without replying. "i will find helga and tell her that she must put a stop to it," he was saying to himself as he went. "that is what i will do. i will tell her that she must stop it." pulling his cap lower as the keen wind cut his face, he hurried across the courtyard toward the women's-house, trying to frame some excuse that should bring helga to the door where he could speak to her. half-way across, he bumped into rolf. "hail, comrade! have you left your eyes behind you in your hurry?" the wrestler greeted him, catching him by the shoulders and spinning him round and round as he attempted to pass. "you look as sour as last night's beer. what will you give to hear good tidings?" "nothing. let me go. i am in a hurry," alwin fumed. "you have not outrun your curiosity, have you? i have just learned why it is that thorhild no longer speaks to eric, and why he is in a mood to smash things." "why?" asked alwin, impatiently; but he no longer struggled, for he knew it was useless in rolf's grip. "because last night thorhild told eric that she had become a christian. her bowerwoman told helga, and when i met helga--" "met her? where? is she in the women's-house?" rolf shook him by the shoulders he still held. "is that all you have to say to news of such importance? do you not see that now that thorhild has been converted, eric's men will no longer dare oppose us; lest in time to come, when she has brought eric round--" "i say, where did you meet helga?" roared alwin. rolf released him, and stood looking at him with an inscrutable smile. "if i were not your sworn friend, i should enjoy wringing your neck," he said. "i met helga at the gate yonder. she was going over to glum starkadsson's to get something for thorhild, and also because she wished a walk over the hard snow." "is it far from here? and in what direction?" "for what purpose do you wish to know that?" "i ask you in what direction it lies." "the troll take you!" rolf gave it up with a laugh. "it lies to the north of the fiord,--beyond a bridge that crosses a river that runs through a valley. and it is not far. have you not yet learned that in greenland people do not take long strolls in the winter-time?" alwin pulled a hood over his cap, strapped his cloak still tighter, drew a pair of down-lined mittens from under his girdle and put them on over his gloves, and, without another syllable, turned and made for the gate. it was glorious weather, dry and clear, and so still that very little of the cold penetrated his fur-lined garments. snow covered everything, fine and firm and dazzling. the smooth white expanse suggested a wish that he had brought the skees he was learning to use; then the sight of the line of boulders he would have had to steer around made him rejoice that he had not. far ahead of him rose the glittering wall of inland ice,--that mysterious frozen sea that covers all of greenland except its very border, and never advances and never recedes. what made it stop there, he wondered? and what lay beyond it? and could those tales be true that the old women told, of terrible magical beings living on its silent frozen peaks? the sight of a dark speck moving over the white plain far ahead of him banished every other thought. it might be that it was helga. he crunched on eagerly. then he dipped into the valley and lost sight of the speck, found it on the bridge, dipped again, and again it was lost to view. it was not until the fence of glum starkadsson's farm was plainly in sight, that he caught another glimpse of it. but this time it was coming toward him, from the gateway. certainly that long crimson cloak and full crimson hood belonged to helga. in a moment, she waved her hand at him. soon he could see her face under the white fur border. her scarlet lips were curving in a smile. the snow-glare brought out the dazzling fairness of her pearly skin, and her eyes were like two radiant blue stars. it seemed to alwin that he had never known before how beautiful she was. a strange shyness came over him, that weighted his feet and left him without a word to say when they met. but helga greeted him cheerily. "did you ever breathe finer air? i wish thorhild would run out of gold thread every day in the week. are you in a hurry?" "no," alwin began hesitatingly, "i--" she did not wait for the end. "then turn back with me a little way, and i will tell you something worth hearing." he turned obediently and walked beside her, trying to think how to put what he had come to say. "you remember hearing of egil's father olaf, who was so ill-tempered that egil dared not go home and confess that he had become a christian? gunnlaug starkadsson returned this morning from visiting his wife, and she says that last night the old man's horse threw him so that his head hit against a stone, and it caused his death." she made an impressive pause; but alwin stalked along in silence, grinding his heels deep into the snow. "do you not see what that means?" she asked, impatiently. "egil will now come into his inheritance, and become one of the richest men in the settlement." the trouble was that, in the first flash, alwin had seen it all too plainly. he had seen that now egil would become just such a man as leif was wishing to bargain with. the thought burnt him like a hot iron, and he opened his lips to pour out his frenzy; but he could not find the words. after a moment he said, sullenly: "i should be thankful if he would leave leif's service, so that i could sometimes speak to you without having him watch me like a dog at a rabbit-hole." helga turned toward him with frank interest. "i wonder at that also. he does not act so when i speak to sigurd or rolf. but then, he has behaved very strangely to me ever since he talked with skroppa in iceland, two seasons ago." "he spoke to me of skroppa the first time i saw him," alwin said, absently. then a flicker of curiosity awoke in him. "i wish that you would tell me what 'skroppa' stands for. i do not know whether it is man or beast or demon." even out there in the open, helga glanced about for listeners before she answered. "skroppa is a fore-knowing woman, who lives among the unsettled places north of here, in a cabin down in a hollow. though leif will not admit it, it was she who took the curse off eric's sword." it seemed to alwin that here at last was an opening. he said harshly: "i wonder if she would be wise enough to tell whom leif will marry you to before the feasting is over?" helga stood still and looked at him. "what are you talking about?" he stopped in front of her, with a fierce gesture, and in one angry burst told her all he had heard. he could not understand how she could listen so calmly, kicking the snow with the toe of her shoe. when he had finished, she said quietly: "yes, i know he has that intention in his mind. it is for that reason that every time i go to a feast he gives me costly ornaments, and makes me wear them. i have had great kindness from his hands. but do not let us speak of it further." alwin caught her roughly by her wrists, and shook her a little as he looked into her eyes. "you must not let him marry you to anyone. do you hear? you _must_ not, _i_ love you." helga's look of resentment changed to one of pleased surprise, and she shook his hands heartily. "do you truly, comrade? i am glad, for i like you very much indeed,--as much as i like sigurd." "then swear by your knife that you will not let him marry you to anyone." she pulled her hands away, a little impatiently. "why do you ask that which is useless?" "but you have just said that you liked me." "i do; but what does that matter, since i cannot marry you?" so light had the yoke of servitude grown on alwin's shoulders that he had almost forgotten its existence. he opened his lips to ask, "why?" then it came back to him that he was a slave, a worthless, helpless dog of a slave. he closed his lips again and walked on without speaking, staring ahead of him with fierce, despairing eyes. chapter xviii the witch's den moderately wise should each one be, but never over-wise: his destiny let know no man beforehand; his mind will be freest from care. ha'vama'l because it was yule eve, the long deserted temple on the plain was filled with light and sound. fires blazed upon the floor; the row of gilded idols came out of the shadow and shone in all their splendor. the altars were reddened with the blood of slaughtered cattle; the tapestried walls had been spattered with it. the temple priest dipped a bunch of twigs into the brimming copper bowl, and sprinkled the sacrificial blood over the people who sat along the walls ... they raised the consecrated horns and drank the sacred toasts. to odin! for victory and power. to njord! to frey! for peace and a good year ... eric of brattahlid laid his hands upon the atonement boar and made a solemn vow to render justice unto all men, whatsoever their transgressions. the others followed him in this, as in everything. because this was happening in the temple, brattahlid, the source of light and good cheer, was dark and gloomy. in the great hall there was no illumination save the flickering firelight. black shadows blotted out the corners and stretched across the ceiling. the long benches were emptied of all save leif's followers and thorhild's band of women. the men sat like a row of automatons, drinking steadily, in deep silence, with furtive glances toward their leader. leif leaned back in his high-seat, neither speaking nor drinking, scowling down into the flames. "he is angry because eric keeps up the heathen sacrifice," the women whispered in each other's ears. "he has all of eric's temper when he is angered. it would be as much as one's life were worth to go near him now." shivering with nervousness, they crouched on the bench beside their mistress's seat. thorhild leaned on the arm of her chair, shading her brow with her hand that she might gaze at leif unseen. sometimes her eyes dwelt on his face, and sometimes they rested on the silver crucifix that shone on his breast; and so great was her tenderness for the one, that she embraced the other also in a look of yearning love. when the house-thralls had cleared away the tables, they crept into a corner and stayed there, fearing even to go forward and replenish the sinking fire, though gusts of bitter cold came through the broken window behind them. little as they guessed it, something besides cold was coming through the hole in the window. even while they shivered and nodded beneath it, a pair of gray saxon eyes were sending keen glances through it, searching every corner. as the eyes turned back to the outer darkness, alwin's voice whispered with a long breath of relief: "i am certain they have not noticed that we have gone out." from the darkness, sigurd's voice interrupted softly: "is kark there?" "i think he is still in his comer. the light is bad, and the flames are leaping between, but it seems to me that i can make him out." they emerged from the shadow into the moonlight, and it became evident that sigurd was shaking his head dubiously. "it seems to me also that i heard the door creak after us, and saw a shadow slip past as we turned this corner. he is always on the watch; it might easily be that our going out aroused his suspicions so that he is hiding somewhere to track us. more than anything else in the world, is he desirous to catch you in some disobedience." alwin tramped on doggedly. to all appearances, the court was as deserted as a graveyard at midnight. not even the whinny of a horse broke the stillness. they passed into the shadow of a storehouse, and alwin dived into, the recess under the steps and began to fumble for something hidden there. when he drew out a pair of skees and proceeded to put them on, sigurd burst forth with increased vehemence. "alwin, i implore you to heed my advice. my mind tells me that nothing but evil can come of meddling with skroppa. there will be no limit to leif's anger if he--" "i tell you he will not find out," alwin answered over his shoulder. "his mind is so full of eric's ill-doings, that he will not notice my absence before i am back again. and to-night is the only night when i am not in danger of being spied upon by eric's men. it is my only chance." "yet kark--" "kark may go into the hands of the trolls!" "it is not unlikely that you will accompany him. you are doing a great sin. harald fairhair burned his son alive for meddling with witchcraft." although his toes were thrust into the straps of the runner-like skees, alwin stamped with exasperation. "you need not tell me that again. i know as well as you that it is a sin. but will not penance make it right?" "you will dishonor leif's holy mission." "i shall not cause any quarrel, nor offend anyone. what harm can i do?" sigurd laid his hands on his friend's shoulders and tried to see his face in the dark. "give it up, comrade; i beseech you to give it up. if you should be discovered, i tell you that though a priest might win you a pardon from heaven, no power on earth could make your peace with leif ericsson." alwin said slowly: "if he discovers what i have done, i will endure any punishment he chooses, because i owe him some obedience while i eat his bread and wear his clothes. but i am not his born thrall, so i will have my own way first. urge me no more, brother; my mind is fixed." sigurd released him instantly. "i will say nothing further,--except that it is my intention to try my luck with you." stooping into the recess, he drew out an-other pair of skees and began to fasten them on. at the prospect of companionship, alwin felt a rush of relief,--then a twinge of compunction. "sigurd, you must not do this thing. there is no reason why you should run this risk." "there would be no reason why you should call me your friend if i did otherwise," sigurd cut him short. "do you think me a craven, to let you go alone where you might be tricked or murdered? have you a weapon?" "leif will not allow me so much as a dagger, so to-night i borrowed from his table the old brass-hilted knife that eric gave him in his boyhood. it is unlikely that he will miss that. i have it here." throwing back his cloak, he showed it thrust through his girdle. "come, then," said sigurd curtly. "and have a care for your skees. you are not over-skilful yet." he caught up the long staff that acts something like a balance-pole in skeeing, and darted away. alwin followed, with an occasional prod of his staff into a shadow that seemed thicker than it should be. by a side-gate, they left the courtyard and struck out across the fields, where the snow was packed as hard as a road-bed. noiseless as birds, and almost as swift, they skimmed along over the snow-clad plains and half-frozen marshes. as was to have been expected, the young viking was an expert. to see him shoot down a hillside at lightning speed, his skees as firmly parallel as though they were of one piece, his graceful body bending, balancing, steering, was to see the next best thing to flying. alwin's runners threw him more than once, lapping one over the other as he was zigzagging up a slope, so that he tripped and rolled until a snow-bank stopped him. as he regained his feet after one of these interruptions, he made some angry remark; but beyond this there was little said. it was a dreary night to be on an uncanny errand, with a chill in the air that seemed to freeze the heart. a fitful, spiteful wind drove the clouds like frightened sheep, and strove to blow out the pale patient moon. sometimes it seemed almost to succeed; suddenly, when they most needed light to guide their six-foot runners between the great boulders, the light would go out like a torch in the water. the gusts lay in wait for them at the corners, to leap out and lash their faces with a shriek that chattered their teeth. the lulls between the gusts were even worse; it seemed as though the whole world were holding its breath in dread. they held theirs, darting uneasy glances at the glacier wall glittering far ahead of them. when a long, low wail smote their ears, their hearts leaped into their throats. they were travelling along the edge of a black ravine. halting, they stood with suspended breath, staring down into the darkness. the cry came again, yet more piercing; then suddenly it split into a hissing sound like a kettle boiling over. alwin broke into a nervous laugh. "cats!" he said. but sigurd stiffened as quickly as he had relaxed. "one of skroppa's! she swarms with them. see! is not that a light down there?" a sudden flicker there certainly was,--if it was not a ghost-fire. the last cloud scurried from before the face of the long-suffering moon; before the wind could bring up another fleecy flock, the pale light crept down into the hollow and revealed the dark outline of a cabin clinging among the rocks. alwin slipped out of his skees and made sure of his knife. "that, then, is her house. we will leave the skees here." "though you never were known to heed advice, i will offer you another piece," sigurd answered. "we must go softly; and if we find the door unlocked, enter quickly and without knocking. otherwise it is possible that we will stay outside and talk to the stones." it was a tedious descent, yet somehow the time seemed plenty short enough before they stood at the threshold. the stillness at the bottom of the hollow was death-like; only the flickering light on the window spoke of life. silently the door yielded to alwin's touch. darkness and a dying fire were all that met their eyes. they thought the room empty, and took a step forward. instantly the space was alive with the green eyes of countless cats. the air was split with yowlings and spittings and hissing. soft furry bodies bounced against them and bit and clawed around their legs. from the farthest corner came the lisping voice of a toothless old woman. "who dares interrupt my sleep when the visions of things i wish to know are passing before me? better would it be for him to put his hand into the mouth of the fenriswolf." alwin said slowly, "it is the english thrall." after a pause, the voice answered crossly, "i know no english thrall." "how comes it, then, that more than a year ago you told something concerning him which made egil olafsson his mortal foe?" out of the darkness came a sudden cackling laugh. "that is true. i told the black one that the maiden he loved would love an english thrall instead. and he wished to stick his sword through me!" "is that what you told him?" cried alwin, in amazement. sigurd echoed the cry. yet as their minds ran back over egil's strange actions, they could not doubt that this was the key that unlocked their mystery. from an invisible corner came a stir, a creak, and then the sound of feet lighting softly on the floor. a tiny figure appeared on the edge of the shadows beyond the dying fire. the light fell upon furry gray feet; and alwin's first thought was that a monstrous cat had dropped down. then the flames leaped higher, and showed a furry cloak and a furry hood, and from its fuzzy depths protruding, a sharp yellow beak for a nose, and a hairy yellow peak for a chin. of eyes, one saw nothing at all. out of the fuzzy depths came a lisping voice. "when a thrall of leif ericsson, who is also a christian, thinks it worth while to risk his life and his soul to consult me, i forgive it that i am wakened at midnight. it is a compliment to my powers that i do not take ill. say what you wish to learn from me." alwin felt sigurd touch him reproachfully, and shame burned in his cheeks; but he had gone too far to retreat. he said bluntly: "i wish to know whether helga, gilli's daughter, is to be given to egil. each time he speaks across the floor to her, i am as though i were pricked with sharp knives. i have endured it through three feasts; but i look upon her with such eyes of love, that i can bear it no longer." "i will dull those knives, even as odin blunts the weapons of his enemies. helga will not be given to egil, because he is too haughty to ask for her since he knows that she loves you instead of him." it had seemed to alwin that if he could only know this, he would be satisfied; yet now his questions piled upon each other. "then do you promise that she will be given to me? how am i to save her? how am i to get my freedom? how long am i to wait?" the sibyl sank her head upon her breast so that her nose and chin quite disappeared, and she stood before them like some furry headless beast. there was a long pause. alwin nervously followed the pairs of eyes, noiselessly appearing and disappearing, from floor to ceiling, in every part of the room. sigurd set his back against the door and carried on a silent struggle with the heavy lumps, hanging by teeth and claws upon his cloak. at last skroppa raised her head and answered haltingly: "you ask too much, according to the time and the place. to know all that clearly, i should sit on a witches' platform and eat witches' broth, and have women stand about me and sing weird songs. without music, spirits do not like to help. i can only see bits, vaguely as through a fog... i see your body lying on the ground i see a ship where never ship was seen before i see--i see leif ericsson standing upon earth where never man stood before. it seems to me that i read great luck in his face... and i see you standing beside him, though you do not look as you look now, for your hair is long and black. the light is so bright that i cannot... yes, one thing more is open to my sight. i see that it is in this new land that it will be settled whether your luck is to be good or bad." she stopped. they waited for her to go on; but soon it became evident that the foretelling was finished. with all his prudence, sigurd began to laugh; and alwin burst out in a passion of impatience: "for which, you gabbler? for which? i can make nothing of such jargon. tell me in plain words whether it will be for good or ill." skroppa answered just one word: "jargon!" alwin stormed on unheeding, but sigurd's laughter stopped: something in the tone of that one word chilled his blood and braced his muscles like a frost. he strained his eyes to pierce the shadow and make out what she was doing; and it seemed to him that he could no longer see her. she had disappeared,--where? in a sudden panic he groped behind him for the door; found it and flung it open. it was well that the moon was shining at that moment. "alwin!" he shouted. the yellow face was close to the thrall's unconscious shoulder; one evil claw-like hand was almost at his cheek. what she would have done, she alone knew. while his cry was still in the air, sigurd pulled his companion away and through the door. up the steep they went like cats. near the top, alwin tripped, and his knife slipped from his belt and fell against a boulder. it lay there shining, but neither of them noticed it. into their skees, and over the crusted plains they went,--reindeer could not have caught them. chapter xix tales of the unknown west fire is needful to him who is come in, and whose knees are frozen; food and raiment a man requires who o'er the fell has travelled. ha'vama'l "i tell you i must go over the track once more. it may have slipped out of my girdle at some of the places where i tripped." alwin's words rose in frosty cloud; for he was leif's unheated sleeping-room, drawing on an extra pair of thick woollen stockings in preparation for his customary outing. "it is foolishness. four times already have you been over the ground without finding it. a long brass-halted knife could not have been overlooked if it had been there. i tell you that you lost it among the rocks of the hollow, and that you would be wise to give it up." sigurd's answer came in muffled though emphatic tones, for he was huddled almost out of sight among the furs on the chest, as he waited for his companion to complete his dressing. now that genuine winter weather was upon them, the loft was necessarily abandoned as a sleeping apartment; but it still served as a dressing-room for such slight and speedy alterations as were attempted. as he pulled on the big heelless skeeing-shoes, alwin sighed anxiously. "i must find it. any day leif may miss it and ask." "he is not likely to, since he has already gone a week without noticing its absence. and if he should, you have only to say that you borrowed it to protect yourself from wolves. that will not be much of a lie, skroppa being nearer wolf than human. he will feel that he was wrong to have denied you a weapon, and he will only scold a little." "it is true that he is in a good temper again," alwin admitted. "yesterday i heard tyrker tell valbrand that many more chiefs had asked concerning christianity; and last night, after eric had gone to sleep in his seat, i heard leif say to thorhild that if now he could only do some great deed to prove the power of his god, it was his opinion that half of greenland would be ready to believe." sigurd crept out of the bearskins with a shiver. "i say nothing against that. but let us end this talk. my blood-drops are so frozen they rattle in my body." he thumped down the steps as though rigid with cold, and jumped and danced and beat his breast before he could bring himself to stand still long enough to fasten on his skees. "where shall we go, then?" alwin asked, as they glided out of the gate in the dim light of an arctic winter day. "it may be that to go over that road again might become a misfortune. once i saw kark looking after us with a grin which i would have knocked off his face if i had not been in a hurry." sigurd instantly faced toward the snow-crusted hills that lay between them and eric's fiord. "then to-day it will be useful to go in another direction, so that any suspicions he has may go to sleep again. if thorhall had been at home, he would have overtaken you before this. his green eyes are well fitted for spying." perhaps it was this reference to green eyes that recalled to alwin the scene of the foretelling. perhaps it had never gone very far out of his mind. after they had swung along a while in silent enjoyment of the swift motion and the answering tingle in their blood, he said abruptly: "it may be that there was some truth at her tongue-roots, after all." sigurd made a sly move with his staff, so that the other suddenly tripped and fell headlong; whereupon he said gravely: "lo, i believe so too, for behold, already it has come true that 'i see your body lying on the ground.'" alwin consented to laugh, as he picked himself up and untangled his runners; but he was too much in earnest to be turned aside. "i do not mean in regard to that," he said, when they were once more in motion. "i mean what she told concerning some new untrodden land." sigurd became instantly attentive, as though the reference had been much in his own mind also. "it has occurred to me that perhaps she was speaking of that western land you told me of. it might be that this would be a way out of my difficulties. if i could escape to that land with helga, so would i at once save her and gain my freedom." sigurd's eyes brightened, then gloomed again. "yes,--but that 'if' is like a mile-wide rift in the ice. you can never get over it." "it might be that i could get around it. i tell you i shall go out of my wits if i cannot see some trail to follow, no matter how faint it is. tell me what else you know of this land." they were starting down a slope at the speed of the wind, but sigurd suddenly leaped into the air with a cheer; and cheered again as he landed, right-side up and unstaggered, at the bottom of the hill. "by michael, i will do better than that! i will take you to talk with one of biorn's own men. one is visiting aran bow-bender now, across the fiord. i heard brand knutsson say so last week." "by my troth, sigurd," alwin cried eagerly, "when things come to one's hand like that, i believe it is a sign that he should try his luck with them! would we have time to go there to-day?" "certainly; do you not see that the light is only just fading from the mountain tops? so it can be but a little past noon. the only difficulty is that the ice may not be in a condition for us to cross the fiord. a warm land-wind has been blowing for three days; and even in the north, where the seal-hunters go, the ice often breaks up under them. but now allow me to get my bearings. that is the smoke from brattahlid, behind us; and yonder i see the roofs of eric's ship-sheds. here,--we will go in this direction until we come to a high point of the bank." across the white plain that stretched in that direction, they skimmed accordingly. once they came upon a herd of eric's reindeer, rooting under the snow for moss; but aside from that, they saw no living thing. low-hanging gray clouds seemed to have shut out the world. now and then, from far out in the open water came the grinding and crunching of huge ice-cakes, see-sawing past each other. once there sounded the reverberating thunder of two icebergs in a duel. "if there were any bears on that ice, they have found by this time that there can be even worse things than men with spears," sigurd observed, as he listened. it is doubtful whether alwin had heard the noise at all. he answered, absently: "yes,--and if we do not wish to come to the subject at once, we can say that we are cold and dropped in to warm ourselves." "to say that we are cold will always be truthfully spoken," sigurd assented, his teeth chattering like beads. "i do not believe that stark-otter was much chillier when he pulled off his clothes and sat in a snow-bank." it turned out to be even more truthful than they imagined. they had little more than left the shore and ventured out upon the ice, when the gentle east wind developed into a gale, that presently wrapped them in the blinding folds of a snow-storm. the ice became invisible a step ahead of their feet. they had retained their staffs when they left their skees upon the bank; but even feeling their way step by step was by no means secure. it was not long before alwin went through, up to his neck; and if he had been uncomfortable before, he was in wretched plight now, drenched to the skin with ice-water. "if you also get in this condition, we shall both perish," he chattered, when he had managed to clamber out again by the fortunate accident of his staff's falling crosswise over the hole. "i will continue to go first; and do you hoard your strength to save us both when i get too stiff to move." it proved a wise precaution; for in a few minutes he broke through again, and it took all his companion's exertions to pull him out. before they reached the opposite shore, he had been in four times, and was so benumbed with cold that sigurd was obliged to drag him up the bank and into the hut of aran bow-bender. one low room was all there was of it, and that was smoky and dirty, the air thick with the smells of stale cooking and musty fur garments. dogs were lying about, and there was a goat-pen in the corner; but a fire roared in the centre, a ring of steaming hot drinks stood around it, and behind them sat a circle of jovial-hearted sportsmen, who seemed to ask no greater pleasure than to pull off a stranger's drenched garments, rub him to a tingle, and pour him full of hot spicy liquids. to return that night was out of the question. alwin was too exhausted even to think of it,--beyond a sleepy wonder as to whether a scolding or a flogging would be the penalty of his involuntary truancy. he even forgot the existence of the man he had come to see, though the round, red-faced sailor dozed in a corner directly opposite him. sigurd, however, was less muddled; and he had, besides, a strong objection to returning the next morning, to be laughed at for his weather-foolishness. "if we do not want to be made fun of, it would be advisable for us to take someone back with us to distract people's attention," he reasoned, and laid plans accordingly. the next day, as they began buckling up their various outer garments preparatory to departure, he suddenly struck into the conversation with a reference to the festivities at brattahlid. in a moment the sailor-man's eyes opened, like two round windows, above his fat cheeks. the silver-tongue spoke on concerning the products of the brattahlid kitchen, the fat beeves that were slaughtered each week, the gammons and flitches that were taken from the larder, and the barrels of ale that were tapped. as he settled his boots with a final stamp, and stretched out his hand toward the door, grettir the sailor arose in his corner. "hold on, jarl's son," he said thickly. "if it is not against your wish, i will go with you." he made a propitiatory gesture to the group around the fire. "you will not take it ill, shipmates, if i leave you now, with many thanks for a good entertainment. the truth is that it has always been in my mind to visit this renowned eric, if ever i should be in this part of greenland; and now that some one is going that way to guide me, i think it would be unadvisable to lose the chance." "the matter shall be as you have fixed it, grettir," sigurd said politely, "if you are able to run on skees with us." grettir laughed in a jovial roar, as he helped himself to a pair of runners that rested on antlers against the wall. "you have a sly wit, sigurd jarlsson. you think, because i am round, i am wont to roll like a barrel. i will show you." and it proved that, for all his bulk, he was as light on his feet as either of them. in those days, when every landlubber could handle a boat like a seaman, every sailor knew at least something about farming, and could ride a horse like a jockey. all the way back, he kept them going at a pace that took their breath. in the excitement of welcoming so renowned a character to brattahlid, reprimands and curiosity were alike forgotten. by the time they had him anchored behind an ale-horn on the bench in the hall, he held the household's undivided attention. good-natured with feasting, and roused by the babel around him, he began yarn-spinning at the first hint. "the western shore? no man living can tell you more of the wonders of that than i,--not biorn herjulfsson himself!" he declared. and forthwith he related the whole adventure, from biorn's rash setting out into unknown seas, to his final arrival on the greenland coast. to hear of these strange half-mythical shores from one who had seen them with his own eyes, was more than interesting. the jarls' sons listened breathlessly while he reeled out his tale between swallows. "and the fair winds ceased, and northern winds with fog blew continually, so that for many days we did not know even in what direction we were sailing. then the sun came into sight, and we could distinguish the quarters of heaven. we hoisted sail, and sailed all day before we saw land, but when we came to it we knew no more what it was than this horn here. biorn said he did not think it was greenland, but he wished to go near it. it had no mountains but low hills, and was forest-clad. we kept the land on our left and sailed for two days before we came to other land. this time it was flat and covered with woods. biorn said that he did not think this was greenland, for very large glaciers were said to be there. we wished to go ashore, as we lacked both wood and water, and the fair wind had fallen. there were some cross words when biorn would not, but gave orders to turn the prow seaward. this time we sailed three days with a southwest wind, and more land came in view, which rose high with mountains and a glacier. biorn said this had an inhospitable look, and he would not allow that we should land here either. but we sailed along the shore, and saw that it was an island. after this we had no more chances, for the fourth land we saw was greenland." a buzz of comment rose from all sides. "is that all that you made of such a chance as that?"--"certainly the gods waste their favors on such as biorn herjulfsson."--"is he a coward, or what does he lack?" "he is as dull as a wooden sword." now whether or no all this coincided with the private opinion of grettir the fat, has nothing to do with the matter. biorn herjulfsson had been his chief. the sailor rose suddenly to his feet, with his hand on his knife and an angry look on his red face. "biorn herjulfsson is no coward!" he shouted fiercely. "i will avenge it in blood on the head of him who says so." eric was not there to keep order; a dozen mouths opened to take up the challenge. but before any sound could come out of them, leif had risen to his feet. "are you such mannerless churls that i must remind you of what is due to a guest?" he said, sternly. "learn to be quicker with your hospitality, and slower with your judgment of every act you cannot under-stand. grettir, i invite you to sit here by me and tell me more concerning your chief's voyage." when grettir had gone proudly up to take his seat of honor, and the others had returned to their back-gammon and ale, sigurd looked at alwin with a comical grimace. "now i wonder if my cleverness in bringing this fellow here has happened to overshoot the mark! leif is eager to get renown; suppose he takes it into his head to make this voyage himself?" alwin sank his voice to a whisper: "the idea came to me as soon as he called grettir to him. but it was not your doing. now the saying is proved true that 'things that are fated take place.' do you remember the prophecy,--that when i stand on that ground i shall stand there by the side of leif ericsson?" chapter xx alwin's bane much goes worse than is expected. ha'vama'l the light of the short day had faded, but the wind had not gone down with the sun. powdery snow choked the air in a blinding storm. one could not distinguish a house, though it were within a foot of his eyes. "if i do not come to the gate before long," alwin observed to the shaggy little norwegian pony along whose neck he was bending, "i shall believe that the fences have been snowed under." he had been sent out to find another of biorn's sailors who chanced to be visiting in the neighborhood, to invite him to come to brattahlid and tell what else he might know concerning his chiefs voyage,--a subject in which leif had become strangely interested. alwin had accomplished his errand, and was returning half-frozen and with a ravenous appetite that made him doubly impatient over their slow progress. "if we do not get there before long," he repeated to the pony, with a dig into his flanks, "i shall get afraid that the drifts have covered the houses also, and that we are already riding over the roofs without knowing it." but as he said it, a tall gate-post rose on either side of him; and the pony turned to the left and began groping his way across the courtyard to his stable. the windows of the great hall glowed with light, and warmth and jovial voices and fragrant smells burst out upon the storm with every swing of the broad door. as soon as he had stabled his horse, alwin hurried toward it eagerly, and, stamping and shaking off the snow, pushed his way in through the crowd of house-thralls, who were running to and from the pantry with bowls and trenchers and loads of food. he hoped that leif was there, so that he should not have to go back across the snowy courtyard to the sleeping-loft to make his report. stopping just inside the threshold, he looked about for him, blinking in the strong light and shaking back the wet fur of his collar. it seemed as though every member of the house-hold except leif were lounging along the benches, waiting for the evening meal. eric leaned against one arm of his high-seat, talking jovially with thorhall the steward, who had returned that morning from seal-hunting. thorhild bent over the other arm, and gesticulated vigorously with her keys, as she gave her housekeeper some last directions regarding the food. further along, sigurd and helga sat at draughts. near at hand, a big fur ball, which was the outward and visible sign of tyrker, was rolled up close to a chess-board. only leif's cushioned seat was empty. with petulant force, alwin jammed his bearskin cap down upon his head and turned to retrace his steps. turning, his eye fell upon an object that eric had just taken from the steward and held up to the light to examine. the flames caught at it eagerly, flashing and sparkling, so that even at that distance alwin had no difficulty in recognizing the brass-hilted knife. eric burst into a mighty roar of laughter. his voice, never greatly subdued, penetrated to every corner of the room. "i could stake my head that it is leif's! i myself gave it to him for a name-fastening. and you found it in skroppa's den? oh, this is worth a hearing! here is mirth! in skroppa's den,--leif the christian! ho, flein, asmund, adils, comrades,--listen to this! no jester ever invented such a jest." he got on his feet and beckoned them with both arms, stamping with laughter. catching sight of alwin's white face at the door,--for it was ashen white,--he beckoned him also, with a fresh burst of malicious laughter. "and you, you little priest-robed puppet, come nearer, so you shall not lose a word. oh, it will be great fun for you! and for you, my thorhild,--and the haughty-headed helga! and gray old tyrker too! listen now, graybeard, and learn, even with one foot in the grave. saw you never such a game as this foster-son of yours has played with unchanging face!" he choked with his laughter, so that his face grew purple; and the household waited, leaning from the benches, nudging and whispering; the servants gaping over the dishes in their hands; alwin standing by the door, motionless as the dead; sigurd sitting, still as the dead, in his place. stamping and rocking himself back and forth, and banging on the arm of his seat, the red one got his breath at last, and bellowed it out. "leif the christian in the den of skroppa the witch! his knife proves it; thorhall found it among the rocks at her very door. saw i never such slyness! think of it, comrades; he is driven to ask help of skroppa,--he who feigns to scowl at her very name!--he who would have us believe in a god that he does not trust in himself! here is an unheard-of two-facedness! never was such a fraud since loki. here is merriment for all!" he continued to shout it over and over, roaring with mocking laughter; his men nudging each other, sniggering and grinning and calling gibes across the fire. leif's men sprang up, burning with rage and shame,--then stood speechless, daring neither to deny nor resent it. alwin made a quick step forward to where the firelight revealed him to all in the room, and cried out hoarsely: "here is falsehood! my hand, and no other, took leif ericsson's knife to the den of skroppa the witch." motion and sound stopped for a moment,--as though the icy blast, that came just then through the opening door, had frozen all the life in the room. then a voice called out that the thrall was lying to cover his master; and eric's laughter burst out anew, and the jeering redoubled. but alwin's voice rose high above it. "fools! is it worth while for me to give my life for a lie? ask sigurd haraldsson, if you will not believe me. he knows that i went there on yule eve, to ask concerning my freedom. the knife slipped from my belt as i was climbing the rocks. leif knew of it no more than you. ask sigurd haraldsson, if you will not believe me." sigurd rose and tried to speak, but his tongue had become like a withered leaf in his mouth, so that he could only bow his head. yet from him, that was enough. such an uproar of delight broke from leif's men as drowned all the jeering that had gone before, and made the rafters ring with exulting. alwin knew that, whatever else he would have to bear, at least that lie was not upon him, and he drew a deep breath of relief. all the light did not die out of his face, even when leif stepped out of the shadow of the door and stood before him. she had not spoken falsely who had said that the fire of eric burned in the veins of his son. in his white-hot anger, the guardsman's face was terrible. death was in his stern-set mouth, and death blazed from his eyes. rolf, sigurd, helga, even valbrand, cried out for mercy; but alwin read the look aright, and asked for nothing that was not there. while their cries were still in the air, leif's blade leaped from its scabbard, quivered in the light, and flashed down, biting through fur and hair and flesh and bone. without a sound, alwin fell forward heavily, and lay upon his face at his master's feet. that all men might know whose hand had done the deed, leif flung the dripping sword down beside its victim, and without speaking, strode out of the room. then a strange thing happened. helga ran over to where the lifeless heap lay in a widening pool of blood, and raised the wounded head in her arms, and rained down upon the still white face such tears as no one had ever thought to see her shed. when thorhild came to take her away, she cried out, so that every one could hear: "do you not understand?--i loved him. i did not find it out until now. i loved him with all my heart, and now he will never know! i--loved him." chapter xxi the heart of a shield-maiden cattle die, kindred die, we ourselves also die; but the fair fame never dies of him who has earned it. ha'vama'l out of doors the stir of spring was in the air; snow melting on the hills, grass sprouting on the plains. editha's troubled face brightened a little, as she turned up the lane against the sun and felt its warmth upon her cheek. "it gives one the feeling that it will melt one's sorrows as it melts the snow," she told herself. then she passed through the gate into the budding courtyard, where her eye fell upon leif's sleeping-loft, with kark running briskly up the steps; and the brightness faded. "but there is some ice the sun cannot melt," she sighed. on the threshold of the great hall, thorhild stood waiting for her. inside, all was confusion,--men placing tables and bringing in straw; maids spreading the embroidered cloths and hanging the holiday tapestries. the matron's head-dress was awry; her cheeks were like poppies, and her keys were kept in a perpetual jingle by her bustling motions. she cried out, as soon as editha came within hearing distance: "how long you have been, you little good-for-nothing! i have looked out four times for you. was astrid away from home? did you return by eric's fiord, and learn whose ship it is that is coming in?" the little saxon maid dropped her respectful curtsey. if at the same time she dropped her eyes with a touch of embarrassment, the matron was too preoccupied to observe it. "i was hindered by necessity, lady. astrid was not away from home, but she was uncertain whether her son would wish to sell any malt, so i was obliged to wait until he came in from the stables." "humph," sniffed thorhild; "egil olafsson has become of great importance since his father was mound-laid. this is the third time i have been kept waiting for his leave." she turned on the girl sharply. "by no means do i believe that to be the reason for your long absences. i believe you plead that as an excuse." editha caught at the door-post, and her face went from red to white and back to red again. "indeed, lady--" she began. thorhild shook a menacing finger at her. "one never needs to tell me! she keeps you there to gossip about my household. though she is my friend, she is as great a gossip as ever wagged a tongue." even though the hand still threatened her ears, one would have said that editha looked relieved. she said, with well-feigned reluctance: "it is true that we have sometimes spoken of brattahlid while i waited. astrid looks favorably upon my needlework. once or twice she has said that she would like to buy me--" this time thorhild snorted. "she takes too much trouble! helga will never sell you to anyone. you need get no such ideas into your head. why do you talk such foolishness, and hinder me from my work? can you not tell me shortly whether or not you got the malt?" "i did, lady. two thralls will bring it as soon as it can be weighed." "i shall need it, if guests arrive. and what of the ship? did you learn whose it is? it takes till pyre-and-fire to get anything out of you." editha's rosy face, usually as full of placid content as a kitten's, suddenly puckered with anxiety. "lady, as i passed, it was still a long way down the fiord. i could only see that it was a large and fine trading-vessel. but one of the seamen on the shore told me it was his belief that it is the ship of gilli of trond-hjem." the house-wife's keys clashed and clattered with her motion of surprise. "gilli of trondhjem! then he has come to take helga!" editha nervously clasped and unclasped her hands. "i got afraid it might be so." "afraid, you simpleton?" the matron laughed excitedly, as she brushed all stray hairs out of her eyes and tightened her apron for action. "it will become a great boon to her. since the englishman's death, she has been no better than a crazy brynhild. to take her out into the world and entertain her with new sights,--it will be the saving of her! run quickly and tell her the tidings; and see to it that she puts on her most costly clothes. tell her that if she will also put on the ornaments leif has given her, i will give her leave to stop embroidering for the day." editha observed to herself, as she tripped away, that undoubtedly her mistress had already done that without waiting for permission. and it proved very shortly that she was right. in the great work-room of the women's-house, among deserted looms and spindles and embroidery frames, helga sat in dreamy idleness. the whirlwind of excitement that had swept her companions away at the news of approaching guests, had passed over her without so much as ruffling a hair. her golden head rested heavily against the wall behind her; her hands lay listlessly upon her lap. her face was as white as the unmelted snow in the valleys, and the spring sun-shine had brought no sparkle to relieve the shadow in her eyes. without looking around, she said dreamily: "it was one year ago to-day that i came into the trader's booth in norway and saw him sitting there among the thralls." editha stole over to her and lifted one of her hands out of her lap and kissed it. "lady, do not be all the time thinking of him. you will break your heart, and to no purpose. besides, i have news of great importance for you. i have seen the ship that is coming up the fiord, and men say it is the vessel of your father, gilli of trondhjem." with something of her old fire, helga snatched her hand away and started up. "do you know this for certain? and do you believe that thorhild will give me up to him?" "worse than that, lady,--she is even anxious that he shall take you, thinking it will be to your advantage." for awhile helga sat staring before her, with expressions of anger and despair flickering over her face. then, gradually, they died down like flames into ashes. she sank back against the wall, and her eyes faded dull and absent again. "after all, what does it matter?" she said, listlessly. "i shall not find it any worse there than here. nothing matters now." editha made a little moan, like one in sudden pain; but it seemed as though she did not dare to interrupt the other's revery. she stood, softly wringing her hands. it was helga who finally broke the silence. suddenly she turned, an angry gleam replacing the dulness in her eyes. "did the ship bring more tidings of the battle? is it certain that king olaf trygvasson is slain?" editha answered, in some surprise: "it had not come to land when i was there, lady. i am unable to tell you anything new. but the men who came last week, and first told us of the battle, say that eric jarl is now the king over norway, and there is no doubt that olaf trygvasson is dead." helga laughed, a hateful laugh that made her pretty mouth as cruel as a wolf's. "it gladdens me that he is dead. i am well content that leif's heart should be black with mourning. he killed the man i loved, and now the king he loved is slain,--and he was not there to fight for him. it is a just punishment upon him. i am glad that he should suffer a little of all that he has made me suffer." editha moaned again, and flung out her hands with a gesture of entreaty. "dearest lady, if only you would not allow yourself to suffer so! if only you would bear it calmly, as i have begged of you! even though you died, it would not help. it is wasting your grief--" she stopped, for her mistress was looking at her fixedly. "i do not understand you," helga said, slowly. "is it wasting grief to mourn the death of alwin of england, than whom god never made a nobler or higher-minded man?" she rose out of her seat, and editha shrank away from her. "i do not understand you,--you who pretend to have loved him since he was a child. is it indeed your wish that i should act as though i cared nothing for him? did you really care nothing for him yourself? your face has grown no paler since his death-day; you are as fat as ever; you have seldom shed a tear. was all your loyalty to him a lie? by the edge of my knife, if i thought so i would give you cause to weep! i would drive the blood from your deceitful face forever!" she caught the saxon girl by the wrist and forced her upon her knees; her beautiful eyes were as awful as the eyes of a valkyria in battle. the bondmaid screamed at the sight of them, and threw up an arm to shield herself. "no, no! listen, and i will tell you the truth! though they kill me, i will tell yon. put down your head,--i dare not say it aloud. listen!" mechanically, helga bent her head and received into her ear three whispered words. she loosed her hold upon the other's wrists and stood staring at her, at first in anger, and then with a sort of dawning pity. "poor creature! grief has gotten you out of your wits," she said. "and i was harsh with you because i thought you did not care!" she put out a hand to raise her, but editha caught it in both of hers, fondling it and clinging to it. "sweetest lady, i am not out of my wits. it is the truth, the blessed truth. mine own eyes have proved it. four times has thorhild sent me on errands to egil's house, and each time have i seen--" "yet said nothing to me! you have let me suffer!" "no, no, spare me your reproaches! how was it possible for me to do otherwise? if you had known, all would have suspected; 'a woman's eyes cannot hide it when she loves.' sigurd haraldsson bound me firmly. i was told only because it was necessary that i should carry their messages. it has torn my heart to let you grieve. only love for him could have kept me to it. believe it, and forgive me. say that you forgive me!" helga flung her arms open wide. "forgive? i forgive everyone in the whole world--everything!" she threw herself, sobbing, upon editha's breast, and they clung together like sisters. while they were still mingling their tears and rejoicings, the old housekeeper looked in with a message from thorhild. "sniffling, as i had expected! have the wits left both of you? even now gilli of trondhjem is coming up the lane. it is the command of thorhild that you be dressed and ready to hand him his ale the moment he has taken off his outer garments. if you have any sense left, make haste." when the door had closed on the wrinkled old visage, editha sent a doubtful glance at her mistress. but the shield-maiden leaped up with a laugh like a joyful chime of bells. "gladly will i put on the finest clothes i own, and feast the whole night through! nothing matters now. so long as he is alive, things must come out right some way. nothing matters now!" chapter xxii in the shadow of the sword it is better to live, even to live miserably; .......... the halt can ride on horseback; the one-handed, drive cattle; the deaf, fight and be useful; to be blind is better than to be burnt; no one gets good from a corpse. ha'vama'l "egil! egil olafsson!" it was helga's voice, with a note of happiness thrilling through it like the trill in a canary's song. egil turned from the field in which his men were and came slowly to where she stood leaning over the fence that separated the field from the lane. he guessed from her voice that they had told her the secret, and when he came near enough to see, he knew it from her face; it was like a rose-garden burst into bloom. his lowering brow scowled itself into a harder knot. with the death of his father, he had thrown aside the scarlet clothes of leif's men, and wore the brown homespun of a farmer. from his neck downward, everything spoke of thrift and industry and peace. but his fierce dark face looked the harsher for the contrast. helga stretched her hand across the fence. "i am going to see alwin, for the first time after all these months. they told me two days ago, but this is the first chance i could find. but even before i saw him, i thought it right to see you and thank you for your wondrous goodness. sigurd has told me how they carried alwin to you in the night, and you received him and sheltered him, and--" egil silenced her with a rough gesture. "i kept my oath of friendship; speak no further of it. do you know where he is hidden?" "sigurd told me he is in the cabin of your old foster-mother, solveig. i do not remember whether that is to the left or the right of the lane. but it is a most ingenious hiding-place. no one ever goes there, and solveig is the most accomplished of nurses." "since you do not remember where it is, i will walk with you, if it is not against your wish." he shouted some final directions to the men in the field, then leaped over the fence and strode along beside her. he appeared to have nothing to say, after they were once started, and they went through lane and pasture and field in silence. but as soon as she broke out with fresh praise for his kindness, he found his tongue in all its curt vigor. "enough has been said about that. i have been wishing to speak to you of something that happened at the feast the other night. do you know that my kinswoman astrid told gilli of her wish to buy your bondwoman, and--" for a moment there was something wolfish about helga's white teeth. she struck in quickly: "yes, i know. gilli agreed to sell editha to her, the day we sail. it is exactly what i expected of him. if astrid should offer a little more, he would be apt to sell me. he is the lowest-minded--bah!" it seemed as though words failed her. she threw her hands apart in a gesture of utter detestation. the glow was gone out of her face. "what i wanted to say is, that if it is your wish, i will persuade my mother to withdraw her offer." after a while helga shook her head. "no. he would only sell her to some one else. it would trouble me to think of her among strangers, and your mother would treat her kindly." she paused, at the top of the stile they were climbing over, to look down at him earnestly. "i should be thankful if you would promise me that, egil. you are master now, and can have your will about everything. promise me you will see that she is well treated." "i promise you." helga threw a grateful look after him, as he went along before her. "your word is like a rock, egil. one could hold on to it though everything else should roll away." the cloud was passing from her face. by the time she gained his side, the rose-garden was once more radiant in sunlight. "after all, i do not feel that i have a right to let anything grieve me much, since god has given alwin back from the dead. i set my mind to thinking of that, and then everything else seems small and easily remedied. even gilli's coming it is possible to turn to profit. i have a fine plan--" she broke off abruptly as, through a clump of white-birch trees, she caught sight of a tiny cabin nestled in their green shelter. "that is solveig's house; now i remember it! how is it possible that it has held such a secret for four months, and still looks just as usual? let us hurry!" she seized his arm to pull him along. only when he wrenched away and came to a dead stop, did she slacken her pace to stare at him over her shoulder. "do you wish to drive me crazy?" he shouted. she thought him already so, and drew back. he waited to take a fresh grip on his self-control. when he spoke at last, it was with labored slowness: "every week for four months i have come to this door and asked the englishman how he fared; and he has not wished for anything that i have not given it to him. the night they left him with me, i could have put my fingers around his throat and killed him; and no one would have known. but i held my hands behind me, and allowed him to live. so far, i have kept my oath of friendship. do you wish me to go in with you and break it now?" before she could gather her wits together to answer him, he was gone. standing where he had left her, she stared after him, open-mouthed, until her eye fell upon the cabin among the bushes, when she forgot everything else in the world. she ran toward it and threw open the door. the low room was smoky and badly lighted. before she could distinguish her lover in the dimness, he was upon her, calling her name over and over, crushing her hands in his. she cried out, and lifted her face, and his lips met hers, warm and living. it was the same as though nothing had happened since last she saw him. no, not quite the same; she saw that, the instant she drew back. alwin was very thin, and in the half-light his face showed white and haggard. an ugly scar stretched half across his forehead. at the sight of it her eyes flashed, and she reached up and touched with her lips the fiery mark. "how i hate leif for that!" then she saw the greatest change of all in him, the quiet grimness that had come upon him out of his nights of pain and days of solitude. "that is unfairly spoken, sweetheart. i have but paid the price i agreed to pay if luck went against me. leif has dealt with me only according to justice; that i will maintain, though i die under his sword at the last." she drew a quick, sharp breath. in the joy of recovery, she had let herself forget that he is only half alive who lives under the shadow of a death sentence. she set her teeth over her lip to stop its trembling, and stiffened herself to the iron composure of a shield-maiden. "it is true that you are yet in great danger. his anger has not yet departed from him, for not once has your name passed his lips. sit down here and tell me what you think of your case." alwin recalled the weeping and fainting of his mother's waiting-women, in that far-off time of trouble, and pressed her hand gratefully as he took his seat by her side upon the bench. "you are my brave comrade as well as my best friend. i can talk with you as i would with sigurd." just for a moment she laid her cheek against his shoulder. "it gladdens me that you are content with me as i am, instead of wishing me to be like bertha of trondhjem and other women," she whispered. then the memory linked with that name caused her to straighten again and look at him doubtfully. "has solveig told you all the latest tidings?" "she has told me nothing for a week. she is up at the hall just now, helping with the spinning; but editha was here two days ago. is it of king olaf that you are thinking? she told me of the battle; and i am full of sorrow for leif. she told me that his room was draped in black, and that he stopped preparing for his exploring voyage and shut himself up for four days and four nights, without eating or speaking." "he has begun his preparations again. his sorrow is not worth considering. or, rather, i shall grieve with him when he grieves for you. the tidings that i mean concern gilli of trondhjem. do you know that he has come to take me away?" she wanted to see the despair in his face, that she might feel how much he cared; then she hastened to reassure him. "but do not trouble yourself over that. even though i go with him, it will do no harm. if he tries to marry me to anyone, i will pretend that i think the marriage beneath me. i will work upon his greediness, and so trick him into waiting; and in a year you will come and rescue me." "if i am alive!" alwin interrupted her sharply. he sprang up and began to pace the floor, clenching his fists and knocking them together. "if i am alive i will come. but it is by no means unlikely that leif will carry out his intention. then you will be left in gilli's power forever." she laughed as she went to him and brought him back and pushed him down upon the bench. "see how love makes a coward of a man as well as of a woman! but do not trouble yourself over that, either. have you never heard the love-tale of hagberth and signe? how, the same moment in which she saw him hanged upon the gallows, she set fire to her house and strangled herself with her ribbons, so that their two souls met on the threshold of paradise and went in together? if you die, i will die too; and that will arrange everything." she clung to him for a moment, and he feared that she was about to dishonor her shield by a burst of tears. but in an instant she looked up at him with her brave smile. "we will end this talk about dying, however. remember the old saying, 'if a man's time has not come, something is sure to aid him.' there is another fate in store for you than to lose your life in this matter, or you would have died when leif struck you down. i love the cap that saved you! we will not talk about dying, but only of our hopes. i have planned how gilli may be made useful, so that on his vessel you can escape to norway." she put her hand over his mouth as he would have spoken. "no, listen to me before you say anything against it. gilli will sail next week. at that time leif will be absent on a visit to biorn herjulfsson, who has just returned to greenland from norway. with leif, kark will go, so that we shall not have his prying eyes to fear. what would prevent you from stealing down to the shore, the night before we sail, and swimming out to the ship and hiding yourself in one of the great chests in the foreroom? the steersman will not hinder you, for i have spoken so many fine words to him, with this deed in view, that he is ready to chop off his head at my bidding. thus will you get far out at sea before they discover you. gilli will not know that he has ever seen you before, you are so white and changed; and when he has taken away all the property you have on you, he will say nothing further about the matter. so will you be brought to norway,--and thence it is not far to your england, though i do not know if that is of any importance. but if you say that this plan is otherwise than ingenious, i shall be angry with you." alwin vented a short laugh. "it is most ingenious, comrade. the only trouble with it is that i have no ambition to go either to norway or to england." this time it was he who sealed her lips, as her amazement was about to burst through them. "give me a hearing and you will understand. i do not wish to go to england because i could do nothing there to improve my credit in any way. my kin have disappeared like withered grass, and the danes are all-powerful. i do not wish to go to norway because there i could never be more than a runaway slave; and though i strove to my uttermost, it is unlikely that i could ever acquire either wealth or influence,--and without both how would it ever be possible to win you? see how the north has conquered me! first it was only my body that was bound; and i was sure that, if ever i got my freedom, i should enter the service of some english lord and die fighting against the danes. and now a norse maiden has conquered my heart, so that i would not take my liberty if it were offered me! no, no, sweetheart; i have thought of it, night and day, until at last i see the truth. the only chance i have is with leif." helga wrung her hands violently. "you must be crazy if you think so! he would strike you down the instant his eyes--" "it is not my intention that he shall know me until he has had cause to soften toward me. do you not remember skroppa's prophecy? has not sigurd told you of it?--that it is in this new untrodden country that my fate is to be decided? i will disguise myself in some way, and go on this exploring expedition among his following. i shall have many chances to be of service to him." "but suppose they should not come soon enough? suppose your disguise should be too shallow? his eyes are like arrows that pierce everything they are aimed at. suppose he should recognize you at once?" the new grimness again squared alwin's mouth. "then one of two things will happen. either he will pardon me, for the sake of what i have already endured; or else he will keep to his first intention, and kill me. in neither case will we be worse off than we were four months ago." such logic admitted of no reply, and helga gave way to it. but so much anguish was betrayed in her face, that alwin gave another short laugh and asked her: "who is it now that love is making a coward of?" she shook her head gravely. "i am no coward. it gladdens me to have you face death in this way, and to know that you will not murmur even if luck goes against you. but i do not wish you to throw your life away; and you know no prudence. let us speak of this disguise. what have you fixed upon?" "i acknowledge that i have accomplished very little. solveig has told me of a bark whose juice is such that with it i can turn my skin brown like that of the southerners. and i have decided to make believe that i am a frankish man. i know not a little of their tongue, which will help to disguise my speech. but how i am to cover up my short hair, or account for my appearance in greenland--" he shrugged his shoulders, and dropped his chin upon his fist. helga clasped her hands around her knee and stared at him thoughtfully. "i have heard sigurd tell of a strange wonder he saw in france,--i do not know what you call it,--like a hood made of people's hair. a girl who had lost her hair through sickness was wont to wear it; and sigurd did not even suspect that it was rootless, until one day she caught the ends in her cloak, and pulled it off. if you could get one of those--" "if!" alwin murmured. but helga did not hear him. suddenly, in the dim perspective of her mind, she had caught a glimpse of a plan. as she darted at it, it eluded her; but she chased it to and fro, seeing it more clearly at each turn. finally she caught it. she leaped up and opened her mouth to shout it forth, when an impulse of editha's caution touched her, and instead, she threw her arms around his neck and laughed it into his ear. he drew back and gazed at her with dawning appreciation. she nodded excitedly. "is it not well fitted to succeed? you can escape to norway as i planned, and after that you can easily reach normandy. all that you lack is gold, and leif and gilli have covered me with that." his face kindled as he mused on it. "it sounds possible. sigurd's friends would receive me well for his sake; and after i had got everything for my disguise, i would have yet many good chances to return to nidaros and board the ship of arnor gunnarsson, who comes here each summer on a trading voyage. coming that way, who could suspect me?--particularly when it is everyone's belief that i am dead." "no one!" helga cried joyously. "no one! it is perfect!" in a sudden burst of gratitude, he caught her hands and kissed them. "all is due to you, then. it is an unheard-of cleverness! you must be a valkyria! only a great hero is worthy of a maid like you." laughing with pleasure, she hid her face on his breast. and it must be that her plan possessed some of the advantages she claimed for it, for it came to pass that, on the same day that gilli and his daughter set sail for norway, a fair-skinned thrall with a shaven head disappeared from greenland so completely that even kark's keen eyes would have found it impossible to trace him. chapter xxiii a familiar blade in a strange sheath "now it is related that bjarni herjulfsson came from greenland to eirek jarl, who received him well. bjarni described his voyage and the lands that he had seen. people thought he had shown a lack of interest as he had nothing to tell about them, and he was somewhat blamed for it. he became the jarl's hirdman and went to greenland the following summer, now there was much talk about land discoveries."--flateyjarbo'k. the week after gilli's departure for norway, leif returned from his visit to herjulf's cape, and made public his intention to take biorn's barren beginning and carry it out to a definite finish. he brought with him three of the men of biorn's old crew, and also the same stanch little trading-vessel in which herjulfsson had made his journey. the ship-sheds upon the shore became at once the scene of endless overhauling and repairing. thorhild's women laid aside their embroidering for the task of sail-making. there began a ransacking of every hut on the commons and every fishing-station along the coast, for the latest improved hunting-gear and fishing-tackle; and day after day tyrker rode among the farms, purchasing stores of grain and smoked meats. as the old saga says: "now there was much talk about land discoveries." the lucky one became the hero of the hour. with all its stubbornness, eric's pride could not but be gratified. he began to show signs of relenting. gradually he ceased to avert his face. one day, he even worked himself up to making a gruff inquiry into their plans. "if we return with great fame, it is likely his pleasure will reconcile him entirely," leif's men chuckled to each other. the diplomatic guardsman was quick to understand the change, but as usual, he went a step beyond their expectations. the day after his father made this first advance, he invited him to inspect the exploring ship and advise them concerning her equipment. while they stood upon the shore, admiring the coat of scarlet paint that was being laid upon her hull, he suddenly offered the red one the leadership of the expedition. eric's eyes caught fire, and his wiry old frame straightened and swelled with eagerness. then, though his eyes still sparkled, his chest sank like a pierced bladder. "it is not possible for me to go. i am too old, and less able to bear hardship than formerly." rolf and the steersman, who had overheard the offer, exchanged glances of relief, and allowed themselves to breathe again. but to their consternation, leif did not take advantage of this loop-hole. he argued and urged, until eric drew in another long breath of excitement, until his aged muscles tingled and twitched with a spasm of youthful ardor, until at last, in a burst of almost hysterical enthusiasm, he accepted the offer. in the warmth of his pleasure, he grasped his son's hand and publicly received him back into his affections. but at the moment, this was cold comfort for leif's followers. they turned from their painting and hammering and polishing, to stare at their lord in amazed disapproval. the instant the two chiefs had gone up from the shore, complaints broke out like explosions. "that old heathen at the steering-oar! all the bad luck in the world may be expected!"--"nowhere lives a man more domineering than eric the red." "what is to become of leif's renown, if the glory is to go to that old pagan?"--"skroppa has turned a curse against the lucky one. he has been deprived of his mind." "it is in my mind that part of that is true," rolf said thoughtfully, leaning on the spear-shaft he was sharpening. "i believe the saxon saints' book has bewitched his reason. from that, i have heard the englishman read of men who gave up honor lest it might make them vain. i believe leif ericsson is humbling his pride, like some beaten monk." he was interrupted by a chorus of disgust. "yah! if he has become such a woman as that!"--"a man who fears bad luck."--"a brave man bears the result of his action, whatever it is."--"the saints' book is befitting old men who have lost their teeth."--"christianity is a religion for women." sigurd struck in for the first time. although he had been frowning with vexation, some touch of compunction had held him silent. "i will not allow you to say that, nor should you wish to speak so." he hesitated, rubbing his chin perplexedly. "i acknowledge that i experience the same disgust that you do; yet i am not altogether certain that we are right. i remember hearing my father say that what these saints did was more difficult than any achievement of thor. and i have heard king olaf trygvasson read out of the holy book that a man who controls his own passions is more to be admired than a man who conquers a city." for perhaps two or three minutes there was a lull in the grumbling. but it was not to be expected, in that brutal age, that moral strength should find a keen appreciation. indeed, sigurd's words were far from ringing with his own conviction. little by little, the discontent broke out again. at last it grew so near to mutiny, that the steersman felt called upon to exercise his authority. "all this is foolishly spoken, concerning something you know nothing of. undoubtedly leif has an excellent reason for what he does. it may be that he considers it of the greatest importance to secure eric's friendship. or it may be that he intends to lead him into some uninhabited place, that he may kill him and get rid of his ill-temper. it is certain that he has some good reason. go back to your work, and make your minds easy that now, as always, some good will result from his actions." the men still growled as they obeyed him; but however right or wrong he was regarding leif's motives, he was proved correct in his prophecy. out of that moment on shore, came the good of a complete reconciliation with eric. no more were there cold shoulders, and half-veiled gibes, and long evenings of gloomy restraint. no longer were leif's followers obliged to sit with teeth on their tongues and hands on their swords. the warmth of gratification that had melted the ice of eric's displeasure seemed to have set free torrents of generosity and good-will. his ruddy face beamed above the board like a harvest moon; if leif would have accepted it, he would have presented him with the entire contents of brattahlid. following their chief's example, his retainers locked arms with their former enemies and swore them eternal brotherhood. night after night they drank out of the same horns, and strengthened their bonds in lauding their chiefs. never had the great hall seen a time of such radiant good cheer. by the last week of leif's preparations, interest and enthusiasm had spread into every corner of inhabited greenland. strings of people began to make pilgrimages to stare at the exploring vessel that had once been within sight of the "wonder-shores" and now seemed destined actually to touch them. men came from ail parts of the country in the hope of joining her crew, and were furious with disappointment when told that her equipment was limited to thirty-five, and that that number had already been made up from among leif's own followers. warriors thronged to visit the lucky one, until the hall benches were filled, and the courtyard was so crowded with attendants that there was barely room for the servants to run between the horses with the ale horns. outside the fence there was nearly always a mob of children and paupers and thralls lying in wait, like a wolf-pack, to tear information out of any member of the household who should venture beyond the gates. usually it was only vague rumor and meagre report that fell to the share of these outsiders; but the day before leif's departure it happened that they got a bit of excitement first-hand. late that afternoon word went around that the trading-ship of arnor gunnarsson was coming up eric's fiord. the arrival of that merchant was one of the events of the year. not only did it occasion great feasting among the rich, which meant additional alms among the poor, but besides a chance to feast one's stomach, it meant an opportunity to feast one's eyes on beautiful garments and wonderful weapons; and in addition to all else, it meant such a budget of news and gossip and thrilling yarns as should supply local conversation with a year's stock of topics,--a stock always run low and rather shopworn towards the end of the long winters. at the first hint of the "eastman's" approach, a crowd of idlers was gathered out of nowhere as quickly as buzzards are drawn out of empty space. as the heavy dun-colored merchantman came slowly to its berth and the anchor fell with a rattle and a splash, the motley crowd cheered shrilly. when the ruddy gold-bearded trader appeared at the side, ready to clamber into the boat his men were lowering, they cheered again. and they regarded it as an appropriate tribute to the importance of the occasion when one of their number came running over the sand to announce breathlessly that leif ericsson himself was riding down to greet the arrivals, accompanied by no less a person than his high-born foster-son. "although it is no great wonder that the lucky one feels interest," they told each other. "the last time that eric the red came to meet traders, they returned his greeting with a sweep of their arms toward their ships, and an invitation to take whatever of its contents best pleased him." "the strange wonder to me," mumbled one old man, "is that it is always to those who have sufficient wealth to purchase them that presents are given. it may be that odin knows why gifts are seldom given to the poor: certainly i think one needs to be all-wise to understand it." his companions clapped their hands over his mouth, and pointed at the approaching boat. "look!"--"look there!"--"it is a king's son!" they cried. and then it was that their hungry teeth closed upon their morsel of excitement. in the bow of the boat, shining like a jewel against the dark background of the trader's dun mantle, stood a most splendidly arrayed young warrior. the fading sunbeams that played on his gilded helm revealed shining armor and a golden cross embossed upon a gold-rimmed shield. still nearer, and it could be seen that his cloak was of crimson velvet lined with sables, and that gold-embroideries and jewelled clasps flashed with every motion. buzzing with curiosity, they crowded down to the water's edge to meet him. the keel bit the sand; he stepped ashore into their very midst, and even that close scrutiny did not lessen his attractions. his olive-tinted face was haughtily handsome; his fine black hair fell upon his shoulders in long silken curls; he was tall and straight and supple, and his bearing was bold and proud as an eagle's. "he is well fitted to be a king's son," they repeated one to another. and those in front respectfully gave way before him, while those behind fell over one another to get near in case he should speak,--and leif himself paused in his greeting of arnor gunnarsson to look at the stranger curiously. the youth stood running his eyes over the faces of those around him, until his gaze fell upon sigurd haraldsson. he uttered a loud exclamation, and sprang forward with outstretched hand. sigurd's cheeks, which had been looking rather pale, suddenly became very red; and he leaped from his horse and started forward. then he wavered, stopped, and hesitated, staring. "_mon ami_!" said the stranger, in some odd heathen tongue very different from good plain norse. "_mon ami_!" he took another step forward, and this time their palms met. the spectators who were watching sigurd haraldsson, whispered that the young warrior must be the last man on earth that he expected to see in greenland, and also the man that he loved the best of all his sworn brothers. the fair-haired jarl's son and he of the raven locks stood grasping each other's hands and looking into each other's eyes as though they had forgotten there was anyone else in the world. "he looks to be a man to be bold in the presence of chiefs, does he not?" the trader observed to leif ericsson, regarding the pair benevolently as he stood twisting his long yellow mustache. "he said to me that the jarl's son was his friend; it is great luck that he should find him so soon. he is somewhat haughty-minded, as is the wont of normans, but he is free with his gold." and the thrifty merchant patted his money-bag absently. the crowd circulated the news in excited whispers. "he is a friend of sigurd haraldsson."--"he is a norman."--"that accounts for the swarthiness of his skin."--"is it in the norman tongue that they are speaking?"--"normandy? is that the land rolf the ganger laid under his sword?"--"hush! sigurd is leading him to the chief."--"now we shall learn what his errand is." and the boldest of them pushed almost within whip-range of the pair. but there was no difficulty about hearing, for sigurd spoke out in a loud clear voice: "foster-father, i wish to make known to you my friend and comrade who has just now arrived on the eastman's vessel. he is called robert sans-peur, because his courage is such as is seldom found. i got great kindness from his kin when i was in normandy." the norman said nothing, but he did what the bystanders considered rather surprising in a knee-crooking frenchman. neither bending his body nor doffing his helmet, he folded his arms across his breast and looked straight into the lucky one's eyes. "as though," one fellow muttered, "as though he would read in the chief's very face whether or not it was his intention to be friendly!" "hush!" his neighbor interrupted him. "leif is drawing off his glove. it may be that he is going to honor him for his boldness." and so indeed it proved. in another moment, the chief had extended his bare hand to the haughty southerner. "i have an honorable greeting for all brave men, even though they be friendless," he said, with lofty courtesy. "how much warmer then is the state of my feelings toward one who is also a friend of sigurd haraldsson? be welcome, robert sans-peur. the best that brattahlid has to offer shall not be thought too good for you." whether or not he could speak it, it was evident that the fearless one understood the northern tongue. his haughtiness passed from him like a shadow. uncovering his raven locks, he bowed low,--and would have set his lips to the extended hand if the chief, foreseeing his danger, had not saved himself by dexterously withdrawing it. sigurd, still flushed and nervous, spoke again: "you have taken this so well, foster-father, that it is in my mind to ask of you a boon which i should be thankful if you would grant. as far off as normandy, my friend has heard tidings of this exploring-journey of yours; and he has come all this way in the hope of being allowed to join your following. he has the matter much at heart. if my wishes are at all powerful with you, you will not deny him." a murmur of delight ran through the crowd. that this splendid personage should have come to do homage to their hero, was the final dramatic touch which their imaginations craved. it was with difficulty that they repressed a cheer. but the guardsman looked puzzled to the point of incredulity. "heard the tidings as far as normandy?" he repeated. "a matter of so little importance to anyone? how is that likely?" straightening in his saddle, he looked at the norman for a moment with eyes that were more keen than courteous. "he would be liable to disaster who should try to put a trick upon leif ericsson," the thrall-born whispered. robert sans-peur was in no wise disconcerted. meeting the keen eyes, he answered in plain if halting norse: "the renowned chief has forgotten that early this season a trading-ship went from here to trondhjem. not a few of her shipmates went further than nidaros. one of them, who was called gudbrand-wi'-the-scar, travelled even so far as rouen, where it was my good fortune to encounter him." "it is true that i had forgotten that," the chief said, slowly. he lowered his gaze to his horse's ears and sat for a while lost in thought. then once more he extended his hand to the southerner. "it appears to me that you are a man of energy and resource," he said, with a return of his former cordiality. "since wind and wave have not hindered you from your desire, it would be unheard-of churlishness for me to refuse you. get now into my saddle and allow your friend to conduct you to the hall. it is necessary that i oversee the storing of these wares, but after the night-meal we will speak further of the matter." to forestall any further attempts at hand-kissing, he sprang from his horse and strode over to the trader. with an air of grave ceremony that was swallowed open-mouthed by the onlookers, sigurd held his friend's stirrup; then, quickly remounting his own steed, the pair rode off. this time the mob would not be restrained, but burst into a roar of delight. "here at last is a great happening that we have seen with our own eyes!" they told each other, as they settled down at a safe distance to watch leif and the merchant turning over the bales of goods which the sailors were engaged in bringing to shore. "this will be something to relate in time to come,--a great event concerning which we understand everything." "'concerning which we understand everything!'" sigurd, overhearing them, repeated laughingly to his friend as they galloped up the lane. robert the fearless laughed too, with a vibration of uneasiness in the peal. "few there are who are capable of making that boast," he answered. "even you, comrade, are unequal to it. here now is something that is worth a hearing." leaning from his saddle, he poured into sigurd's ear a stream of low-toned words that caused the silver-tongued to stop short and stare at him incredulously, and then look back at the anchored ship and pound his knee in a fury of exasperation. the cloud rested on sigurd's sunny face for the rest of the evening. thorhild, enchanted at the tribute to her idolized son, plied the stranger with every attention; and kark himself, for all his foxy eyes, removed the gilded helm from the smooth black locks without a thought to try whether or no they were indigenous to the scalp from which they sprang,--but sigurd's brow did not lighten. as they put a final polish upon their shields and hung them for the last time upon the wall behind their seats, rolf said to him with a searching glance: "it is hidden from me why you look so black, comrade. if it were not for the drawback of old eric at the steering-oar, certainly every circumstance would be as favorable as could be expected." sigurd arose and pulled his cloak down from its peg with a vicious jerk. "there are other witless people besides eric the red who thrust themselves where they are not wanted," he retorted grimly. then, turning abruptly, he strode out into the darkness; and none of the household saw him again until morning. the sun rose upon a perfect day, warm and bright, with the wind in the right quarter, steady and strong. and as if to make sure that not even one thing should mar so auspicious a beginning, leif's luck swept away the only drawback that rolf had been able to name. down in the lane, midway between the foot where it opened upon the shore and the head where it ended at the fence, there lay a bit of a rock. a small stone or a big pebble was all it was, but in the hands of leif's luck it took on the importance of a boulder. when the moment of departure arrived, and the cavalcade poured out of the courtyard gates, with a clanking of armor and a flapping of gorgeous new mantles, warmed by the horns of parting ale that had steamed down their throats, singing and boasting and laughing, and cheered by the rabble that ran alongside, their way down to the shore lay directly over the head of this insignificant pebble. who would have thought of avoiding it? yet, though a score of children's feet danced over it unharmed, and sixty pairs of horses' hoofs pranced over it unhindered, when eric reached it his good bay mare stumbled against it and fell, so that her rider was thrown from his saddle and rolled in the dust. there were no bones broken; he was no more than shaken; he was up before they could reach him; but his face was gray with disappointment, and his frame had shrunk like a withered leaf. "it is a warning from the gods that i am on the wrong road," he said hoarsely. "it is a sign that it cannot be my fate to be the discoverer of any other land than the one on which we now live. my luck go with you, my son; but i cannot." before they could remonstrate, he had wheeled his horse and left them, riding with the bent head and drooping shoulders of an old, old man. a stern sign from valbrand restrained leif's men from venting the cheers they were bursting with; but the looks they darted at their leader, and then at each other, said as plainly as words: "it is his never-failing luck. why did we ever doubt him? we would follow him into the sea of worms and believe that it would end favorably." in this promising frame of mind they left their friendly haven and sailed away into an unknown world. chapter xxiv for dear love's sake he alone knows, who wanders wide and has much experienced, by what disposition each man is ruled who common sense possesses. ha'vama'l the first night out was a moonless night, that shut down on the world of waters and blotted out even the clouds and the waves that been company for the solitary vessel. the little ship became a speck of light in a gulf of darkness, an atom of life floating in empty space. under the tent roofs, by the light of flaring torches, the crew drank and sang and amused themselves with games; but beyond that circle, there was only blackness and emptiness and silence. sigurd gazed out over the vessel's side, with a yawn and a shiver combined. "it feels as though the air were full of ghosts, and we were the only living beings in the whole world," he muttered. a tow-headed giant known as long lodin overheard him, and laughed noisily, jerking his thumb over his shoulder toward the deck where leif's eagle face showed high above their heads. "_his_ luck could carry us safe through even the world of the dead," he reassured him. but rolf paused in his chess game to throw his friend a keen glance. "the silver-tongue has been one not apt to speak womanish words," he said, gravely. "something there is on your mind which disturbs you, comrade." sigurd pulled himself together with an attempt at his usual careless laugh. "is it your opinion that i am the only person who is thinking of ghosts to-night?" he parried. "look yonder at kark, how he fears to turn his back on the shadows, lest the evil one overtake him! it is my belief that he would like it better to die than to venture into the dark of the foreroom." following his glance, they beheld the bowerman, leaning against the mast with a face as pale as a toadstool. when a sailor threw a piece of dried fish at him, he jumped as though he had been struck by a stone. rolf's gentle smile expanded into a broad grin, and he let himself be turned thus easily from his object. "now that is true; i had not observed him before. he appears as if the goddess ran already had hold of his feet to pull him down under the water. let us have a little fun with him. i will send him to the foreroom on an errand." robert of normandy set down his drinking-horn with a sharp motion, and sigurd leaned forward hastily; but the wrestler's soft voice was already speeding his command. "ho there, valiant kark-with-the-white-cheeks! get you into the foreroom and bring my bag of chess-men from the brass-bound box." kark heard the order without a motion except an angry scowl, and sigurd drew back with something like a breath of relief. but rolf made a sudden move as though to rise to his feet, and the effect was magical. "i am going as soon as is necessary," the thrall growled. "you said nothing of being in haste." and he shuffled over to one of the torches to light a splinter in its flame, and pushed his way forward with dragging feet. sigurd and the norman both sprang after him. "i tell you, rolf, i have something against this!" sigurd stormed, as the wrestler's iron hand closed upon his cloak. "my--my--my valuables are in the same chest. i will not have him pawing them over. let me go, i say!" he managed to slide out of his cloak and dodge under rolf's arm. a spark of something very like anger kindled the wrestler's usually mild eyes; he caught the norman around the waist, as the latter tried to pass him, and swung him bodily into the air. for an instant it seemed possible that he might hurl him over the ship's side into the ocean. but he finally threw him lightly upon a pile of skin sleeping-bags, and turned and hastened after the jarl's son. guessing that some friendly squabble was in progress, the sailors made way for him good-humoredly, and he reached the forecastle only a moment behind sigurd. kark's taper was just disappearing among the shadows beneath the deck. before the pursuers could speak, the bowerman leaped back upon them with a shriek that cut the air. "ran is in there! i saw her hair hanging over a barrel. it was long and yellow. it is ran herself! we shall drown--" sigurd haraldsson dealt him a cuff that felled him like a log. "the simpleton is not able to tell a piece of yellow fox-fur from a woman's hair," he said, contemptuously. "since you are here, rolf, hold the light for me, and i will get the chess-bag myself." he spoke loudly enough so that the men on the benches heard, laughed, and turned back to their amusements. then he drew rolf further into the room, laid a hand over his mouth, and pointed to the farthest comer, where barrels and piled-up bales made a screen half-way across the bow. hair long and yellow there was, as the simpleton had said; but it was not the vengeful ran who looked out from under it. tumbled and dishevelled, paling and flushing, short-kirtled and desperate-eyed, helga the fair stood before them. "behold how a prudent shield-maiden helps matters that are already in a snarl," the jarl's son said, dryly. the wrestler started back in consternation. helga dropped her eyes guiltily. "i cannot blame you for being angry," she murmured. "i have become a great hindrance to you." "it is an unheard-of misfortune!" gasped rolf. "in flying from gilli you have broken the norwegian law; and by causing leif to aid you in your flight you have made him an accomplice. a bad result is certain." helga's head bent lower. then suddenly she flung out her hands in passionate entreaty. "yet i could not help it, comrades! as i live, i could not help it! how could i have the heart to remain in safety, without knowing whether alwin lived or died? how could i spend my days decking myself in fine clothes, while my best friend fought for his life? was it to be expected that i could help coming?" she spoke softly, half-crouching in her hiding-place, but her heart was in every word. her judges could not stand against her. rolf swore that she would have been unworthy the name of shield-maiden had she acted otherwise. and sigurd pressed her hand with brotherly tenderness. "you should know that i am not blaming you in earnest, my foster-sister, because i grumble a little when i cannot see my way out of the tangle." he bent over kark to make sure that he was really as unconscious as he seemed; then he lowered his voice nervously. "what makes it a great mishap is that your presence doubles alwin's risk, and because one can never be altogether sure to what lengths eric's son will go,--even with one whom he loves as well as he loves you. if i could find some good way in which to break the news to him before he sees you,--" helga sprang out of her niche, and stood, straight and rigid, before them. "you shall not endanger yourself to shield me. you will feel it enough for what you have already done. the first burst of his anger i will bear myself, as is my right." before they had even guessed her intention, she slipped past them, leaped lightly over kark's motionless body, and delivered herself into the light of the torches. in another instant, a roar of amazement and delight had gone up from the benches; and the men were dropping their games and knocking over their goblets to crowd around her. "she has got out of her wits," rolf said, wonderingly. "he will kill her," sigurd answered, between his teeth. "for half as much cause, olaf trygvasson struck a queen in the face." they followed her aft, like men walking in a dream; but between the rings of broad shoulders they soon lost sight of her. all they could see was the norman's dark face, as he stepped upon a bench and silently watched the approaching apparition. "the troll take him! if he cannot keep that look out of his eyes, why does he not shut them?" sigurd muttered, irritably. perhaps it was that look which helga encountered, as she made the last step that brought her face to face with the chief. at that moment, a great change came over her. when the guardsman pushed back to the extreme limits of his chair to regard her in a sort of incredulous horror, she did not fall at his feet as everyone expected her to, and as she herself had thought to do. instead, she flung up her head with a spirit that sent the long locks flying. even when anger began to distort his face,--anger headlong and terrible as eric's,--her glance crossed his like a sword-blade. "you need not look at me like that, kinsman," she said, fiercely. "it is your own fault for giving me into the power of a mean-minded brute,--you who brought me up to be a free norse shield-maiden!" if the planks of the deck had risen against them, the men could not have looked at each other more aghast. her boldness seemed to paralyze even leif. or was it the grain of truth in the reproach that stayed him? he let moment after moment pass without replying. he sat plainly struggling to hold back his fury, gripping his chair-arms until the knuckles on his fists gleamed white. after peering at him curiously for awhile, as though trying to divine his wishes, his shrewd old foster-father put aside the chess-board on which they had been playing, and hobbled over and laid a soothing hand on the girl's arm. "speak you of gilli?" he inquired. "tell to us how he has ill-treated you." it was only very slightly that the pause had cooled helga's valor. "he has treated me like a horse that traders deck out in costly things, and parade up and down for men to see and offer money for," she answered hotly. though they knew gilli's conduct was entirely within the law, and there was not a man there who might not have done the same thing, they all grunted contemptuously. tyrker stroked his beard, with an-other sidelong glance at his foster-son, as he said, cautiously: "so? _aber_,--how have you managed it from him to escape?" "little was there to manage. as i told you, he loaded me with precious things; after which he left me to sit at home with his weak-minded wife, while he went on a trading voyage, as was his wont. a horse brought me to nidaros; gold bought me a passage with arnor gunnarsson, and his ship brought me into eric's fiord." then, for the first time, leif spoke. his words leaped out like wolves eager for a victim. "do not stop there! tell how you passed from his ship into mine. tell whom you found in eric's fiord who became a traitor for your gold." she answered him bravely: "no one, kinsman. no one received so much as a ring from me. may the giant take me if i lie! i swam the distance between the ships under the cover of darkness, and--" his voice crashed through hers like a thunder-peal: "who kept the watch on board, last night?" half a dozen men started in sudden consternation; but they were spared the peril of a reply, for sigurd haraldsson stepped out of the throng and stood at helga's side. "i kept the watch last night, foster-father," he said, quietly. "let none of your men suffer in life or limb. it was i who received her on board, while it was the others' turn to sleep; and i alone who hid her in the foreroom." those who had hoped that leif's love for his foster-son might outweigh his anger, gauged but poorly the force of the resentment he had been holding back. at this offer of a victim which it was free to accept, his anger could no more be restrained than an unchained torrent. it burst out in a stream of denunciation that bent sigurd's handsome head and lashed the blood into his cheeks. coward and traitor were the mildest of its reproaches; contempt and eternal displeasure were the least of its dooms. though helga besought with eyes and hands, the torrent thundered on with a fury that even the ire of eric had never surpassed. only a lack of breath brought it finally to an end. the chief dashed himself back into his chair, and leaned there, panting and darting fiery glances from under his scowling brows,--now at rolf and the norman, now at helga, and again at the motionless figure of sigurd haraldsson, silently awaiting his pleasure. when he spoke again, it was with the suddenness of a blow. "nor do i altogether believe that it was to escape from gilli that she took this venture upon herself. by her own story, gilli had gone away for the season and left her free. it is my opinion that it took something of more importance to steal the wits out of her." helga blanched. if he was going to pry into her motives, what might not the next words bring out? under the norman's silken tunic, an english heart leaped, and then stood still. there was a pause in which no one seemed to breathe. but the next words were as unexpected as the last. of a sudden, leif started up with a gesture of impatience. "have i nothing to think of besides your follies? trouble me no longer with the sight of you. tyrker, take the girl below and see to it that she is cared for." while the culprits stared at him, scarcely daring to credit their ears, he still further signified that the incident was closed, by turning his back upon them and inviting robert sans-peur to take the german's place at the chess-board. in a daze of bewilderment, sigurd let rolf lead him away. "what can he mean by such an ending?" he marvelled, as soon as it was safe to voice his thoughts. "how comes it that he will stop before he has found out her real motive? it cannot be that he will drop it thus. did you not see the black look he gave me as i left?" he raised his eyes to rolf's face, and drew back resentfully. "what are you smiling at?" he demanded. "at your stupidity," rolf laughed into his ear. "do you not see that he believes he has found out her real motive?" as sigurd continued to stare, the wrestler shook him to arouse his slumbering faculties. "simpleton! he thinks it was for love of you that helga fled from norway!" "_nom du diable_!" breathed sigurd. yet the longer he thought of it, the more clearly he saw it. by and by, he drew a breath of relief that ended in a laugh. "and he thinks to make me envious by putting my norman friend before me! do you see? he in-tends it as a punishment. by saint michael, it seems almost too amusing to be true!" chapter xxv "where never man stood before" wit is needful to him who travels far: at home all is easy. ha'vama'l four days of threading fog-thickets and ploughing over watery wastes, and the stanch little vessel pushed her way into sight of the first of the unknown lands. it towered up ahead like a storm-cloud, bleak and barren-looking as greenland itself. from its inhospitable heights and glaciers gleaming coldly in the sunshine, they knew it at once for the last-seen land of biorn's narrative. "it looks to me like a good omen that we are to begin where biorn left off," rolf observed to one of the men engaged in lowering the ship's boat. the fellow was a stalwart icelander who had every current superstition at his tongue's end, and was even accredited with the gift of second sight. he hunched his shoulders sceptically, as he bent over the ropes. "it is my opinion that good omens have little to do with this land," he returned. "it bears every resemblance to the giant country which thor visited." "i believe it is helheim itself," quavered kark. the wrestler glanced at the thrall's blanching cheeks and laughed a long soft laugh. such a display was one of the few things that moved him to mirth. suddenly he caught up the bowerman as one picks up a kitten, and, leaning out over the side, dropped him sprawling into the long-boat. "here, then, is your chance to enter the world of the dead in good company," he laughed. he stood guard over the gunwale until leif and the other ten men of the boat's crew were ready to go down; pounding the poor wretch's fingers when he attempted to climb back, while a row of grinning faces mocked him over the side. the unpromising aspect of the shore did not lessen as the explorers approached it. if they had not made an easy landing, on a gravelly strip between two rocky points, they would have felt that their labor had been wasted. from the sea to the ice-tipped mountains there stretched a plain of nothing but broad flat stones. they looked in vain for any signs of life. not a tree nor a shrub, nor even so much as a grass-blade, relieved the dead emptiness. when they caught sight of a fox, whisking from one rocky den to another, it startled them into crossing themselves. "it is over such wastes as this that the dead like to call to each other," valbrand muttered in his heard. and his neighbor mumbled uneasily, "i think it likely that this is one of the plains on which the women who ride at night hold their meetings. if it were not for the lucky one's luck, i would prefer swallowing hot irons to coming here." then both became silent, for leif had faced about and was awaiting their full attention before announcing the next move. "i dislike to see brave men disgrace their beards with bondmaids' gabble," he said sternly. "fix in your minds the shame that was spoken of biorn herjulfsson because of his lack of enterprise. the same shall not be said of us. rolf erlingsson and ottar the red and three others shall follow me; and we will walk inland until the light has entirely faded from the highest mountain peak yonder, and the next point below is yellow as a golden fir-cone. the others of you shall follow valbrand for the same length of time, but walk southward along the shore, since it may be that something of interest is hidden behind these points--" a howl from kark interrupted him. "i will not go! by thor, i will not go! spirits are hidden behind those points. who knows what would jump out at us? i will not stir away from the lucky one. i will not! i will not!" gibbering with terror, he clutched leif's cloak and clung there like a cat. for a moment the chief hesitated, looking down at him with disgust unutterable. then he quietly loosened the golden clasp on his shoulder, flung the mantle off with a sweep that sent the thrall staggering backward, and marched away at the head of his men. valbrand had handled rebellious slaves before. shaking the fellow until he no longer had any breath to howl with, the steersman said briefly, "it is very unlikely that we shall see any ghosts, but it is altogether certain that your hide will feel my belt if you do not end this fuss." kark made his choice with admirable swiftness. he got what comfort he could, poor wretch, out of a carefully selected position. as between two shields, he crept between the mystic icelander and the dauntless norman warrior. valbrand led the way, his flint face set to withstand the devil and all his angels; and three strapping swedes brought up the rear, with drawn swords and thumping hearts. if only the way could have lain straight and open before them, even though it bristled with beasts and foes! but for the whole distance it screwed itself into a succession of crescent-shaped beaches, each one lying between rocky spurs of the beetling crags. each point they rounded disclosed nothing more alarming than lichened boulders and pebbly shore, with here a dead fish, and there a heap of shining snaky kelp, and yonder a flock of startled gulls,--but who could tell what the next projection might be hiding? they walked with their fists gripped hard around their weapons, their eyes shifting, their ears strained, while the waves hissed around their feet and the gulls screamed over their heads. slowly the light faded from the mountain top and lay upon the next peak, a golden cone against the blue. at last, even valbrand's sense of duty was satisfied. "we will turn back now," he announced, halting them. "but first i will climb up the cliff, here where it is lowest, and try to see a little way ahead, that we may have as much news as possible to report to the chief." as he spoke, he gave a great spring upward on to a shelving ledge, and pulled himself up to the next projection; a rattling shower of sand and pebbles continued to mark his ascent. robert the fearless walked on to look around the rock they had almost reached; but the rest remained where they were, following their leader's movements with anxious eyes. they were so intent that they jumped like startled horses at an exclamation from the icelander. he was pointing to the strip of beach which lay between kark and the norman. "look there!" he cried. "look there!" their alarm was in no way diminished when they had looked and seen that the space was empty. the cold drops came out on their bodies, and the hair rose on their heads. robert of normandy, who had caught the cry but not the words, came walking back, inquiring the cause of the excitement; and at that the icelander cried out louder than before: "have a care where you go! do you not see it? you will get blood upon your fine cloak. it is at your feet." in blank amazement, the norman stared first at the ground and then at the seer. "have the wits been stolen out of you? there is not even so much as a devil-fish where you are pointing." the icelander took off his cap, and commenced wiping the great beads from his forehead. "you begin to listen after the song is sung," he answered, peevishly. "the thing ran away as soon as you approached. it was a fox that was bloody all over." a yell of terror distended kark's throat. "a fox!" he screeched. "my guardian spirit follows me in that shape; a foreknowing woman told me so. it is my death-omen! i am death-fated!" his knees gave way under him so that he sank to the ground and cowered there, wringing his hands. the icelander shot a look of triumph at the sceptical stranger. "they have no call to hold their chins high who hear of strange wonders for the first time," he said, severely. "it is as certain that men have guardian spirits as that they have bodies. yours, robert of normandy, goes doubtless in the shape of a wolf because of your warrior nature; and i advise you now, that when you see a bloody wolf before you it will be time for you to draw on your hel-shoes. the animal ran nearest the thrall--" kark's lamentations merged into a shriek of hope. "that is untrue! it lay at the norman's feet; you told him so!" while the seer turned to look rather resentfully at him, he climbed up this slender life-line, like a man whom sharks are pursuing. "it was not a fox that you saw, at all; it was a wolf! so excited were you that your eyes were deceitful. it was a wolf, and it was nearest the norman. a blind man could see what that means." the icelander pulled off his cap again, but this time it was to scratch his head doubtfully. "it was when the stranger approached it, that it was nearest to him," he persisted. "while this may signify that he will seek death, i am unable to say that it proves that he will overtake it. yet i will not swear that it was not a wolf. the sun was in my eyes--" robert the fearless burst into a scornful laugh. "oh, call it a wolf, and let us end this talk!" he said, contemptuously. "i shall not die until my death-day comes, though you see a pack of them. call it a wolf, craven serf, if that will stay your tongue." there was no chance for more, for at that moment valbrand joined them. "there is naught to be seen which is different from what we have already experienced," he said shortly; and they began the return march. they reached the landing-place first; but it was not long before the heads of their companions appeared above a rocky ridge. this party, it was evident, had had better sport. several men carried hats filled with sea-birds' eggs. another explorer had under his arm a fat little bear cub that he had picked up somewhere. rolf's deftness at stone-throwing had secured him a bushy yellow fox-tail for a trophy. the party had gone inland far enough to discover that creeping bushes grew on the hills, and rushes on the bogs; that it was an island, as biorn had stated, and that forests equal in size to those of greenland grew in sheltered places. but they had seen nothing to alter their unflattering first opinion. vikings though they were, warriors who would have been flayed alive without flinching, relief was manifest on every face when the leader finally gave the word to embark. probably it was because he understood the danger of pushing their fidelity too far, that the chief gave the order to return so soon. for his own part, he did not seem to be entirely satisfied. with one foot on the stern of the boat, and one still on the rocks, he lingered uncertainly. "yet we have not acted with this land like biorn, who did not come ashore," he muttered. rolf displayed the fox-tall with a flourish. "we have accomplished more than eric after he had been in greenland an equally short time, chief. we have taken tribute from the inhabitants." leif deigned to smile slightly. he stepped into his place, and from the stern he swept a long critical look over the barren coast,--from the fox-dens up to the high-peaked mountains, and back again to the sea. "we will give as well as take," he said at last. "i will give a name to the land, and call it helluland, for it is indeed an icy plain." they were welcomed on board with a hubbub of curiosity. almost every article of value upon the ship was offered in exchange for the cub and the fox-tail. the uncanny accounts of the place were swallowed with open-mouthed greediness; so greedily that it was little wonder that at each repetition the narratives grew longer and fuller. told by torchlight, at a safe distance from leif, each boulder took on the form of a squatting dwarf; and the faint squeaking of foxes became the shrieking of spirits. the tale of the death-omen swelled to such proportions that kark would have been terrified out of his wits if he had not rested secure in the conviction that the vision had been a wolf. the explorers who had gotten little pleasure out of their adventure at the time of its occurrence, came to regard it as their most precious possession. the fire of exploration waxed hot in every vein. every man constituted himself a special look-out to watch for any dawning speck upon the horizon. with fortune's fondness for surprising mankind, the next of the "wonder-shores" crept upon them in the night. the sun, which had set upon an empty ocean, rose upon a low level coast lying less than twenty miles away. in the glowing light, bluffs of sand shone like cliffs of molten silver; and more trees were massed upon one point than the whole of greenland had ever produced. even leif was moved to exclaim at the sight. "certainly this is a land which names itself!" he declared. "you need not wait long for what i shall fix upon. it shall be called markland, after its woods." sigurd's enthusiasm mounted to rashness. "i will have a share in this landing, if i have to plead with leif for the privilege," he vowed. and when, for the second time, rolf was told off for a place in the boat, and for the second time his claims were slighted, he was as reckless as his word. "has not my credit improved at ail, after all this time, foster-father?" he demanded, waylaying the chief on his descent from the forecastle. "i ask you to consider the shame it will bring upon me if i am obliged to return to norway without having so much as set foot upon the new-found lands." for awhile leif's gaze rested upon him absently, as though the press of other matters had entirely swept him out of mind. presently, however, his brows began to knit themselves above his hawk nose. "tell those who ask, that you were kept on board because a strong-minded and faithful watchman was needed there," he answered curtly, and turned his back upon him. robert the fearless was standing at the side, gazing eagerly toward the shore. as though suddenly reminded of his existence, the chief stopped behind him and touched him on the shoulder. "the norman is as much too modest as his friend is too bold," he said, with a note of his occasional courtliness. "a man who has thought it worth while to travel so far is certainly entitled to a share in every experience. let robert sans-peur go down and take the place that is his right." as the boat bounded away with the fearless one on the last bench, sigurd's face was a study. between mortification and amusement, it was so convulsed that rolf, who shared the norman's seat, could not restrain his soft laughter. "whether or not the silver-tongued has given his luck to you, it is seen that he has none left for himself," he laughed into his companion's ear. the norman bent to his oar with a petulant force that drove it deep into the water and far out of stroke. "whether or not he has any left for himself, it is certain that he has given none of it to me," he muttered. "here are we at our second landing, and no chance have i had yet to endanger my life for the chief. nor do i see any reason for expecting favorable prospects in this tame-appearing land. is it of any use to hope for wild beasts here?" the wrestler regarded him over his shoulder with amused eyes. "is it your opinion that leif ericsson needs your protection against wild beasts?" he inquired. under the norman's swarthy complexion, alwin of england suddenly flushed. when a wish is rooted in one's very heart, it is difficult to get far enough away to see it in its true proportions. the cliffs of gleaming silver faded, on the boat's approach, into gullied bluffs of weather-beaten sand; but the white beach that met the water, and the green thickets that covered the heights, remained fair and inviting. no fear of dark omens along that shining sand; no danger of evil spirits in that sunlit wood. all was pure and bright and fresh from the hand of god. in place of a spur, the explorers needed a rein,--and a tight one. but for the chief's authority, they would have spread themselves over the place like birds'-nesting boys. "ye know no more moderation than swine," leif said sternly, checking their rush to obey the beckoning of the myriad of leafy hands. "and ye are as witless as children, besides. have ye not learned yet that cold steel often lies hid under a fair tunic? we will divide into two bands, as we did at our first landing; and i forbid that any man shall separate himself from his party, for any reason whatsoever." then he proceeded to single out those who were to follow him; and to the great joy of robert of normandy, he was included in that favored number. valbrand's men crashed away through bush and bramble; and the chief's following threw themselves, like jubilant swimmers, into the sea of undergrowth. now, waist-high in thorny bushes, they tore their way through by sheer force of strength. now they stepped high over a network of low-lying vines, ankle-bonds tougher than walrus hide. again, imitating the four-footed pioneer that had worn the faint approach to a trail, they crawled on their hands and knees. every nest they chanced upon, and each berry bush, paid a heavy toll; but they gave the briers a liberal return in the way of cloth and hair and flesh. "i think it likely that i could retrace my steps by no other means than the hair that i have left on the thorns," eyvind the icelander observed ruefully, when at last they had paused to draw breath in one of the few open spaces. the fearless one overheard him and laughed. "when i found that my locks were liable to be pulled off my head entirely, i disposed of them in this manner," he said. he was leaning forward from his seat on a fallen oak to shew how his black curls were tucked snugly inside his collar, when a shriek of pain from the thicket behind them brought every man to his feet. the chief ran his eye over the little group. "it is lodin that is missing," he said. "probably he lingered at those last berry bushes." knife in hand, he plunged into the jungle. while a rustling green curtain still hid the tragedy, the rescuers learned the nature of their companion's peril; for suddenly, above the cries for help and the crash of trampled brush, there rose the roar of an infuriated bear. alwin's heart leaped in his breast, and his nostrils widened with such a fierce joy as won him the undying respect of the sportsmen around him. pushing past his comrades, he tore his way through the tangle of twining willowy arms and gained the side of the chief. leif pushed aside the last overhanging bough, and the conflict was before them. locked in the embrace of as big a bear as it had ever been their luck to see, stood lodin the berry-eater. that the beast had come upon him from the rear was evident, for the chisel-like claws of one huge paw had torn mantle and tunic and flesh into ribbons; but in some way the viking must have managed to turn and grapple with his foe, for now his distorted face was close to the dripping jaws. two bloody mangled spots upon either arm showed where the brute's teeth had been; but if the bear's paws were gripping the man's shoulders, still the man's hands were locked about the bear's ears. that the pair had been down once, leaves and dirt in hair and fur were witness; and now they went down again, ploughing up the earth, screaming and panting, growling and roaring; one of the brute's hind legs drawing up and striking down in a motion of terrible meaning. it was too ghastly a thing to watch inactive. already every man's knife was in his hand, and three men were crouching for a spring, when the chief swept them back with a stern gesture. "attacking thus, you can reach no vital part," he reminded them. and he shouted to the struggling man, "feign death! you can do nothing without your weapon. feign death." it appeared to alwin that to do this would require greater courage than to struggle; but while the words were still in the air, the man obeyed. his hands relaxed their hold; his head fell backward on the ground; and he lay under the shaggy body like a dead thing. the black muzzle poked curiously about his face, but he did not stir. after a suspicious sniff, the victor appeared to accept the truth of his conquest. exactly as though he said, "come! here is one good job done; what next?" he got up with a grunt, and, rising to his hind feet, stood growling and rolling his fiery little eyes from one to another of the intruders in the brush. "if now one could only hurl a spear at his heart!" murmured the sailor at alwin's shoulder. but the difficulties of path-finding through an unbroken thicket had kept the men from cumbering themselves with weapons so unwieldy. leif spoke up quickly, "there is no way but to trust to our knives. since i am superior to any in strength, i will grapple with him first. if i fail, which i do not expect, i will preserve my life as lodin is doing; and the fearless one here shall take his turn." alwin was too wild with delight to remember any-thing else. "for that, i thank you as for a crown!" he gasped. even as he stepped out to meet the foe, leif smiled ironically. "certainly you are better called the fearless than the courteous," he said. "it would have been no more than polite for you to have wished me luck." anything further was drowned in the bear's roar, as he took a swift waddling step forward and threw out his terrible paws. even leif's huge frame could not withstand the shock of the meeting. his left hand caught the beast by the throat and, with sinews of iron, held off his foaming jaws; but the shock of the grappling lost him his footing. they fell, clenched, and rolled over and over on the ground; those terrible hind feet drawing up and striking down with surer and surer aim. alwin could endure it no longer. "let me have him now!" he implored. "it is time to leave him to me. the next stroke, he will tear you to pieces. i claim my turn." it is doubtful if anyone heard him: at that moment, swaying and staggering, the wrestlers got to their feet. in rising, leif's hold on the bear's throat slipped and the shaggy head shot sideways and fastened its jaws on his naked arm, with a horrible snarling sound. but at the same moment, the man's right arm, knife in hand, shot toward the mark it had been seeking. into the exposed body it drove the blade up to its hilt, then swerved to the left and went upward. the stroke which the chisel-shod paws had tried for in vain, the little strip of steel achieved. a roar that echoed and re-echoed between the low hills, a convulsive movement of the mighty limbs, and then the beast's muscles relaxed, stiffening while they straightened; and the huge body swayed backward, dead. from the chief came much the same kind of a grunt as had come from the bear at the fall of his foe. glancing with only a kind of contemptuous curiosity at his wounded arm, he stepped quickly to the side of his prostrate follower and bent over him. "you have got what you deserve for breaking my orders," he said, grimly. "yet turn over that i may attend to your wounds before you bleed to death." in the activity which followed, robert of normandy took no part. he leaned against a tree with his arms folded upon his breast, his eyes upon the slain bear which half of the party were hastily converting into steaks and hide. the men muttered to each other that the southerner was in a rage because he had lost his chance, but that was only a part of the truth. his fixed eyes no longer saw the bear; his ears were deaf to the voices around him. he saw again a shadowy room, lit by leaping flames and shifting eyes; and once more a lisping voice hissed its "jargon" into his ear. "i see leif ericsson standing upon earth where never man stood before; and i see you standing by his side, though you do not look as you look now, for your hair is long and black... i see that it is in this new land that it will be settled whether your luck is to be good or bad..." he said slowly to himself, like a man talking in his sleep, "it has been settled, and it is to be bad." then the room passed from his vision. he saw in its place rolf's derisive smile, and heard again his mocking query: "is it your opinion that leif ericsson needs your protection against wild beasts?" of a sudden he flung back his head and burst into a loud laugh that jarred on the ear like grating steel. when at last lodin's wounds were dressed so that he could be helped along between two of his comrades, the party began a slow return. by the time they came out on to the shining white beach again, they were a battered-looking lot. there was not a mantle among them but what hung in tatters, nor a scratched face that did not mingle blood with berry juice. but at their head, the huge bear skin was borne like a captured banner. at the sight of it, their waiting comrades burst into shouts of admiration and envy that reached as far as the anchored ship. "never was such sport heard of!"--"a better land is nowhere to be found!" they clamored. "in one month we could secure enough skins to make us wealthy for the rest of our lives!" and then some muttered asides were added: "it is a great pity to leave such a place."--"it is folly to give up certain wealth for vague possibilities." and though the dissatisfaction rose no louder than a murmur, it spread on every hand like fire in brush. now there was one man among the explorers who had been a member of biorn herjulfsson's crew, and was brimful of conceit and the ambition to be a leader among his fellows. when the command to embark swelled the murmurs almost to an outspoken grumbling, he thought he saw a chance to push into prominence, and swaggered boldly forward. "if it is not your intention to come back and profit by this discovery, chief, i must tell you that we will not willingly return to the ship. certainly not until we have secured at least one bear apiece. we are free men, leif ericsson, and it is not to our minds to be led altogether by the--" whether or not he had meant to say "nose," no one ever knew. at that moment the chief wheeled and looked at him, with a glance so different from biorn herjulfsson's mild gaze that the word stuck in the fellow's throat, and instinctively he leaped backward. leif turned from him disdainfully, and addressed the men of his old crew. "ye are free men," he said; "but i am the chief to whom, of your own free wills, you have sworn allegiance on the edge of your swords. do you think it improves your honor that a stranger should dare to insult your chosen leader in your presence?" "no!" bellowed valbrand, in a voice of thunder. and lodin shook his wounded arm at the mutineer. "if my hand could close over a sword, i would split you open with it," he cried. the other men's slumbering pride awoke. loyalty seldom took more than cat-naps in those days, in spite of all the hard work that was put upon her. "duck him!"--"souse him!"--"dip him in the ocean!" they shouted. and so energetically that the ringleader, cursing the fickleness of rebels, found it all at once advisable to whip out his sword and fall into a posture of defence. but again leif's hand was stretched forth. "let him be," he said. "he is a stranger among us, and your own words are responsible for his mistake. let him be, and show your loyalty to your leader by carrying out his orders with no more unseemly delay." they obeyed him silently, if reluctantly; and it was not long before those who had remained on ship-board were thrown into a second fever of envious excitement. they were not pleasant, however, the days that followed. in the flesh of those who had missed the sport, the bear-fight was as a rankling thorn. the watches, during which a northeast gale kept them scudding through empty seas with little to do and much time to gossip, were golden hours for the growth of the serpent of discontent. though the creature did not dare to strike again, its hiss could be heard in the distance, and the gleam of its fangs showed in dark corners. if leif had had biorn's bad fortune, to begin at the wrong end of his journey, so that a barren helluland was the climax that now lay before him, the hidden snake might have swelled, like thora borga hiort's serpent-pet, into a devastating dragon. was it not leif's luck that the land which was revealed to them, on the third morning, should be as much fairer than their vaunted markland as that spot was pleasanter than greenland's wastes?--a land where, as the old books tell, vines grew wild upon the hills, and wheat upon the plains; where the rivers teemed with fish, and the thickets rustled with game, and the islands were covered with innumerable wild fowl; where even the dew upon the grass was honey-sweet! as they gazed upon the blooming banks and woods and low hills, warm and green with sunlight, cries of admiration burst from every throat. valbrand made bold to warn his chief, "though i do not dispute your will in this, any more than in anything else, i will say that difficulties are to be expected if men are to be parted from such a land without at least tasting of its good things." even for those who had been longest with him, the lucky one was full of surprises. "it has never been my intention to continue sailing after we had accomplished the three landings," he answered quietly. "ungrateful to god would we be, were we to fail in showing honor to the good things he has led us to. i expect to stay over winter in this place." chapter xxvi vinland the good "... they sailed toward this land, and came to an island lying north of it, and went ashore in fine weather and looked round. they found dew on the grass, and touched it with their hands, and put it to their mouths, and it seemed to them that they had never tasted anything so sweet as this dew. then they went on hoard and sailed into the channel, which was between the island and the cape which ran north from the mainland. they passed the cape, sailing in a westerly direction. there the water was very shallow, and their ship went aground, and at ebb-tide the sea was far out from the ship. but they were so anxious to get ashore that they could not wait till the high-water reached their ship, and ran out on the beach where a river flowed from a lake. when the high-water set their ship afloat they took their boat and rowed to the ship and towed it up the river into the lake. there they cast anchor, and took their leather-bags ashore, and there built booths."--flateyjarbo'k. it was october, and it was the new camp, and it was helga the fair tripping across the green background with a skirtful of red and yellow thorn-berries and a wreath of fiery autumn leaves upon her sunny head. where a tongue of land ran out between a lake-like bay and a river that hurried down to throw herself into its arms, there lay the new settlement. facing seaward, the five newly-built huts stood on the edge of a grove that crowned the river bluffs. behind them stretched some hundred yards of wooded highland, ending in a steep descent to the river, which served as a sort of back stairway to the stronghold. before them, green plains and sandy flats sloped away to the white shore of the bay that rocked their anchored ship upon its bosom. over their lowly roofs, stately oaks and elms and maples murmured ceaseless lullabies,--like women long-childless, granted after a weary waiting the listening ears to be soothed by their crooning. "i have a feeling that this land has always been watching for us; and that now that we are come, it is glad," helga said, happily, as she paused where the jarl's son leaned in a doorway, watching kark's cook-fires leap and wave their arms of blue smoke. "is it not a wonderful thought, sigurd, that it was in god's mind so long ago that we should some day want to come here?" "it is a fair land," sigurd agreed, absently. and then for the first time helga noticed the frown on his face, and some of the brightness faded from her own. "alas, comrade, you are brooding over the disfavor i have brought upon you!" she said, laying an affectionate hand upon his arm. "i act in a thoughtless way when i forget it." sigurd made a good-natured attempt to arouse himself. "do not let that trouble you, _ma mie_," he said, lightly. "when ill luck has it in her mind to reach a man, she will come in through a window if the door be closed. it is a matter of little importance." he patted the hand on his arm and his smile became even mischievous. "still, i will not say anything against it if you wish to pay some forfeit," he added. "see,--yonder leif sits, playing with the bear cub while he waits for his breakfast. now, as he turns his eyes upon us, do you reach up and give me such an affectionate kiss as shall convince him forever that it was for love of me that you fled from norway." a vigorous box on the ear was his answer; yet even before her cheeks cooled, helga relented and turned back. "even your french foolishness i will overlook, for the sake of the misfortune i have been to you. take now a handful of these berries, and make the excuse that you wish to give them to the bear. while you do so, speak to leif strongly and tell him your wish. that he is playing with the cub is a sign that he is in a good humor." sigurd's eyes wandered wistfully beyond the cook-fires and the storehouses to the last hut in the line, before which a dozen men were buckling on cloaks and arming themselves, in a bustle of joyful anticipation. he thrust out his palm with sudden resolve. "by saint michael, i will! i had sworn that i would never entreat his leave again, but this time there is no one near enough to witness my shame if he refuses me. there--that is sufficient! it is needful that i make haste: yonder come eyvind and odd with the fish; kark will not be long in cooking it." carefully careless, he strolled past the open shed in which the new-found wheat was being stored, past the sleeping-house and a group of fellows mending nets, and came to the great maple-tree under which a rough bench had been placed. there, like a giant thrym and his greyhounds, leif sat stroking his mustache thoughtfully, while with his free hand he tousled the head of the camp pet. scenting dainties, the bear deserted his friend and shambled forward to meet the newcomer. the chief raised his eyes and regarded his foster-son over his hand, seemingly with less sternness than usual. yet he did not look to be so blinded by good-nature that he would be unable to see through manoeuvring. sigurd decided to strike straight from the shoulder. the cub, finding that the treat was not to be had in one delicious gulp, rose upon his haunches and threw open his jaws invitingly. while he tossed the berries, one by one, between the white teeth, sigurd spoke his mind. "it is two weeks now, foster-father, since the winter booths were finished and you began the practice of sending out exploring parties. in all those days you have but once permitted me to share the sport. i ask you to tell me how long i shall have to endure this?" it appeared that the hand which stroked the chief's mustache also hid a dry smile. "you grasp your weapon by the wrong end, foster-son," he retorted. "you forget that each time i have chosen an exploring party to go out, i have also chosen a party to remain at home and guard the goods. how is it possible that i could spare from their number a man who has shown himself so superior in good sense and firm-mindedness--" sigurd's foot came down in an unmistakable stamp; and the remaining berries were crushed in his clenching fist. "enough jests have been strung on that thread! i have submitted to you patiently because it appeared to me that your anger was not without cause, yet it is no more than just for you to remember that i was helpless in the matter. since the girl was already so far, it would have been dastardly for me to have refused her aid. it is not as though i had enticed her from norway--" a confusing recollection brought him suddenly to a halt, the blood tingling in his cheeks. he knew that the eyes above the brown hand had become piercing, but there were many reasons why he did not care to meet them. after a moment's hesitation, he frankly abandoned that tack and tried a new one. dropping on one knee to wipe his berry-stained hand in the grass, he looked up with his gay smile. "there is yet another reason why you should allow me my way, foster-father. upon the one occasion when i did accompany the party, the discovery was made of those fields of self-sown wheat which you prize so highly. since then i have remained at home, and nothing of value has come to light. who knows what you might not find this time, if you would but take my luck along with you?" leif pushed the cub aside and rose to his feet, the strengthening savor of broiled salmon announcing the imminent approach of the morning meal. "although i cannot say that i consider that an argument which would win you a case before a law-man," he observed, "yet i will not be so stark as to punish you further. take your chance with the rovers if you will; though it is not likely that you will have time both to eat your food and to make yourself ready." sigurd was already gone on a bound. "it will not take me long to choose between the two," he called back joyously, over his shoulder. while the rest feasted noisily at the long table before the provision sheds, the silver-tongued hurried between sleeping house and store-room, rummaging out his heaviest boots, his stoutest tunic, his oldest mantle. at the last moment, the edge on his knife was found to be unsatisfactory, and he went and sat down by one of the cook-fires and fell to work with a sharpening stone. on the other side of the fire kark sat cross-legged upon the ground, skinning rabbits from a heap that had just been brought in by the trappers. he looked up with an impudent grin. "it is a good thing if your fortunes have mended at last, sigurd jarlsson. it did not appear that the norman brought you much luck in return for your support." he glanced toward that part of the table where the black locks of robert the fearless shone, sleek as a blackbird's wing, in the morning sun. "the southerner has an overbearing face," he added. "it reminds me of someone i hate, though i cannot think who." sigurd's fiery impulse to cuff him was cooled by a sudden frost. he said as carelessly as possible: "you are a churlish fool; but it is likely you have seen robert sans-peur in nidaros. he was there shortly before we came away." the thrall assented with a nod, but his interest seemed to have taken another turn, for after a while he said absently: "you will call me fool again when i tell you who the norman made me think of at first. no other than that pig-headed english thrall that leif killed last winter,--if it were not that one is black and the other was white, and one is living and the other dead." he commenced to grin over his work, a veritable image of malice, quite unconscious that sigurd's eyes were blazing down upon his head. by and by he broke into a discordant roar. "too great fun is it to keep silent over! what can it matter, now that hot-head is dead? ah, that was a fine revenge!" he squinted boldly up into sigurd's face, though he did not raise his voice to be heard beyond. "did you know that it was not thorhall the steward who found the knife that betrayed the english-man? did you dream of that, jarl's son? did you know that it was i who followed you out of the hall that night, and listened to you from the shadows, and followed your trail the next sunrise, until i came upon the knife at skroppa's very door? you never suspected that, jarl's son. i was too cunning to let you put your teeth into me. thorhall you could do no harm--" "wretched spy! do you boast of your deed?" the young viking interrupted hotly. "what is to hinder my biting now?" he had leaped the flames, and his hand was on the other's throat before he finished speaking. but the thrall fought him off with unusual boldness. "it is unadvisable for you to injure leif's property, sigurd haraldsson," he panted. "my life is of value to him now. you are not yet out of disgrace. it would be unadvisable for you to offend him again." however contemptible its present mouthpiece, that was the truth. sigurd paused, even while his fingers twitched with passion. while he hesitated, a shout of summons from valbrand decided the matter. loosening his hold, the young warrior vented his rage in one savage kick and hastened to join his comrades. twelve brawny vikings with twelve short swords at their sides and twelve long knives in their belts, they stood forth, headed by valbrand of the flint-face and--by tyrker! the little german had left off the longest of his fur tunics; a very long knife indeed garnished his waist, and he used a spear for a staff. yet none of these preparations made him appear very formidable. sigurd stared at him in amazement. "tyrker! my eyes cannot believe that you have the intention to undertake such a march! before a hundred steps, it will become such an exertion to you that you will lie down upon a rock in a swoon." the old man blinked at him with his little twinkling eyes. "so?" he said, chuckling. "then will we a bargain together make; for me shall you be legs, while i be brains for you. then shall we neither be left behind for wild beasts to eat, nor yet shall our wits like beer-foam off-blown be, if so it happens that a beautiful maiden crosses our path." sigurd swore an unholy french oath, as the laughter arose. would those jests never grow stale on their tongues? he wondered. he sent a half-resentful glance to where robert sans-peur stood, calm and lofty, watching the departure. whatever else threatened alwin of england, he had none of this nonsense to endure. over his shoulder, as he marched away, the silver-tongued made a sly face at his friend. the norman caught the grimace, but no answering smile curved the bitter line of his lips. smiles had been strangers to his gaunt dark face for many weeks now. the sailors said of him, "since the southerner lost his chance at the bear, he has had the appearance of a man who has lost his hope of heaven." when the noise of the departing explorers sank into the distance, robert sans-peur strolled away from the busy groups and stretched himself in the shade of a certain old elm-tree. the chief stripped off his mantle and upper tunic, and betook himself to the woods with an axe over his shoulder. the hammers of the carpenters made merry music as they built the bunks in the new sleeping-house. out in the sunshine, fishers and trappers came and went; harvesters staggered in under golden sheaves; and a group of bathers shouted and splashed in the lake. but the norman neither saw nor heard anything of the pleasant stir. through the long golden hours he lay without sound or motion, staring absently at the green turf and the dying leaves that floated down to him with every breeze. a meal at midday was not a brattahlid custom; but when the noon-hour came, there was a lull in the activity while kark carried around bread and meat and ale. combining prudence with a saving of labor, the thrall made no attempt to approach the brooding stranger; nor did the latter give any sign of noticing the slight. but the chief's keen eyes saw it, as they saw everything. from his seat under the maple-tree, he called out with the voice of authority: "hardy bear-fighters are not made by abstaining from food; nor are wits sharpened by sulking. i invite the norman to sit with me, while he drinks his ale and tells me what lies heavy on his mind." it was with more embarrassment than gratification that robert sans-peur responded to this invitation. "it may well be that my head is drowsy because i have had too much ale," he made excuse, as he took his seat. over the chunk of bread he was raising to his mouth, the chief regarded his guest critically. "there is an old saying," he observed, "that when it happens to a man that his head is sleepy in the day-time, it is because his mind is not in his body but wanders out in the world in another shape. in what land, and in what form, do the norman's thoughts travel?" after a moment, robert the fearless rose to his feet and bowed low. "they have returned to rest contentedly in an unnamed land," he answered; "and they wear the shape of thanks to leif ericsson for his many favors. i drink to the lucky one's health, and to his undying fame! skoal!" as he set down his horn after the toast, the norman's glance happened to encounter a glance from the shield-maiden, who was passing. taking another horn from the thrall, he bowed again, with proverbial french gallantry; then quaffed off the second measure of ale to the honor of helga the fair. leif turned in time to catch a rather unusual expression on the maiden's face, though her courtesy was a model of formality. he held out his hand peremptorily. "come hither, kinswoman, and tell me how matters go with you," he commanded. "it is to be hoped that tyrker has not lost you out of his mind, as i have done during these last weeks. how are you entertaining yourself this morning, while he is absent?" helga sped a guilty thought to a certain green nook on the river bluff; and winged heavenward a prayer of thanks that she had put off until afternoon her daily pilgrimage to the beloved shrine. she answered readily, "i have entertained myself very poorly so far, kinsman, for i have been doing such woman's-work as thorhild commends. i have been in your sleeping-house, sewing upon the skin curtains that are to make the fourth wall of my chamber." leif glanced at the norman with a dry smile. "chamber!" he commented. "learn from this, robert of normandy, how a norse maiden regards a stall! yet, whatever hostile thing attacks us, a norman lady in her bower would be no safer. tyrker's sleeping-place, and mine and valbrand's, lie between the house-door and the chamber of helga, gilli's daughter." he freed the girl's hand, though he still held her with his eyes. "whither do you betake yourself now?" he demanded. "long rambles are unsafe in an unknown country." in her perfect composure, helga even laughed; a silvery peal that sent a thrill of pleasure through the brooding old trees. "by my knife, kinsman, you take your responsibility heavily, now that you have remembered it at all!" she retorted. "i do not go far; only a little way up the river, where grow the rushes of which i wish to make baskets." the chief released her then; and soon she disappeared among the trees. one by one, the men finished their meal and drifted back to their various employments. the hammers began again their merry tattoo; and the wrangling voices of dice-throwers replaced the shouts of the bathers. except for these, however, the place was still. the sun shone hotly, and the trees appeared to nap in the drowsy air. perhaps because he preferred asking questions to answering them, robert sans-peur began an earnest conversation, concerning the harvest, the traps, and the fishing. but as the hour grew, the gaps between his inquiries stretched wider. as the tree-heads ceased even their nodding and hung motionless, the chief's answers became briefer and slower. at last the moment arrived when no response at all was forthcoming. glancing up, the norman found his host tilted back against the maple trunk in placid slumber. the young man let something like a sigh of relief escape him. still, watching the sleeping face warily, he tried the effect of another question. oblivion. he rose to his feet with a daring flourish of yawns and stretching, and awaited the result of that test. the deep breathing never faltered. then alwin the lover hesitated no longer. quietly and directly, as one who treads a familiar path, he walked around the corner of the last hut and disappeared among the trees. many feet had worn a distinct trail through the woods to the edge of the bluff, and down the steep to the water; but only two pair of feet had ever turned aside, midway the descent, and found the path to eden. like a rosy curtain, a tall sumach bush hid the trail's beginning; the overhanging bluffs concealed it from above; the tangle of shrubs and vines which covered the bank from the water's edge screened it from below. hardly more than a rabbit track, a narrow shelf against the wall of the steep, it ran along for a dozen yards to stop where a ledge of moss-covered rock thrust itself from the soil. when alwin pushed aside the leafy sprays, helga stood awaiting him with outstretched hands. "you have been long in coming, comrade. i dare not hope that it is because leif delayed you with some new friendliness?" her lover shook his head, as he bent to kiss her hands. "do not hope anything, sweetheart," he said, wearily. "that is the one way not to be disappointed." he threw himself down on the rock at her feet, unaware that her smooth brows had suddenly drawn themselves into a troubled frown. she said with grave slowness, "i do not like to hear you speak like that. you are foremost among men in courage, yet to hear you now, one would almost imagine you to be faint-hearted." alwin's mouth bent into a bitter smile, as his eyes stared away at the river. "courage?" he repeated, half to himself. "yes, i have that. once i thought it so precious a thing that i could stake honor and life upon it, and win on the turn of the wheel. but i know now what it is worth. courage, the boldness of the devil himself, who of the north but has that? it is cheaper than the dirt of the road. if i have not been a coward, at least i have been a fool." all at once, helga shook out her flying locks like so many golden war banners, and turned to face him resolutely. "you shall not speak, nor think like that," she said; "for i see now that it is not good sense. before, though my heart told me you were wrong, i did not understand why; but now i have turned it over in my mind until i see clearly. the failure of your first attempt to win leif's favor is a thing by itself; at least it does not prove that you have not yet many good chances. i will not deny that we may have expected too many opportunities for valiant deeds, yet are there no other ways in which to serve? was it by a feat of arms that you won your first honor with the chief? it was nothing more heroic than the ability to read runes which, in five days, got you more favor than rolf erlingsson's strength had gained him in five years. are your accomplishments so limited to your weapons that when you cannot use your sword you must lie idle? many little services will count as much as one big one, when the time of reckoning comes. shake the sleep-thorn out of your ear, my comrade, and be your brave strong-minded self again. without courage, never would robert sans-peur have come to greenland, nor helga, gilli's daughter, have followed him to norway. despise it not, but mate it with your good sense, and the two shall yet draw us to victory." it was a long time before alwin answered. the river splashed and murmured below; birds rustled in the bushes around them, or dived into the green depths with a soft whir of wings. a rabbit paused to look at them, and two squirrels quarrelled over a nut, within reach of their hands,--so still were they. but when at last alwin raised his eyes to hers, their gaze reassured her. "the sleep-thorn is out, sweetheart," he said, slowly. "now is the whole of my folly clear to me for the first time. never again shall you have cause to shame my manhood with such words." "shame! shame you, who are the best and bravest in the world!" she cried, passionately, and threw herself on her knees by his side, entreating. but he silenced her lips with kisses, and put her gently back upon the rock. "do not let us speak further of it, dear one. i have thought so much and done so little. after this you shall see how i will bear myself... but let us forget it now, and rest awhile. let us forget everything in the world except that we are together. lay your hand in mine and turn your face where i can look into it; and so shall we be sure of this happiness, whatever lies beyond." a vague fear laid its icy finger, for an instant, on helga's brave heart; but she shook it off fiercely. locking her hand fast in her comrade's, she let all the love of her soul well up and shine from her beautiful eyes. so they sat, hand in hand, while the hours slipped by and the shadows lengthened about them, and the light on the river grew red. with the sunset, came the sound of distant voices. helga started up with a finger on her lips. "it is the exploring party, returning! it is possible that one of them might blunder in here. do you think we can climb the bluff before they turn the bend and see us?" the voices were becoming very distinct now. alwin shook his head. "i think it better to remain where we are. sigurd knows that we are likely to be here. he will turn them aside, if need be. see; yonder is his blue cloak now, at the--" he broke off and slowly rose to his feet, a look upon his face that made helga whirl instinctively and glance over her shoulder. she did not turn back again, but sat as though frozen in the act; for behind the sumach bush leif stood, watching them. how long he had been there they had no idea, but his eyes were full upon them; and they realized that at last he knew truly for whom it was that helga, gilli's daughter, had fled from home. his lips were drawn into a straight line, and his brows into a black frown. the voices came nearer and nearer,--until sigurd's blue cloak fluttered at the very foot of the trail. when he saw the chief's scarlet mantle mingling with the scarlet of the sumach leaves, the jarl's son gave a great leap forward. it was no longer than the drawing of a breath, however, before he recovered himself. his clear voice rose like a bugle call, "_diable_! foster-father! i have just made a very different discovery from the one i promised you,--tyrker has been left behind." the chief was down the bank in three long leaps, shooting a volley of fierce questions. each member of the party instantly raised his voice to defend himself and blame his neighbor. the remainder of the camp, brought to the spot by the noise, rent the air with upbraiding and alarms. when the shield-maiden suddenly sprang from nowhere and stood in their midst, the men did not even notice her; nor did the appearance of the norman attract more attention. as an accident, it was incredibly fortunate; as a diversion, it was a master-stroke. yet it did not take the chief long to quell the up-roar, when at last he had made up his mind what course to pursue. seizing a shield from a man at his side, he hammered upon it with his sword until every other sound was drowned in the clangor. "silence!" he shouted. "silence, fools! would you save him by deafening each other? we must reach him before wild beasts do: he would be as a child in their clutches. ten of you who are fresh-footed, get weapons and follow me. the least crazy of you who accompanied him, shall guide us back." only as he was turning away and ran bodily into him, did he appear to remember the norman's existence. his eyes gave out an ominous flash. "you also follow," he commanded. as the little column moved over the hills in the fading light, helga looked after them, half dazed. "what is the meaning of that?" she murmured to the jarl's son at her side. "it is certain that leif recognized him; yet he chooses him to accompany them. i do not understand it." nothing could have been sturdier than sigurd's manner; she did not think to look at his face. "that may easily be," he returned. "since it angered the chief to find you two together, it would be no more than natural that he should wish to make sure of your separation." helga did not appear to hear him. she stood transfixed with the horror of a sudden conviction. "it is to kill him!" she gasped. "that is why he has taken him away, that he may kill him quietly and without interference. i will go after them... by running, i can catch up--let me go, sigurd!" the fact that his foreboding was quite as black as hers did not prevent sigurd from tightening his grasp, almost to roughness. he said sternly, "be still. you have done harm enough by such crazy actions. if by any chance he is not discovered, you would be certain to betray him. you can do nothing but harm in any case." as he felt her yield to his grasp, he added, less harshly, "more likely than not, nothing of any importance will happen; if tyrker is found unharmed, leif's joy will be too great to allow him to injure anyone, whatever his offence." she interrupted him with a low cry of anguish. "but if tyrker is not found, sigurd! if tyrker is not found, leif will vent his rage upon the nearest excuse. a norseman in grief is like a bear with a wound: it matters not whom he bites." burying her face in her hands, she sank upon the ground and rocked herself back and forth. out from the bower of long hair that streamed over her, came pitiful moans. "he will slay him and leave him out there in the darkness... i shall not be by to raise his head and weep over him, as i did before .... oh, thou god, if there is help in thee--! i shall not be with him... leif will slay him and leave him out in the darkness, alone..." sigurd's face grew white as he watched her, and he clenched his hands so that the nails sank deep in the flesh. "there is nothing to do but to wait," he said, briefly. "if tyrker is found, all will be well." he paced to and fro before her, his ear set toward the river. over in front of the cook-house, kark's fires began to twinkle out like altars of good cheer. like votaries hurrying to worship at them, the hungry men went and threw themselves on the grass in a circle; with dice and stories and jests they whiled away the time pleasantly enough. for the pair in the shadow, the moments dragged on lead-shod feet. time after time, sigurd thought he heard the sounds he longed to hear, and started toward the river,--only to come slowly back, tricked. an owl began to call in the tree above them; and ever after, helga connected that sound with death and despair, and shuddered at it. when at last the distant hum of voices crept upon them, they would not believe it; but sat with eyes glued to the ground, though their ears were strained. but when one of the approaching voices broke into a rollicking drinking-song, which was caught up by the group around the fire and tossed joyously back and forth, there could no longer be any doubt of the matter. sigurd leaped up and pulled his companion to her feet, with a cheer. "they would not sing like that if they bore heavy tidings," he assured her. "do not spoil matters now by a lack of caution. stay here while i run forward to meet them." then, for the first time since the failing of the blow, helga recalled with a flush of shame that she was a dauntless shield-maiden; and she took hold of her composure with both hands. singing and shouting, the rescuers came out of the woods at last and into the circle of firelight. on the shoulders of the two leaders sat tyrker, his little eyes dancing with excitement, his thin voice squeaking comically in his attempts to pipe a german drinking-song, as he beat time with some little dark object which he was flourishing. the chief walked behind him with a face that was not only clear but almost radiant. still further back came robert sans-peur, quite un-harmed and vigorous. in the name of wonder, what had happened to them? "it is the strangest thing that ever occurred."--"it is a miracle of god!"--"growing as thick as crow-berries."--"such juice will make the finest wine in the world!"--"biorn herjulfsson will dash out his brains with envy."--"was ever such luck as the lucky one's?" were the disjointed phrases that passed between them. waving the dark object over his head, tyrker struggled down from his perch. "wunderschoen! as in the fatherland growing! and i went not much further than you,--only a step, and there--like snakes in the trees gecoiled! so solid the bunches, that them your fingers you cannot between pry. the beautiful grapes! foster-son, for this day's work i ask you to name this country vine-land. such a miracle requires that. ach, it makes of me a child again!" he tossed the fruit into their eager hands and began all at once to wipe his eyes industriously upon the skirt of his robe. swiftly the bunch passed from hand to hand. each time a juicy ball found its way down a thirsty throat a great murmur of wonder and delight arose. "there is more where this came from? plenty, you say?" they inquired, anxiously. and on being assured that hillside after hillside was covered with bending wreaths of purple clusters, their rapture knew no bounds. ale was all well enough; but wine--! not only would they live like kings through the winter, but in the spring they would take back such a treasure as would make their home-people stare even more than at the timber and the wheat. "you need have no fear concerning leif's temper," sigurd whispered in helga's ear. "this discovery makes his mission as sure of success as though it were already accomplished. no man's nose rises at timber, but two such miracles as wheat and grapes, planted without hands and growing without care,--these can be nothing less than tokens of divine favor! the lucky one would spare his deadliest foe tonight." "that sounds possible," helga admitted, studying the chief's face anxiously. as she looked, leif's gaze suddenly met hers, and she had the discomfort of seeing a recollection of their last encounter waken in his eyes. yet they did not darken to the blackness that had lowered from them at the cliff. they took on more of an expression of quiet sarcasm. turning where the norman stood, a silent witness of the scene, the chief beckoned to him. "a while ago, robert sans-peur, i had it in my mind to run a sword through you," he said, dryly. "but i have since bethought myself that you are a guest on my hands; and also that it is right to take your french breeding into account. yet, though it may easily be a norman habit to look upon every fair woman with eyes of love, it is equally contrary to norse custom to permit it. give yourself no further trouble concerning my kinswoman, robert of normandy. attach yourself to my person and reserve your eloquence for my ear,--and my ear only." chapter xxvii mightier than the sword middling wise should every man be, never too wise; happiest live those men who know many things well. ha'vama'l they must have missed a great deal of enjoyment, to whom a new world meant only a new source of gold and slaves. to these men from the frozen north, the new world was an earthly paradise. a long clear day under a warm sun was alone a gift to be thankful for. to plunge unstinted hands into the hoarded wealth of ages, to be the first to hunt in a game-stocked forest and the first to cast hook in a fish-teeming river,--to have the first skimming of nature's cream-pans, as it were,--was a delight so keen that, saving war and love, they could imagine nothing to equal it. like children upon honey, they fell upon the gift that had tumbled latest out of nature's horn of plenty, and swept through the vineyard in a devastating army. snuffing the sweet scent of the sun-heated grapes, they ate and sang and jested as they gathered, in the most innocent carousal of their lives. shouting and singing, they brought in their burdens at night,--litters of purple slain that bent even their stout backs. the roofs were covered with the drying fruit, which was to be doctored into raisins, and cask after cask of sour tangy wine was rolled into the provision shed beside the garnered grain. "the king of norway does not live better than this," they congratulated each other. "we have found the way into the provision house of the world." their delight knew no bounds when they found that the arrival of winter would not interfere with sport. winter at brattahlid meant icebergs and blizzards, weeks of unbroken twilight and days of idling within doors. winter in this new land,--why, it was not winter at all! "it is nothing worse than a second autumn," helga said, wonderingly. "they have patched on a second autumn to reach till spring." the woods continued to be full of game, and the grass on the plains remained almost unwithered. there was only enough frost in the air to make breathing it a tonic, a tingling delight. not even a crust formed over the placid bay; and the waters of the river went leaping and dancing through the sunshine in airy defiance of the ice-king's fetters. on the last day of december, autumn employments were still in full swing. the last rays that the setting sun sent to the bay through the leafless branches, fell upon a group of fishermen returning with a load of shining fish hanging from their spears. from the grove came the ringing music of axes, the rending shriek of a doomed tree, the crackling, crashing thunder of its fall. down at the foot of the bluff a boat was thrusting its snout into the soft bank, that an exploring party might land after a three days' journey along the winding highway of the river. in the bow stood the chief, and behind him were sigurd haraldsson and rolf; and behind them, robert the norman. with a great racket of joyous hallooing for the benefit of their camp-mates, the crew leaped ashore. while some stayed to load themselves with the skins and game stowed under the seats, the rest began to climb the trail, laughing and talking noisily. sigurd leaped along between rolf and the norman, a hand on the shoulder of each, shaking them when their sentiments were unsatisfactory. "how long am i to wait for you to have a free half-day?" he demanded of his friend from normandy. "it was over a week before we left that i found those bear tracks, and still am i putting off the sport that you may have a share in it. is it leif's intention to keep you dangling at his heels forever, like a tassel on an apron? certainly he cannot think that there is danger of your talking love to helga while you are fighting bears." "though once i would have said that wooing a shield-maiden was a very similar sport," rolf added, pleasantly. whereupon sigurd shook them both, with an energy that sent all three sprawling on their faces, to the huge amusement of those who came after. they scrambled to their feet in front of a tall sumach bush that grew half-way up the slope. alwin's eyes fell upon a narrow ledge-like path that showed plainly between the bare branches, and he nodded toward it with a smile. "missing bear-fights is certainly undesirable," he said. "but it was not long ago--and on this same bank--that i anticipated a worse fate than that." "nevertheless, i have never seen so much service exacted from a king's page," sigurd growled, as he bent to brush the dirt from his knees. but rolf shook his head with quiet decision. "one need never tell me that it is only to keep you from saying fine things to helga that the chief demands your constant presence. it is because he has come to take comfort in your superior intelligence, and to value your attendance above ours. there, he is calling you now! i foretell that you will not fight bears to-morrow either." he gave the broad back a hearty slap that was at the same time a friendly shove forward. the chief's voice had even taken on an impatient accent by the time the young squire reached his side. "i should like much to know what is the cause of your deafness! are you dead or moonstruck that i must shout twenty times before you answer? if your wits go sleep-walking, then may we as well give up, for i have depended upon them as upon crutches. i want you to keep it in mind for me that it is after the river's second bend to the right, but its fourth bend to the left, that the trees stand which i wish to mark. and the spring--the spring is--" "and the spring is beyond the third turning to the right," the young man finished readily. "the chief need give himself no uneasiness. it is written on my brain as on parchment." leif turned from him with something like an angry sigh. "it needs to be more than written," he said. "it needs to be carved as with knives." on the crest of the bluff he paused suddenly to shake his fists in a passion of impotence. "a man who has no more than a trained body is of less account than a beast!" he cried. "my brain is near bursting with the details which i have sought to remember concerning these discoveries, and yet what assurance have i that i have got even half of them correct? that i have not remembered what was of least importance, and confused this place with that, and garbled it all so that the next man who comes after me shall call me a liar and laugh at my pretensions? and even though i relate every fact as truly as the holy book itself, what will there be left of it by the time it has passed through a hundred sottish brains in greenland yonder? i tell you, this stained rag of a cloak i wear is nearer to what it was first, than that tale will be after swinish mouths have chewed upon it a day. it is the curse of the old gods upon the heathen. and i fling my curse back at them, for the chains they have hung upon my free hands and the beast-dumbness with which they have gagged my man's mouth." in an abandonment of fury, he shook both fists high over his head at the scattered star faces that were peering out of the pale sky. not till he had turned and stamped away over the snapping twigs, did his men come out of their trance of bewilderment. as they resumed their climbing, eyvind the ice-lander observed sagely, "never saw i any one whose speech reminded me so strongly of the hot springs we have at home. all of a sudden, without warning or cause, the words shoot up into the air, boiling hot; and it would be as much as one's life is worth to try to stop them. it is incomprehensible." passing amused comments, they gained the crest and vanished over it, without noticing that the norman still stood where the chief had left him, with every appearance of being equally bereft of his senses. with parted lips, and hands nervously opening and shutting by his side, he stood staring away into the dusk before him, until the voices of those who were coming after with the spoils fell on his ear and aroused him. then he raised to the stars a face that was fairly convulsed with excitement, and took the rest of the climb in three wild leaps. "it is open to my sight at last!" he muttered over and over, as he hurried through the darkness toward the lighted booths. "heaven be thanked, it is open to my sight at last!" as he reached the end of the largest hut and was turning the corner in eager haste, an arm reached quickly out of the shadow and touched his cloak. instinctively his hand went to his knife; but it fell away the next instant in a very different gesture, as helga's voice whispered in his ear: "alwin,--it is i! i have waited for you since the first noise of the landing. i have a--hush, you must not do that! i have need of my lips to speak with no, no! listen; i wish to warn you--" "and i must tell you what has just occurred." alwin's excitement bore down her caution. "i have guessed the riddle of what my service is to be,--or, to tell it truthfully, luck has guessed it for me, owl that i am! here has it--" but helga's hand fell softly over his mouth. "dumb as well as blind shall you be, till i have finished! already i have stayed out long enough to excite suspicion. listen to my warning; kark suspects that your complexion is shallow. yesterday i overheard him put the question to tyrker, whether or not it were possible that a paint could color a man's skin dark so that it would not wear off." "devil take the--" "hush, that is not all! i have never thought it worth while to tell you, in the few words we have had together; but now i know that the creature has suspected us ever since the day when leif came upon us on the bluff. the day after that, kark dared to say to me, 'is a shield-maiden as fickle as other women, for all her steel shirt? in greenland, helga, gilli's daughter, loved an englishman.' i beat him soundly for it, yet i could not uproot the thought from his mind; and now--" "and now i tell you that it is of no consequence what he thinks," alwin interrupted her, eagerly. "i have to-night found out a means by which i am as certain to win favor as--" but he could not finish. crackling steps in the grove behind them made helga spring away from him like a startled bird. he had only time to whisper after her, "to-night,--watch me across the fire!" before she had vanished among the shadows, like one of them. after a moment the young man went his way around the corner of the cabin and came in through the open doorway, where his companions sat at supper. the hall, which was also the larger of the sleeping-houses, was not an unworthy off-shoot of the splendors of brattahlid. here, as there, the rough walls were lined with gleaming weapons and shields that shone like suns in the ruddy glow of the fire. and in lieu of tapestries, there was a noble medley of bears' claws, fish nets, glistening birds' wings, drying hides, branching antlers, and squirrels' tails. the bunk-like beds, built against the walls, displayed a fortune in the skin covers that were spread over them; fox skins covered the benches, and wolf skins lay under foot. the chief's seat no longer boasted carven pillars or embroidered pillows, but it missed none of these when the great bear skin had been flung over the cushions of fragrant pine-needles. and if the table-service was not so fine as the gilded vessels on eric's board, yet the fish and flesh and fowl that piled the trenchers, and the purple juice that brimmed the horns, had never been equalled in greenland. "only to get such wine, the journey would be worth while," rolf murmured to the shield-maiden, beside whom he sat, when at last the business of eating was over and the pleasure of drinking had begun. as he spoke he tilted his head back, with closed eyes and a beatific smile, and let the contents of his horn run slowly down his throat. even a woman might have had the sense to leave him undisturbed at such a moment; yet helga bent forward and jogged his arm without compunction. "are you going to be forever swallowing?" she whispered, sharply. "look across the fire and tell me what alwin is doing with his hands. he has turned aside so that i cannot see." it was with a distinct bang that the wrestler set down his empty cup, and in a distinct snarl that his answer came over his shoulder. "not a few men have been slain for such rudeness as that. why should i care what the norman is doing? is it a time to be riding horseback or catching fish? since there is no babbling woman at his elbow, it is likely that he is drinking." but helga's hand did not loosen its hold upon his arm. "hush!" she entreated him. "something really is going to happen; he warned me of it. something of great importance. you will act with no more than good will if you look and tell me what you see." excitement is infectious; even through his sulks rolf caught it, and leaning forward, he peered curiously over the flames. the norman sat in his usual place at the chief's left hand. it was evident that his thoughts were far away, for his drinking-horn stood forgotten at his elbow and he was humming absently as he worked. his fingers were busy with a long splinter and a tuft of fox-hairs, that he was pulling carefully from the rug on which he sat. rolf's eyes widened into positive alarm as he watched. "he has the appearance of a crazy man!" he reported. "or it may be that he is making a charm and that is the weird song which he is mumbling. see,--he has finally drawn leif's attention upon him!" "he is not acting without a purpose," helga persisted. "he told me to watch him. look! what is he doing now?" still humming, and with the leisurely air of one who works to please himself alone, the norman completed his task and held the result up critically to the light. it was nothing more nor less than a clumsy little fox-hair brush. leaning back on the bear skin the chief continued to gaze at it curiously. but the pair across the fire suddenly turned to each other with a gasp of comprehension. the norman, still humming carelessly, drew his horn nearer with one hand, and with the other pushed a bowl out of his way. then dipping his brush in the purple wine, he began to paint strange-looking runes on the fair new boards before him. "it has come to my mind to try whether i can remember the words of that french song which we heard together in rouen," he said lightly to sigurd haraldsson who sat by him. "was it not thus that the first line ran?" almost with the weight of a blow, leif's hand fell upon his shoulder. "runes!" he cried, in a voice that brought every man to his feet, even those who had fallen asleep over their drinking. "runes? is it possible that you have the accomplishment of writing them?" his hold upon the shoulder tightened, of a sudden, to such a pressure that the young man was fain to drop his brush with a gasp of agony, and catch at the crushing hand. "you have had this power all these months that you have known of my great need? how comes it that you have never put forth a hand to help me?" he thundered. across the fire, helga, gilli's daughter, held herself down upon the bench with both hands. but though his lips were twisted with pain, the rune-writer met leif's gaze unflinchingly. "help you, chief?" he repeated, wonderingly. "how was i to know that norman writing would be of assistance to you? when did you ever tell me of your need?" though his gaze continued to hold the norman for awhile, leif's grip on his shoulder slowly relaxed. then, gradually, his eyes also loosened their hold. finally he burst into a loud laugh and slapped him on the back. "by the edge of my sword, your wit is as nimble as a rabbit!" he swore. "i cannot blame you for this. at least you lost little time in coming to my support as soon as i had told my need. by the mass, robert sans-peur, you could not have brought your accomplishment to a better market! i tell you frankly that it is of more value to me than any warrior's skill in the world, and i am not too stingy to pay what it is worth." unclasping the gold chain from his neck, he threw it over the norman's head. "take this to begin with, robert of normandy," he said, with grave courtesy. "and i promise you that, if your help proves to be as great as i expect, there will be little that you can ask that i shall not be glad to give." decked in the shining gold of his triumph, the masquerading thrall stood with bent head, a look that was almost shame-stricken stealing over his face. but it is probable that the chief feared that he meditated another attempt at hand kissing, for that brusque commander began to speak quickly and curtly of purely unsentimental matters. "i have none of the kid-skin of which your southern books are made. yet will not a roll of fresh white vadmal offer a fair substitute? and certainly there is enough wine--" there certainly was enough, and more; yet at this suggestion an indignant murmur could not be suppressed. "though i never dispute your wisdom in anything, that appears to me to be little better than desecration," valbrand declared, frankly. with an effort the norman roused himself. "it will not be necessary," he said, absently. "i know how to make a liquid out of barks that will have a dark color and suffer no damage from water." he did not notice the expression that flared up in kark's eyes; nor did he hear helga's gasp, nor feel sigurd's foot. his gaze fell again to the floor in moody abstraction. the chief answered briefly to the murmurs: "it is unadvisable to oppose my whim for writing in wine; who knows but i might exchange it for a fancy to write in blood? bring hither the vadmal, thrall, and we will lose no more precious moments." was ever monkish work begun in more unchurch-like surroundings? alwin wondered, a festal board for a desk and a wine-cup for an ink-horn! the brawling crew along the benches drank and sang and rattled dice in their nightly carousal; and, in a corner, lodin wrestled with the well-grown bear-cub before a circle of cheering spectators. the firelight flickered over the trophy-laden walls, picking out now a severed paw and now a grinning skull, until the whole place seemed a ghastly shrine of savagery. the warrior-scribe wrote with painful slowness; and more than once, in trying to catch some of helga's chatter across the fire, he wrote such twisted sentences that it was impossible to unravel them when he came to retranslate. yet he did write. ploddingly, haltingly, clumsily, he still caught the fleeting thoughts as they sped, and fastened them down, in purple and white, to last so long as one thread should lie beside another. no longer need anyone torture his brain to remember whether the tallest maple-trees stood beyond the river's second bend to the left or its fourth to the right, or between the third turning to the right and the fifth to the left. the little fox-hair brush sprang upon the fact and pinioned it, a prisoner for the remainder of time. the chief's pleasure was almost too great to be controlled. he went at the work as a starving man goes at food, and he hung over it as a drunkard hangs over his dram. tyrker rose with considerable bustle to take his departure for the other house; and vaibrand stamped about noisily as he renewed the torches on the walls; but the monotonous steadiness of the dictation never faltered. one by one, the men about leif dropped off, snoring; and he heeded it no more than he did the soughing of the wind through the grove. by and by, even the fresh torches began to snore, in angry sputters; and the fire, which had long since begun to wink drowsily, shut its last red eye and lay in total oblivion. leif sat up reluctantly, and stretched his arms over his head with a regretful sigh. "my mind comes out of it as stubbornly as sigmund's sword came out of the tree trunk. we will return to it the first thing in the morning. you have done me a service which i shall never forget while my mind lives in me." leaning back against the bear skin to stretch his arms again and yawn, he added thoughtfully, "your accomplishments have remedied my misfortune that last winter i was obliged to kill a youth who was of great value to me." the scribe sat thrusting his legs out before him and working the fingers of his cramped hand, in a stupor of weariness. he awoke suddenly and, through the flickering light of the one remaining torch, shot a stealthy glance at the chief's face. after a while he said carelessly, "obliged, chief? how came that? could not his value outweigh his crime?" smothering a yawn, leif rose to his feet and stood looking down at his follower, while he buckled his cloak around him. "yes," he said, slowly; "yes, his value might have outweighed his crime,--but not his deceit. it was not only because he broke my strictest orders that i slew him; it was because, while pretending to submit to me, he was in truth scheming to get the better of me. and because he and his hot-headed friend, sigurd haraldsson, had the ambition to penetrate the state of my feelings and handle me as you handle your writing-brush there. is it to be expected that a man would take it well to be fooled by a pair of boys?" the norman sat for a long time staring at a huge furry skin that hung on the wall in front of him. it shook sometimes in the draught; and when the light flickered over it, it looked like some quivering shapeless animal, crouching to spring upon him out of the shadow. after a while, he laughed harshly. "if he was simple enough to expect that he could play with you and then survive the discovery of his trick, he deserved to die, for nothing more than his folly," he said, bitterly. he straightened himself suddenly and drew a long breath as though to speak further. but at that moment the chief turned and left the booth. while the southerner stood looking after him, a sound like a smothered laugh came from the corner where kark slept. alwin wheeled toward it; but before he could take a step, rolf's arm stretched out from his bunk by the high seat and caught his friend's belt in a vise. "it is unnecessary to soil your hands with snake's blood, just now," he said, gently. "besides serpent's fangs, the thrall has also serpent's cunning in his ugly head. he knows that leif will not, for any reason tongue can name, injure the man who is writing down his history. wait until the records are finished; then it will be time to act." he pulled his comrade down on the bunk beside him, and held him there until the sleep of utter weariness had taken him into its safe-keeping. chapter xxviii "things that are fated" the fir withers that stands on a fenced field; neither bark nor foliage shelters it; thus is a man whom no one loves; why should he live long? ha'vama'l in a chain of lengthening golden days and softening silver nights, the spring came. the instinct which brings animals out of their dens to roam in the sunlight, awoke in the norsemen's breasts and made them restless in the midst of plenty. the instinct which sets birds to nest-building amid the young green, turned the rovers' hearts toward their ice-bound home. with glad applause, they hailed leif's proclamation from under the budding maple-tree: "four weeks from to-day, if the season continues to be a forward one, it is likely that the pack-ice around the mouth of eric's fiord will be sufficiently broken to let us through. four weeks from to-day, god willing, we will set sail for greenland." the camp entered upon a period of bustling activity. carpenters fell to work on the re-furnishing of the ship, until all the quiet bay echoed with their pounding. with infinite labor, the great logs were floated down the river and hauled on board. porters toiled to and from the shore with loads of grain-sacks and wine-kegs. the packers in the store-houses buzzed over the wealth of fruit like so many bees. even kark the indolent caught the infection, and clashed his pots and kettles with joyful energy. "a little time more, and the death-wolf shall claim his due," he sang over his work. "only a little time more, and the death-wolf shall claim his due!" on the morning of the last day in vinland, robert the norman wrote the last word in the grotesque exploring record and laid down the brush forever. "that ends the matter, chief," he said slowly. they sat in the larger of the sleeping-houses, as they had sat on that december night when the work was begun. but now a flood of yellow sunlight fell through the open door, and a flowering pink bush flattened its sweet face against the window. leif regarded him with dull, absent eyes. "yes, it is ended," he said, reluctantly; and was silent for so long that the young man looked up in surprise. an odd expression of something like regret was on the chief's face. as he met his companion's glance, he laughed a short harsh laugh that had in it less of mirth than of scorn. "it is ended," he repeated. "and though i know no better than yourself why it is that i am such a fool, yet i find myself full of sorrow because it is finished. i feel that i have lost out of my life something that was dear to me." he relapsed into another frowning silence; when he came out of it, it was only to motion toward the door. "no sense is in this," he said, savagely; "yet the mood has me, hand and foot. i am in no temper to talk of anything. to-night we will speak of your reward. go now and spend the rest of the day as best pleases you." he did not look up as his follower obeyed: he sat brooding over the great white roll as though it were the dead body of some one whom he had loved. out in the blithe spring sunshine, the men stood around in little groups, making hilarious plans for the day's sport. the preparations for the departure being completed, a day of untrammelled freedom lay before them; and what pastime is so dull that it is not given a zest and a relish by the thought that it is engaged in for the last time? in uproarious good spirits, they whetted their knives for a last hunt, and called friendly challenges across to each other. inviting them to a wrestling bout, rolf's voice rose loudest of all; but though much laughter and some gibing came in response, there were no acceptances. when the norman came out of the booth, the wrestler ceased his proclamations and strolled to meet his friend with a welcoming smile. "now i think leif has behaved well," he said, heartily, "to remember that the last day in such a place as vinland the good is far too precious to be wasted on monkish tasks. sigurd will get angry with himself that he did not wait longer for your coming." a shade of disappointment fell over the norman's face. "where has sigurd gone?" he asked. "he swam out to an island in the bay where he has a favorite fishing-place he cannot bear to leave without another visit." "and helga? where is she?" the wrestler looked at him in surprise. "she has gone into the woods somewhere, with tyrker; but surely you would not be so mad as to accost her, even were she before you." alwin answered with an odd smile. "a man who is about to die will do many things that would be madness in a man who has life before him," he said. his eyes gazed into his friend's eyes with sombre meaning. "i finished the records this morning." "you finished the records this morning?" rolf repeated incredulously. a note of impatience sharpened the other's voice. "i fail to understand what there is in that which surprises you. certainly you must have heard leif say, last night, that a hundred words more would end the work. and it was your own judgment that kark would wait no longer than its completion--" rolf struck the tree they leaned against, with sudden vehemence. "the snake!" he cried. "that, then, is why he showed his fangs at me this morning in such a jeering smile. yet, how could i believe that a man of your wit would allow such a thing to come to pass? with a mouthful of words you could have persuaded leif that there was a host of things which he had forgotten. you could have prolonged the task--" alwin shook his head with stern though quiet decision. "no, i have had enough of lying," he said. "not for my life, nor for helga's love, will i carry this deceit further. such a smothering fog has it become around me, that i can neither see nor breathe through its choking folds... but let us leave off this talk. since it is likely that my limbs will have a long rest after to-night, let us spend to-day roving about in search of what sport we can find. if i may not pass my last day with the man and woman that i hold dearest, still you are next in my love; you will accompany me, will you not?" "wherever you choose," rolf assented. they set forth as silently as on that spring morning, two years before, when they had set out from the norwegian camp to witness thorgrim svensson's horse-fight. now, as then, the air was golden with spring sunshine, and the whole world seemed a-throb with the pure joy of living. there was gladness in the chirp of the birds, and content in the drone of the insects; and all the squirrels in the place seemed to be gadding on joyful errands, for one could not turn a corner that a group of them did not scatter from before his feet. so common a thing as a dewdrop caught in a cobweb became more beautiful than jewel-spangled lace. the rustling of the quail in the brush, even the glimpse of a coiled snake basking on a sunny spot of earth, was fraught with interest because it spoke of life, glad and fearless and free. they visited the nook on the bluff, screened once more in fragrant, rustling greenness; then descended to the river and walked along its bank, mile after mile. here and there, they turned aside and threaded their way through the thicket to take a last look at the scene of some fondly recollected hunt, or to inspect some of the traps which they remembered to be there. but when in one snare they found a wretched little rabbit, still alive but frantic with terror, alwin laid a detaining hand on rolf's knife. "let him go," he said, shortly. "you have no need of him, and his life is all he has. let him keep it,--for my sake." he did not stay to watch the white dot of a tall go bobbing away over the ferns. he hurried on rather shamefaced; and when rolf overtook him, they walked another mile without speaking. along in the middle of the forenoon they reached a point on the river where the banks no longer rose in bluffs but lay in grassy slopes, fringed with drooping trees. the sun was hot overhead, and their clothes were heavy upon their backs. rolf suggested that they stop long enough for a swim. "that will do as well as anything," alwin assented. but when the delicious coolness of the water had closed about him, and he felt its velvet softness on his dusty skin, he decided that it was the best thing they could have done. the lounge upon the grassy bank, while they dried themselves in the sun, was dreamily pleasant. even after he had gathered sufficient energy to get into his clothes again, alwin lingered lazily, waiting for his companion to make the first move toward departure. "this is a restful spot," he said, gazing up at the sky through the network of interlacing branches. "it gives one the feeling that it is so far away that no human foot has ever trod it before, and that none will ever come again when we have left." from the ant-hill which he was idly spearing with grass-blades, rolf looked up to smile. "then your feelings are not to be trusted, comrade," he said; "for there are few spots on the river which our men have more frequented. even that lazy hound of a thrall comes here almost daily to look at the quail-traps in yonder thicket, that being the one food which he likes well enough to make an exertion for. would that he would visit them to-day!" alwin did not seem to hear him. his eyes were still intent on the swaying tree-tops. "it is a fair land to be alive in," he said, dreamily; "yet, i cannot help wondering how it will be to be dead here. does it not seem to you that if my spirit comes out of its grave at night and finds none but wolves and bears to call to, it will experience a loneliness far worse than the pangs of death? think of it! in this whole land, not one human spirit! to wander through the grove and the camp, and find only emptiness and silence forever!" his body stiffened suddenly, and he flung his arms high above his head and clenched his hands in agony. "god!" he cried. "what have i done to make me deserving of such a doom? why could i not have died when leif cut me down? why could i not have been buried where human feet would pass over me, and human voices fall on my ear at night?" he flung himself over on his face and lay there motionless. rolf laid a hand on his comrade's shoulder, and for once his voice was honestly kind. "it is hard to know what to say to you, alwin, my friend. you who have borne trials so manfully have a right to a better fate. there is only one thing which i can offer you: choose what man you will--so long as he be no one with whom i have sworn friendship--and i promise you that before we sail to-morrow, i will pick a quarrel with him and slay him; so that, if worst comes, your spirit shall have at least one ghost for company. i--" he did not finish his sentence. suddenly his touch upon alwin's arm became an iron grip, that dragged the saxon to his feet. "look!" the wrestler gasped, as he pulled him behind the great oak in whose shelter they had been lying. "look! are those ghosts, or devils?" half-dazed, alwin could do no more than stare along the pointing finger. on the opposite bank, some hundred yards below their point of observation, stood two long-haired, skin-clad men. another pair had already plunged into the river and were nearly half-way across. and as the white men gazed, four more beings crashed out of the underbrush and joined their companions. "praise the saint who hung leaves upon the trees as thick as curtains!" rolf breathed in his comrade's ear. "up with you, for your life! and make no rustling about it either." with the agility of cats they went up the great bole, and the kind leaves closed behind them. "is it your opinion that they are ghosts, or devils?" alwin asked, when each had stretched himself along a branching limb and begun a curious peering through chinks in the enveloping foliage. "it has always been in my mind that ghosts were white and devils black, while these creatures appear to be of the color of bronze." "we shall see more of them before the game is over," rolf returned. "the first ones are even now coming to land." as he spoke, the two shaggy swimmers clambered out of the water, like dripping spaniels, on the very spot that the white men's bodies had pressed less than an hour before. "i am glad that we are not now lying there without our clothes," alwin murmured. and rolf ejaculated under his breath, "now it is certain that i would rather be the only human being in the land than be in company with such as these, granting them to be human. for by thor's hammer, they have more the appearance of dwarfs than of men!" they were not imposing, certainly, from all that could be seen of them through the leaves. two of their lean arms would not have made one of the wrestler's magnificent white limbs, and the tallest among them could not have reached above alwin's shoulders. skins were their only coverings; and the coarseness of their bristling black locks could have been equalled only in the mane of a wild horse. though two of the eight were furnished with bows and arrows, the rest carried only rudely-shaped stone hatchets, stuck in their belts. when they began talking together, it was in a succession of grunts and growls and guttural sounds that bore more resemblance to animal noises than to human speech. rolf sniffed with contempt. "pah! vermin! i think we could put the whole swarm to flight only by drawing our knives." but at that moment one of the number below raised his face so that alwin caught a glimpse of the fierce beast-mouth and the small tricky eyes in the great sockets. the saxon lifted his eyebrows dubiously. "i am far from certain how that attempt would end," he answered. "though it is likely that it will have to be tried, if their intention is to settle here for the day, as it appears to be." the men of the stone hatchets had indeed settled themselves with every look of remaining. though one of the bowmen continued to pace the bank like a sentinel, his fellows sprawled themselves upon the turf in comfortable attitudes, carrying on their uncouth conversation with deep earnestness. "we shall certainly have to stay here all day if we do not do something," rolf bent from his branch to whisper to his companion. alwin did not answer, for at that moment the harsh voices below ceased abruptly, and there ensued a hush of listening silence. up in the tree, saxon gray eyes and norse blue ones asked each other an anxious question; then answered it with decided head-shakes. it was impossible that their whispers could have carried so far, or have penetrated the growl of those voices. it must have been some noise from beyond. they strained their ears, anxiously intent. there was no trouble in hearing it this time; it rose shrill and piercing on the drowsy noon air, a man's whistle, rapidly approaching from the direction of the norse camp. while alwin listened with dilated eyes, rolf's lips shaped just one word: "kark!" almost without breathing they lay peering out between the leaves. at the first sound, the men below had leaped to their feet and grasped their weapons. now, after a muttered word together, they drew apart noiselessly as shadows and vanished among the bushes, without so much as the snapping of a twig. smiling innocently in the sunlight, the little nook lay as peaceful and empty as before. nearer and nearer came the whistler; until the crunching of his feet could be heard upon the dead leaves. rolf pushed the hair out of his eyes, and settled himself to watch with a sigh of almost child-like pleasure. "here is sport! here is a chess game where the pieces are not of ivory. i would not have missed this for a gold chain!" he told his companion. "imagine kark's face when they spring out upon him! so intent is his mind upon your death, that he could walk into a pit with open eyes. you can never be sufficiently thankful, alwin of england, that the fate which destroys your enemy, gives you also the privilege of sitting by and watching the fun." uncertainty was on alwin's face, as he gazed down through the branches and saw the thrall's white tunic suddenly appear among the green bushes. he said slowly, "i do not dispute that it looks like the hand of fate--and it is true that he is my enemy--that it is his life or mine--" a wild yell of alarm cut him short. one by one the lean brown men were gliding out of the bushes and forming in a silent circle around the thrall. they offered him no harm; they did not even touch him; yet the apparition of their shrivelled bodies in their animal-hides, with their beast-faces looking out from under their bristling black locks, was enough to try stouter nerves than kark's. shriek after shriek of maddest terror rent the air. rolf smiled gently as he heard it. "about this time our friend below is beginning to distinguish between death-wolves and death-foxes," he observed. glancing at his comrade for a response to his amusement, his expression changed. "what is it your intention to do?" he demanded sharply. alwin had drawn himself into a sitting posture; and with one hand was tugging at the handle of his knife. he flushed shamefacedly at the question, nor did he look up as he answered it. "i am going down to help the beast," he said. "i cannot remedy it if i am a fool. i do not deny that kark is a cur; yet he is white, as we are; and alone. i cannot watch his murder." he brought his knife out with a jerk; and putting it between his teeth, prepared to turn and descend. before he could make the move, rolf had swung down from the limb above and landed beside him. under his weight the boughs creaked so loudly that, but for the cover of kark's cries, the pair must surely have been discovered. the wrestler spoke without drawling or gentleness: "either you are a child or a silly fool. do you understand that it is your enemy that they are ridding you of? what is it to you if he is chopped to pieces? you shall not stir one finger to aid him." forgetful of the dagger between his teeth, alwin opened his mouth angrily. the weapon slipped from his lips and fell, a shining streak along the tree-trunk, and buried itself noiselessly in the soft sod between the roots. the next instant, a scarf from rolf's neck was wound around the saxon's jaws; one of the wrestler's iron arms reached about him and gathered him up against the broad chest; one of the wrestler's great hands closed around his wrists like fetters of iron; and a muscular leg bent itself backward over his legs like a hoop of steel. as well fight against steel or iron! again rolf's voice became fairly caressing in its gentleness. "willingly will i endure your struggles if it pleases you to employ your strength that way, comrade; yet i tell you that it would be wiser for you to spare yourself. i shall not let you go, whatever you do; whereas if you lie quietly, i will permit you to move where you can see what is going on. it looks as though it would become interesting." it did indeed. at that moment, wearying perhaps of the howls, the brown men began to make experiments with a view toward changing the tune. closing in upon the thrall, they commenced to feel of his clothing and his shaven head, and to pinch him tentatively between their lean fingers. a redoubling of his outcries caused a spasm of frantic writhing in alwin's fettered body, but rolf's manner was as serene as before. "see now what you are missing by your head-strongness," he reproved his captive. "it is seldom that men have the opportunity to sit, as we sit, and learn from the experience of another what would have been their fate had their fortune been equally bad. such great luck is it that i get almost afraid for your ingratitude. it will be a great mercy if some god does not punish you for your thanklessness... by thor! in his terror the fool has attacked them... ah!" from below came a sudden snarl, a sudden savage yell, the noise of struggling bodies, and then a shriek of another kind from kark, no longer a cry of mere apprehension, but a sharp piercing scream of bodily agony. "let me go!" alwin panted through his muffled jaws. "it is a nithing deed for us--to permit the death of one of our number--so. let me go, rolf--he is a human being. let me go!" a man of wood could not have been more relentless than rolf; a man of stone could hardly have been less moved. he argued the matter amiably: "it is true that by some mistake or other kark wears a man's shape," he admitted; "yet it is easily seen that in every other respect he is a dog. indeed i think there are few dogs that have less of courage and loyalty. take the matter sensibly, comrade. if you cannot rejoice in the death of your enemy, at least consider what interest it is thus to study the habits of dwarfs. the cur who was useless during his life, will be honored by serving a good purpose in his death. leif will think it of great importance to learn how these creatures are disposed toward white men. they have the most unusual methods of amusing themselves. now they are doing things to his ears--" renewed shrieks for help and mercy drowned the remainder of his words, and called forth fresh exertions from alwin. but when at last the fearless one ceased, and lay spent and panting against the brawny chest, he became aware that the cries were growing fainter. "though they have in no way hurried the matter, i believe that he is almost dead now," rolf comforted his captive. even as he spoke, the last faint cry ended in a gurgling choke,--and there was silence. instantly the scarf was slipped from alwin's mouth, and the living fetters unclasped themselves from his limbs. "thanks to me--" rolf was beginning. the brief interval of silence was shattered by a cry from the sentinel on the river bank, followed either by an echo or an answering whoop from the opposite shore. rolf stretched himself along the branch, just in time to see the men below scatter in wildest confusion and plunge headlong into the thicket. "in the troll's name!" he ejaculated. "when dwarfs run like that, giants must be coming!" alwin had clambered to his feet, and stood with his head thrust up through the leafy roof. "it is more out of the same nest!" he gasped. "they are coming from the other bank, swarms of them ....there! some of them have landed..." rolf laughed his peculiar soft laugh of quiet enjoyment. "by thor, was there ever such a game!" he exclaimed. "i can see them now; they are after the first lot like wolves after sheep--no, kark was the sheep! these are the hunters after the wolves. hear them howl!" "the last ones have climbed out of the water," alwin bent to report. "do they also follow?" "as dogs follow deer. saw i never such sport! when we can no longer hear them, it will be time for us to run a race of our own." alwin made no answer, and they waited in silence. gradually distance drew soft folds over the sharp cries and muffled them, as women throw their cloaks over the sharp swords of brawlers in the hall. once again the drone and the chirping became audible about them, and the smile of the sunshine became visible in the air. it occurred to alwin that the peacefulness of nature was like the gentleness of the wrestler; and there floated through his head the saying of a wrinkled old nurse of his childhood, "the english can die without flinching; the french can die with laughs on their lips; but only the northmen can smile as they kill." when the last smothered shout was unmistakably dead, rolf swung himself down from the bough; hung there for an instant, stretching himself comfortably and shaking the cramps out of his limbs, then let himself down to the ground; and alwin followed. the soft sod lay trampled and gashed by the grinding heels; and the lengthening shadows pointed dark fingers at the middle of the nook, where a shapeless thing of white and red was lying. rolf bent over it curiously. "it must be that these people love killing for its own sake, to go to so much trouble over it," he commented. "evidently it is not the excitement of fighting which they enjoy, but the pleasure of torturing. i will not be sure but what they are trolls after all." "it was a devils' deed," alwin said hoarsely. he looked down at the ghastly heap with a shudder of loathing. "and we are not without guilt who have permitted it. it is of no consequence what sort of a man he was; he was a human being and of our kind,--and they were fiends. you need not tell me that we could not help it," he added in fierce forestalling. "had he been sigurd, we would have helped it or we would both have lain like that." rolf shrugged his shoulders resignedly as they turned away. "have it as you choose," he assented. "at least you cannot deny that you were helpless; let that console you. may the gallows take my body if you are not the most thankless man ever i met! here are you rid of your enemy, and at the moment when he was most a hindrance to you, and not only do you reap the reward of the deed, but you bear no dangerous responsibility--" he was checked by a glimpse of the face alwin turned toward him. pride and loathing, passion and sternness, were all mingled in its expression. the saxon said slowly, "heaven's mercy on the soul that reaps the reward of this deed! easier would it be to suffer these tortures a hundredfold increased. profit by such a deed, rolf erlingsson! do you think that i would live a life that sprang from such a death? to cleanse my hand from the stain of such a murder, though the blood had but spattered on it, i would hew it off at the wrist." chapter xxix the battle to the strong he is happy who gets for himself praise and good-will. ha'vama'l it was a picture of sylvan revelry that the sunset light reddened, as it bade farewell to the norse camp on the river bluff. on the green before the huts, two of the fair-haired were striving against other in a rousing tug-of-war. now the hide was stretched motionless between them; now it was drawn a foot to the right, amid a volley of jeers; and now it was jerked back a foot to the left, with an answering chorus of cheers. the chief sat under the spreading maple-tree, watching the sport critically, with an occasional gesture of applause. over the head of the bear-cub she was fondling, helga watched it also, with unseeing eyes. those who had come in from hunting and fishing sprawled at their ease on the turf, and shouted jovial comments over their wine-cups. they welcomed rolf and the norman with a shout, when the pair appeared on the edge of the grove. "hail, comrades!"--"it was in our minds to give you up for lost!" "your coming we will take as an omen that kark will also return some time."--"yes, return and cook us some food."--"we are becoming hollow as bubbles." rolf accepted their greetings with an easy flourish. "you will become also as thin as bubbles if you wait for kark to cook your food," he answered, lightly. "i bring the chief the bad tidings that he has lost his thrall." pushing his companion gently aside, he walked over to where the lucky one sat. "it will sound like an old woman's tale to you, chief," he warned him; "yet this is nothing but the truth." while the skin-pullers abandoned their contest and dropped cross-legged upon the hide to listen, and the outlying circle picked up its drinking horns and crept closer, he related the whole experience, simply and quite truthfully, from beginning to end. from all sides, exclamations of amazement and horror broke out when he had finished. only the chief sat regarding him in silence, a skeptical pucker lifting the corner of his mouth. leif said finally, "truth came from your mouth when you foretold that this would appear to me as strange as the tales old women tell. until within the last month we have passed through that district almost daily; and never yet have we found aught betokening the presence of human beings. that they should thus appear to you--" "they came like the monsters in a dream, and vanished like them," rolf declared. "saving in the fact that dream monsters do not leave mangled bodies behind them," leif reminded him; and his eyes narrowed with an unpleasant shrewdness. "rolf erlingsson," he advised, "confess that they are the dreams you liken them to. that kark was no favorite with you or your friend"--he nodded toward the norman--"was seen by everybody. confess that it was by the sword of one of you that the thrall met his death." for once the wrestler's face lost its gentleness. his huge frame stiffened haughtily, as he drew himself up. "leif ericsson," he returned, fiercely, "when--for love of good or fear of ill--have you ever known me to lie?" the chief looked at him incredulously. "you will swear to the truth of the tale?" "i will swear to its truth by my knife, by my soul, by the crucifix you wear on your breast." after a moment, leif arose and extended his hand. "in that case, i would believe a statement that was twice as unlikely," he said, with honorable frankness. and a sound of applause went around as their hands clasped. from the spot where the norman had halted when his companion pushed forward, there came the rustle of a slight disturbance. sigurd had caught his friend by his cloak and was pleading with him in a passionate undertone, growing more and more desperate at each resolute shake of the black head. the instant leif resumed his seat, the fearless one wrenched himself free and strode forward. rolf strove to bar his way, but robert sans-peur evaded him also, and took up his stand before the bench under the maple-tree. "the fates appear to be balancing their scales to-night, chief," he said, grimly. "for the dead man whom you believed to be alive, you see here a living man whom you thought to be dead. for the thrall that you have lost, i present to you another." winding his hand in his long black locks, he tore them from his head and revealed the crisp waves of his own fair hair. from either hand there arose a buzz of amazement and incredulity mingled with grunts of approval and blunt compliments and half-muttered pleas for leniency. only two persons neither exclaimed nor moved. helga stood in the rigid tearless silence she had promised, her eyes pouring into her lover's eyes all the courage and loyalty and love of her brave soul. and the chief sat gazing at the rebel brought back to life, without so much as a wink of surprise, without any expression whatever upon his inscrutable face. after a moment alwin went on steadily, "i hid myself under this disguise because i believed that luck might grant me the chance to render you some service which should outweigh my offence. because i was a short-sighted fool, i did not see that the better the norman succeeded, the worse became the saxon's deceit. my mind changed when your own lips told me what would be the fate of the man who should deceive you." the chief's face was as impassive as stone, but he nodded slightly. "a man of my age does not take it well to be fooled by boys," he said. "it is a poor compliment to his intelligence, when they have the opinion that they can mould him between their fingers. though he had rendered me the greatest service in the world, the man who should deceive me should die." silence fell like a shroud upon the scattered groups. with a queer little smile upon her drawn lips, helga softly unsheathed her dagger and ran her fingers along its edge. alwln, earl's son, drew a long breath, and the muscles of his white face twitched a little; then he pulled himself together resolutely. with one hand he plucked the knife from his belt and cast it into the chief's lap; with the other, he tore his tunic open from neck to belt. "i have asked no mercy," he said, proudly. leif made no motion to pick up the weapon. instead, a glint of something like dry humor touched his keen eyes. "no," he said, quietly. "you have asked nothing of what you should have asked. you have even failed to ask whether or not you have deceived me." with her dagger half drawn, helga paused to stare at him. "you--knew--?" she gasped. leif smiled a dry fine smile. "i have known since the day on which tyrker was lost," he said. "and i had suspected the truth since the night of the day upon which we sailed from greenland." he made a gesture toward the shield-maiden that was half mocking and half stern. "you showed little honor to my judgment, kinswoman, when you took it for granted i should not know that love alone could cause a woman to behave as you have done. or did you think i had not heard to whom your heart had been given? that my ears only had been dead to the love tale which every servant-maid in brattahlid rolled like honey on her tongue? or did you imagine that i knew you so little as to think you capable of loving one man in the winter and another in the spring? even had the norman borne no resemblance to the englishman, still would i--" "but..." helga stammered, "but--i thought that you thought--rolf said that sigurd--" for perhaps the first time in his life, rolf's cheeks burned with mortification as a derisive snap of the chief's fingers fell upon his ear. "sigurd! your playmate! with whom you have quarrelled and made up since there were teeth in your head! by peter, if it were not that the joke appears to lie wholly on my side, i could find it in my heart to punish the four of you without mercy, for no other crime than your opinion of my intelligence!" alwin took a hesitating step forward. he had been standing where his first defiance had left him, a light of comprehension dawning in his face; and also a spark of resentment kindling in his eyes. now he said slowly, "it is not your anger which appears strange to us, chief. it is the slowness of your justice. that knowing all this time of our deceit, you have yet remained quiet. that you have allowed us to live in dreams, and led us on to behave ourselves like fools! we have been no better than mice under the cat's paw." he glanced at helga's thin cheeks and the pain-lines around her mouth, and the full force of his indignation rang out in his voice. "to us it meant life or death, heaven or hell,--was it worthy of a man like you to find amusement in our suffering?" though it was as faint as the rustling of leaves, unmistakable applause swept around. rolf dared to clap his hands softly. the chief replied by a direct question, as he leaned back against the maple and eyed his young rebel piercingly. "befooling and bejuggling were the drinks you prepared for me; was it not just that you should learn from experience how sour a taste they leave in the mouth?" though moment after moment dragged by, alwin did not answer that. his eyes fell to the ground, and he stood with bent head and clenched hands. the chief went on. "you who could so easily fathom the workings of my mind, should have no need to ask my motives. it may be that i found entertainment in playing you like a fish on a line. or it may be that i was not altogether sure of my ground, and waited to be certain before i stepped. or perhaps i was curious to see what you would do next, and felt able to gratify my curiosity since i knew that, through all your antics, i held you securely in the hollow of my hand. or perhaps--" leif hesitated for an instant, and there crept into his voice a note so unusual that all stared at him,--"or perhaps, in becoming sure of my ground, i became uncertain of the honor of the man whom i wished to place highest in my friendship, and so deemed it wisest to remain under cover until he should reveal all the hidden parts of his nature. it may have been for any or all of these reasons. you, who have come nearer to me than any man alive, should have no difficulty in selecting the true one." was it possible that reproach rang in those last words? it sounded so strangely like it, that tyrker involuntarily curved his hand around his ear to amend some flaw in his hearing. alwin's face underwent a great change. suddenly he flung his arms apart in a gesture of utter surrender. "i will strive against you no longer!" he cried, passionately. "you are as much superior to me as the king to his link-boy. do as you like with me. i submit to you in everything." he fell upon his knee and hid his face in his hands. then the tone of leif's voice became so frankly friendly that helga's beautiful head was raised as a drooping flower's by the soft spring rain. "already you have heard your sentence. the fair words i spoke to robert the norman i spoke also to alwin of england. when i promised wealth and friendship and honor to robert sans-peur, i promised them also to you. take the freedom and dignity which befit a man of your accomplishments and--with one exception--ask of me anything else you choose." with one exception! helga sprang forward and caught leif's hand imploringly in hers. and alwin, still upon his knee, reached out and grasped the chief's mantle. "lord," he cried, "you have been better to me, a hundredfold better, than i deserve! yet, would you be kinder still... lord, grant me this one boon, and take back all else that you have promised." the chief's brawny hand touched helga's face caressingly. "do you still believe that i would rub salt on your wounds, if it were in my power to relieve you?" he reproached them. "but one man in the world has the right to say where helga shall be given in marriage; he is her father, gilli of trondhjem. already i have done him a wrong in permitting, by my carelessness, that one of thrall-estate should steal his daughter's love. in honor, i can do no less than guard the maiden safely until the time when he can dispose of her as pleases him. i do not say that i will not use with him what influence i possess; yet i advise you against expecting anything favorable from the result. i think you both know his mercy." chapter xxx from over the sea at night is joyful he who is sure of travelling entertainment; a ship's yards are short; variable is an autumn night; many are the weather's changes in five days, but more in a month. ha'vama'l it developed, however, that the lovers' chances for happiness did not hang upon so frail a thread as the mercy of gilli of trondhjem. while the exploring vessel was still at sea, with the icy headlands of greenland only just beginning to stand out clearly before her bow, unexpected tidings reached those on board. watching the chief, who stood by the steering oar, erect as the mast, his eyes piercing the distance ahead, sigurd put an idle question. "can you tell anything yet concerning the drift-ice, foster-father? and why do you steer the ship so close to the wind?" without turning his head, leif answered shortly, "i am attending to my steering, foster-son." but as the jarl's son was turning away, with a shrug of his shoulders for the rebuff, the chief added in the quick, curt tone that with him betrayed unwonted interest, "and i am looking at something else. where are your eyes that you cannot see anything remarkable? is that a rock or a ship which i see straight ahead?" sigurd's aimless curiosity promptly found an object; yet after all the craning of his neck and squinting under his hand, he was obliged to confess that he saw nothing more remarkable than a rock. leif gave a short harsh laugh. "see what it is to have young eyes," he said. "not only can i see that it is a rock, but i can make out that there are men moving around upon it." "men!" cried sigurd. excitement spread like fire from stern to bow, until even helga of the broken heart arose from her cushions on the fore-deck and stood listlessly watching the approach. eyvind the icelander muttered that any creatures in human shape that dwelt on those rocks, must be either another race of dwarfs, or such fiends as inhabit the ice wastes with which greenland is cursed; but an old greenland sailor silenced him contemptuously. "landlubber! has it never been given you to hear of shipwrecks? when eric the red came to greenland with thirty-five ships following his lead, no less than four of them went to pieces on that rock. it is the influence of leif's luck which has caused a shipwreck so that the chief can get still more honor in rescuing the distressed ones." the icelander grunted. "then is leif's luck very much like the sword that becomes one man's bane in becoming another man's pride," he retorted. while he threw all his strength against the great oar, the chief signalled to valbrand with his head. "drop anchor and get the boat ready to lower," he commanded. "i want to keep close to the wind so that we may get to them. we must give them help if they need it. if they are not peaceful, they are in our power, but we are not in theirs." as the boat bounded away on its errand of mercy, every man and boy remaining crowded forward to watch its course. in some way it happened that alwin of england was pushed even so far forward as the very bow of the boat, and the side of the shield-maiden. the sun rose in her glooming face when she turned and saw him beside her. "i have hoped all day that you would come," she whispered; "so i could tell you an expedient i have bethought myself of. dear one, from the way you have sat all the day with your chin on your hand and your eyes on the sea, i have known that you needed comfort even more than i; and my heart has ached over you till once the tears came into my eyes." her lover gazed at her hungrily. "gladly would i give every gift that leif has lavished on me, if i might take you in my arms and kiss away the smart of those drops." a fierce gleam narrowed helga's starry eyes. "before we part," she said between her teeth, "you shall kiss my eyes once for every tear they have shed; and you shall kiss my mouth three times for farewell,--though every man in greenland should wish to prevent it." suddenly she hid her face against his shoulder with a little cry of despair. "but you must never come near me after i am married!" she breathed. "the moment after my eyes had fallen upon your face, i should turn upon my husband and kill him." "if it had not happened that i had already slain him," alwin murmured. then he said, more steadily, "this is useless talk, sweetheart. tell me the thought which comforted you. at least it will be a joy to me to cherish in my heart what you have treasured in your brain." helga looked out over the tumbling water with eyes grown wide and thoughtful. "i will not be so hopeful as to call it a comfort yet," she said, "too vague is its shape for that. it is a faint plan which i have built on my knowledge of gilli's nature. as well as i, you know that he cares for nothing but what is gainful for him. now if i could manage to make myself so ugly that no chief would care to make offers for me... is it not likely that my father would cease to value me and be even glad to get rid of me, to you? i would disfigure myself in no such way that the ugliness would be lasting," she reassured him, hastily. "but if i should weep my eyes red and my cheeks pale, and cut off my hair... it would all come right in time; you would not mind the waiting?" alwin looked at her with a touch of wonder. "and you would go ugly for me?" he asked. "hide your beauty and become a jest where you have always been a queen, for no other reason than to sink so low that i might reach up and pluck you? would you think it worth while to do that for me?" but his meaning was lost on helga's simplicity. she gathered only that he thought the scheme possible, and hope bloomed like roses in her cheeks. "oh, comrade, do you indeed think favorably of the plan?" she whispered, eagerly. "i had not the heart to hope much from it; everything has failed us so. if you think it in the least likely to succeed, i will cut off my hair this instant." in spite of his misery, alwin laughed a little. "do you then imagine that the gold of your hair and the red of your cheeks is all that makes you fair?" he asked. "no, dear one, i think it would be easier to make gilli generous than you ugly. no man who had eyes to look into your eyes, and ears to hear your voice, could be otherwise than eager to lay down his life to possess you. trust to no such rootless trees, comrade. and do not raise your face toward me like that either; for, in honor, i may not kiss you, and and you are not ugly yet, sweetheart." shouts from those around them recalled the lovers to themselves. the returning boat was almost upon them; and from among her burly crew the wan faces of several strangers looked up, while a swooning woman was seen to lie in the bow. her face, though pinched and pallid, was also fair and lovable, and helga momentarily forgot disappointment in pity. "bring her here and lay her upon my cushions," she said to the men who carried the woman on board. wrapping the limp form in her own cloak, the shield-maiden pulled off such of the sodden garments as she could, poured wine down the stranger's throat, and strove energetically to chafe some returning warmth into the benumbed limbs. while the boat hastened back to bring off the rest of the unfortunates, those of the first load whom wine and hope had sufficiently revived, explained the disaster. the wrecked ship belonged to thorir of trondhjem; and that merchant and his wife gudrid and fourteen sailors made up her company. on the voyage from nidaros to greenland with a cargo of timber, their vessel had gone to pieces on a submerged reef, and they had been just able to reach that most inhospitable of rocks and cling there like flies, frozen, wind-battered, and drenched. the waves, in a moment of repentance, had thrown a little of their timber back to them, and this had been their only shelter; and their only food some coarse lichens and a few sea-birds' eggs. it was little wonder that when leif had brought the last load on board, and drowned their past woes in present comforts, the starved creatures were almost ready to embrace his knees with thankfulness. "it seems to me that we should be called 'the lucky,' and you 'the good,'" thorir said, as the two chiefs stood on the forecastle, watching the anchor and the sail both rising with joyful alacrity. "without your aid, we could not have lived a day longer." and gudrid, opening her eyes to see helga's fair face bending over her to put a wine cup to her lips, murmured faintly, "a valkyria could not look more beautiful to me than you do. tell me what you are called, that i may know what name to love you by." "i am called helga, gilli's daughter," the shield-maiden answered, with just an edge of bitterness on the last words. gudrid's gentle eyes opened wide with wonder and alarm. "not helga the fair of trondhjem," she gasped, "who fled from gilli to his kinsfolk in greenland? alas, my unfortunate child!" in the eagerness in which she clasped her hands, the wine-cup fell clanging from helga's hold. "is he dead?" she cried, imploringly. "only tell me that, and i will serve you all the rest of my life! is gilli dead?" but gudrid had sunk back in another faint. she lay with her eyes closed, moaning and murmuring to herself. leif, biting sharply at his thick mustache, as he was wont to do when excited, turned sharply on thorir. "what is the reason of this?" he demanded. "what are these tidings concerning my kinswoman, which your wife hesitates to speak? is gilli of trondhjem dead?" thorir answered with great haste and politeness, "no, no; naught so bad as that. naught but what i expect can be easily remedied. but it appears that when gilli attempted to follow his daughter to greenland, last fall, he suffered a shipwreck and the loss of much valuable property, barely escaping with his life. from this he drew the rash conclusion that his daughter had become a misfortune to him, as some foreknowing woman had once said she would. and he declared that since the maiden preferred her poorer kinsfolk in greenland, she might stay with them; and--" the words burst rapturously from helga's lips: "and he disowned me?" thorir stared at her in astonishment. "yes," he said, pityingly. it was just as well that he had not attempted a longer answer, for he never would have finished it. madness seemed suddenly to fall upon the ship. in the face of her disinheritance, the shield-maiden was radiant. down in the waist of the ship, two youths who had caught the words threw up their hats with cheers. leif ericsson himself laughed loudly, and snapped his fingers in derision. "a mighty revenge!" he said. "my kinswoman could have received no greater kindness at the churl's hands. could she have accomplished it by a dagger-thrust, i doubt not that she would have let his base blood run from her veins long ere this." he turned to where helga stood watching him, her heart in her eyes, and pulled her toward him and kissed her. "you chose between honor and riches, kinswoman," he said, "but while there is a ring in my pouch you shall never lack property; you have behaved like a true norse maiden, and i am free now to say that i honor you for it. go the way your heart desires, without further hindrance." helga stayed to press his hand to her cheek; then, before them all, without a thought of shame, she went the way that ended in her lover's arms. they stood side by side in the gilded prow, and he kissed her eyes twice for every tear they had shed; and he kissed her mouth thrice three times, and not a man in the whole world rose up to prevent him. side by side, they stood in the flying bow, a divinely modelled figure-head, gilded by the light of love. conclusion as the sun's last beams were fading from the mountain tops, the exploring vessel dropped anchor before eric's ship-sheds and the eager groups that had gathered on the shore at the first signal. not only idlers made up the throng, but the red one himself was there, and thorwald and every soul from brattahlid; and with them half the high-born men of greenland, who had lived for the last month as eric's guests, that they might be on hand for this occasion. they shoved and jostled each other like schoolboys, as they crowded down to meet the first boat-load. the ten sailors who stepped ashore were a prosperous looking band. their arms were full of queer pets; their pouches were stuffed with samples of wood and samples of wheat, and with nuts and with raisins. all were sleek and fat with a year's good living, and all jubilant with happiness and a sense of their own importance. even while their arms were clasping their sweethearts' necks, they began to hint at their brave adventures and to boast of the grain and the timber and the wine. the home-keepers heard just enough to set their curiosity leaping and dancing with eagerness for more. and each succeeding boat-load of burly heroes worked their enthusiasm to a higher pitch. then, gradually, the song ran into a minor key, as thorir's pitiful crew landed upon the sand. haggard and worn and almost too weak to walk, they clung to the brawny arms of their rescuers; and the horrors of their privations were written in pitiless letters on gudrid's fair white face. the rejoicing and laughter sank into wondering questions and pitiful murmuring. while thorir told the red one briefly of their sufferings, the throng listened as to their favorite ballad, and shuddered and suffered with him. then, in words that still rang with joy and gratitude, thorir told of their rescue by leif ericsson. strongly speeding arrows need only aim to make them reach their target. flights of wildest enthusiasm had been going up on every side. now thorir gave these a mark and an aim. curiosity and triumph, pity and rejoicing, all merged into one great impulse and rose in a passion of hero-worship. toward the boat that was bringing the lucky one to land, they turned, face and heart, and laid their homage at his feet. never had greenland glaciers heard such a tumult of acclaim as when the throng cheered and stamped and clashed their weapons. it was a supreme moment. leif's bronzed face was white, as he stood waiting for the noise to subside that he might answer them. yet never had his bearing been statelier than when at last he stepped forward and faced them. "i give you many thanks for your favor, friends," he said, courteously. "it is more than i could have expected, and i give you many thanks for it. but i think it right to remind you that i am not one of those men who trust in their own strength alone. what i have done i have been able to do by the help of my god whom you reject. to him i give the thanks and the glory." in that humility which is higher than pride, he raised the silver crucifix from his breast and bent his head before it. out of the hush that followed, a man's voice rang strongly,--the voice of one of greenland's foremost chiefs. "hail to the god of leif ericsson! the god that helped him must be all-powerful. henceforth i will believe that he and no one else is the only god. hail to the cross!" before he had finished, another voice had taken up the cry--and another--and another; until there were not ten men who were not shouting it over and over, in a delirium of excitement. eric turned his face away and made over his breast the hammer sign of thor, but there was only pride in his look when he turned back. leif stood motionless amid the tumult; looking upward with that strange absent look, as though his eyes would pierce the clouds that veiled valhalla's walls and search for one beloved face among the warriors upon the benches. under his breath he said to his english squire, "i pray god that olaf trygvasson hears this now, and knows that i have been as faithful to him in his death as i was in his life." he did not feel it when alwin bent and touched the scarlet cloak-hem with his lips, nor did he hear the fervent murmur, "so faithful will i be to you hereafter." the end the sworn brothers the borzoi-gyldendal books the firm of gyldendal [gyldendalske boghandel nordisk forlag] is the oldest and greatest publishing house in scandinavia, and has been responsible, since its inception in , for giving to the world some of the greatest danish and norwegian writers of three centuries. among them are such names as ibsen, bjørnstjerne bjørnson, pontoppidan, brandes, gjellerup, hans christian andersen, and knut hamsun, the nobel prize winner for , whose works i am publishing in america. it is therefore with particular satisfaction that i announce the completion of arrangements whereby i shall bring out in this country certain of the publications of this famous house. the books listed below are the first of the _borzoi-gyldendal_ books. jenny a novel translated from the norwegian of sigrid undset by w. emmé. grim: the story of a pike translated from the danish of svend fleuron by jessie muir and w. emmé. illustrated in black and white by dorothy p. lathrop. the sworn brothers alfred a. knopf, _publisher_, new york the sworn brothers a tale of the early days of iceland translated from the danish of gunnar gunnarsson by c. field and w. emmÉ [illustration] new york alfred · a · knopf copyright, , by gunnar gunnarsson copyright, , by alfred a. knopf, inc. printed in the united states of america contents page book i book ii book iii book i i in the red light of the fire in the midst of the hall, the age-browned pillars of the high-seat stood forth strongly lit in the middle of the main wall, against the background of smoky darkness which spread behind. the bright glow threw into relief the carved images of the gods, weird and grotesque shapes which kept changing as the fire blazed up or sank in its embers. upon the broad seat between the pillars of the high-seat, with the dragon-ornaments and gaping beast-heads of its back towering above and behind, sat orn, a broad, grey-haired warrior, leaning forward over the table, his strong, coarse fingers buried in his thick, white beard. upon the table at his side stood a great carved drinking horn. orn sat in silence. it was seldom that he drank much in the evening. one step below, and opposite him, on the other side of the fire, was the table round which his men-servants sat. only now and then a low-voiced exchange of words between man and man broke the silence of the hall. otherwise there reigned an oppressive stillness. often they glanced towards him, but each time looked uneasily at one another afterwards. for he sat very still, with a fixed, absent look in his eyes. a shiver passed through them as they thought that perhaps he saw something which they could not see. it was not comfortable in the hall that evening. all the more swift was the circulation of the beer-mugs. but they were not set down on the tables with a bang, as was the rule when they were empty, but cautiously placed on one side. on a dais at the end of the hall, farthest removed from the entrance door, sat women at work, spinning and carding wool in silence. for once silence prevailed on the women's dais. only a faint rustle was heard now and then when one of them rose to help another or to fetch more wool. the only one who did not feel depressed by the silence in the hall was a fourteen-year-old boy, seated at the table right opposite the high-seat on the other side of the fire. he was content to make holiday by sitting quietly with his thoughts, and felt easy and unoccupied in mind. he sat quite still, letting his gaze linger alternately on his father and the pillars of the seat. he had little resemblance to the stalwart figures round him. his skin was as clear as a young girl's, and his long, bright yellow hair fell in heavy locks over his neck. on his face, with its regular features, there lay an expression of peculiar calm. the mouth under his straight nose appeared firm and composed. the look of his blue eyes was tranquil and fixed. it was ingolf, orn's son. he often sat thus, especially of an evening. his attention was particularly taken up by the pillars of the high-seat. they seemed so strangely alive in the red light of the evening fire. by day they were quite dead. it seemed as if the breath of the gods had crept into the hard, dry wood. perhaps the gods slept by day, or had they possibly flown on adventures to other countries and lands? the gods had tiresome habits, for all that they were gods; one never knew exactly where to find them. anyhow, the pillars stood by day as though they were empty. but in the evening they came to life again. either the gods returned, or breath issued at any rate from the inner part of the wood and seemed to wander over the surface. already in the gloaming, when shadows were gathering in the deep carving, they began to live. but it was a strange, deceitful, and threatening life, as though the gods were ill-humoured on first awakening, as men are sometimes in the early morning hours. ingolf did not like to stay alone in the hall in the evening before the fire was lit. he had a certain consciousness of the gods' discontent in the twilight, and felt by no means sure that they might not cherish some evil purpose. and when the gods were wroth or morose it was best to keep at a respectful distance. but as soon as the fire was kindled on the hearthstones, it became bright and comfortable in the hall. the fire sputtered with a cheerful crackling which seemed as though it were chatting pleasantly with the gods; it blazed up and cast its bright light over them, and diffused a kindly penetrating warmth. then the gods recovered their good-humour; they smiled openly, and their eyes grew somewhat more friendly. then one ventured to look at them calmly and to sit near them. ingolf liked to sit quietly and look at the images carved on the pillars. certainly those in the temple were far more splendid, decked as they were with costly clothes and heavy rings of gold and other valuable metals. but the gods in the temple were those to whom they prayed at solemn festivals and offered sacrifices. it required enormous daring to approach them, for one hardly ever saw them, and knew them but little. although they were the same gods, they seemed strangely distant in the sanctity of the temple. the gods on the pillars of the high-seat, on the other hand, were house-gods. he had grown up in their company, he had seen them in daily intercourse, as far back as he could remember. he had long been confidential with them; they were his and the family's friends. they were quiet and peaceful and made no demands. maybe they had fits of ill-temper in the evenings. but for the most part they were almost like men, saving, of course, that as gods they were naturally higher than men. but one ventured--it was indeed a duty--to count them as friends, as belonging in some degree to the family. one could safely rely upon them, and that led to everyday familiar intercourse with them. they constituted, besides, so to speak, the axis of the home. they were the immovable real centre round which all things revolved. they were the persisting element. they were the visible sign of the family and of the family's continuance. they had become dark brown in the course of time, nay, almost black, and hard as stones from age. ingolf knew well how they felt. he had once, after a long inward struggle, ventured to touch them. and it was not strange that old age could be both felt and seen in them. for no one knew how old they were, or whether indeed they had any age at all. whether they were of the race of gods or men was therefore doubtful. from time immemorial they had belonged to the family. they had passed by inheritance from father to eldest son since as far back as there was any tradition, probably from the earliest dawn of time. the pillar on the right of the throne represented odin, the all-father, the old, one-eyed, and wise. his ravens, hugin and mugin, sat on his shoulders and whispered wisdom and knowledge to him. the ravens told him everything, past and future. so wise was odin that nothing found him unprepared. odin was the head of the gods, consequently the most important to have as a friend. the place on the right side of the high-seat belonged justly to him. the pillar on the left side represented thor, the wielder of the hammer, the slayer of giants, the one whose goats amid thunder-claps kicked fire from heaven when he drove to battle with the giants. proudly stood age-thor, with his legs planted wide apart, his arm lifted up to smite, and in the bent fingers of his mighty hand he gripped the hammer, mjolner. and there in the chief seat, on whose brown, worn plank only the cushions and the sitters changed, sat his father. ay, there he sat, cheerful and comfortable between his gods. every evening he sat there, when he was not out journeying or visiting, with his men sitting at tables round him, a step lower down. he sat calmly, stroking with weather-tanned fingers his thick, white beard, talked wisely, or was silent. there he sat at the feast with the chief guest by his side. and when it chanced that he raised his voice, his ringing tones filled the hall, and an attentive silence prevailed as far as the outer-most seats. though his father, orn, did not often talk in a loud voice, yet when he did, what he said was weighty. he seemed then to ingolf to have a certain resemblance to thor, especially when he raised his powerful clenched fists over his shaggy head. otherwise, when he sat silent and meditated, he reminded him most of odin, except that he had two eyes. in the chief seat his father was at home. there he sat, friendly and comfortable in the place of his ancestors. there had sat his grandfather, bjornulf, who together with his brother, roald, had been obliged to quit the old family estate in telemarken on account of having slain a man. and there had sat also before him, _his_ father, romund greippson. all high-spirited, strong men, whose names were remembered with reverence. and some day he himself would sit there. and after him again his son, and his son's son. generation after generation, family after family, till the earth vanished. whenever he thought of the time when his father would be no more, and he himself should assume the place between the throne-pillars, his cheeks flamed, and a strange, anxious shudder robbed him of strength and will-power. it was this knowledge that he would have to assume a responsibility, and one which he had long ago sworn to sustain with honour, and which he waited to assume with a mixture of joy and suspense, that had impressed on his countenance a composure and on his whole nature and bearing an air of assurance far beyond his years. even before his bones had fairly hardened, he had had impressed on him by his mother, whom he now only indistinctly remembered, who he was and what he should become. with his mother's milk he had imbibed the unbroken traditions of the family. before he understood what was really involved, he had learnt to understand that his life was only partly his own. already, for a long time past, it had become clear to him, that not only his own, but the honour of the dead and the unborn was committed to his hand. for a man without honour cast shadows on two sides. both his ancestors and his descendants had a peremptory claim on him--the claim of honour. and he had no intention of disappointing either himself, the dead, or the unborn. just then it was very quiet in the hall. the confidential crackling of the fire was the only sound audible. then suddenly came the sound of tramping steps without. orn raised his head and was again wide awake. all sat still and listened. there was a knock at the door. orn made a sign to the porter, who pushed back the bolt, and in came rodmar, orn's kinsman, followed by his son, leif, and some servants. the peace and quiet of the hall was suddenly interrupted. orn rose with a dignified air. stately of mien, he left the high-seat and went to meet his relative. his ceremonious "welcome, cousin," sounded cheerful and hearty. ingolf sprang up and ran round behind the seats to meet leif. he greeted his relative, who was his junior by two years, with a kiss and very sincere friendliness. orn laid both his hands heavily on rodmar's shoulders. "i was sure you would come, cousin." "such important news should be looked into," answered rodmar seriously. "we have had prosperous though chequered years. what will happen now?" "the good times are passed," answered orn gloomily. "i guess what will happen. follow me to the high-seat, cousin." orn seated rodmar at his side, and called for fresh beer. they drank to each other with deep draughts. when rodmar had sucked his beard dry, he turned to his kinsman, who was a little older than himself, and asked: "do you think there will be trouble in the country?" "trouble there will be," answered orn, speaking slowly and solemnly. "after peace and prosperous years follow hard times. we have had the good times; now we shall have to face the bad. only it may be that the struggle will not reach these parts. we are getting old, rodmar. our swords are rusty, our arms stiff. and our sons are at the worst age possible--old enough to entangle themselves in difficulties, not old enough to manage them." "i see that you cherish fears for the future, cousin. what do you advise?" "i advise that you stay here with leif and as many of your servants as can be safely spared from home. we should be prepared for everything. in times like these most unexpected things can happen." "i will follow your advice, as i always did. do you think of seeking light on the future from the gods?" "one should not trouble the gods before necessity demands it. but we should offer them sacrifices diligently and without stint." * * * * * it was only a week since rodmar and leif had driven home from the winter festival at orn's. but for ingolf and leif it had been a long week. they had found it difficult to be apart. they had had a cushion drawn up to the fire and lay there on their stomachs right opposite each other, each with a host of things to ask about and report. leif was a tall, loose-knit fellow with a long, bony face, browned with freckles and discoloured by wind and weather. he had a large nose, and a broad mouth with thick lips. the expression of his sparkling grey eyes changed suddenly, and constantly shifted from close attention to distant dreaminess, from icy coldness to beaming warmth. red curly hair hung in long locks down both sides of his smiling face. when the most important news had been told, he could keep quiet no longer. with a teasing look in his eyes, he stretched his head forward and asked in a whisper: "say, ingolf--did your gods dine on the yule meat?" ingolf gave a start of annoyance. his smile disappeared, and over his face spread an expression of vexed seriousness. he looked anxiously round, but discovered to his relief that no one was listening. he made no answer, but looked angrily and warningly at leif. leif laughed softly and in a contented fashion. then he made a funnel of his hands and whispered again: "they are fat, overfed animals, your gods!" he laughed deep down in his stomach, enjoying ingolf's wrath. "and such gods! a decrepit, one-eyed old creature, who has to get his wisdom from ravens! and a stupid braggart who is so poor that he has to drive with goats because he has no horse." ingolf clenched his fists and pressed his chin down hard on his whitening knuckles. "hold your tongue, leif!" he said threateningly, in reply. leif laughed as before. then he sprang up suddenly. by their side stood helga, ingolf's sister, a slim young girl with long, light-yellow hair, shining blue eyes, a small bright face, and a happy smile on her childish mouth. leif, whose gladness at meeting again this girl friend of his own age beamed from his face and was visibly impressed on his whole bearing, embraced her, and saluted her with a kiss. then he suddenly let her go, grew red and embarrassed, and began in his confusion to kick the burning logs. helga watched his action with quiet, smiling eyes. "you are scorching your boots, leif," she said, and laughed softly. he stood straight up, turned towards her, and looked at her. and the smile in her eyes put his embarrassment to flight. immediately he was himself again. beaming over his whole face, he seized her two hands and swung her arms apart. "i should give you greetings from the cat and from old jorun. i have nearly forgotten to do so. the cat caught a huge quantity of mice at yuletide, and then became fat and lazy--just like old jorun, but she can't bear to be told so." "surely you haven't said so to her." "yes. i couldn't help seeing it. and when i saw it, i couldn't help saying it." "you ought to be ashamed of yourself, leif. have you forgotten how kind old jorun has been to you since you lost your mother, and how many stories she has told us?" "i can make up better stories myself. old wives' tales are wearisomely long," answered leif in a quick tone, which concealed the slight wound in his conscience. "do you believe she makes them up?" asked helga, with an air of curiosity. "she talks about gods, trolls, and giants as though they really existed. the other tales are lies too, i suppose." "you are a stupid boy. how do you know that there are not trolls and giants?" "well, you never see them, anyhow." helga was already thinking of something else. "are you not going back at once?" she asked in an expectant tone. "i hope to stay here the rest of the winter and all summer too!" suddenly both were silent, and found no more to say. for a while they stood and looked at each other and were very happy. all at once helga became aware that ingolf lay there, and had not once lifted up his head. she cast herself on her knees beside him and peered into his face. ingolf avoided her glance, but she could see he was depressed. suddenly she knelt up and looked penetratingly at leif. the smiles and brightness had vanished from her face. "now, you have been vexing ingolf again, leif," she said in a tone of deep reproach. leif avoided her look, and took his place, a little embarrassed, at the end of the cushion. he felt ashamed, but wished to laugh it off. when he did not succeed he bent his head, and whispered so low that only they two could hear: "he ought not to get angry because i say what i think. you know quite well that i do not believe in your gods." "but you ought not to laugh at them, when you know that you hurt ingolf by doing so," whispered helga angrily in reply. ingolf lifted his head and looked at them. he spoke calmly, and his voice was quiet and sad. "it is not that alone," he whispered. "i do not mind so much that leif mocks at the gods. but i grieve to think that the gods will some day take vengeance on you, leif, for your mockery." "when i do not believe in the gods, you cannot expect me to be afraid of their vengeance," answered leif, with quiet defiance. he sat with downcast eyes, and a discontented and vexed look in his face. "you can say what _you_ like in return," he continued. "why may i not say what _i_ like? i cannot bear the gods. and i cannot endure that you should believe in them either. but since you make so much of them, i will say nothing." "yes, you promise that now," said helga. "you will have forgotten it tomorrow." "can i help being forgetful? then i will promise again tomorrow." for some minutes they sat silent and out of humour. then helga took leif's hand. "don't be cross, leif. we have wished so much to see you again." leif raised his head suddenly. he raised himself on the cushion, made a place by his side, and looked up at helga with a smile. all ill-humour had passed away from his face. soon after, all three were lying together confidentially discussing their own affairs. the hall was full of the hum of many voices and a stronger odour of beer. the fire burned yellow and bright. and the images of the gods on the carved pillars looked down as if following all that passed with a slow content, and waiting, calmly wise, for what should come. ii a couple of months after, the two boys were riding over the heath. it was towards evening. the day was calm with biting frost; grey storm-clouds lined the whole horizon. the blue patch of sky above the heath grew ever smaller; it seemed as though a storm was brewing. banks of clouds were already threatening to swallow the pale moon. the sun seemed stranded on golden mountains of cloud in the west. the two cousins were returning from a visit to their friends and comrades, haasten, haersten, and holmsten, sons of atle jarl at gaulum. holmsten, the youngest of the brothers, was the same age as ingolf; the others were a little older. the two cousins had come to know atle's sons at the great sacrificial feast of the preceding year at gaulum, and had become friends with them. on leif's side the friendship was not very warm. during the last year they had visited each other regularly. and since there was still no sign of disturbance in that part of the country, they had obtained leave to journey to gaulum again this winter. but they had been obliged to promise to exercise caution, to follow the main roads, to return home quickly on the least sign of trouble, and, finally, to conduct themselves circumspectly, and to remember whose offspring they were if anything happened. they had naturally promised all that had been demanded, ingolf with the firm resolve to keep his word. they had not had any occasion to break their promises until today, when leif had induced ingolf to make a short cut across the heath. he had twitted him with want of courage till ingolf, in a mixture of anger and love of adventure, consented. leif, who was always the most eager for an expedition, was, on the other hand, most quickly and completely seized by homesickness. in the morning he had felt that he must see helga before evening. and now they were riding here at a furious gallop. the long, wide, red cloaks, fastened by silver buckles on their breasts, fluttered behind them. so did as much of leif's red and ingolf's bright yellow locks as were not confined by their helmet-shaped caps. leif rode at haphazard and carelessly, satisfied with things in general, without thought for anything but the exciting present. he rode with arms, legs, and his whole body. ingolf, who sat as though of a piece with his horse, and moving neither arm nor foot, glanced at him sideways, and a faint smile passed over his firm mouth. "you ride like a fluttering chicken, leif!" he shouted to him as they rode on. leif looked quickly at him and was not at a loss for an answer. "and you sit your horse like an old idol, cousin!" the horses' frost-powdered heads stretched forward as they ran. yellow flakes of foam flew now and then from their mouths; their warm breath rose like clouds of vapour from the quivering nostrils. the snow and the splinters of ice which they kicked up flew about the ears of the riders. leif enjoyed travelling without restraint, and his delight found vent now and then in a ringing shout. ingolf, on the other hand, rode in a mood of deep displeasure; but it seemed as if he could not give vent to it at once, for he, also, had become partly intoxicated with the wild ride. the rapid beat of the rough-shod hoofs against the hard, frozen snow sounded pleasantly in their ears. and the strength of the mighty muscles which were supporting them thrilled the young riders with a glorious sensation of invincibility, capacity for anything, and divine exultation which made their hearts light and filled their heads with blissful excitement. the sun, preparing to glide down the golden slopes of cloud, cast long and fantastic shadows of the horses and riders over the glittering plain of snow. leif suddenly became aware of the rushing shadows, and burst into laughter. he shouted to ingolf, and pointed to the shadows, suddenly anxious to make ingolf also amused at them. ingolf must laugh also. but leif's mirth was too violent, too overpowering. he laughed out all the laughter that there was at once, and left nothing for ingolf. leif's uncontrolled glee blocked up all the feeling of amusement in ingolf, and directly evoked his dawning displeasure. he no longer gave himself up to the mere pleasure of riding. his fits of forgetfulness never lasted very long; thought and reason resumed their power over him. there rode leif, and was happy! did he not see that a storm was brewing? did he not know that it was impossible for them to get home that night? did he not reflect that if a regular snowstorm came on they might easily go astray on the heath? no, he saw nothing, knew nothing, thought nothing! he simply rode and was happy. and yet it was all his own fault. as they rode on side by side, a sullen, smouldering anger penetrated deeper and deeper into ingolf's mind. he had great mental stability, which is always something to hold fast to. he tried to struggle against his feelings; he would _not_ ride here and become gradually furious with leif. but the process in his mind had already gone so far that he was powerless to control it. what happened afterwards was in spite of his will and better conscience. leif's ecstasy also blew up the smouldering embers of wrath in his mind like a pair of bellows. leif's joyful shout caused flames to flare up within him. why should leif just now become so senseless, so idiotically happy? why? why? there were innumerable "whys?" to answer when leif was in question. why should leif be always occasioning difficulties and vexations for him? why should he be allowed to transfer all responsibility from himself to him? what was the sense of his alone having to bear inconveniences for them both just because leif did not choose to be inconvenienced? his only fault, after all, had been that he had always been, and still was, too yielding towards leif. leif, who rode there so merrily, without thinking of his broken promise or the gathering storm--did he not remember the gash from holmsten's knife which he carried in his coat as he rode? did he not remember that it was solely due to ingolf's presence of mind and powerful grip that the knife had not been buried in him up to the handle? ingolf was angry now. his perception was distorted by evil powers. he only saw leif's weaknesses and failings, and they were many. ingolf held a reckoning, and was angry. such was leif! a child, a stupid boy! a forgetful and ungrateful beast! not once in friendly games with atle's sons had he behaved properly. although holmsten was two years older than he, he could not endure to give place to him in any matter. times without number they had attacked each other like fiery wolf cubs. times without number he and haasten had reconciled them. each time leif had promised it should be the last time; next time he would be careful not to let his temper run away with him. but leif's promises were like flying snow in a storm. such was leif, the great humbug, unreliable and unintelligible. why should he, because holmsten at parting had given him the knife he had nearly killed him with--why should he for that reason unclasp his most valuable money-belt, and with his own hands clasp it round holmsten? weaker characters could do that! next time they met they would, all the same, attack each other like fiery wolf-cubs. that would certainly end some day with serious enmity between the two; and that would mean a feud with atle's sons. it might well happen that leif would yet entangle him in murder and bloodshed. some day they would certainly have to quit dalsfjord, as their grand-fathers in their time had been obliged to quit telemarken. thus ingolf's thoughts were forced to run on possible division of the family, murder, and exile. why could not leif be content with the difficulties he had stirred up for him at gaulum? why further entice him into breaking the promise he had given his father to follow the main roads and to be cautious? at first ingolf had only been angry with himself for having let leif seduce him into disobedience and breaking his word. but in his present condition he had no power to apportion his anger. he had to heap it all together with the blame on leif. the riders had slackened their pace, and rode quietly side by side, close together. but they avoided looking at each other, and did not say a word. leif perceived that ingolf, for some reason or other, had become very angry. that did not surprise him. ingolf, who was accustomed to preserve his calm on occasions when others became angry, was also wont to become angry at the strangest times. leif searched his conscience. it was fairly uneasy, as usual, but nothing more. it was impossible to see how he had deserved ingolf's wrath at that moment more than at others. he had not mocked at the gods, and he had till just now been so cheerful. he felt a little irritated, and was also curious to see what had happened in ingolf's mind, but he had resolved that it was not worth while to irritate him by speaking. he would see if he could not, by keeping silence, charm the anger out of him. ingolf could not well remain angry indefinitely. still, it was a nuisance; all the pleasure of the ride was gone. they rode on at a rapid trot, and leif remained silent. but he was not accustomed to ride in that way. a great feeling of heaviness came over him, and quenched in its darkness all the lively sparks of his humour. but they would soon be home. he yawned till his jaws seemed to crack. would there be a storm? he felt reckless. but what an endless way back it seemed when they approached the forest which they must go round. what sense was there in the forest lying there and barring their way to the valley? but for that, they might easily be home by bedtime. if the horses only had such long legs as their shadows on the snow possessed, they could stride over the forest. what wretched short-legged jades they were! yes, everything had gone wrong that evening. nothing was as it should be. there rode ingolf with a bee in his bonnet. one dared not even speak to him. and why had they no food with them? he felt suddenly so ravenously hungry that he actually seemed to sniff the scent of roast meat. meat and bread and beer--hm hm! and now that he had once begun to think of food, he continued to do so. he could at last almost taste it upon his tongue. could they not ride through the wood? he suddenly forgot all caution and addressed ingolf in the simplicity of his heart. "i know a path through the forest." it sounded quite naturally, as though he had suddenly thought of it. but for those who knew leif, his voice was too sincere to be able to conceal a lie. ingolf saw through him at once. so leif was not yet content with the harm done! he looked angrily and scornfully at him. "do you?" he answered, with an excessively quiet and indifferent air. "then you'd better make a short cut through." leif looked uncertainly at him. he knew no path through the wood; on the contrary, he had lost his way in it one summer's day, and only with great difficulty got out of it again. it had just occurred to him that if he induced ingolf to try the wood, they would be able to manage it. it was only a matter of keeping the right direction, and that can always be done when there are two going together. the wood could certainly not be impassible. and to try it would at least be a change. to stay here would be tedious in the long run. "shall we see if we can find it?" he braced himself up to ask in a conciliatory and almost submissive tone. he dared not express his request more plainly; he was afraid that ingolf had already seen too much. "i'll share in no more foolishness today," said ingolf coldly and decidedly. leif started as though struck by the lash of a whip. ingolf's tone kindled a flame in him like fire in dry straw. the consciousness of having lied, and the fear of its being perceived, made him sensitive and irritable beyond measure. he was seized with rage, and felt a shiver run through his whole body. senseless evil words and terrible execrations rose in his mind, but in such rapid succession that his tongue could not utter them. with a jerk he turned his horse and rode toward the wood. he wanted to get away from ingolf: he would show him-- ingolf looked after him. and as he sat there and saw him ride away, his arms and legs waving all ways at once, a revulsion took place in his mind. his wrath had come to a head, and now began to subside. "there was no sense in that," he thought, and could not recover himself after leif's disappearance. "i did not think to drive him so far. but surely he will have the sense to turn back!" no, leif did not turn back. and ingolf, who had let slip the opportunity of calling him to return, could not yet bring himself to ride after him. "now we shall be separated for life," he thought again. "that is too ridiculous. that must not happen." he would _not_ be separated from leif like that. but the consciousness of his own right and leif's obvious wrong had still too strong a hold on him. it seemed to him impossible to turn his horse round. yet once more he repeated to himself: "it must not happen." but all the same he rode on. he let it happen. iii ingolf rode on. the sun went down. a wind blew from the north, bringing thick clouds of ice-cold snow as fine as sand. he could not see the wood any more. and leif had long disappeared in the sea of snow. night began to come on. a faint glow high above him on the left betrayed the whereabouts of the full moon. with the help of that and the wind he tried to guide himself. he was so alone, so completely forsaken, as he had hitherto never guessed that anyone could be. and he felt his loneliness and desolation as accusation and guilt. he had, as it were, grown smaller since leif had left him. the uneasiness of dissatisfaction gnawed his mind like hunger. he was displeased with himself and also with leif, but more with himself. he was, after all, the elder, and was responsible for them both. also he felt seriously anxious for leif. leif did not know any path through the wood. he had once ventured into it, and lost himself. and if he lost himself in the wood in this cold he would be frozen to death, unless, indeed, the wolves attacked him. ingolf was in despair. he asked himself whether it were yet any use to ride after leif? but now it was too late. he felt a lump rise in his throat. remorse came over him like an avalanche. he had to defend himself in order not to be utterly overwhelmed. as far as leif was concerned, it was his own fault. it was he who actually _would_ ride over the heath. it was he who, in spite of reason, made for the wood. if he were frozen to death, or eaten by wolves, he only had himself to thank. but ingolf soon discovered that these thoughts did not yield him any comfort. in the first place, he was not sure that the fault was really leif's. he ought not to have allowed himself to be persuaded to ride across the heath, and, by doing so, break his word. neither ought he to have become angry with leif because he had allowed himself to be persuaded. least of all should he have let leif observe his anger. for that was what had driven him to the wood. he knew leif, and how susceptible he was. treated in the right way, he was not unreasonable. by means of good-humour and friendly talk one could turn leif's mind from or in any desired direction. but if he saw that any one was angry or embittered against him, immediately he became twice as angry himself. and all sound sense forsook him as soon as he became irritated. and another thing: even if the fault was leif's, that did not make the matter really better. there was, in fact, no satisfaction in being in the right as against leif. leif's whole character was so made up of hastiness and want of sense that nothing was easier than to be in the right against him. but that was not the least relief to his mind. leif was not one of those to be settled with in that way. even if there was not the least doubt that one was in the right, there always remained something unsettled when leif was in question. ingolf rode on. he forgot to pay any attention to the direction of the wind or the light of the moon. an absorbing consciousness of having done wrong, and of remorse, which continually increased, gnawed his mind and destroyed his peace. he could not shake off the thought of leif. how was he now? how would he fare? he tried to persuade himself that leif must really know a path through the wood, and might be home before him. ah, how he wished that he might find leif's horse in the stable when he himself at last reached home! but he knew well that this was only something he _wished_ to believe. leif's voice was so sincere that it betrayed him when he lied. leif was a stupid boy. ah, leif! leif! ingolf struggled hard to keep his tears back. he had not the least idea what to do. what should he do? he was riding here, and had lost his best friend. and it was his own fault. even if he found leif at home they would not be friends any more. and leif, like himself, as far back as he could remember, could not do without him. he did not understand it all. he did not comprehend how it could happen. yesterday, nay, only a little while since, they had been friends. now he was riding alone in the night and the snowstorm, and leif was lost in the wood. leif had left him because he could not overcome himself sufficiently to keep with him longer--leif, who this morning would have sacrificed everything for him, and given his life for him, yes, ten lives if he had possessed so many. he did not know any one else of whom he could safely say the same. half his strength had lain in the consciousness that leif was his friend for life and death; that he had, so to speak, two lives. he was himself also prepared to die for his friend. all the same, a sudden misunderstanding and a few words had parted them. for the first time ingolf realized the dangerous power of anger and evil words. and he made a vow never again to be angry, and never again to speak evil words to a friend. it had a certain soothing effect upon him, thus to take himself to task, to acknowledge his failing, and resolve to overcome it. but this was of no help with regard to leif. there could not be the least doubt now that leif was roaming about lost in the wood. it was hopeless to expect that he should have given up his purpose. it could never occur to him to be so reasonable as to follow the edge of the wood. for leif knew nothing of fear or even caution, bold to the point of madness, daring to folly as he was. yes, leif was by no means merely a mocker of the gods or a practical joker. he was as fearless and brave as any one whom ingolf knew. that was what forced one to love him, and feel that he was indispensable in spite of all his failings and the difficulties he caused. that was also the reason why helga liked him so much, and became restless and lost her balance as soon as she did not see him, but immediately became quiet and peaceful when she knew he was near. how should ingolf look his sister, helga, in the eyes when he came home without leif? ingolf rode on. he no longer knew where he was going, and felt indifferent. without leif he could, at any rate, not go home. he could not get leif out of his mind. leif was in every way difficult and unaccountable. there was no use denying it. as far back as ingolf could remember at all, he had had incredible difficulties with leif. all the troubles he remembered to have had, had been caused by him. numberless times, helga had been obliged to appease greater or smaller quarrels between them. for leif was really impossible as a comrade. one never knew what to expect of him, or what he might devise. there was no feeling secure in leif's society; he always brought, as it were, changes and adventures with him. but such as he was, one could not do without him. in spite of his difficult character he was such that one missed him as soon as he was out of sight. ingolf noticed that his horse suddenly changed the direction in which he was going. he did not take the trouble to check him. it was all the same to him where he went, now that he no longer had leif. he had wound his cape twice round him, yet the cold penetrated it. he felt frozen and shivered, but did not mind. it even had a certain soothing effect on him to be so cold that his teeth chattered. immediately afterwards he had forgotten himself, and began thinking again of leif. hitherto he had always felt vexed that leif was not like others. now he realized suddenly that, in spite of all, he did not want to have leif otherwise. such as he was, he was just leif, and his friend. on his side the friendship was certainly not past. if he met leif again, they would become friends afresh. he knew that leif was always ready for reconciliation so soon as he had worked off his rage. no, leif was not like others. there was no doubt that he was a good and skilful ski-runner. he was always inventing new tricks and difficult feats. wherever he found a rock or a hill he must attempt it. not even the steepest descents made him pause. the fact that he had one fall after another, each worse than the preceding one, had no effect upon him at all. leif did not like learning by experience. and, strangely enough, he had never had any serious accident. when ingolf had once reproached him for his mad foolhardiness, he had merely replied that he trusted his luck blindly for so long as fate had allotted it to him, and not a step further! he was obviously not in the least interested as to where the limit was set. one might be vexed at it, but it was not of the slightest use. he had an incredible faculty for getting into desperate situations, and after all saving his skin. the cause probably was that he was not merely a little unreasonable. in that case he would hardly have completed his twelve winters. he was, on the contrary, so boundlessly unreasonable that it seemed as though the reasonable penalties which always pursued ingolf and all others never exactly knew where to find leif, and therefore could not strike him. ingolf could not explain it to himself in any other way. there was, for example, the adventure with the bear. it was a year ago now, but he was likely to remember it as long as he lived. they had heard from the people in the farm that there was a bear's lair up on the heath, a place about which they only knew that it would be found in the neighbourhood of two hills which had been described to them. they were continually thinking and talking about the bear's lair, and could not get away from the subject. both of them had a great desire to see the place. but ingolf's desire was of the quiet kind which is compatible with patience. in his opinion there was no need to go and scent out a bear's lair when one was grown big and could receive him when he presented himself. leif's desire, on the other hand, was measureless and insatiable. "if you don't come, i will go alone," he said. so ingolf went with him. they set out from the place one morning in late summer; they trudged far, found no hill nor bear's lair, but, on the other hand, came across a slope covered with bilberries, the like of which they had never seen. immediately ingolf was aware of a high-pitched voice within, which shouted, "bilberries! bilberries!" and that leif must have heard a similar voice was easy to see. crouching to the earth they went and gathered bilberries with both hands, eating the little bitter leaves along with them without hesitation, when they found opposite them a bear who was also eating bilberries. for a moment ingolf remained standing, staring at a bear with a blue snout; then he came to his senses and fled for all he was worth. not till he had run a long way did it occur to him that leif was not with him, and that he was not pursued. he stood still and looked round, prepared to see the bear coming after him with leif in his stomach and hungering for more provender of a similar kind. what he did see was almost more terrible. there on the bilberry-slope stood leif and the bear confronting each other. ingolf stood thunderstruck. why did not the bear eat leif? he did not understand it, did not see that there could be anything else to wait for. as though rooted to the spot, he remained standing and staring, and could not stir. it seemed to him as if several days had passed when at last something happened--the bear sneaked off. he could not trust his own eyes! yes, the bear trudged away from the bilberry-slope and left leif alone with the berries. and leif quite quietly resumed his gathering of bilberries. ingolf did not understand it. he found the occurrence so unintelligible that he believed the whole must be a dream. he was soon made aware of his mistake. in dreams one is accustomed to glide comfortably through the air, but he had just to climb back on his weary legs to leif. when ingolf got near him, he stood and looked at him, and was astonished to see nothing remarkable about him. and so he remained standing for a time. there was something which needed explaining before he could go on with the bilberry-picking. at last he asked: "why didn't you run?" "do you think one can run from a bear?" leif answered quite quietly and as a matter of course. "what would be the use of that? no, i made him think that i was not afraid of him. and at last i really was not any more. so he got tired of standing and staring, and went his way." such was leif, and such was his method with bears. was it easy to understand him? how could one get the mind with which to understand him? ingolf answered himself with a meditative, negative shake of the head. and the adventure with the bear was by no means unique. he remembered another incident of the same summer. he lived through it again in his need to occupy himself with leif, and yet at the same time forget that leif at that very moment might be hunted by wolves. they had agreed together that it was time they learnt to swim. naturally it was just when no one had time to teach them. but that kind of trifle had no decisive weight for leif when he had got a fixed idea in his head. one of orn's servants, so he informed ingolf, who was a good swimmer, had shown him that he had only to move his arms and legs in such and such a way and keep afloat. leif straightway laid himself across a piece of timber in the courtyard and showed ingolf how to move his arms and legs. thus; and thus!--that was all! it did not seem very difficult to ingolf. but suppose one sank in spite of all? but leif was unwearied in his persuasions--oh, it was ever so easy. you simply scooped up the water with your arms and kicked with your legs--that was all. at last leif made him lie on the piece of timber and taught him the strokes. so! and so! kick out strongly! stretch your arms properly! now, i bet we swim like a pair of seals as soon as we get in the water. now let us go! they went down to the fjord. on the way he made leif promise that first they should not go farther than where they could touch the bottom. otherwise he said he would not go. leif promised, and swore in addition. as soon as they got near the shore, leif had his clothes off and stood naked and careless and stretched himself in the sun. ingolf stood and looked at the water, and was a good while unclasping his belt. leif jumped about and hurried him on, but at last would not wait any more. as a matter of course, he had either forgotten his promise or did not choose to keep it. instead of wading out where he could reach the bottom he ran out on a rock, flung his arms over his head, launched away, and was off. ingolf, still with most of his clothes on, ran out on the rock with his heart in his mouth. down there lay leif; the water had swallowed him. he lay and worked his arms and legs. now he approached the surface; now his head bobbed up. but only for a moment. his arms and legs moved very much as when he rode. but either he could not manage the swimming-strokes or they were no use. in any case, the water would not support him. he went to the bottom again. never had ingolf been so frightened as when he stood there and saw leif in the water--never so helplessly anxious and despairing. he stood, and could neither move hand nor foot. he felt paralysing terror like a dead weight in his whole body. then he suddenly began to shiver. at the same moment all power of cool reflection deserted him and he forgot that he was no better a swimmer than leif. he must get out and help him. and he was on the point of plunging from the rock with his clothes on when he saw leif come crawling up through the water. leif crawled up and got his head above the surface. he spat and snorted and made grimaces. it did ingolf good to see him. and he did not go to the bottom again. leif, the incredible, swam! not with arms and legs working on both sides as he had practised the motions. no, he simply crawled through the water with a long stroke and did not sink. it looked so ridiculous that ingolf had to laugh aloud. no, leif of course could not be so easily drowned as others die naturally. now he felt the ground under his feet. he stood still, coughed, and spat up water and shook himself so that the red locks flew about his head. he laughed suddenly when he set eyes on ingolf. "what, not yet out of your clothes?" quite calmly he waded to shore. and when he stood opposite ingolf, he said simply and unaffectedly, although he shivered over his whole body: "i was nearly drowned that time! who could guess that it was so difficult? if i hadn't just happened to think, while i was down there, how dogs swim, i should be lying there still!" when at last he had finished spitting and shaking the water out of his ears, he took the same header again as a matter of course. such was leif. he could not break his neck, he could not drown, and bears sneaked off when they met him. could he, then, be lost in a wood and frozen to death? or would he extricate himself again as he alone could? ingolf thought it not quite impossible, and that was his only hope and comfort. it would be just like leif to crash his way through a wood in which anyone else would be lost, and to be first home. if only he were already there, in bed and asleep! ingolf was aroused from his reveries by his horse suddenly coming to a dead stop. he looked round him, and was not long in discovering that he had reached home. the horse had stopped exactly opposite the door of the stable. stiff in all his limbs from the cold, he crawled down and opened the door. his only thought was whether leif's horse might already be inside. he went from horse to horse, felt them, and noted their distinguishing marks. he knocked against his own horse, which had followed after him into the warmth with its saddle and bridle on. he freed it from the bridle, but forgot the saddle, and went on. no, leif's horse was not in the stable. that was only what he had expected. nevertheless, he felt suddenly paralysed with disappointment. leif, then, had not reached home. leif was still somewhere without. at that very moment he was roaming about lost either on the heath or in the wood. leif's horse was not one of those which could find its way home by itself. ah, leif! leif! he hoped that it was not already all over with him. ingolf seemed to see him in front of him lying on his back in a snowdrift with arms and legs stretched out. the snow was drifting over him and already nearly covering him. by the side of him stood his horse, with its head hanging down. ah, leif! leif! ingolf collected himself. he did not feel the cold any more, nor did he notice how hunger was gnawing him. he shut the stable and went to the courtyard. there was something feverish and yet resolute about all his proceedings. he entered the outhouse where the ski were kept, and found his own and leif's. he opened the house-door a little and whistled softly to his dog. the dog was wild with delight at seeing him again, jumped about him, and licked his cold hands with his warm tongue, while ingolf, his fingers stiff with the frost, was buckling on his ski. he had no time to take notice of it. as soon as he had buckled his snow-shoes firmly on, he sped away from the house, the same way he had come. now he again paid attention to the direction of the wind and the light of the moon. leif must be found--there was no question about that. he could not return home alive without him. iv leif had gone riding on till he reached the wood, his mind full of wrath and defiance. there was not one reasonable thought in his brain; he had only the instinct to ride on. the motion cooled his irritation. it did him good to be out in this wild, chaotic expanse. there was a sense of freedom in casting away the yoke of reason, a relief in knowing that one was committed to something which had two sides and might mean life or death. he would show ingolf that though he himself did not know any path through the wood he was not afraid of riding there all the same. he would show him that if he wished to go the straight road home he would do so in spite of woods and other hindrances! he would show him that there was a difference between a man and an old woman in breeches! the snowstorm beat against him from the side, and he had to turn his head so as not to have it directly in his ear, yet all the same he had to ride with his eyes half shut. but he gave no heed to the weather. a man who was intent on performing an exploit could not worry about a trifle! thus, filled with exulting presumption, he approached the border of the wood and rode in among the whistling, crackling trees. here he had to slacken his pace, and, as he did, it struck him all at once that there was a fair chance of his losing himself in the wood and never getting out again. but nothing could stop leif when he had got up the speed for a piece of folly. besides, it was part of his reason for not giving up his project that he was convinced that the worst turn he could do ingolf was to ride through the wood. if he won through it, ingolf would be mortified; if he got lost, ingolf would be grieved. and ingolf, sulky beast, deserved no mercy. how thoroughly he would look down on him if he happened to get home first! and if not, he knew well that ingolf would not have a quiet hour till he saw him again. and serve him right. here in the outskirts of the wood leif made such good progress that he already felt sure of getting home first. at the same time, he found room in his heart and mind for a certain anxiety regarding ingolf. he hoped he would not be lost upon the heath where he had nothing to guide him. now that his fantastic assurance for himself had left room for anxiety for ingolf, his wrath suddenly vanished. should he not ride after ingolf, try to overtake him, and convince him how much better it was to ride through the wood? but then ingolf would only believe that he had turned round because he did not dare to ride through the wood alone, which was just what he was going to show him he could do. his arms and legs came again into action. but the deeper leif penetrated into the wood, the harder it became to make progress. the going was not so good here. the horse went on at an irregular pace. leif had continually to turn because of low branches and fallen trunks. he had to go slowly and gradually, step by step. besides, it was not very comfortable here in the dense parts of the wood. leif did not venture to startle his horse by shouting, though he was not really afraid. but all the sounds which he could not account for made him silent and alert. on all sides there was an uninterrupted whistling, creaking, and groaning. snow fell from the branches with a thump. hasty flappings of wings, which sent a chill through him, penetrated through all other sounds, producing a foreboding sense of vacuity and gloom. besides, it was darker here than was pleasant. he could hardly discern the nearest tree-trunks. he wished he were out on the heath again and in ingolf's company. what had he wanted to go to the wood for? leif was not long in losing himself so completely that he thought it just as well to give up altogether aiming at any particular direction, and go on at haphazard. he felt it really a relief to be free from the trouble. the chief thing now was to sit on his horse and keep warm, which was beginning to be a difficulty. but now leif was in high spirits and proof against blows. he had prepared his mind for troubles and schooled himself to confront fate. he had cast all responsibility from him far into space! let any one who chose undertake it! he was riding here--that was all. could his horse get on? let happen what would! he did not doubt for a moment that the matter would finally turn out well for him. he would get clear. _how_, he did not guess, neither did he trouble himself about it. he had reasonably or unreasonably come to the conclusion that he might just as well stop interfering. yes, he would not venture to interfere. suppose he turned off to the left now, and by doing so lost the right direction? no, he would not touch the bridle, but simply trust to luck. if he must pay the price for his rashness, he might just as well do it with the same coin. and if he got home in that way, the account would be settled. thus he rode for a long time, but not so long as he thought. he was checked in his progress, and therefore the time seemed more than doubled. he thought he got on faster than he actually did. at last he sat half asleep upon his horse, which he kept going by half-mechanical movements of his arms and legs. the horse went slower and slower. it had lost heart, and would rather have stood still, hung its head, turned its back to the storm, and let time and destiny roll over it. leif did not agree with the horse in the matter. he himself sat there and let come what would. but something must be kept going, or there would be a complete full-stop. so the horse must continue. but that was so contrary to the horse's will that leif at last had to shake off his drowsiness in order to keep the animal going. and, in spite of all, it only went step by step. leif was working again with his whole body. nevertheless, he felt how the cold was tightening its clutch on his limbs and already threatening his stomach and chest. leif was no fool. he clearly perceived that his life was in danger. in full consciousness he took up the struggle against weariness, which by its temptation to drowsiness sought to surprise him with sleep, that would be fatal in the frost. leif rallied himself with a firm resolve. that was not at all to his mind. he did not in the least intend to give up. twelve years could not satisfy a hunger for life like his. he had much to do in the world. he was, for one thing, a good way yet from becoming a viking and marrying helga. would the forest never come to an end? at last it did. leif went on riding and riding. and what did he see? tracks of a horse which had been going through the snow. so he had then been riding in a circle. and where was he? that the wood only knew. but now he would follow the tracks in the direction he had come from to see if he could break the circle and, if possible, find his way out of the wood. now it seemed to him the chief thing to find his way out, no matter where. that was for the present object enough. he resolutely avoided looking further in his thoughts. unconsciously he armed himself against the tendency of thought to weaken the mind. he would not have his strength paralysed by too much reasoning. his business was simply to ride on and fight against the cold. he had lost the track again. the horse became more and more unwilling to proceed. it only went on because it must. suddenly and unexpectedly he noticed that he was out of the wood. he saw no more tree-trunks. here there were only whirling clouds of snow around him. his only resource was to go on. he kept riding to see whether he would not come across trees farther on. no, there were no more trees. and what was he to do now? on which side of the wood was he? he rallied his reasoning power and reflected. yes, he must be on the same side by which he had entered. the wind was due north--the direction he came from--there then was the north. so he had been very sagacious as far as _looking_ went. he should only have been sharp enough to see when the wood ended, then he would have had the edge of the wood to guide himself by. should he turn round and try to find the wood again? no, no, he might get among the trees. and he had lost all desire to ride to the wood. the horse had availed itself of leif's reflections to come to a stop. without leif having noticed it, it had turned its back to the storm, and simply stood still with its head drooping. leif sought to rouse it up and set it in motion again. here there was no use in remaining at a standstill. but the horse had formed its own opinion of the whole expedition. it stood immovable, and intended to remain so. leif expended much energy on its back, tugged at the reins, struck it with his whip-handle, since lashing seemed of no avail, but it was useless. the horse had had enough and more than enough. it stood, and intended to remain standing for an indefinite time. leif jumped down and looked with astonishment in its eyes. what was the matter with the beast? had it suddenly got fancies in its head? he pulled at the bridle, tried to tug the horse to one side, and made his whip whistle over it. the horse sighed a little at such a cruel and senseless proceeding. but it had once for all made up its mind to stay where it was. at that moment there was nothing that would make it budge an inch from the spot. leif looked helplessly around him. he could not understand the horse's sudden predilection for precisely _that_ spot of ground. was there perhaps something to guide them? completely exhausted it could not be, as there was still so much refractoriness in it. so he tried to treat it kindly. he talked gently to it, patted it, and scratched it behind the ears. he overwhelmed it with flattery, and sang to it in a high-pitched voice. then he clambered with some trouble on its back again, and hoped that it had now changed its mind. but it had not done so by any means. leif began to get angry, but he patted its neck and kept a friendly tone. since this still proved useless he uttered a wild howl with all his might, and threw his arms, legs, and whole body into motion. at last he was nearly crying with vexation. then he tried it again with friendliness and kind words, but it was all of no avail. so he gave it up. the horse evidently _would_ not go farther. and since he could neither compel nor persuade it, there was nothing to be done with the creature. he slipped from its back and tried to review the situation. on nearer inspection it seemed to be just as threatening and impenetrable as the snow-clouds round him. as he stood there the wind lashed his face and pierced icily cold through his clothes. he perceived clearly the danger of the situation. if the cold and his weariness made him yield a little, it was all over with him. it was no use to let the horse stand and go on with his own strength. the energies he had still in reserve were in no reasonable proportion to the storm and the length of the way. it was only a _little_ strength and endurance which he had remaining. but it was that little which was to rescue him. he kept his hands tightly clenched together as if it were a matter of extracting some device by purely physical pressure from his oozing energies. he intensified his thoughts till he seemed to hear them beating in his skull. but it was as though all possibilities had conspired against him and forsaken him. he stood and set his back against the wind, and sought to combat a creeping foreboding that there was no way of escape. he knew that once he gave up it was all over with him. so long as he could keep erect and resolute there was still hope. his thoughts forsook the beaten paths and travelled in the labyrinths of imagination, seeking a last possibility. a picture came up in his memory. he remembered a yuletide sacrificial feast at home ... the penetrating odour of blood and entrails ... the warm, gaping hollow of an ox's body emptied of its viscera. before he had yet time to connect thought with action, his knife was out. he took the bridle off the horse, with feverish fingers sought a certain spot in its neck, waited a moment while he overcame his repugnance, and then made a thrust. with a groan the horse collapsed on its knees. leif rolled it over on one side, and so it remained, lying with stiff, struggling legs, now and then shaken by a faint shudder. leif made a cut in its neck, so that he could, when possible, extract the windpipe and gullet. a warm stream of blood spouted straight into his eyes and blinded him till he had again rubbed them clean. and now the intoxication of blood overcame him. he had the scent of it in his nostrils and the taste of it on his tongue. with a single long cut from the fore to the hinder-part he slit open its stomach. the warm, smoking entrails bulged out of the streaming gash. leif snatched them out with his hands, but had to stop, because the heat nearly scalded him--shook his hands like a cat its paws--and set to work again. in a very short time he had cleared the animal's stomach of all the entrails, with a round cut of his knife he loosened the diaphragm, extracted the lungs with the grey windpipe adhering to them from the breast, and threw them away. then at last, with trembling fingers, he sheathed his knife, heaved a long sigh, and crawled head-first into the horse's empty stomach. he coiled himself together like an animal, audibly growling with the sense of comfort and the prospect of secure rest. but however he turned and twisted himself, he could not find room for his legs. so he crawled rather crossly out again, stripped off his cloak, wound it several times round his feet and legs above his knees, to preserve them from being frostbitten, and crept in again. he enjoyed the delightful warmth inside. now it would do him real good to have his rest out and sleep. with a light and untroubled heart he lay down comfortably. sleep--sleep. when he awoke again, the snowstorm would doubtless be over. he chuckled inwardly; he would simply stay here till it was quite finished! if it still lasted long he could easily live on frozen horse-flesh. he had still a conviction that he would not die that day. nonsense! here he lay, and liked it. the future seemed bright and cheerful to his inner eye. he wondered whether ingolf would be home by now? in his fulness of satisfaction and quiet he allowed himself to hope so. a little after he was sleeping a sound, untroubled sleep. v ingolf bore towards the west. he had the wind on his right side, a little against him. he had to climb rising ground, although not very steep. he only made slow progress. but he felt his strength and how his body was, as it were, braced together in one strain. and it was as though this consciousness of his own strength continually produced new strength again. he was so absolutely determined to hold out till he found leif or fell dead that there was not the slightest breach in his will, where doubt and fatigue might insinuate their poisonous disintegrating vapours. for the present, his object was only to go round the wood to the other side and see whether he could not find leif's tracks and the place where he had entered the wood. if he could find leif's, or rather the horse's, tracks, his dog would be a considerable help in following them. and if _he_ could not find them, it was not impossible that the dog might. such was ingolf's plan. now and then he looked at the dog faithfully plodding after him. when it ran along unnoticed, it dropped its tail discontentedly. it did not see any object in such an expedition in this weather, and could not possibly approve of it at first. but as soon as ingolf spoke kindly to it, or it only noticed that it was observed, it cocked its tail and sprang forward at his side, gladly barking, and talked to him in dog-language. they went steadily forward, although their progress was slow. to his joy, ingolf noticed that the wind was abating. the snow-clouds were gradually dividing, and the moon's pale disc shone against a background of blue. around him spread a white expanse, abruptly broken by the dark line of the edge of the wood a little to the right. there was no longer an upward incline; he sped along easily and softly on his ski, and looked about him. the snow-clouds as they departed opened an ever-widening horizon to his view. he must clearly ascertain where he was. now he knew the place and could do that correctly for himself. yes, he was up on the heath, and had only to turn to the right and follow the line of the wood. his snow-shoes glided easily upon the smooth, even surface of the snow. with each step he increased his speed. for now a mental tension took hold of him, and filled him with restlessness. he called to his dog, roused it up, and urged it on with short, explanatory shouts. he made it understand that he was seeking something, and counted on its help. suddenly the dog was awake in every nerve. now he could understand his master and feel with him. eagerly he ran on ahead, nosing at the snow. hither and thither he ran, in larger and smaller curves. now and then ingolf seemed to perceive in it an impulse to stand still. but it never came completely to a stop, only making a half pause. the dog was so engrossed in its mission of finding something, though it knew not what, that it completely forgot its tail, and let it hang obliquely down behind, completing the impression of self-forgetting absorption. it was as though ingolf's mental tension had transferred itself to the animal, which continually increased its speed. ingolf had difficulty in keeping up, although he sped as though for his life, so that the sweat poured in streams down over his face and dropped from his eyebrows and chin. thus they sped on for a long time. ingolf knew well that he must husband his strength. but it seemed as though the part of his excitement which had communicated itself to the dog had returned to him with double strength. he completely forgot to economize his forces. he put them all forth, well knowing that by doing so he imperilled the success of his quest. he simply could not do otherwise. the one thing was to hold out and follow the dog. he dared not keep it back. "on!" he said to himself. "as long as you can keep your head up." suddenly the dog stopped and began running round and round. ingolf was a good way behind him. he hurried on as quickly as possible, and gave close attention to the animal, which now stood and sniffed for a time. then it ran a little way in the direction of the wood. oho! here it was, then! but what now? the dog stood still, sniffed, and ran some way back. then it paused again. what was the matter? and see! now it lifted its head, stood and sniffed now towards the wood, now in the opposite direction, with a slight, hasty jerk of its body. its tail was lifted too, and stood straight out. now ingolf felt certain. this was where he should enter the wood. now there remained nothing necessary but to take off his ski and to walk. but before he had quite got up to the dog, the latter had already started again--away from the wood. ingolf shouted to it. it must be mistaken. it stood still as it was ordered, but did not come back. it remained standing, waiting for further directions. ingolf called it again, but it remained standing as before. and now ingolf heard it utter a low whine. what did it want? ingolf shouted encouragingly to it and immediately it started off again. ingolf followed, without yet leaving the edge of the wood. he thought the dog was still on the track, and only following it in the wrong direction. it would soon perceive its mistake and turn round. but it was far from turning round. on the contrary, it came to a stop and remained standing by a slight elevation in the snow. there it paused and ran about, nosing here and there eagerly. it was easy to see that it had found something of great importance. ingolf came to a stop. he had to rally all his will power in order not to collapse. he could not stir from the spot. was leif lying there? had a tragedy happened after all? the gods he had braved had at last taken vengeance on leif for his insolence and mockery. ingolf felt himself struck in a vital nerve. for how could he live after that? as he stood there it occurred to him suddenly that here his race came to an end. leif was dear. only he and helga were left. he with a stain upon his honour--in a fit of temper he had let leif ride unhindered away from him to meet obvious death--a stain he could only wash away in one way--by giving himself a sacrifice to odin. and helga ... yes, helga would not survive that. so here the race would cease. all his dreams, all his purposes blown away like chaff before the wind. suddenly ingolf heard the dog close by him. it stood in front of him, with its snout lifted and its ears laid back, whining up at him. at first he looked down without seeing it and without giving heed to its supplicating look; then suddenly he woke to attention. the dog certainly did not look sorrowful. it looked rather as if it had something special, and to a certain degree joyful, to announce. and its whining also seemed to signify the same. in ingolf's mind there dawned a spark of hope. he set his ski in motion and followed the dog. but the nearer he came to the white mound, by which his dog already stood, looking back beseechingly and whining softly--the slower he moved. suddenly he stood still as though struck. what was it? what sort of a sound was that? he stood still awhile and collected himself to listen. but his own blood's throbbing made it hard for him to interpret the sound he heard. suddenly the sound grew louder, till here was no mistaking it. it was the heavy snoring of one dead tired. here was leif, then, calmly asleep. he was not too dead to lie there snoring, so that it could be heard a long way off. in an instant ingolf was there; he threw off his ski and began to excavate the snow with his bare hands. leif in the horse's stomach was so covered with snow that no one could guess what this mound in the landscape really contained. ingolf took hold of a corner of the cloak and pulled. leif did not follow it, as he had expected. the cloak came up empty, and only exposed leif's legs to view. leif was not interested in what was going on--he continued to lie there and snore. so ingolf began to pull leif's leg with all his might, and at last dragged him out. a hasty look in the hole showed him the ripped-up stomach of a horse. leif opened a pair of sleep-drunken and astonished eyes, rose with a bound, looked closely at ingolf and at the dog, gave a glance into the hole he had been hauled out from, shook off his stiffness, yawned, and began to rub his eyes, as though he wished to look more closely into the matter before he believed it. ingolf stood and stared at him without uttering a word. leif looked dirty and bloody, but it was certainly not his own blood. he did not seem to have lost anything, and was at any rate alive. and how like leif that was. he had at last rubbed his eyes well and was awake. for a moment he sat with his eyes wide open and looked at ingolf. "well, you have been home," he blurted out in a voice that was hoarse and still a little sleepy. "brought anything to eat?" then ingolf sat down and laughed--laughed so that he had to hold his stomach with both hands--laughed so that at last he had to fall backwards, and rolled on one side. leif looked at him, but his mental faculties were still a little benumbed by sleep. then he, too, began to chuckle inwardly. when, a little while after, they had put on their ski, and were on the point of starting homeward, leif stopped suddenly, and reflected. then he looked ingolf in the eyes and reached out his hand. he did not utter a word, but pressed his hand and looked straight in his eyes again. there was a slight quiver about his large mouth. then quickly they loosed each other's hands. and they started off home at full speed. they were as though born again, and did not feel weariness, cold, or hunger. by their side raced ingolf's dog, his warm, bright red tongue hanging far out and his tail cheerfully erect. so they sped along the way by the wood. down the slopes above the house they went at a pelting pace. when at last they were at home in the courtyard, and had stowed away their ski in the outhouse, the dawn was beginning to break. no one was up yet. noiselessly they crept to their beds. they did not feel bold enough to meet any one this morning. the best thing was to take refuge in sleep from all explanations. vi helga, though she had only lived for twelve winters, knew already a good deal of life. she knew what it was to be anxious for one whom she loved. long before she was conscious of her love for leif, she suffered all a lover's anxiety. leif took her thoughts with him wherever he went and travelled. and she could never feel secure about him. she could, on the other hand, be sure that if she had not seen him for the space of a day, not to speak of the occasions when he was absent many days, that during that interval he had been once, or probably many times, near the border of the next world, and that it was at any rate only due to the incredible luck which always followed him that he came home with whole limbs. she knew, in fact, the long days and still longer nights of waiting and anxiety. she knew what it was to lie awake most of the night and see terrible sights. she turned restlessly on her bed, and neither dared to close her eyes nor to stare into the darkness, because everywhere she encountered the figure of him she loved, either dead or dying. she had learnt to prize two things which a woman, who must generally miss and be anxious for him she loves, cannot live without--dreaming and work. she knew how small occupations shorten the day, and the relief won by showing love to animals, being kind to them, and lavishing kind words upon them, and she experienced the joy it gives to be loved by dumb creatures. it was known to her, also, how the way is made easy to the land of dreams, where the hours fly quickly, by busying one's hands with needle and thread. when she sat making something ornamental for herself or small gifts for him, there were moments when she seemed to triumph over distance, and felt her friend so near that she suddenly let her hands sink, looked up, and was quite surprised that he was not standing behind her. was it because she did not look up quickly enough? just before, he _had_ been standing there! helga, with her twelve short winters, knew also happiness. there was the happiness of seeing leif come home radiant, and hearing his dear, glad voice tell of great adventures. leif always came across great adventures, so that his tongue nearly ran away with him. there was the joy of noticing that his eye always sought her first, and really only her. it was a joy that he never found rest when near her, except at her side, and that he could only be quiet and lose himself in dreams when she held his hand. it was a joy finally to see him forget everything, even herself, when he had some purpose in his head, or was bent upon going to some other place. even the pain at seeing herself thus forgotten was mingled with the deepest feelings of joy. for that was just leif's way. he came so near her by leaving her. she loved him exactly as he was, regardless of limits and without consideration. because he was one of those whom no bond holds, it was such a happy thing to know that he was hers, when he only remembered it--hers and no one else's. and, besides, she knew that she could not cease to love him. she was so completely convinced that though in knightly bravery and unbounded courage he might, perhaps, have an equal, he could not have a superior. it was impossible for her to cease loving him. yes, helga knew happiness. she knew what it was to love, and to feel herself beloved. she knew by experience how absence deepens and intensifies affection. she felt how her latent longing slowly grew, and was prepared to burst all bonds. she possessed in full measure woman's pure and unbounded devotion. matured early as she was, helga often reflected on the relation between leif and her brother, ingolf, which caused her distress. she was fond of her brother. ingolf, though fundamentally different from leif, was such that if she once had to leave him in order to follow leif, she would not make leif so complete and happy as she ungrudgingly wished him to be. therefore the great difference in their characters caused her perpetual anxiety--an anxiety which flamed up anew whenever leif and ingolf became angry with each other, or even a little at variance. in her heart she accused them alternately--ingolf, when his phlegmatic character irritated leif; and leif, when, by his hastiness and teasing, he provoked ingolf. neither leif nor ingolf had any suspicion of helga's deep distress each time a trivial misunderstanding divided them for a short time. for helga concealed her anxiety, and fought her battle in silence. she was always on the watch for the fluctuations in their temperaments. she could always perceive when they had been at variance, even when they had been reconciled and had forgotten what had occurred, before they met her. when anything concerned them, she was as sensitive as a feather in the wind. and she did not cease till she had examined the cause of their disagreement to the minutest detail, and cleared away the remnants of ill-humour which might still remain in one or both of their minds. they felt sometimes that it was a little tiresome, being called to account in this way. but they reconciled themselves to it, because both were so fond of her, and because she was wise, quiet, and impartial. they did not guess at all that she fought for her future happiness with a heart torn by anxiety, that her calm had been won by a severe struggle, that her seeming cool, wise impartiality was a screen behind which she concealed herself. helga was the only one who, to a certain extent, discovered the real circumstances connected with their journey over the heath. she was also the only one who discovered that they had separated, and separated in anger. finally, she was the only one who obtained a truthful account of the slaughter of the horse. originally it was by no means their intention that she should find out anything of the matter. when ingolf and leif had slept uninterruptedly for twenty-four hours after their return from gaulum, they woke the second night, towards morning, hungry and depressed, and began to examine the situation. they hastily agreed only to say that they had ridden over the heath, and up there had been obliged to kill their only horse, and for the rest to maintain an obstinate silence. if orn and rodmar were in the mood to punish them, they must submit; and, for the rest, ride out the storm as well as they could. they had soon discovered that orn and rodmar had more important things to think about. it was enough for them that the boys had returned home safe and sound. they told them, seriously, that it was not the custom of a man of honour to break a promise once given, and that, since they had done that, they could not yet be accounted men. that hurt their feelings rather, but had to be borne. ingolf and leif discovered once more that one escapes most cheaply when one has been most anxious. so lightly did their fathers deal with them. with helga it was another matter. she held on, and held on. for many days they fought manfully; they did not want to make her their confidante in the matter. but she was not to be shaken off. and at last there came the moment when their tongues were altogether loosed, and she got a full account, down to the minutest details. it happened in the following way. their plan of defence had been to take care that neither should be alone with her. for many days it had been impossible for her to find them in a remote spot; not once had she succeeded in getting one of them alone. when she saw that it was not a fair fight, she had recourse to stratagem. she kept silence for a few days, and they immediately became less vigilant. then she brought out some wild apples which she had kept since the preceding summer. she made them believe that she had seen her chance to snatch them. the apples smelt delicious. leif and ingolf were immediately willing to share the supposed stolen goods with her. so she succeeded in luring them into her ambush--an outhouse where they could eat them quietly. she let them bolt the door carefully, so that they should not run the risk of being surprised. she took her seat on the edge of a sledge, and let the boys sit, one on each side of her. and then she spoke in a way to cut off all evasions, and made it impossible for them to be silent any longer. too late they discovered that they had been caught in a trap. embarrassed and unhappy, they began their confession. with red faces and downcast eyes, they related brokenly and alternately what had happened between them on the heath in the evening and the night. each of them accused himself and excused the other. but helga, who listened with more than her ears only, became quite clear in her mind regarding what had happened. quite still she sat with bowed head, and let them tell their narrative. when they had finished and were silent, she still remained still, without moving or speaking a word. at last her silence seemed so strange to leif that he lifted his head and looked at her in alarm. and what he saw increased his fear. she sat there by his side with her face white and, as it were, sunk in. her eyes stared straight before her, her mouth was firmly closed, and tears trickled from her despairing eyes and ran down over her pale face. leif felt an icy chill run through his whole body which made him shudder. this drew ingolf's attention, and he also looked up. he had never seen his sister look like that; immediately he seized one of her hands. it was ice-cold, and remained passive in his. tears came to leif's eyes, and he sat there inwardly helpless. it was not possible for him to bring out a word. he found nothing to say, and simply dared not open his mouth, for he was on the point of weeping. ingolf was the first to speak. he pressed his sister's limp hand, shook her arm cheerfully, and said: "you must not be so sad about that, helga. we have forgotten it now. and each of us has certainly vowed in his heart that it shall never happen again." helga opened her mouth to answer him, but her tongue would not obey her. she had to struggle hard to control her emotion. when she had waited a little, she at last began to speak. "that is just it," she said, with a broken voice. "it always gets worse and worse with you--always more dangerous. when you are grown, you will not so easily get over it, nor so easily be reconciled afterwards. perhaps you will even fight each other. perhaps some day one of you will kill the other. if things go on like this, there will at last be hatred between you. and what shall i do?" ingolf and leif sat and felt very uncomfortable. both saw for once the relation between them with her eyes. she was right. things were growing continually worse. it was no use to shut their eyes to the danger. the next time they fell out, it might be under such circumstances as would not admit of their being reconciled again. they had not been far from that this last time. ingolf was the first who found firm ground in his thoughts. a secret purpose was suddenly quickened in him. hurriedly he rose and reached out his hand to leif. "leif, will you be my sworn brother?" he asked quietly, and there was in his voice and bearing that adult composure which made him at times seem older than he was. leif sprang up and took his hand. he could not bring out a word, but gripped hard. helga remained sitting and looked from one to the other. then she rose slowly, laid her hands over theirs, and gave each of them a kiss. "now you are both my brothers," she said, and looked at the same time at leif. her look made leif understand that he was more than a brother. he turned red, and smiled in an embarrassed way. he had the habit of blushing easily. his embarrassed smile was very charming. they had forgotten the apples. now they were produced, and helped them over the slight embarrassment which followed on their extreme seriousness. gradually leif and helga talked fluently. ingolf, on the other hand, did not say much. he sat and took a secret oath that henceforth he would be a man, and no overhastiness of temper should master him. nothing should by any means divide him from leif or helga. now he and leif were actually brothers, and leif and helga would hold by each other, he knew. seldom had he felt so happy as at this moment. quite unconsciously he sat and enjoyed his sense of strength and quiet. he continued so to sit till helga roused him with a question. thus they talked easily and enjoyed being together. when they separated, they had agreed that the solemn ceremony of initiation into blood-brotherhood should take place in the spring at the great festival which was to be held at the chief temple at gaulum. vii orn and rodmar were able to make the winter pass. they sat most days and every evening on the high-seat, drank beer, and enjoyed each other's society. from the north came rumours of disturbance. there was still peace and no danger in dalsfjord and its neighbourhood. but it was best to be prepared for everything. now that halvdan the black was dead, and his son, harald, made king, though but ten years old, there were several kings and chiefs who suddenly conceived a desire for the kingdom which halvdan the black had established. it was rumoured that harald and his uncle, guttorm, who was to be regent during the two years remaining of harald's minority, had already gone out to meet the disturbers of peace. when orn and rodmar heard of it, they remembered the exploits of their youth. the latter had not lost anything by being related through many years. listeners obtained the impression that orn and rodmar had been present at the most important events of the world, and decided their issue. and it was not only men whom they had encountered. they had met evil and hidden powers in manifold forms. and here they sat after all. orn and rodmar were reasonable men, who spoke in moderation. when one had spoken, he gladly let the other have his turn. and while the one who was silent played the part of an attentive hearer, his look became absent, he thought of fresh exploits, brought them forth, and arranged them in his mind. then when the other at last was silent he was fully prepared. but first he nodded courteously and said, "yes! yes!" very thoughtfully, and still kept silence for a moment to show that he had been following. then all at once he became an active narrator. "but now here!" the servants in the hall were amused, but not in any unbecoming way. they winked at each other when the old men did not see it. they did not grudge the old men their reminiscences, and partly believed them. but they were amused. and orn and rodmar showed a startling faculty at their age in discovering how to outdo each other's tales. when they had bragged their best, they went to the temple and offered their fattest animals to the gods, feasted in their honour, and gave them gifts. they did not feel quite sure whether the gods allowed so much pride. and one should not offend the gods, but keep on good terms with them. thus the days passed for orn and rodmar. they grew old, sitting in the high-seat and drinking beer. they drank much beer. viii one morning, shortly after ingolf had offered leif blood-brotherhood, they went to their fathers to tell them, and ask their permission for the ceremony to take place at the feast at gaulum the first day of summer. leif found his father in bed. when he had spoken, rodmar praised his luck in strong language, added that he had always had better fortune than he deserved, further remarked that on the rare occasions that he caused his father joy it was always without any merit of his own, and bade him go his way and leave him, rodmar, to his beer. orn was sitting in the high-seat, slaking his morning thirst, when ingolf came before him and asked permission to speak. orn granted it with a nod of his white-haired head. the slightly absent look did not disappear from his face; he listened without moving to what his son had to say. when ingolf had spoken, orn remained sitting silent. ingolf was not sure whether he had heard what he had said or not. it was easy to see that he sat in deep reflection. ingolf remained standing for a time, waiting for an answer. when he saw that it was in vain, and that his father had probably forgotten that he stood there, he silently departed. orn did not touch his drinking-horn again that day. he busied himself with his thoughts, and was taciturn. long before his usual time he sought his couch. early next morning he summoned ingolf curtly and bade him follow him. he led him to an outhouse where the tools of the house were kept, and bolted the door carefully. then he took his seat on a chopping-block in the middle of the floor and sat silent. ingolf stood before him, awaiting what he had to say, and carefully restraining his impatience. "sit down," said orn at last thoughtfully. ingolf sat down on some lumber which had been piled up against the main wall. so they remained sitting a considerable time. orn was long in commencing. "you have told me," he began at last, speaking very slowly and, with constant pauses, "that you intend to enter into blood-brotherhood with your cousin, leif. i must presume that you are acquainted with duties of blood-brotherhood, and have carefully considered the matter, and also that you have not let yourself be surprised into talking rash vows, or have followed your feelings alone without consulting your understanding. i will not disguise from you that i could have wished a better brother for you in this. and i leave it to your discretion whether the circle of your brotherhood should not be extended so as also to include atle jarl's sons. on many grounds i have been led to understand that these young men, especially haasten, would not be unwilling to exchange the bond of friendship for that of brotherhood. it needs but a word on your part, perhaps only a hint. my opinion is that you would stand stronger alone than with leif as your sworn brother. you ought to be intelligent enough yourself to perceive that. but the three would balance leif, and more than that. you would stand stronger afterwards, especially if another tie subsequently should unite us to atle's sons, which i do not regard as impossible. for the rest, leif is certainly our kinsman. we should therefore look after him, and perhaps he is best bound in that way. i do not wish to say more about the matter." orn was silent for a long time. presently he resumed. "i feel i am growing old. the days depart and do not return to me. they seem, as it were, to go a very little way, and there is nothing to hold fast to in them; they slip through my hands." he coughed, reflected, and began again. "therefore i have considered that perhaps it would be best if i were to make over to you our property to manage. it will be good for you to be early accustomed to command people and to bear responsibility. and you are certainly a child no longer. i will therefore gladly see, before i die, how you prosper when you manage by yourself. for the rest, i leave matters without anxiety to you, and i shall be at hand, and can be useful. i will also advise rodmar to do the same for leif. your task will certainly be increased by that, for you will have to look after your kinsman, at any rate at first. but since you wish to enter into brotherhood with him, you must bear the consequences. there is no more to be said about it at present. we must have time to prepare the matter, and can return to it later. there was also another thing i wished to speak to you about today." orn was silent and reflected. then he commenced again hesitatingly, not without a certain embarrassment. "i often heard in her time your mother speaking with you. it is now long since, and you were little at the time. probably you have forgotten some of what she said. but i have noticed that you have remembered part of it--perhaps you remember every word. i have never spoken to you of your mother. you have never given occasion for it, and one should not talk too much. when one talks too much, words easily become mere wind. therefore i have never hitherto spoken with you about something, of which, however, i wish to speak with you--not because i believe it necessary--perhaps you are already as clear on the matter as myself--but because i want you to remember that i have spoken to you. the fact that i cannot well postpone it has also determined me to speak now. "you know that odin and thor are especially my gods. they have been the gods of our family as far back as tradition goes, and i want you, like your forefathers, to hold them especially in honour. if you do that, it will go well with you. for wisdom and strength are the two things a man must have. if he has them, he has honour too, in valhalla as well as here upon earth. goods and gold, power over men, and great possessions are good things, which you should strive to acquire, and hold fast when you have them. but all those things can, in case of need, be dispensed with. honour is the one indispensable thing, because, after all, it is the only thing that uplifts a man, and the only thing that survives him on earth, when he is dead and done with. and because honour can be lost during a man's lifetime, a dead man with honour preserved is happier than the man who is still alive, and whose honour is exposed to peril. it is not necessary to impress upon you anything else than that; when your honour is concerned, you must be prepared to stake your life. the memory of a man outlives him. and honour casts a glory over a man's memory, just as dishonour casts a shadow. no man in our family has a shadow on his memory. this is the most important thing which i wish to say to you. but if you have the patience to hear me, i have something more to say. and that is this. you shall respect your land's law and justice, for as long as you have not renounced its law, you are bound by it, and dishonour yourself by breaking it. you shall not stir up unnecessary quarrels, but avoid disunion and strife, as long as your honour is not injured. peace in the land produces fruitful fields. but if you have a lawful vengeance to inflict, do so with a heavy hand, as behoves one born to such a place as yours. but be always ready for reconciliation when it is offered sincerely. an honourable reconciliation is preferable to a victory which may carry in it the seed of future defeat. "and never break a treaty, for only a wretch ignores his vows, only a traitor breaks his word. a brave man is prepared to support his least word with his life, thereby the high-born are recognized. the churl, on the other hand, regards his word as nothing more than the breath of his mouth. his tongue shall be eaten of snakes, and his evil memory will ride his soul like a nightmare for ever." orn had become excited. then he was silent, composed himself again, meditated, and was still. when he had finished meditating, he rose solemnly and drew from his arm a heavy gold bracelet graven with runes and signs. ingolf sprang up when his father rose, and remained standing before him with bowed head, and his bright face slightly flushed. orn spoke: "this bracelet has for a long time belonged to our race, and has always been an heirloom in the head branch of the family. some of those who bore it have worn it till their death. others have transferred it to the future wearer when they found that their time was near. my son, i am growing old, and it is no use to deny it or to hide it. forgetfulness is getting more and more the mastery over me. reach me your hand." ingolf stretched out his right hand, and raised his head. there was a moist glimmer in his eyes. deeply moved, orn drew the bracelet on his arm. "now you wear the ring." ingolf fell on his knees before the old man, and orn made the sign of the hammer over his head, and said quietly: "odin give you wisdom, and thor strength. frey make your land fruitful, and njord guide your seafaring! all the bright ases help thee! rise, my son." ingolf rose silently. orn laid his hands on his shoulders, looked for a moment closely at him, and let him go. they went out into the courtyard of the house. for a while they stood there silent, side by side, and looked out over the landscape where the snow-covered mountains rose and the valleys sank. ingolf saw everything, as it were, with new eyes. the fjord was such a crystal blue, and seemed to have something to say to him. the dark edge of the wood, which he caught a glimpse of here and there, held today a secret and certain promise of the spring and the snow-free earth. the sky was high and clear, and the day had a solemn stillness about it. the frost in the air seemed to be relaxing. in ingolf's eyes the whole scene wore a solemn aspect, and seemed in a way newborn. even the low houses with snow-covered roofs seemed to have altered their appearance, and looked twice as home-like. when orn went in, ingolf remained standing there, and enjoyed the freshness of the day. orn went straight in to the high-seat and his drinking-horn. his throat had become dry from much talk. he emptied the horn in a moment and had it filled afresh. he emptied the horn many times that day. ix ingolf informed leif in carefully-chosen words that his father would be glad if they extended the proposed brotherhood so as to include the sons of atle. leif stood looking down while ingolf talked. as soon as ingolf had spoken the first word, he felt sorry that he had brought the question up at all. leif's attitude had an effect on him. he stood and fumbled with words which would not arrange themselves properly. when he finished, leif looked up askance at him. he did not say much at first. ingolf felt a profound and unusual depression. he felt as if he had in some degree deceived leif. "i only wished to tell you that," he tried to add, but was quite sure that his voice did not sound convincing. "what do you think yourself?" asked leif at last quietly, and looked up again, still with a rather unsteady glance. "i have never thought about brotherhood with atle's sons," answered ingolf quietly, suddenly recovering his equilibrium. "i have offered you brotherhood with myself alone, and am therefore prevented from forming brotherhood with another. but i understand from what my father said that there perhaps was a possibility that atle's sons would like to enter into brotherhood with us. and in such a case i would like to know your opinion beforehand." "i have never contemplated forming brotherhood with holmsten," answered leif in a quiet, firm voice, quite different from his usual one. "in fact, i do not choose to be everybody's brother." "well, let us say no more about it." ingolf tried to speak lightly. but leif continued. there was a tremor of swelling wrath and distress in his quiet voice. "i understand well that for you a brotherhood with atle's sons is quite a different thing from brotherhood with me. by entering into the blood-tie with them you gain power and consideration. do you enter _alone_ into brotherhood with atle jarl's sons; i will not stand in the way. i release you from your word. i am able to stand alone." ingolf paused a little and then said: "you misunderstand me, leif. i only want to bring the matter before you. it is possible that i should not have done that. but i took for granted that we might already talk together like brothers. i will gladly confess that, for my part, i might think it good to enter into brotherhood with atle's sons--yes, i should even like to have haasten for a brother. but i could not think of entering into any brotherhood without you. there is no one else whom i would rather be brother to, and that you know well, or ought to know. no power could induce me to release _you_ from your word, leif." leif stood thoughtful awhile. then he raised his head and looked in ingolf's eyes with a firm and trustful look. "i know well," he said in the same quiet tone, "that i am not the best brother you could have. but you shall never have reason to find fault with my faithfulness. i imagine, ingolf, that you are afraid that i shall some day be the cause of enmity between you and atle's sons. with my good will that shall not happen. my temper shall never again get the mastery of me before holmsten. that i swear to you. i know that you like holmsten, and that you wish to preserve that friendship. you shall see that you can trust me." the two cousins pressed each other's hands in silence. they referred no more to the matter. x there came a beggar to the house: an old bent man, clothed in dirty rags and torn leather, entered the hall one evening and took a place by the fire on the outer-most bench. there he sat and warmed his crooked fingers, that were blue with cold, and meanwhile squinted about him with pale, cunning eyes. as he sat there, his yellow beard, in which a quantity of nondescript rubbish had been caught, hung down between his legs. his grey hair lay in tatters over his back. but his powerful eyebrows were the most marked feature in his face. grey and bushy, they almost concealed his eyes when they were lowered, and he had a habit sometimes of drawing them both up together and slightly lifting one at a time, which gave his face a strangely mobile, almost animal, expression. he was questioned regarding news from the north, but had little information to give. as soon as it was evident that he had nothing important to communicate, he was allowed to sit in peace and warm himself. it seemed as if he valued being left to himself. when he had sat for a while and warmed his hands, he loosed the rags from off his legs and stretched his feet to the fire. they were a marvel of knotted bones and dirt. he looked exhausted. some remains of the evening meal were brought him. he received the food with a grunt, set it upon his knee, and began eating. with eager hands he first sought the best bits, and, groping about in the food, turned the contents of the dish round, chewing with his whole head. he certainly could eat. ingolf and leif had sought a place near him, and sat looking attentively at him. "i think he can hold as much in his maw as a cow," whispered leif, absorbed in looking at him. "and he mumbles just like a cow chewing the cud. ha! ha! what an old swine he is!" the beggar emptied the dish so that only bare bones remained. then he gulped comfortably and relieved himself of air. subsequently he fell into a cosy nap while he digested. thus he sat for some time, apparently sound asleep. but suddenly he raised his eyebrows both together and peered round him with wide-open pale eyes. ingolf and leif had come near to him, and were contemplating him closely--one his legs, and the other his face. they had seldom seen anything like him. he was certainly a remarkable object both above and below. he sat for a time and looked at them without saying anything, looked from one to the other, contemplated them closely, and gave himself plenty of time. "point and sword," he said at last in a deep bass tone. "when the point breaks, exploits are over.... but you sit where you should." he turned suddenly to ingolf and thrust his face with his wide-opened eyes close to his. then he drew his head back, murmuring in a deep tone, as though at his own thoughts. the boys believed at first that he talked in delirium. they sat still and only stared at him--leif with his mouth half open. "a curious creature!" he thought, and felt internally much amused. the old man remained still for some time, looking closely and a little cunningly from one to the other. their staring did not seem to affect him. "shall i tell you something?" he asked at last, growling, and winking meaningly with his pale eyes. "shall i tell you about the new land?" he turned his face with his eyebrows elevated, questioning, and turning abruptly from one to the other. in the face of such a direct application from this queer figure, the boys became at first a little embarrassed. they looked at each other, and remained sitting with bowed heads and fumbling fingers. "well, if you don't choose to hear it, i don't choose to tell you," growled the old grumbler, shook himself, let his eyebrows sink, and withdrew into himself. the boys lifted their heads, looked at him and at each other, and suddenly became curious. ingolf nodded to leif to commence, and leif blurted out: "let us hear, old man!" the beggar slowly lifted his eyebrows, but not in order to look at them. it seemed as if he had forgotten them, and did not hear what leif said. he sat staring in front of him into the fire with an absent look in his old, strangely bleached eyes. "yes, yes," he said at last, as if half unwillingly. "anyhow, it is all the same to me. why should i tell you about it? no one escapes his destiny." with a loud and luxurious yawn he showed them an enormous throat behind his yellow teeth. then he closed his chaps and remained sitting silent for a time. it seemed as though he were considering whether he wanted to open his mouth at all again that evening. leif found this tedious, and summoned up his courage. "it was about the new land you were going to tell us," he said persuasively. and when the old man did not hear him he added inquiringly, in order, if possible, to rouse him out of his silent reverie: "has a new land been discovered?" "don't you know that?" asked the old man hastily. "don't you even know that?" he repeated incredulously. the boys shook their heads negatively. "then it is not too early you come to know that, if one told you. so you do not even know that. ah, old norns! how you can spin. you look after the loom without wavering even when the motley yarn is blood-coloured. perhaps the one who sees should be silent. no, some time you will _have_ to know it. have you never heard of the new land?" after a repeated shake of the head on the part of the two boys, he continued: "one late summer, some years back, naddod the viking intended to sail from norway to the faroe islands. but the gods granted him no good wind, either because he had neglected to sacrifice, or in some other way incurred the displeasure of odin and njord. they sent him a storm, and drove him so far westward that at last he believed he was near ginnungagab, where the seas pour down into helheim, but instead of this he came to a great land. he ascended a high mountain to see if he could find a sign that the land was inhabited. but no smoke was to be seen anywhere, nor any other sign of folk did he find. when he sailed from the country again, much snow had fallen on the mountains. therefore he called the country snowland. he and his people said that it was a good land. so some years passed without anything more being heard of the new country. there was a swede, named gardar svavarsson, who had possessions in denmark, who sailed from sealand to fetch his wife's inheritance in the south. when he had sailed through pettlandsfjord, he encountered a storm and went adrift. so he drifted to the west and came to the new land. he sailed farther along its coasts, and discovered that it was an island. he built a house by a bay which he called husevig, and wintered there. when he sailed from the land the next spring the wind tore a boat, which he had in tow, loose. in the boat was a serf named natfare and a serf-woman. perhaps they managed to effect a landing and settled in the place. gardar praised the country much. he reported that it was wooded from the heath to the sea, and had luxuriant pastures. he gave it the name gardarsholme. it retained the name between man and man until floke vilgerdsson had been there. floke, who was a powerful viking, equipped a ship in rogaland to seek gardarsholme. he loaded his ship in smorsund. before he sailed, he arranged a sacrificial feast, at which he sacrificed and conjured magic powers into three ravens. therefore he has since been called 'raven-floke.' a sea-mark was raised where the feast had taken place, and was called 'floke's sea-mark.' it stood on the border between hordaland and rogaland. first raven-floke sailed to hjaltland and cast anchor in a bay which was named floke's bay. at hjaltland his daughter, geirhild, was drowned in a lake, since called geirhild's lake. from hjaltland he sailed to the faroe islands, where he gave one of his daughters in marriage. thence he put out to sea, taking the three ravens with him. when he had sailed for a day and a night, he let the first raven loose. it flew astern and disappeared in the direction from which they had come. then he sailed for a day and a night more, and let the second raven loose. it flew aloft and returned to the ship. again he sailed a day and a night, and let the third raven go. it flew forward and did not return. when they sailed farther in the direction in which it had disappeared, they found the land they sought. floke had on board a man named faxe. when they came to a broad fjord, faxe spoke and said: 'this is certainly a great land we have found--here are mighty rivers.' therefore the fjord was named 'faxe-mouth.' raven-floke did not sail into the fjord. he sailed past a headland with a mighty snow-covered mountain on it, and across a broad bay with many islands and skerries. he landed at a fjord on the north side of the bay, which he called vandfjord, and the coast-line he called bardestrand. the fjord was full of fish. they were so absorbed in catching the quantities of fish that they forgot to procure hay; therefore the sheep and cattle they had brought with them died in the winter from want of fodder. the spring was fairly cold. floke ascended a high mountain one day in spring and saw north of it a fjord packed full with sea-ice. therefore he christened the land and named it iceland. he meant to have sailed away that summer, but before they were ready to sail it was autumn, and the weather became stormy. floke had on his ship two peasants, thorolf and haerjolf. when they were at the last ready to sail, the storm tore away a boat from them, and in the boat sat haerjolf. haerjolf landed at a place, to which he gave his name and called it haerjolf's haven. raven-floke, who did not wish to sail without haerjolf, put back to land and brought his ship uninjured into a fjord which he called havnefjord. at a river's mouth in the fjord they found a whale driven on shore. haerjolf had also scented the whale, and there they met. they called the river's mouth hvalore. they sailed thence and wintered in a fjord, on which raven-floke, who had had enough of the land, did not choose to lavish a name. when, on their arrival home, they were asked about the new land, floke had only evil to report. haerjolf, on the other hand, praised it moderately, mentioned its advantages, and did not conceal its defects. but thorolf declared that butter dripped from every straw in the land, therefore he was afterwards called 'butter-thorolf.' "and i have no more to tell you about the new land," concluded the beggar rather suddenly, and shook himself uncomfortably--"you can yourselves go and see it." when he stopped speaking, ingolf and leif sat for a time and stared at him. "why should we do that?" asked ingolf at last. "we have no mind to change our abode." the old man returned no answer. leif sat thoughtful. when he spoke at last his voice was muffled and seemed far away. "it would be amusing to see that land for once." "you _will_ see it," growled the old man, and there was a peculiar malicious exultation in his harsh voice--"you will have time enough to see it, i think." suddenly life came into him afresh, and his voice became sharp and obtrusive. "get me a jug of beer, and i will tell you much more; i will show you a piece of the norns' web, hoho! a charming piece. they have twisted threads that you can never guess. bring me beer, and you shall hear something." ingolf felt overcome by a strange and unusual bodily depression, and rose hastily. his spirits were suddenly upset, and he felt almost ill. "beer you shall have," he answered curtly and coldly. "but now i think we have heard enough for the evening. come, leif." leif rose a little unwillingly. it was possible that the old man had more information to give about the new land. why not hear him to the end, even if he did talk some nonsense between whiles? but as ingolf did not wish it, it was all the same to him. he could himself speculate further about the island out there in the garden, and go into the whole matter more closely with ingolf. the beggar had a jug of beer brought, which he emptied in small draughts in order to relish it better. then he lay down by the fire, curled himself into a bundle, and slept. he remained lying there for the night; the next morning he wandered farther. when leif sought him, in order to question him more closely, he had gone. leif tried to talk with ingolf about the new land. but ingolf was always occupied with something else when leif began to talk about iceland. leif did not observe that ingolf with deliberate intention avoided the subject. ingolf could not free himself from a certain anxiety that leif might become too interested in the new discovery which the beggar had reported to them. it would be like leif suddenly to begin to make plans to go there, perhaps migrate and settle there. that must not happen, for leif became unstable when he had conceived an idea, especially if it were rather an unusual one. no, ingolf wished to remain in dalsfjord, in his father's house. he was strongly averse from everything which smacked of wandering and adventure. by his prudent methods he soon brought leif to forget the new land. xi the winter was nearing its end. after goi came enemaaned, and then, in the midst of spring, a fine thursday ushered in harpe, the first month of summer. on the first summer day there was held in this part of the land a great sacrificial feast at gaulum, which lasted three days and nights. on that occasion there assembled, at the residence of the jarl, chiefs and yeomen from distant parts, each bringing for himself some food and a large quantity of beer. especially was it obligatory on those who were preparing viking expeditions for the summer not to remain away, if they wished for honour and victory in their undertaking. from the early morning the place began to be alive. great crowds were seen gathering from all sides. the sun was reflected from new-polished weapons, and shone on parti-coloured shields. the house-servants were for the most part dressed in suits of grey home-spun frieze, but the peasants and their sons appeared in splendid foreign-made clothes. red, blue, green, and parti-coloured chequered cloaks were seen in each company. all day people continued to assemble at the house. the days passed in putting up tents, preparing for the festival, seeking out friends and acquaintances, making appointments for the summer, and settling various accounts. atle jarl was invisible that day. only his closest friends, and people who sought him on important business, were taken to the room where he had hid himself, busily absorbed as he was in arranging or preparing arrangements for his own and others' affairs. among those who sought him that day and had audience of him was orn bjornulfsson. their conversation was quite short, and resulted in atle jarl sending for his eldest son, haasten. haasten was only for a moment in the room with his father. his brothers, haersten and holmsten, waited meanwhile outside. haasten told them nothing about his conversation with his father. and when haasten did not speak of his own accord, his brothers did not question him. haasten, haersten, and holmsten went about and bade every newly arrived chief welcome. they wore splendid clothes, and carried valuable weapons and ornaments. over his shoulders each of the brothers wore a long cloak of heavy silk--haasten a red one, haersten a blue one, and holmsten a green one. they were all three fine-looking youths, tall and well-built, fair-haired, with noble features and quiet demeanour. as they went about bidding the guests welcome, side by side, haasten on the right and holmsten on the left, few remembered having seen three such fine-looking fellows together. they were very popular; very many sought their friendship, but few won their confidence. among these few were ingolf and leif. haasten made no attempt to conceal his gladness when he greeted the two cousins. ingolf was the special object of his warm friendship. he included leif because he was once for all inseparable from his cousin, and because in spite of everything he liked him, and silently admired him for his courage. walking slowly, the three brothers turned back to the place where ingolf and leif were superintending the erection of tents, but their fathers had already disappeared. they had found a place of honour in the hall, where individual guests were received. there they sat, tasted the brewing of the house, and compared notes on the latest news with like-minded friends. ingolf observed at last that haasten especially wanted something with him that day, and accordingly arranged that they should be alone for a while. haasten went straight to the point. "i hear, ingolf, that you and leif will tomorrow enter brotherhood. i have expected that some time it would come to that, but it is happening somewhat sooner than i had expected." ingolf interrupted him, though he well understood that he had not finished what he had to say. he told haasten briefly, but without concealing anything, about their journey home after their last visit to gaulum. he hinted that leif and he certainly were both anxious to enter into an unbreakable bond. "you know leif," he concluded. "you know how imprudent he is, and how he needs protection. the shield that shall protect him will receive dints. but a shield he must have, and that shield i will be." "do you think that it would be of use if leif at the same time obtained other shields?" haasten asked quietly. ingolf grew a little pale, a fact which did not escape haasten. for awhile they stood and looked into each other's eyes. there was a strange silence between them. both felt that now their destinies were being settled. at last ingolf reached haasten his hand. "haasten, my friend," he said in a low voice, "i hope that we will always stand side by side where the word of friendship sounds as well as where weapons speak. but i think leif would feel a defence of shields as a prison." haasten remained standing quite still with his friend's hand in his, and looked into his eyes. both had a troubled look. then haasten said quietly: "you have spoken, and it cannot well be otherwise. let us each for himself keep a good watch on our brothers. i have a sure foreboding that it will be needed." he gave ingolf's hand a final pressure and released it. silently they returned to the tents where leif stood engaged in friendly and cheerful conversation with haasten's brothers. leif had produced the knife which holmsten gave him, and was showing with gestures and much hilarity how he had succeeded in killing the horse. "the belt is paid for, holmsten," he concluded cheerfully. "your knife, which once should have taken my life, has saved it. if you have an ax, hew at me and make me a present of it afterwards. i need an ax; my father will not give me one. he fears i might test its usefulness a little too much. i have tried to steal one from him. but he has locked the weapons up in a chest which i cannot open." leif stopped when ingolf and haasten came up. a hasty glance convinced him that something had taken place between the two. they were very quiet. he thrust the knife noisily into its sheath, and involuntarily straightened his body from its careless attitude. soon after, haasten and his brothers withdrew. haasten went straight to his father. "is the matter arranged?" asked atle jarl. "no, i have been considering it," answered haasten, who did not wish to give his father full information. "i fear that brotherhood with leif rodmarsson will cause us too many difficulties." "very possibly," answered atle. "but ingolf is a good fellow, and will inherit much property. his family has many friends, and will be a good support in disturbed times." "my friendship with the cousins is independent of their entering brotherhood." "perhaps," answered the jarl dryly. "you are in any case master over your proceedings. my advice was only advice. may you never regret not having followed it." haasten, who saw that his father was angry, did not answer, but saluted him respectfully and retired. he was depressed and filled with heavy forebodings, but tried to conceal it as much as possible. the day began to decline. atle jarl had taken measures, and all the arrangements for the feast were ready. the animals destined for sacrifice were not allowed out at all that day. the fine, powerful horses which were to be offered to odin stood stamping their hoofs impatiently in the stables. a flock of sheep, likewise meant to appease the all-father, pressed against one another, patiently resigned to their fate, in a pen, rested their heads on each other's backs, and chewed the cud over the last remains of the contents of their stomachs, now and then shaking their ears a little discontentedly. plump oxen and bulls which, with one exception, should soon bleed in honour of odin, bellowed in all kinds of tones and butted against the beams of the stalls. in an outhouse lay nine serfs and criminals with their hands tied behind them. they were to be hung in order to join the storm-god's wild hunt. that day it was chiefly odin who received offerings. but there was also a little diversion destined for thor. away in a corner of the outhouse, where the serfs waited for the rope, lay a ragged bundle. it was the serf-woman, trude, who had been guilty of stealing, and who, as she must somehow say good-bye to life, might as well be utilized as an offering to thor the thunderer. when the pale twilight of the evening had drawn its light veil over the landscape, softened its sharp outlines and changed them to vague, shadowy contours, people began to gather round the temple. all their weapons they had left under guard in their tents. the temple at gaulum was an old chief temple built long before the house became a jarl's seat. the dignity of high priest had from time immemorial descended from father to son, and atle jarl the slender had thus inherited it. the temple was a large and spacious edifice, built of heavy beams, with its entrance by a main-wall furnished with gables. burning and smoking pitch-torches hung fixed in heavy iron rings on the walls, each watched by a serf. on entering, one perceived in this flickering light only indistinct images of gods who sat on their platforms behind a low partition-wall away at the opposite end of the temple. within the wall no ordinary person ventured to tread; only the priest and his consecrated assistants, helpers in the sacrifice, might go there. the gods sat arranged in a spacious semicircle. there were several of them, both male and female. most were splendidly dressed, some even adorned with gold rings and precious stones. but the three chief gods, odin, thor, and frey, who sat in the midst of the semicircle, drew the spectator's chief attention. in the centre was enthroned thor--here, as in many other places in norway, the chief object of worship. thor sat in his thunder-chariot, to which were yoked painted goats with gilded horns. the goats were on wheels, as though on the point of drawing the chariot from its place in the chief procession at thor's festivals. in his right hand thor held his short-handled hammer high uplifted. he had an awe-inspiring aspect. straight in front of him was a thin slab of rock with a sharp upper edge, placed edgewise. on the right of thor sat odin in a wagon, both larger and more magnificent than thor's, but without animals to draw it. odin sat on a chair adorned with runes and sacred signs. he held a long spear in his hand, and stared threateningly with his one eye. on the left of thor sat frey. his platform was a great stone, covered with a parti-coloured carpet. in contrast to the other gods he sat naked, holding a stag's horn, his only weapon, high in his right hand. in the midst of the semicircular space, on a special elevation, stood a great stone basin in which the blood of the offerings was collected. in the bowl lay a rod, used to stir the blood and then to sprinkle it around. on the mound lay, besides, the sacred bracelet, a heavy, open circlet of gold, inscribed with sacred signs, on which all oaths were taken. when the people had assembled in the temple, atle jarl the slender entered, followed by his assistants. he wore white clothes with red borders. his assistants were also dressed in white. when atle jarl entered, carrying a broad-bladed, long-handled ax over his shoulder, taller by head and shoulders than most of those present, thin and erect like the branch-lopped stem of a fir, he caused a gasp in many a young breast, and even old, hardened vikings felt a slight shudder in their backs. this man stood at that moment in covenant with the gods. they were brought into touch with the unknowable. there was a death-like silence in the temple. atle jarl walked with dignity between the thick-packed masses of men on both sides. at the partition-wall his assistants remained standing for a while; only the priest could go within. he placed the ax on the mound where the basin stood. he saluted the three chief gods with a slow and solemn bending of the knee before each, and then included the other gods in one. then he went back muttering secret words, took the sacrificial bracelet from its place, and drew it on his right arm, seized the ax with his left hand, and raised his right arm in command. that was a signal to the door-guard. the most splendid of all the sacrificial animals, a coal-black ox with shining head and large, crooked horns, was brought in by serfs, and led to the partition-wall by other serfs, chosen as sacrificial helpers, and consecrated to the service. at the same time two of the priest's assistants came forward, lifted the bowl from the mound, and placed it a little way off. the ox resisted violently when led in, and uttered angry bellowings. it foamed with frenzy, and showed the whites of its eyes. atle jarl stood with his left foot advanced and his ax lifted in both hands. at the instant the ox was placed in the proper spot the ax fell with a powerful and practised aim on its neck. the beast gave a bellow and sank on its knees. immediately the serfs stood over it with long knives. a stab in the neck and a cut between the neck arteries, and then down with it to the basin, so that the precious sacrificial blood should not be spilt. meanwhile, one of the assistants kept stirring the blood in the bowl with a rod so that it should not coagulate. when the last drop of blood had been drawn off in the bowl, the assistants raised the dead body by a rope and carried it beyond the partition-wall. there it was received by other serfs, who carried it outside and immediately set to work to skin it. other animals were now brought forward. one by one they were killed, and their blood emptied into the bowl. but their bodies were not carried out afterwards, like the ox's. they were thrown on one side, and left to wait till the sacrifices were over. a speckled bull was offered to frey. all the other animals were offerings to odin, the god of battle, so that he should give success and victory to the viking expeditions which would take place in the summer. last came thor's only offering--the serf-woman, trude, was brought forward. a pair of serfs dragged her to the wall, where two assistants received her and stripped her rags from her body. the crowd waited breathlessly. but not a groan or a gasp came from the serf-woman, trude. she was dragged by her hair before the hammer-wielder, lifted up, and laid with the small of her back crosswise over the sharp edge of the stone altar. then atle jarl made the sign of the hammer over the offering, and the serfs pressed her down. a scream of unspeakable terror tore through the air, and died away in a blood-curdling low, quivering wail. with broken back the serf-woman, trude, lay across thor's sacrificial stone. the bowl filled to the brim was now lifted by the assistants and set on its mound again. atle jarl drew the sacrificial bracelet off his arm, rubbed it in the blood, and drew it on his arm again. then he took the rod and began sprinkling the steaming blood around. first he sprinkled odin, then thor, then frey, and afterwards each of the gods. also the walls, ceiling, and floor he sprinkled with the protective sacrificial blood. when atle jarl had finished the ceremonies within the partition-wall, the assistants lifted the bowl, and, sprinkling the blood on the right and the left, he went out of the temple, followed by the assistants bearing the bowl. when it had been emptied of the last drop, the bowl was carried back and set in its place. but the sacrifices were not yet over. odin's chariot was now drawn out of the temple, and two splendid white horses were yoked to it. then a serf came forward, chosen for his stature for the part, and was dressed in the ox's skin, with the horns and hoofs hanging down and the tinkling bells attached to it. the procession to odin's grove was arranged, with atle jarl at the head bearing the bloody ax over his shoulder. after him came the serf with the ox-skin and bells. then came odin in his car drawn by white horses and surrounded by white-robed assistants. the rear of the procession was brought up by the crowd. silently, the creaking of the car and the tinkling bells being the only sounds audible in the bright night, the procession went forward to odin's grove. there were waiting already the nine serfs and the criminals, who, by being strung up as sport for the winds, should appease the storm-god, each tied to his death tree. odin's car was driven forward to an open space, surrounded by sharp stones. only the priest and his consecrated helpers ventured to enter the ring of stones. when odin's car was brought to the place, and the crowd had arranged themselves, the assistants went, two by two, to the waiting victims. one fixed the cord and made sure that both it and the branch were strong, the other loosed the victim's bonds. one of the serfs wailed and begged for his life. he met only contemptuous glances, and was kicked and thumped by the assistants. as he would not be quiet, they forced a stone in between his jaws. when atle jarl saw that his assistants had finished their preparations he gave a sign. at the same instant the victims were strung up all together. just before they had ceased their struggles a whistling sound came through the wood. a gust of wind imparted a swinging motion to the dangling bodies. a thrill of satisfaction mingled with awe went through the hearts of those assembled. odin had accepted the offering. slowly the procession wound its way back from odin's grove. when they reached the temple, the dead bodies of the sacrificed animals had already been carried away by serfs, to be flayed and divided. the body of the serf-woman, trude, had also been removed. it had been sunk in the holy well by the gable-end of the temple. this was not the first victim it had swallowed. odin was drawn to his place on the right hand of thor. atle jarl took the sacrificial bracelet off his arm and laid it on the mound by the side of the bowl. this concluded the first part of the sacrificial feast--the slaughter night. the people went to their tents and crept under their skins, to get a little sleep. the early spring day was already dawning in the east. xii ingolf and leif went silently towards the tent. ingolf was pleasantly fatigued, and felt cheerful. he enjoyed the mental relaxation and dreamy sleepiness which follows when an inner excitement has found its natural relief. he went from the ceremony confirmed in his faith with strengthened will. he felt himself in covenant relation with his ferocious gods. with leif the case was opposite. he had been sickened by the sight and smell of the blood of the sacrificed animals. all the rest, and especially ingolf's behaviour, had had a repelling effect upon _him_ who did not believe in the gods, nay, who had a profound contempt for these ugly, bedizened images of wood. ingolf's thorough absorption in the ceremonies had made him sick at heart. here was something he did not understand. how _could_ ingolf quietly watch helpless men being ill-treated and murdered in honour of the gods? how _could_ he worship gods whom he believed he could appease by hanging serfs and criminals in their honour? leif did not understand it. he felt himself suddenly alone, and an eager longing for helga took possession of him. there was something about ingolf which was beyond his comprehension. in relation to the gods there would always be something to divide them. hitherto this had possessed such a slight significance for leif that he had not given the matter a thought. now it grew suddenly, assumed a shape, and was not to be got away from. ingolf must certainly not become aware how great a difference there was between them in this respect. for if he did, how could he think of entering into brotherhood with him? leif's emotion seethed and fermented. with every step his inward excitement rose higher. to speak out to ingolf would never do; if once he began to speak, wild and uncontrolled words would stream from his tongue. and he had vowed to himself never to let his fiery temperament discharge itself in evil words over ingolf. but, on the other hand, the excitement in his mind gradually became uncontrollable. and now they were so near the tents, that only a few steps more would rob him of the opportunity of relieving himself. he stopped, perplexed, without knowing what he should say or do. "ingolf!" he broke out suddenly, as if in bewilderment; his voice was hoarse and unrecognizable. ingolf stopped, surprised, and turned towards him. in an instant they were confronting each other, ingolf with an astonished, questioning expression in his eyes and face, leif quivering in every limb with an excitement which bid fair to derange his mind. he rushed at his cousin, flung his arms round him tightly, and hissed from between his clenched teeth: "look out!" ingolf did not understand what he was about, and had no time to consider. he needed all his presence of mind to keep on his legs, for leif attacked him with all his might, and his strength seemed to increase with his exertions. ingolf was not long in discovering that this was serious; he had to defend himself or fall. leif hissed and groaned and bellowed like a maniac. ingolf thought it was best to make an end of it, and passed gradually over to the offensive. but it took him time, and he needed to exert all his strength to overcome leif. at last he succeeded. he took advantage of a slip on leif's part, slowly deprived him of his foothold--then came the decisive moment--leif overbalanced and fell. ingolf remained lying on the top of him. he had a good grip, and held him fast. leif's face was purple and swollen, and he foamed at the mouth. his eyes were bloodshot, and were so furious that ingolf suddenly felt pity for him. "cousin, be reasonable now," he begged persuasively. but to be overcome in such a purely physical way had been too much for leif. he struggled hopelessly to get one arm loose, and when he did not succeed he hissed with suppressed rage: "i could kill you!" ingolf let him go at once and sprang up. but leif did not do the same, as he had expected. he had discharged his emotions now and had given up. he remained lying with his eyes closed, while the shame scorched and burnt in his soul. ingolf stood for a little while looking at him. he felt the wrath lurking in ambush within himself, and bravely fought with it. "what have i done?" he asked at last quietly. leif did not answer, but remained lying there, quiet and motionless, with closed eyes. within himself he was silently and hopelessly wondering how he should set about opening his eyes and rising. ingolf stood looking at him. he began gradually to understand him, and to enter into his feelings. leif had madly set himself against the gods. but what was the use of so attacking him, he would like to know? well, leif had his peculiarities in everything. now he lay there and was ashamed, and could not bring himself to open his eyes. the best thing was to give him a little time to collect himself. ingolf remained standing awhile and waited. "come now, leif!" he urged, in a friendly tone, and leif rose. slowly he collected himself and got on his legs. ingolf stood and looked at him with curiosity. his features were relaxed, and his eyes were dull and troubled. "what was the matter with you?" asked ingolf earnestly, and could not suppress a little laugh. leif stood a short while without answering, as though searching his memory for something he had forgotten. "you needn't trouble yourself about it," he answered in a weary and rather shy tone, but not without a certain defiance. "it was not you i hated, but your gods." "so it was not very strange you could not win, cousin," answered ingolf cheerfully. "you are still too slight of build to fight with the gods." "i shall not go with you to a feast any more," answered leif, unaffected by ingolf's cheerfulness. "this once i may be allowed to say it, and i beg you not to forget it. your gods and your worship of them are an abomination to me, and will always be so. even if it should lose me my brother, i must say it." there was a smothered warmth in leif's words which made ingolf serious. "it is just with you, as you are, that i wish to enter into brotherhood, leif," he answered quietly. "your relation to the gods is a matter between you and them. what you think of my worship of them is your own affair. but i am anxious that you should understand that i belong with all my soul and will to the gods. they were my fathers' gods; if i were false to them, i should be false to my fathers. rather would i this very moment sacrifice myself to odin than that that should happen." "but then it is a sacrifice on your part," answered leif quietly, "when you enter into brotherhood with me who despise the gods, and so have been false to my fathers." ingolf was silent for a while. "it is another matter with you than with me," he answered. "i cannot explain it, but i feel that it is quite another matter with you. i should become weaker by not believing in the gods; you would become so by believing in them. we are so different, leif. and i wish to be your brother as you are." "i will do my best that you may never regret that," answered leif quietly. they went to their tents. it was already nearly daylight. in the east the sky was faintly red; there was only a short time to the sunrise. ingolf and leif did not talk any more. they crept silently into their sleeping-bags. but neither of them could close an eye. they remained lying quiet till nearly midday. when the sun was at its zenith that day, their brotherhood was to be sealed. leif was the first who rose. when he had met ingolf's open eyes, he said in a low, cheerful tone: "let us run to the stream." ingolf sprang up. "yes, we will." they ran to a place outside the encampment, where they were in the shelter of a cliff, and where they had been accustomed to wash themselves when, as small boys, they visited their friends at gaulum. ingolf dipped his head in the water, rubbed hard with both hands, and snorted cheerfully. but leif flung away every stitch of clothing and lay down in the running water. when ingolf saw it, he immediately followed his example. and so they lay side by side in the stream, and let the cold running water stream over their bodies, as when they were little boys. leif looked at the sun. "we shall have to hurry." they sat for a little while, squeezed the water out of their hair, and let the sun and the wind dry their skins. but the water remained in drops on their skins and would not be dried. then they took their shirts and rubbed each other, and then dressed in a trice. "let us go slowly back," said leif, when they had their clothes on, and ingolf had to look closer at him, for such a proposal was very unlike him. leif answered his questioning look. "otherwise we shall be so breathless, and we are getting too big now to run like children." when they came up from the little valley in which the stream ran, they saw that the people were already gathered, and hastened their steps. leif looked up hastily at the sun. "it is not yet quite midday," he said, relieved, but went on. they arrived at the place at the same time as atle jarl, who as high priest was to conduct the proceedings. atle jarl, generally a mild and amiable man, wore his severest expression that day. he had the sacrificial bracelet on his arm and a spear in his hand. a serf followed him bearing two turf-cutters and two bright, sharp-pointed knives. the people had gathered round a circular space, marked out with wooden pegs. they readily made way for the two cousins and atle jarl. when they reached the place marked out, atle jarl curtly bade the two future brothers take off their shoes and stockings and step into the ring. while they were doing so, he himself stepped into the ring, and with his spear marked off a semicircle within it. then ingolf and leif each received his turf-cutter with orders to begin, each on his own side of the semicircle, and cut a turf loose, taking care, however, that both its ends remained firm. the turf that was to be cut loose was to remain a living part of the ground. ingolf was set to cut on the outside of the semicircle, leif on the inside. they each dropped on one knee, stuck their turf-cutters into the ground, and began to cut. their task was to cut a solid piece of turf which would hold fast when it was raised. ingolf cut with an even, straight stroke; he was quiet and undisturbed by the people standing and looking at him. leif, on the other hand, was nervous. he began cutting with all his might; his edge became bent and uneven, and sweat was pouring from him before he had got half through. when the spectators saw their different ways of working, they smiled and winked at each other. orn and rodmar stood just outside the ring. orn did not look happy, but he concealed his displeasure under a mask of indifference. rodmar stood and looked angrily at leif. he could hardly restrain himself from shouting to him and correcting him. he saw, however, clearly that it would only make bad worse, and controlled himself. but he leant towards orn and whispered as though making an excuse. "ingolf will need all his quiet and strength before he can get leif tamed." "he cannot be tamed," answered orn in a low tone, but with emphasis in his voice. "a horse with the staggers cannot be broken in; it is a useless animal, and brings ill-luck." "he is my son," answered rodmar, who always found fault with leif but could not bear others doing so. "you judge him too severely." "he is your son and my kinsman," orn whispered back sombrely, "otherwise this ratification of brotherhood would not have taken place--at least as long as i had a breath left in my body." ingolf and leif had now cut loose the piece of turf, and went together to lift it. they raised it carefully till it stood straight up and formed an arch. then atle jarl stepped in and placed his spear in the middle of the arch to hold the turf up. he himself stood and supported the spear while ingolf and leif cut loose an oblong turf under the arch. their blood was not to run on the greensward, but was to mingle on the bare earth. when they had finished they gave up their turf-cutters, and at atle jarl's command stepped in under the turf arch, each on his own side of the spear-shaft. atle jarl now dictated the oath, and they vowed mutual brotherhood, each with his right hand on the sacred bracelet. when the oath had been taken, serfs came with knives. atle jarl received the knives and handed them to the newly-sworn brothers, with the command to confirm the brotherhood they had just inaugurated by letting their blood flow jointly on the sacred earth. atle jarl showed them briefly where they should pierce their calves with the knives. ingolf and leif both did so at the same moment. ingolf thrust his knife-point well in and cut a deep gash. leif put his knife right through so that the point projected a couple of inches on the other side of his calf. he had difficulty in drawing it out again. the blood ran down in red streams. the spectators felt a strange shuddering thrill at seeing how it oozed out from under the naked soles of their feet. leif watched the course of his blood attentively as it approached ingolf's on the brown scar of earth between them. as it seemed to him to go too slowly, he stooped down, directed the streams of blood with the point of his knife, and stirred the blood and earth round between him and ingolf. a laugh then rang out in the air from hundreds of throats. even orn smiled, though against his will, and atle jarl's eyes assumed a milder expression. leif looked hastily up and straightened himself with a jerk. he looked round, a little astonished, and his eyes rested on ingolf. a very pleasant smile lay on ingolf's face, and there was a moist glimmer in his eyes. atle jarl now proclaimed that ingolf arnarson and leif rodmarsson had entered into legal brotherhood, and named the witnesses. with that the solemn ceremony was at an end. the grass-turfs were carefully laid down again in order that they might grow firm and be incorporated with the earth's life. ingolf and leif were now joined together by the strongest bonds that exist--the blood-tie between brothers, the most sacred and inviolable of all blood and family ties. the earth by which they had been formed in different mothers' wombs had now drunk their blood mingled, and had at the same time given them new birth, since they had passed together under the turf arch, a part of earth's living frame. the earth knew now, and had recognized their covenant--a covenant no power could break. the sons of atle were the first who approached to tender their good wishes on the occasion. haasten pressed ingolf's hand and whispered confidentially: "you have in leif made a brother who at any time and without hesitation will give his blood for you to the last drop. keep always a watchful eye on him, for his mind is as easily moved as a willow, but it has also the willow's toughness." holmsten handed over to leif a broad-bladed, long-shafted battle-ax with a handle inlaid with gold, a splendid weapon, which made leif colour with joy. "here is an ax for you, friend leif," he said cheerfully. "swing it bravely, but take care that you do not absent-mindedly come to cleave your friends' heads with it!" leif was moved to tears. he kissed holmsten for the ax. leif and holmsten's friendship lasted for whole days, to the great joy and relief of ingolf and haasten. they had never before been able to keep the peace for even a few hours at a time. ingolf began to believe that the costly gifts which had been exchanged between holmsten and leif must have some special significance. he felt unusually cheerful in spirits that day. leif also felt a peace and sense of security which was strange to him. it was as though the responsibility which he had assumed in entering into brotherhood evoked his manhood. he seemed to have suddenly grown adult. his mind had found an equilibrium, which acted beneficially, and was plainly traceable in his bearing. evening came, and the second night of the sacrificial feast was about to commence. as people began to go to the temple, leif said to ingolf: "i shall not go. i shall remain at home in the tent." "very well, i won't go either," said ingolf, and tried to appear as though it were a matter of indifference to him. but leif would not hear of that. "those who know me will not be surprised that i remain away," he said. "it is another matter with you. if you won't go alone, you will oblige me to go with you, and i don't much like going there." at last ingolf went alone. when he entered the temple the people were already assembled with great jubilation and much noise. on the floor there was burning a fire from one end of the temple to the other outside the partition-wall. this fire, named langildene ("the long fires"), could be crossed at various points, though only by going through the lambent flames. over it hung great cauldrons, whence the fumes of the meat of the sacrifices filled the air with vapour and smoke tempting to hungry stomachs. tables and benches were arranged on both sides of the fire. it was some time before each man had his horn. then atle jarl rose, consecrated the drinking, and proposed the toast in honour of odin. it was a toast for victory and might, and everyone had to empty his horn to the bottom. some made the sign of the hammer over the horn of mead. they were those who trusted in their own power and might. they consecrated their drinking to thor. now other serfs entered, bearing great dishes. they fished the meat out of the cauldrons with hooks, filled the dishes, and bore them round. then began a festive battle for the best morsels, with shouting and laughter which shook the temple. women now entered, lifted the gods down from their platforms, took off their dresses, and began to rub them with the fat of the sacrificial animals. this was a very solemn ceremony. when the guests had appeased their first hunger, full horns stood again before them. atle jarl blessed the drinking, and they all emptied their horns in honour of thor. then they ate again, but now quietly and deliberately. the dishes were emptied and filled anew. there was no scarcity of food or of beer. they drank horns to njord and to frey for peace and fertility. they drank a horn to brage, with which they pledged solemn vows. last of all, atle jarl rose, always steady on his legs and firm in his voice (he had tasted mead before), blessed the drinking, and proposed a toast in memory of their deceased kinsmen. that toast used not to be very widely observed--by that time many lay under the table. others had gone outside, and the rows of the feasters grew thinner. when ingolf had gone to the temple, leif's newly found mental equilibrium suddenly forsook him. he was overcome by a feeling of disquiet, strong and not to be shaken off--a fit of impatience which rankled in his breast, and made him perspire and feel unwell. something must be done, he knew not what, until it suddenly became clear to him that he could not do without helga any longer. he ran home to the house and got hold of a serf, whom he sent with a message to ingolf. then he took a bridle in his hands and a saddle over his shoulders and went off to find his horse. there was a strange feverishness in all his proceedings, but he was cheerful and light of heart, as was always the case when he had overcome uncertainty and betaken himself to action. he found his horse, caught and saddled it, and went straight homewards at full gallop. he dared not think at all, for it was plain to him that it would be too long before he could see helga, and the thought made his heart sick. a feeling of longing was on him, a longing of the strong kind, which grows in force if one gives way to it. his rapid riding gave him relief, and released him from thinking. he entered into a strange relation with the paths he rode by, and every stone and bush which he passed on the way. a pasture which he went by reminded him of the horse, and he dismounted, took off the saddle and bridle, and lay down. the horse rolled on its back awhile, then rose and began grazing eagerly. this haste seemed to quiet leif's longing, and he lay comfortably there. he allowed the horse to still its sharpest pangs of hunger, but soon his patience was over, exhausted and vanished. he saddled the horse again and went off at full gallop. daylight came, and he was forced to stop and let the horse breathe and graze a little. this time leif could not lie still, while it was grazing. he sat a little, walked a little, and was restless. long before the proper time he saddled the horse again, but before mounting this time he patted its neck and head, scratched it behind the ear, and spoke kindly to it: "if you hold out, i will remember you as long as we both live!" so it carried him forward again, over hill and dale, over smooth, grassy plains and stony tracts, over clear streams and roaring rivers. the horse's clattering hoofs awoke in the air alternately falling and rising echoes. so the incredible was accomplished, and the length of the way slowly overcome. one morning at sunrise leif arrived home. helga stood outside the house as though she had expected him, and the world seemed new. "it is you, leif," said helga, and did not conceal her gladness. leif had already sprung from his horse. he ran to her and flung his arms around her. "helga," he said, and kissed her. "i _had_ to come home all at once." helga laughed. "i dreamt of you last night," she said, and kissed him. "_that_ was what i dreamt." "what?" asked leif. "that i kissed you." and she kissed him again. that was a happy day. book ii i years passed and nothing happened. there was much talk of disturbance and disquiet in the north of the country. the young king harald and his uncle, guttorm, were continually engaged in warfare. various raisers of disturbance had already been suppressed, but new ones were continually starting up. the latest rumour current was, that the young king purposed, as soon as he had given peace to his kingdom, to extend it. it did not look as if he had peaceful intentions. dalsfjord as yet was ravaged only by rumours. no events themselves, only the faint thunders they aroused, came near there. orn, however, was always of opinion that it was safest for rodmar to remain; especially as leif had now undertaken the management of the property, and rodmar might as well remain in one place as another. much beer was brewed in orn's house. perhaps it was not without some connection with this that orn and rodmar's talk took all the more a prophetic tinge. obscure and rather disconnected wisdom flowed liberally from their lips. leif called this wise talk nonsense, and was not ashamed to laugh openly in his father's face when he was more wise and obscure than ever. ingolf, on the other hand, although with some difficulty, continued to invest orn with a halo of dignity, and showed him all possible filial reverence. he always consulted him in important questions, although certainly only for form's sake. and he never brought forward a matter without having first procured permission to speak. this pleased orn in a high degree, although he sometimes felt somewhat embarrassed by it, and almost always showed peevishness to his son. orn was by no means easy to deal with. for example, ingolf, at the beginning of the spring when he completed his nineteen winters, went to him to hear his opinion regarding the sowing plans he had made for the summer, and also about a necessary enlargement of the salt-kilns. orn looked up at him with a scornful and malicious look in his drink-swollen eyes, heard fully all he had to say, and at last broke out harshly on him. "you are only a peasant! a good-for-nothing you are, although you are tall and heavy enough! you wear the family bracelet! what honour have i from you? there is no energy in you. do you think one finds honour in the fields? do you think one can plough it out of the ground? food you find, but never any honour. do you think a man keeps fresh by burning salt all his life? keep away from me with your salt-burning and your sowing-plans. would any one believe you were a free man's son, and soon full grown? speak with the serfs about it. no--harald, halvdan the black's son--there is a fellow with some stuff in him! you'll feel his knuckles one day--wait and see! he'll mark you all with the brand of slavery--every man of you. each and all of you will have to pay tribute to him, if you do not want to be shorter by a head or to have your necks stretched! it is said that he intends to subdue all norway and to become sole king. how old are you now? nineteen winters? he is four years younger! you are no king--no! you are right in that. but your forefathers were chiefs, and ruled themselves, and ruled others as the king's peers. go off to your fields and your salt-burning--i won't listen to you any more. i won't _see_ you! go! ha! wait a little. go first to the smith, and have your fathers' weapons smelted down into meat-axes! have you not increased your stock? are you not in want of meat-axes! no, it was something different in my youth. if i had been in my prime now, the good harald would have found at least one neck he could not break. unless, indeed, i had deemed it wisest to assist him. that also might be a way to honour. but you have only thoughts for your fields and your salt-burning. go!" thus orn spoke, and was very irritable. ingolf listened to him patiently without moving a muscle. and when he received the command to go he retired with a respectful salute. he honoured the family in his father, and did not wear the family bracelet in vain on his young arm. ingolf looked after his property; leif neglected his. for the first two years leif had managed remarkably well alone. but when it no longer amused him to rule and give orders to the house-servants, he began to become somewhat careless. it was to his advantage that his people were reliable and fond of him--remarkably so, in fact. he might scold them thoroughly, using the whole of his copious vocabulary until his voice failed him. he might beat them and abuse them, and bid them ten thousand times to go the straight way north or down to hell. they admired his readiness of speech and energetic irritability. it was always enlivening to see him in a rage. and it was characteristic of him that his wrath was forgotten as soon as it had blazed up. it flashed up like a fire of pine-needles and burnt out at once. besides, he was not small-minded, and let every one manage his own affairs, so long as he minded his work. he was a kind and cheerful master to serve under. many plants grew in his track, but never the plant of dullness. ingolf had another way with his people. he immediately became a father and providence for them. he was considerate towards the old, and let them have an easy time. they were never weary of blessing him. he visited them often, and his visit was always like a gift. he showed an equable temper with his people, demanded a certain amount of work from them, and expressed in encouraging words his satisfaction with work well done. on the other hand, no one had ever heard a threat from his mouth. he had his own way of showing displeasure by a certain indifferent silence which did not fail of its effect. no one liked to feel himself the object of that quiet taciturnity. his peaceful manner diffused a peculiar sense of security around him. he was careful in his choice when he engaged new people, which rarely happened. those whom he had once engaged remained with him. leif could not alter his nature; he was just leif, once and for all. when he had managed his property with diligence and watchfulness for three years it amused him no longer. he began to slacken, and let things go at haphazard. and since they did not seem to go altogether badly that way, he gradually preferred not to look after them at all. so ingolf found him going idle for whole months at a time. ingolf wondered at him. how could he choose to go on and undertake nothing? no, that was going too far. ingolf secretly kept an eye on leif's property, and saw that it was managed in some way without him, although not thoroughly. so there was all the less reason for him to interfere in leif's way of living. there resulted a good deal of restraint between the two sworn brothers which was unavoidable. ingolf tried his best not to let himself be irritated by leif's idle ways. he exerted himself to meet him as unconstrainedly as before. but his openness was not natural as it used to be, and seemed forced. leif noticed it without thinking about it, and the feeling of restraint between them continued. only seldom did leif follow ingolf to the fields or to other business. their unconscious inner tension robbed their intercourse of all outer comfort or heartiness. the sense of brotherhood and family feeling between them decreased greatly, and threatened to vanish. ingolf be-took himself to work as a defence. he wrapped himself in business as in a coat of mail, and work shielded him to a certain extent. but the unavoidable vacant hours were like rents in his armour. and the weapons ingolf had to fight against immediately found every exposed place. leif was not the man to notice that something had happened when nothing had really done so. he only felt boredom and emptiness, and the difficulty there is in making time pass when like a refractory horse it begins rearing on its hind-legs. either he sat alone with helga and let the hours fly, or he simply lay and lazed somewhere, staring into space and wondering what purpose there can be in a useless day. his mind became every day more unbalanced, and his temper was like a sportive squirrel. sometimes his restlessness and impatience impelled him to tease and vex those who surrounded him. not even helga escaped; on the contrary, just because she was the most helpless before him, it was she who suffered most. not rarely his words made her cry. afterwards he sat silent and helpless, unable to repair what he had done, and feeling intolerable pain. leif's only excuse was that he was leif and had lost his balance. the hopeless melancholy of youth was upon him. years passed and nothing happened. hitherto each year had had one event. they visited gaulum, or atle's sons visited them. one winter leif and ingolf were invited to the feast at gaulum; the next winter they were the hosts. hitherto in leif's mind there had been a halo about these feasts; he had awaited them with eagerness and taken part in them with a happy fervour of abandonment. now he hardly cared to think of them any more, and had quite ceased to take pleasure in them. for there had gradually risen in leif's mind, although he carefully concealed it, a strong ill-will against atle's sons, especially holmsten. holmsten had always been a thorn in his side. holmsten's voice and vocabulary, his smile, his way of being silent, and his whole character had an irritating effect on leif. at times, when he was not especially sensitive, he could, as it were, lock such feelings out. but there were other times when he stood and actually shivered with irritation merely at seeing and hearing holmsten. but, faithful to his oath of brotherhood and promise to ingolf, he suppressed all feelings of that kind as best he could. in any case, they never broke out. thus it happened that holmsten once in a humourous mood made merry over leif's appearance. he meant nothing serious by it, but an innocent remark about leif's large nose slipped thoughtlessly out of his mouth. when he saw what effect it had upon leif, who became quite red in the face, he was immediately sorry, and said nothing. when leif had thus come to know what he looked like, his eyes were suddenly opened to see how handsome atle's sons were. from that day it was that he began to hate them in his heart, especially the youngest. he now noticed also how they looked at helga, when they were on a visit. he did not like those looks. of course he could well understand that they could scarcely keep their eyes from helga. but helga was his, and that made a difference. and although atle's sons could not know that, yet at any rate they ought not to look at helga so. it was especially holmsten with whom leif found himself angry--holmsten, whose existence from the time that leif was a boy had rankled like a thorn in his mind. holmsten was undeniably the handsomest of the brothers, perhaps because he, as the youngest, was now at the handsomest age. moreover, it was holmsten whose look fastened on helga with the greatest pertinacity. leif was pained, and suffered. the most intolerable part about it almost was that it was impossible for him to let helga notice his jealousy. she did not give the slightest occasion for it, but that did not comfort leif at all--on the contrary. this made leif's behaviour towards her rough and unintelligible. she was almost obliged to believe that he was no longer as fond of her as he had been, since he at times could do without her. it was only the pain in his look, even when he behaved in the most capricious way, which quieted her doubts. yet she went about sometimes with such pensive eyes. there sat leif, with a feeling of emptiness like a man who must see the most precious thing he possesses slip out of his hand, and cannot move a finger. leif could at times become so anxious about helga that all gladness and pleasure in life forsook him. often she looked at him with a questioning and troubled look, and shut herself within herself. the summer after leif had completed seventeen and ingolf nineteen winters, atle's sons for the first time went on a viking expedition. that summer was the worst leif had ever experienced. the want of occupation, and the complete absence of all events, became doubly intolerable now that he knew that other young men, who were not much more than his own equals in age, were sailing out on the wide ways of the sea, making the acquaintance of foreign people and lands, trafficking or fighting with those whom they encountered wherever they went, and, in any case, having new experiences every day and every hour of the day. these thoughts were so painful that leif at times became quite poorly and depressed when they attacked him. that summer there arose besides in his distracted and uneasy mind a besetting idea, which, when it had once taken root, was not to be shaken off. suppose holmsten should be killed that summer, how would helga receive the news when she heard it? he could sit silent and watch her for hours at a time in order to discover an answer to this question. sometimes he introduced the viking expedition of atle's sons as a topic of conversation before her. she did not seem specially interested in it, but talked willingly, though without great interest, about it. these conversations gave leif a strong impression of woman's falsity! at last there came a day when he could hold out no longer, threw away all shame, and went to helga and told her that news had come from atle's sons that holmsten had fallen. helga sat for a while pensive and serious. "so we shall never see him more," she said, with a slight tremor in her voice. "i cannot really imagine atle's sons without thinking of them all three together--so i remember them the first time i saw them, so one always saw them. his brothers will be very grieved at losing him." leif listened breathlessly, but her words and tone made him no wiser. "was it haersten--or haasten?" he thought. "i should have told her that all three had fallen." utterly discomfited by this frustration of his attempt at surprise, he gave it up altogether. now he was reckless. "that is not true," he confessed wearily. "there has come no news from atle's sons." helga became quite silent from surprise. her astonished look rested almost anxiously upon him. "how can you take it into your head to say such things?" leif looked maliciously and despairingly at her. "it is still too early to weep for holmsten," he said coldly and scornfully. then he rose suddenly and went. as he stepped out of the door, a burst of cheerful, rippling laughter broke out behind him. "why does she laugh?" he thought, anxious and angry at the same time, but did not turn round to examine her face. the rest of the day he kept puzzling about her laugh. did she laugh because it was not true that holmsten had fallen, or did she only laugh at him, because she had discovered that he was jealous of holmsten? for the rest it seemed to leif that neither was a laughing matter. so morbid had he gradually become that all laughter seemed to him suspicious and unbecoming. it took helga several days to eradicate the effects of her laughter from leif's mind. even kisses and embraces seemed ineffectual. he suffered from his peculiar obstinate temper, insisting that he had been insulted, but unable to overcome it. it required a severe effort before he could bring himself to repay helga's gentleness with the same. but then he seemed all at once to have become quite different. it seemed as though the exposure he had made of himself had cured him. he felt an immense relief. now he had, at any rate, proof that helga would neither become white as snow, nor fall dead, even if she should hear that holmsten had fallen. he began gradually to surmise that his jealousy was only a cob-web of the brain. besides this, a thought had taken possession of him which drove all spiteful spectres out of his mind. as early as the next summer he would go on a viking expedition himself. he would not remain here and become prematurely old and peevish. it was true that at summer-time he would still be two years short of the regular viking age. but ingolf would at that time be of the right age and could get his going legalized--for ingolf would go too, as a matter of course. they could not go about at home for ever and become moss-grown without and mouldy within. "look at the old men!" he broke out, when in words that stumbled over each other he made helga privy to his plan. "must one not be sorry for them? yet they have been young once. this is what age makes of people. it is better, when one is good for nothing else but boasting, to have something to boast of, than for want of experiences to become a wretched liar." "do you think that you will some day become like--like your father?" asked helga, smiling. she thought rodmar was worse than orn. "without doubt," answered leif decidedly. "i can certainly not realize it. but why should i become otherwise? must they not have once been young and full of life? now they drivel!" helga sat for a little while and thought. and while she thought, her expression changed and became pensive and serious. "you are so imprudent, leif," she said, with anxious eyes, "i fear you will be killed in your first battle." leif laughed arrogantly. "have you not noticed that i am invulnerable," he outbroke, with a beaming smile, "that nothing can injure me? there is something or other which protects me. i have thought about it. it can only be _your_ love, helga. what else should it be?" helga kissed him. she had tears in her eyes. "if my love can protect you, leif, you _are_ invulnerable. my own friend, do whatever you will, only do not quite forget me." leif hurried from the place to meet ingolf. and when he found him he was so completely the old leif, with body and soul intent upon a definite object, that, with the stream of his talk and the irresistible absoluteness of his manner, he swept all ill-humour out of ingolf's mind. now that leif had become quite himself again, ingolf needed no more to be on the watch regarding his own attitude towards him. ingolf stood quite quietly, listened to him, and allowed him to talk freely, without the slightest attempt at interruption. he merely stood and looked at him, and enjoyed feeling how his eagerness infected his own mind like a happy excitement. ingolf felt at that moment a gladness which he had forgotten. he could have embraced his brother. while leif spoke further and developed his plans, ingolf pondered. he only followed leif's stream of talk with one ear, only to ensure that nothing important escaped him. meanwhile, he subjected the project to independent consideration. perhaps it was, at any rate, over early to join in a viking expedition just now. perhaps they ought rather to wait a couple of years; leif was so young, and was still not of the warrior's age. but, on the other hand, leif needed a change just now. and he was quite self-reliant, though not of the proper age. they could also train themselves in the use of weapons in the winter. if they waited, leif would again become strange and not to be understood or put up with. for leif's sake they must go. how completely he was again the old leif, even in his thoughts! ingolf concluded his considerations by saying: "i will talk with my father about the matter," in the middle of leif's stream of words. then leif became uncontrollable for a while. he seized hold of ingolf and whirled him round. he knew that with this sentence the matter was decided. but it seemed to him when, out of breath he let his laughing brother go, that he absolutely must say something about orn. "the old blusterer!" he snorted contemptuously. "to think that we should guide ourselves by _his_ opinion. well, do as you like. only forget not to say that we shall bring wine home for him--much wine. then you will see how tractable he will become. i will promise my father the same, in order to make him willing to give up the keys of the weapon-chest." ingolf went to his father, put the matter in a few words before him, asked him for ships and merchandize, and first and foremost for his consent to their making an expedition the next summer. while ingolf talked, orn sat with a dull look and an unwilling expression in his face, as if it was with difficulty that he heard him to the end. "ships and merchandize are your own," he answered peevishly, when ingolf was silent. "you can do with both what you will, and it would not surprise me if you returned home empty-handed. leif will still prove a costly brother to you. he will be captured, and you will have to pay the ransom. keep a good watch on the ships, and don't let yourself be cheated in trafficking. when they offer you one cask of wine for a bear's skin, you should ask three, then you will get two. for the rest, you can go anywhere in the world as far as i am concerned, if only you do not disgrace your father. go! no, wait a little. if atle's sons go again on an expedition in the summer, show that you have a little intelligence, and go with them. then you will be five together, and can better hold your own where you go. but if you return home without a good stock of red wine from the land of the franks, i will never see you before my eyes, or hear so much as the sound of your voice. go!" leif also talked with his father. he was extravagant in his description of the matter, and lavish in promises. he simply told his father that now in ireland and the british isles grape-wine from all the lands of the earth could be bought. when the old rodmar, made young again by the thought of earth's flowing glories, began to talk of travelling with them, leif changed his tone, and pictured the dangers and fatigues of the journey in vivid colours. then rodmar shrivelled into himself again and gave up the thought of travelling. but leif got the keys of the weapon-chest, and for the first time obtained his father's blessing. ingolf told leif that his father had proposed that they should join with atle's sons in the expedition. at first leif was a little annoyed, but his joy was so great that everything else became of secondary importance in comparison with the prospect that he was going out--out on long journeys in the wide world. he saw at once the reasonableness of the proposed arrangement. they gained in strength by joining with atle's sons, and would be invincible. besides, there would be more ships, and the expedition would be a grander thing all round. and there was, moreover, something enticing in the idea of being with atle's sons and witnessing what good and evil befell them. perhaps he would have the experience of seeing one or more of them fall by the enemy's hand. that would be an experience worth bringing home. when he had got so far in his considerations, he gave ingolf's proposal his unconditional approval. there was much joy in orn's house. the old men were enlivened, their stories became more cheerful, and they were not quite so peevish as before. they already anticipated beforehand in their thoughts how the barrels of red wine from the land of the franks would be trundled up to the house from the landing-place. they knew how a barrel of wine should be handled from the moment the bung was drawn out till it stood empty. they already became fastidious and difficult to please with their thoughts of the red wine. from that time they drank only mead. all other beer tasted sour, they said, and wrinkled their noses. one day orn summoned ingolf and reminded him in an imperious tone of honey: "from henceforth only mead will be brewed here in the house. go!" ingolf smiled to himself when he came out from his father. when no one saw it, he permitted himself now and then a smile. ingolf and leif had their ships examined, and made other preparations. leif spent most days down below at the boat-houses. he was indefatigable, and showed a reflectiveness and care in his preparations which both surprised and rejoiced ingolf. they were to equip three ships, so there was much to do in taking goods on board and arranging them, especially as the ships had not been used for many years, and had therefore to be made taut, tarred and thoroughly overhauled. ingolf and leif divided the work: leif looked after the ships and their equipment, while ingolf managed the properties of both, and arranged for obtaining by exchange goods for the expedition. leif was indefatigable. neither the autumn's clammy rain nor the winter's keen frost and furious snow-storms overcame his energy. the whole day long, and sometimes far into the night, he was at the water-side. helga had to seek him there so that he should not be quite apart from her. she was glad to see him so happy and absorbed. she was very warm-hearted, and when he could spare her some time, it was as though he gave her a treasure. when he thus for a time had forgotten his work, helga's exuberant feeling, mingled with the desire to see leif at work, made her occasionally remind him that he forgot the time. the energy with which he set to work again could be a song of secret gladness in helga's heart for the rest of the day. that winter it was ingolf and leif's turn to visit atle's sons. already during their first day at gaulum, ingolf brought up the subject which was to him at the moment of greatest importance. turning to haasten, he told the brothers that he and leif had resolved to go on an expedition in the summer, and proposed to join them under haasten's leadership, provided the brothers also had determined on a cruise. atle's sons had had a prosperous summer and were going out again. haasten considered it self-evident that they should go in company. he asked his brothers' opinion. haersten agreed with him. "leif is two winters short of the regular viking-age," answered holmsten, with so little reflection that he hardly knew he had said it, before the words were out of his mouth. leif coloured. and as was always the case when he became angry, he involuntarily straightened himself. "let us see if i stand back in any matter, when occasion arises," he answered, keeping calm successfully. "if not, is there any reason for setting me aside on account of my youth?" ingolf stood pale and resolute. "leif and i go together," he said slowly. "i did not think this objection possible, or i would not have brought forward any proposal for fellowship. yet we all know how common it is that the elder lawfully take the younger. now, let us talk no more about it. we brothers are men enough to make our way for ourselves." "i for my part am willing to go in fellowship with you both," answered holmsten quietly and undisturbed, "and willing to take leif. i only meant by what i said to draw attention to the fact that he is not of the legal age." "then your words were incautious and liable to be misunderstood," said haasten reprovingly, in a severe tone which he seldom used towards his brothers. then turning to ingolf he continued: "we brothers offer you our fellowship, and beg you earnestly not to decline our offer. we have been friends since we were boys. we belong together on sea and on land. i will answer for it that we brothers keep our agreement to the last drop of our blood and the last farthing in our possession." thus they agreed to sail together on a viking expedition under the leadership of haasten as the eldest. the place and time of their meeting would be further discussed with ingolf at the time of the spring sacrifice. ii one sunny day in the fresh early summer, when airy white clouds were passing across the bright blue sky and a cheerful breeze was blowing over the dark blue sea, ingolf and leif sailed with their six ships from dalsfjord to meet atle's sons at hisargavl. busy days had preceded their departure. ingolf had in the course of the year collected a quantity of goods. they had to be divided among the ships, put on board, stowed away, and secured carefully. there were dried fish in quantities--some which they had caught themselves, and some bought from lofoten. there were dried skins. there were large bales of wool. there was also a quantity of furs, obtained from inland by commerce with the finns; light wares, minever, and other varieties of skins. when the goods had been stowed together amidships, the whole heap was covered with skins for protection against rain and sea, and well secured besides by long ropes and straps of hide. the two largest of ingolf's and leif's six ships were dragon-ships. each had five-and-thirty oars on board, in all, seventy oar-holes, and were remarkable warships. splendidly carved dragon-heads, which could be taken off and put on at pleasure, towered high over the sharp prows, showing their teeth in war-like fashion and with tongues stretched out contemptuously against sea and sky, storms and enemies. the stern of the ship formed the dragon's tail, was artistically carved, and was, as well as the gunwale, adorned with ingenious intertwined devices. the other ships were smaller. two of them had thirty oars on board, the others five-and-twenty. they were also ornamented with animals' heads on the bows, and devices along the gunwale and stern, although not so splendidly as the leading ships. ingolf and leif stood each on the poop of his dragon-ship when the little fleet rowed out from the landing-place by orn's house. on the higher ground were gathered all those who were to remain behind at home. while the ships were still near the land, loud shouts of farewell were exchanged between those who stayed behind and those who were departing. but very soon the long, slender ships with their rows of oars crept out of hearing. they could then only make signs to one another. all this fuss about departure annoyed ingolf. as soon as they were in somewhat open water, he had the striped, four-sided, square sail hoisted. there was only one sail to each ship, but this one could be turned round the mast and managed with great ease and skill. while they were still near land leif often turned and looked back. he only saw one among the figures of those left behind--a girl whose fair hair floated in the breeze. she stood so still. every time he saw her, his eyes filled with tears, which blotted her from his view. he did his best to refrain from weeping, but was on the verge of tears. for the moment the expedition lost all its attraction for him. he felt suddenly that wherever helga was not, there was only triviality and tediousness. if he could have done so honourably he would have turned back. he felt the separation so acutely that he was neither aware of the blue sea nor the sunny day. he could not understand why he had not before considered how impossible it really was to be parted from helga for a whole summer. he suffered, moreover, from a painful consciousness that in his joyful absorption in the prospect of going on an expedition he had not thought of her at all. he hoped that she would not feel the separation so severely as he did, but immediately retraced the wish. for there was a certain consolation in being missed. his distress and inner confusion were great. rapid oars were rowing away from helga and home, which had always made brightness in his soul, and had now increased indescribably in value and attractiveness--rapid oars were rowing him away, and he had to let it be so. he was also obliged, in order not to let himself fall behind, to pull himself together and, following ingolf's example, give command to hoist the sail. the striped sail bellied out joyfully before the breeze. the heavily loaded ships pitched moderately. the water foamed around their bows and splashed against their sides. it was a voyage of the kind which makes a man feel peaceful and comfortable. the sting of grief in leif's consciousness was dulled. his bereavement was mollified by the joy of journeying. the fjord opened out, and angry-looking waves spoke seriously with the ships, though always in the most friendly way. willingly and yieldingly, if only they were able to float and advance, the ships obeyed the movements of the waves. the crews on board were very cheerful. sailing was a pleasure. they raised their ringing voices in a loud song, while they looked to the weapons, ground their axes, fixed spear-points firm in their shafts, sharpened knives, and tested the strength of their bows. the oars lay in piles on the forks hung up for that purpose, and the wind was friendly enough to do the work. it was all as it should be; it was a happiness to live and a joy to think that they would soon have use for their weapons. arms and legs were stretched out, and muscles were carefully and critically felt. yes, they were all right. some had specially hard and round knots of muscle to show, which were felt by all the bystanders, and the owners were both congratulated and secretly envied. the youngest, and those who had the most copious vocabulary, swore by the salt water and the golden bristles of the holy boar that they would neither admire nor envy. secretly they promised themselves that they would take good swigs from the train-oil barrel. thus the day passed, and it was a glorious day. by the evening there was only a certain, not altogether uncomfortable, depression remaining from the pain leif had felt at parting from helga. the rest of it he threw off in sleep. as he saw before him coasts which he did not know and had not seen before--perfectly new coasts in varied beauty--his mind took its last and decisive turn. henceforth it only looked forward. "is that norway, too?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "and have we sailed the whole night? norway is great and beautiful! it must be splendid to live here." he swallowed every new view with greedy eyes. these strange coasts aroused an intense desire to live in him. here life was lived and many things happened--many things which one had no idea of. the sworn brothers met atle's sons, who also had each three ships, at hisargavl, as they had agreed. and carried by a breeze, which had increased to what vikings would call a good wind, the fifteen ships steered westward over the sea. they intended to go to the british isles and greet the chiefs there. the ships glided smoothly over the water, keeping together as much as possible. acquaintances were made between the ships, accompanied by mutual promises of beer and wine. the new friends swore to drink each other's healths in horns as soon as opportunity offered. there was much merriment on board. here young and old felt in high spirits. on the sea they were at home, as everywhere where there was a prospect of adventure and the clash of weapons. and as the wind increased in strength their spirits rose. when, next day, there came a storm, their expressions of joy were not quite so boisterous and demonstrative; now each had something to look after with his oar or scoop, but the air on board was full of courage and contentment with events as they might arrange themselves. a demand was made on their strength, and that was not bad, since they had it. they would show the old storm-god, aegir, that they too would gladly have a brush with him. "come on, aegir's daughters, whose kiss is wet and salt and in its way burning! come on, you white-tufted, seaweed-adorned young maidens! the vikings will not shrink from any embrace, not even when willingly offered. even valkyries and aegir's daughters they will embrace with joy. come on! you will see our fellow's strength!" thus they sang and boasted. this voyage made the old feel young in soul again and matured the young. gliding along with oar and scoop, they chewed their dry fish. they had a long time to wait for any real sleep and rest. in the light nights a healthy man sleeps only like the birds. if he is on a sea voyage, he closes one eye, takes what rest he can get amid the waters, and enjoys the night air. for the rest, he chews his dried fish and is content. one must take the wind and water as it chances. if neither sun nor stars are visible, one sails by instinct, which is easy. odin the all-father has had his offerings, and njord also is at hand. perhaps the gods guide when the stars fail. and, anyhow, the norns have not lost them from sight. they received what was due to them, and that was as it should be. after some days and nights of sailing in storm and cloudy weather the vikings sighted land. one sleety morning, after a night of rain, some bare, bleak islands emerged from the fog; otherwise they seemed quite comfortable. the sea sang them lullabies, and bordered them with white foam along the cliffs, like a certain other land. broad billows broke in mighty abandonment against rugged coasts. "it must be splendid to live here," thought leif. he stood and stared at the land with longing in his eyes. now they knew where they were, and could confidently sail farther. one group of islands succeeded another, all equally bleak and bare. the old experienced vikings informed the ignorant that there were the hjaltland and orkney islands. the two brothers had heard the names before. now they knew where they were situated. the orkneys, the hjaltland islands--here they lay. ingolf was almost disappointed, though he regarded the islands with interest. he said: "they are desert islands; what good is there in them?" "they are easy to defend," an old sea-dog answered him. immediately the islands gained in ingolf's estimation, but he did not want to live there. they sailed farther, and came to other islands, equally bleak and bare--islands with small, narrow valleys, and here and there a crooked, worn, storm-hardened fir. those who had not voyaged before, learned that these were the south islands. they lay here in the midst of the sea, exposed to everlasting storms, roared around by unwearied billows, veiled in rain and fog. "here the sun seldom shines," one of leif's company informed him, "and certainly never for a whole day." leif thought that it was a strange and melancholy country. there was something in his mind which responded to these islands. he would gladly live here. they sailed on, and found blue sky and sunshine on the sea. at last they approached the shore of england. when ingolf and leif saw it, each remained standing on his poop dumb with delight, and a song arose in both their souls. this was certainly a rich and glorious land! such fertility they had never thought possible on earth. did the vine grow here? leif asked his fellow-countryman, with quiet awe in his voice. the old greybeard answered him, and said that as far as he knew, when he reflected, the vine did not grow in a land so far north. "this land's fertility and wealth is certainly great, but nothing compared to that of the land of the franks," he concluded. leif willingly believed him, but did not understand. here it must be good to live. in spite of all bedizened wooden gods, here he would dwell. "or let me first see many lands," he added at once with a ravenous, hungry consciousness of not being able to live everywhere. "ah! the glorious lands of this earth--there a life is lived which one has no part in!" he thought to himself, and felt empty in soul. haasten had the peace flag hoisted, and they sailed towards the land. this would be a good place to trade in. they anchored their ships in a little bay among wood-covered hills and heights. a crowd of armed men had already gathered on the place on the shore where they were preparing to land, and stood gazing towards the ships. there was evidently a great deal to find out on both sides. yet they seemed, in spite of their weapons, quite peaceful, and in consequence they also hoisted the trade flag. the ships arranged themselves side by side, according to haasten's directions, the first so near to the land that it could be made fast by a rope to a rock on the shore. men with long hooks stood at the ship's sterns and kept them stationary, till the anchor-stones fell in their proper places, and it was clear that the ships were secured. then a long, slender plank with steps cut in it was pushed towards the land. by it atle's sons and the two sworn brothers with them went ashore. the chiefs of the district inquired of them in courteous language what they had to sell. haasten told them, and asked them in turn what wares could be bought here. when all information had been given it was clear that both parties wished to trade, and they quickly resolved on a two weeks' peace for that purpose. when the peace was made, and hostages given on both sides, serfs dragged cauldrons and iron stands on shore. other serfs were sent to collect fuel. how good it would be to taste hot food again! on board the ships no fire could be made; there one lived on dried fish, dried and smoked meat, and bread which gradually became a trial to their teeth. that was luxurious fare on board, and tasted well in hungry mouths. on land it was another story; there they liked to sit round a smoking pot. the first thing they bought was an ox. therewith _that_ day was finished. leif was very restless; he had to go out and look round the neighbourhood. he chose a number of his best men, obtained leave to kill game, and gave himself up to roaming about the woods, not so much to hunt as to see. he feasted his eyes on the mighty forests and the beauty of the calm lakes. he drank in joyfully the foreign air, and let his mind be charmed by the contours of the foreign landscape. but the unrest in his blood would not be quieted. the wonderful perfume from all the growths of the earth, the sight of the luxurious overarching fruit-trees in blossom, the fragrant scent of the meadows, and the profusion everywhere of brightly coloured flowers--all these combined to intoxicate him. besides, he obtained wine, which he had never tasted before, and was transported in gladness and forgetfulness. he also looked with restless curiosity in the bright, promising eyes of many delightful young women--eyes which tempted like ripe fruit. when a week had passed in this way, ingolf spoke to him in a friendly and smiling fashion, and reminded him that he was forgetting to trade. leif was a little embarrassed by his smile, and suddenly became very busy. it was true he had completely forgotten to trade. he went to the market and looked at the wares. and when he saw there a quantity of silk goods and richly elaborated ornaments of gold, silver, and gilded bronze, he remembered helga, gave himself up to trade, and forgot to chaffer about the things. he bought many ornaments. as soon as he had bought one, he fell in love with another. he bought precious stones, costly clothes, and delicate silks. then his eye fell on some artistic gold-embroidered stuffs he had never seen the like of, and he bought a quantity of them. glasswares of different kinds, goblets, vessels, and pearls were also a speciality; of them he had to make a copious selection. he enjoyed this new experience of looking at things and then buying them. an article which he had never seen before, and had not the faintest idea that it existed in the world, became suddenly his property, and assumed life and significance. that gave expansion to his mind. ingolf kept an eye upon him, and amused himself in his quiet way at his method of trading. in commerce as in everything else leif was simplicity itself, and never learnt to use his reason or to keep within bounds. ingolf let him go on till he found he had gone far enough; then he put the brakes on. "give me now rather power to trade with your wares," he proposed to him. "you are no good at trade; you only buy the most unnecessary things, and let yourself be cheated into the bargain. in the winter you cannot satisfy your hunger with clothes or allay your thirst with empty glass goblets." leif saw that he was right, and willingly granted him the desired authority. he had bought many things, and felt like a king. already he pictured to himself his homecoming. first he would give helga a single article such as he did not possess many of. she would kiss him, and her face would be tinged with a delicate red, as was the case when she was happy or emotionally stirred. then he would come with another thing and still another, till helga stood speechless with her eyes full of tears. then he would draw her to himself.... it seemed to him a very long, dreary summer he was approaching. as he was in the act of leaving the market his eye fell on an ornament with carved figures of gilt bone. he felt he must have it, even if it cost three bearskins. ingolf intervened in the matter, and leif obtained the ornament for one bearskin. so he was at length satisfied and gave up all further trading. then he roamed round again in the woods with his little following, or simply lay and dozed, and let longing and delight pass like swift breezes through his mind. "ah, england," he thought, "your land is fertile and your women are beautiful." he wished gradually that he could live and be married in all the lands of the earth--preferably all at once. he dreamt much of women at that time. he imbibed their various charms with much appreciation. but sometimes his longing for helga drove all others out of his mind. helga sat at home and was faithful to him, and awaited him with longing. how did the days pass with her? his heart began to beat heavily and with a feeling of guilt regarding her. she possessed him once for all. she was his. yes, she was like the year, and the other women were like days--the fleeting days. he compared in his thoughts all the different women, who had made an impression on him, with helga. one by one they faded and disappeared as he remembered helga, who was his. they disappeared--yes! but it is to be observed that this lasted only till he saw them again, when they again kindled his restlessness and manifold longing. the day came when the trade-truce was over. haasten did not think there was any reason to prolong it, and consulted ingolf on the subject. ingolf answered that they had bought what they wanted, and agreed with him. so the hostages were returned on both sides with many precautions, and the viking-ships, disburdened of their cargoes, rowed out of the bay and hoisted sail. but they only sailed away for appearance' sake. by night they ran into another bay. they had a great desire to get some spoil along the fertile coast. but they did not return unexpected. the chief of the district, foreseeing this possibility, had collected all his people, and now stood ready to meet them on the shore. haasten thought it safer not to attempt a landing where so many opposed them, and ordered the ships to row out of the bay again. the old vikings grumbled, his brothers were silent, and leif foamed with rage. but haasten did not care at all. he remained lying outside the bay for two days and nights. the weather was calm, and not suitable for sailing. he held the chief and his people bound to the spot. then what he expected happened. a powerful wind made it possible to set sail at once, to run down along the coast quicker than the people on shore could follow, to anchor up the mouth of a river, and to have the crews drawn up on land in battle-array before the main force of the people of the district could get there. haasten had only allowed a few men to remain on board, but his force was far inferior in numbers to that of the defenders. the fight took place in a flat meadow along the river. haasten quickly saw that he had undertaken more than he could manage. these native troops had obviously encountered the vikings before. haasten quickly gave his people orders to take refuge on board; he did not wish to run the risk of losing men so early in the summer. leif and holmsten happened to be near one another in the fight. each quickly discovered how bravely and boldly the other fought, and that fact, together with the circumstance that they here stood side by side in a battle for life and death, drew them nearer to each other, and banished for a while all hate towards holmsten out of leif's mind. they were vexed at the order to go on board with their task unperformed, but obeyed. when they were safe, holmsten said: "listen, leif; let us take a pair of the smallest and swiftest ships, and make a trip on our own account along the coast." leif immediately agreed. haasten bade them do as they liked, but to be careful not to be too long away. but ingolf gave his vote against the expedition. "let the boys amuse themselves a little," haasten said, with a smile. "it will do them good. they fight smartly by themselves. and we will give them some good men." since haasten promised that the other ships should follow them as soon as a great part of the enemy's forces had dispersed in order to follow the two game-cocks' movements, ingolf yielded, although with reluctance. when the chiefs on shore saw two small ships separate themselves from the fleet and sail away, they believed that it was a stratagem, and dispatched only a small force from the place to keep an eye on them. haasten had reckoned on this, and now ingolf's anxiety was partly quieted. leif and holmsten sailed up along the coast, and succeeded in landing. but they had no experience in drawing up men for battle, and when the land forces sent to watch them suddenly attacked, there was no order among their men. there followed a confused struggle which soon developed into a number of single combats, man against man. leif was opposed by an older fighter than himself, who did not leave or afford him the least opening for an attack. he had enough to do to ward off his rapid and heavy blows with shield and sword. leif already thought that that day would be his last under the sun; he felt a paralysing fear stealing slowly over him and robbing him of strength. he noticed that he had become wet down to his legs, which had begun to shake violently, and shame and fear concentrated themselves to a wild frenzy in his soul. he suddenly saw red. if he were to fall, his opponent should at any rate carry away marks of the battle. he flung away sword and shield, and took hold of his battle-ax. how he killed the other he never understood, but at last he had him stretched flat on the ground. he picked up his sword and shield, completely out of breath, and shaking in his whole body, and looked around for a new opponent. not far away the leader of the land-force was exchanging powerful blows with holmsten. holmsten had had his shield hewn in pieces, but there seemed to be something the matter with his opponent's sword. when leif had stood for a moment looking on, his eye fell on a man who was approaching holmsten from behind with uplifted ax. it was impossible for leif to get near in time, but purely instinctively he grasped his spear, and as instinctively hesitated a moment before throwing it. holmsten's head cloven by an ax was what he in his heart longed to see. but it was as impossible to let it happen as it was desirable. it must not happen! the spear whistled through the air, and a man with lifted ax fell over on his face just behind holmsten's back. holmsten's opponent had become aware that something was happening, and became for a moment off his guard. holmsten took advantage of that moment, drove his sword into his stomach, and thrust hard. the other tottered and fell, with the greatest astonishment in his distorted face. and now that their leader had fallen, the rest of the force fled. some of them were cut down while flying. holmsten and leif gave themselves no time to draw breath. they ran towards the town, followed by their men. the women and children fled in great confusion when they saw the vikings approaching. some of the men wanted to go after them, and leif felt his heart thump in his breast when he saw the young women flying. especially one of them, whom he clearly recognized, and who did not seem to be taking very much trouble to escape, and certainly had set her eye upon him, attracted him. but when he heard holmsten call the men back sharply, he gave up following her. holmsten was obviously strongly excited, though outwardly quite calm. "first work, then play!" he commanded, in a tone which permitted no opposition, and the vikings directed their course further against the deserted town. holmsten and the other sons of atle had not bought anything but corn, honey, and wine. what they wanted in the shape of articles of luxury and clothes, they expected to get without further expenditure. it was plain that there was plenty to take in the town. a rich booty of ornaments, silks, clothes, precious stones, and other similar things was collected in bundles and carried to the waiting ships. when this had been seen to, holmsten gave as many of his men as he could spare leave to go on shore. now they could go and flirt with the girls if they liked. holmsten remained on board and stowed away the booty. so leif could not manage to go on shore, though he greatly wanted to see what was up there in the wood. when sunset approached, and it began to be evening, holmsten told leif to go on shore and blow the signal with the horn for the crews to go on board. they had collected plenty of booty, and there was nothing more to wait for. now they had been long enough on shore. leif had from the ship marked a little height which lay apart, and from which the horn could be heard far around. upon it he meant to stand and give the signal. the ascent to the height was covered with low bushes. in one of these bushes leif's eye fell on a girl. he looked more closely, and knew her again. her eye was soft and timid, and she was very young. leif forgot what he had gone for, and remained with her. he cooled his hot face in the profusion of her dark hair, and lost himself. first he was taken with her extravagant wildness; then he was scared, and rapidly cooled off. when he left her, she wept. leif went slowly farther up the ascent. when he reached the top, he set the horn to his mouth and blew hard. its tones reverberated angrily over the landscape. leif was depressed in mind by disappointment and weariness. it was not a pleasant weariness like that after a battle. he had toyed with the british girls, and dared not think of helga. the remembrance of helga was like a wound in his soul--a wound which he dared not touch lest he should tear it open. it must have time to heal, which it might by forgetfulness. he felt a great relief when they rowed out from the bay and set sail. he never wished to come here again. up on the height a girl sat and wept. in self-defence he hardened himself. let her weep! what was it to him? he was not hers, and she had sought him herself. holmsten and leif were greeted with loud shouts of joy when they returned to the fleet. they gave an account of the battle, showed their booty, and reaped much praise. when haasten and ingolf heard that leif had saved holmsten's life, they exchanged a look, and were both very glad. haasten praised leif for his prowess in battle, and it was a great honour to be praised aloud by haasten. but it gave leif little pleasure now. his unstable mind had lost its balance. now he wished that he had never thrown the spear. ingolf was not long in discovering that a change had taken place in his brother. he knew leif, and guessed the reason. a long sea voyage would be the best for leif now, he thought, and he induced haasten to alter his plan and to sail first to a place on the irish coast which he knew lay far away. haasten complied willingly. he had been successful in trading, and had secured a rich booty. perhaps it was the most prudent course not to visit at once the nearest coasts. it was never certain what connections there might be between the different chiefs of the district. so they hoisted sail and directed their course towards ireland. it was soon evident that ingolf's insight was correct with regard to what leif needed to restore his mind to its balance again. they encountered a lively summer storm in the channel. that was beneficial. the warmth and the fine weather had begun to make the crews somewhat slack. the sea journey ventilated leif's mind. he again became his former self: a young viking with desire for adventures of all kinds and an insatiable thirst to see new lands and to exchange blows with foreign chiefs. iii the vikings travelled far that summer. from england they sailed to ireland, past the isle of man, whose cliff-lined coast they could only salute on that journey. later on they meant to renew and deepen their acquaintanceship with it. they had successful trade with ireland. leif saw many new things which he could not resist. ingolf looked after the purchase of corn, honey, wine, wheat, and the more useful articles of metal for both of them. atle's sons were excellent traders. at first they made considerably more out of their goods than the sworn brothers. but ingolf gave close attention to their proceedings, and learnt the art from them. and when he had learnt all that atle's sons could do in the matter of trade, he did not remain stationary at that point. he developed himself further on his own account. instead of doing trade in single articles, he began to deal with considerable quantities. this brought in greater gains. soon the sons of atle had something to learn from him. the five viking leaders had remained on the best terms together. haasten, with his self-control and sense of fairness, was distinctly marked out as leader. leif had still fits of hatred towards holmsten and of ill-humour towards the other brothers, but he kept his temper under restraint. and whenever they encountered foes he became, as it were, at once their brother, and fought bravely on their side. he much admired atle's sons' skill in handling their weapons and their composure in battle. they fought as coolly and calmly as if nothing at all serious was intended. only when they attacked was a certain excitement apparent. an attack by one of atle's sons meant generally a swift death for the opponent. they played, to be sure, but there was seriousness in their play. it meant nothing less than life or death. leif was greatly taken by the immovable calm with which they let their weapons talk. he did not understand how they could fight and yet at the same time be as it were spectators. he understood ingolf's method of fighting much better. ingolf attacked at once with his full strength and remained steadily on the offensive. his figure seemed to increase in weight. his blows clove shields, and his thrust penetrated where it struck. he never let himself be forced into a defensive attitude, but attacked fiercely, though always under control. his mode of fighting was not so supercilious as that of atle's sons; he gave himself more away, but preserved his composure. this quietness and assurance of ingolf and atle's sons remained a riddle for leif. for him, composure in battle would have meant simply death. he handled his weapons very awkwardly till he began to see red. from that moment he became so sure in his use of them that it was a pleasure to watch him. but he fought unconsciously, and did not know what had happened before his opponent lay prone. then for the first time he took breath and collected himself. it was fine to see him, when he let himself go, tall and disorderly, crouching in the indomitable display of his strength. it seemed easy to take his life, and as if his enemy had it in his hand. leif did not care how many openings he gave his opponent. but it was not easy to take advantage of these openings, for he never remained long in one place. he danced round his enemy, confused him with his apparent want of plan in attack, and pierced or slashed him before he was aware. haasten enjoyed watching leif fight. he insisted that leif was invincible, for he was so thoroughly absorbed in the battle that even a superior opponent must give way before his waspish attack. "leif could only be killed by accident--only a mistletoe branch could strike him," haasten said. he came to be quite fond of leif. the viking expedition sailed farther along the coasts of ireland, and leif was fascinated with the remarkable country he found there. ireland, that unquiet, ever-changing land, appealed in a peculiarly intimate degree to his heart. every time that he thought he knew it, he discovered that he did not. he was continually coming across something new. wild, stony tracts were suddenly succeeded by fertile plains. desert heaths, dark woods, narrow valleys with black rivers at the bottom, friendly coasts, rugged lines of cliff, peaceful towering mountains, placid lakes, roaring rivers--all these ireland had. most wonderful of all, perhaps, were the abruptly changing lights. ireland had its own sky, full of whims like itself, rapidly changing from lofty pure blue depths to a watery layer of clouds over the land. there might be a blazing festival of sunshine over the landscape, and the next moment it was over-shadowed by heavy masses of cloud. a tract of country which had been like a brilliant smile was suddenly completely changed, and became dark and threatening, filled with a special sense of discomfort, deep and unescapable as a dream. ireland played with one's heart, filled it with joy, to oppress it the next moment with fear and foreboding. and ireland's people were like ireland's land and light. they were wild men whose soul was a mixture of gentle dreaminess and fierce rage. people who devoted themselves to fighting with their whole soul and did not know how to give or expect quarter. their polite friendliness, nay, even brotherliness, in peaceful intercourse stood in glaring contrast to the savagery in battle and their cruelty towards fallen or captive enemies. they could amuse themselves by opening a man's stomach and letting him wind the entrails out of his body by leading him round a tree. they counted that a delightful amusement, and their gaiety was enhanced if the captive groaned. they were a nation of singular enthusiasts, bards and warriors, swarthy or red-haired, and alternately irascible or quiet. never in his life had leif seen so many remarkably beautiful women as he did here. there were women with rich red hair, soft gleaming skins, quiet and inviting beings. they aroused his longing. there were also dark women, who were in themselves not less taking. their pale skins and dark eyes filled leif's dreams. there were other dark women with golden skin, pliant and slender. there was abundance of women of all complexions, and nearly all were beautiful. the vikings were enthusiastic about them, but their enthusiasm was moderated by the fact that the women carried daggers hidden in their clothes, so that now and then there was only a step between love and death. generally speaking, the vikings were not unpopular among the irish women. and not seldom an originally loose connection between a norwegian chief and an irish girl developed into marriage. besides these people, the vikings in ireland came across another type still more savage in manners and shape, with tattooed bodies. it was a matter for astonishment to see the contrast between the land and the people. the sworn brothers and atle's sons traded and ravaged far and wide in ireland and the british isles that summer. on the whole, they had had good luck, made good trade, taken much booty, and only lost few men. the last was especially due to haasten's wise moderation and always vigilant foresight. haasten had often since employed the stratagem, which had succeeded so well the first time, of sending leif and holmsten out on a foray with two of the smallest ships, while the rest of the fleet detained the land defenders at another spot. holmsten and leif both equally enjoyed these excursions. and as they always took the best men with them, their expeditions generally succeeded, and brought in rich booty. once, however, it had nearly gone hard with them. a swedish viking-fleet consisting of five well-manned ships came across them as they were rowing out of a bay, where their ships had lain while they made a foray on shore. the swedes inspected them a little, and thought that they could make use both of the ships and of what might be found on board. so they hoisted their battle-flag and set after them. leif and holmsten were obliged to accept battle with the superior forces of the enemy. it was impossible to escape. they cleared their ships for the combat, determining not to surrender. but before the battle had begun, the other ships came rowing round a neighbouring promontory. leif and holmsten had been longer away than usual that time, and haasten, and especially ingolf, had at last become uneasy, and determined to go and look after them. when the swedes saw the other ships approaching, and perceived that they were many and large, they turned sharp round and rowed away as rapidly as possible, but the wind was slack and unreliable, and the swedes were lucky to find a fog-bank, which they ran into and escaped. when this happened, the summer was already approaching its end. the vikings had by that time sold all that they had brought with them from home, and were well provided with foreign goods of every kind. there was really nothing more to wait for. the sea began to awake gradually from its summer lethargy. it was plainly shown by the ships' movements that the waves were already aware of the approach of winter. the ships were all heavily laden. and as they were warships they were not very well adapted for voyaging in the autumn. so the vikings sailed home over the sea, the same way as they had come, under the colourless skies of late summer by day and the clear golden stars by night. they had prosperous winds, and reached norway about the time that the leaves were beginning to fall. leif was full of longing for helga during the voyage home. he counted the days and could not sleep. it seemed to him suddenly that in the course of the summer she had come very close to him. absence and separation had, as it were, intimately united them. his longing, however, was considerably mingled with fear--a fear without shape or distinct substance, yet none the less painful. at hisargavl, atle's sons took leave of ingolf and leif. they thanked each other for the summer they had spent together, arranged to meet there next summer, drank each other's health in dark wine from glass goblets, and swore eternal friendship. ingolf and leif invited atle's sons to come to the feast the first day of the month of goi, with as large a retinue as they liked to bring, and atle's sons promised to come. holmsten, half-intoxicated, happened to mention helga's name, and leif listened with all his ears. but for the rest he could make nothing out of holmsten's confused talk, except that he now knew that helga was in his thoughts. that evening leif threw a spear overboard. so the sworn brothers and atle's sons parted, and each sailed home with the rich booty of the summer. iv helga awoke in the night and heard the sound of oars in the fjord. she dressed hastily and went down to the landing-place. it was full moon, but the sky was covered with dark masses of clouds. out on the dark surface of the fjord the ships looked black and ghostly. a sudden fear made helga's heart tremble. the ships came rowing so silently in the night. the stroke of the oars sounded so lonely in the stillness. was leif with them? she counted the ships and found they were not the full number. but she could not distinguish them clearly, and the larger ones might overshadow the smaller. how silently they rowed! would it not be better if she went home to bed? that would be where she would lie if she came to know that she would no more see leif. she would never wish to get up again. the foremost ship rowed into the somewhat broken moonlight on the surface of the fjord. helga thought she could recognize it. was that not leif's dragon? she strained her eyes till they smarted, and ran down to the edge of the water. the ship over there was so dark and indistinct she could make out neither colour nor shape. it glided nearer like a shadow. the water dripped in silvery drops from the oar-blades. a rift in the masses of clouds let the moon's pale light illumine the shore. helga stood in it thinking intently. was leif with them? that would be an almost incomprehensible happiness. and even if he were, still there would come a day when his ship would return without him, or his people would come some winter day carrying him on a bier, and there would be blood upon the snow. a time must come when leif would be no more. then she must die. helga stood there bathed in the wan light of the moon, and gave herself away to her last breath. she embraced leif with her soul, alive or dead. when the ships came quite near she stepped quickly into the shadow of one of the boat-houses. she would see if leif was with them before she made a mistake. rapidly the ships approached, rowed by long oars, keeping regular time. yes, the foremost was leif's dragon-ship. majestically it glided over the water, and there--yes, there on the poop stood leif. ah, leif! leif! helga wept. she wept and was happy. but she quickly dried her eyes. see how leif had exerted himself. he wished to be the first on shore. she could hear the excited tone of his voice when he gave the order: "inboard!" leif was impatient now; his movements were abrupt and hasty. he urged on his crew, and his voice became sharp. he could not wait--he could never wait the last moments. leif! leif! he did not guess that she stood there. helga did not go out of the shadow and down to the ship. she saw the crew working with the long boat-hooks and pushing the landing-plank out over the ship's side. she could just catch a glimpse of a man who went down it. and then came leif running. how like him it was. when he was right opposite her, she went forward to meet him. leif started, stopped, and stood. all his impetuosity ceased. "could you not see me?" asked helga, with a smile that quivered. she felt so rich and happy, and came gradually nearer. leif was not in a condition to answer or to say a word at all. he stood there, and that was all he could do. he could not even collect himself and kiss her. helga came slowly close up to him and laid her arms quietly round his neck. they drank a long kiss from each other's mouths till their lips were sore. leif wished to say something, but there was a lump in his throat. when he discovered that, he began to weep. helga smiled and kissed him more fervently. her fearless viking was only a long, ungainly boy who wept. he stood and embraced helga violently but helplessly, and tears ran down his freckled, weather-tanned cheeks. helga turned gently in his embrace. he thought she wished to be released, and let her go. but helga did not wish to be out of his arms. she only wished to turn so that they might walk side by side. she did not wish that any one should find them there, and led him away. she wanted to have him for herself now that she had at last got him again after an endless summer. and leif let her have her way; he had forgotten everything else except that he had her again. they did not talk much. only some hasty questions and quiet, hasty answers were exchanged between them. they had, as it were, no time for more talk. there was silence between them--a good and happy silence. they had each other. in the house there was great excitement. morning broke on an apparently hopeless confusion of men and women, who chatted together, kissed, or only sent each other embarrassed and happy glances. there were also children of all ages who jumped and sang and quarrelled together in little private combats, and men who carried loads from the ships to the house, and sauntered back again in knots, talking vigourously. ingolf went quietly to and fro and saw that the work was done. the ships had to be unloaded and the goods carried home to the house, and it was best to get it done soon. at this time of year the weather and the sea were not to be relied upon. ingolf felt a sense of happiness and confidence at being home again. he relaxed a little the strict discipline which he generally maintained in all work, and granted each man sufficient time for embracing friends and for confidential talk. but if any one did not go to work of his own accord, when a reasonable time had passed, he called him by name in a friendly way and aroused him. no more was needed. the work went on vigourously. the men wanted it done as soon as possible. ingolf had promised them a few days' holiday when the goods were in the house and the ships in the sheds. orn came out, bent and aged, blinking with inflamed eyes in the garish light of morning. he gave such an immense yawn that his shaggy jaws cracked and shivered, chilled by the cold autumnal air. old age had come upon him, bent his back, and gnawed the flesh from his limbs. when ingolf saw him, he hastened to him. now that he saw him again, after not having had him daily before his eyes for several months, he suddenly realized how old and decrepit his father had actually become, and was seized by a strong feeling of sympathy. he whispered something as he passed in a man's ear. the man smiled and nodded, and ran down to the ships. then ingolf hastened to his father and greeted him with reverence and tenderness. the old man was always on his guard against too much friendliness. old age had increased his mistrust of people. he was peevish and gruff. he returned his son's greeting very nonchalantly, and began with noticeable haste to question him concerning purely practical matters. had he all the ships with him? how much had he allowed himself to be cheated? he had not, it was to be hoped, brought an irish wife home with him? how many of his men had fallen? he had probably nothing creditable to report? it seemed to ingolf that his voice had become remarkably high-pitched and strident. and when ingolf had answered, the old man repeated his questions time after time. it suddenly occurred to ingolf that his father could no longer hear as well as before. he had to raise his voice, and he found it trying and embarrassing to have to change it. orn noticed the change, and shouted: "yes, i no longer hear so well. it is especially this ear here which is affected. but it is worse with rodmar! he is alive still. but he has gone blind!" orn laughed with a snort. "that is still worse!" his laughter filled ingolf with discomfort. then orn suddenly stopped laughing. he had happened to cast a glance down towards the ships. now he stood, his glance became fixed, and his eyes widened. then he suddenly began to count and point at the same time with a crooked finger. "one, two, three...." when he had counted up to twenty, he broke off and said to ingolf, with a voice trembling with joyful emotion: "how many are there altogether?" ingolf smiled. "there are many," he answered, in a friendly tone. "i took care that you should not want wine, father." from the landing-place below there came a long line of men up towards the house, each one trundling a barrel. as though guided by his sense of smell, rodmar came at the same moment tottering out of the house, supported on two sticks, and carefully feeling his way forward with his legs. orn turned towards him, and shouted in a high and excited voice: "now the barrels of red wine from the land of the franks are coming in a long line rolling up to the house, cousin rodmar!" "ah, my eyes!" answered rodmar, in a trembling and weak voice. "gladly would i have seen that sight. but keep silent, so that i can at any rate hear the wine slopping inside the barrels!" there was a great restlessness in orn's blood. he took short steps, and could not stand still. with his crooked fingers he took hold of ingolf's cloak, drew him down towards him, and gave him a hasty kiss on his forehead. then he tottered on stiff legs up to rodmar and clapped him on the shoulder with a trembling hand. "i cannot hear, and you cannot see, cousin. but let us thank odin that we can both still taste. isn't your tongue dry with knowing that there is so much wine close by? mine rolls in my mouth like birch-bark." it was not long before the two aged kinsmen sat side by side in the high-seat and tasted for the first time the red wine from the land of the franks, which they had been waiting for during a whole long summer. they drank the wine noisily, let it fill their mouths, and tasted it with satisfaction. "how do you like it?" asked orn between gulps. rodmar gave himself barely time to answer. "it tastes good," he answered hastily, and drank, "but i miss seeing the colour." "splash a little in your eyes, cousin," orn answered, and laughed. there they sat, and became very cheerful later in the day. long before the sun went down they were asleep and snoring loudly. drink had come to dalsfjord. not till towards evening did ingolf find leif and helga. ingolf embraced helga, and kissed her with much tenderness. "are you pleased with all the gifts, sister?" he asked, with a smile. helga looked with wide-open eyes first at him and then at leif. then she smiled without comprehension and a little uncertainty. leif looked unhappy. "i quite forgot them," he stammered, blushing and embarrassed. ingolf laughed loud and heartily. but helga threw her arms round leif's neck and kissed him tenderly before the eyes of her brother. v there was a chief and viking named olmod the old, son of horda-kaare. he was a kinsman of leif. olmod the old was popular with all. he was a wise man, quiet and circumspect, a warrior in battle and a hero where drinking-horns were emptied. no one would have guessed that olmod the old concealed a great restlessness under the mask of quiet and imperturbability which he outwardly wore. he talked willingly, and had a flow of cheerful conversation, but was not lavish with his confidence. all thought that they knew his mind, but no one did. olmod the old seldom remained long in one place. in the summer he went on viking expeditions; in winter he was a guest in various places. he had many friends, and wherever he stayed he brought cheerfulness with him. he was very fond of his kinsman, leif, whose character resembled his own. it was a significant fact about olmod that leif was unaware that he possessed a friend in him. leif would have been rather inclined to believe the opposite. olmod seldom talked to him, gave him no presents, did not show him favour or friendship in any degree. but in secret olmod kept an eye on his kinsman, leif, and knew all about his affairs. that winter olmod visited atle jarl at gaulum. in doing so he fulfilled an old promise. he knew that leif and ingolf had been on a viking expedition with atle's sons the previous summer. it had suddenly occurred to him that he knew atle's sons too little. during his visit to gaulum, olmod gave such close attention to atle's sons that he actually came to over-hear a conversation between haersten and holmsten which they did not intend him or any one else to hear. "i hear that helga and leif are fond of each other," said haersten. "that sounds hard to believe," answered holmsten. "women's taste is often strange," continued haersten. "did you see, also, brother, that leif threw a spear overboard at hisargavl?" "why did you not tell me that before?" "because it has only just occurred to me that leif regretted the use he had once made of that spear." "with my good will i shall not give leif reason to deprive himself of many more weapons," said holmsten gloomily. "it would be rather after my mind to take care that he finds full use for all his weapons." olmod had heard enough. now he knew what leif's friends were. shortly after overhearing this conversation he departed. he directed his way towards orn's house, and was welcomed by orn and the brothers. when he had stayed a week in the house, he prepared to go farther. before doing so, he talked confidentially with ingolf. "don't take it ill if i mix in your affairs, ingolf. i begin to get old, and old men are talkative. i only wish to remind you that atle's sons, whom you and leif have invited to the feast this winter, are powerful chiefs, and that it will be advisable for you to show them all possible honour--among other things, by inviting as many of your kinsfolk and friends to the feast as you can." ingolf remained silent after olmod had spoken. he looked attentively at him. olmod met his look with a smile. his smile was quiet and experienced. ingolf became suddenly aware that he had more than a guest in olmod. "you come from gaulum," he said in a low tone and thoughtfully. "is that your advice?" "that is my advice," answered olmod, with a firmness in his voice which left no doubt as to his seriousness. and he added, as though casually: "haasten is only _one_ of atle's sons." "have you talked with leif on this subject?" ingolf asked suddenly. olmod the old said only: "i know my kinsman, leif. and i know you, too, ingolf." ingolf gave olmod some handsome presents on his departure and escorted him part of the way. on the first day of the month of goi, atle's sons came with a large retinue to orn's house. ingolf had followed olmod the old's advice, and invited a large circle of his own and leif's friends to the feast for atle's sons. when haasten saw how many were invited to the feast, he said to ingolf, with a smile: "we sons of atle are not accustomed to receive our friends with such a great force." ingolf looked at him and answered seriously: "one can never show one's friends too great an honour, haasten." haasten became silent and thoughtful. involuntarily he looked at his brothers. they stood there talking confidentially together. there was something in their bearing which made haasten uneasy. he noticed also that ingolf was watching his brothers. haersten and holmsten had withdrawn themselves from the rest, and stood whispering together. "we have never been received in such a magnificent way here before," said haersten, with a smile. "there must be something behind it." "i should not be surprised," answered holmsten, "if olmod the old had been here. where did he go to when he left us? it occurs to me all at once that his bearing was different when he left than when he came." "what can olmod the old have told any here?" asked haersten thoughtfully. "something which he possibly heard," replied holmsten dryly. "what will you do now, brother?" "i don't know yet. but some time leif shall come to miss the spear which he threw overboard at hisargavl!" orn became quite another man as soon as guests came to the house. he livened up and became young again. he did not gulp down his wine, but drank deep and was none the worse for it. he was still capable of filling the high-seat with dignity and of presiding over a festival. rodmar, on the other hand, preferred to remain in bed when anything unusual was going on. the restlessness which the sound of many voices produced in his state of blindness made him unwell. when he could not sit quite peacefully with orn he liked best to be alone with his wine. orn beckoned haasten to a place beside him on the high-seat. outside it he seated the other sons of atle and the sworn brothers, and then the remaining guests according to their age and rank. when the guests had taken their seats the hall was completely filled. orn set great store by such feasts. he liked sitting as chief in his hall. he stinted neither food nor drink. it filled him with inward satisfaction to see people eat and drink and be merry. he became cheerful and resumed something of his old dignity. the fire burnt pleasantly on the flat stone of the hearth. when the guests at last were satisfied, the bowls and wooden dishes were carried out, and the real drinking festival began. the youngest and handsomest women in the house went about in festal attire and poured out beer. among them was helga. she served at the high table. holmsten's eyes followed her wherever she went and stood. he had never shown his liking for her so openly. helga could not help noticing his persistent gaze. it made her afraid. she would rather have remained away from the hall, but, on the other hand, she dared not leave leif out of her sight. leif sat with his mouth compressed and a gloomy expression in his eyes, and drank but little. that was not his usual way at a feast; he was accustomed to drink rather too much than too little. only seldom did helga succeed in catching his eye. he did not return her smile. she went to and fro in great alarm. she took care never to look at holmsten, and she did not smile at him as at the others when she filled his horn. holmsten pretended not to notice it. his eye glowed with the same warmth, and his look followed her with the same persistence about the hall. orn proposed the toasts to the gods. he was still equal to emptying horns in their honour. when he proposed the toast of brage, holmsten rose and struck on his horn. "it is the custom of high-born men," he said in a loud and cheerful voice, "to make vows when brage's toast is called. i have a vow to make which i will beg you kind friends to witness." holmsten stopped and looked round him. he caught a warning and slightly anxious look from his brother, haasten. he saw leif's bowed head and caught a glimpse of his serious face; he saw ingolf's face grow rigid with quiet expectation. and he saw helga standing anxious and uncertain and looking at leif. holmsten smiled. for a while he stood with his burning gaze fixed upon helga, as though waiting to catch her eye. then he lifted his horn and said in loud tones: "i make this vow with brage's toast, that i will marry helga, daughter of orn, or no other woman." there was silence in the hall. helga remained standing still for a while. she looked intently at leif, and saw the blood mount to his face and his shaking fingers grip the foot of the horn. when she saw that he would succeed in controlling himself, she silently left the hall, her face very pale. haasten had sprung up from his place when holmsten made his vow, but had sat down again without saying anything. ingolf sat with a smile on his face but a look in his blue eyes that was as sharp as a knife. orn smiled graciously at holmsten, and haersten laughed contentedly. at last leif looked up. there was a hard and hostile look in his usually cheerful eyes. he looked slowly round, and let his glance dwell for a while on each of atle's sons, and finally on his sworn brother, ingolf, as if he were considering him especially. he looked almost as if he would not be sorry to encounter them all at once should that be necessary. to orn he only vouchsafed a hasty and contemptuous glance. holmsten quite understood the effect his words had produced on each of those whom his speech concerned. he looked round with composure and continued cheerfully: "now i have begun this game. now it is your turn, friend ingolf." ingolf gave no sign of rising. he turned his face towards haasten and said in a quiet and firm voice which was heard over the whole hall: "it seems to me it is now haasten's turn to continue the game. he is our leader, and the wisest of us all besides." haasten met his look and rose slowly. he did not find words at first, and remained standing silent for a while, looking down. a hush of expectation spread in the hall. when haasten at last spoke his voice was quiet and troubled. "i make the vow," he said, "that i will judge justly and impartially, if a judgment should ever be demanded from me." haasten sat down with a melancholy air after speaking. holmsten said cheerfully: "your obscure vow does not seem to me to bear out the assertion that you are the wisest of us all. how will you act, if it is between your friends on one side and your enemies on the other that you must pronounce judgment?" haasten answered in a severe and discouraging tone: "that i intend myself to determine." ingolf rose. he smiled no longer; his look was serious and his tone firm and quiet. "with brage's toast i make the vow that i will not divide my inheritance with any one but my sworn brother, leif. may all bright gods and all good people present hear it." when orn had heard that vow, he rose with some difficulty. suddenly he seemed very old. the look which he cast at ingolf was not friendly. in gloomy silence he left the hall. holmsten was still cheerful. "i don't understand that vow," he said, and laughed. "it is not difficult to understand," answered haasten severely. "ingolf will give his sister, helga, to leif, and no one else." holmsten laughed incredulously, and looked at leif in challenge. leif rose awkwardly with a jerk, and stood erect. "i make the vow," he said in a voice that shook with suppressed anger and emotion, "to show that in nothing do i stand behind my ancestors and other good men of my race!" "that may be an easy vow to keep," shouted haersten. "have you forgotten that your grandfather had to leave telemarken like a criminal?" leif met ingolf's look and controlled himself. ingolf rose slowly. he was just as quiet as before, but those who knew him could see that now he was angry. he directed his words to haasten. "when i invited you, atle's sons, to this feast, i believed that you were my own and my brother leif's sincere friends. from what has happened here this evening, and from the words which have fallen, i can see that i have made a mistake--not as far as concerns you, haasten, but your brothers. holmsten has done us a doubtful honour. his whole behaviour does not show exactly such an attitude towards us brothers that i should like to have him as a brother-in-law--even if no one else were in the way. as regards haersten, he has spoken insulting words against my family here in the hall. you, haasten, will always be welcome in the place which you now occupy as my guest and friend. but your brothers i cannot ask to remain. only with my friends will i continue this feast." haersten and holmsten had sprung up from their places. haasten also rose. "i had no share in, and could not prevent, what has happened this evening," he said quietly, and in a tone of sadness, "otherwise it would not have happened. but i cannot remain here as your guest, ingolf, when you send my brothers away. we, atle's sons, have always kept together." when he had spoken, he left the hall silently, followed by his brothers and all their retinue. but no one else followed them on the way. when they had gone, ingolf set guards on all the roads. he wished to be prepared, in case any more surprises awaited him on the part of atle's sons. it had become clear to him now that haasten had no longer such complete power over his brothers as before. ingolf was depressed in spirits. that which he had long feared had happened at last. but this breach with atle's sons had come in another way than he had thought. he had expected that leif would be a direct cause of it, not, as now appeared, an indirect one. leif had surprised him by his self-controlling bearing. now he knew he had a brother in leif he could completely rely on. ingolf guessed that it was not the first time that leif for his sake had controlled himself in the presence of atle's sons. but, on the other hand, he could not betray leif. he must stand by his side anywhere, and against any one--even against haasten, if necessary. ingolf observed, to his wonder, that he did not really miss atle's sons, now that he was confronted by a breach with them. he had leif; he had on his side only one man. but that was a man he could rely upon, and knew that he could. ingolf felt himself in some degree richer than before. vi for some days after the feast, which had been so abruptly broken off, orn did not speak to any one. a cloud hung over his face. his look was like that of a mad bull. he ignored ingolf entirely; and if ingolf tried to talk to him, he paid no more attention to what he said than to a breath of wind. even the blind rodmar spoke in vain to his kinsman. to rodmar it seemed that the world had become very strange. did orn not hear when he spoke to him? had he become deaf, or perhaps dumb also? he gave up trying to make it out. he did not like trouble of any kind any more. there was always the resource of lying in bed and having wine brought. rodmar retired deeper into his darkness and drank himself into a state of stupor and oblivion. when orn had carried about his fit of wrath in solitude long enough, he began to get tired. wrath also disturbed his intoxication. he did not find the same happiness in wine as before. he considered the matter closely, and found a new standpoint to view it from--a more manly and less troublesome one. he sent for ingolf. "i understand well," he began in a harsh but not unfriendly tone, "that you do not wish to let yourself be cowed by atle's sons. i have considered the matter, and i must confess that it was a very challenging way that holmsten chose in which to appear as a suitor. it was, however, impossible for him to know whether helga had been already promised in marriage, and how far his vows might cross our plans. i think that the answer you gave him was good, and becoming a chieftain. we of our race can afford to marry our children to whom we like. we certainly do not need to trouble about marriage with jarl's sons. it has pleased me to see that you are not afraid to give even such people as atle's sons the rough side of your tongue. i do not deny that till lately it was my idea that a marriage connection with them would be an honour for our family. but now i see that it is no less honour for the family to refuse such a connection. that shows to all and each that we reckon ourselves at least equal to jarls. you are wise, my boy. you may go." it was a long time since orn had spoken so gently to his son. ingolf went about the rest of the day smiling now and then to himself. he felt a great relief. his father's attitude had pained him more than he had been willing to admit to himself. after his conversation with ingolf, orn went to rodmar, who was very glad to observe that he had not become dumb or deaf. a joyous time recommenced for the two kinsmen. they drank copiously of the red wine, and boasted more than ever. it became to them a source of much arrogance that hostility had broken out between their sons and atle jarl's. they even took leif into favour, and willingly listened to his account of his exploits in the viking expedition of the previous summer. leif was in their eyes still a little, loose-minded fellow, but at any rate a man. one could acknowledge him both as a son and a son-in-law. he had split various heads, and saved holmsten's life. there one had a proof that even the worst good-for-nothings could become something if only they had good folk to look up to. leif was ungracious enough to care for their praise no more than he had cared for their blame. but they behaved magnanimously to him in that respect. they excused him by recollecting youth's general want of proper respect for age. when spring approached, the old uneasiness came over leif. he became very restless, and his eyes took an absent expression. one day he went down to the boat-houses and began to inspect his ships. as he did so, it suddenly came into his mind that during the last part of the winter ingolf had not troubled himself at all about goods for the summer's viking expedition. it was not like ingolf to forget a thing of that kind. without delay he sought ingolf and began to speak on the subject. ingolf stood and looked attentively at him while he spoke. when he had finished, ingolf answered with composure: "it seems to me, cousin leif, that it would be better for us to remain at home in our house during the summer than to sail out on a viking expedition. do you remember the vows which were made here in the winter at the feast we gave to atle's sons?" "the vows were not of the kind to be hastily forgotten," answered leif, and looked in his brother's eyes. "you are, i suppose, not afraid of meeting atle's sons on the sea?" "i am not afraid," answered ingolf, in a sharper tone; "but i would rather avoid hostility with atle's sons." leif stood and looked down gloomily. when he had considered a little he said: "atle's sons could easily suppose that we were afraid if, after what happened here in the winter, we gave up the viking expeditions we had planned for the summer. i do not intend to give holmsten reason to call me afraid. do you, brother, decide for yourself what you will do. i shall go." ingolf was silent and considered the matter. he was in great perplexity. he hardly dared to let leif go. on the other hand, he dared not hinder him either. he knew well that when leif had once got restless he must get away. for himself, he did not like to run the risk of meeting atle's sons. he had a presentiment that a collision was inevitable if their way crossed that of his brother. and in any case he wished to avoid lifting hand against haasten. but the reason which especially kept him at home was, that he no longer trusted haersten and holmsten. if both he and leif went away, they might both use the opportunity to carry off helga. on such an occasion both his father and rodmar might easily lose their lives, or be exposed to indignities which he would have to avenge. when ingolf had come to a conclusion, he said: "i do not wish as matters now stand to leave our family and property without someone to look after them. i will no longer prevent your going since you have set your mind upon it. but it will cause me great anxiety to know that you are out on a viking expedition with only three ships. for i cannot spare more men away from home. you may encounter atle's sons, you may meet other hostile vikings, or you may through want of foresight get involved in an unequal battle. i would rather, therefore, that you stayed at home, cousin leif. but if you will promise me not under any circumstances to engage in an unequal battle, as far as it is in your power to avoid it, i will not oppose your going." leif promised that willingly. he never thought about promises. he grasped ingolf's outstretched hand and said: "i promise you to proceed cautiously. if i meet with danger or superior force, i will escape as well as i can. you need not be uneasy for my sake, brother." ingolf remembered that leif had kept his word with regard to atle's sons. there was no longer any reason not to put full trust in leif's promises, even if, in accordance with his whole character, they were given a little hastily, and apparently without thought. and if only leif kept his promise, there was no special reason to be anxious about him. in a battle which was not too unequal, he was safe enough, unless the norns had destined his death, or odin had marked him out. for against the gods and goddesses of fate the best man fought in vain. when the matter had been thus decided, leif began seriously to prepare for the journey. the goods which ingolf had collected at the beginning of winter completely filled three ships. all that remained was to select the crews and to take care to keep the ships fit for sailing. when leif told helga that he was going, she merely nodded assentingly and smiled at him. but her quivering smile concealed bitter grief and great anxiety. helga knew leif--ah! she knew him. this leif of hers was a man whom no bond could hold. that was his character. and she did not wish to spoil his happiness by seeking to hold him fast. never should he guess what she suffered when she saw him sail away. never would she mention her sense of loss and the anxiety she suffered during the time she must be without him. separation and longing were integral parts of the happiness she shared with leif. so young helga smiled bravely and helped leif with his preparations for the journey, giving him cheerful words on the way. but she never showed him her anxiety, and concealed her grief till she was alone. one day in spring, when the wind blew freshly over the fjord, leif sailed away with three ships. he stood on the poop and wondered that he had never thought before how hard it would be to part from helga. his old countryman clapped him on the shoulder and said: "on a voyage it is best to keep the salt water outside the ship." leif smiled with a wry face. his heart had not yet been hardened. helga stood on the edge of the shore and saw the striped sails bellying in the breeze. the ships lay slanting on the water. they glided along as if in play, and became so quickly smaller. helga stood alone on the shore. all the others who had been down to bid farewell to those departing had gone back again to the house. helga stood there alone with the breeze. everything was green and cheerful around her. trees stood covered with new leaves, and flowers grew again from the ground. and there sailed leif, taking the summer away with him. when helga could not see the ships any more, she at last gave up. helplessly she let herself drop down on the young grass. all power had suddenly left her. she could not even weep. she remained lying there long with her heart beating violently. the day after leif had sailed, olmod the old landed at orn's house. he had five ships, and was on a viking expedition. he was able to inform ingolf that of atle's sons haasten was remaining at home that summer. he further said that he had heard that leif was going alone that summer, and he wished to have joined him. when he heard that leif had already sailed he hastened to go on, wishing to overtake him. that spring came young king harald sailing north along the coast. he had made a vow not to let his hair be cut till he had reduced the whole of norway to submission, and was therefore by some called harald luva, and by others harald haarfager. whatever part of the country he came across, he called his own. kings and chiefs had to submit with a good or with a bad grace. all men from the lowest to the highest became his tributaries. he made laws, and appointed chiefs over districts to take care that the laws were obeyed. harald met with no opposition either in the hills or the fjords. all the jarls became his subjects. but there were other chiefs who murmured, and considered that harald paid scant respect to the law and ancient land-rights. these harald dealt with hardly. he killed them when he could lay hold of them, and took from them their property without mercy. many of these chiefs had no other resources, if they wished to preserve their lives and freedom, but to leave the country. they sailed in numbers for the faroe islands, the orkneys, hjaltland, the southern islands, together with the british isles and ireland. king harald found many a norwegian neck that preferred to be broken rather than bend. although himself the most obstinate of all, he would not endure obstinacy in others. there was but one king of norway, and that king's name was harald! vii leif had not sailed long before a great quiet came over him. alone with the sea, and his own master! no one to obey! no one to consider! that was something to his taste, and under such circumstances there was no room in his heart for care and longing. successive days awoke him, each with its own voice. hungry in soul and body he crept each morning out of his sleeping-bag. it suited his plans to sail to the british isles; accordingly he was on his way thither. otherwise he might have sailed to the land far toward the west which a beggar had once told him of. the only objection was that, according to the narrator, there were no people to trade with there and no one to pillage. he was out on a trading and viking expedition. besides, it was an absurd country, so entirely without inhabitants. if ever he had time and opportunity he might still wish to take a closer view of it. "iceland," the beggar had called it, and had prophesied that he should some day see it. he wished to be certain about it, but it lay so far out of the way that he could not well include it in his voyage that summer. if he did, he ran the risk of being obliged to spend the winter there. and he could not endure the idea of a whole winter without helga. but he emphasized the fact to himself that if he now let iceland alone, it was an act of his own free will. the land out there in the west would not run away, so whether one went there a summer earlier or later was a point of minor importance. leif, now voyaging alone, came to be quite intimate with the sea. he enjoyed standing at the helm and feeling the ship under his hand. he liked best sailing with all sails spread, and cutting his way through the water as it foamed. it was to him a great delight to sail in such a way that even old and experienced vikings opened watchful eyes. he tortured his dragon-ship till it seemed to him the sea held its breath, ready to close its foaming jaws round its prey. when he thus kept his ship rocking right on the edge of destruction, clutching the quivering tiller fast in his thin hand, his heart felt light in his breast. he felt himself like a ruler over the sea. the old vikings watched leif closely, and found that they had in him a guide after their own heart. they winked admiringly at each other when he sailed his maddest. his reckless courage filled them with expectation. they showed great willingness in obeying his wishes and orders. his young voice sounded sharply and pleasantly in their ears. they took leif's measure secretly and thoroughly approved of him. though he was not so strong in body as warriors generally were, yet men with such restless eyes were rare. and the strength he had lay in hard lumps of muscle in the right places. when he greeted or thanked a man he clutched his hand as with an iron claw. the vikings found that they had reason to expect an eventful summer with much amusement and many dangers. they thought without regret that some of them might find their way to odin before this viking expedition was over. they had not much objection to sitting round the golden-bristled boar, though it should be this very winter. meanwhile, leif had formed a fixed idea that he would show ingolf he could trade and get on in foreign lands on his own account. accordingly, when he got there, he showed a caution which was not really according to his own mind, and which the vikings had not expected. he traded with great foresight, bought chiefly corn and other necessary commodities, including wine and honey. he was also, in pursuance of his promise to ingolf, cautious with regard to engaging in battle. his men had expected great things in the direction of depredations on the coast, and were to a certain extent disappointed. leif had comparatively few men, and he did not engage in unequal warfare. in order, however, to get some booty, he practised unexpected attacks with quite a few picked men. with five or six followers he would row ashore in a boat in out-of-the-way spots. if they succeeded in getting on shore unobserved they began to steal forward by remote paths and through deep and dark woods. these were occasions of incredible excitement and secret joy. it was possible for days and nights to pass without so small a force. and when they had at last found a their finding a place adapted for making an attack with place, a considerable time might pass in watching for an opportunity. but when their well-prepared attack at length took place, it was overwhelming and irresistible. even old and experienced vikings had to acknowledge that they had never before taken part in such bold and exciting expeditions. and they loved leif for the happiness he provided them in their old age. there was constant emulation among leif's men to get leave to accompany him on these forays. but leif showed an immovable firmness and foresight in choosing his companions. it was counted a great honour to be among those chosen. the summer passed in sailing to and fro along the coasts of england and ireland. leif diligently avoided collisions with other vikings. there were, as a rule, many following him, and he never could be secure from an attack. it was therefore best to exhibit suitable caution. for the rest, he slept peacefully in his bearskin bag at night. should it happen that he was involved in a fight without his own fault, he had nothing to do with that. in many places where he came, he found that haersten and holmsten had been just before him with their six ships. leif took no real trouble to overtake them. he remembered his promise to ingolf, and had resolved to put his trust in chance. chance had before shown him considerable kindness. but when, towards the close of summer, he directed his course homewards, chance had not yet come to his help. it was therefore with a certain disappointment in his mind that he turned homeward from his summer expedition. it was indeed no small disappointment to him that fate had not allowed him to meet atle's sons. olmod the old, who, as has been related, was voyaging with a fleet of five ships, made inquiries about his kinsman, leif, wherever he went. in many places leif had been just before him, but had sailed again no one knew whither. olmod the old was continually on his scent, and sailed, so to speak, in his wake the whole summer, though without any success in overtaking him. he vowed offerings and gifts to odin if he would help him to find his kinsman. but odin seemed to have turned his eyes from him. olmod kept himself likewise informed concerning the voyage of atle's sons. from their movements he could not ascertain whether they intended evil against leif or not. it did not really look as if they were following him. perhaps they did not know what direction he was taking, but olmod considered it best to be on the watch. late in the summer, olmod lost every trace of leif. but as a compensation he so nearly succeeded in overtaking atle's sons that he at last caught a glimpse of their ships making out to sea on their way home. it seemed to olmod that they were sailing rather early. were they thinking of concealing themselves among the rocks and islands off the coast and giving leif a warm reception when he turned home? olmod the old was from his own experience not unacquainted with stratagems. he kept a sharp eye on atle's sons. for some time he kept his ships hidden in a creek near the ordinary route in order to catch leif, if possible. at last he could wait no longer. leif, he thought, must have turned homeward by some other way, and as good sailing weather just then set in, he directed his course towards norway. he had come to the conclusion that the safest thing was to try to find atle's sons, or at any rate to get news of them. if he found that they had sailed the direct way home, there was scarcely anything to fear from them that autumn. on a dark and stormy autumn day, with clouds driving across the sky and a tossing sea, leif came sailing past hisargavl. he was sailing along, thinking of his disappointment, when he suddenly found himself surrounded by ships bearing down upon him with their battle-ensigns hoisted. for the sake of his promise, leif counted the ships; they were six in number. he looked closer at them, and recognized them as those of atle's sons. then leif felt a great contentment fill his mind. here at last came his friends, the sons of atle. and luckily all chance of flight was excluded. it would have been vexatious if he had had to break his word, but now it was all right. for ingolf could not expect of him that he should surrender unconditionally in order to avoid battle with atle's sons. he gathered his ships together and commanded them to lower sail; quickly he had boards for defence fixed on the quarter-deck, and cleared the ships for action. he went about and became gradually agitated with excitement and happy expectation. at last--at last the opportunity had come for seriously exchanging blows with holmsten. one of them should in any case be a guest of odin that evening. how he was to manage with his three ships against the six of atle's sons did not worry leif much. while he issued his orders, he had only eyes for holmsten's dragon-ship. there holmsten came, also in a state of excitement. now the long boat-hooks could reach the gunwale on holmsten's ship. "pull hard, men!" leif had a great longing to salute holmsten. the first spear whistled through the air. from both sides it was greeted with cheerful battle cries and gay laughter. at length the two dragon-ships lay side by side, rocking violently upon the grey sea. blows and shouts were exchanged above the high quarter-deck boards. leif pushed his men roughly to one side. he had set eyes on holmsten. a spear whistled past his ear, and he heard holmsten laugh and shout: "there is a spear in place of the one you sank here last autumn." leif twisted himself to one side, seized the spear, aimed at holmsten, and sent it back. "i have enough weapons, friend holmsten! i will test the ax you once gave me on your own skull." holmsten avoided the spear at the last moment by a leap to one side. now leif was close to the gunwale. the fight went on energetically on both sides of him. the ships reeled violently and crashed noisily against each other. salt spray concealed now and then the hot faces. leif held his ax raised and shook it towards holmsten. "now, when i cleave your head before long, it will not be through carelessness! remember that, holmsten." holmsten laughed derisively. he could not properly reach leif because of his men. "it will double my joy, friend leif, to know you are lying cold at the bottom of the sea, by the side of your spear, while your friend helga makes me comfortable." leif leaped up on the quarter-deck boards, swinging his ax high over his head, but was forced back. he tried again and again, but was met by a wall of weapons. one of atle's sons' other ships hooked itself fast on to the other side of the dragon-ship. the battle raged furiously along both gunwales. during an involuntary pause in the battle, leif found time to look round him a little. one of his ships was already overpowered, and the other surrounded by three of the enemy's smaller ships; his own was so hard pressed that it was obviously only a question of how long he could hold out. leif saw clearly how untenable his position was. he did not envy atle's sons their victory. he called those who had followed him on many bold expeditions to him, and said in a choked voice: "if we are going to valhalla, friends, let us take holmsten with us, and as many of his men as we can!" so he stormed the gunwale, followed by his best men, and succeeded in obtaining a foothold on holmsten's dragon-ship. and now leif was at his ease. generously he dealt out blows and thrusts, and devoted himself energetically to the battle. he saw his men falling round him, and he himself had several wounds which he had not time to think about. he was not afraid of death, but meant to take holmsten with him. while leif stood there, and dealt doughty blows around him in order to get at holmsten, there came in sight a fleet of five ships by hisargavl. the five ships were sailing swiftly, and the water foamed round their bows as they approached. at last olmod the old was about to overtake leif. and he had bestirred himself, as it appeared. he gave himself no time to survey the situation, but drove his ships right in among the combatants. in his green cloak, with a golden helmet on his head, he stood in a dignified attitude by the mast and issued his orders. "it looks as if you wanted a little help, cousin leif!" he shouted in the joy of battle. all other talking he left to his weapons. haersten saw quickly that his position was untenable, and gave orders for flight. but it was by no means so easy to get away in a moment. holmsten's ship soon lay wedged in between those of leif and olmod the old. leif made use of the confusion which ensued among holmsten's men at suddenly finding enemies on both sides, and made his way close up to holmsten. when holmsten saw him coming, he prepared to receive him in his cool and quiet way. but now leif had become quite wild. when it seemed that he could not get forward quickly enough, he flung his ax at holmsten's face. holmsten dropped his weapons, threw up his arms, reeled, and fell. leif's joy at seeing holmsten fall was so great that he forgot to be on his guard. one of his men pushed a shield in front of him just in time. the shield was cloven by the blow of an ax, intended for leif. but leif was not to die that day. now he was himself again, picked up his ax, and continued the attack. after holmsten's fall the opposition was soon broken. a couple of olmod's ships had recovered the ship atle's sons had won from leif. olmod secured for himself holmsten's ship as a reward for his trouble, and in order to be able to provide offerings and gifts to odin. the remainder of atle's sons' ships escaped in disorder. olmod came across leif where he was sitting and binding up his wounds. "you are bleeding much, cousin, and can be glad that you still have blood to bleed." "that i owe to you, cousin olmod. what lucky wind was that which blew you here, just when you were most needed?" "ask, rather, what freak was it of odin's that he did not let me overtake you before. i came to dalsfjord the day after you sailed, and have pursued you in vain all the summer." leif looked up hastily. a sudden fear shot through him. "what did you want me for?" "that you have seen." leif was quiet again. "nothing more?" he asked. "don't you think i had cause enough? did you expect me to follow your tedious tracks, the whole summer, merely to bring you a greeting from helga?" leif rose and drew a bracelet off his arm. it was for olmod. he brought forth his most valuable things, resolved to give olmod all the best he had. objections were useless. when leif gave, he gave what he had, and kept nothing back till he had no more. "finally, don't think that by killing holmsten and putting haersten to flight you have finished with atle's sons," olmod said warningly. "i think, cousin leif, you had better come home and spend the winter with me." leif thanked him warmly for the invitation. "it is such a short way home to the fjords that i don't care about making a circuit. but what if you came home with me and remained with us for the winter, cousin olmod?" but olmod declined. a whole winter in one and the same place did not tempt him at all. "you brothers have enough friends round you, but be careful, cousin. i should be surprised if haersten let the grass grow over the matter he has to settle with you. i am glad that this time i could be a little use to you, leif. you have rewarded my help, as one might expect from you, spendthrift that you are! may good fortune follow you wherever you go." olmod and leif parted with great friendliness, and each sailed to his own home. viii it was really a surprise to ingolf when he heard from his brother what had happened at hisargavl. he had gradually come to fear a collision between leif and atle's sons. he did not trust atle's sons any more since the feast of the previous winter. with a gloomy and slightly absent expression he heard leif's account to the end. "i do not grieve for holmsten," he said severely, when leif finished. "i am glad that both brothers did not escape alive from the game. the norns often strike accurately." "it was by my ax that holmsten fell," leif answered curtly. "i will not share the honour of having slain him with any one, not even with the norns!" ingolf smiled, but there was no laughter in his mind. "the most important point, leif, is that you returned home alive," he said cordially. "thank yourself for it, but allow me to thank the gods and goddesses of fate." helga was very quiet when leif told her about the battle. there rose in her soul a yet greater tenderness towards him. every day, yes, every hour, with leif became precious. a foreboding told her that leif was scarcely destined to live long. her happiness was like the flying birds. orn became quite enlivened by hearing of the fight at hisargavl. ingolf related it to him with much detail. as soon as he had finished, orn demanded to have the whole told over again. it was entirely after his mind--a proof that the race was not extinct. he put many questions and asked for incidents. time after time, when the talk concerned leif, he nodded approvingly. when his curiosity was at last satisfied, he sat silent and thoughtful, and still kept nodding to himself. rodmar sat in his darkness and heard the account through at one sitting. when ingolf began again, he sighed deeply, rose, and, supported on his two sticks, tottered to his chamber and crept into bed. he could not understand that there was still so much disturbance in the world. when ingolf came out again from his father he was silent and thoughtful. he sought leif, and found him in helga's room. ingolf sat down silently by his side and remained for a while without speaking. "now haasten remains behind with one arm," he said at last, in a subdued tone, more as though speaking to himself than to the others. helga looked hastily at him. "one must feel a great longing after a brother one loves," she said quietly. leif laughed sarcastically. "it will scarcely be a one-armed haasten who comes out to take vengeance for holmsten." ingolf looked at him. there was a troubled, but firm and quiet, look in his eye. "i should be surprised if haasten took vengeance," leif laughed scornfully. ingolf rose quietly and said: "but it would be best to be on our guard against haersten." ingolf took home to the chief house as many of his own and leif's men as could be spared from the rest of their property. moreover, he collected his friends from the surrounding district. he always had many people round him in the winter. he set guards on all the roads to secure himself against an unexpected attack, and for the rest watched events quietly. what had happened, had happened, and could not be altered. and whose fault was it? neither his nor his sworn brother's, it seemed to him. he made offerings to odin and thor, and relied on them and on the good luck of the family. already, on the day after his arrival, leif had to go to bed. for a considerable time he had to keep quiet. he suffered a good deal from his wounds. they were on various parts of his body, so that it was difficult for him to find rest. leif was not good at keeping quiet. he was tormented by an intolerable impatience. time after time when his wounds were on the point of healing up they opened again, because of his want of care. the fever which accompanied the wounds had a wearing effect both on his flesh and his temper. he became even more bony and thin than he had been before. long and wasted he lay there in bed, and vexed himself over the loss of the days, of which he was unjustly deprived. helga nursed him patiently, and always sat by him. that was the only thing which reconciled him with this kind of existence. he could not look away from her even for a moment. leif discovered that there was a happiness and soothing effect in the touch of helga's hands, which he had not hitherto known. all the time he had to have her hands busy about him. leif was not easy to manage. in vain did helga beg and pray him to leave the bandages alone and not continually look at his wounds at the wrong time. at last she went in despair to ingolf, and ingolf found a means. on the same day that helga had spoken to him, he said to leif in his usual composed manner: "your wounds are a long time healing, cousin leif. you will hardly be fit for fighting by the time haersten attacks us." that was effectual. ingolf knew his brother. from that day leif lay rigidly still and did not touch the bandages. with a mighty effort he kept his mind in control and curbed his impatience. with a mysterious smile in her eyes, which leif could not understand, helga continued to nurse him. leif could not make out why her eyes had suddenly become so bright. here he lay, tortured both outwardly and inwardly. one would think that was nothing to be amused at. at last he asked her plainly, and in a rather morose tone, why she was so cheerful. helga laughed, and promised to tell him as soon as his wounds were healed; for now that could hardly be long. leif sighed. it seemed to him that already the time had been incomprehensively long. at last the day came when leif could go about on his legs again. but it was plain that he had quite got out of the habit of going with his head high and his legs down. his head was not so high aloft, and his legs tottered. he had to laugh at them. they were really silly legs--to speak plainly--miserable legs of dough. he went about laughing and waddling, and was obliged every minute to sit down and rest his legs. he had never guessed that such a simple thing as walking could become so difficult. but one day it was difficult no longer, and leif rapidly forgot both his sickness and his weakness. what was haersten about? it seemed to leif plain that he had a claim that haersten should come now, and quickly. now that he was in a condition to receive him in a suitable manner, he began to long for him deeply. leif went and exercised his arm-muscles by cutting logs for the fire. ah! so he intended to split haersten's head. but haersten still kept them waiting. it was not according to leif's mind to go and wait for an attack, which did not come. had he had sufficient hope that ingolf would go with him on a journey to gaulum he would have proposed it. in his leisure time leif imagined for himself an attack on atle jarl and his sons, picturing it down to the minutest details. he would himself strike down haersten and atle jarl. but he would prefer to let haasten escape with his life. it was a shame that such a splendid plan of attack should always be shipwrecked on ingolf's obstinacy. at last haersten came. it was lucky that ingolf had set guards upon the roads. haersten did not come alone. he had planned his attack with care. he wished to wait till the brothers perhaps might not be so much on the alert. and he wished to come with a picked and numerous band, which it took time to assemble secretly, as the sworn brothers had friends also in those parts. haersten had resolved that _one_ life was too little compensation for holmsten. they should both die. preferably he would strike them both to earth with his own hand. haersten had to do without haasten's help in planning and carrying out his attack. on the other hand, haasten did not put difficulties in his way. haasten gave his mind to taking what vengeance he could, and to the extent he was able. "but my mind and my sense of justice tell me," he said, "not to go with you against the sworn brothers." haersten asked him whether his mind and his sense of justice did not also bid him to leave both his brothers unavenged in case he also should fall. haasten answered him that time would show, but that it was conceivable. "it might seem that you care more for ingolf than for your own brothers," haersten said coldly. "i have a great regard for ingolf," answered haasten. "you brothers were not afraid to profit by your greater force when you attacked leif." so the conversation ended. when haersten had quietly collected as many men as he thought would ensure a victory over the sworn brothers, even if he found them prepared, he started one night and took the way to dalsfjord. he advanced by secret paths, and hid in the woods. he marched only by night, resting by day. but though he showed all possible caution, ingolf's guards got news of his expedition. they were able to inform ingolf in time that haersten was approaching with a numerous following. in great haste the brothers collected a still larger number, and marched against him to meet him before he expected it. the encounter took place one winter morning on the heath. haersten and his men had spent the night on the outskirts of the wood. it was a still morning, with mild air, and the ground was heavy. the weather was admirably adapted for a battle, save that the snow became slippery when it had been trodden hard. haersten and the sworn brothers prepared themselves, each on his own side, for a trial of strength, in all quietness and at their leisure. the result of the battle was of great importance to both parties, and they urged their men to be cautious and keep together. haersten seemed to seek leif. and leif was not the man to avoid a willing opponent. it was not long before they stood opposite each other, both fierce and vigilantly watching. but the fight between them was of short duration. they had only exchanged a few blows, and neither of them had yet been wounded, when haersten slipped on the smooth ground. in the same instant leif's ax descended on his neck. haersten fell and remained lying. red blood streamed profusely out of a deep wound in his neck. smoking, it oozed into the cold white snow and formed holes with reddish edges. thus fell haersten. when he had fallen, ingolf had the trumpet blown for a truce, and invited haersten's followers to go in peace. as no one wished for more fighting, haersten's men marched, carrying his body, from their unsuccessful attempt, back to gaulum. leif was quite jubilant. he never remembered having been so glad. now he had avenged the attack at hisargavl, and settled all the rest of the account which he had with atle's sons. there was a high degree of intoxication in his mind. he composed and sang with a strong voice a victor's song. but ingolf did not show any joy at the victory. he was silent and thoughtful. as soon as he had returned home with his men, he went to his father and told him of haersten's fall. "it will not be in the neck of atle's sons alone that leif's ax has struck wounds," screamed orn, with his heavy cutting voice, when he had heard ingolf to the end. "trust me! it is all over with our peace in dalsfjord. even though we have many friends, atle jarl and haasten will in the long run prove too strong for us. make peace with haasten, my son, before it is too late. for old friendship's sake he will be satisfied with taking your property and driving you away from this district. i am too old, i know, to leave dalsfjord myself. but don't you trouble about that. i am full of days, and will die soon. i had a foreboding that leif would cause misfortune. but he is a plucky fellow. and what has happened has happened. let me see him." it had never been the case before that orn had wished to see leif. once the sight of leif had been to him a plague and an unceasing source of annoyance. now he wished to see him. leif was called, and willingly let himself be inspected by orn's red, inflamed, swollen eyes. his spirits were so cheerful that he felt impelled to show himself friendly even towards orn. "your appearance does not answer to your exploits," orn exclaimed. "you are rather slight in body to be a warrior. but, at any rate, i will give you helga since she wants you. take her and marry her, but do it quickly. for i will gladly drink your health at your marriage before i die. and i shall die soon." leif smiled and thanked him and was very friendly. it amused him to think that the permission was really rather superfluous. but that day he did not wish for any trouble. haersten's death made him feel so prosperous and benevolent. ingolf had all day long been meditating. in the evening he asked leif to speak with him in private. "what do you think of sending messengers to haasten and offering him an agreement on terms to be fixed by himself?" he asked quietly. "that seems to me to be unnecessary weakness to submit the matter to haasten's decision alone," answered leif arrogantly. "if he wishes to pay us a call we shall know how to receive him." "you forget, brother," said ingolf calmly, but in a troubled voice, "that only in the utmost extremity can i use weapons against haasten. you have deprived him of both his brothers. even apart from the manner in which it happened it is a great loss for him. i, for my own part, will gladly purchase peace with haasten at the price which he agrees upon." the tone of ingolf's voice moved leif to the heart. "if you, for your part, wish to submit to haasten's decision, i dare say i can consent," he said, in a compliant tone. "hitherto i have not lost by letting you decide matters." ingolf chose the men whom he considered best suited for such a mission, and bade them go to gaulum and offer haasten terms. haasten received ingolf's envoys silently, and without returning their salutations. they had, however, been his companions on a summer viking expedition, and several of them had been his friends. they did not know haasten again. he had aged, and all signs of youthfulness had been obliterated from his face. though his skin was still soft and smooth it was deeply furrowed. his look was cold and solitary. when he had heard the object of their errand, he said in an icy tone: "i will answer some day. meanwhile i offer you shelter and food." haasten let them wait a whole week for an answer. he had a hard battle to fight first with his father and then with himself. atle jarl would at first hear nothing about an agreement. he demanded unconditionally, although coldly and without passion, the lives of the sworn brothers. he blamed haasten for what had happened, because he had at the time refused to follow his advice and offer ingolf and leif blood-brotherhood. haasten did not answer at length. but he did not give up till atle jarl agreed to lay the matter in his hand. when haasten had thus become solely responsible, he had a hard battle to fight with himself. his family instinct demanded blood and not compensation. even multiplied _weregeld_ could not compensate him for the loss of his brothers. but could leif's and ingolf's lives do it either? the fact was that nothing could compensate for the loss of his brothers. but large fines might sustain the outward honour of the family. to bear weapons against ingolf, who had not committed any crime, was in itself unthinkable. besides, haasten remembered his vow to decide impartially if at any time a decision should be demanded from him. when he had at last arrived at unity with himself he bade ingolf's messengers be called, and spoke as follows: "the sworn brothers have desired me to judge between them and myself. my judgment is this. no compensation shall be asked for holmsten because of his unjustified attack on leif. but as compensation for haersten, who went to take righteous vengeance for his brother, and by doing so lost his life at leif's hand, i adjudge to myself all the sworn brothers' real property. before three winters have passed they shall have left all their land and territory and fjords and hills. otherwise they will be treated as outlaws wherever they may be found in the district." the messengers went home and informed the brothers of haasten's sentence. when ingolf had heard it, he said quietly: "that was to be expected." leif, on the other hand, was furious. he never remembered to have heard of such an unreasonable sentence. ingolf bade him take the matter quietly. "the sentence is certainly hard," he said, "but haasten's loss is harder. i would not willingly change my circumstances with his." all bitterness against haasten vanished comparatively quickly from leif's mind. the question, where they should now go and settle, absorbed him, all at once, so completely that he had no thoughts to spare for anything else. leif was glad enough to go and settle in a new country. one day he wished to go to england. another day ireland had suddenly assumed a great attraction for him. the faroe islands, hjaltland, the southern islands--at least once a day in his thoughts he settled in all these. all at once the idea of iceland occurred to him; strange to think that he had not come upon it at once. making a leap in the air, he went there in his own thoughts and settled in a strange land, and so sought ingolf in hot haste. "we will go to iceland!" he shouted in his delight, and was already absorbed, body and soul, in his idea. "there we shall have a whole country to ourselves." "is it not somewhat lonely?" asked ingolf, smiling. leif thought over that, and conceded that in the long run it might be rather lonely. "but you will see many will follow after us. many in norway are discontented with harald, who will not tolerate any will by the side of his own. the best people will follow us thither--people who can no more find complete freedom in this country. harald is already seeking to kill many of the best men. there his arm cannot reach them. sooner or later the land will be colonized; it is said to be fertile. let us be the first. ingolf, do you hear, let us be the first." there was something in leif's plan which attracted ingolf. if he had to depart and find himself a new dwelling, why not seek it in a new country? ingolf the imperturbable felt his heart beat. leif was all fire and flame, and consequently not to be resisted. at last ingolf yielded. "we can journey there in the summer and survey the country," he said. when leif had got ingolf so far, he became wild with joy and dangerous to approach. ingolf had to wrestle with him; there was no getting out of it. a little after they were both lying in the soft snow. when the wrestle was thus over, they began to pile snow on each other, till they had to stop for laughing. the boy was uppermost in each of them. they were happy, and forgot to be troubled and anxious at the loss of their property. blood and life surged through them. they could still fight as in the old days. ix ingolf kept deeply secreted in his heart the image of a young girl. her name was hallveig, and hers was the only woman's look which had ever stirred his soul. her grey eyes lived so vividly in his memory, he could see them before him when he wished. the thought of them made his usually quiet heart quiver. her name was hallveig, and her image was painfully and distinctly impressed on his mind. he had seen her for the first time in the preceding winter when, on one of his trading journeys, he had spent the night at the house of her father, frode. and that first time had hitherto been the only one. he had made the acquaintance of her father, frode, and her brother, lopt, before, at various sacrificial feasts. lopt and himself had much in common. lopt was a quiet and rather reserved man. his whole appearance bore the stamp of the well-to-do yeoman farmer's firmness and self-possession. lopt and ingolf had always felt attracted by each other. they were both strong, high-born men without deceit or flaw in their minds. a mutual consciousness of their inner affinity had from the beginning brought them near each other. thus ingolf came to the house one winter evening and saw lopt's sister. her name was hallveig, and she was only eighteen. she was very serious. ingolf never saw her smile like other young women. already her inner seriousness roused great disquiet in his mind. hallveig did not go about lavishing her smiles. her look was watchful and critical. she looked at people, and had a scale to weigh them by. one became clear about one's value under her look. and her look did not flinch nor change like that of other women when one encountered it. it met one like a man's. it was in some degree a boy's look, thought ingolf. he sat there that evening and could take neither his eyes nor his thoughts from hallveig. lopt and frode often had to repeat their questions to him. the whole of ingolf's listening faculty was turned inward and not outward. he sat by her side and forgot both them and himself. all that he knew was that now and then he cast a furtive glance at hallveig. and yet he sat the whole time and looked at her. it was the first time that ingolf had been in love, and it was of benefit to him. the next day was fixed for his departure, but he did not go. he was travelling with important objects, and it would be very extraordinary if he delayed his journey without special reason. but he remained all the same, and forgot to give himself or others a reason for it. he simply remained because it was impossible for him to go that day. he had a long talk with hallveig, sitting by her side in the morning. a little after (so it seemed) he was surprised to find it already evening. how the day had gone was a puzzle to him. he was lost. ingolf did not find it at all surprising that he found such a good opportunity to talk with hallveig undisturbed. he had neither time to notice nor to reflect upon the fact that lopt and frode had left them alone the whole day. he had no idea that any one could look at him and observe from his behaviour what impression hallveig had made upon him. the whole of that day, which he afterwards did not know what had become of, he sat and talked with hallveig. not once did she smile at him. but there was in her look a charm which surpassed every smile. there was a warmth in her look and a secret confidence which put him at his ease. her nearness filled him with a peculiar quivering consciousness of security. he felt that there was already a deep intimacy between him and this woman whom he did not know and yet knew. the next day ingolf went on his journey. when he gave hallveig his hand at parting their eyes met. the look of both was firm and serious. suddenly hallveig smiled. her eyes became bright with a beaming smile. all at once ingolf perceived that there was something he had forgotten or neglected--something which could not be omitted. he stood there with her hand in his, uneasy and irresolute, quite otherwise than he was accustomed. but he now already held her hand at departure and must go. confused and dissatisfied with himself, and yet at the same time filled with a tremulous happiness, he went away. ingolf did not forget hallveig's solitary smile. he reflected much whether she had ever given any other man her smile, in the same way as she had to him. he did not believe it. but if she had, the man must die. how ingolf passed the year, before he returned to hallveig, he did not know. it was quite unconsciously that he gave the memory of her time to grow and blossom in his soul. all that he knew about it was that every time he had resolved with himself that now he would go to frode's house and visit her, his mind was filled with anxiety and unrest. he found no solid reason for waiting. his longing urged him almost irresistibly to make the journey. he was also quite certain that he ran a risk by postponing it. all the same he waited. at a feast at gaulum the previous autumn he had met lopt. during the three days of the feast they had been inseparable. quite involuntarily they had kept together. once, when the talk had turned on lopt's and frode's affairs, lopt said, smiling: "we cannot get my sister, hallveig, married. she rejects all suitors." as lopt spoke, ingolf's heart began to beat violently and joyfully. the day seemed to expand around him and become beautiful. the colours of the heavens and earth crowded at once upon his sight. the air itself became fresh and reviving. he found no answer to make to lopt's remark, and therefore pretended not to have heard him. soon afterwards he began to talk of something else. but he did not succeed in deceiving lopt, who, when alone, smiled to himself. soon after ingolf's meeting with lopt, leif returned from his viking expedition. ingolf had enough to do, and was for a time cut off from all possibility of travelling. but when the agreement with haasten was settled, and the journey to iceland to look for a residence determined on, it became at once as impossible for ingolf to postpone the decisive interview with hallveig as it had been for him before to resolve on a visit. ingolf, according to his custom, first spoke with his father on the subject. orn was highly pleased, and declared himself in every way satisfied with his choice. "frode," he said, "is rich and well-born. it is time that you settled in life. leif and you can celebrate your marriage in the autumn. you should not put off the journey for a day. you can go, my son." ingolf went to leif and asked for his companionship on a journey without disclosing further the object or the direction of it. leif needed no pressing. he was always ready for a journey, he did not care where. if ingolf did not reveal to him his object and the place whither he was bound, it was because he had good reasons for concealing it. the brothers left home with a select but not very numerous retinue. leif received a strong impression that this mysterious journey was of great importance. could it possibly be a wooing expedition? leif studied ingolf closely, and came to the conclusion that it was. it amused him to guess whom ingolf had pitched upon. he could not make out. in that respect he knew nothing of ingolf. had ingolf really fallen in love dumbly and silently? leif could not picture ingolf to himself as an enamoured suitor. in secret he was immensely amused at his brother's seriousness and taciturnity. but he showed great caution in his behaviour towards him. he observed that a great deal was at stake for ingolf. he surmised that his quiet demeanour was not so genuine as it usually was. when one evening they reached frode's house, leif did not guess that they had already arrived at their journey's end. but as soon as he saw hallveig, he knew; and he was immediately filled with a warm and brotherly affection for her. when hallveig heard that ingolf had come, she at once knew the reason. she put on her finest dress, and displayed her most valuable ornaments. any one might think what they would; for her it was a festal day. in this attire she went to meet ingolf. quietly and seriously she returned his greeting. her whole manner told ingolf that he was expected. one evening she led ingolf to her room. the next day ingolf spoke with lopt and frode, and asked hallveig in marriage. frode gave him his daughter gladly. lopt said that there was no one he would prefer as a brother-in-law. they quickly settled all the conditions. the sworn brothers' loss of their property was not mentioned at the time. hallveig was summoned and questioned. willingly and with deep earnestness she gave her mind to the matter. when, later on, she was alone with ingolf, she wept and kissed him fervently. ingolf was a constant surprise to her. afterwards she smiled at him through her tears. there was a peculiar power and a complete abandonment in all her caresses. ingolf felt beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was completely his, and for the whole of life. and her demeanour showed just as certainly that she was happy. frode and lopt celebrated the betrothal by a great feast. ingolf and leif remained a whole week in the house. when they left, the wedding was fixed for about three weeks later. in accordance with ingolf's wish it was to take place in orn's house, since his father felt too old to travel. ingolf and hallveig were agreed on having the shortest possible interval before their marriage. they did not wish to wait a day longer than necessary, now that they at last had each other. they found it almost impossible to separate, though it was only for three weeks. they could not comprehend how they had hitherto been able to live without each other. ingolf felt now that the two years which had passed since he saw hallveig for the first time were as though lost for him. yes, his whole youth seemed as though lost for him since he had not met hallveig before. never had ingolf before reflected how short life really was. he had not measured it with love's measuring-rod. x orn was peculiarly restless during the first days after ingolf's departure. he became gradually alarmed, though he had considered it the wisest course to conceal his alarm from his son, lest frode should perhaps make difficulties, now that the agreement with haasten had deprived ingolf of all his real property. it was quite clear to orn that it was on this point the prestige of his family would be tested. if frode did not refuse to give his daughter in marriage to a man who had been judicially deprived of all his landed property, it was because the man was ingolf, orn's son. as the days passed, and it became evident that the brothers, at any rate, were not returning at once, orn became quieter, and with every succeeding day his calm increased. the continued absence of the brothers could be only due to their having succeeded in their object. orn and rodmar celebrated this by a justifiable drinking bout. before the fumes of their intoxication had quite passed off, ingolf and leif returned home, having, as was apparent, quite succeeded in their object. orn and rodmar went on drinking to celebrate the good news. then orn went to bed and slept for a night and half the following day. when he had had his sleep out, he began to arrange everything for the double marriage which was imminent. he also wished to have a hand in the preparations for the feast. he let all and each know that since the gods had been so kind as to allow him to celebrate both his children's weddings, and that at the same time, there should be a feast which should be known far and wide and be long remembered. he had the temple, together with every house and every cottage on the estate, swept from roof to floor, and all the woodwork cleaned. he himself selected the cattle and the swine which should be fattened for the feast. he tasted the liquors brewed, measured out the meal and the corn, and was everywhere. rodmar was homeless in all this disquiet. he tried his old device of going to bed and keeping himself to himself in his darkness. he counted the days and was morose. about three weeks were to be occupied with preparations for the wedding, and then a week with the festivities themselves. rodmar drained his drinking-horn deep. the future looked very empty to him. orn sent leif and ingolf out to invite people to the feast. they spent many days in travelling from house to house. orn questioned them every evening as to where they had been, and made plans for the next day. he was indefatigable. a peculiar excitement, which he did not remember to have felt before a festival since his early youth, deprived him of his appetite for food, and partly also of his tendency to drink. he was about from early morning to late in the evening. all the same, it was difficult for him to sleep at night. helga sat in her room and sewed at her bridal dress. every hour of leisure which leif found he spent there with her. he was considerate towards helga, and avoided disturbing her with talk or caresses. he could stand for hours together and watch her, as she sat and sewed, eager and absorbed, with busy hands and hot cheeks. leif was very happy at that time. but as soon as he had not helga before his eyes, he could not realize that in a few days they should be man and wife, and had to go in again and watch her sewing the bridal dress. orn had the banqueting hall draped with costly tapestry, and shields hung up. at last the day dawned. and the same day spring made its entry with southern winds and genial temperature. already from the early morning guests began to assemble at the house. somewhat before noon came frode with his daughter and son and a splendid retinue. then the wedding could begin. with eight days' unbroken festivities the marriage bonds between ingolf and hallveig, helga and leif, were sealed. frode showed great gladness at the connection, and celebrated his daughter's marriage with all the customary sports and pageants. orn only celebrated his son's with sacrificial feasts, with, as became a host, the usual meals and drinking bouts. the meals were many and luxurious, and the drinking bouts were long. quantities of mead and wine were drunk, and many swine and oxen eaten, besides game and other food common at festivals. once more orn was able to sit in stately fashion in the high-seat and preside over a feast. during the days of this festival frode shared the high-seat with him. they knew each other well by the wounds received in their youth and manhood. many cheerful memories were revived, and they shared in great friendliness their drink and the high-seat. orn had become an old man. age had bent his back, made his face puffy, and dulled his hearing. nevertheless, he wore an air of dignity on such an occasion. the chieftain was uppermost in him, and his natural courage blazed up in one last victorious flame. ingolf had rather feared that his father would not be equal to preserving his dignified bearing through such a trying festival, but his fear proved groundless. orn rallied all his powers and held out. he took part in every meal. he emptied his drinking-horn at every health. he sat as host in the high-seat, and still on the last day of the feast his spirits were unequalled, his thinking power unaffected. he held out till the last guest had left the place. then the spring had already done its work. the snow had gone. everywhere one caught glimpses of the first signs of summer's approaching splendour. the next day orn lay dead in his bed. his right hand clasped the knife with which he had just succeeded in cutting the sign of the hammer on his breast. he had secured his seat in valhalla. thus died orn. his death did not especially surprise ingolf or any one else. age and debility had during the last years handled him roughly. in spite of all, he had been a chieftain to the end. xi it was very still in the house after orn's death. his harsh, irascible voice was suddenly lost in a great silence. and this silence was doubly impressive just after the concluded festivities. ingolf at once set his people to brew drink, slaughter animals, and prepare for the funeral feast. orn should begin his last journey with all suitable honour. but this time the work was done without the noise which usually attended preparations of that kind. in ingolf's soul there remained a special sense of bereavement. he had always shown his father reverence; now he realized that he had also been very fond of him. ingolf selected with care a spot down by the fjord where a funeral barrow would look well in the landscape. he caused a little natural hollow to be filled with potter's clay; then had one of his smaller dragon-ships rolled on logs thither and fixed on the bed of clay with its bow turned towards the south. orn's journey should be towards the south and the sun. when the ship was settled in its place and shored up, ingolf traced a wide circle round it. orn perhaps was the last of the race who should rest in the soil of his fatherland, therefore his funeral barrow should be a notable landmark. ingolf collected a large number of workmen from his own and leif's estate, and set them to work at erecting the barrow. it was to be done quickly. for nothing is quite sure for a dead man till he rests in earth under the sign of the hammer. ingolf sent messengers round to invite all those in the district and many distant friends and relatives to the funeral feast at a few days' notice. he and leif superintended the work at the barrow, and it went forward rapidly. the voracious earth was not to be allowed to devour orn's ship, therefore stones were fixed everywhere between the earth and the woodwork. outside it were piled gravel, earth, and turf. amidships, round the mast, which was hoisted as though for sailing and so that the roof of the barrow might form an arch over it, was the burial chamber, as broad as the ship and two fathoms in length, timbered with thick oak-beams. it was to resist the pressure both of the stones and the earth: there should orn lie, warm and comfortable, ready for his journey. all was arranged with a view to a journey by land and by water. in the stern of the ship were stored up all possible articles which could be of use in cooking. there were iron cauldrons of various sizes, with the iron claws belonging to them and swivels for hanging them up on; a large barrel for the supply of the ship's drinking water, together with other larger and small oaken barrels with hoops of tough kinds of wood; different vessels with and without lids, together with wooden dishes, some in the shape of fishes; pails with handles of iron and bands of bronze or wood; scoops of iron and of wood; knives; a stone hand-mill and a stick to turn it with; a frying-pan; a three-legged kitchen-stool; axes; and many other articles. some of the wooden ones were splendidly carved, and on others many-coloured designs were painted. in the stern was also the ship's anchor. the rudder was, of course, fixed in its place. ingolf further furnished the ship with all that was necessary: cordage, sails, oars, tent-cloths and poles, hooks, oar-forks, and other articles for a voyage. a landing-plank was not forgotten. in the fore-part of the ship he placed a carved and fully equipped sledge, with the harness and bearskin bags belonging to it. thither he had also brought a painted and carved carriage, with a driving-seat and harness. orn's saddle was brought on board, together with bridle and reins, and all things needed for a horse. orn should never be in difficulties regarding his land-journey. ingolf had many things brought into the burial chamber. he filled several boxes with useful articles belonging to a chieftain's equipment and placed them in it. a bed and bedding were brought in, and he gave his father costly coverlets for the journey. he did not forget to supply a comb, so that his father might arrange his hair and beard when he presented himself before the ases. he gave him also rings, ornaments, and other valuables, so that all should at once know whom they had before them. moreover, he provided him with thunder-stones, small thor-hammers, and other sacred articles for his protection on the journey, together with a money-box to defray the possible expenses. orn should certainly not want coin. ingolf also had several barrels of wine and meat brought to the burial chamber, together with costly drinking-horns to drink from and to proffer. an ox and a swine and many other animals had already been selected for slaughter. orn should suffer neither hunger nor thirst on his long journey. when all these things had been arranged, and the barrow was already partially erected so that there was only a wide passage to the burial chamber, and all that remained was to pile stones and earth over the ship, the day came which was fixed for the funeral feast and committal to the barrow. a swarm of people had collected to do the last honours to orn. ingolf himself conducted the ceremonies, both at the temple and at the barrow. he had inherited the office of priest of the district from his father, and now himself discharged the priestly functions. with the sign of the hammer he consecrated his father for the last journey. stretched on a bier, clad in his splendid garments, orn left his house for the last time. a golden-winged helmet crowned his white hair. a sword gleamed by his side. a shield painted in many colours covered his breast. equipped for a chieftain's journey, orn was carried to his burial chamber. the serf who was selected and already consecrated to follow him, for it was not fitting that orn should journey quite alone, stood ready, and only waited for the knife, with which he was to stab himself, to be given him. then came rodmar, who in these busy and restless days had been forgotten by all, tottering on two sticks hither from the house, led by two of his men and followed by another man carrying a chair. he was not dressed as a chieftain. looking untidy, as he had just got out of bed, in clothes which he had not changed for a long time, and with his grey locks floating freely in the wind, came rodmar, staring stiffly and blankly with his blind eyes. rodmar had had a bad time in his darkness and loneliness since orn's death. he had hoped that death would come and fetch him before the barrow over orn had been finished. he would so gladly share the barrow with him, and follow him on his journey. it was impossible to remain behind now that his only friend had departed. the solitude became intense and oppressive around him, and the pain of his darkness was doubled. at last he took the resolve to follow his elder kinsman in death, as he had always followed him in life. rodmar crawled over the gunwale on his crooked legs and groped his way forward to the opening of the burial chamber. then he turned and spoke to the air. "is there wine on board?" he asked in an impatient and peremptory tone. leif sprang on board and led his father from barrel to barrel so that he could feel them with his own hands. rodmar shook the barrels to see whether they were full, and sniffed them distrustfully. he chose one of them, and demanded to have one hoop knocked off. this was done. afterwards he asked that the tool for opening it should remain with him and be close to his hand. he was also allowed to retain the tool. his seat was fixed in its place, and rodmar sat down with a long sigh of relief, as it were. on one side of him he had an open barrel of red wine, on the other a horn filled to the brim, standing on a little table, which had been quickly brought to the place. rodmar borrowed leif's sword, and, baring his breast with fumbling fingers, cut on it with his own hand the sign of the hammer. then he said farewell to ingolf and the others standing round, and in a slightly morose and curt tone gave leif his last blessing. then the opening to the burial chamber was closed up. rodmar sat, as long as they could see him, motionless on his chair. he had secured orn's society for ever. he was prepared for anything that might come. a man should be able both to live and die with a light heart. he had drink for the journey, and there is also wine in valhalla. ingolf killed with his own hand an ox that was laid on an oak-plank by the side of the kitchen utensils. its mouth was held open with a wooden gag and turned towards the south. he also slew with his own hand four horses, two dogs, and a swine. the swine was laid by the side of the box; the other animals were taken to the fore-part of the ship. the serf who was to have accompanied orn was now spared, as orn had better company. stones were heaped over the ship and all its contents, and then the barrow was hastily filled up. this closed the funeral ceremonies. orn and rodmar had departed to odin. xii it soon became evident to ingolf that on that spring day he had not buried orn only. he had also interred with his father his home-feeling, his peace and confidence in this region of his childhood and youth. already, when on the first morning after the burial he stepped out of the house and saw his father's mighty barrow lift its dome in the landscape, it struck him all at once that the district had assumed an alien aspect. the confidence in the contours and colours, which has its root in the child's free look and strong, unconscious sense of belonging to the spot where he has grown up, was gone. the landscape had suddenly lost its light in his eyes. he felt thrust out and lonely. it was not here that he should live his life. hitherto it had not been really clear to him what a profound change his life would undergo because of haasten's sentence. the fact that he was now homeless had, as it were, not yet broken on him in its full extent. now he saw suddenly what haasten's sentence really implied--a complete alteration of his whole life. first, years perhaps must be spent in search and insecurity. and then a battle for life and death with inner and outer powers, in order to gain home-feeling and home-rights in a foreign land. ingolf felt from his own experience that the race which has not its own soil to grow in is doomed to misfortune and ruin. the possession of land stamps the race. the man who could be sentenced to lose his possessions was exiled from the earth--this was what ingolf felt now. such a man must gain earth's favour anew by his honest will to live in peace on earth's fruits. ingolf's hitherto unconscious instinct of opposition to force of all kinds was now suddenly revealed to him. that which had now happened to him was not undeserved, even if the blame for the outer cause of the misfortune could not be imputed either to him or to leif. he had continued to ravage foreign lands and to pillage people with whom he had not the least quarrel. from a kind of secret cowardice he had suppressed the unwillingness he had felt in doing so, as unworthy of a man and a viking. but now he saw that law and right extend beyond the borders of one's own country. they are valid wherever there is land and sea. the man who aims at living by force and pillage, not only sins against the law which he carries within him, but also against the earth--the sacred earth, which by the grace of the gods is so luxuriant and fruitful that every year it is ready to fill the peaceful barns. as long as the ases had still reigned undisputed there was peace in their dwellings. the ases had been driven to conflict and war by the dark powers who were responsible for all disturbance. thus all disturbance and violence came from the evil power. ingolf vowed to himself that from that day he would never lift a weapon against any man except to protect his own and his family's life and property. that resolve somewhat soothed the disquiet and restlessness which had seized him when he became conscious of his homelessness, and suddenly felt himself exiled from the kindness of the earth. the bright ases would still grant his family a home and prosperity when they saw his honest purpose and clean struggle. the earth would yet take him into favour again when he no longer defiled it with blood and violence, would fulfill his most sacred, yes, his only wish, that his family-tree might be leafy and strong-stemmed. since fate had granted him hallveig as a wife, it could scarcely intend to exclude him from the earth. ingolf thought much of the far and foreign land away in the west which he was to travel to. was it there that his family's cradle for the future should be? was it there that the pillars of his high-seat should consecrate the earth for him? he dared not believe it yet. neither did he dare to go to the gods and ask them. he himself had to seek his future home. he must win again what had been lost here by his own fault. he wished to commit himself to the power of the sky and sea without first seeking instruction from the gods. he would match his own strength and will against storm and sea as a pledge and sign. he would not beg; he would gain by fighting the favour of fate and of the gods. now that his father was dead, he was himself the eldest and chief of the family. the responsibility for the honour of the dead, and the honour and prosperity of the unborn, rested principally on him. for now he alone wore the family bracelet, and now the high-seat was also his. book iii i ingolf and leif equipped themselves in great haste for their journey to seek the land which raven-floke had last visited, and which he had given the name of iceland. they wished to be there as early in the year as possible, in order to be the better able to explore the distant and unknown island. therefore there was no time to be lost. the first thing they did was to acquire a trading vessel, a strong sea-ship, in exchange for two of their smallest ships, which, in all probability, they would not want to use again. a trading vessel was just what they now needed. in the conflict they were proceeding to, there was no use for small, light battleships. their new vessel was certainly neither little nor light. it was a regular ox to look at. high and broad, clumsy and solid, it lay, and the movements of the water only made it rock sluggishly. by the side of the long, slim, low-decked dragon-ships, it was seen to great disadvantage. leif laughed at it, called it his rock and his old woman's boat, said that it had a stomach like an old cow, and expressed his fixed opinion that it certainly cherished secret designs of going to the bottom at the first opportunity. but leif did it great injustice. the vessel was good enough for its purpose, even if it was a little slow in turning and no beauty to look at. it had a half-deck at prow and stern and a small side-deck along the gunwales. the rest of it was one large hold, in the midst of which towered a great, solid, strongly supported mast. it was exclusively built for the purpose of long trade-journeys, and therefore quite excellently suited for such an expedition in which the chief object was to convey as much as possible. there were but a few banks of oars fore and aft; one might as well try to row a rock over the sea. it was not adapted to be propelled by slender oars. the oars were only there to turn it and to facilitate going on shore. it was to sail, not to be rowed. therefore it was entirely dependent on wind and weather. but, on the other hand, it took the wind and weather with a composure and immovability which came near to justifying its nickname of a "rock." it only had one enemy--lack of wind. it certainly did not dance on the billows like a dragon-ship. it was too contemptuous of the unstable element around it, whose humours it only yielded to when compelled, and then as little as possible. it entered into no brotherly alliance with the wind. _that_ it took into its service and allowed to further its object. such was the new ship, inspiring confidence in a high degree and independent, both in form and behaviour--free from all kinds of levity. storm and sea were its--certainly often somewhat wayward--servants, but not its masters. hallveig took an eager part in the loading of the vessel and in all preparations for the journey, and showed ingolf in numberless little ways that she had no intention of remaining at home. when ingolf was aware of it, it seemed to him that he had all along known that hallveig was like that. and yet it gave his happiness an increased fullness and weight. without inquiries of any kind, with a silent agreement, as though it were a matter of course, hallveig prepared to follow him always and everywhere, to belong to him and to be near him. for helga, who already went about with a hidden foreboding of coming separation in her mind, the spring suddenly became really spring when she saw hallveig's preparations. if hallveig could travel with them, so could she. of herself, helga would never have hit upon so bold an idea, though not from want of courage. her courage and readiness to sacrifice herself where leif was concerned were boundless. her backwardness was from an inherited fear of causing trouble and being inconvenient, and a deep anxiety not to displease leif in any thing great or small. helga wept for gladness when it was decided that she should also go with them. she did not often weep in the sight of others. her weeping made leif quiet and thoughtful. he guessed that he often, for the most part through thoughtlessness, caused helga grief which she did not show. for some time his tenderness towards her knew no bounds, and helga was happier than she had been for a long time. hallveig and helga had been at first somewhat shy of each other. helga was in her own way independent enough. she certainly had a will, and knew in every case what she wanted. but hallveig's whole resolute way of behaving and acting alarmed her a little. it took her some time to understand that hallveig was far from being inconsiderate and selfish, that, on the contrary, she had a recklessness and warmth in her devotion which was apparent in each of her words and deeds in such a decisive way that to superficial observation it might look like want of consideration and self-will. yes, in her devotion hallveig was certainly reckless. every one could easily see that she loved ingolf and belonged to him with body and soul. the quiet and apparently cold hallveig displayed a peculiar latent warmth and energy in all that she undertook. she did not lavish smiles and caresses; that was not her nature. no one had heard her speak tenderly or lovingly to ingolf. but out of all her actions shone love and tender solicitude. an invisible fire burned around the apparently cold-natured woman. when helga first became convinced that she had at the beginning mistaken her sister-in-law and done her injustice in her heart, a specially warm devotion for hallveig broke forth in her soul. and from the moment that hallveig saw that the reserve helga had hitherto displayed towards her had been a veil she had covered herself with in the presence of a stranger, she embraced her also with the latent warmth of her nature. hallveig showed helga that outside the house also a woman may be a benefit and do good service. even when it was a question of loading a ship for a long journey there were many things a woman could help and participate in. hallveig, who was never at ease when ingolf was occupied with the ship, from this time always took helga with her when she went down to it. she had an amusing way of walking, helga thought. she took long, resolute, manly strides, and her legs were obviously legs under her skirts. helga found it difficult to follow her when she was in a hurry, as she almost always unconsciously was. hallveig examined even the smallest details that concerned the loading of the ship, with her husband and leif, and did so in a matter-of-course tone which aroused helga's astonishment and admiration. in everything she said, hallveig showed her practical sense. she did not hesitate either to give help where it was needed. her help and advice were gladly welcomed. her advice was advice and not child's prattle. it was nearly always followed. hallveig had a peculiar rapid way of surveying matters. this was the best place for this, and for that. she demanded that everything which might be needed on the voyage should be as easily accessible as possible. ingolf and leif had never given a thought to that. they only thought of packing things so that they fitted in, took the least possible room, and were so distributed according to weight and size that the ship might lie on the water as level as possible. now hallveig showed them that with a little reflection all these objects might be excellently combined. hallveig's and helga's presence and hearty participation in the work--for helga also quickly began to use both eyes and hands--put ingolf and leif in high spirits, which helped them over many difficulties and trifling annoyances. the vessel was loaded amid much merriment. corn in chests, dried fish in great bundles, butter in small barrels, and boxes of dried flesh and salt meat, beer and wine in barrels--a whole year's provision of food and drink--were brought on board and packed carefully in the great hold. but the vessel's stomach had to find space for much more. small compartments had to be made for the animals which were to be taken with them. a cow and a pair of goats; they could not be entirely without milk. there was also an ox to be slaughtered, and a bull-calf to be company for the cow through the winter and grow large and fat and ready to be slaughtered in the spring. a sow with small pigs was also useful to have with them, together with some sheep, and a couple of horses were simply indispensable. and, at any rate, there was room for a hut for hallveig and helga. the hut was hallveig's idea. she did not wish only to be with them; she wished to live on board and to be comfortable. leif jumped like a boy with delight when hallveig put forward her proposal about the hut. from that day not even the smallest thing seemed to him quite right till hallveig had expressed her satisfaction with it. he would rather have hallveig's help in counsel and action than that of most men, he declared decisively. and he was absolutely resolved to teach her to swing an ax and to hurl a spear. hallveig did not often laugh, but she had to laugh sometimes at leif. there was the same completeness and power in hallveig's laughter as in all the rest of her character and behaviour. when hallveig laughed, there was something to laugh at. she could never be imagined laughing at any one or anything she did not like. so these spring days passed. liveliness and activity reigned everywhere. this journey to a foreign land, which at the beginning seemed so difficult to carry into effect, so improbable and unrealizable, became through all these preparations imminent and a matter of course for all those who took part in it. here ingolf now stood in the smithy and forged scythes to cut grass in a land which he had never seen and really only heard a tale about. who was naddod the viking? who was gardar svavarsson? who was raven-floke? or thorolf smor? could one be sure they had not imagined that land over there? or that others had imagined _them_ and the whole affair? one might be foolish to believe it, but he was going to get a sight of it. and while ingolf forged scythes to cut grass in that legendary land of the west, and made spades to dig in its soil, that fact became firmly fixed in his mind. in spite of all doubt, the land lay and actually existed over there in the sea. and, in fact, it became more than real to him. it lay there and spoke secretly to his soul; it waited for him almost like a friend. and thus it seemed at last to have a claim on him, which he could not disregard. for the land lay there and expected to be taken in possession, as is the right of every land. such and similar thoughts filled ingolf. and yet he did not guess that while he stood there in his smithy and forged scythes and prepared implements with which to till the new land's soil, the land took _him_ in possession by help of the secret power a land possesses--never again to let him go. ingolf and leif had to prepare themselves to build winter dwellings and to store hay for their animals, therefore they took implements with them, without considering what power the earth and implements together have over a man's soul. they did not guess that only homeless men wander their free ways, which are no ways, or rather that secret earth-powers guide all other steps. ingolf and leif provided themselves with fishing-gear and nets for catching birds. they also took a pair of boats. when the boat was loaded and everything else was in order for the journey, ingolf concluded his preparations with a great sacrificial feast, at which he made abundant offerings to the gods, in order that they should grant him and his fellow-travellers good fortune and happiness on the voyage. nevertheless, the days went by without the commencement of the hoped-for sailing weather. these days of waiting were hard for leif to bear. he became morose. any kind of waiting was the worst thing leif knew. it made his hasty and adventurous spirit full of discontent. he cursed the vessel, called it a wretched old woman's bath, and invented even worse names for it. ingolf took the matter quietly. certainly he had already made his offerings to the gods, and copiously. but it was a special voyage they were to make--the gods were to protect them, and on wide and strange ways. he therefore brought fresh offerings, and also secretly gave odin and njord private gifts, besides vowing yet greater ones if they would prosper his journey there and back and on the way. this expedient helped. there came a day with splendid sailing weather--a sunshiny day full of light and warm wind. before midday all was ready--the animals brought on board, the crew in their places (ingolf and leif took only the smallest possible crew with them), and the vessel cleared for sailing. under a heavily bellying sail it glided out between the skerries. hallveig and helga stood on the poop by their husbands and watched the shores glide past on either side. hallveig was quiet in mind, and felt only glad at the fine day and the journey. sea and land were all the same to her, if only she had ingolf. here they were sailing out to find a new land, to seek a new home. she was ready with all her soul to remain fixed in the spot on the earth which ingolf might choose for them, no matter where it might be. but with helga it was otherwise. she was calm and quiet enough, but her calm was, as so often on other occasions, only outward. the strong scent of the pines from the spruce- and fir-clad islands they were sailing by, roused a profound longing in her soul. this was the place where she was at home. there in the house down there by the shore, which seen from the fjord here looked so strange. there seemed to be a sob in helga's soul. she, the faithful, had only one home. she did not at all wish to turn or to remain behind, for she stood here by leif's side. but she felt as though her heart were being split asunder and her soul divided. for this place which she now left, to return to it next spring only for a time, had shared with her happiness and solitude. there was hardly a stone in the house which she had not patted with her hand and made her confidant in joy or sorrow. she was bound to the house and the surroundings of her childhood with ties which could not be loosed or cut asunder. she knew with certainty that she would always feel strange and homeless outside dalsfjord. she reproached herself for this feeling--for she had leif--but she could not overcome it. all she could do was to vow to herself never to betray it. thus helga took a secret with the scent of the pine trees from the islands. ii ingolf and leif sailed by the guidance of the sun and the stars, and steered directly westward. for the first two days and nights a steady east wind filled the square sail and carried them steadily forwards. there were high spirits and much excited expectation on board. indeed, it seemed as though the wind had been sent by odin with the sole purpose of furthering their journey. but just as they had settled down in confidence that they were under the god's special protection the weather began to shift and change. now it seemed, for the most part, as if one or another of the divinities had set himself fiercely against them, or as if odin had suddenly become busy elsewhere. the wind took the wrong direction, and seemed uninterruptedly occupied in settling private accounts with the towering waves of the sea. in the course of two days and nights it had gone several times round the horizon and varied through all degrees of strength from a moderate calm to what vikings would mildly call a storm. and then all of a sudden it disappeared. they looked longingly for it--east, west, south, and north--for though they had cursed its vagaries heartily enough, it was still preferable to a dead calm. but it was absent, and remained absent. unreliable as it had always been, it had gone off to other regions, and left them alone here in the midst of the sea. there lay the vessel, pitching lazily, and making no way at all. where they were no one knew, and there was nothing to show them. whither the wind had carried them, while it was still with them and blew alternately from all points of the compass, they could not find out. the sun and stars had only rarely been visible. the spirits of all on board were rapidly sinking. matters were not improved when, after several days and nights of calm, there came gliding a cunning, silent bank of fog and swallowed them up, blotted them out from the eyes of heaven, swept all sight of sea and sky out of the world, and left the vessel lying, rocking lonelily, forgotten by all good powers on a strange sea. there they lay while the days came and went--grey days which could only make marks on ingolf's time-stick. for even though ingolf was displeased enough with these days he kept a steady count of them, marked each of them off on his stick with the little notch that was their due, and, for the rest, execrated them in silence. leif had given up all hope now; morose and aggrieved, he surrendered himself to the power of chance. he sat most of the days on the gunwale with his legs dangling outside, singing from sheer despair. only now and then he interrupted his song to hurl a violent succession of sanguinary curses in a penetrating, angry voice into the damp, foggy air. with every day that passed, ingolf became more silent and introspective. what was the obstacle in their way? were the gods so much opposed to this journey that they were absolutely determined to prevent it? he did not like being questioned regarding the number of days he had marked off. the days were quite bad enough without making them more by talking about them. and at last he flatly refused to answer questions regarding the number of the days. for long periods he would sit silent looking at his stick, forgetting to mark the days, with his mind full of inward longing and powerful exorcisms. he heard that the crew were talking about drawing lots for a sacrifice. ingolf was not narrow-minded. but he remembered the offerings which before his journey he had made to odin, as well as the vows he had made of further offerings if the journey prospered. odin had often fulfilled his wishes for less sacrifices than those. he really did not understand what was the matter with odin this time. hallveig and helga were the only ones on board who, to some extent, kept up their spirits. to hallveig it seemed quite natural; they were very well off, and the fog and the calm must some time come to an end. every morning she awoke with the firm conviction that that day the fog would lift. helga, on the other hand, had to pull herself together, in order not to be infected by the depression of the rest. yet she was accustomed to do this, and on this occasion she had, besides, hallveig's good-humour to support her. but their good temper seemed almost to put the crew into a still worse humour. even ingolf--not to speak of leif--could sometimes be impatient at their unconcern. and one day, in answer to a cheerful remark of hallveig's, he very curtly drew her attention to the fact that the water-casks were seriously near becoming empty. hallveig looked at him steadily and a little astonished. ingolf had never before seen that look in her eyes. she went to her hut without saying anything more. ingolf looked round for helga. she stood by the gunwale, playing with leif's hair. when ingolf had thus ascertained that hallveig was alone in the hut, he followed her into it. hallveig was sitting and looking before her when he came. she did not meet his glance as usual, but remained sitting and staring into space with a troubled expression on her serious face. ingolf stopped before her and laid his hand on her shoulder. then hallveig looked up at him. "it can do no good to give up," she said seriously; "that will not make things better. have you not noticed how the men follow you with their eyes, and are disturbed by your looks? there is nothing left us, ingolf, but to take things as they come. the fog may lift some time. and since it has not rained for a long time, it may soon rain, so that we can again have the water-casks filled. and we have also beer and wine on board, so that we can get along for some time." "what makes me uneasy," answered ingolf, "is that we seem to be pursued by misfortune, and that i don't know at all where we are. it might almost seem as if the gods had forgotten us, or as if we had fallen under their displeasure. if the fog and the calm continue, and there is no rain for some time, it will soon be all over with us. you and helga ought never to have been taken with us on this journey. i have also heard that the crew are beginning to talk among themselves of casting lots. perhaps a sacrifice will be necessary." hallveig was silent for a long time. at last she sighed deeply and said: "i have never been able properly to understand how the gods can desire human sacrifices. perhaps, however, i would have agreed on this occasion if i was quite sure that the lot would not fall on you. but i cannot rely on the gods so absolutely. let us rather wait awhile, ingolf." ingolf left her with the firm resolve henceforth to alter his outward demeanour. he saw that the first and foremost thing was his duty and obligation to exhibit to the crew a calm and untroubled face, be the outlook never so hopeless. the first man he met he greeted with a cheerful remark, and after that day he was altogether more lively and communicative. when the crew saw what an alteration had taken place in ingolf, they thought in themselves that he must in some way or another have received a token from the gods. their desire for a sacrifice and drawing of lots ceased. ingolf's altered demeanour inspired them with hope and courage. but the days went on, and one day the supply of drinking water ran out. during the night following the day when the last scoop of water had been equally divided among all on board, ingolf did not sleep. and he could easily see that hallveig lay awake by his side. but they did not talk. ingolf was more and more convinced that the gods had for ever withdrawn their favour from him. perhaps it was their intention to let him miserably perish here at sea. would they not even grant him to die on land? could they not even spare a place for a funeral mound for him and his? ingolf reproached himself severely that he had involved hallveig in his own and his race's ill-luck. towards morning they began at last to talk together in a whisper. ingolf opened his whole mind to hallveig, and confided to her his most secret thoughts and anxieties. hallveig said that she had married him because she intended to share his fortunes whether they were good or bad. she feared neither life, nor death, nor the displeasure of the gods, if only she had him. while they were still lying there and whispering together, leif stood suddenly in the doorway and shouted. he had kept watch during the night, and had good news to tell. the fog was gone and the wind was gradually rising. he had given orders to hoist the sail, and now only wished to ask whither they should sail, for he did not know. the sky was overclouded all the time, and the sun could not be seen. would ingolf come and see if _he_, perhaps, could scent out the right direction? ingolf was on his legs in an instant. all anxiety and trouble was blown away from his soul by the first puff of wind. he took counsel with his deepest instincts, and found a direction to sail in. the wind was rather slack at first, but then it had got out of the habit of blowing. in the course of the day it freshened to splendid sailing weather. there were birds on the water; they must be near some land. towards evening they caught a glimpse of a dark streak ahead, which showed distinctly against the fog-banks on the horizon. there rose a shout on board: "land in sight!" then helga wept. no one was astonished at it. some of the men also felt a flutter at their hearts this time on sighting land again. but hallveig stood quiet and undisturbed, staring at the dark streak ahead. what sort of land was it? were they already there? that night no one thought of seeking sleep or rest. early in the morning they were among some precipitous green islands which were divided by narrow straits with strong currents. from the vessel they could here and there catch sight of smoke from houses and huts. this, then, was an inhabited land, and not the one they sought. one of the old men on board had been here before, and was able to inform them that these were the faroe isles. that reassured ingolf; it meant they had not come out of their course. there was great joy on board. here they could go on shore, feel firm ground under their feet, and provide themselves with water. there were some among the crew who ventured to hint that the voyage had lasted long enough, but a look from ingolf was enough to reduce them to silence. all depression and doubt had been swept out of his mind along with the fog. the brothers now had all tubs, buckets, together with the empty barrels and casks which were on board, filled with water from a spring on the coast. when that had been seen to, they were so fortunate as to get good weather with a stiff breeze. it was again possible to sail by the sun and stars, straight to the west. they left the faroe isles astern and made for the open sea. the weather remained fine, with a light breeze blowing. the wind was certainly somewhat capricious both as regards force and direction. but it blew all the time, and that was what was needed. only seldom could the vessel hold on a straight course; they were obliged to tack, and so the way became somewhat uncertain. still they made progress. on the seventh day after leaving the faroes they at last sighted land. a large and wide-stretching land, crowned by white glaciers behind blue mountains, and land with broad, open fjords and bright streams which wound down green mountain-sides, rose from the sea before their wondering eyes. this must be the land they sought. here then it lay, solitary and uninhabited, far away in the uttermost part of the sea. it lay silent and patient, expecting them. the land greeted them with sunshine and summer and blue mountains. majestic it lay there, with skyward towering promontories and broad mouths of fjords which, like open arms, offered them a royal welcome. no other land had ever received them with such a festal and solemn greeting as this gave them. a strange silence spread on board the vessel. it was early in the morning that they sailed into a fjord full of swans. the blue surface of the fjord was completely covered with these white birds, which, with proudly lifted necks and in great flocks, swam to one side as the ship glided on. many other birds swam among them--variegated eider-ducks and handsome water-fowl. but one did not notice them because of the white swans. hallveig named the fjord svanefjord. the brothers had chosen this fjord because it was protected by a little group of islands which might make it more secure as a winter haven than the open fjords. they tacked a little to and fro, using a corner of their sail, and surveyed the land. bare mountains rose on either hand. on the north was a strip of fertile land along the fjord; on the east side the waves broke freely at the base of the mountain. the land at the end of the fjord seemed fertile and inviting, but they could not find a landing-place which suited them. ingolf proposed that they should inspect a little more closely the nearest fjord south of the one they were in. he had seen from the ship that there lay a broad fjord sheltered by a small, low group of islands. they tacked past a promontory and entered the other fjord. it was both broader and deeper than the one they had just come from, but was likewise full of swans! hallveig laughed with gladness when she saw it. this fjord also must be called "svanefjord," she declared. they might be called north and south. she did not know there were so many swans to be found in the world. "birds love this land," she said to herself. helga stood by her side. she compelled herself to smile and share hallveig's gladness, but her heart was full of pain, for the beautiful land she saw here and which hallveig already seemed to love, could never be _hers_. she saw the swans, the mountains, and the green dales. but in her heart there was no room for anything but a quiet, slightly strange emotion. the scent of the pines from the islands at home was too keen in her memory. ingolf and leif stood silent and in a solemn mood, side by side; they looked at the land and did not say a word. they had stood thus a long time when ingolf turned to his brother and said quietly: "what do you think of the land, leif?" "it is a big land and seems a good one," answered leif, in a low voice. "if only most of it was not barren mountain," said ingolf, but his voice lacked the reservation which his words expressed. "i think we might soon feel at home among these mountains," said leif. "it does not look unfriendly," ingolf admitted. in his inmost heart he was deeply moved. the strength and sternness of the mountains filled his mind with a peculiar excitement. among these mountains the green dales and fertile stretches of land, which he caught a glimpse of at the end of the fjord, assumed a doubly home-like aspect. suddenly leif awoke from his long reflection and silent contemplation. abruptly and unexpectedly, as always, a resolve had been born in his mind, and aroused him. "it is all the same to me what sort of a land it is--i shall settle here," he declared in an excited tone. "since i have come, i think it would disappoint the land if i left it again. and i will not disappoint this land, which lies here so ready to receive me--so much is certain." ingolf was silent. leif had given expression to his own thoughts. he felt so convinced at this moment that here it was his lot to settle and remain. but this feeling was followed in his mind by a peculiar anxiety which almost made him sorry. was it a good land--a land where one could peacefully build and settle, and where his family could flourish in happiness and prosperity? not himself alone, but his children and children's children should dwell here, if he determined to settle himself in the place. the brothers chose a landing-place on the north side of the fjord, and steered thither. it was with strange feelings that they set foot on this new land, which from time immemorial had lain here behind the sea and the distance, alone with its birds. on sea and land, everywhere the birds swarmed. the questioning whistle of the golden plover and the rippling quaver of the curlew were the first sounds that greeted them as they trod the stones of the shore. ingolf and leif immediately set the crew to work to bring the animals on land and to unload the vessel. they themselves proceeded to pitch their tents, after having selected a spot with thick green grass, well protected from wind and weather by a projection of rock, and close to the brink of a small, clear stream. the kitchen utensils were brought up, and a fire kindled. the shore was covered with driftwood, so that there was plenty of fuel. pots containing salted flesh were hung up; at last they got hot meat again. they could not remember that any meat had tasted so good as this hot salt flesh after the dried fish, preserved flesh, and hard and finally mouldy bread they had had on the sea voyage. they baked bread, too, and ate it warm from the embers. it was splendid to have soft bread between their teeth again. round them the animals dispersed, grazing eagerly over the fertile pastures. it was a pleasure to see the satisfaction with which they swallowed the green grass. towards evening the vessel was so far unloaded that it could be brought ashore and rolled on logs over the ground. they had chosen a little cleft in the rocks for it to lie in shelter during the winter. by the evening, when the men had crept into their skin bags and had lain down to sleep, ingolf and leif, hallveig and helga, still sat round the remains of the fire, but did not think of sleep. they sat silent, close to one another, and did not talk. the night was bright and still, and dew was falling. the fire gleamed palely in the night. red ember-snakes writhed at the bottom of it. the fjord spread a shining surface, dotted white with sleeping swans. there was a peace and stillness over the land which filled their minds with a peculiar awe and sense of expectation. iii the summer they spent in south svanefjord was, for the brothers and their wives, an unbroken succession of beautiful days. there was a peculiar atmosphere of peace and prosperity about the lonely settlement, where the fire burnt day and night under the cliff behind the tents, while on a rising ground close at hand their winter dwelling rose slowly from the ground. it was a house sixty feet in length, thirty in breadth, which the brothers were having built--a house with thick turf walls for a protection against the cold of winter, and adapted to be partitioned according to their needs when they had first roofed it in. while their men worked at the dwelling and gathered in hay as winter fodder for the cattle, ingolf and leif let the days come and go. and whether they were sunny days or the fog hung in grey, soft, gliding belts down to the middle of the mountain-sides, all the days had a peculiar solemn solitariness and charm about them. the land they had come to was after leif's heart. it made quite a different impression on him to any other land he had visited. the sense of power that brooded over it, and the almost palpable solitude, swallowed up the unrest of his mind and gave him peace. the mountains' strongly marked and infinitely varied shapes, a little copse hidden among grey cliffs, close up to a glacier, the heavily pouring rivers in deep ravines, the fjords where the swans swam among other fowls like royal dragon-ships among peaceful freighters, a seal bathing in the sun on a rock by the fjord, not wise enough to be afraid of men, the countless birds' nests with the snugly hidden, different-coloured eggs one came across everywhere, and then the soft, downy young ones hopping about between little hillocks--all filled his soul with a sense of wonder and calm hitherto unknown. ingolf and leif made little excursions on their horses in the neighbourhood. they soon ascertained that the fjords north of the svanefjords were very poor in pasture-land; the mountains descended for the most part steeply to the sea, while the land, on the other hand, seemed to become better the farther southward they went. when they had made that discovery they equipped themselves for a journey of some days in order to examine the land south of the svanefjords more closely. over a low, stony stretch of tableland they came to another inlocked fjord which was much broader than even the broad south svanefjord. the greater part of the upland of this fjord was, however, covered with gravel and clay. quite outside by the sea was a stretch of luxuriant meadow, and here and there stood rock-islets amid the sand, round which there were large green pastures. farther up, right under the mountains, there was also pasture-land, and there they found the largest and most luxuriant wood they had yet seen. they came to a river with many rapidly flowing courses which streamed with clay-coloured, turbid water over a sandy and unsafe bottom. but they had caught sight of some sharp mountain-peaks far to the south-west, and since it could scarcely be difficult to cross the ravines between them, they resolved to proceed thither and see what was to be found on the other side. it was generally the case with this land, that one was not satisfied till one had seen what there was on the other side of all the mountains which came in view. they passed with some difficulty the dangerous river-current, and rode farther along high, steep mountain declivities striped with many-coloured gravel. they found a ravine between the mountain-peaks, and when they had reached the other side of the mountains, there opened on them, while they rode along the edge of the steep descents which led down to the lowland, a view, the like of which they had never seen. a fjord dotted with small green islands, wide-stretching meadows and pastures intersected by gleaming watercourses, a wide bluish ring of mountains which locked in the luxuriant region with a mighty curve, and behind all this in the south and west, glaciers--an immense, slightly arched stretch of sparkling snow with white offshoots to all ravines. it was on a clear, sunny day at noon that they stood there and surveyed this region, which arrested their minds with a sense of solemn wonder and irresistible fascination such as no view had ever done before. in his rapture, leif laid his hand upon ingolf's shoulder and pressed it; he had tears in his eyes, and his large mouth quivered. they had dismounted from their horses and stood silent for a long time. and when they mounted again to examine the district further, they rode on in silence. from that hour they were icelanders; the land was theirs, and they belonged to it. in silence the compact was finally and irrevocably solemnized. when they came back from their trip, hallveig and helga had an important and, as they themselves thought, serious piece of news to tell them. they had one day climbed up the green ascent above the encampment, quite up to the base of the cliffs, in order to get a wider view over the fjord and the district. and just as they sat and contemplated the low group of islands and a little island beyond it, they saw smoke rising from the island. it had been a perfectly calm and clear day; there could be no doubt that they had seen correctly. they had not said anything to the men, and they now only wished to ask ingolf and leif to be careful, and not to go about any more alone. ingolf and leif immediately put the larger of the two boats in the water, called some of their men, and bade them take their weapons with them. they wished to find out what kind of people they had for neighbours. it was in vain that hallveig and helga begged and prayed them not to insist on going out, and least of all in a little rowing-boat. the brothers were too resolved on finding out more about the smoke from the island. in answer to their wives they objected that the ship was too unwieldy, and was, moreover, not a ship of war. there was scarcely any chance of fighting; if there were people on the island, they were probably some peaceful, starving, shipwrecked men, whose vessel had been driven to sea and lost. for the rest, they promised to be careful, but they were resolved to go out to the island that day. so they rowed out thither. even when they had got quite close to it, they could see no sign that it was inhabited. they rowed round it, and still saw no inhabitants or buildings. they determined to land, and chose a creek on the south side of the island. as soon as they had landed, they saw a wretched little boat, in which they would hardly have trusted themselves to cross a fjord, hidden among the rocks. they went farther up on the island, and found a hut well concealed in a hollow. as they approached, a man came forth in a splendid cloak and head-dress, with a staff in his hands, and followed by some lean shapes black with dirt, and meanly clad. they came out from the hut, but remained standing before the door, without going towards them. they had seen this kind of people before, and immediately perceived that they had what were called irish monks before them. both leif and ingolf, as well as several of their men, knew some irish, and therefore went nearer in order to hear a little why these people dwelt here on a desert island. the monks, one of whom carried a cup of water, evidently did not wish them to come too near them or their dwelling. the sworn brothers remained standing at some distance and questioned them. the monks answered their questions reluctantly, but they gathered from them that they had lived here for several years, that they had long since heard reports of this land, and that other monks before them had journeyed to seek it out. they had not seen any of them, but the land was wide, and they had remained here on the island where they had first landed. this information ingolf at last extracted from the monks, with many questions answered, for the most part, in monosyllables. when the brothers could not think of anything more to ask them, and were going down to their boat again, the man with the head-dress, cloak, and staff stopped them with a question. "why had they come hither?" ingolf told them that they had come here to look at the land, and intended to settle here. his words aroused a movement and disturbance among the monks, and their leader gave him to understand plainly that the land was sanctified and reserved by god for christian men; no heathen had ever settled here, nor ever could. every kind of misfortune would strike them if they migrated hither, unless they first let themselves be baptized and went over to the christian faith. ingolf answered them quietly that they must grant him that it would ill become him to be less faithful to his gods than they were to theirs. the monk answered that heathen did not trust in gods but in idols. ingolf answered that the ases had hitherto protected him and his family. then bidding them farewell, he went off, followed by leif and his men. they saw the monks sprinkling with water the places where they had trod. then ingolf smiled and leif laughed aloud. the monks sprinkled even the waves which had licked the heathen's boat. when ingolf and leif returned, they were able to quiet hallveig and helga with the news that they were peaceful and harmless people who inhabited the little island. their only weapon was a little water in a cup! after that they called the island "monks' island." when the autumn came with cold and sleet the sworn brothers already sat warm in their turf-house. before the dwelling ingolf had caused to be built a smaller edifice, where he set up small, roughly carved wooden images of odin and thor. and when the time for the autumn sacrificial feast was come, he offered them an ox (they must share the offering as best they could), and had a little feast. leif held aloof from all things of that sort. during the twenty-four hours of the feast, he went out catching birds by day and slept quietly in his bed by night. in his lonely wanderings the brown leaves of the autumn rustled round his feet and spoke to him. leif did not think much about catching birds. he enjoyed being alone with the mountains and the blue sky. wherever he met a family of grouse who held faithfully together he let them go. he only aimed at solitary birds, caught them round the neck with a practised fling of his light line, and drew them to himself with one sweep through the air. ingolf's sacrificial feast and all his devotion to the gods was a continually recurring trial to leif's brotherly feeling. he could not reconcile himself to ingolf's constant and devoted adherence to the worship of these ugly wooden idols. time after time he was obliged, in order to control his rising displeasure, to remind himself that ingolf never interfered in his beliefs and thoughts concerning the gods, and therefore had a right to expect the same from him. but in his heart leif scorned and despised ingolf's gods, and it was inevitable that some of this violent antipathy should sometimes glance on his brother. singularly enough, on the other hand, leif did not take it at all ill that helga held fast to her own and her fathers' faith, without its being clear to him that he possessed in that, as it were, a proof of her steadfastness. he did not at all wish that helga should forsake her gods to follow him in his want of faith and contempt for them. the day that she did so would have given a severe blow to leif's happiness. so and no otherwise was his nature. the winter came with hard frost but without much snow. the weather for ski-ing, which ingolf and leif were waiting for in order to show hallveig and helga a little of the country south of the svanefjords, did not come. their disappointment was, however, mitigated by the fact that their sheep and goats could, contrary to expectation, go out and get their food the whole of the winter, with the exception of a few stormy days. the brothers came to the conclusion that it was a land where relatively few people might possess many sheep. they also noticed that sheep and goats both in winter and summer went up to the mountains and did not remain below in the luxuriant pastures. it was evident that the grass they grazed among the stones upon the apparently barren mountains must be of peculiar strength, for the sheep's bodies remained stout and their wool white. the goats had found some holes in the mountain near the house. there they remained at night, took refuge there in bad weather, and were comfortable. in spite of the short days and long nights and the great solitude the winter proved by no means long. neither the brothers nor hallveig nor helga felt the solitude oppressive; it brought them into closer intimacy with each other in a way that no summer days could have done. they sat round the fire, busy with their little occupations, and talked cheerfully and confidentially together. ingolf and leif carved wood, hallveig and helga spun yarn and dyed it in different shades of heather-colour, made mittens and handkerchiefs, or artistically woven bands of it. in the middle of the winter hallveig gave birth to a boy, whom ingolf sprinkled with his own hand with water and named thorsten after thor, and in remembrance of his former friend, haasten, from whom fate had so painfully severed him. when hallveig had given birth to her boy, helga became extremely solitary in soul. she never could find any sign that she was with child. when no one could see her, she wept bitter tears about it, but gave no outward sign. outwardly she was uniformly cheerful and bright, and showed to each and all an untroubled demeanour. it was something she kept to herself, like the scent of the pines from the islands. spring came, with mildness in the air and vernal winds. as soon as it could be managed, the ship was launched, loaded, and made fit for sea. the sworn brothers needed as much as possible of the summer to make preparations for their migration here the next spring, to exchange those of their movable goods and the live-stock which they could not take with them for useful wares, and in general to arrange their affairs in norway before they left the country for good. all of them, except helga, left the new land, though they had only been there a year, with regret. the land had been a good friend to them, and they were loth to bid it farewell even for a short time. when they sailed away from it, it lay there so quiet and silent, gazing after them, as it were. before they departed, the migratory birds had all come back. the land lay bathed in sunshine, with cheerful bird-life on the fjord and on the shore. leif, the restless, was no more eager for journeys. he would rather have remained where he was, and not have travelled to norway at all. but even leif had to grant that the plan was impracticable. the provisions for the journey, which they had brought with them, were rapidly decreasing, and, moreover, it would be difficult for ingolf when he came back to find just the same spot in the land, dependent as he was on weather and sea. besides, leif saw clearly that helga, though she had unhesitatingly acquiesced in his wild proposal, preferred that they should travel with the others. helga was willing to sacrifice everything for leif, even the scent of the pines from the islands at home. but when she gave her brave assent to remain, her self-command failed her a little, and her lips quivered slightly. the whole winter she had looked forward with joy to the moment when she should sail between the islands to dalsfjord. like a secret treasure, she had concealed the consciousness that _that_ was in store for her, in her steadfast heart. that remained there till leif started with the others. but when he sailed away from the land, the old unrest was again awake in his soul. iv the brothers were favoured by a good wind as they crossed the sea to norway. only ten days after they had sailed out between the skerries outside the svanefjords, the vessel lay before ingolf's house in dalsfjord. when they disembarked, it was only helga who felt as though she had come home. ingolf and leif had already separated themselves in their hearts from their birthplace, and hallveig, whose home was wherever ingolf was, had never been intimately acquainted with this district. leif had already on the return journey expressed his wish to go on a viking expedition in the summer. he gave many reasons--among others, that he needed serfs. further, he alleged that it was the simplest way of obtaining goods for their journey to iceland the next spring. ingolf could arrange their affairs in dalsfjord while he was out trading for them both. leif spoke much about this important trading and about his very inconvenient want of serfs. they were dear to buy, and it was easiest to take them where one could find them. all these and more reasons were adduced by leif. but he concealed his real reason for the journey, which was that it was impossible for him to conceive how he should spend a summer at home at dalsfjord. his blood had suddenly become restless. his mind was like a bow which had been long on the strain. helga, who, as was her way, always left matters to leif, made no objection to his plan. on the contrary, she gave it her warmest assent. but now it appeared that there would be no more sunshine in the summer which would be the last she spent at home. ingolf, for his part, knew leif. and he was forced to admit that the arrangement was not a bad one. they certainly needed goods, and would obtain them most cheaply by fetching them themselves. for the rest, whatever private plans leif had in his expedition were his own affair. it was thus already decided on the way that leif should go on a viking expedition. as soon as they landed at dalsfjord, leif set to work equipping himself for his expedition. he was somewhat late in that, and had therefore to hurry his preparations as much as possible. he allowed himself leisure neither for sleep nor meals. in great haste he collected all the goods which he and ingolf had in stock, and loaded his dragon-ship with them, together with the other ship which he still had in reserve. this time he had to be content with two ships; he could not well man more, and, moreover, they had not goods for more than two. only a few days after his homecoming leif sailed out again from dalsfjord and left helga alone with the pine-tree scent from the islands. leif did not guess that the pain of separation which left in his mind only a fleeting pang, filled helga with burning anxiety and unrest, which should not vanish till she had him again. leif sailed out over the sea and let the sea-breezes, the sense of solitary independence, together with the expectation of dangers and adventures, absorb his mind. he sailed to ireland, and traded and ravaged wherever he came. this time ingolf had forgotten to exact any promises of caution from him. leif had latterly appeared to him so altered that he simply had not considered it necessary. leif was therefore completely free, unfettered by promises or considerations of any kind. and in the consciousness that this was now the last time he was on a viking expedition, be displayed a daring and exuberance in his conduct which filled his men with joy and sent several of them to odin. during the summer leif acquired, more by pillaging than by commercial genius, a very large supply of all kinds of goods, mostly valuable cloths and metals. in the course of the summer he succeeded in catching ten serfs--ten wiry, grimy men--who bore names like duftak, gerrod, skjoldbjarn, haldor, drafdrit, and the like, sour-looking men with evil eyes, but good enough as serfs, tough at rowing as they sat chained to the oars, and enduring in all kinds of work. luck, which only unwillingly forsakes the bold, followed leif wherever he went. on one occasion, towards the close of the summer, it nearly went ill with him. he had landed with his men on an apparently deserted coast, which was protected by skerries and rocky islands with strong currents between them--a place which only leif could think suitable for landing. he caused his ships, loaded with the costly booty of the summer, to be rowed in between these skerries, in order to hide them in a rocky creek, which he had selected during a solitary excursion, while he with his men went for a foray in the neighbourhood. for this expedition he needed as many of his men as possible, the object being a very large and presumably rich town. leif left the ships in the creek with only a few men to look over the chained serfs, whom he dared not allow to go free as long as he was so near their native place. with the rest of his men leif went on shore and he be-took himself to the wood. they were all full of great excitement and expectation. this was to be the last great adventure of the summer, and leif expected a booty which might perhaps make it necessary to conquer a vessel to carry it in. time would show! the wood they intended to cross covered a steep mountain-side, from the summit down to the coast, and it was traversed by deep, rocky ravines covered with bushes. leif and his men had not penetrated far into this very impassable wood when they were attacked by an armed force far superior to their own. the people of the town must have had spies out along the coast. they were not only outwardly but really prepared for their coming. leif had just shouted to his men to fight each for himself, first and foremost to get away and save the ships, when the enemy was on them with strident war-cries and loud clashing of weapons. leif had no time to see how his men fared. the people of the town had at once seen who was the leader, and since it was the leader whom it was the most important to strike, they flocked round him with lifted axes and upraised swords. leif had to sacrifice his spear to one of the two nearest attackers; the other's head he split with his ax, but next moment a swarm of howling irish were pressing on him. they did not, however, surround him, a fact which leif, who was striking doughtily about him with ax in one hand and sword in the other--his shield he had thrown away--had no time to think about. they pressed him back in between the trees. leif, who at the moment only thought that six was the smallest number he could reasonably take with him to valhalla, and was still short of two, suddenly lost his foothold. it happened so unexpectedly that his sword dropped from his hand, but with his ax he hooked himself fast to a tree-root in falling, and there he hung, swinging in the air, over the edge of a ravine. his attackers had raised a great shout of victory when he fell. they now gathered on the edge of the ravine, stood there and laughed at him, and made themselves merry at his plight. they pricked at him for amusement with their spears, while in loud tones they debated which would be the most amusing way to see him die. a proposal that they should slowly prick the life out of him gained the day. so they began to prick him in turn, each of them wishing to have his share of the pleasure. leif was in a desperate situation. he looked down at the bottom of the ravine, where there grew heather and bushes. he had no other resource than to let himself fall and see if he escaped with life. he wasted no time in reviewing the situation; he simply let go and let himself fall. at the moment he fell he perceived that men spread themselves on both sides of him, to find a way down to the ravine and to surround him there if he escaped from the fall with his life and whole limbs. the fall absorbed both his body and his thoughts. he turned two somersaults in the air and struck against something hard; there was a singing in his ears, and he fainted for a time. when he came to himself again, he was lying on his back in some high heather and staring up at the light green leaves on some scattered stunted trees. he had a distinct consciousness of danger without at once remembering where it threatened him, and grasped involuntarily after his ax and spear. he grasped in vacancy, and when he discovered that he was weaponless, the whole situation was suddenly clear to him. in an instant he was on his legs, satisfied himself that no bones were broken, picked up his helmet, and, involuntarily stooping to half his height, set off, running as hastily as his somewhat stiff limbs allowed, into the thickest part of the wood, and took the way down to the coast. he had already run a good way when he heard men approaching, talking loudly, farther down the ravine. he halted and stood stiff and motionless. only his eyes roamed round to seek a hiding-place, but he saw nothing resembling one anywhere. a little hollow in the ground close to his feet might perhaps afford room for his body, but by no means could it conceal him. with every moment that passed, while he stood there without any chance of escape, he could more distinctly hear his heart beating. he already imagined to himself how it would be to have his entrails drawn out and to be led round a tree. but at the same instant, when he was on the point of giving up and of flying up the ravine where he was quite sure to meet other foes, his eye fell on a large flat stone. there was salvation! trembling over his whole body with excitement, he raised the stone on its edge and rolled it towards the hollow. then he lay down, wrapped his cloak round him, shrunk himself up as well as he could, and pushed the stone right over him. there he lay and heard his pursuers come tramping. from their talk he understood that they were quite sure that he still lay where he had fallen, and feared that he had broken his neck, so that all further amusement for them was over. all the same, they urged each other to have a good look for him. if they found the red-haired devil, he should be flayed alive. leif lay there under his flat stone with a corner of his cloak between his teeth. an irresistible convulsive fit of laughter seized him and shook his whole body. every moment he might be prepared for them to raise the stone; he did not know whether it covered him completely. but here he lay, and there they went, rejoicing at the idea of flaying him alive. less than that was needed to make leif merry. the men passed. their voices died away gradually farther up the ravine. leif let some moments pass, then cautiously raised the stone. after taking a good look round he set out, crouching as he ran, to the harbour. he reached the shore without seeing more enemies. he stood for a little, recovering himself in the cool air from the sea. he was tolerably sure that they would remain so keenly on the watch that he could hardly in full daylight get to his ship, if indeed he still had a ship at all! it was impossible for him to know if things had gone better with his men than with himself, or if the ships had already fallen into the enemies' hands. it was really a nice mess that he had got into! when would he see helga again? leif let his gaze wander over the fjord, and caught sight of an island with some stunted fir trees a little distance out. this island was surrounded by smaller ones, and appeared to him, at that moment, very attractive. his enemies would scarcely think of looking for him outside the borders of the land. leif did not reflect very long. he hid his cloak, helmet, and whatever might be in his way when swimming thither, piled stones up on them, and let them lie. then he flung himself into the waves. he swam on his back the first part of the way in order to be able to keep an eye on the land and to see if he was noticed. he could not see the least sign of life on shore. he reached the island safe and sound, and crawled, wet and weary, up its smooth, rocky side. he dragged himself under the shelter of a stone where he could lie and let the sun bathe him; luckily it shone brightly and warmly, in spite of the lateness of the season. he settled himself comfortably and closed his eyes. shortly afterwards he fell asleep. he awoke from uneasy dreams; the light of the setting sun fell dazzling on his face. he had, then, slept the whole day. and what sort of a coverlet was that which he had over him? closer inspection showed it to be a grey cloak of coarse material. leif looked round him with wide-open eyes, and caught sight of a man squatting a little distance off, and regarding him with mild, attentive eyes. leif did not place much confidence in the mildness of his glance. involuntarily he felt around for his weapons. there were no weapons there--now he remembered the whole affair--but the man there seemed likewise unarmed. also, he smiled, and for the rest was so thin and wasted that he could hardly be dangerous. what sort of a man was he? he looked ragged and starving. his hair and beard were tangled like a bird's nest. there was an atmosphere of death about him. only in his eyes and smile was there life--a gentle and, at the same time, intense life. the man rose and disappeared behind a projecting rock. leif thought this very strange conduct, and remembered, when he was out of sight, that he had not heard his step at all. was he still asleep and dreaming? was it a living man he had seen or a ghost? no, there he came again, whoever he was. he had bare legs, which explained why he walked noiselessly, and, for the rest, appeared altogether wretched and harmless. this time he came up close to leif with some shellfish, which he opened with a practised hand, merely with the help of a sharp-edged stone. leif ate a couple of the shellfish, being ravenously hungry, and would have gladly thanked this friendly and strange man, but his disgust was too strong for him, and he declared himself satisfied. then the strange man smiled anew, an indulgent smile, and ate the rest of the shellfish himself. when he had finished, he asked leif how he was, if he could rise, and how he came to be lying here on his island. leif trumped up a long story about having fallen overboard from a ship. "the current had seized him," he said, "and carried him hither." he found it best at the same time to show the man quite clearly, in order that he might make no mistake, that he not only could rise, but that he was altogether quite sound. the man smiled again, whether on account of his story or his slightly threatening gestures, leif was not sure, and asked him no more, but rose quietly and bade leif follow him. he led him over to the other side of the island to the mouth of a little cave. "i live here," he said in his gentle voice. "you are the first guest who has paid me a visit, and the only man i have seen for many years. assuredly god had his special purpose in sending you hither, my brother, however that may have happened. if you will share my cave with me for the night, you are welcome. in the morning you can swim to the shore, if you will, and are a strong swimmer. you can also perhaps remain here, if you prefer it." "what are you doing here?" asked leif, who, to his astonishment, could discover neither the roving eye nor mistrustful behaviour of an outlaw in this mild, quiet man. "why do you live alone on this desert island?" "i serve my god," answered the man gently and seriously, making the sign of the cross. then leif suddenly became aware that it was one of the mad irish monks whom he had before him. from that moment he did not fear the man any more. the monks were peaceful people, mad though they were. but there was something mysterious about the man which caused leif to feel by no means comfortable in his society. "how do you live?" leif asked, after a long pause. the man smiled his gentle smile, and pointed to a pot-shaped hollow in the rock, which stood filled to the brim with sea-water. "at high tide god sends me sometimes a little food," he said contentedly, "or i dive for shellfish when i am hungry. there is also plenty of seaweed here. i do not need much. shall not god who feeds the birds also feed me?" "how do you serve your god?" asked leif, growing curious. "i pray, fast, and lead a pure life," answered the monk quietly. "who is your god?" leif questioned further. "the one true god, the trinity--god the father, god the son, and god the holy ghost," answered the monk in his gentle voice, and again made the sign of the cross. "what is his name?" leif continued. he had sat down on a stone step outside the mouth of the cave and fixed his wondering eyes on the monk. "he is called jehovah; his son, whose sacred name is jesus christ, let himself be born as man, and shed his blood for men, to wash away their sins." leif was silent. he remembered carved and painted images he had seen of a god they called jesus christ. he hung nailed to a cross, with blood dripping from his hands and feet, from his thorn-crowned head, and from a wound in his side. leif had always despised this god, who, according to the narrative, had willingly let himself be killed and hung up upon a cross of wood. he did not comprehend the love of such a wretched divinity which could make a man like this monk live his life on this desert island, merely to pray to him and thank him. a powerless god he must be--much more wretched than even odin and thor. and yet he could obtain such power over men. the monk had seated himself on a stone directly opposite leif. the last rays of the sun fell on his back, and made his grey hair glow like a golden glory round his head. leif remembered having seen this gold ring round the head, and he sat and began to feel quite strange and uneasy in his mind. "shall i tell you about jesus christ?" asked the monk at last, in a voice that was soft and ingratiating like a woman's. "no," answered leif, not without a certain fear in his soul, which distinctly betrayed itself in his voice. "tell me rather of something else." the monk sighed sorrowfully. "as you will, my brother. the lord is mighty, and i am but the least of his instruments. perhaps he has reserved the grace of delivering your soul for another and worthier than myself. what shall i tell you, brother?" "tell me something about foreign lands," said leif, who had a dim consciousness that there could hardly be anything which this man did not know. "i cannot tell you about foreign lands," answered the monk gently. "i have not seen any other country except ireland. and i do not feel the want of it. the wickedness of the world is great in the lands. the devil rules most lands where people dwell. the lord has of his mercy granted me this lonely island, and my only wish is to live here in peace till he takes me to himself in his glory." he was silent for a while, and reflected. "but i can read to you of a place called paradise," he said, breaking off his meditations. then he rose and crept into the low mouth of the cave. a little while after he came back with a roll in his hand. when he opened it, leif saw that it consisted of some pieces of skin covered over with strange signs. the monk sat down and began to read in a monotonous and devout voice: "there is a place that is called paradise. it is not in heaven nor upon earth, but between heaven and earth, at an equal distance from both, as it was fixed there by god. paradise is forty miles higher than the flood rose at its highest. paradise is of the same length and breadth on all sides. there is no hill nor valley there. there comes never frost, there falls never snow. the earth is luxuriant and fruitful there, but there are no evil beasts nor dangers nor defects of any kind. there is a pure well, which is called the well of life. there is a splendid and beautiful wood called 'radion saltus,' the leaves of which never fade. each of its trees is straight and round like a spar, and so high that the top is invisible. there are all kinds of trees which stand in complete beauty and bear all manner of blossoms and beautifully coloured apples and fruits of all kinds. there no leaves fall from the branches. the wood stands in the midst of paradise. one of the fruit trees was forbidden to adam; in its fruit was hidden the knowledge of good and evil. there is neither hate nor hunger, and never is there night nor darkness, but always perpetual day. the sun shines there seven times more strongly than in this world, for its light is increased with the light of all the stars. there walk angels, keeping all things in order in joy and pleasure. thither have the souls of good men gone (and shall go and dwell there till doomsday) since god opened the place when he took thither the soul of the thief who died upon the cross. "in paradise there is a bird which is called the phoenix. it is very large, and wonderful is the fashion of its creation, and it is the king of all birds. it bathes in the well of life, and then flies up on that tree which is the highest in paradise, and sits in the sun. then it shines with a light like that of the sun's rays. its whole body gleams like gold, its feathers are like god's angels, its breast is beautiful, and its beak resembles its feathers. its eyes are like crystal, and its feet like blood. but when this beautiful bird, the phoenix, flies from paradise to the land of egypt and dwells there five weeks, all kinds of birds gather there and sing round it in all manner of ways. then the men who dwell there hear that and gather round it from everywhere, and speak as follows: 'welcome, phoenix, to our land! thou shinest like red gold; thou art the king of all the birds!' then the people of the land make another phoenix of wax and copper which resembles the old one as much as possible. all the birds fall at its feet and honour it with a glad voice. along its back there runs a red stripe, beautiful as burnt gold. when its fifth week is passed, the beautiful phoenix flies again to paradise. all the birds fly with it, some below it, some above it, on both sides. but when they cannot follow it any longer they return home." the monk paused and looked at leif, who sat bowed opposite him with open mouth and eyes. when the monk saw how absorbed his hearer was, he smiled and continued: "it happened four thousand years before the birth of christ (one millennium had passed) that the phoenix had become old, and gathered round it a great number of birds, in order to bring together a great pile of fuel. but by god's will it happened so that the sun shone on the pile of fuel and the sun's warmth kindled a fire in it. but the phoenix fell in the midst of the fire and was burned to ashes. but the third day afterwards it rose from the dead and was young again, and went to the well of life and bathed. then its feathers grew again, as beautiful as they had ever been. it becomes old in the course of a thousand winters, then it burns itself again to ashes, and rises each time young once more. but no one knows, except god alone, whether it is a male or a female bird." the monk stopped. the sun had gone down, and the dusk of twilight filled the air. he could no longer see to distinguish the characters. he rolled up his skin-scroll carefully together and tied a band round it. leif had swallowed his words to the end with eager ears. at the same time the monk's droning way of reading had had a soporific effect upon him. when the monk was silent for a moment, leif gave a deep yawn and felt a strange weariness in all his limbs. the next moment he fell asleep where he sat, with his head propped on his hands. the monk let him sit and sleep while he uttered a long and humble prayer to god, that it might be granted him to save this heathen's soul from destruction and the outer darkness. then he awoke leif gently, and bade him follow him into the cave and share his straw bed and his cloak with him, for it was now cold outside. leif awoke and saw that it was already night, with a pale glimmer of the moon behind black clouds. now the time had really come. but he was not a little curious to learn more about the monk's cave, and, besides, it was perhaps best to let him fall asleep before he left the island. the monk struck a light and kindled a shaving. then he crept into the low mouth of the cave. leif crept after him, and the first thing he set eyes upon was a magnificent sword with a golden hilt and gold inlaid blade. it stood set up against the wall in the inner-most part of the cave. it was the most beautiful sight which at the moment could meet leif's eyes, and it was impossible for him to avert his gaze from the shining sword. when he noticed the monk's look fixed on him, he compelled himself to ask, in an indifferent tone, how it was he possessed such a valuable sword, as he was so poor and peaceful. "that sword i inherited from my father," answered the monk gently and as it were apologetically. "i brought it with me here so that it should not do more harm than it has already done among men. i first intended to throw it into the sea, but it is so splendid. i have never been able to bring myself to do that, and it does no harm here in my cave." he took it in his hand with obvious tenderness, and showed it to leif. leif dared not touch it for fear of betraying his covetousness. the monk stood and contemplated the sword, and said, as though reflecting: "they who slay with the sword shall perish with the sword." leif believed that he was pronouncing a spell which belonged to the sword, and smiled incredulously. immediately afterwards he threw himself down on the pallet of straw, as though he were weary and sleepy, and only thought of rest. the monk replaced the sword, put out the light, laid himself down at leif's side, and arranged his cloak over them both, so that his guest had a brother's share. leif lay wide awake, wondering whether he should succeed in finding his men, and whether he should see his ships again. soon afterwards leif heard the monk snoring, and began to twist and turn himself, to see if that would wake him. no, the monk slept deeply and soundly; his snoring filled the cave with the peace of sleep and night. then leif rose stealthily from the pallet, groped his way to the sword, took hold of it, although with a little prick in his conscience, and crept on all fours noiselessly out of the cave, followed by the unconscious snoring of the monk. when he stood outside in the dark night, he raised himself erect and breathed freely. he was not at all sure whether he still had his ships and men, or whether all his men were killed, and the ships taken possession of by the enemy. but he again held a sword in his hand. leif only stopped for a moment outside the mouth of the cave. then with long, noiseless strides he crossed over the island and plunged into the water. he held the sword between his teeth and swam as best he could. leif found his cloak and other articles of clothing where he had left them. he had much feared lest they should be gone, and the discovery of them have served as a guide to the enemy. he put his clothes on and then began to listen intently in all directions. when he could not hear any movement or noise anywhere, he set off running along the shore in the direction of the creek where he had left his ships. the last part of the way he crept through the wood. he reached the creek without having come across hindrances of any kind. and out there lay his ships. they were lying farther out than when he had left them, and to leif it seemed a good sign. this time he tied his cloak in a bundle on his back, took the sword between his teeth, and, thus equipped, swam out to the ships. he swam as noiselessly and cautiously as possible, so that he might be able to turn quickly if it should prove that it was not his men who were in possession of the ships. when he got within a bowshot of the ships, his old headman gave the alarm, and asked in a grim voice: "who goes there?" leif answered with a low whistle, which they all knew, and there was great excitement and gladness on board. he had a rope thrown to him. immediately afterwards he swung himself over the gunwale and stood wet and dripping among his men, with a strange sword between his teeth. "leif! leif!" they shouted, and all wanted to touch him. leif asked hastily how many men they had lost. it appeared that they had only three killed and two wounded. the rest had got on board safe and sound. questions hailed down upon him. his men had really not expected to see him again, and were frenzied with delight and impatient to hear what had happened to him. before leif would tell them anything, he questioned them thoroughly, and learnt that they had intended to remain lying here for some days, if the weather allowed, in case he should return, or hoping at least that they might learn something of his fate in some other way. all the men on board the dragon-ship were gathered in a cluster round leif, their eyes fixed on his splendid sword. leif took off his wet clothes and put on dry ones. then he crept into his bearskin bag and shook himself with a sense of satisfaction. the men took their places round him and waited patiently to hear his story. lying stretched on his back among his sitting men, with the pale moonlight flickering over his face, leif began his narrative. he began with his fall down the ravine. he told them how he had first hooked himself firm with his ax, and then had been obliged to let go of it and to drop when the men had begun to prick him. he told of his awaking without a weapon, and of his flight. he only related briefly the adventure with the flat stone under which he had concealed himself. his men listened, breathless with excitement. when leif was about to tell of his visit to the cave he suddenly paused. he noticed, to his surprise, that he really did not like to tell how he had got possession of his sword. but it was precisely about the sword that his men were most curious to hear. "the sword?" asked the old headman in a husky voice, when he had been silent for a while. "yes, now comes the most wonderful thing of all," answered leif reflectively. and, staring at the pale sickle of the moon, he rallied all his inventive powers and continued: "i had at last come up out of the ravine and was wandering in the wood. i do not know how long i ran about without an idea where i was. but suddenly i stood at the entrance of a great cave in the earth. i slipped into it in order to let the darkness hide me. when i had gone a good way in, i heard a strange sound farther on in the cave. i stole forward and caught sight, in the dark, of a man who sat and sang. his head waggled forward and backward and to the sides, and his song penetrated my bones and marrow. his eyes rolled about in his head as though he were possessed. his face was yellow and blue, and there issued a strong odour from him, for he was not a living man, but a dead one. a little behind him hung this sword, and it shone on the wall of the cave. as i was weaponless, my life depended on my getting hold of the sword. i stole, therefore, farther on, and succeeded in slipping past him without his noticing me. but, just as i was going to seize the sword, i stumbled over a stone on the floor of the cave, and at the same instant i had the dead man on me." leif was so absorbed in his story that a cold sweat burst out on his forehead at the narrative of this imaginary fight. his men listened in death-like silence, staring at him with wide-open eyes, and pressing involuntarily closer to each other. "so near to the dead i have never been," leif continued, and took a deep breath. "you have no idea what power there is in a dead man's bones. he crushed me as though with claws of iron. the most uncomfortable part was, that wherever i seized hold of him the flesh slipped away under my grip, and i held the bare bone-pipes with my hands. and there was a most intolerable smell which nearly suffocated me. moreover, the whole time he kept wheezing foam into my face." leif stopped with a groan, and with the back of his hand wiped the sweat from his brow. he lay there white as a corpse, with burning eyes, in the pale moonlight. "at last i succeeded in getting him under me," he said in a lowered voice, "and putting out my utmost strength i pushed him against the stone he had sat upon, and at last i broke his back. while he lay there, and before i had seized the sword to cut off his wretched head, his rotten tongue continued to spit out curses. i will not repeat them, for they were terrible. only so much i will tell you, that he said that there was a spell on this sword, that whosoever should kill with it should die with it." leif's old headman, who during the last part of this narrative had panted like a sick man, suddenly sprang up in great excitement. "throw the cursed sword overboard," he shouted in a shaky voice, with his whole body trembling. leif reached after the sword, and clutched its golden hilt firmly. "no!" he answered decidedly. "i have risked too much to gain it." the old man broke down with a hiccoughing sob, which sent an ice-cold shudder through the bones and marrow of leif and all the rest. "what did you do then with the dead man?" asked one at length, with his teeth chattering. "i cut his head off and laid it by his feet," leif answered curtly, and gave a sigh of relief. since there was no more to tell, leif remained lying silent. his men continued sitting silent and motionless round him. leif found himself wondering that his meeting with the monk had suddenly become so distant and unreal. was it not something which he had dreamt? how was it, really? had he not been fighting with a dead man? his body was so strangely stiff. and if not, why should he have this smell in his nostrils? leif no longer knew himself what to believe. the drowsiness of sleep slurred the clearness of his thought and confused the real with the unreal. the old man had gradually become silent. for a while he sat motionless, with his head wrapped in a corner of his cloak. then he let the corner fall and continued to sit and look at leif. when at last he spoke, his voice had resumed its deep, quiet tone. "in memory of your wonderful experience and great adventure, you shall hereafter be called 'hjor-leif,'" he said solemnly to leif. leif smiled with half-closed eyes; then they closed quite. he slept peacefully and calmly as though he had never been engaged in fighting a dead man. his men remained sitting quite silent around him. they did not talk together. they had conceived a great fear in their souls which the moon's unearthly light considerably increased. they were simply afraid to lie down and close their eyes and fall asleep. they could not understand how leif could lie there and sleep so comfortably after such an adventure. their admiration for him had never been greater than now. they would like to know whether he would be afraid to encounter the gods themselves. they had never seen fear in his eyes. it was certainly right that he should have the sword affixed to his name and be called hjor-leif. leif awoke of his own accord at sunrise. then he saw his men still in a circle round him. he broke into a loud fit of laughter when he saw their stupid eyes and faces weary with watching. "beer! beer!" he shouted, and sprang up. "plenty of beer for all the men! drink now, boys!" he cheered them up. the most slack of them he whirled round and capsized and thumped till there was a roar of merriment around him. when leif had emptied a couple of jugs of beer he felt hungry and demanded food. for a whole day and night he had had nothing except two raw shellfish, if _that_ were not something which he had only dreamt. at any rate, his hunger was keen and insatiable. with continually increasing wonder his men stood round him and watched him devour a hearty meal. he was the only one on board who had an appetite. an icy dread instilled by the moonlight still possessed his men like bodily nausea. even the beer which he had given them they drank more from obedience than from pleasure. when leif had made them first stir themselves and then totter a little on their legs, he set them at the oars and bade them set to work like the boys they were! they should only think of their wives and dearest ones, and for the rest row as though a dead man were after them. leif had had enough adventures for the present. now he wanted to get home to norway. v helga, the faithful and anxious, was once more to see the summer die on the fields and in the wood and leif return home over the autumn sea. the foggy, raw, cold autumn day became great and festive when she caught sight of leif's ship out on the fjord. a red flag waved from the mast, a signal which had been agreed upon. there came leif sailing with her happiness on board. merely the fact of his being alive was like a boon from the gods. it filled her soul with summer to feel herself warm and living in his arms. every time that leif came home from an expedition, it was equally new and incomprehensible that he lived--lived and was near her again. leif came home with spring and renewal of life in his soul. that was always the case with him. the evil and dangerous unrest was gone. he had swept it out of his soul with adventures. leif was again leif. his cheerful laughter betokened his inner quiet. there was noise and bustle wherever he moved, but there was a contented assurance in his voice and look. to helga, at any rate, it seemed worth while to have endured the pain of longing and anxiety during the summer in order to have him home again. the eager tone of his voice alone, when he asked questions or related incidents, made her heart swell with happiness. she could forget both to answer and to listen, and just cast herself on his neck because she must, because it was so delightful to weep and laugh out her happiness with his arms round her. leif never returned empty-handed from an expedition. besides the serfs and goods which he had this time gained, he had acquired a new name--hjor-leif. ingolf, hallveig, and helga were all obliged to laugh loudly the first time they heard him called by this new name. leif began at once to explain eagerly, and with a little embarrassment, that it was not a name which he had himself assumed--one of his men had bestowed it on him of his own accord. but it was plain to see that he was proud of the addition to his name, and did not like their laughing at it. they questioned him with curiosity about the sword which had given occasion for the name--a valuable sword which few remembered to have seen the like of. leif answered with great seriousness that there was a ludicrous story connected with that sword. he had told it once to his men. but it was not a story one went spreading about. he had no intention of repeating it. his old headman, on the other hand, was fond of relating it. he was by no means disposed to let leif's adventure pass into oblivion. and he related it in such a way that one did not sleep quietly for several nights after hearing the old man's quavering voice relate the unheard-of terrors which leif had experienced in the cave. he certainly deserved to be called hjor-leif, especially since he himself liked it--on that all were agreed, when they had heard of the way in which leif had gained his sword. and so from that day he was called hjor-leif, and nothing else. neither ingolf nor any one else doubted that the story was true. the sword in itself was sufficient proof. moreover, it was so entirely like leif not to be satisfied with fighting living men, but also to have to test his strength with the dead, and to come well out of the encounter. hjor-leif was, as we have said, not to be persuaded to narrate the story himself. he was not at all fond of being reminded of it. his other adventures, small and great, he was generally willing enough to relate. and he took them by no means seriously. his description of the way he hung out over the cliff, clinging to the handle of his ax and being thrust at by sharp spear-points, might have made even a dead man writhe with laughter, although in itself there was nothing pleasant in the situation. the leif who revealed himself behind such experiences, and could relate them in such a light and completely artless way--that was the leif whom ingolf loved and could not resist. for a long time after he had heard hjor-leif tell of the little hollow and the flat stone, ingolf could have a fit of laughter merely by thinking of it. hjor-leif confided to helga, and helga alone, a wonderful story regarding which he was not sure whether it was an actual experience or a dream. upon an island he had swum to he had met a hermit who from some mysterious characters on some pieces of skin had deciphered a long and wonderful account of a place which was called paradise, and a bird he called the phoenix. had helga ever heard the name of the place or the bird? no, helga had not. and even though helga in her heart thought that there was no limit to hjor-leif's possible experiences, she gave it, nevertheless, as her view that it was very likely a dream. hjor-leif also thought it might be. for part of the story or dream was that the hermit had given him shellfish to eat, and that he really had eaten them. that could in any case not be the fact, for he cherished the most decided dislike to raw shellfish. _that_ must at least be something he had dreamt. all the same, the story about the monk continued to haunt hjor-leif's mind and disquiet him. for a part of the dream which he had not confided to helga was--that he had stolen his sword from the monk. that was a bad dream. when hjor-leif returned home from the viking expedition of the summer, ingolf had already sold such of their goods and cattle as could not be stowed on board the two ships. he had also sold his dragon-ship. he confided in a quiet voice to his brother that he intended hereafter to lead a perfectly peaceful life. hjor-leif once more remembered his dream of the hermit on the island, and said that he also had had enough of these expeditions. they agreed that ingolf should purchase from hjor-leif his share in the vessel, and that hjor-leif should then exchange his two ships for a powerful trading-ship. ingolf had in his journeys seen one that might suit him. the matter was arranged, and everything was now ready for their departure in the next spring. it was the season when the first winter nights were powdering the earth with frost. and now began a lively and unquiet time for the sworn brothers. relatives and friends came from near and far to spend some days with them. the whole of this last winter in dalsfjord there was a festivity and bustle which made them all giddy with hilarity, especially hjor-leif. his irrepressible mood infected helga. she gave herself away and forgot everything, even her most secret troubles--she forgot everything in the one fact that she just had leif. they let day be day, and night be night, and merely lived--lived in a state of blissful intoxication, which excluded everything except absorption in the present happiness of their souls. often when helga was falling asleep, she thought, "you will not wake in the morning," and smiled happily. her happiness was so deep that death and life ran into one. there was no pause in the festivities. when there was no feast being held in the house, they and their guests and servants were invited to week-long feasts in other houses. among their kinsmen and friends there were already at this time many who said that if ingolf and hjor-leif prospered in the new land, they also would sell their properties in norway and migrate thither. norway was no longer what it had been. they knew no longer whether they were free yeomen or king harald's lease-holders. lately one of harald's jarls had murdered atle jarl the slender. haasten held his right and inheritance by harald's permission. and there were many situated as he was. every one who dared to murmur had forfeited life and land. it would certainly be a good thing to find a free place so far away that harald's hard arm could not reach. hjor-leif reminded ingolf that he had long fore-told that. there was no need to fear solitude in the new land. before many years had passed, the whole of the great island would be taken in possession by the best men of norway. hjor-leif spoke contentedly and undisturbedly about the matter. he was himself, as usual, not aware of any responsibility. upon ingolf the prospects of many following them thither had a different effect. he was quite weighed down with a sense of responsibility and anxiety. was the land out there in the west so good that he could justify drawing others by his example from their inheritance and the country of their race? and, above all: _was_ it the gods' will that he should journey thither? ingolf arranged a great yuletide sacrificial feast. and now he wished to ascertain the will of the gods. on the first night of the feast he cast lots. some chips or sticks, dipped in sacrificial blood, were tossed in a cloth, and he read off the characters formed by the positions which the chips assumed towards each other. far to the left lay a chip by itself, straight up and down, a clear character, an "i." that signified "ice," and seemed to mean that he should travel. the next character was even clearer. some chips had so arranged themselves that they formed the runic character "f." that signified "cattle"; goods and wealth. there was no fear of making a mistake. ingolf read off still more characters, but they were all propitious, with the exception of a single death-rune. well, one could not escape death by not travelling. that came to each one on the day assigned by the fates. ingolf was reassured. winter passed, and the days increased in light and length. then came a spring day. it was a warm and festal spring which fell in step with winter's mood. the sworn brothers launched their vessel and loaded it with goods and implements, men and cattle. ingolf had taken the pillars of his high-seat on board, together with all the images of the gods from the temple. leif sat doubled up with laughter and watched ingolf and his men dragging with solemn intentness the worm-eaten and bedizened pillars of the gods from the temple down to the ship. was ingolf, then, no wiser? helga awoke from her trance of happiness as she stood with her hand in hjor-leif's and sailed out between some small islands covered with spruce and fir, from whence a strong pine-scent was carried towards her by a gentle breeze. hjor-leif felt her hand grow cold in his. he clasped the slender fingers more closely. had he clasped them too closely? her little hand began suddenly to tremble in his. he looked into her eyes with a searching and slightly troubled look. but there was nothing the matter. she smiled her quietest and happiest smile at him. he kissed her, made her sit in shelter, and wrapped a skin round her, so that she should not feel cold. soon they were outside the islands. the wind blew stronger and more steadily. before the bellying sails the two heavily loaded ships steered over a sea blue with spring. vi the sworn brothers' ships lay rolling violently, rocking and pitching in the heavy swell south of iceland. the day was calm and warm. high light clouds were spread over the deep blue vault of heaven. the sun poured his strong spring light in broad floods over sea and land. that day it was fourteen days since they had sailed out from dalsfjord. for fourteen days they had been in the power of the wind. a storm which tore the sails and broke the yards had driven them about over a raging sea, which ceaselessly sent cold showers of spray over the low gunwales. from morning till evening, from evening till morning, four men had stood in each vessel with the two baling scoops, working for life to keep the water out. in spite of being continually relieved the men were at last so worn out and wasted that they could scarcely eat, and fell asleep and rolled over wherever they sat down even for a moment. by continual watchfulness and clever seamanship the brothers had succeeded in keeping their vessels together. each stood day and night at the rudder. only in the short intervals when the wind turned, or there was a short pause, did they throw themselves down to sleep for the moment as if dead. they had no time to think of helga and hallveig. helga was careful not to be in the way. she rendered the small service she was able to do under these circumstances as much as possible without making herself observed. hallveig sat with her boy in her lap and let the wind blow and the storm rage. she kept her eyes on ingolf and felt safe. the sworn brothers fought for life and death with storm and sea. the great thing was to hold out, not to give up, not to think of anything but what concerned the steering and the quantity of canvas they should carry, not to be wearied, not to lose one's head--to hold out, to hold out. it was just this unceasing struggle which kept up their courage and spirits. the animals were ill and starving; some of them died and had to be thrown overboard, others lay in their last agonies, pitiable to see. much of their corn and other food-stores was spoilt by the dense showers of spray. the fresh water in the casks sank regularly and irremediably. the men went about slackly, and had to be kept going with a hard hand. there was hardly anything on board which was not otherwise than it should be, and giving reason for deep anxiety. but the brothers held out. when at last on the previous day they had seen on the extreme verge of the northern horizon a light from the snow-covered interior of the new land like a faint white gleam, each had thought within himself that it was not a day too soon. during the last twenty-four hours the storm had at last slowly quieted down, and now they lay here, held up by a presumably only short calm, a few hours' sail from the coast, and gazed curiously and expectantly over the sea at the land in the blue distance. the ships lay side by side, kept in their places by long boat-hooks, only so far from each other as was necessary in order to prevent their chafing and injuring their sides. hjor-leif and helga had gone on board ingolf's vessel in order to greet him and hallveig and to talk over the situation. all four were seated, hallveig with her little boy in her arms, on the stern poop. after the severe trial they had passed through there was a silence over them which was difficult to break. they had not yet grown properly accustomed to the fact that life and death did not hang on each moment as it passed. therefore they spoke but little. towards the north-east and north-west the soft lines of the slightly rising and falling glaciers stood out behind the blue mountains that crowned this flat land. the brothers followed the changing contours of the country with a peculiar tenderness in their eyes. but their gaze always turned back to the glaciers which shone sparkling white in the strong sunshine. hallveig and helga also could not turn away their eyes from the glaciers. the few words which they now and then exchanged were said in low tones, as if they sat in a temple, and not at sea on a swaying vessel. ingolf and hjor-leif had long sat silent side by side, inspecting the land with keen eyes. between a projecting point a long way to the east, and another far to the west, there stretched a flat, unbroken coast-line, distinctly marked by a white edge of rolling surf. "it will be difficult to land here," concluded leif at last, in a slightly hard and irritated tone. "also, it seems as if most of the land nearest the shore is barren sand." "there are enough landing-places by the points," ingolf answered quietly, "and behind the sands the land may be good and fertile, even close up to the glaciers. we saw that on the eastern side last summer." ingolf was in secret rather disappointed that they had not found the svanefjords again. but he did not speak about it. it was not possible to look for them now. at present, the great thing was to get on land as quickly as possible, and almost anywhere, so that the men and animals could have a good rest and recover. the sworn brothers had agreed that they must settle for the summer and the coming winter on the spot where they landed. afterwards they might look out for a permanent residence. ingolf had very decided views with regard to the choice of a dwelling-place. these views, however, he had not yet confided to hjor-leif, nor to any one else. the matter concerned the gods, and in all that concerned them his brother's attitude was a foregone conclusion. hjor-leif, on his part, only thought of finding a pleasant and fertile spot, preferably by the sea, and protected by the mountains, where he could feel himself at home and be comfortable. for a long time they sat in silence, each deep in thought. ingolf reflected how he had best communicate his plan to hjor-leif. he saw at once that it was no good to be silent about it longer. for already, before they departed from here, it must be put into execution. he sat and felt rather perplexed inwardly, and could not find words. at that moment hjor-leif was sitting and reflecting over an experience which he had had the previous night. he had lain asleep in his bearskin bag while his old headman took charge of the tiller. suddenly he started up from sleep, having certainly dreamt of something or other he could not remember, and as he did so he collided with a man who must have been stooping over him. it was one of his irish serfs, duftak, a man whose evil eye had followed him since he once in wrath had stretched him on the ground with a well-deserved blow. hjor-leif was not certain, but it seemed to him that the serf had thrown something or other which he had in his hand overboard, just as he had stumbled against him and stood opposite him. he thought he had heard a little splash as when a hard object strikes the water. but he was by no means certain of the matter, and neither the serf's eyes nor his behaviour had betrayed anything. he had asked him what he was doing here, and it seemed that he had come to look after a roll of rope which lay close by. hjor-leif had had his thoughts occupied the whole day by this occurrence. he had already observed for a long time that the serf's eyes followed helga wherever she went and stood, with an evil and at the same time covetous look. he could not understand why he had not already thrown the serf overboard, and why he did not intend to do so. he was quite sure that it was not from fear, although there seemed to be a peculiar understanding among his irish serfs. it was rather because he could not do without serfs, and because if he killed one of them it would be safest to kill them all. at length leif unwillingly shook these thoughts off, and asked curtly: "we shall sail southward, i suppose, when the wind gets up again?" ingolf was silent. it was certainly about an equal distance to the two points, and he had a very great desire to seek a landing-place near the more easterly of the two. instead of giving a direct answer, he began cautiously: "i have thought, brother, that i for my part will let the gods decide where i should settle in this new land." leif, whose temper at the moment was a little off its balance because of the incident with the serf, gave a hard laugh: "how will you go about it?" ingolf pointed to the pillars of his high-seat, which lay lashed together with strong skin straps above a pile amidships. "i will throw the pillars of my high-seat overboard. wherever they drift to land, i will settle." "even if they drift to land in the middle of the sands here?" asked hjor-leif incredulously and a little scornfully. "the gods will know how to find the place where it will be best for me and my family to settle," answered ingolf, undisturbed. "i lay with confidence the choice of a dwelling in their hand." hjor-leif was silent for a long time. there was a hard and pitiless line round his large mouth. there was ingolf again with his cursed gods! at last he spoke, without looking at anything: "instead, then, of our choosing a place for ourselves where the earth is fertile and luxuriant we are to settle wherever it pleases the wind and current to wash up a pair of dead planks on shore." he talked himself into a bad temper. and he wound up bitterly: "we shall hardly be neighbours, then, brother!" ingolf sprang up from his place. he was on the point of giving an angry answer when he remembered suddenly a snowy day when he and hjor-leif had ridden alone over a desolate heath. he shut his lips tightly, and stood for a while silent, leaning against the tiller. in his eyes there was a seeking look which wandered in perplexity over the water. the sun's glimmer dazzled his eyes. he could not find a word kind and cautious enough to answer with. but his resolve stood immovably firm. suddenly he collected himself, and, calling a couple of his men, bade them take the high-seat pillars down from the pile and lay them on the gunwale. so he stood for a little and let his hands glide carefully over the age-browned wood. hjor-leif sat watching with a hard, evil look in his grey eyes. cautiously ingolf let the pillars glide overboard. he remained standing, and followed them with his eyes as they lay there floating on the bright, oily water. hjor-leif could only see his back. there was an air of decision and resolve about that back which irritated him still further. hallveig and helga had followed the conversation, and now sat silent and anxious, not daring to look at each other. helga did not at all reflect which of the two was more in the right. she was simply troubled. in her gentle mind there rose a strange, impotent fear which made her heart beat heavily and painfully. hallveig, on the other hand, was at first in her inmost heart on the point of justifying hjor-leif. at the first moment it appeared to her that one's own eyes' choice of a dwelling could always be as good as that of blind gods, nay, really much safer. but when she had sat for a while with her firm, open gaze fixed on ingolf's back, a change took place in her mind. the air of security and assurance which was about her husband's whole person, and which his back just now so distinctly expressed, had an unconscious effect upon her. she understood all of a sudden that it was just this sign from the gods which was needed in order to attach her husband's heart firmly and unbreakably to his new home. there, where the pillars of his high-seat drifted on shore, ingolf would feel himself at home with all his soul and in spite of reason. the gods' choice of the place would give his strength and will the firm ground without which, in spite of all his strength, he could not thrive. on a spot so chosen ingolf would force happiness and prosperity to dwell in the face of every imaginable difficulty. for in alliance with his gods he was invincible. hallveig sat there and became assured and peaceful in mind. she understood that it was from an unwaveringly sure and wise instinct that ingolf acted when he cast the pillars overboard. it was of vital importance to him to feel himself in covenant with his gods and in possession of their favour. hallveig stooped over her little boy and kissed him on the forehead, and remained sitting for a while with bowed head, lest any should see she had tears in her eyes. with beating heart ingolf stood and watched his treasured pillars tossed by the billows, lightly, aimlessly, as though they were ordinary pieces of driftwood. it was not without severe internal conflicts that he had resolved to deliver his dearest possession to the power of the sea. but here life was at stake. it was not only a matter of finding a place where his cattle could graze and his house stand, but of finding exactly _that_ place which the gods willed to grant him and his family. the place where they could know he would stay for the future. the place where his and his family's happiness and prosperity were not only under his but under their care and responsibility. when ingolf had stood for a long time watching the pillars, which gradually drifted astern in an easterly direction, his displeasure towards his brother disappeared. he turned slowly, and, with a peculiar smile upon his young face towards the others, went quietly and seated himself by the side of hjor-leif. "what do you think of our choosing the eastern point as a landing-place, brother?" he asked in a quiet and friendly tone. the question irritated leif. there was no talk of choice; it was merely a question where a piece of driftwood should decide their landing. "i have already for my part chosen the west," he answered firmly, and at the same time as quietly as he could, and not without a certain satisfaction at the effect of his words. but it was not only on ingolf that leif's answer had the effect of a well-directed blow. both hallveig and helga felt that here was something evil and dangerous going on. quite involuntarily helga called hjor-leif's name in a supplicating tone. she had no idea of wishing to influence him in the least degree. she knew him, and was aware that it was hopeless. the word fell like a prayer from her gentle and anxious soul. in one hot wave the blood mounted to hjor-leif's head when he heard helga's voice. "you can remain with your brother, since you prefer that to following me." the bitter words leapt from his mouth. helga broke down in a heavy and despairing fit of weeping. leif sat motionless, and apparently un-moved. but in his breast there tore and tugged a fierce and intolerable pain which was not far from making him powerless. it was not at all, as it now appeared, a sudden whim which caused him not to wish to have helga on board again. it was the scene by night with the serf, duftak, which from the beginning had given rise to the thought in him that helga would be really safer on ingolf's ship. some vague and groundless presentiment or other, which made him still more sensitive and impatient, told him that there was danger in the journey for him and helga. it was nothing but pure tenderness for helga which made him resolve that they should part before they were all quite on shore. this time he had not thought of parting from ingolf. but in a moment hjor-leif was completely in the power of his restless temperament which, as so often before, distorted his words and actions and drove him to hasty resolves. to separate from the others, and seek another landing-place, with the prospect perhaps of not seeing them for a whole year, was for him a much greater trial than for ingolf, to whose equable temperament a year's separation contained nothing unthinkable or alarming. hjor-leif could really not imagine how he could hold out merely a month, much less a whole year, without them. and if he now chose to land in another place than ingolf, each for the present would have to remain where he landed. but it was completely impossible for him to expose his dependence and pain at parting. he could neither humble himself nor subdue his spirit so far as to enable them to discuss matters reasonably. as soon as the fateful words were out of his mouth he was helplessly in their power. while thoughts and feelings were rushing like violent streams through hjor-leif's lacerated soul, ingolf had already succeeded in reviewing the matter reasonably. in separation there was the advantage that the one who first found a landing-place could, by kindling a fire on his point, inform the other, who perhaps would be seeking a landing-place in vain, where he could look for one. ingolf, with a seaman's practised eye, had long before discovered that the coast here was difficult, not to say impossible to land on. it confronted the open sea. the heavy swells, which were certainly almost always prevalent here, would shatter any ship that tried to land on the sands. it was by no means unlikely that the character of the coast near the two points might be equally difficult. and it was impossible to know if the coast east or south of the points was better. since leif now wished it, ingolf had for his part nothing against their separation, for some days or for a year, as it might happen. he therefore quietly proposed that whoever first succeeded in landing should kindle a fire on his point as a signal to the other. the latter could then make for that place, if he had not found another harbour before, or in the contrary case might answer with a fire on his point. hjor-leif briefly agreed to this arrangement. it was he who had settled that they should separate, and yet it was a severe disappointment to him that it was now finally decided on. "i may come southward in the spring, if i have not by that time found my pillars," said ingolf quietly, when the matter of the fires had been settled. "but if i should not come, i will send you a messenger, if i have not heard from you before." hjor-leif nodded curtly. it was incomprehensible to him that ingolf could sit there and talk so quietly, as if nothing had happened between them and everything was all right. "if you find my pillars," ingolf continued, with the same immovable calm, "take good care of them, and let me know of the discovery as soon as possible." hjor-leif made no answer. internally he swore that if he had the luck to find the infernal pillars it would be a joy to him to let the fire devour them. all conversation gradually died out among the four persons who sat there, swinging on the sea, swayed by the balance of fate, each mind filled with its characteristic inner thoughts, peace or unrest, wearing pain or assured contentment--sat there in the grip of their own souls and of blind powers, while the brilliant spring day glided into a light, soft night. the red sun-gold over the sea in the west faded and died away into other and colder colours. the world was new and strange, and charged with presentiment as always on the boundary between day and night. the four sat there, and let the day go and night come over their peaceful or irritated silence. ingolf's little boy, thorsten, slept quietly in his mother's bosom. all around was quiet. peace was there for whomsoever had a mind to receive it. the brothers sat side by side, yet each in his own world. ingolf, as always, kept his mind collected, was his natural self, and knew it. just as he ate what nourished his body of the good things of sea and earth, so his mind absorbed whatever benefited him from the changing moods of day and night, sea and heaven and earth. everything else remained lying untouched and harmless outside the tightly closed circle of his mind. with hjor-leif it was otherwise. he had no collectedness in his mind. every kind of experience or mood which approached him was seized by the tentacles of his restless heart. evil and good, health and injury--his hungry nature swallowed and satiated itself with all, without any other result than merely to increase his burning desire for something--a condition or an experience--he knew no name for it. in a measure he was himself just as ingolf was. but his self was volatile and difficult to grasp. it died away in grief and gladness, as though it were a part of them. thus the night passed. and when day again bordered the east, it was followed by a gentle breeze from the sea which could be used for sailing equally westward or eastward. hjor-leif rose and heaved a heavy sigh in the cool morning air. his last hope: a stiff breeze from the west, which would oblige him to follow his brother, was gone. helga and ingolf both rose with hjor-leif. helga went to him, put her arm round his neck, and pressed close to him. no prayer came from her lips, but her whole soul was a prayer. hjor-leif examined his mind and found a fear there--some misty foreboding of impending disaster, which determined him to stand firm, to be hard both towards himself and towards her. he responded to her caress, but not in the whole-hearted way which would allow him to forget his words and revoke his determination not to let her follow him. there was a distinct air of separation in his kiss and in the gentle passing of his hand over her luxuriant fair hair. so helga gave up her hope and submitted silently to his will, as she had always done. hjor-leif silently gave hallveig his hand in farewell. she looked firmly and inquiringly at him, and pressed his hand silently. there was something about hjor-leif, the man who was so unlike ingolf, and whom she did not understand, that stirred something in her heart. when he had left her, she suddenly called after him: "good-bye, hjor-leif, till we meet again. we shall take good care of helga." hjor-leif turned towards her with a forced and wry smile on his irregular features--a smile which betrayed such a pathetic and involuntary gratitude that, immediately after he had turned and gone, helga fell into hallveig's arms, and both wept. they had suddenly divined, with the sure instinct of women, that it was out of tenderness and love that hjor-leif had let helga remain behind. there was much in the whole sudden arrangement which they did not understand, but this they did. ingolf followed hjor-leif to the gunwale amidships. the men were engaged in drawing the ships close together with boat-hooks. the distance between them had gradually become so small that he could soon spring over into his own ship. "i do not rightly understand why you let helga remain behind," ingolf said at last, when hjor-leif already had his foot on the gunwale. hjor-leif paused, and stood still a little, without meeting ingolf's searching look. "i cannot give you any reason," he answered at last, and the hardness and gruffness in his voice spoke of feelings of quite another sort in his heart, "except that in my judgment it is the best for her." ingolf's whole bearing clearly showed that the answer did not satisfy him. hjor-leif became irritated. "i have ten serfs and only ten freemen," he continued in a firm and rather annoyed tone, for he did not like, not only before ingolf, but also before himself, to clothe his forebodings in such a distinct shape. "i cannot always be at hand, and the serfs are not reliable. i may fall sick and misfortune come upon us. many things may happen. are you satisfied?" hjor-leif's tone was still equally hard and unyielding. but ingolf had seen through him, and smilingly reached him his hand. hjor-leif squeezed it with his iron claw so that it hurt, and stood meanwhile with averted face; his features worked visibly, and he bit his lip till the blood came. hastily he let go of ingolf's hand, and at the same moment sprang into his own ship. immediately afterwards ingolf heard his voice from it. it was cuttingly sharp, and rose higher and higher in a torrent of words. it soon appeared that hjor-leif had quickly succeeded in putting life into his men. soon after, his ship, with sail hoisted, glided away before the light breeze. ingolf stood and thought that such a lonely year might do hjor-leif good. he would be a different man the next time they saw him. ingolf only lent a momentary hearing to the voice of a strange wounded and groundless sense of loss in his soul. quietly he turned round, roused his tired men mildly, and bade them hoist sail and make the vessel clear. as early as the next night hjor-leif saw a fire shine from ingolf's point. so ingolf was already on land, and everything was right there. hjor-leif had not fared so well. the westerly breeze he had so strongly desired had come when he had no more use for it. it had come too late, and very inopportunely. after forty-eight hours he lay here pitching in the choppy seas, tacking as well as he could without getting much nearer his object. there was not a drop of fresh water on board. the irish serfs had discovered how to knead meal and butter into a mess they called _mintak_, and declared that it was a food one did not get thirsty by eating. none the less, all were suffering with thirst, and the animals were in a miserable condition, unable to swallow a straw of the hay they had brought with them. the _mintak_ quickly fermented, and the whole mass had to be thrown overboard. it was only hjor-leif's wretched and indomitable obstinacy which prevented him from taking advantage of the wind and quickly running his ship to ingolf's point. by doing so all his sufferings would have been got rid of at once. it needed only a little resolution, a slight change of mind. the wind was there, the light was there. the fire gleamed and beckoned. all was well so far. the only difficulty was that the deciding little possibility was wanting--the possibility of hjor-leif's bending his mind the little bit that was necessary--the possibility of giving way. in hjor-leif's volatile soul there towered a steep rock. he would see his animals perish of hunger and thirst, his crew perish one by one, and himself die by any death whatever rather than turn his vessel and use the favourable wind. at last, on the evening of the third day, a little rain fell, and hjor-leif succeeded in collecting some water in the outspread sail. that refreshed both men and animals. not till four days after ingolf had kindled his fire did he see a fire burning in answer on hjor-leif's point. when he told helga that, she went up on the point, sat by herself, and stared fixedly at the faint red light, sometimes hardly visible, far to the south-west. there she remained sitting for two days and nights, as long as hjor-leif kept up his fire in order to be sure that it should be seen. ingolf and hallveig had at last begun to be anxious for helga, for she ate nothing, did not sleep, and hardly answered when they spoke to her. but when after these two days spent up there on the point she returned to the tents, she was herself again, and had recovered her old self-command. there was nothing to show either ingolf or hallveig that she carried about a burning sense of bereavement. neither did they know that she lay whole and half nights sleepless, breathing in fancy the rich, delicious scent of pine trees. vii for the second time in his life hjor-leif lost his spirits completely. after closer reflection he found his lonely situation so meaningless and unjust, so devoid of all reconciling elements such as, for example, a prospect of adventures or opportunity for exploits--in brief, so utterly irrational, that he involuntarily began to show his teeth at existence by drowning himself in perpetual melancholy, only now and then interrupted by isolated attacks of ill-temper. the days encountered him heavily and sulkily. it seemed as if all their endeavours were directed to show him in earnest _how_ empty and tedious and intolerable they could be, if they seriously set about it. the bright, cloudless summer days sneered at him when they met him with ice-cold scornful light from sunrise to sunset. grey and rainy days, on the other hand, showed him without disguise their dull side. hjor-leif could not come to an agreement with himself which of the two kinds of days was really the more intolerable. they were all alike impossible. the one point he was clear about with regard to the days was that he had without doubt still the worst remaining. he cursed them with oaths which were powerful both in length and strength, and derived from an inexhaustible supply. but they were no help--not even momentarily. in the battle with the days he suffered one defeat after another; they were far stronger than he. they were invincible. and they possessed, although he daily experienced that, in spite of all, they did pass, a peculiarity of appearing endless, which deprived him of all hope. hjor-leif tried in every way to put a little meaning into them. he set his freemen to build a winter dwelling, a house nineteen fathoms long. it was to contain them all, together with their wives. he had only taken young, newly married people with him from norway, with the single exception of his old headman. hjor-leif did what he could to take a little interest in the work. but it was only self-deception. the days did not for a moment let go their wild-beast clutch on his neck. he set the serfs to build a house eighteen fathoms long, and bullied them till they quailed and shivered and fell into helpless embarrassment merely at the sight of him. yes, he instilled a wholesome terror into the irish serfs. they slunk about, and hardly knew whether to walk upright or on all fours. and they had no eyes--at any rate, there seemed no more any sight in their eyes. regarding them, he felt sure that he had made them harmless for ever. but it brought him no comfort either to treat them like dogs or to realize their harmlessness. that did not bring a spark of his spirits back. there was nothing to rouse them in that quarter. one of the items in hjor-leif's despairing and hopeless struggle with the days was going along the shore and choosing driftwood for his buildings. when he found a stout, solid plank, he marked it with a stroke of his ax; then he bade the serfs find the planks so marked and bring them home. sometimes in these wanderings, hjor-leif found himself standing and hewing wildly and meaninglessly at a plank, as though his life depended on cutting it into a plaything for the winds. whenever he awoke from such an attack of frenzy he looked round him with a shamefaced expression, and began eagerly, with a strong sense of humiliation, to efface the traces of it, watched by the evil eye of a hostile day. hjor-leif had one hope, and only one. his longing, strongly reinforced by his despair, had treated with the rocky pride of his soul, and the result was a reasonable agreement. therefore he went everywhere and searched for ingolf's high-seat pillars. not in order to do away with them by means of fire, but to get an excuse for seeking ingolf at once, and so obtaining an honourable and acceptable victory over all that pained and plagued him. hjor-leif wanted to see what the day would look like when by finding the pillars he was able to escape from his wretchedness with a bound. this hope sustained him. but day after day passed without his finding the pillars. not even the sea and tides were friendly disposed towards him. he talked in a loud voice with the sea, and reminded it of all the honourable bouts they had had with each other. but either the sea did not hear or would not recognize him. it had perhaps become hostile towards him, like everything else in heaven and earth. hjor-leif had been as far eastward along the coast as the impassible glacier streams would let him go. now he turned westward. he took food with him, and remained away four days and nights. during his expedition he came to know a new part of the country which he liked, and where he could well imagine himself settling. below the green mountains, which first in a steep ascent and then with a more gradual incline rose towards the white glacier which with its two domes reminded one of a female giant's breasts, the low land stretched with fertile meadows and picturesque bush-covered valleys and luxuriant pastures towards the shining sea. in the south-west green precipitous isles rose from the sea. hjor-leif gave the mountains names after these islands, which simultaneously limited and enriched the view, and called them island-mountains. the western dome of the glacier he named the island-mountains' glacier; the eastern he had already, after a more eastern district, baptized myrdals-glacier. hjor-leif did not turn round, for he saw the land open into a wide bay towards the west. he examined the shore outside the island-mountains and myrdal very closely. it was a great disappointment to him that the pillars had not drifted on shore here. hjor-leif returned home from this excursion still more taciturn and depressed than he had started. wearing unrest received him with open arms every morning and did not release him from its evil embrace till sleep at night had pity on him. he set some of his men to get in hay, others he made go out fishing, the rest he kept occupied with the houses. it was an insignificant alleviation of his trouble to see his men busily occupied. for himself he had no patience for anything. on the walks which he now and then took along the coast to assure himself if the pillars had not drifted on shore in his immediate neighbourhood, he was no more accompanied by even the smallest hope. during these walks helga was always in his mind. but not openly and consciously--he scarcely had patience enough to think of her in that way. no, secretly and hidden away she lived in his mind. through memories and reminiscences she was near to him, without his being obliged to face the fact that they were divided from each other by a long distance and a sea of days, and that this separation was due to a stupid and certainly quite groundless foreboding. he carried these memories about very tenderly and cautiously, without any intention of letting them slip quite out of the fog of unconsciousness. as a man dying of thirst sips dew, he cheated himself into a reminiscent happiness. it was a dangerous proceeding. for _if_ he woke from the dream, his agony flung him on the ground in a passion of tears, unworthy of a man, and which, moreover, brought no relief. hjor-leif became at last weary of the sea and shore. he turned his mind against them and made enemies again--evil emptiness and helpless melancholy--nature's immovable answer to all discontent. so hjor-leif became hostile to all things round him. the echo of his own mind met him everywhere and tortured him as only self-inflicted pain can torture. he extended his lonely wanderings to the wide-stretching pastures, overgrown with spreading coppice-wood, which reached from his point right up to the blue mountains. but also in this region he soon became homeless. his inner want of peace drove all peace around him away. when winter came, hjor-leif sat like a bear in his lair, alone with the fire and his half-share of the nineteen-fathom-long house. it was uncomfortable near him. therefore his men kept together in their end of the house, even though no fire burned there. they were newly married, and felt neither cold nor dull. the serfs slunk in now and then, by twos, with fuel for the fire. they shivered, and came hurriedly away from their task, even though hjor-leif sat with his head in his hands and did not look at them at all. hjor-leif was poor now. he was so poor that he caught himself longing for the break in the evening's brooding silence, which the serf's coming caused. so poor, that in order not to betray his poverty he showed himself perverse and ungracious towards his old headman, when the latter once overcame his embarrassment and, out of devotion and sympathy, sat with him one evening. either he was silent with the old man in his own comfortlessness, or he pained him with scornful words and malicious laughter. the old man could not understand how hjor-leif had lost all his good temper and indomitable spirits, unless the evil spirits of this strange land had deprived him of them. he could not endure this land where hjor-leif, his favourite, had neither living nor dead foes to fight with. there were plenty of wizards and goblins here, as he had himself experienced. there was an unearthly life in the rocks and heights. but these were creatures without value for a man eager for battle. one could not attack them weapon in hand. the sacred iron could only protect one against them, and keep them out of the house. hjor-leif's old headman fought bravely with his fear and discomfort for an obviously bewitched man. but there came an end, and he also gave up hjor-leif and let him sit alone by the fire. for days and nights together the storm and hail beat on the house with howlings and threatening hootings. the winter days were often only an indistinct glimmer. and in the uncanny winter night all evil spirits were loose. hjor-leif sat through the long evenings in his bitterness alone by the fire. and even the fire, his only friend in the wintry emptiness, now showed fits of enmity, and spat out evil smoke which struck his breast like a tearing cough. hjor-leif sat most often with his face in his hands. by doing so he, as it were, shut himself into himself, and cheated in a measure the evil powers in him and round him. but there was a danger in thus sitting hugging his pain. solitude used the opportunity to whisper words of madness in his ear. and often hjor-leif was near forgetting himself, and beginning to listen to its alluring, unbridled talk. but then sleep came, and saved him, and gave him some hours' forgetfulness. a forgetfulness which, however short it was, armed him for the morrow's encounter with a hostile, desolate, and lonely day. viii now there is this to be told of ingolf, that when he had found a practicable harbour, and unloaded his ship and drawn it on land, he set his men immediately to work at building winter dwellings for men and animals. he himself rode about on horseback, followed by a young serf, vifel, who had grown up in his father's house, and whom he valued greatly. he examined the district, and took long rides along the shore to look for the pillars of his high-seat. he made use of his opportunities, and was satisfied. the district suited him in many ways. from his point he commanded a wide view eastward and westward along the coast--the most extensive view he remembered to have seen. some distance inland, exactly opposite the point, divided from it by luxuriant pasture-land, there rose a steep, high mountain. on both sides of it the circle of mountains retired, on the south-west side in a wide curve. behind this mountain rose the glacier, a gigantic pile of ice glittering white in the distance, which sent wrinkled feelers down all the ravines as if to taste the lowland. remarkably enough, no cold emanated from this huge mass of ice; on the contrary, it seemed to warm the air, perhaps by attracting all the bad weather and cold to its far summit, which was only seldom visible. on both sides of the point there stretched barren sand along the coast intersected by countless glacier streams. these sands in some places spread themselves inland till they met the edge of the glacier. but the wide-stretching pasture-land along the mountains, which this barren sand surrounded, was of a peculiarly rich fertility. there was abundance of coppice-wood, which in places grew close up to the glacier and presented a singular appearance. the cattle throve well here. the air was full of warm moisture, and was suitable for grass and cattle and men. ingolf had to admit that the summer was better and the soil more luxuriant here than in the svanefjords. at the same time, he wished his pillars would drift ashore in the svanefjords. and in this hallveig was one with him. secretly he derived not a little hope from the circumstance that the pillars had apparently taken an eastward direction when he saw them drift away from the ship. who could say?--perhaps it was to the svanefjords! he did not dare to wish anything in that way; it was for odin to decide it. and it would be presumptuous of him to wish to instruct or to influence the one-eyed with the ravens. but many things pass through one's thoughts which one cannot control. odin must know that and would excuse it. ingolf endured the suspense for two months. then he prepared for a long expedition with his serf, vifel. hallveig did not like this journey. both ingolf and his men had told her so much about the impassable glacier streams. ingolf, however, quieted her by promising to show all possible caution. but he wished to go and look for himself in the svanefjords. ingolf and his serf rode over the sand-dunes. on each sand-hill sat a gull. full of an injured sense of proprietorship, the birds sat there and followed silently with an inscrutable look these strange animals who brought disturbance into the landscape. these sands were intersected by a countless number of powerful glacier streams. but fortunately the glacier proved passable in that part, so that ingolf and his companion succeeded in circumventing the rivers in that way. on the evening of the second day they were again stopped by a glacier stream as broad as a fjord, and with a treacherous bottom of fine sand. it traversed the district ingolf and leif had penetrated on their expedition southward from the svanefjords the previous summer. ingolf tried to circumvent it in the same way as he had the other river. but here the glacier was so full of deep crevasses along and across its course, that after many vain attempts he had to give it up. there was nothing for it but to turn round and put off the examination of the coast till the winter had bridged with ice the impassable rivers. the remainder of the summer passed in winter preparations of all kinds. there were plenty of things to take in hand and look after. ingolf kept an eye on his sister, helga, and showed her great friendliness in his words and behaviour. he could not exactly ascertain the real state of her feelings. she was quiet as ever, and all smiles and good-humour. she played with the boy, helped hallveig, and there was apparently nothing in the least the matter with her spirits. but ingolf had now and then, early in the morning, before any one else was up, surprised her standing staring with a long look towards the distant mountains that showed bluish in the south-west. in that direction lay hjor-leif's point, although so far away that it could not be discerned. it cut ingolf to the heart to see his sister stand gazing so--her face was so unusually pale in the mornings, and her blue eyes darker than at other times, as though shadowed by a twilight below them. he had been many times on the point of telling her about the last words he had exchanged with leif. for he knew that she was not aware of hjor-leif's real reason for letting her remain behind with himself and hallveig, and had no idea what she thought about it. but on further reflection he gave up the thought of telling her every time. perhaps by doing so he would only cause her unnecessary anxiety and sorrow. she would certainly hardly be so quiet as now, if she were seriously anxious for hjor-leif. best not to interfere with her thoughts. for his own part, ingolf was not for an instant afraid of anything happening to hjor-leif, though he agreed with him that it was best not to expose helga to the results of any conspiracy among the serfs, which he might well have reason to fear. but ingolf knew hjor-leif. even if his brother had been alone with the ten seditious serfs he would not have felt anxious for him. hjor-leif was on the watch, and he had successfully managed worse situations. the winter began with slight frost and much snow. it was past yuletide before the rivers were frozen. as soon as possible, ingolf equipped vifel and another of his serfs, named karle, and sent them eastward along the coast with orders to examine closely every creek and every promontory, and not to return till they had inspected both svanefjord's, except in the event of their finding the pillars before. the serfs experienced wretched weather, with snow-storms and intense frost. they remained away for two weeks, and returned hungry and weary. they had examined the coast-line as far as north of the svanefjords, but seen nothing of the pillars anywhere. when they had informed ingolf, he heaved a deep sigh and gave up the svanefjords. he allowed the serfs time to rest and recover after their severe experience. then he ordered them to get ready again. this time he gave them horses and sent them westward along the coast. he enjoined them not to return till they had found hjor-leif. if they had not found the pillars before they met him they were to tell hjor-leif to come westward with his men and cattle as soon as summer was in the air and a sea-passage was safe. but spring came this time earlier than it was expected. already in the night before the serfs started, a warm and strong south-west wind began to melt the snows and melt the ice that covered the rivers. the serfs only succeeded in passing the nearest rivers on ice. by the second day they could neither get forward nor backward by reason of furious rivers which carried huge volumes of muddy water and great blocks of ice. but they had to push on, and did so with the horses' help, although they often wasted days in finding a ford, and sometimes had to let themselves be dragged through the water, hanging on to the horses' tails or manes. it was the worst journey that vifel and karle had ever been out on, and it was only due to vifel's endurance and fidelity that they went forward and escaped with their lives. on the way they met men--irish monks--who here far inland had built a temple with a brazen voice which shook the air. the monks questioned them, and seemed displeased with what they had to narrate. they did not show them much friendliness. but vifel and karle were eternally thankful for merely escaping with life from these strange men who were in covenant with a god, the sound of whose voice alone cast them terror-struck to the earth. at last the serfs reached hjor-leif's point. they had been fourteen days on the journey. they found the houses empty and the place forsaken. they went down to the shore and found the ship. the boats, on the other hand, were gone. not the slightest sign of life was visible anywhere. ix hjor-leif saw the winter come to an end at last. he lay one night and heard the tone of the wind change. he knew the eager and implacable voice of the south-east wind. it did not surprise him then to hear a dripping indoors and out. his heart began to beat a little as he lay there. but he lay still, did not jump from his bed, did not run to salute the spring and bid its warm wind take the bad weather from him, as in other circumstances he would have done. there was not much left of hjor-leif's strength now. he did not awake with the spring. generally he was accustomed to avoid the house when spring had first come. but this time he remained within, sick in mind, and without power to shake off the burden of winter and his bereavement. he remained sitting indoors while the young year awoke the earth from winter's sleep, without paying attention to it. that was not like hjor-leif. indeed, it was so unlike him, that his men avoided each other's looks and did not speak about him. he got out of his bed each morning with a sigh, clothed himself wearily, and went slowly and sluggishly out to see how far the spring was advanced, and if the weather held. if it was bright he went up on the point and looked eastward over the land and over the sea. then he went home again, dragging his feet like an old man or an invalid, and wrapped himself in his solitude and waited. it was still too early in the year for ingolf to be coming--ingolf and helga. he hardly dared to think of her name. the very thought scorched and burnt his wounded soul that by this separation which he had insisted on he had caused helga fresh grief. his own sufferings were indeed bitterly deserved--that he had to acknowledge--but that did not make them any easier. the thought made the wilderness of his soul even more desolate. self-caused, self-deserved, every torturing day, every sleep-forsaken night, every suffering, every whip-lash of longing, altogether self-caused, without reason and to no use. that was bad enough to think about. but it was worse with helga--helga who might have reason to believe that he had left her behind in cold blood, and to think that perhaps he looked forward without longing to seeing her again. the thought was so intolerable that at times it seemed as if his head would split and his heart stop beating. these and similar thoughts tortured hjor-leif, but he sat and let the tedious hours pass. outside, the spring winds raged, while he sat within. the spring's gladness found no way to his soul. his exhausted heart could not welcome the days in its embrace and rejoice at the prospect of soon meeting helga. hjor-leif used every opportunity of bullying the serfs. he heaped on them kicks and blows whenever the fancy took him, and often without cause. he hated these serfs, who crept before him like vermin, so dog-like and abject that they did not dare to show the glances of their eyes. his fear of their combining and attacking him and his men had long ago died out of his mind to the last spark, and it seemed to him now both ridiculous and incredible that he had ever cherished such a thought. these abject animals, these crook-backed creatures! _their_ fault it was--all that he had had to suffer this year. and they should pay for it! to the end of their wretched days they should pay for it! blows they should have--blows and kicks. he would fill their currish hearts with never-appeased fear. he would not kill them; they should live and suffer. in all that concerned the serfs, hjor-leif was implacable. he had succeeded in inspiring them with such terror that there was not a look in their eyes, nor speech in their tongue, save when they were alone and sure of not being seen or heard. as soon as the earth was released from the frost to a spade's depth hjor-leif set his serfs to plough a piece of pasture-land west of the point. they had an ox to draw the plough. and now the serfs' time had come. duftak, who had many kicks and cuffs to avenge, had hatched a plan. the opportunity was ready to hand. when duftak and another serf went off in the morning with ox and plough, he gave the other serfs a signal. they had knives and clubs hidden here and there. now these were produced and concealed in their rags. the serfs were ready. as soon as hjor-leif's free men had gone into their morning meal, duftak stabbed the ox with a knife in its neck and set out running home with the other serfs close on his heels. breathlessly duftak burst in to hjor-leif, and stammered, apparently in the greatest terror: "a bear! a bear!" the serf's fear seemed quite genuine. hjor-leif seized him by the neck, shook him, and quickly learnt from him that a bear had come out of the wood and had killed the ox. everything happened as duftak had foreseen. hjor-leif let him go, strangely enough without the usual kick, shouted to his men, and bade them follow him and look for the bear, and scatter themselves well in the thickets, so that the beast should not escape. then he seized his ax and spear and ran. ah, this meant something for hjor-leif. his heart was again in its place, and beat gladly and quietly. the bear came as though sent by good fortune itself. his soul expanded with a great and happy sense of freedom. he sprang like a boy out of doors, and forgot in his haste to take his sword with him. duftak only hesitated a brief moment--then he seized the sword and ran after hjor-leif. he had undertaken to tackle him by himself alone, and the sword was better than his short knife. everything happened as duftak had calculated--while his men dispersed in the thicket, hjor-leif ran to the ox. duftak had counted on this curiosity in his master. he knew that he _must_ see how the bear had treated the ox, before he began the pursuit. hjor-leif set off in long bounds, light at heart and untroubled. the old love of adventure had awakened in him. he was too much absorbed to notice that the serf was close at his heels. hjor-leif reached the ox, stopped and started, bent down over it, then slowly raised himself. his thoughts stood still for a moment in surprise. what was this? the ox had been stabbed. was the story about the bear only a lie? he turned quietly and as though stupefied, and looked round him. just opposite him stood duftak, with hjor-leif's sword lifted--the point quivered straight in front of his breast. the recollection of the monk's saying flashed through hjor-leif's mind, like a momentary weakness and irresolution. then--before he knew it--the gold-inlaid blade of the sword flashed, and he collapsed with a chill sensation between his ribs--a strange, not uncomfortable sensation, which, however, was immediately followed by a pang and a loud crash, in which earth and sky disappeared. as hjor-leif sank, a lightning thought reminded him that helga was in safety. ah, helga was safe! a dim consciousness that he had not suffered in vain settled like a faint smile on his large mouth. the blood poured steaming and gushing out of his neck. and so the world passed from him.... hjor-leif had lived, and life had done with him. he had paid the price of life, as was meet and right. once more the mistletoe branch had struck down the invulnerable. x one night towards morning ingolf was awakened by the tramping of horses' hoofs. he had begun to be anxious lest the serfs, who had been away the best part of a month, might have perished, and, springing out of bed, dressed quickly and threw a cloak over him. yes, it was vifel and karle home at last. when he came out, they were standing outside in the half-light night and talking softly together. they had not yet taken the saddles off the horses. their manner showed clearly that they were the bearers of evil tidings. both turned their heads when ingolf opened the door, but remained standing irresolute, and forgot to salute. ingolf stood still for a moment. then he went up to them, greeted them quietly, and bade karle take the saddles off the horses and go and sleep. "you had better not talk to any one," ingolf concluded, turning to karle. then he laid his hand on vifel's shoulder and led him round behind the house. there they could best stand and talk undisturbed. vifel was so silent that stillness seemed to envelop him like an invisible vapour in the air. when they had come to the back of the house, ingolf let go of vifel's shoulder and leaned against the wall of the house. his first heavy foreboding had quickly turned into a dawning certainty--a certainty which all but overpowered him. for a few interminable moments he remained standing there, leaning against the wall, and staring to the eastward, where a faint flush on the steel-blue vault of the sky announced the coming of the sun. he avoided looking at vifel, whose expression and behaviour so inexorably revealed what had happened. he shrank from having his last despairing hope annihilated. he must have an interval before he could endure to have his fears, his all but certain foreboding, confirmed by the pitiless word. the sun rose and was free of the clouds on the horizon before his mind had slowly reached the point that uncertainty was intolerable to him. he cast a glance at the serf. vifel stood and wept, silent and motionless. the tears ran in streams over his cheeks, and left light streaks behind them. "what have you to tell?" ingolf asked at last, with forced quietude. "hjor-leif's death," stammered the serf, with chattering teeth. there was a long pause. ingolf had bowed his head, and stood with closed eyes and compressed lips. he wept. at last, without raising his head or opening his eyes, he gave the serf a sign to continue. vifel finished weeping and began stammeringly: "when we came to the point we found the houses empty. we saw no one anywhere. we found the ship in its place down by the shore, but both boats had gone. we began to search the fields and the undergrowth round the point. first we found hjor-leif. he lay in a field near the house by the side of a piece of ploughed earth. he had been killed by a stab in the breast. we continued searching, and found gradually most of his men, scattered about in the undergrowth, all dead. some of them had been obviously stabbed from behind, others had many wounds, which witnessed to a fight having taken place. the serfs and women we saw nowhere." "hjor-leif had a foreboding of that," was the thought that passed through ingolf's mind when the serf was silent. ingolf remained standing quite still. his heart hammered and beat, "leif! leif!" at last he lifted his head and looked round him with weary eyes. his look had become very desolate. otherwise there was nothing to notice in him, now that there was no more doubt and the first strong burst of grief was over. in a quiet voice he questioned the serf more closely, and learned that he and karle had buried those of hjor-leif's men whom they had found. hjor-leif himself they had covered and left lying where they had found him. a strange slackness had come over ingolf. now and then he roused himself and put a question to the serf. each time the serf had answered, there was again a long pause. ingolf gradually got an account of their journey. vifel told him of the difficult rivers, of the monks and their temple, and how he and karle had caught and killed one of hjor-leif's sheep, which they had found in the thicket, as food for their home journey. helga was up this morning early as usual. she was generally out before any one else, especially when the weather was bright. it was in the early morning that she could best go out, unseen and undisturbed, to stand and gaze towards the distant mountains in the south-west which hid hjor-leif in their blue mist. this morning, as soon as she stepped out of the door, she heard quiet voices behind the house. she could not distinguish words, but only heard the sound. this half-heard conversation filled her at once with a peculiar fear, and when she recognized vifel's voice her heart beat violently. a vague alarm filled her breast and rose choking to her throat. for some time she remained standing and could not move from the spot--stood leaning heavily against the house-wall, and pressed her hand to her heart. then the voices were suddenly silent. there was stillness behind the house. what could ingolf and vifel have to talk about in such a tone? why had ingolf not roused her at once? she knew how restlessly he was expecting the serf's arrival. at last helga dragged herself the few steps round the house. she both hoped and feared that she must have made a mistake--that it was not vifel's voice she had heard. but she _must_ have certainty. her fear was crushing her. yes, there stood vifel, and there stood ingolf. helga only needed to see them; the first glance told her everything. ingolf immediately saw his sister, and by a powerful effort succeeded in collecting himself and going quietly towards her. as he went, he said quietly to the serf: "go and sleep, vifel. you are a free man." vifel departed silently. he did not take the opportunity to thank ingolf. his highest hope was at last and unexpectedly fulfilled, yet he wept as he went. when ingolf had reached his sister he stood still in perplexity. there was in her look a mingling of prayer and certainty which made it impossible for him to say anything. there was a restlessness about helga which made it impossible for her to stand still. "let us go," she said appealingly. side by side brother and sister went over the ground without speaking a word. where the coppice wood began, they turned and went back towards the houses. so they continued walking to and fro, silently, side by side. the sun had risen, and already stood high. ingolf's men, who had learnt of hjor-leif's death from vifel, kept within doors. none wished to disturb ingolf and helga. hallveig had been out and glanced towards the pair. then she had slipped in again to her boy. helga's grief made her very heavy at heart. to and fro, keeping step, ingolf and helga went. helga felt as if she could not stop. as long as she could walk so, keeping herself in movement, it seemed as if there was nothing which had ceased--ended. so long as she had heard nothing, perhaps nothing had happened. there were life and happiness at stake in continuing to walk--to walk, and not stand still. there was no sobbing in helga's breast. it was so empty within. a clammy pressure held her heart imprisoned in apathy. there were no tears in her eyes. she was far past the narrow limits of weeping. only a great and threatening stillness and emptiness in her soul, and round her a waste wilderness that would swallow her as soon as she stood still. at last she was so exhausted that she had to drag herself forward with the help of her brother's arm. ingolf helped her, supported her, and held her up. he was in great distress. she walked there quivering on his arm, and he had no comfort to give her. such heavy hours ingolf had never experienced. he forgot his own sorrow: it was as nothing beside his sister's mute despair. his whole soul was engrossed in her. his powerlessness, his complete perplexity, his lack of any word to comfort her, drove all other feelings out of his mind. at last helga had to give up. her strength was spent. exhausted, she sank in his arms. he laid her carefully down, and she remained lying with half-closed eyes, breathing heavily and slowly; then she fell asleep. ingolf remained sitting by her side and gazing intently on her pale, tired face. she continued sighing in her sleep. ingolf could not take his eyes from her. "this was what leif feared," was the thought that echoed within him. there were not very many thoughts in his brain, stunned as it was by his own and his sister's grief. when he had been sitting thus for some time, hallveig came out to him from the house with her boy on her arm. she could no longer endure the loneliness. she sat down silently by ingolf's side. her eyes were circled with red rims, and there was a peculiar wry smile on her face, called forth by the struggle to keep her tears down. when she had sat a little and looked at the sleeping helga, she could do no more; she leant her head against her husband, hid her face, and wept. little thorsten prattled cheerfully, and struggled to get down to helga. ingolf had to begin to play with him in order to make him sit still. the child's untroubled chatter cut him to the heart. helga slept but a short time. suddenly she opened her eyes, rose abruptly, and looked about her in bewilderment. "what is this? why am i lying here?" she asked in an astonished voice. as soon as she spoke, she felt a choking in her throat, and remembered all of a sudden what had happened, and why she lay there. then she collapsed with a groan, and remained sitting for a while with her face hidden in her hands. then she straightened herself abruptly. "how did it happen?" she asked in a hoarse, uncontrolled voice, and looked straight in front of her with a hard expression on her young face. and when ingolf did not answer at once, she added in a still more unrestrained tone: "tell me at once!" ingolf told her, hesitatingly and in disconnected words, that his serfs had found hjor-leif and his men dead. it looked as if hjor-leif's irish serfs had killed them. "but the women?" helga asked in the same tone as before. ingolf gave it as his opinion that the serfs must have taken the women with them to whatever hiding they had sought. he added a few cautious words to the effect that he had grounds for supposing that hjor-leif already a year ago had been afraid of what had now happened, and that therefore he had let her remain with him and hallveig. then helga laughed, if the sound which issued from her throat could be called laughter. "it is all the same now," she said in a hard voice. then she collected herself and stretched out her hand toward the child. for a while she sat stroking his hair and trying to smile at him. then suddenly she gave hallveig the boy and looked up at her brother with a look that revealed all her hopeless despair without disguise, and said: "i want to see him. can we not go there?" her voice was hoarse and passionate as before. there was nothing to recall her former soft and gentle tone, but the hardness was gone. "we will go as soon as we can," answered ingolf quietly. helga rose impatiently. she was a little unsteady on her legs, but declined all support both from her brother and her sister-in-law. "let us not waste time," she said irritably, and stumbled towards the houses. ingolf and hallveig followed her in silence. hallveig took the boy on her arm again. that same day the ship was launched. day and night they worked with feverish haste to load it. the next day it lay ready for sea, and in the evening the weather was fair for sailing. ingolf wondered a little at helga. she did not weep. she did not seek solitude. she went about among them much as usual--did her accustomed work, took charge of the boy, and helped hallveig. only the change in her voice and her strange, fixed look betrayed her grief--a grief which made ingolf fear, and troubled him more than any weeping and open despair. xi the next day at sunrise they were there. helga was supported by her brother to shore on the slender landing-plank. when she stood on the shore before hjor-leif's point and looked over towards the houses, her strength failed her for the second time. she could do no more. she leant against her brother to save herself from falling. he put his arm round her and led her to a stone where she could sit and recover her strength. there she sat down, and remained sitting, staring out over the sea, that lay resplendent in the glow of sunrise, but her eyes saw nothing. a light morning breeze played with her hair and gently caressed her pale face. ingolf stood by her side, waiting. since she so much wished to see hjor-leif he would not oppose it, but he wished to follow her and be near her. helga had forgotten him, and why she sat there. for the moment she remembered nothing except that she was alone and had hjor-leif no more. there were times when this fact seemed incomprehensible. if hjor-leif was dead, why was she alive? she did not understand that. but so it was--she was alive. and die she could not. death would not come to her, though she prayed for it to all imaginable powers. when ingolf had stood for a while motionless by her side, he bent down over her and said quietly that he must go for a little to give his men orders. helga started when he spoke to her, and looked hastily up at him with a terrified look in her eyes. then she came to herself, remembered why she sat here, why ingolf stood waiting for her, and she seized his hand. she sat for a while holding it convulsively in hers and moaning softly. then she said in that strange, distant voice which quite seemed to have displaced her own: "ingolf--i cannot, after all--let me just sit. i cannot rise. ah, i can do nothing," she said, half-wailing, and hid her face in her hands. ingolf stood a little irresolute; then he bent over her and said softly: "i will come again and fetch you." she nodded impatiently with her bowed head, as if begging him only to go--to go! as soon as she no longer heard his steps she began a low, heart-rending wail. ah, she had no hope now. her heart was dead. but she lived, and could not die. ingolf went back to the ship, helped hallveig and her boy on shore, and asked hallveig to look to helga while he went and buried hjor-leif. then he told vifel and several of his men to take spades and a bier and follow him. the others he set to work unloading the ship. ingolf was quite composed now. the stamp of the resolute firmness, which was the real expression of his character, was more distinct than ever before. he had reconciled himself to his brother's death as a healthy man reconciles himself to the inevitable. he had sought comfort in his faith, and had eradicated all despair from his mind, so that only a healthy, hardening, beneficial pain remained behind. he remembered the death-rune among the omens at the sacrificial feast; it had then pointed at hjor-leif. yes, fate shields a man till she strikes him--nothing can alter that. against fate even the bravest fight in vain. not even odin can shake the sentence of the norns. such were ingolf's thoughts as, with a composed mind, he went to carry out his last duty to his brother. there had been an old agreement between him and hjor-leif that, if ingolf died first, hjor-leif should inter him in a funeral barrow with exact observation of all the ritual of the ase-religion. in return, ingolf had pledged himself, if he were the survivor, to bury hjor-leif in the ground without any kind of solemnity. all that hjor-leif wished, when he no longer lived, was to be buried in a dry spot, at the depth of a man's stature, and to lie there with clean earth round him. it was no more than reasonable that he should have his will, though ingolf in his inmost heart felt a strong impulse to inter him in a barrow and to do him all the honour which became a chieftain. the birds were singing in the dewy morning when the sailcloth with which vifel had covered hjor-leif was lifted. their song sounded all at once piercingly in ingolf's ears. he stood for a while and looked at his brother's decomposed remains. he had seen many dead men, without being specially moved thereby. but now his self-control deserted him a moment. he wept. when he had grown calm again he made the sign of the hammer over the body, and said softly, as though to himself: "a mean fate here befell a good man, that a serf should cause his death, and so it will happen to each one who will not sacrifice to the gods." hjor-leif's corpse was laid on the bier, and ingolf covered it with his cloak. then he went on ahead up to the point to seek for a burying-place. step by step the men carried his brother's body after him. ingolf quickly found a place towards the south and the sun. the grave was dug, and hjor-leif was lowered into it, wrapped in his brother's cloak. then they cast clean earth over him, and trampled it well down. ingolf remained standing by the grave till his men had gone. then he spoke for the last time to his sworn brother. "hjor-leif," he said with emotion and in a natural tone, as though he were quite sure of being heard, "if no duty had bound me to life, i would have followed you in death. the days are poor without you, brother. but i comfort myself with the thought that we shall meet again in valhalla, and that you by that time will have made your peace with the gods." when ingolf had spoken, he took a thunder-stone which hung on a chain round his neck, a gift from his mother, of whom he had an indistinct memory, pressed it deep down in the earth, and covered it up. nothing in his eye was so sacred as this lucky stone. therefore he gave it to his brother to take with him on the way. ingolf found his sister where he had left her. she sat in the same attitude; not once had she moved since he left her. her wailing had died away. she sat silent. and when he laid his hand on her shoulder she did not start, only turned her head quietly, and looked up wearily at him. she tried to rise, but had become stiff from sitting in the same position. it was some time before she could stand and walk. ingolf led her gently over the shore, up the point, to hjor-leif's grave. at the grave she remained standing motionless, clinging to his arm, and gazing down at the brown scar in the earth. for the first time since she had heard of hjor-leif's death her eyes filled with tears. she loosed her hold of ingolf's arm and asked him impatiently to leave her. when ingolf had gone, she threw herself on the grave, pressed her face down in the loose earth, and lay there weeping, silently and ceaselessly. now she could weep.... long after helga had wept all power of weeping out of her soul she remained lying there, with her arms thrown out as though clinging to the earth. then at last she fell asleep, worn out with sorrow and fatigue. when she woke again it was evening. she rose and looked around her in alarm, suddenly afraid lest any one should see her lying thus. as she stood there and looked around her, she perceived a black round patch on the greensward a little distance off. there had burnt the fire, which about a year ago she had sat gazing at from ingolf's point.... ah, that red fire.... and now it was quenched ... quenched for ever. helga sat down, looking alternately at the grave and the burnt patch. now and then her eyes filled with tears. but she could weep no more. later in the evening hallveig came silently and sat down by her side. they did not speak. hallveig wept now and then. helga sat motionless, gazing before her with eyes that scorched and burned, but seeing nothing. the two women remained sitting there the whole night. when sunrise streaked the horizon next day they rose quietly and went silently homeward to the houses. xii ingolf sent his men to search for the irish serfs. as the boats were gone, there was reason to suppose that they had sought flight by sea. and as they knew ingolf was in the east, it was likely they had rowed farther westward along the coast. ingolf's men searched the coast westward for many days' journey. they saw nothing of the serfs anywhere--not even a sign that they had landed. and even if they had been drowned, their bodies must have been cast ashore. neither did they find the pillars of ingolf's high-seat, which they were also looking for. when they returned home and told ingolf that they had neither found the serfs nor the pillars, he said in his quiet way: "the pillars shall be found and the serfs too, if i have to search the whole country." ingolf sent vifel with fifteen men in a boat out to the islands, which from the mountains near the point were visible in the south-west. there vifel found the irish serfs. they were living in caves scattered about on the largest of the islands. when they found that they were discovered, panic seized them, and they did not even try to offer resistance. when they saw ingolf's men coming over the island they scattered in wild confusion. some of them were cut down while flying; others, among whom was duftak, flung themselves down from the cliffs and promontories and perished. the women, whom the serfs had taken with them out to the islands, and the most obstinate of whom were still kept bound, were able to tell how hjor-leif and their husbands had been murdered. they spoke coolly and calmly of the matter. they had forgotten how to weep and how to rejoice. vifel buried the serfs on the edge of the shore, where the ground is dry at ebb and covered at full tide, as criminals should be buried. then he searched each creek and promontory in vain. the pillars had not drifted to shore there. afterwards he distributed his men in three boats with the women and the valuables which the serfs had stolen and taken with them to the islands, among them hjor-leif's costly sword. ever since then the islands have been called the westman islands after the irish serfs. ingolf met the boats down on the shore. vifel told him of the death of the serfs, recounted the women's narrative of hjor-leif's murder, and handed him the sword. ingolf took it cautiously. he remembered the story about hjor-leif's fight with the dead man, who was reported to have said that a charm attached to the sword whereby everyone who killed with it should himself die by it. ingolf had comforted himself with the thought that so long as hjor-leif had not killed anyone with the sword there was no danger for him from it. now, however, hjor-leif had been slain by it. perhaps the saying meant that whoever possessed that sword should perish by it. at any rate he would not have it. sorcery was not to be trifled with. ingolf went straight to hjor-leif's grave with the sword and stuck it in the earth so that the golden handle projected from the black mould. it was the only thing left by his brother which he was unwilling to receive. there was no danger of anyone taking it there. his men kept at a distance from hjor-leif's grave. they asserted that he walked again, and believed that helga met the dead man when she went up there at night, as she often did. ingolf did not share their superstition in that respect. but, on the other hand, he well understood how helga's appearance might give rise to such thoughts in his men. she looked more like a dead man's bride than a young living woman. her fair hair had become white, and hung dishevelled about her head. the light of her glance was quenched, and the skin that stretched over her wan, emaciated face was grey and without brightness or colour. the only signs of life she gave were eating and breathing. she carefully took charge of thorsten, with a peculiar absent tenderness, since hallveig had now a little girl to watch over. she did nothing else. that summer and the following winter ingolf remained by hjor-leif's point. the next spring he departed and went farther westward. he stopped at a river whose mouth formed a comparatively safe harbour. good landing-places were generally scarce on these shores. thither he had his ships brought. some way inland, west of the river, he built winter dwellings under a hill, which was named ingolf's hill. in the summer, as always, he had his men out to search for the pillars. when they came back they were able to inform him that they had reached a great promontory. north of the mountains there was a broad fjord. in the winter, ingolf sent vifel and karle to search the coast-line north of the hills. out on a barren promontory in a creek, which because of some warm, densely smoking springs in the neighbourhood received the name "rogvig" ("smoke-creek"), vifel and karle at last found the pillars. they had drifted ashore just below a little rounded height. on the height there sat an eagle. it did not move when vifel and karle approached. it sat there still when they went away, after having secured the pillars. vifel and karle were much afraid of the eagle. only once before had they been equally afraid--that was when the brazen voice from the monks' house had cast them to the ground. vifel and karle went back and informed ingolf of their find. then ingolf was glad. now he knew where he should dwell. now he caught a glimpse of meaning again in his life. he immediately arranged a great sacrificial feast, and made sacrifices to odin and thor and gave them thank-offerings. when he heard about the eagle he became thoughtful. neither he nor anyone else believed that the eagle's having sat there was accidental. there was in ingolf's mind not the least doubt that the eagle had really been his old father, who, in a shape corresponding to his name, had been sent by odin to guide and keep watch over the pillars. never again was an eagle seen on that height, which received the name "orn's height." as soon as spring came, and the roads were passable, ingolf left ingolf's hill and went over to rogvig. the place where ingolf's pillars had drifted ashore was a large, bare promontory. the district was stony, and there was not much pasture-land. by far the greatest number of the parts he had traversed had been better and more suitable for settling. but here it was _his_ lot to dwell. and, besides, he could take possession of as large a territory as he chose, and build houses for his people and cattle-sheds where he found fertile soil. already that summer ingolf began to mark out his lands. for himself and his posterity he took possession of the whole of the great promontory, from the river-mouth where his ships lay up along its curving course and across the hills to a fjord on the north side of the promontory, which was named hvalfjord, between two rivers, which received the names of brynjedal river and okse river. many of ingolf's men were dissatisfied at having to settle in this unfertile region. the serf karle, in great vexation, ran away with a serf-woman. ingolf found them long afterwards settled inland. ingolf gave land to his freed serf, vifel. he settled on vifestofte, and vifel's hill bears his name. he became a well-to-do man. the next summer ingolf went to norway to fetch timber for his houses. he built a residence at rogvig, which was not at all inferior to the chief seat of the family at dalsfjord in norway. to the residence was attached a temple which in its size and splendid equipment did not fall far short of that at gaulum. ingolf was faithful to his gods and showed them great honour. since they had given him a new place of abode he felt confidently assured that he had regained their favour. ingolf, who daily had his sister helga before his eyes, was often reminded of his sworn brother, hjor-leif. now he understood much which he had not understood before, and caught a sight of the connection between events, which taken separately seemed accidental. he remembered the beggar's words: "point and blade!" now he understood what the beggar had meant. it was owing to hjor-leif's prompting that they had journeyed to iceland. hjor-leif was really the first occupant, even though he had not come to settle there permanently. fate, the blind and immovable, had been out after him prematurely. ingolf's heart was moved when he remembered how hjor-leif had grown fond of this land from the first. it was accordingly hjor-leif whom iceland had first taken in its embrace. hjor-leif was the first who had consecrated the soil of the new land with flesh and blood. had the gods, or perhaps the guardian spirits of the country, claimed him as a sacrifice? it was at any rate a great sacrifice. but ingolf did not dare to find fault with the gods. already the year after ingolf had settled in rogvig people began to flock to the country. they were for the most part norwegian chieftains who could not come to terms with king harald. ingolf gave several of the settlers land in his territory. among the first settlers was hallveig's brother, lopt, who was called lopt the old, and many of his family, which was a good and noble one. haasten, atle jarl's son, was also among the first occupants. he had at last been obliged to leave his own lands and property and flee the country to save his life. he took some land, guided by his high-seat pillars, due east of the river which bordered ingolf's territory. haasten lost his ship when landing, but his property and men were saved. the very next winter he visited ingolf in rogvig. on the evening of haasten's coming, ingolf sat as usual in the high-seat with his men at the table round him, a step lower. the fire burned cheerfully on the hearthstones and spread a genial and penetrating glow. the coarsely carved images of the gods on the strongly illumined age-browned pillars of the high-seat laughed broadly in the glaring light. the talk was lively around the tables, and the beer-jugs were diligently emptied and filled. ingolf was not grudging of beer to his men. he sat with a contented look in his peaceful blue eyes and listened to their talk. he himself spoke but seldom, except when questioned. then suddenly there came three knocks at the door. all the talking round the tables ceased. ingolf turned his head and gave a signal to the man at the door. the bolt was pushed to one side, and in stepped a tall, erect, fair-bearded man in a red silk cloak with a golden helmet on his head, followed by three other men. ingolf immediately recognized haasten, in spite of his beard and the ageing and weary expression of his thin face. he sprang up and went to meet him. he was too much moved to speak. for a while the two former friends stood silent, pressing each other's hands and looking each other straight in the eyes. then they fell into each other's arms. when, shortly after, they sat side by side in the high-seat and had drunk to each other, ingolf said: "i did not know, haasten, that you were on this road." haasten smiled his weary, steady smile, and answered: "yes, king harald has driven me from the country, as i in my time drove you two brothers. have you forgiven me that, ingolf?" "i have never been angered with you for it," ingolf answered. they spoke together of many things, and their talk was light and untroubled. there was in haasten's attitude towards ingolf the same deference that all other chieftains who came there showed the quiet, confident, simple, taciturn man, who by his example had drawn all the others to this new land. ingolf was indeed his friend, and as such he showed him confidence, but he was also the first settler in the land, and as such he evinced for him a great and undisguised deference. they talked of hjor-leif. "it happened as i fore-told," said haasten, and smiled sadly. "the mistletoe branch at last struck the invulnerable." "we all owe odin a death," said ingolf quietly, and drew a deep sigh. "it is most often the survivors whose lot is the hardest." his look involuntarily sought the women's dais. there sat helga, gazing before her without expression in her eyes, with his son, thorsten, in her lap. ingolf pointed out the boy to haasten. "his name is built of thor's name and yours," he said in a gentler voice. while ingolf talked, he noticed how attentively his son's quiet blue eyes dwelt on the high-seat pillars. thus he had himself sat as a boy, he remembered suddenly. and now he met his son's look. were thorsten's thoughts something like his had been when he was a child? haasten had been sitting in silence, watching the boy. then he said suddenly: "he must have been born soon after _that_ winter." "the winter after," ingolf answered, a little curtly. "he bears thor's name and mine," haasten continued thoughtfully. "may that bring him good luck!" he was silent a short time. then he asked: "but who is the woman?" "my sister, helga," answered ingolf quietly. the two friends sat silent a long time. then haasten beckoned to the boy, and when he came he took him between his knees, and looked closely at him. "you have honest, intelligent eyes; you will be a brave man," he said at last, and stroked his fair hair. then he took a heavy gold ring off his arm and gave it to thorsten. "that is because you are in some part my name-sake," he explained, smiling at the boy, who stood with the ring in his hand, staring alternately at gift and giver. thorsten tried the ring on his slender arm. "it is too large," he declared, a little offended. then he suddenly brightened up. "but it will fit me well enough by the time father is dead, and i sit in the high-seat." both ingolf and haasten laughed. thorsten went to show helga and his mother the ring. then silence came over the two friends. shortly after, ingolf proposed that they should drink to their dead brother. the friends' glances met over the rim of the drinking-horns. there were tears in their eyes. they sat late that night and drank and talked together. they were very happy to sit side by side again. the solitude which had threatened to imprison each severally was suddenly banished. now they had each other again, and felt the joy of friendship. the fire burned yellow and brightly on the hearthstones. in its genial warm light the images of the gods on the carved pillars looked down as if following all that passed with slow content, and waiting, calmly wise, for what should come. the end wulfric the weapon thane a story of the danish conquest of east anglia by charles w. whistler preface. a word may be needed with regard to the sources from which this story of king eadmund's armour bearer and weapon thane have been drawn. for the actual presence of such a close attendant on the king at his martyrdom on nov. , a.d. we have the authority of st. dunstan, who had the story from the lips of the witness himself. but as to the actual progress of events before the death of the king, the records are vague and imperfect. we are told that, after the defeat at thetford, the king had intended to seek safety in the church, probably at framlingham, where the royal household was, but was forced to hide, and from his hiding place was dragged before ingvar the danish leader, and so slain. the two local legends of the "king's oak" in hoxne woods, and of the "gold bridge", may fill in what is required to complete the story. the former, identifying a certain aged oak as that to which the king was bound, has been in a measure corroborated by the discovery in of what may well have been a rough arrow point in its fallen trunk; while the fact that, until the erection of the new bridge at hoxne in , no newly-married couple would cross the "gold bridge" on the way to church, for the reasons given in the story, seems to show that the king's hiding place may indeed have been beneath it as the legend states. if so, the flight from thetford must have been most precipitate, and closely followed. there are two versions of the story of lodbrok the dane and beorn the falconer. that which is given here is from roger of wendover. but in both versions the treachery of one beorn is alleged to have been the cause of the descent of ingvar and hubba on east anglia. these chiefs and their brother halfden, and guthrum, are of course historic. their campaign in england is hard to trace through the many conflicting chronicles, but the broad outlines given by the almost contemporary anglo-saxon chronicle, supplemented with a few incidents recorded in the heimskringla of sturleson as to the first raid on northumbria by ingvar, are sufficient for the purposes of a story that deals almost entirely with east anglia. the legend of the finding of the head of the martyred king is given in the homily for november of the anglo-saxon sarum breviary, and is therefore of early date. it may have arisen from some such incident as is given here. details of the death of bishop humbert are wanting. we only know that he was martyred at about the same time as the king, or perhaps with him, and that his name is remembered in the ancient kalendars on the same day. for describing his end as at his own chapel, still standing at south elmham, the fate of many a devoted priest of those times might be sufficient warrant. as to the geography of the east anglian coast, all has changed since king eadmund's days, with the steady gaining of alluvial land on sea at the mouth of the once great rivers of yare and waveney. reedham and borough were in his time the two promontories that guarded the estuary, and where yarmouth now stands were sands, growing indeed slowly, but hardly yet an island even at "low-water springs". above beccles perhaps the course of the waveney towards thetford has altered little in any respect beyond the draining of the rich marshland along its banks, and the shrinking of such tributaries as the hoxne or elmham streams to half-dry rivulets. with a few incidental exceptions, the modern spelling of place names has been adopted in these pages. no useful purpose would be served by a reproduction of what are now more or less uncouth if recognizable forms of the well-known titles of town and village and river. c. w. w. chapter i. how lodbrok the dane came to reedham. elfric, my father, and i stood on our little watch tower at reedham, and looked out over the wide sea mouth of yare and waveney, to the old gray walls of the roman burgh on the further shore, and the white gulls cried round us, and the water sparkled in the fresh sea breeze from the north and east, and the bright may-time sun shone warmly on us, and our hearts went out to the sea and its freedom, so that my father said: "once again is the spirit of hengist stirring in me, and needs must that you and i take ship, and go on the swan's path even as our forefathers went; let us take the good ship somewhere--anywhere to be on the sea again. what say you, son wulfric?" and at that i was very glad, for i had longed for that word of his. for never, since i could remember, was a time when i knew not all that a boy might learn, for his years, of sea and the seaman's craft; and the sea drew me, calling me as it were with its many voices, even as it drew my father. yet, all unlike hengist and his men, we sailed but for peaceful gain, and very rich grew elfric, the thane of reedham; for ours was the only ship owned by english folk on all our east anglian shores, and she brought us wealth year by year, as we sailed to humber and wash northwards, and orwell and thames to the south, as seemed best for what merchandise we had for sale or would buy. but, more than all, my father and i alike sailed for the love of ship and sea, caring little for the gain that came, so long as the salt spray was over us, and we might hear the hum of the wind in the canvas, or the steady roll and click of the long oars in the ship's rowlocks, and take our chance of long fights with wind and wave on our stormy north sea coasts. so we went down to the shipyard, under the lee of reedham hill, and found old kenulf our pilot, and with him went round our stout frisian ship that my father had bought long ago, and at once bade him get ready for sailing as soon as might be. and that was a welcome order to kenulf and our crew also; for well do the north folk of east anglia love the sea, if our saxon kin of the other kingdoms have forgotten for a while the ways of their forbears. not so welcome was our sailing to my mother, who must sit at home listening to the song of the breezes and the roll of breakers, with her heart stirred to fear for us at every shift of wind and change of tide. and fair eadgyth, my sister, beautiful with the clear beauty of a fair-haired saxon lady, shared in her fears also, though i think that she believed that no storm could rage more fiercely than her father and brother and their crew could ride through in safety. once she had sailed with us in high summer time to london, and so she held that she knew well all the ways of the ship and sea; fearing them a little, maybe. yet there was another dread in the heart of my mother, for this is what she said: "what of the danes, elfric, my husband? surely there is risk--aye, and great risk--of falling into their hands." thereat my father laughed easily, and answered: "not to an east anglian ship now; for they have kept the pact we have made with them. and they watch not our shores for ships, but the long frisian and frankish coasts. there need be no fear of them." so my mother was reassured, and in a fortnight's time we had gathered a mixed cargo, though no great one; and sailed, with a shift of wind to the southwest, into the wash, and so put into the king's haven on its southern shore, where we would leave our goods with a merchant whom we knew. on the second day after we came the wind shifted to the eastward, and then suddenly to the northeast, and blew a gale, so that we bided in the haven till it was over. for though it was not so heavy that we could not have won through it in open water with little harm, it was of no use risking ship and men on a lee shore for naught. our friend, the merchant, kept us with him gladly, and there we heard the last news of the danish host, with whom we had made peace two years since; for nowadays that news had become of the first interest to every man in all england; though not yet in the right way. for we had not yet learnt that england must be truly one; and so long as he himself was unharmed, little cared an east anglian what befell mercian or northumbrian, even as wessex or sussex cared for naught but themselves. wherefore, all we longed to know was that the danish host was not about to fall on us, being employed elsewhere. we had found gain rather than hurt by their coming, for we had, as i say, made peace with them, and, moreover, sold them horses. then they had honestly left our coasts, and had gone to york, and thereafter to nottingham. now northumbria was theirs, and mercia was at their feet. and now again we learnt that they bided in peace at york, and we were content. three days it blew, and then the gale was spent; though the sea still ran high and swift. so we bade farewell to our friend the merchant and set sail, and if the passage homewards was rough, it was swifter than we had hoped. so it came to pass that we reached the wide inlet of our haven at the yare's mouth too soon for the tide to take us in over the sands which grow and shift every year, and must needs drop anchor in the roads and wait, with home in sight, hill and church and houses clear and sharp against the afternoon sky after rain; while past us the long surges the storm had raised raced in over half-hidden sands, and broke in snow-white foam along the foot of the sand dunes of the shore, sending the spindrift flying up and inland over their low crests. mostly the boats would have been out to meet us, and maybe to tow us in, sparing our crew a little; but today no boat might come, for the seas were too heavy over the bar, so that it would have been death to any man foolish enough to try to reach us; and we looked for none. so as the stout ship wallowed and plunged at her anchors--head to wind and sea, and everything, from groaning timbers to song of wind-curved rigging and creak of swinging yard, seeming to find a voice in answer to the plunge and wash of the waves, and swirl and patter of flying spray over the high bows--we found what shelter we might under bulwarks and break of fore deck, and waited. my father and i sat on the steersman's bench aft, not heeding the showers of spray that reached us now and then even there, and we watched the tide rising over the sand banks, and longed for home and warm fireside, instead of this cold, gray sky and the restless waves; though i, at least, was half sorry that the short voyage was over, dreaming of the next and whither we might turn our ship's bows again before the summer ended. my father looked now and then shoreward, and now seaward, judging wind and tide, and sitting patiently with the wondrous patience of the seaman, learnt in years of tide and calm; for he would tell me that sea learning never ends, so that though the sailor seemed to be idle, he must needs be studying some new turn of his craft if only his eyes were noting how things went around him. yet i thought he was silent beyond his wont. presently he rose up and paced the deck for a little, and then came and sat down by me again. "i am restless, son wulfric," he said, laughing softly; "and i know not why." "for the sake of supper," i answered, "for i am that also, and tide seems mighty slow therefore." "nay, supper comes to the patient; but it seems to me that i have to watch for somewhat." "surely for naught but the tide," i answered, not thinking much of the matter, but yet wondering a little. "not for tide or wind, but for somewhat new, rather--somewhat of which i have a fear. "but this is foolishness," he said, laughing again at himself, for few men thought less of signs and forewarnings than he. then he looked out again to windward, under his hand, and all of a sudden turned sharply to me, pointing and saying: "but, as i live, hither comes something from the open sea!" i rose up and looked to where he showed me, and as the ship rose to a great wave, far off i saw a dark speck among white-crested rollers, that rose and fell, and came ever nearer, more swiftly than wreckage should. now some of the men who clustered under the shelter of the fore deck, with their eyes ever on us, rose up from their places and began to look out seaward over the bows through the spray to find out what we watched, and ere long one man called to his mates: "ho, comrades, here comes flotsam from the open sea!" slowly the men rose up one by one and looked, clustering round the stem head, and a little talk went round as to what this might be. "it is a bit of wreck," said one. "hardly, for the gale has not been wild enough to wreck a ship in the open; 'tis maybe lumber washed from a deck," answered another. "it is a whale--no more or less." "nay," said old kenulf; "it behaves not as a whale, and it comes too swiftly for wreckage." "would it were a dead whale. then would be profit," said another man again, and after that the men were silent for a long while, having said all that could be guessed, and watched the speck that drew nearer and nearer, bearing down on us. at last my father, ever keen of sight, said to me: "this thing is not at the mercy of wind and wave. rather has it the rise and fall of a boat well handled. yet whence should one come in this heavy sea, after three days' gale?" even as he spoke, old kenulf growled, half to himself, that to his thinking this was a boat coming, and handled, moreover, by men who knew their trade. thereat some of the men laughed; for it seemed a thing impossible, both by reason of the stretch of wild sea that so small a craft as this--if it were indeed a boat--must have crossed, and because the sea was surely too heavy to let one live. yet in the end we saw that it was a boat, and that in her, moreover, was but one man, whose skill in handling her was more than ours, and greater than we could deem possible. whereupon some of us were afraid, seeing how wondrously the tiny craft came through the swift seas, and a man called out, giving voice to our fears: "surely yon man is a finn and the wizard who has raised this storm to drown us; now are we lost!" and i--who had listened eagerly to all the wild stories of the seamen, since first i was old enough to wander curiously over the ships from overseas that put into our haven on their way up the great rivers to norwich, or beccles, or other towns--knew that the finns have powers more than mortal (though how or whence i know not) over wind and sea, often using their power to the hurt of others, and so looked to see the lines of a great squall, drawn as it were astern of the wizard's boat, whitening as it rushed upon us to sink us in sight of home. but old kenulf cried out on the man, saying: "rather is it one of the holy saints, and maybe the blessed peter the fisherman himself," and he bared his gray head, crossing himself, as he looked eagerly to catch sight of the glory of light round the seafarer; and that rebuked my fears a little. but squall or crown of light was there none. only the brown waves, foam crested, which we feared not, and the gray light of the clouded sun that was nigh to setting. my father heeded naught of this, but watched the boat, only wondering at the marvellous skill of her steersman. and when the boat was so near that it was likely that the eyes of the man were on us, my father raised his arm in the seaman's silent greeting, and i thought that the boatman returned the salute. now the course that the boat was holding when that signal passed would have taken her wide of us by half a cable's length, but she was yet so far distant that but a little change would bring her to us. some sort of sail she seemed to have, but it was very small and like nothing i had ever seen, though it was enough to drive her swiftly and to give her steering way before the wind. until my father signed to him the man seemed to have no wish to near our ship, going on straight to what would be certain destruction amid the great breakers on our largest sand bar, and that made the men more sure that he was a wizard, and there were white faces enough among them. "now," said my father to me, "doubtless this is what was put in my mind when i felt i must watch. had i not seen him, yon man would have been surely lost; for i think he cannot see the breakers from his boat," and again he signed to the boatman. then from the little craft rose a great, long-winged hawk that cried and hovered over it for a little, as if loth to leave it; and one man said, shrinking and pale, that it was the wizard's familiar spirit. but the wind caught the bird's long wings and drove it from the boat, and swiftly wheeling it must needs make for us, speeding down the wind with widespread, still pinions. then cried aloud that same terrified man: "it is a sending, and we are done for!" thinking that, as finns will, the wizard they deemed him had made his spells light on us in this visible form. but my father held out his hand, whistling a falconer's call, and the great bird flew to him, and perched on his wrist, looking bravely at us with its bright eyes as though sure of friendship. "see!" said my father loudly; "this is a trained bird, and no evil sending; here are the jesses yet on its feet." and kenulf and most of the men laughed, asking the superstitious man if the ship sank deeper, or seas ran higher for its coming. "hold you the bird," said my father to me; "see! the boatman makes for us." i took the beautiful hawk gladly, for i had never seen its like before, and loved nothing better when ashore than falconry, and as i did so i saw that its master had changed the course of his boat and was heading straight for us. now, too, i could make out that what we had thought a sail was but the floor boarding of the boat reared up against a thwart, and that the man was managing her with a long oar out astern. the great hawk's sharp talons were like steel on my ungloved wrist, piercing through the woollen sleeve of my jerkin, but i heeded them not, so taken up was i with watching this man who steered so well and boldly in so poorly fitted a craft. and the boat was, for all that, most beautiful, and built on such lines as no saxon boat had. well we know those wondrous lines now, for they were those of the longships of the vikings. now the men forward began to growl as the boat came on to us, and when my father, seeing that the man would seek safety with us, bade those on the fore deck stand by with a line to heave to him as he came, no man stirred, and they looked foolishly at one another. then my father called sharply to kenulf by name, giving the same order, and the old man answered back: "bethink you, thane; it is ill saving a man from the sea to be foe to you hereafter. let him take his chance." thereat my father's brow grew dark, for he hated these evil old sayings that come from heathen days, and he cried aloud: "that is not the way of a christian or a good seaman! let me come forward." and in a moment he was on the fore deck, where the men made hasty way for him. there the long lines were coiled, ready for throwing to the shore folk on our wharf, both fore and aft. my father caught up one at his feet and stood ready, for now the boat was close on us, and i could see the white set face of her steersman as he watched for the line he knew was coming, and wherein lay his only slender hope of safety. my father swung his arm and cast. swift and true fled the coils from his hand--but fell short by two fathoms or less, and the boat swept past our bows, as the men held their breath, watching and ashamed. but i also had caught up the coil from the after deck, fearing lest my father should not have been in time, while the hawk fluttered and gripped my arm in such wise that at any other time i should have cried out with the pain of the sharp piercing of its talons. yet it would not leave me. the boat flew on, but the man had his eyes on me--not looking vainly for the lost end of the first line among the foam as many another man would--and i saw that he was ready. i threw; and the hawk screamed and clutched, as it lost its balance, and beat my face with its great wings, and i could not see for its fluttering; but the men shouted, and i heard my father's voice cry "well done!" then i made fast the end of the line round the main-sheet cleat, for that told me that the man had caught on. then the bird was still, and i looked up. i saw the boat pass astern as the man made fast the line round the fore thwart, with his eyes on the wave that came. then he sprang to the steering oar, and in a moment the boat rounded to on the back of a great wave and was safe before the crest of the next roller ran hissing past me, to break harmless round her bows. then the man looked up, smiling to me, lifted his hand in greeting, and then straightway laid in the steering oar. having found a bailing bowl in the stern sheets, he set to work to clear out the water that washed about in the bottom of the boat; then he replaced the floor boards, and all things being shipshape, sat down quickly in the stern, putting his head into his hands, and there bided without moving, as if worn out and fain to rest for a while. now it was like to be a hard matter to get the boat alongside in that sea, and we must needs wait till the man took in hand to help, so we watched him as he sat thus, wondering mostly at the boat, for it was a marvel to all of us. sharp were her bows and stern, running up very high, and her high stem post was carved into the likeness of a swan's neck and head, and the wings seemed to fall away along the curve of the bows to the carved gunwale, that was as if feathered, and at last the stern post rose and bent like a fan of feathers to finish all. carved, too, were rowlocks and the ends of the thwarts, and all the feathered work was white and gold above the black of the boat's hull. carved, too, was the baling bowl, and the loom of the oar was carved in curving lines from rowlock leather to hand. and as i thought of the chances of our losing her as we crossed the bar among the following breakers, i was grieved, and would have asked my father to let us try to get her on deck if we could. but now the man roused, and put his hands to his mouth, hailing us to ask if we would suffer him to come on board, and my father hailed him back to bid him do so. then it would seem that our men were ashamed, having once disobeyed my father whom they loved, not to finish the work that we had begun, and so, without waiting for the order, saw to getting the boat up to our quarter, so that it was but a minute or two before the man leapt on our deck, and the boat was once more astern at the length of her line. "thanks, comrades," said the man; "out of ran's {i} net have you brought me, and ill fall me if i prove foe to you, as the old saw bodes." now as one looked at this storm-beaten wanderer there was no doubt but that he was surely a prince among men, and i for one marvelled at his look and bearing after what he must have gone through. drenched and salt crusted were his once rich clothes, tangled and uncared for were his hair and beard, and worn and tired he showed both in face and body, yet his eyes were bright and his speech was strong and free as he swung to the roll of the ship with the step of a sea king. his speech told us that he was a dane, for though we of the east angles had never, even before the coming of the great host of which i must tell presently, such great difference of tongue between our own and that of dane and frisian but that we could well understand them and speak therein, yet time and distance have given us a new way of handling our words, as one might say, and a new turn to the tones of our voices. often had i heard the danish way of speech on board the ships from over sea in our haven, and had caught it up, as i was wont to try to catch somewhat of every tongue that i heard. so he and we looked at each other for a moment, we wondering at him and he seeking our leader. nor did he doubt long, taking two steps to my father, holding out his hand, and again thanking him. my father grasped the offered hand frankly, and, smiling a little, said: "rather should you thank wulfric, my son, here; for it was his line that reached you." "no fault that of yours," answered the dane; and he turned to me with the same hearty greeting. "now, friend wulfric, i owe you my life, and therefore from this time forward my life is for yours, if need be. nor shall my men be behind in that matter--that is if i ever see them again," he added, looking quaintly at me, if gravely. "surely you shall do so," i said, "if it is in our power." "i thank you--and it is well. i know coasts where a stranger would be a slave from the moment his foot touched shore. now tell me whose ship this is that has given me shelter, and what your father's name is, that i may thank you rightly." "elfric, the thane of reedham, is my father," i said, "sheriff of the east anglian shore of the north folk, under eadmund, our king. and this is his ship, and this himself to whom you have spoken." "then, thane and thane's son, i, whose life you have saved, am lodbrok, jarl {ii} of a strip of jutland coast. and now i have a fear on me that i shall do dishonour to the name of dane, for i faint for want of food and can stand no more." with that he sat down on the bench where i had been, and though he smiled at us, we could see that his words were true enough, and that he was bearing bravely what would have overborne most men. and now the falcon fluttered from my wrist to his. then my father bade me hasten, and i brought ale and meat for the jarl, and set them before him, and soon he was taking that which he needed; but every now and then he gave to the bird, stroking her ruffled feathers, and speaking softly to her. "aye, my beauty," he said once, "i did but cast you down wind lest you should be lost with me. and i would have had you take back the news that i was lost to my own home." my father stood and watched the tide, and presently i joined him, for i would not hinder the dane from his meal by watching him. i looked at the beautiful boat astern, tossing lightly on the wave crests, and saw that she would surely be lost over the bar; so i asked my father now, as i had meant before, if we might not try to get her on board. for answer he turned to lodbrok. "set you much store by your boat, jarl?" he asked him. "the boat is yours, thane, or wulfric's, by all right of salvage. but i would not have her lost, for my sons made her for me this last winter, carving her, as you see, with their own hands. gladly would i see her safe if it might be." "then we will try to get her," answered my father; "for there are one or two things that my children have made for me, and i would not lose them for the sake of a little trouble. and, moreover, i think your sons have made you the best boat that ever floated!" "else had i not been here!" answered the dane. "they are good shipwrights." then kenulf and the men set to work, and it was no easy matter to come by the boat; but it was done at last, and glad was i to see her safely lashed on deck. then the time had come, and we up anchor and plunged homewards through the troubled seas of the wide harbour mouth. it was i who steered, as i ever would of late, while the dane stood beside me, stroking his hawk and speaking to it now and then. and once or twice he looked long and earnestly at the breakers, knowing now from what he had escaped; and at last he said to me: "many a man, i know, would have rather let me go on than have run the risk of saving one from the sea. do you dare go against the saying?" "why not? i may not say that it came not into our minds," i answered; "but christian men will put such ill bodes aside." "ah! i had forgotten your new faith," said lodbrok. "now from this time i, for one, have naught to say against it, for i think i owe it somewhat." and he was silent for a while. now my father came aft, and sitting down by the dane, asked him how he came to risk sailing in the little boat. "i know not if you can believe me," answered lodbrok, "but i will tell you in a few words. i have been blown from off the jutland shore and have won through the gale safely. that is all. but it was by my own fault, for i must needs take the boat and put out to sea with my hawk there to find fresh sport. it seemed to me, forsooth, that a great black-backed gull or fierce skua would give me a fine flight or two. and so it was; but i rowed out too far, and before i bethought myself, both wind and tide were against me. i had forgotten how often after calm comes a shift of wind, and it had been over still for an hour or so. then the gale blew up suddenly. i could have stemmed the tide, as often before; but wind and tide both were my masters then. "that was three days and two nights ago. never thought i to see another sunset, for by midday of that first day i broke an oar, and knew that home i could never win; so i made shift with the floor boards, as you saw, for want of canvas. after that there is little to tell, for it was ever wave after wave, and gray flying clouds ever over me, and at night no rest, but watching white wave crests coming after me through the dark." "some of us thought that you were a finn, at least," said my father as the dane paused. "not once or twice only on this voyage have i wished myself a finn, or at least that i had a finn's powers," said lodbrok, laughing; "but there has been no magic about this business save watchfulness, and my sons' good handicraft." then i asked the jarl how he called his sons, with a little honest envy in my heart that i could never hope to equal their skill in this matter of boat building, wherein i had been wont to take some pride of myself. "three sons have i in jutland, wulfric, my friend, and they, when they hear my story, will hold you dear to them. ingvar is the eldest, hubba, the next, and the third, halfden, is three-and-twenty, and so about your own age, as i take it, as he is also about your equal in build and strength. yet i would sooner see a ship of mine steered by you than by him, for he is not your equal in that matter." now that praise pleased me well, as it did also my father. for we hold the danes as first of all peoples in the knowledge of sea craft; and we had seen that this man was a master therein. but though at this time i thought of naught but the words of praise, hereafter i was to remember the words that jarl lodbrok spoke of the way in which these sons of his would hold me when the tale was told them. at last we hailed the shore through the creeping dusk, and the shore lines were thrown out. then were we alongside our staithe {iii}, and lodbrok the dane had come to reedham. now it may seem but a little thing that a seafarer should be driven to a strange coast, and be tended there in friendly wise by those who saved him from the breakers, for such is a common hap on our island shores. yet, from this day forward, all my life of the time yet before me was to be moulded by what came of that cast of line to one in peril. aye, and there are those who hold that the fate of our england herself was in hand that day, though it seems to me that that is saying overmuch. yet one cannot tell, and maybe those who will read this story of mine will be able to judge. what i do know certainly is this, that all which makes my tale worth the telling comes from this beginning. chapter ii. how lodbrok spoke with beorn the falconer. so soon as we had stepped ashore there came in haste one of our housecarles with word from my mother that eadmund, the king, had that day come to our house from caistor; so at once my father bade the man return and bring changes of clothes for himself and me and lodbrok to our steward's house, that we might appear in more decent trim before our guest and master. so we waited for a little while, watching the men as they berthed the ship; and as we stood there a word went round among the knot of people watching with us, and they parted, making a little lane, as they said, "the king comes". and then i heard the well-known voice of eadmund calling gaily to us: "ho, friend elfric, here have i come to see what a man fresh from a stormy voyage looks like, if light will serve me." and so saying, i being nearest to him, the king turned me round with his strong hands, and scanned my rough, wet garments and fur cap. "truly, son wulfric," he cried, laughing, "i think these things suit you as well as war gear, and better than court finery, in this dim light at least. now let me see the thane himself." then my father would have him come back to the house at once, out of the stormy weather, for the rain was coming now as the wind fell; and we went, not waiting for the change of garments, for that the king would not suffer. as we turned away from the staithe, lodbrok took my arm, asking me where he might find shelter. "why, come with us, surely!" i answered, having no thought but that he would have done so as our guest. "thanks," he said; "i knew not if your help could go so far as that to a man whose story might well be too strange for belief." now it had seemed to me that no one could doubt such a man, and so i told him that we had no doubt of him at all in that matter. and he thanked me gravely again, walking, as i thought, more freely beside me, as knowing that he was held to be a true man. we followed my father, who walked with the king, at a little distance because of this small delay; and presently lodbrok asked me if this was the king of all england. "no," i answered; "though, indeed, he is the only king we know aught of. this is eadmund of east anglia." "you know him well, as one may see by his way with you," said the jarl. "surely, for he is my father's close friend. they were comrades together in king offa's court until the old king laid down his crown and gave the kingdom into eadmund's hands; and they are the same to each other now as ever. he is my godfather; and i was in his court till i was eighteen. moreover, i am one of his armour bearers yet when need is." so i spoke plainly enough, for i think that i had, and ever shall have, reason to be proud of our nearness to the king, of whom no man had but good to say since he, almost as a boy, came to the throne. "so then it seems that fate has brought me to court," said the dane. "yes, in a way," i told him; "for the king will ever bide with us when he would visit this side of his kingdom." "i think that i have seen this king before," said lodbrok presently; "for he is a man the like of whom one sees not twice." "then," said i, "he will surely remember you, for he never forgets one whom he has had reason to notice." whereat the jarl laughed a little to himself; but i had no time to ask why, for now we were come to the great door; and when my father would have let the king go in first eadmund laughed at him, and took his arm and drew him in with him, so that there was a little delay, and we drew close. very bright and welcome looked the great oaken hall as we came in from the dark, rainy night. a great fire burnt on its stone hearth in the centre, and the long tables were already set above and below it. the bright arms and shields on the walls shone below the heads of deer and wolf and boar, and the gust of wind that came in with us flew round the wall, making a sort of ripple of changing colour run along the bright woven stuffs that covered them to more than a man's height from the floor. no one in all east anglia had so well dight a hall as had elfric, the rich thane of reedham. well used was i to all this, but never seemed it more homelike to me than when i came in fresh from the the cold, gray sea. and now there stood on the high place to welcome us those whose presence made the place yet more beautiful to me--my mother, and eadgyth my sister, and beside them were bishop humbert, our own bishop, and many thanes of the court, and some of the bishop's clergy. such a gathering my father, and, indeed, all of us, loved, for all were well known to us. now i went to greet these dear ones and friends, and there was pleasant jest and laughter at us for coming thus sea clad and spray stained into the midst of that gay company. so that for a little time i forgot lodbrok, who had not followed me beyond the hearth. then eadgyth said to me: "who is that noble-looking man who stands so sadly and alone by the fire?" i turned, blaming myself for this forgetfulness, and there was the dane gazing into the flames, and seeming heedless of all that was going on. nor do i think that i had ever seen one look so sad as looked that homeless man, as he forgot the busy talk and movement around him in some thoughts of his own. so i went to him, touching his arm gently, and he started a little. then his grave smile came, and he said: "truly, wulfric, i had forgotten all things but my own home, and when i woke from my dream at your touch, half thought i that you were halfden--that youngest son of mine of whom i told you." then so wistfully looked he at me that i could not forbear saying to him: "you must hold me as in halfden's place, for this will be your house, if you will, until there comes a ship that will take you home. gladly will some of the frisians we know take you at least to the right side of the broad seas." "aye, gladly would some have lodbrok the jarl with them," he answered, smiling strangely. what he meant, beyond that he might pilot them well, i knew not, nor, indeed, thought that any hidden meaning lay in his words. so that his saying passed from my mind, until one day when i should have cause to understand it well enough. i would have taken him now to present him to my mother, but she was gone, and there came to us one of the steward's men, who stared at the dane as if he were some marvel, having doubtless heard his story from one of the seamen, but covered his wonder by bowing low and bidding him to an inner room where the thane had prepared change of garment for him. for my father, having the same full belief and trust in the stranger's word, would no more than i treat him in any wise but as an honoured guest. then said lodbrok: "good shall surely ever be to the house that will thus treat a wanderer. hardly would a castaway meet with so great kindness in my own land. nor do i think that we danes have made our name so well loved among english folk that we should look for the like among them." but i answered that we of east anglia had no cause to blame his people, who had made peace with us and kept it faithfully. so the man led lodbrok away, and i too went to seek gear more courtly than salt-stained and tar-spotted blue cloth of lavenham. there are few thanes' houses which have so many chambers as ours, for because of the king's friendship with us, my father had added, as it were, house to house, building fresh chambers out around the great hall itself, till all one might see was its long roof among the many that clustered round and against its walls, so that the thanes who came with him, or to see him, might have no cause to complain of ill lodging with elfric of reedham. so it had come to pass that our house was often the place where the court lay, and i know that many of the poorer thanes thanked my father for thus using his riches, since he saved them many a time the heavy expenses of housing king and court when their turn should have come. yet my father would ever put aside those thanks, saying that he loved to see his house full, though i myself know that this saving of others less rich was in his mind. one part of all these buildings we called "the king's house", for it was set apart for him, and between that and the great hall was a square and large chamber which eadmund would use for his private audiences, and sometimes for council room. and there we used to gather from all parts of the place that we might enter the great hall in his train at supper time, for there was a door which led to the high table thence, so that the king need not go through the crowd of housecarles and lesser folk who sat, below the salt, along the walls. and in that chamber was a chimney to the fire, so that the hearth was against the wall, which was a marvel to many, but made the place more meet for the king. ingild the merchant, my other godfather, whose home was in london, had brought men thence to make it for us, having the like in his own house after some foreign pattern. there were two men only in this room when i returned ready for the feast. both stood before the fire, and both were brightly dressed, and hardly, but for the drowsy hawk which sat unhooded on his hand, should i have known lodbrok in the rich dress my father had had prepared for him. the other was beorn, the king's falconer, who went everywhere with his master. these two were speaking together as they stood before the fire, and i thought that what beorn said was not pleasing to the dane, for he turned away a little, and answered shortly. when they saw me both turned, lodbrok with a smile of welcome, and beorn with a loud, rough voice crying to me: "ho, wulfric, here is a strange thing! this gold ring have i offered to your stranger here for his falcon--which has three wing feathers missing, moreover--and he will not sell, though i trow that a man cast ashore must needs want gold more than a bird which he may not fly save i gain him leave from the king." "the bird is wulfric's," said lodbrok quietly. "nay, jarl," i answered, "i would not take so loving a hawk from her master, and over all our manors you may surely fly her." "see you there!" cried beorn, with a sort of delight, not heeding my last words, "wulfric will not have her! now will you sell?" then lodbrok looked at me with a short glance that i could not but understand, and said that it would surely grieve him if i would not take the falcon. pleased enough i was, though half unwilling to take what seemed as a forced gift. yet to quiet beorn--whom i never liked, as he was both overbearing and boastful, though of great skill in his art of falconry--i thanked the dane, and went to where a hawking glove hung on the wall, for my arm would feel the marks of those strong talons for many a day, already. as i put it on i said that i feared the bird would hardly come to me, leaving her master. "once i would have said that she would not," said lodbrok; "for until today she would bide with no man but myself and her keeper. but today she has sat on your wrist, so that i know she will love you well, for reasons that are beyond my guessing." and so he shifted the falcon lightly from his wrist to mine, and there she sat quietly, looking from him to me as though she would own us both. then said beorn, holding out his hand, on which he wore his embroidered state glove of office: "this is foolishness. the bird will perch on any wrist that is rightly held out to her, so she be properly called," and he whistled shrill, trying to edge the falcon from my hand. in a moment she roused herself, and her great wings flew out, striking his arm and face as he pushed them forward; and had he not drawn back swiftly, her iron beak would surely have rent his gay green coat. "plague on the kite!" he said; "surely she is bewitched! and if her master is, as they say, a wizard, that is likely--" "enough, master falconer," i said, growing angry. "lodbrok is our guest, and this, moreover, is the court for the time. why, the bird is drowsy, and has been with me already. there is no wonder in the matter, surely?" but beorn scowled, and one might see that his pride of falconry was hurt. maybe he would have answered again, but i spoke to lodbrok, asking him what the falcon was, as she was like none of ours, for this was a thing i knew beorn would be glad to know, while his pride would not let him ask. and lodbrok answered that she was an iceland gerfalcon from the far northern ocean, and went on to tell us of her powers of flight, and at what game she was best, and how she would take her quarry, and the like. and beorn sat down and feigned to pay no heed to us. presently the dane said that he had known gerfalcons to fly from iceland to norway in a day, and at that beorn laughed as in scorn. "who shouted from norway to iceland to say that a lost hawk had come over?" he said. the dane laughed a little also, as at a jest; though one could tell that beorn rather meant insult. "why," he answered, "the bird got loose from her master's ship as he sailed out of port in iceland, and he found her at home in nidaros at his journey's ending; and they knew well on what day she came, which was the same as that on which she got free." then i said, lest beorn should scoff again: "now, if this falcon got free from here, surely she will go home to your land." "aye, and so my sons will think me dead, seeing her come without me. wherefore keep her safely mewed until she has learnt that this is her home, for i would not have that mischance happen." that i promised easily, for i prized the bird highly. and that i might not leave him with the surly beorn, i asked the jarl to come and see her safely bestowed, and left the room with him. as we crossed the courtyard to the mews, where our good hawks were, lodbrok said to me: "i fear yon falconer is ill pleased with me." "i have a mind to tell the king of his rudeness to our guest," i answered. "that is not worth while," said lodbrok. "the man's pride is hurt that he should be thus baffled for all his skill, which, from his talk, must be great," and we both laughed, for beorn loved his own praises. now when we got back the guests were gathering, and it was not long before the king entered, and at once called me. "all here i know but one, wulfric, and that one is your seafarer. let me know him also that speech may be free among us." so lodbrok came, and he and the king looked long at one another before eadmund spoke. "i have heard your story, friend, and it is a strange one," he said pleasantly. "moreover, i know your name in some way." "well known is the name of ragnar lodbrok, my forefather," said the jarl. "mayhap the king remembers the name thus!" "aye," answered eadmund, "that is a well-known and honoured name, and i think that ragnar's son has a share in his courage. but your face also seems known to me, and it was not of the great ragnar that i thought. have we met in years past?" then lodbrok said that he had been in london at a time when offa the king was there, and it was long years ago, but that the very day might be remembered by reason of a great wedding that he had been to see out of curiosity, knowing little of saxon customs. and he named the people who were married in the presence of offa and many nobles. then eadmund laughed a little. "now it all comes into my mind," he said; "you are the leader of those strangers who must needs come into the church in helm and mail, with axe and shield hung on shoulders. moreover, for that reason, when men bade you depart and you went not, they even let you bide. so i asked your name--and now i can answer for it that lodbrok jarl you are." and he held out his hand for the dane to kiss, after our custom. but lodbrok grasped and shook it heartily, saying: "thanks, lord king, for that remembrance, and maybe also for a little forgetfulness." nor was eadmund displeased with the freedom, but at that last saying he laughed outright. "kings have both to remember and forget," he said, "and maybe, if the citizens had not expected you to behave as wild vikings, you would have gone peacefully as you came?" "that is the truth," said lodbrok. so i suppose there had been some fray, of little moment, with the london folk. then we followed the king into the hall; and lodbrok and i together sat at table over against him. soon i knew all that an hour or two of pleasant talk would teach me of his home and sons and sports, and the king asked now and again of danish customs, not yet speaking of the voyage. "for," said he, "it is ill recalling hardships until the feast is over. then may one enjoy the telling." presently the gleemen sang to us; and after that the harp went round, that those who could might sing, and all the talk in hall was hushed to hear eadmund himself, the men setting down ale cups and knives to listen, for he had a wondrously sweet voice, and sang from the ancient songs of caedmon {iv}. then i sang of the sea--some song i had made and was proud of, and it pleased all. and at length we looked at lodbrok, wondering if he could take his turn. "fain would i try to please my host," he said, looking a little wistfully at my father; "but a man swept far from home against his will is no singer." then eadmund pitied him, as did we all, and rose up. "feasting is over, thanes," he said. "let us sit awhile in the other chamber and hear lodbrok's story." for he would ever leave the hall as at this time, so that the housecarles and lesser guests might have greater freedom of talk when we were gone. so we rose up, and as we did so i saw beorn, the falconer, look sourly at lodbrok; and it misliked me that he should harbour any ill will even yet against the dane who had done him no wrong. round the fire we sat; some ten of us in all, for bishop humbert and his folk went to their lodgings in the town, and there lodbrok told the king of his voyage. and when he named his sons, eadmund looked grave, and said: "i have heard of those two chiefs, ingvar and hubba. did they not make a raid into northumbria two years ago? maybe they are yet there with the host." "aye," answered lodbrok, seeming to wonder at the grave face of our king; "they went to northumbria with the host that is yet there. they fought well and bravely at the place men call streoneshalch {v}, gaining much booty. and it was by ingvar's plan that the place was taken, and that was well done. but they left the host with their men after that, saying that there were over many leaders already." now we all knew the cruel story of the burning of that place; but northumbria was a far-off kingdom, and with it we had naught to do. so, except perhaps the king, the rest of us were as little moved as if he had spoken of the taking of some frankish town; for if my father thought more of it, being in the king's counsels, he passed it over. "these sons of yours have a mind to be first then," he said lightly. "seeing that the blood of ragnar lodbrok is in their veins it could not well be otherwise," answered the jarl somewhat grimly. then he ended his tale, and the king was greatly pleased with him, so that he bade him bide in the court for a while that he might take back a good report of us to his own people. now when the king was with us, i gladly took up my duties as his armour bearer for the time; and therefore slept across the doorway of his chamber when he went to rest. so my father bestowed lodbrok with the thanes in the great hall, and i left him there, following the king. well did i sleep that night, though, sailorwise, not so heavily but that any noise would rouse me in a moment. and as it drew towards morning the king stirred uneasily, and i looked up at him. seeing that i woke he called me softly. the gray light of dawn came through the window, and i could see that he sat up in his bed, though i might not make out his face. "i am here, lord king. is aught amiss?" i said, rising up with my sword in my hand. "strange dreams have i had, my son," he said, in his quiet voice, "and they trouble me." "let me know them, my master," i said, "and maybe the trouble will pass; for often that which seems sorely troublous in a dream is naught when one would put it into words." "sit on the bed and i will tell you," he answered; and when i was there close to him he went on: "it was this: i thought that i was in some place where water gleamed beneath me, while overhead passed the tread of many feet with music of pipe and tabor as at a bridal. and i cannot tell what that place was. then came to me the hand of this lodbrok, and he, looking very sad and downcast, led me thence into the forest land and set me over against a great gate. and beyond that gate shone glorious light, and i heard the sound of voices singing in such wise that i knew it was naught but the gate of heaven itself, and i would fain go therein. but between me and the gate sped arrows thick as hail, so that to reach it i must needs pass through them. then said jarl lodbrok, 'here is the entry, and it is so hard to win through because of me, yet not by my fault. but i think you will not turn aside for arrows, and when you come therein i pray you to remember me.' then pressed i to the gate, unheeding of the arrow storm. and lo! the gate was an oak tree, tall and strong, yet beyond it was the light and the singing that i had reached. then faded the face of lodbrok, and after me looked sadly many faces, and one was yours, my son, and the nearest. so i woke." "that is a wondrous dream," i said, not knowing what to make thereof, having no skill in reading these matters. "aye, my son," answered eadmund; "nor can i read it; though i think i shall do so hereafter. nevertheless it comes into my mind that the dream warns me that my time is short. lie down again, my son. let us sleep in peace while we may." after that the king slept peacefully as a little child till full daylight came; but i for very sadness closed not my eyes again, for i thought that our king was fey {vi}. but in the morning the dream had, as it seemed, passed from the mind of eadmund, for he was very cheerful, as was his wont, and said naught of it. however, i told my father thereof, for the remembrance was heavy to me. and he, when he heard it, bit his lip a little, pondering, but at last laughed. "trouble not yourself about it, son wulfric," he said; "were i to mind every dream that i have had, i think that i should take no joy in life. why, every year, for the last five past, i have dreamed of sore shipwreck, and the old vessel's timbers are yet hanging together!" i laughed also, and thought that maybe he was right--for my father's judgment was ever the best in my eyes--and so set my mind at rest, though the strangeness of the matter would not let it be altogether forgotten. now as days went on and we saw more of our guest, lodbrok, there was, i think, no man of our household who would willingly have seen him take ship and leave us; for his ways and words were pleasant to all alike, and there seemed to be no craft of which he knew not something, so that he could speak to each man, in field or village or boat, of the things that he knew best. and that is a gift that may well be longed for by any man who would be loved by others. greatly pleased with him was eadmund the king, so that he would talk long with him of the ways and laws and peoples beyond the seas; and also of hunting and hawking, which they both loved well. and in this last lodbrok was the best skilled master i have ever known; and the king would ever have him ride beside him in the field while the court was yet with us. and that pleased not beorn, though he kept his ill will to himself; and maybe i alone noted it, for i had not spoken of that meeting, of which i have told, even to my father. well, too, did my mother and eadgyth like the courtly ways of the jarl, who was ever ready to tell them of the life in his household, and of the daughter, osritha, who was its mistress since her mother died but a few years since, and her two elder sisters had been married to chiefs of their own land. sometimes, too, they would ask him of the dress of the ladies of his land; but at that he would laugh and shake his head, saying that he only knew that they went wondrously clad, but that he could tell naught more of the matter. "weapons and war gear i may talk of by the hour," he said, "but women's gear is beyond me. but once my daughter and i wrought together in a matter that was partly of both, and that was when i needed a war flag. and so i drew out the great raven i would have embroidered on it, and they worked it in wondrous colours, and gold and silver round the form of the great bird, so that it seems to shift and flap its wings as the light falls on it and the breeze stirs it, as if there were magic therein." now eadgyth was well skilled in this work, and thereat she must needs say that she would work me a flag for our ship, if the jarl would plan one. so it seems to me now that that evening was very pleasant, for they planned and shaped and began a flag whereon was drawn by the jarl a white falcon like the one he had given to me, and that was my thought, and it pleased him, as i think. one day we came home early from our hunting, and lodbrok and i sat in the great hall, while the summer rain swelled in torrents, with thunder and lightning sweeping over the river marshes and out to sea, and we looked at the weapons that hung on the walls. "little care i for your long spear and short sword, friend wulfric," he said; "it seems to me that you must needs shorten the one and lengthen the other before you can be held well armed. and your bow is weak, and you have no axe." for i had asked him what he thought of our saxon weapons, else would he not have spoken so plainly. then he thought for a little while, and said: "would you learn to use the axe?" i answered that nothing would please me better; for of all things, i longed to excel in weapon play of all kinds. "that is well," he said, "for i owe you my life, and i think that i can teach you that which will keep yours against any foe that you may meet; for you are of the right build for a good axeman, and not too old to learn." then we went to the smithy, and there, while the thunder raged outside, he forged me an axe of the danish pattern. "thor's own weather!" he said, laughing; and as he spoke the blue lightning paled the red glow of the forge to a glimmer. "this should be a good axe, and were you not a christian, i would bid you hold your beginning, as its wielder, of good omen." then the thunder crashed, and there was no need for me to answer. and in the end he taught me patiently, until, one day, he said: "now do you teach me to use your long spear. i can teach you no more axe play than you know. some day you will meet an axeman face to face, and will find out what you know. then, if i have taught you ill, say naught; but if well, then say 'jarl lodbrok taught me'." now i hold that the test of mastery of a weapon is that one wishes for no other, and i knew that i had learned that much. but i could not tell how much he had taught me, for axe play was new to me, and i had not seen it before. after i had learned well, as he said, the jarl tempered the axe head, heating and cooling it many times, until it would take an edge that would shear through iron without turning. and he also wrought runes on it, hammering gold wire into clefts that he made. "what say they?" i asked. "thus they read," he answered: "life for life. for wulfric, elfric's son, lodbrok the seafarer, made me!" thereat i wondered a little, for i knew not yet what he had taught me. yet when i asked why he wrote those first words, he only laughed, saying, "that you will know some day, as i think." now if i were to write all that went on until august came, i should speak of little but how the jarl and i were never apart; for though he was so much older than myself, i grew to be his fast friend. and many a long day did i spend with him in his boat, learning somewhat of his skill in handling her, both on river, and broad, and sea. very pleasant those days were, and they went all too soon. no ship came in that could help him homewards, and though the danish host was in northumbria, he cared not to go there, for his sons were gone home. and eadmund would fain see more of him, so that, although i would willingly have taken our ship across the seas, for the first time, to his place, he would not suffer me to do so; for he said that he was not so restless here with us, and that his sons and osritha, his daughter, had doubtless long thought him dead. now in june the king had gone to framlingham, and in august came back to thetford. then he sent for my father, begging him to bring lodbrok with him, that together they might hunt over the great heaths that stretch for many a mile north and west and south of the town. no better sport is there for hawk and hound than on brandon and croxton heaths, and the wilds to which our saxon icklings and lakings have given their names, for they stretch from forest to fen, and there is no game in all england that one may not find there, from red deer to coney, wolf to badger, bustard to snipe, while there are otter and beaver in the streams. so they would go, for the wish of a king is, as it were, a command, even had not both my father and lodbrok loved to be with him, whether in hall or field. and i thought that i should surely go also. however, my father had other plans for me, and they were none other than that i should take the ship round to london with some goods we had, and with some of the new barley, just harvested, which would ever find ready sale in london, seeing that no land grows better for ale brewing than ours of east anglia. now that was the first time i had been trusted to command the ship unaided by my father's presence, though of late he would say that he was owner, not captain, and but a passenger of mine; so, though i was sorry not to go to thetford, i was more proud of myself than i would show; and maybe i would rather have taken to the sea had there been choice. i was to go to my godfather, ingild the merchant, who would, as ever, see to business for me; and then, because the season was late, and wind and weather might keep me long in the river, my father bade me stay with him, if i would, and if need were lay up the ship in thames for the winter, coming home by the great roman street that runs through colchester town to our shores; or if ingild would keep me, staying in london with him even till spring came again. "if i must leave the ship," i said, "i shall surely come back to hunt with the jarl and you." "nevertheless," answered my father, smiling, "ingild will have many a brave show for you in town. wait till you get to london, for the court of ethelred himself will very likely be there, and there will be much to see. and maybe you will find some danish ship in the river, and will send her captain here to take the jarl home with him; for we may not hold him as a prisoner with us." then lodbrok added that, in any case, i might find means to send messages to his home by some ship sailing to ports that he named; and that i promised i would do. thereon he gave me a broad silver ring, rune graven, to show as a token to any of his countrymen whom i might meet, for the ring was known. "do not part with it, wulfric," he said, as i thanked him; "for it may be of use to you some day, if not on this voyage. jarl lodbrok is well known on the high seas, and he gives not rings for naught." now i would not take the falcon with me, but begged the jarl to use her; and i asked him also to train for himself a greyhound that i had bred, and of which he thought highly. "why," said he, "i shall have the best hawk and dog in all thetford town, and beorn the falconer will have naught to say to me." thereat we laughed, for beorn's jealousy was a sport to us when we thought of it, which was seldom enough. so these two went to thetford, and in the last week of august i sailed for london, with a fair breeze over the quarter, from our haven. chapter iii. what came in a north sea fog. night saw our ship off orfordness, and there the breeze failed us, and a thick fog, hiding the land and its lights, crept up from seaward and wrapped us round. but before it came, on orfordness a fire burnt redly, though what it was, unless it might be some fisher's beacon, we could not tell. the fog lifted as we drifted past the wide mouth of stour and orwell rivers with a little breeze, and the early daylight showed us the smoke of a fire that burnt on the higher land that shuts in the haven's mouth on its southern shores. but even as we saw it, the fog closed round us again and the wind died away, so that we lowered the sail, and the men got out the oars, and slowly, while kenulf swung the lead line constantly, we crept on among the sand banks down the coast. presently the tide turned against us, and kenulf thought well that we should drop anchor and wait for its turning again. the men gladly laid in the oars, and the anchor rattled out and held. the ship swung to her cable, and then there seemed deep silence after the even roll and creak of the great sweeps in their rowlocks. the fog was very dense, and beyond our stem head i could see nothing. then to break the silence came to us, over no great stretch of water as it seemed, the sound of a creaking block, the fall of a yard on deck, and a voice raised in some sharp order. then i thought i heard an anchor plunge, and there was silence. very ghostly it seemed to hear these familiar sounds and to see naught, and it was the more so that we might by no means judge from which side of us, or fore or aft, the noises came, for fog will confuse all things, and save a driving snowstorm, i dread nothing more at sea. now the men began to speak in whispers, for the silence and weirdness of the fog quieted us all. and, moreover, when the fog lifted we had seen no ship, though there must be one close to us now, and we wondered. but kenulf came to me presently with a scared face, and waiting till the men had gone forward to find their food, he asked me if i heard the voice that spoke. "aye, surely," i answered. "what of it?" "master," he said, "the voice was a danish voice, as i think. and i mind me of the fires we saw." "what then?" said i carelessly, though indeed i could see well what fear was in the old man's mind. yet i would have him put the thing into words, being ready to look the worst in the face at any time. "the vikings, master," he answered; "surely they were in orwell mouth and saw us, and have given chase." "we should have seen them also," i said. "not so, master, for the fog hung inland, and if a dane lies in such a place he has ever men watching the sea--and they will sail two ship's lengths to our one." "supposing the ship is a viking, what should we do now?" i asked, for i knew of naught to do but bide where we were. "go back with tide and slip past them even now," said kenulf, though i think he knew that this was hopeless, for if we rowed, the sound of our oars would betray us, and if not we should be on a shoal before long, whence any escape would be impossible. "hark!" i said in another moment, and we listened. there was little noise beyond the lapping of the swift tide against our sides. the men forward were silent, and i had thought that i heard the distant sound of voices and oars. it came again in the stillness; a measured beat that one could not well mistake, as of a ship's boat leisurely pulled. then one of our men began to sing in an undertone, and kenulf smote his hands together in terror, for the sound would betray us, and he was going forward to stop the song. "no matter," said i, "they know we are not far off, for i think they must have anchored when they heard us do so, as we heard them. if they seek us they will soon find us." "they are coming nearer," said kenulf, and i heard the oars more plainly yet. now the thought of calling my men to arms came over me, but i remembered how lodbrok had told me that resistance to vikings, unless it were successful, meant surely death, but that seldom would the unresisting be harmed, even if the ship were wantonly burnt after plunder, and the crew set adrift in their boat. still the oars drew nearer, and i thought of the words that lodbrok had spoken--how that shipmen would be glad of his presence--and i wished that he were indeed with me, for now i knew what he meant. now, too, i knew his gift of the ring to be our safety, and surely he had given it to me for this. so i grew confident, and even longed to see the sharp bow of the boat cleave the mist, if only her crew knew of our friend by name at least. yet they might be norse--not danish. but the sound of oars crossed our bows and died away again, and then a voice hailed from the ship, as i thought, and there was silence. kenulf and i breathed more freely then, and we too went forward and ate and drank, and afterwards spoke of the chance of slipping away when the tide turned, though i was sure that, if the ship were what we thought, she would up anchor and drift with us. so the hours of flood tide passed, and then the ship began to swing idly as the slack came. then with the turn of tide came little flaws of wind, and we hoisted the sail, and kenulf hove the anchor short. yet we heard no more sounds from the other ship. then all in a minute the fog thinned, lifted, and cleared away, and i saw the most beautiful sight my eyes had ever lighted on, and the most terrible. for, not half a mile from us, lay a great viking snekr {vii}, with the sunlight full on her and flashing from the towering green and gold and crimson dragon's head that formed her stem, and from the gay line of crimson and yellow shields that hung along her rail from end to end of the long curve of her sides. her mast was lowered, and rested, with the furled blue and white striped sail, on the stanchions and crossbars that upheld it, to leave the deck clear for swing of sword and axe; and over the curving dragon tail of the stern post floated a forked black and golden flag. and wondrously light and graceful were the lines on which she was built, so that beside her our stout cargo ship showed shapeless and heavy, as did our log canoes beside lodbrok's boat. as soon should our kitchen turnspit dog fly the greyhound that i had given lodbrok, as such a ship as ours from this swift viking's craft. but her beauty was not that which drew the eyes of my men. little they thought of wonder or pleasure in gazing on the ship herself. all her decks were crowded with scarlet-cloaked men, and the sunlight which made the ship so bright flashed also from helm and spear and mail coat from stem to stern. and at that sight every tale of viking cruelty they had heard came into their minds, and they were overcome with terror, so that i thought that several would have cast themselves into the sea, away from the terrible ship, choosing rather death by water than by the sword. but i saw some half dozen whose faces set hard with other thoughts than these, and they turned to seek their weapons from under the fore deck. then i spoke to them, for it was time; and i would have neither fear nor defiance shown, for i knew that we should be boarded. "yonder ship belongs, as i think, to the people of our guest, lodbrok the dane. so it seems to me that they will gladly hear news of him from us, as he is a great man in denmark. and surely we have deserved well of his folk in every way, and we of east anglia are at peace with the danish host. therefore, let us wait till they board us, and then let no man stir from his place or speak a word, that i may talk with them in peace." those words were listened to eagerly, and they wrought on the minds of my poor fellows as i wished. moreover, to put our one chance of safety into form thus heartened me also, for i will not say that i feared nothing from these vikings, who might know and care naught concerning our sea-borne guest, even were they danes. yet it seemed that none saw my fears, for in a little the men asked if they might take their weapons. and though it seemed hard to me and them alike to bide unarmed, i knew it was safer, and so bade them meet the danes in all peaceful seeming. now we saw a boat lowered from the longship's side, and one by one armed men entered her, and she sank deeply in the water. ten i counted, and at last one more, who, i supposed, was the leader. so deep was she that, as she left the ship, i thought how that one sack of our grain, hove into her as she came alongside, would sink her and leave her crew to drown in our sight. but then the ship herself would close on us, and not one of us but would pay for that deed with his life. so she came slowly over the glassy water of the slack tide, and my men watched her, saying nothing. soon she came alongside, and at a sign from me kenulf threw a line which the bowman caught, and i thought that a word or two of wonder passed among her crew. they dropped to where the curve of our deck was lowest, and instantly the leader leapt on board and all but one of his men followed, axe or drawn sword in hand. as i had bidden them, not one of my men stirred save kenulf, who made fast the line and stood watching. the leader was a young man, of about my own age, clad in golden shining bronze scale armour and wearing a silver helm on which were short, black, curving horns; and he bore a double-headed axe, besides the sword at his side. he looked round on us--at the men standing silent, at kenulf, and at me as i stood on the after deck resting on the tiller, and broke into a great laugh. "well," he cried, "are you all dumb, or fools, or wise men; or a little of all three?" but my men answered nothing, even as i had bidden them, and i thought that my time was not yet come to speak. "the fog has got into their throats," said a dane; for with a great lifting of my heart i knew their tongue, and it was lodbrok's and not norse. "struck speechless with fear more like," said another. "ho, men," said the leader, "which is your captain?" one of our crew pointed to me, and i came to the break of the deck saying: "i am master of this ship." and i spoke as a dane, for my long company with lodbrok had given me the very turn of his speech. at that the viking stared at me, and one of his men said: "when did danes take to trading on this coast?" "you are saxon by all seeming," said the leader, "yet you speak like a dane. whence are you, and how learned you our tongue so glibly?" "we are from reedham in east anglia, which is at peace with the danish host," i said; "and i learnt the danish speech from one who is my friend, lodbrok the dane, whom men call jarl lodbrok." now at that word the danes all turned to me, and hardly one but let fall some word of wonder; and the young leader took two great steps towards me, with his face flushing and his eyes lit up with a new look. then he stopped, and his face changed, growing white and angry, and his teeth closed tightly as he looked at me. then he said: "now if you are making a tale to save your skins, worse shall it be for you. what know you of lodbrok?" i held out my hand, on which the jarl's ring shone white against the sea-browned skin. "here is a token he gave me before i sailed, that some friend of his might know it and speak to me," i said. the viking dropped his axe on the deck and seized my hand, gazing at the ring and the runes graven thereon. "lives he yet?" he said, breathless. "aye, halfden lodbroksson, your father lives and is well in our house," i answered; for now i knew that this was surely the youngest of those three sons of whom the jarl had told me so often. now at that word the danes broke into a great cheer, but halfden laid his hands on my shoulders and kissed me on both cheeks, while the tears of joy ran down his face. "well must lodbrok my father love you if he has told you so much that you know me by name," he cried; "and well does he trust you since he has given you his ring. tell me more and ever more of him." then sudden as before his mood changed, and he let me go and climbed on the rail with his arm round a backstay, and taking off his helm he lifted up a mighty shout to his ship: "found is jarl lodbrok, ahoy!" and with uplifted weapons his men repeated the shout, so that it seemed as though the loved name was heard across the still water, for the men on board the ship cheered in answer. now nothing would serve halfden but that i must go with him on board his own ship, there to tell him all i might; and he laughed gaily, saying that he had looked indeed for a rich booty, but had gained that which was more worth to him. then i told kenulf that we would bide at anchor till we knew what should be done, thinking it likely that halfden would wish us to pilot him back to reedham. "we shall lose our tide," grumbled the old man, who was himself again, now that he knew we had naught to fear. "that is all we shall lose," i answered, "and what matters it? we have all our time before us." "i like not the weather," he said shortly. but i paid no more heed to him, for halfden spoke to me. "let me leave a few men here," he said; "the boat is overladen, and the sea is rising with the breeze;" and then he added with a smile that had much grim meaning in it. "they bide as friends with you, and but for our safety; not to take charge of your ship." so i bade kenulf give the three who remained the best cheer that we might, treating them as lodbrok's men; for the old pilot loved the jarl well, and i knew that for his sake he would do much. then in a few more minutes i stood on the deck of halfden's ship, and word went round quickly of my news, so that i had a good welcome. yet i liked not the look of the danish men, after the honest faces of our own crew. it seemed to me that they were hard featured and cruel looking, though towards me were none but friendly looks. yet i speak of the crew only, for halfden was like his father in face and speech, and that is saying much for him in both. they spread a great awning, striped in blue and white like the sail, over the after deck, and there they set food and wine for us, and halfden and i sat down together. and with us one other, an older man, tall and bushy bearded, with a square, grave face scarred with an old wound. thormod was his name, and i knew presently that he was halfden's foster father, and the real captain of the ship while halfden led the fighting men. "food first and talk after," quoth this thormod, and we fell to. so when we had finished, and sat with ale horns only before us, halfden said: "i have sought tidings of my father from the day when he was lost until this. now tell me all his story from end to end." and i did so; though when it came to the throwing of the line to the boat i said naught of my own part in that, there being no need, and moreover that i would not seem to praise myself. and i ended by saying how lodbrok was even now at court with eadmund, our king, and high in favour with him and all lesser men. many were the questions that the danes asked me as i spoke, and i answered them plainly, for indeed i was glad to see the look in halfden's eyes as i spoke to him of his father, i having naught but pleasant things to tell of him, which one may say of few men, perhaps. and by and by i spoke of his having taught me the use of the danish axe. "ho!" said thormod; "hold your peace for a while, and we will see what sort of pupil he had." then he rose up and took his axe, and bade me take halfden's, which i did, not over willingly maybe, while halfden stood by, smiling. "i will not harm you," said thormod shortly, seeing that i was not over eager. "see here!" his ale horn stood on the low table where we had been sitting, and now he placed it on the gunwale, going from under the awning. the men who sat along the decks looked up at him and were still. then he heaved up the axe with both hands and whirled it, bringing it down with such force that i looked to see both horn and gunwale shorn through. but so skilful was he that he stayed that mighty stroke so that the keen edge of the axe rested on the horn's rim without marking it, and all the men who were watching cried out: "skoal {viii} to thormod the axeman!" "so," said he; "now stand up and guard a stroke or two; only strike not as yet, for maybe your axe would go too far," and he smiled grimly, as in jest. but i had learned that same trick from the jarl. now lodbrok had told me that when one has a stronger axeman to deal with than one's self the first thing is to guard well. so he had spent long hours in teaching me guard after guard, until i could not fail in them. "i am ready," i said, standing out before him. thormod feinted once or twice, then he let fly at me, striking with the flat of his axe, as one does when in sport or practice. so i guarded that stroke as the jarl had taught me; and as i did so the men shouted: "well done, saxon!" "no need to go further," said thormod, dropping his axe and grasping his wrist with his left hand; for that parry was apt to be hard on the arm of the man who smote and met it. "that is the jarl's own parry, and many an hour must he have spent in teaching you. it is in my mind that he holds that he owes you his life." and from that time thormod looked at me in a new way, as i felt. halfden was well pleased, and shouted: "nay, thormod; your turn to guard now; let wulfric smite at you!" "no, by thor, that will i not," he said; "he who taught to guard has doubtless taught to strike, and i would not have my head broken, even in play!" now he sat down, and i said, mindful of lodbrok's words: "it seems to me that i have been well taught by the jarl." "aye, truly," said thormod; "he has taught you more than you think." halfden would have me keep his axe, but i told him of that one which the jarl had made for me, and straightway he sent the boat for it, and when it came read the runes thereon. "now this says that you are right, thormod! here has my father written 'life for life'--tell us how that was!" so i said that it was my good fortune to cast him the line that saved his boat, and that was all. but they made as much of that as did lodbrok himself. and when the men came from our ship, they brought that tale from our men also; so that they made me most welcome, and i was almost fain to get away from them. but we sat and talked while the tide went by and turned, and still we lay at anchor until the stars came out and the night wind began to sing in the rigging of the great ship. now i had thought that surely halfden would have wished to sail back to reedham at once, there to seek his father; but i knew not yet the power which draws a true viking ever onward to the west, and when i said that we would, if he chose, sail back with him on the next tide, he only laughed, saying: "why so? my father is well and in good case. wherefore we will end our cruise well if we can, and so put in for him on our way home at the season's end." "what would you do, then?" i asked, wondering. "raid somewhere," he answered carelessly. "we will not go home without some booty, or there will be grumbling among the wives; but for your sake we will go south yet, for you are bound for london, as i think." i said that it was so, and that i would at once go back to reedham when my business was done, there to prepare for his coming. "that is well; and we will sail to thames mouth together. and you shall sail in my ship to tell me more of my father, and because i think we shall be good friends, so that i would rather have you come and raid a town or two with me than part with you. but as you have your ship to mind, we will meet again at reedham, and i will winter there with you, and we will hunt together, and so take you home with us in the spring." now this seemed good to me, and pleased me well enough, as i told him. where halfden and his crew went, south of thames mouth, was no concern of mine--nor, indeed, of any other man in east anglia in those days. that was the business of ethelred, our overlord, if he cared to mind the doings of one ship. most of all it was the concern of the sheriff in whose district a landing was made. so messages were sent to old kenulf, and glad was he to know that we should not have to give up our passage to london, and maybe still more to feel safe in this powerful company from any other such meetings. and before the tide served us, halfden had said that he also would come to london, so that our ship should lead the way up the river. when we weighed anchor thormod must needs, therefore, reef and double reef his sail, else our ship had been hull down astern before many hours had passed, so swift was the longship. now i have said that old kenulf had misliked the look of the weather, and now thormod seemed uneasy. yet the breeze came fresh from the southeast; and though it had shifted a good deal, i, for my part, thought little ill of that, for it held in that quarter till we were fairly among the sands of the thames mouth at nightfall, and kenulf lit lanterns by which we might follow him. no man knew the thames-mouth channels better than our pilot, kenulf the sea crafty, as we called him. then it fell dead calm, quite suddenly, and we drifted, with the sail flapping against the mast idly, for half an hour or so. then fell on us, without warning, such a fierce gale as i had never before seen, blowing from north and west, with rain and bright lightning, and it raised in five minutes a sea that broke over us again and again as thormod brought the ship head to wind. then i lost sight of kenulf's lights, and as i clung to the rail, my mind was torn with longing to be back in my own ship in this danger, though i knew that kenulf needed me not, and that, had i been there, it would but have been to obey him with the rest of our crew; yet i think that any man who loves his ship will know what i felt. and of the fury and darkness of that night i will say little. this is what comes into my mind of all that happened--aye, and at night, when the wind roars round the house, i see it all again, waking in my dreams as i call to kenulf. one flash of lightning showed me my ship dismasted and helpless, drifting broadside on to a sand over which the waves broke white and angry, and when the next flash came--she was gone! then i cried out on my folly in leaving her, and out of the blackness beside me as i clung to the gunwale, straining my eyes against the spray, halfden's voice came, crying, as he gripped my arm: "by odin--it is well that i kept you here!" and thormod from the helm shouted to his men to stand by the sheet, and the helm went down, and the ship drove through the seas that broke clean over her as he saw the danger in time to stand away from it, heading her as free as he dared. naught of this i heeded, for i could think but of the stout sailor men with whom i had been brought up, and of whom i knew only too surely that i should see them not again. and for them i tried to pray, for it was all that i could do, and it seemed so little--yet who knows what help may come therefrom? now the longship fought alone with the storm. hard was the fight, but i, who was willing to die with my own people who had gone before my eyes, cared nothing for whether we won through the gale or not. but thormod called to me, bidding me pilot them as best i might, and so i was taken a little from my thoughts. yet can i take no praise to myself that, when the gale slackened, we were safe and beyond the dangers of the shoals. we were far down channel when morning broke, and on either bow were white cliffs, plain to be seen in the clear light that came after the short fury of the gale was spent. never had i thought that a ship could sail so wondrously as this of halfden's, and yet i took no pleasure therein, because of all that i had lost. and it seemed to me that now i knew from my own chance why it was that lodbrok could sing no song to us at that feasting, when we came home to reedham; for surely my case was even as his. so i thought, leaning on the gunwale and staring ever at the white cliffs of england on our starboard; and there halfden found me, and came, putting his hand on my shoulder very kindly. "now if you have lost friends and ship by the common chances of the sea," he said, "surely you have found both anew. you shall turn viking and go on this raid with us. glad shall we be of your axe play and seamanship." i turned to him and put my hand into his. "i will go with you, halfden," i said, for it seemed at that time that i had naught else left for me to do. and ever since i was a child, listening to the songs of the gleemen, had i thought that some day i, too, would make a name for myself on the seas, as my forefathers had made theirs, so that my deeds should be sung also. yet that longing had cooled of late, as the flying people from mercia had found their way now and then to us with tales of danish cruelties. "that is well said," he answered, pleased enough. "where shall we go?" then i had yet thought enough left me to say that against our saxon kin i would not lift axe. and so came to me the first knowledge that what wiser men than i thought was true--that the old seven kingdoms were but names, and that the saxon and anglian men of england were truly but one, and should strive for that oneness, thinking no more of bygone strifes for headship. "why, that is fair enough, so you have no grudge to pay off," he said; "but i will help you to settle any, if you have them." "i have no grudge against any man," i answered, truly enough. "then if we raid on english shores, you shall keep ship, as someone must; and so all will be satisfied," he answered; "but we will go first to the frankish shores, for it is all one to me." so that pleased me as well as anything would at that time; whereupon we went to thormod, and he was very willing that i should take part and share with them. and as to my loss, he bade me take heart, for a seaman has ever risks such as these to run; and, as it seemed, this ship of ours had ever been lucky. which was true enough, as my father had told me by the fireside many a time. after this we headed over to the frankish shore, and there i had my first fight. for we raided a town there, and the citizens stood up to us well. i fought in silence, while my comrades yelled to thor and odin as they smote, for those against whom we fought were christian men, and to fight against them by the side of heathen went against me. yet the lust of battle took hold on me, and fight i must. but i will tell no more of that business, save that halfden and thormod praised me, saying that i had done well. and after that the crew asked that i should lead the men amidships, for their head man had been slain, and halfden was on the fore deck, and thormod aft. so my boyish dreams were like to come to pass, for i was thus a viking indeed. yet i had little pride therein. thence we raided ever eastward and westward along that shore, and i grew to love halfden well, strange as were his wild ways to me. for he was in all things most generous; nor was he cruel, but would hold back the more savage of the men when he could--though, indeed, that was seldom--when they were mad with fighting. so the weeks went on, until at last one day as we left a haven where we had bided for a while, taking ransom from the town that we might leave it in peace, we spied a sail far off coming from eastward, and thormod would have us bear up for her, to see what she might be. but instead of flying, as a trading ship would, the strange vessel waited for us, lowering her sail and clearing for action, so that there was doubt if she was not norse. now between dane and northman is little love lost, though at times they have joined hands, loosely as one might say, or as if cat and dog should go together to raid a rabbit warren. "if she be norse," said halfden, and his eyes shone, "we will fight her, and that will be a fight worth telling of by the crew that is left when we have done!" but she turned out to be danish, and a boat came from her to us. she was on the same errand as ourselves, and, moreover, belonged to one rorik, who was a friend of lodbrok's, so that again i must go through all the story of his perils. now if halfden's men had seemed rough and ill-favoured to me when first i saw them, time and comradeship had worn off the feeling, but it came back to me as i looked on these men, and most of all on this rorik; so that for a little i hated myself for being in their company to make war on peaceful christian folk, though, indeed, i could well excuse myself, seeing what straits had thrown me thus among them to follow the ways of my own forefathers, hengist's men. these newcomers held long counsel with halfden and thormod, and the end of it was that they agreed to sail in company, making a raid on the english coast, and first of all on the south saxon shores, behind the island that men call wight. and that was the thing that i had feared most of all, so that as i sat silent and listened, taking no part, as i might, in the planning, my heart seemed like to break for the hardness of it. yet i set my face, saying naught, so that presently rorik looked over at me and laughed, crying in a kind of idle jest: "silent is our friend here, though he looks mighty grim, so that i doubt not he will be glad to swing that big axe of his ashore." now i was in ill company, and must fit my speech to theirs, answering truly enough: "it seems to me that some of us here were a little downcast when we found that you were no northmen, for we looked for a fight." whereon they all laughed, and rorik said that maybe his men had the same longing, but that we would make a great raid between us. and so the matter passed, and he and his men went back to their ship, and we headed over to the english shore together. chapter iv. the song of the bosham bell. there is a wondrous joy in the heart of a man who sees his own land again after long days at sea, but none of that joy might be mine as the long lines of the south downs showed blue through the haze of the late september day. only the promise of lodbrok's son, that on english shores i should not fight, helped me a little, else should i have been fain to end it all, axe to axe with rorik on the narrow deck just now, or in some other way less manful, that would never have come into my mind but for the sore grief that i was in. and these thoughts are not good to look back upon, and, moreover, i should have fully trusted my friend halfden lodbroksson. hardest of all was it to me when i knew where our landing was to be made; for if glastonbury is the most holy place in wessex, so should bosham, the place of wilfrith the saint, be held in reverence by every south saxon; because there, unmindful of his wrongs {ix}, he was content to labour with the wild heathen folk, teaching them, both in body and soul, the first lessons of our holy faith. well knew i the stories of those places which i saw as the ships crept up the haven, for humbert our bishop had told me them many a time when as a child i sat on his knee and listened, wondering. there was selsea with its pile of buildings--wilfrith's own--there the little cliff over which the starving heathen had cast themselves in their despair, and there, at last, the village, clustering round the little monastery that dicul, the irish monk, had founded, and where wilfrith had first taught. and now, maybe, i must see the roofs that had sheltered him, and heard the first praises of his converts, burnt before my eyes, and that while i myself was siding with the destroyers. then at last i took halfden aside and told him my trouble, putting him in mind of the promise he had made me. "aye," said he, "i knew what made you so silent, and i have but waited for you to speak. ill should i have thought of you had you not done so. but i have this plan for you. you shall go ashore with the first, and speak to the saxons to give us ransom, if they have aught, or if any man is foolish enough to bide in the place when we come. then, if you will, you shall leave us and make your way homeward, there to give messages to my father and yours, and to look for my coming to reedham shortly. there will i winter with you, and we will sail to jutland in the spring." then he looked long at me, and put his arm round my shoulder. "truly i shall miss you, wulfric, my brother, yet it is but for a short time." now i knew not how to thank him, for this plan was all that i could wish. and he would have no delay, but gave me good saxon arms and helm, and a chain-mail byrnie {x} of the best, such as saxon or dane alike would wear, for he had many such, gathered from the different lands he had raided with his father and brothers. "any man, seeing you in danish arms and helm," he said, "might well mistrust you. so you must needs take these, for you have far to go." then, too, he pressed on me a heavy leathern bag, for he said truly enough that i should need gold withal to buy a horse. and this i took willingly, saying that it should be as a loan till he came to reedham. "nay," quoth he, "this is your share of booty; we surely gained enough on yonder shores to bring you this much." then i was silent, for i was ashamed of those gains, and i did not look into the bag, but bestowed it inside my mail shirt, for i would not offend him. then, when i was armed and ready, he gave me many messages for his father, and thanks to mine. a ring, too, he gave me for a sure token of his friendship to me; and so as the ship crept, under oars only, up bosham haven, we talked of the hunting we would have together, when the leaves were fallen in our forests; and that was pleasant to look forward to. now began frightened men to run to and fro on the haven's banks, and then suddenly came the ringing of a bell from the low tower of the church, and the danes began to look to their arms, stringing bows, and bringing up the pebble ballast for sling stones, in case the landing should be resisted. but when we came to a little wharf, the other ship being perhaps a mile astern of us, there was no man. only a small fishing vessel lay alongside, and that we cast adrift, taking its place. then halfden and i and twenty men went quickly ashore and marched up among the trees of the village street. there was no man in sight, but the bell was still ringing. a great fear for the holy men shut up in the little monastery came over me now, and i asked halfden to let me warn them, for i knew that he was like his father and would not deny me in this. "go and do so if you can," he said, "and so farewell till we meet at reedham. we shall bide here till rorik's men join us, and you will have time." so he took my hand and i went quickly thereafter, the men calling after me "farewell, axeman!" heartily enough, knowing of my going to reedham, and caring nothing for the monks, seeing that there would be no fighting. now, guided by the bell, i went on quickly, seeing no man. the houses stood open and deserted, and all along the road were scattered goods, showing that the people had fled in haste, so that they had soon cast aside the heavier things they had thought to save. soon i came to the gate of the little stone-walled monastery, over which rose the tower whence the bell yet rang; for the church seemed to make one side of the courtyard into which the gate would lead. a farm cart stood outside; but the gates were closed, and when i looked, i saw that the pin of the wheel was broken, so that the cart could go no further. and that made me fear that more than the monks were penned inside those four walls. i knocked loudly on the gate, and for a while was no answer, though i thought the ringing of the bell grew more hurried. then i beat on the gate with my axe, crying: "open, in the name of eadmund the king." and i used his name because, though a dane might well call in subtlety on the name of ethelred, none but a saxon who knew how well loved was the under-king of east anglia would think of naming him. and i was right, for at his name the little square wicket in the midst of the gate opened, and through its bars an old monk looked out, and at once i cried to him: "let me in, father, for the danes are at my heels." he muttered a prayer in a voice that trembled, and let me in, holding the gate fast, and closing and barring it after me. and all the courtyard was full of terrified men, women, and children, while among them stood the half-dozen monks of the place, pale and silent, listening to the clang of the bell overhead. when they saw me some of the women shrieked and clung to children or husbands, scared at my arms. but one of the monks, a tall man on whose breast was a golden cross, came quickly to me, asking: "is the sheriff at hand with the levy?" i told him hastily how that the only hope for these helpless ones was in flight to the woods, urging him until he understood me. gathering his monks around him, and rousing the people, he led them to the rearward gate that opened toward the forest land, calling at the same time to his swineherd, who was there, and bidding him take them by the forest tracks to chichester. then he bade his monks go also; but they lingered, asking to be allowed to stay with him, and also what should become of the holy vessels if the heathen laid profane hands on them. "obey, as your vows bid you," said the prior; "i and this warrior will care for the holy things." so they went, weeping, and were lost in the woods; for there was little cleared land round the village, and the trees came close to the monastery walls. now we two, the monk and i, stood at the open gate for a moment and listened. we could hear nothing of the danes as yet. then we closed and barred that gate; and all this while the bell had tolled unceasingly, calling as it were for help that came not. "now do you go and call the sacristan from the bell," the prior said, "and bid him lead you to the chancel, where i shall be." i went to the tower door, unhesitating, for this man seemed to have a wondrous power of command, so that i obeyed him without question, even as had the villagers. and even as i went there came the sound of many rushing feet up the street, and yells from danish throats, while axe blows began to rain on the gate by which i had entered. then the prior bade me hold the gate when he heard that, and he spoke quietly and in no terror, turning and calling to the man in the tower himself; while i stood opposite the gate, looking to see it fall with every blow. yet it was not so weakly made as that, and moreover i remembered that it was crossed with iron bands in squares so that the axes could not bite it fairly. now the bell stopped and the danes howled the louder. a torch flew over the wall and fell at my feet blazing, and i hurled it back, and the danes laughed at one whom it struck. then came the two monks from the tower and ran into the church, while i watched the trembling of the sorely-tried gate, and had it fallen i should surely have smitten the first dane who entered, even had halfden himself been foremost, for in the four walls of that holy place i was trapped, and knew that i must fight at last. and now it seemed to me that i was to fight for our faith and our land; and for those sacred things, if i might do naught in dying, i would give my life gladly. "come," said the prior's voice, and he was smiling though his face was pale, while behind him the sacristan bore an oaken chest, iron bound, on his shoulders. he drew me across the courtyard, but i ever looked back at the gate, thinking it would fall; and now they were at the other gate, and blows rained on it. yet the monk smiled again and went on without faltering, though our way was towards it. then we turned under an arch into a second court, and the din was less plain as we did so. there was the well of the monastery, and without a word the sacristan hove the heavy chest from his shoulders into its black depths, and the splash and bubble of its falling came up to us. "that is safe," said the prior; "now for ourselves." he hooked the oaken bucket to its rope and let it down to its full length in the well, and at once the sacristan swung himself on it, slid down, and was gone. then the rope swayed to one side, and stayed there, shaking gently in a minute or so. the prior drew it up, and maybe fifteen feet from the top, there was a bundle tied--a rope ladder on which were iron hooks. these he fastened to the edge of the oaken platform that covered the well mouth, and let the other end fall down the well. then he bade me go down to the sacristan. that was easy to me, and i went, yet i feared for him who stood listening to the splintering of the nearer gate, for it would soon fall surely. i saw the sacristan's face glimmer white before me from a hollow in the well shaft, as i set my foot on the last rung of the ladder, and i held out my hand to him. then in a moment i was beside him in a little chamber built in the walling of the well; and after me came the prior. he jerked the ladder from side to side till the hooks above lost their hold and it fell, so that he drew it in. we were but a few feet above the water, and the well rope hung down into the blackness before us, but i was sure that no man could see the little doorway of the chamber from above, for the trapdoor in the well cover was small, and light there was hardly any. "now all is safe," said the prior; "and we may be careless again." "they will burn the monastery," i said. "one torch has been thrown already." he smiled a little, as i thought, for my eyes were growing used to the dim light. "they may burn some things, but roof and benches are soon made afresh. there is oaken timber in plenty in andredsweald, and ready hands to hew it. our stone walls they cannot hurt." those were all the words we spoke of the matter at that time, for there came a great shouting. one of the gates had fallen at last, and the danes were in the place. "father," said the sacristan, "surely they will find this place?" the prior laughed a short laugh. "that is a thought born of your fears, brother," he answered; and i who had had the same fear was rebuked also, for indeed that i should go down the well had never come into my mind, even in our need of shelter, so why should the danes think of it? then we were silent, listening to the feet and voices overhead. the danes found the belfry presently, and began to toll the bell unskillfully while the men below jeered at those who handled the ropes. then the bell clashed twice strangely, and the prior laughed outright. "the clumsy churls have overthrown her," he said, "now i hope that one has had his head broken thereby." i marvelled that he could jest thus, though maybe, after the strain and terror of the danger we had so far escaped, it was but natural that his mind should so rebound as it were. very soon after this the danes came clattering into the little court where the well was, and straightway came to its mouth, casting stones down it, as no idle man can help doing. the sacristan crept to the furthest corner of our little den and sat there trembling, while i and the other monk listened with set teeth to the words that came down to us. nor will i say that i was not somewhat frightened also, for it seemed to me that the voices were unknown to me. they were rorik's men, therefore, and not our crew--who likely enough would but have jeered at me had they found me hiding thus. "halfden's men have drunk all the ale in the place, and that was not much," said one man; "let us try the water, for the dust of these old storehouses is in my throat." then he began to draw up the bucket, and it splashed over us as it went past our doorway. "there is naught worth taking in this place," growled another man. "maybe they have hove their hoards down the well!" now at that the sacristan gave a stifled groan of terror, and i clutched my axe, ready for need. "all right, go down and see!" answered one or two, but more in jest than earnest. then one dropped a great stone in, and waited to hear it bubble from the bottom, that he might judge the depth. now no bubbles came, or so soon that they were lost in the splash, and the prior took some of the crumbling mortar from the cell walls, and cast it in after a few moments. and that was a brave and crafty thing to do, for it wrought well. "hear the bubble," said the dane; "the well must be many a fathom deep--how long it seemed before they came up!" so they drank their fill, saying that it was useless to go down therefore, and anyhow there would be naught but a few silver vessels. "i have seen the same before," said one; "and moreover no man has luck with those things from a church." no man gainsaid him, so they kicked the bucket down the well and went away. now i breathed freely again, and was about to whisper to the prior that his thought of making what would pass for bubbling was good; but more danes came. and they were men of halfden's ship; so we must wait and listen, and this time i thought that surely we were to be found. for the men began to play with one another as they drank from the bucket; pushing each other's heads therein, and the helm of one fell off and fled past us to the bottom; and some words passed pretty roughly. and after they had done quarrelling they crowded over the trapdoor, as one might know by the darkening of the shaft. then one saw the helm, for it was of leather, iron bound, and had fallen rim upward, so that it floated. now one was going to swarm down the rope to get it, but as he swung the rope to him, the bucket swayed in the water under the helm, and he saw that it did so. whereon he wound both up, and they too went away. "that was a lucky chance!" i whispered. "no chance at all, my son; that was surely done by the same hand that sent you here to warn us," answered the prior. and i think that he was right. now came a whiff of biting smoke down the well shaft, borne by some breath of wind that eddied into it. the danes had fired the place! "father," i whispered, pulling the prior forward, for he had gone into the little cell to give thanks for this last deliverance. he looked very grave as he saw the blue haze across the doorway, hiding the moss and a tiny fern that grew on the shaft walls over against us. "this is what i feared, though i must needs make light of it," he said. "it cannot harm us here," i answered. "all round this court on three sides the buildings are of wood; sheds and storehouses they are and of no account, but if one falls across the well mouth--what then?" "then we are like to be stifled," said i; for even now the smoke grew thicker, even so far down as we were. and when i looked out and up there was naught but smoke across the well mouth, and with that, sparks. "pent up and stifled both," said the quavering voice of the sacristan from behind us. "how may we get out of this place till men come and raise the ruin that will cover us? and who knows we are here but ourselves?" "forgive me for bringing you to this pass," said the prior gravely, after a little silence. the smoke grew even denser, and we must needs cough, while the tears ran from my eyes, for the stinging oak smoke seemed trapped when once it was driven down the well. "i have known men escape from worse than this," i said, thinking of lodbrok, and turning over many wild plans in my mind. "i had forgotten this danger of wooden walls," said the prior to himself, as it were. "doubtless when this well chamber was made it was without the inclosure." now it seemed to me that this could not be borne much longer, and that soon the walls he dreaded would fall. so as one might as well die in one way as another, i thought i would climb to the well's mouth and see if there were any chance of safety for these two monks. yet i had no thought of aught but dying with them, if need were, though as for myself i had but to walk across the courtyard and go away. the danes would but think i lingered yet for the sake of plunder. "if we may not stand this smoke, neither can the danes," i said. "i am going to see." so i set down my axe and sword and leapt sailor-wise at the rope--which the men had dropped again when they had taken the helm from the bucket--catching it easily and swarming up to the trapdoor. i only raised myself to the height of my eyes and looked out. i could see nothing. the dense smoke eddied and circled round the court, and the danes were gone, leaving us in a ring of fire on three sides. the wooden buildings were blazing higher every moment, and the heat seemed to scorch my head and hands till i could scarcely bear it. but as the wind drove aside the smoke i could see that the way to the rear gate, the last we had barred, was clear. so i slid down and hung opposite the chamber. the monks looked out at me with white faces. "it may be done," i said. "come quickly! it is the only chance." the prior gave me the rope-ladder end without a word, not needing to be asked for it; nor did i wait to say more, for at that moment a roof fell in with a great crash, and a red glare filled the well as the flames shot up, and the sparks and bits of burning timber came down the shaft and hissed into the water below me. i clomb up, fixed the ladder, and called down to the prior to bring my arms with him. there was a burning beam not three feet from the well mouth, part of the fallen roof that had slipped sideways from it. the flames that shot up from the building were so hot that i could barely abide them, and i shaded my face with both my hands, crying again to the monks to come quickly. in a few seconds came the sacristan, white and trembling--i had to help him out of the well mouth. the prior was close to him; he was calm, and even smiled at me as he saw me clutch my arms eagerly. "to the rear gate," i said, turning and kicking the ladder into the well, and thinking how cool the splash was compared with this furnace of heat. "kilt up your frocks and go swiftly, but run not," for in that smoke, save their long garments betrayed them, a man might be armed or unarmed for all that one could see. so, walking quickly, we came to the court entrance, and even as we stood under its archway the building nearest the well fell with a crash and rumble, covering the well mouth with a pile of blazing timber. the smoke and flame seemed to wrap us round, while the burning timber flew, and the danes from the great courtyard yelled with evil delight; but before that cloud had cleared away we three were outside the monastery gate, and were safe. "just in time," i said. but "deo gratias" said the monks in a breath. "now run," said i, and into the nearest spur of woodland we went, and stayed not till we were beyond reach of the yells of the destroyers, who, as it seemed, had not even seen us. when we were sure that we were not pursued, the prior took my arm and pressed it. "thanks to you, my son, our people are safe, and we have come out of yon furnace unscathed. may you find help in time of need as near and ready. now when i read the story of the three children, i think i shall know all that they suffered, for we have been in like case." and i could make no answer, for it seemed to me that i had forgotten that i was a christian of late. and that was true. now the prior bade the sacristan hasten to chichester and tell all this to the sheriff, and he left us, while we went on alone. presently i asked who made the chamber in the well, for the silence weighed on me, and my thoughts were not so lightsome. "doubtless by wilfrith's men," he said, "and for the same turn it has served us. for in his days there were many heathen round him, and flight or hiding might be the last resort at any time." then i wondered, saying that i deemed that surely it was a greater thing to be a martyr and to die, than to save life. "not always so," he answered, and then he told me of the ways of holy men of old time. "we may by no means save life by denying our faith, but we are bidden to flee into another place when persecuted. we may not choose the place of our death, nor yet the time." so he showed me at last what it was to be truly a martyr, fearing not, nor yet seeking death. "of a truth," he ended, "the lord may need my death by the hand of the heathen at some time, and when the time comes i shall know it, and will die gladly. but while he gives me the power to save life blamelessly, i know that he needs me on earth yet, though i am of little worth." so we were silent after that, ever going on through the woods. at last he laughed a little, and looked sidewise at me. "we two are alone," he said, "therefore i do not mind saying that i have been fairly afraid--how felt you?" "i would i might never be so frightened again," i answered, for truly i had made myself so at one with this brave man that i had forgotten that there was little fear for myself, as i have said, unless that it had been rorik's crew who had found us, for only a few of them knew me. we came now to a place where the trees thinned away on the brow of a hill, and i could see the broad waters of the haven through their trunks. we had reached the crest of that little cliff over which wilfrith's heathen had cast themselves in the great famine from which he saved them. "let us see the last of bosham," the prior said sadly. so we crept through the fern and long grass, and lying down looked out over haven and village. even if a prying dane looked our way he would hardly see us thus hidden, or if he did would take us but for villagers and care not. now i saw that the tide was on the turn, and that halfden's ship--my own ship, as i have ever thought her--had hauled out, and her boats waited for the last of the crew at the wharf side. but rorik's ship was there still, and her men were busy rigging a crane of spars as though they would lower some heavy thing on board her. nor could i guess what that might be. then i looked at the village, which was burning here and there, and at the monastery. they had not fired the church, and the danes clustered round the tower doorway, busied with something, and i could see them well, for the smoke from the burning buildings blew away from us. now i asked the prior what heavy things worth carrying away might be in the monastery. "naught," he said; "since they have drunk all the ale that was in the cask or two we had. "but," he added, "there is the great bell, it is the only weighty thing else." then i knew what was toward, and said: "i fear, father, that your bell is going to be taken to become metal for mail shirts, and axe heads, and arrowheads, and helms." "holy st. wilfrith!" cried the monk, in great grief; "would that we could have saved it. there is no such bell in all england, and if they take it, many a sailor will miss its call through fog and driving mist, and many a shepherd on yonder downs will wait for its ringing, and be the wearier for lack thereof." "never have i seen bell too large for one man to handle," i said; "this must be a wondrous bell!" so it was, he told me, and while we watched the busy danes, he began to sing to me in low tones the song of bosham bell which his people would sing by the fireside. "hard by the haven, wilfrith the holy bade men a bell tower sturdily build. thence should a bell sound over the wide seas, homeward to hail the hardy shipmen. thus was the bell wrought by skilful workmen: into the fierce fire, when it was founded, helm and harness the warriors hove; willingly women, the jewel wearers, golden and silver gauds gave for the melting; and a great anchor the seamen added. thus was a wealth of wondrous metal. when all was molten more grew its marvel! cast in a chalice, cuthred the priest." "aye, father," said i, "that is a wondrous bell." he nodded, and went on, with his eyes fixed on the monastery. "thus as the bell swings soothly it speaketh: churchward it calleth with voice of the chalice, speaking to shipmen with voice that is sea born. homeward the husband hailing with voices fresh from the fireside, where flashed the gold gifts-- clashing the war call, clear with its warrior voice." "that was the voice of the bell that sounded as we came," i thought; and even as i would have said it, the bell of bosham spoke again, and the prior stopped with an exclamation, and pointed. out of the gateway came four danes, bearing the bell between them, and as they crossed the threshold, one stumbled, and the bell clanged as they dropped it on the courtyard pavement. the tears ran down the holy man's face as he saw this mishap to his beloved bell, which was kept bright as when it was first founded, by the loving hands of his people. now the danes put it on that farm cart i had seen, and which they had mended, and took the bell down to the wharf, and we watched them sling it to the crane they had rigged, and place it amidships on deck. then they all went hastily on board, and put out into the haven, down which halfden's ship was already a mile distant, and dancing on the quick waves of wind against tide where the waters broadened into a wide lake. now when the ship was fairly under way, the prior rose up from beside me, and lifting his hand, cursed ship and crew with so great and bitter a curse that i trembled and looked to see the ship founder at once, so terrible were his words. yet the ship held on her course, and the words seemed vain and wasted, though i know not so certainly that they were so. for this is what i saw when the ship met the waves of that wider stretch of water that halfden had now crossed. she pitched sharply, and there was a bright gleam of sunlight from the great bell's polished sides, and then another--and the ship listed over to starboard and a wave curled in foam over her gunwale. then she righted again quickly, and as though relieved of some weight, yet when a heavier, crested roller came on her she rose to it hardly at all, and it broke on board her. and at that she sank like a stone, and i could hear the yell that her men gave come down the wind to me. then all the water was dotted with men for a little, and the bright red and white of her sail floated on the waves for a minute, and then all that was left of her were the masthead and yard--and on them a few men. the rest were gone, for they were in their mail, and might not swim. only a few yet clung to floating oars and the like. "little have these heathen gained from bosham," said the prior, and his eyes flashed with triumph. "wilfrith the holy has punished their ill doing." so, too, it seemed to me, and i thought to myself that the weight of that awesome curse had indeed fallen on the robbers. yet i know that, as i watched the ship in her trouble, in my own mind i had been going over what was amiss, as any seaman will, without thought of powers above. and i thought that the sharp pitching of the vessel had cast the great bell from amidships, where i had seen the danes place it unsecured, against the frail gunwale, first to one side, and then, with greater force yet, against the other; so that it burst open gunwale and planking below, and already she was filling when the wave came and ended all. for these swift viking ships are built to take no heavy cargo, and planks and timbers are but bound together by roots and withies; so that as one stands on the deck one may feel it give and spring to the blow of a wave, and the ship is all the swifter. but though the outer planking is closely riveted together with good iron, that could not withstand the crashing weight of so great a bell when it was thus flung against it. however that may have been--and thus i surely think it was--bosham bell passed not into the power of the heathen, but destroyed them; and it lies at the bottom of the deepest reach of the haven whence the depth and swiftness of the tide will hardly let men bring it again. so i suppose that, profaned by heathen hands, it may no longer call men from across the water and woodland to the church of god. soon came the boats from halfden's ship and picked up those who yet clung to what they might of the wreck, and then ship and danes passed from bosham haven, leaving the silent tower and burning village to mark where they had been. then the prior sighed, and turning away, said: "let us go to chichester and find shelter. night comes soon, and rest." sadly enough we went, though not for long: for when we came into the roadway from the forest land, the prior put his heavy thoughts aside, and spoke cheerfully to me. "what is done is done; and but for you, my son, things would have been worse. and their greed for the bell has made them spare the church itself. surely you must have fallen from the clouds to help us--borne hither from the east anglian land whose tongue bewrays you." "i marvel that you trusted me," i said. "i trusted your face, my son, and when one is in a hard case the first help is ever the best. yet now i would fain know somewhat of my good comrade." now i think that to any but this monk, with his friendly smile and way of quiet authority, i should have been ashamed to own my part with the danes. but a few hours of companionship in danger knit closer than many a long day of idleness together, and he seemed to me as a near friend. moreover, he had trusted me without question; so i told him all my tale and he listened patiently. "now i am glad that i cursed not your friend's ship--for i forgot her," he said, smiling. at that i was glad, for how he would hold my being with the heathen i somewhat doubted, and i told him so. "why, my son, i know not that you had much choice. and as for fighting against outlanders--let me heft that axe of yours." he took it, and it fell into his hands in a way that told me that he, too, had been a stark fighting man at some time. "take it away, my son, take it away!" he cried, thrusting it back on me; "i am not the man to blame you. and i know that much good has come to us from your being with them. and from your talk about martyrs i know that you have done no honour to their gods." i said truly that the question had never come into my mind. for, save as oath or war cry, the names of thor and odin were not heard. they sacrificed on going to sea, and on return; and meanwhile cared naught, so far as i knew, for none had questioned my faith. he said it was well, and so talking we went on. and he said that, as friend of his, none would question me, so that i should find all i needed for my journey in the town. and when we came there--meeting the sheriff's ill-armed levy on the way--we went to the house of a great thane, and there were well and kindly received. yet once and again as i slept i dreamed and woke with the cry of rorik's men in my ears, and before me the bell seemed to flash again as it crashed through the ship's side. and once i woke thinking that the smell of burning was round me, and felt, half awake, for the stone walls of the well chamber. but at last i slept soundly and peacefully. chapter v. how wulfric, lodbrok, and beorn hunted. when morning came it was great wonder and joy to me to wake and find myself in england and free, for indeed i had begun to think of my comradeship with the danes as a sort of thralldom that i knew not how to break. and now i longed to make my way back to reedham as soon as i might, for i had been many weeks away, though i have said little of all that befell in that time beyond what was needful. one thing saved me from grief that might have been, and that was the knowledge that ingild, the merchant, had not been told to look for my coming, and that none at home would wonder if i were long away, because of that plan of wintering our ship in the thames. and i knew that not one of my poor crew could have lived to take news of the wreck. that i must take back myself; and though i could not fairly be blamed for loss of ship and crew, the thought of having to break the tidings to those who would mourn for their lost ones was very hard to me. but it must be done, and there was an end. now came to me, as i thought of these things, my friend the prior of bosham, and he sat down beside me and asked how he could further my plans. he himself must go to selsea, there to see the bishop and tell him all, not forgetting my part, as he said. i told him that i only needed a horse, and that then i should ride to london, where i had friends: and he asked me if i had money wherewith to buy one, for he had none, else would he gladly do so for me. and that reminded me of the bag which halfden gave me, and i opened it. it was full of treasure--gold ornaments, and chains wherein were set precious stones, and some gold coins and silver, and these were the least value of all. but little pleasure had i in them, for i knew too well how they came, and a thought came to me. "father," i said, "this comes from ruined towns on yonder shore--take it and build up bosham again. aye, take it." "why, my son, here is treasure enough to build three villages like ours," he said quietly; "for timber houses cost but labour in this forest land, and there was naught else worth taking in the place." "but your people are the poorer," i said; "i pray you take it for their need, and for a new bell, moreover." and so i urged him till he took the greatest gold chain, saying that in honesty he could no more, for that would surely make bosham wish for more burnings if they turned out as this. "keep the rest and buy a new ship," he said, "and forget not that always and every day your name will be remembered at the time of mass in bosham; and that may help you in days to come." so he blessed me and departed, and i think that both of us were light at heart, save for parting. and i have never seen the good prior again, though his face and words i cannot forget. soon came one to lead me to the presence of the thane and his wife, and from them i found kindness more than i could have looked for. we broke our fast together, and then the lady asked me if i would accept horse and gear for my journey from her, for she had heard from the prior that i had been shipwrecked, who had also told her all the story of our doings at bosham. thanking her, i told her that though shipwrecked, i was yet rich, having a store of wealth with me; for i thought that it was in the minds of these kind people that i was in need. "be not proud," she said "bide with us for a while, and then take horse and go. we hold that you have deserved well of all of us." but i told her of my mother and sister at home, and how i would fain be back with them, so she pitied me the more, saying that now for their sakes she would hasten me. "aye, lad," said the thane, "we have sons of our own at court, and the lady would that someone would pack them home on a good horse--so she must not be denied." thus they persuaded me, and when i tried to thank them, the thane laughed, and the lady said: "thank me not but in one way, and that is by asking your mother to help homeward some other lady's son when need is. and that is all i would wish." and the end of it was that i rode away from chichester town on a good horse and with change of clothes in saddlebags, and those worthy people stood at the gate to give me good speed. yet that is not the end, for there are one or two who have ridden in like sort from reedham since that day, and have borne home the like message; so that i know not where the ending of that kindly deed may be. past the old chichester walls i went, and out on the long line of the roman street that should take me to london. and as i went i sang, for the green beechen woods were wondrous fair to me after the long weeks of changing sea, and it seemed to me that all was going well, so that i put away for the time the grievous thought of my shipwreck, the one hard thing that i must face when i came home again. there is nothing to tell of that ride; for well armed, and rich, and with a good horse, what should there be? and at last i came to london town, and rode straightway to the great house of my godfather, ingild, that stood by london bridge. very strange it was to me to look out over the pool as i crossed, and not to see our good ship in her wonted place, for this was the first time i had come to london except in her. at the door of the courtyard, round which ingild had his great storehouses and sheds for goods, i drew rein, and two serving men whom i knew well came out. yet they knew me not, staring at my arms and waiting for my commands. so i spoke to them by name, and they started and then laughed, saying that they must be forgiven for not knowing me in my arms, for surely i had changed greatly since two years ago, when i was last with them. it was the same when ingild himself came out, ample robed and portly; for he gazed long at my helmed face, and then cried: "why, here is a marvel! wulfric, my son, you have grown from boy to man since last we met; and you come in helm and mail shirt and on horseback, instead of in blue homespun and fur cap, with an oar blister on either hand. how is this?" then he kissed me on both cheeks and led me in, running on thus till a good meal was before me, with a horn of his mighty ale; and then he let me be in peace for a little while. afterwards, as we sat alone together, i told him all that had befallen, even as i would have told my father, for in my mind ingild, my godfather, came next to him and our king, and i loved him well. sorely he grieved for loss of ship and goods and men, but he told me that we were not the only seamen who had been hurt by that sudden gale. nor did he blame me at all, knowing that kenulf was in truth the commander of our ship. rather was he glad that it had chanced that i had left her and so was safe. then when i told him of my turning viking thereafter, he laughed grimly, with a glitter of his eye, saying that he would surely have done the same at my age--aye, and any young man in all england likewise, were he worth aught. so when i had told him all about my journey, i showed him the bag that halfden gave me, and well he knew the value of the treasure therein. "why, son wulfric," he cried; "here is wealth enough to buy a new ship withal, as times go!" and i would have him keep it, not being willing to take so great a sum about with me, and that he did willingly, only asking me to let him use it, if chance should be, on my behalf, and making me keep the silver money for my own use going homeward. "yet i will keep you awhile, for egfrid, the thane's son of hoxne, who is here at court, goes home for yuletide, and so you can ride with him. and i think it will be well that we should send word to your father of how things have been faring with you, for so will you have naught of misfortune to tell when you come home." i thought this wise counsel and kindly, for my people would best tell those wives and children of their loss, and so things would be easier for me. and ingild sent writing to my father by the hand of some chapman travelling to the great fair at norwich; and with his letter went one from me also, with messages to lodbrok--for eadmund had made me learn to write. so after that i abode with ingild, going to the court of ethelred the king with him, and seeing the great feasts which the merchant guilds made for the king while he was in london; with many other wondrous sights, so that the time went quickly, and the more so that this egfrid was ever with me. i had known him when we were little lads together at our own king's court, but he had left to go to that of our great overlord, ethelred, so that i had not seen him for long years. and one may sail up our waveney river to hoxne, where his father's house is, from ours at reedham, though it is a long way. now in the week before yuletide we would start homewards, so with many gifts and words of good speed, ingild set us forth; and we rode well armed and attended as the sons of great thanes should. so the way was light to us in the clear december weather, and if it were long the journey was very pleasant, for egfrid and i grew to be great friends, and there is nothing more joyous than to be riding ever homeward through wood and over wild, with one whose ways fit with one's own, in the days of youth, when cares are none and shadows fall not yet across the path. when we came to colchester town we heard that eadmund was yet at thetford, and when we asked more we learnt that lodbrok was there also with my father. so, because hoxne was but twenty miles or thereby from thetford, both egfrid and i were glad that our way was yet together, and we would go there first of all. one other thing we heard in colchester, for we waited there for two days, resting our horses. there was a wandering gleeman who came into the marketplace on the hill top, and we stood and listened to him. and first he sang of how danes had come and burnt harwich town. but the people told him to sing less stale news than that, for harwich was close at hand. now it was halfden's ship which had done that, and the fires we saw before the fog came had been the beacons lit because of his landing. then he made a great outcry until he had many folk to listen, and they paid him well before he would sing. whereon, forsooth, my ears tingled, for he sang of the burning of bosham. and when he came to the stealing of the bell, his tale was, that it, being hallowed, would by no means bear that heathen hands should touch it, so that when it came to the deepest pool in the haven it turned red hot, and so, burning a great hole through the danish ship, sank to the bottom, and the danes were all drowned. whereat the people marvelled, and the gleeman fared well. i suppose that the flashing of the great bell that i had seen gave rise to this tale, and that is how men tell it to this day. and i care not to gainsay them, for it is close enough to the truth, and few know that i had so nearly a hand in the matter. so we rode to thetford, and how we were received there is no need for me to tell, for i came back as it were from the dead, and egfrid after years of absence. and there with eadmund were my father and mother, and eadgyth, and lodbrok, and egfrid's folk also, with many more friends to greet us, and the king would have us keep yuletide with him. it had been in my mind that halfden would have come to reedham, and at first i looked for him, but he had not been heard of, so that now we knew that we should not see him before springtime came, for he must needs be wintering somewhere westward. yet now lodbrok was at ease with us, seeing the end of his stay, and being in high favour with our king, so that he was seldom away from his side in all the hunting that went on. that liked not beorn, the falconer, and though he would be friendly, to all seeming, with the dane, it seemed to me that his first jealousy had grown deeper and taken more hold of him, though it might only be in a chance look or word that he showed it as days went on. but one night my father and i rode in together from our hunting, and there was no one with us. we had been at thetford for a month now, since i came home, and there was a talk that the king would go to the court of ethelred at winchester shortly, taking my father with him for his counsellor, and so we spoke of that for a while, and how i must order things at reedham while he was away. "lodbrok, our friend, will go back with you," he said. "now, have you noted any envy at the favour in which he is held by eadmund?" "aye, father," i answered, "from beorn, the falconer." "so you, too, have had your eyes open," went on my father; "now i mistrust that man, for he hates lodbrok." "that is saying more than i had thought." "you have been away, and there is more than you know at the bottom of the matter. the king offered lodbrok lands if he would bide with us and be his man, and these he refused, gently enough, saying that he had broad lands of his own, and that he would not turn christian, as the king wished, for the sake of gain. he would only leave the worship of his own gods for better reasons. now beorn covets those lands, and has hoped to gain them. nor does he yet know that lodbrok will not take them." then i began to see that this matter was deeper than i had thought, and told my father of the first meeting of lodbrok and beorn. but i said that the falconer had seemed very friendly of late. "aye, too friendly," said my father; "it is but a little while since he held aloof from him, and now he is ever close to lodbrok in field and forest. you know how an arrow may seem to glance from a tree, or how a spear thrust may go wide when the boar is at bay, and men press round him, or an ill blow may fall when none may know it but the striker." "surely no man would be so base!" i cried. "such things have been and may be again. long have i known beorn, and i would not have him for enemy. his ways are not open." then i said that if beorn was ever near lodbrok, i would be nearer, and so we left the matter. there was one other thing, which was more pleasant, which we spoke about at that time. and it was about the betrothal of my sister eadgyth. for it had come to pass that egfrid, my friend, had sought her hand, and the match pleased us all. so before the king and my father went to winchester there was high feasting, and those two were pledged one to the other. then was a new house to be built for them at hoxne, where the wedding itself should take place. "maybe halfden will be here by that time," said lodbrok to me. "i wish, friend wulfric, that honest egfrid had not been so forward, or that you had another fair sister." now though that saying pleased me, i could not wish for the wild viking as husband to our gentle eadgyth, though i loved him well as my own friend. so i said that i thought halfden's ship was his only love. "maybe," answered the jarl; "but one may never know, and i think it would be well for english folk and danish to be knit together more closely." but when i asked him why this should be so, he only smiled, and talked of friendliness between the two peoples, which seemed a little matter to me at that time. now when the time came, my father having gone, we two, lodbrok and i, went back to reedham, while my mother and eadgyth stayed yet at thetford for the sake of egfrid's new house building, for he would have it built to suit her who should rule it. strange and grievous it was to me to see our shipyard empty, and sad to have to tell the story of the good ship's loss to those whose mourning was not yet over. yet they were sailors' wives and children, and to them death at sea was honourable, as is to a warrior's wife that her husband should fall in a ring of foes with all his wounds in front. and they blamed me not; but rather rejoiced that i was safe returned. now without thought of any foe, or near or far, lodbrok and i hunted and hawked over our manors, finding good sport, and in a little while i forgot all about beorn, for i had seen him go in the king's train as they rode out to winchester. out of that carelessness of mine came trouble, the end of which is hard to see, and heavily, if there is blame to me, have i paid for it. and i think that i should have better remembered my father's words, though i had no thought but that danger was far away for the time. we hunted one day alone together, and had ridden far across our nearer lands to find fresh ground, so that we were in the wide forest country that stretches towards norwich, on the south of the yare. maybe we were five miles from the old castle at caistor. there we beat the woods for roebuck, having greyhounds and hawks with us, but no attendants, as it happened, and for a time we found nothing, not being far from the road that leads to the great city from the south. then we came to a thicket where the deer were likely to harbour, and we went, one on either side of it, so that we could not see one another, and little by little separated. then i started a roe, and after it went my hounds, and i with them, winding my horn to call lodbrok to me, for they went away from him. my hounds took the roe, after a long chase, and i was at work upon it, when that white hound that i had given to lodbrok came leaping towards me, and taking no heed of the other hounds, or of the dead deer, fawned upon me, marking my green coat with bloodstains from its paws. i was angry, and rated the hound, and it fled away swiftly as it came, only to return, whining and running to and fro as though to draw me after it. then i thought that lodbrok had also slain a deer, starting one from the same thicket, which was likely enough, and that this dog, being but young, would have me come and see it. all the while the hound kept going and coming, being very uneasy, and i rated it again. then it came across me that i had not heard lodbrok's horn, and that surely the dog would not so soon have left his quarry. and at that i hasted and hung the deer on a branch, and, mounting my horse, rode after the hound, which at once ran straight before me, going to where i thought lodbrok would be. when i came round the spur of wood that had first parted us i was frightened, for lodbrok's horse ran there loose, snorting as if in terror of somewhat that i could not see, and i caught him and rode on. when i could see a furlong before me, into a little hollow of the land that is there, before me was a man, dressed like myself in green, and he was dragging the body of another man towards a thicket; and as i saw this my horses started from a pool of blood in which lay a broken arrow shaft. at that i shouted and spurred swiftly towards those two--letting the other horse go free--with i know not what wild thoughts in my mind. and when i came near i knew that the living man was beorn, and that the dead was lodbrok my friend. then i took my horn and wound it loud and long, charging down upon that traitor with drawn sword, for i had left my hunting spear with the slain deer. he dropped his burden, and drew his sword also, turning on me. and i saw that the blade was red. then i made no more delay, but leapt from my horse and fell upon him to avenge myself for the death of him whom i loved. would that i had had the axe whose use he who lay there had taught me so well, for then the matter would have been ended at one blow. but now we were evenly matched, and without a word we knew that this fight must be to the death, and our swords crossed, and blow and parry came quickly. then i heard shouts, and the noise of men running behind me, and beorn cried: "stay us not, i avenge me of my friend," whereon i ground my teeth and pressed on him yet more fiercely, wounding him a little in the shoulder; and he cried out for help--for the men who came were close on us--and the well-cast noose of a rope fell over my shoulders, and i was jerked away from him well-nigh choked. two men ran past me and took beorn, throwing up his sword with their quarterstaves, and it seemed to me that it was done over gently. then they bound us both and set us on the ground face to face. "now here be fine doings!" said a man, who seemed to be the leader of the six or seven who had ended the fight. "aye, 'tis murder," said another, looking from beorn to me and then to beorn again; "but which is murderer and which true man?" now all these men were strangers to me, but i knew one thing about them from their dress. they were the men of mighty earl ulfkytel himself, and seemed to be foresters, and honest men enough by their faces. "i am wulfric, son of elfric of reedham," i said. "the slain man is lodbrok, the danish jarl, and this man slew him." "he lies!" cried beorn. "it was he who slew him, and i would revenge myself on him, for this lodbrok was my friend." now i held my peace, keeping back my wrath as well as i might, for i began to see that beorn had some deep plot on hand, thus to behave as if innocent. "why, so he cried out as we came," said one of the men when he heard beorn's words. "maybe both had a hand in it," the leader said, and so they talked for a little. then came two of my own serfs, who had followed me to see the sport, i suppose, at a distance, as idle men will sometimes, when hunting is on hand, and with them came lodbrok's dog, the same that had brought me. and when the dog saw beorn he flew at him and would have mauled him sorely, but that the earl's men beat him off with their staves; and one took the leash that hung from my saddle bow and tied him to a tree, where he sat growling and making as though he would again fly at the falconer. "whose dog is this?" asked the leader. "his," answered the serfs, pointing to lodbrok. "dogs might tell strange tales could they talk," said the earl's man; "i misdoubt both these men. let us take them to the earl for judgment." "where is the earl?" i asked. "at caistor," answered the man shortly, and i was glad that he was so near, for the matter would be quickly settled and i could go free. "unbind me, and i will go where you will," i said, but at that beorn cried out. "loose him not, loose him not, i pray you!" "tie their hands behind them and let us be gone," was the answer, and they did so, loosing my feet, and setting us on my horse and lodbrok's. and some of the men stayed behind with my serfs to make a litter on which to carry my friend's body, and follow us to caistor. so as i went i cried quickly to those two men of mine that they should go in all haste to reedham and tell what had befallen me to our steward, who would know what to do. "reedham is too far for a rescue to reach you in time," said the leader of the earl's men grimly; "think not of it." "i meant not that, but to have witnesses to speak for me." "that is fair," said the man, after a little thought, "we will not hinder their going." then they led us away, and presently reached that place where i had seen the broken arrow, and one picked it up, saying that here was surely the place where the deed was done, and that the arrow would maybe prove somewhat. and i think that here beorn had shot the jarl, for all around those other marks on the grass were the hoofmarks of the rearing and frightened horse, and there were many places where an archer might lie unseen in the thickets, after following us all day maybe, as beorn must have done, thus to find fitting chance for his plan when we two were far apart. and surely, had it not been for the dog, i think the fate of lodbrok would have been unknown for many a long day, for but for him beorn would have hidden his deed and ridden off before i had known aught. now, as the man handled the broken arrow, walking beside me, i saw it plainly, and knew it for one of my own, and one of four that i had lost at thetford, though i did not know how. at that i seemed to see all the plot, and my heart sank within me, for this beorn was most crafty, and had planned well to throw doubt on me if things by ill chance fell out as they had, and so i rode in silence wondering what help should come, and whence. and i thought of halfden, and what he should think when he heard the tale that was likely to be told him, and even as i thought this there was a rushing of light wings, and lodbrok's gray falcon--which i had cast from my wrist as i fell on beorn--came back to me, and perched on my saddle, for my hands were bound behind me. she had become unhooded in some way. then beorn cried out to the men to take the falcon, for it was his, and that he would not have her lost; and that angered me so that i cried out on him, giving him the lie, and he turned pale as if i were free and could smite him. whereon the men bade us roughly to hold our peace, and the leader whistled to the falcon and held out his hand to take her. but she struck at him and soared away, and i watched her go towards reedham, and was glad she did so with a sort of dull gladness. for i would have no man pass through a time of thoughts such as mine were as they took me to caistor--rage and grief and fear of shame all at once, and one chasing the other through my mind till i knew not where i was, and would start as from a troubled dream when one spoke, and then go back to the same again as will a sick man. but by the time we reached caistor i had, as it seemed to me, thought every thought that might be possible, and one thing only was plain and clear. i would ask for judgment by eadmund the king, and if that might not be, then for trial by battle, which the earl would surely grant. and yet i hoped that beorn's plot was not so crafty but that it would fail in some way. so they put me in a strong cell in the old castle, leading beorn to another, and there left me. the darkness came, and they brought me food, so i ate and drank, being very hungry and weary; and that done, my thoughts passed from me, for i slept heavily, worn out both in body and mind. chapter vi. the justice of earl ulfkytel. an armed jailor woke me with daylight, bringing me food again, and at first i was dazed, not knowing where i was, so heavy was my sleep. yet i knew that i woke to somewhat ill. "where am i?" i asked. "under caistor walls, surely," he said; and i remembered all. the man looked friendly enough, so that i spoke again to him, asking if the great earl was here, and he said that he was. "what do men say?" i asked then. "that the matter is like to puzzle the earl himself, so that it is hard for a plain man to unriddle. but i think that half reedham are here to see justice done you; even if it is naught but earl ulfkytel's justice!" and he grinned. i knew why. for ulfkytel was ever a just man, though severe, and his justice was a word with us, though in a strange way enough. for if a case was too hard for him to decide in his own mind, he would study to find some way in which the truth might make itself known, as it were. nor did he hold much with trial by hot water, or heated ploughshares, and the like; finding new ways of his own contriving, which often brought the truth plainly to light, but which no other man would have thought of. so that if a man, in doing or planning some ill to another, was himself hurt, we would laugh and say: "that is like the earl's justice". so though ulfkytel was no friend of my father's, having, indeed, some old quarrel about rights of manor or the like, i thought nothing of that, save that he would the sooner send me to the king for trial. the jailor told me that i should be tried at noonday, and went away, and so i waited patiently as i might until then, keeping thought quiet as best i could by looking forward and turning over what i could say, which seemed to be nothing but the plain truth. at last the weary waiting ended, and they took me into the great hall of the castle, and there on the high seat sat the earl, a thin, broad-shouldered man, with a long gray beard and gray eyes, that glittered bright and restless under shaggy eyebrows. beorn, too, was brought in at the same time, and we were set opposite to one another, to right and left of the earl, below the high place, closely watched by the armed guards, bound also, though not tightly, and only as to our hands. and there on a trestle table before us lay the body of jarl lodbrok, my friend, in whose side was my broken arrow. all the lower end of the hall was filled with the people, and i saw my two serfs there, and many reedham folk. then the court was set, and with the earl were many men whom i knew by sight, honest thanes and franklins enough, and of that i was glad. first of all one read, in the ears of all, that of which we two who were there bound were accused, giving the names of those half-dozen men who had found us fighting and had brought us for judgment. then said earl ulfkytel: "here is a matter that is not easy in itself, and i will not hide this, that the father of this wulfric and i are unfriendly, and that beorn has been a friend of mine, though no close one. therefore is more need that i must be very careful that justice is not swayed by my knowledge and thoughts of the accused. so i put that away from me; i know naught of these two men but what i hear from witnesses." some people at the end of the hall sought to praise the even handedness of that saying loudly, but the earl frowned and shouted: "silence!--shall a judge be praised for doing right?" "then," said he, growing quiet again, and speaking plainly and slowly that all might hear, "this is how the matter stands. here are two men found fighting over the body of a third who is known, as men say, to have been friendly with both. no man saw the beginning of the business. now we will hear what was seen, but first let this wulfric speak for himself;" and he turned his bright eyes on me. now i told him all the truth from the time when i parted from lodbrok until the men came. then the earl asked me: "why thought you that beorn slew the man?" "because there was no other man near, and because i know that he bore ill will towards him for the favour shown him by the king." "so," said ulfkytel; "now let beorn speak." then that evil man, being very crafty, did not deny my words, but said that he had found the body lying with my arrow in its side. and though he knew not why i had done the deed, for the sake of his friendship with my father and myself he would have hidden it, and even as he did so i came, falling on him. whereon he grew wroth, and fought. "it seems to me," said the earl, "that a word from you should rather have made wulfric help you and thank you; not fall on you. now let the witnesses say their say." so they stood forward, telling naught but the truth, as honest men. and they seemed to think much of beorn's having cried out for revenge. also they showed the arrow, which fitted exactly to the headed end which was in lodbrok's side, and was the same as two that were in my quiver with others. now if beorn shot that arrow he must have made away with both bow and quiver, for he had none when we were taken. then one of the other thanes said that the dead man had another wound, and that in the throat, and it was so, whereon the jailer was bidden to bring our swords, and it was found that both were stained, for i had wounded beorn a little, as i have said. "is wulfric wounded then?" asked ulfkytel. and i was not. "whence then is beorn's sword stained?" he asked. then came my two thralls, and spoke to the truth of my story, as did one of the men who had stayed with them, for he too had seen the deer hanging where i had left it, nearly a mile away from where the fight was. and my men added that they had seen me riding to that place, and had followed the call of my horn. "murderers do not call thus for help," said the earl. "what more?" "only that lodbrok's dog flew at beorn;" they said. then my steward and others told the story of my saving of lodbrok, and there were one or two who knew how closely beorn seemed to have sought his friendship. there was no more then to be said. all the while ulfkytel had watched my face and beorn's, and now he said: "the arrow condemns wulfric, but any man might pick up a good arrow that he had lost. and the sword condemns beorn, but there are many ways in which it might be bloodstained in that affair. now, were these two robbers, i would hold that they were fighting over division of booty, but they are honourable men. wherefore i will have one more witness who knows not how to lie. fetch the dog." so they brought lodbrok's dog, which the serfs had with them, and they loosed it. it ran to his body first and cried over it, pulling his coat with its paws and licking his face, so that it was pitiful to see it, and there were women present who wept thereat. then it left him and came to me, thrusting its nose into my hand, but i would not notice it, for justice's sake; but when it saw beorn, it bristled up, flying at his throat so that he fell under it, and the guards had much ado in getting it off, and one was bitten. "the dog condemns beorn," said the earl, "but wulfric bred it." after that he would have no more witness; but now should each of us lay hand on the body and swear that he was guiltless. they brought a book of the holy gospels and put it on lodbrok's breast, and first i laid my hand thereon, looking into the quiet face of the man whose life i had saved, and sware truly. then must beorn confess or swear falsely, and i looked at him and his cheek was pale. but he, too, laid hand on the dread book in its awful place and sware that he was innocent--and naught happened. for i looked, as i think many looked, to see the blood start from the wound that he had given the jarl, but it was not so. there was no sign. then crossed my mind the first doubt that i had had that beorn was guilty. yet i knew he lied in some things, and the doubt passed away quickly. then ulfkytel pushed away the table from before him so that it fell over. "take these men away," he said. "i have heard and seen enough. i will think!" they led us away to the cells again, and i wondered how all this would end. in an hour they brought us back, and set us in our places again. the earl had more to say, as it seemed. "will you two pay the weregild {xi} between you?" "no, lord earl," i said; "that were to confess guilt, which would be a lie." then beorn cried: "i pray you, wulfric, let us pay and have done!" but i turned from him in loathing. "ho, master falconer," said ulfkytel, "the man is an outlander! to whom will you pay it? to wulfric who saved his life?" now at that beorn was dumb, seeing that the earl had trapped him very nearly, and he grew ashy pale, and the great earl scowled at him. "let me have trial by battle," i said quietly, thinking that it would be surely granted. there was as good reason to suspect me as beorn, as i saw. "silence, wulfric!" said the earl. "that is for me to say." "let the king judge, i pray you, lord earl," i went on, for he spoke in no angry tone, nor looked at me. however, that angered him, for, indeed, it was hard to say whether king or earl was more powerful in east anglia. maybe eadmund's power came by love, and that of the earl by the strong hand. but the earl was most loyal. "what!" he said in a great voice, "am i not earl? and shall the king be troubled with common manslayers while i sit in his seat of justice? go to! i am judge, and will answer to the king for what i do." so i was silent, waiting for what should come next. but he forgot me in a minute, and seemed to be thinking. at last he said: "one of these men is guilty, but i know not which." and so he summed up all that he had heard, and as he did so it seemed, even to me, that proofs of guilt were evenly balanced, so that once again i half thought that beorn might be wronged in the accusation, as i was. "so," he ended, "friend has slain friend, and friends have fought, and there is no question of a third man in the matter." he looked round on the honest faces with him, and saw that they were puzzled and had naught to say, and went on: "wherefore, seeing that these men have had trial by battle already, which was stopped, and that the slain man was a foreigner from over seas and has no friends to speak concerning him, i have a mind to put the judgment into the hands of the greatest judge of all. as lodbrok the dane came by sea, these men shall be judged upon the sea by him who is over all. and surely the innocent shall escape, and the guilty shall be punished in such sort that he shall wish that i had been wise enough to see his guilt plainly and to hang him for treachery to his friend and the king's, or else to put him into ward until some good bishop asks for pardon for ill doing." and with that half promise he looked sharply at us to see if any sign would come from the murderer. but i had naught to say, nor did i seem to care just now what befell me, while beorn was doubtless fearful lest the wrath of eadmund the king should prevail in the end were he to be imprisoned only. so he answered not, and the earl frowned heavily. now one of the franklins there, who knew me well enough, said: "wulfric, be not ashamed to confess it, if for once you shot ill--if your arrow went by chance to lodbrok's heart, i pray you, say so. it may well be forgiven." very grateful was i for that kind word, but i would not plead falsely, nor, indeed, would it have told aught of the other wound that had been made. so i shook my head, thanking the man, and saying that it was not so. now i think that the earl had planned this in order to make one of us speak at the last, and for a moment i thought that beorn was about to speak, but he forbore. then ulfkytel sighed heavily and turned away, speaking in a low voice to the thanes with him, and they seemed to agree with his words. at length he turned to us and spoke gravely: "it is, as i said, too hard for me. the lord shall judge. even as lodbrok came shall you two go, at the mercy of wind and wave and of him who rules them. you shall be put into lodbrok's boat this night, and set adrift to take what may come. only this i lay upon you, that the innocent man shall not harm the guilty. as for himself, he need, as i think, have no fear, for the guilty man is a coward and nidring {xii}. nor, as it seems to me, if all may be believed, can the guiltless say for certain that the other did it." then was a murmur of assent to this strange manner of justice of earl ulfkytel's, and i, who feared not the sea, was glad; but beorn would have fallen on the ground, but for his guards, and almost had he confessed, as i think. "eat and drink well," said ulfkytel, "for maybe it is long before you see food again." "where shall you set them afloat?" asked a thane. "am i a fool to let men know that?" asked the earl sharply. "there would be a rescue for a certainty. you shall know by and by in private." the guards took us away, and unbinding our hands, set plenty of good food and drink before us. and for my part i did well, for now that i knew the worst my spirits rose, and i had some hopes of escape, for there was every sign of fair weather for long enough. and viking ways had taught me to go fasting for two days, if need be, given a good meal to start upon. but beorn ate little and drank much, while the guards bade him take example from me, but he would not; and after a while sat silent in a corner and ghastly to look upon, for no one cared to meddle with him. as soon as it grew dusk they bade us eat again, for in half an hour we should set forth to the coast. at that beorn started up and cried out, wringing his hands and groaning, though he said no word, except that i should surely slay him in the boat. then i spoke to him for the first time since he had claimed the falcon, and said that from me, at least, he was safe. and i spoke roughly, so that i think he believed me, so plain did i make it that i thought one who was surely cowardly in word and deed was not worth harming, and he ceased his outcry. at last we were set on horseback, and with two score or more mounted spearmen round us, we rode quickly out of caistor town. a few men shouted and ran after us, but the guards spurred their horses, and it was of no use for them to try and follow. and the night was dark and foggy, though not cold for the time of year. i feared lest we were going to reedham, for there my folk would certainly rise in arms to rescue me, and that would have made things hard for them; but we went on southward, riding very fast, until after many long miles we came to the little hill of the other burgh that stands where waveney parts in two streams, one eastward to the sea, and the other northward to join the yare mouth. the moon had risen by the time we came there, and i could see a large fishing boat at the staithe, and, alas! alongside of her a smaller boat that i knew so well--that in which lodbrok had come, and in which i had passed so many pleasant hours with him. then the thought crossed my mind that what he had taught me of her was like to be my safety now; but my mind was dazed by all the strange things that came into it, and i tried not to think. only i wondered if ulfkytel had got the boat without a struggle with our people. the earl was there with a few more thanes and many more guards, and they waited by the waterside. one man started from beside the earl as we came, and rode swiftly towards us. it was egfrid, my brother-in-law to be--if this did not bring all that fair plan to naught. he cried out to the men to stay, and they, knowing who he was, did so, and made no trouble about his coming to my side. there he reined up his horse, and laid his hand on my shoulder. "alas for this meeting, my brother!" he cried. "what can i do? men came and told me of rumour that was flying about concerning this business, and i have ridden hard to get to reedham, but i met the earl, who told me all. and i have prayed him to let the king judge, but he will not, saying that his mind is fixed on higher judgment--and you know what he is." then i said: "so that you hold me not guilty, my brother, i mind not so much; for if i must die you will take my place, and my father will not be without a son. "i think you guilty!" he cried; "how could that be? shame on me were i to dream thereof--and on any man of all who know you who would deem you could be so." "have you heard all?" "aye, for the earl has told me very patiently, being kind, for all his strange ways. at last i told him that his wish for justice blinded his common sense. and at that, instead of being wrath, he smiled at me as on a child, and said, 'what know you of justice?'; so that i was as one who would beat down a stone wall with his fists---helpless. he is not to be moved. what can i do?" and almost did he weep for my hard case. "let things go their own way, my brother," i said gently. "i do not fear the sea, nor this man here--beorn. do you go to reedham and tend lodbrok's hawk for me, and send word to my father, that he may come home, and to the king, so that lodbrok may have honourable burial." he promised me those things, and then went back upon the slaying of lodbrok, asking how it came about. i told him what i thought thereof; and beorn, who must needs listen to all this, ground his teeth and cursed under his breath, for there seemed to have come some desperate fury on him in place of his cold despair of an hour since. and when egfrid had heard all, he raised his hand and swore that not one stone of beorn's house should be unblackened by fire by this time tomorrow night, and as he said it he turned to beorn, shaking and white with wrath. "let that be," i answered him quickly; "no good, but much harm may come therefrom. wait but six months, and then maybe i shall be back." now while we had thus spoken together, ulfkytel had dismounted and was holding some converse with a man whose figure i could not well make out, even had i cared to try, in the dark shadow of horses and riders which stayed the moonlight from them. but at this time the stranger came towards us, and i saw that it was the priest who served the church of st. peter, hard by where we stood. he came to beorn first, and spoke to him in a low voice, earnestly; but beorn paid no sort of heed to him, but turned his head away, cursing yet. so after a few more words, the priest came to me. "wulfric," he said, "sad am i to see you thus. but justice is justice, and must be done." "aye, father," i answered, "and right will prevail." "maybe we shall see it do so," he answered shortly, not seeming willing to hold much converse with me; "but it is likely that you go to your death on the wide sea. many a man have i shriven at the point of death--and ulfkytel the earl will not hold me back from your side--an you will." thereat i was very glad, for i knew that the risks before me were very great, and i said as much. then he took the bridle of my horse and began to lead me on one side, and the guards hindered him until ulfkytel shouted to them to draw aside in such wise as to prevent my riding off, though, bound as i was, it had been of little use to try to do so. then they let the priest take me out of earshot, and maybe posted themselves in some way round us, though i heeded them not. so then in that strange way i, bound and on horseback, confessed; and weeping over me at last, with all his coldness forgotten, the priest of burgh shrived me and blessed me, bidding me keep a good heart; for, if not in this world, then at the last would all be made right, and i should have honour. after that he went once more to beorn, but he was deaf to his pleading, and so he went away to the church, speaking no word to any man, and with his head bent as with the weight of knowledge that must not be told, and maybe with sorrow that the other prisoner, if guilty, would not seek for pardon from the judge into whose hand he was about to go. but as for me, this thing was good, and a wondrous comfort to me, and i went back to egfrid with a cheerful heart, ready to face aught that might come. now the earl called to the guards from the water's edge, saying that the time was come, and we rode towards him, and i made egfrid promise that he would hold his hand, at least till my father came. now they drew my boat to the shore, and they took beorn from his horse first, and often have i wondered that he did not confess, but he said no word, and maybe his senses had left him by reason of his terror. they haled him to the boat and unbound him, setting him in the bows, where he sank down, seeming helpless, but staring away from shore over the sparkling waters that he feared. then came my turn, and of my own will i stepped into the boat, looking her over to see that all was there as when lodbrok came. and all was there, though that was little enough. the one oar, the baler, and a few fathoms of line on the floorboards. now as i had nothing to lose by speaking, i cried to the earl concerning the one matter that troubled me. "earl ulfkytel, i pray you forgive my poor folk if they fought for me when you took the boat." "they knew not why it was taken," he answered quietly. "i sent a messenger before i gave sentence. but i should not have blamed them had they fought, knowing all." then a rough man who tended the boat called out: "ho, lord earl, are these murderers to go forth with gold on arm and hand?" for we had been stripped of naught but our arms, and i suppose the man coveted these things. but the earl answered: "which is the murderer? i know not. when his time comes stripped he will be of life itself. let the men be," and then in a moment he asked one by him; "what weapons had lodbrok when he came?" "only a dagger," answered the thane to whom he spoke. "or so men say." "that is true," i said plainly. "give the men their daggers," then said the earl; and when one told him that we should use them on each other, he answered: "i think they will not; do my bidding!" so they threw my hunting knife to me, and i girded it on. but beorn's dagger fell on the floor of the boat, and he paid no heed to it, not even turning his head. then the earl and three thanes went on board the fishing boat, and egfrid would fain have come with him. but i signed him back, and when the fishermen put out oars and pushed from the shore, towing us with them, he ran waist deep into the water, and clasped my hand for the last time, weeping. then the shore grew dim to my eyes, and i put my head in my hands and would look no more. soon i heard only the wash and creak of the large boat's oars, and a murmured word or two from those on board her. then from burgh tower came the tolling of the bell, as for the dying, and that was the last voice of england that i heard as we went from shore to sea. but at that sound came hope back to me, for it seemed to me as the voice of bosham bell calling for help that should come to myself, as i had been called in time of need by the like sound to the help of st. wilfrith's men. and straightway i remembered the words of the good prior, and was comforted, for surely if st. wilfrith's might could sink the pirate ship it would be put forth for me upon the waters. so i prayed for that help if it might be given, and for the hand of him who is over all things, even as the prior had bidden me understand. whereupon i was in no more trouble about myself, and now i began to hope that the still weather might even bring halfden's ship to find me. so we passed from river to broad, and from broad to sea, and went in tow of the fishing boat until we came to that place, as nearly as might be, where i had saved lodbrok. i could see the sparkle of our village lights, or thought i could. there they cast us off, and for a few minutes the two boats lay side by side on the gently-heaving water, for the wind was offshore, and little sea was running. then the earl rose up, lifting his hand and saying, very solemnly: "farewell, thou who art innocent. blame not my blindness, nor think ill of me. for i do my best, leaving you in the hand of god, and not of man!" so he spoke; then the oars swung and fell, and in a few moments his boat was gone into the shoreward shadows and we were alone, and i was glad. now i looked at beorn, and i thought him strangely still, and so watched him. but i soon saw that he was in some sort of fit or swoon, and paid no heed to aught. yet i thought it well to take his dagger from where it lay, lest he should fall on me in some frenzy. i took up the weapon, and straightway i longed to draw it and end his life at once, while all sorts of plans for escape thereafter came into my mind. but i could not slay a helpless man, even this one, though i sat fingering the dagger for a long while. at last the evilness of these thoughts was plain to me; so quickly i cast the dagger overboard, and it was gone. then i thought i would sleep while i might, for there was no sea to fear, and the tide set with the wind away from shore from the river mouth, as i knew well, for it was ebbing. it was weary work to watch the land growing less and less plain under the moon. yet i feared beorn's treachery, and doubted for a while, until the coil of rope that lay at my feet caught my eye as i pondered. with that i made no more ado, but took it and bound him lightly, so that at least he could not rise up unheard by me. nor did he stir or do aught but breathe heavily and slowly as i handled him. when he roused i knew that i could so deal with him that i might unbind him. after that i slept, and slept well, rocked by the gentle rise and fall of the waves, until daylight came again. chapter vii. how wulfric came to jutland. it was beorn who woke me. out of his swoon, or whatever it was that had taken his senses, he woke with a start and shudder that brought me from sleep at once, thinking that the boat had touched ground. but there was no land in sight now, and all around me was the wide circle of the sea, and over against me beorn, my evil companion, glowering at me with a great fear written on his face. now as i woke and saw him, my hand went at once to the dagger at my side, as my first waking thoughts felt troubled by reason of all he had done, though it was but for a moment. thereat he cried out, praying me to have mercy on him, and tried to rise, going near to capsize the boat. indeed, i cannot believe that the man had ever been in a boat before. "lie down," i said, speaking sharply, as to a dog, "or you will drown us both before the time!" he was still enough then, fearing the water more than steel, as it seemed, or seeing that i meant him no harm. then i spoke plainly to him. "i will harm you not. but your life is in my hands in two ways. i can slay you by water or dagger for one thing; or for another, i think i can take this boat to shore at some place where you are not known, and so let you live a little longer. and in any case i have a mind to try to save my own life; thus if you will obey me so that i may tend the boat, yours shall be saved with it, so far as i am concerned. but if you hinder me, die you must in one way or another!" now he saw well enough that his only hope lay in my power to take the boat safely across the water, and so promised humbly to obey me in all things if i would but spare him and get the boat to shore quickly. so i unbound him and coiled the rope at my feet again, bidding him lie down amidships and be still. many a time men have asked me why i slew him not, or cast him not overboard, thus being troubled no more with him. most surely i would have slain him when we fought, in the white heat of anger--and well would it have been if ulfkytel had doomed him to death, as judge. but against this helpless, cringing wretch, whose punishment was even now falling on him, how could i lift hand? it seemed to me, moreover, that i was, as it were, watching to see when the stroke of doom would fall on him, as the earl said it surely must on the guilty. the wind freshened, and the boat began to sing through the water, for it needed little to drive her well. my spirits rose, so that i felt almost glad to be on the sea again, but beorn waxed sick and lay groaning till he was worn out and fell asleep. now the breeze blew from the southwest, warm and damp, as it had held for a long time during this winter, which was open and mild so far. and this was driving us over the same track which lodbrok had taken as he came from his own place. there was no hope of making the english shore again, and so i thought it well to do even as the jarl, and rear up the floorboards in such wise as to use them for a sail to hasten us wherever we might go. so i roused beorn, and showed him how to bestow himself out of my way, and made sail, as one might say. at once the boat seemed to come to life, flying from wave to wave before the wind, and i made haste to ship the long oar, so that i could steer her with it. and when i went aft, there, in the sharp hollow of the stern that i had uncovered, lay two great loaves and a little breaker of water. now i could not tell, and do not know even to this day, what kindly man hid these things for us, but i blessed him for his charity, for now our case was better than lodbrok's in two ways, that we had no raging gale and sea to wrestle against, and the utmost pangs of hunger and thirst we were not to feel. three days and two nights had he been on his voyage. we might be a day longer with this breeze, but the bread, at least, we need not touch till tomorrow. but beorn slept heavily again, and i told him not of this store as yet, for i thought that he would but turn from it just now. which was well, for he could not bear a fast as could i. so the long day wore through, and ever the breeze held, and the boat flew before it. night fell, and the dim moon rose up, and still we went east and north swiftly. the long white wake stretched straight astern of us, and beorn slept deeply, worn out; and the sea ran evenly and not very high, so that at last i dared to lash the oar in its place and sleep in snatches, waking now and then to the lift of a greater wave, or catching the rushing in my ears as some heavier-crested billow rose astern of us. but the boat was swift as the seas, and there was nothing to fear. nor was the cold great at any time, except towards early morning before the first light of dawn. moreover, the boat sailed in better trim with two men in her. gray morning came, and the seas were longer and deeper, for we were far on the wide sea. all day long was it the same, wave after wave, gray sky overhead, and the steady breeze ever bearing us onward. once it rained, and i caught the water in the bailer and drank heartily, giving his fill to beorn, and with it i ate some of my loaf, and he took half of his. then slowly came night, and at last i waxed lonely, for all this while i had kept a hope that i might see the sail of halfden's ship, but there was no glint of canvas between sky and sea, and my hope was gone as the darkness fell. so i sang, to cheer myself, raising my voice in the sea song that i had made and that lodbrok had loved. and when that was done i sang the song of bosham bell, with the ending that the gleeman on colchester hill had made. thereat beorn raised his head and, snarling at me like an angry dog, bade me cease singing of shipwreck. but i heeded him not, and so i sang and he cursed, until at last he wept like an angry child, and i held my peace. i did not dare sleep that night, for the wind freshened, and at times we might see naught but sky above us and the waves ahead and astern of the boat, though to one who knew how to handle his craft there was no danger in them. but from time to time beorn cried out as the boat slid swiftly down the slope of a great wave, hovered, and rose on the next, and i feared that he would leap up in his terror and end all. "bide still or i will bind you," i said at last to him, and he hid his face in his arms, and was quiet again. worn out when day broke was i, and again i ate and gave to beorn, and he would eat all his loaf, though i bade him spare it, for i knew not how long yet we might be before we saw land. and that seemed to change his mood, and he began to scowl at me, though he dared say little, and so sat still in his place, glowering at me evilly. presently came a whale, spouting near us, and that terrified him, so that he cried to me to save him from it, as though i had power on the seas more than had other men. but it soon went away, and he forgot his terror, beginning to blame me for not having gained the shore yet. i could say nothing, for i knew not how far we had run; yet we had come a long way, and i thought that surely we must have sailed as swiftly as lodbrok, for the sea had favoured us rather than given trouble. even now i thought the colour of the water changed a little, and i began to think that we neared some land at last. as the sun set, the wind shifted more to the westward, and i thought a change was coming. it was very dark overhead until the waning moon rose. now, soon after moonrise beorn began to groan, in his sleep as i thought; but presently he rose up, stiffly, from long sitting, and i saw that his eyes were flashing, and his face working strangely in the pale moonlight. i bade him lie down again, but he did not, and then i saw that he was surely out of his mind through the terror of the sea and the long nothingness of the voyage to which he was all unused. then he made for me with a shout, and i saw that i must fight for my life. so i closed with him and dragged him down to the bottom of the boat, and there we two struggled, till i thought that the end was come. the boat plunged and listed, and once was nearly over, but at that new strength came to me, and at last i forced his shoulders under the midship thwart, and held him there so that he could by no means rise. then all his fury went, and he became weak, so that i reached out with one hand for the line and bound him easily, hand and foot. i set him back in his place, and the water washed over his face as he lay, for we had shipped a good deal in the lurches our struggle caused. then he was still, and as on the first night, seemed to sleep, breathing very heavily. so i left him bound, and bailed the water out. then knew i how weak i was. yet i held on, steering from wave to wave as though i could not help it. once, towards morning, there came a booming in my ears, and a faintness, for i was all but done. but the boat dashed into a wave, and the cold spray flew over me and roused me to know the danger, so i took my last crust and ate it, and was refreshed a little. but when the morning broke cold and gray over brown waves, there, against one golden line of sunlight, rose the black steady barrier of a low-lying coast, and round the boat the gulls were screaming their welcome. then came over me a dull fear that i should be lost in sight of land, and a great sorrow and longing for the english shore in place of this, for never had i seen sunrise over land before from the open sea, and hunger and thirst gnawed at me, and i longed for rest from this tossing of sea, and wave--and always waves. then i looked in beorn's evil face, and i thought that he was dead, but that to me seemed to matter not. swiftly rose up the coast from out the sea, and i saw that it was like our east anglian shore, forest covered and dark, but with pine and birch instead of oak and alder. the boat was heading straight through a channel; past sands over which i could see the white line of the tide on either side, and that chance seemed not strange to me, but as part of all that was to be and must be. then the last rollers were safely past, and the boat's keel grated on sand--and i forgot my weakness, and sprang out into the shallow water, dragging her up with the next wave and out of reach of the surges. then i saw that the tide was falling, and that i had naught more to do, for we were safe. with that i gave way at last, and reeled and fell on the sand, for my strength could bear no more, and i deemed that i should surely die. i think that i fell into a great sleep for a while, for i came to myself presently, refreshed, and rose up. the tide had ebbed a long way, and the sun was high above me, so that i must have been an hour or two there upon the sand. i went and looked at beorn. his swoon seemed to have passed into sleep, and i unbound him, and as i did so he murmured as if angry, though he did not wake. then i thought that i would leave him there for some other to find, and try to make my way to house or village where i might get food. i could send men thence to seek him, but i cared not if i never set eyes on him again, hoping, indeed, that i should not do so. so i turned and walked inland through the thin forest for a little way, stumbling often, but growing stronger and less stiff as i went, though i must needs draw my belt tight to stay the pangs of hunger, seeing that one loaf is not overmuch for such a voyage and such stern work as mine had been, body and mind alike unresting. nor had i far to go, for not more than a mile from shore i saw a good hut standing in a little clearing; and it was somewhat like our own cottages, timber-framed, with wattle and clay walls, but with thatch of heather instead of our tall reeds, and when i came near, i saw that the timber was carved with twisted patterns round door and window frames. no dog came out at me, and no one answered when i called, and so at last i lifted the latch and went in. there was no one, but the people could not be far off, for meat and bread and a great pitcher of ale stood on the round log that served for table, as if the meal was set against speedy homecoming, and the fire was banked up with peats, only needing stirring to break into a blaze. rough as it all was, it looked very pleasant to me, and after i had called once or twice i sat down, even as i should have done in our own land, and ate a hearty meal, and drank of the thin ale, and was soon myself again. i had three silver pennies, besides the gold bracelet on my arm that i wore as the king's armour bearer and weapon thane, and was sure of welcome, so when i had done i sat by the fire and waited till someone should come whom i might thank. once i thought of carrying food to beorn, but a great hatred and loathing of the man and his deed came over me, and i would not see him again. and, indeed, it was likely that he would come here also, as i had done, when he woke; so that when at last i heard footsteps i feared lest it should be he. but this comer whistled cheerfully as he came, and the tune was one that i had often heard men sing when i was with halfden. it was the old "biarkamal", the song of biark the viking. now at that i was very glad, for of all things i had most feared lest i should fall on the frisian shores, for if so, i should surely be made a slave, and maybe sold by the lord of the coast to which i came. but danes have no traffic in slaves, holding freedom first of all things. and that is one good thing that the coming of the danish host has taught to us, for many a saxon's riches came from trading in lives of men. then the door was pushed open, for i had left it ajar, and in came a great dog like none we have in england. i thought him a wolf at first, so gray and strong was he, big enough and fierce enough surely to pull down any forest beast, and i liked not the savage look of him. but, though he bristled and growled at first sight of me, when he saw that i sat still as if i had some right to be there, he came and snuffed round me, and before his master came we were good friends enough, if still a little doubtful. but i never knew a dog that would fly at me yet, so that i think they know well enough who are their friends, though by some sign of face or voice that is beyond my knowledge. now came the man, who edged through the door with a great bundle of logs for the fire, which he cast down without looking at me, only saying: "ho, rolf! back again so early? where is the jarl?" now i knew that he was a dane, and so i answered in his own way: "not rolf, but a stranger who has made free with rolf's dinner." whereat the man laughed, setting hands on hips and staring at me. "so it is!" he said; "settle that matter with brother rolf when he comes in, for strangers are scarce here." then he scanned my dress closely, and maybe saw that they were sea stained, though hunting gear is made for hard wear and shows little. "let me eat first," he said, sitting down, "and then we will talk." but after he had taken a few mouthfuls, he asked: "are there any more of you about?" "one more," i said, "but i left him asleep in the boat that brought us here. we are from the sea, having been blown here." "then he may bide till he wakes," the man said, going on with his meal. presently he stopped eating, and after taking a great draught of ale, said that he wondered the dog had not torn me. "whereby i know you to be an honest man. for i cannot read a man's face as some can, and therefore trust to the dog, who is never wrong," and he laughed and went on eating. now that set me thinking of what account i might give of myself, and i thought that i would speak the truth plainly, though there was no reason to say more than that we were blown off the english coast. what beorn would say i knew not; most likely he would lie, but if so, things must work themselves out. i looked at the man in whose house i was, and was pleased with him. red haired and blue eyed he was, with a square, honest face and broad shoulders, and his white teeth shone beneath a red beard that covered half his face. when he had eaten even more than i, he laughed loudly, saying that brother rolf would have to go short this time, and then came and sat by the fire over against me, and waited for me to say my say. so i told him how we had come, and at that he stared at me as our folk stared at lodbrok, and started up, crying that he must go and see this staunch boat that had served me so well. "bide here and rest," he said, "and i will bring your comrade to you," and with that he swung out of the house, taking the dog with him. and at once the thought of leaving the hut and plunging into the forest came into my mind, but i knew not why i should do so, except that i would not see beorn again. however, there was a third man now, and i would see what befell him. now i waited long, and had almost fallen asleep beside the warm fire, when i heard a horn away in the woods, and roused up to listen. twice or thrice it sounded, and then i heard it answered from far off. so i supposed that there was a hunt going on. then i heard no more, and fell asleep in earnest; for i needed rest badly, as one might well suppose. something touched my hand and i awoke. it was the great dog, who came and thrust his nose against me, having made up his mind to be friendly altogether. so when his master came in i was fondling his head, and he looked puzzled. "say what men will," he said, "i know you are an honest man!" "do you hold that any will doubt it?" i asked, wondering what he meant; for he looked strangely at me. "aye; the jarl has found your boat, and has sent me back to keep you fast. know you whose boat you have?" "it belonged to jarl lodbrok, who came ashore in it, as i have come here--and he gave it me." "hammer of thor!" said the man. "is the jarl alive?" "what know you of him?" i asked. "he was our jarl--ours," he answered. "who is the other jarl you speak of?" i asked him, with a hope that halfden had come home, for now i knew that we had indeed followed lodbrok's track exactly. "how should it be other than ingvar lodbroksson? for we have held that lodbrok, his father, is dead this many a long day." "let me go to the jarl," i said, rising up. "i would speak with him," for i would, if possible, tell him the truth, before beorn could frame lies that might work ill to both of us, or perhaps to me most of all. yet i thought that i saw the shadow of judgment falling on the murderer. "bide quiet," said the man; "he will be here soon." and then he said, looking from me to the dog, "now i hold you as a true man, therefore i will tell you this--anger not the jarl when he speaks to you." "thanks, friend!" i answered heartily, "i think i shall not do that. is he like his father?" the man laughed shortly, only saying: "is darkness like daylight?" "then he is not like jarl halfden." now the honest man was going to ask in great wonder how i knew of him, when there came the quick trot of horses to the door, and a stern voice, which had in its tones somewhat familiar to me, called him: "raud, come forth!" my host started up, and saying, "it is jarl ingvar," went to the door, while i too rose and followed him, for i would not seem to avoid meeting the son of lodbrok, my friend. "where is this stranger?" said the jarl's voice; "bring him forth." raud turned to beckon me, but i was close to him, and came out of the hut unbidden. there sat a great man, clad in light chain mail and helmed, with his double-headed axe slung to his saddle bow, but seeming to have come from hunting, for he carried a short, broad-pointed boar spear, and on the wrist of his bridle hand sat a hooded hawk like lodbrok's. his face had in it a look both of his father and of halfden, but it was hard and stern; and whereas they had brown hair, his was jet black as a raven's wing. maybe he was ten years older than halfden. there were five or six other men, seemingly of rank, and on horseback also, behind him, but they wore no armour, and were in hunting gear only, and again there were footmen, leading hounds like the great one that stood by raud and me. and two men there were who led between them beorn, holding him lest he should fall, either from weakness or terror, close to the jarl. so i stood before ingvar the jarl, and wondered how things would go, and what beorn had said, though i had no fear of him. and as the jarl gazed at me i raised my hand, saying in the viking's greeting: "skoal to jarl ingvar!" at that he half raised hand in answer, but checked himself, saying shortly: "who are you, and how come you by my father's boat?" i was about to answer, but at that word it seemed that for the first time beorn learnt into whose hands he had fallen, and he fell on his knees between his two guards, crying for mercy. i think that he was distraught with terror, for his words were thick and broken, and he had forgotten that none but i knew of his ill deed. that made the jarl think that somewhat was amiss, and he bade his men bind us both. "bind them fast, and find my brother hubba," he said, and men rode away into the forest. but i spoke to him boldly. "will you bind a man who bears these tokens, jarl?" and i held out my hand to him, showing him the rings that lodbrok and halfden had given me. "my father's ring--and halfden's!" he said, gripping my hand, as he looked closely at the runes upon them, so tightly that it was pain to me. "by odin's beard, this grows yet stranger! who are you, and whence, and how came you by these things?" "i am wulfric, son of elfric, the thane of reedham, 'the merchant' as men call him. i have been jarl lodbrok's friend, and have fought by the side of halfden, his son, as these tokens may tell you. as for the rest, that is for yourself alone, jarl. for i have no good tidings, as i fear." "who is this man, then, and why cries he thus in terror?" "beorn, falconer to eadmund, king of the east angles," i said. but i would not answer at once to the other question, and ingvar seemed not to notice it. then there was silence while the great jarl sat on his horse very still, and looked hard at me and at beorn; but when the men would have bound us he signed them back, letting beorn go free. whereupon his knees gave way, and he sank down against the house wall, while i leant against it and looked at the mighty dane, somewhat dreading what i had to tell him, but meaning to go through all plainly. now the ring of men closed round us, staring at us, but in silence, save for the ringing of the horns that were blowing in the woods to call hubba from his sport. and jarl ingvar sat still, as if carved in oak, and seemed to ponder, frowning heavily at us, though the look in his eyes went past me as it were. glad was i when a horseman or two rode up and reined in alongside ingvar. i think that the foremost rider was the most goodly warrior to look on that i had ever seen, and one might know well that he was lodbrok's son. "ho, brother!" he cried; "i thought you had harboured the greatest bear in all jutland in raud's hut. and it is naught but two strangers. what is the trouble with them?" "look at yon man's hand," said ingvar. i held out my hand, and hubba looked at the rings, whereupon his face lit up as halfden's had lighted, and he said: "news of our father and brother! that is well; tell us, friend, all that you know." "stay," said ingvar; "i took yon man from the boat we made for our father; he was half dead therein, and his wrists have the marks of cords on them; also when he heard my name he began to cry for mercy, and i like it not." "this friend of our folk will tell us all," said hubba. "aye," said i, "i will tell you, jarls. but i would speak to you alone." "tell me," said ingvar shortly; "came my father to your shores in yon boat alive?" "aye," i answered. "and he died thereafter?" "he died, jarl," i said; and i said it sadly. then said hubba: "almost had i a hope that he yet lived, as you live. but it was a poor hope. we have held him as dead for many a long day." but ingvar looked at beorn fixedly, and the man shrank away from his gaze. "how did he die, is what i would know?" he said sternly. "let the man to whom halfden and lodbrok gave these gifts tell us presently. we have enough ill news for the time. surely we knew that the jarl was dead, and it is ours but to learn how;" said hubba. "how know you that these men slew not both?" "jarl ingvar," i said; "i will tell you all you will, but i would do so in some less hurried way than this. for i have much to tell." "take the men home, brother," said hubba; "then we can talk." "bind the men," said ingvar again. "nay, brother, not the man who wears those rings," said hubba quickly. "maybe, and it is likely, that they are ill come by, and he will make up some lie about them," answered ingvar. "it will be easily seen if he does," answered his brother; "wait till you know." ingvar reined his horse round and rode away without another word. then hubba bade the man raud and his brother, a tall man who had come with the jarl ingvar, take charge of us until word should come from him, and then rode after ingvar with the rest of the folk. "come into the house," said raud to me. "i fear you have ill news enough, though only what we have expected." so we went inside, and i sat in my old place beside the fire. rolf, the brother, helped beorn to rise, and set him on a seat in a corner where he could rest, and then we were all silent. the great dog came and sat by me, so that i stroked him and spoke to him, while he beat his tail on the floor in response. "see you that," said one brother to the other. "aye; vig says true, mostly." "one may trust him," said raud; telling of how vig the dog had made friends with me at first, and he nodded in friendly wise to me, so that i would not seem to hold aloof, and spoke to him. "that is jarl hubba, surely?" "aye, and the best warrior in all denmark," said raud. "we fear ingvar, and we love halfden; but hubba is such a hero as was ragnar himself." and once set on that matter, the two honest men were unwearied in telling tales of the valour and skill of their master, so that i had no room for my own thoughts, which was as well. then came a man, riding swiftly, to say that the jarls had left their hunting, and that we were to be taken to the great house. moreover, that rolf and raud were to be held answerable for our safe keeping. when i heard that i laughed. "i will go willingly," i said, rising up. "what of this man who sits silent here?" asked rolf. "little trouble will be with him," said his brother. and indeed beorn almost needed carrying forth. chapter viii. how we fared with ingvar the dane. we came to the shores of a haven at a river mouth, and there we saw the town clustering round a large hall that rose in the midst of the lesser houses, which were mostly low roofed and clay walled, like that of raud, though some were better, and built of logs set upon stone foundations. the hall stood on higher ground than the rest of the houses, so that from the gate of the heavy timber stockade that went all round it one could see all the windings of the haven channel and the sea that lay some half mile or more away at its mouth. and all the town had a deep ditch and mound round it, as if there was ever fear of foes from shoreward, for these came down to the haven banks, and the only break they had was where a wharf and the ship garth were. there were several ships housed in their long sheds, as i could see. all round the great hall and the buildings that belonged to it was a stockade of pointed logs, so that it stood in a wide courtyard on all four sides, and the great gate of the stockade was opposite the timber porch of the hall itself. there were other doors in the side of the hall, but they were high up, and reached by ladders; and there seemed to be only one more gate in the stockade, leading landward, and both were such as might not easily be broken down, when once they were closed and barred with the square logs that stood beside the entrances ready. and all the windows of the hall were very high up and narrow, and the roof was timbered, not thatched. this was the strongest house that i had ever seen, and i said to raud as i looked at it: "this place is built to stand some fierce fighting. what need have you of such strength?" he laughed, and answered: "why, much need indeed! for when the ships are gone a-viking we are weak in men, so needs must have strong walls to keep out all comers from over seas. and we have an ill neighbour or two, who would fain share in our booty. however, men know in sweden, and finmark, and norway also, that it is ill meddling with jarl ingvar and his brothers." we passed through the stockade gate, and went straight to the porch; all the woodwork of which was carved and gaily painted, and so were eaves and rafter ends and tie beams. two sturdy axemen stood at the doorway, and they spoke freely to the brothers, asking questions of us and of our tale. then roared the voice of jarl ingvar from within, bidding the men cease prating and bring us in, and so we entered. a great fire burnt in the centre of the hall, and the smoke rose up and found its way out under the eaves; and there were skins and heads of wild beasts on the wall, amid which arms and armour hung everywhere, bright in the firelight. yet the hall, though it was carved on wall, and rafter, and doorway, was not so bright as ours at reedham, nor so pleasant. ingvar and hubba sat on one side of the fire, where the smoke was driven away from them, and before them was set a long bench where we should be placed. there hubba bade us sit down, telling the two men to go without and wait. so we were left face to face with those two, and i saw that ingvar's face was dark with doubt, but that hubba seemed less troubled. yet both looked long and sternly at us. "tell us this tale of yours," said ingvar at last; "and lie not." now it seemed to me that it were well to get the worst over at once without beating about beforehand. and now that the jarls knew that lodbrok was dead, the hardest was to tell them how he died, and why i was here thus. "well loved i lodbrok the jarl, and well do i love halfden his son," i said. "have patience with me while i tell all from the first." "go on," said ingvar, knitting his brows. "safely came jarl lodbrok to the english shores," i went on; "steering his boat through the storm as i think no other man might. and my father and i, lying at anchor for tide in our coasting ship, took him from the breakers. some of his craft taught he me, else had i not been here today. so he bided with us until i went to sea, and there i met halfden, and went on a raid with him, coming back from the south saxon shores to wait at our place for his coming to take lodbrok home. but he came not last winter, and so we waited till this spring should bring him. for my ship was lost, and no other came." "what!" said ingvar; "he died not of stress of storm, but lived so long! then he has been slain!" and he half started from his seat in rage. but hubba, though his teeth were set, drew him back. "hear all," he said. i went on without bidding, not seeming to note these things. "the jarl and i hunted together, and the chance of the day parted us, and he was slain; nor can i say by whom. but this man and i, being found with his body, were accused of the deed. and because there was no proof, our great earl, who loves even-handed justice, would have us cast adrift, even as was lodbrok; that the guilty might suffer, and the innocent escape." then ingvar rose up, white and shaking with wrath, and drew out his sword. whereon beorn yelled and fell on the floor, grovelling with uplifted hands and crying for mercy. but the great jarl paid no heed to him, and hove up the sword with both hands over my head, saying in a hoarse voice: "say that you lie--he is not dead--or you slew him!" now i think the long struggle with the sea, or my full trust in the earl's words, or both, had taken away my fear of death, for i spoke without moving, though the great blade seemed about to fall, and the fierce dane's eyes glared on mine. "it were easy for me to have lied; i would that i did lie, for then lodbrok would be living, and i beside him, waiting for halfden my friend even yet." "odin!" shouted ingvar; "you speak truth. woe is me for my father, and woe to the land that has given him a grave thus foully." with that he let his sword fall, and his passion having gone, he sat down and put his face in his hands, and wept tears of grief and rage. and i, as i watched him, was fain to weep also, for my thoughts were akin to his. now hubba had sat very still, watching all this, and he kept his feelings better than did his fierce brother, though i might well see that he was moved as deeply. but now he spurned beorn with his foot, bidding him get up and speak also. but beorn only grovelled the more, and hubba spurned him again, turning to me. "i believe you speak truth," he said quietly, "and you are a brave man. there was no need for you to tell the accusation against yourself; and many are the lies you might have told us about the boat that would have been enough for us. we never thought to hear that our father had outlived the storm." "i speak truth, jarl," i said, sadly enough, "and halfden will come to our haven, seeking us both, and will find neither--only this ill news instead of all we had planned of pleasure." then hubba asked me plainly of beorn, saying: "what of this cur?" "no more than i have told you, jarl," i said. "how came he into the forest?" asked hubba, for he saw that there was more than he knew yet under beorn's utter terror. "let me tell you that story from end to end," i answered. and he nodded, so that i did so, from the time when i left the jarl until ulfkytel sentenced us, giving all the words of the witnesses as nearly as i could. then i said that i would leave them to judge, for i could not. now ingvar, who had sat biting his nails and listening without a word, broke in, questioning me of halfden's ship for long. at last he said: "this man tells truth, and i will not harm him. he shall bide here till halfden comes home, for he tells a plain story, and wears those rings. and he has spoken the ill of himself and little of this craven, who maybe knows more than he will say. i have a mind to find out what he does know," and he looked savagely at beorn, who was sitting up and rocking himself to and fro, with his eyes looking far away. "do what you will with him he will lie," said hubba. "i can make him speak truth," said ingvar grimly. "what shall be done with this wulfric?" asked hubba. "let him go with raud until i have spoken with beorn," answered ingvar, "then we shall be sure if he is friend or not." hubba nodded, and he and i rose up and went out to the porch, where raud and rolf waited with the two guards. we passed them and stood in the courtyard. "i believe you, wulfric," said hubba, "for i know a true man when i see him." "i thank you, jarl," i answered him, taking the hand that he offered me. i looked out over the sea, for the frank kindness moved me, and i would not show it. there was a heavy bank of clouds working up, and the wind came from the north, with a smell of snow in it. then i saw a great hawk flying inland, and wondered to see it come over sea at this time of year. it flew so that it would pass over the house, and as it came it wheeled a little and called; and then it swept down and came straight towards me, so that i held out my hand and it perched on my wrist. and lo! it was lodbrok's gerfalcon; and pleased she was to see me once more, fluttering her wings and glancing at me while i smoothed and spoke to her. but hubba cried out in wonder, and the men and ingvar came out to see what his call meant. then they, too, were amazed, for they knew the bird and her ways well. i had spoken of the falcon once or twice, telling the jarls how she had taken to me, and i think they had doubted it a little. now the bird had got free in some way, and finding neither of her masters, had fled home, even as lodbrok said she would. "now is your story proved to be true," said hubba, smiling gravely at me, but speaking for ingvar's ear. "aye, over true," answered his brother; "serve this man well, raud and rolf, for he has been a close friend of jarl lodbrok." "then should he be in lodbrok's house as a guest," said raud stoutly, and free of speech as danes will ever be. "maybe he shall be so soon," said ingvar. "i will bide with my first hosts," i said, not being willing to speak much of this just now. "that is well said," was hubba's reply, and so we went to have the falcon--who would not leave me--hooded and confined; and then i went with the two men back to their hut, and there they vied with each other in kindness to me until night fell, and i gladly went to rest; for since that night within caistor walls i had had no sleep that was worth considering. so my sleep was a long sleep, and nothing broke it until i woke of myself, and found only the great dog vig in the hut, and breakfast ready set out for me, while outside the ground was white with snow. i was glad to find that no watch was kept on me, for it seemed as if hubba's words were indeed true, and that the jarls believed my story. and my dagger was left me also, hanging still on the wall at my head where i had slept. then i thought that the great dog was maybe bidden to guard me, but he paid no heed when i went outside the hut to try if it were so. ere an hour had passed raud came back, and he had news for me. "now, friend wulfric, i am to part with my guest, and not in the way that was yesterday's. the jarls bid me say that wulfric of reedham, lodbrok's preserver, is a welcome guest in their hall, and they would see him there at once." "nevertheless," i answered, "raud the forester was the first to shelter me, and i do not forget." whereat raud was pleased, and together we went to the great house, and entered, unchallenged. hubba came forward and held out his strong hand to me frankly, smiling a little, but gravely, and i took it. "beorn has told the truth," he said; "forgive me for doubt of you at any time." "aye, let that be forgotten," said ingvar, coming from beyond the great fire, and i answered that i thought it not strange that they had doubted me. "now, therefore," said hubba, "you yourself shall question beorn, for there are things you want to know from him. and he will answer you truly enough." "after that you shall slay him, if you will," said ingvar, in his stern voice, "i wonder you did not do so in the boat. better for him if you had." "i wonder not," said hubba. "the man is fit for naught; i could not lay hand on such a cur." i had no answer to make after that, for the warrior spoke my own thoughts, and i held my peace as they took me to the further side of the hearth, past the fire, beyond which i had not yet been able to see. then i knew how beorn had been made to speak the truth. they had tortured him, and there was no strength left in him at all, so that i almost started back from the cruel marks that he bore. yet i had things to hear from him, now that he had no need to speak falsely, and i went to his side. the two jarls stood and looked at him unmoved. "the justice of ulfkytel is on you, beorn," i said slowly; "there is no need to hide aught. tell me how you slew lodbrok, and why." then came a voice, so hollow that i should not have known it for the lusty falconer's of past days: "aye; justice is on me, and i am glad. i will tell you, but first say that you forgive me." then i could not but tell this poor creature that for all the harm he had done me i would surely forgive him; but that the deed of murder was not for me to forgive. "pray, therefore, that for it i may be forgiven hereafter," he said, and that i promised him. then he spoke faintly, so that hubba bade raud give him strong drink, and that brought his strength back a little. "i took your arrows at thetford, and i followed you to reedham. there i dogged you, day by day, in the woods--five days i went through the woods as you hunted, and then you twain were far apart, and my chance had come. lodbrok reined up to listen, and i marked where he would pass when he went back, hearing your horn. then i shot, and the arrow went true; but i drew sword, being mad, and made more sure. that is all. surely i thought i should escape, for i told no man what i would do, and all men thought me far away, with the king." then he stopped, and recovered his strength before he could go on. "i hated lodbrok because he had taken my place beside the king, and because his woodcraft was greater than mine, though i was first in that in all our land. and i feared that he would take the land the king offered him, for i longed for it." then beorn closed his eyes, and i was turning away, for i need ask no more; but again he spoke: "blind was yon dotard ulfkytel not to see all this; would that you had slain me in the woods at first--or that he had hanged me at caistor--or that i had been drowned. but justice is done, and my life is ended." those were the last words that i heard beorn, the falconer, speak, for i left him, and raud gave him to drink again. "have you no more to ask?" said ingvar gloomily, and frowning on beorn, as he lay helpless beyond the hearth. "nothing, jarl." "what was the last word he said. i heard not." "he said that justice was done," i answered. "when i have done with him, it shall be so," growled ingvar, and his hand clutched his sword hilt, so that i thought to see him slay the man on the spot. "has he told you all?" i asked of hubba. "all, and more than you have told of yourself," he answered; "for he told us that it was your hand saved my father, and for that we thank you. but one thing more he said at first, and that was that eadmund the king set him on to slay the jarl." on that i cried out that the good king loved lodbrok too well, and in any case would suffer no such cowardly dealings. "so ran his after words; but that was his first story, nevertheless." "then he lied, for you have just now heard him say that his own evil thoughts bade him do the deed." "aye--maybe he lied at first; but we shall see," said ingvar. now i understood not that saying, but if a man lies once, who shall know where the lie's doings will stop? what came from this lie i must tell, but now it seemed to have passed for naught. "now shall you slay the man in what way you will, as i have said. there are weapons," and ingvar pointed to the store on the walls. "i will not touch him," i said, "and i think that he dies." "then shall you see the vengeance of ingvar on his father's murderer," the jarl said savagely. "call the men together into the courtyard, raud, and let them bring the man there." "let him die, jarl," i said boldly; "he has suffered already." "i think that if you knew, wulfric of reedham, how near you have been to this yourself, through his doings, you would not hold your hand," answered ingvar, scowling at beorn again. "maybe, jarl," i answered, "but though you may make a liar speak truth thus, you cannot make an honest man say more than he has to speak." "one cannot well mistake an honest saying," said ingvar. "and that is well for you, friend." and so he turned and watched his courtmen, as the danes called the housecarles, carry beorn out. then he went to the walls and began to handle axe after axe, taking down one by one, setting some on the great table, and putting others back, as if taking delight in choosing one fittest for some purpose. even as we watched him--hubba sitting on the table's edge, and i standing by him--a leathern curtain that went across a door at the upper end of the hall was pulled aside, and a lady came into the place. stately and tall, with wondrous black hair, was this maiden, and i knew that this must be that osritha of whom the jarl was wont to speak to eadgyth and my mother, and who wrought the raven banner that hung above the high place where she stood now. she was like halfden and hubba, though with ingvar's hair, and if those three were handsome men among a thousand, this sister of theirs was more than worthy of them. she stood in the door, doubting, when she saw me. sad she looked, and she wore no gold on arm or neck, doubtless because of the certainty of the great jarl's death; and when she saw that hubba beckoned to her, she came towards us, and ingvar set down the great axe whose edge he was feeling. "go back to your bower, sister," he said; "we have work on hand." and he spoke sternly, but not harshly, to her. she shrank away a little, as if frightened at the jarl's dark face and stern words, but hubba called her by name. "stay, osritha; here is that friend of our father's from over seas, of whom you have heard." then she looked pityingly at me, as i thought, saying very kindly: "you are welcome. yet i fear you have suffered for your friendship to my father." "i have suffered for not being near to help him, lady," i said. "there is a thing that you know not yet," said hubba. "this wulfric was the man who took father from the breakers." then the maiden smiled at me, though her eyes were full of tears, and she asked me: "how will they bury him in your land? in honour?" "i have a brother-in-law who will see to that," i said. "and, moreover, eadmund the king, and elfric, my father, will do him all honour." "i will see to that," growled ingvar, turning sharply from where he sought another weapon on the wall. not knowing all he meant, this pleased me, for i thought that we should sail together to reedham for this, before very long. but osritha, knowing his ways, looked long at him, till he turned away again, and would not meet her eyes. "now go back to your place, my sister," he said. "it is not well for you to bide here just now." "why not? let our friend tell me of father also," she said wilfully. "because i am going to do justice on lodbrok's slayer," said ingvar, in a great voice, swinging an axe again. then the maiden turned pale, and wrung her hands, looking at ingvar, who would not meet her eyes; and then she went and laid her hands on his mighty arm, crying: "not that, my brother; not that!" "why not?" he asked; but he did not shake off her little hands. "because father would not have men so treated, however ill they had done." "aye, brother; the girl is right," said hubba. "let him die; for you gave him to wulfric, and that is his word." "well then," said ingvar, setting back the axe at last, "i will not carve him into the eagle i meant to make of him. but slay him i must and will, if the life is yet in him." "let odin have him," said hubba; and i knew that he meant that the man should be hanged, for so, as halfden's vikings told me, should he be odin's thrall, unhonoured. then the maiden fled from the hall, glad to have gained even that for the man, instead of the terrible death that the danes keep for traitors and cowards. now ingvar put back the axes he had kept, saying that the girl ever stood in his way when he would punish as a man deserved. after that he stood for a while as if in thought, and broke out at length: "we will see if this man can sing a death song as did ragnar our forefather." and with that he waited no more, but strode out into the courtyard, we following. and i feared what i should see; until i looked on beorn, and though he was yet alive, i saw that he was past feeling aught. they bore him out of the village to a place just inside the trenched enclosure, and there were old stone walls, such as were none elsewhere in the place, but as it might have been part of burgh or brancaster walls that the romans made on our shores, so ancient that they were crumbling to decay. there they set him down, and raised a great flat stone, close to the greatest wall, which covered the mouth of a deep pit. "look therein," said ingvar to me. i looked, and saw that the pit was stone walled and deep, and that out of it was no way but this hole above. the walls and floor were damp and slimy; and when i looked closer, the dim light showed me bones in one corner, and also that over the floor crawled reptiles, countless. "an adder is a small thing to sting a man," said ingvar in his grim voice. "nor will it always hurt him much. yet if a man is so close among many that he must needs tread on one, and it bites him, and in fleeing that he must set foot on another, and again another, and then more--how will that end?" i shuddered and turned away. "in such a place did ella of northumbria put my forebear, ragnar lodbrok; and there he sang the song {xiii} we hold most wondrous of all. there he was set because he was feared, and northumbria knows what i thought of that matter. but beorn goes here for reasons which you know. and east anglia shall know what my thoughts are of those reasons." then two men seized beorn and cast him into that foul pit, stripped of all things, and the stone fell. but beorn moved not nor cried out, and i think that even as ulfkytel had boded, stripped of life itself was he before the bottom of the pit was reached. so the justice of ulfkytel the earl came to pass. but the lies spoken by beorn were not yet paid for. chapter ix. jarl halfden's homecoming. from the time when beorn was made to speak the truth, i was a welcome guest in the hall that had been lodbrok's, to hubba at least, and we were good friends. as for ingvar, he was friendly enough also, and would listen when i spoke with his more frank and open brother of my days with halfden and his father. but he took little pleasure in my company, going silent and moody about the place, for the snow that began on the day after i landed was the first of a great storm, fiercer and colder than any we knew in england, and beyond the courtyard of the great house men could scarcely stir for a time. this storm i had but just escaped, and it seemed to me, and still seems, that the terror and pain thereof was held back while i was on the sea, for those nights and days had had no winter sting in them. hubba and i would wrestle and practise arms in the hall or courtyard during that time, and he was even beyond his father, my teacher, in the matter of weapon play; so that it is no wonder that now, as all men know, he is held the most famous warrior of his time. these sports ingvar watched, and took part in now and then when his mood was lighter, but it was seldom. yet he was skilful, though not as his brother. then at night was the fire of pine logs high heaped, and we feasted while the scalds, as they call their gleemen, sang the deeds of the heroes of old. and some of those of whom they sang were men of the angles of the old country; and one was my own forefather, and for that i gave the scald my gold bracelet, and thereafter he sang lustily in my praise as lodbrok's rescuer. very pleasant it was in ingvar's hall while the wind howled over the roof, and the roar of the sea was always in our ears. and these danes drank less than our people, if they ate more largely. but ingvar would sit and take pleasure in none of the sport, being ever silent and thoughtful. but to me, best of all were the times when i might see and speak with osritha, and soon the days seemed heavy to me if by chance i had no word with her. and she was always glad to speak of her father and halfden; for she was the youngest of all lodbrok's children, and halfden, her brother, was but a year older than herself, so that she loved him best of all, and longed to see him home again. so longed i, grieving for the news he must hear when he came to reedham, but yet thinking that he would be glad to find me at least living and waiting for him. now, as the snow grew deeper and the cold strengthened, the wolves began to come at night into the village, and at last grew very daring. so one night a man ran in to say that a pack was round a cottage where a child would not cease crying, and must be driven off, or they would surely tear the clay walls down. then hubba and i would go; but ingvar laughed at us, saying that a few firebrands would settle the matter by fraying the beasts away. however, the man was urgent, and we went out with raud and his brother, and some twenty men, armed with spears and axes. the night was very dark, and the snow whirled every way, and the end of it was that raud and i and two more men, with the dog vig, lost the rest, and before we found them we had the pack on us, and we must fight for our lives. and that fight was a hard fight, for there must have been a score of gaunt wolves, half starved and ravenous. and i think we should have fared badly, for at last i was standing over raud, who was down, dragged to the earth by two wolves, of which the dog slew one and i the other, while the other two men were back to back with me, and the wolves bayed all round us. but hubba and his party heard our shouts in time and came up, and so ended the matter. now raud must have it that i had saved his life, though i thought the good dog had a share in it, and both he and the dog were a little hurt. however, my shoulder was badly torn by a wolf that leapt at me while my spear was cumbered with another, and i for my part never wished it had not been so. for osritha, who was very skilful in leech craft, tended my hurt; and i saw much of her, for the hurts were a long time before they healed, as wolf bites are apt to be, and we grew very friendly. so that, day by day, i began to long to see the maiden who cared for my wound so gently, before the time came. now raud must needs make me a spear from a tough ashen sapling that he had treasured for a long time, because that which i had used in the wolf hunt was sprung by the weight of one of the beasts, and while his hurts kept him away at his own house he wrought it, and at last brought it up to the hall to give to me. when i looked at it--and it was a very good one, and had carved work where the hand grips the shaft, and a carved end--i saw that the head was one of jarl ingvar's best spearheads, and asked raud where he got it. "why," he said, "a good ash shaft deserves a good head, and so i asked the jarl for one. and when he knew for whom it was, he gave me this, saying it was the best he had." now i was pleased with this gift, both because i liked the man raud, who was both brave and simple minded, and because it showed that the surly jarl had some liking for me. yet i would that he showed this openly, and telling osritha of the gift, i dared say so. then she sighed and rose up, saying that she would show me another spear on the further wall, so taking me out of hearing of her maidens, who sat by the fire busied over their spinning and the like. there she spoke to me of jarl ingvar. "moody and silent beyond his wont has he been since we have heard all about our father's death, and i fear that he plans some terrible revenge for it, even as he took revenge on the northumbrian coasts for the long-ago slaying of ragnar." then i remembered the story of the burnt town, streoneshalch, and knew what ingvar's revenge was like. but as yet i could not think that he would avenge beorn's deed further than i had seen already. "but he has no enmity with you, our friend," she went on; "though he speaks little to you, he listens as you talk to us. but there has grown up in his heart a hatred of all men in your land, save of yourself alone. and once he said that he would that you were a dane, and his comrade as you had been halfden's." then i told osritha of how halfden had let me go from him rather than have me fight against my own land. i had said nothing of this to the jarls, for there was no reason. and this was the first time that i had had private speech with osritha. "that is halfden's way," she said, "he is ever generous." "i would that he were back," i answered, and so we ceased speaking. yet after this, many were the chances i found of the like talk alone with osritha before the weather broke, and we could once more get into the woods, hunting, and the men began to work in the ship garths on a great ship that was being built. now we had good hunting in the forests, and on the borders of the great mosses of ingvar's lands. but there were many more folk in this land than in ours, and i thought that they were ill off in many ways. in those days of hunting, ingvar, seeing me ride with the carven spear that was partly his gift, and with lodbrok's hawk on my wrist, would speak more often with me, though now and again some chance word of mine spoken in the way of my own folk would seem to turn him gloomy and sullen, so that he would spur his horse and leave me. but hubba was ever the same, and i liked him well, though i could not have made a friend of him as of halfden. in march messengers began to come and go, and though i asked nothing and was told nothing, i knew well that ingvar was gathering a mighty host to him that he might sail in the may time across the seas for plunder--or for revenge. the hammers went all day long in the ship garths, where the air was full of the wholesome scent of tar; and in their houses the women spun busily, making rope and weaving canvas that should carry the jarl's men "over the swan's bath;" while in the hall the courtmen sat after dark and feathered arrows and twined bowstrings, and mended mail. and now and then some chief would ride into the town, feasting that night, and riding away in the morning after long talk with the jarls. and some, bagsac and guthrum, sidrac and his son, and a tall man named osbern, came very often as the days lengthened. i would ask nothing of this matter, even of osritha, having my own thoughts thereon, and not being willing to press her on things she might have been bidden to keep from me. she would ask me of my mother and eadgyth, as they would ask the jarl of her, and i told her all i could, though that was not much, for a man hardly notes things as a woman will. then she would laugh at me; until one day i said that i would she could come over to reedham and see for herself. at that i thought that i had offended her, for her face grew red, and she left me. nor could i find a chance of speaking to her again for many days, which was strange to me, and grieved me sorely. now the southwest wind shifted at last to the west and north, and that shift brought home him whom i most wished to see, my comrade, halfden. and it chanced that i was the first to see his sail from the higher land along the coast, south of the haven, where i was riding with my falcon and the great dog vig, which raud and his brother would have me take for my own after the wolf hunt. gladly i rode hack with my news to find ingvar in the ship garth, and there i told him who came. "a ship, maybe. how know you she is halfden's?" he said carelessly. "why, how does any sailor know his own ship?" i asked in surprise. then he turned at once, and smiled at me fairly for the first time. "i had forgotten," he said. "come, let us look at her again." and i was not mistaken, though the jarl was not so sure as i for half an hour or more. when he was certain, he said: "come, let us make what welcome for halfden that we may." and we went back to the hall, and at once was the great horn blown to assemble the men; and the news went round quickly, so that everywhere men and women alike put aside their work, and hurried down to the wharf side. and in ingvar's house the thralls wrought to prepare a great feast in honour of jarl halfden's homecoming. soon i stood with the jarls and osritha at the landing place, and behind us were the courtmen in their best array. and as we came to the place where we would wait, halfden's ship came past the bar into the haven's mouth. all men's faces were bright with the thought of welcome, but heavy were my thoughts, and with reason. for halfden's ship came from the sea on no course that should have borne him from reedham, and i feared that it was i who must tell him all. yet he might have been drawn from his course by some passing vessel. the long ship flew up the channel, and now we could see that all her rail was hung with the red and yellow shields that they use for show as well as to make the gunwale higher against the arrows, and to hinder boarders in a fight. and she was gaily decked with flags, and shone with new paint and gilding in all sea bravery. not idle had her crew been in the place where they had wintered, and one might know that they had had a good voyage, which to a dane means plunder enough for all. but surely if halfden had been to reedham, the long pennon had been half masted. it were long to tell how the people cheered, and how they were answered from the ship, and how i spied halfden on the fore deck, and thormod at the helm, as ever. and when osritha saw halfden's gay arms and cloak and all the bright trim of the ship and men, she said to me, speaking low and quickly: "they have not been to reedham, or it would not have been thus." and it was true, for there would have been no sign of joy among those who had heard the news that waited them there. i knew not how to bear this meeting, but i was not alone in my trouble, for nearer me crept osritha, saying to me alone, while the people cheered and shouted: "how shall we tell halfden?" the two jarls were busy at the mooring place, and i could only answer her that i could look to her alone for help. now at that i knew what had sprung up in my heart for osritha, and that not in this only should i look for help from her and find it, but if it might be, all my life through. for now in my trouble she looked at me with a new look, answering: "i will help you, whatever betide." i might say no more then, nor were words needed, for i knew all that she meant. and so my heart was lightened, for now i held that i was repaid for all that had gone before, and save for that which had brought me here, gladly would i take my perilous voyage over again to find this land and the treasure it now held for me. at last the ship's keel grated on the sand, and the men sprang from shore waist deep in water, to take her the mighty cables that should haul her into her berth; and then the long gangplank was run out, and halfden came striding along it, looking bright and handsome--and halfway over, he stopped where none could throng him, and lifting his hand for silence cried for all to hear. "hearken all to good news! lodbrok our jarl lives!" then, alas! instead of the great cheer that should have broken from the lips of all that throng, was at first a silence, and then a groan--low and pitiful as of a mourning people who wail for the dead and the sorrowful living--and at that sound halfden paled, and stayed no more, hurrying ashore and to where his brothers stood. "what is this?" he said, and his voice was low, and yet clear in the silence that had fallen, for all his men behind him had stopped as if turned to stone where they stood. then from my side sprang osritha before any could answer, meeting him first of all, and she threw her arms round his neck, saying: "dead is lodbrok our father, and nigh to death for his sake has been wulfric, your friend. yet he at least is well, and here to speak with you and tell you all." then for the great and terrible sorrow that came at the end of the joyous homeward sailing, down on the hard sand halfden the jarl threw himself, and there lay weeping as these wild danes can weep, for their sorrow is as terrible as their rage, and they will put no bounds to the way of grief of which there is no need for shame. nor have they the hope that bids us sorrow not as they. and while he lay there, all men held their peace, looking in one another's faces, and only the jarls and osritha and myself stood near him. very suddenly he raised himself up, and was once more calm; then he kissed the maiden, and grasped his brothers' hands, and then held out both hands to me, holding mine and looking in my face. "other was the meeting i had planned for you and me, wulfric, my brother-in-arms. yet you are most welcome, for you at least are here to tell me of the days that are past." "it is an ill telling," said ingvar. "that must needs be, seeing what is to be told," hubba said quickly. but those wise words of osritha's had made things easier for me, for now halfden knew that into the story of the jarl's death, i and my doings must come, so ingvar's words meant little to him. "you went not to reedham?" i said, for now the men were at work again, and all was noise and bustle round us. "i have come here first by orkneys from waterford, where we wintered," he answered. "and i have been over sure that no mishap might be in a long six months." "what of the voyage?--let us speak of this hereafter," said hubba. and halfden, wearily, as one who had lost all interest in his own doings, told him that it had been good, and that thormod would give him the full tale of plunder. then came a chief from the ship whose face i knew, though he was not of our crew. it was that rorik whose ship the bosham bell had sunk, and who had been saved by halfden's boats. he knew me, after scanning me idly for a moment, and greeted me, asking why i was not at reedham to make that feast of which halfden was ever speaking, and so passed on. so we went up to the great hall in silence, sorely cast down; and that was halfden's homecoming. little joy was there on the high place at the feast that night, though at the lower tables the men of our crew (for so i must ever think of those whose leader i had been for a little while, with halfden) held high revelling with their comrades. many were the tales they told, and when a tale of fight and victory was done, the scald would sing it in verse that should be kept and sung by the winter fire till new deeds brought new songs to take its place. presently halfden rose up, after the welcome cup had gone round and feasting was done, and the ale and mead began to flow, and he beckoned me to come with him. hubba would have come also, but ingvar held him back. "let wulfric have his say first," he growled; and i thanked him in my mind for his thought. so we went to the inner chamber, where osritha would sit with her maidens, and halfden said: "this matter is filling all my thoughts so that i am but a gloomy comrade at the board. tell me all, and then what is done is done. one may not fight against the norn maidens {xiv}." there i told him all my story, and he remembered how i had told him, laughing, of beorn's jealousy at first. and when my tale was nearly done osritha crept from her bower and came and sat beside halfden, pushing her hand into his, and resting her head on his shoulder. then i ended quickly, saying that ingvar had done justice on beorn. and at that remembrance the maiden shivered, and halfden's face showed that he knew what the man's fate was like to have been at the great jarl's hands. "so, brother," he said, when i left off speaking, "had i gone to reedham there would have been burnt houses in east anglia." "in reedham?" said i. "wherever this beorn had a house; and at caistor where that old fool ulfkytel lives, and maybe at one or two other places on the way thither. and i think your father and egfrid your brother would have helped me, or i them." so he doubted me not at all, any more than i should have doubted his tale, were he in my place and i in his. then i said that i myself had no grudge against earl ulfkytel, for he had sent me here. "why then, no more have i," answered halfden; "for he is a wiseacre and an honest one, and maybe meant kindly. ingvar would have slain both guilty and innocent, and told them to take their wrangle elsewhere, to hela or asgard as the way might lead them." now as he said that, i, who looked ever on the face of her whom i loved, saw that a new fear had come into osritha's heart, and that she feared somewhat for me. nor could i tell what it was. but halfden and i went on talking, and at last she could not forbear a little sob, and at that halfden asked what ailed her. "may i speak to you, my brother, very plainly, of one thing that i dread?" she asked, drawing closer to him. "aye, surely," he answered in surprise. "remember you the words that ingvar said to the priest of the white christ who came from ansgar at hedeby {xv}, while our father was away in the ships?" "why, they were like words. he bade him go and settle the matter with odin whom he would not reverence, and so slew him." "aye, brother. and he said that so he would do to any man who would not honour the gods." "why do you remember that, osritha?" "because--because there will be the great sacrifice tomorrow, and wulfric, your friend, is not of our faith." then halfden was silent, looking across at me, and all at once i knew that here was a danger greater than any i had yet been through. fire i had passed through, and water, and now it was like to be trial by steel. and the first had tried my courage, and the next my endurance, as i thought; but this would try both, and my faith as well. "that is naught," said halfden, lightly. "it is but the signing of thor's hammer, and i have seen wulfric do that many a time, only not quite in our way, thus;" and he signed our holy sign all unknowing, or caring not. "and to eat of the horse that is sacrificed--why, you and i, wulfric, did eat horse on the frankish shores; and you thought it good, being nigh starved--you remember?" i remembered, but that was different; for that we did because the shores were so well watched that we ran short of food, and had to take what we could under cover of night at one time. but this of which osritha spoke was that which holy writ will by no means suffer us to do--to eat of a sacrifice to idols knowingly, for that would be to take part therein. nor might i pretend that the holy sign was as the signing of thor's hammer. "halfden," i said, having full trust in him, "i may not do this. i may not honour the old gods, for so should i dishonour the white christ whom i serve." "this is more than i can trouble about in my mind," said halfden; "but if it troubles you, i will help you somehow, brother wulfric. but you must needs come to the sacrifice." "cannot i go hunting?" "why, no; all men must be present. and to be away would but make things worse, for there would be question." then i strengthened myself, and said that i must even go through with the matter, and so would have no more talk about it. but osritha kept on looking sadly at me, and i knew that she was in fear for me. now presently we began to talk of my home and how they would mourn me as surely lost. and i said that this mourning would be likely to hinder my sister's wedding for a while. and then, to make a little more cheerful thought, i told halfden what his father had said about his wishing that he had been earlier with us. "why, so do i," said my comrade, laughing a little; "for many reasons," he added more sadly, thinking how that all things would have been different had he sailed back at once. then he must needs go back to the question of the sacrifice. "now i would that you would turn good dane and thor's man, and bide here with us; and then maybe--" but osritha rose up quickly and said that she must begone, and so bade us goodnight and went her way into the upper story of that end of the great hall where her own place was. whereat halfden laughed quietly, looking at me, and when she was quite gone, and the heavy deerskins fell over the doorway, said, still smiling: "how is this? it is in my mind that my father's wish might easily come to pass in another way not very unlike." that was plain speaking, nor would i hesitate to meet the kindly look and smile, but said that indeed i had come to long that it might be so. but i said that the jarl, his father, had himself shown me that no man should leave his old faith but for better reasons than those of gain, however longed for. for that is what he had answered eadmund the king when the land was offered him, and he was asked to become a christian. "yet if such a thing might be," said halfden, "gladly would i hail you as brother in very truth." so we sat without speaking for a while, and then halfden said that were i to stand among the crowd of men on the morrow there would surely be no notice taken of me. yet as i lay on my wolf skins at the head of the great hall, and prayed silently--as was my wont among these heathen--i asked for that same help that had been given to men of old time who were in the same sore strait as i must very likely be in tomorrow. then came to me the thought: "what matters if outwardly i reverence thor and odin while i inwardly deny them?" and that excuse had nigh got the better of me. but i minded what our king had told me many a time: how that in the first christening of our people it had ever been held to be a denying of our faith to taste the heathen sacrifices, or to bow the head in honour, even but outward, of the idols, so that many had died rather than do so. and he had praised those who thus gave up their life. then, too, i remembered the words of the prior of bosham concerning martyrs. and we had been led to speak of them by this very question as to sacrifice to the danish gods. so i made up my mind that if i might escape notice, i would do so--and if not, then would i bear the worst. so i fell asleep at last. and what it may have been i know not--unless the wind as it eddied through the high windows clashed some weapon against shield on the walls with a clear ringing sound--but i woke with the voice of bosham bell in my ears--and rorik and halfden each in his place started also, and rorik muttered a curse before he lay down again, for he sat up, looking wildly. but greatly cheered with that token was i, for i knew that help was not far from me, and after that i had no more fear, but slept peacefully, though i thought it was like to be my last night on earth. chapter x. what befell at the great sacrifice. very early in the gray morning halfden woke me, and he was fully armed, while at the lower end of the hall the courtmen were rising and arming themselves also, for vikings must greet odin as warriors ready to do battle for him when ragnaroek {xvi} and the last great fight shall come. "rise and arm yourself," he said; "here are the arms in which you fought well in your first fight, and axe and sword beside. now you shall stand with our crew, and so none of them will heed you, for they love you, and know your ways are not as ours. so will all be well." then i thanked him, for i surely thought it would be so; and i armed myself, and that man who had been my own shield man when i led the midship gang helped me. one thing only i wished, and that was that i had the axe which lodbrok made for me, for then, i told the man, i should feel as a viking again, and that pleased him. "however," he said, "i think i have found an axe that is as near like your own as may be." and he had done so, having had that kindly thought for me. then we went out, for the horns were blowing outside the town in the ash grove where the ve, as they call the temple of odin and thor and the other gods, was. and overhead, high and unseen in the air, croaked the ravens, odin's birds, scared from their resting places by the tramp of men, yet knowing that their share in the feast was to come. i shivered, but the sound of the war horns, and the weight and clank of the well-known arms, stirred my blood at last, and when we fell in for our short march, halfden and thormod, rorik and myself leading our crew, i was ready for all that might come, if need for a brave heart should be. silently we filed through the bare trunks of the ashes, the trees of thor, where many a twisted branch and dead trunk showed that the lightning had been at work, until we came to the place of the ve in its clearing. there stood the sanctuary, a little hut--hardly more--built of ash-tree logs set endwise on a stone footing, and roofed with logs of ash, and closed with heavy doors made of iron-bolted ash timber also. this temple stood under the mightiest ash tree of all, and there was a clear circle of grass, tree bordered, for a hundred yards all round it, and all that circle was lined with men, armed and silent. before the temple was a fire-reddened stone, the altar. and on it were graven runes, and symbols so strange that neither i nor any man could read them, so old were they, for some men said that stone and runes alike were older than the worship of odin himself, having been an altar to gods that were before him. and a pile of wood was ready on the altar. beside it stood ingvar, clad in golden shining scale armour, and with a gilded horned helm and scarlet cloak that hung from shoulders to heel; for as his forefathers had been before him, beyond the time when the danes and angles came from their far eastern home {xvii}, led by odin himself, he was the "godar", the priest of the great gods of asgard, and his it was to offer the sacrifice now that lodbrok his father was dead. now, as i stood there i thought how my father had told me that our own family had been the godars of our race in the old days, so that he and i in turn should have taken our place at such an offering as ingvar was about to make. and straightway i seemed to be back in the long dead past, when on these same shores my forbears had worshipped thus before seeking the new lands that they won beyond the seas. and that was a strange thought, yet now i should know from what our faith had brought us. in a little while all ingvar's following had come, and there were many chiefs whose faces i had seen of late as they came to plan the great raid that was to be when the season came. and the men with them were very many, far more than we could have gathered to a levy on so short notice; and all were well armed, and stood in good order as trained and hardened warriors. no longer could i wonder at all i had heard of the numbers of the danish hosts who came to our shores, and were even now in northumbria, unchecked. there was silence in all the great ring of men; and only the rustle of the wind in the thick-standing ash trees around us--that seemed to hem us in like a gray wall round the clearing--and the quick croak and flap of broad wings as the ravens wheeled ever nearer overhead, broke the stillness. we of the crew for whose good voyage and safe return the offering was made stood foremost, facing the altar stone and the sanctuary door, and i, with halfden and thormod before me, and men of the crew to right and left, stood in the centre of our line, so that i could see all that went on. then, seeing that all was ready, ingvar swung back the heavy door of the shrine, and i saw before me a great image of thor the mighty, glaring with sightless eyes across the space at me. it was carved in wood, and the god stood holding in one hand mioelner, his great hammer, and in the other the head of the midgaard serpent, whose tailed curled round his legs, as though it were vainly trying to struggle free. then ingvar turned and lighted the altar fire, and the smoke rose straight up and hung in the heavy morning air in a cloud over the ve; and that seemed to be of good omen, for the men shouted joyfully once, and were again silent. from behind the sanctuary two armed men led the horse for the sacrifice that should be feasted on thereafter; and it was a splendid colt, black and faultless, so that to me it seemed a grievous thing that its life should thus be spilt for naught. yet i was the only one there who deemed it wasted. then ingvar chanted words to which i would not listen, lest my heart should seem to echo them, so taking part in the heathen prayer. over the horse he signed thor's hammer, and slew it with thor's weapon, and the two men flayed and divided it skilfully, laying certain portions before the jarl, the godar. he sprinkled the blood upon doorway and statue, and then again chanting, laid those portions upon the altar fire, and the black smoke rose up from them, while all the host watched for what omens might follow. the smoke rose, wavered, and went up, and then some breath of wind took it and drifted it gently into the open temple, winding it round the head of thor's image and filling all the little building. and at that the men shouted again. then ingvar turned slowly towards the shrine, and drawing his sword, lifted up the broad shining blade as if in salute, crying as he turned the point north and east and south and west: "skoal, ye mighty ones!" and at once, as one man all the host, save myself only, lifted their weapons in salute, crying in a voice that rolled back from the trees like an answering war shout: "skoal to the mighty ones!" but as for me, i stirred not, save that as by nature, and because i fixed my thoughts on the one sacrifice of our own faith, i signed myself with the sign of the cross, only knowing this, that thor and odin i would not worship. suddenly, even as the echo of the shout died away, and while the weapons were yet upraised, the thick cloud of smoke rolled back and down, wrapping round ingvar the godar as he stood between shrine and altar, and across the reek glared the sightless eyes of the idol again, cold and heedless. now of all omens that was the worst, for it must needs betoken that the sacrifice was not pleasing; and at that a low groan as of fear went round the host. then back started ingvar, and i saw his face through the smoke, looking white as ashes. for a long time, as it seemed to me, there was silence, until the smoke rose up straight again and was lost in the treetops. even the ravens, scared maybe by the great shout, were gone, and all was very still. at last ingvar turned slowly to us and faced our crew. "the sacrifice is yours," he said, "and if it is not accepted the fault is yours also. we are clear of blame who have bided at home." then halfden answered for his men and himself: "i know not what blame is to us." but from close behind me rorik lifted his voice: "no blame to the crew--but here is one, a stranger, who does no honour to the gods, neither lifting sword or hailing them as is right, even before thor's image." then i knew that the worst was come, and prepared to meet it. but halfden spoke. "all men's customs are not alike, and a stranger has his own ways." but ingvar's face was black with rage, and not heeding halfden, he shouted: "set the man before me." no man stirred, for indeed i think that most of our crew knew not who was meant, and those near me would, as halfden told me, say nought. then said ingvar to rorik: "point the man to me." then rorik pointed to me. so i stood forth of my own accord, not looking at him, but at ingvar. "so," said the jarl, harshly, "you dare to dishonour thor?" i answered boldly, feeling very strong in the matter. "i dishonour no man's religion, jarl, neither yours nor my own." "you did no honour to the asir," he said sternly. "thor and odin are not the gods i worship," i answered. "i know. you are one of those who have left the gods of your fathers." then one of our men, who had stood next to me, spoke for me, as he thought. "i saw wulfric sign thor's hammer even now. what more does any man want from a saxon?" thereat ingvar scowled, knowing, as i think, what this was. "you claim to be truth teller," he said; "did you sign thor's hammer?" "i did not," i answered. then halfden came to my side. "let wulfric go his own way, brother. what matters it what gods he worships so long as he is good warrior and true man, as i and my men know him to be?" so he looked round on the faces of my comrades, and they answered in many ways that this was so. and several cried: "let it be, jarl. what is one man to thor and odin?" now i think that ingvar would have let the matter pass thus, for the word of the host is not lightly to be disregarded. but rorik would not suffer it. "what of the wrath of the gods, godar?" he said. "how will you put that aside?" then was a murmur that they must be appeased, but it came not from our crew; and ingvar stood frowning, but not looking at me for a space, for he was pulled two ways. as godar he must not pass by the dishonour to the gods, yet as the son of the man whom i had saved, how could he harm me? and rorik, seeing this, cried: "i hold that this man should live no longer." "why, what dishonour has he done the gods?" said halfden. "if he had scoffed, or said aught against them--that were a different thing. and what does thor there care if one man pays no heed to him? surely he can keep his own honour--leave it to him." "it is dishonour to thor not to hail him," said rorik. now ingvar spoke again to me: "why do you no honour to the gods?" "my fathers honoured them, for the godarship was theirs, and would have been my father's and mine, even as it is yours, jarl ingvar. for good reason they left that honour and chose another way and a better. and to that way i cleave. i have done despite to no man's faith--neither to yours nor my own." at that rorik lost patience, and lifting his axe, ground his teeth and said savagely: "i will even make you honour thor yonder." now at that halfden saw a chance for me, and at once stayed rorik's hand, saying in a loud voice: "ho! this is well. let wulfric and rorik fight out this question--and then the life of him who is slain will surely appease the gods." that pleased our crew well, for they had no great love for rorik, who had taken too much command on him, for a stranger on board. now, too, ingvar's brows cleared, for he cared nothing for the life of either of us, so that the gods were satisfied with blood. and he said: "so shall it be. take axes and make short work of it. if wulfric can slay rorik, we know that he is innocent of aught to dishonour the gods. but if he is slain--then on his head is the blame." then he looked round and added: "let guthrum and hubba see fair play." now came hubba, pleased enough, for he knew my axe play, and that chief whom they called guthrum, a square, dark man with a pleasant, wise face, and took four spears, setting them up at the corners of a twelve-pace square, between the line of our crew and the altar. so now it seemed to me that i must fight for our faith, for truth against falsehood, darkness against light. and i was confident, knowing this, that the death of one for the faith is often the greatest victory. so i said: "i thank you, jarl. i will fight willingly for my faith." "fight for what you like," said ingvar, "but make haste over it." then hubba and guthrum placed me at one side of the square, and rorik at the opposite. and i faced the image of thor, so that under the very eyes of the idol i hated i must prove my faith. then came a longing into my mind to lift my axe in thor's face and defy him, but i put it away, for how should an idol know of threat or defiance? surely that would be to own some power of his. when we were ready, hubba and guthrum, each with drawn swords, stood on either side of the spear-marked square, and signed to ingvar to give the word. at once he did so. then i strode forward five paces and waited, but rorik edged round me, trying to gain some vantage of light, and i watched him closely. and all the host stood silent, holding breath, and the altar smoke rose up over our heads, and the ravens croaked in the trees, and over all stared the great statue of thor, seeing naught. then like a wolf rorik sprang at me, smiting at my left shoulder where no shield was to guard me. and that was rorik's last stroke, for even as i had parried thormod's stroke in sport, the man's wrist lit on the keen edge of my axe, so that hand and weapon flew far beyond me with the force of his stroke. then flashed my axe, and rorik fell with his helm cleft in twain. then roared our crew, cheering me: "skoal to the axeman! ahoy!" but i looked at ingvar, and said: "short work have i made, jarl." whereat he laughed a grim laugh, only answering: "aye, short enough. the gods are appeased." then i went back to my place beside halfden, and our men patted my back, praising me, roughly and heartily, for it is not a viking's way to blame a man for slaying a comrade in fair fight and for good reason. now ingvar stood before the shrine, and called to the gods to be heedful of the blood spilt to purge whatever dishonour or wrong had been done. and he hung up the weapons of the slain man in the shrine, and after that closed its doors and barred them; and we marched from the ve silently and swiftly, leaving the body of rorik alone for a feast to the birds of odin before the dying altar fire. now was i light hearted, thinking that the worst was past, and so also thought halfden, so that we went back and sought osritha, who waited, pale and anxious, to know how things should go with me, and when we found her i saw that she had been weeping. "why, my sister," said halfden, "hardly would you have wept for my danger--or weeping you would be from my sailing to return." but she answered not a word, and turned away, for his saying made her tears come afresh. "now am i a blunderer," said halfden. "if there is one thing that i fear it is a weeping maiden." and with that he went from the room, leaving me. then i took upon me to comfort osritha, nor was that a hard task. and again i would have gone through this new danger i had faced, for it had brought the one i loved to my arms. not long might we be together, for now the feasting began, and i must go to halfden and his brothers in the great hall. and then came remembrance to me. for now must i refuse to eat of the horse sacrifice, and maybe there would be danger in that. yet i thought that no man would trouble more about me and my ways, so that i said naught of it to osritha. so i sat between halfden and thormod at the high place, and the whole hall was full of men seated at the long tables that ran from end to end, and across the wide floor. the womenfolk and thralls went busily up and down serving, and it was a gay show enough to look on, for all were in their best array. yet it seemed to me that the men were silent beyond their wont, surly even in their talk, for the fear of the omen of that eddying smoke was yet on them. and presently i felt and saw that many eyes were watching me, and those in no very friendly wise. some of the men who watched were strangers to me, but as they sat among our crew, they must be the rest of the saved from rorik's following. others were men from beyond the village walls, and as rorik's men had some reason and the others knew me not, i thought little of their unfriendly looks. at last they brought round great cauldrons, in which were flesh hooks; to every man in turn, and first of all to ingvar himself. he thrust the hook in, and brought up a great piece of meat, cutting for himself therefrom, and at once every man before whom a cauldron waited, did likewise, and it passed on. they signed thor's hammer over the meat and began to eat. now after ingvar had helped himself, the cauldron came to guthrum, and then to halfden, and then it must come to me, and i had heaped food before me that i might pass it by more easily, knowing that this was the sacrificed meat of which i might not eat. but the men stayed before me, and i made a sign to them to pass by, and honest thormod leaned across me to take his share quickly, and they passed to him, wondering at me a little, but maybe thinking nothing of it. they were but thralls, and had not been at the ve. but rorik's men had their eyes on me, and when the cauldron passed thormod, and i had not taken thereout, one rose up and said, pointing to me: "lo! this saxon will not eat of the sacrifice." at that was a growl of wrath from the company, and ingvar rose, looking over the heads of my comrades, saying: "have a care, thou fool; go not too far with me." then guthrum laughed and said: "this is foolishness to mind him; moreover, he has fought for and won his right to please himself in the matter." so too said halfden and thormod, but against their voices were now many raised, saying that ill luck would be with the host for long enough, if this were suffered openly. now a dane or norseman takes no heed of the religion of other folk unless the matter is brought forward in this way, too plainly to be overlooked. but then, being jealous for his own gods, whom he knows to be losing ground, he must needs show that he is so. nor do i blame him, for it is but natural. so to these voices ingvar the godar must needs pay heed, even if his own patience were not gone, so that he might not suffer that one should sit at the board of thor and odin, untasting and unacknowledging. he called to two of his courtmen. "take this man away," he said, very sternly, "and put him in ward till tomorrow. today is the feast, and we have had enough trouble over the business already." the two men came towards me, and all men were hushed, waiting to see if i would fight. as they came i rose from my place, and they thought i would resist, for they shifted their sword hilts to the front, ready to hand. but i unbuckled my sword belt, and cast the weapon down, following them quietly, for it was of no good to fight hopelessly for freedom in a strange land. many men scowled at me as i passed, and more than one cried out on me. but halfden and thormod and hubba, and more than were angry, seemed glad that this was all the harm that came to me just now. and ingvar leaned back in his great chair and did not look at me, though his face was dark. they put me into a cell, oak walled and strong, and there left me, unfettered, but with a heavily-barred door between me and freedom; and if i could get out, all denmark and the sea around me held me prisoner. yet i despaired not altogether, for already i had gone through much danger, and my strength had not failed me. now, how i spent the daylight hours of that imprisonment any christian man may know, seeing that i looked for naught but death. and at last, when darkness fell, i heard low voices talking outside for a little while, and i supposed that a watch was set, for the cell door opened to the courtyard from the back of the great house. now i thought i would try to sleep, for the darkness was very great, and just as i lay down in a corner the barring of the door was moved, and the door opened gently. "do you sleep, wulfric?" said halfden's voice, speaking very low. "what is it, brother?" i asked in as low a voice, for i had not been a viking for naught. i saw his form darken the gray square of the doorway, and he came in and swung to the door after him; then his hand sought my shoulder, and i heard a clank of arms on the floor. "see here, wulfric," he said, "you are in evil case; for all rorik's men and the men from outside are calling for your death; they say that rorik had no luck against you because the asir are angry, and that so it will be with all the host until you have paid penalty." "what say you and our crew?" "why, we had good luck with you on board, and hold that rorik had done somewhat which set thor against him, for he got shipwrecked, and now is killed. so we know that your ways do not matter to thor or odin or any one of the asir, who love a good fighter. but we know not why you are so obstinate; still that is your business, not ours." "what says ingvar?" i asked. "naught; but he is godar." "aye," said i. "so i must die, that is all. what said ragnar lodbrok about that?" and i spoke to him the brave words that his forefather sang as he died, and which he loved: "whether in weapon play under the war cloud, full in the face of death fearless he fronts him, death is the bane of the man who is bravest, he loveth life best who furthest from danger lives. sooth is the saying that strongest the norns are. lo! at my life's end i laugh--and i die." "nay, my brother," said halfden earnestly; "think of me, and of osritha, and seem to bow at least." that word spoken by my friend was the hardest i ever had to bear, for now i was drawn by the love that had been so newly given me. and i put my hands before my face and thought, while he went on: "if i were asked to give up these gods of ours, who, as it seems to me, pay mighty little heed to us--and i knew that good exchange was offered me--well then--i should--" i ended that word for him. "you would do even as your father, and say that unless for better reason than gain--aye, however longed for--you would not." "aye--maybe i would, after all," he answered, and was silent. then he said, "guthrum and i spoke just now, and he said that your faith must be worth more than he knew, to set you so fixedly on it." now i would have told him that it was so, but there came a little sound at the door, and halfden went and opened it. across its half darkness came a woman's form, and osritha spoke in her soft voice. "brother, are you here yet?" "aye, sister, both of us--come and persuade this foolish wulfric." then i spoke quickly, for it seemed to me that if osritha spoke and urged me, i should surely give way. "nay, but you must not persuade me--would you have had us christians bid your father choose between death and gain for the sake of winning him to our faith?" then said halfden, "that would i not." but in the dark osritha came to my side and clung to me, so that i was between those two whom i loved and must lose, for halfden held my right hand, and osritha my left, and she was weeping silently for me. "listen," i said, for the speaking must be mine lest they should prevail. "should i die willingly for one who has given his life for me?" "aye, surely--if that might be," said halfden. "now it comes into my mind that hereafter you will know that i do not die for naught. for he whom i worship died for me. nor may i refuse to spend life in his honour." then they were silent, until osritha found her voice and said: "we knew not that. i will not be the one to hold you from what is right." at that halfden rose up, for he had found a seat of logs and sat by me on it, sighing a long sigh, but saying: "well, this is even as i thought, and i will not blame you, my brother. fain would i have kept you here, and sorely will osritha pine when you are gone. but you shall not die, else will the justice of ulfkytel come to naught." then i heard again the clank of arms, and halfden bent down, as i might feel. "can you arm yourself in the dark?" he said. "why, surely! it is not for the first time," i answered. he thrust my mail shirt against me, and laid a sword in my hand, and set my helm on my head, all awry because of the darkness. "quickly," he said. then a new hope that came to me made me clasp osritha's hand and kiss it before i must see to arming myself; but she clung to me yet, and i kissed her gently, then turning away sorely troubled went to work. soon i was ready for halfden's word, and osritha buckled on my sword for me, for she had felt and taken it. halfden opened the door and went out into the night, speaking low to one whom i could not see; and so i bade farewell to her whom i loved so dearly, not knowing if i should ever look on her again. but she bade me hope ever, for nor she nor i knew what the days to come might bring us. "ready," said halfden; "follow me as if you were a courtman till we come to the outer gate." then with osritha's handclasp still warm on mine i went out and followed him, and she sought the maiden who waited beside the door, and was gone. when we came to the great gates, they were shut. the sounds of feasting went on in the hall, and the red light glared from the high windows. forgotten was all but revelling--and the guard who kept the gate was raud the forester, my friend. he opened the gates a little, and we three slipped out and stood for a moment together. the night was very dark, and the wind howled and sang through the stockading, and none seemed to be about the place. there halfden took my hand and bade me farewell very sadly. "this is the best i may do for you, my brother. go with raud to his house, and thence he and rolf and thoralf your shield man, who all love you, will take you even to hedeby, where there are christian folk who will help you to the sea and find passage to england. and fare you well, my brother, for the days we longed for in your land will never be--" "come in the ship to england, that so there may be good times even yet," i said. "aye, to england i shall surely come--not to seek you, but at ingvar's bidding. yet to east anglia for your sake i will not come." then he grasped my hand again in farewell, and he went inside the gates and closed them, and raud and i went quickly to his place. there we found those two other good friends of mine waiting, and they told me that all was well prepared to save them from the wrath of ingvar, for they had been bidden to carry messages, and other men of the crew who lived far off would do this for them, for i feared for their lives also when the flight was known. long was the way to hedeby, where ansgar the bishop had built the first church in all denmark. but we won there at last and in safety. and there ansgar's folk received me well, and i parted from my three comrades, not without grief, so that i asked them to take service with us in england. almost they consented, but rolf and thoralf had wives and children, and raud would by no means leave his brother. now in a few days, a company of merchants went from hedeby with goods for england, and with them i went; and in no long time i came into ingild's house by london bridge, and was once more at home as the second week in may began. chapter xi. the coming of ingvar's host. aught but joy did i look for in my homecoming, but it was all too like that of halfden, my friend. no need to say how my kind godfather met me as one come back from the dead, nor how i sent gifts back to ansgar's people, who sorely needed help in those days. but very gently the old man told me that elfric my father was dead, passing suddenly but a month since, while by his side sat ulfkytel the earl, blaming himself for his blindness and for his haste in not waiting for the king's judgment, and yet bidding my father take heart, for he had never known his ways of justice fail. and he asked forgiveness also, for there had been a deadly feud concerning this between him and my people, so that but for eadmund the king there would have been fighting. yet when one told ulfkytel that men held that my father's heart broke at my loss, the great earl had made haste to come and see him, and to say these things. so they made peace at last. when i knew this it seemed to me that i had lost all, and for long i cared for nothing, going about listless, so that ingild feared that i too should grow sick and die. but i was young and strong, and this could not last, and at length i grew reconciled to things as they were, and ingild would speak with me of all that i had seen in denmark. now when i told him what i feared of the coming of ingvar's host he grew grave, and asked many things about it. "ethelred the king is at reading," he said; "let us go and speak to him of this matter." so we rode thither, and that ride through the pleasant thames-side country was good for me. and when we came to the great house where the king lay, we had no trouble in finding the way to him, for ingild was well known, and one of the great witan {xviii} also. i told ethelred the king of england all that i had learned, and he was troubled. only we three were in his council chamber, and to us he spoke freely. "what can i do? much i fear that east anglia must fight her own battles at this time. pressed am i on the west by welsh and dane, and my wessex men have their hands full with watching both. and it is hard to get men of one kingdom to fight alongside those of another, even yet. and this i know full well, that until a host lands i can gather no levy, for our men will not wait for a foe that may never come." i knew that his words were true, and could say nothing. only i thought that it had been better if we had held to our mercian overlords in ecgberht's time than fight for this wessex sovereign who was far from us; for that unhealed feud with mercia seemed to leave us alone now. "yet," said ethelred, "these men are not such great chiefs, as it seems. maybe their threats will come to naught." but i told him of that great gathering at the sacrifice, and said also that i thought that needs must those crowded folks seek riches elsewhere than at home. then he asked me many things of the corn and cattle and richness of the land; and when i told him what i had seen, he looked at me and ingild. "such things as crowding and poverty and hardness drove us from that shore hither. i pray that the same be not coming on us that we brought to the ancient people the welsh, whose better land we took and now hold." so we left him, and i could see that the matter lay heavily on his mind. in a week thereafter i rode away homeward, and came first to framlingham, where eadmund our own king was. very glad was he to see me safely home again. "now am i, with good ingild your other godfather, in elfric's place toward you," he said; "think of me never as a king, but as a father, wulfric, my son." and he bade me take my place as thane of reedham, confirming me in all rights that had been my father's. with him, too, was the great earl, and he begged my forgiveness for his doubt of me, though he was proud that his strange manner of finding truth was justified. good friends were ulfkytel and i after that, though he knew not that in my mind was the thought of osritha, to whom he had, as it were, sent me. now every day brought fear to me that ingvar's host was on its way overseas to fall on us. and this i told to eadmund and the earl, who could not but listen to me. yet they said that the peace between us and the danes was sure, and that even did they come we should be ready. when i pressed them indeed, they sent round word to the sheriffs to be on the watch, and so were content. for our king was ever a man of peace, hating the name of war and bloodshed, and only happy in seeing to the welfare of his people, giving them good laws, and keeping up the churches and religious houses so well that there were none better to be found than ours in all england. this pleased me not altogether, for i knew now how well prepared for war the danes were, and i would fain have had our men trained in arms as they. but my one voice prevailed not at all, and after a while i went down to reedham, and there bided with my mother and eadgyth, very lonely and sad at heart in the place where i had looked for such happiness with my father and lodbrok and halfden at first, and now of late, for a few days, with osritha, and halfden in lodbrok's place. for all this was past as a dream passes, and to me there seemed to hang over the land the shadow of the terrible raven banner, which osritha had helped to work for lodbrok and his host, in the days before she dreamed that it might be borne against a land she had cause to love. ever as the days went by i would seek the shipmen who came to reedham on their way up the rivers, so that i might hear news from the danish shore, where osritha was thinking of me, till at last i heard from a frisian that three kings had gathered a mighty host, and were even now on their way to england. i asked the names of those three, and he told me, even as i had feared, that they were called ingvar and hubba and halfden; and so i knew that the blow was falling, and that ingvar had stirred up other chiefs to join him, and so when the host gathered at some great thing, he and his brothers had been hailed kings over the mighty following that should do their bidding in the old danish way. for a danish king is king over men, and land that he shall rule is not of necessity {xix}. again i warned eadmund, and again he sent his messages to ulfkytel the earl and to the sheriffs, and for a few weeks the levies watched along the shore of the wash; and then as no ships came, went home, grumbling, as is an east anglian's wont, and saying that they would not come out again for naught, either for king or earl. now after that i spent many a long hour in riding northward along the coast, watching for the sails of the fleet, and at other times i would sit on our little watch tower gazing over the northern sea, and fearing ever when the white wing of a gull flashed against the skyline that they were there. and at last, as i sat dreaming and watching, one bright day, my heart gave a great leap, for far off to the northward were the sails of what were surely the first ships of the fleet. i watched for a while, for it was ill giving a false alarm and turning out our unwilling levies for naught, for each time they came up it grew harder to keep them, and each time fewer came. in an hour i knew that there were eight ships and no more, and that they were heading south steadily, not as if intending to land in the wash, but as though they would pass on to other shores than ours. and they were not ingvar's fleet, for he alone had ten ships in his ship garth. they were broad off the mouth of our haven presently, and maybe eight miles away, when one suddenly left the rest and bore up for shore--sailing wonderfully with the wind on her starboard bow as only a viking's ship can sail--for a trading vessel can make no way to windward save she has a strong tide with her. she came swiftly, and at last i knew my own ship again, and thought that halfden had come with news of peace, and maybe to take me to sea with him, and so at last back to osritha. and my heart beat high with joy, for no other thought than that would come to me for a while, and when she was but two miles off shore, i thought that i would put out to meet and bring the ship into the haven; for he knew not the sands, though indeed i had given him the course and marks--well enough for a man like thormod--when i was with him. and there came over me a great longing to be once more on the well-known deck with these rough comrades who had so well stood by me. but suddenly she paid off from the wind, running free again to the southward down the coast, and edging away to rejoin the other ships. and as she did so her broad pennon was run up and dipped thrice, as in salute; and so she passed behind the headlands of the southern coast and was lost to my sight. i bided there in my place, downcast and wondering, until the meaning of it all came to me; remembering halfden's last words, that he would not fall on east anglia. now he had shown me that his promise was kept. he had left the fleet, and was taking his own way with those who would follow him. yet if he had eight ships, what would ingvar's host be like? greater perhaps than any that had yet come to our land, and the most cruel. for he would come, not for plunder only, but hating the name of england, hating the name of christian, and above all hating the land where his father had been slain. i climbed down from the tower, and found my people talking of the passing ships, and rejoicing that they had gone. already had some of them piled their goods in waggons ready for flight, and some were armed. then, as in duty bound, i sent men in haste to the earl at caistor to report this, telling him also that the great fleet of which this was a part was surely by this token on its way. by evening word came back from him. he had sure news from lynn that the great fleet had gone into the humber to join the host at york, and that we need fear nothing. men said that there were twenty thousand men, and that there were many chiefs besides those that i had named. this, he said, seemed over many to be possible, but it did not concern us, for they were far away. now, when i thought how the wind had held at any quarter rather than north or east for long weeks, it seemed to me likely that it was this only that had kept them from us, and that the going into humber was no part of ingvar's plan, but done as of necessity. for to bring over so mighty a host he must have swept up every vessel of all kinds for many a score miles along the shores. and they would be heavy laden with men, so that he must needs make the first port possible. yet for a time we should be left in quiet. now i must say how things went at home, for my sister's wedding with egfrid had been put off first by the doubt of my own fate, and then by the mourning for my father's death. yet the joy of my return had brought fresh plans for it, and now the new house at hoxne was nearly ready; so that both egfrid and his folk were anxious that there should be no more delay. i, too, when the coming of the danes seemed a thing that might be any day, thought it well that eadgyth should rather be inland at hoxne, whence flight southward could be made in good time, than at reedham, where the first landing might well be looked for. but when the fear passed for a while by reason of the news from northumbria, the time was fixed for the end of november, just before the advent season, and not earlier, because of the time of mourning. so the summer wore through slowly to me, for i was sad at heart, having lost so much. and ever from beyond the wash and from mercia came news of ingvar's host. the northumbrian king was slain, and a dane set in his place; and burhred of mercia bowed to the danes, and owned them for lords; and at last ethelred of wessex came to himself and sent levies to meet the host, but too late, for mercia was lost to him. yet eadmund our king, and even ulfkytel, deemed that we were safe as ever behind our fenland barrier, fearing naught so long as no landing was made from across the wash. yet when november came in, and at egfrid's house all was bustle and preparation, we heard that bardney was burnt, and swineshead, and then medehamstede {xx}. and the peril was close on us, and but just across our border. "no matter," said men to one another. "it will be a hard thing for danes to cross the great fens to come hither. they will turn aside into mercia's very heart, and then the wessex folk will rise." but i feared, and two days before the wedding went to harleston, where the king was, and urged him to have forces along the great wall we call woden's dyke even yet. "let us see your wedding first, wulfric," he said. "eadgyth would be sorely grieved if i were not there." for he lay at harleston to be near at hand, as the wedding was to be from the house of egfrid's father, because reedham seemed as yet a house of sorrow. and i was glad when the thane asked that it should take place at hoxne, and it was safer also. surely never moved host so swiftly as ingvar's, for even as i went, heavily enough, from eadmund's presence, a man spurred into the town saying that earl ulfkytel faced the danes with a fair levy gathered in haste, between us and wisbech. they had crossed the fens where no man dreamed that they might come, and were upon us as if from the skies. now eadmund made no more delay, but all that night went forth the summons of the war arrow, and the men mustered in force at last in thetford town, and i spurred back to hoxne and found the thane, and spoke to him. "let the wedding go on," i said, "for the danes are yet far, and must pass the earl and us also before they come hither. now must i be with the king, but if i may, and ulfkytel holds them back, i shall be at the wedding. and if it must be, i will warn you to fly, and so let egfrid take his bride and my mother and his own folk southward to colchester or london." that, he thought, was well, and no word of fear or haste hindered the wedding gathering. only some of the great thanes who should have been there were with the king or earl, and it seemed that the number of guests would be small. i rode to thetford, bidding eadgyth look for me on the morrow in good time, and saying that the king would surely come also. but when i came to the town i knew that neither he nor i should be at hoxne, for the danes had scattered the levy, and ulfkytel the great earl was slain, and with him many another friend of mine. and the men said that the danes were marching swiftly onward, ever nearing thetford, and burning and wasting all in their track. we marched out of the town to meet them, for we had a good force behind us, and the men were confident of victory with the king himself to lead them. and he was cheerful also, and said to me, as i armed him: "i would not have you leave the wedding; howbeit, if we beat back the danes, which is a matter in the hands of the lord of hosts, both you and i will be there in time tomorrow." our mounted men met the danes that evening--the night before eadgyth's wedding day--and we slept in our armour on thetford heath waiting for them. and in the early morning our outposts were driven back on us, and the danes were close on their heels. now eadmund told me that i should not stand by him today, for so soon as the battle was over i must go to hoxne, either with news of victory, or to bid them fly, and he would not keep me. "i will not leave the place that is mine by right," i said. "not so," he answered; "i would bid you stand out of the battle for sweet eadgyth's sake, but that i know you would not obey me." and he smiled at me as he went on the great white horse he always rode, to draw up the men. they cheered when he spoke to them, and i thought that they would fight well. aye, and so they did, in their fierce untrained way. many a long day it was since we of east anglia stood in battle array, and the last time was against our own kin, save that now and again the men of some shoreward places would rise to beat off a danish or norse ship. now were the foes in sight, and they ranged up in close order when they saw we were ready. more than half their force was mounted, for the lindsey uplands and marshes had given them horses enough of the best in england. and this was terrible, that over the host wheeled erne and raven and kite, as knowing to what feast the flapping of yon raven banner called them. foremost of all rode a mighty chief on a black horse, and i saw that it was ingvar himself, the king of the danish host. well i knew the armour, for it was that which he had worn at the great sacrifice, though now it shone no longer, but was dulled with the stains of many a hard fight. now, too, round his helm ran the gold circlet of the king. "know you yon great man?" asked eadmund of me; for i would not leave him, but stood before him in my place. "it is ingvar the king," i answered; "he who was jarl ingvar." "speak to him, and ask him to leave the land in peace," he said. now i thought that was of little use, but i would do the king's bidding, and asked what i should say. "offer him ransom, if you will," eadmund answered. so i went forward, and stood at a bowshot's length from our people, leaning on the axe that lodbrok had made me, and there waited till the danes came on. and presently ingvar saw me, and knowing that i was one who would speak with the leader, rode up, looking curiously at me as he came. "skoal to jarl ingvar!" i said when he was close. he reined up his horse in surprise, lifting his hand. "odin! it is wulfric!" he said. "now, skoal to you, wulfric! but i would that you were not here." "how is that, jarl?" i asked; but i had ever heard that the jarl was in high good humour before a fight. "i would not fight with you, for you have been our guest. and many a man have i questioned since yesterday, and all men say that you were my father's friend. it was a true story that you told me." "you believed it rightly, jarl." "aye--and therefore i will not fight with you." then i asked him to leave the land in peace, and his face darkened. "i speak of yourself alone," he said, "as for land and king and people--that is a different matter." "you have had your revenge," i said. "what?" he asked fiercely. "is the life of lodbrok, my father, worth but the death of a hound like beorn? stand aside, wulfric, and let me have my revenge in full." now, seeing that our talk was earnest, there rode up another danish chief, and it was guthrum, the man who had seemed to take my part at the idol feast. i was glad to see him come at this moment. "here is halfden's friend," said ingvar to him, "and he, forsooth, would have us go in peace." and the danish king laughed harshly. "why, so we will, if they make it worth our while," said guthrum, nodding to me. "what ransom will you take from us?" i asked them. "the keeping of eadmund, your king," answered ingvar; "nothing more nor less." "it seems to me that you will have to fight before you take him," i said plainly; for no man in all the anglian ranks would have listened to that. "that is too much," said guthrum. "tell him to own you as overlord and pay scatt {xxi} to us, holding the kingdom from you, and that will save fighting--and surely the whole land will be weregild enough for jarl lodbrok." then ingvar thought for a moment, and said to me, still frowning: "go and tell your king those terms, and bring word again." so i went back and told eadmund, knowing full well what his answer would be. and it was as i thought. "go and tell this ingvar that i will not give my land into the hands of the heathen, or own them as lords." now what i told ingvar and guthrum was this only, knowing that to give the full message was to enrage ingvar: "eadmund refuses." "your king is a wise man," said guthrum, "for who knows how a fight will go?" ingvar reined round his horse to go to his own men, and he and guthrum left me standing there. i was turning away also, when the hoof beats of one horse stayed, and ingvar called me in the voice he would use when most friendly with me. "wulfric," he said, "glad was i to find you gone, for i should surely have had to slay you before the shrine; but thor is far off now, and i have forgotten that, and only do i remember that good comrade to us all you have been in hall and forest. and ere i sailed--one whom you know--that one who stayed my hand from beorn--made me promise--aye, and swear by my sword--that you at least i would not harm. and i will not. stand aside from this fight." now, had i not known the great love and reverence in which those three wild brothers held osritha, i should have been amazed at these words from ingvar; but there is somewhat of good to be found in every man. then i answered: "i must fight for my land, ingvar, but i also would fain not fight against yourself. where stand you in your line?" "on the right," he said; "guthrum is on the left." "where is hubba?" i asked, wondering. "he is not far from us. he will come when i need his help." "then we need not meet," i said; "i am in the centre." now we both returned to our places, and again eadmund, after i had told him that we must fight, asked me to stand out. "for," said he, "you are in her father's place to eadgyth." "until after the wedding, my king," i said; "but you are in my father's place to me always. should i have left him?" so i said no more, but stood in my place before him, for i loved him now best of all men in the world since my father was gone, and it seemed well to me to die beside him if die he must. now our king gave the word, crying, "forward, christian men!" and we shouted and charged with a good will on the danes, and the battle began. hard fighting it was on both sides, but our men in their want of order jostled and hindered one another, so that i saw more than one struck down by mischance by his own comrades. but the danes kept their even line, bent round into half a circle so that we could not outflank them, and our numbers were nearly equal. men have said that i did well in that fight, but so did we all, each in his way. all i know of my own deeds is that i kept my own life, and that once a ring of men stood before me out of reach of my axe, not one seeming to care to be first within its swing. and ever eadmund's clear voice cheered on his men from behind me. so the battle went on from the first daylight for an hour's space, and then the steadfastness of the danish line began to strike terror into our men, and the danish horsemen charged on our flanks and broke us up; and then all at once a panic fell on our levies, and they wavered, and at once the horsemen were among them everywhere, and the field was lost to us. before i knew what had befallen i was hurried away in a dense throng of our men, who swept me from before the king, and i was soon in thetford streets, where i thought that surely we should have rallied, for there is no stronger town or better walled in all east anglia. in the marketplace sat eadmund on his white horse, unhelmed that the men might know him yet living, for in the flight word had gone round that he had fallen, and now the men seemed to be taking heart and gathering round him. but even as i reached him, a fresh throng of flying men came down the street from the gate next the danes, and after them came a score of the terrible horsemen, driving a hundred like sheep before them. at that sight the few who were gathering fled also, leaving the king and myself and four other thanes alone. i was the only one on foot. then one of those thanes grasped the bridle of the king's horse and led him away, crying: "come, for our sakes; needs must fly. let us go to framlingham." so they rode, against the king's will as one might see, from the place, and went away towards the southern gate of the town. and seeing that the danes were in the town i knew that all was lost, and that here i might stay no longer if eadgyth was to be saved. i ran to where i had left my horse, and mounted and fled also, following the king, for that gate led to the road along the south bank of the river. i knew not if he had crossed the bridge or no, but over the river was my way, and i had my own work to be done, and some twenty miles to be covered as quickly as might be. glad was i that i had chosen to fight on foot that day, for my horse was fresh. terrible it was to see the panic in the town as the poor folk knew that the danes were on them. they filled the road down which i must go, thronging in wild terror to the gates, and i will not remember the faces of that crowd, for they were too piteous. glad i was to be free from them at last, and upon the road where i could ride freely, for as they left the town they took to the woods and riverside swamps, and save for a few horsemen flying like myself, the road was soon clear. then, too, these horsemen struck away from the road one by one, and at last i rode on alone. now my one thought was for those at hoxne, and to urge them to instant flight, and i thought that even now humbert the bishop would be in the little church, waiting for the bride to come. then i would hasten the more, for to reach the church from egfrid's father's house the river dove must be crossed; and i would keep them from returning to this side if i could be in time, for we might break down the timber-built bridge and so delay the crossing of the danes. yet they might be for days in thetford before they began to raid in the country. swiftly i rode on, for my horse was a good one and fresh, and at last, after many miles were passed, i came to a place where i could see a long stretch of road before me. there rode the king on his white horse, and with him those four thanes. i could not mistake that party, and i thought i knew where they were going. the king would warn my people himself, and so take refuge beyond hoxne, on the other side of the river, at south elmham, with bishop humbert. i rode after, but i gained little on them; nor did i care much, for the king would do all that i might. in a few minutes more i should know if he crossed hoxne bridge, and if he did so they were safe. i lost sight of the party as they came into a wood, and there my horse stumbled. he had lost a shoe. that was little to me now, but it kept me back; and now i heard the quick gallop of horses behind me, and looked to see who came, for i thought that more fugitives followed, most likely. i had heard the sound coming on the wind more than once before as i rode on the wayside grass. they were danes. twelve of them there were, and foremost of all rode ingvar on his black horse. well for the king that they had no change of steeds, but had ridden hotfoot after him from the battlefield. now their horses were failing them, but they would take me, and delay would give the king another chance; and i was half-minded to stay and fight. then i thought of hoxne, and i put spurs to my horse and rode on again. now i came in sight of hoxne bridge, and half feared that i should see the bridal train passing over; but many men were even now leaving the bridge, going towards the church, and i knew that they were there. but of eadmund and his thanes i saw nothing--only a lame white horse, that i thought like his, grazed quietly in a field by the roadside, so that for a moment my eyes went to it, thinking to see king and thanes there. ingvar was not a mile behind me, and i spurred on. and now i won to the turning that leads to the thane's house whence the company had passed, and a few villagers stood at the road corner. them i asked how long it was since the bride had gone, and they stared at me in stupid wonder, making no answer. then i bade them fly, for the danes were coming; and at that they laughed, looking at one another slyly, proud of their own fancied wisdom. so i left them and rode on. even as i came to the hill down to the bridge my horse stumbled and almost fell, and when i gathered him up, not losing my seat, i knew he was beaten. and now i halted for good, unslinging my axe, and waiting to fight and hinder the danes from going further, as yet. it was all i could do. hand over hand they came up to me, and now hoxne bells rang out in merry peals as the bride and bridegroom left the church. the service was over, and unless our king had warned them, they would be coming back over the bridge in a few minutes. yet, if he had warned them, surely the bells had not pealed out thus. now i heard the music play from across the water, and i heard the shouts of the people--and all the while the hoofs of ingvar's horses thundered nearer and nearer. then they came over the little rise in the road and were on me with levelled spears. i got my horse between them and me, across the narrow roadway, and hove up my axe and waited. but when ingvar saw who i was, he held up his hand, and his men threw up their spear points and halted, thinking perhaps that i was the king. "where is the king?" shouted ingvar. i saw that their horses were done, and not knowing which way the king had gone answered truly. "i know not. the road forks, and that is as far as i know." then ingvar swore a great oath. "you know not which way he went?" "i do not," i said. "catch a thrall and ask him," he said to his men. and those silly folk were yet standing at the corner, maybe thinking us belated wedding guests, and the men took one, dragging him to their chief. but the man said that he had seen no horsemen pass. truly he had heard some, but all men were at the house door waiting for the bride to come forth, and paid no heed. so the king had passed by before the procession set out, and i knew not what to think. "what bride?" said ingvar. and the music answered him, coming nearer and nearer, and now they were crossing hoxne bridge--a bright little array of wedding guests, and in the midst i could see those two, egfrid and eadgyth, and after came a crowd of village folk. "see yonder," said a dane, pointing. "by baldur, here is a wedding! gold and jewels to be had for the taking!" but my horse was across the road, and my axe was in the way, and i cried to ingvar as the men began to handle their weapons. "mercy, jarl ingvar! this is my sister's wedding--that eadgyth of whom your own sister would ever ask so much." "hold!" roared the chief, and his men stayed, wondering. "an you touch so much as a hair of any in that company--the man who touches, i will slay!" he said, and the men stared at him. "yon is the bridal of reedham folk," he said, "and the bride is she who befriended lodbrok. they shall not be hurt." for he must needs justify himself, and give reason for withholding plunder from danes as free as himself. "aye, king, that is right," they said on hearing that, and ingvar turned to me. "for osritha's sake, lest i should harm you in aught," he said. "now ask me no more. let us meet them in peace." now i knew that my folk were safe for this time at least, and my heart was light, and so leaving my horse i walked beside the king, as his men called him, until we met the first of the company on this side of the bridge. then was a little confusion, and they stopped, not knowing what this war-stained troop might betoken. and i saw that no word had come of the great defeat as yet. i went forward, calling to egfrid and the thane his father, and looking at them so that they should show no fear or give any sign to the ladies present that all was not well. "this is jarl ingvar himself, and these are his men," i said. "and the jarl would fain speak with eadgyth my sister, of whom he has often heard." and egfrid, being very brave, although he must have seen well enough what this meant, kept his face well, and answered that jarl ingvar was welcome, coming in peace. "aye--in peace just now," answered ingvar, looking at him. "now, i will say this, that wulfric's sister has found a brave husband." now eadgyth heard the jarl's name, and knew naught of the terror that that name brought to all the land, and least of all that a battle could have been fought, for we had kept it from her. nor had i told her of how nearly he had been to slaying me, for i would not make osritha's brothers terrible to her. so she thought of him only as lodbrok our friend's son, who had shown me hospitality in his own hall. so when egfrid took her hand and brought her forward, looking as i thought most beautiful in her bridal array, she smiled on the great dane frankly, as in thanks for my sake. then ingvar unhelmed, and spoke to her in courtly wise, even as he was wont to speak to osritha. "when i go back to my own land, lady, i shall have many questions asked me by one of whom you have doubtless heard, as to how our friend's sister was arrayed for her wedding. and that i shall not be able to say--but this i know, that i may tell osritha that wulfric's sister was worthy of wulfric." now eadgyth noted not the war stains on ingvar's mail, but it was strange and terrible to me to see him sitting there and speaking as though the things of a stricken field were not the last, as it were, on which he had looked. but eadgyth's eyes were downcast, though she was pleased. "thanks, jarl ingvar," she said; "often have i heard of osritha. when you return i would have you thank her for her care of my brother--and i would thank you also, jarl, for your care of him." now ingvar reddened a little, but not with anger, for he saw that i had spoken at least no ill of him to eadgyth. "nay, lady," he answered; "halfden and hubba and osritha have to be thanked--if any thanks need be to us for caring for jarl lodbrok's preserver. little share may i take of the matter." "yet i will thank all in your place," she said, and then shrank back to egfrid's side. never had i seen a more handsome couple. then ingvar laid his hand on a great golden snake that twined round his right arm, and i thought he was going to give it as a bridal gift to my sister, for that is ever a viking's way, to give lavishly at times when he might have taken, if the mood seizes him. but as he glanced at the gold he saw blood specks thereon, and i heard him mutter: "no, by freya, that were ill-omened." and he did but seem to put it in place, as if thinking. then he replaced his helm, bowing, and said: "now must i stay your rejoicing no longer. fare you well, lady, and you, noble egfrid; i must ride back to thetford town on my own affairs. yet i leave you wulfric. will you remember hereafter that you spoke with ingvar the king, and that he was your friend?" "aye, surely," answered they both at once. then once more the music played, and the little train went on and up the hill, and ingvar and i stood together for a while looking after them. "i thank you, king," i said. "aye, wulfric; and maybe you and yours are the only ones who will say that word to me in all this land. now take my rede, and do you and your folk begone as soon as maybe, for even i cannot hold back men who are not from our own place." then i parted from him, going after my people, and thinking that all was well for us, and that surely our king was safe, until i came to where my horse still stood. there over the lane hedge looked that lame white horse that i had seen, speaking as it were in his own way to mine. and when i saw him thus near, it was indeed the king's, and a great fear that he was not far off took hold of me. chapter xii. in hoxne woods. many of the village folk loitered on the bridge and in the lanes, looking curiously at the danes, and talking of the wedding and the like. and some of these i saw ingvar's men questioning, and very soon a knot of them gathered round one man, and there was some loud talking. then i would have hastened back, but ingvar saw me, and waved sternly to me to depart, and slowly enough i went on my way. but i could not forbear looking back when i reached the road to the house. only ingvar was now on horseback, and the men seemed to be swarming over the bridge railings, and climbing under it among the timbers. then were shouts, and the village churls began to run every way, and one or two came up the hill towards me. "what is it?" i asked. "oh, master," the first man cried, "when the bridal folk went over the bridge on the way to the church, one man looked over into the water, and cried that he saw somewhat sparkle therein like gold, and others looked, and some saw naught, but others said that they saw in the water as it were the image of golden spurs. and the danes asked us if we saw the king; but we had not. only one man laughing, in his fear as i think, said that the nearest thing to a crown that he had seen was the glint of golden spurs shining from the water yonder. then looked the danes--and now--oh master!" the man grew white, pointed, and fled. haled and pushed and buffeted by the hands of the danes, a man was dragged over the rail of the bridge from the network of cross timbers among which he had hidden, and i saw that the armour was that of eadmund the king. there, in that seemingly secure place, his thanes must have made him hide when his horse fell lame, for doubtless he would not hinder them in their flight, but would have taken sanctuary in the church. from some point in the road they must have seen their pursuers before i cared to look behind me to see who followed, for there was no mistaking the red cloaks that the danes of the king's courtmen always wear. this i thought at the time, and long afterwards learnt from one of those thanes that i was right. and it was their doing, not his, for the king would have gone to the church and there warned my people. but as it chanced there were no men in sight when the king hid, for all were gathered to the thane's house. and i asked that thane if they sent no warning message--and he said they had done so by a certain churl whom they met. but our folk never had it. now i knew not what to do, being torn with grief and fear. i dared not cross ingvar again, lest i should change his mood, mild enough now, to some wild fit of rage, for i had not bided so long in his hall without learning that much of his ways. i stayed till i knew for certain that they had not harmed the king, and so saw him bound, and mounted behind one of the courtmen; and then when i saw them begin to come towards me, i went to the thane's house and told him all, calling him out from the feast. "let us mount and rescue the king," i said. "then will they kill him--better not. they will but hold him to ransom," the thane said. i knew his first word was right, and now i left that and urged him to hasten the flight of all the party, bidding him take the road towards the south, ever away from the danes. "what will you do?" he asked, for i spoke not of coming with him. "this," i answered. "i will pledge ingild's word, as i know i may, for any ransom, going after the danes and finding guthrum, who will listen to me." he thought that well, and then i asked where humbert the bishop was. he had gone back to south elmham at once, and would be far on his road by this time, the thane said. then i went out and took a fresh horse from the stables and rode away into the great road. and when i came there, i saw with others the man who told me how the king's hiding place was found. "how long have the danes been gone?" i asked. "master," he answered, "they have gone back over the bridge, some of them riding forward towards hoxne." at that i knew that some plan of ingvar's was that his men after victory should cross the river at thetford, and so perhaps strike at framlingham where the king's household was. but all along the march of the danish host had been unresting, so that men had no time to prepare for their coming, or even to know what point they would reach next. then i sent by this man urgent messages to the thane that they should fly coastwards, crossing the river waveney, perhaps, so as not to fall into the hands of the host at the first starting, for ingvar's horsemen would be everywhere south of this and thetford. i rode fast over the bridge, for i feared for humbert our good bishop, and when i came near the church the bells jangled, all unlike the wedding peals that i had heard so lately. they had found a few late flowers, violets and marigolds and daisies and the like, and had strewn them before the bride as she left the church; and they lay there yet with bright hedgerow leaves to eke them out--but across the path, too, lay the dead body of a poor churl, dressed in his holiday gear, slain by a spear thrust, and the church was burning. now the men who jangled the bells for help came down in haste, terrified as the fire took hold of the roof, for the church was all of wood and very old. when they saw me they ran, thinking me yet another of their foes; but i rode after one and caught him, for he would by no means stay for calling, and i asked him what had happened, and where the bishop was. "alas, master," the man said, "they have slain my brother and fired the church, and now have ridden after the bishop. they slew my brother because he would not say by which road he had gone; and another told them, being in fear for his life--and our king is taken." "did they take the king by the road to south elmham?" "four rode after the bishop with the great man on the black horse who was the leader. the rest went with the king up the track through hoxne woods, but slowly." had i but one or two more with me surely now i should have followed up the king and tried to rescue him. but i think it would have been vain, for ingvar's men would have slain him rather than lose him. but most of all i wondered at the boldness of these few men, who, with their leader, dared venture so far from their forces. well did they know, however, how complete is the rout of a saxon levy; and i too might have guessed it, since i had fled alone after the first five miles, while all those who had left the town with me scattered all ways. now the church was blazing from end to end, and one or two more men had gathered to me, seeing who i was. "take up yon body," i said, "and cast it into the church. so shall his ashes lie in holy ground at least. for you and yours must even take to the woods for a while. the danes will be here." that i think they did, for they were lifting the body as i went away and rode along the way that the bishop had taken, meaning at least to meet ingvar, for i feared lest the men who had the king should slay him if they were followed. hardly a mile had i gone when ingvar and his men came riding slowly back. their beaten horses could do no more, and they had left following the bishop. ingvar's face was black as night, and as he came he roared at me: "you here again! now this passes all. did i not bid you stand aside and hinder me not?" "aye, king," i answered, coldly enough. "but i cross you not. i have ransom to offer for the king." "i will have no ransom," he said, very savagely. "nevertheless," i said quietly, knowing that his word was not the only one to be spoken on that matter, "let me tell you of it, that you may tell the other chiefs." "i am the king," he answered, glaring at me. "then, king, hear my words, and give them to those under you." "speak to this man," he said, pointing to one of the courtmen; for they heard all i said, and he could not refuse to listen altogether to what concerned his fellow chiefs. then he rode past me, and the men, save that one of whom he spoke, followed him. now i was angry as he, but kept that to myself, and waited till he was out of hearing before i looked at the man who waited. and when i did so, the man grinned at me, saying: "truly it is like old times to see you stand up thus to the jarl--king, i mean. there is not a man in our host dare do it." and lo! it was my friend raud the forester. his beard was gone, and he had a great half-healed scar across his jaw, so that i had not known him even had i noticed any but ingvar. then i was glad, for here was one whom i could trust, even if his help was of little use. "glad am i to see you, raud my friend, though it must be in this way. why is the jarl so angry?" "why, because the bishop has escaped us. we never saw so much as his horse's tail. and if he be like the bishop we saw at hedeby, i am glad." "surely he is," i said. "but now i have come to offer ransom for the king, and you must tell guthrum and the other chiefs that it would be paid very quickly if they will take it." at that raud shook his head. "i will tell them, but it is of little use. there has been talk of it before, but when we came into east anglia ingvar claimed the king for himself, giving up all else." "why?" i asked. "because when he made beorn speak, beorn said that eadmund the king had set him on to slay lodbrok. i heard the man confess it." "but he left that story, telling the truth about himself," i said. "aye, so he did. but the tale has stuck in ingvar's mind, and naught will he hear but that he will have revenge on him." "what will he do?" i said, looking after the danish king, who went, never turning in his saddle, with bowed shoulders as one who ponders somewhat. "how should i know?" answered raud, carelessly. "let us go on. maybe if you come with me we shall hear them speak together." "raud," i said, "if harm is done to the king, i shall surely fall on some of you--and ingvar first of all." "not on me with axe, i pray you," he answered laughing, and twisting his head on one side. "i mind me of rorik." "let us be going," i said, for i could not jest. so we trotted after the party, and when we were near, raud left me and went to ingvar's side, speaking to him of what i had said. then the jarl turned round to me, speaking quietly enough, but in a strange voice. "come with me and we will speak of this matter to eadmund himself. then will the business be settled at once." that was all i would wish, and being willing to speak yet more with raud, i said i would follow. he turned again, and looked no more at me. then i asked raud of his brother, and of thoralf, my other companion of flight. they were both slain, one at gainsborough and one at medehamstede. thormod was with halfden in wessex, where they had made a landing to keep ethelred, our wessex overlord, from sending to our help. but as to halfden, men said that he would not come to east anglia, for the lady osritha had over persuaded him. then, though i would not ask in any downright way, i found that osritha was well, but grieving, as they thought, for the danger of her brothers--and of that i had my own thoughts. so with talk of the days that seemed so long past, we went on into hoxne woods, through which raud said that he had learnt we must go to meet the host in its onward march from thetford. "jarl ingvar lets not the grass grow under his feet," i said. we came to a place where the woodland track broadened out into a clearing, and there waited the other danes, and with them, sitting alone now on the horse, was eadmund the king. pale he was, and all soiled with the stains of war, and with the moss and greenery of his strange hiding place; but his eye was bright and fearless, and he sat upright and stately though he was yet with his hands bound behind him. i rode past ingvar and to eadmund's side, and throwing myself from my horse stood by him, while the dane glared at us both without speaking. "why run thus into danger, wulfric my son?" said the king, speaking gently; "better have let me be the only victim." "that you shall not be, my king," i answered; "for if you must die, i will be with you. but i have come to try to ransom you." "there are two words concerning that," said ingvar in his cold voice. "maybe i will take no gold for eadmund." "what shall we give you then?" i asked, looking earnestly at him. "you heard what i said this morning before the battle. i have no other terms but those. and i think they are light--as from the son of lodbrok whom this king's servant slew." now eadmund spoke, saying to ingvar: "let me hear what are your terms for my freedom. in the slaying of lodbrok my friend i had no part." "that is easily said," ingvar answered, frowning. "i have my own thoughts on that--else had i not been here. but this land is in my power, therefore i will let you go if you will hold it for me, and own me as overlord, doing my will." "my answer is the same as it was this morning. it is not for me to give over this land into the hands of heathen men to save myself." that was eadmund's calm answer, and looking on ingvar i saw the same bode written in his face as had been when i would not honour his gods. then he spoke slowly, and his words fell like ice from his lips. "it seems to me that this land is in the hands of us heathen without your giving." "so that may be, for the time," answered eadmund; "but your time of power has an end." "has it so?" said ingvar, and his eyes flashed. "where is your help to come from? do you look to ethelred?--he is busy in wessex with more of us heathen. where is mercia?--it is ours. will kent help you?" "our help is in the name of the lord, who hath made heaven and earth," answered eadmund, lifting his eyes heavenwards so earnestly, that in spite of himself the wild heathen king followed their upward gaze for a moment. it was but for a moment, and that weakness, as he would deem it, was the spark to light ingvar's wrath, that as yet he had kept under. "hammer of thor!" he shouted, "you dare throw that in my face! now will i show you if heathen or christian is stronger." then with his face white with rage he turned to his men: "bind him to yon tree, and we will speak with him again!" now if it is well that i did not die with my king, it was well at that moment for me that my axe hung at my saddle bow, and that my horse--to which i had paid no heed in my troubles--had wandered a little way, for i should surely have fought to prevent this dishonour being wrought. and i sprung to reach the axe, for the short sword i wore was of no use against so many. but raud was close on me, and he dropped from his saddle on my shoulders as i passed him, so that i fell, half stunned under him, and one of the other men ran up, and ere they had stripped and bound the king to a tree, i was bound hand and foot, and rolled by raud into a thicket where i might escape ingvar's eye. and, indeed, he paid no heed to me, but watched the king. so must i lie there with my heart like to break, seeing all that went on, and i will tell it as best i may. ingvar strode to the young oak tree to which they had bound the king and looked fixedly at him. then he said, "scourge this man," and his men did so. but the king made no sign by word or motion. i saw ingvar's rage growing, and he cried as his men forbore, shrinking a little from their quiet victim: "ask for mercy, christian, at the hands of ingvar the godar, the priest of odin and thor, and you shall go free." but the king met his gaze sadly and firmly, answering: "that were to own that you have power over me through your false gods." "power i have," said ingvar; "ask for mercy." thereat the king answered no word, though his lips moved, and i alone knew what his words might be, for though his hands were bound he moved his noble head in such wise as to make the sign of the cross. and i think that he spoke to himself the prayer of forgiveness that he had learnt therefrom. almost then had the dane smitten him in the face, but to this cowardice ingvar the king had not yet fallen. he drew back a few paces, and took his long dagger from his belt, and at that i thought that he was going to slay the king, and i closed my eyes, praying. but he spoke again. "ask for peace on the same terms for your people, if you will not for yourself." then the king grew pale, but he set his lips close, still gazing at ingvar. hard was this for him who loved his people so well. the dane's dagger flashed, and he hurled it at eadmund, but so skilfully that it did but graze his head, sticking firmly into the tree trunk. and he cried in a voice that shook with rage: "answer me!" but the king held his peace, closing his eyes, and waiting for what might come, most bravely. then ingvar turned to his men, and bade them unsling their bows and see if they could make this man find his tongue. seven of them went to work with a good will, but raud and the others would not, but turned away. the men shot, and in many places the king was pierced, and lo! he lifted up his voice and sang gloriously, even as if in the church and on some high festival, the psalm that begins "de profundis". nor did his voice falter, though now he might move neither hand nor foot by reason of the piercing of the arrows. at that the men stayed in amazement, and one threw away his bow and turned aside to where raud stood, near where i lay. but ingvar ground his teeth with rage, and stamping on the ground, cried to the men to shoot again. and again the arrows flew, and now it seemed to me that no more arrows might find mark in the king's body without slaying him; and before my eyes was a mist, and my mouth was dry and parched, yet i could not turn away and look no more. but the men fitted arrows to the bowstrings once more, while ingvar stood still and silent with his strong hands clasped together behind him, gazing at the king, whose lips moved in prayer, the psalm being ended, and, as i think, his strength ebbing fast from his many wounds. now they were about to shoot once more, unbidden, keeping up their torture if they might; but there was one more merciful than the rest. forward before the bowmen strode raud, with his sword drawn, and he cried to ingvar: "let me slay him, king, and end this for pity's sake!" ingvar turned his eyes gloomily on him for a moment, and then answered: "what know you of pity? slay him if you will." then when he heard that, eadmund looked at raud, smiling on him with a wondrous smile and saying: "thanks, good friend." so raud slew him in pity, and that was now the best deed that might be done. thereat i cried out once, and my senses left me, and i knew no more. chapter xiii. how bishop humbert joined the king. when i began to come to myself it was late afternoon. at first into my mind came the fancy that i sat on the side of king eadmund's bed in the king's chambers at reedham, and that he told me a wondrous dream; how that--and then all of a sudden i knew that it was no shadowy dream, but that i had seen all come to pass, and that through the arrow storm eadmund had passed to rest. all round me the trees dripped with the damp november mist that creeps from the river, and the smell of dead leaves was in my nostrils, and for a while i lay still, hardly yet knowing true from false, dream from deed. so quiet was i that a robin came and perched close to me on a bramble, whose last leaves were the colour of the bird's red breast, and there it sang a little, so that i roused to life with the sound. then swooped down a merlin with flash of gray wings on the robin and took it, and that angered me so that i rose on my elbow to fray it away; and with that the last cloud left my mind and i knew where i was. then, too, from where he waited my waking came vig, my great danish dog, who had been tied at the thane's house, and must have left the flying party to seek me. and he bounded in gladness about me. now i found that my bonds were gone, and next that my weapons were left me, and that but for cramp and stiffness i had not any tokens of what had befallen. and at first it seemed to me that ingvar thus showed his scorn of me, though soon i thought that he had forgotten me, and that it was raud who had freed me. i heeded not the dog, looking only in one place. but the body of the king was gone, and his arms and mail were gone. the hoofmarks of ingvar's horses were everywhere; but at last i made out that they had gone on through the wood. presently the dog growled, looking towards the village, and i heard voices coming nearer, and with them i heard the tread of a horse. but soon the dog ceased, and began to wag his tail as if to welcome friends, and when the comers entered the clearing, i saw that they were egfrid's men, and that it was my horse that they were leading. my axe was yet at the saddle bow. "why, master," said the foremost, "surely we looked to find you slain. this is well--but what has befallen?" for i must have looked wildly and strangely on them. "well would it be if i were slain," i said. "why did you seek me?" "we found the horse coming homewards, and one knew that you had gone into the wood after the king. yet we would seek you before we fled." i saw that all were armed, and i thanked them. but-- "what ails you, master?" said the leader of the group. "they have slain eadmund the king," i answered, "and they have taken his body away." thereat they groaned, wondering and cast down, and one said: "they will not have carried him far. let us search." we did so, and after a long time we found the king's body in a thicket where it had been cast. but his head we could not find, though now i bade my dog search also. he led us westward through the wood, until we came to a rising ground, and there we could go no further. for thence we saw the danish horsemen by scores pressing towards us, searching for cattle and sheep as the army passed southward. and the farms were blazing in the track that they had crossed everywhere. then said the men: "we must fly. we who live must save ourselves, and must come back and end this search when we may." "let us bear back the king's body," i said, "and find some hiding place for it at hoxne." so we did, hurriedly, and hid it in a pit near the village, covering it with boards and gravel as well as we could for haste. then i asked the men where they would go. "by boat down the river," they said, "and so join the thane and his party wherever they might be. they have gone to beccles, for they hear that a ship lies there whose master will gladly take them to london." that was good hearing, for so would all be safe. the men pressed me to come with them, but i would not do so, meaning to hasten on to the bishop's place and make him fly to beccles and take ship also, starting this very night. so i bid them go, and on that their leader, a stout freeman named leof, whom i knew well as one of egfrid's best men, said that he would come with me. nor would he hear of aught else. "what would egfrid my master say if i left his brother to go alone?" he asked me simply; and so i suffered him, and we two went towards south elmham together. soon leof saw a horse in a field and caught it, mounting bareback, and after that we went on well enough. darkness fell, and all the low clouds were reddened with the light of fires behind us, and ever as we looked back would be a fresh fire and light in the sky, for the danes were at their work. we pushed on steadily, but the lanes were rough, and the miles seemed very long in the darkness; but at last we crossed the elmham stream and rode to the stockaded house that was the bishop's, and which stands pleasant and well placed on a little hill beyond the low ground, and with no woodland very near it. we shouted, and at last men fully armed came and let us in. and as i looked back once before the gates closed after me, i thought that the fires were nearer. the danes were not staying their hands for darkness, for so the terror they spread would be the greater. so also was the bishop's peril therefore. "where is bishop humbert?" i asked. "master, he is in the church, nor will he leave it," said the old steward. "he says he must pray for king and land day and night now till this terror is overpast." "i will go to him--he must fly," i said. "aye, pray him to do so, wulfric; he will listen to you," said the old man earnestly. "have all things ready," i said. "see--there is little time." "what of the king, master?" asked he, looking at the fires with a white face as he once more opened the gate. "the king has gone where he would wish to be," i answered very gravely; and he understood me, turning away that i might not see his weeping. then leof and i splashed back through the stream that ran between house and church, and came quickly to the porch. the church is very small and more ancient than i can say, for it is built of flint bound together with such mortar as the romans used in their castles, hard as stone itself, and it stands in the midst of the roman camp that guarded the ford, so that maybe it was the first church in all east anglia, for we use wood; and, moreover, this stone church is rounded at the east end, and has a barrier dividing the body of the building into two, beyond which the as yet unbaptized must sit, as men say. and so strong and thick are the walls that i do not know how they can ever fall. now through the narrow windows shone lights, and i heard the sound of chanting. leof held my horse, and i opened the door gently and went in. at once there was a shrinking together of a group of men, mostly monks, who stood at the upper end of the church where the chancel begins. they were chanting the third psalm, for help against the heathen, and it faltered for a moment. but they were mostly monks of the bishop's own household, and knew me well enough, and they ended it shortly. then there was silence, for they were holding none of the set services, but rather as it seemed doing the bishop's bidding, and praying with him in the best way for the ceasing of this new trouble, as in time of pestilence once i remembered that he made litanies for us. and humbert himself knelt before the altar during that psalm, fully vested, but as in times of fast and penitence. when he rose, i came up the aisle towards him, and my mail clanged noisily as i walked in the hush. at the chancel steps i stood, helm in hand, and did reverence, not daring to speak first. "what is it?" asked the bishop, when he turned and saw me. "speak, wulfric, my son. is all well?" "i have heavy news, father," i answered. "close on us are the danes, and you must fly. then i will tell you all on the way." "i will fly no more," he answered, "here i will bide. is the king at my house?" "he is not there, father," i said; and then i urged him to fly at once, and with me his monks joined, even going on their knees in their grief. yet he would not be moved. "surely the king will come here," he said, "nor will i go without him." "father," i said, "the danes have taken the king." "then must i bide here, and pray and scheme for his release." now i knew not how to tell him all, but at last i said: "eadmund the king has escaped from the hands of the heathen." at that the bishop looked long at me, judging perhaps what i meant, by my voice. but the monks rejoiced openly, at first, until they saw what was meant also, and then they trembled. "where is he?" he asked, speaking low. "father," i said, "this twentieth day of november will be the day when england shall honour a new martyr. eadmund the king is numbered among them." "how died he?" then said the bishop, folding his hands. but now the monks bade him fly, and reasoned with and prayed him. but he bade them save themselves, for that there would be work for them to do among the heathen. "as for me, i am an old man," he said, "and i would fain go the same road as the king." still they clung to him, and at last, speaking to each by name, and giving each some message to take to cell or abbey where they must go at his bidding, he commanded them; and so, unwillingly, kissing his hand and receiving his blessing, they went one by one, till he and i and one or two laymen besides were left in the little church. then he spoke to the other men, and they went also, and we were alone. "that is well," said the bishop; "tell me all, and then do you fly." he sat down in his great chair, leaning his head in his hand while i told him all in that quiet place. never once was there trembling flash from the great jewel of his ring, that shone in the candlelight, to show how moved he was; but when i had ended, the tears were running down his venerable face, and he said: "now is there truly one more added to the noble army of martyrs, and he is at rest. now do you go, my son." but i had other thoughts in my mind, and i rose up silently from beside him, saying only: "not yet, father," and i went down the aisle and out into the darkness to leof. "see yonder!" said he pointing, and there was a fresh fire not many miles from us. "i think they scour the country for our bishop. we have little time." "tell me, leof," i said, "have you a mind to live?" for there was somewhat in the man's weary voice that seemed to say that he and i thought alike. "none, master, after today's work, if i may find a brave man or two to die with me." "here is a brave man waiting with a like thought in the church. shall you and i die with him?" "aye, surely," said leof quietly. "bide here then," i said, and took the horses from him. i mounted mine and rode to the house, where the steward and one or two others watched from the gateway. i bade the old man call his folk together, and i told them to fly. many were already gone, now others went at once. but a few stayed, and to them i said like words as to leof. "hither will the danes come presently, but in no great force. we may beat them back, and if we do, then maybe the bishop will fly. but we shall more likely die with him." "let us stand by him, come what will," they answered me in steady voices; "better to die with him and our king." they took their arms and gave me a sword, and we left the horses in the stable, for we might even yet need them. i thought that we could maybe, as i said, beat off the first few danes, and then that, to save further bloodshed, the bishop would go with us. and if not, we had done our best. five men came with me to the ford. when we were at the other side there were but four. one had gone back, and i did not blame him. leof sat in the little porch, and so we six went into the church together. the bishop sat where i had left him, but he raised his head when we came up the aisle. "nay, my sons," he said, "you must fly. maybe these men will respect an old man like myself and lonely." then i said: "father, we would have you say mass for us ere the light comes again." now it wanted about an hour to midnight. "is there yet time?" he said. then i answered that i thought we might wait in peace for so long, and he, knowing nothing of the nearness of the danes, consented. so we bided there in the aisle benches to wait till midnight was past, and soon one or two of the men slept quietly. now, when it may have been almost midnight, and the time for mass would soon be come, the bishop, who had been so still that i thought he slept, lifted his head and looked towards the altar. and at the same time my dog whined a little beside me. then humbert the bishop rose up and held out both his hands as to one whom he would greet, and spoke softly. "aye, eadmund, i am coming. soon shall i be with you." so he stood for a little while very still, and then went to his place again. then leof, who sat next to me, said, whispering: "saw you aught, master?" "i saw nothing, but surely the bishop had a vision." "i myself saw eadmund the king stand before the bishop, and he had a wondrous crown on his head," said leof, speaking as though of somewhat not terrible, but good to think on. "i also saw him," said the old steward from behind me. "i saw him plainly as in life, and i thought he smiled on us." but i had had no such sight, and it grieved me. moreover, two of the other three men whispered, and i thought one of them told of the like vision. and i think, too, that the dog saw it, as the innocent beasts will see things beyond our ken. soon the bishop judged that the time was come for mass, and he called softly to me, bidding me serve, for i had often done so for him in the old days when i was a boy and he was at reedham, and i knew well what to do. then was said a most solemn mass with that one aged priest, and us few men present. and all was very quiet round us, for no wind stirred the trees on the old rampart. the bishop's voice ceased with the benediction, and the hush deepened; but suddenly leof and i looked in each other's faces. we had heard a shout from no great distance, and the blood rushed wildly through us. now the bishop rose from his knees, and i took the holy vessels, as he gave them to me, putting them into their oaken chest in its niche. and when that was done, he said: "now i will not bid you fly, my sons, for i think that somewhat has bidden you bide with me. and i have seen the king, so that i know the time is short. take therefore the holy vessels and drown them in the deep pool of the stream. i have used them for the last time, but i would not have them profaned by the heathen in their feasting." i knew that this should be done as at bosham, but already i heard the shouts yet nearer, and i was loth to leave the church, and so paused. "i know your thoughts," said the bishop. "yet go, as i bid you; it is not far." so i took the heavy, iron-bound chest on my shoulder and went quickly, running as well as i might to the stream below the rampart, where it curled deep and still under crumbling banks. there i plunged my burden, hearing it sink and bubble into the depths. then i went back, and reached the gap in the rampart that had been the gate next the ford, and that was at the east end of the church, so that the porch was far from me. and before i had gone halfway to the church--over the western rampart spurred a score of horsemen, dimly seen in the half moonlight that was now. and the leader of them saw me, and rode straight at me, calling to me to hold, while i drew my sword and ran to reach the door before he met me; and my dog, which was at my heels, flew at the horse's throat. but i must fail, and i whirled up my sword to strike--and then a long flash of light from a spear point smote me, and over me the man rode, pinning me to the ground with the spear through my left shoulder. his horse trod on me, and the man wrenched the weapon from me as he passed on, and i had but time to call out to leof to warn him, when a rushing came in my ears, and a blaze of light before my eyes, and the world passed from me. then i seemed to stand in darkness, while past me, gloriously shining, went leof, and then the old steward and one of those two men who had whispered together, and then humbert the bishop himself. but it seemed to me that he paused and looked on me, saying, in a voice that was like music: "hereafter--not now. twice have you offered your life today, and yet there is work for you. be content to wait." so he passed, looking kindly at me, and then the blackness came over me again. when i came round at last it was high day, and the air was full of smoke around me. one sat on a great brown horse looking at me, and by my side cried my dog; and i groaned, whereat the man got off his horse and came to me. and i knew that it was hubba, and some of the men i knew were there also. "why, wulfric, friend, how is this? i thought you were dead. who has dared to hurt you? what has happened here?" "you know well," i gasped. "nay, i know not; i have but now ridden this way with our rear guard," he answered, seeming to pity me. "look in the church and see," i said, groaning. "you danes are all one in the matter." "now i am not the man to harm you, nor would any of our folk," he said. "some of our courtmen found you here, and brought me." "slay me and have done," i muttered; for that was all i would have him do. "that will i not, wulfric," he answered; and he called to some men who were busy about the walls of the church. the smoke rose thickly from within them, for the burnt roof had fallen in. "take this warrior and bind his wound," he said. "it is wulfric of reedham, our friend." the faintness came over me again when the men raised me, though they tended me gently enough, and i could say naught, though i would rather they had cast me into the burning timbers of the church, even as i had bidden men do with that poor churl at hoxne, that my ashes might be with those of our bishop. so they bore me far, and at last left me in a farm where they promised all should be safe if they tended me well. and hubba rode with them, and came to bid me farewell. but i could not speak to him if i would, so he went away sadly. and as in a dream i heard him speak of care for me to the widow and her two sons to whom the farm belonged, and whom his men had taken unawares, so that they had not time to fly. presently came the best leech from ingvar's host and tended me carefully; and i needed it, for besides the spear wound, my right thigh was broken, by the trampling of the horse, as was most likely. thereafter i lay for many weeks, as they told me presently, sick and nigh to death; but being young and strong and no high liver at any time, i came through the danger well enough, and began to mend slowly. yet my sickness, when i could begin to think, was more of mind than body, and that kept me back. for long did it lie heavily on my mind that i should have died with the king, and it was that sorrow and blame of myself that went sorely against me. but after a time the love of life came back to me again, and i began to see things as they really were, untouched by a sick man's fancies. and then the words of the good prior of bosham helped me, teaching me that my life was surely spared for somewhat. these good folk of the farm tended me most kindly, for they knew me by sight as a close friend of both king and bishop, and for their sakes were glad to do all they might for me. but i pined for the touch of that one who had tended me when i was wounded before, osritha, whom i had learnt to love as she did so. sometimes i would think that between her and me had now risen up a barrier stronger than the sea that was washing our shores alike, because that of ingvar's sister i might not think aught any longer. and then i would set before me how that of these cruel doings nor she nor halfden had any part, hating them rather, and so would comfort myself. long are the thoughts that come to a sick man. now it was not till february that i might take much heed of anything, but then i learnt that the danes had wintered in thetford, and that the land was in peace. the war had passed on to the wessex borders and then had slackened, as winter came earnest, and now the north and south folk, dane and angle, were foes no longer openly. but ingvar and hubba were at nottingham, waiting to fall on wessex, leaving only strong garrisons in our towns. then one of the dame's sons would go to london for me, there to seek ingild and tell him of my hap, for, the lad said: "now that these danes need fight no more they are decent folk enough, and will not hinder a man who has not whereof to be robbed." chapter xiv. how wulfric and raud searched together. i sat in the warm sun under the wide spread of the farmhouse eaves, dreaming my dreams with the dog at my feet, for so soon as the may time came in i must needs get into the open air, and grow stronger daily. so it came to pass that one day up the green farm lane came a stranger, at whom the dog barked not, as was his wont, but ran to meet as if he were some well-loved friend. and it was raud, his old master, who came, lightly mail clad, and with a short hunting spear instead of staff in his hand, and whistling his "biarkamal" as ever. now with raud i had no quarrel concerning the death of the king, for well i knew that what he had done was truly in mercy, nor had he taken any part in what went before. so i greeted him heartily enough, for all that with the sight of him came back to me, with a sharp pang, the memory of how i saw him last. and he rejoiced to see me again. "i have half feared that i should find you gone," he said; "for, when i heard of this from hubba's men, i must needs come and find you, and little hope had i that you would live." "i have nearly died, they say," i answered; "but i think that i owe it to you that i was not slain in hoxne woods yonder." "why, not altogether," he answered, sitting on the settle by me, and looking me over, from arm yet in sling to lame leg. "some of the men with ingvar and me wanted to slay you before they left that place; but ingvar growled so fiercely that they must let you be, that they said no more, nor even would look your way again. but he himself looked at you, and said strange things to himself." "what said he?" i asked, wondering. "he said, paying no heed to me, 'now, wulfric--you will hate me forever more, nor do i think that lodbrok my father would be pleased with this;' after which he spoke words so low that i caught but one here and there, but they were somewhat of the lady osritha, our mistress. after that he said to me, 'leave him horse and arms and unbind him,' and then turned away. yet if i had not bound you at first, maybe they would have had to slay you." "that is true enough," i said; "surely i should have stood between you and the king. but what came to ingvar to make him speak thus to me?" "why, after the hot fit comes the cold, ever, though ingvar the king's cold rage is worse at times than his fury. but since that day there has been somewhat strange about the king." "i wonder not," i said; nor did i. "but how goes it with him?" "men say, though they dare not do so openly, that the ghost of eadmund will not let him rest, and that mostly does he fear him when his rage is greatest. many a time when the fury seemed like to come on him, ingvar turns white and stares suddenly beyond all things, as though seeing somewhat beyond other men's ken, and the sweat runs cold from his forehead. many a man has escaped him through this." "surely eadmund holds him back thus from more cruelty," i thought. and aloud i said: "what think you of the matter?" "why, that i am glad that i was bold enough to save your dying king from more torture--else had i seen somewhat before me day and night. truly i see him now betimes in my sleep, but he ever smiles on me. moreover, this is true, that all those seven men who shot the arrows died in that week. two died in elmham church when you were nigh slain." "tell me of that," i said. for no man knew rightly what had befallen there, save that under the charred ruins of the roof lay bishop humbert and one or two of his men. but when he told me, it was as i thought. those few men had fought bravely until they were slain, themselves slaying three danes. but one of the bishop's men escaped, cutting through a throng at the doorway and seizing a horse. then was slain the bishop, who knelt at the altar, not even turning round to face the danes as they came. so i hold ever that as i lay for dead i had seen those brave ones pass me even as they were slain. but of this i said naught to raud, at that time at least. now i asked raud whence he had come, and he said: "from london." and at that i feared greatly, asking: "has ingvar taken the city, therefore?" "not the king himself, but guthrum went into london, taking good ransom for peace." "where is ethelred the king of england?" i said, half to myself. "ethelred?--he minds naught but wessex for good reason. for halfden and bagsac and the sidracs are on one side of him, and ingvar and hubba the other, waiting for him to make peace. but there is like to be fighting. alfred, the king's brother, has a brave heart and a hard hand." "then all is quiet in london?" "peaceful enough; and there guthrum the king holds court, and i think men are well content with him." "of what is guthrum king?" i asked, for i had not heard him called by that name before. the only other king of the host beside the three jarls was bagsac. "why, of east anglia. he holds it for ingvar, while he tries to add wessex for his own to mercia. halfden will be king in northumbria, maybe, and hubba over another of the kingdoms." so they had already parted out the land among them beforehand! woe for us therefore, for unless a leader was raised up among us, surely all england must own danish overlords! but i had heard alfred the wessex atheling well spoken of as a warrior. however, what was that to us of east anglia? we had been deserted by wessex at our need as it seemed, and these danes were as near kin to us as wessex saxons. "how did you come to leave ingvar's service?" i asked, not being willing to dwell on this matter. "i think my face spoke to him too plainly of that which was in hoxne wood--and so he bade me stay with guthrum. nor was i loth, for i would find you again." then i was touched a little by the kindness of this rough warrior, and thanked him. after that we sat silent for a while, and the good dame brought out food and ale for raud, and i envied his pleasure therein, for i took little as yet. now for many days past a great longing to be away from this place had filled my mind, and now seemed to be the time. "take me to london, raud," i said. "why, that is part of my errand here," he answered, smiling. "i have a message to you from guthrum the king." "what might that be?" "he wants to speak to you as one who is known to be friend to dane and anglian alike, and being blamed by neither for friendship with the other. so he would have you give him counsel." "let me get to london," i said, "and then i will answer. i cannot now." so raud bided in the farm with me for a while, and now with new thoughts and with his talk of halfden and osritha, i mended quickly, for it was my troubled mind that had kept me back mostly, as i cared for nothing. one day i felt strong again, waking up and taking delight in the smell of the fresh morning and in the sunlight. and i ate heartily of the brown bread and milk they gave me, and afterwards told raud of what i had been long thinking. "all things are quiet in the land now. let us gather a few of my people and seek the head of our king, if you fear not to go into hoxne woods." raud thought for a while before he answered me. "i fear not, for the poor king thanked me, smiling at me. let me go with you." so that day the dame sent messages by her son to some who had come back to their places, and in the evening when he came home, there were with him two of bishop humbert's monks, dressed like churls, for they dared not wear their habits. these two and some others would gladly come with me on my search. next day, therefore, they set me on a pony that was quiet, and slowly we went towards hoxne, coming thither in the afternoon early, seeing no danes anywhere, while many of our folk were back and at work in the fields. then i asked raud if these poor people were safe now. "surely, master," he said, for so he would call me, having heard the farm people name me thus. "there is none so great difference between you and us, and we danes love to be at peace if we may. i think there will be no more trouble here. and, anyway, we are too wise to hinder a harvesting of that we may eat." so too thought i, and my heart was less sad after that ride, though there was not one place left unburnt of all that we saw. when we came to hoxne i told the two monks where we had bestowed the king's body, bidding them look to see if it was not disturbed. and they said that his bones were safely there. now we must seek for the head of the king, and in that rand could not help us, for one had ridden away with it while he was taken up with me and my plight. so we went towards that place where the dog had taken us, and searched long, until i, being weak, must get from off the pony and rest. i would ride back to the place where the king had been slain and sit there awhile; but first, knowing that vig remembered things well, i sent him from me, bidding him search also, hoping that he would not forget his last quest in this place. yet what we most feared was that the forest beasts had made our search vain. there were many men from the village with us now, for they had followed the two monks, and they spread about over the wood far and wide, searching, while i sat at the foot of the oak tree to which the king had been bound, leaning my arms and head against the trunk that had been stained with his blood, and thinking and praying, as well i might in that sacred place. i moved my hand, and felt something sticking from the hard bark and looked to see what it was. it was an arrowhead, such a rough iron spike as men will use when they must make fresh arrows after battle, in all haste, and have to use what they can first find. the shaft was snapped close to the iron and the rawhide lashing that held it, and i could not take it out as i would, for the young oak was sturdy and tough; and so i left it, thinking that i would return some day to cut it out. that i did in after years, but the arrowhead was hidden, for the tree had grown fast, closing on it, as i think, and i could not find its place. so it will be there for one to find hereafter, maybe long hence, for such a tree has many a hundred years to last yet, if saved from mishap of wind or lightning or axe. then i think will men still know what that iron is, for eadmund the king cannot be forgotten. presently it seemed to me that the voices i heard in the wood, as the searchers called to each other, drew closer together, crying: "where are you?" "here--here!" and then was a sort of outcry, and a silence, and i hoped that maybe they had found what they sought. so i rose up and went slowly and limpingly to the place where they seemed to be. i met them in a green glade. and foremost came the two monks, bearing between them a cloak, wherein was surely that we looked for, and after them came my dog and raud, and then the rest. and when they saw me they cried softly to me: "master, we have found the head of our king." so they laid open the cloak before me, and i knelt and looked. and there was indeed the head of eadmund, seeming whole and fresh as when i had last seen him; and his looks were very peaceful, for on his face was still that smile with which he had greeted death at raud's hands. then, seeing that, the rough dane was fain to turn away and lean arms and face against a tree trunk, weeping as weeps a child that will not be comforted. after a little i asked how they had found the head. and one of the villagers, speaking low and holding his cap in his hands as though in the church, answered me. "when i came to a certain thicket, i heard a crying, as it were, and i turned aside and looked, and at first was sorely afraid, for yon great wolf held the head between his paws, whining over it as in grief. then i called to the rest, and they came, running, and were afraid also till the good fathers came, to whom the wolf was gentle, suffering them to take that which he guarded. and lo! he follows us even now, as would a dog!" so the man spoke, not having seen such a dog as mine before, for till more came with the host there were none like him in our land. i told him that it was but my own dog; yet for all that, i know that this tale of a wolf passed for the truth over all the land as it flew from mouth to mouth, so that soon i myself heard from one who knew me not very strange stories of that finding of ours. yet would that tale hardly be stranger than was the truth, that not one of the wild creatures, either beast or bird, had harmed our king's sacred head. and how it should be so preserved in that place i cannot tell, but i say what i saw. yet his body was not so preserved in the place where we had hidden it. these things are beyond me, nor can i tell all the thoughts that came into my mind as i looked into the face of the king whom i had loved, and who loved me. now would we take our treasure, as we must needs think it, to hoxne, and the monks were about to lift it again. but raud came forward very solemnly, begging that he might be allowed to bear it, "because he would make what amends he might." and i signed to the monks to suffer him to do so, and he took it. none else but i knew what part he had had with the other danes in this matter, and the monks did but think him grieving for what his comrades had done. so he bore it to hoxne village, and we passed the place where the church had been. there, amid the blackened ruins of the walls and roof, stood the font of stone, fire reddened and chipped, yet with the cross graven on its eastward face plain to be seen. and to that place raud led us, none staying him, yet all wondering. when he came there he strode over the burnt timber until he came to the font, and there, under the graven cross, he set down his burden very gently, and stood up, looking in my face, and saying: "here will i leave the worship of odin and cleave to that faith for which eadmund the king died, and for which you, wulfric, were willing to die both in jutland and here by eadmund's side. will any forbid me?" then i knew that the man was in such earnest, that none, save he perilled his own soul, might hold him back, and i took his hand and spoke to the elder monk, saying: "i will answer for this man, father, as to his will. if he knows enough of our faith, i pray you baptize him straightway." there was rain water in the font, sparkling and clear, and without any delay or doubt the good man came forward and stood thereby, while i yet held raud's hand as his godfather. "what know you of our faith, my son?" said the monk in his gentle voice. now of his own accord raud faced to the eastward, and clasping his hands before him, spoke the words of the creed, slowly and haltingly maybe, but with knowledge thereof, and all that little company, standing hushed until he ended, answered "amen" with one voice. then again, untaught by us he turned to the west, where the sun was even now sinking, and lifting his right hand very solemnly he put away from him the false gods of his forefathers, and the golden sunlight made his face very glorious, as i thought. "it is well, my son," said the old monk. so he was baptized, and i gave him the new name of cyneward {xxii}, for the memory of eadmund the king and what he did for him in saving him from torture as best he might. and surely he was the first fruit of the martyrdom of him whose head he had borne. then when all was done he took up his burden again, softly and reverently, saying: "life i took, and life has been given me. this is not the old way of life for life, but it is better." so he gave back the head to the monks, and they, wondering at him, but greatly rejoicing, took it, and stood awhile pondering where we might safely bestow it. then came one of the villagers, telling of a stone-walled chamber that had been a well in days long gone by, hard by the church porch. that we found after some labour, moving much ruin from over it, and therein we placed the bones and head of our king, covering it again until better days should come. and i, thinking of my riches in the hands of ingild, promised that when it might be done i would see to raising the church afresh, to be over the ashes of the king. so our little company parted, and cyneward, who had been raud, and i went back with the elder monk and the farm folk to our place, going slowly in the warm twilight, with our hearts at rest, and full of the wonders we had seen that day. only one thing would the monk and i ask cyneward, for we wondered how he had learned our faith so well. and that he answered gladly. "ever as wulfric and i escaped from the vengeance of ingvar towards hedeby i wondered that one should be strong enough to defy the asir and their godar for the sake of the new faith. so i sat in the church of ansgar among the other heathen and heard somewhat. and again in london of late, where guthrum will have no man harmed for his religion, i have listened and learnt more. so when i needed them, the words were ready. now, therefore, both in life and death, wulfric, my master, i thank you." but i was silent, knowing how much greater a part in this i might have had. for i thought that, but for the need of proving my faith or denying it, i should have surely been as a heathen among heathen in those days in jutland. yet beorn asked me to pray for him, and that i had done, and it had kept me mindful when i had else forgotten. so began the work humbert the bishop foretold before he died, and that monk of his who saved his own life at humbert's bidding for the work, saw it, and rejoiced. after this, in a week's time, cyneward and i took horse and rode away to london, for the dame's son came back to me, having found ingild, bringing me messages from him, and also from egfrid and many more. and all was well. at that time i could not reward as i would those good people who had thus cared for me, but i would send presents when i might. yet they said they needed naught from me but to see me again at some time, which i promised, as well for my own love of them as for their asking. we went unharmed and unquestioned, for all the land was at peace. truly there were new-made huts where farmsteads had been, and at the town gates were danish axemen instead of our spearmen as of old. yet already in the hayfields dane and anglian wrought together, and the townsmen stood on colchester hill beside the danish warriors, listening while gleeman and scald sang in rivalry to please both. little of change was there in london town, save again the scarlet-cloaked danish guards and watchmen. few enough of these there were, and indeed the host left but small parties in the towns behind them in our land. yet those few could hold the country in peace, because men knew that at their back was the might of ingvar's awful host, which came on a land unawares, marching more swiftly than rumour could fly before it, so that not one might know where the next blow would fall until suddenly the war beacons of flaming villages flared up, and it was too late to do aught but fly. yet in our land was none to fight for. no king had we to follow the martyr. ethelred had left us alone, and already in the hearts of men grew up the thought that the strong hand of the dane meant peace. in the house of good old ingild, my second father, as he would have me hold him, was rest at last. and there i found all whom i held dear gathered to meet me on the night when i came, for they had fled by ship, as they had hoped, and had reached london safely. chapter xv. the message of halfden the king. now when i had been in london for a fortnight, cyneward, whom ingild would by no means suffer to live elsewhere than in his house with me, went to guthrum as was his duty, and told him that i had come. whereupon he sent to me, asking again that i would speak with him. on that i took counsel with ingild and egfrid, and the thane his father, and they thought it well that i should do so. "this dane," said the thane, "is lord of east anglia by the might of the strong hand, and it seems to us that we might have a worse ruler. at any rate we shall have peace, and no more trouble with danes while he is here. as for ethelred, he is no more to us. even if he overcomes the danes in the end, it is not likely that we will own wessex overlords again unless we must." that was the word of all with whom i spoke, and in the end, when it was certain that the danes meant to stay, and that help from ethelred was none, east anglia owned guthrum as king quietly and with none to say a word against it, so securing a peace that should last. but to this i could not bring myself as yet, because of what i had seen, and that the hand of ingvar was behind guthrum. "go to him at least," said ingild, "and find what he needs of you. then will be time to say more." so at his advice i went, and i found guthrum in ethelred's great house, where he sat in little state, doing justice in open hall where many citizens were gathered. and i saw him do even-handed right to both dane and saxon, and that pleased me, for already i had liked the man's honest face and free bearing. he greeted me well, taking me aside presently with cyneward into a private chamber. and there he told me that he would ask me to do a favour towards him. i answered that what i might i would do gladly, so that he asked me not to break faith with my own people. "i would ask no man to do that," he said. "tell me what i may not ask you." "shall i speak plainly?" i said. "aye, plainly as you will." "then, guthrum, i may not own ingvar for overlord. nor can i allow that you have more than right of conquest over us." "plain speaking, in good sooth," he said, laughing a little, "but what i expected from wulfric of reedham. however, i am ruler in east anglia by that right you speak of, and i have a mind to be as fair in it as i may. now, i think you can help me." this honest saying warmed my heart to him somewhat, and weary enough of his lawman's work this warrior looked. yet i was not sure that he would not try to use me to make his hold on the land more sure. "tell me in what way that may be," i said, therefore. "let me come and ask you of this and that when i am in a strait owing to knowing naught of saxon ways. then can i say to a dane, 'thus says wulfric, lodbrok's friend,' and to an anglian, 'so says the thane of reedham.' then i think i shall do well, for i would fain be fair." "i will ever be ready to do that, guthrum," i said; and i held out my hand to him, for i could not help it. so he took it and wrung it warmly. "now must i go back to thetford very soon," he said. "come back that you may be near me." "i must live here, in london now," i said; for i would by no means live with his court, nor did i think that he should have thought it of me after my words. "why not go back to your own place now? i can see you often at reedham." "that is an ill jest," i said; for i thought nothing so sad as going back to see that dear home of mine but a blackened heap of ruins, nor would i ever ask any who might have seen the place concerning it, knowing how the danish ships had burnt all the coast villages. guthrum looked at me as if puzzled. "no jest, thane," he said; "why not go back?" "to ruins--what good?" i answered. "now i think you mean that you will not take your land at my hands," he said. "that were to own you king." "then, wulfric, my friend, if i may call you so, that the lands of a friend are not mine to give and take i need not tell you. nor do we harm the lands of a friend. there is one place in east anglia that no dane has harmed, or will harm--the place that sheltered jarl lodbrok. and there is one man whose folk, from himself to the least of all, are no foes of ours--and that is the thane of reedham. ah! now i see that i have gladdened you, and i think that you will come." "this seems almost impossible," i said, in my wonder and gladness. "nay, but word went round our host that it was to be so. there you might have bided all unknowing that war was near you. you do but go back of your own free will." now i was fain to say that i would at once go back to my place, but there was one thing yet that i would say to guthrum. "will you let the christian folk be unharmed?" "little will our people care," he said, "when once they have settled down, what gods a man worships. nor would i have any meddled with because of their faith." "now am i most willing to help you," i said; "and i will say this--so are you likely in the end to be hailed king indeed." "that is well," he answered, flushing a little. "but there is one man whom i will never ask to own me as king, and that is yourself. but if you do so of your own will, it will be better yet." so we parted, each as i think pleased with the other, and i knew that east anglia had found a wise ruler in guthrum the dane. straightway now i told my people the good news that reedham was safe. the longships came up to norwich time after time now; and there had been but one thought among us, and that was that our place could not have escaped the destruction that had fallen on all the shore and riverside villages. then ingild said: "these danes have come as our forefathers came here, to take a new and better country for themselves, but the strife between them and us is not as the strife between alien peoples. they are our kin, but between us and the welsh was hatred of race. they will settle down, and never will east anglia pass from danish hands, even if ethelred of wessex makes headway enough to be owned as overlord of england by them. now therefore is there one place in all england where peace has come, and to that place i would go to end my days. here in london the tide of war will ebb and flow ever. let me go down with you to reedham, my son, that i may die in peace." so we did but wait until he had set all his affairs in order, selling his house and merchandise and the like. then we hired a ship that came from the frankish coast and waited for cargo in the thames, and sailed at the end of july to reedham. with us were egfrid and eadgyth and my mother and cyneward, who would by no means leave me, and to whom guthrum willingly gave leave to go with us. we came easily to reedham, and very strange it was to me to see two danish longships lying in our roads, while our own shore boats were alongside, the men talking idly together on deck or over gunwale in all friendliness. stranger yet it was to see the black ruins of farms and church on the southern shores of the river mouth, and at reedham all things safe and smiling as ever. then was a wondrous welcome for us on our little staithe, and all the village crowded down to greet us. nor were the men from the danish ships behindhand in that matter, for they too would welcome lodbrok's friends. so we came home, and soon the old life began again as if naught had altered, but for the loss of loved faces round us. yet in peace or war that must come, and in a little while we grew content, and even happy. soon guthrum came to thetford, and many times rode over to me, asking me many things. and all men spoke well of him, so that egfrid's father and some other thanes owned him as king, and took their lands as at his hands, coming back to rebuild their houses. for as yet none of the greater danish chiefs chose lands among us, since it seemed likely that in a little while all england would be before them, and in any case the power of ethelred must be broken before there could be peace. now when the first pleasure of return was over, i myself began to be restless in my mind, seeing the quiet happiness of egfrid in his marriage, and thinking how far i was from osritha, whom i loved in such sort that well i knew that i should never wed any other. and i would watch some danish ship when she passed our village, going homewards, longing to sail in her and seek the place where lodbrok's daughter yet lived beyond the broad seas. but presently, at the summer's very end, i knew from the danes that ingvar had gone back to denmark, called there by some rumour of trouble brewing at home in his absence; and that made it yet harder for me, if possible, for on ingvar i would not willingly look again, nor would i think of osritha but as apart from him. so the winter wore away. the host was quiet in winter quarters in mercia, and the danes in our country grew friendly with us, harming no man. these men, i could see, would fain bide in peace, settling down, being tired of war, and liking the new country, where there was room and to spare for all. in early spring guthrum went to the host on the wessex borders, taking command in ingvar's place. for hubba went to northumbria, there to complete his conquests, and halfden was on the western borders of wessex. and before he went guthrum took great care for the good ordering of our land--and that he might leave it at all at that time was enough to show that he feared no revolt against him. now as i sat in our hall, listless and downcast, one day in july, cyneward came in to me. "here is news, master, that i know not what to make of." "what is it?" i said. "is the war to be here once more?" "the war is no nearer than ashdown heath; but it seems that the wessex men have found a leader." then he told me of the long fighting round reading, and how at last halfden had cut his way through wessex and joined forces with guthrum after many victories. but that then ethelred and alfred the atheling had made a great effort, winning a mighty victory on ashdown heath, slaying bagsac the king and both the sidracs, harald and osbern the jarls, frene, and many more with them. nine battles had they fought that year and last. "how hear you of this?" i said. "there has come a messenger from guthrum with the news, and even now the danes march in all haste from the towns to fill up the gaps in the ranks of the host, and he says that ships must go back to jutland to ingvar for more men from overseas." now this news was nothing to us east anglians for the most part, and to me it was but a turn of the fight between dane and saxon for the overlordship of all england. that was not a matter to be settled by one or two victories on either side, nor might one see how it would end. yet i was glad, for of all things i feared that ingvar might be our master in the end, and this seemed to say that it was none so certain. more men came in after that, hastening the going to the front of those who would, for not all the danes among us would stir from their new homes, saying that they had done their part, and knowing that what they left others might take. and in ten days' time cyneward came to me saying that there were two longships coming in from the open sea. "let the pilots go out to them," i said; for it was of no use withholding this help from the danish ships, little as we liked to see them come. so i forgot the matter. then again cyneward ran to me in haste, and with his eyes shining. "master, here is halfden's ship. come and see!" gladly i went out then, and when i saw those two ships my heart leapt up with joy, for it was indeed my own ship that was leading, and i thought that halfden would be in her. so soon as she was in the river she made for our wharf, and that was not the wont of the danes, who mostly went on past us up the river to where the great towns were. and at once when she was alongside i went on board, and at sight of me half her crew came crowding round me, shouting and shaking my hand; for they were our old crew, the same who had fought beside me and had backed me at the ve. there, too, was thormod, grim as ever, but welcoming me most gladly. but halfden was not there. "what is this, thormod?" i said, when i had him up to the house, and the men were eating in the great hall. "why are you not with halfden?" "have you heard no news?" he asked. "only a few days ago i heard of the business at ashdown." "well, i have come thence," he said. "now must i sail home and fetch more men in all haste." "why came you in here?" "because i came away in haste and need stores. and, moreover, i wanted to see you." "that is good of you, thormod, and glad am i to have you here, even if it is only for a day," i answered. "moreover, i have a message to you from halfden," he went on. whereupon i asked him about the battle, and long we sat while he told me all. and halfden's deeds had been great, but could not turn aside defeat. so he ended. "then because our ship lay in the thames, where we had sent her from the west when we broke through the wessex country and joined guthrum, he sent me back for men. so i am here. both sides must needs rest awhile, as i think." "what of halfden's message?" i asked. "why, i know not how you will take it, but it is this. the night before the battle he slept ill, and at last woke me, saying that he would have me take a message if he was slain. so i said that i hoped he was not fey. that he was not, he told me, but this was going to be a heavy sword play, and one knew not how things would go. then he told me that ever as he began to sleep he saw osritha his sister, and she was pale and wrung her hands, saying: 'now am i alone, and there is none to help me, for halfden and wulfric are far away, and i fear ingvar and his moods'. then said i, 'that is true enough. it needs no dream to tell one of the maiden's loneliness.' yet he answered, 'nevertheless, in some way i will have wulfric our comrade know that osritha sits alone and will not be comforted'. so when i must start on this voyage he bade me tell you of this matter, and i have done so." now i was full of many thoughts about this, but as yet i would say little. so i asked: "what of ingvar's moods? are they more fierce than his wont?" "well, between us twain," he answered, looking at cyneward, who sat apart from us across the king's chamber where we were, "ingvar is not all himself lately, and all men fear him, so that he is no loss to the host." i knew somewhat, i thought, of the reason for this, and so did cyneward, but passed that over. now nothing seemed more plain to me than that halfden meant that i should seek osritha. "what is halfden doing?" i asked. "will he not go back to your own land?" "why, no. for he takes northumbria as his share of what we have won. hubba is there now. but we fight to gain more if we may, and if not, to make sure of what we have. one way or another ethelred's power to attack us must be broken." "so halfden bides in england. what meant he by his message?" "why, wulfric, if you cannot see i will not tell you." "what of ingvar?" "now, wulfric," said thormod, "if i did not know that you at least were not afraid of him, i should say that he was best left alone. but as neither you nor i fear him, let us go and see what may be done." "let me think thereof," said i, not yet daring to make so sure of what i most wished. "shall i tell osritha that wulfric thought twice of coming to see her?" "that you shall not," i cried; "i do but play with my happiness. surely i will go, and gladly. but will she welcome me?" "better come and see concerning that also," he answered, laughing a little, so that one might know what he meant. "let us go at once on this tide," i said, starting up. "not so fast now, comrade," laughed thormod. "would you come again half starved, as last time, into the lady's presence?" then i called cyneward, but when he rose up and came to us, thormod stared at him, crying: "you here, raud! i thought you were with ingvar." "aye, thormod, i am here--at least cyneward, who was raud, is with wulfric." "ho! then you have turned christian?" "aye," answered cyneward, flushing, though not with shame, for it was the first time he had owned his faith to one of his former comrades. "now i thought this likely to happen to some of us," said thormod, not showing much surprise, "if maybe it is sooner than one might have looked for. however, that is your concern, not mine. keep out of ingvar's way, though." "i bide here with wulfric," he answered, having paid no heed to our low-voiced talk. "wulfric sails with me to find--ingvar," said thormod, and at that cyneward turned to me in surprise. "not ingvar," said i, "but one in his house. will you come with me?" then he understood, and his face showed his gladness. "this is well," he cried; "gladly will i go with you and return with that other." "that is to be seen," i answered, though i thought it surely would be so. "now go and see to the arms and all things needful, and send the steward to me, for we have to victual the ship." so i left thormod with the steward and sought ingild, telling him what i would do. whereat he, knowing my trouble, was very glad; and then egfrid would fain come with me also when he heard. that, however, i would not suffer, seeing that there was ingvar to be dealt with. my mother wept, and would have me not go. but here my sister helped me. "bring osritha back if you can," she said. "soon will our house be built again, and we shall go, and you will be lonely." for egfrid's father had owned guthrum, and his house and theirs were nigh rebuilt. in a day's time thormod and i set sail, and once more i took the helm as we went out over our bar. and the quiver of the tiller in my hands and the long lift of the ship over the rollers seemed to put fresh life in me, and my gloom passed away as if it had never been. the breeze was fresh, and the ship flew, yet not fast enough for me, though so well sailed ours that when day broke the other was hull down astern of us, and at night we had lost her altogether. and the breeze held and the spray flew, and i walked the deck impatiently, while thormod from the helm smiled at me. bright were the skies over me, and bright the blue water that flashed below the ship's keel, but my thoughts would even have brightened such leaden skies as those that last saw me cross along this ocean path. and i thought that i could deal with ingvar now. chapter xvi. how wulfric brought osritha home. there was a haze far out at sea, and a fog was coming in with the tide when we came to the mouth of ingvar's haven; and rounded the spit of land that shelters it from the southerly winds. soon we cleared it and then saw the town and hall above it at the head of the haven, and what my longings were i need not write. now by the wharves lay two ships, and i thought little of that, but on seeing them, thormod, by whose side i was as he steered, seemed to wonder. "ingvar has got another ship from somewhere," he said, "or has built one this winter, for he sailed home with one only." then, too, the men began to say the like, for the second ship was strange to them also, and, as seamen will, they puzzled over her until we were close at hand. but i leaned on the gunwale and dreamed dreams of my own, paying no heed to their talk. out of those dreams i was roused by thormod's voice. "yon ship is no dane," he said sharply. "clear the decks and get to arms, men. here is somewhat amiss." then was a growl of wrath from our crew, yet no delay, and in a moment every man was in his place. down came the sail, and the mast was lowered and hoisted on its stanchions overhead, and in five minutes or less the oars were out, and the men who were arming themselves ran to take them as they were ready, while those who had rowed should get to arms also. not for the first time saw i that ship cleared for action, but never had i seen it done so swiftly, though we had but half our fighting crew, sixty men instead of a hundred and thirty or so. i armed myself swiftly as any, and thormod bade me take halfden's place on the fore deck, where the men were already looking to bowstrings and bringing up sheaves of arrows and darts. then when i came they shouted, and one gray-headed warrior cried: "now you have a good fight on hand, axeman." then i asked: "who are the strangers?" "it is a ship of the jomsburg vikings," he said. "they know that our men are all in england, and have come to see what we have left behind--thor's bolt light on them!" now, of all savage vikings these jomsburgers are the worst. red-handed they are, sparing none, and it is said of them that they will sacrifice men to the gods they worship before a great fight. nor are they all of one race, but are the fiercest men of all the races of the baltic gathered into that one nest of pirates, jomsburg. now a cold thrill of fear for osritha ran through me, and then came hot rage, and for a little i was beside myself, as it were, glaring on that ship. then i grew cool and desperate, longing only to be hand to hand with them. swiftly we bore down on the ship, and now from her decks came the hoarse call of uncouth war horns, and her crew came swarming back from the streets with shouts and yells, crossing ingvar's ship to reach their own, for she lay alongside, stem to stern of the dane, and next to the open water. now i could see that men fought with the last of the jomsburgers as they came down the street to their ship, and there were no houses burning, so that they could have been for no long time ashore. and that was good to know. we came into the channel abreast of her, and then thormod roared to me: "now i will ram her. board her as we strike if we do not sink her!" then he called on the oarsmen, and they cheered and tugged at the oars, the men in the waist helping them, and my fore deck warriors gripping the bulwarks against the shock. down we swooped like a falcon on a wild duck, and as we came the jomsburgers howled and left their own ship, climbing into ingvar's to fly the crash, while some tried to cast off, but too late. "shoot!" i shouted to my men, and the arrows flew. through skin-clad backs and bare necks the arrows pierced, and the smitten pirates fell back into their own ship, as they swarmed the higher sides of ingvar's, like leaves from a tree. then with a mighty crash and rending of cloven timbers our dragon stem crushed the jomsburg ship from gunwale to gunwale, splintering the rail of the other ship as the wreck parted and sunk on either side of our bows, while above the rending of planks and rush of waters rose the howls of the drowning men. i clung to the dragon's neck, and the shock felled me not. yet my men went headlong over the oarsmen as we struck, rising again with a great shout of grim laughter, to follow me over the bows as i leapt among the pirates who thronged on ingvar's deck before me. then was the sternest fight i have ever seen, for we fought at close quarters, they for dear life, and we for those even dearer than life. there was no word of quarter, and at first, after our cheer on boarding, there was little noise beyond the ringing of weapon on helm and shield and mail, mixed with the snarls of the foul black-bearded savages against us and the smothered oaths of our men. then came a thickness in the air and a breath of chill damp over me, and all in a moment that creeping sea fog settled down on us, and straightway so thick it was, that save of those before and on either side of him no man might see aught, but must fight in a ring of dense mist that hemmed him round. and for a while out of that mist the arrows hissed, shot by unseen hands, and darts, hurled by whom one might not know, smote friend and foe alike, while if one slew his man, out of the fog came another to take his place, seeming endless foes. and as in a dream the noise of battle sounded, and the fight never slackened. all i knew was that cyneward was next me, and that my axe must keep my own life and take that of others; and i fought for osritha and home and happiness--surely the best things for which a man can fight next to his faith. and now men began to shout their war cries that friend might rally to friend rather than smite him coming as a ghost through the mist. then a man next me cried between his teeth: "it is ragnaroek come--and these are odin's foes against whom we fight." and so smote the more fiercely till he fell beside me, crying: "ahoy! a raven!--a raven!" then was i down on the slippery deck, felled by a blow from a great stone hammer that some wild pirate flung over the heads of his comrades before me, and cyneward dragged me up quickly, so that i think he saved my life that time. and i fought on, dazed, and as in a dream i fancied that i was on the deck of my father's ship fighting the fight that i looked for in the fog that brought my friend halfden. when my brain cleared, i knew not which way we faced. only that cyneward was yet with me, and that out of the dimness came against us jomsburgers clad in outlandish armour, and with shouts to strange gods as they fell on me. "hai, wainomoinen! swantewit, ho!" then i cast away my shield, for i grew weary, and taking both hands to my axe, fought with a dull rage that i should have fallen, and that there were so many against me. and all alone we two seemed to fight by reason of the fog, though i heard the shouts of our crew to right and left unceasingly. then i felled a man, and one leapt back into mist and was gone, and a giant shape rose up against me out of the thickness, towering alone, and at this i smote fiercely. yet it was not mail or hardened deerskin that i smote, but solid timber, and i could not free my axe again, so strongly had i smitten. it was the high stem head of the vessel. for i and my men had cleared away the foe from amidships to bows, and still the noise of fight went on behind us, while the fog was thick as ever. then cyneward leaned against the stem head and laughed. "pity so good a stroke was wasted on timber, master," he said. "pull it out for me," i answered, "my arm is tired." for now i began to know that my left shoulder was not yet so strong as once. he tugged at the axe and freed it, not without trouble. "what now?" said one of the men. but a great shout came from aft, and then a silence that seemed strange. we were still, to hear what we might, and i think that others listened for us. "surely we have cleared the ship?" i said. "let us go and see." then i hailed our men, asking how they fared--and half i feared to hear the howl and rush of pirates coming back on us. but it was a danish voice that called back to me that the last foe was gone. we stumbled back now along either gunwale, over the bodies of friend and foe that cumbered all the deck, and most thickly and in heaps amidships, where our first rush fell. one by one from aft met us those who were left of the men who had fought their way to the stern. well for us was it that the darkness had hindered the jomsburgers from knowing how few we were and how divided. but shoulder to shoulder we had fought as vikings will, never giving back, but ever taking one step forward as our man went down before us. now i called to thormod, and his voice answered me from shoreward. "here am i, wulfric. how have you sped?" "some of us are left, but no foemen," i answered. "call your names," he said. and when we counted i had but sixteen left of my thirty, so heavy had been the fighting. yet i thought that the jomsburgers were two to our one as we fell on them, and of them was not one left. "what now?" asked thormod. "there are more of these men in the town. here have i been keeping them back from the ship." "let us go up to the hall," i answered. "we could find our way in the dark, and they cannot tell where they are in this fog." so i and my men climbed on to the wharf, and there were the rest of the crew with thormod, who had crossed the decks as we cleared a passage, even as the fog came down, and had driven the rest of the jomsburgers away from the landing place before they could join those in the ship. well for us it was that he had done this, or we should have been overborne by numbers, for the ship was a large one, carrying maybe seven score men. "we must leave your tired men with the ship and go carefully," said thormod. "likely enough we shall have another fight." we marched up the well-known street four abreast, and as we left the waterside the fog was thinner, so that we could see the houses on either side of the way well enough. and as we went we were joined by many of ingvar's people, old men and boys mostly, who had been left at home when the fleet sailed. and they told us that the jomsburg men were round the great house itself. yet we could hear no sound of them, and that seemed strange, so that we feared somewhat, drawing together lest a rush on us were planned. but beyond a few men slain in the street we saw nothing till we came to the gate of the stockade. and that was beaten down, while some danes and jomsburgers lay there as they had fallen when this was done. now when we saw this i know not which was the stronger, rage or surprise, and i called one of the old men. "where is the king?" i asked. "he is not in the town," he said; "he is away with his own courtmen, fighting against these pirates for jarl swend, who is beset by them." now it was plain that this ship came from that place; either beaten off, or knowing that ingvar's haven lay open to attack while his men were away thus. and a greater fear than any came over me. "where is the lady osritha?" i said. "she was here in the town this morning." "so, wulfric," said thormod quickly, "she will have fled. the steward will have seen to that. no use her biding here when the ship came." so i thought, but i was torn with doubt, not knowing if time for flight had been given, or if even now some party of jomsburgers might not be following hard after her. i must go into the hall and find out, whatever the risk, for it was certain that it held the rest of the pirates. "leave men here to guard the gates," i said to thormod. "needs must that we see more of this." ten men stayed at the gate, lest jomsburgers lurked in the houses to fall on us, and we went across to the great porch. the door was open, nor could we see much within; and there was silence. "stand by," said thormod, and picked up a helm that lay at his feet. he hurled it through the door, and it clanged and leapt from the further wall across the cold hearthstone. then there was a stir of feet and click of arms inside, and we knew that the hall was full of men. i know not what my thoughts were--but woe to any pirate who came within my reach. "show yourselves like men!" shouted thormod, standing back. then, seeing that there was no hope that we should fall into this trap they had laid, there came into the doorway a great, black-haired jomsburg lett, clad in mail of hardened deerskin, such as the lapp wizards make, and helmed with a wolf's head over the iron head piece. he carried a long-handled bronze axe, and a great sword was by his side. "yield yourselves!" said thormod. the savage hove up his axe, stepping one pace nearer into the porch. "what terms?" he said in broken danish. "give up your prisoners and arms, and you shall go free," answered thormod, for he feared lest if any captives were left alive they would be slain if we fought. "come and take them!" spoke back the jomsburger in his harsh voice, and with a sneering laugh. now i could not bear this any longer, and on that i swung my axe and shouted, rushing on the man. up went his long weapon overhead, and like a flash he smote at me--but he forgot that he was in the porch, and as his blow fell the axe lit on the crossbeams and stuck there. the handle splintered, and he sprang back out of reach of my stroke. then i dropped my axe and closed with him, and i was like a berserk in my fury, so that i lifted him and flung him clear over my shoulder, and he fell heavily on the threshold on his head. nor did he move again. cyneward thrust my axe into my hand, as past me thormod and the men charged into the doorway. the hall was full of the pirates, and now we fought again as on the decks, hand to hand in half darkness. but it was no long fight, for those of our men who had been at the gate, finding they might leave it, came round and fell on the jomsburgers from the back of the hall, coming through the other doors. so there was an end, and though many of us were wounded, we lost there but three men, for there were ale casks lying about, and the pirates fought ill. now we stood among the dead and looked in one another's faces. there were no danes among the jomsburgers, and they had, as it seemed, found the place empty. then i thought: "those men who fell at the gate should be honoured, for they have fought and died to give time for flight to the rest." and i called cyneward to me, and we went through the house from end to end. everywhere had been the pirates, rifling and spoiling in haste, so that the hangings were falling from the walls, and rich stuffs torn from chests and closets strewed the floors of osritha's bower. but we found no one. then said cyneward: "they are safe--fled under cover of the fog." but now broke out a noise of fighting in the streets, and we went thither in haste. some twenty jomsburgers had sallied from a house, and were fighting their way to the ships, for now one could see well enough. they were back to back and edging their way onward, while the boys and old men tried to stay them in vain. when they saw us, they broke and fled, and were pursued and slain at last, one by one. then were no more of that crew left. now thormod and i went back to the hall, and in the courtyard stood a black horse, foam covered, and with deeply-spurred sides. it was ingvar's. and when we came to the porch, the axe still stuck in the timbers overhead, and the jomsburg chief's body lay where i had cast him--but in the doorway, thin and white as a ghost, stood ingvar the king, looking on these things. he saw me, and gave back a pace or two, staring and amazed, and his face began to work strangely, and he stepped back into the dim light of the hall, and leant against the great table near the door, clutching at its edge with his hands behind him, saying in a low voice: "mercy, king--have mercy!" now, so unlike was this terror-stricken man to him who stood in hoxne woods bidding that other ask for mercy, and gnashing his teeth with rage, that i could hardly think him ingvar, rather pitying him. i would have gone to him, but thormod held me back. "let him bide--the terror is on him again--it will pass soon." "aye, i saw him thus once before in wessex," said one of our men; and i knew that this was what cyneward had told me of. very pitiful it was to see him standing thus helpless and unmanned, while his white lips formed again and again the word of which he once knew hardly the meaning--"mercy". presently his look came back from far away to us, and he breathed freely. at last he stood upright and came again to the doorway, trying to speak in his old way. "here have you come in good time, comrades. where are the jomsburgers?" "gone," said thormod, curtly. "where were you, king?" now ingvar heeded me not, but answered thormod. "with jarl swend beating off more of this crew. then i saw the ship leave, and i knew where she would go. hard after me are my courtmen, but i was swifter than they." now all this was wearisome to me, for i would fain follow osritha in her flight, if i could. so i left thormod, without a word to ingvar, and went to the stables. there were but two horses left, and those none of the best; but cyneward and i mounted them, and rode as fast as we might on the road which he said was most likely to be taken by fugitives. we had but two miles to ride, for in the fog that frightened crowd of old men, women, and children had surely circled round, and had it lasted would never have gone far from the town. when they saw us the women shrieked, and what men were with them faced round to meet an attack, thinking the pirates followed them; but we shouted to them to hold, as we were friends, though not before an arrow or two flew towards us. at my voice, osritha, who sat on her own horse in the midst of the company, turned round, saying quickly: "who is it speaks?" and i took off my helm, and she saw me plainly, and cried my name aloud, and then swayed in her saddle and slipped thence into her old steward's arms, and one or two of the maidens went to her help. but the men cheered, knowing that now help, and maybe victory, had come with us. "is all well?" they said in many voices. "all is well," i answered; "let us take back your mistress." now osritha came to herself, and saw me standing looking on her, for i feared that she was dead, and she stretched her hands to me, not regarding those around her in her joy and trouble. "wulfric," she cried, "take me hence into some place of peace." i raised her very gently, holding her in my arms for a moment, but not daring to speak to her as yet. and i lifted her into the saddle again, telling her that all was well, and that we might take her back to the town in safety. then she smiled at me in silence, and i walked beside her as we went back. then rode forward cyneward and the steward to deal so with matters that the women might be terrified as little as possible with sights of war time, and we followed slowly. naught said osritha to me as we went, for there were too many near, and she knew not what i might have to tell; yet her hand sought mine, and hand in hand we came to ingvar's house, and to the lesser door. there i left her, and went to seek thormod. the large hall was cleared, and little trace beyond the dint of blows on walls and table showed what fight had raged therein, but only thormod and cyneward and ingvar were there; and ingvar slept heavily in his great chair. "this is his way of late," said thormod, looking coldly at him; "fury, and terror, and then sleep. i fear me that ingvar the king goes out of his mind with that of which he raves. nor do i wonder, knowing now from cyneward here what that is. little help shall we take back from ingvar, for he has bestirred himself to gather no new host since he came back." "men said that trouble at home brought him from england. i suppose he judged it likely that the jomsburgers might give trouble," i said. "the foes that sent him back were--ghosts," said thormod bitterly. "come and let us see to the ship." so we went down to the wharf, and found the ship but little hurt by that business. and i stayed on board her that night, for i would not see ingvar again just yet. but in the early morning he sent to beg me to speak with him, and i came. he sat in his great chair, and i stood before him. "you have brought me a quiet night, wulfric," he said. "tell me how you came here, for i think it was not that you would wish to see me again." so thormod had told him nothing, and i answered: "i came with thormod for more men, for ethelred the king is growing strong against you. have you heard no news?" "none," he said; "but that is not your errand, but his." "that will thormod tell you, therefore," i answered. "as for me, i came at halfden's bidding, which thormod told me." "what did halfden bid you come here for?" "to take osritha his sister into safety and peace again. suffer me to do so," i said, boldly enough, but yet quietly. now ingvar looked fixedly at me from under his brows, and i gave back his look. yet there was no silent defiance between us therein. "take her," he said at length; "you have saved her from these jomsburgers, and you have the right. take her where you will." "do you come back with us, king?" i asked him, giving him no word of thanks, for i owed him none. "tell guthrum from me that i shall never set foot in england again. tell him, if you will, that our shores here need watching against outland foes, and that i will do it. let him settle his kingship with hubba and halfden." then he paled and looked beyond me, adding in a low voice: "eadmund is king in east anglia yet." now i answered him not, fearing lest his terror should come on him again. and slowly he slipped from his arm the great gold bracelet that he had so nearly given eadgyth. "tell your people that never should a bridal train cross the bridge of the golden spurs on the way to the church while the brook flows to the sea, lest ill should befall both bride and groom, because thus found i eadmund the king, whose face is ever before me by night and day. take this gold, i pray you, wulfric, and lay it on the tomb where his bones are, in token that he has conquered--and let me fight my shame alone till i die." wondering, i took the bracelet, pitying the man again, yet fearing what he might say and do next, for i thought that maybe he would slay himself, so hopeless looked he. "fain would i have been your friend," he said, "but pride would not let me. yet eadgyth your sister and egfrid called me so, and maybe that one deed of ruth may help me. now go, lest i become weak again. lonely shall i be, for you take all that i hold dear--but even that is well." so he turned from me, and i went out without a word, for he was ingvar. yet sometimes i wish that i had bidden him farewell, when the thought of his dark face comes back to me as i saw him for the last time in his own hall, leaning away from me over his carven chair, and very still. i sought thormod, and told him that he must see the king with his tidings, for i would not see his face again. "nor shall we see jutland again," he said, pointing to the ship, which lay now in the same place where the pirate had been, alongside ingvar's. and the other ship had come in during the night, and was at anchor in the haven. "shall we sail home at once?" i asked him. "aye; no use in waiting. we are wanted at guthrum's side, and can take no men, but a few boys back. yet the other ship will stay while i send messengers inland, if ingvar will not. but i shall return no more." "then," said i, "i will speak to the lady osritha." "go at once," he said, smiling; "bid her come with us to the better home we have found." i had not seen osritha since i left her yesterday, and now i feared a little, not knowing how she would look on things. yet i need not have feared, for when they took me to her bower she rose up and came to me, falling on my neck and weeping, and i knew that i had found her again not to part with her. when she grew calmer, i asked her if she would return with us to reedham, telling her how there would be no fear of war there in the time to come. and she held her peace, so that i thought she would not, and tried to persuade her, telling her what a welcome would be to her from all our folk, and also from the danish people who loved her so well. so i went on, until at last she raised her head, smiling at me. "surely i will follow you--let me be with you where you will." so it came to pass that next day we sailed, osritha taking her four maidens with her, for they would not leave her; having, moreover, somewhat to draw them overseas even as i had been drawn to this place again. and with us went close on a score of women and children whose menfolk were settled already near to reedham. these were the first who came into our land, but they were not to be the last. i had seen ingvar no more, busying myself about fitting the ship with awnings and the like for these passengers of ours; and what thormod did about the men he sought i know not, nor did i care to know. there is a dead tree which marks the place where i had been cast ashore in lodbrok's boat, and which is the last point of land on which one looks as the ship passes to the open sea from the haven. and there we saw ingvar the king for the last time. all alone he stood with his hands resting on his sword, looking at our ship as she passed. nor did he move from that place all the time we could see him. silently thormod gave the tiller into my hands, and went to the flag halliards. thrice he dipped halfden's flag in salute, but ingvar made no sign, and so he faded from our sight, and after that we spoke no more of him. but osritha wept a little, for she had loved him even while she dreaded him, and now she should see him no more. very quietly passed the voyage, though the light wind was against us, and we were long on the way, for we were too short handed to row, and must beat to windward over every mile of our course. yet i think of the long days and moonlit evenings on the deck of halfden's ship with naught but keenest pleasure, for there i watched the life and colour come back into osritha's face, and strove to make the voyage light to her in every way. and i had found my heart's desire, and was happy. then at last one night we crossed the bar of our own haven, and the boats came out to meet us, boarding us with rough voices of hearty welcome; and from her awning crept osritha, standing beside me as i took the ship in, and seeing the black outline of hill and church and hall across the quiet moonlit water. and when the red light from wharf and open house doors danced in long lines on the ripples towards us, and voices hailed our ship from shore, and our men answered back in cheery wise, she drew nearer me, saying: "is this home, wulfric?" "aye," i answered. "your home and mine, osritha--and peace." now have i little more to say, for i have told what i set out to tell--how lodbrok the dane came from over seas, and what befell thereafter. for now came to us at reedham long years of peace that nothing troubled. and those years, since osritha and i were wedded at reedham very soon after we came home, have flown very quickly. yet there came to us echoes of war from far-off wessex, as man after man crept back to anglia from the great host where guthrum and hubba warred with alfred the king. and tired and worn out with countless battles, these men settled down with us in peace to till the land they had helped to lay waste and win. hard it was to see the farms pass to alien owners at first, but i will not say that england has altogether lost, for these danes are surely becoming english in all love of our land; and they have brought us new strength, with the old freedom of our forefathers, which some of us had nigh forgotten. now today i know that all the land is at peace, for alfred is victor, and guthrum is athelstan the christian king of eastern england; and i for one will own him unasked, for he has governed well, and english is our overlord. but hubba is dead in far-off devon, slain as he landed as halfden had landed, to hem wessex in between guthrum and himself, and his dream of taking the wessex kingdom is over. and the raven banner that my osritha made flaps its magic wings no more, for it hangs in alfred's peaceful hall, a trophy of saxon valour. thormod, my comrade, lies in his mound in wild strathclyde, slain fighting beside halfden my brother, the king of northumbria. him i have seen once or twice, and ever does he look for peace that he may sail to reedham and bide with us for a while. well loved is halfden, and he is english in every thought. many of our old viking crew are here with me, for they would fain find land in our country, and i gave them the deserted coast lands that lie to our northward, round the great broads. good lands they are, and in giving them i harmed none. filby and ormesby and rollesby they have called their new homesteads, giving them danish names. now as to our own folk. my mother is gone, but first she stood for osritha at the font, naming her again with the name by which i learnt to love her, for i would not have it changed. gone also has good old ingild; but before he went he and i were able without fear of hindrance to build a little church of squared oaken timbers at hoxne, for the heathen worship died quickly from among our danes. on that church, cyneward, who was raud, and is our well-loved steward, wrought lovingly with his own hands side by side with the good monk who baptized him. and he has carved a wondrous oaken shrine for the remains of our martyred king, whereon lies the bracelet that ingvar sent in token that eadmund had conquered him who was his slayer. how fared ingvar i know not, for soon the incoming tide of danes slackened, and i heard no news of him; and, as he said, never did he set foot on english shores again. egfrid and eadgyth are happy in their place at hoxne, and on them at least has fallen no shadow of misfortune from that which came of their passing over the bridge of the golden spurs--the golden bridge as our folk call it now. yet it needed no words of ingvar's to keep the memory of that day's work alive in the minds of our people. never so long as the gold brook flows beneath that bridge will a bridal pass churchwards over its span, for there, but for such a crossing, eadmund the king might have bided safely till ingvar the dane had passed and gone. little use is there in grieving over what might have been, but this i know, that in days to come forgotten will be ingvar, and english will have become his mighty host, but in every english heart will live the name of eadmund, who died for faith and country. notes. i ran: the sea goddess or witch of the old mythology, by whose nets drowning men were said to be entangled. ii the jarl ranked next to the king, and was often equally powerful. our english title "earl" is derived from this. iii a small wharf. iv a lay brother of the monastery of hackness, near whitby, who rendered the sacred histories into verse about a.d. . v now whitby. the present name was given by the danish settlers. vi as if under the shadow of coming death. vii the viking ship of war, or "long ship". viii the usual scandinavian and danish greeting: "health". ix after expulsion from his bishopric of york by king egfrid. x mail shirt. xi the fine allowed as penalty for killing an adversary in a quarrel, or by mischance. the penalty for wilful murder was death. xii nidring, niddering, or nithing, may be beet expressed by "worthless ". it was the extreme term of reproach to a saxon. xiii the "lodbrokar-quida", which is still in existence. by some authorities ragnar is said to have been the father of ingvar and hubba, but the dates are most uncertain. xiv "the fates" of the northern mythology. xv st. ansgar, or ansgarius, built the first church in denmark at hedeby, now slesvig, in a.d. xvi the "twilight of the gods", when the asir were to fight against the powers of evil, and a new order should commence. xvii the danes traced their origin back to a great migration from the east, under odin. their priesthood was vested in the head of the tribe after the ancient patriarchal custom. xviii the great representative council from which our parliament sprang. xix four degrees of kingship are spoken of in the sagas, the highest being the overlord, to whom the lesser kings paid tribute. the "kings of the host" came third in rank, the "sea kings" last, these being usually sons of under kings, to whom a ship or two had been given. xx now peterborough. xxi tribute. xxii "the king's guardian." olaf the glorious a story of the viking age by robert leighton preface the following narrative is not so much a story as a biography. my hero is not an imaginary one; he was a real flesh and blood man who reigned as king of norway just nine centuries ago. the main facts of his adventurous career--his boyhood of slavery in esthonia, his life at the court of king valdemar, his wanderings as a viking, the many battles he fought, his conversion to christianity in england, and his ultimate return to his native land--are set forth in the various icelandic sagas dealing with the period in which he lived. i have made free use of these old time records, and have added only such probable incidents as were necessary to give a continuous thread of interest to the narrative. these sagas, like the epics of homer, were handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, and they were not committed to writing until a long time after olaf triggvison's death, so that it is not easy to discriminate between the actual facts as they occurred and the mere exaggerated traditions which must surely have been added to the story of his life as it was told by the old saga men at their winter firesides. but in most instances the records corroborate each other very exactly, and it may be taken that the leading incidents of the story are historically true. the icelandic sagas have very little to say concerning olaf triggvison's unsuccessful invasion of england, and for this part of the story i have gone for my facts to the english chronicles of the time, wherein frequent allusion to him is made under such names as anlaf, olave, and olaff. the original treaty of peace drawn up between king ethelred the second and olaf still exists to fix the date of the invasion, while the famous battle of maldon, in which the norse adventurer gained a victory over the east anglians, is described at length by a nameless contemporary poet, whose "death of brihtnoth" remains as one of the finest of early english narrative poems, full of noble patriotism and primitive simplicity. i have given no dates throughout these pages, but for the convenience of readers who may wish for greater exactness it may be as well to state here that olaf was born a.d. , that he started on his wanderings as a viking in the year , that the sea fight between the vikings of jomsburg and the norwegians took place in , and the battle of maldon in the year . olaf reigned only five years as king of norway, being crowned in , and ending his reign with his death in the glorious defeat at svold in the year . robert leighton. chapter i: the finding of olaf it happened in the beginning of the summer that sigurd erikson journeyed north into esthonia to gather the king's taxes and tribute. his business in due course brought him into a certain seaport that stood upon the shores of the great gulf of finland. he was a very handsome man, tall and strong, with long fair hair and clear blue eyes. there were many armed servants in his following, for he was a person of great consequence, and was held in high honour throughout the land. he rode across the marketplace and there alighted from his horse, and turned his eyes towards the sea. before him stretched the rippling, sunlit bay with its wooded holms. a fleet of fishing boats was putting out with the flood tide, and some merchant vessels lay at anchor under shelter of the green headland. nearer to the strand a long dragonship, with a tall gilded prow rising high above the deck tent, was moored against a bank of hewn rock that served as a wharf. at sight of the array of white shields along this vessel's bulwarks his eyes brightened, for he knew that she was a viking ship from his own birth land in distant norway, and he was glad. not often did it chance that he could hold speech with the bold warriors of the fiords. close by the ship there was a noisy crowd of men and boys. he strode nearer to them, and heard the hoarse voices of the vikings calling out in loud praise of a feat that had been performed by someone in their midst. sigurd joined the crowd, and saw a boy step out upon the vessel's narrow gangplank, and there, standing between the ship and the shore, begin to throw a knife high up into the sunny air, catching it as it fell. it seemed that the lad was of good station, for his clothing was of finely woven cloth, and there was a gold neckband to his kirtle, and his long black hair was well combed and curled. thrice he threw up his glittering knife high above his head and deftly caught it again. but soon, thinking perhaps to excel those who had gone before him, he took a second knife from his belt, and juggled with them both with such skill that the shipmen watching him from under the awning swore by the hammer of thor that the feat could never be surpassed. "well done, well done!" they shouted. and the boys on the bank cried out, "well done, rekoni!" at this the youth put fuller strength into his arms and flung the knives yet higher into the air. but his ambition for the praise of the warriors was greater than his caution, for, in reaching forward to catch one of the weapons, he lost his balance and fell headlong into the deep green water beneath. and as he swam to shore the vikings laughed aloud, and some who had thought of giving him a reward put back their gold into their wallets and turned away. now, very close to where sigurd erikson was there stood two boys, whose close cropped hair and dress of coarse white vadmal showed them to be slaves. one of them was a tall, gaunt youth, with pale thin cheeks and large sad eyes. he was fair of skin, and by this sigurd knew that he was not an esthonian. his companion seemed about twelve winters old, sturdy and broad backed, with very fair hair. his neck and bare strong arms were burnt by the sun to a ruddy brown. sigurd could not see his face, and might not have noticed him had not the elder lad urged him forward, bidding him step upon the plank and show his skill. "not i," said the younger, with an impatient toss of his cropped head. and he thrust his thumbs into his belt and drew back. "too much have i already done in bidding rekoni try the feat. well is it for me that he is not hurt by his fall into the sea, else would his father's whip be about my back. even as the matter stands, my master will surely stop my food for having left his sheep to stray upon the hills." "i had but wished to see you succeed where your master's son has failed," sighed the elder lad. and at this the boy turned round and said more softly: "well, thorgils, for your pleasure will i do it, and not for the vikings' praise. lend me your dirk." so he took the knife from thorgils' belt, and, leaving the crowd, walked boldly to the end of the gangplank. here he rubbed the soles of his bare feet in the dust and then stepped to the middle of the narrow board. "now what thinks this child that he can do?" cried one of the vikings. the boy turned sharply and looked at the man who had spoken. he was a tall, red bearded man, whose nose was flat against his scarred, bronzed face. at sight of him the boy drew back a pace as if in fear. "ay. what thinks the babe that he can do?" echoed another of the warriors. but those who were nearer made no answer, for they saw that the boy was very agile and strong beyond his years. sigurd watched him as he took his stand on the plank. the sunlight shone upon his fair young face. his clear blue eyes flashed like stars under his knitted brows. he ran his fingers over his short yellow hair, and then, turning with his back to the sun, flung one of his knives high up into the air. as it turned in its descent he flung a second knife, then caught the first and again threw it high--higher even than the vane on the ship's tall mast. he stood with his bare feet firmly gripping the plank, and his head thrown back, and his lithe, well balanced body swaying in regular movement with his arms. then as the two gleaming weapons were well in play, rising and falling in quick succession, one of his hands went to his belt, and he drew yet a third knife and plied it in turn with the other two. at this there was a murmur of praise from both ship and shore, and the vikings declared that never before had they seen one so young display such skill. and all the while sigurd erikson kept his eyes upon the lad's glowing, upturned face. "who is this child?" he asked of the tall youth at his side. but the sad eyed thorgils paid no heed to the question, but only crept nearer to the end of the gangboard, and stood there earnestly watching. as he looked at the ship's bulwarks he caught sight of the man with the red beard and broken nose--the chief of the vikings,--and he cried out to his companion: "enough, ole, enough!" then the boy caught his knives and thrust them one by one into his belt, and, turning shoreward, strode quickly down the plank and made his way through the cheering crowd, followed by thorgils. many of the vikings called him back with offers of reward, and sigurd erikson tried to arrest him as he passed. but the young slave only gave a careless laugh and ran swiftly away. now it seemed that sigurd had a mind to go after him. but as he was leaving the crowd he met a certain rich merchant of the town, and he said: "tell me, biorn, who is this yellow haired lad that has just proved himself so skilful at the knife feat? and whence came he into esthonia?" the merchant shook his head and said: "he is a wild and wilful loon, hersir, and of no account to any man. as to his feat with the knives, had i my will i'd have it instant death to any thrall who should so much as touch a sharpened weapon." "by his looks i would judge him to be norway born," said sigurd. "that may well be," returned the merchant, "for it is true that he came with the west wind. it was i who bought him from the vikings, with another of his kind--one thorgils, who is to this day my bond slave. i bought them in exchange for a good he goat from klerkon flatface. very soon i found the younger lad was worthless. there was little that i could do with him; so i sold him to a dalesman named reas, who gave me a very fine rain cloak for him; nor do i rue my bargain, for the cloak is still in use and the lad is scarcely of the value of his food and shelter." "how do men name the lad?" inquired sigurd. "and whose son is he?" "whose son he may be is no concern of mine," answered the merchant. "some viking's brat, it may be; for he has the viking spirit in him, and the salt of the sea is in his veins. no landman can tame him. as to his name, if ever he had one, 'tis certain he has none now, and is only known as reasthrall, for he is the thrall of reas the bonder." "if it be that reas will sell his thrall," said sigurd, "then i would willingly buy the lad, and take him back with me into holmgard as an offering to the queen allogia." "think twice ere you act so unkindly towards the queen," said the merchant. "a goodlier gift for allogia would surely be the jewelled brooch that i showed you yesternight; and you shall have it very cheap. the price is but twelve gold marks." but before sigurd could reply a heavy hand was laid upon his shoulder, and a gruff voice called out his name. he turned and saw at his side the tall red bearded viking chief, whose broken nose and coarse scarred face were now shielded from the sun's rays by a wide hat made of dry reeds. "well met, hersir sigurd!" said the warrior. "and what lordly business brings you north to the coast? 'tis long since last we met--not since the yuletide feast at holmgard, two winters back, when we had the horse fight. how fares the flanders mare that won such glory at that time?" "a sickness killed her," answered sigurd. "but i have a foal in training that will soon beat any horse in holmgard; ay, even in norway. so if you have a mind to see a good horse fight, come when you will with the best horses you can find. i wager you that mine will beat them all." "if i meet not my death before the end of the cruising season," said the viking, "then will i engage to bring you the best horse in all the norseland to fight against." he looked among the crowd of boys that still loitered near the ship, and added--"where has the youngster gone who stood just now upon the plank? he has in him the makings of a good war man. such lads as he are scarce, and i would buy him if he be for sale." and then the merchant spoke. "why," said he, addressing the viking, "'tis but six summers since that you sold that self same boy, here on this marketplace. 'twas i who bought him from you, klerkon. have you forgotten the white haired he goat that you got from me?" "life is too full for me to keep mind of such small events," answered klerkon. "but since the lad is yours, what price do you now put upon him?" "nay, he is no chattel of mine," said the merchant. "he is the thrall of goodman reas, over in rathsdale--a morning's walk from here. if you would deal with him a guide will soon be got to take you over the hill." "young flesh will keep," returned the warrior. "i will buy the lad next time we come to esthonia." sigurd said: "it may be that ere that time he will already be sold, jarl klerkon; for it chances that i also have taken a fancy to him." "in that case," said the viking, "we may make him the stake to be fought for in our coming horse fight. and if my horse overcomes yours, then the lad shall be my prize, and i will make a viking of him." "and how if the victory be mine and not yours?" asked sigurd. "you shall have value equal to the boy, be assured of that, hersir." "agreed," said sigurd. "and now, what news have you from west over sea?" "ill news and good. there has fallen a great famine in norway. in thrandheim the folk are dying for lack of corn and fish, and in halogaland the snow has lain over the valleys nigh until midsummer, so that all the livestock have been bound in stall and fed upon birch buds. men lay the famine to the account of gunnhild's sons, who are over greedy of money and deal hardly with the husbandmen. there is little peace in the land, for the kings are for ever quarrelling over their jointures; but it seems that harald greyfell is having the upper hand over his brothers. little joy is there in ruling over a realm these days. i had rather be as i am, an honest sea rover." "doubtless the viking life is, after all, the most joyful that a man can live," said sigurd. "how fare our friends at jomsburg?" "right well, as always," answered klerkon. "sigvaldi has built himself a fine new dragonship of five and twenty seats, and the jomsvikings now number in all seven times ten hundred men. they speak of making a sally across the sea to angle land, where there is corn and ale in plenty, with fine clothes, good arms, and vessels of silver and gold to be won; for these christian folk are very rich, and there is abundance of treasure in their churches, with many a golden bowl and well wrought drinking horn as booty for those who are bold enough to make the adventure." "but these angles are good fighting men, i hear," said sigurd. "and they have many well built ships." "they are ill matched against the vikings, with all their ships," returned klerkon. "and i am told that their king is a man of peace; edgar the peaceable, they name him. and talking of kings, how fares king valdemar?" "as sunny as a summer's noon," answered sigurd. "come, then, on board my ship, and let us pledge to him in a full horn of mead," said the viking. and he drew sigurd with him across the gangplank, and they went below and sat drinking until one of the shipmen standing on the vessel's lypting, or poop deck, sounded a shrill horn as a sign that the ship was about to leave the harbour. then sigurd came ashore and went about the town on the king's business, and he thought no more of the yellow haired slave boy until the evening time. it chanced then that he was again beside the sea. down there on the shore he stood alone, idly watching the white winged seabirds--some floating in their own reflections on the calm pools of water left by the outgoing tide, others seeking food amid the green and crimson weeds that lay in bright patches on the rocks--and often he turned his eyes in the direction of the setting sun, where, in the mid sea, jarl klerkon's dragonship moved slowly outward, with her wet oars glistening in the rosy light. suddenly from behind him there came a merry childish laugh, and he turned quickly round, and saw very near to him the white clothed slave boy of the gangplank. the lad was standing at the brink of a deep pool of seawater, and had, as it seemed, started a fleet of empty mussel shells to float upon the calm surface. he was dropping pebbles from his full hand into the water, to give movement to the tiny boats. sigurd stepped quietly behind him, and then said: "why do you thus set these shells to sail?" the boy looked up in surprise, and his blue eyes rested for a long time upon the tall strange man. then he answered: "because, hersir, they are my warships, setting out upon a viking cruise." at this sigurd smiled. "it may be, my boy," said he, "that you will yourself command great ships of war in time to come." "that is what i should wish," said the boy, "for then i might take blood vengeance upon my enemies." "not often do i hear one so young thus speak of enemies," said sigurd. "what is your age?" "ten winters." "and your name?" the boy looked up once more into the stranger's face, and at his large crested helmet of bronze and gold. he glanced, too, at the man's great sword and his cloak of rich blue cloth, and guessed rightly that he was of noble rank. there was a smile upon his lips, and his eyes were tender and kindly, winning confidence. "my name is olaf," answered the boy. "whose son?" asked sigurd. at this question olaf turned aside, threw his pebbles away into the water, and wiped his wet hands on his coarse kirtle. then stepping nearer to the stranger he stood upright and said, almost in a whisper, as though fearing that even the seagulls might overhear him: "i am king triggvi's son." sigurd drew back with a little start. "king triggvi's son!" he echoed in surprise. and then he looked yet more keenly into the boy's face, as if to seek some likeness there. "even so," returned olaf. "and what of that? little good can it do me to be a king's son if i am also a slave, made to work hard for my daily portion of black bread and tough horse flesh. triggvi is in valhalla, with harald fairhair and the rest of them, and he cannot help me now. but odin be thanked, he died not like a cow upon a bed of straw, but with sword in hand like a brave good man." "a brave good man in truth he was," said sigurd. "but tell me, boy, what token have you to prove that you are indeed the child of triggvi olafson? you are but ten winters old, you say; and yet, as i reckon it, triggvi was slain full ten winters back. how can i know the truth of what you tell?" "no token have i but my bare words," answered olaf proudly. sigurd caught him by the hand and led him up the beach to a ledge of rock, and sat him down before him, bidding him tell how it came about that he was here in bondage in a foreign land. so olaf answered him thus: "i came into the world an orphan," said he, "and never heard my father's voice. but my mother bade me ever remember that i was a king's son, and to make myself worthy. astrid was the name of my mother. she was the daughter of erik biodaskalli, who dwelt at ofrestead, in the uplands, a mighty man. now, after the slaying of triggvi, queen astrid was forced to fly from the realm of viken, lest she too should fall into the hands of gunnhild and her wicked sons and be slain. and she travelled as a fugitive through many lands. in her company was her foster father, thoralf loosebeard by name. he never departed from her, but always helped her and defended her wheresoever she went. there were many other trusty men in her train, so no harm came to her. and at last she took refuge on a certain islet in the middle of rand's fiord, and lay hidden there for many days. on that islet i was born, and i am told that they sprinkled me with water and named me olaf, after my father's father. there, through the summer tide she stayed in safety. but when the days grew short and the nights weary and long, and when the wintry weather came upon us, then she left her hiding place and set forth with her folk into the uplands, travelling under the shelter of night. and after many hardships and dangers she came to ofrestead, her father's dwelling, and there we abode through the winter. "little do i remember of these matters, which befell while yet i was a babe in arms. this that i tell you was taught to me by thorgils, my foster brother, who is the thrall of biorn the merchant; and he can tell you more than i know, for he is older than i, and the son of our faithful thoralf. thorgils has said that when gunnhild got tidings that i had come into the world she sent forth many armed messengers, and bade them fare into the uplands in search of this son of king triggvi, that they might prevent my growing up to manhood and claiming my father's realm. but in good time the friends of erik were aware of the messengers; so erik arrayed astrid for departure, and gave her good guides, and sent her east--away into the swede realm to one hakon gamle, a friend of his and a man of might, with whom we abode in all welcome for a long while." "and what then?" urged sigurd. for the boy had paused, and had pulled a tangle of brown seaweed from the rock where he was sitting, and was cracking the little air bladders between his fingers. "now it chanced," continued olaf, "that even again queen gunnhild secretly learned our hiding place. so she sent a goodly company east to the swede king with good gifts and fair words, asking that he might send olaf triggvison back with them into norway, where gunnhild would foster me, and bring me up as became a king's son. and the king sent to ofrestead. but my mother astrid knew that there was treachery in this--for in like manner had gunnhild beguiled my father,--and she would by no means let me go into the care' of my father's murderers, and so gunnhild's messengers went back empty handed. "by this time i was full three winters old and strong of limb, and my mother took me on board a trading ship that was eastward bound for gardarike; for in that land her brother was a great man, and she knew that he would gladly succour us until i should be of an age to avenge my father's death and claim my rightful heritage." at these words sigurd grew very grave, and he put his hand gently on olaf's arm, and asked to know what ill had befallen queen astrid, and whether she had reached her journey's end. "alas!" answered olaf. "you ask me what i cannot tell. would that i knew her to be still living! but never once have i seen her or heard tidings of her since the dread day when we were brought into this land and sold into bondage." as he spoke the lad looked sadly over the sea to where the viking ship was slowly drifting into the shadow of the holms. sigurd's eyes dwelt upon him with curious intentness. "we set sail across the eastern sea," olaf went on "and there were many merchants on our ship with great store of money and rich merchandise. and, as always, thoralf and his son thorgils were with us. now, scarcely was our vessel beyond the sight of land when we were met by a great viking ship, that bore down quickly upon us, and attacked our seamen, first with arrows and stones, and then with spear and sword, and there was great fighting. so the vikings killed many of our people, and took our ship and all that was in it. when we had been made captives the rovers took and shared us among themselves as their bond slaves, and it befell that my mother and i were parted. an esthonian named klerkon flatface got me as his portion, along with thoralf and thorgils. klerkon deemed thoralf over old for a thrall, and could not see any work in him, so he cruelly slew him before our eyes and cast his body into the sea. but he had us two lads away with him, and he sold us here in the marketplace in exchange for a white goat. then, being companions in our misfortune, thorgils and i swore foster brotherhood, and we took an oath in handshaking that when we grew strong enough we would go out upon the sea and take vengeance upon the man who had slain old faithful thoralf." sigurd pointed outward to the ship that was afar off upon the dim horizon. "jarl klerkon, of whom you speak," said he, "is now upon yonder ship." "and well do i know it," returned olaf. "today when i stood upon the vessel's gangplank i saw him standing on the lypting; and i knew him by the token that his nose was flat against his face. i had a mind to throw one of my knives at him, but there were over many of his men around, who would soon have overpowered me had i been so rash. and now," the boy added, as he glanced up at the darkening sky, "it is time that i go back to the hills to gather my master's sheep into the fold, for the night will be dark, and wolves will be about. too long already have i tarried here." and before sigurd could put out his hand to detain him olaf had bounded up the rocks, and was soon lost to sight. chapter ii: sigurd erikson. on the next morning, as the red sun rose above the mist capped hills of rathsdale, olaf was at work among his master's swine, cleaning out the styes and filling them with new straw. as he worked he asked himself who the tall man could be who had spoken with him last night upon the beach, and he began to regret that he had told so much, believing now that the stranger might be an enemy--perhaps even a spy of the wicked queen gunnhild, who had so often sought to add to her own security by clearing her path of all who had power to dispute her rights. gunnhild was a very wily woman, and it might well be that she had secretly discovered the abiding place of the young son of king triggvi, and that she had sent this man into esthonia to entrap him. "never again shall i be so free in telling my story to a stranger," said olaf to himself. "thorgils was wise to counsel me to keep secret my kinship with triggvi olafson. when i am a man, and can fight my own battles, then it will be time enough to lay claim to my father's realm; and it may be that if i remain in thraldom till that time no one will guess who i am. as a thrall, then, i must work, even though that work be no better than the cleaning of my master's stables and pig styes--get back, you greedy grunter!" this last command was addressed to a great bristly boar that brushed past the boy and made its way to the bed of new straw. olaf caught the animal by its hind leg and struggled with it for a moment, until the boar was thrown heavily on its side, squealing and kicking furiously. then three of the other pigs rushed forward, and one knocked against the lad with such force that he fell on his knees. this made him very angry, and he rose quickly to his feet and wrestled with the pigs, driving them back with blows of his clenched hands. but the boar was not easily turned. it stood stubbornly glaring at him with its small bloodshot eyes, then suddenly charged at him with a savage roar. olaf leapt up, but too slowly, for his left foot was caught by the boar's high back, and he rolled over in the mire. and now his wrath got the better of him, and he leapt at the boar with a wild cry, seizing its ears in his two hands. then they struggled together for many minutes, now rolling over, now breaking asunder and again returning to the charge. but at last olaf gained the mastery, and his adversary lay panting and exhausted on the coveted straw. olaf sat upon the animal's side with his bare foot upon its snout. his arm was bleeding, and there was a long scratch upon his cheek. but he did not heed his wounds, for he had conquered. as he sat thus a shadow moved across the yellow straw. he raised his eyes, and beheld the faces of two men, who looked down upon him from over the barrier of the pig sty. one of the men was his master, reas. the other he quickly recognized as the tall man who had spoken with him last night. sigurd erikson was seated on a beautiful white horse, and he was arrayed as for a long journey. "this is the boy you mean," said reas, as olaf rose and went on with his work--"an ill favoured loon you will think him. but had i expected you i should have seen that he had been well washed and decently clothed. if you would have him for hard labour, however, he is at least strong, and i will warrant you that he is healthy, and has no bodily faults. it may be that he is a little wild and wilful, but you can tame him, and a sound flogging will do him no harm, as i have ofttimes found. what price do you offer for him, hersir?" olaf looked up in anxious surprise, wondering if in truth the stranger had come to buy him, so that he might carry him off to the wicked queen gunnhild. "i will give you two silver marks for him," said sigurd, "and that is the value of a full grown man slave." reas demurred, looking at olaf as if regretting that the lad was not more presentable. "no," he said at last. "you will not find such a thrall as he in every day's march. if he were but a little cleaner you would see that he is a very pretty boy. look at his eyes--keen as a young snake's! why, no woman's eyes are more beautiful! look at his skin, there where his kirtle is torn. is it not fair? and he is skilled in many feats. my own son rekoni is not more clever than he. he can run for half a day without being wearied. he can climb the highest pine tree in rathsdale--as he did last seed time to harry a bluejay's nest; and no seamew can swim more lightly on the water." "as to his climbing," said sigurd, with a curious look in his blue eyes, "i do not doubt that he will some day climb much higher than you list. but swimming is of little avail where there is no sea. and if he runs so well there is all the more danger of his running away. i think you will be well paid if i give you two silver marks. but since you set so high a value on him for his beauty and his skill, then i give you in addition this little ring of gold for your good wife's wearing. what say you?" "it is a bargain!" said reas, eagerly grasping the ring that sigurd took from his belt pouch; "and you may take the lad at once." olaf drew back to the far corner of the pig sty. there was a frown on his brow, and his blue eyes flashed in quick anger. "i will not go!" he said firmly, and he made a rapid movement to leap over the barrier; but he forgot the wound in his arm, and the pain of it made him so awkward that reas caught him by his wrists and held him there until sigurd, springing from his horse, came and put an iron chain round the lad's neck. then the two men forcibly drew him to the gate of the pig sty. so, when reas had opened the gate, sigurd, who was a very powerful man, caught olaf in his arms and carried him to the horse's side, and, holding the end of the chain, mounted. olaf struggled a little to free himself, but finding the chain secure about his neck, resolved to await a better chance of escape. then sigurd gave reas the two silver marks in payment of his purchase, and urged his horse to a quick walk, dragging olaf behind him. very soon reas and his straggling farmstead were hidden from sight behind a clump of tall pine trees. then sigurd halted at the side of a little stream. "you have done well," he said to olaf, "in thus coming away with seeming unwillingness. but do not suppose that i value you so lightly as did your late master, who thinks, foolish man, that you are no better than many another bond slave whom he might buy in the marketplace. had reas exacted an hundred gold marks instead of two paltry marks of silver, i should willingly have given him them." "and why?" asked olaf with a frown. "is it that you think to take me west to norway, and cast me like a young goat among wolves? i had thought when you so blandly spoke to me yesternight that you were a man of honour. haply queen gunnhild would reward you well if you should deliver me into her clutches. but this you shall never do!" "rash boy," said sigurd as he stroked his horse's mane, "do you not recognize a friend when you meet one? or is friendship so strange to you that you take all men to be your enemies?" "enmity comes so often in the guise of friendship," said olaf, "that it is well to be wary. i had been wiser last night if i had refused to speak with you." "the time will soon come," said sigurd, "when you will not be sorry that you so spoke. but i will warn you that it may go very ill with you if you tell your story to all strangers as you told it to me." olaf was perplexed. he looked into the man's face and saw only kindness there, and yet there was something very suspicious in the stranger's eagerness to possess him. "if you are indeed my friend," said the boy, "why do you keep this chain about my neck? why do you drag me after you like a dog?" "because i am not willing that you should escape me," answered sigurd. "but if you will shake my hand and tell me that you will not run away, then i will take off your chain and you shall ride in front of me on my horse. you are king triggvi's son, and i know that, once spoken, your word will be sacred." now, olaf had never taken any man's hand since he swore foster brotherhood with thorgils thoralf son. he looked upon handshaking as a most solemn covenant, only to be made when great matters were at stake. also, he had never yet told or acted a lie, or been false to anyone. he answered promptly: "no, i will not take your hand. neither will i give you my word that i shall not escape from you very soon. you may keep the chain about my neck. it is more easily broken than my promise." sigurd looked at the lad and smiled. "i think," he said, "that i would admire you even more if you were a little cleaner. here is a stream of water. get in and wash yourself." "i cannot take off my clothes without removing the chain," said olaf, "and if the chain be removed i shall run away to where even your horse cannot follow me. but if you will give me one boon i will promise you that i will wash myself clean and then come back to the chain." "what is your boon?" asked sigurd. "it is," said olaf, "that since i am now your lawful thrall, and must go with you wheresoever you wish, you will go to biorn the merchant and buy from him my foster brother thorgils." sigurd leapt from his horse and at once unfastened the chain from olaf's neck, and even helped him to draw off his kirtle and woollen sark. and when olaf stood before him naked, sigurd drew back amazed at the pure fairness of his skin, the firmness of his well knitted muscles, and the perfect beauty of his form. in the stream near which they had halted there was a deep, clear pool of water, with a high cascade tumbling into it in creamy foam. olaf ran lightly over the mossy boulders and plunged into the pool, as though he knew it well. sigurd watched him rolling and splashing there in childish delight. sometimes the boy seemed lost in the brown depths of the water, but soon his white body would be seen gliding smoothly along under the surface, and then emerging amid the spray of the waterfall, where the shafts of sunlight made a rainbow arc. and at last olaf came out and ran swiftly backward and forward on the grassy level until he was dry. then returning to his new master he took up his woollen sark. but his kirtle was gone. sigurd said: "i have thrown it away, for it is not well that a king's son should wear a garment that is sullied by the marks of slavery." he took off from his own shoulders a riding cloak of scarlet cloth and added, "take this cloak and wear it. and when we reach the town i will buy you more fitting clothes, with sandals for your feet, and a cap to shield your head from the sun." olaf blushed, and took the cloak and put it over him, saying nothing. then he caught up an end of the chain and signed to his master to fasten it about his neck. signed fastened it and then remounted his horse. they had gone a little distance seaward down the dale when they were met by three armed horsemen, who seemed to have been waiting for them. sigurd gave olaf into their keeping, bidding them guard him well, and himself rode on in advance. soon from the top of a hill they came in sight of the blue sea, and then the little town with its wooden huts nestling at the foot of the cliffs. when they entered the town, two of sigurd's servants took olaf with them to the house of a certain merchant, where they gave him some roasted eggs and wheaten bread, and there they kept him until after noontide, never speaking to him, but only watching him while they played countless games of chess and drank many horns of ale. now olaf, as he sat on the floor, chained to the door post, set to wondering where his new master intended taking him to, and he could think of no likely destination but norway. why else should this man have bought him but to deliver him to gunnhild? so thereupon he began to question how he could escape. and he determined in his mind very quickly, that when they were on the sea he would free himself from his chain and jump overboard and swim to land. but then came the thought that if he did this he would be quite alone in the world, and no one would ever believe him if he told them that he was the son of triggvi olafson, and perhaps he would again be taken into slavery. if thorgils were with him they might do very well together, because thorgils was full of the world's wisdom, and could by his wit earn food and shelter until they were both old enough and skilled enough to join some viking ship and win renown and power. but if thorgils was to be left behind in esthonia then it would not be so easy. nothing could be done without thorgils. so then olaf thought it would be much wiser in him to try to escape at once, before he should be taken on board ship. the chain was tight about his neck and it was fastened behind, so that he could not loosen it without arousing the men's suspicions by the noise it would make. he looked at the other end of it, and saw it was so fastened that he might easily undo it. little by little he crept nearer to the post as the men went on with their game. before he could do more, however, there was the sound of horse's feet outside. the two men sprang up from their seats. one of them went to the door and presently returned with a bundle of clothes, which he threw down on the floor, bidding olaf dress himself. olaf saw at once that the garments were of very fine woven cloth, and he wondered much. even his old master's son rekoni had never worn such rich attire as this, and it was passing strange that he, a bond slave, should be told to clothe himself in such finery. he was dressing himself--albeit with great trouble, for the things were strange to him who had hitherto worn naught but a poor slave's kirtle--when a shrill horn was sounded from without. then one of the men came and helped him to lace his sandals and to don his cloak, and hurried him out into the courtyard. here were three horses waiting. the men pointed to one of them, a shaggy brown pony, and told olaf to mount. "i cannot ride," said the boy. "you will be able to ride long before you reach our journey's end," returned the man. "and, lest you should be afraid of falling off, you will be tied with strong ropes to the horse's back." "i had rather walk," objected olaf. "slaves must obey their masters," said the man; and he took hold of the boy to help him to mount. but olaf drew quickly aside with a flash of rebellion in his eyes. now at that moment a company of horsemen came in sight, led by sigurd erikson, and followed by many mules that were laden with bags of food and merchandise. all the men were well armed with swords and spears, bows and arrows. the sight of so many horses at once showed olaf that the journey, whatever its destination, was to be made by land. as they came nearer and halted, his eyes quickly searched among the men for thorgils thoralfson. yes, there indeed was his foster brother, mounted on one of the pack mules, with the sunlight falling on his white kirtle and downbent head! then olaf grew calm, for his master had kept his promise, and it mattered little where he was to be taken now that thorgils was to be with him in his bondage. sometime--not today, perhaps,--they would have a chance of speaking together and of contriving an escape. sigurd, seated on his beautiful white horse, looked like a king surrounded by his bodyguard. he watched olaf springing on the pony's back, and saw the men securing the boy with ropes. one of the men took the end of the chain, while the other held the pony's halter; and thus, with a mounted guard on each side of him, the young slave was led out through the gates. very soon the little town in which he had lived in bondage for seven long years, and the sea that he loved so well, were left far behind. sigurd and his followers rode southward over the hills, and then through long dreary dales, that were strewn with large boulder stones that made travelling very difficult. there was only a narrow horse track to guide them, and soon even this was lost in the rank herbage, and the land became a wild desolate waste without sign of human dwelling, but only the bare rugged hills, with here and there a thread of water streaming down them into the lower land. olaf began to feel very weary, and the jolting of the pony over the rough ground became painful to his untrained limbs. but at last the hot sun sank in a blaze of gold, and the first day's journey came to an end. a halt was made within the shelter of a vast forest of pine trees, at the side of a wide, deep stream. here the horses and mules were unburdened and allowed to wander, with dogs to watch them lest they strayed too far. some of the men then set to raising tents, others gathered cones and dry twigs to build a fire, while two mounted guard over their master's moneybags. when all was ready, food and drink were served round to all alike. at nightfall, olaf and thorgils, still chained, were put to sleep on a bed of dry ferns. near them was another slave, a young man who seemed to be of a foreign land. they watched him silently until he was asleep, then as they lay there with the stars shining down upon them through the dark tree branches, they questioned one the other concerning what had happened to them that day. olaf asked thorgils if he had heard the name of their new master. "no," answered thorgils. "nor can i guess why it is that he has bought us. all that i know is that he is a norseman, and that he is very rich." "i can only think," said olaf, "that he intends some treachery by us, and that he means to take us west over sea and deliver us into the hands of gunnhild's sons." "there is little cause to fear such a thing," said thorgils. "to him we are but as any other slaves that he might buy in the marketplace, and i think he has only chosen us because we are of his own country. had he discovered that you were your father's son he might indeed design to take us to norway. but that is not possible. there are none but our two selves in all esthonia who know that you are olaf triggvison, and this man could not by any means have discovered it." olaf was silent for many moments, then at last he said: "thorgils, i cannot deceive you. this man knows full well whose son i am, and it was i who told him." thorgils drew in his breath, as if he had received a blow. "you told him?" he cried. "oh, rash that you are! have i not always bidden you keep this secret close in your heart? what need was there to tell your story to the first inquiring stranger who crossed your path? you are over ready with your tongue, and now, alas! our misfortunes must only be greater than before." "he spoke kindly to me," explained olaf, "and i could not refuse to answer him when he asked me how i came to be a bond slave. i little thought that he was an enemy." "you are unskilled in the knowledge of men, ole," returned thorgils. "there is a look in his eyes that might soon have told you that there is evil in his heart, and such smooth tongued men as he are not to be trusted. but there is one good thing that your thoughtlessness has done: it has brought us again under one master, so it will go ill if, working together, we cannot contrive to run away, and join some viking ship." "that will not be easy if our new master should take us to an inland place," said olaf. "none of his men have the marks of the sea upon them; they are landmen." thorgils glanced up into the sky and searched for the polar star. "we are journeying southward," he said presently. "and what country lies to the south?" asked olaf. thorgils could not tell. but he remembered that on a time some merchants had come to the coast from a great city in the south called mikligard--which was the norseman's name for constantinople,--and he guessed that that might be their journey's end. then olaf crept nearer to their sleeping companion and wakened him. "tell me," he asked, "who is this man, our master, and whither is he taking us?" "i cannot tell," answered the youth. "it is but three days since that he bought me, and i can ill understand the tongue these men speak, for i am not of this land. my home is far across the seas." "in what realm?" asked thorgils. "in england." "that must be far away indeed," said olaf, "for never have i heard of such a land." "it is an island, out across the western sea," explained thorgils; "often have i heard it named. in that same land it was that king erik bloodaxe lived and died. many vikings out of norway have crossed the seas for the sake of the wealth they can win from the angles. and if i were a viking it is to england i would steer my course." "gladly would i go with you," said the english youth; "ay, even now, if we could but escape. but it seems that we are journeying away from the seacoast, and there is little hope that we can win our way on board a ship." "there is hope enough if we do not delay our escape," returned thorgils, looking out to where the campfires burned. he was silent for many minutes, then, laying his hand on the stranger's arm, he asked: "what name have you?" "egbert," the lad replied. "and how came it," inquired thorgils, "that you were brought into esthonia?" egbert then told his story. he was born, he said, in northumberland. his father, a wealthy armourer and silversmith, had been slain by one of the northmen who had made a great settlement in that part of the country, and his mother, whose name was edith, had then wedded the man who had made her a widow. the man was named grim, and he was a warrior in the service of erik bloodaxe, the ruler in those parts. on the death of king erik, grim and many of the norsemen went back to norway in the train of queen gunnhild and erik's sons, and with him he took his wife and young egbert. edith did not live to reach norway, and grim, unwilling to be burdened with her son, had sold egbert into slavery. for ten years the boy had suffered in bondage under different masters, the last of whom--klerkon flatface--had brought him into esthonia. "my one wish during all these years," said egbert, "has been to return to england, where the people are christian, and do not worship your heathen gods. many times i have tried to escape, but always without success; for i have had no companions, and it is not easy for one so young as i am to make his way alone through foreign lands." "what is your age?" olaf inquired. "fifteen summers," answered egbert. thorgils stood up and leaned his hand against the trunk of a tree, looking down at his two companions. "i think," said he, "that it would be a very good thing if we three should run away from this new master of ours--now, while the darkness lasts,--and, keeping in company, try to get back to the coast. there we might take possession of a small sailboat, and so make our way over sea to the land of the angles. what say you, ole?" olaf was silent for a while. at last he said: "it were much wiser in us to wait until we are old enough to fight our way in the world." "and you will not try to escape?" asked thorgils. "no," answered olaf firmly. "we have a good master. why should we leave him?" "it is because he has given you that fine cloak that you think him good," returned thorgils tauntingly; "but, believe me, he has his private reasons for so bribing you. i can well guess what he means to do with you, and i tell you that you will surely rue it if you do not escape while we may; for, if men bear their true nature in their faces, then this man who has bought us has an evil heart." "and what would it avail if we were to escape?" asked olaf. "boys as we are, we should be of little use in the world, i think." "you are afraid!" cried thorgils. "yes," echoed egbert, "you are afraid." then turning to thorgils, he added: "but why should we urge the lad against his will? he is but a child, and would only be a burden to us. let us leave him and go our ways without him." "you are not of our folk, egbert," returned thorgils, flinging himself down upon the dry leaves, "and you do not know what the vow of foster brotherhood means. you ask me to do that which i would sooner die than do. ole and i will never part until death parts us. and if either should be slain, then the other will avenge his death. if ole wills to remain in slavery until he is old and gray, then i will always be his companion in bondage. but to escape without him, that will i never do!" nothing more was said. the three boys, weary after their long journey, curled themselves up to sleep. so soundly did young olaf sleep, that at midnight, when a man's hands unbound the chain about his neck he was not awakened. very cautiously the man took him up in his strong arms, and carried him away among the dark shadows of the trees to a part of the forest far removed from the campfires. and at last he laid the lad down on a bed of dry reeds and moss at the side of the stream, where the bright moon, shining through an open glade, shed its light upon his fair round face and his short gold hair. there the man stood over him, watching him as he dreamed his childish dreams. then he knelt down and gently drew aside the lad's cloak and opened the front of his kirtle, so that the moonlight fell upon the white skin of his throat and breast. suddenly olaf awoke and saw the dark figure bending over him. "thorgils, thorgils!" he cried in alarm. "be silent!" commanded sigurd erikson, gripping the boy's arm. "no harm will come to you." olaf struggled to his feet and was about to take to flight, but his master's firm grip held him. "silly child!" muttered sigurd. "why do you fear me? have i not already told you that i am your friend?" "i do not trust your friendship," answered olaf angrily, remembering thorgil's warning. "and now i believe that you have brought me here only that you may secretly put me to death." "i have brought you here for your own good, my child," said sigurd softly; "and i give you my solemn word that no man, whosoever he be, shall do you any injury while i live to be your protector. be silent, and listen to me." olaf grew calmer. "yester eve," said sigurd, "when you told me that you were the son of king triggvi olafson, i could not easily believe your tale. but when you spoke your mother's name and told me that she was from ofrestead, in the uplands of norway, then i knew very well that you were telling me the truth. i looked into your eyes and i saw that they were the eyes of queen astrid--the fairest woman in all the northland. in your very words i thought i could hear the music of queen astrid's voice--" "can it be that my mother is known to you?" cried olaf eagerly. "can it be that you can take me to where she lives?" "well do i know her," answered sigurd. "but, alas! it is many summers since i saw her last, nor had i heard any tidings of her for a long, long while, until you told me that she had taken flight from norway. tell me now, what is the name of him whose succour she wished to seek in gardarike?" "her brother's name," said olaf, "is sigurd erikson." "i am that same brother," smiled sigurd, taking the boy by the hand; "and it is because i am your uncle that i now take you with me into holmgard." he drew olaf nearer to him and put his arm about his neck. "and you shall live with me as my own dear foster son," he added, "and i will take care of you and teach you all that a king's son should know, so that in the time to come you may be well fitted to claim your dead father's realm. but it is not without great risk that i do this thing, for i well know that there are many men in norway who would gladly hear of your death. now, if gunnhild's sons should learn that you are living in holmgard they would offer a rich reward to the man who should compass your end. you will be wise, therefore, if you breathe no word of your kinship with triggvi olafson. also, you must betray to no man, not even to your foster brother thorgils, that i am your uncle, or that i know your name and kin; for it is a law held sacred in gardarike that no one of royal birth shall abide in the land without the sanction of king valdemar. if it be known that i am wilfully breaking that law, then both you and i will fall into the sorest trouble." amazed at hearing all this, and at learning that the man he had taken for a secret enemy was none other than his own uncle, olaf was speechless. he silently put his hand into sigurd's great palm, and let himself be led back to the place where thorgils and egbert still lay sound asleep. chapter iii: gerda' s prophecy. on the morrow, when olaf awoke, he told nothing of this that he had heard concerning his kinship with sigurd erikson, and if thorgils saw that he was very moody and quiet, he no doubt thought that the lad was but sorrowing at being taken away from the sea that he loved so much. and yet olaf seemed strangely unwilling to favour any plan of escape. both thorgils and egbert were for ever speaking of flight, but olaf always had some wise reason to offer for yet further delay, and would only shake his head and say that their plans were ill formed. on the second evening of the journey into the south, a halt was made upon the shores of a great inland lake. thorgils declared that it was a part of the sea, and he urged his two companions to steal away with him under the cover of night so that they might find some fisher's boat and make off with it. but olaf quickly pointed out that there were no boats to be seen, and that, as the horses and dogs were drinking of the water, it could not be salt like the waters of the great sea. every day during the long and weary journey thorgils brought up some new plan. but olaf was obstinate. so at last the two elder boys, seeing that he was bent upon remaining in bondage, yielded to his stronger will, and agreed to wait in patience and to go with him wheresoever their master had a mind to take them. the country into which they were taken was in old times called gardarike. it lay to the southeast of esthonia, and it was a part of what is now known as the russian empire. many norsemen lived in that land, and king valdemar was himself the son of the great swedish viking, rurik, who had made conquests and settlements in the countries east of the baltic sea. valdemar held his court at holmgard--the modern novgorod. he was a very wise and powerful ruler, and his subjects were prosperous and peaceable, having many useful arts, and carrying on a commerce with the great city of mikligard. the people were still heathen, worshipping odin and thor and the minor gods of the scandinavians; for the faith of christendom was as yet but vaguely known to them and little understood. sigurd erikson, who was valdemar's high steward, lived in the king's palace in great dignity and had many servants. so when he returned with all the treasure that he had gathered as tribute he took olaf triggvison into his service. but thorgils and egbert were still held as bond slaves and put to hard labour in the king's stables. the steward was very good to olaf, and soon grew to love him as his own son, guarding him from all harm, speaking with him whenever chance brought them together, yet never betraying by word or act that the boy was other than a mere thrall, whom he had bought with other chattels during his journey through the king's dominions. neither did olaf whisper, even to his foster brother, any word of his close kinship with their new master. thorgils, who had not forgotten the name of queen astrid's brother, might indeed have discovered olaf's secret. but it so chanced that the king's steward was spoken of only by his title as the hersir sigurd, and not as the son of erik of ofrestead. for many months olaf fulfilled his little duties very meekly, and no one paid great heed to him, for he still bore the traces of his rough work. sigurd was well satisfied that his secret was safe, and that valdemar would never discover that his steward was breaking the law. but soon the lad's fair hair grew long and bright, his hands lost their roughness, and his growing beauty of face and limb attracted many eyes. then sigurd began to fear, for he knew the penalty he would be forced to pay if it should be discovered that he had wittingly brought a king born youth into the land. this danger grew greater when it chanced that the queen allogia took notice of young olaf, for the queen was in some sort a spae woman; she was skilled in foretelling the future, and she quickly perceived that the boy's beauty had come to him from some noble ancestor. it seemed that she was bent upon knowing his history, for she besought many persons about the court to tell her whence he had come, and to discover for her the names of his parents. but none could tell. now, allogia was still but two and twenty years of age, and very fair, and the king did not like that she should be seen holding speech with his handsome steward, for fear that sigurd should win her heart. but one day in the early winter time the queen came upon sigurd in the great hall, where he was alone with olaf, teaching the boy to read the runes carved in the black oak behind the king's high seat. olaf stood back as she entered, but his eyes rested fearlessly upon her. she wore a blue woven mantle ornamented with lace, and under it a scarlet kirtle with a silver belt. there was a band of gold round her head, and her fine brown hair reached down to her waist on both sides. she approached the steward, and said as he turned to withdraw from the hall: "i pray you, go on with your lesson, hersir." "your pardon, lady," said sigurd, "i was but teaching the lad the rune of king rurik, and it is of no account that i should continue." "not often have i heard of a mere slave boy learning runes," returned allogia; "such knowledge is only meant for those who are of high estate." she paused and looked round at olaf, who stood apart with his hand caressing the head of a great dog that had risen from before the fire. "and yet," added the queen thoughtfully, "i would say that this boy ole, as you call him, has no serf's blood in him. his fairness is that of a kingly race. what is his parentage, hersir sigurd? you who have shown him so much favour, who have dressed him in such fine clothes, and who even go so far as to teach him the reading of runes, surely know him to be of noble birth. who is he, i say?" this question, coming so directly and from the queen herself, whom he dared not disobey, brought the guilty blood to sigurd's brow. but allogia did not observe his confusion. her large dark eyes were gazing full upon olaf, as though in admiration of the boy's silky gold hair and firm, well knit figure. "i bought the lad in north esthonia," sigurd answered after a moment's pause. "i bought him from a bonder in rathsdale, and the price i paid for him was two silver marks. it may be that he is some viking's son, i cannot tell. he is quick witted and very clever at all games, and that is why it pleases me to teach him many things." there was a look of doubt in allogia's eyes, as though she knew that the steward was telling her but a half truth. he saw her doubt and made a sign to olaf to draw nearer. the boy obeyed, and stood before the queen with bowed head. "of what parentage are you, boy?" demanded sigurd. "who is your mother, and what is her condition of life?" olaf answered promptly, as he looked calmly into his master's face: "my mother is a poor bondswoman, hersir," he said. "the vikings brought her into esthonia from west over sea. i have not had tidings of her since i was a little child." the queen smiled at him pityingly. "and what of your father?" she asked. olaf shook his head, and looked vacantly at the queen's beautiful hands with their many gold rings. "i never knew my father, lady," he replied, "for he was dead before i came into the world." "but do you not know his name?" pursued allogia. now olaf feared to tell a deliberate lie, and yet, for his uncle's sake, he dared not answer with the truth. he stammered for an instant, and then, feeling the dog's head against his hand, he caught the animal's ear between his fingers and gave it a hard, firm pinch. the dog howled with the sudden pain and sprang forward angrily. and the queen, startled and alarmed, moved aside and presently walked majestically from the hall. not again for many weeks did allogia seek an answer to her question. sigurd, still fearing that his secret might be revealed, kept the boy away from the court so that he might not be seen. but for all his care the danger was for ever recurring. king valdemar had a mother named gerda, who was so old and infirm that she always lay abed. she was wonderfully skilled in spaedom, and it was always the custom at yuletide, when the guests assembled in the king's hall, that his mother was borne in thither and placed in the high seat. there she prophesied touching any danger overhanging the country, or similar thing, according to the questions put to her. now it happened in the first winter of olaf's being in holmgard, that at the yule feast, when gerda had been borne in after this fashion, valdemar asked her whether any foreign prince or warrior would enter his dominions or turn his arms against his kingdom during the following year. the old mother ran her bent fingers through the thin locks of her white hair, and gazing with dim eyes into the vast hall, thus spoke her prophecy: "no token of any disastrous war do i discern," she said, "nor any other misfortune. but one wondrous event i see. in the land of norway there has lately been born a child who will be bred up here, in holmgard, until he grows to be a famous prince; one so highly gifted that there has never before been seen his equal. he will do no harm to this kingdom; but he will in every way increase thy fame. he will return to his native land while yet he is in the flower of his age, and he will reign with great glory in this northern part of the world. but not for long, not for long. now, carry me away." while these words were being spoken, queen allogia's eyes rested upon olaf triggvison, who was acting as cup bearer to his uncle sigurd. she saw the drinking horn tremble in his hand, so that the wine it held dripped over the silver rim, and fell upon the front of his white kirtle; and she divined that it was to him that the prophecy referred. but no sign of this suspicion did she betray, either at that time or in the after days. yet none the less she watched him always, with her mind fixed upon the thought of his nobility, and the glory that had been promised him. in all that he did she was well pleased, for already she had found that he excelled all others of his age, not only in personal beauty but in skilful handling of all warlike weapons, in the training of dogs and horses, in wrestling and riding, in racing on snowshoes, and in all other exercises. often she would have spoken with him, but, saving at the time of a great feast, he was never to be seen in the hall. throughout the long, cold winter months, olaf saw nothing of his foster brother or of egbert the briton, for they had both been taken across the river to labour on one of the king's farmsteads. there they remained until the early summer, when they brought over their flocks and herds for the sheep meeting. at that time there was held a great fair in holmgard, with sports and games and manly contests. many parties of men came into the town from distant parts of the kingdom. on the second morning of the fair, sigurd erikson entered the room in which olaf slept. the boy was dressing himself in his fine clothes, and girding on his leather belt with its small war axe, which sigurd had had made for his young kinsman. "my boy," said sigurd, "there is little need for you to dress yourself in this holiday attire, for it is my will that you do not attend the games. you must not show yourself amid the crowd." now, olaf had engaged to take part in a great wrestling bout with three young champions from livonia. also, he was to have run in a footrace, for which the prize was a silver hilted sword, awarded by the queen. so at hearing his uncle thus forbid him to appear, he became very indignant. "it is too late for you to try to keep me within doors," he protested. "i have given my word to the wrestlers, and i cannot now withdraw. do you wish me to be jeered at as a coward? why do you deny me the honour of taking all the prizes that i may so easily win?" "it is for your own happiness that i forbid you to show yourself before strangers," returned sigurd. "but, more than all, i wish you to keep in hiding for this great reason. there has come into holmgard a man whom i met many months ago. i engaged with him to pit my best horse against his in the horse ring, and the prize was to be--" "what was the prize?" asked olaf, seeing that his uncle had paused. "the prize was to be yourself, my son," said sigurd gravely. "the man coveted you, and would have bought you from your old master reas." "and why did you agree to this, knowing that i am your own kinsman and your sister's son?" asked olaf. "i did not then know that you were of my kin," answered sigurd. "but having given my word, i cannot go back from it. i have seen this man's horse, and i judge it to be a finer animal than mine. therefore do i fear that i must lose you. but if you will keep within the house, i will tell the man that you are dead, and will offer him the young englander egbert in your stead." "would you then tell the man a falsehood?" cried olaf. "gladly, if by doing so i still keep you with me, for i would not lose you for all the world." olaf, obedient to his uncle's word, began to unbuckle his belt. but his face was very gloomy, and it was easy to see that it was only out of his love for his uncle that he would by any means agree to forego his pleasures. olaf was already very proud of his own skill. never yet had he been beaten in any contest, and he had hoped to add to his glory by overcoming all who might come against him on this great day. moreover, it was a sorry sacrifice for him to make if he was not to be allowed to witness the games. as sigurd turned to leave him, the boy suddenly caught his arm. "i will not promise!" he cried. "i cannot give you my word. i have set my heart upon the wrestling, and in spite of your forbiddance i shall go. tell me what manner of man this is that you speak of, and i will avoid him. even though he overcome you in the horse fight he shall not take me from you." "he is a great viking," answered sigurd. "men name him klerkon flatface. it is the same who sold you into bondage." a cloud came upon olaf's brow, and he sat down upon the side of the trestle bed. "klerkon flatface?" he repeated slowly. then raising his eyes he looked into his uncle's face and added: "do not fear, hersir. klerkon shall not take me from you." now, very soon after sigurd had gone out to attend upon the king, olaf quitted the house and went by secret ways to the stables, where he found his foster brother at work combing out the mane of sigurd's fighting steed. a very tall and powerful animal it was, with a glossy brown coat and a long tail that reached nearly to the ground. it was well trained, and many a well won fight had it fought. sleipner was its name, and it was so called after the eight footed horse of odin. olaf went to thorgils' side and greeted him with friendly words. then, when they had spoken for a while together, olaf bent his head close to thorgils' ear, and said he: "i have news, brother." "ill news or good?" asked thorgils. "judge for yourself," answered olaf. "it is that our old enemy klerkon the viking has come into holmgard, with many men and a mighty horse that is to be pitted against sleipner." thorgils drew back with a sudden start. "then has our good time come," he cried. "our vow of vengeance must be fulfilled. no longer are we little boys, weak of arm and failing in courage. never again shall klerkon sail the seas." "and who will hinder him?" asked olaf, looking the while into the other's brightened eyes. "he shall be hindered by me," returned thorgils. "with me alone must the vengeance rest, for it is not well that you, who stand so high in honour with the king and his court, should sully your white hands with blood. it was my father whom klerkon slew that day upon the ship, and it is my part to avenge him." then olaf shook his head. "not so shall it be," said he. "thoralf was my own good foster father, and i am not afraid to face the man who sent him so cruelly to his death. i and not you shall bring the murderer to his bane." "rash that you always are!" cried thorgils. "will you never learn to be cautious? keep your peace. if i should fail, then will it be your turn to avenge my death as our vow of foster brotherhood demands. now bring me a good weapon, for i have none but an oak cudgel." "you shall not want for a good weapon," said olaf, and he drew a small sword from under his blue cloak and handed it to thorgils. "here is my new handsax. take it, and use it to good purpose. but in the matter of klerkon, it may be that i shall be before you. odin be with you!" chapter iv: the slaying of klerkon. it was yet early in the forenoon when the games began. they were held on the great plain beyond the gate, where fences were raised as a girdle round the course. upon the sunny side was the king's tent, where valdemar and allogia sat, attended by many guests and courtiers, among whom was sigurd erikson. for a long while sigurd, who sat near to the queen, was at his ease in the belief that young olaf was keeping within doors, and he paid little heed to those who were within the ring. first there were jumping matches. olaf did not join in these, for he was not yet tall enough to compete with full grown men, and there were no youths of his own height who were skilled enough to match him. neither, for a like reason, did he take part in the sword feats. but at last it came to a trial of skill with the longbow. the bowmen were at the far end of the course, and their faces could not well be seen from the tent, even had sigurd searched among them for the face of his wilful nephew. there was one, however, who saw better than he, and this was queen allogia. she waited until it came to the turn of those who were younger than eighteen years, and then she watched with keen eyes. among them she soon discerned the youth whom she sought; nor did she lose sight of him until his well aimed arrow shot full into the mark, and he was proclaimed the victor. then, when olaf came before the tent to make his obeisance, sigurd saw him, and was very wroth, for he knew that klerkon the viking was among the king's guests. now, when olaf was thus near, it seemed to klerkon that the lad was not wholly a stranger to him. indeed, had it not been for the long gold hair and the disguise of better clothing, he might have known him to be the same whom he had seen in the last summer playing at the knife feat on the gangplank of the viking ship. but klerkon only admired the lad's skill with the longbow, and thought what a goodly warrior he would make. so having this in his mind, he watched olaf closely when again the boy ran past in the footrace, leading his competitors by many yards. and now, being first in the race, olaf came once more before the tent, and the queen gave him his well won prize. as he took the silver hilted sword from allogia's hand, one of the vikings went to klerkon's side, and said he: "master, this youth is the same who appeared in the last summer as a bond slave at the time when the hersir sigurd came on board of us. was it not this same lad who was to be the prize in our horse fight?" then klerkon fixed his eyes more keenly on the lad, and thought of him as he might be with his fair hair cropped short, and with a slave's white kirtle in place of the fine clothes he now wore. "it is the same!" he answered. "and now i mind that someone told me it was he whom we captured among others many summers ago off alland isle. it was we who brought him into esthonia. much would i give to have him with us on our longship. and by the hammer of thor, i swear that if i win him not over the horse fight, then i will take him by force!" so then klerkon made his way to the side of sigurd erikson, and told him that he had recognized the boy. at which sigurd grew very pale, and blamed himself in that he had not kept olaf within doors by main force. now, at high noon when the king and queen departed from the tent, sigurd made his way round to the entrance of the lists, and there searched for olaf and found him. he spoke to the lad very gravely, and, telling him of the viking's recognition, cautioned him against appearing again within the circle of the course. olaf, seeing now that it was a serious matter, agreed to abandon the wrestling, and gave his word that he would thereafter be more cautious of showing himself. "much do i fear," said sigurd, "that the mischief is already done. your future welfare, your happiness, your claiming of your father's kingdom--all depends upon the result of this horse fight. if klerkon the viking's horse should overcome sleipner there is no help for us. you must go with the victor." then olaf smiled almost mockingly. "be not afraid, my kinsman," said he. "should klerkon come to claim me as his prize he shall not find me. but he will never need to claim me. i have seen this great stallion that he has so much boasted of, and i know full well that it is no match for sleipner in a fair fight." "we shall see very soon," returned sigurd; "meanwhile, if you intend to witness the combat, i beg you to take your stand as far as possible away from the vikings. and when the fight is over--whatever be the result--make your way over the river and keep well hidden in old grim ormson's hut. there you will be safe from all discovery until after the vikings have departed." now olaf had no notion of hiding himself thus. he was not personally afraid of klerkon, neither did he believe that the viking would go to much trouble to secure his prize even if his horse should be successful. olaf had heard that that horse had been brought from england, and he did not believe that anything good could come from a country so far away. his uncle's horse, on the other hand, was celebrated all through gardarike, and it had never been beaten either in the race or in the fight. why, then, should there be any fear for the result of the coming contest? but sigurd erikson was wiser, and knew better that his steed was at last to meet its equal. never before had he seen an animal so strong and fierce as the stallion that klerkon the viking had matched against sleipner. many horses were led forth into the circle, and they were taken in pairs to the middle, where they fought one against the other. each horse was followed by its owner or the trainer, who supported and urged it on, inciting it with his stick. the crowd of onlookers was very large, for among the northmen no amusement was more popular than the horse fight, unless it were the combat between men. but at first there was not much excitement, because many of the horses would not fight, and others were too easily beaten. at last sleipner and the english horse were led forth into the centre. when they were let loose they came together fiercely, and there followed a splendid fight, both severe and long. little need was there for the men to urge them or to use the sticks. the two horses rose high on their hind legs, biting at each other savagely until their manes and necks and shoulders were torn and bloody. often the animals were parted, but only to renew the fight with greater fierceness. the combat went on until eleven rounds had passed. then klerkon's stallion took hold of the jawbone of sleipner, and held on until it seemed that he would never yield his hold. two of the men then rushed forward, each to his own horse, and beat and pushed them asunder, when sleipner fell down from exhaustion and hard fighting. at which the vikings set up a loud cheer. king valdemar was the umpire, and he said now that the fight must cease, for that klerkon's horse had proved himself the victor in eight rounds, and that it could easily be seen that the steward's horse was no longer fit. then the king asked sigurd what prize he had staked, and sigurd answered: "the prize was staked many months ago when i met klerkon over in esthonia, and it was arranged that if the viking's horse should overcome mine he was to take the young thrall ole." "let the boy be given up to him, then," said the king; "for he has won him very fairly." "i will take the boy tonight," said klerkon, who stood near, "for my business in holmgard is now over, and at sunrise i go back to the coast." now sigurd believed that olaf had surely taken his advice, and gone at once across the river to hide himself in grim ormson's hut, so he was not in any way anxious. "take the lad wheresoever you can find him," said he to the viking. "and if you cannot find him before the sunrise, then i will pay you his just value in gold." "though you offered me all the gold you are worth," returned klerkon, "i would not take it in place of the boy. no thrall born lad is he, but of noble descent, and i intend to make a viking of him and take him with me west over sea to england. it is not well that a youth so clever as he should waste his years in an inland town. he was meant by his nature for the sea, and i think that he will some day prove to be a very great warrior." at this sigurd erikson grew sick at heart, for he knew that the viking was a man of very strong will, and that no half measures would serve to turn him from his purpose. also, he felt that it was now useless to attempt any deception concerning olaf. the vikings had recognized the boy, and none other could be passed off in his stead. with a gloomy cloud on his brow, sigurd left the tent and made his way back to the king's hall in search of his nephew. olaf was not there. the hours went by, and still there was no sign of him. neither did klerkon come to make claim to his prize. it was in the evening time. sigurd sat alone in his room at the back of the great hall. he was thinking that olaf had become strangely restless and unruly of late. many times the lad had disappointed him and caused him trouble, but never so much as today, when his wilfulness threatened to bring about very serious consequences. had olaf taken the advice that had been given him in the morning, the coming of klerkon might have been a matter of small moment; but the thoughtless boy had boldly shown himself before the tent, and had never striven to hide himself from the quick eyes of the shipmen. he had been recognized--as how would one so distinguished from all other youths fail to be?--and now klerkon would not rest until he had safely secured his coveted prize. very different now was olaf from what he had seemed on that day when he stood near the viking ship in the guise of a poor slave. in the year that had passed sigurd had grown to love the lad with the love of a father, had taught him many useful arts and handicrafts, had given him fine clothes to wear, and had so improved his bodily condition and moulded his mind that no king's son could ever hope to excel him either in physical beauty or in skill of arms, in manly prowess or moral goodness. never once had olaf done anything that was mean or unworthy; never once had he told an untruth or gone back from his promise. at any time when sigurd had told him to do what was not to his liking the boy had simply shaken his golden curls and said, "i will not promise"; but always when he had given his word he held to it firmly and faithfully. he could be trusted in all things. but for all this he had lately become most wilful, and the trouble he was now causing made his uncle very anxious. sigurd knew full well that olaf loved him, and that all the possible glory of being a viking would not lead him away from holmgard of his own free will. but in the present case he might not be able to help himself, despite his having so positively said that klerkon should never carry him off alive. so in his heart sigurd feared that olaf would take some mischievous and unwise measure of his own to evade the vikings. it might be, indeed, that he had already gone across the river to the security of grim ormson's hut; but it was greatly to be feared that he had fallen into the hands of klerkon flatface. suddenly, as sigurd sat there in moody thought, the door of the room was flung open, and olaf rushed in. he was strangely agitated. his hair was rough and his clothing was torn; his large blue eyes flashed in anger, and his breathing was heavy and uneven. sigurd sprang up from his seat. he saw that something ill had happened. "why are you here?" he cried. "why are you not in hiding? have i not warned you enough that you are running into danger by letting yourself be seen? klerkon has won you from me, and he may be here at any moment to claim you and carry you away!" olaf did not reply for a long time. he only bent down and took a handful of rushes up from the floor, and began to quietly clean the blade of his axe that he held under his arm. "speak!" cried sigurd, driven to anger by the boy's silence. then at last olaf said in a steady, boyish voice: "klerkon will never claim me from you, my kinsman; for he is dead." "dead?" echoed sigurd in alarm. "yes," answered olaf, "i met him in the gate. he tried to take me. i raised my axe and buried it in his head. well have you taught me the use of my axe, hersir sigurd." as he spoke there came a loud hum of angry voices from without. they were the voices of the vikings calling aloud for the blood of him who had slain their chief. without a word sigurd erikson crossed the room, and drew the heavy bar athwart the door. then he turned upon olaf. "well do i discern," said he, "that you are of king harald's race. it was ever so with your forefathers; thoughtless, fearless, ruthless! and so all my teaching of you has gone for nothing! oh, foolish boy! to think that you, who might have lived to be the king of all norway, have ended in being no more than a common murderer!" "murderer?" repeated olaf. "not so. it is but justice that i have done. klerkon was the slayer of my dear foster father. he slew him cruelly and in cold blood, and for no other reason than that poor thoralf was old and infirm. i have done no murder. i have but taken just and lawful vengeance." "just and lawful it may be in our own birthland, olaf," returned sigurd gravely; "but in this kingdom wherein we now live the peace is held holy, and it is ordained by law that he who kills another man in anger shall himself lose his life. i cannot save you. you have broken the peace; you have taken the life of one of the king's own guests, and you have insulted the king's hospitality. i fear that you must die." he broke off, listening to the furious cries of the crowd outside. "hark!" he went on. "those wild sea wolves are calling for blood vengeance. come! come with me quickly. there is but one hope left, and in that hope lies my own despair and my own undoing." so, while yet the people were clamouring for the young peace breaker's life, sigurd took olaf through the back part of the house and by many secret passages into the queen's garth. here, in a large hall that was most splendidly adorned with carved wood and hung with tapestry, sat queen allogia with two of her handmaids working with their needles upon a beautiful robe of embroidered silk. sigurd passed the armed sentinel at the door and strode into the apartment, followed closely by the boy. the queen looked up in surprise at the unexpected visitors. "i crave your help, o queen," cried the steward excitedly. the queen stood up in alarm. she had heard the turmoil of voices from without. "what means all this shouting?" she inquired. then sigurd told her how olaf had killed the viking, and implored her to help the boy out of his trouble. "alas!" said she, when she had heard the tale. "little power have i to meddle in such affairs. the penalty of murder is death, and i cannot hinder the law." she looked at olaf as she spoke, and saw the pleading in his eyes. "and yet," she added with quick pity, "such a handsome boy must not be slain. i will save him if i can." she then bade sigurd call in her bodyguard fully armed to protect the lad, while she went out into the king's chamber and pleaded with valdemar to prevent the shedding of blood. now, by this time, the enraged vikings and many men of the town had gained entrance to the outer court, and they rushed forward to claim the life of the offender according to their custom and laws. long they waited, hammering noisily at the oaken doors of the hall wherein olaf was now known to have taken refuge. but at last the door was flung open, and king valdemar appeared on the threshold, guarded by many armed men. the crowd drew back, leaving only the chief of the vikings to speak for them and ask for justice. he told the king how klerkon, standing within the gate, had been attacked by young ole of the golden hair, and how without word or warning the boy had suddenly raised his axe and driven it into klerkon's head, so that the blade stood right down into the brain of him. the king then declared that he could not believe a boy so young as ole could have either the skill or the boldness to attack so powerful a man as klerkon flatface. but the viking turned and called upon some of his shipmates to bring forward the dead body of their chief, which they laid down before the king. valdemar looked upon it and examined the death wound. the skull was cloven with one clean blow from the crown right down to the red bearded chin. "a wondrous strong blow!" murmured valdemar. "but i see that it was struck from the front. how came it that klerkon could not defend himself?" "little time had he for that," answered the viking, "for the lad fell upon him with the quickness of an eagle's swoop, and although my master was well armed, yet he could not raise his sword ere he fell dead at our feet, and then ole turned and fled with such speed that none could follow him." "such an act as this," said the king, "cannot have been without some cause. what reason of enmity was there between this boy and klerkon?" "no reason but wanton mischief," answered the warrior. "it was a causeless murder, and we claim the full and lawful punishment." "justice shall be done," returned the king. "but i must first know what the peace breaker may have to say in his own defence. i beg you, therefore, to keep truce until the sunrise, when the penalty shall be adjudged." at hearing this promise the crowd dispersed in peace. many grumbled that the customary sentence of death had not been instantly pronounced. but in causing this delay king valdemar was but yielding to the pleadings of the queen, who had implored him to spare the life of the handsome young murderer, or at the least to save him from the fury of the vikings. when the crowd had gone from the courtyard allogia returned to the hall in which the steward and olaf had been kept under the protection of the guards. dismissing the men, she turned to sigurd erikson. "you have asked me to save the boy's life, hersir," said she, "but, alas! i cannot do it. all that the king will do is to give a few hours' respite. at sunrise the law is to take its course, and much do i fear that its course will be death." olaf heard her words, but did not show any fear of the expected punishment. it seemed, indeed, that he had become suddenly hard of heart and dauntless, as though he thought that the killing of a man was a matter to be proud of. certainly, in his own mind, he did not look upon the taking of klerkon's life as an act of guilt deserving punishment. he recalled what he had seen on the viking ship years before. the old man thoralf had fallen to klerkon's share in the dividing of booty. thoralf had held little olaf by the hand as they stood apart on the ship's deck, and klerkon had come up to them and roughly separated them, flinging olaf across to where young thorgils stood. then, tearing off thoralf's cloak, the viking had said: "little use is there in an old toothless hound, but his flesh may serve as food for the fishes;" and, drawing his sword, he had given the aged man his death blow and tilted him over into the sea. so olaf and thorgils had sworn to take vengeance upon this viking, and olaf had now fulfilled his vow. the queen came nearer to olaf, and looked at him tenderly. "it is a great pity," said she, "that one so fair should be doomed to die before he has grown to manhood. it might be that with good training he would become a very famous warrior, and i would gladly see him enlisted in the service of the king." she broke off and turned to sigurd. "hersir sigurd," she said, looking keenly into the steward's face, "i have noticed many times that you take a more than common interest in this boy. even now, when he has broken the law of the land, it is you who take it upon yourself to plead his cause. it must surely be that you have powerful reasons for keeping him from harm. whose son is he? of what kin is he? it is but right that i should know." sigurd demurred, remembering that it was forbidden by the law of the land that any king born person should live in gardarike, except with the king's permission. he thought that it would go very ill with himself if olaf's kingly birth should be known. "lady, i cannot tell you," he murmured. "would you then rather that the boy should die?" she asked with anger in her tone. "not so," answered sigurd, drawing himself up to his full height. "if the boy is to be condemned to death, then i will offer to take the punishment in his stead." the queen glanced at him quietly. "if that be so," said she, "then the sacrifice of your own life can only be taken as showing that you count the boy of more value to the world than yourself." she paused for a moment, then added: "i am your queen, hersir sigurd, and i command you to tell me what i ask. what is the boy's true name, and what is his parentage?" she went across to the side of the great fireplace, and, seating herself in one of the large oaken chairs, signed to sigurd and olaf to approach her. then, taking up an end of the silken robe upon which she had before been working, she threaded her needle. "i am ready," she said. so sigurd, seeing that there was no way out of his difficulty and hoping that the telling of his secret might after all be of benefit to olaf, obeyed the queen's behest, relating the story of the kings of norway and showing how this boy, olaf, the slayer of klerkon, was descended in a direct line from the great king harald fairhair. chapter v: the story op the norse kings. "on a time very long ago," began sigurd, as he sat beside olaf on a bench facing queen allogia, "there reigned in the south of norway a young king named halfdan the swarthy. his realm was not large, for the country was at that time divided into many districts, each having its independent king. but, by warfare and by fortunate marriage, halfdan soon increased the possessions which his father had left to him, so that he became the mightiest king in all the land. the name of his wife was queen ragnhild, who was very beautiful, and they had a son whom they named harald. "this harald grew to be a very handsome boy, tall and strong and of great intelligence. he was fond of manly sports, and his skill and beauty brought him the favour and admiration of all men of the northland. well, when harald was still a youth of ten winters, his father was one day crossing the ice on the randsfjord when the ice broke under him and he was drowned, so his kingdom fell to his son. the kings whom halfdan the swarthy had conquered then bethought them that they might win back what lands they had lost, and they accordingly made war against the young king. many battles were fought, but harald was always victorious. instead of yielding to his enemies he soon extended his dominions until they stretched as far north as orkadale. and then he was content." sigurd here raised his eyes and looked across at allogia as she silently plied her busy needle. "it is a long story, lady," he said; "and it may be that it is not new to you." "tell it to the end," returned the queen. "there lived at that time in valders a maid named gyda," continued sigurd. "she was the daughter of king erik of hordaland, and king harald, hearing that she was exceedingly fair and high minded would fain have her to be his wife. so he sent forth messengers to her, asking her to wed with him. now the maid was proud as well as beautiful, and when she received this message she answered thus: 'tell your master,' she said, 'that i will not sacrifice myself to be the wife of a king who has no more realm to rule over than a few counties. marvellous it seems to me that there is no king who can make all norway his own and be the sole lord thereof, as king erik in sweden, and king gorm in denmark. give this message to king harald, and tell him that i will only promise to be his wedded wife on this condition, that he will for my sake lay under him all norway. for only then can he be accounted the king of a people." "now these words of gyda were taken duly to the king, and they awakened in his mind a thought which had never before occurred to him, and he said, in the presence of many men: 'this oath do i now solemnly make, and swear before that god who made me and rules over all things, that never more will i cut my hair nor comb it until the day when i have conquered all norway, and have made myself the sole ruler of the northmen. and if i do not fulfil my vow, i shall die in the attempt.'" "spoken like a true king!" interrupted allogia. "i trust, for the proud maiden's sake, that he did not take long to fulfil his vow." "ten long years it took him," returned sigurd. "northward he sallied with a vast army and conquered orkadale, trondelag, and naumdale, and all the country about thrandheim, making himself the overlord of all the old kings who thereafter became his earls and vassals. those who would not be subdued he killed or maimed. he made new laws, took from the peasants their odal estates, and declared all land to be the king's property. many of the conquered people rebelled against his rule and his strict feudal laws, and some of his provinces had to be conquered twice over. but with every year he came nearer to his goal, and those who opposed him only brought about their own ruin. "at last the old kings, smarting in their subjection, banded themselves together, resolving to assert their ancient rights in a pitched battle. they assembled a great fleet of warships and met the conqueror in the hafrsfjord. in the sea fight that followed many of harald's bravest men were slain; spears and stones fell about them on every side; the air was filled with the flying arrows as with winter hail. but the king's berserks at length took on their fury and won for their master the greatest battle that has ever been fought in norway. thus, after a ten years' struggle, did harald fulfil his vow. "at a feast which followed this fight his hair was cut and combed. men had formerly named him harald shockhead; but now they marvelled at his new made beauty and called him harald fairhair. then, having done what he set out to do, he married gyda and lived with her until she died. "from that day forth," continued sigurd, "harald fairhair ruled with great rigour, and so severely did he tax his people that many of the nobler and prouder sort grew discontented and straightway abandoned norway to seek new homes across the sea. many were content to roam upon the waters as vikings; others sailed west to the faroe isles, some settled in shetland and the orkneys, while others went far north into iceland--a country so rich that, as i have heard, every blade of grass drips with butter. but harald followed these adventurous men who had thus sought to escape his rule, with the result that he reduced all these islands to his sway." at this point of the steward's narrative the queen moved impatiently and said: "all this may be very well, hersir sigurd. but i fail to see how this history can bear upon the story of the boy ole." "you shall see its bearing very soon," returned sigurd. "but, if you so wish, i will cut it short." "nay, tell it in your own way," said the queen, "for my time is of no account." "you must know, then," pursued sigurd, "that king harald fairhair had many wives, other than gyda. and as he had many wives, so had he many sons. these sons as they grew up to manhood became to him a serious trouble. they were jealous of each other and for ever quarrelling among themselves. a chief cause of their disagreement was their bitter jealousy of erik, the son whom harald favoured above all the rest. "when erik was but a mere boy--no older than young ole, here--his father gave him the command of five great ships of war, and with a picked crew of hardy warriors the boy went a-viking along the coasts, harrying and plundering, fighting and slaughtering wherever he fell in with ships less powerful than his own. he became a terror to all peaceful folk, and for his murderous deeds by sea and land he won the name of erik bloodaxe. "it was through his foolish love of this wild hearted son that harald fairhair was led to commit an act whereby he undid all the great work of his life. he had succeeded in uniting all norway into one nation, and this was good. but now nothing would suit him but that he should once more divide his great realm into many provinces. he therefore created all his sons kings, and gave to each his portion of the country, on condition that after his own death they should all acknowledge erik bloodaxe their overlord. "but no sooner had this unwise course been taken than the sons began to quarrel more wildly than ever. there was but one son among them who was wise enough to enjoy his share in contentment and keep peace. this was olaf, the son of queen swanhild. to him king harald had given the country of viken, in the south of norway. olaf was the father of triggvi, and the grandfather of the boy who is now before you."' allogia's eyes were now fixed upon young olaf, who sat at his ease in front of her with his arm resting on the back of the bench and his fingers playing idly with his long gold curls. "truly did i guess," said she, "that the boy had kingly blood in him. such silken hair, such clear soft skin, and beautiful blue eyes could not possibly have come of lowly birth. and now do i well believe that it was he whom the king's mother meant when, at the yuletide feast, she spoke of the child who was destined to be brought up here in holmgard, and who was to grow to be a famous prince." she smiled softly on the boy as she said this. "and now, hersir," she added, "we will hear the rest of your saga." sigurd rose from the bench and began to pace slowly to and fro with his hands clasped behind his back. "of all king harald's sons," said he, "erik bloodaxe was the one who had the most ambition and who fought hardest to win worship from his brothers. in his strivings he did not scruple to act unfairly. he stooped to treachery, and even to murder. he first killed his brother, ragnvald rattlebone, because he was said to be a sorcerer. next he killed his brother biorn, because he refused to pay him homage and tribute. none of harald's sons could be safe while erik was thus allowed to take the law into his own hands; so two other of the brothers attempted to take erik's life, by setting fire to a farmhouse in which he was feasting. but erik escaped with four men, secured his father's protection, and for a time there was peace. "now king harald fairhair had a young son named hakon, the child of his old age, and this son became in the after years a very great man in the land, and was called hakon the good. "the king of england in those days was named athelstane the victorious, and it is told that on a time athelstane, who was passing jealous of the power of harald fairhair, sent a messenger to norway bearing a precious sword as a gift to king harald. the sword was done with gold about the hilt and set with dear bought gems, and well tempered in the blade. so the messenger fared to lade, in thrandheim, where harald dwelt, and said he: 'here is a sword which the king of england sendeth thee, bidding thee take it withal.' so the king took the grip of it. then said the messenger: 'thou hast taken the sword even as our king wished, and thou art therefore his sword taker and vassal.' "well, harald was angry at being thus tricked, and he pondered how he might pay back king athelstane, so the next year he got ship and sent his young son hakon to england, along with a great berserker, or champion, named hawk, and thirty warriors. they found the king in london town, and, being fully armed, they entered his feasting hall where he sat. hawk took the child hakon and placed him on king athelstane's knee, saying: 'the king of norway biddeth thee foster this his child.' "athelstane was exceeding wroth, and he caught up his sword that lay beside him and drew it as if he would slay the lad. then said hawk: 'thou hast set the child on thy knee and mayest murder him if thou wilt, but not thus withal wilt thou make an end of all the sons of king harald fairhair.' "thus did the king of norway pay back the king of england in his own coin, for men ever account the fosterer less noble than him whose child he fosters. howbeit, king athelstane kept the lad and fostered him right well. thereafter he treated young hakon with great kindness, taught him good manners and all kinds of prowess, and in the end grew to love him more than any of his own kin. in england, hakon abandoned his faith in the gods of scandinavia, and became a worshipper of the white christ, for in that land all men are christians, and thor and odin have no power. "now, while hakon was away in england, his elder brother, erik bloodaxe, went a-warring in his viking ships to many lands--scotland, wales, ireland, and normandy, and north away in finland. and in finland he found a certain woman, the like of whom he had never seen for fairness in all his roamings. she was named gunnhild, and had learned all kinds of sorcery and witchcraft among the finns. erik wedded with this woman, and it afterwards befell that she wrought more evil in norway than even erik himself. she was his evil genius, egging him on to deeds of treachery and violence which made him detested of all men. "glad was gunnhild when harald the fairhaired, being stricken in years, declared that he felt no longer able to bear the burden of the government. this he did when he was eighty years old. he led his son erik to his royal high seat and put him there as the king, so that gunnhild by this became the queen, and could work her evil as she willed. "three years afterwards harald fairhair died in his bed, having ruled over norway for seventy-three years." sigurd paused in his narrative and sat down beside olaf. he felt that the queen's interest in his nephew was now secure and that it boded well for olaf. allogia set aside her needle and nodded to the steward as if she would tell him to continue his saga. sigurd leaned back in his seat, crossed his legs, and went on. "king erik now held dominion over the larger part of norway," said he. "but there were two of his brothers who would not yield to him, and who yet peacefully ruled in the realms over which their father had placed them. olaf--the son of king harald and queen swanhild--was the sovereign king in viken, and his brother halfdan in like manner ruled in thrandheim. full ill content was erik that he could not truthfully call himself the lord over all norway. but, as he could not be king by favour alone, he resolved to become so by other means. two winters after erik's enthronement his brother halfdan died a sudden and painful death at a feast in thrandheim. it is told that he was cunningly poisoned by queen gunnhild. erik straightway claimed his dead brother's kingdom; but the thrandheimers would have none of him; they declared against him, and took another brother, sigrod, for their king. to protect themselves against their overbearing brother, sigrod and olaf joined their forces. but erik attacked them unawares with a great army at tunsberg and won the day. both olaf and sigrod, champions in the battle, were killed. olaf's son, triggvi, escaped, however, and fled away to the uplands, where he remained as long as erik bloodaxe was master in the land. triggvi was the biggest and strongest of men, and the fairest of face of all that have ever been seen. "erik bloodaxe had now killed four of his brothers and caused the death of a fifth. he had made himself the king of all norway, even as his father had been. yet the people misliked him sorely, they were for ever striving to displace him and to set up triggvi olafson in his stead. then queen gunnhild swore that, if erik would not make his rule a certainty, she at least would not rest until she had exterminated all the race of harald fairhair outside of her husband's line." here olaf spoke, leaning forward and looking round into sigurd's face. "i think," said he, "that if i had been in my father's place i would have rid the earth of so murderous a traitor as erik bloodaxe." "your father was a peace lover," returned sigurd, "though, indeed, there was not in all the land at that time a more splendid warrior than he. but there were other reasons. the first was that triggvi was passing content in the place where he was living, away in the uplands, for there he had become the friend of a great earl who had most fruitful lands at ofrestead, and he had won the love of the earl's daughter, astrid, the most beautiful maid in all norway. her he had wedded, and they were very happy together and free from all the cares of state and war. this do i know full well," added sigurd, addressing allogia, "for queen astrid was my own dear sister, and earl erik of ofrestead was my own father." "then," said queen allogia, "it must be that astrid was the mother of this boy whose cause you are now pleading; and in that case you yourself must be our young ole's uncle?" "it is even so," replied sigurd. "and now i must tell the second reason why triggvi did not try to compass the death of king erik. it was that queen gunnhild had already been seeking to fulfil her vow, and had been attempting through her wicked sorcery to bring about young triggvi's death. so triggvi thereupon left astrid in the care of her father, and went a-warring as a viking. he sailed west over sea to scotland, and there harried the coasts; and then to the orkneys, where he had many battles with the vikings of the isles. so that when the people sought for him, wishing to make him their king, he could not be found. "well, in the meantime there had appeared another who had rightful claim to the throne. hakon, athelstane's foster son, had come back from england on hearing of king harald's death. he was now a full grown man and a valiant warrior. when he landed in trondelag the people hailed him with great rejoicing, and declared that old harald fairhair had come back once more, gentler and more generous than before, but no less mighty and beautiful. they claimed him as their king, calling him hakon the good, and he reigned in norway for many years, nor did he seek to do any ill to his nephew, triggvi olafson, but confirmed him as king in viken. "now when hakon the good returned it was an ill day for his elder brother erik bloodaxe, for the people had become so wroth against him that he could find no peace. at first he tried to raise an army, but none would serve him, and he was forced to flee from the land with his wife and children and a few weak followers. he thereupon took a ship and roamed about as a viking. he fared westward to the orkneys, and got many vikings to join him, then he sailed south and harried all about the north parts of england. so greatly did he trouble the english people that at last king athelstane, to win his peace, offered erik the dominion over northumberland, on the condition that he would become the king's vassal and defend that part of the realm against the danes and other vikings. erik agreed, allowed himself to be christened, and took the right troth. "now northumbria is accounted the fifth part of england, and the better bargain was on erik's side. he made his abode in the town of york, and he warded the country well, for full oft did the danes and northmen harry there in the earlier time. but very soon, urged, it may be, by queen gunnhild, he sought to increase his wealth and to add to his lands; and when athelstane died and king edmund became the monarch of england erik bloodaxe went far into the land, and forcibly drove the people from their homes. too greatly did he reckon upon success, for it happened that there was another who, like himself, had been set there by the king for the warding of the country. this other gathered an army and fell upon erik. there was a great battle, and many of the english folk were killed; but ere the day was ended erik lay dead upon the field, and that was the last of him. "no longer could queen gunnhild hope to dwell at peace in england. her husband's estates were forfeited, and she had no home. so she took her children and sailed east to denmark. there she was well received by the danish king, harald bluetooth. but in spite of her misfortune her ambitions were not dead, for she had many sons growing up, and she had a mind to make them all kings in norway. these sons, as you may well suppose, had little goodwill for hakon the good, who had dispossessed them of their inheritance. the eldest of them had roved for a while as vikings, and were already skilled in warfare, so gunnhild contrived to get them ships and followers, and sent them across to viken, the part of norway where, as i have said, king triggvi olafson reigned. they had many battles with triggvi, but they could not conquer him. but at last king hakon came to his nephew's help, and with him pursued the sons of gunnhild into denmark. "this attack upon danish soil brought about a war between the kings of denmark and norway, and in a battle at sotoness triggvi olafson was defeated. he was forced to abandon his ships and save himself by flight. in a later battle hakon the good was killed. it is said that gunnhild had bewitched the arrow that slew him. "hakon had never tried very hard to make his people christians, and he had himself drifted back to the worship of thor and odin. one of his friends, when he was dying, offered to take his body over to england, so that he might be buried in christian soil, but hakon replied: 'i am not worthy of it. i have lived like a heathen, and therefore it is meet that i should be buried like a heathen.'" queen allogia drew a heavy breath at this point in sigurd's narrative, as if she thought that the story would have no end. "your voice gets tired, hersir," said she, "and it may be that you would wish to keep the rest of the saga for another time!" "there is but little more to tell," returned sigurd, looking up with anxious eyes. "and as what is left is the more important part, i beg you to hear it to the end." the queen assented, and sigurd took up the thread of his story: "little time did the sons of gunnhild lose," said he, "in claiming the kingdom of their fathers; but it was only the middle part of norway that they could possess in safety. to gain the whole country they had need to break the power of triggvi olafson and gudrod biornson, both grandsons of harald fairhair, who ruled as independent kings. to do this in open warfare was not easy. gunnhild, who now forced her sons to action, as she had formerly forced erik bloodaxe, found treachery an easier means; so she got one of her sons to feign hostility to his brothers and to make a show of friendship for triggvi olafson. king triggvi was invited by this son to go out on a cruise with him. triggvi yielded to his false friend's wish, and on reaching the place of meeting he was foully murdered with all his men. his cousin, king gudrod biornson, was at about this same time surprised at a feast by harald greyfell and slain after a desperate fight. "thus did the sons of gunnhild clear their path. thus, too, did the wicked queen fulfil the vow that she had sworn many years before, to exterminate the whole race of harald fairhair outside her husband's line. "but," added sigurd, in a deep and solemn voice, "the flower that is trampled under foot may yet leave its seed behind to come forth in its own season and flourish. the race of king harald was not yet dead, and queen gunnhild presently found that there was a woman in norway whose true love and faithfulness were better than all the guile and treachery that jealousy could devise. triggvi olafson's widow, queen astrid, when she heard tidings of his murder, guessed rightly that gunnhild would pursue her, so she fled from viken, and journeyed north towards the uplands, taking with her her two young daughters, ingibiorg and astrid, together with such chattels as she might have with her. in her company was her foster father, thoralf lusaskegg by name, and his young son thorgils. thoralf never left her, but guarded her always most faithfully, while other trusty men of hers went about spying for tidings of her foes. "now very soon astrid heard that gunnhild's sons were pursuing her with intent to kill her, so she let herself be hidden on a little island in the midst of a certain lake. there on that island her son was born, and she had him sprinkled with water and named olaf, after his father's father." sigurd paused, and laying his hand on olaf's shoulder, "this," said he, "is that same child, olaf triggvison, and he is the one true flower of which king harald fairhair was the parent stem. an ill thing would it be for norway if, for the slaying of klerkon the viking, he were now to lose his life. and i beg you, oh, queen! to deal kindly with this king's son so hardly dealt with, and to deal with king valdemar concerning him that his life may be spared." then queen allogia answered, looking on the lad, that she would do as sigurd wished. "and now," she added, "tell me how it came to pass that the boy was ever brought across the sea to esthonia." so sigurd told how queen astrid journeyed farther into the uplands until she came to her father's manor at ofrestead; how, dwelling there, she had been at last discovered by gunnhild's spies, and been forced to take flight that she might save young olaf from their murderous hands. for gunnhild had now heard of the birth of this son of king triggvi, and nothing would content her, but that he should die ere he could grow up to manhood, and so dispute with her own sons the realm that they now usurped. he told how queen astrid, leaving her two daughters at ofrestead, had fared east away into sweden, and of what privations she had borne for her son's sake, and of how, still pursued by her enemies, she had at length taken safe refuge with hakon gamle, a friend of her father's. "but even here," continued sigurd, "queen gunnhild's enmity followed her. this time it was not with the sword but with soft words that gunnhild sought to gain her ends. she sent a message through the king of sweden, asking that she might have olaf back in norway to live in her court, and to be taught and nurtured as behoved one of such exalted birth. but astrid knew full well that there was falseness underlying this message, and she sent word back to norway saying that her boy stood in no need of such help, and that she would herself see that he was both well nurtured and fitly taught. "i have told you," said sigurd, "that queen astrid was my own sister. now, at the time i speak of i was already in the service of king valdemar; so astrid thought that the best means of escaping her enemies and of saving her son was that she should come here with olaf into holmgard. the boy was then three winters old and full sturdy. so hakon gamle gave her a good company of men, and took her down to the seacoast and gave her into the care of certain traders whose ship was bound eastward. "but now as they made out to sea vikings fell on them, and took both men and money. some they slew, and some they shared between them for bondslaves. then was olaf parted from his mother, and the captain of the vikings, an esthonian named klerkon flatface, got him along with thoralf and thorgils. klerkon deemed thoralf over old for a thrall, and, seeing no work in him, slew him and flung him overboard, but he had the lads away with him, and sold them into slavery. olaf and thorgils swore foster brotherhood, and they took oath in handshaking that they would bring this viking to his bane. that oath did olaf fulfil this day, when he drove his axe into klerkon's head." sigurd rose from his seat and stood before the queen. "and now," said he, "my story is at an end, and you know of what kin this boy has come. well am i aware, oh, queen! that in fostering a king's son i have broken the law of this land. i seek no pardon for myself. for olaf alone do i ask your help. and if king valdemar condemn him to death for his crime, then do i crave that my life, and not the boy's, be taken." "go with the boy to your home," returned the queen. "none shall hurt either him or you. wait in patience until the sun rise, and then you shall know the issue of my pleadings with the king." and so saying, she signed to them to leave the hall. chapter vi: the training of olaf. very much of this story that sigurd had told was strangely new to olaf, and even the parts that he had before been familiar with came to him with fresh meaning. he had known all along of his descent from king harald fairhair, but not until now did he fully and clearly understand that by the death of his father and of all his father's brothers he was himself at this moment the sole heir to the throne of norway. now for the first time he realized that during all that past time, when he had been living as a poor and wretched bondslave in esthonia, he had held this glorious birthright. as he lay on his bed that night, thinking over all that he had heard, he tried to comprehend all that it must mean to him in the future, and in his own boyish way he made great resolves of how, when the fitting moment should come, he would sail across the sea, and, landing on the shores of norway, tell his people the story of his royal birth and heritage, so that they might know him and acknowledge him their king, even as they had acknowledged hakon the good. but in the midst of his dreaming there came to him the remembrance of the crime that he had just committed, and he began to dread that king valdemar might hold him guilty, and order him to be slain. all through the long night this dread haunted him. he had killed jarl klerkon, and the sense of his own guilt now preyed upon him like a terrible nightmare. he wondered by what means they would take his life. would they smite off his head with a sharp sword or shoot an arrow into his heart, or would they slowly torture him to death? perhaps they would deem him too young to be thus punished by the taking of his life; but if they spared his life he would none the less be punished, for they would throw him into the dark prison that he had once seen under the king's castle, and there they would leave him to languish in chains for many years, so that his strength would go from him, and he would be no longer fit to be called a king. not for a moment did olaf think of allowing his uncle sigurd to take the punishment for his crime. he knew that sigurd had made no idle offer when he had said that he would give up his life for his sake; but sigurd was guiltless, and it would be a coward's act to allow him to make this sacrifice. with all his newborn hopes burning within him, it was a hard thing for olaf to think of death. nevertheless, before the night was half spent he had resolved to take whatever punishment should be meted out to him, and if need be to face even death with a brave heart. early on the next morning he was awakened from his sleep by the touch of rough hands upon him. his own hands were seized, and heavy chains were bound upon his wrists and ankles. then he was taken away and thrust into a dark cell that was cold, and damp, and airless. no food was given to him, and very soon the pangs of hunger made him wild and restless. a sudden dread came upon him that they meant to starve him to death. but not long had he been imprisoned before the heavy door was again thrown open, and he was summoned forth. two men of the king's bodyguard led him into the great hall, where he was met by a loud clamour of voices. he looked about him fearlessly at the crowd of townsfolk and vikings, who were there, as he now well knew, to bear witness against him and to hear him condemned. as he stood facing them the vikings broke into fierce cries for speedy vengeance, and he felt the hot blood rush to his cheeks and brow. his clear blue eyes flashed in bold challenge as one of the seamen called out aloud: "death to him! death to the slayer of our chief!" then one of the king's lawmen demanded silence, and olaf was made to turn with his face to the high seat. there sat king valdemar in his robes of justice, and with his naked sword lying before him on the oaken table. at his right side sat queen allogia, with her eyes fixed gravely upon the young criminal. presently, when there was complete silence, olaf's accuser stepped forward, and making the sign of thor's hammer, spoke aloud. he was named rand the strong, and the vikings had chosen him as their captain in the place of the dead jarl klerkon. he told very truthfully how the young prisoner had made his attack upon klerkon, and showed that it was in no mean and underhand way that he had committed this crime, but with such boldness that none had guessed what was happening until they saw klerkon fall to the ground with the lad's axe buried deep in his skull. then came others, both townsfolk and seafolk, declaring that rand had spoken truly. and so when all who accused the boy had spoken, sigurd, the king's steward, was bidden to rise and say what he knew in olaf's favour. "the boy is my own servant," said he, "and i bought him as a thrall from a certain yeoman in esthonia. i know no ill against him, and it was not in his nature to commit any violent act without cause. rash he certainly was in killing this viking without due warning. but jarl klerkon was a man whose skill and prowess have made him well known on all the seas where the vikings are wont to do battle, and i think he might easily have defended himself against this child, who, as you have heard, attacked him face to face in the full daylight. as to the cause of this attack it was this: some seven summers back jarl klerkon assailed and captured a certain merchant ship, on board of which were this boy ole, his mother, and his foster father. klerkon slew the boy's foster father and sold the mother and her child into bondage. the boy took oath of vengeance, which oath he has now fulfilled. now," continued sigurd, raising his voice so that all could hear, "it is not lawful for any esthonian viking to attack a peaceful trading ship; but klerkon assuredly did this, and i therefore hold that it was he who was the aggressor. for this reason, and also on account of his youth, i crave that the boy's life be spared." while sigurd was speaking, olaf's eyes rested upon the queen. he saw her lean over and whisper in the king's ear. the king nodded and smiled, waited until there was silence, and then said briefly: "little question is there that the offender is guilty. he is guilty, and must suffer the penalty of his crime. but as he is still little more than a child in years the penalty will not be death, but the payment of a heavy fine. he will, therefore, pay to the vikings whom he has injured the sum of two hundred gold marks." now olaf deemed this judgment very hard, for he had not the money wherewith to pay this fine. but his life had been spared, and that was a great matter. it might be that sigurd erikson, who was as he knew very wealthy, would help him to meet the weregild. meanwhile the vikings had put their heads together in council. they decided that as the young murderer's death would in no way profit them they would accept the fine. but there was yet something that seemed to trouble them, and at last rand the strong came forward before the king. "we are well content with thy judgment, o king," said he, "and we agree that on receiving this money we shall not molest the lad any longer on account of this matter. but we are told that he is only a thrall, and that there is no hope of our getting the gold from him. therefore we claim that he shall die the death." olaf looked towards his uncle as if expecting that he would at once offer to pay this gold. but sigurd's eyes were fixed upon queen allogia, who now slowly rose from her seat and held up her hand to silence the loud murmur of voices that filled the hall. "as to this money," said she, addressing the vikings in a clear ringing voice, "there is no need that you concern yourselves. the gold shall now be paid to you in full. it is here!" she cried, throwing down a bag of coins upon the table. "now, loosen the boy's chains! loosen his chains and set him free." then olaf's warders unbound him, and at a sign from the queen he stepped to the table and took up the bag of gold and carried it to rand the strong, who received it from him with willing hands, bidding the boy have no further fear. on that same day the vikings departed out of holmgard not ill pleased, for they went away much richer than they had come, and none of them seemed at all sorry at the loss of their chief. jarl klerkon had gone to valhalla, they said, and he was surely happier than they. now on the day after the paying of the weregild olaf had audience with queen allogia, and he thanked her well for the great friendship she had shown him. "little do i deserve your thanks, prince olaf," said she. "what i have done is no more than i would wish any other woman to do for my own son if he were so hardly dealt with in a foreign land. and now," she added, "since i have at length learned of what great kin you are, it is my wish that you shall be received here as becomes your royal birth, and that you shall be educated as behoves a king's son. too young are you yet to bear arms as a warrior. for the present, therefore, you shall attend upon me as my page, and you will be treated with all kindness." not as a servant, but rather as an honoured courtier was olaf triggvison received after this time. he was twelve winters old when he came into holmgard, and he abode in king valdemar's service other five winters. little can be told of his life during those years. they were years of preparation for his great work in the after time; and although he learnt very much and acquired a large part of the skill that was to make him famous among men, yet his days were without adventure. there was one matter which had sorely troubled him for many a long day, and this was the thought of his mother living in bondage. little did he remember of those early times when she had done so much for his sake; he had been too young then to understand what sacrifices queen astrid had made and what privations she had endured. but ever as he grew older he thought more of her, and it pained him very much to know that even now, when he was living in comfort, with good food and rich apparel, she, to whom he owed so much, was perhaps labouring as a bondswoman under some cruel master. on a certain summer morning he sat in the queen's presence, playing upon a little harp that allogia had given to him. and as his deft fingers touched the trembling strings he chanted a little song, telling of how the giant loki, in punishment for all the ills he had done to gods and men, was bound by strong cords against the walls of a cave, with a serpent suspended over him dropping venom into his face drop by drop; and of how sigyn his wife took pity on him and stood by him for hundreds of years, catching the drops as they fell in a cup which she held. suddenly in the midst of his song olaf stopped. the queen looked round at him and saw that there were tears in his eyes. "why do you weep?" she asked. "are you not happy, olaf?" "happy enough am i for my own sake," he replied. "it was the thought of my mother that brought the tears to my eyes. i was thinking that what sigyn did for the wicked giant was just such a good act as my mother would do for anyone whom she loved." "marvellous it seems to me," said allogia, "that we can never learn what has become of the good queen astrid." "i think," returned olaf, "that if ever i were to journey into esthonia i might get some tidings of her. the last that i heard of her was that she had been sold to a rich fisherman named hallstein, who made her labour at cleaning the fish for him and mending his nets." "a sorry occupation for a queen to be at!" allogia said with a sigh. "but if it be that you have any hope of finding her, then it would be well if you made that journey you speak of. sigurd erikson goes north to esthonia in three days' time, on business for the king. will you not go with him?" "gladly will i go with him," answered olaf, "if it be that i may." well, on the third day olaf and sigurd mounted their horses, and with a good company of men-at-arms set off on their journey over the rocky plains. five days were they riding before they came within sight of the blue sea with its ships and its quiet green islands. that sight brought a restless yearning into olaf's spirit. it seemed as if nothing would now content him but that he should go out upon the wide ocean and spend all his days in roving. and so much did he speak of the ships and of the viking life that when at last the time came for the return to holmgard, sigurd erikson had hard work to win the boy away with him. while sigurd was dealing with the people concerning the king's business, olaf triggvison went about from place to place in quest of tidings of queen astrid. but nothing certain could he learn, for he dared not say that the woman he sought was the widow of king triggvi, and when he told of her fairness those whom he questioned only shook their heads. they had seen many bondswomen who were fair, they said, and how could they tell that any one of them was she whom the young hersir was now seeking? at last olaf found his way to the house of hallstein the fisher, only to hear that hallstein had been drowned in the sea full five winters before. but olaf described his mother to the fisher's widow, who bade him fare to a certain yeoman named einar ulfsson, at a farmstead over the hills. so olaf took horse and rode away to this man and questioned him concerning astrid. einar remembered her, for she had been his bondwoman for two summers. he had sold her, he said, to a stranger, who had taken her on board his ship and carried her away across the seas. this was the last trace of his mother that olaf could discover, and he went back to sigurd erikson and told him what he had learned. sigurd was very sad at this, for he loved his sister, and it pained him to think that she was still in slavery, when, if she could but be found, she might live in comfort and happiness. but he bade olaf to be hopeful, "for," said he, "i think it may be that some friendly man has bought her and taken her home to norway. and if that be so, then we shall soon learn the truth. i will send messengers to ofrestead, and my father, earl erik, will surely find her if she is to be found." now when olaf returned to holmgard it was with the resolve that he would not long remain in this foreign land, but would take his first chance to go west over sea to the country of his birth. he had seen the ships passing along the rocky coasts of esthonia; he had breathed the fresh free air of the sea, and the viking blood in him had been roused. his spirit was filled with the ambition to be the commander of a great warship, and to rove the ocean as his father had done, to visit distant lands and to make himself glorious in battle. but well he knew that to fit himself for the viking life he must increase his strength of body and acquire even greater skill than he now had in the use of all warlike weapons. so he set himself the task of excelling in the games and exercises that were then known and practised. already he had been taught by his uncle to read runes, to recite sagas, to play upon the harp, to carve wood, to twist string, to bend a bow, and to shaft an arrow. these and many other arts had come easy to his active mind and his deft fingers. all that a man of peace need know he knew full well. nor had he neglected to give thought to the religion of his times. every day he went into the temple to bow down in devout worship of the heathen gods, to take part in the rites and ceremonies of his faith, and even to offer sacrifice to thor and odin. the graven image of odin was to him, as to most of the norsemen, a sacred and a holy thing. when he took oath it was by the sign of thor's hammer that he swore; he knew the names and the special powers of all the gods in asgard, and valhalla was the heaven to which, after death, he hoped to go. but these arts and this religion would not alone fit him for fulfilling his ambition. to be such a great viking as he dreamed of becoming he must learn how to use his sword, how to wield his battleaxe, how to throw a spear and to shoot an arrow with greater skill than any other man could boast. he must learn, too, how to defend himself, and how, if wounded, to bear pain without shrinking. he was a king's son, and to be worthy of his father it was well that he should excel even the full grown men who had been well tried in battle and who had never known the meaning of defeat. to this end olaf remained three other years in holmgard, which time he spent in making himself strong. in the neighbouring waters of lake ilmen he practised swimming, and with such success that at last he could remain under the surface for many minutes, diving off a ship's prow and coming up again under her steering board. so quickly and strongly could he swim that no man rowing in a boat could keep level with him. he could ride the wildest horse in the king's stable. at running and jumping no man could surpass him. in the use of the sword he was so expert that he could wield the weapon with either hand, and he could throw two spears at once. never was he known to shoot an arrow without hitting the mark. so long as daylight served him he was always to be found performing some manly feat. but in these matters it was not his training alone that aided him. nature had given him a very beautiful and powerful frame, with well proportioned limbs, clear quick eyesight, and wonderful strength to endure all fatigue. also, through all his life he was never known to be afraid of any danger or to shrink before any enemy. other men of his race have won undying renown, but olaf triggvison has ever been accounted the fairest and tallest and strongest of all the heroes of scandinavia, and in prowess surpassing all the warriors told of in the sagas. chapter vii: the captain of the host. it befell at a time when olaf had been in the queen's service some four summers that sigurd erikson went out into the far parts of the king's dominions to levy the yearly taxes upon the people, and among those that went with him on his journey were thorgils thoralfson and the young egbert of england. these two had, by olaf's favour with king valdemar, been liberated from their bondage and hard labour, and sigurd had taken them into his service as men-at-arms. brave and handsome they looked as they sat upon their chargers with their swords hanging at their sides and the sun shining on their burnished bronze helmets and coats of ring mail. olaf watched them with admiring eyes as they rode away through the town, and wished that he might be of their company. but their journey was one of peace, and it was only their martial array that made him for the moment envious. sigurd was expected to be absent for little more than two weeks, but the time went by, the weeks passed into months, and he did not return. on a certain day olaf was beyond the gates training a pair of young hounds. as he watched one of the dogs running in pursuit of a hare that had been started he espied afar off a horseman riding swiftly across the plain, almost hidden in a cloud of dust. nearer and nearer he approached until olaf at last saw his face, and knew him to be his young friend egbert. leaving the dogs in the care of two of the king's servants who were attending him, he set off at a quick run to meet the horseman. "what brings you back alone, egbert?" he cried as he came near. egbert drew rein. his garments were torn and dusty; he had lost his helmet and sword, and his face was so begrimed and travel stained that he was scarcely to be recognized. "i have brought ill news," he answered, "and am hastening with it to king valdemar. it is full five days since i parted company with my fellows. they are all made captive--the hersir sigurd, thorgils thoralfson, and the rest of them--and i alone have escaped." olaf turned, and taking egbert's stirrup strap in his hand trotted on at the horse's side. "seven days ago," egbert went on, "we crossed in one of the king's ships to an island that lies out to the west of esthonia. dago is the name of the island. "there sigurd landed, meaning to gather taxes and tribute from the people. but no sooner was he ashore than the people told him that they were no longer the subjects of king valdemar but of a new king whom they had chosen for themselves. sigurd disputed their right to elect a new king for themselves, and he asked to see this man and to know the name of him who had dared to set himself up in opposition to valdemar. then there was a commotion among the crowd, and one stepped forward and cried out, 'i am the king, and my name is rand the strong!' and we all knew him to be the same viking who four summers ago was here in holmgard in the train of jan klerkon. sigurd grew ill at ease seeing the vast crowd of islanders that had now gathered there, but he spoke boldly, and told them all that they were a pack of rebels, and that king valdemar would speedily prove to them that he would not brook the interference of this upstart sea rover. at that rand drew his sword and called to his men to stand by their rights and drive these intruders from their shores. there was a brief fight, in which i know not how many men were slain or wounded, and in the end the islanders got the victory. sigurd fought bravely until he was disarmed and made prisoner. thorgils and five others of our men were carried off with him. our ship, too, was captured. darkness came on ere the fight was finished, and under the cover of night i crept down to the seashore and waded out into the sea. by the light of the stars i took my bearings and swam out eastward to the mainland. all through the night i swam on and on. the sun rose, and still the land was afar off. but at the midday i came to a firm footing on the beach. at a farmstead i got food and a horse, and for two days i have been travelling without rest." "you have done wondrous well," cried olaf. "and much do i envy you your adventure." "there is little cause for envy," returned egbert. "my limbs are so weary that i can scarcely sit upright upon my horse's back, and he, poor dumb brute, is so wind broken that he can be of little more use in the world. as to adventure, you might now have it in plenty if the king would but agree to your being of those who must go to the rescue of our comrades. you are young, and have had no experience in warfare; but you can, for all that, wield a sword as well as any man in valdemar's service." olaf was silent, and when they entered the gates he did not seek to accompany egbert into the presence of the king. instead, he made his way into queen allogia's apartments, and there told the news that he had just heard. not long had he been in the hall wherein the queen sat when the door opened and king valdemar entered, looking very grave. olaf rose from his seat and bowed before him. "what is your age, my boy?" asked valdemar. "sixteen summers, lord," answered olaf, wondering at the reason of the question. the king eyed him from head to foot. "it is still very young," said he with a smile. "but your strength is greater than your years. not often have i seen one so young with limbs so sturdy and with figure so nobly upright. i have been thinking that you have lingered long enough about the skirts of our womenfolk. such skill as yours should be put to more manly uses than fingering the harp and carrying the wine cup, and i have now a mind to see what you can do in active warfare. there is trouble among the people over in the isle of dago. i have had news that a rebellion has broken out, and that the islanders have chosen a new king to themselves and refused to acknowledge their rightful sovereign. these rebels must be instantly quelled, and i have therefore resolved to despatch a company of men against them and force them to submit. what say you to your taking the command of the expedition?" "the command?" repeated olaf, drawing back in astonishment. "but i am no more than a boy. my heart is willing and bold; but surely i am too young to undertake so grave a trust!" "yes," cried the queen, growing white even to the lips at thought of her favourite being thus thrust into a post of danger. "yes," she cried, "he is assuredly too young for such a charge!" but king valdemar shook his head. "not so," said he with confidence. "young though he may be in years, i am well assured that there is no man now living in this kingdom who is better fitted for the leading of an armed host, and i will trust him to the full." then turning to olaf he added: "the matter is already settled. it so chances that there are at this present time six of our best warships, with their full number of seamen and warriors, now lying in the haven behind odinsholm. you will depart hence at daybreak, with such armed horsemen and footmen as you choose to take in your company. ere you reach the coast the ship captains will have been informed that i have placed you over them as their chief and commander." scarcely able to believe in the reality of what he heard, olaf stood before the king in silent perplexity. he lacked not faith in his own personal prowess, for that had many times been amply proved in the games and exercises that he had daily engaged in, nor did his courage fail him. but to be placed at the head of some hundreds of well tried warriors and told to lead them against an enemy, this was a matter of which he had as yet only vaguely dreamed. for many moments he stood in doubt. but suddenly it seemed that a new light came into his clear blue eyes, and a fuller vigour into his strong young limbs. "if it be your wish, lord," he said at last, "then i will undertake the trust. my great forefather, king harald fairhair, was younger than i now am when he led forth his hosts to battle; and, as i am of king harald's blood, so will i seek to make myself a worthy man of war." thereupon king valdemar led the boy away, and for a long while they sat together, making their plans of how olaf's forces were to invade the island and rescue sigurd erikson from the hands of the rebel islanders. on a certain calm summer evening olaf triggvison, mounted upon a splendid white horse, and followed by some two score of picked men-at-arms, rode into the little town wherein, four years before, he had lived as a humble thrall. none knew him now for the same wild, wilful boy whom they had been accustomed to see playing barefooted upon the beach or tending his master's sheep upon the hillside. even reas the bonder himself, who had many a time flogged him for his disobedience and idleness, and who now watched him riding downward to the ships, did not recognize his former bondslave in the handsome and gaily attired young warrior. the people spoke among themselves of olaf's beautiful fair hair, of his crested helmet of burnished brass, of his red silk cloak that fluttered in the breeze, and his glittering battleaxe that hung pendant from his saddle. they admired his easy seat upon horseback, and, when he spoke, they marvelled at the full richness of his voice. but none could say that they had ever before set eyes upon him. out in the mid bay the king's six longships lay at anchor, with their sails furled and their high gunwales set with shields from prow to stern. the largest vessel had at her prow the towering figure of a winged dragon ornamented with beaten gold. she was the longest ship that olaf had ever seen, and he counted that she was fitted for twenty pairs of oars. her hull was painted red and green above the water, and the tent that covered her decks was made of striped red and white cloth. as he stood gazing at her, with wonder and admiration, a small boat came round from her further side, rowed by six seamen and steered by a stalwart, red bearded warrior, whom the young commander had once before seen at the king's court in holmgard. jarl asbiorn was his name. when the boat touched at the wharf asbiorn greeted olaf very humbly and bade him step on board. olaf called egbert to his side and together they were taken out to the dragon ship and received with great honour by the six captains, who each in turn took vows of submission and obedience to him. then, while the ships were being got ready for sea, olaf was shown into a large room under the poop and told that this was to be his private cabin. here he held counsel with his officers touching the expedition they were now entering upon. it was a proud moment for olaf when, just at the sun's setting and at his own word of command, the oars of the six ships were thrust out from the bulwarks and the vessels began to move slowly out of the bay. the warlike spirit that had been lying quiet within him now filled him with a strange new energy. the fresh sea air and the sense of his own power seemed to have entered every vein in his body, thrilling him with an eager desire for glory, which amounted almost to a madness. as he trod his ship's deck the seamen and fighting men watched him in wondering interest, and declared among themselves that balder himself could not have been more beautiful. at first they thought that he was too young to be trusted with the sole command of six great vessels of war, but very soon he showed them that he was well able to do all that was expected of him; and there was something in his voice, in the quick glance of his eyes, and in his alertness that made them acknowledge him as one who was born to be a leader of men. so they obeyed him in all things and yielded to his will in such wise that he had no trouble of any sort. before this time he had had no experience in the working of a ship; so in the early part of the voyage he gave his mind to the learning of all matters wherein he knew himself to be most ignorant. he watched the setting of the sails and asked many questions concerning them, until he could understand why at any time a certain rope was hauled or loosened, and why when the wind blew strong a reef was taken in. always he took great interest in the working of the oars. there were in his own ship four score of rowing men--two at each oar--and as he watched them he marvelled how they could endure the hard labour without breaking their backs or tearing out their arms; and to prove to himself what amount of strength the work required he went down into the ship's waist and, taking off his shirt of chain mail, took his turn upon one of the benches, thus winning the praise of all on board. but most of all he loved to take the tiller in his hand and steer the vessel through the dangers of the wind swept sea. on the evening of the third day the ships came within sight of the island of dago, and the young commander bade his men get ready their weapons lest the islanders should offer resistance. during the night he brought his fleet to an anchorage under a small holm, whose high cliffs sheltered the ships from the view of the larger island. then launching a small boat and disguising himself in a rough seaman's cloak, he took egbert and four of the men with him and they rowed across the channel and made a landing. olaf questioned a shepherd whom he met on the upland pastures, and from him learned that rand the strong was still recognized among the islanders as their king and that the power of king valdemar was broken. so olaf returned to the ships and brought them round into a wide bay, upon whose shores the town was built. not long was rand the strong in mustering his little army of vikings, for he had seen the six ships approaching; he knew them to be the ships of king valdemar, and quickly guessed with what intent they had come. at sight of the islanders massed in battle array upon the beach olaf bade his rowers draw yet nearer into the shallows. then the war horns were sounded on both sides, the warriors set their arrows to the bowstring and a fierce fight began. more than once the islanders retreated before the heavy rain of arrows and stones, but again and again they rallied and assailed the ships. many of the vikings rushed into the water and swam outward to the ships, but before they could climb the bulwarks and set foot upon the decks they were cut down by olaf's swordsmen or slain, even as they swam, by arrow or spear. olaf himself stood at the prow of his dragon ship, surrounded by his berserks, whose shields protected him, and coolly he drew arrow after arrow from his sheath and sent it with unerring aim into the midst of the islanders. stones and arrows fell about him in a constant rain, crashing upon his helmet and breaking against the close-knit rings of his coat of mail. at last he singled out the tall figure of rand the strong, who, rallying his vikings, led them nearer to the water's edge. olaf chose one of his best arrows and fixed it to his bowstring, then bent his bow with the full strength of his arms, aiming very steadily. the bowstring twanged and the arrow flew whizzing through the air. olaf watched its quick flight and followed it until it struck its intended mark and stood quivering in the bare part of the viking's throat. rand staggered and fell. then the islanders, seeing that their chief was slain, drew back once more to the higher beach, while olaf brought his ships yet closer into the shallows and ordered his forces to land. with his sword in hand he led his men to the attack. there was a sharp hand to hand fight, in which many were killed on both sides; but at last the islanders gave way before the invaders and olaf got the victory. so, when the fight was at an end, olaf called the chief rebels before him and forced them to acknowledge king valdemar as their rightful and sole sovereign. when peace was restored he demanded that sigurd erikson and those who had been of his following should be set at liberty. among the first who were freed from the prison in rand's stronghold was thorgils thoralfson. but sigurd erikson was found dead in his cell. the islanders declared that he had died of his wounds, but olaf believed that hunger and hardship were the cause of it. greatly did olaf triggvison grieve over the loss of his uncle. sigurd had been as a father to him, had lifted him up out of his sordid life of thraldom and raised him to his present high position in the favour of the court. and now he was dead and there was an end of all his loving kindness. for the rest of that day olaf was engaged in the burial of the brave islanders and vikings who had fallen in the battle, and he had a mound built over them and raised stones above them to mark the place. but at night he had sigurd erikson's body carried down to the beach with all the other men who had been of king valdemar's host. one of the smaller ships was then brought in to the beach, and a pyre of tarred wood and dry peat was built upon its upper deck. olaf placed the dead body of his uncle upon the pyre, with all the armour that sigurd had worn. the ship was further loaded with the dead men and with weapons. then, when the tide had risen and the vessel was afloat with her sail hoisted, olaf went on board alone with a lighted torch and kindled the pyre. the wind blew off shore and the ship sailed slowly out upon the dark sea. there was a loud crackling of dry twigs and the flames rose amid a cloud of black smoke, showing olaf standing at the stern with the tiller in his hand. very soon the fire caught the logs of tarred wood, and when the pyre was all aglow and the heat became too great for him to bear, he fixed the steering board with the end of a rope, gave a farewell look at the prostrate body of his uncle, and then stepping to the rail threw himself overboard into the sea and swam back to the land. when he got his feet upon the rocks he climbed up to a grassy knoll and sat there watching the burning ship. the leaping flames lit up the sky and cast a long track of light upon the rippled sea. presently both sail and mast fell over with a crash, and a cloud of fiery sparks rose high into the black night. still olaf sat watching; nor did he move away until at last the ship had burned down to the water's edge, and there was no more to be seen but a tiny gleam of light shining far out upon the dark and silent waves. on the next morning, having ended this work of quelling the rebel islanders, olaf led his fleet out of the bay and set forth on his return to the mainland. in three days' time he was once more in holmgard. there he remained for two other years, enjoying great favour in the court and performing many important services. he sustained a great company of men-at-arms at his own cost from the wealth that he had inherited from his uncle sigurd, and from such riches as the king bestowed upon him; and the leading of this host throve so well in his hands that all the younger men of the realm flocked to his side, eager to be enlisted in his service. now it befell--as oft it must when outland men win fame and power beyond those of the land--that many folks envied olaf the great love he had of the king, and of the queen no less. his bravery and his great success in all that he undertook brought him many secret enemies, who whispered all sorts of evil whispers to king valdemar. they declared that olaf was but increasing his influence and power so that in the end he might do some hurt to the king and to the realm. they slandered him and spoke all manner of evil against him, representing him as a dangerous rival to valdemar in the affections of both the queen and the people. so the king, hearing these false charges and believing them, began to look coldly upon young olaf and to treat him roughly. olaf then knew that it was time for him to be going, for that confidence once lost could never be wholly restored. so he went to king valdemar and spoke with him, saying that as he was now grown tall and strong he was minded to travel and to see the land wherein his ancestors had ruled and his own father had been sovereign. little sorrow did the jealous valdemar show at hearing of this resolve. and to hasten olaf's departure he gave him great gifts of well wrought weapons--a splendid sword inlaid with gold on the blade and set in the hilt with dear bought gems, and a shield of embossed brass. also he furnished him with a dragonship and four longships, ready manned and equipped for the sea, and bade him go a-roving wheresoever he willed in search of adventure and worldly furtherance. queen allogia, however, was very sad at thought of thus losing her favourite, and it was long ere she would make up her mind to let olaf leave her. but in the end she saw that it was for his own good and advancement that he should go; so she gave him a beautiful banner of silken embroidery that she had worked with her own hands, told him that he would be accounted a noble and brave man wheresoever he should chance to be, and then bade him a last farewell. chapter viii: the young vikings. so olaf quitted holmgard and went on shipboard, and stood out with his viking fleet into the baltic sea. he now owed no allegiance to any man, but was free to journey where he pleased, a king upon his own decks. at this time he was scarcely eighteen summers old; but his limbs were so well knit and strong, and he was withal so tall and manly, that he seemed already to have attained to man's estate. yet, feeling that his youth might be against him, he had chosen that all his ship companions should be as near as possible to his own age. he had a score or so of bearded berserks on each of his ships--men who feared neither fire nor steel, but who gloried in warfare, and loved nothing better than to be in the midst of a great battle. these indeed were full aged men; but for the rest, his crew of seamen and his band of trained men-at-arms was comprised of youths, none of whom were older than thorgils thoralfson, or younger than olaf himself. olaf made his foster brother the chief in command under himself, giving him power over both seamen and warriors. he made his friend egbert the sailing master, while one kolbiorn stallare became his master-of-arms. kolbiorn was the son of a powerful viking of sognfiord in norway. he was of an age with olaf triggvison, and so much did the two resemble one the other that, when apart, they were often taken to be brothers. both had the long fair hair and the blue eyes of the norseland, both were of nearly equal height; and it was kolbiorn's habit to strive, by wearing similar clothing, to increase the likeness between himself and his young master. but when the two were side by side the resemblance ceased, for then olaf was seen to be both the taller and the more muscular; his hair was seen to be more golden and silken, his skin more purely fair; his eyes, too, were brighter and larger than those of kolbiorn, and his teeth more even and white. so, too, when it came to a test of skill, olaf had ever the advantage, notwithstanding that kolbiorn had spent all his young days on shipboard, had been taught by the vikings to perform all manner of feats, and had taken part in many battles on both land and sea. on a certain calm morning, very soon after olaf had set out on this his first viking cruise, he stood with kolbiorn at the ship's rail, looking out over the sunlit sea as his vessel crept along propelled by her forty long, sweeping oars, and followed by his four longships. "i think," said he, "that we will amuse ourselves today, and try our skill in some new game." "i am very unfit to try my skill against yours," returned kolbiorn modestly, "for you have already beaten me at chess, at swimming, at shooting, and at throwing the spear. nevertheless, it shall be as you wish." "choose, then, what feat we are to perform," said olaf; "i am willing to join in any exercise that you may know, and i do not doubt that there are many in which your skill must be greater than mine." "there is one," said kolbiorn, "that i would be glad to see you attempt, although there is danger in it, and i may be doing wrong in suggesting it." "if it be new to me, then i shall be all the more pleased," said olaf; "and none the less so though the risk be great." kolbiorn drew the young commander across to the shady side of the ship. "it is that we shall climb over the bulwarks," said he, "and walk outboard along the oars while the men are rowing." olaf looked over the side, and for a few moments watched the regular motion of the oars as they dipped into the green water and rose dripping into the air. he measured with his eye the space between each of the twenty blades. "it seems not so difficult as i had hoped," he said, "but let me see you do it, and then i will follow." kolbiorn climbed over the ship's quarter, and worked his way forward to the first rower's bench. steadying himself for a moment as he hung by one arm from the gunwale, he dropped with his two feet upon the aftermost oar, and stepped out thence from oar to oar until he reached the one nearest to the forecastle. then, still balancing himself with outstretched arms, he turned and walked aft by the same way to where olaf and many of the ship's company had stood watching him. all thought it a very wonderful feat. olaf praised kolbiorn's skill, but promptly prepared to follow his example. throwing off his red silk cloak, lest, by falling into the sea, he should injure it, he climbed overboard, and without hesitation dropped down upon the square shank of the aftermost oar; then going out near to the blade, he ran forward with quick, well measured strides. once or twice, as the oars were dipped, he faltered and nearly lost his balance, but he reached the foremost one without accident, and returned with greater ease. when he again stepped upon the deck he appealed to thorgils thoralfson to decide which had shown the more skill. but thorgils was unable to determine the matter. "the game has not yet had sufficient trial," said olaf; "it must be gone through once more. but this time i will myself take the lead, and let kolbiorn or any other of our company follow." then he asked thorgils and kolbiorn to lend him their handsaxes, and taking his own from his belt he again climbed over the side, and walking along the row of moving oars played with the three dirks, throwing them in turn up into the air, so that one was ever aloft and one hilt ever in his hand. thus he played as he strode forward, without once dropping one of the weapons, and without once missing his sure footing. climbing over the forecastle deck he then returned along the oars on the other side, and reached the deck with dry shoes. no one on board could understand how olaf had done this surprising feat without having practised it many times before, and when he gave back the two dirks to their owners, kolbiorn stood before him and looked at him in silence. olaf said: "why do you stand thus and not try after me?" "because i own myself beaten," answered kolbiorn. "and yet," he added, "i cannot believe that you did this feat by your skill alone and without some secret power. either you have the favour of odin to aid you, or else you are descended from some mighty king whose natural skill you have inherited. marvellous does it seem to me that whatsoever exercise you attempt, in that you are certain to surpass all other men." olaf laughed lightly and turned away towards his cabin, while his ship fellows continued to talk among themselves of this new example of his great agility. thus, even at the beginning of his free life as a sea rover, he had made upon his companions so deep an impression that they one and all respected him, and openly acknowledged him their superior in all things. but most of all, they wondered of what kin he had been born that he should so easily and with such little effort excel all men they had known. for although they well knew that he had been a favourite at the court of king valdemar, yet none even guessed at the truth that he was a blood descendant of the great harald fairhair; and less still did any imagine that he was even now heir to the throne of norway. none but thorgils thoralfson knew his true name. at this time, and indeed throughout the whole course of his after adventures in britain, he was known only as ole the esthonian. now although olaf had spoken of his wish to return to the land of his fathers, yet now that he was upon his own dragonship, and free to follow where fortune should lead him, he showed no haste to make a landing in norway. he bent his course across the gulf of finland, and then westward among the many green islands and rocky holms that lie in the mid sea between finland and sweden, and for many sunny days and calm starry nights simply enjoyed the idle pleasures of his new life of freedom. it was the summer season, when all the channels of the sea were clear of ice, and there were many trading ships abroad which might have been an easy prey had olaf so chosen to fall upon them. but although he was a viking, and had all the viking's lust for war and plunder, he yet remembered the time when his own mother had been taken by jarl klerkon and sold into bondage. so he determined to let all peaceful merchant ships alone, and to join battle only with such vessels as were intent upon warfare. in token of this resolve he had the great dragon's head lowered from his prow, so that its wide open jaws and terrible aspect might not strike fear into the hearts of the peaceable traders; and the shields that were ranged along his outer bulwarks were peace shields, painted white, as showing that he meant no harm to those who might chance to meet him on the seas. his berserks, and many of the young men who had joined his fellowship in the hope of gain, grumbled sometimes when they saw him allow some richly laden ship to go by without attacking her, and they declared that after all he was a viking only in name. olaf bade them wait in patience, reminding them that there was no lack of good food and well brewed ale on board, and that they had no need to feel discontent so long as their daily life was passed in bodily comfort. "and as to fighting," he added, "i cannot think that any of you would take pleasure in drawing arms against men who have not been trained in warfare." not long did they need to wait ere their instinct for fighting was in part satisfied. one gloomy forenoon his ships with their sails full set were speeding before a strong wind through the wide channel of sea dividing the two large islands of gottland and eyland. thorgils was at the tiller of the dragon ship--a post which, in the viking times, was always held by the chief man on deck. as he stood there, his eyes swept the wide stretch of the grey sea in search of ships; for olaf triggvison had now put his red war shields out on the bulwarks, and the winged dragon reared its great gilded head at the prow, as if in menace. olaf himself was below in his cabin under the poop, watching a game of chess that kolbiorn and egbert were playing. the chessboard was a very beautiful one, its squares being of inlaid silver and gold, with little pegs in the centre of each space upon which the pieces might be fixed, and so prevented from being upset or from changing place when the vessel rolled. it was accounted a great privilege by olaf's companions to be allowed to play upon this costly board, and olaf had made it a condition that all who used it must do so without dispute. for a long time kolbiorn and egbert went on peaceably with their game. but while olaf watched them, he noticed that egbert became more and more ruffled, as he found himself being constantly baffled by his opponent's better play. so great was kolbiorn's skill that egbert at length became desperate, and only made matters worse by his hasty moves. he wanted to move back a knight which he had exposed, but kolbiorn would not allow it. olaf advised them to leave the knight where it now stood, and not to quarrel. at this egbert's anger grew hot, and declaring that he would not take olaf's advice, he swept his hand over the board, upset the pieces upon the cabin floor, and leaning forward struck kolbiorn a blow upon the ear, so that blood flowed. kolbiorn rose from his seat and quietly turned towards the door. there he was met by one of his shipmates, who called out in an excited voice that there was a large viking ship in sight, and that she was bearing down towards them as though to give battle. olaf followed kolbiorn from the cabin, and together they mounted to the deck. looking out across the sea they saw the viking ship rowing towards them against the wind. in her wake there was a second vessel, drifting helpless and untended, with her sail flapping wildly in the wind and her oars all inboard. olaf quickly noticed that there were people on her forward deck, and that she was slowly sinking. it was evident to him that she was a trading ship, which the vikings had but newly attacked and plundered. for a moment he hesitated, wondering whether he should hasten to her rescue or at once enter in battle with the vikings. he saw that his men were already eagerly preparing for a fight. some, according to their custom before a battle, were busily washing themselves and combing their hair, while others were eating and drinking. there was no need for them to make ready their weapons, for these had been kept well prepared ever since the beginning of the cruise, and there was nothing further to be done than to bring the arrows up on deck and serve them round among the bowmen, twenty arrows to each man's quiver; and as for swords, spears, and armour, every man on board knew well where to put his hand on his own. bidding kolbiorn go forward to the forecastle and marshal his berserks and bowmen, olaf took down his war horn and blew a loud blast as challenge. at the same moment a red painted shield was hoisted to the yardarm. then he went aft and took the tiller from thorgils, and steered his bark as though to meet the approaching foe. but when he got within arrow shot of the stranger he suddenly altered his course, crossing her bows. the vikings, who could not yet have noticed the four consort ships that were still far behind, no doubt thought that he meant to make his escape, and they bore round in pursuit of him. but now olaf had managed to get his vessel between the two other ships, and, having the wind in his sail and his oars at work, he quickly outdistanced the viking, and sped along at a great rate towards the sinking trading ship. not too soon was he in getting alongside of her, for the vikings had scuttled her, and she had already settled down with her quarter bulwarks on a level with the water's edge. he rescued a full score of helpless men from her decks, and stood by her until she went down. by this time the viking ship had again come within bow shot of him, and his four longships had appeared in sight from behind the headland of one of the islands. olaf had now his sail brailed up to the yard, and his vessel's prow turned towards the oncoming enemy. having resigned the helm to the charge of one of his seamen, he donned his war armour and went forward to the prow. here the strongest and most experienced of his men were stationed as stem defenders, armed with swords and spears, and protected by their shields. among them stood olaf's standard bearer, round whom they were ranged in battle order. the station abaft that occupied by the stem defenders was manned by the berserks, and behind the mast were the spearmen, archers, and stone slingers. olaf and kolbiorn, who were both armed with their longbows and a large number of picked arrows, as well as their swords, stood side by side by the banner bearer. olaf again blew his war horn, while kolbiorn fired an arrow of challenge high over the mast of the viking ship. when the two vessels drew near, olaf saw that the stranger's forward decks were crowded, with fighting men, whom, by their dark hair and brown skin, he rightly judged to be danes. the ships crashed together stem to stem, and then grappling hooks were thrown out from either side, and the vessels were bound close together, so that neither might escape until the fighting was at an end. thus at close quarters the battle began, and very soon the air was thick with swift flying arrows, and with showers of spears and stones. the chiefs on either side shouted aloud, urging their fellows to the fray, and many a well tried warrior was sent that day to odin's halls. for a long while it seemed that the danes were getting the upper hand, for they greatly outnumbered the men on olaf's dragonship. but as the fight grew fiercer olaf's berserks worked themselves to a wild fury, and, led by olaf and kolbiorn, they made a rush upon the enemy's forecastle, carrying all before them as an autumn wind carries the withered leaves. for three long hours the battle continued, man to man; but at last olaf got the victory, and took the dane ship as his prize, with all the treasure and costly armour, all the slaves and stores on board of her. his four longships had not joined in the contest, because it was always considered unfair to oppose an adversary with unequal force. but now they were brought nearer, and when all the wreckage of the fight was cleared away he placed some of his own men on board the prize, divided the spoil among all his fellowship, and once more sailed off, well satisfied with his first success. southward he sailed down the swedish coast, and met with adventures too many to be told. and at length he made for borgund holm, an island that lies out in the baltic to the south of sweden. by this time his stores had run short, so he fell upon the island and harried there. the landsmen came in great force and waged battle against him; but olaf again won the victory, and got great plunder of horses and cattle. he lay by borgund holm for many weeks, with his tents ranged in order along a stretch of the beach, and his ships drawn up to the high water mark. every day his men held sports, and at night they all sat in their tents drinking and throwing dice, or listening to the sagamen's stories of the great deeds of byegone warriors. olaf himself joined always in their feasts and revels, and he was ever the merriest and gamesomest in the company. one day while his ships were still at borgund holm, his two chief men, kolbiorn and thorgils, were boasting of their skill at climbing. they contended as to who could climb the steepest rock, and at last they made a bet. kolbiorn wagered his gold neck ring against thorgils' best bronze drinking horn. after this they both climbed the high cliff. thorgils went so far that he was in danger of falling down, and he returned in fear, saving himself with difficulty. kolbiorn climbed up to the middle of the precipice; but there he dared go neither forward nor backward, nor even move, for he had no hold upon the rock for either feet or hands. his position was so perilous that he foresaw certain death if he should make the least movement. he shouted in great fear for olaf or his men to rescue him. olaf called some brave man to venture the deed and offered a large reward; but not one of his company stirred. then olaf threw off his cloak and ran up the face of the rock as though it had been a level plain, took kolbiorn under his arms, and went farther up with him. he then turned to descend with the man under his arm and laid him unharmed on the ground. all praised this as a great feat, and the fame of it was widely spread. long afterwards he performed the similar feat of climbing to the topmost peak of the mountain called smalsarhorn, in norway, and there suspending his shining shield upon the summit, so that it shone like a sun across the sea. many tales are told of his strength and agility--of how he could smite alike with either hand, of how he could shoot with two spears at once. it is said that he could jump higher than his own height both backwards and forwards, and this with his weapons and complete armour on. he was the swiftest and strongest swimmer in all scandinavia, and at running and climbing no man was his equal. and yet he was no boaster. his great deeds came of his eagerness in all matters, and not from a desire to belittle his companions. he was kind and lowly hearted, bountiful of gifts, very glorious of attire, and before all men for high heart in battle. it may be that he also was cruel, for it is told that he was stern and wrathful with all who offended him, and that in punishing his enemies he knew no mercy. he, however, sought only to do all things that it was customary for a viking to do. to win fame, to gain wealth, to plunder, and to slay--these were the passions that ruled him. the ocean was his only home. he derided the comforts of a warm fireside and scorned the man who should sleep under a sooty rafter or die on a bed of straw. to give up his last breath amid the clamour of battle was his one unalterable ambition; for only those who died thus, besprinkled with blood, could ever hope to win favour of the pagan gods, or to enter the sacred halls of valhalla. in the spirit of his times he believed that the viking life was the noblest and most honourable that a man could follow; he believed that the truest title to all property was given by winning it with the sword, and very soon he became as wild and reckless as any sea rover on the baltic. no danger, howsoever great, had power to daunt him, or to lessen his joy in the fresh freedom of the open sea with its wild hoarse winds and its surging perilous storms. it was in the autumntide that olaf encountered the first serious storm. by this time he had added to his fleet many vessels which he had captured in battle, and some that he had had built by his shipwrights; and he bethought him that he would now sail out of the baltic sea and make his way round to the coasts of norway, where, with his great force of men and ships behind him, he might surely hope to win the glory that he coveted. he had kept his favourite companions and his chosen warriors on board his dragonship, so that they might ever be near him in case of need. but egbert of britain and kolbiorn stallare, after their quarrel over the game of chess, had not been friendly towards each other, so egbert was placed in command over one of the other vessels of the fleet--a longship named the snake. on a certain day the ships were making westward under easy sail when the storm burst suddenly upon them, with a bitter cold wind from the north that quickly whipped the sea into great towering waves. the hail and sleet fell so heavily that the men in the bow of each ship were hidden from those in the stern, and the seas broke over the bulwarks, deluging the decks and cabins, so that the men in the baling room were kept constantly at work with their scoops and buckets. all cried upon njord, the sea god, and upon thor and odin no less, to save them out of their peril; but the raging storm continued throughout the night and the whole of the next day, and all the time olaf stood at the helm, bravely facing the tempest and keeping his vessel's prow pointing northward to meet the towering waves. often it seemed that he would be swept overboard by the wild rush of water, but his great strength endured the strain, and though nearly blinded by the pelting hail he still held on. with the evening of the second day the wind's force abated, and the heavy clouds that had darkened the sky melted away in a glow of sunset gold. then olaf looked around upon the wide turbulent sea and counted his ships. some had lost their masts, and others had been swept far away towards the dim horizon. one of them alone was missing: it was the longship of egbert of britain. olaf had little doubt that she had foundered with all on board, and yet he knew that egbert was a brave and skilful seaman, and he thought it strange that he should have failed to weather the storm, so, finding no other explanation, he declared that it was because egbert was a christian that this disaster had happened. had he been a true believer in the mighty gods of the northmen, said olaf, he would surely have surmounted all dangers, and his ship and crew had been saved! and all who heard them regarded the young chief's words as words of wisdom, for they did not know, and neither did olaf himself at that moment dream, that egbert and his ship's company were safe and sound in the shelter of the high headland of borgund holm. not for many years thereafter did olaf and egbert again meet, and when they did so, it was face to face as foemen on the battle plain of maldon, in far off england. when the storm had spent its force, and the sea was calm, olaf brought his ships together, made the needful repairs, and led the way southward to the shores of wendland. there he got good haven and, faring full peacefully, abode there throughout the winter months. chapter ix: the vikings of jomsburg. burislaf was the name of the king in wendland. he was a very wealthy monarch and held in high esteem throughout the countries of the baltic, and his court was the frequent meeting place of the great men of that time. now burislaf had three very beautiful daughters--geira, gunnhild, and astrid--whom many noble and kingly men sought vainly to win in marriage. geira, the eldest of the three, held rule and dominion in the land, for it was much the wont of mighty kings in those days that they should let the queen, or the eldest daughter, have half the court to sustain it at her own cost out of the revenues that came to her share. so when geira heard that alien folk were come into wendland, with a great fleet of viking ships, and that the chief of them was a young man of unusual prowess and noble mien, she sent friendly messengers to the coast and bade the newcomers be her guests that wintertide, for the summer was now far spent, and the weather hard and stormy. and olaf triggvison took her bidding, and went with his chosen captains to the court, where he was well received and most hospitably entertained. it is told that when geira saw how kingly of aspect olaf was, and how handsome and courteous withal, she at once yearned for his love and craved that he should wed with her and become a ruler in the land. many legends which have come down to us from that time even state that she straightway fell a-wooing him, and that in the end they were married, and ruled the realm side by side. but it is not easy to believe that one who was heir to the throne of norway would be content to remain in wendland at the bidding of a woman he did not love, and it is to be remembered that olaf was still little more than a youth, while geira was already well advanced in years. moreover, olaf had at this same time met thyra, the daughter of the king of denmark--a princess who was not only more beautiful, but also much nearer his own age than geira, and who afterwards became his wife and queen. howsoever it be, olaf had lived but a few months in wendland when geira was stricken with an illness and died. among the guests of king burislaf were two men who in the later time had a large share in the shaping of olaf's destiny, first as his friends, and afterwards as his enemies. their names were earl sigvaldi of jomsburg and sweyn of denmark. earl sigvaldi was the son of strut-harald, sometime king of skaney, and at the time of his meeting with olaf in wendland he was lord over the great company of vikings who had their stronghold in jomsburg. he was a very mighty man, and his wealth and personal prowess were such that burislaf's daughter astrid encouraged his wooing of her with the result that they were wedded. earl sweyn was a younger man, the son of harald bluetooth, king of denmark. he had come into wendland in the company of his friend sigvaldi, for they had both been a-warring together, and, being beaten in a great sea fight, they had taken refuge in the court of burislaf. their warring had been against sweyn's own father, king harald. sweyn had craved dominion in his father's realm, but harald bluetooth preferred to retain his throne undivided. then sweyn gathered warships together and got the help of the jomsburg vikings, and stood towards zealand, where king harald lay with his fleet ready to fare to the wars against norway. so sweyn fell upon his father's ships, and there was a great battle, in which harald bluetooth got the victory, but also his death wound. now the arrow with which king harald was killed was one bearing marks which showed it to be of his own son's making, and sweyn fled lest vengeance should overtake him. now sigvaldi, knowing that it would not be long ere the danes claimed sweyn as their king, was anxious to assure a peace between wendland and denmark, and with this purpose he had brought sweyn in his company to king burislaf's court, and it was then arranged that sweyn should wed gunnhild, daughter of burislaf, and that thereafter there should be peace between the two lands. so when the wedding was over, king sweyn fared home to denmark with gunnhild his wife, and they became the parents of canute the mighty--the same who in his manhood fought against edmund ironsides and reigned as king of england. in those days the danes and their neighbours the wends made great threats of sailing with a host to norway, and olaf triggvison heard much talk of this threatened expedition from earl sigvaldi. he learned, too, something of what had been taking place in his native land since the time of the death of king triggvi. by their evil work queen gunnhild and the sons of erik bloodaxe had, as they thought, put an end to the family of harald fairhair, for they had lost all trace of queen astrid and her boy olaf, and none remained to dispute the throne of norway. in the province of thrandheim, however, there reigned a certain earl sigurd, who yet gave them great trouble. to rid themselves of all danger from him they resorted to treachery. they had murdered king triggvi and his four brothers, and they had little scruple in employing the same means towards earl sigurd, so they entrapped him and put him to death. after this deed harald greyfell reigned as king of norway for five troublous and unfruitful years. by the slaying of earl sigurd, however, the sons of erik raised up against themselves an enemy who proved more dangerous to them than any they had yet encountered. this was earl hakon, the son of sigurd, a most powerful and sagacious warrior, whose one desire was to avenge his father's death and drive the whole race of erik bloodaxe from the land. nor was he long in fulfilling his designs. by a daring intrigue, and with help from denmark, he succeeded not only in bringing king harald greyfell to his bane, but also in winning his own way to the throne of norway. queen gunnhild and her two surviving sons then fled over sea to the orkneys, and that was the end of them. now, when olaf heard these things and understood that earl hakon, although not of royal birth or lineage, was still recognized as the king in norway, he resolved to join issue with the danes and wends in their projected expedition, and he spoke with earl sigvaldi, offering the support of all his ships and men. well satisfied was sigvaldi at hearing this offer made, and he gladly accepted it, for he had quickly discerned that ole the esthonian was a young warrior whose help would be most valuable, even apart from the great force of battleships and fighting men that were under his command. so when the winter had passed by, and the sea was clear of ice, olaf had his ships refitted, mustered his men, and set sail along the wendland coast towards the island of wollin, at the mouth of the river oder, upon which stood the great stronghold of jomsburg. jomsburg had been founded and built by king harald bluetooth of denmark, who possessed a great earldom in wendland. he had garrisoned the place with vikings on the condition that they should defend the land, and be always ready to support him in any warlike expedition. there was a very fine harbour or dock made within the burgh, in which three hundred longships could lie at the same time, all being locked within the strongly built walls of granite with their massive gates of iron. the jomsburg vikings were a well disciplined company of pirates who made war their exclusive business, living by rapine and plunder. their firm belief in the heathen gods justified them in following this mode of life, and often they fought for mere fighting's sake. they were bound by very strict laws to obey their chief. no man older than fifty or younger than eighteen winters could be received into the fellowship; they were all to be between these two ages. no man could join the band who was known to have ever yielded in fight to an opponent his match in strength of arms. every member admitted swore by the hammer of thor to revenge all the rest as his brother. slander was forbidden. no woman or child was ever to be molested or carried away as captive, and all the spoil or plunder of war was to be equally divided. one very important law was that no member of the band was ever to utter a word of fear or to flinch from pain, or to attempt to dress his wounds until they had bled for four and twenty hours. nothing could occur within the burgh over which the chief should not have full power to rule as he liked. if any broke these rules he was to be punished by instant expulsion from the community. for two days after the time when olaf's fleet anchored abreast of the gates of jomsburg, there was the work of inspecting all his men and ships and arms. some two score of the men were rejected by earl sigvaldi, some because they were at enmity with certain vikings who were already of the band, others because they had killed some near kinsman of one of the members, and yet others who refused to follow or obey any other chief than olaf triggvison alone. but the ships and their equipment were all pronounced seaworthy and in good condition; so, after the vows had been made, there was held a great feast, and olaf was chosen as a captain under earl sigvaldi, holding the command of his own division of the jomsburg fleet. now, during the summer months of that same year, olaf went out upon a viking cruise into the gulf of bothnia. on the coast of jemptland and helsingialand he encountered many swedish warships, cleared them, and slew many men, and took all the wealth of them. it was his habit to lie hidden behind some rocky promontory, or at the mouth of some vik, or creek, and thence dart out upon his unsuspecting prey; and he would thus creep along the coast from vik to vik, harrying and plundering wheresoever he went. and in all his battles he never received a wound or lost a ship, but always got the victory. he was accounted the most favoured by the gods among all the vikings of jomsburg, and his renown spread far and wide. when olaf returned at the beginning of the winter to jomsburg he heard that earl sigvaldi's father, strut-harald of skaney, had just died. now it was the custom in those days that a high born man, before he could take possession of any inheritance left to him by his father, should hold an arvel, or inheritance feast. king sweyn was at this time preparing to hold such a feast before taking possession of the danish kingdom, so it was arranged that sweyn and sigvaldi should make one arvel serve for them both, and sweyn sent word to sigvaldi inviting him with all his captains and chosen warriors to join him in zealand, and so arrange it that the greatest possible honour should be done to the dead. sigvaldi accordingly left jomsburg with a large host of his vikings and two score of ships. among his captains were olaf triggvison, kolbiorn stallare, bui the thick of borgund holm, thorkel the high, and vagn akison. it was winter time, and the seas were rough, but the fleet passed through the danish islands without disaster, and came to an anchorage in a large bay near which now stands the city of copenhagen. king sweyn welcomed earl sigvaldi and all his men with great kindness. the feast was held in a very large hall, specially built for the reception of guests, and ornamented with splendid wood carvings and hung about with peace shields and curtains of beautiful tapestry. king sweyn was dressed in very fine clothes of purple, with gold rings on his arms and round his neck, and a band of burnished gold, set with gems, upon his head. his beard, which was as yet but short, was trimmed in a peculiar way--divided into two prongs--which won for him the nickname of sweyn forkbeard. the tables were loaded with cooked food and white bread; sufficient to serve all the great company for three days. the ale and mead flowed abundantly, and there was much good cheer in the hall. many high born women were present, and the guests sat in pairs, each man and woman together. olaf triggvison had for his partner the princess thyra, sister of the king. in the midst of the feasting thyra turned to olaf and asked him his true name. "men call me ole the esthonian," answered olaf. "i had known so much already," returned thyra. "it is the same name that you bore at the time we first met in wendland. but when i look at you, and see your silken hair and your fair skin, it seems to me that you must be of kingly birth." "it is not well always to judge by appearances," olaf said with a smile. and he drew down the gold ring from the thick part of his bare left arm. thyra's eyes rested upon his arm for a moment, and she saw imprinted there the seared brand that showed him to have been a slave; and from that moment she ceased to regard him with personal interest. it was the custom at such feasts as this that the high seat, or throne, of the man whom the guests were met to do honour to, should be left vacant until the memorial toast of the deceased, and of the mightiest of their departed kinsmen, had been proposed. in accordance with this custom king sweyn stood up and drank the cup of memory to his father. then he stepped into the high seat, and by this act took possession of his inheritance. the cup was filled and emptied to the last drop by each man in turn. the jomsburg vikings drank eagerly on that first evening, and ever as their drinking horns were emptied they were filled again, brimming of the strongest. after it had gone on thus for a while, king sweyn saw that his guests were nearly all drunk. "here is great merriment," said he, rising and holding aloft his silver drinking horn. "and i propose that we shall find a new entertainment which will long hereafter be remembered." sigvaldi answered, "we think it most becoming and best for the entertainment, that you, lord, should make the first proposal, for we all have to obey you and follow your example." then the king laughed and said: "i know it has always been customary at great feasts and meetings that all present should make vows to perform great and valorous deeds, and i am willing to try that now. for, as you, jomsvikings, are far more famous than all other men in this northern half of the world, so the vows you will make here will be as much more renowned than others, as you are greater than other men. and to set you an example, i will myself begin." he filled his drinking horn to the brim and held it high, while all waited eagerly and silently to hear what vow he should make. "this it is," said he in a loud voice which those at the farthest end of the hall could clearly hear. "i vow that i will, before the third winter nights hereafter have passed, have driven king ethelred of england out of his realm, or else have slain him, and thus have got his kingdom to myself!" and so saying he quaffed his deep horn. all wondered at this great vow, for not many had heard even the name of king ethelred. "now it is thy turn, sigvaldi," cried sweyn, wiping his wet lips with the back of his hand, "and make no less a vow than mine." then the drink bearers bore to the vikings the biggest horns of the strongest drink that was there, and sigvaldi rose to his feet. he first proposed the memory of his dead father, and before raising the drink to his lips added this oath: "i swear," said he, "that before three winters are worn away i will sail over to norway and slay earl hakon, or else drive him from the land." now, this was the selfsame oath that olaf triggvison had resolved to swear when it should come to his turn, and he was annoyed that earl sigvaldi had, as it were, snatched it from his lips. he now thought over what other vow he could make in its stead. but it chanced that ere his turn came round all the company were either asleep or so full of strong drink that they could not listen, so in the end he made no vow whatsoever. yet to the last he was as sober as when he first entered the hall, and he remembered ever afterwards the boastful oaths that had been made. many of his fellow vikings--as thorkel the high, bui the thick, and vagn akison--declared that they would but follow their chief to norway, while others of sweyn's following in like manner vowed to accompany the king to england; and once having made these promises, none dared to go back from them. on the morrow, when the vikings regained their senses, they thought they had spoken big words enough, so they met and took counsel how they should bring about this expedition against earl hakon, and the end of it was that they determined to set about it as early as might be. for the rest of that wintertide the men of jomsburg accordingly bestirred themselves in making preparations for the journey. they fitted out their best warships and loaded them with weapons, and their warriors were mustered to the number of eight thousand well trained men, with eighty chosen battleships. so, when the snows of that winter had melted in the vales and the seas were clear of ice floes, sigvaldi led his host north through the eyr sound and lay for a time in lyme firth. there he divided his forces, leaving twenty of olaf triggvison's longships in the firth, so that they might perchance intercept earl hakon should he escape the main fleet. this was an ill judged measure, but sigvaldi was not aware that the forces of earl hakon were vastly superior in number to his own. olaf's ships were left in the charge of kolbiorn stallare, while olaf himself went aboard the dragonship of vagn akison. earl sigvaldi then sailed out into the main with sixty ships, and came to agdir, in the south of norway. and there he fell to pillaging in the dominion of earl hakon. chapter x: the battle of jomsvikings. the rumour of the bold vows that the jomsvikings had made spread quickly throughout the land, and tidings of the great war gathering soon reached norway. earl erik hakonson heard them in good time at the place where he abode in raum realm, and he straightway gathered his folk about him and fared to the uplands, and so north over the fells to thrandheim to meet earl hakon, his father. now earl hakon greatly feared the vikings of jomsburg, and on hearing this news he sent abroad the war arrow all about the thrandheim country, and to mere and raumsdale, north also into naumdale and halogaland; and in answer to this summons there assembled a vast fleet of warships to the number of one hundred and eighty keels, and a force amounting to eleven thousand men. so many vessels and warriors had never before been seen together in the fiords. now there was a man named giermund who was out sailing in a fishing skiff among the her isles. he fared north to mere, and there he fell in with earl hakon, and told the earl tidings of a host that had come to the land from denmark. "how can i know that what you tell is true?" asked the earl. "and what token have you to show?" giermund drew forth his right arm with the hand smitten off at the wrist. "by this token may you know that these ships have come," said he. then earl hakon questioned the man closely concerning this new come enemy, and giermund told him that the men were vikings of jomsburg, and that they had slain many people of the land, and had robbed far and wide. "swiftly northward are they coming," said he, "and full eagerly, and no long time will wear by ere they are come upon you." so thereupon the earl rowed through the firths with his fleet to meet his foes. the jomsvikings had sailed northward along the coast, plundering and ravaging wherever they landed. they made great coast raids, and often burned towns and hamlets. they were lying in ulfasound, off stad, when they and hakon jarl heard of each other. they were in want of food at this time, and vagn akison and olaf triggvison went on their skiff to the island of hoed, not knowing that the earl lay in the bay near the island. vagn and olaf landed with their men, wishing to make a shore raid if they could, and they happened to meet a shepherd driving three cows and twelve goats. vagn cried to his men: "take the cows and goats and slaughter them for our ships." the shepherd asked: "who commands the men on board your ship?" "vagn akison, of jomsburg," was the answer. "i think then, that there are not very far from you bigger cattle for slaughter than my poor cows and goats," said the shepherd. vagn did not understand his meaning. but olaf triggvison looked at the man with quick apprehension, and said: "if you know anything about the journey of hakon jarl, tell us at once. and if you can truthfully tell us where he is, then your cows and goats are safe." the shepherd did not speak for many moments, but at last he answered calmly: "jarl hakon lay yesternight with one or two ships under shelter of the island of hoed, and you can slay him when you like, for he is still anchored in the bay waiting for his men." "then your cattle are safe," rejoined vagn. "and you shall have a good reward if you will come aboard our ship and show us the way into the bay." ulf--for such was the shepherd's name--went on board the skiff early in the day, and vagn akison, as quickly as he could, returned to the jomsburg fleet and told the news, which spread speedily round the ships. earl sigvaldi at once weighed anchor and rowed out north of the island, giving word meanwhile to his vikings to make ready for battle. greatly did olaf triggvison rejoice at this immediate prospect of attacking and vanquishing the proud man who had for sixteen years held sovereign sway in norway. if, as ulf the shepherd had reported, earl hakon had but one or two ships, then it would be a very easy matter for the jomsburgers to vanquish him, and who could tell what glorious results might not follow? despite the fact that he was not himself the leader of this present expedition, olaf was confident that the expected victory must bring about the furtherance of his own personal plans. it might indeed be that earl sigvaldi, on proving himself the easy conqueror, would attempt to place himself in possession of the realm, and to assume the name and dignity of king of norway. but olaf, ever hopeful and buoyant, trusted that with very little trouble on his own part, he could readily prove to the people that he, the direct descendant of harald fairhair, had claims of which neither sigvaldi nor even the great earl hakon could justly boast. in his passage with the viking ships up the coast of western norway, olaf had looked for the first time upon the wild splendour of the fiords, with their deep blue reaches of the sea penetrating far inland between steep precipices braided with sparkling waterfalls. he had seen the giant mountains rising high into the sky, with their rugged summits capped with snow and their lower slopes covered with vast forests of tall pine trees. often some fertile valley had opened out before him, with verdant pastures and narrow strips of arable land. this was the country over which king harald fairhair had ruled, and now, for the first time, olaf had realized the greatness of his heritage. he determined to fight boldly and fearlessly in this coming battle, so that he might thus win his way nearer to the possession of his birthright and the goal of his growing ambitions. he had been placed in command of one of the largest dragonships, and while the fleet was sailing round the island--his own vessel being side by side with that of vagn akison--he went below and dressed himself in his strongest armour, and took up his heavy battleaxe and the well tempered sword that king valdemar had given him. the weather was bright and warm, and he wore no cloak, but only his closely knit coat of chain mail, with his brass helmet, crested with a winged dragon, and his bossed shield. his long fair hair that fell down over his broad shoulders, his finely marked features, his beautiful blue eyes and clear ruddy complexion were on this day more evident than ever before; and his firm muscular limbs and stalwart figure distinguished him as the noblest and handsomest man in all the company of the vikings. when he returned on deck he went at once to his post at the tiller and looked out over the blue sunlit sea. a lusty cry rose at this instant from the prow of sigvaldi's dragonship. the fleet was now abreast of a low lying point of land at the inner coast of hoed isle, and it was now seen that the wide bay beyond was crowded all over with vessels of war. ulf the shepherd had betrayed the vikings into the hands of their awaiting foe. when his treachery was discovered he ran to the rail of vagn akison's ship and leapt overboard, intending to swim to the shore without waiting for his reward. vagn threw a spear at him, but missed his aim. olaf triggvison, who saw the shepherd swimming astern, caught up a spear with his left hand and flung it at him. it hit him in the middle and killed him. the jomsvikings rowed with their sixty ships into the great bay. they were formed into three divisions, and earl sigvaldi laid his flagship in the centre of the line of battle. to the north of him he arrayed twenty ships under the command of bui the thick and sigurd kapa, while vagn akison and olaf triggvison held the southern wing. earl hakon determined which of his captains should fight against these champions. it was customary in such battles for ship to fight against ship and man against man; but in most cases hakon, whose forces greatly outnumbered those of his enemies, placed three of his longships against one of the vikings'. he himself was not matched against any one, but had to support the whole line and command it. his son sweyn held the chief position in the centre of battle, facing the leader of the vikings. against the division of bui was placed a great norwegian warrior named thorkel leira. the wing held by vagn akison and olaf triggvison was opposed by earl hakon's eldest son, erik. each chief had his own banner in the shield burg at his prow. war horns were sounded, arrows of challenge were fired over the opposing fleets, the berserks on either side clashed their arms and bit the rims of their shields, working themselves into a wild war fury. then the fleets closed in upon each other amid a storm of arrows, and the grim battle began. the ships of the vikings were higher in the hull than those of the norwegians, and this gave them an advantage, for, when the grapplings were thrown out and the ships were lashed together, the jomsburgers could fire their arrows and spears down upon the heads of their foes. the onset and attack were faultlessly made, and for a long while it seemed uncertain which side was getting the better hand. but at length earl hakon, who was supporting his son sweyn against sigvaldi, saw that his northern wing was being forced backward, and he hastened to its aid. nevertheless, bui the thick still pressed the norwegians back with heavy blows and a ceaseless rain of arrows and spears, and it seemed that at this point the vikings were quickly gaining the victory. on the southern wing, however, the fight was more equal, and earl erik thought that he would go to his brother's help. he went thither, accordingly, but could do no more than set the wing in line again. hakon then returned to fight against sigvaldi. now, by this short absence, earl erik had weakened the southern wing, and, when he came back to defend his ships, he found that vagn akison and olaf triggvison had broken through the line and made great havoc. erik was a brave warrior, however, and he did not hesitate to make a bold attack upon the ships of these two champions. he encountered them with four of his best longships against their two. the battle at this point now grew furious, and the carnage on both sides was tremendous. vagn and olaf, followed by their berserks, jumped on board erik's ship, and each went along either side of her, clearing his way, so that all fell back before the mighty blows. erik saw that these two warriors were so fierce and mad that he would not long be able to withstand them, and that earl hakon's help must be got as quickly as possible. yet he goaded his men on, and they made a brave resistance. olaf was often attacked by three or four berserks at once, but he guarded every blow, and received but little hurt. he fought whiles with his sword and whiles with his battleaxe, and at times even with both weapons, one in either hand, dealing many hard and heavy blows, and slaying many a man. and ever when the decks were cleared there came on board other hosts of men from the neighbouring ships. olaf wanted to come to a hand to hand combat with earl erik, but erik always avoided him. in the midst of this conflict one of erik's men went forward and cut the lashings that bound the ships together, so that olaf's dragonship drifted apart. olaf noticed this, and he fought his way across the deck to where vagn akison was. at this moment there was a great onrush of norwegians, and vagn and olaf sought the safety of one of their own ships. they jumped on board of her, and had her rowed some distance away, so that they might rest themselves and make ready for a new attack. there was then a pause in the battle, and it was seen that earl hakon's ship had been taken landward, out of reach of the jomsvikings' arrows. the legend tells that, seeing the battle going against him, he took some men ashore with him, together with his little son erling--a lad of seven years of age. entering a forest glade he prayed to the gods, and offered to propitiate them by making human sacrifice. when he thought that his vows and prayers were heard, he took young erling and put him to death. then he returned to the battle, and there was a sudden change in the weather. the sky began to darken in the north, and a heavy black cloud glided up from the sea, spreading quickly. a shower of hailstones followed at once, and the jomsvikings had to fight with their faces against the blinding storm, which was so terrible that some of the men could do no more than stand against it, as they had previously taken off their clothes on account of the heat. they began to shiver, though for the most part they fought bravely enough. hakon jarl now had the advantage, confident that the gods had accepted the sacrifice of his son, and intended to give him the victory. it is said that some saw the maidens of odin, the valkyrias, standing at the prow of hakon's ship, sending forth a deadly hail of unerring arrows. the vikings fought half blindly, though they were sorely pressed, and their decks were slippery with the slush of blood and melting hail, and in spite of the twilight and the raging storm they still held their own. but at last earl sigvaldi began to lose heart. "it seems to me," he cried, "that it is not men whom we have to fight today, but the worst fiends." some one reminded him of the vow he had taken at king sweyn's inheritance feast. "i did not vow to fight against fiends!" he answered; and, seeing earl hakon making ready for a renewed onslaught, he added: "now i will flee, and all my men with me, for the battle is worse than when i spoke of it before, and i will stand it no longer." he turned away his ship, shouting to vagn and bui, whose ships were now close to his own, to follow in all haste. but these two champions were braver than their chief. vagn akison saw sigvaldi retreating, and cried out to him in a frenzy of rage: "why dost thou flee, thou evil hound, and leave thy men in the lurch? that shame shall cling to thee all the days of thy life!" earl sigvaldi made no reply, and it was well for him that he did not; for at the same instant a spear was hurled from vagn's hand at the man who was at the helm, in the post usually occupied by the chief. but sigvaldi, being cold, had taken one of the oars to warm himself, so that the man at the rudder was killed instead. confusion now spread throughout the fleet of the vikings. the line was broken, and five and twenty of their ships followed in the wake of earl sigvaldi. at last only vagn akison and bui the thick were left. and now earl hakon pulled up alongside the ship of bui, and a combat ensued, which has scarcely had its equal in all the battles of the northmen. two great berserks of jomsburg--havard the hewer and aslak rockskull--vaulted over the gunwale of hakon's ship and made tremendous havoc, until an icelander seized an anvil that lay on the deck and dashed it against aslak's head. havard had both his feet cut off, but fought on furiously, standing on his knees. the spears and arrows whizzed about the head of earl hakon, and his coat of mail was so rent and cut that it fell off from him. it seemed now that the few jomsvikings who were left would have the glory of victory all to themselves. but in the thick of the fight earl erik hakonson, with a throng of men, boarded the galley of bui the thick, and in the first onslaught bui received a sword cut across his lips and chin. he did not flinch, but tried to pass off his injury with a jest. "the pretty women in borgund holm will not now be so fond of kissing me," said he. then the norwegians pressed in a great throng against him, and he saw that further resistance was useless. he took up two chests of gold, one in either arm, and mounting the gunwale of his ship, cried out: "overboard all folk of bui!" and sprang into the sea. thereupon many of his men followed his example, while the rest were slain. so was bui's ship cleared from stem to stern. vagn akison and olaf triggvison were now the only two champions remaining out of all the vikings of jomsburg, and they had no more than fifty men to support them. earl erik now boarded their dragonship, and there was a fierce fight. but the norwegians had the larger company, and when all but thirty of the vikings were slain, vagn akison surrendered and called upon olaf to follow his example. "never shall it be said that i surrendered to any man!" cried olaf proudly. "rather would i die fighting." and, gripping his battleaxe, he prepared to resist all who should come near him. but strong and valiant though he was, he could not hold his own against the crowd of warriors then gathered about him. he was seized from behind, disarmed, and bound hand and foot with strong ropes. in like manner were vagn akison and all the other captives bound. at nightfall they were taken to the shore where earl hakon had landed and pitched his tents. now, it was a question with earl hakon what he should do with these thirty captives. he did not doubt that, because they were all that remained of the jomsburgers, they were therefore the bravest and stoutest of all the vikings who had engaged in the great battle, and he feared that if they were allowed to live they would surely bring some great trouble upon him. so he ordered them to be slain. this order, added to the fact of his having sacrificed his own son for the sake of victory, was remembered against him by the norwegians in the after time, and it went far towards gaining for him the hatred of his people. early in the morning vagn and olaf, with their thirty comrades, were led out in front of the tents for execution. they were made to sit in a row on the trunk of a fallen tree. their feet were bound with ropes, but their hands were left free. the man who was to act as executioner was one thorkel leira, a stalwart warrior, who had done great deeds in the battle. now, this same thorkel was an old enemy of vagn akison, and at the arvel of king sweyn, vagn had taken a solemn oath that he would be the death of him. it seemed that, like all the other vikings who had spoken so boldly at that feast, vagn was to be cheated of his vow, yet he resolved to meet his death bravely. when all was ready thorkel appeared before the captives, carrying a great axe. he put vagn akison at the end of the log, intending to keep him to the last in order to increase his agony. but vagn sat chatting and joking with his companions, and there was much laughter. earl hakon wanted to know if these men were as hardy, and if their disregard of death were as firm, as report told, and each of them, when his turn came to be dealt with by the executioner, was asked some question, as--"how likest thou to die?" and each answered in his own fashion. "i should not be a worthy jomsviking if i were afraid of death," said one; and then thorkel dealt him the blow. another said: "it is a great satisfaction to die by the hand of a brave warrior, although i would like better if i were allowed a chance of first striking a blow at him." and a third: "i shall at least die in good company; but first, let me tighten my belt." one of them said: "i like very well to die, but strike me quickly; i have my cloak clasp in my hand, and i will thrust it into the earth if i wot of anything after my head is off." so the head was smitten from him, and down fell the clasp from his nerveless hand. eighteen of the vikings had been slain when it came to the turn of olaf triggvison, and at this moment earl erik came upon the scene. olaf bared his neck, and swept up his long golden hair in a coil over his head. "let none of the blood fall upon my hair!" said he. so thorkel told one of the bystanders to hold the coil of hair while he struck off olaf's head. the man took the beautiful hair in his two hands and held it fast, while olaf stretched forth his neck. thorkel hove up his axe. then olaf snatched back his head sharply, and so it happened that the blow hit the man who had hold of his hair, and the axe took off both his hands. "who is this goodly young man?" asked earl erik, stepping forward in front of olaf. "the lads call me ole the esthonian," olaf replied. "you are no esthonian born," returned erik. "of what land are you, then?" "what matters it, so long as i am from jomsburg?" asked olaf. "i had thought you were of norway," erik said, "and if that be so it were not well that you should die. what is your age?" olaf answered: "if i live this winter i shall be three and twenty winters old." erik said, "you shall live this winter if i have my will, for i do not like to see one so handsome and strong put to such a death as this. will you have peace?" "that depends upon who it is that offers me life," said olaf. "he offers it who has the power--earl erik himself," answered the earl. "then i gladly accept," said olaf. and earl erik ordered his men to set olaf free from his tether. at this thorkel leira grew wrothful, fearing that since the earl was in a forgiving mood he himself would perhaps be thwarted in his vengeance on vagn akison. "though you, earl erik, give peace to all these men," he cried, "yet never shall vagn akison depart hence alive." and brandishing his axe he rushed towards his enemy. one of the men on the log, however, seeing his chief's danger, flung himself forward so that thorkel stumbled and fell, dropping his axe. instantly vagn akison sprang to his feet, seized the axe, and dealt thorkel leira his death blow. thus vagn akison was the only one of the jomsvikings who accomplished what he had vowed to do. earl erik, full of admiration of this feat, then said to vagn: "will you have peace, vagn akison?" "i will take peace gladly if it be that all my comrades have it also," answered the viking. "let them all be set free," ordered the earl. and so it was done. eighteen of the captives had already been executed, but fourteen had peace. these remaining fourteen, as the price of their liberty, were expected to take service under earl hakon. even olaf made a pretence of agreeing to this condition, and he helped the norwegians to clear the devastation of battle and to take possession of the various viking ships that had been either deserted by their crews or whose fighting men had all been slain. but he had no intention to abide by his compact. in the general confusion he contrived to get on board his own disabled dragonship. there he exchanged his tattered armour for a good suit of seaman's clothes, with a large cloak, a sword, and a bag of gold. he remained on board until nightfall, and then, dropping into a small sailing boat that he had been careful to provide himself with, he stole out of the bay and was soon far away among the skerries, safe from all pursuit. the disappearance of olaf triggvison was scarcely remarked by the norwegians, who were at that time holding high revel in celebration of their victory. but had earl hakon of lade been able to look into the future, and see the disasters that awaited him at the hands of this fair haired young viking, he would surely have swept every fiord and channel in norway in the endeavour to drag the runaway back and bring him to the doom that he had so easily escaped. chapter xi: west-over-sea. now when earl sigvaldi, finding that the chances of war were going so directly against him, fled from the battle, many of the vikings followed him in the belief that he was but intending to make a new rally and to presently return to the fray. that the chief of jomsburg could be guilty of mean cowardice surpassed their understanding; moreover, they were bound by their oaths to obey him in all things. some twenty of his ships followed him out of the bay, and the captains watched him, ready to turn back with him at his first signal. but sigvaldi made no signal whatsoever, and only showed, by his extreme haste, that he was indeed bent upon making an unworthy and cowardly retreat. justin and guthmund, two of the viking captains who were sailing in the chief's wake, turned their ships and cried aloud to their neighbours to go back with them to the battle and to the rescue of the brave men who had been so heedlessly deserted; and many put about their prows. but already it was too late: not only were the fortunes of the fight now entirely in the hands of the norwegians, but the storm of hail and wind, which was growing every moment more severe, made it impossible for the ships to make headway against its fury. all who followed sigvaldi were therefore ever afterwards accused of cowardice, notwithstanding that the larger number of them were both willing and anxious to return. southward before the wind sailed sigvaldi in all haste, until he entered one of the wider channels; and then the storm ceased as suddenly as it had begun. in the evening the ships took shelter under the lee of one of the islands, and there they were anchored, so that the decks might be cleared and put in good order. that night, unknown to the chief, a council was held, and the captains, headed by guthmund, decided that they would no longer serve or obey a leader who had so far forgotten the strict laws of the vikings as to show fear in the face of an enemy. in the early morning, therefore, when earl sigvaldi hoisted his standard and made out for the open sea, none followed him. he quickly guessed the reason, and, instead of attempting to win over his former friends, he had his sail set to the wind and sped out westward across the sea. guthmund was then elected commander of the twenty longships, and when sigvaldi's vessel had passed out of sight the anchors were weighed and the little fleet moved southward among the isles. here, where the channels were narrow, and dangerous with hidden rocks, sails were of little use, and the men, wearied with fighting and smarting from their wounds, had little strength left for labouring at the oars, so that progress was slow. the ships were still but a few miles to the south of ulfasound very early on the third morning, when they fell in with a small sailing boat far out beyond the sight of land. the boat had only one man in it, and he sat at the stern, holding the sheet in one hand and the tiller in the other. his head was bowed, and his chin rested on his chest. he was sound asleep. guthmund, whose ship was nearest, called aloud to him, asking if he had caught any fish that night. but the boatman still slept. then guthmund took up an arrow and fired it so that it struck the boat's mast. in an instant the man started to his feet, threw off his cloak, and stood up. the morning sunlight shone on his head of tangled gold hair and on part of his coat of chain mail. he looked very noble and beautiful, and all the shipmen stared at him in amazement. "by the ravens of odin! it is young ole the esthonian!" cried guthmund. and he called to olaf to come aboard. olaf at first refused, saying that although he had been without food for two days and was also sick and weak from loss of blood and the want of rest, yet he would never demean himself by taking the hospitality of men who had deserted their comrades in the heat of battle. "where is earl sigvaldi?" he cried. "let me see him that i may tell him to his face that he is a coward!" "we have broken off from him, and are no longer his men," answered guthmund. "he has sailed west over the sea towards the orkneys. we are now without a chief, and would be very well satisfied if you, who are a well proved champion, would take the command over us; and we will one and all take oath to serve you and follow you wheresoever you may choose to lead us." "if that be so, and if there are none but brave men among you," said olaf, "then i will do as you suggest." and he brought his boat to the quarter and climbed on board. when he had taken drink and food and had washed himself and combed his hair, he told of how the battle had ended and of how he had escaped. now the vikings were well pleased to have such a chief as olaf triggvison, for not only had they the fullest confidence in his prowess, in his skill as a leader of men, and in his unfailing bravery, but they also remembered that he was the owner of the squadron of battleships which had been left in jutland in charge of kolbiorn stallare; and they rightly guessed that olaf, with these combined fleets, would not rest long ere he should start on some new and warlike expedition. during the southward voyage nothing was said by olaf concerning his plans. but when he joined his other fleet in lyme firth, he went straightway on board his dragonship and held council with kolbiorn. glad was kolbiorn to see his master once again, and they greeted each other as brothers. "it seems to me," said kolbiorn, when olaf had told him of the defeat of the jomsvikings, "that now with these forty ships that are ours we might very well fare to norway, and take vengeance upon earl hakon. if we could take him unawares our chance of defeating him would be great, and who can tell but you would succeed where sigvaldi failed, and so make yourself the king of norway?" but olaf shook his head. "not so," said he; "earl hakon is a much greater man than you think, kolbiorn. his power is well established in the land, and his people are well content and prosperous under his rule. i am not afraid to meet him in battle. but our forces are very small compared with the great host of men and ships that hakon could muster at any moment, and to attempt this journey you propose would only mean disaster. a better plan have i been nursing in my mind these three days past." "what plan is that?" kolbiorn asked. olaf answered: "when we were at king sweyn's inheritance feast the oath that sweyn made was, that he meant to fare across the seas to england and drive king ethelred from his realm. now it appears to me that england offers a far easier conquest than norway, or sweyn forkbeard would never have resolved to make such an attempt. i have heard that king ethelred is but a youth--five years younger than myself--that he is not a fighting man, but a weak fool. certain it is that he has very few ships to defend his coasts. moreover, the people of england are christians, and it seems to me that we should be doing a great service to odin and thor, and all others of our own gods, if we were to sweep away all the christian temples and restore the worship of the gods of asgard. whereas, if we make war in norway we fight against those who worship as we ourselves worship, we slay men who speak the same tongue as we speak, whose blood is our own blood, and whose homes are the homes of our own birthland. many norsemen have reaped great plunder in england and have made great settlements on the english coasts. why should not we follow their example?--nay, why should we not conquer the whole kingdom?" kolbiorn strode to and fro in the cabin without at first expressing any opinion on this bold scheme. "we have now between seven and eight thousand men," continued olaf. "a small enough force with which to invade a great nation such as england," said kolbiorn. "i think there would be a far greater chance of success if we joined with sweyn forkbeard." "my experience with earl sigvaldi has already taught me that i can manage with better success when i am my own master," said olaf. "moreover, king sweyn is at present at enmity with the danish people, and it would not be easy for him to go a-warring in foreign lands without the risk of losing his own throne. the glory or the failure of this expedition must be ours alone, and so soon as we can make ready our ships i intend to set sail." now it was at about this time that olaf triggvison's followers gave him the name of king. it was a title which the sea rovers of the north often gave to the man whom they had chosen as their chief, and it implied that he was a leader who ruled over warriors and who had acquired a large number of warships. not often did such a king possess lands. his realm was the sea--"ran's land"--and his estates were his ships. in the english chronicles and histories of this period, olaf is referred to as king of the norwegians; but he was not yet a king in the sense that sweyn forkbeard was king of denmark or ethelred king of england. the fact that he was of royal birth was held a secret until long after his invasion of england and his subsequent friendship with king ethelred. nevertheless, his companions called him king ole, and the name clung to him throughout all his wanderings. there were many wounded men on board the ships, and, while olaf was still lying in lyme firth, some of them died; others, whose limbs were lamed and who were no longer able to work at the oars or to engage in battle, were left behind in jutland. only those who were in every way fit and strong were allowed to remain in the fleet. when all was ready olaf hoisted his standard and arrayed his war shields and set out to sea. to saxland first he sailed. there he harried along the coasts and got a good store of cattle and corn, and won many men and two other ships to his following. then about friesland and the parts that are now covered by the zuyder zee, and so right away south to the land of the flemings. by this time the autumn was far advanced, and olaf thought that he would seek out some creek or river in flanders where he might lie up for the winter. on a certain sunny evening he was out upon the deeper sea in one of his fast sailing skiffs. he chanced to look across the water in the direction of the setting sun, and far away on the line of the horizon he espied a ridge of white cliffs. thorgils thoralfson was at his side, and the foster brothers spoke together concerning this land that they saw. they presently determined that it could be no other country than england. so they put about their skiff and returned to the fleet. at noon on the following day the forty-two ships were within a few miles of the north foreland of kent. the cliffs stood out white as snow against the gray autumn sky, and where the line of the headland dipped the grassy slopes of a fertile valley could be seen dotted over with browsing sheep. olaf triggvison steered his dragonship down the coast, until at length he saw a film of blue smoke that rose in the calm air above the little seaport of sandwich. the town stood at the mouth of a wide creek whose banks sloped backward into sandy dunes and heather covered knolls. the river lost itself in a forest of beech trees that still held their trembling leaves that the summer sun had turned to a rich russet brown. across one of the meadows a herd of cattle was being driven home to the safety of one of the farmsteads. olaf turned his ship's head landward and blew a loud blast of his war horn. the shrill notes were echoed from the far off woods. his fleet closed in about his wake, and he led the way inward to the creek, rowing right up to the walls that encircled the town. a few arrows were fired. but already the folk had fled from their homes alarmed at the sight of so large a force, and the invaders landed without the shedding of a drop of blood. when the ships had been safely moored in the harbour, with their masts lowered and their figureheads taken down, olaf had his tents sent ashore, and he made an encampment along the margin of the river and in the shelter of the beech woods. his armourers built their forges and his horsemen their stables. a small temple was formed of heavy stones and dedicated to odin; and so the northmen made ready their winter quarters and prepared to follow their daily lives in accordance with old time customs. there was pure water to be got in abundance from the higher parts of the river, while fish could be got near hand from out the sea. when corn and meat fell short, it was an easy matter to make a foraging raid upon some inland farm or monastery. at such times olaf would send forth one of his captains, or himself set out, with a company of horsemen, and they would ride away through kent, or even into surrey, pillaging and harrying without hindrance, and returning to the camp after many days driving before them the cattle and swine that they had taken, each bullock and horse being loaded with bags of corn or meal. these journeys were undertaken only for the sake of providing food for the vikings and not with the thought of conquest. and, indeed, olaf would often give ample payment to the folk who were discreet enough to show him no resistance, for he had a great store of gold and richly wrought cloth upon his ships, and his heart was always generous. but at the monasteries and holy places he made no such return, for he vas a great enemy of christianity. all through that winter he remained unmolested, in peaceful possession of the two towns of sandwich and richborough. now the monks of canterbury and rochester were greatly annoyed by the near presence of the heathen pirates, and they sent messengers to their king, telling him that the norsemen had made this settlement upon his coasts and imploring his protection. it was no great news to king ethelred, however. the danes and norwegians had so often made descents upon the english shores that it seemed to him useless to oppose them; so he sent word back to the monks that if their monasteries and churches were in danger it would be well to build them stronger, but that, for his own part, he had quite enough to trouble him without raising armies to fight against a pack of wolves. as well, he said, fight against the sea birds that eat the worms upon our fields. this calm indifference of the english king only gave greater boldness to olaf triggvison, who very naturally considered that the monarch who would thus allow an alien foe to settle upon his shores must be a very child in weakness--a man with no more spirit than a shrew mouse. not without cause was king ethelred nicknamed the unready. the name stands not as meaning that he was unprepared, but that he was without counsel, or "redeless". his advisers were few and, for the most part, traitorous and unworthy; they swayed him and directed him just as it suited their own ends, and he had not the manly strength of will that would enable him to act for himself. of energy he had more than enough, but it was always misplaced. in personal character he was one of the weakest of all the kings of england, and his reign was the worst and most shameful in english history. in the golden days of his father, edgar the peaceable, all things had gone exceeding well in the land. there was a strong and well disciplined navy to protect the coasts, and all intending invaders were held in defiance. edgar did much for the good order and prosperity of his kingdom, and he personally saw to the administration of justice and the forming of good laws; trade and husbandry were encouraged by him, and commerce with foreign lands was increased. archbishop dunstan was his friend and counsellor. after the death of edgar came the short reign of edward the martyr, whose murder at corfe castle brought about the fall of dunstan and the enthronement of ethelred. ethelred was but ten years old on his coronation at kingston. little is told of the early years of his reign, and nothing to the young king's credit. already the great fleet raised by edgar had disappeared, and the vikings of the north had begun once more to pillage the coasts. there were other troubles, too. london was burnt to the ground, a great murrain of cattle happened for the first time in the english nation, and a terrible plague carried off many thousands of the people. for some unknown reason ethelred laid siege to rochester, and, failing to take the town, ravaged the lands of the bishopric. and now, with the coming of olaf triggvison, a new danger was threatening. olaf was the first of the vikings to attempt anything like a planned invasion on a large scale, and his partial success was the signal for a yet greater descent of the northmen, which had for its object the conquest of the whole kingdom. it was olaf triggvison who, if he failed in his own attempt, at least pointed out the way by which king sweyn of denmark and his greater son canute at length gained possession of the throne of england and infused the nation with the blood which now flows in the veins of every true born briton. the ocean loving vikings of the north were the ancestors of the english speaking people of today. our love of the sea and of ships, the roving spirit that has led us to make great colonies in distant lands, our skill in battle, our love of manly sports, even perhaps our physical strength and endurance--all these traits have come to us from our forefathers of scandinavia. nor must it be forgotten that the normans, who conquered england just five and seventy years after the landing of olaf, were themselves the sons of the vikings. rolf the ganger was a famous warrior in the service of king harald fairhair. exiled by harald from norway, he made a settlement in northern france, whither many of his countrymen followed him. that part of france was thereafter named normannia, or normandy--the land of the norsemen. rolf was there made a duke. his son william was the father of richard the fearless, who was the grandfather of the great william the conqueror. now, when that same wintertide had passed, and when the new buds were showing on the trees, olaf triggvison arrayed his ships ready for the sea. leaving some of his older men in occupation of sandwich, he stood out northward past thanet and across the mouth of the thames towards east anglia, where, as he understood, the bravest of the english people dwelt. his four best dragonships were commanded by himself, kolbiorn, guthmund, and justin. his foster brother thorgils had command of one of the longships. the fleet numbered forty sail, and each ship was manned by some two hundred warriors and seamen. when the men were landed to fight, one third of the company remained behind to guard the ships. thus the forces that olaf usually took ashore with him numbered between five and six thousand warriors. the first place at which the vikings landed was at the mouth of a wide vik, leading far inland. a man named harald biornson was the first to leap ashore. olaf named the place harald's vik, but it is in these days spelled harwich. olaf followed the banks of the river for many miles, pillaging some steads, and carrying off much treasure from a certain monastery. the monks and friars fought well against him, but were soon defeated, and their houses and barns were left in flames. farther inland the northmen went until they came to a made road, which crossed the river by a stone bridge. olaf thought that this road must lead to some large town, so he took his forces over it northward into suffolk, and at length he came within sight of ipswich, and he resolved to attack the place. but he was not then prepared to enter battle, as many of his men had come ashore without their body armour and shields, deeming these too heavy to carry in sunny weather. so they returned to the ships and approached the town by way of the sea. they sailed up the orwell river, and fell upon the town first with arrow and spear and then with sword and axe. the men of ipswich met their foes in the middle of the town, and there was a great fight. but ere the sun went down olaf had got the victory. he pillaged the houses and churches, and having emptied them of all that was worth taking he carried off the booty to his ships. he found that this was a good place to harbour his fleet in for a time, so he remained in ipswich until the blossom had fallen from the trees. chapter xii: the battle of maldon. now this sacking of the town of ipswich brought terror into the hearts of the men of east anglia, who well knew how useless it would be for them to appeal for help to king ethelred. there were brave men in that part of the country, however, who, at the first alarm of the landing of the norsemen, made themselves ready to defend their homes and the homes of their neighbours. chief among these was a certain holy and valiant man named brihtnoth. he was at this time earldorman of east anglia. he had already done great work in spreading the christian faith among the poor and ignorant people over whom he stood in authority, and his beneficent gifts to the monasteries of ely and ramsey had won for him the reputation almost of a saint. the monks regarded him as a man of quiet and thoughtful life, absorbed in acts of charity; but he proved that he could be a man of action also, for he was soon to become the hero of one of the most famous and disastrous battles ever fought on english soil. when brihtnoth heard that the vikings had taken possession of ipswich he put aside his books, and, taking down his sword, rode about the country side gathering men about him. he assembled a goodly army of soldiers, both archers and swordmen, and marched towards the coast. it is told that during this march he came to a certain monastery and asked for food for his army. the abbot declared that he would willingly entertain the earldorman and such well born men as were with him, but would not undertake to feed the whole host. brihtnoth answered that he would take nothing in which all his soldiers could not share, so he marched on to the next monastery, where he fared with more success. now it speedily came to the ears of olaf triggvison that this army was being assembled against him, and he sent out spies, who in time came back with the news that brihtnoth was encamped upon a hillside near the town of maldon, in essex. olaf at once weighed anchor, and took his fleet southward past the naze until he came to the mouth of the river panta (now called the blackwater). he led his ships inward on the top of the tide. two hours' rowing brought him within sight of the houses of maldon. the town stood upon a hill overlooking the river, which at this point branched off in two separate streams, one stream passing by the foot of the hill, the other flowing at a little distance to the north and passing under a strong stone built bridge. olaf brought his ships into the branch nearest to the town, and his men, on landing, gathered in a confused crowd in occupation of the space between the two streams. brihtnoth had already taken up a position of vantage to the north of the bridge, having both streams between his army and the town. he had arrayed his troops in a compact mass in the form of a wedge or triangle, whose narrower point was opposite to the roadway of the bridge. the men occupying the outer lines stood with their large shields locked together so closely that they made a strong rampart or shield fortress, behind which the archers and spearmen might remain in safety while assailing their advancing foes. it was considered very important in the early part of a battle that the shield fortress should not be broken or opened, nor could such a breach be easily effected except by overpowering strength or stratagem. mounted on a sturdy little white horse, the earldorman rode backward and forward in front of the lines to see that his men stood firm in their ranks. when all was ready he alighted, sent his horse to the rear, and took his place among his troops, determined to share every danger of his lowlier comrades. from where he stood he could see the fair haired vikings making a landing. their great numbers appalled him, but he spoke no word of fear. presently he noticed two men whom, by their glittering gold helmets and beautiful shields, he took to be chiefs. they walked some distance apart from the host of shipmen, and took their stand on a grassy knoll overlooking the opposing armies. "not wrong were the reports we heard concerning these sea wolves," said he to a young man at his side. "look but at those two chiefs standing apart! giants they are in sooth. the younger one--he with the flowing yellow hair, and with the belt of gold about his thick arm--is surely a head and shoulders taller than any east anglian i have seen. it will be a tough encounter if we come hand to hand with that man. but let us all be brave, for we have our homes to defend, and god will not desert us in our hour of danger. and we have many good chances on our side. very often the more numerous host does not gain the victory, if there are bold and fearless men against them." the yellow haired chief was olaf triggvison, and guthmund was his companion. they had climbed the higher ground, so that they might better calculate upon the chances of the coming battle, and great was their surprise to see how skilfully brihtnoth had arrayed his men. that triangle form in which the english stood was called by the scandinavians the "swine array", and it was believed to have been introduced by odin himself. olaf well knew how strong that formation always proved to be against the assaults of an enemy, and how almost impossible it was for human force to break through it. "the man who has marshalled that little army is no unworthy foe," said he; "and i think we shall do well to carefully consider our plans before making an advance. well has he foreseen that we should land upon this spot, and he has so placed his host at the farther side of the river that we shall not reach him without great difficulty. the water is deep, and the rising tide flows quick and strong." "but there is the bridge by which we may cross," returned guthmund. olaf smiled and shook his head. "the bridge is very narrow," he said, "and the old chief has wisely placed three of his champions there to defend it and bar our passage." "though he had placed there three score of champions, i see no danger in our crossing," said guthmund. "nevertheless, the bridge would still be secure to those who hold it," answered olaf. "indeed, i would myself engage to hold such a position with my own hand against a far greater force than ours. it is but a matter of endurance, and one good sword, well wielded, is as good as the strongest gate ever made." as he spoke he noticed the figure of earldorman brihtnoth, who now left his place in the ranks, and advanced towards the three champions at the bridge. the old man stood there awhile giving some directions to the bridge defenders. he was about to return when he saw that olaf was sending guthmund down to him with some message, and he waited. when guthmund stepped upon the bridge he laid down his sword upon the ground. brihtnoth went forward to meet him. "what is your will?" asked the earldorman. "i have come with a message from my king," answered the viking. "what says your king?" "he says that since it appears to be the common practice in this country for kings and earls to buy off an unwelcome foe with offers of gold, he will engage to withdraw and go back to his ships on your paying him a sum of money that he will name." brihtnoth drew back in anger at such an offer, not guessing that king olaf was but testing his bravery. "and who is it that has told your chief that such is the habit of our english kings?" he demanded. "little need was there for anyone to tell the tale," answered guthmund, "for it is well known throughout the countries of the vikings that king ethelred has not so many brave warriors at his call that he can afford to lose them for the sake of a few bags of gold. not once but many times has he thus sought to buy off the norsemen." "go back to your chief," cried brihtnoth, with an indignant sweep of his arm; "go back and tell him that steel, and not gold, is the only metal that can now judge between him and me!" "it is the metal that king olaf has ever favoured," returned guthmund; "and right glad will he be to hear that there is at least one man among the english who is brave enough to be of that same opinion." so, when olaf's messenger returned, there arose a loud cry from the deep throats of the vikings. the cry had scarcely died away ere the air was filled with arrows, that fell in a heavy shower among the english. then brihtnoth's archers answered the challenge, and the battle began in good earnest. for a long time the two armies stood facing each other, with the river running between, and arrows alone were the weapons used. but at last one of olaf's captains--justin it was--ran forward, sword in hand and shield on arm, towards the bridge. he was closely followed by a large number of the vikings. bravely did the three champions stand at their post. with their feet firmly set, and their shields before them, they met the onrush of their foes, wielding their long swords with such precision and strength that justin and five of his fellows fell dead without striking a single blow. onward the vikings pressed, leaping over the bodies of their fallen companions, but only to be themselves driven back again under the terrible blows that met them. very soon the roadway of the bridge was so crowded with the slain that many of the men fell over the parapet into the deep water of the river. a party of olaf's bowmen stood by the nearer end of the bridge, assailing the three dauntless defenders with their arrows. again the northmen charged. this time they were led by kolbiorn stallare, who advanced slowly, and not with a heedless rush as the others had done. he carried his heavy battleaxe; but before he could raise his weapon to strike, the nearest of the defenders stepped unexpectedly forward and dealt him a tremendous blow which made him stagger backward. the blow was met by his strong shield, and he received no hurt; but in stepping back he tripped upon the arm of one of his fallen comrades, and was borne down under the weight of the men who, following close behind him, rushed headlong to the death that he had escaped. there kolbiorn lay for a long while, and olaf triggvison, who had seen him fall, believed him to be dead. now it was guthmund and not olaf who had given the command to the norsemen to attempt the taking of the bridge, and olaf was very angry at seeing so many of his best men sacrificed. he had seen that the tide in the creek was ebbing, and that very soon the bridge would cease to be an important post. accordingly he ordered that those who were still endeavouring to cross should be withdrawn. the three champions who had thus succeeded in keeping the bridge were named wulfstan, elfhere, and maccus. wulfstan was the man who had struck kolbiorn stallare, and he knew that the blow could not have killed him. so when the vikings had left the bridge he rescued kolbiorn from under the weight of slain men who had fallen over him, and kolbiorn limped back to the rear of the norse archers who, all this time, had kept up a constant firing of arrows upon the englishmen. when at last the tide had fallen, and the ford could be passed, the bridge defenders retreated, and brihtnoth allowed the northmen to cross over unhindered. olaf led his chosen men across by the road, while the larger number of his warriors waded through the stream. and now the fight began in desperate earnest. separating his forces into three divisions, olaf advanced to the attack. he directed his left wing, under the command of guthmund, upon brihtnoth's right flank; his right wing, under harald biornson, wheeled round to the attack of brithnoth's left. he reserved for himself the position which was considered the most difficult to deal with--the point where the english chief himself stood, surrounded by his strongest and most experienced soldiers. this was the narrowest part of the formation, and olaf knew that if he could but break through the wall of shields at this point the whole mass of men, now so compact and impregnable, would quickly be thrown into confusion. kolbiorn fought at olaf's right hand, and thorgils thoralfson at his left. behind and about them were a thousand of the most valiant vikings and berserks. the attack began on all sides with the hurling of javelins, but very soon the northmen approached closer to their enemies, and carried on a closer combat with their swords, and at first the vikings got the worst of it. olaf and his fellows had already caught sight of the white bearded brihtnoth, and they were making their way towards him when thorgils thoralfson fell forward, pierced to the heart with a spear. now, the spear was one which olaf himself had before thrown into the midst of the english ranks, and it had now been returned in such a manner that olaf at once knew it had been hurled by some man trained as the vikings were in the use of the weapon. advancing yet nearer, he searched with quick eye among the faces of the men before him. as he did so another spear was flung; this time it was aimed at kolbiorn, who caught it on his uplifted shield. kolbiorn had seen the face of the man who had thus picked him out, and throwing his shield aside he gripped his battleaxe, and flinging himself with all his great strength against the wall of men he burst through the ranks. olaf saw him fighting his way into the midst of the soldiers, who fell back before the weighty axe. at last kolbiorn reached the man he sought, and engaged with him hand to hand, while olaf and the vikings followed into the breach. in a very few moments olaf was at kolbiorn's side, and then he too saw the face of the man who had killed thorgils. it was the face of his own fellow-slave in far off esthonia, his companion in holmgard, his shipmate egbert, whom he had believed to be drowned. the duel between kolbiorn and egbert lasted for several minutes, but it was evident that kolbiorn was but playing with his adversary, for he gave him many chances. "less skilful are you than when we last met," he said with a laugh, "and your wrist is not so strong. gladly would i have given you a few more lessons had opportunity served; but instead i must now repay the blow you gave me over our game of chess." egbert then fell, and kolbiorn turned to the help of olaf, who was now engaged with the english chief and three of his special comrades. brihtnoth wanted to fight olaf sword to sword, but olaf respected his bravery and his grey hairs, and chose rather to encounter a very broad chested englishman, who had already slain three of the vikings. as kolbiorn entered the fray he saw brihtnoth turn away from olaf and cross swords with one of the berserks. the berserk fell, with a great cut across his head. his place was taken by one of his shipmates, whom the old chief also overcame. the earldorman was wounded, but he went on bravely fighting until at last he was cut down by a viking named harek the hawk. the spot where the english chief had fallen became now the centre of the battle. here, in defence of their dead leader's body, the bravest among the english fought and fell. wulfstan, maccus, and elfhere--the three who had held the bridge--again fought shoulder to shoulder at this place. wulfstan was vanquished by olaf, and his two companions fell to kolbiorn's blade. the names of some of the other english warriors are alfwine, a lord of the mercians, eseferth, brihtwold, edward the long, leofsuna, and dunnere; all of whom fell in defending the body of brihtnoth. one of the vikings, thinking that olaf meant to gain possession of it, carried off the body of the dead hero; but olaf would not allow his men to do dishonour to so brave a foe, and he afterwards delivered the body to brihtnoth's friends, who gave it a worthy resting place in ely cathedral. meanwhile the battle had fared ill with the east anglians on the other parts of the field. the breaking of the fortress of shields had thrown the ranks into confusion. the vikings, under guthmund and harek, followed up their advantage and fought with fierce onslaught. the english were but ill armed; many of them had bills and swords, others had spears and arrows, but some had no better weapons than such as they had themselves contrived out of their farm implements. when it was seen that the northmen were gaining the victory on all hands many of the english began to lose courage, and one, a caitiff named godric, mounted the horse on which brihtnoth had ridden to the field, so that many thought that it was the earldorman himself who had fled. after this there was a general retreat, and so the battle of maldon ended. olaf triggvison made no assault upon the town, but pitched his tents on the high ground between the two streams where he had landed. he allowed the east anglians to carry off their dead and give them christian burial. his own dead numbered over four hundred, and he had them laid in a mound with all their armour and weapons, and built a cairn over them according to the heathen custom. he lay with his ships off maldon during the rest of the summer, and raided in essex and suffolk without hindrance. now it might be thought that king ethelred, hearing, as he soon heard, of the taking of ipswich and of the defeat of the east anglians at maldon, would lose no time in gathering an army to expel the invaders. the spirit of the nation was ready for a vigorous resistance of the northmen, and with a few such men as brihtnoth to lead them the english might without much difficulty have driven every viking out of the land. but ethelred was a man of quite another stamp from the valiant earldorman of east anglia, and he adopted the fatal system of looking to gold to do the work of steel. olaf triggvison and a party of his captains returned to the camp one day, after a great boar hunt, and they found that in their absence certain messengers had arrived from andover, where the king held his court. olaf directed that the men should be brought to him in his tent, and there he held speech with them. on entering the tent the messengers set down before the viking chief two heavy bags containing the sum of ten thousand pounds in gold, this money, the men said, had been sent by king ethelred as a gift to the leader of the norsemen. "and for what reason should king ethelred send such a gift to me who have done him no good service, but have only been despoiling his lands and disturbing his peaceful subjects?" "it is because the king wishes you to cease your ravaging in east anglia and take away your ships and men," returned the spokesman. "that is the condition he imposes on your accepting the gold." "and how if i refuse the gold and say that it does not suit my purpose to remove my ships?" asked olaf. "will your king then march with his armies against the vikings, and give us the exercise of another good battle?" the messenger shrugged his shoulders. "king ethelred does not doubt that you will take the gold," said he. "and as to his marching against you, of that matter he has said no word." "in that case you may leave the money in my keeping," said olaf. "and i charge you to thank king ethelred for his generosity. it so happens that this part of the country is already becoming somewhat bare of food and we are wearying for new scenes. i think, therefore, that before the winter days are far advanced we shall weigh anchor and set sail. but our going shall not be one day earlier on account of ethelred's desire to be rid of us." the messengers wanted a more definite promise from olaf that he would not only sail away at this present time but also that he would not again invade the english coasts. but to this olaf would not agree. either the king must be satisfied that the vikings intended to quit the shores of east anglia in a few weeks' time, or he might take back his gold and suffer his kingdom to be invaded and ravaged at whatever point the norsemen chose to make a landing. it seemed for a long time that they could come to no agreement; but finally the matter was so arranged that the gold was delivered into olaf's hands and the messengers departed, with a mere half promise of peace and the assurance that olaf would remove his ships within twenty days. olaf did not hold himself bound to keep these conditions; nevertheless he resolved to abide by them. he had already discovered that his forces were too small to attempt, with any certainty of success, a deliberate conquest of england; and, indeed, even before the arrival of ethelred's messengers, he had determined to presently withdraw his fleet until such times as he had gathered about him a host large enough and strong enough to lay siege to london. his departure from maldon was therefore of his own choosing and not the result of any threats upon the part of the english king. meanwhile olaf did not lose sight of the fact that the foolish policy of king ethelred, instead of having the effect of securing the kingdom against invasion, only set forth a very strong encouragement to the vikings to repeat their incursions as often as they were in want of money. ethelred and his advisers seem never to have learned this lesson, and for many years after the battle of maldon the sea rovers, both danish and norwegian, continued to harry the english coasts, with the invariable result that, so soon as they had plundered a few monasteries and reduced a few villages to ashes, they were sure to receive the offer of a very handsome bribe as an inducement to put to sea again. chapter xiii: the hermit of the scillys. on a certain day in the late winter of the next year olaf triggvison led his fleet across the turbulent waters of the pentland firth, and steered his course for the islands of orkney. on his way northward along the coasts of england he had many times made a landing to plunder some seaside village and to replenish his stores of food and water. he had harried wide on both shores of the humber and in northumberland, had stormed king ida's fortress of bamborough, and made a raid upon berwick. in scotland, also, he had ravaged and plundered. but of these adventures there remains no record. before the time of his crossing to the orkneys he had lost five of his ships and a large number of his men, and from this it may be judged that he had either encountered very stormy weather or suffered some reverse at the hands of his enemies. the snow still lay deep upon the islands when he entered the wide channel named scapa flow, and anchored his fleet under shelter of the high island of hoy. many of his vessels were by this time in need of repair, so he crossed the sound and beached them near to where the port of stromness now lies, and at this place he took up his quarters until the coming of the summer. the orkney islands were then, and for many generations afterwards, peopled by scandinavian vikings and their families, who paid tax and tribute to norway. olaf therefore found himself among men who spoke his own tongue, and who were glad enough to make friends with a chief, of whom it could be said that he had done great and valiant deeds in battle. one thing which more than all else won these people to him was their knowledge that he was the same ole the esthonian who, with vagn akison, had stood out to the end in the great sea fight against hakon of lade. earl hakon was now the ruler over the orkney islanders, but he was beginning to be so bitterly hated by them that they looked upon all his enemies as their own particular friends. for a little time they had centred their hopes in earl sigvaldi of jomsburg, who had lately taken refuge in the orkneys. but sigvaldi had now gone back to his stronghold on the baltic, in the hope of restoring his scattered company of vikings. the coming of olaf was therefore regarded with great favour by the orcadian vikings, who thought it possible that he would join them in an attempt to drive earl hakon from the norwegian throne. in order to delay olaf's departure from the islands the people got him to help them in building a great temple on the shores of one of their lakes, and, when the temple was finished and duly dedicated to odin, they proposed to olaf that he should lead an expedition across to norway. olaf replied that he did not consider the time ripe for such an attempt, and that for the present he had other plans in hand; but he bade them, in the meantime, busy themselves with the building of ships. now while olaf was still in orkney there came one day into scapa flow one of the ships of king sweyn forkbeard of denmark. olaf learned from her captain that the dane folk had rebelled against sweyn, for the reason that, having accepted christianity and compelled his people to follow his example, he had now thrown off the true belief and turned back to the worship of the heathen gods, demanding that his subjects should again acknowledge odin and thor to be greater than the god of the christians. rather than do this, the danes had resolved to drive their unbelieving king into exile; and sweyn forkbeard, having lost his throne, had taken to vikingry. on hearing this, olaf triggvison gave the ship captain a message to take back to his master, bidding sweyn remember the vow he had sworn at his inheritance feast, and saying that if he had a mind to fulfil that vow he might now make the attempt, for that he--ole the esthonian--was now preparing his forces for a great invasion of england, and would be well pleased if sweyn would join him in the expedition. the place of the gathering of the forces was to be ipswich, in east anglia, and the time of meeting was to be the middle of the harvest month in the next summer. olaf did not wait in the orkneys for an answer to this message. his vikings were already growing weary of idleness and eager to be again upon the sea. so the ships were put in readiness, and when a fair wind offered, the anchors were weighed and the sails set, and the fleet sped westward through roy sound towards cape wrath. thence they sailed down among the hebrides--or the southern isles, as the norsemen always called them. here olaf had many battles and won many ships from the descendants of harald fairhair's rebel subjects, who had made settlements in the isles. here, too, he gained some hundreds of men to his following. he harried also in the north parts of ireland, and had certain battles in the island of man. by this time the summer was far spent, so he sailed east away to cumberland and there rested throughout the winter. his men thought that this part of england, with its mountains and lakes, was so much like their own birthland in distant norway, that they showed great unwillingness to leave it. many did, indeed, remain, and the settlements they made in the lake country have left traces which even to the present day may be recognized, not only in the remains of heathen temples and tombs, but also in the names of places and in certain norse words that occur in the common speech of the cumbrian folk. from cumberland olaf sailed south to wales. there again he harried wide about, and also in cornwall, and at length he came to the scilly isles. king athelstane had conquered these islands half a century before, and had established a monastery there, the ruins of which may still be seen. now when olaf triggvison lay at scilly, sheltering from a storm that had driven him out of his intended course, he heard that in the isle of tresco there was a certain soothsayer who was said to be well skilled in the foretelling of things which had not yet come to pass. olaf fell a-longing to test the spaeing of this man. "i will try him by means of a trick," olaf said one day to kolbiorn; "and in this wise: you shall go to him instead of me, and say that you are king ole the esthonion; and if he believes you, then is he no soothsayer." now olaf was already famed in all lands for being fairer and nobler than all other men, and he chose kolbiorn as his messenger because he was the fairest and biggest of his men and most resembled himself, and he sent him ashore, arrayed in the most beautiful clothing. kolbiorn searched long among the trees and rocks before he found the little cave in which the lonely hermit dwelt; and when he entered he saw a gray bearded old man, deep in meditation before a crucifix, and wearing the habit of a christian priest. the hermit looked up at the tall figure of his visitor, and waited for him to speak. kolbiorn answered as olaf had bidden him, saying that his name was king ole. but the hermit shook his head. "king thou art not," said he gravely; "but my counsel to thee is, that thou be true to thy king." no other word did he speak, and kolbiorn turned away and fared back to olaf, who, on hearing of the answer that had been given, longed all the more to meet this hermit, whom he now believed to be verily a soothsayer. so on the next day, while the wind was high and the waves broke with a heavy roar upon the rocks, olaf dressed himself very simply, without any body armour, and went ashore, attended by two shieldmen. when he entered the hermit's cell he found the old man sitting at an oaken table with a roll of parchment before him, upon which he was inscribing some holy legend. he greeted olaf most kindly, and when they had spoken together for a while, olaf asked him what he could say as to how he should speed coming by his rightful inheritance or any other good fortune. then the hermit answered: "in the time that is to come, thou shalt be a very glorious king and do glorious deeds. many men shalt thou bring to the right troth and to christening, helping thereby both thyself and thy fellow men." "as to the first part of your prophecy--that i shall become a great king, that i can well believe," returned olaf; "but that i shall ever help men to christening, i cannot believe, for i am now, and always shall be, a faithful worshipper of the gods of asgard and an enemy to all believers in christ." "nevertheless," answered the hermit, "the second part of what i have said is even more certain to come true than the first; and, to the end that my words may be trusted, take this as a token: hard by thy ship thou shall presently fall into a snare of a host of men, and battle will spring thence, and thou wilt be sorely hurt, and of this wound thou shalt look to die and be borne to ship on shield; yet thou shalt be whole of thy hurt within seven nights and be speedily christened thereafter." olaf laughed at the good man, and presently went his way. but as he passed downward towards the boat that awaited him among the rocks, he was met by a party of unpeaceful men who fell suddenly upon him with their swords. olaf called upon his two guards, who had lagged behind, but ere they came to his help he, being without any arms, received a great sword thrust in his chest. his assailants fled when they saw the two guards approaching from among the trees, and olaf was left bleeding where he fell. his two men lifted him upon one of their shields, and carried him down to the boat and bore him wounded upon his ship. for six days he lay unconscious, and, as all thought, upon the point of death. but on the seventh night the danger was passed, and thereafter he speedily grew well. then olaf deemed that in having foretold this matter so exactly the old hermit had proved himself to be indeed a very wise soothsayer. so he went ashore a second time, and the two talked much and long together. it seemed that cerdic was the hermit's name. he had once been a bondslave among norsemen, and had known olaf's father, king triggvi, whom olaf personally resembled. he could speak very well in the norse tongue, and his soft and gentle voice was very soothing to all who heard it. at first he spoke of the ways of heathen men, of their revengeful spirit and their cruelty in warfare, and he condemned their offering of blood sacrifices and their worship of graven images. such gods as odin and thor, njord and frey, were, he said, but the creations of men's poetic fancy, and had no real existence. odin was at one time but an earthly man, with all man's faults and sins. the earthquake and the thunder had nothing to do with the rolling of thor's chariot or the throwing of thor's hammer. the waves of the ocean would rise in anger or fall into calm peace though the name of njord had never been spoken; and the seasons would change in their order, fields and pastures would grow, without the favour of frey. so spoke the hermit, and then he told the story of the creation and of adam's fall, and showed how christ had come to preach peace on earth and to save the world. it was a principle of the christian faith; said cerdic, that men should remember the sabbath day and keep it holy, that they should not bow down to graven images, that they should not steal, nor be covetous, nor do murder, nor bear false witness; that they should love their enemies and bless those who cursed them. olaf listened in patience to all these things, asking many questions concerning them. at last cerdic appealed to him and besought him most earnestly to come to repentance and to make himself a faithful follower of christ, so that he might at the close of his earthly life be worthy to enter into the kingdom of heaven. now olaf triggvison had until this time lived always in the firm hope that when he died he would be admitted into the shining hall of valhalla, where he might expect to meet all the great heroes of past times. he believed that odin would receive him there, and reward him well for all the glorious deeds that he had done. so he was not at all willing to abandon this norseman's faith in a future life which, as men promised, should be full of warfare by day and of merry carousing by night. yet it was evident that cerdic had not spoken without good effect; for olaf agreed--as many of the scandinavians did in these times--that he would at once be christened, on the one condition that, while calling himself a follower of christ, he should not be expected to abandon either his belief in odin or his hopes of valhalla. the holy man of scilly well knew that this divided faith would not last long, but he was also assured that in the contest the victory would certainly rest with christ. accordingly olaf was christened, with all his warriors and shipmen. he lay among the scilly isles for many days thereafter, and learned the true faith so well that it remained his guiding light throughout the rest of his life, and made him, as shall presently be seen, one of the most zealous christians of his time. now, as the summer days passed by and it drew near to the harvest time, olaf bethought him of his tryst with king sweyn forkbeard, so he raised his anchors and sped out into the open main and round by the forelands, and so north to ipswich. it was three years since he had first besieged the east anglian town, and in the interval the folk had returned to their devastated dwellings and built them anew. olaf now took forcible possession of the town for a second time. he was not yet so entirely a christian that he had any scruples in attacking christian folk and turning them out of their homes. he lay with his ships in the orwell for three weeks, and at the end of that time king sweyn and his fleet arrived from the baltic. olaf had already gathered about him some fifty-five vessels of war, fully manned and equipped; and with those which sweyn added to the number, he had now a force of ninety-four ships of all sizes, from small skiffs of ten banks of oars and a crew of a hundred men, up to great dragonships with thirty pairs of oars, two towering masts, and a complete company of about four hundred seamen and warriors. the whole force of ninety-four ships carried with them some thirty thousand men. this was not to be one of the old plundering raids of a body of adventurers seeking merely to better their fortunes by winning themselves new homes at the point of the sword. it was an expedition greater than any that brihtnoth had ever met with steel or ethelred with gold, and its purpose was one of deliberately planned invasion and conquest. at first when olaf and sweyn met and joined their fleets and armies there was a disagreement between them as to which chief was to assume the higher command. sweyn declared that the leading position was his by the right that he was a king, and should be accorded the more power in all things over olaf, who (as sweyn supposed) was lowly born. but olaf stoutly maintained that as it was he who had proposed the expedition, and as he had the larger number of men and ships, the sole command should be his own, sweyn taking the second place. in the end it was agreed that this should be so, and that, in the event of their success, they were to divide the kingdom of england between them--sweyn taking the northern half, including northumbria and the upper part of mercia, and olaf the southern half, including east anglia and the whole of wessex. the first point of attack was to be london--a city which, although not yet the capital of the kingdom, was a chief bulwark of the land and daily becoming one of the most important centres of trade in western europe. alfred the great, who had himself rescued the city from the danes, had built a strong fortress for her defence, and her citizens had always been regarded as among the most valiant and patriotic in all england. olaf triggvison was well aware that if he should succeed in taking london, his conquest of the rest of ethelred's realm would be a comparatively easy matter. unfortunately for his plans, he did not foresee the obstacles which were to meet him. he led his procession of battleships up the thames. never before had such a splendid array been seen upon those waters. the early morning sun shone upon the gilded birds and dragons on the tops of the masts. at the prow of each vessel there was reared the tall figure of some strange and terrible animal, formed of carved and gilded wood or of wrought brass, silver, or even amber. many of the ships had sails made of the finest silk, woven in beautiful designs. the decks were crowded with men whose glittering spears and burnished helmets gave them a very warlike aspect, and struck terror into the hearts of the people who saw them from the river's banks. the alarm spread quickly from point to point, and before the invaders had come well within sight of the city the gates were securely closed and barricaded, and the valiant burghers were fully prepared to make a stout resistance. as the ships came abreast of the tower they were assailed by volleys of well aimed arrows, fired from the battlements. heedless of olaf's plans, king sweyn drew his division yet nearer under the walls, with the intention of making an assault upon the citadel. but the attempt was useless. the defenders were hidden behind the ramparts and beyond reach of all missiles, while sweyn's forces were fully exposed to the ceaseless hail of arrows and stones which seemed to issue out of the very walls. so many of his men fell that sweyn was forced to retire. the garrison could frustrate an assault upon the fortress, but they could not prevent so vast a number of ships from passing higher up the river and making an attack upon the old roman rampart. while king sweyn crossed to the opposite side of the stream and led an attack upon southwark, olaf effected a landing near billing's gate and directed all his strength upon the wall. he lost many men in the attempt, but at last a breach was made, and at the head of many hundreds of desperate warriors he entered the city. he had depended upon sweyn following him; and had the danish king been content to obey, london might indeed have been taken by sheer strength. as it was, however, olaf quickly found that he had made a fatal mistake. vast crowds of armed citizens met him at the end of each narrow street and dealt the invaders such lusty blows, with their bills and swords and volleys of heavy stones, that those who were not maimed or killed outright were forced back by overpowering strength, their ranks being driven into hopeless confusion. at one moment olaf triggvison found himself, with some six or seven of his men, surrounded by several scores of the defenders. he fought his way through them back to the city wall, where, through the breach that had been made, his hosts were escaping on board the ships. the besiegers were utterly defeated. once again had the men of london rescued their city from its foes. sweyn forkbeard had fared no better than olaf had done. he had made a bold attempt to burn the town, but, like olaf, he had been driven back to his ships with great slaughter. on that same day the two defeated chiefs sailed away in wrath and sorrow, and with the loss of seven ships and two thousand men. now, under alfred or athelstane such a reverse as the invaders had met with before london would surely have been followed up by some crushing victory. but under the wretched ethelred there was no attempt made to prevent the more fearful desolation of other parts of the kingdom. olaf and sweyn were calmly allowed to avenge their defeat by ravaging the coast at pleasure, and to pillage, burn and murder without meeting the slightest resistance. at the mouth of the thames the two chiefs had divided their forces, sweyn sailing northward towards the humber, while olaf took his course southward, and ravaged far and wide in the old kingdoms of kent and sussex. late in the summer, olaf crossed into hampshire, and now at last king ethelred was roused, for the invaders threatened not only the royal city of andover but also the royal person. the king had no army of sufficient strength to encounter his norse enemy, and his navy was of still less consequence. the only course he seems to have thought of, therefore, was the old cowardly policy of again buying peace with gold. olaf was allowed to anchor his fleet for the winter at southampton, and in order to avert any raiding into the surrounding country, ethelred levied a special tax upon the people of wessex to supply the crews with food and pay. he also levied a general tax upon all england to raise the sum of sixteen thousand pounds as a bribe to the invaders to quit the kingdom. this large sum of money was conveyed to olaf triggvison by the king's ambassadors, among whom was a certain bishop elfheah--a zealous christian, who, in addition to gaining olaf's solemn promise that he would keep the peace, took upon himself the task of converting the young chief to the christian faith. olaf had already been baptized by the good hermit of the scillys; but he had not yet received the rite of confirmation. he now declared that he was willing to become entirely a christian, and to set aside his belief in the old gods of scandinavia. the bishop then led olaf to the court at andover, where ethelred received him with every honour and enriched him with royal gifts. at the confirmation of olaf, which took place with great pomp, king ethelred himself was present, and even stood sponsor. olaf lived for many weeks at andover, as king ethelred's friendly guest, and before he left to join his ships he signed a treaty in which he engaged never again to invade england. this promise he faithfully kept, and for a time there was peace in the land. ethelred believed that he had now rid his kingdom of all danger from the vikings. but he did not reckon with king sweyn forkbeard. tempted by the great sums of money that had been extorted from the english, sweyn returned again and again, and at last succeeded in expelling ethelred from the land. for many years sweyn was the virtual ruler of england, and he thus prepared the way for his son, canute the mighty, who was afterwards the chosen king of the english people. now, while olaf triggvison was still the guest of king ethelred, there also lived at the court a certain princess named gyda. she was the sister of the king of dublin, in ireland, and she was considered very beautiful. a great many wooers sought to wed with her, and among others a man named alfwin, a renowned champion and man slayer. a day was fixed on which gyda had promised to choose a husband, and many high born men had come together, hoping to be chosen. all were splendidly attired. olaf triggvison, clad in a coarse, wet weather cloak with a fur hood, stood apart with a few of his comrades, merely to look on. gyda went here and there among her wooers, but seemed to find none that pleased her. but at length she came to where olaf stood, with his head half hidden under his fur hood. she went nearer to him, lifted up his hood and looked long and earnestly into his eyes. "a taller and handsomer man i have never seen," said she. "who art thou, and whence came you?" "i am an outland man here," he answered; "and i am named ole the esthonian." gyda said, "wilt thou have me? then will i choose thee for my husband." olaf replied that he was not unwilling to take her at her word. so they talked the matter over and, being of one mind, they were forthwith betrothed. alfwin was ill content at this, and in great wrath he challenged olaf to fight. it was the custom of those days in england that if any two men contended about a matter they should each bring twelve men and dispute their rights in a pitched battle. so when these two rivals met, olaf gave the word to his men to do as he did. he had a great axe, and when alfwin attacked him with his sword, he quickly overpowered him, and then bound him fast with ropes. in like wise were all alfwin's men defeated; and olaf forced them to depart from the land and never come back. alfwin was a very wealthy man, and his wealth was forfeited to olaf. then olaf wedded princess gyda, and went with her to ireland, and lived in great happiness for many days. chapter xiv: thorir klakka. during all this time of olaf triggvison's wanderings earl hakon of lade continued to hold the sovereign rule in norway, and there was great peace in the land, with fruitful harvests and good fishing. in his early years he was very popular for his kindliness and generosity, his fearless courage and his great strength in battle. but it seems that the greater power which he afterwards acquired disturbed the fine balance of his mind, and he became deceitful, even to his nearest friends, and cruel to a degree which presently won for him the hatred of his people, who murmured against him in secret while fearing to break out into open rebellion. earl hakon knew nothing of the strong feelings that were rising against him, nor did he doubt that he should enjoy his power unmolested to the end of his days. one thought alone disturbed his sense of security. it chanced that rumours had reached him concerning a certain viking who called himself ole, and who was said to have won great renown in the realm of king ethelred. now hakon was told that this same ole had spent his younger days in gardarike, and he deemed that the lad must be of the blood of the norse kings, for it was no secret that king triggvi olafson had had a son who had fared east into gardarike, and been nourished there at the court of king valdemar, and that he was called olaf. earl hakon had sought far and wide for olaf triggvison, but in vain. some men had, indeed, said that in the battle of the jomsvikings they had seen a young champion, named ole the esthonian, whose aspect was that of the race of harald fairhair, and it was said that this same champion was one of those who had been made prisoners and put to death. but, in spite of this story, hakon still believed in the later rumours. he believed that the adventurous ole the viking was none other than olaf triggvison, nor could he doubt that this daring young rover would sooner or later lay claim to the kingdom of norway. as his own popularity grew less and less, hakon looked forward with increasing uneasiness to the inevitable conflict. he well understood the devotion of the norse people to the family of harald fairhair, and he now considered that his own safety could only be secured by the death of this possible rival. earl hakon had a great friend named thorir klakka, a man who had been many years at viking work, and had often gone on trading voyages to england and ireland and other lands bordering on the western sea. the earl spoke with thorir and confided to him his plan, bidding him go on a trading voyage to dublin, where ole the esthonian was then supposed to be living, and if it was found that this man ole was indeed the son of king triggvi, or any other offspring of the kingly stem of the north, then thorir was either to kill him or to entice him over to norway where hakon himself would deal with him. so without delay, thorir went forth upon his mission, and sailed west into ireland. it was in the early springtime when he reached dublin, and he was not long in learning that ole was then living at the court of king kuaran, his brother-in-law. on a certain day thorir was in the marketplace, buying some irish horses that were for sale. there was a beautiful white pony that he greatly coveted, and he offered a high price for it. but there was another who offered yet more--a tall young man, with long fair hair and very clear blue eyes, who wore a very beautiful cloak of crimson silk bordered with gold lace. thorir at once knew him to be a norseman, and he also guessed that this was the man of whom he was in search. now the pony at last fell to thorir's bidding. then thorir took the animal by its halter and went and stood by the side of the handsome norseman. "i beg you will take the pony as a gift from me," said he, speaking in the english tongue; "for i see that you are a great lord in this land, and such a beautiful animal is better suited to such as you than to a mere seafarer who has little use for it." "and why should i take such a gift from a stranger, who owes me nothing in the world?" returned olaf triggvison. "the pony is yours, my man, for you have bought it and paid for it in fair market. if it indeed be that you have no wish to keep the animal, then i will gladly buy it from you at the price you paid. but i cannot take it as a free gift." olaf paid him his price in gold of ethelred's coinage, and sent the pony away in charge of one of his servants. but even when the business was over, thorir did not seem willing to leave, but stood near to olaf looking searchingly into his face. "why do you linger?" asked olaf. "is there something so very unusual about me that you stare at me so?" "there is much that is unusual about you, lord," answered thorir; "and little marvel is there that i should look upon you with interest. nowhere, save in my own birthland of norway, have i ever seen a man so tall and strong and fair." "certainly, there are many such men in norway," said olaf; "but also there are many in these western lands; as to which witness those who are about us here in this marketplace." he glanced across to where his friend kolbiorn stallare was standing. "there is one at your back who seems not less strong than i." thorir looked round at kolbiorn, then back at olaf. "you are well nigh a head and shoulders taller than that one," said he; "and there is that about you which seems to tell me you have spent the larger part of your life in norway." olaf said: "since i was a babe in arms, i have been but once in that land; and then only during two changes of the moon or so. nevertheless, i will not deny that there is indeed a vein of the norse blood in me, and for that reason i should be well enough pleased to hear from you some news of what has been happening in norway these few summers past." "little is there to tell," returned thorir; "for, since the rascally sons of erik bloodaxe were driven from the land, there have been no great wars. true it is, that earl sigvaldi of jomsburg did lately make an attempt to win dominion in norway. he led his host of vikings, with i know not how many battleships, against earl hakon; but he was defeated with great slaughter and took to flight." "of that famous fight i have already had tidings," said olaf. "i have heard that many well known vikings were vanquished on that day, and that vagn akison was the only chief who stood his ground to the end." thorir looked with quick eyes into olaf's face, and said: "yes, vagn proved himself a valiant warrior in that encounter. but there was one who was quite as brave and mighty as he--one who named himself ole the esthonian. men say that this same ole has since won great renown in england." olaf smiled, but was silent for some moments. then at last he began to ask many questions concerning the upland kings, and who of them were yet alive, and what dominion they had. of earl hakon also he asked, and how well beloved he might be in the land. thorir answered: "the earl is so mighty a man that he now has the whole of norway in his power, and none dares to speak a word but in his praise. and yet," he added, remembering the terms of his mission, "earl hakon is not all that a peaceful people would wish. many would prefer some other monarch if they but knew where to find one better to their taste. a pity it is that there is no man of the blood of king harald fairhair living, whom the norsemen could put upon the throne. none such have we to turn to; and for this cause it would little avail any man not kingly born to contend with earl hakon." now, when olaf triggvison heard these things, there came upon him a certain impatient desire to fare across to norway and proclaim himself a direct descendant of harald the fairhaired and the rightful heir to the throne. so on the next day he again sought out the man thorir, and when they had spoken together for a little while, olaf said: "a long time ago, as i have heard, there was a young son of king triggvi olafson who escaped with his mother, queen astrid, into sweden. has no one heard whether that lad lived or died? why do none of the norse folk seek him out and set him to reign over them in place of this hakon, who is neither kingly born nor kingly mannered?" thorir answered: "it was not for lack of trying that queen gunnhild did not bring the child to his death. she pursued him far and wide; but the gods protected him and he escaped. it is said by many men that he fell into bondage; others say that he took refuge in holmgard, where king valdemar reigns; and i have even heard it hinted that the viking naming himself ole the esthonian, who has lately been warring in england, is none other than olaf triggvison. howbeit, there now lives in viken a woman who is said to be the widow of king triggvi--astrid is her name--and she has declared that her son olaf is surely dead, else would he have come back to norway of his own accord to claim his great inheritance." as he spoke these last words thorir saw for the first time that a change had come into olaf's face, and he deemed that here truly was the man whom earl hakon had sent him to entrap. yet he held his own counsel for a while, believing that if this were indeed olaf triggvison the fact would speedily be brought to light, and that he would soon have some chance of either putting him to death or of beguiling him into the hands of earl hakon. for many moments olaf strode to and fro in silence. there was a new light in his eyes, and his cheeks were flushed, and when he spoke there was a tremor in his voice that showed how deeply this news of his long lost mother had affected him. "how long time is it since this woman, this queen astrid, came back into norway?" he asked. "many years," answered thorir. "then it may be that she is already dead?" said olaf. but thorir shook his head. "that is not likely," said he, "for i saw her with my own eyes at yuletide past, and she was then living very happily with her husband in viken." "her husband?" echoed olaf. "and what manner of man is he? a king surely, for none but a king is worthy of such a wife." "he is no king, but a wealthy man and of good kin," returned thorir. "his name is lodin, and he went oft on trading voyages aboard a ship which he owned himself. on a certain summer he made east for esthonia and there did much business. now, in the marketplace of one of the esthonian seaports many thralls were brought for sale, and, among other thralls who were to be sold, lodin saw a certain woman. as he looked upon her he knew by the beauty of her eyes that she was astrid, erik's daughter, who had been wedded to king triggvi olafson. and yet she was very unlike what she had been in her earlier days, being pale now, and lean, and ill clad. so lodin went up to her and asked her how it fared with her, and how she came to be in such a place, and so far away from norway. she said: 'it is a heavy tale to tell. i am sold at thrall markets and am brought hither now for sale,' and therewith she, knowing lodin, prayed him to buy her and take her back with him to her kindred in norway. 'i will give you a choice over that,' said he. 'i will take you back to norway if you will wed me.' then astrid promised him so much, and he bought her and took her to norway, and wedded her with her kindred's goodwill." then olaf said, "this is indeed the gladdest news that i have heard for many a long year!" but the words had scarcely fallen from his lips when he realized that he had unwittingly betrayed his long kept secret, for why else should he look upon this as such glad news if he were not himself the lost son of this same queen astrid? and it seemed that thorir had already guessed everything, for he said: "glad news must it always be when a son hears that his mother, whom he thought dead, is still alive." "i did not tell you that queen astrid was my mother," olaf cried in assumed surprise. "there was no need to tell me," returned thorir. "for even before i had spoken a word with you i had guessed both your name and kin. you are the son of king triggvi olafson. it was you who, in your infancy, were pursued through the land by queen gunnhild's spies. it was you who, escaping from sweden with your mother, were captured by esthonian vikings and sold into slavery. then, by some chance which i know not of, you were received at the court of king valdemar the sunny. afterwards you joined the vikings of jomsburg and passed by the name of ole the esthonian. it was you who, in the sea fight against earl hakon, rivalled in skill and prowess the most famous vikings of all scandinavia. a pity it is that instead of going a-warring in england you did not again direct your force against earl hakon and drive him from the throne which you, and you alone of all living men, should occupy. it is you, and not earl hakon, who are the rightful king of all norway. the realm is yours by the right of your royal descent from king harald fairhair, and i make no doubt that were you to sail into thrandheim fiord, you would at once be hailed by the people as their deliverer and accepted as their sovereign king." thus with guileful speech and subtle flattery did thorir klakka seek to entice olaf over to norway, to the end that earl hakon might secretly waylay him and bring him to his death, and so clear his own path of a rival whom he feared. and olaf, listening, received it all as the very truth, nor doubted for an instant that the people were waiting ready to welcome him back to the land of his fathers. there were many reasons urging him to this journey. in the first place, his beautiful young wife, the princess gyda, had died very suddenly only a few weeks after their coming to dublin. she had been taken off by a fever, and her death gave olaf so much sorrow that he found no more happiness in the home to which she had brought him. there was all her wealth for olaf to enjoy if he had so wished, and he might even have become the king in dublin. but he had wealth of his own and in plenty, and had no great desire to wait for the death of his brother-in-law before being raised to the irish kingship. there was also the thought of again joining queen astrid, his mother, who had done so much for him in his infancy, and who now, doubtless, believed him to be dead. for her sake alone, if for no other, he wanted more earnestly than ever before to go back to norway. moreover, he had heard from thorir that the people of norway were still strong believers in the old gods, and in blood sacrifice and the worship of wooden images; he had heard that earl hakon was a bitter enemy of the christians, that he forebade his people to give hospitality to any christened man or woman; and this knowledge had put a new ambition into olaf's mind--the ambition to establish the christian faith throughout the length and breadth of norway. so not many days had passed by ere he got ready five of his ships and set sail. he took with him several christian priests who had followed him from england, and thorir was in company with him. he sailed first to the south isles, and thence up north into the pentland firth. here he encountered a terrible storm. his seamen were afraid, but he called upon them to put their trust in god, and they took new courage. yet the storm did not abate, so olaf made for the orkneys, and there had shelter in a quiet haven. right glad were the orkney folk to see him among them once again, for now they deemed that he had come to fulfil his former promise and deliver them from the oppressive rule of earl hakon. now thorir had charged olaf not to reveal his true name to any man until he should be safe in norway and sure of his success. accordingly the islanders regarded him as a brave viking and nothing more. nevertheless, they gathered round him, saying that they were ready and willing to follow him across the sea and to help him to drive earl hakon to his deserved doom. to test their fidelity olaf summoned a great meeting of the folk and called one of their jarls before him. few words were spoken before olaf, to the surprise of all present, declared that the jarl must let himself be christened or that there and then he should die. "if you and your people refuse to be baptized," olaf said, "then i will fare through the isles with fire and sword, and i will lay waste the whole land!" thorir klakka laughed to himself at hearing this bold threat, and he thought how ill it would go with any man who should attempt such a thing in norway. but there was something in olaf triggvison's nature which compelled obedience. the orkney jarl saw well that the threat was made in serious earnest, and he chose to be christened. now this meeting of the islanders was held on the margin of one of the lakes, where stood the heathen temple which olaf himself had helped to build. and now he had his men pull down this temple to the ground, so that not a stone of it remained standing in its place. having thus made a semblance of banishing the old faith in odin and thor, he set about teaching the greater faith in christ. he had in his company a certain priest named thangbrand, a mighty man who could wield the sword as well as any viking, and whose voice was as the sound of thunder. thangbrand stood up to his knees in the lake, and as the people came out to him, one by one, he sprinkled them with water and made upon them the sign of the cross. thus were all the islanders, men, women, and children, made christians. so when these ceremonies were over, olaf weighed anchor and sailed out eastward for norway. ill content was thorir klakka at seeing with what ease olaf triggvison had gained influence over these people, and how ready all men were to follow and obey him. if his power were so strong over men who owed him no allegiance, and who did not even know of his royal birth, how much greater must it be over the people of norway, whose adherence to the family of harald fairhair would give them a double reason for obeying him? if olaf should ever set foot in norway and proclaim his real name then it might go far more ill with hakon of lade than the earl had supposed, when he sent his friend thorir across to ireland. as the ships sailed eastward across the sea thorir thought this matter over, and it came into his mind that it would be better for hakon's safety that olaf triggvison should never be allowed to reach his intended destination. on a certain night olaf stood alone at the forward rail of his ship, looking dreamily out upon the sea. the oars were inboard, and there were but few men about the decks, for a good wind that was blowing from the southwest filled the silken sails and sent the vessel onward with a rush of snowy foam along her deep sides, and there was no work to be done save by the man who stood at the tiller. to the south the sea and sky were dark, but in the northern heavens there was an arch of crimson, flickering light, from which long trembling shafts of a fainter red shot forth into the zenith, casting their ruddy reflections upon the waves. the gaunt, gilded dragon at the prow stood as though bathed in fire, and the burnished gold of olaf's crested helmet, the rings on his bare arms, the hilt of his sword, and the knitted chains of his coat of mail gleamed and glanced in the red light as though they were studded with gems. this red light, flashing in the midnight sky, was believed by the norsemen to be the shining of thor's beard. but as olaf triggvison now looked upon it from his ship's bow, he understood it to be a message of hope sent from heaven, beckoning him onward to his native land in the north, there to avenge his father's death, to reconquer his realm, and to reign as the first truly christian king of norway. and yet as his vessel sailed on, plunging through the dashing foam, with her prow rising and falling within the wide span of that great rosy arch, strange doubts came over him, the old beliefs still lingered in his mind, and he began to think that perhaps his new learning was false, that thor might after all be supreme in the world, and that this red light in the sky was an evidence of his continued power, a visible defiance of christ. olaf was thinking these thoughts when, above the wailing of the wind and the swishing of the waves, he heard, or fancied he heard, someone walking behind him across the deck. he turned quickly. no one could be seen; but his eyes rested upon the shadow cast by the hilt of his sword upon the boards of the deck. the shadow was in the form of the cross. the sign was prophetic, and in an instant all his doubts vanished. "christ is triumphant!" he cried. the words were still on his lips when he heard the creaking of a bowstring. an arrow flashed before him, struck against the peak of his helmet and fell at his feet upon the deck. then he saw the cloaked figure of a man steal quickly away into the shadow of the sails. olaf picked up the arrow and examined it. by a mark upon its shaft and the trimming of its feathers he knew it to be an arrow taken from his own cabin. he also knew that its point was poisoned. "never did i suspect that i had a traitor in my following," he said as he went aft towards his cabin. "some man has attempted to take my life. but whosoever he be, i shall surely find him and punish him!" he searched among the shadows of the bulwarks and down among the rowers' benches, but saw no trace of his secret enemy. when he entered his cabin he found only thorir klakka, lying, as it seemed, asleep upon the floor with an empty drinking horn beside him and breathing heavily. olaf thought that the man had been taking over much mead, so left him there and went out upon the deck to tell his friend kolbiorn of this attempt upon his life. but as soon as olaf was out of the cabin thorir rose, wakeful enough now that he was alone, and took from under him a longbow which he placed in the rack. "the man bears a charmed life!" muttered thorir, "or else he has eyes in the back of his head. ill luck is mine! had i but aimed a finger's breadth lower he would now have been dead, and earl hakon might have been saved the trouble of laying traps for him!" throughout that night olaf was engaged searching for his unknown enemy; but without avail. he questioned every man on board, but all swore by the sign of the cross that they had seen nothing. for a time olaf was forced to suspect thorir klakka; but he soon dismissed the thought. thorir's conduct towards him had been from the time of their first meeting so full of goodwill and seeming friendliness that it was impossible to fix suspicion on him, and indeed there was no man among all the ship's company who showed more concern over this matter than did thorir, or who made greater efforts to discover the miscreant who had dared to attempt the life of the well beloved chief. chapter xv: the evil earl. early on the next morning the ships were within sight of the high lying coast of norway. by thorir's treacherous advice, olaf had steered his course for a part of the country where earl hakon's power was greatest, and where it was expected that hakon himself might at that time be staying. steering in among the skerries olaf made a landing on the island of moster, in the shire of hordaland. here he raised his land tent and planted in front of it the cross, together with his own standard; and when all the men were ashore he had his priests celebrate the mass. he met with no opposition, for the people of the place were then busy on their fields, and there was nothing unusual in the sight of a few peaceful ships anchoring off their shores. thorir had advised a landing on this particular island because, as it had been arranged, he knew that here he would gain private news of earl hakon, and learn how he might best betray king olaf into hakon's clutches. when thorir heard, therefore, that the earl was at trondelag, he told olaf that there was nothing for him to do but to keep it well hidden who he was, and to sail northward with all diligence, so that he might attack earl hakon unawares and slay him. at the same time he sent secret word to hakon, bidding him prepare his plans for the slaying of olaf triggvison. believing every word that thorir told him, and trusting in the man's seeming honesty, olaf accepted the advice, and fared northward day and night until he came to agdaness, at the mouth of the thrandheim fiord, and here he made a landing. now a great surprise was in store for thorir klakka. all this time, since his setting out west to ireland in search of olaf, he had rested assured that the power of earl hakon was unassailable, and that the bonders, or landholders, were not only well disposed towards him, but also ready to stand firmly by him through all dangers. he had intentionally deceived olaf triggvison by representing that the earl might easily be overthrown and his subjects as easily won over to the side of a new king. to his great dismay he now discovered that, while telling a wilful untruth, he had all the time been unwittingly representing the actual condition of the country. during the absence of thorir from norway, hakon had committed certain acts which had gained for him the hatred and contempt of the whole nation. the peasants of thrandheim were united in open rebellion against him; they had sent a war summons through the countryside, and had gathered in great numbers, intending to fall upon the evil earl and slay him. olaf triggvison could not, therefore, have chosen a more promising moment for his arrival in the land. he had only to make himself known in order to secure the immediate allegiance and homage of the people. when olaf entered the mouth of the fiord with his five longships and anchored off agdaness, he heard that earl hakon was lying with his ships farther up the firth, and also that he was at strife with the bonders. so olaf made no delay, but weighed anchor again and rowed east into the sunlit fiord. he had not gone very far when, from behind a rocky headland, three vessels of war appeared upon the blue water, rowing out to meet him, with their red battle shields displayed. but suddenly, as they drew nearer to him, they turned about towards the land and fled in all haste. olaf made no doubt that they were hakon's ships, so he put extra men to the oars and bade them give chase. now the retreating ships were commanded, not by earl hakon, but by his favourite son erland, who had come into the fiord to his father's help against the bonders. when erland found that he was being pursued a great fear came upon him lest he should be driven farther into the fiord and into the clutches of the bonders, whom he knew to be waiting to give him battle, so when he saw that olaf was coming close upon him he ran his ships aground, leapt overboard, and straightway made for the shore. then olaf brought his five ships close in upon him and assailed him with arrows, killing many of his men as they swam to land. olaf saw a man swimming past who was exceedingly fair; so he caught up the tiller, and, taking good aim, flung it at him, striking him on the head. this man was erland himself, and so he lost his life. olaf and his folk took many of the men prisoners and made them take the peace. from them he heard the tidings that earl hakon had taken flight and that all his warriors had deserted him. now, when this little battle was over, and erland's ships had been captured, olaf triggvison rowed yet farther into the fiord to trondelag, where all the chieftains and peasants were assembled. here he went ashore and, dressed in his finest body armour, with his towering gold helmet and his cloak of crimson silk, walked up into the midst of the people, attended only by his friend kolbiorn stallare and two guards. the peasants stared at him amazed, wondering what manner of great man this was who had so suddenly appeared before them. and two of their chieftains went forward to meet him, uncovering their heads. one asked him his name and the reason of his coming. "your questions are soon answered," said he; and the clear ring of his voice was heard even by those who stood far apart. "i am come to offer myself to the people of this land, to defend them against all wrong, and to uphold their laws and rights. my name is olaf. i am the son of king triggvi olafson, who was the grandson of king harald fairhair." at hearing these words the whole crowd of people arose with one accord and rent the air with their joyous greetings, for it needed no great proof for them to be assured that he was indeed of the race of the old kings of norway. some of the elder men, seeing him, declared that he was surely king hakon the good come back to earth again, younger and fairer and nobler than he had been of yore. the young warriors who stood near were lost in admiration of his tall and handsome figure, of his giant strength, his large clear eyes and long golden hair, and they envied him the splendour of his costly armour and beautiful clothing. to follow such a man into battle, they thought, would be worth all the glories of valhalla. "all hail to king olaf!" they cried. and the cry was echoed upon every side. many of those present wanted olaf to be at once formally proclaimed king of all norway, but others of the more sober sort objected. "king he shall surely be," they said. "but let him be made so without undue haste. let him first prove his worthiness by some act of prowess." "i am ready to prove it in whatsoever way you wish," said olaf. "what would you have me do?" one of the chieftains then stepped in front of him and said: "there is one thing, lord, that we would have you do; and by the doing of it you would gain the gratitude of every man and woman in thrandheim." "and what thing is that?" asked olaf. "it is that you shall follow in pursuit of earl hakon and bring him to his bane." "gladly will i pursue him," returned olaf, "if i may know what direction he has taken, or in what part of the land i may most surely find him." then the chieftain called one of the young warriors to him and questioned him closely concerning hakon. the young man explained that the earl had escaped from out of gauldale, where he had been in hiding, and that he had gone off attended only by a certain thrall named kark. men had given chase to him, and at the edge of a deep morass they had found the footprints of the earl's horse. following the footprints they had come into the middle of the morass, and there they found the horse itself struggling in the mire, with hakon's cloak lying near, seeming to show that the morass had been his death. "earl hakon is wily enough to have put both horse and cloak in the morass with intent to deceive his pursuers," said one of the bystanders. "for my own part i would stake my hopes of valhalla upon it that he might even now be found at the farmstead of thora of rimul; for thora is his dearest friend of all the dale folk." thora of rimul sat spinning at the doorway of her home in a sheltered dale among the hills. the birch trees were breaking out into fresh buds, the young lambs gambolled on the flowery knolls, and the air was musical with the songs of birds. thora was considered the fairest woman in all thrandheim. her hair was as fair as the flax upon her spindle, and her eyes were as blue as the clear sky above her head. her heart was lightsome, too; for she had won the love of the great earl hakon--hakon, the conqueror of the vikings of jomsburg, the proud ruler of all norway. it was he who had given her the gold ring that was now upon her white finger, and he had promised her that he would make her his queen. she did not believe that what people said of him was true--that he was black of heart, and cruel and base. his hollow words had not sounded hollow to her ears nor had she seen anything of deceitfulness in his eyes. he had praised her beauty and declared that he loved her, and so she loved him in return. as she sat there spinning, there was a sudden commotion among the ewes and lambs. she looked up and beheld two men standing in the shadow of the trees. one of them presently left the other and came towards her. he was a low browed, evil looking man, with a bushy black beard and long tangled hair. she rose and went to meet him, knowing him for kark, earl hakon's thrall. he bade her go in among the trees, where the earl was waiting. so she went on into the wood, wondering why hakon had not come forth and greeted her in the open as was his custom. now, so soon as she saw him she knew that some great ill had happened, for his hands trembled and his legs shook under him. his eyes that she had thought so beautiful were bleared and bloodshot, and there were deep lines about his face which she had never before seen. it seemed to her that he had suddenly become a decrepit old man. "why do you tremble so?" she asked as she took his hand. he looked about him in fear. "hide me!" he cried. "hide me! i am in danger. shame and death are overtaking me. the young king olaf is in the land, and he is hunting me down!" "and who is the young king olaf that he has power to fill the heart of the great earl hakon with terror?" asked thora. "you who have vanquished the vikings of jomsburg can surely withstand the enmity of one weak man." "not so," answered hakon in a trembling voice. "king olaf is mightier far than i. and he has the whole of norway at his back, while i--i have but this one faithful servant. saving him alone every man in the land is against me." he looked round in renewed fear. even the rustling of the tree branches struck terror to his heart. "hide me! hide me!" he cried again. "little use is there in hiding you in this place," returned thora. "king olaf will be seeking you here before very long, for many men know that i would fain help you, and they will surely lead him here and search for you in my household both within and without. yet, for the love i bear you, earl hakon, i will indeed hide you so that neither shame nor death shall come near you." she led him through among the trees to the back of the steadings. "there is but one place where i deem that king olaf will not think of seeking for such a man as you," she said; "and that is in the ditch under the pig sty." "the place is not one that i would have chosen," said hakon. "but we must take heed to our lives first of all." then they went to the sty, which was built with its back against a large boulder stone. kark took a spade and cleared away the mire, and dug deep until by removing many stones and logs he opened up a sort of cave. when the rubbish had been borne away thora brought food and candles and warm rugs. earl hakon and the thrall hid themselves in the hole and then thora covered them over with boards and mould, and the pigs were driven over it. now, when evening was falling there came along the strath certain horsemen, and the leader of them was king olaf triggvison. thora of rimul saw them coming, with the light of the setting sun glittering on their armour, and when they halted at her door she greeted them in good friendship. king olaf dismounted and asked her if she knew ought of earl hakon of lade. at sight of the handsome young king she for a moment hesitated, thinking to betray the earl. but when olaf asked her again she shook her head and said that she was not earl hakon's keeper, nor knew where he might be. nevertheless, king olaf doubted her, and he bade his followers make a search within and without the farmstead. this they did, but none could find trace of the man they sought. so olaf called all his men about him to speak to them, and he stood up on the same boulder stone that was at the back of the swine sty. he declared in a loud voice that he would give a great reward and speedy furtherance to the man who should find earl hakon and bring him to his death. now, this speech was plainly heard by both earl hakon himself and his thrall as they crouched together in the cave, and by the light of the candle that stood on the ground between them each eagerly watched the other's face. "why are you so pale, and now again as black as earth?" asked earl hakon. "is it not that, tempted by this offer of reward, you intend to betray me?" "nay," answered kark. "for all king olaf's gold i will not betray you." "on one and the same night were we both born," said the earl, "and we shall not be far apart in our deaths." for a long time they sat in trembling silence, mistrustful of each other, and neither daring to sleep. but as the night wore on kark's weariness got the better of him, but he tossed about and muttered in his sleep. the earl waked him and asked what it was that he had been dreaming. kark answered, rubbing his eyes: "i dreamt that we were both on board the same ship, and that i stood at the helm as her captain." "that must surely mean that you rule over your own destiny as well as mine," said earl hakon. "be faithful to me, therefore, and when better days come you shall be well rewarded." again kark curled himself up to sleep, and again, as it seemed, he was disturbed by dreams; so hakon roused him once more and asked him to tell his dream. "i thought i was at lade," answered the thrall, "and there i saw king olaf triggvison. he spoke to me, and i thought that he laid a gold necklace about my neck." "the meaning of that must be that olaf triggvison will put a blood red ring about your neck whensoever ye meet," said the earl. "therefore beware of him, kark, and be faithful to me. then you will enjoy good things from me always, as you have done before; so betray me not." thereafter they both sat wakeful, staring at each other with the flickering candlelight between them. neither dared to close his eyes. but towards morning earl hakon leaned back against the rock, with his head thrown back. sleep overwhelmed him, yet he was troubled, for he started and rolled uneasily as though in a nightmare, and at times he moaned and muttered as if in anguish, so that kark could not look upon him but with horror. at last, when the earl was quiet, kark sprang up, gripped a big knife from out of his belt and thrust it into his master's throat. that was the bane of earl hakon. on the next day olaf triggvison was in lade, and there came to him a man naming himself kark, bringing with him the severed head of earl hakon, which he offered to the king. when olaf had received proof that the head was indeed that of the earl, he asked kark how he had come by it, and the thrall told all that had befallen and claimed his reward. now king olaf hated a traitor beyond all men, so he had kark led away, and ordered one of his berserks to smite the head off him, thus fulfilling the murdered earl's prophecy, for a ring not of gold but of blood was put about the traitor's neck. king olaf then fared with many of the bonders out to nid holm. this island, at the mouth of the river nid, was kept in those days for the slaying of thieves and evil men, and a gallows stood there upon which the head of earl hakon was now hung, side by side with that of his thrall. the bonders crowded round the foot of the gallows, throwing stones and clods of earth at the heads, and crying out that there they fared meetly together, rascal by rascal. and now that earl hakon was dead the people did not shrink from speaking their minds concerning him, and giving free vent to their hatred of his low cunning and his faithlessness, his cruelty and his profligacy. even his zeal for blood offering and his strong belief in the pagan gods were now regarded with wide disfavour, for it could not be forgotten that he had sacrificed his own son to propitiate the god of war, and this act, added to the evil deeds that he had more recently committed had brought upon him such contempt that the whole of norway rejoiced at his death. olaf triggvison's claim to the throne of norway was not for a moment disputed. in the first place his manly beauty and his resemblance to king hakon the good gained him immediate favour, and his personal strength and prowess might have been in itself sufficient to warrant his being chosen as a successor to earl hakon. but in addition to this there was the undoubted fact that he was a direct descendant of harald fairhair, and had therefore the greatest of all claims to the kingdom in which his fathers had reigned. so, very soon after the death of hakon, a general thing, or gathering of the people, was held in trondelag, and olaf was formally proclaimed the king of all norway, and the rule given to him according to ancient laws. the district of thrandheim was at that time the most populous and important in the land, and the thranders had exercised the right (a right which they reserve to this day) of proclaiming a new monarch in the name of the whole nation. nevertheless it was necessary for king olaf to travel throughout the country to lay personal claim to his dominion, and to receive the allegiance of his subjects remote and near. the news of his coming into norway was not long in reaching the farthest extremities of the realm. everywhere it was told how, having by help of his mother's bravery escaped the wrath of the wicked queen gunnhild, he had lived as a slave in esthonia, how he had been rescued by sigurd erikson and educated at the court of king valdemar, how he had roved as a viking on the baltic, and, after invading england, had at last come back to his native land to claim his own. so that wherever he journeyed he found that his fame had gone before him to prepare the way. he was greeted everywhere with enthusiastic homage. his natural kindliness, his manly bearing, and his winning manners attracted everyone with whom he came in contact, and he was recognized as a king of whom the nation might well be proud. in token of the glory that he had won in foreign lands the people gave him the name of olaf the glorious. chapter xvi: the christening of norway. king olaf's first thought on ascending the throne of norway was that he would make it his mission to convert the country to christianity. this had been once before attempted by his own uncle, king hakon the good, the foster son of athelstane of england; but hakon the good was a weak man, who, instead of winning his people to the true faith, had allowed himself to drift back into paganism. olaf was by nature better fitted for the task, being zealous in the faith and strong in the conviction of the sanctity of his cause. he resolved to stand firm against all opposition, and if gentle persuasion should not avail he would have no scruple in employing physical force. to abolish the custom of blood sacrifice, to destroy all heathen temples, and to supplant the worship of the pagan gods by preaching the gospel of christ--this was to be his life work. he was, however, wise enough to recognize that in order to succeed in his mission it was necessary for him first to make his own position as monarch perfectly secure and unassailable. so rapidly did he establish himself in the hearts of the people that even at the end of the first summer he found that he might with safety begin his task. his one possible rival and natural enemy, earl erik hakonson, with some few others of the kin of the late earl, had fled in fear from the land, leaving him in absolute possession; and the lords of viken and other districts of the south, who had hitherto held their lands of the king of denmark, now became king olaf's men, and paid him homage and tribute. at this time olaf could only depend upon his priest thangbrand for practical help. thangbrand was a saxon who had formerly been attached to the see of canterbury. he was a man of very violent temper, and his readiness to enter a quarrel and to draw his sword must have made him a very singular exponent of the gospel of peace. olaf saw very soon that he would require further help than this pugnacious priest could give; so he sent thangbrand over to england, bidding him fare to canterbury and bring back with him as many holy men as might be willing to serve him as missionaries. meanwhile king olaf, with some of his chosen companions, journeyed south into viken, where his mother lived with her husband lodin--the same who had bought her out of her bondage. there he abode throughout the winter among his own kindred as well as many who had been great friends with his father. they welcomed him with very great love. and now, while the king was living with his friends in quiet comfort and homeliness, he laid his plans most earnestly before them, craving that they should help him with all their might. he said that he intended to have the christian faith set forth throughout all his realm, and that he would bring about the christening of norway or else die in the endeavour. accordingly he began by going about in viken, bidding the peasants take baptism, so it came to pass that the district which his father, triggvi, had formerly ruled over was the first part of norway to receive the true faith. he was still in viken when at the end of the winter thangbrand returned from england with a company of priests. among them was a certain bishop sigurd, a man of grave and gentle spirit, most learned and eloquent, who stood at olaf's right hand during the whole five years of his reign. now bishop sine, of canterbury, had presented thangbrand with a very costly and curiously wrought shield. it was made of burnished bronze, inlaid with gold and precious stones, and it bore the image of the crucified christ. olaf admired this shield and desired to buy it. thangbrand loved money more than ornament, and he sold the shield to the king for a very large sum. finding himself suddenly rich, the priest went off to enjoy himself. he fell into a drunken brawl with a certain viking, who challenged him to fight. a desperate duel was fought and the viking was killed. great ill feeling was aroused against thangbrand by this unpriestly incident, and he went back full of penitence to king olaf. olaf foresaw that he would have trouble with this man, and he would no longer bear to have him about his house; so, to get rid of him, he sent him on a mission to iceland, to convert the heathen there. thangbrand was absent in iceland for three winters, and although he had great success and brought the country to the true faith, yet he was not well liked, and the people vexed him by making songs about him. here, as in norway, he was boisterous and boastful and over fond of the drinking horn. it is told that in a quarrel with the islanders he slew three men. howbeit, he was obliged to return to norway with his mission only half fulfilled. king olaf met with no opposition in his endeavour to convert the people of viken and agder. in the district of ringarike he christened a certain little boy, the son of harald groenske, who was of the race of harald fairhair. the king named the boy olaf, and in giving him his blessing said that he would one day be a very great man. this same olaf haraldson afterwards became the king of norway and a very great evangelist. he is known in history by the title of olaf the saint, and he is to this day regarded as the patron saint of norway. he fought many battles in england, and, for this reason perhaps, he is often wrongly confused with his godfather, olaf triggvison. to tell of all the good and ill happenings that king olaf met with in his progress through the land would make a long story. in many districts he had but to announce his mission, and the people at once yielded. in other places the people were very slow to understand that there could be any advantage in changing their religion; but olaf never left them before every man and woman had been christened. often, however, he was met by bands of armed men who declared that they would sooner die than consent to give up their old faith in odin and thor, and then the king enforced his doctrines at the point of the sword, or even by torture. when moved to anger he was guilty of committing cruelties which in his calmer moments he sorely regretted, but it is to be supposed that he never took to violent measures unless when very severely provoked. for the most part he generally found that wise words were a better argument than either the sword or fire. always when he came to a place where the people were still pagan it was his custom to summon a great meeting, and then he would tell of how the folk of another district had accepted christianity and torn down their sacrificing houses, and now believed in the true god, who shaped heaven and earth and knew all things. then perhaps he would fall into argument with one of the leading men of the place and show how the god of christened men was almighty, and how thor and odin must therefore be rejected. on one such occasion a chief named gudbrand answered him thus: "we do not know about whom you are talking, o king. do you call him god whom neither you nor any other man can see? we have a god whom we may see every day, but he is not out today because the weather is so wet. he will look terrible and great to you, and fear will creep into your breast if he comes to the gathering of our people." the king then asked how their god was made, and gudbrand answered that he was made in the image of thor, that he had a hammer in his hand, was of large size and hollow inside, and that there was a platform made under him on which he stood when outside the temple. olaf said, "i would very much like to see that god. but for my own part i have made up my mind never to believe in logs and stones, though they be in the shape of fiend or man, whose power i do not understand; and although i have been told that they have great power, yet it seems to me very unlikely, for i find that those images which are called gods are in every way uglier and less powerful than myself. how much less powerful are they therefore than the great god who rules over the whole universe, who makes the rain to fall and the sun shine!" "if, as you say, your god is so powerful, then let him send sunshine tomorrow and not rain as we have today," said gudbrand. on the next day, as it chanced, there was no rain, and when the people were all gathered together in the early dawn bishop sigurd rose in his gown, with a mitre on his head and a crozier in his hand, and preached to the peasants and told them many tokens which god had shown. and presently king olaf saw a crowd of men approaching, carrying a large image, ornamented all over with gold and silver. the people all stood up and bowed to the monster, which was placed in the middle of the meeting place. "where is your god now, o king?" cried gudbrand, rising and addressing olaf. "it seems to me that your boasting, and that of the horned man, whom you call your bishop, is far less than yesterday. it is because our god, who rules all, has come, and looks on you with keen eyes. and i see that you are full of terror at sight of him! now throw off this new superstition of yours--this belief in a god who cannot be seen--and acknowledge the greatness of thor!" king olaf whispered to kolbiorn, who was at his side: "if during my speech it happens that the people look away from this idol of theirs," said he, "then go you forward and strike the thing a lusty blow with your club." and aloud he said: "the god with whom you have threatened us is blind and deaf and can help neither himself nor others; nor can he move anywhere from his place unless he be carried. of what use is such a god? now look into the east!" he added, pointing to the rising sun. "behold! there comes the messenger of our god, bringing light and warmth into the world!" the people all turned with their faces to the sun. at the same moment kolbiorn raised his club and struck their god so that the image fell to pieces; and it is said that vipers and rats and mice ran out of it and that the peasants were afraid. "you see what has become of your god!" cried king olaf. "what folly it is to believe in such things! one blow has shattered your thor into fragments. now i demand that you shall never again make images of wood or stone, nor worship any but the one true god. and i offer you two choices. either you accept christianity here on this spot, or you fight a battle with me today." so the people, unwilling to take to arms and seeing that the king had a great host of warriors at his back, agreed to listen to the teachings of the bishop, and finally to have themselves baptized. olaf left a priest among them to keep them steadfast in the faith, and to keep them from lapsing into paganism. king olaf stood north along the land, christening all folk wheresoever he came. but in the wintertime he went back into trondelag. he built a town on the bank of the river nid, and a great hall for himself up above ship creek. he called the town nidaros, and it is to this day the capital of norway, although its name has been changed to trondhjem, or drontheim. now on a certain winter's night the king had been feasting in his hall. his guests had been drinking deeply, and the gray haired scalds had been singing and reciting until a late hour. but at last olaf was left alone beside the fire, with the doors locked. he sat in his oaken chair gazing into the glowing wood upon the hearth. suddenly the door swung wide open, and a blast of cold night air came in. he looked round and saw upon the threshold a very old man whose cloak was sprinkled with snow. olaf saw that the stranger had but one eye. "oh, pale and shivering graybeard!" cried the king. "come, warm your vitals with this cup of spiced ale. be not afraid. sit here at my side in the light of the flames." the aged guest obeyed, quaffed the foaming draught, and then stretched out his withered hands before the fire. then he began to speak to the king and to tell him of things that had happened many hundreds of years before and of many lands whose very names were strange to the king. and it seemed that he would never bring his tale to an end. at last bishop sigurd entered and reminded olaf that the night was far spent and that it was time for him to go to sleep. but still the guest spoke on, and the king listened enthralled until sleep came over him and his head fell back. yet even in his sleep he fancied that he still heard the old graybeard's voice telling him of the gods of asgard and the glories of valhalla. when king olaf awoke he was alone before the black hearth, and it was full morning. he asked after the guest and bade his men call him; but nowhere could the guest be found, nor had any man seen him. they found the doors securely locked, the watchdog was asleep in the yard, and the snow bore no trace of footprints. all declared that no such stranger had ever entered the hall, and that the king had but been dreaming. then olaf called the bishop to his side and, crossing himself, said: "it is no dream that i have had. i know that my guest will never return, and yet i know that he was here. the triumph of our faith is sure. odin the great is dead, for the one eyed stranger was his ghost!" so certain was king olaf that the power of odin was broken that after this time he was less eager to follow up his mission, for he believed that he had already established the christian faith. he said to his bishop that all the old gods were no more and that christ alone was supreme. "not yet is it so," answered the bishop, "for thor still reigns among the sea rovers of the far north. i have heard that there lives a great viking in salten fiord who is skilled in sorcery. a wizard he is, for he has power over the wind and the sea, and he and his great horde of heathens still worship odin and thor and offer them blood sacrifice. rand is his name, and he is chief over all the godoe isles." roused from his apathy, olaf declared that he would conquer this bold viking and bring him to christening or himself be conquered. so he got together his ships and sailed into the north. at the mouth of salten fiord he encountered foul weather, and was forced to lie there storm stayed for many days. so long did the storm continue that at length he questioned the bishop, asking if he knew any remedy. bishop sigurd answered that it was surely rand the wizard who, by his sorcery, had caused the winds to blow, and he ascended to the ship's forecastle and raised a large crucifix, lighting tapers around it and sprinkling holy water about the decks. it is told that the storm abated near to the ships while it still roared wildly some distance away from them. the lashed waves stood like a wall on either side, leaving a track of calm water, through which the vessels sailed. when at last king olaf came abreast of rand's stronghold he saw the viking's dragonship lying at anchor in the bay. it was the largest and most splendid ship that he had ever seen. the king landed with his priests and fighting men, and went straightway up to the wizard's homestead and broke open the door. rand was taken prisoner and bound hand and foot, as were also a great many of his men. king olaf had the viking brought before him, and bade him take christening. "i will not take your possessions and your riches from you," said the king, "but will be your friend if you will be worthy thereof, and accept the true faith." but rand cried out at him, saying that nothing would induce him to believe in christ. he blasphemed so much that olaf became wrothful and said that rand should die the worst of deaths. this threat had no effect upon the blasphemer. so, according to the legend, he was taken and tied to a tree. a gag was set between his teeth to open his mouth, and a live adder was forced down his throat. the adder cut its way through his side, killing him with its poison. this cruel act has always been regarded as a blot upon the fame of olaf triggvison, but olaf's fanaticism led him to believe that praise rather than blame was due to him for thus punishing the enemies of god. moreover, this man rand had been the terror of all peaceful men. he had laid waste many villages, and made human sacrifices to the pagan gods. in bringing him to his death olaf was, in his own way, but giving just punishment to a criminal. king olaf took very great wealth from rand's stronghold, and all the men who had been in the viking's service were allowed to go free on condition that they would first be christened. the dragonship which rand had commanded now became king olaf's property, for it was the most beautiful vessel in all norway, and very much larger than the crane, which olaf had had built for himself. forward at the prow there was a very tall dragon's head, overlaid with thick gold, and at the stern was a long dragon's tail, also of gold. when the sails were aloft they took the form of dragon's wings. the king named the ship the serpent. while olaf was in halogaland he deemed it well to sail yet farther north; so he fared out to the lafoden isles, and thence along the coasts of finmark as far even as the north cape. he baptized all those regions and destroyed many heathen temples and established christianity far and wide. in that same summer king olaf was back again in the thrandheim country, and had his fleet anchored off nidaros. now it was in this part of norway that earl hakon's power had always been greatest, and so zealous had hakon been in the keeping up of pagan customs that many of the chief men of those parts withstood all king olaf's efforts to win them over to christianity, and during his absence in halogaland these men did all they could to undo the good work that he had done in the earliest days of his reign. not many days had olaf been back in nidaros when he heard that the thranders had re-established their temples, restored their idols, and offered blood sacrifice to their gods. the young king was so disturbed in mind over this that he resolved to put a speedy stop to it. he therefore sent his messengers through all the lands bordering on thrandheim fiord summoning a great meeting of the bonders at a place named frosta. now the bonders quickly guessed the meaning of this summons. they knew that the king would have them abandon their old customs and accept the new faith. but they considered that he had no right to dictate to them; so they turned this summons into one of war, and drew together, both thane and thrall, from all parts of thrandheim. when king olaf came to the meeting, thither also had come the hosts of the bonders, all fully armed, ready to confront him. when the thing was established the king rose and spoke before his lieges, first concerning matters of peace and law, and finally he bade them take christening again. there was one among the bonders named skeggi ironbeard, a very rich farmer who cared little for king or earls, but loved only the freedom of his farm, his ale at night, and the warmth of his fireside. he was a huge and cumbersome man with an iron gray beard, and as he stood by the side of his horse his feet were seen to be covered with the mud of his ploughed fields. near him there was a beautiful girl with very black hair and dark brown eyes. she was his daughter gudrun. well, when king olaf began to rebuke the people for having gone back from christian worship, many men looked round at ironbeard with wise glances. "now hold your peace, o king!" cried he, addressing olaf. "say not another word of this christian faith of yours, or, by the hammer of thor and by the ravens of odin, we will fall upon you and drive you away out of the land. thus did we with king hakon the good, nor do we account you of a whit more worth than him." so when king olaf saw with what fierce minds the bonders confronted him, and how great a force of armed men there were, he felt that he was not prepared to withstand them, and he so turned his speech that it appeared he was at one accord with them. "it is my wish," said he, "that we make peace and good fellowship together, even as we have hitherto done. i am willing, therefore, to be present at your worship at any time, and to witness your greatest ceremony of blood offering. we may then take counsel together and consider which form of worship shall prevail." then the bonders thought that the king might easily be persuaded to adopt their old time customs, and their indignation against him was appeased. thereafter all the talk went peacefully, and at the last it was determined that a great midsummer feast of offering should be held at mere, and thither should come all the lords of the land and chiefs of the bonders. king olaf promised also to be present. when it wore towards the time appointed for the sacrifice, olaf gave a great feast at lade, to which were invited all the chieftains and most powerful land owners of the country side. the guests were royally entertained, and when the feast was over the king ordered his priests to celebrate the mass. a crowd of armed men from olaf's ships attended the service. the guests saw that they were powerless to resist, so they joined in the worship and awaited the course of events. when the service was at an end the king rose and addressed his guests. he said: "when we held thing the last time, at frosta, you will remember that i demanded of the peasants that they should accept baptism; and they, on the other hand, demanded that i should join them in sacrifice and make blood offering, even as my kinsman king hakon the good had done. i made no objection to this, but promised to be present at the sacrificial feast at mere. now i wish to tell you that if i am to make human sacrifice, then i will make the greatest offering of blood that has ever been made in norway. i will offer human sacrifice to odin and frey for good crops and fine weather. but, mind you, it will not be thralls and evildoers that i shall offer to your gods. i will sacrifice the most high born men among you." he then pointed to several of his guests in turn, saying, "you, ligra of middlehouse, shall be offered as a sacrifice; and you, kar of griting; and you, haldor of skerding." eight other of the nobles he named, and bade them prepare themselves for death. they all stood back aghast. king olaf laughed at their craven fears. "plainly do i see that you do not relish this proposal," he said. "but if i am to be king in this land i will be obeyed. i have commanded that norway shall be a christian land, and i shall have it so, even if i lose my own life in bringing it about. here is my bishop, ready to baptize you. take christening, therefore, and you shall still live. refuse, and you shall surely be sacrificed in the manner i have said." not long did they meditate before choosing the easier alternative. they agreed to be christened there and then, and bishop sigurd at once baptized them, and all the bonders who were present. before they were allowed to depart king olaf demanded that they should give him their sons or brothers as hostages. thus by a peaceful stratagem he gained his ends. now, when the time arrived for the midsummer sacrifice at mere, olaf went thither with a great host of followers. but such of the peasants and land owners who had still resisted christianity, gathered once more, armed to the teeth and defiant as ever. skeggi ironbeard was the ringleader of the pagans, and he was everywhere active in the forefront of the opposition. the king attempted to speak, but the tumult was so great that no one could hear him. at last, when he got a hearing, he repeated his commands that all present should accept baptism and believe in christ the white. ironbeard stepped forward, sword in hand, and, confronting the king, said: "now, as before, o king, we protest against your interference with our liberty, and we are here to prevent your breaking our laws and ancient customs. it is held as a sacred custom among us that we shall make sacrifices to our gods, and we now hold that, although you are our king, you have no power to decide which gods we are to believe in, or in what manner we shall worship. it is our intention, therefore, that you shall make blood offering here as other kings have done before you." king olaf listened patiently to this speech and declared himself ready to keep his promise. so, accompanied by many of his men, he entered the temple. it was a very large and splendid building. the door was of beautifully carved oak, and the handle was in the form of a large gold ring which earl hakon had had put there. in the inside there were two great rooms, the first or outer one being the chamber in which feasts of sacrifice were held; the inner one was the more sacred, for here the images of the heathen gods stood on their various altars. the walls were hung with tapestries and adorned with costly metals and precious stones. even the roof was covered with gold plates. all who entered were unarmed, for no one was allowed to go through the door bearing a sword or other weapon. but the king carried a stout stick with a heavy gold head. he watched the bonders preparing the pyre for the sacrifice, but before it was lighted he went into the inner chamber and inspected the images of the gods. there sat the figure of thor, chief among all, with his hammer in his hand and gold and silver rings about him. he was in a chariot of gold, into which were harnessed a pair of goats made of wood and silver. "what god is this one?" asked olaf of the bonders who stood near him. "it is our god thor," answered one of the chieftains. "he is the most celebrated of all gods, saving only odin. his eyes flash in the lightning, the wheels of his carriage rumble in the thunder, and the blows of his hammer ring loud in the earthquake. the most powerful of all gods is he." "and yet," said olaf; "it seems to me that he is made of nothing more strong than wood. you call him powerful; but i think even i am more powerful than he." as he spoke these words he hove up his gold headed stick, and while all were looking, he smote thor a great blow, so that he fell down from his seat and tumbled to fragments upon the stone floor. at the same instant olaf's men struck down the other idols, while at the temple door ironbeard was assailed and slain. olaf took possession of many of the treasures of the temple, and then razed the building to the ground. and none of the bonders dared to oppose him. after the death of ironbeard they had no leader bold enough to encounter the king and his men. so the end of it was that they all forsook their heathenish customs and yielded to the king's demands that they should take christening. after this time king olaf had no more trouble in thrandheim, and in the whole of norway no man dared to speak a word against the faith of christ. in all places where the temples had been destroyed, the king had christian churches built. he instituted monasteries throughout the land, governed by bishops and abbots brought over from rome and canterbury. from these monasteries many missionaries were sent out into the remoter parts of the country to preach the gospel and to hold the people firmly to the faith. never again, so long as king olaf lived, did the norwegians attempt to return to paganism, and after his death his good work was taken up by his godson and namesake, olaf the saint. chapter xvii: sigrid the haughty. now, although the peasants of thrandheim yielded to king olaf in the matter of their faith and the forms of their religious ceremonies, yet they were none the less enraged against him on account of the destruction of their beautiful temple and the slaying of iron skeggi. this man had been a great chief among them, much honoured for his bodily strength, for his wealth, and for his spirit of independence. some of his nearer kin had even looked upon the possibility of his being a successor to the great earl hakon, and accordingly they regarded olaf triggvison as an interloper, who had come to spoil all their hopes of worldly advancement. when their favourite was slain they therefore cast about to find some pretext for either picking a quarrel with king olaf or of forcing him to make some atonement for the wrong that he was supposed to have done them. and then they thought of ironbeard's daughter, gudrun, and of what a good thing it would be for them if the king could be made to wed her. so on a certain day they took gudrun to where king olaf was and made their proposals to him. king olaf looked at the girl and thought her very fair of feature. her hair was black as charred wood, and her cheeks were rosy red; but there was an evil glance in her dark eyes that mispleased him. yet he saw that it was good that there should be a queen in norway, and urged by his bishop, he allowed himself to be betrothed to gudrun. it was arranged that they should be wedded at the next yuletide. in the midwinter king olaf gave a great bridal feast to his friends in his new banqueting hall at nidaros. his bishops and priests were there, as also his chief captains and warmen, his scald and his saga men. his mother, queen astrid, was at his right hand, while at the other side of him sat gudrun. the fare was of the best, both food and drink, and there was much merriment around the board, with singing of songs and playing of harps, making of riddles and jests and telling of stories; and of all the company the king was the merriest and the lightsomest. no story was for him too long, nor song too boisterous, nor ale too strong. as often as his drinking horn was emptied, it was filled again to the brim by his cup bearer, and always before he quaffed it he made over it the sign of the cross. brightly gleamed the firelight upon helmet and shield and spear, but brighter gleamed the gladness in the young king's eyes; for his realm was now assured to him, his mission was fulfilled, and his glory was complete. it seemed to him that there would now be a lasting peace in the land, with good fellowship among all his subjects, and no more bloodshed or quarrelling or discontent for ever after. he was to wed with gudrun upon the morrow, and this, he believed, was to be the crown of his happiness. now, as the night wore late, and the festivities flagged, the guests rose from the board, and either departed to their several rooms or drew their cloaks about them and lay upon the side benches of the hall, and at length king olaf was left alone at the table. very soon he too fell asleep and lay back in his high backed chair, dreaming peaceful dreams. at his feet lay einar eindridson, a sturdy lad of sixteen years, whom olaf had adopted as his favourite page and cup bearer, even as he himself had been adopted by king valdemar. between the folds of the silken curtains that overhung the open air spaces in the wall the light of the full moon came in, falling upon king olaf's handsome face and long golden hair. the sapphires and diamonds studding the band of gold about his head shone out like glittering stars in the pale light. the cross of blood red rubies that hung from his neck chain rose and fell with the regular heaving of his broad chest on which it rested. all was dark in the hall, save for that one shaft of moonlight. all was silent, save for the crackling of the dying embers on the hearth and the heavy breathing of the men who lay asleep upon the benches and about the rush strewn floor. but as king olaf slept there came a movement at the far end of the hall, where the darkness was deepest. presently a woman's figure glided slowly and cautiously into the fuller light. her black shadow moved across the floor and crept nearer and nearer to the sleeping king, until at last it halted, shielding his closed eyes. she stood before him. suddenly her right hand went to her bosom, and she drew forth a long glittering dagger. she stood over him, holding her hand aloft, ready to strike the fatal blow. "your hour is at hand, proud king!" she murmured; and her voice sounded through the hail like the soughing of the wintry wind among the pines. "your hour is at hand, olaf triggvison. never shall my warm lips touch yours. cold steel shall kiss you now." she stepped back a pace, so that the moonlight, falling upon him, might show her where to strike. as she did so the hem of her long robe swept across the face of young einar. the boy awoke and leapt to his feet. he saw a white arm upraised; he saw the gleaming dagger poised over his master's breast. quick as an arrow's flight the blade flashed to its mark. but quicker still was einar. in that instant he had caught the white arm in his two strong hands, staying the fatal blow, so that the dagger's point but struck against the ruby cross and did no harm. the scuffling of feet, the clatter of the dagger upon the floor, and the woman's cry of alarmed surprise awoke the king. starting from his seat he caught his assailant and held her in the light of the moon. he gazed into her pale and terror stricken face. it was the face of gudrun. then olaf besought einar to tell him all that had happened, and einar picked up the dagger and gave it to his master, telling him how gudrun had attempted to slay him. with the earliest peep of dawn gudrun went forth upon her lonely way, and never again did she come under the same roof with king olaf. at this time there lived in sweden a certain queen named sigrid. she was the widow of king erik the victorious and the mother of king olaf the swede. she was very rich and possessed many great manors in sweden and large landed estates among the islands of the baltic. many of the kings of scandinavia sought to wed with her, wishing to share her wealth and add her dominions to their own. but sigrid, who, by reason of her great pride and the value that she set upon her own charms, was named sigrid the haughty, would have none of them, although often enough she welcomed them as wooers and listened to their fine speeches and their flatteries. one king there was who wooed her with such ardour that she resolved to rid herself of him at all costs. his name was harald groenske (the father of saint olaf), and, as he was of the kin of king harald fairhair, he considered himself in all respects her equal. three several times did he journey into sweden to pay court to her. on the third time he found that there was another wooer at her manor house, one king vissavald of gardarike. both kings were well received, and lodged in a great hall with all their attendant company. the hall was a very old building, as was all its furniture, but there was no lack of good fare. so hospitable, indeed, was queen sigrid, that, ere the night was half spent, the two suitors and all their men were drunk, and the guards slept heavily. in the middle of the night queen sigrid surrounded the hall with dry faggots and set a lighted torch to them. the hall was quickly burned to the ground, and all who were within it lost their lives. "i will teach these little kings what risks they run in wooing me!" said the queen, as from her chamber window she watched the rising flames. now queen sigrid grew weary of waiting for the coming of a king whom she could consider in all ways worthy of her. her eyes were lustreless, and her hair was besprinkled with gray, and yet the right man did not offer himself. but in good time she heard of king olaf the glorious, and of his great wealth and his prowess, and of how in his person he was so tall and handsome, that men could only compare him with balder the beautiful. and now she deemed that she had at last discovered one whose magnificence would match with her own. so she caused messengers to fare across the frontier into norway to sing her praises, so that king olaf might learn how fair she was, and how well suited to reign by his side. and it seemed that her messages had the effect that she wished. on a certain summer day queen sigrid sat at her chamber window, overlooking a wide and beautiful river that lay between her own kingdom and norway. from afar she saw a company of horsemen. they came nearer and nearer, and at last they halted at the gates. their leader entered and the queen went down to meet him, guessing that he had come upon some errand of great importance. when he had greeted her, he told her that he had come all the way from thrandheim, in norway, with a message from king olaf triggvison, who, hearing of her great charms, now offered her his hand in marriage. and as a token of his good faith the king had sent her a gift. the gift was a large ring of gold--the same that olaf had taken from the door of the temple at lade. full joyous was queen sigrid at this good news, and she took the heavy ring and slipped it upon her arm, bidding the messengers take her hospitality for three days and then return to their master, with the word that she favoured his proposal, and agreed to meet him at her manor of konghelle in three weeks' time. now the queen admired that ring, deeming it a most noble gift. it was most beautifully wrought and interwoven with scrolls and circles so delicate that all wondered how the hand of man could achieve such perfection. everyone praised it exceedingly, and among others to whom sigrid showed the ring were her own goldsmiths, two brothers. these handled it with more care than others had done, and weighed it in their hands as if they would estimate its value. the queen saw that the smiths spoke in whispers one with the other; so she called them to her and asked if they thought that any man in sweden could make such a ring. at this the smiths smiled. "wherefore do you mock at the ring?" demanded sigrid. "tell me what you have found?" the smiths shrugged their shoulders. "if indeed the truth must be spoken," said the elder of the two, "then we have found this, o queen, that there is false metal in the ring." "prove what you say!" cried the queen. and she let them break the ring asunder--and lo! it was shown to be made of copper and not of gold. then into sigrid's eyes there flashed an angry light. "if king olaf of norway can be so false in his gifts, he will be faithless also in his love!" she cried. and she snatched the pieces of the ring and flung them furiously away from her. now when the three weeks of his appointment had gone by olaf triggvison journeyed east to the trysting place at konghelle, near the boundary line between norway and sweden, and there queen sigrid met him. amazed was sigrid to see the splendour of the man who offered her marriage. never before had her eyes rested upon one so tall and handsome and so gloriously attired. arrived now at his full manhood olaf looked nobler and more majestic than ever in his life before. his cloak of fine crimson silk clung to his giant frame and showed the muscular moulding of his limbs. his step was light and elastic, and, in spite of his great strength, his movements were gentle and easy as those of a woman. his hands were very large and powerful, yet the touch of them was soft and delicate; and his voice, which could be loud and full as a trumpet blast, could also be lowered to the musical sweetness of a purling brook. his forehead, where his helmet had shielded it from the heat of the sun and from the briny freshness of the sea air, was white and smooth as polished marble; but the lower part of his face was of a clear, rich golden brown. he wore no beard, but the hair was left unshaven on his upper lip and it streamed down on either side of his chin as fine as silk. when he smiled, his white and even teeth gleamed like a row of pearls between the coral redness of his lips. queen sigrid, as she beheld him for the first time, had no thought of the ring that he had given her, nor of its falseness. king olaf, on his part, was more than a little disappointed with the looks of the queen whose praises had been so often whispered in his ears. he had heard that she was young, yet he now saw that her hair was sprinkled with gray, that her eyes had lost the fire and fervour of youth, and that her brow was wrinkled with age. younger and more comely was his own mother astrid than this much exalted queen. but, having given his word that he meant to woo her and wed her, he had too much honour to draw back. they sat together and talked over the matter of their wedding, and of how they would unite their domains and rule together over all the swedes and norsemen. and at last he took her hand and swore by the holy rood that he would be true to her. now sigrid the haughty was still a heathen, and she liked not to hear king olaf swear by christian tokens. so she turned upon him with a quick glance of suspicion and contempt in her eyes. "such vows do not please me, king olaf," she said. "it is told that great odin once swore on the ring. will you swear by this ring to be true?" and she rose and took up the ring he had sent as a gift, which ere this time her two smiths had repaired. "o speak not of odin to me!" cried the king. "he is dead as the stones in the street. by no other symbol than the cross will i swear. sorry am i to hear that you, queen sigrid, are still a believer in the old dead gods. since this is so, however, there is little use in my being in this place, for i have made up my mind that the woman who weds me shall be a true christian and not a worshipper of senseless idols hewn out of trees and rocks. abandon these things, take christening, and believe in the one true god who made all things and knows all things, and then i will wed with you; but not else, o queen." queen sigrid, astonished that any man dared to speak to her in this wise, looked back at king olaf in anger. "never shall i depart from the troth that i have always held," she cried. "and although you had twice the wealth that you have and were yet more glorious than you are, yet never should i obey such a bidding. no, no, king olaf. i keep true to my faith and to my vows; and can fare very well without you and your new religion. so go back to your bald headed priests and to your singing of mass. i will have none of them!" then the king rose in wrath and his face was darkened with gloom. for a moment he forgot his manliness, and in his anger he struck her across her cheek with his glove. "why, then, should i care to wed with thee?" he cried; "thou withered old heathen jade!" with these taunting words on his lips he turned and strode from the chamber. but while the wooden stairway was still creaking under his tread, queen sigrid called after him in bitterest anger: "go, then, o proud and stubborn king. go where you will. but remember this, that the insult you have offered me and the blow you have struck me shall be your death!" so olaf departed, ere yet he had broken bread, and he went north into viken, while queen sigrid the haughty went east into sweden. king sweyn forkbeard of denmark had by this time regained full possession of his kingdom, and was contemplating an invasion of england which should be more complete and decisive than the attempt which he had made in company with the viking whom he had known as ole the esthonian. sweyn had now, of course, discovered that this man ole and king olaf of norway were one and the same person, and he began to be very jealous of the glory that was gathering about olaf's name. a new cause for jealousy had now arisen. sweyn, it will be remembered, had married the princess gunnhild, daughter of burislaf, king of the wends. but in these days even now told of it befell that queen gunnhild was stricken with an illness and died. king sweyn, ever ambitious of winning great dominion, had a mind to take unto himself a new wife in the person of queen sigrid of sweden. he was on the point of setting out to woo her when he heard by chance that king olaf triggvison was already bent upon a similar journey. envy and jealousy and bitter hatred welled up in sweyn's breast against his rival, and he swore by thor's hammer that sooner or later he would lower king olaf to the dust. but in good time king sweyn heard of the quarrel that had befallen between queen sigrid and her young norwegian suitor. so he at once fared north into sweden to essay his own fortune with the haughty queen. he gained a ready favour with sigrid by speaking all manner of false and malicious scandal against the man whom she had so lately rejected. sigrid probably saw that by marrying the king of denmark she might the more easily accomplish her vengeance upon olaf triggvison. she therefore accepted forkbeard's proposals, and they were wedded in accordance with the rites and customs of their pagan faith. earl erik, the son of the late earl hakon, was at this time the guest and friend of sigrid's son, olaf the swede king; and these three--king sweyn forkbeard of denmark, king olaf of sweden, and earl erik of lade--had each a private cause of enmity against olaf triggvison. it was they who, two years afterwards, united their forces in the great sea fight in which olaf the glorious lost his life. chapter xviii: the "long serpent". king olaf had now ruled over norway for three years. in that brief time he had done more for the country than any king who had gone before him. he had succeeded in establishing christianity--not very thoroughly, it is true, for during the rest of his reign, and for long enough afterwards, there was plenty of heathenism in norway; but he did all that he could to make men christians, as far as he knew how himself, and, by his own example of a pure and upright life, he did much to deepen the feeling that, even in a social sense, the christian religion' offered advantages which had never before been enjoyed in the land. it was noticed almost immediately that there was less bloodshed among the people than formerly, and that the peasants lived in greater security. the doctrine of peace upon earth was set forth as one of the first principles of olaf's mission, and he was never tired of showing that, while odin and thor took pleasure in bloodshed and rejoiced in war, christ the white was a lover of peace, and accorded no merit to the manslayer. olaf made it a law throughout his realm that all men should keep the sabbath holy, that they should always fast on fridays, and that they should teach their children the ten commandments. he could not hope that grownup people, who had all their lives been accustomed to worship graven images, would all at once become fervent and devout christians; but he clearly saw the importance of bringing up all the children to a full knowledge of the christian faith, and accordingly he bade his priests give constant care to the education of the young. what king olaf achieved in norway he achieved also in the outlying parts of his dominions. he sent priests into the lands of the laps and fins. it has been told how he sent his priest thrangbrand to iceland. he also sent missions to the orkney islands, to the shetlands, and the faroes, and even to so distant a country as greenland. all these lands were converted to christianity during olaf's brief reign. but it was not in religious matters alone that olaf triggvison exercised his wisdom and his rule. he encouraged fisheries and husbandry and handicrafts, and men who had given up their lives to warfare and vikingry now occupied themselves with useful arts and industries. himself a rare sailor, he loved all seamen and shipmen and shipbuilders, and so that these might have work to do he encouraged commerce with the lands over sea--with england and scotland and ireland, with russia, wendland, friesland, flanders, and france. when he had been in england he had learned something of the good laws established in that country by king alfred the great. he strove to introduce many of these laws into his own kingdom. like alfred the great, king olaf recognized the value of a strong navy, and, so soon as he had assured himself of the goodwill of his subjects, he levied taxes upon them, and set about the work of building ships. the great dragonship which he had taken as a prize of war from rand the wizard was the largest and finest vessel in the norwegian seas at this time. the king determined to have a much larger and finer ship built, one which should surpass in splendour and equipment every vessel that had been launched in norway or any other land throughout the ages. on the banks of the river nid, at the place where he had built the town of nidaros, a great forest of pine trees had been cleared, and there was timber in plenty ready at hand. there had been two most fruitful seasons, with good crops, and the country was rich. olaf himself possessed more wealth than any monarch in all scandinavia, and also he was fortunate in having about him a number of men who were highly skilled in the work of designing and building ships. so he had a shipyard prepared under the cliffs of lade, and he appointed a man named thorberg shafting to be his master builder. rand's dragonship, which was named the serpent, was taken as a model of the new ship that was to be made, but all her measurements were exactly doubled, for the new craft was to be twice as long in the keel, twice as broad in the beam, and twice as great in the scantling. olaf himself helped at the work, and laboured as hard as any other two men. whenever any difficulty arose he was there to set it right, and all knew that every part of the work must be well done, that every piece of timber must be free from rot, and every nail and rivet made of the best metal or the king would discover the fault and have it undone. many men were in the shipyard, some to hew timbers with their heavy axes, some to fashion iron bolts and bars, and others to spin the shining flax into the ropes that were to form the rigging. burly blacksmiths stood at the roaring forge, wielding huge hammers; sawyers worked in the pits, making the stout beams and ribs and cutting great trunks into thin planks. black cauldrons of boiling tar smoked and bubbled over the fires. the clattering of hammers, the rasping of saws, the whirring of wheels, and the clamour of men's voices sounded from earliest morning until the setting of the sun; and the work went on apace all day and every day, saving on sunday, when no man was allowed to touch a nail or lift a hammer. on a certain morning in the midsummer, king olaf was down in the shipyard. he wore his coarsest and oldest clothes; his thick, strong arms were bared above the elbows, and his hardened hands were smutched with tar and nail rust. his head was shielded from the hot sun by a little cloth cap that was torn in the crown, and his long hair and his broad back and shoulders were besprinkled with sawdust. save for his greater tallness and strength he looked not very different from any of the workmen about him; and indeed kolbiorn stallare, who stood near him in courtly apparel, might well have been mistaken for the king and the king for the servant. olaf had paused in his work, and was talking with kolbiorn concerning some matter of state. as he stood thus, leaning with one elbow on the long handle of his great sledgehammer, he saw young einar eindridson coming towards him, followed by a woman. the woman seemed to be of middle age, and she looked weary with travel. as she came nearer, her eyes rested upon kolbiorn as though she wished to speak with him. "go to her," said the king. and kolbiorn left olaf's side and went to meet her. "long have i searched for you, king olaf," said she, drawing back the cloak from her head, and letting the sun shine full upon her face. "but i have found you at last, and now i crave your help for the mercy of god!" "you make a mistake, lady," said kolbiorn; "i am not king olaf, but only his servant. yonder is the king at work among his shipwrights. but if you would speak with him i will take you to him, for i see that you are in distress." so he took her to where olaf was, and when she stood near him she looked at him in disbelief, taking him to be but a workman. but when the king laid down his hammer and stood up at his full height and uncovered his head, she saw that he was no ordinary man. her eyes went to his bare arm, where there still remained the mark branded there in the days of his bondage in esthonia. "by that token do i know you, o king," said she. "but you are taller and stronger than when last we met." "in what land and in whose company was that meeting?" asked king olaf. "methinks i have indeed seen you before, but in what circumstances and at what time i do not call to mind." "we met long years ago," said she. "first in wendland, when you were a guest at the court of king burislaf; and again when we sat side by side at the inheritance feast of king sweyn of denmark. my name is thyra. harald bluetooth, king of denmark, was my father, and i am the sister of king sweyn of the forked beard, who now reigns over all denmark, and who has lately wedded with queen sigrid of sweden." "right well do i now remember you," returned olaf. "and well do i mind that, at that same feast in denmark, you scorned me because i had been a slave." there was a frown upon his brow and a look of mistrust in his eyes; for he guessed that the coming of this woman was some guileful trick of her brother sweyn, whom he knew to be an enemy of his own. "at the time you speak of," said she, "you were but a heathen viking of jomsburg, a lover of warfare, a man who lived by plunder and bloodshed, who worshipped the pagan gods, and knew not the sweetness of a peaceful life. but now you are a king--a great and glorious king. and, what is more, you are a christian, worshipping the true god, and doing good deeds for the good christ's sake." the look of mistrust now vanished from olaf's eyes, and gave place to a look of softness and pity. "it is because you are a christian that i have come to you now," she went on. "for days and weeks i have travelled on foot across the mountains; and now that i have found you i crave your pity and your help, for i am in sore distress, and know of none other than you, o king, to whom i can go for shelter. at the same time that you were yourself in wendland, and at the time when earl sigvaldi of jomsburg was wedded with the princess astrid, and my brother sweyn with her sister gunnhild, it was arranged that i too should be wedded. and the husband whom sigvaldi and sweyn chose for me was their father-in-law, king burislaf. now, burislaf was an elderly man, while i was but a little girl, and i was sorely against this matter. so i craved that they would not press me to the marriage, and they yielded so far that i was left alone for a while. "early in this present summer king burislaf renewed his pleadings that i should wed with him, and he sent earl sigvaldi into denmark to carry me away. so well did the earl prevail with my brother that sweyn delivered me into his hands, and also covenanted that the domains in wendland which queen gunnhild had had should be my dowry. "now, already i had become a christian, and it was little to my satisfaction that i should become the wife of a pagan king and live for ever after among heathen folk, so on a certain dark and stormy night i fled away. a poor fisherman brought me over into norway, where i knew that the people were all of the christian faith, and so, after much trouble and privation, i have found my way hither." thus thyra spoke with king olaf. and when she had told him all her trouble he gave her good counsel and a kindly welcome, and said that she should always have a peaceful dwelling in his realm. now, olaf triggvison knew full well that in giving succour to thyra he was doing that which would give great offence to king sweyn of denmark; and that sweyn, when he heard that his sister was here in norway, would speedily come over and carry her back to wendland. nevertheless, olaf thought well of her ways and saw that she was very fair, and it came into his mind that this would be a good wedding for him. so when thyra had been in nidaros some few weeks he spoke with her again, and asked her if she would wed him. little loth was thyra to obey his behests, for she deemed herself most fortunate in that there was a chance of her marrying so noble a king. so she yielded to him, and their wedding was held in harvest time, and celebrated according to the christian rites. from that time onward they reigned together as king and queen of norway. all through that summer king olaf busied himself in his shipyard, and in the early autumn the great ship's hull was well nigh finished. at this time thorberg, the master shipwright, went home to his farmstead in orkadale to gather in his harvest, and he tarried there for many days. when he came back the bulwarks were all completed. on the same day of his return the king went down with him to the yard to see how the vessel looked, and they both agreed that never before had they seen its equal in size and in beauty of form. all had been done as thorberg had designed, and great praise did he win from his master. but thorberg said, nevertheless, that there were many things that he would have improved. but early the next morning the king and thorberg went again to the ship. all the smiths had come thither, but they stood there doing no work. "why are ye standing idle?" demanded olaf in surprise. "because the ship is spoiled, o king," said one of the men, "and there is no longer any good in her! some evil minded man has been at work in the night, undoing all that we have done!" the king walked round to the ship's side, and lo! every plank along her bulwarks was hewn and notched and deeply gashed as with an axe. "envious mischief maker!" cried the king in a sorrowful voice. then as he realized the full extent of the wreckage he swore an oath, and declared that the man who had thus spoiled the ship should die, and that he who should discover the evildoer would be well rewarded. then thorberg went to his side, and said he: "be not so wrathful, o king. i can tell you who it is that has done this mischief. it was i who did it." "you!" cried the king. "you in whom i have trusted so long? you, who have taken so much pride in the building of this ship? unhappy man! know this, that you shall repair this mischief and make it good, or else you shall lose your life!" thorberg laughed lightly and said: "little the worse will the ship be when i have done, lord." and then he went to the ship and planed out all the notches and cuts, and made the bulwarks so smooth and fair that all who saw what he did declared that the ship was made far handsomer than she had been before. so well pleased was king olaf that he bade thorberg do the same on the other side, and gave him great praise and reward. late in the autumn the hull was finished and painted, ready for launching. bishop sigurd sprinkled the vessel's bows with holy water, and as she slipped over the rollers into the sea king olaf named her the long serpent. there was yet much to be done before she would be ready for sea; but such work as the stepping of her two masts, fitting her standing rigging, caulking her deck planks, fashioning her cabins, and adorning her prow and stern could best be done when she was afloat. the long serpent would not be considered a very large vessel in these modern days, but she was the largest ship known to have been built before the time of king canute, and she was, so far as it is possible to calculate, exactly double the size of the ship in which columbus crossed the atlantic. her length was not less than two hundred feet. her breadth between the gunwales was about forty feet. it is not probable that she was very deep in the water; but of this there is no record. she was fitted with thirty-four "rooms" amidships, each room being divided into two half rooms. these half rooms accommodated eight men whose duty it was to attend to one of the long oars. thus, there were thirty-four pairs of oars and five hundred and seventy-four rowers. between the half rooms, and also along the bulwarks, there were wide gangways, running fore and aft. there was a large forecastle in which the warriors slept and took their meals, and abaft the main mast there was another cabin called the "fore-room", in which king olaf had his high seat, or throne. here he held his councils. here, too, he had his armour chests. thirty men lived in the fore-room. king olaf's own private cabin was under the "lypting", or poop. it was very splendidly furnished, with beautifully carved wood and tapestries of woven silk. only his chosen companions and his personal servants were allowed to enter this apartment. above it there was a large deck which in the time of battle was occupied by the king and his most valiant warriors. the prow of the long serpent, which rose high above all other parts of the hull, took the form of a dragon's head and shoulders. this ferocious looking monster, with wide open jaws and staring eyes, was covered with beaten gold. at the vessel's stern stood the dragon's twisted tail, and this also was plated with gold. close beside it was the handle of the steering board, which was usually held, when at sea, by king olaf himself or his chief captain. it was not until the middle of the next springtime that the ship was ready for sea. then olaf had his fair weather sails hoisted. they were as white as newly fallen snow, with a large blood red cross in the middle. banners of silk streamed from the masthead and from the yardarms, and a most beautiful standard fluttered from a tall staff on the lypting. the midships tent, which shielded the rowers from the glare of the strong light, was striped with red and blue. the weather vanes and the dragon glittered in the sun, and the men on the decks were arrayed in their best, with their polished brass helmets and gaily coloured cloaks. king olaf himself was most splendidly attired. he had on a newly wrought coat of chain mail, which was partly covered by a mantle of fine crimson silk. his helmet was made of burnished copper, inlaid with gold ornaments and surmounted by a gold dragon. near to him, as he stood at the tiller, his shield was hung up. it was the same shield that he had bought from thangbrand, bearing the image of the crucifix. great crowds of people assembled on the banks of the nid. they all thought it a most wonderful sight, and they cheered lustily as, in answer to a loud blast from the king's bugle horn, the rowers began to pull. as the great vessel glided out of the river with her eight and sixty oars moving in regular strokes she looked like a thing of life. never in all time or in all lands had such a magnificent ship been seen. olaf steered her out into the blue waters of thrandheim fiord, and then as the wind caught her sails the oars were shipped and she sped onward with such even speed that all were astonished. not far had she gone when she came in sight of olaf's other dragonship--the short serpent, as she was now called--which had been sent out an hour in advance. in spite of the long start that she had had, the smaller vessel was quickly overhauled and passed, as though she had not been moving. olaf had wanted to have a race; but now he saw that this was useless; for the long serpent had proved herself to be not only the most beautiful ship to look upon, but also the quickest sailer of all vessels afloat. out into the sea he took her. there was a strong breeze blowing and the sea was rough. she rode easy upon the waves, both before and against the wind, and olaf was well pleased. so, when the trial cruise was over, he returned to nidaros, satisfied that if ever he should be drawn into a war with any foreign power he had a battleship which no enemy could equal. now king olaf lived in happiness and contentment with queen thyra, and there was great love between them. but there was one thing which gave the queen much trouble, and over which she was for ever fretting. it was that, by reason of her flight from wendland, she had forfeited all the possessions that had been reserved as her dowry. she felt that, here in norway, she had no private wealth of her own such as beseemed a queen, whereas there were her great estates in wendland and denmark, from which large revenues were due. again and again she spoke to the king on this matter, praying him with fair words to go and get her her own. king burislaf, she declared, was so dear a friend of king olaf that so soon as they met he would surely give over to him all that he craved. but olaf always shook his head and asked her if she did not think that there was wealth enough for them both in norway. but thyra was not satisfied with this constant delay. whenever her husband spoke with her she always contrived to bring in some peevish mention of her estates. she wept and prayed and pleaded so often that olaf's patience was well nigh exhausted. it seemed that if only for the sake of domestic peace an expedition to wendland must soon be brought about. nevertheless, all the friends of the king, when they heard of this talk, advised him against such a journey, for they knew full well that it must end in a war with the queen's brother, sweyn forkbeard. on a certain day in that same spring, when it was nearing eastertide, king olaf was passing down the street, when by the marketplace a man met him, and offered to sell him some very fine spring vegetables. olaf noticed that he had some large angelica heads. this was a herb very much valued in those days and eaten as we now eat celery. the king took a great stalk of the angelica in his hand and went home with it to queen thyra. he found the queen in her hall weeping for her lost estates. "see here the big angelica i give thee," said he. the queen rose and thrust the vegetables contemptuously aside, and, with the tears streaming down her cheek, cried: "a pretty gift indeed! greater gifts did my father, harald bluetooth, give me when, as a child, i got my first tooth! he did not fear to come over here to norway and conquer this land; whereas you, with all your boasted glory and your great ships, are so much afraid of my brother sweyn that you dare not venture into denmark to get me what belongs to me, and of which i have been shamefully robbed!" then up sprang king olaf and retorted with an angry oath: "afraid?" he cried. "never have i gone in fear of your brother sweyn, and i am not afraid of him now. nay, if we ever meet, he shall surely give way before me! now--even now--i will set sail for wendland, and you shall have your wretched estates!" chapter xix: sigvaldi's treachery. so, when eastertide with all its religious ceremonies had passed by, king olaf summoned a great gathering of his people, whereat he set forth that he intended to make an expedition into the baltic, and that he required a levy from every district, both of men and of ships. he then sent messengers north and south along the land, bidding them muster his forces. the ships were to assemble in thrandheim fiord in the first week in summer. olaf paid great attention to the manning of the long serpent, and his seamen and warriors were so well chosen that it was said that the crew surpassed other men as far in strength and bravery as the long serpent surpassed other ships. every man was picked by king olaf himself, who determined that none should be older than sixty years, and none younger than twenty. he made only one exception to this rule. it was in the case of einar eindridson, surnamed thambarskelver. einar was but eighteen years old; but, young though he was, he was considered the most skilful archer in all norway. with his bow, called thamb, he could fire a blunt arrow through a raw ox hide, and not even king olaf could aim more true or hit the mark at a greater distance. in after years einar became a very famous warrior and lawman, and his name is often mentioned in the history of norway. wolf the red was king olaf's banner bearer, and his station was in the prow of the serpent, together with kolbiorn stallare, thorstein oxfoot, vikar of tiundaland, and others. among the forecastle men were bersi the strong, thrand squinteye, thorfinn the dashing, ketil the tall, and ogmund sandy. thirty of the best men were in the fore-room, in front of the poop. young einar eindridson was stationed in the main hold among the rowers. the complete ship's company numbered seven hundred men. the short serpent was commanded by thorkel nefja, a kinsman of olaf's; and thorkel the wheedler (brother of queen astrid) commanded the crane. both these ships were very well manned. eleven other large ships left thrandheim with olaf, also some smaller vessels of war, and six that were loaded with stores. he set sail with this fleet in the early days of the summer, and queen thyra went with him. southward he sailed, and as he came in turn to fiord after fiord many vikings and wealthy warriors joined him with their ships. when at length he stood out across the skager rack, he had a fleet of sixty longships and sixty smaller transports, and with these in his wake he sailed south along denmark through the eyr sound, and so to wendland. this expedition was not made with any warlike intent. olaf did not expect that war would follow. but he knew that king sweyn forkbeard was his bitterest enemy, and that there was danger in passing so near to denmark, and he thought it well to have a large number of battleships in his train in case of need. he arrived off the wendish coast without being in any way molested, and he anchored his fleet in the great bay of stetten haven. thence he sent messengers to king burislaf appointing a day of meeting. burislaf invited him to go inland and be his guest at his castle, and olaf went, leaving queen thyra behind on board the serpent, for she would by no means consent to come into the presence of the man whom she had jilted. king burislaf received him well, and gave him splendid hospitality. olaf spoke of his queen's estates and of the revenues that were due to her. burislaf was a just man in his own heathen way, and he answered that, since he had not got the wife that had been promised him, he did not think it right that he should enjoy her dowry. so he yielded to olaf's claims, and at once delivered to him the full value of queen thyra's estates. olaf abode in wendland for many days, and at length returned to the coast, carrying with him a great store of gold and jewels, which, when he went on board his ship, he gave to his queen. thyra was now well satisfied, and never again did she attempt to taunt king olaf concerning her estates. on the contrary, she gave him all praise for having done so much for her sake, and all her contempt of his seeming cowardice was turned to admiration of his courage. now, at this same time king sweyn forkbeard was in denmark, living with his new wife, queen sigrid the haughty. even as thyra had taunted olaf triggvison concerning her possessions in wendland, so had sigrid taunted sweyn forkbeard concerning her hatred of king olaf of norway. she could never forget how olaf had smitten her in the face with his glove, and from the earliest days of her marriage with king sweyn she had constantly and earnestly urged him to wage war against olaf triggvison. sweyn, knowing the risks of such a war, turned a deaf ear to his proud wife's entreaties. but when at last sigrid heard that olaf had given protection to sweyn's sister, and made thyra his queen, she renewed her urging with increased earnestness, and so well did she succeed that sweyn was roused to great anger against king olaf, and he resolved to get ready his forces and abide by queen sigrid's counsel. he was in this belligerent mood when the rumour reached him that olaf triggvison was at sea with his fleet, and was minded to make the voyage to wendland. with this rumour also came news of the splendid dragonship that the norse king had built. now, sweyn forkbeard was a very cautious man in the affairs of war, and he well knew that he was himself no match for so powerful a warrior as olaf the glorious. but he remembered that he was not alone in his desire to humble the monarch of the norselands. his own son in law, olaf the swede king, had sworn by thor's hammer to avenge the insult to his mother queen sigrid the haughty, and the help of the swede king in this war would be of great account. in addition to the king of sweden there was earl erik of lade, who was eager to take vengeance upon olaf triggvison for the slaying of his father earl hakon. since the coming of king olaf into norway, earl erik had become famous as a viking; he had engaged in many battles both on land and on the sea. it has already been told how he fought in the sea fight against the vikings of jomsburg. he was now one of the strongest war men in all scandinavia, and his fleet of battleships was equal to that of either sweyn of denmark or olaf of sweden. so when forkbeard heard that olaf triggvison had entered the baltic he sent men east into sweden, bidding them give word to the swede king and to earl erik that now was their time if they would join in battle against their common foe. sweyn forkbeard was at this time very friendly with earl sigvaldi, the chief of the jomsvikings, and he enlisted his help. it happened that sigvaldi's wife, the princess astrid, was then staying at the court of her father king burislaf, in wendland. it was, therefore, a very natural thing that the earl should go thither also. sweyn urged him to make the journey, to spy upon king olaf's fleet, and to lay such a trap that sweyn and his allies should not fail in their object. earl sigvaldi undertook this mission, and fared eastward to wendland with eleven longships. meeting king olaf he made pretence to renew his old friendship with the man whom he had formerly known as ole the esthonian. he flattered him, praised his great wisdom, and, more than all, spoke highly of his fleet and the surpassing splendour of the long serpent. their discourse was most friendly at all times, nor did olaf for a moment suspect the treachery that underlay the earl's soft speeches and his seeming goodwill. deep into the king's open heart sigvaldi wormed his way, until they were as brothers one with the other. when olaf hinted that he would be going back to norway, that the weather was fair for sailing, and that his men were homesick and weary of lying at anchor, sigvaldi made some plausible excuse and still held him back; and the time went on, the summer days grew shorter, and yet olaf made no move. but on a certain day there came a small fishing boat into the bay, and dropped anchor near to the earl's longship. in the darkness of the next night one of her men had speech with sigvaldi, and gave him the tidings for which he had so long waited. these tidings were that the host of the swede king had now come from the east, that earl erik also had arrayed his forces, and that these lords had joined with sweyn forkbeard, and all were sailing downward to the coast of wendland. they had appointed to waylay king olaf triggvison in a certain channel running between the mainland and the island of svold, and sweyn had now sent this messenger bidding the earl to so bring it about that they might fall upon king olaf in that place. on the next morning sigvaldi put out one of his boats, rowed alongside of the long serpent, and stepped upon her deck. he found king olaf sitting at his ease against the rail, carving runes upon the lid of a wooden box that he had made for the holding of the queen's jewels. sigvaldi did not disturb him, but took a few turns across the deck and looked up into the sunlit sky. the king blew away the chips of wood that he had been cutting from the box lid and looked up. "a fairer and finer day for sailing i have never yet seen," said he. "why should we not heave anchor this very morning? the wind bodes well for a free run westward, and in truth, sigvaldi, i am getting wearied of this idleness and the sight of these sandy shores." "let it be so by all means if you so wish it," answered the earl in a light tone of unconcern. "i, too, should be not ill pleased to be once more upon the open sea, although i shall be sorry to make an end to our close intercourse, for the sooner we sail the sooner must we part." "the parting need not be for long," said the king. "i am hoping that you will soon see your way to coming north to thrandheim, there to spend many happy summer months with us. and we may take a cruise in the long serpent across to the orkneys, or north even to iceland." a mocking smile played about the earl's lips. "you are ever ready with your bright plans for the future, king olaf," he said, as he raised his great hand to stroke his bushy black beard. "but the next summer is a long while off, and it may be--who can say?--it may be that we shall not then be both alive." king olaf gave a playful laugh. "your thoughts are passing gloomy this morning," said he. "why should you speak of death? you are still but in the prime of manhood, and are blessed with the best of health. as to a death in battle, you, who are still a believer in odin and valhalla, can have no fear of warlike enemies." "it was not of myself that i was thinking," returned sigvaldi. "then why should it be for me that you fear?" asked olaf. "i am of a long lived race, and, since i am now a man of peace and no lover of bloodshed, i am not likely to be mixed up in any wars--at least, not wars of my own making. and there is but one man i know of who has any wish to wage battle with me." "who is that?" questioned sigvaldi. "king sweyn of denmark," answered olaf. "and it seems that he is at this very time abroad with his hosts in search of me." a look of alarm came upon the earl's dark face. he marvelled how olaf had come to hear this news, and he feared also that his own schemes might end in failure. "these are strange tidings you tell, king olaf," he said. "one would think that, like odin, you employed the birds of the air to bear you news." "the bird that told me these matters was but a poor fisherman," said olaf. "yesternight i met him on the shore, and, seeing that he was a dane, i had speech with him, and he said that king sweyn, with two or three longships, had been seen bearing southward to wendland." earl sigvaldi breathed a deep breath of relief. there was still great hope of his scheme succeeding. he glanced round the bay at olaf's great fleet, and thought of the reward that sweyn had offered as the price of his treachery. "little would it avail king sweyn to enter unaided into a battle with so well equipped and so brave a warrior as you, king olaf," he said. "but, for my own part, i do not believe this tale. i have known the dane king in past times, and he is far too wary to attempt so bold an attack. howbeit, if you misdoubt that war will beset your path, then will i be of your company with my ships. the time has been when the following of the vikings of jomsburg has been deemed of good avail to mighty kings." then when the earl had gone off to his own ships, olaf turned to go below to his cabin. at the head of the cabin stairs he was met by young einar eindridson. "so please you, o king," said the lad in a halting voice, "it chanced yesternight that i had a dream--" "well," smiled the king, "and what of that? the people of heathen lands deem it a grave misfortune if a man cannot dream; therefore you may be accounted fortunate." "dreams may sometimes avert misfortune," said the lad, "and this that i dreamt yesternight may be of service to you, my master. while i slept, it seemed to me that i saw you standing at the brink of a deep well of water. at your side stood the earl sigvaldi. suddenly he put his hand upon your back and pushed you forward, so that you fell into the water and sank deep, deep down, and then all was dark. i am no great reader of dreams, o king; but this one has sorely troubled me, for i fear that earl sigvaldi is a treacherous friend, and that he is now minded to do you an injury." "leave the reading of such sleeping fancies to wizards and witches, einar," said king olaf. "it is not for christian folk to inquire into the future. we are in god's hands, and he alone can determine what path we shall tread. as to my good friend sigvaldi, i will hear no word against him." now when olaf went into the cabin, he found there sigvaldi's wife, the princess astrid, who had been for some days in companionship with queen thyra. astrid warned him, as openly as she dared, that her husband was working against him. but olaf turned aside her warnings with a jest. a strange infatuation bound him to his false friend, and nothing would shake his confidence. he resolved to abide by the earl's advice in all things. it was yet early morning when king olaf again went on deck. the wind blew light from the southeast, and all was favourable for departure. loud over the bay sounded the bugle horns. mariners cried aloud in their joy as they hoisted the yards. the sails fluttered out in the breeze, and the anchors were weighed. gaily the ships sped out of the wide bay, and forth through the western channel past the vikings' stronghold of jomsburg. seventy-one keels in all there were, and the smaller vessels led the way, right out into the open sea, nor waited to know which course the king should take, for all knew that they were homeward bound for norway, and that although there were many ways, yet they all led north beyond denmark, and so onward into the breezy skager rack. little did olaf see the need of keeping his fleet together. he feared no foe, and was well aware that every craft had a trusty crew who were fully able to look after their own safety. his own knowledge of these seas told him also that, however much his ships might be scattered in crossing the baltic, they must all gather together again, as he had commanded, before entering the eyr sound. now the treacherous earl, whose craft and cunning had been busily at work throughout that morning, saw, in this scattering of the ships, the fulfilment of his dearest hopes. king sweyn had enjoined him beyond all things to so manage that olaf triggvison should be separated from the main body of his fleet, so that he might thus fall into the trap that was laid for him, and be speedily overcome by the superior force that now awaited him behind the island of svold. sweyn fork beard's plans were well laid; and if earl sigvaldi could but contrive to lead olaf between the island and the mainland, instead of taking the northward course across the open sea, success for the allies was certain. the earl was careful to keep his own vessel within the close neighbourhood of the long serpent. in the wake of these two sailed the earl's ten other viking ships and a similar number of king olaf's largest dragons, including the short serpent and the crane. the remaining portion of the king's fleet had already passed in advance, bending their course due north. sigvaldi had tried, by delaying olaf's departure out of the haven, to still further reduce the number of the king's immediate followers. but he knew the extent of sweyn fork beard's forces, and he was content that olaf should retain such chances as were afforded by the support of eleven of his best battleships. now olaf was about to steer outward into the sea when sigvaldi hailed him. "follow me!" cried the earl. "let me be your pilot, for i know all the deepest channels between the isles, and i will lead you through them by such ways that you will come out far in advance of your other ships!" so king olaf, over confident and never dreaming of treachery, followed westward into the sound, and went sailing onward to his doom. chapter xx: caught in the snare. king sweyn of denmark and his allies lay with their war hosts in a large sheltered vik, or bay, on the western side of the isle of svold. this position was well chosen, as the bay formed a part of the channel through which--if earl sigvaldi fulfilled his treacherous mission--king olaf triggvison was certain to pass into the clutches of his foes. there were seventy war galleys in all, and each vessel was well manned and fully prepared for battle. the larger number belonged to king sweyn; but the longships of earl erik were in all respects superior to those of either denmark or sweden. earl erik himself, too, was the most valiant warrior. excepting only olaf triggvison there was not a braver or more daring chief in all the lands of scandinavia. trained from his earliest youth to a life of storm and battle, erik had never known the meaning of fear, and it might almost be said that he had never known defeat. his own bravery and skill had inspired every one of his viking followers with the same qualities. as his men were, so were his ships--they were chosen with the main view to their fitness for encountering the battle and the breeze. his own dragonship, which had stood the brunt of many a fierce fight, was named the iron ram. it was very large, and the hull timbers at both bow and stern were plated with thick staves of iron from the gunwales down to the waterline. for many days had these ships lain at anchor in the bay, and as each day passed the three chiefs grew more and more impatient for the coming of their royal victim. many times and again had they sat together in king sweyn's land tent, discussing their prospects and planning their method of attack. their purpose was not alone to wreak vengeance upon king olaf for the supposed wrongs that each of the three had suffered at his hands. the idea of vengeance, indeed, stood only second to the great hope of conquest and of personal gain, and they had made this secret bargain among themselves, namely, that in the event of olaf triggvison being slain, they should each have his own third share of norway. to earl erik were to be given all the shires along the western coast from finmark to lindesness, with the exception of seven shires allotted to olaf the swede king. all the shires from lindesness, including the rich district of agder, to the swedish boundary, were to be taken by sweyn fork beard; excepting only the realm of ranarike (to this day a part of sweden), which was to be given to the swedish king. it was further agreed among the three chieftains, concerning the expected battle, that he who first planted foot upon the long serpent should have her for his own, with all the wealth that was found on board of her; and each should take possession of the ships which he himself captured and cleared of men. touching this same arrangement olaf sigridson was not well content, for he knew that both erik and sweyn were better men than himself, and that in contending for the prize he would have but a sorry chance if either of his companions should enter the battle before him. "it seems to me," said sweyn, on a certain morning when they were talking this matter over, "that the fairest way of all would be that we should cast lots or throw the dice; and let it be that he who throws the highest shall be first to attack king olaf's own ship." so they brought out the dice box and each cast his lot in turn. earl erik threw a two and a five. then the swedish king took up the dice and he threw two sixes. "no need is there for a third to throw!" he cried. "mine is the first chance, and, by the hammer of thor, the long serpent shall be mine also!" but king sweyn had still to take his throw. "there are yet two sixes on the dice," said he, "and it is easy for the gods to let them turn up again." he made his cast, and there were again two sixes. but one die had broken asunder, showing a three as well as the two sixes. thus sweyn was the victor, and it was agreed that his ships should take the centre of battle and lead the attack upon the long serpent. when this matter was decided the three chiefs went up upon the heights of the island, as they had done every morning since their coming to svold, and stood there with a great company of men. they looked eastward along the line of the wendic coast, and as they watched they saw a great number of ships upon the sea, bearing outward from stetten haven. the weather was very bright and clear, and the sunlight, shining upon the gaily coloured sails and upon the gilded prows, made a very fine sight. earl erik noticed with some concern that the fleet was making due north. but sweyn said: "wait, and you will see what our good sigvaldi will do when he comes into sight!" so they waited and watched. in about an hour's time they saw many larger and finer vessels appearing. but they were yet too far off to be clearly recognized. sweyn was very silent for a time, and he kept his eyes fixed upon the ships, noting their every movement. at last he cried aloud: "now i can see that sigvaldi is doing as we bade him. no longer do the ships stand outward into the main. they are bearing westward for svold! let us now go down to our ships and not be too slow in attack." so they all went down to the lower land and sweyn sent boats out to bid the shipmen weigh anchor and prepare for battle as quietly as might be. now the channel through which sigvaldi was to lead the norsemen was full wide, and deep, but it had many turns and twists, and before the ships could enter the bay, where their enemies awaited them in ambush, they had need to pass round an outstretching cape. on the ridge of this cape, and hidden by trees, king sweyn and his companions took their stand, knowing that although they might wait to see the whole of king olaf's fleet pass by, they would still have ample time to board their ships and be in readiness to meet their victim ere he entered the bay. it was not very long before they saw a large and splendid dragon sailing proudly into the channel. it was the ship of eindrid of gimsar. "a great ship, and marvellous fair!" cried king sweyn. "surely it is the long serpent herself!" earl erik shook his head and answered: "nay; though this ship is large and fine it is not the long serpent." shortly afterwards they saw another dragon, larger than the first; but the dragon's head had been taken down from the prow. king sweyn said: "now is olaf triggvison afraid, for he dares not sail with the head on his ship!" "this is not the king's ship," returned earl erik with confident denial; "for by the green and red striping of her sails i know that her captain is erling skialgson. let him pass on! if, as i believe, he is himself on board, we shall be better served if he and his band are not found among those with whom we are to fight this day." one by one, in irregular order, the great ships of the norse chieftains sailed by, and with each that passed, king sweyn or olaf of sweden cried aloud: "now surely this one is the long serpent!" but earl erik the norseman recognized every one, and told her captain's name. presently earl sigvaldi's viking ships went by, holding close inshore; and at length the earl's own dragon, with a red banner at her prow, by which token king sweyn understood that all was going as had been intended. following close behind came the crane. "now let us hasten on board!" cried king sweyn, "for here comes the serpent at last!" but earl erik did not move. "many other great and splendid ships has olaf triggvison besides the long serpent," said he, "yet only nine have sailed past. let us still wait." then one of sweyn's danish warriors who stood near gave a hoarse mocking laugh and said: "we had heard that earl erik was a brave and adventurous man. but now it is clear that he has but the heart of a chicken, for he is too cowardly to fight against olaf triggvison and dares not avenge his own father's death. great shame is this, to be told of through all lands, that we, with all our great host, stand here, while norway's king sails out to sea past our very eyes." erik became very angry at hearing these taunting words. "go, then, to your ships," said he; "but for all your doubts of my courage you shall see before the sun goes down into the sea tonight that both danes and swedes will be less at their ease than i and my men!" as they moved to go, yet another of king olaf's ships hove in sight. "here now sails the long serpent!" cried the son of queen sigrid. "little wonder is it that olaf triggvison is so widely renowned when he has such a splendid ship as this!" all turned to watch the great vessel as she floated by. her gilded dragon glistened in the sunlight; her striped red and blue sail swelled in the breeze; crowds of stalwart men were on her decks. no larger or more magnificent battleship had ever before been seen on these waters. king sweyn fork beard cried aloud in his exultation: "loftily shall the serpent carry me tonight when i steer her north into denmark!" then earl erik added with a sneer: "even if olaf the glorious had no larger ship than the short serpent, which we now see, methinks sweyn with all his army of danes could never win it from him without aid." king sweyn was about to give an angry retort when earl erik pointed towards the headland from behind which all these ships had in their turn appeared. and now did sweyn at once understand how greatly he had been mistaken in what he had expected of king olaf's famous dragonship, and how much his fancy had fallen short of the reality. he stood in dumb amazement as the towering prow of the long serpent glided into view, shooting long beams of golden light across the sea. first came the glistening dragon head, and then a long stretch of gaily painted hull; next, the tall mast with its swelling white sail, and, in the midst of the snowy expanse, the blood red cross. the dense row of polished shields along the bulwarks flashed in the sunlight. sweyn marvelled at the ship's great length, for the stern did not appear in sight until long after he had seen the prow. his companion chieftains murmured their astonished admiration; while fear and terror crept into the breasts of many of the swedes and danes, who felt that for some of them at least the great ship carried death. "this glorious vessel is worthy and fitting for such a mighty king as olaf the glorious," declared earl erik, "for it may in truth be said of him that he is distinguished above all other kings as the long serpent is above all other ships." all unconscious of the guiles of sigvaldi, king olaf steered his ship in the earl's wake. at the first he took the lead of his ten other dragons, sigvaldi sailing in advance. but as they neared the island a thing happened which caused him to fall back to the rear. young einar eindridson, ever full of sport and play, had perched himself astride of the yardarm, and there, with his longbow and arrows shot at the seagulls as they flew by. presently he espied a large bird flying over from the westward. its wings and body were perfectly black. slowly it came nearer and nearer, as though it would cross the serpent's bows. einar worked his way along to the end of the yard, and, steadying himself, fixed an arrow to the string. as the bird came within easy bow shot the lad took aim. but as he drew the string he saw the great dusky bird open its stout beak. he heard a hoarse croak, and knew it to be the croak of a raven. now the croaking of a raven was held in those times to be a sound of very ill omen; it was also considered that the man who killed one of these birds was certainly doomed to meet with speedy misfortune. einar slackened his bow, and the arrow slipped from his fingers. in trying to catch it, he dropped his famous bow, thamb, and it fell into the sea. now einar treasured that bow beyond all his worldly possessions. without an instant's hesitation he stood up upon the yard and leapt into the sea. king olaf, standing at the tiller, had seen all this, and he quickly put over the helm and, bringing the serpent round head to wind, lay to while a boat was launched. einar and his bow were rescued. but meanwhile the long serpent was overtaken by all her companion ships; and so it was that she was the last to enter the straits. earl sigvaldi still held on in advance. but it was noticed that when he came abreast of the cape whereon the three chiefs had stood, he lowered his sails and steered his ships nearer inshore. the norsemen suspecting nothing, followed his example, and very soon king olaf's fleet gathered closer together. but when thorkel the wheedler came up with the crane he shouted aloud to sigvaldi, asking him why he did not sail. the earl replied that he intended to lie to until king olaf should rejoin him. so thorkel struck sail also. but the ships had still some way on them and the current was with them. they drifted on until they came to a curve in the channel which opened out into the bay where the host of king sweyn and his allies waited in ambush. now by this time the short serpent had come alongside of sigvaldi, and her captain, espying some of the enemy's fleet, questioned the earl concerning them. "strangers they all are to me," answered sigvaldi with an evil look in his eyes. "but whoever they be, it seems that they are not altogether friendly to us. i see their red war shields from where i stand, and it looks very much as though a battle awaited us." then thorkel nefja had his oars brought out, and he steered the short serpent round against the stream and went back with all speed to meet the king. "what do i see?" cried king olaf. "why have the ships struck sail? and what is the meaning of your coming back?" "it is because a great host of war galleys are lying in the farther bay," answered thorkel. "it is the host of king sweyn of denmark, for i saw the banner on one of the longships, and it was like unto the banners that sweyn fork beard carried at the time when we were with him in england. turn back, i implore you, o king! turn back by the way we have come! for our fleet numbers but eleven keels, while our foes have fully two score of dragons!" the king stood on the lypting of the long serpent as he heard these tidings. he turned to his mariners. "down with the sails! out with the oars!" he cried with a loud voice that could be clearly heard across the waters; and the men quickly obeyed. still holding the tiller, olaf kept his ship's prow ahead as before. "never yet have i fled from a battle," he called out to thorkel nefja. "and although sweyn fork beard had thrice two score of warships, i would rather fight him than turn tail like a coward hound. god rules over the lives of all christian men, and why should we fear to encounter king sweyn and all his heathens? let our cry be 'onward, christ men; onward, cross men!'" now when the long serpent, sweeping quickly along with all oars at work, came nigh to her companions, olaf saw that earl sigvaldi and his vikings had passed on beyond the cape, while his own captains had turned their prows about and were rowing back against the current. "why do ye take to flight?" roared olaf in an angry voice of thunder. "never will i fly from any earthly enemy. he is no worthy king who shuns his foes because of fear. reverse your ships and follow the long serpent, be it to glory or to death!" and now, taking the lead, he arrayed his ships in order, with the short serpent and the crane together in his immediate wake, and his eight other longships following close behind. proudly, and with all his banners flying, he sailed into the bay. before him, at about a mile's distance, he saw the seventy warships of his foes. their vast number and their compact battle array might well have struck fear into the heart of one who had but eleven galleys at his back. but not for an instant did olaf triggvison shrink from the unequal encounter. he brought his vessels to a halt, but it was not from hesitation. it was only that, taken wholly unawares, he had need to prepare for the coming battle. taking down his great war horn from the mast, he blew a resounding blast. his warriors understood the call, and they hastily donned their armour, brought their arrows and spears on deck and stood at their stations with a readiness which showed how well their royal master had trained them. olaf himself went below into his cabin. he knelt for a time before the crucifix in silent prayer, and then, with his stout heart well prepared for all that might happen to him, put on his finest armour and returned to the deck. as he stood beside his fluttering banner--a snow white banner with its blood red cross--he could easily be distinguished from all who were near him. his tall majestic figure was crowned with a crested helmet of pure gold. over his well wrought coat of mail he wore a short tunic of scarlet silk. his shield, with its jewelled image of the crucified christ shone in the sunlight and could be distinctly seen by his awaiting foes. some of his companions warned him of the danger of thus exposing himself and making himself a mark for his enemies. but he answered proudly that he wished all men, both friends and foes, to see that he shunned no danger. "the more i am seen," he said, "and the less fear i show in the battle, the more shall i inspire my brave friends with confidence and my foes with fear and terror." as he spoke, he saw that king sweyn with his ships was rowing slowly out into the mid bay to meet him, leaving two detachments in his rear. there was no sign of haste on board of any one of the ships, for all men knew that there was a long day's fight before them, and that it was well to make all their preparations with slow caution. for some time after he had come on deck king olaf was more intent upon observing his enemies than in arraying his own small armament. he had seen from the first that it would be his place to assume the defensive, and he had given the order for his ships to be drawn up in line, broadside to broadside. this order was being carried out as he now stood watching the advance of his enemy's battle. "who is the captain of the host now drawing up against us?" he asked of bersi the strong, one of his chieftains who stood near him. "by the standard on his prow methinks i should know him well." "king sweyn of the forkedbeard it is, with his forces from denmark," was bersi's answer. "that is even as i thought," returned olaf. "but we are not afraid of those cowards, for no more courage is there in danes than in wood goats. never yet were danes victorious over norsemen, and they will not vanquish us today. but what chief flies the standards to the right?" "those, lord, are the standards of olaf the swede king." "the son of queen sigrid the haughty stands in need of a little practice in warfare," said olaf. "but for the harm that he can do us, he might well have stayed at home. and his heathen sweden, i think, would find it more agreeable to sit at the fireside and lick their sacrificial bowls than to board the long serpent under the rain of our weapons. we need not fear the horse eating swedes. but who owns those fine ships to the left of the danes? a gallant man he must be, for his men are far better arrayed than the rest and much bolder of aspect in all ways." "earl erik hakonson is the owner of them," answered bersi. "he is the noblest champion who will fight against us today," said olaf, "and from him and the high born men that i see upon his decks we may expect a hard battle. earl erik has just cause for attacking us, and we must not forget that he and his crews are norsemen like ourselves. now let us make ready!" then the king turned to his own ships. the eleven dragons had been ranged side by side as he had ordered, with the long serpent in the middle and the crane and the short serpent at either side of her. to right and to left of each of these four ships were placed. this was a very small force, compared with the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, and as olaf glanced along his line he sorely missed the fifty of his fleet that had gone out to seaward. nevertheless he did not allow his men to see that he was in any way anxious. the seamen were now lashing the ships together stem by stem. olaf saw that they were tying the beak of the long serpent on a level with the other prows, so that her poop stood out far behind. he called out loudly to ketil the tall: "bring forward the large ship. let her prow and not her stern stand out. i will not lie behind my men when the battle begins!" then wolf the red, his standard bearer, whose station was forward in the bow, mumbled a complaint: "if the serpent shall lie as far forward as she is longer than your other ships, then there will be windy weather today in her bows." the king answered: "i had the serpent built longer than other ships, so that she might be put forward more boldly in battle, and be well known in fighting as in sailing. but when i chose her crew, i did not know that i was appointing a stem defender who was both red and adread." this playful taunt ruffled red wolf, who replied insolently: "there need be nothing said, lord, if you will guard the poop as well as i shall guard the forecastle." the king had a bow in his hand. he laid an arrow on the string and turned it on wolf, who cried: "shoot another way, king, and not at me but at your foes, for what i win in the fight i win for norway, and maybe you will find that you have not over many men before the evening comes." the king lowered the arrow and did not shoot. when the men had finished lashing the ships together he again took his war horn and blew a loud blast upon it that echoed and re-echoed along the rocky shores of the island. as he turned to put the horn aside he saw that queen thyra, alarmed by the growing tumult, had come up on deck. she looked out upon the bay, and seeing the enormous hostile fleet that was closing in upon olaf's diminished force she burst into tears. olaf went to her side and laid his hand on her shoulder. "you must not weep," he said gently. "come, dry your tears; for now you have gotten what was due to you in wendland; and today i mean to demand of your brother sweyn the tooth gift which you have so often asked me for." chapter xxi: the battle in svold sound. king olaf stood on the poop deck of the long serpent, a conspicuous figure among his fighting men, with his gold wrought helm towering high above the others' heads. from this position he could survey the movements of his foes, command the actions of his own shipmen, and direct the defence. from this place also he could fire his arrows and fling his spears over the heads of his norsemen. his quivers were filled with picked arrows, and he had near him many racks of javelins. the larger number of his chosen chiefs--as kolbiorn stallare, thorfinn the dashing, ketil the tall, and thorstein oxfoot--had their stations forward on the forecastle deck or in the "close quarters" nearer the prow. these stood ready with their spears and swords to resist boarders, and they were protected by the shield men, who were ranged before them at the bulwarks with their shields locked together. at various points of vantage groups of archers had been placed, the best marksmen being stationed before the mast, where no rigging or cordage would mar their aim. at this part stood einar eindridson throughout the whole battle. loud and shrill sounded the war horns from both sides. nearer and nearer king sweyn of denmark drew onward to the attack. the wind had fallen, the sea was calm; the sun hung hot and glaring in a cloudless sky, flashing on burnished helmet and gilded dragon head. king olaf's prows were pointed towards the north, so that the enemy as they came down upon him had the strong midday sunlight in their eyes. king sweyn fork beard opened his attack with a shower of arrows directed at the stem defenders of the long serpent. king olaf's archers at once replied in like manner. this exchange of arrows was continued without ceasing while sweyn's ships came onward at their fullest speed. then, as the danes drew yet closer under the norsemen's prows, arrows gave place to javelins and spears, which were hurled with unerring aim from side to side. sweyn's men turned their stems towards both bows of the long serpent, as she stood much further forward than any others of olaf's ships. many who could not approach this coveted position turned their attention to the short serpent and the crane. and now the battle raged fiercely. yet the norsemen stood firm as a wall of rock, while the danes, assailed by a heavy rain of spears and arrows from the serpent's decks, began to lose heart ere ever a man of them was able to make his way through the close bulwark of shields. olaf's prows were so lofty that they could not be scaled, while the defenders, from their higher stand, had full command over their foes. thrand squint eye and ogmund sandy were the first of the norsemen to fall. these two leapt down upon the deck of king sweyn's dragon, where, after a tough hand to hand fight, in which they vanquished nine of the dane king's foremost warriors, they were slain. kolbiorn stallare was very angry at these two having broken the ranks, and he gave the order that none of the norsemen were to attempt to board the enemy's ships without express command. sweyn's ship lay under the larboard bow of the serpent, and wolf the red had thrown out grappling hooks, holding her there. she was a longship, of twenty banks of oars, and her crew were the pick of all the warmen of denmark. sharp and fierce was the fight at this side, and great was the carnage. while kolbiorn and others of olaf's stem defenders kept up an incessant battle with their javelins and swords, king olaf and his archers shot their arrows high in air so that they fell in thick rain upon the danish decks. yet the danes, and the swedes from the rear, were not slow to retaliate. although they found it impossible to board the serpent, they nevertheless could assail her crowded decks with arrows and well aimed spears, and the norsemen fell in great numbers. in the meantime sweyn's other ships--not one of which was larger than the smallest of king olaf's eleven dragons--made a vigorous onset upon olaf's left and right wings. the norsemen fought with brave determination, and as one after another of the dane ships was cleared of men it was drawn off to the rear, and its place was occupied by yet another ship, whose warriors, fresh and eager, renewed the onset. all along olaf's line there was not one clear space, not a yard's breadth of bulwark unoccupied by fighting men. the air was filled with flying arrows and flashing spears and waving swords. the clang of the weapons upon the metal shields, the dull thud of blows, the wild shouts of the warriors and cries of the wounded, mingled together in a loud vibrating murmur. to earl sigvaldi, who lay with his ships apart at the far end of the bay, it sounded like the humming of bees about a hive. not only at the prows, but also behind at the sterns of olaf's compact host, did the danes attempt to board. the norsemen, indeed, were completely surrounded by their foemen. king olaf fought from the poop deck of the serpent with no less vigour than did kolbiorn and his stem defenders at the prow. he assailed each ship as it approached with showers of well directed arrows. then, as the stem of one of the danish longships crashed into his vessel's stern, he dropped his longbow and caught up his spears, one in either hand, and hurled them into the midst of his clamouring foes. time after time he called to his followers, and led them with a fierce rush down upon the enemy's decks, sweeping all before him. seven of king sweyn's vessels did he thus clear; and at last no more came, and for a time he had rest. but a great cry from the serpent's forecastle warned him that his stem men were having a hard struggle. so he gathered his men together and led them forward. many were armed with battleaxes, others with spears, and all with swords. calling to his shield bearers to make way for him, he pressed through the gap and leapt down upon the deck of sweyn forkbeard's dragon. "onward, christ men, cross men!" he cried as full three score of his bravest warriors followed close at his back. and he cut his way through the crowd of danes, who, led by sweyn himself, had been making a final rally and preparing to board the serpent. king sweyn was wounded in the right arm by a blow from kolbiorn's sword. kolbiorn was about to repeat the blow when several of the danes, retreating aft, crowded between him and their king. sweyn drew back, and crying aloud to his men to follow him, turned tail and led them over the bulwarks on to the deck of a ship that was alongside of him. this ship, which had not yet been secured by the norsemen's grappling irons, he now withdrew to the farther shores of the bay. as he thus retreated from the battle he sounded his horns, calling off those of his ships that were not yet altogether vanquished. tired, wounded, and despairing, he owned himself no match for olaf the glorious. he had made the attack with five and forty fully manned warships, and yet all this great force had been as nothing against the superior skill and courage of the defenders. thus it befell, as olaf triggvison had guessed, that the danes did not gain a victory over the norsemen. while the danes were in full retreat the swedes hastened forward to renew the attack. the swedish king, believing that olaf triggvison must certainly have suffered terrible loss at the hands of the danes, had the fullest hope that he would take very little time in turning the defeat of king sweyn into a victory for himself. he had already, from a distance, kept up an intermittent fire of arrows into the midst of the norse ships, and it may be that he had thus helped to reduce king olaf's strength. he now rowed proudly upon the left wing of the norse fleet. here he divided his own forces, sending one division to an attack upon olaf's prows, and himself rowing round to the rear. many of the disabled dane ships barred his way, but he at last brought his own longship under the poop of the long serpent. this interval had given the norsemen a brief respite in which to clear their disordered decks and refresh themselves with welcome draughts of cooling water which their chief ordered to be served round. vain were the swede king's hopes. when he advanced upon the serpent olaf triggvison was ready to meet him, refreshed by his brief rest, unwounded still, and with his warlike spirit burning eager within him. "let us not lose courage at the sight of these heathen devourers of horse flesh!" he cried as he rallied his men. "onward, my brave christians! it is for christ's faith that we fight today. christ's cross against thor's hammer! christian against pagan!" then, when the anchors and grappling hooks were fastened upon the swede king's ship, olaf hastened to the rail and assailed her men first with javelin and long spear, and then with sword. so high was the serpent's poop above the other's stem that the norsemen had to bring their weapons to bear right down below the level of their sandalled feet, and whenever the swedish soldiers, emboldened by seeing an occasional gap in king olaf's ranks, tried to climb on board, they were hewn down or thrown back into the sea. at last olaf of sweden came forward with a strong body of swordsmen and axemen, intent upon being the first of the three hostile princes to plant his foot on the deck of the long serpent. olaf triggvison saw him approaching, and again calling his norsemen to follow him, he leapt over the rail and landed on the enemy's deck. the son of queen sigrid stood still on his forecastle. his face suddenly blanched, but he gripped his sword, ready to encounter norway's king. here the two olafs met and crossed swords, and a desperate duel ensued. scarcely had they made half a dozen passes when olaf triggvison, with a quick movement of his wrist, struck his opponent's sword from his grasp and it fell on the deck. "too bold is queen sigrid's son," cried olaf, "if he thinks to board the long serpent. now have i got you in my power and might put an end to you and your worship of heathen idols. but never shall it be said that olaf triggvison struck down a foe who was unarmed. pick up your blade, proud king of the swedes, and let us see who is the better man, you or i." so when swedish olaf stood again on guard, the two crossed swords once more. "now will i avenge the insult you offered my mother!" cried olaf sigridson, "and you who struck her on the cheek with your glove shall be struck dead with a weapon of well tempered steel instead of foxskin." "guard well your head," returned triggvison, "lest i knock off your helmet. the man who taught you the use of the sword might have been better employed, for in truth he has taught you very little." "he has taught me enough to enable me to slay such a man as you!" cried the swede, gathering his strength for a mighty blow. "that remains to be proved," retorted olaf triggvison. "wait! you have got the wrong foot foremost!" but without heeding, the swede king brought down his sword with a great sweep, aiming at olaf triggvison's head. as with a lightning flash olaf raised his sword to meet the blow. his opponent's blade was broken in two halves, while at the same moment he fell severely wounded upon the deck. "swedish sword blades are good," said olaf triggvison, "but the swords of the norsemen are better." he thought that he had made an end of the king of sweden. but some of the swedish soldiers who had been watching the duel rushed forward, and, raising their fallen king, carried him off on board another of his ships, while olaf triggvison went aft along the crowded decks, and men fell beneath his blows, as the ripe grain falls before the mower's scythe. it happened to the swedes, as to the danes, that notwithstanding their superior numbers they found that they were ill matched in skill and prowess with the norsemen. their picked champions were speedily killed or wounded, their best ships were disabled, and although they had indeed reduced olaf triggvison's forces by about half, yet they had not succeeded in boarding any one of his ships, much less in carrying any of them off as prizes. as king sweyn had retreated, so did king olaf of sweden. his ships were called off from the combat and withdrawn out of range of the norsemen's arrows. he had won no fame by his daring attack, but only ignominious defeat, and he was fain to escape alive, albeit very badly wounded. thus olaf triggvison had made both the danes and the swedes take to flight, and it had all befallen as he had said. and now it must be told how earl erik hakonson fared in that fight. true to the agreement which he and the two allied kings had come to over their dice throwing on the morning of that same fateful day, he had stood apart from the battle while sweyn had vainly striven to make a prize of the long serpent; and during the midday and until the retreat of king sweyn he had engaged no more in the conflict than to direct his arrows from afar into the thick of olaf triggvison's host. now, earl erik was wise in warfare, and a man of keen judgment. he had fought with his father in the great battle against sigvaldi and the vikings of jomsburg, and from what he had seen on that day of olaf triggvison's prowess, and from what he had since heard of olaf's warfare in england and other lands, he had made a very true estimate of the man who now fought in defence of the long serpent. he had also seen sweyn forkbeard in the thick of battle, and olaf of sweden no less. he was, therefore, well able to judge that neither the king of the danes nor the king of the swedes was capable of overcoming so brave and mighty a warrior as the king of the norsemen, or of wresting the long serpent from the man who had built her and who knew so well how to defend his own. pride in his own countryman may have had some share in the forming of this opinion. but earl erik had fought against the men of every land in scandinavia. he had a firm belief that the men of norway were braver and bolder, stronger in body, more skilful in the use of their weapons, and had greater powers of endurance than any of their neighbours. and it may be that in this he was right. he at least saw cause for thinking that the only men who could succeed in vanquishing king olaf's norsemen were the norsemen of earl erik hakonson. earl erik's vikings and berserks, eagerly watching the fray, had seen how the danish ships had one after another been driven off, disabled and defeated. they had watched every movement of the tall and splendid form of the norse king as he fought in his shining armour and his bright red tunic on the serpent's lypting. for a time they had not been certain whether olaf triggvison was at the stem or on the poop of his great dragonship, for it was seen that at each of these important points there was a tall chief whose prowess and whose attire alike distinguished him from all other men; and these two champions so resembled one the other that it was not easy to tell which was kolbiorn stallare and which king olaf. but earl erik had not a moment's doubt. he would have known olaf triggvison had a score of such men as kolbiorn been at his side. earl erik was the eldest son of the evil earl hakon who had fled from thrandheim at the time of olaf's coming into norway, and been slain while taking refuge at the farmstead of rimul, and erik had naturally hoped that on his father's death he would succeed to the throne. olaf triggvison had shattered all his plans of future glory; and during the five years that had already passed of king olaf's reign he thirsted for such an opportunity as now presented itself, not only of avenging his father's death but also, it might be, of placing himself upon the throne of norway. his only uneasiness at the present moment arose from his fear lest king olaf should be overcome in the battle ere he had himself encountered him face to face and hand to hand. while the king of sweden and his forces were engaged with their attack upon olaf's centre of battle, earl erik adopted a plan which, although seemingly more hopeless, was in the end more successful than any that had yet been attempted by either the danes or the swedes. he saw that while the long serpent continued to be supported on either side by five strong and well manned dragonships she was practically unassailable. her poop and her prow were the only points of her hull that were exposed, and these towered so high above the bulwarks of all other vessels that to attempt to board her was both useless and dangerous. herein lay the secret of olaf's successful defence, the proof of his forethought and wisdom in building the serpent so much larger and higher than all other vessels in his fleet. earl erik, indeed, had observed that every ship that had approached her, either fore or aft, had been in its turn completely cleared of men or forced to withdraw out of the conflict. urging his rowers to their fullest speed, erik bore down with his ships upon the extreme of king olaf's right wing. the heavy, iron bound bow of the ram crashed into the broadside of olaf's outermost longship, whose timber creaked and groaned under the impact. vikings and berserks leapt down upon her decks, and now norseman met norseman in a terrible, deadly combat. the king's men were well nigh exhausted with the long day's fighting under the hot sun; their bronzed faces streamed with perspiration, their limbs moved wearily. but, however, tired and thirsty they were, they could give themselves no respite. every man that fell or was disabled by wounds left a gap in the ranks that could not be filled. the earl's men were fresh and vigorous; they had waited for hours for their chief's orders to enter the fray, and now that those orders had been given to them they fought with hot fury, yelling their battle cries and cutting down their foemen with ponderous axe and keen edged sword. so fierce was the onslaught that many of olaf's men, for the first time that day, fell back in fear and clambered over the bulwarks of the next ship. very soon the decks of the first longship were completely cleared of defenders. then earl erik backed out with the iron ram, while the seamen on his other ships cut away the lashings that had bound olaf's outermost vessel to her neighbour, and drew the conquered craft away into the rear, leaving the next ship exposed. again earl erik advanced with the ram and crashed as before into the exposed broadside of the outermost ship. as before, the vikings leapt on board and renewed the onset. five of the viking ships lay with their high prows overshadowing the broadside bulwarks, and their men swarmed and clamoured upon the decks from stem to stern, clearing all before them. again the lashings were cut and the conquered longship was withdrawn. two of king olaf's dragons had now been captured by earl erik. it was not very long ere yet two others followed; and then the short serpent was exposed, even as her four companions had been. at this juncture earl erik paused, for he saw that thorkel nefja's decks were densely crowded with men who had retreated from vessel to vessel before the onslaught of the vikings. with the caution which long years of viking work had taught him, the earl decided that the short serpent might best be assailed by means of arrows, fired from a safe distance, until her numbers had been sufficiently diminished to warrant his attacking her at closer quarters. so he arrayed six of his ships near hand and set his archers to work, and for a long while this method of assault was continued. there was no lack of arrows on the short serpent, or indeed, on any other of king olaf's battleships. but it was noticed by the earl's vikings that the larger number of the shafts that were shot at them by the defenders were of danish or swedish make, and by this it was judged that the king's men were using the arrows that had been fired upon them by their enemies. leaving his six ships where he had stationed them, earl erik now rowed the iron ram round to the left wing of olaf triggvison's array. four of his best longships followed him. he passed astern of the king's fleet. as he rowed by under the poop of the long serpent he saw the majestic figure of the king of norway, looking brilliant in gold and scarlet as he stood in flood of the afternoon sunlight, sword in hand and shield at breast. the eyes of the two bravest of norse warriors met. waving his sword in mock salute, earl erik cried aloud: "short will be olaf's shrift when erik boards the long serpent!" king olaf saw that near to where erik stood, on the iron ram's forward deck, the image of the god thor was raised, and he cried aloud in answer: "never shall erik board the serpent while thor dwells in his stem!" "a wise soothsayer is the king," said earl erik to one of his warriors as he passed onward astern of the crane. "and i have been thinking, ever since this battle began that the great luck of olaf may be due to that sign of the cross that we see on all his banners and shields. often have i felt a wish to turn christian, for it seems to me that all christian men have something noble and honest about them--a greatness which we heathens can never achieve. now do i swear upon the hilt of my sword"--he raised his sword hilt to his lips--"that if i win this battle and take the long serpent for my prize i will straightway allow myself to be christened. and, to begin with, i will have that image of thor thrown overboard into the sea. it is ill made and cumbrous, and a figure of the cross will take less room in our stem and bring us more luck withal." so speaking, earl erik stepped forward and, gripping the idol in his strong arms, flung it over the bulwark. then he lashed two spars together, a long plank crossed with a shorter one, and raised this rough made crucifix high in the stem of the iron ram. by this time his vessel had passed beyond the extreme of king olaf's left wing. he bade his rowers stop their rowing on the starboard side. they did so, and the ship turned about. then at fullest speed he bore down upon the king's outermost dragon, crashed into her side and renewed his onslaught. erik dealt with the left wing as he had done with the right, and one after another of the four ships was cleared and unlashed. and now the long serpent lay with only two companions, the short serpent at her starboard and the crane at her larboard side. already the short serpent was greatly crippled. her commander, thorkel nefja, had fallen, and the larger number of her men had retreated on board of olaf's ship, driven thither by the vikings of the six vessels that were now ranged close against her. earl erik now made a vigorous attack upon the crane. he boarded her with a vast crowd of his vikings. on the mid deck he encountered her captain, thorkel the wheedler, and the two engaged in a sharp hand to hand fight. regardless of his own life, thorkel fought with savage fury. he knew how much depended upon his preventing erik from boarding the king's ship. but he had already received a severe wound from a javelin across the fingers of his right hand, and he was full weary from the heat and long fighting. his assailant speedily overcame him, and he fell, calling upon god to save the king. as thorkel had fought, so fought his men--desperately, furiously, but yet weakly, and at last both the crane and the short serpent were cleared; their lashings were unfastened, they were withdrawn to the rear, and king olaf's great dragonship stood alone among her foes. chapter xxii: the defence of the "long serpent" the sun was sinking lower and lower to the sea; light clouds were gathering in the western sky. but there would yet be three hours of daylight, and earl erik deemed that this would be ample time in which to win the long serpent. his own decks were thickly strewn with dead; his men were weary and athirst, and he saw need for a respite from fighting, if only for a very brief while. also he saw on coming nearer to king olaf's ship that it would be no easy matter to win on board of her; for the iron ram was but a third of her length, and her highest bulwarks reached only to a level with the oar holes in the serpent's wales. erik blew his horns for a short truce. his ships were drawn off, and for a time the battle ceased. in this interval the combatants on both sides rested themselves and took food and drink. king olaf had his decks cleared of the dead, sent the wounded below into the shelter of the holds, and arrayed his men anew. he was himself unwounded still, but his silken tunic was tattered, so that the links of his coat of mail showed through. his helmet was battered by the many spears and swords that had struck upon it, and his shield bristled with broken arrows. when he had freshened himself and got together a new supply of arrows and spears, he mounted to the poop deck, and there, standing in the sunlight, looked around the bay. the water was strewn with wreckage, an arrow floated on every wave. small boats had been put out to pick up the men who had fallen, or been thrust overboard from the ships. all was silent now, save for the suppressed cries of the wounded and the hoarse voices of the chiefs who were giving rapid orders to their men for the renewal of the fight. earl erik's ships, among which there were also some of the swedes and danes, stood off from the serpent at a distance of an easy arrow's flight. they surrounded the serpent like a pack of eager wolves held at bay; and the most eager of all men there present was earl erik. when he had prepared his men he said to a chief who stood near him--thorkel the high, it was, brother of earl sigvaldi: "many fierce battles have i fought; but never before have i found men equally brave and so skilled in warfare as the men fighting for king olaf today; nor have i ever seen a ship so hard to win as the long serpent. now, as you are one of the wisest of men, thorkel, give me the best advice you know as to how that great ship may be won." "i cannot give you sure advice," thorkel answered: "but i can say what seems to me the best; and i would say that you would do well, when we presently come alongside, to take heavy timbers or such like weighty things, and let them fall across the gunwale of the serpent, so that the ship will lean over. you will then find it easier to board her, for she will be brought down by the weight to a level with our own bulwarks." "the advice is good," said erik, "and i will follow it." as he spoke, there came the loud blast of king olaf's war horns, calling to his foes to come on. the iron ram, and other ships, to the number of fifteen, then closed in about the serpent, and, as they advanced, the archers on their decks opened battle by shooting their arrows high in air, so that they fell into the midst of olaf's men in an unremitting shower. olaf's warriors, one and all, raised their shields above their heads and held them there while the rain of shafts pattered upon them with a loud drumming noise that could be heard far across the bay. many of the men were killed and many more wounded by this terrible hail, and when at length the shooting ceased, every shield was found to be closely bristled with arrows. earl erik bore down upon the serpent with the iron ram, whose heavy stem struck her amidships with tremendous force, so that the men on her decks were thrown off their feet. the good ship creaked in all her beams, but no great damage was done. erik shipped his oars and drew his vessel close alongside, and at once his men began to heave great planks and logs of wood over the serpent's gunwale. in this work they were speedily stopped, for olaf's spearmen and archers on the deck of the foreroom assailed them with their weapons in such wise that they dared not continue. not to be outdone, erik had all his long oars brought on deck, and with these he made a bridge from the top of his foreroom across to the serpent's gunwale. in this work he lost many of his men, who were shot down by einar eindridson and others of the king's best marksmen. but a gangway was made, nevertheless, and the chief difficulty was surmounted. not yet did earl erik attempt to board king olaf's dragon. he sent many of his best men on board, armed with axe and sword. most of them crossed the gangway to certain death; but many of the king's men also fell, both from wounds and from sheer exhaustion. it was amidships that the toughest fighting went on, and it was here that the larger number of the defenders met their death. but at the foreroom and the stem of the serpent the fray was also of the fiercest. company after company of the vikings clambered on board, for so fully were the king's men occupied in guarding their own lives that they could give little heed to their foes, who seemed to come from every point, not only from the iron ram, but also from other ships that were now drawn close in against the serpent's hull. for every viking or dane or swede who fell, there were ten ready to take his place. the clang of weapons was now at its highest. spears and arrows flew in the midst, not aimed at random, but each at its own particular mark, and each carrying death on its keen point. king olaf, surrounded by a burg of shields, flung his spears and shot his arrows with untiring vigour; but often he paused to watch how the battle fared or to give some new order to his men. he saw that his stem defenders were quickly becoming fewer and fewer, and that those who yet remained wielded their weapons with slow and heavy strokes. in a momentary lull of the conflict he left his own post and went forward. "why do you raise your weapons so slowly?" he cried. "i see they do not bite!" bersi the strong replied: "our swords are both dull and broken, lord." the king then went into the foreroom, unlocked the high seat chest and took therefrom many bright and sharp swords which he carried out in his arms and put down among his men. as he bent over the weapons and picked out a very fine one to give to bersi the strong, kolbiorn saw that blood flowed out of the sleeve of his coat of mail. others saw the blood; but no one knew where the king was wounded. then olaf strode back to the lypting deck and once more surveyed the battle from on high. he saw that his stem defenders, to whom he had served new weapons, had now become so furious that they leapt upon the gunwales in order to reach their foes with their swords and kill them. but many of earl erik's ships did not lie so close to the serpent as to afford any hand to hand fighting. the vikings were still cautious of olaf's champions. still, many of the king's men thought of nothing but going constantly forward, and in their eagerness and daring they seemed to forget that they were not on dry land. they went straight overboard, and several sank down with their weapons between the ships. olaf was very angry at their want of care, for he now deemed every man of more value than ten had been at the beginning of the battle. nevertheless, it was easy to see that the greater loss was on the side of earl erik. olaf's archers and spearmen dealt such destruction that the victory for norway seemed to become more possible with every moment. now earl erik had found very soon that his gangway of oars was by no means satisfactory, because while his men were crossing they became so fully exposed to king olaf's marksmen that of every three who started only one succeeded in gaining a foothold on the serpent's deck. many hundreds of men--vikings, swedes, and danes--lost their lives on this bridge. so when erik saw that king olaf was gaining the upper hand of him he got his berserks to take down the oars and to fling them over the serpent's nearer gunwale, together with all logs of wood, spars, ballast stones, and other weighty things that could be found. and as the weight increased so did the serpent lean over, until at last her bulwarks were almost on a level with those of the iron ram. while the vikings were at this work a constant rain of arrows and javelins was showered upon them by king olaf himself and his marksmen on the poop, and as erik saw his best men falling he half repented having taken them from the fight. but when the great obstacle that had baffled him so long was overcome, he rallied his vikings, and placing himself at their head, led them on board the serpent. and now ensued one of the sharpest combats that had been seen that day. olaf's voice sounded loud above the tumult, calling to his chiefs in the bow to leave their station and resist the boarders in the waist. wolf the red, ogmund sandy, and thrand squinteye had already fallen, and ketil the tall and vikar of tiundaland had been sent below seriously wounded. but there still remained kolbiorn stallare, thorstein oxfoot, bersi the strong, and thorfinn the dashing; and these champions gathered a score of men about them, and hastening aft to the midships deck, turned against earl erik and made a very hard resistance. bersi the strong encountered the earl hand to hand, their swords clashed, a few blows were exchanged and dexterously guarded; then bersi fell. thorfinn the dashing took his place, and while the earl and he were fighting their hardest, thorstein oxfoot and kolbiorn engaged with four of the earl's vikings. kolbiorn felled two of them and turned to a third. then thorstein oxfoot's sword was struck from his hand. thorstein doubled his fist and struck his opponent on the cheek. the viking stumbled, and thorstein snatched up the half of a broken oar and wielding it above his head rushed among the vikings, belabouring them right and left. when king olaf saw this he called aloud to thorstein in a loud voice of command: "take your weapons, man, and defend yourself with them fairly. weapons, and not fists or timber, are meant for men to fight with in battle!" thorstein then recovered his sword and fought valiantly. there was still a most fierce fight going on between the earl's men and olaf's champions. kolbiorn vanquished the third viking he had engaged with, while earl erik was pressed back and back by thorfinn the dashing. then thorfinn caught sight of king olaf, and at a sign from the king he lowered his blade and drew back a pace. before earl erik could understand, a javelin whizzed past his left ear and buried its point in the bulwark behind him. he turned to see who had flung the javelin and saw king olaf standing by the poop rail poising a second spear. the king flung his weapon, taking good aim; but this spear missed its mark as the first had done. king olaf bit his lip in vexation, but as the earl turned quickly to beat a retreat on board the ram, olaf flung a third javelin after him. it struck the crest of erik's helmet, but did no harm. "never before did i thus miss a man!" cried the king as he watched his enemy's retreat. "great is earl erik's luck today. it must be god's will that he now shall rule in norway; and that is not strange, for i see that he has changed the stem dweller on the iron ram. i said today that he would not gain victory over us if he had the image of thor in his stem." now young einar eindridson had by this time taken up his position in front of the poop deck, where he found he could command a better sweep of the iron ram's deck, and so pick off earl erik's champions. einar saw the vexation in king olaf's face, and when he got a good chance he levelled his aim against earl erik. he drew his bow. the arrow flew from the string and went straight to its mark. but in the same instant the earl suddenly moved round his head, so that the arrow, meant for his bared temple, only grazed his ear. "shoot me that tall, beardless youth!" cried the earl, pointing at einar. "full fifty of our best men has he slain with his arrows this day!" finn eyvindson, to whom erik spoke, aimed an arrow at einar just as the lad was bending his bow for a second shot at the earl. the arrow hit einar's famous bow in the middle and broke it with a loud snap. "what was it that broke?" asked king olaf. einar answered sadly as he dropped the pieces of his bow: "norway from thy hands, my king!" "so great was not the breach, i hope," king olaf said. "take my bow and shoot with it instead." einar seized the king's bow and straightway drew it right over the arrowhead, bending it almost double. "too weak, too weak is the king's bow," said he, casting it aside. then, for the first time that day, he took his shield and sword and rushed into the fray. no man in all king olaf's host had slain more men in that battle than einar with his arrows; and now the lad made himself no less distinguished with his sword. earl erik presently saw that the sun was sinking nearer and nearer to the line of the sea. the number of his men had become woefully small, and yet, as he believed, olaf triggvison was still unwounded, undaunted, and as full of confident hope as he had ever shown himself to be. so the earl decided to make one more effort after the victory and to risk his all in a final hand to hand encounter with the king of the norsemen. gathering all his available men together he prepared to make a rush upon the long serpent's deck. king olaf, seeing the earl's design, called his men aft, and ranged them in a compact body in front of the poop deck, ready to meet their foes. at the same time kolbiorn stallare went up to olaf's side, and the two, so much alike in size and dress, stood shoulder to shoulder, with their shields before them and their swords in their hands. a row of shield bearers stood in front of them. then, with wild yells, the vikings, led by earl erik, rushed upon the mid deck. as it had been throughout the whole day's battle, so was it now. king olaf's men were greatly outnumbered; it was a conflict of skill and endurance against overwhelming odds. this final contest, while it lasted, was fierce and terrible. in a short time, however, many of king olaf's champions fell. brave and strong though they were, they could not withstand the furious onslaught of the ambitious and valiant earl erik. for a moment olaf triggvison was tempted to rush down and join the poor remnant of his men. he pressed forward to the stairs; but kolbiorn stallare drew him back. "wait, lord!" he cried; and then he whispered in olaf's ear, and they both strode slowly aft to the rail. here king olaf turned and spoke to one of the shield bearers. "how many of our men now remain?" he asked. the man counted. "twelve are still left," he answered. in a little while the king repeated his question. "there are now but six," was the answer. and then there came the sound of hurried feet upon the stairs, and einar eindridson rushed upon the upper deck, followed by three of his shipmates, and pursued by earl erik and a great crowd of clamouring vikings. "death to king olaf!" cried the earl, in a voice which, in the silence that suddenly fell upon the ships, could be heard far across the bay. in that moment king olaf and kolbiorn leapt upon the rail, paused there amid the red light of the setting sun, and then, raising their shields above their heads, threw themselves over into the sea. a cry that was half a groan escaped earl erik's lips. flinging his sword aside, he went to the rail where king olaf had stood. he looked down into the sea. shadows were creeping over it. for a moment he saw the two swimmers. so much alike were they, each with his flowing gold hair, his crested helm, and his tattered red silk tunic, that it was impossible to tell which was the king. presently one disappeared. the other was assailed by arrows and spears, but instantly he turned over and held his shield above him. "it is the king! it is olaf the king!" was the cry and boats were put out to rescue him. but einar eindridson kept his eyes upon the waves until at last, in the midst of a bright beam of sunlight far away he saw the shield of king olaf appear, with its glistening image of the holy cross. and when the word went round that the rescued man was kolbiorn stallare and not the king, the lad pointed outward upon the sea and all looked in amaze upon the shining crucifix as it rose and fell with the motion of the waves. the tale is told that the king, as he swam beneath the cover of his shield, stripped off his armour and, making his way to the land, went away on a pilgrimage to rome. but the young grew old, and the world went on, and never again did king olaf the glorious come back to his realm in norway. vandrad the viking or the feud and the spell by j. storer clouston with six illustrations by hubert paton contents. i. the west sea sailing ii. the bairn-slayers iii. the holy isle iv. the island spell v. andreas the hermit vi. the hall of liot vii. the verdict of the sword viii. in the cell by the roost ix. the message of the runes x. king bue's feast xi. the house in the forest xii. the magician xiii. arrow and shield xiv. the midnight guest xv. the last of the lawman xvi. king estein xvii. the end of the story chapter i. the west sea sailing. long after king estein had joined his fathers on the little holm beyond hernersfiord, and helgi, earl of askland, had become but a warlike memory, the skalds of sogn still sang this tale of vandrad the viking. it contained much wonderful magic, and some astonishingly hard strokes, as they told it; but reading between their lines, the magic bears a strong resemblance to many spells cast even at this day, and as for the sword strokes, there was need for them to be hard in norway then. for that was the age of the making of many kingdoms, and the north was beginning to do its share. one may morning, more than a thousand years ago, so the story runs, an old man came slowly along a woodland track that uncoiled itself from the mountain passes and snow-crowned inlands of norway. presently the trees grew thinner, and grass and wild flowers spread on either hand, and at last, just where the path dipped down to the water-side at hernersfiord, the traveller stopped. for a while he remained there in the morning sunshine, watching the scene below, and now and then speaking out his thoughts absently in the rapt manner of a visionary. though his clothes were old and weather-stained, and bare of any ornament, his face and bearing were such as strike the mind at once and stay in the memory. he was tall and powerfully framed, and bore his years and the white volume of his beard in an altogether stately fashion; but his eyes were most indelible, pale blue and singularly cold in repose, very bright and keen and searching when his face was animated. they saw much to stir them that morning. on the slope above hernersfiord stood the royal hall of hakonstad, the seat of the kings of sogn; and all about the house, and right down to the water's edge, there was a great bustle and movement of men. from the upland valley at the fiord head, warriors trooped down to the ships that lay by the long stone pier. the morning sun glanced on their helmets and coats of mail, and in the still air the clash of preparation rang far up the pine-clad hillside. he could see some bringing weapons and provisions down to the shore, and others busily lading the ships. women mingled in the crowd, and every here and there a gay cloak and gilded helm marked a leader of rank. "ay, the season has come for vikings to put to sea again," he said. "brave and gay are the warriors of sogn, and lightly they leave. when a man is young, all roads are pleasant, and all lead home again. many have i seen set sail these last sixty years, and their sailing led them--where?" and then again, as the stir increased, and he could see the men beginning to troop on board the long ships,-- "this voyage shall be as the falling of snowflakes into the sea; but what man can escape his fate?" meanwhile a party of men had just left the woods, and were coming down the path to the fiord, ten or twelve in all, headed by an exceedingly broad, black-bearded man, clad in a leather coat closely covered all over with steel scales, and bearing on his shoulder a ponderous halberd. the path was very narrow at that point, and he of the black beard called out gruffly,-- "make way, old man! give room to pass." roused abruptly from his reverie, the dreamer turned quietly, but made no movement to the side. the party by this time were so close that they had perforce to halt, with some clash of armour, and again their captain cried,-- "are you deaf? make way!" yet there was something daunting in the other's pale eye, and though the viking moved the halberd uneasily on his shoulder, his own glance shifted. with the slightest intonation of contempt, the traveller asked,-- "who bids me make way?" the black-bearded man looked at him with an air of some astonishment, and then answered shortly,-- "they call me ketill; but what is that to you?" without heeding the other's gruffness, the old man asked,-- "does king hakon sail from hernersfiord to-day?" "king hakon has not sailed for many a day. his son leads this force." "ay, i had forgotten, we are both old men now. then estein sails to-day?" "ay, and i sail with him. my ship awaits me, so make way, old man," replied ketill. "whither do ye sail?" "to the west seas. i have no time for talking more. do you hear?" "go on then," replied the old man, stepping to one side; "something tells me that estein will have need of all his men before this voyage is over." without stopping for further words, the black-bearded captain and his men pushed past and continued their way to the fiord, while the old man slowly followed them. as he went down the hillside he talked again aloud to himself:-- "ay, this then is the meaning of my warning dreams--danger in the south lands, danger on the seas. little heed will estein hakonson pay to the words of an old man, yet i am fain to see the youth again, and what the gods reveal to me i must speak." down below, near the foot of the path that led from the pier up to the hall of hakonstad, a cluster of chiefs stood talking. in the midst of them, hakon, king of sogn, one of the independent kinglings who reigned in the then chaotic norway, watched the departure of his son. he was a venerable figure, conspicuous by his long, wintry locks and embroidered cloak of blue, straight as a spear-shaft, but grown too old for warfare. his hand rested on the shoulder of earl sigvald of askland, a bluff old warrior, long the king's most faithful counsellor and companion in arms. before them stood his son estein, a tall, auburn-haired, bright-eyed young man, gaily dressed, after the fashion of the times, in red kirtle and cloak, and armed as yet only with a gilded helmet, surmounted with a pair of hawk's wings, and a sword girt to his side. his face, though regular and handsome, would have been rather too grave and reserved but for the keenness of his eyes, and a very pleasant smile which at times lit up his features when he spoke. after they had talked for a while, he glanced round him, and saw that the bustle was subsiding, and most of the men had gone aboard. "all is ready now," he said. "ay," replied thorkel sigurdson, one of his ship captains, "they wait but for us." "farewell then, estein!" cried the earl. "thor speed you, and send you worthy foemen!" "my son, i can ill spare you," said the king. "but it becomes a king's son to see the world, and prove his valour in distant lands. warfare in the baltic seas is but a pastime for common vikings. england and valland, [footnote: france] the countries of the black man and the flat lands of the rivers, lie before you. there estein hakonson must feed the wolves." "and yet, estein," he added in a lower tone, as he embraced him, "i would that yule were here again and you with it. i am growing old, and my dreams last night were sorrow-laden." "farewell, son of hakon!" shouted a loud-mouthed chieftain. "i would that i too were sailing to the southern lands. spare not, estein; fire and sword in england, sword and fire in valland!" the group had broken up, and estein was about to go on board when he heard himself hailed by name. he looked round, and saw the same old man who had accosted ketill coming down the pier after him. "hail, estein hakonson!" he cried; "i have come far to see thee." "hail, old man!" replied estein courteously; "what errand brings you here?" "you know me not?" said the old man, looking at him keenly. "nay, i cannot call your face to mind." "my name is atli, and if my features are strange to thee, much stranger must my name be." he took estein's hand, looked closely into his eyes for a minute, and then said solemnly,-- "estein hakonson, this voyage will have an ending other than ye deem. troubles i see before ye--fishes feeding on warriors, and winds that blow as they list, and not as ye." "that is likely enough," replied estein. "we are not sailing on a trading voyage, and in the west seas the winds often blow high. but what luck shall i have?" "strange luck, estein, i see before thee. thou shalt be warned and heed not. more shall be left undone than shall be done. there shall come a change in thee that i cannot fathom. many that set out shall not return, but thine own fate is dim to me." a young man of barely twenty, very gaily dressed and martial-looking, had come up to them while they were talking. he had a reckless, merry look on his handsome face, and bore himself as though he was aware of his personal attractions. "and what is my fate, old man?" he asked, more as if he were in jest than in earnest. "shall i feed the fishes, or make this strange change with estein into a troll, [footnote: a kind of goblin] or werewolf, or whatsoever form he is to take?" "thy fate is naught to me, helgi sigvaldson," replied the seer; "yet i think thou wilt never be far from estein." "that was easily answered," said helgi with a laugh. "and i can read my fate yet further. when i part from my foster-brother estein, then shall a man go to valhalla. what say you to that?" atli's face darkened. "darest thou mock me?" he cried. "not so," interposed estein. "' bare is back without brother behind it,' and helgi means that death only can part us. farewell, atli! if your prophecy comes true, and i return alive, you may choose what gift you please from among my spoils." "little spoil there will be, estein!" answered the old man, as the foster-brothers turned from him down the pier. the last man sprang on board, the oars dipped in the still water, and as the little fleet moved slowly down the fiord the crowd on shore gradually dispersed. out at sea, beyond the high headlands that guarded hernersfiord, a fresh breeze was blowing briskly from the north-east, and past the rocky islets of the coast white caps gleamed in the sunshine. as the ships drew clear of the fiord, and the boom of the outer sea breaking on the skerries rose louder and nearer, sails were spread and oars shipped. slowly at first, and then more quickly as they caught the deep-sea wind, the vessels cut the open water. past the islands they heeled to the breeze, and over a wake of foam the men watched the mountains of norway sink slowly into the wilderness of waters. on the decked poop of an open boat, sailing over an ocean unknown to him, towards countries of whose whereabouts he was only vaguely informed, estein hakonson stood lost in stirring fancies. he was the only surviving son of the king of sogn. three brothers had fallen in battle, one had perished at sea, and another, the eldest, had died beneath a burning roof-tree. his education had been conducted according to the only standard known in scandinavia. at fourteen he had slain his first man in fair fight; at seventeen he was a viking captain on the baltic; and now, at two-and-twenty--old far beyond his years and hardened in varied experience--he was setting forth on the viking path that led to the wonderful countries of the south. the tide of norse energy was not yet at the full, the fury and the terror were waxing fast, and the fever of unrest was ever spreading through the north. men were always coming back with tales of monasteries filled with untold wealth, and rich provinces to be won by the sword. skalds sang of the deeds done in the south, and shiploads of spoil confirmed their lays. little wonder then that estein should feel his heart beat high as he stood by the great tiller. that night, long after the sun was set, he still sat on deck watching the stars. by-and-by his foster-brother helgi came up to him, wrapped in a long sea cloak, and humming softly to himself. "the night is fair, estein. if thor is kind, and this wind speeds us, we shall soon reach england." "ay, if the gods are with us," answered estein. "i am trying to read the stars. methinks they are unfavourable." helgi laughed. "what know you of the stars?" he said, "and what does estein hakonson want with white magic? will it make his life one day longer? will it make mine, if i too read the stars?" "not one day, helgi, not one instant of time. we are in the hands of the gods. this serves but to while away a long night." "norsemen should not read the stars," said helgi. "these things are for finns and lapps, and the poor peoples who fear us." "i wished to know what odin thought of helgi sigvaldson," said estein with a smile. helgi laughed lightly as he answered,-- "i know what odin thinks of you, estein--a foolish man and fey." estein stepped forward a pace, and leaning over the side gazed for a while into the darkness. helgi too was silent, but his blue eyes danced and his heart beat high as his thoughts flew ahead of the ship to the clash of arms and the shout of victory. "there remains but me," said estein at length. "hakon has no other son." "and you have five brothers to avenge; the sword should not rust long in your scabbard, estein." "twice i have made the danes pay a dear atonement for eric. i cannot punish thor because he suffered harald to drown, but if ever in my life it be my fate to meet thord the tall, snaekol gunnarson, or thorfin of skapstead, there shall be but one man left to tell of our meeting." "the burners of olaf have long gone out of norway, have they not?" "i was but a child when my brother was burned like a fox in his hole at laxafiord. the burners knew my father too well to bide at home and welcome him; and since then no man has told aught of them, save that thord the tall at one time raided much in england, and boasted widely of the burning. he perchance forgot that hakon had other sons. "but now, helgi, we must sleep while we may; nights may come when we shall want it." for six days and six nights they sailed with a favouring wind over an empty ocean. on the seventh day land was sighted on the starboard bow. "can that be england?" asked old ulf, estein's forecastle man, a hairy, hugely muscular viking from the far northern fiords. "the coast of scotland more likely," said helgi. "shall we try our luck, estein?" "i should like to spill a little scottish blood, and mayhap carry off a maid or two," said thorolf hauskoldson, a young giant from the upland dales. "it may be but a waste of time," estein replied. "we had best make for england while this wind holds." "i like not the look of the sky," said ulf, gazing round him with a frowning brow. the wind had been dropping off for some time, and along the eastern horizon the settled sky was giving place to heavy clouds. for a short time estein hesitated, but as the outlook grew more threatening and the wind beat in flaws and gusts, now from one quarter, now from another, the vikings changed their course and ran under oars and sails for the shelter of the land. little shelter it promised as they drew nearer: a dark, inhospitable line of precipices stretched north and south as far as the eye could reach, and even from a long distance they could see white flashes breaking at the cliff foot. again they changed their course; and then, with a dull hum of approaching rain, a south-easterly storm broke over them, and there was nothing for it but to turn and run before the gale. "i read the stars too well," said estein grimly between his teeth, clinging to the straining tiller, and watching the rollers rising higher. "and the first part of atli's prophecy has come true." "winds, war, and women make a viking's luck," replied helgi; "this is but the first part of the rede." at night the gale increased, the fleet was scattered over the north sea, and next morning from estein's ship only two other black hulls could be seen running before the tempest. another wild day passed, and it was not till the evening that the weather moderated. little by little the great seas began to calm, and the drifts of stinging rain ceased. in their wake the stars struggled through the cloud wrack, and towards morning the wind sank altogether. chapter ii. the bairn-slayers. at earliest dawn eyes were strained to catch a glimpse of something that might tell them where they were. none of the men on estein's ship had been in those seas more than two or three times at most, and the vaguest conjectures were rife when, as the light was slowly gaining, ulf raised a cry of land ahead. "land to the right!" cried helgi, a moment later. "land to the left!" exclaimed estein; "and we are close on it, methinks." when the morning fully broke they found themselves lying off a wide-mouthed sound, that bent and narrowed among low, lonely-looking islands. only on the more distant land to the right were heather hills of any height to be seen, and those, so far as they could judge, were uninhabited. a heavy swell was running in from the open sea, and a canopy of grey clouds hung over all. "i like not this country," said ulf. "what think you is it?" "the hjaltland islands, i should think, from what men tell of them," estein suggested. "the orkneys more likely," said thorolf, who had sailed in those seas before. far astern one other vessel was making towards them. "which ship is that, ulf?" asked estein. "one of our fleet, think you?" "ay, it is thorkel sigurdson's," replied the shaggy forecastle man, after a long, frowning look. "by the hammer of thor, she seems in haste," said helgi. "they must have broached the ale over-night." "perchance thorkel feels cold," suggested thorolf with a laugh. "they have taken the shields from the sides," estein exclaimed as the ship drew nearer. "can there be an enemy, think you?" again ulf's hairy face gathered into a heavy frown. "no man can say i fear a foeman," he said, "but i should like ill to fight after two sleepless nights." "bah! thorkel is drunk as usual, and thinks we are chapmen," [footnote: merchants.] said helgi. "they are doubtless making ready to board us." the ship drew so near that they could plainly see the men on board, and conspicuous among them the tall form of thorkel appeared in the bow. "he waves to us; there is something behind this," said estein. "drunk," muttered helgi. "i wager my gold-handled sword he is drunk. they have ale enough on board to float the ship." "a sail!" estein exclaimed, pointing to a promontory to seaward round which the low black hull and coloured sail of a warship were just appearing. "ay, and another!" said ulf. "three-four-seven-eight!" helgi cried. "there come nine, and ten!" added estein. "how many more?" they watched the strange fleet in silence as one by one they turned and bore down upon them, ten ships in all, their oars rhythmically churning the sea, the strange monsters on the prows creeping gradually nearer. "orkney vikings," muttered ulf. "if i know one long ship from another, they are orkney vikings." meantime thorkel's ship had drawn close alongside, and its captain hailed estein. "there is little time for talking now, son of hakon!" he shouted. "what think you we should do?--run into the islands, or go to odin where we are? these men, methinks, will show us little mercy." "i seek mercy from no man," answered estein. "we will bide where we are. we could not escape them if we would, and i would not if i could. have you seen aught of the other ships?" "we parted from ketill yesterday, and i fear me he has gone to feed the fishes. i have seen nothing of asgrim and the rest. i think with you, estein, that the bottom here will make as soft a resting-place for us as elsewhere. fill the beakers and serve the men! it is ill that a man should die thirsty." the stout sea-rover turned with a gleam of grim humour in his eyes to the enjoyment of what he fully expected would be his last drink on earth, and on both ships men buckled on their armour and bestirred themselves for fight. vikings in those days preyed on one another as freely as on men of alien blood. they came out to fight, and better sport could generally be had from a crew of seasoned warriors like themselves than from the softer peoples of the south. particularly were the orkney and shetland islands the stations for the freest of free lances, men so hostile to all semblance of law and order that the son of a norwegian king would seem in their eyes a most desirable quarry. many a load of hard-won spoil changed hands on its way home; and the shores of norway itself were so harried by these island vikings that some time later king harald harfagri descended and made a clean sweep of them in the interests of what he probably considered society. the two vessels floated close together, the oars were shipped, and there, in the grey prosaic early morning light, they heaved gently on the north sea swell, and awaited the approach of the ten. a few sea-birds circled and screamed above them; a faint pillar of smoke rose from some homestead on a distant shore; elsewhere there was no sign of life save in the ships to seaward. thorkel, leaning over the side of his vessel, told a tale of buffetings by night and day such as estein and his crew had undergone. that morning he said they had descried estein's ship just as the day broke, and almost immediately afterwards ten long ships were spied lying at anchor in an island bay. for a time they hoped to slip by them unseen. the fates, however, were against them. they were observed, and the strange vikings awoke and gave chase like a swarm of bees incautiously aroused. apparently the strangers considered themselves hardly yet prepared for battle; for they slackened speed as they advanced, and those on estein's ships could see that a hasty bustle of preparation was going on. "what think you--friends or foes?" asked helgi. "to the orkney vikings all men are foes," replied estein. "ay," said thorkel with a laugh, "particularly when they are but two to ten." by this time the strangers were within hailing distance, and in the leading ship a man in a red cloak came from the poop and stood before the others in the bow. in a loud tone he bade his men cease rowing, and then, clapping his hand to his mouth, asked in a voice that had a ring of scornful command what name the captain bore. "estein, the son of hakon, king of sogn; and who are you who ask my name?" came the reply across the water. "liot, the son of skuli," answered the man in the red cloak. "with me sails osmund hooknose, the son of hallward. we have here ten warships, as you see. yield to us, estein hakonson, or we will take by force what you will not give us." the man threw his left hand on his hip, drew himself up, and said something to his crew, accompanying the words by gestures with a spear. they answered with a loud shout, and then struck up a wild and monotonous chorus, the words of which were a refrain descriptive of the usual fate of those who ventured to stand in liot skulison's way. at the same time their oars churned the water, and their vessel was brought into line with the others. "it is easily seen that our friend liot is a valiant man," said helgi with a short laugh. "he and his ill-looking crew make a mighty noise. has any man heard of liot skulison or osmund hooknose before?" "ay," answered ulf. "they call them the bairn-slayers, because they show no mercy even to children." "they will meet with other than bairns to-day," said helgi. estein and thorkel had been employed in binding the two vessels together with grapnels. then estein turned to his men and said,-- "we are of one mind, are we not? we fight while we may, and then let odin do with us what he wills." without waiting for the shout of approval that followed his words, he sprang to the bow, and raising his voice, cried,-- "we are ready for you, liot and osmund. when you get on board you can take what you find here." from another ship a man shouted,-- "then you will fight, little estein? remember that we are called the bairn-slayers." instantly thorkel took up the challenge. three beakers of ale had made him in his happiest and most warlike mood, and his eyes gleamed almost merrily as he answered,-- "i know you, osmund the ugly, by that nose whereon men say you hang the bairns you catch. little need have you to do aught save look at them. here is a gift for you," and with that he hurled a spear with so true an aim that, if osmund had not stooped like a flash, his share in the fight would have come to an end there and then. as it was, the missile struck another man between the shoulders and laid him on the deck. "forward! forward!" cried liot. "forward, vikings! forward, the men of liot and osmund!" the oars struck the water, the wild chorus swelled into a terrible and tuneless roar, and the ten ships bore down on the two. with a crash the bows met, and metal rang on metal with the noise of a hundred smithies; the unequal contest had begun. overpowering as such odds could hardly fail to prove in the long run, they told more slowly in a sea-fight. till the men who manned the bulwarks were thinned, the sides were practically equal, and at first many of the orkney vikings were perforce mere spectators. gradually, as the men in front were thinned, they poured in from the other ships, fresh men always being pitted against tired, and keen swords meeting hacked. liot laid his own ship alongside estein's, osmund attacked thorkel's, and the other vessels forced their bows forward wherever they saw an opening. the norwegians manned their bulwarks shield to shield, and fought with the courage of despair. twice liot, backed by his boldest men, tried by a headlong rush to force himself on board, and twice he was beaten back. a third time he charged, and selecting a place where the defenders seemed thinnest, struck down a couple of men with two swinging blows of his axe, and sprang on to the deck. three or four men had already followed him, a cry of victory rose from the orkney vikings, and for a moment the fate of the battle seemed decided, when a huge stone hurtled through the air, and falling on liot's shield forced it down on his helmet and him to his knees. it was the work of ulf, captain of the forecastle; and roaring like a bull, the old viking followed his stone. estein sprang from the poop and clove one man to the shoulders. another fell to ulf's sword. the half-stunned liot was seized by one of his followers, and bundled back on board his ship; and for the time the day was saved. "after them! after them, ulf!" shouted estein, and twenty bold norwegians followed their leader in the wake of liot's retreating boarding party. their foes gave way right and left, the gangways round the sides were cleared, and, despite the threats of liot, his men began to spring from forecastle and quarter-deck into the ships behind. "forward, king's men! forward, men of estein!" roared ulf. "wait for me, liot!" cried estein, charging the poop with his red shield before him. "a bairn is after thee!" helgi, who had kept at his shoulder throughout, seized his arm. "they are giving way on thorkel's ship. osmund is on board. if we return not, the ship is cleared." with a gesture of despair estein turned. "back, men, back! thorkel needs all his friends, i fear," he cried; and to helgi he said, "the day is lost. we can but sell our lives dearly now." they came back too late. already thorkel's men were pouring on board estein's ship, with osmund of the hooknose at their heels. thorkel himself lay stark across the bulwarks, his face to his foes, and a great spear-head standing out of his back. it was now but a question of time. with a single ship, surrounded on all sides, and weary with storm and battle, there could be only one fate for estein's diminished band. nevertheless, they stood their ground as stoutly and cheerfully as if the fray were just beginning. finding that all efforts to board were useless, the orkney vikings confined themselves for some time to keeping up an incessant fire of darts and stones. one by one the defenders dropped at their posts, and at last, when widening gaps appeared in the line of shields, liot and osmund boarded together, each from his own side. "back to the poop, helgi!" estein cried. "to the poop, men! we cannot hold the gangways. one tired man cannot fight with five fresh." last of all his men, he stepped from the gangway that ran round the low and open waist of the ship, up to the decked poop, his red shield stuck with darts like a pincushion with pins. in the forecastle, old ulf still held his own, backed by some half-dozen stout survivors out of all those who had gone into battle with him in the morning. "my hour is come at last, thorolf," he said to the upland giant, who seemed to be disengaging something from his coat of ring-mail. "i shall have tales of a merry fight to tell to odin tonight. but before i fall i shall slay me one of those two vikings. wilt thou follow me, thorolf, to the gangways, and then to valhalla?" with a violent wrench the giant drew a spearhead from his side, and his blood spurted over ulf, as he swayed on his feet. "i go before," he said, and fell on the deck with a clatter of steel. "there died a brave man! now, comrades, after him to odin!" and with that the forecastle captain sprang down on the gangway, and knocking men off into the waist in his impetuous rush, swung his battle-axe round his head and aimed a terrific blow at osmund hooknose. quick as lightning osmund raised his shield and thrust at his foe with his sword. the point of the blade passed in at his breast and out between his shoulders, and at the same instant the battle-axe fell. the edge of the shield was cut through like paper, and the blade coming fair on the nape of the hooknose's neck, the bodies of the two champions rolled together off the gangway. round the poop the last struggle raged. spent and wounded as they were, estein's little band showed a bold front to their foes, and around the red shield of their leader their lives were dearly sold. then for a few minutes came a lull in the fight, and men could breathe for a space. "the next onset will be the last," said estein grimly. "their ships are sheering off!" exclaimed one. "'tis we who are leaving them," said another. "look ahead!" cried helgi; "we shall cheat them yet." the men looked round them with astonished faces, for a strange thing had happened. they had drifted into one of the dreaded orkney tideways, and all the time the fight was raging they were being borne at increasing speed past islands, holms, and skerries. the scene had completely changed; they were in a narrower sound, swinging like sea-fowl, helpless on the tide. heather hills were close at hand, and right ahead was a great frothing and bubbling, out of which rose the black heads of sunken rocks. the other vessels had been twisted off by the whirling eddies, and were now rapidly scattering, each striving to clear the reef. only the four vessels bound together--estein's, thorkel's, liot's, osmund's--swept in an unresisting cluster towards the rocks. liot too saw the danger, and raised his voice in a great shout:-- "let not man of mine touch an oar till estein hakonson lie dead on yonder deck. we have yet time to slay them. forward, liot's men!" there was a wild and furious rush of men towards the poop. down went man after man of the battle-worn defenders. liot and estein met sword to sword and face to face. the red shield was ripped from top to bottom by a sweep of the bairn-slayer's blade, and at the same moment estein's descending sword was met by a viking's battle-axe, and snapped at the hilt. "now, estein, i have thee!" shouted his foe; but ere the words were well out of his mouth, estein had hurled himself at his waist, dagger in hand, and brought him headlong to the deck. as they fell, the ships struck with a mighty crash that threw friend and foe alike on the bloody planks. two vessels stuck fast; the other two broke loose, and plunging over the first line of reefs, settled down by the bows. there was a rush to the bulwarks, a splashing of bodies in the water, and then the doomed and deserted ships, the attacker and the attacked, sank in the turmoil of the tide. estein himself had been pitched clear of his foe into the waist, where he had fallen head first and half-stunned. he felt a friendly hand dragging him to the side, and heard helgi's voice saying,-- "art thou able to swim for it?" then he had a confused recollection of being swept along by an irresistible current, clinging the while to what he afterwards found to be a friendly plank, and after that came oblivion. chapter iii. the holy isle. with the first glimmer of consciousness, estein became aware of an aching head and a bruised body. next he felt that he was very wet and cold; and then he discovered that he was not alone. his head rested on something soft, and two hands chafed his temples. "helgi," he said. a voice that was not helgi's replied, "thanks be to the saints! he is alive." estein started up, and his gaze met a pair of dark blue eyes. they and the hands belonged to a fair young girl, a maid of some seventeen summers, on whose knees his aching head had just been resting. they were sitting on a shelving rock that jutted into the tideway, and at his feet his kindly plank bumped gently in an eddy of the current. he looked at her so silently and intently that the blue eyes drooped and a faint blush rose to the maiden's cheeks. "are you wounded?" she asked. she spoke in the norse tongue, but with a pretty, foreign accent, and she looked so fair and so kind that thoughts of sirens and mermaids passed through the viking's mind. "wounded? well, methinks i ought to be," he answered; "and yet i feel rather bruised than pierced. if i can stand--" and as he spoke he rose to his feet, and slipping on the seaweed, slid quietly into the water. the girl screamed; and then, as he scrambled out none the worse and only a little the wetter, an irresistible inclination to laugh overcame her. forgetful of his head, he laughed with her. "forgive me," she said; "i could not help laughing, though, to be sure, you seem in no laughing plight. i thought at first that you were drowned." "'tis your doing, i think, that i am not. did you find me in the water?" "half in and half out; and it took much pulling to get you wholly out." estein impulsively drew a massive gold ring off his finger, and in the gift-giving spirit of the times handed it to his preserver. "i know not your name, fair maiden," he said, "but this i know, that you have saved my life. will you accept this viking's gift from me? it is all that the sea has left me." "nay, keep such gifts for those who deserve them. it would have been an unchristian act to let you drown." "you use a word that is strange to me; but i would that you might take this ring." "no, no!" she cried decidedly; "it will be time enough to talk of gifts when i have earned them. not," she added, a little proudly, "that it is my wish to earn gifts. but you are wet and wounded; come where i can give you shelter, poor though it be." "any shelter will seem good to me. yet, ere i go, i would fain learn something of my comrades' fate." he scanned the sound narrowly, and in all its long stretch there was not a sign of friend or foe. about a mile back the fatal reef, bared by the ebbing tide, showed its line of black heads high out of the water, but of ships there was no vestige to be seen. it was long past mid-day by the sun, and he knew that he must have been unconscious for some hours. in that time, such of the vikings as had escaped the rocks had evidently sailed away, leaving only the dead in the sound. "they are gone," he said, turning away, "friends and foes--gone, or drowned, as i should have been, fair maid, but for you." they scrambled together up the rocks, and then struck a winding sheep-path that led them over the shoulder of a heath-clad hill. at first they walked in silence, the girl in front, going at a great speed up the narrow track; and estein watched the wind blow her fair hair about her neck in a waving tangle, and he saw that she was tall and slender. by-and-by, when they had crossed the hill and reached a less broken tract of ground, he came up to her side. "how did you come to be down where you found me?" he asked. "i was on the hill," she answered, "when i saw ships in the sound rowing hard to escape the current, and then i saw that some had been wrecked. wreckage was floating by, and i espied, for my eyes are good, a man clinging to a plank; and presently he drifted upon a rock, and i thought that perhaps i might save a life. so i went down to the shore--and you yourself know the rest." "i know, indeed, that i have to thank you for my life, such as it is. and i know further that every girl would not have been so kind." she smiled, and her smile was one of those that illuminate a face. "thank rather the tide, which so kindly brought you ashore, for i had done little if you had been in the middle of the sound. but you have not yet told me how you came to be wrecked." estein told her of the storm at sea and the fight with the vikings; how they had fallen man by man, and how he too would have been numbered amongst the dead but for the tideway and the rocks. as she listened, her eyes betrayed her interest in the tale, and when he had finished, she said,-- "i have heard of liot and osmund. they are the most pitiless of all the robbers in these seas. give thanks that you escaped them." he asked her name, and she told him it was osla, daughter of a norse leader who had fought in the irish seas, and had finally settled in ireland. there his daughter was born and passed her early girlhood; and it was a trace of the irish accent that estein had noticed in her speech. in one fatal battle her two brothers fell, her father was forced to fly from the land, and osla had left her irish home with him and come to reside in orkney. "he is a holy christian man," she said. "once he was a famous viking, and his name was well known in the west seas. now, he would even have his name forgotten, and he is only known as andreas, which was the name of one of the blessed apostles; and here we two live in a little lonely island, keeping aloof from all men, and striving to live as did the early fathers." "that must be a quiet life for you," said estein. "i sometimes think so myself," she answered with a smile. "and what do men call you?" for an instant estein hesitated. the thought passed through his mind, "she must not know me as son to the king of sogn till i have done some deed more worthy of a prince of yngve's line than lose a battle with two orkney vikings." then he said, "i am called vandrad; [footnote: the unlucky.] from my youth up i have been a sea-rover, and i fear i may prove ill suited to your father's company." "my father has met sea-rovers before," she said, with a smile in her eye. by this time they had nearly crossed the island, and estein saw before them another long sound. on the far side of this lay a large and hilly island that stretched to his left hand as far as his eye could reach, and on the right broke down at the end of the strait into a precipitous headland, beyond which sparkled the open sea. in the middle of the sound a small green islet basked like a sea monster in the evening sunshine. as they stood on the top of the descent that ran steeply to the sea, he cast his eyes around for any signs of life on sea or on shore. below him, and much to the left, a cluster of small houses round a larger drinking-hall marked the residence of a chieftain of position; on the island across the water lay a few scattered farms; and on the little islet his eye could just discern a faint wreath of smoke. the seas were deserted, and the atmosphere seemed charged with an air of calm loneliness. "that is my home," said osla, pointing to the little green island. "the early fathers called it the holy isle. our house is an anchorite's cell, and our lands, as you see, are of the smallest. are you content to come to such a place?" estein smiled. "if you dwell there, i am content," he said. osla tossed her head with what quite failed to be an air of impatience. "such things are easy to say now," she said. "if you say them again after you have lived on a hermit's fare for one whole day, i may begin to believe you." they descended the hill, and in a little creek on the shore came upon a skiff. "this is our long ship," said osla. "if you wish to show your gratitude, you may assist me to launch her." "now," she said, when estein had run the boat into the water, "you can rest while i row you across." "it has never been my custom to let a girl row me," he replied, taking the oars. "but your wounds?" "if i have any i have forgotten them." "well, i will let you row, for the tide is at the turn, and you will not need to watch the currents. there is a great roost here when the tide is running." estein laughed. "i see that i am with a skilful helmsman," he said. "and i, that i am with an over-confident crew," she answered. only a distant corncrake broke the silence of the lonely channel, its note sounding more faintly as they left the land behind. the sun set slowly between the headlands to seaward, and by the time they reached the shore of the islet the stillness was absolute, and the northern air was growing chill. osla led the viking up a slope of short sea-turf, and presently crossing the crest of the land, they came upon a settlement so strange and primitive that it could scarcely, he thought, have been designed by mortal men. facing the land-locked end of the sound, and looking upon a little bay, a cluster of monastic cells marked the northern limits of the christian church. from this outpost it had for the time receded, and all save two of the rude stone dwellings looked deserted and forlorn. a thin thread of smoke rose straight heavenward in the still air, and before the entrance of the cell whence it issued stood an old and venerable man. despite a slight stoop, he was still much beyond the common height of men. his brows were shaggy, and his grey beard reached well down over his breast; a long and voluminous cloak, much discoloured by the weather, was bound round his waist by a rope, and in his hand he carried a great staff. as estein approached, his brows bent in an expression of displeased surprise, but he waited in silence till his daughter spoke. "i have brought a shipwrecked seafarer, father," she said. "he is wounded, i fear, and certainly he is both wet and hungry. i have told him we would give him shelter and food, and such tending as his wounds may require." "whence came he?" asked the old man. "from the sound beyond the island; at least, he was in the sound when i first saw him." "and i have to thank your daughter that i am not there now," estein added. "what is your name?" "i am known as vandrad, the son of a noble landowner in norway." the old man looked for a moment as though he would have questioned him further on his family. instead, he asked,-- "and why came you to these islands?" "for that, the wind and not i is answerable. orkney was the last place i had thought of visiting." "you were wrecked?" "wrecked, and wellnigh drowned." in a more courteous tone the old man said, "while you are here you are welcome to such cheer as we can give you. this cell is all my dwelling, but since you have come to this island, enter and rest you in peace." stooping low in the doorway, estein entered the abode of andreas the hermit. lit only by a small window and the gleam of a driftwood fire, the rude apartment was dusky and dim; yet there seemed nothing there that should make the sea-king pause at the threshold. was it but a smoke wreath that he saw, and did the wind rise with a sudden gust out of the stillness of the evening? it seemed to him a face that appeared and then vanished, and a far-off voice that whispered a warning in his ear. "be not dismayed at our poverty; there is no worse foeman within," said osla, with a touch of raillery, as he stood for a moment irresolute. estein made no answer, but stepped quickly into the room. had he indeed heard a voice from beyond the grave, or was it but the fancy of a wounded head? the impression lingered so vividly that he stood in a reverie, and the words of his hosts fell unheeded on his ears. he knew the face, he had heard the voice of old, but in the kaleidoscope of memory he could see no name to fit them, no incident wherewith they might be linked. he was aroused by the voice of osla. "let us give him food and drink quickly, father. he is faint, and hears us not." the tumultuous stir of battle was forgotten as they brought him supper and gently bound his wounds. a kettle sang a drowsy song and seemed to lay a languid spell upon him, and, as in a dream, he heard the hermit offer up an evening prayer. the petitions, eloquent and brief in his northern tongue, rose above the throbbing of the roost outside, and died away into a prayerful silence; and then, in the pleasant nicker of the firelight, they parted till the morrow. estein and the hermit stepped out into the cool night. "they who visit the holy isle must rest content with hard pillows," said andreas. "here in this cell you will find a blanket and a couch of stone. may christ be with you through the night;" and as he spoke he turned into his own bare apartment. estein looked upward at the stars shining as calmly on him here as on the sea-king who lately paced his long ship's deck; he listened for a moment to the roost rising higher and moaning more uneasily; and then above both he saw a pair of dark blue eyes, and heard a voice with just a touch of raillery in it. as he bent his head and entered his cell, he smiled to himself at the pleasantness of the vision. chapter iv. the island spell. the holy isle was bathed in morning sunshine, shadows of light clouds chased each other over the hills across the sound, and out beyond the headlands the blue sea glimmered restfully. on a bank of turf sloping to the rocks estein sat with osla, drinking in the freshness of the air. she had milked their solitary cow, baked cakes enough for the day's fare, and now, her simple housekeeping over, she was free to entertain her guest. "my father, i fear, is in a black mood," she said. "his moods come and go, i know not why or when. to-day and perhaps to-morrow, and it may be for four days or more, he will sit in his cell or on the grass before the door, speaking never a word, and hardly answering when i talk to him. pay no heed to him; he means no inhospitality." "i fear he likes me not," said estein. "he came here to escape men, you say, and now he has to entertain a stranger and a viking." "it is not that," she said. "the black moods come when we are alone; they come sometimes with the rising storm, sometimes when the sun shines brightest. i cannot tell when the gloom will fall, nor when he will be himself again. when his mind is well, he will talk to me for hours, and instruct me in many things." "has he instructed you in this religion he professes? know you what gods he worships?" osla opened her eyes in perplexed surprise; she hardly felt herself equal to the task of converting this pagan, and yet it were a pity not to try. so she told him, with a woman's enthusiastic inaccuracy, of this new creed of love, then being so strikingly illustrated in troubled, warlike christian europe. "and what of the gods i and my ancestors have worshipped for so long? what place have they in the valhalla of the white christ?" "there are no other gods." "no odin, no thor, no freya of the fair seasons, no valhalla for the souls of the brave? nay, osla, leave me my gods, and i will leave you yours. mine is the religion of my kinsmen, of my father, of my ancestors. and," he continued, "would you say that christian men are better than worshippers of odin? are they braver, are their swords keener, are they more faithful to their friends?" "we want not keen swords. warfare is your only thought. you live but to pillage and to fight. have you known what it is to lose home and brothers all in one battle? have you fled from a smoking roof-tree? have you had mercy refused you? have you had wife or child borne away to slavery? that is your creed--tell me, is it not?" "i have thought of these things, osla," said estein gravely. "i have thought of them at night when the stars shone and the wind sighed in the trees. when i look upon my home and see the reapers in the fields, and hear the maidens singing at their work, i would sometimes be willing to turn hermit like your father, and sit in the sun for ever. "but," he went on, and his voice rose to a clear, stirring note, "i could not rest long so. the sea calls us northmen, and we cannot bide at home. unrest seizes us like a giant and hurls us forth. we must be men; we must seek adventure on sea or on shore; there are foemen to be met, and we long to meet them; and if we bear us bravely, never striking sail though the wind blow high, and never flinching from the greatest odds, we know that the gods will smile, and, if they will, we die happy. we are not all bairn-slayers. i have been taught to spare where there was nothing worthy of my steel, and no maid or mother has yet suffered wrong at my hands. yet must i sail the seas, osla, and fight where i find a foe; for i feel that the gods bid me, and a man cannot struggle with his fate." while he spoke osla's gaze was fixed on the turning tide, but her eyes, had he seen them, were lit by the fire of his words. she sprang to her feet as he finished, and said,-- "i, too, have the norse blood in me; the sea calls me as it calls you; and if i were a man, i fear i should make a bad hermit. yet"--and she held up a warning finger to stay the impetuous words on estein's tongue--"yet i know i should be wrong. what is this feeling but the hunger of wolves, and what are your gods but names for it? wolves, too, go out to slay; and if they had speech, doubtless they would say that thor called them." "is a viking not different from a wolf, then, in your eyes?" "by too little," she answered, "if they hold the same creed." "a wolf, then, i am," he replied; "and i can but try to keep my lips drawn over my fangs and bit on my hind legs, and practise manliness as best i may." "a very hungry manliness," she retorted. but despite herself she smiled, and then lightly turned the talk to other things. from day to day the quiet island life went on with few incidents and pleasant monotony. with only one family was there any intercourse, and that almost entirely on osla's part. on the shore of the great island to the west, which men called hrossey, dwelt a large farmer, named margad, and from his household such supplies as they needed were obtained. he was an honest, peaceable man, as the times went, with a kindly wife, gudrun by name, and they both took a friendly interest in the hermit's daughter. estein would fain have lived in her society all day, listening to her talk and watching the wind play with her hair, and every day he noticed, with a sense of growing disappointment, that he saw her more seldom. sometimes they would have long talks, and then, abruptly as it seemed to him, she would have to leave him, and he would spend his time in fishing from a boat, or would cross with her to hrossey, and while she went to see dame gudrun he pursued the roe-deer and moor-fowl. with bow and arrow, and by dint of long and arduous stalks, he brought home scanty but well-earned spoil, and then, either by himself, or more often with osla in the stern, he would cross the sound as the day faded, to a welcome supper and an evening spent in the firelit cell, or to a peaceful night beside the swirl of the tideway under a sky so pale and clear that only the brightest stars were ever seen. he knew that he was in love, hopelessly in love. why else should he stay in the holy isle after his wounds were healed, and when nothing bade him remain? far away and faint sounded the echoes of war and the shouts of revelry. like memories of another life, thoughts of his father, of helgi, of friends and kinsmen, came to him, pricked him for a moment, and faded into a pair of dark-blue eyes and a tall and slender figure. he still talked to osla of voyages and battles, and caught her sometimes taking more interest than she would own in some old tale of derring-do, or a story of his own adventures. yet the actual memories of these things grew fainter, and he talked like an old man telling of his youth. "i am under a spell," he would say to himself, and stride more quickly over the heather, and then catch himself smiling at the thought of some word or look of osla's. the hermit's black mood passed away, and was followed by an attitude of grave distance towards his guest. he spoke little, but always courteously, and seemed to treat him at first merely as an addition to the live stock of the island. one night estein, after the manner of the skalds, sang a poem of his own as they sat round the fire. he called it the "king's war song." "on high the raven banner invites the hungry kites, red glares the sun at noon-tide, wild gleam the northern lights; the war-horn brays its summons, and from each rock-bound fiord come the sea-kings of norway, to follow norway's lord. "the cloven arrow speeding, fraught with war's alarms, calls the ravens to their feast, the udallers to arms. see that your helms be burnished, see that your blades be ground, when he of yngve's kindred sends the war token round!" "skoal, [footnote: the norse drinking salutation.] vandrad! skoal!" cried the hermit. his hearers looked at him in amazement. his eyes flashed, his lips twitched, the whole man was transformed for the moment into the viking of the western seas. "once i was a skald myself," he said. "you have quickened what i thought was dead." and he rose and walked out into the night. for a minute they were too surprised to speak. then osla said softly,-- "your magic is too strong, vandrad." she threw him one glance that lived long in his memory, and quickly followed her father. for more than an hour afterwards he could dimly see them pacing the shore in silence, her arm within the hermit's. next day the old man was more silent and reserved than before, but every now and then estein saw that his eyes followed him, and the few words he spoke were couched in a kindlier manner. "sing to him again," whispered osla in the evening, and night after night the young skald sang and the hermit and his daughter listened. sometimes when he was finished the old viking would talk on various themes. brief glimpses of his earlier days, snatches of religious converse, his travels, and the strange peoples he had seen, he would touch upon before the evening prayer. and so the time passed away, till estein had spent six weeks in the holy isle. all the while he had made no open love to osla. she seemed merely friendly, and he was distracted between a wild desire to break down the barriers between them and a strange and numbing feeling of warning that held him back, he knew not why. so strong was it at times that he fancied two spells cast upon him, one by the island maiden, the other by some unknown spirit. one morning he found her wandering by the cliffs that formed the seaward barrier of the isle. "let us sit here, osla," he said. "i have a new song to sing you." "i must bake my cakes," she answered. "can you not sing it to us to-night?" "it concerns only you. sit here but for a moment; it is not long, and you can escape from me when i have done." "very well," she said, with a smile and an air of resignation. "i will listen, but do not keep me long." "if it will tire you, i can wait." "you can try me." "i must leave the holy isle soon, osla; i have been too long away from my kinsfolk and my country. it is hard to part, but it must come some day, and these verses are my parting song." she was silent, and seemed intently plucking sea pinks. "i cannot tell you why," he went on, "but to-day i feel that my hour has come to rove again. i would that i might live here for ever, but i know it is not fated so." then he sang his farewell song:-- "canst thou spare a sigh, fair osla? it is fated i must go. wilt thou think of vandrad ever when the sea winds hoarsely blow, or will the memory of my love with absence fainter grow? "canst thou spare a tear, sweet osla, when i sail from this fair land? wilt thou dream of vandrad sometimes when the waves boom on the strand? can visions of a pleasant hour the march of time withstand? "osla, when i bear me bravely, 'midst the lightning of the sword, and the armies meet like torrents when the mountain snows have thawed the thought of thine approving smile shall be my sole reward. "fare thee well, sweet blue-eyed osla! the sea-king must not stay, e'en for tresses rich as summer and for smile as bright as may; but one hope i cannot part from--we may meet again some day!" "then are you going?" she said, more softly than he had ever heard her speak before. "do you wish me to stay?" "not if you wish to rove the seas again, and fight and plunder, as a brave man should," she cried with a flash of raillery. "if it is your fate to go, why should i stand in the way? am i anything to you?" she gave him no time to answer, but rose and ran lightly away. chapter v. andreas the hermit. the same day estein rowed across alone to hrossey, and started over the hills with his bow and arrows. he walked for some miles through moorland ground, and paused at length on the top of a range of hills, whence he had a wide view over the inland country. there he sat down and mused for long. below him he saw a valley opening out into a sweep of low-lying land, watered by many lochs, and bounded by heather hills. all round, in glimpses between the highest hill-tops, and in wide, unbroken stretches over the lower ranges, the open sea girdled the island. gradually the stillness of the place and the freshness of the air told upon him, and at length he fell asleep. he began to dream, at first of confused events and hurrying faces, and then more distinctly and vividly. he had landed, he thought, on the holy isle. it was dark, but he seemed to see plainly a figure, wrapped in a long cloak, walking before him towards the cells. it was neither andreas nor his daughter, and with some wonder he quickened his steps and overtook it just as it was about to enter the hermit's cell. then all at once it seemed to flash upon him that this was no mortal visitor, and with a sudden thrill of fear he stopped. at that instant the figure turned a shrouded face on him, and said sternly, and so clearly that the words were ringing in his ears when he woke,-- "what doest thou here, estein hakonson?" he came to himself with a start, the sweat standing on his forehead. it was the second time he had heard the voice. once before it had warned him when he first entered the hermit's cell, but now as then he could find neither name nor circumstance to fit it. all at once the prophecy of atli came into his mind--"you will be warned, but you will heed not," and in spite of himself a feeling of gloom settled over his mind. a herd of deer browsed unheeded on a distant slope, the hours passed, and the sun sank low in the west, while he sat there alone. at last he rose and retraced his steps back to the shore. the tide was running strongly, he had a long and stiff pull to win his way across, and the summer dusk that never reaches darkness in the north was gathering when he landed. he looked round as though he expected to see a cloaked figure start up out of the gloaming, but the island was deserted and still. before the cell he paused for an instant. "you will not heed the warning," he repeated. "yet what is fated must be," and then he entered. the hermit was alone. farmer margad had come for osla, for his wife was unwell, and the credulous people thought the daughter of the wizard, as they deemed father andreas, might have some healing influence. estein sat down and took his supper; and all the time he was eating, andreas paced the floor saying nothing aloud, but muttering continually under his breath. legends of shape-changing and black magic came into the young viking's mind. as he watched the old man pass to and fro in the firelight, and the huge, distorted shadow sweep across and across the cell, he fancied once or twice that he could see the beginnings of some horrid transformation. all of a sudden the hermit stopped and looked at him earnestly. "sing to me a song of battle!" he cried; and estein saw that a change had indeed taken place. a fit of gloom had given way to a period of strange excitement, and the spirit of the sea-rover was returned. estein composed his mind, and sang the song of the battle of dunheath, beginning:-- "many the chiefs who drank the mead as the sun rose over the plain, but small the band who bound their wounds when the heath was dark again." as the last words died away the hermit began to talk excitedly and volubly, and in a strain new to his guest. "i once sang such songs," he said. "i sailed the seas in my long ship, and men feared my name--feared me, andreas, the man of god. i was a heathen then, as thou art; i worshipped the gods of the north, and the hammer of thor was my symbol on the ocean. i spared none who stood in my way. these hands have dripped with the blood of my foes, and many a widow have i left desolate." he paused, and a tongue of flame shot suddenly from the fire and cast a bright light in the cell. "fire!" cried the old man--"fire like that have i brought on my foes! i have burned them like rats; i have left their homesteads smouldering! listen, vandrad, and i shall tell thee of a deed that made my name known throughout all the northland. now," he added, "i am a christian man, and my soul is safe with christ. "once i received an injury i swore i should avenge. hakon, king of sogn, a proud man and a stern, banished my brother kolskegg for manslaughter. the deed was but an act of justice on one who had beguiled our kinswoman; but the dead man had many friends, and the king hearkened neither to kolskegg's offers of atonement nor to my petitions--to mine, who had never asked aught of mortal man before! my brother was a dear friend of the king, foster-father even to his eldest son olaf, and he weakly bowed his head and left the land. when i heard that he had gone, i pressed my sword-hilt so tightly in my rage that the blood dripped from my nails, and i cursed him aloud for idly suffering such insult to our house to pass without revenge. our race is as old and proud as the kings of sogn themselves, and i vowed that hakon should rue that day. i was a heathen then, vandrad." he said these last words with a gleam in his eyes and a tightening of his lips, as if he gloated over the memory of his bygone faith. with the same grim reminiscent pleasure, he went on: "i and two others sent the cloven arrow through the dales, and gathered armed men enough to fill three ships. ay, the sailing of thord the tall, snaekol gunnarson, and thorfin of skapstead is not forgotten yet in norway. we went to laxafiord, for there dwelt olaf, son of hakon. you have heard the tale?" he cried suddenly, "you know of the burning?" "go on," said estein, in a hard, dry voice; "i am listening," and all the while his right hand sought his side. "it was a deed," said the hermit, "that made all norway ring. we landed in the night time, and saw the lights of the hall between the pine trees. they were feasting, and they heard not our approach. we made a ring round the house and heaped faggots against the walls, and still they heard us not. it was a dark night, vandrad, very dark, till we lit a fire that was seen by men in the outer islands. then they heard us, they smelt the smoke, and they ran to the doors. the first man who came out i clove to the waist, for none in norway had greater skill at arms than i. then we drove them in and closed the door. sometimes at night i hear them shriek even now. there was never such a burning in norway; we spared not one soul, not one. "they asked us to let the women out, but we had come there to slay and not to spare. they shrieked, vandrad; they cried till the roof fell in, and then they died. my soul is safe with god, and they are in outer darkness. there they will shriek for ever." he paused for a moment, and then went on in the same strain of high excitement,-- "now you know me. i am thord the tall, the burner of olaf hakonson." "and where are snaekol gunnarson and thorfin of skapstead?" estein spoke with difficulty, and his right hand had closed on something in his belt. "both are dead. they died heathens, and their souls are as hopelessly lost as the soul of olaf hakonson. i am the last of the burners." the voice of thord the tall died away. estein bent forward, his hand left his side, and something in it gleamed in the firelight. suddenly the hermit started. "osla! i hear osla!" he said. estein thrust his dagger into its sheath, and bending in the doorway stepped out into the night. below the cell he saw a boat leaving the land, and right before him, in the clear, cool twilight, the form of osla. "have you tired of my father's company?" she asked, with a smile. "i would be alone," he answered, and walked quickly past her. now he knew the twice-heard voice, and remembered the fleeting face. "you came to warn me, olaf, and i knew you not!" he cried. "i know you now--too late!" he paced the turf with hurried steps. the sacred duty of revenge called him with a vehemence we cannot now realize. he had sworn to let slip no chance of taking vengeance on the burners of his brother. often he had sought news of them, and often renewed his resolution; and now that he had found his foe, was he to idly suffer him to escape? yet he had been this man's guest; he had eaten of his bread, and slept in his dwelling. and his hands were tied by a stronger chain. "osla, osla," he cried, "for your sake i am faithless to my vows, and forgetful of my duty to my kindred!" then the memory of thord the tall, telling of the burning, rose fresh and strong, and again his hand sought his side, and his breath came fast, till the vision of osla swept aside all other thoughts. the time went by until the hour was hard on midnight. gradually his mind grew more composed. "i am in the hands of destiny," he said to himself. "let fate do with me what it will." all the northern sky was still red with the afterglow of sunset, creeping slowly eastwards against the dawn; land and sea lay clear and yet dim, for the light was ghostly as a phosphorescent chamber; the tide was slack, and lapped softly on the rocks; and everything in the world seemed tranquil. "the end has come," he said. all at once, on the sheen of the sound, he spied a curious black mark, far out and vague. gradually it seemed to steal nearer, till estein, looking at it keenly, forgot his thoughts in a rising curiosity. then it took shape, and faintly across the water came the splash of oars and the voices of men. as they drew nearer, he crouched below a bank and watched their approach with growing wonder and something too of awe. "the gods have sent for me," he thought. they were being carried by the current towards the place where he stood, and presently they made a landing on the rocks. there followed a consultation in low tones, and then one man left the boat and came up the bank. he stood out clearly in the transparent dusk--a tall, mail-clad figure, walking with a confident carriage. estein waited till he was opposite him, and then sprang up, dagger in hand. "who art thou?" he demanded. the man's hand went straight to his sword, but at the sound of estein's voice it fell again. "estein, my foster-brother!" he cried. "helgi!" helgi opened his arms and embraced him tenderly, speaking with an emotion he made no effort to control. "estein, my brother, i thought thou wert in truth in valhalla. i have wept for thee, estein; i have mourned thee as dead. tell me that this is thy very self, and not some island ghost come to mock me." the friendly voice and grasp, coming in this his hour of trouble, touched estein to the heart. "it is i, indeed, helgi," he said; "and never have i felt more glad to see a face and clasp a hand. how came you here? i thought i had parted from my friends for ever. i have been so long alone that they had begun to seem like dream-men." helgi told him briefly how he had swum ashore to another island, and there been picked up by ketill, the black-bearded captain of one of estein's scattered ships; how, giving up all hope, they had sailed for the south, and after meeting head winds and little luck, returned to the orkneys, where, from a man who had been with margad, news of the stranger on the holy isle had reached their ears. "they say, estein, that your hermit has a fair daughter. methinks she would like to see your foster-brother; would she not?" "nay, helgi, ask me no more questions, but take me quickly away. i am spell-bound here, and i dare not trust myself to stay one moment longer." "i know these spells, estein; they have been cast on men by other maids before now. better take your sorceress with you. it is unlucky to break such spells so rudely." "laugh not, helgi," said estein, taking his arm and hurrying him down to the shore. "this spell has meant more to me than you can guess." "by the hammer of thor!" exclaimed helgi, stopping suddenly, "there surely is the witch herself." estein looked round, and standing against the sky he saw the slender form he knew so well. "wait for me, helgi," he said, "the spell is on me still," and starting away suddenly he ran up the bank again. "osla!" he cried, and stopped abruptly. "what means this, vandrad?" she asked. her eyes were wide open with troubled surprise, and looking into her upturned face he thought she never was so fair before. "they have come for me, osla, and i must go. farewell! remember me not." "do you leave us in this way--without saying farewell, or telling us you were going?" "i knew not myself when they would come. i told you i must leave you and seek the sea again. it has come true sooner than i expected." he took her hands. "farewell!" he said again. she turned her face away. "i feared you would tire of us," she said, her voice sinking very low. "never, osla, never! but fate has been too strong for me. they wait for me now, and i must leave you." "farewell, vandrad!" she said, looking up, and he saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "osla!" he cried, drawing her towards him. she yielded an instant, and then suddenly broke free and started away. "farewell!" she said again, and her voice sounded like a sob. he did not trust himself to answer, but turned and hurried to the boat. they pushed off in silence, the oars dipped in the quiet sound, and estein left the holy isle. chapter vi. the hall of liot. all through the small hours of the morning estein sat on the poop in silence. helgi, wrapped in his cloak, threw himself on the deck beside him and fell asleep with a lightened heart, while the long ship, slipping down the sound with the tide, turned westwards into the swell of the atlantic. gloom had settled over estein's mind. the pleasantest memories were distorted by the ghost of that old blood feud; his murdered brother called aloud for vengeance; in the wash of the waves and the creaking of the timbers he heard the hermit recite again the story of the burning, and through it all a voice cried, "farewell! farewell!" the sun at that season rises early. with it the breeze freshened, and one by one the sleeping figures in the waist woke, and began to stir about the ship. still their leader sat silent. helgi at length sat up with a start, and rubbed his eyes. he looked at estein, and smiled. "very much in love methinks," he said to himself. at last estein saw he was observed, and passing his hand across his brow as if to sweep away his thoughts, asked wearily,-- "where do we go now, helgi?" "your spell needs a violent remedy, and i have that on my mind that may cure it. what say you to letting liot skulison know that he did not slay us all? there are here two others besides ourselves who escaped the fate of thorkel and our comrades, and they think they owe liot something. does revenge seem sweet?" "then liot is alive?" "ay, thor has spared him for us. the orkney-man who led us to you has an ancient feud against the bairn-slayers, and he tells me liot and his men are feasting at his dwelling. shall we fall upon them to-night?" "you are a good physician, helgi. battle and storm are the best cures for such as i." "i cannot give you a storm, i fear," laughed helgi, "but you can have fighting enough to-night. liot keeps two hundred men and more about him, and we have here some seventy all told." "we have faced greater odds together, helgi. life does not seem so fair to me now that i should shrink from odds of three to one. let us seek liot wherever he is, and when we have found him, tell him to arm as many men as he can muster. then let our destiny weave its web for us." helgi laughed again. "that would be a good revenge--to let liot slay the men of estein, a shipload at a time. if odin wishes us to die, i shall try to meet my fate stoutly, but i shall not help him in the slaying. nay, estein, i can devise a better plan than yours." estein smiled for the first time since he had come on board. "so long as it gives me a good fight with stout foes, and with you at my side, i care not what plan you propose." "there speaks yourself again!" cried helgi; "and i think that ere long you will meddle with my schemes. i will call ketill and the orkneyman, and we four will hold council here." ketill, the broad-beamed captain of the ship--the same whose path had been stopped by atli--a man of few words and stout deeds, and grim, the orkneyman, came up to the poop. there they deliberated for long. helgi was all for fire. "let us hear how the men of liot will sing when they are warm." ketill gave a short laugh. "i, too, am for burning," he said. "we must catch them when they are drinking," said grim. "when liot's feasts are over many men go to sleep in outhouses round the hall, and we have not force enough here to surround them all at once." "i will have no more burnings," said estein. "when had we our last?" asked helgi. "you speak as though we had done naught but burn foes all our lives. we have never had a burning before, estein, and it is better to begin as the burners than the burned." "i have lately heard tell of another. it is no work for brave men." helgi shrugged his shoulders. "let us drown them then," he said. ketill gave another short, gruff laugh. "nay, ketill, i am not jesting; in truth i am in little humour for that. if seventy brave men cannot clear a hall of two hundred drinkers, what virtue lies in stout hearts and sharp swords? we will enter the hall, you from one end and i from the other, and i think the men of liot skulison will not have to complain of too peaceful an evening." "we must catch them, then, while they are feasting. afterwards it will be too late, with only seventy men," the wary grim replied. "we can choose our hour," said estein; "and whatever plan we fall on, it seems we must be in time." helgi laughed lightly. "i thought you would leave us little say, estein, when once you were aroused," he said. "'tis all the same to me. fire, sword, or water--choose what you will, you will always find me by your side; and if you must go to valhalla, why, i will blithely bear you company." "fire were better," said ketill, shaking his head. the day was still young when the council of war came to an end, and as they had more than sufficient time to reach the hall of liot before night, the bows were turned to the open sea, that they might better escape observation. once they had got some miles from land they turned southwards, and striking the sail, to make as little mark as they could, moved slowly under oars alone. all day the long ship rolled in a great ground-swell, the western cliffs of orkney now hidden by a wall of water, and now glinting in the sunshine as they rose from trough to crest, and right ahead the distant scottish coast drawing gradually nearer. as the afternoon wore on they turned landwards again, and towards evening found themselves coasting a mountainous island lying to the south of hrossey. "what do men call this?" asked helgi. "they call it haey, the high island, and it is on a bay to the south of it that liot skulison dwells," answered grim, their pilot for the time. they drew closer and closer to the land, until a towering line of cliffs rose for more than a thousand feet right above their heads. it was a stern and sombre coast, unbroken by any bays or inland glimpses, and gloomy and terrible in the fading light. the great oily swell broke into spouts of foam at the cliff-foot, and all along the face of the precipice they could see innumerable sea-fowl clinging to the rock. gradually, as they sailed along this hostile land, a light sea-fog began to gather. the leaders of the hazardous expedition watched it closing in upon them with growing apprehension. "what say you, grim?" said helgi; "can you take us to liot in this mist?" grim looked round him doubtfully. "methinks i can take you there," he said, "but i fear we shall be too late, we can move but slowly; and with only seventy men, i doubt we shall do little when the men of liot have left the feast." estein had been standing in silence near the tiller. at these words he turned and cried fiercely,-- "who talks of doing little? liot or i shall fall to-night, though the blackness of death were round us. think you i have come to sit here idly in a fog? tell your men to row like valiant vikings, ketill, and not like timorous women." the respect due to rank in norway was little more than the proud norseman chose to pay, and it was with small deference to his prince that ketill answered,-- "you are fey, i think, estein. i shall not lose my ship that you may the sooner feed the fishes." "are you, too, afraid? by the hammer of thor! i think you are in league with liot. i shall make these cravens row." "that you will not," replied ketill. in an instant both swords were half-drawn. the men within earshot were too much surprised at this sudden change from estein's usual manner to his followers to do more than look in astonishment at the dispute, and in another instant the blades would have clashed, when helgi rushed between them. "what is this?" he cried. "are you possessed of evil spirits, that you would quarrel on the eve of battle? remember, ketill, that estein is your prince; and estein, my brother, what ails you? you are under a spell indeed. would that i had slain the witch ere you parted. you can gain nothing by wrecking the ship, and this fog is too dense to row a race off such a coast as this." perhaps it was the allusion to the "witch" that brought estein to his senses, for his eyes suddenly softened. "i was wrong, ketill," he said. "the wrath of the gods is upon me, and i am not myself." he turned away abruptly, and gazed moodily into the fog; while ketill, with the look of one who is dealing with a madman, left the poop. "it is ill sailing with a bewitched leader," he muttered. the idea that estein was under a spell took rapid hold of the superstitious crew. they told each other that this was no earthly mist that had fallen on them, and listening to the break of the sea on the cliffs, they talked low of wizards and sea-monsters, and heard strange voices in the sound of the surge. then they became afraid to row at more than a snail's pace, and sometimes almost stopped altogether. in vain helgi went amongst them, and urged that grim knew these waters so well that there was little danger, in vain he pointed to the hope of booty and revenge ahead; even as he spoke there was a momentary break in the mist, and they saw the towering cliff so close above them that his words were wasted. "there is witchcraft here," they said; and ketill was as obstinate as the rest. the ship crept under the cliffs with hardly any way on at all, and helgi, in despair, saw the golden hour slipping by. "oh, for two more good ships," he thought: "then we could wait till daylight, and fall upon them when we pleased." estein had again fallen a prey to his thoughts. in his gloomy fatalism he thought that the wrath of the gods pursued him for the neglect of his duty to his murdered brother, and he submitted to the failure of this adventure as the beginning of his punishment. the fighting fire died out, the longing for action was choked, and in their place what was as nearly a spell as can fall on mortal men had fallen on him. his devoted friend fumed impatiently beside him as the fog grew denser and the hours went slowly by, and bitterly he cursed the enchantress of the holy isle. "he talks of the gods," he said to himself. "this is no work of theirs; it is the magic of that island witch, may the trolls take her!" "the fog lifts!" cried grim from his post at the tiller. the men heard the cry, and ceasing their awestruck talk, looked eagerly at the fast-widening rifts in the white shroud. ghost-like wreaths detached themselves, flitted by the ship, and then dissipated in thin air. the summer night sky with its pale stars appeared in lakes above, and below, the fog rose from the water like steam. presently the great cliffs came out clear and terrible in the midnight dusk, and the men cried that the spell was broken. over estein came the greatest change. as the fog lifted, the light returned to his eye, and he turned eagerly to grim. "where are we now? have we yet time to catch liot at his feast?" the pilot shook his head. "it will take us full two hours to reach the bay where liot dwells, and the feast, i fear, will have ended even now, for the hour is late." helgi's face fell, and he muttered a deep imprecation as he turned to estein. "what think you?" he asked; "shall we run for some distant bay, and return to-morrow night?" "i have come to meet liot to-night," estein replied, and turning away he paced the deck in deep thought. helgi's cheerfulness returned in an instant. he hummed an air, and leaning against the bulwark awaited the march of events with his usual careless philosophy. "the men were right," he thought; "it was a magic mist. the spell has lifted with the fog. it wants but a brisk fight now to cure him." a grim smile stole over estein's face, and presently he stopped beside grim, and said,-- "know you where liot sleeps in this hall of his?" "ay; i was forced to follow him for two years, and i know well his sleeping chamber." "can you lead us to it in the dark?" grim looked at him doubtfully before answering. "i think so," he said at length. "but are you sure?" the pilot looked round him. "the night is light," said he, "and there will still be some fire in the hall. but it will be a dangerous venture." estein turned impatiently. "methinks you have little feud with liot," he said, and went over to where helgi stood. "well?" asked helgi. "i have a plan." "have you resolved on a burning? this cursed fog has made me cold, and a fire would like me well." "you have heard my rede on burnings, helgi. my scheme is to carry off liot in his sleep. they will keep no watch. the very dogs will be drunk, and i think it will not be so difficult as it seems. will you come with me into liot's hall?" helgi's blue eyes opened wide, and he laughed as he said,-- "there has never been your match for enterprise in the north, estein. your plans seem all so chosen that your foes may have the greatest chance to slay you. are we to leave you in liot's place?" "i asked if you would follow me." "you know the answer to that already. but why trouble with liot's carcass? surely it were easier to slay him where he lies." "i like not a midnight murder, and liot and i have not yet decided who is the better man. that is a trial which i would fain make, and then we can see what the gods would do with me." "to fight an enemy and capture him afterwards is common enough, but to capture him first and then fight him seems the act of a madman," answered helgi. "then i am a madman," replied estein, and with that he turned away and walked forward to consult ketill. he was impelled by his creed of morbid fatalism to seek this test, whereby his fate might be sharply decided. he longed, too, for action, and the idea, once held, fascinated him. but to all others on board he seemed merely the victim of some insidious magic. that he was under a spell helgi had no manner of doubt. "a fair fight," he thought, "is always manlier than a secret slaying, but not odin himself would fly away with the foe who had slain two shiploads of his followers, and afterwards challenge him to single combat. it is as if he should catch a thief who had stolen half his goods, and then throw dice with him for the rest. but all spells act most banefully at night, they say; doubtless in the morning estein will rest content with giving him a fitting burial--if he catches him." and at the thought he laughed aloud. "may i die in bed like a woman," he said to himself, "if this be not the strangest way of fishing for a viking!" ketill was at first for stoutly refusing the adventure; but helgi, whose convictions sat lightly on him compared with his attachment to estein, persuaded him to consent. "are you afraid?" he asked, and that question left no room for the proud viking to hesitate. it was about two hours after midnight when the long ship, stealing under the shadow of the cliffs, turned into a small bay. it lay open to the south, guarded on either side by a precipitous headland, and withdrawn from the tideway and the swell of the western ocean. in the weird grey light of that june night the men could see a valley opening out of great inland hills on to a more level strip of moorland at the head of the bay. on a spit of sandy beach lay three warships, and on the slope of the hill to the left stood a small township of low buildings, clustering round the higher drinking-hall of liot skulison. in dead silence they hugged the shore as closely as their pilot dared. "we are as close inshore as we can win," he said at length in a low voice. the boat was stealthily launched, and into it as many men as it would hold were crowded. "keep the rowers on their benches, we may have little time to get away," said ketill in a gruff whisper to his forecastle man, whom he left in command of the ship. "we have little wish to be caught." "push off, men, and remember he who speaks above a whisper i shall think is tired of life." the oars dipped and the boat crept slowly landwards. "you know the landing, grim?" grim, who sat at the tiller, merely nodded; and presently the bows grated on a strip of gravel beach. "the trolls take you!" muttered ketill. "could you not have told us to slacken speed? the dead could hear a landing like this." "'tis all right yet, ketill," whispered estein. "we are too far from the hall." "by the hammer of thor!" growled the black-bearded captain, whose temper was ever of the shortest, "these men splash like cattle." one by one they stepped ashore, and then the party was divided. one man was left in charge of the boat; ketill with three others went round to where the long ships lay; while estein, helgi, and grim, with six picked men, cautiously approached the hall. they crossed a strip of rising heather and struck a sharp slope of turf. close above them loomed a dark mass of building, and the silence was unbroken save by the stealthy fall of their footsteps. grim led the way, then came estein, then helgi, and the others followed in single file. warily they came up to the end of the hall, and under the door there was a brief pause. estein gave his final instructions in a whisper, and then quickly pushing open the door, he stepped in. helgi, grim, and one man followed, while the other five waited outside with their weapons in their hands. these old norse drinking-halls were long and high rooms, with great fires down the middle, and beside them long lines of benches for the guests. all down the sides the sleeping chambers opened, and over these hung the arms of the warriors. the hall of liot was very dark and still. a ghostly flicker of light struggled through the narrow windows, and on the fires the embers slowly died. beside the benches slumbered the forms of some of the heaviest drinkers, and once or twice they nearly stumbled over these. grim came up beside estein and led him about half-way down the hall. there he stopped and pointed to a door. there were no words; the others closed up and loosened their daggers in their sheaths. estein stepped back softly to the fire and lifted up a log, one end of which still glowed brightly, and then he pushed open the door. the chamber was dark as a wolf's mouth as he groped for the bed. so cautiously he stepped that the heavy breathing of the sleeper only broke the silence, and very carefully he went forward and thrust the log so close to the unconscious slumberer that he could clearly read his features. then he placed it against the wall, and gave one whispered order. in an instant a mantle was twisted round liot's mouth, his hands and feet were bound, and ere he was thoroughly awake, he was mounted on the shoulders of his foes, forming one of a singular procession that hurried through the hall of liot skulison. grim, who walked first, had almost reached the door, when from the blackest of the shadows a man stepped suddenly across his path. for an instant the pilot's heart stood still. then he saw that he had only to deal with a half-awakened drinker, and as his mouth was framing a question, grim's dagger flashed, and with a cry the man fell heavily on the floor. instantly there arose such a chorus of barking as might have wakened the dead. "the dogs are sobering," said helgi. "hasten!" cried estein. "the men will be on us." they hurried through the door, and bearing their captive on their shoulders, the whole party broke into a run. "the dogs are after us!" cried one. "turn and kill them," said estein. three men stopped, and with a few sweeping sword slashes scattered the yelping crowd; but even as they were driving them off, they could see that men were coming out of the hall and outhouses. "where is ketill?" cried estein, as they reached the boat. the man in charge had seen nothing of him. "may werewolves seize him!" exclaimed helgi. "he has had time enough to tear the long ships plank from plank." "we have no time to wait for him; it is his fault if he be left," said grim. "that knowledge would doubtless comfort him," replied estein; "but nevertheless i shall wait." "here they come!" cried helgi. "and here come those who will reach us before them," said another man. he was right. a swarm of men were already running down the slope, and it was clear that they must reach the boat first. estein sprang on board. "push off!" he cried; "we will row along the shore to meet them." "well thought of," said helgi; "'tis lucky we have one cool head with us." the pursuers at first either failed to see ketill's party, or mistook them for their own men, for they continued their headlong rush straight to the water, firing arrows and darts as they ran. then they saw the manoeuvre, and turned with loud cries along the shore. the boat had got a start by this time; the rowers bent their backs and made her spring like a live thing, and the still water rose in oily waves from the bow. but fast as they pulled, the men on shore ran faster. "by all the gods, we are too late!" cried helgi. "they take to the water!" said estein. "pull, men, pull! oh, 'tis a night worth living for!" the four swimmers stoutly struck out for dear life, to a splashing accompaniment of darts and stones. "by the hammer of thor! they will be struck as we take them on board," exclaimed helgi. "friend ketill makes a generous mark." "round them!" said estein. "get between them and the shore." grim pressed the tiller hard down, and circling round the swimmers they were presently hauling them in on the sheltered side. then the crowd on shore set off for their ships. ketill, dripping with water, and bleeding from an arrow wound on the shoulder, watched them with a grim smile. "they will find their ships ready for sea," he said. as he spoke a tongue of flame shot up from one of the long ships, and estein turned to him in surprise. "then you set them on fire?" "ay," replied ketill; "we slew some guards--who thereby learned not to sleep at their posts--and made such holes in the ships as will take them two days to patch. then i bethought me it were well to have a burning, if it were only of a long ship; so we kindled three great fires, one for each vessel, and if the men of liot feel cold to-night, it will not be my fault. but have you got liot?" "here he is," said estein, pointing to the pinioned captive. ketill laughed loud and long. "estein," he cried, "i ask your pardon. you may be under a spell, but you have given us a merry night's work. we have earned a long drink." chapter vii. the verdict of the sword. a shout of congratulation rose from the ship as the boat drew near and the anxious watchers counted the fourteen men returned again with their prisoner. drink was served round in huge beakers, and the superstitious fears vanished like the fog as they rowed in triumph out of the bay. they could see behind them the flames and smoke rising ever higher from the burning vessels, and as the ale mounted to their heads they shouted derisive defiance across the water. "where shall we go now?" asked grim. "do you know of any uninhabited holm where we could land by daybreak?" said estein. "there are many such about the orkneys; one i know well, which methinks we should reach soon after sunrise. there i shall take you." ketill came up at that moment with a great horn of ale, and cried, with a joviality only shown when drink flowed freely,-- "drink, estein, drink!--drink to the soul of liot skulison, which shall shortly speed to valhalla. shall we slay him now, or keep that sport till we have better light to see him die?" "i have other work on hand than drinking. liot and i have an account to settle at daybreak." ketill stared at him in astonishment. "you mean then in very truth to fight?" he cried. "well, do as you wish; but it is a strange spell." he left the poop with his horn, and estein seated himself on a stool, and leaning back against the bulwarks, tried to rest. his face was set, his mind made up, and he only waited impatiently for the hour of his trial. sleep came to him in uneasy snatches, during which he seemed to pass years of wild adventure, haunted all the time by strangely distorted oslas. he woke at last to the chill of a grey morning and the roll of a viking ship. with a little shiver he started to his feet, and began to pace the deck. presently helgi joined him, and laid his hand on his arm. "estein," he said, "tempt not your fate too far. never before have i seen witchcraft such as this. why should you fear the wrath of the gods? i tell you, my brother, you are under a spell; let us seek some magician who will cure you, and not rashly look for death when you are wearied with sleepless nights and black magic. if the wrath of the gods is really on you, it will fall were you to flee from men and seek refuge in the loneliest cave on all these coasts. i will slay liot skulison for you; in fair fight if you will, though i think not he deserves such a chance. was it a fair fight when he fell on our two ships with his ten?" "i would slay him, helgi, like a dog, were it not that something within me bids me ask in this wise the wishes of odin." "'tis the voice of yon witch." "she is no witch, helgi, only the fairest girl in all the north. listen, and i will tell you the story of this spell; but remember it is to you alone i tell it, and never must another know of my shame." "have you ever known me betray your trust?" "never, helgi, my brother, or you would not hear this tale. to me it seems the story of six years of my life, though it was scarcely as many weeks; but i shall make it as brief as i may." "the hour is yet early." "after the battle, helgi, i should have been drowned but for that maid you saw. she saved my life, and that at least i owe her. she brought me to the abode of her father, the hermit of the holy isle; and there i learned to love her. for six weeks i was no viking. i forgot my kinsfolk and my country, forgot all but osla." "call you not that a spell?" "did you not say yourself that you had known many spells like that, cast on men by maids? it was the magic of love that entangled me." "men said the hermit was a wizard." "no wizard, helgi, or he had never let me come there. he was a moody and fitful old man. i pleased him with my songs, talked to him of the strange religion he professes--for he is what men call a christian--and grew in time to think of him as a friend. (verily, i think there must have been magic!) all this while i spoke no word of love to osla, though i think she was not indifferent to me." "it was easy to see that." "twice on that island a voice i could not name warned me from beyond the grave, but i heeded it not. (can the man have been a wizard?) one night--it was the night you landed, helgi--i sat alone with the hermit. something had moved him to talk. i remember now! it was a song i sung myself. he told me a tale of a burning. "helgi, he had hardly begun ere i knew the end, and could name my warning voice. the tale was the burning of laxafiord, and the voice was my brother olaf's." "and the hermit?" "is thord the tall, the last of the burners." "is! then you slew him not?" "my dagger was drawn, i was bending towards him, when i heard without the steps of osla. i fled--ask me not what i thought or what i did. thord the tall and i both live, and i would know whether the gods would have it so. wherefore i meet liot this morning." "then you have spared olaf's burner for the sake of the burner's daughter?" "i had eaten his bread and shared his dwelling for six weeks, and but for that daughter i had never lived to meet him." "he slew your brother, estein." "there is no need to remind me of that." "methinks there is; he still lives." "and i still love his daughter." estein turned away as he spoke, and gazed with folded arms over the grey waters. helgi looked at him in silence; then he went up to his side. "forgive me, estein," he said, "and let odin judge you. i love you too well to be aught but a friend whatever you may do." "helgi! but for you i think i should fall upon my sword." his friend tried to force a laugh, but it came hard. "nay, rather seek a sword for liot skulison, for i see we are nearing the holm." "i had forgotten liot," said estein. "we will loose his bonds, and let him choose his weapons." he found liot sitting in the waist bound hand and foot. his eye was as firm as if he had been in his own hall, and he looked up indifferently as estein approached. "do you remember me, liot?" asked his captor. "ay, estein. you, methinks, are one of the bairns i thought i had slain. well was it for you that the orkney tides run strong. but the luck has changed, i see; and you were a bold man, estein hakonson, to change it as you did. why did you not burn us out?" "because i wanted you alone." "ay, torture is a pleasant game for the torturers. how do you intend that i shall die?" "by my sword, if the gods will it. in an hour, liot, we fight to the death. our battle-ground is yonder holm, the weapons you may choose yourself; and meanwhile i shall loose your bonds, and if you wish to eat or drink you may." a look of blank astonishment came over the viking captain's face. "this is a merry jest, estein," he said. "it is no jest.--loose his bonds, men." liot gave a shout of joy. "estein," he cried, "you are a brave man, but i think you are fey." "that will soon be seen." the viking's cool indifference gave place to the most exuberant excitement. like everybody else he thought that estein was either mad or the victim of some enchantment; but so long as he was going to strike a good blow for life, he cared not how the chance had come. he called for ale and meat, and with the eye of an old soldier carefully picked his weapons; while the men around him muttered to each other that estein was surely fey. all this time they had been sailing eastwards before a light breeze. the sun had long been up, but the whole sky was obscured by light clouds, and there was an early morning feel in the air. nearly the whole length of the wide and lonely firth that divides orkney from the scottish coast lay behind them, and close ahead they saw the little island that grim had chosen for the meeting-place. when they had reached the holm they anchored the ship close inshore, and two boat-loads of men were first sent to prepare the field of battle. then when all was ready the two combatants, attended by helgi and ketill, were rowed ashore. liot was gay and cheerful as a man going to a feast; while estein sat silent in the stern, his thoughts busy with a landing at another island. "you need ale, estein," said his opponent; "a man going to fight should be gay." "it is more fitting," replied helgi, "for the man who comes back to be cheerful." "well said," said ketill. liot only laughed, and springing ashore before the boat had touched the rocks, cried,-- "i had little thought to have such a pleasant morning. we will finish what we began before, estein." "ay, we will finish," said estein. they found a wide ring marked off with stones, and in this the two champions took their stand. each was armed with a helmet and a coat of ring-mail, and bore in his right hand a sword, and in his left a long, heart-shaped shield. round their waists another sword was girded, though there was likely to be little time to draw this. in height and build they were very equally matched, but men noticed that estein moved more lightly on his feet. in a loud voice ketill proclaimed that whoever should withdraw outside the ring of stones should ever after bear the name of dastard. then all went outside the circle, and with a shout liot sprang at his foe. estein caught the sword on his shield, and in return delivered such a storm of blows that liot got no chance for a blow in return. he began to give ground, estein pressing him hotly, his blade flashing so fast that men could not follow it. it was easily seen that in quickness and dexterity with his weapon liot was inferior to his foe; but with wary eye and cool head he kept well covered with his shield, shifting his ground all the time. twice he was nearly driven over the line, but each time saved himself by a rapid side movement. "i fear that estein will tire," muttered helgi. "ay; he has started too hard," replied ketill. it seemed as if they were right. estein's blows became less frequent, and liot in turn attacked hotly. he made as little impression, however, as estein, and then by mutual consent both men stopped for a minute's breathing-space. "you seem tired, estein," said liot. "guard yourself," was the reply, and the fight began again. as before, estein attacked hotly, liot steadily giving ground. "too hard, too hard! after two sleepless nights he cannot fight long like this," exclaimed helgi. so thought liot, and he bided his time with patience. he was opposed, however, by one of the best and most determined swordsmen in norway, and estein as well as any one knew the risk he ran. he rained in his blows like a hailstorm; but fast though they came, he was sparing his strength, and there was less vigour in his attack than there seemed. he bent all his energies on driving liot back on the ring, shifting his ground as fast as his foe, heading off his attempts to move round, and all the while watching keenly for an opening. "he wins, ketill! he wins!" cried helgi. "ay," said the black-bearded captain; "there is little skill we can teach estein." as they neared the stones, estein's onset became more furious than ever; sword and shield had to shift up and down, right and left, to guard his storm of blows, and all the while liot was being driven back the faster towards one place where larger stones than usual had been used to make the ring. in vain he sprang suddenly to one side; estein was before him, and his blade nearly found its way home. two paces more liot gave way, and then his heel struck a boulder. for an instant he lost his balance, and that moment was his last on earth. as the shield shifted, estein's sword came full on his neck, and it was only the bairn-slayer's body that fell without the ring. "bring the spades!" cried ketill--"a fitting enough epitaph for liot skulison." his conqueror was already in helgi's arms. "i thought i should have had to avenge you, estein. my heart is light again." "odin has answered me, helgi." "and the spell is broken?" "no; that spell, i fear, will break only with my death-wound." helgi laughed out of pure light-heartedness. "there are fair maids in the south lands," he said. "i go to norway," replied estein. "i would fain see the pine woods again." that evening they saw the orkneys faint and far away astern, and estein, as he watched them fade into the dusk, would have given all norway to hear again the roost run clamorous off the holy isle. chapter viii. in the cell by the roost. on the rocky shore of the holy isle, osla sat alone. the spell of summer weather had passed from the islands, and in its wake the wind blew keenly from the north, and the grey cloud-drift hurried low overhead. all colour had died out of land and sea; the hills looked naked and the waters cold. and vandrad, the sea-rover, had gone with the sunshine--had gone, never so osla said to herself, to return again. she rose and tried to give her thoughts a lighter turn, but the note of the north wind smote drearily upon her ears, and she left the sea-shore with a sigh. for seven uneventful years she had found in the sea a friend of whom she never tired, and on the little island duties enough to make the days pass swiftly by. why should the time now hang heavy on her hands? she walked slowly to the wind-swept cells. her father sat within, the blackness of night upon his soul, the viking fire now burned completely out. she tried to rouse him, but he answered only in absent monosyllables. again she sought the solace of the sea, but never, it seemed to her, had it looked so cold and so unfriendly. "why did he ever come at all?" she said. and so the days went by; summer changed to autumn, and autumn gave place to winter. for week after week one gale followed another. for days on end the spin-drift flew in clouds across the island, salt and unceasing. the sea was never silent, the gulls flew inland and the cormorants sat storm-bound in their caves; brief glimpses of cold and sunny weather passed as abruptly as they came, and in the smoke of a driftwood fire osla plied her needle and followed the wanderings of her thoughts. during all these months the hermit spoke little. so engrossed was osla in herself that she hardly noticed how seldom the cloud seemed to lift from his mind. never as before did he talk with her at length, or instruct her from the curious scraps of knowledge his once acute mind had picked up from sources christian and pagan, from the wise men of the north and the monasteries of southern lands. he never once alluded to their guest, never even apparently observed his departure, and in her heart his daughter thanked him for his silence. the lingering winter passed at length, and one morning, in the first freshness of spring, osla stood without the cell. presently her father joined her, and she noticed, though her thoughts were busy elsewhere, that he wore a strange expression. he looked at her doubtfully, and then said,-- "where is vandrad? i would hear him sing." then osla started, and her heart smote her. "vandrad, father?" she said gently. "he has been gone these eight months. did you not know?" the hermit seemed hardly to comprehend her words. "gone!" he repeated. "why did you not tell me?" "surely you knew," she said. "why went he away? i would hear him sing. he used to sing to me of war. he sang last night. last night," he repeated doubtfully; "methinks it was last night. bring him to me." she turned his questions as best she could, and strove to make him think of other things. with her arm through his they paced the turf along the shore, and all the while her heart sank lower and lower. she was in the presence of something so mysterious that even wise men in those days shrank from it in fear. it was the finger of god alone, they said, that laid a blight on human minds, and there before her was his handiwork. yet, had she but known it, this blight had been the slow work of years. her father's mind, always dark and superstitious, and tinged with morbid melancholy, had gradually in these long solitary years given way more and more before sombre underminings, till now, with old age at the gates, it had at last succumbed. some few bright moments there were at rare intervals, but in all the months that followed it was but the shattered hull of thord the tall, once the terror of the western seas, that lingered on the holy isle. the care of him had at least the effect of turning osla's thoughts away from herself. than sunshine and another's troubles there are no better tonics. yet it was a dreary summer for the hermit's daughter, and it grew all the drearier and more lonesome when the long, fresh days began to shorten, and the sea was more seldom still and the wind more often high. all the time, the old man grew slowly worse. he sat continually in his cell; and though osla would not acknowledge her fears even to herself, she knew that death could not be far away. yet he lingered through the winter storms, and the end came upon a february evening. all the afternoon the hermit had lain with shut eyes, never speaking a word or giving a sign. it fell wet and gusty at night, and osla, bending over the couch, could hear nothing but the wind and the roost she knew so well. at length he raised his head and asked,-- "are we alone, osla?" "there is no one here but me, father." "listen then," he said. "i have that on my mind that you must hear before i die. my end is close at hand. i seem to have been long asleep, and now i know that this wakefulness you see is but the clearness of a man before he dies." he took her hand as he spoke, and she tried to stifle a sob. "not so," she said, while the tears rose so fast that she could only dimly see his face; "you are better, far better, to-night." "i am death-doomed, osla. thord the tall shall die in his bed to-night, an old and worthless wreck. once i had little thought of such a death; and even now, though i die a christian man, and my hope is in christ jesus, and st. andaman the holy, i would like well to hear the clash of swords around me. but the doom of a man is fated from his birth." his daughter was silent, and the old viking, seeming to gather strength as he talked, went on in a strong, clear voice. "i have heavy sins at my door. i have burned, i have slain in battle, i have pillaged towns and devastated corn-lands. may the lord have mercy on my soul! "he shall have mercy, osla! i am saved, and the heathen i slew are lost for ever. for the souls of the christians who fell by this hand i have done penance and given great gifts, and to-night these things shall be remembered. to-night we part, osla." she held his great hand in both of hers, and pressed it against her lips, and in a broken voice she said,-- "no, not to-night, not to-night." "ay, to-night," he said. "but before we part you must hear of one deed that haunts me even now, though they were but heathens whom i slew." "the burning at laxafiord?" she whispered. "who has not heard of that burning?" he cried. "the flames leapt higher than the pine trees, the women shrieked--i hear them now!" he paused, and she pressed his hand the tighter. "father!" she said softly, "father!" but he paid no heed to her, for his mind had begun to wander, and he talked wildly to himself. "death-doomed i am. have mercy upon my soul! ......ay, the wind blows, a stormy day for fishing, and the flames are leaping--i see them leap! st. ringan save me!......a christian man, i tell thee...... spare not, spare not! smite them to the last man!" then he fell silent, and she laid her free hand upon his brow, while outside the wind eddied and sang mournfully round the cell. at last his mind cleared again, and he spoke coherently though very feebly. "i am dying, osla; fare thee well! the box--you know the box?" "the steel-bound box?" she answered. "ay, steel-bound, 'tis steel-bound indeed. i took it--" he had begun to wander again, but with a last effort he collected his thoughts and went on,-- "open it. there is a writing. read, it will tell--promise--i can speak no more." "i promise," she replied, hardly knowing what she said, her heart was so full. there was another brief silence, and then loudly and clearly he cried,-- "bring up my banner! forward, thord's men! forward!......they fly!......they fly!" the voice died away, and osla was left alone. chapter ix. the message of the runes. the story must now come back to norway. though estein had returned with neither spoil nor captives, the tale of liot's capture and the combat on the holm added much to his renown, and no fewer than six skalds composed lengthy poems on the adventure. there seemed no reason why the hero of these lays should shrink from talking of his expedition, and avoid, so far as he could, the company of men. gradually strange rumours began to spread. helgi, who alone knew the truth, held his peace for estein's sake, even when the ale flowed most freely. the others who had sailed with them laid no such restraint on their tongues, and stories of a spell and an orkney witch, vague and contradictory, but none the less eagerly listened to and often repeated, went the round of the country. the king at last began to take alarm, and one day he called earl sigvald to him and talked with him alone. "what rede can you give, jarl?" he said; "a strange witchcraft i fear has been at work. when a young man smiles but seldom, broods often by himself, and shuns the flagon and the feast, there is something more to be looked for than a loss of men and ships, or the changefulness of youth." "get him a wife," replied the earl. "he has been single too long. there is no cure for spells like a pair of bright eyes." but when the king spoke to his son, he found him resolutely opposed to marriage. hakon loved him so dearly that he forbore to press the matter, and again he consulted earl sigvald. "if he will not marry, let him fight," answered the earl. "for a prince of the race of yngve, the clash of arms cures melancholy better than a maid." so with the coming of spring estein cruised in the baltic, and carried the terror of his arms far into finland and russia. yet he returned as moody as before. at feasts his spirits sometimes rose to an extraordinary pitch. for the time he would be carried away as he had never been before. he would sing, jest, and quarrel; but his jests were often bitter, and his quarrels gave rise to more talk than his gloom, for before he had been of an even and generous temper. and when the fit passed away he was quieter than ever. one day he was out hunting on the fells with helgi. they were oftener together than ever, and his foster-brother had far more influence with him than any other man. they stood on a desolate hillside a little above the highest pine woods, examining the tracks of a bear, when helgi suddenly turned to him and said,-- "do you not think, estein, you have moped and mourned long enough?" "they whom the gods have cursed," replied estein, "have little cause for laughter. what is there left for me on this earth?" "to prove yourself a man; to accept the destiny you cannot alter; and in time, estein, to be a king. are these things nothing?" helgi seldom spoke so gravely, and estein for a time stood silent. then he exclaimed,-- "you are right, helgi; i have acted as a beaten child. henceforth i shall try to look on my fate, i cannot say merrily, but at least with a steady eye." as another winter passed, he gradually seemed to come to himself. he was sadder and more reserved than of yore, but the king saw with joy that the gloom was lifting. one day in the season when spring and winter overlap, and the snow melts by day and hardens again over-night, earl sigvald returned to hakonstad from his seat by a northern fiord. king hakon greeted him cheerfully. "the spell is lifting, jarl," he said; "estein is becoming himself again." "that is well, sire," replied the earl; "and my old heart lightens at the news. but i have other tidings that need your attention. i have brought with me arne the slim, your scatt-gatherer in jemtland. the people there have slain some of his followers, forced him to fly for his life, and refused to pay scatt to a norse king. there is work ahead for some of our young blades." "they shall see that my arm is longer than they deem," replied the king grimly. arne told his tale in the great hall before all the assembled chiefs, and the king's face darkened with anger as he listened. every now and then, as he spoke of some particular act of treachery, or of his hardships and hurried flight, an angry murmur rose from his audience, and a weapon here and there clashed sternly. estein alone seemed unmoved. he stood listlessly at the back, apparently hardly hearing what was going on, his thoughts returning despite himself to their melancholy groove. all at once he heard himself addressed, and turning round saw a stranger at his side. the man was holding out something towards him, and when he had caught estein's eye, he said respectfully,-- "i was charged to give this token to you, sire." estein looked at him in surprise, and taking the token from his hand, glanced at it curiously. it was a stave of oak, about two feet long, and shaped with some care. along one side an inscription was carved in runes, and as he read the first words his expression changed and he spelt it keenly through. the whole writing ran: "an old man, a maiden, and a spell. come hither to jemtland." he turned sharply to the man and asked,-- "how came you by this? who sent it to me?" "that last i cannot answer," replied the man. "this only i know, that the night before the jemtland people attacked us, a man came to the door of the house where i lodged, and giving me this said, 'fly, war is afoot,' and with that he left as suddenly as he came. i aroused my master arne, and one or two more, and thanks to the warning, we escaped the fate of our comrades. that is all i can tell you." the message made a sharp impression on estein's mind. "an old man, a maiden, and a spell," he repeated to himself. he racked his brains, but he could think of no one in that remote country who would be likely to send such a message. it seemed to him to have an almost supernatural import, and again he said to himself, "an old man, a maiden, and a spell." then suddenly he took a resolution, and turning from the messenger stepped into the crowd who surrounded the king. arne had just finished his tale. there was a moment's angry silence, and then the king glanced round the host of weather-beaten vikings and high-born chiefs and cried,-- "who will punish these cowardly rebels of mine?" a dozen voices instantly claimed the service. loudest of them all was that of ketill, now married to a wealthy widow and a person of considerable importance, and the black-bearded viking stepped forward as he spoke. "give me this service, king," he said. "i have lived at mine ease too long of late. laziness begets fat." there was a laugh at ketill's words, for his person had never been noted for its spareness. the viking frowned and exclaimed,-- "let those laugh who have tested my steel." "well i know your bravery, ketill," began the king, "and there is no man--" at that instant the ring of men round him suddenly opened and estein stood before his father. his face was more animated than any had seen it for many a long day, and in a firm voice he said,-- "i will lead this expedition." steel rang on steel as every armed warrior there clashed his approval. by all the gods whose names he could remember earl sigvald swore that the true estein was come back, and king hakon exclaimed joyfully,-- "there speaks my son at last. prepare yourself then, estein. ill tidings have been changed to good." "and you, ketill," said estein, turning to his former companion, "will you come with me?" "that will i," answered ketill. "i want no braver leader. but the gods curse me if we roast not a few score men this time, estein." for two days there was a turmoil of preparation round hakonstad, and on the third estein's two warships sailed down the fiord. he had with him helgi, ketill, and a picked force; and as he stood on deck and watched the towering precipices slip by, and the white clouds drift over their rough rim of pines, his heart beat high. the message of the runes was ringing in his mind, and the spirit of roving and adventure boiling up again. they sailed far up the coast, and then, leaving their ship in a northern fiord, struck inland across the mountains. the country they were going to lay among the lakes of north sweden. its people were more barbarous than the norwegians, and had long been in a state of half-subjection to the norse kings. there was not likely to be hard fighting; for small as estein's force was, the natives were badly armed and little esteemed as warriors. the country, however, was difficult, so the men marched warily, their arms ready for instant use, and a sharp watch kept all the time. the sun came out hot by day, but at nights it felt very cold and frosty. with all the haste they could make they pushed on by the least frequented routes and the most desolate places. during the first day after they had crossed the mountains, they only saw one farmhouse, in a forest clearing, and that, when they came up to it, was still and deserted. on the following day they passed a small hamlet on the banks of a river, and a little later another farm. in neither was there a sign of an inhabitant to be seen, and they seemed for all the world like dwellings of the dead. "this is passing strange," said helgi. "unless, perhaps, the jemtlanders spend the winter in holes and caves, like the bears they resemble in all but courage." "the alarm has spread, i fear," answered estein. "we must make the more haste." "ay," said ketill; "on, on!" towards evening the head of the column emerged into a small clearing, and the foster-brothers, who were marching in the middle, heard a cry from the van. then ketill's gruff voice called out,-- "after him! nay, slay him not! have you got him? ay, bring the knave to estein." the little army came to a halt, and a poor-looking man, clad in a skin coat, and trembling violently as they dragged him along, was brought before estein. "spare my life, noble captain!" he pleaded, casting himself on his knees. "i am but a poor man, i beseech you." "silence, rascal!" thundered ketill, "or we will have your coward's tongue out by the root." "tell me, if you value your life, what means this solitude?" estein demanded sternly. "nay, shake not like an old man with palsy, but speak the truth--if by chance a jemtlander knows what truth is. where are the people?" "noble earl, they have heard of your coming, and fled. no man will await you; you will see none in the country." "do none mean to fight?" asked helgi. "great prince," replied the fellow, "the jemtlanders were never a warlike race. even the king, i hear, is prepared to fly." a contemptuous murmur rose from the norsemen. "let us begin by hanging this man," said ketill, "and then fire, fire through the country!" "i shall see first whether he has spoken the truth," answered estein. "bind him, and bring him on." the man was bound and guarded, and the march was continued. early the next morning two men were found together in a cottage, and they told the same tale. "little glory is there in marching against such a people," said estein. "bind them, and hasten on." about an hour later the little army emerged from a hillside forest, and saw below them a small merchant town. the rude wooden houses straggled along the edge of a great frozen lake, whose snow-powdered surface stretched for miles and miles in an unbroken sheet of dazzling whiteness. between the shores and the outskirts of the woodlands lay a wide sweep of cultivated country. everywhere a thin coating of snow covered the ground, and the air was sharp enough to make the breath of the men rise like a cloud of steam as they marched in battle order down the slope. "there are men in the town!" cried helgi suddenly. "i see the glint of the sun on weapons. thanks be to the gods, we shall have a fight!" "ay, they are coming out," said estein. "halt! we shall take advantage of the slope, and await them here." the men halted, and grasped their weapons, and in expectant silence their leaders watched a small troop defile out of the town. "call you that an army?" growled ketill. "there are barely a score of them." "ay," said helgi, with a sigh, "there will be no fighting to-day." about twenty men, dressed in skins and fur coats and wooden helmets, and slenderly armed, had left the town, and now came slowly up the hill. their leader alone wore a burnished steel helmet, and carried a long halberd over his shoulder. immediately behind him walked two boys, and at the sight of them helgi asked,-- "what mean they by bringing boys against us?" "hostages," suggested estein laconically. when this motley company had come within a hundred yards of them, they stopped, and their leader advanced alone. as he drew near to the norsemen, estein stepped out a pace or two to meet him, but they stood so close that helgi and ketill could hear all that passed. they saw that the stranger was a tall, elderly man with a clever face and a dignified bearing. "hail, estein hakonson!" he said. "you know my name, it seems," replied estein, "and therein have the advantage of me." "my name is thorar," said the chief, speaking gravely and very courteously, "lawman of this region of jemtland"--he made a sweeping gesture with his hand as he said this--"and a friend hitherto to the northmen." "i know you by repute as a chief of high birth, and one who has long been faithful to my father. yet, methinks, it was something less than faithful to drive his scatt-gatherer from the country and slay his followers." "blame not me for that, estein," answered thorar. "it was done with neither my knowledge nor consent, and none grieved at such an outrage more than i. now, as you see, you have the land at your mercy; and as an ancient friend of your family and a faithful servant of my master king bue, i am come to intercede between king hakon and him. give us peace, estein; and as you have a grey-haired father, spare my master the sorrow and the shame you would bring upon him. what can he do against you? the old spirit of my countrymen has died out," he added sadly, "and no man dare meet your force in the field." "is king bue in the town?" estein asked. "nay, he could not travel so far; but in his name i bid you welcome to his feast, if you will accept peace instead of war. if you will not, then i can only mourn the devastation of my country. it will be a bloodless victory, estein." "and what compensation does the king intend to make?" "what you will; he is powerless." "shall we then march to king bue?" "alas!" said thorar, "in these evil days he cannot entertain you all. many of his people have fled to the woods already, and--to tell the truth--he, too, would feel ill at ease if he saw so brave a force come nigh him; for he is old, and his spirit is broken. but a following of twenty men or so he will gladly entertain. the others i shall have feasted here in the town at my own cost, and with them i shall leave my two young sons"--he indicated, as he spoke, the two lads. "they are my only children, and them i shall willingly give you as hostages till your return, that i may save my country from fire and sword. though," he added, with a grave smile, "if men speak truth, estein hakonson can make good his coming or going against most." "be it as you will," replied estein; "but if--" he paused, and looked sternly at thorar. "if a king's word and mine are not sufficient, and my only sons satisfy you not, i can but add my oath--though most men would deem it needless." thorar spoke with dignity and a touch of haughtiness, and estein replied simply and courteously,-- "i shall come." he turned to helgi and said,-- "no fighting will there be, helgi; but i have known you welcome even a feast. what say you?" "this snow work and marching call for feasting," replied helgi, with a laugh. "then ketill shall stay here with the rest of our troop, and you and i, with twenty more, will to the king. forward, men!" "spare not the ale," added ketill. "a courteous and gallant man is thorar, for a jemtlander," said helgi to ketill, as they marched down to the town. "dogs and women are his people," replied ketill. "they are fit neither to be friends nor enemies." estein liberated the prisoners they had taken on the march, and leaving ketill in charge of the main force and the hostages, he and helgi set forth about noon for the seat of king bue. chapter x. king bue's feast. their way at first took them over a flat, white waste by the shores of the lake. estein fell back and let helgi walk in front with thorar; behind those two marched the small band of wild, skin-coated followers of the lawman; and after them came the mail-clad twenty, the shields which hung from their backs clanking now and again as they struck their harness. last of all walked their leader. now that the tension of forced marches and weary journeyings through forest paths was off his mind, his thoughts ran continually on the runes. "come hither to jemtland," he said to himself. he had come, and what was to follow? something he felt must happen, and though he was curious, he cared singularly little what it might be. the sun hung high overhead, under foot the snow crunched pleasantly, and the air was clear and bracing--a day to inspire an adventurer and a skald. his thoughts began to take a rhyming turn, and he caught himself repeating his own verses:-- "fare thee well, sweet blue-eyed osla! the sea-king must not stay, e'en for tresses rich as summer and for smile as bright as may; but one hope i cannot part from-- we may meet again some day!" "and we shall, osla!" he exclaimed half aloud. he was aroused by hearing the voices of helgi and thorar come back to him clear and cheerfully. a thought struck him. could thorar have sent the message? a moment's reflection assured him that it was out of the question, but, to convince himself, he went forward and joined the lawman. "is it far to king bue's hall?" he asked. "the marshes are firm and frozen, and the snow lies nowhere very deep. we should reach it by nightfall." helgi laughed, and said,-- "a flight of wild ducks passed overhead just now, and called to mind their kinsmen cooked; their kinsmen cooked called to mind the wherewithal to wash them down; and, in brief, i, for one, shall be glad to meet king bue." "we have a saying that the king loves a guest who loves his cheer," replied thorar with a smile. "know you one of an old man," estein asked, "and--but i forget it--something of a maiden too? i saw it somewhere written in runes." in obedience to an indefinable instinct, he had said nothing of the token to helgi, and his foster-brother looked at him in surprise. the mention of the runes brought no look of recognition to thorar's face. with his grave smile he answered,-- "there are many sayings concerning maids, and some concerning old men; also, if i mistake not, one or two about young men and maids." "spare estein those last," cried helgi lightly. "he thinks himself old, and never gives maids a thought at all." evidently thorar knew nothing of the message, and estein became silent again. they were gradually approaching a dark forest, which stretched from the edge of the lake inland, and latish in the afternoon they entered it by a narrow, rutty road. darkness closed in fast as they wound their way through the wood. the air grew colder and colder, till their hands and faces tingled with the frost. silence fell upon them, and for some time nothing could be heard but the occasional clash of steel and the continual creaking of snow and breaking of dead branches under foot. then a hum of voices came to them fitfully, and at last the path opened into a wide glade. "we are almost there," said thorar. "smile not, estein, at our rude hospitality; or, if you do, let our welcome make amends." a young moon had just risen above the trees, and by its pale light they saw a small village at the end of the glade. many lights flashed, and a babel of voices chattered and shouted as they approached. "all king bue's men have not fled, it seems," helgi said in a low voice. estein made no reply, but the two foster-brothers fell back, and placing themselves at the head of their twenty followers, entered the little village. they found that it consisted of a few mean houses clustered outside a high wooden stockade. thorar led them up to a gateway in this fence, and crying, "welcome, estein!" stood aside to let the norsemen file in. the scene as they entered was strange and stirring. immediately before them lay a wide courtyard, in the centre of which stood king bue's hall, high and long, and studded with bright windows. men were ranged in a line from the gateway to the hall, bearing great torches. the smoky flames flashed on snow-covered ground and wild faces, and the branches of black pines outside, making the night above seem dark as a great vault. all round them rose a clamour of voices, and a throng of skin-coated figures crowded the gate to catch a glimpse of the strangers. estein walked first, and just as he came into the court a man, pushed apparently by the surging crowd, stumbled against him. "make way, there!" cried thorar sternly, from behind; "give room for the king's guests to pass!" the man hastily stepped back, but not before he had found time to whisper,-- "beware, estein! drink not too deep!" as he walked along the line of torch-bearers to the door of the king's hall, the peril of their situation, supposing treachery were really intended, came suddenly home to estein's mind. it was too late to turn back, even had his pride allowed him to think of taking such a course. he could only resolve to warn his men, and, so far as he could, keep them together and near him. even as he was still turning the matter over in his mind, he found himself at the hall door, where an officer of the court, dressed with barbaric splendour, ushered him into the drinking-room. a discordant chorus of outlandish voices, raised by a hundred guests or more, bade him welcome. he walked up to his seat by the king, and on the spur of the moment could hit on no plan of communicating with his men. helgi followed him to the dais, and with him he just found time to exchange a word. "drink little, and watch!" he whispered. "have you then seen him too?" helgi replied, in the same anxious tone. estein looked at him in surprise, and helgi, coming close beside him, added rapidly,-- "the last torch-bearer but one was the man we captured in the forest and freed this morning, and methinks i see another of our prisoners even now. king bue's hird-men [footnote: bodyguard.] both, sent--" he had to turn away abruptly, and estein finished the sentence under his breath,-- "sent to trap us." he took his seat, and glancing round the hall saw his twenty followers scattered here and there among the crowd of guests. "fool!" he thought, "i have walked into the trap like a child in arms. the whole country has been prepared against our coming, the people told to leave their houses, and the king's own hird-men set as decoys in our path. can this be the meaning of the runes?" yet there was no actual proof of treachery, and he could only watch and listen. and certainly there was noise enough to be heard. never among the most hardened drinkers of their own country had the foster-brothers seen such an orgie. the king, a foolish-looking old man, evidently completely under thorar's influence, became very soon in a maudlin condition; man after man around them grew rapidly more and more drunk; and all the time they themselves were plied with ale so assiduously that their suspicions grew stronger. so far as his followers were concerned, estein was helpless. he glanced round the hall now and then, and could see them quickly succumbing to the jemtland hospitality. personally he found it hard to refuse to pledge the frequent toasts shouted at him, but at last, when the men near him had got in such a state that their observation was dulled, he placed his drinking-horn on his lap and thrust his dagger through the bottom. then, by keeping it always off the table, he was able to let the liquor run through as fast as it was filled, and always drain an empty cup. helgi had adopted a different device. his head lay on his arms, and in reply to all calls to drink he merely uttered incoherent shouts, while every now and then estein could see that he would shake with laughter. suspicious though he was, it came as a shock to estein to hear his worst fears suddenly confirmed. tongues had been freely loosed, and listening carefully to what was said, he heard the mutterings of the chief next him take a coherent form. "ay, little they know," he was saying to himself. "let them drink, let them drink. dogs of norsemen, they came hither to harry our country, and here they shall stay. ay, they shall never drink again, and king hakon shall look for his son in vain." then the man lost his balance, and rolled off his seat under the board. he had been placed between estein and helgi, and now estein was able to lean over to his foster-brother, and, under pretence of trying to make him drink, whispered in his ear,-- "go out by the far door, and await me outside the court on the farthest side from the entrance." helgi lay still for a minute, and then rising to his feet, muttered something about "strong ale and fresh air," and staggered down the hall with a well-feigned semblance of drunkenness. thorar was sitting opposite, touched with drink a little, but still alert and sober enough. he glanced sharply at estein; but the viking, looking him full in the face, laughed noisily and cried,-- "helgi's head seems hardly so strong as his hand, thorar!" for once the lawman was overreached, and with a laugh he drained his horn and answered,-- "i had thought better of you norsemen." the hardest part of the business now remained. to go out in the same way he knew would excite suspicion; if he delayed too long, search would be made for helgi; and there sat thorar facing him. he knew that if he could once get rid of him, he had little to fear from any of the others; and as he thought hard for a plan, the king, who had for some time been fast asleep, suddenly solved the difficulty. he woke with a start, saw that the drink was coming to an end, and cried with drunken ardour,-- "more ale, more ale, thorar! estein drinks not!" thorar glanced round and saw that no one but himself was capable of going on the errand. twice he called aloud on servants by their names, but there came no answer. then with a frown he rose and walked down the hall. the high table at which they sat was lit by two great torches set on stands. while thorar was still going down the room, estein, with a deliberately clumsy movement, upset and extinguished the one nearest him. casting a look over his shoulder, he saw the lawman leave the hall at the far end; and then he rose to his feet, and making an affectation of relighting the extinguished torch from the other, put the second out, and in the sudden half-darkness that ensued, slipped under the board, and ran on his hands and feet for the door at that end of the hall. no one about seemed to notice his departure, but just as he carefully opened the door he thought he saw with the corner of his eye a man slip out at the far end. chapter xi. the house in the forest. coming from the warmth and light of the hall, the night outside struck sharp and bitterly cold. a thin cloud hid the moon, but there was quite light enough to see that the snow-covered court was deserted. only in the shadows of the paling and the end of the house was it possible for a man to be concealed, and before he stepped away from the door estein ran his eye carefully along both. he could see nothing, and had just stepped forward a pace, when noiselessly as a phantom a dark form appeared round the corner of the hall, and without pausing an instant came straight up to him. he saw only that the man was small, and wrapped in a cloak of fur; his sword flashed, and he was almost in the act of striking when the figure held up a hand and stopped. "who art thou?" said estein in a low voice, coming forward a step as he spoke, and holding his sword ready to smite on the instant. "estein hakonson," replied the other in the same tone, "waste not your blows on friends. remember the runes, and follow me. there is little time for words now." he turned as he spoke, and looking over his shoulder to see that estein followed him, started for the stockade. for an instant estein hesitated. "are you mad?" exclaimed the man; "or do you wish to die here like a dog?" "lead on," replied estein, and still holding his naked sword he followed him across the court. the man went swiftly up to the paling, and taking an axe from under his cloak drove it hard into the wood as high above his head as he could reach. then with the agility of a cat he drew himself up by it, seized the top of the fence, and sat there astride. "quick! quick!" he whispered. "sheathe that sword, and stand not like a fool looking at me." estein, though a much heavier man, was active and lithe, and his guide, as he watched him mount, muttered,-- "that is better; we have a chance yet." they dropped on the other side, and whispering to estein to follow, the man turned to the wood and was about to plunge in, when his companion seized his arm, and said,-- "i trysted here with my foster brother. till he comes i must wait." the jemtlander turned on him savagely and answered,-- "think you i have to succour you of my own pleasure? never had i less joy in doing anything. if your brother be not here now he will never come at all. i was not told to risk my life for him. come on!" "go, then," said estein; "here will i bide." the man stamped his foot wrathfully, and turned sharply away as though he would leave him. then he turned back and answered,-- "the gods curse you and him! see you this path opening ahead of us? follow that with all the speed you can make, and i, fool that i am for my pains, shall turn back and bring him after you if he is to be found. stare not at me, but hasten! i shall overtake you ere long." with that he started off under the shadow of the stockade, and estein, after a moment's deliberation, turned into the path. never before had he felt himself so completely the football of fortune. destiny seemed to kick him here and there in no gentle manner, and to no purpose that he could fathom. as he stumbled through the blackness of the tortuous forest path, he tried to connect one thing with another, and find some meaning in the token that had brought him here. evidently the sender was so far from being in league with his foes that he made a kind of contrary current, eddying him one way just when fate seemed to have driven him another. to add to his perplexities, the disappearance of helgi had now come to trouble his mind; he had heard no outcry or alarm, his foster-brother had time enough to have easily reached the rendezvous before him, and he felt as he walked like a man in a maze. suddenly there came a crash of branches at his side, a man stepped out of the trees, and before he had time to draw a weapon, the sharp, impatient voice of his guide exclaimed,-- "is this all the way you have made? your foster-brother has escaped, or has by this time been captured, i care not which. i saw him not." "but supposing i were more careful of his safety?" estein demanded, with a note of anger in his voice. "push on!" replied the other. "the alarm is raised, and neither you nor helgi can be found, so perchance he has not yet suffered for his folly. i came not out to hear you talk." he started off as he spoke, and estein, perceiving the hopelessness of further search, followed him with a heart little lightened. "if they have not found him yet," he thought, "he has perhaps escaped. but why did he not wait for me? if he had been alive, he surely would have met me." for some time he followed his mysterious guide in melancholy silence. there was only room for them to walk in single file, and it took him some trouble to keep up. sometimes it seemed to him that they would leave the path and go straight through the trackless depths of the wood, with a quickness and assurance that astonished him. then again they would apparently fall upon a path for a time, and perhaps break into a trot while the ground was clear. at last they came into a long, open glade, where a stream brawled between snow-clad banks, and the vague form of some frightened animal flitted silently towards the shade. the moon had come out of the clouds, and by its light estein tried to scan the features of his companion. so far as a fur cap would let his face be seen, he seemed dark, unkempt, and singularly wild of aspect, but there was nothing in his look to catch the viking's memory. he said not a word, but, with a swinging stride, hastened down the glade, estein close at his shoulder. "where do we go?" estein asked once. "you shall see what you shall see. waste not your breath," replied the other impatiently. again they turned into the wood, and went for some considerable distance down a choked and rugged path which all at once ended in a clearing. in the middle stood a small house of wood. the frosted roof sparkled in the moonlight, and a thin stream of smoke rose from a wide chimney at one end, but there was never a ray of light from door or window to be seen. the man went straight up to the door and knocked. "this then is the end of our walk," said estein. "it would seem so indeed," replied the other, striking the door again impatiently. this time there came sounds of a bolt being shot back. then the door swung open, and estein saw on the threshold an old man holding in his hand a lighted torch. for an instant there passed through his mind, like a prospect shown by a flash of lightning, a sharp memory of the hermit andreas. instinctively he drew back, but the first words spoken dispelled the thought. "i have waited for thee, estein." "atli!" he exclaimed. "ay," said the old man. "i see thou knewest not where thy way would lead thee. but enter, estein, if indeed after a king's feast thou wilt deign to receive my welcome." he added the last words with a touch of irony that hardly tended to propitiate his guest. "i have to thank you, methinks," replied estein, as he entered, "for bringing me to that same banquet." he found himself in a room that seemed to occupy most of the small house. one half of it was covered with a wooden ceiling which served as the floor of a loft, while for the rest of the way there was nothing beneath the sloping rafters of the roof. a ladder reached from the floor to the loft, and at one end, that nearest the outer door, a fire of logs burned brightly. all round the walls hung the skins of many bears and wolves, with here and there a spear or a bow. atli left the other man to close the door, and followed estein up to the fire. he replied, either not noticing or disregarding the dryness of estein's retort,-- "i knew well, estein, thou wouldst come. something told me thou wouldst not linger on my summons." "did you then send for me to lead me into this snare?" said estein, his brows knitting darkly. "does one eagle betray another to the kites and crows?" replied the old man loftily. estein burst out hotly,-- "speak plainly, old man! keep mysteries for rune-carved staves and kindred tricks. what mean this message and this plot and this rescue? i have left my truest friend and twenty stout followers besides in yonder hall. i myself have had to flee for my life from a yelping pack of jemtland dogs; and for aught i know, ketill and the rest of my force may be drugged with drink and burned in their beds even while i talk with you. give me some plain answer?" atli looked at him for a minute, and then replied gravely,-- "i have heard, indeed, that some strange change had befallen estein hakonson. there was a time when he who had just saved thy life would have had fairer thanks than this." with a strong effort estein controlled his temper and answered more quietly,-- "you are right. it was another estein whom you saw before. bear with me, and go on." he sat down on a bench as he spoke and gazed into the fire. "the gods indeed have dealt heavily with thee," said atli, "and it is at their bidding that i called thee here." "spoke they with king bue also?" said estein, with a slight curl of his lip, looking all the time at the fire. "nay; hear me out, estein. i knew that king hakon would send, ere long, an avenging force to jemtland." "he was never the man to forgive an injury," he added, apparently to himself. "so, as thou knowest, i sent that token to thee. then unquiet rumours reached mine ears; for though i live apart from men here in this forest, little passes in the country--ay, and in norway too--that comes not to atli's knowledge. i learned of the plot to treacherously entrap thy force, and though i have long lived out of norway my norse blood boiled within me." "could you not have warned us sooner?" said estein. "thorar kept his plans secret so long that it was too late to do aught save what i have done. i sent jomar to the feast, as thou knowest." estein's guide had been sitting before the fire, consuming a supper of cold meat, and paying little heed to the talk, but at the last words he rose, and throwing the bones on to the flames, said,-- "it was by no will of mine; i bear no love to the norsemen." "peace!" exclaimed atli sternly. "art thou too ungrateful for what i have done for thee, and fearless of what i can do?" "babble on with this norseman. i am tired," replied jomar, and leaving the fire, he rolled himself in a bear-skin, lay down on the floor, and in a trice was fast asleep. "say now to me, estein," continued the old man, "that thou holdest me guiltless of all blame." "of all, save the snatching of me away from the fate of helgi," replied estein sadly. "yet i remember that you yourself said that our ends should not be far apart, so i think you have but delayed my death a little while." "nay, rather," cried atli enthusiastically, "believe that helgi lives since thy life is safe! i tell thee, estein, many fair years lie before thee. by my mouth, even by old atli, the gods send a message to thee!" his exalted tone, the animation of his face, and the flash of his pale eyes, impressed estein strongly. "by you?" he inquired with some wonder; "what then have you to do with me?" with the same ringing voice the old man went on,-- "even as over the windows of this poor house there hang those skins, so over my life hangs a curtain which may not yet be fully lifted--perchance the fates may decree that it shall ever hide me. a little, however, i may venture to raise it. listen, estein!" chapter xii. the magician. as he said the last words atli stooped, and lifting two large logs cast them on the fire. for a minute he watched them crackle and spit sparks, bending his brows as he deliberated how he should begin. then he turned to estein and said,-- "when i saw thee by the shore at hernersfiord, now some two years gone, didst thou think then that atli was a stranger?" "i thought so indeed," replied estein, "though some words you let fall pointed otherwise." "yet, estein," the old man said, "when thou wert no higher than that bench whereon thou sittest, i dandled thee in mine arms, and those fingers that now clasp a sword hilt, and, if men say true, clasp it right firmly, played once with my beard. less snow had fallen on it then, estein. thou canst not remember me?" estein looked at him closely before replying. "nay, atli, my memory carries me not so far back." "so it was," atli continued; "but chiefly was i the friend of thine ill-fated brother olaf." "of olaf?" exclaimed estein, with a slight start. "ay, of olaf. often have i fought by his side on sea and shore, and dearly, more dearly than i ever loved man or woman since, i loved the youth. thou even as a child wert strangely like him in features, and as i look upon thee now, there comes back memories of blither days. wonder not then that i long was fain to see thee." "then why came you not to my father's house?" said estein. "a friend of his son's would ever be welcome." "thy father and i fell out," replied atli, "the wherefore i must still keep behind the shrouding-curtain, but for my present purpose it matters little. i could not visit hakonstad; i could not even stay in the land of my birth. olaf fell." his voice trembled a little, and he paused. estein said nothing, but waited for him to go on. then in a brisker tone he continued,-- "for some years i sailed the west seas; but i was growing old and my strength was wearing away with the wet work and the fighting, so i hied me home again." "and my father?" asked estein. "knew not of my coming," atli replied. "of friends and kinsmen i had few left in the land, but i had long had other thoughts for myself than the tilling of fields and the emptying of horns at yule. often at night had i sat out. [footnote: to "sit out" was a method of reading the future practised by sorcerers, in which the magician spent the night under the open sky, and summoned the dead to converse with him.] i had read the stars, and talked with divers magicians and men skilled in the wisdom of things unseen. i wandered for long among the finns, i dwelt with the lapps, and learned the lore of those folks. then i came to jemtland, where cunning men were said to live." "cunning!" exclaimed estein furiously; "treacherous hounds call them." "cunning, indeed, they are," said the old man, "but not wise. this jomar here is held a spaeman by the people." he glanced contemptuously at the sleeping figure on the floor. "since i came," he went on, "i have taught him more than he could have learned in a lifetime here and now, as thou hast seen, he fears and obeys me as a master. with him i took up my abode, living in a spot known only to few. yet my thoughts turned continually to norway, and chiefly flew to thee, estein. i dreamt of thee often, and at last a voice"--his own sank almost to a whisper as he spoke--"a voice bade me seek thee. how i fared thou knowest." "i would that i had given more heed to your warning," said estein gloomily. "it all came true then?" cried atli. "nay, there is no need to answer. truth i tell, and truth must happen." "have you, then, further rede to give me?" "ay, i have heard of this spell and the sore change that has befallen thee, and in my dreams and outsittings i have seen many things--an old man habited in a strange garb, and a maid by his side. ha! flew the shaft true?" so carried away was estein by the seer's earnestness, and so suddenly did his last words strike home, that the thought never occurred to him that this might only be the gossip of his followers come in time to atli's ears. it seemed to him an inspired insight into his past, and he started suddenly, and then said slowly,-- "the shaft indeed flew true." "for thy brother's sake i owe thee something," the old man went on; "i might give weighty reason, but i may not. for thine own i wish to heal thee, and if i cannot cure this spell there is no man who can. "wilt thou trust me with the story?" he added, a little dubiously. "ask not that of me," replied estein. "tell me what to do, and i promise i shall follow the rede." as if afraid that to ask further questions might weaken the force of his words, atli fell at once into his mystic manner again. "for long i wrestled with the visions. the faces of the wizard and the witch" (estein's look darkened for an instant), "i could not see, but at last, in the still night-time, there spoke a voice to me, and i knew it came from the gods. for three nights it spoke. on the fourth i sat out, and called to me from far beyond the mountains and the lakes, even from beyond the grave, thy brother olaf. he too spoke to me, and every time the purport of the message was the same." "what said the voice?" "a ship must cross the seas again." the old man repeated the last words low and slowly, and then, for a little, silence fell upon the pair. vague and meagre though the message was, it accorded exactly with estein's long-suppressed desires. so entirely did atli believe in himself and the virtue of his counsel, that the young viking was thoroughly infected with his faith; and then, too, it was that early and suggestive hour when a man is quickly stirred. estein was the first to speak. "i accept the counsel, atli," he cried, springing to his feet. "with the melting of the snow i shall take to the sea again, and steer for the setting of the sun." the old seer laid his hand affectionately upon his shoulder. "there spoke the brother of olaf," he said. "and now to sleep. in the morning i shall send jomar to warn ketill, so trouble not thyself further." "if i but knew helgi's fate," estein began. "doubt not my words," said atli. "his fate is too closely linked with thine." he showed the viking to a pallet bed in the loft, where, worn out with fatigue and anxiety, he quickly fell asleep. it was nearly noon when he awoke, and the sun was streaming through the attic window. he found atli in the room below. "i have turned sluggard, it seems," he said. "young heads need sleep," replied the old man. "there was no need to rise before, or i should have roused thee. jomar has been gone since daybreak, and till he returns thou canst do naught." "naught?" said estein. "have i not got my foster-brother to seek for? give me but a meal to carry me till nightfall and i will away." at first the old man endeavoured to dissuade him, but finding he was obdurate, he finally gave him a cap and coat of wolf-skin to be worn over his mail lest he should be seen by any natives, a good bow and arrows, and copious but perplexing directions regarding the forest paths. as he sallied forth, and followed the track by which he had come the night before, his plans were vague enough. to make for king bue's hall, and, taking advantage of the woods that covered all the country, spy out what might be seen, was the hazardous scheme he proposed. perhaps, he thought, helgi might be wandering the country too, and if fate was kind they might meet. in any case he could not rest in his state of uncertainty, and he pushed boldly on. he smiled as he glanced at his garb: the long wolf-skin coat reached almost to his knees, over his legs he had drawn thick-knitted hose to keep out the cold, his helmet was hidden by the furry cap, and the only part of his original equipment to be seen were the sword girt round his waist and the long shield that hung upon his back. he had been in two minds about taking this last, but ere the day was done he had reason to congratulate himself that it was with him. before long he struck the open glade they had gone down by moonlight, and following it to the end, he found, after a little search, the opening of another path. this at last divided into two divergent tracks, and he had to confess himself completely puzzled. "i seem to be the plaything of fate," he exclaimed, after he had tried in vain to recall atli's directions; "let fate decide, life is but made up of the castings of a die," and with that he threw his dagger into the air, crying, "point right, haft left!" it landed on its point and sunk almost out of sight in the snow. "right let it be then," he said, and turned down the right-hand path. it had been so dark and their flight so hurried that nothing remained in his memory of the night before, to show him whither the way was leading. he only knew that he had wandered for some time, when a prospect of white, open country began to show in peeps through the trees ahead. presently he came to the edge of the forest, and saw that the cast of his dagger had led him wide of his mark. a long stretch of treeless country opened out before him, getting wider and wider in the distance. near at hand a narrow lake began, and stretched for a mile or two down the snow-fields, and, like the greater lake they had passed, it was frozen and shining white. less than a hundred yards from him, between the forest and the water, there lay a small village. a number of men stood about among the houses, and from their movements and the presence of two or three sledges he judged that a party must either have lately arrived, or be on the point of departing. as nothing further seemed to happen, he made up his mind that they must be arrivals; and then, seeing little to be gained by waiting further, he was about to retrace his steps when his attention was arrested by the appearance of two women. they came out of a house, and one, the taller of the two, went up to a group of men standing near, while the other, who looked like a peasant's wife, hung behind. the look of the first figure caught estein's eye at once, and he felt his heart suddenly beat quickly. he could only see her back as she talked with the men, but every gesture she made, slight though they were, brought sharply and clearly before his mind memories of the holy isle. "by the hammer of thor and the horse of odin, this country is surely bewitched," he muttered. his fancy, he told himself, was playing him a pleasant trick: he had seen osla so continually in his mind's eye, that this girl, for girl she seemed, shaped herself after his thoughts. that it could be she he loved, there in the flesh, was almost laughably impossible; yet as she talked, apparently with an air of some authority, to the men beside her, the resemblance became at moments stronger, and then again he would say to himself, "nay, that is not like her." as the men gesticulated and answered her their voices came to him indistinctly, while hers, strain his hearing as he might, he could not catch. there seemed to be a dispute about something which the whole party were engrossed in, when suddenly one man gave a cry and pointed at estein. then he saw that in his curiosity he had stepped outside the shelter of the wood and stood in a space between the trees. at the man's cry they all looked round, and he saw the girl's face. "it is she or her spirit," he exclaimed. instinctively he stepped behind a tree, and at this sign of flight there was a shout from the men. one shot an arrow, which passed harmlessly to the side, and then they all came at him. he had only time to see that more villagers were coming out of the houses, and that the girl had turned away to join the other woman, when his wits came back to him, and turning into the path he set off as fast as he could put his feet to the ground. for a time the chase was hot: he could hear the men scattering so as to cover the wood behind him, and once or twice the leaders seemed near. estein was fleet of foot, however, and the wood so dense that it was hard to follow a man for far, and at last the sound of his pursuers died away, and he felt that, for the time at least, he was safe. but he had long left the path, and there was nothing to guide him save glimpses of the sinking sun, the ice that showed the north side of twigs and stems, and in more open spaces the lie of the branches to the prevalent wind. and as he wandered on, his mind hardly grasped the bearing and significance of forest clues. twenty times, at least, he dismissed the resemblance he had seen as the work of fancy. the girl had been too far off to read her features, her figure was not really like, and, most weighty argument, it was out of all reason that she should be in this land of forests, so distant from her island home. still each time he dismissed it the resemblance came back fresh and strong, to be sent away again. he had lost all idea of where he was, and the sun had already set, when more by good luck than by good guidance, the trees grew thinner in front, and he found himself once more in the glade of the stream. chapter xiii. arrow and shield. it seemed strangely still and fresh in the open glade. the blood-red glamour of a frosty sunset was fading from the sky as the daylight died away; all round the wood was populous with shadows; and over its ragged edge the moon hung pale and faint. estein walked down a little way, and then stopped and listened. he could hear the stream rumbling over the stones, but not another sound. then the far-off howl of a wolf struck dismally on his ear. twice it sounded and passed away, leaving the silence more intense, while all the time the air grew colder. all at once a dead branch snapped sharply. estein looked round keenly, but in the dusk of the pine stems his eye could pick out nothing. for a minute everything was still, and then a twig cracked again. this time he could see plainly a man come from behind a tree and stand in the outskirts of the wood. for a minute they stood looking at each other. the man, so far as he could discern in the waning light, wore the native skin coat and cap, and seemed to hold in his hands a bow ready to shoot. estein quietly drew an arrow from his quiver and laid it on his bow. just as he cast his eye down to fit the notch to the string, there was a twang from the wood; an arrow whizzed, and stuck hard in his fur cap, stopping only at the steel of his helmet. "this archer will deem my fur is of singular proof," he said to himself, with the flicker of a smile, as he let a shaft fly in return. he could see his foe move to one side, and heard his arrow strike a branch. instantly the man fired again, and this time struck him on the breast, and the arrow, checked by the ring-mail beneath, hung from his wolf-skin coat. he smiled to himself again, and thought, "never, surely, has that bowman shot at so stout a garment. yet he shoots hard and straight. i wish not to meet with a stronger archer, and could do well with a worse one now." and with that he took his shield from his back. his situation was indeed far from safe, and he had to come to some instant decision. standing in the open against the snow, he offered a fair mark, while his opponent among the trees was hard to see and harder to hit. to try to rush so good an archer, though risky, would certainly have been his scheme, had he not strongly suspected that this one man was set as a decoy to tempt him into an ambush. his blood was up, and he vowed that run he would not at any cost; and, in fact, flight was far from easy, for behind him lay the stream, and in crossing he must expose himself. it took him but a moment to turn the alternatives over in his mind, and then he suddenly hit upon a plan. his shield was one of the long, heart-shaped kind, coming to a point at the lower end, and covering him down to the knee as he stood upright. he raised it high, and driving the point hard into the ground, dropped on one knee behind it. as he stooped a third arrow sang close above his head and sped into the gloaming. leaning to one side he fired again, and an instant later a fourth shaft rang on his shield. then came a brief pause in the hostilities, and, looking round the edge of his fort, estein could see his foe standing motionless close under a tree. he soon tired of waiting, however, and presently an arrow, aimed evidently at what he could see of estein's legs, passed within six inches of one knee and buried itself in the snow beside him. "he shoots too well," muttered estein. "if this goes on i must try a desperate ruse. i shall have one other shot." he rose almost to his full height, fired his arrow, and quickly stooped again. his enemy was evidently on the watch for such an opening, for the two bowstrings twanged together, and while estein's shaft struck something with a soft thud, the other hit the viking hard on the headpiece. throwing up his arms, he reeled and fell flat upon his back. yet, as he lay for all the world like a man struck dead, a smile stole over his face, and he quietly and gently drew his sword. "can my shaft have gone home?" he wondered. apparently not, for his foeman left the shelter of the wood, and he could see him walk slowly across the open. he was clad in a loose and almost grotesquely ill-fitting garment, seemingly of sheep-skin, and held an arrow on his bow ready to shoot on a sign of movement. when he had come within ten or fifteen yards, he suddenly dropped his bow, drew his sword, and stepped quickly forward. at the same instant estein jumped to his feet, and with a shout sprang at him. the blades were on the point of crossing, when his enemy stopped short, dropped his point, and then burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "estein, by the beard of thor!" he gasped. "helgi!" cried his quondam foe. they looked each other in the face for an instant, and then simultaneously broke out into another fit of mirth. "by my faith, estein, that was a plan worthy of yourself!" cried helgi. "but 'tis lucky i fired not at you on the ground, as i had some thoughts of doing, knowing the trickery of these jemtlanders." "two things i feared," replied estein. "one that you might do that; the other, that a troop of as villainous-looking knaves as you now are yourself might hive out of the wood behind you. but how did you escape last night, and how came you here?" "those are the questions i would ask of you," said helgi; "but one story at a time, and shortly this is mine--a tale, estein, that for credit to its teller, yoked with truthfulness, i will freely back against yours or ever i hear it." "i doubt it not," replied his friend, with a smile; "you have the look of one who is high in favour with himself." "as i ought!" cried helgi. "but hear me, and gibe not before the end. i left that hall, accursed of the gods, and over full, i fear, of drunken men, in the manner you witnessed. my counterfeit of drunkenness was so exceedingly lifelike, that even when i got outside i felt my head buzz round in the fresh air and my legs sway more than is their wont. 'friend helgi,' i said to myself, 'you have drunk not one horn too few if you value your life at its proper worth.' upon that i applied a handful of snow to my face, and thereupon, on counting my fingers, was able to get within one of the customary number--erring, if i remember rightly, upon the generous side, as befitted my disposition. but to get on to the moving part of my adventures--where do you take me now?" "'tis all right," replied estein, "i take you to supper and a fire. they come in my story." "lead on then," said helgi. "to continue my tale: i walked with much assurance up to the gateway, singing, i remember, the song of odin and the jotun to prove the clearness of my head. there i found a sentinel who, it seemed, had lately been sharing in the hospitality of king bue. certain it is that he was more than half drunk, and so fast asleep that he woke not even at my singing, and i had to prod him with the hilt of my sword to arouse the sluggard." "then you woke him!" exclaimed estein, between amusement and surprise. "how else could i pass? the man leaned so heavily upon the gate, that wake him i must, for i liked not to slay a sleeping man, even though he stood upon his feet. he looked upon me like a startled cow, and said, 'you are a cursed norseman.' 'it would seem so, indeed,' i replied, and thereupon ran him through with my blade and opened the gate. then a plan both humorous and ingenious came upon my mind, for my wits were strangely sharp. i laid the man out under the shadow of the fence, where he could not well be seen save by such as had more clearness of vision than becomes the guests of so hospitable a monarch as king bue, and having stripped him of his coat and put it round mine own shoulders, i took his place and awaited your coming." "singing all the while?" said estein. "softly and to myself," replied helgi; "for what is becoming enough in a guest is not always so well suited to a sentinel. there i stood, stamping my feet and beating my arms upon my breast to keep the cold away, till i began to think that something was amiss." "then while i was scaling the wall at one end of the court, you were guarding the gate at the other!" exclaimed estein. "so it would appear now, though i pledge you my word i had no thought of such a thing as i watched that gate last night. in truth, what i had done began to seem to me so plainly the best thing to do, that i thought you would surely follow my movements in your mind--so far as drink allowed you, and come straightway to the gate in full confidence of finding me on duty. i see now that your plan had its merits, though i still maintain that mine was the better." "saving only in so far as it left me at the trysting-place alone," said estein. "and me to shiver at the gate," answered helgi, with a laugh. "well, after a time, which seemed long enough, though doubtless a shorter space than i thought, the hall door opened, and men rushed out with much needless uproar. then, i must confess, i e'en left my post with all the haste i could, and concealed me in the outbuildings of a small house close without the gate. the door was open, but it was so pitch black inside that i knew they could not see me, though them i saw plainly enough as they stopped at the gate." "who were they?" asked estein. "the black traitor thorar, and with him some ten or twelve others, doubtless all the sober men at the feast. it took them but a short space to find the dead sentinel; and thereupon thorar, who seemed almost beside himself with anger, sent the others off in haste to intercept our road to ketill, while he himself ran to collect a force from the village. then i bethought me it was well to have company on the road, so i even joined myself to my pursuers. luckily they went not by the open glade, but kept a path well shaded and very dark, and for the best part of an hour we must have run together through the wood. "at last we reached a solitary woodman's house, and there for a brief space we paused to inquire of the good man whether he had seen us pass that way. it was a wise inquiry, and the answer was such as an entirely sober man might have reasonably expected. the woodman was in the village at the feast, and his wife, good woman, had been in bed for the last two hours, and strangely enough had not seen us. so our brisk lads started off at the run again. but there we parted company, for i was tired of chasing myself, and the woman had a pleasant voice, and, so far as i could see, a comely countenance." estein laughed aloud. "my story will seem a tame narrative after this," he exclaimed. "did not i say so," said helgi. "well, i fell behind, and presently was knocking up the good woman again, for i said to myself, 'these dogs will not surely come to this house a second time, and a night in the cold woods is not to my liking.' so to make a long story short, i wrought so upon the tender heart of the woodman's wife that, norseman as i was, she gave me shelter and bed, and promised to send me off in the morning before her husband returned." "as most wives would," interposed estein. helgi laughed. "fate had decided otherwise," he continued. "even as i was eating my morning meal, the goodwife waiting on me most courteously, the door opened and the husband entered. i saw from the man's ugly look that all his wife's wiles were lost upon him; but the dog was a cowardly dog, and feared the game he thirsted to fix his treacherous teeth in. he had nothing for it but to equip me with this great sheep-skin coat and cap, and a stout bow and sheaf of arrows; and then, after a most kindly parting with his goodwife, i made him set me on my way to ketill. he liked not the job over much, yet he dared not refuse, and so we started. i shrewdly suspected, from my memory of the way i had come overnight, that he was leading me back to king bue's hall, and meant on our parting to put a horde of his rascally fellows in my way. i cared little, however, for i had mine own ending for our walk. when we had gone a little way i stopped and said to him,-- "'my friend, i am loth to lose your company, but here is the parting of our ways. mine i need not trouble you with, but yours for a space will lead you little further in any direction.' and with that i bound him firmly to a tree, and left him to think upon his misdeeds. since then, estein, i have wandered through these forests like a man in a fog, cursing roundly the land and all its inhabitants." "yet it would seem that it is they who have most reason to complain of your dealings with them," said estein, smiling. "i would i were well quit of the land," replied his friend. "my heart felt glad when i saw in the glade a man habited after the fashion of the natives. 'there will be one less jemtlander to-night,' i said, as i laid an arrow on my bow. 'by all the gods, estein, i shall laugh whenever i think of it! "but tell me your adventures." estein told him shortly what had befallen him, excepting only his seeing the girl in the village. he had made up his mind that the resemblance must have been the work of fancy, yet as soon as they had reached the house of atli, he took the old man aside, and asked him,-- "shall i then sail when the snows have melted?" "assuredly," replied the seer; "wouldst thou delay what the gods and the dead enjoin?" chapter xiv. the midnight guest. jomar had returned early in the day, and they found him already wrapped up in his bear-skin fast asleep before the fire. "gave he my warning to ketill?" estein asked atli. "assuredly," replied the old man; "i have never known him fail me, little though he may have liked the errand." "and what said ketill? had they been attacked? what news brought jomar back?" "let us wake the knave, and ask him," said helgi; and suiting the action to the word, he drove one foot sufficiently hard into the sleeper's side to rouse him with a start. "what said friend ketill?" helgi went on, careless of the man's ugly look; "sent he back any message?" jomar answered with a dark scowl, regarding him steadily for a minute as if to make sure who he was, and then he snapped back shortly,-- "he said he had lost a dog that answered to the name of helgi, and would be well pleased if the beast had died of the mange in the wood," and without another word he rolled over and closed his eyes again. "'dog!'" cried helgi. "hound, i will beat one dog as it deserves!" in another instant the jemtlander would have suffered for his temerity, had not atli seized the angry norseman's arm, exclaiming,-- "peace, helgi sigvaldson! wouldst thou strike my servant in mine own house? the man loves not norsemen, yet has he saved thy foster-brother's life, and likely, too, those of ketill and all his company." "tell us, atli," interposed estein, "what he said on his return." "little he told even me," replied atli, "save that he had seen ketill for the briefest possible space, and then returned straightway home." "did he hear aught of the twenty good men who followed us to king bue's hall?" it was jomar himself who replied, though without turning over or looking at the speaker. "would you have me save them, too, from their fate? i heard naught of them, and wish only to hear of their deaths. too many enemies have i helped already." helgi was about to reply hotly, but atli checked him with a gesture, whispering,-- "will not his deeds atone for his words?" low as he spoke, jomar caught the words, and muttered loud enough to be heard,-- "would that my words might become my deeds." nothing about the mysterious old man had impressed estein more than his extraordinary influence over this strange disciple or servant, for he seemed to be partly both; and that one who so loathed and hated the norsemen could be made to serve his enemies at a word, seemed to point to a power beyond the ken of ordinary man. helgi, too, was evidently struck, for he looked askance from one to the other, and then fell silent. by sunrise next morning, the foster-brothers arranged to start for ketill under jomar's guidance, and little time was lost in getting to bed. they went up to the loft by the ladder, heard atli open a door and evidently enter some inner room, then being very drowsy after the cold air, shortly fell asleep. yet the night was not to pass without incident. helgi knew not how long he had been asleep, when he woke with a shiver, to find that his blankets had slipped off him. he gathered them over him again, and then lay for a few minutes listening to the rising wind. as it beat up in mournful gusts and soughed through the pines, he said to himself, "the frost has left at last, and thankful am i for that." he was just dropping off to sleep again, when his attention was startled into wakefulness by a knock at the outer door. it was repeated twice, and then he heard jomar rise with much growling, and go softly across the floor. there followed a parley apparently through a closed door, which ended in a bolt shooting back, and the door opening with a whistle of wind. so far he had been in that half-waking state when things produce a confused and almost monstrous impression, but suddenly his wits were startled into quickness. among several voices that seemed to talk with jomar, his ear all at once caught a woman's. even the approach of an enemy could not have made him more alert. he listened keenly and, with a sensible feeling of disappointment, heard the door close, the noise cease, and jomar's steps quietly cross the floor again. this time, however, they went right to the other end of the room, and an inner door opened. he thought he caught atli's tones answering his sullen servant, and presently he heard two men come out and go to the outer door. again, with a blast of cold draught, it opened, and the talk began a second time. his curiosity was keenly excited; he could pick out a woman's voice most unmistakably, and at last he heard the conference come to an end. the door closed, the party seemed to go away, and then whispering began in the room below him. "the woman has come in!" he said to himself, with a start of excitement. "helgi, this matter needs your attention." his bed, the outermost of the two, consisted merely of a coarse mattress laid so far back in the loft that the edge of the flooring hid all view of the room below. very softly he proceeded to throw off the blankets and crawl quietly towards the edge, till he had gone far enough to get a clear sight of the fire. there he lay, and smiled to himself at the prospect below. the fire had been raked up to burn brightly, and jomar, as before, lay fast asleep beside it; but between helgi and the blaze stood the old seer and the hooded and cloaked form of a woman. her face was hidden, but her back, the watcher thought, promised well. she was tall, and seemed young, and her movements, as she held out her hands to the flames, or half turned to address the old man, had grace and the marks of good birth. they talked so low that helgi could catch nothing they said, and even the quality of the girl's voice only reached him in snatches. "a pleasant voice, methinks," he said to himself. "atli, this booty must be shared." she seemed to be telling a narrative to atli, who, with folded arms and deep attention that sometimes passed into suppressed emotion, looked intently at her, and frequently broke in with some whispered question. the viking had not been watching very long when the girl's voice rose a little as she said something earnestly, and atli, with a slight movement and a warning frown, glanced up at the loft and pointed with one finger straight at where helgi lay. instantly he dropped his head, and as quickly as he dared crawled back to bed again. there was silence for a moment, but apparently they suspected nothing, for the whispered talk went on again. "by valour or guile i shall see that maiden's face," he said to himself, as he lay revolving possible schemes in his mind. at last the whispering stopped, and atli's step crossed the room and passed into the inner apartment. the door closed behind him, and then saying to himself, "now or never, my friend," helgi quietly slipped into his sheep-skin coat, and stepping softly so as not to disturb estein or the seer, came boldly down the ladder. the girl's look, as he turned at the foot and faced her, stuck in his mind for long after. consternation and her sense of the ludicrous were having such an obvious struggle in every feature, that after looking straight into her face for a moment, he fairly burst into a silent convulsion of laughter that shook him till he had to steady himself by a rung of the ladder. so infectious was it, that after the briefest conflict, consternation fled the field, a little smile appeared, and then a merrier, and in a moment she was laughing with him. and certainly for a man commonly most careful of his appearance, he cut a comical enough figure, with his shoeless feet and tangled hair, and the great ill-fitting sheep-skin coat huddled round him to hide the poverty beneath. "i fear my habit pleases not your eye," he said at last, striving to control his countenance. "it is--" she began, and then her gravity for an instant forsook her again. "it is highly befitting," she said, more soberly and a little shyly. "in truth, a garb to win a maiden's heart; but i recked not of my clothing, i was in such haste to see the maid," said helgi boldly. she looked at him with some surprise, and just a sufficient touch of dignity to check the dash of his advances. he saw the change, and quickly added,-- "to be quite honest with you, i knew not indeed that you were here, and feeling cold i came down to warm me. i should ask your pardon." "not so," she said; "how could you know that i was here? i have only just arrived." "and i," replied helgi, "leave early in the morning, though now i would fain stay longer. so you will soon forget the man in the sheepskin coat who so alarmed you." "but not the coat," she said demurely, her blue eyes lighting up again. helgi's vanity was a little stung, but he answered gaily,-- "i then will remember your face, and you--" at that instant a door opened, and turning suddenly he saw atli come from behind a great bearskin that concealed the entrance to his inner chamber. the old man's face grew dark with displeased surprise, yet he hesitated for an instant, as if uncertain what to do. then he came up to the girl and said,-- "thy chamber is ready for thee." to helgi he added, "i would speak with thee, helgi." the girl at once left the fire, and followed him back to the other room. as she turned away, helgi said,-- "farewell, lady." "farewell," she answered frankly, with a smile, and went out with atli. "a bold raid and a lucky one," said the viking complacently to himself. "a fairer face and brighter eyes i never saw before. who can she be? like enough some lady come to hear the spaeman's mystic jargon, and swallow potions or mutter spells at his bidding. i am in two minds about turning wizard myself, if such visitors be common. methinks i could give her as wise a rede as atli. but it is strange how she came here; she is not of this country, i'll be sworn." his reflections were cut short by the entrance of atli. "helgi," said the old man, still speaking very low, "thou hast seen that which ought to have remained hidden from thee." "but which was well worthy of the seeing," said helgi. "speak not so lightly," replied the old man sternly, and with that air of mystery he could make so impressive. "thou knowest not what things are behind the veil, or how much may hang upon a word. i charge thee strictly that thou sayest no word of this to estein; there are matters that should not come to the ears of kings." "i shall say nothing to any one," helgi answered more soberly. "that is well said," replied atli. "sleep now, for the dawn draws nigh, and the way is long." helgi had just got back to the loft and was throwing off his coat again, when estein suddenly rose on his elbow and looked at him, and for a minute he felt like a criminal caught in the act. "have i been dreaming, helgi?" said his foster-brother, "or--or--where have you been?" "to warm myself at the fire," replied helgi readily. "spoke you with any one?" "ay; atli heard me and came to see whether perchance a thief had come in to carry away his two norsemen." "then i only dreamt," said estein, passing his hand across his eyes. "i thought i heard the voice of a girl; but when i woke more fully, it was gone, indeed. it sounded like--but it was my dream;" and lying down again, he closed his eyes. "should i tell him?" thought helgi; "nay, i promised atli, and after all this is mine own adventure." by the time the day had fairly broken, they were away under jomar's guidance. "remember, estein, my rede," said atli, as they departed. "when the snows melt," cried estein in reply; "and i think i shall not have long to wait." it was a raw, grey, blustering morning, with no smell of frost in the air, but rather every sign of thaw, and the old man, after watching the two tall mail-clad figures stride off with their dwarfish guide hastening in front, closed the door, and turned with a grave and weary look back to the fire. hardly had he come in when the inner door opened, and the girl entered hastily. "who was that other man?" she asked. "i saw but his back, and yet--" she stopped with a little confusion, for atli was regarding her with a look of keen surprise. "knowest thou him?" he asked. "where hast thou seen him before?" "nay," she answered, with an affectation of indifference, as if ashamed of her curiosity, "i only wondered who he might be." "he is a certain trader from norway, whom men call estein," said atli, still looking at her curiously. "i know not the name," she said; and then adding with a slight shiver, "how cold this country is," she turned abruptly and left the room again. the old man remained lost in thought. "strange, passing strange," he muttered, pressing his hand to his forehead. "can she have seen him? or can it be--" his eyes suddenly brightened, and he began to pace the room. chapter xv. the last of the lawman. in silence and haste the three men pursued their way. a thaw had set in, chill and cloudy; underfoot the snow was soft and melting, and all through the forest they heard the drip of a thousand trees and the creaking and swinging of boughs in the wind. as the morning wore on and they warmed to their work, the two norsemen talked a little with each other, but contrary to their wont of late, it was estein who spoke oftenest and seemed in the better spirits. helgi, for him, was quiet and thoughtful, and at last estein exclaimed,-- "how run your thoughts, helgi? on the next feast, or the last maid, or the man you left bound to the tree? men will think we have changed natures if our talk goes as it has this morning." "i had a strange dream last night," replied helgi. "tell it to me, and i will expound it to a flagon or an eyelash, as the theme may chance to be." "nay," cried helgi, with a sudden return to his usual buoyancy, "now that i have my old estein back with me, i will not turn him again into a reader of dreams and omens. i am rejoiced to see you in so bright a humour. had you a pleasant dream?" "action lies before me," said estein--"the open sea and the lands of the south again; and the very prospect is medicine." after a time estein came up to their guide's side, and said,-- "it will take us surely longer than you said. we had to travel for long through open country when we left the town, and we have never reached the beginning of it yet." jomar gave a quick, contemptuous laugh, and answered shortly,-- "think you then that thorar brought you by the shortest route? those prisoners whom you set free reached king bue's hall many hours before you. you are not wise, you northmen." estein looked for a moment as though he would have retorted sharply, but biting his lip he fell back again, nor did he exchange another word with the man. it was about mid-day, when, as they were coming down a wooded slope, helgi exclaimed,-- "hark! what is that clamour?" jomar too heard the shouts, for he stopped for a moment and listened keenly, and then started off faster than before. with every step they took the distant sounds grew louder and the shouts of men, and even it seemed the clash of steel, could be distinguished. "the attack is made," cried helgi. "pray the gods they scatter not the dogs before we come up." jomar heard him, and looked over his shoulder with a savage glance. "sometimes dogs bite and rend," he said. "why have they waited so long?" said estein, half to himself. "the fools should have fallen on ketill that very night. i thank them for their folly." they had now broken into a run, and the uproar sounded so loud that they knew they must be close upon the town. "some one comes," exclaimed helgi, and just as he spoke a man dashed past them in the opposite direction, and throwing them only a startled glance, disappeared among the trees behind. a minute later two others ran by to one side, and a fourth stopped and turned when he came upon them. all were jemtlanders, and jomar, when he saw them, cursed aloud, while the norsemen pressed the more excitedly forward. thirty yards further and they were at the edge of the wood, stopping at a spot not far from where the expedition first came out upon the town. the great lake and the open country lay below them, white still, but with all the sheen and sparkle off them, and overhung now by a grey, wet-weather sky. but they took little note of sky or snow-fields, for their eyes were enthralled by a more stirring spectacle. over the little town rolled a dense and smoky canopy, and from each doomed house the flames leapt and danced. all around it the plain was alive with the signs and terrors of war they saw, black against the snow, men flying over the open country, turning sometimes for the woods, or sometimes sliding and running across the frozen lake, the shouts of the pursuers came to them in a confusion of uproar, and here and there out over the waste, and more thickly near the town, the dead lay scattered. the battle was at an end. small parties of norsemen were still driving the vanquished jemtlanders before them cutting them down as they fled; but the main force seemed already to be devoting itself to the burning and sacking of the town, and helgi sighed as he exclaimed,-- "too late after all! the cowardly rabble could not even fight till we had come to join in the sport." like an infuriated animal jomar turned upon him. "whelp of a norseman!" he cried, drawing his dagger and springing forward, "never more--" as he spoke, estein, who stood between them, had just time to throw out one foot and bring the jemtlander flat on his face, his dagger flying from his hand. after looking for a moment in astonishment at their fallen guide, his would-be victim burst out laughing, and picking up the dagger, handed it back to him, saying,-- "i forgot, friend jomar, that you were so nigh me. you owed me something, indeed, but try not to pay it like that again, for your own sake." the man took the dagger sullenly and answered,-- "i hope never more to see either of you. go down to the town now, if you can reach it without losing your way again, and my curse go with you." without waiting for reply or reward, he left them abruptly, and disappeared in the wood. "that is a man i am glad to see the last of," said helgi, as they started for the town. "it can only be by black magic that atli made him serve us." "it is strange indeed," replied estein, thoughtfully. "i have noted before that a powerful mind has a strong influence on men of less wisdom, yet like enough there is something more besides." when they had come near enough to be recognized, a loud and joyful shout went up from their men; one after another of the victors ran out to meet them, and it was with quite a company at their back that they entered the burning town. in the open market-place, round which most of the houses stood, they found ketill, his armour dinted and smeared with blood, and his eyes gleaming with stern excitement. at last he had got his burning, and he was enjoying it to the full. a batch of captives had just been pitilessly decapitated, their gory heads and trunks were strewn on the crimson snow, and beside them lay five or six more, their legs bound by ropes, awaiting their turn. inured though he was to spectacles of blood and carnage, estein's mind recoiled from such a scene of butchery as this, and he replied to ketill's shout of astonishment and welcome,-- "right glad i am to see this victory, ketill, and gallantly you must have fought, but when has it become our custom to slay our prisoners?" "ay," answered helgi, "we could well have missed this part." "know you not that the jemtlanders slew the twenty who followed you to king bue?" answered the black-bearded captain. "they slew them like cattle, estein; and shall we spare the murderers now? i knew not also whether you and helgi had fallen into their hands, and in case ill had happened to you, it seemed best to take vengeance on the chance." "then since i need no revenge, let the slaying cease," said estein, "though in truth the treacherous dogs ill deserve mercy." "as you list," replied ketill; "yet there is one here who would be better out of the world than in it." as he spoke he went up to one prisoner who was lying on his side, with his face pressed down into the snow, like one sorely wounded, and in no gentle fashion turned him over with his foot. "can you not let me die?" said the man, looking up coldly and proudly at his captors, though he was evidently at death's door. "it will not take long now." "thorar!" exclaimed estein. "you have named me, estein," replied the wounded lawman. "i had hoped to witness thy death, now thou canst witness mine." "treacherous foe and faithless friend," said estein, sternly, "well have you deserved this death." "faithless to whom?" replied thorar. "to my king and master bue i alone owed allegiance. long have i planned how to rid us of your proud and cruel race, and i thought the time had come. witless and confident ye walked into my snare, like men blindfolded; and it was the doing of the gods, and not of you, that my plan miscarried." "'witless and confident?'" answered estein. "say rather trustful of pledges that only a dastard would break." "the strong and foolish fight with weapons suited to their hands," said thorar; "the weak and wise with weapons suited to their heads." "so hands, it seems, are better than heads," put in helgi. "know this at least," exclaimed ketill, "your sons have perished before you. i slew them in the outset of the battle." the dying man laughed a ghastly laugh. "my sons!" he cried. "think you i would trust my sons with norsemen? those boys were thralls. they died for their country as i die," and his head fell back upon the snow. "dastard!" cried ketill, "you die indeed." he raised his sword as he spoke; but estein caught his arm before it could descend, saying,-- "you cannot slay the dead, ketill." "has he baulked me then?" said ketill, bending over his fallen foe. it was even so. the lawman had gone to his last account, his bolt impotently shot, and his enemies standing triumphantly over him. "he at least died well," said helgi; "when my turn comes may it be my luck to look as proudly on my foes. but tell us, ketill, what befell you here since our parting." the burly captain frowned and scratched his head, as though deliberating how to do a thing so foreign to his genius as the telling of a narrative. "on a certain day you left us," he began. "well told indeed," cried helgi, laughing, "an excellent beginning--no skald could do it better." "nay," replied ketill, frowning angrily, "if you want matter for a jest, tell a tale yourself. mine have been no boy's deeds." "take no offence," replied helgi, still laughing; "tell your deeds of derring-do, and let thor himself envy, i will undertake to make you laugh at mine own adventures afterwards." "i will warrant your doings will make me laugh rather than envy," said ketill. "but, as i said, you left us, and so we were left here without you." "nay, ketill," interposed his tormentor, very seriously, "this story passes belief, impose not on my youth." "how mean you?" exclaimed the black-bearded captain, wrathfully, his hand seeking his sword hilt. "peace, helgi," cried estein, who saw that his good offices were needed; "and you, ketill, heed not his jests. he is but young and foolish." "and slender," added the irrepressible helgi, though not loud enough for ketill to hear, and the stout viking resumed his story, sulkily enough. "so were we left here in this town. cold it was, with little to do, so we even broached thorar's ale forthwith. presently a man who had been in the woods came in hastily to tell me he had disturbed two of these hounds of jemtlanders spying on the town. it behoved me then to be careful, and i set guards, and was not too drunk myself that night. upon the next morning one came in with tidings of a man who had left a message for me, though he would not say who sent him." "that would be friend jomar," said helgi. "i know not his name, but treachery, he said, was determined; and i stopped all drink thereafter, and there was nothing at all left then but to play with dice and sleep. a little later this thorar came to the town, and would have persuaded me to follow you to the king; and when i asked for some token he showed me a ring he said was yours. mine own mind is not attentive to these gew-gaws, but a man whose eyes were sharp before a jemtland axe clove his head this morning knew it for none of yours." "did you not seize him at once?" said estein. "i was for taking him on the spot, but we spoke without the town, and he had such a company along with him that after a sharp bout he got off, though he left three of his lads on the snow. "may werewolves seize me if this be not dry work! ho' there, bring me a horn of ale." as soon as he had quenched his thirst in a long draught, and wiped his hairy lips with much relish, the narrator went on:-- "so at night, as you may think, we kept a strict and sober guard, and rested in our harness. and well it was; for i had not slept an hour, it seemed, before the cry arose that the enemy were upon us. but when they saw we were ready for them, the vermin withdrew to the woods to gather more force, and it was not till day had well broken that they ventured out and offered battle. thereupon i slew the hostages, set fire to the town, and fell upon them straightway, and a braver fire and a brisker fight while it lasted i wish not to see. they were seven to one, at the least, but never an inch of ground did we give, and never a stroke did we spare. methinks," he concluded with a chuckle, "they will remember their welcome." chapter xvi. king estein. it was on a breezy april morning that the mountains of sogn came into view again. a strong slant of south-east wind had driven the two ships out to sea; and now, as they raced landwards before a favouring breeze, they saw low down on the horizon one glittering hill-top after another pierce the morning mist bank. helgi for the time had charge of the tiller, while estein leant against the weather bulwark, busy with his new resolves. "a ship must cross the sea again," he repeated to himself. "the time for action is at hand, and we shall see what new freak fortune will play with me. yet, after all," he reflected, "though she has pressed my head beneath the tide before, she has always suffered me to rise and gasp ere she drowned me quite. it all comes to this: the purposes of the gods are too deep for me to fathom, so i must e'en hold my peace and bide the passage of events." helgi had been watching him with a half-smile on his frank face, and at last he cried,-- "what counsel hold you with the seamews? sometimes i see a smile, and sometimes i hear a sigh; and then, again, there is a look of the eye as if liot skulison were standing before you." "i was filling twenty long ships with enough stout lads to man them, and sailing the western main again," replied estein. "and whither were you sailing?" asked helgi. "westward first," said estein. "with perchance a point or so of south--such a direction as would bring us to the hjaltland isles, or, it may be, the orkneys?" "aided by a wayward wind," replied estein with a smile. "where, doubtless, it would be well to slay another sea-rover," helgi went on, "since they cause much trouble to peaceable seafarers from norway. witches, too, and warlocks dwell in the isles, men say, and it were well to rid the land of such." at this last speech estein first frowned and flushed, and then meeting his foster-brother's look, all outward gaiety and lurking mirth, he laughed defiantly, and exclaimed,-- "it may be so, helgi. everything i do is ordained already, and it matters not whither i turn the prow of my ship or what i plan. to orkney i go!" "then run your thoughts still on this maiden?" "they have run, they are still running, and while i live i see not what is to stop their course." "remember, my brother, what stands between you," said helgi, more gravely. "i have not forgotten." "and yet you sail to orkney?" "the gods have bidden me cross the seas," replied estein, "and they will steer my ship, whatever haven i choose." "go, then," said helgi, "and while that shrewd counsellor whom men call helgi sigvaldson sails with you, at least you will not lack sage advice." estein laughed. "'helgi hinn frode' [footnote: the wise.] shall you be called henceforth, and vandrad i shall be no longer." they were silent for a time, and then estein exclaimed,-- "we are well quit of that country of jemtland! saw you ever so many trees and so few true men before?" "yet was it not quite bare of good things," replied his friend. "what, mean you the woodman's wife?" "what else?" said helgi, and then he fell silent again. they reached hernersfiord towards nightfall, and as they crept up the still, narrow waters darkness gathered fast. one by one, and then in tens and hundreds and myriads, the stars came out and hung like a gay awning between the pine-crowned walls. ahead they saw lights and a looming bank of land, and hails passed from ship to shore and back again. presently they were gently slipping by the stone pier, where one or two men stood awaiting them. "what news?" asked helgi. the men made no reply, but seemed to whisper among themselves, and helgi repeated his question. just then a man came hurrying to the end of the pier and shouted,-- "is it then estein returned?" "my father!" exclaimed helgi. "what can bring the jarl here at this hour?" said estein, springing ashore. he met earl sigvald on the pier, and by the light of a lantern he saw that the old man's face was grave and sad. "steel your heart to hear ill tidings, king estein," he said. the "king" smote upon estein's ears like a knell, and he guessed the earl's news before he heard it. "king hakon joined his fathers three days past," said the earl. "welcome indeed is your return, for the law says that the dead must not linger in the house more than five days, and it were ill seeming to hold the funeral rites with his son away." estein stood like a man struck dumb, and then muttering, "i will join you again," he started quickly up the pier, and was shortly lost to view in the darkness. "dear was estein to his father, and dear the old king to his son. deep and burning, i fear, will his sorrow be," said the earl. "fain would i comfort him," replied helgi. "but i know well estein's humours, and now he is best alone for a time." they walked slowly up to hakonstad, the old earl leaning upon his son's arm, and as they went helgi told him the tale of the jemtland journey. in his interest the earl forgot even the present gloom, and swore lustily or roared loudly and heartily as the story went on. "may they lie in darkness for ever as dastards and traitors!" he would cry, or "a shrewd scheme, by the hammer of thor! an i were fifty years younger i would have done the same myself, helgi!" and then again, "trolls take me, if this be not enough to make a bear laugh! what next, helgi?" when his son had finished his relation of the visit to the old seer, he seemed lost in thought. "atli, atli," he repeated. "call you him atli? i cannot remember the name. a friend of olaf hakonson, said he? i knew of no such friend. yet it seems that he spoke indeed as one who had taken counsel with the gods; and if his words acted, as you say, like medicine on estein, his name matters little. yet it is passing strange." when they reached hakonstad, helgi found that many chiefs had already arrived to take part in the funeral rites and, more particularly, in the feast with which they always ended. it was not till almost all had gone to rest that estein returned, and then he went straight to his bed-chamber without exchanging more than the barest greetings with those he found still talking low over their ale around the fires. the next day was spent in preparations for the solemn ceremonies of pyre and mound, and the great feast which should mark the reigning of another king in sogn. the young king himself went about bravely, seeing to everything but speaking little. helgi watched him anxiously, for he feared greatly that this new sorrow might cloud his mind afresh. in the evening he noticed him slip from the hall by himself, and rising at once he followed him out and came to his side as he paced slowly up the night-hushed valley. "is my company unwelcome?" he asked. "more welcome than my thoughts," said estein, taking his arm. "have the black thoughts returned?" "do what i will, they are with me again," replied estein. "my father has died with olaf unavenged, and now it is too late to keep my sacred word to him that i would ever follow up the feud. king hakon already sits in valhalla, and knows his son for a dastard and a breaker of his oaths. while he lived i always told myself that i would find some way even yet by which i might fulfil my promise, but now it is too late. it is hard, helgi, to lose at once both a father and a father's regard." "king hakon is with odin," said helgi, "and knows what he has ordained. odin has not told you to cross the seas for naught, and doubtless king hakon even now awaits the issue. never did man do much with a downcast mind; so first dismiss your thoughts, and then for the viking path again." "helgi hinn frode," said estein, pressing his arm, "you are indeed a good counsellor. as soon as i can gather force enough we start." "and now for a horn of ale, and then to bed," responded helgi, cheerful as ever again. ever since the first wild northmen, pushing westwards to the sea, had settled in the land of sogn, its kings had been interred on a certain barren islet hard by the mouth of hernersfiord, and on the morning of the fifth day after king hakon's death they bore him out to his last resting-place by the surge of the northern ocean. his body, clad in full armour and decked in robes of state, was laid upon a bier on the poop of the long ship that had last carried him to battle. a picked crew of chiefs and highborn vassals rowed him slowly down the fiord, while in their wake a fleet of vessels followed. estein, arrayed in the full panoply of war, as though he were sailing to meet his foes, stood out alone upon the poop like a graven figure, only the hand that held the tiller ever moving. when they reached the little holm looking out over the sea, they discovered the foundations of a mound already prepared, and great heaps of earth beside them, ready to be built upon the top. all the chiefs and greater men landed with a sufficient number of spademen to assist them with the work, while the others lay off in the ships and watched in silence. first, the vessel in which the dead king lay was drawn up and laid upon the mound; each chief who had taken an oar hung his shield in turn upon the bulwarks; the sail, gay with coloured cloths, was hoisted; the king's standard raised and set in the bows; and then estein lit a torch and held it to a heap of fagots underneath. as the flames mounted higher and the smoke streamed out to sea the chiefs cast gifts aboard--rings and bracelets of gold and silver, sharp swords and inlaid axes--that the king in his far-off home among the gods of the north might think kindly of his friends on earth. one after another they wished his soul fair speed. estein's words were few and unsteady with emotion, and those who heard them wondered at their meaning. "fare thee well, my father! i will yet keep my promise to thee!" loudest of all cried earl sigvald,-- "may odin be as good a friend to thee as thou hast been to me! keep me a place beside thee, hakon. all through life i have been at thy side, in sunshine and frost, feast and battle-storm, and soon i hope to follow thee home!" at last the flames died down and left but the blackened remnants of the ship and the ashes of its royal captain. the ashes they reverently gathered up and placed within a copper bowl, a lid they made of twelve shield bosses, the gifts were gathered and placed all round, and then the spademen heaped the mound above hakon, king of sogn. with a quicker stroke and tongues unloosed the fleet returned to hakonstad. "a noble funeral, ketill," said one chief to the black-bearded viking. "ay," replied ketill, "a burial worthy of king estein, and a royal feast we shall have to follow it." "men say he means to set out on a viking foray, and that before many days are past," said the other. "they speak truth," answered ketill. "many a man will he give to the wolves, and eager am i to sail with him. there never was a bolder captain than estein." for the next two days the talk was all of the voyage to the south. guests were coming in all the time for estein's inheritance feast, and many of them--warriors thirsting for adventure and sea-roving--declared their intention of following his banner. a braver force men said had never followed a king of sogn to war. for three days the feasting was to reign, and then, so soon as they were ready to sail, the host should take the viking path. the first night of the feast arrived. the hall was brightly lit and gaily hung with tapestries and cloths, rich and many-coloured, and men bravely dressed poured into their places all down the long rows of benches. the young king sat in his father's high seat, the highest-born and most honoured guests ranged beside him, and those of humbler standing in the farther places. first, they drank to the dead king hakon, to his various great kinsmen in valhalla, and to each of the gods in turn. then as horns emptied faster toast after toast was called across the fires, and honoured with shouts of "skoal!" that reached far into the night outside. estein, as was his usual custom, drank lightly, and often he would find his thoughts wandering among the most incongruous events--starlight nights in a far-off islet, tossings on distant seas, and over and over again they would stray to that glimpse of a maiden in the jemtland forests. helgi, in whose blue eyes there danced a light that was never kindled by water, rallied him on his absence of mind. "drink deeper, estein!" he cried. "laugh, o king! look, there sits ketill, the married man; methinks he looks thirsty. ketill! drink with me to your wife." "the trolls take my wife!" thundered ketill, who, it may be remembered, had espoused a wealthy widow. "that is only a toast for single men!" when the shout of laughter that greeted this speech had subsided, helgi turned again to estein, and exclaimed,-- "then that is the toast for us, king estein. i drink to your bride!" "who is she, helgi?" cried his father jovially. "name her. i would that i might see another king married before i die. i saw your mother married, estein, and a fair maid she was. the girls must be less fair now, or a gallant king will not stay single long." "i could name one fair maid," said helgi, glancing at the king, but in estein's eye he saw a warning look. "i have sterner things to think of, jarl," said estein. "five days from this i hope to be upon the sea." as he spoke, one of his hird-men came up to the high seat and stopped close beside him. "what ho, kari!" cried helgi, "you are strangely sober." "i have a message for the king," replied the man. chapter xvii. the end of the story. "a boon! a boon!" exclaimed helgi. "kari seeks a boon. a wife, or a farm, or a pair of pigskin trousers; which is it, kari? before you win it you must sing us a stave. strike up, man!" "no boon i seek," replied kari. "a maiden stands without who seeks king estein, and will not come inside." "aha!" laughed helgi. "blows the wind that way?" "what does she want?" asked estein. "i know not; she would not tell." "tell her to come in," said earl sigvald. "do you think it is fitting that the king should go out at every woman's pleasure?" "that is what i told her, but she said she would see the king outside or go away." "bid her come in or go away!" cried the earl. "nay, rather ask her what her errand is about," said estein. "and tell her," added helgi as the bird-man turned away, "that here sits the king's foster-brother, a most proper person at all times to hear a maiden's tale, and now most persuasively charged with ale." the man went down the hall again, and earl sigvald exclaimed testily,-- "some thrall's sweetheart doubtless, come to babble her complaints." "or perhaps the bride come to claim king estein's hand," suggested his son. in a minute kari returned. "she will not tell her business," he said, "but begs earnestly to see the king." "bid her begone!" cried the earl. "the king is feasting with his guests." "did not her eyes sparkle and her trouble seem to leave her when she heard the king's foster-brother was here?" asked helgi. "i shall press his claims myself," said estein, rising from his seat. "will you see her then?" asked the earl. "why not?" replied estein. "perchance she brings tidings of importance." "if you rise at every strange woman's bidding you will have many suitors," said the earl. "that is the lot of a king," replied estein, with a smile. the smile died quickly from his face as he walked down the hall, and men noticed that he looked grave and preoccupied again. it was not that his thoughts were running on this unusual summons; as he passed through the dark vestibule he felt only a little curiosity, and at the door he paused and looked out idly enough. it was a fine starlight night, and down below he could see the glimmer of the sea, and across the fiord the black outline of the hills, and nearer at hand he heard the sough of the night breeze in the pines. close outside, the tall, hooded figure of a woman stood clearly outlined, while he himself was obscured in shadow. at the second glance, something in the pose of his strange visitor struck his memory sharply. she seemed at first afraid to speak, and, with rising interest, he said courteously,-- "you wish to see me?" the girl seemed to start a little, and then she said in a low voice,-- "are you king estein?" the words were almost lost in the hood that shrouded her head. they died away to a low whisper; but ere they were gone estein had caught the slight flavour of a foreign accent, and for an instant he was on the holy isle again. with a sharp effort he controlled the sudden rush of emotion they called up, and even altered his voice to a low, guarded pitch as he answered,-- "i am the king." the girl paused for a moment as if to collect her thoughts, and then she said,-- "you had a brother, king estein--olaf hakonson--" she stopped again, and seemed to look hesitatingly at him. "what of him?" said estein. "he fell, alas, long since. forgive me for calling him to mind now, but he is in my story." "well?" "three men were at his death," said the girl, gaining confidence a little. "thord the tall, snaekol gunnarson, and thorfin of skapstead. snaekol and thorfin are dead long since--may god forgive them! but thord the tall lived to repent of the burning." "it was an ill deed," said estein. "he was a heathen man then, king estein--but i forget, you know not of christians." "i have heard of them," said estein, half to himself. "as the years drew on he became a christian, and followed another god and another creed, and left the world and viking forays, and came to a little island of the orkneys with me, his only child. for both my brothers fell in battle, king estein, and now there are none others left in the feud." "how do men call you?" said estein, asking only that he might hear her name again. "i am osla, the daughter of thord the tall," she answered, drawing herself up with a touch of half defiant pride. "he was the enemy of your family, but a lender-man [footnote: nobleman.] of high birth, and a good and noble man." "ay?" "he lived in the island," she went on, "for many years, all alone save for me." estein could not keep himself from asking,-- "alone all the time?" "all--save once indeed, when a viking came by chance, but he left shortly," and then she continued hastily: "my father thought often of the burning. many deeds he had done which he repented of there in the solitude of the holy isle. yet was he not worse than others, only he became a christian, and so they seemed ill deeds to him." "even this burning?" said estein, a little dryly. "think not so harshly of him!" she cried. "he was--he was my father!" "i ask your pardon, mistress osla. go on." "at length he fell sick, and in the last of the winter storms he died." so far estein had been listening most curiously, wondering much what the upshot of it all would be, and keeping a severe restraint on his tongue. but at osla's last words he had nearly betrayed himself. he was on the verge of crying out in his natural voice, and when he did speak, it was like a man who is choking over something. "then thord the tall is dead?" "he died penitent, king estein," said osla. "and he left me a writing--for he had taught me the art of reading on the island--and with it much silver, or at least it seemed much to me. the writing bade me seek king hakon." "knew he not then of my father's death?" "he was then alive," she answered; "for the writing further told me what i knew not before, that i had an uncle still alive, or rather whom my father thought was still alive, and first of all i had to seek him. else should i have come to sogn in time to see king hakon." "what is this uncle's name?" "he is called atli, now," she replied, "but--" "atli, a brother of thord the tall!" "know you him?" "i have seen him," he answered evasively. "once he came here. but how did you find him? he dwells in distant parts, so men say." "the writing gave me the direction of one who knew where he could be found, and so i travelled to a far country--jemtland it is, many days from sogn. thus it was that when i came here king hakon had died." "and now you seek me?" "you are his son, and my errand deals with you, for the feuds which were his are now yours," she answered. for a moment she paused, and seemed to estein to look doubtfully at him, as if half afraid to go on. then she drew a bag from under her cloak, held it out to him, and said simply, but not as one who craved a boon or sought a favour,-- "this silver is the price of atonement for the death of olaf--will you take it?" he took the bag, weighed it in his hand, and answered slowly,-- "this is a small atonement for a brother's death." she gave a little start back, her pride stung to the quick, and he heard her breath come fast. suddenly he dropped the bag, stepped from under the shadow of the door, and cried in his natural voice,-- "i must have you too, osla!" she started this time indeed, and for an instant the shock of surprise took thoughts and words away. "vandrad!" she cried faintly, and then she was trembling in king estein's arms. "nay," he said, "no longer vandrad, but rather estein the lucky! forgive me, osla, for deceiving you before; but then, in truth, fate had treated me so ill that i cared not to have it known that i was son to the king of sogn." a little later he said,-- "so the feud is at an end, and i have found a queen." "a queen, estein?" she whispered. "ay, a queen, worthy of the proudest king of sogn. and, osla, do you know i have seen you since we parted on the holy isle? can you call to mind a jemtland village where you halted on your journey, and a man whom the villagers pursued?" "and that--" she cried in astonishment. "was vandrad; and atli--" "is kolskegg, foster-father of thy brother olaf," said a voice behind them, and looking quickly round the lovers saw the venerable form of the seer standing within five paces of them. for a moment they were too surprised to speak, and the old man went on with kindling enthusiasm,-- "ay, osla, i followed thee up from the ship, and awaited under the shadow of hakonstad itself the issue ordained by the gods. king estein, when thou wert with me i knew not who were the wizard and the witch of the orkneys. my dreams revealed them not. when osla came to me that night ye slept in the loft, i hid her coming from thee, for i knew the race of yngve forget not the injuries of their kin. nor when i knew all did i tell anything to osla, for i wished the fates to bring matters to an end as they willed." "but why did you tell me nothing of yourself?" asked estein. "i have said the reason. thy race have long and bitter memories, and i knew full well that i could not serve thee hadst thou known. ay, king estein, long have i wished to come into atonement with thee, but my brother's rash deed--done to avenge what he thought my injuries--brought the blood feud on me. i was banished for mine own fault, thenceforth thord exiled me for his." then raising his voice till it rang through the night, he cried,-- "but now, king estein, the ship has crossed the seas!" there was a minute's silence after he had finished, and then the king took osla by the hand and drew her towards the door, saying,-- "i wish them to see my queen to-night." "let me come to-morrow," she whispered. "go in, osla," said her uncle, "i bid thee," and so she went in with estein to the hall. as he led her up to the high seat, dead silence fell on the guests, and all men gazed in growing wonder. opposite earl sigvald he stopped, and throwing back her hood, cried,-- "you will live to see me married yet, jarl. my southern voyage shall be changed into my wedding feast. behold osla, queen of sogn!" before his father had time to reply, helgi sprang from his seat with a shout, and saluting osla on the cheek, exclaimed,-- "first of all king estein's friends i wish you joy! do you remember the sheep-skin coat? i have not forgotten the maiden. skoal to queen osla!" instantly the shout was taken up till the smoky rafters rang and rang again; and so the feud ended, though the spell, they say, was never broken. the end. at http://www.freeliterature.org (from images generously made available by the internet archive.) canute the great (_circa_)- and the rise of danish imperialism during the viking age by laurence marcellus larson, ph.d. associate professor of history in the university of illinois g.p. putnam's sons new york and london the knickerbocker press heroes of the nations edited by dr. w.c. davis facta ducis vivent, operosaque gloria rerum-ovid, in liviam, . the hero's deeds and hard-won fame shall live [illustration: canute and emma--(the king and queen are presenting a golden cross to winchester abbey, new minster.) from a miniature reproduced in _liber vitæ_ (birch).] to my wife lillian may larson foreword toward the close of the eighth century, there appeared in the waters of western europe the strange dragon fleets of the northmen, the "heathen," or the vikings, as they called themselves, and for more than two hundred years the shores of the west and the southwest lived in constant dread of pillage and piracy. the viking invasions have always been of interest to the student of the middle ages; but only recently have historians begun to fathom the full significance of the movement. the british isles were pre-eminently the field of viking activities. english historians, however, have usually found nothing in the invasions but two successive waves of destruction. as an eminent writer has tersely stated it,--the dane contributed nothing to english civilisation, for he had nothing to contribute. on the other hand, scandinavian students, who naturally took great pride in the valorous deeds of their ancestors, once viewed the western lands chiefly as a field that offered unusual opportunities for the development of the dormant energies of the northern race. that christian civilisation could not fail to react on the heathen mind was clearly seen; but this phase of the problem was not emphasised; the importance of western influences was minimised. serious study of the viking age in its broader aspects began about fifty years ago with the researches of gudbrand vigfusson, a young icelandic scholar, much of whose work was carried on in england. vigfusson's work was parallelled by the far more thorough researches of the eminent norwegian philologist, sophus bugge. these investigators both came to the same general conclusion: that old norse culture, especially on the literary side, shows permeating traces of celtic and anglo-saxon elements; that the eddic literature was not an entirely native product, but was largely built up in the viking colonies in britain from borrowed materials. some years earlier, the danish antiquarian, j.j.a. worsaae, had begun to study the "memorials" of norse and danish occupation in britain, and had found that the islands in places were overlaid with traces of scandinavian conquest in the form of place names. later worsaae's countryman, dr. j.c.h.r. steenstrup, carried the research into the institutional field, and showed in his masterly work, _normannerne_ ( - ), that the institutional development among the anglo-saxons in the tenth and eleventh centuries was largely a matter of adapting and assimilating scandinavian elements. studies that embodied such differing viewpoints could not fail to call forth much discussion, some of which went to the point of bitterness. recently there has been a reaction from the extreme position assumed by professor bugge and his followers; but quite generally norse scholars are coming to take the position that both sophus bugge and johannes steenstrup have been correct in their main contentions; the most prominent representative of this view is professor alexander bugge. where two vigorous peoples representing differing types or different stages of civilisation come into more than temporary contact, the reciprocal influences will of necessity be continued and profound. the viking movement had, therefore, its aspects of growth and development as well as of destruction. the best representative of the age and the movement, when considered from both these viewpoints, is canute the great, king of england, denmark, and norway. canute began as a pirate and developed into a statesman. he was carried to victory by the very forces that had so long subsisted on devastation; when the victory was achieved, they discovered, perhaps to their amazement, that their favourite occupation was gone. canute had inherited the imperialistic ambitions of his dynasty, and piracy and empire are mutually exclusive terms. it is scarcely necessary to say anything further in justification of a biographical study of such an eminent leader, one of the few men whom the world has called "the great." but to write a true biography of any great secular character of mediæval times is a difficult, often impossible, task. the great men of modern times have revealed their inner selves in their confidential letters; their kinsmen, friends, and intimate associates have left their appreciations in the form of addresses or memoirs. materials of such a character are not abundant in the mediæval sources. but this fact need not deter us from the attempt. it is at least possible to trace the public career of the subject chosen, to measure his influence on the events of his day, and to determine the importance of his work for future ages. and occasionally the sources may permit a glimpse into the private life of the subject which will help us to understand him as a man. the present study has presented many difficulties. canute lived in an age when there was but little writing done in the north, though the granite of the runic monument possesses the virtue of durability. there is an occasional mention of canute in the continental chronicles of the time; but the chief contemporary sources are the _anglo-saxon chronicle_, the _encomium emmæ_, and the praise lays of the norse and icelandic scalds. the _chronicle_ was written by a patriotic englishman who naturally regarded the danes with a strong aversion. the _encomium_, on the other hand, seems to be the product of an alien clerk, whose chief purpose was to glorify his patroness, queen emma, and her family. the lays of the scalds are largely made up of nattering phrases, though among them are woven in allusions to historic facts that are of great value. the anglo-norman historians and the later monastic annalists in england have not very much to add to our information about canute; but in their accounts they are likely to go to the other extreme from the _chronicle_. too often the monkish writers measured excellence by the value of gifts to churches and monasteries, and canute had learned the value of donations properly timed and placed. adam of bremen wrote a generation later than canute's day, but, as he got his information from canute's kinsmen at the danish court, his notices of northern affairs are generally reliable. there is no danish history before the close of the twelfth century, when saxo wrote the _acts of the danes_. it is evident that saxo had access to a mass of sources both written and of the saga type. the world is grateful to the danish clerk for preserving so much of this material; but sound, critical treatment (of which saxo was probably incapable) would have enhanced the value of his work. the twelfth century is also the age of the sagas. these are of uneven merit and most of them are of slight value for present purposes. however, the sources on which these are in a measure based, the fragments of contemporary verse that are extant and much that has not survived, have been woven into a history, the equal of which for artistic treatment, critical standards, and true historical spirit will be difficult to find in any other mediæval literature. wherever possible, therefore, reference has been made in this study to snorre's _kings' sagas_, commonly known as "heimskringla," in preference to other saga sources. in the materials afforded by archæology, the northern countries are peculiarly rich, though, for the purposes of this study, these have their only value on the side of culture. an exception must be made of the runic monuments (which need not necessarily be classed with archæological materials), as these often assist in building up the narrative. more important, perhaps, is the fact that these inscriptions frequently help us to settle disputed points and to determine the accuracy of accounts that are not contemporary. one of the chief problems has been where to begin the narrative. to begin in the conventional way with childhood, education, and the rest is not practicable when the place and the year of birth are unknown and the forms and influences of early training are matters of inference and conjecture. at the same time it was found impossible to separate the man from his time, from the great activities that were going on in the lands about the north sea, and from the purposes of the dynasty that he belonged to. before it is possible to give an intelligent account of how canute led the viking movement to successful conquest, some account must be given of the movement itself. the first chapter and a part of the second consequently have to deal with matters introductory to and preparatory for canute's personal career, which began in . in the writing of proper names the author has planned to use modern forms whenever such exist; he has therefore written canute, though his preference is for the original form cnut. king ethelred's by-name, "redeless," has been translated "ill-counselled," which is slightly nearer the original meaning than "unready"; "uncounselled" would scarcely come nearer, as the original seems rather to imply inability to distinguish good from bad counsel. in the preparation of the study assistance has been received from many sources; especially is the author under obligation to the libraries of the universities of illinois, chicago, wisconsin, and iowa, and of harvard university; he is also indebted to his colleagues dean e.b. greene, professor g.s. ford, and professor g.t. flom, of the university of illinois, for assistance in the form of critical reading of the manuscript. l.m.l. champaign, ill., . contents chapter i the heritage of canute the great chapter ii the conquest of england-- - chapter iii the english reaction and the norse revolt-- - chapter iv the struggle with edmund ironside-- chapter v the rule of the danes in england-- - chapter vi the beginnings of empire-- - chapter vii canute and the english church-- - chapter viii the twilight of the gods chapter ix canute and the norwegian conspiracy-- - chapter x the battle of holy river and the pilgrimage to rome-- - chapter xi the conquest of norway-- - chapter xii the empire of the north chapter xiii northern culture in the days of canute chapter xiv the last years-- - chapter xv the collapse of the empire-- - appendices bibliography index illustrations canute and emma _frontispiece_ (the king and queen are presenting a golden cross to winchester abbey, new minster.) from a miniature reproduced in _liber vitæ_ (birch.) the older jelling stone (a) the older jelling stone (b) the larger sonder vissing stone the later jelling stone (a) the later jelling stone (b) the later jelling stone (c) scandinavian settlements, britain and normandy the larger aarhus stone the sjÆlle stone (runic monument raised to gyrth, earl sigvaldi's brother.) the tulstorp stone (runic monument showing viking ship ornamented with beasts' heads.) the hÄllestad stone anglo-saxon warriors (harl. ms. .) anglo-saxon horsemen (harl. ms. .) anglo-saxon warriors (from a manuscript in the british museum, reproduced in _norges historie_, i., ii.) the raven banner (from the bayeux tapestry.) viking raids in england - the south baltic coast in the eleventh century the valleberga stone the stenkyrka stone (monument from the island of gotland showing viking ships.) an english bishop of the eleventh century (from the bayeux tapestry.) poppo's ordeal (altar decoration from about . danish national museum.) hammers of thor (from the closing years of heathendom.) the tjÄngvide stone (monument from the island of gotland. the stone shows various mythological figures; see below.) the church at urnes (norway) (from about .) runic monument shows hammer of thor the odderness stone ornaments (chiefly buckles) from the viking age ornaments (chiefly buckles) from the viking age lines from the oldest fragment of snorre's history (written about ). the fragment tells the story of the battle of holy river and the murder of ulf a longship (model of the gokstad ship on the waves.) scandinavia and the conquest of norway stiklestead (from a photograph.) the hyby stone (monument from the first half of the eleventh century; raised to a christian as appears from the cross.) runic monument from upland, sweden (showing blending of celtic and northern art.) scandinavian (icelandic) hall in the viking age the vik stone (illustrates the transition from heathendom to christianity; shows a mixture of elements, the serpent and the cross.) the ramsund rock (representations of scenes from the sigfried saga.) painted gable from urnes church (norse-irish ornamentation.) carved pillar from urnes church (norse-irish ornamentation.) the hunnestad stone the alstad stone anglo-saxon table scene (from a manuscript in the british museum, reproduced in _norges historie_, i., ii.) model of the gokstad ship (longitudinal sections.) the lundagÅrd stone (shows types of ornamentation in canute's day.) the jurby cross, isle of man the gosforth cross, cumberland the pall of saint olaf (initial in the flat-isle book.) canute the great chapter i the heritage of canute the great among the many gigantic though somewhat shadowy personalities of the viking age, two stand forth with undisputed pre-eminence: rolf the founder of normandy and canute the emperor of the north. both were sea-kings; each represents the culmination and the close of a great migratory movement,--rolf of the earlier viking period, canute of its later and more restricted phase. the early history of each is uncertain and obscure; both come suddenly forth upon the stage of action, eager and trained for conquest. rolf is said to have been the outlawed son of a norse earl; canute was the younger son of a danish king: neither had the promise of sovereignty or of landed inheritance. still, in the end, both became rulers of important states--the pirate became a constructive statesman. the work of rolf as founder of normandy was perhaps the more enduring; but far more brilliant was the career of canute. few great conquerors have had a less promising future. in the early years of the eleventh century, he seems to have been serving a military apprenticeship in a viking fraternity on the pomeranian coast, preparatory, no doubt, to the profession of a sea-king, the usual career of northern princes who were not seniors in birth. his only tangible inheritance seems to have been the prestige of royal blood which meant so much when the chief called for recruits. but it was not the will of the norns that canute should live and die a common pirate, like his grand-uncle canute, for instance, who fought and fell in ireland[ ]: his heritage was to be greater than what had fallen to any of his dynasty, more than the throne of his ancestors, which was also to be his. in a vague way he inherited the widening ambitions of the northern peoples who were once more engaged in a fierce attack on the west. to him fell also the ancient claim of the danish kingdom to the hegemony of the north. but more specifically canute inherited the extensive plans, the restless dreams, the imperialistic policy, and the ancient feuds of the knytling dynasty.[ ] canute's career is the history of danish imperialism carried to a swift realisation. what had proved a task too great for his forbears canute in a great measure achieved. in england and in norway, in sleswick and in wendland, he carried the plans of his dynasty to a successful issue. it will, therefore, be necessary to sketch with some care the background of canute's career and to trace to their origins the threads of policy that canute took up and wove into the web of empire. some of these can be followed back at least three generations to the reign of gorm in the beginning of the tenth century. in that century denmark was easily the greatest power in the north. from the scanian frontiers to the confines of modern sleswick it extended over "belts" and islands, closing completely the entrance to the baltic. there were danish outposts on the slavic shores of modern prussia; the larger part of norway came for some years to be a vassal state under the great earl, hakon the bad; the wick, which comprised the shores of the great inlet that is now known as the christiania firth, was regarded as a component part of the danish monarchy, though in fact the obedience rendered anywhere in norway was very slight. in the legendary age a famous dynasty known as the shieldings appears to have ruled over danes and jutes. the family took its name from a mythical ancestor, king shield, whose coming to the daneland is told in the opening lines of the old english epic _beowulf_. the shieldings were worthy descendants of their splendid progenitor: they possessed in full measure the royal virtues of valour, courage, and munificent hospitality. how far their exploits are to be regarded as historic is a problem that does not concern us at present; though it seems likely that the danish foreworld is not without its historic realities. whether the kings of denmark in the tenth century were of shielding ancestry is a matter of doubt; the probabilities are that they sprang from a different stem. the century opened with gorm the aged, the great-grandfather of canute, on the throne of shield, ruling all the traditional regions of denmark,--scania, the isles, and jutland--but apparently residing at jelling near the south-east corner of the peninsula, not far from the saxon frontier. tradition remembers him as a tall and stately man, but a dull and indolent king, wanting in all the elements of greatness.[ ] in this case, however, tradition is not to be trusted. though we have little real knowledge of danish history in gorm's day, it is evident that his reign was a notable one. at the close of the ninth century, the monarchy seems to have faced dissolution; the sources tell of rebellious vassals, of a rival kingdom in south jutland, of german interference in other parts of the jutish peninsula.[ ] gorm's great task and achievement were to reunite the realm and to secure the old frontiers. though legend has not dealt kindly with the king himself, it has honoured the memory of his masterful queen. thyra was clearly a superior woman. her nationality is unknown, but it seems likely that she was of danish blood, the daughter of an earl in the holstein country.[ ] to this day she is known as thyra daneboot (danes' defence)--a term that first appears on the memorial stone that her husband raised at jelling soon after her death. in those days henry the fowler ruled in germany and showed hostile designs on jutland. in , he attacked the viking chiefs in south jutland and reduced their state to the position of a vassal realm. apparently he also encouraged them to seek compensation in gorm's kingdom. to protect the peninsula from these dangers a wall was built across its neck between the schley inlet and the treene river. this was the celebrated danework, fragments of which can still be seen. in this undertaking the queen was evidently the moving force and spirit. three years, it is said, were required to complete thyra's great fortification. the material character of the queen's achievement doubtless did much to preserve a fame that was highly deserved; at the same time, it may have suggested comparisons that were not to the advantage of her less fortunate consort. the danework, however, proved only a temporary frontier; a century later thyra's great descendant canute pushed the boundary to the eider river and the border problem found a fairly permanent solution. in the shielding age, the favourite seat of royalty was at lethra (leire) in zealand, at the head of roeskild firth. here, no doubt, was located the famous hall heorot, of which we read in _beowulf_. there were also king's garths elsewhere; the one at jelling has already been mentioned as the residence of gorm and thyra. after the queen's death her husband raised at jelling, after heathen fashion, a high mound in her honour, on the top of which a rock was placed with a brief runic inscription: gorm the king raised this stone in memory of thyra his wife, denmark's defence.[ ] the runologist ludvig wimmer believes that the inscription on the older jelling stone dates from the period - ; a later date is scarcely probable. the queen evidently did not long survive the famous "defence." a generation later, perhaps about the year , harold bluetooth, gorm's son and successor, raised another mound at jelling, this one, apparently, in honour of his father. the two mounds stand about two hundred feet apart; at present each is about sixty feet high, though the original height must have been considerably greater. midway between them the king placed a large rock as a monument to both his parents, which in addition to its runic dedication bears a peculiar blending of christian symbols and heathen ornamentation. the inscription is also more elaborate than that on the lesser stone: harold the king ordered this memorial to be raised in honour of gorm his father and thyra his mother, the harold who won all denmark and norway and made the danes christians.[ ] [illustration: the older jelling stone, a] [illustration: the older jelling stone, b] in one sense the larger stone is king harold's own memorial. it is to be observed that the inscription credits the king with three notable achievements: the unification of denmark, the conquest of norway, and the introduction of christianity. the allusion to the winning of denmark doubtless refers to the suppression of revolts, perhaps more specifically to the annihilation of the viking realm and dynasty south of the danework (about ).[ ] in his attitude toward his southern neighbours harold continued the policy of gorm and thyra: wars for defence rather than for territorial conquest. it is said that king harold became a christian (about ) as the result of a successful appeal to the judgment of god by a zealous clerk named poppo. the heated iron (or iron gauntlet, as saxo has it) was carried the required distance, but poppo's hand sustained no injury. whatever be the truth about poppo's ordeal, it seems evident that some such test was actually made, as the earliest account of it, that of widukind of corvey, was written not more than a decade after the event.[ ] the importance of the ordeal is manifest: up to this time the faith had made but small headway in the northern countries. with the conversion of a king, however, a new situation was created: christianity still had to continue its warfare against the old gods, but signs of victory were multiplying. one of the first fruits of harold bluetooth's conversion was the church of the holy trinity, built at roeskild by royal command,[ ]--a church that long held an honoured place in the danish establishment. in various ways the history of this church closely touches that of the dynasty itself: here the bones of the founder were laid; here, too, his ungrateful son sweyn found quiet for his restless spirit; and it was in this church where harold's grandson, canute the great, stained and violated sanctuary by ordering the murder of ulf, his sister's husband. in the wider activities of the tenth century, harold bluetooth played a large and important part. about the time he accepted christianity, he visited the slavic regions on the south baltic coasts and established his authority over the lands about the mouth of the oder river. here he founded the stronghold of jomburg, the earls and garrisons of which played an important part in northern history for more than two generations. the object of this expansion into wendland was no doubt principally to secure the slavic trade which was of considerable importance and which had interested the danes for more than two centuries.[ ] as the wendish tribes had practically no cities or recognised markets, the new establishment on the banks of the oder soon grew to be of great commercial as well as of military importance. [illustration: the later jelling stone, a.] [illustration: the larger sonder vissing stone] during the same period harold's attention was turned to norway where a difficult situation had arisen. harold fairhair, the founder of the norse monarchy, left the sovereignty to his son eric (later named bloodax); but the jealousies of eric's many brothers combined with his own cruel régime soon called forth a reaction in favour of a younger brother, hakon the good, whose youth had been spent under christian influences at the english court. king hakon was an excellent ruler, but the raids of his nephews, the sons of eric, caused a great deal of confusion. the young exiles finally found a friend in harold bluetooth who even adopted one of them, harold grayfell, as his own son.[ ] the fostering of harold grayfell had important consequences continuing for two generations till the invasion of norway by canute the great. with a force largely recruited in denmark, the sons of eric attacked norway and came upon king hakon on the island of stord where a battle was fought in which the king fell ( ). but the men who had slain their royal kinsman found it difficult to secure recognition as kings: the result of the battle was that norway was broken up into a number of petty kingdoms and earldoms, each aiming at practical independence. a few years later there appeared at the danish court a young, handsome, talented chief, the famous earl hakon whose father, sigurd, earl in the throndelaw, the sons of eric had treacherously slain. the king of denmark had finally discovered that his foster-son was anything but an obedient vassal, and doubtless rejoiced in an opportunity to interfere in norwegian affairs. harold grayfell was lured down into jutland and slain. with a large fleet the danish king then proceeded to norway. the whole country submitted: the southern shores from the naze eastward were added to the danish crown; the throndelaw and the regions to the north were apparently granted to earl hakon in full sovereignty; the rest was created into an earldom which he was to govern as vassal of the king of denmark.[ ] a decade passed without serious difficulties between vassal and overlord, when events on the german border brought demands on the earl's fidelity to which the proud norseman would not submit. it seems probable that king harold in a vague way had recognised the overlordship of the emperor; at any rate, in , when the great otto was celebrating his last easter at quedlingburg, the danish king sent embassies and gifts.[ ] a few weeks later the emperor died and almost immediately war broke out between danes and saxons. [illustration: the later jelling stone, c] [illustration: the later jelling stone, b] hostilities soon ceased, but the terms of peace are said to have included a promise on harold's part to introduce the christian faith among his norwegian subjects. earl hakon had come to assist his overlord; he was known to be a zealous heathen; but king harold seized him and forced him to receive baptism. the earl felt the humiliation keenly and as soon as he had left denmark he repudiated the danish connection and for a number of years ruled in norway as an independent sovereign.[ ] king harold made an attempt to restore his power but with small success. however, the claim to norway was not surrendered; it was successfully revived by harold's son sweyn and later still by his grandson canute. earl hakon's revolt probably dates from or ; king harold's raid along the norse coasts must have followed within the next few years. the succeeding decade is memorable for two notable expeditions, the one directed against king eric of sweden, the second against hakon of norway. in neither of these ventures was harold directly interested; both were undertaken by the vikings of jom, though probably with the danish king's approval and support. the jomvikings were in the service of denmark and the defeat that they suffered in both instances had important results for future history. the exact dates cannot be determined; but the battles must have been fought during the period - . in those days the command at jomburg was held by styrbjörn, a nephew of the swedish king. harold bluetooth is said to have given him the earl's title and his daughter thyra to wife; but this did not satisfy the ambitious prince, whose desire was to succeed his uncle in sweden. having induced his father-in-law to permit an expedition, he sailed to uppland with a strong force. the battle was joined on the banks of the fyris river where king eric won a complete victory. from that day he was known as eric the victorious.[ ] styrbjörn fell in the battle and sigvaldi, the son of a scanian earl, succeeded to the command at jomburg. in some way he was induced to attack the norwegian earl. late in the year the fleet from the oder stole northwards along the norse coast hoping to catch the earl unawares. but hakon's son eric had learned what the vikings were planning and a strong fleet carefully hid in hjörunga bay lay ready to welcome the invader. the encounter at hjörunga bay is one of the most famous battles in old norse history. during the fight, says the saga, earl hakon landed and sacrificed his young son erling to the gods. the divine powers promptly responded: a terrific hailstorm that struck the danes in their faces helped to turn the tide of battle, and soon sigvaldi was in swift flight southwards.[ ] as to the date of the battle we have no certain knowledge; but munch places it, for apparently good reasons, in . saxo is probably correct in surmising that the expedition was inspired by king harold.[ ] as to the significance of the two defeats of the jomvikings, there can be but one opinion: northward expansion of danish power had received a decisive check; danish ambition must find other fields. the closing years of harold's life were embittered by rebellious movements in which his son sweyn took a leading part. it is not possible from the conflicting accounts that have come down to us to determine just why the danes showed such restlessness at this time. it has been thought that the revolts represented a heathen reaction against the new faith, or a nationalistic protest against german influences; these factors may have entered in, but it is more likely that a general dissatisfaction with harold's rule caused by the ill success of his operations against germans, swedes, and norwegians was at the bottom of the hostilities. the virile personality of the young prince was doubtless also a factor. to later writers his conduct recalled the career of absalom; but in this instance disobedience and rebellion had the victory. forces were collected on both sides; battles were fought both on land and on sea. finally during a truce, the aged king was wounded by an arrow, shot, according to saga, from the bow of toki, the foster-father of sweyn. faithful henchmen carried the dying king across the sea to jomburg where he expired on all saints' day (november ), probably in , the year of the defeat at hjörunga bay. his remains were carried to roeskild and interred in the church of the holy trinity.[ ] of harold's family not much is known. according to adam of bremen his queen was named gunhild, a name that points to scandinavian ancestry.[ ] saxo speaks of a queen gyrith, the sister of styrbjörn.[ ] on a runic monument at sönder vissing, not far from the garth at jelling, we read that tova raised this memorial, mistiwi's daughter, in memory of her mother, harold the good gorm's son's wife.[ ] tova might be a danish name, but mistiwi seems clearly slavic. it may be that harold was thrice married; it is also possible that tova in baptism received the name gunhild. gyrith was most likely the wife of his old age. the question is important as it concerns the ancestry of canute the great. if tova was canute's grandmother (as she probably was) three of his grandparents were of slavic blood. of harold's children four are known to history. his daughter thyra has already been mentioned as the wife of the ill-fated styrbjörn. another daughter, gunhild, was the wife of an anglo-danish chief, the ealdorman pallig. two sons are also mentioned, sweyn and hakon. of these sweyn, as the successor to the kingship, is the more important. the accession of sweyn forkbeard to the danish throne marks an era in the history of denmark. harold bluetooth had not been a weak king: he had enlarged his territories; he had promoted the cause of the christian faith; he had striven for order and organised life. but his efforts in this direction had brought him into collision with a set of forces that believed in the old order of things. in harold's old age the danish viking spirit had awakened to new life; soon the dragons were sailing the seas as of old. with a king of the shielding type now in the high-seat at roeskild, these lawless though energetic elements found not only further freedom but royal favour and leadership. it would seem that the time had come to wipe away the stain that had come upon the danish arms at hjörunga bay; but no immediate move was made in that direction. earl hakon was still too strong, and for a decade longer he enjoyed undisputed possession of the norwegian sovereignty. sweyn did not forget the claims of his dynasty, but he bided his time. furthermore, this same decade saw larger plans developing at the danish court. norway was indeed desirable, but as a field of wider activities it gave no great promise. such a field, however, seemed to be in sight: the british isles with their numerous kingdoms, their large scandinavian colonies, and their consequent lack of unifying interests seemed to offer opportunities that the restless dane could not afford to neglect. the three scandinavian kingdoms did not comprise the entire north: in many respects, greater scandinavia was fully as important as the home lands. it is not necessary for present purposes to follow the eastward stream of colonisation that transformed the slavic east and laid the foundations of the russian monarchy. the southward movement of the danes into the regions about the mouth of the oder will be discussed more in detail later. the story of sweyn and canute is far more concerned with colonising movements and colonial foundations in the west. without the preparatory work of two centuries, canute's conquest of the anglo-saxon kingdom would have been impossible. the same generation that saw the consolidation of the norse tribes into the norwegian kingdom also saw the colonisation of the faroe islands and iceland. a century later norsemen were building homes on the bleak shores of greenland. less than a generation later, in the year , vineland was reached by leif the lucky.[ ] earlier still, perhaps a century or more before the icelandic migration, the northmen had begun to occupy parts of the british isles. the ships that first sought and reached north britain probably sailed from two folklands (or shires) in southwestern norway, hordaland and rogaland, the territories about the modern ports of bergen and stavanger. due west from the former city lie the shetland islands; in the same direction from stavanger are the orkneys. it has been conjectured that the earliest scandinavian settlements in these parts were made on the shores of pentland firth, on the orkneys and on the coast of caithness. thence the journey went along the north-western coast of scotland to the hebrides group, across the narrow straits to ireland, and down to the isle of man.[ ] the emerald isle attracted the sea-kings and the period of pillage was soon followed by an age of settlement. the earliest norse colony in ireland seems to have been founded about , on the banks of the liffey, where the city of dublin grew up a little later, and for centuries remained the centre of norse power and influence on the island. other settlements were established at various points on the east coast, notably at wicklow, wexford, and waterford, which names show clearly their norse origin. about a stronghold was built at cork.[ ] toward the close of the eighth century the vikings appeared in large numbers on the coasts of northern england. two generations later they had destroyed three of the four english kingdoms and were organising the danelaw on their ruins. still later rolf appeared with his host of northmen in the seine valley and founded the norman duchy. it must not be assumed that in these colonies the population was exclusively scandinavian. the native elements persisted and seem, as a rule, to have lived on fairly good terms with the invaders. it is likely that wherever these energetic northerners settled they became the dominant social force; but no feeling of contempt or aloofness appears to have been felt on either side after the races had learned to know each other. intermarriage was frequent, not only between dane and angle, but between celt and norseman as well. in time the alien was wholly absorbed into the native population; but in the process the victorious element underwent a profound transformation which extended to social conventions as well as to race.[ ] the largest of these colonies was the danelaw, a series of danish and norse settlements extending from the thames to the north of england. according to an english writer of the twelfth century, it comprised york and fourteen shires to the south.[ ] the area controlled was evidently considerably larger than the region actually settled; and in some of the shires the scandinavian population was probably not numerous. five cities in the danelaw enjoyed a peculiar pre-eminence. these were lincoln, nottingham, derby, leicester, and stamford. it has been conjectured that these were garrison towns held and organised with a view to securing the obedience of the surrounding country.[ ] if this be correct, we should infer that the population beyond the walls was largely anglian. the five boroughs seem to have had a common organisation of a republican type: they formed "the first federation of boroughs known in this island, and in fact the earliest federation of towns known outside of italy."[ ] part of the danelaw must have contained a large scandinavian element, especially the shires of lincoln and york.[ ] there were also danish and norwegian settlements in england outside the danelaw in its narrower sense: in the north-western shires and in the severn valley, perhaps as high up as worcestershire.[ ] danish power in england seems to have centered about the ancient city of york. it would be more nearly correct to speak of northumbria in the ninth and tenth centuries as a norse than as a danish colony; but the angles made no such distinction. the population must also have contained a large english element. a native ecclesiastic who wrote toward the close of the tenth century speaks with enthusiasm of the wealth and grandeur of york. the city rejoices in a multitude of inhabitants; not fewer than , men and women (children and youths not counted) are numbered in this city. it is also filled with the riches of merchants who come from everywhere, especially from the danish nation.[ ] in some respects the danelaw is the most important fact in the history of the anglo-saxon monarchy: it was the rock on which old english nationality foundered. by the middle of the tenth century, saxon england was practically confined to the country south of the thames river and the western half of the midlands, a comparatively small area surrounded by scandinavian and celtic settlements. if this fact is fully appreciated, there should be little difficulty in understanding the loss of english national freedom in the days of sweyn and canute. the english kings did, indeed, exercise some sort of suzerain authority over most of the neighbouring colonies, but this authority was probably never so complete as historians would have us believe. it is worth noting that the scribe whom we have quoted above speaks of the danes, not as pirates but as merchants. the tenth century was, on the whole, so far as piratical expeditions are concerned, an age of peace in the north. the word viking is old in the mediæval dialects, and scandinavian pirates doubtless visited the shores of christian europe at a very early date. but the great viking age was the ninth century, when the field of piratical operations covered nearly half of europe and extended from iceland to byzantium. the movement culminated in the last quarter of the century and was followed by a constructive period of nearly one hundred years, when society was being reorganised or built anew in the conquered lands. the icelandic republic was taking form. the norman duchy was being organised. the northmen in the danelaw were being forced into political relations with the saxon kings. trade began to follow new routes and find new harbours. the older scandinavian cities acquired an added fame and importance, while new towns were being founded both in the home lands and in the western islands. [illustration: scandinavian settlements, britain and normandy] this lull in the activities of the sea-kings gave the western rulers an opportunity to regain much that had been lost. in england the expansion of wessex which had begun in the days of alfred was continued under his successors, until in edgar's day one lord was recognised from the channel to the forth. but with edgar died both majesty and peace. about the viking spirit was reawakened in the north. the raven banner reappeared in the western seas, and soon the annals of the west began to recount their direful tales. among all the chiefs of this new age, one stands forth pre-eminent, sweyn with the forked beard, whose remarkable achievement it was to enlist all this lawless energy for a definite purpose, the conquest of wessex. in ethelred the ill-counselled was crowned king of england and began his long disastrous reign. if we may trust the abingdon chronicler, who, as a monk, should be truthful, england was duly warned of the sorrows to come. for "in that same year blood-red clouds resembling fire were frequently seen; usually they appeared at midnight hanging like moving pillars painted upon the sky." the king was a mere boy of ten summers; later writers could tell us that signs of degeneracy were discovered in the prince as early as the day of his baptism. on some of his contemporaries, however, he seems to have made a favourable impression. we cannot depend much on the praises of a norse scald who sang in the king's presence; but perhaps we can trust the english writer who describes him as a youth of "elegant manners, handsome features, and comely appearance."[ ] that ethelred proved an incompetent king is beyond dispute. still, it is doubtful whether any ruler with capabilities less than those of an alfred could have saved england in the early years of the eleventh century. for ethelred had succeeded to a perilous inheritance. in the new territorial additions to wessex there were two chief elements, neither of which was distinctly pro-saxon: the dane or the half-danish colonist was naturally hostile to the saxon régime; his anglian neighbour recalled the former independence of his region as mercia, east anglia, or northumbria, and was weak in his loyalty to the southern dynasty. the spirit of particularism asserted itself repeatedly, for it seems unlikely that the many revolts in the tenth century were danish uprisings merely. it seems possible that ethelred's government might have been able to maintain itself after a fashion and perhaps would have satisfied the demands of the age, had it not been that vast hostile forces were just then released in the north. these attacked wessex from two directions: fleets from the irish sea ravaged the southwest; vikings from the east entered the channel and plundered the southern shores. it is likely that in the advance-guard of the renewed piracy, sweyn forkbeard was a prominent leader. we have seen that during the last years of harold's reign, there were trouble and ill-feeling between father and son. these years, it seems, the undutiful prince spent in exile and piratical raids. as the baltic would scarcely be a safe refuge under the circumstances, we may assume that those seven years were spent in the west.[ ] in the second year of ethelred's reign the incursions began: "the great chief behemoth rose against him with all his companions and engines of war."[ ] in that year chester was plundered by the norsemen; thanet and southampton were devastated by the danes. the troubles at chester are of slight significance; they were doubtless merely the continuation of desultory warfare in the upper irish sea. but the attack on southampton, the port of the capital city of winchester, was ominous: though clearly a private undertaking it was significant in revealing the weakness of english resistance. the vikings probably wintered among their countrymen on the shores of the irish sea, for south-western england was again visited and harried during the two succeeding years. for a few years ( - ) there was a lull in the operations against england. the energies of the north were employed elsewhere: this was evidently the period of styrbjörn's invasion of sweden and sigvaldi's attack on norway with the desperate battles of fyris river and hjörunga bay. but, in , viking ships in great numbers appeared in the irish sea.[ ] two years later a fleet visited devon and entered bristol channel. it is probable that norman ships took part in this raid; at any rate the danes sold english plunder in normandy. in , the attack entered upon a new phase. earlier the country had suffered from raids in which no great number of vikings had taken part in any instance; now they came in armies and the attack became almost an invasion. that year a fierce battle was fought near maldon[ ] in essex where one of the chief leaders of the vikings was an exiled norwegian prince, olaf trygvesson, who four years later restored the norwegian throne. it is likely, therefore, that the host was not exclusively danish but gathered from the entire north. the fight at maldon was a crushing defeat for the english and consternation ruled in the councils of the irresolute king. siric, the archbishop of canterbury, and two ealdormen were sent as an embassy to the viking camp to sue for peace. a treaty was agreed to which seems to imply that the host was to be permitted to remain in east anglia for an undefined time. the vikings promised to defend england against any other piratical bands, thus virtually becoming mercenaries for the time being. in return ethelred agreed to pay a heavy tribute and to furnish provisions "the while that they remain among us."[ ] thus began the danegeld which seems to have developed into a permanent tax in the reign of canute. the next year king ethelred collected a fleet in the thames in the hope of entrapping his new allies; but treason was abroad in england and the plan failed.[ ] the following year the pirates appeared in the humber country; here, too, the english defence melted away. after relating the flight of the anglian leaders, florence of worcester adds significantly, "because they were danes on the paternal side."[ ] the next year ( ) king sweyn of denmark joined the fleet of olaf and his associates and new purposes began to appear. instead of seeking promiscuous plunder, the invaders attempted to reduce cities and strongholds. once more the english sued for peace on the basis of tribute.[ ] sweyn evidently returned to denmark where his presence seems to have been sorely needed. for two years england enjoyed comparative peace. the energies of the north found other employment: we read of raids on the welsh coast and of piratical expeditions into saxony; interesting events also occurred in the home lands. to these years belong the revolt of the norsemen against earl hakon, and perhaps also the invasion of denmark by eric the victorious. thirty years of power had developed tyrannical passions in the norwegian earl. according to the sagas he was cruel, treacherous, and licentious. every year he became more overbearing and despotic; every year added to the total of discontent. here was sweyn forkbeard's opportunity; but he had other irons in the fire, and the opportunity fell to another. about a pretender to the norse throne arrived from the west,--olaf trygvesson, the great-grandson of harold fairhair. our earliest reliable information as to olaf's career comes from english sources; they tell of his operations in britain in and and the circumstances indicate that the intervening years were also spent on these islands. while in england he was attracted to the christian faith, a fact that evidently came to be known to the english, for, in the negotiations of , particular attention was paid to the princely chieftain. an embassy was sent to him with bishop alphege as leading member, and the outcome was that olaf came to visit king ethelred at andover, where he was formally admitted to the christian communion, ethelred acting as godfather.[ ] at andover, olaf promised never to come again to england "with unpeace"; the chronicler adds that he kept his word. with the coming of spring he set out for norway and never again saw england as friend or foe. we do not know what induced him at this time to take up the fight with hakon the bad; but doubtless it was in large measure due to urging on the part of the church. for olaf the viking had become a zealous believer; when he landed in norway he came provided with priests and all the other necessaries of christian worship. it is not necessary to tell the story of the earl's downfall,--how he was hounded into a pig-sty where he died at the hands of a thrall. olaf was soon universally recognised as king and proceeded at once to carry out his great and difficult purpose: to christianise a strong and stubborn people ( ).[ ] as to the second event, the invasion of sweyn's dominions by the king of sweden, we cannot be so sure, as most of the accounts that have come down to us are late and difficult to harmonise. historians agree that, some time toward the close of his reign, king eric sought revenge for the assistance that the danish king had given his nephew styrbjörn in his attempt to seize the swedish throne. the invasion must have come after sweyn's accession ( ?) and before eric's death, the date of which is variously given as , , .[ ] if eric was still ruling in when sweyn was absent in england, it is extremely probable that he made use of a splendid opportunity to seize the lands of his enemy. this would explain sweyn's readiness to accept ethelred's terms in the winter of - .[ ] after the death of king eric, new interests and new plans began to germinate in the fertile mind of sweyn the viking. late in life the swedish king seems to have married a young swedish woman who is known to history as sigrid the haughty. sigrid belonged to a family of great wealth and prominence; her father tosti was a famous viking who had harvested his treasures on an alien shore. eric had not long been dead before wooers in plenty came to seek the hand of the rich dowager. so importunate did they become that the queen to get rid of them is said to have set fire to the house where two of them slept. olaf trygvesson was acceptable, but he imposed an impossible condition: sigrid must become a christian. when she finally refused to surrender her faith, the king is said to have stricken her in the face with his gauntlet. the proud queen never forgave him. soon afterwards sigrid married sweyn forkbeard who had dismissed his earlier consort, queen gunhild, probably to make room for the swedish dowager. we do not know what motives prompted this act, but it was no doubt urged by state-craft. in this way the wily dane cemented an alliance with a neighbouring state which had but recently been hostile.[ ] the divorced queen was a polish princess of an eminent slavic family; she was the sister of boleslav chrobri, the mighty polish duke who later assumed the royal title. when gunhild retired to her native poland, she may have taken with her a small boy who can at that time scarcely have been more than two or three years old, perhaps even younger. the boy was canute, the king's younger son, though the one who finally succeeded to all his father's power and policies. the only information that we have of canute's childhood comes from late and not very reliable sources: it is merely this, that he was not brought up at the danish court, but was fostered by thurkil the tall, one of the chiefs at jomburg and brother of earl sigvaldi.[ ] the probabilities favour the accuracy of this report. it was customary in those days to place boys with foster-fathers; prominent nobles or even plain franklins received princes into their households and regarded the charge as an honoured trust. perhaps, too, a royal child would be safer among the warriors of jomburg than at the court of a stepmother who had employed such drastic means to get rid of undesirable wooers. the character of his early impressions and instruction can readily be imagined: canute was trained for warfare. when the young prince became king of england thurkil was exalted to a position next to that of the ruler himself. after the old chief's death, canute seems to have heaped high honours on thurkil's son harold in denmark. we cannot be sure, but it seems likely that this favour is to be ascribed, in part, at least, to canute's affection for his foster-father and his foster-brother. in those same years another important marriage was formed in sweyn's household: the fugitive eric, the son of earl hakon whose power was now wielded by the viking olaf, had come to denmark, where sweyn forkbeard received him kindly and gave him his daughter gytha in marriage. thus there was formed a hostile alliance against king olaf with its directing centre at the danish court. in addition to his own resources and those of his stepson in sweden, sweyn could now count on the assistance of the dissatisfied elements in norway who looked to eric as their natural leader. it was not long before a pretext was found for an attack. thyra, sweyn's sister, the widow of styrbjörn, had been married to mieczislav, the duke of poland. in , she was widowed the second time. after a few years, perhaps in , olaf trygvesson made her queen of norway. later events would indicate that this marriage, which olaf seems to have contracted without consulting the bride's brother, was part of a plan to unite against sweyn all the forces that were presumably hostile,--poles, jomvikings, and norsemen.[ ] the saga writers, keenly alive to the influence of human passion on the affairs of men, emphasise sigrid's hatred for olaf and thyra's anxiety to secure certain possessions of hers in wendland as important causes of the war that followed. each is said to have egged her husband to the venture, though little urging can have been needed in either case. in the summer of , a large and splendid norwegian fleet appeared in the baltic. in his negotiations with poles and jomvikings, olaf was apparently successful: sigvaldi joined the expedition and slavic ships were added to the norse armament. halldor the unchristian tells us that these took part in the battle that followed: "the wendish ships spread over the bay, and the thin beaks gaped with iron mouths upon the warriors."[ ] sweyn's opportunity had come and it was not permitted to pass. he mustered the danish forces and sent messages to his stepson in sweden and to his son-in-law eric. sigvaldi was also in the alliance. plans were made to ambush the norse king on his way northward. the confederates gathered their forces in the harbour of swald, a river mouth on the pomeranian coast a little to the west of the isle of rügen. sigvaldi's part was to feign friendship for olaf and to lead him into the prepared trap. the plan was successfully carried out. a small part of king olaf's fleet was lured into the harbour and attacked from all sides. the fight was severe but numbers prevailed. olaf's own ship, the famous _long serpent_, was boarded by eric hakonsson's men, and the king in the face of sure capture leaped into the baltic.[ ] [illustration: the larger aarhus stone] [illustration: the sjÆlle stone (runic monument raised to gyrth, earl sigvaldi's brother.)] the victors had agreed to divide up norway and the agreement was carried out. most of the coast lands from the naze northwards were given to earl eric. the southern shores, the land from the naze eastwards, fell to king sweyn. seven shires in the throndhjem country and a single shire in the extreme southeast were assigned to the swedish king; but only the last-mentioned shire was joined directly to sweden; the northern regions were given as a fief to eric's younger brother sweyn who had married the swede-king's daughter. similarly sweyn forkbeard enfeoffed his son-in-law eric, but the larger part he kept as his own direct possession.[ ] the battle of swald was of great importance to the policies of the knytlings. the rival norse kingdom was destroyed. once more the danish king had almost complete control of both shores of the waterways leading into the baltic. danish hegemony in the north was a recognised fact. but all of norway was not yet a danish possession--that ambition was not realised before the reign of canute. and england was still unconquered. [illustration: danish coins from the reign of canute, minted at odense, viborg, heathby.] footnotes: [ ] saxo grammaticus, _gesta danorum_, . [ ] the saga writers call the members of the danish dynasty the knytlings, from its foremost representative canute (knut). [ ] saxo, _gesta danorum_, . [ ] wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii., - . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., . [ ] wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii., . [ ] wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii., - . [ ] _ibid._, . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., - . saxo, _gesta danorum_, . saxo places the ordeal in the reign of harold's successor. [ ] adamus, _gesta hammenburgensis ecclesicæ pontificum_, ii., c. . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., - . [ ] snorre, _saga of hakon the good_, cc. , , , . [ ] snorre, _olaf trygvesson's saga_, c. . see also munch, _del norske folks historie_, i., ii., . [ ] thietmar, _chronicon_, ii., c. . [ ] snorre, _olaf trygvesson's saga_, cc. , - . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., - . [ ] snorre, _olaf trygvesson's saga_, cc. - . [ ] _gesta danorum_, . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . saxo, _gesta_, . [ ] _gesta_, ii., cc. , . [ ] _gesta_, . [ ] wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii., ff. [ ] the american shores were evidently too far distant for successful colonisation; but the visits to the far west clearly did not cease with the journeys of leif and his associates. vineland is mentioned in a runic monument from the eleventh century which records an expedition to the west that seems to have ended disastrously: "they came out [upon the ocean] and over wide stretches [of land] and in need of dry clothes for changes and of food toward vineland and over icy wastes in the wilderness. evil may deprive one of good fortune so that death comes early." this inscription, which is the earliest document that mentions the new world, was found at hönen in south-eastern norway. the original has been lost, but copies are extant. the translation is from bugge's rendering into modern norse. (_norges historie_, i., ii., .) [ ] bugge, _vihingerne_, i., ff. [ ] "all along the irish coast from belfast to dublin and limerick there still remains an unbroken series of norse place names, principally the names of firths, islands, reefs, and headlands, which show that at such points the fairway has been named by northmen." _norges historie_, i., ii., ; see also pp. - . (bugge.) [ ] of this process and its results normandy furnishes the best illustration. the population of rollo's duchy soon came to be a mixture of races with french as the chief element, though in some sections, as the cotentin and the bessin, the inhabitants clung to their scandinavian speech and customs for a long time. steenstrup, _normannerne_, i., - . [ ] simeon of durham, _opera omnia_, ii., . the area varied at different periods; but the earlier danelaw seems to have comprised fifteen shires. see steenstrup, _normannerne_, iv., - . [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, iv., - . [ ] _saga book of the viking club_, vi., i., (bugge). see also collingwood, _scandinavian britain_, . the federation was later enlarged till it included seven boroughs. _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] the danish antiquarian worsaae found more than four hundred norse place names in yorkshire alone. while his list cannot be regarded as final, it will probably be found to be fairly correct. the subject of english place names has not yet been fully investigated. recent studies are those by f.m. stenton, _the place names of berkshire_ (reading, ), h.c. wyld and t.o. hirst, _the place names of lancashire_ (london, ), and f.w. moorman, _the place names of the west riding of yorkshire_ (leeds, ). [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, iii., . [ ] _historians of the church of york_, i., . [ ] _historians of the church of york_, i., . for a fragment of a lay in praise of ethelred see _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., iii. [ ] saxo gives the period as seven years (_gesta_, ). but his account is confused and unreliable; seven must be taken as a round number. still, the period between the renewal of the raids in england and sweyn's accession covers nearly seven years. [ ] _historians of the church of york_, i., . [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, iii., . [ ] the english were led by the east anglian ealdorman byrhtnoth, whose valour and death are told in what is perhaps the finest poem in old english literature. see grein-wülker, _bibliothek der angelsächsischen poesie_, i., - . [ ] for the treaty see liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., - . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, , . as the betrayer, alfric, had a part in the treaty-making of the year before, he may have looked on the new plans as dishonourable. [ ] _chronicon_, i., - . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] taranger, _den angelsaksiske kirkes indflydelse paa den norske_, . [ ] snorre, _olaf trygvesson's saga_, cc. - . [ ] steenstrup favours the earlier date (_danmarks riges historie_, i., ); munch sees reasons for a later year (_det norske folks historie_, i., ii., ). [ ] that serious business was awaiting sweyn in his own country is evident from two runic inscriptions that have been found in the jutish borderland: the heathby (or vedelspang) stone and the danework stone. the former was raised by "thorolf, sweyn's housecarle" in memory of a companion "who died when brave men were besieging heathby." the second was raised by sweyn himself in memory of skartha, his housecarle, "who had fared west to england but now died at heathby." the expedition to the west may have been the one that sweyn undertook in . one stone mentions the siege of heathby, but heathby was destroyed shortly before . the siege therefore probably dates from or one of the following years; but whether the enemy was a part of eric's forces cannot be determined. for the inscriptions see wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii., , . [ ] snorre, _olaf trygvesson's saga_, cc. , - , . [ ] _flateyarbók_, i., . [ ] snorre tells us (_olaf trygvesson's saga_, c. ) that thyra had fled from her husband, who is mistakenly called boleslav, and had come as a fugitive to olaf's court. so attractive did she prove to the sympathetic king that he promptly married her. the account is evidently largely fiction; there seems to have been a good understanding between olaf and boleslav when the norse beet came south in . in the account given above i have followed bugge (_norges historie_, i., ii., ). [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., (vigfusson's translation). [ ] the chief authorities on the battle of swald are snorre and adam of bremen. there seems also to be an allusion to the fight in an inscription on a runic monument, the aarhus stone, which was raised by four men, presumably warriors, in memory of a comrade "who died on the sea to the eastward when the kings were fighting." wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii., [ ] _norges historie_, i., ii., - . chapter ii the conquest of england - during the five years of rivalry between olaf and sweyn ( - ), england had enjoyed comparative peace. incursions, indeed, began again in ; but these were clearly of the earlier type, not invasions like the movements led by olaf and sweyn. who the leaders were at this time we do not know; but the northern kings were in those years giving and taking in marriage and busily plotting each other's destruction, so we conclude that the undertakings continued to be of the private sort, led, perhaps, by norse chiefs who had found life in norway uncongenial after king olaf had begun to persecute the heathen worshippers. the english had now come to realise the importance of the upper irish sea as a rendezvous for all forms of piratical bands; and the need of aggressive warfare at this point was clearly seen. accordingly, in the year , ethelred collected a fleet and an army and harried the norse settlements in cumberland and on the isle of man. the time was opportune for a movement of this sort, as no reinforcements from the north could be expected that year. the expedition, however, accomplished nothing of importance; for the fleet that ethelred had hoped to intercept did not return to the western waters but sailed to normandy.[ ] ethelred was angry with duke richard of normandy for sheltering his enemies, and proceeded to attack his duchy with his usual ill success.[ ] nevertheless, the hostilities terminated favourably for ethelred, as the norman duke offered his beaten enemy not only peace, but alliance. recent events in the north may have caused richard to reflect. the diplomacy of sweyn, culminating in the partition of norway, had made denmark a state of great importance. sweyn's designs on england were probably suspected; at any rate, normandy for the moment seemed willing to support england. in early spring, , the bond was further strengthened by a marriage between ethelred and duke richard's sister emma, who later married her husband's enemy, the danish canute. that same year england was once more rid of the enemy through the payment of danegeld.[ ] the prospects for continued peace in england were probably better in than in any other year since the accession of ethelred. but toward the end of the year, all that gold and diplomacy had built up was ruined by a royal order, the stupidity of which was equalled only by its criminality. on saint brice's day (november ), the english rose, not to battle but to murder. it had been planned on that date to rid the country of all its danish inhabitants. how extensive the territory was that was thus stained with blood, we are not informed; but such an order could not have been carried out in the danelaw. in justification of his act, ethelred pleaded that he had heard of a danish conspiracy, directed not only against his own life, but against the lives of the english nobility as well. it is likely that, when england bought peace earlier in the year, a number of the vikings remained in the land, intending, perhaps, to settle permanently; such arrangements were by no means unusual. the massacre of saint brice's may, therefore, have had for its object the extermination of the raiders that came in . but these were not the only ones slain: among the victims were gunhild, king sweyn's sister, and her husband, the ealdorman pallig.[ ] it is probable that pallig, though a saxon official, was a dane living among the danes in some scandinavian settlement in south-western england.[ ] we are told that ethelred had treated him well, had given him lands and honours; but he did not remain faithful to his lord; only the year before, when the vikings were in devon, he joined them with a number of ships. pallig no doubt deserved the punishment of a traitor, but it would have been politic in his case to show mercy. if he was, as has been conjectured from the form of his name, connected with the family of palna toki, the famous danish archer and legendary organiser of the jomburg fraternity, he was bound to sweyn by double ties, for palna toki was sweyn's reputed foster-father.[ ] sweyn forkbeard at once prepared to take revenge for the death of his kinsfolk. the next year ( ), his sails were seen from the cliffs of the channel shore. but before proceeding to the attack, he seems to have visited his norman friend, duke richard the good. for some reason, displeasure, perhaps, at the shedding of noble scandinavian blood on saint brice's day, the duke was ready to repudiate his alliance with his english brother-in-law. the two worthies reached the agreement that normandy should be an open market for english plunder and a refuge for the sick and wounded in the danish host.[ ] evidently sweyn was planning an extended campaign. having thus secured himself against attacks from the rear, sweyn proceeded to exeter, which was delivered into his hands by its faithless norman commander hugo.[ ] in the surrender of exeter, we should probably see the first fruit of the new danish-norman understanding. from this city the danes carried destruction into the southern shires. the following year ( ), east anglia was made to suffer. ulfketel, the earl of the region, was not prepared to fight and made peace with sweyn; but the danes did not long observe the truce. after they had treacherously attacked thetford, the earl gathered his forces and tried to intercept sweyn's marauding bands on their way back to the ships; but though the east anglians fought furiously, the danes escaped. the opposition that sweyn met in the half-danish east anglia seems to have checked his operations. the next year he left the land.[ ] the forces of evil seemed finally to have spent their strength, for the years and were on the whole comparatively peaceful. those same years show considerable energy on the part of the english: in the pentecostal season, may, , the king met his "wise men" at eanham, and a long legislative enactment saw the light.[ ] it was hoped that by extensive and thorough-going reforms the national vigour might be restored. among other things provisions were made for an extensive naval establishment, based on a contribution that grew into the ship money of later fame. a large number of ships were actually assembled; but the treacherous spirit and the jealous conduct of some of the english nobles soon ruined the efficiency of the fleet; the new navy went to pieces at a moment when its service was most sorely needed. for in that year, , a most formidable enemy appeared in the channel: the vikings of jom had left their stronghold on the oder and were soon to re-establish themselves on the thames.[ ] for about two decades sigvaldi ruled at jomburg; but after the battle of swald he disappears from the sagas: all that we learn is that he was slain on some expedition to england. perhaps he was one of the victims of saint brice's ( ); or he may have perished in one of the later raids. his death must, however, be dated earlier than ; for in that year his brother thurkil came to england, we are told, to take revenge for a slain brother.[ ] thurkil's fleet appeared at sandwich in july. associated with the tall dane was a short, thick-set norwegian, olaf the stout, a young viking of royal blood who later won renown as the missionary king of norway and fell in war against canute the great. in august came a second fleet, under the leadership of eglaf and heming, thurkil's brother. the fleets joined at thanet; this time nearly all the southern counties had to suffer. the host wintered on the lower thames and during the winter months plundered the valley up as far as oxford. ethelred tried to cut off its retreat but failed.[ ] during the lenten weeks the vikings refitted their ships, and on april , , they set sail for east anglia. ulfketel was still in control of that region and had made preparations to meet the invader. on may , the danes met the native levies at ringmere in the southern part of norfolk. the fight was sharp, with final victory for the sea-kings. the english sources attribute the outcome to the treasonable behaviour of thurkil mareshead, who was evidently a dane in ulfketel's service. the norse scalds ascribe the result to the valour of olaf the stout, who here won the "sword-moot" for the seventh time.[ ] during the remaining months of the year and all through the following summer, the vikings rode almost unresisted through southern england, plundering everywhere. finally the king and the "wise men" began to negotiate for peace on the usual basis. but so often had danegelds been levied that it was becoming difficult to collect the money and the payment was not so prompt as the vikings desired. in their anger they laid siege to canterbury, and, after a close investment of twenty days, by the assistance of an english priest were enabled to seize the city. many important citizens were held for ransom, among them the archbishop alphege, who remained a prisoner for nearly six months. his confinement cannot have been severe; the prelate was interested in the spiritual welfare of the scandinavian pirates, and seems to have begun a mission among his keepers. but he forbade the payment of a ransom, and after a drunken orgy the exasperated danes proceeded to pelt him to death with the bones of their feast. thrym, a dane whom he had confirmed the day before, gave him the mercy stroke.[ ] during the closing days of the archbishop's life, an assembly of the magnates in london had succeeded in raising the tribute agreed upon, , pounds. not merely were the invaders bought off,--they were induced to enter ethelred's service as mercenaries; there must have been reasons why it would be inadvisable to return to jomburg. the english king now had an army of some four thousand or perhaps five thousand men, a splendid force of professional warriors led by the renowned viking thurkil the tall. according to william of malmesbury, they were quartered in east anglia,[ ] which seems plausible, as wessex must have been thoroughly pillaged by . when the year opened, there were reasons to hope that the miseries of england were past. for a whole generation the sea-kings had infested the channel and the irish sea, scourging the shores of southern britain almost every year. large sums of money had been paid out in the form of danegeld, , pounds silver, but to little purpose: the enemy returned each year as voracious as ever. now, however, the pirate had undertaken to defend the land. the presence of danish mercenaries was doubtless an inconvenience, but this would be temporary only. it was to be expected that, as in the days of alfred, the enemy would settle down as an occupant of the soil, and in time become a subject instead of a mercenary soldier. but just at this moment, an invasion of a far more serious nature was being prepared in denmark. in the councils of roeskild sweyn forkbeard was asking his henchmen what they thought of renewing the attack on england. the question suggested the answer: to the king's delight favourable replies came from all. it is said that sweyn consulted his son canute with the rest; and the eager youth strongly urged the undertaking.[ ] this is the earliest act on canute's part that any historian has recorded. in , he was perhaps seventeen years old; he had reached the age when a scandinavian prince should have entered upon an active career. his great rival of years to come, olaf the stout, who can have been only two years older than canute, had already sailed the dragon for six or seven years. it is likely that the young dane had also experienced the thrills of viking life, but on this matter the sagas are silent. but it is easy to see why canute should favour the proposed venture: as a younger son he could not hope for the danish crown. the conquest of england might mean not only fame and plundered wealth, but perhaps a realm to govern as well. the considerations that moved the king to renew the attempts at conquest were no doubt various; but the deciding factor was evidently the defection of thurkil and the jomvikings. an ecclesiastic who later wrote a eulogy on queen emma and her family discusses the situation in this wise: thurkil, they said, the chief of your forces, o king, departed with your permission that he might take revenge for a brother who had been slain there, and led with him a large part of your host. now that he rejoices in victory and in the possession of the southern part of the country, he prefers to remain there as an exile and a friend of the english whom he has conquered by your hand, to returning with the host in submission to you and ascribing the victory to yourself. and now we are defrauded of our companions and of forty ships which he sailed to england laden with the best warriors of denmark.[ ] so the advice was to seize, the english kingdom as well as the danish deserter. no great difficulty was anticipated, as thurkil's men would probably soon desert to the old standards. the customs of the northmen demanded that an undertaking of this order should first be approved by the public assembly, and the encomiast tells us that sweyn at once proceeded to summon the freemen. couriers were sent in every direction, and at the proper time the men appeared, each with his weapons as the law required. when the heralds announced the nature of the proposed undertaking--not a mere raid with plunder in view but the conquest of an important nation--the host gave immediate approval. in many respects the time was exceedingly favourable for the contemplated venture. a large part of england was disposed to be friendly; the remainder was weak from continued pillage. denmark was strong and aggressive, eager to follow the leadership of her warlike king. sweyn's older son, harold, had now reached manhood, and could with comparative safety be left in control of the kingdom. denmark's neighbours in the north were friendly: sweyn's vassal and son-in-law controlled the larger part of norway; his stepson, olaf, ruled in sweden. nor was anything to be feared from the old enemies to the south. the restless vikings of jom were in england. the lord of poland was engaged in a life-and-death struggle with the empire. the saxon dynasty, which had naturally had northern interests, no longer dominated germany; a bavarian, henry ii., now sat on the throne of the ottos. in the very year of sweyn's invasion of england, the german king journeyed to italy to settle one of the numberless disputes that the roman see was involved in during the tenth and eleventh centuries. he remained in italy till the next year ( ), when the victorious pope rewarded him with the imperial crown. something in the form of a regency was provided for the danish realm during sweyn's absence. harold seems to have received royal authority without the royal title. associated with him were a few trusted magnates who were to give "sage advice," but also, it seems, to watch over the interests of the absent monarch.[ ] a part of the host was left in denmark; but the greater part of the available forces evidently accompanied the king to england. about midsummer ( ), the fleet was ready to sail. the encomiast, who had evidently seen danish ships, gives a glowing description of the armament, which apart from rhetorical exaggeration probably gives a fairly accurate picture of an eleventh-century viking fleet of the more pretentious type. he notes particularly the ornamentation along the sides of the ships, bright and varied in colours; the vanes at the tops of the masts in the forms of birds or of dragons with fiery nostrils; and the figureheads at the prows: carved figures of men, red with gold or white with silver, or of bulls with necks erect, or of dolphins, centaurs, or other beasts. the royal ship was, of course, splendid above all the rest.[ ] the customary route of the danish vikings followed the frisian coast to the south-eastern part of england, the shires of kent and sussex. ordinarily, the fleets would continue the journey down the channel, plundering the shore lands and sending out larger parties to harry the interior. sweyn had developed a different plan: wessex was to be attacked from the old danelaw. following the ancient route, his ships appeared at sandwich on the kentish coast early in august. sandwich was at this time a place of considerable importance, being the chief port in southern england.[ ] here sweyn and canute remained for a few days, but soon the fleet turned swiftly northwards up the eastern coast to the humber. sweyn entered and sailed up this river till he came to the mouth of the trent, which stream he ascended as far as gainsborough. here his men disembarked and preparations were made for the war. sweyn had evidently counted on a friendly reception in the scandinavian settlements of the danelaw, and he was not disappointed. recruits appeared and his forces increased materially. uhtred, the earl of northumbria, who was probably of norse ancestry, soon found it to his advantage to do homage to the invader. sweyn's lordship was also accepted by "the folk of lindsey, and afterwards by the folk in the five boroughs, and very soon by all the host north of watling street, and hostages were given by every shire."[ ] in addition to hostages, sweyn demanded horses and provisions for the host. the summer was probably past before sweyn was ready to proceed against ethelred. but finally, some time in september or a little later, having concluded all the necessary preliminaries, he gave the ships and the hostages into the keeping of his son canute, and led his mounted army southward across the midlands with winchester, the residence city of the english kings, as the objective point. so long as he was still within the danelaw, sweyn permitted no pillaging; but "as soon as he had crossed watling street, he worked as great evil as a hostile force was able." the thames was crossed at oxford, which city promptly submitted and gave hostages. winchester, too, seems to have yielded without a struggle. from the capital sweyn proceeded eastward to london, where he met the first effective resistance. [illustration: the tulstorp stone. (runic monument showing viking ship ornamented with beasts' heads.)] in london was king ethelred supported by thurkil the tall and his viking bands. it seems that olaf the stout had entered the english service with thurkil the year before, and did valiant service in defence of the city; the story given by snorre of the destruction of london bridge apparently belongs to the siege of rather than to that of . sweyn approached the city from the south, seized southwark, and tried to enter london by way of the bridge, which the danes had taken and fortified. it is said that olaf the stout undertook to destroy the bridge. he covered his ships with wattle-work of various sorts, willow roots, supple trees, and other things that might be twisted or woven; and thus protected from missiles that might be hurled down from above, the ships passed up the stream to the bridge, the supports of which olaf and his men proceeded to pull down. the whole structure crashed into the river and with it went a large number of sweyn's men,[ ] who drowned, says the chronicler, "because they neglected the bridge." sweyn soon realised that a continued siege would be useless: the season was advancing; the resistance of the citizens was too stubborn and strong. for the fourth time the heroic men of london had the satisfaction of seeing a danish force break camp and depart with a defeated purpose: the first time in ; then again in when sweyn and olaf trygvesson laid siege to it; the third time in , when thurkil the tall and olaf the stout were the besiegers; now once more in . the feeling that the city was impregnable was doubtless a factor in the stubborn determination with which the townsmen repelled the repeated attacks of the danish invaders, though at this time the skill and valour of the viking mercenaries were an important part of the resistance. leaving london unconquered, sweyn marched up the thames valley to wallingford, where he crossed to the south bank, and continued his progress westward to bath. nowhere, it seems, did he meet any mentionable opposition. to bath came the magnates of the south-western shires led by ethelmer who was apparently ealdorman of devon; they took the oaths that the conqueror prescribed and gave the required hostages. from bath, sweyn returned to his camp at gainsborough; it was time to prepare for winter. tribute and provisions were demanded and doubtless collected, and the host went into winter quarters on the banks of the trent. "and all the nation had him [sweyn] for full king; and later the borough-men of london submitted to him and gave hostages; for they feared that he would destroy them."[ ] the submission of london probably did not come before ethelred's cowardly behaviour had ruined the hopes of the patriots: he had fled the land. earlier in the year (in august, according to one authority)[ ] queen emma, accompanied by the abbot of peterborough, had crossed the channel, and sought the court of her brother, the norman duke. whether she went to seek military aid or merely a refuge cannot be determined; but the early departure and the fact that she was not accompanied by her children would indicate that her purpose was to enlist her brother's interest in ethelred's cause. assistance, however, was not forthcoming; but emma remained in richard's duchy and a little later was joined by her two sons, edward and alfred, who came accompanied by two english ecclesiastics. ethelred, meanwhile, continued some weeks longer with thurkil's fleet; but toward the close of december we find him on the isle of wight, where he celebrated christmas. in january, he joined his family in normandy. duke richard gave him an honourable reception; but as he was having serious trouble with another brother-in-law, count odo of chartres, he was probably unable to give much material assistance to the fugitive from england. ethelred's flight must have left thurkil and the jomvikings in a somewhat embarrassing position. they had undertaken to serve the king and defend his country; but now ethelred had deserted the kingdom, and his subjects had accepted the rule of the invader. in january, however, the sea is an unpleasant highway, so there was nothing for the tall chief to do but to remain faithful and insist on the terms of the contract. while sweyn was calling for silver and supplies to be brought to gainsborough, thurkil seems to have been issuing similar demands from greenwich. no doubt his men were also able to eke out their winter supplies by occasional plundering: "they harried the land as often as they wished."[ ] then suddenly an event occurred that created an entirely new situation. on february , , scarcely a month after ethelred's departure from wight, the danish conqueror died. as to his manner of death, the chronicle has nothing to say; but later historians appear to be better informed. the encomiast, who was indeed sweyn's contemporary, gives an account of a very edifying death: when sweyn felt that the end of all things was approaching, he called canute to his side and impressed upon him the necessity of following and supporting the christian faith.[ ] the anglo-norman historians have an even more wonderful story to relate: in the midst of a throng of his henchmen and courtiers, the mighty viking fell, pierced by the dart of saint edmund. sweyn alone saw the saint; he screamed for help; at the close of the day he expired. it seems that a dispute was on at the time over a contribution that king sweyn had levied on the monks who guarded saint edmund's shrine.[ ] the suddenness of the king's death was therefore easily explained: the offended saint slew him. if it is difficult to credit the legend that traces the king's death to an act of impiety, it is also hard to believe that he died in the odour of sanctity. sweyn was a christian, but his religion was of the passive type. he is said to have built a few churches, and he also appears to have promoted missionary efforts to some extent[ ]; but the church evidently regarded him as rather lukewarm in his religious professions. the see of hamburg-bremen, which was charged with the conversion of the northern peoples, did not find him an active friend; though in this case his hostility may have been due to his dislike for all things that were called german. sweyn's virtues were of the viking type: he was a lover of action, of conquest, and of the sea. at times he was fierce, cruel, and vindictive; but these passions were tempered by cunning, shrewdness, and a love for diplomatic methods that were not common among the sea-kings. he seems to have formed alliances readily, and appears even to have attracted his opponents. his career, too, was that of a viking. twice he was taken by the jomvikings, but his faithful subjects promptly ransomed him. once the king of sweden, eric the victorious, conquered his kingdom and sent him into temporary exile. twice as a king he led incursions into england in which he gained only the sea-king's reward of plunder and tribute. but in time fortune veered about; his third expedition to britain was eminently successful, and when sweyn died, he was king not only of denmark but also of england, and overlord of the larger part of norway besides. as to his personality, we have only the slight information implied in his nickname. forkbeard means the divided beard. but the evident popularity that he enjoyed both in the host and in the nation would indicate that he possessed an attractive personality. that sweyn appreciated the loyalty of his men is evident from the runic monument that he raised to his housecarle skartha who had shared in the english warfare.[ ] by his first-wife, the polish princess who was renamed gunhild, sweyn had several children, of whom history makes prominent mention of three: harold, canute, and gytha, who was married to earl eric of norway. in the hyde _register_ there is mention of another daughter, santslaue, "sister of king canute,"[ ] who may have been born of the same marriage, as her name is evidently slavic. his second wife, sigrid the haughty, seems to have had daughters only. of these only one appears prominently in the annals of the time--estrid, the wife of ulf the earl, the mother of a long line of danish kings. at the time of his death sweyn is thought to have been about fifty-four years old and had ruled denmark nearly thirty years. his body was taken to york for interment, but it did not remain there long. the english did not cherish sweyn's memory, and seemed determined to find and dishonour his remains. certain women--english women, it appears--rescued the corpse and brought it to roeskild some time during the following summer ( )[ ], where it was interred in the church of the holy trinity, which also sheltered the bones of sweyn's father whom he had wronged so bitterly thirty years before. footnotes: [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] william of jumièges, _historia normannorum_, v., c. . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] richard of cirencester, _speculum historiale_, ii., - . [ ] as there seems to have been a danish settlement in the severn valley, it seems probable that pallig's home was in that region. [ ] the story of palna toki is told in various sagas, particularly _jómsvikingasaga_. of his exploits in archery saxo has an account in his tenth book. having once boasted that no apple was too small for his arrow to find, he was surprised by an order from the king that he should shoot an arrow from his son's head. the archer was reluctant to display his skill in this fashion, but the shot was successful. it is also told that palna toki had provided himself with additional arrows which he had intended for the king in case the first had stricken the child. saxo wrote a century before the time of the supposed tell episode. [ ] william of jumièges, _historia normannorum_, v., c. . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _ibid._, - . [ ] liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., - . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, i., c. . it is barely possible that the brother was gyrth, whose name appears on a runic monument (wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii., ff.). but in the absence of information to the contrary we shall have to assume that gyrth was buried where his monument was placed and was therefore not the brother who fell in england. [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., - . [ ] _ibid._, - . snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . storm in his translation of snorre (christiania, ) locates ringmere in east wretham, norfolk, (p. ). [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., - . [ ] _gesta regum_, i., . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, i., c. . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, i., c. . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, i., c. . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, i., c. . [ ] _ibid._, i., c. . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. - . the story in the saga has the appearance of genuineness and is based on the contemporary verses of ottar the swart. snorre's chronology, however, is much confused. [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] william of malmesbury, _gesta regum_, i., . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, i., c. ; see also saxo, _gesta_, . [ ] _memorials of saint edmund's abbey_, i., ff. [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii., . [ ] _liber vitæ_, . steenstrup suggests that the name may be slavic and calls attention to the slavic form svantoslava (_venderne og de danske_, - ). [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . the rescue and removal of sweyn's remains by english women is asserted by the contemporary german chronicler thietmar (_chronicon_, vii., c. ). chapter iii the english reaction and the norse revolt - the death of sweyn was the signal for important movements throughout the entire north. forces that had been held in rein by his mighty personality were once more free to act. in denmark, his older son harold succeeded at once to the full kingship. three years later a national ruler re-established the norwegian throne. but in england the results were most immediate and most evident: the national spirit rose with a bound and for three years more the struggle with the invader continued. the host at gainsborough promptly recognised the leadership of canute and proclaimed him king. this, however, gave him no valid claim to the saxon crown; england was, in theory at least, an elective monarchy, and not till the assembly of the magnates had accepted him could he rightfully claim the royal title. the danish pretender was young and untried--he was probably not yet twenty years old. he must, however, have had some training in matters of government as well as in warfare: that his great father trusted him is evident from the fact that he left him in charge of the camp and fleet at gainsborough, when sweyn set out on his march into wessex. doubtless the danes surmised that the youthful chief possessed abilities of a rare sort; but the english evidently regarded him as a mere boy whose pretensions did not deserve serious attention. during the winter months of , the most prominent leader among the english was evidently thurkil, the master of the mercenary forces. it seems safe to infer that he had much to do with the events of those months, though we have nothing recorded. in some way the english lords were called into session; at this meeting preparations were made to recall the fugitive ethelred. no lord could be dearer to them than their native ruler, the magnates are reported to have said; but they added significantly, "if he would deal more justly with them than formerly."[ ] the lords who attended this gemot were probably the local leaders south of the thames; that the chiefs of the danelaw were in attendance is very unlikely. ethelred, however, was not willing to leave normandy immediately. he first sent an embassy to england under the nominal leadership of his son edward; these men were to negotiate further, and probably study the sentiment of the nation. edward was a mere boy, ten or eleven years old at the highest; but his presence was important as evidence of the king's intentions. the prince brought friendly greetings and fair promises: ethelred would be a kind and devoted king; all the requests of the magnates should be granted; the past should be forgiven and forgotten. the english on their part pledged absolute loyalty; and, to emphasise the covenant, the assembly outlawed all danish claimants. sweyn had died in the early part of february; the negotiations were probably carried on in march; ethelred returned to england some time during lent, most likely in april, as the lenten season closed on the th of that month. the moment to strike had surely come. canute was in england with a good army, but his forces doubtless had decreased in numbers since the landing in the previous august, and further shrinkage was inevitable. on the other hand, recruiting would be found difficult. the inevitable break-up of sweyn's empire in the north would mean that the invader would be deprived of resources that were necessary to the success of the venture. nor could assistance be expected from the scandinavian colonies on the western shores of britain or about the irish sea. in the very days when the reaction was being planned in england, celts and norsemen were mustering their forces for a great trial of strength on irish soil. on good friday (april ), the battle of clontarf was fought on the shores of dublin bay.[ ] the norsemen suffered an overwhelming defeat, the significance of which, for english history, lies in the fact that the viking forces of the west had now been put on the defensive. raids like those of the early years of ethelred's reign were now a thing of the past. meanwhile, canute had not been idle. for aggressive movements the winter season was, of course, not favourable; but preparations seem to have been made looking toward offensive operations immediately after easter. the men of lindsey, danish colonists no doubt, had promised horses and were apparently to share in a joint expedition. but before canute's arrangements had all been made, ethelred appeared in the north country with a formidable host, and canute was compelled to retire to his ships. the men of lincoln were made to suffer for their readiness to join in canute's plans: ethelred marched his men into the lindsey region, and pillage began. it was hardly an english army that ethelred brought up to the trent in may, . englishmen no doubt served in it; but its chief strength was probably the mercenary contingent under thurkil's command, which, as we have seen, had wintered at greenwich. it was fortunate for ethelred that an organised force was at hand on his return and ready for warfare. its service, however, was expensive: that year another danegeld of , pounds was levied to pay thurkil and his vikings for their assistance in driving canute out of the land.[ ] but thurkil was not the only great chief of the viking type that assisted in expelling the danes: olaf the stout once more appears in ethelred's service. it will be recalled that, in the siege of london the autumn before, he assisted vigorously in its defence. he seems to have left the english service shortly afterwards to assist in warfare on french soil. duke richard of normandy was engaged in a controversy with his brother-in-law, count odo of chartres, on the matter of his sister's dowry. in the warfare that ensued, olaf, serving on the norman side, ravaged the northern coast of brittany and took the castle of dol. this must have occurred late in the year or during the winter of - . when, on the mediation of king robert, peace was made between the warring brethren, olaf returned to rouen, where he was received with signal honours. it was probably on this occasion that the mighty sea-king, on the urgent request of archbishop robert, accepted the christian faith and received baptism. it is stated that many of his men were baptised at the same time.[ ] in rouen, olaf evidently met the fugitive ethelred; for when the king returned to england, olaf accompanied him. instead of coming as a returning exile, ethelred appeared in his kingdom with ships and men. the norse poets, who later sang in king olaf's hall, magnified his viking exploits far beyond their real importance. in their view, olaf was ethelred's chief support. snorre quotes the following lines from ottar the swart: thou broughtst to land and landedst, king ethelred, o landward, strengthened by might! that folk-friend such wise of thee availèd. hard was the meeting soothly, when edmund's son thou broughtest back to his land made peaceful, which erst that kin-stem rulèd.[ ] the emergency was too great for canute. with the generalship of experienced warriors like thurkil and olaf, supported by the resources of a roused people, he could not be expected to cope. presently, he determined to flee the country. his men embarked, and the hostages given to his father (some of them at least) were also brought on board. the fleet sailed down the east coast to sandwich, where an act of barbarity was committed for which there can be little justification. the hostages were mutilated--their hands, ears, and noses were cut off--and landed. the men were personal pledges given to sweyn, but not to his son. canute, however, probably looked at the matter in a different light; to him they may have seemed a pledge given to the dynasty; terror must be stricken into the hearts of the oath-breakers. after disposing of the hostages, the young king continued his journey to denmark. what canute's plans were when he arrived in his native land we do not know. according to the encomiast, he assured his surprised brother that he had returned, not because of fear, but for love of his brother, whose advice and assistance he bespoke. but he requested more than this: harold, he thought, ought to share denmark with him; the two kings should then proceed with the conquest of england; when that was accomplished, there might be a new division of territory on the basis of a kingdom for each. he proposed to spend the succeeding winter in preparation for the joint attack.[ ] the proposal to share the rule of denmark evidently did not appeal to king harold; he is represented as stoutly rejecting it. denmark was his, given to him by his father before he left for england. he would assist canute to win a kingdom in britain, but not a foot should he have of denmark. realising the futility of insisting, canute promised to maintain silence as to his supposed hereditary rights to danish soil. he put his trust in god, the good monk adds; and the encomiast was perhaps not the only one who regarded harold's early death as a providential event. the problem of norway was one that the brothers must have discussed, though we do not know what disposition they made of the danish rights there. in addition to the overlordship over at least a part of eric's earldom, sweyn had had direct royal authority over the southern shores, though it is not believed that he exercised this authority very rigidly. there is a single circumstance that suggests that norway was assigned to canute: when the young prince called on his brother-in-law, earl eric, to assist him in england, the norse ruler seems to have obeyed the summons without question.[ ] during the course of the year, the two brothers united in certain acts of a filial nature, one of which is worthy of particular notice. together they proceeded to the slavic coast, poland most likely, where their mother, queen gunhild, was still in exile. after twenty years, she was restored to her honours at the danish court. sigrid the haughty had evidently taken leave of earthly things; for peace and good-will continued between the swedish and danish courts, an impossible condition with sigrid in retirement and her old rival in the high-seat. that same year the brothers gave christian burial to the remains of their father sweyn.[ ] we are told that canute continued his preparations for a descent upon england; still, it may be doubted whether he actually had serious hope of conquering the country at that time. then suddenly there occurred in england a series of events that placed the fate of ethelred in canute's hands. the saga that relates the exploits of the jomvikings tells somewhat explicitly of an english attack on two corps of "thingmen," as the danish mercenaries were called in northern speech, the corps in london and slesswick.[ ] the latter locality has not been identified, but it seems hardly necessary to seek it far north of the thames--the saga locates it north of london. it is asserted that the massacre was planned by ulfketel, and that in slesswick it was thoroughly carried out: from this we may infer that the place was in east anglia, or ulfkellsland, as the scalds called it. the garrisons, we are told, were located by sweyn; this is doubtless an error,--the corps were probably divisions of the viking forces in ethelred's service. no doubt there were other similar corps, for thurkil was apparently connected with neither of the two. canute was out of the country and no hostile force was in sight. there could then be small need of retaining the thingmen who were furthermore a source of expense, perhaps of danger. as in , it was determined to fall upon them and slay them. if it is true that thurkil's men were originally quartered in east anglia,[ ] we can readily understand why ulfketel might take the lead in such an undertaking. in london, where resistance had been so persistent and successful, the mercenaries must have been regarded with strong aversion. it was planned to strike during the yule festivities when the vikings would probably not be in the best possible state of vigour and sobriety. in london armed men were smuggled into the stronghold in waggons that were ostensibly laden with merchandise for the midwinter market. but the corps was warned in time by a woman who wished to save her lover thord. eilif, who was in command here, escaped to denmark. in slesswick, the plan succeeded, none escaping; among the fallen was the chief, heming, the brother of thurkil the tall. the attack is thought to have been made some time during the early part of january, .[ ] it is evident that something of a serious nature occurred in england in those days, and while some of the details in the saga tale are probably fictitious, in substance the account is perhaps correct. heming disappears from the english sources, while eilif is prominent in english politics for another decade. most significant of all, a few weeks later thurkil appears in denmark to urge upon canute the desirability of an immediate attack on england. he now had another brother to avenge. thurkil's desertion of the english cause must have done much to stimulate danish ambition. help was secured from olaf of sweden. eric, the norse earl, was also summoned to the host. great preparations must have gone forward in denmark, for all writers agree that canute's fleet, when it finally sailed, was immense in the number of ships. thurkil's position in denmark appears to have been a trifle uncertain at first. canute could hardly be expected to give cordial greeting to a man who had recently sent him out of england in full flight; but after some discussion the two were reconciled, and thurkil joined the expedition.[ ] in all the north there was none more famous for successful leadership in warfare than earl eric of norway. he had fought in the battles of hjörunga bay and swald; in both these encounters the highest honours were his. it is, therefore, not strange that canute was anxious to have his assistance. eric was no longer young and had no direct interest in the proposed venture; still, when the mandate came, he showed no reluctance, so far as we know. he called together the magnates of the realm and arranged for a division of his earldom between his brother sweyn and his young son hakon.[ ] it need not be assumed that eric at this time made a final surrender of his own rights; most likely it was the administration during the period of his absence only that was provided for in this way. as hakon was yet but a youth, eric gave him a guardian in his kinsman, the famous thronder chief, einar thongshaker. in his day, einar was the best archer in norway; hence his nickname, the one who makes the bow-thong tremble. he, too, had fought at swald, but on king olaf's ship; twice did his arrow seek eric's life; the third time he drew the bow it was struck by a hostile shaft, and broke. "what broke?" asked the king. "norway from your hands," replied the confident archer.[ ] after eric and his brother had become rulers in norway, they made peace with einar, married him to their sister, the generous bergljot, and endowed him greatly with lands and influence. of the three men to whom norway was now committed, he was clearly the ablest, if not of the greatest consequence. turning again to england, we find a situation developing that was anything but promising. some time during the first half of the year, a gemot was summoned to meet at oxford, near the border of the danelaw. evidently an attempt was to be made in the direction of a closer union between the north and the south. among others who attended were two scandinavian nobles from the seven boroughs, sigeferth and morcar. so far as names show the nationality of the bearers, they might be either angles or northmen; but the name of their father, arngrim, is unmistakably norse. during the sessions of the gemot, the brothers were accused of treason and slain in the house of eadric, the mercian earl.[ ] the result was a riot; the followers of the murdered men called for revenge, but were repulsed and driven into the tower of saint frideswide's church, which the english promptly burned. such a violation of the right of sanctuary could not be overlooked even in those impassioned times; and only through penance on the part of the luckless king was the stain removed.[ ] the sources are at one in laying the blame for this trouble on earl eadric. william of malmesbury says that he desired the wealth of the two danes, and we find that ethelred actually did exact forfeiture. but it may also be that eadric was endeavouring to extend and consolidate his mercian earldom; to do this he would have to devise some method to deprive the seven boroughs of their peculiarly independent position in the danelaw or danish mercia. whatever his purpose, he seems to have had the approval of the ill-counselled king. sigeferth's widow, aldgyth, was taken as a prisoner to malmesbury, where edmund, ethelred's virile son, saw her and was attracted by her. but ethelred objected to his son's matrimonial plans; the reasons are not recorded, but one of them, at least, can be readily inferred: callous of heart as the old king doubtless was, he probably did not enjoy the thought of having in his household as daughter-in-law a woman who could not help but be a constant reminder of a deed that was treacherous, stupid, and criminal. passion, however, was strong in edmund ironside; he married the widow in spite of his father's veto; more than that, he demanded her slain husband's forfeited official position. ethelred again refused, whereupon the prince proceeded to the danish strongholds and took possession.[ ] edmund's act was that of a rebel; but in the danelaw it was probably regarded in large part as proper vengeance. thus fuel was added to the old fire that burned in the hearts of dane and saxon. the spirit of rebellion, so general in the kingdom, had now appeared in the royal family itself. most significant of all, the prince had probably thwarted a great ambition: how much of mercia was under eadric's control at this time we do not know; but a man of the ealdorman's type could scarcely be satisfied with anything less than the whole. and here was the king's son actually governing the strongholds of the earldom. would he not in time supplant the low-born eadric? we have in these transactions the most plausible explanation of eadric's treachery a little later, when canute was again in the land. it was late in the summer,--some time between august th and september th, according to florence of worcester,--when edmund appeared as claimant in the danelaw. those very same weeks must have seen the departure of canute's fleet from denmark. the expedition that now arrived in england was a most formidable one; statements vary as to the number of ships[ ] and we know nothing as to the strength of the host; but it seems likely that twenty thousand men is not an extreme estimate. the entire north assisted in its make-up, though it may be that the norse contingent under earl eric did not arrive till later in the year.[ ] the distance to the earl's garth in the thronder country was long; the norwegian chiefs lived scattered and apart; a large force could, therefore, not be collected in haste. again the encomiast seizes the opportunity to describe a northern fleet. he mentions particularly the gleaming weapons of the warriors on board; the flaming shields that hung along the gunwales; the figureheads bright with silver and gold--figures of lions, of men with threatening faces, of fiery dragons, and of bulls with gilded horns. and he asks who could look upon such an armament and not fear the king at whose bidding it came. the warriors, too, were carefully selected: moreover, in the whole force there could be found no serf, no freedman, none of ignoble birth, none weak with old age. all were nobles, all vigorous with the strength of complete manhood, fit for all manner of battle, and so swift on foot that they despised the fleetness of cavalry.[ ] there is evidently some exaggeration here; the numerous "nobles" were probably plain freemen; still, it is clear that canute led a valiant, well-equipped host. but canute was not the only adventurer who sailed in quest of kingship in . while the youthful prince was mustering his fleet in the straits of denmark, olaf the stout was in britain preparing to sail for norway on a similar errand--to win a crown. but here all similarity ceases; two merchant ships and fewer than two hundred men made up the force that began the norse revolt. still, olaf haroldsson, too, was successful and bore the crown of norway till he fell in war with canute in . after the expulsion of the danes from england the year before, olaf seems to have returned to piracy; there is some evidence that he took part in an expedition of this sort along the coasts of gaul as far as aquitaine. on his return he seems to have visited normandy, where he may have learned of canute's intentions and preparations. the probability is strong that he was also informed of the part that eric was to have in the venture, for he seems carefully to have timed his departure so as to reach norway just after the earl had left the country to join canute. he first sailed to england, stayed for a time in northumberland, where he made the necessary preparations, and thence proceeded to the west coast of norway.[ ] fortune smiled on the bold adventurer. soon after he had landed he learned that hakon was in the neighbourhood and set out to capture him. in this he was successful: olaf's ships were merchant ships, and the young unsuspecting earl rowed into a sound where the enemy was waiting for him and passed in between the supposed merchant vessels. olaf had stretched a rope from ship to ship, and when the earl's boat was directly between them, olaf's men pulled the rope till hakon's boat capsized. the young chief and a few of his followers were saved. olaf gave him quarter on condition that he should leave norway, surrender his rights to sovereignty, and swear never more to fight against his stout opponent. hakon took the required oaths and was permitted to depart. he hastened to england and reported the matter to his uncle canute. but the english campaign had only fairly begun, so canute was in no position to interfere. hakon remained long with canute, and in time was invested with an english earldom.[ ] meanwhile, the danish fleet had arrived at sandwich; but from kent, canute did not sail north to his former friends in the humber lands; he reverted to the old viking practices of harrying the southwest, dorset, wilts and somerset.[ ] whether this was his original plan cannot be known: it may be that the news of edmund's activity in the danelaw was to some extent responsible for this move. it was now autumn of the year ; but if england hoped that the host would soon follow viking customs and retire into winter quarters, the country was doomed to bitter disappointment; for the enemy now had a leader who saw no need of rest, who struck in winter as well as in summer. canute also differed from earlier chiefs in his ideas of conduct on the battle-field. the viking band, as a development of the teutonic comitatus, was naturally inspired with its ideas of honour and valour. when the challenge to combat had been accepted, it was the duty of the warrior to conquer or perish with his leader; and it was the chief's duty to set an honourable example for his men. it was this spirit that animated king olaf trygvesson at swald when his men urged the feasibility of flight before the battle had really begun. "strike the sails," he commanded. "my men shall not think of flight; never have i fled from combat."[ ] the young dane brought no such ideas to the campaign that he was now on the point of beginning. being by race more a slav than a dane, it may be that he did not readily acquire germanic ideas. his training with the jomvikings, perhaps in his early youth, at least now in his british camp, where veterans from jom were numerous and thurkil the tall was the chief warrior, ran counter to such notions. the jomvikings would retreat, sometimes they would even take to flight, as we infer from a runic inscription that reads like a rebuke for cowardly retreat.[ ] [illustration: the hÄllestad stone.] to add to the difficulties of england, ethelred was stricken with an illness that ended his life a few months later. the hope of england now lay in the rebellious edmund, who was still in the north country. he and eadric were both gathering forces in mercia; but when they joined disagreements seem to have arisen; for soon the earl again played the traitor, deserted the etheling, and with "forty ships" repaired to canute and joined his host. in the language of the day, the term "ship" did not necessarily refer to an actual sea-going craft; it was often used as a rude form of reckoning military forces, somewhat less than one hundred men, perhaps. it has been thought that eadric's deserters were the remnant of ethelred's danish mercenary force[ ]; but it is unlikely that so many vikings still remained in the english service. the chances are that they were mercians, possibly danish mercians. wessex now gave up the fight, accepted canute as king, and provided horses for the invading army. it must have been about christmas time when eadric marched his men down into the south to join the danes. a few days later the restless prince, with eadric in his train, started northward, crossed the thames at cricklade in wiltshire, and proceeded toward the warwick country. edmund had apparently come south to meet him, but the militia were an unwilling band. they suddenly became sticklers for legal form and regularity, and refused to go on without the presence of the king and the aid of london. as neither was forthcoming, the english dispersed. once more the summons went abroad, and once more the men insisted that the king must be in personal command: let him come with what forces he could muster. ethelred came, but the hand of death was upon him. evidently the old king had neither courage nor strength. whispers of treason came to him: "that they who should be a help to him intended to betray him"[ ]; and he suddenly deserted the army and returned to the fastness of london. the second attempt at resistance having failed, edmund left the south to its fate, and rode into northumbria to seek earl uhtred. no better evidence can be found of the chaos that existed in england at the time. the saxon south accepts the invader, while a prince of the house of alfred is looking for aid in the half-scandinavian regions beyond the humber that had once so readily submitted to sweyn forkbeard. what agreements and promises were made are not known; but soon we have the strange spectacle of edmund and his new ally harrying english lands, the mercian counties of stafford, salop, and chester. doubtless the plan was to punish eadric, but it was a plan that did not lead to a united england. the punishment of the deserters was probably incidental; evidently the allies were on the march southward to check canute. here was an opportunity for the young dane to show some generalship, and the opportunity was improved. turning eastward into bucks, he marched his army in a northeasterly direction toward the fenlands, and thence northward through lincoln and nottingham toward york. when earl uhtred learned of this attack on his territories, he hastened back to northumbria. but he was not in position to fight, and, therefore, driven by necessity, he submitted, and all northumbria with him, and gave hostages. nevertheless, on the advice of eadric, he was slain, and with him thurkil, the son of nafna. and after that the king made eric earl of northumbria with all the rights that uhtred had.[ ] the chronicler seems to believe that uhtred was slain soon after his submission, and it could not have been very much later. simeon of durham tells us that the earl was slain by an enemy named thurbrand[ ]; but it seems clear that canute approved the act and perhaps desired it. it is extremely probable that uhtred was removed to make room for eric. when young hakon arrived as a fugitive, eric doubtless realised that his norwegian earldom was slipping away. all through the fall and winter olaf had been travelling along the shores and up through the dales; wherever it was practicable he had summoned the peasantry to public assemblies and presented his case. his appeal was to national norse pride and to the people's sense of loyalty to harold fairhair's dynasty. almost everywhere the appeal was successful. but the men who loved the old order were not willing to yield without a struggle. while canute was making his winter campaign from the channel to york, both parties were active in norway, sweyn and einar in the throndelaw, olaf in the south. all through lent the fleets were gathering. finally on palm sunday, march , , the dragons encountered each other at the nesses, near the mouth of the christiania firth. neither force was great, though that of sweyn and einar was considerably larger than the pretender's host. it has been estimated that olaf had fewer than men, his opponents nearly twice as many. at the nesses for the first time the cross figured prominently in norwegian warfare: golden, red, or blue crosses adorned the shining shields of the kingsmen. after mass had been sung and the men had breakfasted, olaf sailed out and made the attack. the outcome was long uncertain, but finally victory was with the king.[ ] from the nesses einar and sweyn fled to sweden. here they were offered assistance and were planning an expedition against king olaf for the following year, when earl sweyn suddenly died. as there was no one in norway around whom the dissatisfied elements could rally, all attempts to dislodge the new king were given up for the time. some of the defeated chiefs may have sought refuge with canute; at any rate the news of the nesses could not have been long in reaching the york country. as eric had come to england at canute's request, the prince doubtless felt that he owed his brother-in-law some compensation. furthermore, with the norse earl in control at york, canute could feel more secure as to northumbrian loyalty. there thus existed in the spring of a double reason for removing uhtred. another northumbrian magnate, thurkil the son of nafna, is mentioned as sharing the strong earl's fate. who thurkil was is not known; but it is clear that he must have been a noble of considerable prominence, as he would otherwise hardly be known to a chronicler in southern england. his name gives evidence of northern blood; but thus far his identity has been a mystery, and the following attempt at identification can claim plausibility only. king olaf trygvesson had a younger half-brother who was known to the scalds as thurkil nefja or "nosy." in the expedition to wendland in , he commanded the _short serpent_. at swald he fought on king olaf's own ship, and was the last to leap overboard when eric and his men boarded and seized it. of him sang hallfred troublous-scald: strong-souled thurkil saw the crane and the dragons two float empty (gladly had he grappled), ere the arm-ring wearer, mighty in warfare, leaped into the sea, seeking life by swimming.[ ] the inference is that he actually escaped, and it seems possible that we find him again in england after sixteen years. as all the rulers of the north had conspired against olaf, he would be compelled to seek refuge in other lands, preferably in one of the scandinavian colonies in the west. but for thurkil now to serve loyally and peaceably under the man who drove his brother to death and seized his kingdom might be difficult; and he may therefore have been sacrificed to eric's security. the statement that his father's name was nafna presents a difficulty; but the chronicler may not have been thoroughly informed on the subject of norse nicknames and may have mistaken the by-name for the name of his father. after the submission of northumbria, canute returned to the south. this time he carefully avoided the danelaw; evidently he wished that his friends in danish mercia should suffer no provocation to rise against him; the route, therefore, lay through the west. the campaign was swiftly carried through, for by easter (april ), canute was again with his ships. wessex and northumbria were now both pacified. in the midlands there can have been but little active hostility. london alone showed the old determination to resist; here were ethelred and edmund with a number of the english magnates. canute immediately began preparations for a last descent upon the stubborn city; but before his dragons had actually left harbour, england had lost her king. april , , ethelred died. to say anything in real praise of the unfortunate king is impossible. the patriotic monk who chronicled the sad events of this doleful period can only say that "he kept his realm with great trouble and suffering the while that he lived."[ ] any striking abilities ethelred cannot have possessed. he was easily influenced for evil--perhaps he was faithless. but to lay all the blame for the downfall of england tipon the incapable king would be missing the point. the old english monarchy was, after all, a frail kingdom. the success of edgar in reducing the scandinavian colonies to unquestioned obedience was probably due in large part to his sterling qualities as king; but in still greater measure, perhaps, to the fact that, during his reign, the viking spirit was at its lowest ebb: consequently the stream of reinforcements having ceased to flow across the north sea, the anglo-danes were forced to yield. but now the situation was totally different. in the early years of the eleventh century only statesmanship of the highest order could have saved the dynasty; but england had neither statesmen nor statesmanship in ethelred's day. footnotes: [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] for a brief account of the norse colonies in ireland and the events that culminated in the battle of clontarf, see _norges historie_, i., ii., - . (bugge.) [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] william of jumièges, _historia normannorum_, v., cc. - . [ ] _saga of saint olaf_, c. . (translation by william morris.) [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] the conjecture of norse historians that he left norway because of disagreements with his brother sweyn has little in its favour. eric believed in peace, but scarcely to the point of expatriation. [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., cc. - . the banishment of gunhild is also mentioned in thietmar's _chronicle_ (vii., c. ). [ ] _jómsvikingasaga_, cc. - . [ ] william of malmesbury, _gesta regum_, i., . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _ibid._, _olaf trygvesson's saga_, c. . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, ; florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., - . the five boroughs had by this time become the seven boroughs. [ ] william of malmesbury, _gesta regum_, i., . [ ] william of malmesbury, _gesta regum_, i., . [ ] the encomiast counts two hundred ships (_encomium emmæ_, ii., c. ). the _jómsvikingasaga_ reports (c. ). adam of bremen puts the number at (_gesta_, ii., c. ). the encomiast is doubtless nearest the truth. [ ] the _knytlingasaga_ seems to indicate that eric came late (c ). [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. - . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. - . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] snorre, _olaf trygvesson's saga_, c. . [ ] the hällestad stone, raised in memory of toki, canute's gran-uncle, who fell in the battle of fyris river: askell raised this monument in memory of toki, gorm's son his beloved lord. he did not flee at upsala. henchmen have raised to their brother's memory on the firm-built hill this rock with runes. to gorm's son toki they walked nearest. wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, i., ii. , ff. [ ] thus steenstrup (_normannerne_, iii., - ) and oman (_england before the norman conquest_, ) on the authority of florence of worcester (_chronicon_, i., ) who speaks of these men as danish warriors. but the contemporary writer of the _chronicle_ speaks of eadric's forces as the "fyrd," a term which is always used for the native levy, "here" being the term used for alien troops. on the theory of serious disagreements with edmund, whose accession to the throne seemed imminent, eadric's treason becomes perfectly intelligible. for a selfish, ambitious man like the earl, there was scarcely any other course to take. [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _opera_, ii., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. - . [ ] snorre, _olaf trygvesson's saga_, c. iii., _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . chapter iv the struggle with edmund ironside the old english kingship was elective: on the death of a ruler, the great lords and the high officials of the church, the "witan" or wise, would meet in formal assembly to select a successor. usually the nearest male heir of the house of alfred would be chosen; but circumstances might dictate a different selection, and in such cases the "wise men" seem to have possessed plenary powers. in the spring of , however, a free choice was impossible; nearly the whole kingdom was pledged to the invader. in his camp were the saxon hostages; and the great dane had shown on an earlier occasion that he could be cruel when he thought a pledge was broken. during the winter months the danish fleet had apparently been moored at the old viking rendezvous, the isle of wight, or in some neighbouring harbour. in april, canute was back from his march to york and was getting his ships in readiness for further operations, when the death of ethelred checked his movements. with remarkable promptness the notables (perhaps those of southern england only) came together at some point unknown, awarded the kingship to canute, and proscribed all the descendants of ethelred. this done, they adjourned to southampton to give their pledges of loyalty. it was a body of great respectability that thus gathered to pay homage, containing, as it did, both laymen and churchmen, lords, bishops, and abbots. the election must have been held some time about the close of the month, for by the seventh of may, canute was at greenwich with his fleet.[ ] in london, too, an assembly had met and a king had been chosen. edmund was in the city when his father died. the chiefs present, "all the witan who were in london and the citizens of london," as the chronicler carefully puts it, at once proclaimed edmund king. thus both the peace party and the war party had acted. it is clear, however, that neither of these elections could lay any claim to legality; neither assembly could pretend to represent the entire kingdom; between the death of ethelred in april and the accession of canute at the following christmas, england had no lawful ruler. canute at once proceeded to the siege of london. his plan was to isolate the city completely, to block the thames both above and below the town, and to prevent all intercourse with the country to the north. to accomplish this investment, a canal was dug around london bridge wide enough to permit the long but narrow viking ships to pass into the stream west of the city. on the north side a ditch was dug enclosing the entire town, "so that no man could come either in or out."[ ] vigorous efforts were made from time to time to storm the fortifications, "every morning the lady on the thames bank sees the sword dyed in blood"[ ]; but the townsmen held their own. the siege continued through the month of may and perhaps till late in june, when it seems to have been interrupted by disquieting news from the west. on the approach of the fleet, or at least before the investment had become complete, edmund left london. we are told that his departure was secret, which is probable, as it was surely to his interest to keep canute in the dark as to his whereabouts. we do not know who directed the defence of london during his absence; a year or two later, thietmar, the bishop of merseburg, introduced into his _chronicle_ a confused account of these events, in which queen emma is made to play an important part in the resistance of .[ ] it may be that the queen had returned with ethelred, but it is doubtful. when canute heard that his enemies were mustering in the southwest, he seems to have detached a part of his force and sent it westward to look for edmund. at penselwood, near gillingham in dorset, the danes came upon the saxon forces. edmund's success in raising the west had not been great; but, "trusting in the help of god," he gave battle and won a victory.[ ] it is likely that the affair at penselwood was little more than a skirmish, for it seems to have made small difference in the relative positions of the contending forces. but it gave edmund what he sorely needed--the prestige of success. a month later, battle was again joined at sherstone, a little farther to the north near malmesbury in the upper part of wiltshire. the encounter at sherstone was a genuine battle fiercely fought, one that lived long in the memories of englishmen. it occurred after the feast of saint john, probably in the early days of july. the earlier sources do not mention canute in connection with this fight; with eric he was apparently continuing the siege of london. the western campaign was evidently in thurkil's hands; the sources also mention three prominent englishmen, eadric, almar darling, and algar, as fighting on the danish side.[ ] the encomiast, who speaks of a danish victory at sherstone, gives the entire credit to thurkil, whom he naively describes as a fervent believer "continuously sending up silent prayers to god for victory."[ ] [illustration: anglo-saxon warriors (harl. ms. .)] [illustration: anglo-saxon horsemen (harl. ms. .)] sherstone was at best a drawn battle, neither side claiming a victory. the anglo-norman historians, true to their habit of looking for some traitor on whom to blame the outcome, could not overlook eadric; he is said to have picked up the head of a soldier who bore some resemblance to edmund and thus to have deceived the saxons into believing that their leader was dead.[ ] the tale is obviously mythical; if henry of huntingdon is to be trusted, the trick was played again later in the year at ashington. after the encounter at sherstone, thurkil seems to have joined canute before london; but his whole force did not return with him. eadric once more had shifted his allegiance; he had made peace with edmund and had joined him against the invader. whatever his motives may have been, there can be no dispute as to the importance of his new move. edmund's army was strengthened, as was doubtless his prestige in the midlands. for the third time he had an army at his command, gathered, it seems, from the region north of the thames. with this host he marched to the relief of london. on the appearance of this force, canute found himself in a difficult situation: to maintain a siege and fight a vigorous foeman at the same time, required forces greater than those at the dane's command. prudence was canute's greatest virtue, and he promptly raised the siege and withdrew to his ships. edmund seems to have come up with his forces to brentford, just as the danes were busy crossing to the south bank. the enemy fled; but many of the english were drowned "because of their own heedlessness, as they rushed ahead of the main force to get at the booty."[ ] evidently the whole danish force had not left london, as the fight at brentford was two days after the city had been relieved. with the relief of london, the english seem to have considered their duty done, and soon edmund found himself once more without an army.[ ] it may, of course, be that the apparent lack of patriotism was due to the necessities of the harvest season, which must have arrived by this time. the tireless edmund next made a visit to wessex to raise the militia there. while he was seeking recruits, the danes returned to london, resumed the siege, and attacked the city furiously by land and sea, but as usual failed to take it. the supply of provisions was probably running low in the danish camp, for we next hear of a pillaging expedition into mercia. ordinarily that region was spared; but eadric's defection had made it hostile territory and, furthermore, it was probably the only neighbouring section that had not been drained to the limit. whether the entire army took part in the foray is uncertain; but the probabilities are that it was the raid mentioned by the encomiast as undertaken by eric with canute's permission. part of the host may have remained on the isle of sheppey in the mouth of the medway, where a camp appears to have been established. the fleet sailed north to the orwell in suffolk, and thence the host proceeded westward into mercia, "slaying and burning whatever they came across, as is their wont."[ ] as the crops had just been garnered, the raiders did not return empty-handed. laden with plunder they began the return to the medway, the footmen in the ships, the horsemen by land, driving the plundered flocks before them.[ ] with the forces of the enemy thus divided, edmund's opportunity had come. with his fourth army, collected from "all parts of england," he crossed the thames at brentford and dashed after the danes, who, encumbered with booty, were hurrying eastward through kent. at otford, in the western part of kent, edmund came up with the raiders and slew a number of them; but much fighting there could not have been, as the danes were apparently unwilling to make a stand and hurried on to sheppey. if edmund had been free to make use of the advantage that was his, it seems that he might have destroyed a considerable part of the danish host; but at aylesford he was evidently detained by a quarrel with eadric and the raiders escaped.[ ] canute's position in the autumn of must have been exceedingly difficult and serious, even critical. after a year of continuous warfare--marches, battles, sieges--he seemed as far as ever from successful conquest. edmund had, indeed, won no great victories; still, he had been able to relieve london, to stay the current of danish successes, to infuse hope and patriotic fervour into the hearts of the discouraged english. but too much must not be inferred from the fact that canute, too, had been only moderately successful on the battle-field; he was one of those commanders, who are not attracted by great battles. in two respects he possessed a decided advantage: he had a splendid army that did not desert; he had a great fleet to which he could retire when too hotly pursued. in the autumn of , edmund had come with a strong force to the lower thames; the enemy, however, was out of reach on the isle of sheppey. it was not to be expected that canute would long lie idle; but operations in the direction of london were impossible in the presence of edmund's army. canute accordingly embarked his men, crossed the estuary once more, and proceeded to devastate east anglia. edmund started in pursuit, and on the th (or th) of october he came upon the danes at ashington in essex, as they were on their way back to their ships. there seem to have been divided counsels among the english as to the advisability of making an attack, eadric in particular advising against it.[ ] but edmund was determined to strike, and about the middle of the afternoon the battle began. the english had the advantage of numbers; but there was a traitor in camp: eadric sulked and refused to order his forces of men from hereford into battle. the fight continued till nightfall, and did not cease entirely even then. darkness finally put an end to the carnage, and the angles fled from the field. it is said that canute was not eager to fight; but the feeling in his army must have been different. the banner of the invaders was the ancient raven banner, the raven being woden's own bird. it is said of this banner that it was made of plain white silk and bore no image of any sort; but, when battle began, woden's bird appeared upon its folds, its behaviour indicating the outcome. in the presence of victory it showed great activity in bill and wings and feet; when defeat was imminent, it hung its head and did not move. we are told that it was reported in canute's army that the raven had appeared and showed unusual excitement.[ ] perhaps of even greater importance was military skill and experienced generalship. the tactics employed seem to have been such as the northmen frequently used: at the critical moment, the danes pretended to retreat; but when the lines of the pursuing english were broken, they closed up the ranks and cut the saxon advance in pieces. during the night, the danes encamped on the battle-field; the next day they buried their fallen comrades and removed all articles of value from the bodies of their saxon adversaries, the corpses being left to the wolf and the raven. [illustration: the raven banner (from the bayeux tapestry.)] [illustration: anglo-saxon warriors. (from a manuscript in the british museum, reproduced in _norges historie_, i., ii.)] the english aristocracy suffered heavily at ashington. the sources mention six magnates among the slain: godwin the ealdorman of lindsey; an ealdorman alfric whose locality is unknown; ulfketel, ealdorman of east anglia; ethelwerd, son of an earlier east anglian ealdorman; also the bishop of dorchester and the abbot of ramsey.[ ] it is a noteworthy fact that nearly all these are from eastern england; so far as we know not one of them came from below the thames. it may be true that all england was represented in edmund's host at ashington; but we are tempted to conclude that perhaps the army was chiefly composed of east anglians summoned by the doughty earl ulfketel. by far the most prominent of all the slain was this same earl, the ruler of saint edmund's kingdom. ulfketel is said to have been edmund's brother-in-law. as his name is unmistakably norse, it is more than likely that his ancestry was scandinavian. in his earldom he appears to have been practically sovereign. so impressed were the norse scalds with the power and importance of the earl that they spoke of east anglia as ulfkelsland.[ ] the sagas accuse him of having instigated the slaughter of the thingmen, especially of having destroyed heming's corps at slesswick. thurkil is naturally mentioned as his banesman.[ ] eadric's behaviour at ashington furnishes an interesting but difficult problem. to the saxon and norman historians it was the basest treachery, premeditated flight at the critical moment. still, after the battle he appears in the councils of the english in apparently good standing, even as a leader. from the guarded statements of the encomiast, we should infer that eadric had advised against the battle, that his counsel had been rejected, that he therefore had remained neutral and that he had withdrawn his forces before the battle was joined.[ ] from ashington edmund fled westward to the severn valley; canute returned to the siege of london. once more edmund tried to gather an army, this time, however, with small success; england was exhausted; her leaders lay on the field of ashington. soon the danes, too, appeared in gloucestershire. some sort of a council must have been called to deliberate on the state of the country, and the decision was reached to seek peace on the basis of a divided kingdom. eadric seems particularly to have urged this solution. edmund reluctantly consented, and ambassadors were sent to canute's camp to offer terms of peace. it seems at first sight rather surprising that canute should at this time be willing even to negotiate; apparently he had edmund in his power, and england showed no disposition to continue the war. still, the situation in his own host was doubtless an argument for peace. after more than a year of continued warfare, his forces must have decreased appreciably in numbers. recruiting was difficult, especially must it have been so on the eve of winter. without a strong force he could do little in a hostile country. the campaign had been strenuous even for the vikings, and the danes are represented as thoroughly tired of the war.[ ] canute therefore accepted the offer of the english, with the added condition that danegeld should be levied for the support of his army in edmund's kingdom as well as in his own. on some little island near deerhurst in gloucestershire,[ ] the two chiefs met and reached an agreement which put an end to the devastating war and pillage that had cursed england for more than a generation. it was agreed that edmund should have wessex and canute mercia and northumbria; or, in a general way, that the thames should be the dividing line between the two kingdoms. as to the disposition of east anglia and essex there is some doubt: florence holds that these territories with the city of london were assigned to edmund. so far as london is concerned, this seems to be erroneous: canute took immediate possession of the city and made preparations to spend the winter there, which seems a strange proceeding if the place was not to be his. the kingdom of england was thus dissolved. there is no good evidence that canute understood his position to be that of a vassal king; he had without doubt complete sovereignty in his own domains. on the other hand, the fact that edmund agreed to levy danegeld in his own kingdom of wessex looks suspiciously like the recognition of canute as overlord of the southern kingdom. the compact of olney, says florence of worcester, was one of "peace, friendship, and brotherhood." other writers state that the two kings agreed to become sworn brothers and that the survivor should inherit the realm of the other brother.[ ] we cannot affirm that such a covenant was actually made, as the authority is not of the best. there is, however, nothing improbable in the statement; the custom was not unusual in the north. twenty years later, canute's son, harthacanute, entered into a similar relationship with his rival, king magnus of norway, who had been making war on denmark. in snorre's language, it was agreed that the kings should take the oath of brotherhood and should maintain peace as long as both were on earth; and that if one of them died sonless, the survivor should inherit his realm and subjects. twelve men, the most eminent of each kingdom, took the oath with the kings that this agreement should be kept as long as any of them lived.[ ] it is possible that some such qualification in favour of male heirs was also inserted in the severn covenant; still, the whole matter would have been of slight importance had the magnates on edmund's death been in position to insist on the ancient principle and practice of election. witnesses similar to those mentioned in the later instance there seem to have been at deerhurst; for, after the death of edmund, canute summoned those to testify before the assembly, "who had been witnesses between him and edmund" when the agreement was made, as to the details of the treaty.[ ] the reign of edmund as king of wessex was destined to be brief. the covenant of deerhurst was probably made in the early days of november (it could scarcely have been earlier, as the battle of ashington was fought on october ) and by the close of the month (november ) he was dead. florence of worcester tells us that he died in london, which is improbable, as it seems strange that he should have ventured into the stronghold of his late enemy. other writers give oxford as the place, which also seems unlikely, if eadric, who apparently resided at oxford,[ ] had played the traitor's part at ashington. it seems clear that these writers have placed edmund's death at oxford because they believed that eadric was in some way the author of it.[ ] for so opportunely did the end come, that the suggestion of foul play was inevitable, and coarse tales were invented to account for the manner of death. there is, however, not the least hint in any contemporary source that canute was in any way guilty of his rival's untimely decease. the simple-minded encomiast again sees an illustration of providential mercy: but god, remembering his teaching of olden time, that a kingdom divided against itself cannot long endure, very soon afterwards led edmund's spirit forth from the body, having compassion on the realm of the english, lest if, perchance, both should continue among the living, neither should reign securely, and the kingdom be daily annihilated by renewed contention.[ ] it is difficult to form a just estimate of edmund ironside, as our information is neither extensive nor varied. it is possible that he was born of a connection that the church had not blessed; at least such seems to have been the belief when william of malmesbury wrote.[ ] a late writer tells us that his mother was the daughter of earl thoretus[ ]; an earl by such a name actually did flourish in the closing decade of the tenth century; he was one of the chiefs to whom ethelred entrusted his fleet in . from his name we should judge that he was of norse ancestry. there can be no doubt as to edmund's bravery on the battle-field; perhaps he was also in possession of some talent in the way of generalship. but on the whole, his military exploits have been exaggerated: we know them chiefly from an ecclesiastic who was doubtless honest, but warmly patriotic and strongly partisan; it was natural for him to magnify skirmishes into battles. edmund was the victor in several important engagements, but in no great battle. there was no heavy fighting at penselwood; sherstone was at best a drawn battle; brentford and otford seem to have been partly successful attacks on the rear of a retreating foe; ashington was a decisive defeat. we cannot tell what sort of a king he might have become but the glimpses that we get of his character are not reassuring. we get sight of him first about when he sought to come into possession of an estate in somerset: "and the monastic household dared not refuse him."[ ] his rebellious behaviour in the danelaw, his raid into english mercia, give little promise of future statesmanship. edmund ironside was an english viking, passionate, brave, impulsive, but unruly and uncontrollable. when the year closed there was no question who should be the future ruler of england. fate had been kind to canute; still, the outcome must be ascribed chiefly to the persistent activity of the invader. but while the name of the young king is necessarily made prominent in the narrative, we should not forget that he was surrounded and assisted by a group of captains who probably had no superiors in europe at the time. there was the tall and stately thurkil with the experience of more than thirty years as a viking chief; the resourceful eric with a brilliant record as a successful general; the impetuous and volcanic ulf; doubtless also ulf's brother, eglaf the jomviking. these were the men who helped most to win the land for the danish dynasty; they also formed canute's chief reliance in the critical years following the conquest. the gain in britain was, however, in a measure counterbalanced by the loss of norway in the same year, though in this canute was not directly interested at the time. after the battle of the nesses, king olaf sailed north to nidaros (throndhjem) where he now received unquestioned allegiance. he rebuilt the city and made it the capital of his kingdom. the ruined church of saint clemens, the patron saint of all seafaring men, was raised again and became in a sense the mother church of norse christianity. without delay he began his great work as legislator, organiser, and missionary, a work of enduring qualities. but canute did not forget that in this way his dynasty was robbed of one of its earliest possessions outside the dane-lands. a clash between the great rivals was inevitable. for the present, however, olaf's throne was safe; there was much to do before canute could seriously think of proceeding against his virile opponent, and more than a decade passed before the young king of england could summon his chiefs and magnates into solemn imperial councils in the new capital of nidaros. [illustration: viking raids in england - ] footnotes: [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., : the lithsmen's song. [ ] book vii., c. . [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] _ibid._, i., . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . see also thietmar, _chronicon_, vii., c. . [ ] the story is first told by florence of worcester (_chronicon_, i., ) [ ] if the skirmishers who were seeking booty were in advance of the rest and by a rally of the danes were driven into the thames, the main force must still have been on the north bank. the "battle" must therefore have been fought on the north bank while a fragment of canute's army was on the retreat, perhaps on the point of fording the stream. at any rate, we seem hardly justified in calling the engagement at brentford a "pitched battle." see oman, _england before the norman conquest_, . [ ] oman (_ibid._) seems to believe that edmund retained his forces but went into wessex to get reinforcements. but unless edmund's victorious army had to a large extent melted away, it is difficult to account for canute's prompt return to the siege of london. [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . on this raid eric seems to have met and defeated ulfketel, who "gat ugly blows from the thingmen's weapons," as we are told by thorrod in the _eric's praise_. _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . the raid seems also to be alluded to in the lithsmen's song (_ibid._, ). [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] the account in the _chronicle_ of what occurred at aylesford is ambiguous and has been variously interpreted: "and the king slew as many as he could come upon; and eadric ealdorman turned against [or toward?] the king at aylesford. nor was there ever worse counsel adopted than that was." some writers have interpreted this to mean that eadric joined edmund at aylesford and not after sherstone, as stated by florence. but the saxon _gewende ongean_ has a hostile rather than a favourable colour. the probabilities are that eadric opposed edmund's plans at aylesford and thus rendered further pursuit impossible. such is florence of worcester's version (_chronicon_, i., ). for a different view see hodgkin (_pol. hist. of eng._, i., ) and oman (_england before the norman conquest_, ). [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] the encomiast admits that the tale is hard to believe, but avers that it is true (ii., c. ). the story of the raven is old and occurs earlier in the english sources. [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _jómsvikingasaga_, c. . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] probably not the isle of olney, but some other islet that has since disappeared. see oman, _england before the norman conquest_, . [ ] henry of huntingdon, _historia anglorum_, ; _knytlingasaga_, c. . the saga says distinctly that there was to be inheritance only if either died without children. [ ] _saga of magnus the good_, c. . [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] sigeferth and morcar were slain in eadric's house at the oxford gemot. (_anglo-saxon chronicle_, .) [ ] see freeman (_norman conquest_, i., note xx) whose argument seems conclusive. [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] _gesta regum_, i., - . the author merely tells us that edmund's mother was of ignoble birth; but a woman of low degree would scarcely be made queen of england. [ ] ethelred of rievaux. see freeman, _norman conquest_, i., note ss. [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . chapter v the rule of the danes in england - for eight months after the death of ethelred there was no king of england. neither edmund nor canute had an incontestable claim to the royal title, as neither had been chosen by a properly constituted national assembly. there is some evidence that edmund was crowned, perhaps in may, [ ]; but even consecration could hardly remove the defect in the elective title. and after the agreement of olney, there was, for a few weeks, no english kingdom. but, in december, it was possible once more to reunite the distracted land. in the north of england there was no vacant kingship; only wessex and east anglia needed a ruler. as the latter region possessed a strong scandinavian element that might be depended upon to declare for canute, the only doubtful factor in the situation was the attitude of the nobility south of the thames. wessex, however, had more than once showed a desire to give up the struggle: the old spirit of independence was apparently crushed. london, the great rallying point of the national party, was in canute's hands. beyond the thames were the camps of the dreaded host that had come from the north the year before. the danish fleet still sailed the british seas. no trusted leader appeared to take up the fight for the house of alfred; ethelred's many sons seem nearly all to have perished, and only children or princes of doubtful ability remained as possible candidates for the kingship. in addition there was no doubt a feeling that england should be one realm. the accession of canute was therefore inevitable. the dane evidently realised the strength of his position. there was consequently little need of hasty action; it was clearly best to observe constitutional forms and to give the representatives of the nation ample time to act. it was a northern as well as a saxon custom to celebrate the yule-tide with elaborate and extended festivities; and there was every reason why canute and his warriors in london should plan to make this year's celebration a memorable event. to these festivities, canute evidently invited the magnates of england; for we learn that a midwinter gemot was held in london, at which the danish pretender received universal recognition as king of all england.[ ] * * * * * to say that this assembly elected a king would be incorrect; canute gave the lords no opportunity co make an election. in a shrewd fashion he brought out the real or pretended fact that in the agreement of deerhurst it was stipulated that the survivor should possess both crowns. those who had witnessed the treaty were called on to state what had been said in the conference concerning edmund's sons and brothers; whether any of them might be permitted to rule in england if edmund should die first. they testified that they had sure knowledge that no authority was left to edmund's brothers, and that canute was to have the guardianship of edmund's young sons until they were of sufficient age to claim the kingship. florence of worcester believes that the witnesses were bribed by canute and perjured themselves grossly; but the probabilities are, that their statement was accurate. canute's object in submitting the problem of the succession in the south to the witan seems to have been, not exactly to secure his own election, but rather to obtain the highest possible sanction for the agreement with edmund. to the northern mind the expedient adopted was both legal and proper. we know very little about the constitutional framework and principles of the scandinavian monarchies at this period; but, so far as we can discern, the elective principle played an incidental part only; the succession was in fact hereditary. to the anglo-saxons the whole must have resolved itself into finding some legal form for surrender and submission. oaths were taken and loyalty was pledged. once more the saxon began to enjoy real peace and security. at the same time, all the rejoicing can scarcely have been genuine; for english pride had received a wound that for some years refused to heal. it must also be said that the opening years of the new reign were not of such a character as to win the affections of unwilling subjects. the task that the young monarch undertook in the early months of was one of peculiar difficulty. it must be remembered that his only right was that of the sword. important, too, is the fact that at the time england was his only kingdom. as a landless prince, he had crossed the sea, landless except for possible rights in norway; had led with him a host of adventurers most of whom were probably heathen; had wrested large areas from the native line of english kings; and now he was in possession of the entire kingdom. something of a like nature occurred in , when william of normandy conquered england; but there are also notable differences. william was the lord of a vigorous duchy across the narrow channel, in which he had a storehouse of energy that was always at his disposal. young canute had no such advantages. before he was definitely recognised as king in the danelaw, he had no territorial possessions from which to recruit and provision his armies. not till did he unite the crowns of england and denmark. historians generally have appeared to believe that in governing his english kingdom, canute pursued a conscious and well-defined course of action, a line of political purposes originating early in his reign. he is credited with the purpose of making england the central kingdom of an anglo-scandinavian empire, of governing this kingdom with the aid of englishmen in preference to that of his own countrymen, of aiming to rule england as a king of the saxon type. it is true chat before the close of his reign canute made large use of native chiefs in the administration of the monarchy; but such was not the case in the earlier years. there were no prospects of empire in and : his brother harold still ruled in denmark; the norsemen were still loyal to the vigorous olaf. and at no time did the kingdoms that he added later consider themselves as standing in a vassal relation to the english state. in canute's initial years, we find no striving after good government, no dreams of imperial power. during these years his chief purpose was to secure the permanence and the stability of his new title and throne. nor should we expect any clear and definite policy in the rule of a king who was still inexperienced in dealing with the english constitution. at the time of his accession, canute is thought to have been twenty-one or twenty-two years old.[ ] younger he could scarcely have been, nor is it likely that he was very much older. ottar the swart in the _canute's praise_ is emphatic on the point that canute was unusually young for a successful conqueror: "thou wast of no great age when thou didst put forth in thy ship; never younger king set out from home."[ ] as ottar's other patron, olaf the stout, was only twelve when he began his career as a viking, we should hardly expect the poet to call attention to canute's youth if he had already reached manhood when he accompanied his father to england. the probabilities favour as the year of his birth; if the date be correct he would be about seventeen in , when the invasion was being planned, nineteen at the death of his father in ; and twenty-one (or twenty-two, as it was late in the year) when he became king of all england. but whatever his age, he was young in training for government. so far as we know, he could have had but little experience as a ruler before the autumn of , when the battle of ashington secured his position in england. his training had been for the career of a viking, a training that promised little for the future. it seems, therefore, a safe assumption that in shaping his policy the king's decision would be influenced to a large degree by the advice of trusted counsellors. in the first year of canute's reign, there stood about the throne three prominent leaders, three military chiefs, to whom in great measure the king owed his crown. there was the sly and jealous eadric the mercian, a man with varied experience in many fields, but for obvious reasons he did not enjoy the royal confidence. closer to the king stood eric, for fifteen years earl and viceroy in norway, now the ruler of northumbria. eric was a man of a nobler character than was common among men of the viking type; but he can have known very little of english affairs, and for this reason, perhaps, canute passed his kinsman by and gave his confidence to the lordly viking, thurkil the tall. for a stay of nearly ten years in england as viking invader, as chief of ethelred's mercenaries, and as canute's chief assistant in his campaign against the english, had surely given thurkil a wide acquaintance among the magnates of the land and considerable insight into english affairs. whatever the reason for the king's choice, we seem to have evidence sufficient to allow the conclusion that for some years thurkil held a position in the kingdom second only to that of the king himself. wherever his name appears in canute's charters among the earls who witness royal grants, it holds first place. in a royal proclamation that was issued in , he seems to act on the king's behalf in the general administration of justice, whenever royal interference should become necessary: should any one prove so rash, clerk or layman, dane or angle, as to violate the laws of the church or the rights of my kingship or any secular statute, and refuse to do penance according to the instruction of my bishops, or to desist from his evil, then i request thurkil the earl, yea, even command him, to bend the offender to right, if he is able to do so.[ ] in case the earl is unable to manage the business alone, canute promises to assist. there is something in this procedure that reminds one of the later norman official, the justiciar, who was chief of the administrative forces when the king was in england and governed as the king's lieutenant when the ruler was abroad. that thurkil's dignity was not a new creation at the time of the proclamation is evident from the preamble, in which canute sends "greetings to his archbishops and bishops and thurkil earl and all his earls and all his subjects." the language of the preamble also suggests that thurkil may have acted as the king's deputy during canute's absence in denmark. it is further to be noted that of all the magnates he alone is mentioned by name. in the account of the dedication of the church at ashington later in the same year, thurkil is again given prominent mention. in this instance general reference is made to a number of important officials, but earl thurkil and archbishop wulfstan are the only ones that the chronicler mentions by name.[ ] it is evident that the english, too, were impressed by the eminence of the tall earl. the first and the most difficult problem that canute and thurkil had to solve was how to establish the throne among an unfriendly people; for the conquered saxons cannot have regarded the danish usurper with much affection. it is generally believed that canute took up his residence in the old capital city of winchester, though we do not know at what time this came to be the recognised residential town. it may be true, as is so often asserted, that canute continued, even after other lands had been added to his dominions, to make england his home from personal choice; but it may also be true that he believed his presence necessary to hold wessex in subjection. the revolutionary movements that came to the surface during the first few years of his reign had probably much to do with determining canute's policies in these directions. it is a fact of great significance that during the first decade of his rule in england he was absent from the island twice only, so far as we know, and then during the winter months, when the chances of a successful uprising were most remote.[ ] like the later william, canute had his chiefs and followers to reward, and the process of payment could not be long delayed. the rewards took the form of actual wages, paid from new levies of danegeld; confiscated lands, of which we do not hear very much, though seizure of land was doubtless not unknown, as it was not a scandinavian custom to respect the property of an enemy; also official positions, especially the earl's office and dignity, which was reserved for the chiefs who had given the most effective aid. the payment of danegeld was an old story in english history and the end was not yet. when we consider the really vast tribute that was levied from time to time and the great value of the precious metals in the middle ages, it becomes clear that many of the vikings who operated in england must have become relatively wealthy men. a large number evidently served in successive hosts and expeditions. a swedish runic monument found in uppland (the region north of stockholm) relates that one ulf shared three times in the distribution of danegeld: but ulf has in england thrice taken "geld," the first time tosti paid him, then thurkil, and then canute paid.[ ] ulf was evidently one of the vikings who composed thurkil's invading force and finally passed with their chief into canute's service. the earl's office was ancient in scandinavia and counted very desirable. it did not quite correspond to that of the english ealdorman, as it usually implied a larger administrative area, a greater independence, and a higher social rank for the official thus honoured. the office was not new in england; for more than a century it had flourished in the danelaw. in ethelred's time such magnates as uhtred in northumbria and ulfketel in east anglia were earls rather than ealdormen. the first recorded act of the new sovereign was the division of the kingdom into four great earldoms. much has been made of this act in the past; the importance of the measure has been over-rated; the purpose of the king has been misunderstood. the act has been characterised as the culmination of a certain tendency in english constitutional development; as the expression of self-distrust on the part of the monarch; and much more. it seems, however, that canute at this time did little more than to recognise the _status quo_. england was during the later years of ethelred's reign virtually divided into four great jurisdictions, three of which, northumbria, mercia, and east anglia, were governed by the king's sons-in-law, uhtred, eadric, and ulfketel. how much authority was assigned to each cannot be determined; but practically the earls must have enjoyed a large measure of independence. in the fight against the danes, uhtred seems to have taken but small part; ulfketel comes into prominence only when east anglia is directly attacked. this arrangement, which was not accidental but historic, canute had accepted before the reputed provincial division of . eadric had long been a power in parts of mercia; any attempt to dislodge him at so early a moment would have been exceedingly impolitic. eric was already earl of northumbria, having succeeded the unfortunate uhtred, perhaps in the spring of . it is only natural that canute should reserve the rule of wessex to himself, at least for a time. provision naturally had to be made for thurkil; and as the earl of east anglia had fallen at ashington, it was convenient to fill the vacancy and honour the old viking at the same time.[ ] it seems never to have been canute's policy to keep england permanently divided into four great provinces; what evidence we have points to a wholly different purpose. during the first decade of the new reign, fifteen earls appear in the charters as witnesses or otherwise. three of these may, however, have been visiting magnates from elsewhere in the king's dominions, and in one instance we may have a scribal error. there remain, then, the names of eleven lords who seem to have enjoyed the earl's dignity during this period. of these eleven names, seven are scandinavian and four anglo-saxon; but of the latter group only one appears with any decided permanence.[ ] thurkil, while he was still in england, headed the list. thurkil was a dane of noble birth, the son of harold who was earl in scania. he was a typical viking, tall, strong, and valorous, and must have been a masterly man, one in whom warriors readily recognised the qualities of chieftainship. he had part in the ill-fated expedition that ended in the crushing defeat of hjörunga bay. he also fought at swald, where he is said to have served on the ship of his former enemy, eric the earl.[ ] in he transferred his activities to england and from that year he remained almost continuously on the island till his death about fifteen years later. the old viking had several claims on the king's gratitude. had he not deserted ethelred at such an opportune moment, canute might never have won the english crown. the statement of the sagas that thurkil was canute's foster-father has been referred to elsewhere. the foster-relationship, if the sagas are correct, would not only help to explain how thurkil came to hold such eminent positions in canute's english and danish kingdoms, but may also account for the confidence that canute reposed in thurkil's son harold, who may have been the king's foster-brother. the battles of sherstone and ashington no doubt also had a share in securing pre-eminence for the tall pirate. sherstone, says the encomiast, gained for thurkil a large share of the fatherland.[ ] he is prominently mentioned as one of those most eager to fight at ashington, especially after it was reported that the raven had appeared with proper gestures on the danish banner.[ ] in his old age thurkil married an englishwoman, edith, probably one of ethelred's daughters, the widow of earl eadric.[ ] he ruled as english earl from to . after canute's return from denmark in , some misunderstanding seems to have arisen between him and the old war-chief; for toward the close of the next year thurkil was exiled. the cause for this is not known; perhaps canute feared his growing influence, especially after his marriage to the former king's daughter. a reconciliation was brought about a year later; but for some reason the king preferred to leave him as his lieutenant in denmark, and he was never restored to his english dignities. eric, earl of northumbria, governed this region from to . he seems to have been earl hakon's oldest son, and is said to have been of bastard birth, the son of a low-born woman, who had attracted the earl in his younger years. he grew up to be extremely handsome and clever, but never enjoyed his father's good-will.[ ] the circumstances of eric's promotion to the northern earldom have been discussed in an earlier chapter. as the scandinavian colonies north of the humber were norwegian rather than danish, the appointment of a norse ruler was doubtless a popular act. eadric was allowed to continue as governor of mercia. whether all the old mercian region made one earldom is uncertain; most likely it did not extend to the western limits, as several smaller earldoms appear to have been located along the welsh border. for one year only was eadric the grasper permitted to enjoy his dignities; at the first opportunity canute deprived him not only of honours but of life. eglaf, thurkil's old companion in arms, seems to have been given territories to rule in the lower severn valley.[ ] eglaf was one of the leaders in the great expedition of . he was evidently one of those who entered ethelred's service when peace was made; but during the closing years of the conflict, he was doubtless fighting for canute. he was consequently one of the chiefs who might claim a particular reward. he was also of high lineage, the son of a powerful danish chief, thorgils sprakaleg, and the brother of ulf, who was married to canute's sister estrid. in the worcester country an earl hakon was placed in control. he was evidently eric's son and canute's nephew, the young hakon whom king olaf drove out of norway in the autumn of . the youthful earl (he was probably not more than twenty years old in , perhaps even younger) is described as an exceedingly handsome man with "hair that was long and fair like silk"[ ]; but warfare was evidently not to his taste. for a decade or more he remained in canute's service in england. in , hostilities broke out between norway and denmark; the result was the final expulsion of king olaf and the restoration of hakon to his norse vice-royalty. soon afterwards he perished in shipwreck. godwin is the first english earl of importance to appear among canute's magnates. from to the close of the reign his name appears in almost every charter, and invariably as earl or with some corresponding title. the fact that godwin found it possible to be present so frequently when grants were to be witnessed would indicate that he could not have been located far away from the local court; perhaps he was closely attached to it. though his ancestry is a matter of doubt, he was probably not connected with the old english aristocracy. this defect canute remedied by giving him a noble danish woman of his own household for wife.[ ] godwin was consequently closely associated with the new dynasty. of the remaining magnates, ethelwerd, leofwine, godric, ulf, and ranig, little is really known. ethelwerd seems to have had some authority in the extreme southwest. ranig's earldom was the modern shire of hereford. there is nothing to indicate what territories were controlled by godric and ulf. leofwine probably succeeded to eadric's position as chief ruler in mercia. in the list we should probably include eadulf cudel who seems to have succeeded to some power north of the tees after the murder of his brother uhtred[ ]; but whether he was under the lordship of eric or held directly from canute cannot be known. these were the men with whom canute shared his authority during the first ten years of his reign. it will be seen that the more important places in the local government were given to danes and northmen. so far as we know, only two of ethelred's ealdormen were retained in their offices[ ]; of these the one soon suffered exile, while the other appears to have played but a small part in the councils of canute. two appointments were made from the native population, those of godwin and leofwine. in the case of godwin it is to be observed that he was bound to the new dynasty by the noble ties of marriage. as to leofwine's ancestry we are not informed; but there are indications that some of his forefathers may have been northmen.[ ] the more prominent of canute's earls were drawn from three illustrious families in the north, one norwegian and two danish. thurkil's descent from the scanian earls has already been noted. eric and his son hakon represented the lordly race of earl hakon the bad. a great danish chief, thorgils sprakaleg, had two sons who bore the earl's title in england, ulf and eglaf, a son-in-law, godwin, and a few years later a nephew, siward the strong, the lord of northumbria. two of these earls were married to sisters of canute: eric to gytha, and ulf to estrid. godwin was married to canute's kinswoman. hakon was the king's nephew. thurkil was his reputed foster-father. it seems that canute at first had in mind to establish in england a new aristocracy of scandinavian origin, bound to the throne by the noble ties of kinship and marriage. to this aristocracy the north contributed noble and vigorous blood. in the king's household, so far as we can learn anything about it, we find the same preference for men of northern ancestry. ordinarily, the thegns who witnessed royal grants may be taken to have been warriors or officials connected with the royal court. the signatures of more than half of these show names that are unmistakably scandinavian. usually, the northmen sign before their saxon fellows. the old norse language was probably used to a large extent at court; at least we know that the scalds who sang in praise of the "greatest king under heaven" composed their lays in canute's native language.[ ] the year , which witnessed the exaltation of the foreigners into english officialdom, also beheld a series of executions that still further weakened the english by removing their natural leaders. most of these are associated with a christmas gemot, when canute was celebrating the first anniversary of his rule as king of england. of the victims the most famous was eadric, the earl of mercia. for ten years he had been a power in his region, though at no time does it appear that his word of honour or his pledge of loyalty could have had any value. in all the english sources he is represented as endowed with the instincts of treason, though the encomiast, is careful to apply no term stronger than turncoat. at the same time, it is clear that eadric the grasper was a man of real abilities; in spite of the fact that he held allegiance lightly, he seems to have retained his influence to the last. he was, says one writer, a man of low origin, one whom the tongue had brought riches and rank, clever in wit, pleasant in speech, but surpassing all men of the time in envy, perfidy, crime, and cruelty.[ ] the murder of eadric was directly in line with canute's policy of building up a new scandinavian aristocracy, devoted to himself, and endowed with large local authority. the new order could not be built on such men as eadric; by his marriage to ethelred's daughter he was too closely connected with the old order of things. furthermore, a man who found it so easy to be disloyal could not safely be entrusted with such great territorial authority as the earlship of mercia. there had been in this same year extensive plotting among the survivors of the anglian nobility, and it is likely that eadric was involved in this. it is also related that the earl was not satisfied with the king's reward,[ ] which may mean that he objected to having independent earldoms carved out of western mercia. at any rate, canute was not reluctant to remove him. eric appears to have acted as executioner; and the career of the grasper came to a sudden end. the murder, so far as we can see, was popular; among the men of power eadric can have had few friends or perhaps none at all. three other lords are mentioned as having suffered death on the same occasion: northman, the son of leofwine, and two lords from the southwest.[ ] there can be little doubt that these men were convicted of treacherous plotting and that the punishment was regarded as merited. it is a remarkable fact that northman's death did not alienate his family from the new dynasty: his father leofwine succeeded to eadric's dignities and his brother leofric to northman's own place of influence; "and the king afterwards held him very dear."[ ] some of these executions should probably be placed in connection with certain measures taken against the former dynasty. here again we have anxious care to secure the new throne. six sons appear to have been born to ethelred before his marriage to the norman emma; but of these only two or at most three seem to have survived their father. after edmund ironside's death, edwy alone remained[ ]; he is said to have been edmund's full brother and a youth of promise. evidently canute intended to spare his life, but ordered him to go into exile. but the etheling secretly returned to england and hid for a time in tavistock monastery. he was evidently discovered, and canute procured his death.[ ] as tavistock is in devonshire, the execution of the two magnates from the southwest may readily be explained on the supposition that they were plotting in edwy's favour. the london assembly seems to have assumed that certain rights were reserved to the infant sons of edmund, but that the guardianship of the children had been given to canute. they were scarcely a problem in ; still, it was necessary to make them permanently harmless. it will be remembered that edmund married sigeferth's widow some time in the year , perhaps in early summer. it is, therefore, extremely doubtful whether the two boys, edward and edmund, were both the sons of the unfortunate aldgyth; if they were they must have been twins, or the younger must have been born a posthumous child, some time in , the year of their banishment. but if florence's account is trustworthy, the status of the two was discussed at the christmas gemot following edmund's death in . to slay the children of a "brother" who had committed them to his care and protection must have seemed to canute a rude and perhaps risky procedure; it was therefore thought best to send them out of the land. accordingly the ethelings were sent to the "king of the slavs,"[ ] who was instructed to remove them from the land of the living. this particular king was evidently canute's maternal uncle, the mighty boleslav, duke and later king of poland. boleslav took pity on the poor children and failed to dispose of them as requested. in , he was succeeded by his son mieczislav, who entered into close relations with king stephen of hungary.[ ] it was probably some time after , therefore, that the ethelings were transferred to the hungarian court, where they grew to manhood. after forty years of exile, one of them returned to england, but died soon after he had landed. it seems to have been canute's purpose finally to destroy the house of alfred to the last male descendant. the two most dangerous heirs were, however, beyond his reach: the sons of ethelred and emma were safe with their mother in normandy. there was close friendship between the lords of rouen and the rulers of the north; still, duke richard could not be expected to ignore the claims of his own kinsmen. so long as the ethelings remained in normandy, there would always be danger of a norman invasion combined with a saxon revolt in the interest of the fugitive princes, alfred and edward. canute was a resourceful king: these princes, too, could be rendered comparatively harmless. if their mother emma should be restored to her old position as reigning queen of england, her norman relatives might find it inconvenient to support an english uprising. this seems to be the true motive for canute's seemingly unnatural marriage. historians have seen in it a hope and an attempt to conciliate the english people, as in this way the new king would become identified with the former dynasty. but such a theory does scant justice to the moral sense of the anglo-saxons. furthermore, neither ethelred nor emma had ever enjoyed real popularity. there is no doubt that a princess of the blood royal could have been found for a consort, if the prime consideration had been to contract a popular marriage. it seems rather that in this matter canute acted in defiance of english public sentiment and for the express purpose of averting a real danger from beyond the channel. apparently, emma took kindly to canute's plans, for she is said to have stipulated that if sons were born to them, they should be preferred to canute's older children[ ]; thus by inference the rights of her sons in normandy were abandoned. earlier in his career, canute had formed an irregular connection with an english or anglo-danish woman of noble birth, elgiva, the daughter of elfhelm, who at one time ruled in deira as ealdorman. her mother's name is given as ulfrun, a name that is scandinavian in both its component parts.[ ]the family was evidently not strictly loyal to the saxon line, for in , just after sweyn's return to denmark, elfhelm was slain and his two sons blinded by royal orders.[ ] elgiva must have had relatives at northampton, for the chronicler knows her as the woman from northampton. she was a woman of great force of character, ambitious and aggressive, though not always tactful, as appears from her later career in norway. she was never canute's wife; but, in the eleventh century, vague ideas ruled concerning the marriage relation, even among christians. her acquaintance with canute doubtless began in , when he was left in charge of the camp and fleet at gainsborough. two sons she bore to him, harold harefoot and sweyn. on emma's return to england, elgiva seems to have been sent with her children to denmark. we find her later taking an active part in the politics of wendland, norway, and probably of england. the queen, who now came back from normandy to marry her husband's old enemy, was also a masterful woman. if heredity can be stated in arithmetical terms, she was more than half danish, as her mother gunnor was clearly a danish, woman while her father had a non-danish mother and also inherited some non-danish blood on the paternal side. she was evidently beautiful, gifted, and attractive: her flattering encomiast describes her as of great beauty and wisdom.[ ] but the finer instincts that we commonly associate with womanhood cannot have been highly developed in her case; what we seem to find is love of life, a delight in power, and an overpowering ambition to rule. at the time of her second marriage she was a mature woman; it is not likely that she was less than thirty years old, perhaps she was nearer forty. at all events, she must have been several years older than canute. two children were born to this marriage: harthacanute, who ruled briefly in denmark and england after the death of his father and of his half-brother harold; and gunhild, who was married to the emperor henry iii. emma lived to a ripe old age and died in , fifty years after her first marriage. the wedding was celebrated in july, , the bride presumably coming from normandy. the object sought was attained: for more than ten years there seems to have been unbroken peace between england and normandy. when trouble finally arose after the accession of robert the devil, canute was strong enough to dispense with further alliances. one of the chief necessities was some form of a standing army, a force that the king could depend upon in case of invasion or revolt. much reliance could obviously not be placed on the old military system; nor could the army of conquest be retained indefinitely. in , or perhaps late in the preceding year, steps were taken to dismiss the scandinavian host.[ ] it has been conjectured that this was done out of consideration for the saxon race; the presence of the conquerors was an insult to the english people. it had clearly become necessary to disband the viking forces, but for other reasons. a viking host was in its nature an army of conquest, not of occupation, except when the warriors were permitted to seize the land, which was evidently not canute's intention. in a land of peace, as canute intended england to be, such a host could not nourish. it should also be remembered that a large part was composed of borrowed troops furnished by the rulers of denmark, norway, and sweden; these could not be kept indefinitely. another danegeld was levied, , pounds in all, to pay off the host; and most of the northmen departed, to the evident satisfaction of all concerned. the dismissal of one host was followed by the immediate reorganisation of another. far more important than the departure of the fleet is the fact that the crews of forty ships remained in the royal service: this would mean a force of between three thousand and four thousand men. but the north knew no continuous body of warriors except the military households of chiefs and kings; such a household was now to be organised, but one that was far greater and more splendid than any organisation of the sort known in scandinavia. according to sveno's history, canute had it proclaimed that only those would be admitted to his new guard who were provided with two-edged swords having hilts inlaid with gold.[ ] sveno also tells us that the wealthy warriors made such haste to procure properly ornamented weapons that the sound of the swordsmith's hammer was heard all through the land. in this way, the king succeeded in giving his personal guard an aristocratic stamp. the guard of housecarles or "thingmen," as they were called in the north, was organised as a guild or military fraternity, of which the king ranked as a member, though naturally a most important one. in many respects its rules remind us of the regulations enforced in the jomburg brotherhood, though its organisation was probably merely typical of the viking fraternities of the age. the purpose of the guild laws, as reported by sveno and saxo, was to promote a spirit of fellowship among the members, to secure order in the guard, and to inculcate proper behaviour in the royal garth. when the housecarles were invited to the king's tables, they were seated according to their eminence in warfare, priority of service, or nobility of birth. to be removed to a lower place was counted a disgrace. in addition to daily fare and entertainment, the warriors received wages which were paid monthly, we are told. the bond of service was not permanent, but could be dissolved on new year's day only. all quarrels were decided in an assembly of the housecarles in the presence of the king. members guilty of minor offences, such as failing to care properly for the horse of a fellow guardsman, were assigned lower places at the royal tables. if any one was thrice convicted of such misdeeds, he was given the last and lowest place, where no one was to communicate with him in any way, except that the feasters might throw bones at him if they were so disposed. whoever should slay a comrade should lose his head or go into exile. treason was punished by death and the confiscation of the criminal's property.[ ] these laws were put into writing several generations after the guard was formed, and it is not likely that all existed from the very beginning. there is, however, nothing in the rules that might not have applied in canute's own day. it is said that the king himself was the first who seriously violated the guard-laws, in that he slew a housecarle in a moment of anger. repentance came swiftly; the guard was assembled; kneeling the king confessed his guilt and requested punishment. but the laws gave the king the power of judgment in such cases, and so it must be in this instance as in others. forty marks was the customary fine, but in this case the king levied nine times that amount and added nine marks as a gift of honour. this fine of marks was divided into three parts: one to go to the heirs of the deceased; one to the guard; and one to the king. but canute gave his share to the church and the poor.[ ] though the housecarles are presumed to have possessed horses, the guard was in no sense a cavalry force. horses were for use on the march, for swift passage from place to place, not for charging on the field. the housecarles were heavily armed, as we know from the description of a ship that earl godwin presented to harthacanute as a peace offering a few years after canute's death. eighty warriors, housecarles no doubt, seeing that it was a royal ship, manned the dragon, of whom each one had on each arm a golden arm-ring weighing sixteen ounces, a triple corselet, on the head a helmet in part overlaid with gold; each was girded with a sword that was golden-hilted and bore a danish ax inlaid with silver and gold hanging from the left shoulder; the left hand held the shield with gilded boss and rivets; in the right hand lay the spear that the angles call the _oetgar_.[ ] it is not to be supposed that the whole guard was always at the court--it was distributed in the strong places throughout the kingdom,[ ] especially no doubt in the south. it seems likely that individual housecarles might have homes of their own; at any rate, many of them in time came into possession of english lands as we know from domesday.[ ] no doubt anglo-saxon warriors were enrolled in the guard, but in its earlier years, at least, the greater number must have been of scandinavian ancestry. in the province of uppland, sweden, a runic monument has been found that was raised by two sons in memory of their father, who "sat out west in thinglith."[ ] as thinglith was the old norse name for canute's corps of housecarles, we have here contemporary mention of a swede who served in the guard. another stone from the same province records the fact that ali who raised it "collected tribute for canute in england."[ ] housecarles were sometimes employed as tax collectors, and it seems probable that ali, too, was a member of the great corps. it is likely that housecarles are also alluded to in the following scanian inscription: sweyn and thurgot raised this monument in memory of manna and sweyn. god help their souls well. but they lie buried in london.[ ] the sagas are evidently correct in stating that the force of housecarles "had been chosen from many lands, though chiefly from those of the danish [old norse] tongue." so long had the wealth of england been regarded as legitimate plunder, that the scandinavian pirates found it difficult to realise that raids in south britain were things of the past. they now had to reckon, not merely with a sluggish and disorganised militia, but with a strong force of professional warriors in the service and pay of a capable and determined king. in the year , says the german chronicler thietmar of merseburg, the crews of thirty viking ships have been slain in england, thanks be to god, by the son of sweyn, the king of the english; and he, who earlier with his father brought invasion and long-continued destruction upon the land, is now its sole defender.[ ] * * * * * this seems to have been the first and last attempt at piracy in england during the reign of canute. so far as his dominions extended, viking practices were outlawed. the check that the movement received in was the beginning of a rapid decline in its strength, and before the close of canute's reign, the profession of the sea-king was practically destroyed. the welsh, too, seem to have found it hard to repress their old habits of raiding the english frontier. it was probably this fact that induced canute to establish so many earldoms in the southwest, particularly in the severn valley. a few years after the signal defeat of the viking fleet, apparently in , eglaf, one of the earls on the welsh border, harried the lands of southwestern wales.[ ] as the sources nowhere intimate that canute ever planned to conquer wales, and as this was evidently the year of canute's absence in the baltic lands, the conclusion must be that this expedition was of a punitive character. the angles and saxons were soon to learn that the new régime meant a security for the property as well as the persons of loyal and peaceful citizens, such as they had not enjoyed for more than a generation. footnotes: [ ] the evidence is late and not of the best; the earliest authority to mention it is ralph de diceto who lived a century and a half later. but see freeman, _norman conquest_, i., note tt. [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] steenstrup places his age at twenty-two (_danmarks riges historie_, i., ). munch thinks that he was several years older. (_det norske folks historie_, i., ii., - ). [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . (vigfusson's translation.) [ ] liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] the first recorded absence was in the winter of and ; canute returned in time for the easter festivities. the chronicler tells of another return from denmark in ; as this return was earlier than the translation of saint alphege in june, the absence must have been during the winter months. see the _chronicle_ for these years. [ ] von friesen, _historiska runinskrifter_ (fornvännen, ), . von friesen suggests that the chief tosti who paid the first geld may have been skogul-tosti, the father of sigrid the haughty (pp. - ). for other monuments alluding to the danegeld, see _ibid._, , - ; montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, : the Össeby stone. [ ] the statement of the _chronicle_ ( ) that he divided england into four parts may imply that some sort of sanction was sought from the witan; but such an act would merely recognise accomplished facts. [ ] for the evidence see the author's paper in _american historical review_, xv., . [ ] munch, _det norske folks historie_, i., ii., . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] _ibid._, ii., c. . [ ] florence tells us that thurkil's wife bore the name edith (_chronicon_, i., ). the _jómsvikingasaga_ (c. ) has thurkil marry ethelred's daughter ulfhild, ulfketel's widow. however, ethelred had a daughter edith who was married to eadric. (florence, _chronicon_, i., .) for a discussion of the subject see freeman, _norman conquest_, i., notes nn and ss. [ ] snorre, _saga of earl hakon_, c. . [ ] _american historical review_, xv., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] she was sister of the earls ulf and eglaf. her danish name was gytha, which the saxons changed to edith. [ ] simeon of durham, _opera omnia_, ii., . [ ] ethelwerd and godric. ethelwerd was exiled in . [ ] leofwine had a son named northman, and it is possible that his father also bore that name. see freeman, _norman conquest_, i., note ccc. the occurrence of the name "northman" in a family living in or near the danelaw may indicate norse ancestry. [ ] for the court poetry of the scalds see vigfusson and powell, _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii. their verses have in part come down to us. see below, pp. ff. [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] excepting the two sons of emma who were now in normandy, there seems to be no record of any other surviving son. florence of worcester speaks of edmund's "brothers" in narrating the discussions at the gemot of christmas, ; but he may have thought of queen emma's children. (_chronicon_, i., .) [ ] william of malmesbury, _gesta regum_, i., . [ ] florence's writing _ad regent suanorum_ was probably due to an error of information or of copying; _ad regent sclavorum_, or some such form, is probably the correct reading (i., ). [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, iii., - . mieczislav's father was married to stephen's sister. [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . on the subject of proper names ending in _run_, see björkman, _nordische personennamen in england_, . [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _historiola legum castrensum regis canuti magni_, c. . the _historiola_ is found in langebek, _scriptores rerum danicarum_, iii. [ ] sveno, _historiola_, cc. - . saxo, _gesta danorum_, ff. [ ] langebek, _scriptores_, iii., (note). the story is probably mythical; but i give it as a fitting companion to the english stories of canute and the tide, and of his improvised verses inspired by the chants of the monks of ely. [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] saxo, _gesta danorum_, . [ ] larson, _the king's household in england_, - . [ ] the kolstad stone. montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, . [ ] the Össeby stone. montelius, _ibid._. [ ] the valleberga stone. wimmer, _de danske runemindesmærker_, iii., . [ ] _chronicon_, viii., c. . thietmar's account is strictly contemporary. [ ] _annales cambriæ_, . chapter vi the beginnings of empire - the first three or four years of canute's government in england can have given but little promise of the beneficent rule that was to follow. to the conquered saxon they must have been a season of great sorrow. on the throne of alfred sat an alien king who had done nothing as yet to merit the affectionate regard of his subjects. in the shire courts ruled the chiefs of the dreaded danish host, chiefs who had probably harried those same shires at an earlier date. a heavy tax had been collected to pay the forces of the enemy, but a large part of those forces still remained. the land was at peace; but the calm was the calm of exhaustion. the young king had shown vigour and decision; thus far, however, his efforts had been directed toward dynastic security rather than the welfare of his english subjects. but with canute's return from denmark in begins the second period in the history of the reign. after that date, it seems that more intelligent efforts were made to reconcile the saxons to foreign rule. for one thing, canute must have come to appreciate the wonderful power of the church; for an attempt was made to enlist its forces on the side of the new monarchy. perhaps he had also come to understand that repression could not continue indefinitely. this change in policy seems to be the outgrowth principally of the new situation created by canute's accession to the danish throne. harold, his older brother, king of denmark, appears to have died in .[ ] little is known of harold; he died young and evidently left no heirs. for a year there seems to have been no recognised king in denmark, as canute did not leave england before . in that year he sailed to the baltic to claim the throne in person, taking with him nine ships, fewer than one thousand men; the rest of the new force of housecarles was doubtless left in britain as a matter of security. thurkil, earl of east anglia, seems to have been left behind as english viceroy. various reasons may be assigned for this delay in securing the ancestral crown. harold died in the year when canute was reorganising the military forces of the realm; before his great corps of housecarles was complete, it would not have been safe to leave the country. perhaps the king also felt that he must take some steps to reconcile the two racial elements of his kingdom. he may have concluded that with two kingdoms to govern it would be impossible to give undivided attention to english affairs and movements. to prevent rebellion in his absence, it might be well to remove, so far as possible, all forms of hostility; we read, therefore, of a great meeting of the magnates, both danes and angles, at oxford in , where the matter of legislation was evidently the principal subject. at this assembly, it was agreed to accept edgar's laws as the laws for the whole land.[ ] it is significant that the comparatively large body of law that was enacted in ethelred's day was ignored or rejected. the chief reason for this may have been that canute was not yet willing to enforce the rigid enactments against heathen practices that were such a distinctive feature of ethelred's legislation. there can be small doubt that in the scandinavian settlements and particularly in the alien host heathendom still lingered to some extent. the delay was also due, perhaps, in large part to a serious trouble with scotland. the term northumbria is variously used; but in its widest application it embraced territories extending from the humber to the forth. the northern part of this kingdom, the section between the tweed and the forth, was known as lothian; on this region the kings of scotland had long cast covetous eyes. in , while the vikings were distressing england, king malcolm invaded lothian, crossed the tweed, and laid siege to durham. the aged earl waltheof made practically no attempt at resistance; but his young son uhtred placed himself at the head of the northumbrian levies and drove the invader back into scotland.[ ] uhtred succeeded to his father's earldom and was apparently recognised as lord throughout the entire ancient realm. while uhtred lived and ruled, the neighbours to the north seem to have kept the peace; but in , as we have seen, the great warrior was slain, probably at canute's instigation and his earldom was assigned to eric. whatever canute's intentions may have been, it seems likely that the new earl did not come into immediate and undisputed control of the entire earldom; for we find that in the regions north of yorkshire, the old kingdom of bernicia, uhtred's brother, eadulf cudel, "a very sluggish and timid man," sought to maintain the hereditary rights of the family. two years after uhtred's death, malcolm the son of kenneth reappeared in lothian at the head of a large force gathered from the western kingdom of strathclyde as well as from his own scotia. the northumbrians had had ample warning of troubles to come: for thirty nights a comet had blazed in the sky; and after the passage of another period of thirty days, the enemy appeared. an army gathered mainly from the durham country met the scotch forces at carham on the tweed, near coldstream, but was almost completely destroyed.[ ] there is no record of any further resistance; and when malcolm returned to the highlands he was lord of lothian, eadulf having surrendered his rights to all of northumbria beyond the tweed. canute apparently acquiesced in this settlement. so far as we know, he made no effort to assist his subjects in the north, or to redeem the lost territory. we cannot be sure of the reason for this inactivity; but the general situation on the island appears to offer a satisfactory explanation. it will be remembered that was the year when canute disbanded his scandinavian army. as we are told that the bishop of durham, who died in , took leave of earth a few days after he had heard the news of the great defeat,[ ] it seems likely that the battle of carham was fought late in the year , and after the host had departed for denmark. canute, therefore, probably had no available army that he could trust; to call out his new subjects would have been a hazardous experiment. there is also the additional fact that the sluggish eadulf was in all probability regarded as a rebel, whom canute was not anxious to assist. as to the terms of the surrender of lothian, nothing definite is known. our only authority in the matter puts the entire blame on eadulf, and apparently would have us believe that malcolm merely stepped into the earl's position as vassal of eric or canute. if such were the case, canute could hardly have been left in ignorance about the cession, and he may have cherished certain pretensions to overlordship, which malcolm evidently did not regard very seriously. in one way the cession of lothian was a great loss to england; on the other hand, it added an anglian element to the caledonian kingdom, which in time became the controlling factor, and prepared the northern state for the union of the kingdoms that came centuries afterwards. the following year, canute was finally in position to make the deferred journey to denmark. the danish situation must have had its difficulties. in a proclamation issued on his return, the king alludes to these, though in somewhat ambiguous terms: then i was informed that there threatened us a danger that was greater than was well pleasing to us; and then i myself with the men who went with me departed for denmark, whence came to you the greatest danger; and that i have with god's help forestalled, so that henceforth no unpeace shall come to you from that country, so long as you stand by me as the law commands, and my life lasts.[ ] most probably, the difficulty alluded to was some trouble about the succession. there may have been a party in denmark to whom the thought of calling a king from england was not pleasant; or it may be that a conservative faction was hoping for a ruler of the old faith. any form of invasion from denmark at this time, when the nation was even kingless, is almost beyond the possible. but no doubt there had been a likelihood that canute would have to call on his english subjects for military and financial support in the effort to secure his hereditary rights in the north. canute chose to spend the winter in denmark, as during the winter season there was least likelihood of successful plots and uprisings. as early as possible in the spring of , he returned to england. evidently certain rebellious movements had made some headway during his absence, for canute immediately summoned the lords to meet in formal assembly at the easter festival. the plotting was apparently localised in the south-western shires, as we infer from the fact that the gemot sat in an unusual place, cirencester in the severn country. its chief act seems to have been the banishment of ethelwerd, earl in the devon country, and of a mysterious pretender whom the chronicler calls edwy, king of churls.[ ] it seems natural to associate the destinies of these two men and to conclude that some sort of conspiracy in the pretender's favour had been hatching, but we have no definite information. it was probably at this gathering that canute issued his proclamation to the english nation; at least there seems to be no doubt that it was given in . it is a remarkable document, a message to a restless people, an apology for the absence in denmark, and a promise of future good government. it hints darkly at what may have been the disturbances in the southwest and the measures taken at cirencester in the following terms: now i did not spare my treasures while unpeace was threatening to come upon you; with the help of god i have warded this off by the use of my treasures.[ ] in a measure the proclamation of contains the announcement of a new governmental policy in england, one that recognises the english subjects as citizens who may be trusted with some share in the administration of the realm, and not merely as conquered provincials whose rebellious instincts can be kept down by a continuous policy of coercion only. there was, it is true, little need of coercion after ; the natural leaders of the native population were gone. but the importance of the union with denmark with respect to politics in england must not be overlooked: it removed what fear had remained as to the stability of canute's conquered throne. at the first indication of an uprising, it would be possible to throw a danish force on the british coast, which, combined with the king's loyal partisans in england, could probably stifle the rebellion in a brief campaign. the purpose to make larger use of the native energies is indirectly shown in the command to the local functionaries that they heed and follow the advice of the bishops in the administration of justice: and i make known to you that i will be a kind lord and loyal to the rights of the church and to right secular law. and also my ealdormen i command that they help the bishops to the rights of the church and to the rights of my kingship and to the behoof of all the people. and i also command my reeves, by my friendship and by all that they own, and by their own lives, that they everywhere govern my people justly and give right judgments by the witness of the shire bishop, and do such mercy therein as the shire bishop thinks right and the community can allow.[ ] the significance of this appears when we remember that the local prelates were probably english to a man. there is, however, no evidence for the belief so frequently expressed, that canute by this time, or even earlier, had concluded to dispense with his scandinavian officials, and to rule england with the help of englishmen only. in the proclamation the king speaks of danes and angles, not of angles and danes. among the thegns who witnessed his charters, danes and saxons continue to appear in but slightly changed ratio till the close of the reign. the alien guard was not dismissed. local government continued in the hands of norse and danish earls. time came when these disappeared from their respective earldoms, but for reasons that show no conscious purpose of removal because of nationality or race. as the field of his operations widened, as the vision of empire began to take on the forms of reality, canute found it necessary to use his trusted chiefs in other places and in other capacities. consequently the employment of native englishmen in official positions became more common as the years passed. the following year about martinsmas (november , ), came the first real break in canute's political system: thurkil the tall, who stood second to the king only in all england, was outlawed. florence of worcester adds that his wife was exiled with him.[ ] the reason for this act is not clear; but we may perhaps associate it with a lingering dislike for the old dynasty. if edith was actually ethelred's daughter, thurkil's marriage may have been a source of irritation or even supposed danger to canute and possibly also to the lady's stepmother, the callous queen emma. it is also possible that the king in this case simply yielded to pressure from the native element, particularly from the church. thurkil's prominence in the kingdom can hardly have been a source of pleasure to the men who recalled the part that he had played in the kingdom at various times. in the proclamation he is entrusted with the task of enforcing the laws against heathen and heretical practices. but to assign such a duty to the man who was in such a great measure responsible for the martyrdom of saint alphege must have seemed a travesty upon justice to the good churchmen of the time. the conjecture that the banishment of the earl was not wholly the result of royal disfavour receives some support from the fact that, a few months later, canute and thurkil were reconciled, and the old earl was given a position in denmark analogous to the one that he had held in england.[ ] canute still found him useful, but not in the western kingdom. at the same time, the shrewd king seems not to have felt absolutely sure of the earl's loyalty, for we read that he brought thurkil's son with him to england, evidently as a hostage. in another great name disappears from the documents: earl eric is mentioned no more. later stories that he, too, suffered exile are not to be believed. eric seems to have died in possession of all his northumbrian dignities and of the king's favour at a comparatively advanced age; for the warrior who showed such signal bravery at hjörunga bay nearly forty years before could not have been young. in all probability he had passed the sixtieth milestone of life, which was almost unusual among the viking chiefs of the period. we are told that in his last year he contemplated a visit to rome which was probably never made. most reliable is the story that he died from the effects of primitive surgery. just as he was about to set out on the roman journey, it was found necessary for him to have his uvula treated. the surgeon cut too deep and a hemorrhage resulted from which the earl died.[ ] that the story is old is clear, for some of the accounts have the additional information that the leech acted on the suggestion of one who can be none other than canute. this part of the story is probably mythical. the spirit of chivalry was not strong in the viking; but, so far as it existed, it found its best representative in eric, the son of hakon the bad. he was great as a warrior, great as a leader in the onslaught. he possessed in full measure the courage that made the viking such a marvellous fighter; the joy of the conflict he seems to have shared with the rest. but when the fight was over and the foeman was vanquished, nobler qualities ruled the man; he could then be merciful and large of soul. as a statesman, on the other hand, he seems to have been less successful; in norway he permitted the aristocracy to exercise local authority to a greater extent than the welfare of norse society could allow. as to his rule in northumbria we know nothing. the next year we have the closing record of still another scandinavian earl in england: eglaf signs a grant for the last time in .[ ] doubtless some trouble had arisen between him and the king, for two years later he appears to be acting the part of a rebel. still later, he is said to have joined the varangian guard of scandinavian warriors at byzantium, where he closed his restless career in the service of the greek emperor.[ ] there still remained norse and danish earls in england, such as ranig and hakon; but the men who were most intimately associated in the english mind with conquest and cruel subjection were apparently out of the land before the third decade of the century had finished half its course. it is probable that hakon succeeded his father in the northumbrian earldom, as leofwine of mercia seems to be in possession of hakon's earldom in worcestershire in ,[ ] the year when hakon's father presumably died. after the banishment of thurkil, we should expect to find eric, while he still lived, as the ranking earl in the kingdom and the chief adviser to the king. but eric's earldom was in the extreme north; his subjects were largely norwegian immigrants and their descendants, as yet, perhaps, but imperfectly anglicised; he was himself an alien and his circle of ideas scarcely touched the field of saxon politics. he could, therefore, be of small assistance in governing the kingdom as a whole. furthermore, it is doubtful whether canute really felt the need of a grand vizier at this time. an excellent assistant, however, he seems to have found in the saxon godwin. it has been thought that godwin's exalted position of first subject in the realm belongs to a date as early as [ ] but this is mere conjecture. it is evident that his influence with canute grew with the passage of time; still, it is likely that historians have projected his greatness too far back into his career. a position analogous to that of the tall earl he could not have held before the closing years of the reign. if canute left any one in charge of the kingdom during his absences after , it could not have been godwin. when the fleet sailed against the slavs on the south baltic shores in , godwin appears to have accompanied the host. tradition tells us that he fought valiantly in the swedish campaign of . a norse runic monument records his presence in some expedition to norway, presumably that of .[ ] canute did not employ english forces to a large extent in any of his foreign wars, possibly because he was distrustful of them: only fifty english ships made part of that vast armada that overawed the norwegians in . canute's probable reluctance about arming the saxons after the battle of carham and the consequent loss of lothian has already been referred to. the presence of godwin as a chief in canute's host may, therefore, be taken as a mark of peculiar confidence on the king's part. godwin was never without his rival. in the midlands leofwine and after him his son leofric were developing a power that was some day to prove a dangerous barrier to the ambitions of the southern earl and his many sons. the family of leofwine had certain advantages in the race for power that made for stability and assured possession of power once gained: it was older as a member of the aristocracy; it seems to have had anglo-danish connections, presumably danish ancestry; it was apparently controlled by a spirit of prudence that urged the acceptance of de-facto rule. but in the matter of aggressive abilities and statesmanlike ideas the mercians were far inferior to their saxon rivals; the son and grandsons of leofwine never attained the height of influence and power that was reached by godwin and his son harold. while these changes were going on in england, an important advance had been made in the direction of empire. in his message from rome to the english people ( ) canute claims the kingship of england, denmark, norway, and parts of sweden. the copies of the document that have come down to us are, however, not contemporary, and it is not likely that the sweeping claim of the salutation was found in the original. for at no time was canute lord of any swedish territory as the term was understood and the frontier drawn in the eleventh century. it has been pointed out that in this case we probably have a scribal error of swedes for slavs.[ ] as king of denmark, canute inherited pretensions to considerable stretches of the south baltic shore lands, and consequently could claim to rule a part of the slavic lands. early in his reign he made an expedition to these regions, of which we have faint echoes in both english and scandinavian sources. [illustration: the south baltic coast in the eleventh century.] from the elbe eastward along the baltic shores, at least as far as the vistula, where the lithuanian settlements appear to have begun,[ ] slavic tribes were evidently in full possession all through the viking age. there was, however, no consolidated slavic power, no organised slavic state. the dominions of bohemia and poland were developing but neither had full control of the coast lands. the non-slavic peoples who were interested in this region were the danes and the germans. the eastward expansion of germany across and beyond the elbe had begun; but in canute's day teutonic control of wendish territories was very slight. we find the danes in wendland as early as the age of charlemagne, when they were in possession of a strong and important city called reric, the exact location of which is not known.[ ] the danish interest appears to have been wholly a commercial one: horses, cattle, game, fish, mead, timber products, spices, and hemp are mentioned as important articles of the southern trade.[ ] there was also, we may infer, something of a market for danish products. at all times, the intercourse seems to have been peaceful; danes and wends appear to have lived side by side on the best of terms. the germans, on the other hand, were not regarded with much favour by their slavic neighbours. the feeling of hostility and hatred that the wend cherished was reciprocated on the german side; the german mind scarcely thought of the slav as within the pale of humanity. the most famous of all danish settlements in these regions was jom, a stronghold near the mouth of the oder, sometimes called jumne, jumneta, or julin. in the eleventh century jom was a great city as cities went in those days, though it was probably not equal to its reputation. the good master adam, who has helped us to so much information regarding northern lands and conditions in his century, speaks of the city in the following terms: it is verily the greatest city in europe. it is inhabited by slavs and other peoples, greeks and barbarians. for even the saxons who have settled there are permitted to live with the rest in the enjoyment of the same rights; though, indeed, only so long as they refrain from public profession of their christian faith. for all the inhabitants are still chained to the errors of heathen idolatry. in other respects, especially as to manners and hospitality, a more obliging and honourable people cannot be found.[ ] the city was located on the east side of the island of wollin, where the village of wollin has since been built. for its time it enjoyed a very favourable location. built on an island, it was fairly safe from land attacks, while its position some distance from the sea secured it from the common forms of piracy.[ ] back into the land ran the great river highway, the oder, while a few miles to the north lay the baltic with its long coast line to the east, the west, and the north. to secure danish influence in the city, harold bluetooth built the famous fortress of jomburg and garrisoned it with a carefully chosen band of warriors, later known as the jomvikings. according to saga, palna toki, the viking who is reputed to have slain king harold, was the founder and chief of the brotherhood; but the castle probably existed before toki became prominent in the garrison, if he ever was a member. the fortress was located north of jom near the modern village of wollin, where abundant archæological evidence has definitely identified the site.[ ] the harbour or bay that served as such has since filled with the rubbish of time; but in the tenth century it is reported to have had a capacity of three hundred dragons. the existence of a military guild at jomburg seems well attested. only men of undoubted bravery between the ages of eighteen and fifty years were admitted to membership; and, in the admission, neither kinship nor friendship nor considerations of exalted birth should be taken into account. as members of the brotherhood, all the jomvikings assumed the duties of mutual support and the revenge of a fallen comrade. strict discipline was enjoined in the fortress; absence for more than three days at a time was forbidden; no women were to be admitted to the castle. there was to be no toleration of quarrelsome behaviour; plunder, the fruitful source of contention, was to be distributed by lot. in all disputes the chief was the judge.[ ] it seems evident that the chief of these vikings was something more than the captain of a garrison; he bore the earl's title and as such must have had territorial authority in and about the city. supported by the jomvikings he soon began to assert an independence far beyond what the danish kings had intended that he should possess. however, till the death of harold bluetooth, the brotherhood appears to have been fairly loyal to their suzerain; it was to jomburg that the aged king fled when his son rebelled against him; it was there that he died after the traitor's arrow had given him the fatal wound. the rebel sweyn was not immediately recognised by the earl at jom; the vikings are said to have defied him, to have captured him and carried him off. only on the promises of marriage to gunhild, the sister of earl sigvaldi's wife, and of the payment of a huge ransom, was he permitted to return to his throne. the saga story has probably a great measure of truth in it. sweyn seems to have been determined on the destruction of the fraternity, and most likely had some success; for toward the close of his reign, we find the jomvikings no longer terrorising the baltic shores, but plundering the western isles. [illustration: the stenkyrka stone (monument from the island of gotland showing viking ships.)] [illustration: the valleberga stone.] in , toward the close of the year, we read of the exile of thurkil the tall, who will be remembered as an old jomviking, the brother of earl sigvaldi, and the leader in the descent of these vikings upon england in . we do not know where the exile sought a new home, but one is tempted to conjecture that he probably returned to the old haunts at the mouth of the oder. it is an interesting fact that a few months later canute found it advisable to make a journey to that same region. in the entry for , the chronicler writes that "in this year king canute fared out with his ships to wiht," or, as one manuscript has it, to "wihtland." apparently, the movement, whatever it was, did not interest the scribe; far more important in his eyes was the news that archbishop ethelnoth, when in rome to receive the pallium, was invited to say mass in the papal presence, and was afterwards permitted to converse with the holy father. historians have thought with the monk that the journey with the fleet can have had but little importance, that it was merely a mobilisation of the navy at the isle of wight, perhaps for the purpose of display. it was the danish historian steenstrup who first suggested that wiht or wihtland probably did not mean wight in this case, but the old witland that we read of in the writings of alfred: wulfstan the wide-farer informed the royal student that "the vistula is a mighty stream and separates witland from wendland and witland belongs to the esthonians."[ ] evidently the angles understood witland to be the regions of modern prussia east of the vistula. that canute's expedition actually went eastward seems extremely probable for we read that the next year he returned from denmark and had become reconciled with earl thurkil.[ ] there were danish colonies at the mouths of the oder, the vistula, and the düna[ ]; all these, no doubt, submitted to the conqueror from england. the expedition probably first went to jom in wendland; thence eastward to the prussian regions of witland and the still more distant semland, a region near the kurisches haff that is reported to have been conquered by one of harold bluetooth's sons.[ ] canute's possessions thus extended along the baltic shores from jutland almost to the eastern limits of modern germany; he may also have had possessions farther up the eastern coast of the sea. it is not likely that these possessions were anything more than a series of stations and settlements; but these would serve as centres of influence from which danish power would penetrate into the interior to the protection of danish trade and commerce. later english writers have a story to tell of this expedition, especially of the valorous part that was played by the earl godwin. in the expedition against the vandals, godwin, without first informing the king, made a night attack on the enemy and put them to rout. when canute prepared to make an attack early in the morning, he missed the english and feared that they had fled or deserted. but when he came upon the enemy's camp and found nothing there but bloody corpses and plunder, light dawned on the king, and he ever afterward held the english in high esteem.[ ] jomburg apparently retained its old pre-eminence as the centre of danish control on the southern shore. the king's brother-in-law, ulf, seems to have been left in control, probably with the title of earl. but after the death of thurkil, who had been left as viceroy of denmark, ulf was apparently transferred to that country and canute's son sweyn, under the guidance of his mother elgiva, was appointed the king's lieutenant in wendland.[ ] the extension of danish influence among the wends brought denmark into closer contact and relations with the empire. two years after canute's expedition to the slavic lands, henry the saint passed to his reward, and conrad the salic succeeded to the imperial dignities. on the death of henry ii. the great polish duke boleslav hastened to assume the regal title, and evidently planned to renounce the imperial suzerainty. this policy of hostility to the empire was continued by his son and successor, mieczislav, who also may have hoped to interest his cousin king canute in the welfare of the new kingdom. conrad also felt the need of a close alliance with the danish conqueror, and called upon archbishop unwan of hamburg-bremen for assistance as a mediator. unwan was canute's friend and succeeded in bringing about the desired understanding. possibly the price of the alliance may have appealed to canute as much as the archbishop's arguments; for conrad bought the friendship of his northern neighbour with the mark of sleswick to the eider river.[ ] the exact date of this alliance is a matter of doubt, but the probabilities appear to favour , when the emperor conrad was in saxony. some historians believe that the mark was not ceded at this time but ten years later, when canute's daughter gunhild was betrothed to conrad's son henry, as adam of bremen seems to associate these two events.[ ] but adam's chronology is confused on these matters. canute's friendship was surely more difficult to purchase in when his star was rapidly ascending than in when his empire had begun to collapse. while we cannot be sure, it seems extremely likely that the boundary of denmark was extended to the eider in . [illustration: danish coins from the reign of canute, minted at lund, roeskilde, ringsted] footnotes: [ ] langebek, _scriptores_, i., (note). [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] simeon of durham, _opera omnia_, i., . the account of the siege of durham is not by simeon but by some writer whose identity is unknown. [ ] simeon of durham, _opera omnia_, i., . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., (sec. ). [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] sec. . [ ] sees. , , and . for a translation of the entire document see appendix i. [ ] _chronicon_, i., . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . the story given by later writers that thurkil was slain by a danish mob soon after his exile cannot be credited. it doubtless originated in a desire that the persecutor of saint alphege should suffer retribution. see especially the life of this saint in langebek, _scriptores_, ii., . [ ] one of the sagas (_fagrskinna_, c. ) tells us that eric actually made the pilgrimage and died soon after the return. that such a journey was at least planned seems probable; eric's brother-in-law, einar, is said to have made a pilgrimage during the earlier years of the decade; they may have planned to make the journey together. the earliest english writers who account for eric's disappearance on the theory of exile are william of malmesbury (_gesta regum_, i., ), and henry of huntingdon (_historia anglorum_, ). [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . [ ] _jómsvikingasaga_, c. . [ ] in an agreement of that year involving lands in worcester and gloucester, leofwine ealdorman signs as a witness. kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . [ ] freeman, _norman conquest_, i., . [ ] _afhandlinger viede sophus bugge's minde_, . [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, iii., - . [ ] steenstrup, _venderne og de danske_, . [ ] _ibid._, - . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., - . [ ] _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] steenstrup, _venderne og de danske_, - . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., - . steenstrup, _venderne og de danske_, . [ ] _jómsvikingasaga_, c. . [ ] _normannerne_, iii., - . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, i., - ; iii., - . [ ] saxo, _gesta danorum_, . the sembrians are described by adamus in his history (iv., c. ) as a very barbarous but humane race. [ ] henry of huntingdon, _historia anglorum_, . the author dates this expedition in , which is probably incorrect. an expedition to wendland earlier than is quite unlikely. [ ] steenstrup, _venderne og de danske_, . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. [ ] see manitius, _deutsche geschichte unter den sächsischen und salischen kaisern_, . chapter vii canute and the english church - the english church enjoyed canute's favour from the very beginning: the king was a christian; furthermore, he no doubt saw in the church a mighty force that should not be antagonised. at the same time, there is no evidence of any close union between church and monarchy before ; and even then it was more like an _entente cordiale_ than an open aggressive alliance, as it later came to be. canute was a christian, but he was also a shrewd statesman and a consummate politician. the religious situation among his danish supporters in england as well as the general religious and political conditions in the north probably made it inexpedient, perhaps impossible, to accede to the full demands of the church without danger to his ambitions and probable ruin to his imperialistic plans. when the eleventh century opened, the north was still largely heathen. missionaries had been at work for nearly two centuries--ever since saint ansgar entered the scandinavian mission field in the days of louis the pious--and the faith had found considerable foothold in denmark, especially on the jutish peninsula. canute's father sweyn had been baptised; but other indications of his christian faith are difficult to find. his queen, sigrid the haughty, was almost violent in her devotion to the old gods. sweden remained overwhelmingly heathen for some years yet, while the progress of the church in norway depended on royal mandates supported by the sword and the firebrand. only five years before the death of canute, norse heathendom won its last notable victory, when saint olaf fell before the onslaught of the yeomanry at stiklestead ( ). [illustration: poppo's ordeal (altar decoration from about . danish national museum).] [illustration: an english bishop of the eleventh century (from the bayeux tapestry.)] the army that conquered england for canute was no doubt also largely heathen. it seems, therefore, safe to assume that during the early years of the new reign, the worship of the anse-gods was carried on in various places on english soil; surely in the danish camps, perhaps also in some of the danish settlements. this situation compelled the christian king to be at least tolerant. soon there began to appear at the english court prominent exiles from norway, hot-headed chiefs, whose sense of independence had been outraged by the zealous missionary activities of olaf the stout.[ ] canute had not been lord of england more than six or seven years before the norwegian problem began to take on unusual interest. before long the missionary king found his throne completely undermined by streams of british gold. the exiles who sought refuge at winchester and the men who bore the bribe-money back to norway were scarcely enthusiastic for the faith that frowned on piracy; consequently it continued to be necessary for canute to play the rôle of the tolerant, broad-minded monarch, who, while holding firmly to his own faith, was unwilling to interfere with the religious rites of others. in his later ecclesiastical legislation, canute gave the church all the enactments that it might wish for; but it is a significant fact that these laws did not come before the northern question had been settled according to canute's desires and his viceroy was ruling in norway. edgar's laws, which were re-enacted in , at the oxford assembly, deal with the matter of christianity in general terms only. the more explicit and extensive church legislation of ethelred's day was set aside and apparently remained a dead letter until it was in large measure re-enacted as a part of canute's great church law late in the reign. the early surroundings of the king had not been such as to develop in him the uncompromising zeal that characterised the typical christian monarch in mediæval times. we do not know when he was baptised; it may have been in childhood, and it must have been before the conquest of england, as the christian name lambert, which was added in baptism to the heathen name by which we know him, would suggest that the rite was administered by a german ecclesiastic.[ ] it is believed that he was confirmed by ethelnoth the good, the english churchman who later became archbishop of canterbury.[ ] we do not know when the rite of confirmation was administered, but the probabilities point to the winter months of - ; for during these months canute was several times in south-western england where ethelnoth lived at the time. the subjection of england to an alien, half-heathen aristocracy must have caused many difficulties to the english church. how the problems were met we do not know. the mediæval church, however, was usually to be found on the side of power: the church loved order and believed in supporting good and efficient government whenever circumstances would permit it. soon after the meeting at oxford, apparently in , archbishop lifing made a journey to rome; we may conjecture that he went to seek counsel and to obtain instructions as to what attitude the english clergy should assume toward the new powers, but we do not know. it is clear, however, that the subject was seriously discussed at the papal court, for the archbishop brought back a letter to canute exhorting him to practise the virtues of christian kingship. it must have nattered the young dane to receive this, for he refers to it in his proclamation: i have taken to heart the written words and verbal messages that archbishop lifing brought me from the pope from rome, that i should everywhere extol the praise of god, put away injustice, and promote full security and peace, so far as god should give me strength.[ ] that same year the venerable primate died, and ethelnoth the good was appointed to succeed him as archbishop of canterbury.[ ] the choice was evidently the king's own and the two men seem to have laboured together in singular harmony. but though ethelnoth was primate, the dominant influence at court seems to have been that of an abbot in devonshire. when abbot lifing was yet only a monk at winchester, he seems to have attracted the king's attention; at any rate, we are told by the historian of malmesbury that he became an intimate friend of canute and exerted great influence with him.[ ] it may have been this friendship that secured to lifing the abbacy of tavistock, perhaps in , in which year he witnessed charters for the first time as abbot. lifing's advance to power was rapid. two years after his first appearance in the documents as abbot, we find that he had been elevated to the episcopal office, having probably been advanced to the see of crediton.[ ] the devonshire country had been the centre of a persistent anti-danish movement, it appears, and it was surely a prudent move to place a strong partisan of the new order in control of the church in the southwestern shires. in the same year, the king further honoured him with landed estates in hampshire. this must have been just prior to the holy river campaign in sweden, on which expedition the bishop probably accompanied his royal master (william of malmesbury tells us that he frequently went to denmark with canute); at all events, when canute without first returning to england made his journey to rome, in the early months of , the bishop of crediton was an important member of the king's retinue. it was bishop lifing who was sent back to england with canute's famous message to the english church and people, the king himself going on to denmark. william of malmesbury describes him as a violent, wilful, and ambitious prelate; when he died (in ) the earth took proper notice and trembled throughout all england.[ ] the year was one of great significance for english history in the reign of canute. in that year he returned to england as danish king; in that same year he issued his proclamation to his anglian subjects and announced his new governmental policy; the same year saw the appointment of a new and friendly primate of the anglican church; in that year, too, began a series of benefactions and other semi-religious acts that made canute's name dear to the english churchmen and secured him the favour of monastic chroniclers. these took various forms: new foundations were established and many of the older ones received increased endowments; monasteries that had been defiled or destroyed in the danish raids were repaired or rebuilt; the fields where the lord of hosts had given the victory to canute's armies were adorned with churches where masses were said for the souls of the slain; saints were honoured; pilgrimages were made; heathen practices were outlawed. the series properly begins with the consecration of the church on ashington field in . the church itself was apparently a modest structure, but the dedication ceremonies were elaborate. as the primacy was evidently vacant at the time, archbishop lifing having died about mid-year (june ),[ ] the venerable wulfstan of the northern province was called on to officiate. with him were numerous ecclesiastics, bishops, abbots, and monks. king canute and earl thurkil also graced the occasion with their presence.[ ] it is interesting to note that the office of chapel priest at ashington was given to a clerk of danish blood, the later prelate stigand, one of the few danes who have held ecclesiastical offices in england. stigand for a time sat on the episcopal throne in the cathedrals of winchester and canterbury. doubtless a dane could perform the offices on this particular field with a blither spirit than a native englishman. if the intention was to impress the english church, canute clearly succeeded. though details are wanting, it is understood that similar foundations soon graced the other fields where canute had fought and won. in that same year, apparently, monks were substituted for secular clerks as guardians of saint edmund's shrine. grievously had the danes sinned against the holy east anglian king. five generations earlier he had suffered ignominious martyrdom at the hands of the vikings. the saint had again suffered outrage in the closing months of king sweyn's life by what seemed to be petty persecution of the priests who served at his sacred shrine. as we have already seen, the king's sudden death while the matter of tribute was still unsettled gave rise to the legend that saint edmund struck down the dane "in like manner as the holy mercurius slew the nithing julian." it was charged that the priests of the holy place led disorderly lives, and on the advice of the neighbouring bishop, elfwine of elmham, it was determined to eject them. earl thurkil's consent was asked and received. monks to the number of twenty were brought from saint benet hulme and ely.[ ] the same year a new church was begun, that the relics of the martyr might have a more suitable home. the monks naturally organised themselves into a monastic community, which seems to have enjoyed full immunity from the very beginning: a trench was run around saint edmund's chapel on the edge of which all tax-gathering was to stop. in addition it is said that the lady emma pledged an annual gift of tour thousand eels from lakenheath, though this was probably a later contribution. the brethren of the monastery also claimed that canute granted them extensive jurisdiction over the manors that belonged to the new foundation.[ ] it is evident that large endowments were given and canute in this way became in a sense the founder of one of the most important sanctuaries of mediæval england. william of malmesbury tells us that canute disliked the english saints, but the evidence indicates the contrary. the only instance of ill-will recorded is in the case of saint edith, king edgar's holy daughter. saint edith rested at wilton, where there was a religious house for women that had enjoyed her patronage. canute expressed a doubt as to the sanctity of a daughter of the immoral edgar and ordered the shrine to be opened. the offended princess arose, we are told, and struck the impious king in the face.[ ] canute acknowledged his error and did penance. there may be some truth in the story so far as it relates to the king's hostility or incredulity, for saint edith was the sister of canute's old enemy, king ethelred. it may have been the vigorous argument of saint edith, or genuine piety, or political considerations that wrought the change, but it is clear that canute soon developed a profound respect for the saints that rested in england. he caused the relics of saint wistan to be translated from repingdon to a more suitable home in the honoured abbey of evesham.[ ] the remains of saint felix were brought back to ramsey in the face of strong opposition from the jealous monks of ely.[ ] on one of his northern journeys the king turned aside to durham to adore the bones of the mighty saint cuthbert. five miles did the king walk with bare feet to the durham sepulchre, and after showing proper respect and veneration, he concluded his visit with a royal gift of lands, two manors, we are told, with all their belongings.[ ] toward the close of his reign, by legislative act, he gave the strenuous dunstan a place on the calendar of english saints.[ ] by far the most famous act of homage of this sort was the translation of saint alphege from london to canterbury in , famous not because of its peculiar importance, but because certain literary monks saw fit to write long accounts of it. this, too, was an act of expiation: so far as the sins of canute's people were concerned the case of bishop alphege was much like that of the martyred king edmund. alphege was from western england and became a monk at deerhurst in gloucestershire. he was for a time abbot of bath and later bishop of winchester. it was he who confirmed olaf trygvesson and thus indirectly began the work that resulted in the conversion of norway. as archbishop of canterbury he seems to have taken a pastoral interest in the danish besiegers, for which he was rewarded with indignities and death. his bones had been laid at rest at saint paul's in london; but canterbury was naturally anxious to have her first martyred bishop in her own house, while london, on the other hand, is said to have watched over the sacred remains with a jealous care that bore the marks of avarice rather than of veneration. we are told that canute earlier had formed the purpose of translating the relics and that certain calamities had recalled the intention to his mind. he suggested the project to archbishop ethelnoth, who doubted the feasibility of the venture. according to the highly-coloured report of the monk osbern who claims to have his information from an eye-witness, the king and the archbishop secretly removed the body from its resting-place and gave it to a monk who bore it to the thames where the king's ship lay ready to receive it. the attention of the londoners was diverted to other parts of the city by feigned excitement at the farther gates, for which the king's housecarles were responsible. meanwhile, the royal ship, with canute himself at the rudder, was conveying the remains to southwark, where they were given into the keeping of the archbishop and his companions, who bore them joyfully on to rochester. here the party was joined by queen emma and the five-year-old princeling harthacanute accompanied by a strong force of housecarles. the translation was effected in june and occupied seven days.[ ] the dane's interest in the church also expressed itself in frequent and important endowments. while it is not always possible to verify these grants, there can be little doubt that the monastic records are usually correct on the points of possession and donors, though the extant charters are frequently forgeries produced at a time when titles were called into question. in some of these gifts, too, we see clearly a desire to atone for past wrongs. canterbury, which had suffered heavy losses at the hands of thurkil and his wild comrades, was assured of its liberties and immunities early in the reign.[ ] another act of expiation was the visit and gift to glastonbury, the famous monastery that had received the bones of edmund ironside. a century after canute's time edmund's grave was covered with a "pall of rich materials, embroidered with figures of peacocks." legend ascribes the gift to canute, and may in this case be trustworthy. with the king at edmund's grave stood archbishop ethelnoth, who was at one time a monk at glastonbury.[ ] the visit seems to have been made in , perhaps on the eve of canute's expedition against the norwegians and swedes. perhaps canute's most famous gift was the golden cross at winchester. some time in the early years of his reign, apparently in , probably just before his visit to denmark, he gave to the new minster a "magnificent golden cross, richly ornamented with precious stones"; in addition to this, "two large images of gold and silver, and sundry relics of the saints."[ ] it seems to have been a gorgeous present, one that was keenly appreciated by the recipients, and the history of which was long recounted. the gift was apparently accompanied by a donation of valuable lands.[ ] canute also showed an interest in the monastery of saint benet hulme, to which three manors were given.[ ] it is claimed that he granted certain immunities to the church of saint mary devon in exeter, but the evidence is not trustworthy.[ ] the great abbey of evesham was not forgotten: the blessed wistan was given a black chasuble and other ornaments, probably at the time of his translation.[ ] it may be that in making this gift the king wished to show his appreciation of the abbot as well as to honour the saint: abbot elf ward is said to have been canute's cousin; if such was the case he must have been the son of the ill-starred pallig. gifts there also were of a more personal character, gifts to various ecclesiastics, monks, and priests whom the king wished to honour; especially may we mention the grants to bishop burhwold and to bishop lifing.[ ] but such donations were not numerous; canute seems to have preferred to honour foundations, probably because in mediæval times the institution was of greater consequence than the individual. the gifts enumerated were made during the first half of the reign. grants were made in the second period as well: abingdon claims to have enjoyed his favour[ ]; the old minster at winchester was endowed with lands and adorned with specimens of the goldsmith's art[ ]; a considerable gift of lands was made to york cathedral[ ]; but these seem to reveal a different spirit and purpose in the giver. before his career closed the great dane became an ardent christian; but in his earlier years, the politician left little room to the churchman: the church was a factor merely, though a great factor, in the political situation. other kings have gloried in new foundations as monuments to religious zeal; canute selected the long-established, the widely-influential shrines and houses and gave his favour chiefly to them. in return he doubtless expected the favour of saints cuthbert, alphege, edmund, felix, and dunstan, and the support of canterbury, evesham, winchester, and the other great institutions that he endowed. it is to be noted that nearly all the institutions that shared the royal bounty were located in the anglo-saxon south where canute especially needed to build up a personal following. the exceptions were york, durham, and coventry where the faithful rejoiced in an arm of saint augustine, a relic of peculiar value that canute is said to have bestowed on the city.[ ] whatever his motives were, it is clear that canute showed an interest in matters ecclesiastical far beyond what the church might reasonably expect from a king whose training had scarcely been positively christian, and who still kept in close touch with the non-christian influences that dominated so much of the north. still, one desire remained unsatisfied: thus far the king had done nothing to make the christian faith compulsory in england. the proclamation of looks in that direction; but it contains no decree of the desired sort. it is a peculiar document, remarkable more for what it omits than for what it actually contains. god's laws, by which the rules of the church are doubtless meant, are not to be violated; but the important task of bringing the violators to justice is committed to the old pirate, thurkil the tall, whose appreciation of christian virtues and divine commandments cannot have been of the keenest.[ ] certain characteristically heathen sins are to be avoided: among the things forbidden is to consort with witches and sorceresses.[ ] but the only crime of this nature for which the document prescribes a specific penalty is that of marrying a nun or any other woman who has taken sacred vows: and if any one has done so, let him be an outlaw before god and excommunicated from all christendom, and let him forfeit all his possessions to the king, unless he quickly desist from sin and do deep penance before god.[ ] it is evident, however, that canute believed that the process of education in the church from sunday to sunday would eventually solve the problem of heathenism in england; for he closes his proclamation with an exhortation to all his subjects to attend faithfully the divine services: and further still we admonish all men to keep the sunday festival with all their might and observe it from saturday's noon to monday's dawning; and let no man be so bold as to buy or sell or to seek any court on that holy day. and let all men, poor and rich, seek their church and ask forgiveness for their sins and earnestly keep every ordained fast and gladly honour the saints, as the mass priest shall bid us, that we may all be able and permitted, through the mercy of the everlasting god and the intercession of his saints, to share the joys of the heavenly kingdom and dwell with him who liveth and reigneth forever without end. amen.[ ] footnotes: [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. , , . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. : schol. . it seems to have been customary to add a christian name in baptism. there is an allusion to canute's conversion in the chronicle of adémar de chabannes (ii., c. ), who seems to believe that canute became a christian after the conquest of england. but the authority of the aquitanian chronicler, though contemporary, cannot be so weighty as that of the records of the church of bremen which the scholiast seems to have used in the entry cited above. for adémar's statement see waitz, _scriptores (m.g.h.)_, iv., . [ ] langebek, _scriptores_, ii., : osbern's tract concerning the translation of saint alphege. osbern tells us that ethelnoth was dear to canute because he had anointed him with the sacred chrism. this cannot refer to his coronation, nor is it likely to have reference to his baptism, as ethelnoth, would scarcely have given canute a german name. it seems, therefore, that it must allude to his confirmation. [ ] liebermann, _geschichte der angelsachsen_, i., . [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] _gesta pontificum_, . [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . to this he afterwards added the see of worcester, to which he was appointed by harold in . _ibid._, . [ ] _gesta pontificum_, - . [ ] stubbs, _registrum sacrum anglicanum_, . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _memorials of saint edmund's abbey_, i., xxvii, , . [ ] _ibid._, i., . [ ] william of malmesbury, _gesta pontificum_, . [ ] _chronicon abbatiæ de evesham_, - . [ ] _historia rameseiensis_, - . [ ] simeon of durham, _opera omnia_, i., . [ ] liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., . [ ] most of these details are from osbern's tract on the life and translation of saint alphege. see langebek, _scriptores_, ii., or wharton's _anglia sacra_, ii. the account in the _chronicle_ is briefer but more reliable. [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, nos. and ; of these the former is scarcely genuine. [ ] william of malmesbury, _gesta regum_, i., . [ ] _liber de hyda_, xxxvi. [ ] _ibid._, . [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . [ ] _ibid._, no. . [ ] _chronicon abbatiæ de evesham_, . [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, nos. , . [ ] _chronicon monasterii de abingdon_, i., ff. [ ] _annales monastici_, ii., . [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . [ ] gervase of canterbury, _historical works_, ii., . the arm was brought to england from rome by archbishop ethelnoth. william of malmesbury, _gesta regum_, i., . [ ] sec. . [ ] sec. . as the term used for sorceress seems to be norse, this prohibition was evidently aimed at practices in the danelaw. [ ] sec. . [ ] secs. - . chapter viii the twilight of the gods the question what attitude to assume toward the organised english church may have caused canute some embarrassment; but the english problem was simple compared with the religious complications that the young king had to face in the north. england was christian, at least officially, while scandinavia was still largely heathen; though every day saw the camps of christendom pitched a little farther toward the arctic. in all the northern kingdoms missionaries were at work planting the seeds of the new faith. by the close of the millennium christianity had made great progress in the danish kingdom; it was firmly rooted in jutland and had found a foothold on the islands and in scania. among the norwegians the new worship had also made some progress; but in sweden the darkness of heathendom still hung heavy and low. norse christianity doubtless filtered in with the viking raids: with the plunder of the catholic south and west, the sea-kings also appropriated many of the forms and ideas of western civilisation, and it is not to be supposed that the fields of religious thought were neglected or overlooked. king hakon the good became a christian at the court of his foster-father, ethelstan, the grandson of alfred.[ ] the sons of eric bloodax were also baptised in england, where their father had found an exile's refuge.[ ] olaf trygvesson found his faith and his mission while fighting as viking in england. olaf the saint received baptism in rouen on his return from a raid as viking mercenary. thus norway had been in close touch with the new faith for nearly a century; and yet, christianity had made but little actual progress. during the reign of canute the danish church reached the stage of effective organisation, while in norway the religious activities were still of the missionary type. [illustration: hammers of thor (from the closing years of heathendom).] the forces of the anse-gods were in retreat all along the religious frontier; but it is not to be supposed that they were panic-stricken. to their zeal for the ancestral worship was added a love for the conflict which inspired the faithful to contest every inch of the christian advance. the challenge of thor has a sort of historic reality in it: in a sense the issue of religion was settled in the north by wager of battle. in his admiration for strength and force, many a northman seemed willing to follow the lead of the stronger cult. the anse-faith of the viking age seems to have been a development of an ancient form of heaven worship or possibly of sun worship, traces of which have been found in the north from the days of the stone age.[ ] in time the deity came to be viewed from various angles, and each particular aspect was individualised and made the object of separate worship. thus, apparently, arose the three great divinities, thor, woden, and frey. thor is the god of strength, the mighty defender of gods and men. his name (o. eng. _thunor_), his flaming beard, the crash of his hammer-stroke show that the thor-conception was closely associated with early notions of thunder and lightning. similarly, the name of woden[ ] associates his divinity with the untamed forces of nature, the fury of the tempest, the wrath of the storm. he is, therefore, the god of the battle rush, the divine force that inspires the athletic frenzy of the berserk. thor is armed with a hammer, woden with a spear. thor rides in a cart drawn by rams; woden's mount is a swift eight-footed horse. but woden is more than a mere god of conflict; he is wise and cunning and knows the mysteries of the world. frey is the god of fruitfulness, the sun-god as giver of life and growth. he should be worshipped by tillers of the soil. in the course of time, new deities were admitted to the scandinavian pantheon; some of these were no doubt developed from older conceptions; others were evidently introduced from neighbouring cults. gradually the old, rude beliefs came to be overlaid with myths, a series of strange tales, bold, strong, and weird. recent scholars have held that many of these were borrowed from the bulging storehouse of christian faith and legend--the result of intellectual contact between the old races and the norse immigrant on the western islands.[ ] but even where this borrowing can be clearly traced, the modifying touches of the norse imagination are clearly in evidence. the northern peoples also developed a system of ethics of which we have a remarkable statement in the eddic poem, the "song of the high one." while of a lower character than that associated with christianity, it was, when we consider the soil from which it sprang, a remarkable growth. candour, honesty, courage, strength, fidelity, and hospitality were enjoined and emphasised. the northman was impressed with the fact that all things seem perishable; but he hoped that the fame of a good life would continue after death. cattle die, kinsmen die, finally dies one-self; but never shall perish the fame of him who has won a good renown. cattle die, kinsmen die, finally dies one-self; but one thing i know that always remains, judgment passed on the dead.[ ] but the duties toward the hostile and the weak, that christianity strove to inculcate, the northman did not appreciate: slavery was common; weak and unwelcome children were often exposed at birth; revenge was a sacred duty. it is not the intention to enter upon a full discussion of old northern faith and morals: in the conversion of a people that had reached the particular stage of culture that the norsemen occupied in the eleventh century, neither is of prime importance. it is doubtful whether the vikings were much interested in the intricacies of dogma, be it heathen or christian. it also seems unlikely that christian morals as practised at the time could have proved very attractive. in the life of saint olaf, for instance, there was little that we should regard as saintly, but much that was cruel, sinful, and coarse. the celtic church, with which the norwegians first came into close contact, seems to have put a somewhat liberal construction on the ten commandments. the forms of worship, however, were of the first importance: in the gorgeous ritual of the mediæval church the heathen could not fail to see a tangible excellence that his own rude worship did not possess. the anse-faith knew no priesthood: the various local officials were charged with the duty of performing the ancient rites, though some evidently had peculiar responsibilities in this matter. in the family the father had certain sacerdotal duties. the gods were worshipped in temples, though not exclusively so; sacred groves and fountains were also used for such purposes. frequently, also, the great hall of a chief was dedicated to the gods and used for sacrificial feasts.[ ] most famous of all the old scandinavian sanctuaries was that at upsala in eastern sweden, built, we are told, by the god frey himself. it was a large wooden structure, highly ornamented with gold. within were rude images of the three major divinities, thor, woden, and frey, with thor's image in the chief place. near the temple there grew, according to the account in adam's chronicle, an exceedingly large tree that always kept its verdure, in winter as well as in summer. there was also a fountain where the victims were sometimes drowned; if the corpse did not reappear, the favour of the gods was assured. in the sacred grove about the sanctuary, the sacrificial victims were hung--horses, dogs, and other beasts, frequently also human beings. the corpses were not removed but permitted to hang from the trees. adam reports that an eye-witness once counted seventy-two such sacrificial victims.[ ] every ninth year the entire swedish nation was summoned to sacrifice at upsala. the feast was celebrated shortly before the vernal equinox and continued nine days. at least one human being was sacrificed each day. great multitudes were in attendance--king and people all sent their offerings to upsala. it seems, however, that christians were released from the duty of attendance on the payment of money.[ ] it is clear that the gathering had a national as well as a religious significance. elaborate festivities were combined with the sacrifices. three times in the year did the northmen gather in this manner to feast and to invoke the gods: at yule-tide in january, at the vernal equinox, and late in the autumn. of these gatherings the sagas speak somewhat explicitly and seem to give reliable information. it was the old way, when a sacrifice was to be, that all the franklins should come to the place where the temple was, and carry thither the victuals that they wished to have as long as the feast lasted. all were to have a drinking together, and there were also slaughtered all kinds of cattle and also horses. and all the blood that came thereof was then called sortilege-blood, and sortilege-bowls those wherein the blood stood, and sortilege-twigs that were made like a sprinkler. with this blood were all the altars to be sprinkled withal, and also the walls of the temple without and within, and also sprinkled on the people, but the meat was seethed for the entertainment of the people. there had to be fires in the midst of the floor of the temple, and kettles over them, and the toasts were carried across the fire. and he that made the feast or was chief had to make a sign over the toast and the sanctified meat. first must come woden's toast: that was drunk to victory and power of the king; and then niard's toast; and frey's toast for good seasons and peace. it was many men's wont to drink brage's toast after that. men also would drink a toast to their kinsmen that had been laid in their barrows, and that was called the memory toast.[ ] this description applies more especially to the great yule-festivities, but its more prominent features, the gathering, the sacrificial slaughter, the blood-sprinkling, the toasts, and the feasting, were evidently common usages, though places and occasions probably developed varieties of customary worship. on the same occasions, the will of the gods was ascertained by the casting of lot or other processes of sortilege. vows were pledged and oaths were registered. a ring of two-ounce weight or more must lie on the altar in every head temple. this ring every _godë_ (temple-official) must carry in his hand to any law-moot that he himself was to preside over, and he must first redden it in the blood of the sacrificial beast which he sacrificed there himself.[ ] in the myth ragnarok the sibyl has told of the end of all things, even of the divinities; how the twilight shall settle down upon the life of the anses; how their strength shall wither and age steal upon them; and how at last swart, the lord of the fire-world, shall come to the attack wrapped in flames. swart from the south comes with flaming sword; bright from his blade the sun is blazing. stagger the stony peaks, stumble the giants; heroes fare helward and heaven yawns.[ ] it is an awful picture that the prophetess unrolls for us of all the personified forces of destruction mustering to do battle against the gods. the forces of evil win, for weakness has stolen upon the world in the "twilight" preceding the final conflict: "an age of lust, of ax and sword, and of crashing shields, of wind and wolf ere the world crumbles."[ ] then comes the end of all things: swart is the sun, earth sinks in the ocean, the shining stars are quenched in the sky. smoke and steam encircle the ash-tree, flame-tongues lick the lofty heaven.[ ] [illustration: the tjÄngvide stone (monument from the island of gotland. the stone shows various mythological figures; see below, page .)] the prophecy of destruction as well as an expressed hope of future regeneration shows quite clearly the result of christian influence on thought and imagery. the poem must consequently have been produced after the north had come under the spell of western culture, some time, perhaps, in the tenth century. less than a century later the "twilight of the gods" had set in. the union of the anglo-saxon to the danish crown could not fail to affect missionary operations in the north. it would seem at first sight as if the work would be strengthened and hastened, for now the christianising energies of britain would be added to those of germany. as a matter of fact the situation became more complex and difficult: the union brought out the question whether the primacy of the new church should belong to hamburg-bremen or to canterbury. it seems that canute at one time held out hopes to archbishop ethelnoth of rising to metropolitan authority of the danish as well as of the english nation. such an arrangement would seem natural and highly desirable: the empire that canute ruled from winchester could be more readily held together if its ecclesiastical concerns were all directed from the cathedral at canterbury. these new plans with respect to the young danish church apparently date from the years immediately following canute's return to england as danish king ( ). his new interest in english ecclesiastical matters has been discussed elsewhere. in , ethelnoth consecrated three bishops for danish sees: gerbrand for zealand (roeskild); reginbert for funen (odense); and bernhard for the scanian lands.[ ] the sources also state that many other english bishops were sent to denmark from england, but no names are given. it is to be noted that the names given above are not anglo-saxon but german. it has therefore been thought that these bishops were from flanders or lorraine, in which regions there was an ecclesiastical movement of some importance in the days of canute.[ ] of these three the most important was doubtless gerbrand, whose cathedral was located at roeskild, the royal residential city. at this time unwan was archbishop of hamburg-bremen. unwan was an aggressive and ambitious prelate; it was not with pleasure that he learned of the new bishops from the west; without the north as its mission-field, bremen would be a sorry province. bishop gerbrand on his journey to his new parish,--he was probably sailing along the german coast according to custom,--was captured and brought before archbishop unwan who forced him to do proper homage. apparently the german prelate made a favourable impression on bishop gerbrand for through his influence the archbishop induced canute to agree that future bishops should be consecrated at bremen.[ ] tradition is doubtless correct in ascribing to canute considerable activity in the endowment of churches. the statement that he established monasteries in denmark is probably an error; if he attempted to do so, his efforts failed[ ]; some time still had to pass before the viking could find contentment in the cloister. danish monasticism dates from the closing years of the century, when twelve monks from evesham on the avon came on request of king eric to found a monastery at odense. it seems likely that the payment of peter's pence dates from this reign. as to the amount of this tax nothing is known; but it is probable that the sum was a very modest one, as the danes in england seem to have been specially favoured in this matter, the tax in the danelaw being half as large as in the rest of england.[ ] across the sound in scania, the introduction of christianity was a slower process. we learn that in sweyn's time an englishman, godebald, was appointed bishop there, and that he occasionally preached in the neighbouring sections of sweden and norway.[ ] the results were evidently meagre, but it is significant that the preacher came from england. the norwegian church is in a peculiar sense a daughter of the english church. the first serious attempt at mission work in norway was made about the middle of the tenth century, when king hakon built a few churches and sent for english priests to officiate in them. one of these apparently bore the episcopal title, sigfrid, a monk of glastonbury.[ ] the yeomanry gathered and slew the missionaries and the work came to nought. when olaf trygvesson seized the kingship ( ), he came accompanied by english priests. among these was bishop sigurd, who was probably a northumbrian of norse ancestry, and evidently a man of strength and discretion. after the battle of swald he seems to have continued his labours in sweden. english missionaries also came with olaf the stout. he was accompanied by a number of priests and bishops from england through whose doctrine and instruction he prepared his heart for god, and to whose guidance he entrusted the people who were subject to him. among these were men who were famous for learning and virtue, namely sigfrid, grimkell, rudolf, and bernhard.[ ] [illustration: the church at urnes (norway) (from about .)] it is to be observed once more that none of these bears an anglo-saxon name: sigfrid and grimkell were doubtless natives of the danelaw, of norse blood, but english in culture and faith; bernhard may have been a german from the country of the lower rhine; rudolf is said to have been a kinsman of edward the confessor; as his name is norman, we shall have to conclude that he was a relative of queen emma, edward's mother. late in life he received from the confessor an important appointment as abbot of abingdon ( ).[ ] so long as king olaf lived grimkell seems to have held the office of chief bishop. these were the men who laid the foundation of the norwegian church; later missionaries from britain continued the work along the earlier lines. the result was that the new church came largely to be organised according to english models. its ceremonial came to reflect old english practices. its terminology was formed according to anglo-saxon analogies.[ ] characteristic of both the english and the norse church was an extensive use of the vernacular. and many remarkable parallels have been found in the church legislation of king ethelred and the ecclesiastical laws attributed to saint olaf.[ ] it would seem most fitting that a church so intimately connected with english christianity should pass under the metropolitan jurisdiction of the see at canterbury, and such may have been saint olaf's original intention. but the establishment of danish power at winchester, the appointment of canute's friend ethelnoth to the primacy, and canute's designs on the norwegian throne made such an arrangement impractical. there was consequently nothing to do but to enter into relations with the see of bremen. adam tells us that olaf sent an embassy[ ] headed by bishop grimkell with gifts to our archbishop and bearing the request that he receive these [english] bishops favourably and send others of his own consecration that the rude norwegian people might be strengthened in the christian faith. [illustration: runic monument shows hammer of thor the odderness stone] it is difficult to appreciate the tremendous social changes that the introduction of christianity worked among the northmen of the eleventh century. there was so much that was new in christian practice that the adjustment was a difficult matter. the rigid observance of the seventh day; the numerous holidays; the frequent fasts and the long abstentions of lent; the duties of confession and penance; the support of a new social class, the priests; all these things the unwilling convert found exceedingly irksome. in addition to this, there were certain prohibitions that also worked hardships: marriage within certain degrees of kinship; the exposure of children (except such as were born with deformities, who might be exposed after baptism); the eating of horseflesh, and other honoured northern customs. much that was heathen could not be rooted out. the churches were frequently built near the old sanctuaries and the new worship unavoidably came to be associated in many minds with much that was heathen.[ ] while canute was organising the church in denmark, olaf was striving to reshape norwegian society and uproot the old faith. with force and fair words he won many for the new order, but many more refused to receive baptism. ten years passed with growing discontent; so long as the nation was still heathen in morals and view of life, resistance was inevitable. finally the partisans of the old rites and practices turned to canute, the great christian king. and he who should have been a defender of the faith heard their complaints with unfeigned joy. footnotes: [ ] snorre, _saga of harold fairhair_, c. . hakon's dates according to saga are - . the earlier date should probably be corrected to or a later year, perhaps . see _norges historie_, i., ii., . [ ] snorre, _saga of hakon the good_, c. . eric bloodax was hakon's half-brother. for a time he ruled northumbria as vassal of the english king. _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . the vassal relationship is asserted in the sagas. [ ] montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, . two symbols of sun worship, the wheel and the axe (the symbol of lightning which later developed into thor's hammer), can be traced back to the close of the stone age. _ibid._, . the worship of the bright sky may have preceded that of the sun. [ ] german _wotan_. cf. mod. ger. _wuth_. [ ] particularly the late sophus bugge in _the home of the eddic poems_ and elsewhere. [ ] _hávamál_, - . (_corpus poeticum boreale_, i, .) [ ] montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, . [ ] _gesta_, iv., c. and schol. , . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] vigfusson and powell, _origines islandicæ_:, i., - . from the _hakonar saga_. [ ] vigfusson and powell, _origines islandicæ_, i., . from the _landnáma-bóc_. [ ] voluspá, ii. - . (_corpus poeticum boreale_, i., .) [ ] voluspá, ii. - . [ ] _ibid._, ii. - . [ ] stubbs, _registrant sacrum anglicanum_, . [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, iii., . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., , - . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] taranger, _den angelsaksiske kirkes indflydelse paa den norske_, . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . _anglia sacra_, i., . [ ] an illustration of this appears on a runic monument at odderness in southern norway raised in memory of a godson of saint olaf: "oivind, saint olaf's godson [_kosunr_ or _gosunr]_ raised this church on his allodial land." [ ] for the account of the anglo-saxon missionaries i am indebted to taranger's work on the influence of the anglo-saxon on the norwegian church: _den angelsaksiske kirkes indflydelse paa den norske_. [ ] _gesta_, ii., c. ; iv., c. . the embassy was probably sent some time during the years - , and perhaps shortly before canute accepted the supremacy of hamburg-bremen in denmark. [ ] this paragraph is summarised from professor bugge's discussion in _norges historie_, i., ii., - . chapter ix canute and the norwegian conspiracy - the sons of earl hakon, eric and sweyn, who ruled norway for fifteen years after the fall of olaf trygvesson, were not aggressive rulers. they were not of the blood royal, they were vassals of alien kings, both seem by nature to have been of an easy-going disposition; hence they were not able to command obedience to the extent that a strong monarchy demanded. as a result, the norwegian aristocracy arrogated to itself a great measure of independence. the peasantry resumed their old habits and practices; in many places the old worship was wholly restored, including the sacrificial festivals. the earls were christians, but did not interfere. of a different type was king olaf haroldsson. he was determined and forceful, equipped with a vigorous intellect and a will that could brook no opposition. though his policies extended far beyond the religious field, his chief anxiety was to make norway a christian kingdom. his zeal was that of the convert, the passion of the devotee; but it was more than that: it was the purpose of the far-seeing statesman. in his viking adventures he had become acquainted with the advantages of the european political system. he wished to introduce this into his own kingdom, to europeanise norway. this was the great king-thought for which saint olaf lived and fell. but at the basis of the european system lay christianity. in his proselyting endeavours, he met opposition from the very beginning; but for a time he was able to overcome all resistance. however, the spirit of rebellion was silenced only; after five years of missionary effort, king olaf found that christian progress was apparent rather than real. he also found that the devotees of the old worship were still determined and that a group of chiefs were organising an opposition that might overturn his throne. the opposition was of two sorts: on the one hand the christian was opposed by the partisan of the old gods; on the other hand olaf's strong kingship was disliked by the chiefs who recalled the freedom that they had enjoyed in the days of the two earls. distances were great in norway; travel was difficult; the ocean was the best highway. but with sail and oar it took time to reach the settlements on the long coast line, and the king soon learned that promises to renounce the anses were easily forgotten or broken. then followed crop failures in the far north: it was clear that frey was angry and wished to punish the apostacy of his people.[ ] in the aristocratic opposition five chieftains bear special prominence. at soli on the wide plains of jæderen in south-western norway, not far from the modern city of stavanger, lived erling, the son of skjalg. erling had sailed with king olaf to wendland, but had had no part in the fight at swald. later the earls found it advisable to make peace with the soli family and gave erling skjalgsson a magnificent fief in the south-west. from the naze to the sogn firth his was the ruling influence. of all the norwegian magnates erling was unquestionably the most powerful; and though both earl eric and king olaf had looked askance at his power, he maintained his position for a quarter of a century. five active sons and a spirited daughter grew up in erling's house. the lord of soli never was an ideal subject; but after his nephew asbjörn slew one of king olaf's servants in the royal presence during the easter festivities, a quarrel broke out that had fatal consequences.[ ] the island of giski some distance north of cape stadt was the ancestral seat of the famous arnung family, which for several generations held a prominent place in the councils of norway. according to tradition the family was founded by one finnvid who was found in an eagle's nest, and hence was known as finnvid found. the family took its name from arne, a prominent chief in saint olaf's day and a good friend of the king. seven sons and a daughter were born to arne and his good wife thora. the oldest of the sons married the only daughter of the mighty erling. arne's daughter became the wife of another prominent lord and enemy of olaf, harek of tjotta. for a time all the sons of arne supported the king and kalf alone finally joined his enemies. olvi of egg, a wealthy thronder, was found to have continued the old sacrificial practices in secret, and on the king's orders was slain. kalf arnesson married his widow, and from that day his loyalty was shaken.[ ] far to the north lived two chiefs who were also counted among the king's opponents: harek of tjotta and thor the dog. thor was the ill-fated asbjörn's uncle and the brother-in-law of the slain olvi. he lived on the bark-isle beyond the arctic circle and was easily the most powerful man in those regions.[ ] harek lived on the isle of tjotta, a little to the south of the polar circle. he seems to have had something of a monopoly of the finnish trade and from this and other sources amassed great wealth. in the norse nobility few stood higher than harek: he counted among his kinsmen the reigning king as well as his predecessors the earls.[ ] in the rebellion that finally cost king olaf his life, thor and harek were prominent leaders. in the throndelaw, some distance south of nidaros, dwelt einar thongshaker. einar, the strongest and most athletic norseman of his day, the archer who could pierce a damp ox-hide with a blunt shaft, was also a man of great personal influence. married to earl eric's sister, he was naturally in sympathy with the dynastic claims of the earl's family. for some years after the defeat at the nesses, he had lived in exile in sweden; but finally he was reconciled to king olaf and was permitted to return.[ ] it does not appear that any of these leaders had any enthusiasm for the old faith; erling skjalgsson and einar thongshaker seem to have been zealous christians. but among their kinsmen were many who clung to the worship of woden and thor. wherever the king found heathen rites celebrated in open or secret, harsh measures were employed--loss of property, of limb, and even of life. thus the chiefs saw many a kinsman dishonoured or dead, and to their disinclination to obey the royal mandate was joined the motive of private revenge. soon dissatisfaction was rife everywhere, and over the north sea fled yearly a band of exiles who had resisted the royal will. among those who went west was einar thongshaker, though he went ostensibly as a pilgrim, not as a plotter. soon after his return from sweden he found it advisable to seek expiation at rome for earlier sins, and in or he left for the eternal city. it seems probable that his brother-in-law eric joined him in this expedition or planned to do so, for the sagas persist in connecting eric's death, which must have occurred about , with a pilgrimage to rome, at least projected and perhaps carried out. in england einar is said to have visited young earl hakon, possibly in his earldom in the severn valley; he also had an interview with canute "and was given great gifts."[ ] einar's visit was probably just after canute's return from his expedition to the slavic lands. whether the pilgrimage was more than a mere pretext we do not know, though it probably was made in good faith. after his return to norway he was not active in king olaf's service, though he showed no open hostility. many magnates or sons of prominent franklins had fared to canute on various errands; but all who came to king canute were given their hands full of wealth. there one could see greater splendour than elsewhere, both as to the multitude of people in daily attendance and in the other arrangements on the manors that he possessed and occupied. canute the mighty gathered tribute from the lands that were the richest in the north; but in the same measure as he had more to receive than other kings, he also gave much more than any other king.... but many of those who came from norway lamented the loss of their liberties and hinted to earl hakon and some to the king himself, that the men of norway were now surely ready to renew their allegiance to king canute and the earl, and to receive their old liberties from them. these speeches suited the earl's mind, and he suggested to canute that olaf be called on to surrender the kingdom to them, or to agree to divide it.[ ] snorre attributes canute's delay in claiming the norse kingship to a difference between himself and his cousin, earl hakon, as to who should possess and rule the country. it is evident, however, that before canute was hardly in a position to press a claim of such a doubtful character. but in that year the situation was more favourable: he was in uncontested possession of the english and danish crowns; he had successfully fought and subdued the slavs to the south of denmark; his prestige was consequently greater than ever before. that year, the subject of norse conquest must have been discussed quite seriously at winchester, for as soon as the winter was past, an embassy was on its way to king olaf's court to demand the kingdom of norway for canute. among the various regions that composed the norwegian realm, two enjoyed a peculiar prominence: the wick and the throndelaw. the throndelaw was a group of "folks" or shires about the throndhjem firth, a region that had developed considerable solidarity and in one sense was reckoned as the heart of the kingdom. here was for some time the capital of the nation, as it has remained in ecclesiastical matters to this day, at least nominally. the wick was the country that bordered on the great "bay" in the extreme south. it was this region that first came into contact with european civilisation and where culture and christianity had perhaps taken firmest root. in a sense the wick was disputed territory: it had earlier been under danish overlordship, and a part of it had also for a brief period been subject to sweden; national feeling was therefore not strong on these shores. for this reason, perhaps, king olaf had established a royal residence at tunsberg near the mouth of the firth on the western shore. here the king held his court in the winter of - ; it was here that he received the english embassy. it was a splendid company that canute sent to norway, but olaf was not pleased with their errand. for several days he kept them waiting before he was willing to grant them an audience. but when they were permitted to speak with him they brought into his presence canute's writ and recited their message, that canute claims all of norway as his possession and asserts that his ancestors have possessed the realm before him; but whereas king canute offers peace to all lands, he will not fare to norway with war shields if another choice is possible. but if king olaf haroldsson wishes to rule norway, let him fare to king canute and receive the land from him as a fief and become his man and pay such tribute as the earls had earlier paid.[ ] such a proposal was an insult to the norse nation, and it is not likely that canute expected a favourable reply. but in its apparent moderation, in its appeal to historic rights, the demand served well the intended purpose: to extort a challenge that would make hostilities unavoidable and make olaf appear as the aggressor. king olaf's anger did not permit a diplomatic reply: "i have heard tell in olden story that gorm the dane-king was an excellent ruler, but he ruled denmark only; but the dane-kings who have come since his day do not seem to have been satisfied with that. it has come to this now that canute rules denmark and england and in addition has subjected a large part of scotland. now he challenges my inheritance. he should, however, learn to be moderate in his avarice,--or does he plan to govern all the northlands alone? or does he intend to eat alone all the cabbage in england? he will be able to accomplish that before i shall pay him tribute or do him any sort of homage. now you shall tell him these my words, that i will defend norway with point and edge as long as life days are granted me; but never shall i pay tribute for my kingdom to any man."[ ] such is snorre's account. the speeches are doubtless the historian's own; but they reveal a keen insight into the shrewd diplomacy of canute and the impetuous methods of olaf. the ambassadors soon prepared to retire, little pleased with the outcome. it is reported that in conversation with sighvat the scald they expressed their surprise at the norse king's rashness. the lord of england was gentle and forgiving. only recently two kings came from north in scotland, from fife, and he laid aside his wrath and let them keep all the lands that they had earlier possessed and gave them great gifts of friendship in addition. the poet later put his reply into verse: able kings have carried their heads to canute, coming from fife in the far north (fair was the purchase of peace). olaf has never sold (oft has the stout one conquered) here in the whole world his head to any man.[ ] there could be no question about unpeace after olaf's defiance had been repeated to canute. it is said that norsemen looked on cabbage eaters as naturally stupid; hence the taunt, if given, had a sharp point. the great king is said to have remarked that olaf should find something besides cabbage within his ribs. that summer two of erling's sons, aslak and skjalg, appeared at the english court. "and king canute gave the brothers large revenues."[ ] during the succeeding summer ( ) king olaf remained in the south. rumour had it that canute was coming from england with a powerful host, and the norwegian king made preparations to meet him. the chiefs were summoned to the wick and seem to have appeared with their retainers in large numbers. olaf's spies were everywhere on the lookout for the english fleet. merchant ships were eagerly sought for news. but canute was not yet ready to fight and did not appear before autumn. he spent the winter in denmark but mainly for precautionary purposes; hostile activities were evidently to be postponed to a more favourable time.[ ] that same autumn olaf approached the king of sweden on the subject of an alliance against the ambitious king of denmark. the young anund jacob, king olaf's brother-in-law and admirer, was now on the swedish throne. it was easy to convince the youthful king that his realm would not long be left in peace should canute succeed in adding norway to his dominions. an alliance was accordingly concluded: the king who should first need assistance should have the other's help. a conference was also arranged for, as more definite plans would have to be agreed upon. that year king olaf prepared to winter at sarpsborg, just across the firth from tunsberg. king anund made a winter journey into gautland toward the norse frontier, and tarried there for some months. during his stay there, envoys appeared from canute with gifts and fair words. anund was assured of peace and security if he would renounce his alliance with the norsemen. but this embassy also had to return with unsatisfactory reports: anund intended to be faithful to his pledge; no friendship for denmark was to be looked for in sweden.[ ] spring came ( ) and developments were looked for; but the unexpected happened: canute returned to england, leaving his young son harthacanute, a boy of eight or nine years, as regent in denmark under the guardianship of ulf, canute's brother-in-law, who seems to have succeeded thurkil the tall as viceroy in denmark. the allied kings now proceeded to hold their projected conference at kingscrag, near the south-east corner of olaf's kingdom. in this conference a new agreement seems to have been reached; the defensive alliance was apparently changed to an offensive one and an attack on canute's danish possessions was planned.[ ] [illustration: ornaments (chiefly buckles) from the viking age.] why canute failed to attack norway in the autumn of , or in the following spring, is not known. it seems, however, a fairly safe conjecture that he felt unprepared to meet the allied forces. he evidently preferred to wait until the spirit of disaffection and rebellion had spread more widely in norway; for thus far only the great house of soli had openly espoused the pretender's cause; most of the dissatisfied lords were in king olaf's host. doubtless he also hoped that by diplomatic means or otherwise dissension might be sown between the confederated kings, and their alliance dissolved. gold was the power that canute depended upon to prepare rebellion in norway. that the danish king employed bribery in these years to a large extent is a well-attested fact. florence of worcester who wrote three generations later recounts how gold was distributed among the norwegian chiefs in the hope that they would permit canute to rule over them, though florence is clearly misinformed when he tells us that the norsemen had renounced their allegiance to king olaf because of his simplicity and gentleness.[ ] olaf was a saint when the scribe at worcester wrote his history; but he was not a saint of the ideal sort, and hence florence is led into error. richard of cirencester, too, has heard of these proceedings and the "great supply of gold and silver that was sent to the magnates of that country."[ ] both writers represent the norsemen as eager for the bribes. the sagas, of course, give fuller details. the result was that king olaf's forces to some extent were made up of men whose loyalty had been undermined, who were in the pay of the enemy. the following year ( ), the year when the most christian monarch made his pilgrimage to the tomb of peter, seems to have seen the greatest activity in this direction; out the probabilities are that large sums of danegeld had found their way to norway also in the earlier two or three years. footnotes: [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _ibid._, cc. , , ff. [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. - . [ ] _ibid._, c. . [ ] _ibid._, c. . [ ] on the subject of the norse chiefs in king olaf's day, see munch, _det norske folks historie_, i., ii., - ; _norges historie,_ i., ii., - . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . according to snorre's reckoning, he left in the summer of and returned the following summer. [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., - . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . the legendary _olafs-saga_ tells us that the gifts were two golden candlesticks, a golden dish highly jewelled for the table service, and two gold rings. anund is said to have remarked that he did not wish to sell olaf for a dish. [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] _speculum historiale_, ii., . chapter x the battle of holy river and the pilgrimage to rome - one of the notable results of the expedition to the south baltic in was that a reconciliation was effected with thurkil the tall. "and he gave denmark into the keeping of thurkil and his son; and the king brought thurkil's son with him to england."[ ] the son who was thus made regent was probably sweyn; it was scarcely harthacanute, as this prince was present at the translation of saint alphege from london to canterbury that same year ( ); of canute's other son, harold harefoot, we hear nothing until after the king's death. the hostage that canute took with him to england may have been harold who played an important part in northern history two decades later. thurkil cannot have lived long after his promotion to the vice-royalty, for three years later ( ), we find harthacanute representing royal authority in denmark with earl ulf as guardian and actual wielder of power. this change in the regency we may, perhaps, ascribe to the activities of queen emma, one of whose chief purposes in life was to disinherit her husband's illegitimate offspring. the next few months seem to have witnessed a revolution in denmark: earl ulf appears to have summoned a national assembly at viborg, an old sanctuary in the north central part of jutland, where he announced that it was canute's desire to have his young eight-year-old son chosen and proclaimed king of denmark. with evident success he argued that the ancient kingdom, which always had had a ruler within its borders, was poorly served by the present arrangement of subjection to an absentee-king. he also called attention to the threatened invasion from the allied kingdoms of norway and sweden. the sagas assert that queen emma had plotted with earl ulf to secure the royal name for her son and that she had even forged a document to support the move. the assembly assented and harthacanute was proclaimed king.[ ] there are suggestions that ulf at this time was in communication with the allied monarchs and that he had even encouraged them to invade the danish territories. evidence is wanting, but it is clear that ulf's activities in were not of the proper sort.[ ] the earl was an ambitious and turbulent man, closely connected with both the danish and the swedish dynasties. he was a man of the type that finds service difficult; it is clear that canute suspected him of treason. after canute's departure for england the northern kings had their conference at kingscrag where a closer alliance was formed and offensive operations were probably determined upon. soon afterwards king olaf was on his way to his northern capital to raise the host for a grand effort. it seems that the chiefs quite generally obeyed the summons; of the leaders in the northern shires einar thongshaker alone remained at home on his estates. a considerable fleet gathered at the rendezvous at the mouth of throndhjem firth; as it sailed southward there were constant additions, till it finally counted ships. the royal flagship was the _bison_, a longship that had been built the winter before, the prow of which bore the head of a bison adorned with gold. on the journey southward, king olaf learned that canute was still in england, but that he was making preparations for a grand attack. he also learned that erling skjalgsson was now with his sons in the enemy's service. but no one knew when the english host might be expected; time passed and the norsemen began to tire of inaction. accordingly king olaf dismissed the least effective part of his forces and with the remainder, sixty large and well-manned ships, sailed for the coast of zealand, expecting later to join the swedish armament that had gathered on the scanian coast.[ ] meanwhile, canute had hastened his preparations. one of his scanian subjects, hakon of stangeby, had, when the plans of the enemy had become evident, hastened to england to warn his king. it is said that canute rewarded him with an estate in scania for his loyalty and promptness.[ ] it was a mighty fleet that sailed from southern england that summer; canute led the expedition in person with earl hakon apparently as second in command. snorre reports that canute's ship had one hundred and twenty oars, while that of the earl had eighty. both ships were provided with golden figureheads; but their sails were counted particularly splendid with their stripes of blue and red and green. earl ulf had by this time come to realise that denmark could not afford to ignore the lord of england. there was evidently much dissatisfaction with the earl's régime, for we find that the danes in large numbers accepted the invaders. ulf and harthacanute soon retreated to jutland, and left the islands and scania to the enemy. the situation that canute found when he sailed into the lime firth was perhaps not wholly a surprise; he must have known something about what his deputy had been plotting and doing. that he was angry is evident; that his wrath was feared is also clear. harthacanute was advised to submit; he knelt before his father and obtained forgiveness, as the king realised that no responsibility could lodge with a witless boy. ulf also tried to make terms with the offended monarch, but was merely told to collect his forces and join in the defence of the kingdom; later he might propose terms. such is snorre's account[ ]; it may be inaccurate in details, but the main fact that earl ulf was faithless to his trust seems to be correctly stated. elsewhere, too, ulf is accused of opposition to his king: saxo charges him with treason[ ]; and an entry in the _anglo-saxon chronicle_ tells us that canute went east to fight ulf and eglaf.[ ] there has been some dispute as to the identity of these chiefs, but unless evidence to the contrary is forthcoming, we shall have to conclude that they were the two brothers who were earls in england in the early days of canute as english king. shortly before this ( ), eglaf's name disappears from the english sources. the chronicler was evidently not informed as to the situation in the north; but he knew that the two brothers were among the opponents of the king and recorded what he knew. meanwhile, olaf was on the shores of zealand with his longships. saxo relates that one day while he was addressing the danes at a public assembly with a view to winning them to his own allegiance, spies rushed up and reported that they had seen several ships approaching. an aged dane assured the king that the ships were merchantmen only; but when sails in growing numbers began to cross the horizon, he added that they were merchantmen who had come to buy denmark with iron.[ ] from the lime firth, canute must have sailed his fleet southeastward to the upper entrance of the sound; at any rate, king olaf soon discovered that the homeward route had been effectually blocked. there was now nothing to do but to continue the journey eastward and to form a junction with king anund's fleet which was harrying the scanian coast. canute must have followed in hot pursuit, for before the enemies could form a junction he seems to have found and defeated a part of the swedish fleet at stangeberg.[ ] a little later, he came up with the combined strength of the allied kings near the mouth of holy river. holy river is a short stream in the eastern part of scania that serves as the outlet of a group of lakes not far inland. between these lakes and the sea the forest was heavy enough to conceal any activities inland. when the kings learned that the danish fleet was approaching, they took counsel and decided to draw up their ships in battle order east of the river mouth, but to act on the defensive. king anund was to remain in charge of the fleet while king olaf, who is reputed to have been something of a military engineer, went inland to prepare a trap for the enemy. where the river left the lakes he is said to have built a temporary dam of trees and turf, and he also improved the outlets of some of the smaller lakes, so as to increase the water masses behind the dam. many days the work continued under olaf's direction. then came the message that canute had arrived and the norsemen hastened to their ships. it was late in the afternoon when anund's spies finally caught sight of the great armament approaching from the west. swift-footed couriers at once left for the lakes to inform olaf, who immediately prepared to break the dam, at the same time filling the course with large trees. canute saw the enemy drawn up in line and ready for the fight; but it was then too late to proceed to the attack; moreover, the enemy had the advantage of a carefully chosen position. the dane therefore refused battle that day. finding the harbour at the river mouth empty, he sailed into it with as many ships as could be accommodated; the remainder were left just outside. at dawn the next morning, a large part of canute's forces was found to have landed; some were conversing, others seeking amusement. then without the least warning the waters came down in torrents, dashing the floating trees against the ships. the ships were injured and the waters overflowed the river banks, drowning the men who had gone on land and also many who were still on the ships. those who were able to do so cut the ropes and allowed their ships to drift, each in its own direction. the great dragon that canute himself commanded was among these; it was not easily managed by the oars alone and drifted out toward the hostile fleet. but when the allies recognised the ship, they immediately surrounded it; but it was not easily attacked, for the ship was high like a castle and had a number of men on board, who were carefully chosen, thoroughly armed, and very reliable. it was not long before earl ulf came up alongside with his ships and men and the battle was now joined in earnest. canute's forces now came up from all sides. then the kings olaf and anund realised that they had now won as much as fate had allowed them for this time; so they ordered a retreat, withdrew from canute's fleet, and separated from the fight.[ ] in its disorganised condition canute's host could make no effective pursuit. the danes and english had suffered heavy losses, while those of the swedes and norsemen were slight; still their combined forces were yet inferior to those of canute. it was, therefore, agreed to avoid further battle. eastward the course continued, the intention being to stop for the night in the harbour of barwick on the coast of bleking. however, a large part of the swedish fleet did not enter the harbour, but continued the journey eastward and northward; nor were the sails lowered before the chiefs had reached their respective homes. early the following morning, king anund ordered the signal to be sounded for a council of the remaining chiefs. the entire army landed and the assembly proceeded to discuss the situation. king anund announced that of ships that had joined him in the preceding summer only were now in the harbour. these with the sixty norwegian ships did not make a force sufficient for successful operations against canute. the swedish king therefore proposed to olaf that he should spend the winter in sweden, and in the spring, perhaps, they might be able to renew hostilities. olaf demurred: the former viking could not surrender his purposes so readily; it would still be possible, he argued, to defeat canute as his large fleet would soon be compelled to scatter in search of provisions, his eastern coasts having been too recently harried to afford much in the way of supplies. but the outcome was that olaf left his ships in sweden and returned to norway overland. canute kept informed as to the situation in the enemies' fleet and army but did not attempt pursuit. it would seem that a great opportunity was thus permitted to slip past; but the king probably did not so regard it. to fight the swedes was not a part of his present plan; his hope was to detach king anund from his more vigorous ally. when he learned that the hostile fleet was about to dissolve, he returned to zealand and blocked the sound, hoping, no doubt, to intercept the norwegian king on his return northward. as we have seen, however, olaf appreciated the danger and refused to risk an ambush. that same season saw him on the march through south-western sweden to his manors on the shores of the great firth. on his arrival in his own land, he dismissed the larger part of his host; only a small body of trusted men including several prominent magnates remained with him at sarpsborg, where he prepared to spend the winter.[ ] of this campaign we have, broadly speaking, but one detailed account,--the one given in the sagas. as these are far from contemporary, doubts have been cast upon the story, but in the main it seems reliable. that there was a battle at holy river we know from the _anglo-saxon chronicle_, which states that canute was defeated at that place by ulf and eglaf supported by a large force of swedes. as to the strategic device of king olaf, we cannot be so sure; but the account in the sagas reveals a topographical knowledge so specific as to argue strongly for the belief that the authors must have had access to reliable sources. there is also a question as to the date of the battle: snorre seems to place it in ; the _old english chronicle_ has it in . the battle seems to have been fought some time in september, . it evidently occurred before canute made his pilgrimage to rome, where we find him at easter, . though canute suffered a defeat at holy river, the outcome gave no advantage to his enemies. the swedes were discouraged and tired of a conflict which, after all, did not seem to concern them. king olaf was discredited: a king who had abandoned his ships was not in position to claim a victory. from that day he found disloyalty everywhere. the pretender had only to appear on the norwegian coasts with ships and men to secure the enthusiastic allegiance of the rebellious norsemen. canute was not prepared, however, to move against olaf at this time. autumn was coming on, a season that was far too short for naval operations. and soon a tragedy was enacted at the danish court, the consequences of which probably caused a complete rearrangement of canute's immediate plans. the day before michaelmas the king proceeded to roeskild, where earl ulf had prepared an elaborate entertainment for him and his train. according to the sagas ulf was aggressive, vigorous, and brave; but he was also tactless and careless in speech, and possessed a temper that was not easily controlled. the festivities did not seem to please the king--he was moody and silent. in the evening ulf suggested a game of chess, hoping, no doubt, that the play would help to restore the royal good humour. but as they were playing at chess, king canute and earl ulf, the king made a wrong move and the earl took one of his knights. the king moved his opponent's chessman back and told him to make another play; this angered the earl; he overturned the chessboard, rose, and left the table. then said the king, "are you running away now, timid wolf!" the earl turned in the doorway and replied, "farther you would have run at holy river, if you had been able. you did not then call ulf timid, when i rushed up to help you, when the swedes were threshing you and your men like dogs." with that the earl left the room and went to sleep.[ ] it is not likely, however, that the earl's rest was wholly undisturbed that night, for in the morning he was found to have sought sanctuary in holy trinity church. nor did sleep appease the king's anger; while he was dressing the next morning, he ordered his shoe-swain to go at once and slay ulf. but the servant dared not strike him within the sacred precincts. then the king called ivar white, one of his guardsmen, a norseman who is said to have been earl eric's nephew,[ ] and sent him with similar orders. ivar soon returned to the king with a bloody sword as evidence that his sister's husband was no more. [illustration: lines from the oldest fragment of snorre's history (written about ). the fragment tells the story of the battle of holy river and the murder of ulf.] [illustration: a longship--model of the gokstad ship on the waves.] tales of chess games that have resulted seriously for at least one of the players appear elsewhere in mediæval literature; hence it would not be safe to accept this account without question. still, there is nothing improbable about the tale; the insult that ulf offered was evidently seized upon by the king as a pretext for ridding himself of a man whom he believed to be a traitor. an independent english tradition credits canute with a passion for the game: the historian of ramsey tells us that bishop ethelric once found him "relieving the wearisomeness of the long night with games of dice and chess."[ ] nor is there any reason to doubt that ulf was actually assassinated at the time; his name disappears from the sources. a life had been taken in god's own house; blood had been shed before the very altar; even though the king had ordered it, the church could not overlook the crime. the priests immediately closed the church; but on the king's command, it was again opened and mass was said as before. it is recorded that large possessions were added to the church when services were resumed. to his sister the widowed estrid, the king also owed satisfaction; we are told that she, too, received large landed estates. but her young son sweyn, who was at this time scarcely more than eight years old, she prudently seems to have removed from her brother's kingdom; for twelve years the future king of denmark was a guest at the swedish court.[ ] it seems that the scene of his recent guilt had small attraction for canute after that fateful michaelmas season. he is said to have left the city and to have taken up his abode on his longship. but not many months later we find him on a pilgrimage to the capital of christendom. the journey must have been planned during the autumn of ; it was actually undertaken during the early months of the following year; apparently the pilgrims arrived in rome toward the end of march. we cannot be sure what induced king canute to make this journey at this particular time. in his message to the english people he says that he went to seek forgiveness for his sins; but this pious phrase is almost a rhetorical necessity in mediæval documents and must not be regarded too seriously. nor can we trust the statement that the king had earlier vowed to make such a pilgrimage, but had hitherto been prevented by business of state; for the year had surely but little to offer in the way of leisure and peace. the motive must be sought in the political situation that had developed in the north in the year of the holy river campaign, and in the strained relations that must have arisen between the king and the church. no doubt the eyes of the christian world looked approvingly on the persistent efforts that olaf of norway, who was canonised four years later, was making to extirpate heathendom in the north. especially must the english priesthood have looked with pride and pleasure on the vigorous growth of the norse daughter church. but here comes the christian king of england with hostile forces to interfere in behalf of king olaf's enemies. canute probably protested that he would carry on the work; but it is clear that an absent monarch with wide imperial interests could scarcely hope to carry out successfully a policy that implied revolution both socially and religiously. his hand had also been raised against the christian ruler of sweden, which was yet a heathen land, against a prince in whom the church doubtless reposed confidence and hope. perhaps worst of all, canute's hand was red with the blood of his sister's husband, his support at holy river, whose life had been taken in violation of the right of sanctuary and sacred peace. the mediæval church was a sensitive organism and offences of this sort were not easily atoned for. it was time to pray at saint peter's tomb. it is also likely that canute hoped to gain certain political advantages from the journey: in a strife with the northern powers it would be well to have the emperor a passive if not an active ally; and this was the year of the imperial coronation. norse tradition remembers canute's pilgrimage as that of a penitent: "he took staff and scrip, as did all the men who travelled with him, and journeyed southward to rome; and the emperor himself came out to meet him and he accompanied him all the way to the roman city."[ ] sighvat the scald, who was both canute's and olaf's friend, also mentions the pilgrim's staff in his reference to the royal pilgrimage.[ ] still, it is not to be thought that gold was overlooked in preparing for the journey: the saga adds that "king canute had many horses with him laden with gold and silver," and that alms were distributed with a free hand. the encomiast, who saw the king in the monastery of saint bertin in the flemish city of saint-omer, also gives us a picture, though one that is clearly exaggerated, of a penitent who is seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. with humble mien the royal pilgrim entered the holy precincts; his eyes cast down and streaming with tears, he implored the suffrages of the saints; beating his breast and heaving sighs, he passed from altar to altar, kissed the sacred stones, and left large gifts upon each, even upon the smallest. in addition alms were distributed among the needy.[ ] the route followed was the old one from denmark south-westward along the german coast to flanders, whence the journey went southward through lorraine and the rhone country. it seems to have been canute's intention to visit king rudolf of burgundy on the way; but he was found to have departed on a similar journey to the eternal city. the progress was one that was doubtless long remembered in the monasteries along the route. important institutions at some distance from the chosen route seem also to have been remembered in a substantial way; it may have been on this occasion that a gift was sent to the monastic foundation at chartres, of which we have grateful acknowledgment in the epistles of bishop fulbert[ ]; and another to the church at cologne, a costly psalter and sacramentary which some time later found their way back to england.[ ] on easter day (march ), king canute assisted at the imperial coronation ceremony; on that day king conrad and queen gisela received the imperial crowns in the church of the holy apostles.[ ] the assembly was large and splendid and the visiting sovereigns held places of conspicuous honour. when the emperor at the close of the ceremony left the church, canute and rudolf walked beside him. it was a day of great rejoicing among conrad's german followers, ending, as was customary, with a fight between them and their roman hosts. on the th of april, a great synod met at the lateran to consider various weighty matters and to settle certain important controversies. it may have been at this meeting, though preliminary negotiations must have prepared the matter to some extent, that king canute or his spokesman stated the complaints of the english church. for one thing he urged that the price extorted from the english archbishops for the pallium was too high. the pope promised to reduce the charges on condition that peter's pence be regularly paid. apparently the curia urged reform in church dues generally, for a little later canute sent his english subjects a sharp reminder on this point. the pope also agreed to exempt the english school at rome from the customary tribute. on the whole it seems, however, that the more substantial results of the negotiations remained with the roman curia. the english king had another set of grievances which seem to have been discussed in the same synod, but which particularly interested the ruler of burgundy. english and danish pilgrims, he asserted, were not given fair and considerate treatment on their journeys to rome: they were afflicted with unjust tolls and with overcharges at the inns; evidently canute also felt that the highways should be made safer and justice more accessible to those who travelled on holy errands. in the matter of undue charges, the burgundians appear to have been especially guilty. the reasonableness of canute's request was apparent to the synod, and it was decreed that the treatment of pilgrims should be liberal and just: and all the princes have engaged by their edict, that my men, whether merchants or other travellers for objects of devotion, should go and return in security and peace, without any constraint of barriers or tolls.[ ] from rome, canute hurried back to denmark, following the same route, it seems, as on the journey south. soon after his return he sent a message to the english clergy and people, advising them as to his absence and doings in italy.[ ] from the use of the phrase, "here in the east" in speaking of the scandinavian difficulties, it seems likely that the message was composed in denmark or somewhere on the route not far from that kingdom. it was carried to england by bishop lifing of crediton. in this document canute also recounts the honours bestowed upon him in italy; especially does he recall the presents of emperor conrad: "divers costly gifts, as well in golden and silver vessels as in mantles and vestments exceedingly precious." the document also asks that the lawful church-dues be regularly paid,--peter's pence, plough alms, church scot, and tithes of the increase of animals and of farm products. this admonition was later enacted into law. at the same time he forbids his sheriffs and other officials to do injustice to any one, rich or poor, either in the hope of winning the royal favour or to gain wealth for the king. he has no need of wealth that has been unjustly acquired. but this lofty assertion of principle looks somewhat strange in the light of the fact that the king was in those very days engaged in bribing a nation. there can be no doubt that the visit to the eternal city was of considerable importance for the future career of the anglo-danish king. doubtless rome began to realise what a power was this young monarch who up to this time had probably been regarded as little better than a barbarian, one of those dreaded pirates who had so long and so often terrorised the italian shores. here he was next to the emperor the most redoubtable christian ruler in europe. probably canute returned to the north with the pope's approval of his plans for empire in scandinavia,--tacit if not expressed. john xix. was a pope whose ideal of a church was one that was efficiently administered and he may have seen in canute a ruler of his own spirit. footnotes: [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, iii., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] saxo, _gesta danorum_, - . there seems to be no reason to doubt that saxo here reports a reliable tradition. [ ] _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _gesta danorum_, ff. [ ] entry for the year ; this should be corrected to . [ ] _gesta danorum_, . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. - . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] munch, _det norske folks historie_, i., ii., . [ ] _historia rameseiensis_, . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] _fagrskinna_, c. . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . the statement in _fagrskinna_ is probably based on sighvat's verses. [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] migne, _patrologia latina_, cxli, col. . as to its date the letter furnishes no clue. bishop fulbert died, according to migne's calculations, in april, , two years after canute's journey. [ ] wharton, _anglia sacra_, ii., ; william of malmesbury's _vita wulstani_. the manuscripts were illuminated by erven, scholasticus of peterborough. [ ] giesebrecht, _geschichte der deutschen kaiserzeit_, ii., - . for a collection of the relevant texts, see bresslau's _jahrbücher des deutschen reichs unter konrad ii._, i., . [ ] see appendix ii.: canute's charter of . [ ] the anglo-saxon original of canute's charter has been lost. our oldest version is a latin translation inserted into the chronicle of florence of worcester (see liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., , ). most of our information as to canute's pilgrimage comes from this document. chapter xi the conquest of norway - canute was still in the eternal city on the th of april, but it is not likely that he remained in the south much later than that date. with the opening of spring, hostilities might be renewed in scandinavia at any moment. that canute expected a renewal of the war is clear from the language of his message to britain: i therefore wish it to be made known to you that, returning by the same way that i departed, i am going to denmark, for the purpose of settling, with the counsel of all the danes, firm and lasting peace with those nations, which, had it been in their power, would have deprived us of our life and kingdom.... after affairs had been thus composed, he expected to return to england. his plans, however, must have suffered a change. so far as we know, warlike operations were not resumed that year; and yet, if any overtures for peace were made, they can scarcely have been successful. some time later in the year canute set sail for england; but with his great purpose unfulfilled: for he had promised in his "charter" to return to britain when he had "made peace with the nations around us, and regulated and tranquillised all our kingdom here in the east." not till next year did he return to the attack on king olaf haroldsson. hostile movements across the scottish border seem to have been responsible for the postponement of the projected conquest. it is told in the _anglo-saxon chronicle_ that as soon as canute had returned from rome he departed for scotland; "and the king of scots submitted to him and also two other kings, mælbeathe and jehmarc." malcolm, the son of kenneth, was at this time ruler of scotia, a kingdom composed chiefly of the region between the forth and the river spey, with various outlying dependencies. we do not know what called forth hostilities between malcolm and canute at this time; but it is possible that the inciting force may have been the norwegian king, as difficulties in britain might lead canute to abandon his norse pretensions. as overlord of the orkneys and probably also of the neighbouring scotch coast lands, king olaf naturally would be drawn into diplomatic relations with the kings of scone. the _chronicle_ gives the year of the expedition to scotland as ; but it also places it in the year of canute's pilgrimage, which we know to have been made in . malcolm rendered some sort of homage in , but for what territories we do not know. that he became canute's vassal for all his possessions is unlikely; he had already for a decade been the man of the english king for lothian; and the probabilities are that the homage of was merely the renewal of the agreements entered into after the battle of carham in . with the northern war still unfinished, canute cannot have been in position to exact severe terms. furthermore, the acquisition of the norwegian crown would bring to canute important possessions to the north and north-west of malcolm's kingdom and place him in a more favourable position for conquest at some future time. whether malcolm realised it or not, further victories for canute in scandinavia would mean serious dangers for the scottish realms. the identity of the other two kings, mælbeathe and jehmarc, is a matter of conjecture. mælbeathe was probably macbeth, who as earl ruled the country about moray firth, the macbeth whom we know from shakespeare's tragedy. skene believes that jehmarc, too, must have ruled in the extreme north or north-west, the region that was under norse influence. but the language of the _chronicle_ need not mean that these kings were both from scotland; munch's conjecture that jehmarc was eagmargach, the celtic king of dublin after the irish victory at clontarf,[ ] is at least plausible. that canute counted irishmen among his subjects appears from a stanza by ottar the swart: let us so greet the king of the danes, of irish, english, and island-dwellers, that his praise as far as the pillared heaven may travel widely through all the earth.[ ] if munch's identification is correct, it reveals a purpose of combining all the scandinavian west with the older kingdoms, a policy that must have seemed both rational and practical. the homage of malcolm and macbeth seems to be mentioned by sighvat though here again the chronology is defective, the submission of the kings "from far north in fife" being dated before . in the meantime norway was not forgotten. during the year , while canute was absent in rome or busied with north british affairs, his emissaries were at work in norway still further undermining the tottering loyalty of the norwegian chiefs. no attempt was made at secrecy--it was bribery open and unblushing. says sighvat the scald: jealous foes of king olaf tempt us with open purses; gold for the life of the lordly ruler is loudly offered. the poet was a christian and seems to have taken grim satisfaction in the teachings of the new faith regarding future punishment: men who sell for molten metal the gentle ruler in swart hell (they deserve it) shall suffer the keenest torture.[ ] the activities of the danish envoys appear to have extended to all parts of the country, though it seems likely that their success was greatest in the west and south-west where they enjoyed the protection and assistance of the mighty nobleman erling skjalgsson, who thus added dishonour to stubborn and unpatriotic wilfulness. after holy river canute apparently dismissed his fleet for the winter, in part at least, and erling returned to his estates at soli. with erling canute's envoys came north and brought much wealth with them. they fared widely during the winter, paying out the money that canute had promised for support in the autumn before; but they also gave money to others and thus bought their friendship for canute; and erling supported them in all this.[ ] evidence of this activity appears in a remarkable find of english coins to the number of near eikunda-sound, not far from soli. the treasure was brought to light in ; most of the coins bear the effigies of ethelred and canute; all are from canute's reign or earlier.[ ] the next year ( ) canute sailed his fleet into eikunda-sound and remained there for some time; but there seems no reason why english money should be secreted on that occasion. more probably the treasure was part of the bribe money; the fact that it was hidden would indicate that canute's agents found the business somewhat dangerous after all. gold alone does not account for saint olaf's downfall. there were other reasons for the defection of the aristocracy, but these have been discussed in an earlier chapter: there was dissatisfaction with the new faith; there was dissatisfaction with a régime that enjoined a firm peace everywhere, that aimed at equal justice for all without respect to birth or station, and that enforced severe and unusual punishments; there was also the memory of the days of the earls, when the hand of government was light and the old ways were respected. in , canute was ready to strike. soon the news spread that a vast armament was approaching norway. "with fifty ships of english thegns,"[ ] the king sailed along the low german shores to the western mouth of the lime firth. among the chiefs who accompanied him from england were the two earls, hakon and godwin. one of godwin's men found his death in norway, as we learn from a runic monument raised by one arnstein over the grave of his son bjor, "who found his death in godwin's host in the days when canute sailed [back] to england."[ ] the ships that the king brought from england were doubtless large and well-manned: canute's housecarles may have made up a considerable part of the crews. at the lime firth an immense danish fleet was waiting: according to the sagas ships made up the fleet that sailed up to the norwegian capital nidaros. twelve great hundreds is evidently merely a round number used to indicate unusual size; but that the armament was immense is evident from the ease with which it accomplished its work. so far as we know, the awe-stricken norsemen made no resistance. in addition to the english and danish ships, there were evidently not a few that were manned by the housecarles of disaffected norwegian chiefs. olaf was informed of canute's intentions and did what he could to meet the invasion. men were dispatched to sweden to bring home the ships that had been abandoned there nearly two years before. this was a difficult undertaking, for the danes kept close guard over the passages leading out of the baltic. part of the fleet the norsemen burned; with the rest they were able to steal through the sound after canute had begun his advance toward norway. king olaf also summoned the host, but there came few folk and little dragons. what a disgrace that landsmen leave our lord royal unsupported. (for money men desert their duties.) what forces the norwegians were able to collect sailed up into oslo firth, where king olaf prudently remained till canute had again departed from the land.[ ] the northward progress of canute's armament is told in a poem by thorarin praise-tongue, who had composed an earlier lay to the king's honour.[ ] "the lord of the ocean" sailed from the lime firth with a vast fleet. canute seems to have cut across the strait to the southwestern part of norway, where the "war-trained men of agdir saw in terror the advance of the hero," for canute's dragon gleamed with steel and gold. "the swart ships glide past lister" and soon fill eikunda-sound. and so the journey goes on past the hornel-mount and the promontory of stadt, till the "sea-falcons glide into the nid river." at important points canute landed and summoned the franklins to formal assemblies. the summons were generally obeyed: the franklins swore allegiance to the new king and gave the required hostages. wherever there was occasion to do so, the king appointed new local officials from the elements whose loyalty he believed he could trust. he spent some time in eikunda-sound where erling skjalgsson joined him with a large force. the old alliance was renewed and erling received promise of all the region between the great headlands of stadt and the naze, with a little additional territory to the east of the latter point. this was more than the lord of soli had ever controlled before. the terms have not been recorded, but canute was always liberal in his promises.[ ] when nidaros was reached, the eight shires of the throndelaw were summoned to meet in a grand assembly, the ere-thing, which met on the river sands at the mouth of the nid. as throndhjem was counted the most important region of the kingdom, the ere-thing throughout the middle ages enjoyed a prominence of its own as the assembly that accepted and proclaimed the norwegian kings. here then, canute was formally proclaimed the true king of norway, and the customary homage was rendered.[ ] there was no need of going beyond nidaros. thor the dog, harek of tjotta, and other great lords from the farther north were present at the ere-thing and took the oaths of allegiance. thor came in canute's fleet; harek joined the king at nidaros. on these two chiefs the king depended for support in the arctic regions. in return for their allegiance they received enlarged franchises and privileges, among other things the monopoly of the trade with the finnish tribes.[ ] the conclusions of the ere-thing concerned norway alone. a little later a larger assembly was called, a joint meeting of the chiefs of norway and of the invading army--magnates from england, denmark, and norway; possibly the warriors, too, had some voice in this assembly. here then, in the far north on the sands of nidaros, was held the first and only imperial assembly, so far as our information goes, that canute ever summoned. it was called to discuss and decide matters of interest common to all the three realms--especially was it to hear the imperial will, the new imperial policy. canute was yet a young man--he had not advanced far into the thirties--but prudence, perhaps also wisdom, had developed with the years. he realised that his own person was really the only bond that held his realms together; but he also understood that direct rule was impracticable. the norse movement was essentially a revolt from olaf, not a popular demand for union with denmark. among the danes, too, there was opposition to what smacked of alien rule, as is shown by the readiness with which the magnates had received the revolutionary plans of earl ulf. no doubt it was with reluctance that canute announced a system of vassal earls and kings; however, no other solution can have seemed possible. to his nephew hakon he gave the vice-royalty of norway with the earl's title and dignity. whether the entire kingdom was to be included in hakon's realm may be doubted; southern norway, the wick, which was as yet unconquered, was an old possession of the dynasty of gorm and may have been excepted. "next he led his son harthacanute to his own high-seat and gave him the kings-name with the government of the danish realms."[ ] as harthacanute was still but a child a guardian must be found, and for this position canute seems to have chosen harold, the son of thurkil the tall,[ ] his own foster-brother, if tradition can be trusted. harold at this time was apparently in charge at jomburg, where he had probably stood in a similar relation to canute's older son sweyn who was located there. it is significant that the only one who is awarded the royal title is harthacanute, the youngest of the king's three sons; but he was also the only one who was of legitimate birth. there can be little doubt that canute intended to make harthacanute the heir to all his realms. of these arrangements thorarin praise-tongue sings in his lay: then gave the wise wielder of jutland norway to hakon his sister's son. and to his own son (i say it) the old dark halls of the ocean, hoary denmark.[ ] among the norwegian chiefs who thus far had remained neutral was einar thongshaker, the archer of swald. but now that the ere-thing had acted and had renounced its allegiance to olaf, einar promptly appeared and took the required oaths. king canute felt the need of binding the proud magnate closely to the new order of things, and along with gifts and increased feudal income went the flattering phrases that next to those who bore princely titles einar should be the chiefest in the kingdom, and that he or his son eindrid seemed, after all, most suited to bear the rule in norway, "were it not for earl hakon."[ ] there remained the formality of taking hostages, sons, brothers, or near kinsmen of the chiefs, "or the men who seemed dearest to them and best fitted." the fleet then returned to the south. it was a leisurely sail, we are told, with frequent landings and conferences with the yeomanry, especially, no doubt, in the shires where no assemblies had been summoned on the northward journey. when king olaf heard of canute's return, he moved farther up the oslo firth and into one of its arms, the drammen firth. here he apparently left his ships while he and his men withdrew some distance into the interior. king canute did not pursue him. he sailed along the south shores to the oslo firth and up to sarpsborg, where an assembly of the freemen accepted him as king. from sarpsborg he returned to denmark, where he seems to have spent the winter. not till the following year did he care to risk a return to england; but at that time his norse rival was treading the path of exile across the baltic ( ). [illustration: scandinavia and the conquest of norway] while canute was being hailed as king at sarpsborg, olaf was in hiding two or three days' march distant, probably in the ring-realm. when he learned of the enemy's departure, he promptly returned to tunsberg and tried to resume his sway. the situation was desperate, but he wished to make a last appeal to the norsemen's feeling of loyalty to harold's dynasty. and now another fleet sailed up the western shores, this time the king's own. only thirteen ships steered out of tunsberg harbour and few joined later. the season was the beginning of winter, a most unfavourable time for aggressive operations. when king olaf had rounded the naze, he learned that his old enemy, erling skjalgsson, had been levying forces in considerable numbers. olaf managed, however, to intercept erling's ship and overpowered the old chief after a furious struggle. "face to face shall eagles fight; will you give quarter?" erling is reported to have said when olaf remarked on his bravery. the king was disposed to reconciliation; but during the parley one of his men stepped up and clove the rebel's head. "unhappy man," cried the king, "there you struck norway out of my hand!" but the overzealous housecarle was forgiven.[ ] the news of erling's death fired the whole coast. the magnates realised at once that retreat was now impossible: they must maintain the cause of canute. nowhere could king olaf land, everywhere the yeomanry called for revenge. from the south came the sons of the murdered man in vigorous pursuit; in the north earl hakon was mustering the thronder-folk. finally king olaf was forced into one of the long inlets that cut into the western coast. here he was trapped; flight alone was possible; but before him lay wild mountain regions, one of the wildest routes in norway. it was midwinter, but the crossing was successful, though the sufferings and difficulties must have been great. exile was now the only choice; the journey continued to the swedish border and thence across that kingdom and the baltic sea to russia.[ ] when canute returned to england, norway was apparently loyal, peaceful, and obedient. so far as we know, he never again visited the north. the rule of earl hakon was brief: a year and a half at most. of the character of his government we have no information; but the good-natured, easy-going son of earl eric was not a man to antagonise the norwegian aristocracy. his lack of aggressive energies was thoroughly appreciated at winchester: it is difficult to determine whether canute's attitude toward his nephew is to be ascribed to bad faith or lack of faith; at all events, the king seems anxiously to have sought a pretext to remove him. among the noble families of thronde-land, perhaps none ranked higher than the house of the arnungs. arne armodsson was a mighty chief and, while he lived, a good friend of king olaf. of his five surviving sons four were faithful to the king till he fell at stiklestead. as we have noted elsewhere, the family also had connections with olaf's enemies: arne's daughter was the wife of harek; his son kalf was married to the widow of olvi who had been executed at the king's orders for practising heathen rites; somewhat later olvi's son thorir was slain for treason ( ?). when olaf left norway, kalf deserted him and not long afterwards made peace with earl hakon and became his man. the sagas attribute this step to the influence of his wife sigrid and her brother, thor the dog. sigrid is represented as a woman of the legendary type, possessed of a demon of revenge. she had lost much: a husband for his fidelity to the old gods; a son for suspected treason; another in an effort to take vengeance for his brother. to this motive was added that of ambition, which was, perhaps, that which chiefly determined kalf's actions. canute seems to have been anxious to secure the active support of this influential noble and probably had expressed a desire for an interview; for in the spring following the conquest ( ), kalf prepared his ship and sailed to england.[ ] it must have been clear to canute that continued peace in the north was not to be hoped for. that king olaf haroldsson, who had begun his career as a viking while he was yet a mere boy and who was still young, strong, and virile, would be content with permanent exile was unthinkable. canute must further have realised that his power in norway had no secure foundation: bribery could not be employed forever; heathendom was a broken reed. his representative was weak, or, as canute is said to have put it, too "conscientious"; in a crisis he was not to be trusted. einar thongshaker was of doubtful loyalty and furthermore had nearly passed the limits of active life. but here was kalf, young and influential, wealthy and strong. canute therefore proposed to kalf that if olaf should reappear in norway he was to raise the militia and lead the host against him. he thus became, in a way, canute's personal, though unofficial, representative in the kingdom, with a higher title in prospect: i will then give you the earl's dignity and let you govern norway; but my kinsman hakon shall fare back to me; and for that he is best suited, as he is so conscientious that i scarcely believe he would do as much as hurl a single shaft against king olaf, if they were to meet.[ ] kalf listened joyfully; canute's speech appealed to him; "and now he began to yearn for the earlship." an agreement was made, and soon kalf's ship, laden with gifts, was again sailing eastward over the north sea. bjarne the poet recalls these gifts and promises in a praise-lay of which we have fragments: the lord of london made promise of lands ere you left the westlands (since there has come postponement): slight was not your distinction.[ ] a few months later the vice-royalty was vacant. soon after kalf's return to norway, hakon sailed to england; canute had apparently sent for him. the sources are neither clear nor wholly agreed on this matter; but practically all place the journey in some relation to hakon's betrothal to gunhild, canute's niece, the daughter of his sister gunhild and a slavic prince, witigern. it was late in the year before hakon was ready to return--sometime after martinsmas (november th); says florence of worcester.[ ] his ship never reached norway; it went down in a tempest in the pentland firth, probably in january, . the english sources have it that canute in fact exiled hakon, though formally he sent him on a personal mission; but the chroniclers are evidently in error in this matter. when these writers speak of outlawry, they mean exile from england; and hakon was no longer an english resident. still, it is extremely probable that hakon had been deprived of his ancestral dignities, that he had been transferred to a new field. two possibilities appear to fit into the situation: the earl may have been transferred to the north-western islands or to jomburg. the norwegian dependencies along the scottish shores, the orkneys and other possessions, passed to canute when he assumed the norwegian crown. the fact that hakon's ship went under on the shores of the orkneys may indicate that he had an errand in those waters, that canute had created a new jurisdiction for his easy-going nephew. still more is to be said for the alternative possibility. canute had clearly decided to supersede hakon in norway. he had already, it seems, selected his illegitimate son sweyn for the norse governorship. the promotion of sweyn would create a vacancy in jomburg; perhaps hakon was intended as sweyn's successor at that post. at any rate, the king was planning a marriage between the earl and a kinswoman of his own who was of the slavic aristocracy, a marriage that would secure for the earl a certain support among the wendish nobility. the prospective bride was probably in wendland with her kinsmen at the time; at any rate she was not on the ship that went down in the swelchie of pentland firth; for a few years later we find gunhild the widow of one whose history is closely associated with jomburg, harold, the son of thurkil the tall, the harold who in was administering danish affairs in the name of harthacanute. florence tells us that in , gunhild was exiled from england with her two sons, thurkil and heming.[ ] two fierce brothers, it will be recalled, led the jomvikings into england in ,--thurkil and heming. no doubt the exiled boys were harold's sons, named in honour of their stately grandfather and his valiant brother. once more norway was without a ruler. the news of hakon's death was not long in reaching the throndelaw, and the leaders of the various factions seem to have taken prompt measures to provide a satisfactory régime. einar thongshaker, mindful of canute's earlier promises, got out his ship and repaired to england. as usual the diplomatic king was prodigal with promises and professions of friendship: einar should have the highest place in the norse aristocracy, a larger income, and whatever honours the king could give except the earl's authority,--that had been assigned to sweyn, and messengers had already been dispatched to jomburg with instructions to the young prince to assume control at nidaros.[ ] the old warrior cannot have been pleased. it is likely that his loyalty received a violent shock. knowing that an attempt would be made to restore olaf to the throne, he apparently decided to assume his customary neutral attitude; at any rate, he would not fight under kalf arnesson's banner. so he lingered in england till the trouble was over and sweyn was in charge of the kingdom. kalf did not go to england; he was busy carrying out his promises to canute. for hardly had the merchant ships brought rumours of earl hakon's death, before olaf's partisans took measures to restore their legitimate king. some of the chiefs set out for russia; and when midsummer came, king olaf's banner was advancing toward the norwegian capital. kalf was prepared to meet him. as it was not known what route olaf might choose to take or in what region he would set up his standard, the forces of the yeomanry were divided, the southern magnates under the leadership of the sons of erling undertaking to meet the king if he should appear in the south-east, while the northern host under kalf, harek, and thor the dog was preparing to hold the throndelaw. [illustration: stiklestead (from a photograph.)] the host that gathered to oppose the returned exile was wholly norse: no dane or englishman seems to have fought for canute at stiklestead, the only alien who is prominently mentioned in this connection is bishop sigurd, a danish ecclesiastic who had served as hakon's court bishop and was a violent partisan of canute. all the western coast as far as to the arctic seems to have been represented in the army of the franklins, which is said to have numbered , , four times the number that fought for the returned king. still, the disparity of forces was not so great after all. most of the kingsmen were superb warriors, and all were animated with enthusiasm for olaf's cause. it was otherwise in the host of the yeomanry; many had small desire to fight for king canute, and among the chiefs there was an evident reluctance to lead. kalf had, therefore, no difficulty in securing authority to command--it was almost thrust upon him. the battle was joined at stiklestead farm, about forty miles north-east of the modern throndhjem. the summer night is short in the northlands and the long morning gave opportunity for careful preparation. at noon the armies met and the battle began. for more than two hours it raged, king olaf fighting heroically among his men. leading an attack on the hostile standard, he came into a hand-to-hand conflict with the chiefs of the yeomanry and fell wounded in three places.[ ] saint olaf's day is celebrated on july th, and it is generally held that the battle was fought on that date. some historians have thought that it was really fought a month later on the last day of august. sighvat was that year on a pilgrimage to rome, and was consequently not an eye-witness; but his lines composed after his return are, nevertheless, one of the chief sources used by the saga-men. the poet alludes to an eclipse of the sun on the day of the battle: they call it a great wonder that the sun would not, though the sky was cloudless, shine warm upon the men.[ ] such an eclipse, total in that very region at the hour assigned to the climax of the fight, actually occurred on august st. it is generally held, however, that the eclipse came to be associated with the battle later when the search for miracles had begun. the reaction was successfully met, but without any assistance from canute. sweyn had prepared a large force of danes, commanded it seems by earl harold, and had hastened northward; but had only reached the wick when the battle of stiklestead was fought. it seems strange at first thought that no english fleet was sent to assist kalf and his associates. it is not likely that canute depended much on the fidelity of the northmen--he understood human nature better than most rulers of his time; nor had he any means of knowing how widely the revolt would spread when the former king should issue his appeal. the key to his seeming inactivity must be sought in the international situation of the time: england was just then threatened with an invasion from the south, a danger that demanded a concentration of military resources on the shores of the channel. the accounts that have come down to us of the relations of england and normandy during the latter half of canute's reign are confused and contradictory; but a few facts are tolerably clear. some time after the murder of ulf ( ), canute gave the widowed estrid in marriage to robert the duke of normandy ( - ).[ ] it may be that on his return from rome in the spring of canute had a conference with robert, who had succeeded to the ducal throne in the previous february. but whether such a meeting occurred or not, robert had serious trouble before him in normandy and no doubt was eager for an alliance with the great king of the north. the marriage must have taken place in or ; a later date seems improbable. the father of william bastard is not famous for conjugal fidelity and may not have been strongly attracted by the danish widow; at any rate, he soon repudiated her, perhaps to estrid's great relief, as duke robert the devil seems not to have borne his nickname in vain. the characteristics of the duke that most impressed his contemporaries were a ferocious disposition and rude, untamed strength. it is likely, however, that the break with canute is to be ascribed not so much to domestic infelicity as to new political ambitions; at the court of rouen were the two sons of king ethelred, edward and alfred, who had grown to manhood in normandy. it apparently became robert's ambition to place these princes on english thrones, which he could not hope to accomplish without war. an embassy was sent to canute (perhaps in ), somewhat similar to the one that canute had sent to norway a few years before, bearing a similar errand and equipped with similar arguments. evidently the norman ambassadors did not receive kind treatment at the english court. their report stirred the duke to great wrath; he ordered a fleet to be prepared for an invasion of england.[ ] most likely that was the time, too, of the duchess estrid's disgrace. the expedition sailed, but a storm sent, as william of jumièges believes, by an overruling providence, "who had determined that edward should some day gain the crown without the shedding of blood," drove the fleet in a westerly direction past the peninsula of cotentin to the shores of jersey. robert was disappointed, but the fleet was not prepared in vain: instead of attacking england, the duke proceeded against brittany and forced his enemy duke alain to seek peace through the mediation of the church at rouen.[ ] these events must have occurred after canute's return from the north,--in the years and . no other period seems possible; it is not likely that the threatened hostilities could have been later than , for in a new king, henry i., ascended the french throne and robert the devil became involved in the resulting civil war.[ ] if our chronology is correct, the summer of saw the northern empire threatened from two directions; in norway it took the form of revolt; in normandy that of threatened invasion. in both instances legitimate claimants aimed to dislodge a usurper. the danger from the south was by far the greater; olaf's harsh rule had not yet been forgotten by the norsemen, nor had they yet experienced the rigours of alien rule. england was quiet and apparently contented; but what effect the pretensions of the ethelings would have on the populace no one could know. we may be sure that canute was ready for the invader; but so long as the norwegian troubles were still unsettled, he wisely limited himself to defensive operations. it is also related, though not by any contemporary writer, that canute was dangerously ill at the time of the norman trouble, and that he at one time expressed a willingness to divide the english kingdom with the ethelings.[ ] whether he was ill or not, such an offer does not necessitate the inference either of despair or of fear for the outcome. the offer if made was doubtless a diplomatic one, on par with the promises to the norwegian rebels, made for the purpose of gaining time, perhaps, until norway was once more pacified. but fortune had not deserted the great dane. when autumn came in , the war clouds had passed and the northern skies were clear and cheerful. canute's norwegian rival had gone to his reward; his norman rival was absorbed in other interests. without question canute was now emperor of the north. footnotes: [ ] _det norske folks historie_, i., ii., . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., (vigfusson's translation with slight changes). [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] munch, _det norske folks historie_, i., ii., . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _afhandlinger viede sophus bugges minde_, . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _ibid._, c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _ibid._, c. . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. - . [ ] _ibid._, cc. ff. [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . [ ] _chronicon_, i., - . [ ] _chronicon_, i., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] for details of the battle see snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, cc. - . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . [ ] the evidence for this marriage is discussed by freeman in _norman conquest_, i., note ppp. [ ] william of jumièges, _historia normannorum_, vi., c. . [ ] william of jumièges, _historia normannorum_, vi., cc. , . [ ] this was followed by a famine in the duchy ( ) which probably induced the duke to make his pilgrimage to the holy sepulchre on the return from which he died ( ). [ ] william of jumièges, _historia normannorum_, vi., c. . chapter xii the empire of the north when the eleventh century began its fourth decade, canute was, with the single exception of the emperor, the most imposing ruler in latin christendom. less than twenty years earlier he had been a landless pirate striving to dislodge an ancient and honoured dynasty; now he was the lord of four important realms and the overlord of other kingdoms. though technically canute was counted among the kings, his position among his fellow-monarchs was truly imperial. apparently he held in his hands the destinies of two great regions; the british isles and the scandinavian peninsulas. his fleet all but controlled two important seas, the north and the baltic. he had built an empire. it was a weak structure, founded too largely on the military and diplomatic achievements of a single man; but the king was young--in the ordinary course of nature he should have lived to rule at least thirty years longer--and with careful diplomatic effort, of which he was a master, he might be expected to accomplish great things in the way of consolidating his dominions. but instead of thirty years, the fates had counted out less than half a dozen. in this period he was able to do almost nothing to strengthen the bonds of empire. canute's power did not long remain at its zenith--the decline began almost immediately. in this there is nothing strange; the marvel is in the fact that such an empire was actually built. of canute's many dominions, the kingdoms of denmark, england, and norway had fairly distinct boundaries. lothian might be in question between england and scotland; the norwegian kings had claimed certain territories across the scandinavian watershed, jemteland, a norse colony in swedish possession; but otherwise the limits were tolerably definite. the fourth division, the slavic lands on the southern rim of the baltic, was a more indefinite area. its limits are unknown; perhaps it should be called a sphere of influence rather than a province. there were, however, certain evident nuclei; the regions about the lower course of the oder with jomburg as the chief city were doubtless the more important part; in addition there was semland in the extreme east of modern prussia, witland a trifle farther west where the vistula empties into the sea; and doubtless some of the intervening territories. there are indications that danish settlements had also been planted in the region of the modern city of riga[ ]; but as to their probable relation to canute's empire the sources are silent. in addition to england, canute possessed important territories elsewhere in the british archipelago. the king of scotland was his vassal, at least for a part of his dominions; and we have seen that at least one other scottish king, probably from the extreme north of the island, had done homage to canute. it has also been shown that the norse-irish kingdom of dublin should, perhaps, be counted among his vassal states. as king of norway, canute was lord of the shetlands and the orkneys, perhaps also the hebrides, and other norse colonies on the west shores of scotland. the faroes were not wholly subject and the icelandic republic still maintained its independence; but the straggling settlements in far-off greenland seem to have acknowledged their dependence on the norwegian crown.[ ] any definite imperial policy canute seems never to have developed. in his own day the various units were nominally ruled by earls or sub-kings, usually chosen from the king's own immediate family; but the real power was often in the hands of some trusted chief whom the king associated with the lord who bore the title. if time had been granted, some form of feudalism might have developed out of this arrangement; but it had few feudal characteristics in canute's own day. it was evidently canute's intention to continue the scheme of one king for the entire group of dominions, for at the imperial assembly at nidaros, he placed harthacanute in the high-seat and gave him the administration of denmark, which was, after all, the central kingdom. the encomiast bears further testimony as to canute's intention when he tells us that all england had taken an oath to accept harthacanute as king.[ ] it seems that canute, to secure the succession to his legitimate son, had adopted the capetian expedient of associating the heir with himself in the kingship while he was still living. so long as obedience, especially in matters of military assistance, was duly rendered, few difficulties were likely to arise between the supreme lord of winchester and his subordinates in nidaros, roeskild, or jomburg. as the union was personal, each kingdom retained its own laws and its own system of assemblies, though this must have been true to a less extent in the slavic possessions, as these seem to have been regarded almost as a danish dependency. when the reign closed, harthacanute was governing denmark; sweyn assisted by his mother elgiva had charge of norway, though at that moment the norwegian rebels were in actual control. canute ruled england himself, not because it was regarded as the chief or central kingdom, but more likely because it could not with safety be entrusted to any one else. so far as the empire had any capital, that distinction appears to have belonged to the ancient city of winchester. here in the heart of wessex was the seat of english government, the royal and imperial residence. we naturally think of canute's household as an english court; but it is difficult to determine what racial influences were in actual control. nor do we know what was the official language in canute's royal garth; but the probabilities are that both old english and old norse were in constant use. the housecarles who guarded the royal person and interests were in large part of scandinavian birth or blood. the norse poets who sang praise-lays in the royal hall at winchester sang in their native dialects. of the king's thegns who witnessed canute's land grants, as a rule about one half bear scandinavian names; there can be little doubt that most of these were resident at court, at all events those whose names appear in more than one document. other nationalities, too, were represented at winchester. in the enrolment of housecarles, the king asked for strength, valour, wealth, and aristocratic birth; not, it seems, for danish or english ancestry. the bishops that canute sent from england to denmark appear to have been flemings or lotharingians. william who in a later reign became bishop of roeskild is said to have come to denmark as canute's private secretary or chancellor; but william is neither a northern nor a saxon but a norman name. and thus with dane and angle, norman and norseman, swede and saxon, celt and german thronging the royal garth the court at winchester must have borne an appearance that was distinctly non-english. as at other courts, men came and went; and the stories of the splendours at winchester were given wide currency. the dissatisfied norsemen who sought refuge in england found at canute's court greater magnificence than in any other place, both as to the number in daily attendance and as to the furnishings and equipments of the palaces that he owned and occupied.[ ] sighvat the scald, who had seen rouen and visited rome, was so deeply impressed with the glories of canute's capital that in his praise-lay he introduced the refrain: canute was under heaven the most glorious king.[ ] there seems also to have been a notable slavic element in canute's retinue. attention has been called to the king's slavic ancestry: the slavic strain was evidently both broader and deeper than the danish. one of the king's sisters bore a slavic name, santslave[ ]; another sister, gunhild, married a slavic "king," wyrtgeorn or witigern,[ ] who may have been the wrytsleof who witnessed an english land grant in [ ]; possibly he was visiting his english kinsfolk at the time. among the chiefs of the imperial guard was one godescalc, the son of a slavic prince, though danish on the maternal side; he, too, married into the danish royal family.[ ] the affairs of each separate kingdom were evidently directed from the national capitals and administered largely by native functionaries. at the same time, it seems to have been canute's policy to locate danish officials in all his principal dominions, at least in the higher offices. the appointment of danes to places of importance in england has been noted in an earlier chapter. with the subjection of norway, a number of danes received official appointments in that kingdom. a leading cause of the norwegian revolt in - was the prominence given to aliens in the councils of the regent sweyn: "danish men had in those days much authority in norway, but that was liked ill by the men of the land."[ ] on the other hand, no englishman seems to have received official responsibilities in the north except in the church; and it may be doubted whether canute sent many anglian prelates to his realms in the east: the bishops that we have record of seem to have been normans, flemings, or clerks from the danelaw. when a court bishop was to be found for the household of earl hakon, the choice fell upon sigurd, a dane and a violent friend of danish rule. of canute's diplomacy the sources afford us only an occasional glimpse; but the information that we have indicates that he entered into diplomatic relations with almost every ruler of importance in northern and western europe. the king of scotland became his vassal. the sagas tell of an embassy to sweden in the years preceding the attack on norway. during the same period canute's cousin, the king of poland, apparently sought his alliance against the germans. with the emperor he maintained the closest relations. the norman dukes were bound to the danish dynasty by the noble ties of marriage. on his visit to rome the english king came into personal contact with the king of burgundy and his holiness the pope. even to distant aquitaine did the mighty monarch send his ambassadors with messages of good-will in the form of substantial presents. in a panegyric on william the great, the duke of aquitaine, adémar of chabannes writes that every year embassies came to the duke's court with precious gifts from the kings of spain, france, and navarre, "and also from canute, king of the danes and the angles"; and the chronicler adds that the messengers brought even more costly presents away.[ ] on one occasion "the king of that country [england] sent a manuscript written with letters of gold along with other gifts."[ ] as this statement seems to have been written in , and as the author emphasises the fact that this beautiful codex had arrived "recently," it seems probable that this embassy should be associated with canute's pilgrimage to rome the year before. it is not strange that canute should wish to honour a prince like william; and it is only natural that he should wish to placate a people who had suffered so much, as the aquitanians had, from the raids and inroads of his former associates and his allies, the vikings and the normans. with respect to his immediate neighbours, canute's policy was usually absorption or close friendship. what he felt he could add to his dominions, he added; where this was not possible, he sought peace and alliance. his diplomacy must have concerned itself especially with three states: normandy, sweden, and the empire. as to his relations with sweden after the encounter at holy river, history is silent; but war was evidently avoided. canute probably regarded any effort to extend his territories eastward as an unwise move, so long as the disappointed norwegian chiefs continued to show signs of unrest and rebellion. with normandy he lived in continuous peace for more than a decade, until robert the devil took up the cause of the exiled princes. that canute feared a move in this direction seems evident; and as queen emma's influence at rouen was probably weakened by the death of richard the good ( ), it was no doubt in the hope of strengthening his position at the ducal court that canute sought the title of duchess for his widowed sister. as we have seen, his success was only temporary, and for a time war seemed imminent. but the confused situation in the french kingdom at this time proved canute's salvation. in the civil war that followed the accession of henry i. to the french throne in , robert of normandy took a leading part on the king's side; and it was largely due to his efforts that henry finally overcame his enemies.[ ] meanwhile, the sons of ethelred and emma had to wait several years before another opportunity appeared with sufficient promise to tempt the exiles back across the channel. for soon after the french king was safely enthroned, famine came upon normandy, an affliction that led robert the devil to think of a visit to the grave of christ. the journey was undertaken but on the return the duke died in asia minor ( ). his successor was william who finally conquered england; but william was a child and canute had no longer any fears from that direction. a few months after robert's death the king of england also closed his earthly career. had robert survived canute, it is likely that some of the results of hastings might have come thirty years earlier than they did. after , when canute ascended the danish throne, the attitude and plans of the emperor became an important factor in northern diplomacy. the empire was a dangerous neighbour; the ottos had apparently been ambitious to extend their authority throughout the entire jutish peninsula. but during canute's reign neither power could afford to offend the other; and the danes were therefore able to keep continued peace along the southern borders of the kingdom. at one time, when the emperor found himself in serious difficulties, canute was able to drive a hard bargain and exchange his friendship for a strip of imperial territory. it is not likely that the german kings looked with much favour on danish expansion at the mouths of the vistula and the oder, but they were not in position to prevent it. in , when canute made his expedition to wendland, the emperor henry ii. was absent in italy, striving, as usual, to reduce disorder.[ ] two years later he died, and conrad of franconia was chosen king of the germans. his election was the signal for uprisings and plots almost along the whole length of the border, in poland, in lorraine, and in lombardy.[ ] boleslav, king of the poles, died in the following year ( ), but his successor continued the policy of hostility to the germans and seems to have sought the alliance of his cousin canute against the teutonic foes.[ ] conrad, too, sought canute's friendship and was able to outbid his polish rival. it was agreed that there should be perpetual peace between conrad and canute, and to cement the good understanding and secure its continuance in years to come, canute's little daughter gunhild, who could not yet have been more than five or six years old, was betrothed to conrad's son henry, who was, perhaps, three years older.[ ] the covenant was kept, and henry received his bride about ten years later ( ), after the death of canute. the bridegroom was the mighty emperor henry iii., though he did not attain to the imperial dignity before the death of conrad in . gunhild was crowned queen of germany and as a part of the ceremony received the more honoured german name kunigund; but she never became empress, as she died in .[ ] in return for his friendship, canute received the mark of sleswick, a strip of land between the schley and the eider, that henry the fowler had taken from the danes a century before. thus the eider once more became the boundary of the danish kingdom. but apart from territorial acquisitions, canute was doubtless glad to conclude the treaty, as he was just then planning the conquest of norway. the negotiations with conrad were probably concluded in the year or , though more likely in the former year.[ ] perhaps at the same time the german king invited his ally to participate in his coronation as emperor; for in canute journeyed to rome to witness the great event. there can be little doubt that on this occasion the pledges were renewed. but even in the absence of formal treaties there was small occasion for conrad to make trouble for his neighbour to the north. the years following his coronation in rome saw four serious revolts in germany; not till was real order restored in conrad's kingdom. there was another power that canute could not afford to antagonise or even ignore: no mediæval monarch could long flourish if he overlooked the needs of the church. during the first years of his english kingship, canute does not seem to have sought to conciliate the clergy; but after a few years he apparently adopted a new policy and strove to ally himself with the priesthood. it was as king of england that he first succeeded in forming such an alliance; in his other kingdoms, the ecclesiastical problem assumed a somewhat different form. with the head of christendom, canute's relations seem to have been cordial throughout his entire reign. it was the papacy that made the first move to establish such relations: in archbishop lifing brought a message back from rome replete with good advice which seems to have nattered the young dane. the pilgrimage to rome doubtless strengthened the bond; especially must the king's later efforts to see that the proper church dues were collected have pleased the popes of that period. for the papacy had fallen low in that age: the pope whom canute visited was only a layman up to the day of his election to the sacred office; his successor benedict is said to have been a mere boy when he was elevated to the papal dignity, though authorities differ as to his age. there was, therefore, little likelihood of any conflict so long as the peter's pence were regularly transported to rome. a new papacy was to come; but hildebrand had not quite reached manhood when canute went to his rest. canute's ecclesiastical policy in england, at least during the closing years of his reign, seems to have aimed at greater control than had been the case earlier. the friendship and active good-will of the church could best be secured by carefully choosing the rulers of the church. as a christian court, the royal household at winchester had in its employment a regular staff of priests, nine of whom are mentioned in the documents. canute honoured his priests; he seems to have invited them to seats in the national assembly; he called them in to witness grants of land. finally, he honoured several of them still further by appointing them to episcopal office: at least three of canute's clerks received such appointments before the reign closed.[ ] his successor inherited his policy and several more of canute's chapel clerks were honoured in edward's time. the policy was not new: even in carolingian times the royal chapel had been used as a training school for future prelates, and there are traces of a similar practice in england long before canute's time. but so far as the dane was concerned, the plan was probably original: we cannot suppose him to have been very well informed as to precedents more than two centuries old. in norway the problem was how to christianise and organise the land, and canute had no great part in either. the danish church, however, was growing in strength and developing under conditions that might produce great difficulties: it was the daughter of the german church; it was governed by an alien prelate. the primacy of the northern churches belonged to the see of bremen, the church from which the earliest missionaries had gone forth into denmark and sweden. while this primacy was in a way recognised, in practice, the northern kings in the early years of the eleventh century paid small regard to the claims of the archbishop. the two olafs depended mainly on england and the neighbouring parts of the continent for priests and prelates; and canute, as king of england, seems to have planned to make the danish church, too, dependent on the see of canterbury. at this time unwan was archbishop of bremen; for sixteen years he ruled his province with a resolute hand and for the most part with strength and wisdom. unwan was displeased when he learned that canute was sending bishops from england to denmark; we have already seen how he managed to make a prisoner and even a partisan of gerbrand, who, like unwan himself, was doubtless a german. this must have been in or , more likely in the former year. aided by gerbrand, who acted as mediator, unwan was able to make canute recognise his primacy. adam of bremen mentions great gifts that unwan sent to canute,[ ] but these were probably not the determining consideration. in , canute was fighting the slavs and adding territory that would naturally belong to the mission fields of bremen, and it would hardly be wise to make an enemy of one whose historic rights had been admitted by earlier danish kings. till unwan's death in , the king and the archbishop were fast friends. unwan served as mediator between canute and the emperor when the alliance was formed in (?)[ ] and otherwise served the danish king. it seems probable that a personal acquaintance was formed, for adam tells us that unwan rebuilt hamburg and spent considerable time there, "whither he also invited the very glorious king canute ... to confer with him."[ ] [illustration: the hyby stone (monument from the first half of the eleventh century; raised to a christian as appears from the cross.)] the _entente_ that was thus formed seems also to have affected mission operations in norway. it is likely that unwan demanded that king olaf should no longer be allowed to recruit his ecclesiastical forces in england; for soon after the date that we have assumed as that of the new treaty, bishop grimkell appeared as king olaf's ambassador at unwan's court. the bishop, who was evidently a northman from the danelaw, brought the customary gifts and the prayer that unwan would accept the anglian clerks and prelates then in norway as of his province and that he would further increase the clerical forces of the kingdom.[ ] thus in the years - , the rights of hamburg-bremen were recognised everywhere. unwan was succeeded in the province by libentius, the nephew of an earlier libentius who had held the metropolitan office in bremen before unwan's day. he was of italian blood and therefore not likely to be burdened with german sympathies. before everything else, says the good master adam, he entered into friendly relations with the king of the danes.[ ] but during libentius' as well as unwan's primacy canute seems to have selected the bishops for his danish as well as for his english sees. during the closing years of his life, canute's policy was completely identified with that of the mediæval church as regards his attitude toward heathen and un-christian practices. so long as the norwegian problem was unsettled, the king dared not take a decided stand against the old faith, as he was too much dependent on heathen or semi-heathen assistance against king olaf. but after the conquest there was no reason for further delay, and the english church got its desired legislation. in two comparatively long enactments, one ecclesiastical and one secular, all the old and important church laws were re-enacted and various new provisions added.[ ] archbishop dunstan was canonised and given may th as his mass day.[ ] added protection was given to churches and to the ministers of the altar: outlawry was to be the punishment for slaying a priest.[ ] it was carefully explained that the privileges of the priesthood were due to the exalted character of the divine office; for great is the exorcism and glorious the consecration that cast out devils and put them to flight whenever baptism is celebrated or the host is consecrated; and holy angels are present to watch over the sacred act and through the power of god to assist the priests so long as they worthily serve christ.[ ] sundays and other church holidays were to be properly kept; and no commercial transactions were to be tolerated on sundays, nor were the public courts to hold sessions on those days except in cases of extreme necessity.[ ] due attention was to be given to the seasons when the church prescribed fasting; but it was explicitly stated that except in the case of penitents, no fasting was to be required between easter and pentecost, or from christmas to the close of the week following epiphany,[ ] the joyous period of the northern yule-tide. it seems clear that enactments of this sort would be necessary only in regions where there might still be a considerable number of recent converts with whom the observance of christian rites and customs had not yet become a habit. it may be, therefore, that these laws were particularly intended for certain parts of the danelaw. perhaps it was the need of improving the religious conditions in the danish settlements that inspired the royal demand for general instruction in the fundamentals of the christian faith. and we order every christian to learn at least so much that he can understand clearly the teachings of the true faith, and to learn thoroughly the pater noster and the credo.[ ] some attention is also paid to ecclesiastical finance. fines were provided for neglect in the payment of church dues; part of these were to be paid to the bishop. the anglo-saxons were in the habit of making contributions for church lights at the feast of the purification (candlemas, february d), at easter eve, and on all saints' day (november st). a fortnight after easter plough alms were to be paid. a tithe of young beasts was due at pentecost. peter's pence were contributed on saint peter's day (august st). a tithe of the harvested crops was due at all saints' day. the last tax of the year was the church scot which was paid at martinsmas (november th). all these contributions are specifically mentioned and urged in canute's laws for the english church.[ ] the second part of canute's legislation, the secular laws, is a document of considerable length, of which only a comparatively small part is copied from the earlier "dooms." it deals with a variety of subjects, several of which may be classed as religious rather than secular. a very important act was the definition and prohibition of heathendom and heathen practices. heathendom is the worship of idols, namely the worship of heathen gods, and the sun or moon, fire or flood, fountains or rocks or forest trees of any sort; also to practise witchcraft or to commit murders in any manner, whether in sacrifices or in auguries, or to busy oneself with any such delusion.[ ] as it is not customary to forbid what is never performed, we have in this enactment evidence for a persisting heathendom on english soil. in the scandinavian colonies pagan practices were probably hard to uproot; at the same time, it is not likely that the old faith was a force that needed to be considered any longer. the matter of christian marriage is dealt with in both the secular and the ecclesiastical laws. it was difficult to enforce the regulations of the church on this subject and particularly among the vikings, whose ideas as to the binding force of marriage were exceedingly vague.[ ] canute forbade clandestine marriages; to the old law that a man should have but one wife he added the important provision that "she should be his legally espoused wife."[ ] he also gave the protection of the state to widows and virgins who preferred to remain unmarried.[ ] other important enactments deal with matters of finance, especially with the king's share in the fines assessed in the courts, his income from his estates, and coinage and counterfeiting; there are also important laws that look toward the security of persons and of property. the principle of equality before the law is distinctly stated: the magnates were to have no unusual privileges in the courts of justice. many a powerful man will, if he can and may, defend his man in whatever way it seems to him the more easy to defend him, whether as freeman or as _theow_ (serf). but we will not suffer that injustice.[ ] with the legislation of canute, the development of old english law comes to a close. various tracts or customals of considerable importance were composed in the eleventh century, some of which may have been put into form after the close of canute's reign; but of these we know neither the authors nor the date. the "laws of edward" that the norman kings swore to maintain were in reality the laws of canute; for when the anglo-norman lawyers of the early twelfth century began to investigate the subject of old english law, they found its most satisfactory statement in the legislation of the mighty dane. in the _quadripartitus_ these laws occupy the most prominent place; while the compilations that liebermann has called the _instituta cnuti_ and the _consiliatio cnuti_ are scarcely more than translations of canute's legislation for church and state.[ ] so great was the danish king's reputation as a lawmaker in the twelfth century that he was even credited with enactments and institutional experiments with which he never had any connection. toward the close of that century an official of the royal forest, as it seems, drew up an elaborate law for the king's hunting preserves which he tried to give currency and authority by ascribing it to canute.[ ] the dane was not indifferent to the chase, but he did not find it necessary to make it the subject of extensive legislation. in his secular laws the subject is disposed of in a single sentence: "and let every man forego my hunting, wherever i wish to have it free from trespass, under penalty of the full fine."[ ] in the so-called "laws of edward the confessor" it is stated that the _murdrum_ fine originated in the reign of canute. it is well-known that william the conqueror found it necessary to take special measures for the protection of his normans from assassination at the hands of englishmen who were seeking vengeance; he decreed, therefore, that the hundred where the murder of a norman was committed should see that the criminal was given proper punishment or pay a heavy fine in case of default. the twelfth-century lawyer who drew up the "laws of edward" evidently believed that in this matter william was following a precedent from danish times.[ ] but though it seems that canute was obliged to legislate for the protection of his danish officials and subjects in norway, there is no good evidence for any corresponding decree in england. a similar conclusion has been reached as to canute's responsibility for the institution known as frankpledge. tithing and surety, two old english institutions which were the roots of the later frankpledge, are mentioned in the laws of canute; but they were still distinct. the tithing, normally a group of ten, was charged chiefly with the duty of assisting in the pursuit of criminals; not until its members had been pledged to a duty of mutual suretyship, each being held responsible in certain respects for the behaviour of all his associates in the group, did the tithing develop into the pledge.[ ] in canute's empire there were at least two institutional systems, those of england and of the north. in some respects both had attained a high development. the question how far these systems influenced each other as the result of the union is a difficult one: the union of the crowns was of short duration and the institutional changes that seem to indicate borrowing may be due in large part to earlier contact through the danelaw. with the northmen came a new conception of personal honour and a new term for criminality of the most dishonourable type, the _nithing_ name. norse rules were introduced into court procedure. administrative areas came to bear norse appellations, as the wapentake in the danelaw generally and the riding in yorkshire.[ ] these facts, however, belong in large measure to the earlier development, though it doubtless continued through the reign of canute and longer. but though scandinavian ideas of law had long flourished on english soil, it was not till canute's day that they were formally accepted as a part of the anglo-saxon legal system. in penal legislation a new spirit appeared: there was less mercy and punishments became more severe--exile, mutilation, and forfeiture of life more common. if the ordeal should convict a man of a second offence, the penalty might be the loss of the hands or the feet, or of both. still further mutilation was decreed if the criminal should continue to commit grave offences; "but let the soul be spared."[ ] the same penalties were not always provided for both sexes: a faithless husband might have to pay the ancient money fine for man-slaughter; a sinning wife was to suffer the loss of all her property and her ears and nose.[ ] certain institutions of scandinavian origin took on a peculiar form during canute's reign: for instance, the guard of housecarles in its english and later danish form, and the office of staller or the king's spokesman at the popular assemblies, which office seems to have been introduced into england in canute's day.[ ] it is still more difficult to determine what results the union had for the institutional development of denmark. on only one point have we clear evidence: canute was the first danish king to begin a systematic coinage of money. coins were stricken in denmark before his day, but there was no organised system of mints. canute supplied this need, using the english pattern. he brought moneyers from his western kingdom and located them in the chief cities of denmark; coins have come down to us that were stricken by these moneyers in the cities of roeskild, ringsted, odense, heathby (sleswick), and lund.[ ] on the other hand, canute's norwegian legislation shows clear traces of anglo-saxon influence. of his three kingdoms, norway, doubtless, had the least efficient constitution. in norway there was much liberty, but also much disorder; emphasis was placed on personal rights, especially on those of the aristocracy; but such emphasis is too frequently subversive of good government. the dane was a believer in strong, orderly administration: it was his purpose to introduce european principles into the norse constitution. had he been personally in control he might have succeeded but his deputies at nidaros were unequal to the task; discontent and rebellion were the result. for the laws that the new regents proclaimed in norway, the norsemen were inclined to lay all blame on sweyn's mother, elgiva (alfiva, the northmen called her), canute's mistress of olden time. but there can be little doubt that in this matter she and her son merely carried out the king's instructions. the laws fall into three classes: revenue legislation, police and military ordinances, and a new definition of penalties.[ ] a new tax that apparently affected the entire population was the demand that at christmas time every hearth should contribute certain "gifts": a measure of malt, the leg of a full-grown ox, and as much unspun flax as could be held between the thumb and the middle finger. this reminds one somewhat of the english ferm, a contribution that was due from the various counties. it was also enacted that the franklins should assist in erecting buildings on the royal estates, and that merchants and fishermen and all who sailed to iceland should pay certain dues to the king. a law that was clearly aimed at the ancient practice of blood feud provided that murder should entail the loss of lands as well as of personal property; also that the king alone should take inheritance after an outlaw. in those same years canute decreed in england that whoever committed a deed of outlawry should forfeit his lands to the king. the new norse laws also forbade any subject to leave the land without permission, on pain of outlawry. parallel to this is the english law that ordered forfeiture for leaving one's lord, with the difference that in norway the king himself was the lord. it was also decreed that the testimony of a dane should outweigh that of ten norsemen, the purpose of which was clearly to secure the lives of danish officials and soldiers. it was further provided that every male above the age of five years should be counted one of seven to equip a soldier. it may be that this provision was suggested by the old english custom of grouping five hides of land (originally the lands of five households) for similar purposes. snorre believes that these laws were danish in origin; but it is more likely that they grew out of canute's experience with anglo-saxon custom and the principles of continental feudalism, though it is possible that some of them had been introduced into denmark earlier in the reign and came to norway from the southern kingdom. [illustration: runic monument from upland, sweden (shows blending of celtic and northern art.)] footnotes: [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, i., - . [ ] munch, _det norske folks historie_, i., ii., , . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . the encomiast is intensely partisan and much given to exaggeration; but we cannot reject the statement as to the english oath without convicting him of a worse fault for which there was scarcely a sufficient motive at the time when the _encomium_ was composed. [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., - . [ ] steenstrup, _venderne og de danske_, - . the name occurs in the _liber vibæ_ of winchester in a list of benefactors. see above p. . [ ] steenstrup, _venderne og de danske_, . florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., . [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . [ ] after canute's death, godescalc returned to his native country and took up the cause of christian mission effort among the heathen wends. adamus, _gesta_, ii., cc. , . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _mon. ger. hist., scriptores_, iv., ; adémar's _chronicle_, ii., c. . [ ] migne, _patrologia latina_, cxli., col. : sermon by adémar. migne considers the sermon of doubtful genuineness, possibly because he thought its delivery should go back to , when in reality seems to be the correct date. [ ] lavisse, _histoire de france_, ii., ii., . [ ] manitius, _deutsche geschichte_, - . [ ] manitius, _deutsche geschichte_, - , , ff. [ ] _ibid._, - . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . manitius (_deutsche geschichte_, ) believes the cession was not made before . [ ] larson, _the king's household, in england_, - . [ ] _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] _ibid._, c. . [ ] _ibid._, c. ; iv., c. . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . [ ] liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., ff. [ ] _canute_, c. , i. [ ] _ibid._, cc. , ; _ii. canute_, c. . [ ] _i. canute_, c. , . [ ] _ibid._, c. . [ ] _ibid._, c. . [ ] _i. canute_, c. . [ ] _ibid._, cc. - . [ ] _ii. canute_, c. , . [ ] on this point the norse sources furnish evidence everywhere. for the condition among the scandinavians in britain, see the account of the "siege of durham" published among the writings of simeon of durham (_opera omnia_, - ). [ ] _i. canute_, c. , . [ ] _ii. canute_, cc. , , i, . [ ] _ii. canute_, c. , i. [ ] for the text of these compilations (including the forged forest law) see liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., - , - . the documents have been made the subject of a series of studies by f. liebermann, the results of which are summed up in pollock and maitland, _history of english law_, i., - . [ ] liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., . [ ] _ii. canute_, c. , i. [ ] liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., ; _leges edwardi confessoris_, c. . [ ] on this subject see morris, _the frankpledge system_, c. i. [ ] on this subject the most important work is steenstrup's _danelag_ (_normannerne_, iv.); see especially pp. - , - , ff.; also _normannerne_, iii., - . [ ] _ii. canute_, c. , . [ ] _ibid._, c. ff. [ ] larson, _the king's household in england_, c. . [ ] _danmarks riges historie_, i., - . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . chapter xiii northern culture in the days of canute to present an adequate discussion of the state of culture among canute's subjects in the space of a single chapter would be impossible. so far as the western realm is concerned it would also be unnecessary, as the subject of anglo-saxon culture is an old study and discussions in english are readily accessible. this chapter will therefore be chiefly concerned with the civilisation of the northern lands, and especially with the great transformations that came with the viking age and were becoming most evident toward its close. the two controlling types of civilisation in the anglo-scandinavian empire, the english and the norse, were both fundamentally germanic; but english culture had for centuries been permeated with christian thought, while in the north the ideals of heathendom were still a force to be taken into account. it is difficult to characterise northern society in the earlier decades of the eleventh century: all the various regions were not in the same stage of development; all were not subject to the same modifying influences. but it was a growing organism, showing change in almost every fibre. scandinavian civilisation was gradually approaching the european type. there is danger that we may place the northman on a too high plane of culture; but the error is more frequently on the other side.[ ] measured by the standards of his own age, the northman was not a barbarian. he had great energy of mind and much intellectual curiosity. he sailed everywhere and frequently included european ideas in his plunder or merchandise. the population throughout scandinavia was overwhelmingly rural; cities were few and insignificant, when we consider the number of houses and inhabitants, though it appears that the urban element was rapidly developing in the eleventh century. as early as the ninth century we find mention of birca, an island city in lake maelar in eastern sweden; of heathby near the modern city of sleswick on the southern border of denmark; and of skiringshall in southern norway.[ ] these and other cities evidently originated in the need of definite market places. roads were poor in the middle ages and the sea was often a dangerous highway; commerce was therefore largely limited to the more favourable seasons of the year, and hence the importance of periodic markets. these were often held in connection with the great sacrificial festivals and it is therefore not strange that the earlier cities grew up on or near the sites of the ancient sanctuaries.[ ] in such localities grew up odense on the island of funen, wisby on the island of gotland, and skiringshall on the great bay.[ ] nidaros (throndhjem) is said to have been founded by the first king olaf, but its great importance dates from the canonisation of saint olaf whose bones were buried there. kingscrag (konungahelle) at the mouth of the gaut river, and tunsberg on the western shore of folden bay seem to have had their origin as landing places for merchants and vikings. on the other hand, sarpsborg across the inlet from tunsberg evidently grew up around a stronghold established in the days of saint olaf. urban developments can also be traced in the western colonies: old cities in england, especially in the danelaw, passed into the control of the northmen; new cities rose on the shores of the irish sea. this commercial movement began to gather strength during the quiet decades of the tenth century but it must have progressed rapidly during the peaceful reign of canute. from novgorod in russia to bristol and limerick in the british isles the ships of the north sailed every summer laden with the products of all northern europe: furs from norway and russia; the teeth of the walrus from the arctic waters; cured fish from the scandinavian seas; honey from the baltic shores; norwegian hawks for the english sportsmen; and numerous other products. in return for these the northmen received the luxuries of the south, especially wine, wheat, and silk; but numerous thralls were also imported, particularly from the celtic lands.[ ] these foreign products were chiefly consumed in the homes of the scandinavian aristocracy. in material comforts the northmen were probably not far behind the corresponding classes elsewhere in europe. when the god righ came to the chieftain's house, then the housewife thought of her arms, smoothened her linen, pleated her sleeves. broad was her headgear, a brooch on her breast; she wore trailing sashes and a blue-dyed sark. when her son was born, "she swaddled him in silk"; and when her daughter-in-law came to the hall as a bride, "she walked under the veil of fine linen."[ ] the sudden consciousness of rare finery was not limited to the women; rich and highly coloured clothing also delighted the men. the influence of alien culture was also shown in the entertainment provided for the visiting god: then took mother a markèd[ ] cover of bleached linen and laid upon the board. next she laid out the thinnest loaves of wheaten flour on the white cover. she set the table with silver-mounted dishes heaped with roasted birds and ham. the wine brightened the mounted beakers. they drank and talked till the day was done.[ ] "the lay of righ" was composed, it is believed, in the days of canute's grandfather; but the civilisation that it describes was not new; even a century earlier the ruling classes in the north had reached a high stage of culture, as we know from the large number of articles indicating a refined and cultivated taste that were found when the oseberg ship was discovered and excavated a few years ago.[ ] as in early saxon times before the clergy had monopolised learning, the higher forms of cultured life saw their finest fruitage in the halls of kings and chiefs. the old scandinavian house was a wooden structure of rectangular shape, its length being considerably greater than the width. in its general lines it doubtless bore close resemblance to the anglo-saxon dwelling of the same period. in the number and arrangement of the rooms the individual houses showed some, though not great, variety; but a large living-room seems to have been characteristic of all. in the middle of this room a long trough lined with stones was sunk into the floor; this served as fireplace, the smoke finding its way out through an opening in the roof. on either side of this long fireplace ran a row of pillars that served to support the roof; these also gave opportunities for the carver's art. between the pillars and the wall stood the benches where the feasters sat with portable tables before them. the walls were ornamented with shields and weapons and with the trophies of the chase. at the middle of the long north wall, facing the entrance door on the opposite side, stood the high-seat of the lord of the hall. the size and splendour of the room would depend on the wealth and importance of the owner: some of the larger halls were planned for the entertainment of several hundred guests and henchmen.[ ] there were many other buildings besides the hall, the number depending on the needs of the estate. the king's garth probably differed very little from those of the wealthier chiefs. in england, too, even as late as the year , the palace architecture must have been of the same modest type. in his homily on saint thomas, alfric (who wrote his sermons in the decade of canute's birth) tells the story of how the apostle went to india to build a palace for a king, and, by the way, used the money for building churches: then he examined the grounds where it was to be builded. and thomas went about measuring the place with a yardstick, and said that he would build the hall first of all at the east end of the grounds, and the other buildings behind the hall: bath house and kitchen and winterhouse and summerhouse and winsome bowers,-- twelve houses altogether with good arches-- but such it is not customary to build in england and therefore we do not mention them particularly.[ ] [illustration: scandinavian (icelandic) hall in the viking age] during the reign of canute, however, there must have been material advancement in the direction of greater magnificence in the royal garth. the sagas testify to a splendour at winchester that was greater than what was to be seen anywhere else.[ ] the men of the viking age usually associated the royal hall with the thought of elaborate festivities. the greatest moment in such an occasion was when the scald rose to sing the praises and recite the exploits of his host. it has been thought that the activities of the court poet show celtic influence,[ ] and it may be that the scald had learned freely from the bard; but the institution itself is most probably of native origin. like the irish singer his chief theme was praise; but we need not suppose that the scald confined himself wholly to contemporary themes: the gleeman in beowulf sang of the great hero that sat beside the king; but he also told the tales of the volsungs and the still older story of creation; before the onslaught at stiklestead one of saint olaf's scalds recited the ancient bjarkamál, the old norse version of beowulf's last fight. the holy king seems to have enjoyed the inspiriting strains of heathen heroism; he thanked the poet, as did all the host. old norse poetry had its beginnings in the ninth century; but its greater bulk belongs to the tenth and eleventh. it begins with a wonderful series of mythical poems, most of them belonging to the period of lull in the viking activities ( - ). the series culminates in the sibyl's prophecy (voluspá), one of the grandest monuments of mediæval literary art and thought. it tells the story of the creation, the destruction, the regeneration of the world in heathen terms with heathen gods, giants, and demons as the actors. but it contains unmistakable christian elements and the poet must have had some acquaintance with the faith that ruled in the western islands. the poem seems to have been composed a generation or two before the days of canute; but it was doubtless widely current during the years of his kingship. that the later scalds knew and appreciated the poem is evident from the fact that it was quoted by christian poets in the following century.[ ] no doubt it was an important number in their repertoire of song and story, and perhaps we may believe that it was gladly heard by canute and his henchmen in the royal hall at winchester. [illustration: the vik stone (illustrates the transition from heathendom to christianity; shows a mixture of elements, the serpent and the cross.)] [illustration: the ramsund rock (representations of scenes from the sigfried saga.)] the four decades that the norns allotted to canute ( ?- ) are a notable period in the history of northern literature: it was the grand age of old norse poetry. the advance of christianity had made the myths impossible as poetic materials, but new themes were found in the deeds and virtues of the old teutonic heroes and of the mighty war lords of the viking age. the saga materials of the heroic age, the stories of helgi and sigrun, of sigurd and brunhild, of gudrun's grief and attila's fury, had long been treasured by the northern peoples. just when each individual tale was cast into the form that has come down to us is impossible to say; the probabilities are, however, that a considerable number of the heroic lays were composed in the age of canute. when we come to the court poetry we are on firmer ground: unlike the other poems, the dirges and praise-lays are not anonymous and their dates can be determined with some definiteness. the scald found the age great with possibilities. those were the days of hakon and erik, of sweyn and canute, of erling and thurkil,--men who typified in their warlike activities the deified valour of the old faith. it was also a period of famous battles: swald, ringmere, clontarf, ashington, and stiklestead, to mention only the more prominent. about twenty scalds are known to have sung at the courts of the viking princes, but the compositions of some of them have been wholly lost or exist in mere fragments only. in the reign of canute three poets stood especially high in the royal favour: thorarin praise-tongue, ottar the swart, and sighvat the scald. the three were all icelanders and were of a roving disposition as the scalds usually were. they all visited canute's court, presumably at winchester. sighvat came to england on the return from a trading journey to rouen in , it seems, just after the king's return from his roman pilgrimage, which the poet alludes to in his stretch song. ottar seems to have visited winchester the same year: his poem, the canute's praise, closes with a reference to the holy river campaign in . thorarin praise-tongue had his opportunity to flatter the king a year or two later, most likely in : his stretch song deals with the conquest of norway in . canute appears to have attached considerable importance to the literary activities of these icelanders. when he learned that thorarin had composed a short poem on himself, he became very angry and ordered him to have a complete lay ready for the following day; otherwise he should hang for his presumption in composing a short poem on king canute. thorarin added a refrain and eked the poem out with a few additional stanzas. the refrain, "canute guards the land as the lord of greekland [god] the kingdom of heaven," evidently pleased the king. the poet was forgiven and the poem rewarded with fifty marks of silver. thorarin's poem came to be known as the head ransom.[ ] it is said that when ottar came to the king's hall he asked permission to recite a poem, which the king granted. and the poem was delivered to a great gathering at the next day's moot, and the king praised it, and took a russian cap off his head, broidered with gold and with gold knobs to it, and bade the chamberlain fill it with silver and give it to the poet. he did so and reached it over men's shoulders, for there was a crowd, and the heaped-up silver tumbled out of the hood on the moot-stage. he was going to pick it up, but the king told him to let it be. "the poor shall have it, thou shaft not lose by it."[ ] of the court poets of the time sighvat was easily the chief. canute recognised his importance and was anxious to enroll him among his henchmen. but sighvat, who had already sworn fidelity to king olaf, excused himself with the remark that one lord at a time was sufficient. canute did not press the matter but permitted the poet to depart with a golden arm-ring as the reward for his poem, the stretch song, whose ringing refrain, "canute is the mightiest king under heaven," is high praise from one who had travelled so widely and had probably visited all the more important courts in northern and western europe. did canute also patronise anglo-saxon literature? we do not know, but the chances are that he did not, as during his reign very little was produced in the old english idiom that could possibly appeal to him. the anglo-saxon spirit was crushed; and out of the consciousness of failure and humiliation can come no inspiration for literary effort. even that fierce patriot, archbishop wulfstan, accepted the conquest and came down from york to assist at the dedication of the church at ashington where saxon rule had perished. after the appearance of the splendid poem that tells the story of byrhtnoth's death at maldon in , the voice of anglo-saxon poetry is almost silent for nearly two centuries. early in the eleventh century saxon prose, too, entered upon its decline. alfric's best work was done before the close of the tenth century; he seems to have written his last important work, a pastoral letter, just before the accession of canute to the english throne.[ ] in the english cloisters the monks were still at work and valuable manuscripts were produced; but canute can hardly have taken much interest in grammars, glossaries, biblical paraphrases, and pastoral letters. it seems evident that he did nothing to encourage the monastic annalist: the entries for canute's reign in the _anglo-saxon chronicle_ are extremely meagre and disappointing; it seems probable that they were not written till after the king's death. the disappearance of old english literature, both prose and poetic, dates from a time more than half a century earlier than the norman conquest,--from the time when the danish hosts filled the homes of wessex with gloom and horror. the coming of the normans did not put an end to literary production in the speech of the conquered english: it prevented its revival. it is not to be inferred, however, from this lack of literary originality and productiveness, that the age had lost all appreciation of the poet's art. two of the greatest monuments of old english culture, the so-called vercelli book and the exeter codex, were apparently produced during the earlier decades of the eleventh century, possibly as late as the accession of canute. in these manuscripts the anglo-saxon scribes have preserved to us some of the earliest literary productions of the english race. the vercelli book takes us back in the writings of cynewulf to the eighth century; the exeter manuscript looks back even farther and introduces us to the singers of heathen or semi-heathen times. canute may not have shared the enthusiasm of the scribes for the old english past; but he seems to have appreciated the work of a skilled copyist. in those days the exchange of presents was an essential part of diplomatic negotiations; and good manuscripts made very acceptable presents. mention has already been made of the beautiful codex, written with golden letters, that made a part of the gift that canute is said to have sent to duke william of aquitaine. as the duke was renowned as a patron of the literary art, there can be no doubt that the present was properly appreciated. it will be remembered that canute's gift to the church at cologne was also in the form of manuscripts. one of the most important contributions of the west to northern civilisation was the written book. writing was not a new art in the scandinavian lands; but neither the symbols nor the materials in use were such as did service in the christian lands. the men of the north wrote on wood and stone; they used characters that had to be chiseled into the tablet to be inscribed. these symbols were called runes; and graven into granite the runic inscriptions have defied the gnawing tooth of time. the large number of runic monuments that have come down to us would indicate that the art of writing was widely known, though it also seems likely that it was the peculiar possession of the "rune-masters," men of some education who knew the runes and were skilled in the art of inscribing. the runes were of divine origin and were taught mankind by woden himself. the term "run," which probably means "secret," reveals the attitude of the germanic mind toward this ancient alphabet: thoughts were hidden in the graven lines, but that was not all: the characters were invested with magical properties. graven on the sword hilt they were runes of victory; on the back of the hand, runes of love; on the palm, runes of help; the sailor cut sea runes into the rudder blade; the leech traced runes on "the bark and on the stock of a tree whose branches lean eastward."[ ] there were also ale runes, speech runes, and mind runes, which "thou shalt know if thou wilt be wiser than all other men."[ ] the runic alphabet was originally a common germanic possession; but among the scandinavian peoples alone did its use become extensive and long-continued. some of the northern inscriptions are of a very early date, the earliest going back, perhaps, to the fourth century or possibly to the third.[ ] they are of necessity terse and brief; but to the student of culture and civilisation they give some valuable information. these runes reveal a time when all the northern tribes spoke the same language and were one people, though clearly not organised into a single state.[ ] the inscriptions also show the rise of dialects and the development of these into idioms, though this is a growth of the later centuries. doubtless the changes in language bear some relation to a parallel political development, a grouping of tribes into states, until in the tenth century three dynasties claimed kingship in the north. in that century the monuments begin to have great value for narrative history. members of the knytling dynasty are mentioned on several important stones, as earlier pages of this volume have shown. the runes that were in use in the tenth and eleventh centuries are the younger series, an alphabet of sixteen characters selected and developed from the older series of twenty-four. as the number of elementary sounds in the language was greater than the number of letters, several of the runes were used to represent more than one sound, a fact that has made reading and interpretation somewhat difficult. the runes were used especially for monumental purposes: a large number of the many hundred extant mediæval inscriptions (sweden alone has more than fifteen hundred)[ ] are epitaphs recording the death of some friend or kinsman. but the runes were also found useful for other purposes. they were used in making calendars; articles of value very often bore the owner's name in runic characters; in early christian times we find runic characters traced on church bells and baptismal fonts; in later centuries attempts were even made to write books in the runic alphabet. wherever northmen settled in the middle ages, inscriptions of this type are still to be found; some of the most interesting scandinavian monuments were raised on the british isles; even classic piræus once had its runic inscription. [illustration: painted gable from urnes church (norse-irish ornamentation)--carved pillar from urnes church (norse-irish ornamentation)] sometimes the scribe did more than chisel the letters. like the christian monk who illumined his manuscript with elaborate initials and more or less successful miniatures, the rune-master would also try his hand at ornamentation. in the earlier middle ages, northern art, if the term may be used, was usually a barbaric representation of animal forms, real and imaginary, the serpent and the dragon being favourite subjects. but in the western colonies the vikings were introduced to a new form of ornamentation, the celtic style, which was based on the curving line or a combination of curved interlocking lines that seemed not to have been drawn in accordance with any law of regularity or symmetry, but traced sinuously in and out as the fancy of the artist might direct.[ ] this form was adopted by the norse colonists and soon found its way to the mother lands. in the north it suffered an important modification: the norse artists added an element of their own; the old motives were not entirely abandoned for the winding body of the serpent or the dragon readily fitted into the new combinations. it was this modified form of irish ornamentation that ruled among the northmen in the days of canute and later. it appears wherever decoration was desired: on runic monuments, on articles of personal adornment, and even on the painted walls of the early scandinavian churches. while these early efforts at pictorial representation are frequently associated with runic inscriptions and incidental to them, such is not always the case. the northern countries possess a number of "pictured rocks," on which the picture is the chief and often the only matter of importance. as many of these belong to the heathen period, the themes are often mythological or suggestive of warfare: the coming of the fallen warrior to walhalla on the tjängvide stone[ ]; viking ships on the stenkyrka stone. the comparatively new sport of hawking is represented on a stone at alstad in southern norway.[ ] themes from the heroic age seem to have attained an early popularity: especially do we find frequent pictorial allusions to the story of wayland smith and the adventures of the wonderful sigfried. with christianity came a wealth of new subjects that could be used in artistic efforts. one of canute's contemporaries, the norwegian woman gunvor, raised (about ) a memorial rock bearing a series of pictures from the story of christ's nativity.[ ] the work rarely shows much originality on the part of the artist, though frequently a surprising skill is displayed--surprising when the time and materials are taken into consideration. many of the pictures are clearly copied from western, perhaps anglo-saxon originals; in some instances the workman was evidently reproducing the embroidered figures on imported tapestries. the sigfried pictures on the ramsund rock in southern sweden seem to be of this type.[ ] but even though the art of the viking age does not testify to much creative imagination, it serves to prove that the men whom we think of as mere pirates were not wholly wanting æsthetic sense. [illustration: the hunnestad stone--the alstad stone] evidence of a cultivated taste is also seen in the large number of rich and elegant articles of personal adornment in the form of rings, necklaces, brooches, and the like that have come to light from time to time. it was long thought that these all represented plunder or purchase from other lands; but recent opinion seems inclined to regard the larger part of them as articles of native manufacture.[ ] if this be correct, they reveal considerable skill in the finer industrial arts and also suggest that certain forms of industry must have formed an important factor in the economic life of the people. the archæologist has unearthed many varieties of jewelry, but the written sources tell chiefly of rings, doubtless because of their ancient use for monetary purposes. even in the days of canute, the ring, especially the large arm-ring, was commonly used in rewarding the kingsmen. saint olaf once stroked the arm of a henchman above the elbow to determine whether canute had bribed him.[ ] canute's officials procured the allegiance of björn, saint olaf's spokesman, for english silver and two heavy gold rings.[ ] canute's ring gift to sighvat has been noted elsewhere; bersi, the poet's companion, received "a mark or more and a keen sword."[ ] northern industrial art of the later heathen age found its best and highest expression in the shipbuilder's trade. merchant ships as well as ships for warfare were built, but the builder's pride was the ship that the king sailed when he sought the enemy. the ships that bore canute's warriors to england were no doubt mainly of the so-called long ship type, a form that was developed during the second half of the tenth century. the long ship was built on the same general plan as the dragon ship of the century before, of which type we have a remarkably well-preserved example in the ship that was found in a burial-mound at gokstad near sandefjord in southern norway. the gokstad ship is nearly eighty feet long from stem to stern, and a little less than one fourth as wide. the builders of the long ship increased the length of the dragon, but did not increase the width proportionally. oak timbers and iron rivets were the materials used. it is likely that by the close of the viking age the shipbuilder's art was as highly developed in the north as anywhere else in christian europe. the long ship was built with pointed prow and stern. the gunwales generally ran parallel to the water line, but in the prow the timbers curved sharply upward to join the stern, which projected above the body of the ship and frequently terminated in some carved image like those described by the encomiast.[ ] the stern was built in much the same fashion. the ribs were supported and held in place by strong cross-beams, which also served as supports for the deck. in the fore-end the deck was high; here stood the stem-men, the best warriors on board. from a similarly raised deck in the stern, the chief directed the movements of the ship and the men when battle was joined. but in the middle portion of the ship the deck was low; here the oarsmen sat, each on a chest containing his clothes and other belongings. the number of pairs of oars would usually indicate the size of the ship; fifteen or twenty pairs were the rule; but larger ships were sometimes built: the _long serpent_ had thirty-four pairs. a rudder or "steering board" was fastened to the after-part of the vessel, on the side that has since been known as starboard. the long ship was also equipped with a mast and a sail. the mast was planted amidships, but in such a way that it could be lowered when not in use. the sails were generally made of coarse woollen stuff; they often bore stripes, blue, red, or green, and such striped sails were counted highly ornamental. the ship was painted and the gunwales frequently hung with shields, alternately yellow and red. an awning was provided to protect the vessel from rain and sunshine.[ ] the average long ship had, perhaps, eighty or ninety men on board, the oarsmen included. the number varied, of course, with the size of the ship: the _long serpent_ is said to have had a crew of three hundred men.[ ] [illustration: anglo-saxon table scene (from a manuscript in the british museum reproduced in _norges historie_, i., ii.)--model of the gokstad ship] in culture the later viking age was emphatically one of transition. the movement that transformed northern into european civilisation culminated in the reign of canute and was no doubt given great impetus by the fact of his imperial authority in the christian west. the seeds of the new culture had been gathered long before and in many lands: the german, the frank, the celt, and the saxon had all contributed to the new fruit-age. but in the north as elsewhere in the middle ages, the mightiest of all the transforming forces was the mediæval church. in one sense the poetic activities of the tenth century had made the transition to christian worship easier than in other lands: the author of the sibyl's prophecy had, unintentionally, no doubt, bridged the gap between the contending faiths. the intelligent northmen found in the teachings of christianity conceptions very similar to those in the great poem, only in a different historical setting. in the outward symbolism, too, the northman found similarities that made the step easier: he had already learned to pour water over the new-born infant; in the cross of christ he may have seen a modification of thor's hammer; the christian tree of life reminded him of the ash yggdrasil that symbolised the unity of the worlds; the yule festival of midwinter tide was readily identified with the christian celebration of the nativity on december th. too much importance must not be assigned to these considerations, but they doubtless had their effect. but even the church was not able to make its conquest of the north complete. the scandinavian peoples never entirely severed their connection with the historic past. the bridge that was built by the sibyl's prophecy was never demolished. the poet purged the old mythology of much that was revolting and absurd and thus made the old divinities and the old cosmic ideas attractive and more easily acceptable. even when the new cult became compulsory and even fashionable, it was hard for the northman to desert his gods. hallfred troublousscald, who flourished in the years of canute's childhood, gives expression to this feeling in one of his poems: 'tis heavy to cherish hatred for frigg's divine husband now that christ has our worship, for the scald delighted in woden. but olaf trygvesson has commanded that the old faith be renounced and men have obeyed, though unwillingly: cast to the winds all men have the kindred of mighty woden; forced to renounce njord's children i kneel to christ in worship. after several verses of regretful and half-hearted renunciation the scald continues: i will call upon christ with love words (i can bear the son's wrath no longer; he rules the earth in glory) and god the father in prayer.[ ] [illustration: the lundagÅrd stone (shows types of ornamentation in canute's day.)] the gods continued to live in the popular imagination as great heroic figures that had flourished in the earlier ages of the race. much that belonged to the worship of the anses was carried over into the christian life. the scandinavian christians on the isle of man evidently found nothing incongruous in placing heathen ornamentations on the cross of christ. sometimes the attributes of the ancestral divinities were transferred to the christian saints. the red beard with which christian artists soon provided the strong and virile saint olaf was probably suggested by the flaming beard of the hammering thor. [runic alphabet: f u th o r k h n i a s t b l m -r] footnotes: [ ] see montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, - . [ ] birca is mentioned in an early life of saint ansgar (_ca._ ); langebek, _script. rer. danic._, i., . heathby and skiringshall are alluded to in king alfred's _orosius_ (journeys of ottar and wulfstan). [ ] bugge, _studier over de norske byers selvstyre og handel_, - . [ ] _ibid._ the great bay (folden bay) is the modern christiania firth. [ ] on the commerce of the viking age see montelius. _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, ff.; olrik, _nordisk aandsliv_, - ; _norges historie_, i., ii., ff. (bugge). [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, i., - : "the lay of righ." [ ] embroidered with colours. [ ] "the lay of righ," ii., - . [ ] _norges historie_, i., ii., - . [ ] for brief descriptions of the northern halls in the viking age see bugge, _vikingerne_, ii., - ; montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, - ; olrik, _nordisk aandsliv_, - . [ ] alfric's _lives_, ii., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] bugge, _vesterlandenes indflydelse paa nordboernes kultur_, . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, i., . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . [ ] _cambridge history of english literature_, i., . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, i., - . [ ] _ibid._, . [ ] von friesen, _om runskriftens härkomst_, - . [ ] bugge, _vikingerne_, i., . [ ] montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, . [ ] olrik, _nordisk aandsliv_, . [ ] the tjängvide stone probably dates from about the year . the warrior represented may be woden on his eight-footed horse. bugge, _vesterlandenes indflydelse_, . [ ] bugge, _vikingerne_, ii., . [ ] _norges historie_, i., ii., , . [ ] schück, _studier i nordisk litteratur- och religions-historia_, i., ff. [ ] montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . [ ] _ibid._, c. . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . [ ] _encomium emmæ_, i., c. . [ ] for brief descriptions of northern ships of the viking age, see _danmarks riges historie_, i., - , - ; montelius, _kulturgeschichte schwedens_, - . [ ] english writers seem inclined to estimate a ship's crew at not more than or on the authority of heremannus, who wrote the "miracles of saint edmund" toward the close of the eleventh century (_memorials of saint edmund's abbey_, i., , ). but on the question of viking ships and crews his statements cannot be used as evidence: his ships are merchant ships, not viking ships, and they are not scandinavian. it should also be noted that one of the ships (c. ) in addition to "nearly " passengers carried beasts (heads of cattle?) and horses heavily laden with merchandise. [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., - . chapter xiv the last years - after the passing of the norman war-cloud and the failure of the norse reaction in , canute almost disappears from the stage of english history. the _anglo-saxon chronicle_ which gives us so much information on his earlier career in england has but little to tell of his activities as king; for the closing years of the reign the summaries are particularly meagre. evidently the entries for this reign were written from memory some years after the death of the great king; and the scribe recalled but little. it is also likely that the closing years in britain were peaceful and quiet, such as do not give the annalist much to record. of the larger european movements, of the norse secession, of movements on the danish border, and of the renewed compact with the emperor, the cloister was probably not well informed. [illustration: the jurby cross, isle of man--the gosforth cross, cumberland] as the chronicler thinks back upon the passing of a king who was still in his best and strongest years, there comes to him the memory of certain strange natural phenomena which suddenly take on meaning. in , two years before the king's death, "appeared the wild fire," such as none could remember the like of. there could be no doubt as to the interpretation: it was an omen giving warnings of great changes to come, the end of alien rule, even as a fiery heaven announced its imminence in the days of the boy ethelred. later writers report that during the last years of his life canute was afflicted with a long and severe illness, and it has been inferred that this may account for the uneventful character of this period. there may be an element of truth in this, but he was not too ill to take an active interest in political affairs. his legislation evidently belongs to one of these years. in one of the manuscripts of canute's code he is spoken of as king of angles, danes and norwegians, a title that he could not claim before . as he did not return from his expedition to norway before the following year, the earliest possible date for the enactment of canute's laws is christmas, .[ ] for they were drawn up at a meeting of the national assembly "at the holy midwinter tide in winchester." there are reasons for believing, however, that the laws are of a still later date. little need there was, it would seem, for extensive ecclesiastical legislation in those years when paganism was in full retreat and christianity had become fashionable even among the vikings. some condition must have arisen that made it necessary for the king to take a positive stand on the side of the english church. such a condition may have grown out of the canonisation of saint olaf in . he was the first native saint of the north and the young scandinavian church hailed him with a joy that was ominous for those who had pursued him to the grave. it may have been in the hope of checking the spread of the new cult in england that the witenagemot, the same that ratified canute's legislation, canonised the imperious archbishop who had governed the english church two generations earlier. the method of canonisation was probably new; but the nobles and prelates of england were surely as competent to act in such a matter as the youthful church at nidaros. canute showed an interest in the welfare of the church to the last months of his life. it was apparently in this period that he initiated the policy of advancing his own chapel priests to episcopal appointments: in elfwine became bishop of winchester; the following year duduc, another chapel priest, was promoted in the same manner.[ ] the church of york was remembered with a large gift of lands to archbishop alfric.[ ] gifts to some of the larger monasteries are also recorded for these same years: to sherburne, winchester, abingdon, and croyland.[ ] these usually took the form of land, though ornaments and articles intended for use in the church service were also given. abingdon received lands and bells and a case of gold and silver for the relics of "the most glorious martyr vincent of spain" whose resting place was in this church.[ ] it is worth noting that abbot siward who ruled at abingdon during the last few years of the reign bore a danish name. canute's last recorded gift was to the old minster at winchester in , the year of his death. this comprised a landed estate, a bier for the relics of saint brice, a large image, two bells, and a silver candlestick with six branches.[ ] it may be that he had premonitions of coming death, for in this abbey he chose to be buried. we do not know what efforts canute may have made to improve the material conditions in his anglo-saxon kingdom, but it appears that such undertakings were not wholly wanting. the king showed great favour to the religious establishments in the fenlands and was evidently impressed with the difficulty of travel from abbey to abbey. an attempt was made to remedy this: and that same road through the marshes between ramsey and the borough that is called king's delf he caused to be improved that the danger of passing through the great swamps might be avoided.[ ] matthew paris, our authority for this statement, wrote nearly two centuries after canute's day, but it is likely that he is reporting a correct tradition; if the work had been done at the instance of one of the later kings, it is not probable that it would have been associated with the name of the danish ruler. the norwegian sources have little to say of canute after the battle of stiklestead; but they follow the troubles of the norse regency in some detail. it was thought best, when sweyn was sent to norway, to give him the royal title; but as he was a mere youth, the actual power was in the hands of his mother, elgiva, who was probably associated with earl harold of jomburg, harthacanute's minister and guardian in denmark, who seems to have acted as canute's personal representative in his eastern kingdoms.[ ] mention has already been made of the opposition that soon arose to the danish régime. it was not long before the dissatisfied elements formed an alliance with the partisans of the old dynasty who were assiduously disseminating the belief that the fallen olaf was a saint. all through the winter that followed the king's martyrdom stories were current of miracles performed by the holy relics: wounds had been healed and blindness removed by accidental contact with the royal blood. at the same time much ill-feeling developed against bishop sigurd who had shown such a partisan spirit on the eve of the tragedy at stiklestead. sigurd was a dane who had served as chaplain at the english court[ ] and had therefore a double reason for preferring canute. under the regency he had continued as chief of the norwegian church, but soon the murmur became so loud that the zealous prelate had to withdraw to england. einar thongshaker now came forward to lead the opposition to the regents. he was the first of the chiefs to express his belief in olaf's sanctity and many were ready to follow his lead. bishop grimkell, who since olaf's flight in had remained in comparative quiet in the uplands, was asked to come and investigate the current rumours of miraculous phenomena. the bishop responded very promptly. on the way he visited einar, by whom he was gladly welcomed. later the prelate appeared at nidaros and began extended investigations into the matter of the reported wonders. einar was next summoned to conduct the negotiations with the regency. the plans of the national faction seem to have been carefully laid; it was probably not accidental that the city suddenly was thronged by incoming norsemen. having secured permission from king sweyn to act in the matter, einar and grimkell, followed by the multitude, proceeded to the spot where olaf's remains were said to have been buried. according to the legend that snorre in part follows, the coffin was found to have risen toward the surface and looked new as if recently planed. no change was observed in the remains except that the hair and nails showed considerable growth; the cheeks were red as those of one who had just fallen asleep. but the queen-mother was not easily convinced: "very slowly do bodies decay in sand; it would have been otherwise if he had lain in mould." then the bishop took a pair of shears and clipped off a part of the king's hair and beard,--he wore a long moustache, as custom was in those days. then said the bishop to the king and alfiva: "now is the king's hair and beard as long as when he died; but it has grown as much as you see i have cut off." then replied alfiva: "i believe hair to be sacred if it is not consumed in fire; often have we seen whole and uninjured the hair of men who have lain in the earth longer than this man." so the bishop placed fire in a censer, blessed it, and added the incense. then he laid olaf's hair in the fire. but when the incense was consumed, the bishop took the hair from the fire, and it was wholly unburnt. the bishop showed it to the king and the other chiefs. then alfiva requested them to place the hair in unblessed fire; but einar tremblethong spoke up, bade her keep silence, and used many hard words. then by the bishop's decision, the king's consent, and the judgment of the entire assembly, it was decreed that king olaf was in truth a holy man.[ ] [illustration: the fall of saint olaf (initial in the flat-isle book.)] whatever the procedure employed, there can be no doubt that king olaf was canonised in the summer of (august d is the date given) by popular act; nor can it be doubted that elgiva resisted the act--she must have seen that the canonisation meant her own and her son's undoing. for she must surely have realised that political considerations were an important element in the devotion of the norsemen to their new patron. there was later a tradition among the monks of nidaros that canute at one time planned to establish a monastery in the northern capital.[ ] if such an attempt was made, it evidently failed; but it would not be strange if the king should try to establish an institution where loyalty to the empire might be nursed and which might assist in uprooting nationalistic tendencies. if the attempt was made, it was probably soon after the canonisation, when it became important to divert attention from the new cult. for the worship of saint olaf spread with astonishing rapidity not only through norway but through the entire north and even farther. the church had saints in great number; but here was one from the very midst of the scandinavian people. moreover, saint olaf was a saint whom the men of the day could appreciate: he was of their own type, with the strength of thor and the wisdom of woden; they had seen him and felt the edge of his ax. so all along the shores that olaf the stout had plundered in his earlier heathen days churches arose dedicated to the virile saint of the north.[ ] there were other difficulties, too, that the regents had to contend with. hunger stalked over the land. the norwegian people had always been accustomed to hold their kings responsible for the state of the harvest; they were to secure the favour of the gods; a failure of crops meant that this duty had been shirked. the feeling lingered for some time after the disappearance of heathendom. sweyn was only a youth and was not held responsible; the blame fell upon the hated queen-mother and the hard years of her rule were known as the "alfiva-time." the general discontent is expressed in a contemporary fragment attributed to sighvat: alfiva's time our sons will long remember; then ate we food more fit for oxen, shavings the fare of he-goats. it was not thus when the noble olaf governed the norsemen; then could we all boast of corn-filled barns and houses.[ ] and thorarin praise-tongue in the shrine-song addressed to sweyn the son of canute urges the young regent to seek the favour of the new saint, "the mighty pillar of the book-language": pray thou to olaf that he grant thee (he is a man of god) all his land rights; for he can win from god himself peace to men and good harvests.[ ] in , a revolt broke out in norway in the interest of one trygve, a pretended son of olaf trygvesson and an english mother. the attempt failed; the norse chiefs had other plans. in russia was magnus, the illegitimate son of the holy king, now about nine or ten years old; him had the chiefs determined upon as their future leader. early the next year an embassy was sent to russia led by the two magnates einar and kalf. here oaths were sworn and plans were laid, and in the following spring ( ) magnus olafsson appeared in norway as the foster son of kalf who had led his father's banesmen at stiklestead. from the moment when magnus set foot on his native soil norway was lost to the empire. sweyn was farther south in his kingdom when news came of revolt in the throndelaw. he promptly summoned the yeomanry, but feeling that their devotion to him was a matter of grave doubt, he gave up his plans of resistance and fled to his brother harthacanute in denmark, where he died less than a year later.[ ] his mother elgiva evidently withdrew to england, where the death of canute the following november doubtless gave her another opportunity to play the politician. so far as we know, canute made no effort to dislodge magnus. it may be true that he was ill; or perhaps the power of the church restrained him: magnus was the son of a saint; would not the martyred king enlist the powers of heaven on the side of his son? but it was probably want of time and not lack of interest and purpose that prevented reconquest. there is an indication that canute was preparing for important movements: at whitsuntide, , while the imperial court was at bamberg, he was renewing his friendship with the emperor and arranging for the marriage of his daughter gunhild to the future henry iii.[ ] perhaps we should see in this a purpose to secure the southern frontier in anticipation of renewed hostilities in the north. but whatever may have been canute's plans, they were never carried out--the hand of death came in between. on wednesday, november , , the great dane saw the last of earth at shaftesbury, an old town on the dorset border, a day's journey from the capital. the remains were brought to winchester and interred in the old minster,[ ] an ancient abbey dedicated to the chief of the apostles, which canute had remembered so liberally earlier in the year. we have already noted the tradition reported by both norse and english writers that his death was preceded by a long and serious illness; one of the sagas states that the fatal disease was jaundice.[ ] there would be nothing incredible in this, but the evidence is not of the best. the fact that death came to him not in the residential city but in the neighbouring town of shaftesbury seems to indicate that he was at the time making one of his regular progresses through the country, as seems to have been his custom.[ ] in that case the illness could hardly have been a protracted one. it is likely, however, that canute was not physically robust; he died in the prime of manhood, having scarcely passed the fortieth year; and he seems not to have transmitted much virility to his children. three sons and a daughter were born to him, but within seven years of his own death they had all joined him in the grave. sweyn, who seems to have been the oldest, died a few months after his father, perhaps in the early part of . gunhild followed in ; harold in ; and harthacanute in . with harthacanute passed away the last male representative of the knytling family; after a few years the crown of denmark passed to the descendants of canute's sister estrid, to the son of the murdered ulf. none of canute's children seems to have attained a real maturity: harold and harthacanute probably reached their twenty-fourth year; sweyn died at the age of perhaps twenty-two; gunhild could not have been more than eighteen when she laid down the earthly crown. there is no reason for thinking that any of them was degenerate with the exception of harold harefoot, and in his case we have hostile testimony only; at the same time, they were all surely lacking in bodily strength and vigour. nor is there any reason for thinking that these weaknesses were maternal inheritances, for the women that canute consorted with were evidently strong and vigorous and both of them survived him. we know little of the concubine elgiva except that she was proud and imperious, on fire with ambition for herself and her sons. emma was a woman of a similar type. canute apparently found it inconvenient to have the two in the same kingdom, and when the mistress returned to england after the norse revolt, we seem to see her hand in the consequent intrigues. queen emma survived her husband more than sixteen years; "on march [ ], died the old lady, the mother of king edward and harthacanute, named imme, and her body lies in the old minster with king canute."[ ] at the time of her death she must have been in the neighbourhood of seventy years of age. of canute's personality we know nothing. the portraits on his coins, if such rude drawings can be called portraits, give us no idea of his personal appearance. nor is the picture in the _liber vitæ_ likely to be more than an idealistic representation. idealistic, too, no doubt, is the description of canute in the _knytlingasaga_, composed two centuries or more after his time: canute the king was large of build and very strong, a most handsome man in every respect except that his nose was thin and slightly aquiline with a high ridge. he was fair in complexion, had an abundance of fair hair, and eyes that surpassed those of most men both as to beauty and keenness of vision.[ ] the writer adds that he was liberal in dealing with men, brave in fight, favoured of fortune, but not wise. except for the details as to the nose, which give the reader the feeling that the writer may, after all, have had some authentic source of information at his disposal, this picture would describe almost any one of the heroic figures of the time. on his own contemporaries canute made a profound impression which succeeding generations have shared. in britain he was called the great; in scandinavia the rich, the mighty or the powerful. the extent of his possessions, the splendour of his court, the size of his navy, his intimate relations with pope and emperor--all these things gave him a position and a prestige that was unheard of in the northlands. and it was indeed a marvellous achievement for a pirate chief from a nation just emerging from heathendom to gather into his power the realms and territories that made up the knytling empire. to analyse a character such as that of canute is a difficult task, as character analysis always must be. there was so much that was derived from a heathen time and ancestry, and also so much that had been acquired by contact with christian culture and influences, that the result could be only a strange composite out of which traits and characteristics, often contradictory and hostile, would come to the surface as occasion would suggest. canute was a christian, probably baptised in his youth by some german ecclesiastic, as the christian name lambert, which in harmony with custom was added to the one that he already possessed, seems distinctly german. but the new name was evidently not much employed, except, perhaps, on occasions when the king wished to emphasise his christian character. he seems to have entered into some sort of fraternal relations with the monks of bremen: in the book of our brotherhood, says adam the monk, he is named lambert, king of the danes.[ ] the historians of old english times, both saxon and norman, were ecclesiastics and saw the reign of canute from their peculiar view-point. to them the mighty dane was the great christian king, the founder of monasteries, the giver of costly gifts and valuable endowments to the houses of god. to the undisputed traits of christian liberality, they added those of piety and humility, and told stories of the visit to the monks of ely and of canute's vain attempt to stem the tides and compel their obedience. the former is probably a true story; there is no reason why the king, who seems to have taken great interest in the abbeys of the fenlands, should not have visited the cloisters of ely, and he may have been attracted by the chants of the monks, which is more doubtful. but the tale of how canute had to demonstrate his powerlessness before his admiring courtiers is a myth too patent to need discussion.[ ] there was nothing of the oriental spirit in the northern courts. that canute was religious cannot be denied. nor should we doubt that he was truly and honestly so, as religion passed among the rulers of the age. the time demanded defence and support of the priesthood, and this canute granted, at least toward the close of his life. perhaps in real piety, too, he was the equal of his contemporaries whom the church has declared holy: saint stephen of hungary, saint henry of germany, and saint olaf of norway. still, it becomes evident as we follow his career that at no period of his life, unless it be in the closing years of which we know so little, did canute permit consideration for the church or the christian faith to control his actions or determine his policies. the moving passion of canute's life was not a fiery zeal for the exaltation of the church, but a yearning for personal power and imperial honours. in the northern sources written by laymen, especially in the verses of the wandering scalds, we get a somewhat different picture of canute from that which has been painted in the english cloisters. little emphasis is here placed on canute's fidelity to the new faith; here we have the conqueror, the diplomat, the politician whose goal is success, be the means what they may. the wholesale bribery that he employed to the ruin of saint olaf, the making and breaking of promises to the norwegian chiefs, and the treatment of his sister's family suggest a sense of honour that was not delicate, a passion for truth that was not keen. in his preference for devious ways, in the deliberate use that he made of the lower passions of men, he shows a characteristic that is not northern. all was not honest frankness in the scandinavian lands; but the pirates and their successors, as a rule, did not prefer bribery and falsehood to open battle and honest fight. slavic ancestry, christian culture, anglo-saxon ideas, and the responsibilities of a great monarchy did much to develop and modify a character which was fundamentally as much slavic as scandinavian. still, deep in his strong soul lay unconquered the fierce passions that ruled the viking age--pitiless cruelty, craving for revenge, consuming hatred, and lust for power. as a rule he seems to have been humane and merciful; he believed in orderly government, in security for his subjects; but when an obstacle appeared in the path of his ambitions, he had little scruple as to the means to be employed in removing it. the mutilation of the hostages at sandwich, the slaughter and outlawry of earls and ethelings in the early years of his rule in england, the assassination of ulf in roeskild church suggest a spirit that could be terrible when roused. something can be said for canute in all these instances: ulf was probably a traitor; the hostages represented broken pledges; the ethelings were a menace to his rule. but why was the traitor permitted to live until he had helped the king in his sorest straits; and what was to be gained by the mutilation of innocent englishmen; and was there no other way to make infants harmless than to decree their secret death in a foreign land? canute possessed in full measure the scandinavian power of adaptation, the quality that made the northmen such a force in normandy and naples. he grasped the ideals of mediæval christianity, he appreciated the value of the new order of things, and undertook to introduce it among the northern peoples. but he did not permit the new circumstances and ideals to control him; only so long as they served his purpose or did not hinder him in the pursuit of that purpose did he bow to them. when other means promised to be more effective, he chose accordingly. the empire that he founded did not survive him; it had begun to crumble in his own day; the english crown was soon lost to the danish dynasty. it would appear, therefore, as if the conqueror accomplished nothing that was permanent. but the achievements of genius cannot be measured in such terms only: the great movement that culminated in the subjection of britain was of vast importance for the north; it opened up new fields for western influences; it brought the north into touch with christian culture; it rebuilt scandinavian civilisation. these are the more enduring results of the reign and the preceding expeditions to the west. at the same time, canute's reign minimised the influence that was working northward from the german outposts. the connection with england was soon interrupted; but while it endured the leavening process made rapid spread and the northern countries were enabled to absorb into their culture much that has remained a native possession. to england canute brought the blessings of good government. for nearly twenty years england had peace. troubles there were on the scotch and welsh borders; but these were of slight importance compared with the earlier ravages of the vikings. it is true, indeed, that the danish conquest paved the way for the later invasion by the normans; but this was a result that canute had not intended. it was not a part of his plan to have the sons of his consort educated in normandy; at the same time, he was not in position to take such steps in their case as he may have wished, for they were the sons of his own queen. in his early years canute was a viking; when he died the viking age had practically come to its close. various influences contributed to this result: the new creed with its new conceptions of human duty; new interests and wider fields of ambition in the home lands; and the imperial position of canute. we do not know that canute at any time issued any decree against the practice of piracy; but he gained the same end by indirect means. the viking chiefs evidently entered his service in large numbers either in the english guard or in the government of the eastern domains. furthermore, as the dominant ruler of the northern shores, as the ally of the emperor and the friend of the norman duke, he was able to close fairly effectually the baltic, the north, and the irish seas together with the english channel to viking fleets; and the raven was thus forced to fly for its prey to the distant shores beyond brittany. piracy continued in a desultory way throughout the eleventh century; but it showed little vigour after canute's accession to the danish kingship. footnotes: [ ] the author has discussed this subject further in the _american historical review_, xv., - . [ ] larson, _the king's household in england_, . [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, nos. , , , . the croyland charter is clearly a forgery, but canute may have made the grant none the less as the forged charters frequently represent an attempt to replace a genuine document that has been lost or destroyed. [ ] _chronicon monasterii de abingdon_, i., . [ ] _annales monastici_, ii., . [ ] matthew paris, _chronica majora_, i., . [ ] munch, _det norske folks historie_, i., ii., . [ ] taranger, _den angelsaksiske kirkes indflydelse paa den norske_, . [ ] snorre, _saga of saint olaf_, c. . for the preliminary steps see cc. - . [ ] matthew paris, _chronica majora_, v., . [ ] daae, _norges helgener_, - . [ ] _corpus poeticum boreale_, ii., . [ ] _ibid._, . [ ] snorre, _saga of magnus the good_, cc. , . [ ] manitius, _deutsche geschichte_, - . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, ; _encomium emmæ_, iii., c. i. [ ] _knytlingasaga_, c. . [ ] _historia rameseiensis_, . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] c. . [ ] _gesta_, schol. . [ ] the story must have arisen soon after the danish period; it is first told by henry of huntingdon who wrote two generations later. _historia anglorum_, . chapter xv the collapse of the empire - king canute was dead, but the great king-thought that he lived for, the policy of his dynasty, their ambition to unite the northern peoples in the old and new homes under one sceptre persisted after his death. historians have generally believed that canute had realised the impossibility of keeping long united the three crowns that he wore in his declining years, and had made preparation for a division of the empire among his three sons. in the year of his death one son is found in england, one in denmark, and one in norway; hence it is believed that like charlemagne before him he had executed some sort of a partition, so as to secure something for each of the three. such a conclusion, however, lacks the support of documentary authority and is based on a mistaken view of the situation in the empire in . we should remember in the first place that when harthacanute and sweyn received the royal title (in and ), canute cannot have been more than thirty-five years old, and at that age rulers are not in the habit of transferring their dominions to mere boys. in the second place, these two sons were sent to the north, not to exercise an independent sovereignty, but to represent the royal authority that resided at winchester. finally, there is no evidence that canute at any time intended to leave england or any other kingdom to his son harold. the probabilities are that he hoped to make the empire a permanent creation; perhaps he expected it to become in time wholly scandinavian, as it already was to a large extent, except in the comparatively small area of wessex. canute's policy is revealed in the act at nidaros, discussed in an earlier chapter, when in the presence of lords from all his realms, he led harthacanute to the high seat and thus proclaimed him a king of his own rank. that denmark was intended for the young king is undisputed. england was to be added later. the encomiast tells as that when harthacanute had grown up (evidently toward the close of canute's reign) all england was bound by oath to the sovereignty of harthacanute.[ ] the early promise that canute made to queen emma was apparently to be kept. most likely, the loyalty that godwin and other west saxon magnates showed to the king's legitimate heir is to be explained, not by assuming a pro-danish sentiment, but by this oath, surely taken in england, perhaps earlier at nidaros. the situation in norway, however, made it difficult to carry out canute's wishes. on the high seat in the throndelaw sat magnus the son of saint olaf. to be the son of a saint was a great asset in the middle ages; in addition magnus had certain native qualities of the kingly type and soon developed into a great warrior. knowing that war was inevitable, magnus began hostilities and carried the warfare into danish waters.[ ] it was this difficulty that prevented harthacanute from appearing promptly in england in the winter of - , when harold harefoot was planning to seize the throne. after the flight of her son sweyn in the summer of , elgiva is almost lost to history. apparently she retired to england, where she played the part of queen-mother during the reign of her son harold: in a will of bishop alfric we find the testator giving two marks of gold to king harold and one mark to my lady.[ ] as we do not find that the king had either wife or children the presumption is that the lady was his mother, the woman from northampton. we may then conjecture that the struggle for the english crown in the winter following canute's death was at bottom a fight between the two women who bore canute's children, each with a son to place in the high seat, each with a party devoted to her cause, each with a section of the country ready to follow her lead. elgiva had her strength in the danelaw; there were her kinsmen, and there her family had once been prominent. queen emma was strongest in the south; on her side were earl godwin and the housecarles.[ ] the sources that relate the events of these months are anything but satisfactory and their statements are sometimes vague or ambiguous. but it is clear that soon after the throne became vacant (thirteen days, if the chronicler is accurate)[ ] a meeting of the "wise men" was held at oxford, the border city where danes and saxons had so frequently met in common assembly. at this meeting, as the _chronicle_ has it, the northern magnates led by leofric, earl of mercia, and supported by the danes in london, "chose harold to hold all england, him and his brother harthacanute who was in denmark." to this arrangement godwin opposed all his influence and eloquence; but though he was supported by the lords of wessex, "he was able to accomplish nothing." it was finally agreed that queen emma and the royal guard should continue to hold wessex for harthacanute.[ ] the north was evidently turned over to harold. the decision reached at oxford has been variously interpreted. at first glance it looks as if the kingdom was again divided along the line of the thames valley. the statement of the chronicler that harold "was full king over all england" seems not to have been strictly contemporary but written after the king had seized the whole. what was done at oxford was probably to establish an under-kingship of the sort that canute had provided for norway and denmark. the overlordship of harthacanute may have been recognised, but the administration was divided. this did not necessarily mean to the scandinavian mind that the realm was divided; in the history of the north various forms of joint kingship are quite common. for one year this arrangement was permitted to stand; but in , harold was taken to king over all england--the nation forsook harthacanute because he tarried too long in denmark.[ ] emma was driven from the land, perhaps to satisfy the jealousy of her rival elgiva. the cause for the revolution of is unknown; but we may conjecture that intrigue was at work on both sides. possibly the appearance of emma's son alfred in england the year before may have roused a sense of fear in the english mind and may have hastened the movement. sorrows now began to fall heavily upon england. in , the welsh made inroads and slew several of the mercian lords. a "great wind" scattered destruction over the land. a remarkable mortality appeared among the bishops, four dying in and one more in . the following year died harold, whose unkingly and un-christian behaviour was no doubt regarded as the cause of these calamities. he died at oxford and was buried at westminster. the same year harthacanute joined his mother at bruges, whither she had fled when exiled from england.[ ] it was neither listless choice nor lack of kinglike interest that had detained harthacanute in denmark; it was the danger that threatened from norway. hostilities seem to have begun in the spring of and to have continued for about two years. the war was finally closed with an agreement at the brenn-isles near the mouth of the gaut river in south-western sweden. according to this the two young kings became sworn brothers, and it was stipulated that if the one should die leaving no heirs, the other should succeed him.[ ] it was not so much of a treaty on the part of the kings as of the chief men of the kingdoms, as both peoples were evidently tiring of the warfare. perhaps that which most of all determined the danes to seek peace was the news that harold had seized the government of all england the previous year. this must have happened late in the year, as the chronicler tells us that queen emma was driven out of england "without pity toward the stormy winter." in norway there was no party that still favoured the knytlings; the situation in england looked more favourable. evidently harthacanute's counsellors had concluded that his inherited rights in britain should be claimed and defended. harthacanute came to bruges with a small force only; but it was probably the plan to use flanders as a base from which to descend upon england. nothing seems to have been done in , however, except, perhaps, to prepare for a campaign in the coming spring. but for this there was no need: before the winter was past, harold lay dead at oxford. history knows little about the fleet-footed prince; but from what has been recorded we get the impression of a violent, ambitious youth, one to whom power was sweet and revenge sweeter. so far as we know, government in his day was poor both in state and church. oxford, it seems, was his residential city. after harold's death messengers came from england to bruges to summon harthacanute. the succession was evidently not settled without some negotiations, for harthacanute must have waited two months or more before he left flanders. no doubt the chiefs who had placed his half-brother on the throne were unwilling to submit without guarantees; their behaviour had not been such as to render their future secure. just before midsummer harthacanute finally arrived in england with sixty ships; he was crowned probably on june th.[ ] for two years he ruled the country but "he did nothing kinglike."[ ] partly as a punishment, perhaps, he made england pay for the expedition that he had just fitted out, and consequently forfeited what favour he had at the very beginning. harthacanute is described as a sickly youth, and a norman historian assures us that on account of his ill-health he kept god before his mind and reflected much on the brevity of human life.[ ] he seems to have been of a kindly disposition, as appears from his dealings with his half-brother edward. his sudden death at a henchman's wedding is not to be attributed to excesses but to the ailment from which he suffered. but the drunken laugh of the bystanders[ ] indicates that the world did not fully appreciate that with harthacanute perished the dynasty of gorm. three men now stood forth as possible candidates for the throne of alfred: magnus the good, now king of denmark and norway, harthacanute's heir by oath and adoption; sweyn, the son of canute's sister estrid, his nearest male relative and the ranking member of the danish house, a prince who was probably an englishman by birth, and whose aunt was the wife of earl godwin; and edward, later known as the confessor, who strangely enough represented what national feeling there might be in england, though of such feeling he himself was probably guiltless. it may be remarked in passing that all these candidates were sons of men whom canute had deeply wronged, men whom he had deprived of life or hounded to death. there is no good evidence that edward was ever formally elected king of england. harthacanute died at lambeth, only a few miles from london. "and before the king was buried all the folk chose edward to be king in london," says one manuscript of the _chronicle_. if this be true, there could have been no regular meeting of the magnates. the circumstances seem to have been somewhat in the nature of a revolution headed no doubt by the anti-danish faction in london. that edward was enabled to retain the crown was due largely, we are told, to the efforts of canute's two old friends, earl godwin and bishop lifing.[ ] the situation was anything but simple. the election of magnus would restore canute's empire, but it might also mean english and danish revolts. to elect sweyn would mean war with magnus, sweyn claiming denmark and magnus england. at the time the danish claimant was making most trouble, for sweyn seems to have arrived in england soon after edward was proclaimed. all that he secured, however, was the promise that he should be regarded as edward's successor.[ ] it was doubtless well known among the english lords that the new king was inclined to, and probably pledged to a celibate life. we do not know whether englishmen were at this time informed of the ethelings in hungary. to most men it must have seemed likely that alfred's line would expire with edward; under the circumstances sweyn was the likeliest heir. with the accession of edward, the empire of the north was definitely dissolved. fundamentally it was based on the union of england and denmark, a union that was now repudiated. still, the hope of restoring it lingered for nearly half a century. three times the kings of the north made plans to reconquer england, but in each instance circumstances made successful operations impossible. after the death of magnus in , the three old dynasties once more controlled their respective kingdoms, though in the case of both denmark and norway the direct lines had perished. the danish high seat alone remained to the knytlings, now represented by sweyn, the son of estrid and the violent ulf for whose tragic death the nation had now atoned. footnotes: [ ] _encomium emmæ_, ii., c. . [ ] snorre, _saga of magnus the good_, c. . [ ] kemble, _codex diplomaticus_, no. . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] the _chronicle_ (ann. [ ]) states that harold died march , , and that he ruled four years and sixteen weeks. this would date his accession as november , . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, [ ]. [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, [ ]. [ ] snorre, _saga of magnus the good_, c. . [ ] steenstrup, _normannerne_, iii., . [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] duchesne, _scriptores_, (william of poitiers). [ ] _anglo-saxon chronicle_, . [ ] florence of worcester, _chronicon_, i., - . [ ] adamus, _gesta_, ii., c. . appendices i.--canute's proclamation of [ ] . canute the king sends friendly greetings to his archbishops and suffragan bishops and to thurkil the earl and all his earls and to all his subjects in england, nobles and freemen, clerks and laymen. . and i make known to you that i will be a kind lord and loyal to the rights of the church and to right secular law. . i have taken to heart the word and the writing that archbishop lifing brought from rome from the pope, that i should everywhere extol the praise of god, put away injustice, and promote full security and peace by the strength that god should give me. . now i did not spare my treasures while unpeace was threatening to come upon you; with the help of god i have warded this off by the use of my treasures. . then i was informed that there threatened us a danger that was greater than was well pleasing to us; and then i myself with the men who went with me departed for denmark, whence came to you the greatest danger; and that i have with god's help forestalled, so that henceforth no unpeace shall come to you from that country, so long as you stand by me as the law commands, and my life lasts. . now i give thanks to god almighty for his aid and his mercy in that i have averted the great evil that threatened us; so that from thence we need fear no evil, but may hope for full aid and deliverance if need be. . now i will that we all humbly thank almighty god for the mercy that he has done to our help. . now i command my archbishops and all my suffragan bishops that they take due care as to the rights of the church, each one in the district that is committed to him; and also my ealdormen i command, that they help the bishops to the rights of the church and to the rights of my kingship and to the behoof of all the people. . should any one prove so rash, clerk or layman, dane or angle, as to violate the laws of the church or the rights of my kingship, or any secular statute, and refuse to do penance according to the instruction of my bishops, or to desist from his evil, then i request thurkil the earl, yea, even command him, to bend the offender to right, if he is able to do so. . if he is not able, then will i that he with the strength of us both destroy him in the land or drive him out of the land, be he of high rank or low. . and i also command my reeves, by my friendship and by all that they own and by their own lives, that they everywhere govern my people justly and give right judgments by the witness of the shire bishop and do such mercy therein as the shire bishop thinks right and the community can allow. . and if any one harbour a thief or hinder the pursuit, he shall be liable to punishment equal to that of the thief, unless he shall clear himself before me with full purgation. . and i will that all the people, clerks and laymen, hold fast the laws of edgar which all men have chosen and sworn to at oxford; . for all the bishopssay that the church demands a deep atonement for the breaking of oaths and pledges. . and they further teach us that we should with all our might and strength fervently seek, love, and worship the eternal merciful god and shun all unrighteousness, that is, slaying of kinsmen and murder, perjury, familiarity with witches and sorceresses, and adultery and incest. . and further, we command in the name of almighty god and of all his saints, that no man be so bold as to marry a nun or a consecrated woman; . and if any one has done so, let him be an outlaw before god and excommunicated from all christendom, and let him forfeit all his possessions to the king, unless he quickly desist from sin and do deep penance before god. . and further still we admonish all men to keep the sunday festival with all their might and observe it from saturday's noon to monday's dawning; and let no man be so bold as to buy or sell or to seek any court on that holy day. . and let all men, poor and rich, seek their church and ask forgiveness for their sins and earnestly keep every ordained fast and gladly honour the saints, as the mass priest shall bid us, . that we may all be able and permitted, through the mercy of the everlasting god and the intercession of his saints, to share the joys of the heavenly kingdom and dwell with him who liveth and reigneth for ever without end. amen. footnotes: [ ] liebermann, _gesetze der angelsachsen_, i., - . for an earlier translation see stubbs, _select charters_, - . ii.--canute's charter of [ ] canute, king of all england and denmark and of the norwegians and of part of the slavic peoples,[ ] to ethelnoth the metropolitan and alfric of york, and to all bishops and primates, and to the whole nation of the english, both nobles and freemen, wishes health. i make known to you that i have lately been to rome, to pray for the redemption of my sins, and for the prosperity of the kingdoms and peoples subject to my rule. this journey i had long ago vowed to god, though, through affairs of state and other impediments, i had hitherto been unable to perform it; but now i humbly return thanks to god almighty for having in my life granted to me to yearn after the blessed apostles, peter and paul, and every sacred place within and without the city of rome, which i could learn of, and according to my desire, personally to venerate and adore. and this i have executed chiefly because i had learned from wise men that the holy apostle peter had received from the lord the great power of binding and loosing, and was key-bearer of the celestial kingdom; and i, therefore, deemed it extremely useful to desire his patronage before god. be it now known to you, that there was a great assembly of nobles at the easter celebration, with the lord pope john, and the emperor conrad, to wit, all the princes of the nations from mount gargano to the nearest sea, who all received me honourably, and honoured me with magnificent presents. but i have been chiefly honoured by the emperor with divers costly gifts, as well in golden and silver vessels as in mantles and vestments exceedingly precious. i have therefore spoken with the emperor and the lord pope, and the princes who were there, concerning the wants of all my people, both angles and danes, that a more equitable law and greater security might be granted to them in their journeys to rome, and that they might not be hindered by so many barriers, nor harassed by unjust tolls; and the emperor and king rudolf, who has the greater number of those barriers in his dominions, have agreed to my demands; and all the princes have engaged by their edict, that my men, whether merchants or other travellers for objects of devotion, should go and return in security and peace, without any constraint of barriers or tolls. i then complained to the lord pope, and said that it greatly displeased me, that from my archbishops such immense sums of money were exacted, when, according to usage, they visited the apostolic see to receive the pall; and it was agreed that such exactions should not thenceforth be made. and all that i have demanded for the benefit of my people from the lord pope, from the emperor, from king rudolf, and from the other princes, through whose territories our way lies to rome, they have freely granted, and also confirmed their cessions by oath, with the witness of four archbishops and twenty bishops, and an innumerable multitude of dukes and nobles, who were present. i therefore render great thanks to god almighty that i have successfully accomplished all that i desired, as i had proposed in my mind, and satisfied to the utmost the wishes of my people. now then, be it known to you, that i have vowed, as a suppliant, from henceforth to justify in all things my whole life to god, and to rule the kingdoms and peoples subjected to me justly and piously, to maintain equal justice among all; and if, through the intemperance of my youth, or through negligence, i have done aught hitherto contrary to what is just, i intend with the aid of god to amend all. i therefore conjure and enjoin my counsellors, to whom i have intrusted the counsels of the kingdom, that from henceforth they in no wise, neither through fear of me nor favour to any powerful person, consent to, or suffer to increase any injustice in my whole kingdom; i enjoin also all sheriffs and reeves of my entire kingdom, as they would enjoy my friendship or their own security, that they use no unjust violence to any man, either rich or poor, but that every one, both noble and freeman, enjoy just law, from which let them in no way swerve, neither for equal favour, nor for any powerful person, nor for the sake of collecting money for me, for i have no need that money should be collected for me by iniquitous exactions. i, therefore, wish it to be made known to you, that, returning by the same way that i departed, i am going to denmark, for the purpose of settling, with the counsel of all the danes, firm and lasting peace with those nations, which, had it been in their power, would have deprived us of our life and kingdoms; but were unable, god having deprived them of strength, who in his loving-kindness preserves us in our kingdoms and honour, and renders naught the power of our enemies. having made peace with the nations round us, and regulated and tranquillised all our kingdom here in the east, so that on no side we may have to fear war or enmities, i propose this summer, as soon as i can have a number of ships ready, to proceed to england; but i have sent this letter beforehand, that all the people of my kingdom may rejoice at my prosperity; for, as you yourselves know, i have never shrunk from labouring, nor will i shrink therefrom, for the necessary benefit of all my people. i therefore conjure all my bishops and ealdormen, by the fealty which they owe to me and to god, so to order that, before i come to england, the debts of all, which we owe according to the old law, be paid; to wit, plough-alms, and a tithe of animals brought forth during the year, and the pence which ye owe to saint peter at rome, both from the cities and villages; and in the middle of august, a tithe of fruits, and at the feast of saint martin, the first-fruits of things sown, to the church of the parish, in which each one dwells, which is in english called church-scot. if, when i come, these and others are not paid, he who is in fault shall be punished by the royal power severely and without any remission. farewell. footnotes: [ ] this translation (with slight changes) is that of benjamin thorpe: lappenberg, _history of england_, ii., - . [ ] the original has swedes; but see above p. . the statement that canute was king of the norwegians is doubtless an addition by the chronicler; norway was not conquered before . bibliography _aarböger for nordisk oldkyndighed og historie_, udg. af det kongelige nordiske oldskriftsselskab. - . . række, -. copenhagen. continuation of _annaler_. _Ælfric's lives of saints_, ed. w.w. skeat. vols. london, - . (early english text society.) _anglo-saxon chronicle_, ed. benjamin thorpe. vols. london, . rolls series, no. . _annaler for nordisk oldkyndighed og historie_, udg. af det kongelige nordiske oldskriftsselskab. - . copenhagen, - . these volumes and the _aarböger_ are of great value for the study of scandinavian culture in the middle ages; for the career of canute, however, they are of slight importance. _annales cambriæ_, ed. j.w. ab ithel. london, . rolls series, no. . _annales monastici_, ed. h.r. luard. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . _baltische studien_, herausgegeben von der gesellschaft für pommersche geschichte und alterthumskunde. - . stettin. especially important are nos. , , and : articles on the early relations of the danes and the wends. _bibliothek der angelsächsischen poesie_, ed. c.w.m. grein (revised edition by r.p. wülker). vols. cassel, - . bjÖrkman, erik, _nordische personennamen in england in alt- und frühmittel-englischer zeit_. halle, . (morsbach's _studien zur englischen philologie_, xxxvii.) bremen, adam of, _gesta hammenburgensis ecclesiæ pontificum_, ed. j.m. lappenberg. hanover, . (mon. ger. hist., scriptores, vii.) bresslau, h., _jahrbücher des deutschen reichs unter konrad ii._ leipsic, - . bugge, alexander, et al., _norges historie fremstillet for det norske folk_. to be published in volumes. vol. i., part ii. (christiania, ) deals with norwegian history to . ----_studier over de norske byers selvstyre og handel_. christiania, . ----_vesterlandenes indflydelse paa nordboernes og särlig nordmændenes ydre kultur, levesæt, og samfundsforhold i vikingetiden_. christiania, . ----_vikingerne_. vols. copenhagen, - . a series of brilliant essays on scandinavian colonisation and culture in the western islands (britain). _cambridge history of english literature_. edited by a.w. ward and a.r. waller. (in process of publication.) i. cambridge, . canterbury, gervase of, _the historical works of gervase of canterbury_, ed. william stubbs. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . chabannes, adÉmar de, _historiarum libri iii_, ed. g. waitz. hanover, . (mon. ger. hist., scriptores, iv.) _chronicon abbatiæ de evesham ad annum_ , ed. w.d. macray. london, . rolls series, no. . _chronicon abbatiæ rameseiensis_, ed. w.d. macray. london, . rolls series, no. . _chronicon monasterii de abingdon_, ed. joseph stevenson. vols. london, . rolls series, no. . cirencester, richard of, _speculum historiale de gestis regum angliæ_., ed. j.e.b. mayor. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . _cnutonis regis gesta sive encomium emmæ_, ed. g.h. pertz. hanover, . (mon. ger. hist., scriptores, xix.) collingwood, w.g., _scandinavian britain_. london, . _corpus poeticum boreale_. edited by gudbrand vigfusson and f. york powell. vols. oxford, . daae, ludvig, _norges helgener_. christiania, . diceto, ralph of, _opera historica_, ed. william stubbs. vols. london, . rolls series, no. . duchesne, andré (editor), _historiæ normannorum scriptores antiqui_. paris, . durham, simeon of, _opera omnia_, ed. thomas arnold. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . _encomium emmæ_. see _cnutonis regis gesta_. _eulogium historiarum_, ed. f.s. haydon. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . _fagrskinna_, ed. finnur jónsson. copenhagen, - . brief saga of the norwegian kings. earlier edition by p.a. munch and c.r. unger (christiania, ). _flateyarbók_. edited by gudbrand vigfusson and c.r. unger. christiania, . the flat-isle book is a late and not very reliable collection of sagas, but it cannot be wholly ignored. flom, george t., _scandinavian influence on southern lowland scotch_. new york, . (columbia university germanic studies, i., no. .) freeman, e.a., _history of the norman conquest of england_, vols. new york, . friesen, otto von, _historiska runskrifter_. (fornvännen, .) ----_om runskriftens härkomst_. (sprokvetenskapliga sällskapets förhandlinger, - .) giesebrecht, w. von, _geschichte der deutschen kaiserzeit_. vols. brunswick and leipsic, - . hildebrand, b.e., _anglosachsiska mynt i svenska kongliga myntkabinettet funna i sveriges jord_. stockholm, . hildebrand, hans o.h., _svenska folket under hednatiden_. stockholm, . _historians of the church of york and its archbishops_, ed. james raine. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . hodgkin, thomas, _the history of england from the earliest times to the norman conquest_. london, . (hunt-poole, _political history of england_, i.) hunt, william, _the english church, a.d. - _. london, . (stephens-hunt, _a history of the english church_, i.) huntingdon, henry of, _historia anglorum_, ed. thomas arnold. london, . rolls series, no. . _jómsvíkingasaga ok knytlinga_, ed. c.c. rafn. copenhagen, . jumièges, william of, _historiæ nomannorum libri viii_, ed. andré duchesne. paris, . (hist. norm. scriptores.) kemble, j.m., _codex diplomaticus Ævi saxonici_. vols. london, - . (eng. hist. soc.) _knytlingasaga_. see _jómsvíkingasaga_. kÖbke, p., _om runerne i norden_. copenhagen, . a brief popular account of the runes; valuable for its translation of important inscriptions. lang, andrew, _a history of scotland_. vols. edinburgh, - . langebek, jacob (editor), _scriptores rerum danicarum medii Ævi_. vols. copenhagen, - . lappenberg, j.m., _history of england under the anglo-saxon kings_. translated by benjamin thorpe. vols. london, . larson, laurence m., _the king's household in england before the norman conquest_. madison, . (bulletin of the university of wisconsin.) ----_the political policies of cnut as king of england. american historical review_, xv., no. (july, ). lavisse, ernest, _histoire de france depuis les origines jusqu'à la révolution_. vols. paris, - . liebermann, f., _die gesetze der angelsachsen_. vols. halle, - . ----_ungedrückte anglo-normannische geschichtsquellen_. strasburg, . _liber monasterii de hyda_, ed. edward edwards. london, . rolls series, no. . _liber vitæ: register and martyrology of new minster and hyde abbey_, ed. w. de gray birch. london, . (hampshire record society.) _lives of edward the confessor_, ed. h.r. luard. london, . rolls series, no. . malmesbury, william of, _de gestis pontificum anglorum libri quinque_, ed. n.e.s.a. hamilton. london, . rolls series, no. . ----_de gestis regum anglorum libri quinque_, ed. william stubbs. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . manitius, m., _deutsche geschichte unter den sächsischen und salischen kaisern_. stuttgart, . (bibliothek deutscher geschichte.) _memorials of saint edmund's abbey_, ed. thomas arnold. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . merseburg, thietmar of, _chronicon_, ed. j.m. lappenberg. hanover, . (mon. ger. hist., scriptores, iii.) migne, j.p., _patrologiæ cursus completus_. series latina. vols. paris, - . vol. cxli. contains the sermons of adémar and the letters of fulbert. montelius, oscar, _kulturgeschichte schwedens von den ältesten zeiten bis zum elften jahrhundert nach christus_. leipsic, . an excellent account of northern antiquity based largely on archæological evidence. morris, william a., _the frankpledge system_. new york, . (harvard historical series, xiv.) munch, p.a., _det norske folks historie_. vols. christiania, - . napier, a.s., and stevenson, w.h. (editors), _the crawford collection of early charters and documents_. oxford, . _olafs saga hins helga_. edited by r. keyser and c.r. unger. christiania, . a saga of saint olaf; largely legendary. olrik, axel, _nardisk aandsliv i vikingetid og tidlig middelalder_. copenhagen, . an excellent popular discussion of mediæval culture in scandinavia. oman, c.w.c., _england before the norman conquest_. new york, . (oman, _history of england in seven volumes_, i.) _origines islandicæ_. edited by gudbrand vigfusson and f. york powell. vols. oxford, . palgrave, francis, _history of normandy and england_. vols. london, - . paris, matthew, _chronica majora_, ed. h.r. luard. vols. london, - . rolls series, no. . pertz, g.h., et al. (editors), _monumenta germaniæ historica, scriptores_. vols. hanover, - . poitiers, william of, _gesta willelmi ducis normannorum et regis angliæ_, ed. andré duchesne. paris, . (hist. norm. scriptores.) pollock, f., and maitland, f.w., _the history of the english law before the time of edward i_. vols. cambridge, . ramsay, j.h., _the foundations of england_. vols. london, . raoul glaber, _les cinq livres de ses histoires_, ed. m. prou. paris, . (collection de textes, no. i.) _saga book of the viking club_, vi., part i. london. january, . _saga olafs konungs ens helga_. edited by p.a. munch and c.r. unger. christiania, . the so-called "historical saga" of saint olaf. st. john, james a., _history of the four conquests of england_. vols. london, . extremely uncritical. saxo grammaticus, _gesta danorum_, ed. a. holder. strasburg, . schÜck, henrik, _studier i nordisk litteratur- och religions-historia._ vols. stockholm, . snorre. see sturlason. _sproglige og historiske afhandlinger viede sophus bugges minde._ christiania, . historical and philological essays by various authors. cited as afhandlinger, etc. steenstrup, johannes c.h.r., et al., _danmarks riges historie_. vols. copenhagen, - . the great co-operative history of denmark. vol. i. is by steenstrup. ----_normannerne_. vols. copenhagen, - . (see foreword.) ----_venderne og de danske för valdemar den stores tid_. copenhagen, . a study of danish expansion on the south baltic shores. stephens, george, _the old-northern runic monuments of scandinavia and england_. vols. london and copenhagen, - . of great value for the inscriptions that the author has collected and reproduced; the interpretations, however, are not always reliable. vol. iv. is by s.o.m. söderberg and j.s.f. stephens. stubbs, william, _registrum sacrum anglicanum_. oxford, . sturlason, snorre, _heimskringla: nóregs konunga sogur_, ed. finnur jónsson. vols. copenhagen, - . samfundet til udgivelse af gammel nordisk litteratur. cited as snorre. this is the chief source of information as to canute's ambitions for empire in the north. sveno aggonis, _historia legum castrensium regis canuti magni_, ed. jacob langebek. copenhagen, . (script. rer. danic., iii.) taranger, a., _den angelsaksiske kirkes indflydelse paa den norske_. christiania, . (norske historiske forening.) turner, sharon, _history of the anglo-saxons_. vols. london, . vitalis, ordericus, _historia ecclesiastica_, ed. auguste le prévost. vols. paris, - . (société de l'histoire de france.) wharton, henry (editor), _anglia sacra_. vols. london, . wimmer, ludvig f.a., _de danske runemindesmærker_. vols. copenhagen, - . ----_die runenschrift_. Übersetzt von dr. f. holthausen. berlin, . wipo, _vita chuonradi regis_. hanover, . (mon. ger. hist., scriptores, xi.) worcester, florence of, _chronicon ex chronicis_, ed. benjamin thorpe. vols. london, - . (eng. hist. soc.) worsaae, j.j.a., _minder out de danske og nordmændene i england, skotland, og irland_. copenhagen, . translation: _an account of the danes and norwegians in england, scotland, and ireland_. london, . index a abingdon, monastery of; adam of bremen cited; adémar de chabannes cited; agdir, district in southern norway; alain, duke of brittany; aldgyth, wife of edmund ironside; alfiva; _see_ elgiva alfred, king of england; alfred, son of ethelred; alfric, archbishop of york; alfric, bishop; alfric, english ealdorman; alfric, ealdorman, and naval commander; alfric, old english author; algar, english magnate; ali, housecarle; almar darling, english magnate; alphabet, runic; alphege, archbishop; alstad stone, the; america, discovery of; andover; _anglo-saxon chronicle_ cited; anglo-saxon kingdom; anglo-saxon legal system, the; anglo-saxon literature; anses, the, old northern divinities; anund jacob, king of sweden; aquitaine; arne, norwegian magnate; arngrim, magnate in the danelaw; arnungs, norwegian noble family; art, celtic and northern; asbjörn, norwegian warrior; ashington, battle of; dedication at; asia minor; aslak erlingsson, norwegian chieftain; attila; avon river; aylesford; b bamberg; bark-isle; barwick, swedish harbour; benedict, pope; _beowulf_; bergen; bergljot, sister of earl erik; bernhard, bishop in norway; bernhard, bishop in scania; bernicia, old english kingdom; bersi, norse traveller; bessin, the, district in normandy; birca, old swedish town; _bison_, the, st. olaf's longship; bjarkamál, old norse poem; bjarne, scald; bjor, warrior; björn, king olaf's spokesman; bleking, district in modern sweden; bohemia; boleslav, duke and king of poland; books, old english; brage, old norse divinity; bremen; brenn-isles, the, agreement of; brentford, skirmish at; bristol; british isles, the, scandinavians in; commerce of; inscriptions in; brittany; bruges; brunhild, saga heroine; buckinghamshire; bugge, alexander, norse historian, cited; bugge, sophus, norse philologist, cited; burgundy; burhwold, bishop; byrhtnoth, ealdorman of essex; byzantium; c caithness; canonisation, of st. dunstan; canterbury, city and see of; siege of; canute the great, king of england, denmark, and norway: inheritance of; ancestry of; fostered by thurkil the tall; joins in king sweyn's attack on england; in charge of the camp at garrisborough; succeeds to the english pretensions of sweyn; is driven out of england; renews the attack; methods of warfare of; marches into northern england; is recognised as king in the south; lays siege to london; pillages mercia and east anglia; wins the victory at ashington; treats with edmund ironside; is recognised as king of all england; difficulties of, in and ; early english policy of; chief counsellors of; royal residence of; rewards his scandinavian followers; re-organises the english earldoms; attempts to establish a new aristocracy in england; shows his preference for northmen and distrust of the saxons; executes rebellious nobles; sends edmund's sons to poland; marries queen emma; organises his guard of housecarles; suppresses piracy on the english shores; develops new policy of reconciliation; becomes king of denmark; issues proclamation of ; has difficulties with scotland; agrees to the cession of lothian; journeys to denmark of; exiles thurkil the tall; extent of empire of; makes an expedition to wendland; slavic possessions of; enters into alliance with the emperor; acquires the mark of sleswick; ecclesiastical policy of; legislation of; baptism of; benefactions of; consecrates church at ashington; rebuilds the shrine of st. edmund's; honours the english saints; translates the relics of st. alphege; provides bishops for the danish church; enters into relations with the see of hamburg-bremen; plans to seize norway; conspires with the norwegian rebels; sends an embassy to king olaf; scotch possessions of; diplomacy of; sends an embassy to sweden; bribes the norse leaders; makes war on norway and sweden; trapped at holy river; orders the murder of ulf; loves dice and chess; atones for the murder; makes a pilgrimage to rome; assists at the imperial coronation; presents complaints at the lateran synod; charter of; honoured by pope and emperor; conquers norway; receives the submission of the scotch king; submission of the norsemen to; chosen king at the ere-thing; holds an imperial assembly at nidaros; announces his imperial policy; secures the allegiance of the norse chiefs; returns to denmark and england; gives the leadership in norway to kalf arnesson; plans to depose earl hakon; relations with normandy; is emperor of the north; position in europe of; vassal states of, ; appoints harthacanute his successor; court and household of; official appointments of; continental relations of; sends embassies to aquitaine; forms an alliance with the church; relations of, with papacy; episcopal appointments of; is friendly to the archbishops of hamburg-bremen; is hostile toward heathen practices; provides for christian education; secular laws of; reputation of, as a lawgiver; financial legislation of; norse legislation of; provides coinage for denmark; patronises scalds and copyists; is interested in material improvements; loses norway to magnus olafsson; probable plans of ( ); last illness and death of; children of; personality of; character of; legends about; english (ecclesiastical) view of; norse (scaldic) view of; as ruler and statesman; plans of, for the future of his empire; _canute's praise_; carham, battle of; celts, influence of, in old northern culture; chabannes, adémar de, _see_ adémar charlemagne; charter, canute's; chartres; chess games; chester; christiania firth; christianity, introduced into denmark; introduced into norway; progress of, in the north; celtic; influence of, on old northern poetry and art; church, english, relations of, with canute; canute's message to; legislation for; church dues; cirencester; cities, scandinavian; clontarf, battle of; coinage; coins, english and danish; coldstream; cologne; commerce, scandinavian; conrad ii, emperor; _consiliatio cnuti_; cork; coronation, imperial; corvey, widukind of, _see_ widukind cotentin, district in normandy; court at winchester; court poetry, old norse; coventry; crediton; cricklade; cross, the, of winchester; croyland, abbey of; culture, old northern; cynewulf, old english poet; d danegeld; danelaw, established by the vikings; extent of; importance of, in english history; scandinavian elements in; spared by sweyn and canute; heathendom in; administrative areas in; cities in; supports elgiva; other mention of; danes, become christians; interested in wendland; as colonisers; as merchants; as vikings; kill st. alphege; attack london; proclaim canute king; in england; rule of, in england; preferred by canute for important offices; show opposition to canute; in norway; other mention of; danework; deerhurst, agreement of; monastery of; deira, old english kingdom; denmark, extent of; imperial ambitions of; hegemony of; invasion of england from; harold king of; return of canute and the viking chiefs to; canute king of; return of the host to; canute's journeys to; importance of union of, with england; extended to the eider; progress of christianity in; viceroys of; rebellion in; harthacanute king of; expansion of, into slavic lands; institutional development of; cities in; magnus king of; claimed by sweyn ulfsson; union of, with england dissolved; other mention of; _see_ danes, canute, and scandinavia derby; devon; dol, castle of; domesday book; dorchester; dorset; dragon ship, _see_ ships drammen firth; dublin; duduc, bishop; düna river; durham; e eadric, mercian earl, slays sigeferth and morcar; earl of mercia; jealous disposition of; deserts to canute; in the battle of sherstone; makes peace with edmund; quarrels with edmund; plays the traitor at ashington; suspected of causing edmund's death; position of, in canute's councils; ethelred's son-in-law; executed; eadulf cudel, northumbrian earl; eagmargach, _see_ jehmarc eanham, assembly of; earl, office of; earldoms in england; east anglia; eddic poems; edgar, king of england; edith, wife of thurkil; edmund ironside, english king, marries aldgyth; assumes leadership in the danelaw; harries the western shires; with the army in london; is chosen king; raises the south-west; fights at penselwood, sherstone, and brentford; raises wessex; attacks the danes at otford; quarrels with eadric; defeated at ashington; retires to the severn valley; makes terms and enters into fraternal relations with canute; death of; career and character of; sons of; buried at glastonbury; edmund, son of edmund ironside; edward, son of ethelred; edwy, son of ethelred; eglaf, _see_ eilif eider river; eikunda-sound; eilif, viking chief and earl in england; einar thongshaker, norse magnate, guardian of earl hakon; defeated at the nesses; in opposition to king olaf; accepts the rule of canute; disappointed in his ambitions; leads in the revolt of the norsemen; eindrid, son of einar; elbe river; elfhelm, ealdorman; elfward, abbot, canute's cousin; elfwine, bishop; elfwine, king's priest and bishop; elgiva, canute's mistress; at jomburg; in norway; opposes the canonisation of st. olaf; unpopular in norway: withdraws to england: later activities of: elmham: ely, monastery of: emma, queen of england, marries ethelred: retires to normandy: marries canute: character of: makes a gift to st. edmund's: assists at the translation of st. alphege: intrigues of: difficulties of, after canute's death: death of: other mention of; empire, the; empire of the north; extent of; decline of; capital of; institutional systems in; civilisation of; canute's plans for the future of; collapse of; encomiast, canute's biographer, cited; england, scandinavian settlements in; vikings in; danish conquest of; part of, friendly to danes; revolts against canute; is attacked by canute; civil strife in; exhaustion of; divided at deerhurst; canute king of; danish rule in; reorganised by canute; church of, in canute's day; debt of northern churches to; norwegian conspirators in; threatened with norman invasion; heathendom in; institutional influence of scandinavians in; northern scalds in; harold harefoot king of; harthacanute king of; other mention of; ere-thing, the; eric, king of denmark; eric bloodax, king of norway; sons of; eric hakonsson, earl in norway and england, fights at hjörunga bay; marries canute's sister; fights at swald; earl in norway; summoned to assist canute in england; earl of northumbria; raids mercia; character of; death of; other mention of; eric the victorious, king of sweden; _eric's praise_, the; erling, son of earl hakon; erling skjalgsson, power and influence of; in canute's service; death of; sons of; essex; esthonians; estrid, canute's sister; ethelmer, ealdorman; ethelnoth the good, archbishop of canterbury; ethelred the ill-counselled, king of england, accession and inheritance of; character of; treats with the vikings; attacks the northmen in cumberland and man; marries emma of normandy; orders massacre of st. brice's day; prepares a fleet; resists sweyn; flees to normandy; is recalled and expels canute; objects to edmund's marriage; illness and death of; sons and daughters of; legislation of; ethelric, bishop; ethelstan, king of england; ethelward, english noble; ethelwerd, earl; ethics of norse heathendom; evesham, monastery of; exeter; exeter codex; f faroe islands; fenlands, the; ferm, english; festivals; fife; finnvid found; "five boroughs," the; "five hide system," the; flanders; fleet (described); _see_ ship florence of worcester, cited; forest laws; forth, firth of; france; frankpledge; franks; frey, old northern divinity; friesen, otto von, swedish runologist, cited; frigg, old northern goddess; fulbert, bishop; funen, danish island; "fyrd," the; fyris river, battle of; g gainsborough, danish camp at; garth, the royal; gaul; gaut river; gaulland; gemot, at eanham; at london; recalls ethelred; at oxford; elects edmund; other, elects canute; at cirencester; at winchester; gerbrand, bishop; germans in south jutland; in slavic lands; influence of, on northern culture; germany; gillingham; gisela, empress; giski, isle of; glastonbury; gleeman; gloucestershire; godebald, bishop of scania; godescalc, slavic prince; godric, english earl; godwin, ealdorman; godwin, earl of wessex, early history of; important position of; accompanies canute on his expeditions to the east; supports harthacanute against harold; secures the crown for edward; gokstad, ship found at; gorm, king of denmark; gotland; greenland; greenwich; grimkell, norse bishop; gudrun, saga heroine; gunhild, canute's daughter; gunhild, canute's niece; gunhild, canute's sister; gunhild, harold bluetooth's queen; gunhild, harold bluetooth's daughter; gunhild, sweyn's queen, canute's mother; gunnor, emma's mother; gunvor, norwegian woman; gyrith, harold bluetooth's queen; _see_ gunhild gytha, canute's sister; h hakon the bad, earl of norway; hakon ericsson, earl in norway; driven out by olaf the stout; earl in england; viceroy in norway; recalled by canute; death of; hakon the good, king of norway; hakon of stangeby; hakon, viking prince; hall, old northern; halldor the unchristian, scald, cited; hällestad stone, the; hallfred troublousscald cited; hamburg-bremen, see of; hampshire; harek of tjotta, norwegian magnate; harold, earl, son of godwin; harold, earl, son of thurkil the tall; harold bluetooth, king of denmark; harold fairhair, king of norway; harold grayfell, norwegian king; harold harefoot, canute's son; king of england; death of; character of; harold sweynsson, king of denmark, canute's brother; harthacanute, canute's son, present at the translation of st. alphege; regent and king of denmark; king of england; compact of, with magnus; probably chosen to succeed canute; death of; character of; hastings, battle of; hawking; "head ransom," the, old norse poem; heathby, danish city; heathendom in england; among the slavs; in the north; canute's legislation against; hebrides islands; helgi, saga hero; heming, thurkil the tall's brother; heming, thurkil's grandson; henry i, king of france; henry ii, emperor; henry iii, emperor; henry the fowler, king of germany; henry of huntingdon cited; heorot; "here," the, viking host; hereford; heroic poetry, old northern; hildebrand; hjörunga bay, battle of; holy river, battle of, ; holy trinity, church of the; home, scandinavian; hönen, runic monument at; honour, northern ideas of; hordaland, district in norway; hornel-mount, the; hostages; house, old northern; housecarles, canute's; hugo, norman commander at exeter; humber river; hungary; _hude register_; i iceland; india; industrial arts, northern; inscriptions, _see_ runic inscriptions _instituta cnuti_; ireland, scandinavians in; irish sea, viking rendezvous; cities near; italy; ivar white, canute's housecarle; j jæderen, district in norway; jehmarc, vassal of canute; jelling, royal residence in jutland; jelling stones, runic monuments; jemteland, district in sweden; jersey, island of; jewelry, old northern; john xix, pope; jom, _see_ jomburg jomburg, city and stronghold in wendland; jomvikings, attack sweden and norway; take part in the battle of swald; attack england; enter english service; hostle to the danish kings; saga of; tactics of; organisation of; julin, _see_ jomburg jumièges, william of, _see_ william jumneta, _see_ jomburg justiciar, norman official; jutland (and jutes); k kalf arnesson, norwegian magnate; kent; kingscrag, city in modern sweden; king's delf; kingship, joint; knytlingasaga; knytlings, dynasty of canute; kurisches haff. l lakenheath; lambert, canute's christian name; lambeth; lateran synod ( ); law, scandinavian ideas of; "laws of edward," the; "lay of righ," the, old northern poem; legislation, english; leicester; leif the lucky, icelandic explorer; leofric, earl of mercia; leofwine, earl of mercia; lethra (leire); libentius, archbishop of hamburg-bremen; _liber vitæ_; see _hyde register_ liebermann, f., german historian, cited; liffey river; lifing, archbishop; lifing, bishop of crediton; lime firth; limerick; lincoln; lindsey; lister, district in norway; "lithsmen's song," the, old norse poem; lithuanians; lombardy; london, resists the danes; thingmen in; sieges of; held by canute; opposes translation of st. alphege; supports harold harefoot; accepts edward; london bridge broken by olaf the stout; _long serpent_, the, olaf trygvesson's longship; longships, _see_ ships lorraine; lothian, ceded to the scotch; louis the pious, emperor; lund, scanian see; m macbeth; maelar, lake; mælbeathe, canute's vassal; magnus olafsson, king of norway and denmark; malcolm, king of scotland; maldon, battle of; malmesbury; malmesbury, william of, _see_ william man, isle of; manna, sweyn's housecarle; marriage in canute's day; laws relating to; matthew paris, english chronicler, cited; medway river; mercia, old english kingdom; merseburg, thietmar of, _see_ thietmar midlands, the; mieczislav, duke of poland; mieczislav, king of poland; mints; miracles attributed to st. olaf; mistiwi; monasticism, in denmark; in norway; moneyers in denmark; moray firth; morcar, magnate in the danelaw; munch, p.a., norse historian, cited; "murdrum fine". n naples, northmen in; navarre; navy, english; naze, the; nesses, the; new minster, winchester; niard; _see_ njord nid river; nidaros, capital of norway; "nithing name,"; njord; _see_ niard norfolk; norman conquest, effect of, on old english literature; hastened by canute's conquest; norman officials in the northern churches; normandy, foundation of; as a viking rendezvous; ethelred's relations with; canute's relations with; ethelings in; famine in; north, the; northampton; northman, mercian noble; northmen, norsemen, norwegians, the, at war with the danes; in the scandinavian colonies; in rebellion against earl hakon; defeated in ireland; as earls and officials in england; religion of; oppose king olaf; accept the rule of canute; at canute's court; oppose elgiva and sweyn; civilisation of; commerce of; canonise st. olaf; repudiate canute's kingship; _see_ norway northumbria; norway, controlled by the danes; attacked by the jomvikings; olaf trygvesson king of; eric and sweyn, earls in; olaf the stout king of; missionary operations in; at war with denmark; dissatisfaction in; bribery in; canute king of; hakon viceroy of; elgiva and sweyn regents of; rebellious movements in; canute's legislation for; cities and commerce of; magnus olafsson king of; other mention of; _see also_ northmen nottingham; novgorod. o odderness stone, runic monument; odense; oder river; odo, count of chartres; olaf, king of sweden; olaf haroldsson (the stout), king of norway, viking activities of; in english and norman service; baptism of; returns to norway and seizes earl hakon; wins a victory at the nesses; king of norway; missionary activities of; opposition to; character of; purposes of; defies canute; forms an alliance with the swedish king; raises the host of norway and harries the danish coast; traps canute at holy river; retreat to norway; loses his kingdom to canute; deserted by his chiefs; tries to resume his rule; flees to russia; is recalled to norway; falls at stiklestead; miracles attributed to; canonisation and worship of; and his scalds; other mention of; olaf trygvesson, king of norway, early life of; viking activities of; becomes a christian; king of norway; wooes sigrid the haughty; marries thyra; falls at swald; missionary work of; founder of nidaros; old minster, winchester; olney, compact of; olvi of egg, norwegian magnate; omens; ordeal; orkney islands; ornamentation, styles of; orwell river; osbern, biographer of st. alphege, cited; oslo firth; otford, skirmish at; ottar the swart, scald, cited; otto the great, emperor; ottos, dynasty of the; oxford. p palace, royal; pallig, ealdorman; pallium, cost of the; palna toki, archer and viking; papacy, state of; paris, matthew, _see_ matthew penal laws in england; penselwood, battle of; pentland firth; peterborough; peter's pence; "pictured rocks"; pilgrims, complaints of the; piræus; poetry, old northern; poland; pomerania; pope; poppo, danish clerk; "praise lays"; proclamation of , canute's; prussia; q _quadripartitus_; quedlingburg; r ragnarok myth; ramsey, abbey of; ramsund rock, pictures on the; ranig, scandinavian earl in england; raven banner, the; reginbert, bishop of funen; religion, old northern; origin of; divinities of; ethics o; ritual and sacrifices of; festivals of; repingdon; reric, danish city in wendland; rhine river; rhone river; richard of cirencester, chronicler, cited; richard, duke of normandy; ridings in yorkshire; riga; righ, old northern divinity; ringmere, battle of; ring-realm, district in norway; rings, scandinavian; ringsted, danish city; robert, archbishop of rouen; robert, king of france; robert the devil, duke of normandy; roeskild, capital of denmark; roeskild firth; rogaland, district in norway; rolf, founder of normandy; rome; rouen; route of the danes to the west; rudolf, bishop in norway; rudolf, king of burgundy; rügen, island of; "rune-masters"; runes; runic art, _see_ art runic inscriptions; russia; s sacrifices, old northern; saga materials in old northern poetry; st. alphege, _see_ alphege st. ansgar, missionary to the north; st. benet hulme, monastery of; st. bertin, monastery of; st. brice; st. brice's day, massacre of; st. clemens, church of; st. cuthbert; st. dunstan; st. edith; st. edmund; st. felix; st. frideswide, church of; st. henry, _see_ henry ii st. mary devon, church of, st. olaf, _see_ olaf haroldsson st. omer; st. paul; st. paul's, church of; st. peter; st. stephen, _see_ stephen st. thomas; st. vincent; st. wistan; saints; salop; sandefjord, town in norway; sandwich; santslaue (santslave), canute's sister; _see_ svantoslava sarpsborg, city in norway; saxo, danish chronicler, cited; saxony; scalds; scandinavia; scandinavian colonies; scania; schlei, inlet in sleswick; scone; scotland; secular laws of canute; seine river; semland; "seven boroughs," the, _see_ "five boroughs" severn valley; shaftesbury; shakespeare; sheppey, danish camp at; sherburne; sherstone, battle of; shetland islands; shield, legendary danish king; shieldings, legendary danish dynasty; ship as numerical term; ships, scandinavian _short serpent_, the, longship; "shrine song," the, old norse poem; sibyl, the, of the eddas; "sibyl's prophecy," the, old northern poem; _see_ voluspá sigeferth, magnate in the danelaw; sigfrid, bishop in norway; sigfried; sighvat the scald cited; sigrid, wife of kalf arnesson; sigrid the haughty, canute's stepmother; sigrun, saga heroine, sigurd, bishop, _see_ sigfrid sigurd, earl hakon's court bishop; sigurd, norwegian earl; sigurd, saga hero, _see_ sigfried sigvaldi, earl at jomburg; simeon of durham, english chronicler, cited,; siric, archbishop of canterbury; siward, abbot of abingdon; siward the strong, earl of northumbria; skartha, danish housecarle; skene, w.f., scotch historian, cited; skiringshall, city in norway; skjalg erlingsson, norwegian chief; skogul tosti, _see_ tosti slavic lands and peoples; sleswick; slesswick, massacre at; snorre, icelandic historian, cited; sogn firth; soli, erling's garth; sönder vissing, runic monument at; "song of the high one," the, old northern poem; sortilege in the old northern religion; sound, the; southampton; south jutland; southwark; spain; spey river; stadt, cape; staffordshire; staller, scandinavian official; stamford; stangeberg, battle of; stavanger; steenstrup, j.c.h.r., danish historian, cited; stenkyrka stone, pictured rock; stephen, king of hungary; stigand, anglo-danish priest; stiklestead, battle of; stockholm; stord, battle of; storm, gustav, norwegian historian, cited; strathclyde; "stretch song," the, old northern poem; styrbjörn, earl at jomburg; suffolk; surety, old english; sussex; svantoslava; _see_ santslaue sveno, danish chronicler, cited; swald, battle of; swart, lord of the fire-world; sweden; swelchie, the, of pentland firth; sweyn, son of canute and elgiva; earl in wendland; regent in denmark; regent in norway; flees to denmark; death of; sweyn, danish housecarle; sweyn forkbeard, king of denmark, in rebellion against his father; king of denmark; plans of; viking activities of; family of; attacks king olaf and acquires part of norway; has designs on england; conquers england; death of; character and personality of; sweyn hakonsson, norwegian earl; sweyn ulfsson, king of denmark, canute's nephew; t tavistock, abbey of; tees river; thames river and valley; thanet, isle of; thegns, king's; thetford; thietmar of merseburg, german chronicler, cited; thingmen, danish mercenaries in england; thor, old northern divinity; thor the dog, norwegian magnate; thora, arne's wife; thorarin praise-tongue, scald; thord, thingman; thoretus, earl in england; thorgils sprakaleg, swedish magnate; thorir, norwegian chief; throndelaw, district in norway; throndhjem; _see_ nidaros thrym, viking; thurbrand, uhtred's banesman; thurgot, danish warrior; thurkil, son of nafena, chief in the danelaw; thurkil mareshead; thurkil nefja; _see_ thurkil, son of nafena thurkil the tall, viking chief, canute's foster father; leads jomvikings in england; chief of the viking mercenaries in england; deserts to canute; fights at penselwood and sherstone; fights at ashington; canute's chief counsellor and viceroy in england; earl of east anglia; marries ethelred's daughter; exiled from england; reconciled to canute; viceroy in denmark; thurkil, grandson of thurkil the tall; thyra, queen of denmark; thyra, queen of norway, canute's aunt; tithing; tjängvide stone, pictured rock; tjotta, isle of; toki, _see_ palna toki tosti, swedish viking; tova, queen of denmark; treene river; trent river; trygve, norwegian pretender; tunsberg, city in norway; tweed river. u uhtred, earl of northumbria; ulf, canute's brother-in-law, one of canute's generals; earl in england; earl in jomburg; viceroy in denmark; treason of; rescues canute at holy river; murder of; character of; ulf, swedish viking; ulfkellsland; ulfketel, earl of east anglia; ulfrun, elgiva's mother; unwan, archbishop of hamburg-bremen; uplands, the, district in norway; uppland, region in sweden; upsala, swedish sanctuary at; v vandals; varangians, scandinavian guard at byzantium; vercelli book, the; viborg, danish sanctuary at; vikings, the; vineland; vistula river; volsungs, the, saga heroes; voluspá; _see_ sibyl's prophecy w wales; walhalla; wallingford; waltheof, earl of northumbria; wapentake; warwick; waterford; watling street; wayland smith, saga hero; wendland; _see_ slavic lands wessex, expansion of; attacked and plundered by the danes; submits to canute; given to edmund at deerhurst; danegeld levied in; under canute's rule; retains saxon character; supports claims of harthacanute; westminster; wexford; wick, the, district in norway; wicklow; widukind, of corvey, chronicler, cited; wight, isle of; wiht, wihtland, _see_ witland william, bishop of roeskild; william the conqueror, duke of normandy; william the great, duke of aquitaine; william of jumièges, norman chronicler; william of malmesbury, norman-english historian, cited; wiltshire; wimmer, ludvig, danish runologist, cited; winchester, capital of england; canute's residential city; see of; canute's gifts to monasteries of; scalds at the court of; canute buried in; other mention of; wisby; _witenagemot_; _see_ gemot witigern, slavic prince; witland; woden, old northern divinity; wollin, island and village near the mouth of the oder; worcester, florence of, _see_ florence worcestershire; worsaae, j.j.a., danish antiquarian, cited; writing, runic; wrytsleof, slavic prince; _see_ witigern; wulfstan, archbishop of york; wulfstan, english traveller; wyrtgeorn, _see_ witigern. y yggdrasil, mythical ash tree; york; yule festival, old northern. z zealand, , , , , . the cambridge manuals of science and literature the vikings cambridge university press london: fetter lane, e.c. c. f. clay, manager [illustration: emblem] edinburgh: , princes street berlin: a. asher and co. leipzig: f. a. brockhaus new york: g. p. putnam's sons bombay and calcutta: macmillan and co., ltd. _all rights reserved_ [illustration: the gokstad ship] [illustration: decorative title page, text follows] the vikings by allen mawer, m.a. professor of english language and literature in armstrong college, university of durham: late fellow of gonville and caius college, cambridge cambridge: at the university press cambridge: printed by john clay, m.a. at the university press _with the exception of the coat of arms at the foot, the design on the title page is a reproduction of one used by the earliest known cambridge printer, john siberch, _ contents page introduction chap. i. causes of the viking movement ii. the viking movement down to the middle of the th century iii. the vikings in england to the death of harthacnut iv. the vikings in the frankish empire to the founding of normandy ( ) v. the vikings in ireland to the battle of clontarf ( ) vi. the vikings in the orkneys, scotland, the western islands and man vii. the vikings in baltic lands and russia viii. viking civilisation ix. scandinavian influence in the orkneys, shetlands, the western islands and man x. scandinavian influence in ireland xi. scandinavian influence in england xii. scandinavian influence in the empire and iceland bibliography index list of illustrations the gokstad ship _frontispiece_ plate i. viking ship from the bayeux tapestry _facing page_ ii. ornaments of the viking period " " iii. the jellinge stone " " the frontispiece is reproduced by kind permission of the photographer, mr o. væring, of christiania; plates ii and iii are taken from sophus müller's _nordische altertümskunde_. introduction the term 'viking' is derived from the old norse _vík_, a bay, and means 'one who haunts a bay, creek or fjord[ ].' in the th and th centuries it came to be used more especially of those warriors who left their homes in scandinavia and made raids on the chief european countries. this is the narrow, and technically the only correct use of the term 'viking,' but in such expressions as 'viking civilisation,' 'the viking age,' 'the viking movement,' 'viking influence,' the word has come to have a wider significance and is used as a concise and convenient term for describing the whole of the civilisation, activity and influence of the scandinavian peoples, at a particular period in their history, and to apply the term 'viking' in its narrower sense to these movements would be as misleading as to write an account of the age of elizabeth and label it 'the buccaneers.' it is in the broader sense that the term is employed in the present manual. plundering and harrying form but one aspect of viking activity and it is mainly a matter of accident that this aspect is the one that looms largest in our minds. our knowledge of the viking movement was, until the last half-century, drawn almost entirely from the works of medieval latin chroniclers, writing in monasteries and other kindred schools of learning which had only too often felt the devastating hand of viking raiders. they naturally regarded them as little better than pirates and they never tired of expatiating upon their cruelty and their violence. it is only during the last fifty years or so that we have been able to revise our ideas of viking civilisation and to form a juster conception of the part which it played in the history of europe. the change has come about chiefly in two ways. in the first place the literature of scandinavia is no longer a sealed book to us. for our period there are three chief groups of native authorities: ( ) the prose sagas and the _historia danica_ of saxo grammaticus, ( ) the eddaic poems, ( ) the skaldic poems. the prose sagas and saxo belong to a date considerably later than the viking age, but they include much valuable material referring to that period. the chief poems of the older edda date from the viking period itself and are invaluable for the information they give us as to the religion and mythology of the scandinavian peoples at this time, the heroic stories current amongst them, and their general outlook on life. the skaldic poems are however in some ways the most valuable historical authority for the period. the _skalds_ or court-poets were attached to the courts of kings and jarls, shared their adventures, praised their victories, and made songs of lament on their death, and their work is largely contemporary with the events they describe. secondly, and yet more important in its results perhaps, archaeological science has, within the last half-century, made rapid advance, and the work of archaeologists on the rich finds brought to light during the last hundred years has given us a vast body of concrete fact, with the aid of which we have been able to reconstruct the material civilisation of the viking period far more satisfactorily than we could from the scattered and fragmentary notices found in the sagas and elsewhere. the resultant picture calls for description later, but it is well to remember from the outset that it is a very different one from that commonly associated with the term 'viking.' with this word of explanation and note of warning we may proceed to our main subject. footnote: [ ] the word is older than the actual viking age: it is found in anglo-saxon in the form _wicing_. some writers have said that it means 'people from the district of the _vík_' in south norway, so-called from the long fjord-like opening which is found there, but the early anglo-saxon use of the term forbids this derivation. chapter i causes of the viking movement the period of scandinavian history to which the term viking is applied extends roughly from the middle of the th to the end of the th or the first half of the th century. its commencement was marked by the raids of scandinavian freebooters upon the coasts of england, western scotland and ireland and upon frankish territory. its climax was reached when in the course of the th and th centuries scandinavian rule was established in ireland, man and the western islands, the northern and midland districts of england, normandy, and a great part of russia. its close was marked by the consolidation of the scandinavian kingdoms in the late th and early th centuries under such mighty sovereigns as olaf tryggvason and olaf the holy in norway, olaf skötkonung in sweden, and greatest of all, king knut in denmark, who for a brief time united the whole of scandinavia and a great part of the british isles in one vast confederacy. the extent and importance of the movement is indicated from the first by the almost simultaneous appearance of trouble in england, on the coast of france, and on the eider boundary between denmark and the frankish empire. in the reign of beorhtric, king of wessex ( - ), three ships of the northmen coming from hörðaland (around hardanger fjord) landed near dorchester, in june lindisfarne was sacked, in march charlemagne found himself compelled to equip a fleet and establish a stronger coastguard to defend the frankish coast against the attacks of the northmen, and from onwards, when the saxon patriot widukind took refuge with the danish king sigefridus (o.n. sigröðr), there was almost constant friction along the land-boundary between denmark and the frankish empire. this outburst of hostile activity had been preceded by considerable intercourse of a varied character between scandinavia and the countries of western europe. early in the th century the danes or, according to another authority, the götar from götaland in south sweden, invaded frisia under their king chocilaicus. reference is made to this raid in the story of hygelac, king of the geatas, in _beowulf_. professor zimmer suggested that the attacks of unknown pirates on the island of eigg in the hebrides and on tory island off donegal, described in certain irish annals of the th century, were really the work of scandinavian raiders. the evidence of irish legend and saga goes to prove that in the same century irish anchorites settled in the shetlands but were later compelled by the arrival of scandinavian settlers to move on to the lonely faroes. here they were not to be left in peace, for the irish geographer dicuil, writing in , tells us that the faroes had then been deserted by the monks for some thirty years owing to the raids of northmen pirates. dr jakobsen has shown that the forms of place-names in the shetlands point very definitely to a settlement from scandinavia in pre-viking days--before --while the sculptured stones of gothland show already at the end of the th century clear evidence of celtic art influence. possibly also merchants of scandinavian origin were already settled in the frankish empire and it is certain that there was considerable trade between scandinavia and the west. most of the intercourse thus demonstrated was slow in development, peaceful and civilising in character. how came it that in the later years of the th century this intercourse was suddenly strengthened and intensified, while at the same time it underwent a great change both in methods and character? the traditional explanation is that given by dudo and by william of jumièges in their histories of the settlement of normandy and by saxo in his account of danish settlements in baltic lands in the th century, viz. that the population of scandinavia had outgrown its means of support and that enforced emigration was the result. there may be a certain element of truth in the tradition but when it says that this excess of population was due to polygamy we have every reason to doubt it. polygamy does not lead to an over-rapid growth of population as a whole, and it is fairly certain that it was practised only by the ruling classes in scandinavia. it is quite possible, however, that the large number of sons in the ruling families made it necessary for the younger ones to go forth and gain for themselves fresh territories in new lands. a clearer light is perhaps thrown on the matter if we examine the political condition of the scandinavian countries at this time. in norway we find that the concentration of kingly authority in the hands of harold fairhair after the middle of the th century led many of the more independent spirits to leave norway and adopt a viking life in the west or to settle in new homes in iceland. so strong was the spirit of independence that when harold fairhair received the submission of the vikings of the west after the battle of hafrsfjord, many of them rather than endure even a shadowy overlordship abandoned their viking life and settled down to peaceful independence in iceland. it is quite possible that earlier attempts at consolidation on the part of previous petty norwegian kings may have had similar results. of the condition of sweden we know practically nothing but we have sufficient information about the course of events in denmark at this time to see that it probably tended to hasten the development of the viking movement. throughout the first half of the th century there were repeated dynastic struggles accompanied probably by the exile, voluntary or forced, of many members of the rival factions. external causes also were certainly not without influence. from the th century down to the middle of the th, the frisians were the great naval and trading power of north-west europe. they had probably taken some part in the conquest of england and, during the th and th centuries, the whole of the coast of the netherlands from the scheldt to the weser was in their hands. their trade was extensive, their chief city being duurstede a few miles south-east of utrecht. the northward expansion of the franks brought them into collision with the frisians in the th century. the struggle was long and fierce but in the end the frisians were defeated by charles martel in and finally subjugated by charlemagne in . the crushing of frisian naval power and the crippling of their trade probably played no unimportant part in facilitating the scandinavian advance, and it is curious to note that while there is considerable archaeological evidence for peaceful intercourse between the west coast of norway and frisian lands in the th century, that evidence seems to come to an end about the year , just when frisian power finally declined. there can be no doubt also that the conquest of the saxons by charlemagne at the close of the th century, bringing franks and danes face to face along the eider boundary, made the latter uneasy. there has been much arguing to and fro of the question as to the respective shares taken by danes and norwegians in the viking movement. that of the swedes can fortunately be determined with a good deal more certainty. the swedes were for the most part interested only in eastern europe and there by way of trade rather than of battle: we learn from runic inscriptions and other sources that some swedes did visit england and the west, but these visits were due to individual rather than national activity. the question as between dane and norwegian has been to some extent made more difficult of settlement through the national prejudices of scandinavian scholars; e.g. danes for the most part decide in favour of the danish origin of rollo of normandy, while norwegians decide in favour of his norwegian birth. such differences of opinion are unfortunately only too often possible owing to the scantiness of the material upon which we have to base our conclusions. medieval chroniclers were for the most part unable or unwilling to distinguish between danes and norwegians; they were all alike 'nordmanni' to them and the term 'dani' is practically interchangeable with it. the vagueness of their ethnographical knowledge is manifest when we find the norman dudo at the beginning of the th century tracing back the dani (or daci) to an original home in dacia. the irish annalists did, however, draw a very definite distinction between norwegians and danes--finn-gaill and dubh-gaill as they called them, i.e. white and black foreigners respectively[ ]. they seem never to confuse them, but exactly on what grounds they gave them their distinguishing epithets it is now impossible to determine. they do not correspond to any known ethnographical differences, and the only other reasonable suggestion which has been offered is that the terms are used to describe some difference of armour or equipment as yet unknown to us. the irish annals also distinguish between daunites or danes and lochlanns or men from lochlann, i.e. norway; but again the origin of the term lochlann as applied to norway is obscure. the writers of the anglo-saxon chronicle seem to use the term _norðmenn_ very definitely of norwegians, just as alfred does in his translation of orosius, but the term _dene_ came to be used more vaguely and uncertainly. it is only very rarely that the chroniclers vouchsafe us precise information as to the home of any particular group of viking raiders. we have already mentioned the presence of norwegians from hörðaland in england at the very opening of the movement[ ]: once we hear of 'westfaldingi,' i.e. men from vestfold in south norway, in an account of attacks on aquitaine, and in one passage the vikings are called 'scaldingi,' but it is disputed whether this means vikings who had been quartering themselves in the valley of the scheldt, or is a term applied to the danes from the name of their royal family, viz. the skjöldungar[ ]. speaking roughly we may however assert that ireland, scotland and the western islands were almost entirely in the hands of norwegian settlers (danish attacks on ireland failed for the most part). northumbria was norwegian, but east anglia and the five boroughs were danish. the attacks on france and the netherlands were due both to norwegians and danes, probably with a preponderance of the latter, while danes and swedes alone settled in baltic lands. footnotes: [ ] the name _finn-gaill_ survives in fingall, the name of a district to the north of dublin, while _dubh-gaill_ is the second element in the proper names macdougall and macdowell. [ ] the name _hiruath_ given by celtic writers to norway probably points also to a tradition that many of the viking invaders of ireland were hörðar from norway. [ ] a third explanation has recently been suggested by dr björkman, viz. that it is a low german word meaning 'shipmen' which came to be used specially of the vikings. chapter ii the viking movement down to the middle of the th century england was possibly the scene of the earliest viking raids, but after the dorchester raid, the sack of lindisfarne in (_v. supra_, p. ), and the devastation of the monastery of st paul at jarrow in we hear nothing more of vikings in england until . the fate of ireland was different. attacks began almost at the same time as in england and continued without intermission. vikings sailed round the west coast of scotland. skye and then lambay island off dublin were invaded in , glamorganshire was ravaged in the same year and the isle of man was attacked in . iona was plundered in and again in . in invaders appeared off the coast of sligo and made their way inland as far as roscommon, and in munster was plundered. in the howth peninsula near dublin and two small islands in wexford haven were ravaged. the vikings had completely encircled ireland with their fleets and by the year they had made their way well into the interior of the island so that none were safe from their attacks. they no longer contented themselves with isolated raids: large fleets began to visit ireland and to anchor in the numerous loughs and harbours with which the coast abounds. thence they made lengthy raids on the surrounding country and often strengthened their base by building forts on the shores of the loughs or harbours in which they had established themselves. it was in this way that dublin, waterford and limerick first rose to importance. of the leaders of the vikings at this time there is only one whose figure stands out at all clearly, and that is turges (o.n. Ðorgestr) who first appeared in at the sack of armagh. he had come to ireland with a great and royal fleet and 'assumed the sovereignty over the foreigners in erin.' he had fleets on lough neagh, at louth, and on lough ree, and raided the country as far south as the meath district. turges was not the only invader at this time: indeed so numerous were the invading hosts that the chronicles tell us 'after this there came great sea-cast floods of foreigners into erin, so that there was not a point thereof without a fleet.' the power of turges culminated in , when he drove the abbot of armagh into exile, usurped the abbacy, and exercised the sovereignty of north ireland. at the same time his wife ota (o.n. auðr) profaned the monastery of clonmacnoise and gave audience, probably as a _völva_ or prophetess, upon the high altar. three years later turges was captured by the irish and drowned in lough owel (co. west meath). the early attacks on england and the first invasion of ireland were alike due to norsemen rather than danes. this is evident from their general course, from the explicit statement of the anglo-saxon chronicle, and from the fact that the first arrival of danes in ireland is definitely recorded in the year . the attack on dorchester (c. - ), lying as it does near the centre of the south coast of england, is somewhat strange if it is assigned to the traditional date, viz. , but there is no authority for this, and if it is placed at any date nearer to (before which it must have taken place), it is probable that the attack may be explained as an extension of viking raids down st george's channel and round the s.w. corner of england. in the attacks on england were renewed after an interval of years, but as they now stand in close connexion with contemporary invasions of frankish territory there is every reason to believe that they were of danish rather than of norse origin. the attacks began in the south and west but they soon spread to east anglia and lindsey. in the same army ravaged london, Étaples and rochester. in aethelstan of kent defeated the danes at sea in one of the rare battles fought with them on their own element, and in the same year they remained for the winter in thanet, probably owing to the loss of their ships. the size and importance of these attacks may be gauged from the fact that in this year a fleet of some danish ships sailed up the thames. it was probably that same fleet, with slightly diminished numbers, which in ravaged frisia and then sailed round the british isles, came to ireland, and captured dublin. in the danes wintered for the first time in sheppey and we reach the same point in the development of their attacks on england to which they had already attained in ireland. we pass away from the period of raiding. the danes now came prepared to stay for several years at a time and to carry on their attacks with unceasing persistency. the course of events in the frankish empire ran on much the same lines as in england and ireland during these years except that here trouble arose on the land boundary between denmark and the franks as well as on the sea-coast. alarmed by the conquest of the saxons the danish king guðröðr collected a fleet at slesvík and in he crossed the eider and attacked the abodriti (in mecklenburg-schwerin), a slavonic tribe in alliance with the franks. he also sent a fleet of some vessels to ravage the coast of frisia, laid claim to that district and to saxony, north of the elbe, and threatened to attack charlemagne in his own capital. the emperor was preparing to resist him when news arrived ( ) of the death of guðröðr at the hands of one of his followers and the consequent dispersal of the danish fleet. soon after disputes over the succession arose between the family of guðröðr and that of an earlier king harold. ultimately the contest resolved itself into one between the sons of guðröðr, especially one horic (o.n. hárekr) and a certain harold. it lasted for several years, the sons of guðröðr for the most part maintaining their hold on denmark. at one time during the struggle harold and his brother ragnfröðr went to vestfold in norway, 'the extreme district of their realm, whose chiefs and peoples were refusing to be made subject to them, and gained their submission,' showing clearly that at this time denmark and southern norway were under one rule and rendering probable the identification of guðröðr with guðröðr the yngling who about this time was slain by a retainer in stifla sound on the south coast of norway. this king ruled over vestfold, half vingulmörk and perhaps agðir. both parties were anxious to secure the support of the emperor lewis and in the end harold gained his help by accepting baptism at mainz in . he promised to promote the cause of christianity in denmark, while lewis in return granted him the district of riustringen in frisia as a place of retreat in case of necessity. the danes thereby gained their first foothold within the empire. sufficient has been said of the relation between denmark and the empire on its land boundary: we must now say something of the attacks made by sea. the first were made in on the coast of aquitaine and they were probably due to raiders from ireland who followed a well-known trade route from south ireland to the ports of southern france. in charlemagne inspected the coast from the somme to the seine and gave orders for the equipment of a fleet and the strengthening of the coastguard against northmen pirates. when guðröðr's fleet plundered the islands off the frisian coast in , charlemagne gave orders for his fleet to be strengthened once more, but the results were meagre in the extreme. the passage of the channel was no longer safe, and year after year, from some time before , vikings harried the island of noirmoutier at the mouth of the loire, commanding the port of nantes and the extensive salt-trade of the district. the island of rhé opposite la rochelle, was raided in similar fashion. the frankish empire was free from attack between the years and . during the same time the english coast was also unvisited, and it is probable that the struggles for the succession in denmark had for the time being reduced that kingdom to inactivity. about the year the danish king hárekr seems to have established himself firmly on the throne, while on the other hand the emperor lewis was troubled by the ambition of his sons lewis, pippin and lothair. it is probably no chance coincidence that these events synchronised with the renewal of viking attacks on frisia. throughout their history the vikings showed themselves well informed of the changing political conditions of the countries which they visited and ready to make the utmost use of the opportunities which these might give for successful invasion. frisia was the main point of attack during the next few years. four times was the rich trading town of duurstede ravaged; fleets sailed up the veldt, the maas, and the scheldt; antwerp was burned and the island of walcheren plundered, so that by the year the greater part of frisia south of the vlie, was in danish hands and so it remained till the end of the century. the danish king hárekr repeatedly denied all complicity in these raids and even promised to punish the raiders, but it is impossible to tell how far his denials were genuine. equally difficult is it to say how far harold in his frisian home was responsible for these attacks. the annalists charge him with complicity, but lewis seems to have thought it best to bind him by fresh gifts and (probably about ) granted the district around duurstede itself to him and his brother roric (o.n. hroerekr) on condition that they helped to ward off viking attacks. all the efforts of the emperor to equip a fleet or to defend the coast were to no purpose, and there was even a suspicion that the frisian populace were in sympathy with the vikings. so great was the terror of attack that when in a byzantine mission, including some rhôs or swedes from russia, visited the emperor at ingelheim, the swedes were for a time detained under suspicion, as spies. on the death of lewis the pious in things went from bad to worse. the division of the empire in gave the coast from the eider to the weser to lewis, from the weser to the scheldt to lothair, and the rest to charles, removing all possibility of a united and organised defence, and soon these princes entered on the fatal policy of calling in the vikings to assist them in their quarrels. thus lothair in endeavoured to bind harold to his cause by a grant of the island of walcheren and harold is found in the following year with lothair's army on the moselle. the viking expeditions to england and france stand now in close connexion. in the valley of the seine was ravaged as far as rouen, in Étaples in picardy was destroyed by a fleet from england, while in nantes fell a prey to their attacks. from their permanent quarters at noirmoutier the vikings sailed up the garonne and penetrated inland as far as toulouse. in we hear from arab historians of their vessels swarming on the coasts of spain like 'dark red sea-birds,' but while they effected landings at lisbon and cadiz and at arzilla in morocco, and captured seville, with the exception of its citadel, the mussulman resistance was too stout for them to effect much. as a result of this expedition the emir of cordova, abd-ar-rahman ii sent an embassy to the king of the _madjus_ (i.e. the magi or the heathen, one of the commonest arab names for the vikings). the ambassador found the king living in an island three days' journey from the mainland, but we are told that the heathen occupied many other neighbouring isles and the mainland also. he was courteously received by the king and became an especial favourite with the queen noud (? o.n. auðr). his companions were alarmed at the intimacy and as a result the ambassador paid less frequent visits to court. the queen asked him why, and when he told her the reason she said that, owing to perfect freedom of divorce, there was no jealousy among the madjus. the details of the story are too vague to admit of certainty, but it would seem as if the embassy had visited the court of the great turges and his equally remarkable wife auðr in ireland, or perhaps that of olaf the white and his wife auðr (_v. infra_, p. ). in hárekr of denmark sailed up the elbe and destroyed hamburg, while in the same year the dreaded ragnarr loðbrók, most famous of all vikings, sailed up the seine as far as paris. while on its retreat from paris, after the usual devastation, a strange and deadly disease, possibly some form of dysentery due to scantiness of food resulting from a hard winter, broke out in the danish army. various legends arose in connexion with this event, and it finds a curious echo in the story told by saxo grammaticus of an expedition made by ragnarr among the biarmians (in northern russia) when that people by their prayers called down a plague of dysentery upon the danes in which large numbers perished. in the end the historical plague was stayed when hárekr commanded the vikings on their return to denmark to refrain from flesh and meat for fourteen days. whether as a result of the plague or from some other cause hárekr now showed himself ready to come to terms with lewis, and for the next eighty years there was complete peace along the eider boundary. the whole of the coast was still open to attack however; frisia was hardly ever free from invaders; brittany was obliged to buy off danish attacks in , while noirmoutier continued to form a basis of attack against southern france in the gironde district. the viking invasions in france had attained much the same stage as that to which we have already traced them in england and ireland. chapter iii the vikings in england to the death of harthacnut the great development of viking activity which took place after was certainly not unconnected with the course of events in denmark itself. hárekr was attacked by his two nephews in and compelled to share the kingdom with them. in large bands of vikings returned to their fatherland after twenty years' ravaging in frankish territory. trouble now arose between hárekr and his nephew godurm (o.n. guðormr), one of the returned leaders. civil war broke out and ultimately, after a great fight, the kingship fell to a younger hárekr, a relative of the late king. a severe dynastic struggle of this kind must have been accompanied by much unsettlement and perhaps by an actual proscription. it would certainly seem that there was some definite connexion between these events and the coincident appearance of the sons of ragnarr loðbrók as leaders of a more extended viking movement both in england and in france. three of his sons--halfdanr, ubbi and Ívarr--took part in the first wintering in sheppey in , while in the same year another son björn ironside appeared on the seine. the figure of ragnarr loðbrók himself belongs to an earlier generation, and great as was his after-fame we unfortunately know very little of his actual career. he would seem to have been of norwegian birth, closely connected with the south of norway and the house of guðröðr, but like that prince having extensive interests in denmark. he probably visited ireland in , for we read in saxo of an expedition made by ragnarr to ireland when he slew king melbricus and ravaged dublin, an event which is pretty certainly to be identified with an attack made on the conaille district (co. louth) by foreigners in when the king maelbrighde was taken prisoner. he led the disastrous seine expedition in (_v. supra_, p. ). the next glimpse of him which we have is probably that found in certain irish annals where he is represented as exiled from his norwegian patrimony and living with some of his sons in the orkneys while others were absent on expeditions to the british isles, spain and africa, and a runic inscription has been found at maeshowe in the orkneys confirming the connexion of the sons of loðbrók and possibly of loðbrók himself with those islands. the expeditions would be those mentioned above and the yet more famous one made to spain, africa and italy by björn ironside in the years - (_v. infra_, pp. - ). ragnarr loðbrók's later history is uncertain. according to the irish annals quoted above, his sons while on their expedition dreamed that their father had died in a land not his own and on their return found it to be true. this agrees with scandinavian tradition according to which ragnarr met his death at the hands of aelle, king of northumbria, by whom he was thrown into a snake-pit, while the capture of york by Ívarr the boneless in - (_v. infra_) is represented as part of a great expedition of vengeance undertaken by the sons of ragnarr. this tradition (apart from certain details) is probably historical, but we have no definite confirmatory evidence. with this note on the history of denmark at this time and on the career of the most shadowy, if at the same time the most famous of the viking leaders, we may turn once more to the history of events in england. for ten years after the wintering in sheppey, england was left in a state of comparative peace. the change came in when a large danish force which had been bribed to leave the seine by charles the bald sailed to england and took up its quarters in east anglia. in they crossed the humber and captured york, their task being made easier by the quarrels of aelle and osberht as to the kingship of northumbria. next year the rivals patched up their differences, but failed to recapture york from the danes under Ívarr and ubbi. setting up a puppet king ecgberht in northumbria north of the tyne, the danes next received the submission of mercia and returned to york in . in they marched through mercia into east anglia, as far as thetford, engaged the forces of edmund, king of east anglia, defeated and slew him, whether in actual battle or in later martyrdom, as popular tradition would have it, is uncertain. the death of st edmund, king and martyr, soon became an event of european fame and no viking leader was more widely execrated than the cruel Ívarr, who was deemed responsible. the turn of wessex came next. the fortunes of battle fluctuated but the accounts usually terminate with the ominous words 'the danes held possession of the battle field.' in , alfred commenced his heroic struggle with the danes and in the first year of his reign some nine pitched battles were fought, beside numerous small engagements. so keen was the west saxon resistance that a truce was made in and the danes turned their attention to mercia once more. london was forced to ransom itself at a heavy price and a coin of halfdanr, probably minted in london at the time, has been found. after a hurried visit to northumbria the _here_ settled down for the winter of - at torksey in the lindsey district, whence they moved in to repton in derbyshire. they overthrew burhred of mercia and set up a foolish thegn of his as puppet ruler of that realm. in the winter of - the _here_ divided forces: one part went under halfdanr to the tyne valley, the other under guthrum (o.n. guðormr) to cambridge. in halfdanr divided up the lands of northumbria among his followers who soon ploughed and cultivated them. at the same time they did not forget their old occupations. raids were made against the picts and the strathclyde welsh, while halfdanr soon became involved in the great struggle going on in ireland at that time between norsemen and danes. this ultimately led to his death in (_v. infra_, p. ). in the meantime the struggle continued in wessex. in alfred captured seven danish ships. in the southern division of the _here_ slipped past the west saxon _fyrd_ and reached wareham in dorsetshire, but came to terms with alfred. though the peace was sworn with all solemnity on their sacred altar-ring, the mounted portion of the _here_ slipped off once more and established themselves in exeter. their land forces were supported by a parallel movement of the fleet. at exeter alfred made peace with them and the _here_ returned to mercia. there half the land was divided up among the danes while the southern half was left in the hands of ceolwulf. alfred reached the nadir of his fortunes when the _here_ returned to wessex in the winter of - , drove many of the inhabitants into exile across the sea, and received the submission of the rest with the exception of king alfred and a few followers who took refuge in the island of athelney amid the somersetshire marshes. alfred soon gathered round him a force with which he was able to issue from his stronghold and ultimately to inflict a great defeat on the danes at edington near westbury. they now made terms with alfred by the peace of wedmore, and agreed to leave alfred's kingdom while their king guthrum received christian baptism. they withdrew first to cirencester and then to east anglia. here they settled, portioning out the land as they had done in northumbria and northern mercia. a peace was drawn up between alfred and guthrum of east anglia defining the boundary between their realms. it was to run along the thames estuary to the mouth of the lea (a few miles east of london), then up the lea to its source near leighton buzzard, then due north to bedford, then eastwards up the ouse to watling st. somewhere near fenny or stony stratford. from this point the boundary is left undefined, probably because the kingdoms of alfred and guthrum ceased to be conterminous here. england now had peace for some twelve years. alfred made good use of the interval in reorganising his army and strengthening the kingdom generally, so that when attacks were renewed in he was much better prepared to meet them. in the autumn of that year two fleets coming from france arrived in england: one landed on the limen (between hythe and romney marsh), the other under the leadership of hæsten (o.n. hásteinn) at milton in north kent. alfred's difficulties were increased by the fact that during the next four years the danish settlers in northumbria and east anglia played a more or less actively hostile part, both by land and sea. the danes showed all their old mobility and in a series of raids crossed england more than once--first to buttington on the severn (co. montgomery), then to chester, and on a third occasion to bridgenorth in shropshire. they met with a uniformly stout and well organised resistance under the leadership of alfred, his son edward the elder, and his brother-in-law aethelred of mercia, and in the end they had to retire with no fresh acquisition of territory. for the most part they distributed themselves among the east anglian and northumbrian danes, but those who had no cattle wherewith to stock their land took ship and sailed back to the seine. there were no further attacks from abroad during alfred's reign, but piratical raids made by the east anglian and northumbrian danes caused him a good deal of trouble, and in order to meet them he definitely addressed himself to the long delayed task of equipping a fleet. the vessels were carefully designed according to alfred's own ideas: they were larger, swifter and steadier than the danish vessels and they soon showed their worth when more than vessels with their crews were lost by the danes in one year. it is interesting to note that these vessels were manned in part by frisian sailors, probably because of the low ebb to which english seamanship had sunk. when once edward the elder's claim to the throne was firmly established in the battle fought at 'the holm,' somewhere in south cambridgeshire, he commenced, with the active co-operation of his brother-in-law aethelred, ealdorman of mercia, the great work of strengthening the hold of the english on southern mercia preparatory to an attempt to reconquer the danelagh. chester was rebuilt in . in a fort was built at 'bremesbyrig,' possibly bromesberrow in gloucestershire. aethelred died in the next year, but his wife aethelflæd, the 'lady of the mercians,' continued his work, and forts were built at 'scergeat,' perhaps shrewsbury, at bridgenorth on the severn, at tamworth, and at stafford in . in warwick was fortified, while in forts were built at chirbury in shropshire and runcorn in cheshire. on the death of aethelred, edward took london and oxford and the parts of mercia adhering to them into his own hands. two forts were built on the north and south sides of the lea at hertford in - , and another at witham on the blackwater in essex. edward's work soon bore fruit, for we read that in the same year a large number of those who had been under danish rule now made submission to the king. the danes in the five boroughs became restless under the continued advance of the english, and twice in the year they made raids from leicester and northampton as far as hook norton in oxfordshire and leighton buzzard, while in the next year edward, for the first time in his reign, was troubled by raiders from abroad. coming from brittany they sailed up the severn, ravaged south wales and the archenfield district of herefordshire, but could do nothing against the garrison of gloucester, hereford and other neighbouring towns, which seem already to have been fortified. they were forced to leave the district and so careful a watch did edward keep over the coast of somerset, devon and cornwall that they could make no effective landing, though they tried twice, at porlock and at watchet. ultimately they took up their quarters in the islands of flatholme and steepholme in the bristol channel, but lack of food soon drove them away to ireland in a starving condition. in the same year edward built two forts at buckingham, one on each side of the ouse, and his policy again found speedy justification when earl thurcytel (o.n. Ðorkell) and all the chief men who 'obeyed[ ]' bedford, together with many of those who 'obeyed' northampton submitted to him. everything was now ready for the great advance against the danes. derby fell in , while in the next year leicester yielded without a struggle. their fall was accompanied by the submission of the men of derbyshire and leicestershire. at the same time the inhabitants of york declared themselves ready to enter the service of mercia. edward fortified bedford in , maldon and towcester in south northamptonshire in . again the danes from northampton and leicester tried to break through the steadily narrowing ring of forts and they managed to get as far south as aylesbury, while others from huntingdon and east anglia built a fort at tempsford in bedfordshire near the junction of the ivel and the ouse. they besieged a fort at 'wigingamere' (unidentified) but were forced to withdraw. edward gathered an army from the nearest garrison towns, besieged, captured, and destroyed tempsford ( ). in the autumn he captured colchester and a danish attempt on maldon failed. edward now strengthened towcester and received the submission of earl thurfrith (o.n. Ðorröðr) and all the danes in northamptonshire as far north as the welland. huntingdon was occupied about the same time and the ring of forts around east anglia brought about the submission of the whole of that district, cambridgeshire making a separate compact on its own account. in edward built a fort just south of stamford and soon received the submission of the danes of south lincolnshire, and in the same year occupied nottingham, building a fort and garrisoning it with a mixed english and danish force. he was now ruler of the whole of mercia owing to the death of his sister aethelflæd, and in he fortified thelwall in cheshire, on the mersey, and rebuilt the old roman fort at manchester. in he built a second fort at nottingham and one at bakewell in derbyshire. the reconquest of the danelagh was complete and edward now received the submission of the scots, the strathclyde welsh, of regnold (o.n. rögnvaldr) of northumbria, and of english, danes and norsemen alike. the danish settlers accepted the sovereignty of the west saxon king and henceforward formed part of an expanded wessex which had consolidated its power over all england south of a line drawn roughly from the humber to the dee. the submission of rögnvaldr, king of northumbria and the mention of norsemen need some comment. on the death of halfdanr in an interregnum of seven years ensued and then, in accordance with instructions given by st cuthbert in a vision to abbot eadred of carlisle, the northumbrians chose a certain guthred (o.n. guðröðr) as their king. he was possibly a nephew of the late king, ruled till , and was also known as cnut (o.n. knútr). we have coins bearing the inscription 'elfred rex' on the obverse and 'cnut rex' on the reverse, indicating apparently some overlordship of king alfred. together with these we have some coins with 'cnut rex' on the obverse and 'siefredus' or (sievert) on the reverse, and others, minted at 'ebroice civitas' (i.e. york), with the sole inscription 'siefredus rex.' this latter king would seem to have been first a subordinate partner and then, on guðröðr's death, sole ruler of northumbria. other coins belonging to about the same period and found in the great cuerdale hoard near preston, bear the inscription 'sitric comes,' and there is good reason to believe that siefredus (o.n. sigröðr) and sitric (o.n. sigtryggr) are to be identified with sichfrith and sitriucc who just at this time are mentioned in the irish annals as rival leaders of the norsemen in dublin. the identification is important as it shows us that northumbria was now being brought into definite connexion with the norse kingdom of dublin and that the norse element was asserting itself at the expense of the danish in northern england. the rule of sigröðr and sigtryggr alike had come to an end by and we know nothing more until the year when a fresh invasion from ireland took place under a certain rögnvaldr. he gained a victory at corbridge-on-tyne and captured york in or . he divided the lands of st cuthbert among his followers but died in , the year of his submission to the overlordship of edward. the irish annals speak of him as king of white and black foreigners alike, thus emphasising the composite settlement of northumbria. another leader from ireland, one sigtryggr, succeeded rögnvaldr as king of northumbria. he was on friendly terms with aethelstan and married his sister in . he died in or and then aethelstan took northumbria under his own control. sigtryggr's brother guðröðr submitted to aethelstan but after four days at the court of king aethelstan 'he returned to piracy as a fish to the sea.' both sigtryggr and guðröðr left sons bearing the name anlaf (o.n. Ólafr) and with them aethelstan and his successors had much trouble. anlaf sihtricsson lived in exile in scotland and gradually organised against aethelstan a great confederacy of scots, strathclyde welsh and vikings, both danish and norwegian, anlaf godfreyson brought help from ireland and the great struggle began. the course of the campaign is uncertain but if the site of its main battle, 'brunanburh,' is to be identified with birrenswark hill in s.e. dumfriesshire, it would seem that aethelstan carried the war into the enemy's country. the result of the battle was a complete victory for the forces of aethelstan and his brother edmund. constantine's son, five kings and seven jarls were among the slain. we have in the anglo-saxon chronicle a poem[ ] celebrating the victory, and it describes in vivid language the hurried return home of constantine, lamenting the death of his son, and the headlong flight of anlaf godfreyson to dublin. england had been freed from its greatest danger since the days of king alfred and his struggle with guthrum. aethelstan had no more trouble with the norsemen and we have evidence from other sources that at some time during his reign, probably at an earlier date, he exchanged embassies with harold fairhair, king of norway. the latter sent him a present of a ship with golden prow and purple sails and the usual bulwark of shields along the gunwale, while harold's favourite son hákon was brought up at aethelstan's court. there he was baptised and educated and is known in norse history as hákon aðalsteinsfóstri. after the death of aethelstan, anlaf sihtricsson, nicknamed cuaran (i.e. with the sock or brogue of leather, so called from his irish dress) came to england and captured york. from there he made an attempt to conquer the danish district of the five boroughs. he seems to have got a good part of mercia into his hands but in the end edmund freed the danes from norse oppression and took once more into his hands all mercia south of a line from dore (near sheffield) to whitwell (derbyshire) and thence to the humber. edmund and anlaf came to terms, but anlaf was driven out by the northumbrians in , and in the next year that province fell into the hands of edmund. in eric blood-axe, son of harold fairhair, was accepted as king by the northumbrians. in scandinavian tradition we learn how he was expelled from norway in by the supporters of hákon, went on viking raids in the west, was appointed ruler of northumbria by aethelstan on condition of his defending it against attack, but was not on good terms with edmund, who favoured one Ólaf. probably eric retired after aethelstan's death and only returned to england in . in edmund forced the northumbrians to abandon his cause and about the same time anlaf returned from ireland and ruled till about when he was replaced by eric, whose short rule came to an end in . in that year he was expelled by the northumbrians and killed at stainmoor in westmorland. the attempt to establish a norse kingdom of northumbria had failed and henceforward that district was directly under the rule of the english king. english authority was supreme once more even in those districts which were largely peopled with scandinavian settlers. england had no further trouble with norse or danish invaders until the days of ethelred the unready, but no sooner did that weak and ill-advised king come to the throne than, with that ready and intimate knowledge of local conditions which they always displayed, we find danes making an attack on southampton and norsemen one on chester. the renewed attacks were not however due solely to the weakness of england, they were also the result of changed conditions in scandinavia itself. in denmark the reign of harold bluetooth was drawing to a close, and the younger generation, conscious of a strong and well-organised nation behind them, were ambitious of new and larger conquests, while at the same time many of them were in revolt against the definitely christian policy of harold in his old age. they turned with hope towards his young son svein, and found in him a ready and willing leader. in norway, earl hákon had broken away from the suzerainty of harold bluetooth, but the norwegians could not forget that he owed his throne to a foreign power, and his personal harshness and licentiousness as well as his zealous cult of the old heathen rites were a cause of much discontent. the hopes of the younger generation were fixed on olaf tryggvason, a man filled with the spirit of the old vikings. captured by pirates from esthonia when still a child, he was discovered, ransomed, and taken to novgorod, where he entered the service of the grand duke vladimir. furnished by him with a ship he went 'viking' in the baltic and then ten years later we find him prominent among the norsemen who attacked england in the days of king ethelred. in a norse fleet under olaf visited ipswich and maldon. here they met with a stout resistance headed by the brave byrhtnoth, earl of essex, and in the fragmentary lay of the fight at maldon[ ], which has been preserved to us, we see that there was still much of the spirit of the heroic age left in the english nation even in the days of ethelred ii. it was to buy off this attack that a payment of danegeld to the extent of some ten thousand pounds was made. from maldon olaf went to wales and anglesey and it was somewhere in the west that he received knowledge of the christian faith from an anchorite and was baptised. he did not however renounce his viking-life, but joined forces with his great danish contemporary svein forkbeard. bamborough was sacked in , and both were present at the siege of london in , when they sailed up the thames with ships. the attack was a failure and olaf came to terms with ethelred agreeing to desist from further attack in return for a payment of sixteen thousand pounds of danegeld. olaf was the more ready to make this promise as he was now addressing himself to the task of gaining the sovereignty of norway itself. many of the norsemen returned with olaf but the attacks on the coast continued and the invaders, chiefly danes now, ravaged the country in all directions. treachery was rife in the english forces and again and again the ealdormen failed in the hour of need. danegeld after danegeld was paid in the vain hope of buying off further attacks, and the almost incredible sum of , pounds of silver (i.e. some half million sterling) was paid as danegeld during a period of little more than years. once or twice ethelred showed signs of energy; once in when a fleet was sent to chester, which ravaged the isle of man while an army devastated cumberland, and again in when a great fleet was made ready but ultimately proved of no use. ethelred's worst stroke of policy was the order given in for the massacre on st brice's day of all danes settled in england. his orders were carried out only too faithfully and among the slain was svein's sister gunnhild, the wife of a danish jarl in the king's service. svein's vengeance was relentless, and during the next ten years the land had no peace until in ethelred was driven from the throne, and svein himself became king of england. svein died in and his son cnut succeeded to his claim. ethelred was invited by the _witan_ to return, and ultimately wessex fell to cnut, while the district of the seven boroughs (the old five together with york and chester) and northumbria passed into the hands of ethelred, or rather of his energetic son edmund. this division of the country placing the district once settled by danes and norsemen under an english king while the heart of england itself was in the possession of a scandinavian king shows how completely the settlers in those districts had come to identify themselves with english interests as a whole. mercia was nominally in ethelred's power, but its ealdorman, eadric streona, was the most treacherous of all the english earls. on ethelred's death in the _witan_ chose edmund ironside as king and a series of battles took place culminating in that at ashingdon in essex where the english were completely defeated through the treachery of eadric. a division of the kingdom was now made whereby wessex fell to edmund, mercia and northumbria to cnut--thus easily was the allegiance of the various districts transferred from one sovereign to another. edmund only lived a few months and cnut then became king of all england. for twenty years the land enjoyed peace and prosperity. in the greater part of the danish army and fleet returned to denmark, some forty ships and their crews sufficing cnut for the defence of his kingdom. during the next four years he received the submission of the king of scotland and made a memorable pilgrimage to rome. the most important event of his later years was however his struggle with olaf the stout, the great st olaf of norway. norway was now entirely independent of danish sovereignty and when cnut sent an embassy voicing the old claims of the danish kings he received a proudly independent answer from st olaf. for the time being cnut had to be satisfied, but in he sailed with a fleet to norway, only to suffer defeat at the battle of the helge-aa (i.e. holy river) in skaane, at the hands of the united forces of norway and sweden. three years later the attack was renewed. olaf's strenuous and often cruel advocacy of the cause of christianity had alienated many of his subjects and the swedes had deserted their ally. the result was that olaf fled to russia and cnut was declared king of norway. two years later the exile returned and fell fighting against his own countrymen. cnut was now the mightiest of all scandinavian kings, but on his death in his empire fell apart; norway went to his son svein, denmark to harthacnut and england to harold harefoot. harold was succeeded by harthacnut in , but neither king was of the same stamp as cnut and they were both overshadowed by the great godwine, earl of wessex. when harthacnut died in the male line in descent from cnut was extinct, and though some of the danes were in favour of choosing cnut's sister's son svein, godwine secured the election of edward the confessor. with the accession of edward danish rule in england was at an end and, except for the ambitious expedition of harold hardrada, foiled at stamford bridge in , there was no further serious question of a scandinavian kingship either in or over england. the sufferings of england during the second period of invasion ( - ) were probably quite as severe as in the worst days of alfred--the well-known _sermo lupi ad anglos_, written by archbishop wulfstan of york in , draws a terrible picture of the chaos and anarchy then prevailing--but we must remember that neither these years nor the ensuing five and thirty years of danish kingship left as deep a mark on england as the earlier wars and the settlements resulting from them. there was no further permanent occupation or division of territory and though some of the earldoms and the great estates passed into the hands of the king's danish followers, there was no transformation of the whole social life of the people such as had taken place in the old danelagh districts. footnotes: [ ] this phrase is used repeatedly in the chronicle in connexion with such towns as bedford, cambridge, derby, leicester and northampton, and there can be no question that these groups represent the shires which now take their names from these towns. for purposes of convenience we shall henceforward speak of such groups as 'shires.' [ ] see tennyson's translation. [ ] see freeman's _old english history for children_ for a translation of this poem. chapter iv the vikings in the frankish empire to the founding of normandy ( ) the years from - were perhaps the most unhappy in the whole history of the sufferings of the frankish empire under viking attack. the danes now took up more or less permanent quarters, often strongly fortified, on the scheldt, the somme, the seine, the loire and the garonne, while utrecht, ghent, amiens, paris, chartres, tours, blois, orléans, poitiers, limoges, bordeaux and many other towns and cities were sacked, often more than once. when hroerekr obtained from the young hárekr of denmark a concession of certain districts between the eider and the sea, he gave trouble in that direction and sailed up the elbe and the weser alike. his nephew guðröðr was in occupation of flanders and the lower valley of the scheldt. besides these viking leaders, who were active in the low countries, we have the names of several others who were busy in france itself. the most famous of these were the sons of ragnarr loðbrók. berno, who first appeared on the seine in , was björn ironside, while it is quite possible that the sidroc who accompanied him was sigurd snake-eye, another son of that famous leader. with björn, at least according to norman tradition, came hastingus (o.n. hásteinn), his foster-father. hásteinn was destined to a long and active career. we first hear of him in the annals in when he appeared on the loire, and it was he who was one of the chief leaders in the great danish invasion of england in - . the sudden appearance of these leaders was undoubtedly due, as suggested in the previous chapter, to the turn of events in denmark at this time. during the year of the revolution-- --no attacks were made on france at all and then immediately after came a flood of invaders. the seine was never free from - and the loire district was little better off. the troubled and desolate condition of the country may be judged from the numerous royal decrees commending those who had been driven from their land to the protection of those with whom they had taken refuge and exempting them from payment of the usual taxes. many even deserted their christian faith and became worshippers of the gods of the heathen. the difficulties of charles the bald were greatly increased by succession troubles both in brittany and aquitaine. now one, now another claimant allied himself with the northmen, and charles himself was often an offender in this respect. he initiated the disastrous policy of buying off attack by the payment of large sums of what in england would have been called danegeld. in occurred an incident which throws a curious light on the condition of the country. the peasants between the seine and the loire rose of their own accord and attacked the danes in the seine valley. it is not quite clear what followed, but the rising was a failure, and possibly it was crushed by the frankish nobles themselves who feared anything in the nature of a popular rising made without reference to their own authority. in any case the incident bears witness to a lack of proper leadership by the nobles. after the year the tide of invasion set from france towards england. these were the years of alfred's great struggle, and danish efforts were concentrated on the attempt to reduce that monarch to submission. the franks themselves had begun to realise the necessity of more carefully organised resistance. they began building fortified bridges across the rivers at certain points in order to stop the passage of viking ships, and they also fortified several of their towns and cities, thus giving perhaps a hint for the policy later adopted in england by edward the elder. probably the franks were not above taking lessons from their enemies in the matter of fortification, for the latter had already shown themselves approved masters of the art in such fortified camps as that at jeufosse on the seine. in another way also had the danes showed themselves ready to adapt themselves to new fighting conditions. not only did they build forts, but we hear of them as mounted, and henceforward horses played an important part in their equipment both in france and england. during these years the vikings made one notable expedition far beyond the ordinary range of their activity. starting from the seine in under the leadership of björn and hásteinn, they sailed round the iberian peninsula through the straits of gibraltar. they landed in morocco and carried off prisoners many of the moors or 'blue-men' as they called them. some of these found their way to ireland and are mentioned in certain irish annals of the period. after fresh attacks on spain they sailed to the balearic isles, and roussillon, which they penetrated as far as arles-sur-tech. they wintered in the island of camargue in the rhone delta and then raided the old roman cities of provence and sailed up the rhone itself as far as valence. in the spring of the next year they sailed to italy. they captured pisa and luna (at the mouth of the magra), the latter being taken by a clever stratagem. hásteinn feigned himself sick unto death and was baptised by the bishop of luna during a truce. then news came that hásteinn was dead and the vikings asked christian burial for him. permission was given and a mock funeral procession entered the city. it was in reality a band of armed men in disguise and the city was soon captured. the real aim of the vikings in this campaign was the capture of rome with its mighty treasures, but, for some reason unknown, they made no advance further south. scandinavian tradition said it was because they mistook luna for rome and thought their work already done! sailing back through the straits of gibraltar they returned to brittany in . the vikings had now almost encircled europe with their attacks, for it was in the year that the swedish rhôs (russians) laid siege to constantinople. when alfred secured a definite peace with the danes in , those who were averse to settling permanently returned to their old roving life. they made their way up the somme and the scheldt and their progress was not stopped by a brilliant victory gained by the young lewis iii in june at saucourt, near the somme, a victory which is celebrated in the famous _ludwigslied_. during the same years, another viking host invaded saxony winning a decisive victory over duke bruno on the lüneburg heath. after their defeat at saucourt the main body of the danes made their way to elsloo on the meuse whence they ravaged the meuse, rhine and moselle districts plundering cologne, bonn, coblentz, aachen, trèves and metz. so alarmed was the emperor charles the fat that he entered into negotiations with the danish king guðröðr who was with the forces at elsloo. he secured guðröðr's acceptance of christianity and the promise of security from further attack at the price of a large payment of danegeld and the concession to guðröðr of the province once held by hroerekr, with large additions. the exact extent of the grant is uncertain, but it included the district of kinnem (round alkmaar and haarlem) and probably covered the greater part of modern holland from the vlie to the scheldt. here guðröðr lived in semi-independence and might perhaps have established another normandy within the empire had he not been ruined by too great ambition. he entirely failed to defend his province from attacks, indeed he probably gave them covert support; he intrigued with hugo, the bastard son of lothair ii, against the emperor, married his sister gisla, and then asked for additional territories on the rhine and the moselle, on the plea that his own province included no vine-growing districts. guðröðr had now overstepped all reasonable limits: the emperor entered into negotiations with him but secured his death by treachery when a meeting was arranged near cleves. with the fall of guðröðr danish rule in frisia came to an end, and though we hear of isolated attacks even during the early years of the th century, there was no more serious trouble in that district. in the autumn of , encouraged doubtless by the news of the death of lewis iii, the danes returned from the meuse to flanders and during the next three years ravaged flanders, brabant and picardy, establishing themselves strongly at louvain. in they abandoned these districts and sailed up the seine, after a nine years' absence. in november they reached paris with a fighting force of some , men and a fleet of vessels. the passage up the river was stopped by fortified bridges and the besiegers were fortunate in having as leaders two men of great ability and courage, first gauzlin, abbot of st germain's, and, later, count odo of paris. the position of paris was at times desperate. the danes were exasperated by the stout defence and in their eagerness to plunder further up the river dragged many of their ships some two miles overland past paris, and so reached the upper waters of the seine. later, as the result of peaceful negotiations, they obtained permission to pass the bridges on condition that they only ravaged burgundy, leaving the seine and marne districts untouched; thus had the provinces of the frankish empire lost all sense of corporate union. the danes soon made their way as far west as verdun. here however they were disastrously defeated by odo, now king of the west franks (june ), and in the next year they finally abandoned the siege of paris making their way to brittany. in brittany they found another army already busy. the bretons had won a great victory in the autumn of when only out of some , danes made their way back to their fleet. the great _here_ from the seine now joined forces with the remnants of this army, but proved powerless against duke alan, and some returned to flanders in , while hásteinn with the rest sailed to the somme. the danes in flanders were defeated by arnulf (afterwards emperor) on the dyle, near louvain, in , but it had no great effect for soon after we find them again as far east as bonn. a bad harvest in the summer of brought famine in its train and this was more effective in ridding the land of invaders. in the autumn of the year the whole army, horses and all, crossed in one passage in some ships from boulogne to the mouth of the limen in kent and, shortly after, hásteinn with a fleet of ships left the somme and sailed to milton in north kent. the story of the campaigns there has already been told. for the first time since the frankish empire was free from invaders. grievous as were the losses of the franks, it is well to remember that those of the danes had been great also. their fleet had been reduced from to ships, and as the whole army could still go to england in one crossing, that must also have been reduced from thirty to ten or fifteen thousand men. when the english invasion had failed, those who could not settle in england returned to their french haunts once more. a small force of eight ships and some men sailed up the seine under one 'huncdeus' and gradually their numbers were increased by fresh arrivals from abroad. they made their way north to the meuse, south to the loire, and east to burgundy, but their head quarters were on the lower waters of the seine. in other invaders appeared on the loire under leaders named baret (o.n. bárðr) and heric (o.n. eiríkr). the name of bárðr is mentioned more than once in the contemporary history of the norsemen in ireland, and as the norsemen were driven from dublin in it is probable that these invaders came from there. the expedition was not a success and the vikings soon sailed away again. of the history of the settlers on the seine after we unfortunately know practically nothing. the norman historian dudo attempted in the th century to give a connected account but his narrative is confused and unreliable. odo was dead and charles the simple was more interested in conquering lorraine than defending neustria. the clergy were weary of the ceaseless spoiling of the monasteries and anxious for the conversion of the heathen, while the nobles were, as usual, selfish and careless of the interests of the country at large. the northmen made no great expeditions between and , but maintained a steady hold on the lower seine and the districts of bessin and cotentin. they could not extend their territories and the franks could not drive them from the seine. at length, largely through the intervention of the clergy, a meeting was arranged between charles and the viking leader rollo at st clair-sur-epte, before the end of . here the province later known as normandy (including the counties of rouen, lisieux, evreux and the district between the rivers bresle and epte and the sea) was given to rollo and his followers as a _beneficium_, on condition that he defended the kingdom against attack, and himself accepted christianity. the danes now formed a definite part of the frankish kingdom and occupied a position analogous to that of their countrymen in east anglia, northumbria and mercia in england, except that the latter after a period of freedom had in course of time to pass definitely under english rule. the story of the foundation of normandy is obscure: still more obscure is the origin and history of the leader of the northmen at this time. norse tradition, as given by snorri sturluson, makes rollo to be one hrólfr, son of rögnvaldr earl of möre, who was exiled by harold fairhair and led a viking life in the west. norman tradition, as found in dudo, made him out the son of a great noble in denmark, who was expelled by the king and later went to england, frisia and northern france. dudo's account of the founding of normandy is so full of errors clearly proven that little reliance can be placed on his story of the origin of rollo. the _heimskringla_ tradition was recorded much later, but is probably more trustworthy, and it would be no strange thing to find a man of norse birth leading a danish host. ragnarr loðbrók and his sons were norsemen by family but they appear for the most part as leaders of danes. how rollo came to be the leader of the danes in france and what his previous career had been must remain an unsolved mystery. his name is not mentioned apart from the settlement of normandy. the normans continued to ravage brittany without any interruption and they were soon granted the further districts of bayeux, seez, avranches and coutances, which made brittany and normandy conterminous. chapter v the vikings in ireland to the battle of clontarf ( ) in the history of the vikings in ireland we have seen how the attempt made by turges to bring all ireland under one ruler came to nought by his death in . at first this seems to have thrown the norsemen into confusion and we hear of a series of defeats. then, in , the invasions developed a new phase. hitherto while the irish had been weakened by much internecine warfare, their enemies had worked with one mind and heart. now we read of 'a naval expedition of seven score of the foreigners coming to exercise power over the foreigners who were before them, so that they disturbed all ireland afterwards.' this means that the danes were now taking an active part in the invasions of ireland, and we soon find them disputing the supremacy with the earlier norse settlers. a full and picturesque account of the struggle is preserved for us in the second of the _three fragments of irish annals_ copied by dugald macfirbis. unfortunately the chronology of these annals is in a highly confused state and it is often difficult to trace the exact sequence of events. when the norsemen first saw the approaching fleet they were much alarmed. some said it was reinforcements from norway, but others, with keener insight, said they were danes who were coming to harry and plunder. a swift vessel was dispatched to find out who they were, and when the steersman called out to them inquiring from what land they came and whether as friend or foe, the only answer was a shower of arrows. a fierce battle ensued, in which the danes killed thrice their own number and carried off the women-folk and property of the norsemen. in they plundered the norse settlements at dublin and dundalk, but in the next year the norsemen attacked them in carlingford lough. at first the danes were defeated, but then their leader cunningly exhorted his men to secure by their prayers and alms the patronage of st patrick, who was incensed against the norsemen because of the many evil deeds they had wrought in erin. the battle was renewed and the danes were victorious. after the battle they made rich gifts to st patrick for 'the danes were a people with a kind of piety: they could for a time refrain from meat and from women.' after the fight we learn that the danes cooked their meat in cauldrons supported on the bodies of their dead foes. the danes now helped cerbhal, king of ossory, against the norsemen who were harrying munster, and henceforward we hear again and again how the various irish factions made use of the dissensions among the invaders to further their own ends. matters were further complicated by the fact that many of the irish forsook their christian baptism and joined the norsemen in their plundering. these recreant irish were known as the gaill-gaedhil (i.e. the foreign irish), and played an important part in the wars of the next few years. the gaill-gaedhil were undoubtedly a race of mixed norse and gaelic stock and we must not imagine that they sprung suddenly into existence at this time. long before this the norsemen and the gaels must have had considerable peaceful intercourse with one another in their various settlements, and in accordance with well-established scandinavian custom it would seem that many of the irish were brought up as foster-children in norse households and must soon have learned to accept their religion and customs. there was also extensive intermarriage between norsemen and irish. the annals speak of several such unions, the most famous being the marriage of gormflaith, afterwards wife of brian borumha, to anlaf sihtricsson, while in the genealogies of the norse settlers in iceland at the end of this century, gaelic names are of frequent occurrence. one of the most famous of the leaders of these 'foreign irish' was ketill finn (i.e. the white), a norseman with an irish nickname. these foreign irish fought either by the side of the foreigners or on their own account and we have an interesting story telling how, when vikings from ireland made an invasion of cheshire (c. ), aethelflæd, the lady of the mercians, sent ambassadors to those irish who were fighting on the side of the invaders, calling upon them to forsake the pagans and remember the old kindness shown in england to irish soldiers and clergy. the troubles between norsemen and danes were probably responsible for the arrival in ireland in of amhlaeibh, son of the king of norway, to receive the submission of the foreigners. this amhlaeibh is olaf the white of norse tradition. olaf is represented as ruling together with his brother imhar (o.n. Ívarr). the annals are not very good authority for the relationship of the norse leaders to one another, and it is quite possible that Ívarr is really Ívarr the boneless, son to ragnarr loðbrók. under the strong rule of olaf and Ívarr dublin became the chief centre of scandinavian rule in ireland, and the danes and norsemen were to some extent reconciled to one another. the irish suffered great losses but some brave leaders were found to face the norsemen. cennedigh, king of leix (queen's county), came upon a party of them laden with booty; they abandoned the spoil and rushed upon cennedigh with angry barbarous shouts, blowing their trumpets and many of them crying _nui, nui_ (i.e. probably, in the old norse speech, _knúi, knúi_, 'hasten on, hasten on'). many darts and spears were thrown and at last they took to their heavy powerful swords. all was however of no avail and cennedigh won a great victory. less fortunate was maelciarain, 'champion of the east of ireland and a hero-plunderer of the foreigners.' he was expelled from his kingdom by the leinstermen, who envied him in consequence of his many victories over the norsemen! the activities of olaf and Ívarr were not confined to ireland. in olaf paid a visit to scotland, while in both olaf and Ívarr were present at the siege of dumbarton. if Ívarr is Ívarr the boneless, he must then have gone to england and taken part in the martyrdom of st edmund. in the next year both leaders returned to dublin with a large number of prisoners--english, britons and picts. in Ívarr, 'king of the norsemen of all ireland and britain' died, and about the same time olaf returned to norway, possibly to take part in the great fight against harold fairhair at hafrsfjord. the danes seem to have taken advantage of the removal of olaf to attempt to throw off the norse yoke. fresh fighting took place and the danes under albdann, i.e. halfdanr, king of northumbria, were defeated on strangford lough in with the loss of their leader. after the _war of the gaedhil with the gaill_ notes a period of rest for ireland, lasting some forty years. this is true to the extent that no large fleets of fresh invaders seem to have come to ireland during this time--the vikings were too busy elsewhere, both in england and the frankish empire--but there were occasional raids from dublin, cork, limerick, waterford and other towns into various districts of ireland, and the norsemen were often at variance amongst themselves. dissensions in dublin were particularly violent and so much did they weaken norse rule there that in dublin fell into the hands of the irish. the vikings were driven abroad, some going to scotland and others to england, where they besieged chester (_v. supra_, p. ). in the year all the old troubles were renewed. rögnvaldr, a grandson of Ívarr, fresh from a great victory off the isle of man, captured waterford, and two years later sigtryggr, another grandson of Ívarr regained dublin. the irish attempted resistance under the _ardrí_ niall glundubh, but he fell with twelve other kings in a fight at kilmashogue near dublin in . during the next fifty years ireland was a prey to ceaseless attacks by norwegians and danes alike. towards the close of the th century limerick had become a stronghold of the norsemen in the west, and from there they made their way up the shannon into the heart of the country. cork was settled in the early years of the th century, chiefly by danes, and from there all munster was open to attack. waterford and wexford, which stood as a rule in close connexion with dublin, served as centres of attack against leinster. the irish made a stout resistance under able leaders and dublin was 'destroyed' more than once. first among these leaders stands muirchertach 'of the leather cloaks,' son of niall glundubh, a hero who came forward about the year . his activities were unceasing. he repeatedly attacked dublin, took a fleet to the hebrides where he defeated the vikings, gaining much spoil, and finally in made a circuit of ireland, from which he brought back as hostages many provincial kings, including the norse ruler of dublin. more famous still in irish song and story was cellachan of cashel. he made war against the vikings in munster and for a time had the norse kingdom of waterford under his control. similarly he conquered limerick, and we find him fighting side by side with norsemen from both these towns. during these fifty years the norse kingdom in dublin stood in close relation with the scandinavian kingdom of northumbria. rögnvaldr, who died in , ruled there and so did his brothers sigtryggr (d. ) and guðröðr (or godfrey) (d. ). the brothers left sons known respectively as anlaf sihtricsson and anlaf godfreyson. the latter took part in the great fight at brunanburh and died in . anlaf sihtricsson was destined to a longer career. he would seem to have spent his early years in scotland where he married king constantine's daughter. it is uncertain whether he fought at brunanburh, but he came to northumbria in and captured york. he was expelled from northumbria in or and retired to dublin, and the rest of his life was chiefly spent in fighting in ireland. he was in close alliance with the norsemen in man and the western islands, and was, for some thirty years, the most powerful norse ruler in ireland. then came the first great blow to norse rule in ireland. in maelsechlainn ii, the _ardrí_, won a great victory at tara over the foreigners of dublin and the islands in which anlaf's son was slain. the power of the kingdom of dublin was effectually broken. the norsemen were compelled to liberate all the hostages in their custody, to pay a fine of oxen and to remit the tribute which they had imposed on all ireland from the shannon eastwards to the sea. anlaf abandoned his authority and retired on a pilgrimage to iona, where he died in the same year an inmate of its monastery. in the meantime events, fraught with important consequences for norse rule in that country, were gradually developing in a distant quarter of ireland. in the province of munster the dalcassian line of princes first comes into prominence about the middle of the th century, and the two most famous of these princes were the brothers mathgamhain and brian, commonly known as brian borumha. together the brothers conquered munster in spite of the support given to the irish by the viking settlers, and when their success aroused Ívarr, the ruler of limerick, they attacked him and won a great victory at sulcoit near tipperary ( ). limerick was captured, mathgamhain died in and brian was soon acknowledged king of all munster. he next became master of leinster, but his rapid advance brought him into conflict with the _ardrí_ and by a compact made in , maelsechlainn practically surrendered the southern half of ireland to brian. the ruler of dublin at this time was sigtryggr of the silken beard, son of anlaf and gormflaith, sister of maelmordha, king of leinster. in leinster with the support of the norsemen in dublin revolted, but brian defeated them and captured dublin, giving his daughter in marriage to sigtryggr and himself marrying gormflaith. in maelsechlainn submitted to brian and the latter became _ardrí_. there followed twelve years of peace, but brian's marriage with gormflaith was his undoing. quarrelling with her husband, she stirred up maelmordha of leinster against him. an alliance was formed between maelmordha and sigtryggr, and gormflaith dispatched embassies to all the viking settlements in the west, summoning them to the aid of sigtryggr in a great fight against brian. sigtryggr secured the help of earl sigurd of the orkneys and north scotland by promise of the kingship of dublin. ships came from all parts of the viking world, from northumbria, from man and the western islands, from scotland and the orkneys, and even from iceland. dublin was fixed as the trysting-place and palm sunday was to be the time of meeting. brian mustered all the forces of munster and connaught and was joined in half-hearted fashion by maelsechlainn, who was really waiting to see which way the fortunes of war would turn. brian advanced into the plain of fingall, north of dublin, and the two armies faced one another at clontarf all passion week. the norsemen had learned by magic incantations that if the fight took place before good friday their chiefs would perish and their forces be routed, while if the fight took place on good friday brian himself would perish but the irish would win the day. so they waited until the friday and then made their attack. the fight was long and the slaughter was terrible. brian and sigurd were themselves numbered among the slain. in the end the norsemen were defeated and maelsechlainn completed their discomfiture when he cut down the fugitives as they tried to cross the bridge leading to dublin and so reach their ships. no fight was more famous in irish history and it seems to have appealed with equally strong force to scandinavian imagination. clontarf and brunanburh are the two great viking battles which find record in scandinavian saga, and in the story of burnt njal[ ] we have a vivid account both of the actual battle and of the events leading up to it. yet more interesting perhaps is the old lay preserved to us, the _song of the valkyries_, who that same day were seen in caithness riding twelve together to a bower where they set up a loom of which men's heads were the weights, men's entrails the warp and woof, while a sword was the shuttle and the reels were arrows. they wove the web of war and foretold the fate of king sigtryggr and earl sigurd as well as the sharp sorrow which would befall the irish[ ]. the norse world was full of this and like portents and there can be no question that the vikings were themselves conscious that the battle of clontarf marked a very definite epoch in the history of the vikings in the west and in ireland more particularly. the norsemen remained in possession of their cities, sigtryggr continued as king of dublin, but gradually the fortunes of the norse settlers tended to become merged in the history of the nation as a whole and there was no further question of scandinavian supremacy in ireland. footnotes: [ ] english version by sir g. w. dasent. [ ] this song was probably composed soon after the events with which it is concerned and was first rendered into english by the poet gray under the title _the fatal sisters_. chapter vi the vikings in the orkneys, scotland, the western islands and man when the vikings sailed to england and ireland in the late th and early th centuries their most natural path was by the orkneys and shetlands and round the western islands of scotland. we have seen how early they formed settlements in the shetlands, and they soon reached the orkneys and the hebrides. from the orkneys they crossed to the mainland, to sutherland and caithness--the very names bear witness to scandinavian occupation--while galloway (i.e. the land of the gaill-gaedhil, _v. supra_, p. ) was settled from the isle of man. already in the th century the norse element in the hebrides was so strong that the irish called the islands _innsi-gall_ (i.e. the islands of the foreigners), and their inhabitants were known as gaill-gaedhil. the norsemen called the islands _suðreyjar_ (i.e. southern islands) in contrast to the orkneys and shetlands, which were known as _norðreyjar_, and the name survives in the composite bishopric of 'sodor' and man, which once formed part of the archdiocese of trondhjem in norway. the isle of man was plundered almost as early as any of the islands of the west (_v. supra_, p. ), and it was probably from man that the norse settlements in cumberland and westmorland were established. olaf the white and Ívarr made more than one expedition from ireland to the lowlands of scotland, and the former was married to auðr the daughter of ketill flatnose who had made himself the greatest chieftain in the western islands. after the battle of hafrsfjord, when harold fairhair had finally crushed his rivals in norway itself, so powerful were the norse settlements in the west that he felt his position would be insecure until he had received their submission. accordingly he made a great expedition to the shetlands, orkneys and the west coast of scotland, fulfilled this purpose and entrusted the northern islands to sigurd, brother of rögnvaldr, earl of möre, as his vassal. the history of the norse settlements in the orkneys is well and fully told in the _orkneyingasaga_[ ]. the first orkney-earl was the above-named sigurd. he entered into an alliance with thorstein the red, son to olaf the white, and together they conquered caithness and sutherland, as far south as the river oikel on the borders of ross and cromarty. sigurd's son einar, known as turf-einar because he first taught the islanders to cut peat for fuel, founded a long line of earls of the orkneys. he had a quarrel with harold fairhair and when that king imposed a fine on the islanders for the murder of his son and the farmers could not pay it, einar paid it himself on condition that the peasants surrendered their _óðal_ rights, i.e. their rights of possession in the lands they cultivated. turf-einar's son sigurd the stout was the most famous of all the orkney-earls, renowned both as warrior and poet. he conquered sutherland, caithness, ross, moray, argyle, the hebrides and man, securing the support of the men of orkney by giving them back their _óðal_. he married a daughter of malcolm king of scotland, and met his end, as we have already seen, fighting on the side of the heathen norsemen in the battle of clontarf in . after this the power of the orkney-earls declined. the norse line of earls was replaced by one of scottish descent in , but the islands did not pass definitely to the scottish crown until the th century[ ]. of the norse settlements in the hebrides we have no such definite or continuous record. mention is made in irish annals of the middle of the th century of a king in the hebrides--one guðröðr son of fergus--whose very name shows him to have been one of the gaill-gaedhil. ketill finn (_v. supra_, p. ) was another such. in the latter half of the th century ketill flatnose was the chief norse leader in the hebrides until his power was destroyed by harold fairhair. many of the settlers then betook themselves to iceland, the most famous of them being auðr the deep-thoughted, widow of olaf the white and daughter of ketill. norse rule was all powerful during the th and th centuries. there was a line of kings but we find ruling side by side with them certain officers known as 'lawmen' (_v. infra_, p. ), while in the late th and for the greater part of the th century, the hebrides were under the sovereignty of the orkney-earls. norse rule in the hebrides did not finally come to an end until when magnus hákonsson, king of norway, renounced all claims to the islands. the early history of the settlements in man is equally obscure. at first the island suffered from repeated raids, then about the middle of the th century it passed under the authority of the kings of dublin and remained so until, with the hebrides and western scotland generally, it was conquered by sigurd the orkney-earl. from the orkney-earls it passed to the great conqueror godred crovan--the king gorry or orry of manx tradition--who came from the hebrides, and his successors down to the cession of the islands in were known as kings of man and the isles. of the details of the settlement of the scottish mainland, of caithness, sutherland, and galloway, of the occupation of cumberland and westmorland we know almost nothing, but when we speak later of norse influence in these districts we shall realise how strong was their hold on them. our knowledge of the norse occupation of man and the islands is somewhat scanty in detail, but there can be no question that their settlements in lands often closely resembling in physical features their own home-country were of the highest importance. footnotes: [ ] english translation by sir g. w. dasent. [ ] they were pledged by christian i of denmark and norway for the payment of the dowry of his daughter margaret to james iii in and the pledge was never redeemed. chapter vii the vikings in baltic lands and russia the activities of the northmen during the viking age were not confined to the lands west and south of their original homes: the baltic was as familiar to them as the north sea, to go 'east-viking' was almost as common as to go 'west-viking' and scandinavian settlements were founded on the shores of the baltic and far inland along the great waterways leading into the heart of russia. as was to be expected from their geographical position it was danes and swedes rather than norwegians who were active in baltic lands, the danes settling chiefly on the pomeranian coast among the wends, while the swedes occupied lands further east and founded the scandinavian kingdom of russia. already in the early years of the th century we find the danish king guðröðr now making war against his slavonic neighbours in mecklenburg-schwerin, now intriguing with them against the emperor. mention is made of more than one town on the southern coast of the baltic bearing an essentially scandinavian name, pointing to the existence of extensive settlements. interesting evidence of this eastward movement is also to be found in the _life of st anskar_. there we learn how, soon after , a danish fleet captured a city in the land of the slavs, with great riches, and we hear in how the swedes were endeavouring to reconquer kurland which had been under their rule, but had now thrown off the yoke and fallen a prey to a fleet of danish vikings--possibly the one just mentioned. st anskar himself undertook the education of many wendish youths who had been entrusted to him. this and other evidence prepare us for the establishment, in the tenth century, of the most characteristic of all viking settlements, that of jómsborg on the island of wollin at the mouth of the oder. according to tradition king gorm the old conquered a great kingdom in wendland, but it was to his son harold bluetooth that the definite foundation of jómsborg was ascribed. for many years there had been an important trading centre at julin on the island of wollin, where traders from scandinavia, saxony, russia and many other lands met together to take part in the rich trade between north and south, east and west, which passed through julin, standing as it did on one of the great waterways of central europe. large finds of byzantine and arabic coins bear witness to the extensive trade with greece and the orient which passed through julin, while the silberberg, on which jómsborg once stood, is so called from the number of silver coins from frisia, lorraine, bavaria and england which have been found there. it was no doubt in the hope of securing some fuller share in this trade that harold established the great fortress of jómsborg and entrusted its defence to a warrior-community on whom he imposed the strictest rules of organisation. the story of the founding of jómsborg is told in the late and untrustworthy _jómsvikingasaga_, but, while we must reject many of the details there set forth, it is probable that the rules of the settlement as given there are based on a genuine tradition, and they give us a vivid picture of life in a viking warrior-community. no one under eighteen or over fifty years of age was admitted to their fellowship, and neither birth nor friendship, only personal bravery, could qualify a man for admission. no one was allowed to continue a member who uttered words of fear, or who fled before one who was his equal in arms and strength. every member was bound to avenge a fallen companion as if he were his brother. no women were allowed within the community, and no one was to be absent for more than three days without permission. all news was to be told in the first instance to their leader and all plunder was to be shared at a common stake. the harbour of jómsborg could shelter a fleet of vessels and was protected by a mole with twelve iron gates. the jómsvikings played an important if stormy part in the affairs of the three scandinavian kingdoms in the later years of the th and the early th century. many of them came to england in the train of king svein, while jarl thorkell was for a time in the service of ethelred the unready. the decline of jómsborg as a viking stronghold dates from its devastation by magnus the good in , but the importance of julin as a trading centre continued unimpaired for many years to come. from jómsborg harold bluetooth's son hákon made an attack on samland in the extreme east of prussia, but the real exploitation of the eastern baltic fell as was natural to the swedes rather than to the danes. we have already mentioned their presence in kurland on the gulf of riga, and we learn from swedish runic inscriptions of expeditions to samland, to the semgalli (in kurland) and to the river duna. the important fortified port of seeburg was probably near to riga, while the chief trade route from the island of gothland lay round cape domesnæes (note the scandinavian name) to the mouth of the duna. the chief work of the swedes was however to be done in lands yet further south, in the heart of the modern empire of russia in europe. the story of the founding of the russian kingdom is preserved to us in the late th century chronicle of the monk nestor, who tells us that in the year 'varangians' came over the sea and took tribute from various finnish, tatar and slavonic peoples inhabiting the forest regions round lake ilmen, between lake ladoga and the upper waters of the dnieper. again he tells us that in the varangians were driven over seas and tribute was refused, but soon the tribes quarrelled among themselves and some suggested that they should find a prince who might rule over them and keep the peace. so they sent across the sea to the varangians, to the 'rus,' for such is the name of these varangians, just as others are called swedes, northmen, anglians, goths, saying that their land was great and powerful but there was no order within it and asking them to come and rule over them. three brothers with their followers were chosen: the eldest, rurik (o.n. hroerekr), settled in novgorod, the second in bieloözero, the third in truvor in izborsk. three years later two of the brothers died and rurik took control of the whole of the settlements, dividing the land among his men. in the same year two of rurik's followers, askold (o.n. höskuldr) and dir (o.n. dýri), setting out for constantinople, halted at kiev and there founded a kingdom, which in was conquered by rurik's successor oleg (o.n. helgi) and, as the mother of all russian cities, became the capital of the russian kingdom. there is a certain _naiveté_ about this story which is characteristic of the monkish chronicler generally, and it is clear that, after the usual manner of the annalist who is compiling his record long after the events described, nestor has grouped together under one or two dates events which were spread over several years, but the substantial truth of the narrative cannot be impugned and receives abundant confirmation from various sources. the earliest evidence for the presence of these 'rus' in eastern europe is found in the story of the byzantine embassy to the emperor lewis the pious in (_v. supra_, p. ), when certain people called 'rhôs,' who had been on a visit to constantinople, came in the train of the embassy and asked leave to return home through the empire. enquiries were made and it was found that these 'rhôs' were swedes. this would point to the presence of 'rus' in russia at a date earlier than that given by nestor, and indeed the rapid extension of their influence indicates a period of activity considerably longer than that allowed by him. these 'rus' or 'rhôs' soon came into relations, both of trade and war, with the byzantine empire. we have preserved to us from the years and commercial treaties made between the 'rus' and the greeks showing that they brought all kinds of furs and also slaves to constantinople, receiving in exchange various articles of luxury including gold and silver ornaments, silks and other rich stuffs. the names of the signatories to these treaties are, on the side of the 'rus,' almost entirely of scandinavian origin and may to some extent be shown to be of definitely swedish provenance. about the year , the emperor constantine porphyrogenitus, writing a tractate on the administration of the empire, describes how traders from various parts of russia assemble at kiev and sail down the dnieper on their way to constantinople. their course down the dnieper was impeded by a series of rapids, and constantine gives their names both in 'russian' and in slavonic form, and though the names are extremely corrupt in their greek transcription there is no mistaking that the 'russian' names are really forms belonging to some scandinavian dialect. the rus were also well known as warriors and raiders. in they sailed down the dnieper, across the black sea and made their way into the sea of marmora. their fleet was dispersed by a storm, but they were more successful in when oleg with some ships harried the environs of constantinople and was bought off by a heavy tribute. these attacks were continued at intervals during the next century. we also find a good deal of interesting information about these 'rûs,' as they are called, in various arab historians. we hear how they sailed their vessels down the chief waterways and had such a firm hold on the black sea that by the year it was already known as the russian sea. often they dragged their vessels overland from one stream to another, and thus they made their way from the upper waters of the don down the volga to the caspian sea. but not only do we have a description of their journeyings we also learn a good deal of their customs and habits, and, though at times the information given is open to suspicion, archaeological research tends to confirm the statements of these historians and to show that the civilisation of the 'rûs' closely resembled that of the scandinavian peoples generally in the viking age. the identification of the ancient 'rus' with the swedes was long and hotly contested by slavonic patriots but there is now a general consensus of opinion that the evidence for it is too strong to be overthrown. not only have we the evidence given above but also the very names 'rus' and 'varangian' can be satisfactorily explained only on this theory. the name 'rus' is the slavonic, 'rhôs' the greek, and 'rûs' the arabic form of the finnish name for sweden, viz. ruotsi. this name was originally derived from _roþr_ or _roþin_, the name of certain districts of upland and Östergötland, whose inhabitants were known as _rods-karlar_ or _rods-mæn_. the finns had early come into relation with the swedes and they used the name of those people with whom they were in earliest and most intimate contact for the whole swedish nationality. when these swedes settled in russia the finns applied the same term to the new colonists and the term came to be adopted later into the various slavonic dialects. we are most familiar with the term 'varangian' or 'variag,' to use the slavonic form, as applied to the famous guard of the byzantine emperors, which seems to have been formed in the latter half of the th century and was largely composed of norwegian, icelandic and swedish recruits. in russian and arabic historians on the other hand the term is used rather in an ethnographic or geographic sense. we have seen that it was thus used by nestor, and similarly we find the baltic commonly spoken of as the 'varangian' sea both in russian and in arabic records. all the evidence tends to show that this was the earlier sense of the term and we find it gradually displacing the term 'rhôs' even in byzantine historians. the word itself is of scandinavian origin and means 'those who are bound together by a pledge.' the theory which best explains its various uses is that put forward by dr vilhelm thomsen, viz. that it originated among the northmen who settled in russia, i.e. among the ancient russ, and that under that term they denoted those peoples west of the baltic who were related to them by nationality. from the russ the word passed into the slavonic language as _variag_[ ], into the greek as _barangoi_--where it was often used in the restricted sense of members of the imperial guard largely recruited from this nation,--and into the arabic as _varank_. dr thomsen adduces two happy parallels for the somewhat remarkable history of the terms 'russian' and 'varangian.' the term 'russian' came to be used as their own name by the slavonic peoples, who were once ruled over by the russ, in much the same way that the term 'frankish' or 'french' was adopted by the gaulish population of france from its germanic conquerors. the term 'varangian,' ultimately the name for a nation or group of nations, came to be used of a military force once largely recruited from those nations, much in the same way as the term 'swiss' was applied to the papal guard long after that guard had ceased to be recruited from the swiss nation exclusively. the belief in the scandinavian origin of the russ is amply supported by archaeological evidence. the large number of arabic coins found in sweden (more especially in gothland) and in russia itself points to an extensive trade with the orient whose route lay chiefly to the east of the caspian sea and then along the valley of the volga. the dates of the coins point to the years between and as those of most active intercourse with the east. equally interesting is the large number of western coins, more especially anglo-saxon pennies and sceatts, which have been found in russia. they probably represent portions of our danegeld which had come into the hands of the swedes either in trade or war. viking brooches of the characteristic oval shape with the familiar zoomorphic ornamentation have been found in western russia, and one stone with a runic inscription, belonging to the th century and showing evidence of connexion with gothland, has been found in a burial mound in berezan, an island at the mouth of the dnieper. professor braun says that no others have been found because of the rarity of suitable stone. how long the russ maintained their distinctively scandinavian nationality it is difficult to determine. oleg's grandson svjatoslav bore a distinctively slavonic name, and henceforward the names of the members of the royal house are uniformly slavonic, but the connexion with sweden was by no means forgotten. svjatoslav's son vladimir the great secured himself in the rulership of novgorod in by the aid of _variags_ from over the sea and established a band of variag warriors in his chief city of kiev. but the viking age was drawing to a close. variag auxiliaries are mentioned for the last time in and it is probable that by the middle of the th century the scandinavian settlers had been almost completely slavonicised. of their permanent influence on the russian people and on russian institutions it is, in the present state of our knowledge, almost impossible to speak. attempts have been made to distinguish scandinavian elements in the old russian law and language but with no very definite results, and we must content ourselves with the knowledge that the vikings were all powerful in western and southern russia during the greater part of two centuries, carrying on an extensive trade with the east, establishing novgorod, 'the new town,' on the volga under the name _holmgarðr_ and founding a dynasty which ruled in kiev and became a considerable power in eastern europe negotiating on terms of equality with the byzantine emperors. mention has already been made more than once of the way in which the northmen entered the service of the emperors at constantinople or _miklagarðr_, 'the great city,' as they called it. from here they visited all parts of the mediterranean. when harold hardrada was in the service of the emperor he sailed through the grecian archipelago to sicily and africa. there he stayed several years, conquering some eighty cities for his master and gaining rich treasures for himself. one interesting memorial of these journeys still remains to us. at the entrance to the arsenal in venice stands a marble lion brought from athens in . formerly it stood at the harbour of the piraeus, known thence as the porto leone. on the sides of the lion are carved two long runic inscriptions arranged in snake-like bands. the runes are too much worn to be deciphered but they are unquestionably of scandinavian origin and the snake-bands closely resemble those that may be seen on certain runic stones in sweden. the carving was probably done by swedes from uppland about the middle of the th century. one can hardly imagine a more striking illustration of the extent and importance of the viking movement in europe. footnote: [ ] the word variag in modern russian means a pedlar and bears witness to the strong commercial instincts of the viking. chapter viii viking civilisation the activities of the vikings were all-embracing, and before any attempt can be made to estimate their influence in the various countries which came permanently under their rule, or were brought more or less closely into touch with them, some account, however slight, must be given of scandinavian civilisation at this time, both on its spiritual and on its material sides. for the former aspect we must turn chiefly to the poems and sagas of old norse literature, for the latter to the results of modern archaeological research. so far as the poems and sagas are concerned it is well to remember that they were to a large extent composed in iceland and reflect the somewhat peculiar type of civilisation developed there at a period just subsequent to the viking age itself. this civilisation differs necessarily from that developed in scandinavia or in the other scandinavian settlements, in that it was free from western influence, but this is to some extent compensated for by the fact that we get in iceland a better picture of the inherent possibilities of viking civilisation when developed on independent lines. at the beginning of the viking age the scandinavian peoples were in a transitional stage of development; on the one hand there was still much, both in their theory and in their practice of life, that savoured of primitive barbarism, while on the other, in the development of certain phases of human activity, more especially in those of war, trade, and social organisation, they were considerably ahead of many of their european neighbours. more than one writer has commented upon the strange blending of barbarism and culture which constitutes viking civilisation: it is evident when we study their daily life, and it is emphasised in the story of their slow and halting passage from heathenism to christianity. we need not travel far to find examples of their barbarism. their cruelty in warfare is a commonplace among the historians of the period. when the irish found the danes cooking their food on spits stuck in the bodies of their fallen foes (_v. supra_, p. ) and asked why they did anything so hateful, the answer came 'why not? if the other side had been victorious they would have done the same with us.' the custom of cutting the blood-eagle (i.e. cutting the ribs in the shape of an eagle and pulling the lungs through the opening) was a well-known form of vengeance taken on the slayer of one's father if captured in battle, and is illustrated in the story of the sons of ragnarr loðbrók himself. another survival of primitive life was the famous berserk fury, when men in the heat of battle were seized with sudden madness and, according to the popular belief, received a double portion of strength, and lost all sense of bodily pain, a custom for which dr bugge finds an apt parallel in the 'running amok' of the races of the malay peninsula. children were tossed on the point of the spear and the viking leader who discouraged the custom was nicknamed _barnakarl_, i.e. children's friend. in contrast to these methods of warfare stands their skill in fortification, in which they taught many lessons both to their english and to their frankish adversaries, their readiness in adapting themselves to new conditions of warfare (_v. supra_, p. ), and their clever strategy, whereby they again and again outwitted their opponents. the same contrast meets us when we consider the position of women among them. the chroniclers make many references to their lust after women. we hear in an english chronicler how they combed their hair, indulged in sabbath baths, often changed their clothes and in various ways cultivated bodily beauty 'in order that they might the more readily overcome the chastity of the matrons, and make concubines even of the daughters of the nobility.' wandering from country to country they often had wives in each, and polygamy would seem to have been the rule, at least among the leaders. in ireland we hear of what seem to have been veritable harems, while in russia we are told of the great grandson of rurik, the founder of the russian kingdom, that he had more than concubines, though we may perhaps suspect the influence of oriental custom in this case. yet, side by side with all this, the legitimate wife was esteemed and honoured, and attained a position and took a part in national life which was quite unusual in those days. in the account of an arabic embassy to the vikings of the west (_v. supra_, p. ) we have a vivid picture of the freedom of their married life. auðr, the widow of olaf the white, after the fall of her son thorstein, took charge of the fortunes of her family and is one of the figures that stand out most clearly in the early settlement of iceland. we have only to turn to the icelandic sagas to see before us a whole gallery of portraits, dark and fair alike, of women cast in heroic mould, while the stone at dyrna in hadeland, bearing the runic inscription, 'gunvor, daughter of thirek, built a bridge to commemorate her daughter astrid, she was the most gracious maiden in hadeland,' gives us one of the most attractive pictures of womanhood left to us from the viking age. it must be added however that beside the runic inscription, the stone bears carvings of the christ-child, the star in the east and the three kings, and this may serve to remind us that the age was one in which the peoples of the north passed from heathenism to christianity, though the passage was a slow one and by no means complete even at the close of the period. it is probable that the first real knowledge of 'the white christ' came, as is so often the case, with the extension of trade--frisians trading with scandinavia, and danes and swedes settling in frisia and elsewhere for the same purpose. st willibrord at the beginning of the th century and archbishop ebbo of rheims in , as papal legate among the northern peoples, undertook missions to denmark, but it was in , when king harold was baptised at mainz, that the first real opportunity came for the preaching of christianity in denmark. harold was accompanied on his return by st anskar, a monk from corvey and a man filled with religious zeal. after two years' mission in denmark st anskar sailed to sweden, where he was graciously received at björkö by king björn. he made many converts and on his return home in was made archbishop of hamburg and given, jointly with ebbo, jurisdiction over the whole of the northern realms. hamburg was devastated in and st anskar was then appointed to the bishopric of bremen, afterwards united to a restored archbishopric of hamburg. he laboured in denmark once more and established churches at slesvík and ribe. he conducted a second mission to sweden and his missionary zeal remained unabated until his death in ; his work was carried on by his successor and biographer st rimbert and by many others. their preaching was however confined to jutland and south sweden and there is no evidence of any popular movement towards christianity. gorm the old was a steadfast pagan but gorm's son harold bluetooth was a zealous promoter of christianity. his enthusiasm may have been exaggerated by monastic chroniclers in contrast to the heathenism of his son svein, but with the accession of cnut all fears of a reversion to heathendom were at an end. cnut was a devout son of the church. the first danish settlers in england were entirely heathen in sentiment, but they were soon brought into close contact with christianity, and the terms of the peace of edward and guthrum in the early years of the th century show that already christianity was making its way in the danelagh. in the course of this century both archbishoprics were held by men of danish descent and the excesses of the early th century were due, not to the danish settlers, but to the heathen followers of olaf tryggvason and svein forkbeard. similarly the danish settlers in normandy were within a few years numbered among the church's most enthusiastic supporters, and rollo's own son and successor william was anxious to become a monk. the story of the preaching of christianity in norway is a chequered one. the first attempt to establish the christian faith was made by hákon aðalsteinsfóstri (_v. supra_, p. ). baptised and educated in england, he began warily, inducing those who were best beloved by him to become christians, but he soon came into conflict with the more ardent followers of paganism. at the great autumn festival at lade when the cups of memory were drunk, earl sigurd signed a cup to odin, but the king made the sign of the cross over his cup. earl sigurd pacified popular clamour by saying that the king had made the sign of the hammer and consecrated the cup to thor. the next day the king would not eat the horse-flesh used in their offerings nor drink the blood from it: the people were angry and the king compromised by inhaling the steam from the offering through a linen cloth placed over the sacrificial kettle, but no one was satisfied and at the next winter-feast the king had to eat some bits of horse-liver and to drink crossless all the cups of memory. hákon died a christian but eyvindr skaldaspillir in _hákonarmál_ describes how he was welcomed by odin to valhalla. earl hákon sigurdson, nicknamed _blót-jarl_, i.e. sacrifice-earl, was a zealous heathen, but olaf tryggvason after his succession in promoted the cause of christianity by every means in his power, and it was largely to this that he owed his ultimate overthrow. then, after a brief interval, the crown passed to st olaf, greatest of all christian champions in norway, and during his reign that country became definitely christian, though his rough and ready methods of conversion were hardly likely to secure anything but a purely formal and outward adhesion to the new faith. sweden was the most reluctant of the three northern realms to accept christianity, and the country remained almost entirely heathen until the close of the viking period. the story of the norse settlers in ireland and the western islands in their relation to christianity was very much that of the danes in england. celtic christianity had a firm hold in these countries, and from the earliest period of the settlements many of the vikings adopted the christian faith. among the settlers in iceland who came from the west were many christians, and auðr herself gave orders at her death that she should be buried on the sea-shore below the tide-mark, rather than lie in unhallowed ground. most of the settlers undoubtedly remained heathen--in a ring sacred to thor was taken from a temple in dublin and in king brian destroyed a grove sacred to the same god just north of the city. but side by side with incidents of this kind must be placed others like that of the sparing of the churches, hospitals and almshouses when armagh was sacked in , or the retirement of anlaf cuaran to the monastery at iona in . in ireland as elsewhere there seems to have been a recrudescence of heathenism in the early years of the th century and the great fight at clontarf was regarded as a struggle between pagan and christian. outwardly the scandinavian world had largely declared its adhesion to christianity by the close of the viking period, but we must remember that the medieval church was satisfied if her converts passed through the ceremony of baptism and observed her rites, though their sentiments often remained heathen. except in purely formal fashion it is impossible to draw a definite line of demarcation between christian and heathen, and the acceptance of christianity is of importance not so much from any change of outlook which it produced in individuals, as because it brought the peoples of the north into closer touch with the general life and culture of medieval europe. leaders freely accepted baptism--often more than once--and even confirmation as part of a diplomatic bargain, while their profession of christianity made no difference to their viking way of life. even on formal lines the church had to admit of compromise, as for example in the practice of _prime-signing_, whereby when vikings visited christian lands as traders, or entered the service of christian kings for payment, they often allowed themselves to be signed with the cross, which secured their admission to intercourse with christian communities, but left them free to hold the faith which pleased them best. strange forms and mixtures of belief arose in the passage from one faith to the other. helgi the lean was a christian, but called on thor in the hour of need. the christian saints with their wonder-working powers were readily adopted into the norse pantheon, and vikings by their prayers and offerings secured the help of st patrick in ireland and of st germanus in france in times of defeat and pestilence, while we hear of a family of settlers in iceland who gave up all faith except a belief in the power of st columba. on sculptured stones in the west may be found pictures of ragnarök, of balder and of loki together with the sign of the cross. some of the heathen myths themselves show christian influence; the balder story with its echoes of the lamentations for the suffering christ belongs to the last stage of norse heathendom, while a heathen skald makes christ sit by the fountain of fate as the mighty destroyer of the giants. when the virtue had gone out of their old beliefs many fell a prey to the grossest superstition, worshipping the rocks and groves and rivers once thought to be the dwelling place of the gods. others renounced faith in christian and heathen gods alike, and the nickname 'godless' is by no means rare among the settlers in iceland. of such it is often said that they believed in themselves, or had no faith in aught except their own strength and power, while in the saga of friþjof we hear how the hero paid little heed to the sanctity of the temple of balder and that the love of ingibjorg meant more to him than the wrath of the gods. for a parallel to such audacious scepticism as that of friþjof we must turn to southern lands and later times with aucassin's 'in paradise what have i to win? therein i seek not to enter, but only to have my nicolete, my sweet lady that i love so well.' for some the way of escape came not by superstition or by scepticism, but in mystic speculation, in pure worship of the powers of nature. thus we hear of the icelander thorkell mani, whom all praised for the excellence of his way of life, that in his last illness he was carried out into the sunshine, so that he might commend himself into the hands of the god who made the sun, or of the _goði_ askell who, even in the hour of famine, deemed it was more fitting to honour the creator by caring for the aged and the children, than to relieve distress by putting these helpless ones to death. one other illustration of the declining force of heathenism must be mentioned. it is to the viking age that we owe the poems of the older edda, that storehouse of norse mythology and cosmogony. they are almost purely heathen in sentiment, and yet one feels that it could only be in an age when belief in the old gods was passing away that the authors of these poems could have struck those notes of detachment, irony, and even of burlesque, which characterise so many of them. the condition of faith and belief in the viking age was, then, chaotic, but, fortunately for purposes of clear statement, there was, to the norse mind at least, no necessary connexion between beliefs and morality, between faith and conduct, and the ideas on which they based their philosophy and practice of life are fairly distinct. the central ideas which dominate the norse view of life are an ever-present sense of the passingness of all things and a deep consciousness of the over-ruling power of fate. all earthly things are transitory and the one thing which lasts is good fame. 'wealth dies, kinsmen die, man himself must die, but the fame which a man wins rightly for himself never dies; one thing i know that never dies, the judgment passed on every man that dies,' says the poet of the _hávamál_, the great storehouse of the gnomic wisdom of the norsemen. 'all things are unstable and transitory, let no man therefore be arrogant or over-confident. the wise man will never praise the day before it is evening.' prudence and foresight are ever necessary. all things are determined by a fate which is irrevocable and cannot be avoided. every man must die the death that is appointed for him, and the man whose final day has not yet come may face unmoved the greatest danger. this sense of an inevitable fate must lead to no weakening of character or weariness of life. death must be faced with cheerful stoicism and our judgment of the worth of any man must depend on the way in which he awaits the decree of fate. place no great trust in others whether friend or foe, least of all place trust in women. 'wommennes conseils been ful ofte colde,' says chaucer in the _nun's priest's tale_, using an old scandinavian proverb. 'be friendly to your friends and a foeman to your foes. practice hospitality and hate lying and untruthfulness.' with their enemies the vikings had an evil reputation for cunning and deceit, but when we study the incidents on which this charge was based--as for example the story of the capture of luna (_v. supra_, p. ) or the oft-repeated trick of feigning flight, only to lure the enemy away from safe ground--one must confess that they show an enemy outwitted rather than deceived. this aspect of viking character perhaps finds its best illustration in the figure of odin. his common epithets are 'the wise,' 'the prudent,' 'the sagacious'; he is a god of witchcraft and knows all the secret powers of nature and stands in contrast to the simple-minded thor, endowed with mighty strength, but less polished and refined. the development of the worship of odin in norway belongs specially to the later iron age, and it is worthy of note that his worship seems to have prevailed chiefly in military circles, among princes and their retainers. the vikings were guilty of two besetting sins--immoderate love of wine and of women. of their relations to women enough has been said already. their drunken revelry is best illustrated by the story of the orgie which led up to the death of st alphege in london in , when, after drinking their fill of the wine they had brought from abroad, they pelted the bishop with bones from the feast, and finally pierced his skull with the spike on the back of an axe. of sin in the christian sense the vikings had no conception. an irish chronicler tells us indeed that the danes have a certain piety in that they can refrain from flesh and from women for a time, but a truer description is probably that given by adam of bremen when he says that the danes can weep neither for their sins nor for their dead. the chief occupations of the vikings were trade and war, but we must beware of drawing a too rigid distinction between adventurers and peaceful stay-at-homes. the vikings when they settled in england and elsewhere showed that their previous roving life did not hinder them in the least from settling down as peaceful traders, farmers, or peasant-labourers, while the figure of ohthere or Óttarr, to give him his norse name, who entered the service of king alfred, may serve to remind us that many a landed gentleman was not above carrying on a good trade with the finns or undertaking voyages of exploration in the white sea. trading in those days was a matter of great difficulty and many risks. the line of division between merchant and viking was a very thin one, and more than once we read how, when merchants went on a trading expedition, they arranged a truce until their business was concluded and then treated each other as enemies. trade in scandinavia was carried on either in fixed centres or in periodical markets held in convenient places. the chief trading centres were the twin towns of slesvík-hedeby in denmark, skiringssalr in s.w. norway, and björkö, sigtuna and the island of gothland in sweden, while an important market was held periodically at bohuslän on the götaelv, at a place were the boundaries of the three northern kingdoms met. a characteristic incident which happened at this market illustrates the international character of the trade done there. on a certain occasion a wealthy merchant named gille (the name is celtic), surnamed the russian because of his many journeys to that country, set up his booth in the market and received a visit from the icelander höskuldr who was anxious to buy a female slave. gille drew back a curtain dividing off the inner part of the tent and showed höskuldr twelve female slaves. höskuldr bought one and she proved to be an irish king's daughter who had been made captive by viking raiders. the chief exports were furs, horses, wool, and fish while the imports consisted chiefly in articles of luxury, whether for clothing or ornament. there was an extensive trade with the orient in all such luxuries and the vikings seem eagerly to have accumulated wealth of this kind. when limerick was re-captured by the irish in , they carried off from the vikings 'their jewels and their best property, and their saddles beautiful and foreign (probably of spanish workmanship), their gold and their silver: their beautifully woven cloth of all colours and all kinds: their satins and silken cloths, pleasing and variegated, both scarlet and green, and all sorts of cloth in like manner.' they captured too 'their soft, youthful, bright, matchless girls: their blooming silk-clad young women: and their active, large, and well formed boys.' such captives whether made by irish from norsemen or norsemen from irish would certainly be sold as slaves, for one of the chief branches of trade in those days was the sale as slaves of those made prisoner in war. the expansion of scandinavian trade took place side by side with, rather than as a result of, viking activity in war. there is evidence of the presence of traders in the low country early in the th century, and already in the days of st anskar we hear of a swedish widow of björkö who left money for her daughter to distribute among the poor of duurstede. jómsborg was established to protect and increase scandinavian trade at julin, and there were other similar trading centres on the southern and eastern shores of the baltic. the viking might busy himself either with war or trade, but whatever his occupation, living as he did in insular or peninsular lands, good ships and good seamanship were essential to his livelihood. seamen now often abandoned that timid hugging of the coast, sailing only by day time and in fair weather, which characterised the old phoenician traders, and boldly sailed across the uncharted main with no help save that of the sun and stars by which to steer their course. it was this boldness of spirit alone which enabled them to reach the lonely faroes, the distant shetlands and orkneys, and the yet more remote iceland. irish monks and anchorites had shown similar fearlessness, but their bravery was often that of the fanatic and the mystic rather than the enterprise of the seaman. boldness of seamanship led to boldness in exploration. from iceland the vikings sailed to greenland, and by the year had discovered vinland, the n.e. part of north america. ottarr rounded the north cape and sailed the white sea in the th century, while harold hardrada in the th century made a voyage of polar exploration. of their ships we know a good deal both from the sagas and from the remains of actual ships preserved to us. the custom of ship-burial, i.e. burial in a ship over which a grave chamber, covered with a how or mound, was erected, was common in the viking age, and several such ships have been discovered. the two most famous are those of gokstad and oseberg, both found on the shores of christiania fjord. the gokstad vessel is of oak, clinker-built, with seats for sixteen pairs of rowers, and is ft. long and ft. broad amidships. it dates from about , and in form and workmanship is not surpassed by modern vessels of a similar kind. there is a mast for a single sail, and the rudder, as always in those days, is on the starboard side. the gunwale was decorated with a series of shields painted alternately black and gold. the appearance of the vessel when fully equipped can perhaps best be judged from the pictures of viking ships to be seen in the bayeux tapestry. there we may note the parti-coloured sail with its variegated stripes, and the rich carving of stem and stern. these magnificent sails were a source of much pride to their possessors, and the story is told of sigurd jerusalem-farer that on his way home from jerusalem to constantinople he lay for half-a-month off cape malea, waiting for a side wind, so that his sails might be set lengthwise along the ship and so be better seen by those standing on shore as he sailed up to constantinople. the stem often ended in a dragon's head done over with gold, whilst the stern was frequently shaped like a dragon's tail, so that the vessel itself was often called a dragon. the oseberg ship is of a different type. the gunwale is lower and the whole vessel is flatter and broader. it is used as the grave-chamber of a woman, and the whole appearance of the vessel, including its richly carved stem, indicates that it was used in calm waters for peaceful purposes. the story of the escape of hárek of thjotta through copenhagen sound after the battle of helgeäa in illustrates the difference between a trading-ship and a ship of war. hárek struck sail and mast, took down the vane, stretched a grey tent-cloth over the ship's sides, and left only a few rowers fore and aft. the rest of the crew were bidden lie flat so that they might not be seen, with the result that the danes mistook hárek's war-galley for a trading-vessel laden with herrings or salt and let it pass unchallenged. [illustration: _plate i_ viking ship from the bayeux tapestry] in the last years of the viking period ships increased greatly both in size and number. olaf tryggvason's vessel, the _long serpent_, in which he fought his last fight at svoldr, had thirty benches of oars, while cnut the great had one with sixty pairs of oars. this same king went with a fleet of some fourteen hundred vessels to the conquest of norway. in battle the weapons of defence were helmet, corselet and shield. the shields were of wood with a heavy iron boss in the centre. the corselets were made of iron rings, leather, or thick cloth. the weapons of offence were mainly sword, spear and battle-axe. the sword was of the two-edged type and usually had a shallow depression along the middle of the blade, known as the blood-channel. above, the blade terminated in a narrow tang, bounded at either end by the hilts. round the tang and between the hilts was the handle of wood, horn, or some similar material, often covered with leather, or occasionally with metal. above the upper hilt was a knob, which gave the sword the necessary balance for a good steady blow. generally the knob and the hilts were inlaid with silver, bronze, or copper-work. the battle-axe, the most characteristic of viking weapons, was of the heavy broad-bladed type. next to warfare and trade, the chief occupation of the viking was farming, while his chief amusement was the chase. at home the viking leader lived the life of an active country gentleman. his favourite sport was hawking, and one of the legendary lives of st edmund tells how ragnarr loðbrók himself was driven by stress of storm to land on the east anglian coast, receiving a hospitable welcome from the king, but ultimately meeting death at the hands of the king's huntsman who was jealous of his prowess as a fowler. of the social organisation of the vikings it is impossible to form a very definite or precise picture. we have in the laws of the jómsborg settlement (_v. supra_, p. ) the rule of life of a warrior-community, but it would be a mistake to imagine that these laws prevailed in all settlements alike. the general structure of their society was aristocratic rather than democratic, but within the aristocracy, which was primarily a military one, the principle of equality prevailed. when asked who was their lord, rollo's men answered 'we have no lord, we are all equal.' but while they admitted no lord, the vikings were essentially practical; they realised the importance of organised leadership, and we have a succession of able leaders mentioned in the annals of the time, to some of whom the title king was given. these kings however are too numerous, and too many of them are mentioned together, for it to be possible to give the term king in this connexion anything like its usual connotation. it would seem rather to have been used for any prince of the royal house, and it was only when the vikings had formed fixed settlements and come definitely under western influence that we hear of kings in the ordinary territorial sense--kings of northumbria, dublin, man and the isles, or east anglia. we hear also of _jarls_ or earls, either as viking leaders or as definite territorial rulers, as for example the orkney-earls and more than one earl who is mentioned as ruling in dublin, but these earls usually held their lands under the authority of a king. by the side of kings and earls mention is made both in the danelagh and also in the western islands of _lawmen_. it is difficult exactly to define their position and function. originally these men were simply experts in the law who expounded it in the popular _thing_ or assembly, and were the spokesmen of the people as against the king and the court, but sometimes they assumed judicial functions, acting for example in sweden as assessors to the king, who was supreme judge. in their home life we find the same strange mixture of civilisation and barbarism which marks them elsewhere. their houses were built of timber, covered with clay. there was no proper hearth and the smoke from the fire made its way out as best it could through the turf-covered roof. the chief furniture of the room consisted in beds, benches, long tables and chests, and in the houses of the rich these would at the close of our period often be carved with stories from the old heroic or mythologic legends, while the walls might be covered with tapestry. prominent in the chieftain's hall stood the carved pillars which supported his high-seat and were considered sacred. when some of the settlers first sailed to iceland they threw overboard their high-seat pillars which they had brought with them, and chose as the site of their new abode the place where these pillars were cast ashore. in clothing and adornment there can be no question that our viking forefathers had attained a high standard of luxury. any visitor to the great national museums at copenhagen, stockholm or christiania must be impressed by the wealth of personal ornaments displayed before him: magnificent brooches of silver and bronze, arm-rings and neck-rings of gold and silver, large beads of silver, glass, rock-crystal, amber and cornelian. at one time it was commonly assumed that these ornaments, often displaying the highest artistic skill, were simply plunder taken by the vikings from nations more cultured and artistic than themselves, but patient investigation has shown that the majority of them were wrought in scandinavia itself. [illustration: _plate ii_ ornaments of the viking period] the most characteristic of viking ornaments is undoubtedly the brooch. it was usually oval in shape and the concave surface was covered with a framework of knobs and connecting bands, which divided it into a series of 'fields' (to use a heraldic term), which could themselves be decorated with the characteristic ornamentation of the period. the commonest form of oval brooch was that with nine knobs on a single plate, but in the later examples the plate is often doubled. the brooches themselves were of bronze, the knobs usually of silver with silver wire along the edge of the brooch. these knobs have now often disappeared and the bronze has become dull with verdigris, so that it is difficult to form an idea of their original magnificence. the oval brooches were used to fasten the outer mantle and were usually worn in pairs, either on the breast or on the shoulders, and examples of them have been found from russia in the east to ireland on the west. other types of brooch are also found--straight-armed, trilobed and round. such brooches were often worn in the middle of the bosom a little below the oval ones. other ornaments beside brooches are common--arm-rings, neck-rings, pendants. one of the most interesting of the pendants is a ring with a series of small silver thor's hammers which was probably used as a charm against ill-luck. all these ornaments alike are in silver rather than gold, and it has been said that if the post-roman period of scandinavian archaeology be called the age of gold, the viking period should be named the age of silver. the style of ornamentation used in these articles of personal adornment as well as in objects of more general use, such as horse-trappings, is that commonly known to german archaeologists as _tier-ornamentik_, i.e. animal or zoomorphic ornamentation. this last translation may sound pedantic but it is the most accurate description of the style, for we have no attempt to represent the full form of any animal that ever had actual existence; rather we find the various limbs of animals--heads, legs, tails--woven into one another in fantastic design in order to cover a certain surface-area which requires decoration. 'the animals are ornaments and treated as such. they are stretched and curved, lengthened and shortened, refashioned, and remodelled just as the space which they must fill requires.' this style was once called the 'dragon-style,' but the term is misleading as there is no example belonging to the viking period proper of any attempt to represent a dragon, i.e. some fantastic animal with wings. such creatures belong to a later period. the zoomorphic style did not have its origin during the viking period. it is based on that of a preceding period in the culture of the north german peoples, but it received certain characteristic developments at this time, more especially under the influence of irish and frankish art. irish art had begun to influence that of scandinavia even before the viking period began, and the development of intercourse between north and west greatly strengthened that influence. to frankish influence were due not only certain developments of _tier-ornamentik_ but also the use of figures from the plant-world for decorative purposes. one of the finest brooches preserved to us from this period is of frankish workmanship--a magnificent trilobed brooch of gold with acanthus-leaf ornamentation. this leaf-work was often imitated by scandinavian craftsmen but the imitation is usually rude and unconvincing. traces are also to be found of oriental and more especially of arabic influence in certain forms of silver-ornamentation, but finds of articles of actual eastern manufacture are more common than finds of articles of scandinavian origin showing eastern influences in their workmanship. buried treasure from the viking period is very common. it was a popular belief, sanctioned by the express statement of odin, that a man would enjoy in valhalla whatsoever he had himself buried in the earth. another common motive in the burial of treasure was doubtless the desire to find a place of security against robbery and plunder. treasure thus secreted would often be lost sight of at the owner's death. to the burial-customs of the viking period also we owe much of our knowledge of their weapons, clothing, ornaments and even of their domestic utensils. the dead were as a rule cremated, at least during the earlier part of the viking period. the body burned or unburned was either buried in a mound of earth, forming a 'how,' or was laid under the surface of the ground, and the grave marked by stones arranged in a circle, square, triangle or oval, sometimes even imitating the outlines of a ship. the 'hows' were often of huge size. the largest of the three 'king's hows' at old upsala is ft. high and ft. broad. a large how was very necessary in the well-known ship-burial when the dead man (or woman) was placed in a grave-chamber on board his ship and the ship was drawn on land and buried within a how. men and women alike were buried in full dress, and the men usually have all their weapons with them. in the latter case weapons tend to take the place of articles of domestic use such as are found in the graves of an earlier period, and the change points to a new conception of the future life. it is now a life in which warriors feast with odin in valhalla on benches that are covered with corselets. a careful examination of norwegian graves has proved fairly definitely the existence of the custom of 'suttee' during the viking period, and the evidence of the arab historian ibn fadhlan seems to show that the same custom prevailed among the rûs. horses, dogs, hawks and other animals were often buried with their masters, and the remains of such, burned or unburned, have frequently been found. the varying customs attending burial are happily illustrated in the two accounts preserved to us of the burial of king harold hyldetan, who died c. . the accounts were written down long after the actual event, but they probably give us a good picture of familiar incidents in burial ceremonies of the viking period. one account (in a late saga) tells how, on the morrow of the great fight at bravalla, king ring caused search to be made for the body of his kinsman harold. when the body was found, it was washed and placed in the chariot which harold used in the fight. a large mound was raised and the chariot was drawn into the mound by harold's own horse. the horse was now killed and ring gave his own saddle to harold, telling him that he might ride or drive to valhalla just as it pleased him best. a great memorial feast was held, and ring bade his warriors and nobles throw into the mound large rings of gold and silver and good weapons before it was finally closed. the other account (in saxo) tells how ring harnessed his own horse to harold's chariot and bade him drive quickly to valhalla as the best in battle, and when he came to odin to prepare goodly quarters for friend and foe alike. the pyre was then kindled and by ring's command the danes placed harold's ship upon it. when the fire destroyed the body, the king commanded his followers to walk round the pyre and chant a lament, making rich offerings of weapons, gold and treasure, so that the fire might mount the higher in honour of the great king. so the body was burned, the ashes were collected, laid in an urn and sent to leire, there to be buried with the horse and the weapons in royal fashion. there are many curious coincidences of detail between these accounts and that given by ibn fadhlan of the burial of a rûs warrior, and every detail of them has at one time or another been confirmed by archaeological evidence. [illustration: _plate iii_ the jellinge stone] the dead were commemorated by the how itself, but _bautasteinar_, i.e. memorial stones, were also erected, either on the how or, more commonly, elsewhere. in course of time these monuments came to be inscribed with runes. usually the inscription is of the most formal type, giving the name of the dead person, the name of the man who raised the memorial, and sometimes also that of the man who carved the runes. occasionally there is some more human touch as in the wording of the dyrna runes (_v. supra_, p. ), and in the latter part of the viking period we often find pictures and even scenes inscribed on the stones. this is true of the dyrna stone (_v. supra_, p. ): the jellinge stone has a figure of christ on it, while there is a famous rock-inscription in sweden representing scenes from the sigurd-story (regin's smithy, hammer, tongs and bellows, sigurd piercing fafnir with his sword, the birds whose speech sigurd understood) encircled by a serpent (fafnir) bearing a long runic inscription. the runic alphabet itself was the invention of an earlier age. it is based chiefly on the old roman alphabet with such modifications of form and symbol as were necessitated by the different sounds in the teutonic tongues and by the use of such unyielding materials as wood and stone. straight lines were preferred to curved ones and sloping to horizontal. during the viking period it was simplified, and runic inscriptions are found from the valley of the dnieper on the east to man in the west, and from iceland on the north to the piraeus in the south. chapter ix scandinavian influence in the orkneys, shetlands, the western islands and man of all the countries visited by the vikings it is undoubtedly the british isles which bear most definitely the marks of their presence. the history and civilisation of ireland, the orkneys and shetlands, the western islands and man, scotland and england, were profoundly affected by the viking movement, and its influence is none the less interesting because it varies greatly from place to place, in both character and intensity. these variations are doubtless due in part to differences of political and social organisation as between norsemen and danes, or between men coming from scattered districts of the as yet loosely co-ordinated kingdoms of denmark and norway, but their chief cause lies in the wide divergences in the social and political conditions of the lands in which they settled. the orkneys and the shetlands were settled by the norsemen earlier than any other part of the british isles and they formed part of the norse kingdom till . it is not surprising therefore that the great norse historian munch describes them as _ligesaa norskt som norge selv_, 'as norse as norway itself.' the old norse speech was still spoken there by a few people until the end of the th century, and we have a version of the ballad of _king orfeo_ taken down from recital at the close of that century with the norse refrain still preserved '_scowan ürla grün--whar giorten han grün oarlac_,' i.e. probably _skoven årle grön--hvor hjorten han går årlig_ = 'early green's the wood--where the hart goes yearly.' place-nomenclature is almost entirely norse and the modern dialects are full of norse words. several runic inscriptions have been found, the most famous being that at maeshowe in hrossey, made by norse crusaders when they wintered there in - and amused themselves by breaking open the how, probably to look for treasure, and scoring their runes on the walls of the grave-chamber. in the system of landholding the 'udallers' are an interesting survival of the old norse freeholders. 'the udaller held his land without condition or limitation in any feudal sense,' says mr gilbert goudie, i.e. he held his _udal_ on precisely the same free terms that the native norseman did his _óðal_. from the shetlands and the orkneys the norsemen crossed to the scottish mainland. sutherland (i.e. the land south of the orkneys), caithness, ross and cromarty are full of norse place-names, and norse influence may be traced even further south. the hebrides were also largely influenced by the norsemen. together with man they formed a norse kingdom down to the middle of the th century. many of the islands themselves and their chief physical features bear norse names, many personal names (e.g. macaulay, son of aulay or olaf) are of norse origin, and there are many norse words in the gaelic both of the islands, and the mainland. these words have undergone extensive changes and much corruption in a language very different in form and sounds from that of their original source, and their recognition is a difficult problem. there is at present a danger of exaggerating this norse element, the existence of which was long overlooked. similarly, affinities have been traced between scandinavian and gaelic popular tales and folk-lore, but the evidence is too vague and uncertain to be of much value. it is however in man that we get the most interesting traces of the presence of the norsemen. here as elsewhere we have place-names and personal names bearing witness to their presence, but we have much else besides. some rune-inscribed crosses have been preserved to us. the crosses are celtic in form and to a large extent in ornament also, but we find distinct traces of the scandinavian animal-ornamentation. the inscriptions are short and for the most part give only the name of the memorial-raiser and the memorised. one bears the rune-writer's own proud boast 'gaut made this and all in man.' more interesting than the runes are the sculptured figures. on four of the crosses we have representations of incidents from the sigurd story--sigurd slaying fafnir, sigurd roasting fafnir's heart and cooling his fingers in his mouth after trying too soon if the heart was done, loki slaying the otter. we also have pictures of thor's adventure with the serpent of miðgarðr and of odin's last fight with fenrir's wolf. these sculptured stones are probably among the latest of those found in man and have their chief parallel in stones found in sweden (_v. supra_, p. ). possibly it was to settlers from man also that we owe the famous gosforth cross in cumberland with its picture of thor's fishing for the serpent. in addition to all this we have the manx legal system as a standing witness to norse influence. the chief executive and legislative authority in the island (after the governor) is the tynwald court. that court takes its name from the old norse _Þing-völlr_[ ], the plain where the _Þing_[ ] or popular assembly meets, and the house of keys, which is the oldest division of the court, consisted originally of members, a number perhaps due to scandinavian influence, being a combination of two groups of lawmen (_v. supra_, p. ). these men who have the 'keys of the law' in their bosom closely resemble the 'lawmen' or speakers of the icelandic assembly. all laws to be valid must be promulgated from the tynwald hill which corresponds to the _lögberg_ or law-hill of the icelandic _althing_. when the court is held the coroner 'fences' it against all disturbance or disorder, just as in the old norwegian gulathing we hear of _vé-bönd_ or sanctuary-ropes drawn around the assembly. it was possibly from man that a good number of the norse settlers in cumberland, westmorland and north lancashire came (_v. infra_, pp. - ), and others may have settled in galloway. footnotes: [ ] this word survives in another form in more than one thingwall among place-names. [ ] the word is familiar to us in the form -_ting_ in _hus-ting_, house assembly (originally _hús-Þing_), a council held by a king or earl and attended by his immediate followers, in contrast to the ordinary _Þing_ or general assembly of the people. chapter x scandinavian influence in ireland at the time of the viking invasion of ireland the various provincial kingdoms were held in loose confederation under the authority of the _ardrí_ or high king, but these kingdoms stood in constantly shifting relations of friendship and hostility towards one another, and were themselves often split into factions under rival chieftains. there was no national army like the english _fyrd_. rather it consisted of a number of tribes, each commanded by its own chief, and though the chief owed allegiance to the king, the bond was a frail one. the tribe was further divided into _septs_ and the army was utterly lacking in any cohesive principle. it is no wonder that for many years the irish showed themselves quite unable to cope with the attacks of forces so well organised as those of the norse and danish vikings. in vivid contrast to the chaos in political and military organisation stand the missionary enthusiasm of the irish church and the high level of education and culture which prevailed among her clergy and _literati_. in the orkneys and the shetlands such names as papa westray or papa stronsay bear witness to the presence of irish priests or _papae_ as the norsemen called them. irish anchorites had at one time settled in the faroes (_v. supra_, p. ), and when the norsemen first settled in iceland (c. ) they found irish monks already there. the monastic schools of ireland were centres of learning and religious instruction for the whole of western europe, while irish missionaries had founded monasteries in italy, switzerland, germany and france. unfortunately religion and culture seem to have been almost entirely without influence on the body politic, and as the vikings had at least in the early days no respect for the religion or the learning of the irish nation there was nothing to prevent them from devastating irish monasteries and carrying off the stores of treasured wealth which they contained. no plunder was more easily won, and it was only when they themselves had fallen under christian influences and had come to appreciate irish literary and artistic skill that they showed themselves more kindly disposed towards these homes of learning. one feature must at once strike the observer who compares the viking settlements in ireland with those in england, viz. that viking influence in ireland is definitely concentrated in the great coast towns--dublin, wexford, waterford, cork and limerick--and the districts immediately around them. irish place-nomenclature bears very definite witness to this fact. _ford_ in strangford and carlingford loughs, waterford and wexford is o.n. _fjorðr_, a fjord, -_low_ in arklow and wicklow is o.n. _ló_, 'low-lying, flat-grassland, lying by the water's edge.' the o.n. _ey_, an island, is found in lambey, dalkey, dursey head, ireland's eye (for ireland's ey), howth is o.n. _höfuð_, 'a head,' carnsore and greenore point contain o.n. _eyrr_, 'a sandy point pushing out into the sea.' smerwick contains the familiar o.n. _vík_ a bay or creek, while the copeland islands off belfast lough are the o.n. _kaupmannaeyjar_, 'the merchants' islands.' all these are found on or off the coast, while the number of scandinavian names found inland is extremely limited. the most interesting perhaps is leixlip on the liffey, a name derived from o.n. _laxahlaup_, 'salmon-leap.' donegal, fingall and gaultiere are celtic names, but they mark the presence of the northern _gall_ or foreigners, while the -_ster_ in ulster, leinster and munster is o.n. -_staðir_ (pl. of -_staðr_, place, abode) suffixed to the old gaelic names of these provinces. there was free intermarriage between norse and irish (_v. supra_, p. ), but the strength of the clan-system kept the races distinct and there was no such infiltration of the whole population as took place in the english danelagh. this system prevented any such settlement of norsemen upon their own farms as took place in england, and the invaders lived almost entirely in the coast towns and the districts in their immediate neighbourhood, busying themselves with trade and shipping. though the settlements were limited in their extent, we must not underrate their influence on irish history generally. they gave the impetus there, as elsewhere, to the growth of town life, and from the period of viking rule dates the origin of the chief irish towns. to them also was due the great expansion, if not the birth, of irish trade. mention has been made of the wealth of limerick (_v. supra_, p. ), drawn chiefly from trade with france and spain, and the other towns were not behind limerick. the naval power of dublin stretched from waterford to dundalk, the irish channel swarmed with viking fleets, and many of the shipping terms in use in gaelic are loan-words from the norse. it is probably to the trading activities of vikings from the chiefs ports of ireland that we owe the sprinkling of names of norse origin which we find along the welsh coast from the dee to the severn--great orm's head, anglesey, ramsey i, skokholm island, flat holme and steep holme, and to them may be due the establishment of swansea, earlier _sweinesea_, haverfordwest and possibly bideford, as norse colonies in the bristol channel. we know in later times of several norsemen who were living in cardiff, bristol, swansea and haverfordwest. norse influence in ireland probably reached its climax in the th century. the battle of clontarf offered a serious check and though there was still a succession of norse kings and earls in dublin they had to acknowledge the authority of the _ardrí_. the line of sigtryggr of the silken beard came to an end by the middle of the th century, and the rulership of dublin fell into the hands of various norse families from other irish settlements and from man and the isles. from - it was under the rule of the great conqueror godred crovan from man, and its connexion with that kingdom was only severed finally when magnus barefoot came on his great western expedition in , and brought man into direct allegiance to the kings of norway. celtic influence must have been strong in the norse families themselves. several of the kings bear gaelic names, and it is probably from this period that such familiar names as maclamont or maccalmont, maciver, and macquistan date, where the gaelic patronymic prefix has been added to the norse names lagmaðr, Ívarr and eysteinn. while norse power in dublin was on the decline as a political force it is curious to note that the vigorous town-life and the active commerce instituted by the norse settlers made that city of ever-increasing importance as a centre of irish life and irish interests generally, and there can be no question that it was the norsemen who really made dublin the capital city of ireland. the norse element remained absolutely distinct, not only in dublin but also in the other cities in which they had settled, right down to the time of the english invasion in the th century. frequent mention is made of them in the records of the great towns, and they often both claimed and received privileges quite different from those accorded to the native irish or to the english settlers. they were known to the latter as 'ostmen' or 'easterlings,' a term which in this connexion seems to have ousted the earlier _norvagienses_ or _les norreys_, _les norwicheis_. the term 'ostman' doubtless represents o.n. _austmaðr_, a man dwelling to the east. exactly how or where it first came to be applied to norsemen it is difficult to say. the word has left its mark in oxmanstown, earlier ostmanstown, the district of the city of dublin assigned to the ostmen by the english invaders. learning and religion in ireland suffered grievously from norse attack but not so sorely as in england. there was never a time when so dark a picture could have been drawn of irish learning as alfred gives of the state of english learning when he translated the _pastoral care_, and when once the vikings began to form settlements they were themselves strongly affected by the wealth of literary and artistic skill with which they found themselves brought into contact. the question of irish influence on norse mythology and literature is a much vexed one. at present we are suffering from a reaction against exaggerated claims made on its behalf some thirty years ago, but while refusing to accept the view that norse legends, divine and heroic alike, are based on a wholesale refashioning and recreating of stories from celtic saga-lore, it would be idle to deny that the contact between the two nations must have been fertile of result and that norse literature in form, style and subject-matter alike, bears many marks of gaelic influence. chapter xi scandinavian influence in england of the districts occupied by scandinavian settlers in england the ones which show their presence most strongly are cumberland, westmorland, north lancashire and yorkshire in the old kingdom of northumbria and the district of the five boroughs in the midlands. east anglia was not so deeply affected by the danish occupation. before dealing with one of the chief sources of our knowledge of the presence of norse and danish settlers in various parts of england, viz. the evidence derived from place-nomenclature, a few words must be said as to the chief scandinavian elements which can be recognised in english place-names. of elements other than personal names the commonest are as follows, several of them being used as independent words to this day in english dialects which have been affected by scandinavian influence:-- -beck. o.n. _bekkr_, brook, small stream of water. -biggin(g). o.n. _bygging_, building. -by. o.n. _bør_, dan. swed. _by_, town or village. this word indicates a danish rather than a norse settlement. -car(r), -ker. o.n. _kjarr_, _kjörr_, brushwood, especially on swampy ground. -dale. o.n. _dalr_, valley. etymologically this word might be of native english origin but its distribution points to norse influence. -fell. o.n. _fjall_, mountain. -force. o.n. _fors_, waterfall. -forth. o.n. _fjorðr_, fjord. english -ford and scandinavian -forth often interchange in the old documents. -garth. o.n. _garðr_, enclosure, the scandinavian equivalent of english 'yard.' -gill. o.n. _gil_, deep narrow glen with a stream at the bottom. -holm. o.n. _holmr_, small island especially in a bay, creek, or river. in england its meaning was further developed and it often means 'low-lying level ground on the borders of a river or stream.' now often concealed in the suffix -ham. -keld. o.n. _kelda_, well, spring. -lund, -lound. o.n. _lundr_, grove. now often corrupted to -land in english place-names. -mire. o.n. _myrr_, moor, bog, swamp. -raise. o.n. _hreysi_, cairn. -scale. o.n. _skali_, house. this word is norse rather than danish. -scar, -skear, -skerry. o.n. _sker_, isolated rock in the sea. -scout. o.n. _skúti_, cave formed by jutting rocks. -scough, -scow. o.n. _skógr_, wood. -slack. o.n. _slakki_, slope on a mountain edge. often used in english place-names of a hollow or boggy place[ ]. -tarn. o.n. _tjörn_, small lake. -thorp(e). o.n. _þorp_, hamlet, village. this word is also found in o.e. and in some place-names is undoubtedly of native origin, but its general distribution points fairly conclusively to norse influence. -thwaite. o.n. _þveit_, parcel of land, paddock. -toft. o.n. _topt_, piece of ground, messuage, homestead. -with. o.n. _viðr_, a wood. -wath. o.n. _vað_, a ford. place-names with the prefix _norman_- mark the settlement not of normans but of norsemen (or northmen as the english called them), as in normanton and normanby, while the settlement of danes is marked by the prefix _dena_- or _den_- as in denaby and denby. this latter prefix however has other sources as well. scandinavian personal names are very common in place-names but their presence can as a rule only be detected with any degree of certainty by reference to the forms found in early documents. among the more easily recognised are _grímr_, as in grimsargh (lancs.) and grimsby (lincs.), _gunnarr_, as in gunnerside (yorks.), _ketill_, as in kettlewell (yorks.), _klakkr_, as in claxton (norf.), _ormr_, as in ormskirk (lancs.). others, to be found by reference to earlier forms, are _fráni_, as in franesfeld (=farnsfield, notts.), _gamall_, as in gamelestune (=gamston, notts.), _gunnúlfr_, as in gunnulveston (=gonalston, notts.), _knútr_, as in cnutestone (=knuston, northants.), _leifr_, as in levesbi (=laceby, lincs.), _sumarliði_, as in sumarlidebi (=somerby, lincs.), _skúli_, as in sculetuna (=scoulton, norf.), _tóli_, as in toleslund (=toseland, hunts.), _víkingr_, as in wichingestone (=wigston, leic.), _Úlfr_, as in ulvesbi (=ulceby, lincs.). examining the distribution of scandinavian place-names determined by the above tests and others which can be applied with great accuracy, if we study not the modern but the old forms of the place-names, we find that the place-nomenclature of cumberland and westmorland is almost entirely either scandinavian or celtic. indeed it would seem that the anglian settlement had hardly affected these districts at all, and it was reserved for the scandinavian settlers to teutonise them. the same is true of furness and lancashire, north of the ribble, whose old names stercaland and agmundernesse are of norse origin, but south of that river there is a great diminution of norse place-names except along the coast and a little way inland, where we have several -_bys_ and -_dales_. in cheshire the evidence of scandinavian settlement is confined almost entirely to the wirral, but there the large number of -_bys_ and place-names like thingwall (_v. supra_, p. , note ) point to a strong viking colony, and the distribution of place-names in south lancashire and cheshire bears witness to active intercourse between the settlers in ireland and england. on the other side of the pennine chain, though northumberland was several times ravaged by the norsemen and was probably well populated at least in the fertile river-valleys, there is practically no evidence of their presence to be found in place-names. there are several biggins, carrs, and holms, a few tofts and dales, but these are common dialect words and usually found in uncompounded forms. they are practically never found in names of towns or villages, and may well have been introduced from districts further south. in the extreme west and south-west of the county there are 'fells' and 'dales' but these are on the borders of cumberland, westmorland and durham. the small streams are 'burns' and not 'becks,' the wansbeck being a corruption of an earlier _wanespike_. when we cross into co. durham the tributaries of the wear vary between 'burn' and 'beck,' but by the time we reach the tees these have all become becks. beechburn beck, a tributary of the wear, shows how a scandinavian term could be attached to an english name, when its own meaning was neglected or forgotten. other scandinavian names are common, but as in northumberland they belong to the dialect generally and are seldom found in names of towns or villages. viking settlers must have been few in numbers and widely scattered throughout these two counties. one great exception must be named among the towns, viz. durham itself. the city was named _dún-holmr_, 'the hill-island,' by the vikings, and its present name is only the norman corruption of that form. south of the tees we find ourselves in a district whose place-names are to a very large extent scandinavian, and norse settlements are thickly and evenly distributed from the north sea to the pennine chain. passing from northumbria to the danelagh, lincolnshire is perhaps more purely scandinavian in its place-names than any other english county. in derbyshire viking influence is not so strong but the county was probably very thinly inhabited at least in the north and west and did not offer attractive settling ground. derby itself was rechristened by the northmen, its earlier name being 'norðweorðig.' the rich fields and pastures of leicestershire attracted a great many settlers and nottinghamshire is also strongly scandinavian. rutland and northamptonshire are strongly danish except that there is some shading off towards the s.w. corner of the latter county. in the country bordering the danelagh on the south and west, staffordshire has a few scandinavian place-names on its derbyshire and leicestershire borders, while warwickshire has several on its leicestershire and northamptonshire borders. in east anglia danish settlements must have been numerous in the north and east especially towards the coast, but their presence is less strongly marked in the s.w. portion of the county. in suffolk they are confined still more definitely to the coast-districts and the danes do not seem to have settled in the south of the county at all. three kirbys near the essex coast mark settlements in that county. of the other border-counties huntingdonshire, cambridgeshire and bedfordshire show only the slightest traces of scandinavian influence in their place-nomenclature, though we know from other evidence that there must have been many danish settlers in these counties. closely allied to the evidence of place-names is that of dialect. a very large number of words definitely of scandinavian origin are found in the dialects of n.e. and n.w. england, in the n. midlands and east anglia, but they do not furnish so sensitive a test as do place-names for the extent of the scandinavian settlements and they need not be discussed here. more interesting as evidence of the deep influence of the viking settlers on our language is the large number of scandinavian loan-words which have become part of our standard speech, many of them being words essential to our every-day talk. to scandinavian influence we owe the pronouns _they_, _them_ and _their_, the adjectives _same_ and _both_, the _fro_ in _to_ and _fro_ and possibly the auxiliary _are_ and the preposition _till_. these last are found in the northumbrian dialect of old english but their widespread use is probably due to scandinavian influence. in addition to these we may note the following: verbs: _bait_, _bask_, _batten_, _call_, _cast_, _dawn_, _droop_, _drown_, _gain_, _gabble_, _ransack_, _scare_, _scour_, _scrape_, _skim_, _skip_, _squeal_, _stint_, _take_, nouns: _anger_, _billow_, _boon_, _dusk_, _fellow_, _gait_, _grime_, _haven_, _husband_, _husk_, _husting_, _scull_, _scurf_, _skill_, _skin_, _skirt_, _sky_, _window_, adjectives: _awkward_, _ill_, _odd_, _rotten_, _scant_, _sly_, _ugly_, _weak_, and a good many words in which scandinavian forms have replaced the cognate english ones, e.g. _aloft_, _athwart_, _awe_, _birth_, _egg_, _get_, _gift_, _give_, _guest_, _raid_, _sister_, _swain_, _thursday_. these words are for the most part of the very stuff and substance of our language, giving vivid expression to clear-cut ideas, and though numerically they are outnumbered by the loan-words from french, they are in themselves more essential to our speech than the rich vocabulary derived from that language. for the extent and character of the viking settlements in england we have however a far more delicate and accurate index than that to be found in the evidence of place-names and dialects. when we study the pages of domesday, the great record of english social organisation in the th century, we find that in the counties which came under viking influence there are many details of land-division, tenure, assessment and social organisation generally wherein those counties differ from the rest of england, and some of these differences can still be traced. the 'ridings' of yorkshire and the lindsey division of lincolnshire were originally 'thrithings' (o.n. _þriþjungr_, a third part), the initial _th_ being later absorbed by the final consonant of the preceding 'east,' 'west,' 'north' and 'south' (in lincs.). the chief tests of scandinavian influence, drawn from domesday and allied sources, are however as follows: ( ) the use of the danish 'wapentake' as the chief division of the county in contrast to the english 'hundred.' this is found in lincolnshire, derbyshire (with one exception on its southern border), nottinghamshire, leicestershire, rutland, and one district of northamptonshire, now included in rutland. we have wapentakes in yorkshire, except in certain districts along the sea-coast, while in lancashire the term was applied to the court of the hundred or shire long after the conquest. there is some evidence also for the belief that the use of the hundred (or wapentake) as an administrative unit is in itself due to scandinavian influence. the proportion of names of hundreds (or wapentakes) which are definitely of danish origin is very high and, unless we assume wholesale renaming, this points to their having been first named at a period subsequent to the danish conquest. ( ) the assessment by carucates in multiples and submultiples of is characteristic of the danelagh, as opposed to that by hides, arranged on a decimal system in the strictly english districts. this is found in derbyshire, nottinghamshire, lincolnshire, leicestershire and rutland, with the exception of the above mentioned district. there are traces of a duodecimal assessment in the two n.e. hundreds of northamptonshire, while in lancashire a hidal assessment has been superimposed upon an original carucal one. carucal assessment is found also in yorkshire, norfolk and suffolk. ( ) in lincolnshire, nottinghamshire, derbyshire and yorkshire we have traces of the use of the danish 'long' hundred (= ), e.g. the fine for breaking the king's peace is £ , i.e. ores[ ] of pence. using the various tests we find that the scandinavian kingdom of northumbria was considerably smaller than the earlier realm of that name, northumberland and durham being but sparsely settled, while south lancashire and cheshire were occupied chiefly along the coast. the kingdom would seem to fall into two isolated halves, cumberland and westmorland and north lancashire in the north-west and yorkshire in the south-east. the district of the five boroughs covered derbyshire, nottinghamshire, lincolnshire (lincoln and stamford), leicestershire, and probably the whole of rutland (stamford). the case of northamptonshire is difficult. the carucal assessment fails except in the extreme n.e. of the county, but danish place-nomenclature is strongly evident, though it shades off somewhat towards the s.w. it resembles danish east anglia rather than the district of the five boroughs and it is possible that the boundary of guthrum's east anglian kingdom, which is only carried as far as stony stratford in the peace of alfred and guthrum, really ran along watling street for a few miles, giving two-thirds of that county to the east anglian realm. northumbria was governed by a succession of kings. the five boroughs formed a loose confederation, and there can be no question that the districts which 'obeyed' (_v. supra_, p. ) the boroughs of derby, leicester, nottingham, lincoln (and stamford) and northampton form the modern counties named from these towns. it is also to danish influence direct or indirect that we owe the similar organisation of the counties of huntingdonshire, cambridgeshire, bedfordshire and hertfordshire in the old east anglian kingdom. each of these counties had a _jarl_ or earl, whose headquarters were at the 'borough.' he summoned the _here_, whether for political or military purposes, and when these counties passed once more under english rule he fulfilled the functions of the older _ealdorman_. in east anglia, apart from place-names (_v. supra_, p. ) and carucal assessment in norfolk and suffolk, we are left with the boundaries of guthrum's kingdom and with various miscellaneous evidence for estimating the extent of scandinavian influence. there is a curious 'hundredus dacorum' (cf. _supra_, p. ) in hertfordshire, while the _historia eliensis_ and other documents tend to show the presence of a strong danish element in the population and social organisation of the districts around cambridge. the kingship of east anglia came to an end early in the th century, and it is probable that its organisation was then changed to one resembling that of the five boroughs, viz. a number of districts grouped around central 'boroughs,' which afterwards became counties, except in the older divisions of norfolk and suffolk. a careful study of domesday and other authorities reveals many other features of interest in our social system which were due to viking influence. certain types of manorial structure are specially common in the danelagh. manor and vill are by no means identical, indeed several manors are included under one vill. very frequent is the type which consists in a central manor with sokeland appurtenant. in the danelagh there was a large number of small freeholders and the free peasant class was much more numerous than in anglo-saxon england. these districts stand in clear contrast to the strongly manorialised southern counties and they were not feudalised to any appreciable extent before the norman conquest. when that system was imposed we often find single knight's fees having to be taken over by entire communities of sokemen. the 'holds' of northumbria, who rank next after the earls, and the 'drengs' of cumberland, westmorland, lancashire, northumberland and durham, are also of scandinavian origin. the 'dreng' was 'a free servant of the king endowed with lands' and the name still survives in the yorkshire place-name dringhouses. the legal instinct was strong in the scandinavian mind and english law bears deep marks of its influence. the very word 'law' itself is of scandinavian origin and has replaced the english 'doom.' the chief judicial authority in lincoln, stamford, cambridge, chester and york was in the hands of twelve _lagmen_ or _judices_. these 'lawmen' (_v. supra_, p. ) though they had judicial authority were not chosen by the king or by popular election. their position was hereditary. of special interest are the ' senior thanes' of aethelred's laws for the five boroughs enacted at wantage in . they have to come forward in the court of every wapentake and to swear that they will not accuse wrongly any innocent man or conceal any guilty one. the exact force of this enactment has been a matter of dispute--whether the thanes simply bore witness to the personal status of the accused, thus enabling the court to determine the ordeal through which he should be put, or whether we have an anticipation of the system of presentment by jury. whatever may be the exact truth there can be little doubt, says dr vinogradoff, that such a custom prepared the way for the indictment jury of the th century. the same author attributes to danish influence a new conception of crime. it is no longer merely a breach of the peace or the result of a feud, to be settled by monetary compensation, it is a breach of that conception of honour which binds together military societies. the criminal is now branded as _nithing_, a man unworthy of comradeship with his fellow-warriors. unfortunately it is only within the last few years that the question of danish influence on our social, political and legal systems has been treated at all seriously and much work still remains to be done, but we can already see that the danes affected english life far more deeply than a superficial glance might suggest. doubtless the danish invasions struck a heavy blow at learning and literature, a blow from the effects of which not even the heroic activities of an alfred could save them, but there can be no question that in the development of town life, in the promotion of trade, in the improvement of organisation and administration, in the modification of legal procedure the invaders conferred great benefits on the country as a whole. footnotes: [ ] in scotland it is used of a hollow pass in a ridge. [ ] the _ore_ as a unit of weight for silver is of scandinavian origin. in some districts it was of the value of pence, in others of pence, and eight _ores_ went to the _mark_. chapter xii scandinavian influence in the empire and iceland considering the long and devastating campaign of the vikings within the frankish empire and more especially within its western portion, it is surprising that they only formed permanent settlements in one small area, leaving practically no marks of their presence elsewhere. great portions of the low countries were in almost continuous occupation by them during the th century, but the opportunity was lost, and beyond an important share in the development of the trade of duurstede, the vikings hardly left a sign of their influence behind them. the case of normandy is different. here we have a definite district assigned to the invaders, just as the danelagh was given to them in england, and the whole of that territory is deeply impregnated with their influence. many of the norman towns in -_ville_ contain as the first element in their name a norse personal name, e.g. catteville, cauverville, colleville, fouqueville, hacqueville containing the names _káte_, _kálfr_, _kolr_, _fólki_, _hákon_, while the suffixes -_bec_, -_beuf_, -_dale_, -_ey_, -_gard_, -_londe_, -_torp_, -_tot_, -_tuit_, -_vic_ as in bolbec, elbeuf, saussedalle, jersey, eppegard, mandelonde, torgistorp, abbetot, bracquetuit, barvic go back to o.n. _bekkr_, _búð_ (booth), _dalr_, _ey_ (island), _garðr_, _lundr_, _þorp_, _topt_, _þveit_, _vík_ (_v. supra_, pp. - ). the dialect of normandy to this day contains a good number of scandinavian words, and others have been introduced into the standard language. some of these have also found their way into english through our norman conquerors, e.g. _abet_, _baggage_, _elope_, _equip_, _jolly_, _rubbish_, _scoop_, _strife_ just as the _bulbeck_ in swaffham bulbeck (cambs.) and bulbeck common above blanchland in northumberland is from the great norman barony of bulbeck, so named after bolbec in normandy, of which they once formed part. norman law and customs also show many traces of scandinavian influence and so does norman folk-lore. the normans still looked to denmark as their home-land down to the end of the th century, and at least twice during the reign of harold bluetooth their dukes received help from that country. the nobles soon ceased to speak their old northern language, but it is probable that it remained current on the lips of the people for some considerable time longer. the vikings always showed themselves keenly sensitive to the influence of a civilisation higher or more developed than their own, and this is nowhere more apparent than in normandy. heathenism found a champion as late as when, on the death of william longsword, a rising of heathen normans was crushed with the aid of the frankish king, but for the most part the normans soon showed themselves devout sons of the church and were destined in the th century to be numbered among the most ardent supporters of the crusades. with the adoption of christianity they learned to respect and honour those homes of learning which they had once devastated for their wealth of hoarded treasure, and the famous school at bec, whence came lanfranc and anselm, was only one among many which they richly endowed and supported. their religious and artistic feeling found expression in that development of romanesque architecture which we know as norman and which has given so many famous buildings not only to normandy but to england, to sicily and to southern italy generally. in literature the norman-french _trouvères_ did much towards popularising the romances of war and adventure which play so important a part in medieval literature, and when they settled in england it was largely due to anglo-norman poets that 'the matter of britain' became one of the great subjects of romance for all time. in its social organisation normandy seems speedily to have been feudalised. rollo divided the land among a comparatively small number of large landholders and the system of land tenure was quite different from that in the english danelagh with its large number of small freeholders. on the other hand it was probably due to norse traditions of personal freedom that serfdom disappeared earlier in normandy than in any other of the french provinces. trade and commerce were fostered here as everywhere by the vikings. it was the normans who first taught the french to become a power at sea, many french naval terms are of norman origin and from the norman province have come some of france's greatest sea-captains. the vikings like the franks before them threw off their old speech and submitted to the all-embracing power of latin civilisation, and the result was a race endowed with vigorous personality, untiring activity, and the instinct for ruling men. the normans may have become largely french but they lost none of their old enterprise and spirit of adventure. in the th century they conquered england and founded great kingdoms for themselves in sicily and south italy. no viking stock was more vigorous than that which resulted from the grafting of gallo-latin culture on the ruder civilisation of the teutonic north. their influence on france as a whole is not nearly as great as the influence of their kinsmen in england, probably because english government was centralised (under norman rule) much sooner than french government, and their influence was thus able to make itself felt outside the actual districts in which they settled. the settlement of normandy helped however towards the consolidation of power in the hands of charles the bald and his successors, much as the settlement of the danelagh helped in establishing the final supremacy of wessex. it remains to speak of one great home of viking civilisation to which more than one reference has been made in previous chapters, viz. iceland. the story of its settlement is a very simple one. it commenced about , when many great norwegian noblemen sought there for themselves and their followers a freer life than they could obtain under the growing power of harold fairhair. it was greatly strengthened by settlers both from norway and from ireland and the western islands when that power was firmly established by the battle of hafrsfjord, and by the year the settlement was practically complete. iceland was more purely scandinavian than any other settlement made during the viking age. here we have not the case of one civilisation grafted on another and earlier one as in england, ireland or the frankish empire, but the transference of the best and finest elements in a nation to new and virgin soil where, for good or ill, they were free to develop their civilisation on almost entirely independent lines. settlers from the western islands and from ireland may have brought celtic elements, and christianity was not without influence, when it was introduced from norway at the close of the th century, but on the whole we see in iceland just what viking civilisation was capable of when left to itself. at first the settlers lived in almost complete isolation, political and religious, from one another, but they soon found that some form of organisation was necessary and groups of settlers began by choosing from among their number a _goði_, or chieftain, half-priest, half-leader, who was the speaker at their moot and their representative in negotiation with neighbouring groups. then, continued disputes and the lack of a common law led to the establishment of a central moot or _alþing_, with a speaker to speak one single law for all. but the norsemen were much better at making constitutions and enacting laws than they were at observing them when instituted, and the condition of iceland has been vividly if roughly summarised as one of 'all law and no government.' the local _þings_ or the national _alþing_ might enact perfect laws, but there was no compelling force, except public opinion, to make them be obeyed. even the introduction of christianity made no difference: the icelanders quarrelled as bitterly over questions of ecclesiastical as of civil law and the authorities of the medieval church were scandalised by their anarchic love of freedom. in the words of professor ker 'the settlers made a commonwealth of their own, which was in contradiction to all the prejudices of the middle ages and of all ancient and modern political philosophy; a commonwealth which was not a state, which had no government, no sovereignty.' 'it was anarchy without a police-constable.' the result was that the rich men grew richer, the poor became poorer, the smaller gentry died out and the large estates fell into fewer and fewer hands. the great men quarrelled among themselves, intrigued against one another and played into the hands of the norwegian kings who were only waiting their opportunity. it came in the days of hákon the old. 'land and thanes' were sworn into subjection to that king at the althing in , and in the old icelandic common law was superseded by a new norse code. the failure of the icelandic commonwealth is amply compensated for by the rich intellectual development of icelandic literature, which owed many of its most characteristic features to the fact that it was written in a land almost completely isolated and detached from the main currents of western medieval thought and the general trend of european history, but in itself that failure is full of deepest import for a right understanding of the part played by viking civilisation in europe. powerful and highly developed as that civilisation was in many ways, it only reached its highest and best expression when brought into fruitful contact with other and older civilisations. there it found the corrective for certain inherent weaknesses, more especially for certain tendencies of too strongly individualistic character leading to political and intellectual anarchy, while at the same time by its own energy and vigour it quickened the life of the older civilisations where they were tending to become effete or outworn. the germanic peoples had done much for the development of european civilisation in the time of the wanderings of the nations, but by the end of the th century they had lost much of their pristine vigour through contact with the richer and more luxurious civilisation of the roman world. it was reserved for the north germanic peoples, or the northmen as we can more fitly describe them, in the th and th centuries to give a yet more powerful stimulus to european life, if not to european thought, a stimulus which perhaps found its highest expression in the great creations of the norman race in the world of politics, the world of commerce, the world of architecture and the world of letters. bibliography [the appended bibliography does not attempt to deal with primary authorities, with the large mass of valuable periodical literature which has been published within the last thirty years, or with books only incidentally concerned with the movement. it is much to be regretted that so few of the important scandinavian books on the subject have been translated into english.] bjÖrkman, e. scandinavian loan-words in middle english. halle. . bugge, a. vikingerne. series. christiania. - . (german trans. of st series. leipzig. .) ---- vesterlandenes inflydelse paa nordboernes i vikingetiden. christiania. . ---- norges historie. vol. i, pt. ii. christiania. . collingwood, w. g. scandinavian britain. london. . craigie, w. a. the religion of ancient scandinavia. london. . dietrichson, l. and meyer, s. monumenta orcadica. christiania. . (abridged english edition.) du chaillu, p. b. the viking age. vols. london. . gustafson, g. norges oldtid. christiania. . henderson, g. the norse influence on celtic scotland. glasgow. . keary, c. f. the vikings in western christendom. london. . kermode, p. m. c. manx crosses. london. . maurer, k. die bekehrung des norwegischen stammes. vols. munich. - . montelius, o. sveriges historia. vol. i. stockholm. . (german tr. kulturgeschichte schwedens. leipzig. .) mÜller, s. vor oldtid. copenhagen. . (german tr. nordische altertümskunde. vols. strasburg. - .) olrik, a. nordisk aaandsliv i vikingetid. copenhagen. . (german tr. nordisches geistesleben. heidelberg. .) steenstrup, j. c. h. r. normannerne. vols. copenhagen. - . ---- danmarks riges historie. vol. i. copenhagen. - . thomsen, v. the relations between ancient russia and scandinavia. oxford. . vogel, w. die normannen und das fränkische reich. heidelberg. . vogt, l. j. dublin som norsk by. christiania. . the publications of the viking club (saga-book and year book) include papers on various aspects of the movement and notices of the literature of the subject as well as descriptions of various archaeological discoveries. index aethelflæd of mercia, , , aethelstan, - alfred the great, - altar-ring, , _althing_, anlaf godfreyson, ; sihtricsson (cuaran), , , , - , arabic historians, references in, , , auðr the deep-thoughted, , , , , _bautasteinar_, björkö, , , björn ironside, , , black foreigners, brian borumha, , - brunanburh, , , burial ceremonies, - , - _carucates_, - christianity, , , , , - clontarf, - , , , cnut, - , , _daci_, , danegeld, - , danelagh boundaries, , - ; reconquest, - danes, _passim_ denmark, , , - , , - _drengs_ - _dubh-gaill_, dublin, , , - , , - , , , , - east anglia, , , - , , - eddaic poems, , - edmund ironside, - edward the elder, , england, invasion of, , - ; influence in, - eric blood-axe, - ethelred the unready, - faroes, , _fin-gaill_, five boroughs, , , , - frisia, - , france, invasions of, - , - ; influence in, - frisians, _gaill-gaedhil_, , , galloway, , gokstad ship, greenland, guthrum of east anglia, - hásteinn (hastingus), , , , hafrsfjord, , hákon aðalsteinsfóstri, - , halfdanr, , , , harold bluetooth, , - , harold fairhair, , , , , harold hardrada, , , harold of mainz, , - , heathenism, , - hebrides, , , , - , _hiruath_, _holds_, hörðaland, hörðai, , _hows_, iceland, , , , - ireland, attacks on, - , , - ; danes and norsemen in, - ; influence in, - Ívarr the boneless, , - , - _jarls_, , jellinge stone, jómsborg, jómsvikings, - , , jury, presentation by, ketill finn, ketill flatnose, , _lawmen_, , , limerick, , , , _lochlann_, _ludwigslied_, _madjus_, maeshowe, , maldon, battle of, man, isle of, , , , - , - _nithing_, noirmoutier, , , norsemen, norwegians, _passim_ northumbria, , - , , - , , , , , - normandy, - , - norway, , ; christianity in, - odin, , , ohthere, Óttarr, , olaf tryggvason, , , , , olaf the white, , - , , _ore_, orkneys, , , , - , ornamentation, style of, , - ornaments, - oseberg ship, - _ostmen_, _oðal_, , paris, , - place-names, influence on scottish, ; irish, - ; english, - _prime-signing_, ragnarr loðbrók, - , , , rhôs, , , - _ridings_, rollo, , , runic inscriptions, , , - , - , - rus, - russia, founding of, - st anskar, , st edmund, st olaf, , _scaldingi_, scandinavian loan-words in english, - sculptured stones, , , - seven boroughs, shetlands, , , , - , ship-burials, - ships, , - shires, origin of, _n_., sigurd of the orkneys, , - slesvík, , , sodor and man, stamford bridge, _suðreyjar_, svein forkbeard, , , , sweden, , swedes, , , - _thing_, , - thor, , , trade, character of, - ; oriental, , - ; russian, - ; irish, turf-einar, turges, , tynwald court, _udal_ and _udaller_, varangians, variags, , - vestfold, , viking, the term, viking movement, causes of, - vinland, _wapentake_, weapons, - wedmore, peace of, _westfaldingi_, white foreigners, women, position of, - , york, , , cambridge: printed by john clay, m.a. at the university press. the cambridge manuals of science and literature published by the cambridge university press general editors p. giles, litt.d. master of emmanuel college and a. c. seward, m.a., f.r.s. professor of botany in the university of cambridge sixty volumes now ready _history and archaeology_ ancient assyria. by rev. c. h. w. johns, litt.d. ancient babylonia. by rev. c. h. w. johns, litt.d. a history of civilization in palestine. by prof. r. a. s. macalister, m.a., f.s.a. china and the manchus. by prof. h. a. giles, ll.d. the civilization of ancient mexico. by lewis spence. the vikings. by prof. allen mawer, m.a. new zealand. by the hon. sir robert stout, k.c.m.g., ll.d., and j. logan stout, ll.b. (n.z.). the ground plan of the english parish church. by a. hamilton thompson, m.a., f.s.a. the historical growth of the english parish church. by a. hamilton thompson, m.a., f.s.a. brasses. by j. s. m. ward, b.a., f.r.hist.s. ancient stained and painted glass. by f. s. eden. _literary history_ the early religious poetry of the hebrews. by the rev. e. g. king, d.d. the early religious poetry of persia. by the rev. prof. j. hope moulton, d.d., d.theol. (berlin). the history of the english bible. by the rev. john brown, d.d. english dialects from the eighth century to the present day. by w. w. skeat, litt.d., d.c.l., f.b.a. king arthur in history and legend. by prof. w. lewis jones, m.a. the icelandic sagas. by w. a. craigie, ll.d. greek tragedy. by j. t. sheppard, m.a. the ballad in literature. by t. f. henderson. goethe and the twentieth century. by prof. j. g. robertson, m.a., ph.d. the troubadours. by the rev. h. j. chaytor, m.a. _philosophy and religion_ the idea of god in early religions. by dr f. b. jevons. comparative religion. by dr f. b. jevons. the moral life and moral worth. by prof. sorley, litt.d. the english puritans. by the rev. john brown, d.d. an historical account of the rise and development of presbyterianism in scotland. by the rt hon. the lord balfour of burleigh, k.t., g.c.m.g. methodism. by rev. h. b. workman, d.lit. _education_ life in the medieval university. by r. s. rait, m.a. _economics_ cash and credit. by d. a. barker, i.c.s. _law_ the administration of justice in criminal matters (in england and wales). by g. glover alexander, m.a., ll.m. _biology_ the coming of evolution. by prof. j. w. judd, c.b., f.r.s. heredity in the light of recent research. by l. doncaster, m.a. primitive animals. by geoffrey smith, m.a. the individual in the animal kingdom. by j. s. huxley, b.a. life in the sea. by james johnstone, b.sc. the migration of birds. by t. a. coward. spiders. by c. warburton, m.a. house flies. by c. g. hewitt, d.sc. earthworms and their allies. by f. e. beddard, f.r.s. _anthropology_ the wanderings of peoples. by dr a. c. haddon, f.r.s. prehistoric man. by dr w. l. h. duckworth. _geology_ rocks and their origins. by prof. grenville a. j. cole. the work of rain and rivers. by t. g. bonney, sc.d. the natural history of coal. by dr e. a. newell arber. the natural history of clay. by alfred b. searle. the origin of earthquakes. by c. davison, sc.d., f.g.s. _botany_ plant-animals: a study in symbiosis. by prof. f. w. keeble. plant-life on land. by prof. f. o. bower, sc.d., f.r.s. links with the past in the plant-world. by prof. a. c. seward. _physics_ the earth. by prof. j. h. poynting, f.r.s. the atmosphere. by a. j. berry, m.a. the physical basis of music. by a. wood, m.a. _psychology_ an introduction to experimental psychology. by dr c. s. myers. the psychology of insanity. by bernard hart, m.d. _industrial and mechanical science_ the modern locomotive. by c. edgar allen, a.m.i.mech.e. the modern warship. by e. l. attwood. aerial locomotion. by e. h. harper, m.a., and allan e. ferguson, b.sc. electricity in locomotion. by a. g. whyte, b.sc. the story of a loaf of bread. by prof. t. b. wood, m.a. brewing. by a. chaston chapman, f.i.c. some volumes in preparation _history and archaeology_ the aryans. by prof. m. winternitz. the peoples of india. by j. d. anderson. prehistoric britain. by l. mcl. mann. the balkan peoples. by j. d. bourchier. the evolution of japan. by prof. j. h. longford. the west indies. by sir daniel morris, k.c.m.g. the royal navy. by john leyland. gypsies. by john sampson. english monasteries. by a. h. thompson, m.a. a grammar of heraldry. by w. h. st john hope, litt.d. celtic art. by joseph anderson, ll.d. _literary history_ the book. by h. g. aldis, m.a. pantomime. by d. l. murray. folk song and dance. by miss neal and f. kitson. _philosophy and religion_ the moral and political ideas of plato. by mrs a. m. adam. the beautiful. by vernon lee. _economics_ the theory of money. by d. a. barker. women's work. by miss constance smith. _education_ german school education. by prof. k. h. breul, litt.d. the old grammar schools. by prof. foster watson. _physics_ beyond the atom. by prof. j. cox. the sun. by prof. r. a. sampson. wireless telegraphy. by c. l. fortescue, m.a. röntgen rays. by prof. w. h. bragg, f.r.s. _biology_ bees and wasps. by o. h. latter, m.a. the life-story of insects. by prof. g. h. carpenter. the wanderings of animals. by h. f. gadow, m.a., f.r.s. _geology_ submerged forests. by clement reid, f.r.s. coast erosion. by prof. t. j. jehu. _industrial and mechanical science_ coal mining. by t. c. cantrill. leather. by prof. h. r. procter. cambridge university press c. f. clay, manager london: fetter lane, e.c. edinburgh: , princes street transcriber's notes obvious errors of punctuation and diacritics repaired. inconsistent hyphenation fixed. p. : murray -> moray. p. : nordisk aaandsliv -> nordisk aandsliv. p. : cnut, - -> cnut, - . erling the bold, by r.m. ballantyne. chapter one. in which the tale begins somewhat furiously. by the early light of a bright summer morning, long, long ago, two small boats were seen to issue from one of the fiords or firths on the west coast of norway, and row towards the skerries or low rocky islets that lay about a mile distant from the mainland. although the morning was young, the sun was already high in the heavens, and brought out in glowing colours the varied characteristics of a mountain scene of unrivalled grandeur. the two shallops moved swiftly towards the islands, their oars shivering the liquid mirror of the sea, and producing almost the only sound that disturbed the universal stillness, for at that early hour nature herself seemed buried in deep repose. a silvery mist hung over the water, through which the innumerable rocks and islands assumed fantastic shapes, and the more distant among them appeared as though they floated in air. a few seagulls rose startled from their nests, and sailed upwards with plaintive cries, as the keels of the boats grated on the rocks, and the men stepped out and hauled them up on the beach of one of the islets. a wild uncouth crew were those norsemen of old! all were armed, for in their days the power and the means of self-defence were absolutely necessary to self-preservation. most of them wore portions of scale armour, or shirts of ring mail, and headpieces of steel, though a few among them appeared to have confidence in the protection afforded by the thick hide of the wolf, which, converted into rude, yet not ungraceful, garments, covered their broad shoulders. all, without exception, carried sword or battle-axe and shield. they were goodly stalwart men every one, but silent and stern. it might have been observed that the two boats, although bound for the same islet, did not row in company. they were beached as far from each other as the little bay into which they ran would admit of, and the crews stood aloof in two distinct groups. in the centre of each group stood a man who, from his aspect and bearing, appeared to be superior to his fellows. one was in the prime of life, dark and grave; the other in the first flush of manhood, full grown, though beardless, fair, and ruddy. both were taller and stouter than their comrades. the two men had met there to fight, and the cause of their feud was-- love! both loved a fair norse maiden in horlingdal. the father of the maid favoured the elder warrior; the maid herself preferred the younger. in those days, barbarous though they undoubtedly were, law and justice were more respected and more frequently appealed to in norway than in almost any other country. liberty, crushed elsewhere under the deadweight of feudalism, found a home in the bleak north, and a rough but loving welcome from the piratical, sea-roving! she did not, indeed, dwell altogether scathless among her demi-savage guardians, who, if their perceptions of right and wrong were somewhat confused, might have urged in excuse that their light was small. she received many shocks and frequent insults from individuals, but liberty was sincerely loved and fondly cherished by the body of the norwegian people, through all the period of those dark ages during which other nations scarce dared to mention her name. nevertheless, it was sometimes deemed more convenient to settle disputes by the summary method of an appeal to arms than to await the issue of a tedious and uncertain lawsuit such an appeal being perfectly competent to those who preferred it, and the belief being strong among the fiery spirits of the age that odin, the god of war, would assuredly give victory to the right. in the present instance it was not considered any infringement of the law of liberty that the issue of the combat would be the disposal of a fair woman's hand, with or without her heart. then, as now, women were often forced to marry against their will. having gone to that island to fight--an island being a naturally circumscribed battlefield whose limits could not conveniently be transgressed--the two champions set to work at once with the cool businesslike promptitude of men sprung from a warlike race, and nurtured from their birth in the midst of war's alarms. together, and without speaking, they ascended the rock, which was low and almost barren, with a small extent of turf in the centre, level, and admirably suited to their purpose. here they faced each other; the one drew his sword, the other raised his battle-axe. there was no sentiment in that combat. the times and the men were extremely matter-of-fact. the act of slaying gracefully had not yet been acquired; yet there was much of manly grace displayed as each threw himself into the position that nature and experience had taught him was best suited to the wielding of his peculiar weapon. for one instant each gazed intently into the face of the other, as if to read there his premeditated plan of attack. at that moment the clear blue eye of the younger man dilated, and, as his courage rose, the colour mounted to his cheek. the swart brow of the other darkened as he marked the change; then, with sudden spring and shout, the two fell upon each other and dealt their blows with incredible vigour and rapidity. they were a well-matched pair. for nearly two hours did they toil and moil over the narrow limits of that sea-girt rock--yet victory leaned to neither side. now the furious blows rained incessant on the sounding shields; anon the din of strife ceased, while the combatants moved round each other, shifting their position with elastic step, as, with wary motion and eagle glances, each sought to catch the other off his guard, and the clash of steel, as the weapons met in sudden onset, was mingled with the shout of anger or defiance. the sun glanced on whirling blade and axe, and sparkled on their coats of mail as if the lightning flash were playing round them; while screaming seamews flew and circled overhead, as though they regarded with intelligent interest and terror the mortal strife that was going on below. blood ere long began to flow freely on both sides; the vigour of the blows began to abate, the steps to falter. the youthful cheek grew pale; the dark warrior's brow grew darker, while heaving chests, labouring breath, and an occasional gasp, betokened the approaching termination of the struggle. suddenly the youth, as if under the influence of a new impulse, dropped his shield, sprang forward, raised himself to his full height, grasped his axe with both hands, and, throwing it aloft (thus recklessly exposing his person), brought it down with terrific violence on the shield of his adversary. the action was so sudden that the other, already much exhausted, was for the moment paralysed, and failed to take advantage of his opportunity. he met but failed to arrest the blow with his shield. it was crushed down upon his head, and in another moment the swarthy warrior lay stretched upon the turf. sternly the men conveyed their fallen chief to his boat, and rowed him to the mainland, and many a week passed by ere he recovered from the effects of the blow that felled him. his conqueror returned to have his wounds dressed by the bride for whom he had fought so long and so valiantly on that bright summer morning. thus it was that king haldor of horlingdal, surnamed the fierce, conquered king ulf of romsdal, acquired his distinctive appellation, and won herfrida the soft-eyed for his bride. it must not be supposed that these warriors were kings in the ordinary acceptation of that term. they belonged to the class of "small" or petty kings, of whom there were great numbers in norway in those days, and were merely rich and powerful free-landholders or udallers. haldor the fierce had a large family of sons and daughters. they were all fair, strong, and extremely handsome, like himself. ulf of romsdal did not die of his wounds, neither did he die of love. disappointed love was then, as now, a terrible disease, but not necessarily fatal. northmen were very sturdy in the olden time. they almost always recovered from that disease sooner or later. when his wounds were healed, ulf married a fair girl of the horlingdal district, and went to reside there, but his change of abode did not alter his title. he was always spoken of as ulf of romsdal. he and his old enemy haldor the fierce speedily became fast friends; and so was it with their wives, astrid and herfrida, who also took mightily to each other. they span, and carded wool, and sewed together oftentimes, and discussed the affairs of horlingdal, no doubt with mutual advantage and satisfaction. twenty years passed away, and haldor's eldest son, erling, grew to be a man. he was very like his father--almost a giant in size; fair, very strong, and remarkably handsome. his silken yellow hair fell in heavy curls on a pair of the broadest shoulders in the dale. although so young, he already had a thick short beard, which was very soft and curly. his limbs were massive, but they were so well proportioned, and his movements so lithe, that his great size and strength were not fully appreciated until one stood close by his side or fell into his powerful grasp. erling was lion-like, yet he was by nature gentle and retiring. he had a kindly smile, a hearty laugh, and bright blue eyes. had he lived in modern days he would undoubtedly have been a man of peace. but he lived "long long ago"--therefore he was a man of war. being unusually fearless, his companions of the valley called him erling the bold. he was, moreover, extremely fond of the sea, and often went on viking cruises in his own ships, whence he was also styled erling the sea-king, although he did not at that time possess a foot of land over which to exercise kingly authority. now, it must be explained here that the words sea-king and viking do not denote the same thing. one is apt to be misled by the termination of the latter word, which has no reference whatever to the royal title king. a viking was merely a piratical rover on the sea, the sea-warrior of the period, but a sea-king was a leader and commander of vikings. every sea-king was a viking, but every viking was not a sea-king; just as every admiral is a sailor, but every sailor is not an admiral. when it is said that erling was a sea-king, it is much as if we had said he was an admiral in a small way. chapter two. introduces, among others, the hero and heroine, and opens up a view of norse life in the olden time. ulf of romsdal had a daughter named hilda. she was fair, and extremely pretty. the young men said that her brow was the habitation of the lily, her eye the mirror of the heavens, her cheek the dwelling-place of the rose. true, in the ardour of their feelings and strength of their imaginations they used strong language; nevertheless it was impossible to overpraise the norse maiden. her nut-brown hair fell in luxuriant masses over her shapely shoulders, reaching far below the waist; her skin was fair, and her manners engaging. hilda was undoubtedly blue-eyed and beautiful. she was just seventeen at this time. those who loved her (and there were few who did not) styled her the sunbeam. erling and hilda had dwelt near each other from infancy. they had been playmates, and for many years were as brother and sister to each other. erling's affection had gradually grown into a stronger passion, but he never mentioned the fact to anyone, being exceedingly shamefaced and shy in regard to love. he would have given his ears to have known that his love was returned, but he dared not to ask. he was very stupid on this point. in regard to other things he was sharp-witted above his fellows. none knew better than he how to guide the "warship" through the intricate mazes of the island-studded coast of norway; none equalled him in deeds of arms; no one excelled him in speed of foot, in scaling the fells, or in tracking the wolf and bear to their dens; but all beat him in love-making! he was wondrously slow and obtuse at that, and could by no means discover whether or not hilda regarded him as a lover or a brother. as uncertainty on this point continued, erling became jealous of all the young men who approached her, and in proportion as this feeling increased his natural disposition changed, and his chafing spirit struggled fiercely within him. but his native good sense and modesty enabled him pretty well to conceal his feelings. as for hilda, no one knew the state of her mind. it is probable that at this time she herself had not a very distinct idea on the point. hilda had a foster-sister named ada, who was also very beautiful. she was unusually dark for a norse maiden. her akin indeed was fair, but her hair and eyes were black like the raven's wing. her father was king hakon of drontheim. it was the custom in those warlike days for parents to send out some of their children to be fostered by others--in order, no doubt, to render next to impossible the total extirpation of their families at a time when sudden descents upon households were common. by thus scattering their children the chances of family annihilation were lessened, and the probability that some members might be left alive to take revenge was greatly increased. hilda and ada were warmly attached. having been brought up together, they loved each other as sisters--all the more, perhaps, that in character they were somewhat opposed. hilda was grave, thoughtful, almost pensive. ada was full of vivacity and mirth, fond of fun, and by no means averse to a little of what she styled harmless mischief. now there was a man in horlingdal called glumm, surnamed the gruff, who loved ada fervently. he was a stout, handsome man, of ruddy complexion, and second only to erling in personal strength and prowess. but by nature he was morose and gloomy. nothing worse, however, could be said of him. in other respects he was esteemed a brave, excellent man. glumm was too proud to show his love to ada very plainly; but she had wit enough to discover it, though no one else did, and she resolved to punish him for his pride by keeping him in suspense. horlingdal, where ulf and haldor and their families dwelt was, like nearly all the vales on the west of norway, hemmed in by steep mountains of great height, which were covered with dark pines and birch trees. to the level pastures high up on mountain tops the inhabitants were wont to send their cattle to feed in summer--the small crops of hay in the valleys being carefully gathered and housed for winter use. every morning, before the birds began to twitter, hilda set out, with her pail and her wooden box, to climb the mountain to the upland dairy or "saeter", and fetch the milk and butter required by the family during the day. although the maid was of noble birth--ulf claiming descent from one of those who are said to have come over with odin and his twelve godars or priests from asia--this was not deemed an inappropriate occupation. among the norsemen labour was the lot of high and low. he was esteemed the best man who could fight most valiantly in battle and labour most actively in the field or with the tools of the smith and carpenter. ulf of romsdal, although styled king in virtue of his descent, was not too proud, in the busy summertime, to throw off his coat and toss the hay in his own fields in the midst of his thralls [slaves taken in war] and house-carles. neither he, nor haldor, nor any of the small kings, although they were the chief men of the districts in which they resided, thought it beneath their dignity to forge their own spearheads and anchors, or to mend their own doors. as it was with the men, so was it with the women. hilda the sunbeam was not despised because she climbed the mountainside to fetch milk and butter for the family. one morning, in returning from the fell, hilda heard the loud clatter of the anvil at haldorstede. having learned that morning that danish vikings had been seen prowling among the islands near the fiord, she turned aside to enquire the news. haldorstede lay about a mile up the valley, and hilda passed it every morning on her way to and from the saeter. ulfstede lay near the shore of the fiord. turning into the smithy, she found erling busily engaged in hammering a huge mass of stubborn red-hot metal. so intent was the young man on his occupation that he failed to observe the entrance of his fair visitor, who set down her milk pail, and stood for a few minutes with her hands folded and her eyes fixed demurely on her lover. erling had thrown off his jerkin and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt of coarse homespun fabric, in order to give his thick muscular arms unimpeded play in wielding the hammer and turning the mass of glowing metal on the anvil. he wore woollen breeches and hose, both of which had been fashioned by the fingers of his buxom mother, herfrida. a pair of neatly formed shoes of untanned hide--his own workmanship--protected his feet, and his waist was encircled by a broad leathern girdle, from one side of which depended a short hunting-knife, and from the other a flap, with a slit in it, to support his sword. the latter weapon--a heavy double-edged blade--stood leaning against the forge chimney, along with a huge battle-axe, within reach of his hand. the collar of his shirt was thrown well back, exposing to view a neck and chest whose muscles denoted extraordinary power, and the whiteness of which contrasted strikingly with the ruddy hue of his deeply bronzed countenance. the young giant appeared to take pleasure in the exercise of his superabundant strength, for, instead of using the ordinary single-hand hammer with which other men were wont to bend the glowing metal to their will, he wielded the great forehammer, and did it as easily, too, with his right arm as if it had been but a wooden mallet. the mass of metal at which he wrought was thick and unyielding, but under his heavy blows it began to assume the form of an axe--a fact which hilda noticed with a somewhat saddened brow. erling's long hair, rolling as it did down his shoulders, frequently straggled over his face and interfered slightly with his vision, whereupon he shook it back with an impatient toss, as a lion might shake his mane, while he toiled with violent energy at his work. to look at him, one might suppose that vulcan himself had condescended to visit the abodes of men, and work in a terrestrial smithy! during one of the tosses with which he threw back his hair, erling chanced to raise his eyes, which instantly fell upon hilda. a glad smile beamed on his flushed face, and he let the hammer fall with a ringing clatter on the anvil, exclaiming: "ha! good morrow to thee, hilda! thou comest with stealthy tread, like the midnight marauder. what news? does all go well at ulfstede? but why so sad, hilda? thy countenance is not wont to quarrel with the mountain air." "truly, no!" replied the girl, smiling, "mountain air likes me well. if my looks are sadder than usual, it is because of the form of the weapon thou art fashioning." "the weapon!" exclaimed erling, as he raised the handle of the hammer, and, resting his arms on it, gazed at his visitor in some surprise. "it is but an axe--a simple axe, perchance a trifle heavier than other axes because it suits my arm better, and i have a weakness that way. what ails thee at a battle-axe, hilda?" "i quarrel not with the axe, erling, but it reminds me of thy love of fighting, and i grieve for that. why art thou so fond of war?" "fond of war!" echoed the youth. "now, out upon thee, hilda! what were a man fit for if he could not fight?" "nay, i question not thine ability to fight, but i grieve to see thy love for fighting." "truly there seems to me a close relationship between the love of war and the ability to fight," returned the youth. "but to be plain with thee: i _do not_ love war so much as ye think. yet i utter this in thine ear, for i would not that the blades of the valley knew it, lest they might presume upon it, and i should have to prove my ability-- despite my want of love--upon some of their carcasses." "i wish there were no such thing as war," said hilda with a sigh. erling knitted his brows and gazed into the smithy fire as if he were engaged in pondering some knotty point. "well, i'm not sure," said he slowly, and descending to a graver tone of address--"i'm not sure that i can go quite so far as that. if we had no war at all, perchance our swords might rust, and our skill, for want of practice, might fail us in the hour of need. besides, how could men in that case hope to dwell with odin in valhalla's bright and merry halls? but i agree with thee in wishing that we had less of war and more of peace _at home_." "i fear," said hilda, "we seem likely to have more of war and less of peace than usual, if rumours be true. have you heard that danish vikings have been seen among the islands?" "aye, truly, i have heard of them, and it is that which has sent me to the smithy this morning to hasten forward my battle-axe; for i love not too light a weapon. you see, hilda, when it has not weight one must sometimes repeat the blow; especially if the mail be strong. but with a heavy axe and a stout arm there is no need for that. i had begun this weapon," continued the youth, as if he were musing aloud rather than speaking to his companion, "with intent to try its metal on the head of the king; but i fear me it will be necessary to use it in cracking a viking's headpiece before it cleaves a royal crown." "the king!" exclaimed hilda, with a look of surprise, not unmingled with terror, "erling, has ambition led thee to this?" "not so; but self-preservation urges me to it." the maiden paused a few seconds, ere she replied in a meditative voice--"the old man who came among us a year ago, and who calls himself christian, tells me that his god is not a god of war, like odin; he says that his god permits no war to men, save that of self-defence; but, erling, would slaying the king be indeed an act of self-preservation?" "aye, in good sooth would it," replied the youth quickly, while a dark frown crossed his brow. "how can that be?" asked the maiden. "hast such small love for gossip, hilda, that the foul deeds and ambitious projects of harald haarfager have not reached thine ear?" "i have heard," replied hilda, "that he is fond of war, which, truly, is no news, and that he is just now more busy with his bloody game than usual; but what does that matter to thee?" "matter!" cried the youth impatiently, as he seized the lump of metal on which he had been at work, and, thrusting it into the smouldering charcoal, commenced to blow the fire energetically, as if to relieve his feelings. "know ye not that the king--this harald fairhair--is not satisfied with the goodly domains that of right belong to him, and the kingly rule which he holds, according to law, over all norway, but that he means to subdue the whole land to himself, and trample on our necks as he has already trampled on our laws?" "i know somewhat of this," said hilda. "no one," pursued erling vehemently, and blowing the fire into a fervent heat--"no one denies to harald the right to wear the crown of norway. that was settled at the ore thing [see note ] in drontheim long ago; but everyone denies his right to interfere with our established laws and privileges. has he not, by mere might and force of arms, slain many, and enslaved others, of our best and bravest men? and now he proposes to reduce the whole land to slavery, or something like it, and all because of the foolish speech of a proud girl, who says she will not wed him until he shall first subdue to himself the whole of norway, and rule over it as fully and freely as king eric rules over sweden, or king gorm over denmark. he has sworn that he will neither clip nor comb his hair, until he has subdued all the land with scatt [taxes] and duties and domains, or die in the attempt. trust me! he is like to die in the attempt; and since his kingship is to be so little occupied with his hair, it would please me well if he would use his time and his shears in clipping the tongue of the wench that set him on so foul an errand. all this thou knowest, hilda, as well as i; but thou dost not know that men have been at the stede to-day, who tell us that the king is advancing north, and is victorious everywhere. already king gandalf and hako are slain; the two sons of king eystein have also fallen, and many of the upland kings have been burned, with most of their men, in a house at ringsager. it is not many days since harald went up gudbrandsdal, and north over the doverfielde, where he ordered all the men to be slain, and everything wide around to be given to the flames. king gryting of orkadal and all his people have sworn fidelity to him, and now--worst news of all--it is said he is coming over to pay us a visit in horlingdal. is not here cause for fighting in self-defence, or rather for country, and laws and freedom, and wives, and children, and--" the excited youth stopped abruptly, and, seizing the tongs, whirled the white mass of semi-molten steel upon the anvil, and fell to belabouring it with such goodwill that a bright shower of sparks drove hilda precipitately out of the workshop. the wrongs which roused the young norseman's indignation to such a pitch are matters of history. the government of the country at that time involved the democratic element very largely. no act or expedition of any importance could be done or undertaken without the previous deliberation and consent of a "thing", or assembly of landed proprietors. there were many different things--such as general things, district things, house things of the king's counsellors, and herd things of the court, etcetera, and to such of these there was a distinct and well-known trumpet call. there were also four great things which were legislative, while the small district things were only administrative. in addition to which there was the ore thing of drontheim, referred to by erling. at these things the king himself possessed no greater power than any of the bonders. he was only a "thing-man" at a thing. no wonder, then, that the self-governing and warlike norsemen could not bring themselves tamely to submit to the tyranny of harald haarfager, or fairhair, king of norway by hereditary right, when he cast aside all the restraints of ancient custom, and, in his effort to obtain more power, commenced those bloody wars with his subjects, which had the effect of causing many of his chief men to expatriate themselves and seek new homes in the islands of the great western sea, and which ultimately resulted in the subjugation (at least during that reign) of all the petty kings of norway. these small kings, be it observed, were not at that time exercising any illegal power, or in the occupation of any unwarrantable position, which could be pleaded by king harald in justification of his violent proceedings against them. the title of king did not imply independent sovereignty. they were merely the hereditary lords of the soil, who exercised independent and rightful authority over their own estates and households, and modified authority over their respective districts, subject, however, to the laws of the land--laws which were recognised and perfectly understood by the people and the king, and which were admitted by people and king alike to have more authority than the royal will itself. by law the small kings were bound to attend the meetings of the stor things or parliaments, at the summons of the sovereign, and to abide by the decisions of those assemblies, where all men met on an equal footing, but where, of course, intellectual power and eloquence led the multitude, for good or for evil, then just as they do now, and will continue to do as long as, and wherever, free discussion shall obtain. to say that the possession of power, wealth, or influence was frequently abused to the overawing and coercing of those assemblies, is simply to state that they were composed of human beings possessed of fallen natures. so thoroughly did the northmen appreciate the importance of having a right to raise their voices and to vote in the national parliaments, and so jealously did they assert and maintain their privileges, that the king himself--before he could, on his accession, assume the crown--was obliged to appear at the "thing", where a freeborn landholder proposed him, and where his title to the crown was investigated and proved in due form. no war expedition on a large scale could be undertaken until a thing had been converged, and requisition legally made by the king for a supply of men and arms; and, generally, whenever any act affecting national or even district interests was contemplated, it was necessary to assemble a thing, and consult with the people before anything could be done. it may be easily understood, then, with what an outburst of indignation a free and warlike race beheld the violent course pursued by harald fairhair, who roamed through the country with fire and sword, trampling on their cherished laws and privileges, subduing the petty kings, and placing them, when submissive, as jarls, i.e. earls or governors over the districts to collect the scatt or taxes, and manage affairs in his name and for his behoof. it is no wonder that erling the bold gathered his brow into an ominous frown, pressed his lips together, tossed his locks impatiently while he thought on these things and battered the iron mass on his anvil with the amount of energy that he would have expended in belabouring the head of king harald himself, had opportunity offered. erling's wrath cooled, however, almost instantly on his observing hilda's retreat before the fiery shower. he flung down his hammer, seized his battle-axe, and throwing it on his shoulder as he hurried out, speedily overtook her. "forgive my rude manners," he said. "my soul was chafed by the thoughts that filled my brain, and i scare knew what i did." "truly, thou man of fire," replied the girl, with an offended look, "i am of half a mind not to pardon thee. see, my kirtle is destroyed by the shower thou didst bestow upon me so freely." "i will repay thee that with such a kirtle as might grace a queen the next time i go on viking cruise." "meantime," said hilda, "i am to go about like a witch plucked somewhat hastily from the fire by a sympathising crone." "nay; herfrida will make thee a new kirtle of the best wool at haldorstede." "so thy mother, it seems, is to work and slave in order to undo thy mischief?" "then, if nothing else will content thee," said erling gaily, "i will make thee one myself; but it must be of leather, for i profess not to know how to stitch more delicate substance. but let me carry thy pitcher, hilda. i will go to ulfstede to hold converse with thy father on these matters, for it seemed to me that the clouds are gathering somewhat too thickly over the dale for comfort or peace to remain long with us." as the young man and maiden wended their way down the rocky path that skirted the foaming horlingdal river, hilda assumed a more serious tone, and sought to convince her companion of the impropriety of being too fond of fighting, in which attempt, as might be supposed, she was not very successful. "why, hilda," said the youth, at the close of a speech in which his fair companion endeavoured to point out the extreme sinfulness of viking cruises in particular, "it is, as thou sayest, unjust to take from another that which belongs to him if he be our friend; but if he is our enemy, and the enemy of our country, that alters the case. did not the great odin himself go on viking cruise and seize what prey he chose?" erling said this with the air of a man who deemed his remark unanswerable. "i know not," rejoined hilda. "there seems to me much mystery in our thoughts about the gods. i have heard it said that there is no such god as odin." the maiden uttered this in a subdued voice, and her cheek paled a little as she glanced up at erling's countenance. the youth gazed at her with an expression of extreme surprise, and for a few minutes they walked slowly forward without speaking. there was reason for this silence on both sides. hilda was naturally of a simple and trustful nature. she had been brought up in the religion of her fathers, and had listened with awe and with deep interest on many a long winter night to the wild legends with which the scalds, or poets of the period, were wont to beguile the evening hours in her father's mansion; but about a year before the time of which we write, an aged stranger had come from the south, and taken up his abode in the valley, in a secluded and dilapidated hut, in which he was suffered to dwell unmolested by its owner, haldor the fierce; whose fierceness, by the way, was never exhibited except in time of war and in the heat of battle! with this hermit hilda had held frequent converse, and had listened with horror, but with a species of fascination which she could not resist, to his calm and unanswerable reasoning on the fallacy of the religion of odin, and on the truth of that of jesus christ. at first she resolved to fly from the old man, as a dangerous enemy, who sought to seduce her from the paths of rectitude; but when she looked at his grave, sad face, and listened to the gentle and--she knew not why--persuasive tones of his voice, she changed her mind, and resolved to hear what he had to say. without being convinced of the truth of the new religion--of which she had heard rumours from the roving vikings who frequented horlingdal--she was much shaken in regard to the truth of her own, and now, for the first time, she had ventured to hint to a human being what was passing in her mind. at this period christianity had not penetrated into norway, but an occasional wanderer or hermit had found his way thither from time to time to surprise the inhabitants with his new doctrines, and then, perchance, to perish as a warlock because of them. erling had heard of this old man, and regarded him with no favour, for in his sea rovings he had met with so-called christians, whose conduct had not prepossessed him in their favour. as for their creed, he knew nothing whatever about it. his mind, however, was of that bold, straightforward, self-reliant, and meditative cast, which happily has existed in all ages and in all climes, and which, in civilised lands, usually brings a man to honour and power, while in barbarous countries and ages, if not associated with extreme caution and reticence, it is apt to bring its possessor into trouble. it was with astonishment that erling heard sentiments which had long been harboured in his own mind drop from the lips of one whose natural character he knew to be the reverse of sceptical in matters of faith, or speculative in matters of opinion. instead of making a direct reply to hilda's remark, he said, after a pause: "hilda, i have my doubts of the old man christian; men say he is a warlock, and i partly believe them, for it is only such who shun the company of their fellows. i would caution thee against him. he believes not in odin or thor, which is matter of consideration mainly to himself, but methinks he holdeth fellowship with nikke, [satan, or the evil one] which is matter of consideration for all honest men, aye, and women too, who would live in peace; for if the evil spirit exists at all, as i firmly believe he does, in some shape or other, it were well to keep as far from him as we may, and specially to avoid those erring mortals who seem to court his company." "the old man is misjudged, believe me," replied the girl earnestly; "i have spoken much with him and oft. it may be he is wrong in some things--how can a woman judge of such matters?--but he is gentle, and has a kind heart." "i like him not," was erling's curt reply. the youth and maiden had now reached a part of the valley where a small footpath diverged from the main track which led to ulf's dwelling. the path ran in the direction of the hayfields that bordered the fiord. just as they reached it, hilda observed that her father was labouring there with his thralls. "see," she exclaimed, stopping abruptly, and taking her pitcher from erling, "my father is in the hayfield." the youth was about to remonstrate and insist on being allowed to carry the pitcher to the house before going to the field; but on second thoughts he resigned his slight burden, and, saying "farewell", turned on his heel and descended the path with rapid step and a somewhat burdened heart. "she loves me not," he muttered to himself, almost sternly. "i am a brother, nothing more." indulging in these and kindred gloomy reflections, he advanced towards a rocky defile where the path diverged to the right. before taking the turn he looked back. hilda was standing on the spot where they had parted, but her face was not directed towards her late companion. she was looking steadily up the valley. presently the object which attracted her attention appeared in view, and erling felt a slight sensation of anger, he scarce knew why, on observing the old man who had been the subject of their recent conversation issue from among the rocks. his first impulse was to turn back, but, checking himself, he wheeled sharply round and hurried away. scarcely had he taken three steps, however, when he was arrested by a sound that resembled a crash of thunder. glancing quickly upwards, he beheld an enormous mass of rock, which had become detached from the mountain side, descending in shattered fragments into the valley. the formation of horlingdal at that particular point was peculiar. the mountain ranges on either side, which rose to a height of at least four thousand feet, approached each other abruptly, thus forming a dark gloomy defile of a few hundred yards in width, with precipitous cliffs on either side, and the river roaring in the centre of the pass. the water rushed in white-crested billows through its rock-impeded bed, and terminated in a splendid foss, or fall, forty or fifty feet high, which plunged into a seething caldron, whence it issued in a troubled stream to the plain that opened out below. it here found rest in the level fields of ulfstede, that lay at the head of the fiord. the open amphitheatre above this pass, with its circlet of grand glacier-capped mountains, was the abode of a considerable number of small farmers, in the midst of whose dwellings stood the residence of haldor, where the meeting in the smithy just described took place. it was in this narrow defile that the landslip happened, a catastrophe which always has been and still is of frequent occurrence in the mountain regions of norway. hilda and the old man (whom we shall henceforth call christian) cast their eyes hastily upwards on hearing the sound that had arrested erling's steps so suddenly. the enormous mass of rock was detached from the hill on the other side of the river, but the defile was so narrow that falling rocks often rebounded quite across it. the slip occurred just opposite the spot on which hilda and the old man stood, and as the terrible shower came on, tearing down trees and rocks, the heavier masses being dashed and spurned from the hillside in innumerable fragments, it became evident that to escape beyond the range of the chaotic deluge was impossible. hilda understood the danger so well that she was panic stricken and rooted to the spot. erling understood it also, and, with a sudden cry, dashed at full speed to the rescue. his cry was one almost of despair, for the distance between them was so great that he had no chance, he knew, of reaching her in time. in this extremity the hermit looked round for a crevice or a rock which might afford protection, but no such place of safety was at hand. the side of the pass rose behind them like a wall to a height of several hundred feet. seeing this at a glance the old man planted himself firmly in front of hilda. his lips moved, and the single word "jesus" dropped from them as he looked with a calm steady gaze at the avalanche. scarcely had he taken his stand when the first stones leaped across the gorge, and, striking on the wall of rock behind, burst into fragments and fell in a shower around them. some of the smaller _debris_ struck the old man's breast, and the hands which he had raised to protect his face; but he neither blanched nor flinched. in another instant the greater part of the hurling rubbish fell with a terrible crash and tore up the earth in all directions round them. still they stood unhurt! the height from which the ruin had descended was so great that the masses were scattered, and although they flew around over, and close to them, the great shock passed by and left them unscathed. but the danger was not yet past. several of the smaller masses, which had been partially arrested in their progress by bushes, still came thundering down the steep. the quick eye of the hermit observed one of these flying straight towards his head. its force had been broken by a tree on the opposite hill, but it still retained tremendous impetus. he knew that there was no escape for him. to have moved aside would have exposed hilda to almost certain destruction. once again he murmured the saviour's name, as he stretched out both hands straight before his face. the rock struck full against them, beat them down on his forehead, and next instant old man and maid were hurled to the ground. well was it for erling that all this occurred so quickly that the danger was past before he reached the spot. part of the road he had to traverse was strewn so thickly with the rocky ruin that his destruction, had he been a few seconds sooner on the ground, would have been inevitable. he reached hilda just in time to assist her to rise. she was slightly stunned by the shock, but otherwise unhurt. not so the hermit. he lay extended where he had fallen; his grey beard and thin scattered locks dabbled with blood that flowed from a gash in his forehead. hilda kneeled at his side, and, raising his head, she laid it in her lap. "now the gods be praised," said erling, as he knelt beside her, and endeavoured to stanch the flow of blood from the wound; "i had thought thy last hour was come, hilda; but the poor old man, i fear much he will die." "not so; he recovers," said the girl; "fetch me some water from the spring." erling ran to a rill that trickled down the face of the rock at his side, dipped his leathern bonnet into it, and, quickly returning, sprinkled a little on the old man's face, and washed the wound. "it is not deep," he remarked, after having examined the cut. "his hands are indeed badly bruised, but he will live." "get thee to the stede, erling, and fetch aid," said hilda quickly; "the old man is heavy." the youth smiled. "heavy he is, no doubt, but he wears no armour; methinks i can lift him." so saying erling raised him in his strong arms and bore him away to ulfstede, where, under the tender care of hilda and her foster-sister ada, he speedily revived. erling went out meanwhile to assist in the hayfield. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ note . the great assembly, or parliament, which was considered the only "thing" which could confer the sovereignty of the whole of norway, the other things having no right or powers beyond their circles. it was convened only for the special purpose of examining and proclaiming the right of the aspirant to the crown, but the king had still to repair to each law thing or small thing to obtain its acknowledgement of his right and the power of a sovereign within its jurisdiction. chapter three. shows how chief friends may become foes, and cross-purposes may produce cross consequences, involving worry and confusion. when christian had been properly cared for, hilda sent ada to the hayfield, saying that she would follow her in a short time. now it so happened, by one of those curious coincidences which are generally considered unaccountable, that as ada ascended the track which led to the high field above the foss, glumm the gruff descended towards the same point from an opposite direction, so that a meeting between the two, in the secluded dell, where the tracks joined, became inevitable. whether or not this meeting was anticipated we cannot tell. if it was, the young man and maiden were inimitable actors by nature, for they appeared to be wholly unconscious of aught save the peculiar formation of the respective footpaths along which they slowly moved. there was, indeed, a twinkle in ada's eyes; but then ada's eyes were noted twinklers; besides, a refractory eyelash might account for such an expression. as for glumm, he frowned on the path most unamiably while he sauntered along with both hands thrust into the breast of his tunic, and the point of his sword rasping harshly against rocks and bushes. glumm was peculiar in his weapons. he wore a double-handed and double-edged sword, which was so long that he was obliged to sling it across his back in order to keep it off the ground. the handle projected above his left shoulder, and the blade, lying diagonally across his person, extended beyond his right calf. the young man was remarkably expert in the use of this immense weapon, and was not only a terror to his foes, but, owing to the enormous sweep of its long blade, an object of some anxiety to his friends when they chanced to be fighting alongside of him. he wore a knife or dagger at his girdle on the right side, which was also of unusual size; in all probability it would have been deemed a pretty good sword by the romans. there were only two men in the dale who could wield glumm's weapons. these were erling and his father, haldor. the latter was as strong a man as glumm, erling was even stronger; though, being an amiable man he could not be easily persuaded to prove his strength upon his friends. glumm wore his hair very short. it was curly, and lay close to his head. as he sauntered along he kicked the stones out of his way savagely, and appeared to find relief to his feelings in so doing, as well as by allowing his sword to rasp across the rocks and shrubs at his side. it might have been observed, however, that glumm only kicked the little stones out of his way; he never kicked the big ones. it is interesting to observe how trifling a matter will bring out a trait of human nature! men will sometimes relieve their angry feelings by storming violently at those of their fellows who cannot hurt them, but, strangely enough, they manage to obtain relief to these same feelings without storming, when they chance to be in the company of stronger men than themselves, thereby proving that they have powers of self-restraint which prudence-- not to say fear--can call into exercise! commend this moral reflection particularly to the study of boys. after glumm had kicked all the _little_ stones out of his way, carefully letting the big ones alone, he came suddenly face to face with ada, who saluted him with a look of startled surprise, a slight blush, and a burst of hearty laughter. "why, glumm," exclaimed the maiden, with an arch smile, "thou must have risen off thy wrong side this morning. methinks, now, were i a man, i should have to look to my weapons, for that long blade of thine seems inclined to fight with the rocks and shrubs of its own accord." poor glumm blushed as red as if he had been a young girl, at being thus unexpectedly caught giving vent to his ill-humour; he stammered something about bad dreams and evil spirits, and then, breaking into a good-humoured smile, said: "well, ada, i know not what it is that ails me, but i do feel somewhat cross-grained. perchance a walk with thee may cure me, i see thou art bound for the hayfield. but hast thou not heard the news? the danish vikings are off the coast, burning and murdering wherever they go. it is rumoured, too, that their fleet is under that king of scoundrels, skarpedin the red. surely there is reason for my being angry." "nay, then, if thou wert a bold man thou wouldst find reason in this for being glad," replied ada. "is not the chance of a fight the joy of a true norseman's heart? surely a spell must have been laid on thee, if thy brow darkens and thy heart grows heavy on hearing of a stout enemy. it is not thus with erling the bold. his brow clears and his eye sparkles when a foe worthy of--but what seest thou, glumm? has the dane appeared in the forest that thy brow becomes so suddenly clouded? i pray thee do not run away and leave me unprotected." "doubtless if i did, erling the bold would come to thine aid," replied the young man with some asperity. "nay, do not be angry with me, glumm," said the girl, laughing, as they reached the field where haldor and his stout son were busily at work assisting ulf, who, with all his thralls and freemen, was engaged in cutting and gathering in his hay. "hey! here come cloud and sunshine hand in hand," cried erling, pausing in his work, as glumm and his pretty companion approached the scene of labour. "get on with thy work, then, and make the hay while i am shining," retorted ada, bestowing on the youth a bright smile, which he returned cheerfully and with interest. this was the wicked ada's finishing touch. glumm saw the exchange of smiles, and a pang of fierce jealousy shot through his breast. "the cloud sometimes darts out lightning," he muttered angrily, and, turning on his heel, began to toss the hay with all his might in order to relieve his feelings. just then hilda entered the field, and glumm, putting strong constraint on himself, accosted her with extreme cheerfulness and respect--resolved in his heart to show ada that there were other girls in horlingdal worth courting besides herself. in this game he was by no means successful as regarded ada, who at once discerned his intention, but the shaft which flew harmlessly past her fixed itself deep in the breast of another victim. glumm's unusual urbanity took the kind-hearted hilda so much by surprise, that she was interested, and encouraged him, in what she conceived to be a tendency towards improvement of disposition, by bestowing on him her sweetest smiles during the course of the day, insomuch that erling the bold became much surprised, and at last unaccountably cross. thus did these two men, who had for many years been fast and loving friends, become desperately jealous, though each sought to conceal the fact from the other. but the green-eyed monster having obtained a lodgment in their bosoms, could not be easily cast out. yet the good sense of each enabled him to struggle with some success against the passion, for glumm, although gruff, was by no means a bad man. the presence of those conflicting feelings did not, however, interrupt or retard the work of the field. it was a truly busy scene. masters, unfreemen, and thralls, mistresses and maidens, were there, cutting and turning and piling up the precious crop with might and main; for they knew that the weather could not be trusted to, and the very lives of their cattle depended on the successful ingathering of the hay. as we have here mentioned the three different classes that existed in norway, it may be well to explain that the masters were peasants or "bonders", but not by any means similar to peasants in other lands; on the contrary, they were the udal-born proprietors of the soil--the peasant-nobility, so to speak, the udallers, or freeholders, without any superior lord, and were entitled to attend and have a voice in the "things" or assemblies where the laws were enacted and public affairs regulated. the next class was that of the "unfreemen". these were freed slaves who had wrought out or purchased their freedom, but who, although personally free, and at liberty to go where and serve whom they pleased, were not free to attend the legislative assemblies. they were unfree of the things, and hence their apparently contradictory designation. they, however, enjoyed the protection and civil rights imparted by the laws, and to their class belonged all the cottars on the land paying a rent in work on the farm of the bonder or udaller, also the house-carles or freeborn indoormen, and the tradesmen, labourers, fishermen, etcetera, about villages and farms. thralls were slaves taken in war, over whom the owners had absolute control. they might sell them, kill them, or do with them as they pleased. thralls were permitted to purchase their freedom--and all the descendants of those freed thralls, or unfreemen, were free. the clothing of the unfreemen was finer than that of the thralls. the legs and arms of nearly all were bare from the knees and elbows downward, though a few had swathed their limbs in bands of rough woollen cloth, while others used straw for this purpose. nearly all the men wore shoes of untanned leather, and caps of the same material, or of rough homespun cloth, resembling in form the cap of modern fishermen. the udallers, such as haldor, ulf, and their children, were clad in finer garments, which were looped and buttoned with brooches and pendants of gold and silver, the booty gathered on those viking cruises, against which hilda inveighed so earnestly. the work went on vigorously until the sun began to sink behind the mountain range that lay to the north-westward of the dale. by this time the hay was all cut, and that portion which was sufficiently dry piled up, so ulf and haldor left the work to be finished by the younger hands, and stood together in the centre of the field chatting and looking on. little change had taken place in the personal appearance of ulf of romsdal since the occasion of that memorable duel related in the first chapter of our story. some of his elasticity, but none of his strength, was gone. there was perhaps a little more thought in his face, and a few more wrinkles on his swarthy brow, but his hair was still black and his figure straight as the blade of his good sword. his old enemy but now fast friend, haldor the fierce, had changed still less. true, his formerly smooth chin and cheeks were now thickly covered with luxuriant fair hair, but his broad forehead was still unwrinkled, and his clear blue eye was as bright as when, twenty years before, it gleamed in youthful fire at ulf. many a battle had haldor fought since then, at home and abroad, and several scars on his countenance and shoulders gave evidence that he had not come out of these altogether scathless; but war had not soured him. his smile was as free, open, and honest, and his laugh as loud and hearty, as in days of yore. erling was the counterpart of his father, only a trifle taller and stouter. at a short distance they might have been taken for twin brothers, and those who did not know them could scarcely have believed that they were father and son. close to the spot where the two friends stood, a sturdy thrall was engaged in piling up hay with an uncommon degree of energy. this man had been taken prisoner on the coast of ireland by ulf, during one of his sea-roving expeditions. he had a huge massive frame, with a profusion of red hair on his head and face, and a peculiarly humorous twinkle in his eye. his name was kettle flatnose. we have reason to believe that the first part of this name had no connection with that domestic utensil which is intimately associated with tea! it was a mere accidental resemblance of sound no doubt. as to the latter part, that is easily explained. in those days there were no surnames. in order to distinguish men of the same name from each other, it was usual to designate them by their complexions, or by some peculiarity of person or trait of character. a blow from a club in early life had destroyed the shape of kettle's nose, and had disfigured an otherwise handsome and manly countenance. hence his name. he was about thirty-five years of age, large-boned, broad-shouldered, and tall, but lean in flesh, and rather ungainly in his motions. few men cared to grapple with the huge irish slave, for he possessed a superabundant share of that fire and love of fight which are said to characterise his countrymen even at the present time. he was also gifted with a large share of their characteristic good humour and joviality; which qualities endeared him to many of his companions, especially to the boys of the neighbourhood. in short, there was not a better fellow in the dale than kettle flatnose. "thy labour is not light, kettle," observed ulf to the thrall as he paused for a few moments in the midst of his work to wipe his heated brow. "ill would it become me, master," replied the man, "to take my work easy when my freedom is so nearly gained." "right, quite right," replied ulf with an approving nod, as the thrall set to work again with redoubled energy. "that man," he added, turning to haldor, "will work himself free in a few weeks hence. he is one of my best thralls. i give my slaves, as thou knowest, leave to work after hours to purchase their freedom, and kettle labours so hard that he is almost a free man already, though he has been with me little more than two years and a half. i fear the fellow will not remain with me after he is free, for he is an unsettled spirit. he was a chief in his own land, it seems, and left a bride behind him, i am told. if he goes, i lose a man equal to two, he is so strong and willing.--ho! kettle," continued ulf, turning to the man, who had just finished the job on which he had been engaged, "toss me yonder stone and let my friend haldor see what thou art made of." kettle obeyed with alacrity. he seized a round stone as large as his own head, and, with an unwieldy action of his great frame, cast it violently through the air about a dozen yards in advance of him. "well cast, well cast!" cried haldor, while a murmur of applause rose from the throng of labourers who had been instantly attracted to the spot. "come, i will try my own hand against thee." haldor advanced, and, lifting the stone, balanced it for a few moments in his right hand, then, with a graceful motion and an apparently slight effort, hurled it forward. it fell a foot beyond kettle's mark. seeing this the thrall leaped forward, seized the stone, ran back to the line, bent his body almost to the ground, and, exerting himself to the utmost, threw it into the same hollow from which he had lifted it. "equal!" cried ulf. "come, haldor, try again." "nay, i will not try until he beats me," replied haldor with a good-natured laugh. "but do thou take a cast, ulf. thine arm is powerful, as i can tell from experience." "not so," replied ulf. "it becomes men who are past their prime to reserve their strength for the sword and battle-axe. try it once more, kettle. mayhap thou wilt pass the mark next time." kettle tried again and again, but without gaining a hair's-breadth on haldor's throw. the stalwart thrall had indeed put forth greater force in his efforts than haldor, but he did not possess his skill. "will no young man make trial of his strength and skill?" said haldor, looking round upon the eager faces of the crowd. "glumm is no doubt anxious to try his hand," said erling, who stood close to the line, with his arms resting on the head of his long-hafted battle-axe. "the shining of the sunbeam will doubtless warm thy heart and nerve thine arm." erling muttered the latter part of his speech in a somewhat bitter tone, alluding to hilda's smiles; but the jealous and sulky glumm could appreciate no sunbeams save those that flashed from ada's dark eyes. he understood the remark as a triumphant and ironical taunt, and, leaping fiercely into the ring formed by the spectators, exclaimed: "i will cast the stone, but i must have a better man than thou, kettle, to strive with. if erling the bold will throw--" "i will not balk thee," interrupted the other quickly, as he laid down his axe and stepped up to the line. glumm now made a cast. everyone knew well enough that he was one of the best throwers of the stone in all the dale, and confidently anticipated an easy victory over the thrall. but the unusual tumult of conflicting feelings in the young man's breast rendered him at the time incapable of exerting his powers to the utmost in a feat, to excel in which requires the union of skill with strength. at his first throw the stone fell short about an inch! at this ada's face became grave, and her heart began to flutter with anxiety; for although willing enough to torment her lover a little herself, she could not brook the idea of his failing in a feat of strength before his comrades. furious with disappointment and jealousy, and attributing ada's expression to anxiety lest he should succeed, glumm cast again with passionate energy, and sent the stone just an inch beyond the thrall's mark. there was a dispute on the point, however, which did not tend to soothe the youth's feelings, but it was ultimately decided in his favour. erling now stood forth; and as he raised his tall form to its full height, and elevated the stone above his head, he seemed (especially to hilda) the _beau-ideal_ of manly strength and beauty. he was grieved, however, at glumm's failure, for he knew him to be capable of doing better than he had done. he remembered their old friendship too, and pity for his friend's loss of credit caused the recently implanted jealousy for a moment to abate. he resolved, therefore, to exert himself just sufficiently to maintain his credit. but, unhappily for the successful issue of this effort of self-denial, erling happened to cast his eye towards the spot where hilda stood. the tender-hearted maiden chanced at that moment to be regarding glumm with a look of genuine pity. of course erling misconstrued the look! next moment the huge stone went singing through the air, and fell with a crash full two yards beyond glumm's mark. happening to alight on a piece of rock, it sprang onward, passed over the edge of the hill or brae on the summit of which the field lay, and gathering additional impetus in its descent, went bounding down the slope, tearing through everything in its way, until it found rest at last on the sea beach below. a perfect storm of laughter and applause greeted this unexpected feat, but high above the din rose the voice of glumm, who, now in a towering passion, seized his double-handed sword, and shouting-- "guard thee, erling!" made a furious blow at his conqueror's head. erling had fortunately picked up his axe after throwing the stone. he immediately whirled the heavy head so violently against the descending sword that the blade broke off close to the hilt, and glumm stood before him, disarmed and helpless, gazing in speechless astonishment at the hilt which remained in his hands. "my good sword!" he exclaimed, in a tone of deep despondency. at this erling burst into a hearty fit of laughter. "my bad sword, thou must mean," said he. "how often have i told thee, glumm, that there was a flaw in the metal! i have advised thee more than once to prove the blade, and now that thou hast consented to do so, behold the result! but be not so cast down, man; i have forged another blade specially for thyself, friend glumm, but did not think to give it thee so soon." glumm stood abashed, and had not a word to reply. fortunately his feelings were relieved by the attention of the whole party being attracted at that moment to the figure of a man on the opposite side of the valley, who ran towards them at full speed, leaping over almost every obstacle that presented itself in his course. in a few minutes he rushed, panting, into the midst of the throng, and presented a baton or short piece of wood to ulf, at the same time exclaiming: "haste! king harald holds a thing at the springs. speed on the token." the import of this message and signal were well understood by the men of horlingdal. when an assembly or thing was to be convened for discussing civil matters a wooden truncheon was sent round from place to place by fleet messengers, each of whom ran a certain distance, and then delivered over his "message-token" to another runner, who carried it forward to a third, and so on. in this manner the whole country could be roused and its chief men assembled in a comparatively short time. when, however, the thing was to be assembled for the discussion of affairs pertaining to war, an arrow split in four parts was the message-token. when the split arrow passed through the land men were expected to assemble armed to the teeth, but when the baton went round it was intended that they should meet without the full panoply of war. as soon as the token was presented, ulf looked about for a fleet man to carry forward the message. several of the youths at once stepped forward offering their services. foremost among them was a stout, deep-chested active boy of about twelve years of age, with long flaxen curls, a round sunburnt face, a bold yet not forward look, a merry smile, and a pair of laughing blue eyes. this was erling's little brother alric--a lad whose bosom was kept in a perpetual state of stormy agitation by the conflict carried on therein between a powerful tendency to fun and mischief, and a strong sense of the obedience due to parents. "i will go," said the boy eagerly, holding out his hand for the token. "thou, my son?" said haldor, regarding him with a look of ill-suppressed pride. "go to thy mother's bower, boy. what if a fox, or mayhap even a wolf, met thee on the fell?" "have i not my good bow of elm?" replied alric, touching the weapon, which, with a quiver full of arrows, was slung across his back. "tush! boy; go pop at the squirrels till thou be grown big enough to warrant thy boasting." "father," said alric with a look of glee, "i'm sure i did not boast. i did but point to my poor weapons. besides, i have good legs. if i cannot fight, methinks i can run." "out upon thee--" "nay, haldor," said ulf, interrupting the discussion, "thou art too hard on the lad. can he run well?" "i'll answer for that," said erling, laying his large hand on his brother's flaxen head. "i doubt if there is a fleeter foot in all the dale." "away then," cried ulf, handing the token to alric, "and see that ye deserve all this praise. and now, sirs, let us fare to the hall to sup and prepare for our journey to the springs." the crowd at once broke up and hurried away to ulfstede in separate groups, discussing eagerly as they went, and stepping out like men who had some pressing business on hand. alric had already darted away like a hunted deer. erling turned hastily aside and went away alone. as soon as he reached a spot where the rugged nature of the ground concealed him from his late companions, he started up the valley at his utmost speed, directing his course so as to enable him to overshoot and intercept his brother. he passed a gorge ahead of the boy; and then, turning suddenly to the left, bore down upon him. so well did he calculate the distance, that on turning round the edge of a jutting cliff he met him face to face, and the two ran somewhat violently into each other's arms. on being relieved from this involuntary embrace, alric stepped back and opened his eyes wide with surprise, while erling roared with laughter. "ye are merry, my brother," said alric, relaxing into a grin, "but i have seen thee often thus, and may not stop to observe thee now, seeing that it is nothing new." "give me an arrow, thou rogue! there," said erling, splitting the shaft into four parts, handing it back to the boy, and taking the baton from him. "get thee gone, and use thy legs well. we must not do the king the dishonour to appear before him without our weapons in these unsettled times. let the token be sent out north, south, east, and west; and, harkee, lad, say nothing to anyone about the object of the assembly." alric's countenance became grave, then it again relaxed into a broad grin. giving his brother an emphatic wink with one of his large blue eyes, he darted past him, and was soon far up the glen, running with the speed of a deer and waving the war-token over his head. chapter four. describes warlike preparations, and a norse hall in the olden time-- tells also of a surprise. instead of returning to ulfstede, erling directed his steps homeward at a brisk pace, and in a short space of time reached the door of his forge. here he met one of his father's thralls. "ho! fellow," said he, "is thy mistress at home?" "yes, master, she is in the hall getting supper ready against your father's return." "go tell her there will be no men to eat supper in the hall to-night," said erling, unfastening the door of the forge. "say that i am in the forge, and will presently be in to speak with her. go also to thorer, and tell him to get the house-carles busked for war. when they are ready let him come hither to me; and, harkee, use thine utmost speed; there may be bloody work for us all to do this night before the birds are on the wing. away!" the man turned and ran to the house, while erling blew up the smouldering fire of the forge. throwing off his jerkin, he rolled up his sleeves, and seizing the axe on which he had been engaged when hilda interrupted him, he wrought so vigorously at the stubborn metal with the great forehammer that in the course of half an hour it was ready to fit on the haft. there was a bundle of hafts in a corner of the workshop. one of these, a tough thick one without knot or flaw, and about five feet long, he fitted to the iron head with great neatness and skill. the polishing of this formidable weapon he deferred to a period of greater leisure. having completed this piece of work, erling next turned to another corner of the forge and took up the huge two-handed sword which he had made for his friend glumm. the weapon was beautifully executed, and being highly polished, the blade glittered with a flashing light in the ruddy glare of the forge fire. the young giant sat down on his anvil and put a few finishing touches to the sword, regarding it the while with a grim smile, as if he speculated on the probability of his having formed a weapon wherewith his own skull was destined to be cloven asunder. while he was thus engaged his mother herfrida entered. the soft-eyed dame could scarcely be called a matronly personage. having married when about sixteen, she was now just thirty-eight years of age; and though the bloom of maidenhood was gone, the beauty of a well-favoured and healthy woman still remained. she wore a cloak of rich blue wool, and under it a scarlet kirtle with a silver girdle. "how now, my son," she said; "why these warlike preparations?" "because there is rumour of war; i'm sure that is neither strange nor new to you, mother." "truly no; and well do i know that where war is, there my husband and my son will be found." herfrida said this with a feeling of pride, for, like most of the women of that time and country, she esteemed most highly the men who were boldest and could use their weapons best. "'twere well if we were less noted in that way, and more given to peace," said erling half-jestingly. "for my own part, i have no liking for war, but you women will be for ever egging us on!" herfrida laughed. she was well aware of what she was pleased to term her son's weakness, namely, an idea that he loved peace, while he was constantly proving to the world that he was just cut out for war. had he ever shown a spark of cowardice she would have regarded those speeches of his with much anxiety, but as it was she only laughed at them. "erling, my boy," she said suddenly, as her eye fell on the axe at his side,--"what terrible weapon is this? surely thou must have purchased thor's hammer. can ye wield such a thing?" "i hope so, mother," said erling curtly; "if not, i shall soon be in valhalla's halls." "what are these rumours of war that are abroad just now?" asked herfrida. erling replied by giving his mother an account of king harald's recent deeds, and told her of the calling of the thing, and of the appearance of the danish vikings off the coast. "may good spirits attend thee, my son!" she said, kissing the youth's forehead fervently, as a natural gush of tenderness and womanly anxiety filled her breast for a moment. but the feeling passed away as quickly as it came; for women who are born and nurtured in warlike times become accustomed and comparatively indifferent to danger, whether it threatens themselves or those most dear to them. while mother and son were conversing, thorer entered the smithy, bearing erling's armour. "are the lads all a-boun?" [armed and ready] enquired erling as he rose. "aye, master; and i have brought your war-gear." the man who thus spoke was haldor's chief house-carle. he was a very short and extremely powerful man of about forty-five years of age, and so sturdy and muscular as to have acquired the title of thorer the thick. he wore a shirt of scale armour, rather rusty, and somewhat the worse of having figured in many a tough battle by land and sea. a triangular shield hung at his back, and his headpiece was a simple peaked helmet of iron, with a prolongation in front that guarded his nose. thorer's offensive armour consisted of a short straight sword, a javelin and a bow, with a quiver of arrows. "how many men hast thou assembled, thorer?" asked erling as he donned his armour. "seventy-five, master; the rest are up on the fells, on what errand i know not." "seventy-five will do. haste thee, carle, and lead them to my longship the swan. methinks we will skate upon the ocean to-night. [longships, or war-vessels, were sometimes called ocean-skates.] i will follow thee. let every man be at his post, and quit not the shore till i come on board. now fare away as swiftly as may be, and see that everything be done stealthily; above all, keep well out of sight of ulfstede." thus admonished, thorer quickly left the forge; and a few seconds later the clanking tread of armed men was heard as erling's followers took their way to the fiord. "now i will to the hall, my son, and pray that thou mayst fare well," said herfrida, once more kissing the forehead which the youth lowered to receive the parting salute. the mother retired, and left her son standing in the forge gazing pensively at the fire, the dying flames of which shot up fitfully now and then, and gleamed on his shining mail. if erling the bold was a splendid specimen of a man in his ordinary costume, when clad in the full panoply of war he was truly magnificent. the rude but not ungraceful armour of the period was admirably fitted to display to advantage the elegant proportions of his gigantic figure. a shirt or tunic of leather, covered with steel rings, hung loosely--yet, owing to its weight, closely--on his shoulders. this was gathered in at the waist by a broad leathern belt, studded with silver ornaments, from which hung a short dagger. a cross belt of somewhat similar make hung from his right shoulder, and supported a two-edged sword of immense weight, which was quite as strong, though not nearly so long, as that which he had forged for glumm. it was intended for a single-handed weapon, though men of smaller size might have been constrained, in attempting to wield it, to make use of both hands. the youth's lower limbs were clothed in closely-fitting leather leggings, and a pair of untanned leather shoes, laced with a single thong, protected his feet. on his head he wore a small skull-cap, or helmet, of burnished steel, from the top of which rose a pair of hawk's wings expanded, as if in the act of flight. no gloves or gauntlets covered his hands, but on his left arm hung a large shield, shaped somewhat like an elongated heart, with a sharp point at its lower end. its top touched his shoulder, and the lower part reached to his knee. this shield was made of several plies of thick bull-hide, with an outer coat of iron--the whole being riveted firmly together with iron studs. it was painted pure white, without device of any kind, but there was a band of azure blue round it, near the margin--the rim itself being of polished steel. in addition to his enormous axe, sword, and dagger, erling carried at his back a short bow and a quiver full of arrows. the whole of this war gear bore evidence of being cherished with the utmost care and solicitude. every ring on the tunic was polished as highly as the metal would admit of, so that the light appeared to trickle over it as its wearer moved. the helmet shone like a globe of quicksilver, and lines of light gleamed on the burnished edge of the shield, or sparkled on the ornamental points of the more precious metals with which the various parts of his armour were decorated. above all hung a loose mantle or cloak of dark-blue cloth, which was fastened on the right shoulder with a large circular brooch of silver. the weight of this panoply was enormous, but long habit had so inured the young norseman to the burthen of his armour that he moved under it as lightly as if it had been no heavier than his ordinary habiliments. indeed, so little did it impede his movements that he could spring over chasms and mountain streams almost as well with as without it; and it was one of the boasts of his admiring friends that "he could leap his own height with all his war gear on!" we have already referred to erling's partiality for the axe as an offensive weapon. this preference was in truth--strange though the assertion may appear--owing to the peculiar adaptation of that instrument to the preservation of life as well as the taking of it! there are exceptions to all rules. the rule among the northmen in former years was to slay and spare not. erling's tendency, and occasionally his practice, was to spare and not to slay, if he could do so with propriety. from experience he found that, by a slight motion of his wrist, the edge of his axe could be turned aside, and the blow which was delivered by its flat side was invariably sufficient, without killing, to render the recipient utterly incapable of continuing or renewing the combat--at least for a few days. with the sword this delicate manoeuvre could not be so easily accomplished, for a blow from the flat of a sword was not sufficiently crushing, and if delivered with great force the weapon was apt to break. besides, erling was a blunt, downright, straightforward man, and it harmonised more with his feelings, and the energy of his character, to beat down sword and shield and headpiece with one tremendous blow, than to waste time in fencing with a lighter weapon. having completed his toilet and concluded his meditations--which latter filled him with much perplexity, if one might judge from the frequency with which he shook his head--erling the bold hung glumm's long sword at his back, laid his huge axe on his shoulder, and, emerging from the smithy, strode rapidly along the bridle path that led to the residence of ulf of romsdal. suddenly it occurred to him that he had not yet tried the temper of his new weapon, so he stopped abruptly before a small pine tree, about as thick as a man's arm. it stood on the edge of a precipice along the margin of which the track skirted. swaying the axe once round his head, he brought it forcibly down on the stem, through which it passed as if it had been a willow wand, and the tree went crashing into the ravine below. the youth looked earnestly at his weapon, and nodded his head once or twice as if the result were satisfactory. a benignant smile played on his countenance as he replaced it on his shoulder and continued on his way. a brisk walk of half an hour brought him to ulfstede, where he found the men of the family making active preparations for the impending journey to the thing. in the great hall of the house, his father held earnest discussion with ulf. the house-carles busied themselves in burnishing their mail and sharpening their weapons, while ada and hilda assisted dame astrid, ulf's wife, to spread the board for the evening meal. everything in the hall was suggestive of rude wealth and barbarous warlike times. the hall itself was unusually large--capable of feasting at least two hundred men. at one end a raised hearth sustained a fire of wood that was large enough to have roasted an ox. the smoke from this, in default of a chimney, found an exit through a hole in the roof. the rafters were, of course, smoked to a deep rich coffee colour, and from the same cause the walls also partook not a little of that hue. all round these walls hung, in great profusion, shields, spears, swords, bows, skins, horns, and such like implements and trophies of war and the chase. the centre of the hall was open, but down each side ran two long tables, which were at this time groaning with great haunches of venison, legs of mutton, and trenchers of salmon, interspersed with platters of wild fowl, and flanked by tankards and horns of mead and ale. most of the drinking cups were of horn, but many of these were edged with a rim of silver, and, opposite the raised seats of honour, in the centre of each table, the tankards were of solid silver, richly though rudely chased--square, sturdy, and massive, like the stout warriors who were wont to quaff their foaming contents. "i tell thee, ulf," said haldor, "thou wilt do wrong to fare to the thing with men fully armed when the token was one of peace. the king is in no mood just now to brook opposition. if we would save our independence we must speak him smoothly." "i care not," replied ulf gruffly; "this is no time to go about unarmed." "nay, i did not advise thee to go unarmed, but surely a short sword might suffice, and--" at this moment erling entered, and ulf burst into a loud laugh as he interrupted his friend: "aye, a short sword--something like that," he said, pointing to the huge hilt which rose over the youth's shoulder. "hey! lad," exclaimed his father, "art going to fight with an axe in one hand and a sword in the other?" "the sword is for glumm, father. i owe him one after this morning's work. here, friend glumm, buckle it on thy shoulder. the best wish that thou and i can exchange is, that thy sword and my axe may never kiss each other." "truly, if they ever do, i know which will fare worst," said haldor, taking the axe and examining it, "thou art fond of a weary arm, my lad, else ye would not have forged so weighty a weapon. take my advice and leave it behind thee." "come, come," interrupted ulf; "see, the tables are spread; let us use our jaws on food and drink, and not on words, for we shall need both to fit us for the work before us, and perchance we may have no longer need of either before many days go by. we can talk our fill at the thing, an it so please us." "that will depend on the king's pleasure," replied haldor, laughing. "so much the more reason for taking our arms with us, in order that we may have the means of talking the king's pleasure," retorted ulf with a frown; "but sit ye down at my right hand, haldor, and hilda will wait upon thee. come, my men all--let us fall to." it is scarcely necessary to say that this invitation was accepted with alacrity. in a few minutes about fifty pairs of jaws were actively employed in the manner which ulf recommended. meanwhile erling the bold seated himself at the lower end of one of the tables, in such a position that he could keep his eye on the outer door, and, if need be, steal away unobserved. he calculated that his little brother must soon return from his flying journey, and he expected to hear from him some news of the vikings. in this expectation he was right; but when alric did come, erling saw and heard more than he looked for. the meal was about half concluded, and ulf was in the act of pledging, not absent, but defunct, friends, when the door opened slowly, and alric thrust his head cautiously in. his hair, dripping and tangled, bore evidence that his head at least had been recently immersed in water. he caught sight of erling, and the head was at once withdrawn. next moment erling stood outside of the house. "how now, alric, what has befallen thee? hey! thou art soaking all over!" "come here; i'll show you a fellow who will tell you all about it." in great excitement the boy seized his brother's hand and dragged rather than led him round the end of the house, where the first object that met his view was a man whose face was covered with blood, which oozed from a wound in his forehead, while the heaving of his chest, and an occasional gasp, seemed to indicate that he had run far and swiftly. chapter five. the viking raid--alric's adventure with the dane--erling's cutter, and the battle in the pass. "whom have we here?" exclaimed erling, looking close into the face of the wounded man. "what! swart of the springs!" erling said this sternly, for he had no liking for swart, who was a notorious character, belonging to one of the neighbouring fiords--a wild reckless fellow, and, if report said truly, a thief. "that recent mischief has cost thee a cracked crown?" asked erling, a little more gently, as he observed the exhausted condition of the man. "mischief enough," said swart, rising from the stone on which he had seated himself, and wiping the blood, dust, and sweat from his haggard face, while his eyes gleamed like coals of fire; "skarpedin the dane has landed in the fiord, my house is a smoking pile, my children and most of the people in the stede are burned, and the springs run blood!" there was something terrible in the hoarse whisper in which this was hissed out between the man's teeth. erling's tone changed instantly as he laid his hand on swart's shoulder. "can this be true?" he answered anxiously; "are we too late? are _all_ gone?" "_all_," answered swart, "save the few fighting men that gained the fells." the man then proceeded to give a confused and disjointed account of the raid, of which the following is the substance. skarpedin, a danish viking, noted for his daring, cruelty, and success, had taken it into his head to visit the neighbourhood of horlingdal, and repay in kind a visit which he had received in denmark the previous summer from a party of norsemen, on which occasion his crops had been burned, his cattle slaughtered, and his lands "herried", while he chanced to be absent from home. it must be observed that this deed of the northmen was not deemed unusually wicked. it was their custom, and the custom also of their enemies, to go out every summer on viking cruise to plunder and ravage the coasts of denmark, sweden, britain, and france, carrying off all the booty they could lay hold of, and as many prisoners as they wanted or could obtain. then, returning home, they made slaves or "thralls" of their prisoners, often married the women, and spent the winter in the enjoyment of their plunder. among many other simple little habits peculiar to the times was that called "strandhug". it consisted in a viking, when in want of provisions, landing with his men on any coast--whether that of an enemy or a countryman--and driving as many cattle as he required to the shore, where they were immediately slaughtered and put on board without leave asked or received! skarpedin was influenced both by cupidity and revenge. swart had been one of the chief leaders of the expedition which had done him so much damage. to the springs therefore he directed his course with six "longships", or ships of war, and about five hundred men. in the afternoon of a calm day he reached the fiord at the head of which were the springs and swart's dwelling. there was a small hamlet at the place, and upon this the vikings descended. so prompt and silent were they, that the men of the place had barely time to seize their arms and defend their homes. they fought like lions, for well they knew that there was no hope of mercy if they should be beaten. but the odds against them were overwhelming. they fell in heaps, with many of their foes underneath them. the few who remained to the last retreated fighting, step by step, each man towards his own dwelling, where he fell dead on its threshold. swart himself, with a few of the bravest, had driven back that part of the enemy's line which they attacked. thus they were separated for a time from their less successful comrades, and it was not till the smoke of their burning homesteads rose up in dense clouds that they became aware of the true state of the fight. at once they turned and ran to the rescue of their families, but their retreat was cut off by a party of the enemy, and the roar of the conflagration told them that they were too late. they drew together, therefore, and, making a last desperate onset, hewed their way right through the ranks of their enemies, and made for the mountains. all were more or less wounded in the _melee_, and only one or two succeeded in effecting their escape. swart dashed past his own dwelling in his flight, and found it already down on the ground in a blazing ruin. he killed several of the men who were about it, and then, bounding up the mountain side, sought refuge in a ravine. here he lay down to rest a few moments. during the brief period of his stay he saw several of his captured friends have their hands and feet chopped off by the marauders, while a terrible shriek that arose once or twice told him all too plainly that on a few of them had been perpetrated the not uncommon cruelty of putting out the eyes. swart did not remain many moments inactive. he descended by a circuitous path to the shore, and, keeping carefully out of sight, set off in the direction of horlingdal. the distance between the two places was little more than nine or ten miles, but being separated from each other by a ridge of almost inaccessible mountains, that rose to a height of above five thousand feet, neither sight nor sound of the terrible tragedy enacted at the springs could reach the eyes or ears of the inhabitants of ulfstede. swart ran round by the coast, and made such good use of his legs that he reached the valley in little more than an hour. before arriving at ulfstede his attention was attracted and his step arrested by the sight of a warship creeping along the fiord close under the shadow of the precipitous cliffs. he at once conjectured that this was one of the danish vessels which had been dispatched to reconnoitre horlingdal. he knew by its small size (having only about twenty oars) that it could not be there for the purpose of attack. he crouched, therefore, among the rocks to escape observation. now, it happened at this very time that erling's brother alric, having executed his commission by handing the war-token to the next messenger, whose duty it was to pass it on, came whistling gaily down a neighbouring gorge, slashing the bushes as he went with a stout stick, which in the lad's eyes represented the broadsword or battle-axe he hoped one day to wield, in similar fashion, on the heads of his foes. those who knew erling well could have traced his likeness in every act and gesture of the boy. the vikings happened to observe alric before he saw them, as was not to be wondered at, considering the noise he made. they therefore rowed close in to the rocks, and their leader, a stout red-haired fellow, leaped on shore, ascended the cliffs by a narrow ledge or natural footpath, and came to a spot which overhung the sea, and round which the boy must needs pass. here the man paused, and leaning on the haft of his battle-axe, awaited his coming up. it is no disparagement to alric to say that, when he found himself suddenly face to face with this man, his mouth opened as wide as did his eyes, that the colour fled from his cheeks, that his heart fluttered like a bird in a cage, and that his lips and tongue became uncommonly dry! well did the little fellow know that one of the danish vikings was before him, for many a time had he heard the men in haldorstede describe their dress and arms minutely; and well did he know also that mercy was only to be purchased at the price of becoming an informer as to the state of affairs in horlingdal--perhaps a guide to his father's house. besides this, alric had never up to that time beheld a _real_ foe, even at a distance! he would have been more than mortal, therefore, had he shown no sign of trepidation. "thou art light of heart, lad," said the dane with a grim smile. alric would perhaps have replied that his heart was the reverse of light at that moment, but his tongue refused to fulfil its office, so he sighed deeply, and tried to lick his parched lips instead. "thou art on thy way to ulfstede or haldorstede, i suppose?" said the man. alric nodded by way of reply. "to which?" demanded the dane sternly. "t-to--to ulf--" "ha!" interrupted the man. "i see. i am in want of a guide thither. wilt guide me, lad?" at this the truant blood rushed back to alric's cheeks. he attempted to say no, and to shake his head, but the tongue was still rebellious, and the head would not move--at least not in that way--so the poor boy glanced slightly aside, as if meditating flight. the dane, without altering his position, just moved his foot on the stones, which act had the effect of causing the boy's eyes to turn full on him again with that species of activity which cats are wont to display when expecting an immediate assault. "escape is impossible," said the dane, with another grim smile. alric glanced at the precipice on his left, full thirty feet deep, with the sea below; at the precipice on his right, which rose an unknown height above; at the steep rugged path behind, and at the wild rugged man in front, who could have clutched him with one bound; and admitted in his heart that escape _was_ impossible. "now, lad," continued the viking, "thou wilt go with me and point out the way to ulfstede and haldorstede; if not with a good will, torture shall cause thee to do it against thy will; and after we have plundered and burnt both, we will give thee a cruise to denmark, and teach thee the use of the pitchfork and reaping-hook." this remark touched a chord in alric's breast which at once turned his thoughts from himself, and allowed his native courage to rise. during the foregoing dialogue his left hand had been nervously twitching the little elm bow which it carried. it now grasped the bow firmly as he replied: "ulfstede and haldorstede may burn, but thou shalt not live to see it." with that he plucked an arrow from his quiver, fitted it to the string, and discharged it full at the dane's throat. quick as thought the man of war sprang aside, but the shaft had been well and quickly aimed. it passed through his neck between the skin and the flesh. a cry of anger burst from him as he leaped on the boy and caught him by the throat. he hastily felt for the hilt of his dagger, and in the heat of his rage would assuredly have ended the career of poor alric then and there; but, missing the hilt at the first grasp, he suddenly changed his mind, lifted the boy as if he had been a little dog, and flung him over the precipice into the sea. a fall of thirty feet, even though water should be the recipient of the shock, is not a trifle by any means, but alric was one of those vigorous little fellows--of whom there are fortunately many in this world--who train themselves to feats of strength and daring. many a time had he, when bathing, leaped off that identical cliff into the sea for his own amusement, and to the admiration and envy of many of his companions, and, now that he felt himself tumbling in the air against his will, the sensation, although modified, was nothing new. he straightened himself out after the manner of a bad child that does not wish to sit on nurse's knee, and went into the blue fiord, head foremost, like a javelin. he struck the water close to the vessel of his enemies, and on rising to the surface one of them made a plunge at him with an oar, which, had it taken effect, would have killed him on the spot; but he missed his aim, and before he could repeat it, the boy had dived. the dane was sensible of his error the instant he had tossed alric away from him, so he hastened to his boat, leaped into it, and ordered the men to pull to the rocks near to which alric had dived; but before they could obey the order a loud ringing cheer burst from the cliffs, and in another moment the form of swart was seen on a ledge, high above, in the act of hurling a huge mass of rock down on the boat. the mass struck the cliff in its descent, burst into fragments, and fell in a shower upon the danes. at the same time swart waved his hand as if to someone behind him, and shouted with stentorian voice: "this way, men! come on! down into the boats and give chase! huzza!" the enemy did not await the result of the order, but pulled out into the fiord as fast as possible, while swart ran down to the edge of the water and assisted alric to land. it was not until they heard both man and boy utter a cheer of defiance, and burst into a fit of laughter, and saw them hastening at full speed towards horlingdal, that the vikings knew they had been duped. it was too late, however, to remedy the evil. they knew, also, that they might now expect an immediate attack, so, bending to the oars with all their might, they hastened off to warn their comrades at the springs. "now, swart," said erling, after hearing this tale to its conclusion, "if ye are not too much exhausted to--" "exhausted!" cried swart, springing up as though he had but risen from a refreshing slumber. "well, i see thou art still fit for the fight. revenge, like love, is a powerful stirrer of the blood. come along then; i will lead the way, and do thou tread softly and keep silence. follow us, alric, i have yet more work for thee, lad." taking one of the numerous narrow paths that ran from ulfstede to the shores of the fiord, erling led his companions to a grassy mound which crowned the top of a beetling cliff whose base was laved by deep water. although the night was young--probably two hours short of midnight--the sun was still high in the heavens, for in most parts of norway that luminary, during the height of summer, sinks but a short way below the horizon--they have daylight all night for some time. in the higher latitudes the sun, for a brief period, shines all the twenty-four hours round. erling could therefore see far and wide over the fiord, as well as if it were the hour of noon. "nothing in sight!" he exclaimed in a tone of chagrin. "i was a fool to let thee talk so long, swart; but there is still a chance of catching the boat before it rounds the ness. come along." saying this hurriedly, the youth descended into what appeared to be a hole in the ground. a rude zigzag stair cut in the rock conducted them into a subterranean cavern, which at first seemed to be perfectly dark; but in a few seconds their eyes became accustomed to the dim light, and as they advanced rapidly over a bed of pebbles, swart, who had never been there before, discovered that he was in an ocean-made cave, for the sound of breaking ripples fell softly on his ears. on turning round a corner of rock the opening of the cave towards the sea suddenly appeared with a dazzling light like a great white gem. but another beautiful sight met his astonished gaze. this was erling's ship of war, the swan, which, with its figurehead erect, as though it were a living thing, sat gracefully on the water, above its own reflected image. "all ready?" asked erling, as a man stepped up to him. "all ready," replied thorer. "get on board, swart," said erling; "we will teach these danes a lesson they will not forget as long as the springs flow. here, alric--where are ye, lad?" now, unfortunately for himself, as well as for his friend, alric was almost too self-reliant in his nature. his active mind was too apt to exert itself in independent thought in circumstances where it would have been wiser to listen and obey. erling had turned with the intention of telling his little brother that he had started thus quietly in order that he might have the pleasure of capturing the scouting boat, and of beginning the fight at the springs with a small band of tried men, thus keeping the enemy in play until reinforcements should arrive; for he shrewdly suspected that if the whole valley were to go out at once against the vikings, they would decline the combat and make off. he had intended, therefore, to have warned alric to watch the swan past a certain point before sounding the alarm at ulfstede. but alric had already formed his own opinions on the subject, and resolved to act on them. he suspected that erling, in his thirst for glory, meant to have all the fun to himself, and to attack the danes with his single boat's crew of fifty or sixty men. he knew enough of war to be aware that sixty men against six hundred would have very small chance of success--in fact, that the thing was sheer madness--so he resolved to balk, and by so doing to save, his headstrong brother. when erling turned, as we have said, he beheld alric running into the cave at full speed. instantly suspecting the truth, he dashed after him, but the boy was fleet, and erling was heavily armed. the result was, that the former escaped, while the latter returned to the beach and embarked in the swan in a most unenviable state of mind. erling's "longship" was one of the smaller-sized war vessels of the period. it pulled twenty oars--ten on each side--and belonged to the class named snekiars, or cutters, which usually had from ten to twenty rowers on a side. to each oar three men were apportioned--one to row, one to shield the rower, and one to throw missiles and fight, so that her crew numbered over sixty men. the forecastle and poop were very high, and the appearance of height was still further increased by the figurehead--the neck and head of a swan--and by a tail that rose from the stern-post, over the steersman's head. both head and tail were richly gilt; indeed, the whole vessel was gaudily painted. all round the gunwales, from stem to stern, hung a row of shining red and white shields, which resembled the scaly sides of some fabulous creature, so that when the oars, which gave it motion, and not inaptly represented legs, were dipped, the vessel glided swiftly out of the cavern, like some antediluvian monster issuing from its den and crawling away over the dark blue sea. a tall heavy mast rose from the centre of the ship. its top was also gilded, as well as the tips of the heavy yard attached to it. on this they hoisted a huge square sail, which was composed of alternate stripes of red, white, and blue cloth. it need scarcely be said that erling's crew pulled with a will, and that the waters of the fiord curled white upon the breast of the swan that night; but the vikings' boat had got too long a start of them, so that, when they doubled the ness and pulled towards the springs, they discovered the enemy hurrying into their ships and preparing to push off from the land. now, this did not fall in with erling's purpose at all, for he was well aware that his little swan could do nothing against such an overwhelming force, so he directed his course towards the mouth of a small stream, beside which there was a spit of sand, and, just behind it, a piece of level land, of a few acres in extent, covered with short grass. the river was deep at its mouth. about a hundred yards upstream it flowed out of a rugged pass in the mountains or cliffs which hemmed in the fiord. into this dark spot the northman rowed his vessel and landed with his men. the vikings were much surprised at this manoeuvre, and seemed at a loss how to act, for they immediately ceased their hurried embarkation and held a consultation. "methinks they are mad," said skarpedin, on witnessing the movements of the swan. "but we will give them occasion to make use of all the spirit that is in them. i had thought there were more men in the dale, but if they be few they seem to be bold. they have wisely chosen their ground. rocks, however, will not avail them against a host like ours. methinks some of us will be in valhalla to-night." saying this skarpedin drew up his men in order of battle on the little plain before referred to, and advanced to the attack. erling, on the other hand, posted his men among the rocks in such a way that they could command the approach to the pass, which their leader with a few picked men defended. on perceiving the intention of the danes to attack him, erling's heart was glad, because he now felt sure that to some extent he had them in his power. if they had, on his first appearance, taken to their ships, they might have easily escaped, or some of the smaller vessels might have pulled up the river and attacked his ship, which, in that case, would have had to meet them on unequal terms; but, now that they were about to attack him on land, he knew that he could keep them in play as long as he pleased, and that if they should, on the appearance of reinforcements, again make for their ships, he could effectively harass them, and retard their embarkation. meditating on these things the young norseman stood in front of his men leaning on his battle-axe, and calmly surveying the approaching foe until they were within a few yards of him. "thorer," he said at length, raising his weapon slowly to his shoulder, "take thou the man with the black beard, and leave yonder fellow with the red hair to me." thorer drew his sword and glanced along its bright blade without replying. indeed, there was scarce time for reply. next moment the combatants uttered a loud shout and met with a dire crash. for some time the clash of steel, the yells of maddened men, the shrieks of the wounded, and the wails of the dying, resounded in horrible commotion among the echoing cliffs. the wisdom of erling's tactics soon became apparent. it was not until the onset was made, and the battle fairly begun, that the men whom he had placed among the rocks above the approach to the pass began to act. these now sent down such a shower of huge stones and masses of rock that many of the foe were killed, and by degrees a gap was made, so that those who were on the plain dared not advance to the succour of those who were fighting in the pass. seeing this, erling uttered his war-cry, and, collecting his men together, acted on the offensive. wherever his battle-axe swung, or thorer's sword gleamed, there men fell, and others gave way, till at last they were driven completely out of the pass and partly across the plain. erling took care, however, not to advance too far, although skarpedin, by retreating, endeavoured to entice him to do so; but drew off his men by sound of horn, and returned to his old position--one man only having been killed and a few wounded. skarpedin now held a council of war with his chiefs, and from the length of time they were about it, erling was led to suspect that they did not intend to renew the attack at the same point or in the same manner. he therefore sent men to points of vantage on the cliffs to observe the more distant movements of the enemy, while he remained to guard the pass, and often gazed anxiously towards the ness, round which he expected every minute to see sweeping the longships of ulf and his father. chapter six. evening in the hall--the scald tells of gundalf's wooing--the feast interrupted and the war clouds thicken. it is necessary now that we should turn backwards a little in our story, to that point where erling left the hall at ulfstede to listen to the sad tale of swart. ulf and his friends, not dreaming of the troubles that were hanging over them, continued to enjoy their evening meal and listen to the songs and stories of the scald, or to comment upon the doings of king harald haarfager, and the prospects of good or evil to norway that were likely to result therefrom. at the point where we return to the hall, ulf wore a very clouded brow as he sat with compressed lips beside his principal guest. he grasped the arm of his rude chair with his left hand, while his right held a large and massive silver tankard. haldor, on the other hand, was all smiles and good humour. he appeared to have been attempting to soothe the spirit of his fiery neighbour. "i tell thee, ulf, that i have as little desire to see king harald succeed in subduing all norway as thou hast, but in this world wise men will act not according to what they wish so much, as according to what is best. already the king has won over or conquered most of the small kings, and it seems to me that the rest will have to follow, whether they like it or no. common sense teaches submission where conquest cannot be." "and does not patriotism teach that men may die?" said ulf sternly. "aye, when by warring with that end in view anything is to be gained for one's country; but where the result would be, first, the embroiling of one's district in prolonged bloody and hopeless warfare, and, after that, the depriving one's family of its head and of the king's favour, patriotism says that to die would be folly, not wisdom." "tush, man; folk will learn to call thee haldor the mild. surely years are telling on thee. was there ever anything in this world worth having gained without a struggle?" "thou knowest, ulf, that i am not wont to be far from the front wherever or whenever a struggle is thought needful, but i doubt the propriety of it in the present case. the subject, however, is open to discussion. the question is, whether it would be better for norway that the kings of horlingdal should submit to the conqueror for the sake of the general good, or buckle on the sword in the hope of retrieving what is lost. peace or war--that is the question." "i say war!" cried ulf, striking the board so violently with his clenched fist that the tankards and platters leaped and rang again. at this a murmur of applause ran round the benches of the friends and housemen. "the young blades are ever ready to huzza over their drink at the thought of fighting; but methinks it will not strengthen thy cause much, friend ulf, thus to frighten the women and spill the ale." ulf turned round with a momentary look of anger at this speech. the man who uttered it was a splendid specimen of a veteran warrior. his forehead was quite bald, but from the sides and back of his head flowed a mass of luxuriant silky hair which was white as the driven snow. his features were eminently firm and masculine, and there was a hearty good-humoured expression about the mouth, and a genial twinkle in his eyes, especially in the wrinkled corners thereof, that rendered the stout old man irresistibly attractive. his voice was particularly rich, deep, and mellow, like that of a youth, and although his bulky frame stooped a little from age, there was enough of his youthful vigour left to render him a formidable foe, as many a poor fellow had learned to his cost even in days but recently gone by. he was an uncle of ulf, and on a visit to the stede at that time. the frown fled from ulf's brow as he looked in the old man's ruddy and jovial countenance. "thanks, guttorm," said he, seizing his tankard, "thanks for reminding me that grey hairs are beginning to sprinkle my beard; come, let us drink success to the right, confusion to the wrong! thou canst not refuse that, haldor." "nay," said haldor, laughing; "nor will i refuse to fight in thy cause and by thy side, be it right or wrong, when the thing decides for war." "well said, friend! but come, drink deeper. why, i have taken thee down three pegs already!" said ulf, glancing into haldor's tankard. "ho! hilda; fetch hither more ale, lass, and fill--fill to the brim." the toast was drunk with right good will by all--from ulf down to the youngest house-carle at the lowest end of the great hall. "and now, guttorm," continued ulf, turning to the bluff old warrior, "since thou hast shown thy readiness to rebuke, let us see thy willingness to entertain. sing us a stave or tell us a saga, kinsman, as well thou knowest how, being gifted with more than a fair share of the scald's craft." the applause with which this proposal was received by the guests and house-carles who crowded the hall from end to end proved that they were aware of guttorm's gifts, and would gladly hear him. like a sensible man he complied at once, without affecting that air of false diffidence which is so common among modern songsters and story-tellers. "i will tell you," said the old man--having previously wet his lips at a silver tankard, which was as bluff and genuine as himself--"of king gundalf's wooing. many years have gone by since i followed him on viking cruise, and gundalf himself has long been feasting in odin's hall. i was a beardless youth when i joined him. king gundalf of orkedal was a goodly man, stout and brisk, and very strong. he could leap on his horse without touching stirrup with all his war gear on; he could fight as well with his left hand as with his right, and his battle-axe bit so deep that none who once felt its edge lived to tell of its weight. he might well be called a sea-king, for he seldom slept under a sooty roof timber. withal he was very affable to his men, open-hearted, and an extremely handsome man. "one summer he ordered us to get ready to go on viking cruise. when we were all a-boun we set sail with five longships and about four hundred men, and fared away to denmark, where we forayed and fought a great battle with the inhabitants. king gundalf gained the victory, plundered, wasted, and burned far and wide in the land, and made enormous booty. he returned with this to orkedal. here he found his wife at the point of death, and soon after she died. gundalf felt his loss so much that he had no pleasure in raumsdal after that. he therefore took to his ships and went again a-plundering. we herried first in friesland, next in saxland, and then all the way to flanders; so sings halfred the scald:-- "`gundalf's axe of shining steel for the sly wolf left many a meal. the ill-shaped saxon corpses lay heap'd up--the witch-wife's horses' prey. she rides by night, at pools of blood, where friesland men in daylight stood, her horses slake their thirst, and fly on to the field where flemings lie.'" [note. ravens were the witch-wife's horses.] the old warrior half recited half sang these lines in a rich full voice, and then paused a few seconds, while a slight murmur arose from the earnest listeners around him. "thereafter," resumed guttorm, "we sailed to england, and ravaged far and wide in the land. we sailed all the way north to northumberland, where we plundered, and thence to scotland, where we marauded far and wide. then we went to the hebrides and fought some battles, and after that south to man, which we herried. we ravaged far around in ireland, and steered thence to bretland, which we laid waste with fire and sword--also the district of cumberland. then we went to valland, [the west coast of france] from which we fared away for the south coast of england, but missed it and made the scilly isles. after that we went to ireland again, and came to a harbour, into which we ran--but in a friendly way, for we had as much plunder as our ships could carry. "now, while we were there, a summons to a thing went through the country, and when the thing was assembled, a queen called gyda came to it. she was a sister of olaf quarram, who was king of dublin. gyda was very wealthy, and her husband had died that year. in the territory there was a man called alfin, who was a great champion and single-combat man. he had paid his addresses to gyda, but she gave for answer that she would choose a husband for herself; and on that account the thing was assembled, that she might choose a husband. alfin came there dressed out in his best clothes, and there were many well-dressed men at the meeting. gundalf and some of his men had gone there also, out of curiosity, but we had on our bad-weather clothes, and gundalf wore a coarse over-garment. we stood apart from the rest of the crowd, gyda went round and looked at each, to see if any appeared to her a suitable man. now when she came to where we were standing, she passed most of us by with a glance; but when she passed me, i noticed that she turned half round and gave me another look, which i have always held was a proof of her good judgment. however, gyda passed on, and when she came to king gundalf she stopped, looked at him straight in the face, and asked what sort of a man he was. "he said, `i am called gundalf, and am a stranger here!' "gyda replies, `wilt thou have me if i choose thee?' he answered, `i will not say no to that;' then he asked her what her name was, and her family and descent. "`i am called gyda,' said she, `and am daughter of the king of ireland, and was married in this country to an earl who ruled over this district. since his death i have ruled over it, and many have courted me, but none to whom i would choose to be married.' "she was a young and handsome woman. they afterwards talked over the matter together and agreed, and so gundalf and gyda were betrothed. "alfin was very ill pleased with this. it was the custom there, as it is sometimes here, if two strove for anything, to settle the matter by holm-gang. [note: or single combat: so called because the combatants in norway went to a holm, or uninhabited isle, to fight.] and now alfin challenged gundalf to fight about this business. the time and place of combat were settled, and it was fixed that each should have twelve men. i was one of the twelve on our side. when we met, gundalf told us to do exactly as we saw him do. he had a large axe, and went in advance of us, and when alfin made a desperate cut at him with his sword, he hewed away the sword out of his hand, and with the next blow hit alfin on the crown with the flat of his axe and felled him. we all met next moment, and each man did his best; but it was hard work, for the irishmen fought well, and two of them cut down two of our men, but one of these i knocked down, and gundalf felled the other. then we bound them all fast, and carried them to gundalf's lodging. but gundalf did not wish to take alfin's life. he ordered him to quit the country and never again to appear in it, and he took all his property. in this way gundalf got gyda in marriage, and he lived sometimes in england and sometimes in ireland. thikskul the scald says in regard to this:-- "`king gundalf woo'd queen gyda fair, with whom no woman could compare, and won her, too, with all her lands, by force of looks and might of hands from ireland's green and lovely isle he carried off the queen in style. he made proud alfin's weapon dull, and flattened down his stupid skull-- this did the bold king gundalf do when he went o'er the sea to woo.'" the wholesale robbery and murder which was thus related by the old norse viking appeared quite a natural and proper state of things in the eyes of all save two of those assembled in the hall, and the saga was consequently concluded amid resounding applause. it is to be presumed that, never having seen or heard of any other course of life, and having always been taught that such doings were quite in accordance with the laws of the land, the consciences of the northmen did not trouble them. at all events, while we do not for a moment pretend to justify their doings, we think it right to point out that there must necessarily have been a wide difference between their spirits and feelings, and the spirits and feelings of modern pirates, who know that they are deliberately setting at defiance the laws of both god and man. it has been said there were two in the hall at ulfstede who did not sympathise with the tale of the old warrior. the reader will scarce require to be told that one of these was hilda the sunbeam. the other was christian the hermit. the old man, although an occasional visitor at the stede, never made his appearance at meal-times, much less at the nightly revels which were held there; but on that day he had arrived with important news, just as guttorm began his story, and would have unceremoniously interrupted it had not one of the young house-carles, who did not wish to lose the treat, detained him forcibly at the lower end of the hall until it was ended. the moment he was released the hermit advanced hastily, and told ulf that from the door of his hut on the cliff he had observed bands of men hastening in all directions down the dale. "thy news, old man, is no news," said ulf; "the token for a thing has been sent out, and it is natural that the bonders should obey the summons. we expect them. but come, it is not often thou favourest us with thy company. sit down by me, and take a horn of mead." the hermit shook his head. "i never taste strong liquor. its tendency is to make wise men foolish," he said. "nay, then, thou wilt not refuse to eat. here, hilda, fetch thy friend a platter." "i thank thee, but, having already supped, i need no more food. i came but to bring what i deemed news." "thou art churlish, old man," exclaimed ulf angrily; "sit down and drink, else--" "come, come," interrupted haldor, laying his hand on ulf's arm, "let the old man be; he seems to think that he has something worth hearing to tell of; let him have his say out in peace." "go on," said ulf gruffly. "was the token sent out a baton or a split arrow?" asked the hermit. "a baton," said ulf. "then why," rejoined the other, "do men come to a peaceful thing with all their war gear on?" "what say ye? are they armed?" exclaimed ulf, starting up. "this must be looked to. ho! my carles all, to arms--" at that moment there was a bustle at the lower end of the hall, and alric was seen forcing his way towards ulf's high seat. "father," he said eagerly, addressing haldor, "short is the hour for acting, and long the hour for feasting." haldor cast his eyes upon his son and said-- "what now is in the way?" "the danes," said alric, "are on the fiord--more than six hundred men. skarpedin leads them. one of them pitched me into the sea, but i marked his neck to keep myself in his memory! they have plundered and burnt at the springs, and erling has gone away to attack them all by himself, with only sixty house-carles. you will have to be quick, father." "quick, truly," said haldor, with a grim smile, as he drew tight the buckle of his sword-belt. "aye," said ulf, "with six hundred danes on the fiord, and armed men descending the vale, methinks--" "oh! i can explain that" cried alric, with an arch smile; "erling made me change the baton for the split arrow when i was sent round with the token." "that is good luck," said haldor, while ulf's brow cleared a little as he busked himself for the fight; "we shall need all our force." "aye, and all our time too," said guttorm stoutheart, as he put on his armour with the cheerful air of a man who dons his wedding dress. "come, my merry men all. lucky it is that my longships are at hand just now ready loaded with stones:-- "`o! a gallant sight it is to me, the warships darting o'er the sea, a pleasant sound it is to hear the war trump ringing loud and clear.'" ulf and his friends and house-carles were soon ready to embark, for in those days the norseman kept his weapons ready to his hands, being accustomed to sudden assaults and frequent alarms. they streamed out of the hall, and while some collected stones, to be used as missiles, others ran down to the shore to launch the ships. meanwhile ulf, haldor, guttorm, and other chief men held a rapid consultation, as they stood and watched the assembling of the men of the district. it was evident that the split arrow had done its duty. from the grassy mound on which they stood could be seen, on the one hand, the dark recesses of horlingdal, which were lost in the mists of distance among the glaciers on the fells; and, on the other hand, the blue fiord with branching inlets and numerous holms, while the skerries of the coast filled up the background--looming faint and far off on the distant sea. in whatever direction the eye was turned armed men were seen. from every distant gorge and valley on the fells they issued, singly, or in twos and threes. as they descended the dale they formed into groups and larger bands; and when they gained the more level grounds around haldorstede, the heavy tread of their hastening footsteps could be distinctly heard, while the sun--for although near midnight now it was still above the horizon--flashed from hundreds of javelins, spears, swords, and bills, glittered on steel headpieces and the rims of shields, or trickled fitfully on suits of scale armour and shirts of ring mail. on the fiord, boats came shooting forth from every inlet or creek, making their appearance from the base of precipitous cliffs or dark-mouthed caves as if the very mountains were bringing forth warriors to aid in repelling the foe. these were more sombre than those on the fells, because the sun had set to them by reason of the towering hills, and the fiord was shrouded in deepest gloom. but all in the approaching host--on water and land--were armed from head to foot, and all converged towards ulfstede. when they were all assembled they numbered five hundred fighting men-- and a stouter or more valiant band never went forth to war. six longships were sufficient to embark them. three of these were of the largest size--having thirty oars on each side, and carrying a hundred men. one of them belonged to haldor, one to ulf, and one--besides several smaller ships--to guttorm, who chanced to be on viking cruise at the time he had turned aside to visit his kinsman. the warlike old man could scarce conceal his satisfaction at his unexpected good fortune in being so opportunely at hand when hard blows were likely to be going! two of the other ships were cutters, similar to erling's swan, and carrying sixty men each, and one was a little larger, holding about eighty men. it belonged to glumm the gruff; whose gruffness, however, had abated considerably, now that there was a prospect of what we moderns would call "letting the steam off" in a vigorous manner. soon the oars were dipped in the fiord, and the sails were set, for a light favourable wind was blowing. in a short time the fleet rounded the ness, and came in sight of the ground where erling and skarpedin were preparing to renew the combat. chapter seven. the tale returns to the springs--describes a great land fight, and tells of a peculiar style of extending mercy to the vanquished. in a previous chapter we left skarpedin discussing with his chiefs the best mode of attacking the small band of his opponents in the pass of the springs. they had just come to a decision, and were about to act on it, when they suddenly beheld six warships sweeping round the ness. "now will we have to change our plans," said skarpedin. thorvold agreed with this, and counselled getting on board their ships and meeting the enemy on the water; but the other objected, because he knew that while his men were in the act of embarking, erling would sally forth and kill many of them before they could get away. "methinks," said he, "i will take forty of my best men, and try to entice that fox out of his hole, before he has time to see the ships." "grief only will come of that," says thorvold. skarpedin did not reply, but choosing forty of his stoutest carles he went to the pass and defied erling to come out and fight. "now here am i, erling, with forty men. wilt thou come forth? or is thy title of bold ill bestowed, seeing thou hast more men than i?" "ill should i deserve the title," replies erling, "if i were to meet thee with superior force." with that he chose thirty men, and, running down to the plain, gave the assault so fiercely that men fell fast on every side, and the danes gave back a little. when they saw this, and that erling and thorer hewed men down wherever they went, the danes made a shield circle round skarpedin, as was the custom when kings went into battle; because they knew that if he fell there would be no one so worthy to guide them in the fight with the approaching longships. thus they retreated, fighting. when erling and his men had gone far enough, they returned to the pass, and cheered loudly as they went, both because of the joy of victory, and because they saw the warships of their friends coming into the bay. king haldor and his companions at once ran their ships on the beach near the mouth of the river, and, landing, drew them up, intending to fight on shore. skarpedin did not try to prevent this, for he was a bold man, and thought that with so large a force he could well manage to beat the northmen, if they would fight on level ground. he therefore drew up his men in order of battle at one end of the plain, and haldor the fierce, to whom was assigned the chief command, drew up the northmen at the other end. erling joined them with his band, and then it was seen that the two armies were not equal--that of the northmen being a little smaller than the other. then haldor said, "let us draw up in a long line that they may not turn our flanks, as they have most men." this was done, and haldor advanced into the plain and set up his banner. the danes in like manner advanced and planted their banner, and both armies rushed to the attack, which was very sharp and bloody. wherever the battle raged most fiercely there king haldor and erling were seen, for they were taller by half a head than most other men. being clothed alike in almost every respect, they looked more like brothers than father and son. each wore a gilt helmet, and carried a long shield, the centre of which was painted white, but round the edge was a rim of burnished steel. each had a sword by his side, and carried a javelin to throw, but both depended chiefly on their favourite weapon, the battle-axe, for, being unusually strong, they knew that few men could withstand the weight of a blow from that. the defensive armour of father and son was also the same--a shirt of leather, sewed all over with small steel rings. their legs were clothed in armour of the same kind, and a mantle of cloth hung from the shoulders of each. most of the chief men on both sides were armed in a similar way, though not quite so richly, and with various modifications; for instance, the helmet of thorvold was of plain steel, and for ornament had the tail of the ptarmigan as its crest. skarpedin's, on the other hand, was quite plain, but partly gilded; his armour was of pieces of steel like fish scales sewed on a leathern shirt, and over his shoulders he wore as a mantle the skin of a wolf. his chief weapon was a bill--a sort of hook or short scythe fixed to a pole, and it was very deadly in his hands. most of the carles and thralls were content to wear thick shirts of wolf and other skins, which were found to offer good resistance to a sword-cut, and some of them had portions of armour of various kinds. their arms were spears, bows, arrows with stone heads, javelins, swords, bills, and battle-axes and shields. when both lines met there was a hard fight. the combatants first threw their spears and javelins, and then drew their swords and went at each other in the greatest fury. in the centre haldor and erling went together in advance of their banner, cutting down on both sides of them. old guttorm stoutheart went in advance of the right wing, also hewing down right and left. with him went kettle flatnose, for that ambitious thrall could not be made to remember his position, and was always putting himself in front of his betters in war; yet it is due to him to say that he kept modestly in the background in time of peace. to these was opposed thorvold, with many of the stoutest men among the danes. now, old guttorm and kettle pressed on so hard that they were almost separated from their men; and while guttorm was engaged with a very tall and strong man, whom he had wounded severely more than once, another stout fellow came between him and kettle, and made a cut at him with his sword. guttorm did not observe him, and it seemed as if the old stoutheart should get his death-wound there; but the thrall chanced to see what was going on. he fought with a sort of hook, like a reaping-hook, fixed at the end of a spear handle, with the cutting edge inside. the men of horlingdal used to laugh at kettle because of his fondness for this weapon, which was one of his own contriving; but when they did so, he was wont to reply that it was better than most other weapons, because it could not only make his friends laugh, but his enemies cry! with this hook the thrall made a quick blow at the dane; the point of it went down through his helmet into his brain, and that was his deathblow. "well done, kettle!" cried old guttorm, who had just cleft the skull of his opponent with his sword. at this thorvold ran forward and said: "well done it may be, but well had it been for the doer had it not been done. come on, thou flatnose!" "now, thou must be a remarkably clever man," retorted kettle, with much of that rich tone of voice which, many centuries later, came to be known as "the irish brogue", "for it is plain ye know my name without being told it!" so saying, with a sudden quick movement he got his hook round thorvold's neck. "that is an ugly grip," said thorvold, making a fierce cut at the haft with his sword; but kettle pulled the hook to him, and with it came the head, and that was thorvold's end. while this was going on at the right wing, the left wing was led by ulf of romsdal and glumm the gruff; but ulf's men were not so good as haldor's men, for he was not so wise a man as haldor, and did not manage his house so well. it was a common saying among the people of horlingdal that haldor had under him the most valiant men in norway--and as the master was, so were the men. haldor never went to sea with less than a fully-manned ship of thirty benches of rowers, and had other large vessels and men to man them as well. one of his ships had thirty-two benches of rowers, and could carry at least two hundred men. he had always at home on his farm thirty slaves or thralls, besides other serving people, and about two hundred house-carles. he used to give his thralls a certain day's work; but after it was done he gave them leave and leisure to work in the twilight and at night for themselves. he gave them arable land to sow corn in, and let them apply their crops to their own use. he fixed a certain quantity of work, by the doing of which his slaves might work themselves free; and this put so much heart into them that many of them worked themselves free in one year, and all who had any luck or pluck could work themselves free in three years. ulf did this too, but he was not so wise nor yet so kind in his way of doing it. with the money thus procured haldor bought other slaves. some of his freed people he taught to work in the herring fishery; to others he taught some handicraft; in short, he helped all of them to prosperity; so that many of the best of them remained fast by their old master, although free to take service where they chose. thus it was that his men were better than those of his neighbour. ulf's men were, nevertheless, good stout fellows, and they fought valiantly; but it so happened that the wing of the enemy to which they were opposed was commanded by skarpedin, of whom it was said that he was equal to any six men. in spite, therefore, of the courage and the strength of ulf and glumm, the northmen in that part of the field began slowly to give back. ulf and glumm were so maddened at this that they called their men cowards, and resolved to go forward till they should fall. uttering their war-cry, they made a desperate charge, hewing down men like stalks of corn; but although this caused the danes to give way a little, they could not advance, not being well backed, but stood fighting, and merely kept their ground. now it had chanced shortly before this, that haldor stayed his hand and drew back with erling. they went out from the front of the fight, and observed the left wing giving way. "come, let us aid them," cried haldor. saying this he ran to the left wing, with erling by his side. they two uttered a war-cry that rose high above the din of battle like a roar of thunder, and, rushing to the front, fell upon the foe. their gilt helmets rose above the crowd, and their ponderous axes went swinging round their heads, continually crashing down on the skulls of the danes. with four such men as haldor, erling, ulf and glumm in front, the left wing soon regained its lost ground and drove back the danes. nothing could withstand the shock. skarpedin saw what had occurred, and immediately hastened to the spot where haldor stood, sweeping down all who stood in his way. "i have been searching for thee, erling," he cried, going up to haldor, and launching a javelin. haldor caught it on his shield, which it pierced through, but did him no hurt. "mistaken thou art, but thou hast found me now," cried erling, thrusting his father aside and leaping upon the dane. skarpedin changed his bill to his left hand, drew his sword, and made such a blow at his adversary, that the point cut right through his shield. with a quick turn of the shield, erling broke the sword short off at the hilt. skarpedin seized his bill and thrust so fiercely that it also went through the shield and stuck fast. erling forced the lower end or point of his shield down into the earth, and so held it fast, dropped his axe, drew his sword, and made it flash so quick round his head that no one could see the blade. it fell upon skarpedin's neck and gave him a grievous wound, cutting right through his armour and deep into his shoulder blade. a great cry arose at this. the danes made a rush towards their chief, and succeeded in dragging him out of the fight. they put him on his shield and bore him off to his ship, which was launched immediately. this was the turning-point in the day. everywhere the danes fled to their ships pursued by the victors. some managed to launch their vessels, others were not so fortunate, and many fell fighting, while a few were taken prisoners. foreseeing that this would be the result, haldor and erling called off their men, hastened on board their ships, and gave chase, while the rest of the force looked after the prisoners and the booty, and dressed their own and their comrades' wounds. "a bloody day this," said ulf to guttorm, as the latter came up, wiping the blade of his sword. "i have seen worse," observed the old warrior, carefully returning his weapon to its scabbard. "the danes will long remember it," observed glumm. "the ravens will have a good feast to-night." "and odin's halls a few more tenants," said guttorm: "the danes came here all filled with greed, and left their flesh the crows to feed. "but what is to be done with these?" he added, pointing to the prisoners, about twenty of whom were seated on a log with their feet tied together by a long rope, while their hands were loose. "kill them, i suppose," said ulf. there were thirty men seated there, and although they heard the words, they did not show by a single glance that they feared to meet their doom. just then swart of the springs came up. he had a great axe in his hands, and was very furious. "thou hast killed and burned my wife, children, and homestede," he said fiercely, addressing the prisoner who sat at the end of the log, "but thou shalt never return to denmark to tell it." he cut at him with the axe as he spoke, and the man fell dead. one after another swart killed them. there was one who looked up and said-- "i will stick this fish bone that i have in my hand into the earth, if it be so that i know anything after my head is cut off." his head was immediately cut off, but the fish bone fell from his hand. beside him there sat a very handsome young man with long hair, who twisted his hair over his head, stretched out his neck, and said, "don't make my hair bloody." a man took the hair in his hands and held it fast. then swart hewed with his axe, but the dane twitched his head back so strongly, that he who was holding his hair fell forward; the axe cut off both his hands, and stuck fast in the earth. "who is that handsome man?" asked ulf. the man replied with look of scorn, "i am einar, the son of king thorkel of denmark; and know thou for a certainty that many shall fall to avenge my death." ulf said, "art thou certainly thorkel's son? wilt thou now take thy life and peace?" "that depends," replied the dane, "upon who it is that offers it." "he offers who has the power to give it--ulf of romsdal." "i will take it," says he, "from ulf's hands." upon that the rope was loosed from his feet, but swart, whose vengeance was still unsatisfied, exclaimed-- "although thou shouldst give all these men life and peace, king ulf, yet will i not suffer einar to depart from this place with life." so saying he ran at him with uplifted axe, but one of the viking prisoners threw himself before swart's feet, so that he tumbled over him, and the axe fell at the feet of a viking named gills. gills caught the axe and gave swart his death-wound. then said ulf, "gills, wilt thou accept life?" "that will i," said he, "if thou wilt give it to all of us." "loose them from the rope," said ulf. this was done, and the men were set free. eighteen of the danish vikings were killed, and twelve got their lives upon that occasion. chapter eight. tells of discussions and exciting deeds at ulfstede. while the fight at the springs which we have just described was going on, christian the hermit sat in the hall at ulfstede conversing with hilda and dame astrid, and some of the other women. all the fighting men of the place had been taken away--only one or two old men and alric were left behind--for ulf, in his impetuosity, had forgotten to leave a guard at home. "i hope it will fare well with our men at the springs," said hilda, looking up with an anxious expression from the mantle with which her nimble fingers were busy. "i hope so too," said christian, "though i would rather that there had been no occasion to fight." "no occasion to fight!" exclaimed alric, who was dressing the feathers on an arrow which he had made to replace the one he lost in shooting at the dane,--and the losing of which, by the way, he was particularly careful to bring to remembrance as often as opportunity offered-- sometimes whether opportunity offered or not. "no occasion to fight! what would be the use of weapons if there were no fighting! where should we get our plunder if there were no fighting, and our slaves? why, what would northmen find to _do_ if there were no fighting?" the hermit almost laughed at the impetuosity of the boy as he replied-- "it would take a wiser head than mine, lad, to answer all these questions, more particularly to answer them to thy satisfaction. notwithstanding, it remains true that peace is better than war." "that may be so," said dame astrid; "but it seems to me that war is necessary, and what is necessary must be right." "i agree with that," said ada, with a toss of her pretty head--for it would seem that that method of expressing contempt for an adversary's opinion was known to womankind at least a thousand years ago, if not longer. "but _thou_ dost not fight, christian: what has war done to thee that thou shouldst object to it so?" "what has war done for me?" exclaimed the old man, springing up with sudden excitement, and clasping his lean hands tight together; "has it not done all that it could do? woman, it has robbed me of all that makes life sweet, and left me only what i did not want. it has robbed me of wife and children, and left a burdened life. yet no--i sin in speaking thus. life was left because there was something worth living for; something still to be done: the truth of god to be proclaimed; the good of man to be compassed. but sometimes i forget this when the past flashes upon me, and i forget that it is my duty as well as my joy to say, `the lord gave, and the lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the lord.'" the old man sat down again, and leaned his brow on his hand. the women, although sympathetic, were puzzled by some of his remarks, and therefore sat in silence for a little, but presently the volatile ada looked up and said-- "what thinkest thou, hilda, in regard to war?" "i know not what to think," replied hilda. "nay, then, thy spirit must be flying from thee, for thou wert not wont to be without an opinion on most things. why, even erling's sister, ingeborg, has made up her mind about war i doubt not, though she is too modest to express it." now this was a sly hit at ingeborg, who was sitting by, for she was well known to have a shrewish temper, and to be self-willed and opinionated, in so much that most men kept out of her way. she was very unlike erling, or her father and mother, or her little sisters, in this respect. "i can express my opinion well enough when i have a mind," said ingeborg sharply; "and as to war, it stands to reason that a sea-king's daughter must approve of a sea-king's business. why, the beautiful cloths, and gold and jewels, that are so plentiful in the dale, would never have delighted our eyes if our men had not gone on viking cruise, and fallen in with those rich traders from the far south lands. besides, war makes our men brisk and handsome." "aye," exclaimed alric, laughing, "especially when they get their noses cut off and their cheeks gashed!" "sometimes it takes them from us altogether," observed a poor woman of the household, the widow of a man who had been slain on a viking cruise, after having had his eyes put out, and being otherwise cruelly treated. "that is the other side of the question," said astrid. "of course everything has two sides. we cannot change the plans of the gods. sunshine and rain, heat and cold, come as they are sent. we must accept them as they are sent." "that is true," said christian, "and thou sayest wisely that we must accept things as they are sent; but can it be said that war is sent to us when we rush into it of our own accord? defensive warfare, truly, is right--else would this world be left in the sole possession of the wicked; but aggressive warfare is not right. to go on viking cruise and take by force that which is not our own is sinful. there is a good way to prove the truth of these things. let me ask the question, astrid,-- how would thy husband like to have thee and all his property taken from him, and ulfstede burned about his ears?" "methinks he would like it ill." "then why should he do that to others which he would not like done to himself?" "these are strange words," said astrid in surprise; "i know not that i have ever heard the like before." "truly no," said christian, "because the word of god has not yet been sounded in the dale. thou saidst just now that we cannot change the plans of the gods; that would be true if ye had said `the plans of god,' for there is but one god, and his ways are unchangeable. but what if god had revealed some of his plans to man, and told him that this revelation was sufficient to guide him in his walk through this life, and to prepare him for the next?" "then would i think it man's wisdom to follow that guide carefully," replied astrid. "such plans do exist, such a revelation has been made," said the hermit, "and the name that stands on the forefront of it is jesus christ." as he spoke the hermit drew from his bosom a scroll of parchment, which he unrolled slowly. this, he said, was a copy, made by himself, of part of the gospel. he had meant, he said, to have copied the whole of it, but war had put an end to his labours at the same time that it deprived him of his earthly joys, and drove him from his native land to be a wanderer on the earth. "but if," he continued, "the lord permits me to preach his gospel of truth and love and peace in norway, i shall count the sufferings of this present time as nothing compared with the glory yet to be revealed." "christian," said astrid, who appeared to have been struck by some reminiscence, "methinks i have heard ulf talk of a religion which the men of the south profess. he saw something of it when he went on viking cruise to the great fiord that runs far into the land, [the mediterranean] and if my memory is faithful he said that they called themselves by a name that sounds marvellously like thine own." "i suppose ulf must have met with christians, after whom i call myself, seeing that my own name is of consequence to no one," said the hermit. "what said he about them?" "that they were a bad set," replied astrid,--"men who professed love to their fellows, but were guilty of great cruelty to all who did not believe their faith." "all who call themselves christians deserve not the name, astrid; some are hypocrites and deceivers, others are foolish and easily deceived." "they all make the same profession, i am told," said dame astrid. "the men of norway are warriors," returned the hermit, "and all profess courage,--nay, when they stand in the ranks and go forth to war, they all show the same stern face and front, so that one could not know but that all were brave; yet are they not all courageous, as thou knowest full well. some, it may be very few, but some are cowards at heart, and it only requires the test of the fight to prove them. so is it with professing christians. i would gladly tell the story of jesus if ye will hear me, dame astrid." the matron's curiosity was excited, so she expressed her willingness to listen; and the hermit, reading passages from his manuscript copy of the new testament, and commenting thereon, unfolded the "old old story" of god's wonderful love to man in jesus christ. while he was yet in the midst of his discourse the door of the hall was burst violently open, and one of the serving-girls, rushing in, exclaimed that the danes were approaching from the fiord! the danes referred to composed a small party who had been sent off in a cutter by skarpedin redbeard to survey the coast beyond horlingdal fiord, as he had intended, after herrying that district, to plunder still farther north. this party in returning had witnessed, unseen, the departure of the fleet of northmen. thinking it probable that the place might have been left with few protectors, they waited until they deemed it safe to send out scouts, and, on their report being favourable, they landed to make an attack on the nearest village or farm. on hearing the news all was uproar in ulfstede. the women rushed about in a distracted state, imploring the few helpless old men about the place to arm and defend them. to do these veteran warriors justice they did their best. they put the armour that was brought to them on their palsied limbs, but shook their heads sadly, for they felt that although they might die in defence of the household, they could not save it. meanwhile christian and alric proved themselves equal to the occasion. the former, although advanced in years, retained much of his strength and energy; and the latter, still inflated with the remembrance of the fact that he had actually drawn blood from a full-grown bearded dane, and deeply impressed with the idea that he was the only able-bodied warrior in ulfstede at this crisis, resolved to seize the opportunity and prove to the whole world that his boasting was at all events not "empty!" "the first thing to be done is to bar the doors," he cried, starting up on hearing the serving-girl's report. "thou knowest how to do it, christian; run to the south door, i will bar the north." the hermit smiled at the lad's energy, but he was too well aware of the importance of speed to waste time in talking. he dropped his outer garment and ran to the south door, which was very solid. closing it, and fastening the ponderous wooden bar which stretched diagonally across it, he turned and ran to the chamber in which the weapons were kept. on the way he was arrested by a cry from alric-- "here! here, quick, christian, else we are lost!" the hermit sprang to the north door with the agility of a youth. he was just in time. poor alric, despite the strength of his bold heart and will, had not strength of muscle enough to close the door, which had somehow got jammed. through the open doorway christian could see a band of danish vikings running towards the house at full speed. he flung the door forward with a crash, and drew the bar across just as the vikings ran against it. "open, open without delay!" cried a voice outside, "else will we tear out the heart of every man and child under this roof." "we will not open; we will defend ourselves to the last; our trust is in god," replied christian. "and as to tearing out our hearts," cried alric, feeling emboldened now that the stout door stood between him and his foes, "if ye do not make off as fast as ye came, we will punch out your eyes and roast your livers." the reply to this was a shower of blows on the door, so heavy that the whole building shook beneath them, and alric almost wished that his boastful threat had been left unsaid. he recollected at that moment, however, that there was a hole under the eaves of the roof just above the door. it had been constructed for the purpose of preventing attacks of this kind. the boy seized his bow and arrows and dashed up the ladder that led to the loft above the hall. on it he found one of the old retainers of the stede struggling up with a weighty iron pot, from which issued clouds of steam. "let me pass, old ivor; what hast thou there?" "boiling water to warm them," gasped ivor, "i knew we should want it ere long. finn is gone to the loft above the south door with another pot." alric did not wait to hear the end of this answer, but pushing past the old man, hastened to the trap-door under the eaves and opened it. he found, however, that he could not use his bow in the constrained position necessary to enable him to shoot through the hole. in desperation he seized a barrel that chanced to be at hand, and overturned its contents on the heads of the foe. it happened to contain rye-flour, and the result was that two of the assailants were nearly blinded, while two others who stood beside them burst into a loud laugh, and, seizing the battle-axes which the others had been using, continued their efforts to drive in the door. by this time old ivor had joined alric. he set down the pot of boiling water by the side of the hole, and at once emptied its contents on the heads of the vikings, who uttered a terrific yell and leaped backward as the scalding water flowed over their heads and shoulders. a similar cry from the other door of the house told that the defence there had been equally successful. almost at the same moment alric discovered a small slit in the roof through which he could observe the enemy. he quickly sent through it an arrow, which fixed itself in the left shoulder of one of the men. this had the effect of inducing the attacking party to draw off for the purpose of consultation. the breathing-time thus afforded to the assailed was used in strengthening their defences and holding a hurried council of war. piling several heavy pieces of furniture against the doors, and directing the women to make additions to these, christian drew alric into the hall, where the ancient retainers were already assembled. "it will cost them a long time and much labour to drive in the doors, defended as they are," said the hermit. "they will not waste time nor labour upon them," said ivor, shaking his hoary head. "what think ye, finn?" the women, who had crowded round the men, looked anxiously at finn, who was a man of immense bulk, and had been noted for strength in his younger days, but who was now bent almost double with age. "fire will do the work quicker than the battle-axe," answered finn, with grim smile, which did not improve the expression of a countenance already disfigured by the scars of a hundred fights, and by the absence of an eye--long ago gouged out and left to feed the ravens of a foreign shore! "if this had only come to pass a dozen years ago," he added, while a gleam of light illumined the sound eye, "i might have gone off to valhalla with a straight hack and some credit. but mayhap a good onset will straighten it yet, who knows?--and i do feel as if i had strength left to send at least _one_ foe out of the world before me." ivor the old nodded. "yes," he said; "i think they will burn us out." "i had already feared this," said christian, with a look of perplexity. "what wouldst thou recommend should be done, ivor?" "nothing more can be done than to kill as many as possible before we die." "i pray the lord to help us in our extremity," said christian; "but i believe it to be his will to help those who are willing to help themselves, depending upon him for strength, courage, and victory. it may be that ulf and his men will soon return from the springs, so that if we could only hold out for a short time all might be well. have ye nothing to suggest?" "as to ulf and the men returning from the springs," said finn, "there is small chance of that before morning. with regard to holding out, i know of nothing that will cause fire to burn slow once it is well kindled. an hour hence and ulfstede will be in ashes, as that sound surely tells." he referred to a crashing blow which occurred just then at the north door. nearly all present knew full well that it was the first bundle of a pile of faggots with which the assailants meant to set the house on fire. "had this arm retained but a little of the strength it once knew," continued finn bitterly, as he stretched out the huge but withered limb, "things had not come to this pass so quickly. i remember the day, now forty years ago, when on the roof of this very house i stood alone with my bow and kept thirty men at bay for two full hours. but i could not now draw an arrow of alric's little bow to its head, to save the lives of all present." "but _i_ can do it," cried alric, starting forward suddenly; "and if thou wilt show me the window in the roof i will--" "brave boy," said old ivor, with a kindly smile, as he laid his hand on alric's head, "thy heart is large, and it is sad that one so full of promise should come to such an end; but it needs not that ye should fall before thy time. these shafts may do against the crows, but they would avail nothing against men in mail." "is there not a warrior's bow in the house?" asked christian quickly. "there is," replied ivor, "but who will use it?" "i will." "thou?" exclaimed ivor, with a slight touch of contempt in his tone. "hold thy peace, ivor," said hilda quickly. "this man has saved my life once, as thou knowest, and well assured am i that what he undertakes to do he will accomplish." "now thanks to thee, hilda, for that," said the hermit heartily; "not that i boast of being sure to accomplish what i undertake, yet i never offer to attempt what i have not some reasonable hope of being able to do. but it is not strange that this old warrior should doubt of the courage or capacity of one who preaches the gospel of peace. nevertheless, when i was a youth i fought in the army of the great thorfin, and was somewhat expert in the use of the bow. it is possible that some of my ancient skill may remain, and i am willing to use it in a good cause. i pray thee, therefore, let us not waste more time in useless talk, but fetch me a bow and quiver, and show me the window in the roof." ivor went at once to the place where the armour was kept, and brought out the desired weapons, which he placed in the hands of the hermit, and watched his mode of handling them with some curiosity. christian, unconscious of the look, strung the bow and examined one of the arrows with the air of a man who was thoroughly accustomed to such weapons. ivor regarded him with increased respect as he conducted him to the loft, and opened the window. the hermit at once stepped out, and was instantly observed by the danes, who of course seized the opportunity and let fly several arrows at him, which grazed him or stuck quivering in the roof close to the spot where he stood. he was not slow to reply. one of the vikings, who was approaching the house at the moment with a bundle of faggots on his back, received a shaft in his shoulder, which caused him to drop his bundle and fly to the woods, where he took shelter behind a tree. almost before that shaft had reached its mark another was on the string, and, in another instant, transfixed the biceps muscle of the right arm of one of the vikings who was preparing to discharge an arrow. he also sought shelter behind a tree, and called to a comrade to come and assist him to extract the shaft. "mine ancient skill," said the hermit in an undertone, as if the remark were made half to himself and half to ivor, whose head appeared at the window, and whose old countenance was wrinkled with a grin of delight at this unexpected display of prowess; "mine ancient skill, it would seem, has not deserted me, for which i am thankful, for it is an awful thing, ivor, more awful than thou thinkest, to send a human being into eternity unforgiven. i am glad, therefore, to be able thus to render our assailants unfit for war without taking away their lives--ha! that was better aimed than usual," he added, as an arrow passed through his jerkin, and stuck deep into the roof. "the man shoots well, he would soon end the fight if i did not--stop--that." at the second-last word the hermit bent his bow; at the last, which was uttered with emphasis, he let the arrow fly, and sent it through the left hand of his adversary, who instantly dropped his bow. at the same moment it seemed as though the whole band of vikings had become suddenly convinced that they stood exposed to the shafts of a man who could use them with unerring certainty, for they turned with one consent and fled into the woods--each man seeking shelter behind the nearest tree. here they called to one another to stand forth and shoot at the hermit. "go thou, arne," cried the leader; "thine aim is true. surely one old man is not to keep us all at bay. if my left hand were unscathed i would not trouble thee to do it, thou knowest." "i have no desire to get an arrow in mine eye," cried arne; "see, i did but show the tip of my right elbow just now, and the skin of it is cut up as though the crows had pecked it." in the excess of his wrath arne extended his clenched fist and shook it at the hermit, who instantly transfixed it with an arrow, causing the foolish man to howl with pain and passion. "i have always held and acted on the opinion," said christian to ivor, who was now joined by his comrade finn, "that whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. thou seest," he continued, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his coat, "it is only by being expert in the use of this weapon that i have succeeded in driving bark the danes without the loss of life. there is indeed a passage in the book of god (which i hope to be spared to tell thee more about in time to come), where this principle of thoroughness in all things is implied, if not absolutely taught--namely, `whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.'" "a just maxim," said finn, shading his one eye with his hands and gazing earnestly into the woods, "and if acted upon, makes a man fit for every duty that falls upon him; but it seems to me that while we are talking here, there is some movement going on. see, christian (since that is thy name), they are retiring in haste, and exposing themselves. now, i pray thee, as thine eye is so sure, do drop a shaft on the nape of yonder fellow's neck, that we may have something to show of this night's work." "i told thee, finn, that my desire is to avoid taking life." "humph," said finn testily, "whatever thy desire may be matters little now, for he is beyond range. hark! that shout accounts for the flight of the danes. ulf must have returned." as he spoke, a loud cry, as if of men in conflict, arose from the fiord. immediately after, the vikings who had not already taken to flight left their places of shelter and dashed into the underwood. the hermit let them go without moving a hand; but alric, who was actuated by no merciful principles, suddenly opened the north door, sprang out, and let fly an arrow with so true an aim that it struck one of the danes between the shoulders. fortunately for him, the dane had, in accordance with the usual custom of the time, hung his shield on his back when he took to flight, so that the shaft rebounded from it and fell harmless to the ground. by this time the hermit had descended from the roof. running out he seized alric, and, dragging him into the house, reclosed the door. "ye know not, foolish boy, whether or not this is ulf whom we hear." as he spoke, the tramp of approaching footsteps and the voices of excited men were heard outside. the door flew open, and ulf, erling, and haldor, with a number of the house-carles, strode into the hall and flung down their arms. "not much too soon, it would seem," said ulf, with a look of stern joy. "thou wouldst have been altogether too late, ulf," said astrid, "had not christian been here to save us." "how so?" exclaimed ulf, turning with an enquiring look to the hermit; "hast turned warrior after all thy preaching of peace? but thou art pale. ho! fetch a horn of ale here; fighting has disagreed with thy stomach, old man." "i think," said christian, pressing his hand to his side, "that one of these arrows must have--" he paused suddenly, and would have fallen to the ground had not erling caught him. letting him gently down at full length, our hero raised his head on his knee, while hilda came forward with a horn of ale. as she kneeled by the old man's side she glanced anxiously at her lover's face, which was covered with blood and dust, and presented anything but an attractive appearance. "hast thou been wounded?" whispered hilda. "no, not wounded," muttered erling, "but--" "not wounded!" exclaimed ulf, who overheard the words, but misunderstood their application, "not wounded! why, erling, where have thy wits gone? the man is wellnigh dead from loss of blood. see, his jerkin is soaking. bring hither bandages; come, let me see the wound. if the old man has indeed saved ulfstede this day, eternal disgrace would be our due did we let his life slip out under our roof-tree for want of proper care. and hark'ee; get ready all the dressings thou hast, for wounded men enough will be here ere long, and let the boards be spread with the best of meat and ale, for we have gone through hard work to-day, and there is harder yet in store for us, i trow." thus admonished, the women went to make preparation for the reception of the wounded, and the entertainment of those who had been more fortunate in the recent conflict. meanwhile the hermit was conveyed to ulf's own bed, and his wound, which proved to be less serious than had been feared, was carefully dressed by hilda, to whom erling, in the most attentive and disinterested manner, acted the part of assistant-surgeon. chapter nine. shows how the ancient sea-kings transacted national business. scant was the time allowed the men of horlingdal for refreshment and rest after the battle of the springs, for the assembling of thingsmen armed to the teeth, as well as the news that king harald threatened a descent on them, rendered it necessary that a district thing or council should be held without delay. accordingly, after brief repose, haldor the fierce, who had returned with erling to his own house up the dale, arose and ordered the horn to be sounded for a thing. several hundreds of men had by that time assembled, and when they all came together they formed an imposing band of warriors, whom any wise king would have deemed it advisable to hold converse with, if possible, on friendly terms. when the thing was seated haldor rose, and, amid profound silence, said: "men of horlingdal, king harald haarfager has sent round the message-token for a thing to be held at the springs. the token sent was one of peace. the token of war was sent round instead, as ye know. whether this was wise or not does not much concern us now, as ye have seen with your own eyes that there was good fortune in the change; for we knew not, when the token was forwarded, of the urgent need that should arise at the springs for our weapons. but, now that the danes have been sent home--excepting that goodly number who have gone to valhalla's halls to keep company with odin and departed warriors--it seems to me that we should meet the king in the manner which he desires until he shall give us occasion to assume arms in defence of our laws. and i would here remind you that harald is our rightful king, udal-born to the kingdom of norway, his title having been stated and proved at all the district things, beginning with the ore thing of drontheim, and having been approved by all the people of norway. i therefore counsel pacific measures, and that we should go to the springs unarmed." when haldor sat down there was a slight murmur of assent, but most of those present remained silent, wishing to hear more. then up started ulf, and spoke with great heat. "i agree not with haldor," he said sternly. "who does not know that harald is rightful king of norway; that he is descended in a direct line from the godars who came over from the east with odin, and has been fairly elected king of norway? but who does not know also, that our laws are above our king, that harald is at this time trampling on these laws, and is everywhere setting at defiance the small kings, who are as truly udal-born to their rights and titles as himself?" at this point ulf's indignation became so great that he found he could not talk connectedly, so he concluded by counselling that they should go to the springs fully armed, and ready to brave the worst. there was a loud shout of approval, and then erling started up. his manner and tone were subdued, but his face was flushed; and men could see, as he went on, that he was keeping down his wrath and his energy. "i like it ill," he said, "to disagree on this point with my father; but ulf is right. we all know that harald is king of norway by _law_, and we do not meet here to dispute his title; but we also know that kings are not gods. men create a law and place it over their own heads, so that the lawmakers as well as those for whom it is made must bow before it; but when it is found that the law works unfairly, the lawmaker may repeal it, and cast it aside as useless or unworthy. so kings were created for the sole purpose of guiding nations and administering laws, in order that national welfare might be advanced. the moment they cease to act their part, that moment they cease to be worthy kings, and become useless. but if, in addition to this, they dare to ignore and break the laws of the land, then do they become criminal; they deserve not only to be cast aside, but punished. if, in defence of our rights, we find it necessary to dethrone the king, we cannot be charged with disloyalty, because the king has already dethroned himself!" erling paused a moment at this point, and a murmur of approval ran through the circle of his auditors. "when harald haarfager's father," he resumed, "halfdan the black, ruled over norway, he made laws which were approved by the people. he obeyed them himself, and obliged others to observe them; and, that violence should not come in the place of the laws, he himself fixed the number of criminal acts in law, and the compensations, mulcts, or penalties, for each case, according to everyone's birth and dignity, from the king downwards; so that when disputes were settled at the things the utmost fair play prevailed--death for death, wound for wound; or, if the parties chose, matters could be adjusted by payments in money--each injury being valued at a fixed scale; or matters might be settled and put right by single combat. all this, ye know full well, halfdan the black compassed and settled in a _legal manner_, and the good that has flowed from his wise and legal measures (for i hold that a king is not entitled to pass even wise laws illegally) has been apparent to us ever since. but now all this is to be overturned--with or without the consent of the things--because a foolish woman, forsooth, has the power to stir up the vanity of a foolish king! shall this be so? is our manhood to be thus riven from us, and shall we stand aloof and see it done, or, worse still, be consenting unto it? let death be our portion first! it has been rumoured that the people of southern lands have done this--that they have sold themselves to their kings, so that one man's voice is law, and paid troops of military slaves are kept up in order that this one man may have his full swing, while his favourites and his soldier-slaves bask in his sunshine and fatten on the people of the land! it is impossible for us of norway to understand the feelings or ideas of the men who have thus sold themselves--for we have never known such tyranny--having, as the scalds tell us, enjoyed our privileges, held our things, and governed ourselves by means of the collective wisdom of the people ever since our forefathers came from the east; but i warn ye that if this man, harald haarfager, is allowed to have his will, our institutions shall be swept away, our privileges will depart, our rights will be crushed, and the time will come when it shall be said of norsemen that they have utterly forgotten that they once were free! again i ask, shall we tamely stand aside and suffer this to be? shall our children ever have it in their power to say, `there was a time when our mean-spirited forefathers might have easily stopped the leak that caused the flood by which we are now borne irresistibly downward?' i repeat, let us rather perish! let us go armed to the springs and tell the king that he--equally with ourselves--is subject to the laws of the land!" erling delivered the last sentence in a voice of thunder, and with a fierce wave of the hand, that drew forth shouts of enthusiastic applause. instantly glumm started up, forgetful, in the heat of the moment, of the jealousy that had so recently sprung up between him and his friend. "i am not a speaker," he shouted gruffly, "but poor is the man who cannot back up and egg on his friend. erling speaks the truth; and all i have to suggest is that he should be sent by us to tell all this to king harald haarfager's face!" glumm sat down with the prompt decision of a man who has thoroughly delivered himself of all that he intends to say; and many in the assembly testified their approval of his sentiments. at this point ivor the old arose and gave it as his opinion that the sooner the king should be brought off his high horse the better; whereupon finn the one-eyed suggested, with a laugh, that the old hermit should be sent with his bow and arrow to teach him due submission to the laws. then there was a good deal of confused, and not a little passionate discussion, which waxed louder and more vehement until guttorm stoutheart stood up, and, although not a dalesman, requested the attention of the assembly for a few minutes. "it is obvious," he said in the hearty tones of a man who knows that he is sure of carrying a large portion of his audience along with him--"it is obvious that you are all pretty much of one mind as to the principle on which we should act at this time; and my good friend haldor the fierce (who seems of late to have changed his nature, and should, methinks, in future, be styled haldor the mild) is evidently on the losing side. the only thing that concerns us, it seems to me, is the manner in which we shall convey our opinion to the king--how we shall best, as the scald says:-- "`whisper in the king's unwilling ear that which is wholesome but unsweet to hear.' "now, to the quick-witted among you various methods will doubtless have already been suggested; and i am perchance only echoing the sentiments of many here, when i say that it would be worthy of the men of horlingdal that they should fight the king at once, and put a stop to the burnings, hangings, torturings, jarl-makings, and subduings of which he has been so guilty of late, and which i confess is so unlike his free, generous, manly character, that i have found it hard to believe the reports which have reached my ears, and which, after all, can only be accounted for by the fact that he is at present led by the nose by that worst of all creatures, a proud imperious girl, who has the passions of a warrior and the brains of a bairn! another method, which would signify at least our contempt for harald's principles, would be the sending of a thrall to him with a reaping-hook, and a request that he would cut off his own head and give it to us in token that, having ceased to be a king, he is resolved no longer to continue to be a dishonoured man! and that reminds me of one of ulf's thralls named kettle flatnose, who could assist harald nobly in the work of beheading himself, for last night, when he and i fought side by side against the danes, he used a hook of his own making, with such effect, that i was fain to pause and laugh, while myself in the very act of splitting an iron headpiece. but perchance that is not a suitable method of compassing our ends, besides it would cost the thrall his life, and i should be sorry to aid in bringing about the death of kettle flatnose, whose island is a happy one if it counts many such clear-headed and able-bodied warriors. "but another plan was proposed by glumm the gruff, which seemed to me to have the approval of many present, and assuredly it has mine, that we should send king erling at once to harald, to tell him our opinions to his face, to sound him as to his intentions, and to bring back the news as fast as possible, so that we may go armed or unarmed to the springs, as prudence may direct. moreover, as it would be unfair to send a man alone on such a dangerous errand, i would suggest that he should have a comrade to keep him company and share his fortunes, and that for this end none better could be found than glumm the gruff himself." this speech settled the mind of the meeting. after a little more talk it was finally arranged that erling and glumm should go at once to meet king harald, who could not yet, it was thought, have arrived at the springs, and endeavour to find out his temper of mind in regard to the men of horlingdal. after that the thing broke up, and the members dispersed to partake of "midag-mad", or dinner, in the dwellings of their various friends. chapter ten. proves that the best of friends may quarrel about nothing, and that war has two aspects. "now, erling," said glumm, with a face so cheerful, that had the expression been habitual, he never would have been styled the gruff, "i will go home with thee and wait until thou art busked, after which we will go together to my house and have a bite and a horn of mead before setting out on this expedition. i thank the stoutheart for suggesting it, for the business likes me well." "thou wert ever prone to court danger, glumm," said erling with a laugh, as they hurried towards haldorstede, "and methinks thou art going to be blessed with a full share of it just now, for this harald haarfager is not a man to be trifled with. although thou and i could hold our own against some odds, we shall find the odds too much for us in the king's camp, should he set his face against us. however, the cause is a good one, and to say truth, i am not sorry that they had the goodness to pitch on thee and me to carry out the plan." thus conversing they arrived at ulfstede, where herfrida met them at the door, and was soon informed of their mission. she immediately went to an inner closet, where the best garments and arms were kept, and brought forth erling's finest suit of armour, in order that he might appear with suitable dignity at court. she made him change his ordinary shoes for a pair made of tanned leather, on which he bound a pair of silver spurs, which had been taken from a cavalier of southern lands in one of haldor's viking cruises. she brought, and assisted him to put on, a new suit of mail, every ring of which had been brightly polished by the busy hands of ingeborg, who was unusually fond of meddling with everything that pertained to the art of war; also a new sword-belt of yellow leather, ornamented with gold studs. on his head she placed a gilt helmet with his favourite crest, a pair of hawk's wings expanded upwards, and a curtain of leather covered with gilt-steel rings to defend the neck. over his shoulders she flung a short scarlet cloak, which was fastened at the throat by a large silver brooch, similar to the circular brooches which are still to be found in the possession of the rich bonders of norway. then she surveyed her stalwart son from head to foot, and said that he would stand comparison with any king in the land, small or great. at this erling laughed, and asked for his sword. "which one, my son?" "the short one, mother. i had indeed thought of taking my good old axe with me, but that would not look well in a man bent on a mission of peace. would it, glumm? and if i should have to fight, why, my short sword is not a light one, and by putting to a little more force i can make it bite deep enough. so now, glumm, i am ready for the road. farewell, mother." the young men went out and hastened down the valley to glummstede, near horlingend. now it chanced that hilda and her foster-sister ada had resolved, about that time of the day, to walk up the dale together, and as there was only one road on that side of the river, of necessity they were met by their lovers; and it so fell out that the meeting took place in a picturesque part of the dale, where the road passed between two high precipitous cliffs. the instant that ada's eyes fell on glumm her active brain conceived the idea of treating him to a disappointment, so she said hurriedly to her friend: "hilda, wilt thou manage to lead glumm aside and keep talking to him for a short time, while i speak with erling? i want to ask him something about that sword-belt which i am making for glumm, and which i intend to send him as the gift of an enemy." "i will do as ye desire," replied hilda, with a feeling of disappointment; "but with what truth canst thou send it, ada, as an enemy's gift?" "simple hilda!" said the other, with a laugh, "am i not an enemy to his peace of mind? but hush! they will overhear us." it chanced that hilda was on the same side of the road with erling, and ada on that with glumm, and both youths observed this fact with secret satisfaction as they approached and wished the maids "good day"; but just as they were about to shake hands ada crossed in front of her companion, and taking erling's outstretched hand said: "erling, i am glad to meet thee, because i have a knotty point which i wish thine aid to disentangle. i will turn and walk with thee a short way, because i know thy business is pressing. it is always so with men, is it not?" "i know not," answered erling, smiling at the girl's arch look, despite his surprise and chagrin at the unexpected turn affairs had taken, for he had noted the readiness with which hilda had turned towards glumm, and almost, as he imagined, led him aside purposely! "but it seems to me, ada, that, however pressing a man's business may be, woman has the power to delay it." "nay, then, if thine is indeed so pressing just now," said ada, with a toss of the head (which glumm, who walked behind with hilda, took particular note of), "i will not presume to--" "now, ada," said erling, with a light laugh, "thou knowest that it is merely waste of time to affect indignation. i know thee too well to be deceived. come, what is it that ye would consult me about? not the forging of a battle-axe or spear-head, i warrant me." "nay, but a portion of armour scarce less important, though not so deadly. what say you to a sword-belt?" "well, i am somewhat skilled in such gear." "i am ornamenting one for a friend of thine, erling, but i will not tell his name unless i have thy promise not to mention to him anything about our conversation." "i promise," said erling, with an amused glance. "it is for glumm." "for glumm!" repeated erling in surprise; "does glumm then know--" "know what?" asked ada, as erling stopped abruptly. "does he know that thou art making this belt for him?" "know it? why, how could it be a secret if he knew it?" "ah, true, i--well?" "besides," continued ada, "i am not _making_ it; i said i was going to ornament it. now it is with reference to that i would consult thee." here ada became so deeply absorbed in the mysteries of ornamental armour that she constrained erling at least to appear interested, although, poor man, his heart was behind him, and he had much difficulty in resisting the desire to turn round when he heard hilda's voice--which, by the way, was heard pretty constantly, for glumm was so uncommonly gruff and monosyllabic in his replies that she had most of the talking to herself. this unpleasant state of things might have lasted a considerable time, had not the party reached the path which diverged to the left, and, crossing the river over a narrow bridge composed of two tall trees thrown across, led to glummstede. here erling stopped suddenly, and wheeling round, said: "i regret that we cannot go farther down the dale to-day, as glumm and i must fare with all speed to the springs to meet king harald." "i trust thine errand is one of peace?" said hilda in a slightly anxious tone. "to judge by their looks," said ada, glancing expressively at glumm, "i should say that their intentions were warlike!" "despite our looks," replied erling, with a laugh, "our business with the king is of a peaceful nature, and as it is pressing, ye will excuse us if--" "oh! it _is_ pressing, after all," cried ada; "come, sister, let us not delay them." so saying, she hurried away with her friend, and the two youths strode on to glummstede in a very unenviable frame of mind. having refreshed themselves with several cuts of fresh salmon--drawn that morning from the foaming river--and with a deep horn of home-brewed ale, the young warriors mounted a couple of active horses, and rode up the mountain path that led in a zigzag direction over the fells to the valley of the springs. they rode in silence at first--partly because the nature of the track compelled them to advance in single file, and partly because each was in the worst possible humour of which his nature was capable, while each felt indignant at the other, although neither could have said that his friend had been guilty of any definable sin. it may here be mentioned in passing, that glumm had clothed and armed himself much in the same fashion as his companion, the chief difference being that his helmet was of polished steel, and the centre of his shield was painted red, while that of erling was white. his only offensive weapons were a dagger and the long two-handed sword which had been forged for him by his friend, which latter was slung across his back. an hour and a half of steady climbing brought the youths to the level summit of the hills, where, after giving their steeds a few minutes to breathe, they set off at a sharp gallop. here they rode side by side, but the rough nature of the ground rendered it necessary to ride with care, so that conversation, although possible, was not, in the circumstances, very desirable. the silence, therefore, was maintained all the way across the fells. when they came to descend on the other side they were again obliged to advance in single file, so that the silence remained unbroken until they reached the base of the mountains. here erling's spirit revived a little, and he began to realise the absurdity of the conduct of himself and his friend. "why, glumm," he exclaimed at last, "a dumb spirit must have got hold of us! what possesses thee, man?" "truly it takes two to make a conversation," said glumm sulkily. "that is as thou sayest, friend, yet i am not aware that i refused to talk with thee," retorted erling. "nor i with thee," said glumm sharply, "and thy tongue was glib enough when ye talked with ada in horlingdal." a light flashed upon erling as his friend spoke. "why, glumm," he said lightly, "a pretty girl will make most men's tongues wag whether they will or no." glumm remembered his own obstinate silence while walking with hilda, and deeming this a studied insult he became furious, reined up and said: "come, erling, if ye wish to settle this dispute at once we need fear no interruption, and here is a piece of level sward." "nay, man, be not so hot," said erling, with a smile that still more exasperated his companion; "besides, is it fair to challenge me to fight with this light weapon while thou bearest a sword so long and deadly?" "that shall be no bar," cried the other, unslinging his two-handed sword; "thou canst use it thyself, and i will content me with thine." "and pray, how shall we give account of our mission," said erling, "if you and i cut each other's heads off before fulfilling it?" "that would then concern us little," said glumm. "nay, thou art more selfish than i thought thee, friend. for my part, i would not that _she_ should think me so regardless of her welfare as to leave undelivered a message that may be the means of preventing the ruin of horlingdal. my regard for ada seems to sit more heavily on me than on thee." at this glumm became still more furious. he leaped off his horse, drew his sword, and flinging it down with the hilt towards erling, cried in a voice of suppressed passion: "no longer will i submit to be trifled with by man or woman. choose thy weapon, erling. this matter shall be settled now and here, and the one who wins her shall prove him worthy of her by riding forth from this plain alone. if thou art bent on equal combat we can fall to with staves cut from yonder tree, or, for the matter of that, we can make shift to settle it with our knives. what! has woman's love unmanned thee?" at this erling leaped out of the saddle, and drew his sword. "take up thy weapon, glumm, and guard thee. but before we begin, perhaps it would be well to ask for whose hand it is that we fight." "have we not been talking just now of ada the dark-eyed?" said glumm sternly, as he took up his sword and threw himself into a posture of defence, with the energetic action of a man thoroughly in earnest. "then is our combat uncalled for," said erling, lowering his point, "for i desire not the hand of ada, though i would fight even to the death for her blue-eyed sister, could i hope thereby to win her love." "art thou in earnest?" demanded glumm in surprise. "i never was more so in my life," replied erling; "would that hilda regarded me with but half the favour that ada shows to thee!" "there thou judgest wrongly," said glumm, from whose brow the frown of anger was passing away like a thundercloud before the summer sun. "i don't pretend to understand a girl's thoughts, but i have wit enough to see what is very plainly revealed. when i walked with hilda to-day i noticed that her eye followed thee unceasingly, and although she talked to me glibly enough, her thoughts were wandering, so that she uttered absolute nonsense at times--insomuch that i would have laughed had i not been jealous of what i deemed the mutual love of ada and thee. no, erling, thy suit will prosper, depend on't. it is i who have reason to despond, for ada loves me not." erling, who heard all this with a certain degree of satisfaction, smiled, shook his head, and said: "nay, then, glumm, thou too art mistaken. the dark-eyed ada laughs at everyone, and besides, i have good reason to know that her interest in thee is so great that she consulted me to-day about--about--a--" the promise of secrecy that he had made caused erling to stammer and stop. "about what?" asked glumm. "i may not tell thee, friend. she bound me over to secrecy, and i must hold by my promise; but this i may say, that thou hast fully greater cause for hope than i have." "then it is my opinion," said glumm, "that we have nothing to do but shake hands and proceed on our journey." erling laughed heartily, sheathed his sword, and grasped his friend's hand, after which they remounted and rode forward; but they did not now ride in silence. their tongues were effectually loosened, and for some time they discussed their respective prospects with all the warmth and enthusiasm of youthful confidants. "but ada perplexes me," suddenly exclaimed glumm, in the midst of a brief pause; "i know not how to treat her." "if thou wilt take my advice, glumm, i will give it thee." "what is that?" asked glumm. "there is nothing like fighting a woman with her own weapons." "a pretty speech," said glumm, "to come from the lips of a man who never regards the weapons of his foes, and can scarce be prevailed on to carry anything but a beloved battle-axe." "the case is entirely the reverse when one fights with woman," replied erling. "in war i confess that i like everything to be straightforward and downright, because when things come to the worst a man can either hew his way by main force through thick and thin, or die. truly, i would that it were possible to act thus in matters of love also, but this being impossible--seeing that women will not have it so, and insist on dallying--the next best thing to be done is to act on their own principles. fight them with their own weapons. if a woman is outspoken and straightforward, a man should be the same--and rejoice, moreover, that he has found a gem so precious. but if she _will_ play fast and loose, let a man--if he does not give her up at once--do the same. give ada a little taste of indifference, glumm, and thou wilt soon bring her down. laugh at her as well as with her. show not quite so much attention to her as has been thy wont; and be more attentive to the other girls in the dale--" "to hilda, for instance," said glumm slyly. "aye, even so, an it please thee," rejoined erling; "but rest assured thou wilt receive no encouragement in that quarter; for hilda the sunbeam is the very soul of innocence, truth, and straightforwardness." "not less so is ada," said glumm, firing up at the implied contrast. erling made a sharp rejoinder, to which glumm made a fierce reply; and it is probable that these hot-blooded youths, having quarrelled because of a misunderstanding in regard to their mistresses, would have come to blows about their comparative excellence, had they not come suddenly upon a sight which, for the time, banished all other thoughts from their minds. during the discussion they had been descending the valley which terminated in the plain where the recent battle of the springs had been fought. here, as they galloped across the field, which was still strewn with the bodies of the slain, they came upon the blackened ruins of a hut, around which an old hag was moving, actively engaged, apparently, in raking among the ashes with a forked stick for anything that she could draw forth. near to her a woman, who had not yet reached middle age, was seated on the burnt earth, with her hands tightly clasped, and her bloodshot eyes gazing with a stony stare at a blackened heap which lay on her lap. as the young men rode up they saw that part of the head and face of a child lay in the midst of the charred heap, with a few other portions of the little one that had been only partially consumed in the fire. the northmen did not require to be told the cause of what they saw. the story was too plainly written in everything around them to admit of uncertainty, had they even been ignorant of the recent fight and its consequences. these were two of the few survivors of that terrible night, who had ventured to creep forth from the mountains and search among the ashes for the remains of those whose smiles and voices had once made the sunshine of their lives. the terrible silence of these voices and the sight of these hideous remains had driven the grandmother of the household raving mad, and she continued to rake among the still smouldering embers of the old house, utterly regardless of the two warriors, and only complaining, in a querulous tone now and then, that her daughter should sit there like a stone and leave her unaided to do the work of trying to save at least some of the household from the flames. but the daughter neither heard nor cared for her. she had found what was left of her idol--her youngest child--once a ruddy, fearless boy, with curly flaxen hair, who had already begun to carve model longships and wooden swords, and to talk with a joyous smile and flashing eye of war! but now--the fair hair gone, and nothing left save a blackened skull and a small portion of his face, scarcely enough--yet to a mother far more than enough--to recognise him by. erling and glumm dismounted and approached the young woman, but received no glance of recognition. to a remark made by erling no reply was given. he therefore went close to her, and, bending down, laid his large hand on her head, and gently smoothed her flaxen hair, while he spoke soothingly to her. still the stricken woman took no notice of him until a large hot tear, which the youth could not restrain, dropped upon her forehead, and coursed down her cheek. she then looked suddenly up in erling's face and uttered a low wail of agony. "would ye slay her too?" shrieked the old woman at that moment, coming forward with the pole with which she had been raking in the ashes, as if she were going to attack them. glumm turned aside the point of the pole, and gently caught the old woman by the arm. "oh! spare her," she cried, falling on her knees and clasping her withered hands; "spare her, she is the last left--the last. i tried to save the others--but, but, they are gone--all gone. will ye not spare _her_?" "they won't harm us, mother," said the younger woman huskily. "they are friends. i _know_ they are friends. come, sit by me, mother." the old woman, who appeared to have been subdued by exhaustion, crept on her hands and knees to her side, and laying her head on her daughter's breast, moaned piteously. "we cannot stay to aid thee," said erling kindly; "but that matters not because those will soon be here who will do their best for thee. yet if thou canst travel a few leagues, i will give thee a token which will ensure a good reception in my father's house. knowest thou haldorstede in horlingdal?" "i know it well," answered the woman. "here is a ring," said erling, "which thou wilt take to herfrida, the wife of haldor, and say that her son erling sent thee, and would have thee and thy mother well cared for." he took from his finger, as he spoke, a gold ring, and placed it in the woman's hand, but she shook her head sadly, and said in an absent tone: "i dare not go. swart might come back and would miss me." "art thou the wife of swart of the springs?" "yes; and he told me not to quit the house till he came back. but that seems so long, long ago, and so many things have happened since, that--" she paused and shuddered. "swart is dead," said glumm. on hearing this the woman uttered a wild shriek, and fell backward to the earth. "now a plague on thy gruff tongue," said erling angrily, as he raised the woman's head on his knee. "did you not see that the weight was already more than she could bear? get thee to the spring for water, man, as quickly as may be." glumm, whose heart had already smitten him for his inconsiderate haste, made no reply, but ran to a neighbouring spring, and quickly returned with his helmet full of water. a little of this soon restored the poor woman, and also her mother. "now haste thee to horlingdal," said erling, giving the woman a share of the small supply of food with which he had supplied himself for the journey. "there may be company more numerous than pleasant at the springs to-morrow, and a hearty welcome awaits thee at haldorstede." saying this he remounted and rode away. "i was told last night by hilda," said erling, "that, when we were out after the danes, and just before the attack was made by the men of their cutter on ulfstede, the hermit had been talking to the women in a wonderful way about war and the god whom he worships. he thinks that war is an evil thing; that to fight in self-defence--that is, in defence of home and country--is right, but that to go on viking cruise is wrong, and displeasing to god." "the hermit is a fool," said glumm bluntly. "nay, he is no fool," said erling. "when i think of these poor women, i am led to wish that continued peace were possible." "but it is, happily, _not_ possible; therefore it is our business to look upon the bright side of war," said glumm. "that may be thy business, glumm, but it is my business to look upon _both_ sides of everything. what would it avail thee to pitch and paint and gild the outside of thy longship, if no attention were given to the timbering and planking of the inside?" "that is a different thing," said glumm. "yes, truly; yet not different in this, that it has two sides, both of which require to be looked at, if the ship is to work well. i would that i knew what the men of other lands think on this point, for the hermit says that there are nations in the south where men practise chiefly defensive warfare, and often spend years at a time without drawing the sword." "right glad am i," said glumm, with a grim smile, "that my lot has not fallen among these." "do you know," continued erling, "that i have more than once thought of going off on a cruise far and wide over the world to hear and see what men say and do? but something, i know not what, prevents me." "perchance hilda could tell thee!" said glumm. erling laughed, and said there was some truth in that; but checked himself suddenly, for at that moment a man in the garb of a thrall appeared. "ho! fellow," cried glumm, "hast heard of king harald haarfager of late?" "the king is in guest-quarters in updal," answered the thrall, "in the house of jarl rongvold, my master." "we must speed on," said erling to glumm, "if we would speak with the king before supper-time." "if you would speak with the king at all," said the thrall, "the less you say to him the better, for he is in no mood to be troubled just now. he sets out for the springs to-morrow morning." without making a reply the youths clapped spurs to their horses and galloped away. chapter eleven. describes our hero's interview with jarl rongvold and king harald haarfager. late in the evening, erling and glumm arrived in the neighbourhood of the house of jarl rongvold, where king harald haarfager was staying in guest-quarters with a numerous retinue. in the days of which we write there were no royal palaces in norway. the kings spent most of their time--when not engaged in war or out on viking cruises--in travelling about the country, with a band of "herd-men", or men-at-arms, in "guest-quarters". wherever they went the inhabitants were bound by law to afford them house-room and good cheer at their own cost, and the kings usually made this tax upon their people as light as possible by staying only a few days at each place. rongvold, who entertained the king at this time, was one of those jarls or earls--rulers over districts under himself--of whom he had recently created many throughout the land, to supersede those small independent kings who refused to become subject to him. he was a stout warrior, an able courtier, and a very dear friend of the king. just before his arrival at jarl rongvold's house, king harald had completed a considerable part of the programme which he had laid down in the great work of subduing the whole of norway to himself. and wild bloody work it had been. hearing that several of the small kings had called a meeting in the uplands to discuss his doings, harald went, with all the men he could gather, through the forests to the uplands, came to the place of meeting about midnight without being observed by the watchmen, set the house on fire, and burnt or slew four kings with all their followers. after that he subdued hedemark, ringerige, gudbrandsdal, hadeland, raumarige, and the whole northern part of vingulmark, and got possession of all the land as far south as the glommen. it was at this time that he was taunted by the girl gyda, and took the oath not to clip his hair until he had subdued the whole land--as formerly related. after his somewhat peculiar determination, he gathered together a great force, and went northwards up the gudbrandsdal and over the doverfielde. when he came to the inhabited land he ordered all the men to be killed, and everything wide around to be delivered to the flames. the people fled before him in all directions on hearing of his approach--some down the country to orkadal, some to gaulerdal, and some to the forests; but many begged for peace, and obtained it on condition of joining him and becoming his men. he met no decided opposition till he came to orkadal, where a king named gryting gave him battle. harald won the victory. king gryting was taken prisoner, and most of his men were killed. he took service himself, however, under the king, and thereafter all the people of orkadal district swore fidelity to him. many other battles king harald fought, and many other kings did he subdue--all of which, however, we will pass over at present, merely observing that wherever he conquered he laid down the law that all the udal property should belong to him, and that the bonders--the hitherto free landholders--both small and great, should pay him land dues for their possessions. it is due, however, to harald fairhair, to say that he never seems to have aimed at despotic power; for it is recorded of him that over every district he set an earl, or jarl, to judge _according to the law of the land and to justice_, and also to collect the land dues and the fines; and for this each earl received a third part of the dues and services and fines for the support of his table and other expenses. every earl had under him four or more bersers, on each of whom was bestowed an estate of twenty merks yearly, for which he was bound to support twenty men-at-arms at his own expense--each earl being obliged to support sixty retainers. the king increased the land dues and burdens so much that his earls had greater power and income than the kings had before, and when this became known at drontheim many of the great men of that district joined the king. wherever harald went, submission or extinction were the alternatives; and as he carried things with a high hand, using fire and sword freely, it is not a matter of wonder that his conquests were rapid and complete. it has been said of harald fairhair by his contemporaries, handed down by the scalds, and recorded in the icelandic sagas, that he was of remarkably handsome appearance, great and strong, and very generous and affable to his men. but to return. it was late in the evening, as we have said, when erling and glumm reached the vicinity of jarl rongvold's dwelling. before coming in sight of it they were met by two of the mounted guards that were posted regularly as sentries round the king's quarters. these challenged them at once, and, on being informed that they desired to have speech with the king on matters of urgency, conveyed them past the inner guard to the house. the state of readiness for instant action in which the men were kept did not escape the observant eyes of the visitors. besides an outlying mounted patrol, which they had managed to pass unobserved, and the sentries who conducted them, they found a strong guard round the range of farm buildings where the king and his men lay. these men were all well armed, and those of them who were not on immediate duty lay at their stations sound asleep, each man with his helmet on his head, his sword under it, his right hand grasping the hilt, and his shield serving the purpose of a blanket to cover him. although the young men observed all this they did not suffer their looks to betray idle curiosity, but rode on with stern countenances, looking, apparently, straight before them, until they reined up at the front door of the house. in a few minutes a stout handsome man with white hair came out and saluted erling in a friendly way. this was jarl rongvold, who was distantly related to him. "i would i could say with truth that i am glad to see thee, cousin," he said, "but i fear me that thine errand to the king is not likely to end in pleasant intercourse, if all be true that is reported of the folk in horlingdal." "thanks, kinsman, for the wish, if not for the welcome," replied the youth, somewhat stiffly, as he dismounted; "but it matters little to me whether our intercourse be pleasant or painful, so long as it is profitable. the men of horlingdal send a message to harald haarfager; can my companion and i have speech with him?" "i can manage that for thee, yet would i counsel delay, for the king is not in a sweet mood to-night, and it may go ill with thee." "i care not whether the king's mood be sweet or sour," replied erling sternly. "whatever he may become in the future, harald is not yet the all-powerful king he would wish to be. the men of horlingdal have held a thing, and glumm and i have been deputed to see the king, convey to him their sentiments, and ask his intentions." a grim smile played on the jarl's fine features for a moment, as he observed the blood mantling to the youth's forehead. "no good will come to thee or thine, kinsman, by meeting the king with a proud look. be advised, erling," he continued in a more confidential tone; "it is easier to swim with the stream than against it--and wiser too, when it is impossible to turn it. thou hast heard, no doubt, of harald's doings in the north." "i have heard," said erling bitterly. "well, be he right or be he wrong, it were easier to make the glommen run up the fells than to alter the king's determination; and it seems to me that it behoves every man who loves his country, and would spare further bloodshed, to submit to what is inevitable." "every lover of his country deems bloodshed better than slavery," said erling, "because the death of a few is not so great an evil as the slavery of all." "aye, when there is hope that good may come of dying," rejoined the jarl, "but now there is no hope." "that is yet to be proved," said the youth; and glumm uttered one of those emphatic grunts with which men of few words are wont to signify their hearty assent to a proposition. "tut, kinsman," continued rongvold, with a look of perplexity, "i don't like the idea of seeing so goodly a youth end his days before his right time. let me assure thee that, if thou wilt join us and win over thy friends in horlingdal, a splendid career awaits thee, for the king loves stout men, and will treat thee well; he is a good master." "it grieves me that one whose blood flows in my veins should call any man master!" said erling. "now a plague on thee, for a stupid hot-blood," cried the jarl; "if thou art so displeased with the word, i can tell thee that it need never be used, for, if ye will take service with the king, he will give thee the charge and the revenues of a goodly district, where thou shalt be master and a jarl too." "i am a king!" said erling, drawing himself proudly up. "thinkest thou i would exchange an old title for a new one, which the giver has no right to create?" glumm uttered another powerfully emphatic grunt at this point. "besides," continued erling, "i have no desire to become a scatt-gatherer." the jarl flushed a little at this thrust, but mastering his indignation said, with a smile-- "nay, then, if ye prefer a warrior's work there is plenty of that at the disposal of the king." "i have no particular love for war," said erling. jarl rongvold looked at his kinsman in undisguised amazement. "truly thou art well fitted for it, if not fond of it," he said curtly; "but as thou art bent on following thine own nose, thou art like to have more than enough of that which thou lovest not.--come, i will bring thee to the king." the jarl led the two young men into his dwelling, where nearly a hundred men-at-arms were carousing. the hall was a long, narrow, and high apartment, with a table running down each side, and one at either end. in the centre of each table was a raised seat, on which sat the chief guests, but, at the moment they entered, the highest of these seats was vacant, for the king had left the table. the fireplace of the hall was in the centre, and the smoke from it curled up among the rafters, which it blackened before escaping through a hole in the roof. as all the revellers were armed, and many of them were moving about the hall, no notice was taken of the entrance of the strangers, except that one or two near whom they passed remarked that jarl rongvold owned some stout men-at-arms. the king had retired to one of the sleeping-chambers off the great halt in which he sat at a small window, gazing dreamily upon the magnificent view of dale, fell, fiord, and sea, that lay stretched out before the house. the slanting rays of the sun shone through the window, and through the heavy masses of the king's golden hair, which fell in enormous volumes, like a lion's mane, on a pair of shoulders which were noted, even in that age of powerful men, for enormous breadth and strength. like his men, king harald was armed from head to foot, with the exception of his helmet, which lay, with his shield, on the low wolf-skin couch on which he had passed the previous night. he did not move when the jarl and the young men entered, but on the former whispering in his ear he let his clenched fist fall on the window sill, and, turning, with a frown on his bold, handsome face, looked long and steadily at erling. and well might he gaze, for he looked upon one who bore a singularly strong resemblance to himself. there was the same height and width and massive strength, the same bold, fearless look in the clear blue eyes, and the same firm lips; but erling's hair fell in softer curls on his shoulders, and his brow was more intellectual. being a younger man, his beard was shorter. advancing a step, after jarl rongvold had left the room, erling stated the sentiments of the men of horlingdal in simple, blunt language, and ended by telling the king that they had no wish to refuse due and lawful allegiance to him, but that they objected to having the old customs of the land illegally altered. during the progress of his statement both erling and glumm observed that the king's face flushed more than once, and that his great blue eyes blazed with astonishment and suppressed wrath. after he had concluded, the king still gazed at him in ominous silence. then he said, sternly: "for what purpose camest thou hither if the men of horlingdal hold such opinions?" "we came to tell you, king harald, what the men of horlingdal think, and to ask what you intend to do." there was something so cool in this speech that a sort of grin curled the king's moustache, and mingled with the wrath that was gathering on his countenance. "i'll tell thee what i will do," he said, drawing his breath sharply, and hissing the words; "i will march into the dale, and burn and s--" he stopped abruptly, and then in a soft tone added, "but what will _they_ do if i refuse to listen to them?" "i know not what the men of horlingdal will do," replied erling; "but i will counsel them to defend their rights." at this the king leaped up, and drew his sword half out of its scabbard, but again checked himself suddenly; for, as the saga tells us, "it was his invariable rule, whenever anything raised his anger, to collect himself and let his passion run off, and then take the matter into consideration coolly." "go," he said, sitting down again at the window, "i will speak with thee on this subject to-morrow." erling, who during the little burst of passion had kept his blue eyes unflinchingly fixed on those of the king, bowed and retired, followed by glumm, whose admiration of his friend's diplomatic powers would have been unbounded, had he only wound up with a challenge to the king, then and there, to single combat! chapter twelve. describes a terrific and unequal combat. "now, kinsman, let me endeavour to convince thee of thy folly," said jarl rongvold to erling, on the morning that followed the evening in which the interview with the king had taken place, as they walked in front of the house together. "it needs no great power of speech to convince me of that," said erling. "the fact that i am still here, after what the king let out last night, convinces me, without your aid, that i am a fool." "and pray what said he that has had such powerful influence on thine obtuse mind?" "truly he said little, but he expressed much. he gave way to an unreasonable burst of passion when i did but claim justice and assert our rights; and the man must be slow-witted indeed who could believe that subdued passion is changed opinion. however, i will wait for another interview until the sun is in the zenith--after that i leave, whatever be the consequences. so it were well, kinsman, that you should see and advise with your _master_." the jarl bit his lip, and was on the point of turning away without replying, when a remarkably stout and tall young man walked up and accosted them. "this is my son rolf," said the jarl, turning round hastily.--"our kinsman, erling the bold. i go to attend the king. make the most of each other, for ye are not likely to be long in company." "are you that rolf who is styled ganger?" enquired erling with some interest. "aye," replied the other gruffly. "at least i am rolf. men choose to call me ganger because i prefer to gang on my legs rather than gang on the legs of a horse. they say it is because no horse can carry me; but thou seest that that is a lie, for i am not much heavier than thyself." "i should like to know thee better, kinsman," said erling. rolf ganger did not respond so heartily to this as erling wished, and he felt much disappointed; for, being a man who did not often express his feelings, he felt all the more keenly anything like a rebuff. "what is your business with the king?" asked rolf, after a short pause. "to defy him," said our hero, under the influence of a burst of mingled feelings. rolf ganger looked at erling in surprise. "thou dost not like the king, then?" "i hate him!" "so do i," said rolf. this interchange of sentiment seemed to break down the barriers of diffidence which had hitherto existed between the two, for from that moment their talk was earnest and confidential. erling tried to get rolf to desert the king's cause and join his opponents, but the latter shook his head, and said that they had no chance of success; and that it was of no use joining a hopeless cause, even although he had strong sympathy with it. while they were conversing, jarl rongvold came out and summoned erling to the presence of the king. this was the first and last interview that our hero had with that rolf ganger, whose name--although not much celebrated at that time--was destined to appear in the pages of history as that of the conqueror of normandy, and the progenitor of line of english kings. "i have sent for thee, erling," said the king, in a voice so soft, yet so constrained, that erling could not avoid seeing that it was forced, "to tell thee thou art at liberty to return to thy dalesmen with this message--king harald respects the opinions of the men of horlingdal, and he will hold a thing at the springs for the purpose of hearing their views more fully, stating his own, and consulting with them about the whole matter.--art satisfied with that?" he asked, almost sternly. "i will convey your message," said erling. "and the sooner the better," said the king. "by the way, there are two roads leading to the springs, i am told; is it so?" he added. "there are," said erling; "one goes by the uplands over the fells, the other through the forest." "which would you recommend me to follow when i fare to the springs?" "the forest road is the best." "it is that which thou wilt follow, i suppose?" "it is," replied erling. "well, get thee to horse, and make the most of thy time; my berserk here will guide thee past the guards." as he spoke, a man who had stood behind the king motionless as a statue advanced towards the door. he was one of a peculiar class of men who formed part of the bodyguard of the king. on his head there was a plain steel helmet, but he wore no "serk", or shirt of mail (hence the name of berserk, or bare of serk), and he was, like the rest of his comrades, noted for being capable of working himself up into such a fury of madness while in action, that few people of ordinary powers could stand before his terrible onset. he was called hake, the berserk of hadeland, and was comparatively short in stature, but looked shorter than he really was, in consequence of the unnatural breadth and bulk of his chest and shoulders. hake led erling out to the door of the house, where they found glumm waiting with two horses ready for the road. "thou art sharp this morning, glumm." "better to be too sharp than too blunt," replied his friend. "it seemed to me that whatever should be the result of the talk with the king to-day, it were well to be ready for the road in good time. what is yonder big-shouldered fellow doing?" "hush, glumm," said erling, with a smile, "thou must be respectful if thou wouldst keep thy head on thy shoulders. that is hake of hadeland, king harald's famous berserk. he is to conduct us past the guards. i only hope he may not have been commissioned to cut off our heads on the way. but i think that perchance you and i might manage him together, if our courage did not fail us!" glumm replied with that expression of contempt which is usually styled turning up one's nose, and erling laughed as he mounted his horse and rode off at the heels of the berserk. he had good reason to look grave, however, as he found out a few moments later. just as they were about to enter the forest, a voice was heard shouting behind, and jarl rongvold was seen running after them. "ho! stay, kinsman, go not away without bidding us farewell. a safe and speedy journey, lad, and give my good wishes to the old folk at haldorstede. say that i trust things may yet be happily arranged between the men of horlingdal and the king." as he spoke the jarl managed to move so that erling's horse came between him and the berserk; then he said quickly, in a low but earnest whisper: "the king means to play thee false, erling. i cannot explain, but do thou be sure to take _the road by the fells_, and let not the berserk know. thy life depends on it. i am ordered to send this berserk with a troop of nineteen men to waylay thee. they are to go _by the forest road_.--there, thou canst not doubt my friendship for thee, for now my life is in thy hands! haste, thou hast no chance against such odds. farewell, glumm," he added aloud; "give my respects to ulf, when next ye see him." jarl rongvold waved his hand as he turned round and left his friends to pursue their way. they soon reached the point where they had met the two guards on the previous day. after riding a little farther, so as to make sure of being beyond the outmost patrol, the berserk reined up. "here i leave you to guard yourselves," he said. "truly we are indebted to thee for thy guidance thus far," said erling. "if you should still chance to meet with any of the guards, they will let you pass, no doubt." "no doubt," replied erling, with a laugh, "and, should they object, we have that which will persuade them." he touched the hilt of his sword, and nodded good-humouredly to the berserk, who did not appear to relish the jest at all. "your road lies through the forest, i believe?" said hake, pausing and looking back as he was about to ride away. "that depends on circumstances," said erling. "if the sun troubles me, i may go by the forest,--if not, i may go by the fells. but i never can tell beforehand which way my fancy may lead, and i always follow it." so saying he put spurs to his horse and galloped away. the berserk did the same, but it was evident that he was ill at ease, for he grumbled very much, and complained a good deal of his ill luck. he did not, however, slacken his pace on that account, but rather increased it, until he reached rongvoldstede, where he hastily summoned nineteen armed men, mounted a fresh horse, and, ordering them to follow, dashed back into the forest at full speed. for some time he rode in silence by the side of a stout man who was his subordinate officer. "krake," he said at length, "i cannot make up my mind which road this erling and his comrade are likely to have taken, so, as we must not miss our men, the king's commands being very positive, i intend to send thee by the mountain road with nine of the men, and go myself by the forest with the other nine. we will ride each at full speed, and will be sure to overtake them before they reach the split rock on the fells, or the double-stemmed pine in the forest. if thou shalt fall in with them, keep them in play till i come up, for i will hasten to join thee without delay after reaching the double pine. if i meet them i will give the attack at once, and thou wilt hasten to join me after passing the split rock. now, away, for here our roads part." in accordance with this plan the troop was divided, and each portion rode off at full speed. meanwhile erling and glumm pursued their way, chatting as they rode along, and pausing occasionally to breathe their horses. "what ails thee, erling?" said glumm abruptly. "one would fancy that the fair hilda was behind thee, so often hast thou looked back since the berserk left us." "it is because the fair hilda is before me that i look so often over my shoulder, for i suspect that there are those behind us who will one day cause her grief," replied erling sadly; then, assuming a gay air, he added--"come, friend glumm, i wish to know thy mind in regard to a matter of some importance. how wouldst thou like to engage, single handed, with ten men?" glumm smiled grimly, as he was wont to do when amused by anything-- which, to say truth, was not often. "truly," said he, "my answer to that must depend on thine answer to this--am i supposed to have my back against a cliff, or to be surrounded by the ten?" "with thy back guarded, of course." "in that case i should not refuse the fight, but i would prefer to be more equally matched," said glumm, "two to one, now, is a common chance of war, as thou knowest full well. i myself have had four against me at one time--and when one is in good spirits this is not a serious difficulty, unless there chance to be a berserk amongst them; even in that case, by the use of a little activity of limb, one can separate them, and so kill them in detail. but ten are almost too many for one man, however bold, big, or skilful he may be." "then what--wouldst thou say to twenty against two?" asked erling, giving a peculiar glance at his friend. "that were better than ten to one, because two stout fellows back to back are not easily overcome, if the fight be fair with sword and axe, and arrows or spears be not allowed. thou and i, erling, might make a good stand together against twenty, for we can use our weapons, and are not small men. nevertheless, i think that it would be our last fight, though i make no doubt we should thin their number somewhat. but why ask such questions?" "because i have taken a fancy to know to what extent i might count on thee in case of surprise." "to what extent!" said glumm, flushing, and looking his friend full in the face. "hast known me so long to such small purpose, that ye should doubt my willingness to stand by thee to the death, if need be, against any odds?" "nay, be not so hasty, glumm. i doubt not thy courage nor thy regard for me, but i had a fancy to know what amount of odds thou wouldst deem serious, for i may tell thee that our powers are likely to be put to the proof to-day. my kinsman, jarl rongvold, told me at parting that twenty men--and among them hake the berserk--are to be sent after us, and are doubtless even now upon our track." "then why this easy pace?" said glumm, in a tone of great surprise. "surely there is no reason why we should abide the issue of such a combat when nothing is to be gained by it and much to be lost; for if we are killed, who will prepare the men of horlingdal for the king's approach, and tell of his intentions?" "that is wisely spoken, glumm; nevertheless i feel disposed to meet king harald's men." "this spirit accords ill with the assertion that thou art not fond of war," returned glumm, with a smile. "i am not so sure of that," rejoined erling, with a look of perplexity. "it is more the consequences of war--its evil effects on communities, on women and children--that i dislike, than the mere matter of fighting, which, although i cannot say i long for it, as some of our friends do, i can truly assert i take some pleasure in, when engaged in it. besides, in this case i do not wish to meet these fellows for a mere piece of brag, but i think it might teach king harald that he has to do with men who have heart and skill to use their weapons, and show him what he may expect if he tries to subdue this district. however, be that as it may, the question is, shall we hang back and accept this challenge--for such i regard it--or shall we push on?" "yonder is an answer to that question, which settles it for us," said glumm quietly, pointing to a ridge on the right of the bridle path, which rose high above the tree tops. a troop of horsemen were seen to cross it and gallop down the slope, where they quickly disappeared in the forest. "how many didst thou count?" asked erling, with a look of surprise. "only ten," answered glumm. "come," cried erling cheerfully, as he drew his sword, "the odds are not so great as we had expected. i suppose that king harald must have thought us poor-looking warriors, or perchance he has sent ten berserkers against us. anyhow i am content. only one thing do i regret, and that is, that, among the other foolish acts i have been guilty of at this time, i left my good battle-axe behind me. this is a level piece of sward. shall we await them here?" "aye," was glumm's laconic answer, as he felt the edge of his long two-handed sword, settled himself more firmly on his seat, and carefully looked to the fastenings of his armour. erling did the same, and both drew up their steeds with their backs towards an impenetrable thicket. in front lay a level stretch of ground, encumbered only here and there with one or two small bushes, beyond which they had a view far into the dark forest, where the armour of the approaching horsemen could be seen glancing among the tree stems. "it is likely," muttered erling, "that they will try to speak us fair at first. most assassins do, to throw men off their guard. i counsel that our words be few and our action quick." glumm gave vent to a deep, short laugh, which sounded, however, marvellously like a growl, and again said-- "aye." next moment the ten horsemen galloped towards them, and reined up at the distance of a few yards, while two of them advanced. one of these, who was no other than krake the berserk, said in a loud, commanding voice-- "yield thee, erling, in the name of the king!" "that for the king!" cried erling, splitting the head of krake's horse with the edge of his sword, and receiving krake himself on the point of it as he fell forward, so that it went in at his breast and came out at his back. at the same time glumm's horse sprang forward, his long sword whistled sharply as it flashed through the air, and, next moment, the head of the second man was rolling on the ground. so sudden was the onset that the others had barely time to guard themselves when glumm's heavy sword cleft the top of the shield and the helmet of one, tumbling him out of the saddle, while the point of erling's lighter weapon pierced the throat of another. the remaining six turned aside, right and left, so as to divide their opponents, and then attacked them with great fury--for they were all brave and picked men. at first erling and glumm had enough to do to defend themselves, without attempting to attack, but at a critical moment the horse of one of glumm's opponents stumbled, and his rider being exposed was instantly cut down. glumm now uttered a shout, for he felt sure of victory, having only two to deal with. erling's sword proved to be too short for such a combat, for his enemies were armed with long and heavy weapons, and one of them had a spear. he eluded their assaults, however, with amazing activity, and wounded one of them so badly that he was obliged to retire from the fray. seeing this our hero made a sudden rush at one of the men who fought with a battle-axe, seized the axe by the handle, and with one sweep of his sword lopped off the man's arm. then did erling also feel that victory was secure, for he now wielded an axe that was almost as good and heavy as his own, and only one man stood before him. under the impulse of this feeling he uttered a shout which rang through the forest like the roar of a lion. now, well would it have been for both erling and glumm if they had restrained themselves on that occasion, for the shouts they uttered served to guide two bands of enemies who were in search of them. it will be remembered that hake the berserk had gone after our heroes by the forest road, but, not finding them so soon as he had anticipated, and feeling a sort of irresistible belief that they had after all gone by the fells, he altered his own plans in so far that he turned towards the road leading by the mountains, before he reached the pine with the double stem. thus he just missed those whom he sought, and, after some time, came to the conclusion that he was a fool, and had made a great mistake in not holding to his original plan. by way of improving matters he divided his little band into two, and sending five of his men in one direction, rode off with the remaining four in another. krake, on the contrary, had fulfilled his orders to the letter; had gone to the split rock, and then hastened to the double-stemmed pine, not far from which, as we have seen, he found the men of whom he was in search, and also met his death. one of the bands of five men chanced to be within earshot when erling shouted, and they immediately bore down in the direction, and cheered as they came in sight of the combatants. the three men who yet stood up to our friends wheeled about at once and galloped to meet them, only too glad to be reinforced at such a critical moment. there was a little stream which trickled over the edge of a rock close to the spot where the combat had taken place. erling and glumm leaped off their horses as if by one impulse, and, running to this, drank deeply and hastily. as they ran back and vaulted into their saddles, they heard a faint cheer in the far distance. "ha!" exclaimed erling, "harald doubtless _did_ send twenty men after all, for here come the rest of them. it is good fortune that a berserk is seldom a good leader--he should not have divided his force. these eight must go down, friend glumm, before the others come up, else are our days numbered." the expression of glumm's blood-stained visage spoke volumes, but his tongue uttered never a word. indeed, there was no time for further speech, for the eight men, who had conversed hurriedly together for a few seconds, were now approaching. the two friends did not await the attack, but, setting spurs to their horses, dashed straight at them. two were overturned in the shock, and their horses rolled on them, so that they never rose again. on the right erling hewed down one man, and on the left his friend cut down another. they reined up, turned round, and charged again, but the four who were left were too wise to withstand the shock; they swerved aside. in doing so the foot of one of their horses caught in a bramble. he stumbled, and the rider was thrown violently against a tree and stunned, so that he could not remount. this was fortunate, for erling and glumm were becoming exhausted, and the three men who still opposed them were comparatively fresh. one of these suddenly charged glumm, and killed his horse. glumm leaped up, and, drawing his knife, stabbed the horse of the other to the heart. as it fell he caught his rider by the right wrist, and with a sudden wrench dislocated his arm. erling meanwhile disabled one of the others, and gave the third such a severe wound that he thought it best to seek safety in flight. erling now turned to glumm, and asked if he thought it would be best to ride away from the men who were still to come up, or to remain and fight them also. "if there be five more," said glumm, leaning against a tree, and removing his helmet in order to wipe his brow, "then is our last battle fought, for, although i have that in me which could manage to slay one, i have not strength for two, much less three. besides, my good steed is dead, and we have no time to catch one of the others." "now will i become a berserk," cried erling, casting his gilt helmet on the ground and undoing the fastenings of his coat of mail. "armour is good when a man is strong, but when he is worn out it is only an encumbrance. i counsel thee to follow my example." "it is not a bad one," said glumm, also throwing down his helmet and stripping off his armour. "ha! there are more of them than we counted on--six." as he spoke six horsemen were seen approaching through the distant glades of the forest. the two friends ran to the fountain before mentioned, slaked their thirst, and hastily bathed their heads and faces; then, seizing their swords and shields, and leaving the rest of their armour on the sward, they ran to a rugged part of the ground, where horses could not act. mounting to the highest point of a rocky mound, they awaited the approach of their foes. quickly they came forward, their faces blazing with wrath as they rode over the field of battle, and saw their slaughtered comrades. hake the berserk rode in front, and, advancing as near as possible to the place where his enemies stood, said tauntingly: "what, are ye so fearful of only six men, after having slain so many?" "small meat would we make of thee and thy men, so that the crows might pick it easily, if we were only half as fresh as ye are," said erling; "but we chose to rest here awhile, so if ye would fight ye must come hither to us on foot." "nay, but methinks it would be well for both parties," returned the berserk, "that they should fight on level ground." erling and glumm had thrown themselves on the rocks to get as much rest as possible before the inevitable combat that was still before them. they consulted for a few seconds, and then the former replied: "we will gladly come down, if ye will meet us on foot." "agreed," cried the berserk, leaping off his horse, and leading it to a neighbouring tree, to which he fastened it. the others followed his example. then our two heroes arose and stretched themselves. "it has been a good fight," said erling. "men will talk of it in days to come, after we are far away in the world of spirits." there was deep pathos in the tone of the young warrior as he spoke these words, and cast his eyes upwards to the blue vault as if he sought to penetrate that spirit world, on the threshold of which he believed himself to stand. "if we had but one hour's rest, or one other man on our side; but--" he stopped suddenly, for the six men now stood in the middle of the little plain where erling and glumm had fought so long and so valiantly that day, and awaited their coming. hastily descending the mound, the two friends strode boldly towards their opponents, scorning to let them see by look or gesture that they were either fatigued or depressed. as they drew near, erling singled out hake, and glumm went towards a tall, powerful man, who stood ready with a huge sword resting on his shoulder, as if eager to begin the combat. glumm had arranged in his own mind that that man and he should die together. beside him stood a warrior with a battle-axe, and a steel helmet on his head. before glumm could reach his intended victim the tall man's sword flashed in the air like a gleam of light, and the head with the steel helmet went spinning on the ground! "that's the way that kettle flatnose pays off old scores," cried the irish thrall, turning suddenly upon his late friends, and assailing one of them with such fury that he cut him down in a few seconds, and then ran to draw off one of the two who had attacked erling. glumm's amazement at this was, as may well be believed, excessive; but it was nothing to the intensity of his joy when he found suddenly that the fight was now equalised, and that there stood only one man to oppose him. his heart leaped up. new life gave spring to his muscles; and to these new feelings he gave vent in one loud shout, as he sprang upon his adversary and cleft him to the chin with one sweep of his sword! meanwhile kettle flatnose had killed his man; and he was about to come up behind hake and sweep off his head, when he was seized by glumm and dragged violently back. "would ye rob erling of the honour of slaying this noted berserk?" he said sternly. "truly," replied kettle, somewhat abashed, "i did not know that he was noted; and as for the honour of it, i do think that erling seems to have got honour enough to-day (if all this be his work) to content him for some time to come; but as ye will," he added, putting the point of his sword on the ground, and resting his arms on the hilt. glumm also leaned on his sword; and standing thus, these two watched the fight. now, it may perhaps seem to some readers that as the other men had been disposed of so summarily, it was strange that erling the bold should be so long in dispatching this one; but for our hero's credit, we must point out several facts which may have perhaps been overlooked. in the first place, kettle flatnose was a thoroughly fresh man when he began the fight, and although he killed two men, it must be remembered that one of these was slain while off his guard. then, glumm did indeed slay his man promptly, but he was one of king harald's ordinary men-at-arms; whereas erling was opposed by one of the most celebrated of the king's warriors--hake, the berserk of hadeland--a man whose name and prowess were known far and wide, not only in norway, but in denmark, and all along the southern shores of the baltic. it would have been strange indeed had such a man fallen easily before any human arm, much more strange had he succumbed at once to one that had been already much exhausted with fighting. true to the brotherhood to which he belonged, the berserk attacked erling with incredible fury. he roared more like a mad bull than a man as he made the onset; his eyes glared, his mouth foamed, and he bit his shield as he was driven back. being fresh, he danced round erling perpetually, springing in to cut and thrust, and leaping back to avoid the terrific blows which the latter fetched at him with his weighty axe. once he made a cut at erling's head, which the latter did not attempt to parry, intending to trust to his helmet to defend him, and forgetting for the moment that he had cast that useful piece of armour on the plain. luckily the blow was not truly aimed. it shore a lock from erling's head as he swung his axe against his opponent's shield, and battered him down on his knees; but the berserk leaped up with a yell, and again rushed at him. hake happened just then to cast his eyes on the two men who were quietly looking on, and he so managed the fight for a few moments afterwards that he got near to them. then turning towards them with a howl of demoniacal fury, he made a desperate cut at the unsuspecting glumm, who was taken so thoroughly by surprise that he made no movement whatever to defend himself. fortunately. kettle flatnose was on the alert, but he had only time to thrust his sword awkwardly between glumm's head and the descending weapon. the act prevented a fatal gash, but it could not altogether arrest the force of the blow, which fell on the flat of his sword, and beat it down on glumm's skull so violently that he was instantly stretched upon the green sward. erling's axe fell on the helm of the berserk almost at the same time. even in that moment of victory a feeling of respect for the courage and boldness of this man touched the heart of erling, who, with the swiftness of thought, put in force his favourite practice--he turned the edge of the axe, and the broad side of it fell on the steel headpiece with tremendous force, causing the berserk of hadeland to stretch himself on the green sward beside glumm the gruff; thus ending the famous battle of the "berserkers and the bold", in regard to which thikskul the scald writes:-- "the bold one and his doughty friend, glumm the gruff of horlingsend, faced, fought, and felled, and bravely slew, full twenty men--a berserk crew sent by king harald them to slay-- but much he rued it--lack-a-day! the heroes cut and hacked them sore, hit, split, and slashed them back and fore-- and left them lying in their gore." chapter thirteen. shows that eloquence does not always flow when it is expected, and that glumm begins a new course of action. on examination it was found that glumm's hurt was not severe. he had merely been stunned by the force of the blow, and there was a trifling wound in the scalp from which a little blood flowed. while kettle held a helmet full of water, and erling bathed the wound, the latter said: "how comes it, kettle, that ye discovered our straits, and appeared so fortunately?" kettle laughed and said: "the truth is, that accident brought me here. you know that i had all but wrought out my freedom by this time, but in consideration of my services in the battle at the springs, ulf set me free at once, and this morning i left him to seek service with king harald haarfager." "that was thankless of thee," said erling. "so said ulf," rejoined kettle; "nevertheless, i came off, and was on my way over the fells to go to the king when i fell in with hake the berserk--though i knew not that it was he--and joined him." erling frowned, and looked enquiringly at kettle as he said: "but what possessed thee, that thou shouldst quit so good a master for one so bad, and how comes it thou hast so readily turned against the king's men?" "little wonder that you are perplexed," said kettle, "seeing that ye know not my motive. the truth is, that i had a plan in my head, which was to enter harald's service, that i might act the spy on him, and so do my best for one who, all the time i have been in thraldom, has been as kind to me as if he had been my own father." "thou meanest ulf?" said erling. "i do," replied kettle with enthusiasm, "and i'd willingly die for him if need be. as ye know full well, it needs no wizard to tell that such men as ulf and your father will not easily be made to bend their necks to the king's yoke; and for this i honour them, because they respect the law of the land more than they respect the king. happy is the nation where such men abound; and in saying this i do no dishonour to the king, but the reverse." erling looked in surprise at kettle, while he continued to bathe the face of his still unconscious friend, for his language and bearing were much altered from what they had been when he was in thraldom, and there was an air of quiet dignity about him, which seemed to favour the common report that he had been a man of note in his own land. "well," continued kettle, "it is equally certain that harald is not a man who will tamely submit to be thwarted in his plans, so i had made up my mind to take service with him, in order that i might be able to find out his intentions and observe his temper towards the men of horlingdal, and thus be in a position to give them timely warning of any danger that threatened. on my way hither i met hake, as i have said. on hearing that he belonged to king harald, i told him that i had just got my freedom from ulf, and wished to join the king. he seemed very glad, and said he thought i would make a good berserk; told me that he was out in search of some of the king's enemies, and proposed that i should assist him. of course this suited me well; but it was only when we found you that i became aware who the king's enemies were, and resolved to act as ye have seen me do. i did not choose to tell ulf my intention, lest my plan should miscarry; but, now that i find who the king counts his foes, and know how sharply he intends to treat them, it seems to me that i need go no farther." "truly thou needst not," said erling, "for harald is in the worst possible humour with us all, and did his best to stop me from going home to tell the fact." "then is my mission ended. i will return to ulfstede," said kettle, throwing the water out of his helmet, and replacing it on his head, as he rose and grasped his sword. "meanwhile, i will cut off hake's head, and take it back with me." "thou wilt do so at thy peril," said erling; "hake fell to my hand, and i will finish the work which i have begun. do thou go catch three or four of the horses, for i see that glumm is recovering." "i will not interfere with your business," said kettle, with a laugh, "only i thought you meant to leave his carcass lying there unheeded, and was unwilling to go off without his head as a trophy." kettle went to catch the horses--three of which he tied to trees to be ready for them, while he loaded the fourth with the most valuable of the arms and garments of the slain. meanwhile glumm groaned, and, sitting up, rubbed his head ruefully. "i thought someone had sent me to valhalla," he said, fetching a deep sigh. "not yet, friend glumm, not yet. there is still work for thee to do on earth, and the sooner ye set about doing it the better, for methinks the king will wonder what has become of his berserkers, and will send out men in search of them ere long. canst mount thy horse?" "mount him? aye," said glumm, leaping up, but staggering when he had gained his legs, so that erling had to support him for a few minutes. he put his hand to his forehead, and, observing blood on it, asked: "is the wound deep?" "only a scratch," said erling, "but the blow was heavy. if the sword of kettle flatnose had not caught it in time, it would have been thy death." "truly it has not been far from that as it is, for my head rings as if the brain were being battered with thor's hammer! come, let us mount." as he spoke, kettle brought forward the horses. glumm mounted with difficulty, and they all rode away. but erling had observed a slight motion of life in the body of hake, and after they had gone a few yards he said: "ride on slowly, glumm, i will go back to get a ring from the finger of the berserk, which i forgot." he turned, and rode quickly back to the place where the berserk's body lay, dismounted, and kneeled beside it. there was a large silver ring on the middle finger of hake's right hand, which he took off and put on his own finger, replacing it with a gold one of his own. then he ran to the spring, and, filling his helmet with water, came back and laved the man's temples therewith, at the same time pouring a little of it into his mouth. in a few minutes he began to show symptoms of revival, but before he had recovered sufficiently to recognise who his benefactor was, erling had vaulted into the saddle and galloped away. they arrived at glummstede that evening about supper-time, but glumm was eager to hear the discussion that was sure to take place when the news of the fight and of harald's state of mind was told, so he rode past his own home, and accompanied his friend to ulfstede. we cannot say for certain that he was uninfluenced by other motives, for glumm, as the reader knows, was not a communicative man; he never spoke to anyone on the subject; we incline, however, to the belief that there were mingled ideas in his brain and mixed feelings in his heart as he rode to ulfstede! great was the sensation in the hall when erling, glumm, and kettle entered with the marks of the recent fight still visible upon them-- especially on glumm, whose scalp wound, being undressed, permitted a crimson stream to trickle down his face--a stream which, in his own careless way, he wiped off now and then with the sleeve of his coat, thereby making his aspect conspicuously bloody. tremendous was the flutter in ada's heart when she saw him in this plight, for well did she know that deeds of daring had been done before such marks could have been left upon her gruff lover. the hall was crowded with armed men, for many bonders had assembled to await the issue of the decision at the thing, and much anxiety as well as excitement prevailed. ulf recognised his late thrall with a look of surprise, but each of them was made to quaff a brimming tankard of ale before being allowed to speak. to say truth, they were very willing to accept the draught, which, after the fatigues they had undergone, tasted like nectar. erling then stood up, and in the midst of breathless silence began to recount the incidents which had befallen him and his companion while in the execution of their mission. "in the first place," he said, "it is right to let ye all know that the king's countenance towards us is as black as a thundercloud, and that we may expect to see the lightning flash out before long. but it is some comfort to add that glumm and kettle and i have slain, or rendered unfit to fight, twenty of harald's men." in the midst of the murmur of congratulation with which this announcement was received, erling observed that hilda, who had been standing near the door, went out. the result of this was, that the poor youth's spirit sank, and it was with the utmost difficulty he plucked up heart to relate the incidents of the fight, in which he said so little about himself that one might have imagined he had been a mere spectator. passing from that subject as quickly as possible, he delivered his opinion as to the hopes and prospects before them, and, cutting his speech short, abruptly quitted the hall. any little feeling of disappointment that might have been felt at the lame way in which erling had recounted his exploits was, however, amply compensated by glumm, who, although usually a man of few words, had no lack of ideas or of power to express them when occasion required, in a terse, stern style of his own, which was very telling. he gave a faithful account of the fight, making mention of many incidents which his friend had omitted to touch on, and dwelling particularly on the deeds of kettle. as to that flat-nosed individual himself, when called upon to speak, he addressed the assembly with a dignity of manner and a racy utterance of language which amazed those who had only known him as a thrall, and who now for the first time met him as a freed man. he moreover introduced into his speech a few touches of humour which convulsed his audience with laughter, and commented on the condition of affairs in a way that filled them with respect, so that from that hour he became one of the noted men of the dale. erling meanwhile hurried towards one of the cliffs overlooking the fiord. he was well acquainted with hilda's favourite haunts, and soon found her, seated on a bank, with a very disconsolate look, which, however, vanished on his appearing. "wherefore didst thou hasten away just as i began to speak, hilda?" he said, somewhat reproachfully, as he sat down beside her. "because i did not wish to hear details of the bloody work of which thou art so fond. why wilt thou always be seeking to slay thy fellows?" the girl spoke in tones so sad and desponding, that her lover looked upon her for some time in silent surprise. "truly, hilda," he said, "the fight was none of my seeking." "did i not hear thee say," she replied, "that kettle and glumm and thou had slain twenty of the king's men, and that ye regarded this as a comforting thought?" "aye, surely; but these twenty men did first attack glumm and me while alone, and we slew them in self-defence. never had i returned to tell it, had not stout kettle flatnose come to our aid." "thank heaven for that!" said hilda, with a look of infinite relief. "how did it happen?" "come. i will tell thee all from first to last. and here is one who shall judge whether glumm and i are to blame for slaying these men." as he spoke, the hermit approached. the old man looked somewhat paler than usual, owing to the loss of blood caused by the wound he had received in his recent defence of ulfstede. erling rose and saluted him heartily, for, since the memorable prowess in the defence of ulfstede, christian had been high in favour among the people of the neighbourhood. "hilda and i were considering a matter of which we will make thee judge," said erling, as they sat down on the bank together. "i will do my best," said the hermit, with a smile, "if hilda consents to trust my judgment." "that she gladly does," said the maid. "well, then, i will detail the facts of the case," said erling; "but first tell me what strange marks are those on the skin thou holdest in thy hand?" "these are words," said the hermit, carefully spreading out a roll of parchment, on which a few lines were written. erling and hilda regarded the strange characters with much interest. indeed, the young man's look almost amounted to one of awe, for he had never seen the scroll before, although hilda, to whom it had several times been shown and explained, had told him about it. "these marks convey thoughts," said christian, laying his forefinger on the characters. "can they convey intricate thoughts," asked erling, "such as are difficult to express?" "aye; there is no thought which can quit the tongue of one man and enter the understanding of another which may not be expressed by these letters in different combinations." "dim ideas of this have been in my mind," said erling, "since i went on viking cruise to the south, when first i heard of such a power being known to and used by many, but i believed it not. if this be as thou sayest, and these letters convey thy thoughts, then, though absent, thy thoughts might be known to me--if i did but understand the tracing of them." "most true," returned the hermit; "and more than that, there be some who, though dead, yet speak to their fellows, and will continue to do so as long as the records are preserved and the power to comprehend them be maintained." "mysterious power," said erling; "i should like much to possess it." "if thou wilt come to my poor abode on the cliff i will teach it thee. a few months, or less, will suffice. even hilda knows the names of the separate signs, and she has applied herself to it for little more than a few days." hilda's face became scarlet when erling looked at her in surprise, but the unobservant hermit went on to descant upon the immense value of written language, until hilda reminded him that he had consented to sit in judgment on a knotty point. "true, i had forgotten.--come now, erling, let me hear it." the youth at once began, and in a few minutes had so interested his hearers that they gazed in his face and hung upon his words with rapt attention, while he detailed the incidents of the combats with a degree of fluency and fervour that would have thrown the oratory of glumm and kettle quite into the shade had it been told in the hall. while erling was thus engaged, his friend glumm, having finished the recital of his adventures for the twentieth time, and at the same time eaten a good supper, was advised by his companions to have the wound in his head looked to. "what! hast thou not had it dressed yet?" asked ulf; "why, that is very foolish. knowest thou not that a neglected wound may compass thy death? come hither, ada; thy fingers are skilled in such offices. take glumm to an inner chamber, and see if thou canst put his head to rights." "methinks," cried guttorm stoutheart, with a laugh, "that she is more likely to put his heart wrong than his head right with these wicked black eyes of hers. have a care, glumm: they pierce deeper than the sword of the berserk." ada pretended not to hear this, but she appeared by no means displeased, as she led glumm to an inner chamber, whither they were followed by alric, whose pugnacious soul had been quite fascinated by the story of the recent fight, and who was never tired of putting questions as to minute points. as glumm sat down on a low stool to enable ada to get at his head, she said (for she was very proud of her lover's prowess, and her heart chanced to be in a melting mood that night), "thou hast done well to-day, it would seem?" "it is well thou thinkest so," replied glumm curtly, remembering erling's advice.--"no, boy," he added, in reply to alric, "i did not kill the one with the black helmet; it was erling who gave him his deathblow." "did hake the berserk look _dreadfully_ fierce?" asked alric. "he made a few strange faces," replied glumm. "the wound is but slight," observed ada, in a tone that indicated a little displeasure at the apparent indifference of her lover. "it might have been worse," replied glumm. "do tell me all about it again," entreated alric. "not now," said glumm; "i'll repeat it when hilda is by; she has not heard it yet--methinks she would like to hear it." "hilda like to hear it!" cried the lad, with a shout of laughter; "why, she detests fighting almost as much as the hermit does, though, i must say, for a man who hates it, he can do it wonderfully well himself! but do tell me, glumm, what was the cut that erling gave when he brought down that second man, you know--the big one--" "which? the man whose head he chopped off, with half of the left shoulder?" "no; that was the fourth. i mean the other one, with--" "oh, the one he split the nose of by accident before battering down with--" "no, no," cried alric, "i mean the one with the black beard." "ha!" exclaimed glumm, "that wasn't the second man; his fall was much further on in the fight, just after erling had got hold of the battle-axe. he whirled the axe round his head, brought it from over the left down on blackbeard's right shoulder, and split him to the waist." "now, that is finished," said ada sharply, as she put away the things that she had used in the dressing of the wound. "i hope that every foe thou hast to deal with in future may let thee off as well." "i thank thee, ada, both for the dressing and the good wish," said glumm gravely, as he rose and walked into the hall, followed by his persevering and insatiable little friend. ada retired hastily to her own chamber, where she stood for a moment motionless, then twice stamped her little foot, after which she sat down on a stool, and, covering her face with both hands, burst into a passionate flood of tears. chapter fourteen. in which alric boasts a little, discovers secrets, confesses a little, and distinguishes himself greatly. next day there was great bustle at ulfstede, and along the shores of the fiord, for the men of horlingdal were busy launching their ships and making preparations to go to the springs to meet and hold council with king harald haarfager. it had been finally resolved, without a dissentient voice, that the whole district should go forth to meet him in arms, and thus ensure fair play at the deliberations of the thing. even haldor no longer objected; but, on the contrary, when he heard his son's account of his meeting with the king, and of the dastardly attempt that had been made to assassinate him and his friend, there shot across his face a gleam of that wild ferocity which had procured him his title. it passed quickly away, however, and gave place to a look of sad resignation, which assured those who knew him that he regarded their chance of opposing the king successfully to be very small indeed. the fleet that left the fiord consisted of the longships of ulf, haldor, erling, glumm, and guttorm, besides an innumerable flotilla of smaller crafts and boats. many of the men were well armed, not only with first-rate weapons, but with complete suits of excellent mail of the kinds peculiar to the period--such as shirts of leather, with steel rings sewed thickly over them, and others covered with steel scales-- while of the poorer bonders and the thralls some wore portions of defensive armour, and some trusted to the thick hides of the wolf, which were more serviceable against a sword-cut than many people might suppose. all had shields, however, and carried either swords, bills, spears, javelins, axes, or bows and arrows, so that, numbering as they did, about a thousand men, they composed a formidable host. while these rowed away over the fiord to the springs to make war or peace--as the case might be--with king harald, a disappointed spirit was left behind in horlingdal. "i'm sure i cannot see why i should not be allowed to go too," said little alric, on returning to haldorstede, after seeing the fleet set forth. "of course i cannot fight so well as erling _yet_, but i can do _something_ in that way; and can even face up to a full-grown man when occasion serves, as that red-haired dane knows full well, methinks, if he has got any power of feeling in his neck!" this was said to herfrida, who was in the great hall spreading the board for the midday meal, and surrounded by her maidens, some of whom were engaged in spinning or carding wool, while others wove and sewed, or busied themselves about household matters. "have patience, my son," said herfrida. "thou art not yet strong enough to go forth to battle. doubtless, in three or four years--" "three or four years!" exclaimed alric, to whom such a space of time appeared an age. "why, there will be no more fighting left to be done at the end of three or four years. does not father say that if the king succeeds in his illegal plans all the independence of the small kings will be gone for ever, and--and--of course i am old enough to see that if the small kings are not allowed to do as they please, there will be no more occasion for war--nothing but a dull time of constant peace!" herfrida laughed lightly, while her warlike son strutted up and down the ancestral hall like a bantam cock, frowning and grunting indignantly, as he brooded over the dark prospects of peace that threatened his native land, and thought of his own incapacity, on account of youth, to make glorious hay while yet the sun of war was shining. "mother," he said, stopping suddenly, and crossing his arms, as he stood with his feet planted pretty wide apart, after the fashion of those who desire to be thought very resolute--"mother, i had a dream last night." "tell it me, my son," said herfrida, sitting down on a low stool beside the lad. now, it must be known that in those days the northmen believed in dreams and omens and warnings--indeed, they were altogether a very superstitious people, having perfect faith in giants, good and bad; elves, dark and bright; wraiths, and fetches, and guardian spirits-- insomuch that there was scarcely one among the grown-up people who had not seen some of these fabulous creatures, or who had not seen some other people who had either seen them themselves or had seen individuals who _said_ they had seen them! there were also many "clear-sighted" or "fore-sighted" old men and women, who not only saw goblins and supernatural appearances occasionally, and, as it were, accidentally, like ordinary folk, but who also had the gift--so it is said--of seeing such things when they pleased--enjoyed, as it were, an unenviable privilege in that way. it was therefore with unusual interest that herfrida asked about her son's dream. "it must have been mara [nightmare], i think," he said, "for though i never had it before, it seemed to me very like what guttorm stoutheart says he always has after eating too hearty a meal." "relate it, my son." "well, you must know," said alric, with much gravity and importance, for he observed that the girls about the room were working softly that they might hear him, "i dreamed that i was out on the fells, and there i met a dreadful wolf, as big as a horse, with two heads and three tails, or three heads and two tails, i mind not which, but it gave me little time to notice it, for, before i was aware, it dashed at me, and i turned to run, but my feet seemed to cleave to the earth, and my legs felt heavy as lead, so that i could scarce drag myself along, yet, strange to say, the wolf did not overtake me, although i heard it coming nearer and nearer every moment, and i tried to shout, but my voice would not come out." "what hadst thou to supper last night?" asked herfrida. "let me think," replied the boy meditatively; "i had four cuts of salmon, three rolls of bread and butter, half a wild-duck, two small bits of salt-fish, some eggs, a little milk, and a horn of ale." "it must have been mara," said she, thoughtfully; "but go on with thy dream." "well, just as i came to the brink of the river, i looked back and saw the wolf close at my heels, so i dropped suddenly, and the wolf tumbled right over me into the water, but next moment it came up in the shape of another monster with a fish's tail, which made straight at me. then it all at once came into my head that my guardian spirit was behind me, and i turned quickly round, but did not see it." "art thou quite sure of that, my son?" herfrida asked this in a tone of great anxiety, for to see one's own guardian spirit was thought unlucky, and a sign that the person seeing it was "fey", or death-doomed. "i'm quite sure that i did not," replied alric, to the manifest relief of his mother; "but i saw a long pole on the ground, which i seized, and attacked the beast therewith, and a most notable fight we had. i only wish that it had been true, and that thou hadst been there to see it. mara fled away at once, for i felt no more fear, but laid about me in a way that minded me of erling. indeed, i don't think he could have done it better himself. oh! how i do wish, sometimes, that my dreams would come true! however, i killed the monster at last, and hurled him into the river, after which i felt tossed about in a strange way, and then my senses left me, and then i awoke." "what thinkest thou of the dream?" said herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire. the witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said: "good luck is in store for the boy." "thanks for that, granny," said alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?" "no; my knowledge goes no further. it may be good luck in great things, it may be only in small matters; perhaps soon, perhaps a long time hence: i know not." having ventured this very safe and indefinite prophecy, the old woman let her chin drop on her bosom, and recommenced the rocking to and fro which had been interrupted by the question; while alric laughed, and, taking up a three-pronged spear, said that, as he had been disappointed in going to see the fun at the springs, he would console himself by going and sticking salmon at the foss [waterfall]. "wilt thou not wait for midday meal?" said herfrida. "no, mother; this roll will suffice till night." "and then thou wilt come home ravening, and have mara again." "be it so. i'd run the risk of that for the sake of the chance of another glorious battle such as i had last night!" saying this the reckless youth sallied forth with the spear or leister on his shoulder, and took the narrow bridle path leading up the glen. it was one of those calm bright days of early autumn in which men _feel_ that they draw in fresh life and vigour at each inhalation. with the fragrant odours that arose from innumerable wild flowers, including that sweetest of plants, the lily of the valley, was mingled the pleasant smell of the pines, which clothed the knolls, or hung here and there like eyebrows on the cliffs. the river was swollen considerably by recent heat, which had caused the great glaciers on the mountain tops to melt more rapidly than usual, and its rushing sound was mingled with the deeper roar of the foss, or waterfall, which leaped over a cliff thirty feet high about two miles up the valley. hundreds of rills of all sizes fell and zigzagged down the mountains on either side, some of them appearing like threads of silver on the precipices, and all, river and rills, being as cold as the perpetual ice-fields above which gave them birth. birds twittered in the bushes, adding sweetness to the wild music, and bright greens and purples, lit up by gleams of sunshine, threw a charm of softness over the somewhat rugged scene. the norse boy's nature was sensitive, and peculiarly susceptible of outward influences. as he walked briskly along, casting his eager gaze now at the river which foamed below him, and anon at the distant mountain ridges capped with perennial snows, he forgot his late disappointment, or, which is the same thing, drowned it in present enjoyment. giving vent to his delight, much as boys did a thousand years later, by violent whistling or in uproarious bursts of song, he descended to the river's edge, with the intention of darting his salmon spear, when his eye caught sight of a woman's skirt fluttering on one of the cliffs above. he knew that hilda and ada had gone up the valley together on a visit to a kinswoman, for herfrida had spoken of expecting them back to midday meal; guessing, therefore, that it must be them, he drew back out of sight, and clambered hastily up the bank, intending to give them a surprise. he hid himself in the bushes at a jutting point which they had to pass, and from which there was a magnificent view of the valley, the fiord, and the distant sea. he heard the voices of the two girls in animated conversation as they drew near, and distinguished the name of glumm more than once, but, not being a gossip by nature, he thought nothing of this, and was intent only on pouncing out on them when they should reach a certain stone in the path. truth constrains us to admit that our young friend, like many young folk of the present day, was a practical joker--yet it must also be said that he was not a very bad one, and, to his honour be it recorded, he never practised jokes on old people! it chanced, however, that the two friends stopped short just before reaching the stone, so that alric had to exercise patience while the girls contemplated the view--at least while hilda did so, for on ada's face there was a frown, and her eyes were cast on the ground. "how lovely horlingdal looks on such a day!" observed hilda. "i have no eyes for beautiful things to-night," said ada pettishly; "i cannot get over it--such cool, thankless indifference when i took the trouble to dress his--his--stupid head, and then, not satisfied with telling the whole story over to thee, who cares no more for it than if it were the slaying of half a dozen sheep, he must needs go and pay frequent visits to ingeborg and to halgerda of the foss--and--and--but i know it is all out of spite, and that he does not care a bodkin for either of them, yet i cannot bear it, and i _won't_ bear it, so he had better look to himself. and yet i would not for the best mantle in the dale that he knew i had two thoughts about the matter." "but why play fast and loose with him?" said hilda, with a laugh at her companion's vehemence. "because i like it and i choose to do so." "but perchance he does not like it, and does not choose to be treated so." "i care not for that." "truly thy looks and tone belie thee," said hilda, smiling. "but in all seriousness, ada, let me advise thee again to be more considerate with glumm, for i sometimes think that the men who are most worth having are the most easily turned aside." "hast thou found it so with erling?" demanded ada half-angrily. hilda blushed scarlet at this and said: "i never thought of erling in this light; at least i never--he never-- that is--" fortunately at this point alric, in his retreat among the bushes, also blushed scarlet, for it only then flashed upon him that he had been acting the mean part of an eavesdropper, and had been listening to converse which he should not have heard. instead, therefore, of carrying out his original intention, he scrambled into the path with as much noise as possible, and coughed, as he came awkwardly forward. "why, the wicked boy has been listening," cried ada, laying her hand upon the lad's shoulder, and looking sternly into his face. "i have," said alric bluntly. "and art thou not ashamed?" "i am," he replied, with a degree of candour in his self-condemnation which caused ada and hilda to burst into a hearty fit of laughter. "but," said ada, becoming grave again, "thou hast heard too much for thy good." "i know it," he replied, "and i'm sorry, ada, but cannot help it now. this will i say, however: i had no wish or intention to hear when i hid myself. my desire was only to startle thee and hilda, and before i thought what thou wert talking of the thing was out, and now i have got it i cannot unget it." "true, but thou canst keep it," said ada. "i can, and ye may rest assured no word or look of mine shall betray thee. i'll even try to conceal it from myself, and think it was a dream, unless, indeed, i see a good chance of helping thee in this affair!" alric laughed as he said this, and the girls joined him, after which they all went on towards haldorstede together. on reaching the place where alric had intended to fish, ada suggested that he should go and try his fortune, so he ran down to the river, and the girls followed him to the bank. the spot selected was a rapid which terminated in a small and comparatively quiet but deep pool. we say comparatively, because in the state of the river at that time even in the quietest places there was considerable commotion. just below the pool the river opened out into a broad shallow, over which it passed in noisy foam, but with little depth, except in the centre. below this, again, it narrowed, and formed another deep pool. alric ran into the water till he was about knee-deep, and then plunged his spear. nothing resulted from the first plunge, but the effect of the second was more tremendous than had ever before happened to the young sportsman, for the pole of the trident received a twist so violent that it would infallibly have been torn from the boy's grasp had he not held on with the tenacity of a vice, and allowed himself to be dragged bodily into the pool. as we have said, the pool was deep, but that was nothing to alric, who could swim like a duck. the norse maidens who watched him knew this, and although slightly alarmed, felt on the whole more inclined to laugh than to tremble as his head emerged and sank again several times, while the fish which he had struck dragged him about the pool. after a few seconds of violent and wild exertion it rushed down the pool into the rapid, and then it was that the girls perceived that alric had struck and was clinging to one of the largest-sized salmon that ever appeared in horlingdal river. fortunate it was for the boy that the fish took the rapid, for it had almost choked him in the deep pool; but now he scrambled on his feet, and began to do battle gallantly--endeavouring to thrust the fish downwards and pin it to the stones whenever it passed over a shallow part, on which occasions its back and silver sides became visible, and its great tail--wide spreading, like a modern lady's fan--flashed in the air as it beat the water in terror or fury. alric's spirit was ablaze with excitement, for the fish was too strong for him, so that every time it wriggled itself he was made to shake and stagger in a most ridiculously helpless manner, and when it tried to bolt he was pulled flat down on his face and had to follow it--sometimes on his knees, sometimes at full length, for, over and over again, when he was about to rise, or had half-risen, there was another pull, and down he went again, quite flat, while the roaring torrent went right over him. but no limpet ever stuck to rock with greater tenacity than did alric to the handle of that trident; and it is but just to add, for the information of those who know it not, that the difficulty of retaining one's foothold on the pebbly bed of a river when knee-deep in a foaming rapid is very great indeed, even when one has nothing more to do than attend to the balancing of one's own body--much greater, of course, in circumstances such as we describe. at last the salmon made a rush, and was swept over a shallow part of the rapid, close under the bank on which the girls stood. here alric succeeded in thrusting it against a large stone. for the first time he managed to stand up erect, and, although holding the fish with all his might, looked up, and breathed, or rather gasped, freely: "hoch! hah! _what_ a fish! sk-ho!" "oh, i wish we could help thee!" exclaimed the girls, with flashing eyes and outstretched hands, as if they could hardly restrain themselves from leaping into the water, which was indeed the case! "n-no! ye can't! 's not poss'ble--hah! my! oh there 'e goes again-- s-t-swash!" down he went, flat, as he spoke, and water stopped his utterance, while the fish wriggled into the centre of the channel, and carried him into the deep pool below! here the scene was not quite so exciting, because the battle was not so fierce. the salmon had it all his own way in the deep water, and dragged his attached friend hither and thither as he pleased. on the other hand, alric ceased to contend, and merely held on with his right hand, while with his left he kept his head above water. the pool circled about in large oily wavelets flecked with foam, so that there was a great contrast in all this to the tremendous turmoil of the raging rapid. but the comparative calm did not last long. the huge fish made a frantic, and apparently a last, effort to get free. it rushed down to the foot of the pool, and passed over the edge into the next rapid. the girls shrieked when they saw this, for, unlike the former, this one was a deep rush of the river, between narrower banks, where its course was obstructed by large rocks. against these the stream beat furiously. alric knew the spot well, and was aware of the extreme danger of his position. he therefore made a violent effort to drag the fish towards a point where there was a slight break or eddy among a number of boulders, intending to let him go, if necessary, rather than lose his life. he succeeded, however, in getting upon one of the rocks quite close to the bank, and then endeavoured to lift the fish out of the water. in this also he was successful; made a splendid heave, and flung it with all his force towards the bank, on which it alighted, trident and all, at the feet of hilda. but in letting go his hold of the handle alric lost his balance, flung his arms above his head in a vain endeavour to recover himself, and, with a loud shout, fell back into the roaring torrent and was swept away. a few moments sufficed to carry him into the pool below, to the edge of which the girls rushed, and found that he was floating round and round in a state of insensibility, every moment passing near to the vortex of the rapid that flowed out of it. hilda at once rushed in waist-deep and caught him by the collar. she would have been swept away along with him, but ada also sprang forward and grasped hilda by the mantle. she could not, however, drag her back; neither could hilda in any way help herself. thus they stood for a few moments swaying to and fro in the current, and, doubtless, one or more of them would have soon been carried down had not efficient aid been at hand. high up on the cliff over the scene where this incident occurred, christian the hermit was seated on a log before his door. he sat gazing dreamily out upon the landscape when alric began to fish, but, seeing the danger to which the lad exposed himself, after he had speared the fish, and fearing that there might be need of his aid, he quickly descended to the scene of action. he did not arrive a moment too soon, for the whole event occurred very rapidly. running to the rescue he caught ada round the waist with both hands, and drew her gently back; she was soon out of danger, after which there was no great difficulty in dragging the others safely to land. at once the hermit stripped off the boy's coat, loosened the kerchief that was round his throat, and sought, by every means in his power, to restore him to consciousness. his efforts were successful. the boy soon began to breathe, and in a short time stood up, swaying himself to and fro, and blinking. the first thing he said was: "where is the salmon?" "the salmon? oh, i forgot all about it," said ada. "never mind it, dear alric," said hilda. "never mind it?" he cried, starting into sudden animation; "what! have ye left it behind?" saying this he burst away from his friends, and ran up the bank of the river until he came to where the fish was lying, still impaled on the barbed prongs of the trident. the run so far restored him that he had sufficient strength to shoulder the fish, although it afterwards turned out to be a salmon of thirty-five pounds weight, and he quickly rejoined his friends, who returned with him to haldorstede, where, you may be quite sure, he gave a graphic account of the adventure to willing and admiring ears. "so, granny," he said, at the conclusion of the narrative, to the old crone who was still seated by the fire, "thy prophecy has come true sooner than ye expected, and it has come doubly true, for though the good luck in store for me was a matter of small general importance, no one can deny that it is a great fish!" chapter fifteen. treats of ancient diplomacy among the norsemen, and shows how our hero turns the tables on a would-be assassin. when king harald heard the news of the defeat of hake and the slaughter of his men by erling and glumm, great was his wrath at first, and jarl rongvold had much ado to appease him and prevent him from going at once to horlingdal to ravage it with fire and sword. but when he had cooled a little, and heard the details of the fight from hake himself, his anger against the young warriors changed into admiration of their dauntless courage. harald fairhair was a kingly man in spirit as well as in appearance, and was above encouraging a mean or vengeful mood. he was indeed fierce and violent in his rage, and often did things which, when read of in the calm of a comparatively peaceful time, make one shudder; but it must not be forgotten that the age in which he lived was a cruel and bloody one, and, in norway, without one touch of the gentle religion of christ to soften its asperities. he could never have retained his power and rule over the stern warriors of his day, had he not possessed much of their own callous indifference to the horrors and cruelties of war. "thou hadst tougher work than thou countedst on, it would seem," he said to hake; then, turning to jarl rongvold, with a laugh, "methinks i would fain have this erling the bold and his friend glumm the gruff among my men-at-arms." "i fear, sire, that they will not be easily induced to enter thy service, for they are both sea-kings, and independent spirits." "such men have submitted to us before now," said the king, with a peculiar glance. "most true," returned the jarl, flushing; "but all men have not the same belief in your wisdom." "that may be, yet methinks i could tame this sea-king--this erling. perchance costly gifts might win him, or it may be that rough blows would suit him better. what thinkest thou, hake? thou hast had some experience in that way." "if you mean, sire, that you have a mind to receive rough blows at his hand, i will guarantee him both able and willing to gratify you. i know not the weight of thor's hammer, but i am bound to say that it occurred to my mind when erling's axe came down on my steel headpiece, and set a host of stars dancing in my brain." "i believe thee," said the king, smiling grimly, "and thy visage speaks for itself." this was indeed the case. the berserk's countenance was very pale. he still suffered from the crashing blow with which he had been felled, and his heart rankled under his defeat, for he was not aware that the blow, heavy though it was, had been delivered in mercy, or that if his enemy had not turned aside the edge of his axe it would have cleft him to the chin. perchance, if he _had_ known this it would not have improved the state of his feelings; for hake possessed no nobility of spirit. "it may be," continued harald, "that thou shalt have another opportunity of measuring swords with this sea-king. meanwhile, jarl rongvold, go thou with rolf, and bring round the dragon and the other longships to the fiord, for i mistrust the men of this district, and will fare to the springs by sea." in accordance with these instructions the jarl brought the king's fleet round without delay. on the following morning they embarked, and set sail for the appointed place of meeting. here the fleet under haldor and ulf had already cast anchor. the ships lay close to the rocks, near the mouth of the river into which erling had thrust his cutter just before the battle with the danes; and a fine sight it was to behold these, with their painted shields and gilded masts and figure-heads, lying in the still water, crowded with armed warriors, while harald's longship, the dragon, and all his other vessels, came by twos and threes into the fiord, the oars tossing foam on the blue waters, and the gaily coloured sails swelling out before a gentle breeze. the king laid his ship alongside of a point of rocks on the south side of the bay. then, when all the fleet had assembled, both parties landed, and the thing was summoned by sound of horn. it was held on the level ground where the recent battle had been fought. there were still strewn about many evidences of the ferocity of that fight; and when the king looked upon the host of stout and well-armed men who had assembled, not only from horlingdal, but from the whole of the surrounding district, he felt that, however much he might wish to force obedience on his subjects, "discretion" was at that time "the better part of valour." when the thing was assembled the king stood up to speak, and there was probably not a man upon the ground who did not in his heart acknowledge that the tall, stout warrior, with the thick mass of golden locks, and the large masculine features, was, as far as physique went, a worthy wearer of the crown of norway. it may be added that physique went a very long way indeed in those days; yet it is due to the northmen to say that, at the same time, intellect was held in higher repute among them than among any of the feudally governed nations of europe. one evidence of this was, that at the things the best speaker, no matter what his rank, had a better chance of swaying the people than the king himself; while, in other countries, might to a large extent was right, and no one dared to open his mouth against him who chanced to be in power. but king harald haarfager's power lay not merely in his personal appearance and indomitable will. he was also a good speaker, and, like all good speakers in a wrong cause, was an able sophist. but he had men to deal with who were accustomed to think and reason closely, as must ever be more or less the case with a self-governed people. there were acute men there, men who had the laws of the land "by heart", in the most literal sense of those words,--for there were no books to consult and no precedents to cite in those days; and his hearers weighed with jealous care each word he said. the king began by complimenting the men of the district for their spirit, and their resolution to defend the laws of the realm; and he enlarged a little on these laws and on the wisdom of his own father, halfdan the black, and the men of his time, who had made and modified many of them. then he went on to say that with time the circumstances of nations altered, and that, with these alterations, there arose a necessity for the alteration and modification of old laws as well as for the making of new ones. he deprecated the idea that he wished, as had been said of him, to trample the laws under his feet, and rule the country according to his own will and pleasure. nothing was further from his intention or his desire. his wish was to amend the laws, especially those of them that touched on the relative position of king and people. up to this point the people heard him with respectful attention, and hundreds of those who were more addicted to fighting than to reasoning, especially among the younger men, began to think that after all, harald entertained exceedingly just opinions, and appeared to possess a spirit of candour and fair play which did not seem to justify the outcry that had been raised against him. even these, however, remembered that it was not very long since a small king of one of the northern glens had been summoned by harold to submit to his views of government, and, on his declining to do so, had been burnt, with all his family and followers, in his own house, contrary to law! they therefore knitted their brows and waited to hear more. the king then began to explain his ideas with regard to the royal authority over the chief men of the districts, some of which are already known to the reader. at this point the assembly listened with deep, earnest attention. some of the men sat with hands clasped on their knees, and with stern downcast brows. some gazed up at the clouds with the peculiar expression of men who listen and weigh arguments. others leaned on their swords or shields, and, with compressed lips and suspicious gaze, looked the king full in the face, while a few regarded him with a sneer; but the expression on the faces of the greater part denoted manliness of feeling and honesty of purpose. after harald had stated his views, and assured them that his great aim was to consolidate the kingdom and to prevent the evils that flowed from the almost unlimited independence of the petty kings, he asked the assembly to aid him in carrying out his wishes, and to set an example of fidelity and obedience, which would restrain others from showing that unseemly opposition to him which had only resulted in severe and merited punishment. he then sat down amid a murmur of mingled applause and disapprobation. after a few minutes of animated converse among themselves, there arose an old man with a bald head, a flowing beard, and sightless eyes. he was the "lagman" or district judge, and law-expounder of horlingdal. deep silence ensued, and he said, in a decided though somewhat tremulous tone-- "king harald, i am a very old man now, and can remember the time when your noble sire, halfdan the black, ruled in norway. i have fought by his side, and lost my eyes in his service--in a fight in which our opponents gave us the tooth-ache. [norse expression signifying `the worst of it.'] i have also heard him speak those words of wisdom to which you have referred, and have seen him bow to the laws which were made _not_ by himself, but by him in conjunction with the thing legally assembled for the purpose." there was a loud murmur of applause at this point. "and now that we have heard the king's opinions," continued the old man, turning to the people, "and know that his intentions are good, although the manner in which he has set about carrying them into effect is undoubtedly wrong, my counsel is that we nevertheless submit to him in this matter, for we know that a great number of the small kings have already submitted, and it were better to have a beneficial change--even when not carried out exactly according to law--than to plunge this country into prolonged and useless warfare, in which much blood will, assuredly, be spilt, and nothing of any value gained." the lagman sat down, but only a few of those present indicated their approval of his sentiments. immediately haldor the fierce stood up, and men could see that his spirit was stirred within him, for a dark frown lowered on a brow which was at most times fair and unruffled like the summer sky. there was deep silence in the assembly before he began to speak, and the king, despite the suppressed anger which rankled in his breast, could not choose but look upon his commanding figure with respect, also with surprise, for he recognised the strong resemblance between him and erling, though he knew not their relationship. "i agree not," said haldor, "with what has just been said by our respected lagman. a change, even for the better, ought _never_ to be accepted if not made according to law, no one can say that any change will certainly be for the better until it is tried; and should this one, perchance, turn out for the worse, then shall we have neither advantage nor law on our side. for my part i had rather see my country plunged into warfare--which no one, unless he is gifted with the foreknowledge of the gods, can say will be either prolonged or useless--than see her laws trampled under foot; for well do i know that, if the king be permitted to make himself an outlaw, blood will be kept boiling perpetually from one end of the land to the other, and it were better, methinks, that that blood should spill than boil. my counsel is, that the king be advised to call a thing in the regular way, so that the changes he would make shall be fully considered, and either be made law or rejected; for, if he attempts to enforce his plans on us as he has done on other small kings, we will assuredly resist him as long as there is a man left in the district to wield a battle-axe." there was a great shout and clash of arms when this was said, and the king's face became crimson with rage, for he saw clearly that the feeling of the majority was against him. at this point jarl rongvold stood up and spoke in the bland tones of a man who wishes to throw oil on troubled waters. he said that it was his earnest entreaty to the bonders and house-holding men, both great and small, then and there assembled, that they should calmly consider the proposals of the king, and not allow themselves to be carried away by unsound reasoning, although it might seem very plausible, for he was certain that the king's desire was the good of the country; and although circumstances had rendered it necessary that some of the rebellious should be punished, no one could say that the king was not willing and ready to do all that he did in a fair, open, and straightforward manner. at this erling was unable to restrain himself. he sprang up, and, with a passionate flow of words that burst forth like a mountain torrent, exclaimed-- "thinkest thou, jarl rongvold, that our brains are so addled that we cannot distinguish between black and white? is thy memory so short, is thy slavery to the king so complete, that thou must say evil is good and good evil? hast thou and has the king so soon forgotten that two strangers came to the court with a message from one of the legal assemblies of this land,--that, trusting to the honour of the king, they came without following, and with only such arms as were needful for personal defence,--and that the honour to which they trusted was not proof against the temptation to send a noted berserk and nineteen men to waylay and slay them? is all this clean gone from your memory, jarl and king? or is your wit so small that ye should think we will believe in soft words about fair play when such foul deeds are so recent that the graves are yet wet with the blood of those whom glumm and i were compelled to slay in self-defence?" at this the king started up, and his face became white and red by turns, as he said-- "ye shall, both of you, rue this day, erling and glumm!" erling made no reply, but glumm started up and was in so great a passion that he could hardly speak; nevertheless he made shift to splutter out-- "threats, king harald, are like water spilt on a shield which can only rust if left there; i wipe them off and fling them away!" he could add no more, but with a contemptuous motion of the hand he struck his fist violently against his shirt of mail, and the bonders laughed while they applauded him. then stood up a man in the troop of the springdal men, who was of great stature and grim countenance, clad in a leather cloak, with an axe on his shoulder and a great steel hat upon his head. he looked sternly, and said-- "when rights are not respected then the crows flap their wings and caw, for they know that ere long they shall glut themselves with human blood." he sat down, and immediately after ulf of romsdal stood up. ulf had fully as much fire as erling or glumm, but he possessed greater power of self-restraint, and, as he spoke with deliberation, his words had all the more weight. he said-- "king harald, when in the exercise of our udal rights we bonders elected thee to be our king at the thing held in drontheim, we stated and traced thy descent from odin through the vingling dynasty, proved thy udal right to the crown, and truly thought that we had placed it on the head of one who would walk in the footsteps of his father, and respect that authority and power in virtue of which he held his own high position. but we now find that thou hast constituted thyself a law higher than the law which made thee what thou art, and thou now wouldst have us, of our own free will, bend our necks so low that thou mayest with the more ease set thy foot on them and keep us down. we have served thee in all good faith up to the present time; we have readily met thy demands for men, ships, arms, and money, by calling together our assemblies and voting these supplies; and now thou wouldst rob us of this our old right, and tax us without our consent, so that thou mayest raise men for thyself, and have it all thine own way. this must not, shall not, be. even now, we bonders will unanimously hold by the law if it be passed in the proper assembly and receives our yea, and we will follow thee and serve thee as our king as long as there is a living man amongst us. but thou, king, must use moderation towards us, and only require of us such things as it is lawful or possible for us to obey thee in. if, however, thou wilt take up this matter with a high hand, and wilt try thy power and strength against us, we have resolved among ourselves to part with thee, and to take to ourselves some other chief who will respect those laws by which alone society can be held together. now, king harald, thou must choose one or other of these conditions before the thing is ended." the loud applause which followed this speech showed that the bonders heartily sympathised with it, and indeed several of them rose and said that it expressed their will exactly, and they would stand or fall by what had been spoken. when silence had been restored, jarl rongvold, who had whispered in the king's ear some earnest words, stood forth and said: "it is king harald's will to give way to you in this matter for he does not wish to separate himself from your friendship." this brought the thing to a close. thereafter the two parties returned to their ships, intending to feast and pass the night in them. the king was very affable, and invited haldor and some of the others whose language had been comparatively moderate to feast with him, but they declined the honour, and retired to their own ships. in the evening, while the sounds of revelry were heard everywhere, a boat approached erling's ship. it was rowed by a single man, who, when it touched her side, leaped on board and went aft to where erling was seated with guttorm stoutheart. "king harald would speak with thee," said the man, who was no other than hake the berserk. "methinks his intentions can scarce be friendly," said erling, with a grim smile, "when he sends so trusty a messenger." "it may be so," replied hake coolly, "but that is nothing to me. my business is to deliver the message and offer to conduct thee to him." "and pray, what surety have i that thou wilt not upset me in the fiord?" asked erling, laughing. "the surety that if i upset thee we shall be on equal terms in the water," replied hake gruffly. "nay, that depends on which of us can swim best," returned erling; "and, truly, if thou canst fight as well in the water as on the land, we should have a rare struggle, hake." "am i to say to the king that thou art afraid of him?" asked the berserk, with a look of scorn. "yea, truly, if it is thy desire to tell him a lie," retorted erling. "but get thee into the boat, fellow; i will follow anon." hake turned on his heel and returned to the boat, while erling took guttorm aside. "now, art thou fey?" [death-doomed] said guttorm. "what has made thee so tired of life that thou shouldest put thy neck under his heel thus readily?" "fear not, my friend," said erling; "now that i have seen king harald a second time, i think him a better man than at first i did. ambition will no doubt lead him to do many things that are contrary to his nature; but i do not think he will violate the laws of hospitality after what has passed. however, i may be wrong; so i would ask thee, guttorm, to go aboard of your ship, which lies nearest to that of the king, and, should ye see anything like a struggle, or hear a shout do thou haste to the rescue. i will have my men also in readiness." while the stout-hearted old sea-king, in compliance with this request, got into a small boat and rowed to his own vessel, erling gave particular directions to his chief house-carle to keep a sharp lookout and be ready to act at a moment's notice. then he went into hake's boat, and was rowed alongside the dragon, where the king received him with much condescension, and took him aft to the cabin under the high poop. here he offered him a horn of ale, which, however, erling declined, and then began to use his utmost powers of persuasion to induce him to enter his service. at first he tried to influence him by flattery, and commended him for his bold and straightforward conduct at the thing, which, he said, showed to all men that he merited well his distinctive title; but, on finding that our hero was not to be won by flattery, he quickly and adroitly changed his ground, began to talk of the future prospects of norway, and the necessity for improved legislation. in this he was so successful that he secured the interest, and to some extent the sympathy, of the young warrior, who entered eagerly and somewhat more respectfully into the discussion. "but, sire," he said, at the close of one of the king's remarks, "if these are your sentiments, why did you not state them more fully to-day at the thing, and why should you not even now call a meeting of the stor thing, and have the matter properly discussed by all in the land who have a right to speak?" "hadst thou had any experience of kingcraft, erling, thou hadst not asked the question. if i were now to do as thou dost suggest, the numerous small kings who have already been put down by force would band against me, and bring such a following of opponents to the thing that fair discussion would be out of the question." erling thought in his own mind, "one false step always necessitates another; you should have called a meeting of the thing before putting down anyone;" however, he did not give utterance to the thought, but said-- "i think you are mistaken, sire; there may be many who, out of revenge, might oppose you, but certain am i that those who would vote for that which is for the wellbeing of the land would form a vast majority. besides, it is the only course left open to you." at this the king flushed with a feeling of anger, and, drawing himself up, touched the hilt of his sword without uttering a word. "when i said the only course," remarked erling, "i meant the only lawful course. sorry should i be to see you, king harald, draw the sword in a bad cause; but if you do, be assured that thousands of good blades will gleam in opposition." at this the king's eyes flashed, and, turning suddenly upon erling, he shook back the masses of his yellow hair with lion-like ferocity, exclaiming-- "dost thou dare to speak thus to me in mine own ship, erling?" "it is because i am in your ship that i dare. were i in my own, the laws of hospitality had shut my mouth." "knowest thou not," said the king, waxing still more angry at the rebuke conveyed in this speech, and laying his hand on his sword, "that i have power to shut thy mouth now and for ever?" "it may be so, and it may be not so," replied erling, stepping back, and laying his hand on the hilt of his own weapon. at this the king laughed sarcastically. "and if," said he, "thou hadst the power and skill to overcome my feeble arm, hast thou the folly to think that ye could clear the dragon of all her men?" erling replied: "the remembrance, king harald, of the way in which i treated some of thy men in the woods not long ago, inclines me to believe that i could give them some trouble to slay me, and the thought of that transaction induced me, before i came hither, to make such arrangements that at all events my fall should not go unavenged." for a moment or two the king's countenance lowered ferociously on the youth, and he ground his teeth together as if unable to restrain his passion; but suddenly he uttered a short laugh, and said-- "truly thou shouldst have been styled prudent as well as bold. but go, i will take counsel with others, and perhaps thou shalt hear again of this matter." our hero retired immediately, but he observed in passing that hake was summoned to attend the king, and that another man stepped into the boat to row him to his own ship. "is all well?" growled the rich voice of old guttorm as he passed the vessel of that worthy. erling told the rower to stop, and, glancing up, beheld the stern yet good-humoured visage of his bluff friend looking over the rows of bright shields that hung on the bulwarks. "all is well," replied erling. "it is well for the king that it is so," rejoined guttorm, "for my hand was itching to give him a taste of our northern metal. assuredly, if a mouse had but squeaked on board the dragon, i had deemed it sufficient ground on which to have founded an immediate onslaught. but get thee to bed, erling, and let me advise thee to sleep with thy windward eye open." "trust me," said erling, with a laugh, as he pushed off; "i will not sleep with both eyes shut to-night!" getting on board his own ship, erling said to his foot-boy-- "i will not sleep in my bed to-night, for i suspect there may be treachery abroad. thou shalt keep watch, therefore, in case anything may happen in the night; and if thou shalt see me strive with anyone, do not alarm the men. meanwhile go thou and fetch me a billet of wood, and let it be a large one." the boy quickly brought from the hold one of the largest billets of wood he could find, and gave it to his master, who laid it in his own bed, which was under a small tent spread over the aft part of the vessel, close to the poop. having covered it up carefully, he sent the boy forward, and went himself to lie down elsewhere. at midnight a boat was rowed stealthily alongside. it was guided by one man, and moved so silently that the lightest sleeper on board could not have been awakened by it. the man stepped on board; lifted up the cloth of the tent over the bulwarks; looked cautiously all round him, and then went up and struck in erling's bed with a great axe, so that it stuck fast in the billet of wood. next instant the man felt his neck in a grip like that of an iron vice, and his face was thrust upon the ground and held there, while a heavy knee pressed into the small of his back, so that he was utterly unable to rise. erling's foot-boy saw the whole of this, and heard what followed, for the curtain of the tent was raised; but he moved neither hand nor foot, though he held a spear ready for instant action if required. "it ill becomes thee, hake," said erling, "to seek my life a second time, after making such poor work of it the first. what! wilt thou not lie quiet?" while he was speaking the berserk struggled with the fury of a madman to free himself, but erling's grip (perhaps his own wisdom also!) prevented him from shouting, and erling's knee prevented the struggles from making much noise. finding, however, that he would not be quiet, our hero tightened the pressure of his left hand until the tongue and eyes of the berserk began to protrude, and his face to get black, while with his right hand he drew his knife, and ran the point of it about a quarter of an inch into the fleshy part of hake's back. the effect was instantaneous! hake could face danger and death bravely, and could hurl defiance at his foe with the best, when on his legs; but when he felt the point of the cold steel, and knew that the smallest impulse would cause it to find a warm bed in his heart, his fury vanished. brave and bold though he was, and a berserk to boot, he sank quietly down, and lay perfectly still! erling at once relaxed the pressure of his fingers, and allowed hake to breathe, but he let the point of the knife remain, that it might refresh his memory, while he read him a lesson:-- "now, hake, let me tell thee that thou richly deservest to lose thy life, for twice hast thou sought to take mine in an unfair way, and once have i spared thine. however, thou art but a tool after all, so i will spare it again--and i do it the more readily that i wish thee to convey a message to thy master, king harald, who, i doubt not, has sent thee on this foul errand." erling here signalled to his foot-boy, whom he directed to bind hake's arms securely behind his back. this having been done, erling suffered him to rise and stand before him. "see now," he said, taking a silver ring from his finger, "knowest thou this ring, hake? ah, i see by thy look that thou dost. well, i will return it to thee and claim mine own." he turned the berserk round, took off the gold ring which he had placed on his finger on the day of the fight and put the silver one in its place. "by these tokens," said he, "thou mayest know who it was that cared for thee in the wood after the fight, and restored thy consciousness, instead of cutting off thy head, as he might easily have done. i know not why i did it, hake, save that the fancy seized me, for thou art an undeserving dog. but now we will take thee back to thy master, and as our message can be conveyed without the use of speech, we will bind up thy mouth." so saying, erling gagged the berserk (who looked dreadfully sulky) with a strip of sailcloth. then he made him sit down, and tied his legs together with a piece of rope, after which he lifted him in his arms to the side of the ship and laid him down. "go fetch me a stout carle," he said to the foot-boy, who went forward and immediately returned with a strapping man-at-arms. the man looked surprised, but asked no questions, as erling directed him in a low tone to assist in lifting the prisoner into the boat as quietly as possible. then they placed the lump of wood with the axe sticking in it beside him. this accomplished, they rowed silently to the side of the dragon, where a sentinel demanded what they wanted. "we bring a prisoner to king harald," answered erling. "we have him here tied hand and foot." "who is he?" asked the sentinel; for there was not so much light as is usual at midnight of that time of the year, owing to a mist on the sea. "thou shalt see when he is aboard." "hoist him up, then," said the man, erling and his carle raised hake over the bulwarks, and let him drop heavily on the deck. then erling seized the lump of wood and hurled it on board with considerable force, so that, hitting the sentinel on the head, it bounded onwards to the after part of the ship, and struck against the tent under which harald lay. the king sprang out, sword in hand, but erling had pushed off, and was already enveloped in the mist. as they rowed away they heard a great clamour on board the dragon, but it was quickly hushed by a stern voice, which erling knew to be that of the king. no pursuit was attempted. erling got back to his own ship, and, setting a watch, lay down to rest. in the morning no notice was taken of what had occurred during the night. the king evidently pretended that he knew nothing about the matter. he again met with the chief men of the district, and made them many promises and many complimentary speeches, but in his heart he resolved that the day should come when every one of them should either bow before his will or lose his life. the bonders, on the other hand, listened with due respect to all the king said, but it need scarcely be added that their lips did not express all their thoughts; for while the sanguine and more trustful among them felt some degree of hope and confidence, there were others who could not think of the future except with the most gloomy forebodings. in this mood the two parties separated. the king sailed with his warships out among the skerries, intending to proceed north to drontheim, while haldor the fierce, with his friends and men, went back to horlingdal. chapter sixteen. relates to such elementary matters as the a b c, and touches on love-making in the olden time. after the occurrence of the events just narrated, king harald's attention was diverted from the people of horlingdal and the neighbouring districts by the doings of certain small kings, against whom it became necessary that he should launch his whole force. these were king hunthiof, who ruled over the district of more, and his son solve klofe; also king nokve, who ruled over romsdal, and was the brother of solve's mother. these men were great warriors. hearing that king harald was sailing north, they resolved to give him battle. for this purpose they raised a large force, and went out among the skerries to intercept him. we do not intend here to go into the details of the fight that followed, or its consequences. it is sufficient for the proper development of our tale to say that they met at an island in north more named solskiel, where a pitched battle was fought, and gained by harald. the two kings were slain, but solve klofe escaped, and afterwards proved a great thorn in harald's side, plundering in north more, killing many of the king's men, pillaging some places, burning others, and generally making great ravage wherever he went; so that, what with keeping him and similar turbulent characters in check, and establishing law and order in the districts of the two kings whom he had slain, king harald had his hands fully occupied during the remainder of that summer, and was glad to go north to spend the winter peacefully in drontheim. the families and neighbours, therefore, of those with whom our tale has chiefly to do had rest during that winter. how some of them availed themselves of this period of repose may be gathered from a few incidents which we shall now relate. in the first place, erling the bold spent a large proportion of his time in learning the alphabet! now this may sound very strange in the ears of many people in modern times, but their surprise will be somewhat abated when we tell them that the art of writing was utterly unknown (though probably not unheard of) in norway at the end of the ninth century, and long after that; so that erling, although a gentleman of the period, and a sea-king to boot, had not up to the time we write of, learned his a b c! it is just possible that antiquaries, recalling to mind the fact that the art of writing was not introduced among the norse colonists of iceland until the eleventh century, may be somewhat surprised to learn that our hero acquired the art at all! but the fact is, that there always have been, in all countries, men who were what is popularly termed "born before their time"--men who were in advance, intellectually, of their age--men who, overleaping the barriers of prejudice, managed to see deeper into things in general than their fellows, and to become more or less famous. now our hero, erling the bold, was one of those who could see beyond his time, and who became almost prophetically wise; that is to say, he was fond of tracing causes onwards to their probable effects, to the amusement of the humorous, the amazement of the stupid, and the horrification of the few who, even in those days of turmoil, trembled at the idea of "change"! everything, therefore, that came under his observation claimed and obtained his earnest attention, and was treated with a species of inductive philosophy that would have charmed the heart of lord bacon, had he lived in those times. of course this new wonder of committing thoughts to parchment, which the hermit had revealed to him, was deeply interesting to erling, who began to study it forthwith. and we beg leave to tell antiquaries that we have nothing to do with the fact that no record is left of his studies--no scrap of his writing to be found. we are not responsible for the stupidity or want of sympathy in his generation! doubtless, in all ages there have been many such instances of glorious opportunities neglected by the world--neglected, too, with such contempt, that not even a record of their having occurred has been made. perchance some such opportunities are before ourselves just now, in regard to our neglect of which the next generation may possibly have to hold up its hands and turn up its eyes in amazement! but be this as it may, the fact remains that although no record is handed down of any knowledge of letters at this period in norway, erling the bold _did_ nevertheless become acquainted with them to some extent. erling began his alphabet after he had passed the mature age of twenty years, and his teacher was the fair hilda. it will be remembered that in one of their meetings the hermit had informed erling of his having already taught the meaning of the strange characters which covered his parchments to the norse maiden, and that she had proved herself an apt scholar. erling said nothing at the time, except that he had a strong desire to become better acquainted with the writing in question, but he settled it then and there in his heart that hilda, and not the hermit, should be his teacher. accordingly, when the fishings and fightings of the summer were over, the young warrior laid by his sword, lines, and trident, and, seating himself at hilda's feet, went diligently to work. the schoolroom was the hermit's hut on the cliff which overlooked the fiord. it was selected of necessity, because the old man guarded his parchments with tender solicitude, and would by no means allow them to go out of his dwelling, except when carried forth by his own hand. on the first occasion of the meeting of the young couple for study, christian sat down beside them, and was about to expound matters, when erling interposed with a laugh. "no, no, christian, thou must permit hilda to teach me, because she is an old friend of mine, who all her life has ever been more willing to learn than to teach. therefore am i curious to know how she will change her character." "be it so, my son," said the hermit, with a smile, folding his hands on his knee, and preparing to listen, and, if need be, to correct. "be assured, erling," said hilda, "that i know very little." "enough for me, no doubt," returned the youth. "for a day or two, perhaps," said the too-literal hilda; "but after that christian will have--" "after that," interrupted erling, "it will be time enough to consider that subject." hilda laughed, and asked if he were ready to begin. to which erling replied that he was, and, sitting down opposite to his teacher, bent over the parchment, which for greater convenience she had spread out upon her knee. "well," began hilda, with a slight feeling of that pardonable self-importance which is natural to those who instruct others older than themselves, "that is the first letter." "which?" asked erling, gazing up in her face. "that one there, with the long tail to it. dost thou see it?" "yes," replied the youth. "how canst thou say so, erling," remonstrated hilda, "when thou art looking all the time straight in my face!" "but i _do_ see it," returned he, a little confused; "i am looking at it _now_." "well," said she, "that is--" "thou art looking at it upside down, my son," said the hermit, who had been observing them with an amused expression of countenance. "oh, so he is; i never thought of that," cried hilda, laughing; "thou must sit beside me, erling, so that we may see it in the same way." "this one, now, with the curve _that_ way," she went on, "dost thou see it?" "see it!" thought erling, "of course i see it: the prettiest little hand in all the dale!" but he only said-- "how can i see it, hilda, when the point of thy finger covers it?" "oh! well," drawing the finger down a little, "thou seest it now?" "yes." "well, that is--why! where is christian?" she exclaimed, looking up suddenly in great surprise, and pointing to the stool on which the hermit certainly had been sitting a few minutes before, but which was now vacant. "he must have gone out while we were busy with the--the parchment," said erling, also much surprised. "he went like a mouse, then," said hilda, "for i heard him not." "nor i," added her companion. "very strange," said she. now there was nothing particularly strange in the matter. the fact was that the old man had just exercised a little of erling's philosophy in the way of projecting a cause to its result. as we have elsewhere hinted, the hermit was not one of those ascetics who, in ignorance of the truth, banished themselves out of the world. his banishment had not been self-imposed. he had fled before the fierce persecutors. they managed to slay the old man's wife, however, before they made him take to flight and seek that refuge and freedom of conscience among the pagan northmen which were denied him in christian europe. in the first ten minutes after the a b c class began he perceived how things stood with the young people, and, wisely judging that the causes which were operating in their hearts would proceed to their issue more pleasantly in his absence, he quietly got up and went out to cut firewood. after this the hermit invariably found it necessary to go out and cut firewood when erling and hilda arrived at the school, which they did regularly three times a week. this, of course, was considered a very natural and proper state of things by the two young people, for they were both considerate by nature, and would have been sorry indeed to have interrupted the old man in his regular work. but erling soon began to feel that it was absolutely essential for one of them to be in advance of the other in regard to knowledge, if the work of teaching was to go on; for, while both remained equally ignorant, the fiction could not be kept up with even the semblance of propriety. to obviate this difficulty he paid solitary nocturnal visits to the hut, on which occasions he applied himself so zealously to the study of the strange characters that he not only became as expert as his teacher, but left her far behind, and triumphantly rebutted the charge of stupidity which she had made against him. at the same time our hero entered a new and captivating region of mental and spiritual activity when the hermit laid before him the portions of holy scripture which he had copied out before leaving southern lands, and expounded to him the grand, the glorious truths that god had revealed to man through jesus christ our lord. and profoundly deep, and startling even to himself, were the workings of the young norseman's active mind while he sat there, night after night, in the lone hut on the cliff, poring over the sacred rolls, or holding earnest converse with the old man about things past, present, and future. chapter seventeen. in which glumm takes to hunting on the mountains for consolation, and finds it unexpectedly, while alric proves himself a hero. "i go to the fells to-day," said glumm to alric one morning, as the latter opened the door of glummstede and entered the hall. "i go also," said alric, leaning a stout spear which he carried against the wall, and sitting down on a stool beside the fire to watch glumm as he equipped himself for the chase. "art ready, then? for the day is late," said glumm. "all busked," replied the boy.--"i say, glumm, is that a new spear thou hast got?" "aye; i took it from a swedish viking the last fight i had off the coast. we had a tough job of it, and left one or two stout men behind to glut the birds of odin, but we brought away much booty. this was part of it," he added, buckling on a long hunting-knife, which was stuck in a richly ornamented sheath, "and that silver tankard too, besides the red mantle that my mother wears, and a few other things--but my comrades got the most of it." "i wish i had been there, glumm," said alric. "if hilda were here, lad, she would say it is wrong to wish to fight." "hilda has strange thoughts," observed the boy. "so has erling," remarked his companion. "and so has ada," said alric, with a sly glance. glumm looked up quickly. "what knowest _thou_ about ada?" said he. the sly look vanished before glumm had time to observe it, and an expression of extreme innocence took its place as the lad replied-- "i know as much about her as is usual with one who has known a girl, and been often with her, since the day he was born." "true," muttered glumm, stooping to fasten the thongs that laced the untanned shoes on his feet. "ada has strange thoughts also, as thou sayest. come now, take thy spear, and let us be gone." "where shall we go to-day?" asked alric. "to the wolf's glen." "to the wolf's glen? that is far." "is it too far for thee, lad?" "nay, twice the distance were not too far for me," returned the boy proudly; "but the day advances, and there is danger without honour in walking on the fells after dark." "the more need for haste," said glumm, opening the door and going out. alric followed, and for some time these two walked in silence, as the path was very steep, and so narrow for a considerable distance, that they could not walk abreast. snow lay pretty thickly on the mountains, particularly in sheltered places, but in exposed parts it had been blown off, and the hunters could advance easily. in about ten minutes after setting out they lost sight of glummstede. as they advanced higher and deeper into the mountains, the fiord and the sea, with its innumerable skerries, was lost to view, but it was not until they had toiled upwards and onwards for nearly two hours that they reached those dark recesses of the fells to which the bears and wolves were wont to retreat after committing depredations on the farms in the valleys far below. there was something in the rugged grandeur of the scenery here, in the whiteness of the snow, the blackness of the rocks which peeped out from its voluminous wreaths, the lightness of the atmosphere, and, above all, the impressive silence, which possessed an indescribable charm for the romantic mind of alric, and which induced even the stern matter-of-fact glumm to tread with slower steps, and to look around him with a feeling almost akin to awe. no living thing was to be seen, either among the stupendous crags which still towered above, or in the depths which they had left below; but there were several footprints of wolves, all of which glumm declared, after careful examination, to be old. "see here, lad," he said, turning up one of these footprints with the butt of his spear; "observe the hardish ball of snow just under the print; that shows that the track is somewhat old. if it had been quite fresh there would have been no such ball." "thou must think my memory of the shortest, glumm, for i have been told that every time i have been out with thee." "true, but thou art so stupid," said glumm, laying his spear lightly across the boy's shoulders, "that i have thought fit to impress it on thee by repetition, having an interest in thine education, although thou dost not deserve it." "i deserve it, mayhap, more than ye think." "how so, boy?" "_why_, because i have for a long time past taken an uncommon interest in thy welfare." glumm laughed, and said he did not know that there was any occasion to concern himself about his welfare. "oh yes, there is!" cried alric, "for, when a man goes moping about the country as if he were fey, or as if he had dreamed of seeing his own guardian spirit, his friends cannot help being concerned about him." "why, what is running in the lad's head?" said glumm, looking with a perplexed expression at his young companion. "nothing runs in my head, save ordinary thoughts. if there be any unusual running at all, it must be in thine own." "speak, thou little fox," said glumm, suddenly grasping alric by the nape of the neck and giving him a shake. "nay then, if that is thy plan," said the boy, "give it a fair trial. shake away, and see what comes of it. thou mayest shake out blood, bones, flesh, and life too, and carry home my skin as a trophy, but be assured that thou shalt not shake a word off my tongue!" "boldly spoken," said glumm, laughing, as he released the lad; "but i think thy tone would change if i were to take thee at thy word." "that it would not. thou art not the first man whom i have defied, aye, and drawn blood from, as that red-haired dane--" alric stopped suddenly. he had reached that age when the tendency to boast begins, at least in manly boys, to be checked by increasing good sense and good taste. yet it is no disparagement of alric's character to say that he found it uncommonly difficult to refrain, when occasion served, from making reference to his first warlike exploit, even although frequent rebukes and increasing wisdom told him that boasting was only fit for the lips of cowards. "why do ye stop?" asked glumm, who quite understood the boy's feelings, and admired his exercise of self-control. "be--because i have said enough." "good is it," observed the other, "when man or boy knows that he has said enough, and has the power to stop when he knows it. but come, alric, thou hast not said enough to me yet on the matter that--that--" "what matter?" asked alric, with a sly look. "why, the matter of my welfare, to be sure." "ah, true. well, methinks, glumm, that i could give thee a little medicine for thy mind, but i won't, unless ye promise to keep thy spear off my back." "i promise," said glumm, whose curiosity was aroused. "it is a sad thing when a man looks sweet and a maid looks sour, but there is a worse thing; that is when the maid _feels_ sour. thou lovest ada--" "hold!" cried glumm, turning fiercely on his companion, "and let not thy pert tongue dare to speak of such things, else will i show thee that there are other things besides spears to lay across thy shoulders." "now art thou truly glumm the gruff," cried alric, laughing, as he leaped to the other side of a mass of fallen rock; "but if thy humour changes not, i will show thee that i am not named lightfoot for nothing. come, don't fume and fret there like a bear with a headache, but let me speak, and i warrant me thou wilt be reasonably glad." "go on, then, thou incorrigible." "very well; but none of thy hard names, friend glumm, else will i set my big brother erling at thee. there now, don't give way again. what a storm-cloud thou art! will the knowledge that ada loves thee as truly as thou lovest her calm thee down?" "i see thou hast discovered my secret," said glumm, looking at his little friend with a somewhat confused expression, "though how the knowledge came to thee is past my understanding. yet as thou art so clever a warlock i would fain know what ye mean about `ada's love for me.' hadst thou said her hatred, i could have believed thee without explanation." "let us go on, then," said alric, "for there is nothing to be gained and only time to be lost by thus talking across a stone." the path which they followed was broad at that part, and not quite so rugged, so that alric could walk alongside of his stout friend as he related to him the incident that was the means of enlightening him as to ada's feelings towards her lover. it was plain from the expression on the norseman's face that his soul was rejoiced at the discovery, and he strode forward at such a pace that the boy was fain to call a halt. "thinkest thou that my legs are as long as thine?" he said, stopping and panting. glumm laughed; and the laugh was loud and strong. he would have laughed at anything just then, for the humour was upon him, and he felt it difficult to repress a shout at the end of it! "come on, alric, i will go slower. but art thou sure of all this? hast not mistaken the words?" "mistaken the words!" cried the boy; "why, i tell thee they were as plain to my ears and my senses as what thou hast said this moment." "good," said glumm; "and now the question comes up, how must i behave to her? but thou canst not aid me herein, for in such matters thou hast had no experience." "out upon thee for a stupid monster!" said the boy; "have i not just proved that my experience is very deep? i have not, indeed, got the length thou hast--of wandering about like a poor ghost or a half-witted fellow, but i have seen enough of such matters to know what common sense says." "and, pray, what does common sense say?" "why, it says, act towards the maid like a sane man, and, above all, a true man. don't go about the land gnashing thy teeth until everyone laughs at thee. don't go staring at her in grim silence as if she were a wraith; and, more particularly, don't pretend to be fond of other girls, for thou didst make a pitiful mess of that attempt. in short, be glumm without being gruff, and don't try to be anybody else. be kind and straightforward to her, worship her, or, as kettle flatnose said the other day, `kiss the ground she walks on,' if thou art so inclined, but don't worry her life out. show that thou art fond of her, and willing to bide _her_ time. go on viking cruise, for the proverb says that an `absent body makes a longing spirit,' and bring her back shiploads of kirtles and mantles and armlets, and gold and silver ornaments--that's what common sense says, glumm, and a great deal more besides, but i fear much that it is all wasted on thee." "heyday!" exclaimed glumm, "what wisdom do i hear? assuredly we must call thee alric hinn frode hereafter. one would think thou must have been born before thine own grandfather." "truly that is not so difficult to fancy," retorted alric. "even now i feel like a great-grandfather while i listen to thee. there wants but a smooth round face and a lisping tongue to make thine appearance suitable to thy wisdom! but what is this that we have here?" the boy pointed to a track of some animal in the snow a few yards to one side of the path. "a wolf track," said glumm, turning aside. "a notably huge one," remarked the boy. "and quite fresh," said the man. "which is proved," rejoined alric in a slow, solemn voice, "by the fact that there is no ball of snow beneath the--" "hold thy pert tongue," said glumm in a hoarse whisper, "the brute must be close to us. do thou keep in the lower end of this gorge--see, yonder, where it is narrow. i will go round to the upper end; perchance the wolf is there. if so, we stand a good chance of killing him, for the sides of the chasm are like two walls all the way up. but," added glumm, hesitating a moment, and looking fixedly at the small but sturdy frame of his companion, whose heightened colour and flashing eyes betokened a roused spirit, "i doubt thy--that is--i have no fear of the spirit, if the body were a little bigger." "take thine own big body off, glumm," said alric, "and leave me to guard the pass." glumm grinned as he turned and strode away. the spot which the hunters had reached merits particular notice. it was one of those wild deep rents or fissures which are usually found near the summits of almost inaccessible mountains. it was not, however, at the top of the highest range in that neighbourhood, being merely on the summit of a ridge which was indeed very high--perhaps five or six thousand feet--but still far below the serried and shattered peaks which towered in all directions round horlingdal, shutting it out from all communication with the rest of the world, except through the fiord and the pass leading over to the springs. on the place where alric parted from his friend the rocks of the gorge or defile rose almost perpendicularly on both sides, and as he advanced he found that the space between became narrower, until, at the spot where he was to take his stand, there was an opening of scarcely six feet in width. beyond this the chasm widened a little, until, at its higher end, it was nearly twenty yards broad; but, owing to the widening nature of the defile, the one opening could not be seen from the other, although they were little more than four hundred yards apart. the track of the wolf led directly through the pass into the gorge. as the lad took his stand he observed with much satisfaction that it was that of an unusually large animal. this feeling was tempered, however, with some anxiety lest it should have escaped at the other opening. it was also mixed with a touch of agitation; for although alric had seen his friend and erling kill wolves and bears too, he had never before been left to face the foe by himself, and to sustain the brunt of the charge in his own proper person. beyond an occasional flutter of the heart, however, there was nothing to indicate, even to himself, that he was not as firm as the rock on which he stood. now, let it not be supposed that we are here portraying a hero of romance in whom is united the enthusiasm of the boy with the calm courage of the man. we crave attention, more particularly that of boys, to the following observations:-- in the highly safe and civilised times in which we live, many thousands of us never have a chance, from personal experience, of forming a just estimate of the powers of an average man or boy, and we are too apt to ascribe that to heroism which is simply due to knowledge. a man _knows_ that he can do a certain thing that seems extremely dangerous, therefore he does it boldly, not because he is superlatively bold by any means, but because he knows there is no risk--at least none to him. the proverb that "familiarity breeds contempt" applies as truly to danger as to anything else; and well is it for the world that the majority of human beings are prone to familiarise themselves with danger in spite of those well-meaning but weak ones who have been born with a tendency to say perpetually, "take care," "don't run such risk", etcetera. "whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;" and man has echoed the sentiment in the proverb, "whatever is worth doing is worth doing well". do you climb?--then do it well--do it in such circumstances that your spirit will get used to seeing profound depths below you without your heart melting into hot water and your nerves quaking. do you leap?--then do it well--do it so that you may be able to turn it to some good account in the day of trial; do it so that you may know _how_ to leap off a runaway carriage, for instance, without being killed. learn to jump off high cliffs into deep water, so that, should the opportunity ever offer, you may be able to plunge off the high bulwarks of a vessel to save a sister, or mother, or child, with as little thought about yourself as if you were jumping off a sofa. observe, we do not advocate recklessness. to leap off a cliff so high that you will be sure to be killed is not leaping "well"; but neither is it well to content yourself with a jump of three or four feet as your utmost attainment, because that is far short of many a leap which may have to be taken in this world to save even your own life, not to mention the lives of others. but enough of this disquisition, which, the reader will observe, has been entered upon chiefly in order to prove that we do not ascribe heroic courage to alric when we say that, having been familiar with danger from his birth, he prepared to face a wolf of unknown size and ferocity with considerable coolness, if not indifference to danger. glumm meanwhile reached the other end of the ravine, and there, to his intense disappointment, found the track of the wolf leading away towards the open mountains beyond. just where it left the ravine, however, the animal had run about so much that the track was crossed and recrossed in confusion. glumm therefore had difficulty at first in following it up, but when he did so, great was his joy to find that it doubled back and re-entered the defile. pressing quickly forward, he came to a broken part, near the centre, where, among a heap of grey, weather-worn rocks he perceived two sharp-pointed objects, like a pair of erect ears! to make certain, he hurled a stone towards the place. the objects instantly disappeared! immediately afterwards, a long grey back and a bushy tail were visible as the wolf glided among the rocks, making for the side of the precipice, with the intention, doubtless, of rushing past this bold intruder. glumm observed the movement, and promptly went in the same direction. the wolf noticed this, and paused abruptly--remaining still, as if uncertain what to do. the hunter at once put to flight his uncertainty by gliding swiftly towards him. seeing this, the wolf abandoned the attempt at concealment and bounded into the centre of the ravine, where, with his bristles erect, his back slightly arched, and all his glittering teeth and blood-red gums exposed, he stood for a moment or two the very picture of intensified fury. the hunter advanced with his spear levelled, steadily, but not hastily, because there was sufficient space on either hand to render the meeting of the animal in its rush a matter of extreme difficulty, while at every step he took, the precipices on either side drew closer together. the brute had evidently a strong objection to turn back, and preferred to run the risk of passing its foe, for it suddenly sprang to one side and ran up the cliff as far as possible, like a cat, while it made for the upper end of the ravine. the norseman, whose powerful frame was by this time strung to intensity of action, leaped to the same side with the agility of a panther, and got in before it. the wolf did not stop, but with a ferocious growl it swerved aside, and bounded to the other side of the ravine. again the hunter leaped across, and stood in its way. he bent forward to resist the animal's weight and impetus, but the baffled wolf was cowed by his resolute front. it turned tail, and fled, followed by glumm with a wild halloo! when the first growl was heard by alric, it strung him up to the right pitch instantly, and the next one caused the blood to rush to his face, for he heard the halloo which glumm uttered as he followed in pursuit. the distance was short. another moment and the boy saw the infuriated animal springing towards him, with glumm rushing madly after it. alric was already in the centre of the pass with the spear levelled, and his body bent in anticipation of the shock. the wolf saw him, but did not check its pace--with a furious norseman bounding behind there was no room for hesitation. it lowered its head, increased its speed, and ran at the opening like a thunderbolt. when within three yards of the boy it swerved, and, leaping up, pawed the cliff on the left while in the air. alric had foreseen this--his only doubt had been as to which side the brute would incline to. he sprang at the same moment, and met it full in the face as it came down. the point of his spear entered the wolf's chest, and penetrated deep into its body. a terrific yell followed. the spear handle broke in the middle, and the boy fell on his face, while the wolf went right over him, yelling and biting the spear, as, carried on by its impetus, it rolled head over heels for several yards among the rocks. alric jumped up unhurt, and, for want of a better weapon, seized a mass of stone, which he raised above his head, and hurled at the wolf, hitting it fairly on the skull. at the same moment glumm ran up, intending to transfix the brute with his spear. "hold thy hand, glumm," gasped the boy. glumm checked himself. "in truth it needs no more," he said, bringing the butt of his weapon to the ground, and leaning on it, while he looked on at the last struggles of the dying wolf. "fairly done, lad," he added, with a nod of approval, "this will make a man of thee." the boy did not speak, but stood with his chest still heaving, his breath coming fast, and the expression of triumph on his countenance showing that for him a new era had opened up--that the days of boasting had ended, and those of manly action had fairly and auspiciously begun. chapter eighteen. shows what some of the men of old could do in cold blood, and treats of heathen festivities at harald's court, mingled with plot and counter plot. winter--with its frost and snow, its long nights and its short days, its feasts in the great halls, and its tales round the roaring wood fires-- at length began to pass away, and genial spring advanced to gladden the land of norway. the white drapery melted in the valleys, leaving brilliant greens and all the varied hues of rugged rocks to fill the eyes with harmonious colour. high on the mighty fells the great glaciers--unchanging, almost, as the "everlasting hills"--gleamed in the sunlight against the azure sky, and sent floods of water down into the brimming rivers. the scalds ceased, to some extent, those wild legendary songs and tales with which they had beguiled the winter nights, and joined the norsemen in their operations on the farms and on the fiords. men began to grow weary of smoked rafters and frequent festivities, and to long for the free, fresh air of heaven. some went off to drive the cattle to the "saeters" or mountain pastures, others set out for the fisheries, and not a few sailed forth on viking cruises over the then almost unknown sea. our friends of horlingdal bestirred themselves, like others, in these varied avocations, and king harald fairhair, uprising from his winter lair in drontheim like a giant refreshed, assembled his men, and prepared to carry out his political plans with a strong hand. but resolute men cannot always drive events before them as fast as they would wish. summer was well advanced before the king was ready to take action. there was a man of the drontheim district named hauskuld, who was noted for ferocity and wickedness. he was also very strong and courageous, so that king harald made him one of his berserks. one morning the king sent for this man, and said to him-- "hauskuld, i have a business for thee to do, which requires the heart of a brave fellow. there is a man near horlingdal who has not only refused to submit to my will, but has gathered a band of seventy men or more about him, and threatens to raise the country against me. it does not suit me to go forth to punish this dog just now, for my preparations are not yet complete. nevertheless it is important that he should be crushed, as he dwells in the heart of a disaffected district. it is therefore my purpose to send thee with a small body of picked men to do thy worst by him." "that suits me well," said hauskuld; "what is his name?" "atli," answered the king. "he is my foster-brother!" said hauskuld, with a peculiar and unpleasant smile. the king looked a little perplexed. "thou wilt not have much heart to the business if that be so," he said. "when you command, sire, it is my duty to obey," replied hauskuld. "nay, but i can find other stout men for this thing. there is hake of hadeland. go, send him hither. i will not put this on thy shoulders." "sire, you are considerate," said hauskuld, "but this foster-brother of mine i count an enemy, for reasons that i need not tell. besides, he is said to be a warlock, and for my part i firmly believe that he is in league with nikke, so that it would be a service to the gods to rid the world of him. if you will permit me, i will gladly go on this errand, and as this atli is a stout man, it would be well to take hake and a few of the berserkers along with me." "do as thou wilt," replied the king, with a wave of his hand, as he turned away; "only, what thou doest, see thou do it well and quickly." the berserk shouldered his battle-axe and left the hall. as he walked away the king stood in the doorway looking after him with a mingled expression of admiration and dislike. "a stalwart knave," he muttered to himself, while a grim smile played on his large handsome features; "a good fighting brute, no doubt, but, with such a spirit, a bad servant, i fear." "there are many such in your army," said a deep, stern voice behind him. the king turned quickly round, with a look of anger, and fixed a searching glance on the huge form of rolf ganger, who stood leaning on the hilt of his sword with a quiet, almost contemptuous smile on his face. "it is well known that birds of a feather are fond of flying in company," said the king, with a flushed countenance; "no doubt thou speakest from personal knowledge and experience." it was now rolf's turn to flush, but the king did him injustice, having no ground for such a speech, further than a knowledge that there existed between them mutual antipathy which neither was particularly careful to conceal. "have i done aught to merit such words?" demanded rolf sternly. harald was on the point of making an angry rejoinder, but, placing a powerful restraint upon himself, he said-- "it may be that thine actions are loyal, but, rolf, thy words are neither wise nor true. it is not wise to attempt to shake my confidence in my followers, and it is not true that many of them are untrustworthy. but, if thou wouldst prove thyself a real friend, go, get thy longships ready with all speed, for we fare south a few days hence, and there will be work for the weapons of stout men ere long." "i go to prepare myself for the fight, king harald," returned rolf, "but i have no occasion to give thee further proof of friendship. the world is wide enough for us both. my ocean steeds are on the fiord. henceforth i will fight for my own hand." for one moment the king felt an almost irresistible impulse to draw his sword and hew down the bold rolf, but with characteristic self-restraint he crushed down his wrath at the time and made no reply, good or bad, as the other turned on his heel and left him. when he had gone some distance the king muttered between his set teeth-- "another good fighting brute and bad servant! let him go! better an open foe than an unwilling friend." that night hauskuld and hake set sail southward with a small body of picked men; and rolf ganger, with a large body of devoted followers, left harald's camp and travelled eastward. in the course of several days hauskuld and his men arrived at the small fiord near the head of which stood the dwelling of atli. this atli was an unusually intelligent man, a man of great influence in his district, and one who, like erling the bold, was determined to resist the tyranny of harald fairhair. a large force had been gathered by him towards the end of winter, and at the time of hauskuld's visit he was living in his own house with about seventy chosen men. unfortunately for these, the peaceful winter had induced them to relax a little in vigilance. knowing from the report of spies that the king was still feasting in the drontheim district, they felt quite safe, and for some time past had neglected to set the usual night watch, which, in time of war, was deemed indispensable. thus it happened that when hauskuld and his men came upon them in the dead of a dark night, they found everything quiet, and went up to the door of the house unchallenged. on trying the latch they found it fast, but from the sounds within they knew that a great many men were sleeping there. hauskuld and hake had approached the house alone. they now returned to their companions, who were concealed in the deep shades of the neighbouring woods. "what dost thou advise?" asked hake of his brother berserk. "that we burn them all in their nest," replied hauskuld. "what! foster-brother too?" said the other. "aye, wherefore not? he is a warlock. so are most of the men with him. burning is their due." "there is wood enough here for that purpose," said hake, with a grim smile. hauskuld immediately directed the greater part of his force to gather dry wood, and silently pile it all round the house, while he and hake with a few men stood in front of the doors and windows to guard them. the work was accomplished in a much shorter time than might have been expected, for those who performed it were strong and active, and well accustomed to such deeds. in less than an hour the whole of atli's house was surrounded by a thick pile of dry inflammable brushwood. when it was all laid the men completely surrounded the house, and stood with arrows fitted to the strings, and swords loosened in the sheaths. then hauskuld and several others applied lights to the brushwood at various points. for a few seconds there was an ominous crackling, accompanied by little flashes of flame, then a dense smoke rose up all round. presently the rushing fire burst through the black pall with a mighty roar, and lit up the steading with the strength of the sun at noonday, while flame and smoke curled in curious conflict together over the devoted dwelling, and myriads of sparks were vomited up into the dark sky. at the same instant doors and windows were burst open with a crash, and a terrible cry arose as men, half clad and partly armed, leaped out and rushed through the circle of fire, with the flame kindling on their hair and garments. not less relentless than the fire was the circling foe outside. whizzing arrows pierced the scorched breasts of some, and many fell dead. others rushed madly on sword or spear point, and were thrust violently back into the fire, or fell fighting desperately for their lives. some of the attacking party were killed, and a few wounded, but not one of the assailed succeeded in bursting through the line. atli and all his followers perished there! it is dreadful to think that such diabolical deeds were ever done; but still more dreadful is it to know that the spirit which dictated such atrocities still haunts the breast of fallen men, for the annals of modern warfare tell us all too plainly that unregenerate man is as capable of such deeds now as were the norsemen in days of old. having fulfilled his mission, hauskuld left the place as quickly as possible, and hastened back to drontheim; not, however, without learning on the way that preparations were being secretly made all over that district to resist the king, and that, in particular, solve klofe was in the fiord at horlingdal, with several ships of war, doing his best to fan the flame of discontent, which was already burning there briskly enough of its own accord! on returning again to king harald's quarters, hauskuld found that energetic monarch engaged in celebrating one of the heathen feasts, and deemed it prudent for some hours to avoid his master, knowing that when heated with deep potations he was not in the best condition to receive or act upon exasperating news. he therefore went into the great hall, where the king and his guests were assembled, and quietly took his place at the lower end of one of the long tables near the door. as is usual with men of inferior and debased minds, the berserk misunderstood and misjudged his master. he had counted on escaping notice, but the king's eye fell on him the instant he entered the hall, and he was at once summoned before him, and bidden tell his tale. while he related the details of the dreadful massacre hauskuld felt quite at ease, little dreaming that the king's fingers twitched with a desire to cut him down where he stood; but when he came to speak of the widespread disaffection of the people in the south, he stammered a little, and glanced uneasily at the flushed countenance of the king, fearing that the news would exasperate him beyond endurance. great, therefore, was his surprise when harald affected to treat the matter lightly, made some jesting allusion to the potent efficacy of the sword in bringing obstinate people to reason, and ordered one of the waiting-girls to fetch the berserk a foaming tankard of ale. "there, drink, hauskuld, my bold berserk! drink down to a deeper peg, man. after such warm work as thou hast had, that will serve to cool thy fiery spirit. drink to the gods, and pray that thou mayest never come to die, like an old woman, in thy bed--drink, i say, drink deep!" the king laughed jovially, almost fiercely, in his wild humour, as he made this allusion to the well-known objection that the norse warriors of old had to dying peacefully in bed; but for the life of him he could not resist the temptation, as he turned on his seat, to touch with his elbow the huge silver tankard which the berserk raised to his lips! the instantaneous result was that a cataract of beer flowed down hauskuld's face and beard, while the rafters rang with a shout of laughter from the sea-kings and court-men who sat in the immediate neighbourhood of the king's high seat. of course harald blamed himself for his clumsiness, but he too laughed so heartily that the masses of his fair hair shook all over his shoulders, while he ordered another tankard to be filled for his "brave berserk". that brave individual, however, protested that he had had quite enough, and immediately retired with a very bad grace to drink his beer in comfort out of a horn cup among kindred spirits. immediately after he was gone the king sent for hake, for whom he also ordered a silver tankard of ale; but to him the king spoke earnestly, and in a low whispering voice, while his courtiers, perceiving that he wished his converse with the berserk to be private, quaffed their liquor and talked noisily. the young woman who filled hake's tankard at the king's bidding was no other than gunhild, the unfortunate widow of swart of the springs. for some time after the death of her husband she had dwelt at haldorstede, and had experienced much kindness at the hands of the family; but having taken a longing to visit her relatives, who belonged to the drontheim district, she was sent thither, and had become a member of harald's household, through the influence of king hakon of drontheim, the father of ada of horlingdal. hakon had from necessity, and much against his inclination, become one of harald fairhair's jarls. during the feast of which we write, he sat on the king's left hand. after filling hake's tankard gunhild retired, but remained within earshot. "hake," said the king, leaning over the arm of his high seat, "it is now time that we were moving south; and the news thou hast brought decides me to complete my arrangements without delay. it seems that ulf of romsdal and that fellow erling the bold, with his fierce father, are making great preparations for war?" "truly they are," said hake. "i saw as much with my own eyes." "but may this not be for the purpose of going on viking cruise?" "had that been so, mine ears would have guided me, and we had brought a different report, but when men talk loudly and ill of the king, and knit their brows, and wish for a south wind, it needs not the wisdom of a warlock to fathom their meaning. moreover," he continued earnestly, "i have heard that news has come from the southland that the people of hordaland and rogaland, agder and thelemark, are gathering, and bringing together ships, men, and arms--what can all this mean if it be not resistance to the king?" "right," said harald thoughtfully. "now, hake, i will tell thee what to do, and see thou waste not time about it. most of my ships are ready for sea. a few days more will suffice to complete them for a cruise, and then will i sail forth to teach these proud men humility. meanwhile do thou get ready the ships under thy charge, and send hauskuld in a swift boat with a few chosen men south to horlingdal fiord. there let him watch the proceedings of the people--particularly of that fellow erling and his kin--and when he has seen enough let him sail north to give me warning of their movements. they shall be saved the trouble of coming here to meet me, for i will fare south and slay them all, root and branch. let thy tongue be quiet and thy motions swift, and caution hauskuld also to be discreet. another draught of ale, hake, and then-- to thy duty." these last words the king spoke aloud, and while the berserk was drinking he turned to converse with hakon of drontheim, but finding that that chief had left the board, he turned to one of the courtiers, and began to converse on the news recently brought from the south. gunhild meanwhile slipped out of the hall, and found king hakon hasting to his house. "ye heard what the king threatened?" she said, plucking him by the sleeve. "i did, and will--but why dost thou speak to me on this subject?" asked hakon warily. "because i know your daughter ada is among the doomed and ye would not see her perish. my heart is in the house of haldor the fierce. great kindness have i received there, therefore would i go and warn them of what is coming. i have friends here, and can get a swift cutter to bear me south. shall i tell them to expect aid from you?" hakon was glad to hear this, and told her to inform haldor that he would soon be in the fiord with his longship, that he would aid the people of horlingdal in resisting harald, and that it was probable rolf ganger would also join them. bearing these tidings gunhild left drontheim secretly, and in a swift boat with a stout crew set off for the south a considerable time before hauskuld sailed, although that worthy did his best to carry out his master's commands without delay. king hakon also pushed forward his preparations, and that so briskly that he too was enabled to start before the berserk. meanwhile king harald gave himself up entirely to festivity--laughed and talked with his courtiers, and seemed so light of heart that the greater part of his followers thought him to be a careless, hearty man, on whom the weighty matters of the kingdom sat very lightly. but jarl rongvold knew that this free-and-easy spirit was affected, and that the king's mind was much troubled by the state of things in several parts of the kingdom. he also knew, however, that harald had an iron will, which nothing could bend from its purpose, and he felt convinced that the course which his sovereign pursued would end either in his total overthrow, or in the absolute subjection of norway. it happened that at this time one of the festivals of sacrifice was being celebrated by the people of the drontheim country. it was an old custom that, when there was sacrifice, all the bonders should come to the spot where the heathen temple stood, and bring with them all that they required while the festival of the sacrifice lasted. the men were expected to bring ale with them, and all kinds of cattle as well as horses, which were to be slaughtered, boiled, and eaten. in order to conciliate the people, the king on this occasion issued a proclamation that he meant to pay all the expenses of the festival. this had the double effect of attracting to the locality a vast concourse of people, and of putting them all in great good humour, so that they were quite ready to listen to, and fall in with, the plans of the king, whatever these might be. of course there were many freeborn noble-spirited udallers who could not thus be tickled into the selling of their birthright; but harald's tremendous energy and power, coupled with his rigorous treatment of all who resisted him, had the effect of reducing many of these to sullen silence, while some made a virtue of necessity, and accepted the fate which they thought it impossible to evade. on the evening of the day of which we write, the fire was kindled in the middle of the floor of the temple, and over it hung the kettles. full goblets were handed across the fire, and the king blessed the full goblets and all the meat of the sacrifice. then, first, odin's goblet was emptied for victory and power to the king; thereafter niord's and freya's goblets for peace and a good season. after that there was much feasting; and when the ale began to mount to the brains of the revellers, many of them stood up, and raising aloft the "braga goblet"-- that over which vows were wont to be made--began, in more or less bombastic strains, to boast of what they meant to do in the future. having exhausted all other sentiments, the guests then emptied the "remembrance goblet" to the memory of departed friends. soon the desire for song and story began to be felt, and there was a loud call for the scald. whereupon, clearing his throat and glancing round on the audience with a deprecatory air--just as amateur scalds of the present day are wont to do--thiodolph hinn frode of huina stood up to sing. his voice was mellow, and his music wild. the subject chosen showed that he understood how to humour both king and people, and if the song was short it was much to the point. song of the scald. of cup and platter need has none, the guest who seeks the generous one-- harald the bounteous--who can trace his lineage from the giant race; for harald's hand is liberal, free. the guardian of the temple he. he loves the gods, his open hand scatters his sword's gains o'er the land. the scald sat down with the prompt energy of a man who believes he has said a good thing, and expects that it will be well received. he was not disappointed, for the rafters rang with the wild huzzas of the revellers as they leaped to their feet and shouted "victory to the king!" this was just what the king wanted, and he carefully fanned the flame which the scald had so judiciously kindled. the result was that when he afterwards called for men to go forth with him to do battle with the turbulent spirits of horlingdal, hundreds of those who would otherwise have been malcontent, or lukewarm followers, busked themselves eagerly for the fight, and flocked to his standard. his longships were crowded with picked men, and war vessels of all sizes--from little boats to dragons with thirty banks of rowers--augmented his fleet. at length he sailed from drontheim with perhaps the strongest armament that had ever swept over the northern sea. chapter nineteen. tells something of the doings of solve klofe and others, and treats of a few of the marvellous adventures of guttorm stoutheart. the scene is changed. it is night; yet how different from night in most other inhabited parts of the earth! the midnight sun is just sinking beneath the horizon, close to the spot whence, in about twenty minutes, he will rise, to repeat his prolonged course of nearly four-and-twenty hours through the northern sky. but if the darkness of night is absent, its deep quietude is there. the mighty cliffs that rise like giant walls to heaven, casting broad, heavy shadows over the sea, send forth no echoes, for the innumerable birds that dwell among them are silently perched like snowflakes on every crag, or nestled in every crevice, buried in repose. the sea resembles glass, and glides with but a faint sigh upon the shore. all is impressively still on mountain and fiord. everything in nature is asleep, excepting the wakeful eye of day, the hum of distant rills, the boom of inland cataracts, and the ripple on the shore. these sounds, however, do but render the universal silence more profound by suggesting the presence of those stupendous forces which lie latent everywhere. a white mist floats over the sea like a curtain of gauze, investing insignificant objects with grandeur, and clothing caverns, cliffs, and mountain gorges with unusual sublimity. only one object suggestive of man is visible through the haze. it is a ship--of the old, old-fashioned build--with high stem and stern, and monstrous figurehead. its forefoot rests upon the strip of gravel in yonder bay at the foot of the cliff, whose summit is lost in the clouds. the hull reposes on its own reflected image, and the taper mast is repeated in a wavy but distinct line below. it is the "longship"; the "war vessel"; the "sea horse" of solve klofe, the son of king hunthiof of more, whom harald fairhair slew. solve had, as we have before said, spent the winter in taking his revenge by herrying the coast in his longship, and doing all in his power to damage the king's men, as well as those who were friendly to his cause. among other things he had, early in spring, persuaded haldor the fierce to let him have the use of one of his warships, with a few of his best men, to accompany him on a viking cruise. erling had resisted his pressing invitation to bear him company, because of important business, the nature of which he did not think it necessary to disclose. his friend glumm the gruff also declined from similar reasons. at all events, he was similarly pre-engaged and taciturn. thorer the thick, however, and kettle flatnose, and young alric--the latter by special and importunate request--were allowed to accompany him on this expedition. we do not intend to give the details of this foray, although it was unusually stirring and prolific of adventure. suffice it to say, that they had several hard fights both with swedish and danish vikings, in all of which alric distinguished himself for reckless daring, and would certainly have been carried home dead upon his own shield had not kettle flatnose watched over him with the solicitude of a father, and warded off many a blow that was aimed at his pugnacious head. we fear it must be added that alric was not sufficiently impressed with his friend's services in this way. the truth is that he entertained the firm belief that nobody could kill him, and that he could kill anybody--which was all very well as far as it went, but would not have carried him scathless through the cruise, had not the stout irishman been at his back. immense and valuable booty was gained at this time, for one of the vessels which they captured had been cruising in southern lands, and was returning with a large quantity of gold and silver ornaments when solve klofe attacked it. a misfortune befell them, however. on their way home a storm drove thorer's vessel on the rocks in a fog, and it became a total wreck. the crew were all saved, however, and much of the lading, by solve, who stowed the goods in his own ship, and brought home the men. they were within a day's sail of horlingdal, when they put ashore to take a few hours' repose. three hours after midnight solve klofe, whose breathing up to that time had resembled that of an infant, gave vent to a prolonged bass snore, and opened his eyes. this was followed by the shutting of his mouth, and with one of those satisfactory stretchings of the body with which a sound sleeper is wont in the morning to dismiss repose and recall his energies. having lain still a few moments to enjoy the result, solve sat up, and stretching forth his hand, drew aside the curtain of the tent under which he slept, and looked out. the sight that gladdened his eyes was beautiful beyond description, for the sun was up in all his northern glory, and shone on the silver sea with dazzling light, while he scattered away the mists of morning. but the best sight of all to the bold viking was the splendid warship which, with painted sides and shields, and gilded masts and prow, glowed and glittered like a beautiful gem in a setting of the brightest azure blue. turning his eyes inside his tent again, solve gazed with the expressionless aspect of a still drowsy man upon the countenance of kettle, whose flat nose and open mouth gave vent to tones resembling those of a bassoon. beside him, and nestling close to him, lay the youthful alric, with his curly head resting on kettle's broad bosom; for the lad, albeit manly enough when awake, had sufficient of the child still about him to induce a tendency on his part, when asleep, to make use of any willing friend as a pillow. thorer the thick was also there, with his head on his arm, his body sprawling indescribably, his shield above him like a literal coverlet, and his right hand on his sword-hilt. "ho!" exclaimed solve, in a tone that marvellously resembled the tones of modern men in similar circumstances. kettle and thorer, however, sprang up to a sitting posture with very primitive alacrity, for in those days a man's life often depended on his being and keeping very wide-awake. poor alric was tumbled somewhat unceremoniously to one side, but that failed to awaken him, for he was not yet sufficiently trained to sleep in the midst of alarms, and felt very naturally inclined to growl and bite when shaken or told to "get up!" in a few minutes, however, his lethargy was overcome; the men were aroused; the tents were struck; the longship was pushed off, and, under the influence of thirty pair of oars, it crept like a monstrous insect away over the sea. those who had not to work at the oars sat at first quietly on the thwarts, or leaned over the gunwale gazing into the deep, or up at the sky, enjoying the warm air and their own fancies. but after a time talkative spirits began to loose their tongues, and ere long a murmur of quiet conversation pervaded the ship. "i wonder what news we shall hear at the stede when we arrive?" said thorer to kettle, who with several others sat on the poop beside solve. "i hope it won't be bad news," answered kettle. "harald is not the man to sleep through the summer when there is work to be done. if it wasn't that i expect to give him the tooth-ache before i go, surely i should have been in ireland long ago." "whom didst thou serve under, kettle, before we brought thee to norway?" asked alric. "under the king of dublin," replied kettle. "was he a great king?" "a great king? aye, never was there a greater; and a great king he is yet, if he's alive, though i have my own fears on that point, for he was taking badly to ale when i left." there was something pathetic yet humorous in the tone and expression with which kettle said this which caused alric to laugh. the irishman started, and for an instant his huge countenance blazed with a look of wrath which was quite majestic, and overawed the boy, bold though he was. but it passed away in a moment, and was replaced by a sorrowful look as kettle shook his head and said-- "ah! boy, your laugh reminded me of the laugh of the villain haabrok who took the old king's throne at the time i was carried off, bound hand and foot. lucky was it for him that my hands were not free then.--well, well, this sounds like bragging," he added with a smile, "which is only fit for boys and cowards." alric winced a little at this, for he was quite aware of his own tendency to boast, and for a moment he felt a strong inclination to stand up for "boys", and assert, that although boasting was common enough with cowardly boys, it was not so with all boys; but on consideration he thought it best to hold his tongue, on that point, at least until he should have freed himself of the evil of boasting. to change the subject he said-- "was the old king fond of thee, kettle?" "aye, as fond of me as of his own son." "was he like my father?" pursued the boy. "no; there are not many men like thy father, lad; but he was a stout and brave old man, and a great warrior in his day. now i think of it, he was very like guttorm stoutheart." "then he was a handsome man," said solve klofe with emphasis. "he was," continued kettle, "but not quite so desperate. old guttorm is the most reckless man i ever did see. did i ever tell ye of the adventure i had with him when we went on viking cruise south to valland?" "no," said solve; "let us hear about it; but stay till i change the oarsmen." he went forward and gave the order to relieve the men who had rowed from the land, and when the fresh men were on the benches he returned and bade kettle go on. "'tis a fine country," said the irishman, glancing round him with a glowing eye, and speaking in a low tone, as if to himself--"one to be proud of." and in truth there was ground for his remark, for the mists had by that time entirely cleared away, leaving unveiled a sea so calm and bright that the innumerable islets off the coast appeared as if floating in air. "that is true," said thorer. "i sometimes wonder, kettle, at thy longing to return to ireland. i am in the same case with thyself--was taken from my home in jemteland, laboured as a thrall, wrought out my freedom, and remained in haldor's service, but have never wished to return home." "didst thou leave a wife and children behind thee?" asked kettle. "nay; i was carried away while very young." "is thy father alive, or thy mother?" "no, they are both dead." "then i wonder not that ye have no desire to return home. my father and mother are both alive--at least i have good reason to believe so--my wife and children are waiting for me. canst wonder, man, that i long to behold once more the green hills of ireland?" "nay, if that be so, i wonder not," replied thorer. "come, kettle, thou forgettest that we wait for the story about old guttorm stoutheart," said solve klofe, arranging the corner of a sail so as to protect his back from the sun. "'tis an old story now in horlingdal," said kettle; "but as thou hast not been in this quarter for a long time, no doubt it is new to thee. thorer there knows it well; but i find that it bears telling more than once. well, it was, as i have said, two years past that guttorm went south to valland on viking cruise. he called at horlingdal in passing, and got some of the dalesmen. among others, i was allowed to go. he and i got on very well together, and we were fortunate in getting much booty. one day we came to a part of the coast where we saw a strong castle of stone on the top of a hill a short way inland. we also saw plenty of cattle on a plain near the sea, so guttorm ordered his longship to be steered for the shore, and we began to drive some of the cattle down to the beach, intending to slaughter them there, as our provisions were getting low. on seeing this, a party of men came out from the castle and bade us begone. we told them to be easy in their minds, for we only wanted a little food. we even went so far as to ask it of them civilly, but the men were such surly fellows that they refused to listen to reason, and attacked us at once. of course we drove them back into their castle, but in doing so we lost one or two of our best men. this angered old guttorm, who is not a quarrelsome man, as ye know. he would have gone away peaceably enough if he had been let alone to help himself to a few beasts; but his blood was set up by that time, so he ordered all the men on shore, and we pitched our tents and besieged the castle. being made of stone, there was no chance of setting it on fire, and as the walls were uncommonly high, it was not possible to take it by assault. well, we sat down before it, and for two days tried everything we could think of to take it, but failed, for there were plenty of men in it, and they defended the walls stoutly. besides this, to say the truth, we had already lost a number of good men on the cruise and could ill afford to lose more. "on the third day some of our chief men advised guttorm to give it up, but that made him so furious that no one dared speak to him about it for another two days. at the end of that time his nephew plucked up heart, and going to him, said-- "`uncle, do you see the little birds that fly back and forward over the castle walls so freely, and build their nests in the thatch of the housetops?' "`i do, nephew,' says guttorm. `what then?' "`my advice is,' says the nephew, `that you should order the men to make each a pair of wings like those the birds have, and then we shall all fly over the walls, for it seems to me that there is no other way of getting into the castle.' "`thou art a droll knave,' replies guttorm, for he was ever fond of a joke; `but thou art wise also, therefore i advise thee to make a pattern pair of wings for the men; and when they are ready--' "here guttorm stopped short, and fell to thinking; and he thought so long that his nephew asked him at last if he had any further commands for him. "`yes, boy, i have. there is more in this matter of the wings than thou dreamest of. go quickly and order the men to make snares, and catch as many of these little birds as they can before sunset. let them be careful not to hurt the birds, and send kettle flatnose and my house-carle hither without delay.' "when i came to the old man i found him walking to and fro briskly, with an expression of eagerness in his eye. "`kettle,' he said smartly, `go and prepare two hundred pieces of cord, each about one foot long, and to the end of each piece tie a small chip of wood as long as the first joint of thy thumb, and about the size of a goose quill. smear these pieces of wood over with pitch, and have the whole in my tent within three hours.' "as i walked away to obey this order, wondering what it could all be about, i heard him tell his chief house-carle to have all the men armed and ready for action a little after sunset, as quietly as possible. "before the three hours were out, i returned to the tent with the two hundred pieces of cord prepared according to orders, and found old guttorm sitting with a great sack before him, and a look of perplexity on his face that almost made me laugh. he was half-inclined to laugh too, for the sack moved about in a strange way, as if it were alive! "`kettle,' said he, when i came forward, `i need thy help here. i have got some three hundred little birds in that sack, and i don't know how to keep them in order, for they are fluttering about and killing themselves right and left, so that i shall soon have none left alive for my purpose. my thought is to tie one of these cords to a leg of each bird, set the bit of stick on fire and let it go, so that when it flies to its nest in the thatch it will set the houses in the castle on fire. now, what is thy advice?' "`call as many of the men into the tent as it will hold, and let each catch a bird, and keep it till the cords are made fast; says i.' "this was done at once, but we had more trouble than we expected, for when the mouth of the sack was opened, out flew a dozen of the birds before we could close it! the curtain of the tent was down, however, so, after a good deal of hunting, we caught them again. when the cords were tied to these the men were sent out of the tent, each with a little bird in his hand, and with orders to go to his particular post and remain there till further orders. then another batch of men came in, and they were supplied with birds and cords like the others; but ye have no notion what trouble we had. i have seen a hundred viking prisoners caught and held fast with half the difficulty and less noise! moreover, while some of the men squeezed the birds to death in their fear lest they should escape, others let theirs go in their anxiety not to hurt them, and the little things flew back to their nests with the cords and bits of chip trailing after them. at last, however, all was ready. the men were kept in hiding till after dark; then the little chips were set on fire all at the same time, and the birds were let go. it was like a shower of stars descending on the castle, for each bird made straight for its own nest; but just as we were expecting to behold the success of our plan, up jumped a line of men on the castle walls, and by shouting and swinging their arms scared the birds away. we guessed at once that the little birds which had escaped too soon with the strings tied to their legs had been noticed, and the trick suspected, for the men in the castle were well prepared. a few of the birds flew over their heads, and managed to reach the roofs, which caught fire at once; but wherever this happened, a dozen men ran at the place and beat the fire out. the thing was wisely contrived, but it was cleverly met and repelled, so we had only our trouble and the disappointment for our pains. "after this," continued kettle, "old guttorm became like a wolf. he snarled at everyone who came near him for some time, but his passion never lasted long. he soon fell upon another plan. "there was a small river which ran at the foot of the mound on which the castle stood, and there were mudbanks on the side next to it, one night we were all ordered to go to the mudbanks as quiet as mice, with shovels and picks in our hands, and dig a tunnel under the castle. we did so, and the first night advanced a long way, but we had to stop a good while before day to let the dirt wash away and the water get clear again, so that they might not suspect what we were about. the next night we got under the castle wall, and on the fifth night had got well under the great hall, for we could hear the men singing and shouting as they sat at meat above us. we had then to work very carefully for fear of making a noise, and when we thought it ready for the assault we took our swords and shields with us, and guttorm led the way. his chief house-carle was appointed to drive through the floor, while guttorm and i stood ready to egg him on and back him up. "we heard the men above singing and feasting as usual, when suddenly there was a great silence, for one of the big stones over our heads was loosened, and they had evidently felt or seen it. now was the time come; so, while the house-carle shovelled off the earth, some of us got our fingers in about the edge of the stone, and pulled with all our force. suddenly down it came and a man along with it. we knocked him on the head at once, and gave a loud huzza as the house-carle sprang up through the hole, caught a shower of blows on his shield, and began to lay about him fiercely. guttorm was very mad at the carle for going up before him, but the carle was light and the old man was heavy, so he could not help it. i was about to follow, when a man cut at my head with a great axe as i looked up through the hole. i caught the blow on my shield, and thrust my sword up into his leg, which made him give back; but just at that moment the earth gave way under our feet, and a great mass of stones and rubbish fell down on us, driving us all back into the passage through which we had come, except the house-carle, who had been caught by the enemy and dragged up into the hall. as soon as we could get on our feet we tried to make for the hole again, but it was so filled with earth and stones that we could not get forward a step. knowing, therefore, that it was useless to stay longer there, we ran back to the entrance of the tunnel, but here we found a body of men who had been sent out of the castle to cut off our retreat. we made short work of these. disappointment and anger had made every man of us equal to two, so we hewed our way right through them, and got back to the camp with the loss of only two men besides the house-carle. "next morning when it was daylight, the enemy brought the poor prisoner to the top of the castle wall, where they lopped off his head, and, having cut his body into four pieces, they cast them down to us with shouts of contempt. "after this guttorm stoutheart appeared to lose all his fire and spirit. he sent for his chief men, and said that he was going to die, and that it was his wish to be left to do so undisturbed. then he went into his tent, and no one was allowed after that to go near him except his nephew. "a week later we were told that guttorm was dying, and that he wanted to be buried inside the castle; for we had discovered that the people were what they called christians, and that they had consecrated ground there. "when this was made known to the priests in the castle they were much pleased, and agreed to bury our chief in their ground, if we would bring his body to a spot near the front gateway, and there leave it and retire to a safe distance from the walls. there was some objection to this at first, hit it was finally agreed to--only a request was made that two of the next of kin to guttorm might be allowed to accompany the body to the burial-place, as it would be considered a lasting disgrace to the family if it were buried by strange hands when friends were near. this request was granted on the understanding that the two relations were to go into the castle unarmed. "on the day of the funeral i was summoned to guttorm's tent to help to put him into his coffin, which had been made for him after the pattern of the coffins used in that part of the country. when i entered i found the nephew standing by the side of the coffin, and the old sea-king himself sitting on the foot of it. "`thou art not quite dead yet?' says i, looking hard in his face. "`not yet,' says he, `and i don't expect to be for some time.' "`are we to put you into the coffin?' i asked. "`yes,' says he, `and see that my good axe lies ready to my hand. put thy sword on my left side, nephew, that thou mayst catch it readily. they bury me in consecrated ground to-day, kettle; and thou, being one of my nearest of kin, must attend me to the grave! thou must go unarmed too, but that matters little, for thy sword can be placed on the top of my coffin, along with thy shield, to do duty as the weapons of the dead. when to use them i leave to thy well-known discretion. dost understand?' "`your speech is not difficult for the understanding to take in,' says i. "`ha! especially the understanding of an irishman,' says he, with a smile. `well, help me to get into this box, and see that thou dost not run it carelessly against gate-posts; for it is not made to be roughly handled!' "with that old guttorm lay back in the coffin, and we packed in the nephew's sword and shield with him, and his own axe and shield at his right side. then we fastened down the lid, and two men were called to assist us in carrying it to the appointed place. "as we walked slowly forward i saw that our men were drawn up in a line at some distance from the castle wall, with their heads hanging down, as if they were in deep grief,--and so they were, for only a _few_ were aware of what was going to be done; yet all were armed, and ready for instant action. the appointed spot being reached, we put the coffin on the ground, and ordered the two men, who were armed, to retire. "`but don't go far away, lads,' says i; `for we have work for ye to do.' "they went back only fifty ells or so, and then turned to look on. "at the same time the gate of the castle opened, and twelve priests came out dressed in long black robes, and carrying a cross before them. one of them, who understood the norse language, said, as they came forward-- "`what meaneth the sword and shield?' "i told him that it was our custom to bury a warrior's arms along with him. he seemed inclined to object to this at first, but thinking better of it, he ordered four of his men to take up the coffin, which they did, shoulder high, and marched back to the castle, closely followed by the two chief mourners. "no sooner had we entered the gateway, which was crowded with warriors, than i stumbled against the coffin, and drove it heavily against one of the posts, and, pretending to stretch out my hands to support it, i seized my sword and shield. at the same moment the lid of the coffin flew into the air, the sides burst out, and old guttorm dropped to the ground, embracing two of the priests so fervently in his descent that they fell on the top of him. i had only time to observe that the nephew caught up his sword and shield as they fell among the wreck, when a shower of blows from all directions called for the most rapid action of eye and limb. before guttorm could regain his feet and utter his war-cry, i had lopped off two heads, and the nephew's sword was whirling round him like lightning flashes, but of course i could not see what he did. the defenders fought bravely, and in the first rush we were almost borne back; but in another moment the two men who had helped us to carry the coffin were alongside of us; and now, having a front of five stout men, we began to feel confident of success. this was turned into certainty when we heard, a minute later, a great rushing sound behind us, and knew that our men were coming on. old guttorm swung his battle-axe as if it had been a toy, and, uttering a tremendous roar, cut his way right into the middle of the castle. we all closed in behind him; the foe wavered--they gave way--at last they turned and fled; for remembering, no doubt, how they had treated the poor house-carle, they knew they had no right to expect mercy. in a quarter of an hour the place was cleared, and the castle was ours." "and what didst thou do with it?" asked alric, in much excitement. "do with it? of course we feasted in it till we were tired; then we put as much of its valuables into our ships as they could carry, after which we set the place on fire and returned to norway." "'twas well done, and a lucky venture," observed solve klofe. alric appeared to meditate for a few minutes, and then said with a smile-- "if christian the hermit were here he would say it was ill done, and an unlucky venture for the men of the castle." "the hermit is a fool," said solve. "that he is not," cried the boy, reddening. "a braver and better man never drew bow. but he has queer thoughts in his head." "that may be so. it matters naught to me," retorted solve, rising and going forward to the high prow of the ship, whence he looked out upon the island-studded sea.--"come, lads, change hands again, and pull with a will. methinks a breeze will fill our sails after we pass yonder point, and if so, we shall sleep to-night in horlingdal." chapter twenty. in which the sky again becomes overcast--the war-token is sent out-- alric gets a surprise, and a berserk catches a tartar. erling the bold was very fond of salmon-fishing, and it was his wont, when the weather suited, and nothing of greater importance claimed his attention, to sally forth with a three-pronged spear to fish in the horlingdal river, which swarmed with salmon in the summer season of the year. one evening he left haldorstede with his fishing-spear on his shoulder, and went up to the river, accompanied by one of the house-carles. they both wore shirts of mail, and carried shield and sword, for these were not times in which men could venture to go about unarmed. on reaching a place where the stream ran shallow among rocks, our hero waded in, and at the first dart of his spear struck a fish of about fifteen pounds weight, which he cast, like a bar of burnished silver, on the grassy bank. "that will be our supper to-night," observed the carle, as he disengaged the spear. erling made no reply, but in a few minutes he pulled out another fish, and said, as he threw it down-- "that will do for a friend, should one chance to turn in to us to-night." after that he tried again, but struck no more, although he changed his ground frequently; so he cast his eyes upwards as if to judge of the time of evening, and appeared to doubt whether or not he should persevere any longer. "try the foss," suggested the house-carle; "you seldom fail to get one there." "well, i will try it. do thou leave the fish under that bush, and follow me. it needs three big fish to make a good feast for my father's household." "besides," said the carle, "there is luck in an odd number, as kettle flatnose is fond of telling us." they were about to ascend the bank to the track which led to the waterfall, about half a mile farther up the river, when their attention was arrested by a shout; looking down the stream in the direction whence it came, they saw a figure approaching them at full speed. "that must be my brother alric," said erling, on hearing the shout repeated. "it looks like him," said the carle. all doubt on the point was quickly set at rest by the lad, who ran at a pace which soon brought him near. waving his cap above his head he shouted-- "news! news! good news!" "out with thy news, then," said erling, as alric stood before him, panting violently, "though i dare say the best news thou hast to give is that thou hast come back to us safe and well." "hah! let me get wind! nay, i have better news than that," exclaimed alric; "harald is coming--king harald haarfager--with a monstrous fleet of longships, cutters, dragons, and little boats, and a mighty host of men, to lay waste horlingdal with fire and sword, and burn us all alive, perhaps eat us too, who knows!" "truly if this be good news," said erling, with a laugh, "i hope i may never hear bad news. but where got ye such news, alric?" "from the widow gunhild, to be sure, who is true to us as steel, and comes all the way from drontheim, out of love to thee, erling, to tell it. but, i say, _don't_ you think this good news? i always thought you would give your best battle-axe to have a chance of fighting harald!" "aye, truly, for a chance of fighting harald, but not for that chance coupled with the other chance of seeing horlingdal laid waste with fire and sword, to say nothing of being eaten alive, which, i suppose, is thine own addition to the news, boy. but come, if this be so, we do not well to waste time chattering here. fetch the two fish, carle. to-night we must be content with what luck lies in an even number in spite of the opinion of kettle flatnose.--come, alric, thou canst tell me more of this as we hasten home." "but i have more good news than that to tell," said the lad, as they hurried towards haldorstede. "solve klofe with his men have come back with us--indeed, i may rather say that we have come back with solve, for our own ship has been wrecked and lost, but kettle and i and thorer and all the men were saved by solve, with nearly everything belonging to us, and all the booty. it is not more than an hour since we sailed into the fiord, loaded to the shield-circle with, oh! _such_ splendid things-- gold, silver, cups, tankards, gems, shawls--and--and i know not what all, besides captives. it was just after we landed that a small boat came round the ness from the north with the widow gunhild in it, and she jumped ashore, and told what she had seen and heard at drontheim, and that we may expect ada's father, king hakon, in his longship, to our aid; perhaps he may be coming into the fiord even now while we are talking. and--and, she said also that rolf ganger had left the king in a huff, and perhaps we might look for help from him too. so methinks i bring good news, don't i?" "good, aye, and stirring news, my boy," cried erling striding onward at such a pace that the carle with the fish was left behind, and alric was compelled to adopt an undignified trot in order to keep up with his huge brother. "from this i see," continued erling in a tone of deep seriousness, "that the long-looked-for time is at last approaching. this battle that must surely come will decide the fate of freemen. king harald haarfager must now be crushed, or norway shall be enslaved. alric, my boy, thou hast been styled lightfoot. if ever thou didst strive to merit that title, strive this night as ye have never striven before, for there is urgent need that every friendly blade in the land should assemble in the dale without delay. i will send thee forth with the split arrow as soon as i have seen and spoken with my father.--ha! i see him coming. go into the house, lad, and sup well and quickly, for no sleep shall visit thine eyelids this night." alric's breast swelled with gratification at being spoken to thus earnestly and made of such importance by his brother, whom he admired and loved with an intensity of feeling that no words can convey. looking up in his face with sparkling eyes, he gave him a little nod. erling replied with another little nod and a sedate smile, and the boy, turning away, dashed into the house, at which they had now arrived. "hast heard the news, erling?" asked haldor, as his son drew near. "aye, alric has told it me." "what thinkest thou?" "that the game is about to be played out." haldor looked full in erling's face, and his own noble countenance glowed with an expression of majesty which cannot be described, and which arose from the deep conviction that one of the most momentous eras in his life had arrived--a period in which his own fate and that of all he held most dear would in all probability be sealed. death or victory, he felt assured, were now the alternatives; and when he reflected on the great power of the king, and the stern necessity there was for the exertion of not only the utmost bravery, but the most consummate skill, his whole being glowed with suppressed emotion, while his bearing betokened the presence, and bore the dignified stamp, of a settled purpose to do his best, and meet his fate, for weal or woe, manfully. "come," said he, putting his arm within that of his stout son, "let us turn into the wood awhile. i would converse with thee on this matter." "alric is ready to start with the token," said erling. "i know it, my son. let him sup first; the women will care well for him, for they will guess the work that lies before him. the people of ulfstede are with us to-night, and glumm is here; but glumm is not of much use as a counsellor just now, poor fellow. it were kind to let him be, until it is time to rouse him up to fight!" a quiet smile played on haldor's lips as he thus alluded to the impossibility of getting glumm to think of anything but love or fighting at that time. while the father and son strolled in the wood conversing earnestly, a noisy animated scene was presented in the great hall of haldorstede; for in it were assembled, besides the ordinary household, the family from ulfstede, a sprinkling of the neighbours, gunhild and her men, guttorm stoutheart, and solve klofe, with kettle flatnose, thorer the thick, and the chief men who had arrived from the recent viking cruise; all of whom were talking together in the utmost excitement, while the fair herfrida and her daughters and maids prepared a sumptuous meal. in those days, and at such an establishment as that of haldor the fierce, it was not possible for friends to appear inopportunely. a dozen might have "dropped in" to breakfast, dinner, or supper, without costing dame herfrida an anxious thought as to whether the cold joint of yesterday "would do", or something more must be procured, for she knew that the larder was always well stocked. when, therefore, a miniature army of hungry warriors made a sudden descent upon her, she was quite prepared for them--received them with the matronly dignity and captivating smile for which she was celebrated, and at once gave directions to her commissariat department to produce and prepare meat and drink suitable to the occasion. the evening which had thus grown so unexpectedly big with present facts and future portents had begun in a very small way--in a way somewhat equivalent to the modern "small tea party". ulf of romsdal, feeling a disposition "to make a night of it", had propounded to dame astrid the idea of "going up to haldorstede for the evening." his wife, being amiably disposed, agreed. hilda and ada were equally willing, and glumm, who by a mere chance happened to be there at the time, could not choose but accompany them! the family at haldorstede were delighted to see their friends. dame herfrida carried off dame astrid to her apartment to divest her of her hat and mantle. ingeborg bore off ada, and the younger girls of the household made away with hilda, leaving ulf to talk the politics of the day with haldor, while glumm pretended to listen to them, but listened, in reality, for ada's returning footsteps. in a short time the fair ones re-entered the hall, and there they had supper, or, more properly, an interlude supper--a sort of supperlet, so to speak, composed of cold salmon, scones, milk, and ale, which was intended, no doubt, to give them an appetite for the true supper that should follow ere long. over this supperlet they were all very talkative and merry, with the exception, poor fellow, of glumm, who sat sometimes glancing at, and always thinking of, ada, and pendulating, as usual, between the condition of being miserably happy or happily miserable. no mortal, save glumm himself, could have told or conceived what a life ada led him. she took him up by the neck, figuratively speaking, and shook him again and again as a terrier shakes a rat, and dropped him! but here the simile ceases, for whereas the rat usually crawls away, if it can, and evidently does not want more, glumm always wanted more, and never crawled away. on the contrary, he crawled humbly back to the feet of his tormentor, and by looks, if not words, craved to be shaken again! it was while glumm was drinking this cup of mingled bliss and torment, and the others were enjoying their supperlet, that solve klofe and his men, and kettle flatnose, thorer the thick, and the house-carles, burst clamorously into the hall, with old guttorm stoutheart, who had met them on the beach. scarcely had they got over the excitement of this first invasion when the widow gunhild and her niece arrived to set the household ablaze with her alarming news. the moment that haldor heard it he dispatched alric in search of erling, who, as we have seen, immediately returned home. shortly afterwards he and haldor entered the hall. "ho! my men," cried the latter, "to arms, to arms! busk ye for the fight, and briskly too, for when harald haarfager lifts his hand he is not slow to strike. where is alric?" "here i am, father." "hast fed well, boy?" "aye, famously," answered alric, wiping his mouth and tightening his belt. "take the war-token, my son, and see that thou speed it well. let it not fail for want of a messenger. if need be, go all the round thyself, and rest not as long as wind and limb hold out. thy fighting days have begun early," he added in a softer tone, as he passed his large hand gently over the fair head of the boy, "perchance they will end early. but, whatever betide, alric, quit thee like a man--as thou art truly in heart if not in limb." such words from one who was not at any time lavish of praise might, a short time before, have caused the boy to hold up his head proudly, but the last year of his life had been fraught with many lessons. he listened with a heaving breast and beating heart indeed, but with his head bent modestly down, while on his flushed countenance there was a bright expression, and on his lips a glad smile which spoke volumes. his father felt assured, as he looked at him, that he would never bring discredit on his name. "ye know the course," said haldor; "away!" in another minute alric was running at full speed up the glen with the war-token in his hand. his path was rugged, his race was wild, and its results were striking. he merely shouted as he passed the windows of the cottages low down in the dale, knowing that the men there would be roused by others near at hand; but farther on, where the cottages were more scattered, he opened the door of each and showed the token, uttering a word or two of explanation, during the brief moment he stayed to swallow a mouthful of water or to tighten his belt. at first his course lay along the banks of the river, every rock and shrub of which he knew. farther on he left the stream on the right, and struck into the mountains just as the sun went down. high up on the fells a little cottage stood perched on a cliff. it was one of the "saeters" or mountain dairies where the cattle were pastured in summer long ago--just as they are at the present day. alric ran up the steep face of the hill, doubled swiftly round the corner of the enclosure, burst open the door, and, springing in, held up the token, while he wiped the streaming perspiration from his face. a man and his wife, with three stout sons and a comely daughter, were seated on a low bench eating their supper of thickened milk. "the war-token!" exclaimed the men, springing up, and, without a moment's delay, taking down and girding on the armour which hung round the walls. "king harald is on his way to the dale," said alric; "we assemble at ulfstede." "shall i bear on the token?" asked the youngest of the men. "aye; but go thou with it up the wolf's den valley. i myself will bear it round by the eagle crag and the coast." "that is a long way," said the man, taking his shield down from a peg in the wall. alric replied not, for he had already darted away, and was again speeding along the mountain side. night had begun to close in, for the season had not yet advanced to the period of endless daylight. far away in an offshoot vale, a bright ruddy light gleamed through the surrounding darkness. alric's eye was fixed on it. his untiring foot sped towards it. the roar of a mighty cataract grew louder on his ear every moment. he had to slacken his pace a little, and pick his steps as he went on, for the path was rugged and dangerous. "i wonder if old hans of the foss is at home?" was the thought that passed through his mind as he approached the door. old hans himself answered the thought by opening the door at that moment. he was a short, thick-set, and very powerful man, of apparently sixty years of age, but his eye was as bright and his step as light as that of many a man of twenty. "the war-token," he said, almost gaily, stepping back into the cottage as alric leaped in. "what is doing, son of haldor?" "king harald will be upon us sooner than we wish. ulfstede is the meeting-place. can thy son speed on the token in the next valley?" the old warrior shook his head sadly, and pointed to a low bed, where a young man lay with the wasted features and bright eyes that told of a deadly disease in its advanced stage. an exclamation of regret and sympathy escaped from alric. "i cannot go," he said; "my course lies to the left, by the stor foss. hast no one to send?" "i will go, father," said a smart girl of fifteen, who had been seated behind her mother, near the couch of the sick man. "thou, bairn?" "yes, why not? it is only a league to hawksdal, where young eric will gladly relieve me." "true," said the old warrior, with a smile, as he began to don his armour. "go; i need not tell thee to make haste!" alric waited to hear no more, but darted away as the little maid tripped off in another direction. thus hour by hour the night passed by and alric ran steadily on his course, rousing up all the fighting men in his passage through the district. as he advanced, messengers with war-tokens were multiplied, and, ere the morning's sun had glinted on the mountain peaks or lighted up the white fields of the justedal glacier, the whole country was in arms, and men were crowding to the rendezvous. daylight had just commenced to illumine the eastern sky, when alric, having completed his round, found himself once more on the cliffs above the sea. but he was still six or eight miles from ulfstede, and the path to it along the top of the cliffs was an extremely rugged one. earnestly then did the poor boy wish that he had remembered to put a piece of bread in his wallet before leaving home, but in his haste he had forgotten to do so, and now he found himself weary, foot-sore, and faint from exertion, excitement, and hunger, far from any human habitation. as there was no remedy for this, he made up his mind to take a short rest on the grass, and then set off for home as fast as possible. with this end in view he selected a soft spot, on a cliff overlooking the sea, and lay down with a sigh of satisfaction. almost instantly he fell into a deep slumber, in which he lay, perfectly motionless, for some hours. how long that slumber would have lasted it is impossible to say, for it was prematurely and unpleasantly interrupted. in his cat-like creepings about the coast, hauskuld the berserk, having obtained all the information that he thought would be of use to his royal master, landed for the last time to reconnoitre the position of ulfstede, and see as much as he could of the doings of the people before turning his prow again to the north. the spot where he ran his boat ashore was at the foot of a steep cliff, up which he and a comrade ascended with some difficulty. at the top, to his surprise, he found a lad lying on the grass sound asleep. after contemplating him for a few minutes, and whispering a few words to his comrade, who indulged in a broad grin, hauskuld drew his sword and pricked alric on the shoulder with it. an electric shock could not have been more effective. the poor boy sprang up with a loud cry, and for a few seconds gazed at the berserks in bewilderment. then it flashed upon his awakening faculties that he was standing before enemies, so he suddenly turned round and fled, but hauskuld sprang after him, and, before he had got three yards away, had caught him by the nape of the neck with a grip that made him gasp. "ho, ho! my young fox, so ye thought to leave the hounds in the lurch? come, cease thy kicking, else will i give thee an inch of steel to quiet thee. tell me thy name, and what thou art about here, and i will consider whether to make use of thee or hurl thee over the cliffs." by this time alric had fully recovered his senses and his self-possession. he stood boldly up before the berserk and replied-- "my name is alric--son of haldor the fierce, out of whose way i advise thee to keep carefully, if thou art not tired of life. i have just been round with the war-token rousing the country." "a most proper occupation for an eaglet such as thou," said hauskuld; "that is to say, if the cause be a good one." "the cause is one of the best," said alric. "prithee, what may it be?" "self-defence against a tyrant." hauskuld glanced at his comrade, and smiled sarcastically as he asked-- "and who may this tyrant be?" "harald haarfager, tyrant king of norway," replied the lad stoutly. "i thought so," said hauskuld, with a grim twist of his features. "well, young eaglet, thou art worthy to be made mincemeat of to feed the crows, but it may be that the tyrant would like to dispose of thee himself. say now, whether will ye walk down that cliff quietly in front of me, or be dragged down?" "i would rather walk, if i _must_ go." "well, thou _must_ go, therefore--walk, and see thou do it as briskly as may be, else will i apply the spur, which thou hast felt once already this morning. lead the way, comrade; i will bring up the rear to prevent the colt from bolting." as he knew that resistance would be useless, the boy promptly and silently descended the cliff with his captors, and entered the boat, which was immediately pushed off and rowed along-shore. "now listen to me, alric, son of haldor," said hauskuld, seating himself beside his captive: "king harald is not the tyrant you take him for; he is a good king, and anxious to do the best he can for norway. some mistaken men, like your father, compel him to take strong measures when he would fain take mild. if you will take me to a spot where i may safely view the valley of horlingdal, and tell me all you know about their preparations for resistance, i will take you back to drontheim, and speak well of you to the king, who will not only reward you with his favour, but make good terms, i doubt not, with your father." the wily berserk had changed his tone to that of one who addresses a superior in rank while he thus tempted the boy; but he little guessed the spirit of his captive. "what!" he exclaimed scornfully; "wouldst thou have me turn traitor to my own father?" "nay, i would have you turn wise for the sake of your father and yourself. think well of what i say, and all i ask of you is to guide me to a good point of observation. there is a cave, they say, near ulfstede, with its mouth to the sea, and a secret entrance from the land. no doubt i could find it myself with a little trouble, but it would save time if you were to point it out." "never!" exclaimed alric sternly. "truly thou art a chip of the old tree," said hauskuld, taking alric's ear between his finger and thumb; "but there are means to take which have been known to bend stouter hearts than thine. say, wilt thou show me the cave?" he pinched the ear with gradually increasing force as he spoke, but alric neither spoke nor winced, although the blood which rushed to his face showed that he felt the pain keenly. "well, well," said the berserk, relaxing his grip, "this is a torture only fit for very small boys after all. hand me the pincers, arne." one of the men drew in his oar, and from a locker pulled out a pair of large pincers, which he handed to his chief, who at once applied them to the fleshy part at the back of alric's arm, between the elbow and the shoulder. "when thou art willing to do as i bid thee, i will cease to pinch," said hauskuld. poor alric had turned pale at the sight of the pincers, for he knew well the use they would be put to; but he set his teeth tightly together, and determined to endure it. as the pain increased the blood rushed again to his face, but an extra squeeze of the instrument of torture sent it rushing back with a deadly chill to his heart. in spite of himself, a sharp cry burst from his lips. turning suddenly round, he clenched his right hand, and hit his tormentor on the mouth with such force that his head was knocked violently against the steering oar, and two or three of his front teeth were driven out. "thou dog's whelp!" shouted hauskuld, as soon as he could speak. "i'll--" he could say no more; but, grasping the boy by the hair of the head, he seized his sword, and would certainly have slain him on the spot, had not the man named arne interposed. "the king will not thank thee for his slaying," said he, laying his hand on hauskuld's arm. the latter made no reply except to utter a curse, then, dropping his sword, he struck alric a blow on the forehead with his fist, which knocked him insensible into the bottom of the boat. "yonder is the mouth of the cave," exclaimed one of the men. "it may be the one we look for," muttered hauskuld. "pull into it." so saying, he steered the boat into the cavern, and its keel soon grated on the gravelly beach inside. the sound aroused alric, who at first could not see, owing to the gloom of the place, and the effects of the blow; but he was brought suddenly to a state of mental activity and anxiety when he recognised the sides of the well-known cave. rising quickly but cautiously, he listened, and knew by the sounds that the boatmen, of whom there were eight, were searching for an outlet towards the land. he therefore slipped over the side of the boat, and hastened towards the darkest side of the cave, but hauskuld caught sight of him. "ha! is the little dog trying to get away?" he shouted, running after him. the lad formed his plan instantly. "come on, hauskuld," he shouted, with a wild laugh; "i will show thee the outlet, and get out before thee too." he then ran to the inner part of the cave that was farthest from the secret opening, shouting as he ran, and making as much noise as possible. the berserk and his men followed. the instant he reached the extremity of the place alric became as silent as a mouse, kicked off his shoes, and ran nimbly round by the intricate turnings of the inner wall, until he came to the foot of the dark natural staircase, which has been referred to at the beginning of our tale. up this he bounded, and reached the open air above, while his pursuers were still knocking their shins and heads on the rocks at the wrong end of the cave below. without a moment's pause the exulting boy dashed away towards ulfstede. he had not run two hundred yards, however, when he observed three men standing on the top of the little mound to which the people of ulfstede were wont to mount when they wished to obtain an uninterrupted view of the valley and the fiord. they hailed him at that moment, so he turned aside, and found, on drawing near, that they were his brother erling, glumm the gruff, and kettle flat-nose. "why, alric!" exclaimed erling in surprise, on seeing the boy's swelled and bloody face, "what ails thee?" "quick, come with me, all of ye! there is work for your swords at hand. lend me thy sword, erling. it is the short one, and the axe will be enough for thee." the excited lad did not wait for permission, but snatched the sword from his brother's side, and without further explanation, ran back towards the cliffs, followed closely by the astonished men. he made straight for the hole that led to the cave, and was about to leap into it when hauskuld stepped out and almost received him in his arms. before the berserk could plant his feet firmly on the turf, alric heaved up his brother's sword and brought it down on hauskuld's head with right good will. his arm, however, had not yet received power to cleave through a steel helmet, but the blow was sufficient to give it such a dint that its wearer tumbled back into the hole, and went rattling down the steep descent heels over head into the cave. the boy leaped down after him, but hauskuld, although taken by surprise and partially stunned, had vigour enough left to jump up and run down to the boat. his men, on hearing the noise of his fall, had also rushed to the boat, and pushed off. the berserk sprang into the water, and swam after them, just as his pursuers reached the cave. seeing this, his men being safe beyond pursuit, lay on their oars and waited for him. but hauskuld's career had been run out. either the fall had stunned him, or he was seized with a fit, for he suddenly raised himself in the water, and, uttering a cry that echoed fearfully in the roof of the cavern, he sank to the bottom. still his men waited a minute or two, but seeing that he did not rise again, they pulled away. "it is unlucky that they should have escaped thus," said alric, "for they go to tell king harald what they have seen." "friends," said erling, "i have a plan in my head to cheat the king. i shall send thorer round with my swan to this cave, and here let it lie, well armed and provisioned, during the battle that we shall have to fight with harald ere long. if ill luck should be ours, those of us who survive will thus have a chance of escaping with the women." "what need is there of that?" said glumm; "we are sure to give him the tooth-ache!" "we are sure of nothing in this world," replied erling, "save that the sun will rise and set and the seasons will come and go. i shall do as i have said, chiefly for the sake of the women, whom i should not like to see fall into the hands of king harald; and i counsel thee to do the same with thy small ship the crane. it can well be spared, for we are like to have a goodly force of men and ships, if i mistake not the spirit that is abroad." "well, i will do it," said glumm. "and alric will not object, i dare say, to stand sentinel over the ships in the cave with two or three men till they are wanted," said erling. "that will not i," cried alric, who was delighted to be employed in any service rather than be left at home, for his father, deeming him still too young, had strictly forbidden him to embark in the fleet. "well then, the sooner this is set about the better," said erling, "for there is no counting on the movements of the king." "humph!" ejaculated glumm. "ill luck to the tyrant!" said kettle flatnose, as they turned and left the cave. chapter twenty one. glumm gains a great private victory--the dalesmen assemble to fight for freedom--the foe appears, and the signal of battle is sounded. again we return to the mound near ulfstede, the top of which was now bathed in the rays of the morning sun--for the day had only begun, the events narrated at the end of the last chapter having occurred within a period of less than three hours. here stood the fair hilda and the volatile ada, the former leaning on the arm of the latter, and both gazing intently and in silence on the heart-stirring scene before them. once again horlingdal with its fiord was the scene of an assembly of armed men, but this time the concourse was grander, because much greater, than on a previous occasion. men had learned by recent events that momentous changes were taking place in the land. the news of the king's acts had been carried far and wide. everyone felt that a decisive blow was about to be struck somewhere, and although many hundreds had little or no opinion of their own as to what was best for the interests of the kingdom, they knew that a side must be taken, and were quite willing to take that which appeared to be the right, or which seemed most likely to win, while a large proportion of them were intelligently and resolutely opposed to the king's designs. thus, when the war-token was sent round, it was answered promptly. those who dwelt nearest to the place of rendezvous were soon assembled in great numbers, and, from the elevated point on which the girls stood, their glittering masses could be seen on the shore, while they launched their longships and loaded them with stones--the ammunition of those days--or passed briskly to and fro with arms and provisions; while all up the valley, as far as the eye could see, even to the faint blue distance, in the haze of which the glaciers and clouds and mountain tops seemed to commingle, troops of armed men could be seen pouring down from gorge and glen, through wood and furze and fen. on the fiord, too, the same activity and concentration prevailed, though not quite to the same extent. constantly there swept round the promontories to the north and south, boat after boat, and ship after ship, until the bay close below ulfstede was crowded with war-craft of every size--their gay sails, and in some cases gilded masts and figureheads, glancing in the sunshine, and their shield-circled gunwales reflected clearly in the sea. "what a grand sight!" exclaimed ada with enthusiasm, as she listened to the deep-toned hum of the busy multitude below. "would god i had never seen it!" said her companion. "out upon thee, hilda! i scarce deem thee fit to be a free norse maiden. such a scene would stir the heart of stone." "it _does_ stir my heart strangely, sister," replied hilda, "i scarcely can explain how. i feel exultation when i see the might of our district, and the bold bearing of our brave and brisk men; but my heart sinks again when i think of what is to come--the blood of men flowing like water, death sweeping them down like grain before the sickle; and for what? ada, these go not forth to defend us from our enemies, they go to war with brothers and kindred--with norsemen." ada beat her foot impatiently on the sod, and frowned a little as she said-- "i know it well enough, but it is a grand sight for all that, and it does no good to peep into the future as thou art doing continually." "i do not peep," replied hilda; "the future stares me full in the face." "well, let it stare, sister mine," said ada, with a laugh, as she cleared her brow, "and stare past _its_ face at what lies before thee at present, which is beautiful enough, thou must allow." at that moment there seemed to be increasing bustle and energy on the part of the warriors on the shore, and the murmur of their voices grew louder. "what can that mean, i wonder?" said ada. "fresh news arrived, perhaps," replied her friend. "the christians' god grant that this war may be averted!" "amen, if it be his will," said a deep voice behind the girls, who turned and found the hermit standing at their side. "but, hilda," he continued, "god does not always answer our prayers in the way we expect--sometimes because we pray for the wrong thing, and sometimes because we pray that the right thing may come to us in the wrong way. i like best to end my petitions with the words of my dear saviour jesus christ--`thy will be done.' just now it would seem as if war were ordained to go on, for a scout has just come in to say that king harald with his fleet is on the other side of yonder point, and i am sent to fetch thee down to a place of safety without delay." "who sent thee?" demanded ada. "thy foster-father." "methinks we are safe enough here," she said, with a gesture of impatience. "aye, if we win the day, but not if we lose it," said the old man. "come," said hilda, "we must obey our father." "i have no intention of disobeying him," retorted the other, tossing her head. just then alric ran up with a look of anxiety on his swelled and blood-stained face. "come, girls, ye are in the way here. haste--ah! here comes erling--and glumm too." the two young men ran up the hill as he spoke. "come with us quickly," cried erling; "we do not wish the king's people to see anyone on this mound. let me lead thee down, hilda." he took her by the hand and led her away. glumm went forward to ada, whose old spirit was evidently still alive, for she glanced at the hermit, and appeared as if inclined to put herself under his protection, but there was something in glumm's expression that arrested her. his gruffness had forsaken him, and he came forward with an unembarrassed and dignified bearing. "ada," he said, in a gentle but deliberate voice, while he gazed into her face so earnestly that she was fain to drop her eyes, "thou must decide my fate _now_. to-day it is likely i shall fight my last battle in my fatherland. death will be abroad on the fiord, more than willing to be courted by all who choose to woo him. say, dear maid, am i to be thy protector or not?" ada hesitated, and clasped her hands tightly together, while the tell-tale blood rushed to her cheeks. glumm, ever stupid on these matters, said no other word, but turned on his heel and strode quickly away. "stay!" she said. she did not say this loudly, but glumm heard it, turned round, and strode back again. ada silently placed her hand in his--it trembled as she did so--and glumm led her down the hill. the girls were escorted by their lovers only as far as ulfstede. with all the other women of the place, and the old people, they were put under the care of the hermit, who conveyed them safely to haldorstede, there to await the issue of the day. meanwhile, haldor, erling, glumm, hakon of drontheim, ulf, guttorm stoutheart, and all the other sea-kings, not only of horlingdal, but of the surrounding valleys, with a host of smaller bonders, unfreemen, and thralls, went down to the shores of the bay and prepared for battle. it is needless to say that all were armed to the teeth--with coats of mail and shirts of wolf-skin; swords and battle-axes, bows and arrows, halberds and spears, "morning stars" and bills, scythes, javelins, iron-shod poles--and many other weapons. the principal ships of the fleet were of course those belonging to haldor, ulf, and the wealthier men of the district. some of these were very large--having thirty benches of rowers, and being capable of carrying above a hundred and fifty men. all of them were more or less decorated, and a stately brilliant spectacle they presented, with their quaint towering figureheads, their high poops, shield-hung sides, and numerous oars. many proud thoughts doubtless filled the hearts of these sea-kings as they looked at their ships and men, and silently wended their way down to the strand. in the case of haldor and erling, however, if not of others, such thoughts were tempered with the feeling that momentous issues hung on the fate of the day. well was it for all concerned that the men who led them that day were so full of forethought and energy, for scarcely had they completed their preparations and embarked their forces when the ships of harald fairhair swept round the northern promontory. if the fleet of the small kings of horlingdal and the south was imposing, that of the king of norway was still more so. besides, being stronger in numbers, and many of the warships being larger--his own huge vessel, the dragon, led the van, appearing like a gorgeous and gigantic sea-monster. the king was very proud of this longship. it had recently been built by him, and was one of the largest that had ever been seen in norway. the exact dimensions of it are not now known, but we know that it had thirty-two banks for rowers, from which we may infer that it must have been of nearly the same size with the long serpent, a war vessel of thirty-four banks, which was built about the end of the tenth century, and some of the dimensions of which are given in the saga of olaf tryggvesson. the length of her keel that rested on the grass, we are told, was about feet, which is not far short of the length of the keel of one of our forty-two gun frigates. as these warships were long in proportion to their breadth, like our modern steamers, this speaks to a size approaching tons burden. as we have said, the dragon was a gorgeous vessel. it had a high poop and forecastle, a low waist, or middle part, and a splendidly gilt and painted stern, figurehead, and tail. the sides, which were, as usual, hung round with the red and white painted shields of the crew, were pierced for sixty-four oars, that is, thirty-two on each side, being two oars to each bank or bench, and as there were three men to each oar, this gave a total crew of men; but in truth the vessel contained, including steersmen and supernumeraries, above men. under the feet of the rowers, in the waist, were chests of arms, piles of stones to be used as missiles, provisions, clothing, goods, and stores, all of which were protected by a deck of movable hatches. on this deck the crew slept at nights, sheltered by an awning or sail, when it was not convenient for them to land and sleep on the beach in their tents, with which all the vessels of the norsemen were usually supplied. there was but one great mast, forty feet high, and one enormous square sail to this ship. the mast was tipped with gilding, and the sail was of alternate strips of red, white, and blue cloth. each space between the banks served as the berth of six or eight men, and was divided into half berths--starboard and larboard--for the men who worked the corresponding oars. on the richly ornamented poop stood the king himself, surrounded by his bodyguard and chief men of the court, including jarl rongvold and thiodolph the scald. from the stem to the mid-hold was the forecastle, on which were stationed the king's berserkers, under hake of hadeland. all the men of hake's band were splendid fellows; for king harald, having a choice of men from the best of every district, took into his house troop only such as were remarkable for strength, courage, and dexterity in the use of their weapons. it must not be supposed that the rest of harald's fleet was composed of small vessels. on the contrary, some of them were not far short of his own in point of size. many of his jarls were wealthy men, and had joined him, some with ten or twenty, and others with thirty, or even forty, ships of various sizes. many of them had from twenty to thirty banks for rowers, with crews of or men. there were also great numbers of cutters with ten or fifteen banks, and from thirty to fifty men in each, besides a swarm of lesser craft, about the size of our ordinary herring boats. there were many men of note in this fleet, such as king sigurd of royer and simun's sons; onund and andreas; nicolas skialdvarsson; eindrid, a son of mornef, who was the most gallant and popular man in the drontheim country, and many others; the whole composing a formidable force of seven or eight thousand warriors. with haldor the fierce, on the other hand, there was a goodly force of men and ships; for the whole south country had been aroused, and they came pouring into the fiord continuously. nevertheless they did not number nearly so large a force as that under king harald. besides those who have been already named, there were eric, king of hordaland; sulke, king of rogaland, and his brother jarl sote; kiotve the rich, king of agder, and his son thor haklang; also the brothers roald ryg, and hadd the hard, of thelemark, besides many others. but their whole number did not exceed four thousand men; and the worst of it all was that among these there were a great many of the smaller men, and a few of the chiefs whose hearts were not very enthusiastic in the cause, and who had no very strong objection to take service under harald fairhair. these, however, held their peace, because the greater men among them, and the chief leaders, such as haldor and ulf, were very stern and decided in their determination to resist the king. now, when the report was brought that harald's fleet had doubled the distant cape beyond hafurdsfiord, the people crowded to the top of the cliffs behind ulfstede to watch it; and when it was clearly seen that it was so much larger than their own, there were a few who began to say that it would be wiser to refrain from resistance; but haldor called a thing together on the spot by sound of horn, and a great many short pithy speeches were made on both sides of the question. those who were for war were by far the most able men, and so full of fire that they infused much of their own spirit into those who heard them. erling in particular was very energetic in his denunciation of the illegality of harald's proceedings; and even glumm plucked up heart to leap to his feet and declare, with a face blazing with wrath, that he would rather be drowned in the fiord like a dog, or quit his native land for ever, than remain at home to be the slave of any man! glumm was not, as the reader is aware, famed for eloquence; nevertheless the abruptness of his fiery spirit, the quick rush of his few sputtered words, and the clatter of his arms, as he struck his fist violently against his shield, drew from the multitude a loud burst of applause. he had in him a good deal of that element which we moderns call "go". whatever he did was effectively done. the last who spoke was solve klofe. that redoubtable warrior ascended the hill just as glumm had finished his remarks. he immediately stood forward, and raised his hand with an impassioned gesture. "glumm is right," he cried. "it is now clear that we have but one course to take; and that is to rise all as one man against king harald, for although outnumbered, we still have strength enough to fight for our ancient rights. fate must decide the victory. if we cannot conquer, at all events we can die. as to becoming his servants, that is no condition for _us_! my father thought it better to fall in battle than to go willingly into king harald's service, or refuse to abide the chance of weapons like the numedal kings." "that is well spoken," cried haldor, after the shout with which this was received had subsided. "the thing is at an end, and now we shall make ready, for it can be but a short time until we meet. let the people take their weapons, and every man be at his post, so that all may be ready when the war-horn sounds the signal to cast off from the land. [see note .] then let us throw off at once, and together, so that none go on before the rest of the ships, and none lag behind when we row out of the fiord. when we meet, and the battle begins, let people be on the alert to bring all our ships in close order, and ready to bind them together. let us spare ourselves in the beginning, and take care of our weapons, that we do not cast them into the sea, or shoot them away in the air to no purpose. but when the fight becomes hot, and the ships are bound together, _then_ let each man show what spirit is in him, and how well he can fight for country, law, and freedom!" a loud ringing cheer was the answer to this speech, and then the whole concourse hurried down the hill and embarked; the vessels were quickly arranged in order according to their size; the war-horn sounded; thousands of oars dipped at the same moment, the blue waters of the fiord were torn into milky foam, and slowly, steadily, and in good order the fleet of the sea-kings left the strand, doubled the cape to the north of horlingfiord, and advanced in battle array to meet the foe. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ note . signals by call of trumpet were well understood in those times. we read, in the ancient sagas, of the trumpet-call to arm, to advance, to attack, to retreat, to land, and also to attend a court thing, a house thing, a general thing. these instruments were made of metal, and there were regular trumpeters. chapter twenty two. describes a great sea fight and its consequences. harald fairhair stood on the poop of the great dragon, and held the steering oar. when he saw the fleet of the sea-kings approaching, he called jarl rongvold to him and said-- "methinks, jarl, that i now see the end of this war with the small kings. it is easy to perceive that the utmost force they are able to raise is here. now, i intend to beat them to-day, and break their strength for ever. but when the battle is over, many of them will seek to escape. i would prevent that as much as may be." the king paused, as if engaged in deep thought. "how do you propose to do it, sire?" "by means of a boom," said the king. "go thou, summon hither the trustiest man in the fleet for such a purpose, let him detach as many men and ships as he deems needful, and go into yonder small fiord where there is a pine wood on the hillside. there let him make a long and strong boom of timber, while we are engaged in the fight. i will drive as many of the ships as i can into horlingfiord, and when that is done let him come out and stretch the boom right across, so that none of them shall escape. and, harkee, see that the man thou choosest for this duty is an able man, and does it well, else shall his head be lopped off." after issuing this command the king resigned the helm, and ordered his banner to be set up, which was done immediately. at the same time his opponents shook out their banners, and both fleets were put in order of battle. as both were arrayed much in the same way, it will be sufficient to describe the arrangements made by haldor the fierce, who had been elected commander-in-chief of the small kings' fleet. when haldor saw the king's banner displayed, he unfurled his own in the centre of the fleet, and arranged his force for attack right against it. alongside of him on the right was ulf of romsdal with thirty ships, and on his left was old guttorm stoutheart with twenty-five ships. these composed the centre of the line. kettle flatnose commanded the men on the forecastle in ulf's longship, and thorer the thick was over those in haldor's vessel. the right wing was commanded by solve klofe, under whom were eric of hordaland with fifteen ships; sulke of rogaland and his brother sote with thirty ships, as well as kiotve of agder, and some others with many ships--all of large size. the left wing was led by king hakon of drontheim, under whom were roald ryg and hadd the hard, and thor haklang, with a good many ships. solve klofe laid his ships against king harald's left wing, which was under eindrid, son of mornef, and hakon laid his against king sigurd of royer, who led harald's right wing. all the chiefs on either side laid their ships according as they were bold or well equipped. when all was ready, they bound the ships together by the stems, and advanced towards each other at the sound of the war-trumpet. but as the fleets were so large, many of the smaller vessels remained loose, and, as it were, went about skirmishing independently. these were laid forward in the fight, according to the courage of their commanders, which was very unequal. among these roving warriors were our heroes erling and glumm, each in one of his own small cutters, with about forty men. as soon as the war-blast sounded the men rode forward to the attack, and soon narrowed the small space that lay between the hostile fleets. then haldor and the other commanders went down to the sides of their ships, where the men stood so thick that their shields touched all round, and encouraged them to fight well for the freedom of old norway--to which they replied with loud huzzas. immediately after the air was darkened with a cloud of arrows, and the fight began. there were scalds in both fleets at that fight, these afterwards wrote a poem descriptive of it, part of which we now quote: "with falcon eye and courage bright, haldor the fierce prepared for fight; `hand up the arms to one and all!' he cries. `my men, we'll win or fall! sooner than fly, heaped on each other, each man will fall across his brother!' thus spake, and through his vessels' throng his mighty warship moved along. he ran her gaily to the front, to meet the coming battle's brunt-- then gave the word the ships to bind and shake his banner to the wind. our oars were stowed, our lances high swung to and fro athwart the sky. haldor the fierce went through the ranks, drawn up beside the rowers' banks, where rows of shields seemed to enclose the ship's deck from the boarding foes, encouraging his chosen crew, he tells his brave lads to stand true, and rows against--while arrows sing-- the dragon of the tyrant king. with glowing hearts and loud huzzas, his men lay on in freedom's cause. the sea-steeds foam; they plunge and rock: the warriors meet in battle shock; the ring-linked coats of strongest mail could not withstand the iron hail. the fire of battle raged around; odin's steel shirts flew all unbound. the pelting shower of stone and steel, caused many a norseman stout to reel, the red blood poured like summer rain; the foam was scarlet on the main; but, all unmoved like oak in wood, silent and grim fierce haldor stood, until his axe could reach the foe-- then--swift he thundered blow on blow. and ever, as his axe came down, it cleft or crushed another crown. elsewhere the chiefs on either side fought gallantly above the tide. king hakon pressed king sigurd sore, and ulf made hake the berserk roar, and kettle flatnose dared to spring on board the ship of norway's king. old guttorm stoutheart's mighty shout above the din was heard throughout, and solve klofe, 'gainst mornef's son, slew right and left till day was done. while, all around the loose ships rowed-- where'er they went the red stream flowed. chief among these was erling bold and glumm the gruff, of whom 'tis told they rushed in thickest of the fray-- whatever part the line gave way-- and twice, and thrice, retrieved the day. but heart, and strength, and courage true, could not avail where one fought two. king harald, foremost in the fight, with flashing sword, resistless might, pushed on and slew, and dyed with red the bright steel cap on many a head. against the hero's shield in vain, the arrow-storm sends forth its rain. the javelins and spear-thrusts fail to pierce his coat of ringed mail. the king stands on the blood-stained deck; trampling on many a foeman's neck; and high above the dinning stound of helm and axe, and ringing sound of blade, and shield, and raven's cry is heard the shout of--`victory!'" in this poem the scald gives only an outline of the great fight. let us follow more closely the action of those in whom we are peculiarly interested. for more than two hours the battle raged with unabated fury--victory inclining to neither side; but as the day advanced, the energy with which solve klofe pushed the right wing began to tell, and the king's men gave way a little at that part. harald, however, was on the alert. he sent some of his loose ships to reinforce them, and so regained his position. a short time after that, some of solve's ships were boarded, but at that moment erling and glumm chanced to pass in their cutters-- for they kept always close together--and they gave such a shout, while they turned and pulled to the rescue, that the men, who were wavering, took heart again and drove the foe overboard. just then the ship on the right of solve klofe's vessel was also boarded by the enemy. seeing this, erling called to glumm that there was need of succour there, and they rowed swiftly to the spot. "art thou hard pressed, solve?" asked erling, as he ranged up to the stern of his friend's ship. solve was so furious that he could not answer, but pointed to the ship next his, and sprang on the edge of his own, intending to leap into that of the enemy, and get to the forefront. at the same time eindrid, son of mornef, stood up on the high foredeck of his ship with a large stone in his hand. he was a very powerful man, and hurled the stone with such force against solve's shield that it battered him down, and he fell back into his own ship much stunned. seeing this, erling bade two of his men follow him, leaped into solve's ship, and thence into the one where the fight was sharpest. glumm followed him closely with his long two-handed sword, and these two fought so dreadfully that eindrid's men were driven back into their own ship again. then erling ran to the place where the high stern was wedged between two of the enemy's ships, and sprang on the forecastle of eindrid's ship. "thou art a bold man!" said eindrid, turning on him. "that may be as thou sayest," replied erling, at the same time catching a thrust on his shield, which he returned with such interest with his axe that eindrid's head was nearly severed from his body. at the same moment glumm cut down a famous berserk who ran at him, and in a few minutes they had cleared the deck of the ship, and taken possession of it. but this was scarcely accomplished when a cry arose that the left wing under king hakon was giving way. at once erling and glumm ran back to their cutters, and made towards that part of the line, followed by several of the loose ships. here they found that king hakon was very hard pressed by sigurd of royer, so they pushed in among the ships, and soon erling's well-known war-cry was heard, and his tall form was seen sweeping men down before him with his great axe, like a mower cutting grass. glumm, however, did not keep close to him this time, but made direct for hakon's ship, for he remembered that he was ada's father, and thought he might do him some service. as he was coming near he saw swankie, a famous berserk, fighting furiously on board hakon's ship, and roaring, as was the wont of berserkers sometimes, like a wild bull. hakon's men had formed a shield-circle round their chief, and were defending him bravely; but the berserk was an uncommonly stout man, very brisk and active, and exceedingly furious, as well as dexterous with his weapons. he slew so many men that the shield-circle was broken, and he made at hakon just as glumm leaped into the ship at the stern. king hakon was a stout man and brave, but he was getting old, and not so active as he used to be. nevertheless he met swankie like a man, and dealt him a blow on his helmet which made him stagger. the berserk uttered a fearful roar, and struck at hakon so fiercely that he split the upper part of his shield and cut open his helmet. hakon fell, but before he could repeat the blow glumm was upon him. "what! is it thou, swankie?" he cried. "dog, methought i had killed thee long ago!" "that is yet to be done," cried the berserk, leaping upon glumm with a sweeping blow of his sword. glumm stooped quickly, and the blow passed over his head; then he fetched a sudden cut at swankie, and split him down from the neck to the waist, saying, "it is done now, methinks," as he drew out his sword. glumm did not go forward, but let his men drive back the foe, while he turned and kneeled beside hakon. "has the dog hurt thee badly?" he asked, raising the old warrior's head on his knee, and speaking in a voice of almost womanly tenderness. hakon made an effort to speak, but for some time was unable to do so, and glumm held his shield over him to keep off the stones and arrows which fell thickly around them. after a few moments hakon wiped away the blood which flowed from a deep wound in his forehead, and looked up wildly in glumm's face. he tried again to speak, and glumm, misunderstanding the few words he muttered, said: "thou art already avenged, king hakon; swankie the berserk is dead." the dying man made another effort to speak, and was successful. "that concerns me little, glumm. thou lovest ada, i know. this ring-- take it to her, say her father's last thoughts were of her. be a good husband, glumm. the brooch--see." "which?" asked glumm, looking at several silver brooches with which the old warrior's armour was fastened--"this one on thy breast?" "aye, take it--it was--her mother's." the warrior's spirit seemed to be relieved when he had said this. he sank down into a state resembling sleep. once or twice afterwards he opened his eyes and gazed up into the bright sky with a doubtful yet earnest and enquiring gaze. gradually the breathing became fainter, until it ceased altogether, and glumm saw that the old man was dead. fastening the brooch on his own broad chest, and putting the ring on his finger, glumm rose, seized his sword, and rushed again into the thick of the fight with tenfold more fury than he had yet displayed, and ere long the danger that threatened the left wing was for the time averted. meanwhile in the centre there was an equally uncertain and obstinate conflict--for the chiefs on either side were mighty men of valour. wherever old guttorm's voice was heard, there victory inclined. haldor, on the other hand, did not shout, but he laid about him with such wild ferocity that many men quailed at the very sight of him, and wherever he went he was victorious. it was some time before he managed to get alongside of king harald fairhair's ship, but when he did so the fight became sharp in the extreme. all the men in king harald's ship, except the berserks, were clad in coats of ring mail, and wore foreign helmets, and most of them had white shields. besides, as has been said, each man was celebrated for personal strength and daring, so that none of those who were opposed to them could make head against them. the arrows and spears fell harmless from their shields, casques, and coats of mail, and it was only now and then--as when a shaft happened to enter a man's eye--that any fell. when haldor's forecastle men attacked the berserkers on the high fore deck of the dragon, the fighting was terrible, for the berserkers all roared aloud and fought with the wild fury of madmen, and so fierce was their onslaught that haldor's men were forced at first to give back. but thorer the thick guarded himself warily, and being well armed escaped injury for a time. when he saw the berserkers beginning to flag, he leaped forward like a lion, and hewed them down right and left, so that his men drove the enemy back into the dragon. some of them slipped on the gun-wales, and so did some of haldor's men, all of whom fell into the sea, and a few of them were drowned, while others were killed, but one or two escaped by swimming. ulf's ship was also pretty close to the dragon, and he wished greatly to board it, but was so hard beset by the ship of nicolas skialdvarsson that he could not do so for a long time. here kettle flatnose did prodigies of valour. he stood on the high fore-deck with his favourite weapon, the hook, and therewith pulled a great number of men off the enemy's deck into the sea. at last he got a footing on their gunwale, dropped his hook, drew his sword, and soon cleared his way aft. ulf leaped after him, drove the men into the waist, and then the most of them were slain, and lay in heaps one upon another. after that it was not difficult to clear the poop. skialdvarsson defended it well, but he could not stand before ulf, who finally cut off his head, and so the ship was won. this vessel lay alongside that of king harald; and although the king was fully engaged with haldor at the time, he observed the conquest of skialdvarsson by ulf, and also perceived that ulf's men were crowding the side of the vessel, and throwing grappling-irons into his own ship with a view to board it; for there was a space between the ships a little too wide for men to leap. springing to the side, the king cut the grappling-irons with a sweep of his sword. "that was well tried," he said. "it shall be tried again," cried ulf, heaving another iron, which nearly struck the king, but harald's sword flashed through the air, and again the iron was cut. at that moment kettle flatnose stepped back a few paces, and with a mighty rush leaped right over the space in all his war gear, and alighted on the dragon's deck within a yard of the king. it was a tremendous leap, and so nearly beyond the compass of kettle's powers that he was scarcely able to retain his foothold, but stood for a moment on the edge of the vessel with shield and sword upheaved, as he staggered to regain his balance. thus exposed, he might have easily been slain; but the king, instead of using his sword, stepped forward, and with his left hand pushed the irishman overboard. the cheer which greeted his daring leap had scarcely ceased to ring when he fell heavily into the sea. "a goodly man, and a bold attempt," said the king, with a smile, as he turned to jarl rongvold. "'twould have been a pity to slay him outright. if he can swim he may yet live to fight another battle." "true, sire," replied the jarl, who was looking over the side at the place where kettle fell; "but methinks he has struck his head on an oar, and will never succeed in swimming towards a friendly hand." this indeed seemed to be true; for kettle lay with his arm over an oar, and his head hanging down in the water, like a dead man. yet there was life in him, for his fingers moved. ulf had witnessed all this, and was on the point of attempting to leap across to harald's ship when kettle fell. he paused, and, seeing that his comrade was apparently being drowned, at once dropped sword and shield, and sprang into the sea after him. at that moment a number of the king's boldest and best armed men observed that the two ships had drawn a little nearer to each other. in a moment they leaped across the intervening space, took their opponents by surprise, and quickly regained the ship. while this had been going on at the poop, the fight on the forecastle had raged with extreme fury, for haldor the fierce had gained a footing on the dragon's deck, and was engaged in mortal combat with hake the berserk, whom he was slowly but surely driving back. his son erling the bold, who observed what was going on, had run his cutter along the stern of his father's ship, and was hastening to his aid, when king harald became aware that his men were giving way, and rushed to their support. he went forward raging with anger, and as he ran he picked up a huge stone, which he hurled before him. haldor was at the moment in the act of fetching a deadly cut at hake, whom he had disarmed. the stone struck him full in the chest, and he fell backward just as erling reached his side. a great cheer arose at this time on the right; for there the wing of the southland men was broken, and everywhere king harald's men were victorious. "hold thou them in check, glumm," cried erling to his friend, as he quickly raised his father in his arms and bore him away to his cutter. glumm, who had followed his friend like his shadow, sprang forward and engaged hake, who had recovered his sword, and who found this new enemy little, if at all, less formidable than the other. erling placed his father carefully in the cutter. "here, thorer," he said, "do thou guard my father, and hold thyself and the carles in readiness to push off. the day is lost, i see. i go to slay the king, and will return presently." he leaped away as he spoke, and regained the foredeck of the dragon, where glumm and his men were still engaged with the berserkers, just as the king came to the front. the instant he saw erling he leaped upon him with a fierce shout, and shook back his shaggy flaxen locks as a lion might shake his mane. erling was not a whit behind him in anxiety to meet. he sprang upon him with a crashing blow of his great pole-axe, which rang loudly on the king's shield, but did him no hurt. they were a well-matched pair. harald was fully as stout, though not quite so tall as his opponent, whose fine silky hair was almost as bushy as that of the king, though neither so long nor so tangled. men drew back and stood aside when they heard the shock and shout of their onset, and suspended the fight around them, while they gazed on in silent awe. for a time it seemed doubtful which was the better man; for the king's blade whirled incessantly around his head like flashing light, and rang on erling's shield, which was ever upraised to meet it. at the same time the axe of our hero, if not so swift in its gyrations, was more tremendous in its action; more than once the king was seen to stagger beneath its thundering blows, and once he was beaten down on one knee. how long this might have lasted it is impossible to tell; but, seeing that the king was likely to get the worst of it, one of his men crept round by the outside of the ship, and coming suddenly up behind erling, put out his hand and caught him by the leg, causing him to stagger backwards, so that he fell overboard. in falling our hero caught the man by the throat, and both fell into the sea together. it was seen that erling dived with his foe and dragged him down as if to force him to perish along with him, and everyone looked for a few moments at the water, expecting to see them rise. glumm gazed among the rest; and he had leaped down into haldor's ship to be ready to lend a hand. but erling did not rise again. seeing this, glumm sprang up with sudden fury and dashed at the enemy, but by this time they had recovered from their surprise, and now poured into the ship in such overwhelming numbers that the men were driven back and slain, or they leaped overboard and trusted to escape by swimming. meanwhile erling the bold having choked off his antagonist, dived under his father's ship and came up at the stern of his own cutter, into which he speedily clambered by means of a rope which hung over the side. he found that his father was seated on the poop with his head resting on the gunwale, recovering consciousness slowly, and thorer was engaged in the difficult task of preventing the men from leaving the vessel to succour their comrades. "keep back, men," cried erling in a voice which none dared to disobey. "stay where ye are and get out the oars.--come, thorer, follow me with a stout man, and keep them back while i rescue glumm." he jumped into haldor's ship, and ran to the fore part of the poop, where glumm was fighting against overwhelming odds, with the blind desperation of a man who has resolved to sell his life as dearly as he can. thorer and a tall stout man followed him, and instantly assailed king harald's men with such fury that they gave back a little. at the same moment erling seized glumm by the neck; almost strangled him; dragged him violently to the stern, and half sprang, half tumbled with him into the cutter, where, despite his frantic struggles to rise, he held him down. "now, my brisk lads," shouted erling, who was gasping by this time, "come back and jump in! push off an ell or so. steady!" thorer and the other man heard the shout, and, turning at once, ran to the stern and leaped into the cutter, which was instantly thrust off, so that one or two of their opponents who ventured to jump after them were left floundering in the sea. by this time king harald's victory was complete. both wings had been beaten for some time, and now the centre had given way--only one or two of the more desperate leaders were still keeping up the fight. as erling rowed towards the shore he could see that all the loose vessels of the fleet were flying up the fiord, pursued by a few of the loose vessels of the enemy. but the greater part of both fleets being tied together, could take no part in the chase until they were cut asunder. "the day is lost, father," said erling, as he stood by the steering oar. "i know it, my son," replied haldor, who was now able to sit up and look about him; "norway is henceforth enthralled." he said this in a tone of such deep sadness that erling forbore to continue the subject. "they are cutting asunder the fleet," observed glumm, who had recovered self-possession, and stood looking back at the scene of the recent conflict; "surely some of them are trying to escape." as he spoke, one of the large vessels shot out from among the others, and rowed rapidly away. there was desperate fighting on board of it for a few minutes, and then a number of men were pushed or thrown overboard, and a loud cheer of victory arose. "well done, solve klofe!" cried erling with enthusiasm. "that is his shout. i should know it among a thousand. he at least is bent on being free!" several of harald's ships, which had been also cut loose, immediately gave chase, but solve's men pulled so well that they soon left them behind, and hoisting their sail to a light breeze which was blowing just off the mouth of the fiord, soon doubled the point and bore away to the south. "is that someone swimming in the water?" asked erling, pointing as he spoke to an object which moved forward among the debris of oars, portions of clothing, and wreck, which was floating about everywhere. one of the men at the bow oar stood up, and after a short glance, said that he thought it was a man. "look out on the starboard bow. mind your oars and be ready, someone, to lean over the waist and catch hold of him." as he spoke, the cutter ranged up to the object, which appeared to be the dishevelled and blood-bespattered head of a man. he suddenly gave vent to a wild shout--"come on, thou tyrant! down with ye, dog--huzza!" at the last shout a pair of arms were swung wildly in the air, and the next moment the man's voice was stifled in the water as he sank, while another head appeared beside him. "that is the voice of kettle flatnose, or his wraith," exclaimed erling; "pull gently, lads; hold water." "why, ulf, is it thou?" "truly," exclaimed ulf, grasping the extended hand of glumm, "i don't feel quite sure! haul gently, glumm. i've got kettle here. another hand or two. now then, heave together!" several stout men leaned over the side, and, acting in accordance with these instructions, hauled ulf and kettle out of the sea; the former in a state of great exhaustion, the latter almost dead, for his last dip had well-nigh choked him. "it has been a long swim," said ulf, sitting down and leaning languidly against the bulwarks, while glumm and haldor proceeded to chafe the irishman into a state of consciousness. "once or twice i sank under him, for he was very wild when he came to himself, after i got hold of him, and struggled to be up and fight the king; but i held him fast. yet methought once or twice," added ulf, with a smile, "that i had at last got into valhalla." a horn of ale refreshed ulf, and another of the same was shortly after given to kettle, by which his wandering faculties were soon restored. by this time they were drawing near the bay at ulfstede, and erling urged on the rowers, for they could see that harald's ships were now cast loose, and giving chase to those that endeavoured to escape, while several of the largest, including the dragon, made direct for the land. "our whole effort now," said haldor, "must be to rescue the women." "that will not be easy," observed ulf gloomily. "but it is not impossible," said erling with decision. "we shall have time to get into the woods, and so round to the cave. by the way, does anyone know aught of hakon of drontheim?" "he is dead," said glumm. "dead!" at that moment haldor started up with a wild exclamation, and pointed towards the spot on which his own dwelling stood, where, above the trees, there arose a cloud of dense black smoke. the truth was soon all too plain, for, on rounding the point which had hitherto concealed the bay from their view, several of the enemy's largest ships were seen with their bows on the shore. it was evident that part of the left wing of the enemy, which was first victorious, had, unobserved by them, made for the shore, and landed a large force of men, who had hastened to ulfstede, and, finding it deserted, had pushed on to haldorstede, which they had set on fire. "now indeed would death be welcome!" cried haldor, stamping fiercely on the deck, while every feature of his face blazed with wrath. we need scarcely say that the hearts of all had sunk within them, but erling said--"death would be unwelcome yet, father. the men, no doubt, are killed, but be sure they will not hurt the women while king harald is on his way to the stede. we may yet die in defending them, if we cannot save them." "true, my son," said haldor, clasping his hands, and looking upwards with a solemnity of expression that was in strong contrast with his recent burst of passion; "we may perchance save them, as thou sayest; but woe is me for poor alric!" "alric is safe, i am certain," said erling energetically, as he turned a meaning glance on glumm. "how knowest thou that?" asked haldor. erling hesitated to reply, not wishing to raise hopes that after all might prove to be fallacious. before the question could be repeated the cutter's keel grated on the sand of a small bay which was close to the large one, and concealed from it by a small rocky islet. here they all jumped ashore--all except kettle flatnose, who, on attempting to rise, found himself so weak that he fell down again, and nearly fainted. "this is bad," said erling. "but come, we have no time to waste. give me the chief command of our men, father; i have a plan in my head." "do as thou wilt," said haldor, with a strange mixture of despair, resignation, and ferocity in his tone. "come then, form up, men, and follow me!" so saying, erling lifted kettle in his arms, and hurried away with him as if he had been no heavier than a little boy! he led the way to the secret entrance to the cave, where, true as steel to his trust, little alric was found with a few men guarding the two warships of erling and glumm. chapter twenty three. the end of an old sea-king. haldor the fierce said nothing when he heard alric's blithe voice in the cavern, but he caught him up in his arms, and gave him a hug that almost made him cry out. "why, father, what ails thee?" asked the boy in surprise, when haldor set him free. "never mind, lad," interposed erling, "but lend a hand to keep kettle in order. he is a little wild just now, and as i intend to leave him in thy charge we must restrain him a bit. hand me that rope." the boy obeyed in silence, but with much wonder depicted on his face while erling lashed kettle's hands together, and, lifting him in a half-unconscious state into his ship, bound him in as comfortable a position as he could, to one of the rowers' banks. "now, alric, come aside with me, quick! i have only time for a few words. it is enough to tell thee that the day is lost. i go with our father and the men to save our mother and the other women, or to die. thou wilt stay here with a few men to guard the ships, and be ready to cast off at a moment's notice. if we return not before night, do thou creep out and try to ascertain what has become of us, and if ye have reason to think we are killed, cut kettle's bonds and let him do what he will, poor fellow. at present his head has got a knock that renders him a dangerous comrade, so he must remain tied. of course, if the cave is attacked thou wilt set him free at once. there is a little boat at the stern of my swan. escape if thou canst. but be watchful. we may return in a few hours. if so, all shall yet be well. dost understand me, boy?" "i do, but methinks ill luck awaits us." erling made no reply, but, kissing alric's forehead, he returned to his men, of whom there were about sixty, and led them out of the cave, leaving six with his little brother to guard the ships. while our hero is thus hastening to the rescue, let us turn aside for a little to follow the course of guttorm stoutheart. that brave old sea-king had escaped scathless throughout the whole of the disastrous day until near the end, when he received his death-wound from a javelin which pierced his thigh, and cut some important blood vessel, to stanch which defied the skill of his attendants. he immediately ordered his ship to be cut loose, and his was among the first to escape round the southern point of the fiord, just before the battle ended. at first the men pulled as if their lives depended on it. so great was their haste that they did not take time to throw their dead comrades overboard, but left them lying in a ghastly heap on the lower deck. when, however, they got round the next point, and found that no pursuit was made, they slackened speed and began to heave out the dead, when guttorm, who reclined near the helm, steering the vessel, ordered them to desist. "my men," said he, in a voice which had already lost much of its deep richness of tone, "we will land on the next point. my days are run out. i go to odin's halls, and i am glad, for it becomes not an old warrior to die in his bed, which i had begun to fear was going to be my fate; besides, now that norway is to be no longer a free land, it is time that the small kings should be going home. ye will carry me to the top of yonder headland cliff, and leave me where i can see the setting sun, and the fords and fells of my native land. would that my bones might have been burned, as those of my fathers were! but this may not be. ye can lay beside me the comrades who have gone before, and then push off and leave me with the dead." there was a low murmur among the men as they again dipped their oars, but not a word was spoken in reply. just as they reached the point a vessel came in sight behind them under sail. "too late!" muttered guttorm bitterly, as he looked back; "we are pursued, and must hold on." "not so," answered one of his chief men; "that is solve klofe's ship." "is that so?" cried guttorm, while the colour mounted to his pale cheek, and the fire shone in his old eyes; "then have i better luck than i had looked for. quick, get to land! the breeze that brings solve down will reach us soon. get out your arms, and go hail solve as he passes. ye shall sail with him to-night. i will hie me out upon the sea." he spoke somewhat like his former self for a moment, but soon his voice sank, for the life-blood was draining fast away. ere many minutes had passed, the breeze freshened into a squall of considerable force. it came off the land, and swept down the fiord, lashing its waters into seething waves. solve answered the hail of guttorm's men, and landed. "what news?" he asked: "there is but short space for converse." the men told him that old guttorm was dying in his ship. he walked up the plank that lay from the shore to the gunwale, and found the old warrior lying on the poop beside the helm, wrapped in his mantle, and giving directions to his men, who were piling brushwood on the deck. "this is an ill sight," said solve, with much feeling, as he knelt beside the dying chief, who received him with a smile, and held out his hand. "ha! solve, i am glad thou art here. my last battle has been fought, and it has been a good one, though we did get the tooth-ache. if it had only been a victory, i had recked little of this wound." "can nothing be done for thee?" asked solve. "perchance i may be able to stop the bleeding." guttorm shook his head, and pointed to the blood which had already flowed from him, and lay in a deep pool in the sides of the ship. "no, no, solve, my fighting days are over, and, as i have said, the last fight has been a good one! ye see what i am about, and understand how to carry out my will. go, relieve me of the trouble, and see that it is done well. i would rest now." solve pressed the hand of his friend in silence, and then went forward to assist actively in the preparations already referred to. the men heaped up the funeral pile round the mast, fastened the stern ropes to the shore, plied the dead upon the deck, and, when all was ready, hoisted sail. the squall had increased so that the mast bent, and the ship strained at her stern ropes like an impatient charger. then the men went on shore, and solve, turning to guttorm, bent over him, and spoke a few words in a low, earnest tone, but the old man's strength was almost gone. he could only utter the single word "farewell", and wave his hand as if he wished to be left alone. solve rose at once, and, applying a light to the pile, leaped ashore. next moment the cables were cut; the brushwood crackled with a fierce noise as the fire leaped up and the "ocean steed" bounded away over the dark blue sea. guttorm was still seated by the helm, his face pale as death, but with a placid smile on his mouth, and a strange, almost unearthly, fire in his eyes. the longship rushed over the waves with the foam dashing on her bows, a long white track in her wake, and a dense black cloud curling overhead. suddenly the cloud was rent by a fork of flame, which was as suddenly quenched, but again it burst upwards, and at last triumphed; shooting up into the sky with a mighty roar, while below there glowed a fierce fiery furnace, against which was strongly depicted the form of the grand old sea-king, still sitting motionless at the helm. swiftly the blazing craft dashed over the waves, getting more and more enveloped in smoke and flame. ere long it could be seen in the far distance, a rushing ball of fire. gradually it receded, becoming less and less, until at last it vanished, like a setting star, into the unknown waste of the great western sea. chapter twenty four. hopes and fears--the burning of haldorstede, and escape of the family. meanwhile the family at haldorstede had made a narrow escape, and some members of it were still in great peril. when hilda and ada were sent thither, with the females of ulfstede, under the charge of christian the hermit, as already related, they found dame herfrida and her maidens busily engaged in making preparations for a great feast. "i prithee," said dame astrid, in some surprise, "who are to be thy guests to-night?" "who should be," replied herfrida, with a smile, "but the stout fellows who back my husband in the fight to-day! among them thine own goodman, dame astrid, and his house-carles; for if no one is left at ulfstede there can be no supper there for them; and as the poor lads are likely to be well worn out, we must have something wherewith to cheer them." "but what if ill luck betide us?" suggested astrid. "ill luck never betides us," replied herfrida, with an expression of bland assurance on her handsome face. "besides, if it does, we shall be none the worse for having done our part." "_some_ people are always forecasting evil," muttered ingeborg, with a sour look, as she kneaded viciously a lump of dough which was destined to form cakes. "and some other people are always forecasting good," retorted ada, with a smile, "so that things are pretty well balanced after all. come now, ingeborg, don't be cross, but leave the dough, and let us go to thy room, for i want to have a little gossip with thee alone." ingeborg was fond of ada, and particularly fond of a little gossip, either public or private. she condescended, therefore, to smile, as it were under protest, and, rubbing the dough from her fingers, accompanied her friend to her chamber, while the others broke into several groups, and chatted more or less energetically as they worked, or idled about the house. "is there any fear of our men losing the day?" asked hilda of the hermit, who stood looking out of a window which commanded a view of the fiord, where the ships of the opposing fleets could be seen engaged in the battle, that had just begun. poor hilda asked the question with a look of perplexity in her face; for hitherto she had been so much accustomed to success attending the expeditions of her warlike father and friends, that she had never given much thought to the idea of defeat and its consequences. "it is not easy to answer that question," replied the hermit; "for the success or failure of thy father's host depends on many things with which i am not acquainted. if the forces on both sides are about equal in numbers, the chances are in his favour; for he is a mighty man of valour, as well as his son, and also thy father. besides, there are many of his men who are not far behind them in strength and courage; but they may be greatly outnumbered. if so, defeat is possible. i would say it is probable, did i not know that the ruler of events can, if he will, give victory to the weak and disaster to the strong. thy father deems his cause a righteous one--perhaps it is so." "well, then," said hilda, "will not god, who, you say, is just and good, give victory to the righteous cause?" "he may be pleased to do so; but he does not always do so. for his own good and wise ends he sometimes permits the righteous to suffer defeat, and wrongdoers to gain the victory. this only do i know for certain, that good shall come out of all things to his people, whether these things be grievous or joyful; for it is written, `all things work together for good to them that love god, to them that are the called, according to his purpose.' this is my consolation when i am surrounded by darkness which i cannot understand, and which seems all against me. that things often pass my understanding does not surprise me; for it is written, `his ways are wonderful--past finding out.'" "past finding out indeed!" said hilda thoughtfully. "would that i had faith like thine, christian; for it seems to enable thee to trust and rejoice in darkness as well as in sunshine." "thou mayst have it, daughter," answered the hermit earnestly, "if thou wilt condescend to ask it in the name of jesus; for it is written, `faith is the gift of god;' and again it is written, `whatsoever ye shall ask the father in my name, he will give it you.' one of our chief sins consists in our desire to produce, by means of our own will, that faith which god tells us we cannot attain to by striving after, but which he is willing to bestow as a free gift on those who ask." the conversation was interrupted here by the old house-carle finn the one-eyed, who said in passing that he was going down to the cliffs to see and hear what was doing, and would return ere long to report progress. for an hour after that, the people at haldorstede continued to watch the fight with intense interest; but although they could see the motion of the ships on the fiord, and could hear the shout of war, as it came floating down on the breeze like a faint murmur, the distance was too great to permit of their distinguishing the individual combatants, or observing the progress of the fight. that it was likely to go ill with their friends, however, was soon made known by finn, who returned in hot haste to warn them to prepare for flight. "be sure," said dame herfrida, "that there is no need to flee until haldor or erling come to tell us to get ready." "that may be so," said finn; "but if haldor and erling should chance to be slain, ill will it be for you if ye are not ready to fly." "now it seems to me," said dame astrid, who was of an anxious temperament, "that thou art too confident, herfrida. it would be wise at all events to get ready." "does anyone know where alric is?" asked ingeborg. as everyone professed ignorance on this point, his mother said that she had no doubt he was safe enough; for he was a bold little man, and quite able to take care of himself. "if he has had his own way," observed ivor the old, who came in at that moment, "he is in the fleet for he is a true chip of the old tree; but we are not like to see him again, methinks, for i have seen the fleet giving back on the right wing, and hasted hither to tell ye." this report had the effect of shaking herfrida's confidence to the extent of inducing her to give up her preparations for the feast, and assist the others in making arrangements for a hasty flight with such household valuables as could be easily carried about the person. some time after they had begun this work, a young man, who was a cripple, and therefore a non-combatant, hobbled into the hall, and announced the fact that haldor's fleet was routed everywhere, and fleeing. he had seen it from the cliff behind the stede, and indeed it could partly be seen from the hall window. "now," cried finn the one-eyed bitterly, "all is lost, and i must carry out erling's last instructions. he told me, if the fight went against us, and the king's men gained the day, i was to lead ye down by the forest path to the cave behind ulfstede, where there is a ship big enough to carry the whole household. if alive, he and his friends are to meet us there. come, we must make haste; some of the ships are already on the beach, and if they be the king's men we shall soon see them here." everyone was now so thoroughly convinced of their desperate case that without reply each went to complete arrangements as fast as possible. "wilt thou go with us?" said finn to the hermit, when all were assembled in front of the house at the edge of the forest. "i will, since god seems to order it so," said the hermit; "but first i go to my hut for the rolls of the book. as ye have to pass the bottom of the cliff on which my dwelling is perched, i will easily overtake you." "let us go with him," said hilda to ada. "there is a roll in the hut which erling and i have been trying to copy; christian may not be able to find it, as i hid it carefully away--and," she continued, blushing slightly, "i should not like to lose it." "you had better go with _us_," said finn gravely. "we will do what seems best to ourselves," replied ada; "go on, christian, we follow." the hermit advised the girls to go with finn, but as they were self-willed he was fain to conduct them up the steep and narrow path that led to his hut upon the cliff, while finn put himself at the head of a sad band of women, children, and aged retainers, who could advance but slowly along the rugged and intricate path which he thought it necessary to take through the forest. not twenty minutes after they had left haldorstede the first band of king harald's men came rushing up the banks of the river, enraged at having found ulfstede deserted, and thirsting for plunder. they ran tumultuously into the house, sword in hand, and a yell of disappointment followed when they discovered that the inmates had fled. there is no doubt that they would have rushed out again and searched the woods, had not the feast which herfrida had been preparing proved too attractive. the cold salmon and huge tankards of ale proved irresistible to the tired and thirsty warriors, who forthwith put the goblets to their bearded lips and quaffed the generous fluid so deeply that in a short time many of them were reeling, and one, who seemed to be more full of mischief than his fellows, set the house on fire by way of a joke. it was the smoke which arose after the perpetration of this wanton act that had attracted the attention of haldor and his friends, when they were making for the shore after the battle. of course the hermit and the two girls heard the shouts of the marauders, and knew that it was now too late to escape along with the baud under finn, for the only practicable path by which they could join them passed in full view of haldorstede, and it was so hemmed in by a precipice that there was no other way of getting into the wood--at least without the certainty of being seen. their retreat up the river was also cut off, for the hermit, in selecting the spot for his dwelling, had chosen a path which ascended along the rugged face of a precipice, so that, with a precipice above and another below, it was not possible to get to the bank of the river without returning on their track. there was no alternative, therefore, but to ascend to the hut, and there wait patiently until the shades of night should favour their escape. finn pushed on as fast as was possible with a band in which there were so many almost helpless ones. he carried one of the youngest children in his arms, and ivor the old brought up the rear with a very old woman leaning on his arm. they were a long time in descending the valley, for the route finn had chosen was circuitous, and the first part of it was extremely trying to the cripples, running as it did over a somewhat high spur of the mountain which extended down from the main ridge to the river. gradually, however, they drew near to the coast, and finn was in the act of encouraging them with the assurance that they had now only a short way to go, when the hearts of all sank within them at the sight of a band of armed men who suddenly made their appearance in their path. the wail of despair which burst from some of them at sight of these, was, however, changed into an exclamation of joy when four of the band ran hastily towards them, and were recognised to be haldor, erling, ulf, and glumm! "now thanks be to the gods," said haldor, stooping to print a kiss on his wife's lips. "but--but--where are hilda and ada?" erling and glumm, glancing quickly round the group with looks of intense disappointment and alarm, had already put this question to finn, who explained the cause of their absence. "now this is the worst luck of all," cried glumm, grinding his teeth together in passion, and looking at finn with a dark scowl. erling did not speak for a few minutes, but his heaving chest and dilated nostrils told of the storm that raged within him. "art thou sure they went to the hermit's hut?" asked ulf in a stern voice. "quite sure," replied finn. "i cautioned them not to go, but--" "enough," cried erling. "father, wilt thou go back to the cave with the women, and a few of the men to guard them?" "i will, my son, and then will i rejoin thee." "that do, an it please thee. it matters little. death must come sooner or later to all.--come, men, we will now teach this tyrant that though he may conquer our bodies he cannot subdue our spirits. up! and if we fail to rescue the girls, everlasting disgrace be to him who leaves this vale alive!" haldor had already selected a small detachment of men, and turned back with the women and others, while erling and his men went on as fast as they could run. a short time sufficed to bring them to the edge of the wood near haldorstede. the old place was now a smoking ruin, with swarms of men around it, most of whom were busily engaged in trying to put out the fire, and save as much as possible from its fury. the man who had kindled it had already paid dearly for his jest with his life. his body was seen swinging to the limb of a neighbouring tree. harald fairhair himself, having just arrived, was directing operations. there were by that time one or two thousand of the king's men on the ground, while others were arriving every moment in troops--all bloodstained, and covered with marks of the recent conflict--and erling saw at once he had no chance whatever of accomplishing his aim by an open attack with only fifty men. he therefore led his force silently by a path that he well knew to an adjacent cliff, over the edge of which they could see all that went on below, while they were themselves well concealed. here the three leaders held a consultation. "what dost thou advise, ulf?" asked erling. "_my_ advice," interposed glumm fiercely, "is that we should make a sudden assault without delay, kill the king, and then sell our lives dearly." "and thus," observed ulf, with something like a sneer, "leave the girls without protectors, and without a chance of deliverance. no," he continued, turning to our hero, "my advice is to wait here as patiently as we can until we ascertain where the girls are. few, perhaps none, of our men are known to harald's men; one of them we can send down to mingle with the enemy as a spy. whatever we do must be done cautiously, for the sake of the girls." "that is good advice," said a voice behind them, which was that of the hermit, who had crept towards them on his hands and knees. "why, christian, whence comest thou?" said ulf. "from my own hut," replied the hermit, raising himself, "where i have just left hilda and ada safe and well. we had deemed ourselves prisoners there till night should set us free; but necessity sharpens the wit even of an old man, and i have discovered a path through the woods, which, although difficult, may be traversed without much chance of our being seen, if done carefully. i have just passed along it in safety, and was on the point of returning to the hut when i came upon you here." "lead us to them at once," cried glumm, starting up. "nay," said the hermit, laying his hand on the youth's arm, "restrain thine ardour. it would be easier to bring the girls hither, than to lead a band of armed men by that path without their being discovered. if ye will take the advice of one who was a warrior in his youth, there is some hope that, god permitting, we may all escape. ye know the crow cliff? well, the small boat is lying there. it is well known that men dare not swim down the rapid, unless they are acquainted with the run of the water and the formation of the rock. thy men know it well, the king's men know it not. with a boat the maidens may descend in safety. the men can leap into the river and escape before the enemy could come at them by the hill road." "excellently planned," exclaimed erling in an eager tone; "but, hermit, how dost thou propose to fetch the maidens hither?" "by going and conducting them. there is much risk, no doubt, but their case is desperate, for their retreat is certain to be discovered." "away then," said ulf, "minutes are precious. we will await thee here, and, at the worst, if they should be captured, we can but die in attempting their rescue." without uttering another word the hermit rose, re-entered the underwood, sank down on his hands and knees, and disappeared with a cat-like quietness that had been worthy of one of the red warriors of america. chapter twenty five. in which is described a desperate attempt at rescue, a bold leap for freedom, and a triumphant escape. the crow cliff, to which christian had referred, was a high precipitous rock that jutted out into the river just below haldorstede. it was the termination of the high ridge on the face of which erling had posted his men, and could be easily reached from the spot where they lay concealed, as well as from the stede itself, but there was no possibility of passing down the river in that direction by land, owing to the precipitous nature of the ground. the ordinary path down the valley, which elsewhere followed the curvatures of the river, made at this point a wide detour into the woods, went in a zigzag form up the steep ascent of the ridge, descended similarly on the other side, and did not rejoin the river for nearly half a mile below. the waters were so pent up by the crow cliff that they rushed along its base in a furious rapid, which, a hundred yards down, descended in a perpendicular fall of about fifteen feet in depth. the descent of this rapid by a boat was quite possible, for there was a little bay at the lower end of crow cliff, just above the foss, into which it could be steered by a dexterous rower; but this mode of descent was attended with the imminent risk of being swept over the fall and dashed to pieces, so that none except the daring young spirits of the glen ever attempted it, while all the rest were content to cross the ridge by the longer and more laborious, but safe, path which we have just described. to descend this rapid by swimming was one of the feats which the youths of the place delighted to venture, and often had erling and glumm dared it together, while not a few of their companions had lost their lives in the attempt. a few words from erling gave the men to understand what was expected of them. it was arranged that while he, ulf, glumm, and the hermit should put the girls into the little boat and guide them down the rapid, the men were to leap into the water and swim down. all were to land in the little bay, and then make for the cave on the coast in a body, and fight their way thither, if need be; but it was believed there would be no occasion for that, because before the plan was carried out most of the king's men would probably be assembled above the crow cliff at the stede. a few who could not swim were sent off at once by the track to warn haldor. all these well-laid plans, however, were suddenly frustrated, for, while erling was still consulting with ulf and glumm as to details, and peeping through the underwood, they beheld a sight which caused their hearts almost to stand still. from the elevated spot where they lay they could see the hermit advancing rapidly towards them in a crouching attitude, closely followed by the maidens, while at the same time there advanced from the stede a large band of men under a chief, who was evidently commissioned to execute some order of the king. erling and his friends could clearly see these two parties unwittingly approaching each other, at right angles, each making for a point where the two paths crossed, and where they were certain to meet. they could see their friends quietly but swiftly gliding towards the very fate they sought to avoid, and experienced all the agony of being unable to give a shout of warning, or to prevent the foe from capturing them; for, even if there had been time to rush upon them before the meeting, which there was not, erling by so doing would have been obliged to place the whole of harald's host between him and the boat at crow cliff. this consideration, however, would not have deterred him, but another idea had flashed upon his mind. what that was shall be seen presently. before the two parties met, the ears of the hermit, albeit somewhat dulled by age, became aware of the tramp of armed men, and at once he drew the girls hastily aside into the bushes; but the bushes at that part happened to be not very thick, and part of ada's dress, which was a gay one with a good deal of scarlet about it, caught the attention of a sharp-eyed warrior. the man uttered a shout and sprang towards them; several others joined in the pursuit, a loud scream from one of the girls was heard, and next moment the fugitives were captured! "up and at them!" cried glumm, endeavouring to rise, but he found himself pinned to the earth by erling's powerful arms. "stay, glumm, be quiet, i beseech thee," entreated erling, as his comrade struggled violently but fruitlessly to escape from his powerful embrace.--"do listen, ulf; ye will spoil all by inconsiderate haste. i have a plan: listen--these men are not devils, but norsemen, and will not hurt the girls; they will take them before the king. hear me, and they shall yet be rescued!" while the power of erling's muscles restrained glumm, the deep-toned impassioned earnestness of his voice held back ulf, who had leaped up and drawn his sword; but it was with evident reluctance that he paused and listened. "now hear me," cried erling; "i and glumm will go down and mingle with harald's men. our faces are doubtless not known to any of them; besides, we are so bespattered with the blood and dust of battle that even friends might fail to recognise us. we will go boldly about among the men, and keep near to the girls until a fitting opportunity offers, when we will seize them and bear them off. this will not be so difficult as ye may think." "difficult!" cried glumm, grinding his teeth; "i think nothing difficult except sitting still!" "because," continued erling, "the king's men will be taken by surprise, and we shall be through the most of them before they are aware that there is need to draw their blades. but (and on this everything will depend) thou must be ready, ulf, with all the men, to rush, in the twinkling of an eye, to our aid, the moment my shout is heard, for, if this be not done, we cannot fail to be overpowered by numbers. if thou dost but keep them well in play while we make for the boat, and then follow and leap into the river, we shall all escape." "come along, then," cried glumm, in desperate impatience. "does the plan like thee, ulf?" asked erling. "not much," he replied, shaking his head, "but it is the only chance left, so get thee gone. i will not fail thee in the moment of need-- away! see, the girls are already being led before the king." erling and glumm instantly pulled their helmets well down on their brows, wrapped their mantles round them so as to conceal their figures as much as possible, then entered the wood and disappeared. meanwhile, on the open space in front of haldor's ruined dwelling, king harald haarfager stood surrounded by his court men. he was still bespattered with the blood and dust of battle, and furiously angry at the escape of haldor and the burning of the stede. his gilt helmet restrained the exuberance of his shaggy locks, and he stood on the top of a slight elevation or mound, from the base of which his men extended in a dense ring in front of him, eager to ascertain who it was that had been so unexpectedly captured. erling and glumm mingled with the crowd unnoticed, for so many of the men assembled there had been collected from various districts, that, to each, strange faces were the rule instead of the exception. when the girls were led into the ring there was a murmur of admiration, and many complimentary remarks were made about them. the old hermit was dragged in after them, and excited a little attention for a few moments. he had experienced rough handling from his captors. his grey hair was dishevelled and his face bloodstained, for, although he had offered no resistance, some of the men who seized him were so much out of humour in consequence of the burning of the stede and the escape of its inmates, that they were glad to vent their anger on anyone. "good-looking girls, both of them," remarked the king to jarl rongvold, as they were being led forward.--"who are ye?" he added, addressing them. ada looked round on the circle of men with a frightened glance, and cast down her eyes, but did not reply, while hilda raised her eyes timidly to the king's face, but lacked courage to speak. "come," said the king sternly, "let us have no false modesty. ye are before norway's king, therefore speak, and to the point. who art thou?" he addressed himself to hilda, who replied-- "i am hilda, daughter of ulf of romsdal." "and thou?" he added, turning to her companion. "my name is ada. my father is hakon of drontheim." "ha!" exclaimed the king, with a bitter smile. "is it so? thy father has met his desert, then, for he now lies at the bottom of the fiord." ada turned deadly pale, but made no reply. "know ye where haldor the fierce is, and his insolent son erling?" asked the king. hilda flushed at this, and answered with some spirit that she did not know, and that if she did she would not tell. "of course not," said the king; "i might have guessed as much, and do but waste my time with ye.--stand aside--bring forward yonder fellow." the hermit was immediately led forward. "who art thou?" asked the king. "an old wanderer on the face of the earth," replied christian. "that is easily seen," answered the king; "but not too old, it would seem, to do a little mischief when the chance falls in thy way." "methinks, sire," whispered jarl rongvold, "that this fellow is one of those strange madmen who have taken up with that new religion, which i do not profess to understand." "sayest thou so?" exclaimed harald, "then will i test him.--ho! fetch me a piece of horse flesh." a piece of horse flesh was brought without delay, for some that had been sacrificed in the drontheim temple had been packed up and carried off among other provisions when the expedition set forth. "here, old man, eat thou a portion of that," said harald, holding the flesh towards him. "i may not eat what has been sacrificed to idols," said the hermit. "ho! ho! then thou art not a worshipper of odin? say, dog, what art thou?" "i am a follower of the lord jesus christ. he is my saviour. to him i live, and for him i can die." "can he save you from _me_?" demanded harald. "he can," answered the hermit earnestly, "and will save you too, king harald, from your sins, and all who now hear me, if they will but turn to him." "now will i test him," said the king. "stand forth, hake of hadeland, and hew me the old man's head from his body." "spare him! o spare him!" cried hilda, throwing herself suddenly between hake and his victim, who stood with the resigned air of a man who had made up his mind to die. "he has twice saved _my_ life, and has never done you evil in thought or deed." "stand aside, my pretty maid. nay, then, if thou wilt not, i must grant thy request; but it is upon one condition: that this saviour shall either come himself or send a champion to deliver the old man.--come," he added, turning fiercely to the hermit, "pray that thy god shall send thee a champion now, for if he does not, as i live thou shalt die." "i may not pray at thy bidding," said the hermit calmly; "besides, it needs not that i should, because i have already prayed--before dawn this morning--that he would grant me his blessing in the form that seemed best to himself." "and hast thou got it?" "i have--in that i possess a quiet spirit, and do not fear to die, now that his time has come." "'tis something this, i admit," returned the king; "yet methinks 'tis but a poor blessing, after all, with death as the end of it." "death is not the end of it," said the hermit, with a kindling eye, "for after death is everlasting joy and glory with the lord. besides, king harald, which were better, think you: to die with a willing spirit and bright hope, or to live full of restless ambition, disappointment, and rage, even although victorious and king of norway?" the king's countenance grew livid with anger as he turned to the berserk and said, in a voice of suppressed passion--"go forward, hake, and slay him!" "now--the time has come," whispered erling to glumm. "get as near to ada as thou canst; for the rest, may christian's god be with us!" as he spoke he sprang into the circle, sword in hand, and stood suddenly between the astonished hake and the hermit. there was a loud murmur of amazement at this unexpected apparition, and not a few of the spectators were awestricken, supposing that this was actually a champion sent from the spirit world. "harald," cried erling, for the berserk had shrunk back dismayed, "i do now accept the challenge, and come here to champion the old man." at the sound of his voice the king's face lighted up with intelligence. "ha!" he exclaimed suddenly; "has the old man's god sent erling the bold?" "truly i think he has," replied erling; "at all events it was not for this purpose that i came hither to-day. but now that i have come, and of mine own free will put myself in thy power, i claim the right to do battle for my old friend with thy stoutest man--so set him forth, king harald." "what sayest thou, hake?" said the king, turning to his berserk with a smile; "art willing to join issue with the bold one?--bold enough, truly, and insolent as well." hake, who had recovered his self-possession the instant he recognised erling's voice, and who was by no means wanting in courage, suddenly uttered one of his terrible roars, and rushed upon erling like a thunderbolt. our hero was too well accustomed to the ways of his class to be caught off his guard. although hake rained blows upon him so fast that it was almost impossible for the spectators to follow the motions of his flashing sword, erling received them all on his shield, or parried them with his short sword--which, as being more manageable in a _melee_, he had selected for his present enterprise. the instant, however, that the berserk's furious onset began to slacken, erling fetched him such a tremendous cut on the sword that the weapon was broken close off at the hilt. disdaining to slay an unarmed foe, he leaped upon the berserk, and struck him a blow with the hilt of his sword, which drove the casque down upon his head and stretched him flat upon the sward. without waiting an instant erling flung down his shield and walked to the place where hilda stood, took her by the hand, and whispered, "courage! come with me and thou shalt be saved." at the same moment glumm stepped to ada's side, and took her right hand in his left. no sword was drawn, for glumm had not drawn his, and no one present had the faintest idea of what the young men intended to attempt. indeed, they were all so amazed at the sudden termination of the fight, that the men of the inner part of the ring actually stood aside to let them pass, before the king had time to shout:-- "seize them!" in other circumstances, at harald's word a thousand swords would have been drawn, and the doom of erling and his friends at once been sealed; but the natural ferocity of the tyrant's followers had been spellbound, and for the time paralysed by the calm bearing of old christian and the prowess of his champion, whose opportune appearance had all the effect of a supernatural interposition, as it might well be deemed: and it will be readily believed that our hero and glumm did not fail to use the advantage thus offered. leading those whom they had come to rescue, and closely followed by the hermit, they passed completely through the circle of men. but at the repetition, in a voice of thunder, of the royal mandate, some hundreds of the king's men surrounded them, and, notwithstanding their wondrous strength and skill, they were being gradually overpowered by numbers, when suddenly a tremendous shout was heard, and next moment ulf with his fifty men in battle array rushed out of the forest. king harald endeavoured hastily to draw up his men in something like order. hearing the cry in rear, the men in front of erling and glumm fell aside, so that they quickly cut down those who still stood in their way, and ran towards their friends, who opened their ranks to let them pass--then reclosed, and fell upon the king's men with incredible fury. although outnumbered by at least twenty to one, the disparity did not at first tell against them, owing to the confusion in the enemy's ranks, and the confined space of ground on which they fought. they were thus enabled to act with great vigour, and, being animated by the spirit of desperate men, they actually for some time kept driving back the king's forces. but the continual assault of fresh foes began to tell, and several of ulf's men had already fallen, when erling's voice was heard ringing high above the din of battle. instantly every man turned on his heel and fled towards the river madly pursued by the whole of the king's host. by this time erling and glumm had got the girls into the boat, and steered them safely down the rapid into the little bay, where they waited for their companions as patiently as they could. meanwhile ulf's men reached the foot of the crow cliff and one by one sprang into the boiling rapid. ulf was among the first there, but he stayed to see them all pass. before the last could do so their enemies were upon them, but ulf kept them at bay for a few moments; and when the last of his men took the water he retreated fighting, and leaped backwards into the flood. one or two of the king's men followed, but they failed to catch him, were carried down stream, and, being ignorant of the dangers of the place, were swept over the foss and killed. most of the host, however, turned suddenly, and set off at full speed to cross the ridge and pursue their enemies, by the path to which we have already referred. before they had crossed it, erling and his men were far on their way down the valley; and when the pursuers reached the coast there was no sign of the fugitives anywhere. on reaching the cave erling found that his father had got everything in readiness to start; so, assembling the people together without delay, he divided them into two bands, one of which he sent into the swan, the other into glumm's vessel, the crane. haldor also went in the swan, along with ulf of romsdal, thorer the thick, kettle flatnose, alric, and the hermit, besides dames herfrida and astrid, and the widow gunhild, ingeborg, and all haldor's younger children. with glumm there were also several women besides ada. ivor the old and finn the one-eyed also went with him; but most of the old and crippled hangers-on of both families, as well as glumm's mother, were taken by erling into the swan, as the accommodation there was better than on board the crane. "now, glumm," said erling, when all were on board, "we must say farewell to norway. keep close in my wake. if they give chase we will do our best to escape, but if that may not be, we will fight and fall together." the friends shook hands; then, each getting into his ship, the stern ropes were cast off, the oars were dipped, and they shot out upon the blue fiord, which the sinking sun had left in a solemn subdued light, although his beams still glowed brightly on the snow-clad mountain peaks. they had proceeded some distance down the fiord before their pursuers observed them. then a mighty shout told that they were discovered; and the grinding of the heavy ships' keels was distinctly heard upon the shore, as they were pushed off into deep water. immediately after, the splash of hundreds of oars warned them to make haste. "pull, my lads,--pull with heart," cried erling; "and let these slaves see how freemen can make their ocean steeds leap across the sea! pull! i see a breeze just off the mouth of the fiord. if we reach that, we may laugh at the tyrant king." "what may yonder line on the water be?" said haldor, with an anxious look, as he pointed towards the mouth of the fiord. erling caught his breath, and the blood rushed to his temples as he gazed for a moment in silence. "'tis a boom," cried kettle, who had recovered by this time, and who now leaped towards the fore deck with terrible energy. "all is lost!" exclaimed ulf, in a tone of bitterness which words cannot express. "are ye sure it is a boom?" cried erling quickly. everyone looked with intense earnestness at the black line that stretched completely across the mouth of the fiord, and each gave it as his opinion that it was a boom. there could not indeed be any doubt on the point. king harald's berserk, although somewhat tardy, had fulfilled his orders but too well; and now a succession of huge logs, or tree trunks, joined together by thick iron chains, completely barred their progress seaward. "surely we can burst through," suggested kettle, returning to the poop, his huge frame quivering with contending emotions. "impossible," said haldor; "i have tried it before, and failed. of course we must make the attempt, but i have no hope except in this," he added, touching his sword, "and not much in that either, _now_." "but i have tried it before, and did not fail, and i'll try it again," cried erling heartily. "come aft, men, quick, all of ye; every man except the rowers. women, children, and cripples, get ye into the waist. the stoutest men to the oars--jump!" these orders were obeyed at once. all the best men in the ship seized the oars, erling himself, kettle, and haldor setting the example, while thorer took the helm, and, hailing glumm, bade him do as they did. the effect of this was that the stern of the swan was so weighed down with the weight of people on the poop, that her bows and a third of her keel were raised high out of the water, while the men, straining with every fibre of their muscles at the oars, sent her careering forward with trebled speed, and the foam rolled in milky billows in her wake. "when i give the word `forward,'" cried erling, "leap like lightning, all of ye, to the fore deck." the pursuers, elated by this time with the certainty of success, pulled also with unwonted energy. when the swan came within about twenty yards of the boom, which floated almost on a level with the water, thorer gave the word-- "one stroke for freedom!" "ho! ho!" shouted erling and haldor, straining until their oars cracked again. the foam hissed from the blades, and the swan rushed as if she had been suddenly endued with true vitality. next moment she stuck fast--with the boom amidships beneath her! "forward!" shouted erling. all the unengaged men sprang instantly to the forecastle, and their weight sank it slowly down, but it seemed inclined for a moment to remain balanced on the boom. hereupon the men at the oars jumped up and also ran forward. the bow dipped at once, the good ship slid over with a plunge, and glided out upon the sea! a great shout or yell told that this had been noticed by their foes, who still rowed madly after them; but heedless of this, erling backed water and waited for glumm, who had made similar preparations, and was now close on the boom. his vessel went fairly on, and stuck halfway, as the other had done; but when she was balanced and about to turn over, there was a terrible rending sound in the hull, then a crash, and the crane broke in two, throwing half of her crew into the sea on the inner side of the boom, and the other half outside. well was it for them all then that the swan had waited! she was at once backed towards the scene of disaster, and as many as possible were picked up. among the rescued was glumm, with ada in his arms. but many were drowned, and a few stuck to the boom, refusing to let go, or to make any attempt to reach the swan. erling knew, however, that these were sure to be picked up by the king's ships, so he once more ordered the rowers to give way, and the vessel sprang forth on her voyage some time before the pursuers reached the boom. when these did so, most of them attempted to leap it as the fugitives had done--for none of the norsemen there lacked spirit. some, however, failed to get on to it at all, others got on a short way and stuck fast, while two or three ships broke their backs, as glumm's had done, and threw their crews into the water--but not one got over. the men then leaped on the boom, and the sound of axes was heard as they laboured to cut it through, or to dash away its iron fastenings. it was, however, a thoroughly well-executed piece of work, and for a long time resisted their utmost efforts. when at length it did give way, and the king's ships passed through, the swan was beyond pursuit--far away on the horizon, with all sail set, and running before a stiff breeze, while the shades of evening were closing in around her! that night there was silence in the norsemen's little ship as she ploughed her adventurous course over the northern sea, for the thoughts of all were very sad at being thus rudely driven from their native land to seek a home where best they might in the wide world. yet in the hearts of some of them there was also much happiness. hilda's sanguine mind pictured many sweet and peaceful abodes, far from the haunts of warlike men. alric was happy, because he was beginning, as he fondly hoped, a life of wild adventure. so was kettle flatnose, for he was now sailing westward, and he knew that ireland was somewhere in that direction. but glumm the gruff was perhaps the happiest of all on board, for, besides the delight of having at last got possession of his bride, he enjoyed, for the first time in his life, the pleasure of comforting a woman in distress! ada's wild spirit was--we dare not say eradicated, but--thoroughly subdued at last. when she thought of her father she laid her head on glumm's broad chest and wept bitterly. thus did those sea-kings sail away from and forsake the land of norway. on their voyage westward they fell in with many ships from other quarters containing countrymen, sea-kings and vikings like themselves, who had also left their native land to seek new homes in shetland, orkney, and the other isles north of scotland, rather than submit to the yoke of harald haarfager. they joined company with these, and all sailed westward together. among them was a man named frode, who was celebrated for daring and wisdom, especially for his knowledge of the stars, and his power of navigating the unknown ocean of the west. to this man was assigned the direction of the fleet, and all submitted to his guidance; but the sea-kings invariably assembled together in council when it was intended to decide, what they should do or to what part of the world they should steer. "my advice is," said kettle flatnose, the first time they assembled thus in council, "that we steer first to ireland, where i can promise ye all a hearty welcome, for it is well known that the irish are a hospitable people, and my father is a great man there." "i fall in with that," said glumm, glancing at ada, whose eyes had now become his guiding stars! "the advice is good," said erling, "for, wherever we may finally come to an anchor, we will be none the worse of getting some provisions on the way." as haldor, ulf, frode, and all the rest were of one mind on this point, the ships were steered to ireland; and when they reached that country they put ashore in a small bay not far from dublin, where was a log hut. to this kettle went up with erling and glumm, and asked the man of the house how things were going on in ireland. "as ill as can be in this district," said the man; "there is nothing but vengeance in the hearts of the people." "that is a bad state," said kettle, with a look of anxiety; "what may be the cause of discontent? is the old king hard on ye?" "thou must have been long away to ask that. the old king is dead," said the man. at this kettle uttered a great and bitter cry; but, restraining himself, asked eagerly if the old queen were alive. the man replied that she was. then kettle asked how the king met his death. with a dark frown the man replied that haabrok the black had murdered him and seized the throne. on hearing this kettle became pale, but was very calm, and listened attentively while the man went on to say that haabrok was such a tyrant that the whole district was ready to start up as one man and dethrone him, if they had only someone who was fit to lead them. "that they shall not long want for," said kettle. after some more earnest conversation he turned away, and went down to the shore. "now, erling and glumm," said he, "we must do a little fighting before i can offer ye the hospitality i spoke of. will ye aid me in a venture i have in my mind?" "that will we," they replied heartily. kettle thereupon explained his views, and said that he had learned from the man that his wife was still alive and well, but in the hands of the king of the district, who was a regicide and a tyrant. it was then arranged that the swan should be rowed quietly up towards the town, and the men landed in the night at a spot where they could be ready to answer the summons of kettle, erling, glumm, and ulf, who were to go up unattended to the king's house in dublin, with no other arms than their short swords. on drawing near, these four found the hall of the king's house brilliantly lighted, for great festivities were going on there. no one interfered with them, because none guessed that so small a party would dare to go up half-armed for any other than peaceful purposes. they therefore went through the streets unmolested, and easily passed the guards, because kettle plied them with a good deal of that which has since come to be known by the name of "blarney." when they got into the hall, kettle went straight up to the high seat or throne on which haabrok the black was seated. "ye are presumptuous knaves," said the tyrant, eyeing the strangers sternly; "is it thus that ye have been taught to approach the king? what is your errand?" "for the matter of that, thou well-named villain," said kettle, "our errand will but add to our presumption, for we have come to slay thee." with that kettle whipped out his sword and cut off haabrok's head, so that it went rolling over the floor, while the body fell back and spouted blood all over the horrified court men! instantly every man drew his sword; but erling, ulf, and glumm leaped on the low platform of the throne, and presented such a bold front, that the bravest men there hesitated to attack them. at the same moment kettle raised his sword and shouted, "if there be yet a true man in this hall who loves his country and reveres the memory of the good old king whom this dead dog slew, let him come hither. it is the voice of the king's son that calls!" "sure, 'tis kettle; i'd know his red head anywhere!" exclaimed a shrivelled old woman near the throne. "aye, nurse, it is kettle himself--come back again," he said, glancing towards the old woman with a kindly smile. a ringing cheer burst from the crowd and filled the hall; again and again it rose, as nearly all the men present rushed round the throne and waved their swords frantically over their heads, or strove to shake hands with the son of their old king. in the midst of the tumult a wild shriek was heard; and the crowd, opening up, allowed a beautiful dark-eyed woman to rush towards kettle, with a stalwart boy of about five years of age clinging to her skirts. we need scarcely pause to say who these were, nor who the handsome matron was who afterwards went and clung round kettle's neck, and heaped fervent blessings on the head of her long-lost son. it is sufficient to say that the feast of that night was not interrupted; that, on the contrary, it was prolonged into the morning, and extended into every loyal home in the city; and that kettle flatnose entertained his norse friends right royally for several days, after which he sent them away laden with gifts and benedictions. they did not quit ireland, however, until they had seen him happily and securely seated on the throne of dublin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ sailing northward, the fleet touched at the orkney and shetland islands, where they found that a number of the expatriated sea-kings had comfortably settled themselves. here some of haldor's people would fain have remained, but frode, who was a man of enterprise, resolved to penetrate farther into the great unknown sea, to lands which rumour said did certainly exist there. accordingly they left shetland, and went on until they came to the faroe islands. here they thought of settling, but on landing they found that a few of the sea-kings had taken up their abode there before them. "now," said frode, "it is my great desire to break new ground. shall we go and search farther to the west for that new island which has been lately discovered by ingoll?" to this haldor and ulf said they were agreed. hilda plucked erling by the sleeve, and whispered in his ear, after which he said that he too was agreed. glumm glanced at ada, who, with a little blush and smile, nodded. a nod was as good as a word to glumm, so he also said he was agreed, and as no one else made objection, the ships' prows were again turned towards the setting sun. north-westward they sailed over the world of waters, until they came one fine morning in sight of land. as they drew near they saw that it was very beautiful, consisting partly of snow-capped mountains, with green fertile valleys here and there, and streams flowing through them. they ran the vessels into a bay and landed, and the country looked so peaceful, and withal so desirable, that it was at once resolved they should make this place their abode. accordingly, while most of the men set themselves to work to land the goods, put up the tents, and make the women and children comfortable, a select band, well armed, prepared to go on an expedition into the country, to ascertain whether or not it was inhabited. before these set out, however, christian the hermit stood up on a rising ground, and, raising his eyes and hands to heaven, prayed for god's blessing on their enterprise. thereafter plots of land were marked out, houses were built, "things" were held, a regular government was established, and the island--for such it proved to be--was regularly taken possession of. the exploring party found that this was indeed the island which they were in search of. it had been discovered about the middle of the ninth century, and a settlement had been made on it by ingoll in the year ; but the band of immigrants under frode and haldor was by far the most important that had landed on it up to that time. in this manner, and under these circumstances, was iceland colonised by expatriated norsemen about the beginning of the tenth century! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ good reader, our tale is told. gladly would we follow, step by step, the subsequent career of erling and glumm, for the lives of such men, from first to last, are always fraught with interest and instruction; but this may not be. we have brought them, with the other chief actors in this little tale, to a happy point in their adventurous career, and there we feel that we ought to leave them in peace. yet we would fain touch on one or two prominent points in their subsequent history before bidding them a final farewell. let it be recorded, then, that many years after the date of the closing scene of our tale, there might have been seen in iceland, at the head of a small bay, two pretty cottages, from the doors of which there was a magnificent view of as sweet a valley as ever filled the eye or gladdened the heart of man, with a distant glimpse of the great ocean beyond. on the sward before these cottages was assembled a large party of young men and maidens, the latter of whom were conspicuous for the sparkle of their blue eyes and the silky gloss of their fair hair, while the former were notable because of the great size and handsome proportions of their figures; some, however, of the men and maidens were dark and ruddy. the youths were engaged in putting the stone and throwing the hammer; the maidens looked on with interest--as maidens were wont to do on manly pastimes in days of old, and as they are not unwilling to do occasionally, even in modern times. around these romped a host of children of all ages, sizes, and shades. these were the descendants of erling the bold and glumm the gruff. the two families had, as it were, fused into one grand compound, which was quite natural, for their natures were diverse yet sympathetic; besides, glumm was dark, erling fair; and it is well known that black and white always go hand in hand, producing that sweet-toned grey, which nature would seem to cherish with a love quite as powerful as the abhorrence with which she is supposed to regard a vacuum. beside each other, leaning against a tree, and admiring the prowess of the young men, stood erling and glumm, old, it is true, and past the time when men delight to exercise their muscles, but straight and stalwart, and still noble specimens of manhood. the most interesting group, however, was to be seen seated on a rustic bench near the door. there, sometimes conversing gravely with a silver-haired old man at his side, or stooping with a quiet smile to caress the head of a child that had rushed from its playmates for a little to be fondled by the "old one"--sat haldor the fierce, with christian the hermit on one side, and ulf of romsdal on the other. their heads were pure white, and their frames somewhat bent, but health still mantled on the sunburnt cheeks, and sparkled in the eyes of the old norse sea-kings. within the house might have been seen two exceedingly handsome matrons-- such as one may see in norway at the present time--who called each other hilda and ada, and who vied with a younger hilda and ada in their attentions upon two frail but cheery old women whom they called "granny heff" and "granny ast". how very unlike--and yet how like--were these to the herfrida and astrid of former days! between the old dames there sat on a low stool a man of gigantic proportions, who had scarcely reached middle age, and who was still overflowing with the fun and fire of youth. he employed himself in alternately fondling and "chaffing" the two old women, and he was such an exact counterpart of what erling the bold was at the age of thirty, that his own mother was constantly getting confused, and had to be reminded that he was _alric_, and not erling! alric's wife, a daughter of glumm, was with the young people on the lawn, and his six riotous children were among the chief tormentors of old haldor. ingeborg was there too, sharp as ever, but not quite so sour. she was not a spinster. there were few spinsters in those days! she had married a man of the neighbouring valley, whom she loved to distraction, and whom she led the life of a dog! but it was her nature to be cross-grained. she could not help it, and the poor man appeared to grow fonder of her the more she worried him! as for ivor the old and finn the one-eyed, they, with most of their contemporaries, had long been gathered to their fathers, and their bones reposed on the grassy slopes of laxriverdale. as for the other personages of our tale, we have only space to remark that king harald haarfager succeeded in his wish to obtain the undivided sovereignty of norway, but he failed to perpetuate the change; for the kingdom was, after his death, redivided amongst his sons. the last heard of hake the berserk was, that he had been seen in the midst of a great battle to have both his legs cut off at one sweep, and that he died fighting on his stumps! jarl rongvold was burnt by king harald's sons, but his stout son, rolf ganger, left his native land, and conquered normandy, whence his celebrated descendant, william the conqueror, came across the channel and conquered england. yes, there is perhaps more of norse blood in your veins than you wot of, reader, whether you be english or scotch; for those sturdy sea rovers invaded our lands from north, south, east, and west many a time in days gone by, and held it in possession for centuries at a time, leaving a lasting and beneficial impress on our customs and characters. we have good reason to regard their memory with respect and gratitude, despite their faults and sins, for much of what is good and true in our laws and social customs, much manly and vigorous in the british constitution, of our intense love of freedom and fairplay, are pith, pluck, enterprise, and sense of justice that dwelt in the breasts of the rugged old sea-kings of norway! danes, saxons, and normans; or, stories of our ancestors. by j. g. edgar, author of "boyhood of great men," "cavaliers and roundheads," etc. london: s. o. beeton, , strand. . preface. in the following pages i have endeavoured to tell in a popular way the story of the norman conquest, and to give an idea of the principal personages who figured in england at the period when that memorable event took place; and i have endeavoured, i hope not without some degree of success, to treat the subject in a popular and picturesque style, without any sacrifice of historic truth. with a view of rendering the important event which i have attempted to illustrate, more intelligible to the reader, i have commenced by showing how the normans under rolfganger forced a settlement in the dominions of charles the simple, whilst alfred the great was struggling with the danes in england, and have recounted the events which led to a connexion between the courts of rouen and westminster, and to the invasion of england by william the norman. it has been truly observed that the history of the conquest is at once so familiar at first sight, that it appears superfluous to multiply details, so difficult to realize on examination, that a writer feels himself under the necessity of investing with importance many particulars previously regarded as uninteresting, and that the defeat at hastings was not the catastrophe over which the curtain drops to close the saxon tragedy, but "the first scene in a new act of the continuous drama." i have therefore continued my narrative for many years after the fall of harold and the building of battle abbey, and have traced the conqueror's career from the coast of sussex to the banks of the humber and the borders of the tweed. for the same reason i have narrated the quarrels which convulsed the conqueror's own family--have related how son fought against father, and brother against brother--and have indicated the circumstances which, after a fierce war of succession in england, resulted in the peaceful coronation of henry plantagenet, and the establishment of that great house whose chiefs were so long the pride of england and the terror of her foes. j. g. e. analysis of contents. chapter i. rolfganger and his comrades:--rolfganger's banishment--settles in france--ludicrous incident during the ceremony of rolfganger's taking the oath of fealty to charles the simple chapter ii. william the conqueror:--his birth and parentage--duke robert's pride in him--is declared successor to robert the devil--duke robert's death--opposition to william's succession--conspiracy headed by bessi and cotentin--william flees from them--defeat of the conspirators, and accession of william to the ducal throne of normandy--his cruelty--good qualities of william chapter iii. the danes in england:--the saxons come to the assistance of the britons--seize on britain--formation of the kingdom of england--the first inroad of the danes--death of ethelred, and accession of alfred the great to the throne of england--alfred in the swineherd's cottage--visits the danish camp--drives the danes from england--sweyn, king of denmark, invades england--is bribed to retire--massacre of st. brice--sweyn again invades england--his sudden death--canute succeeds him--treachery and punishment of edric streone--canute's marriage--death of canute--accession of harold harefoot--his death--accession of hardicanute--his death chapter iv. earl godwin:--ulf and godwin--canute's partiality to godwin--godwin becomes earl of wessex--marries the daughter of sweyn, king of denmark--godwin espouses the cause of hardicanute--godwin procures the crown of england for edward the confessor chapter v. edward the confessor:--his parentage--death of his brother alfred--edward demands justice of hardicanute--ascends the english throne--edward and the leper--edward marries edith, daughter of godwin chapter vi. the king and the king-maker:--edward's norman friends--dislike of the normans by the english--quarrel between eustace of boulogne and the townsmen of dover--godwin's quarrel with edward--godwin is outlawed--william of normandy visits england--his reception--godwin returns to england--is restored to power--godwin's awful death chapter vii. matilda of flanders:--william of normandy determines to marry matilda of flanders--matilda's pedigree--her father's acquiescence in william's proposal--her refusal to the espousal--william's love-making--matilda's consent is obtained--the pope's opposition to the marriage--william overcomes the pope's scruples--obtains a dispensation--marries matilda of flanders chapter viii. siward the dane:--his appearance--the mystic banner--siward's reception by hardicanute--tostig's raillery and its punishment--battle between eadulph, earl of northumberland, and siward--siward is sent by edward the confessor to defend the northumbrian coast--death of siward chapter ix. harold, the saxon king:--harold's personal appearance--harold's first appearance in national affairs--his great military reputation--harold proposes to visit normandy--king edward tries to dissuade him--he sets out--his cordial reception by duke william--harold accompanies william in a war against the bretons--william extorts a promise from harold to aid him in obtaining the english crown--death of edward the confessor chapter x. duke william and his difficulties:--william has news of harold's accession to the english throne--harold is summoned by the court of rome to defend himself on the charges of perjury and sacrilege--he refuses to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the see of rome--william is ordered by the pope to invade england--he prepares to set out--william fitzosborne overrules the objections of the norman nobles. chapter xi. tostig, son of godwin:--tostig is made earl of northumberland--his cruelty--the northumbrians force him to flee--harold is sent against the insurgents--tostig is deposed--his anger is turned against harold--the massacre of hereford--tostig repairs to flanders--obtains aid from william of normandy--tostig's unfavourable reception by sweyn, king of denmark chapter xii. harold hardrada:--his personal appearance--harold at the battle of stiklestad is wounded--harold with his companions goes to constantinople and takes service as a varing--the varings--goes to africa and sicily, and makes an armed pilgrimage to jerusalem--drives out the moslems--returns to constantinople--is enamoured of maria, niece of the empress zoe--the empress in love with harold--magnus, the illegitimate son of olaf, usurps the throne of norway--harold, wishing to assert his superior claim, is detained in constantinople by the empress--is delivered by a greek lady--rouses his companions, carries off maria, and sets sail for denmark--hardrada shares the throne with magnus--death of magnus--tostig applies to hardrada for assistance against harold, king of england--tostig makes a descent on england--hardrada sails for england--the apprehensions of the norwegians chapter xiii. the alarm in england:--harold's indefatigable exertions for the welfare of england--duke william claims fulfilment of harold's promise--harold's refusal--duke william sends again to harold--his offers again refused--william's threat--the alarm--tostig lands in the north--harold goes against him chapter xiv. the battle of stamford bridge:--tostig and hardrada burn scarborough, take york, and encamp on the river derwent at stamford bridge--the approach of the english--harold's proposition to tostig--tostig's refusal--the battle--hardrada is slain--harold a second time offers peace--is refused--tostig is slain--the defence of the bridge--termination of the conflict--the norwegians leave england--harold claims the booty as his own--discontent in the army--harold receives news of william's landing chapter xv. philip of france:--william of normandy seeks the assistance of philip, king of france--the french barons refuse to aid him in his invasion chapter xvi. the norman armament:--william decides to invade england in august, --william's treatment of the saxon spy--the weather not being favourable, the normans are filled with superstitious fears--william's strategy to calm their apprehensions--the normans set sail--william's ship sails away from the rest--the landing--william burns his fleet--overruns the county of sussex--receives intelligence of the saxons' approach chapter xvii. harold's host:--harold arrives in london--his ill-timed rashness--not being able to attack william unawares, harold halts at epiton, and fortifies his position--the saxon chiefs advise a retreat--harold refuses to listen to them--william denounces harold as a perjurer and liar--the effect of william's message on the saxons--gurth advises harold to quit the army--the night before the battle chapter xviii. the battle of hastings:--odo, bishop of bayeux, blesses the norman army--arrangement of the norman army--william in --superstitious fears of the normans--william's address to his soldiers--taillefer, the norman minstrel--the attack--the norman first division is repulsed--they renew the charge--obstinate resistance of the saxons--william's strategy--its success--harold and leofwine are slain--gurth's courageous resistance--gurth is slain--rout of the saxons--william pitches his camp for the night chapter xix. the body of harold:--william returns thanks for his victory--calls over the muster-roll--the saxons seek to bury their dead--william refuses to allow the body of harold to be buried--at the intercession of the monks of waltham he relents--the search for the body--harold's burial chapter xx. the conqueror and the kentishmen:--william finding no allegiance paid him, takes dover and marches towards london--is opposed by a large body of kentishmen--the advancing wood--parley with the kentishmen--william turns towards the west, and crosses the thames at wallingford--the saxon wigod's treachery--berkhampstead is taken chapter xxi. edgar atheling:--the londoners determine upon crowning edgar atheling--edgar's birth and parentage--his popularity with the people--harold, afraid of edgar's popularity, treats him with great respect and honour--edgar is proclaimed king--ansgar, the standard-bearer of the city of london, excites the people to deliver the keys of london to the conqueror--edgar atheling, the archbishops, and chief citizens pay homage to william chapter xxii. coronation of the conqueror:--william marches towards london--the abbot and inhabitants of st. albans oppose him--william, doubting the propriety of accepting the crown, holds a council of war--the speech of aimery de thouars decides the council--christmas day, , is fixed for the coronation--the ceremony is performed by aldred, archbishop of york; stigand, archbishop of canterbury declining to crown him--tumult during the coronation--the lion banner of normandy is planted on the tower of london, and the south and east of england given to william's followers--he embarks for normandy--his enthusiastic reception--he refuses to take the oath of fealty to the pope chapter xxiii. the siege of exeter:--during william's absence in normandy, the norman barons treat the saxons with great cruelty--saxon leagues are formed--william, receiving notice of the state of affairs in england, returns home--he ingratiates himself with the chiefs and the populace--william proceeds westward--is opposed at exeter--he attacks the town--desperate resistance of the besieged--exeter is taken--somerset and gloucester subjugated--escape of githa, harold's mother--bad treatment of the saxon women chapter xxiv. matilda and brihtrik:--matilda's arrival and enthusiastic reception in england--origin of matilda's popularity--her vindictive spirit--in her early years becomes enamoured of brihtrik--brihtrik does not reciprocate her affection--brihtrik leaves bruges--matilda's indignation at his coolness--probability of brihtrik's speaking too freely about the duchess matilda--matilda, after the siege of exeter keeps brihtrik's possessions as her share of the spoil--brihtrik is imprisoned--his death chapter xxv. the normans in northumberland:--state of the county of northumberland in --the conqueror marches northward--york is taken--robert comine is deputed to extend the conquest as far as durham--eghelwin, bishop of durham's advice to comine--the vengeance of the northumbrians--the king of denmark sends a fleet to the assistance of the english--the saxons and danes march upon york--the normans are driven into the citadel--the citadel is taken--william's wrath at the death of comine and the destruction of york--he bribes the danes to depart--william again marches upon york--york is once more taken by the normans--after ravaging northumberland, the normans reach durham--the bishop and clergy of durham set out for holy island--william enters durham, and surprises the saxons--william's guides, marching to hexham, lose the way, and are separated from the rest of the army--the army is regained--william halts at hexham--the subjugated territory is divided amongst william's nobles--the normans erect castles for the better governance of the northumbrians chapter xxvi. cospatrick and the conqueror:--william determines to conciliate the northumbrians--cospatrick--his birth and parentage--the crimes of the house of godwin--cospatrick's enmity to harold--cospatrick claims the earldom of northumberland--william's bargain with cospatrick chapter xxvii. saxon saints and norman soldiers:--the saving of the church of st. john of beverley--the inhabitants of beverley take refuge in the church of st. john--the normans hear reports of the riches lodged within the walls of the church--toustain heads the normans in the pillage of the church--toustain's misadventure--superstitious terror of the normans chapter xxviii. the reduction of chester:--william determines to take chester--the soldiers murmur--william marches into chester--gherbaud, a fleming, made earl of chester--gherbaud, finding the earldom too much trouble, resigns--hugh le loup is appointed in his stead--his parentage--nigel joins hugh le loup at chester--gilbert de lacy is granted the domain of pontefract--blackburn and rochdale succumb to him chapter xxix. lanfranc of pavia:--the pope's legates arrive in london--deposition of the saxon bishops--lanfranc is appointed to the archbishopric of canterbury--lanfranc's birth-place--his fame at bec-hellouin--lanfranc gains the friendship of william the norman--lanfranc opposes william's marriage--he gains a dispensation for william--is restored to favour--is made abbot of caen--william's delight at lanfranc's appointment to the province of canterbury--the pope's letter to lanfranc--lanfranc's entry into canterbury--the church in ruins--lanfranc gains the primacy of england for canterbury--undertakes a revision of the scriptures--the saxons averse to the revision--lanfranc the people's champion chapter xxx. edwin and morkar:--their personal appearance--edwin the handsomest man of his age--they took no part in the battle of hastings--aspire to the throne--edgar atheling's adherents too strong--go to york--their plans--william attempts to conciliate them--william promises his daughter in marriage to edwin--edwin and morkar accompany william to the continent--william refuses to give his daughter to edwin--edwin and morkar escape from court--their enterprise fails--reconciliation to william--a mighty conspiracy formed--the camp of refuge--morkar is deluded by william's promises and imprisoned--edwin resolves to leave ely--is betrayed by three of his officers--is attacked by the normans--attempts to escape--edwin's death--william's grief chapter xxxi. ivo taille-bois:--his unpopularity--his marriage to lucy, sister of edwin and morkar--his tyranny--his various modes of annoyance--his oppression of the monks of spalding--the monks leave spalding--some angevin monks are substituted in their place chapter xxxii. hereward the saxon:--hereward, living in flanders, is told by some exiles of the spoliation of his home--he sets out for england--assembles his friends and retakes his paternal home--his popularity--is made captain of the camp at ely--is admitted a member of the high saxon militia--is sneered at by the norman knights--turauld, the fighting churchman--turauld is appointed abbot of peterborough--hereward makes a descent on the abbey and carries off the crosses, sacred vestments, &c.--turauld arrives at peterborough--ivo taille-bois proposes to turauld to attack the camp of ely--hereward attacks turauld's soldiers at the abbey, seizes upon the abbot and his attendants, and detains them prisoners--sweyn, king of denmark, fits out a fleet for the assistance of the saxons--sweyn joins hereward at ely--william bribes him to return--departure and sacrilege of the danes--the normans commence siege operations--hereward attacks the workmen--hereward is suspected of being in league with the evil one--ivo taille-bois procures the services of a witch to disenchant hereward's operations--hereward's bonfire--blockade of the isle of ely--treachery of the monks of ely--rout of the saxons--hereward's escape--his daring attack on the norman station--exploits of hereward and his followers--hereward's marriage--hereward accepts the king's peace--his treacherous assassination--valorous defence--asselm's remark chapter xxxiii. building of battle abbey:--william begins to build battle abbey--deficiency of water--william's promise--the abbey built--endowment of the abbey chapter xxxiv. malcolm canmore:--william determines to invade scotland--malcolm's parentage--siward, upon malcolm's flight from scotland, protects him--edward the confessor's court--the scots request the restoration of malcolm--malcolm prepares to attack macbeth--defeat of macbeth--his death--lulach attempts to usurp the throne--his death--malcolm is crowned at scone--a conspiracy is formed to dethrone malcolm--the conspirators defeated--malcolm's ingratitude to the english--northumberland devastated by the scots--malcolm shelters edgar and margaret atheling--malcolm marries margaret atheling--malcolm raises an army to vindicate edgar atheling's right to the english throne--treaty with william chapter xxxv. the death of cospatrick:--cospatrick attempts to draw malcolm from northumberland--durham cathedral in disorder--deposition of the bishop of durham--cospatrick is deprived of the earldom of northumberland--he goes to flanders--the clergy enemies to cospatrick--cospatrick's pilgrimage to the holy land--his illness--sends to melrose for the hermits aldwin and turgot--cospatrick's gifts--his death--his son--burial in norham church--norham a memorial of his greatness chapter xxxvi. atheling and his allies:--malcolm canmore promises to aid edgar atheling--malcolm's inability to do so--atheling seeks a reconciliation with william--obtains it--atheling being suspected, again flies to scotland--personal appearance of edgar atheling--atheling seeks allies in flanders--is disappointed--philip of france offers his assistance--offers atheling the fortress of montreuil--atheling's misfortunes--his fleet lost at sea--determines to seek peace with william--joins william at rouen--his amusements chapter xxxvii. fitzosborne and de gael:--the marriage at norwich--william's disapproval thereof--the marriage feast--signs of a coming storm--the conspiracy--the conspirators apply to sweyn, king of denmark, for aid--roger fitzosborne raises an army at hereford--is stopped at worcester--fitzosborne excommunicated--the battle at worcester--defeat of fitzosborne--de gael raises his standard at cambridge--is defeated at fagadon--de gael escapes--flies to norwich--goes to brittany for aid--the bretons expelled from england--sweyn's descent on the eastern coast--fitzosborne refuses william's present at easter--william's anger chapter xxxviii. waltheof, son of siward:--tostig usurps the earldom of northumberland--waltheof figures as earl of huntingdon--waltheof submits to the conqueror--he joins the northumbrians in their insurrection--his share in the death of comine--prodigies of valour--reconciliation with william--marriage to judith--friendship with vaulcher--fitzosborne and de gael try to persuade him to join their conspiracy--promises secrecy--is betrayed by his wife--is confined in winchester castle--sentenced to death--fearing a riot, waltheof is privately executed--judith, waltheof's wife, is destined for simon de senlis--her dislike to the match--judith repairs to croyland--her death in poverty chapter xxxix. wulstan, bishop of worcester:--wulstan accompanies edgar atheling to make his submission to william--wulstan a simple weak-minded man--wulstan is confirmed in his diocese--his services to the norman king--lanfranc reports wulstan incapacitated--is summoned to the great council in westminster church--is commanded to give up his robes and staff--resigns his staff at the tomb of the confessor--wulstan is entreated to resume his episcopal robes--wulstan beloved by the saxons chapter xl. robert curthose:--william's dismal forebodings--robert, his eldest son--robert recognised as heir of normandy--badly trained--his good qualities--his nickname--robert claims maine--william refuses to cede it to him--robert's indignation--william rufus' and henry beauclerc's practical joke--its evil consequences--robert attempts to seize rouen--his failure--robert's bad counsellors--robert asks normandy, or part of england, of his father--being refused, he leaves normandy and goes to flanders--is everywhere well received--his waste of money chapter xli. the conqueror and his heir:--curthose craves support from philip of france--repairs to gerberoy--curthose's reception at gerberoy--matilda sends money to curthose--william's displeasure--matilda still sends to curthose--william upbraids her--matilda's maternal affection--william orders samson the breton to have his eyes put out--samson escapes--curthose raises an army--william besieges curthose in archembrage--curthose's sally--his success--hand to hand with his father--william unhorsed--his rescue--william refuses to be reconciled with curthose--forgives curthose--malcolm canmore invades england--curthose is sent to repulse him--malcolm retreats into scotland--curthose founds newcastle--matilda of flanders dies--william's quarrel with curthose again breaks out chapter xlii. odo, bishop of bayeux:--odo, regent of england--william enriches his relations on his mother's side--odo, no shaveling--the warrior-monk--odo celebrates mass at hastings--leads the cavalry at that battle--odo is created grand justiciary of england--earl of hereford--odo, during william's absence, behaves badly--the murder of liulf--vaulcher attempts to mediate between leofwin and gislebert, and the relations of liulf--meets the saxons at gateshead--eadulf, the saxon spokesman--eadulf incites the northumbrians to slay the bishop--odo marches northward to punish the murderers--the saxons, unable to take durham, disperse--odo's cruelty--odo prepares to leave england for italy--reasons for doing so--william much displeased at odo's intention--odo intercepted off the isle of wight--arraigned before the council of barons--william's impeachment of odo--william sentences odo--odo defies his authority--odo is carried to normandy and imprisoned chapter xliii. doomsday book:--william begins to think about casting up his subjects' accounts--his commissioners--bad understanding between the king and the barons--the manner of carrying out the undertaking--the council for the discussion of the doomsday book--the goddess of discord in the council--william asserts himself proprietor of all the land that belonged to edward the confessor, harold, and the house of godwin--several barons renounce their allegiance--their descendants chapter xliv. the conqueror's death:--louis le gros--curthose and beauclerc at conflans--the quarrel between louis and beauclerc--philip ravages normandy--william goes against him--christina atheling is persuaded to take the veil--edgar is sent on a pilgrimage--the bone of contention--william's lying-in--curthose joins philip--william reaches mantes--the town on fire--the accident--william is removed to the priory of st. gervase--conscience-stricken--william's bequests--death of william chapter xlv. the burial at caen:--consternation in rouen--inside the priory of st. gervase--the conqueror's body deserted--the archbishop of rouen attends to the funereal honours--interruption of the ceremony--fitzarthur is recompensed--the anglo-norman barons decide for robert as king of england chapter xlvi. the red king:--william rufus--personal appearance--gains the support of lanfranc--wulnoth and morkar committed to prison--odo, bishop of bayeux, at the head of a conspiracy to dethrone william--lanfranc as prime minister--rufus conciliates the saxon thanes--the insurgents repulsed at rochester--curthose is bribed to let william remain on the throne--william forgets his promises to the anglo-saxons--lanfranc's disgust at his perfidy--death of lanfranc--rufus a bachelor--his dissolute morals--ravages committed by william's followers--london bridge built--westminster hall founded--discontent in the land chapter xlvii. rufus and the jews:--the jews in england--favour with rufus--the disputation--conversion of the young jew--william's avarice chapter xlviii. rufus and the scots:--william's longings for normandy--atheling being expelled from normandy, once more takes refuge with malcolm canmore--canmore invades england--william patches up a peace with curthose, and prepares to march against the scots--malcolm falls back--everything wrong with the english--malcolm's defiance--peace--rufus being sick, sends for malcolm to settle disputes--rufus treats him badly--malcolm ravages northumberland as far as alnwick--the castle of ivo de vesci besieged--hammond morael--his deliverance of the garrison--malcolm's death--morael's escape--the sally--rout of the scots--malcolm's burial--donald bane usurps the scottish throne--atheling returns to england chapter xlix. robert de moubray:--possessions of moubray--the conspiracy--moubray suspected--the king marches northward--tynemouth taken--bamburgh impregnable--erection of malvoisin--moubray captured--moubray's wife defends the castle of bamburgh--surrender of bamburgh--moubray imprisoned at windsor--his death chapter l. henry beauclerc:--personal appearance of beauclerc--a native of england--his manners--his learning--military education--addicted to gaming--beauclerc's avarice--beauclerc lends money to curthose--lord of cotentin--selection of a chaplain--takes part with curthose in the defence of normandy--firm dealing at rouen--curthose comes to terms with rufus--they besiege henry in the castle of mont st. michael--the red king in danger--defence of the saddle--want of water in the fortress--curthose grants permission to beauclerc to get water--beauclerc defeated--departs to brittany--beauclerc feels assured he will ascend the throne of england--is elected governor of damfront--rufus, jealous of beauclerc, invites him to england--joins his brother--fondness for the chase--"deersfoot"--presentiments chapter li. the death of rufus:--rufus at malwood--his vision--the abbot of gloucester's despatch--the breakfast--the six arrows--departure for the chase--tyrel and rufus hunt together--the king's bow-string breaks--commands tyrel to shoot--the king's death--tyrel escapes to france--the king's last ride chapter lii. a change of fortune:--beauclerc goes to winchester--william de breteuil protests against henry having the keys--beauclerc secures the public money and regal ornaments--is crowned at westminster--curthose's adherents--beauclerc marries edith, daughter of margaret atheling--edith changes her name to maude--godrick and godiva--where is curthose? chapter liii. curthose at the crusade:--peter the hermit--success of his preaching--curthose and atheling resolve to take part in the crusade--rufus supplies them with money--curthose's popularity--edgar atheling does not go with curthose--atheling sets out for scotland, to dethrone donald bane--curthose meets the other princes at constantinople--curthose's valour--at antioch--edgar atheling joins curthose--atheling and curthose the terror of the saracens--election of the king of jerusalem--curthose declines the honour--death of odo, bishop of bayeux--curthose at conversano--the territory of conversano--curthose marries sybil, daughter of the count of conversano--waste of time chapter liv. beauclerc and curthose:--ralph flambard, "the fighting bishop," is imprisoned--flambard incites curthose to invade england--curthose embarks for england--curthose sells his birthright--resigns his pension in favour of the queen--his indignation at finding himself duped--the castle of rouen--beauclerc proposes to purchase normandy--being refused, he prepares to take it by force--tinchebray--the battle--fortune against the english--treason!--nigel de albini--curthose and atheling captured--curthose imprisoned in cardiff--attempts to escape--is subjected to a rigorous durance--edgar atheling's old age chapter lv. after tinchebray:--william clito--louis of france attempts to place clito on the throne of normandy--death of clito--beauclerc's reputation not so good--the queen maude's popularity--death of henry's son--geoffrey of anjou--his marriage to the daughter of henry--stephen of bouillon seizes the crown of england--the treaty of wallingford--henry ii.--conclusion index to illustrations. altar andiron appeal to harold harfagher, hilda's archers, english arms barbacan battle abbey, hastings battle-field, the bayeux tapestry, from the body of rufus, bringing home the bondman, saxon (from strutt) books, the doom's-day boss boston, fen country near bouillon, godfrey de, elected king of jerusalem bows bracket bringing home the body of rufus brother harold, tostig's parting speech to his bruges, belfry at buttress charles the simple, rolfganger paying homage to, church of the holy sepulchre, jerusalem church porch cloisters commotion during the crowning of william conqueror, edwin, earl of mercia, and the daughters of the cooks--from bayeux tapestry crossbow crozier crusade, peter the hermit preaching the curthose and the saracen death of malcolm canmore death of siward with harness on his back death, sweyn struck by the hand of deliverance from his eastern dungeon, hardrada's distaff, woman with doom's-day books, the door of westminster abbey dover, shakespeare's cliff edwin, earl of mercia, and the daughters of the conqueror english archers fen country near boston fern islands, off the coast of northumberland flint castle, on the estuary of the dee forest laws, old forest, the forum at rome, ruins of the girdle and purse godfrey de bouillon elected king of jerusalem godwin, the judgment of god on good ship moira, the, william of normandy, owner hand of death, sweyn struck by the hardrada's deliverance from his eastern dungeon harfagher, hilda's appeal to harold harold has news of william's landing harold, tostig's parting speech to his brother harold, william extorting a promise from hart, the hastings, battle abbey hawk hawking hawk striking the quarry henry beauclerc and louis le gros, the quarrel of heraldic vane herdsman (from strutt) hermit, peter the, preaching the first crusade hexham, william's march on hilda's appeal to harold harfagher holy sepulchre, jerusalem, church of the homage to charles the simple, rolfganger paying hunting initial letter a initial letter i initial letter o islands, fern, off the coast of northumberland jerusalem, church of the holy sepulchre jerusalem, godfrey de bouillon elected king of jerusalem, pilgrims in sight of judgment of god on godwin, the knights jousting (from strutt) laws, old forest lincolnshire, tattershall castle loch lomond long bow louis le gros, the quarrel of henry beauclerc and love-making, william's malcolm canmore, death of minerva moira, the good ship, william of normandy, owner mundane tree of the scandinavians, yggdrasill norman prelates blessing the troops norman rustic (from strutt) norman rustic, eleventh century norwegian champion at the battle of stamford bridge, the old forest laws parting speech to his brother harold, tostig's peasant, william and the peter the hermit preaching the first crusade pilgrims in sight of jerusalem promise, william exhorting a, from harold purse and girdle quarrel of henry beauclerc and louis le gros, the quarry, hawk striking the "raven of earthly terror," the rochester rolfganger paying homage to charles the simple ruins of the forum at rome rufus, bringing home the body of rustic, norman (from strutt) rustic, norman, eleventh century saracen, curthose and the saxon bondman (from strutt) scandinavians, yggdrasill, the mundane tree of the sepulchre, church of the holy, jerusalem shakespeare's cliff, dover shields siward, death of, with harness on his back stamford bridge, the norwegian champion at the battle of sweyn struck by the hand of death tailpiece to chapter i. tailpiece to chapter v. tailpiece to chapter viii. tailpiece to chapter xv. tailpiece to chapter xxxv. tailpiece to chapter xli. tailpiece to chapter xliv. tailpiece to chapter li. tailpiece to chapter liv. tapestry, from the bayeux tattershall castle, lincolnshire thor tostig's parting speech to his brother harold trieste troops, the norman prelates blessing the tynemouth vane, heraldic westminster abbey, door of william and the peasant william, commotion during the crowning of william extorting a promise from harold william's landing, harold has news of william's love-making william's march on hexham woman with distaff yggdrasill, the mundane tree of the scandinavians danes, saxons, and normans; or, stories of our ancestors. i. [illustration: hilda's appeal to harold harfagher.] rolfganger and his comrades. one day towards the close of the ninth century, harold, king of norway, exasperated at the insubordination and contumacy of the chiefs among whom that land of mountain, and forest, and fiord was divided, vowed not to cut his fair hair till he had reduced the whole country to his sovereign authority. the process proved, as he doubtless foresaw, somewhat difficult and slow. indeed, the chiefs of norway, who were, in fact, petty kings, disputed the ground inch by inch, and harold was occupied for so many years ere consummating his victories, that his hair, growing ridiculously long and thick, led to his receiving the surname of "hirsute." even after having sustained numerous defeats on the land, the fierce chiefs--all vikings, and, like their adversaries, worshippers of odin--taking to the sea, ravaged the coasts and islands, and excited the norwegians to rebellion. harold, however, resolved to do his work thoroughly, went on board his war-fleet, sailed in pursuit of his foes, and, having sunk several of their vessels, forced the others to seek refuge in the hebrides, where the exiled war-chiefs--many of them ancestors of the anglo-norman nobles--consoled themselves with horns of potent drink, with schemes for conquering kingdoms, and with the hope of better fortune and brighter days. it appears that in the long and arduous struggle which gave him the sole and undisputed sovereignty of norway, harold had been faithfully served by a jarl named rognvald; and it was to this jarl's timber-palace, in möre, that the victorious king repaired to celebrate the performance of his vow. elate with triumphs, perhaps more signal than he had anticipated, harold made himself quite at home; and having, before indulging in the jarl's good cheer, refreshed himself with a bath and combed his hair, he requested rognvald to cut off his superfluous locks. "now, jarl," exclaimed harold, when this operation was over, "methinks i should no longer be called 'hirsute.'" "no, king," replied rognvald, struck with surprise and pleasure at the improvement in harold's appearance; "your hair is now so beautiful that, instead of being surnamed 'hirsute,' you must be surnamed 'harfagher.'" it happened that rognvald, by his spouse hilda, had a son named rolf, or roll, who was regarded as the foremost among the noble men of norway. he was as remarkable for his sagacity in peace, and for his courage in war as for his bulk and stature, which were such that his feet touched the ground when he bestrode the horses of the country. from this peculiarity the son of rognvald found himself under the necessity of walking when engaged in any enterprise on the land; and this circumstance led to his becoming generally known among his countrymen as rolfganger. but the sea appears to have been rolfganger's favourite element. from his youth he had delighted in maritime adventures, and in such exploits as made the men of the north celebrated as sea-kings; and one day, when returning from a cruise in the baltic, he, while off the coast of wighen, shortened sail, and ventured on the exercise of a privilege of impressing provisions, long enjoyed by sea-kings, and known as "strandhug." but he found that, with harold harfagher on the throne, and stringent laws against piracy in force, the rights of property were not thus to be set at defiance. in fact, the peasants whose flocks had been carried away complained to the king; and the king, without regard to the offender's rank, ordered him to be tried by a council of justice. notwithstanding rognvald's services to the king and his personal influence with harold harfagher, rolfganger's chance of escaping sentence of banishment appeared slight. moved, however, by maternal tenderness, hilda, the spouse of rognvald, made an effort to save her son. presenting herself at the rude court of norway, she endeavoured to soften the king's heart. "king," said she, "i ask you, for my husband's sake, to pardon my son." "hilda," replied harold, "it is impossible." "what!" exclaimed hilda, rearing herself to her full height; "am i to understand that the very name of our race has become hateful to you? beware," continued she, speaking in accents of menace, "how you expel from the country and treat as an enemy a man of noble race. listen, king, to what i tell you. it is dangerous to attack the wolf. when once he is angered, let the herd in the forest beware!" but harold harfagher was determined to make the laws respected, and, notwithstanding hilda's vague threats, a sentence of perpetual exile was passed against her tall son. rolfganger, however, was not a man to give way to despair. fitting out his ships in some rocky coves, still pointed out, he embarked at an island off the mouth of stor-fiord, took a last look at his native country, with its rugged scenery, its rapids, cataracts, and fiords, forests of dark pine and mountains of white snow, herds of reindeer and clouds of birds, and, sailing for the hebrides, placed himself at the head of the banished norwegians, who speedily, under his auspices, resolved on a grand piratical enterprise, which they did not doubt would result in conquest and plunder. having cut their cable and given the reins to the great sea-horses--such was their expression--the normans made an attempt to land in england, where alfred the great then reigned. defeated in this attempt by the war-ships with which the saxon king guarded the coast, they turned their prows towards france, and, entering the mouth of the seine, sailed up the river, pillaging the banks as they proceeded, and, with little delay, found themselves admitted into rouen, on which they fixed as their future capital. it was the year when rolfganger and his comrades sailed up the seine; and on becoming aware of their presence in france, charles the simple, who then, as heir of charlemagne, wielded the french sceptre with feeble hand, summoned the warriors of his kingdom to stop the progress of the normans. an army, accordingly, was mustered and sent, under the command of the duke of france, to encounter the grim invaders. before fighting, however, the french deemed it prudent to tempt the normans with offers of lands and honours, on condition of their submitting to king charles, and sent messengers to hold a parley. but the normans treated the proposals with lofty disdain. "go back to your king," cried they, "and say that we will submit to no man, and that we will assert dominion over all we acquire by force of arms." with this answer the ambassadors returned to the french camp, and ere long the normans were attacked in their entrenchments. but rolfganger and his comrades rushed to arms, and fought with such courage that the french suffered a complete defeat, and the duke of france fell by the hand of a fisherman of rouen. the normans, after vanquishing the host of king charles, found themselves at liberty to pursue their voyage; and rolfganger, availing himself of the advantage, sailed up the seine, and laid siege to paris. baffled in his attempt to enter the city, the norman hero consoled himself by taking bayeux, evreux, and other places, and gradually found himself ruling as a conqueror over the greater part of neustria. at evreux, he seized as his prey a lady named popa, the daughter of count beranger, whom he espoused; and, becoming gradually more civilized, he rendered himself wonderfully popular with the inhabitants of the district subject to his sway. meanwhile the french suffered so severely from the hostility of the normans, that charles the simple recognised the expediency of securing the friendship of warriors so formidable. with this object he sent the archbishop of rouen to negotiate with rolfganger, and the result was that the sea-king consented to become a christian, to wed gisla, the daughter of charles, and to live at peace with france, on condition that the french monarch ceded to him the province of neustria. matters having reached this stage, preparations were made to ratify the treaty in a solemn manner, and for that purpose charles the simple and rolfganger agreed to hold a conference at the village at st. clair, on the green-margined epte. each was accompanied by a numerous train, and, while the french pitched their tents on one side of the river, the normans pitched theirs on the other. at the appointed hour, however, rolfganger crossed the epte, approached the chair of state, placed his hand between those of the king, took, without kneeling, the oath of fealty, and then, supposing the ceremony was over, turned to depart. "but," said the frenchmen, "it is fitting that he who receives such a gift of territory should kneel before the king and kiss his foot." "nay," exclaimed rolfganger; "never will i kneel before a mortal; never will i kiss the foot of any man." the french counts, however, insisted on this ceremony, and rolfganger, with an affectation of simplicity, made a sign to one of his comrades. the norman, obeying his chief's gesture, immediately stepped forward and seized upon charles's foot. neglecting, however, to bend his own knee, he lifted the king's foot so high in the effort to bring it to his lips, that the chair of state was overturned, and the heir of charlemagne lay sprawling on his back. [illustration: rolfganger paying homage to charles the simple.] at this ludicrous incident the normans raised shouts of derisive laughter, and the french held up their hands in horror. for a few moments all was confusion, but fortunately no serious quarrel resulted; and soon after, rolfganger was received into the christian church, and married to gisla, the king's daughter, at rouen. rolfganger, having begun life anew as a christian and a count, divided the territory of neustria among his comrades, and changed its name to normandy. maintaining internal order by severe laws, and administering affairs with vigour, he soon became famous as the most successful justiciary of the age. such was the security felt under his government, that mechanics and labourers flocked to establish themselves in the newly-founded state, and the normans applied themselves to the arts of peace with as much ardour as they had previously exhibited in their predatory enterprises. gradually adopting the french tongue, and refining their manners, rolfganger's comrades and their heirs were metamorphosed from a band of pagan sea-kings and pirates into the most refined, the most chivalrous, and the most religious race in christendom--orators from their cradle; warriors charging in chain mail, with resistless courage, at the head of fighting men; and munificent benefactors to religious houses, where holy monks kept alive the flame of ancient learning, and dispensed befitting charities to the indigent and poor. [illustration] ii. william the conqueror. one glorious afternoon in the autumn of the year , some damsels of humble rank were making merry and dancing joyously under the shade of trees in the neighbourhood of falaise, when, homeward from the chase, accompanied by knights, squires, and grooms, with his bugle at his girdle, his hawk on his wrist, and his hounds running at his horse's feet, came, riding with feudal pride, that duke of normandy whom some, in consideration, perhaps, of substantial favours, called robert the magnificent, and whom others, in allusion to his violent temper, characterized as robert the devil. not being quite indifferent to female charms, duke robert reined up, and, as he did so, with an eye wandering from face to form and from form to face, the grace and beauty of one of the dancers arrested his attention and touched his heart. after expressing his admiration, and learning that she was the daughter of a tanner, the duke pursued his way. but he was more silent and meditative than usual; and, soon after reaching the castle of falaise, he deputed the most discreet of his knights to go to the father of the damsel to reveal his passion and to plead his cause. it appears that the negotiation was attended with considerable difficulty. at first, the tanner, who had to be consulted, treated the duke's proposals with scorn; but, after a pause, he agreed to take the advice of his brother, who, as a hermit in the neighbouring forest, enjoyed a high reputation for sanctity. the oracle's response was not quite consistent with his religious pretensions. though dead, according to his own account, to the vanities of the world, the hermit would seem to have cherished a lingering sympathy with human frailty. at all events, he declared that subjects ought, in all things, to conform to the will of their prince; and the tanner, without further scruple, allowed his daughter to be conducted to the castle of robert the devil. in due time arlette gave birth to a son, destined, as "william the conqueror," to enrol his name in the annals of fame. it was the th of october, , when william the norman drew his first breath in the castle of falaise. arlette had previously been startled with a dream, portending that her son should reign over normandy and england; and no sooner did william see the light than he gave a pledge of that energy which he was in after years to exhibit. being laid upon the floor, he seized the rushes in his hands, and grasped them with such determination, that the matrons who were present expressed their astonishment, and congratulated arlette on being the mother of such a boy. "be of good cheer," cried one of them, with prophetic enthusiasm; "for verily your son will prove a king!" at first robert the devil did not deign to notice the existence of the boy who was so soon to wear the chaplet of golden roses that formed the ducal diadem of normandy; but william, when a year old, was presented to the duke, and immediately won the feudal magnate's heart. "verily," said he, "this is a boy to be proud of. he is wonderfully like my ancestors, the old dukes of the normans, and he must be nurtured with care." from that time the mother and the child were dear to duke robert. arlette was treated with as much state as if a nuptial benediction had been pronounced by the archbishop of rouen: and william was educated with more than the care generally bestowed, at that time, on the princes of christendom. at eight he could read the "commentaries of cæsar;" and in after life he was in the habit of repeating a saying of one of the old counts of anjou, "that a king without letters is a crowned ass." it happened that, about the year , robert the devil, reflecting on his manifold transgressions, and eager to make atonement, resolved on a penitential pilgrimage to jerusalem. a serious obstacle, however, presented itself. the norman nobles, with whom the descendant of rolfganger was in high favour, on being convened, protested loudly against his departure. "the state," they with one voice exclaimed, "will be in great peril if we are left without a chief." "by my faith!" said robert, "i will not leave you without a chief. i have a little bastard--i know he is my son; and he will grow a gallant man, if it please god. take him, then, as your liege lord; for i declare him my heir, and bestow upon him the whole duchy of normandy." no objections were raised to the duke's proposal. in fact, everything seems to have gone more smoothly than could have been anticipated. william was formally presented to the assembly, and each feudal lord, placing his hand within those of the boy, took the oath of allegiance with such formalities as were customary. having arranged matters to his satisfaction, and placed his son under the protection of the court of france, duke robert took the pilgrim's scrip and staff, and, attended by a band of knights, set out for the holy sepulchre. on reaching asia minor he fell sick, and, dispensing with the company of his knights, hired four saracens to carry him in a litter onward to jerusalem. when approaching the holy city, he was met by a palmer from normandy, and waved his hand in token of recognition. "palmer," cried the duke, "tell my valiant lords that you have seen me carried towards paradise on the backs of fiends." the fate of duke robert was never clearly ascertained; but from his pilgrimage to jerusalem it is certain that he did not return to normandy. within a year of his departure, indeed, news reached rouen that the pilgrim-duke had breathed his last at nice; and the normans, though without implicitly believing the report, gradually came to think of him as one who had gone to his long home. with news of the death of robert the magnificent came the crisis of the fate of "william the bastard." notwithstanding the oath taken with so much ceremony, the norman barons were in no humour to submit to a boy--and to a boy, especially, who was illegitimate. it was in vain that the guardians of young william exerted all their energies to establish his power. one pretender after another was put down by the strong hand. but the old norman seigneurs, who had submitted with reluctance to the rule of legitimate princes, steeled their hearts against the humiliation of bending their knees to a bastard. among the nobles of normandy, by far the haughtiest and most turbulent were the seigneurs of bessi and cotentin. these men were proud to excess of their norwegian descent, and very tenacious of their scandinavian traditions and customs. indeed, they treated with something like contempt the conversion of the normans to christianity, carried pagan devices on their shields, and rode into battle with the old scandinavian war-cry of "thor aide!" rejoicing, above all things, in the purity of their blood, these ancient seigneurs not only talked with ridicule of the idea of submitting to the son of arlette, but formed a strong league, marshalled their fighting men, and prepared to display their banners and seize william's person. when this conspiracy was formed, william had attained his seventeenth year, and, utterly unconscious of his danger, was residing in a castle unprepared for defence. the counts of bessi and cotentin were making ready to mount their war-steeds and secure their prey, when one of their household fools stole away during the night, reached the castle where william was, clamoured for admittance in a loud voice, and would not be silenced till led to the young duke's presence. on getting audience of william, the fool hastily told him of his peril, and warned him to fly instantly. "what say you?" asked william in surprise. "i tell you," answered the fool, "that your enemies are coming, and, if you don't fly without delay, you'll be slain." after some further questioning, william resolved to take the fool's advice, and mounting, spurred rapidly towards the castle of falaise. but he was imperfectly acquainted with the country; and he had not ridden far when he missed his way. william reined up his steed, and halted in perplexity and dismay; and his alarm was increased by hearing sounds as of enemies following at no great distance. fortunately, at that moment, however, he met a peasant, who, by pointing out the way to the fugitive, and setting the pursuers off in a wrong direction, enabled the duke to reach falaise in safety. at that time, henry, grandson of hugh capet, figured as king of france, and wore the diadem which his grandsire had torn from the head of the heirs of charlemagne. in other days, henry had been protected against the enmity of an imperious mother and a turbulent brother by robert the magnificent; and when william hastened to the french court, henry, moved by the young duke's tale of distress, and remembering robert's services, promised to give all the aid in his power. ere long he redeemed his pledge by leading a french army against the insurgents. the result was the defeat of the rebel lords in a pitched battle at the "val des dunes," near caen, and a victory which, for a time, gave security to arlette's son on the ducal throne of rollo. william's youth was so far fortunate. his friends regarded him with idolatry; and his enemies, forced to admit that he seemed not unworthy of his position, became quiescent. the day on which he mounted his horse without placing foot in stirrup was hailed with joy; and the day on which he received knighthood was kept as a holiday throughout normandy. as time passed on, william showed himself very ambitious, and somewhat vindictive. he made war on his neighbours in maine and britanny on slender provocations, and resented without mercy any offensive allusion to his maternal parentage. one day, when he was besieging the town of alençon, the inhabitants, to annoy him, beat leather skins on the walls, in allusion to the occupation of his grandfather, and shouted, "hides, hides!" william, in bitter rage, revenged himself by causing the hands and feet of all his prisoners to be cut off, and thrown by the slingers over the walls into the town. but, whatever william's faults, he was loved and respected by his friends. nor could the duke's worst enemy deny that he looked a prince of whom any people might well have been proud. in person he was scarce above the ordinary height; but so grand was his air, and so majestic his bearing, that he seemed to tower above ordinary mortals. his strength of arm was prodigious; and few were the warriors in that age who could even bend his bow. his face was sufficiently handsome to command the admiration of women, and his aspect sufficiently stern to awe men into submission to his will. no prince in europe was more capable of producing an impression on a beholder than, at the age of twenty-five, was the warrior destined to attempt and accomplish that mighty exploit since celebrated as the norman conquest of england. [illustration] iii. [illustration: sweyn struck by the hand of death.] the danes in england. at the time when william the norman was making good his claim to the dukedom won by rolfganger, the saxons had been settled in england for nearly six centuries. during that long period, however, the country had frequently been exposed to the horrors of civil war and to the inroads of those ruthless northmen, who "replunged into barbarism the nations over which they swept." it was about the year that the saxons, with huge axes on their shoulders, set foot on the shores of britain. at that period--when the ancient britons, left by the roman conquerors at the mercy of the picts and scots, were complaining that the barbarians drove them to the sea, and that the sea drove them back to the barbarians--there anchored off the coast of kent three bulky ships, commanded by hengist and horsa, two saxon chiefs, who claimed descent from woden, their god of war, and boasted of some military skill acquired when fighting in the ranks of rome. from hengist and horsa, still worshippers of thor and woden, the britons implored aid against the picts and scots; and the saxon chiefs, calling over a band of their countrymen, speedily drove the painted caledonians to their mountains and fastnesses. after having rescued the britons from their northern neighbours, the saxons did not exhibit any haste to leave the country which they had delivered. indeed, these mighty sons of woden rather seemed ambitious of making britain their own; and hengist, having settled in lincolnshire, gave a great feast. among other guests who on this occasion came to the saxon's stronghold was vortigern, a king among the britons, and, his eye being arrested and his heart inflamed by the grace and beauty of rowena, the daughter of hengist, while she presented the wassail-cup on bended knee, he became so desperately enamoured that he never rested till the fair and fascinating saxon was his wife. after the marriage of vortigern and rowena, the saxons plainly intimated their intention of being masters of britain, and, the sword having been drawn, the two races--the saxons and the celts--commenced that struggle which lasted for more than a hundred and fifty years, during which king arthur and the knights of his round table are said to have wrought those marvellous exploits which have been celebrated by chroniclers and bards. at length, however, the saxons, in spite of prolonged resistance, established their supremacy, and, during the existence of the saxon heptarchy, which included the whole country, subject to seven princes, the conquerors of britain became converts to christianity, and members of the catholic church; and, abandoning the worship of thor and woden, they endeavoured to show their zeal by erecting churches and monasteries. as time passed on, egbert, king of wessex, in prevailed over all rivals, formed the separate provinces into a single state, and reigned as king of england. but while the saxons were still engaged in putting down the celts and cutting each other to pieces, a band of grim adventurers one morning sailed into the port of teignmouth. in the discharge of his duty, a saxon magistrate proceeded to the shore to learn whence they came and what they wanted. without deigning an answer, the strangers slew the magistrate and his attendants, plundered the town, carried the booty to their ships, and then, hoisting their sails, took their departure. this was the first appearance in england of those danes who were, ere long, to rend the anglo-saxon empire in pieces, and place their king on the english throne. in fact, from the time of this their first visit to the english coast, the danes were constantly finding their way to england, and signalising their inroads by every kind of barbarity. they were the most reckless of pirates and pagans, calling the ocean their home and the tempest their servant, and delighting to shed the blood of christian priests, to desecrate churches, and to stable their steeds in chapels. in their cruel inroads, they tossed infants on the points of their spears, and mocked the idea of tears and mourning. for them, indeed, death had no terrors, for they believed themselves secure, especially if they fell in battle, of being conveyed to valhalla; and gloried in the prospect of feasting in the halls of odin, waited on by lovely damsels, and quaffing beer out of huge cups of horn. settling gradually in northumberland, east anglia, and mercia, the danes occupied the whole country north of the thames. only one province remained to the saxons, that of wessex, which then extended from the mouth of the thames to the bristol channel. such was the state of affairs when, in , a saxon king, named ethelred, was slain in a conflict with the danes, and was succeeded by his son, alfred, afterwards alfred the great, but then a youth of twenty-two. at first, the courage and ability of the young king inspired the saxons with high hopes. but alfred, puffed up with conceit of his superior knowledge, despised those whom he governed, and his contemptuous indifference to their opinions and wishes rendered him ere long so very unpopular that when, after having reigned seven years, he was under the necessity of preparing against an inroad of the danes, he found himself, to his mortification, almost unsupported. in vain the king, after the fashion of his ancestors, sent messengers of war to town and hamlet, bearing the arrow and naked sword, and proclaiming, "let each man that is not a nothing leave his house and come!" so few obeyed the summons that alfred, deeply mortified, abandoned his throne, and sought refuge in cornwall. it was at this dismal period that alfred found shelter in the hut of a swineherd, and, while examining his arrows, allowed the cakes to burn. "stupid man!" cried the swineherd's wife, unaware of his quality, "you will not take the trouble to prevent my bread from burning, though you're always so glad to eat it." but, ere long, alfred emerged from his obscure lurking-place, visited the danish camp disguised as a harper, and, while entertaining the rude northmen with music and song, became so well acquainted with the situation of affairs that he took immediate steps to restore the old saxon nationality. summoning fighting men of the saxon race from every quarter, alfred met the danes in the field, vanquished them in eight battles, and finally reduced them to submission and obedience. after the death of alfred the great, who had, after his restoration, reigned with lustre and glory, ethelstane, pursuing alfred's conquests, recovered york, crossed the tweed, defeated the danes and cambrians at bamborough, and brought the whole island under his dominion. for some time after ethelstane's triumphs, the saxons were allowed unmolestedly to sow and reap, to buy and sell, to marry and give in marriage. in , however, sweyn, king of denmark, turned his eyes covetously towards england, where ethelred the unready then reigned; and forthwith, in company with olaf, king of norway, undertook an expedition. despairing of opposing the invaders with success, ethelred bribed them with a large sum of money to retire, and both of them withdrew, after having sworn not again to trouble england. nevertheless, in , sweyn, in whom the spirit of the pirate was strong, reappeared; and the saxon king, seeing no way of getting rid of such a foe except by bribery, agreed to pay an annual tribute, to be levied throughout england under the name of "dane-gold." sweyn, to whom an arrangement that was every year to replenish his treasury seemed satisfactory, returned to denmark. many danes, however, remained in england, and conducted themselves with such intolerable insolence that the saxons projected a general massacre of their unwelcome guests, and fixed on st. brice's day, , for the execution of their hoarded vengeance. ethelred, who, having lost his first wife, elgira, the mother of edmund ironsides, had espoused emma, sister of the duke of normandy, and who deemed himself secure in the alliance of the heir of rolfganger, unhappily consented to the massacre, and, on the appointed day, the saxons applied themselves to the work of extermination, little dreaming what would be the consequences. no sooner did sweyn hear of the massacre of st. brice, than he vowed revenge, and, embarking with a mighty force, landed in england, and commenced a work of bloodshed, carnage, sacrilege, destruction, and every kind of enormity. ethelred, after a vain attempt at resistance, fled to normandy, with emma his wife, and their two sons, alfred and edward; while sweyn, left a victor, caused himself to be proclaimed king of england. but he did not live long to enjoy his conquests. one day, while feasting at thetford, drinking to excess, and threatening to spoil the monastery of st. edmund, he suddenly felt as if he had been violently struck, and the chiefs, who sat around in a circle, observed that his face underwent a rapid change. "oh!" exclaimed sweyn, gasping for breath, "i have been struck by this st. edmund with a sword!" "nay," said the danish chiefs, who did not share their king's superstitious feeling, "there is no st. edmund here." death, however, seemed written on sweyn's face, and horror took possession of his soul. after suffering terrible tortures for three days, he breathed his last, and left his claims and pretensions to his son canute, who, coming victoriously out of that struggle with edmund ironsides, in which the royal saxon, after repeatedly defeating the danes, perished by the hand of an assassin, succeeded to the english throne, where he was destined to render his name memorable and his memory illustrious as canute the great. it appears that, during these unfortunate struggles with the danes, ethelred and his son edmund ironsides relied much on the services of a man whom the saxon king delighted to honour, and whom english historians have since branded as one of the most infamous traitors that ever breathed english air. this was edric streone, who had obtained from ethelred the earldom of mercia, and who evinced his gratitude for that and countless favours by betraying his benefactor and suborning a ruffian to stab his benefactor's son. after ironsides' murder, edric hastened to canute and claimed a reward. not unwilling, perhaps, to profit by the treachery, but abhorring the traitor, the danish conqueror had recourse to dissimulation, and spoke to edric in language which raised the villain's hopes. "depend upon it," said canute, "i will set your head higher than any man's in the realm;" and, by way of redeeming his promise, he soon after ordered the traitor to be beheaded. "king," cried edric, in amazement, "remember you not your promise?" "i do," answered canute, with grim humour. "i promised to set your head higher than other men's, and i will keep my word." and having ordered edric to be executed, he caused the body to be flung into the thames, and the head to be placed high over the highest of the gates of london. after having won considerable popularity among the saxons by the execution of edric streone, canute, who figured as king of denmark and norway, as well as england, endeavoured to strengthen his position by a matrimonial alliance. with this view the royal dane wedded emma of normandy, the widow of ethelred; and it was supposed that, at his death, hardicanute, the son whom he had by this fair descendant of rolfganger, was to succeed to the english throne. in , however, when canute the great went the way of all flesh, and when his remains were laid in the cathedral of winchester, there was living in london one of his illegitimate sons, named harold, who, from his swiftness in running, was surnamed harefoot. immediately, harold harefoot claimed the crown, and a contest took place between his adherents and those of hardicanute, who was then in denmark. harold harefoot, however, being favoured by the danes of london, carried the day; and finding that the archbishop refused to perform the ceremony of coronation, he placed the crown on his head with his own hand, became an avowed enemy of the church, lived as one "who had abjured christianity," and displayed his contempt for religious rites by having his table served and sending out his dogs to hunt at the hour when people were assembling for worship. after reigning four years, however, he breathed his last, and was buried at westminster. when harold harefoot died, hardicanute was at bruges with his mother, the norman emma, and he immediately sailed for england. no attempt seems to have been made to restore the saxon line. indeed, hardicanute found himself received with general joy, and commenced his career as king of england by causing the body of his half-brother to be dug out of his tomb at westminster and thrown into the thames. hardicanute then abandoned himself to gluttony and drunkenness, and scandalously oppressed the nation over which he swayed the sceptre. his career, however, was brief, and his end was so sudden, that some have ascribed it to foul play. it was the th of june, , and hardicanute was celebrating the wedding of a danish chief at lambeth. nobody expected a catastrophe, for he was still little more than twenty, and his constitution was remarkably strong. while revelling and carousing, however, he suddenly tossed up his arms and dropped on the floor a corpse. some ascribed the death of hardicanute to poison, but none lamented his fate; and, by the saxons, the event was rather hailed as a sign for the restoration of the saxon line and the heirs of alfred. iv. earl godwin. one morning, at the time when edmund ironside and canute were struggling desperately for the kingdom of england, and when the son of ethelred had just defeated the son of sweyn in a great battle in warwickshire, a danish captain--ulf by name--separated from his men, and, flying to save his life, entered a wood with the paths of which he was quite unacquainted. halting in one of the glades, and looking round in extreme perplexity, he felt relieved by the approach of a young saxon, in the garb of a herdsman, driving his father's oxen to the pastures. "thy name, youth," said ulf to the herdsman, saluting him after the fashion of his country. "i," answered the herdsman, "am godwin, son of wolwoth; and thou, if i mistake not, art one of the danes." "it is true," said ulf. "i have wandered about all night, and now i beg you tell me how far i am from the danish camp, or from the ships stationed in the severn, and by what road i can reach them." "mad," exclaimed godwin, "must be the dane who looks for safety at the hands of a saxon." "nevertheless," said ulf, "i entreat thee to leave thy herd and guide me to the camp, and i promise that thou shalt be richly rewarded." "the way is long," said godwin, shaking his head, "and perilous would be the attempt. the peasants, emboldened by victory, are everywhere up in arms, and little mercy would they show either to thee or thy guide." "accept this, youth," said the dane, coaxingly, as he drew a gold ring from his finger. "no," answered godwin, after examining the jewel with curiosity, "i will not take the ring, but i will give you what aid i can." having thus promised his assistance to ulf, godwin took the danish captain under his guidance, and led him to wolwoth's cottage hard by, and, when night came, prepared to conduct him, by bye-paths, to the camp. they were about to depart when wolwoth, with a tear in his eye, laid his hand in that of the dane. "stranger," said the old man, "know that it is my only son who trusts to your good faith. for him there will be no safety among his countrymen from the moment he has served you as a guide. present him, therefore, to canute, that he may be taken into your king's service." "fear not, saxon," said ulf, "i will do more than you ask for your son. i will treat him as my own." the dane and godwin then left wolwoth's cottage, and, under the guidance of the young herdsman, the dane reached the camp in safety. nor was his promise forgotten. on entering his tent, ulf seated godwin on a seat as highly-raised as his own, and, from that hour, treated him with paternal kindness. it was under such romantic circumstances, if we may credit ancient chroniclers and modern historians, that godwin entered on that marvellous career which was destined to conduct him to more than regal power in england. presented by ulf to canute, the son of wolwoth soon won the favour of the danish king; nor was he of a family whose members ever allowed any scrupulous adherence to honour to stand in the way of ambitious aspirations. indeed, he was nephew of that edric streone who had betrayed ethelred the unready, and whom canute had found it necessary to sacrifice to the national indignation; and it has been observed that, "even as kinsman to edric, who, whatever his crimes, must have retained a party it was wise to conciliate, godwin's favour with canute, whose policy would lead him to show marked distinction to any able saxon follower, ceases to be surprising." but, however that may have been, godwin, protected by the king and inspired by ambition, rose rapidly to fame and fortune. having accompanied canute to denmark, and afterwards signalized his military skill by a great victory over the norwegians, he returned to england with the reputation of being, of all others, the man whom the danish king delighted to honour. no distinction now appeared too high to be conferred on the son of wolwoth. ere long he began to figure as earl of wessex, and husband of thyra, one of canute's daughters. godwin's marriage with the daughter of canute did not increase the saxon earl's popularity. indeed, thyra was accused of sending young saxons as slaves to denmark, and regarded with much antipathy. one day, however, thyra was killed by lightning; soon after, her only son was drowned in the thames; and godwin lost no time in supplying the places of his lady and his heir. again at liberty to gratify his ambition by a royal alliance, he wedded githa, daughter of sweyne, canute's successor on the throne of denmark; and the danish princess, as time passed on, made her husband father of six sons--sweyne, harold, tostig, gurth, leofwine, and wolwoth--besides two daughters--edith and thyra--all destined to have their names associated in history with that memorable event known as the norman conquest. meanwhile, godwin was taking that part in national events which he hoped would raise him to still higher power among his countrymen, when canute the great breathed his last, and was laid at rest in the cathedral at winchester. then there arose a dispute about the sovereignty of england between hardicanute and harold harefoot. the south declared for hardicanute, the north for harefoot. both had their chances; but harold harefoot being in england at the time, as we have seen, while hardicanute was in denmark, had decidedly the advantage over his rival. godwin, however, favouring hardicanute, invited queen emma to england. he assumed the office of protector, and received the oaths of the men of the south. but for once the son of wolwoth found fortune adverse to his policy; and, having waited till emma made peace with harold harefoot, the potent earl also swore obedience, and allowed the claims of hardicanute to rest. but when time passed over, and affairs took a turn, when harold harefoot died, and hardicanute, having come to england, ascended the throne, excited the national discontent by imposing excessive taxes, and was perpetually alarmed, in the midst of his debaucheries, with intelligence of tax-gatherers murdered and cities in insurrection, it became pretty clear that the danish domination must, ere long, come to an end. then godwin, who had ever a keen eye to his interest, doubtless watched the signs of the times with all the vigilance demanded by the occasion, and marked well the course of events which were occurring to place the game in his hands. accordingly, when, in the summer of , hardicanute expired so suddenly at lambeth, while taking part in the wedding festivities of one of his danish chiefs, godwin perceived that the time had arrived for the restoration of saxon royalty. with his characteristic energy, he raised his standard, and applied himself to the business. his success was even more signal than he anticipated. indeed, if he had chosen, he might have ascended the throne of alfred and of canute. but his policy was to increase his own power without exciting the envy of others. with this view he assembled a great council at gillingham. acting by his advice, the assembled chiefs resolved on calling to the throne, not the true heir of england--the son of edmund ironsides, who resided in hungary, and probably had a will of his own--but an anglo-saxon prince who had been long absent from england--an exile known to be inoffensive in character as well as interesting from misfortune, and with whom godwin doubtless believed he could do whatever he pleased. at all events, it was as king-maker, and not as king, that the ennobled son of wolwoth aspired, at this crisis, to influence the destinies of england. v. edward the confessor. while duke william was overcoming his enemies in normandy, and earl godwin was putting an end to the domination of the danes in england, there might have been observed about the court of rouen a man of mild aspect and saintly habits, who had reached the age of forty. he was an exile, a saxon prince, and one of the heirs of alfred. it was about the opening of the eleventh century that king ethelred, then a widower, and father of edmund ironsides, espoused emma, sister of richard, duke of normandy. from this marriage sprung two sons and a daughter. the sons were named edward and alfred; the name of the daughter was goda. edward was a native of england, and drew his first breath, in the year , at islip, near oxford. at an early age, however, when the massacre of the danes on the day of st. brice resulted in the exile of ethelred, edward, with the other children of ethelred and emma, found refuge at the court of normandy. it was there that the youth of edward was passed; it was there that his tastes were formed; and it was there that, brooding over the misfortunes of his country and his race, he sought consolation in those saintly theories and romantic practices which distinguished him so widely from the princes of that fierce and adventurous period which preceded the first crusade. when ethelred the unready breathed his last, in , and canute the great demanded the widowed queen in marriage, and emma, delighted at the prospect of still sharing the throne of england, threw herself into the arms of the royal dane, her two sons, edward and alfred, remained for a time securely in normandy. indeed, they do not appear to have been by any means pleased at the idea of their mother uniting her fate with a man whom they had regarded as their father's mortal foe. however, as years passed over, the sons of ethelred received an invitation from harold harefoot to visit their native country, and they did not think fit to decline. at all events, it appears that alfred proceeded to england, and that he went attended by a train of six hundred normans. on arriving in england, alfred was immediately invited by harold harefoot to come to london, and, not suspecting any snare, he hastened to present himself at court. no sooner, however, had the saxon prince reached guildford than he was met by earl godwin, conducted under some pretence into the castle, separated from his attendants--who were massacred by hundreds--and then put in chains, to be conveyed to the isle of ely, where he was deprived of his sight, and so severely treated that he died of misery and pain. edward, who had remained in normandy, soon learned with horror that his brother had been murdered; and when hardicanute succeeded harold harefoot, he hastened to england to demand justice on godwin. hardicanute received his half-brother with kindness, promised that he should have satisfaction, and summoned the earl of wessex to answer for the murder of prince alfred. but godwin's experience was great, and his craft was equal to his experience. without scruple, he offered to swear that he was entirely guiltless of young alfred's death, and at the same time presented hardicanute with a magnificent galley, ornamented with gilded metal, and manned by eighty warriors, every one of whom had a gilded axe on his left shoulder, a javelin in his right hand, and bracelets on each arm. the young danish king looked upon this gift as a most conclusive argument in favour of godwin's innocence--and the son of wolwoth was saved. edward returned to normandy, and passed the next five years of his life in monkish austerities. but when the danish domination came to an end, and the grand council was held at gillingham, godwin, as if to atone for consigning one of the sons of ethelred to a tomb, hastened to place the other on a throne. edward, then in his fortieth year, was accordingly elected king, and, on reaching england, was crowned at winchester, in that sacred edifice where his illustrious ancestors and their danish foes reposed in peace together. it is related by the chroniclers of this period, that when edward, arrayed in royal robes, and accompanied by bishops and nobles, was on the point of entering the church to be crowned, a man afflicted with leprosy sat by the gate. "what do you there?" cried the king's friends. "move out of the way." "nay," said edward, meekly, "suffer him to remain." "king!" cried the leper, in a loud voice, "i conjure you, by the living god, to have me carried into the church, that i may pray to be made whole!" "unworthy should i be of heaven if i did not," edward replied; and, stooping forward, he raised the leprous man on his back, bore him into the church, and prayed earnestly, and not in vain, for his restoration. roger hoveden even asserts that the king's prayers were heard, and that the leper was made whole from that hour. but, in any case, there can be no doubt that on the fierce nobles and people of his realm such a scene as this must have produced a strange impression. it was believed that edward's sanctity gave him the power to heal; and belief in the influence which his hand was in this way supposed to have, led to the custom of english sovereigns touching for the king's evil. in fact, however, people soon discovered that edward was more of a monk than a monarch; and far happier would he have been if he had remained in normandy, and sought refuge from the rude and wicked world in the quiet of a cloister. it soon appeared, moreover, that the son of ethelred was intended to be king but in name; and that the son of wolwoth was to be virtually sovereign of england. the plan was not unlikely to succeed. indeed, edward was so saintly and so simple, that godwin might, to the hour of his death, have exercised all real power, had he not, with the vulgar ambition natural to such a man, risked everything for the chance of his posterity occupying the english throne. it appears that godwin, by his marriage with githa, the danish princess, had, besides six sons, two daughters, edith and thyra. edith, at the time of the restoration of the saxon monarchy, is described as having been young, beautiful, and remarkable for her learning. it can hardly be doubted that her character and disposition contrasted favourably with the other members of the family that then domineered in england; and she was praised for not resembling them. "as the thorn produces the rose," people said, "so godwin produced edith." the idea of making his daughter the wife of a king, and perhaps living to see his grandson wear a crown, fired godwin's imagination; and it is even said that edward, before leaving normandy, was forced to swear, in the most solemn manner, that, if elected, he would marry edith. but however that may have been, the imperious earl insisted on the meek king becoming his son-in-law; and a man who, even in the days of his youth, had been much too saintly to think of matrimony, was compelled, when turned of forty, to espouse a woman on the hands of whose father was his brother's blood, and to whose family he had, naturally enough, a thorough aversion. [illustration] vi. [illustration: the judgment of god on godwin.] the king and the king-maker. it was when edward--afterwards celebrated as the confessor--found himself placed by the hand of godwin on the throne of his ancestors, and provided with a wife and queen in the person of edith, godwin's daughter. at first, matters went pleasantly enough, and, indeed, appeared promising. but no real friendship could exist between the anglo-saxon king and the man whom he regarded as his brother's murderer. ere six years passed, godwin and the king were foes, and england was the scene of discord and disorder. at that time the prejudice of the anglo-saxons against foreigners was peculiarly strong. before returning to the land of his birth, therefore, edward was under the necessity of promising that he should bring with him no considerable number of normans. the condition was observed in so far that few normans did accompany edward to england. but no sooner was he seated on the throne, and in a position to grant favours, than his palace was open to all comers; and guests from the court of rouen flocked to the court of westminster. when edward's norman friends presented themselves, they met with the most cordial welcome; and being, for the most part, men of adventurous talents, they soon began to look upon the country as their property, and grasped at every office which the king had to bestow. ere long, norman priests found themselves bishops in england; norman warriors figured as governors of english castles; and the court became so thoroughly normanized, that the national dress, language, and manners, went wholly out of fashion. the anglo-saxon nobles do not appear to have manifested any jealousy of the king's friends. in fact, their inclination was quite the reverse. the polish and refinement of their new associates excited their admiration, and they hastened to adopt the norman fashions. throwing aside their long cloaks, they assumed the short norman mantle, with its wide sleeves; they neglected their native tongue to imitate, as well as they could, the language spoken by norman prelates and warriors; and, instead of signing their names, as of old, they began to affix seals to their deeds. the anglo-saxon dress, manners, and language were no longer accounted worthy of men who pretended to rank and breeding. meanwhile, godwin not only steadily abstained from adopting the norman fashions, but looked upon the king's foreign friends as mortal foes, and regarded everything about them with hatred. he felt, with pain, that they kept alive the memory of prince alfred and their murdered countrymen, and he perceived with uneasiness that each new arrival had the effect of weakening his influence with the king. it was under such circumstances that he set his face against foreigners, and found means of exciting the popular prejudices against the man whom, for selfish purposes, he had, to the exclusion of the true heir, placed on the english throne. the multitude, ever ready to be deluded, took precisely the view godwin wished, and began to speak of the pampered and overgrown adventurer as a neglected and long-suffering patriot. "is it astonishing," said one, "that the author and support of edward's reign should be indignant at seeing new men from a foreign nation raised above him?" "and yet," observed another, "never does he utter a harsh word to the man whom he himself created king." "curse all norman favourites!" exclaimed a third. "and," cried a fourth, "long life to the great chief--to the chief magnanimous by sea and land!" while such was the situation of affairs, eustace, count of boulogne, happened, in the year , to come as a guest to england. eustace was husband of edward's sister, goda; and the king naturally strove to make the visit of his brother-in-law as pleasant as possible. after remaining for some time at the english court, however, eustace prepared to return home; but on reaching dover, where he intended to embark, an awkward quarrel took place between his attendants and the townsmen. a fray was the consequence; and in a conflict which took place, twenty of the count's men were unfortunately slain. angry and indignant at the slaughter of his followers, eustace, instead of embarking, turned back to demand redress, and hastened to lay his complaint before the king, who was then keeping his court in the castle of gloucester. edward, ashamed of the riot, and horrified at the bloodshed, promised that condign punishment should be inflicted on the perpetrators of the outrage, and deputed the duty to godwin, in whose earldom the town of dover was included. "go without delay," said edward, "and chastise by a military execution, those who have attacked my relative with arms in their hands, and who have disturbed the peace of the country." "nay," said godwin, "it is not right to condemn, without hearing, men whom it is your duty to protect." nettled by the tone of godwin's refusal, and aware of the refractory spirit by which the earl was animated, edward gave way to anger, and convoked a great council at gloucester. before this assembly godwin was summoned to answer for his conduct. instead of appearing, the earl of wessex mustered an army with the object of setting edward at defiance. england seemed on the verge of a civil war, but a peace was patched up by the mediation of siward, earl of northumberland, and leofric, earl of mercia, husband of that godiva whose equestrian feat at coventry the grateful citizens have since so often commemorated. but the efforts of siward and leofric proved vain. the king and godwin indeed pretended to be reconciled. but neither was sincere. ere long, the quarrel broke out afresh with great bitterness; and the earl, finding the king much more resolute than could have been expected, consulted his safety by escaping with his wife and family to flanders. freed from the presence of his imperious father-in-law, and feeling himself at length a king in reality, edward passed sentence of outlawry on godwin and his sons, seized on their earldoms, and confiscated their property. even edith, the queen, did not escape her share of the adversity of her house. after being deprived of her lands and money she was sent to a convent in hampshire, and condemned in a cloister to sigh with regret over the ambition that had united her fate with that of a man who had regarded her with a sentiment akin to horror. "it is not meet," said edward's norman friends, ironically, "that while this woman's family undergo all the evils of exile, she herself should sleep upon down." "but the king's wife!" remonstrated the anglo-saxon nobles. "tush!" answered the normans, significantly; "she is his wife only in name." while godwin was an exile in flanders, william, duke of normandy, paid a visit to the king of england. edward received his kinsman with great affection, entertained him magnificently, and treated him with such distinction as encouraged the norman duke's most ambitious hopes. indeed, it has been said that "william appeared in england more a king than edward himself, and that his ambitious mind was not slow in conceiving the hope of becoming such in reality." nor did william return to normandy without tokens of edward's good will. magnificent presents of armour, horses, dogs, and falcons were the substantial pledges with which the monk-king accompanied his assurances of friendship for the warrior-duke. but, meantime, godwin grew weary of exile and eager for revenge. impatient to return to england, and to wreak his fury on the norman favourites, the banished earl resolved, at all hazards, on leaving flanders. having obtained ships from count baldwin, he sailed from bruges; and, soon after edward had witnessed the departure of his martial kinsman for normandy, the fleet of his outlawed father-in-law sailed up the thames and anchored at southwark. edward was in london when godwin's fleet appeared in this menacing attitude; and, assembling his council, the king, with a flash of ancestral spirit, evinced a strong desire to oppose force to force. but, though the norman courtiers were anxious to come to blows with their mortal foe, the king was the only englishman who participated in their sentiments. not only were the citizens of london all ready to take up arms for the outlawed earl; but even siward and leofric, the chiefs who had ever stood in opposition to godwin, were in favour of his restoration; and the soldiers who formed the royal army were animated by such an antipathy to the foreign favourites, that it was felt they could not be depended on in the event of matters being pushed to extremity. in these circumstances, the king reluctantly consented to refer the question to a council of nobles; and this council, presided over by robert stigand, bishop of east anglia, decided that the whole case should be submitted for judgment to the witenagemote, the national council of the anglo-saxons. on learning what had occurred, the norman courtiers perceived that there was no hope for them but in escape. without hesitation, therefore, they mounted their horses, and spurred from the palace of westminster. headed by robert, archbishop of canterbury, and william, bishop of london, a troop of norman knights and gentlemen dashed eastward, fought their way through the city, and, making for the coast, embarked in fishing-boats; others fled to northern castles, held by hugh the norman, and osbert, surnamed pentecost; and thence, with hugh and osbert, made for the north, crossed the tweed, and sought security on scottish soil. no mercy, they well knew, could be expected at the hands of godwin, and quite as little at the hands of a multitude believing in his patriotism and exasperated against his foes. meanwhile, the witenagemote having been convoked, and all the best men in the country having assembled to take part in the deliberations, godwin spoke in his own defence. the proceedings, as had been foreseen from the beginning, resulted in the revocation of the sentence of outlawry against the earl and his sons, and restoration to their lands and honours. an exception was, indeed, made in the case of godwin's eldest son, sweyn, who, having debauched the abbess of leominster, and murdered his kinsman, earl beorn, was deemed unworthy of the company of christians and warriors. but sweyn relieved his family from all awkwardness on this point by voluntarily undertaking a penitential pilgrimage on foot to the holy sepulchre. matters having been thus arranged, the king accepted from godwin the oath of peace; and godwin, as hostages for his good faith, placed his youngest son, wolnoth, and haco, the son of sweyn, in the hands of the king, who sent them to the court of rouen. at the same time, william, the norman bishop of london, was, by the king's wish, recalled to england; but robert, the norman archbishop of canterbury, was not so fortunate. stigand, instituted as robert's successor, took possession of the pallium which the norman prelate had left behind in his sudden flight. when her kinsmen were restored to england, edith, the queen, brought from her convent in hampshire, once more appeared at the palace of westminster; and the house of godwin seemed more firmly established than ever. the king, ceasing to struggle against the earl's influence, occupied his attention with completing the abbey which he had been building at westminster, and leofric and siward seemed to bow to their great rival's power and popularity. but the days of godwin were numbered. it was the spring of ; edward was holding his court in the castle of winchester; and godwin and his sons were among the guests. one day, when the feast was spread, and the king and the earl were seated at the board, an attendant, who was stepping forward to pour wine into a cup, happened to stumble with one foot, and quickly recovered himself with the other. edward smiled; and godwin, willing to give a hint to his sons, who were perpetually brawling with each other, turned towards them. "well," remarked the earl, "you see how the brother has come to the support of the brother." "ay," said the king, in a significant tone; "brother needs the aid of brother; and would to god my brother alfred yet lived to aid me!" "oh, king!" exclaimed godwin, startled and irritated, "why is it that, on the slightest recollection of your brother, you ever look so angrily on me?" edward deigned no reply; but his pale brow grew stern, and his withered cheek flushed with resentment. "if," continued the earl, taking a piece of bread in his hand--"if i contributed, even indirectly, to your brother's death, may the god of heaven grant this may choke me!" with these words godwin put the bread into his mouth; and, as he did so, and as the eyes of the king were bent intently on his countenance, the earl fell from his seat. "it is the judgment of god!" muttered the courtiers with a shudder. tostig and gurth, two of godwin's sons, rushed forward, raised him in their arms, and bore him from the hall; and, five days later, the earl of wessex was a corpse. vii. [illustration: william's love-making] matilda of flanders. on the memorable day on which william the norman, during the exile of earl godwin, appeared as an honoured guest in the halls of westminster, and speculated on the probability of figuring, at no distant period, as king of england, the crown worn by edward the confessor was not the only prize on which the young duke had set his mind. in fact, love was blended with ambition in william's heart. he had determined, somewhat in defiance of canon and precedent, to espouse matilda of flanders; and no one who visited bruges and looked upon the fair and intelligent face of that graceful flemish princess could have wondered that a warrior-duke, not yet thirty, should meditate the indiscretion of defying popes and prelates to enjoy the privilege of calling her his own. matilda's pedigree was such as to make her a desirable bride for the struggling son of duke robert. she was one of the daughters of baldwin, count of flanders, by adele, daughter of robert, king of france; and, through an anglo-saxon ancestress, she had in her veins the blood of alfred the great. but even with a much less illustrious descent, matilda would have been highly distinguished among the princesses of the eleventh century. nature had gifted the daughter of count baldwin with beauty and talent, and careful education had rendered her one of the most attractive and captivating among the high-born maidens of whom christendom could boast. william's ambition and his heart were naturally enough fascinated with the idea of wedding a princess of such rank and beauty; and while yet he found the coronal of normandy sitting somewhat uneasily on his brow, he sent ambassadors to the court of flanders to demand matilda's hand. notwithstanding william's illegitimate birth and disputed title, count baldwin expressed no objection to accept him as a son-in-law. indeed, the count, feeling that william could prove a valuable friend or a formidable foe, hailed the proposal with gratification. but two obstacles immediately presented themselves--one difficulty was the repugnance of matilda, the other was the laws of the church. matilda had no stronger objections to being led to the altar than other ladies of her age. in fact, she is understood to have already dreamed of the bridal veil and the marriage vow, and to have been eager to become the spouse of a saxon nobleman named brihtrik, who had appeared at her father's court. perhaps matilda's thoughts had dwelt on brihtrik longer than prudence warranted. in any case, when the ambassadors from rouen presented themselves at bruges, she set herself decidedly against the proposal of which they were the bearers. "why," said baldwin, "do you object to the count of the normans?" "mention him not!" exclaimed matilda, with a disdainful toss of her finely-shaped head. "i will not have a bastard for my husband!" but william, who feared not man's wrath, was not to be daunted by woman's scorn. every day he became more convinced of the necessity of uniting himself with some princess capable, by her rank and lineage, of giving dignity to his position. it appears, moreover, that the warrior-duke really entertained a strong affection for matilda; and he seized an opportunity of manifesting the excess of his attachment by a violent kind of love-making, which has long been out of fashion. it is related that one day, when matilda had been at mass, and was quietly walking with her ladies of honour along the streets of bruges on her way to the palace, to employ her hands with the embroidery work for which she was destined to become famous, and perhaps to occupy her thoughts with the fair saxon noble who had won her young heart without giving his in return, william, arrayed as if for battle and mounted on horseback, suddenly and unexpectedly made his appearance. alighting with a bound, he seized the princess in his strong arms, shook her, beat her, rolled her on the ground, and fearfully damaged her rich garments. after this extraordinary exhibition, he sprang into his saddle, set spurs to his horse, and rode away at full speed. it might have been supposed that william's violent conduct would have increased matilda's aversion to the match. the reverse, however, was the case. the princess, in fact, appears to have been overwhelmed by such a proof of affection. "i am now convinced of the sincerity of his love," she said, "and i will offer no further objections to taking him as a husband." ere matilda began to conquer the repugnance she had expressed to a union with the son of duke robert, william found, to his annoyance, that the church opposed his marriage with the fair flemish princess, on the ground of their being within the prohibited degrees of relationship. it would seem, in fact, that adele, countess of flanders, had, in early youth, been betrothed to william's uncle, richard, duke of normandy; so that the mother of matilda stood in the relationship of aunt to the norman duke, "an affinity," as has been observed, "quite near enough to account for, if not to justify the interference of the church." nevertheless, william did not despair. indeed, he had thoroughly made up his mind to be matilda's husband and baldwin's son-in-law, and to permit no priest to baffle him in a matrimonial scheme which ambition and love alike rendered dear to his heart. it was in vain that pope nicholas set himself in opposition to the marriage, and that the legitimate heirs of rolfganger prepared to take advantage of a rupture between the son of arlette and the see of rome. william's perseverance and policy overcame all obstacles, and at length, with a dispensation in his hand, he claimed and received the bride he had so long wooed. it was after his visit to the court of westminster, in , and after the restoration of godwin and his sons to their country, that william the norman led matilda of flanders to the altar, and flattered himself that, by espousing a descendant of alfred, he had smoothed his way to the throne from which alfred had ruled england. [illustration] viii. [illustration: death of siward with harness on his back.] siward the dane. at the time when godwin and edward were at feud, and when the earl was browbeating the saintly prince whom he had placed on the english throne--among the saxons and normans who assembled around the king to discuss a grave question, or strike a great blow, might have been observed an aged warrior of gigantic stature, leaning on a two-handed sword, and regarding saxon thane and norman count with an expression indicative of some degree of calm contempt. his dress recalled the days of canute and hardicanute; his hair was white with years; his frame was bowed with time; but his spirit was such as time could neither bend nor break; and his eye still glanced at the sight of battle-axe and shield. "gray and vast, as some image of a gone and mightier age, towered over all siward, the son of beorn, the great earl of northumberland." siward was one of the most remarkable men who figured in the reign of edward the confessor, and he had a history still more remarkable than himself. a dane, and of noble birth, he had, at an early age, left his native shores, with an idea, perhaps, of emulating the feats of hasting or haveloke. landing in the orcades, he engaged in single combat, and put to the rout a large dragon, which had long been the terror of the rude islanders. after performing this exploit, siward put to sea, left the orcades behind, and, guiding his ship as a horseman does a steed, reached the northern coast of england. having sprung ashore, and wandered into the forest in quest of adventures, he met a venerable old man, with a long white beard, who entered into conversation with him, presented him with a mystic banner, and gave him some sage advice. "this banner," said the venerable man, "is called 'the raven of earthly terror;' take it as thy standard; direct thy voyage southward to the mouth of a river called the thames, which will lead thee to a city called london, where reigns the son of canute, who will bid thee welcome, and aid thee to become great in this land." siward does not appear to have disdained the idea of exchanging the pine plank for the rush-strewed hall. at all events, he took the mystic banner and the advice of the venerable man, steered his course towards the thames, and, reaching london, presented himself to the king. it was an age when men of huge proportions and fearless hearts were in great request; and siward's reception was all that could have been wished. the favour shown by the danish king to siward naturally made him the object of envy. many absurd stories were consequently circulated about his origin and parentage. he was described as the grandson of a bear; and tostig, earl of huntingdon, took occasion to affront him before the whole court. but the adventurous dane gave his enemies a lesson which they never forgot. defying tostig to mortal combat, he signalized his prowess beyond all dispute, and terminated the duel by cutting off his antagonist's head. more convinced than ever of siward's value as an adherent, hardicanute bestowed on him the earldom which tostig had enjoyed. after being installed as earl of huntingdon, siward played his part with energy and wisdom. the ability he displayed seemed fully to justify his sudden rise to importance, and a circumstance ere long occurred which gave him an opportunity of still further advancing his fortunes. it happened that uchtred, the great saxon earl of northumberland, having been gathered to his fathers, eadulph, the son of uchtred, ruled from the humber to the tweed. not content, however, with this territory, eadulph undertook an expedition against the welsh, and committed fearful depredations. enraged at the northern earl making war without his consent, hardicanute resolved on a severe chastisement, and entrusted siward with the duty of inflicting it. aware of his danger, eadulph mounted, and hastened towards london to implore the king's clemency. but it was too late. while eadulph was on his way south, siward, going north, met him face to face. a conflict ensued. eadulph fell, and siward carried his head to hardicanute. it was shortly after the encounter which terminated in the death of eadulph, that edward the confessor ascended the throne of his ancestors. at that time the fortunes of siward, as foreigner and dane, were probably in great peril. the event, however, proved to his advantage. there was some dread of a danish fleet appearing on the northumbrian coast; and the new king, in considerable alarm, took counsel with his great men. "what is to be done?" asked the king. "it is best," answered the thanes, "that the little devil should be first opposed to the great devil. let siward the dane be sent to rule that part of your realm likely to be invaded by the danes." the king listened, and, as he was advised, nominated siward earl of northumberland. siward, repairing to york, the capital of the north, won the favour of the province by espousing alfleda, granddaughter of uchtred, and then governed the inhabitants with an ability and a vigour that excited the admiration of leofric, and roused the jealousy of godwin. the danes, considering, perhaps, that their gigantic countryman would be a formidable antagonist to encounter, refrained from any attempt at invasion, and, moreover, sent messages of peace and friendship to edward. "we will," said they, "allow you to reign unmolested over your country, and content ourselves with the lands which god has given us." years passed over, and siward was keeping his court at york, and ruling northumberland with complete success, when the unfortunate conflict between the townsmen of dover and the train of eustace of boulogne brought the quarrel of edward and godwin to a crisis. siward and leofric were then summoned to the king's aid, and commanded to lead their fighting men against the forces of the refractory earl. both obeyed, and, at their call, the inhabitants of northumberland and mercia took up arms. hostile, however, as siward and leofric were to godwin, they could not help perceiving that the country was wholly on his side. indeed, the murmurs of their own soldiers convinced the earls of northumberland and mercia of the utter impolicy of pushing matters to extremity. generously sacrificing resentment to patriotism, they raised their voices in favour of godwin's restoration and against godwin's foes. scarcely had godwin gone to his account, when siward became aware that his own end was drawing nigh. the danish earl had just returned from that expedition into scotland which resulted in the overthrow of macbeth, when he was prostrated with sickness at york. feeling that the great destroyer was upon him, siward became horrified at the prospect of dying in bed, and in night-gear. "raise me," he said to those who watched his uneasy couch. "let me die like a warrior, and not huddled up together like a cow!" "what wouldest thou, great earl?" asked the attendants. "put my coat of mail on my back," said siward; "place my helmet on my head, my shield on my left arm, and my gilt axe in my right hand, that i may expire as a warrior should." the command of the dying earl was obeyed. clad, by his own desire, in all the habiliments of war, and sitting up in his bed, siward, with calm courage, awaited the last enemy, and died with the same martial dignity which had characterized his life. his remains were laid in the monastery of galmanho, which he had founded at york; and, as a memorial of his prodigious prowess, there was long afterwards shown a rock of granite which he was said to have split with one blow of his mighty battle-axe. [illustration: yggdrasill, the mundane tree of the scandinavians] ix. [illustration: william extorting a promise from harold.] harold, the saxon king. when earl godwin breathed his last, under circumstances so memorable, his second son, harold, succeeded to his earldom, and inherited his influence. a robust and active man, of tall, though not gigantic stature, with long fair hair, a pleasing countenance, dignified manners, and popular address--such appears to have been harold, the son of godwin. it was when hardicanute died so suddenly, at the marriage feast at lambeth, that harold began to figure in public, and to take a prominent part in national affairs. at that crisis, harold was one of the first to raise a standard against the danes, and he is even said to have contributed to the triumph of the saxon cause, by inviting many of the danish chiefs to a banquet, and causing them to be put to the sword while over their cups. but, whatever truth there may be in such a story, it seems that harold shared in the prosperity of the house of godwin at the opening of edward's reign, and that when godwin, outlawed and exiled, in escaped to bruges, harold, with his brother leofwin, fled to bristol, and there took shipping for the irish coast. when godwin returned from bruges, harold and leofwin, coming from ireland, joined their father at the isle of wight, and took part in that formidable demonstration which startled king edward and his norman courtiers in the halls of westminster. after the restoration of godwin, and the banishment of the normans, harold would seem to have been higher in edward's favour than any of his kinsmen; and after the death of godwin, harold was quietly put in possession of the vast earldom south of the thames which his sire had so long enjoyed. both as regarded military reputation and territorial power he was now foremost among the anglo-saxons, and he immensely increased his fame by the skill he displayed in a war with the refractory welsh. the originator of this war was algar, son of the great leofric, who, becoming discontented, gave his daughter aldith in marriage to a welsh prince named griffith, and encouraged that crowned celt to make an incursion into the english territories. during this inroad the city of hereford was sacked and much mischief done; but harold, on being sent with an army, speedily put the welsh to the rout, and forced griffith to submit. untaught, however, by his severe experience of the superiority of the english, griffith once more rebelled; and harold, marching back to the borders of wales, caused such terror, that, to pacify him, the welsh sacrificed griffith to save themselves, and sent the head of the murdered prince to the english camp, on the point of a spear. after his victories over the welsh, harold returned to london, and found himself hailed by the multitude as a conqueror. his popularity was now immense, and wherever he appeared his name was shouted with enthusiasm. "harold! harold the earl!" was the cry. "since edward the king has no heirs," was the saying, "no man is so worthy to succeed to the crown." while such was the popularity of the son of godwin, and while all rivalry with him was so completely out of the question that algar died of despair and regret, harold, with a view of recovering his brother wolnoth and his nephew haco, who had been sent as hostages to duke william, and who were still retained at the court of rouen, proposed to visit normandy. on intimating his intention to edward, however, the king hesitated to grant permission. "your journey," said the king, "will certainly bring some evil on yourself, and on your country." "in what way, o king?" asked harold in amazement. "i know duke william and his crafty mind," replied edward; "he hates you, and will grant you nothing unless he gain greatly by it. the only way to obtain the hostages from him were to send some one else." "i fear it is otherwise," said harold. "well," said edward, "i will not prevent your going; but, if you do go, it will be without my consent." not much influenced by edward's warnings, harold departed for normandy. as if going on an excursion for pleasure, he set out, surrounded by his gay comrades, with his hawks and his hounds. but a circumstance soon occurred to make him serious. having sailed from one of the ports of sussex, harold's vessels were driven by contrary winds towards the mouth of the somme; and the earl, forced to land on the territories of guy, count of ponthieu, was seized by that feudal personage as a captive, despoiled of all his property, and placed securely under lock and key, in the castle of beaurain. one day, when william the norman was at rouen, a messenger from harold arrived hurriedly and in haste, with intelligence of his captivity. william expressed high indignation, and demanded extradition of the saxon earl with a menace, which was meant to serve for ransom. guy of ponthieu, however, demanded a fine estate and a large sum of money, and would listen to no proposal less advantageous to himself. william was, in consequence, obliged to grant what the count demanded; and, the matter having been arranged, harold was set free and conducted to rouen. on reaching the norman capital, harold met with a reception which soon effaced the remembrance of his captivity in the stronghold of count guy. at the same time william intimated that the hostages were at harold's disposal; but he pressed the earl to remain for a time as his guest, and see something of the land. harold, who was bold and confident, accepted the invitation; and having, with his companions, been admitted into the norman order of knighthood, he began to figure prominently in the festivals and pageants of the norman court. while harold the saxon was in this position, william the norman undertook an expedition against the bretons. before setting out, the martial duke requested harold's company; and harold, consenting without hesitation, went with his saxon comrades to take part in the war. during this campaign, william treated harold with the utmost consideration; and the norman duke and the saxon earl slept in one tent, ate at the same table, and conducted themselves towards each other like men on terms of the most intimate friendship. in this expedition against the bretons, harold and his saxon companions bore themselves with a courage which excited high admiration; and, in spite of edward's prophecy, everything seemed to go smoothly; when one day, as the duke and the earl rode along, side by side, enlivening the way with friendly colloquy, william artfully turned the conversation to his early acquaintance with the king of england, and suddenly revealed the ambitious project which was occupying his mind. "in the days of my youth," said william, turning on his saddle, playing with his bridle-rein, and looking harold in the face, "your king and i lived under the same roof like brothers; and he then promised that, if ever he came to be king of england, i should be nominated heir to his crown." harold, in perplexed surprise, muttered some words. "wherefore, harold," continued william, "if thou wouldst aid me in realizing this promise, be sure that, if i obtain the kingdom, whatever thou askest thou shalt have. what is thine answer?" "be it as thou sayest," murmured harold, taken by surprise, and finding it impossible to answer otherwise than with some vague words of compliance. "then," added william, growing bolder in his proposals, "since thou consentest to serve me, thou must engage to fortify the castle of dover, to dig there a well of fresh water, and when the time comes, to deliver up the place to my people. moreover, to make the bond between us the stronger, thou must give thy sister thyra in marriage to one of my barons; and thou must take to wife my daughter adeliza. on thy departure, thou must leave me, as guarantee for thy promise, one of the two hostages thou hast come to reclaim, and i will restore him to thee in england when i come there as king." "i acquiesce in your demands," said harold, eager to get rid of a subject which every moment became more embarrassing, and, without pursuing the conversation further, the duke and the earl rode on side by side towards bayeux. but it soon became apparent that william the norman was by no means satisfied with the promise he had wrung from his saxon guest. no sooner had the duke reached bayeux than he prepared to exact a more solemn and ceremonious pledge; and, having caused such sacred relics as bones of saints to be brought from the churches, placed in a vessel in the council hall of the castle, and covered with a rich cloth of gold, so as to have the appearance of a table, he convoked his barons and prelates on a certain day, and intimated to harold that his presence would be required. at the hour appointed, baron and bishop crowded to the council hall; and william, with a sword in his hand and the coronal of normandy on his brow, took his seat on the throne, caused two small reliquaries to be placed on the cloth of gold, and intimated, by a gesture, his desire that harold should approach. "harold," said the duke, "i require thee, before this noble assembly, to confirm, by oath, the promises thou hast made to me--namely, to aid me to obtain the kingdom of england after the death of king edward, to marry my daughter, and to send thy sister, that i may give her to one of my lords." "i swear," said harold, extending his hand over the two reliquaries, "to execute my promise as far as lies in my power, if i live, and if god aid me." "god aid him!" repeated the barons and bishops who stood around. the ceremony being thus complete, william made a sign; the cloth of gold was raised; and before harold's eyes lay bones and entire skeletons of saints, upon which he had, without suspecting their presence, so solemnly sworn. with a shudder and a change of countenance, which did not escape notice, he turned away from the sight. but the oath which he had sworn appeared to the normans far too sacred ever to be broken; and he was allowed to depart for england with his nephew, the son of sweyn. william accompanied them to the seaside, made them valuable presents, and repaired to rouen, rejoicing in the thought, that the man most likely to have baffled his aspirations after the crown of england, was bound, by the most solemn oath, to aid him to the utmost. meanwhile, harold's ships went tilting over the waters; and, on reaching england in a mood the reverse of serene, he hastened to london, presented himself to edward, and related what had passed between the duke and himself. the saintly king heard the tidings with sadness, and expressed himself in words of woe. "did i not warn you," he said, after a painful silence, "warn you over and over again, that i knew duke william, and that thy journey would bring evil on thyself and on thy country?" "it is true," said harold. "heaven grant," continued edward, "that these evils happen not in my time!" and, in truth, there was little danger of edward living to witness the troubles in store for the land of his fathers. the king's days were now "dwindling to the shortest span." aware that he was hourly sinking, edward occupied himself more and more with religious devotions, and manifested much anxiety for the completion of the abbey of westminster, which, under his auspices, had risen on thorney island in the form of a cross, with a high tower in the centre. intending to consecrate this edifice with great splendour at the christmas of , edward summoned all the nobles and clergy to be present. but before the appointed day he became too weak to leave his chamber. edith, the queen, consequently presided at the consecration; and scarcely was the ceremony over, when harold became aware that his royal brother-in-law could not survive many days. in fact, edward, stretched on a bed of sickness, and haunted by terrible visions of fiends wandering over england, was looking, almost with impatience, for the hour that was to deliver him from the evils to come. nor was the patience of the royal saint put to any long or severe trial. it was thursday, the th of january, , and the king lay in that chamber of the palace of westminster long afterwards, when known as "the painted chamber," associated with his memory. robert stigand, archbishop of canterbury, with many nobles and prelates, stood by his couch; for edward was on the eve of going where the weary are at rest; and nobles and prelates were, doubtless, anxious to hear his last will. he was, however, entirely absorbed in melancholy forebodings; and, as passages of scripture denouncing woe to nations occurred involuntarily to his memory, he repeated them with a wild energy which horrified those who surrounded his couch. "the lord has bent his bow," exclaimed the dying king, "the lord has prepared his sword; he brandishes it like unto a warrior; his wrath is manifested in steel and flame." "the saints defend us!" muttered those present, terrified at the king's ejaculations. "tush!" exclaimed archbishop stigand, with a sneer of contempt; "why tremble ye at the dreams of a sick old man?" in such a frame of mind, edward the king breathed his last; and it is said that, having been asked whom he wished to succeed to his throne, he named harold, son of godwin. but whether or not such was the case, harold was elected on the day after edward's funeral, and allowed himself to be crowned at once, in violation of his oath to william the norman, and in defiance of the claims of edgar atheling, grandson of edmund ironsides, and heir of the saxon kings. in order to bind the chiefs of the house of leofric to his interest, and to render his throne more secure, harold espoused aldith, daughter of earl algar, and widow of that griffith whose head the welsh had sent to him on the point of a spear. nevertheless, the position of harold was encompassed with danger, and the minds of his subjects were filled with gloom and apprehension. as men reflected on the dying words of edward the king, they recalled to mind old prophecies which increased their alarm. one of these predicted such calamities as the saxons had never experienced since they left the elbe; and another, which was more to the point, predicted the conquest of england by a people from france. while vague terrors preyed upon england, the appearance of a comet daunted all hearts, and was regarded, as it seemed to come, as a herald of woe. "thou hast then returned," said a monk of the period; "thou hast returned at length, thou who wilt cause so many mothers to weep! many times have i seen thee shine; but thou lookest to me more terrible now that thou announcest the ruin of my country." [illustration] x. duke william and his difficulties. it was early one day, about the opening of the year , and the ground was hard with frost, when william the norman left the palace of rouen, and crossed the seine to test some new arrows in the park of rouvray. while the duke was occupied in stringing that mighty bow which, save himself, no man then living could bend, a messenger from england reached him with tidings of such import, that his colour changed, and his lip quivered with emotion. it was to the effect that edward the confessor was dead, and that harold, son of godwin, had seized the english crown. giving his bow to an attendant, william walked to the margin of the seine, stepped into his barge, and, without speaking, indicated by a gesture his wish to return to rouen. on reaching the castle, he entered the great hall, and paced up and down with a restless and excited step, "often," say the chronicles, "changing posture and attitude, and oft loosening and tightening the strings of his mantle." such, indeed, seemed his agitation, that no member of his household ventured for some time to ask the cause. meantime, rumours of the intelligence brought by the messenger from england began to creep about, and a norman noble, probably william fitzosborne, the duke's seneschal, and the proudest of norman magnates, presented himself to learn the actual state of affairs. fitzosborne, who was count of breteuil, and destined one day to higher rank, had such a reputation for _hauteur_ that he was surnamed "the proud spirit." without any of that hesitation exhibited by others, he approached william the norman, and inquired the cause of his emotion. "my lord," said he, "pray communicate your news. it is bruited about that the king of england is dead, and that harold, breaking faith with you, has usurped the crown." "they say truly who so report," answered the duke; "and my grief is touching the death of edward, and my anger is touching the wrong done me by harold." "sir," said fitzosborne, "chafe not at what may be amended. for edward's death, it is true, there is no remedy; but there is a remedy for the injury done you by harold. yours is the right, and you have stout warriors. strike with courage: the work is already half done." genius, however, is generally patient; and william was too crafty to spoil his game by indiscreet haste. he went cautiously and gradually to work; and not till he had twice, in courteous phrase, required harold to fulfil the treaty so solemnly concluded, did he threaten the saxon with invasion and punishment. then, however, he cast hesitation to the winds, and resolved on inflicting a signal chastisement. "i doubt not," he said, "of finding that man a feeble foe, who has proved so faithless a friend." in the meantime negotiations were vigorously commenced at rome, and harold was charged before the pontifical court with perjury and sacrilege. the saxon king was summoned to defend himself, and endeavoured to escape by refusing to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the court. but this did not serve his purpose. the conclave assembled at the lateran, under the inspiration of the famous hildebrand, decided that william should enter england, and bring that kingdom back to the holy see; and a papal bull, directed against harold and his adherents, was presented to william, along with a consecrated banner, an agnus of gold, and a ring which contained a hair of st. peter, set in a diamond of great price. a council of high norman nobles was now convened at rouen; and william, addressing his friends, demanded counsel and aid. there was no difference of opinion. all were ready to take part with their duke in the invasion of england, and each man present delighted his soul with visions of rich manors on the thames or the mersey. however, they advised him to consult the general feeling of the community; and, accordingly, the merchants and traders of normandy, as well as the lords and knights, were summoned to confer with the duke. lillebonne was the place appointed for this memorable assembly, and thither came all the wealthiest and most important subjects of normandy. william, after opening his heart to them, explained his views and craved pecuniary aid, and they then withdrew to deliberate in freedom. the result was not quite satisfactory. the normans were greatly divided in opinion. some were anxious to aid the duke with men and money; but others positively objected, declaring that they had already more debts than they could pay. it was now that william fitzosborne did better service than a hundred knights could have rendered to his liege lord. raising his voice above the tumult, he exerted that eloquence for which the norman nobles were so remarkable. "why this confusion and discord?" asked fitzosborne. "why dispute thus among ourselves? the duke hath need of us, and he is our lord----" "william is our lord; but we owe him no aid beyond the seas," interrupted the assembly. "it is our duty to make offers of aid, rather than to wait his requests," continued fitzosborne. "he hath need of us now; and if we fail him, and he gains his end, he will remember it to our disadvantage. let us, then, prove by our acts that we love him, and let us entitle ourselves to his gratitude." "doubtless, william is our lord," cried the normans; "but is it not enough for us to pay him his dues? we owe him no aid beyond the seas. he hath already oppressed us enough with his wars; let him fail in this new enterprise, and our country is undone." "well," said fitzosborne, changing his plan, "let us return to the duke; and i, as knowing the position of each man present, will take upon me to excuse the limited offers of the assembly." "so be it," was the answer; and the normans, with fitzosborne at their head, returned to duke william's presence. "sire," said fitzosborne, addressing william, "i do not believe that there are in the whole world people more zealous than yours. you know the aids they have given you--the onerous services they have rendered. well, sire, they will do more. they offer to serve you beyond the seas as they have done here." "no, no!" cried the normans, "we did not charge you with such an answer." "for my own part," continued fitzosborne, "i will, out of love to you, give sixty well-appointed ships, each charged with fifty fighting men. forward, then, and spare us in nothing! he who hath hitherto only supplied you with two good mounted soldiers will now supply four." "we did not say that," cried the normans, "and it shall not be so. in things within his own country, we will serve the duke, as is due; but we are not bound to assist him to conquer another man's country. besides, if once we rendered double service, and followed him across the sea, he would make it a right and a custom for the future; he would burden our children with it." "it shall not be--it cannot be!" shouted the assembled normans vociferously; and, after forming themselves into groups of ten, twenty, and thirty, they declaimed tumultuously, and then separated. william was enraged beyond measure--the blood of rolfganger boiled in his veins--and the spirit of robert the devil flashed from his eyes. nevertheless, by such an effort as only such a man is capable of, he exercised sufficient command over himself to control his temper, bow his pride, and resort to artifice. summoning separately the men with whom in a body he had failed, he requested the support of each as a personal favour. this plan of proceeding proved completely successful. no norman, when alone with the duke, and under the influence of his eloquence and his eye, had the courage to refuse; and every one of those who had shouted "it cannot be!" consented to give to the full extent of his means. with the papal bull in his hands, and promises of aid from his subjects, carefully registered when they had been made, william summoned the normans to the consecrated banner, and published his ban in the neighbouring countries, with promises of pay and pillage. both normans and foreigners answered his call. from all directions martial adventurers crowded to his standard. the papal bull and the promises of plunder did their work. from france and flanders; from maine, and aquitaine, and brittany, and from anjou, ruled by the ancestors of the plantagenets--from the alps, and from the banks of the rhine--multitudes crowded, with sword and cross-bow, to range themselves under the consecrated banner, and to aid in the conquest and share in the plunder of england. [illustration] xi. [illustration: tostig's parting speech to his brother harold.] tostig, son of godwin. in the spring of , when the crown of edward the confessor was placed on the head of harold the saxon; and when the news of the coronation, carried to rouen, kindled the ire of william the norman, there was living in flanders, musing over the past, watching events with a keen eye, an english exile, who was harold's brother and his sworn foe. this exile was tostig, the third son of godwin and githa. when the riot between the townsmen of dover and the train of eustace of boulogne resulted in the dispersion of the family of godwin, tostig, then in the pride of early manhood, accompanying his father to flanders, wedded judith, daughter of count baldwin, and sister of matilda, whom william the norman, after vanquishing so many obstacles, received as his bride. this high alliance would seem to have rendered tostig's pride intolerable; and he returned to england with ridiculous notions of his hereditary claims, and absurd ideas of his personal importance. it was a period, however, when the members of godwin's house were encouraged to conduct themselves as if england had existed solely for their advantage; and when siward died, leaving one son too young to succeed to his authority, tostig claimed and received the earldom of northumberland. accustomed to the sway of such chiefs as uchtred and siward, the men of the north were not perhaps particularly pleased with their new earl. but whether or not, tostig soon gave them cause to be discontented. cruel and tyrannical in his notions, he appeared at york with the tax-gatherer on one hand, and the executioner on the other, and treated the northumbrians as if he had been a conqueror, and they had been the inhabitants of a conquered province. brooking no restraint, he violated old customs and laws, levied enormous imposts, and violently put to death those who refused to submit to his exactions. gamel, the son of orm, and ulf, the son of dolphin, are mentioned as among the thanes of high rank whom, with fell treachery, he allured to the castle of york, and caused to be put to death, under his own roof, and in his own chamber. of all people, the northumbrians were the least likely to tolerate such tyranny. meeting at gamelburn, dunstan, son of agelnoth, and gloricern, son of eadulf, with two hundred soldiers, raised the standard of insurrection; and, under the command of their native chiefs, the men of the north sprang to arms to avenge their slaughtered countrymen and fight for their ancient liberties. marching to york, dunstan and gloricern prepared to seize the tyrant in his castle. tostig was in the capital of the north, when he suddenly became aware that armed men were approaching with hostile intent. unprepared for resistance, and shrinking from the peril he had defied, the son of godwin resolved to fly; and, escaping with some of the chief ministers of his violence and injustice, he left his officers and servants to contend with the men whom he had exasperated. the northumbrians, taking possession of york, seized the arsenal and treasury, and, assembling a council, formally deposed tostig, and elected morkar, one of the sons of algar, and one of the grandsons of leofric and godiva, in his stead. when news of the tumult in northumberland, and of the expulsion of tostig, reached the confessor's court, harold mustered an army and marched northward to deal with the insurgents. this, however, he soon found would be no easy operation. the northumbrians met him at oxford, and in such a way as convinced him of the expediency of listening to their complaints. a conference was consequently held, and harold endeavoured to exculpate his brother and to soften the northumbrians. "if," said harold, "you will receive tostig again as your earl, i promise that he will govern with equity, and according to law." "no!" cried the northumbrians with one voice, and with that danish burr which their descendants have inherited; "we were born free; we were brought up free; and a haughty ruler we cannot abide. we have been taught by our ancestors to live free or to die. we have said. bear thou our answer to edward the king." harold could not dispute the justice of the complaints of the northumbrians. without delay he went to explain their grievances to the king; and edward sent him back to give the royal sanction to tostig's deposition, and to the election of morkar, the grandson of leofric. henceforth, it was not so much against the northumbrians as against harold that tostig's wrath burned fiercely; and when the brothers soon after met at windsor, at edward's board, a scene was enacted which made the blood of the saintly king run cold. harold, it appears, pledged edward in a cup of wine; and tostig, exclaiming that such familiarity with the king was unseemly, pulled harold by the hair of his head. a scuffle immediately ensued, and but for the presence of the king would have ended in bloodshed. "it is notorious," said edward, raising his hands in holy horror, "that all the sons of godwin are so transcendently wicked, that if they see any house which they covet, they will murder the owner in the night-time, and destroy his children, to get possession. verily, they will one day destroy each other." after this outrageous scene at windsor, harold and tostig were at deadly feud; and when harold, somewhat later, was on his way to hereford with the king, tostig, going thither and entering his brother's house, attacked the servants, who were preparing a great feast. killing the unoffending men, and severing the heads and hewing the limbs from the bodies, he put the corpses into the winecasks, and then, riding forth as if to meet the king and his party, he hinted at the brutal enormity he had perpetrated. "harold," he said, as he turned away, "you will find the meat for your feast well powdered." and, as tostig spoke these words, the brothers parted, not to meet again till that day when they met face to face as foes, each with a weapon in his hand and an army at his back. after the massacre at hereford, tostig, with revenge gnawing at his heart, and threats on his lips, sailed from england and repaired to the court of flanders. for a time he remained brooding in silence over his wrongs, and watching his opportunity. no sooner, however, did he receive intelligence of edward's death and harold's coronation, than he sprang to action, and cried that the time for vengeance had arrived. mounting in haste, he made his way without delay to normandy, and urged duke william, his brother-in-law, to lose no time in hurling harold from the throne. "be not so impatient, brave tostig," said william. "why," asked tostig, excitedly, "should a perjurer be allowed to reign in peace? have not i more credit and power in england? yea, and i can assure possession of the country to any one who will unite with me to make the conquest." but william was not the man to be imposed upon by vain boasts; and tostig was somewhat mortified at the reception with which his proposals were met. willing, however, to test the banished saxon's influence, the duke furnished him with some ships to make a descent. but tostig, instead of sailing for england, sailed to the baltic trusting to secure the aid of his uncle, sweyn, king of denmark. this attempt, however, failed. sweyn gave tostig a harsh refusal; and the nephew, leaving his uncle in discontent, but still breathing threats of revenge against his brother, made for norway, where a king reigned more likely than sweyn to take part in a bold adventure, and better qualified to conduct a bold adventure to a triumphant conclusion. xii. [illustration: hardrada's deliverance from his eastern dungeon.] harold hardrada. when tostig's ships came to anchor, and when tostig, landing at drontheim, presented himself at the rude palace of the old kings of norway, the crown of that northern realm was worn by the last of those heroes who called the ocean their home and the tempest their servant. this was harold hardrada, a warrior of high renown, who had fought countless battles on the sea as well as on the land, who had probably seen more of the world than any man then living, and who, in every respect, looked worthy of the fame he had won. his height exceeded seven feet; and, though the hands and feet appeared somewhat large, the whole person was fairly proportioned. he had a short beard, a long moustache, and fair hair falling over his shoulders. his aspect was, on the whole, pleasing, and would always have been so but for the circumstance of one eyebrow being somewhat higher than the other, and giving a sinister expression to his face when he frowned. hardrada was son of sigurd and brother of olaf--that king of norway who established christianity in his kingdom by the strong hand. hardrada, however, appears to have been more of a sea-king than a saint. at an early age, hardrada fought by the side of olaf in the sanguinary battle of stiklestad. the elder brother fell, but the younger escaped, after his body had been covered with wounds, and his blood freely poured out. taking to the forest, he was received into the cottage of a woodman, and there lay concealed till his wounds were healed and his spirits revived. restored to health and hope, hardrada left his lurking-place, and turned his face eastward. faring forth with a brave band of comrades on a career of adventure, he set foot, after many romantic wanderings, on the banks of the bosphorus, and, halting with his comrades at constantinople, took service, as a varing, in the bodyguard then maintained by the emperor of the east. the varings were of high account at the imperial court. generally danes, swedes, or germans, they exhibited the courage characteristic of northmen, and wore their hair long, after the fashion of their native countries. armed with huge axes, which they were in the habit of carrying on their shoulders, they stood as guards at the door of the emperor's chamber, and paraded his capital, imposing respect and awe. among the varings, hardrada, though the brother of a king, did not disdain to enrol himself and his comrades. but his wild and free spirit could ill brook the necessary subordination, and, after some quarrel with a greek commander, he repaired to africa. fighting there with the saracens, and despoiling them of gold and jewels, he became celebrated and rich. turning to sicily, he increased his fame and his wealth; and then, as if to consecrate his deeds of violence, he made an armed pilgrimage to jerusalem, not yet visited by peter the hermit; and, sweeping moslem and marauder from his path, ascended mount calvary, and knelt at the holy sepulchre. from jerusalem hardrada returned to constantinople, and there became enamoured of maria, a niece of the empress zoe, while he himself became dear to the heart of the empress. the predicament was perplexing, and might have baffled the ingenuity of another man. but hardrada was equal to the occasion, and freed himself by a romantic elopement from the snares by which he was surrounded. it appears that olaf, the brother of hardrada, though deemed worthy of canonization, had been somewhat general in his attentions to the fair sex; and, among other consequences of his amours, was an illegitimate son, named magnus. in the absence of hardrada, magnus contrived to win the sovereignty of norway from the heir of canute; and no sooner did hardrada hear of his nephew's elevation than he determined to assert his own superior claim. but hardrada had scarcely intimated his intention of returning to norway, when he found there was a lioness in the way. eager to detain the varing who had won her heart, the empress caused him to be charged with some irregularity, and imprisoned. hardrada was accordingly incarcerated. but a greek lady, incited by a dream, resolved to attempt his deliverance, and lowered ropes from the roof of a tower to the dungeon in which he lay. escaping in this way, hardrada hastily roused his varings, proceeded to the palace of maria, niece of the empress, bore off the princess in his strong arms to the quay, embarked with her in his galley, and gave his sails to the wind. at length, hardrada, with the bride and the wealth he had won, set his foot on the shores of norway, and, raising an army, made an effort to grasp the crown. magnus, however, proved a formidable adversary; and hardrada, perceiving the difficulty of a complete triumph, made a compromise, and agreed to share the kingdom with his nephew. on the death of magnus, however, hardrada became king of all norway. such he was, and highly considered among european sovereigns on account of his experience, his prowess, and his wealth, when tostig, with the proposals which had been coldly treated in normandy and scornfully repelled in denmark, reached drontheim, appeared at the log palace, and approached him with honeyed words. "the world knows well," said the banished son of godwin, "that there lives no warrior worthy to be compared to thee. thou hast only to will it, and england will be thine." hardrada was neither insensible to such flattery, nor proof against such a temptation. allowing himself to be persuaded, he promised to put to sea whenever the ice should melt and the ocean become navigable, and commenced preparations for the grand expedition. tostig, however, was much too impatient to await the convenience of his norwegian ally. with his own fleet he set out to prepare the way, and, with a band of men recruited in flanders, holland, and friesland, he made a descent on the northern coast of england. but the inhabitants, roused at the news of villages pillaged, and granges burned, rose in such numbers that he was compelled to make for scotland, and, anchoring off the orkney islands, he waited till the winds should blow the norwegian ships to his aid. hardrada, meanwhile, fitted out several hundred ships of war; and the norwegians, encamped on their coast, waited the signal to embark. their enthusiasm was not excessive. vague presentiments of evil pervaded their ranks, and the sleep of many of the warriors was broken by ill-omened visions. one dreamed that, the fleet having put to sea, flocks of vultures perched on the masts and sails; and that a woman, sword in hand, sitting on a rock, cried to the birds with a loud voice, "go without fear; you shall have enough to eat and to choose from, for i go with them." another dreamed that he saw his comrades land in england, and encounter an english army, in front of which was a woman of gigantic stature, riding on a wolf, and giving it human bodies to devour. the imaginations of the norwegian warriors were disagreeably influenced by these presages; and more threatening than either of the dreams appeared an incident that occurred as the norwegian king, with his son olaf, and his war-steed black as a raven, and his banner, "the ravager of the world," embarked. as hardrada set foot in the royal barge, the weight of his body pressed the boat so much down in the water, as to cause general apprehension. but, undismayed, hardrada set sail, touched at the orcades, and joined his fleet with that of tostig, who was all impatience for carnage and revenge. xiii. [illustration: door of westminster abbey.] the alarm in england. it was the summer of , and william the norman was gathering continental warriors to his standard, and harold hardrada was manning his lofty war-ships with grim norwegians, and harold the saxon king was applying his energies with diligence and care to the difficulties of his position, when the people of england were seized with alarm at the prospect of an invasion. from the day of harold's coronation at westminster, he devoted himself ably and vigorously to his regal duties. never, indeed, had english monarch shown himself more considerate for the people's feelings, or more ardent for their welfare. the new reign was marked by a complete return to the national customs, by a diminution of the taxes previously levied, and by a more decided impartiality in the administration of justice. by all means in his power harold endeavoured to render his reign popular. "ever active for the good of his country," says the chronicler, "he spared himself no fatigue by land or by sea." notwithstanding his vigour and energy, clouds soon began to gather around the saxon king. in the midst of his efforts to keep together a decaying empire, harold was disagreeably interrupted by the arrival of a messenger from duke william to claim fulfilment of the promise made at bayeux. "william duke of normandy," said the messenger, "reminds thee of the oath which thou didst swear to him upon good and holy relics." "it is true that i swore such an oath to duke william," replied harold, "but i swore it under compulsion. i promised that which did not belong to me, and which i could not perform. my royalty is not mine, nor can i divest myself of it without consent of the country. as for my sister thyra, whom the duke claims, to marry her to one of the chiefs, she died this year. would he have me send her body?" the norman with this answer departed, and hastened to duke william. but, with as little delay as possible, he was sent back, and appeared at westminster with a new message, couched in terms of gentle remonstrance. "duke william," said the messenger, "entreats you, if you will not abide by all the conditions, at least to execute one of them, and take, as wife, his daughter adeliza, whom you promised to marry." "i could not marry," said harold, "without the country's consent; and besides," he added, "it is now impossible for me to wed the daughter of duke william, since i have already wedded another woman." "is this thine answer?" asked the norman. "it is," replied harold. "then," said the norman, "duke william swears that, within the year, he will come and demand the whole of his debt, and pursue you, as perjurer, to the very places where you think you have the surest and firmest footing." rumours of william's projects crept about england, and the country was soon in serious apprehension. the appearance of the comet, coming, it was believed, as a harbinger of woe, added to the general alarm; and while thousands nightly went out to gaze at "the blazing star," merchant and pilgrim carried to castle and cottage intelligence of the formidable preparations making by duke william for the subjugation of england. in the midst of the alarm which prevailed, harold at first displayed a vigilance worthy of the crisis. all summer, and far into autumn, he remained steadily at his post, guarding the southern coast. even when news of tostig's ravages came, he did not leave london, but left the chastisement of his brother to the northumbrians and their earl. but events baffled harold's plans. when summer passed and autumn came without an invasion, men, wise in their own conceit, began to ridicule the idea of the peril being imminent; and harold, not uninfluenced by the general impression that william would not attempt to land before winter, allowed his army to disband, and the fleet to run short of provisions. such was the position of affairs, when news reached london that hardrada, in company with tostig, had landed in the north, defeated the northumbrians in a sharp battle, and taken measures for forcing york to yield. no sooner did harold become aware of the new danger than he roused himself to action. convincing himself, perhaps reluctantly, that the peril which he left behind was not extreme, the saxon king hastily drew his men together, and prepared to crush the host of grim norwegians. turning his face northward, harold pushed on, by forced marches, to york, and succeeded in reaching the capital of the north on the very evening before hardrada and tostig anticipated placing on its walls "the ravager of the world." xiv. [illustration: the norwegian champion at stamford bridge.] the battle of stamford bridge. the month of september, , was drawing towards its close, and so far all had prospered with tostig and his norwegian ally. after burning scarborough, they had sailed up the humber, advanced towards york, fought a tough battle, and placed themselves in such a position before the capital of the north, that the citizens recognised the necessity of yielding. indeed, they had agreed to open the gates on the morning of the th, and on that morning tostig and hardrada--who had broken up their lines, and encamped on the river derwent, at stamford bridge, seven miles from york--were to march in triumph into the city, and hold a grand council to regulate the affairs of the province. it was a monday; and early in the morning, hardrada and tostig, leaving part of their army encamped on the other side of the derwent, rode side by side towards york, accompanied by some thousands of their soldiers. the weather being warm--for it was "one of those autumnal days in which the sun is still in all its vigour"--and no resistance being anticipated, the norwegians laid aside their coats of mail, and dispensed with all defensive armour except helmets and bucklers. when approaching york, however, they suddenly perceived clouds of dust, and, through the clouds, steel glittering in the sun. "who are these men?" asked hardrada, in surprise. "they must be northumbrians," answered tostig, "coming either to crave friendship or to ask pardon." the norwegians, however, had not advanced many paces, when tostig was disagreeably undeceived. the approaching mass grew more distinct, and the sun revealed an army in battle order. "it is king harold," said tostig, scarce mustering voice sufficient to speak the words. "ride!" said hardrada, turning to three of his horsemen--"ride! and, with all haste, bring our warriors from the camp." the horsemen darted off with the speed of the wind; and hardrada, unfurling "the ravager of the world," on the folds of which a vast raven was depicted, ranged his men round the banner in a long, narrow line, curved at the extremities. pressing against each other, with their spears planted in the ground, and the points turned against the foe, the norwegians stood ready for conflict; and their king, mounted on his coal-black steed, his helmet glittering with gold, rode along the line, singing, as was his wont on such occasions, extempore verses, to excite the valour of his men. "let us fight," he sang, "though without our cuirasses; let us forward to the edge of blue steel. our helmets shine in the sun. for brave men that is enough." while hardrada thus sang, about twenty mounted warriors--horses and riders clad in steel--dashed out from the saxon ranks. approaching the norwegian lines, they suddenly halted, and intimated their wish to hold a parley. "where," cried one of them, "is tostig, the son of godwin?" "here," answered tostig, spurring forward his steed. "if thou art tostig," said the saxon, "thy brother greets thee by me, and offers thee peace, with his friendship, and thine ancient honours." "these are fine words," said tostig, bitterly; "but if i accept your offers, what shall be given to the noble king hardrada, son of sigurd, my faithful ally?" "he," replied the saxon, "shall have seven feet of english land, or a little more, for his height exceeds that of other men." "then," said tostig, "go back and say to my brother that he may prepare to fight; for none but liars will ever say that the son of godwin deserted the son of sigurd." the parley ended; and the saxon warriors rode back to their host. the norwegians and saxons then closed in the shock of war, and the conflict immediately became fierce and sanguinary. but, from the first, the invaders had the worst of the encounter. with their huge battle-axes, wielded with both hands, the saxons rushed furiously on their foes, cleaving down all opposition, and breaking the first rank of the norwegians. hardrada, pierced with an arrow, fell in the heat of the strife; and, as his gigantic form disappeared from the black steed, the banner he had brought from norway was trampled in the dust and captured by the foe. no sooner did hardrada fall than tostig took command of the norwegians, and prepared to continue the strife. harold, however, paused in his assault, and sent once more to offer peace. but the norwegians would not listen to terms. "we will rather die," said they, "than owe our lives to those who have killed our king." on receiving this answer, the saxon king led on his men to the attack, and fearful was the carnage that ensued. in vain did bands of the norwegians, roused in their camp by hardrada's riders, hurry up to the aid of their fast-falling comrades. fatigued with their hasty march under a burning sun, they fell in heaps before the axes of their foes. ere long, the struggle ceased: tostig lay dead on the ground, and around him the norwegian chiefs who had followed their king to minister to his vengeance. but, meanwhile, the norwegians who had not passed the derwent drew together to make a desperate defence; and the saxons advanced to consummate their victory. this, however, proved no easy achievement. in fact, the strength and resolution of one man long kept the saxons at bay. at that time the derwent was crossed by a wooden bridge. long and furiously was this bridge contested; and when the norwegians, yielding to overwhelming press of numbers, retreated, one warrior, of tall stature and mighty strength, remained to defy, single-handed, the might of his foes. armed with a battle-axe, which few men could have wielded, he struck down every one who ventured within his reach; and, when forty men had fallen by his hand, the boldest saxons recoiled in dismay from a foe who appeared armed with supernatural power. but at length the norwegian was taken unawares. perceiving the certainty of death in attempting an encounter hand to hand, one of the saxons seized a long spear, leaped into a boat, and floated quietly under the bridge. availing himself of a favourable opportunity, the saxon dexterously thrust his spear through the planks right into the norwegian's body; and the huge champion, without even seeing his new adversary, fell mortally wounded. harold then became master of the bridge, and led his soldiers to the norwegian camp. nothing that could be called resistance was now attempted. the norwegians had given way to despair; and when harold, for the third time, sent to offer peace, the proposal was gladly accepted. accordingly, a treaty was hastily concluded; and after olaf, son of hardrada, had sworn friendship to the saxon king, the norwegians took to their ships, and, with sad hearts, set sail for their northern homes. the victory at stamford bridge placed much booty, and a considerable quantity of gold, in the hands of the saxons. all this harold, as king, claimed as his own; and deep was the discontent which the avarice, or economy, of the son of godwin, on this occasion, created in the ranks of the victorious army. many of the anglo-saxon chiefs took mortal offence, and ridiculed the idea of serving a king who had not sufficient generosity to share the spoil of a vanquished enemy with those by whom the enemy had been vanquished. the discontent of the anglo-saxons was at its height, when harold suddenly became aware that he was in no position to lose friends and adherents. the breezes in which his banners waved at stamford bridge had filled the sails, and impelled to the english shores, the fleet of an invader more formidable than the adventurous hardrada. while harold the saxon was wrangling with his earls and thanes in the city of york, william the norman had landed with his counts and vavasors, on the coast of sussex. alarm now appeared on the face of every saxon, and confusion added to the discontent that pervaded harold's ranks. but no time was to be lost. without even taking time to bury the slain, the saxon king turned his face southward. for many years after, the bones of the slaughtered norwegians whitened the scene of the battle of stamford bridge; and, so late as the nineteenth century, swords, heads of halberds, and horseshoes, have often been turned up, and excited interest, as memorials of the day on which the great hardrada was overthrown, and the "ravager of the world" trampled in the dust. [illustration] xv. philip of france. while duke william was preparing for the invasion of england, and the nobles of normandy were mustering their fighting men, and adventurous warriors were flocking from all quarters, with eager anticipation, to take part in the daring enterprise, he bethought him of repairing to the court of france, with the object of enlisting the sympathies, and securing the support, of the french king. philip, the son of henry, and great-grandson of hugh capet, was then a boy of fourteen, and reigning under the guardianship of baldwin, count of flanders. he was residing at st. germain when william appeared to ask his aid and salute him with a degree of feudal deference seldom shown by the dukes of normandy to the capetian kings. "you are my seigneur," said william, addressing the young king; "and if it please you to aid me, and i, by god's grace, obtain my rights over england, i promise to do you homage for it, as though i held it from you." "well," answered philip, "i will assemble my council of barons; for, without their advice, i cannot decide an affair so important." a council was accordingly called, and the expediency of assisting william was discussed; but the french barons, one and all, pronounced strongly against rendering any aid. "you know," said they to the king, "how ill the normans obey you now." "true," said philip. "it will be worse if they possess england," said the barons. "besides, it would cost us a great deal to assist duke william; and, if he fail in his enterprise, the english will be our enemies for ever." the council, having determined on giving william no aid, rose; and philip, repairing to the norman duke, communicated the decision. "my barons," said he, "are of opinion that they ought not, in any way, to aid you in the conquest of england." "are they?" exclaimed william, much disappointed. "then, by the splendour of god! i will show them that i can conquer england without their help." "but," asked the boy-king, with a sneer, "who will take care of your duchy while you are grasping at a crown?" "my duchy," answered william, fiercely, "shall not trouble my neighbours. i have a spouse of prudence, who can take charge of my duchy, and could take charge of much more, if it were necessary." and king philip parted with his great subject, whom he was never henceforth to think of but as a formidable foe. [illustration] xvi. [illustration: the good ship moira, william of normandy, owner] the norman armament. all through the summer of , while england was ringing with alarm, normandy was resounding with preparations; armourers were busy forging weapons and coats of mail; shipwrights were occupied with the construction of vessels; and men were continually employed carrying arms from workshop to port. everything, meantime, seemed to favour william's project of conquest; and he fixed on a day about the middle of august as the time for his departure. the mouth of the dive was appointed as the rendezvous; and there, in good time, william's mighty armament was ready for the enterprise. sixty thousand men came to the norman standard; and the fleet consisted of four hundred ships and a thousand other vessels, great and small. for a month, however, the winds, proving adverse, detained the fleet in port. an anglo-saxon was caught making observations, taken into custody, and carried before william. "you are a spy," said the duke. the man, with william's terrible eye upon him, could not muster courage to deny the charge. "nevertheless," said the duke, "you shall see everything; though harold need not trouble himself to ascertain my force; for he shall both see and feel it, ere the year has run its course." at length a southern breeze sprang up, and the normans set sail. but they soon found the impossibility of proceeding on their voyage. carried as far as the roadstead of st. valery, at the mouth of the somme, they were under the necessity of landing and submitting to a further delay. william's patience was now severely tried. the weather was stormy; rain fell in torrents; some ships, shattered by the tempest, sank with their crews; and the men began to lose heart. the fearful difficulties that beset the enterprise forced themselves on every mind; and while conversing with each other under their tents, dripping with water, they talked of the ships that had been lost, and exaggerated the number of the bodies cast ashore. "the man is mad who thus seeks to seize the land of another," said some of the soldiers. "and, doubtless," suggested others, "god is offended with such designs, and proves it by refusing us a favourable wind." not unaware that such conversations were held, william became uneasy and restless. he plied the men with strong drink to stimulate their courage, and was frequently observed to enter the church of st. valery, to remain long in prayer, and to gaze anxiously, as he left the building, at the weathercock that ornamented the belfry. on tuesday, the th of september, while william was occupied with somewhat sad thoughts, a brilliant idea crossed his brain, and filled his heart with hope. either prompted by sincere faith, or by a desire to dissipate the gloom that hung over his mighty host, he caused a coffer containing the bones of st. valery to be taken from the church and solemnly carried through the camp. the duke made rich offerings; every soldier gave his mite; and the adventurers in a body joined in prayer. this ceremony had the effect of calming superstitious fears; and when next morning dawned, it seemed as if their prayers had been answered and a miracle wrought; for the weather was fine, and the wind was favourable. no time was now lost. at daybreak the sleepers were roused from their repose; orders for immediate embarcation were given; the soldiers, cheered by the change of weather, joyfully hastened on board; and the mariners made ready to haul up their anchors and spread their sails. william's own ship--a gift of matilda the duchess--was named the moira, commanded by a skipper of skill, known as stephen, the son of gerard, and ornamented by a figure-head representing william rufus, then a little boy, with a bent bow in his hands. on the sails of divers colours were painted the arms of normandy, and at the masthead flew the consecrated banner sent to william by the pope. large lanterns, fixed on poles, were intended to serve as a rallying-point for the whole fleet. after much bustle and exertion, everything was in readiness for sailing; and, william having embarked, the moira, followed by fourteen hundred vessels, great and small, made for the open sea, while a cheer rose from sixty thousand tongues. the voyage was, on the whole, prosperous. but the moira, sailing much more swiftly than the other ships, outstripped them during the day, and at night left them far behind. in the morning william found to his dismay that his friends were not to be seen. "go to the masthead," said the duke, addressing stephen; and the skipper obeyed. "i see only sky and sea," said the skipper. "never mind," said william, affecting a gay countenance; "cast anchor till they come in sight." at the same time, to keep away fear and anxiety, he ordered a copious repast, with spiced wines; and, this having been disposed of, he caused the skipper again to go aloft. "what do you see now?" asked william. "four vessels," answered the skipper. "look again," said william. "ah!" cried the skipper, "i see a forest of masts and sails." "our fleet!" exclaimed william, joyfully; and ere long, the fourteen hundred vessels having come up, the moira was once more at their head, and gallantly leading the way to the coast of sussex. on that september day, the norman fleet, without encountering the slightest opposition, sailed into the bay of pevensey, and cast anchor hard by that ancient castle, whose foundations were then washed by the waves, though the sea is now a mile distant from its stately ruins. the process of disembarking the troops was immediately commenced. first landed the archers, clad in short coats, with their bows in their hands; then the horsemen, in steel helmets and coats of mail, with long lances and double-edged swords; and then the armourers, smiths, carpenters, and pioneers. everything was done in perfect order, and with a degree of precision which must have pleased william's eye. the duke was the last to land; and, as he did so, a slight accident occurred, which some were inclined to regard as a presage of evil, but to which, with his wonted tact, he contrived to give an interpretation highly favourable to the fortunes of their enterprise. when his foot touched the shore, he slipped and fell on his face, and a murmur instantly arose. "god preserve us!" exclaimed some in horror. "this is a bad sign," cried others. "lords, what is it you say?" exclaimed william, rising with a spring. "why are you amazed? see you not that i have taken seizin of this land with my hands, and all that it contains is our own?" it is said that after landing, william ordered the ships forming his fleet to be burned, that the normans, seeing all hope of retreat cut off, might be induced to fight the more desperately; and then he marched towards hastings. on a broad plain, between pevensey and hastings, the normans pitched their camp. having erected two wooden castles, brought with them to serve as receptacles for provisions during the campaign, or as places of refuge in case of disaster, they sent out bodies of troops to overrun the neighbourhood. the inhabitants, terrified at the approach of foes whom they were utterly unprepared to meet, fled from their dwellings to the churches; and the country seemed to lie so open, that many of the invaders indulged in the anticipation of taking possession without resistance. far otherwise, however, was it ordered. in fact, the anglo-saxons were rising from the thames to the tweed; and william soon received warning from one of the normans settled in england not to trust to appearances. "be upon your guard," was the message, "for in four days the son of godwin will be at the head of a hundred thousand men." the warning was well meant, but somewhat unnecessary. william was not the man to be taken by surprise, as hardrada had been. his camp was carefully guarded; and his outposts, extending to a great distance, kept watch night and day with unceasing vigilance. at length, on the morning of friday, the th of october, horsemen galloped into the camp in such haste, that they had scarcely breath sufficient to communicate their intelligence. "with what tidings come you?" asked the normans eagerly. "with tidings," answered the horsemen, "that the saxon king is advancing furiously." [illustration: harold has news of william's landing.] xvii. harold's host. as harold, after his victory over the norwegians, left york to hasten to london, he summoned the men of the provinces through which he passed to arm in defence of their country. the anglo-saxons obeyed the summons with the utmost possible celerity, and bands of armed men were soon on their way to the capital. but harold's conduct ruined all. with a rashness of which even tostig would hardly, under such circumstances, have been guilty, he resolved to venture on a battle before the great anglo-saxon nobles and their fighting-men came up; and, accompanied by his brothers, gurth and leofwine, he left the capital at the head of an army composed mainly of kentishmen and londoners, utterly inferior both in numbers and discipline to the force arrayed under the banner of his potent foe. elate with the success of his arms at stamford bridge, and probably deluding himself with the idea that he could conquer william as he had conquered hardrada, harold marched with fierce rapidity till he was within seven miles of the norman camp. but convinced, at that stage, of the impossibility of coming on william unawares, he changed his tactics, halted near the village then known as epiton, took possession of some hilly ground, and fortified his position with ditches, palisades, ramparts of slates, and willow hurdles. thus strongly intrenched, he resolved to stand on the defensive. meanwhile, some spies, sent to make observations on the hostile army, and bring intelligence of the disposition and force of the normans, returned to the camp, and gave their report. "there are more priests," said the spies, "in duke william's camp, than there are fighting men on the english side." "ah," said harold, with a smile, "you have mistaken warriors for priests, because the normans shave their beards, and wear their hair short. those whom you saw in such numbers are not priests, but brave soldiers, who will soon show us what they are worth." "it seems to us," said some of the saxon chiefs, on whom the report of the spies, doubtless, was not without effect, "that we should act prudently in avoiding a battle for the present, and retreating towards london, ravaging the country as we go, and thus starving out the foreigners." "i cannot ravage the country which has been committed to my care," answered harold. "by my faith, that were indeed treason; and i prefer taking the chances of battle with my courage, my good cause, and the few men i have." but ere long the saxon chiefs had reason to doubt the goodness of harold's cause. while this conversation as to the expediency of a retreat was taking place, a monk from william arrived with a message for harold, and found his way to the presence of the saxon king. "william, duke of normandy," said the monk, addressing harold, "requires thee to do one of three things: either to surrender to him, the crown of england; or to submit your quarrel to the arbitration of the pope; or to refer its decision to the chances of a single combat." "and my answer," said harold, briefly, "is, that i will not resign the crown; i will not refer the matter to the pope; and a single combat i will not fight." "then," said the monk, solemnly, "duke william denounces thee as perjurer and liar; and all who support thee are excommunicated. the papal bull is in the norman tent." the mention of excommunication produced an instantaneous effect on the saxon chiefs, and they looked at each other like men suddenly seized with superstitious terror. "this is a business of great danger," they murmured. "whatever the danger may be, we ought to fight," said a thane; "for here is not a question of receiving a new lord as if our king were dead; the matter in hand is very different. william of normandy has given our lands to his barons and his people, most of whom have already rendered him homage for them. they come not only to ruin us, but to ruin our descendants also, and to take from us the country of our ancestors." "it is true," cried the saxons, recovering their courage. "let us neither make peace, truce, nor treaty with the invader." "let us swear," cried all, "to drive out the normans, or die in the attempt." an oath was accordingly taken by the saxon chiefs. but when their enthusiasm evaporated, the thought of fighting for national existence under the auspices of a man branded as "perjurer and liar" troubled every conscience. even harold's brothers could not conceal their uneasiness, and gurth frankly and honestly expressed his sentiments. "harold," said gurth, "let me persuade you not to be present in the battle, but to return to london and seek fresh reinforcements, while we sustain the norman's attack." "and why?" asked harold. "thou canst not deny," replied gurth, "that, whether on compulsion or willingly, thou hast sworn an oath to duke william upon the relics of saints. why risk a combat with a perjury against thee? for us, who have taken no oath, the war is just: we defend our country. leave us, then, to fight the battle. if we retreat, thou canst aid us; if we fall, thou canst avenge us." "my duty," said harold, "forbids me to remain apart while others risk their lives." the night of friday, the th of october, had now come, and by the saxons little doubt was entertained that the norman duke would attack them on the morrow. nor was their anticipation incorrect. indeed, william had intimated to his army that next day would be a day of battle; and, while the norman warriors prepared their arms, norman monks and priests prayed, and chanted litanies, and confessed the soldiers, and administered the sacrament. the saxons passed the night in a far different and much less devout manner. it seems that the th of october was the day of harold's nativity, and that the saxons, eager to celebrate such an occasion, or hailing it as a fair excuse for carousing, dedicated the night to joviality. around their fires wine and ale flowed in abundance, and men, grouped in large circles, sang national ballads, and filled and emptied horns and flagons with a reckless indifference to the probability that next morning their ideas would be confused and their nerves disordered. and thus, almost face to face with the normans, and soon to be hand to hand, the saxons, under king harold's standard, beheld the break of that day on which, against fearful odds, they were to fight a battle for the sovereignty of england. [illustration: battle abbey, hastings.] xviii. [illustration: the norman prelates blessing the troops.] the battle of hastings. on the morning of saturday, the th of october, , the day of st. calixtus, william the norman rose from his couch, and prepared to tear the crown of edward the confessor from the head of harold, son of godwin. before forming into battle order, the normans went through an impressive religious ceremony. odo, bishop of bayeux, and geoffrey, bishop of coutance, celebrated mass, and solemnly blessed the troops; and then odo, who was warrior as well as prelate, and wore a hauberk under his rochet, mounted his tall white charger, and, with a baton of command in his hand, aided to marshal the cavalry. the norman army was ranged in three divisions. in the first were the men of boulogne, ponthieu, and most of the continental adventurers, whom the prospect of pay and plunder had brought to the invading standard; in the second appeared the auxiliaries from brittany, maine, and poitou; while the third was composed of the high norman chivalry, and comprised hundreds of knights and nobles, whose names were afterwards registered in the roll of battle abbey, and whose descendants ranked among the mediæval magnates of england. gallantly they mounted--fitzosborne and warren, gourney and grantmesnil, percy and peverill, montgomery and mortimer, merley and montfichet, bruce, bigod, and bohun, de vere, de vesci, de clare, de la val, and de roos--completely covered with linked mail, armed with lances and swords, and with crosses or dragons and wolves painted on their shields. but, while warriors were mounting, the proudest and grandest of these barons attracted little attention. it was on the chief of that mighty host that all eyes were turned--on the martial duke, under whose auspices was now to be fought one of the greatest battles of the world--a battle the result of which has ever since exercised no unimportant influence on the destinies of the human race. william was now in his forty-third year, and time had left its traces behind. but, bald as he was, and worn with the cares of four decades, the norman duke had all the vigour, energy, and martial enthusiasm of youth. never, perhaps, had he appeared more worthy of his high fortunes than when, with some of the relics on which harold had sworn, around his neck, he stood in view of the great army of which he was the soul. this display having served its purpose, william hastened to complete the process of arming; and his squires, while handing him his hauberk, in their haste presented him with the backpiece first. "this is an evil omen," said the lords around. "tush!" exclaimed william, laughing their fears to scorn. "methinks it is rather a good omen: it betokens that the last shall be first--that the duke will be a king." having completely armed himself, with the exception of his helmet, william intrusted his standard to tonstain le blanc, a young warrior, and sprang upon his magnificent spanish charger, which the king of castile had sent him as a gift. thus armed, and thus mounted, with the consecrated standard waving over his head, he raised his voice to address his soldiers ere they marched upon the foe. "normans and warriors," said the duke, "you are now about to encounter your enemies. fight your best, and spare not. what i gain, you gain; if i conquer, you conquer; if i take the land, you will share it. we shall all be rich. know, however, that i came here not merely to take that which is my due, but to revenge our whole nation for the felon acts, perjuries, and treasons of these saxons. in the night of st. brice they put to death the danes, both men and women. afterwards they decimated the companions of my kinsman, alfred, and put him to death. on then, in god's name, and chastise them for all their misdeeds!" as william concluded his address, the norman priests and monks retired to a neighbouring hill to pray for victory; and the norman warriors, with a shout of "dieu aide!" began their march to the saxon camp. in a short time they came in sight of the place where harold and his men, all on foot around their standard, and strongly posted, stood ready, with their huge axes, to fight to the death. while such was the position of the hostile armies, a norman minstrel, named taillefer, rendered himself prominently conspicuous. giving the spur to his horse, he rode out in front of the norman array, and, in a loud voice, raised the song of charlemagne and roland, then so famous throughout christendom. as he proceeded, he played with his sword, tossing the weapon far into the air, and then catching it in his right hand with wondrous dexterity; while the warriors behind vociferously repeated the burthen of his song, and loudly shouted, "dieu aide!" when the normans approached the saxon intrenchments, their archers began the conflict by letting fly a shower of arrows, and the crossbowmen discharged their bolts. but neither arrows nor bolts did much execution. in fact, most of the shots were rendered useless by the high parapets of the saxon redoubts, and the archers and bowmen found, with dismay, that their efforts were in vain. but the infantry, armed with spears, and the cavalry, with their long lances, now advanced, and charging the gates of the redoubts, endeavoured to force an entrance. the saxons, however, forming a solid mass, encountered their assailants with courage, and swinging with both hands their heavy axes, broke lances into shivers, and cut through coats of mail. it was in vain that the normans forming the first division of william's army perseveringly endeavoured to tear up the stakes and penetrate the redoubts. foiled and dispirited, archers and bowmen, infantry and cavalry, fell back on that column where the duke, in person, commanded. but william was not to be baffled. spurring his spanish charger in among the archers, he ordered them to shoot, not straightforward, but into the air, so that their arrows might fall into the enemy's camp. "see you not," said the duke, "that your shafts fall harmless against the parapets? shoot in the air. let your arrows fall as if from the heavens." the archers then, advancing in a body, profited by william's suggestion; and so successful proved the manoeuvre, that many of the saxons, and, among others, king harold, were wounded in the face. in the meantime, the norman horse and foot renewed the attack with shouts of "notre dame!" "dieu aide!" and an impetuosity which seemed to promise success. but if the attack was fierce, the resistance was stubborn. notwithstanding the execution done by arrows and bolts, and their frightful wounds, harold and his men fought with mighty courage. driven back from one of the gates to a deep ravine, which was concealed by brushwood and long grass, the normans found their situation deplorable. horses and men rolled over each other into the ravine, perishing miserably; and, when william's spanish charger was killed under him, and the great war-chief for a moment disappeared, alarm seized the invaders. "the duke is slain!" was the cry; and the normans, giving way to panic, commenced a retreat. "no!" exclaimed william, in a voice of thunder, as he disentangled himself from his fallen steed; "i am here. look at me. i still live, and, with god's help, i will conquer." and taking off his helmet that he might be the more readily recognised, william threw himself before the fugitives, and threatening some, striking others with his lance, he barred their passage, and ordered the cavalry to return to the attack. but every effort to force the redoubts proved fruitless; still the charge of the normans was broken on the wall of shields; and, in spite of the fearful odds against them, the saxons still held gallantly out. it was now that william determined on a stratagem to lure the saxons from their intrenchments, and ordered a thousand horse to advance to the redoubts and then retire. his command was skilfully obeyed; and when the saxons saw their enemies fly as if beaten, they lost the coolness they had hitherto exhibited, and, with their axes hanging from their necks, rushed furiously forth in pursuit. but brief indeed was their imaginary triumph. suddenly the normans halted, faced about, and being joined by another body of cavalry, that had watched the manoeuvre, turned fiercely upon the pursuers with sword and lance, and quickly put them to the rout. evening was now approaching; and william, availing himself of the confusion and disorder which the success of his stratagem had created among the saxons, once more assailed the redoubts, and this time with success. in rushed horse and foot, hewing down all who opposed them. in vain the saxons struggled desperately, overthrowing cavalry and infantry, and continued the combat hand to hand and foot to foot. their numbers rapidly diminished; and at length the king and his two brothers were left almost without aid to defend the standard. no hope now remained for the saxons, and soon all was over. harold, previously wounded in the eye, fell to rise no more. leofwine shared his brother's fate and died by his side; and gurth, courageously facing the foe, maintained a contest single-handed against a host of knightly adversaries. but william, pushing forward, mace in hand, struck the saxon hero a blow of irresistible violence, and gurth fell on the mangled corpses of his kinsmen and countrymen. ere this the sun had set, and still the conflict was continued; and the saxons, vain as were their efforts, maintained an irregular struggle till darkness rendered it impossible to know friend from foe, except by the difference of language. the vanquished islanders then fled in the direction of london. but when the moon rose, the victors fiercely urged the pursuit. the norman cavalry, flushed with triumph, granted no quarter. thousands of saxons, dispersed and despairing, fell by the weapons of pursuers, and thousands more died on the roads of wounds and fatigue. meanwhile, william ordered the consecrated standard to be set up where that of the saxons had fallen, and, pitching his tent on the field of battle, passed that october night almost within hearing of the groans of the dying. [illustration] xix. the body of harold. no sooner did sunday morning dawn than william, having first evinced his gratitude to heaven for the victory gained, applied himself to ascertain the extent of his loss. having vowed to erect on the field of battle an abbey, to be dedicated to st. martin, the patron saint of the warriors of gaul, the conqueror drew up his troops, and called over the names of all who had crossed the sea, from a list made at st. valery. while this roll was being called over, many of the wives and mothers of the saxons who had armed in the neighbourhood of hastings to fight for king harold appeared on the field to search for and bury the bodies of their husbands and sons. william immediately caused the corpses of the men who had fallen on his side to be buried, and gave the saxons leave to do the same for their countrymen. [illustration] for some time, however, no one had the courage to mention the propriety of giving christian burial to the saxon king; and the body of harold lay on the field without being claimed or sought for. at length githa, the widow of godwin, sent to ask the conqueror's permission to render the last honours to her son, but william sternly refused. "the mother," said the messengers, "would even give the weight of the body in gold." "nevertheless," said william, "the man, false to his word and to his religion, shall have no other sepulchre than the sands of the shore." william, however, relented. it happened that harold had founded and enriched the abbey of waltham, and that the abbot felt himself in duty bound to obtain christian burial for such a benefactor. accordingly he deputed osgod and ailrik, two saxon monks, to demand permission to transfer the body of harold to their church; and the conqueror granted the permission they asked. but osgod and ailrik found their mission somewhat difficult to fulfil. so disfigured, in fact, were most of the dead with wounds and bruises, that one could hardly be known from another. in vain the monks sought among the mass of slain, stripped as they were of armour and clothing. the monks of waltham could not recognise the corpse of him whom they sought, and, in their difficulty, they resolved to invoke female aid. at that time there was living, probably in retirement, a saxon woman known as edith the fair. this woman, who was remarkable for her beauty, and especially for the gracefulness of her neck, which chroniclers have compared to the swan's, had, before harold's coronation and his marriage with aldith, been entertained by him as a mistress; and, on being applied to, she consented to assist the monks in their search. better acquainted than they were with the features of the man she had loved, edith was successful in discovering the corpse. the body of harold having thus--thanks to the zeal and exertions of the monks--been found, was, with those of his brothers, gurth and leofwine, placed at the disposal of their mother, the widowed githa. with her consent they were buried in the abbey of waltham. the conqueror sent william mallet, one of his knights, to see the corpse honourably interred; and at the east end of the choir, in a tomb long pointed out as that containing the remains of the saxon king, were inscribed the words-- "harold infelix." "but here," says sir richard baker, "giraldus cambrensis tells a strange story, that harold was not slain in the battle, but only wounded and lost his left eye, and then escaped by flight to chester, where he afterwards led a holy anchorite's life in the cell of st. james, fast by st. john's church." xx. [illustration] the conqueror and the kentishmen. after his victory at hastings, william remained for some time on the field, waiting for the men of the country to appear at his camp and make their submission. finding, however, that nobody came, he marched along the sea coast, took dover, and then advanced by the great roman road towards london. while passing through kent, the conquerors, for a time, pursued their way without interruption. suddenly, however, at a place where the road, approaching the thames, ran through a forest, they found their passage disputed by a large body of kentishmen. each man carried in his hand a green bough, and at a distance they presented the appearance of a wood in motion. "this," said the normans, crossing themselves, "is magic--the work of satan." on drawing near, however, the kentishmen threw the green boughs to the ground, raised their banner, and drew their swords; and william, aware that the men of kent were not foes to be despised, asked with what intent they came against him in such a fashion. "we come," cried the men of kent, "to fight for our liberty, and for the laws we have enjoyed under king edward." "well," answered william, whose object it now was, if possible, to conciliate, "ye shall have your ancient customs and your laws which ye demand, so that ye acknowledge me king of england." the kentishmen, on hearing this, consented to lay down their arms, having concluded a treaty by which they agreed to offer no further resistance, on condition that they should be as free as they had before been. william sent forward five hundred horsemen towards london; and learning that the citizens were likely to stand on their defence, he resolved to turn towards the west, and passed the thames at wallingford. on reaching wallingford, which had been regarded by the saxons as a stronghold of the first importance, william was struck with the capacity of the place, and eager to secure it as one of his strongholds. on this point there was no difficulty. in fact, wallingford was in possession of a saxon thane named wigod, who had neither the will nor the power to resist, but who had an only daughter named aldith, with no insuperable objection to become the bride of a norman knight. the conqueror immediately provided the fair aldith with a husband, in the person of robert d'oyley, one of his favourite warriors; and the marriage ceremony having been performed without any unnecessary delay, d'oyley was left, in the company of his bride and his father-in-law, to make the castle as strong as possible; while the conqueror, marching to berkhampstead, cut off all communication between london and the north, and continued so to hem in the city that the inhabitants became every day more apprehensive of being exposed to the horrors of famine. xxi. edgar atheling. news of the norman victory at hastings speedily reached london; and the city became the scene of commotion and debate. so strong, however, appeared the necessity for doing something decisive, that men calmed themselves to consider their position; and, by way of dealing with the crisis, they resolved on placing the confessor's crown on the head of edgar atheling, the confessor's kinsman, and the undoubted heir of the saxon kings. atheling was grandson of edmund ironsides, and a native of hungary. in fact, it seems that when canute the dane, in , made himself master of england, he found in the kingdom two sons of ironsides, who bore the names of edmund and edward. wishing, it is said, to have the saxon princes put to death, but apprehensive of the consequences of ordering their execution, canute sent them to the king of sweden, with a request that they might be secretly made away with. not caring, however, to have the blood of two innocent boys to answer for, the royal swede sent them to hungary; and the king of that country, after receiving them with reluctance, reared them with kindness. as time passed on, edmund died without heirs; but edward, known as the exile, espousing agatha, daughter of an emperor of germany, became father of a handsome and fair-haired boy, known as edgar atheling, and two girls, named margaret and christina. during the reigns of harold harefoot and hardicanute, the son of ironsides remained forgotten in exile. but the confessor, in his old age, finding himself childless, and knowing that his end was drawing nigh, turned his thoughts towards his expatriated kinsman, and despatched aldred, archbishop of york, to escort the heir of alfred from the german court. the result was, that edward the exile, bringing with him his wife and three children, returned to the country of his ancestors, with high hopes of wearing the crown. but not long after arriving in england he went the way of all flesh, leaving his son much too young to assert his own rights, and without adherents sufficiently influential to cope successfully with the wealthy and popular chief of the house of godwin. at the time when the confessor drew his last breath, in the painted chamber, edgar atheling was a boy of ten; and harold had very little difficulty in excluding him from the throne. it has been asserted, indeed, that, from the earliest period, minors had been set aside, as a matter of course, by the saxon customs; and that the atheling's nonage positively disqualified him from wearing the crown. nevertheless, the youth, the beauty, the hereditary claims of the boy, won him many friends; and he was much beloved by the people, who, in their loyal affection, called him their darling. "he is young and handsome," said they, "and descended from the true race, the best race of the country." it would seem that the atheling's claims caused harold considerable uneasiness. in fact, historians state that the son of godwin was kept in constant dread "of anything being contrived against him in favour of edgar by those who had a great affection for the ancient royal family." however, harold, to keep them quiet, showed the boy great respect, gave him the earldom of oxford, and "took care of his education," says one historian, "as if he would have it thought that he intended to resign the crown to him when he should be of fit age to govern." but whatever may have been harold's motives or intentions, no sooner did he fall at hastings than the popular cry rose in edgar's favour. opinions, however, were divided as to the person most worthy of being king. edwin and morkar, the grandsons of leofric, claimed the honour for one of themselves; and men influenced by the papal bull, stood up for duke william. but both stigand, archbishop of canterbury, and aldred, archbishop of york, declared strongly for the atheling; and at length, after much hesitation and much dispute, the boy was publicly proclaimed. such was the stage at which affairs had arrived in london, when william, from his camp at berkhampstead, found a way of communicating with ansgar, the standard-bearer of the city, an officer whom, in , he had seen at edward's court; and when ansgar, assembling the chief citizens, without informing them of william's message to himself, impressed upon them the expediency of negotiating with the invaders. "honourable brothers," said ansgar, "our resources are nearly exhausted. the city is threatened with assault, and no army comes to our aid." "true," murmured the citizens. "such," continued ansgar, "is our situation; but when strength is exhausted, when courage can do no more, artifice and stratagem still remain. i advise you to resort to them." "in what way?" asked the citizens. "the enemy," answered ansgar, "is not yet aware of our miserable position: let us profit by that circumstance, and send them fair words by a man capable of deceiving them, who will feign to convey your submission, and, in sign of peace, will lay his hand in theirs if required." "yes," cried the citizens: "we will, in that case, be able to obtain a suspension of hostilities, and protract negotiations until the arrival of succours." after this scene, in which ansgar skilfully acted his part, his counsel was enthusiastically adopted. but the messenger sent to delude william returned to london devoted to the norman duke's cause, and gave so flattering a report of the conqueror, that the citizens became eager to acknowledge such a man as king of england. the feeling proved marvellously contagious, and london was soon under the influence of one of those popular outbursts which nothing can resist. "what should be done?" asked ansgar. "let the keys of the city be carried to duke william," was the answer. the warriors and prelates who surrounded edgar atheling were probably somewhat surprised at this sudden resolution, and they were certainly in no position to restrain or counteract it. they therefore yielded to the current; and the young king, accompanied by the two archbishops, stigand and aldred, by wulstan, bishop of worcester, and by the chief citizens, proceeded to berkhampstead to make their submission. on presenting themselves to the conqueror they swore fidelity, gave hostages, and received his promise to be gentle and clement. william regarded the grandson of ironsides with interest, kissed the boy tenderly, and spoke to him with kindness. doubtless, in the eye of a prince of edgar atheling's age, a dog and a pony would have seemed more to be desired than the crown and throne of england; nor can it be said that, in after years, when his valour and his capacity had been proved, he ever looked back with excessive regret to the crown he had lost and the throne from which he had been excluded. [illustration: saxon bondman (from strutt).] xxii. [illustration: commotion during the crowning of william.] coronation of the conqueror. after edgar atheling and the saxon chiefs and prelates had made their submission to the conqueror of hastings, and given hostages for their fidelity, william--having previously sent forward a strong body of soldiers to construct a fortress in the heart of london--left berkhampstead, and marched towards the wealthy city on the thames, ere long to become the capital of england. it seemed as if the progress of the normans would now be easy. most men of rank and worldly discretion, especially the bishops--whose influence was strong--believed that the national cause could not be maintained, and were inclined to support duke william as a matter of duty. "it is needful," men said to each other, "to fall in with the times, and not to oppose the will of god, by whom the powers of the world are raised up." but all saxons did not take this view; and while the normans were on their way from berkhampstead to london, an incident occurred which gave william an idea of the hostile spirit by which many of the natives were animated. on approaching the ancient abbey of st. alban's he found, with surprise, that numbers of huge trees had been cut down, and so disposed as to intercept the march of his army. william immediately sent for the abbot, whose name was frithrik, and demanded the reason of this attempt to intercept his passage. "why," asked the conqueror, "hast thou thus cut down thy woods?" "i have done my duty," answered the abbot, boldly; "and had all of my order done the same, as they ought to have done, thou wouldst not have advanced so far into our country." after having advanced near london, william, pondering the propriety of assuming the crown, held a council of war, ostensibly to discuss the means of promptly completing the conquest, but in reality to get nearer the object on which his heart had so long been set. "it appears," said some of william's friends, addressing their chief, "that, in order to mitigate resistance, it is politic that thou shouldst assume the title of king of the english." "no," said william, feigning an indifference which he was far from feeling; "i demand, at least, some delay. i have not come to england for my own interest alone, but for that of the whole norman nation. and besides, if it be the will of god that i should become king, the time has not yet arrived. too many countries and too many men have yet to be subjected." "yes; it is not yet time to create a king," said the norman nobles, interpreting william's scruples literally. "this is too modest of duke william," said aimery de thouars, a captain of auxiliaries, rising and speaking with much energy. "it is too modest of him to appeal to soldiers, whether or no they will have their lord a king. soldiers have nothing to do with questions of this nature; and our discussions only serve to retard that which, as a matter of feeling, we all so ardently desire." after the speech of aimery de thouars, the norman nobles felt bound to support the opinion he had expressed; and it was unanimously resolved that william should be crowned before proceeding farther with the work of the conquest. accordingly, he entered london, took up his residence at the tower, and ordered the necessary preparations to be made for the ceremony. christmas was the day fixed for placing the confessor's crown on the conqueror's head, and the church of westminster was decorated for the occasion. the archbishop of canterbury was invited to perform the office; but stigand declined. the archbishop of york was then invited; and aldred consented. the norman cavalry, posted around westminster, carefully watched over the safety of those who took part in the ceremony; and william, walking between two ranks of soldiers, entered the abbey, accompanied by two hundred and sixty of his counts and captains. when everything was ready for the ceremony of coronation, geoffrey, bishop of coutance, and aldred, archbishop of york, ascended a platform; and geoffrey asked the normans, and aldred asked the english, whether they would have william for their king. those present answered by acclamations so loud as to produce awkward results. the norman cavalry posted in the vicinity, mistaking the meaning of the cries, and hastily concluding that a riot had taken place, drew their swords, spurred towards the church, and, in their confusion, set fire to some houses. the noise and tumult reaching the interior, caused normans and saxons hastily to disperse, and william was left alone with aldred and the saxon and norman priests. the ceremony was, however, completed; and william somewhat hastily took the oaths to treat the saxon people as well as the best king ever elected by them. having planted the lion banner of normandy on the tower of london, and portioned out the south and east of england among his followers, william embarked at pevensey to visit his continental dominions, taking with him as hostages, edgar atheling and several saxon chiefs, and more gold and silver than could have been found in all gaul. in normandy he was received with boundless enthusiasm. crowds flocked from rouen to the seashore to welcome his return. the normans and the french vied with each other in doing him honour. william's vanity was gratified, and he displayed his munificence by presenting his guests with the chased gold and silver plate, and the massive drinking-cups, of which the saxons had been despoiled. no one dared now to allude to his illegitimacy, or to mention his grandsire, the tanner. william had, in fact, made himself the most independent of european sovereigns; and even the great hildebrand, when exalted to the papal throne as gregory the seventh, in vain asked for the oath of fealty. "i hold my kingdom of god and of my sword," was the stern answer of the conqueror. [illustration] xxiii. the siege of exeter. after having seated himself on the throne of edward the confessor, and attained the object of his ambition, william was not, perhaps, unwilling to pursue a policy of clemency and conciliation towards the saxons. the norman barons and knights might have been satisfied with the lands of the saxons who had fallen at hastings. but the numerous adventurers who had followed the norman standard had yet to be gorged with plunder. while the conqueror was on the continent, these men were guilty of indiscreet severity; and the saxons, unable to brook their insolence, formed leagues, and vowed to assert their liberty or die in its defence. messengers, hastily despatched, carried to rouen intelligence of the state of affairs; and william in alarm hastened to dieppe, and on a cold december night embarked for england. on reaching london he found that city in a ferment; and conscious that his military force was not as yet sufficient to keep down a whole nation, he resorted to artifice--called around him saxon chiefs and prelates, promised all they asked--celebrated, in their company, the festival of christmas--and having in this way gained over the leaders, addressed to the populace a proclamation, couched in the saxon language, and engaging to maintain the laws of king edward. after making these and other promises, never intended to be kept, william left london, and proceeded westward, to pursue the work of conquest. at exeter, where githa, the widow of godwin and mother of harold, had resided since hastings, the citizens, bent on resistance, fortified their walls, repaired their towers, and, summoning fighting men from the neighbouring country, indicated their determination to bid the conqueror defiance. informed of the attitude assumed by the men of exeter, william halted at a place four miles distant from the city, and sent, summoning the citizens to surrender and swear the oath of fidelity. "no," answered the citizens of exeter; "we shall swear no oath of fidelity to this pretended king, nor admit him within our walls. but if he thinks proper to receive, by way of tribute, the impost we pay to our kings, we will give it to him." "i require subjects," was william's scornful reply, "and i will have them on no such conditions as are offered." without further parley, william ordered his banner to advance forthwith, and the norman army speedily invested exeter. ere the assault began, however, some of the chief men, in pursuance of a secret negotiation, came to the king, demanded peace on terms of surrender, and delivered hostages. but on returning within the walls, the bulk of the citizens exclaimed against their treaty, kept the gates closed, and stood to their arms. william, who was not to be trifled with, caused one of the hostages to be brought in sight of the ramparts, and had his eyes put out. but the determination of the inhabitants was inflexible; and it was not till the siege had lasted nearly three weeks, and till forty-eight houses were destroyed, that their courage gave way, and they repaired to the norman camp, in the attitude of suppliants, with their priests bearing missals and sacred vessels. having gained possession of exeter, william ordered a strong fortress to be constructed out of the houses that had been destroyed during the siege, and proceeded with the subjugation of the west; adding somerset and gloucester to the conquered territory; dividing the land among his warriors; and on almost every eminence erecting strong and gloomy castles to keep the saxons in awe. recognising the importance of gloucester as a barrier against the incursions of the welsh, william fortified the north and south with embattled walls and gates, and selected its castle for his residence in winter, as he had already made the tower of london his residence in summer, and the palace of winchester his residence in spring. ere exeter surrendered, githa, the widow of godwin, and a number of other women, escaped to one of the islands of the severn; then to bath; and from bath gained the western coast, and embarked for flanders. fortunate, comparatively speaking, were those who thus betook themselves to exile. cruel, indeed, if we are to believe historians, was the fate of those who remained. while thanes of high name and great descent were supplanted by men who had been weavers in flanders and drovers in normandy, their wives and sisters were degraded to the dust. "ignoble grooms, the scum of armies," says the chronicler, "did as they pleased with the noblest women, and left them nothing but to weep and wish for death." [illustration] xxiv. [illustration: belfry at bruges] matilda and brihtrik. while william the norman was occupied with the subjugation of the west, matilda of flanders arrived in england to share her husband's triumph. it was in the spring of , after the siege of exeter, that matilda, with her children, set foot on english ground. her reception was all that she could have desired. her grace and majesty quite charmed the people; and when, with great state, she was crowned at westminster, she was cheered enthusiastically. the popularity of matilda arose from a belief that her counsels often softened the heart of the conqueror towards the saxons, and disposed him to clemency. such was probably the case. on one occasion, however, the royal lady manifested a most vindictive spirit, and exercised the influence she possessed with her husband to avenge, in a signal manner, a slight which she deemed had been put upon her in the days of a somewhat wayward youth. it appears that when the daughter of count baldwin was a girl at bruges, with nothing particular to occupy her attention, a young and noble saxon, named brihtrik, arrived at her father's court as ambassador from edward the confessor, and brought with him the reputation of being enormously rich. matilda was then passing her time in exchanging sharp sayings with her sister, judith, going to mass with her ladies of honour, working at the embroidery in which she had such skill, and applying her fine intelligence to the studies which rendered her one of the most accomplished of european princesses. captivated with brihtrik's handsome person, long hair, and fair face, and being at an age when ladies are supposed to fall in love without profoundly calculating the consequences, the flemish princess soon found her heart full of a romantic kind of affection for the interesting stranger. brihtrik, however, does not appear to have evinced excessive joy at his good fortune. in vain the daughter of count baldwin indulged in dreams and in hints of uniting her fate with his. the saxon lord, either from having another bride in view, or not relishing the idea of ladies taking the initiative in love, proved insensible to allurements, and left the court of bruges, and the beautiful matilda, without having given proof of anything like reciprocity of sentiment. matilda was by no means gratified with brihtrik's coolness. indeed, she would seem to have brooded over the memory of the saxon for many long years. in any case, when time passed over, and she became the bride of william the norman, queen of england, and the mother of sons destined to wear crowns and coronals, she had not forgotten brihtrik the saxon. it is just probable that brihtrik might not always have spoken of the daughter of count baldwin with the discretion which he ought to have exercised. when the alarm of invasion was agitating england, and the name of duke william was on every tongue, the saxon, over his cups in his own hall, or even in the palace of westminster, might have been tempted, under the influence of repeated potations, to speak too freely of his early acquaintance with matilda the duchess; and his words might have been carried to the palace of rouen. at all events, she still sighed for vengeance on the man who had trifled with her affections, or treated her advances with indifference. matilda had an early opportunity of proving to brihtrik that he had not been forgiven. the possessions of brihtrik, which included tewkesbury and thornbury, lay in the south-west of england; and after the taking of exeter, the lands of the vanquished in that quarter were divided among the conquerors. one of the first names inscribed on the partition-roll was that of matilda of flanders; and her portion of the plunder was all the land of brihtrik the saxon. but matilda's resentment was too deep to be satisfied with impoverishing brihtrik; and the potent queen still further avenged her outraged vanity by imprisoning the object of her youthful love after she had plundered him. accordingly, brihtrik, having been arrested at his manor-house, was incarcerated in the castle of winchester. in a dungeon of that palatial stronghold, with misery for his mate, and precluded, probably, from looking on the face of day, save through the iron bars of a prison house, brihtrik had the prospect of leisure to lament the coolness of which he had been guilty towards the daughter of count baldwin, and to curse the fate that had made the offended fair one the spouse of a king and conqueror of england. but brihtrik did not long survive the date of his incarceration. whether he died a natural death, or fell a victim to matilda's relentless vengeance, does not clearly appear. it is certain, however, that the saxon lord drew his last breath in prison, and that he was buried with a degree of secrecy which suggested suspicions of foul play. xxv. [illustration: william's march on hexham] the normans in northumberland. it was the autumn of , and the south, east, and west of england having yielded to the conqueror, and been portioned out among his adventurous followers, the theatre of english independence became somewhat limited. william, however, had not yet reason to sigh for another country to conquer. north of the humber was a vast province, where no norman banner had yet waved, where no norman horseshoe had left its print, but where tall danes and wealthy saxons, who were prepared to do battle fearlessly for their liberty, were leaving their houses to sleep in tents, or in the open air, swearing never again to repose beneath the shelter of a roof till they had freed their country. at length, however, the conqueror marched northward, and, advancing upon york, slaughtered all who attempted resistance, and, sword in hand, entered the capital of the north. feeling that the struggle was hopeless, many of the chief northumbrians descended the humber in boats, and sought refuge on scottish soil, there to watch events; and william, after erecting a strong castle, and appointing william malet as governor of york, returned southward. but the aspect of affairs speedily became so alarming, that the king prepared for a second expedition, and reached york at the very time when the citizens and the inhabitants of the country had formed a league, and were besieging the norman fortress. attacking them with his wonted energy, william succeeded in killing or dispersing the insurgents, and, determined on extending his sovereignty at least as far as durham, he entrusted the task of doing so to robert comine, whom he by anticipation created earl of the county that was to be subdued. with an army of nine thousand men, twelve hundred of whom were horsemen, robert comine ventured on his perilous enterprise. at first all seemed to go prosperously; and he became quite confident when he found himself approaching durham without having seen the face of a foe. at that point, however, he was met by eghelwin, bishop of durham, who hinted that there was danger in the way. "i advise you," said the bishop, "to be prudent and beware of a surprise." "who would attack me?" asked comine, with contempt. "none of you, i imagine, would dare to do so." and with these words the norman warrior rode into the city and took up his quarters in the bishop's palace, while his troops encamped in the square. everything, so far, seemed secure; but after nightfall a wonderful change occurred. on every hill a signal-fire was lighted, and armed men, gathering from the banks of the tyne, assembled in great numbers, and hastened towards durham. by daybreak they were before the walls, and, forcing the gates, they entered with a mighty rush, and fell ferociously upon the normans. dismayed, but not yet despairing, comine attempted to rally his soldiers in the bishop's palace, erected barricades, and showered arrows from the roofs; but every effort proved vain. the northumbrians, resolutely pressing on, set fire to the episcopal mansion, and comine and every man within the walls perished in the flames. after this successful attempt at revolt, the northumbrians summoned allies to their side. they implored aid from the king of denmark, and they recalled the saxons who had exiled themselves to the scottish frontier. both responded with alacrity. a danish fleet, sent by the king of denmark, under the command of his brother, entered the humber; and edward atheling, siward beorn, and merlesweyn, and waltheof, son of the great siward, who had all taken refuge in scotland, hastened to durham. it was the autumn of , when the saxons and danes, after uniting their forces, marched upon york, the saxons forming the van, the danes the main army. messengers went before, announcing deliverance from the invaders; and, ere long, the normans were surprised to find the city invested on all sides. for several days the garrison offered a brave resistance, but on the eighth day--it was saturday, the th of september--the besiegers had made such progress that the normans, seeing that they must depend on their citadel, and fearing that the neighbouring houses might be used as materials for filling up the moats, set them on fire. the flames, leaping from house to house, made rapid progress; and the northumbrians and their danish allies, guided by the light, penetrated within the walls. the normans now took to the citadel, and still hoped to save themselves. the assault of the besiegers, however, proved irresistible. the citadel was taken. a conflict of the most desperate character took place: the northumbrians and the danes sought to excel each other in deeds of valour; and thousands of normans fell in the sanguinary encounter. the victors granted quarter to william malet and his wife and children, who were conveyed on board the danish fleet, and then imprudently proceeded to destroy the fortifications erected by the normans, in order to efface all vestiges of the invasion. this done, they raised the shout of triumph, and expressed their impatience for the arrival of spring to march southward, and drive the conquerors from the land. meanwhile, as king of england, edgar atheling concluded a treaty of alliance with the citizens of york, and had the gratification of being recognised from the humber to the tweed. william was hunting in the forest of dean when he received intelligence that the northumbrians had killed robert comine at durham, and taken possession of york. the wrath of the norman king burned fiercely. "by the divine splendour!" he exclaimed, "i will never again lay aside my lance till i have slain all the northumbrians;" and he prepared forthwith to execute his threat. but, resolved to facilitate operations by buying off the danes, he sent messengers to the danish king's brother, with offers of a large sum of money; and the dane, yielding to temptation, agreed to take the bribe, and withdrew without striking another blow. having thus deprived the northumbrians of their allies, william assembled an army composed of picked soldiers, and, by forced marches, suddenly appeared at york. the northumbrians, taken by surprise, and dispirited by the departure of the danes, nevertheless girded themselves up for the combat, resisted with the courage of despair, and fell by thousands while attempting to oppose the conqueror's passage through the breaches of the walls. but long as was the struggle, and dearly-purchased as was william's success, his victory was complete. edgar atheling left as a fugitive the land of his ancestors, and all who could, made their escape northward. finding himself once more master of york, william determined to extend his conquest to the tweed. cruelly and savagely the work was begun. precipitating themselves on northumberland, the normans wreaked their fury on all that the land contained. flocks and herds were massacred as well as men; corn-fields were burned with the towns and hamlets they surrounded; and the devastation seems to have been pursued on such a scale as to render the country uninhabitable. wasting, burning, slaughtering as they went, the normans at length reached durham, which in the previous year had witnessed the death of robert comine. when, one winter's day, news of the conqueror's approach reached durham, the bishop and his clergy were well-nigh in despair. it was the very depth of the season. nevertheless, they resolved to be gone. "let us fly," they cried, "to some place where neither norman, nor burgundian, nor brigand, nor vagabond can reach us." accordingly they set out for holy island, carrying with them the bones of st. cuthbert and all their moveables of value. they left, however, a crucifix, richly adorned with gold and silver gems, which had, in other days, been presented to the church by tostig, the son of godwin, and his haughty countess, judith of flanders. this crucifix appears to have been too heavy for the monks to carry. but they consoled themselves with the idea that, instead of tempting sacrilege, it would act as a protection to the church, and to the sick and infirm persons who had crawled to seek refuge within the sacred precincts, and who, overcome with pain, and misery, and fatigue, lay in crowds on the bare stones. while the bishop and clergy were flying, william entered durham, and the normans took possession of the city, without being disturbed in their slumbers as robert comine had been. indeed, resistance was now scarcely thought of, even by the most desperate; and the conquering army traversed northumberland in all directions, killing the unresisting. the sufferings of the inhabitants were fearful. between the humber and the tweed, more than a hundred thousand human beings perished by famine and the sword; and many, bidding farewell for ever to the fields and homesteads of their fathers, hurried northward, and sought safety in the merse and lothian. but the expedition proved infinitely more fatiguing than any previously undertaken by the conquerors. their march was through terrible roads, across rivers, and over hills covered with snow. on reaching hexham, william's army had suffered severely. horses sank never to rise again, and the riders complained of the hardships as intolerable. one dark night william was horrified to learn that his guides had missed their way, and that he was separated from his army. the conqueror found himself in the awkward predicament of being in a strange and hostile country, with not more than six attendants. the circumstance caused him some pensive reflection; and when, with the aid of the morning light, he regained his army, it appeared that the danger he had passed had produced considerable effect on his mind. on reaching hexham, william halted; and ordering his captains to overrun the country to the north and west, he returned to york, and caused himself to be crowned in the northern capital. at the same time he endeavoured to confirm his conquests by planting norman warriors of high rank throughout the territory that had been subjugated. william de warren, william de percy, and others were gifted with manors and villages in yorkshire; william de lacy obtained the great domain of pontefract; robert de brus was settled in durham; ralph meschines took possession of the mountainous district of cumberland; robert de umfraville had a grant of prudhoe and redesdale; william de merley obtained the lands of morpeth, on which he and his heirs built the castle of morpeth and the abbey of newminster; and ivo de vesci became lord of alnwick, and husband of the heiress of a saxon chief who had fallen at hastings. all these norman warriors erected strong castles, manned the walls with foreign soldiers, and applied their energies to keep down the northumbrians. [illustration] xxvi. cospatrick and the conqueror. it would seem that william's taste of northumberland during his campaign made him pause and ponder. perceiving the difficulty of retaining such a district in subjection against the inclination of the inhabitants, he recognised the policy of conciliation. under such circumstances he bethought him of the claims of a saxon of illustrious birth, whom the northumbrians regarded with pride as the heir of their ancient earls. at the time when harold reigned at westminster, when tostig was tempting the king of norway to invade england, and when william the norman was preparing that mighty armament the accounts of which filled the minds of the saxons with dismay and alarm, without rousing them to preparations for a patriotic resistance, there might have been seen, in the north of england, riding somewhat discontentedly to the northumbrian earl's court at york, or stalking about the woods of raby, with a spear in his right hand, a hawk on his left wrist, and greyhounds running at his heels, a young man with fair face and blue eyes, whose dress was the short garment, reaching to mid-knee, of the normans, but whose moustache, long hair, and speech, strongly tinctured with the "burr" which the danes introduced into northumberland, indicated, in a manner not to be mistaken, his genuinely english birth. he was a saxon thane of high consideration, and was known as cospatrick. frank and hasty was this personage, ever too ready to trust foes and to quarrel with friends; but with all his faults, he was destined to play in his own day a conspicuous part in the affairs of struggling england north of the humber, and to figure in history as male ancestor of the two mighty mediæval families of neville and dunbar. the father of cospatrick was malred, the son of crinian; and his mother was algitha, daughter of the great uchtred, earl of northumberland. moreover, the blood of the saxon kings ran in cospatrick's veins; for uchtred had married elfgiva, king ethelred's daughter; and of that marriage algitha was the issue. it was natural that, with such a pedigree, cospatrick should be somewhat discontented; that he should look with discontent on the domination of the house of godwin; that, as grandson of uchtred, he should grow indignant at the sight of tostig figuring as earl of northumberland; that, as great-grandson of ethelred, he should boil with indignation at the sight of harold on the throne of his young kinsman, the atheling. it is necessary, in order to comprehend the course taken by the great anglo-saxon houses at the time of the conquest, to remember that the members of godwin's house appeared to them wholly different beings from the personages represented to our generation by the writers of romantic histories and historic romances. almost every one of them stood charged with some fearful crime. edric streone was the worst of ingrates and traitors. godwin had on his hands the blood of the young alfred. sweyn had debauched a nun and assassinated a kinsman. harold had the weight of perjury and usurpation on his soul. tostig's name was associated with bloodshed, savagery, and treason. even edith, the queen, was not free from reproach. chroniclers tell how, on the fourth night of christmas, , while the confessor was on his death-bed, starting restlessly from dreams of woe and terror, edith, for love of her brother, tostig, caused some northumbrians, who were dependents of cospatrick, to be murdered in the king's court. such being the idea entertained of the house of godwin, cospatrick was probably in no mood to pray for the usurpation of harold being attended with success. more probably, indeed, the saxon magnate, rich, potent, ambitious, and surrounded, in his halls at raby, by a huge household of warriors, coerles, serfs, and adherents of every description, who fed at his board, lived on his hospitality, and ministered to his pride, reflected with bitterness on being excluded from the government of that magnificent province, which from infancy he had been taught to regard as his birthright, and only awaited a favourable opportunity to enforce his hereditary claim to these fair domains. thus it came to pass, that when the enterprise of the normans so prospered, that the saxon prelates and chiefs carried edgar atheling to berkhampstead, cospatrick claimed the earldom of northumberland, as heir of uchtred. william the conqueror, however, proved as unaccommodating as harold the usurper had been; and cospatrick not only saw the government of northumberland bestowed upon another, but found that he was no longer safe on the south of the tweed. however, when william perceived the necessity for cultivating the good-will of the northumbrians, he entered into negotiations with cospatrick, and indicated his readiness to come to terms. a bargain was soon struck between the conqueror and the grandson of uchtred. cospatrick paid william a large sum of money, and william invested cospatrick with the earldom of northumberland. [illustration] xxvii. saxon saints and norman soldiers. at the time when william the conqueror was north of the humber; when the normans were ruthlessly ravaging northumberland with fire and sword; when the bishop and clergy of durham were carrying off the body of st. cuthbert to holy island; and when the invaders were slaughtering man and beast without a thought of mercy, one spot of ground escaped, as if by miracle, from devastation, and remained cultivated and covered with buildings, when every other part of the country around was laid waste or given to the flames. the land thus miraculously saved from the spoiler's hand lay around, and belonged to, the church of st. john of beverley. it appears that, in , when the normans were encamped about seven miles from beverley, many northumbrians, in utter despair of resisting the invaders with the slightest success, remembered, in the hour of darkness, that st. john of beverley was a saint of saxon race, and, in accordance with the ideas prevalent at the time, believed he was potent enough to afford them protection. alarmed beyond measure at the approach of the conqueror, and at the accounts of atrocities perpetrated by the victorious normans, many women of rank whose husbands and brothers had fallen, and old men on the verge of the grave, taking with them their most valuable property, gathered to the church of beverley, and prostrating themselves at the shrine of st. john, prayed to their canonized countryman, "that he, remembering in heaven he was born a saxon, might protect them and their property from the fury of the foreigners." having thus committed themselves to the care of st. john, the refugees awaited the issue, with fear and trembling indeed, but not without hope of salvation. in the meantime, there reached the norman camp tidings that many northumbrians of great riches had sought shelter in the church of beverley, and that most of the wealth of the neighbourhood had been lodged in safety within the walls. this report roused the avarice of the invaders; nor did any thought of the sacred character of the edifice, or of the saint to whom it was dedicated, restrain their aspirations after plunder. whatever an umfraville or a merley might think of sacrilege, the crime was one which the majority of the conquerors lightly regarded. every consideration, however holy, vanished in presence of the temptation presented by the prospect of booty; and the warriors of the conquest had as little hesitation in robbing a church as in plundering a henhouse. among the military adventurers encamped near beverley was a soldier named toustain. this man, who seems to have had neither scruples nor fears, on hearing that spoil was to be easily come by, immediately resolved on a foray. buckling on his mail, calling out his men, and mounting his horse, toustain, at the head of his troops, rode from the camp, and dashed across the country to beverley, eager to commence the work of pillage, and only uneasy at the possibility of any one being before him. but toustain was destined to disappointment. entering beverley with his band at his back, he rode on, and pursued his way towards the church without encountering resistance, and found that the people had taken refuge and crowded together in the cemetery. giving his horse the spur, toustain leaped the wall; and running his keen eye along the crowd, he was attracted by an old man, whose attire was of the richest description. the individual on whose figure the eye of toustain thus rested was an aged thane--so advanced in years, indeed, that he probably remembered the days of earl uchtred. with his long, loose robe, long white hair, and long white moustache, the aspect of the man was venerable and striking. but what attracted toustain's attention was not the white beard, nor the long robes, but the bracelets with which, according to the custom of the country, the arms of the aged thane were loaded. in fact, the sight of the bracelets caused toustain's eye to gleam with avarice; and drawing his sword, he spurred forward with the intention of making them his own. but, according to the proverb, there is much between the cup and the lip; and the truth of this toustain now found to his cost. terrified at the norman's drawn blade and menacing manner, the old thane tottered hastily to the church, to place himself under the protection of the patron saint of the place; and toustain, who had no more respect for the saxon saint than for those who invoked his aid, pursued sword in hand. scarcely, however, had the norman, with avarice at his heart and blasphemy on his lips, spurred through the doorway, when his horse, touching the pavement, slipped, lost its footing, and fell, bearing its rider to the ground with a crash which seemed sufficient to break every bone in his body. on seeing their leader fall, and lie as if dead, the norman soldiers were seized with superstitious terror. it seemed as if the saxon saint had, in his wrath, struck toustain down. hurriedly turning their horses' heads, they left beverley at a gallop, hastened in terror to their camp, and related to the companions of their enterprise the terrible example which st. john of beverley had just given of his power. the accident produced a lasting effect on the invading army; and when the normans again marched to slay and plunder, not one soldier in their ranks was daring enough to expose himself to supernatural vengeance by molesting any person under the protection of st. john of beverley. [illustration] xxviii. the reduction of chester. while the conquerors of northumberland passed the winter of at york, and rested from the fatigues they had undergone in their campaign north of the humber, william occupied his mind with schemes for the reduction of the country around chester--"the one great city of england that had not yet heard the tramp of the foreigners' horses." when winter passed, and spring began to bring back the grass to the fields and leaves to the trees, the norman king intimated his intention of setting out on the important expedition. but the effect produced by william's orders, that war-steeds should be saddled, and warriors should mount, to encounter new perils, was such as he could hardly have anticipated. loud murmurs immediately arose in the army, especially among the auxiliaries from anjou and brittany. exaggerated accounts of the ruggedness of the province of chester and of the ferocity of the inhabitants circulated through the camp; and the terrible hardships suffered in northumberland utterly disinclined the soldiers for a campaign on the banks of the dee. "this service," said they, "is more intolerable than slavery. we demand leave to return to our homes." "wait awhile," said william, coaxingly: "after victory i promise you repose; and with repose, great estates, as the reward of your exertions." after some difficulty the murmurs of the normans were silenced; and william, leading his army over the intervening mountains by paths till then deemed impracticable for cavalry, entered the city of chester as a conqueror. having erected a strong castle to keep the natives in awe, he gave the command of the province to a fleming, named gherbaud, with the title of earl of chester. elate, doubtless, with his good fortune, gherbaud entered on his duties with vigour. his ardour, however, was speedily damped. it appeared that the accounts of the ferocity of the men of chester that had reached york were not altogether without foundation. the english and welsh, hitherto sworn foes, and continually at strife, seemed to vie with each other in their attacks on the invaders. harassed on every hand, and exposed to continual anxiety and peril, gherbaud grew tired of chester, abandoned his earldom, and intensely disgusted with his taste of the conquered country, retired to flanders. it now appeared necessary to place the earldom of chester in the hands of a man who, while gifted with the governing faculty, could laugh at danger, and fatigue, and ferocious foes. accordingly, william, duly weighing the circumstances of the case, conferred the post of danger on that feudal personage who figures in the history of the period as hugh d'avranches, and who, from bearing a wolf's head painted on his shield, was familiarly known among his contemporaries as hugh le loup. hugh le loup was son of richard gosse, and, on the mother's side, stood to william in the relationship of nephew. full of courage and ambition, he shrunk neither from the perils nor the toils that had disgusted and dismayed gherbaud. passing the dee with his two lieutenants, robert de malpas and robert d'avranches, hugh conquered flintshire, and built a castle at rhuddlan, which was occupied by robert d'avranches; while robert de malpas having built a castle on a high hill, gave the place his name, which it still bears. both of these warriors exhibited high courage, carried on a fierce war with the natives, and fought sanguinary battles, in which they dyed their spears in welsh blood. when hugh le loup found himself installed as earl of chester, but surrounded on all sides by implacable foes, he naturally felt desirous of having some of his countrymen at hand to share his fortunes. with this view he sent to normandy for an old friend, named nigel, who brought with him five brothers, to whom hugh granted lands in the earldom of chester. besides appointing nigel constable and hereditary marshal of chester, hugh granted him the town of halton, near the mersey, and all four-legged beasts of more than one colour taken from the welsh, besides other privileges; and the five brothers were all provided for. one was gifted with the office of constable of halton, and the lands of weston and ashton, with all the bulls taken from the welsh, and the best ox for the man-at-arms who carried his banner; the second of the brothers received as much land as an ox could plough in two days; the third, who was a priest, was gifted with the church of runcorn; and two others became lords of a domain in that village. about the time that hugh le loup was consolidating his power in chester, gilbert de lacy, to whom william had granted the magnificent domain of pontefract, passed the mountains west of york, advancing boldly into the county of lancaster, which then formed part of chester. gilbert took possession of this immense territory, extending south and east to the borders of yorkshire, forcibly expelled the ancient proprietors, and constituted himself lord of the towns of blackburn and rochdale, and all the land which he overran. [illustration: flint castle, on the estuary of the dee] xxix. [illustration: ruins of the forum at rome] lanfranc of pavia. about easter, , three ecclesiastics of high rank, sent by the pope, at king william's request, arrived in england in the capacity of legates. one was bishop of sion, the other two were cardinals, and their errand was to set the church of england in order. after being received by william with great honour, and magnificently entertained in the castle of winchester, the legates convoked a great assembly of norman priests and warriors, and summoned to it the anglo-saxon prelates and abbots. having opened the business of the assembly by solemnly placing the confessor's crown on the conqueror's head, they proceeded to the discharge of their harsh duties, and pronounced sentence of deposition on many abbots and prelates. among those who were deposed, the most important, from his position and influence, was robert stigand, archbishop of canterbury. the difficulty of finding a proper successor to stigand was not overlooked. without delay, the legates prepared to bestow the archbishopric of canterbury on lanfranc of pavia, one of the greatest scholars and most remarkable men of the century in which he lived. lanfranc was a native of the city of pavia, and a man of gentle blood. a scholar by nature, he early applied himself to those studies which enabled him to figure as the leader of the intellectual movement of the age. it has been said that, "to comprehend the extent of his talents, one must be herodian in grammar, aristotle in dialectics, cicero in rhetoric, augustine and jerome in scriptural lore." becoming a monk of bec-hellouin, lanfranc rapidly raised that humble monastery to the dignity of a university, and came to be acknowledged as the great teacher of latin christendom. so signal was his success, and so high his reputation, that, from the remotest parts of western europe, and even from greece, students resorted to bec-hellouin as to a new athens. while at bec-hellouin, lanfranc had the gratification to gain the confidence of william the norman, and he became zealously attached to the ambitious duke's fortunes. but a serious difference arose. lanfranc happened to set himself in opposition to william's marriage with matilda of flanders, as being within the degrees of relationship prohibited by the church; and as, in regard to this affair, the duke would brook no contradiction, the priest of pavia was commanded to depart. it is related that william, to speed lanfranc on his way back to his native land, sent him a horse so lame of one foot, that it might be said to go on three legs, and that lanfranc, meeting william on the road, begged at least to have a quadruped, and not a tripod, for his journey. but however that may have been, lanfranc found his way to rome, and placed himself under the wing of the pope. once at rome, lanfranc began carefully to examine the case of william's relationship to matilda in all its bearings. ere long, his opinion as to its merits underwent a change. after examining canon and precedent, he arrived at the conclusion that, though the letter of the law was against the union of the duke and the flemish princess, yet that the alliance came under the category of those to which the church should accord dispensation. having convinced himself on this point, lanfranc exerted his efforts earnestly as william's advocate, and though dealing with a pope decidedly averse to the marriage, he managed matters so skilfully as to obtain a formal dispensation, which not only restored him to the norman duke's good opinion, but gave him a higher place in the martial magnate's favour than he before occupied. removed from the cloisters of bec-hellouin to figure as abbot of caen, lanfranc became the soul of william's councils and his plenipotentiary at rome. he it was who, in that capacity, brought to a successful issue the negotiations regarding the invasion of england. when the papal legate proposed lanfranc as stigand's successor in the archbishopric of canterbury, william gladly approved of the selection. lanfranc was then at caen. no time, however, was lost in sending him to england. matilda hastened his departure; and his arrival was celebrated by the normans with joy. "he is," said they, "an institutor sent from god to reform the habits of the english." the gratification which the elevation of lanfranc caused was not confined to the conquerors of neustria and england. the pope evinced his high satisfaction by sending his own pallium to the new archbishop, with an epistle worded in the most complimentary strain. "i long to see your face," wrote the pontiff, "and am only consoled for your absence by reflecting on the happy fruits which england will derive from your care." when lanfranc made his entry into canterbury, the condition to which the church was reduced filled his heart with sadness. during the conquest the edifice had met with rough treatment. it had been pillaged, despoiled of its ornaments, and even set on fire, and the high altar was half buried beneath a heap of rubbish. it was not difficult for a man of lanfranc's influence to repair the church; but there was a grave question, whether canterbury or york should possess the primacy of england, which had long furnished matter for dispute. it was a serious controversy, and one from which lanfranc felt that it would ill become him to shrink. by this time the saxon alred, bowed down with sorrow, had gone where the weary are at rest, and thomas, one of william's norman chaplains, figured as archbishop of york. thomas was naturally reluctant to give up his claims; and some of the earlier evidences were so ambiguous, that he had a fair excuse for being pertinacious. after a long process, however, lanfranc established his claim to the primacy; became, as such, first member of the grand council of state, and by his success established the great principle, "that whatever rights had legally subsisted before the conquest were to be preserved and maintained, unaffected by the accession of a new dynasty." after thus being recognised as primate, lanfranc was hailed as, "by the grace of god, father of all the churches," and as such undertook a task of great delicacy. owing to the ignorance of anglo-saxon transcribers, the text of the biblical books had become much corrupted; and lanfranc employed himself in a new edition of the holy scriptures, diligently occupying himself with the work, and executing much of it with his own hand. the saxons, incapable of comprehending the necessity that existed for such revision, raised a cry that the primate was falsifying the sacred books. but lanfranc went on with his labours, and without heeding the hostile attitude assumed towards him by the vanquished islanders, was ever zealous in standing up for their rights. he endeavoured to enact the part of a father to the conquered populace; he devoted his whole energies to the service of his adopted country, and he ever rejoiced in the name of englishman. [illustration] xxx. [illustration: edwin, earl of mercia, and the daughters of the conqueror.] edwin and morkar. while lanfranc was, as archbishop of canterbury, establishing his claims to the primacy of england, the year witnessed the utter ruin of that great saxon house of which, in the days of edward the confessor, leofric, earl of mercia, had been the head. edwin and morkar, the sons of algar, and grandsons of leofric and godiva, were fair to look upon and pleasant to converse with. they were proud, indeed, but their pride did not detract from their popularity. the people rather thought it became them; for it was well known that, while the immediate forefathers of most saxon thanes had held the plough or enriched themselves by trade, the mercian earls could justly boast of a long pedigree. leofric, the husband of godiva, was sixth in descent from his renowned ancestor of the same name; and his heirs were all the prouder of the circumstance, that their position had been maintained with honour and dignity, while other families, yielding to wars, revolutions, and confiscations, had ceased to exist or degenerated into ceorles. edwin, earl of mercia, was considered the handsomest man of his age. with the earldom of leofric, he had inherited the beauty of godiva. his frank features, valiant spirit, and engaging manners made him a great favourite with men; and few women, whether peasant girls or princesses, could look without admiration upon his fair face, blue eyes, handsome figure, and the long light hair that flowed over his manly shoulders. edwin and morkar had taken no part in the battle of hastings. that, however, was no fault of theirs, for harold, rashly as it would seem, had left london to encounter the normans before his brothers-in-law could possibly bring up the men of the north to his aid. on reaching london they heard of his defeat and fall. the idea of aspiring to the vacant throne was not unnatural to men situated as edwin and morkar were. they accordingly appeared as candidates for the difficult post of king of england. what might have been the result if one of them had been elected it would be useless to speculate. sufficient it is to say that the adherents of edgar atheling were too resolute to be influenced and too numerous to be overawed. finding their claims disregarded, edwin and morkar took their sister aldith, the widow of harold, from the palace of westminster, escorted her to chester, and then repaired to york with some dream of separating the northern provinces from the rest of england, and defending them to the death against the norman invaders. events speedily opened the eyes of the northern earls to the absurdity of their project. almost every day brought to york such intelligence as convinced them that they were pursuing an impolitic course; and when they learned that william the norman had obtained possession of london and the confessor's crown, they deemed it prudent to hasten southward to present themselves to the conqueror, to profess their friendship, and offer their allegiance. william, well understanding the importance of being recognised as king by such men as edwin and morkar, treated the sons of algar with distinction. moreover, to insure the fidelity of the two brothers, william promised edwin one of his daughters in marriage; and, fascinated by the prospects opened up to their view, they remained quietly and submissively at the conqueror's court. it does not appear to have occurred to them that they were regarded in the light either of captives or of hostages. as months passed on, however, and william, anxious to display himself on the continent in his new character, prepared to embark at pevensey for normandy, edwin and morkar suddenly learned their real position. the conqueror peremptorily commanded the attendance of the two saxon earls, and they were fain to obey. but it was with sullen reluctance; and when, after having been duly admired and criticised by the dames and damsels at the court of rouen, they returned to england, it was with a determination to break their chains without delay. matters were soon brought to a crisis. edwin reminded william of the promise of his daughter's hand, and demanded her in marriage. william made a reply which sounded like a refusal, and seemed to savour of insult. the saxon earl tossed back his head with an air of defiance, as if to indicate his opinion that the granddaughter of arlette would have been highly honoured by becoming the wife of the grandson of godiva. soon after, it was publicly known that edwin and morkar, having escaped from the court, had departed for the north; and the prayers of the people accompanied them in their flight, while monks and priests offered up fervent orisons for their safety and success. the prayers and orisons, however, cannot be said to have proved of much avail. the enterprise of edwin and morkar resulted in failure; the saxon earls were fain to retreat to the borders of scotland; and events ere long seeming to render the saxon cause hopeless, the chiefs, after william's coronation at york, lost heart and hope, and consented to capitulate. on the banks of the tees, where william was encamped, a formal reconciliation took place. edwin and morkar, with other saxons of high name, made their peace with the conqueror, and with a sigh for the freedom they left behind, returned to his court. brief, however, was the residence of the saxon earls in the halls of the norman king. in fact, the deposition of the saxon bishops, and the sufferings they had to endure, fired the soul of every saxon with fierce indignation. a mighty conspiracy was formed, with ramifications over all england; and men, driven to the last stage of despair, determined to establish an extensive armed station. at that time the district to the north of cambridgeshire, of which ely and croyland formed part, was almost a moving bog, intersected by rivers, overgrown with rushes and willows, clouded with fogs and vapours, and presenting the appearance of a vast lake interspersed with islands. on these islands there stood, as monuments of the piety of the saxon kings, religious houses, built on piles and earth brought from a distance--here an abbey, there a hermitage. it was to this district, wholly impracticable for cavalry and heavily-armed troops, that saxon chiefs despoiled of their lands, and saxon priests deprived of their livings, repaired in great numbers. constructing intrenchments of earth and wood, they formed what was called the camp of refuge. thither, from scotland, came robert stigand, the deposed archbishop of canterbury, and eghelwin, the deposed bishop of durham; and thither, from the court of the norman, after having escaped countless perils, and wandered for months in woods and solitary places, came edwin and morkar, the saxon earls. william was startled at this second escape of his long-haired captives, and by no means easy at the idea of their being at liberty. he immediately contrived to convey to them promises never intended to be kept, and morkar was sufficiently credulous to listen. yielding to the temptations held out, the young earl abandoned the camp at ely. scarcely, however, had he left the intrenchments when he was seized, bound hand and foot, carried to a norman castle, put forcibly in irons, and left under the custody of robert de beaumont--one of those men from whose keeping there was small chance of escaping. edwin, hearing of his brother's imprisonment, became somewhat desperate. he resolved to leave ely, not to surrender, but to struggle so long as life remained. with a few adherents he wandered for six months from place to place, vainly endeavouring to rouse his countrymen to a great effort for their deliverance. while thus occupied he was betrayed by three of his officers, who basely sold him to the normans. warned of his danger, edwin was one day riding, with twenty attendants, towards the sea, with some notion of reaching the coast of scotland, when a band of normans suddenly rushed upon him. endeavouring to escape, the saxon earl galloped on; but stopped by a brook so swollen with the tide that it was impossible to cross, he dismounted from his steed and turned desperately to bay. nor in that hour did the young and popular saxon earl bear himself in a manner unworthy of his position as one of the great race which for six centuries had given kings and war-chiefs to the british isles. for a long time he defended himself with heroic courage against a host of assailants; and at last--when overborne by numbers and forced to his knees, he fell as, in such circumstances, a brave man should--he died without fear, as he had fought without hope. the death of edwin was lamented by normans as well as saxons; even the grim conqueror's heart was touched to the core. when the head of the saxon earl, with its long, flowing hair, was carried to london, william could not restrain his tears. the king, says the chronicler, wept over the fate of one whom he loved, and whom he would fain have attached to his fortunes. xxxi. [illustration: old forest laws] ivo taille-bois. among the martial adventurers of the continent whom william the norman, before sailing to the conquest, allured to his standard, and whose services he rewarded with the lands and lordships of the saxons, slain, imprisoned, or expatriated during his progress from the coast of sussex to the verge of "mountainous northumberland," one of the most unpopular with the vanquished islanders was ivo taille-bois. nevertheless, ivo taille-bois was a remarkable man in his way. a native of angers, he came to the conquest as a captain of angevin auxiliaries, with a spirit equally mercenary and unscrupulous. fortune favoured his career; and having done much work from which a norman noble would have shrunk, he found that his aspirations after wealth and power were likely to be realized. it was on the ruins of the great house of leofric that ivo eventually contrived to exalt himself. when edwin was killed, under circumstances so touching, and morkar was imprisoned, under circumstances so melancholy, ivo taille-bois received in marriage lucy, the youngest sister of the two earls, and with her a large part of their hereditary domains. this immediately made ivo a man of importance; and as the bulk of his land was situated about spalding, towards the borders of cambridge and lincoln, he called himself viscount of spalding, and began to let the inhabitants feel his territorial power in such a way, that they cursed the chance which had metamorphosed a captain of mercenaries into a feudal lord. among a band of conquerors such as accompanied william the norman to england, there must always be many more or less tyrannical to the vanquished; but the tyranny of ivo taille-bois was something by itself. he was so fond of outraging the feelings and invading the rights of the populace, that he seemed to indulge in it as a luxury; and no humility on their part could in the slightest degree mitigate his violence. it was in vain that they paid all the rents he demanded; that they rendered all the services he required; that they appeared in his presence on bended knee; and that they addressed him in the most deferential tone: he only became the more cruel and more exacting. the account given by a contemporary chronicler of the oppressions practised by ivo taille-bois on the inhabitants of the district subject to his sway is sufficient, even at this distance of time, to excite strong indignation. though they rendered him all possible honour, he showed them neither affability nor kindness; on the contrary, he vexed them, imprisoned them, tormented them, and tortured them. often he hounded his dogs on their cattle while quietly grazing, drove their beasts into the marshes, drowned them in ponds, broke their backs or limbs, and by mutilating them in various ways, rendered them unfit for service. ivo seemed to delight in cruelty for cruelty's sake; and under such treatment, the people who were his victims gradually gave way to despair. selling what little they still possessed, they sought in other lands the peace no longer to be found at home. ivo, however, feeling the necessity of somebody to oppress, and looking round, fixed his eyes on some saxon monks. it happened that there stood near spalding, and by the gates of the terrible angevin, a religious house which was dependent on the abbey of croyland and inhabited by some of the croyland monks. ivo, having forced the peasantry of the neighbourhood to decamp, turned his attention to this religious house, and soon succeeded in making it an earthly purgatory. the monks attempted to save themselves by refraining from giving the slightest offence; but this only added to his bitterness. he lamed their horses and cattle, killed their sheep and poultry, attacked their servants on the highway, and oppressed their tenants in every way which his ingenuity could invent. nevertheless, the monks held on. not by any means inclined to yield their home without a struggle, they did all they could, by prayers, supplications, and presents to his dependents, to soften ivo's heart. but they were utterly unsuccessful. they found that matters became worse and worse. their patience and long-suffering came to an end. they packed up their books and their sacred vessels, and committing their house to god's keeping, prepared to depart. "we have tried all, and suffered all," said they; "now let us begone;" and shaking the dust from their feet, they repaired to croyland. on the departure of the monks ivo was rejoiced beyond measure. he immediately despatched a messenger to his native town of angers, and requested to have some holy men sent over to england. a prior and five monks soon appeared, and took possession of the religious house at spalding. the abbot of croyland, who was an anglo-saxon, protested against their installation, and complained to the king's council against proceedings so lawless. but no redress could be obtained; and ivo taille-bois continued in the daily perpetration of enormities, for which, had he lived two centuries later, he would have been tried before a jury at westminster, and hanged at the nine elms. [illustration: norman rustic (from strutt)] xxxii. [illustration: tattershall castle, lincolnshire.] hereward the saxon. while edgar atheling was seeking refuge in scotland, and while edwin and morkar were, by their wavering, bringing ruin on the house of leofric, and rendering the saxon cause utterly hopeless, there was living in flanders a native of england, who bore the name of hereward and a high reputation for courage and prowess. hereward, having long been settled in flanders, had taken no part in the earlier struggle between normans and saxons. some of the vanquished islanders, however, flying from the conqueror's sword, sought their countryman, and intimated that they brought him bad news. "your father," said the exiles, "has been dead for a year; your mother has been exposed to many indignities and vexations; and your heritage is in possession of a foreigner." "by the holy rood!" exclaimed hereward, "if such are the tidings you bring from england, it is high time for me to be there." after this, hereward was not guilty of any delay. he prepared for a voyage, embarked for england, reached the coast, and made his way to lincolnshire, where, surrounded by woodland and marshes, with a wide avenue in front, and an orchard in the rear, near the abbeys of croyland and peterborough, and near the isle of ely, stood the rude wooden mansion which his fathers had called their own. the sight of his birthplace fired hereward's patriotism; and making himself known to such of his friends and kinsmen as had survived the struggle, he induced them to arm. having, without exciting the suspicion of the normans, assembled them in a body, he attacked the foreigner who had evicted his mother, and conducted the enterprise with such courage, that he was enabled to take possession of his property. but scarcely had hereward installed himself in his paternal property, when he found that he could not, with safety, limit his operations to a single exploit. accordingly he commenced a partisan warfare in the neighbourhood of his dwelling, and at the head of his little band encountered the garrisons of towns and strongholds. such were the skill and courage he displayed, that his name soon became celebrated over england. songs in his praise were sung in the streets, and the saxons turned their eyes towards him with hope long unfelt. on hearing of the exploits of hereward, the saxons who had formed the camp of refuge at ely requested him to become their captain; and hereward, most readily consenting, passed, with the comrades of his victories, to the isle. his arrival excited the courage and revived the hopes of the saxons. before taking the command, however, he desired to become a member of the high saxon militia, and to be admitted with the proper ceremonies into that body. the demand was suggestive of some difficulties, for it was necessary to have the services of a priest of high rank to bless the arms, and at this stage of the conquest few priests of high rank were sufficiently courageous to defy the wrath of the conquerors. among those, however, who regarded hereward as the hero destined to save his country was brand, the abbot of peterborough. this abbot, a man of high temper and indomitable spirit, consented to perform the ceremony; and hereward repaired to the abbey. having confessed at evening, and watched all night in the church, he laid his sword on the altar at the hour of mass in the morning, received, while kneeling, his blade from the hand of the abbot, took the sacrament, and rose to go forth and wield it in the cause of his country. the ceremony that was performed in the abbey of peterborough was no secret to the normans in the neighbourhood. the knights with whom hereward had crossed swords soon learned that he had repaired to the abbey, and sneered scornfully at the idea of a warrior's belt being girded on by an abbot. "he who has his sword girded on by a priest," said they, "is not knight, but a degenerate burgess." but it was against the saxon abbot, in the first place, and not against hereward, that the wrath of the conquerors was directed. no sooner did news of the ceremony at peterborough reach the ears of those high in authority, than brand was doomed; and ere long soldiers appeared to seize him in the king's name. they, however, were too late. before their arrival he had breathed his last; and a foreigner was, without delay, appointed to fill the bold saxon's place. among the fighting churchmen whom the conquest had introduced to england was a native of fécamp, named turauld. accommodated with an abbey at the expense of the vanquished, this man had rendered himself notorious by the stern method he used of drilling the saxon monks into discipline. whenever they proved refractory he was in the habit of crying, "a moi, mes hommes d'armes;" and he made his abbey the scene of military violence. the system pursued by turauld in his abbey soon became a matter of notoriety, and reached the king's ears. william thought himself bound to interfere, but was at some loss to decide in what way such an offender should be punished. on the death of abbot brand, however, the difficulty vanished, and turauld was immediately appointed to the abbey of peterborough. "that is somewhat near the saxon camp of refuge," remarked turauld. "it is a dangerous post, doubtless," said william, smiling grimly; "but very fit for an abbot who is so good a soldier." attended by norman warriors, turauld in due time approached peterborough to take possession. but apprehensive of danger, he halted some leagues from the abbey, and sent men forward to ascertain the position of the refugees. the monks of peterborough, in the utmost trepidation, determined to admit the foreigner; and hereward, not unaware of their intentions, made a descent on the abbey. finding that the monks could not be relied on, he resolved on a desperate expedient. while the scouts of turauld were making observations, he carried off the crosses, chalices, sacred vessels, and whatever valuable ornaments the abbey contained, and conveyed them by water to the camp. "now," he said, "we have hostages for the fidelity of the monks." soon after hereward left the abbey of peterborough, turauld, encompassed by norman lances, presented himself at the gates. the monks, trembling for their lives, bent their shaven crowns, and admitted their new abbot without hesitation; and turauld, having taken possession, was forthwith installed. at the same time he appropriated sixty-two hides of land belonging to the abbey to his soldiers, to reward their services and encourage their zeal. meantime, ivo taille-bois, clad in his linked mail, and followed by armed men, rode to the abbey of peterborough. on being admitted to the abbot's presence ivo proposed an expedition to the isle of ely, to destroy the camp of refuge and crush the insurgents. turauld sanctioned the expedition, but declined to take an active part in it; and everything having been arranged, the angevin viscount advanced boldly with his men through the forests and willows which served the saxons as intrenchments, while the abbot, surrounded by normans of high rank, remained at what he considered a safe distance. but ivo taille-bois was destined to miss his foes, and turauld to meet those whom ivo sought. aware of the projects of the normans and of their movements, hereward was on the alert. contriving to escape unobserved from the wood by one side while ivo entered by the other, the saxon chief, leaving the angevin viscount to pursue his search in vain, fell suddenly upon the abbot and the abbot's norman attendants, seized them without difficulty as prisoners, and kept them securely in the marshes till they paid a large ransom. nevertheless, the position of hereward and his comrades became every day more perilous. about this time, however, they were reinforced by allies, whose presence inspired them with some hope of accomplishing their country's deliverance. indignant at his brother's conduct at york, sweyn, king of denmark, fitted out a new fleet, and came in person to the aid of the vanquished islanders. but the royal dane soon tired of an enterprise which he found was much less promising than he had anticipated. after sailing up the humber without receiving any particular encouragement, he returned to denmark. but, however disappointed he might have been, sweyn, while departing from the shores of england, did not withdraw his fleet. entering boston wash, the danish ships, by the mouth of the ouse and the glen, succeeded in reaching the isle of ely. hereward hailed with joy the arrival of the danes, and welcomed them as friends and liberators. william was startled at the arrival of danish auxiliaries, but he was not particularly perplexed. perfectly comprehending how to deal with king sweyn, the conqueror hastened to send ambassadors to denmark with artful messages and costly presents. the successor of canute, completely won over to the norman cause, did without scruple that which he had, some months earlier, punished his brother for doing; and hereward and his comrades soon learned to their dismay that they were once more betrayed by their northern allies. when the danes at ely, on whose powerful aid hereward had built such hopes, received orders to return home, they were far from manifesting any reluctance. they seemed determined, however, not to go empty-handed. in fact, the temptation of carrying off the ornaments and sacred vessels which hereward had brought from the abbey of peterborough was more than the grisly northmen could resist; and seizing everything in the way of treasure upon which they could lay hands, they embarked, and turning the prows of their ships homewards, gave their sails to the wind, laughing grimly at the ridiculous plight in which they left the men they had come to save. affairs now hurried to a catastrophe. ivo taille-bois and abbot turauld rejoiced in the hope of triumph and revenge; and hereward could not but confess that the prospects of the saxons at ely were dismal in the extreme. by-and-by news reached the camp of refuge that william was assembling forces, and that a great blow was to be struck, and as weeks passed on, the camp of refuge was invested by land and water. on every side workmen were set to form dykes and causeways over the marshes; and on the west, over waters covered with reeds and willows, the normans commenced the construction of a road three hundred paces in length. but most of the labour was found to be in vain. the normans had no rest. hereward and his friends, incessant in their attacks and artful in their stratagems, constantly interrupted the work; and the workmen, finding themselves disturbed in the most sudden and unexpected manner, gave way to superstitious terror. "assuredly," they exclaimed, "this hereward is in league with the evil one." "think you so?" cried ivo taille-bois; "then we must fight him with his own weapons." the idea of the angevin viscount was highly approved of; and he soon procured the services of a witch, whose enchantments, he declared, would disenchant hereward's operations. accordingly this woman was brought to the scene of action, and posted in a wooden tower at the place where the work was in progress. the result, however, was not such as ivo had predicted. in fact, while the norman pioneers and soldiers were all confident in the potency of the witch's charms, hereward suddenly made a sally, set fire to the osiers that covered the marsh like a forest, and gave witch, workmen, and warriors to the flames. at this fresh misfortune the normans began to consider their enterprise hopeless, and the blood of ivo taille-bois boiled at the thought of being baffled by a "degenerate burgess" like hereward. the address and activity of the saxon chief really seemed to preclude the possibility of success. nevertheless, the normans persevered; and for months the isle of ely was blockaded so closely that provisions were with extreme difficulty obtained from without. when the operations reached this stage, william bethought him of the monks of ely, and devised a scheme for enforcing their aid. without warning he seized all the manors belonging to the abbey situated without the isle; and the monks, unable to endure poverty and misery, and the famine that stared them in the face, resolved to put an end to the contest. with this view they sent to the norman camp, and offered to show a passage, on condition of being left in possession of their property. gilbert de clare and william warren having plighted their faith, and a treaty having been entered into, the monks fulfilled their promise, and the normans prepared to penetrate into the isle. hereward and the saxons, utterly unsuspicious of the treachery of the monks of ely, were resting from their arduous exertions, when the sound of arms and the war-cry of normans intimated that their foes were upon them. completely taken by surprise, the saxons were in no position to resist; and after a thousand of them had fallen, the camp was closely surrounded, and the majority were forced to lay down their arms. but better far would it have been for them to fight to the last. many of those who submitted had their hands cut off and their eyes put out, and were then turned adrift as warnings against future revolts; others--and among them archbishop stigand and bishop eghelwin--were incarcerated and sentenced to imprisonment for life. but in the midst of carnage and disaster, hereward was undaunted. when others laid down their arms, he still disdained the thought of yielding. closely attended by a few zealous adherents, the saxon chief broke from the assailants, retreated by paths into which the normans did not venture to follow, passed from marsh to marsh, and overcoming every obstacle, made his way to the lowlands of lincolnshire. it happened that the normans had a station in the immediate neighbourhood of the place where hereward and his friends found themselves after their hair-breadth escape. the temptation of a daring adventure was, under the circumstances, irresistible. hereward made himself known to some fishermen, who were in the habit of every day taking fish to the garrison; and the fishermen, sympathizing with his views, were induced to lend their aid. receiving hereward and his companions into the boats, and concealing them under straw, the fishermen, next day, approached the station as usual; and the normans, who were just sitting down to dinner, preparatory to riding forth on an expedition, were not in the least apprehensive of danger. suddenly strange voices were heard, and hereward and his men entering with their axes in their hands, rushed upon the normans, and hewed down many before they knew what was taking place. alarmed and despairing, the survivors fled, leaving their horses, which were ready saddled, a prey to the victors. after this exploit, which struck dismay into the hearts of his enemies, and considerably modified the joy with which the normans announced their success at ely, hereward resumed operations with his old spirit. with a band of patriotic men, which gradually swelled to the number of a hundred, the indomitable saxon performed countless feats of valour. ever lying in ambush, and granting no quarter, he exerted his skill and energy with such effect, that he well avenged, if he could not redeem, the disaster of ely. his comrades, all well armed and inspired by his example, encountered the foe with a degree of courage seldom equalled, and appearing suddenly at various points, never shrunk from odds save such as appeared overwhelming. not one of them was known to have declined a conflict with fewer than four normans; and hereward, on his part, often fought with as many as seven. while hereward was signalizing his prowess and courage in such a way that his name was idolized all over england, a lady of large property, named alswithe, hearing of his fame and admiring his exploits, offered him her hand. grateful for such a mark of esteem, hereward accepted the proposal, and married her without delay. but alswithe, dreading her husband's continual exposure to danger, employed all her influence to induce him to make his peace with the conqueror; and hereward, who loved his wife tenderly, gradually yielded to her entreaties, and at length accepted the king's peace. having exchanged peril for security, and glory for ease, hereward indulged in dreams of peace and comfort. but the normans were not disposed to spare so formidable a foe. determined to rid the country, by some means, of one who might again prove a mighty adversary, they several times attacked his house without success. one day, however, fortune placed him in their power. it was a summer afternoon; and, after having dined, hereward stretched himself in his orchard, with his hound at his feet, to enjoy some repose. he was without a coat of mail, but beside him lay his sword and a short spear, which saxons of his rank always carried with them. as hereward slept, a band of armed men, led by asselm, a norman, and raoul de dol, a knight of brittany, cautiously penetrated into the orchard; and he, suddenly awakened by the barking of the hound, found himself hemmed in. but even in this emergency the heart of the hero did not fail him. rising with a bound, before which the armed band recoiled, he faced his foes and demanded their errand. "whom seek you?" he asked, sternly. "you," was the significant answer. "false traitors!" he cried; "the king has granted me his peace. seek you me for my goods or my life?" "both." "then," exclaimed hereward, "ye shall pay for them dearly!" and with these words he thrust his short spear with such force against a norman knight who stood near, that it pierced through the hauberk into the heart, and came out dripping with life's blood. the normans, startled, but confident in their numbers, now attempted to close with hereward, and inflicted numerous wounds. but the saxon hero returned blow for blow. when his spear broke he drew his sword, and made so desperate a resistance, that, at times, the issue of the combat appeared doubtful. even when his sword broke on the helmet of one of his antagonists, he continued to fight with the pommel; and fifteen normans had fallen beneath his hand, when he, at once, received four lance thrusts, and felt himself borne to the ground. still he continued to struggle. seizing a buckler, he struck raoul de dol so fiercely in the face, that the warlike breton fell dead on the spot. but strength and life were now spent, and hereward sank and expired. as hereward lay dead, asselm, the norman, cut off the hero's head, but not without an emphatic expression of admiration. "by the virtue of god!" he exclaimed, "i swear that i have never in my life seen so valiant a man!" [illustration: fen country near boston.] xxxiii. building of battle abbey. while pursuing his victorious career, william the conqueror did not forget the vow which, immediately after the battle of hastings, he made to erect an abbey, to be dedicated to the holy trinity and to st. martin, the patron of the warriors of gaul. it is related that, when the foundations were dug, and the first stones of the edifice laid, the architects discovered that there would be a deficiency of water. somewhat disconcerted, they repaired to william, and acquainted him with the untoward circumstance. "never mind," said the conqueror, in a tone more jovial than his wont; "work away, and, if god give me life, there shall be more wine among the monks of battle abbey than there is in the best convent of christendom." according to william's orders, the work was proceeded with: the outer walls were traced round the hill which harold and his men had covered with their bodies; and the adjacent land was granted to the abbey. when the building of battle abbey was finished, william offered his sword and the regal robe he had worn at his coronation; and seven-score monks were brought from the great convent of marmontiers, near tours, to inhabit the edifice and pray for the souls of all who had died on the field. this magnificent structure is now in ruins, and the altar-stone, standing amid stagnant water, marks the spot where the pope's consecrated banner was planted by william in the hour of carnage and victory. [illustration] xxxiv. malcolm canmore. after devastating northumberland, reducing the men of chester, and entirely crushing the refugees in the camp of ely, william turned his attention towards the reduction of scotland, where reigned a king who had some power and much inclination to work him annoyance. malcolm canmore was son of duncan, king of scots, whose murder by macbeth, buchanan has narrated and shakspeare immortalized. in danger of being destroyed by the usurper, malcolm and his brother, donald bane, after lurking for awhile in scotland, resolved to fly--one made for northumberland, the other for the western isles. at that time siward the dane ruled northumberland; and of that great and sapient earl the mother of malcolm had been a near kinswoman. this circumstance was sufficient to insure the scottish prince a friendly reception; and, on reaching york, he had the consolation of being treated with every possible kindness. moreover, when siward carried him to the court of westminster, the confessor--who could not help comparing malcolm's circumstances to his own, while an exile in normandy--after expressing a strong sympathy with his misfortunes, and a strong interest in his welfare, bade him be of good cheer. at the confessor's court, among saxon thanes and norman chevaliers, malcolm might have learned to forget the crown which he had lost and the rude land from which he had been forced to fly; but it happened that macbeth, after forfeiting the popularity by the aid of which he had usurped the scottish throne, became a cruel and rapacious tyrant. the scots, in disgust, manifested a decided desire for malcolm's restoration; and macduff, thane of fife, abandoning macbeth's cause, espoused that of malcolm with enthusiasm and energy. about the time of godwin's restoration to england, messages of encouragement from the north of the tweed reached malcolm in his exile; and, without much hesitation, the young prince, now grown to be a man of huge stature, resolved on an expedition to regain his father's crown. powerful was the aid on which he had to rely; for the confessor readily lent his countenance to the enterprise, and siward undertook to conduct it to a successful issue. a fleet was soon fitted out to land soldiers on the scottish coast; and an army of horse, commanded by siward and his son, escorted malcolm across the tweed and through lothian. the enterprise proved perfectly successful. in vain hugh the norman, osborne, surnamed pentecost, and other foreigners who had fled into scotland at the time of godwin's return, drew their swords in favour of the usurper. a battle was fought; the son of siward fell, and many anglo-danes. but malcolm was victorious; and macbeth, who in the battle had lost all his norman allies, was deserted by his army, forced to fly, and overtaken and slain at lanfanan in aberdeenshire. an effort was then made by some of macbeth's friends to raise a kinsman of the usurper, named lulach, to the throne; but the friends of malcolm soon put an end to lulach's pretensions and his life, and the son of duncan was, without further opposition, crowned at scone. nevertheless, a plot was soon after formed to put malcolm to death, and of this the chief author was a nobleman who frequented the court. malcolm early became aware of the existence of the plot, but affected ignorance, till one day, when out hunting, he took the chief conspirator aside, and severely reproached him. "but," said malcolm, "here is a fit place and time to do that manfully which you have intended to do treacherously; and here draw your sword, if you dare." the nobleman, however, fell on his knees, confessed his fault, asked forgiveness, and ever afterwards served his king faithfully. it cannot be said that malcolm canmore, when seated securely on the scottish throne, displayed any particular gratitude to his benefactors. indeed, the nation under the protection of which he had found safety in the day of adversity, and by the aid of which he had gained his crown, had more than once strong reason to complain of his enmity and denounce his ingratitude. but it was chiefly in the third year after the landing of william the norman that malcolm offended. when the northumbrians drew together at york, to make head against the conqueror's power, malcolm mustered an army to lead to their assistance. ere he was ready to take the field, however, the northumbrians were put down; but, unwilling to be baulked of carnage and plunder, he marched by way of carlisle, which, with cumberland, he then held from the english crown, into northumberland, and let loose all the fury of his barbarous subjects on the land where he had found rest in his weariness and consolation in his despair. the scots proceeded with energy to the work of destruction and bloodshed. cleveland was savagely overrun; wearmouth was sacked; st. peter's church was burned; the banks of the wear were ravaged without mercy; and everywhere the inhabitants were treated with barbarous cruelty. able-bodied men and women were driven off captive, like flocks of sheep, and in such numbers, that, for many years after, there was scarcely a tenement in scotland without english slaves of one sex or the other. blood, meanwhile, flowed like water. grandfathers and grandmothers, on the verge of the grave, and infants torn from their mothers' arms, were ruthlessly slaughtered. warriors, calling themselves men and christians, exhibited neither humanity nor religion. never had pagan danes or norwegians been guilty of such atrocities as were perpetrated on this memorable occasion. one day, while the church of st. peter was in flames, and while the scots were revelling in carnage and cruelty, malcolm, as he rode along and witnessed savage outrages which it is charitable to suppose he could not prevent, received intelligence that edgar atheling, with his mother agatha, and his two sisters, margaret and christina--whom the chronicler describes as "comely young women"--were on board a ship in the harbour, waiting for a fair wind, but scarcely knew whither to steer their course. the tale of their distress appears to have touched the heart of malcolm; he sent messages of kindness, invited them to repair to scotland, and assured them that they might there reside in safety as long as they pleased. in their despair, the royal exiles grasped at this invitation, and the mariners steered for scotland. accordingly, when malcolm canmore returned to his own dominions, he found that the heirs of alfred and of ironsides had sought refuge on the scottish shores. the young king hastened to make their acquaintance; and the result was important in its influence on the destinies of england. the sweetness and piety of margaret atheling, endowed as she was with all the comeliness characteristic of saxon women, produced a strange effect on the royal scot, and he soon arrived at the conclusion that the opportunity of securing such a bride ought not to be neglected. a marriage was, in due time, celebrated; the saxon queen of scots, by her precepts and example, exercised a softening and civilizing influence on her fierce husband and his savage subjects; their daughter maude became the wife of henry beauclerc; and from their ancestress--the heiress of henry and maude, married to geoffrey, the brave and accomplished count of anjou--the plantagenets inherited royal saxon blood, and that sympathy with the vanquished race which made them, when kings, the favourites and heroes of the english people. william the conqueror was not, of course, inattentive to what was passing in the north; nor, indeed, did malcolm allow the norman to overlook his existence. in , the scottish king gathered an army, and crossed the border to vindicate the claim of his wife's family to the english crown. by this time, however, william had put the saxons throughout england under his feet, and resolved to bring malcolm to reason by demanding the extradition of those who had taken refuge in scotland. with this object william placed himself at the head of his army, and, for the first time, crossed the tweed. not inclined to try conclusions with an antagonist so formidable, malcolm presented himself to the conqueror at a place near the frontier, which is supposed to have been berwick; and, though declining to surrender the saxon emigrants, "met king william in a peaceful attitude, touched his hand in sign of friendship, promised that william's enemies should be his also, and freely acknowledged himself his vassal and liegeman." [illustration: fern islands, off the coast of northumberland.] xxxv. [illustration] the death of cospatrick. it was the year , when the destruction of the camp of ely ruined the last hope which the saxons entertained of making head against the conqueror; and the year witnessed the exile of the last saxon of illustrious lineage whom the conqueror allowed to occupy a high position and exercise important functions. it appears that after the installation of cospatrick as earl of northumberland, the peace of the north was unbroken save by the terrible inroad of malcolm, king of scots. on that occasion, cospatrick, having no force sufficiently powerful to oppose that of the scottish king, endeavoured to draw malcolm from northumberland by making an incursion into cumberland in the direction of carlisle, which then lay in ruins. but finding the scots too intent on carnage and plunder to move, he was fain to return, to shut himself up in bamburgh, and in that fortress to listen, with unavailing regret, to accounts of the barbarous atrocities perpetrated by the invaders. at length affairs began to settle; and the bishop of durham and his clergy, hearing that william had departed for the south, ventured back to their church. they found everything in disorder. even the magnificent crucifix, the gift of tostig and judith, was stripped of all its ornaments, and tossed upon the floor. nor was this the worst that was to befall. ere long the bishop was degraded, and a native of lorraine, named vaulcher, instituted in his place. when vaulcher, accompanied by a numerous train of norman knights, reached york, cospatrick presented himself, and conducted the new bishop to durham. perhaps, by this attention to vaulcher, cospatrick hoped to escape such a fate as had befallen every other saxon of high rank. but if so, he was mistaken. between the norman king and the saxon earl no real confidence existed. every movement in northumberland hostile to the normans had exposed cospatrick to suspicion; and, after having received malcolm's homage, william, thinking he could dispense with the aid of the grandson of uchtred, alleged that he had taken part in the murder of robert comine and in the siege of york, and formally deprived him of his earldom. cospatrick was now at his wits' end. mortified at his own reverses, and grieving at the oppression under which his countrymen were labouring, but against which it seemed vain to struggle single-handed, he left england and passed over to flanders, to which the saxons still looked with hope of aid. but all efforts proved vain; and he returned to die in poverty on the verge of the great northern province which he had lately ruled. it would seem that cospatrick had, by advising the flight of the bishop from durham, lost favour with the clergy, and that they used all their efforts to terrify him with threats of the wrath of st. cuthbert. an aged priest of durham, while in holy island, professed to have had a dream, in which he saw a great northumbrian thane, who had maltreated the bishop and his company during their flight, suffering the torments of hell, and in which st. cuthbert appeared denouncing woes against cospatrick. this dream derived importance from the circumstance of the northumbrian thane having died at the very time; and when related to cospatrick, now grown old and infirm, it caused him much trouble of spirit. indeed, he is said to have forthwith taken the shoes from his feet, and set out on a pilgrimage to holy island, to propitiate st. cuthbert by prayers and offerings. after his pilgrimage to holy island, cospatrick found rest for a time at norham, on the tweed. at that place, weary with adversity and woe, he soon felt himself sinking under his infirmities. at length, sick unto death, he bethought him of religious consolation, and intimated his wish to have the spiritual aid of aldwin and turgot, two monks in whose piety and prayers he had great confidence. at melrose--not on the spot occupied by the magnificent ruins of that great abbey, to which sir walter scott has, in our day, given so wide a fame, but in a flat peninsula, described by bede as "almost inclosed by the windings of the river tweed"--the culdees had, in the seventh century, erected a religious house. after flourishing for two hundred years, this edifice had suffered at the hand of king kenneth, and gradually dwindled down to a chapel sacred to st. cuthbert. in this chapel aldwin and turgot were "living in poverty and contrite in spirit for the sake of christ." on receiving cospatrick's message, these holy men hurried down the tweed, eager to comfort the expiring sinner. on reaching norham the monks found the saxon earl loudly lamenting his shortcomings, and expressing penitence for his sins, and they confessed him with all the ceremonies usual on such occasions. before their departure he gave them two dorsals, or pieces of tapestry which were hung against walls as screens for the back, and begged that, in whatever place the monks might chance to take rest, they would hang the dorsals up in memory of him. this scene over, cospatrick yielded up his breath. it was destined that the posterity of this great saxon, who passed his last days hovering between two countries, in neither of which he could find a home, and who died in misery, and with lamentations on his lips, should exercise the very highest authority in centuries then to come. he left two sons. one of these was cospatrick, founder of the house of dunbar, whose chiefs were so great in war and peace; the other was dolfin, male ancestor of the nevilles, who became famous for making and unmaking kings. meanwhile, cospatrick was laid at rest in the porch of the church of norham. in the chancel of that ancient edifice, a recumbent effigy, in the decorated style of the fourteenth century, when his descendants on both sides of the tweed were in all their glory, still recalls his memory, when the places that once knew them know them no more--when the castle of dunbar is desolate, and when raby no longer owns a neville as its lord. [illustration] xxxvi. [illustration] atheling and his allies. when edgar atheling, after the disastrous defeat of the saxons at york, took refuge in scotland, he found himself treated with great respect. malcolm canmore, saluting the exiled prince as true king of england, assured him of a secure asylum, and influenced, doubtless, by the charms of the fair margaret, still further evinced his sympathy with the saxon cause by bestowing offices and lands on the expatriated chiefs. moreover, he promised atheling every aid to regain the throne of his ancestors. the king of scots was probably quite sincere in his professions of friendship and promises of support; but his power to assist the saxons was by no means equal to his will. besides, the mighty energy of william, bearing down all opposition, was calculated to daunt the boldest foe. malcolm was brave as a lion; yet he might, without exposing himself to the imputation of cowardice, feel some degree of alarm as he conjured up visions of norman warriors crossing the river tweed, sweeping through the merse and lothian, and pursuing their victorious career as far north as to cool the hoofs of their horses in the waters of the tay, and plant their standard on the towers of the palace of scone. at all events, it is certain that, after a brief residence in scotland, atheling recognised the necessity of seeking a reconciliation with the conqueror. this was, without difficulty, obtained. then, as ever, william was kind and forgiving to the heir of alfred. but, as the work of the conquest went on, and as the saxons, exasperated by the deposition of their bishops and abbots, indicated their intention of making a great effort to recover their liberty, atheling discovered that he was the object of suspicion. indeed, it was natural that such should have been the case; for his name was in the mouth of all ardent patriots, and songs were sung in which he was described as "the brave, the beautiful darling of england." perceiving that snares were set for him, atheling effected his escape from court; and, with all the haste he could, made for scotland. "curse him!" exclaimed the normans; "he is the most fickle of human beings." "ah!" cried the saxons, "he is young and handsome, and descended from the true race--the best race of the country." it must be admitted that, so far as appearances went, the saxons had reason to be proud of the heir of their ancient kings. atheling was now approaching manhood, and looked worthy, indeed, of a nation's regard. his person was handsome, his figure tall and graceful, his manner courteous to excess, his temper serene to a fault, and he spoke with taste and eloquence. brave he was beyond question, but somewhat slow in action; and while ever and anon giving proof that he inherited the courage of ironsides, he constantly showed symptoms of having in his veins the sluggish blood of ethelred. indeed, the prospects of edgar atheling were at no time so encouraging as to tempt him to heroic ventures to regain the crown which had, for a brief season, been his. after the day on which malcolm canmore did homage to william the norman, aid from scotland could not reasonably be expected. not yet content, however, to submit tamely to circumstances, atheling, in , repaired to flanders, probably when cospatrick, after being deprived of northumberland, went thither to crave the alliance of count robert, who, though matilda's kinsman, was william's political enemy, and, moreover, a descendant of alfred the great. but atheling's application was not attended with success, and he returned to scotland with the impression that the saxon cause was too hopeless to enlist the alliance of any european prince, when, somewhat to his surprise, he was favoured with a friendly message from the king of france. philip, though young, was no longer the mere boy whose countenance and support william the norman had asked before undertaking his expedition against harold. the heir of hugh capet was now in his thirty-third year, perfectly capable of comprehending his position, and of estimating the power of a duke of normandy who was also king of england. in fact, he had somewhat recent evidence of william's strength and his own weakness. while william, who had left england in , was on the continent, carrying on war in maine with signal success, philip had taken up arms against the count of flanders, and sustained a shameful defeat before cassel. the idea of a man who had been vanquished by count robert of flanders having to encounter william the conqueror was not pleasant; and the french king, eager in the extreme to multiply william's enemies on the english side of the channel, resolved to afford the saxons such encouragement as to enable them to keep their conqueror in his insular dominions. it was under the influence of such apprehensions, and with a view of accomplishing such an object, that philip invited atheling to france. "come hither," wrote the french king to the english prince--"come and aid me with your counsel. i will give you the fortress of montreuil, which is so situated that thence you can either make a descent on england or ravage normandy." atheling was not proof against such temptation. on receiving philip's message, he prepared, with the companions of his exile, to embark for france, and made arrangements for his voyage. malcolm, as william's liegeman, could not openly lend his countenance to the enterprise of his brother-in-law. nevertheless, he secretly supplied atheling with money, and furnished the companions of the exiled prince with arms. but the expedition, and all the projects to which it was to lead, were destined to come to nought. the voyage of the adventurers proved the very reverse of fortunate. scarcely had atheling's fleet lost sight of the scottish shores when a violent tempest arose. the vessels were scattered like leaves in autumn. some sank, and others, going to pieces on the northern coast of england, left their crews at the mercy of the norman officials, who made them prisoners. atheling, and those who sailed in his ship, were wrecked, but escaped captivity. however, they lost everything; and in sadness and gloom they made their way, some on foot, others miserably mounted, back to the scottish court, where atheling, with his wonted eloquence, narrated to malcolm and margaret the misfortunes of the voyage. "and now," asked atheling, in conclusion, "what is to be done?" "it seems to me," answered malcolm, "that fortune is decidedly against you. wherefore, struggle no longer with fate, but seek peace, once more, of william the norman." at all times atheling was easily persuaded; and, on this occasion, he was in no frame of mind to dispute the wisdom of malcolm's counsel. accordingly he sent a message to william, who was still on the continent; and william, responding frankly, asked him to repair to normandy. entering england by the north, passing through the country escorted by norman counts, and entertained by them in the tall and turretted castles which already crowned every height, and which contrasted strangely with the low, irregular buildings, surrounded by woods, in which dwelt such of the saxons of rank as had escaped death or banishment, atheling could not fail to be impressed with a conviction of the fact that the work of the conquest had gone much too far to be undone by force of arms, and that any thought of resistance was absurd. embarking for the continent, he reached rouen in safety, and was received by the conqueror with kindness. a pension was granted to the banished prince to defray his personal expenses; but, taking a fancy to a charger in the stables of the palace, he afterwards parted with his pension in order to become master of the animal. for years atheling remained at the palace of rouen, amusing himself with hawks, dogs, and horses, and reflecting, with philosophic calmness, on the crown he had lost and the land from which he was exiled. [illustration: hawk striking the quarry.] xxxvii. fitzosborne and de gael. one day in the course of the year , when william the conqueror was in normandy fighting with his continental foes, and while archbishop lanfranc governed england in the king's absence, a great marriage took place in the castle of norwich. many guests of high rank were bidden; and the occasion was rendered memorable by the circumstance that the feast with which it was celebrated proved fatal to almost every individual who happened to be present. about the year , william fitzosborne, the conqueror's famous comrade in arms, departed this life, leaving two sons, named william and roger, and a daughter, named emma. william, succeeding to his father's lands in normandy, was known as lord of breteuil; roger, inheriting his father's english possessions, became earl of hereford; and emma was sought in marriage by a young breton, who figured as earl of norfolk, and naturally felt ambitious of allying himself with the high norman nobility. but a union between ralph de gael and the daughter of fitzosborne did not meet with the conqueror's approval. in fact, william set his face decidedly against the matrimonial project, and, being at the time in normandy, sent a messenger to forbid, in the most peremptory tone, the celebration of the marriage. the interference of william was more than the high spirit of roger fitzosborne could brook. he resolved at once to set the conqueror's prohibition at defiance; and, on a day appointed for the wedding, conveyed his sister to norwich. the ceremony was performed with a pomp worthy of the rank of the parties; and when the feast was spread in the castle hall, norman bishops, and lords of high degree, both norman and welsh, and ladies fair to look upon, gathered around the board. so far all went smoothly. but as dishes were carved and cups emptied the master of the feast and his guests became rapidly excited and frank to excess. the habitual respect displayed by the norman nobles for the great war-chief who had led them to conquest and plunder vanished as wine flowed in abundance, and the two earls especially vociferated in a strain which caused many present to stare in silent surprise. "what is this man?" asked roger fitzosborne, in accents of supreme contempt--"what is this man, who dictates who are to be the husbands of ladies descended from the comrades of rollo?--a bastard, owing this kingdom to my father, to whose memory this interference is an insult." "he is a bastard, and a man of low birth," cried the normans. "he may call himself a king; but 'tis clear that he is not made for one, and that he is not agreeable in the sight of god." "and," exclaimed the saxons, "he invaded england, he massacred the legitimate heirs of our kings and nobles, or obliged them to expatriate themselves." "what is worst of all," roared the military adventurers who had followed william's banner in hopes of high reward, "he has not honoured as he might those who came to his aid--those who raised him higher than any of his predecessors." "yes," cried others; "what has he given to us, the conquerors covered with wounds? sterile tracts of land, of which he deprives us whenever he sees them improving." "it is true!" shouted the guests, tumultuously; "the man is odious to all; his death would gladden the hearts of all. let him die!" after further vociferation, the two earls, several bishops and abbots, many normans and saxons, and the welsh chieftains, bound themselves by oath to rise against william, and arranged to ask the aid of sweyn, king of denmark, to insure the success of their perilous project. perhaps, with the morning, repentance came, and many rued the words they had spoken and the promises they had made over wine at the festive board. but it was too late to retreat; and the two earls, to lessen the danger of being betrayed, resolved on immediate action. roger fitzosborne hastened home to raise his banner at hereford; and ralph de gael prepared to shorten his honeymoon, leave the company of his bride, and raise his banner at cambridge. on reaching the province of which he was earl, roger fitzosborne lost no time in rallying his friends around him. not only did he gather the discontented normans to his standard. the welsh on the marches rose at his summons, and, with wild and vague hopes of recovering independence, rushed with enthusiasm to his aid. having assembled a force which he deemed sufficiently formidable to inspire foes with terror, he commenced his march eastward, with the intention of joining de gael. but, on reaching the severn, and attempting to pass that river by the bridge at worcester, he found, somewhat to his surprise, that preparations had been made to stop his progress. in fact, the conspirators at norwich had not very faithfully kept their secret. by some means or other, lanfranc had become acquainted with the whole project; and when in possession of such intelligence the great archbishop was not the man to sleep at his post. he despatched soldiers from london to throw themselves in roger's path; and he so far made use of the spiritual artillery at his command as to level a sentence of excommunication against the norman earl. meanwhile, the king's friends were not idle in the west. walter de lacy, a norman baron, and eghelwig, the saxon abbot of evesham, roused the people of the country to take arms against roger fitzosborne and his welshmen; and the people, regarding the welsh as their natural enemies, obeyed the call of walter and eghelwig, and crowded to the royal standard. at length the royal soldiers and the insurgents met face to face. it was on the banks of the severn that the hostile armies encountered and fought a sanguinary battle. the welsh, however, were defeated, and with such slaughter that the river was crimsoned with their blood. roger fitzosborne was made prisoner, and with him many adherents were taken with arms in their hands. the chief was kept in secure custody till the conqueror should decide what was to be his fate. but the inferior captives were summarily disposed of. some were hung on gibbets, some had their eyes put out, and others underwent such mutilation as to render them incapable of further mischief. while such disasters attended the adventure of roger fitzosborne on the severn, ralph de gael did not yield to the temptation of lingering with his fair bride at norwich. leaving that city, the bold breton encamped in the neighbourhood of cambridge, and succeeded in alluring a multitude of saxons to his standard. but ralph de gael's part of the enterprise proved little more successful than that of roger fitzosborne had been. while the breton earl was still gathering men to his camp, william de warren, with odo, bishop of bayeux, and geoffrey, bishop of coutance, took the field, and the insurgents found themselves menaced by a force decidedly superior to them in number. not shrinking, however, from a conflict, they bravely faced the royal force at a place named fagadon. there a stubborn battle was fought; but ralph de gael's men were completely defeated; and the chief escaped from the lost field, while many of his adherents were taken and treated with the utmost cruelty. indeed, the victors are said to have been so merciless as to cut off the right foot of every captive, no matter what his rank or nation. in the midst of this operation, ralph de gael had the fortune to reach norwich. he threw himself into the citadel with some vague and desperate notions of defending himself to the last. seeing, however, the impossibility of holding out, he left the fortress under the charge of his bride, and sailed to brittany to implore the aid of his friends. the daughter of fitzosborne made a brave defence, but her resistance proved vain. after a somewhat protracted struggle, the men-at-arms, seeing famine staring them in the face, recognised the necessity of yielding, and agreed, not only to surrender norwich, but to leave england in case of their lives being spared. almost every breton who had come to england with the conqueror was involved in the ruin of ralph de gael, and departed from the english shores. "glory be to god in the highest!" lanfranc wrote joyfully to king william, "your kingdom is freed from the filthy bretons." on returning to england, william, at christmas, held a great council of barons, and dealt with the rebel chiefs. both were condemned to lose their estates. de gael, being absent, could not, of course, be punished in person; but fitzosborne, who appeared before the assembly, was sentenced to perpetual imprisonment. when matters had reached this stage, a son of sweyn, king of denmark, unaware of the ruin of those who had craved assistance, approached the eastern coast. but the danes made no attempt to land. on learning what had happened they turned their helms towards flanders, and left fitzosborne to his fate. but even captivity and chains could not break the strong spirit nor humble the haughty pride of fitzosborne. even in his dungeon he found a way of braving and insulting the king whom he had attempted to dethrone. one day, during easter, the conqueror, according to a norman custom, sent him a magnificent suit of precious stuff, as if he had been at liberty. fitzosborne received the vestments with a smile, examined the coat and mantle of silk, and handled the jacket, trimmed with foreign furs, as if highly pleased. having done so, however, roger ordered a fire to be kindled, and committed coat, mantle, and jacket to the flames. "thus," said he, "does the son of william fitzosborne treat the gifts of the bastard to whom his father gave a crown." "by the splendour of god!" exclaimed the conqueror, boiling with anger, when informed of this scene, "the man who has thus insulted me shall never leave his prison alive." xxxviii. [illustration: thor.] waltheof, son of siward. siward the dane, when he expired at york, exhibiting his martial spirit to the last--clad, at his own request, in all the habiliments of war, with his helmet on his head, his coat of mail on his back, his gilt battle-axe in his hand, and that mystic banner, "the raven of earthly terror," waving over his head--left, by his wife, the daughter of earl alred, one son to inherit his renown. the name of the son of siward was waltheof, and his career was anticipated with hope by the inhabitants of the provinces which his great father had ruled. at the time of siward's death, however, waltheof was too young to succeed to northumberland. indeed, tostig, as one of the sons of godwin, immediately grasped at the earldom. waltheof, however, soon began to figure as earl of huntingdon, and gave evidence of inheriting his father's courage and prowess in the conflicts of the northumbrians with tostig and harold hardrada. after the battle of hastings, waltheof made his submission to the conqueror. as a consequence, when william visited the continent, the son of siward was taken, with edwin and morkar, to grace the conqueror's triumphant return to rouen. but the sympathies of waltheof were with the vanquished; and when the spirit of the country rose against the invaders he left london, and hurried northward, to take part in the operations of the northumbrians. he was still very young; but, like his father, he was remarkable for his tall stature, his physical strength, and his strong arm; and the presence of the son of siward was hailed with delight by those whom siward had so often led. when the northumbrians, after the tragical death of robert comine, and the landing of the danes, marched from durham and besieged york, waltheof performed prodigies of valour. placing himself in ambuscade at one of the gates, battle-axe in hand, he fell upon some normans who were attempting to escape, and laid twenty of them dead on the ground. a hundred men, who hoped to save themselves by flight, took refuge in a neighbouring wood; but waltheof, who pursued them closely, was in no humour to allow them to escape. "i will save myself further trouble," he said, "by setting the wood on fire." putting his threat immediately into execution, waltheof gave the wood to the flames; and a danish poet, who was also a warrior, celebrating waltheof's deeds in verse, compared his valour to that of odin, and congratulated him on having given the english wolves an ample repast on norman corses. when william was interrupted, while hunting in the forest of dean, with news of the outbreak beyond the humber, and swore never again to lay aside his lance till he had slain all the northumbrians, and marched suddenly with his choice troops to york, waltheof once more fought like a hero of romance. planting himself in a breach, through which only a single person could enter at a time, he cleft norman after norman with his ponderous battle-axe. his prowess on the occasion moved the admiration of his antagonists; and william was unable to refrain from expressions of surprise. "by the divine splendour!" he exclaimed, "i must make a friend of the man who dare do such deeds." accordingly a reconciliation was proposed; and a meeting was appointed at the norman camp on the banks of the tees. everything went smoothly. waltheof, in token of homage, placed his bare hand in that of the conqueror, and william bestowed the earldoms of huntingdon and northampton on the son of siward. after this submission waltheof received judith, one of the conqueror's nieces, in marriage, became the father of two children, and, after the deprivation of cospatrick, had his highest ambition gratified by being installed as earl of northumberland. in that capacity the anglo-dane lived in the closest friendship with vaulcher of lorraine, bishop of durham. sitting with vaulcher in the synods of his clergy, waltheof humbly and obediently put in execution the decrees of the bishop for reforming religion within the diocese. nor did he by such conduct lose the favour of the english. all appeared prosperous; and waltheof, united to the king's niece, and occupying his father's seat, enjoyed the favour of the conqueror without having forfeited his popularity with the vanquished, when the conspiracy of norwich, for which he cannot be considered to have been responsible, involved him in ruin and cost him his life. on that day, when norman counts, saxon thanes, and welsh chiefs assembled at norwich to celebrate the marriage of ralph de gael with the daughter of william fitzosborne, conspicuous, by his high head and gigantic stature appeared waltheof, the anglo-dane. it would seem, however, that waltheof took no part in the abuse lavished upon the uncle of his wife. but when the tumult was at the loudest, one of the norman earls, rising suddenly, hushed the assembly to silence, and solemnly appealed to waltheof to take part in the revolt. "brave man," said the earl, with that eloquence for which the normans were so famous, "this is a great moment for your country; this is, for you, the hour of vengeance and fortune. join us, and we will re-establish the kingdom of england in every respect as it was in the time of king edward. one of us three shall be king, the other two shall command under him, and all lordships shall be held of us. william is occupied beyond sea; we are satisfied that he will not again cross the channel. now, brave warrior, adopt our plan; 'tis the best for thee, for thy family, and for thy crushed and fallen nation." "it is! it is!" shouted the guests in chorus. but waltheof hesitated and remained silent. warned by former failures, and with the fate of edwin and morkar before his mind's eye, he shrunk from embarking in an enterprise which he felt must terminate in disaster. at length he allowed himself so far to be drawn into the league that he promised secrecy. it would seem, however, that waltheof did not keep his word. the secret preyed on his mind. uneasy, restless, and sleepless, he revealed the conspiracy first to his wife, judith, and then to archbishop lanfranc. it is even said that he was persuaded by the primate to repair to normandy and warn the conqueror. at all events, waltheof did not escape punishment. when, in due time, the fleet invited from denmark, commanded by the son of king sweyn, approached the coast, waltheof was accused of having invited the danes over, lodged in the castle of winchester, and, ere long, brought to trial. he denied the charge. but the evidence given by judith against her husband, whom she disliked, appeared conclusive, and the court was only divided in opinion as to the punishment to be inflicted. "he deserves execution as a revolted englishman," said some. "no," argued others, "it should be perpetual imprisonment as a revolted officer of the king's." while waltheof remained a prisoner in the castle of winchester, his fate hung in the balance for nearly a year. but his enemies were eager for his destruction. judith was eager to be a widow; ivo taille-bois had set his heart on some of waltheof's land which adjoined his own; and many normans had a keen eye to the great earldom which had been enjoyed by the son of siward. william did not resist the pressure, and sentence of death was pronounced. the th of april, , was appointed for the execution of waltheof. but such was his popularity that the normans apprehended an insurrection as the consequence of openly beheading him. it was, therefore, determined that the utmost secrecy should be observed. before daybreak, accordingly, while the citizens of winchester still slept, norman officers, appearing in waltheof's prison, informed him that his hour was come; and waltheof, rising, arrayed himself in his earl's robes and walked forth to execution. escorted by soldiers, attended by priests, and followed by some of the poor whose home was the street, the son of siward directed his steps to a hill outside the city. on reaching this place, where the last scene was to be enacted, he prostrated himself on the ground, and, for a few moments, prayed in a low and earnest tone. "rise, that we may fulfil our orders," said the normans, alarmed at the thought of the news spreading and a rescue being attempted. "wait," he replied calmly, "till i have said the lord's prayer for myself and for you." "yes," said they, consenting. waltheof, rising from his prostrate attitude, but remaining on his knees, said, in a loud voice, "our father, which art in heaven." however, when he reached the words "lead us not into temptation," the executioner, growing impatient and uneasy, suddenly drew his large sword, waved it in the air, and with one blow severed the earl's head from his body. alarmed at the approach of day, the normans hastily dug a hole between two roads, threw in the body, and covered it with earth. the possessions of waltheof, and the earldom of northampton, devolved upon judith, his widow; and that lady consoled herself in her bereavement by regaling her imagination with the idea of sharing her wealth and power with a husband of her own choosing. but it soon appeared that in this respect the widow of waltheof had made a serious miscalculation. william, in fact, without consulting her taste, destined her hand for simon de senlis, a french knight of unquestioned courage, but lame and somewhat deformed; and judith expressed her utter horror of the match. "what!" she exclaimed, "i marry a man who is lame and ill-shapen? never!" "as you will, madam," said the conqueror, grimly; "but, at all events, simon de senlis shall be earl of northampton." meanwhile, the body of waltheof was removed from the place where it had been hastily buried to the abbey of croyland, and interred in the chapter-house. judith, disappointed in her hopes of a second husband, and mortified at the spectacle of simon de senlis figuring as earl of northampton, repaired to croyland, and, as if to appease the spirit of the man whom she had betrayed, offered a silken cloth at his sepulchre. left with her two children in poverty and obscurity, the widow of waltheof passed the remainder of her life mournfully in a remote corner of england. [illustration] xxxix. wulstan, bishop of worcester. in that memorable day when edgar atheling appeared at the norman camp at berkhampstead to make his submission to the conqueror of hastings, one of the saxon prelates who accompanied the grandson of edmund ironside was wulstan, bishop of worcester. wulstan had taken part in the election of edgar atheling, and probably felt as anxious as any of his neighbours to maintain the national independence. but after having arrived at the conclusion that the game was up, and sworn allegiance to william the norman, he continued faithful to his oath; and, in doing so, earned the distinction of being described by a modern historian as "a simple, weak-minded man, who, after a momentary impulse of patriotic enthusiasm, became heartily reconciled with the conquerors." it appears that long after the other prelates of saxon race were somewhat summarily deposed, wulstan was, in consequence of his fidelity to william, allowed to remain bishop of worcester. in that capacity he rendered to the norman cause services which only a saxon churchman could have rendered. when the violence shown towards the saxon clergy raised so much resentment throughout england that in some provinces no norman bishop durst show his face, wulstan made pastoral visitations, calmed the popular excitement, and proclaimed the amnesties of the king; and when roger fitzosborne, raising the standard of revolt, marched from hereford, in hopes of crossing the severn and joining ralph de gael, wulstan not only rallied the natives of worcester around the royal standard, but marched in person to oppose the rebel earl's progress. wulstan, after these events, doubtless considered his position secure. indeed, it was quite natural that he should. but he was deficient in that kind of erudition which lanfranc deemed that a bishop ought to possess--and lanfranc, being no respecter of persons, reported him as "insufficient for his place for want of learning." it was the year ; and a great council of barons and bishops was held in the church of westminster, under the auspices of lanfranc and under the presidency of william. before that assembly wulstan was cited; and by the assembly he was unanimously declared incapable of exercising episcopal functions. when this judgment was pronounced, william ordered wulstan to take off his pontifical robes, and resign his staff and ring, the ensigns of his ecclesiastical dignity. wulstan, however, was so amazed and indignant, that, instead of obeying quietly, as was anticipated, he rose, turned towards the conqueror, and exclaimed, with energy-- "a better man than you, o king! bestowed these robes upon me, and to him i will restore them!" as wulstan spoke, the norman barons and bishops stared in mute surprise, and they were astonished when the venerable man, as if under divine inspiration, walked to the confessor's tomb. "thou, holy edward," said he, "gavest me this staff, and to thee i return and confide it!" suiting the action to the words, wulstan energetically struck the tombstone with the end of his pastoral staff; and then turning back to the normans, he said, with calm scorn-- "i received my staff from a better man than any of _you_! i have returned it to him. take it from him if you can!" at this distant period it would be impossible adequately to describe the effect produced on the assembled normans by this scene. had all the heroes, saints, and martyrs of that great regal house whose throne the son of arlette so unworthily occupied come out of their graves, and walked in procession before the council, the bishops and barons could not have been more astonished. the air of wulstan, his unexpected energy, and the circumstances under which it was displayed, produced a feeling of wonder mingled with superstitious awe. the king did not repeat his demand; but lanfranc mustered voice to entreat wulstan to put on his robes and remain in his bishopric. but the effect produced on the bishops and barons within the church of westminster was trifling compared with the impression produced throughout the country. according to popular report, something resembling a miracle had been wrought. it must be confessed, indeed, that the story lost nothing in the telling. the rumour ran, that when wulstan struck the tomb his staff penetrated into the stone as into soft earth, and that no one was able to draw it but the bishop himself. the story spread far and wide, and was told by many an oppressed peasant at the cottage hearth, by many a bold outlaw under the greenwood tree, and by many a sad-hearted saxon, driven from his country, dressed as a varing, and guarding the palace of the emperor of constantinople. [illustration: herdsman (from strutt)] xl. robert curthose. the conquest of england having been accomplished, and the saxons completely reduced to submission, the conqueror, instead of enjoying his triumph, became sad and uneasy. doubts as to the fidelity of his barons, and dismal forebodings as to the fate of his sons, haunted him day and night; and he even went so far, in his intense anxiety, as to consult some "wise men," who were supposed to have the gift of divination, as to the future of his line. had any magician really had the power of revealing to him the fortune of his descendants in an enchanted mirror, as conjurers in another age revealed to catherine de medici the fortunes of her posterity, his worst apprehensions would have been confirmed. as it was, the conduct of his son robert filled his heart with sadness and his mind with gloom. robert was the eldest son of william and matilda. he drew his first breath about the year ; and his appearance was hailed with delight by his parents. both william and matilda appear to have indulged young robert in such a way as utterly to spoil him; and when he passed from childhood to boyhood he acquired most dangerous notions of his importance. when william sailed to conquer england, robert had reached his thirteenth year. ere that period he had been formally recognised by the norman barons as heir of the duchy, and affianced to the heiress of the counts of maine; and when william sailed in the _moira_, robert was associated with matilda in the administration of affairs. flattered, complimented, and allowed to exercise enormous influence in normandy during the absence of his sire, robert early assumed the airs of an independent sovereign, and began to treat the parental authority with undisguised contempt. notwithstanding the influence which unfortunate training produced on the heir-apparent of normandy, robert, as he grew up to manhood, displayed qualities which recommended him to the hearts of the norman chivalry. brave and eloquent, intrepid and generous, he was just the person to secure the affection of a martial and high-spirited race of nobles. in war his prowess reminded men of the heroes of romance. but his appearance was in no respect heroic. he was under the ordinary height, fat to excess, and large in the bones. rollo would have been astonished at the aspect of his heir; and william was so impressed with the shortness of robert's legs, that the father, in ridicule, called the son "curthose." while curthose was emerging from his teens, the death of the heiress of maine and the annexation of that province to normandy resulted in a quarrel between william and his heir. eager to have a dominion of his own, curthose claimed maine as husband of the heiress; and the inhabitants, eager to have a lord of their own, supported curthose's claim heart and soul. william, however, treated the idea with cold contempt; and while curthose was brooding over this as a serious injury, circumstances occurred to fire his indignation. it was the year , and the conqueror, queen matilda, and their sons happened to be on a visit to laigle. one day, about noon, curthose, with his friends around him, was standing in the courtyard of the house in which he lodged, expatiating with his wonted eloquence on his wrongs, and his brothers, william rufus and henry beauclerc, who had been in the habit of taking part against curthose in the domestic feud, coming thither, ascended to the upper rooms, where, making a great noise, they began to play at dice, after the manner of the soldiers of that age. suddenly rufus and beauclerc conceived the idea of varying their amusement, and, without calculating the consequences, they threw a quantity of water on curthose and those with whom he was in earnest and animated conversation. this insult stung curthose to the quick. giving way to irritation, he swore that no man on earth should so treat him with impunity; and, drawing his sword, with a gesture of menace he sprang to the doorway, and rushed upstairs to inflict chastisement. fortunately, his friends interfered in time to prevent bloodshed. but high words passed, defiances were exchanged, and the scene was so tumultuous that the conqueror's presence became necessary to prevent the disputants from coming to blows. at length order was restored. it was even supposed that the quarrel was at an end. but, all the time, the blood of curthose was boiling in his veins, and his high spirit was swelling with anger and grief. next night he left laigle with a choice band of friends, and proceeded to rouen. with some vague notion, he attempted to surprise the citadel. the enterprise, however, failed, and many of his adherents were arrested. curthose, however, escaped, passed the frontier of normandy, took refuge in la perche, and found shelter in the castle of sorel. the conduct of his heir naturally excited the conqueror's wrath. curthose, however, had a powerful advocate in his mother, matilda, and a reconciliation took place. but this domestic peace was not of long duration. the adherents of curthose, generally gay and thoughtless young men, exercised all their art to stimulate his ambition; and he yielded somewhat too readily to their suggestions. "noble son of a king," said they, "thy father's people must take good care of his treasure, since thou hast not a penny to bestow on thy followers. why endurest thou to remain so poor when thy father is so rich?" "but what can i do?" asked curthose. "ask him for a portion of his england," they answered; "or, at least, for the duchy of normandy, which he promised thee before all his barons." curthose did as he was advised. excited and discontented, he went to william, and demanded to be put in possession of either part of the kingdom of england or the duchy of normandy. william, instead of complying, exhorted curthose, in a paternal tone, to amend his life, and to behave in a manner more worthy of the position he was destined to occupy. "return to your duty as a son," said the conqueror, "and then make choice of better counsellors than you now have. make choice of wise and grave persons of mature age to guide you--such a man, for instance, as archbishop lanfranc." "sir king!" replied curthose, so sharply that william started, "i came here to claim my right, and not to listen to sermons. i heard enough of them, and wearisome enough they were, when i was at my grammar. answer me, therefore, distinctly, so that i may know what i have to do; for i am firmly resolved not to live on the bread of others, and not to receive the wages of any man." "know, then," exclaimed william, angrily, "that i will not divest myself of normandy, to which i was born, nor share england, which i have acquired with so much labour." "well," said curthose, "i will go and serve strangers, and perhaps obtain from them what is refused me in my own country." without further ceremony, curthose summoned his adherents, mounted his horse, and, with a soul glowing with pride and a spirit swelling with indignation, rode out from rouen and away towards flanders. passing from country to country, from castle to castle, and from court to court, curthose travelled over europe, publishing his grievances and demanding aid. nor was his story, told in eloquent language, without influence on the magnates whom he visited. counts, dukes, and princes testified their sympathy, and drew their purses. their liberality, however, had no beneficial influence on the wanderer's circumstances. in fact, curthose was one of those men who can give the most sapient advice as to the affairs of their friends, while their own affairs are going to ruin as rapidly as their enemies could wish. all that he received to support his cause slipped through his fingers. mountebanks, parasites, and women of equivocal reputation perpetually preyed upon him. all that curthose obtained from barons and princes to buy arms and equip men passed into the hands of those who ministered to his amusement or contributed to his pleasure. hard pressed for money, inconvenienced by poverty and all its concomitant evils, compelled to beg afresh, but, probably, with less success than on the first occasion, he found himself under the necessity of going to the usurers, and borrowing gold at exorbitant interest. such were the steps by which curthose entered upon that fatal path which finally, notwithstanding his great fame as a prince and soldier, and as a champion of the cross, conducted him to disaster and defeat, and to a long and dismal captivity in the dungeons of cardiff. xli. the conqueror and his heir. while robert curthose was journeying from castle to castle and from court to court, philip, king of france, now in his twenty-seventh year, and william the conqueror's sworn foe, was offering bribes and protection to all the discontented normans. after wandering about flanders, lorraine, and aquitaine, curthose at length turned his horse's head towards france, made for st. germain, and craved sympathy and support from the great grandson of hugh capet. never did monarch listen to exiled prince with more eagerness than philip of france listened to the heir of normandy. fearing and hating william as he did, philip smiled with delight at the idea of setting the son to pull down the father, and readily promised his utmost aid. after much conversation on the subject, curthose formed his plan of action, and, under the auspices of the french king, repaired to gerberoy, a castle on the frontiers of normandy. at that period it was the custom that the castle of gerberoy should be occupied by two viscounts, equal in authority, and that fugitives from all nations should find protection within its walls. the reception of curthose at this stronghold was all that he could have wished. he was courteously received at the gate by elie, one of the viscounts, and afterwards cordially welcomed by elie's colleague. ere this, matilda of flanders became aware of the pecuniary embarrassments of her son, and, eager to administer relief without informing william, she contrived, by means of a breton named samson, to send curthose sums of money. hearing of this, the conqueror forbade her to hold any communication with a son who had forfeited all title to consideration. matilda, however, had a will of her own. her maternal anxiety proving, in this case, infinitely stronger than respect for her husband's mandate, she continued secretly to assist curthose in the midst of his multitudinous difficulties. william, learning that he had been disobeyed, was highly indignant, and addressed his spouse in language somewhat reproachful. "behold my wife," said the conqueror; "she whom i have loved as mine own soul--to whom i have confided the government of my realms, my treasures, and all that in this world i possess of power and greatness--she hath supported mine adversary against me; she hath strengthened and enriched him with the wealth i confided to her keeping; she hath secretly employed her zeal and subtlety in his cause, and done everything she could to encourage him against me." "my lord," answered matilda, "be not surprised if i feel a mother's tenderness for my first-born son. by the virtue of the most high! i protest that if my son robert were dead, and hidden far from the sight of the living, seven feet deep in the earth, and that the price of my blood would restore him to life, i would cheerfully bid it flow." "but," said william, "you support my enemy with the very money i have committed to your keeping." "and how," asked matilda, "can you suppose that i could enjoy the pomps and luxuries with which i was surrounded when i knew that he was pining in want and misery? far from my heart be such hardness!" on hearing this, william grew pale with vexation. in his rage he bethought him of matilda's messenger, and gave peremptory orders that samson should be arrested and deprived of his sight. but the breton, hearing that his eyes were to be put out, made his escape, and sought safety in the cloister. the old chronicler deemed the circumstance one in regard to which he had a right to be jocular, and remarked that samson turned monk to save at once his body and soul. meanwhile, curthose hoisted his flag and invited mercenaries to repair, without delay, to the castle of gerberoy. thither they flocked as eagles to the carnage. from france, from flanders, and from normandy they hastened, on foot and on horseback, with sword and with spear. even men-at-arms who had served in william's court, who had lived under his protection, and who had partaken of the fruits of his successes, willing to worship the rising sun, left rouen and galloped to gerberoy. curthose ere long found himself at the head of a formidable force, and philip of france rejoiced in the triumph which he anticipated from having set the son against the father. william was startled at the menacing attitude which curthose had assumed, but he acted with all the energy of his earlier days. landing in normandy, the conqueror prepared to encounter his refractory heir as he had encountered other foes, and, attended by his son, william rufus, appeared in hostile array, and at the head of a numerous army, before archembrage, where curthose then was. it was now curthose's turn to feel some degree of anxiety. inclosed within the walls of archembrage, he saw himself hemmed in by a force with which his own was too weak to cope. but the chivalrous spirit of the heir of normandy was not to be daunted by the odds arrayed against him; and making a sally, with his lance in rest, and his best warriors at his back, he bore down opposition and carried confusion into the enemy's camp. it was on this occasion that curthose and the conqueror encountered hand to hand. unaware who was his adversary, curthose so strenuously exerted his marvellous prowess that william, who had never before been worsted in close conflict, was wounded and unhorsed. alarmed at disasters which to him were quite novel, william bellowed out much more loudly than was consistent with the dignity of a conqueror, and the norman knights, spurring in to the rescue, shouted out that it was the king. on discovering who was the wounded knight, curthose dismounted, lifted william from the ground, aided him to regain his saddle, and left him at liberty to depart. after the affray at archembrage, the norman counts and bishops used their utmost endeavours to reconcile william and his son. at first their efforts were unavailing. the conqueror would scarcely listen to their entreaties, and, even after listening, he resisted sternly and stubbornly. "why," he asked, "do you solicit me in favour of a traitor who has seduced from me those soldiers whom i have fed with my bread and whom i have supplied with the arms they bear?" as time passed on, however, william's heart softened. perhaps, when cured of his wound, he recovered from the mortification of spirit caused by the remembrance of his overthrow and affright at archembrage. at all events, he yielded to the solicitations of the norman counts and bishops, expressed his willingness to forgive the past, and granted curthose full pardon for his rebellious exploits. while the good understanding consequent on this reconciliation between father and son lasted, william departed for england, and not, perhaps, deeming it safe to leave curthose in normandy, requested the honour of his company. in england, however, there was work for a warrior to do. malcolm, king of scots, crossing the tweed, began once more to ravage northumberland, and curthose, placed at the head of an army, was sent to repel the invader. but in this expedition the heir of normandy had no opportunity of winning new laurels. malcolm, alarmed at the approach of so redoubted a champion, retreated rapidly to his own dominions; and curthose, to leave some memorial of his northern expedition, erected a strong fort on the tyne, to which was given the name of newcastle. matters so far went smoothly; but in the year matilda of flanders died; and soon after the queen's death, the quarrel between the conqueror and his heir broke out afresh. [illustration] xlii. [illustration: from the bayeux tapestry.] odo, bishop of bayeux. during the time that king william was on the continent fighting with robert curthose, the government of england was committed to odo, bishop of bayeux. before this period odo's arrogance had been sufficiently conspicuous, and during the time he exercised viceregal functions events occurred to minister to his pride to such a degree that he became altogether intolerable. it was one of the great objects of william the norman to elevate those to whom he was related on the mother's side. after the death of robert the devil, arlette, probably ambitious of figuring in a less equivocal position than that which she had previously occupied, united herself in marriage with herluin de couteville, and found herself the mother of two legitimate sons. william did not neglect their interests. one of them, robert, became earl of mortain; the other, named odo, and dedicated to the church at an early age, became bishop of bayeux. but, though bishop of bayeux, odo was no meek shaveling nor pale-faced student. he was a daring warrior and a cautious libertine, and is pictured with defiance in his eye and rings on his finger; at one time leading a fiery charge of norman cavalry, at another inditing love epistles to the dames of rouen while pretending to be occupied with a treatise on some such relic as the finger of st. thomas. his addiction to sinful pleasures was, in fact, notorious; and one of the results of his amours was a son, named john, who distinguished himself in the reign of his kinsman, henry beauclerc. in the scenes with which the norman invasion of england commenced, odo of bayeux enacted a prominent part. when edward the confessor expired, and harold usurped the throne of young atheling, and william calculated the chances of success in the event of undertaking an enterprise, odo was one of the normans who met at rouen, who tendered the hesitating duke their support, and who promised to serve with money and goods, even to pledging or alienating their inheritances. on that day, also, which witnessed the battle of hastings odo was a prominent personage. in the morning he celebrated mass and blessed the troops; and, having performed this duty, he mounted his tall white charger and displayed his military skill by setting the cavalry in order for battle. hastings having been won, and the work of the conquest proceeding, odo's services did not go unrewarded. while his brother robert became earl of cornwall, odo became grand justiciary of england, and obtained the earldom of kent; and at a later period, having meanwhile shared the whole of archbishop stigand's property with adeliza, wife of hugh grantmesnil, he, on the forfeiture of roger fitzosborne, received a grant of the earldom of hereford. never had fortune been more favourable to a human being than for years she seemed to odo. unluckily for the warlike bishop of bayeux, his pride swelled as his power and possessions increased; and at length, when invested, during william's absence from england, with viceregal authority, he lost all sense of discretion, and acted like a man whose head prosperity had turned. it happened that, after the execution of waltheof at winchester, the earldom of northumberland was purchased from the conqueror by vaulcher, bishop of durham, and that his government was somewhat unsatisfactory. vaulcher, indeed, appears to have been a learned, pious, and well-meaning man, and to have shown his respect for popular sentiment by the high consideration he paid to liulf, a saxon thane connected by marriage with the wife of siward and with the mother of cospatrick. but leofwin, the bishop's chaplain and chief confidant, and gislebert, a kinsman who acted as the bishop's deputy in administering the affairs of this province, regarded liulf with envy and malice. after frequent exhibitions of ill-will, they conspired to murder liulf; and gislebert, entering the saxon thane's house by night, put him and his family to the sword. vaulcher was naturally much enraged at this atrocity. such, however, was his position that he was fain to pass over the crime, and even to continue his countenance to leofwin and gislebert. the northumbrians, deeming that this was adding insult to injury, held nocturnal conferences, as in the time of robert comine, and were so evidently bent on mischief, that vaulcher recognised the necessity of doing something to allay the ferment. with this object he announced his intention of holding a court, and mediating between the relatives of liulf on the one part and leofwin and gislebert on the other. it was on the th of may, , and at gateshead, that vaulcher met the northumbrians. the bishop was attended by leofwin and gislebert, and about a hundred men of foreign birth; and the northumbrians, all secretly armed, were headed by eadulf, surnamed rus, a great-grandson of earl uchtred, and a connexion by marriage of liulf. knowing the french language, eadulf acted as spokesman, and conferred with the bishop on the business of the day, and then stated that he must consult his followers as to the terms proposed. but instead of doing so, he cried out--"short reed, good reed, slay ye the bishop;" and the northumbrians, who had come with weapons concealed under their clothes, instantly brandished them in the air. in order to encourage his followers, eadulf struck down vaulcher with his own hand; and the northumbrians, rushing on the bishop's attendants, slaughtered them without mercy. only two servants, men who were natives of england, escaped the massacre. news of this outrage at gateshead was carried to odo. the bishop of bayeux smiled grimly, and, girding on his armour, promptly marched northward to punish the perpetrators of the murder. but, meanwhile, the northumbrians had marched to durham, attacked that city, and, after finding their efforts vain, dispersed in all directions. eadulf and the ringleaders fled the country; and, when odo's approach was announced, few remained at home except those who had taken no part in the insurrection. but odo had ridden northward indulging in visions of carnage and plunder; and he was not to be baffled in his expectations by considerations of justice. aware that the murderers of the bishop had fled, he avenged their crime on the whole province, ravaged the country, executed many of the inhabitants, mutilated others in the most revolting manner, plundered the church at durham of the sacred ornaments which bishop eghelwin had formerly saved by removal to holy island, and gained a high reputation among the most disreputable class of the norman conquerors, who proudly described him as "one of the greatest quellers of the english." on learning what had occurred in northumberland, william was doubtless surprised to hear of his brother acting so like a madman. but his astonishment was still greater when he learned that odo was on the point of leaving england and proceeding to italy. in fact, the queller of the northumbrians, relying on some prediction of an italian soothsayer that the next pope should be named odo, had bought a palace in rome, and, in order to secure his election to the papal chair, was not only preparing to go thither, but had engaged his nephew, hugh le loup, earl of chester, and many other norman knights and barons, to form his court. the idea of odo aspiring to the chair of st. peter proved in the highest degree displeasing to william. sailing from normandy without delay, he contrived to intercept odo off the isle of wight. assembling a council of norman barons, he presented odo to them, and accused him of having abused his power as judge and earl. "this man," explained william, "has despoiled churches; he has maltreated the saxons to the danger of the common cause; and he has attempted to seduce and take with him beyond the alps the warriors on whose fidelity the safety of the country depended. consider these grievances," said william, in conclusion, "and tell me how i ought to act towards such a brother." the barons looked at each other; but no one ventured to reply. "ha!" exclaimed william, "offensive foolhardiness must be restrained in time. therefore," continued he, after a pause, "let this man be arrested and put into safe custody." but the idea of odo being a bishop daunted the boldest. none present had the courage to put out a hand. at length william advanced and seized odo's robe. "i am a priest--i am a minister of god!" cried odo. "the pope alone can judge between us." "it is not as priest or prelate that i judge," exclaimed william, grasping the bishop's robe more tightly than before; "it is as my vassal, my earl, and my false viceroy." odo, finding all protests unavailing, was fain to yield to his fate. carried to normandy, he was lodged in a strong fortress, and made to suffer for the sins committed in the days of his prosperity. in fact, the licentiousness for which he had been notorious was urged as a reason against his release, and he remained in durance almost without hope of seeing his prison-doors opened. [illustration: cooks--from bayeux tapestry.] xliii. [illustration: the doom's-day books] doomsday book. the house of godwin having been overthrown; the son of siward executed; one grandson of leofric in the grave, the other in a dungeon; and one son of cospatrick relegated to obscurity in durham, the other condemned to exile in lothian; william the conqueror shook off all feelings of apprehension in so far as concerned the vanquished, and bethought him of casting up accounts with the companions of his victories. with this view he commissioned walter gifford, henry de ferrars, remi, bishop of lincoln, and other persons of distinction, to traverse the country in all directions, and ascertain what amount of property each man possessed, and what proportion each should contribute towards the revenue. this process, however necessary, does not appear to have been highly gratifying to those whom it chiefly concerned. indeed, the norman king and the norman barons had, ere this, begun to regard each other with distrust and hostility. william accused them of caring more for their private interests than the general welfare; and they retaliated by reproaching him with greediness of gain and a desire to appropriate to himself, under the pretext of public utility, the wealth that had been acquired by their united exertions. no forcible opposition, however, was offered to the inquest which william ordered; and the royal commissioners proceeded to the execution of their laborious duties. making progresses through the various counties of england, the commissioners established a court of inquiry in each place of importance, and caused the results of their investigations to be regularly registered in a book. the king's name was placed first, with the lands and revenues he enjoyed; then the names of the chiefs or smaller proprietors, according to their military rank and the value of their territory. the whole business was conducted with the utmost regularity, and with such care as rendered the lapse of years inevitable before the completion of their inquiry. when this territorial register, described by the normans as the "grand roll," but talked of by the saxons as "doom's-day book," was completed, all the norman chiefs, clerks as well as laymen, were convoked, in , to discuss and decide the various claims that had been made and disputes that had arisen during the inquest. it was a magnificent assembly, presided over by william, and consisting of prelates, barons, and knights, glutted with the blood and gorged with the spoil of the slaughtered and banished anglo-saxon lords. but many of them came thither in no amicable mood; and the goddess of discord availed herself of their frame of mind to celebrate a festival. it appears that william asserted himself proprietor, by inheritance, of all the land that had belonged to edward the confessor, to harold the usurper, and to the various members of the house of godwin, and thus interfered with the claims of many normans who had served him most zealously at the time of the invasion. much discontent was felt in consequence, and expressed without hesitation. men deprived of their estates held strong language; and, finally, unable to obtain redress, they renounced their allegiance, left the country they had helped to conquer, passed the tweed, and offered their homage to malcolm canmore. this circumstance was destined to exercise considerable influence in after ages. the normans crossed the frontier with feelings the reverse of tender towards the country they were leaving, and taught their children to turn the points of their spears southward. two centuries later it was the perfidy of their descendants that baffled the genius of the first great edward; and it was the courage and prowess of their children's children which enabled robert bruce to wrest from edward's son the crown of scotland on the field of bannockburn. [illustration: norman rustic, th century (from strutt)] xliv. [illustration: the quarrel of henry beauclerc and louis le gros] the conqueror's death. it was the spring of , and philip, king of france--weak as ever, and with a reputation decidedly the worse for wear--was at conflans, on the seine; and with him was his son, afterwards, as louis le gros, distinguished as the foremost man of his time, but then scarcely out of his teens, and showing no signs of the talent and energy which history has associated with his name. in fact, this prince was "gay, conciliating all hearts to him, and of such extreme good-nature," says his biographer, "that to some men he seemed almost weak." while philip was at conflans with his court, conflans was doubtless an attractive place. indeed, the court of philip included so many young men sent to be instructed in knightly accomplishments, under the royal auspices, that they almost formed an army. at the same time, weary, perhaps, of rouen, and eager for change of scene robert curthose and henry beauclerc--whom the conqueror had recently invested with joint authority as governors of normandy--repaired to conflans on a visit, "entertaining the time with a variety of sports." one day, when the three princes were in the palace, henry and louis commenced playing chess, while curthose sat looking out on the banks of the seine, or paced the room, pondering some vague project connected with love or war. henry appears to have had marvellous luck; and louis, perhaps not quite satisfied of having fair play, lost not only his money but his temper also. high words, and a quarrel not remarkable for princely dignity were the consequences. louis, getting into a rage, perhaps for the first time in his life, called henry the son of a bastard, and threw the chessmen in his face. henry, provoked in the highest degree, reproached louis with being the heir of usurping, effeminate, and priest-ridden kings, and felled him to the floor with the chessboard. in the vehemence of his passion, henry would have slain louis on the spot; but curthose, recovering from the amazement produced by the scene, hastily interfered, dragged his brother away, and hurried to the stables. mounting, the norman princes spurred off with the speed of the wind, and scarcely halted till they were beyond the french frontier. on learning what had occurred, philip swore to be avenged. rousing himself from apathy, and availing himself of william's absence from the continent, the french king made a hostile incursion into normandy; and, ere long, the conqueror, while in england, learned that his liege lord was ravaging his territory and besieging his towns. william was, by this time, in his sixty-third year, and by no means so energetic as in days gone by. nevertheless, his spirit was high as ever. resolved to go in person to face the danger and punish the aggression, he prepared to cross the channel. before doing so, however, he determined to remove from the vanquished islanders the temptation of making a last desperate effort to restore their national royalty. at this time, edgar atheling, and his sister, christina, were both in england. the atheling, with some touch of sentiment for the land over which his sires had reigned, had, in the previous year, returned from normandy; and christina, having perhaps exhausted the patience of king malcolm, had returned from scotland. the presence of the royal saxons could hardly, under all the circumstances, have been of vital consequence. but suspicion had now become a disease with the conqueror, and he could not embark without having first disposed of them to his satisfaction. accordingly, he so strongly impressed upon christina the propriety of becoming a religious, that the princess, albeit not yet forty, still comely to behold, and perhaps by no means averse to the veil of a bride, was fain to take the veil of a nun in the convent of rumsey; and he demonstrated so clearly to atheling the propriety of undertaking an expedition to the holy land, that the prince, after being promised money to support his dignity, consented to set out on a pilgrimage. matters having thus been settled, william, with edgar atheling under his wing, and rufus in attendance, embarked for the continent. having set his iron heel once more on norman soil, the conqueror first shipped off the grandson of ironside to apulia, with a retinue of two hundred knights, and then applied himself to his dispute with the heir of hugh capet. it appears that the real cause of debate between william and philip was the country of vexin, situated between the epte and the oise. this territory had been wrested from normandy and united to france during the troubles consequent upon the rumoured death of robert the devil. william, less inclined than of yore to submit the question of possession to the arbitrament of the sword, flattered himself that he should be able to regain the vexin by peaceful means, and with this hope opened negotiations. while negotiations were pending, william, whose corpulence had caused him serious inconvenience, felt the necessity of placing himself in the hands of his physicians and, by their advice, he kept his bed, and attempted to reduce himself by a rigorous diet. philip, deeming that he had little to fear from such an adversary, returned evasive replies to william's demands, and found that the conqueror bore the delay so patiently, that he ventured one day, at paris, to indulge, at william's expense, in a coarse jest, which was faithfully repeated at rouen. "by my faith!" said philip, "our cousin, the king of england, is very long about his lying-in! what rejoicings there will be when he gets up! what a number of candles i must provide for his churching!" "ha!" angrily exclaimed william, when told what philip had said, "no cost shall the king of france incur on that day for candles or lights. for," added he, his anger rising and swelling into fury, "by the splendour and birth of god! i will be churched at notre dame de paris with ten thousand lances for my candles." while the blood of william was boiling with indignation at his liege lord's insulting jest, an incident occurred which must have added much to his annoyance. curthose, falling under philip's influence, and allured by philip's promises, broke once more with his father, and prepared for the third time to leave the norman court. william stormed as was his wont on such occasions, cursed his son's folly, and heaped maledictions on his head. curthose, however, paid no regard to the reproaches of a sire with whom he could not agree; though it could hardly have been without reluctance that he left the duchy of which he was the recognised heir, to sit at the hearth, and feed at the board, and climb the stairs of strangers. but, whatever his feelings, curthose did go; and the grim conqueror cursed him as he departed. william now shook off sickness, discarded his physicians, rose from his bed, mustered his men-at-arms, buckled on his mail, and entered the territory of philip. more than threescore years had passed since the son of arlette drew his first breath; but he proved, in a manner not to be mistaken, that time had not bent his spirit nor softened his heart. it was late in july, the harvest was at hand, and the summer's sun shone on fields of yellow corn, on vineyards rich with grapes, and orchards laden with fruit. william spared nothing. he ordered his cavalry to burn the corn, to tear up the vines, and to cut down the fruit-trees. slaughtering, destroying, and ravaging with all the fury he had seventeen years earlier displayed in northumberland, william reached mantes, on the seine. it was sunday, the th of august, when the conqueror appeared at mantes; and, on effecting an entrance, he immediately ordered the town to be set on fire. his orders were promptly obeyed; and as the flames leaped from roof to roof, seizing on cottages, and castles, and churches, and shot crackling upwards like a serpent's tongue, william, as if in a frenzy, shouted at the top of his voice, galloped through the conflagration, and seemed to enjoy the terrible scene. but suddenly his haughty spirit was brought low. while riding through the ruins, he spurred his horse towards a ditch which crossed his path. while in the act of springing, the animal set its foot on some burning embers, started, plunged furiously, and came to the ground, throwing the corpulent rider with such violence against the saddle as to cause a severe wound in the stomach. it soon became apparent that william was not destined to reach paris or to appear at notre dame; in fact, the conqueror was in no slight danger. weak from recent confinement, heated by excitement, by the fire, and by the weather, he became feverish, and ordered himself to be conveyed back to rouen. but when laid in his own chamber he could not rest; and so great was the annoyance he experienced from the noise of the streets, that it was deemed expedient to remove him to the priory of st. gervase. in that religious house, which belonged to the monks of fescamp, and stood on a hill outside the city, william, under the care of gilbert, bishop of lysieux, and goutard, abbot of jumieges, who tended him as physicians, languished for weeks. but his condition daily became worse, and, not deluding himself with hopes of recovery, he prepared for death. when stretched on a bed from which he felt there was no probability of his rising, william reflected seriously on his past life, and regarded many actions in a very different light from that in which he had been in the habit of viewing them during the years of health and vigour. eager to make atonement, he caused money to be given to the poor, and to be sent to the religious houses of england and mantes to rebuild the churches which, by his orders, had been burned. at the same time he ordered the prison doors to be opened, and freedom to be given to captives, among whom were wulnoth, brother of harold; morkar, brother of edwin; and william's own brother, odo of bayeux. it was now wednesday, the th of september, , and the conqueror became aware that he was on the point of passing that bourne from which no traveller returns. but still he seems to have remained somewhat unconvinced of the vanity of sublunary greatness. ordering the officers of his household to repair to his chamber, he, weak as he was, delivered an harangue of some length on his military achievements, dilated on the renown he had acquired as a ruler of men, and dictated his last will to his sons. robert curthose was at abbeville; but william rufus and henry beauclerc were by the bed of their dying father. "i leave normandy," said the conqueror, "to my eldest son robert, in accordance with the wishes of the normans; but wretched will be the land subject to his rule. as for england, i leave it to no one, because i acquired it by force and bloodshed. i replace it in god's hands, wishing that my son william, who has ever been obedient to me, may, if it please god, obtain that kingdom and prosper in it." "and," said henry, stepping forward and speaking with energy, "what, then, will you give me, my father?" "give thee?" replied william; "i give thee five thousand pounds in silver from my treasury." "but," said henry, "what can i do with this money if i have neither house nor land?" "be content, my son," answered the conqueror, "and have confidence in god. allow thine elder brothers to precede thee. thy time will come after theirs." this scene having been enacted, william awaited that pale spectre which comes with impartiality to the cottages of the poor and the castles of kings. nor was his patience severely tried. at sunrise, on thursday morning, he awoke from the feverish slumber in which he passed the last night his spirit was to spend on earth. it was bright and clear; the rising sun shone on the storied windows of the priory, the bells were ringing, and the monks were singing a latin hymn to the hour of prime. "what means that noise?" inquired william, in faint accents. "they are ringing prime at the church of st. mary," was the answer. "ha!" faltered william; and then adding, "i commend my soul to mary, the holy mother of god," he raised his hands to heaven, and instantly expired. [illustration] xlv. the burial at caen. one thursday the th of september, , consternation and dismay pervaded the city of rouen. neither granada after boabdil's flight, nor edinburgh after the death of king james at flodden, presented such a scene of confusion as did the capital of normandy on that morning when it became known that william the conqueror had breathed his last. fear fell upon all men who had anything to lose, and they ran wildly about, beating their breasts, tearing their hair, and imploring advice, as if a hostile army had been before the gates. meanwhile, within the convent of st. gervase and the castle of rouen were enacted such scenes as, when reflected on, make human beings blush for human nature. no sooner did william breathe his last than his physicians, and the attendants who had watched his couch during the night, hastily left the chamber of death, and mounting their horses, rode away to look after their property; and, when the news reached the castle, the servants carried off plate, armour, clothes, linen, and everything that was not too hot or too heavy, and fled from the place. it is even said that the body of the great warrior-statesman was left on the floor with scarcely a shred of covering, and that it remained in that position for several hours. it is most discreditable, indeed, to the memory of william's two sons, rufus and beauclerc, that such should have been the case. but these young men were wholly intent on their own interests. rufus was already on his way to england, and beauclerc was busy receiving the five thousand pounds, seeing the silver carefully weighed, and depositing the treasure in a chest, fastened with bands of iron, and secured with strong locks. never was there a more thorough display of intense selfishness. even curthose, with all his faults, would not have been guilty of such filial impiety. it almost seemed as if the conqueror was to be denied christian burial. but william, archbishop of rouen, had the decency to think of the dead king, and ordered a procession to be arranged. dressed in their habits, monks and priests, with cross, candles, and censers, repaired to the chamber to pray for the soul that had departed, and the archbishop gave orders that the corpse should be conveyed to caen, and buried in the cathedral which william had built and dedicated to st. stephen. but nobody showed the least inclination to take an active part in the obsequies. at length a norman knight, named herluin, probably a kinsman of arlette's husband, william's stepfather, volunteered to take the trouble and bear the expense. having hired a hearse and men, herluin removed the body to the banks of the seine, and, having caused it to be placed in a boat, attended it, by the river and the sea, to caen. on reaching that place the corpse was met by the abbot of caen, with all his monks, and by many other priests and laymen, among whom appeared henry beauclerc. but a fire suddenly breaking out in the town dissolved the procession, and the corpse, deserted by all but the monks of st. stephen, was borne by them to the cathedral. between the altar and the choir of the cathedral of caen a tomb was prepared; and when the time appointed for the inhumation arrived all the bishops and abbots of normandy assembled for the ceremony. mass was then said; and the body, without a coffin, but clothed in royal robes, was about to be lowered, when suddenly a man, advancing from the crowd, stepped forward and interrupted the process. "priests and bishops," said he, in a loud voice, "this ground is mine. it was the site of my father's house. the man for whom you have now prayed took it from me by force to build his church upon it." "it is true," said several voices. "i have not sold my land," continued the man; "i have not pawned it--i have not forfeited it--i have not given it. mine the ground is by right, and i demand it." "who art thou?" they asked. "my name," he answered, "is asselin fitzarthur, and in god's name i forbid the body of the spoiler to be laid in this place. here was the floor of my father's house--it was violently wrested from us; and i charge you, as ye shall answer for it before the face of god, not to cover this body with the earth of my inheritance." "he hath the law of normandy on his side," muttered those present. perceiving how the matter stood, the bishops caused fitzarthur to approach, and a bargain was hastily struck. the bishops agreed to pay sixty pence for the immediate place of sepulture, and to give equitable recompence for the rest of the ground; and fitzarthur, contented with their assurance, withdrew his protest. the body was then placed in its narrow receptacle, and, the ceremony having been hastily completed, the grave closed over the remains of william the conqueror. the right of robert curthose to the coronal of normandy was not disputed, and when that prince arrived at rouen he quietly took possession of the dominions of rollo. but the succession to the crown of england was a question which the anglo-norman barons deemed themselves entitled to decide. a council was accordingly held for that purpose; and at this assembly the majority of those present gave it as their opinion that crown and coronal should go together--that the two countries should have one and the same government--and that the crown of england should be placed where the coronal of normandy already was, on the head of duke robert. but, in the midst of their deliberations, the dignity of the assembled barons was rudely shocked. news, in fact, came across the channel which seemed to indicate that their wishes on the subject of the succession were not thought worthy even of being consulted, and which, by creating bitter animosities, was destined to produce an alarming and not altogether unimportant civil war. [illustration] xlvi. [illustration: shakespeare's cliff, dover.] the red king. about the time when news that the conqueror had commended his soul to the virgin mary and expired at the convent of st. gervase was causing consternation and affright in the city of rouen, there might have been seen, at the port of wissant, near calais, a thickset and rude-mannered man, of twenty-seven or thereabouts, who stammered in norman french, swore "by the face of st. luke," and went blustering about in the excess of his eagerness to embark for the shores of england. the appearance of this person was the reverse of prepossessing. his stature was mean, his figure was ungraceful, his face florid, his forehead shaped like a window, his hair fiery red, and his countenance, which had not a redeeming feature, was deformed by a disagreeable defect in the eyes. it was william rufus, the conqueror's second son, on his way to seize the english throne. on setting foot in england, rufus hastened to winchester, presented himself to the treasurer, and gained that officer over to his views. having obtained the keys of the treasury, he found much silver and gold, and a quantity of jewels. upon weighing these carefully, and taking an inventory, he succeeded in gaining the support of lanfranc; and, having prevailed on the norman barons then in england to recognise him as king, he was crowned by the archbishop in the cathedral of winchester. it would seem that at this stage rufus apprehended some danger from the enmity of the saxons. at all events, his first act of royal authority was directed against men of the vanquished race. in accordance with the conqueror's dying command, four captives of high rank had been restored to liberty. these were roger fitzosborne, odo of bayeux, wulnoth, brother of harold, and morkar, brother of edwin. of these, rufus ordered wulnoth and morkar to be seized, and again committed to prison at winchester. events soon occurred to convince the red king that he had mistaken the quarter whence danger was to come. in fact, the norman barons, who had assembled at rouen, were furious at the intelligence of a coronation having taken place without their consent, and, ere long, they reached england, breathing defiance and threatening vengeance. soon a party was formed with the avowed resolution of pulling rufus from the throne, and placing the crown of england on curthose's head. at the head of this party figured odo, the fierce and haughty bishop of bayeux, now released from prison. owing lanfranc an old grudge, and willing to pay the debt with interest, odo exerted all his influence to destroy the settlement of which the archbishop was author, and proved so successful in his efforts that a formidable conspiracy was formed with that object. day by day it was strengthened by the names of powerful nobles and influential churchmen. hugh de grantmesnil, robert mortain, earl of cornwall; robert montgomery, earl of shrewsbury; robert moubray, earl of northumberland; and william carilif, bishop of durham, were among the many eminent personages who vowed to place curthose on the conqueror's throne. with the object of perplexing the movements of rufus while awaiting the coming of curthose, they fortified themselves in different parts of the country. hugh de grantmesnil fortified himself in leicester; the earl of cornwall posted himself at pevensey; the earl of shrewsbury held norwich; the earl of northumberland seized bristol; william carilif occupied the castle of durham; and odo himself took possession of the castle of rochester. the banners of the insurgents waved from hundreds of other strongholds; and they only awaited the arrival of curthose to strike a decisive blow. [illustration: rochester] the position of rufus appeared somewhat perilous. left to his own resources he must have fallen from the throne he so unworthily occupied. but the circumstance of having a minister of such wisdom and experience as lanfranc at his side considerably altered the case; and, acting under the auspices of the archbishop, rufus took the only step likely to save him from impending ruin. in passing through england, as it then was, foreigners were surprised, after passing the norman fortresses, which on every height frowned with heavy, massive, and gloomy turrets, to come, ever and anon, on two-storied houses, quite unfortified, and standing in the midst of parks, through which, watched by the herdsmen, herds and flocks grazed in security. these were the seats of such saxons of consideration as had escaped the norman sword; not mighty chiefs, like edwin or cospatrick, but thanes who, perhaps, had been too proud to march under the banner of the son of godwin; men who had not, for years, wandered out from the shadow of their paternal oaks; whom isolation had rendered eccentric, and whom oppression had rendered irascible. in the hour of need, rufus was reminded of these saxon thanes, who had long been exclaiming over their cups against norman tyranny, summoned them to his court, asked their counsels, and promised, in the event of their rendering aid, to restore to them the right of carrying arms, and the privileges of the chase. the simple saxons fell into the snare, gave credit to his frank assurances, and issued to the natives a proclamation couched in the words to which the saxons had been long accustomed. "let every man," such were the words--"let every man that is not a nothing, whether in the town or country, leave his house and come." the appeal was not made in vain. at the time and place appointed thirty thousand saxons rallied round the red king's banner. it was at the head of this body of men, who were mostly on foot, that william, with some norman cavalry, marched towards rochester, where odo of bayeux was strongly posted. the saxons, to whom odo was peculiarly odious, displayed great eagerness for the strife, vowed vengeance against the oppressors, and beleaguered rochester on all sides. closely pressed, the bishop of bayeux and his friends soon offered to yield, and to acknowledge rufus as king, on condition of being allowed to retain their honours and their lands. rufus, who was brave, though his courage somewhat resembled that of a wild beast, at first refused to listen to such terms. but the normans in his army, having no mind to slaughter their friends and kinsmen, pressed him to accede. "we, who have aided thee in this danger," said they, "pray thee to spare our countrymen and relatives, who are also thine, and who aided thy father to conquer england." "well," said rufus, yielding to their representations, "i will grant them liberty to depart with arms and horses." "but," said odo, "we must stipulate that the king's military music shall not play in token of victory at our departure." "by st. luke's face!" exclaimed rufus, fiercely, on hearing of this demand, "i will not make any such concession for a thousand gold marks." accordingly, when odo and his friends left rochester, with colours lowered, the royal trumpets sounded in token of victory; but far louder were the clamours that arose from the assembled saxons. "bring us cords!" some cried; "we will hang this traitor bishop, with all his accomplices!" "o king!" cried others, "why dost thou let him go free? he is not worthy to live--the traitor, the perjurer, the murderer of so many thousand men." the war, after raging for some time longer, was terminated by a treaty. curthose was bribed with a grant of land and with a promise of succeeding to the crown in the event of his surviving rufus; while his adherents were pardoned and returned to their estates. but how did rufus treat the anglo-saxons who had secured him victory? how did he fulfil the promises made to the saxon chiefs who had brought their countrymen around him in the hour of need? no sooner was the war at an end than rufus became infinitely more tyrannical than ever his father had been. in vain lanfranc, who had, as it were, stood sponsor, reminded the red king of the pledges he had given. "remember your promises," said the venerable prelate. "tush!" stammered out rufus; "how can a king keep all the promises he makes?" lanfranc was horrified. dumb with amazement at the idea of solemn engagements, for which he had stood security, being thus repudiated, the archbishop retired into privacy, and soon after went the way of all flesh. the death of lanfranc was regarded as a national calamity; and the red king, freed from all restraint, and pursuing his career without scruple and without fear, lived like a scoundrel, and reigned like a tyrant. rufus seems to have had as little sympathy with the sentiments of that gallant french monarch who said that "society without ladies would be like the year without the spring; or, rather, like spring without the flowers," as with the sentiment of another french monarch, who said that, "if good faith were banished from all the rest of the world, it should still be found in the breasts of kings." no gentle wife had the red king to exercise a softening influence on his harsh heart. from the first he was a confirmed bachelor, and his morals were dissolute in the extreme. it is true that at the court of winchester no mediæval diana of poictiers or madame pompadour scandalized the grave and decorous by the spectacle of an abandoned woman, arrayed in purple and fine linen, enjoying a degree of royal favour not vouchsafed to a wedded wife. but rufus indulged without restraint in amours with females too obscure to be mentioned by chroniclers; and such was the reputation of the king's court that, when he made progresses through england, women who had not discarded decency left their homes to save their honour, and took refuge in the depths of the forests. at the same time the country through which the red king passed was ruthlessly ravaged by his train. goods and provisions were lawlessly seized; and such was the spirit of the courtiers that, when they found in the houses of the saxons more than they could consume, they amused themselves by giving articles of food to the flames, and using wine to wash the feet of their horses. another kind of oppression was heavily felt by the vanquished race. the king deemed it necessary to construct a new wall round the tower, to build a bridge over the thames, and to add a great hall to the palace of westminster. all around london men were taxed, and bands of labourers were forcibly compelled to take part in the works. murmurs and complaints were frequent; but murmurs were useless and complaints unavailing. in fact, under the government of the red king, the affairs of england were conducted without the least reference to the feelings of those to whom he owed his throne. deep, of course, was the discontent. "every year that passed," says the chronicler, "was heavy and full of sorrow, on account of the vexations without number, and the multiplied taxes." [illustration: knights jousting (from strutt)] xlvii. rufus and the jews. among the evils which the saxons associated with the norman conquest, not the least was the introduction, by william the conqueror, of a considerable number of jews into england. doubtless, ere that event, the fame of their wealth, and of the atrocious means by which it had been acquired, had preceded them. but their arrival from rouen caused much dismay. accounts of their usury, their traffic in human beings, and the insults offered by them to the christian religion, were carried through the land, and so influenced the popular mind, that, of all the nations of modern europe, the anglo-saxons learned most thoroughly to despise the degraded remnants of the chosen people. there was something about the appearance of men of hebrew race which raised involuntary antipathy in the breasts of the inhabitants of england; and wherever the face of a jew appeared, with the sensual lip, the sharp, hooked nose, and features the reverse of beautiful, hands instinctively clenched and lips curled with scorn. the red king did not share the prejudices of his saxon subjects. being an infidel, he could not think the worse of them because they were not christians; and being a spendthrift, he was glad to avail himself of their wealth, without particularly inquiring into the nefarious means by which it had been acquired. in any case, rufus gave the jews considerable encouragement in matters of religion; and, whenever an opportunity occurred, he showed that he was not above pocketing their gold. it appears that on one occasion the red king even consented to a disputation being held in his presence between jews and christians. before the arrival of the day appointed, the jews came to rufus, laid rich presents at his feet, and implored him to insure them a fair and impartial hearing. "doubtless," he answered; "and you must quit yourselves like men." "assuredly," said the jews. "and if you prevail in argument," exclaimed rufus, "i swear by st. luke's face that i myself will turn jew, and be of your religion." this disputation, like most disputations of the kind, came to nought, and rufus was not called upon to redeem his pledge of becoming a convert. he did, however, contrive to turn the conversion of others to account. when a jew happened to be brought to a knowledge of the truth, rufus was quite ready, on certain terms, to lay his commands on the convert to return to judaism. in this way, which ill became the king of a christian people, he obtained considerable sums of money. on one occasion a wealthy old jew, whose son had seen the error of his ways, and embraced christianity, appeared at the king's court, told his tale of woe, and entreated assistance. "i am sore troubled," said the hebrew; "i am bowed down with grief. o king," he continued, presenting rufus with sixty marks, "command my son to return to the faith of his fathers." "ay," said rufus, clutching the money; "bring your son to me, and i will bring him to reason." the old jew retired, and soon after returned with his son. the young israelite, however, was unabashed as he entered the red king's presence, conscious of the goodness of his cause. "young man," said rufus, by way of settling the business in as few words as possible, "i command you, without delay, to return to the religion of your nation." "king," said the young israelite, in a tone of mournful reproach, "i marvel that you can give such advice. being a christian, you ought to feel it your duty rather to persuade me to remain steadfast to christianity." "dog!" stammered out rufus, in a loud tone; "get out of my sight without delay, or it will be the worse for thee." the convert went his way, and the old jew remained, deeply mortified at the result of the royal mediation, for which he had paid so high a price. but even at that instant his intense love of gold, prevailing over all considerations of propriety, prompted an attempt to recover his sixty marks. "since, o king," he said, "you have not persuaded my son to return to his religion, it would be but fair to restore to me the gold i gave to that end." "nay," answered the king, with his usual oath; "i have taken trouble enough, and have done work enough, for the gold, and more. and yet i would like to show you how kindly i can deal. therefore you shall have one-half of the sixty marks, and in conscience you cannot deny me the other." [illustration: andiron.] xlviii. [illustration: death of malcolm canmore, the scottish king] rufus and the scots. while william rufus, having set honour and decency at defiance, was playing the part of a tyrant and oppressor in england, he ever and anon gave indications, not to be mistaken, of a desire to play the part of a usurper in normandy. repairing to the continent, with some idea of taking possession of his brother's duchy, rufus expelled from normandy the unfortunate heir of the saxon kings, who had returned from apulia. homeless and well-nigh desperate, edgar atheling once more sought refuge in scotland; and malcolm canmore, irritated, perhaps, at the treatment with which his brother-in-law had met, resolved on making rufus feel his enmity. "years since," said the king of scots, "i was fain to recognise william the norman as my liege lord; and i acknowledge robert curthose as the heir of william the norman; but as for this red king, i can only recognise him as a usurper, and he shall only know me as a foe." rufus was still in normandy, when intelligence reached him that malcolm, accompanied by the atheling, had, in the month of may, , crossed the frontier; and he was seriously alarmed at tidings of an invasion that might lead to important consequences. under such circumstances he perceived the policy of going craftily to work; and, after patching up a peace with his brother robert, prevailed on the norman duke to attend him to england, and aid in bringing malcolm to reason. it was in the autumn of when, with curthose by his side, an army at his back, and a fleet at sea, rufus moved northward to try conclusions with the royal scot. on hearing of the approach of the king of england, malcolm fell back in some dismay. nevertheless, rufus was not quite in a position to congratulate himself on the success of his expedition. in fact, everything went wrong. the weather proved altogether unfavourable. before the close of september, the english fleet was destroyed by a storm; and, soon after michaelmas, the army began to suffer so fearfully from cold and want, that there appeared little prospect of the enterprise having other than a disastrous termination. while such was the state of affairs, malcolm canmore, turning to bay, sent a messenger to the english camp with expressions of friendship to curthose, and of scornful defiance to rufus. curthose, however, with characteristic generosity, stood firmly by rufus at this crisis. mounting his steed, he rode to the scottish camp, had an interview with edgar atheling, persuaded the saxon prince that, for all parties, peace was the wisest policy, and finally succeeded in negotiating a treaty between the two kings. rufus now deemed himself secured against malcolm's hostility; and scarcely had curthose rendered this service when the norman duke began to experience the gross ingratitude of the red king. in utter disgust, curthose resolved forthwith to leave england, and, crossing the sea, he established himself at rouen with the intention of securing himself against further hostility. meanwhile rufus, while keeping his court at gloucester, fell so sick, that physicians despaired of his life. stretched on a bed of suffering, the red king became extremely penitent and anxious to atone for his sins. while in this frame of mind, william invited malcolm canmore to come and settle all disputes. but ere the king of scots reached gloucester, rufus was in a fair way of recovering, and in no mood to sacrifice either to justice or righteousness. without even condescending to see malcolm, he disdainfully ordered him to submit his disputes to his peers, the anglo-norman nobles; and malcolm--his blood boiling at the treatment with which he had met--returned home, vowing to make the red king repent his insolence. no sooner, accordingly, did malcolm reach scotland, than he assembled a great army, and marched towards england. attended by his eldest son, edward, he entered northumberland, ravaged the country with fire and sword, advanced as far as alnwick, invested the castle of ivo de vesci, and besieged that stronghold so closely that the garrison lost all hope. it was the month of november, --a sunday, and the day of st. brice. the rain had fallen in torrents; the river alne was in flood; and the garrison had given way to perplexity and despair. no chance of the siege being raised, or of escape by any other means, could be entertained; and the remembrance of the savage cruelty of the scots under malcolm, twenty years earlier, filled every heart with consternation. in this emergency, hammond morael, of bamburgh, a soldier of courage and determination, undertook to deliver the garrison, or die in the attempt. mounting a fleet steed, he issued from the castle, and, carrying the keys on the point of his spear, he rode towards the scottish camp. on being challenged, he professed his willingness to surrender the keys of the fortress, but demanded permission to present them to the king of scots in person. malcolm, informed of hammond's approach, immediately came forth; and morael, spurring forward, pierced the scottish king through the heart. a loud cry arose as malcolm fell, and the scotch camp was in commotion. hammond, however, had well calculated his danger and his chances of escape. turning rein without the delay of an instant, he gave his horse the spur, galloped towards a wood, made for the alne, then swollen with rain, and, dashing in at all hazards, escaped by swimming the river at a place long afterwards known as "hammond's ford." while the scots, amazed at the unexpected fall of their king, were in confusion, the soldiers forming the garrison of alnwick availed themselves of the circumstance. sallying, they made a fierce attack; and the scots, put to the rout, either fell by the sword, or were drowned in attempting to pass the river. among the warriors slain on this occasion was malcolm's son edward, a young prince of great promise. the rout of the scots was so sudden, and their dispersion so complete, that the victors, without opposition, took possession of malcolm's body. but though left in the hands of the foe, the corpse was not denied a christian's grave. placed in a cart by the northumbrians, it was conveyed to tynemouth, and there laid, with funereal honours, in the priory of st. oswin, a famous religious house, which robert de moubray had wrested from the monks of st. cuthbert, and bestowed on the monks of st. alban's. in the meantime, news that malcolm and his son had fallen at alnwick reached the scottish court, and overwhelmed queen margaret with grief. nothing seemed sufficient to console the royal lady for the loss she had sustained. indeed, she is said to have prayed that she might not survive them, and to have expired within three days of the catastrophe which made her a widow. the children of malcolm canmore and margaret atheling, when thus deprived of both parents, were in no enviable plight. the courtiers, being for the most part normans and saxons, were regarded and hated by the scots as strangers or foreigners; and the only man capable of protecting the royal children was their uncle, donald bane. but that prince proved the reverse of generous. instead of maintaining the interests of the eldest of his nephews, he resolved on availing himself of his nephew's nonage to seize the crown. it was not difficult for donald bane to realize his aspirations. the prejudices of the scots as to the laws of succession, and the claims of magnus, king of norway, were in his favour. without scruple he gratified the patriotism of the scots by declaring for the banishment of all normans and saxons; and at the same time he purchased the support of the norwegian king by ceding to him the western isles. having thus strengthened his claims, donald bane mounted the scottish throne. when affairs reached this stage, the normans and saxons escaped from scotland with all convenient speed. with normans and saxons to england went edgar atheling; and with atheling, to the country over which his sires had reigned, went the children of malcolm and margaret, to seek refuge in the land of their maternal ancestors till the occurrence of events calculated to lead to their restoration to home and country. [illustration: tynemouth.] xlix. [illustration] robert de moubray about the spring of , william rufus was menaced with ruin. it was robert de moubray, earl of northumberland--a man who possessed two hundred and eighty manors--whose influence the red king now had to dread. not without bitter grumbling had the norman barons hitherto submitted to the law by which the norman king retained the exclusive right of hunting in the forests of england. nevertheless, this privilege was maintained by rufus as vigorously as ever it had been by the mighty conqueror. the saxons contemptuously called him "the wild beast herd," while the normans conspired to take off his crown, and place it on the head of stephen, earl of albemarle, son of the conqueror's sister. at the head of this conspiracy, which included several of the highest norman nobles, robert de moubray nobly placed himself. rufus was not altogether unaware of the conspiracy formed by the anglo-norman barons to overturn the throne. indeed, moubray drew suspicion on himself by failing to appear at court on the occasion of a great assembly of knights and barons at easter. in order to bring matters to a crisis, rufus issued a proclamation that, at the feast of whitsuntide, every great landholder should attend, or be excluded from the public peace. moubray, instead of presenting himself, sent rufus a message, which sounded like a defiance. "i will not attend," said the norman earl, "unless the king sends me hostages, and a safe-conduct to protect me going and returning." "by st. luke's face!" cried rufus, stammering with rage, "if he will not come to me, i will go to him!" according to this threat, the red king mustered an army and marched northward. besieging the castle of tynemouth, which was held by a garrison commanded by moubray's brother, he, after two months, took that fortress, and then marched on to bamburgh, where moubray was spending his time in the company of a young woman of great beauty, whom he had recently married. but rufus, discovering that bamburgh was quite impregnable, erected near it a stronghold called malvoisin, or "ill neighbour," and, placing therein a strong garrison to keep that of bamburgh in check, returned southward with the bulk of his army. meanwhile moubray had established communications with the garrison of newcastle, and conceived the hope of making himself master of that stronghold. with this object, he one night set out from bamburgh, attended by thirty horse; but, unfortunately for his scheme, he was observed by the garrison of malvoisin, closely pursued, and forced to take refuge in the priory of tynemouth. at that place, after being besieged and wounded in the leg, he was taken prisoner with his comrades. rufus, on hearing of moubray's capture, sent orders to secure bamburgh without delay. but this was no easy business. the garrison, under the auspices of moubray's young countess, and hammond morael--that warrior who had slain malcolm canmore--proved as stubborn as ever, and the besiegers were well-nigh in despair. rufus, however, was not to be baffled by a woman. "carry her husband before the castle," he cried, "and let his eyes be put out if it is not immediately surrendered." the king's orders were promptly obeyed. the soldiers left by rufus at malvoisin led moubray in chains before the castle of bamburgh, and summoned the countess to a parley. no sooner did she appear than they intimated their intention of putting out moubray's eyes unless she instantly yielded the castle. the fair countess could not hesitate; without delay she threw the keys over the walls; and the soldiers of rufus entering, took all prisoners. morael, however, earned his pardon by revealing the names of all the conspirators; and moubray, sentenced to perpetual imprisonment, was conveyed to the castle of windsor. after long captivity, however, moubray was permitted to retire to the abbey of st. alban's. in that great religious house, the once haughty earl of northumberland assumed the monastic habit, and became a meek shaveling. he appears to have survived his unfortunate rebellion fully thirty years. "you must know," says the chronicler, "that robert de moubray, the brave knight and earl of northumberland, was deprived of sight some days before he died. he was a very old man, and devoted to god, and became a monk at st. alban's, where, after living a holy life for some time, he departed to the lord, and was honourably buried in a place not far from the chapter-house." l. [illustration: hawking.] henry beauclerc. at the time when rufus became king of england, and curthose took possession of normandy, henry, third son of the conqueror, was in his twentieth year. both in personal appearance and intellectual capacity he was decidedly superior to his brothers. he was a princely personage, of tall stature, and firmly built, with brown hair, a brilliant complexion, and clear, penetrating eyes, thoughtful rather than dreamy, which ever seemed to be looking to the future. he thought much, but spoke little, for his mind was occupied with projects of ambition, which he would not have whispered even to the winds. henry had the advantage of being a native of england. it was at selby, in yorkshire, where an abbey was afterwards founded by the conqueror, that matilda of flanders, during , the first year of her residence in england, became the mother of her third son. but though a native of "the proud isle of liberty," henry can hardly be described as an englishman. his manners were foreign; his habits were those of a norman; and it does not appear that he could even speak the english language. but he never failed, when such was his interest, to profess ardent love for his native land, and strong sympathy with the struggles of those who were its inhabitants. in critical moods, william the conqueror was in the habit of repeating a phrase of one of the old counts of anjou, as to a king without learning being a crowned ass; and the words sank deep into henry's mind. the prince, thus strongly impressed with the necessity of acquiring knowledge, exhibited exemplary diligence; and, in , william, when keeping his court at abingdon, left him under the care of robert d'oyly, to be educated by the monks. subsequently henry was instructed beyond seas in philosophy and the liberal sciences, and won such renown for his knowledge that he was distinguished by the honourable surname of beauclerc. meanwhile, henry's military education was not neglected. it was an age, as the grim conqueror knew full well, in which no prince could hope to prosper who was not prepared to lead fighting men to the field, and ride boldly, through all dangers, into the thickest ranks of foemen. henry was carefully trained in all the warlike exercises of the period; and, in , he was, with the ceremonies befitting his rank, admitted to the honour of knighthood. the accomplishments of henry were not confined to arms and letters. the scene at laigle, when he and rufus were playing at dice, after the fashion of soldiers at the time of the conquest--the scene at conflans, when he won so much money from prince louis that the heir of france lost his temper--lead to the suspicion that henry was addicted to gaming; and there is evidence that his success in playing for money, if not miraculous, was quite equal to his success in playing for kingdoms and crowns. when the conqueror, on his death-bed, left beauclerc five thousand pounds in white silver, and gave the assurance that, after his brothers had their turn of sovereignty, his would certainly come, beauclerc, who probably valued the legacy more than the assurance, hastened to secure the treasure. he immediately went to receive the money, had it carefully told and weighed, packed it in chests, strongly locked, and bound with iron. but the silver did not long remain in the strong boxes. curthose came to normandy poor, and eager to borrow from any one who would lend on any terms; and beauclerc was not unwilling to advance on good security. a bargain was accordingly struck between the brothers. curthose received a sum which gladdened his heart; and beauclerc, in consideration thereof, took possession of that part of normandy known as cotentin. one morning, when beauclerc was hunting near caen, he entered a church to hear mass. the priest, whose name was roger, comprehending the taste, and consulting the convenience of his visitor, made the service so brief that beauclerc was impressed with a high admiration of his sense. "by heavens!" he exclaimed, "this is the most sensible priest i ever knew. i must attach him to my fortunes." roger, who evinced no unwillingness, immediately became beauclerc's chaplain, and lived to flourish as bishop of sarum, and first minister of england. beauclerc was figuring as lord of cotentin, when, in , rufus invaded normandy, and threatened curthose with ruin. the circumstance, doubtless, caused him alarm, and interfered with his plans. with a keen eye to his own interest, however, he took part with curthose, and exerted himself to prevent rufus taking possession of the duchy. it appears that, when the red king seemed likely to conquer, some of the inhabitants of rouen, influenced by threats, promises, and bribes, conspired to surrender the city. beauclerc, informed of their scheme, resolved to baffle it; and, suddenly entering rouen, he proceeded to a tower, where the chief conspirator was, and, throwing him headlong to the ground, caused such terror among the confederates that the city was saved. but curthose soon after came to terms with the invader; and rufus was in no mood to spare the man who had disappointed his hopes of complete success. not unaware of his danger, beauclerc threw himself into mont st. michael, and in that fort, situated on a rock, determined to bid the red king defiance. rufus, however, induced curthose to join in bringing beauclerc to submission; and the two princes, with a powerful army, appeared at mont st. michael, and commenced a close siege. for a time beauclerc seems to have resisted bravely, and on one occasion the red king was in the utmost peril of death or captivity. riding carelessly along the shore one day, rufus was attacked by three horsemen, who bore him to the ground, and his saddle with him. he was, of course, in extreme danger. but seizing his saddle in one hand, and drawing his sword with the other, he managed to defend himself till his soldiers came to the rescue. "o king!" exclaimed the soldiers, "how could you be so obstinate to save a saddle?" "nay," cried rufus, "it would have angered me at the very heart if the knaves could have bragged they had won my saddle from me." meanwhile, the siege was so closely pressed that provisions ran short, and every man in the fort was suffering from the want of fresh water. beauclerc, however, sent a messenger to beseech the besiegers not to deny him the enjoyment of that which belonged to all men; and curthose, touched with compassion, ordered that the garrison should be allowed to take in a supply. rufus, who, when this occurred, was possibly on the shore fighting about his saddle, was highly enraged on hearing of this permission, and took curthose to task in no courteous terms. "you show your warlike skill," stammered the red king, "in letting your enemy help himself to drink. by st. luke's face! you have now only to supply him with meat to make him hold out for twelve months." "and how," asked curthose, "could i leave a brother to die of thirst? what other brother have we if we lose him?" notwithstanding the supply of fresh water, beauclerc could not much longer hold out. after enduring a rigorous siege he was compelled, for want of provisions, to submit to fate. rufus despoiled him of all he possessed, and it was with difficulty he obtained leave to depart to brittany. his escort consisted of one knight, three squires, and a chaplain; and with these adherents, who either disdained to desert him in his distress, or felt strong faith in his destiny, beauclerc wandered about, sometimes in want of the necessaries of life, and utterly hopeless of reaching any place that could be called a home. but genius is generally prophetic; and beauclerc scarcely required to recall his father's dying words to feel assured that he was yet to reign in the land of his birth, and over the land he had just quitted for poverty and exile. the consciousness that he was one day to be great gave the conqueror's son a dignity in all that he said or did. even as a vagrant, beauclerc was an influential personage; and he impressed strangers with so high a notion of his talents and his political wisdom, that he was, ere long, elected by the people of damfront as governor of their city. it happened, however, that beauclerc was soon tempted from the government of damfront. his high reputation for intellect and decision filled the mind of rufus with jealousy, and the red king, deeming, perhaps, that his gifted brother would be much less likely to work mischief under his own eye than when rambling about europe and ready to head any movement promising a change of fortune, expressed his desire for a reconciliation. beauclerc, who perfectly comprehended the motives of rufus, calculated his chances, and, trusting to the chapter of accidents, came to england. beauclerc now suffered all the inconveniences likely, in the eleventh century, to surround a prince without land and without money. even for abilities he got no credit; he was sneered at as "having little in him." he was fond of the chase; and, having no horses, he was forced when hunting to follow the game on foot, but such was his speed that the courtiers of the red king surnamed him "deersfoot." beauclerc, however, bore all inconveniences and taunts with patience; perhaps, remembering the paternal assurance that, after his brothers', his turn would surely come, he hoped he might, by patience, conquer adversity. if so, he was not doomed to disappointment. it has been remarked that generally there is in human affairs an extreme point of depression, from which they naturally ascend in an opposite direction; and beauclerc's case was not to prove any exception to the general rule. [illustration: woman with distaff] li. [illustration: bringing home the body of rufus] the death of rufus. on the evening of wednesday, the st of august, , william rufus, intent on chasing the deer of the new forest, stretched his limbs to rest in the hunting-seat that then crowned the height of malwood. at dead of night, a loud voice roused the royal household from repose; and the officers, starting to their feet to listen, with surprise heard the king invoking the aid of the virgin mary, and calling for lights in his chamber. on entering, they learned that his rest had been disturbed by a fearful vision, in which he himself figured with the veins of his arms broken and blood flowing in streams. such was the effect produced on the king's imagination, that he would not allow them to leave the side of his couch till the sun rose, and the light of day streamed into the chamber. nevertheless, on the morning of thursday, a grand breakfast was spread in the hall of the hunting-seat, and rufus rose to indulge in the good cheer. as he was dressing, however, a messenger arrived with a despatch from the norman abbot of gloucester, warning the king that danger was at hand. "one of my monks," said the abbot, "has had a dream of evil omen. he has seen jesus christ seated on his throne, and at his feet a woman supplicating him in these words--'saviour of the world, look down with pity upon this people, who suffer under the yoke of william.'" "tush!" cried rufus, breaking into a loud laugh; "do they take me for a saxon with their dreams? do they think i am one of the idiots who tremble because an old woman sneezes? but i warrant the monk would have something for his dream. let him have a hundred shillings, and bid him look that he dream more auspicious dreams in future." with these words, rufus tied his shoes, left his chamber, and seated himself at table with his friends around him. it was a gay party that feasted that morning in the hunting-lodge of malwood, and included many personages of high degree. among them were the king's brother, henry beauclerc; his bosom friend, walter tyrel; his bow-bearer, nigel de albini; his treasurer, william de breteuil, who was eldest son of the great fitzosborne, and hardly less proud than his father had been. perhaps rufus, with the scene of the previous night preying on his mind, felt unwontedly depressed. at all events, he ate more than usual, and drank copiously, as if to banish sadness. the potations, of course, soon took effect. the king's spirits rose. he blustered and swore with characteristic indecency. while rufus was still passing round the wine-cup, an artificer brought him six arrows for cross-bows, which seemed so sharp and strong as to excite much admiration. the king received the arrows, praised the workmanship, took four for his own use, and handed the others to walter tyrel. "there, tyrel," said he, "take two; for you know how to shoot to some purpose. sharp arrows for the best shot! and now to horse!" the king and the norman knights, excited with wine, strung their hunting-horns round their necks, called for their horses, sprang into their saddles, and with huntsmen in attendance, their hounds running at their feet, rode down the steep of malwood, and entered the new forest. according to the custom of the period, they then dispersed through the wood to pursue the game. walter tyrel, however, remained with the king, and all day their dogs hunted together. at length, as the sun was setting, the king and the knight found themselves at a place known as charingham, where were the ruins of a chapel which the conqueror had dismantled. at that instant, a large hart, roused by the huntsmen, came bounding up between rufus and tyrel, who were on opposite sides of the glade. the king instantly pulled his trigger; but, the cord of the cross-bow breaking, the arrow did not fly. the stag, however, hearing a sharp sound, halted abruptly; and rufus, after making a sign to his comrade to shoot, without being understood, cried out impatiently-- "shoot, walter, shoot, in the devil's name!" the knight bent his bow, and at that instant an arrow, whistling through the air, pierced the king's breast. in another moment he dropped from his horse, and expired without having time to utter a word. when rufus fell to the ground, tyrel, in great alarm at what he saw, leaped from his horse and rushed forward. but the king was already a corpse. perceiving that life was quite extinct, tyrel sprang upon his horse, spurred through the glade, rode hastily to the coast, embarked for france, and soon set foot on continental soil. protesting his innocence, but horrified at being suspected of killing a king, even by accident, the knight afterwards went to palestine. a rumour that the king was killed ran through the forest; but none of the knights or nobles deemed it their duty to pay any attention to the corpse. for hours the body remained among the rank grass that grew over the ruins of the chapel of charingham, as completely abandoned as that of the conqueror had been in the convent at rouen. however, as the evening advanced, a charcoal-burner, passing by with his cart, observed the body pierced with an arrow, and recognised it as that of the king. more humane and considerate than norman knights and nobles, the charcoal-burner wrapped the corpse in rags, placed it in his cart, and conveyed it to the castle of winchester. soon after, rufus was buried in the choir of that cathedral, where anglo-saxon kings and their danish foes reposed in peace together. scarcely a tear, however, was shed over the grave of the red king. the anglo-normans felt no grief at his death, and the anglo-saxons openly rejoiced that the destroyer had struck down their oppressor in the midst of his pride. [illustration] lii. [illustration] a change of fortune. when a rumour ran through the new forest that rufus had fallen, never again to rise, henry beauclerc, far from manifesting any excessive grief at the death of his rude brother, sprang upon his horse--which was probably a borrowed one--and, with a resolution to turn the circumstance to the best account, spurred off to winchester, to secure the royal treasure, as a preliminary step to seizing the crown. on reaching winchester, beauclerc rode straight to the castle, and demanded the keys of the treasury; but, while the officials were still hesitating, william de breteuil galloped up breathless and in haste, and, in his capacity of treasurer, protested against the keys being surrendered. "thou and i," he said to beauclerc, "ought loyally to remember the fealty we swore to the duke robert, thy brother. he has received our homage, and, absent or present, he is entitled to the crown." "nevertheless," answered beauclerc, who observed that the populace had gathered, "no man shall have possession of the crown of england but whom the people appoint." as he spoke these words, beauclerc, seeing it was no time to be squeamish, drew his sword, and a scuffle ensued. but it was not serious. indeed, breteuil and other lords, seeing the mob on henry's side, deemed it prudent to retire; while he secured the public money and the regal ornaments. hastening then to london, and gaining the support of the bishop, he was elected as king, and solemnly crowned before the high altar in the abbey of westminster. nevertheless, many of the anglo-norman barons continued faithful to the cause of curthose, and prepared to support his claims to the crown. but beauclerc was not a man to surrender, without a struggle, the prize he had so boldly grasped. feeling his insecurity, he determined on adopting measures of safety. he set himself to win the hearts and to secure the aid of the saxons; he reminded them of his being a native of the country, and promised, as their king, to guide himself by their counsel, to maintain their ancient liberties, and to grant them a charter confirming the laws in force during the reign of edward the confessor. the saxons, on hearing beauclerc's promises, consented to befriend him; and he, to consolidate the alliance, engaged to marry a woman of saxon race. at that time there was in the convent of rumsey, in hampshire, where she had been educated under the care of her aunt christina, a daughter of malcolm canmore and of margaret atheling. the hand of the princess, whose name was edith, had been sought by norman lords of high rank; and beauclerc and she had loved in other days. but a somewhat serious objection was made to their union. it was said that she had taken the veil of a nun. an inquiry, however, was instituted, and it appeared that she had never been consecrated to god. "i must confess," she said, "that i have sometimes appeared veiled, but only for this reason: in my youth, when i was under the care of my aunt christina, she, to protect me, as she said, from the normans--who then assailed the honour of every woman they met--used to place a piece of black stuff on my head; and when i refused to wear it, she treated me harshly. in her presence i wore this cloth, but as soon as she left me i threw it on the ground, and trampled on it in childish anger." in order, however, that the position of edith might be formally investigated, an assembly of clergy and lay lords was convoked at rochester, and this assembly decided that "the girl was free to marry." accordingly she was united to beauclerc, and exchanged her name of edith for that of maude. even envy itself could not discover a flaw in her conduct as wife; but it is said that the anglo-norman barons favourable to curthose affected to regard henry's marriage with a princess in whose veins ran the blood of the vanquished race as a _mésalliance_, and, in derision, nicknamed the regal pair godrick and godiva. beauclerc, perhaps, did not relish the joke, but, like a man of sense, he laughed at the allusion. in fact, henry had more serious business to think of, for the partisans of his brother were watching their opportunity, and only awaiting the presence of curthose to do their utmost to overturn beauclerc's throne. and where, in reality, had that eccentric son of chivalry been at the time of the crisis of his fate? had he been carried away to fairyland, between death and life, like king arthur, or borne to another region on the backs of fiends, like his grandsire, robert the devil? in order to ascertain his "whereabouts," we must follow his steps on an expedition which at that time excited universal interest, and which was destined to exercise no slight influence on the destinies of europe and of asia. [illustration] liii. [illustration: peter the hermit preaching the first crusade] curthose at the crusade. in the autumn of , a little man, of mean aspect and eccentric manners, arrayed in a coarse woollen mantle, and mounted on a mule, rode about europe, exhorting christians to arm for the rescue of the holy sepulchre. sometimes he preached in a church, or at the market-cross; at others, under a tree by the wayside; and wherever he went people crowded round him, hung on his eloquent words, and seemed delighted if they could touch the hem of his mantle, or pluck a hair from the mane of his mule. this remarkable man was known as peter the hermit, who had recently visited jerusalem as a pilgrim, and vowed to deliver the holy land from the domination of the turks. [illustration] the preaching of peter the hermit was marvellously successful. peasant and peer alike confessed the grandeur of his idea; and, as the conquest of england by the normans had inspired feudal warriors with a desire for adventurous enterprise, multitudes expressed their willingness to take part in a crusade. many men of princely rank, among whom the chief was godfrey de bouillon, duke of lorraine, assumed the cross, alienated their possessions, and mustered armies to fight in palestine. at length the idea which was agitating all christendom, penetrating to the castle of rouen, excited the ardent imagination of robert curthose, and stirred the somewhat sluggish blood of edgar atheling. both princes resolved to take part in the holy war. but a serious obstacle presented itself. money was necessary, and neither the heir of the conqueror nor the heir of the saxon kings had the means of defraying their expenses. the difficulty, however, was overcome. rufus, who was glad to hear of his brother's wish to leave europe, agreed to furnish ten thousand marks on condition of being put in possession of normandy for five years; and curthose, having received the sum, made his preparations, and set up his white banner embroidered with gold. in spite of his faults, few men of that period were more popular than the norman duke; and, eager to fight under a chief so brave and generous, a goodly band of warriors, led by feudal barons of great name, came around his standard. aubrey de vere, everard percy, girard gourney, conan montacute, odo, bishop of bayeux, and stephen, earl of albemarle, were among those who attended the conqueror's heir. edgar atheling, who was on the point of setting out for scotland to dethrone donald bane, and seat his youthful nephew on the scottish throne, did not accompany his friend. but he promised to join curthose in the holy land, with a host of saxons, which he was about to lead against the scottish usurper. [illustration: church of the holy sepulchre jerusalem] meanwhile, curthose, at the head of his army, and attended by his chaplain, arnold de rohés, made his way eastward, met the pious godfrey de bouillon, and other pilgrim-princes, under the walls of constantinople, and, after causing much alarm to the emperor alexis, crossed the bosphorus, and marched towards nice. [illustration: curthose and the saracen] no sooner was curthose on asiatic soil than his valour and prowess excited general admiration. at the siege of nice he repelled the fierce onset of the sultan's cavalry; at the battle of dogorgan he performed prodigies of valour, made the most magnificent charge of the day, spurring into the midst of the foe, with his banner flying and his sword flashing, and cutting down three emirs with his own hand; at antioch he led the van of the crusaders, seized the bridge, defended by towers masked with iron, and during one of the subsequent skirmishes when fiercely attacked by a gigantic saracen, who figured as chief in command, he cleft him with his battle-axe from crown to chest. [illustration: pilgrims in sight of jerusalem.] "pagan dog!" exclaimed curthose, as the saracen fell lifeless to the ground; "i devote thy impure soul to the powers of hell." at laodicea, curthose was joined by edgar atheling. faithful to his promise, the saxon prince, after seating his nephew on the scottish throne, brought the flower of the saxon race to fight for the holy sepulchre. side by side, like brothers, curthose and atheling marched to jerusalem; side by side they fought at the siege of the holy city; and side by side, in the hour of victory, they scaled the walls, saracens bearing back in terror before the norman's falchion and the saxon's axe. [illustration: godfrey de bouillon elected king of jerusalem] after taking possession of jerusalem, the crusaders assembled for the purpose of electing a king; and it is understood that curthose might, if he had chosen, worn the crown of jerusalem. however, curthose declined the high honour, which fell to the lot of godfrey de bouillon; and, after taking part in the battle of ascalon, where, at the head of the european cavalry, he broke the saracens' ranks, penetrated to their centre, and seized the moslem standard, he left the holy land, and returned to europe. when curthose was at palermo, on his way home, odo of bayeux breathed his last. the norman duke, having buried his uncle in st. mary's church, pursued his way, and found himself quite at home among the normans, whose families had been settled by warlike adventurers in southern italy. all these norman warriors treated the heir of the great william with high honour; and all their daughters manifested interest in a hero who had won such fame as a champion of the cross. but of all the normans of southern italy, none showed curthose so much hospitality as william, count of conversano, a kinsman of the guiscards, founders of the norman dynasty in naples. the count of conversano was the most powerful lord in lower apulia. his possessions extended along the shores of the adriatic, from otranto to bari. his castle was situated on an eminence, amid olive groves, and was replete with all those means for rendering life pleasant which the feudal system brought into existence. curthose thought conversano a terrestrial paradise, and was delighted with his host's fine hounds, choice hawks, and mettled steeds; but, above all, he was delighted, charmed, and fascinated with his host's daughter, sybil, who was still in her teens, and as beautiful as she was young. it could not be concealed that curthose was verging on fifty, and that sybil was just seventeen. but that was no conclusive objection to a match. in fact, such fame as that of a crusader, and such rank as duke of normandy, were strong recommendations; so, when curthose told his enamoured tale, sybil smiled on her lover; and, ere long, the daughter of the count of conversano was led to the altar, and became duchess of normandy. even after his marriage curthose found himself too comfortable to move. perhaps he was averse to change the splendour of conversano for the irksome poverty of rouen. at all events he lingered in the scene of his courtship, and among the olive groves on the shores of the adriatic wasted months, which, if judiciously spent, might have secured him a duchy and assured him a crown. [illustration: trieste.] liv. beauclerc and curthose. among the ministers who enjoyed the favour of rufus, and ministered to his tyranny, none had rendered himself more odious to the people of england than ralph flambard, bishop of durham, known as "the fighting bishop," and celebrated as founder of the castle of norham-on-tweed. immediately on taking possession of the throne, henry caused flambard to be arrested and imprisoned in the tower. flambard, however, contrived to escape; and, passing over to normandy, he exerted his eloquence to persuade curthose to invade england and seize the english crown. for some time curthose, who had just arrived from italy with his bride, remained inactive. indeed, the norman duke was so much occupied with showing off sybil of conversano, and devising pageants on which to squander her fortune, that he had no leisure "to play for kingdoms and crowns." in , however, when the young duchess was dead, and her money spent, curthose lent a willing ear to the tempter, roused himself to energy, made preparations, and embarked for england. it now appeared that beauclerc would have to fight desperately for the throne he had so boldly seized; and, summoning the saxons, he marched to pevensey, where he anticipated his brother would land. curthose, however, landed at portsmouth. but the brothers gradually approached each other, and a sanguinary conflict appeared inevitable. ere beauclerc and curthose met, however, the quarrel had been adjusted. instead of a bloody battle there was a hurried treaty. curthose, who was in want of money, sold what he deemed his birthright for an annual pension of three thousand marks; and the brothers embraced with all the semblance of genuine affection. returning to normandy, curthose scrupulously maintained the treaty. nevertheless, to his surprise, he found that his pension was not regularly paid. feeling, no doubt, extreme inconvenience from the circumstance, he paid a visit to england to make arrangements for regularity in future. but, ere this, the norman duke had yielded to the temptation of indulging too frequently in the wine-cup, and, when at beauclerc's court, he was often drunk for days together. on such occasions, of course, nothing was too absurd for him to consent to; and one night, when intoxicated, he was easily prevailed on to resign his annual pension in favour of the queen, who was his goddaughter. on recovering possession of his faculties, and becoming aware of the advantage taken of him while under the influence of wine, he expressed high indignation, and, much exasperated, returned to normandy. by this time the castle of rouen was the most miserable of ducal palaces, and normandy was the most wretched of duchies. poverty reigned in the palace; disorder prevailed in the duchy. while curthose, for want of fitting raiment, lay in bed for days, robert de belesme, earl of shrewsbury, whom beauclerc had exiled from england, ravaged normandy at his pleasure; and matters soon reached such a stage that the norman nobles entreated the king of england to interfere. beauclerc, who only wanted an excuse, received their message with gladness, and, by way of settling affairs, proposed to purchase the duchy. "thou hast the title of lord," he said, addressing curthose, "but thou art no longer a lord in reality; for they scorn, who should obey thee. yield to me thy duchy, and i will give thee money." curthose declined the proposal with disdain; and beauclerc, having prepared to take normandy by force of arms, fitted out an armament, and soon appeared on continental soil with a determination to conquer. for a time, however, beauclerc and curthose proceeded with caution, and not till the autumn of did they put their fortunes to the chance of a decisive engagement. it was friday, the th of september--the vigil of st. michael, and just forty years after william the conqueror had landed at pevensey; and beauclerc, with a great army, was besieging the castle of tinchebray, situated about three leagues from the town of mortain. curthose, however, having promised speedy relief, the garrison made a brave defence; and the norman duke, having allied himself with de belesme, came to redeem his pledge, accompanied by edgar atheling, who by his side had fought so gallantly beneath the cross in palestine. on learning that a hostile force was approaching, beauclerc turned to give battle; and the trumpets having sounded an onset, curthose began the conflict by a charge so hot, that for a time the english were thrown into confusion. bearing down all opposition, william crispin, count d'evreux, fought his way to the english standard, and dealt the king so violent a blow on the head that blood gushed from his mouth. beauclerc, indeed, was in extreme peril, and his army in danger of being scattered in dismay. at a critical moment, however, a cry of "treason!" arose to turn the fortunes of the day; and de belesme was observed leading away his men, and basely deserting his allies. while curthose and his friends were still under the influence of surprise and indignation, beauclerc recovered himself, and, showing himself to his army, encouraged them by words and gestures to encounter the foe, weakened by desertion. but meanwhile curthose, rallying his broken forces, made another onset; and never in his younger days, neither on the plain of antioch nor on the plain of archembrage, had his courage and prowess been more conspicuous. foe after foe went down before his weapon, and it seemed for a moment that his single arm was about to retrieve the day. at beauclerc's side, however, was nigel de albini, a norman warrior, who, more than thirty years earlier, marched with the conqueror on the terrible expedition into northumberland, and who had since figured as bow-bearer to rufus. for a captain who had faced the tall danes of northumberland even the prowess of the bravest champion of the cross had no terrors; and albini followed curthose through the battle as keenly as he had ever chased a stag in the new forest. at length, availing himself of an opportunity, he killed the duke's horse, and found the redoubted crusader at his mercy. at that moment forward rushed ealdric, the king's chaplain, by whom curthose was disentangled from his prostrate steed, and conducted to his victorious brother. with curthose were captured several men of high rank, the most distinguished of whom was his friend edgar atheling, who, by some strange destiny, was ever leagued with the unfortunate. the captive princes were forthwith conveyed to england. curthose was committed as a prisoner to the castle at cardiff. atheling was allowed to go at large, having no longer sufficient influence to endanger the king's throne. the captors, meanwhile, were well rewarded--nigel de albini having a grant of the lands forfeited by the great robert de moubray; while ealdric, the king's chaplain, was promoted to the bishopric of llandaff. at first curthose was indulged with some measure of freedom, and allowed to walk along the banks of the severn. for a time he seemed content with his lot. one day, however, his old spirit of adventure seized him, and, leaping on a horse, he broke from his keepers, and rode off at full speed. unfortunately for him, his horse floundered in a morass, and having been secured, he was subjected to a rigorous durance. some even say his eyes were put out. but, however that may have been, he remained in his prison at cardiff till , and then dying, was laid at rest in the cathedral of gloucester, where his tomb is still to be seen. edgar atheling long survived his comrade-in-arms. indeed, the life of the saxon prince far exceeded the term of years ordinarily allotted to mortal man. well-nigh a century after the battle of hastings, and his coronation as king, when the first of our plantagenet sovereigns was on the english throne, atheling was still alive in england, in full possession of his faculties, and probably telling old stories of the norman conquest, and the first crusade, and of william the norman, and rufus, and curthose, and beauclerc, and a hundred other warriors and statesmen who had gone the way of all flesh, and who were known only by name to the generation amid which he found himself lingering out the last years of his strange and diversified career. [illustration] lv. [illustration: english archers.] after tinchebray. when curthose was defeated at tinchebray and carried captive to the castle of cardiff, the son whom he had been left by sybil of conversano was a little boy, known as william clito. not relishing the spectacle of so ambitious a prince as henry beauclerc figuring at once as king of england and duke of normandy, louis, king of france--he who, in his earlier years, had quarrelled with the conqueror's sons over their game of chess at conflans--supported the pretensions of the son of robert, and formed a league, with the object of putting him in possession of the duchy which rolfganger had wrested from charles the simple. this, however, proved a much more difficult matter than louis had anticipated. in fact, beauclerc exerted himself with such effect that all efforts to diminish his power proved vain; and when, in , william clito, who had been invested with the earldom of flanders, died of a wound received while besieging alost, louis gave up the struggle in despair. meanwhile, beauclerc had not improved his reputation in the country where he reigned as king. he had been faithless at once to the saxon people who had placed him on the throne, and to the saxon princess who, for the sake of her race, had, somewhat against her inclination, united her fate with his. every promise made to the english had been so unscrupulously violated, that they began to speak of royalty as synonymous with crime; and maude died with the melancholy reflection that she had sacrificed herself for her race in vain. ere "the good queen" was laid at rest in the cathedral of winchester, she made henry father of two children--a son, william atheling, who married a daughter of the count of anjou, and a daughter, matilda, wife of henry, emperor of germany. the son, however, was drowned while on his voyage from normandy in a vessel called _the white ship_; and the daughter, on the death of her imperial husband, returned to england a young and beautiful widow. about that time, fulke, count of anjou, bowed down with grief at the loss of his wife, undertook a pilgrimage to jerusalem to seek consolation at the holy sepulchre. before going, fulke gave anjou to his eldest son, geoffrey, who, from wearing a sprig of flowering broom in his hat instead of a feather, was surnamed plantagenet. being an accomplished and handsome prince, geoffrey plantagenet had the good fortune to secure the friendship of henry beauclerc and the hand of the empress matilda, who was expected to succeed, on her father's death, to the crown of england and the coronal of normandy. it was, however, otherwise ordered. when, in , henry beauclerc, having eaten lampreys to excess--such is the story--breathed his last in normandy, his martial nephew, stephen of bouillon, claimed the english crown, and seated himself on the throne. but matilda was not the woman to submit tamely to exclusion under such circumstances; and a war of succession between her and stephen was the consequence. a long and sanguinary struggle resulted, and continued, with varying success, till , when it was agreed, by the treaty of wallingford, that stephen should be allowed to reign during his life, on condition of recognising young henry plantagenet, the son of geoffrey and matilda, as his heir. next year, on the death of stephen, henry, who, by his marriage with eleanor of aquitaine, had extended his continental dominions from the channel to the pyrenees, was crowned king of england in the cathedral of winchester. from the first he seems to have been in high favour with the nation. in fact, the people, remembering that he derived his descent, through his grandmother, "the good queen maude," from the ancient monarchs of england, called him "the saxon king," described him as the natural foe of the norman nobles, and believed him favourable to such a system of laws as popular tradition ascribed to edward the confessor. but the day for the rise of the vanquished race had not yet come. nor was it, indeed, till more than a century later, when simon de montfort had fallen at evesham, and the third henry had gone to his grave, that the monarchy of the plantagenets, having passed through that terrible struggle celebrated as the barons' war, was enabled to emancipate itself, in some measure, from the trammels of feudalism, and associate its fortunes with the nation. it was then that the first edward, already famous as the conqueror of evesham, returned from romantic adventures and hair-breadth escapes in the east to rule england with justice and righteousness--to give prosperity to the country and protection to the people--to win, by his admirable laws, the title of the english justinian; and, by his profound and patriotic policy, to unite hostile races into a nation capable of great achievements in war and peace. the end. london: savill and edwards, printers, chandos street, covent garden. [illustration: "the token of hilda!"] ulric the jarl: a story of the penitent thief. by william o. stoddard. [illustration] london: charles h. kelly, , castle street, city road, e.c.; and , paternoster row, e.c. . [entered at stationers' hall.] hayman, christy and lilly, ltd., hatton works, - , farringdon road, london, e.c. contents chapter page i. around the viking house-fire ii. the going out of the ice iii. the launching of "the sword" iv. the ship "the sword" and the ice king v. the unknown thing vi. the fall of the ice king vii. the living sand viii. the saxon shore ix. the taking of the trireme x. the great sacrifice of the druids xi. the passing of lars the old xii. svein the cunning jarl xiii. hilda of the hundred years xiv. the jew and the greek xv. the storm in the middle sea xvi. the dead god in africa xvii. the murmuring of the men xviii. the evil spirit on "the sword" xix. in the night and in the fire xx. carmel and esdraelon xxi. the rabbi from nazareth xxii. the tomb song of sigurd xxiii. in a place apart at night xxiv. the passing of oswald xxv. the messenger of the procurator xxvi. the cunning of julius xxvii. the lion and the tiger xxviii. the jarl and the rabbi xxix. beautiful as aphrodite xxx. the javelin of herod xxxi. the places of sacrifice xxxii. the mob of samaria xxxiii. the house of pontius the spearman xxxiv. the school of gamaliel xxxv. in the court of the women xxxvi. the secret messenger xxxvii. the house of ben ezra xxxviii. the son of abbas xxxix. the passover feast xl. "a little while" illustrations facing page "the token of hilda!" frontispiece "go forth into the sea, o sword!" "let him win it or perish!" "o companion of hilda!" "o thou jesus, of the sons of the gods!" ulric the jarl. chapter i. around the viking house-fire. in the northland were the roots from which grew the great nations which now rule the earth. the tribes were many, but the principal representative and the absorbent of their thoughts and their traditions may receive from us the general name of saxons. these were the swordsmen of the sea whom the roman legionaries declared to be the hardest fighters they had met, whether on land or water. in the northland were also the germs of political and religious liberty, and here were to be found the first forms of our highest faith. but the men of the old race sailed southward and then eastward, at the first, taking their gods with them. not until centuries later did they march and conquer this far western world, but we, their children, still devoutly believe that the great god came with them. * * * * * the landward slope of a vast gray granite headland was thickly covered with towering pine trees. beyond them, inland, lay a snowy valley without woods, and beyond that arose a blue and misty range of mountains. there were no trees upon the summit of the headland; only bare rocks, storm worn and deeply furrowed, were uplifted to meet the bitter wind that swept down over the flinty ice covering of the north sea from the yet colder winter which was manufacturing icebergs within the arctic circle. sheer down, hundreds of feet, the perpendicular face of the cliff smote sharply the glittering level that stretched away westerly over the sea to the horizon, while an arm of it pushed in eastward over the fettered waters of a deep and gloomy fiord, rock-bordered. here would evidently be a good harbor in summer, when the waters should be free, but now it had a forbidding, dangerous look, and out of the fiord poured continually a volume of roaring sound, the solemn organry of the wind playing upon the icy and rocky reflectors. there was another gigantic sea cliff at a distance of about a mile down the shore, southerly. between that and the headland the ice line curved raggedly inward along the lines of a sheltered cove, which might at another season provide a landing place. midway, and at the head of the cove, there lay, propped up on either side by timbers, the bare hull of a well-made vessel. it was of goodly size, being over thirty paces in length and of full six paces in width at its middle. at the prow and at the stern it was high built, with short decks, under which was room for stowage and for the sheltered sleeping of men. it was lower made amidships, where were both seats and standing room for rowers, and on either side were twenty thole pins. in appearance the hull was somewhat flat-bottomed, but it had a keel. at the center arose a stout, high mast, but upon it there was yet neither yard nor boom nor sail. both prow and stern were sharply made. evident was it that she was new and had never yet floated. her outline was of much beauty, and all her timbers and planks were heavy and strong, that she might battle with rough seas and with the ice cakes of the spring breaking. from her prow projected a beak of firmly clamped and tenoned oak, faced and pointed with iron, that she might break not only the waves, but the ribs of other ships. all around her and in some parts over her lay the white snow, deeply drifted, but wherever the woodwork was uncovered there could be seen much of skillful carving and smooth polishing. at other places along the curve of the cove there were boats and ships, larger and smaller. all were hauled up above high-water mark, and snow was on them. the larger craft seemed to be stanch and seaworthy, but not any of them were equal in size or in strength or in beauty to the new warship. upon a straight line inland a hundred fathoms, as if the iron beak were pointing at it, stood a long, low, irregular building of wood with high ridged roofs, in which were wide holes at the ridges. from these holes, as if they were instead of chimneys, columns of blue smoke were rising to be whirled away by the wind. stonework or brickwork was not to be seen. through the strong timber walls, under the projecting eaves, were many openings, equally cut, window-like, for the entrance of light and air on sunny days, but these all were now closed by wooden shutters, some of which were braced from without. the timbers of the house walls were cleanly hewn and skillfully fitted, and they were tightly calked with moss and tempered clay. the roofs were of shingles riven from the pine trees. beyond, landward, there were smaller, ruder structures for the shelter of horses, cattle, sheep, and swine, and there were many ricks of hay and straw and of yet unthreshed grain. in either direction around the cove and scattered irregularly up the valley were a number of less extensive buildings for the abode of men. some of these were mere huts, built ruggedly of timber and unhewn stone. from every roof was there blue smoke rising to testify that there were no empty houses in this seashore village of the vikings. around the central cluster of buildings there were palisades, but except for these there were no signs of fortifications. it was as if there need be little fear of the coming of any foeman. bitter and cold and strong was the windstorm that blew across the icy sea and smote upon the swaying crowns of the pine forest and howled among the bare boughs of the oaks. it came and knocked at the great door in the front of the house pointed at by the beak which was the forefinger of the ship. the door swung open for a moment and then it closed, but in that moment there rang out loud voices of rude song and the twanging of sonorous harp strings. also a great blast of fresh, pure air rushed eagerly into the house, where it was much needed. not but that the vast room, low-walled, high-roofed, was fairly well ventilated in many other ways, but the fire in the middle of its earthen floor was blazing vigorously, and not all the smoke might readily escape at the round gap in the roof ridge over it. now and then, indeed, the wind blew rudely down through that aperture and sent the smoke clouds eddying murkily among the rafters. but for the fire blaze and for sundry swinging cressets filled with burning pine knots the great hall would have been gloomily dark, but these lights were enough, in spite of the smoke clouds, to show many things which told of what sort this place might be. so also might be plainly noted the faces and the forms of the men who sat or stood around the fire, or who lay upon the bearskins and the wolfskins that were scattered here and there upon the earth floor and upon the wooden settles along the walls. a broad table ran across a raised dais at one end of the room, and on this were not only pitchers and mugs of earthenware variously molded, with many drinking horns, but there were also tankards and goblets and salvers of silver, richly designed and graven by the artisans of other lands than this. of the articles of furniture for different uses some few had an appearance of having been brought from far, but the great, high-backed oaken throne chair behind the long table, at its center, was rich with the grotesquely elaborate carvings of the old north people. on the walls hung shields and arms and armor of many patterns. the steel caps of the vikings hung side by side with visored helmets that told of greece and rome and of lands yet further east. there were many men in the room. some of them were scarred old warriors, but there were youths of all ages above mere boyhood. likewise were there numbers of women. as central as was the fire itself were three figures which seemed to attract and divide the attention of all the others. on the side of the fire toward the door towered one who looked a very embodiment of the warlike young manhood of the race of odin. his blond beard and mustache were full but not yet heavy. his complexion was fair, notwithstanding its weather bronzing, and his steel-blue eyes seemed both to flash and to laugh as he stood with folded arms and listened. his dress was simple. his shoes, that arose above his ankles, were well made. above them were leggings of tanned leather, and he wore a tunic of thick, blue woolen cloth. he was unarmed except for the slightly curved, broad-bladed seax in its sheath that hung from his belt. its blade was not more than a cubit in length. it was sharp on one edge only, and it was heavy. the steel hilt and the crosspiece were thick, for a good grip. it was a weapon terrible to meet if it were in the hand of an athlete like this--more than six feet in height, deep-chested, lithe and quick of motion--and already the short seax had won for its bearers, the saxons, a dreaded name among all the peoples of the south countries to which their swift keels had carried them. at the left of the fire was a large, high-backed chair made of some wood which had become almost black with age and smoke. it was not now occupied, but in front of it stood the form of a woman, straight as a pine and taller than any of the men around her. her face was swarthy, deeply marked, haughty, and her abundant hair fell disheveled down to her waist, as white as the drifts upon the mountains. she was clad in a robe of undyed, grayish wool, falling loosely to her feet. on these were socks and buskins, but her lean, sinewy arms were bare as she stretched them out, waving her gnarled old hands in time to the cadence of a semimetrical recitation. she spoke in the old norse tongue, with a voice upon whose power and mellowness time seemed to have had little effect. every head in the hall bent toward her, as if her words were a fascination to her hearers, and none willed to interrupt her. weird and wild was the chant of the old saga woman, and the fire in her piercing black eyes brightened and dulled or almost went out as she sang on, from myth to myth, of the mystical symbolisms of the intensely poetic and imaginative north. gods and demigods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, earth forces and spiritual powers, dwarf and giant, gnome and goblin, fate maidens, werewolves, serpent lore, the nether frost fires, the long night of the utter darkness, the twilight of the gods, the eternal hall of the slain, the city of asgard--long and wonderful was the saga song of the white-haired woman who had, it was said, seen the ice of more than fivescore winters float out of the north sea. she ceased speaking and sank back into the chair as if all life had gone out of her. rigid and motionless she sat, and there was no light in her eyes, but none went near her, nor did any speak. there was indeed a momentary outburst of approval, but it hushed itself. even a fierce laugh that came to the lips of the tall young warrior died away half uttered. almost at the same moment another sound began to fill the hall. it came, at the first, from a large harp that stood a few paces back from the fire. over the strings of this harp were wandering the long, bony fingers of a pair of gigantic hands, while behind it, on a low stool, swayed and twisted a form whose breadth of shoulder and length of arm were out of all proportion to its height. the head was bald except for a fringe of reddish-gray hair above the ears. the face was scarred and seamed to distortion, the right eye having been extinguished by a sword stroke which, by its furrow, must have half cloven the frontal bone. age was indicated by the tangled gray beard which floated down below the belt, but not in the powerful, rich-toned voice of the harper, for the smoke seemed to eddy and the fire to dance as the harp twanged more loudly, and then there came to join it a burst of stormy song--a song of battles on the land and on the sea; a song of the mighty deeds done by the warriors of old time; a song of fierce and stirring incitement to the performance of similar feats by those who listened. the harp grew then more softly musical, for he sang of the blue waves and the sunny shores of the southern seas; of their islands of beauty; of their harbors of peace and their cities of splendor; of temples and castles; of gold and silver and gems; but he seemed to drift beyond all these into a song of something beautiful, which yet was vague and far away and indescribable. his thought and word concerning it became like a refrain, until the minds of all who heard were filled with ideas of the dim and unattainable glory of the land of heroes, the city of the gods, the return of the white one, and the rising of the sun that will never set. like deep answering unto deep were the last utterances of harp and harper, and as they suddenly ceased the tall young warrior stepped forward two paces and cried loudly: "o hilda! wise woman of the hundred winters, if this is indeed to be thy last----" "i shall go out with the spring flood," she said, interrupting him, "but thou wilt be upon the sea when they lay me in the cleft between the rocks." "i will go forth as thou sayest," he responded. "am i not of the sons of the gods? i will sail as my father sailed and as oswald has sung. i will crush, like him, the galleys of the romans. i will look upon the cities of the east and of the south. i am of odin's line. i will go out in the good ship _the sword_, and will sail until i see the hero god and the city of the gods and the land of the living sun." loud now rang the shouts of approval from the bearded vikings as they sprang to their feet and began to crowd around their young leader. "go, o ulric, son of odin! sail on into the sunset and the farther sea!" came trumpetlike from the white lips of hilda. low sounds arose, too, from the strings of the harp, but the door swung suddenly open and upon the threshold stood a man garbed in wolfskins. "hael, ulric the jarl!" he shouted, and there were many exclamations here and there around the room. "hael, wulf the skater!" heartily responded ulric. "what bringest thou?" "good tidings!" replied wulf, joyously, stepping forward. "i came down the mountain slide and across the fiord. no other foot will cross it this season. during days the ice hath weakened and now the wind is changing southerly. there is already a rift in the sky. o son of brander the brave, be thou ready for the spring outing!" "odin!" shouted ulric. "keels for the open sea! hael to the cruise of _the sword_! hael to the bright south! and i, ulric the jarl, i of the sons of the gods, i will go out and i will not return until i have looked into the face of one of the gods. and he will know me, and he will take me by the hand, and he will bid me walk with him into the city of the living sun!" glad were the hearts of all the vikings as they heard, and with one accord they shouted loudly: "hael to ulric the jarl! hael to the cruise of _the sword_! we are his men and with him we will go!" long had been the winter and slow had been the coming of the change for which men waited. welcome was wulf the skater, but oswald's fingers were slowly busy among the strings of his harp, and they found strange sounds which came out one by one. "the message of the harp!" muttered hilda. "it is like the moaning of the sea in the fiord in the long night." chapter ii. the going out of the ice. wulf the skater brought true tidings to the house of ulric, the son of brander the brave, on the day of saturn. winter was ending. the word passed on from house to house until all in the village came out and looked upward, seeking for the blue rift in the sky. the wind blew not now as in the morning. the north wind had gone elsewhere, and instead there came up from the south a breathing which was fitful and faint at first. it was cool, also, from having touched the frost faces on its way. only one more hour went by and the sky was almost clear, so that the sun shone down unhindered and his heat was surprisingly strong. the south wind grew warmer and more vigorous toward sunset, but with him now came a fog so dense that no man cared to go out into it; for if he did, it was as though darkness touched him. all through the evening the south wind sighed softly among the homes of the vikings, and went wandering up the fiords, and felt its way, shivering, across the flinty levels of the frozen sea, but toward the morning of the day of the sun the breeze brought with it, also, to help it, a copious warm rain. before the noon torrents were leaping down the sides of the mountains and the sea was beginning to groan and heave and struggle in its effort to take off and put away its winter mail. "harken!" said oswald, the harper, as he sat by the now smoldering fire in the hall of ulric's house. "i hear," said hilda from her place on the other side of the ash heap. "it is the last time that i shall listen to the song of the outing ice, but i shall feel the wind from the sun land and i shall see the grass green in the valley before i go. there will be buds on the trees when i pass down into the earth to meet my kindred. o what a realm is that! the land of shadows. the under world which has the sod for a roof. but the old runes on the rocks tell of wide places. one may travel far in that land, and where i may go i know not." the gnarled fingers of oswald were searching among the strings of his harp, but only discords answered his touches. "i have heard," he said, "that they hang their shields on the roots of the trees, and they see as we see in a twilight. i think i have heard them harping in the summer nights, when the moon was full and the wind was in the pines. i would that my own harp might be buried with me." "no need," said hilda. "they have better harps than thine. they will give thee one. it is well that the weapons of a warrior should be placed beside him in his tomb, but they must be marred in token that he useth them no more. he hath left others for his kinsmen. there are many good swords in the old tombs. one day they will all be opened and the blades will be found." "and also much treasure," grumbled oswald; but his harp twanged angrily as he said it, for he had ever been a man to hold fast anything in the shape of coined money or of precious metal. many were said to be the outland coins in his leather bag in his room at the southerly end of the house. he had sometimes shown them to inquiring folk, but grudgingly, and he had always tied them up again tightly, as if he feared that there might be a thief even among the vikings. hilda arose and walked slowly across the room to the open door. she looked toward the sea, but the mist and the rain were a curtain. "hammers!" she said. "i can hear them. ulric and his men are at work upon the ship. she will be ready to launch when the ice goeth out. she will sail to the middle sea, but when i look for her i cannot see her come again." once more she turned, and this time her slow and stately march carried her to the farther end of the hall, on the dais, where many suits of armor were hanging. she went straight to one of these and she touched it, piece by piece, while oswald leaned upon his harp and watched her. "when the hour was upon me," she said, "i saw the son of brander in battle, and the men upon whom his ax was falling bore shields like this. there were dark men with them, wearing turbans. it is well. i think that at the end of this cruise he will come to me where i am. it were no shame to his father's son that the valkyrias, when they come to call the hero to valhalla, should find him circled with slain romans. brander the sea king took these arms for his trophies in the great fight off the coast of britain. he drove the roman galley ashore. he burned it with fire. not one roman escaped." "i have seen britain," muttered oswald. "brander the brave liked britain well," continued hilda. "it is a fair land, he said. if he could take more men with him, he would drive out of it the romans and the britons and keep it. but he said they have no good winters there, and the summers are all too long. it would be no land for me. what would i do in an island where the fiords do not shut up at the right season? i should perish!" very thoughtful was the face of the tall daughter of the northland as she passed along, inspecting the armor and talking to herself about its varied history. some of it had been won in fights with far-away peoples before she was born, but more of it had been brought into that hall before her eyes, and she had heard the bringers tell the tales which belonged to its pieces and to the swords and spears. now, therefore, hanging there on the wall, the war treasures of the house of brander were page-marks for her memory, and she also was a book of the old history of the northmen from the days of the gods to this hour of her own closing. swiftly went by the day of rain and thaw, but their work was tenfold in the night which followed it. the rain fell on the roof in increasing abundance, and the wind threw it with force against the sides of the house. the torrents on the mountains grew into small swift rivers, and they made a continual loud sound of rushing water; but that was not the tumult which so filled the air and smote upon the ear. all other sounds were overborne by the booming and groaning of the ice and by the roar with which its loosened edges ground against the granite cliffs in the fiords. the day of saturn had been a day of frost and snow and storm until near its close. the day of the sun had brought the sun's breath from his own land and his smile into the sky, and he had slain the winter at a blow. the morrow would be the day of the moon, and before its arrival came now this night of such uproar that oswald did not care to touch his harp, and the vikings mended their armor and sharpened their swords in silence. hilda also was long silent, nor had ulric the jarl spoken aught that could be heard by all. when at last his voice arose, and men put by their work to hear, he gave answer to a question of tostig the red. "aye!" he said loudly, "the ship is ready from stem to stern. we will launch her behind the ice as it leaveth the shore. we will follow the floes as the tides bear them southward; ever do they melt as they go. so shall no other ship sail before us, and we shall be the first of all keels from the northland, this year, among the islands of the middle sea." fiercely twanged the harp of oswald and loud rang the shouts of the men who heard the young jarl speak his purpose, but before the harp could sound again hilda arose in her place. "son of brander," she said, "thou wilt go. thou wilt see many things. all day have i been watching thy path, and the clouds are over it. in this thing that i now tell thee, do thou as did thy father: crush the keels of rome in the seas of britain and smite the men of rome on the british island. and in the end of all thou wilt die, as did thy father, at the hand of a spearman of cæsar." "so be it," shouted ulric, with a laugh on his lips and a flash of fire in his bold, bright eyes; "i ask no better!" he said no more, but seated himself and began to sharpen his seax on a smooth, hard stone. chapter iii. the launching of "the sword." the day of the moon, the second day of the week, dawned brightly over the village of the vikings. the faces of the cliffs along the shores of the northland boomed back continuous echoes of the thunderous reports of the splitting ice. the frost had been strong, and the winter mail of the sea was thick and hard, but the sun and the lifting tides and all the torrents from the mountains made a league, and they were more powerful than was the ice. the south wind also helped them. all the hours since wulf the skater brought the news of the coming thaw had been spent by ulric and his men in getting the good ship _the sword_ ready for the water. no room in her was to be wasted, and her hollow, to her very keel, was now closely packed with provisions, taking the place of other ballasting. there were tightly stowed barrels of pork and beef, and there were bags and boxes of hard bread, and casks of ale and casks of water. over the greater part of these were planks fastened down like a deck, for the voyage to be undertaken promised to be long, and all except provisions for immediate use must be sealed until a day of need. the seats of the rowers were all in, and the short oars, and also the long oars, which a man would stand erect to pull with. the small boats were fastened upon the half decks, fore and aft. the mast was now stayed and rigged and the spars and the sail had been swung in their places. not of woven stuff was the sail, but of many well-dressed skins of leather, that it might toughly withstand any gale. there were twenty oars on a side, and the crew who were to do the rowing, taking their turns, had been carefully selected during the winter. their war shields were hung along the bulwarks, and they placed them there with great pride. the chosen men who lived further inland were now arriving, and they were as eager as were the men who dwelt on the shore. stalwart and high-hearted were all the vikings who were to sail in _the sword_. among them were veterans who had fought under brander the brave, the father of ulric, and others were youths who were now going out for their first venture in distant seas. great store of weapons went on board, for there had been much making of bows and arrows and swords and spears and shields all winter. so the gray-headed and caretaking warriors declared that the ship was exceedingly well provided. at the dawn of the day of the moon ulric the jarl stood at high-water mark looking seaward. "as the tide turneth i shall know," he said to those who were with him. "the flood hath lifted the ice, but the ebb must lower it. _the sword_ will be launched at the next high tide if the outing is good." that might be toward the evening, and word went out so that all might be ready. the ship as yet bore no flag, but on the forward half deck stood a great anvil, carved finely of oak and blackened, and upon the anvil was fastened a massive hammer, made in like manner, that thor the great, the god of war, the smith god, might go with _the sword_ into any battle. now could more fully be seen the carvings and the gildings and the many rich ornamentations which had been lavished upon the ship, and men who now saw her for the first time marveled at her beauty and at the strength of her timbers. "larger ships have been," they said, "but not many, nor was there ever one that gave better promise of bearing well the shock of another ship or the stroke of an ice floe." all day the sound of harping could be heard in the house, for other harpers besides oswald were now there, and they played and sang in a rivalry with each other. hilda was not to be seen. it was said that she had shut herself up in her own room and would have none speak with her. although the house was thronged, there were none who thought well to disturb her. not many, indeed, were curious enough to pass near the closed door behind which she was believed to be looking into the twilight where the gods live, and out of which come those whose shadows darken the woods at times and whose voices are heard in the night as they talk to one another across the fiords. the noon came and at low tide the ice edge was out twenty fathoms from the shore, leaving clear water behind it. if it should shove in again, there would be no launching, but as the ebb ceased there came an unexpected help. a mighty drift of snow and ice had formed, in early winter, hundreds of feet above the level, and yet in a hollow of the high mountain at the head of the fiord. hard and strong was the grasp of this glacier upon the rocks and trees at its sides, but under it was a stream which had been covered, though not entirely closed. above and beyond was now a lake of melted snow, and the water from it was forcing its way under the glacier by that rivulet channel, mining, mining, mining, until its work was done. there was a great sound of breaking, a sound that was sharp, rasping, shrieking, as if the mountain uttered a great cry to see the glacier tear itself free and spring forward. the screams of a gier-eagle, startled from the withered pine tree on the summit, answered the scream of the mountain. down, down, faster and faster, to the sheer precipice at the face of the fiord, and then the glacier itself uttered an awful roar as it leaped headlong from the cliff. a thunderous boom responded from the smitten face of the ice, and through the clefts that were made in all directions the freed salt water bounded high into the sunshine, which it had not seen since it was imprisoned in the dark by the winter. the entire mass went over, and with it went the bowlders, earth, and trees which it had rent off and brought away. the blow which it struck was as a blow from the hammer of thor, and a vast wave rolled out of the fiord, breaking the nearer ice as it went and splitting square miles of the sea face beyond into floes of a right size for drifting. out slipped the ice edge at the cove, a hundred fathoms further. in it came again angrily, but only to retreat once more and leave a wider, surer harbor for _the sword_ to dip her keel into when her launching hour should come. all things were ready, both at the house and on the shore, when oswald left his harp to go and speak to one of the maidens, of whom were many come to see the warriors depart. "go thou to hilda," he said. "say to her that shortly she will be needed at the ship." "come," said the maiden to other women who were near her, for she cared not to go alone. truly it was not far to go and come, stepped they never so slowly, and they soon brought back word that her door was open, but hilda they did not find, nor did any know whither she had gone. "so?" said oswald, thoughtfully. "pass thou on, then, and tell this to ulric, the son of brander, for he will understand. bid wulf the skater and tostig the red that they come now to me." hastily went the maiden, for of this errand she had no fear. on the summit of a low hill not more than half a mile from the house was a great heap of stones. around it, in an oval, standing like watchful sentries, were many great stones, tall and upright. upon the faces of these uprights were chiseled words in the old runes. a path that led to this hill had been kept open during the winter, and when hilda left the house, with none to mark her going, she had walked along this path. the snow in it was soft, taking footprints, and hilda stooped, looking closely at some which were already there. she followed them until they ceased at the heap of stones. she smiled and bowed her head approvingly. "ulric hath been here," she said. "he hath spoken to his father at the tomb. the son of the hero will himself be a hero. there is no other like him among the young branches of the tree of odin." strong affection sounded in her words concerning the youthful head of the ancient house of brander the brave. a flush came for a moment into her withered face, and she stood in silence gazing at the tomb. slowly her arms arose, waving, and her lips opened in a recitative that sounded like a song, wherein she was speaking to the father of ulric and to other names than his, calling them her kindred. louder, more weird, mournful, thrilling, grew the tomb song of the old saga woman. but it suddenly ceased, for to her came a response from one that stood upon the crest of the central heap of stones. not in any human voice of the dead or of the living was her answer, but from the gaunt and grisly shape of a large gray she-wolf, famished-looking, that stood there, snapping fiercely her bloody jaws and gazing at hilda. then lifted the wolf her head to send forth a long-drawn, wailing howl. the long, late winter had been a hard one for all wolves and for other wild beasts, for against them the sheepfolds had been well guarded. and now this hunger-driven monster from the mountains had taken her opportunity to venture in almost to the village, finding this day a flock without a shepherd. she had ravaged unfought, and now she was here upon the tomb of brander. her presence there was as if she had been a written message to hilda. "art thou here?" she exclaimed. "aye! thou art as i saw thee at the house. thou art the name of rome, o bloody mouth! scourge of the world! curse of all nations! hungry one! the swords of the northmen shall yet smite the cubs of the she-wolf in their own den." a sharp, harsh bark, another howl, and a snapping of jaws replied to her and then the she-wolf sprang away, disappearing beyond the tomb, but hilda turned and walked houseward along the path, muttering low as she went. when tostig the red and wulf the skater came to oswald, the harper, he gave them an errand, for they at once went away together to one of the best made of the stables in the rear of the house. they had not yet returned when hilda walked past the house and on down to the beach. all men knew that the right hour for the launching of _the sword_ had come when hilda came and stood at the prow of the vessel, laying her hand upon it. she spoke then but few words, pointing at the heaps of driftwood and loose pieces of timber which were there and giving her commands. those who heard her began to gather all this wood into a great heap. it was more like two heaps, for there was left a bare spot in the middle large enough for a yawlboat to have been lodged therein. ulric, the son of brander, came and stood by hilda, and as she looked at him the color arose again into her face and a kindly light kindled in her eyes. he also smiled at her very lovingly. she spoke a word that none else heard, and he blew three long, powerful blasts upon his war horn. from all directions came in haste the vikings and the other shore people and the upland people, both the old and the young, men and women. from the house came all who were in it. oswald and the other harpers marched to the beach together, bringing their harps. now from the stables beyond the house came tostig the red and wulf the skater leading between them, whether he would or not, the snow-white colt which at two years seemed large for a four-year-old, but which as yet had neither been bridled nor mounted. that was partly because of the spirit that was in him; for none but ulric or hilda would he willingly let lay a hand upon him, and his eyes now grew red as if he were fretted overmuch. as he was led along he reared and plunged and snorted furiously, but tostig and wulf were strong men and they brought him to the heap of wood and in front of the hollow in its middle. hilda had brought with her a long polished staff of ash wood, which had something of woven cloth stuff wrapped closely around it. now she made a sign to oswald and he struck his harp. so did the other harpers, following him, and the sound of their music stirred the blood of all who heard, so that the men shouted and clashed their spears upon their shields. then ceased all the harps but that of oswald, and he sang a song of war which called upon odin and all the gods to sail with their ship, _the sword_, and give her a successful cruise, with many battles and much blood and great plundering and many burnings of the ships and of the strongholds of foemen. the tide was rising fast, but the ice came no nearer the shore, and it was seen that there would be free searoom for the launching. all things else were ready for this, and the launchers with their hammers and their handspikes were prepared to go to their places. oswald ended his song and all looked at hilda. she did not at once speak, and her face grew ghastly as the face of one from whom life had departed. taller she seemed as she raised her right hand and pointed to the colt. "ulric the jarl," she said, in a hollow voice, but clear, "son of brander the brave, heir of the old house of the sea kings, son in the true line of the hero gods and of odin, slay now the white horse of the saxons and launch thy keel into the sea!" tostig and wulf forced back the plunging colt into the hollow between the heaps, and ulric walked forward, drawing his seax as he went. he put his left hand upon the face of the colt and it stood still, looking at him and neighing gently, while at every corner of the heaps torches of blazing pine were thrust quickly in by old women named for that duty by hilda. she had walked away to a little distance from the ship, and she stood now between the sea and the land, upon a spot where the sand was dry and smooth. upon this she drew runes with the point of the staff that was in her hand, all the while chanting a saga which none of those who heard her could understand, except that they knew in it the names of the gods. "son of odin," she shouted, "strike!" "odin!" responded ulric, as he drove his seax to the hilt into the breast and through the heart of the colt. it gave one cry that sounded like a human voice in sudden despair. it made one plunging struggle, restrained by ulric, and then the beautiful animal lay quivering in the hollow. at once a heap of fuel was piled in front of it, concealing the sacrifice to odin, and the long fingers of the fire seized rapidly upon the dry pine and the cedar and the firwood. loudly sounded the harps. loud was the song in which all voices were joining. out of the fiord came booming a great roar of the sea, for he was smiting his crags and dashing the floes of ice against the granite faces. [illustration: "go forth into the sea, o sword!"] hilda came again to the ship, unfolding as she walked that which was wrapped around her staff, and the south wind that was blowing blew it out so that all might see. it was a great banner, for a battlefield or for the mast of a warship. it was black, and upon it, fully half the size of the colt which had been slain, was painted the sign of the race of brander, only to be carried before chiefs of odin's line, the white horse of the saxons. hilda placed the staff in the hands of ulric, and he at once sprang on board the ship. he blew a blast of his war horn, and in a moment all the launchers were at their stations. another blast, and all the rowers came on board and took their seats, taking hold of the short oars, ready to dip them, while tenscore more of vikings, fully mailed and armed, followed and posted themselves fore and aft, spear and shield and ax in hand. ulric the jarl stood by the hammer of thor on the fore deck and raised his horn again. at this third blast, as he blew it, the launchers hammered hard and plied their handspikes and their levers. "go forth into the sea, o _sword_!" shouted hilda. "thy beak shall break the ribs of the triremes and thy keel shall plow the seas of the south!" out sprang the vessel, so deftly shaped, so strongly made, so well manned, and into the sea she glided, while ulric, the son of brander, lifted high the standard and sounded again his war horn. every harp twanged its loudest, and every horn on board the ship and on the shore, and every voice, joined in the shout of joy that hailed so successful a launching. _the sword_ was now upon the sea, floating at the end of her shore hawser, while the crew lowered her anchors from the prow and stern. on the shore the fire flared upward like the streamers in the northern sky in winter. the pallor on hilda's face grew ghastlier still, and she walked to the house, forbidding any to come with her. as she went she muttered: "beautiful is the son of brander, my boy! my hero! i love him as if i were his mother. alas, she is not here to love him! o, i am old and it may be that i see not that which i seem to see when my eyes are opened. not so! him i shall look upon no more, nor upon the ship. i go, for i am very old. but i would that the young hero might not go down so soon. i would that he might win love and that he might bring home a bride, lest the race of brander the sea king should die with him. the gods be his guard where he goeth and the valkyrias find him not for a season!" so the lonely old woman went into the house and went to her own room. she had seen the launching of _the sword_, and the ship was to go out with the outing ice. rocking at her anchor lay she now, and all along the shore were men and women who rejoiced to look upon her and to think her the most perfect ship that had ever been built on the coast of the northland. the fire was blazing high above the sacrifice to the gods, for many hands were ready to put on fuel, from time to time, and all knew that it must burn until _the sword_ should be out of sight. it was when the sun was sinking, and the waves were washing gently and murmuring low along the beach because of the softness of the warm wind from the south, that hilda came again, walking hastily. her head was covered with her hood, and they saw not her face, but she spoke to a youth who stood by a small boat. "take thy boat," she said. "go thou to the ship. give hilda's word to ulric the jarl. bid him come to the shore, coming alone, rowing himself. stay thou there until he returneth. bid him that not one man of those who are now on board shall come again to the shore." the youth sprang into his boat and went with his message. the men on the ship were greatly busied with stowing of goods and with other care for the fittings of all kinds, but they saw his coming, and tostig the red hailed him: "what doest thou, coming to the ship? is it not forbidden?" then the youth replied with hilda's message, and ulric himself came, but he descended into the boat without speaking while the youth clambered on board. it was for him a matter of pride, and a thing to be remembered in after days, that his was the last foot of any among the shore people to tread the deck of the beautiful ship before she should sail for the middle sea, and for the fights in which she was to crush the galleys of those far-away nations. ulric took the oars and rowed to the place where he saw hilda awaiting him, and she was alone. she had her staff in her hand and she was again tracing runes upon the sand. it was the spot where she had stood before the sacrifice was slain, and neither man nor woman would have dared to tread upon it until after the next tide. this, when it should come, would wash out the marks which had been made by hilda. ulric stepped out and drew up his boat and walked near her. "i have sent for thee," she said, "to show thee a thing. thou art ready, and thy ship. see to it that naught else be sent to her from the shore. none of the men must again set foot upon the land. sail thou away this night, and linger not." "i had so ordered," responded ulric. "the ice goeth out steadily, and we are to follow it. but i am glad to say this last word with thee, for thou art very dear to me." "more than my son art thou," said hilda, "because thou art also of the sons of the gods." "there are gods in the south," said ulric, thoughtfully. "i have it in my mind that i shall see one of them before i return. i would that i could see him in battle, like thor, or tiw, or odin." "be thou thyself like one of them," said hilda, and she gazed at him lovingly, throwing back her hood. very bright were her eyes for a moment and then they grew sad and dim, as if a mist from the fiord had floated into them. ulric looked upon her withered face as if also it were beautiful to him, and he said: "thou art a loving woman and true, and i will keep thy bidding on the sea and on the land." "i shall see thee not again," she said, "and i willed to look upon thy face this once." "it may be that thou wilt be here when i return," he responded, but she shook her head. "son of odin, not so," she said, in a low, soft voice, like that of the young who love and are parting. "me thou wilt not see, and i know not if in any manner i am again to see thee. they of that land into which i quickly go do sometimes see the people of this land, when the gods permit. if so, i will come to thee some evening when there is a silence around thee, and i will touch thee on the forehead, thus," and she leaned forward and kissed him, placing her hands upon his shoulders. "i will welcome thee!" he said, with a great thrill, and she stood erect, continuing her last words. "i have this much more to tell," she said. "thou wilt sail far and contend with many. as thou knowest well, thou wilt meet no foemen like the men of rome, on land or sea. thou wilt not tarry long in any place, for thou art a viking, and thou hast no home in the south. thou wilt go on from place to place until thou shalt come to this harbor, or city." she pointed at the runes drawn upon the sand at her feet, and he replied: "i cannot read them, o hilda! they are in another tongue. they are unlike any that i ever saw." "neither can i read them," said hilda. "but note them with care, for when thou seest them upon the ground of any land thy voyage is ended." so ulric stooped low and studied well the deeply graven furrows which the saga woman, the seeress, had drawn upon the sand. they were in shape like this: [illustration] "thou seest?" she said. but the runes were close to the water's edge and the tide was coming in. at that moment came a great swell out of the fiord, rising and surging along the beach, and it put out a hand of foam, glittering in the light from the setting sun. hilda stepped back beyond its reach, and so did ulric, for a sound came with it. back fled the billow, breaking as it went, but it left behind it no trace of those strange runes on the sand. hilda clasped ulric in her arms, for a moment, but she did not weep. "go thou to thy ship," she said. "i go to my own place." "farewell, my best friend," he replied, but she turned and walked away, and all who met her made room for her, for a low voice like a wail crept out from under her hood, and she did not walk firmly, as was her custom. "very great was her love for the son of brander," said all of them; and they knew that this was her last season, for she had told them so, even at yule. ulric rowed to the ship and went on board. the youth returned to the shore with his boat. the sailors pulled up the anchors. then the watchers on the shore saw the long oars go out, the rowers standing in their places on either side of the ship, while the young jarl, the leader of men, stood alone at the stern, steering with one hand while the other held his war horn. long and powerful was the blast he blew, for it was a farewell to the northland and to the people he was to see no more. so sailed away the good ship _the sword_. it had been a grand launching, but there were those upon the beach who turned and went away to their houses mournfully, even weeping. in the house of brander there was silence. hilda had gone to her own room. all guests had departed. the household folk were for the greater part at the beach, by the fire of sacrifice, and oswald, the harper, sat in his place with his harp before him, leaning upon it. chapter iv. the ship "the sword" and the ice king. the morning of the day of tiw dawned mistily across the cold north sea. everywhere, as the sun looked in through the floating curtains of fog, he could see steel-blue waves wrestling foamily with the masses of ice. who in this place would imagine that in some other, far away, the same sun had found the bright flowers and green leaves of the fully opened spring? the wind increased with the coming of the sunshine, as if the additional warmth brought to it better strength wherewith to blow away the mists. one mound of white vapor had been thicker and higher than its neighbors. it had gathered over something that it was hiding, but the breeze blew now a short, sharp gust and the mound was gone. so was uncovered the good ship _the sword_, and her crew could discern what things might be around them. ulric the jarl was standing in full armor on the fore deck. he had been waiting for this clearing, and now he put his horn to his lips. he blew it lustily, and all who heard him raised a shout, for they knew that no land was in sight and that their voyage had begun. "we have gone far in the night," said a large man standing near the jarl. "but there is much ice. we can do little more than drift, but we can use the oars somewhat." "we shall go but little faster than doth the ice," replied ulric. "but, o knud the bear, thou wilt off with that black shirt of thine when this sun is higher." there was loud laughing at that, for knud was clad in the warm skins of the bears he had slain. even upon his head was that which had covered the skull of the largest of them. good clothing it was for winter time, but it was likely to prove heavy gear for southern wearing. the jarl gazed southward, hoping to see open water, but only ice fields lay between him and the horizon. the mist was fast disappearing, nevertheless, and those who were watching were seeing further; but now a great cry arose from the stern, where wulf the skater was taking his turn at the helm. "o jarl!" he shouted. "mark! seest thou how we are pursued? come hither!" down from the fore deck and quickly along the ship to the after deck went ulric and those who were with him, and there was no need for any man to point with his hand as wulf was pointing. "the ice king!" he said, shivering. "i told thee how i saw him anchor off the north cape when the leaves fell, and the first freezing put ice around him over the calm waters. he came down from his own place that far last summer. he seemeth to me to be as tall as ever, and he hath many strong floes with him." ulric looked, and so did they all, saying nothing at first, for the sight was rare. not often did any mountain of ice float into that water; and here was a mighty one. his peak arose, they could not tell how high, and the sun was glittering gorgeously among his crags. "he is moving faster than we are!" exclaimed tostig the red. "he will strive to overtake us. he could crush us like a nutshell with one of his crags." "we will keep out of his path if we may," responded ulric. "but how is it that he saileth along so well against the wind without oars? there is no tide. if there were any current, it would be with us as much as with him." "aye," said tostig the red. "but did not hilda ever tell thee? i have heard her speak of these ice kings. the gods that walk on the bottom of the sea push him along that he may go south and die, for his time hath nearly come. never, i think, was anything like him seen below the fiords until this day." vast, truly, was this ice mountain which was nearing them, propelled by some unseen hand. if there had been a strong undercurrent it would have moved the wonder from the north in precisely this manner. nevertheless all northmen of the sea knew that any peak of ice above the surface must rest upon a mass of ice seven times greater. all the vikings upon _the sword_ watched earnestly for the next sign of whatever was to come, but ulric took the helm and sent the rowers to the long oars, two men to each oar. well and vigorously did they row, and the ship was deftly steered into and through one after another of the open channels between the small floes around her. much distance was gained, but at last the ice fields beyond began to close tightly and the rowing ceased. "son of brander!" shouted knud the bear from the fore deck. "mark! the floes are lifting!" all saw that it was true. under all the nearer ice-pack a hidden field, the forefoot of the iceberg, was slipping steadily on unseen until those floes rested upon it. and now there came a grating sound along the keel of _the sword_, and she too was lifted. the ice arose with her, so that she sat firmly in a great cleft of it, remaining upright, indeed, but as completely out of water as she had been upon the strand before her launching. silent and stern stood ulric, facing the ice king and asking of himself, "my voyage hath but begun, and is it ended? was my ship built for this?" not so was it with the mind of knud the bear, for he gazed long and joyously upon the untellable beauty and majesty of the ice king, and then with a great laugh he shouted: "sons of the northland, the gods are with us. they have sent him. nothing can stay him. he will carry us fast and far. there will be no toilsome rowing, and we need not care for the direction of the wind. the gods of the frozen sea come with him. they would send us south that they may go and fight the gods of the islands where there is no ice, for they hate them." "so be it!" replied ulric, gloomily, but he looked again and he said to knud, "i know not the ice gods, but i think there are friends of thine yonder. seest thou?" every man was gazing, for there was naught else left to do. around the pinnacles and the cliffs of the ice king there were sea birds flying and screaming. on the snow-packed levels there were brant and geese and ducks and other fowl that should have been at the south by this time, and that would soon, no doubt, be going. "odin the strong!" exclaimed knud, "i see what thou meanest. i had seen a white fox, i thought, but yonder are the bears of the night country. they are white, that they may see one another in the dark, and there is nothing else that is so fierce as they are." "hilda sayeth," replied ulric, "that all the world north and east of us must forever belong to the sign of the bear. hast thou ever slain one of these white ones?" "never," said knud. "i have not hunted to the northward so far as to know much of them. wulf the skater hath met them oft enough on the north coast, but they go back into the night, for they hate the sun. if it would not anger the ice king, i would go out and slay one even now. but he brought them with him." so thought others of the vikings, as if the crew of white monsters now clambering nearer over the rugged ridges of the ice were as his own cattle to the mighty gnome who had builded this frozen tower for his castle. "as many they are," said tostig, "as the fingers of a hand. i have heard that they have no fear of men." if the bears had no fear, they at least had much curiosity, and they were coming to inquire what this might be that lay upon the ice with so many men walking around within it. ulric went into the after cabin for a heavier spear than was the light weapon he had with him, saying to knud, "white bear have i never slain. this chance is mine, but the second fight belongeth to thee. i do not rob thee of thy hunt." "thine by right, o jarl, is yonder great one," replied knud. "no man may go before thee unless thou wert hurt or dead. but i warn thee that the long claw, over there, were he to grapple thee, is worse to meet than might be three romans." "i would face more than three romans," laughed ulric. "but thy pale friend on the floe is a king of bears." he returned speedily, armed and armored for battle. the spear he brought was long and strong, with a steel crossguard at the heel of its broad blade. it was very sharp, but its weight would have been unwieldly for a slight man. twenty fathoms from the stern of the ship stood the great bear growling, and the others walked around at a greater distance. he was a fathom and a half in length and his paws were tremendous, with claws like reaping hooks. no man ever faced any beast more terrible in aspect than was that angry monster from the darkness which broodeth over the forever frozen sea. down stepped ulric, and when he was a few yards from the ship some of the men followed with knud, but not too near, lest any should seem to help and so should spoil the honor of the fight. the surface of the ice was broken and there were chasms in it, but it was as firm to stand upon as the dry land. moreover, _the sword_ was now lying not far away from the mighty perpendicular front of the ice king. none knew yet what might be his aspect looking northward, and there were those among the vikings on the ship who shook their heads doubtfully, considering this matter of the bears. stone still stood this bear, growling at intervals, until the jarl drew within six paces, holding his spear leveled. then, with a loud roar and a clashing of his teeth, the huge beast made his rush, rising upon his hind feet and spreading his enormous arms to close with ulric. had he done so his hug would have been speedy death, but the point of the spear met him firmly, with a thrust which buried the blade to the crossguard midway between his shoulders. "that would slay anything else that liveth," said knud to tostig, "but the white ones die hard. mark! the jarl! the son of brander! it is grand!" his comrades answered with a shout and then they were still, and so were all the vikings, who crowded the decks and bulwarks of the ship, looking on. horrible was now the roaring of the bear as he struggled against the spear of ulric, striving to plunge nearer. what tenacity of life must have been his, to fight on with the spear blade in him so deeply! around swung ulric on the slippery ice and his whole frame was strained to its uttermost endurance by the swift changes of that wrestling, but the plunges of the bear forced him backward a fathom at a time. his face was now but an arm's length from that of his vast antagonist, and they were looking each other eye to eye. red and yet full of green fire were the eyes of the bear, and his teeth glistened awfully in their ranges as his wide jaws opened to gnash them. but that the descendant of odin was many times stronger than other men the combat might here have ended. "slip not now!" shouted knud. "son of brander, there is a chasm behind thee. stand fast, if thou canst! thou art beyond our help!" only his own length from him was the cleft in the ice floe, and it went down to deep water. if he should fall into it in his heavy armor, none might hope to see him again. roar--roar--roar--in dreadful wrath and pain struggled the bear, for this was his death throe; but ulric's foot found a brace--a break in the ice--and he gathered his last strength, the strength of the sons of odin, the hero might of the old gods. snap! the tough ashen shaft of the spear broke at the guard, and both bear and hero fell heavily, but ulric arose with his seax in his hand. the claws of the bear wrenched away his shield as if it had been a piece of oaken bark, but the seax was driven in to the hilt, and as it came flashing out the life of the bear came with it. over he rolled with a loud shriek, that was echoed back from the face of the ice king. then he stretched himself at full length upon the ice and lay still, while ulric stepped forward to cut off his forepaws for a token. "hael!" shouted every voice among the vikings, as the white one rolled over. "hael to ulric the jarl, the son of brander! the son of odin! hael to the first good death and to the long cruise of _the sword_!" chapter v. the unknown thing. the ice king had lost only one of his fierce white flock. it had been the largest of them all, however; and in the latter part of tiw's day there had been a feast of his flesh. greatly had the crew of _the sword_ enjoyed that feast, and they believed the saying of knud that there was courage and strength to be gained by such eating after so brave a battle. "the gods themselves eat mightily," he said, "and they have nothing better than this." during that day a number of the vikings went out to explore the ice fields somewhat, and they captured many wild fowl easily with bow and arrow. they reported having seen in the distance other animals, like great seals or walruses. they also planned to hunt the remaining bears, but the jarl forbade it, being unwilling that they should go far from the ship lest harm should befall them from sudden breaking of the ice. nevertheless, to all testing, it seemed to be packing even more firmly. the entire visible mass of it drifted steadily southward, as if the ice king, or the under gods who were pushing him, knew of the channels by which they were to steer him into other seas than this. night came, and then the day of odin. but now the worst foe of the ice king, deadlier than even the sun, was wearing him away with floods of warm rain. there were rivulets pouring down his sides, and some of his pinnacles and crags came crashing, thundering down from time to time. this was, therefore, not a good day for hunting, and the vikings passed it on board the ship, or near it, but not dismally, for there were among them many whose minds and tongues were busy with old voyages and old fights, and the land to which they had sailed. also there were songs to sing, and there was much ale, and no man was hindered from feasting. it was a time, too, for the remembering of sagas, and many spoke of hilda, but ulric did not utter her name, saying rather that it would be well if oswald and his harp were on board. these two, indeed, the saga woman and the old harper, sat at home in the house of brander that rainy day, speaking to one another across the ash heap, on which a slow fire smoldered. their talk was of many things, but from all it would ever come back to some word concerning the ship and her crew and ulric. to others hilda had spoken little, and they noted that she had not eaten since the launching. oswald was fretful and fitful, and he said that he cared not for harping. in an early hour of the day he had gone out and he had even climbed to the crag on the top of the headland that he might look far to seaward, but he had returned, shaking his head, to say to hilda: "all is ice! she is out of sight, but the floes have closed behind her." "so they close not before her i care little," replied hilda. "they will conquer the ice, for the sun will help them, and they are sailing nearer the sun." oswald was long silent then, and at last he arose and walked out of the hall while hilda went to the door and gazed seaward. it was to his own room that the harper made his way, leaving his harp near the dais. in a far corner of the house he had been given his place, for he was held in high honor. nevertheless, it was but small, and bare save for a table and a lamp thereon and a stool. there was, also, a heap of skins for warm sleeping, and from under this oswald drew out something, stooping and then looking behind him to be sure the door was closed. "what will the jarl bring me, when he returneth from the southlands?" he muttered. "bright gold, i hope, for there is more to love in the yellow, the heavy, than there is in light silver. the touch is not the same, and gold hath a better ring." it was a bag that he held, untying its mouth, and his hand was now in it. he drew out pieces of varied shapes, looking at them and rubbing them with his fingers. "the faces of kings are on them," he said. "runes of the southlands. i can read some, but all i cannot read. may the gods guide the jarl to places where he will find many like these and bring them to me. he careth not for them himself." hilda, standing in the doorway, grew sad and wistful in the face. "gone," she said. "gone beyond seeing or hearing. and i love him so! he is my hero! my beautiful one! i am old, and i am soon to pass away, and i know not clearly whither i go. sometimes i would that one of the gods might come and tell what things there are in those countries for such as i am." then turned she and went back to her great chair by the fire; but ulric also was thinking of her and of oswald, for he said to tostig and wulf and those who were with them, under the after deck: "the tongues of the south folk? we do well to talk about them. my father knew many. oswald, the harper, and hilda could speak with him in all of them and they had more that he knew not. she hath learned much in her hundred years, and she is not like other women. when i was a child, and afterward, in the long winter evenings, when we had naught else to do, i loved to have them teach me, and they said it would be my need some day. i can talk with a briton or a roman or a greek. but hilda and oswald taught me many words of a tongue that belongeth to a people who live on the easterly shore of the middle sea. they are a trading folk, and our sea kings found them everywhere. they are not like other folk, and they have a god of their own, but none of them can tell what he is like. i have thought i would wish to see him, but hilda sayeth that he will not come out of his own country. and that, too, is much the same with our own gods; but i wish they may go with us now, for some of these southland gods are cunning and strong." "not as are the gods of the north," said tostig, sturdily. "i too have heard of these jews and their god, but i do not care to see either him or any other god. it is more than enough for me when i hear them whispering across the fiords." "so!" exclaimed wulf the skater. "i have been out far on the ice, when there was no wind and there was a bright moon, and i have gone landward with speed lest their voices should overtake me. i heard them loudly once, and that night i was chased by many wolves. i slew some, but i stopped not for their skins, for the rest were an army." "glad am i," said ulric, "that if i meet one of these gods i can speak to him fairly well in his own tongue. how else, for instance, could i question this jew god? we shall sail all around the coasts of the middle sea before we come home." "what couldst thou ask him?" replied knud. "and what thinkest thou he might tell thee?" "one thing that hilda knew not," said ulric. "i am curious if the gods of those lands know the gods of the north. i would know if this jew god hath ever met with odin and thor, and whether or not they are friends. if they have fights, as do our own gods, which of them is the stronger? i have thought that if i were a god, i would bring all the others under me. it is not managed well." "i would not have land gods meddling too much with the sea, save in battles," said tostig. "it is well as it is. but the middle sea is wide; we may not look upon all of its coasts. there are deep bays and many islands." "they say," responded ulric, "that there is an open water leading southward, and that if one can find it and will sail into it boldly, fearing nothing, he may follow its leading until he shall find the city of asgard and the home of the gods. moreover, there are lands which no foot hath trodden. i would see some of them if they are to be found by sailing not too far." so said they all, and there were other tales to tell concerning seas and lands. they still were talking of these things when a loud shout from one of the watchers summoned them, and they rushed out to the gunwales and the decks. the rain was no longer falling and the sky was clear, so that they saw well what was doing. the ice king had not at all lost his grip upon his own floes, but southward was a vast rift in the ice pack. wide and blue was the open water, but it was not very near them, and as they were looking at it from their icy anchorage the watcher shouted again: "o ulric the jarl, whales! they will come up again from under the floes. i saw them. a great herd!" loud voices replied, inquiring, but they ceased, for the herd quickly showed itself. many and huge were the whales that emerged, and some of them sprang half their length out of the water. "they are pursued!" exclaimed knud the bear. "i have seen them spring in that manner when the swordfish troubled them. but see them flounder now!" strange indeed was the confusion and the tumbling about of this herd of the sea. they were beating the waves into foam, and they were plunging hither and thither as if wildly affrighted. "i think that it is neither the swordfish nor the thrasher," said tostig the red, for he had halfway climbed the mast and he was leaning out to see. "o jarl, it is one of the monsters that hilda hath told us of. she sayeth that only a few are left, for the gods destroyed them lest they should eat up all the whales. look yonder!" they were near enough to see, but could not note clearly until a great fragment broke away from the field of ice which carried _the sword_. through that chasm at its outer border there came up a shape which was not the head of a whale. it was long, with vast jaws, and in them were pointed saws of long white teeth, with which it tore terribly the side of a tremendous bull whale that was nearest. but the bull whale turned and fought him, and there was a vast whirling of foamy water, as the two sea creatures struggled against each other, beating with heads and fins and tails, but the vikings could none the better discern the form of the whale's enemy. "he is a comrade of the ice king," said wulf the skater. "never before was he seen in these waters. he is somewhat like a snake, but with a vast belly. i saw his head once before, long ago. ten more were with me in the ship, and we had been long storm-driven. the old men told me much about him." "he could upset a ship," said tostig. "i am glad we are here on the ice. but thou mayest have seen another like him." "not so said the old men," replied wulf. "he is alone. there! he showeth again!" "i am glad we have seen him," said ulric. "but i am more troubled concerning the ice king. see ye not that he is fast melting? i have thought that he is beginning to lean this way. we are drifting, truly, but we do not get away from him. we are his prisoners." they well understood that there might be deadly peril for them in aught that should change the position of the iceberg, but there was naught that they could do, even if sure death were coming. so they preferred to gaze after the herd of whales, and every now and then they thought that they caught fresh glimpses of the monster from the under sea, the terror of all other monsters. few of them but had heard and could tell old sagas of such creatures, the remnants of the forgotten days, and they agreed that this one was the world-snake that hilda had sung of as the destroyer. "he eateth men joyfully," said one, "when he can get them." "hilda said," replied ulric, "that he cometh among men no more. he cannot live in any sea that is plowed by the keels of ships. the gods are against him. but now the whales have fled and he hath followed." then turned they to stare at the ice king, and he seemed as strong as ever. far away at his right they saw the bears, walking to and fro, and the wind brought from them a sound as if they were moaning. chapter vi. the fall of the ice king. when the sun arose upon the fifth day of the week, the day of thor, the glittering pinnacles of the ice king still towered high above the floes, and these covered the sea as far as the eye could reach. all the white mass was evidently in motion and the drifting was rapid, but it seemed to the vikings as if their danger were striving to push nearer to the ship. she was now lying almost within his reach, if he should choose to strike her--and she was but a very small thing. her crew, going and coming around her, were but so many specks upon the ice. from her masthead still fluttered bravely out her white horse banner, and she was yet altogether unharmed, but the rowers were at their places continually. a prudent captain was the jarl, for, although the men were impatient, he forbade their going far from the ship. he held them back even when the remaining white bears appeared near the feet of the ice king. knud was almost angry that he was not permitted to go forth and slay them. "one man for each bear, ulric the jarl," he said. "it is our right. we may not ever meet them again, and the chance for honor were lost. thou hast won thy pair of claws." "thou hast slain bears enough," said ulric. "were i to let thee go, thou mightest perchance be left behind on the ice, or under it. small honor in that. i promise thee the next chance to get thyself killed fairly." "i obey," growled the grim old hunter, "for thou art my jarl. but when we return from this cruise i will go with wulf the skater into the winter of long night and we will find them there. i will not go to valhalla until i have slain one as large as thine." "mind not thy bears now," responded ulric. "seest thou not? art thou blind?" he blew his horn sharply, and all who were on the ice around the ship sprang on board in haste. "mark!" he shouted. "between us and the foot of the ice king there is a chasm that widens. we know not when the field may break away. then he will be upon us. every man at his place this day!" they who saw could understand, and there was no more talk of hunting. even when a white fox came and looked at them, within bowshot, no arrow went after him. "let him go free," said tostig. "he hath wild fowl enough for the catching, but he will swim far before he runneth on land again." it was a time of doubt and of waiting, but the drifting ceased not. there was much discussion at intervals, among even the elder seamen, as to precisely in what part of the sea they now might be, for there were no guidings. toward the sunset, after long hours of idleness that brought weariness, ulric went and stood by the hammer of thor on the fore deck. tostig the red came and stood by him and laid his hand upon the hammer, for tostig was a smith, as had been his fathers before him. not only could he smelt iron out of the right rock, but he could harden it for cutting and for bending and springing. the secret of that art was his inheritance, and hilda had said that it was a thing that the old gods who were dead had brought with them from the east before asa thor's time. it was from a rising-sun land, but a cold one, that odin led his children, said some, and there were runes on the rocks to prove it, if they might be read by any now living. "we go faster," said tostig. "we have already gone far this day. if the gods were against us, i think they would not so swiftly bear us forward without wind or work." "who knoweth the will of the gods?" replied ulric. "not thou or i. they puzzle me greatly. i would they might come at times and show themselves. how can one know what to think of a god he hath never seen! i mean to look upon one of them, if i may, before i sail back to the northland. that were a thing worth telling of a winter evening by the fire in the hall." "and have all men answer thee that thou wert lying?" laughed knud cheerily, from behind tostig. "i believe that hilda seeth them at an hour that cometh to her, but i would rather let them alone. i will think well of them if they will but shove us along in the right direction. they work finely now, it seemeth, but the sun goeth down. thor hath been friendly to us during all his day, but i doubt if we are as safe after he is gone. the morrow will be freya's day, and she meddleth not overmuch with seafaring matters. �gir is the god of the sea, and of him we know but little, nor of ran, his wife, nor of his nine daughters. they must at this hour be all under the ice doing nothing." the saying of knud was a thing that it was hard to dispute, but it was in ulric's mind to wonder whether or not he and his vikings were drifting altogether beyond the help of the old gods of the north. the wind began to blow strongly, and the men listened with eager ears, for they thought that they could now and then hear shrill and angry voices from the neighborhood of the ice king. some of them were like shrieks, but these may have been made by the gale itself, blowing among the crags and chasms. "we will both eat and drink," commanded ulric. "let every man be hearty, that he may have his full strength for that which may be before him." after he himself had eaten he went to the after deck, putting his hand upon the tiller. from that place he might best watch the ice king, and there came others to stand with him, waiting. "he is very tall," said ulric, at last. "i doubt if we shall ever look upon his like again. but saw ye ever such moonlight? i have known days when i could not see so well as i can this night." "aye," said wulf. "i know this moon. it is not such light as ours, for he hath brought it with him. it is the light which the gods make instead of sunlight in his own place, and it will not go south any further than he goeth. but mark the bears!" "something troubleth them," said ulric. all could see them plainly, and they were like ghosts wandering to and fro among the rugged heaps of the ice floes. they were much scattered and they moved as if they were hunting for something which they could not find, and they were calling often to each other, moaning as if they were in pain or in great discontent. sometimes as they did so they lifted up their heads toward the moon, but oftener toward the ice king. "look at him now!" exclaimed ulric. "the moon is shining upon him wonderfully. "it is so," said tostig, "but i think not of that. wilt thou note this, that whenever there cometh a boom of the rending ice the bears call out to their mates? more than we do they know of such matters. all such creatures have gods of their own, and we may have offended them. i like it not." "the gods of the bears will care for the bears!" said knud. "they have naught to do with men." nevertheless, it was a time for men to speak softly concerning such things when powers whom they saw not and knew not were dragging them and their ship along so helplessly. there are times when one feeleth that he can get along well enough without the gods, but this was a different matter. all the vikings talked soberly and they were glad that their jarl was a son of odin. it was a strange, solemn, weird night in spite of the moonlight, what with the peril and the moaning bears and the booming ice. after all, they said, odin himself might not be with them. there had been places, as all men knew, where all the gods had abandoned even the bravest of the northmen. men like themselves had died without a sword cut or a spear thrust. all hope of falling in battle might be lost to them among these treacherous ice floes. it was a short night, if there had been aught to measure it by, but to the men on _the sword_ it seemed long enough. none cared to go under a deck, but there were some who lay down and slept. the moon sank lower and lower and the shadows lengthened across the ice fields, but there was yet a great flood of broken light when ulric, the son of brander, uttered a loud cry and put his war horn to his lips. every man sprang to his feet, for each thought that he had never before heard such a blast as that. a louder sound instantly answered it, but none could tell whether it came from among the ice peaks or from down toward the bottom of the sea. "the bears are moaning again!" said knud. he was ever thinking of his bears, but all the rest were hearkening for what might be coming next, and they knew not yet the meaning of ulric's blast. "oars!" shouted the jarl. "every man to his place! there is free water southerly. the ice king is bowing!" loudly moaned the bears, for a moment, and they seemed to be running toward the ship, as if they would come on board; and ulric blew his horn again with the notes of battle defiance, but then there burst out upon all sides a roaring, splitting, rending sound, such as none of the vikings had ever heard before. "he hath struck! he is aground!" shouted ulric. "hark to his breaking! his hour is come!" if that were true, so also it seemed as if the hour of _the sword_ had come, and of all who were on board of her. but the gods were with her. if the forefoot of the ice king had indeed caught upon a shoal, checking and breaking him, the shock of that striking had separated the great floe in front of him so that it might move freely. still it no longer upheld him, and he suddenly began to pitch forward toward the ship. vast was the roll of the sea that swelled away from his pitching, and powerfully it uplifted _the sword_ in her bed of ice. "hold hard, all!" shouted ulric. "ready with your oars! odin!" up gazed they then, and the bravest of them shuddered, for the gigantic white head of the ice king was bowing nearer, as if he would cast himself upon them. on rolled the great wave, steadily, and all along the crest of it the ice it carried was rending into fragments that ground angrily against each other. the floe that carried _the sword_ became twain that parted, letting her down and shooting her swiftly forward. it was just then that the ice king fell upon his face, his uppermost pinnacle almost crashing upon her stern. the foaming water dashed across the deck and drenched ulric at the tiller. he was wearing no headpiece now, and the salt spray drops glittered brightly among his yellow curls. but they glistened not with moonlight, for while they all had waited and watched the sun had risen and his first rays lit the hero face of the son of odin as he shouted to his men to row their best, and as he steered the good ship _the sword_ into the open water the white horse banner of the saxons floated gallantly from the masthead and men sprang to set free the sail. "hael, o ulric the jarl!" shouted knud the bear. "we have a good sea captain." so said several of the elder vikings. "hael, all!" cheerily responded ulric. "the ice king hath fallen and we shall fear him no more. the gods are with us!" loudly shouted they all, and those who were not rowing clashed their swords upon their shields as if they had won a victory. "aye!" growled tostig the red. "'tis a stout ship." chapter vii. the living sand. it was the time of thaw in the northland, but the snow and ice go fast when the winter letteth go its hold. already great reaches of land were bare, but no man might travel far from his own home because of the floods from the melting. all must wait until days should pass, and these were growing longer, but they were full of unrest. even the cattle in their enclosures lowed impatiently to one another; for the brute creatures know well the signs of the return of green grass to their pastures. in the house of brander there was no shadow because of the absence of any who had gone, but these were spoken of cheerfully. moreover, there came boats and larger keels into the cove from other villages up and down the coast and from out the fiords that were opening. far and wide had been known the building of _the sword_, and many would have been glad to look upon her. all these were disappointed, but there were wise old vikings and jarls of note who said to hilda: "thy foster son hath done well. it is like his father. other keels will follow him speedily, but he will be first to strike." as if she had been mistress of the house was hilda, and she entertained well all who came. reverence was paid her because of her high descent and her kinship to odin the strong, and because of her hundred winters, but even more because of her learning and her knowledge of the gods. men asked her questions concerning them, and there were those who believed that she had seen and known more than she would tell. "i would not like to anger her," said one, "lest she might afterward come to me in a bad hour, for she hath knowledge of charms and of witchcraft and she can write runes." there was reason in that, said all, but that she was a kindly woman and that she kept the house of brander liberally. much time she now spent among the old armor, the trophies on the wall, and in the study of such things as had been brought from the lands around the middle sea. she made oswald open his bag and she read the many inscriptions upon his coins, and she talked to him of greece and of rome, where most of them were made. he also knew about his gold and silver pieces, and there were some even of copper for which he had names and values. what good was there in such things in a land like this, where money was not needed? "i would that ulric had them," she said. "he might buy with them another ship, or provisions, or arms." "not save of a friend," replied oswald. "he will need nothing that his sword can win for him. it is not the custom of the vikings to be long in need." the household knew by her face that her thoughts were not troubling her concerning ulric and his men. "she hath had no ill token," they said. "it must be that he doeth well." they knew not of the ice king, nor how narrowly he had missed his last angry blow at _the sword_. but that peril was over and the good ship was flying along in safety, driven by strong rowers, who had also some help from the sail. they would have had more but that the winds were variable. therefore the days and the nights went by before they again saw land, and the older seamen knew by that that they had kept in the open sea and were well advanced in their voyage. "how fast or how far the ice king bore us i know not," said knud the bear, "but if that headland were not of one of the northern isles, we have seen a cape of north britain." "not so far south as that," argued tostig the red, "but all these coasts are bad to land upon. there is naught worth the taking away." "our errand is not to them," said ulric. "we will not waste an arrow upon them. i will not let the prow of _the sword_ touch the sand until we see the mid-coast of the british island----" "we shall see a storm this night," interrupted an old viking. "the wind changeth to the northwest, and knud may wear his bearskins. it will be cold." when the night fell all were willing to cover well; but the rowers might rest, for the ship carried her sail all the more safely because it was not too large and because she was well laden. there was a spirit upon ulric which kept him at the helm, so that his men needed almost to take him away by force that he might sleep. "i would i might see hilda and have speech with her," he said to himself. "i have strange dreams when i close my eyes. she might tell me what they mean. do the gods come to one when he is asleep? i have heard so. but they have told me nothing--save that i have dreamed of men who wore the armor that hangeth behind the table on the dais. strong men they were, and dark, and i think they were good swordsmen. before long it may chance that we shall meet a trireme of the romans if my dreams have that reading. i must burn one of their ships before we pass these seas." heavier blew the gale and higher rose the waves, and _the sword_ sped on as if she were a waterfowl, but all on board were willing to be as well covered as was knud the bear. the night was dark and the next morning they saw no land. the storm drove them onward steadily all day, and now and then they saw ice floating, but no sail of any ship. again the night came, and the moon was out and the wind lulled, but the waves were still rough. "we will not row," said ulric, when they inquired of him. "there are coasts now not far away. when the dawn cometh we will seek some bay or harbor. i have heard that there are villages of north folk hereaway, and they would be friendly." so said they all save tostig the red, who laughed somewhat grimly and replied: "i think there are villages upon many coasts whereof the folk are willing to be friendly to a crew like this. the seax hath many acquaintances who are willing to see him stay quietly in the belt." "so hath the ax," growled old biorn the berserker. it was rare for him to speak, but he was leaning upon the long handle of his weapon, and when he lay down on the deck the ax slept beside him. it was after the middle watch that night, and ulric was at the helm. he was steering a straight course southward and the ship was slipping quietly over the waves. he was awake, truly, but somehow he seemed to himself to be dreaming almost, and his eyes were downcast. "the runes upon the sand," he muttered. "i can see them now, before the wave washed them away. when and where am i to see them again, and to know that my voyage is ended? who shall read runes, and how shall i be sure that i am not mistaken? for hilda will not be there----" even as he spoke there came to his ears a sound, and he looked suddenly up, gripping hard the tiller. "faint and far away," he exclaimed, "but it was a trumpet! there are three in the hall at the house and oswald taught me their soundings. up, all! rowers to the oars! i will send an answer!" long and powerful was the horn blast that went out across the moonlit sea. clearer and louder than before was the trumpet voice which instantly responded from the right--and that was toward the british shore. the men shouted not, for they were listening, and those who knew were telling the younger vikings that the jarl had heard from the romans. it was good news to hear, after long waiting, and the rowers put out the long oars eagerly. "the dawn draweth near," shouted ulric, after blowing his horn again. "we will steer toward yonder trumpet. there will be much music with the sun's rising. we will see if the gods of rome are better than the gods of the north in the seas of britain." loud voices answered him bidding him lead on; for the blood of the vikings was rising hotly, and biorn the berserker sharpened the edge of his great ax while he beat the deck with his feet and out through his thickly bearded lips there poured, low, but swelling, a song of the skalds at the gate of battle. red grew the edges of the eastern sky as _the sword_ pressed her iron beak to the crests of the waves and sprang forward. joyously rang out the war horn of warrior after warrior, for on board were vikings of high descent who would not have chosen for their jarl any of less degree than a son of odin. they were men entitled to go forward into the feast of swords shoulder to shoulder with kings and with chiefs of renown. said one of them to ulric: "jarl ulric, many spears from the stowage. the romans cast well and their spears are heavy. i mind not their light javelins nor their arrows. close not with any trireme at the first." "i will be prudent," replied ulric; "but bring out the spears. there are arrow sheaves enough and stones for slinging." "let them not ram _the sword_," continued the old fighter. "her ribs are strong, but so is the beak of a war galley of rome. strike her not save amidships." well was it for older men to counsel so young a leader, but ulric had been taught from his infancy not only by brander the brave and oswald, but by all the sea kings and berserkers to whom he had listened while they talked of war around the mid-fire in the old hall. naught had they said or sung but he had made its teachings his own against an hour like this. "a trireme!" shouted knud the bear as the daylight brightened. "she is of the largest. helmets and standards and the shields of a cohort of a legion. they are more in number than we are." "twice more," said the old counselor, "and her bulk is nearly thrice that of _the sword_. beware, o jarl!" "i see her well," responded ulric. "she is heavy in the water. i think she is overburdened." "they are swift also," said tostig the red, "but that keel cannot turn as nimbly as can our own. let us go nearer!" "within a spear's cast!" shouted ulric, fiercely. "we will not pass her without a blow. wulf, take thou the helm. i will go to the fore deck." there he stood in the morning light, as the two keels neared each other. the roman trumpets sounded at intervals, and they were answered by the war horns of the vikings. "she is a splendid war vessel," said ulric to those who were with him. "never yet have we builded her like. her bulwarks are higher than ours and her sail is many times broader. it is made of woven stuff. her prow is a ram. we must not let her strike us." "neither will we strike her," said biorn the berserker, "unless we can hit her amidships. she is a danger. o jarl, beware! i do not think we may take that trireme, but we can get away from her." so did not think the trierarch and the centurion on board the trireme. he who was captain of the vessel was of one accord with the officer in charge of the legionaries whom she was conveying. if ulric could have heard them converse as _the sword_ came toward them, he would have learned somewhat of the estimation in which such as he were held by the wolves of rome. "a saxon pirate, o lentulus," said the trierarch to the man in armor at his side. "it is early in the season for them to be seen in these waters. they are the scourges of the sea." "and of the shore, friend comus," replied the centurion. "we will make short work of this one. it is of good size, and it swarmeth with men as with bees." "hast thou ever met them in fight?" asked comus, "or is this thy first sight of them?" "this is my first service in these waters," replied lentulus, "but i have heard much of them. i would we had some legions of them to send against the parthians, or into africa. laurentius had a cohort of them with him in spain. they make the best of gladiators; cæsar hath used them in the arena. but it is hard to take them. let us see if we cannot send him a present of these pirates for the summer games. he is ever in need of good swordsmen." "little thou knowest of them," laughed comus. "we may capture a few wounded men. the rest will die fighting." even while he spoke tostig the red was remarking to his friends at the stern of _the sword_, just forward of the deck: "a fine stone for my sling is this. i will strike that high-crested one. there is often much treasure on a trireme, if thor will let us take her. but the men we want not, nor the keel." "burn her," they said, "and throw the soldiers overboard; but the romans die where they stand. we shall take no prisoners but the rowers. the jarl will slay them." so without thought of mercy on either side did the two keels draw nearer. they were not yet within a spear's cast when they who were with tostig stood away from him to give him slinging room. "he is the best slinger," they said, "on all the north coast. let us see what he can do. he is not a boaster." as the vessel climbed a wave tostig poised himself, swinging slowly the leathern thong which upheld the square apron in which his pebble rested. two pounds only in weight it may have been, but it was smooth and round from much chafing on the shore of the fiord with other pebbles as the sea waves had tossed them to and fro in many storms. over the crest of the wave went _the sword_, and as she did so the sling began to whirl swiftly in the hand of tostig. hand went to hand to give it double force, and then, as the downward plunge of the keel went with him, he gave his might to it and threw. none saw the stone, so swiftly did it pass, but the trierarch said to the centurion: "o lentulus, thou art said to be as good a spearman as pontius of asia. have thy pilum ready and try thy fortune." "it is too far," said lentulus, poising his pilum. "i was in battle once with that same pontius. hercules! i am slain!" loud clanged his brazen helmet and prone he fell upon the deck. he did not move again. the stone hurled by tostig had left him but life enough for that one outcry as it smote him. "may all the gods forbid!" exclaimed comus. "what ill fortune is this? he is dead! toward the pirate! strike her through and through!" even as he spoke a legionary at his side went down before a second stone from the sling of tostig, and the shouts of the vikings mingled with the clangor of their war horns. deft was the steering of wulf and the swift rush of the trireme was avoided, _the sword_ passing her stern so near that every spearman might make a cast. but the legionaries, pilum in hand, had faced the further bulwark, thinking their foe came that way, and not so many of them were at good stations. their bowmen also had been deceived, and their greater number was of no account. nevertheless, many roman spears flew well, being mostly of the lighter javelins used by them in the beginning of a fight. easily were these caught upon the broad shields of the vikings, as if it were in a mere game at home, and no harm was done by them or by the arrows. closer were they when they did their own throwing, and a hundred heavy spears went hurtling in among the legionaries. "follow!" shouted comus. "have ready the grapplings! strike and then board her!" a good officer was he, and the rowers as well as the legionaries obeyed him angrily, for they deemed the northmen insolent in assailing such superior force. "away!" shouted ulric. "hael to thee, o tostig. get thee to the stern and pitch thy pebbles among her rowers." tostig was toiling hard, and so were other good slingers, of whom the trireme seemed to not have any, but _the sword_ swept on out of range while her enemy was turning. "o jarl," said biorn, "she is not clumsy, but her steersman went down. let us gain what distance we may. that was a good blow, but we may not strike the next so easily." the older vikings looked watchfully, as did biorn, and again they said: "our jarl is young, but this was well done." "westward!" shouted ulric to wulf. "we must lead them toward the land. i would i knew this coast." "that do i," said biorn, "if we are where i think. there are high cliffs, but there is also much marsh land; and off the coast there are great shallows, worse for a ship than any rocks might be. watch for them." "they are our friends," said ulric, "but they are not friendly to a deep vessel like yonder trireme." "aye," said biorn, "it is our old way of battling such as she is, but there is an evil among these shallows. hast thou not heard of the sand that is alive? there is much of it hereaway." "my father warned me of it," replied ulric. "if horse or man setteth foot upon it, it will seize him and suck him down. but it could not swallow a ship." "were she a mountain!" exclaimed biorn. "the living sand would be worse than a roman trireme for _the sword_ to escape from. yonder is a land line at the sky's edge, and i think i see breakers." the rowers were rowing well and _the sword_ had gained a long advantage before the roman oarsmen had recovered from their confusion. now, however, ulric upon the foredeck was measuring distances, wave after wave, and he spoke out plainly to his men. "swift is _the sword_," he said. "i had thought that no keel on earth could be swifter, but we are laden heavily; so is the trireme, that she turneth not nimbly, but in a straight course she is swifter than are we. she hath many rowers and she is sharp in the prow. she gaineth upon us little by little." "woe to her," responded the vikings. "she moveth too fast for her good." "the land riseth fast," said biorn. "the breakers are not far away. under them are sand shoals." "the roman is but a hundred fathoms behind us," replied ulric. "wulf the skater, steer thou through the breakers. let us see if she will dare to follow." comus, the trierarch, was overeager, or he would have remembered that which he seemed to have forgotten. they who were with him were stung by the death of lentulus and by the ravages of the saxon spears and stones. none counseled him to prudence, and he dashed on in the foaming wake of _the sword_. "breakers, but no rocks," muttered wulf, as he grasped his tiller strongly. "now, if we fill not, we shall dash through. pull! for the northland pull!" hard strained the rowers. high sprang the curling breakers on either hand. loud rang the shouts and the war horns. but _the sword_ rose buoyantly over the crown of a great billow and passed on into smoother water. "odin!" roared biorn the berserker. "the trireme is but fifty paces--" "struck!" shouted ulric. "on, lest we ourselves may be stranded!" "deep water here, jarl ulric," calmly responded an old seaman near him. "we have passed the sand bar. it may be the tide is falling. the gods of the sea are against that roman keel." "or they are not with her to-day," said ulric. "she is held fast. cease rowing and put the sail up again. we will see if there is aught else that we may do. i like not to let her escape me." up went the sail, and for an hour _the sword_ did but cruise back and forth, only now and then venturing near enough for the hurling of a stone or the sending of an arrow. it was then too far for any harm to the romans, but they could hear the taunting music of the horns. "low tide," said biorn at last, "and she lieth upon bare sand. we are well away. we can do no more." "watch!" said ulric. "they are troubled." "she lieth too deeply. what is this?" so asked the roman seamen of their captain as they leaned over their bulwarks and studied that bed of sand. he answered not, but one, a legionary in full armor, stepped down from the ship to examine more closely--and an unwise man was he. in places the sandy level seemed firm enough, and a horse may gallop along a sandy beach after the tide is out and leave but a fair hoofprint. that way armies have marched and chariots have driven. there were other patches, however, whereon the sand seemed to glisten and to change in the sunlight, and here there was potent witchcraft working. at these had the sailors been gazing, but the soldier did not reach one of them. "back!" shouted comus. "it is the living sand! we are all dead men! back!" the legionary strove to wheel at the word of command, but his feet obeyed him not. even the vikings were near enough to see that the sand was over his ankles. "the under gods have seized him," muttered ulric. "it is from them that the sand liveth. they are angry with him. "_vale! vale! vale!_" shouted the legionary. "o comus, i go down! they who dwell below have decreed this. see thou to the ship and follow not the saxons." "follow them?" exclaimed comus. "_vale_, o comrade! but the trireme lieth a handbreadth deeper. she is sinking! o all the gods! have we come to this ending? who shall deliver us?" "none, o comus," said a man of dark countenance who leaned over the bulwark at his side. "we have offended the gods and they have left us to our fate." lower sank the wooden walls of the great vessel, while her helpless crew and the soldiery stared despairingly at the pitiless sand and at the white horse flag of the vikings dancing lightly over the sea so near them. "form!" commanded comus, and the legionaries fell into ranks all over the vessel. "put ye the body of lentulus upon the deck," he said, "and bring me the eagle of the legion. o lentulus, true comrade, brave friend, we salute thee, for all we who were of thy company go down to meet thee. behold, we perish!" silent sat the rowers at their oars. the standards fluttered in the wind. the trierarch took the eagle and went and stood by the body of lentulus. "they are brave men, yonder," said biorn the berserker. "they will to die in line. so do the romans conquer all others except the men of the north." "they have one trireme the less," replied tostig the red. "but they have many more. this is not like burning one. i see no honor to us in this." "honor to the gods," said ulric. "she was too strong for us and odin destroyed her." "it is well to have him on our side," said tostig; but knud the bear laughed loudly, as was his wont, and said: "odin is not a sea god. what hath he to do with sand and water? some other god is hidden under the living sand. we shall leave him behind us when we go away----" "her bulwarks go under!" shouted one of the vikings. "hark to the trumpets! they go down!" the trumpet blast ceased and there was a great silence, for the like of this had never before been seen. "oars!" commanded ulric. "we will search the coast. such a warship as was this came not hitherward without an errand. she may have had companions." the old vikings all agreed with him, and an eager lookout was set, but behind them as they sailed away they saw nothing but a bare bed of sand, over which the tide was returning. chapter viii. the saxon shore. "o jarl!" exclaimed knud the bear, in a morning watch, "we have wasted days in this coasting. the weather hath been rough and the men are weary, for we are tightly packed in this ship." "no longer shouldst thou prevent us from seeking the shore," said another. "i would hunt, and get me some fresh meat." there were also voices of impatience and of discontent among the crew. the jarl listened, and thoughtfully he responded: "i have not forgotten that the romans sail in fleets. we are one keel. if now we have avoided any trireme that was company for the one which was swallowed by the sand, we have done well. we will steer toward the shore. my father told me of such a coast as this." "as the sun riseth higher," said biorn the berserker, "i think i can see a low headland. this is not my first cruising in these seas." "it is well," said the jarl. "we will go within the headland. if we find a good shore, we will land, for i am of one mind with you." all the older vikings approved of his prudence, for they knew the romans better than did the younger warriors, full of eagerness. even now the sailing of _the sword_ was with caution. the noon drew near and they were close to the headland. it was neither high nor rocky, and on it was a forest; but here was a surprise, for the trees growing down to the beach were in full leaf. "the winter tarried late in the northland," said the vikings. "we have also been many days upon our way. the summer is near." they might also discern patches of green grass, and now knud shouted from the fore deck: "a deep cove, o jarl! it is very deep." ulric was at the helm, and he responded: "thou hast good eyes, o bear. watch thou for rocks and shoals and give me word. let all eyes watch also for boats or men." the rowers rowed easily and _the sword_ slipped on into the cove. here was dense forest on either side, and there were rocks, but the trees were large and old and there seemed to be little undergrowth, nor was there any sign of the dwellings of men. "the britons," said an old viking, "build not often on the shore. they are not seamen. they have no forts but wooden palisades, and they dwell inland, where they are more safe. they fight well, but they have little armor, and their steel is soft. they are no match for the legions of rome." it was exceedingly still as _the sword_ went forward. away at the left a herd of red deer came out under a vast oak and stared at the newcomers. at their head was a stag with branching antlers. "now know we," said biorn the berserker, "that no men are near this place, for these creatures are exceedingly timid. but their venison is of the best. in britain are also wild cattle in abundance, and wild swine. we will have great hunting before we sail to other places." swiftly away sped the red deer, for the prow of _the sword_ touched the strand and wulf the skater sprang ashore, followed by a score of vikings. "on, up the bank!" shouted the jarl. "return and tell what thou seest. all to the shore and stand ready if he findeth an enemy." "a prudent jarl," murmured biorn the berserker. "he will not be surprised." nevertheless, the younger men laughed scornfully, for they liked not well the hard discipline of the jarl, and he brooked no manner of disobedience, as was his right. back came one from wulf the skater. "o jarl!" he shouted. "a fine spring of water. an open glade. wulf asketh if he shall now cut the saplings." "i come soon," replied the jarl, "but cut stakes for a palisade leading down to this beach on either hand. though there be no romans here, there are britons not far off." axes were plying speedily, and while the first fires were kindling many sharp stakes were driven, to be woven between with flexible twigs and branches. such was ever the custom of the saxons upon a new land, for behind such a wattle-work defense a few warriors may withstand many, and light palisades guard well against horsemen. not all could work in these matters, and twoscore were selected by lot for the first hunting, going out in four parties, with a command not to venture too far. they were bowmen, but they went in their armor. before the sun set there was a good stockade from tree to tree around the spring, with arms that reached out on either hand almost to the shore. "we will make it stronger," said the jarl, "but behind it we are safe; for we might also retreat to the ship if there were need." no red deer save one stag and a doe did the hunters bring in, and there would have been a lack of meat but for the slaying by another party of four black cattle, fat and good. "o jarl," said the men. "did we not tell thee? this is better than being packed so tightly in _the sword_. this is good venison." well contented was he also, and he saw that he must humor the men if he were to command them well thereafter. for this reason, therefore, other and larger hunting parties went out the next day, and they came home heavily laden. "o jarl," said tostig the red, for his party, "we have also found paths, but no men. we saw hills beyond, but a river is between us and them, and a great marsh. i think no britons come hither across the marsh." "on the morrow i will go," said ulric. "i will leave biorn in command of the camp. i have no need for hunting, but i must know the land." barrels of ale had been brought to the shore, and that night was a feast, with songs and sagas. after the feast the jarl went and lay down to sleep under an oak, but his eyes would not close for thinking of the northland, and of the middle sea, and of asgard. "this landing is well," he thought, "and i am glad to be in britain. but here i may not linger too long. o hilda of the hundred years, not yet hast thou visited me. i wonder if thou or the gods could find me this night under this oak tree. who should tell thee where to come if thou wert seeking me? the gods see everywhere. biorn sayeth that the gods of britain are gods of the woods, and we are from the sea. i care not much for wood gods." then he rested, but he arose early and chose the men who were to go with him. "guide me to the river and the marsh," he said to wulf the skater. "i will, o jarl," said wulf; "but tostig saw a wild boar yesterday and he hath gone out after him. a vast one, he sayeth, with tusks like a walrus. he will fight well if they can bring him to a fighting." "let tostig win his boar," said ulric. "we go to the left and we hunt not. i am full of thoughts about this place." a score of vikings were with them, and they marched on in order, two and two, as if they had an errand. grand were the trees, and high, with branches whose foliage made a gloom to walk in. "are we nearly at the marsh?" asked ulric at last. "here are rocks." "i know not, o jarl," said wulf. "we came not so far southerly yesterday." "hael, northmen! hael! but sound no horn! who are ye?" as if he had suddenly arisen through the ledge of rocks before them, upon it stood a tall shape in full armor, spear in hand. from under his helmet tangled white hair fell down to his shoulders, but his right hand, holding the spear, was lifted as by one who giveth a command. again he spoke: "i am olaf, the son of hakon, of droningsfiord. who are ye?" "northmen of thine own land," said the jarl. "i am ulric, the son of brander. our ship, _the sword_, lieth at the shore. how camest thou where thou art, and who is with thee?" "none are with me," said olaf, sternly. "we were many, but the romans have smitten the saxon shore of britain and our villages are gone. they have smitten many of the britons also, and they march to smite them again this day. tell me, o jarl ulric, hast thou seen aught of certain triremes which were to come? i would know if there are more romans near than i have already counted." "one hath perished, as i will shortly tell thee," said ulric. "i have seen no other." "good!" said olaf. "there floateth one in a harbor not far away, but they who came in her are fewer than when they landed. twain came, with a cohort. one hath sailed. their force was sent to slaughter the druids at their great sacrificing, but first they struck our village at our harbor. we fought, but they were too many. i cut my way through the ranks of their lighter spearmen, and they followed me not far because of the nearness of the britons." olaf was now descended from the rock and was become as one of them. great was his wonder at the story of the living sand and the trireme. "the gods of the britons are strong at times," he said, "but they are not to be depended on. they have done this because of the great sacrifice, that the romans may not hinder it. therefore come thou with me a little distance and i will show thee a matter. the romans are tangled in a wood. meddle not thou and thine, however, for thou hast another work to do." "i meddle not," said the jarl, "but i thank these druid gods. we were closely pushed and in peril when they ensnared the trireme with their sand. i will offend them not, but i would see these great sacrifices and i also would offer my token." "that the druids will forbid thee," said olaf. "follow me quickly to the crown of this ridge, for it is on the bank of the river." even as he spoke there came to their ears a clangor of trumpets, as if many sounded at once. "romans!" exclaimed ulric. "sounding first were they," said olaf, "but these hoarse ones, very loud, are blown by the druids. hear, also, the harping. now look thou, for thou art a captain." the river before them was but narrow, although it might be deep, and on the other side was a broad open space surrounded by a forest with dense undergrowths of bushes, as if it were marshy. in the open was arrayed a cohort of roman soldiers, well ordered, but beyond and in their front might be seen and heard much larger numbers of such as they were, all disarrayed and scattered by the copses. none assailed the cohort in the open, but all the forest swarmed with half-armed britons, hurling darts and plying their light blades. arrows, also, were flying, and there was a great tumult of mingled sound. "the men in white robes, keeping afar," said olaf, "are the druid priests. this is as an ambush, and the romans are falling." "their commander hath some wisdom, i think," said ulric. "his trumpets call back his men for a retreat. he will escape." "he loseth half his force," said olaf; "he will lose more as he retreateth." fiercer and fiercer arose the sounds of the combat, the shouting, the howling, the twanging of loud harp strings, and the braying of the trumpets. hard was it for the vikings that they might not have a part in such a battle. "the romans are outnumbered," said olaf, "but they fight well. their retreat will be to the river mouth, where was my village. there have they a camp in our own stockade, and they have also increased it with a rampart of earth and palisades. there we must strike them. it is but a little distance. come and see." "but first," said ulric, "i would see the end of this battle, and i would have speech with a druid concerning the sacrifices." "that thou mayest not this day," said olaf, "and the romans are cutting their way through the tumult of half-naked spearmen. lo, how they slay the britons! but the ranks of their cohort will be thin when the remnant reacheth the fort. so hath it often been in their warfare in britain, but each new commander of legionaries cometh here a proud one, thinking only of easy victory." "the darts fly in showers," said ulric, but wulf the skater urged him. "o jarl!" he exclaimed. "the village! the fort! the trireme! why wait we here? let us go with olaf!" the jarl answered not, but walked rapidly, and the rocky ledge grew higher as they went; but there came an end of it. "we have walked far," said ulric. "the way of the romans was shorter. there come they and their array is not broken. i can see their commander ordering them." "thor the thunderer!" exclaimed olaf, "what havoc the britons have made among them! the gods of the druids have protected their sacrifices." "every roman left behind hath perished," said ulric. "only these are alive." "not so," said olaf. "not a wounded man or one entrapped hath been slain. he belongeth to the gods at the place of sacrifice." "with them as with us," said the jarl. "that is the old north custom. i have seen men slain at the stone of odin. he who is captured must lose his head. it is well----" "seest thou?" loudly demanded olaf. "the ruins of our village are yet smoking, although three days have passed. i saw thy ship on the sea yesterday, but knew not of thy landing. i meant to watch for thee or for the coming triremes after seeing the battle." "yonder trireme at anchor," replied the jarl, "floateth well out from the river mouth. she is large. how shall i take her? for there are yet romans enough to hold her well. i must come to her by night in _the sword_." long and thoughtfully gazed ulric, studying the position of the trireme and the arrival of the beaten romans at the fort. "o jarl," said biorn the berserker, "knowest thou not that i am a fish? the trireme is held but by an anchor and a cord of hemp. go thou and bring _the sword_. when thou art at hand to strike thou mayest have the trireme drifting with the outgoing tide. strike not when the tide runneth in? "thou canst swim," said ulric, "and thy seax will sever hemp; but if thou waitest here until i come, how wilt thou know in the dark of my coming, or how wilt thou know where to ply the sharp edge?" "when i hear thee whistle thrice," said biorn, "as if thou wert calling thy hawk, i will know of thy coming. if the whistle is from this shore, i meet thee here. if it is from seaward, i swim to the trireme. thou wilt know the hemp is severed when thou hearest my own falcon call." "i go with thee, o jarl!" shouted olaf, eagerly, "that i may be thy pilot." "well for thee, o biorn the berserker," said ulric; "thou art of the heroes!" "here sit i down," replied biorn. "it is a pleasant place. i think this taking of the trireme will depend upon thee and thy sword more than upon a man a fish cutting hemp!" "haste, now," said ulric to his men. "_the sword_ is far from us and this is to be a night of great deeds, and not of ale and feasting." olaf led, as the guide of their rapid marching, and biorn sat down upon a rock to gaze at the doings around the river mouth and at the fort. "there come the britons out of the woods," he said to himself. "if they had been well led they would have pursued more closely--only that few care to press too hard upon even the wreck of a roman army. now are all the romans within the stockade." the britons were many, but their prey had escaped them. the camp fort was too strong for them to storm, and their showers of darts flew over the palisades without much harm to any within. the taunting clangor of their harps and trumpets sounded furiously for a while, and then the multitude swiftly vanished as if it had melted away. "if these britons had a captain," said biorn, "instead of a herd of priests, and if he would arm them well, the romans would disappear from britain. but i think ulric the jarl will find many swords on yonder trireme. even now they go out in small boats. biorn the berserker will be with him when the saxons are on the roman deck!" chapter ix. the taking of the trireme. the night was at hand when the jarl and his party arrived at the camp, and already all others were around the camp-fires. "o jarl!" shouted tostig. "come thou and see this mighty one! we hauled him hither upon a bundle of branches, and he wearied us with his weight." "never saw i such a one!" exclaimed ulric, gazing at the great boar which lay at the fire by the spring. "was he for thy spear alone?" "for mine!" said tostig. "now am i even with thee concerning the white bear, for this one fought as did the son of the ice king. he nearly overcame me after he had slain nef, the son of ponda, and had rent him in pieces. he had no wound from nef." "we did watch them," said a viking, "and to tostig is the honor. if his spear had broken, as did thine in the bear, i think tostig would have lost the battle." "then had i felt those great tusks," laughed tostig, "but it will take all the night to roast him well." "he will roast while we fight," replied the jarl; "and some of us will eat not of him, but in valhalla. to the ship, all! we go to attack a roman trireme. let those eat now who have not eaten, taking their meat with them. i leave not a sword here!" "he who would stay behind is nidering!" shouted tostig the red. "we will follow our jarl to the feast of swords, and they who return may find the boar roasted. hael to thee, o jarl! thou bringest good tidings." not until all were in the ship, however, did ulric explain to his men fully and carefully the errand upon which they were going. wild was their enthusiasm, and once more the young and the discontented were satisfied with their jarl. "he is a son of the gods," they said, "and he will lead us to victory." "or to valhalla," growled knud the bear. "not all of you will eat the roasted boar's flesh." the rowers rowed with power and _the sword_ went swiftly. ulric was at the helm, and olaf was at the prow sending back words of direction. the distance to be traveled was less on the water than on the land, through the forests. "i would i knew of the doings of biorn," said one, as the ship rounded a point and entered the harbor at the river mouth. the jarl answered not, but shortly he put his fingers to his lips and whistled thrice. "row slowly, now," he said, "till an answer shall come. i am glad the moon is not yet arisen. we go on behind a curtain." the jarl's signal had been heard by a man upon whom was only a belt, to which hung a sheathed seax and a war horn. he stood at the water's edge at the harbor side. "the jarl cometh!" he whispered, and he went into the water, making no sound. before that he had crept along the shore, landward, bearing his arms and his armor, and now he had but sixty paces to swim. the roman sentinel on the deck of the trireme heard only the ripple of the outgoing tide against her wooden walls. knife upon hemp cutteth silently, but soon the sentinel turned with a sharp exclamation, for out of the seaward silence there came a long, vibrating whistle, another, another, and then from the hollow of a dark wave near the trireme there sounded a fourth like unto these three. this last he answered with a shout, and he hurled his pilum at that darkness in the water, but the trireme herself responded with a lurch and a yawing as she began to be swept away by the tide. there were rowers on board, and they quickly sprang to the oars, but they were few and there was yet no steersman. there were many soldiers also, but their officer ordered a number of them to the oars, that he might get the ship under control. when, therefore, there came gliding swiftly out of the shadows the unlooked-for warship of the saxons she was alongside and her grapplings were made fast with none to hinder. from the opposite side of the roman vessel, as it were from the water itself, now sounded furiously the war horn of biorn the berserker. full half of the legionaries rushed in that direction and their hurled spears were too hastily lost in the sea. terribly rang out the war horns and the battle shouts of the saxons, but the first man of them on board of the trireme was ulric the jarl, and down before his ax fell whoever met him. close behind him were his followers, so that the nearer romans were not only surprised, but outnumbered. up the side, near the stern, climbed biorn the berserker, and for a moment he was alone, so quickly had fallen twain who were there. taking in hand the helm, "biorn! biorn the berserker!" he shouted. "o jarl, i am here! the ship is ours!" hard fought the remaining romans, nevertheless, against such odds, but all the rowers were slain at their oars. "it is done!" said ulric. "silence, all! i have called twice for biorn. where is he?" "o jarl, son of brander the brave!" came faintly back from the after deck, "hast thou fully taken this trireme?" "we have her!" answered ulric. "thanks to thee, o biorn! she is thine!" "odin!" shouted back the old berserker. "then bear thou witness for me, at feast and in song, that biorn, the son of nar, the sea king, died not by drowning, but by the driven spear of a roman, in all honor. i go to valhalla as becometh me. rejoice, therefore, and smite thou these romans once more for me. i die!" there was a silence of a moment on the ship, but then the oldest viking of all blew triumphantly his horn and shouted: "we have heard! biorn, the hero, hath gone to the hall of the heroes. he died by the spear, and not a cow's death. good is his fortune. hael to thee, o biorn! and hael to jarl ulric, the leader of men." clashed loudly then the shields and spears, but already saxon hands were upon the oars and tostig the red was at the helm, with olaf by him. only it might be a dozen warriors had been named by the valkyrias to go to valhalla with biorn the berserker, but the romans whose bodies were cast into the sea were ten times as many. _the sword_ and the trireme were now going out with the tide into the open sea and into the darkness, but there had been much sounding of trumpets in the camp of the romans. few as were the remaining legionaries, they had marched to the shore ready for action. there were small boats at the beach, but it was all too late for any use of these. those who patrolled and inquired, however, found at the side of a rock a helmet like a bear's head, a shirt the hide of a bear, two heavy spears, an ax--the trophies to them of biorn the berserker. these were brought to the centurion in command and he examined them with care. "the pirates of the north are here," he said. "woe is me that ever i came to this death coast! here shall we leave our bones, for the britons will come like locusts, and we have lost our trireme!" "another ship cometh soon," said his friends. "we may hold the fort well until her arrival. all is not lost." "know ye that?" replied the centurion. "if the trireme of lentulus were above the water, she would have arrived long since. he hath never failed an appointment. i think it was his evil demon and not the favor of the proconsul that made him the count of the saxon shore. the fates are against us." so darkly brooded the romans over their many disasters, while ulric the jarl ordered the steering of his two ships up the coast and into the cove where he had first landed. "i would have speech with a druid, if i may," he said to olaf. "it is strongly upon my mind that i must see this great sacrifice to their gods. manage thou this for me. thou hast been in league with them." "what i can do in such a matter i will do," said olaf. "but, o jarl, i have somewhat to say to thee concerning this trireme. consider her well, for she is a strong warship and there is much room in her." "also much plunder," said ulric; "but that must wait for the day. each man hath his share, and the shares of the slain go to their kindred when we return." "so is the north law," said olaf; "but where shall any man stow that which may be his prize? _the sword_ is but a nutshell. thou wilt think of this matter, for thou art jarl." the night waned toward the dawn and all had need of rest. the ships were anchored, therefore, and the cove was still. the trumpets at the roman camp greeted loudly the sun's rising. the sentinels were changed and the patrols came in from the edges of the forest to report that no enemy seemed to be coming. the soldiers sullenly attended to the customary morning duties of the camp, now and then glancing seaward as if they hoped to see a sail. the centurion in command walked along the lines of his intrenchments, studying them, but his eyes more often sought the earth. a stalwart man was he, in splendid armor, and his face bore scars of battle. well had he fought the britons the day before, but now he loudly exclaimed: "o my imprudence! i should have waited for lentulus and a greater force. will he never come? but, if he come, the fault of this defeat is not his, but mine. he will be acquitted, and i am left alone to account to cæsar for a lost eagle of a legion!" he smote upon his breast and again he walked onward, downcast and gloomy. once more he spoke, with exceeding bitterness: "how shall i answer for the loss of the trireme here in the bay? will not all men say that i kept no watch?" he stepped upon the rampart and stood still. near at hand were the ruins of the saxon village, but they had ceased smoking and lay black and bare as witnesses of the ruthless blow which he had smitten upon the northmen of the saxon shore. beyond were fields which would not be cultivated this season as formerly. there were many corpses yet unburied, for the slayers had spared none save boys and girls for the slave market. the very young, the very old, even the middle-aged women, had been slain, and the fighting men had fallen with their weapons in their hands. the prisoners were guarded in a kind of pen at the left, and they were many. "petronius," shouted the centurion to an officer of rank, "take with thee ten and slay all. we have no conveyance for them. let not one escape." one order was as another to a roman soldier, and petronius answered not, but marched away into the camp, seeking his ten who with him were to butcher the prisoners. "i am dishonored!" said the centurion. "fate and fortune are against me. i can give no reason for the loss of the trireme. i will go down to the shades." slowly he drew his short-bladed, heavy gladius from its sheath. he looked at it, trying its edge, and he said: "thou hast been with me through many battles, o sword! thou hast drunk the blood of more lives than i can count. be thou true to me now, for all else is lost." then he knelt upon the rampart and placed the hilt firmly in the earth, the blade point leaning toward him. he braced himself and cast his weight with force. a gasp, a shudder, a struggle of strong limbs, and petronius was in command of the roman camp, for his superior officer was dead. there were many screams at the prison pen, but afterward all was quiet, and petronius returned, to be told of this new misfortune which had befallen. "keep ye good watch," he said, "lest the britons take us unawares. there is more than one trireme yet to come. but now we will raise the funeral pile of him who lieth here, for he died in all honor." orders were given and the soldiers brought much wood, but they came and went in silence, for their fates were dark before them. so was it with the camp of the romans; but at the camp of the saxons, at the cove and spring, there was high feasting, for they found the wild boar well roasted and the venison was abundant. they needed but harps and harpers, for the spirit of song came upon all singers, and it was a day of triumph. not even the older vikings could say that they had ever heard of the taking of a roman warship in this wise. "some have the sea kings rammed to sinking," they said. "some have they driven ashore and some have they burned; but the romans themselves ever burn any keel that they are leaving. hael to _the sword_, the victor!" "the smiters of my kindred have themselves been smitten," said olaf, the son of hakon, but he sat with a fierce fire burning in his eyes and his seax lay bare at his side. "we have smitten them upon the sea," said ulric the jarl, "but not yet upon the land. i may not yet leave britain. not until i have kept the counsel of hilda and my promise to my father at his tomb." "do as thou hast said," replied olaf, "lest evil fortune come to thee. but go thou now and look at the trireme. is she not thine, to do with as thou wilt?" "i will go," said ulric, and with him went only knud the bear, by his ordering. first went they upon _the sword_, for she was nearer, and she was now lashed side by side with the trireme. high above the low bulwarks of the ship from the northland arose the strong sides of the war vessel of cæsar, and her greater force in fight or in rough seas was evident. ulric looked and he thought of the sayings of olaf, the son of hakon, for a shrewd suggestion sprouteth in the mind of a wise man like a seed sown in a garden. "truly we were overcrowded," said ulric, standing upon the fore deck of _the sword_. "we are thrice too many souls for so small a ship as this. there was too little room for provisions or for sleeping. there is none at all for the storage of spoils. the men will not brook the burning of the shares which may fall to them. they like not my hard ruling even thus far." "o jarl," said knud, "what sayest thou? let us not burn good plunder. what good to win it if we carry it not home with us? i would now go on board the trireme." "come," said ulric, and they climbed up over her high bulwark, noting how thick it was and well joined together. thus they passed from stem to stern and in and out of cabins, examining all things--the oars, the ropes, and the sails. "she is provided for a long voyage," said the jarl. "sawest thou ever such armor and such store of weapons? we may need them in the southern seas." "that will we," replied knud; "but i am an old seaman and i was thinking of yonder sails. there are twain. they are of strongly woven stuff--not skins, like our sail. they will save much rowing. there are good anchors also. thou sayest well, we are too many in _the sword_." yet she seemed very beautiful as she lay at the side of the trireme, and the jarl remembered how his heart had gone out to her while she was building. she had borne him well, also, and she had proved herself. what might he do with the vessel that he loved? he went on board of her again and he stood by the hammer of thor on the fore deck. "what thinkest thou?" asked knud. "what if i--for i am a smith--put now the anvil and the hammer on the fore deck of the trireme? will she not then be _the sword_? will not thor and odin go with her?" "do even as thou hast said!" loudly exclaimed ulric. "so the gods go with us what matter for a wooden keel?" but his heart smote him sorely. "i would," he thought, "that i might have speech with hilda. i will go on shore and question olaf. he is old." old was he and crafty, for already he had been saying many things to the vikings. he had told them of keels overwhelmed in the storms of the southern seas, or crushed by the rams of roman warships. he had spoken of hungers and thirsts because of lack of room for provisions, and of fights lost because there were no more arrows to shoot or spears to throw. the young men heard him eagerly, and even the old warriors listened with care. they also called to mind such things and told of them, and all who chose to look could see the difference in size between the two vessels that floated in the cove. chapter x. the great sacrifice of the druids. in the deep forest stood olaf, the son of hakon, and before him stood a tall, venerable man clad in a robe of white which came down to his feet, whereon were sandals. on his head was naught save abundant gray hair and a circlet of beaten gold. on his arms were heavy rings of gold, deeply graven, and in his hand was a long white wand, gold tipped. "thou and thy saxon friends have done well," he said in the latin tongue. "but i like not this message from their jarl." "he doth but ask of thee, o high priest," replied olaf, "that he, who is not as another man, but is of the sons of the gods of the north, may reverence thy gods for the aid they have given him by sea and land, and that he may be present at the great sacrifice, as becometh him. if he may so do, he will give thee a thing the like of which thou hast never seen hitherto, and he will smite for thee the romans." "cometh he then from odin?" asked the druid. "from odin," said olaf; "and of higher rank than he is none among the saxons." "he is not a king," said the druid, "but i know of jarls and of their pedigrees. the romans at thy village are this day smitten by the britons and we need not his sword. well is it, however, for him to give a gift. let him see to it that his offering be right precious. it is a day's journey to the sacred place. he may not come down to the valley of the gods, but he may stand upon the hill, among the oaks, and afterward i will receive his token." "so be it, o high priest," said olaf, and he turned away, as did also the druid. "cunning is he," muttered olaf, as he walked. "but in us also is there prudence and the jarl will be guided in the matter. i think he will not fall into this trap of the britons. they plotted against us before the romans came, and gladly would they see saxon blood upon the stones of sacrifice." so said he to the jarl at the camp late in the day, and ulric listened, pondering. "olaf," he said, after a silence, "wulf the skater hath returned from looking at thy place. no other trireme hath arrived, but even while he was watching did the britons swarm over the palisades. the romans were too few to guard their lines, and it was in vain for them to resist a multitude. thy vengeance is complete." "the gods have done this," said olaf. "but what wilt thou do in this other matter?" "i will leave a strong guard with the ship," said the jarl, "but with the greater number i will go to look upon the sacrifices. thou wilt guide by a road they know not, and we will defeat their cunning." "they would not strike thee, i think," said olaf, "until after the sacrifices. this is their reverence to their gods." "i would i knew," said ulric, "the name of one of their gods. i will not sacrifice to one to whom i may not speak. he is a breath." "thou mayest not enter the sacred valley," said olaf; "but i have somewhat more to tell thee. now do i know what is the name of thy captured trireme." "the hammer of thor is on her deck at this hour," said the jarl. "she is no longer roman. but whose is that gilded shape under her beak? it seemeth a woman wearing a helmet." "the druid told me," said olaf. "she is minerva. she is to the romans as are the nornir. she is both wise and crafty, being a saga woman, and there are runes concerning her." "she is, then, not of the sea," said the jarl. "i think she will not contend with thor. it were ill fortune to disturb her, seeing she hath delivered to us the ship; but we must give to it the name of _the sword_ or odin were justly angry, for we gave our keel to him. "thou hast decided well," said olaf; "but if so, then there must remain one keel only, not twain. it was commanded thee to burn one ship in britain, and thou mayest not break thy word to the dead and to the gods." "that will i not," said ulric; "but now we must speedily prepare this expedition." wise had been the work of the tongue of olaf, for now came the vikings to ulric to speak concerning _the sword_ and the trireme, so that this which was to be done appeared not as by his ordering, but as the counsel of all. "thou doest well," they told him, "to yield to us in this matter. we will have a larger ship. we will have room for our plunder. we care not overmuch for thy small keel, and we will burn her at the seaside. thou art our jarl in battle, but thou mayest not rule in all things." nevertheless, they agreed with him all the more readily concerning the sacrifices, and those who were to go and those who were to stay by the ships were chosen by lot lest any should accuse the jarl of unfairness; for it was hoped that here was to be fighting. not yet had there been any division of the spoils because all agreed to wait until a more convenient season, or even until the end of the voyage. "they whom the valkyrias do not name," said one, "may apportion whatever may then be found in the ship. there will be fewer weapons, perchance, and fewer men." in the dawn of the next day did the jarl lead out his men, and in the dusk did the march end. high and round-topped was the hill in the forest to which olaf guided them, and below was a narrow valley, bare of trees. there was yet light to see that in the middle of the valley were many great stones. some of these stood upright in a wide circle, like the burial stones of the north peoples, but much larger. other stones, long and weighty, lay flat, upheld a little from the ground by bowlders under them at either end. "they are stones of sacrifice," said olaf. "on them do they slay both cattle and men. but seest thou the cages?" "penthouses of wood i see," said ulric. "very large, but of one story and roofed flatly. on the roofs and against the sides are heaps of wood. what are these?" "wait till thou seest," said olaf. "their shape on the ground is as the body and the arms and the legs of a man, and there is a meaning in it known to the druids. they make this wooden man of sacrifice, and they fill him full of men and women and children that he may feast. they have made many war captives and they have condemned many for evil-doing or for speaking against the druids." "great fires are lighting around the valley and near the stones," remarked tostig the red. "i have seen many men slain upon stones. it is the right place to slay them, where the gods can see all. we shall have a rare treat. but there are hundreds of britons. they wear little clothing." "they paint themselves blue, instead," said olaf. "but it keepeth not out either the cold or a spear point." more and more numerous grew the throngs in the valley, coming out from under the trees beyond. not among them, but walking through them in a procession, came scores at a time of the white-robed druids, bearing no arms, but leading with them human beings of both sexes, arm-fettered, defenseless, making no resistance. there was a loud sound of harping and chanting as the processions drew near the flat stones. behind each of these stood a druid with a large knife, and before him, stone by stone, was laid a victim. then fell the knives in quick succession, with a twanging of harps and a shout, but the northmen saw no great difference between this offering and such as they had witnessed elsewhere. as the firelight brightened, however, they could discern that the walls of the wooden man in the middle were open, with wide crevices, through which might be seen the naked forms of those who were shut in. they were even crowded, and they uttered loud cries as they saw torches placed against the heaps of wood surrounding the pen. "dry wood," said knud the bear. "see how it kindleth! a hot fire! these are to be burned for their god? he is a bad one. i like it not. the romans do well to kill these druids. i would slay them myself." so said all the vikings, and had there been more of them, they might have vented their anger at this thing. it was not good, even for a god, but the throngs of britons were well armed, after their fashion, and ulric's men were but few in comparison. "we would not mind four or five to one," he said, "but we could not slay such a multitude. the fires burn terribly! it is not at all like kindly slaying with a sword." "a cut on a man's neck is nothing," said tostig. "he falleth and that is an end. i hope to fall by a sword some day." the shrieks and cries of agony were dreadful, rising above the twanging of the harps and the chanting of the druids. there was no help for any of these who were doomed. among them, said some of the vikings, must be all the roman prisoners if any had been taken. the burning roofs fell in and so did the red blazings of the side walls. nor did the swarms of the britons cease to yell with the pleasure of cruelty while they gazed upon the frantic struggles of these victims. "we have seen enough," said olaf, at last. "o jarl, we have far to go. i hope we may again strike the romans shortly, but i care not much if good saxon spears find many marks among the druids. it would require a host of saxons to hold this island, killing them all, but i am one who will go back to the north and come again, bringing stout slayers with me." "some of the white-robed ones come in this direction even now," responded the jarl. "behind them are spearmen. they must not find us upon this hill, but the woods are overdark to march in." "after we are well covered," said olaf, "we may kindle torches, but the way by which i lead you is plain and wide, for the war chariots of the british kings have made it in the old days. the romans now prevent them from having any chariots within their dominions, but there are free tribes beyond their borders. come!" "on!" said the jarl. "this hill was to have been their trap. they seek to march around that they may cut off our going. on!" swiftly marched the saxons for a while, but the darkness of the forest was dense, and now they halted to kindle torches. "the druids and their men carried many and bright ones," said ulric, "so that we saw them enter the woods, but we are too far now for them to discern our own." after this there were pauses for resting, but the vikings marched on until the dawn. then went they forward again, fasting, but at the noon they were greeted by the shouts of the men who held the palisades at the spring. "o tostig the red," responded the jarl, "hath all been well with thee and with the camp?" "hael, o jarl!" said tostig. "all is well. we have seen britons at a distance among the trees, but none came near for speech. i think they are not overfriendly." "that are they not, but treacherous," said ulric. "but now let there be roasting and eating and sleeping, and then we shall have new matters upon our hands. we have seen things that are worth telling around a fire in the winter evenings. i like not these gods of the britons. they are evil-minded." many were busy at the fires with venison and with fishes which had been caught, but they who had remained at the camp were cooks for the weary men who could tell of this sacrifice of the druids. as for the jarl, he ate and drank and then he went on board _the sword_ and lay down to sleep upon the after deck, saying little to any man, and tostig the red came and sat down by him. orders had been given, moreover, and before the setting of the sun both keels were anchored some fathoms out from low-water mark, and only the small boats were at the beach. it was best, the jarl had said, to trust deep water rather than a stockade after the darkness should come. all the fires in the camp were heaped to burn long, and so were other large fires upon the strand. then came all the vikings on board the ship, and there could be no present peril. it was a night of peace, but the watchers saw both dark forms and white ones by the light of the fires, and knew that the britons had come. "the white ones are the druids," said wulf the skater to his companions. "i am not afraid of their gods which have men roasted. i hope the jarl will find us a chance to spear priests before we sail away from this island." the rest agreed with him, asking him many questions concerning the sacrifices. "but for the prudence of the jarl," he also told them, "all we who went would have been taken at a disadvantage in the darkness of the forest. there would have been no fair fighting." "he is a good battle jarl," they said, but it might be seen that among them were some who were not well pleased with his ways. there, safe from all assailing, floated the two keels until the dawn. then went some of the men ashore in the small boats, and the fires were replenished for cooking, but none were permitted to wander into the woods. on board the trireme there was much search going on and great was the delight of all over the plunder discovered. rich indeed was the store of arms, as if it had been intended to refit a cohort or to arm new recruits. "it is good, too," they said, "to be able to walk around. there was hardly elbow-room on our own keel. but we knew that we must lose some and that there would be less crowding when we came home." "we can give a man to every oar of the trireme," said ulric, "and yet leave threescore to the spears." but he looked over the bulwark and down into the good ship _the sword_, and his heart smote him sadly, for the very wood she was made of came from his own trees, and she seemed to look him in the face kindly. hours went by before there were any newcomers upon the shore, but olaf said that there must be patience. "watch also," he warned ulric, "and let not any briton come on board. we will meet them in the small boats at the strand." so it came to be, for at the noon the woods became alive with men. foremost came the chief druid, followed by some of lesser rank and by harpers. with them were chiefs of clans of the britons, each one calling himself a king, but being really less than a norse jarl in power, for he was as a slave to all druids. "these," told olaf, "make the laws and enforce them. they alone know the sagas of the britons and what is to be given to the gods. they sometimes burn a king if he worketh not their will, and they have magic arts which make the people fear them. i would slay all such if i were a king." he and ulric were in the same boat pulling to the strand; and the chief druid was wise, for he came to meet them attended only by two other druids and by seven of his harpers. behind them under the trees clustered the british warriors. they formed no ranks, but they wore a fierce, warlike appearance. among them were some in armor that was half roman, as if taken in battle. more had roman swords, but their own british blades were both short and light. all were armed with javelins, but their shields were of all sorts, only that most of them were made of wicker and hide. "they are brave enough," said olaf, "but the romans seek to prevent them from getting weapons. a briton might become as good a soldier as a legionary, with arms and with training. cæsar is always cunning in government." "hael, o druid!" shouted ulric. "i am well pleased to see thee." "o thou, the jarl of the vikings," sternly responded the chief druid. "too many came with thee. my permission was but to thee and to olaf. neither didst thou do reverence to my gods." "o priest," said the jarl, "i came and i returned as i would. i like not thy gods. what is thy errand with me this day?" the face of ulric had flushed hotly upon hearing the haughty speech of the druid, for he was not one to be lightly chidden by any man. "o jarl," said the druid yet more sternly, "i have this also against thee, that thou didst promise me a treasure the like of which i never saw before, and thou didst not deliver it. where is thy great gift?" "o knud the bear," shouted ulric, "row now to the shore and bring to this priest the token of the son of odin." the second of the small boats came to the shore and knud and eight other of the tallest vikings, ax in hand, bore out and spread upon the earth the tremendous hide of the white bear, the king of bears. from the skull, also, they had reft its whole cover, putting in eyes of bright leather. the hide seemed to be longer and broader than in life, as if it lay two fathoms from tail to nose. "o jarl of the saxons," exclaimed the druid, "what is this? i have heard of these creatures, but never have i seen one." "then have i kept my promise," said ulric. "thou mayest hang it in thy house or in the house of thy gods, as thou wilt, but never was the like of it in britain. he was a son of the ice king. he came from the long darkness, and i slew him with my own hand." around the jarl stood now a score of vikings; terrible men for a foe to look upon, for they were throwers of sudden spears. still stood the chief druid and his fellows and the harpers, gazing at the great skin, and the britons in the edge of the wood shouted loudly. "i agree with thee as to this," said the high priest, reluctantly. "i accept thy token, for in it is a meaning that thou knowest not. there is an old prophecy concerning the northern bear and britain. thou hast done well. my quarrel is now with olaf, who standeth by thee." "but for him thou wouldst have slain me and mine in thy forest trap on the hill, at the sacrifices," answered the jarl, angrily. "thy quarrel is also with me!" then came the rush of the britons from the woods, hurling javelins as they came, but the vikings were instantly in their boats, and the high priest and all who were with him lay upon the sand, so suddenly were they smitten. from the ships came showers of spears, arrows, stones, and the men in the small boats seemed to be unharmed, for their shields were up. "thou sittest very still," said ulric to olaf. "what sayest thou? mine eyes were upon these blue ones." "o jarl," said knud the bear, "we lifted him in, thinking there might still be life in him, but there is none. the spear of the high priest was strongly driven." "hael to thee, o hero!" shouted the jarl. "olaf, the son of hakon, hath gone to valhalla! he hath died in his armor! row to the ships. we will go hence and the body of olaf we will bury in the sea. there shall be no lamenting for the son of hakon." only this harm had befallen the saxons from the treachery of the druids, while the slain lying upon the beach were many. loudly now arose the wailing of the britons, for they had a strange death cry of their own, long and vibrating, that went far out across the sea. "their gods will be against us," said wulf the skater. "we may not now linger long in britain." "very soon," said the jarl, "we will sail for the middle sea, but not with two keels. we are too few." _the sword_ and the trireme, nevertheless, were now going out to sea with all oars, as if to show how many men were needed for this. the jarl was at the helm of the trireme and his face was clouded. "not yet," he said, "have i smitten the romans upon the land of britain. that must i do, and i know not how or where. the days go by and it will be winter before we reach the middle sea. the voyage is long." chapter xi. the passing of lars the old. sudden is the change from winter to summer in the northland. the buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth. no full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords. in the hall of the house of brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but oswald's harp was always there. hilda, from her chair, would often ask him to strike up, but there was a lack of spirit in his minstrelsy, and even when she spoke to him her voice was weaker and softer than of old. the wrinkles upon her face were deepening, and they who looked long at her said to one another that a light which did not come from the fire played now and then across her forehead and around her mouth. at other times she was shut up much in her own room, and it was said that she pored long and thoughtfully over polished sheepskins and fragments of gray stone whereon were graven runes that none else might read. some of these, they said, had been brought by odin's men when they journeyed from the east into the northland. who knew, therefore, but what the runes had been written in the city of asgard by the hands of the asas? it was not well to question over-closely about such things. they said naught to her of the matters which were her own, and only once did a little maiden yield to her own curiosity and follow the old saga woman when at night she walked out along the path which led to the stones of the mighty dead. afterward she told her mother, and then all the village knew, that hilda did but sit down by the tomb of brander, weeping loudly and talking with him concerning his absent son. "it is no wonder," said the villagers, "for she loved ulric the jarl. it is good for all our men that hilda should speak to the gods concerning their welfare. she knoweth them better than we do, and she is to go to them soon. she getteth ready daily." so fared it in the northland, but many ships were putting to sea, and there was even jealousy here and there that ulric and _the sword_ should have gotten away so much in advance of all others. but the ships of the vikings would now be so many as to bode ill for the fleets of rome and for the merchantmen of the middle sea unless cæsar should send force enough to prevent their coming. "olaf told me," said ulric, talking to tostig of such matters, "that the romans fear the coming of the saxons. therefore against our villages as well as against the rebellious druids came these triremes at this time. cæsar's power in britain groweth. around his fortified camps are cities springing up, and he fortifieth also ancient towns. we must come with many keels and a great host when we take this island away from cæsar." "but i think we will destroy the britons," said tostig the red, "for we have seen that we may not trust them. i like a place where there is so much good hunting." ulric had been scanning the shore line, for he was steering, and now he said: "we will anchor for the night within yonder rocky point. there is a ledge there for which i have been seeking." all day had the two ships been coasting slowly, and the men had wondered much what it might be that was in the mind of their jarl, for he was moody. he had also asked many questions of the older vikings. the two ships came to anchor not many fathoms out from the rocky point, but all men were forbidden venturing to the shore. "it is not well," said ulric to some who would have landed in the small boats. "if ye but look closely, ye will discern the glimmer of fires in the deep forest. our movement this day hath been followed, and now a small party might meet too many of their spearmen. they are good fighters." there was much grumbling among the younger men, for they despised this prudence of his which ever held them in and thwarted their hot wills, but they had no choice but to obey him concerning the boats. more and more plainly through the night darkness might the watchers on the decks discern the fires that were kindled in the woods. the jarl gazed at them long, thinking many things concerning the druids and the other saxon villages of the shore of britain. he slept after a while to the slow rocking of the ship, and when morn came wulf the skater stood by him. "o jarl," he said, "the britons build fires along the beach. they swim out to us. i have speared four of their swimmers. what do we next?" ulric arose and gave orders. immediately a transfer began from _the sword_ to the trireme of all arms and provisions, and the men worked rapidly. only that wulf worked not, and that an old viking came and stood by him at the bulwark. "i like it not," said wulf, "but ulric is jarl. what sayest thou, lars the old, the shipmaker?" "thou art a seaman," said lars. "i am of thy mind. i toiled much in the shaping and the making of _the sword_. my heart is heavy." "so is mine!" exclaimed wulf. "first of all men, after the jarl, did i take her helm. she is odin's keel. there is bad fortune in leaving her." "that do i fear," said lars, "but i leave her not. i was sore smitten in the ribs in the fight with the druids on the beach. i bleed well now. i shall not sail in this trireme." "good is thy fate," said wulf. "didst thou tell the jarl thou wert wounded?" "not so," replied lars. "none know but a few of our old vikings. i thought not much of it at first, for i have oft been wounded. but now they will soon burn _the sword_. i command thee that thou lay me upon the fore deck, where was once the hammer of thor. that is my death place." "that will i do," said wulf. "so will say the jarl." "so do i now say!" came to them in his own voice, for he also was leaning over the rail and he had heard. "o lars, i knew not of thy hurt, thinking only of olaf, the son of hakon. him have we buried in the sea this day, and thou shalt have thy will. _the sword_ is nearly emptied. we burn her on yonder rocks at the point as the tide falleth. we will lay thee upon her fore deck with thy arms and armor." "do thou thy duty by me," said lars, "that it may be well with thee. but leave not _the sword_ until every timber shall be burned, lest some part of her shall fall into an enemy's hand." "she is ready!" exclaimed ulric. "we will lift the anchors and move both ships. there will be many to see the burning." trumpetings and harpings and angry shouts were answering from a throng of britons gathering along the shore. not any of them could guess as yet what would be the next move of the saxons, but great was their wrath that they were able to do no harm. "they would we might find reason for landing," said ulric to wulf, "but i care not to strike them at this place. we would gain nothing." "o jarl," said wulf, "lars, the shipmaker, lieth down. the valkyrias are with him." "he dieth not a cow's death," said ulric, "but as a true warrior of the north. it is as he would will, but he still is breathing." "yea, but heavily," said wulf. "i would i were as he is, that i might not leave _the sword_." "o wulf," said the jarl, "thou hast many a feast of swords before thee. cheer thee up." "jarl ulric," said wulf, "do i not know thee? thou too lovest thy first keel. but i think thou doest wisely. the men have demanded this, and they may not be gainsaid. but i would there had been men enough for both ships, and then i would not have left mine own." on moved the two keels toward the ledge of rocks, and the tide was falling. they would be bare before long. "row, now!" shouted the jarl. "send _the sword_ far up upon the ledge. she must be lifted by the rocks till she is out of the water. there come the britons toward the point. be ready to strike them! the druids have gathered an army!" no sail was raised upon either of the ships, but the rowers of the trireme paused while those of _the sword_ pulled strongly. she was light now, having no stowage or ballast, and quickly her prow was thrust high up the ledge between two masses of dark gray stone. then the trireme was grappled at her stern and many saxons sprang out upon the ledge. there were several fathoms of water between this and the shore. "fast falleth the tide," said ulric. "lift ye now lars the old, the shipmaker, and bear him to the fore deck of _the sword_. lay by him his arms and his armor, breaking the sword and the spear and cleaving the shield and mail that no other may ever bear them." the vikings carried the old warrior quickly, and he uttered no sound. they laid him upon the fore deck and did as ulric commanded, but the hilt of the broken sword, having yet half the length of its bright blade, they put into his right hand. in the middle of the ship much wood was placed, heaping it, and in this heap a blazing torch was thrust. then all the vikings left _the sword_, and the greater part of her was already out of water. "they come in swarms!" exclaimed tostig the red, gazing at the britons who rushed along the shore toward the point. "hael! the fire burneth well! they must not prevent it!" up leaped the long-armed flames, catching the fagots of pine splinters. "burn thou, o _sword_!" shouted the jarl. "i give thee to odin in the fire! thou art mine own, o good ship from the northland. i would i might have sailed in thee to the middle sea and to the city of the gods!" "o jarl," said wulf the skater, "even so would i have sailed. i think we shall never see that city. the gods are far away, and i know not if they have any city. i am dark this day, and over me is a cloud." the jarl spoke not again, but he looked earnestly at _the sword_ and at that which was threatening along the shore. still as a stone lay lars the old, and some men thought him dead. there were druids now at the point, and with them were harpers and trumpeters, and the white-robed ones were chanting to their gods. the chanting ceased and a druid raised his sacred wand, shouting fiercely. at that word hundreds of armed britons began to rush into the sea. "they are too many," said knud the bear. "they do but drown each other. these druids are not good captains. therefore are they beaten by the romans in spite of their gods and their sacrifices." the fire ran everywhere along the bulwarks of _the sword_ and began to climb over the decks. it climbed the high mast and the wind blew it out like a banner. "odin!" shouted ulric. "the britons are on the rocks! smite now!" fast flew the arrows and the spears, and almost useless were the wicker shields of the britons. many of them had none, and their blue bodies were plain marks for shaft and stone. they fell in heaps upon the ledge, but a score of them broke through the flames to the very fore deck of _the sword_, and here too the fire was blazing hotly. here before them lay lars the old, stretched out as on his funeral pyre. these were of the best armored of the britons, and one could understand that they had thought to take _the sword_ and push her off, that by her means they might reach the trireme. no good captain would so have planned, for such a thing might not be done; but these men were brave, for they stood well and some of them hurled their darts vigorously at the vikings, while others strove vainly to shove _the sword_ from the rocks into the sea. this thing that came not any man had expected. just as the strong fire in the cabin began to burst up redly through the fore deck, and a fiercer flame mounted the after deck, and all the bulwarks were ablaze, up to his feet sprang lars the old, his gray hair streaming in the wind. one blow he struck with his broken sword, burying it in the body of a british chief, and then he began to ply his long-handled ax with the strength of one who is dying. upon him turned the spears and the swords of the britons and he was stricken quickly. he did not shout, but he cleft one more while falling. "the hero dieth!" said the jarl, hurling his spear, and it flew well, but there were not many now upon the fore deck. more were swimming from the shore to the ledge, but the fire was completing its work, and the plan of the druids was broken altogether. when once more the wind put aside the black curtain of the smoke it was seen that the entire prow had fallen in and that to the very helm the flames were fighting joyously. "we will stay by until she is burned to her keel," said ulric; "but now pull out a little further." so did they, and the britons came no more to the ledge, for the prize they had hoped for was a heap of ashes upon the rocks. "a good ship was she," muttered knud the bear. "she fought well against the ice floes and the storms. may all the gods go with us in this trireme. i would i knew her by some name." "o knud," loudly responded ulric, "i will answer thee. this keel that was roman hath become saxon, and her name is now _the sword_. else we had not burned the other. the trireme shall be to us as if we had builded her on the shore of the northland. she will sail with the hammer of thor and the flag of odin and not with a roman god." "i am better satisfied," exclaimed wulf the skater. "but many good rowers must take the oars of this trireme in battle. she is heavy." "i think," said tostig the red, "that we are stronger than are the hired rowers or the slave rowers of the romans. her beak will break the ribs of another keel and she will do well in storms." the jarl's eyes were still upon the burning timbers which remained upon the ledge. "i will take a boat," he said, "and men with me. we must gather all fragments for utter destruction." upon that duty he went, and it was made complete before the small boat returned to the trireme. all the while many britons watched them from the shore, but came not against them. "too many of them have been slain," said the vikings. "they like not our heavy spears." before climbing into the trireme the jarl made them row to her beak, that he might examine well its form and its power for striking a blow, and that he might also look more closely at the figurehead. "it is much waterworn," he said. "she is the wise woman among the gods of the romans. she will care not much that the hammer of thor is on the fore deck." the small boat was hoisted to its place and the vikings began to speak more freely of the trireme by her new name of _the sword_. "up with the sails," commanded ulric. "the wind is fair. we will go southward this night, and we will seek the saxon village that was described to me by olaf, the son of hakon. but we will not go too fast or too far, lest we may pass it in the dark." "there may be our kinsmen there that need our aid," said knud the bear. "seax in hand it would be a pleasure to meet romans." now did they begin to discover how much more room there was to walk in from place to place around the ship, but the younger men praised their own prudence for this more than that of ulric the jarl. moreover, to please all, he caused to be brought forth many weapons and much armor. these the men handled curiously, trying on the helmets and the mail and testing the weight of the shields. garments, also, were given as the men would, and they laughed merrily at each other for the strangeness of their changed appearance. well out from the land steered the jarl, not knowing the coast, and there was careful watching for breakers which might tell of shoals or rocks. he was learning, also, the sailing of this keel and her manner of answering the rudder. "she is swift," he thought, "and she rideth well the waves. we build not yet such vessels in the northland, though we have plenty of good timber. she will carry us safely into the middle sea, but there is room in her for more men. she requireth too many for her oars. i will sail rather than row, lest i breed too much discontent." far behind him now went out the last burning of the timbers of the good keel he had builded in the northland, but upon the mast of this which carried him floated still the white horse flag of the saxons which had been given to _the sword_ by hilda of the hundred years. chapter xii. svein the cunning jarl. sailing on in the darkness, over an unknown sea, the trireme, which was now the viking ship _the sword_, moved toward the dawn. none on board of her knew the low-lying coast which was in sight when the sun looked over the horizon. "we are nearer than i deemed," said ulric; but he was at the prow now, and an old danish seaman was at the helm. "there are rocks hereaway at the right," replied tostig the red, "but i can see houses and lines of palisades. the britons build not such houses. they are like our own." "there are fields, also, and cattle," said knud the bear. "there are men on the beach. let us sail in. hark! war horns! we are waited for." "it is a good harbor," said ulric. "there are four keels on the strand, but they are small. and there are boats. these are not romans." "they will deem that we are," said tostig. "thy horn, o jarl." "not yet," said ulric. "we will go nearer. all rowers to the oars! let down the sail!" then came a surprise to those who were on _the sword_, so very numerous were the warriors who came down to the shore outside of the lines of the palisades on the harbor side of the village. this, too, was seen to be larger as they drew nearer, and some of the houses were as great as was the home house of brander the brave. "it is as olaf told me," thought ulric. "the romans do well to fear the saxons of this coast. we will be friends with these men." the rowers had brought the ship well in and ulric stood by the hammer of thor. three times be blew his horn, standing bareheaded, nor was there any roman helmet worn by those who were with him. moreover, the banner on the mast was the white horse of the saxons. horns answered him, and then there were shouts of greeting, while some of the shore men pushed out in a small boat. "come near!" said ulric to these. "i am ulric the jarl, the son of brander the brave. we come in peace. who are ye?" upon his feet arose a short, squarely made man in the boat. he wore fine armor and there was a golden crest upon his steel headpiece. "i am svein jarl," he responded. "we are saxons all, and this town on the shore is rika. where didst thou win thy keel? i tell thee we are at peace with the romans, as we are with thee." "so be it," said ulric; but then he told of olaf and of the druids and of the triremes and of the roman camp. "strong tryst between me and thee," said svein. "thou hast done well. olaf would never make peace because they slew his father, as did they thine. they would crucify thee because of thy trireme. but word came to me that the roman consul licinius is in britain, and i have sent him bodes, making agreement. we are at war only with the rebellious britons, not with his own. we are too few to contend with rome. land thou and thine if thou wilt, but see that thou sailest away quickly." "i understand thee," said ulric. "i am but one trireme against more than one if the consul sendeth them. but we will not land here. i will go to thy house in greeting, but no more." "come," said svein. "i like thy flag, and i was thy father's sure comrade. the son of brander is welcome to the house of svein jarl." small boats from the ship were ready, and in one went ulric to the shore, taking with him many men in the other boats, for he thought: "i know not svein well, and olaf spoke ill of him. he is a friend of the romans." so said the vikings who remained on the ship, and they kept good watch, saying to one another: "we like it not that our jarl should thus venture himself. how know we what is behind yonder palisades?" hearty and kindly were the words spoken to ulric and his saxons by the warriors who met them at the beach. neither did svein seem to lack in any wise, but walked on toward the palisades, bidding the newcomers to follow. at the side of ulric the jarl now walked a tall man and large, in full armor, but wearing over his shoulder a bearskin. "i am sigurd, the son of thorolf," he said. "i am a northman, like thyself. the greater part of svein's men are danes, as he is. i am not with him, save that my keel was wrecked and i owe him for hospitality. but i am free, having fought for him against the britons." "sail thou with me," said ulric. "there is room in _the sword_. share thou fight and prizes by land and sea. thou art welcome." "i will put my hands in thine and be thy man," said sigurd. "mark thou this, then. when we pass the gate of the palisades many will come and range themselves with thee and me, for they are as i am and would depart from this place. thou hast thine ax. be thou ready to smite with it, as will i and mine." then those who looked upon the face of ulric saw that it became white and that his eyes were fiery, flashing blue light, and they thought, but spoke not. "the jarl is angry! trouble cometh. we will watch if this is a place of swords." then again they looked and he seemed taller and his face was red and his eyes were full of glittering, and some trembled, for they said each to his mate: "seest thou? it is the odin wrath! lift thy shield! war cometh!" open swung a wide gate in the palisades and svein marched in, turning to beckon, while many warriors closed in line with the company of ulric and his saxons; but there were others who remained behind and prevented some from closing the gate. even as sigurd had said, when he lifted his hand and made a sign forty and four more who were among svein's garrison walked along, spear in hand, until they seemed of one band with ulric's. but a sound came loudly, and then another--and another. svein stood still and blew upon his war horn, and it was a command to his danes that they should form as spearmen. from behind a wide house rang joyously the note of a roman trumpet, and a line of legionaries, headed by an officer, began to show itself. the third sound was the angry word of ulric, the son of brander. "svein jarl," he shouted, "i know thee. thou art svein, son of hedrig, my father's enemy. me thou wouldst betray to these wolves of rome, but thou art not able. i will give thee and them to the valkyrias." "hold thou, ulric the jarl," said svein. "thou art caught in a trap. thou shalt but give them up their trireme. thou mayest remain with me. lay down thy weapons. thou and thine are prisoners. we may deal with thee as we will." so said the officer of the legionaries, mockingly, coming forward, followed by his force. it was but fourscore of men, and they were the garrison of this village, with svein and his danes and his jutlanders. but ulric was a good captain, and he and his saxons were stepping backward and the gate was still open. then fell quickly three men who strove to shut it, but they went down by the spears of sigurd's saxons. at that the romans charged, and their charge was that of warriors expecting to conquer; but ulric, the son of brander, was taller by the head than any among them. he waited not, but stepped out and met them in front of the triangle formed by his men, and the flashing of his ax was like the swiftness of the lightning, and his wrath was terrible. fast flew the spears on either side, but the saxons threw first, not waiting, and there were quickly gaps in the roman line. now charged svein and his followers with shouts of victory, save that a number of them were northmen and had no heart to this work. these fell back muttering, and one of them said, loudly: "ulric, son of odin, win thou this fight. the gods of the north be with thee. i shed no blood in any such quarrel. i am not a roman." nevertheless the saxons from _the sword_ had been too much outnumbered if it had not been for sigurd and his sailors, for these fought like men who were to die if they did not conquer. wonderful was the havoc wrought by the ax of ulric, and the romans fell away from before him. then picked he up a pilum from the hand of a slain legionary and he cast it with his might. well had it been for svein the jarl if his shield had been ready, for the pilum passed through him at the waist and he would betray no more saxons. so fell the roman officer at the hand of tostig, but the charge had been well made, and only half of ulric's own men were with him when his triangle was beyond the gate, marching to the shore. "odin!" he shouted. "we have slain three for one! let us burn their keels." but some of the men who had refused to fight for svein came around by another way and joined the saxons. well was it, they said, that the roman officer had forced svein to strike at once, for there were hundreds of danish warriors in the upland, and if these had gathered, none of the crew of _the sword_ could have escaped. even now there was preparation for swift following, but ulric's men took every boat, and the nearest keels on the beach had already fire in them, put there by sigurd's men and the other northmen who had deserted svein. these ships were also pushed out into the water that they might burn more surely. within the palisades every saxon who had fallen wounded had already been slain by the danes, but these had been sorely smitten and they had lost their cunning jarl. back now were ulric and his men on board the trireme, and count was made. "thirteen heroes who went to the land with us," he said, "have gone to valhalla. with them went six of sigurd's company. therefore, we have ninety more strong men to handle so large a ship and to hold spears in battle. the gods are with us, for they have given us a brave combat and a victory." the keels from the shore were burning hotly, and there might be no pursuit, but ulric commanded to lift the sail of _the sword_, the trireme, and to steer for the open sea. "now do i know," said knud the bear, "that thor came on board with his hammer. we needed more men for the oars, to change hands when one company is weary. it is good to have the gods with us in such a case." the wind blew off the land and the ship sailed away gallantly, steering southward, and ulric said to those who asked him: "we will not again set foot upon the shore of britain. our work here is done. we will avoid all keels, friend or foe, that may come near us. we go to the middle sea, and our voyage, thus far, is prosperous." * * * * * the sun shone brightly in the northland all that day, but hilda sat by the fire in the hall of the house of brander, and she was shivering. near her sat oswald, the harper. "it is cold," she said. "this fire is but red coals and ashes. let them bring wood." so sat she while they went for wood, and she gazed mournfully into the great heap of gray and red, dotted with dying embers. "i saw not the ship," she muttered. "but i saw roman helmets. there is ulric, and the romans go down before him. where is the ship? i see her now, and she is burning. how, then, can ulric sail away? i read it not, save that he is not slain. o that i could look upon his face again before i go! how is it that i cannot see the ship? but i knew that she would never come again. it is well that he hath smitten the romans so soon. i will go to my room, for i am old and the ice is out of the fiords and the buds are open and i have seen the grass again. i need but the one token more and then they may lay me away as i have bidden them. ulric, my beloved! thou art as my son!" chapter xiii. hilda of the hundred years. "hast thou ever taken a keel into the middle sea, o sigurd, son of thorold?" asked ulric of his gigantic friend. they twain stood together upon the after deck and _the sword_ was sailing but slowly, for the wind was contrary. "more than once, o jarl," responded sigurd. "i have seen the greek islands; i went up the adriatic sea with alfkel the sea king. we had five keels, and we took great spoil, but only three of our ships ever again touched the shore of the northland." "what befell the two that returned not?" asked the jarl. "was it a fortune of the sea?" "not so," said sigurd. "in that sea the triremes of cæsar are too many. but thou hast need to consider thy present course. thou wilt do well to coast along the land easterly after thy last sight of britain. between these islands and spain is a great sea full of storms. try it not with a straight passage, but go from point to point, going on shore when thou wilt." "i think it is good counsel," said the jarl. "i have heard of that sea. as to the adriatic, i would enter it in due season, but first i would see rome itself, if i might." "not if thou go to its port in a keel thou hast won from cæsar," said sigurd. "that were but to offer them thy head. thou wilt do better among the islands and toward the great land that is called africa. there dwell the black men, and in the inland there are giants wonderful to see; and also there are powerful magicians." "i care not much for them," said ulric, "although i am curious about giants. tell me all thou wilt of thy voyages." willingly did sigurd tell, and he had seen many wonderful things in the southlands. "i shall gladly see them again," he said; and even the next day did this talk go on, for a gale blew and _the sword_ went before it with but one small sail lifted. sigurd's men were now as if they had been with ulric from the first, and by them a matter had been told which was now more fully given by the tall viking. "svein concealed it from me," he said, "but an old dane warned me in private. the roman officer of that garrison was but waiting for the arrival of more legionaries, for svein's men might not be depended on in such an undertaking. it would have included thee and thine. all who did not belong to svein or who were minded to leave him were to have been given up as war prisoners to the romans." "that they might lose their heads!" exclaimed ulric. "i am glad he is slain! it was a dark purpose." "thou hast not read it rightly, nevertheless," said sigurd. "hast thou not heard of the great games and shows of cæsar and of his chief officers?" "many a thing have i heard," replied ulric, "but not from any man who had ever witnessed the things he told of. hast thou seen?" "no, jarl ulric," said sigurd, "but i have listened to brave men who have looked in upon such things. as to one affair, we learned little by little that the proconsul of britain desired good swordsmen to contend with his trained slaves and with his wild beasts. it was also for his profit to send saxons as presents to cæsar to be slain in the great shows of rome. for this purpose all we were to be entrapped and caged as soon as their hunting party should become strong enough to take us alive. we were to be set upon unawares. therefore did we sleep by watches, fully armed, for the thing was to be done in the night. so was the idea of svein, the treacherous, concerning all thy crew." "he will entrap no more saxons henceforth," said the jarl. "as for me, i would gladly fight a lion or a tiger. it would be great sport. i will try if i may meet these wonderful beasts before i return to the northland. "thou wilt meet thy lion with full armor," responded sigurd, "but it is not so in these games of the romans. there is no fair fighting. they arm thee as they see fit. often thou art not matched with one man or with one beast, but with odds, that they may see thee overcome or torn. this is their delight concerning prisoners and malefactors which cost them little. they spare their dens of animals and their purchased gladiators that they may more cheaply see much blood. but there is worse than this among them, for they use the scourge upon us, and a man would rather die ten times than be made to feel the stroke of a whip, as if he were a slave." "if i were indeed lashed," growled ulric, "it were well for that man, even were he cæsar, not to come near me in after time if there were a blade within my reach. there might come a sure cast of a spear, and i throw far." "this scourging," said sigurd, "is to break the proud spirit of such as thou art. i think thine or mine would not be so destroyed, but rather a red fire kindled in ashes that would smolder for a time. but they know us well, these romans. a captive saxon is chained as an untameable wild beast until they push him out of his cage into the arena." "so slay we all romans!" exclaimed the jarl. "we will count them but wolves. but i will see many other cities if i may not go to rome. the wind changeth and i think a storm is upon us." soon fiercely howled around them an angry north wind, tossing the sea in great surges, but the trireme proved herself stanch and well behaved. she held on her way swiftly. often saw they the land, but after one night more sigurd called ulric to a bulwark, at the dawn, and he pointed first westerly. "seest thou," he said, "yonder high white cliffs? we are in the narrow sea between britain and gaul. we have been driven about too much and we have expended days. now we may drive southward and we may not meet other keels often. the britons of gaul are like those of the islands. they are not sea-goers, and they are all under the rule of cæsar." "we have no need to strike them," said the jarl. "they are not our errand. we will but sail on as we have planned. thou hast taught me many things. i thank thee." the day went by and _the sword_ drew near the land at times, but it was better to keep well away from an unknown coast. all the crew were pleased to discover how swiftly they might travel and how readily they might turn so large a vessel. "she will do well in battle," they said. as to the three banks of oars, the jarl angered some by his urgency in compelling all to practice their use, that they might become well skilled. "he is a hard master of a ship," said some. "do we not know what to do with oars?" the older men were better satisfied, and they also studied the handling of a trireme. the next day _the sword_ was not far out from the westerly shore of gaul and a thing came to ulric the jarl as he stood upon the after deck steering and watching the land. he was thinking deeply, also, concerning the gods, and he was remembering those persons whom he had left behind him in the northland which was now so far away. "what is this?" arose a sudden inquiry in his mind. "i am not alone! i think that one sitteth by me. i have felt the touch of her hand upon my hair, stroking it. there hath been no voice, but the hand is the hand of a woman and i know it well of old. i will wait and see if she will speak to me. i have hungered for speech with some whom i may not see. i think that of the unseen ones there must be a great multitude and that their land must be wide, but no man knoweth what it may be like. in it is the city of asgard. there is valhalla, and there dwell the heroes from innumerable battles. i shall not ever be fully contented until i hear the valkyrias call my name. but first i would have speech with one of these strange gods of the southlands. the grecians have many, and so have the romans. i have willed, also, to look upon the face of the god of the jews, for he is said to be a strong one and very beautiful. o thou that touchest, i pray thee touch me again." the wind went softly by him and there came a low whisper in his ear so that he heard it thus, as if it had been a voice: "son of odin, i have passed. have passed." more heard he not, nor did he see any, but at that hour there was a great silence in the house of brander in the northland. in her chair sat hilda, as she was wont, but she was very white, and her eyes were shut. around her stood the household, save that oswald, the harper, sat with his head bowed upon his harp. not many men were there, and the women and the maidens did but look at one another and at hilda, for they knew not whether she were living or dead, and they feared to put hands upon her. then opened she her eyes and her lips parted. "i have seen him," she said, "but the ship is not _the sword_. i have been as if i were asleep, but it was no dream. where my heart is there was i, and i will go to him again. now, when i sleep again, put ye my veil over my face. let me not fall from my chair, but place me upon my bier and make ready to carry me to the cleft of the rocks. if it may be, i will speak once more before i go." so went she to sleep and they covered her face, but now the women wailed loudly and all the men of the household were sent for to come to the hall. "hilda of the hundred winters hath seen the last outing of the ice," the women said, "and now the grass and the leaves have come. she goeth down to her own and she will see the gods." a litter was made and they bore her to her room, for she had given the older women instructions and they knew what to do in such a case. the household men came, but they did not stay in the house, for oswald spoke to them and they went out with him to the place of tombs. the low hill on which were the standing stones had a face of broken rock seaward. in the middle of this face leaned a tall, flat stone, a slab of limestone, which had been worked to smoothness on its outer side. upon this surface were many runes graven, in lines and columns, and some of them were like small pictures, and more were like letters of words that were to be read. the stone was exceedingly heavy, and strong men worked with wooden levers to lay it aside without injuring it. when that was done there could be seen a chasm, as if the rock had been cloven to make an entrance for any who would go in. at this the men looked, but as yet they kept their feet away from it. all over the northland there are such tombs as was this of the house of brander the brave, the sea king, and in them are the bones of the mighty. but in some, as in this, are not buried the heroes after whose names the tombs are called, for they fell upon far-away battlefields or in fights at sea, but at their tombs were made sacrifices to the gods, nevertheless, and the songs to the dead are to be sung there by their kindred. if any man have a hero son, to this place must he come to speak to his father and to the asas, or he will be accounted nidering and unfit to be a jarl and a leader of men. low had sunk the sun when a procession walked slowly away from the house of brander. the men of best rank and name were proud to be permitted to bear the bier of hilda, as if she had been a princess; for she was of the race of odin and she had talked with the gods for a hundred years. therefore, also, every man wore his full armor; but of the women there were some who carried goblets and pitchers which had been hilda's, of pottery and of bronze and of silver and of beaten gold. others there were who carried her best garments, rending them as they came. "she is not to be burned," said oswald. "she is to be laid in the inner crypt, with her feet toward the east. her coffin is of wood, and it was in her room, but i have brought it. let her be placed therein." it was a long box made of planks of the fir tree, and it was large enough. in it did they lay the body of hilda, taking it from the bier. then the strong men bore it into the cleft of the rocks, but not many were permitted to follow and see. three fathoms deep was the cleft, and then it widened, making a small room, and this could be seen well, for some of the men bore torches. there were other coffins, and there were bones and skulls uncovered at the sides and in the corners. there were stones also, set up in the form of coffins, and in them were bones and many good weapons, as if to each man had been given shield, ax, sword, spear, helmet, and mail, and vessels of pottery and of metal, with good garments. but the arms and armor were for the greater part marred, bent, broken, and the garments were rent. "speak not," said oswald, "but put down the coffin of hilda here. the runes on the rock beside it were graven by herself for the memory of brander the brave, for she loved him well." in the coffin were some things placed. upon it was laid a plank of fir. on this, then, and on the earth at the head were arranged all other matters brought by the women. every man walked out then except oswald, and he stood still and spoke to hilda, but she answered him not. again he spoke, calling her by name, and those without, in the cleft and beyond it, heard him, and they listened well, but they heard no other voice than his. "hilda!" he said again. "hilda of the hundred winters, daughter of odin, what sayest thou to oswald, thy friend?" they heard no answer, but oswald came forth and bade them place the stone. "set it well," he said, "for it will not be moved again. the house of brander is ended. there will be no other who will have the right to be buried behind the stone." none answered him, but the women whispered sadly to one another: "what of ulric the jarl?" the men followed oswald to the house, for a feast had been prepared in honor of the daughter of odin, and the tables were set. other harpers had come, with chiefs and men of rank, but no other harp might sound until after that of oswald. the central fire had gone out, but he had bidden them leave the ash heap. it was high and gray, and he sat down by it, bringing his harp nearer. all who were there had heard him often, but never before, they said, had they heard him touch his harp as he did now. the music was wonderful, and with it arose his voice in marvelous power, for he sang of heroes, and of gods, and of the unseen lands where the gods live. also, before he ceased, he sang of ulric the jarl and of the ship _the sword_, as if even now he could see her going into battle and hear the warhorn of the son of brander. so was the passing of hilda of the hundred years. chapter xiv. the jew and the greek. "o jarl," said sigurd, the son of thorolf, "many days have passed since we entered this sea. thou hast pleased thy crew by landings at harbors. they have also smitten quiet people against thy will, and uselessly. they are hard to govern." "the thirst of blood cometh upon them," said the jarl. "i would not slay any without good need. what knowest thou of this place where we are?" "it is the gate of the world, o jarl," said sigurd. "we have passed all spain and much too long time have we been in our voyaging. this great cliff upon the spanish shore is the rock i named to thee at the beginning. southward, across this narrow strait, is africa. the romans name this rock the pillars of hercules. he is of their old heroes, a strong one, a half god. not as thor or odin. he is of the giants." many more things said sigurd, and the vikings thronged around to hear. of the older men, also, were many who knew this place and who had words to speak. the younger men were exultant and their speech was boisterous; but the face of the jarl grew harder as he heard them, for they had offended him often by their deeds in gaul and on the coast of spain, and by their cruelties to peaceable merchant sailors whose keels _the sword_ had overtaken. "i am made a pirate against my will," he had said of these things. "the greatest of the sea kings are not so, for they have many friends and tributaries among the peoples and islands of the middle sea." nevertheless, he now spoke loudly to all. "beyond this cape," he said, "is the middle sea, which was from the first the destination of our voyage. glad am i to have come so far out into the world. from this place onward we are as men who sail into a battle. so will every man bind himself to his obedience, lest his neck shall feel a seax." this was the law of the northmen upon the sea, and none might complain; but the jarl's hand was upon his sword hilt, and some of the men turned to look at each other for a moment. very smooth was the water, for there was no wind. the air was soft and warm. only one bank of the oars propelled _the sword_. she was now in no haste, and all who were on board of her felt their hearts beat with rejoicing. to most of them this was their first long war cruise, and all things were new, so that they watched eagerly for that which might be next to come. "o jarl," said tostig the red, "beyond all doubt we shall soon see triremes of the romans. will they not at once inquire concerning us? wilt thou avoid such a keel or wilt thou hasten into a battle?" "i have considered well," said the jarl. "of a merchantman we may exact tribute, but we need not always destroy. it is not the way of sea kings. prisoners we take not any. a warship of cæsar we must strike in her middle, without warning, that she may go down speedily and that too wide a report of our coming may not be given to those who would pursue us with a fleet. i know not, after such delays, that we are the first of the vikings this year in the middle sea." "o jarl," said knud the bear, "care not for that overmuch. we will but go the farther into the sea. i am with thee in thy saying that we must sail to the eastern shore of all these waters." the jarl lifted his war horn and blew long and loudly and his face grew brighter. "to asgard!" he shouted. "to the city of the gods! and we will smite the romans." shield clashed on shield. horn after horn was blown. the vikings shouted joyously and sigurd the son of thorolf lifted his great voice in a song of war. "easterly!" commanded ulric to him who was steering _the sword_. "the gods of the northland are with us and our voyage hath been well prospered." on floated the good ship, but she seemed to be sailing over a sea of peace, so quiet and so beautiful were both sky and water. an hour went by, and now ulric, sitting on the fore deck, sprang suddenly to his feet, for there came a shout down from wulf the skater above the sail upon the foremast: "o jarl! a sail! eastward. and no other sail is with her." "she is our prize!" shouted the jarl. "we may not fail of taking the first keel that we meet, whatever she may be. a man to every oar! but let those who hold the spears put on roman helmets speedily. open the sheaves of arrows. bring out spears in abundance." other commands he gave, and there was no discontented man on board; none who was not willing to do the bidding of his jarl in battle. then were they glad to be led by a son of odin; and a hard ruler in a quiet time may be the captain men seek after if an enemy is nearing. the jarl bade the rowers to row, but steadily, not wasting their strength, while the roman helmets were brought out from the stores of _the sword_, and the vikings laughed merrily at each other in this strange disguising. very soon they were near enough to learn the kind and the action of this keel which they were to contend with. she was not now attempting to either come or go, but she was drifting along over the calm water with her sails flapping lazily against her mast. the vikings might see, however, that her decks were full of armed men, and that she was a larger vessel than had ever been seen in the seas of the north. vast was her length and breadth, and she carried five banks of oars instead of three, for this was one of the new quinqueremes which cæsar had builded for the conveyance of his legions. she was planned, therefore, more for carrying than for speed, although her weight and force might be terrible to crash against another vessel. she was high above the water, like a tower that would be difficult to scale. she had two masts, and on these were bulwarked platforms for archers and slingers. she was as much more than a match for ulric's keel as had this been for _the sword_, the first, the low-built ship with which he had sailed from the northland behind the outing ice, only that the quinquereme was less readily to be turned about. the officer in command of the roman warship knew no fear of any foe afloat, so sure was he of the superior strength of his vessel, and now he could have no suspicion that an enemy of rome had come in at this time of the year through the gates of hercules. he came to the after deck of the quinquereme when his outlooks called him, and his answer to them was haughty. "why did ye disturb me?" he asked. "it is but one of the triremes of licinius coming back with tidings for cæsar. we may hail her, in her passing, but we may not hinder her. cæsar is careful of the bearers of his messages. men die early who meddle with that which doth not concern them." no change was made, therefore, in the handling of the quinquereme. the rowers sat idly at their places, ready for any orders which might come, but allowing their oars, longer and shorter, to hang in the water, or to rest hauled inboard. now there came wind enough to fill the sail, and she slipped along better, while the sailing master came and stood by the haughty centurion. "they are in haste," he said. "they row swiftly." "well they may," replied the officer, "whether licinius hath had good fortune or whether the fates have been against him. i would not be sent to britain. too many have gone to ruin on that island." "it is a bad place," said the seaman, "and all those seas are full of saxons. they are fierce barbarians, but they make good gladiators. i would crucify them all." "never spare thou a saxon," said the centurion. "they are food for the sword. slay every one thou findest on land or sea. mars be my witness, i will spare not one." for life or for death, therefore, was the swift coming of _the sword_. the saxons must overcome the quinquereme, or escape her in some manner, or they must die without mercy, and this they knew well. "a strong force on board of her," said the centurion, as _the sword_ drew nearer. "but i see no standard save an eagle on the fore deck. she hath no officers of rank, and that is strange. i will hail her. sound thou thy trumpet, trumpeter!" loudly rang out the trumpet call, and it was answered by a trumpet from _the sword_. but here too was a mystery. the viking who blew was better used to his war horn, and he knew not that instead of a peaceful greeting he had sounded the notes that bid a roman legion close with an enemy, to win or die. the centurion sprang to his feet, for he had been seated. "rowers!" he shouted, "to your places! here is a strange matter! there is evil tidings!" other swift orders followed, and every legionary on board the quinquereme was at his post, for the romans are not easily to be taken by surprise because of their strict discipline and their rule for perpetual readiness by day or night. "she is a smaller craft than ours," said the sailing master, "but she is a good one. i know her well, and her sign is minerva. who now commandeth her i know not." in that she was so well known as one of the triremes of the roman fleet in british waters was now a gift of the gods to _the sword_ and to the saxons. not the centurion nor his officers nor any seaman or legionary on board the quinquereme had any thought or suspicion of that which was to come. onward flashed the swift, strong vessel, the oars of the northmen biting well the sparkling sea. fiercely rang the roman trumpet, warning them to change their course lest there should be a collision. hoarse were the angry shouts of the astonished centurion, but vain were his too-long delayed orders to his rowers and his steersman. on the fore deck of _the sword_ stood now a tall shape, wearing indeed the helmet of a roman, but putting to his lips a war horn of the north. beside him stood what seemed a giant brandishing a spear. the blast was sounded and then sped the spear. a hundred more were hurled from _the sword_ at the romans on the decks of the quinquereme. the viking rowers pulled with their might. crash! with a breaking of timbers, a braying of horns, a chorus of mocking war cries, the quinquereme was smitten amidships with a force which threw her legionaries prostrate and sent her rowers from their oars. the centurion was pierced by the spear of sigurd. the steersman fell by a heavy pebble cast by knud the bear. the sailing master went down twice smitten. up to the masthead of _the sword_ shot the white horse flag of the saxons, and the good ship sprang backward with a great rebound, helped quickly by the rowers. "we have stricken her!" shouted ulric. "the sea poureth into her. back! strike not again! it is enough!" as the lightning from a clear sky, so was the deathblow given to the pride and strength of the quinquereme. as a warrior stabbed to the heart was she as she leaned over, and as the fatal blue tide poured in through the deep wound in her side. there was no stanching it. there was no hope. they who had purposed to slay all saxons were themselves to die. on the decks and at the bulwarks, amazed, confounded, the roman soldiers and sailors stood and gazed in silence at their utterly mysterious destroyer. here was a riddle of the fates and furies which none might read. they knew not even the flag of this strange pirate keel. they only knew that they were going down. on the stern of the quinquereme stood three men who were not in armor. they were bearded men and they wore turbans, and they spoke to each other in another tongue than the latin. "we may escape," one of them said. "the god of israel hath heard. we are not to be crucified. let us plunge in and go to yonder ship from tarshish. ben ezra, what sayest thou?" "follow me," said ben ezra, "ere this accursed quinquereme goeth down bearing us with it. on this side, while the romans are gazing. take each two short oars. we have somewhat to bear with us. get beyond a spear cast as soon as we may." he was a short man, and old, but his eyes were bright and he seemed a brave one. his two companions were youths. into the water they slipped silently, as he had said, and they swam well, partly upheld by the pieces of wood. _the sword_ was not receding, but her rowers were pulling easily as wulf the skater steered her around and past the quinquereme. no more spears were thrown nor did any arrows fly, but there was a sounding of war horns. brave must have been the trumpeter of the legionaries, for he lifted his trumpet and answered defiantly, even while the water rushed in through the fatal gap in the wooden wall of his sinking vessel. "we shall have no prisoners," said knud the bear. "i would i knew if they had taken any. what if captured saxons were on board of her?" "not at this season of the year," said sigurd. "but what are those? look yonder! the romans wear no turbans. o jarl." "bid them on board!" shouted ulric. "i would question them. throw them a rope!" it was a long thong of twisted hide that was cast out toward ben ezra and his companions, but it came too late. in a moment their escape had been seen by the legionaries. they were true to their soldier discipline. they themselves must die, but it was their duty to prevent the departure from the quinquereme of any prisoners. such as attempted it must be slain. so the pila flew fast and even arrows were sent. "ben ezra, i am smitten!" gasped one of the younger swimmers. "thou?" groaned ben ezra; but in an instant more, he added: "o god of hosts! my son also! my only son! my benjamin!" "father!" cried out the second youth, in agony, "the spear of the heathen! i die! i die!" "my son!" again mourned ben ezra. "i care not to live! let me perish with thee!" nevertheless, he had grasped the thong of twisted hide and the instinct of self-preservation was strong enough to make him cling to it. moreover, he had taken three of the short oars, instead of only two, and on these he was buoying up what seemed a small casket of wood. he was doing so with difficulty, and now he exclaimed: "the jewels! the gold! i must not lose them. they are priceless. the centurion knoweth not that i have them. not only mine are here, but the prætor's also. o jehovah of hosts! thou hast smitten the heathen! that spear fell short. ha!" a pilum struck the oars and ben ezra struggled hard for his treasure, but he succeeded in retaining it. down sank the two who had been stricken, and in a moment more a strong hand of a viking grasped the old man by the shoulder. "courage! thou art safe!" he shouted. "this first!" said ben ezra, trying to hand him the casket. "it is worth their quinquereme! ye are northmen. i am a jew of salonica. the roman robbers plundered my ship unlawfully, and me they meant to crucify, the better to claim my goods. help me in. i am faint. o my son!" they pulled him up over the bulwark with some difficulty, but he spoke not nor did he seem to see anything until he was sure that his casket was in the hands of ulric the jarl. "open it not now, o captain of the saxons," said ben ezra. "i have much to say to thee. when yonder roman keel goeth down i am no longer in peril, for i have kept the law. but the prætor sergius of spain and the commanders of the fleet rob whomsoever they will. praise god, she sinketh fast!" it was even so. the quinquereme was settling in the water and her crew could cast spears no more. they did but stand still and gaze at the sea and at their strange enemy, but some of them even now called loudly upon their gods, as if there could be any help from them. she was a splendid vessel, and her figurehead was a gilded neptune with a trident which looked as if it might be of gold. rich indeed were her carvings and the very handles of her oars were graven and gilded. she was high at prow and stern, a castle of the sea, and the wonder was that she had been cloven at a blow. a lighter vessel with a ram less sharp would perhaps have rebounded without doing serious harm, but the beak of _the sword_ was like a vast spearhead and it had been driven hard by the strong arms of the saxons and by the weight of the trireme. the middle parts of the foundering ship could no longer be occupied, and the ill-fortuned men who were to perish were now crowded densely fore and aft. even now, however, the legionaries preserved their discipline, and they slew some of the hired rowers who pressed them in too disorderly a manner. these were deaths which were but somewhat hastened, yet military order was restored thereby, for the rowers feared the strokes of the pila and the broadswords. "they go!" muttered ben ezra. "so perish all who afflict the chosen people. rome will yet fall before the sword of judah and the spear of israel. jehovah standeth for his elect. he will have vengeance upon the heathen. he will smite through kings in the day of his wrath." "o ulric the jarl," said sigurd, "thou mayest trust the jew. he hateth rome as we do." then came ulric nearer, still watching the quinquereme, but he spoke words to ben ezra in a tongue that those who stood by understood not. "father abraham!" exclaimed the old man, "where didst thou learn hebrew? i like thee well for this. after yonder quinquereme goeth down thou hast cause to consult with me. there are matters thou knowest not." "odin!" exclaimed ulric. "watch! she is pitching forward! they are falling!" in a mass together, as the decks slanted, plunged the overcrowded romans. it was of no avail to struggle or to thrust with sharp weapons. angrily, loudly, in his last desperate valor, blew the trumpeter his final defiance, but as the blast ended the prow of the quinquereme went madly under, lifting the stern out of water for a moment. then went up a great cry and quickly naught could be seen save a few heads of swimmers dotting the blue water. the helmets disappeared first because of the weight of armor, but the saxons cast no spears at any who remained, and some who were bareheaded seemed to be swimming well. "he hath golden hair," said sigurd, pointing at one of these. "he is no roman. i will call to him in greek--" "bid him come," said ulric, "if so be he is not a roman. he may live." sigurd sent to the swimmer a few words in a smoothly sounding tongue, and the golden-haired youth struck out for the trireme, but he was followed by twain who were dark and who cursed him in latin. well for him that he was the better swimmer, for they strove to grapple him that he might die with them. he might not even then have fully escaped but that ulric knew their meaning and said to tostig the red: "i have no spear! smite those two romans and save the greek." not one spear but twenty sped in answer to that command, and the youth came nearer alone, for there were none to follow him. "he was a rower," said ben ezra. "he is a slave of the centurion. he is from corinth. it is perilous to spare him, lest he might tell of this thy doing." "what harm?" asked ulric. "can the romans do more than destroy? i will myself tell them that this is the third of their warships that i have taken from them." "thou sailest in one," replied ben ezra, glancing around him. "thou and thine are men of valor. but the like of this hath never before been seen. a saxon crew in a roman trireme fighting the ships of cæsar! mayest thou have a fleet and smite them in the tiber itself! now sail thou on, for there is another quinquereme and she may not be far away. avoid her, lest thou fall into a snare of presumption." "not i," laughed ulric. "we have done enough this day. come thou and talk with me, and then i will have speech with the greek." the young corinthian was now aft among the men, and sigurd was talking freely with him. there were others of the older vikings who had learned words of the grecian tongue, and they, too, were both speaking and hearing. into a cabin under the fore deck went ulric and ben ezra, and there they were alone, for none was permitted to follow them. chapter xv. the storm in the middle sea. wide but not high was the space which was inclosed under the fore deck of the trireme _the sword_. beneath its floor was much room for stowage. the other decks, also, had under them good cabins, suited to many purposes. the decking amidships, whereon tier above tier were made the seats and standing places of the rowers, had openings covered by hatches. down through these, by ladders, might be entered a great hollow, and this was for cargo and for sleeping room. very different was all this from the planning of any vessels which hitherto had been builded in the northland. in the cabins under the fore deck were bunks for sailors and soldiers, but all the garnishing was plain. here, also, there were stores of weapons, with boxes and bales of merchandise. the cabins under the after deck were divided and garnished for the uses of officers and men of rank who might at any time be on board. it was not long after the sinking of the quinquereme that the jarl and the jew, ben ezra, stood face to face in a small room under the fore deck. steadily looked ulric into the face of the jew. "he is old, but he is not aged," was his thought concerning this man. "he is tall and broad and strong and heavily bearded. his face proveth for him high intelligence, but it hath deep marks which one may read. i think him a subtle man and a keeper of secrets. he is a man of rank among his own people, for common men are not as he is. i am glad of him." "o jarl of the saxons," said ben ezra, "i have blessed thee in my soul, by jehovah my god, that thou hast utterly smitten to death these romans. thou didst wisely not to spare any, as they would not have spared thee or thine. thou mayest be sure that if so much as one of them were on board thy ship, he were a danger. i will tell thee of myself." "say on," said ulric, "but speak truly, that it may be well with thee." "leader of men," said ben ezra, "my life hangeth upon thy life. i am one with thee. i do but take care for myself in that i am truthful. i was informed against in spain to the prætor because i was rich. i was seized, but i and my son and a jewish youth, the son of a rabbi, escaped from our destroyers. my ship was ready laden and we sailed in the night. the quinquereme was faster and she overtook us. all were slain but we three, for they were overfull with rowers and soldiers and cared not for more slaves. even to have escaped the prætor was to be doomed to crucifixion; but they had not yet scourged us, waiting an opportunity. o my son! my son! that he might have been spared! for they have slain his mother and his brethren. he was my benjamin! my youngest son! the joy of my heart!" "he was slain by a spear," said ulric, to comfort him. "he died not on a bed, that thou shouldst mourn so much for him. thy god hath done well by thee. i saw him swimming bravely till the pilum struck him." "and the youth, the son of the rabbi joseph, of jerusalem!" groaned ben ezra. "what shall i say to his father? a fair boy and well favored! they are merciless, for he had done them no wrong." "little careth a roman for that," growled ulric. "who is this greek?" "he was a bondslave of the centurion of the band of legionaries on the quinquereme," said ben ezra. "his father was a rich man in corinth, but the proconsul lusted after his goods and he was accused. he was but slain, not crucified, but his older sons went to the arena to feed lions, and this lysias, for his youth and beauty, was kept alive, if a man be indeed living who is slave to a roman. thou mayest trust him that he hated his master." "for what part didst thou intend to sail," asked ulric; "seeing the romans could have found thee anywhere on the earth?" "not so," replied ben ezra. "i were safe if once i were in judea or galilee." "and where are they?" asked ulric. "at the eastern shore of this sea, as thou shouldst know," said ben ezra, "is the land of my people. in it are many cities and mountains, and its provinces are under different governors. he who is threatened by one needs but to flee to another if he can take a gift with him. i have a gift for thee wherewith thou couldst buy a consul, if so be he had no opportunity to rob thee. my goods, all but one casket, went down with the quinquereme. in that casket are gems of my own--" "i want them not," said ulric. "they are not my prizes. i struck no blow for them. keep thou that which is thine own. i am a saxon, not a pirate." "thou art a sea king," replied ben ezra. "i have had many dealings with such as thou art. they are not like other men, for they keep faith with strangers. but this, also, i tell thee: as the roman ship began to fill the centurion went mad, it seemed, for he took from his crypt in his cabin his own jewels and some that the prætor would have sent to cæsar to buy a pardon for some of his offenses. these, also, went into my casket, and he placed it on the deck and by it a small bag of gold. with aid of three oars for floats and with strong swimming i rescued all, and here they are. even the centurion knew not their value." "i know what gold coins are," said ulric, as the bag was opened before him. "oswald the harper taught me concerning money. are these thine?" "nay," said ben ezra, "they are thine, for they belonged to the centurion. of the stones i will show thee. that sardonyx is mine. it was graven in egypt, and on it are words of the wisdom of the priests of isis." "runes like hilda's!" exclaimed ulric, gazing earnestly upon the characters which blended with the varying tints of the beautifully polished stone. "canst thou read them?" "not so," said ben ezra, "but this sardius, also, is mine. it is a stone of the temple of jehovah at jerusalem, and on it is his most holy name. touch it not, for thou art of the heathen." "what have i to do," asked ulric, "with a matter belonging to your god? i have thought that i would like to see him some day. i am sailing to find the city of the gods. he will be there, perhaps, among them." "he is a great king above all gods," said ben ezra, reverently, but his eyes were dwelling upon the glowing, blood-red tint of the inestimable gem which bore the holy name. "odin!" exclaimed ulric. "i think your god would be on good terms with the gods of the north, for i have heard well of him. thou mayest tell me more about him some day. but now thou mayest tie up thy gems and give me mine. i have the ship to command, and i care not overmuch for stones." "my sardius alone is worth thy trireme," said ben ezra, frankly. "keep thou thy treasure carefully and a day may come when it will be of use to thee. divide not with thy men. give them other matters." ulric laughed loudly as he responded: "good faith is kept among us, o jew, but my vikings are welcome to all i possess. the ship itself is theirs, if i am slain, and they will carry to my own house anything that belongs to me. we are not thieves, like the men of the southlands." ben ezra looked into his face and said: "verily thou art my friend! i have not met any like unto thee. i would thou mayest go with me to the city of my god, to jerusalem. there is his temple and it is the wonder of the earth." "so have i heard," said ulric, joyously. "i think i will go and see. but whither shall i steer at this hour?" "toward the coast of africa," said ben ezra. "thither was i sailing. there are old harbors there for which the romans take no care. in them are pirate peoples, foes of rome, ancient carthaginians, egyptians, libyans; but thou wilt be friends with them." "_the sword_ will sail for africa," said ulric; "but as for pirates, we will see to that matter." "verily there is none like thee!" exclaimed the jew. "thou art like saul, the son of kish!" into a small sack of deerskin did ulric put his jewels, looking at them one by one and admiring their great beauty. "never saw i such before," he said. "they are such as kings wear in the southlands. i think the gods must have many of them. these white ones are pearls, and they are lustrous. the green stones are emeralds." "they are of great value," said ben ezra. "especially that large, flat-faced one. it is engraven with the sign of the sun, and it came therefore from persia. thy pearls are from the east, and they are wonderful, but some of mine are as large." "i will keep the gold in my belt pouch," said ulric, "and thou shalt teach me to pay with it." "thou shalt not be cheated," said ben ezra. then he took his closed casket with him and walked to the after cabin, for in that was to be his abiding place, and he said that he would mourn there for his son. "southward!" shouted ulric to the viking at the rudder of the trireme. "we have done well this day, and the night cometh." a wind had arisen and the sails were full, but the men did not seem to be idle. they busied themselves with the tackle and with the stowing of the ship, but every now and then each one would step out on deck or lean over a bulwark to look long and earnestly across the sparkling sea. "this water is very blue," said tostig the red, "and so is the sky. o knud, thou hast put away thy bearskins." "aye," said knud, "but how canst thou bear thy mail in such a heat as this? i found this jacket of silk in the after cabin. it is cool and it is fine." "red as blood it is," said tostig, "but it would not keep out an arrow. thou dost never care much for armor." "a shield is enough," replied knud, "and i can catch arrows on my seax. i would not be overweighted. i trust the gods will soon send us another fight. i would get hand to hand with some good fighter. there is more pleasure in killing with steel than with the prow of a ship." the jarl gave orders concerning many things, and then he spoke to lysias the greek. the youth had seated himself in a hollow place between two oar benches and his face was in his hands, for he was weeping. "not often do men weep in the northland," said ulric, sternly. "i have heard that the greeks are brave. why mournest thou? hast thou not had good vengeance upon the romans this day? not one of them escaped. thou shouldst rather be rejoicing." "alas! alas!" murmured the beautiful youth. "corinth! my sapphira! i shall never see her again!" "she was thy love?" said ulric, softening somewhat. "i never had a love save hilda, the saga woman, and she was a hundred years old. i loved her well. where is thy sapphira?" "she was more lovely than a dream!" said lysias, looking up through his tears. "her father was licander, the astrologer, and she was like a star. he knew the heavens and the stars in their courses, and he read their signs. but he foretold to the romans their parthian defeat and they slew him for his bad augury. of his kindred they left not one, and sapphira they sold for a slave to pontius pilatus, the procurator of judea. i care not to live, for i have been scourged and i have lost my love." even as he spoke he threw off a light robe of linen which had covered him, and ulric saw the half-healed, festering lines of the roman scourge all over the flesh of lysias. "thou mayest well weep for that!" exclaimed ulric, "if thou art the son of a free warrior." "i did stab three in spain," said lysias, "and i had plotted to sink the quinquereme, for she had a bad leak which might be opened." "get thou up!" said ulric. "i will gird thee with a sword and give thee a shield and spear. when thy scourgings are healed thou shalt have mail. thou art strong." "i have won foot races," said lysias, rising, "and i can ride any wild horse. i am a bowman and i can cast the javelin far and truly." "be more contented, then," said ulric. "i will give thee chances to strike romans. there is no need for thee to mourn." "thou knowest not love," said lysias; "but i thank thee, and i would have weapons." "come with me," said ulric, and they went together to the after cabin. there were doors by which this might be closed, but one of these was open and they went in. then it could be seen that this cabin space, which was large, was divided into four apartments by strong wooden walls, each having a door and a window, and in the windows were small sheets of glass to let in light and keep out the sea. this first room where they now were had been the place prepared for some person of high rank to occupy, an officer in command of the ship or a high passenger. it was finished in carved wood, with hangings of silk and linen of many colors and of fine needlework. here, also, were lamps that hung in cressets, and there were fixed tables and soft couches and many fair weapons and pieces of splendid armor. none of these had the jarl worn as yet save a helmet and a rare coat of linked mail richly gilded. now he selected a good belt, with a sheath and sword, and a long sheathed dagger. "throw off thy robe," he said to lysias. "put on this tunic and the sandals. belt thee with these." so the youth did, and it could be seen that his shape was not only comely, but molded for great vigor. the muscles stood out upon his arms and shoulders and ulric himself was but a head the taller. "these will soon heal," said ulric, examining the lash cuts. "oil them well. i will aid thee. they are now not deep. thou art a good swimmer. i noted thee in the water. here are thy shield and spear." "they are greek, not roman," said lysias. "i am glad of that. i want a bow and arrows." "a quiver and a bow are here," said ulric. "but the arrows are long and so is the bow. see if thou canst bend and string it." "that can i?" exclaimed lysias, seizing the bow. "it is from sparta, for only the lacedemonians make them of this length. the parthian bows are shorter, for horsemen, but only a parthian can bend them--or such as i. we are of the ancient corinthian archers, and there were none better on earth." he was bending the strong wood as he talked, and ulric saw that he did so and put on the string of twisted silk with ease. then took he an arrow from the quiver and drew it to the head. "thou art the captain," he said. "thy men call thee the jarl and say thou art of the sons of their gods. canst thou send this arrow farther than i can?" "i will handle thy bow," said ulric. he, too, unstrung and strung it and drew the arrow to the head, but he said, thoughtfully: "thou of the greeks, i understand thy saying concerning skill. i am many times stronger than thou art, and yet i think thee the better bowman. i will call on thee if i would have a sure arrow sent." lysias lifted the spear, which was a fathom long, and light, but he looked around the room and found more of the same pattern and made a bundle of them. "they are well made," he said, "and their points are of good steel. i once threw one like these through the heart of a man from athens. he was an enemy of my father. i met him on the seashore and i was quicker than he in casting. he should have worn a thicker breastplate. "hah!" laughed ulric. "i am a spearman, but i prefer the north spear and the pilum." "i like them," said lysias, "but i know one man that can outthrow thee. he is a roman knight named pontius, and they call him the spearman. he is the procurator i told thee of. i would i might live until i can kill him. he liveth now in jerusalem." "thither go i!" exclaimed ulric. "i have promised ben ezra that i will take him to his own, and i must go to that city and see the temple. i have it in mind that i may see his god. they say he is a good god and a great fighter like thor." "i have heard much of him," said lysias, "but he is more like jupiter. if thou wilt land at the island paphos, i will show thee his statue and thou canst see what he is like. we shall hear his voice thunder if i read this weather rightly." "then he is thor!" said ulric, turning to the door. "come! i know not the weather signs of this sea." out they went and lysias glanced around the sky. his face was brighter now and he stepped firmly like a warrior. "o jarl," he shouted, "i am a seaman also. take down thy sails quickly! put out a bank of oars. bid thy steersman keep the head of thy keel southward, for from thence cometh a tempest. the sky will darken rapidly." "the greek is right!" shouted sigurd. "i had forgotten the sign of such a storm, but i call it to mind. it is a strong one." down came the sails, out went the oars, and the thick haze on the water southerly, which had been sunlit and fair to look upon, shot up toward the middle heaven, blackening as it went. "o jarl," said wulf the skater, "thank the gods! we are to see a kind of storm that we do not have in our own seas." "fine storms come to us in midsummer," said ulric, "and they roar well in the fiords. will the anger of thor be louder here? the greek saith that his jupiter can thunder, and the jew told me that his jehovah is also a thunderer. are they of kin? they who speak the same tongue are of one house." the greek was now standing by the anvil and hammer on the fore deck. "the sign of this ship was minerva," he muttered, "but the saxons have given it to vulcan. if yonder cloud is indeed of the wind from the african desert we may yet wish that neptune were our steersman. but what care i for the gods? they were never yet of any use to me. my father made many sacrifices, but the romans slew him." there now were sails in sight, but these were fast furling. most of them were small, but one, at the greater distance, had seemed much wider than the rest. "i have been watching her," said sigurd to ulric, speaking of this craft. "i am not young, but my eyes are the eyes of a falcon. now that her sail is down her oars are out and she steereth toward us. the storm will give her oarsmen enough to do." "but we must watch her," said ulric. "even a merchantman might seek our company, but she may be a warship." "so may some of these lesser keels be of the pirates of these coasts," said sigurd. "they are many, and we do well if we smite them, for often they are good captures." "here cometh the wind!" shouted knud the bear, exultingly. "the foam flyeth!" first came a sheeted flash of the blinding lightning, and after that closely followed a deep-throated reverberant peal of thunder. "the voice of jah!" muttered ben ezra. "he hath spoken from his high place." "jupiter the thunderer!" exclaimed lysias, still standing by the hammer of thor as if for protection. "i fear him only at such hours as this; but he is a god of the romans and i am a greek. evil are all gods or i should not have lost my sapphira. evil are they and wicked, and they hate men, for they destroy us. there is no man but must die, and if the gods were good, we might live. but these saxons are brave seamen!" little cared they for storms, these sons of the sea kings. they shouted and they sang as if they were in a battle, while the waves grew mad and boiled frothing around the high wooden walls of _the sword_. her head was kept toward the wind and she rode the billows like a vast waterfowl, for the roman shipbuilders were well skilled. less easy must have been the course of a keel that strove to cross the surges with her side to the wind, and it now could be seen that the large stranger was laboring and that now and then waves broke over her. "she bringeth small peril to us," said the jarl. "we will row with but one bank of oars. let their rowers weary themselves with three. the trumpeter on her fore deck soundeth a signal." "of what good," laughed wulf the skater, "is the blowing of a horn in such a gale as this?" "he sendeth us a signal to heave to and wait for them," said sigurd. "what sayest thou concerning this fellow, o jew?" "i think her one of the cruisers sent out by the proconsul of spain," replied ben ezra. "they are all weaker vessels than this, but they are swift. they protect merchantmen from the african pirates to rob all for the proconsul." the air grew darker, denser, and the salt spray flew into all faces, but the jarl stood upon the after deck and blew upon his war horn a blast louder than that of the roman trumpet. "thy horn be exalted!" shouted ben ezra. "it is as the horn of a king! may jehovah of hosts be with thee, thou mighty man of valor! sound again! let these heathen know that we fear them not." "but for the storm we might strike them," growled sigurd. "it is ill to let such a prey go by us." now was there also a change in the appearance of ben ezra. he stood by the jarl as erect as a pine tree. from the stores of _the sword_ he had provided himself with arms and armor of the best, by permission of ulric. the visor of his brazen helmet was open and it might be seen that his dark face glowed like youth as he gazed angrily at the enemy. "he is a warrior!" exclaimed tostig the red. "i like him well. i think he might strike a good blow with that long crooked sword which he hath found. i saw it, but i preferred a straight blade. the shield lifteth lightly in his hand and his mail coat fitteth him. he hath put brazen guarders upon his arms and legs. a small man should avoid such as he in the press of battle." so said others of the vikings, but they were watching more closely the roman keel. the trumpeter sounded several times and as often did they send back defiances from their war horns. "o jarl," said lysias, "this is the storm which cometh from the african desert. it is not like any other. not only is there much thunder and terrible lightning and strong wind, but i have felt sharp sand upon my face. it will blow long and hard, and the waves will not go down, but there will be no more rain. the sky is clearing." "thou knowest the storms of thine own sea," said knud the bear; "but are we far from land?" "no man knoweth that," said lysias; "but here cometh the roman, like a fool. i would thy jarl might strike him. o jarl, may i use the bow?" "when thou canst," said ulric, "but the distance is yet too great." like fierce and angry music rang out the laugh of the greek, but his arrow was on the string and he raised the bow. _the sword_ sank heavily into the trough of a sea wave and the roman keel was lifted high upon a surge, just as a long, vivid sheet of lightning seemed to bring her nearer by its brightness. her steersman was a giant, unarmored, straining hard at her tiller and bracing himself. at him was ulric looking when suddenly he threw up his hands, letting the tiller go, and the feathered shaft of the young greek's long arrow quivered against his naked bosom. "odin! well shot!" shouted ulric, but the bowstring twanged again and another roman fell upon the deck beside the dead steersman. left to itself and to the will of the wind and the waves, around swung the keel of the romans, while a great surge poured over her bulwarks and her rowers were hurled from their seats. wild was their shouting and another surge poured in. "strike her not!" said sigurd. "be thou prudent with thine own keel, lest thou shouldst be in some manner disabled. let the greek send his arrows, but steer upon thy course." ulric so ordered, but shaft after shaft did lysias send, not all of them hitting, but not all failing of a mark. other war horns than that of ulric were sounding and other bows were also quickly plying. "i think," said tostig the red, "that we have no better bowman than this greek. he will be a good help in a sea fight. i like well to see his long arrows go so straight to their places. then the mark goeth down and it is time to laugh." the roman rowers were toiling hard to recover control of their vessel, but the saxons knew little of the astonishment and dismay that reigned on board of her. her crew had not thought of an open enemy at the first. they had deemed _the sword_ a friend until the sounding of the jarl's war horn. even then they had expected no resistance, at least no attack, until their steersman fell and a man of rank near him was pierced by an arrow. better than a sailing vessel can a rowed keel turn her head to the waves, however, and before long the romans were once more striving to overtake the saxons. chapter xvi. the dead god in africa. clouds without rain swept fast across the sky and the waves followed _the sword_ as if they willed to overwhelm her. well was it that her stern was so high and that she was strongly builded. it had seemed, also, that no sea harm had befallen her pursuer, but now the darkness deepened and the watchers on _the sword_ could no longer discern the roman. "o jarl," said sigurd, "it is a time for prudence. this flying sand telleth of some shore, i think, at no great distance." "it might be carried far by such a wind," said ulric. "but ben ezra told me of great cities in africa which have been buried by the sand blown from the inner deserts." "what further counsel hath he?" asked sigurd. "answer him, thou," said the jarl to ben ezra. "o warrior of the saxons," said the jew, "thou sayest that thou hast sailed these seas aforetime. thou mayest know that the presence of one roman trireme portendeth the speedy gathering of a fleet. it were well to destroy this one if she cometh near us again. but we have now escaped her pursuing. let her watchers not see this ship again. i would advise that we now go eastward by the stars, for we may note them at times through the rifts in the clouds." "i will so order," said the jarl. "i were not wise to risk harming my own keel by a battle among these high waves. it is a peril to a ship to be dashed against even one heavy timber where the aim cannot be made certain. moreover, we have been long at sea and it were well to seek a harbor." ben ezra said no more, now that his counsel was approved. the head of _the sword_ was turned eastward and all the oars were plying. neither was the wind now so much against her, but the waves were still tumultuous. fast waned the night, growing darker as it passed, and the jarl himself remained at the helm. "i go onward into an unknown sea," he thought. "who may tell what may be before me? dawn cometh. there is gray light. o watcher!" answered him then not a saxon, but the deep voice of ben ezra from the foremast. "o jarl! a fire! hold! we near a land!" "cease rowing, all!" shouted ulric. "o jew, look again. what seest thou?" "only a dim fire, far in the southward. it is a guide for us, but we may seek it cautiously. the wind goeth down." "it is so," said knud the bear. "it was a hot wind, and this air is cooler. i thought we were sailing into a furnace." "the desert is like a furnace, i have heard," said sigurd. "men burn up in it and all horses die; but lions live there. how can any beast live in a land of fire?" "i know not," said ulric, "but yonder is a brighter streak of dawn. we shall soon know if the romans are near us. we may slay them if the water becometh smooth enough for a good fight." "it would be a grief to all men," said tostig the red, "if we lost an opportunity. but if this be land, i want some beef." "good!" exclaimed an old viking. "we had many cattle on the gaulish coast, but in spain we got little but sheep. hereaway may be found cattle. we may throw a net, and we may find fishes." the jarl said nothing, for he watched the sea and the sky and he steered the ship. "nearer!" shouted ben ezra from the mast. "and the daylight cometh. i watch for the romans. may the curse of jehovah be upon them and theirs forever!" lysias was on the fore deck, and as he heard ben ezra he muttered angry words in his own tongue. then he whispered softly to himself, or to a shadow, and his fair face grew white and his teeth ground together as if he were in agony. so do they suffer who have lost a love and know that it is forever gone, for lysias had said: "worse far than if they had slain her! i would that she were dead and i with her. but i may live to slay romans. why did this saxon jarl spare any of them? but he is captain, and they say he is a wise one." in the small wooden fort for slingers and archers, high up the stout mast, sat ben ezra, and a viking sat with him. "o saxon," said the jew, "would thy jarl spare them if they came with the day?" "the son of brander is jarl, not i," replied the viking, surlily. "speak thou not carelessly of the leader of men. thou art no seaman. he will strike when he is ready. let that content thee." for deep and strong was the hold of ulric upon his older men, by reason of his skill as a seaman and as a captain and because of his good fortune; for they saw plainly that odin and thor were with him and that the gods of the middle sea could do nothing against him. even the ice gods had been his friends and the god of the druids had also helped him, sending him away from britain unharmed. it was a great thing to have such a jarl, of odin's line. they all knew, moreover, that hilda, the saga woman, must by this time have gone down to the gods and that she willed exceedingly well to the crew of _the sword_ and to her young hero. "he is truly a leader of men," growled the jew through his thick beard, "but i would once more smite these philistines of rome." "in that i am with thee," said the viking, heartily. "thou art a good sword. i would see thee in battle. it is pleasant to look upon a warrior that slayeth zealously. but our feast of blood will come to us. wait." up sprang the sun above the blue waves of the middle sea, and all the saxons shouted joyfully. it was true that there were no enemies in sight, nor present hope of any good fighting, but here was a land that they had never seen before. all seamen know the joy there is in finding a country that is unknown. "hael! o land of the south!" shouted tostig the red. "thou hast mountains as tall as are those of the north. but this is a bay, a harbor, not a fiord." "what sayest thou, ben ezra?" asked ulric of the watcher on the mast. "row in!" replied the jew. "there is no other keel in this haven and it is a good one. i see no sail nor any boat seaward. this is africa, and a city is on the shore, but the fire was at the head of the bay. there are rocks ahead. row around them." "i see them; a great ledge," said ulric. "broken and sharp-toothed are those rocks, and they would wreck any keel that should strike upon them. it is a place of wrecks." the rowers rowed and _the sword_ went on through a wide passage at the right of the ledge. then she was in a great basin where many keels might ride at anchor, and before her and on either side of her lay the land. there seemed but a gentle slope at the seashore. beyond might be a plain for a few miles, and then, lifting their heads so high that they entered the dominions of the upper gods to be capped with ice and snow, were the many mountains. into that upper land no man may enter, for the ice gods will freeze him and bury him in snow for his insolence. it was all exceedingly beautiful, but the rowers now rowed slowly and all the other saxons watched warily as _the sword_ drew nearer what seemed a landing place, a structure of stonework builded far out into the harbor. "bring thy ship to yonder wharf," counseled sigurd. "no men are to be seen, but there are walls and temples and houses. this may be a town of the magicians of africa. beware of them, ulric the jarl." "i would i knew who kindled the light," said ulric, thoughtfully. "if we had sailed toward it in the dark we had perished on that ledge." "thereon are fragments of wrecks," said sigurd. "the breakers there are high." so said other of the seamen, but _the sword_ was now making fast to the stone jetty, and ben ezra was already out upon it walking shoreward, with his scimiter drawn. he seemed like a younger man. but he was not to go alone, for closely behind him hurried lysias with his bow, and knud the bear. "here burned the fire," said ulric, a few moments later, pointing at a heap of ashes near the head of the jetty. "there hath been much burning of wood at this place." nevertheless he left it behind him and marched rapidly forward. he left a strong guard with the ship, but he thought it best to enter this strange town with tenscore of armed saxons arrayed as if they were to be assailed by some enemy. on went ben ezra, but he met no man, and he came to a wall, in the face of which was a ruinous gap where once had been a gate. from this opening it was seen that a broad street led away, bordered by ruined palaces. at its far end arose one of the temples which had been discerned from the ship, as it stood upon high ground. "here," said ben ezra, "is a city which jehovah hath smitten for the sins of them which dwelt therein." but he spoke loudly, in the old hebrew tongue, and at once a voice responded: "who art thou, o jew, coming hither with a sword? the sword hath departed from israel, as it hath from tyre and carthage. i am annibaal, the foe of rome and of greece, and i am dying of hunger. come hither to me." as if without fear ben ezra walked toward the sound of that voice not many paces. then crawled out from behind a fallen column a naked, sun-darkened, very hairy shape of a vast man, larger than sigurd, the son of thorolf, but he lay prone upon the sand gasping. only one eye had he, for the other was but a hollow socket, and he had but one hand and one foot and both of his ears were gone. he was but a mutilated remnant of a strong man, and his only weapon was a long straight sword, very bright and seemingly keen, with a golden hilt, whereon were glittering gems. "o annibaal," said ben ezra, in the tongue of tyre, "what is this city?" "it is the city of the dead," said annibaal. "i was a chief of carthage, whereof this was a colony, but some came hither from tyre, and here were already many from nubia and from egypt. first the greeks of alexander harmed us in the old time, but after them, in my day, came the romans. they smote us hip and thigh, slaying whom they would slay, making slaves of many, and of me, a prince and captain, they made what thou seest, leaving me here alone." already lysias and knud stood by ben ezra, and behind them a few paces halted ulric the jarl and his men. "i wonder thou didst not die," said ben ezra, "or that the lions took thee not. i see some of them even now." "i have slain lions," said annibaal, "but it is now as if i were friends with them and they harm me not. it is their city and we agree together. yet i had at this time no more food and i perish, but i lighted my death fire to trap roman ships to my ledge. i have slain many there, and sometimes i have had joy to hear them when the wind brought their cries to the shore. their bodies float to the strand and the beasts and the ravens feast upon the wolves of rome." "he must die," muttered knud. "he slayeth sailors. it is not good to trap men, so that they die a cow's death. it is wicked to rob a warrior of his right to die in fight or by the righteous breaking up of his keel." so said other of the vikings, thinking of valhalla and the gods, for they all were religious men, scorning an evil action. but ulric had sent in haste for food and for water and for ale, commanding that this man should be fed. "ye are too late," said annibaal. "i pray thee, rather, for thou art a prince, strike me with thy spear." "that is a just thing, o jarl," said sigurd. "he hath been a warrior. thou wouldst ask thy kinsman to make the hero spearmark on thee if thou wert unluckily perishing in thy bed. send him marked to his gods, that they take him not for a coward." "not yet," said ulric. "ben ezra, talk thou with him as thou wouldst." in hebrew and in the tongue of tyre did the twain converse. when the water came, and the food and ale, annibaal drank a cup of water, but more he could not do, for he was passing. "i have learned much," said ben ezra; "but he dieth. refuse him not thy mercy, o jarl. he is a prince, and he is worthy of thy hand. take thou his own sword and smite off his head lest thou fail of a friend in thine own hour. quick ere he fainteth!" ulric took the long, beautiful sword, which had slain both men and lions, and he struck as became him, for he heard murmurs among the saxons. annibaal had feebly lifted his head to receive the gift he had asked for, and it was severed well, falling upon the sand. "well done, o jarl!" shouted knud the bear. "i liked him not, but it were shame to let a brave warrior die of thirst. now do i not fear at all to go on into this place, for we have put blood at the gate." the other saxons shouted their approval of their jarl's kindness to annibaal, and they marched forward willingly, blowing their horns and clashing their spears upon their shields, for all this great ruin was very wonderful. the street was long, and as they went on sigurd remarked to the jarl: "where there are lions there are no cattle. where the romans have been there is left no plunder worth taking. we will but use our eyes till we tire and then we will lift our sails and depart." ulric answered not, for a strange look was on his face and his eyes were studying the sword of annibaal. "this hilt hath many runes," he said to ben ezra. "canst thou read them?" "not so," said the jew, "but one thing the carthaginian told thee not. i had heard much of this city. it was first builded by the kings of the forgotten ages, whereof there are no writings. our own writings tell us somewhat of them. the egyptian priests know more, but tell it not. so did those of babylon the elder. here was a great people, but they perished. even their gods died, being slain by the sword of jehovah." "as many gods have been slain by thor and odin," responded ulric. "i like your god, that destroyeth his enemies." more slowly they walked as they drew near the front of the great temple. "the stones of it are large," said ulric to ben ezra. "they are greater than the druid stones that i saw in britain." "i will show thee greater stones than these in the temple of jehovah at jerusalem," replied the jew. "i will go there with thee," replied ulric. "but these are wonderfully graven. only a good chisel may cut granite rock." "their tools were of bronze," said the jew, "and none but their priests knew how to make them. taller pillars are in egypt than in greece or rome, but they are of the old time. no more are set up since the egyptian gods departed. they, too, were overcome by jehovah." "he is a great god," said ulric, reverently. "i would be glad to see him. let us go up these steps and look in." some of the vikings paused on the steps and would go no further, for a chill was on them in spite of the sunshine. one said to another: "the magicians may still be here, or some of the old gods of this place." "the son of odin need not fear them," was answered; "but we are not as he is. let us wait until he hath gone in." great was their faith in their jarl, but they were disappointed that in this harbor they were to obtain no cattle nor any plunder. first went lysias, as if he feared not at all; but he had seen many temples, and this was one from which its gods must have gone away, leaving it solitary. his bow was in his hand, however, and suddenly he stood still, putting a long arrow upon the string in haste. "strike him!" shouted ulric. "he may escape if i try to spear him." "a splendid lion he is!" shouted tostig the red. "thou canst not slay him with thy arrows! let me go to him!" even at that moment they had passed the portal, for at the top of the flight of steps was a level place, stone-floored, surrounded by these vast pillars whereof they had been speaking. across this level was the portal, but no doors were in it to hinder. beyond, as they now saw entering, was an open space, a hundred cubits wide and more in length, but it had no roofing. it seemed like a place of assembly, and at its further end was a high dais, whereon was an altar and behind the altar an image. but on the altar couched this lion, tawny and large. his head had been between his paws, but now he arose and sent toward them a roar that was like half-smothered thunder. the arrow sped and it smote him in the breast, entering deeply. "odin! what a bound was that!" exclaimed ulric, and all the saxons shouted for the pleasure of seeing the stricken beast fly through the air toward them. "he belongeth to the greek," said sigurd. "spoil not his sport. he shooteth well. he is a warrior's son." it had been a disgrace to any viking to interfere, even if the lion should slay the greek, but svip, the son of leiknar went forward wrongfully, lifting his spear. all others did but stand where they were and they called out angrily to svip. "he is but a greek," said the son of leiknar; but the lion sprang again and he sprang far, with a short roar which was fierce and guttural, taking svip for his enemy. brave was the son of leiknar, but he knew not aught of lions. upon him fell the mighty beast, beating down the spear with a forepaw. sharp were the long claws and swift and terrible was the tearing. the shield was no defense and the mail was rent as if it had been leather. torn into fragments was the strong viking ere he might draw his seax, but the bow of lysias twanged again and his arrow sped well. "the lion hath no mark but his," said sigurd, the son of thorolf. "back! this is his battle. let him win it or perish!" this was a moment when men look, but do not breathe, for the lion turned upon lysias and the youth faced him boldly, drawing his long arrow to the head. "well shot!" shouted tostig. "o greek, thou art a good bowman, but he hath thee!" the lion had gathered his strength to spring, but the shaft had gone in too far. the roar choked in his throat. his limbs refused to cast him. he rolled over, snarling, and pawing at the pavement. "i would thou wert a roman!" said lysias. "but such as thou art have torn my kindred in the arena." "slain!" shouted sigurd. "thou hast done well, o greek!" "svip, the son of leiknar, erred to his death," said the jarl. "the fault was his own. but this lion was first smitten upon the stone of sacrifice. what sayest thou, o jew; is there in this any offense to the god of this place?" "there is no god," responded ben ezra. "here are but idols, and upon their altars couch the beasts of the field. we may go forward. who needeth to fear gods of stone, which are the work of men's hands and which neither walk nor speak?" "the lions have no god," said lysias. [illustration: "let him win it or perish!"] "i would not fear him greatly if they had," said an old viking, "but if he were a man, with a sword in his hand, then i would know what to do with him." some of the saxons then declared that they knew what to do with the skin of such a lion, and they remained to take it off rather than go any nearer to the stone god behind the place of sacrifice. grand and huge was he, the idol of this broken temple of old time. he was the head of a man upon the body of a beast, carved out of more stones than one, and he crouched there, looking at them with a stern and terrible expression. "i think," said ben ezra, "that he is one of the forgotten gods of the sidonians. they will not set him up in egypt, but he was like jupiter." "there is no hammer," said sigurd. "it is not thor. see the jarl!" they had paused, looking, but the son of brander the brave had walked curiously to the side of the god and was studying his marks, for there were many. "i would," he muttered, "that hilda were here, for i think she would read. these are like the runes upon the old odin stone beyond the fiord, and they were made when he came from the east. i think this to be one of the asas; but how came he to make this temple and place it here? the gods do strangely at times." by him now stood lysias, and he said: "o jarl of the saxons, linger not. the jew hath found a stone which must be lifted. he waiteth for thee." no message had ben ezra sent, but he was stooping over a flat slab in the place of sacrifice. upon it there were marks of fire and the stone was crumbling. "why lift it?" asked ulric, drawing nearer. "what have we to do with the secrets of the gods? why should we anger them?" "they are dead," said ben ezra, "but i think this to be a door of the priests. it is but a broken stone. give me thy spear." "nay," said ulric, "i can pry with a spear shaft. we will have it up if anything may be hidden here for us." the fire-broken limestone yielded in several pieces to the prying of the tough spear shafts. as its pieces were lifted, or as they fell away, behold stone steps, from which all shrank back save the jew and the son of odin and the greek. even sigurd held back a moment, saying: "i like it not. it is the jarl's place. let him venture first. he knoweth runes that we know not. so doth the jew, but the greek is a young fool." dangerous indeed it was for any man to step into a chamber under the altar of a strange god, but when they went down and entered it and looked around there was but little to see. "a store of broken weapons and rust-eaten armor," said ulric. "some of the hilts and shields are good enough. but there are many skulls and bones." "a crown!" shouted ben ezra, with a round thing in his hand glittering. "here placed they the ashes of kings from the altar. i know not why they should have buried with one the diadem of his realm. it may be that his dynasty was ended. many of these stones are rare and precious. here is gold, also, but the silver is of no great value. let us bear all to the ship, for the spoil of this sacred tomb of the kings would buy a roman province." the vikings in the outer air were summoned, and now they were not unwilling to venture, for the fear of the place had departed when they heard again the voice of the jarl. neither did they care overmuch to find merely the remains of the dead, and they were greatly pleased with the treasures. ben ezra bore away one shield which was heavy with gold, and in the middle of it was a jewel so like a great red eye that the vikings said it was looking at them revengefully, and they would not touch it. "this place the romans missed in their search," said ulric. "little reverence have they for the altars of unknown gods." even heavy were the burdens carried to the ship, and now all who had been left to guard her were entitled to take their turn in the exploration of the city. they went and they came, but they found nothing to bring with them and they slew no wild beasts. they reported, however, that they had seen a leopard and a number of hideous beasts which ben ezra told them were hyenas, which delighted to feast upon the dead of battlefields. successful fishing had been done in the harbor with the small boats, and there was enough for all, but that night there was much murmuring over the lack of fresh meat. "besides," said some of the men, "this strange treasure hath its value, but there hath been no good fighting. when will this jarl of ours lead us to a throwing of spears? the months of the summer are already wasted." to these an answer was given by sigurd, the son of thorolf, that to them was the fault, for by reason of their unruliness had there been needless landings and delays on the coasts of gaul and of spain, and idle cruising after fishing boats and empty merchantmen which fought not and paid but little. "and the jarl forbade us to slaughter their crews," said one. "i would have slain all." men who will to find fault may readily prepare a cause. thus far the voyage of _the sword_ had been even too prosperous, being guided by prudence, and there was lacking the curbing which cometh from wholesome disaster. the weather was all too warm for northmen, and some few of them had sickened, and of this sickness had four vikings died a cow's death but for the mark of a spear which was given them by the hands of friends. now, also, the skin of the lion aroused jealousy against the greek. it was declared that an hour must be found for him to feel an edge of a seax, for he was not a saxon and there should be no outland men like him and ben ezra upon a ship from the northland. the jarl was too hard in some matters and he was too soft in others. nevertheless, days went by while all looked at these temples and houses and the mighty fortifications. as for the jarl, he explored somewhat, but he abode mostly with the ship. he was silent and moody, for there were many things upon his mind. "i have come far out into the world," he thought. "i have seen that which is exceedingly marvelous. i have looked, also, upon the face of a dead god. now i will go on until i may have speech with one that is living." chapter xvii. the murmuring of the men. out of the african harbor sailed _the sword_ with a good wind, and there was no present need for rowing. no longer were the saxons willing to linger in that place and live upon fishes. small pleasure was to be had there, they said, save to lie at night and listen to the cries of many wild beasts. they had not hunted at night save that one of the youths of sigurd's party had ventured beyond the jetty foolishly and had not returned. blood had been found in the morning, but not any of his bones. it had been better if the weather had been rough or if the men had been at the oars, for in their idleness upon this blue and peaceful sea was an occasion for discontent. "the jarl must do better than this!" they said to each other, and as they talked of battles the thirst for blood increased among them, for it is as a wild fever when it cometh. "o jarl," said sigurd, the son of thorolf, not long after _the sword_ passed beyond the ledge whereupon so many had been wrecked by reason of the revenge fire of annibaal, "i think we do well if we steer now eastward. we shall find too many roman triremes in this neighborhood." "i would seek them," said ulric, "if not too many of them were together. dost thou know of a shore or an island where there are cattle?" "verily i do," said ben ezra, "but i know not if we may find it easily. we may but sail on. lysias is with the steersman now, and he is pointing." vebba, the son of uric, was at the helm, and he hated the greek, but he listened, for he could not despise a good bowman. "i would carve the blood eagle on thy back," he said, laughing, "but if thou wilt guide to where we may slay somebody, thou art better worth killing. i hate thee." "so do i hate thee," said lysias, boldly, "but we may not fight on the ship. i will give thee thy sword play when we get to a good place. but i shall strike thy head from thy shoulders." "good!" said vebba. "i like thee better. but bring us first to some good fighting." then went lysias to ulric and the jew, and they conferred somewhat, but lysias passed from them to the after cabin, and came out bearing something that he took with him to the after deck. "i saw it there," said ulric. "it is a harp, not half so large as that of oswald's. what can the greek do with it?" "wait and see," replied ben ezra. "among the greeks are those who are skilled in music. hearken!" all ears upon _the sword_ were suddenly turned to listen, for the harp was a good one. "he playeth well!" said sigurd. "no man shall slay him. we needed harping." "aye," replied the discontented men, and then they shouted to lysias: "sing!" not at once was he ready to sing, and the harp sounded on as if he heard them not. "sing! sing!" they shouted again. "sing, or we will slay thee!" "slay on, cowards!" laughed lysias, angrily. "what care i for slaying!" for he had been muttering hoarsely to himself something about sapphira and there were tears in his eyes. "down!" shouted sigurd, to a viking who was drawing his seax. "harm him not, lest i send thee a spear! i would hear his harp. down, i say!" the spear of sigurd was a matter to be avoided, and the seaman left his weapon sheathed and sat down. but at that moment arose the voice of lysias in a grand greek song, a song of war and of contending warriors. "right!" shouted the men to sigurd. "thou shalt slay any that shall rob us of our harping. he singeth well." none would have expected a voice so powerful and so sweet, and they who heard it clapped their hands or clashed their spears upon their shields. then the war song ended, and the harp began to send out low, sweet music that made them think of the northland. they said to one another that now the trees were in leaf, and the grass was green, and the wind was in the pines, and the waves were on the shores, and the voices of the gods could be heard in the fiords. the women and the children, too, were in the houses, or they were caring for the cattle, and the fisher boats were out from all the villages. so they grew quiet and looked across the blue waters of the middle sea less discontentedly, and the thirst for blood waned away for the hour. and yet they knew not that now the greek was singing in his own tongue of sapphira the beautiful, and that he did not at all see the ship, or those who were in it, or the sea, but that his eyes, like those of the blind, were seeking far away for a face and a form that were out of sight, beyond--he knew not where. his own countenance, with its perfect outlines and its youthful color, exhibited his sadness in keeping with the flowing music of his lyre, but he knew not that the eyes of ulric and of ben ezra were reading him. unlike the rest of the vikings, excepting sigurd, they understood the words of the song, which was from one of the old poets of the better days of greece. "i have heard," whispered ulric, "that even as he saith, the young women of his people have great beauty." "yea," returned the jew, "i have seen many of them. i have seen this sapphira, and she did excel. but no maidens are as those of israel and judah, the roses of sharon and the lilies of the valley. their voices are those of birds and their forms are of the heaven. such was the mother of my son in her youth. such were my daughters. i am glad that they fell by the sword----" "how were they not captured by the romans?" asked ulric. "because of the swords of their husbands and their brethren," said the jew, calmly. "all died together, but the fairest of them needed no sword save her own. she chose to die by her own hand rather than to become the sport of the heathen." "she did well," muttered ulric. "she was dark and she was beautiful. she was brave and true. i have never loved, but i would i could find one like her." "if she were of the race of abraham," replied ben ezra, "she might not wed save with one of her own people. that is our law concerning women." "it is a good law," said ulric. "hilda, the saga woman, told me of it. she said that ye have good sagas of your own and that your runes are ancient. are there any among you that are descended from the gods?" "we have but one god," said ben ezra, "and all we are his children, for he is the creator and father of men." "he is odin, the all-father?" said the young jarl, inquiringly. "then, when i get to asgard, i shall see him. i have thought much concerning gods. that was a strange one in the temple in the city of ruins. he gave us much treasure." "we took it," said ben ezra. "yea," replied ulric, "we did so. but the romans did not find it, nor any others that came, until the god who sat there watching permitted it to be taken. that was but his stone face that we saw. thou knowest not much of gods, to think that he saw us not. is thy god blind, that thou canst hide away from him?" "not so," said ben ezra, thoughtfully. "talk no more. the greek hath ceased. i think thy men like him better, but there is a spear waiting at any hour for either him or me." "so is mine waiting for him who may cast his own unduly," said ulric, angrily, "and that know they well. but the sun is sinking and a sail is in sight. sigurd seeth afar. he is coming." "a small trireme," said sigurd, as he drew near. "i think we must take her." "take her," said the jarl. "oars, all! vebba, son of uric, steer for yonder keel!" loud rang the shouts of the saxons and the discontented became good-humored, but there was little need for fast rowing. the stranger was nearing them at its best speed, and ere long they could hear the sound of a trumpet. "the grapplings!" commanded ulric. "if we may not strike her with the ship, we will board her!" swiftly the two keels approached each other, and rash indeed were the romans, for they were arrogant, not knowing with what they had to deal. they saw the saxon flag on the mast. they heard the war horns. many men they saw not at the first, for concealment of his strength was the prudence of the jarl, lest his enemy might strive to escape. all the more freely did the fighting men of the small trireme crowd her decks and gather at her bulwarks. even from afar did the arrows of lysias and tostig and other bowmen and the slingstones of knud begin to go in among them, angering them as some of them fell, hurt or slain. they, too, had bowmen, but neither good nor many, and their arrows were short. cunningly did vebba veer away _the sword_ at the nearing, that a flight of spears might hurtle among the roman soldiers, thinning them. past them shot the swift keel of the saxons, only to turn again suddenly, crashing back upon their further banks of oars. they, too, had been ready for boarding, but their bulwarks were not so high as were those of _the sword_. her grapnels were well thrown, moreover, and the two ships were as one when the legionaries made their brave rush to climb on board their enemy. well had it been for them if they had been more in number. well if they had not been so rashly self-confident, and if they had not been half beaten by astonishment at the sudden appearing of the northmen at the ship's side. with laughter and with mocking did the saxons hurl their spears and then follow with sword and ax. over the bulwarks they went, through the gaps left by slain romans, and quickly they went two for one, slaying joyously. no roman thought to surrender, nor was any mercy in the hearts of the vikings, but among them all did none smite more eagerly than did ben ezra and lysias. "slay! slay!" shouted the jew. "o greek, thou art too slow. hew down! smite under the fifth rib! let none escape!" "good fighters are they!" shouted vebba from the after deck of _the sword_. "i will have a fine contest when i slay that greek. i will fight him fairly. but i must get the jew before me to see how he will handle that crooked blade. he cleft a roman to the chin. hah! i am but steersman and i miss the killing." so did others of the vikings, for there were not enough on the trireme to put blood upon every good sword or spear. they were all gone too soon, and there was disappointment. nevertheless, the legionaries had died hard, and nine of the northern heroes had gone to valhalla. "to them the gods were kind," said sigurd, "but this trireme is a fair prize. there are ten head of small, fat cattle, besides four fresh carcasses. we must have them on board _the sword_, with the other plunder, before we kindle the fire." the men were attending to that, for here was their fresh meat without the trouble of landing to find it. all of the slain might be burned with the trireme, with all honor, so there was no more care for that. some saxons were wounded, but not so that they might die, and there were no prisoners. all provisions and arms were taken over speedily and the good spirits of the men were returning, for none of them waited for needless cooking of the beef that was ready. roasting might be done afterward, but the sharp knife could shred, and a viking cared for little more at the end of a won battle. "fire, now," commanded ulric, at the last. "throw off the grapplings and let her drift away. i would see her burn." so the rowers pulled to a little distance and paused, letting _the sword_ rock gently over the soft waves while the fire blazed more and more brightly upon the decks and in the waist of the roman trireme. "she burneth well," said sigurd. "so burn every roman keel!" exclaimed ben ezra. "jehovah of hosts hath been with me this day, and i have gotten vengeance upon mine enemies. my sword hath been deep in the hearts of the heathen." lysias was silent, but his fair face glistened with pleasure as he gazed upon the mounting flames. his lyre was now in his hand again and his fingers wandered over the strings. "the harp! the harp!" shouted some of the vikings. "if he playeth not, we will slay him." "an evil spirit is among them," muttered the jew. "whence he cometh i know not. who shall cast him out? for we have neither scribe nor priest on this accursed vessel. i think that he belongeth to the idol upon the fore deck." in that he spoke of the anvil and hammer of thor, for to him the saxons ascribed the gift of this victory. "he is a demon," said ben ezra, "and he hath entered into these uncircumcised. i would he might lead them to gehenna." "the harp! the harp!" again demanded the vikings, and the voices of the rowers were joined to the shouts of those who were feasting. "the wind riseth well and so do yonder flames," said lysias; "but they who are dead feel no pain of burning. within me is a fire which is a continual torment. the harp were a relief, and i will sing." it seemed as if a strange spirit of wild song had come upon him and his lyre. it mattered not greatly that few of the vikings understood his words, so fierce and so triumphant was the music of his singing. moreover, they looked upon his face and it gave them an interpretation, for there was a terrible meaning in its expression. now the rowers ceased and the sail was up, but the burning roman ship also felt the fresh wind, and it was as if it strove to keep them company while lysias sang. "she will founder shortly," said the jarl. "we are leaving her. i would i knew more nearly whitherto we have come. we are far in the middle sea and we should be near some of its islands." "thou knowest," remarked sigurd, the son of thorolf, "that opposite to the southerly point of italy there lieth a great island, whereon is a volcano, vomiting fire, for under it is the world which burns, and there do the gods war with one another. i think we are between that island, which is called sicily, and a part of africa. o jew, what sayest thou? thou hast visited many parts of africa." "we have wandered here and there," said ben ezra. "the question is difficult. but if yonder haze telleth of the coast of sicily we may meet another trireme soon. there are many hereabout. they will for the greater part be merchantmen." down sank the vessel they had burned, with much loud hissing of fire meeting water, and the clouds of smoke and steam went up while the saxons blew their war horns and shouted their exultation. they all had feasted well, however, and those who were not on watch were willing to slumber while the increasing gale carried _the sword_ swiftly toward the east. another was at the helm, and ulric, the son of brander, went and sat down upon a silken-covered couch in the after cabin. he was alone, and he brought out his jewels to look at them. they were many and they were beautiful, and he turned them over one by one. "never before," he said, "did i have so good a lamp as this that hangeth here. the oil, too, is perfumed and the room is full of a sweet odor. these are the ways of the roman captains and rich men. i may not see rome, for there are too many quinqueremes in the way, too many legions of warriors on the land. we are few. i do not care much for their gods, for i have beaten them. i will go on to asgard, but i will go first to this temple in jerusalem. ben ezra saith that i can buy both priests and governors with these bright stones. but i may have to slay my own men if they obey not. if i cut down a few of them the rest will be more peaceable. these saxons that came with sigurd hardly call me their jarl. if they were dead it would not matter. i will go my own way." the ruby was now in his hand, the great red stone that was graven with the name of the hebrew god, and among them all there was no other like this. it glowed like fire in the lamplight, and ulric said: "it is full of blood. it is a stone of stones. but whence came the blood, and how is it full of fire? is he angry with me? i think i will carry his gem to him in his temple, and i will tell him i have brought it back. i would not keep from any god that which is his." so he put it back into the casket and took out an emerald. this, too, was graven with deeply cut runes. "one of them," said ulric, "is like the runes that hilda showed me in the sand by the sea, but it is alone. i care not until there are three. it is green and wonderful. o hilda of the hundred years, would that i could show to thee this jewel of the old gods!" the lamp burned low and it was flickering. without the gale roared loudly and the waves beat against the sides of the ship with a groaning sound. there was no voice but of the wind and of the surges. the curtains in the cabin swayed to and fro, as did the cresset of the lamp. "hilda! hilda!" murmured ulric, but he saw her not, and even his thought of her was confused in his mind. the saga woman was tall and dark, but not so tall and fairer was this thought which came before his eyes as if he were in a dream: "so beautiful! so beautiful!" he said. "her eyes are like stars and her hair is a cloud of shining curls. her lips are like the ruby of the temple. i think she is one of the hebrew maidens that ben ezra saith excel all others. i will go to that land and find her, for it must be that she also is of the daughters of the gods. and now i can see hilda, and her hair is white, but her eyes are shut. therefore i know that they have carried her to the tomb that was made in the rock of odin. i shall see her no more until i get to asgard. if this is her hand upon my head, she should speak, for i love her well." he listened, and the lamp went out, but no voice came; and he lay down upon his couch, but a fire was kindling in his heart. "lysias loveth sapphira," he thought, "but thus did i never feel before. the hebrew maiden! i would ben ezra had not told me of her, for now i can have no other. i had thought that my love would be blue-eyed and a daughter of odin. shall i not be content if i find that she is dark, and that she is a daughter of this jehovah, the god of the jews? i will go on and i will see what she will say to me." then he slept, and _the sword_ swept onward swiftly toward the sunrise. chapter xviii. the evil spirit on "the sword." through one day more the western gale blew furiously and _the sword_ was driven before it, for none on board cared for any better steering. many vessels were seen from time to time, but all were too busy caring for themselves to pay overmuch attention to a trireme that might be fighting the storm as they were. the vikings were at ease concerning the weather, but they grumbled much that the tossing and pitching of their ship prevented them from making fires wherewith to roast their beef or to broil their fish. on board their roman keel they had found gratings of iron for cooking, better than any of their north making. these gratings were wide, upheld by iron feet, and under them were slabs of stone to receive ashes and cinders. fire would remain upon them well in any ordinary weather, but in such as this the brands and coals might be cast hither and thither. it was not even a time for the telling of sagas nor for the lyre of lysias, and again the men grew moody and sullen. the night returned, and ulric kept the helm through all its watches, for a heavy weight was on his mind and he had heard from ben ezra concerning the evil spirit. "i would i could slay a demon," he had answered, "but of what good is a spear for an enemy thou canst not see? it were almost as if one fought with a god. i have thought i would like to fight with one, but not with thor or odin nor with thy jehovah." "they who contend with him are broken," replied the jew, "but i tell thee we are far on our way. i think we are not far from cyprus. we might safely land in one of the havens of that island." "we might meet a roman fleet," said ulric. "they have none in these waters," said ben ezra. "their merchant ships of any consequence go and come in squadrons, well protected, and they have driven out all pirates. they will not be watching, i think, for the coming of such as thou art." "we now are late in the season," replied ulric. "i had thought to have reached this water before any other keel from the north. we know not what may have called upon the romans for watching. i am thinking that when this wind abateth i must find the men somewhat to occupy them." "an evil spirit is a busy one," said ben ezra. "all thine would find enough to do in cyprus." afterward many of the men came to the jarl with questionings, and also to the jew and to lysias. these were looked upon with more favor for the time, for it was said that they might have some worth for piloting. a night and a day and a night went by and now the waters were again quieted. they were even too still, for the rowers had to be sent to the oars, and the sun looked down upon them with fervent heat, making their toil burdensome. once more the ship was floating upon an even keel and the men speedily bethought them of the fire gratings. twain of the fat cattle were butchered, and the jarl thought well of it, that the men might be kept in good humor. the fires were lighted, and casks of ale were opened, but the evil spirit was, nevertheless, making himself busy among the hearts of the men. in the trireme _the sword_ itself, when she was captured, there had been a few skins of wine, but it had been red and sour and the vikings liked it not. such as it was it had long since been consumed. in the spoil of the burned trireme, however, and hardly noticed at the first, there had been found many wine skins. all had been taken with care, and now one of them was opened to find out what it might be. "dark and sweet and good!" exclaimed vebba, the son of uric. "i will bear a horn of it to the jarl." large was the drinking horn, and he filled it to the brim. sparkles arose upon the surface of the wine, and it seemed to laugh, as if the evil spirit which lived in it were accomplishing his purpose. "it is strong," said ben ezra. "drink it not, o jarl, for the demon of wine is thine enemy." but he was too late, for the son of brander drained the drinking horn as if it had held naught but ale. he felt it from his head to his feet, as if it had been poured upon a fire that was burning within him, and he stood erect, straightening himself and clinching his hands. "bring me another horn of it," he said. "that thou shalt not do," commanded ben ezra, sternly. "thou art the captain. i bid thee drink no more, lest thou lose thy life and thy vessel. the demon is upon thee, o jarl! resist him, or he will bind thee hand and foot." then remembered ulric a saying of his father and of hilda, and it was as if he had heard her voice saying: "son of odin, beware of the dark wine of the south lands, for in it is death." "bring me no more," he said to vebba, "and let the wine skins be cast into the sea." but the demon had been very busy and from lip to lip had already passed the goblets and the drinking horns. they had been emptied only to be quickly filled again, and now the saxons of sigurd shouted: "haha! o jarl! thou wouldst rob us of our feast? we will show thee a thing." sigurd himself went among them, but to him, also, they paid no heed, and he came back again. "i am sleepy," said ulric. "wulf the skater, these three nights i have wakened. i will lie down for a while. take the helm." then came tostig the red and knud the bear and four other saxons of the house of brander, and they sat down by ulric, spear in hand, with their axes lying by them. lysias brought his bow and ben ezra closed the visor of his brazen helmet. "trouble cometh," he said. "the heathen are full of wine and of the thirst of blood." there was no quarrel between twain of the vikings that were stepping forth upon the fore deck, but they were berserkers, and their seaxes were in their hands, for they were to fight without mail or shields. skin after skin of that dark, strong wine was opening, and the men loved it, but they would see blood, they said, and the two berserkers shouted as they fought. "both of them are down!" exclaimed lysias. "two more take their places. o that the jarl were awake! but i cannot rouse him. were the romans to come, we were all dead men." furious was now the drinking, and a man cast a spear at another without cause, laughing to see him struggle and bleed. "the evil spirit hath entered them all!" groaned ben ezra. "this is that which i feared greatly. every man's sword is against his neighbor." terrible was that fighting, for warriors who had lost all skill of warding blows or parrying spear casts were still strong to throw or to strike. "where is now this jarl of ours?" yelled a drunken viking. "we will see if he be a son of odin. we will slay him and then we may sail at our pleasure. he hath ruled us with too hard a hand." steady and stern had indeed been the rule of the son of brander, and he had brooked no gainsaying, but he had been a prudent captain from the first, and there were a full third of the men now to stand by him in his peril. would there had been more, for on both sides the slain were many. moreover, when a man went down that was quickly his end, on whichever side he fought, for an enemy came to thrust him. "wake, son of brander! wake!" shouted tostig in the ear of ulric. "call thou upon odin, thy father, and draw thy sword." waiting for no orders from any man, lysias was sending his arrows, sure and deep striking, calling out: "with me be thou, o apollo, god of the bow! with me, o mars, god of battles!" but ulric opened his eyes slowly and breathed hard. then he sat up and he saw the men fighting and the blood flowing. "odin!" he roared, in a voice they had not heard before; but the weapon he lifted was his pole ax, and he rushed forward to the front of his friends. "i go with him," said ben ezra. "it may be his god hath come to help him. be with me, o jehovah of strength!" "we will guard thee at the helm," said knud and tostig to wulf the skater. "this will be ended speedily. look at the jarl!" "he, too, hath a demon!" burst from the lips of ben ezra, as he saw ulric striking. "they go down before him like corn before the reaper." sigurd had been smitten to the deck by his own saxons, and ulric stood over him with his ax until the son of thorolf was hidden by corpses of the slain. mad with wine and with the fever of the thirst of blood, the rebellious vikings fought on, nor would they yield to the command of the son of brander. "we will die!" they said. "but we will first slay thee. it is a feast of swords." "i would i could spare enough for rowers," said ben ezra, "but their blood is on their own heads. the evil spirit destroyeth them." "thus endeth the cruise of _the sword_!" said ulric, sadly, when at last he might pause for breath. "save thee, o ben ezra, and lysias, and these few faithful, there are none living save some for whom the valkyrias are calling. what shall we do? for thou art old. what shall be the end of these things?" but tostig and knud had watched the falling of sigurd and they were lifting from him the corpses. "the sail is up," said ben ezra. "steer eastward, for we may not do aught else now than land in syria. thou and thine shall see jerusalem." "so be it!" said ulric. "i think we are none of us wounded. i am not." "glad am i of that!" exclaimed lysias. "i feared for thee in that combat. but thou art of the heroes and jove was thy keeper, with mars and apollo." "a feast of blood!" exclaimed tostig as he lifted the body of vebba, the son of uric, from sigurd, the son of thorolf. "the sea king is not dead. he was but stunned." slowly arose the old warrior until he sat erect and looked around him. "i saw them!" he said, huskily. "i saw the nornir in the air above the sail. i saw the valkyrias, but they looked sternly at me and passed by. why, i know not, for i fought well. odin hath taken many this day. o jarl, what doest thou?" "eastward!" said ulric. "canst thou stand upon thy feet?" tostig and knud aided him, and they brought him a goblet of ale, for wine he would not drink. "it is well with me now," he said. "my helmet is cloven, but my skull is safe. the ax of vebba was heavy, but he will strike no more. sad is it that he and these are slain. better had they fallen in a fight with the romans." "not so," said ben ezra, "for if some of them were living all we were dead. let us cast them into the sea." wulf the skater had watched the clouds, and now he said: "ulric the jarl, if thou wilt, they should be over the sides speedily, for a wind cometh. we shall use no oars henceforth." sad work it was to cast so many forms of dead heroes into the sea, but so had it been foredoomed by the nornir, and there were some of the wounded who died while the task went on. then ulric sat down by the hammer of thor and bowed his head, for his heart was heavy. "i can sing no song," he thought, "over such a fight as this. i think it will now be long before i see the fiords and the hillsides of the northland. my fate hath changed for me in an hour, and i know not what cometh. o hilda, was this thy dark saying, that i understood not?" no voice responded, nor any motion of the air, but he looked upward and he saw birds that were flying eastward. "so will i go," he muttered, "and they who are with me. there is too much blood upon this keel. i would she were burned with fire, for i hate her. the gods of the romans have had their revenge upon me. i will never again speak lightly of any gods, for they have ways of their own and they are cunning. who shall protect himself against an enemy whom he cannot see?" well blew the wind, and there was little now to be done save to steer and to rest. all ate and drank, and ben ezra seemed to love that dark, strong wine, but he used it sparingly. "it is made in my own land," he said, "but this came from a greek island, i think. there is good wine in canaan. i would eat again of the grapes and the pomegranates of israel and judah. o my son! that he might have been with me! o my rachel and my daughters and my firstborn and his brethren! the curse of jehovah be upon rome forever! amen!" so the old hebrew warrior wailed in the bitterness of his soul, and _the sword_ sprang on over the billows, bearing him to his own land, but she was now no longer a warship. "we will not count the days," said ulric to lysias. "we will speak to none that we may pass." "pause not!" replied lysias. "thou hast thy life yet and i have mine. i have it in my mind that i shall see my sapphira. i have had a dream in the night and she stood and beckoned me." ulric answered not, but that night he slept upon the deck dreaming, and in the morning he thought about his dream also. "hilda was there," he said, standing at the helm looking across the sea. "behind her was the sun rising. between her and the sun were many warriors, heroes of the gods, armed for battle. there was blood on some of them. but at the right hand of hilda stood that dark and beautiful one, and there were flowers in her hair, and the flowers were both red and white." chapter xix. in the night and in the fire. days come and go and no man may hinder them. the vikings went to and fro about _the sword_ and she seemed lonesome to them, for they were few and she was a great vessel. from time to time many sails were seen near and far, but none gave chase to _the sword_. even pirates and all merchantmen avoid what seemeth to be a warship. "winds have been both good and bad for us," said the jarl to ben ezra at the close of a day. "what thought is in thy mind as to our nearness to any land?" "o jarl," said ben ezra, thoughtfully, "by the stars that i have watched; by the sun and winds; by the islands which we have passed; by a dim understanding which cometh to a man in such a case; by all the signs which are given me, we are so near to our destination that we may find a shore this night." "and if a shore," said ulric, "what shall it be?" "even the land that was given to the children of israel by jehovah, their god," said the jew. "it is ours yet, but the romans have taken the kingdom from us." "their gods are very strong," said ulric, "and they are exceedingly cunning. else had thor and odin saved to us the swords that sailed with us from the northland. thy god refused to fight with the gods of the romans. i think he was wise in that. but he agreed with them that they should not harm his temple, and i will go and see it. i may meet him." "thou wilt not see him," said ben ezra. "he was seen by moses, our prophet, but to all others he hath hidden his face." "i know not that," said ulric. "they who see the gods are forbidden to tell. hilda, the saga woman, loved me, but she would tell me naught concerning the dead save that they have a country of their own. there is much good in that country and when i am slain i shall go to it." "thou art to die by the sword?" asked ben ezra. "how knowest thou that?" "i am of odin," said ulric, "and a cow's death is not for me. there will be blood in the hour of my going. if thou seest me on a bed, be thou a saxon unto me, and smite me through with a spear." "so said saul, our king, to his armor-bearer at the end of a lost battle," said ben ezra, marveling somewhat. "i will do as thou sayest; for verily thou art a jarl and of the princes of the north. never before saw i a man like unto thee for battle." "save sigurd, the son of thorolf, the sea king," said ulric, "i have met none that might stand before me. he too, is of one line of the hero asas, but not of odin." ben ezra was silent, thinking of these things, and _the sword_ drove onward. he and ulric were at the prow as the darkness deepened. they could see no more save the stars above and the glancing waves around the ship, but they could hear the music of the lyre of lysias on the after deck. knud the bear was at the helm, and all that remained of the crew were gathered there. they cared not to sleep in the cabins or in the bunks, for some of them said that the dead came at night to look again at the keel from which they had departed and that the evil spirit came also. "i saw him not," said wulf the skater, "but vebba, the son of ulric, spoke to me, and i think he said the nornir were at hand. so sayeth sigurd, the son of thorolf." greatly dispirited were they all, and the lyre was a comfort, but the song of lysias was low-voiced and sad and they could not understand the words. now from the fore deck came back to them one who had heard from the jarl that they were to look out for a land and be ready to lower the sail. "good!" shouted tostig the red. "o sigurd, go to the jarl and ask if we are steering rightly." "that are we," said sigurd. "seest thou not the north star? go we not eastward? what need to trouble the jarl? i would that they who are dead had obeyed him. then had we all been more joyful." "never had crew such adventures as we are having," said knud. "i think we may gain some good fighting before long. my hand goeth often to the hilt of my seax and my blood is unquiet." "a good sign!" exclaimed wulf the skater. "i feel better for hearing thee. o greek, sing us a war song!" loudly answered the smitten lyre for a moment, and lysias obeyed, but quickly came back from the fore deck the command of ulric, the son of brander. "silence, all!" he shouted. "there is a trumpet, far away southerly. we are too few and we near the land. hark to the breakers!" listening diligently, all ears heard the dashing of that water as if upon rocks, and yet again came up from the southward that distant peal of the trumpet. "struck!" suddenly exclaimed sigurd. "we go upon a shore. is this thy land, o jew?" not with a great shock, but glidingly and grating hard, did _the sword_ go on a little while the sail was lowering. then she stood fast, and all on board of her knew that the end of her voyage had come. needing no command, the saxon sailors made ready two of the small boats and prepared to lower them. "the trumpet is nearer," said ben ezra. "but this ledge of rocks cannot be far from the mainland. thy men seem to know not of fear and they obey thee." "no roman arms or armor," shouted ulric. "we land as saxons and we will leave behind us no token. kindle a fire amidships." to his cabin went he and ben ezra, and unto them shortly went lysias, but each prepared bundles of his own to carry to the boats. "no man knoweth of thy treasure nor of mine," said ben ezra to ulric. "let the greek, too, have gold and silver coins, for he will need them. he hath fought well." in like manner was every man furnished speedily and the burdens were not made uselessly heavy. nevertheless, ben ezra said to ulric: "never before landed boats of thy people bearing to any shore such treasures as are these. we may buy any roman governor if in so doing we do not hire him to put us to the sword. we will say that we were wrecked, but we must not be seen on the coast." now the boats were lowered and all entered them, but in every quarter of _the sword_ was a hot fire kindled. the roman trumpet had not sounded again when the saxons rowed away into the darkness. "row harder!" commanded ulric. "the light of the fire increaseth. we know not how near may be an enemy." well had he spoken, for the flames were rising furiously and the light wind fanned them well. "a shore!" said sigurd. "a sandy beach!" but all others were looking back at _the sword_, to see how fast she was burning, and at that moment there swept past her, outside, as if nearing to grapple her, a vast shape of a warship. then arose suddenly a great volume of shouts in the latin tongue, and the notes of a trumpet sounding commands, but ulric said in a low voice to his comrades: "a quinquereme! and she also is upon the ledge of rocks. what shall save her from destruction by that fire?" "she cannot escape," said wulf the skater. "it is as if we had set a good trap. i think the fire hath already caught her sail. there will many romans perish this night." "pull!" commanded ulric. "the beach! we are here. haul up the boats. out with all cargo and leave them. hark to the shouts of them who burn!" rashly in swift haste had the roman warship dashed forward to discover what might be this unusual thing, of a light that grew and of a crew that replied not to a trumpet of hailing. not of any rocky ledge had her steersman or her sailing master been thinking, and her centurion had deemed it his duty to grapple and to board this strange burning trireme. he would yet have passed her once, only studying her case, but his own ship had smitten a sunken rock, which forced her to swerve aside heavily, plunging her alongside of her fiery destroyer. in vain were then all struggles to release the quinquereme. in vain was any effort to extinguish the swiftly devouring flames. even of small boats the roman ship had but four, and there were sailors who secretly, quickly lowered these, dropping into them to row away at once. of these hurrying runaways there were none but hired ionian rowers, and they cared for their lives only. ill fared it for legionaries in heavy armor, for if they sprang overboard, it was to sink. sad was the fate of many who went into the water, crowding and clinging, for they perished grappling each other in their astonishment and despair. the roman warship was on fire from end to end, and the side which was not yet burning was toward the sea. what wonder that all discipline failed and that all thought of obedience was gone? for every bond is loosed by fire. "if any follow, they must not find us on the beach," said ben ezra to ulric. "i can see that the land riseth high and that there are great rocks. let us depart!" "odin!" responded the jarl. "_the sword_ hath once more smitten the romans. every man take up his burden. follow me!" "a good captain," muttered ben ezra. "i will cleave unto him. but verily our lives are worth but little. i would that we were among the mountains, even in gilboa or in lebanon, or in the wilderness of judea." "guide thou after daylight cometh," said ulric. "i would find crags and trees." on went they, climbing a steep, and ever and anon they looked behind to watch the awful splendor of the burning of the two ships upon the ledge. "here may we halt," said ulric at last. "we are on a height. it is a forest beyond us. the fire burneth lower. there will be no pursuit." there they sat down, therefore, wearied with their burdens, putting these aside, and ere long they slept, every man, without fear. at the ledge of rocks in the sea there was silence, for the two ships burned to the water's edge and there was little left of them. nevertheless, of the swimmers there were a number who reached the shore, but all were of sailors unarmored, and no officer or legionary was among them. here at the beach they found the two small boats left by the saxons, with oars in them, but the four boats of the quinquereme, with the ionian rowers, had landed further on. there was little to be done by these exhausted swimmers but to lie down and rest, and the ionians were likewise waiting for day, being full of fear over what they had been guilty of in taking away the boats of their ship. only the sword could await them if they were found by a roman patrol of the coast, for they were to be accounted deserters from their assigned posts. not long was the remainder of the night. the morn came, and when the sun arose ulric, the son of brander, sat upon a rock, under an oak tree, looking out upon the blue waters of the middle sea. beside him sat sigurd, the son of thorolf, and scattered around upon the grass were the other saxons. lysias stood and leaned against the rock, but ben ezra was nowhere to be seen. in the hand of ulric was the long, straight sword that had been found with annibaal at the ruined city on the african shore, but it was sheathed, and the jewels of its golden hilt were glittering. "there are men upon the shore by our boats," said sigurd. "they are escaped from the burning vessel." "look southward!" replied ulric. "a squadron of roman cavalry. let us see what they will do, but let us step back behind trees out of their sight. they are too many for us." "worse than that," said lysias. "horsemen might carry an alarm and legionaries on foot might hunt us in these forests." the cavalry rode fast, and the men at the beach looked mournfully into each other's faces, for there was no fleeing from riders. quickly came these and their officer sprang to the ground, speaking loudly. the light of the burning ships had been seen from afar, and even now a swift galley had arrived, rowing around the rocks of the ledge, while they who were on board of her studied well the charred fragments. the officer questioned with care the rowers, and a small boat from the galley came to the shore with another officer. "were there other boats than these?" he asked, pointing at the twain left there by the saxons. "these are from a warship." "yea," said the centurion of the cavalry, "and these deserters took away all chance for the escape of our comrades." "we all swam ashore," they said, "and we found these boats here. other men than we made off with them, we are innocent." the two centurions looked at each other and they were of one accord in this matter. at a word of command soldiers dropped from their horses sword in hand. at another word the work of punishment began and the stern justice of the roman military law was done in utter injustice, for not one of these who were slain had sinned. "they had done somewhat in other days," said ulric, "and the vengeance of their gods found them here, bringing upon them a sword. no man escapeth the gods. but i see another man down the beach. he is fleeing as if for his life. i think, therefore, that these were not all who came to the shore in some manner." great was the wrath and the dismay of all those romans at this terrible affair of wreck and fire, but there was no sign to suggest to them the presence of saxons on the sea or on the land. unto the four boatloads of ionian rowers at their landing place, where they still lingered, came running the one of their number who had gone forth as a scout. pallid with fear and horror he gasped out to them the thing that he had seen, and he fell to the sand breathless with running. "to the mountains!" they shouted. "we are slain if we are found on the coast. they now know not that we are here." then it could be seen that not only had they taken plenty of weapons even in their hasty flight from the burning ship, but that their apparel was decent. also their talk indicated that they had many coins of money, and that they knew this country whereupon they had landed. they stood still for a moment, and they swore to one another by their gods that this should forever be a secret, and then they marched away up the steep and were hidden in the forest. neither had they failed, in their talk upon the shore, to wonder much concerning the first burning vessel which had been the cause of their own disaster. they knew not of the saxon boats, but they had said of themselves that they would not willingly fall in with any who had escaped lest their peril might be increased. "it were death," they said, "and we must at once put any such men to the sword." the saxon men, whom they did not know, but of whom they had been speaking, were gathered together on the mountain. "o jarl," said tostig the red, "well that thou didst order us to bring provisions, also, for our first needs. shall we not now go on into the forest and find a place where we may kindle a fire?" "o tostig," said the jarl, "ben ezra is our guide. this is his country. what sayest thou, o jew?" "only this," replied ben ezra; "that we are upon mount carmel, and that the forests thereof are deep. we are safe if we are prudent. it is a wilderness into which not many come at any time, but there are villages and cities not far away." "lead on thou, then," said ulric. "let every man bring all his burden. we will keep up strong hearts, and we will see to what this strange coming on shore will take us." they had need of cheerful words from their jarl, for upon them all was a shadow deeper than any of the shadows of the forest. their faces were dark, but among them all was there no face like that of lysias, the greek. there was no light in it, but rather a bitter sullenness. "sapphira! sapphira!" he muttered, walking apart from the rest. "am i indeed nearing thee? am i to find thee? am i, then, to love thee again or am i to slay thee? thou shalt not live to be the bondslave of a roman, even though he be a prince and a ruler!" ulric the jarl heard him. it was as if he had been spoken to concerning the hebrew maiden whom he had seen with hilda. "i think that she is somewhere in this land to which i have been guided," he thought. "i will go on and i may find her. this forest is a dense cover of this mountain. i shall be glad to look upon that which is beyond it." ben ezra led onward rapidly, but the way by which he went grew steeper. they came out at last, much heated by their heavy burdens, upon a level place, where were no trees, and here he halted. "here let the fire be made," he said to the jarl. "but if thou and sigurd will walk with me a little distance further ye will see something." gladly did the wearied saxons pause and make their camp, but their jarl and sigurd followed the jew. not far did these go until they came out upon a bold, high promontory of rocks. "look!" said ben ezra. "the middle sea." there were no trees to hinder sight and the air was pure, so that they saw afar. there were many sails and there were also galleys which might be warships. "o jarl," said ben ezra, "thou art escaped from a roman fleet. thou wouldst not have done so but for the ledge of rocks and the fire which destroyed thy vessel. thou art on the front of carmel. now turn thee to thy left. what seest thou?" "a heap of stones," said ulric. "they have been shapely, but now they are broken down. was it one of the altars of thy god?" "not so," said ben ezra, "but our fathers made that heap for a sign of remembrance. in the ancient days there was on that spot an altar to jehovah. upon it the prophet elijah sacrificed oxen and the fire of our god came down and consumed both the sacrifice and the altar. here was jehovah's victory over baal, the god of the heathen, and here were all the priests and prophets of baal slain with the sword." "if thy god is here," said ulric, "i am willing to remain, for i think he hath befriended us. but i have no quarrel with baal or with any other god. i think odin and thor to be at peace with thy jehovah, but i like not at all the cunning gods of the romans." "jehovah destroyeth them in the day of his appointing," said ben ezra. "they cannot stand against him. he is mighty." the jarl was silent, gazing out upon the sea, and sigurd looked around him among the trees. "o jarl," he said, "i like not this mountain, full of gods. the men have kindled fires. let us eat and drink and then let us depart." chapter xx. carmel and esdraelon. "here are boats!" exclaimed the roman officer, as he drew rein at the place upon the beach from which the ionian rowers had fled. "then there were more of these cowardly deserters. if all these boats had remained with the ships, how many brave men might have been rescued! we will search the mountains for these rascals. if cæsar hath been robbed of two warships by the fire and the rocks, we will at least avenge the shades of our comrades who were left to perish." an angry man was he, and with good cause so far as these men were concerned, and their crime was well deserving of punishment. he rode away with his horsemen, but there would soon be terrible hunters for blood among the crags of carmel. there would, however, be a delay of hours before forces could set out from the war garrisons, and meanwhile the ionians had been pushing their way into the forest. they were of one accord that it would not be well for them to continue long in one body, attracting attention, and each man was in dread of all his companions, fearing lest their very number should betray him to the sword. they found what seemed a sufficiently hidden camping place and they slept. at their breaking of their fast next morning, having but little to break it with, they were apparently almost cheerful, chatting lightly among themselves concerning their escape. in that country, they said, were great numbers of greeks, who came and went unquestioned by the authorities. a few more, if scattered here and there, would go unnoted. not long time need pass before all of them might be upon the sea again and far away, sailing from the many ports of syria. not many of them seemed to be warlike men, but it might be understood, in various forms of speech, that among them was no man who grieved for the destruction of roman keels and roman soldiers. rather did some of them mutter that with their will whole legions had perished instead of half a cohort. they believed themselves to be altogether unobserved, but upon them were now gazing eyes of intense hatred from the leafy ambush of some dense thicket at a short distance. "o ye who hear me," said one of the deserters, loudly, "know ye this! from the first ship that struck the reef and began to burn did some surely get to the land. like us they are now in carmel. what shall we do with them?" "slay them!" sharply responded several voices. "lest they prove our ruin. slay them without mercy!" one of them was a tall, gray-haired man, with eyes that were set near together and with a pointed nose. his forehead was high and on it was an iron cap. he said: "if they be too many, make friends with them at the first, but let none escape. i will attend to that." they listened as if he might be a man of rank and a leader among them, but hidden by the bushes were ears that understood the tongue in which he and they were speaking, and there were other ears which did not interpret. "it is of no use to question this greek of ours, o knud," whispered one to another of two strong men in the ambush, but his own face and his manner asked a question. "be thou silent, tostig the red," replied knud. "watch him. do as he doeth!" for lysias was muttering low in greek, "he betrayed my father in corinth. he would surely destroy me. he is a liar and he must die." to the head he drew his long arrow, and his companions hindered him not, for his face was burning with wrath, and it pleased them to see him raise his bow. "he is a young warrior," they thought. "he knoweth what these have spoken." truly sped the arrow, and the tall old corinthian traitor was smitten through the face, so that he spoke no more. up sprang his companions, wild with fear, but another and another of them went down before they could escape among the trees, for the spears of tostig and knud followed the arrows of lysias and they three followed closely, sword in hand. "i think," said knud the bear when he and his friends returned from a brief chasing, "that too many escaped. i have counted but eleven slain. i will ask the greek his reasons for this when we reach an interpreter." "take all coin from these who are slain," said lysias, but he made his words plain by action. "they are greek and roman coins," said knud. "we may need them. i am learning much concerning coins. oswald, the harper, hath many, but i cared not for them. a sword is better than money." "not in a place of buying," laughed tostig, "and we are not now an army. we must pay." "i am not a thief," said knud. "i will pay, but i shall surely be cheated." "no doubt," said tostig. "so do we need to take more coins. the greek is right." then they returned to their camp and lysias stood before ulric speaking. the jarl listened with care and he became very thoughtful, for lysias told him all the words of the ionians. "so, we are to have foot soldiers hunting in these forests," he said. "i had thought of that. thou didst well to slay them. but we who are saxons may not disperse. go thou and seek thine own safety. go thou, also, ben ezra. thou art among thine own people." "not so," said ben ezra. "let lysias go, but i remain with thee for a season. thou needest a guide. it were well for thee and thy men to cross the plains of esdraelon and get into the mountains of gilboa. we will go by night, for there is no safety for us in carmel." to all the saxons ulric interpreted the words of the jew, and they said to him: "thou art the jarl; we will follow thee. but should we not first slay this lysias?" "not so," said ulric. "he hath fought for us this day." "not so!" shouted also knud the bear. "he is a good archer. i will cut off the hand that is laid upon him." "so will i," said tostig, and his seax was in his hand quickly. there the matter ended, but ben ezra talked with ulric apart. "i send lysias to jerusalem," he said. "with him i send a jewel to the chief priest and another to the captain of the temple. we will pass over to gilboa. thence we will go over the jordan, at the middle ford. afterward we will go down to the wilderness of judea. in that hiding place no search can find us, as i have often told thee, and it is near jerusalem on the east." "we are a score of men without lysias," said ulric. "shall we march now?" "come thou first with me," said ben ezra. "not with so much treasure may we cross to gilboa lest we lose it all on the way. i have found a cave in carmel. here will we leave the precious stones save a few. i swear to thee by my god that i will keep faith with thee." "i swear not," said ulric, "for i know not of an oath with a true companion. faith of a son of odin cannot be broken. it is a tryst of blood between me and thee." "better than any oath," said ben ezra. "knowest thou not, o heathen jarl, that thou hast covenanted in the name of thy god, whom thou callest thy father?" "odin!" exclaimed ulric. "so it is. he would be angry with me forever if i failed thee in this matter. it is well to beware of provoking the gods. see to it that thou anger not thine own." they walked away together, none following. not far to go was it before the jew stood still and looked around him. "it is well if we are unseen," he said, "for i have great doubts in my mind." "i see here a great cleft in the face of this crag," said ulric. "like this are many entrances of caves in the northland. i found some among the faces of the fiords. in them are great bones of men and beasts and store of old-time weapons that are made of stone." "thou wilt find bones here," said the jew, "but i think not many weapons. the cave is dark, and we will have torches." exceedingly skillful was he in the kindling of a flame among dry mosses, and ulric found withered branches of pine full of resin. a torch for each was lighted, and they went in at the cleft, going cautiously. "in such places as these dwelt the ancient prophets of jehovah," said ben ezra, "but now the caves of the land of israel are the strongholds of all robbers. i have heard that there are robbers dwelling in carmel. turn, now. let us be sure that no enemy followed us." the turning was quickly made, for they at that moment heard a sound behind them. then followed an angry cry and a javelin sped over the head of the stooping jew to glance from the shield of ulric. he spoke not, but he threw his spear and drew his seax, for in the cleft passage were armed men. true was the spear-cast and the javelin thrower fell, but over his body sprang ben ezra. it was then but a brief struggle between him in his perfect mail and a robber whose garb was but a tunic. "these were but fools," said the jew as his scimiter fell upon a fourth of these half-armed men. "i think they are robbers and that they are samaritans. accursed are they! i will look to know if there are more of them outside." he was gone but a moment, and when he returned he exclaimed, hastily: "not any, o jarl! we will leave these bodies here for a token. now we may enter the cave." "touch them not," said ulric. "thou art wise. i think that any comrade of theirs who may come to see will believe this to be the work of the officers of the law." "in that were better security for aught that we may will to hide," said ben ezra. "seest thou now, o jarl? this cave is deep. we will go in further." "there are bones to build heaps with," replied the jarl. "here hath been a massacre, but these are dry and the slaying was long ago." gloomy and terrible was that deep cave in carmel, with its dark shadows and its whitening skeletons. among its corners the jew was searching, holding forward his torch. "a soft spot in the floor here," he said. "we will dig with our knives. we may come to it again by sure marks, for behind it is the solid rock and at its right a fathom and a half is yonder broken altar." "knowest thou," asked ulric, "to what god belongeth this altar? was it thine?" "nay," said the jew, "he hath no altars in the caves, but only in the temple at jerusalem. in the old time was carmel a stronghold of the philistines. there have been many gods among these mountains. they were all destroyed by jehovah." "i would, then, that he might have a care for these treasures of ours," said ulric, digging rapidly with his broad dagger. "go deeper into the earth. make it wider. now it is enough. o jew, if thou and i are slain, no other hand will ever take out that which we will shortly put in." the casket and some other matters brought by them were now placed in the cavity which the jarl had dug, and the covering was done with care and a removing of surface traces. then ulric turned to look upon the altar. "there are deeply cut runes upon it," he said. "canst thou read them?" "nay, but i know that they are chaldee," said the jew. "this altar is exceedingly old. who shall say what men and what gods have been dwellers in this cave!" "we may now do no more," said the jarl. "we will return to the men. it is a good prudence, every way, that we leave a mark of blood at the entrance." "even so!" exclaimed ben ezra. "they were robbers, but also are the samaritans the enemies of my people. now am i sure that jehovah is with thee, and i remember that which is written of such as thou art, that he maketh the heathen his sword." ulric was thinking of another matter. "the burdens of the men will still be heavy," he said, "but not now will they carry any weight of provisions. we will obtain pack beasts when we may. and now we have need for haste lest evil come upon us." they went out of the cave together and returned to the camp, but sigurd met them. "o jarl," he exclaimed. "lysias hath disappeared and the men are angry. we had thought he would for a while go with us." "we will guard our own heads, o sigurd, the son of thorolf," replied ulric. "we are better without the greek. he hath gone on an errand. we will but eat and then we will depart, for the romans come quickly. the jew hath a guiding for us." nevertheless, the saxons all were angry, and they ate in silence. their jarl was too soft with strangers, they said to each other. he avoided too much the shedding of dangerous blood. he himself was stern and moody, for he was thinking of his lost ship and of the northland and of hilda. "if she knoweth where i am," he thought, "surely she would give me a token. i doubt if she can follow me unto this place. how could she find me in carmel?" he stood erect soon, and there was a strong impulse upon him, for he lifted his war horn and blew three blasts, toward the sea, and toward the forest, and toward the great crag that standeth on the promontory of the mountain. the sea replied not, nor did the forest, but from the great wall of rock there came back an answer such as will come in the winter time from out the deep throats of the fiords when the gods are conversing. once and again it spoke, and knud the bear exclaimed: "odin is here, or thor, for that is a war horn of the north answering thine, o son of brander. it is a good omen. i like to feel that the old gods are with us." "we will follow thee!" added wulf the skater. "go where thou wilt. i will not again forget that thou art of odin." so ulric took up his spear and shield and ben ezra led the way; but the forest was dense before them and it was a long walk eastward before they came out into an open place. from every lip burst a sudden shout as the saxons halted to gaze upon that which was before them. "the valley of the gods!" said ulric. "the valley of the slain!" responded ben ezra. "the plain of esdraelon. the valley which is before jezreel. the valley of decision. o jarl of the saxons, it is the place of the meeting of the hosts of kings. since the world was made here hath been the place of battles. thereon have fallen more dead than on any other piece of ground. the chariots and the horsemen have there gone down together." "here, then, have thor and odin contended with the other gods," responded ulric. "thy god hath been here----" "and all the gods of africa and all the gods of the east!" shouted the jew, enthusiastically. "here the hosts of joshua contended with the hosts of canaan. here have judah, and israel, and egypt, and babylon, and nineveh, and persia, and greece, and assyria drawn the sword. in the last days here in armageddon will perish gog and magog, going down before the spear of jehovah." "glad am i to have seen the place," said ulric, and every viking shouted for joy that he had looked upon the greatest battlefield of the broad world. well was it worth coming so far to see, and gladly would they have gone into one of those great combats of the kings; but now they were led on rapidly, for the day was passing. not long did it take them to walk down to the level plain, but all the while their eyes were busy. cities they saw and villages, and many scattered abodes of men. the fields were long since reaped, but here had grown much wheat. there were many vineyards, with groves of olive trees and other fruit trees. rivers not large but shining. small hills whereon were towers, as if for watchmen and for garrisons. names were given to some villages by ben ezra, but the greatest town of all was dimly seen, far away across the plain, and he said it was the ancient city of jezreel. beyond all, toward the east, arose mountains in long ridges, and they knew from him that these were the gilboa to which he was leading them. "o jew," said ulric, "where halt we this night?" "not on all the plain," said ben ezra. "even now we near the great highway from the south and in it walks a multitude, but i see no armed men. i think that many eyes are already aware of our coming." that might well be, for the sunlight flashed upon their armor and their helmets and their spear points, but tostig answered: "o jarl, what care we for armed men? i think the jew is right. we must hasten, even if we have to slay a few romans." "none are here," said ben ezra. "and the people will trouble us not. pontius the spearman, the procurator of judea, hath many gladiators and he hath mercenaries whose speech is strange to the nation. none will question you because ye are not legionaries." "well for them that they do not," growled knud the bear. "i am no hired gladiator. i am a free saxon. what sayest thou, o jarl?" "nothing," said ulric, striding forward. "let us see what this crowd meaneth." "we have naught to do with them," said sigurd, "but i am curious to have a look at the people of the land. none of them can say to himself that we came out of the sea on the other side of carmel." every saxon was as sigurd in willing to see the people and to know what this might mean, for there were very many in the highway, men and women and children, and there were no horsemen, nor did there seem to be so much as a spear or a shield among them. chapter xxi. the rabbi from nazareth. lysias, the greek, stood in a copse of thick bushes near the forest border and looked out upon the plain, but not toward gilboa. he had been digging in the earth, as ulric and ben ezra had digged in the cave, but he had not been hiding treasure. he had but wrapped his weapons and his armor in a woolen robe-cloth that he might conceal such perilous evidence from inquiring officials of rome or of any local authority. earth and flat stones and sods were over them now, and he had made marks upon trees whereby he might find that place again if he should at any future day will to do so. he now walked out beyond the bushes with no trace upon him that he had been a warrior. "well was it for me," he said, "that i found such goodly raiment among the spoils of the trireme. fewer questions are asked of him who is handsomely appareled. soon i will procure me a beast and i will go with all speed to jerusalem. it is a city to which strangers come from all the world, and he who escapeth into a multitude hideth himself in a solitude." the tunic which he wore was of silk and his robe was of embroidered linen. sandals were on his feet and his white turban was of a costly silken fabric. if he had retained any weapon, it was now perfectly concealed. to the eye of one who might chance to meet him he would suggest beauty and riches and peace, and not at all an archer whose bow had sent many messengers of death. "now must i be careful concerning robbers," he thought. "i have both gold and jewels with me. but to all who ask my errand i shall be but a scholar in the school of gamaliel at jerusalem, and therefore i may not enter samaria, but must pass on swiftly. the romans themselves favor all such scholars, and i shall have their protection. their laws are good and my time for smiting them again hath not come. but never will i show mercy to a roman." other things he said concerning the much-vaunted laws and justice of the world's conquerors. beyond a doubt they not only claimed much in the way of righteousness, and also did many things righteously, but behind this sternly formal justice of theirs, and but little concealed, was a man holding out his hand for bribes, and near him was a place of scourging and the sword of a ready executioner. nevertheless, lysias walked on joyously. soon he was in a highway, and by it passed through hamlets. he looked inquiringly at all places as he went, but he paused not for conversation with any whom he met or greeted. at last he came to the open gate of a wall, behind which were a goodly house and some outbuildings of stone. in the gateway stood an old man, well appareled, and before him lysias stood making reverent obeisance, as to an elder. "i am simon ben assur," said the old man. "who art thou, o greek?" "i am lysias, the scholar, of the school of gamaliel at jerusalem," he replied. "i have lost my beast, for he was worthless and he would go no further. hast thou a good ass for sale, that will travel swiftly?" "i see that some one hath sent thee to me," replied ben assur. "thou knowest, therefore, that the beast is a swift one." "well with thee," said lysias. "i would buy him but for thy extortionate price. wilt thou now give me an honest bidding, that i may pay thee and take him away?" "ha!" said ben assur. "they told thee my price? there is more which they did not tell thee. the ass is young and there is none swifter than he. he is well trained. the saddle and the bridle are to be purchased with him, as thou needest." "one needeth them to ride withal," said lysias. "but every beast hath faults and thine is not worth, upon the market, the half of thy asking. i will but look at him and pass on about my business." loudly laughed simon then, looking keenly into the handsome face of the greek. he turned and spoke to some one within the inclosure, bidding him bring the ass. "o youth," he said, "i mind not that thou hast spoken with that evil beast of a samaritan. arcas offereth that he will pay me for the ass next passover week; and i rejected him not, but told him that the price must now be paid to me in five golden pieces. i will say to thee that the pay days of arcas never come, and wise men deal not at all with him unless he giveth double security." "i deal not with him," said lysias, "but i will see thy beast." and now a serving man led forth to the gate a large and well-shaped animal, upon which were a fair saddle and bridle. "mount and try him," said simon. "if thou canst ride at all, thou wilt ascertain what is under thee; but an unskillful rider may wisely choose another, for he is full of life." lysias sprang to the saddle and rode back and forth along the highway. "he must be mine at any price," he thought, "for in his legs is my safety." "wilt thou take thy good bargain, o greek?" shouted ben assur as lysias returned. "he is no good bargain at five pieces," said lysias. "no ass is worth so much. i will give thee one piece--" "thou art no samaritan," interrupted the old jew. "thou art not arcas, to buy of me and afterward to rob me of my pay with false witnesses before the magistrate's seat, proving that thou hast already paid me. hast thou not two pieces in thy hand? i will give thee a writing of sale lest he be taken from thee in samaria." "two i will give," said lysias, after again galloping up and down the road. "make out thy bill of sale to lysias, the scholar. i now return speedily to jerusalem." "i think well of thee!" exclaimed simon; afterward adding, "i pray thee take my greeting to the great rabbi gamaliel. he knoweth me. i deal fairly with thee. i am not ashamed to have thee show unto even him this thy purchase." back into the house he went and he soon returned with a small square parchment of a bill of sale. but the coins which he received were heavy coins of athens and he weighed them thoughtfully in his hand. "good youth," he said, "take thou now the counsel of thy elder. carry not too many of such as these with thee. open not thy purse before strangers. thou art overwell appareled. get thee as far as the gate of a walled town having a garrison before the sun goeth down. ride fast and far that thou mayest be beyond any who might inquire of thee concerning that which is now under thee. thou hadst better not enter samaria." "fare thee well," said lysias, urging the ass promptly. "i take thy counsel." "well for him if he so doeth," muttered ben assur in the gateway, "since arcas claimeth the beast as already his own. i will myself now depart for damascus and the samaritan devil may seek for his five pieces where he will. i have beaten him." the thought then in the mind of lysias did not err greatly. "something is concealed from me as to this swift one," he said to himself. "i have no business in samaria that i should risk being robbed and then imprisoned as a thief. but if i now meet a roman patrol, no officer will deem me a pirate coming ashore from a burning trireme with a band of saxons." therefore he blessed his gods for guiding him to the house of ben assur, and he rode on in safety, but not as yet was there any safety for the others who, like him, had escaped the sea and the fire. far behind him on mount carmel, in a place of few trees, an ionian sailor fell breathless upon the grass while beside him halted a roman horseman. "get thee up!" he shouted. "answer truly lest i slay thee! where are thy companions?" "slain by robbers in the armor of saxons," responded the fallen man, rising. "i will tell thee." another horseman came galloping to the side of the first and legionaries on foot might be seen not far away. the wisdom of a commander had sent a band of searchers to the side of carmel toward the plain rather than among the crags and forests. gaining his breath as he could, for he had been running swiftly, the ionian told all save that he claimed to have swam to the shore. "thou sawest but three of these saxons?" said the officer at last. "i had no knowledge of any such pirate trireme. the saxons are to be the scourge of the middle sea if cæsar destroyeth them not." more questions were put to the frightened ionian, and then he was told: "i will not slay thee. thou wilt come with me to samaria. thy testimony must go before the procurator that a fleet may cruise against these rovers from the ocean stream. thy companions that remain must be sought out that they may confirm thee." calm and wise was this man, and he at once sent forward, also, swift runners to ask here and there if anything had been seen of a band, or of single men, of the saxons who had escaped from the trireme. now the plain of esdraelon is wide and the skirts of carmel are long and rugged. there were none who had seen ulric the jarl and his vikings up to the hour when they walked out into the highway. by his directions, as a prudent captain, they marched orderly, two and two, as if they belonged to the auxiliary of some roman legion and were going by due authority. "so," advised ben ezra, "no man less than a quaternion or a magistrate will run the risk of asking thee a question. no man of the people may demand the errand of a soldier lest harm come to him." "the multitude hath paused," said sigurd. "they gather around a man. let us go see." right and left parted the crowd as the saxon column marched onward, but it halted suddenly, the people closing around and behind it, curiously staring, but not touching nor inquiring whence it came. there was an open space on the broad highway, and five paces in front of the jarl stood the man of whom sigurd had spoken. he was of full height and broad, but ulric said in a low tone to ben ezra, in latin: "he looketh not altogether like a jew. i have seen darker saxons. i think he is a jarl. such as he might be a leader of men." proud was the bearing of sigurd, the son of thorolf, the sea king; high and stern was the aspect of ulric, the son of odin; tall and powerful men were all the other vikings; but not among them all was there one with the dignity of this plainly dressed jew rabbi, who stood there unarmed and with only a turban on his head. he spoke not now to the saxons, but before him on the earth rolled and wallowed one who seemed in agony. his eyes were starting from their sockets and there was foam upon his lips. a shriek burst from him as his convulsed limbs beat the earth. "he hath a demon!" said ben ezra to ulric. "the evil spirit teareth him. there are many such. let us see what this rabbi will do. i think him a learned one. only the learned may deal with demons." "come out of him!" commanded the princely man, stooping to touch the demoniac. on his face was a kindly smile, nevertheless, but they saw not his eyes, for he was looking downward. wild was the shriek that came back, as if in a fiercer spasm of inward pain, but a voice followed it, saying: "i know thee, who thou art, thou jesus of nazareth! thou holy one of god!" again he said, "come out of him!" and it was as if some unseen being called out loudly in an unknown tongue and fled away. then arose from the ground the man in whom the evil spirit had been dwelling, and he stood erect, unharmed, like other men. "a great rabbi!" whispered ben ezra. "one of the learned, from jerusalem. thou mayest not speak to him while he is healing." "he that fled called him a son of odin," replied ulric. "he looketh like one." "he may be one of the gods of this land," muttered wulf the skater. "i like him not. he commandeth evil spirits and they obey him. i am glad the jarl is also a son of odin." "i am glad to have seen a god," replied knud the bear. "he is nobler than other men. let us see what he will do to that crippled one." bent and deformed, as if his arms and legs had little shape left them, was this man whom his friends now half led, half carried, before this rabbi of the jews. "canst thou do anything for him?" asked one. "he hath been thus from his birth." no answer made the man jesus, but he laid his hand upon the arm of the crippled one. "odin!" exclaimed ulric. "look! he can stand upon his feet! he lifteth his hands! thou art right, ben ezra. it were evil for me to speak. the cripple singeth! he is praising his god, and well he may." "go thou to the priest at jerusalem," he heard the rabbi from nazareth say to each in turn of the men who had been cured. "see thou tell no man." "what meaneth he?" thought ulric. "have not all we seen with our own eyes this which hath been done? i would i were healed of something, then would i know what is this secret between them and their god. he is a strong one. what will ben ezra now say about his jehovah? i think this may be a stronger god, for jehovah doth not well guard the jews from the romans." but there stood the rabbi, jesus, and he was saying many things to the multitude. clear was his voice and deep, and they who were not near him needed not to lose a word that he was saying. "i understand him not," muttered sigurd. "i am glad to have seen him, but he is not like our gods of the north. it is time we were marching, o jarl." "haste then," added ben ezra. "this jesus is a learned rabbi, and he healeth, but the swords of the romans are not far behind us." "i would have speech with him before i go," said ulric to ben ezra. "what is this that he saith concerning unending life? do we not all die? do we not all go to the gods? he is lying. it is not good for a son of odin to lie." "speak to him not," said ben ezra. "he is touching the sick. never before have i seen a rabbi like this." "he is of the seed of david," said a short, dark man who stood near. "he is the christ that was to come. he is yet to be our king. i am one of his disciples. i shall be a prince when he is crowned." "thou a prince?" said ulric. "thou lookest not like a captain of warriors. what couldst thou do in a feast of swords?" the short man shrank away chinking a small bag that was attached to his belt, and his black eyes were glittering with anger. "if i were a king," said ulric, "i would find me better captains than he. i like not his face. he loveth his bag too well. come on, now!" the order went to his saxons, but at that moment he heard the rabbi saying: "let him sell all that he hath and come and follow me. so shall he have treasure in the heavens." "where are they, ben ezra?" asked the jarl. "no man knoweth," replied ben ezra. "i think they are above the sky. it is the place of our people. thou art a heathen and they have no part with israel." "i go to valhalla and to the city of asgard," said ulric. "to the city of the gods. i want no treasure in any place of the jews. thou mayest have thy heavens to thyself. lead on!" nevertheless, ulric strode forward and stood for a moment before the rabbi looking him in the face. "o thou of the sons of the gods," he said, "i also am of the line of odin. i think thou wouldst make a leader of men. i will fight for thee if thou wilt." "thou art not far from the kingdom," said the rabbi, smiling wonderfully. "go thou thy way, for thou wilt see me again. thou wilt come unto me in the day in which i shall call thee." "that will i!" exclaimed ulric with an energy that was sudden. "but i think thou wilt need all the saxons if thou art to contend with cæsar. it will be a great battle when his legions meet thee. i have slain many romans already. i am thy man." "thou knowest not yet what thou art," replied the rabbi, "but the saxons also are my people. i shall send for them." "that do thou," said ulric; "and i, ulric the jarl, the son of brander the brave, the son of odin, i will lead them for thee, for i am a jarl and a sea king. fare thee well." no answer made the rabbi, for he turned to speak to a woman in the crowd, and ulric turned to walk away with ben ezra. "the romans will slay him," said ben ezra. "thou wert imprudent. i wonder much. can this be the christ that is to come?" "who, then, is he?" asked ulric, and as they went onward the jew told him many things that were hard to understand. "it seemeth to me," said the jarl at last, "that thou speakest a saga that hilda of the hundred years told me in my childhood. odin is to return bringing the gods with him, and some say he hath returned already and that he who saileth far enough to the eastward and southward may find asgard. i must see this city, jerusalem, and its temple, for now i do know that thy jehovah is a god like thor or odin." "he is the greatest of all gods," said ben ezra stoutly, "but this rabbi cannot be the christ. he is but a healer, and there have been many who wrought cures and cast out demons." "i would he had been with us in _the sword_," replied ulric, "in the day when the evil spirit took possession of my vikings. but he could have done nothing against the nornir and the valkyrias. even odin could not prevent their calling. it was the time for those men to die." "i heard this demon that was cast out by the rabbi," said ben ezra, "but i did not see him. i wonder what he is like?" "i have heard that such are exceedingly wonderful," said ulric. "they are of many shapes, but none are beautiful. some of them are strong and the gods have to tie them up to trees lest they do mischief." "so have i heard," said the jew, "only the demons tied up by thy gods are not like our own. we have many, and they seize men by night. they serve the magicians." "i would slay all magicians," said ezra. "they interfere with the gods too much. but i see the glint of spears away yonder. i trust there are not too many of them." they had marched far into esdraelon and the night was falling. the men were weary and their hearts were heavy. "be thou prudent," said ben ezra. "if this be a roman patrol, smite not, but let me have speech with their officer." "we may not flee," replied the jarl. "not only are we overworn, but these are in part mounted men. silence all! they come!" the saxons halted, leaning upon their spears, not knowing the purpose of their jarl, but trusting him. on toward them rode but three, of whom one wore a white cloak with a purple border. "a roman of high rank," said ben ezra. "slay him not. the band is strong." not loudly uttered was the hail of the roman officer, reining his horse. "i am julius, the centurion of tiberias," he said. "i know ye, who ye are--the gladiators of caius from jerusalem for the games at tiberias. ye have taken the wrong road. who art thou, o jew?" "i am ben ezra, their interpreter," replied the jew. "were we not forbidden to go by the way of jezreel?" the centurion laughed freely at that. "caius is careful of his wagers and would not have thy men seen by the wrong eyes," he said, "but i have had fortune to beat his cunning by this meeting. i will look well at them. they seem better than any that may be now ready to contend with them." "study them well," said ben ezra, and the centurion rode slowly around the motionless body of saxons. "would i might slay him!" muttered knud the bear, but none heard. "he is a fine mark!" whispered wulf the skater. "i could spear him off his horse. but the jarl is cunning." "cease," said tostig the red. "the legionaries are twoscore and we are weary." "o thou," said julius to ulric, discovering that he was the captain, "thou art a tall one." "he understandeth latin," said ben ezra. "he is not new, as are the others." "he looketh a tried swordsman," said julius, for one soldier judgeth easily another. "saxon, thou wilt win sesterces at tiberias, but thou wilt lose some of thy company." "not unless ye have better swords than any we have met," replied ulric. "truly!" exclaimed julius, "this is a deep trick of caius. he will get no foolish wagers from me. but thou, o saxon, thou wilt have a numidian lion to fight, and he is larger than any syrian beast. what sayest thou to that? canst thou meet him?" "judge thou of that when thou seest him before me," said ulric. "i would gladly meet thy lion if he is a strong one." "hard fighters are the saxons," said julius. "i will give thy big hercules a tiger." he pointed at sigurd, and the sea king's face flushed hotly, but he was silent. "o jew," said the centurion, "obey thou caius lest thou get the scourge. enter not jezreel. show not thy gladiators to any. tell not any man that i have seen them and i will give thee ten sesterces. if thou tellest, i will reward thee otherwise. go on a little. camp in the old tower by the highway from galilee. it hath now no garrison. thy saxon wolves are guard enough against jackals and robbers." "i obey thee, o noble julius," said ben ezra. "thou wilt answer for us if we are inquired of concerning this tower?" "i will acquit thee," replied the centurion, and he rode away followed by his own company. all that had been spoken was now interpreted to the saxons, and it seemed to them as if a good jest had been made of this roman. they were glad, also, of a sure camping place, and they marched on in the twilight; but the jew purchased for them two fat sheep and a skin of wine at a place which they passed in going. then came they to the empty tower at the highway from galilee, but when they halted ben ezra would allow none to enter until he had kindled a flame and had made torches. "these old towers are abodes of demons," he said, "and the rabbi jesus is not here to cast them out. this julius may have played a trick upon us, sending us to contend with evil spirits which have heretofore driven all garrisons out of this place." "have thou thy will," said the jarl. "but a son of odin careth not much for demons." chapter xxii. the tomb song of sigurd. the broken portal of the old tower in esdraelon was as the entrance to a dark cavern, and from it came out a wide-winged owl while ben ezra was kindling his flame. away into the darkness fled the bird of night hooting loudly, and the men said to one another: "we like not these birds. they are of evil omen. they are friendly with bad spirits and the demons have them for their companions." ulric the jarl stood waiting, and he cared not for the owl, but when a torch was handed to him by the jew he strode forward, looking warily around him as he went, and others followed him closely. naught was there to be seen but bare walls of stone and a flight of stone steps that were builded spirally, leading upward. "o jarl!" suddenly exclaimed tostig the red, going past him, sword in hand, "here, also, are other steps. look! they go down into the under world. beneath this tower might be vaults and a prison." "such places are ever the abode of the evil spirits," said ben ezra. "go not down this at first. it is likely there have been many men slain here, for this tower hath been a place of defense since the old time. it was builded by the philistines, but the stonework hath been repaired by the kings of the nations who came after them." easy it was to obtain enough of fuel for a bright fire upon the stone floor, and the saxons loved the light of its blaze, although little need was for warmth. there was a well near by, with a bucket for bringing up water and a trough for beasts to drink from. they who planned the tower had provided wisely, but ben ezra said of the deep well: "many are the demons which dwell in old wells. they entice men to fall in, and they themselves come out to deal evilly with lone wayfarers. therefore some who encamp by the wells are heard of no more. only the very learned of the rabbis know how to cast them out. let us hope that this fountain hath been purified." "the water is good," said knud the bear, "and i was thirsty. the gods make wells." they ate and drank, and then ulric the jarl knew that it was his duty to further explore the tower. he first climbed the stone stairway to the upper part. here was no roof, and the walls were notched well for bowmen. there was a place, also, for the burning of a beacon light. "it is a strong tower," said the jarl. "a few men might keep it against many if the portal had a stout gate with arrow holes. we are garrison enough. i will go down." the stars above were bright, but there was no moon, and nothing could he discern of the plain or of the mountains. he descended the stairway and went to the downward steps, taking a larger torch but asking no company. "o jarl," said sigurd, "have a care for thyself. thou knowest not who may be the god of this place." "odin!" laughed ulric. "whoever he may be he hath not hindered our coming in. i will see what is below." none followed him but tostig the red, who was ever curious and who had no fear of demons, thinking them of no account. "o jarl," he said, at the bottom of the steps, "hold up thy torch. this winding stairway hath taken us down two fathoms or more. there is a bad smell. i like it not. i hear something that moveth." "help me! for the sake of jehovah the blessed!" gasped a human voice not far away. "i perish with thirst. they bound me and left me here to die." he spoke in the old hebrew tongue, not unlike the tongue which was commonly spoken in that land, and ulric answered: "who art thou?" "i am abbas, the merchant, of jerusalem," responded the voice. "water! water! they were robbers from mount gilboa. i was rash, for i had little treasure with me. they got but my ass and a bag of denarii, and they were wroth to have so little. this was their hiding place, but they are gone out for prey." over him stood ulric, holding the torch, while tostig with his knife cut the hempen fetters and lifted abbas to his feet. he was naked save a torn tunic, but he did not seem to be wounded. the saxons above had heard, and a horn of water was brought down by sigurd, the son of thorolf, for ben ezra was outside of the tower. abbas drank, gaining strength, and went up the stairway with little help, while tostig searched that place in vain for anything worth the taking. "they take their spoils elsewhere," he muttered, "but we will care little for that if odin hath sent us the slaying of them. i would be glad to kill some robbers." "men in galilee owed me money for merchandise," explained abbas as he ate. "i came to obtain it, thinking to return in strong company. the romans make the highways safe to all, and i had no fear. but this band numbereth a score. i think they will return before the morning." "put out the fire!" commanded the jarl. "every man to his spear and shield. we will not let one of them escape. it is evil to leave a man to die of thirst instead of giving him the sword." "the romans will thank thee well, o chief of the gladiators," said abbas. "they have striven to destroy these robbers of gilboa, but if these are pressed hardly, they flee across the jordan. they are from the wilderness." ben ezra heard standing in the doorway, and he already knew all. to ulric he said in the north tongue: "beware whom thou slayest. thou art but a gladiator in this tower. thou art not here a jarl, to do as thou wilt." "ever am i a son of odin," said ulric. "i have sold my sword to no man. who shall stay me from slaying? i will spare not one." "if thou slayest one, slay all," said ben ezra. "there is danger in the enmity of the men of the wilderness. they forget not, and the next of kin may find thee." "not if he be wise," said ulric, but he bade his men lie down and rest, keeping watches. then spoke to him the jew abbas: "i will tell thee a thing. me they may have thought to ransom. i know not. but they will be here at the dawn to lie in wait for a company that cometh from tiberias with much merchandise. thou mayest be sure that, if thou slayest them not, then thou and all of thine are to be slain." "that i may well believe," said the jarl, "but they who slay saxons may count their men and we will count how many remain." "so be it," said abbas. "thou art a tall one. but thou, ben ezra, come hither and commune with me." so went they apart and they talked much together in the old hebrew tongue, and it seemed to the jarl that these two jews might be of kin to each other, so many names did they speak of men and of women and of places. "i will trust ben ezra," he thought, "but of this abbas i shall know more at another time. i would see the sun upon his face before i can read its meaning." then came around him and sigurd all the other saxons asking curiously concerning all these things which had taken place. they asked about the tower and the plain and the mountains until they were satisfied. "thou art a prudent jarl," said tostig the red, "but i would rather fight lions than to be hidden away among the hills like a wolf. are there not cities to be seen, and wonderful places? i like not deserts." "we came out to see the world," said knud the bear. "o jarl, there might be excellent fighting if we go in the right direction." "that would please me also," said wulf the skater, "and we may begin with these robbers if they are to come upon us. they may be swordsmen." other of the vikings spoke strongly, as became warriors, and ulric saw that they were in earnest. they liked not gilboa and its caves. they had been shut up on shipboard long and they were in great wonder concerning this country of the jews. "even so am i," ulric said to them. "we will go on and see cities, as you desire. we will not be roman soldiers, but there is no disgrace to a northman in slaying a fighting beast or a fighting man. only i will serve no master, even though he be a king. i am of odin." "we are as thou art in this matter," said the saxons. "we will serve none save in thy company, but we pray thee lead us into a better place than this tower or a desert." now, also, some remembered to speak again of lysias, the greek, wondering whether or not he had escaped and where he might be. "ought we not rather to have slain him?" they said. "who knoweth what report he may send out concerning us?" "he will have good care for his own life in that matter," said the jarl. "he will be secret for his own sake. do ye not also remember that he is a good bowman?" "i like him for his archery," said tostig the red. "i trust that his gods may be with him to help him slay more romans." "that seemeth not to be for us," said knud the bear. "we are to be friends with them for a season. but i would see a tiger if i may, and also some of these great elephants, which cause me to think of a whale walking upon the land." "thou wilt see them at tiberias if thou goest there," said ben ezra; "but be careful of thy speech, for thou art now in a roman land and thou art but one man. thou canst not fight a cohort." "a warrior may be prudent without dishonor," responded knud. "i like the romans better, now i have killed so many of them. they are good fighters and they die where they stand, not running away." so said other of the saxons, and all slept but the watchers, and the night passed. it was in the dull hour before the sun's rising that abbas, the jew, came to the jarl and touched him, saying: "arise, o captain of the saxons. the sentinel at the roadside needeth thee." "stir up the men," spoke ulric to sigurd, the son of thorolf, "but bid them keep in the tower. come thou unto me at the road." so went he out and stood by the sentinel, and with them were ben ezra and abbas. "o jarl," said wulf the skater, "i might not leave my post, but i have slain this man that lieth here. what he is i know not, but he crept near me stealthily and i speared him. it was a cast in the dark. he weareth a turban." "a robber from beyond jordan," said abbas stooping. "he is a bowman. therefore there are others with him. what sayest thou, captain of the saxons?" "let no man speak loudly," said ulric. "bring no light. i hear horses. be ready. slay all who come, but give no warning." so did sigurd, the son of thorolf, give direction in the tower, and the men were prudent, waiting for what might come. but sigurd now stood by ulric and seemed like a giant in the gloom. by him stood another saxon quickly, and he was lifting his shield when something smote it, making it ring. "an arrow," he said, "sent strongly. a dozen men, o jarl!" "smitten am i!" shouted sigurd, but he sprang forward swinging his pole ax. upon him darkly, suddenly, pressed hard a swarm of men, and they were as locusts crushed by the foot as his ax fell on them. ulric stood fast for a moment, but forward with sigurd went wulf the skater full of war wrath. more than one arrow rattled on the shield of the jarl, but he had cast his spear and he was now swinging the long, straight sword of annibaal, the carthaginian, for men were upon him and he mowed them as rushes. "back to the tower, ben ezra!" exclaimed abbas. past abbas and ben ezra charged four saxons with knud the bear; but the two jews went back to the tower, for they were cunning and they willed not to be discovered by these robbers whose vengeance is forever. men half armored, moderate in stature, not expecting great resistance, were without hope in such a fray as this. they were there to be slaughtered, but at a little distance were others who were on horseback. from among these rode one a little nearer, while the others withheld their archery for fear of hitting their own men. "o abbas, of jerusalem!" he shouted. "would we had slain thee at once! thou hast betrayed us to the romans. i will yet have revenge upon thee and upon thy son. thou art the father of that bar abbas that smote me and mine beyond machærus. may the romans crucify him!" abbas at the tower heard well, but he replied not, and the saxons were slaying fast the robbers who were on foot. not one of them escaped, so swiftly fell the steel of the strong ones from the northland. again shouted the man, the robber chief on horseback, shouting to his footmen, but no voice went back to him. only a spear thrown by knud the bear went through him from breast to back and ulric blew a blast upon his war horn, for he heard a clash of swords behind him. "it is naught!" shouted tostig the red, from the doorway. "we were three and with us were the two jews. some thieves who came here are dead, dying easily. fight on." loud were the shouts of wrath among the horsemen, and one was interpreted by abbas to ulric: "he saith 'a roman garrison is in the tower.' no robber will venture nearer." "woe to thee, abbas!" came fiercely out of the gloom. "woe to thee and thine! i curse thee by my gods for ever and ever!" no word spoke abbas, but the horsemen wheeled and rode away swiftly, while ulric stooped over one who lay upon the ground. "o son of thorolf!" he exclaimed, "i would thou hadst not been smitten." "that am i," said sigurd. "the valkyrias have not passed me by. it was the arrow in the dark, and the bowman was near and it pierced my mail." "thou didst fight well, being smitten," said ulric, "for thou art of the heroes." "burn me not," said sigurd, "but bury me by this tower, in my armor, laying my weapons with me. i may need them when i awake among the gods. i know not much of these matters, but i have great curiosity." "aye," said ulric, "and if thou seest hilda of the hundred years, thou mayest tell her where i am. speak thou also to my father, to brander the brave, the sea king. tell him i go on to asgard, and that i have seen one of the gods in this land and that i seek to see him again." "i also saw him there in the road," said sigurd. "i think him one of them by his face and by the word of the evil spirits. if thou meetest him again, greet him for me. give me thy hand, ulric the jarl! the valkyrias! odin!" half sprang to his feet the mighty son of thorolf and he uttered a great cry. then crashing heavily down he fell prostrate, his shield and his mail clanging. silently around him stood the saxons, and one of them said: "o jarl, so fall we, one by one. i like it not. we shall never again see the northland. the gods are against us!" "he died not in his bed," said knud the bear. "it is well with him, jarl ulric." "so die i!" exclaimed wulf the skater. "come! let us dig, for the ravens must not whet their beaks on the bones of the hero." therefore, with knives and spearheads and flat stones the saxons dug a deep hollow in the earth, and into it the sun looked down when he was risen. "it will do," said ulric; "but now we will eat and drink. we have slain eighteen of these robbers. i would we had slain them all." many coins had been found upon the dead, especially upon him who had been mounted, and all these the jarl divided among the men, ben ezra counting for him their value. "keep thou some," said knud the bear. "not so," replied ulric. "i have enough. i like not too many coins. ye may need them to buy with. what have i to do with such things?" "thou art jarl," reasoned knud. "if thou take them not now we will yet compel thee. thou canst not do altogether as thou wilt. we think thou wilt need many coins. they are the custom of this land." "so be it," said ulric. "i am learning much about them. but i would rather be rich in cattle and in horses. i have all the lands of brander. i think i will take some coins with me when i go, to keep them in a bag like old oswald, the harper." "we will pay ours here, i think," said knud. "but let the jew make thy bargains for thee; for the sons of odin are not good merchants." ben ezra spoke then, agreeing well with knud, but the heart of ulric was heavy because of sigurd, for the son of thorolf had kept good faith with him, and the men who are true to friends are the men who are most missed when the valkyrias come to them. there were eating and drinking and there was much curious examination of the weapons and clothing and armor of the robbers from beyond jordan. ben ezra and abbas answered all questions, but they said, also, that there must be no going away from the tower until a messenger should arrive from julius or from some other roman officer. even while he was saying this to ulric there was heard from the southward along the highway the sound of a trumpet. "whoever cometh," said ben ezra, "let me have first speech with him. in slaying these who lie here we have been under the orders of julius, the centurion, and our official responsibility is to him; but he referreth us to caius, of the household of the procurator at jerusalem. we have need of cunning." the sun was high now, and esdraelon was exceedingly beautiful between its mountains. it was a plain of brown and green under blue heavens, a place where the gods might walk; but ulric, the son of brander, listened to the trumpet and looked from the bodies of the dead to the saxons, who stood in line on guard at the roadside. "this is the valley of battles," he said, aloud. "o jew, i will heed thee. knowest thou anything of this julius?" "not of myself," said ben ezra, "but abbas knoweth of him that he is said to be a subtle serpent, winning much money on wagers, and that he is cruel." "mark thou this, then," said ulric. "i saw in his face a thing that i read better now that we have lost a brave swordsman. deal thou carefully with these who come. i like not this place where too many have fallen, and where thou sayest the multitudes are to perish in the latter days." dark was the brow of the young jarl, and he went and stood by the open tomb and by the body of sigurd, the son of thorolf. out stepped ben ezra into the highway, and he stood there making due obeisance and uttering a greeting, when a roman officer wearing a white cloak with a purple border drew rein before him. "i am caius, of thessalonica," said the roman. "who art thou and who are these?" "if thou art caius, thou art well arrived," said ben ezra. "thy swordsmen rested here at the command of julius, the centurion, and i have somewhat to tell----" "these, then, were hired for me by that traitor hyles?" suddenly exclaimed caius, in wrath. "and he sent them on to be murdered by julius? thou knowest not that hyles was slain in samaria yesterday? tell all!" rapidly spoke the jew, while other horsemen and four chariots halted near in the highway. caius dismounted and walked on to where ulric stood, and the jarl greeted him, pointing down at sigurd. "so! i have lost a good sword by this julius," exclaimed caius. "he meant me to lose all that he might win the games. are any more of thy men hurt?" "none," said ulric in latin, "but this was a chief, a hero, a leader of men. him we must bury before we march." "i, too, am a soldier!" shouted caius. "he was a brave man! bury him according to thy custom. thinkest thou i am a dog? i, too, will stand by. brave men grow scarce. i would that cæsar had ten legions of such as thou art. the new levies are dwarfs!" out went the hand of ulric freely, for the man's face had scars on it and he was of good stature. "i will go with thee," he said. "i am ulric the jarl, of the sons of odin. it was promised me that i should have a lion to slay and that i should see jerusalem. wilt thou keep faith with me?" "no!" said caius. "i will give thee not to a lion; but thou shalt go where thou wilt, and then thou shalt see rome and fight before cæsar. wait till thou hast seen this lion prepared for thy destruction. i am not thine enemy to betray thee to ruin." "i will wait," said ulric, but he turned and beckoned to the saxons. all came and they took up the body of sigurd, laying it in the deep tomb. "put in stones and earth," said ulric; but caius, of thessalonica, stepped forward and threw in the first handful. "cunning is he," whispered abbas to ben ezra. "he knoweth men. he is winning these saxons for himself. there are no men more cunning than the romans." slowly filled they the tomb, but ulric stood at the head, looking down, and he said aloud: "who shall sing the tomb song of sigurd, the son of thorolf?" "thou, o jarl," said knud the bear. "we have no harp nor any saga woman. sing thou to the hero and to the gods." song came upon the soul of ulric and his lips opened--and it was as if hilda were with him, for he sang wonderfully. there were women in the chariots and they sat listening to the musical voice of the jarl. the legionaries on the horses sat like statues. the saxons waited, holding each his war horn in his hand, as did the jarl, until the tomb was filled, and they laid a broad stone thereon from a ruined part of the tower. ulric lifted his war horn and all the rest did likewise, answering his blast and then shouting. he blew again and he cried out: "o sigurd, son of thorolf, the sea king, i have done as thou didst bid me. bear thou my messages to the dead. tell them i come. keep thou a place for me in valhalla, in the day when the valkyrias come for me." "thou hast bidden farewell to thy comrade," said caius, frankly. "what doest thou with the corpses of these robbers?" "let the ravens and the wolves care for that matter," said ulric. "they are not ours." "it is well," said the roman, for there was pride in the manner of the jarl. "such work is for slaves, not for thee. an officer will do whatever is needful. prepare thee to march for tiberias. thou wilt have good quarters, near the amphitheater. no man may molest thee, o chief of the saxons. i like thee well, and i would thy tall comrade were living. subtle indeed is julius, the gambler, but he hath obtained only the slaying of robbers, and the quæstor will but laugh as at a jest." well pleased were all the saxons at the respect shown to them and to their jarl, but they went and looked curiously at the chariots in the highway. they studied well the wheels and the harness, but most of all did they gaze at the charioteers. "now," said knud the bear, "i believe that which was told me, for i have seen black men. i must slay one some day that i may know the color of his blood and of his flesh. they have strange hair, also, and they wear arm rings of silver and rings in their noses and in their ears." "those women are like other women," thought ulric. "not yet have i seen her who stood by hilda in my dreams. she is tenfold more beautiful than any of these." nevertheless, haste was made, and when the trumpet sounded the march the saxons were ready for the highway; but it was after the middle of the day, and ben ezra had all directions for the way. on went the chariots and the horsemen, and then ulric and his men followed, saluting first the tomb of sigurd. chapter xxiii. in a place apart at night. "halt thou! this is the place provided for thy band." so said to ulric the jarl the roman soldier who stood in the highway before the inn. it was near the setting of the sun and the saxons were weary with the heat. they were thirsty, likewise, and they were glad of a light red wine which was brought to them, but ulric said to the bringers: "for me water only. i fear much the evil spirit that hideth in the wine of this land. i think he is mine enemy and that my gods are at war with him." so he drank only water, but they all went in to the supper which had been ordered for them by caius. they talked not much with any, for the people of the inn were afraid of them, and men and women and children of the neighborhood who came to gaze did so as those who look but in readiness to run away. the place was but a hamlet in esdraelon, and around it were vineyards with many olive trees and fig trees. there was a spirit of unrest upon ulric, the son of brander, and his soul was troubled within him. he remained not in the inn after supper, but walked out alone fully armed. he conversed in latin a brief space with the soldier on duty there, asking him questions, and the answers did not please him. "thou wilt feed the beasts of the circus right well," said the legionary scornfully. "they will be hungry when they are let loose upon thee and thine. thou art no roman. all barbarians are fit to be crucified." down into his face looked ulric the jarl. "o roman," he said, "i am a match for seven such as thou art. i could lift thee above my head and cast thee like a stone from a sling. well said caius that these new legions were worthless against the strong in battle. thou hast no part in thor the hammerer." the soldier's face was dark with anger, but the jarl laughed and passed on, and neither of them knew that knud the bear in the door of the inn had been balancing his spear. "if he lifteth but a hand against the jarl, i will smite him through!" muttered knud. "the jarl is imprudent. i like it not." "lower thy spear," said ben ezra near him. "there will be no harm to thy chief. thou art overhasty and thou wilt soon die." "there will be blood at my dying," said knud. "i will strike for the jarl if all the legions of cæsar should come." "wait," said ben ezra. "thou wilt find a better hour to use thy spear." "so be it," replied knud. "thou art old and thou art wise and thou hatest romans." on walked the jarl, but he was thinking, and the thoughts in his mind were heated. "where am i now?" he said, but not aloud. "where is the good ship _the sword_? where are my companions who sailed with me from the northland? where is asgard? i have seen one god, but when shall i look into his face again? when shall i find the maiden who stood by hilda? my heart is on fire when i think of her. none like her was ever seen in the northland. o hilda, canst thou tell me does this thy beautiful companion dwell among the gods? then will i go to them that i may greet her, for she is mine." other thoughts came to be uttered, but he spoke them not, and he walked onward into the deepening gloom. very dark it was until the moon arose, and he knew not that the saxons at the inn were inquiring angrily concerning him. "what are we if we lose our jarl?" said wulf the skater. "but for him we had been lost long since. we would have no more help of odin if our jarl were taken away." ben ezra and abbas pacified them, and tostig the red said to the others: "there are but few romans near and they are bound under caius. what danger to the son of brander were a drove of these syrian cattle, even if they were armed?" "the son of thorolf was slain by an arrow shot in the dark," said a viking, surlily. "the jarl doeth not well to go among arrows. i would see his face again." murmurs were many, and they all came out and stood before the inn examining their weapons and tightening their mail. ulric walked on, but not far, in the brightening moonlight. "it is like the north country moon in winter," he said, for the air was clear and many things could be seen as in the day. beyond him arose a hill, such as may be in so great a plain, and on it there were ruins, grass-grown and mossy. in the old time there had been here a castle or a pleasure palace, none could tell which, and some of the stones were large, arising as pillars with stones laid across their summits. "not a temple," said ulric, thoughtfully. "i hope not. i would not go too near an abiding place of the dead gods. oft they come back again to trouble men. so saith ben ezra. so saith abbas. they hate men, for men worship them no more." he walked more slowly, thinking of the gods and of hilda and of the strangeness that he himself was here without a ship or a strong company, and not knowing what might be before him on the morrow. "i am jarl no more," he began to say, but at that moment he was suddenly silenced and he stood still to listen. not many paces beyond him was an open space on the summit of the hill and around it were fallen pillars, many and great, made of white stone. from this open there arose a voice and the light of the moon trembled among the white pillars. "he kneeleth!" said ulric to himself. "ben ezra called him the rabbi of nazareth. if there be dead gods or evil demons here, he feareth them not, for they know him." not loudly but with exceeding melody of voice the tongue of the kneeling man spoke on, and ulric said: "he singeth not to the dead of this place. it is not a saga of heroes. he asketh many things, that they may be given him. i am glad of the old hebrew tongue that i understand him somewhat, but much that he speaketh i do not understand." so he listened more, and the voice went on and the moonlight fell gloriously upon the face of him who was kneeling. "i have been gone long from the inn," said ulric in his thoughts. "i must return, but i have learned a thing. he is not alone here, as i am. the gods are with him, and he talketh with them as one god may talk to another, as friend to friend, right kindly. he is not at war with them, and one of them is his father. i would it were odin, for i like this god and i like his asking for these things that he needeth. i, too, need many things, but odin is far away and i know him not very well. the face of a god is very beautiful in the moonlight. he is a tall, strong man, a good fighter. but the gods have a strength of their own, greater than that of men. they can uproot trees and overturn rocks and drive the ice out of the fiords. this god could do a great many mighty things. i will have a talk with him some day, and i will ask him concerning asgard." ulric gazed earnestly at the face of jesus of nazareth, but the closed eyes did not open and the wonderful voice continued its many petitions. "i would i might see some of the other gods," thought the jarl, "but to remain here is not well. he hath come to this place to be alone with his father and his friends, and no brave warrior would be an intruder upon the affairs of others. i will go." he turned and walked away, but his thoughts were dark and heavy within him. "this man is of the sons of odin," he said. "so am i. therefore he and i are of kin, and i would know more of him. i would ask him concerning hilda and my father. if he may thus talk with the gods, my right is the same. but he is more than i, for the evil spirits obey him. he is no magician, to be friendly with them, but he was not unkind to the demon whom he sent away. if i were a god, i think i would deal well with demons and make them fight for me." so he communed with himself, walking, until he was loudly greeted at the door of the inn. "o jarl," shouted knud, "thou art safe! i did not know where to search for thee. it is wrong for thee to leave us in this manner." "o knud," said ulric, "i am not a child. the night is quiet. let us all sleep, for the march on the morrow may be long, under a hot sun." the others reproved him sharply, but they now were glad to rest, and the night waned. there was no sound of trumpet at the sun's rising, but a quaternion of legionaries came and the guard was changed. the officer also brought orders from caius that the gladiators should move on toward galilee. also a chariot came to carry for them their burdens and their heavier arms and armor, of which there was too much in weight for those who would march rapidly. "this is not a country for bearskins," said knud. "even wulf the skater is willing to take off his mail and his helmet. he never would do that thing until this day." "there is no fighting to be done among these vineyards," said wulf, "and i think this red wine maketh one's blood hot. i am thinking that i would gladly see a tiger." "there will be nothing in this land greater to contend with than was the white bear slain by jarl ulric," said tostig the red. "the children of the ice king were strong ones. i would rejoice in ice and snow at this hour." "it will be long before thou art frozen, o red one," laughed another of the saxons. "i am melting, like the ice king." "thou wilt make less noise when thou fallest," said tostig. "but cause me not to remember too much the sea and the good ship _the sword_. such thoughts bring me to hate the land, and i listen for the washing of the waves and for the cries of seabirds. it is not good, for the sea is far away." silence came then and the saxons walked on along the highway, seeing all things as they went, but thinking of the blue waters and of the plowing keels and of the north. ulric strode on in advance, and with him were abbas and ben ezra, telling him many things that he might not be ignorant in his dealings with that which was before him. "caius believeth," ben ezra told him, "that thou and thy saxons were engaged for him by his bondsman and purveyor hyles, who was slain at samaria for cheating him. we will have all care concerning that matter, but julius feareth caius of thessalonica because of his near friendship with this pontius the spearman, who is master of judea and samaria under cæsar. win thou the good will of caius, for he is a man of rank and gaineth power. only trust not any roman, for they care not for the life of a barbarian more than of a dog." ulric answered little, but he thought, and spoke it not. "these twain are jews, but one is as a free northman, a warrior, and the other is as a slave in spirit, fearing the romans even more than he hateth them. i like not abbas. he would sell me and mine as if we were cattle. ben ezra proveth a true friend and i will abide by his sayings. here cometh a party!" looking along the highway at that moment, he saw chariots and horsemen, but no flag nor any armor. "who are these?" he asked of ben ezra. "let them come nearer," said the jew. "it is likely they are travelers of importance. halt thy men at the roadside and we will see." at the word the saxons halted, leaving the road free, and they were all willing to stand and watch this company that came. four chariots there were, but the one which came first was gilded and carven and was drawn by four white horses. over it was a silken canopy, and in it sat three veiled women. of these two were on a front seat, behind the charioteers. he who drove was black and exceedingly uncomely, and beside him sat a large brown man bearing a spear and girded with a sword. these were turbaned and their apparel was good, but not upon them did the eyes of ulric linger. on the back seat of the chariot, half reclining, was the third woman, and he said to himself: "this is the princess and the others are her servants. i would see a princess of this country." forward he strode three paces, and knud said to wulf the skater: "how splendid is the youth of our jarl, with his golden hair and his face like that of odin! there is none other like him!" [illustration: "o companion of hilda!"] "beautiful is he!" exclaimed wulf. "but his face is full of pride this day, and i think he is in anger. speak not to him." "the woman lifteth her veil," said tostig, "and she leaneth forward. odin! she is wonderful! her headdress is of jewels. mark the jarl!" dark yet fair, with the red of the new rose in her cheeks and with eyes like the lone stars in a winter night, was the young woman who so suddenly leaned forth to look at ulric. into his eyes, also, came flashing a great light and a smile of joy was on his face. "o companion of hilda!" he shouted in hebrew. "how camest thou hither from thy place among the gods? i am ulric the jarl, and i saw thee when i was on the sea." silent was this beautiful princess for a moment, but she grew pale and then red and she seemed to tremble greatly. "o maiden," said ben ezra, "whoever thou art, drive on. he will not harm thee. he is a prince of the saxons and thou mayest not have conversation with him. he is not for such as thou art, o daughter of israel." "hold thou thy peace!" came from the maiden, as one of high rank may speak. "warrior of the saxons, come thou nearer. thou didst not see me, for i was never on any ship. what is thy meaning?" almost at the side of the chariot was the jarl, gazing into her face, but his voice was as the murmur of a harp in the wind when he replied to her. "o beautiful one!" he said. "princess of the light and of the morning! more beautiful than are the flowers and the stars! thy face was where the gods live and i saw thee in my dreams. i will give thee this token from ulric, of the sons of the gods." his hand had passed under the mail of his bosom and the bag of gems was there. now he drew out his hand and he raised before the eyes of the jewish maiden the perfect gem of which ben ezra had said that it was priceless. "he must not give her that," whispered abbas. "hinder him not!" said ben ezra. "little thou knowest such as he. wert thou to interfere now, thy head were at the roadside before thou couldst breathe twice. leave it upon thy shoulders, madman!" abbas shrank back, clutching his fingers and scowling, but the jewish maiden's hand was already grasping the jewel and her lips were smiling with a surpassing sweetness. "i am miriam," she said, "and i dwell in jerusalem. i shall see thee no more. but i give thee a ring for my token. never have i looked upon such a face as thine." from her hand she took a ring, and in it was a large, pure pearl, very brilliant, and the gold of the ring was yellow and heavy. "o miriam," said ulric, in the deep tones of the harp of oswald, "i will wear thy ring, but not in battle. i come soon to jerusalem, and i will meet thee there, or i will meet thee in asgard, among the gods, and i will take thee to the house of my father, odin. thou art fit to be a princess in asgard." his face was like the sun, but hers grew white again, and she drew her veil over it, for ben ezra said to ulric: "let none hear thee, o jarl. i know not this matter. thy words may bring upon her a peril. harm her not, but be prudent. thou art a wise captain. let her drive on. forward, charioteer! on thy life linger not!" "thou art right!" shouted back the brown man, nodding his head at ben ezra. "she is my mistress, but she is willful. on!" the black charioteer slackened the reins of his prancing horses and they sprang forward, but a great cry burst from the lips of miriam, and the word of hebrew that was in the sound of it was: "farewell, my beloved! i have seen thee!" "farewell, o princess!" but in the voice of ulric, the son of brander, was a faintness of strong pain, and he turned upon his heel, bowing his head. "speak not to the jarl!" said tostig, grasping the arm of abbas. "what hast thou to do with an affair of a warrior and a woman? wert thou to meddle with me in such a case, i would cleave thee to the jaws." but the chariots all moved swiftly away, and so did the horsemen who were with them, but none of these were soldiers, and in the other chariots were but servants and much baggage. "the jarl hath marched on," said tostig the red. "follow and trouble him not; for that maiden was wonderfully beautiful and she gave him a ring of remembrance." chapter xxiv. the passing of oswald. the northland under the autumn sun was as the south, with green fields and forests and with glowing blooms upon shrubbery and in the hollows of the hills. the fiords were shadowy, with a coolness in the breezes which breathed among them that was pleasant to the wearied fishermen in returning boats. upon the high promontory looking seaward at the north of the cove and of the village and of the house of brander there were no pine trees. its bald granite knob glittered in the waning light so that it might be seen from far at sea as if it were a beacon. it was not a place for men to seek having no errand to lead them, and not many feet had trodden upon it since the world was made. nevertheless, this place was not at the closing of the day unoccupied, and from it there came a sound which went out over the wide water, and downward that it might mingle with the voices of the fiords, and landward, also, that it might be joined with the soft sighing and low whispering of the forests. not loud was this sound at the first, but it grew louder, and then with it went forth a voice. "i think my strength faileth me," said oswald, the harper, pausing in his song. "the harp was overheavy to bring up the mountain. i grow old and i am alone. hilda sleepeth in the tomb of odin's sons, ulric is afar among unknown seas. am i to die a cow's death before he returneth? who is there to make the mark of a spear upon my breast, lest i fail of valhalla? i have fought in many a feast of swords. why am i to perish slowly, without honor? sad is the fate of oswald if the valkyrias pass him and leave him to die in his bed." once more the song arose, but now his voice was stronger and he sang of war to the rocks and to the trees and to the gods among the fiords. the old gier-eagle on the withered pine tree northward listened intently, now and then fanning with his wide wings, until the spirit that was in the harping awakened him well. loud was the scream that he sent back to oswald, and he dropped suddenly from the branch of the pine tree, spreading his pinions and floating over the sea in a wide circle, rising as he went. "he is free to come and to go," mourned oswald, "but i am bound at home and i shall no more ride the war steeds of the open sea nor hear the clang of shields nor see the red blood flow. where is the good ship _the sword_ this day? where are ulric the jarl and his vikings?" low bowed his head and his hands sought fitfully the strings of his harp, bringing out the notes of sorrow. "i will arise," he said, "and i will go to hilda's room. i will play to her there and see if she will answer me. she hath not spoken to me since her eyes were closed. but she is with the gods and she hath many matters upon her mind. she hath spoken to brander the brave and to jarls and chiefs and kings that were of old. she hath seen odin, and she hath heard sagas that we hear not until the return of the gods." he stood erect upon the rock where he had been sitting, and he was not weak, for he shouldered his great harp and bore it with ease as he went down the rugged side of the mountain. many saw him come, and they who were near enough greeted him, but he paused not to speak. he went not through the village, among the houses, but along the shore, where the tide was coming in and where the waves called out to him as he passed. he turned to listen to them, but across the water came no other voice, and he shook his head sadly. "here was _the sword_ launched," he said, halting at the head of the cove. "here was the white horse of the saxons sacrificed to odin. from hence the new keel went out behind the outing ice. hilda of the hundred winters told me that there would be no return. is it so? will the young jarl never again put his foot upon this beach? or did she speak only of the vessel? who may know the counsel of the gods! for they speak unto all men in riddles and the meaning thereof is hidden from us." he turned and walked to the house, passing through the great hall, bearing his harp, and he went on to the room of hilda, looking in. "it is empty," he said. "no other hath slept therein since she departed." bare were the walls, and the floor of cloven pine logs lay black, uncovered by rushes. one small table only remained, and upon this was a roman lamp of bronze, which brander, the sea king, had brought back from one of his voyages to britain. there was oil in it and a wick, for such had been a bidding of hilda to one of the older women and to the housemaidens. they feared much to let that lamp go without filling, if the oil dried away; but it had not been lighted, although a wick was in it. "i will bring fire," said oswald, and he did so, going out and returning. he set the flame of his small torch to the wick and it surprised him, for it would not burn. "o hilda," he exclaimed, "what is this thing that i cannot light thy lamp?" there was no spoken answer, but suddenly the wick took the fire and it blazed up a handbreadth, as if for a token. "burn thou, then," said oswald. "i will sing to her." quickly they who were in the other rooms of the house and in the hall heard the sound of harping and the voice of a wonderful song, for it was as a love song sung to the dead, telling her of the living and asking her concerning the gods and of all the places of the gods, where she was dwelling. men and women listened, looking into one another's faces and whispering low, for the song was very beautiful and the harp answered as if it were alive. joyously burned the lamp, with a clear golden flame, as the song went on, but it at last burned lower and lower and there came a red color into the fire. "there hath been much blood!" exclaimed oswald. "i would i had been with the jarl in the feast of swords. the battle is ended!" for the lamp went out and the room was very dark, but he sat in the gloom by his harp waiting for what might come. "disturb him not," said all the household. "he ever mourneth for ulric and for hilda." much time went by and now and then there came from that room harp notes, one by one, very faint and low, but oswald was saying to himself: "i have heard and i have not heard. all things are a riddle that i cannot read. surely she touched the harp and her face was in the shadows. o hilda, speak to me, for i am lonely! tell me that thou hast not forgotten thy kindred!" then fell he down upon his face in a deep swoon, and they who went in because they heard the sound found, also, the harp lying by him with its strings broken. they lifted him and carried him away, taking, also, the harp, but when he again began to breathe and opened his eyes the words that he first uttered were in another tongue than that of the northland. they heard the name of hilda, but even when he aroused himself and talked with them he told them naught of what things had occurred to him in the room of hilda, the prophetess. for there are secrets in the lives of men wherein other men have no part, and no man openeth his hidden heart unwisely. the thoughts of friends whose bodies are far apart are often apt to draw near and to walk the earth side by side. oswald, indeed, was sending his heart out after hilda and after ulric. if the saga woman had in any manner answered him, no man knoweth. nor can any say that the soul of ulric was nearer to that of oswald because both were thinking of each other and of her who had departed from them. so may the gods look on from their places and see what men see not, and they may often smile, if they are kindly minded, to see men and women meet and embrace without the touching of the bodily flesh. three days went by, and because of a request of oswald's many messages had gone out from house to house and from village to village, up and down the coast and far inland. to everyone it was told that the hour was at hand and that a token of the gods had come to oswald, but that he was still living. upon the fourth day all who were entitled to come, by reason of kinship or of their high descent, had arrived. many men and many women had gathered, and among them were those who brought harps. these sat apart and they spoke to each other in low voices, tuning their harps and listening to the sounds which answered them from the strings. "the harp of oswald is broken," said one. "who shall take it after him?" "no man," replied the oldest of them all. "it is a harp which came from the east, in the ship of a sea king, and he gave it to the father of oswald in the days when hilda was yet unborn. upon it are strange runes that none may read." "it shall rest with him in his grave, then," said another, "but hilda said that he would need it not in the place to which he hath gone." "they have both harps and harpers there," said the old man, thoughtfully. "i know not the meaning of hilda's word. so good a harp must find a player, and i think the gods can mend it. we cannot, for we have no strings like these." before them lay the great harp upon the floor of the hall, and one lifted it, placing it before a chair as if it might be played upon. there were yet three strings remaining, and the old man sat down in the chair and put out his hands, touching, also, the strings which were broken. not from these, assuredly, came the sound which now fell upon the ears of the gathered vikings, but all were silent, for the spirit of song was upon this ancient one whom no man knew. clear was his voice, but thin, and at times it wavered as if with age and weakness, but he sang the departing song of oswald and of the old time. strong were his hands also, for as he ceased he gripped with them and these three strings, also, were snapped asunder with loud twanging. "hilda is right!" he exclaimed. "the harp of oswald is dead. it will never sound again. build ye a fire, high and hot, and burn upon it this frame of wood. i go to oswald's room." rising from his chair, all saw that he was tall and white-bearded, and none detained him while he went to the room of oswald. "thou art awakened, o oswald, the harper?" he asked, as he entered the room. "waiting for thee, old man," came hoarsely from the lips of him who lay upon the bed. "now lift me up that i may stand erect, and put my sword in my hand. i will not die a cow's death, and thou art mine enemy, having full right in this matter." "we burn thy harp, as hilda gave thee directions," said the old man. "we bury thee in a coffin at the foot of the great stone, thy arms and thy armor with thee." "also my bag of coins," said oswald, "and my cup of silver. i know not if i may need them. they have drinking horns in valhalla. smite me in the breast. let the spear mark be a deep one that i may be known as a warrior." in the doorway and within the room stood now chiefs and heroes and they had heard, and they said to the old one, "strike him!" deep and kindly was the thrust of the spear that was given to oswald, and he fell to the ground as if he had fallen in battle, so that all the vikings were satisfied. "art thou to be smitten," asked a chief of the old man, "or goest thou hence?" "i am to see the earth put upon him," said the old man. "i came far for this thing, from my place below the great south fiord, toward denmark. ask me not my name lest there be a blood revenge in the mind of some foolish one. take oswald to his tomb and smite me there, for we are to be buried together and my harp goeth with me." all went out of the room and the bearers brought the body of oswald, the harpers playing and the women also chanting. the ancient one took up his harp, which was not very large, and he seemed joyful as he walked with those who went forth to the place of tombs. the grave of oswald was deep and by it lay a coffin of cloven pine pieces. in this they laid him, bending his swords and seax and breaking the shaft of his spear. his shield and his mail were broken and all were laid upon the body. then one placed the bag of coins and the goblet at the head and a jarl of rank covered all with a slab of pine, throwing in handfuls of earth and many stones. "art thou ready?" he asked of the old one. "not thy spear," he said. "strike with thy sword; and let it be a blow through the heart. as i cease this song to the gods and to the dead i will lay my harp in the tomb. strike me then." now his voice failed him not and he sang well, bringing loud music from his harp. "i have fought in fourscore of battles!" he shouted. "i have sailed in all seas! i have spared none in the feasts of swords! i have seen the red blood flow from the hearts of many! i die by the hand of a jarl at the grave of my old foeman. o oswald, i shall be with thee in valhalla, and there will we cross our swords and fight before the gods. strike, thou of the sword!" down dropped his harp upon the coffin of oswald and the sword of the jarl passed through him, flashing and returning. then the ancient one lay upon his harp and earth and stones were thrown in until the tomb was filled and heaped. all the while the other harpers harped and sang, so that due reverence was given to the passing of oswald. "will he see hilda this night?" asked one of the women. "i bade him greet her for me." "they say that one who dieth must walk alone a little distance," replied the other woman, "and then he cometh to a dog; and he shall know then where to seek a house that he may enter." "i have heard many things," said the first speaker, "but they do not agree. i think we know but little certainly. it would be well if one of the dead were to come back and say what he hath seen." "i would rather hear a saga," said yet another of the women. "i like not the dead. they are cold and they bring ill fortune. let them stay with the gods." so said the greater part, but one woman went away muttering to herself. "the dead! the dead!" she said. "they are of no use to us after they are buried. they care not for us any more. but i would willingly have speech with one of them if he would not be overchurlish. i will go, some night, and watch at the place of tombs. the witches watch at tombs and they see wonders. but it was worth seeing, the slaying of the old one. he was a brave warrior and he died well." there was a feast that night in the house of brander the brave, for his kinsmen and his kinswomen entertained their friends joyfully. there was much singing and harping, and the horns and the cups came and went often around the tables. they drank deeply to the success of ulric, the son of brander, and to the voyage of his good ship _the sword_, and to his return in glory from doing great deeds among the fleets of the romans and among the islands and cities of the middle sea. "the jarl will come again!" they shouted. "and here will he tell us of the feasts of swords and of the crashing of ship against ship. hael to jarl ulric! hael!" chapter xxv. the messenger of the procurator. "not in samaria this night," had lysias said to himself when he rode away upon the swift ass whose ownership might be questioned, "but there are many places by the way wherein a wayfarer may find welcome if he payeth." behind the saddle had been fastened the leathern sack which he had brought with him from _the sword_. it contained changes of raiment, but little else, for his coins and his jewels, which were not very valuable, were concealed about his person. more than once as he rode on he both thought and spoke concerning ulric the jarl and the vikings, but always did he seem well pleased that he was no longer in their company. "the jarl is my sure friend," he remarked, "but some of his tall comrades walk with a hand too near the hilt of a sudden weapon." it was toward the evening when, after riding through towns and villages, he came to what was evidently a caravansary of good size and cleanly keeping at the roadside. "here will i halt," he said. "i am now far escaped from burning wrecks and hasty-tempered pirates. i will have this beast of mine well cared for. he showeth no weariness. i think--o ye gods! i know--i am nearer my sapphira!" ere he could dismount, however, before him stood the keeper of the hostelry. such as he are ever ready to greet with smiling faces the well appareled, riding beasts of price. "he will have money to pay with," thought the innkeeper. "but the land swarmeth with greeks." loud and friendly was his greeting, and in a moment more he was made to understand that this elegant stranger was lysias, the student, returning to jerusalem to the school of gamaliel from a journey to the lebanon and to the cities of galilee. being a man of samaria, the keeper was the better pleased that his guest was not a jew, for of them he spoke with scorn and hatred. "o youth," he said, as they went into the inn, "thou art fortunate. thou abidest with me this night and on the morrow thy journey will have goodly companionship. there is here a company from bethsaida and from other cities near the sea of tiberias. they are merchants, and among them are a taxgatherer and one who dealeth in slaves. there is neither scribe nor levite to make thee uncomfortable with his evil speech. may they all perish! it is said that the roads are not entirely safe and the robbers come and go without warning." "i shall be glad of them," said lysias, "but i think this village must be safe, for i saw the helmet of a legionary as i rode in." "where they are the robbers come not," said the keeper, "but they will not be with thee always on the road." then walked he away, and lysias overheard him muttering curses upon all romans and contempt for all greeks. "i think i heard somewhat else," thought lysias, "and i will look well at this company with which i am to journey to jerusalem. there have been innkeepers who had no enemies among the robbers and there have been robbers who paid tribute to all innkeepers. i may not carry a bow, but mine eyes and mine ears may do me good service." very good was the entertainment given to him and to his comely brown beast, but the departure was early the next morning. even more in number than he had expected were these who came out into the road at the door of the inn to go on together. "they are of many kinds," thought lysias. "no twain are alike. i will not have much conversation with them, but i will watch, for i think they know this innkeeper exceedingly well." so did he, and it was late in the day when he halted upon the summit of a hill, looking thoughtfully forward and then behind him. "o ass," he said, "how fast canst thou gallop if it is to save thy master's throat from cutting? thou hast robbers for companions, and they do but await their opportunity, which i have not yet given them by the way." the ass did but pull at the bit and the rein was loosened that he might go. on the northerly slope of that hill, however, the company of men and animals which had seemed but peaceful at the outset had halted for a rest before ascending the steep. there were now jews among them, and others of whose race and lineage there might be curious questioning. now, also, there were weapons to be seen, such as privileged merchants might be allowed to carry for their protection, and no doubt they had with them written authority to show to any roman officer. at the first there had been but a dozen men and the women who were with them, but more had joined at a hamlet upon this side of the city of samaria, now far behind them. of these latter was an exceedingly black-browed man, having but one eye, and he seemed to be a sort of leader and commander over the others. to lysias he had averred that he was a dealer in cattle, having a contract with the purveyors of the roman garrisons. thus far he had purchased no beasts, but he had looked covetously at the fine ass which carried the young greek. at this hour he was saying to another of his crew: "to-night, then. he hath treasure with him, and the beast will bear me swiftly to the wilderness. we will throw his carcass into the pit near the three palms at the crossroad. none will be the wiser and his friends will in vain make inquiry." "i will stab him as he sleepeth," replied the man spoken to. "the romans care little if there be one greek the less. we will speak softly to him when we catch up with him. i have seen that he hath no manner of unquiet mind as to us." on went the ass, however, at his swiftest pace, even while they were talking, and a long league of the highway did he pass before the intending stabber rode over the crest of that hill. "where is the greek?" he exclaimed. "ridden on a little," replied the evil-faced captain. "pursue not, lest thou alarm him. he will wait for us. he liketh well to prove the speed of his fine beast." he had not spoken untruly, for lysias was gladly discovering for the first time that he had found a treasure with four legs, a swift and tireless runner that took pleasure in a race, needing no urging. only in hamlets and villages, of which there were many, was the rein drawn, and wayfarers who greeted the rider received but brief responses. "here am i safe!" he exclaimed at last, "for yonder on the hill is a fort and near it is a camp of romans. my thieves are no longer a peril. glad am i, too, that i am so far from the saxon jarl and his pirates. their short, sharp blades are ever too near even to each other, and a spear in the hand of a saxon is but an eager hunter seeking for a mark. i will rest here, and then i will let this beast shorten the road to jerusalem." they who had proposed to take the swift ass from him had also hastened somewhat until they inquired carefully of one whom they met, describing lysias and his bearer. "yea," said the man, "ye mean the hasty messenger. he passed me going like the wind. he who sent the message may be sure of its speedy delivery." loud and fierce were the utterances of the evil-faced one and his companions, and they cursed their gods for this disappointment. also they blamed themselves much that they had not sooner taken courage to slay the greek. it was for this, their cowardice and delay, they said, that the gods had mocked them. "never again," said the evil-faced one, "will i throw away a gift that they have placed in my hand. but they might have allowed me the chance i had chosen this night. i have but small confidence in the gods. they are treacherous." strong and well made was the roman camp at the foot of the hill whereon was the castle. there were intrenchments and a mound and lines of palisades, and before these there was drawn up a full cohort of legionaries. it was an evening parade, and along the glittering line there rode without companions an eagle-faced man, who wore no armor. "half drilled!" he muttered, angrily. "it is well we are at peace. of what good were such as these upon the parthian frontier? julius cæsar would never have beaten the nervii with these dwarfs to face the stout barbarians. he would but have left them to rot in the wilderness, as crassus did his syrian levies. but i think i can teach these fellows that they cannot trifle with pontius the spearman." backward and all around the cohort rode the wrathful procurator of judea, addressing no man, and then he wheeled and rode out to the highway. "o thou upon the swift ass!" he suddenly shouted. "come hither! i require thee." bowing low, but answering not, lysias obeyed him, awaiting further speech. "is thy beast as swift as he seemeth?" said pontius. "i know a good beast. is he tired?" "never saw i one as swift," said lysias. "but at the close of a day he were better for a rest." "he may have a short one," said the roman general, wisely. "i prepare a message that will take thy head with it if it be not delivered rightly. i have naught here but clumsy beasts that travel a league a day." then he turned to summon a servant, to whom he gave direction and with whom lysias rode into the camp, wondering much at his good fortune at such an hour. "this is of mercurius," he thought. "i have ever thought well of him, and my father was once a priest of his temple at corinth; the god hath now remembered me. to him i owe my prosperity upon this journey, and he did not favor the thieves as is his wont." the ass had been hard ridden, but seemed not much the worse for it. water and grain were brought to him, and lysias, also, ate and drank. more time went by than he had expected before a soldier came to summon him to the camp gate. "saddle and mount!" said the soldier. "the hand of the procurator is heavy." no answer might be made except to obey, and shortly the young greek was at the gate. "kill not thy beast, lest thou fail of thy errand," said the eagle-faced commander. "take thou this letter to the captain of the damascus gate at jerusalem. this also, and this. he will further deliver them. abide thou with him until he give thee answers. bring them to me." few and brief had been his questionings of the young greek, the pupil of gamaliel. he was but a tool, an instrument, intelligent, sufficient, sure to serve well because of the scourge or the sword, or of reward. so rule the romans, and they who receive orders from a roman general hesitate not to obey. silently sat lysias until the procurator ceased speaking and motioned with his hand. then, as if of his own accord, the ass went forward. therefore lysias had become a royal messenger, whom all men would be eager to speed upon his way, for the fear of pontius went with him. "mercurius!" he shouted, at a goodly distance from the camp. "better to me art thou than is jupiter. now may venus, also, be my aid if it be true that my sapphira was sold into the household of this bloody one. o that i might send an arrow into his heart and a flame into his dwelling! but i will not fail of the due delivery of his messages. who knoweth to what the gods may have destined me? soon will all the saxons perish and no man then will know the manner of my coming into syria. sapphira! sapphira! o swift beast! o venus, goddess of love! let me go on to jerusalem that i may once more look into her eyes and hear her voice and touch her hand. she shall not be for another, but for me, for the gods have favored me greatly!" chapter xxvi. the cunning of julius. "o jew, thou hast brought to tiberias the gladiators of caius of thessalonica! woe to thee and to thy accursed race! but i have orders concerning thee and these. they will give us fine sport before long." low bowed ben ezra to the roman officer of the gate and his reverent reply came not fully to the ears of ulric; but the jarl's face flushed haughtily, for he liked neither the speech nor the manner of the roman. the saxons, also, were watching their jarl and their faces also reddened, the hands of men tightening upon the shafts of their spears. "he will be prudent," they said, "but we are not slaves, to be trodden on. as he doeth so will we." unto him now the officer turned as if he were looking at some newly caught wild beast. "o saxon," he said, "i have heard of thee. thou didst well by the robbers, but they cost thy caius of thessalonica a tall swordsman. now thou art to be made food for a lion. i shall see thee torn in the circus shortly, please the gods." with an effort did the jarl steady his temper, but there was a deepness in his voice: "o roman, i shall be ready for thy lion. but if thou hast anything further to say thou mayest say it to caius of thessalonica. he is a man and he will answer thee." "what care i for him?" exclaimed the officer. "he will answer thee that thing also," said the jarl. "it is between thee and him. i have no words with one who openeth and shutteth a gate." "i will have thee scourged." "silence!" ordered a stern, hard voice behind him. "thou forgettest thyself, demetrius, of the gate. the scourging of gladiators is not with thee. o saxon, thy answer is good. march on to thy quarters." "o noble julius, the centurion," replied ulric, "thy tower was a fair abiding place, and thou wert correct in providing it with a garrison." the face of julius flushed somewhat, for the jarl spoke to him as one captain may to another. "i have an account of that affair," he said. "keep thou thy speech to thyself. thou hast but slain a few robbers." "i have heard of thee," said the jarl, "that thou art thyself a good fighter and entitled to the respect of the brave. thou hast led a legion to victory in a hard battle. well with thee!" there is vanity in all men, and the anger passed from julius while the haughty mannered jarl of the saxons ascribed to him this fame. "i have fought more fights than ever thou hast," he said. "but thou art a seaman. i would put thee upon a ship if i had one." "i am of the sea kings," said ulric, "but yonder water is too small for a great battle. it is but a fishing pond." the ground upon which they stood was the high and difficult hill which ariseth behind the city. this, with its palace gardens, was more than two leagues in circuit if the wall were measured around it from a point on the south shore to a point on the north shore. but part of this distance was of crags crowned with forts, and much of the city was a suburb, having no wall. within were temples and great buildings, and there was an amphitheater near the shore. the saxons had wondered at the beauty and grandeur of this place as they drew near. they had marched by way of small towns and villages, but up to this hour never before had one of them seen such a city as tiberias or such a lake as galilee. "speak no more," said ben ezra, "but obey him and march on. our quarters are in the lower town, near the circus. he giveth orders to the guards at the gate." forward strode ulric, followed by his men, and julius glanced after them. "caius hath beaten me," he muttered. "i have none to contend with these. they must be destroyed by tigers and lions. i will not waste an elephant upon them." once they were within the wall they could obtain from that height a fair view of the city, and they halted as one man. "o jew," said tostig the red, "is thy jerusalem larger and better than this?" "an hundredfold!" exclaimed ben ezra. "this abomination of the heathen is but as a handful compared with zion, the city of jehovah, god of hosts." "then, o jarl," said tostig, "i will not get myself killed until i have seen jerusalem. manage thou with care, for i think thou wouldst like to see it thyself." "so will i," replied ulric. "but i think we shall suffer no harm in this place. i have not seen any strong men yet except some of these jews, who do not carry arms. they would make good fighting men." for he had looked at all whom he met with the eye of a captain, and the rabble of that land did not please him. "thou art right," said ben ezra. "thou hast seen men of the tribe of zebulun and of the tribe of naphtali and some of ephraim and manasseh. they are swordsmen if they had a king. ere long our king cometh. but these heathen of tiberias are fit only to be crushed under the foot like vipers." "speak not so loudly," said abbas at his side. "remember that thou art a jew, and they hate thee." "o thou of a weak heart!" exclaimed ben ezra. "when shall a money-lender be fit to wear a sword! knowest thou not that i can lead these saxons through a host of these dogs of the gentiles? the romans are warriors, but the rabble of tiberias are scorned even by the lepers. let us go on." fierce was the countenance of the jew as they went down the long street, for it was broad and on either side of it were temples and shrines. "pollution! abomination!" he exclaimed. "o jarl of the saxons, these gods of tiberias are but of wood and stone, the work of men's hands. this place is cursed because of them." "i will inquire shortly of what sort they may be," said ulric. "i grow curious concerning gods. what need of so many? they would all go down before the hammer of thor. where is thy god that he permitteth them to be here?" "this was never a city of my people," said ben ezra. "it is a work of the greeks and the romans. in jerusalem thou wilt see only the temple of the living god, and of him thou wilt find no image in stone or wood or metal. no man hath ever seen his face." "i like that," said ulric, striding onward. "there would be harm if the gods were seen too often. i will yet look again into the face of one, but i am of their kindred and odin is my father. thy god seemeth a good one." all the while the other saxons gazed as they went, saying not much, but wondering, and all who met them stepped aside, for their stature was great and their arms were splendid. the jarl had bidden them prepare for this on the previous day, and julius and the gate guards had seen northmen appareled and armored as if they were now marching to a feast of swords. behind them now came on their baggage chariot, and shortly it was joined by horsemen, servants of caius, sent by him to care for the guidance and welfare of his gladiators. before a palace in the main street of the city, well down toward the sea, sat upon their horses two horsemen from whom others reined aside respectfully. these were face to face and they had greeted one another with all ceremony. "thy northern wolves have arrived, o caius," said one. "but thou art short of a tall fighter." "so art thou robbed of thy robbers, o julius," replied the friend of ulric. "thy tower was a subtle trap, but it hath not profited thee greatly." "ha!" responded julius, mockingly. "thou hast lost thy best sword. a thousand sesterces that my numidian lion slayeth thy saxon chief." "wagered!" exclaimed caius. "and a thousand sesterces more that thy hyrcanian tiger shall also be slain by the man i will name against him." "i have thee!" shouted julius. "we will write these wagers with care and let thy words be recorded with exactness. if either the lion or the tiger shall be slain by a saxon, i lose that wager, but if a saxon be overcome by the tiger or the lion, thou losest." "thou hast some cunning of thine own in this," laughed caius, "but thy sesterces and mine will be in the keeping of sempronius, the judge of the games. i will trust him." each of these carried a tablet of wax and a pointed stylus of steel wherewith they wrote, and the words were compared with care, that they might then be written upon parchments, to be held by the judge of the games. "what meaneth he?" thought caius as he rode away from the gate. "i will see the jew, ben ezra, as to this matter. there is a trap. i have not yet seen the laws of this circus, and julius knoweth them well." like an inn, large and well appointed, was the house to which the saxons were guided, near the circus, and they entered it gladly, for they were as men who were walking on into a new world. "o abbas," said ben ezra, "come with me to the amphitheater. i would inquire there concerning many things." "not so," replied abbas. "go thou. i have a friend to commune with and i go to meet him." "o jarl of the saxons," said ben ezra, as abbas departed, "it is well that he goeth not with us. come! trust him not. he is overfond of money. thou art a soldier. thou must see thine enemy. speak not to any man, but hear well. who here knoweth thy gift of tongues? i am thine interpreter, and be thou as if thou wert deaf." ulric did but bow his head in answer to ben ezra, but the other saxons knew the errand of their jarl and approved of his going. a high arch of marble was the gate of the amphitheater, and on one side of it, upon the wall, was a broad tablet of wood. upon this were inscribed many things, and both ben ezra and the jarl read them. "speak not," said the jew. "one cometh to lead us to the dens." through the portal they went, guided by a soldier of julius, and he seemed pleased to show them all things. first went they across the arena, and this was a broad place, egg-shaped, with vast tiers of seats arising upon all sides. under these tiers were the keeping places, and from some of these came cries and roarings of wild beasts and the shouts of men. "here are the prisons of criminals and of captured rebels," said the soldier as the guard before a door opened it to let them in, "but thou hast little to do with these. they are to slay each other or to be torn by beasts. there are trained swordsmen for thee and thine." nevertheless, he and the jarl and the jew went into more than one of these prisons, looking well at what they found there. "wretches!" murmured ulric. "some of them hardly seem like men and women. it is well for such as they are to be slain quickly. the gods care not for these people, and so they are given to the romans." not so thought ben ezra, for he beat his breast more than once and he whispered to himself in hebrew: "o god of israel!" he gasped. "here are of thine own chosen people, also, many scores, taken in the snares of the heathen. where art thou, o jehovah, that thou hearest not? canst thou not see this city of pollution, wherein thy name hath not been written? unclean! unclean! woe is me that i am here! it is as sodom and gomorrah, and thy fire lingereth!" what he meant ulric understood only in part, but he saw that many of these who were doomed were jews. "they are not warriors," he thought, "except that some of them are tall and strong. they must all die and get out of these prisons, but they go not to valhalla, and i know not where they go. i care not to slay such persons." now the guard led him and his interpreter to the dens of the animals and ulric was displeased that his men were not with him to see. "the wolves," he said in saxon, "are like those of the north. i think not much of the hyenas, nor of the small leopards. the great leopards are fierce beasts and so are the bears, but i could meet one of them." there were four elephants in one den, and he walked around among them, wondering at their size and at their peacefulness, while ben ezra told him of their intelligence and of their manner of fighting. the jarl did but study them thoughtfully, and now a keeper said to ben ezra: "it is known by us that this saxon is to fight the great lion. come." the den was near and in it the lion was pacing to and fro. "he is almost as large in body as was the ice bear," thought ulric. "he standeth higher and his head is vast. he is a springing beast. he is stronger than the one we saw in africa. i think he would fail if his heart were cloven. now i will see the tiger." near was his den also, and he, too, walked to and fro, snarling fiercely, for he was hungry. "o abbas," said the keeper of the beasts to ben ezra, mistaking him, "thou art for julius in this matter. what thinkest thou of thy saxon? if he can meet a lion, can he fight, also, the tiger? how will he not be rent quickly when both are let loose upon him!" "silence, thou unwise one!" said ben ezra. "is it for thee to let out this tiger?" "that is my care," said the keeper. "i stand in this small box to throw open the door, and the tiger will be famished on the day of the games." "mark thou this thine instruction!" said ben ezra. "wait thou not! send out thy tiger when thou hearest the trumpet call for the lion. so shall julius win two thousand sesterces. hold not thy door till the lion be slain, lest thou be smitten with a sword. thy life for it! the beasts go out together." ulric heard and he understood, for a fire flashed in his eyes, but he held his tongue. "i am to be torn without hope!" he thought. "i am betrayed by abbas, but i know the thing in the mind of ben ezra. he doeth cunningly." so they walked on across the arena, and as they went ben ezra stood still. "here," he said in saxon, "wilt thou halt if thou art wise. thou wilt have thy mail on, but only thy sword and thy shield." "i will wear no armor!" said ulric. "i will bear no weights. what were mail and shield against these monsters? i will bring with me the long sword of annibaal. odin be with me! he who fighteth a lion must spring as lightly as doth a lion. he who faceth a tiger must move as the lightning or he is lost." "thou art wise!" exclaimed the jew. "i have seen no warrior like thee. verily i am true to thee. sharpen thy sword and let thy hand and thy heart be strong. i would that jehovah of hosts might fight for thee, but thou art a heathen and thou must look to thine own gods, if so be they can do anything in such a case." dark was the face of the jew, but he said no more, and they went back to the house of the gladiators. eager were all the saxons to hear the account of their jarl, and he told them many things, but in the gloom of the evening caius came and he spoke to tostig the red. "thou art to meet a black giant with a net and a trident against thy sword and shield," he said. "what thinkest thou, o saxon? am i safe to wager upon thy success?" it was abbas who interpreted, but the men had already heard much of these nets and tridents and tostig stood still for a moment. "i have not seen this giant, o roman captain," he said. "may i be guided by my own jarl?" "verily!" exclaimed caius. "do thou as he will tell thee, and i know not what it is. o jarl, can he win?" "i saw thy giant," said ulric. "tostig the red will slay him for thee. make thy wagers. i would talk with abbas." "so do!" said caius, for ben ezra had beckoned him and he stepped away a little. "what is it?" asked abbas of the jarl. "only this," said ulric. "i have seen the lion of julius. he is a great one. hath he slain many?" "that i know not," said abbas. "why askest thou? what matters it to thee?" "little," said ulric, "but i was curious," and he asked him other questions, keeping him while ben ezra talked with caius, getting full permission that the jarl should wear arms of his own choosing and not the armor of a roman soldier. caius rode away and many great ones came and went, as they had been doing; for they who were to make wagers willed to see these pirates of caius, as they called them. not any, it seemed, went away believing that the jarl could face the numidian, and they declared that julius would win his wager. then the night passed and in the early dawn ulric, the son of brander, sat apart by himself sharpening the long, beautiful sword on the stone which wulf the skater had brought to him from the north cape, at the end of the world. to him came then ben ezra, looking like one whose soul is burdened within him. "o jarl," he said, "the great games are set down for the third day hence. wilt thou then be rested after thy journeying?" "were i to meet the lion this day," replied ulric, "i am not weary. i care more for the training of tostig the red in the matter of this black giant. i pray thee procure for me a net and trident that the thing he is to do may not be altogether new to him." "that will i do," said ben ezra, "but thou canst not instruct thyself concerning lions." before the close of that day the jarl and tostig were in a room by themselves, but they told not to any man what they did with these strange weapons whereby so many good swordsmen had been destroyed. that day, moreover, and the next day and the next the saxons wandered much around the city of tiberias, for they were permitted to do so freely, and all the people wondered at their stature and their armor. "what thinkest thou of all these temples?" asked wulf the skater of ulric. "would it not be well for thee and tostig to offer sacrifices to some of these gods?" "what good?" said the jarl. "i know them not and they know not me. i would sacrifice to jehovah if he had an altar here, because he is the god of all this land. i heard jesus of nazareth praying to him and calling him his father. if jesus were here i would ask him that jehovah might be to me instead of odin, for i think the north gods are far away. caius may sacrifice to his roman gods if he will, but thou and i have no business with them." "thou art wise, o jarl," said wulf. "i will waste none of my coins upon these priests and temples." chapter xxvii. the lion and the tiger. splendid was the appearance of the saxons on the morning of the great day of the games at tiberias, when they marched around the arena with the jarl at their head, for their arms and armor were bright and their bearing was that of warriors accustomed to conquer. they themselves gazed, wondering, as they went, at the throngs which crowded the rising tiers of seats. among these were many in gorgeous apparel, and the rich women had vied with each other in the colors and shapes of their garments and in the gold and jewels of their tiaras and other ornaments. there was a place on a lower tier for all the free gladiators, and to this the saxons went after their marching. in it was a covered stairway going down to the door by which any among them might enter a room adjoining the arena to wait for his summons to combat. each company of the trained ones was by itself and they were not too near each other. julius and caius and other great men, with their glittering women, had a place which was as if it were full of thrones, but in the center of this was one splendid chair in which only a cæsar or a proconsul might at any time presume to sit. it was this day unoccupied, but against it leaned the eagle standard of a legion and before it were scattered flowers. the games began with races, both of footmen and chariots, and in these the multitude were interested greatly, but only they who had wagers cared much who might win. when these were over it was time for the shedding of blood, and a band of captives were driven in, knowing that their fate had come. "i see no swordsmen," was in the mind of ulric. "each of these hath a dart, but he is naked and so are the women and children." then uttered he a loud exclamation, for a door under the tiers of seats swung open widely and the den behind it vomited wolves famished with hunger and thirst. "so many!" said ulric. "where got they so many? this is the cruelty of the romans. i see no sport in this thing. it is but tearing and shrieking, for the small darts avail not." nevertheless, many wolves were slain before all the captives were torn down. men in full armor went out to drive the rest of the beasts back to their den, but it was not difficult, for hunger was satiated and a wolf might carry with him a torn limb or a fragment of raw flesh. swiftly a crowd of bondservants cleansed the arena, and the feast of the wolves had not been long in duration. "there cometh now thy giant with the net and trident," said ulric to tostig. "he is very black. he is from africa. watch him well, for this thing of his is but a trick of skill. thou couldst parry that three-pronged spear?" "that can i," said tostig. "but the net? let us see what he doeth with that short-legged brown swordsman in mail and helmet." brave seemed to be the brown warrior, but the net flew over him and the negro stepped backward, dragging. then it was but as a flash and the trident was driven deeply through mail and breast. loud were the plaudits of the multitude, for the pitiless black had seemed to show both skill and strength. the next comer was a large man, and ben ezra, sitting near ulric, ground his teeth. "a warrior of israel, from the lebanon!" he exclaimed. "he will but be netted!" "watch!" whispered ulric to tostig. "thy turn cometh next. mark how he faileth and remember what i taught thee." "i see his sleight of hand," said tostig. "i have beaten harder fighters than he is. the jew is snared!" longer this time had been the contest, for the jew ran, dodging, advancing, retreating, striking, and it was only by his utmost skill that the huge african at last threw over him the fatal net. even then the trident was parried oft, but it struck and the brave jew went down. "now!" said ulric to tostig. "i go with thee. we will show them a thing. let me see thy seax. it is sharp. it will do. off with thy armor! take this heavy shield and see that thou cast it well." bare, save a cloth around his loins and a helmet on his head, tostig went out into the arena, and the multitude shouted loudly, but julius bit his lip. "here is something more than the nubian hath yet encountered," he muttered. "i would i might change my wagers. yonder saxon is an athlete for the olympian games." well used were the rabble of tiberias, however, to see their black favorite net his victims. neither they nor he expected aught but a sure and speedy victory. facing each other at twenty cubits' distance were now the two combatants, and on the face of tostig the red was a smile. "now do i see more plainly the meaning of the jarl!" he exclaimed. "let this black one but cast his net. thor and odin! what a simple trick is this to be slain by!" the black uttered a great cry, laughing, as he strode forward, but tostig made no retreat. he did but stamp with one foot, balancing himself, and loosened the exceedingly heavy shield upon his left arm, to seize it, also, with his right hand. through the air swept the net of peril, whistling as it went, and flying, with a wide hollowing, to fall over tostig as it had fallen over many another. laughed, also, tostig, throwing with all his strength, and midway in the air the heavy shield struck into the hollow of the net, swinging it suddenly downward, but it fell also over the points of the lowered trident, tangling it. around and under the tangle, not touched by it, went the white and muscular shape of the saxon and the swift seax went twice into the bosom of the african juggler with nets. "thy sesterces, o julius!" shouted caius. "thy favorite is gone from thee. what thinkest thou of my saxons?" true gamester was julius, for his face changed not its proud serenity. "i have but learned how a strong swordsman may overcome the weapons of neptune," he responded. "my lion will bring me back my sesterces." "well for thee, o jarl!" muttered caius. "my saxons have a cunning captain. he is a man to win battles. i must keep him. but great is his peril now. jove guard him lest i lose many sesterces." the multitude was hoarse with shouting, and now they grew silent, for they knew by the lists that they were next to see a trained swordsman torn asunder by the unconquerable lion from numidia, the beast which had slain heroes before cæsar. the trumpet had not yet sounded when ulric, the son of brander, went down the stairway to the room below where waited for him the master of the games, and upon this man's face was a bitter smile, for he was a servant of julius. "o saxon," he said, "the edict forbiddeth thee to wear mail. thou hast but a sword and buckler. the lion weareth no armor." "ulric the jarl," exclaimed wulf the skater, "this is a trick for thy destruction!" "wait thou, true friend," said the jarl. "trust me yet a little. odin is with me this day, and fear not thou these tricksters." the master of the games understood not the saxon tongue, but he read well the fierce eyes of wulf and he fell back a little, for the skater's hand was on his sword-hilt and the saxons were known to act suddenly. "no helmet!" said the cunning friend of julius. "the lion fighteth bareheaded." the sword of wulf rattled loosely in the sheath as the helmet was put aside, but he obeyed a sign from ulric and drew it not. "if the jarl be slain," he muttered, "that dog must die. i will see to this matter." knud the bear had come down, but he was silent and his face was dark. he and wulf turned and went up the stairs and so did the master of the games, well satisfied. "now the long sword!" said ulric, throwing aside the short falchion provided for him. "o but its edge is keen!" he heard the trumpet sound and the door before him opened. then the great multitude shouted with admiration and the saxons themselves wondered. "he is so beautiful!" exclaimed tostig the red. "o that we must lose him! what shall we do without our jarl?" "would that i might die with him!" groaned wulf the skater, but knud was thoughtful. "do we not know him?" he said. "is he not the son of odin? are all our gods dead? i think the nornir are not here and that the valkyrias will not come." a tower of white stood the jarl, with but a silken garment from waist to knee, and his golden-curled head was a glory. in his hand was the african sword, its bright blade and the jewels of its hilt glittering. "it is not the sword i sent him," muttered julius. "that might have broken in his hand, but this will not. he is like mars! o caius, what thinkest thou of thy barbarian and of thy sesterces?" "wilt thou double thy wager?" asked caius. "i am pleased with my saxon lion." "nay," laughed julius, "thou wilt have losses enough. thou wilt see him torn shortly." for the trumpet spoke again and the lion sprang out of his cage with a roar like distant thunder. the sun rays fell upon his face, however, and he lifted his head, blinded for a moment. then he saw the throng and he walked along a few paces, as if willing to spring among the tiers of seats, but they were high and he looked again around the arena. motionless stood ulric, watching the lion, and between them now was but half the width of the arena. men breathed not, but leaned forward in their places, and now the eyes of the great beast perceived the jarl and he roared with the roar of hunger and wrath. "now for thy saxon!" said julius to caius. "i think his hour hath come." "o jarl!" murmured wulf. "is it for this thou didst sail to the middle sea? where is now thy city of asgard!" "hark!" exclaimed knud the bear. "another cometh! here is more treachery! a tiger!" not with a roar, but with a snarl that was dreadful did the hyrcanian monster rush from his den into the arena. he was more terrible to look upon than was even the lion, and he paused not in his going. he seemed to rush along the ground, crouching stealthily, and he looked longer and larger as he went. "the jarl is lost!" said tostig the red. "o to be near with my spear for one cast. this is twain upon one!" "this was thy bargain," said caius to the cunning julius. "thy tiger was to contend with the swordsman of my naming. i have appointed this chief." "so be it!" said julius calmly. "i accept!" "wait!" muttered ben ezra to the saxons. "the beasts have seen each other. mark now the swift movement of the jarl! the lion is about to spring! the tiger! o god of israel, aid thou, even though he be a heathen!" the tiger's rush was rapid and ulric sprang forward as if to meet him; but the lion was in the air with a vast bound, his black mane streaming and his teeth showing in the cavern of his jaws. not upon ulric did he alight, however, for at his spring and roar the tiger turned in his tracks as toward one who would wrest from him his intended prey. past both of them darted the jarl as the numidian fell heavily upon the hyrcanian; then his turning was as the light in its quickness and he thrust with his might upon the beasts as they grappled each other, rolling upon the ground and tearing. "he hath cut off one forepaw of the tiger," exclaimed knud. "that thrust was at the lion. again! again! such roaring was never heard." the wild beasts tore as they roared and the multitude uttered loud outcries, but all of the movements in the arena were untellably rapid, nor might they who were watching separate ulric from his two enemies. he was with them at every spring and turn and roll. the long, keen sword dripped blood and the white skin of the son of odin was spattered redly, as if he were sorely wounded. "if he be slain at all thou losest," said julius. "o friend," replied caius, "be thou contented. thou must buy thee better beasts than these." "mark!" exclaimed tostig the red. "that was a thrust behind the shoulder. the tiger falleth undermost. o jarl! beware now of thy lion!" over the dying tiger stood the huge numidian, panting and roaring, and before him stood the jarl, looking him in the eyes. "splendid is he!" exclaimed ben ezra. "jehovah of hosts, be with him now! it is the last." forward went the lion, but not with a bound, and he swerved in his rush owing to his many wounds. high in the air and over him, in a leap for life, went the son of odin, and as his feet touched the earth he turned, thrusting swiftly, and he sprang again. wild were the plaudits of the multitude, but the lion was staggering and his roar was muffled. "one thrust more," muttered ulric. "i am sorely spent and i bleed. hael, odin! i have cloven his heart! he dieth!" then turned he and walked steadily to the front of the place of the great ones, while a vast clamor arose in all the tiers of seats. "o saxon," said caius, "art thou wounded?" "a scratch or two," replied the jarl, cunningly. "am i to fight another lion this day, or wait i until the morrow?" "o caius, the sesterces are thine," said julius. "thy barbarian hath won for thee. never saw i the like of this." "to thy place, o jarl," shouted caius. "i come to thee quickly. be thou silent!" away strode ulric, stepping proudly, but the door of the room he sought opened as he came. "enter! enter!" shouted knud the bear. "o our beloved, art thou slain?" "water, quickly!" said ulric. "i would drink. wash me also. bind up my hurts and put on my mail. let no man see these tearings in my limbs. i shall not die!" "glory to the god of israel!" exclaimed ben ezra. "i am the physician for thy hurts. bring bandages. these are not to death. i feared for thee greatly." "nevertheless," growled wulf the skater, "i will slay that master of the games. o jarl, if we had lost thee!" so said the other saxons, crowding down to greet him, but the bandages were made firm, the mail and the helmet were put on, and then out across the arena marched they all, the jarl leading them. "truly he is not slain," muttered julius. "i have lost my beasts and my sesterces!" at the great portal, however, caius waited with a chariot. "not to thy quarters, o saxon jarl," he said. "i take thee to capernaum for thy healing. all thy men will follow now, and a ship waiteth at the seaside. julius must not see how thou art wounded. wilt thou live?" "he will live," said ben ezra. "speak not now. harm was done by claws, but more by a paw stroke on the head. but for that he had slain them sooner, and he was torn only while he was fallen. a hard battle, o caius of thessalonica." "he and his have beaten julius for me," said caius. "they shall fight no more save at jerusalem and at rome." "may we tarry long enough to offer sacrifices to the gods of this place?" asked knud. "i would leave them in good humor. it is well to be on good terms with the gods." "what sayest he?" asked caius of ben ezra, but ulric himself responded: "peace with thy gods, o knud. let alone. i saw when i was under the tiger's paw. i thought at first of the valkyrias, but they came not. the gods of this place we will leave here. they are nothing to us. come!" "so be it!" said knud. "i meant only to deal prudently. thou art our jarl. we will come." they lifted ulric into the chariot, ben ezra and knud and tostig entering with him, and the other saxons followed, led by wulf the skater. with them now was abbas, and he said to ben ezra: "the keeper of the tiger's cage hath lost his head for letting him out too soon, and the master of the games lieth slain under the tiers, no man knoweth by whose hand." "they who butcher many," said ben ezra, "do well to avoid knives. the man with all other men for enemies dieth speedily." but wulf the skater smiled joyously and he said to lars, the son of beolf, at his side: "the jew is a wise one; but beware thou of abbas, lest he sell thee." lars looked at the spear in his hand and at abbas, and he answered not. "we have our jarl!" laughed wulf as they went forward, and quickly they were at the shore of the sea of galilee, and they saw a galley, like a pleasure boat, rowing rapidly nearer to the place where the chariot halted. chapter xxviii. the jarl and the rabbi. softly and easily may a wounded man be borne along upon cushions over smooth water under a silken canopy. there was no further fatigue for the jarl, the victor, that day, and before its close he lay upon a couch in a room of one of the seaside palaces. all men went out from him save caius. "o jarl, my friend," he said, "i must leave thee. gain thou thy strength as rapidly as thou mayest. thy jew, ben ezra, telleth me that he may not tarry here." "he is not any more needed while i lie thus," said the jarl. "i would see him. if thou art willing, he may go." "i consent," said caius. "thou art interpreter enough for thy men. i will send him to thee, but now i must return to tiberias, for i have much upon my hands. may all the gods give thee a speedy recovery, and i promise thee that thou shalt yet fight before cæsar himself. thou art worthy!" so saying, the centurion departed, and in a moment more ben ezra came and sat down sadly by the side of ulric. "thou goest from me?" asked the jarl. "hardly of mine own will," replied ben ezra, "but i must go to jerusalem, and i will return to thee if thou comest not soon to me. i commit thee to the keeping of jehovah, my god. abbas goeth also, and there will be one double tongue the less in galilee. fare thee well. i have done for thee what i could." "o jew, i thank thee," said the jarl. "come thou again to me and i will ever welcome thee as if thou wert of my kindred." little more did they say, for the jarl was in fever and in pain and the hour was late. ben ezra departed, but at the door of the room stood tostig, spear in hand, although this palace was a place of peace. "o tostig," said ben ezra. "i go away for a season. guard thee well your jarl!" "that will we, o jew," said tostig. "there will be swords and spears around him by day and night. whither goest thou?" "to jerusalem," said ben ezra, "and i think i may have somewhat to do there for thy jarl. i love him much. i come again shortly." "the gods go with thee," said tostig. "i think thee a brave warrior. art thou sure that the jarl healeth of these hurts?" "no man knoweth surely," said ben ezra, "but see ye to it that he hath quiet." "we will care for that," said tostig. "i have been sore wounded myself, and while the cuts were knitting i would fain have cleft the head of any who came near me." so ben ezra departed from tiberias, taking with him abbas, and the palace of the friend of caius by the sea of galilee contained now only the servants of its owner and these who were called the gladiators of caius of thessalonica. for these there was sufficient occupation of mind at the first, for many came to gaze at them, and men of rank, also, were interested, but none might ask undue questions of men whose speech was unknown and whose behavior was silent and haughty. to them, also, not only were all buildings new to be examined, but there were fruits and wines and strange ways of living to become accustomed to. boats were there, to be used at any time, and the saxons talked much of the fiords and fishing of their own land while they were amusing themselves upon the sea of galilee. over it did they go from end to end that they might look upon all things upon its shores, and they wondered much that one small sea should contain such abundance of fishes and have so many towns and cities builded beside it, as if there were no other place for the cities of this marvelous land. few days went by in this manner, but there were other affairs than those of the saxons. ever is it true that the cunning, who believe their ways to be hidden, are sometimes read as are books in strange tongues read by those who are learned in difficult runes. julius, the centurion, the chief commander of the roman forces in galilee, had other hopes and ambitions than the winning of sesterces in gambling, and he had other cunnings besides his tricks of the circus. at this time herod, tetrarch of galilee and loving to be called a king, was plotting to gain for himself the entire realm which had been ruled by his cruel father, herod the great. to this end he might require the removal by cæsar of pontius the spearman from being procurator, and the destruction of his own brother, herod antipas, tetrarch of the lands northward of galilee. if, therefore, herod of machærus and julius, the centurion, were working together against the procurator, then the near friend of pontius was as a spy and an enemy in their camp. nevertheless, caius of thessalonica had been received in tiberias with all the welcoming due to an exceedingly distinguished visitor, an honored friend. not that herod was here to meet him at this time, for the tetrarch preferred the safekeeping of his black castle, machærus, on the easterly side of the sea of death, which hath no waves and whereon the seabirds die. caius, the centurion, walked one evening alone by the shore of the lake of galilee, and he communed deeply with himself. "thus far jove hath been with me. i have escaped the treachery of both the wolf julius and the foxes, the herods. i do now know that herod antipas refuseth to join them, to his ruin. why linger i here, where i am not safe for an hour but for the swords of my saxon gladiators? i trust their jarl, for they are his more than mine. he mendeth but slowly from the tiger's clawing. i would he were able to ride even in a chariot, for my errand here is done. unless he were with me i could do little with his barbarians. abbas is a traitor, ready for a buyer, and i believe him already bought. ben ezra--he is a jew, and every jew hateth every roman, with good cause. i am glad he hath departed. the barbarians are not so, for they are but gladiators, and this jarl ulric is not as a common man. i may trust him." so spoke with himself the grim centurion, the near friend of pontius the spearman, considering the affairs of princes and of kingdoms. he walked on, thinking deeply, and ere long he was at the palace by the seashore. a legionary stood guard at the portal, but no saxons were to be seen. if one had walked with these at this hour, he would have been at a place from which might be seen the walls of capernaum. along the beach were boats and sailing vessels, larger and smaller, and out upon the sea were many fishermen. at the water side were some who spread out a net to dry, but above them, on the high ground, had gathered rapidly a mingled concourse of people. said one of the net dryers to another: "the rabbi of nazareth is there. he healeth the people. only john is with him. we ought not to be here. let us go to him." "did he not bid us go a-fishing?" replied another. "we have caught many. it is enough. let us go." so left they their net and went up the bank, and as they went they heard the voice of the rabbi preaching to the multitude. they listened, hastening, and they spoke no more to each other. all utterances were stilled save the wonderful voice of the preacher, the music of the waves upon the beach, and the low, painful mutterings of one man who hobbled along upon crutches as if to join the gathering. "o that i am to be maimed!" he said. "i, ulric, the son of brander! that i shall no more walk firmly! the tendons and the muscles of my limbs refuse to heal, as if the tiger's claws were poisonous. what thinkest thou, wulf the skater? shall we not go on and see this man?" "thou art faint, o jarl," said wulf. "it is not well that thou hast walked so far. i fear thou wilt but cure the more slowly. one goeth by us! look at him! hear him! he is a leper!" "unclean! unclean! unclean!" a hoarse and croaking sound came to their ears from the ulcered, shriveled lips of him at whom wulf pointed. behind him were four who carried a sick one in a litter, but they held back, not overtaking the leper. "come!" said ulric. "i would look into the face of this god once more. we may hear another of the demons. i have much curiosity concerning them. put thy arm around me and aid me on." "woe is me, son of brander," moaned wulf, but his strong arm went around the waist of his jarl and they walked along. "unclean! unclean! unclean!" the terrible voice repeated, but on the brow of a little knoll the rabbi of nazareth stood and ceased not his preaching. all around him were men and women, the old and the young, but these stepped suddenly away, as if in fear, while the leper came toward them. "he hath no right!" exclaimed one. "touch him not! breathe not his breath," said another, "lest thou become leprous!" down knelt the leper, but the rabbi ceased speaking and looked upon him kindly. "what wilt thou?" he asked. "that i might be clean," gasped the leper. "be thou clean!" said jesus. "o jarl!" exclaimed wulf. "what is this? he standeth erect! he is strengthening! would almost that thou wert a jew, for their god is a strong healer." "come!" said ulric. "he hath cured this leper. i will have speech with him. nearer! i walk more easily. my hurts cease to pain as they did. o wulf, aid me strongly, that i may get to him. pass me on! i breathe more freely! i strengthen! i fail not! fear thou not for me that this shall do me harm!" [illustration: "o thou jesus, of the sons of the gods!"] "o jarl!" said wulf. "this is but a sudden strength that cometh to thee. afterward thou wilt fall!" "on! on!" exclaimed the jarl. "i have somewhat to say that i had forgotten. i must speak!" near were they now, and the rabbi of nazareth again ceased speaking as he looked upon the white face of the jarl, but the crutches of ulric had fallen from his hands and the arm of wulf seemed still to uphold him. "o thou jesus, of the sons of the gods," said the jarl. "sigurd, the son of thorolf, hath fallen in battle with robbers, many of whom he slew. he bade me that i should see thee again and bring thee his greeting." "o rabbi of the jews!" exclaimed wulf the skater, earnestly, "it is ulric, the son of brander the brave, of the northland. his gods are not thy gods, for he is a son of odin, whom thou knowest not. but he is our jarl and we love him. we pray thee that thou wilt ask of thy god for him that his hurts may be healed and that he may become strong to lead us, for we are but as lost children without him." as yet jesus answered not, but the jarl stood firmly upon his feet and stepped one step nearer, wulf stepping with him, but of the other saxons was none with them. "o rabbi," said ulric, "i was torn by wild beasts in the arena of tiberias. i slew both the lion and the tiger, while they were tearing each other. and now i shall be no more a warrior, for my sword falleth from my hand." as he spoke he held out the hand which had been so strong, and which was now so weak, and it was touched by the outstretched hand of this rabbi of nazareth. "go, thou," he said. "be thou healed. and remember thou that which thou hast this day seen and heard. speak not again now." wulf the skater took up the crutches, but the jarl put them away, saying: "hath he not bidden us to go our way? shall we not now do as he hath said? come! i walk as if i had not been torn. he is a god!" "o jarl," whispered wulf, trembling, "what meaneth he? i understand him not. and what is this strange thing which hath come upon thee, as if thou wert a jew? i think his god is a good god and very strong." but both he and ulric stepped backward and the rabbi and the man who was leprous stood face to face. "silence, wulf the skater!" whispered ulric. "the god hath spoken to me as to this one. i have looked into his face. what he hath said i know not, but i go to caius quickly. where thou art commanded well do thou obey lest evil befall thee." "clean! clean!" sprang from the lips of the healed leper. "hallelujah! i glorify the god of abraham. this man is a great rabbi!" "he is of the sons of the gods, thou stupid one!" said ulric. "i am healed. who but a god can cure the scratch of a lion or a tiger? he is as odin, and i think they are friends, and that odin bade him heal me. i will fight for him when he gathereth his army. o wulf the skater, come! my arm telleth me that i could cast a spear. o thou of nazareth, thank thy father for me, for thou wilt see him before i do. when i am slain i shall go to asgard and i will meet him there, and i hope to meet thee. also, in thine hour, thou shalt be my captain." "go now!" said jesus, turning to a sick one. "he meaneth he will send for thee," said wulf, walking on at the side of ulric. "but we need more saxons for his army if he is to overcome the roman legionaries. he would do well to gather the sea kings and all the men of the fiords and of the forests. even from denmark and the islands we might bring to him good fighters. how well could a captain keep his army if he might heal all who were but hurt, losing only the heroes for whom the valkyrias had come." "i walk more strongly!" said ulric. "i would be where i may look at myself, for the marks were deep and they ran as sores. we will go with caius to jerusalem. i think it well for us that we guard him." "o jarl," said wulf, "a friend is a friend, but a roman valueth a saxon only for his sword and for his spear. i have thought, indeed, that he might yet give one of us a chance to kill this julius. i shall not be fully contented until i have seen his blood upon a blade of steel." as a man in a dream walked ulric, the son of brander. with him, looking at him as they went, walked wulf the skater, and now other men drew near. "how is it with the jarl?" asked knud the bear. "he hath no crutches this day." "he walketh strongly," said tostig the red. "his face is ruddy and his eye is bright. thou hast been with him, o wulf; what is this?" "the son of odin hath had speech with this god of the jews," slowly responded wulf. "i myself asked for his healing, but the sons of the gods are not like other men. hold ye your peace, for the jarl was bidden to tell no man." "let him alone, then," said tostig. "it is enough that he walketh so well. but yonder is the centurion, julius, talking with caius." "i am to slay him yet," said wulf. "watch ye, for we belong to caius." enough of saxon knew their master to gather that saying, and it pleased him well, for he turned and saw blue eyes that flashed a little, and dark eyes that seemed to ask his bidding. "there is truth in these saxons!" he said to himself. "were i to command the death of julius, he were dead this hour." but at that moment the voice of julius rose in a sound of chiding. "o caius," he said, "i did indeed pay my wagers, as became me, but thy saxon died and the payment should be restored to me. if the lion and the tiger slew him, the wager is void." "justly spoken, o my friend," replied caius; "but knowest thou this man, or is he dead?" then turned julius, wondering, for before him stood the son of brander smiling in a mockery, and saying: "hael to thee, o julius, the captain! hast thou any wild beasts with thee this day? i am ulric the jarl!" proud and strong he stood, with the sunlight upon his golden curls and the strength of a hero showing in his movements, but the centurions, both of them, stared at him as if they were in amazement. "thou art not dead?" said julius. "o jarl, let him take thy hand," said caius. "let him be sure of thee that thou art well." "o caius," said his enemy, "thy swordsman liveth. i have been misinformed. but how were his wounds that they have healed?" "scratches!" said caius. "i have care for my gladiators after a fight that they may be ready again. hast thou any to put against him for a thousand sesterces, man for man?" "that have not i!" exclaimed julius, looking hard at ulric. "he hath cost me enough!" then, also, for he was cunning, he understood the looks of the other saxons, closing around the jarl lovingly, and he ground his teeth, for the thought in his mind was: "they would slay half a cohort of my dwarfs. they would slay me, if caius bade them. i would i had such a bodyguard that knew nothing but mine own will." so thought caius in his mind, silently, but he said aloud: "o julius, now the games are ended, and my mission to thee from pontius is fulfilled, i will set out on the morrow for jerusalem. the winter is here. what sayest thou?" "the gods go with thee!" said julius. "also, if thou art wise, take with thee thy swordsmen. thou wilt be safe by the way." so he and caius walked on by themselves toward the palace and the saxons gathered gladly around their jarl, feeling of his wounds that were healed and wondering greatly at his meeting with this son of the unseen god of the jews. chapter xxix. beautiful as aphrodite. at the damascus gate of the city of jerusalem halted a weary-seeming ass, upon whose back was a dusty and travel-worn rider. "wonderful indeed is the grandeur of this city," he had said, as his jaded beast toiled up the road from the bridge over the kidron. "i would willingly have paused longer upon the mount of olives, but the lash of the procurator is close behind all who ride upon his errands. somewhere in this city of the temple is my sapphira even now, but how shall she be made to know that i am here? not now, but i will climb over all barriers, even these great walls and forts, until i find her." at the gate was a roman guard, and to the sentinel on post rode lysias, saying: "o guard! from the procurator to the captain of the gate! in haste! i am lysias, a messenger, with a token in writing. i may not dismount until he cometh." the soldier saluted ceremoniously the name and authority of the procurator, but he stirred not from his place. he did but shout loudly, and an officer came forth, to whom the greek repeated his utterances. "sit thou in thy saddle," said the officer. "i may not touch that which is in thy keeping. but the centurion cometh shortly--the captain to whom thou art commanded to make thy delivery." no word spoke lysias to the important man when he came, but the subofficer made the announcement and the parcel from pontius the spearman was placed in the right hands. "o messenger," he said, "dismount. thy beast is worn out. so art thou. he will be kept for thee in the stables of the procurator. thou, too, wilt have refreshment. rest thee and be ready when thy return message shall be prepared." here ended for the present the dangerous responsibilities of lysias, but in no manner had he yet escaped from the grip which had been put upon him. the lodgings to which he was speedily conducted were as a jail of secure detention and from them he might not think of going forth, lest evil should befall him. he might but eat and sleep while his next duties were in course of preparation. nevertheless rest was sweet, and his dreams were free to wander where they would, seeking a fair face and welcoming eyes which might not now be far away. early upon the morrow he was summoned to come forth, and he was led to the damascus gate without having had speech with any save with soldiers who were as his jailers. here a saddled horse of arabia awaited him and also a high official, whom he knew not, and the captain of the gate, whom he had already seen. "hear thou with care, o messenger," said the latter, sternly, handing to him sealed parchments. "this first to the procurator, from me. these from the high priest and from the captain of the temple. i give thee, also, a spoken message, which may not be written, for thee to deliver and then to forget; for thou art of the household of the procurator, and he trusteth thee. were another to hear these words, lost were his head and thine. slain is the secret messenger of herod, and he went not to cæsar. caius of thessalonica is in galilee watching julius, the subtle, who plotteth, also, with herod and with herod antipas. caius may die there, or ere he returneth, but he is trustworthy. well were it that the procurator should now leave his inspection of the garrisons and of samaria until a better day and that he should now return to jerusalem. go!" words in reply or questioning might not be spoken. lysias sprang upon the arabian horse, the letters being hidden in his bosom. away he rode down into the valley of the kidron, thinking within himself: "great is the peril to him who carrieth the secrets of rulers. sure is my death if i do not this errand well, and yet the very doing of it may bring a sword upon me. and now i am indeed of the household of pontius, wherein is hidden my sapphira. surely venus and juno are with me, and mercurius himself hath given me this fleet stallion to ride. he goeth like the wind." the remainder of that day went by, and the night also came and went. not any did the messenger have speech with but seemed ready to speed him and glad to see him go from them, as if in having met him might bide a future peril. it was only in the forenoon of the next day, however, that his arabian steed was halted in the middle of the northward highway, and before him in a gilded chariot sat pontius, the procurator, reading slowly and thoughtfully the letters delivered to him by the greek. "thou hast done well," he said. "thou art a speedy messenger. was there aught else?" "here are ears near thee, most noble pontius," replied lysias. "i pray thee bid me be prudent." down from the chariot sprang the procurator with a fierce flush upon his face. "dismount thee! come!" he said. "back, all! i would have speech with this man." not far behind the chariot, but not as if they belonged to the same company, rode two men upon asses, of whom one said to the other: "a messenger, o ben ezra. there may be tidings of importance. what sayest thou?" "silence! o abbas," replied the other, "thus far our god hath befriended us upon our way. trifle not with the business of the great lest the sword seek thee. thou art overcurious. let it suffice that we are permitted to travel under guard of the procurator's horsemen." at the roadside now stood he and the greek and none dared approach them, for the spear of pontius was in his hand and his brow was dark. "speak with care!" he said to lysias. "forget not!" "thus said the captain of the gate," replied lysias, "and a centurion who stood by him and who gave me this cornelian for a token, telling me not his name----" "cornelius of cæsarea!" muttered pontius, but the greek spoke on, uttering exactly the words which had been given him. "it is well," he said. "i have word of caius that he is wise and that his saxon swordsmen are his bodyguard. more than one secret messenger hath been slain, saith ben ezra, the bringer of tidings from galilee. trust him, but not the jew abbas who is with him, for he is of julius. i come to jerusalem quickly. i will give thee a fresh horse in the morning and thou wilt again return, but thou wilt wait for me in mine own house. go, now, and speak to these jews, questioning them. what they say thou wilt tell me. it is well that thou wilt be in the school of gamaliel and also in the service of the procurator, but let no man know of more than of the school." the strong man is often in desire of a willing servitor, and it pleased pontius that the eyes of the greek brightened with delight. his lips parted also, but the word "sapphira" that was upon them was not uttered aloud. the ruler turned and walked away to his chariot and lysias remounted his weary horse. "i must be cunning with these jews," he thought; "and in one of them is my deadly peril." the train passed on and they were riding at his side. "who art thou?" he asked of ben ezra. there was no sign of recognition in the face of his former comrade upon the good ship _the sword_. "i am a jew of spain," he responded, "and my name is ben ezra. i go to fulfill a vow in the temple of jehovah at jerusalem. who art thou?" "i am a greek of alexandria, named lysias," was replied as cunningly. "i am of the household of the procurator, but i am also a student in the school of the great gamaliel. thou doest well to perform thy vows. i am now bidden to be with thee. and who is this man?" "i am abbas of jerusalem," he said for himself, bowing low to one who seemed to be trusted by pontius the spearman. "i am a merchant and i have had dealings with the procurator." "o abbas," said lysias, "many have heard of thee. thou art a lender of money and thou art hard in thy dealings. why dost thou pretend that thou knowest me not? hast thou not seen me many times in the markets? i think that thou art never seen in the schools. tell me, how was it with that trouble of thine that thou didst have before the magistrate? didst thou escape with no more harm than a fine?" "nay! nay!" exclaimed abbas. "speak not too much of that matter. the judge compelled that unjust person to pay me my dues and he was cast into prison. i exact no more than my right." "thou art, then, a rare money-lender," said lysias; but the cunning of the greek had succeeded and abbas was ready thenceforth to say to any inquirer that he knew this man well. "o youth," he said, "i will talk with thee further concerning certain matters when we may have opportunity. be not thou too much influenced by what thou hearest. is there any news?" "tell us what things have occurred," added ben ezra, "for we have been in galilee. i journeyed thither as interpreter for the saxon gladiators of caius, the centurion, of thessalonica. in his service am i to this day." "a good man and highly honored," said lysias. "he is a friend of the procurator." so they rode on conversing, but in greek. nor was it difficult as they went for ben ezra, even aided by abbas unwittingly, to inform lysias completely concerning the doings of the saxons. "the procurator," he said, "calleth the gladiators of caius his own. thou wilt soon meet them and i will make thee acquainted with them." "i will gladly have speech with such strange ones," said lysias, "but the scholars of gamaliel may not meddle much with the circus." ere long as they rode he and ben ezra were able to be out of hearing of abbas and the others, but the speech of the jew was brief. "o greek," he said, "if thou art imprudent in this matter, for thee is not the scourge, but the sword." "and for thee crucifixion," said lysias. "fear not for me. thou art as i am, and we are one with the jarl and his company." the place of the procurator's abiding was at hand. it was an ancient palace, which was also a fort, and they who occupied it were of high degree. of them the two jews and lysias might see or know but little, but they had quarters assigned them. in the morning orders came to lysias only, and he was quickly in the saddle with a message for cornelius, the centurion. if he found him not at jerusalem, he was to ride on after him, even to cæsarea. "o to be in the procurator's house!" thought lysias, "for she will be there and i shall see her." even as he rode away from the palace gate, however, bright eyes were upon him from a window above and a young girl said in a low, musical voice: "o lysias! lysias! do i not know that he is in search of me? woe to him and woe to me if he should find me! what is this which is come? am i not happy as i am? surely i do love him. he is very beautiful. he loveth me. but what have i, the favorite of the wife of pontius, to do with him? what have i to do with a love that i lost so long ago and that is gone? it were but a sharp peril now. if i meet him, i can but tell him that i am no longer his. he is but a swift messenger of the procurator; a fellow to ride horses and to be scourged if he rideth not speedily. i am one to dwell in palaces, wearing gay apparel and jewels and having the favors of the great." full of pride was her fair face as she spoke, and in it was a scorn for any who were lowly. to her the apparel of her servitude was more worth than was the love of a youth who had been robbed of his patrimony and whose rank was lost. she sat at the window watching him as he rode away, and she sighed deeply. "yes," she said, "i love him, and it is pleasant to love. he is a good horseman. so are all my roman lovers. what is he compared with a roman? even the jews, if they are rich and of power, are better than a poor greek boy, fit only for errands." she arose and walked away, but a mirror was near and she gazed long at her reflection, admiring it greatly. "i am as beautiful as aphrodite, they tell me," she said. "i will sacrifice to her this day, and to juno. there are no gods upon whom lysias may call for great gifts. he can bring them no rich offerings, while i can have oxen slain before the altar. aye, and i have had men sent to prison and to the arena if they offended me. i sent that foolish jew girl to the lions at jerusalem. i taught her better than to interfere with me." her red lips tightened cruelly, and her eyes were terrible and her movements were lithe as those of a young panther as she walked on along a corridor. but lysias galloping northward was alone upon the highway, and he shouted aloud: "sapphira! sapphira! my beautiful one! my beloved! i am drawing nearer to thee! thou art dearer than life and i believe thou art true to thy lover. i will find thee yet, and i will look into thine eyes and i will touch thy hand and i will tell thee all that is in my heart." strong is love and wonderful are its follies and its treacheries, for even then his sapphira sank upon a couch in her own room sighing and murmuring in a low voice: "lysias! lysias! my beloved! if i have any other lovers i will name them lysias in my mind, for i do love thee, and love is pleasant." the procurator made no great haste that morning, although he prepared for journeying. he had many affairs and his messengers came and went, and it might be seen that he was a thoughtful governor, attending to all who came, only that he sent out some edicts which were full of blood and vengeance. not long was it before he stood in a private place with ben ezra questioning. "o jew," he said, "now thou hast told me how julius plotted to destroy the saxon guards of caius, thou hast told me enough. but for this tall jarl of thine and his pirates i should never again meet my friend. he may give them to me and i will not waste them in the arena. i know of a place to which i may send a good sword and where i may not send a legionary." low bowed the jew and the unspoken word in his heart was bitter. "do i not know thee?" he thought. "thou treacherous one! thou wilt send a saxon to do a deed, and when it is done for thee thou wilt slay him and clear thyself. this is the cunning of the romans. i will beware of thee and thy errands, but i care little for my own neck. o that the messiah, the prince of judah, were even now smiting thee and thine from the earth! he cometh soon, i think." so, bowing as became his station, but guarding well his face and letting his eyelids fall over any glitter that might betray him, ben ezra went out of the palace and was joined by abbas. "o my friend," said abbas, "why linger we?" "we may not linger," said ben ezra. "we depart, but thou wilt travel alone. i have commands from the procurator. see to it that thou art quickly in jerusalem." "whither goest thou?" asked abbas. "art thou mad?" said ben ezra. "or dost thou know but little of pontius? keep thy questions to thyself and tarry thou not, for i think thou hast a spot on thy name. beware lest it turn into red on thy garments." very pale was abbas, but his face was that of a fox with a wolf for his father. "o ben ezra," he said, "thy counsel is good. but be thou careful of thine own head. i can tell much concerning thee." "in the day that thou chatterest unwisely," said ben ezra, "thou wilt spread thy arms upon a piece of wood and thou wilt hear the sound of hammers. then thou wilt be set up at a wayside for men to mock thee. the romans hesitate but little concerning such as thou art." ghastly was now the face of abbas. "o my friend!" he exclaimed, "i meant no evil! i will be true to thee!" "thou wilt remember this thy warning!" said ben ezra, sternly. "thou wilt not sin against thine own life. if thou shalt at any time err, it is no fault of mine. thy blood is upon thine own head." they parted one from another, and then came to pass a strange thing, for a servitor led ben ezra to the armory of the palace. here he remained but briefly, and when he came out he was armed from head to foot in the panoply allotted to the jewish servants of the temple under its roman captain. so arrayed he might ride as if he were a roman under the sure protection of the procurator. a horse was ready for him and he mounted, riding to the palace gate. at this place was now the procurator in his chariot. "go thou speedily as thou hast said," commanded the procurator. "be not overhasty, but prudent. if it prove as thou tellest me, well with thee." "on my head be it," said ben ezra, and he rode away northward. "i have purchased him with a price," he said to himself, "but i will deal truly with the jarl. if some of his treasure and some of mine must be paid as tribute to this roman governor, all that remaineth--and it will be enough for us--will be kept for our own uses. now for the cavern in carmel, and the journey will be neither long nor unsafe for a man traveling with the seal of pontius." as for the procurator in his chariot, he, too, had a thought upon his mind, and it made his face brighten. "the gold is well," he thought, "but the jewels! there is naught else for which cæsar hath so great a lust. i care little for such things. of what value are bright stones except that they will sometimes buy more than will gold or silver? let the jew bring his gems and with them i will defeat herod and julius." far on along the southward highway rode abbas, having a pack beast with him and two fellow-travelers. the jerusalem road through judea was accounted safe unless one rode alone or unarmed. still was his face turned backward now and then as that of one who feareth lest he may be followed, for the words of ben ezra had been severe, and abbas knew that he who uttered them had been much in conversation with the procurator. "he is deep as a well!" he thought. "can he know anything of my dealings with herod? even now i must go to the ford of the jordan and to machærus before i go to jerusalem. alas! the black castle! how many have entered it who never were seen again! well is it set so near to the sea of death! i am a jew! i hurt not my own people! but it is righteous to profit by the dissensions of the heathen. if herod and his brother antipas and this pontius the spearman were to slay one another, what harm to the children of abraham? ben ezra doeth not well to keep faith with a roman or an edomite. they have defiled even the temple of the most high." chapter xxx. the javelin of herod. the saxons and their jarl in the palace by the sea of galilee were now more impatiently awaiting the orders of caius of thessalonica. it was at the close of a day that he came to have speech with ulric, the son of brander, and to wonder again at his swift healing. he examined the scars, touching them, and asking many things concerning this learned rabbi of nazareth and of his marvelous cures, for these were things which no reasonable man might easily believe. "thou hast thy strength again," he said at last. "never have i thought much concerning the gods, but i shall deem it prudent to make sacrifices to such as i think may aid me. i have never found them profitable. take now thy weapons and walk out along the shore with me, for i am restless. i linger here too long on thy account. come!" "i shall delay thee no longer, o noble caius," said the jarl, "but well am i assured that thou doest well to wear mail and to have thy good sword at thy side. put on thy helmet." "so do thou," said caius. "but what said to thee the jew, thy interpreter? was it aught more important than thou hast told me?" "not so," said ulric, "but the keeper of the tiger's den told much unwittingly. the beasts were prepared to win more than sesterces. had i been slain, and tostig, thou wouldst now have less perfect guarding. i will tell thee, o caius: i like thee well and i am jarl; not another will my men obey. i think thee a good fighter, and such as i am agree not well with cowards or with those who deal in subtleties." "o jarl," said caius, "speak not of julius, the centurion, as if he were a coward, but he is exceedingly deep in his counsels. there is more than thou knowest in this matter. thou mayest yet have a chance to use thy long, sharp sword again." "that might please me well," said the jarl. "i like not to leave a blade too long in the sheath lest it might rust. but glad am i as we walk to feel no more any hindrance from the work of the tearing claws." "well with thee, o jarl!" exclaimed caius. "and now look without looking and mark well without seeming to mark. seest thou the men in armor who have landed from yonder boat at the shore? they walk not overrapidly, but they aim to come between us and the palace. canst thou read a riddle?" "i had noted them already," said the jarl. "men have told me that the other shore of this sea of galilee belongeth to herod antipas, the brother of the herod who ruleth here under cæsar. i have heard that men who are hated by the herods die at distances. but thinkest thou that either of them would dare to send a sword against a roman, and such as thou art?" "consider, o jarl," said caius, calmly. "who then would know concerning the sword or him who sent it if thou and i were slain upon this beach and our bodies conveyed in yonder boat to be sunken in the sea? would not the thing be well hidden if the doers of it were shortly also slain by herod antipas or by his brother, whichever sent them?" "great would be the inquiry," said ulric. "thou art young!" said caius. "cæsar might demand my blood of him of machærus, in whose land we are, or even of this julius. what if antipas thus plotted harm to both of them? he could strike them no deeper stab than this! thy spear, saxon! o for my shield! i was imprudent!" "take mine!" said ulric, casting his spear. "i need it not. there are now but four. ha! a javelin! i caught it! out with thy sword!" even while talking had they permitted the five men from the boat to draw much nearer and as if unobserved. sudden and fierce had then begun this assailing. the javelin had been well aimed, but the quick sword of the jarl had parried it. these were men of war who were coming and they had deemed themselves sure of victory, for one had said: "on! with him is no one but his tiger-torn gladiator. he hardly may stand erect. the centurion is at our mercy. end him!" "use well the shield," said ulric. "thou art thyself a good swordsman." now he who seemed the leader of these murderers drew back astonished to see how this saxon, whom he deemed crippled, sprang toward him with a war cry. he was no match for such a one, and his next comrade, turning affrighted to see him fall, left his own neck unguarded against the sword of caius. what then were the two who remained against two mighty men of valor? ill advised had been he who had sent them upon this errand, for the jarl laughed exultingly to find how well his strength had come back to him. "o noble caius!" he shouted. "thou art a good swordsman. they are all down. but these fellows are jews. how is this?" "none the less are they from antipas," said caius. "i can read his cunning. he will say they are but robbers from the rebel bands beyond the jordan. therefore i may bring no accusation against him. but i think thou art enough for five such as these. well is it for me that thou art healed. now will i send word to julius, and his servants may have the care of this carrion." ulric was silent, looking down upon the slain. "jews?" he said. "i think now that they are not so, but they are like them. what is thy thought, o caius?" "samaritans!" suddenly exclaimed the centurion after a closer examination. "not from antipas. here is a deeper treachery. these are from the elder herod, the fox of galilee. o jarl, haste! to the palace! we will make ready for our journey. but know thou that our road to jerusalem passeth through samaria, whence these came. verily i have a new tale to tell the procurator." "and i have a new thought concerning the keeping of thy life," said ulric. "but there will be more than one round shield with thee in samaria. a man needeth to have many eyes in this land." at that moment, while they still gazed down at the dark yet pallid faces of the dead, they heard near them shouts of angry chiding, but the tongue was not the tongue of that country. "o jarl!" shouted lars, the son of beolf, "we saw thee afar! we came in haste! what doest thou here with thy sword in thy hand--thou that wert torn by the roman tiger?" "woe to thee, o jarl!" shouted another. "thy men should have been with thee!" "o caius," exclaimed tostig the red, "thou didst fight for our jarl? then will we fight for thee. thou hast made good friends this day." sufficiently well did caius understand tostig and the others who now came running to see how it might be with the son of brander, and it pleased him greatly. "i may now depend upon these wolves of the north," he thought, "and sore may be my need of such as they who think not but strike, knowing only a friend and a foe and taking no account of numbers against them." the jarl explained the matter and he seemed to be forgiven, but he and the centurion returned to the palace surrounded by spears ready for the casting. "it is well, o jarl," said caius. "let all be ready to depart upon the morrow; but i may not go in unseemly haste as in fear." "thou wilt go as becometh thee," said ulric. "he who fleeth unduly from a sword loseth the regard of brave men. we will be ready." nevertheless, caius of thessalonica rode swiftly to the house of julius at tiberias and was himself the bringer of this tidings. julius listened to him in a white wrath. "o thou, my friend!" he shouted. "seest thou not that this thing is aimed at me as much as at thee? if thou hadst thus been slain, it had been my utter ruin. woe to these herods! they shall both fall by the sword of cæsar. the gods be with thy saxons. thou needest them. commend me unto pontius and say to him that thou and i are henceforth one in all these matters. the herods now seek to stab him also. let him guard well his head." so talked they long together in a nearness which they had not known before, finding themselves in the same peril from the serpents which bite in the dark. from the gate of tiberias on the morrow went out a company worth the seeing. not without armed roman escort and many bondservants might the chariots of so important a man as caius of thessalonica set forth. when to all these were added the vikings, in their best armor and well mounted, it was as if a small army had been ordered southward. to the place of parting and of farewell came, also, julius and many men of note to do all honor to the friend of the procurator. "o caius," said julius, "i already have a swift messenger from antipas. he hath sent his horsemen to search the hills beyond the sea and tarichæa. they will ride with all diligence, and beyond doubt they will find some to slay, but thy shield must be nearer to thee than is the jordan." "it will be very near," said caius, smiling, for near him rode tostig the red watching all keenly, and his spear was in his hand. this, too, saw julius, and he laughed. "o my friend," he said, "it is even so. fare thee well; but they who come to meet thee should have due warning, for thy protectors are no respecters of persons." all then rode on, and the saxons talked much among themselves concerning the things which they had already seen in this land. they had visited all towns and villages around the sea, but none of them were more splendid than tiberias. "i would have visited capernaum," said ulric. "there is no great thing there," said tostig the red. "what hadst thou in thy mind?" "only this," said the jarl: "that this son of the old god of the jews, this rabbi of nazareth, dwelleth there at times. i owe him thanks and gifts for my healing. also i have it in mind to ask him questions concerning my father, and hilda, and valhalla, and asgard. hilda i have not seen but in my dream on _the sword_." "one was with her, i heard thee say when thou didst meet her. it was well to give her thy ring. i would have done so. but what would this god of the jews know concerning thy maiden? the gods care not for such things. she was fair to look upon. but, o ulric the jarl, i would i were on the sea again!" so said all the vikings many times, but they told the jarl that not in any of their goings to capernaum had they seen jesus, the rabbi. they had heard of him, that he was away in other places, here and there, teaching and preaching and healing many and casting out evil spirits. "it is good that he so doeth," said lars, the son of beolf, "and that he healed the tiger scratches upon the jarl, but what good is it for him to sing sagas to these people of no account?" there was none to answer him, for even ulric himself was silent. nevertheless, the son of brander had many thoughts which he did not utter and he forgot not any of the words which he had heard spoken by this one who had healed his hurts. "i understand them not," he said to himself. "he bade us think of the gods, and that i do. even now i am seeking their city and that i may get acquainted with my kindred. how shall i do so completely before i am slain? and he who dieth a cow's death, so say the sagas, shall not enter valhalla, but shall find his place in hel. i would join the heroes of the old time and dwell with thor and odin. i think i shall know more after i have seen the city jerusalem, which ben ezra saith is like asgard. at all events i will sacrifice horses and oxen and sheep in the temple of jehovah as if he were odin himself, for he is the chief god of this wonderful land." more and more wonderful indeed did it seem to the saxons as they rode onward all that day, for it swarmed with inhabitants and the villages and towns were many in number. it was at the gate of jezreel that their company halted, at the setting of the sun, and ulric sat upon his horse looking toward carmel. behind the city arose gilboa, wooded and craggy. before it stretched esdraelon. "o wulf the skater," said the jarl, "do you bear in mind the things which were said of this city and plain by ben ezra and abbas?" "more was said to thee than to others," replied wulf. "it is a city of sieges and a plain of many battles. i can see the blue ridge of carmel and beyond is the middle sea. i would i might see waves this hour and smell the salt air. this is a woeful land, where never is good ice or deep snow. we go on into the winter and we may yet see a snow squall if we are fortunate. but knud will need no bearskins and wulf will need no skates--and i sicken when i think of such a winter." "the great battle of the end of the world and the twilight of the gods!" exclaimed ulric. "o ye! if ben ezra's jewish sagas lie not, here shall we witness the greatest of all the feasts of swords. here shall we have for our jarl a god, the son of a god, and there will be gods and heroes to fight with. i, the son of odin, will be here! hael, odin!" "i will be with thee, then," said knud, "but if it is soon to come, it were better for some of us to go back to the northland and return with many keels full of men like ourselves. this god will need saxons if he is to fight romans. these jews will go down like wheat before the sickle, for i have been looking at them and at the legionaries." "thou art right!" exclaimed tostig the red. "but there is room on this plain for great armies to meet. they will come from many places, abbas told me, and among them will also be black and yellow men, and there will be great beasts, and the eagles that are wide-winged, and creatures whereof he could not tell me the shape. they may be like the one we saw come up from under the ice to tear the whales, only that such as he do not come out upon the land." "no man knoweth from whence these will come," said knud, "but some of them are as great serpents with wings. i like not to think of them, for they are full of fire and sulphur, and who can fight well in a smoke that choketh him?" after this they entered the city of jezreel, and they wondered greatly at the strength of its walls and towers, but they saw not many soldiers. "the land is at peace," thought ulric, "and garrisons may be small. i am learning something of war cunning from these romans. what they take they will hold until a stronger people shall come against them. i know of no such people except in the northlands." yet another thought was in the mind of the jarl, and his eyes wandered anxiously wherever he went. in all towns and villages and whenever companies had been met by the way he had seemed to be searching, and a sadness of disappointment was growing upon his face. "i heard her say she would see me at jerusalem," he told himself, "but now the time is long. she may have come hitherward. of these damsels whom i have seen as i came many are fair to look upon, but none are as beautiful as miriam. cannot hilda lead me to her? shall i indeed not see miriam until i meet her in asgard? i would that caius were in greater haste. we travel slowly." if he had looked upon fair faces inquiringly with his sad blue eyes, also had all the saxons laughed to one another quietly to note how many women put aside their veils a little to turn for another look at the face of the jarl. "never before have these seen any like him," they said. "they will not see him again, and he careth not for women save for the one to whom he gave a token. he will forever keep his troth with the dark one, the beautiful one, in whose hand he put the ring of the bright red stone as we came through esdraelon." good welcome was given to caius of thessalonica and his company by the governor of jezreel, but the vikings went to their quarters listlessly, for they had all looked across the plain toward carmel, and the thought within them was that beyond carmel was the sea and that upon the sea were ships. chapter xxxi. the places of sacrifice. questions which are asked by the heart of a man may go far. it is as if they were winged and flew on to a chosen place of alighting, as do the messenger doves carrying letters homeward. one of the birds set free by the ever-beating heart of ulric the jarl found a wonderful resting place. it was in a house in a great city, and upon all the earth was nothing more magnificent than this house of houses. upon the top of a high mount in the city was a vast space girded with white walls and towers, so that of this whole area was made a fortress of surpassing strength. within these walls were great buildings not a few and porticos and separated courts for varied uses. there was one building which was greater than any of the others, and to this as to a center all the many structures related; for the arrangement and the architecture were everywhere exceedingly harmonious and convenient. to this greatest building there were several approaches, but the main entrance was by an ample ascent of broad stone steps. beyond the level at the head of this stairway were mighty doors whose surfaces were covered with beaten gold and many designs of golden ornamentation. within the doors, if one might enter--for here stood ever armed guards--they who went on might see yet more splendors of carven stonework, whereof some of the stones were rare and precious, and of golden and brazen ornament. here in high places were altars which smoked with almost unceasing sacrifices. serving at and about the altars were numbers of robed priests with their assistants, and often these were chanting the sagas of their worship, but not in all this place was there any image whereby a stranger might obtain information concerning the shape or person of a god. it was as if he were worshiped in ignorance, none having at any time seen him to make a sculpture or a painting of his likeness. in this inner space or court where were the altars there stood this day a multitude of men with covered heads, and they now and then uttered loud voices in unison, which were responses answering the sagas of the priests. here were no women, but at the right was a portal and a passage leading into another court, which was also large and splendid. this was the court of the women, of whom a large number were present, both of the young and of the old. this was the temple of jehovah, the god of the jews, in the city of jerusalem. to him only were any sacrifices offered upon the altars, and the sagas were chanted that he might hear them if he would, but none could tell whether or not at any time he might be listening. so many of the sagas formally besought him not to remain at a distance, but to come to this place and listen and do the things asked for by those who brought to his altars these sacrifices. sad and sorrowful, yet full of strange music, was the sound of this singing, while the smoke went up from the burnings and while the censers were swung to and fro by the priests to send out upon the air their clouds of sweet odors. sad and sorrowful was the pleading, for there cometh a heaviness of soul to him who calleth in vain upon a god who is far away, who is unseen, and who answereth not by voice or sign. on the stone pavement, near to a pillar of bright bronze-work and somewhat apart from any of the groups of the other women, knelt one who was veiled and whose voice arose in low murmurings as of a recitation and a prayer. the hand which drew her veil more closely was well shaped and white and upon one of its fingers was a golden ring among other rings less beautiful. so deep was the red light of the ruby in this ring that its glow seemed hot like fire, and it throbbed as if it had pulses at the movement of her hand changing the light upon it. also her bosom arose and fell and there were tremors in her voice, and she said, whispering softly in the old hebrew tongue: "o thou who art god over all gods, i have sinned to look upon him, for i am a daughter of abraham and he is one of the heathen. o that he might also be one of abraham's children and serve the living god, even our god. i have sinned, o jehovah of hosts, but i have made my sin offering and i have made an offering of atonement also for him." then the gem flashed a great light, but her hand fell and her veil slipped away and the marvel of her face was seen for a moment. upon it was a smile and a light, and her eyes were closed, but her lips were parted. "have i indeed been spoken to?" she whispered. "i have been told that an angel cometh oft into the court of the women. never have i seen an angel. who knoweth that one might not come to me? would he be fairer to look upon than was he whom i saw at the wayside? if this be truth, then do i know that my offering hath been accepted and that it is no longer a sin for me to remember him. woe is me, then, if i am to never see him more! o he was beautiful! exceedingly! and i have brought into the house of jehovah this token which he gave me. but what is this which hath come to me?" her eyes were opened, looking downward, and the red glow of the ruby answered them as if it were speaking to her of love. then she arose, covering with her long silken veil, and she walked out of the court of the women; but a dove, escaped from the cages of the offerings, flew over her head and went out above the great gate and the wall, flying swiftly until he disappeared over the mount of olives. on walked the young woman beyond the temple walls and the sacred mount, going until she came to a street of palaces, ascending another mount. here shortly she disappeared, but she was more beautiful than any palace and in her light stepping there were both gracefulness and a great pride of manner, as if she were of high degree. now at that hour of the evening sacrifice the city was exceedingly still, for men and women everywhere paused in whatever they were doing and turned their faces toward the temple. horsemen drew rein and chariots halted, and there were many who knelt even in the open streets. but of these were none but jews and jewish proselytes from other nations, and there were those who were worshipers of other gods that were sufficient for them. roman soldiers who were marching halted not, and of these a body of a hundred spearmen passed out at the damascus gate with an officer at their head. "o captain of the gate," he shouted, "yonder cometh a messenger. i will await him." "hinder him not!" replied the keeper of the gate. "he is known to me. it is the swift messenger of the procurator." "am i not captain of the temple?" shouted the officer so loudly that he who came heard him. "if thou art he," was uttered, hastily, "i pray thee come to me!" for the messenger halted, not dismounting. "dog of a greek!" exclaimed the captain of the temple, haughtily, "shall i come to thee?" "there are men with thee and in the gate, o captain," said lysias, reverently. "i pray thee permit me to obey the procurator and speak to thee only." "ho! thou art right. i come! hast thou a letter from pontius?" "this little script only," said lysias, handing him a parchment, "and these words----" "utter them quickly!" said the officer. "'pontius to the captain of the temple: slay the messenger of herod antipas and let the spy from machærus not live to sail for rome. speed this lysias to cornelius, the centurion, and keep him afterward in my house safely until i come. let him have speech with no man and let no harm come to him.'" "even so!" said the captain of the temple. "yonder road along the valley of the kidron bringeth thee to the joppa gate. from thence is the joppa highway, and thou wilt find cornelius at the harbor fort if he hath not departed for cæsarea. i will give thee a fresh horse. tarry not in joppa or in cæsarea, but return quickly to me." "but not to speech with the high priest," said lysias, "nor to any from herod." "i will see to that," laughed the captain. "thou art careful of thy head. wert thou unmindful of the commands of pontius, thy shoulders were bare quickly. thy fresh horse cometh. mount and ride on." without more words lysias obeyed, but as he rode on along the brook kidron he said aloud: "well for me that i took rest and food while i could, that i fall not from my horse. i can reach joppa in due season, but what will yonder captain of the temple do with me when i return? i have heard that the messengers of roman governors are changed like the changing of guards, and that they who are released go sometimes upon errands from which they do not return. i will sacrifice to mercury!" whether or not he were weary, lysias rode well and his fresh horse was swift. it was but little to reach the joppa gate, and the sun was but setting when he turned into the highway leading toward the sea. it was broad and well kept, for chariots and for marching cohorts. looking back, lysias saw that the gate was closed and none was in the road behind him. looking forward, he saw no man, but there were houses on either side of the way except at one wide, open space which arose at the left in a small hill. bare was this ascent and he wondered at it, saying to himself: "so near the gate and no building thereon? it were a place for one of these outer palaces." he had paused to fasten the buckle of his bridle and he looked again upon the hill, and now shriek after shriek of utter agony came to his ears from beyond the crest of the ascent. voice answered unto voice, and he shuddered as he heard, but a man in armor came slowly down the slope. "in the name of the procurator!" shouted lysias. "is this the joppa road?" "art thou of his messengers?" said the soldier. "if thou art, thine ears will tell thee that a score of his enemies are on the wood. this place of skulls will soon smell but badly under this hot sun. ride on, for this is thy right road." "this, then, is the hill of crucifixion?" asked lysias. "any place will do," said the soldier, "but the procurator humoreth the jews and will set up no crosses in the city. the day may come when we will nail them in their temple and set up there an image of jupiter. they troubled pontius mightily when we did but carry our eagles to the temple gate, as if one god were not as good as another. what care i for gods!" loudly rang again the piercing shrieks while he was speaking, and his hard face widened into a grim smile, as if the sounds pleased him. but lysias shuddered and his blood ran cold, and he wheeled away to gallop out of hearing of those terrible outcries. "no roman may be crucified," he exclaimed. "these are not romans. to them all other men are less than brutes. i will watch that captain of the temple; but whither should i flee from the pursuit of a procurator's executioner?" under such fear as this dwelt all who were governed by the servants of cæsar, and yet it was said that the common people were more sure of justice than from any other rulers if they remained quiet and paid all taxes without murmuring. "i will risk all!" shouted lysias, "if i may but once more look into the blue eyes of my sapphira, for i know she loveth me!" the sun went down as he rode, and the shadows came, and through the shadows he galloped on, but now and then it seemed to him as if the shrieks from golgotha were ringing warningly in his ears. chapter xxxii. the mob of samaria. the city of jezreel was for caius of thessalonica and his train but a resting place for a night. after leaving behind its towers and the valley of battles, at the side of which it seemed to be posted as a sentinel, ulric the jarl himself was satisfied with the speed of the going which brought him to samaria. here, also, as they drew near, the saxons noted well the fortifications. "these walls are old," said one. "those of tiberias are newer and better. i care not for walls. better is it to fight in the open field, where swordsmen may come together, shield to shield, in a fair combat." tostig the red heard, and he shouted loudly: "o jarl, not walls! rather would i have a good keel like _the sword_ than any fort. towers and walls rest where they are builded, but a ship may sail into new seas. i am hungry for the sea!" "i like not the land at all!" said knud the bear. "never again may i be found so far from the rush of waves. i am minded to seek me a keel ere long. i think we shall all die if we may not again see the northland." he did but speak for all. while they had been inactive on the shore of the sea of galilee, and even more after setting out as if to find new adventures, the vikings had returned in their hearts to their old manner of living. they had thought continually of the sea and of ships. they had talked together of the cruise of _the sword_ and of all the strange things which had befallen them by the way in which they came to this country. they had also told many tales of the great deeds of sea kings, but there had been no minstrel or saga woman with them to sing them a saga or to play for them upon a harp. often, also, did their conversings deal with the northland itself in its summer beauty. they longed for the high mountains and the shadowy coolness of the fiords, and for the faces of men and of women and of children on the shores and about the houses. there is ever a kind of sickness which cometh upon brave men in the thinking of such thoughts and in the talking of such remembrances afar. so these vikings, who were all that remained of the mighty crew of _the sword_, were not only weary at heart, but almost sick in body. "a keel?" said wulf the skater to knud. "thou wilt find thee a keel? wert thou in thine own seas now thou wouldst find them closed against thee. beautiful would be the ice to look upon. but i think i could make me good skates and reach the fiords over the floes." so said other saxons, and they did but look listlessly at the walls of samaria. "o jarl," said caius from his chariot, "come thou hither to me. i have a word for thee." ulric rode to the side of the chariot. "what aileth thy men," asked the centurion, "that their faces are so cloudy? are they discontented?" "not with thee, o noble caius," laughed ulric, "but they are ill at ease on horseback and in peace. they would rather fight for thee than travel like pleasure-seekers. one man is ever afraid that, if this continueth, he may die in his bed and go to hel instead of to valhalla." stern yet pleasant was the countenance of the centurion. "i understand thy men," he said. "let them be posted in the doorway of the house where i abide this night. i have no others here whom i may trust, and this is a city of the enemies of the procurator." "thou mayest sleep safely," said ulric. "i will myself keep that house." "thy men could not be bribed," said caius. "i know that of them." "they have too many coins already," said ulric. "but i bade them keep all and spend them at jerusalem. no man need offer them any more. as to treachery, let thine enemy speak of that to tostig the red, but first let the seax of tostig be taken from him." "i will leave it at his belt," said caius, "and he may strike with it in such a case. but be not thou overhasty with a man of rank, for thou wilt be held accountable." "i will be prudent," said ulric; "but how is it with thy legionaries? if they are on post, is it not life and death with them?" "men have died suddenly," said caius, "with a legionary motionless at the outer door. he stirred not, being as a pillar of wood. thy men will be free, and will act as if they were hunters of game instead of statues. thy head is as good as thy hand." "i will keep thee," said ulric, "and i would that the men might have a chance to draw a sword or throw a spear." "they will not," said caius. "there are no men in samaria who would trifle with such a guard as thy saxons. think not but what i will remember thee for this matter." the jarl reined away his horse, thinking deeply. "o caius, do i not know that thou art as other romans? so soon as thou art done with us thou wouldst give us to the lions and look on while we were torn, being amused. soft words are well enough, however, and thou art better than are some of thy people." for the jarl grew crafty under the burden of leadership, and he seemed older than when he stood with hilda on the shore of the north sea looking at her runes upon the sand. a large house like a castle near the eastern wall of the city was assigned to so great a man as caius, but he went the next day to a feast, being entertained by the governor and other notables, among whom were certain lords of herod's household. "it will be late when i return," he said to ulric at his going. "i will send for thee." "not so," said the jarl. "i will come without thy sending. there have been tumults in samaria since the sun's rising. there will be good spears around thy chariot." "do as thou wilt, o jarl," said caius. "i fear no tumult and i have good attendance." "hast thou indeed a guard, and is it not from this man, the governor?" said ulric. "leave thou such matters to me, i pray thee, that thou mayest at all reach jerusalem." the chariot of the centurion rolled away from the palace gate, and with it rode a score of mounted soldiers sent by the governor as a guard of honor for his distinguished guest. hardly were they out of sight, however, before the saxons sprang to their feet at a sudden summons. "spears and shields!" commanded the jarl. "let every man look well to his weapons and to his armor. be ye all ready to march, but first let every man come to me and report whatever things he hath heard or seen this day." one had this thing to speak of and another that thing, but for the greater part it all seemed to be of little worth. their eyes, too, had been better than their ears in a city of an unknown tongue. nevertheless, the jarl said to wulf the skater: "thou hast scented this danger, then, thou keen old hunter? so is it with me, only that i better understand sayings uttered in my hearing, and some who spoke believed that i was as a stone wall, having no ears. they were, therefore, careless. i will say to thee that the soldiers who are now with caius are all from this new legion wherein julius was for a while the chief officer. it is for our interest that caius may suffer no harm. moreover, we may have some good fighting, and that is worth while." "thank the gods!" interrupted knud the bear. "now may i the more comfortably eat my supper. it is well to have a thoughtful jarl." a city by itself was samaria, as it had been during long centuries. they who called themselves samaritans bore deadly hatred to all jews, but could not prevent them from entering the city and transacting business there, although they could have no dealings with the samaritans. all other nationalities came and went freely, and here was a gathering of the offscourings of the earth. the jews risk all perils for the sake of traffic, and they had in this matter the protection of the roman laws. nevertheless, these hatreds were the root of many troubles, and from time to time there had been bloody riots to be suppressed by the legionaries with but small care upon whom their swords might fall. it might have been trusted that a roman of rank like caius would be as safe in samaria as in jerusalem or in rome, and so he would have been but for the intrigues of those who were greater than he. herod archelaus, to whom judea and samaria had fallen by the will of his father, herod the great, had forfeited his realm to the romans and it was now ruled by pontius the spearman. both the herod of the black castle, whose legacy had been galilee and some provinces beyond the dead sea, and herod antipas, who had inherited large districts at the north and east of galilee, were plotting to overthrow pontius and also to defeat each other. the favor of cæsar was the path to increase of power not only for them, but for roman plotters such as julius, and there were intrigues against them all at rome itself. the strifes of those who fought continually for the spoils of roman conquests were ever records of bloodshed, and no man's life was safe. to be a great roman was to walk on toward destruction. splendid was the feast to which caius went at the palace of the governor of samaria, but he was wary and he did not become drunken. long reclined the guests on the couches at the tables, to be served with all the delicacies of the earth. also there were dancers and mimes and musicians. but the end came. some were to abide in the palace, some were to go to their houses near, in the city. the chariot of caius waited for him, but as he and his slaves walked out at the main portal they heard a sound of trumpets and great outcries of a multitude. "it is nothing," said caius. "i heard that the rabble had risen against the jews. let the legionaries form in the road. drive on!" he spoke scornfully, but the outcries were near, and now came a great rush of men, of whom many were armed. in front of the governor's palace was an open space, into which the multitude was pouring, but from the opposite direction came forward another throng of men. in the foreranks of these was a small man in armor, with the visor of his helmet closed. "yonder is the chariot of caius," he said. "wait only till the iberians charge. then slay him and flee. let the blame fall on the jews and the samaritans." two score were the legionaries, and it was the governor, standing upon the steps of the palace portal, who shouted to them: "charge ye the mob lest they hinder the going of my guest. slay them! o most noble caius, i send out also quickly my own guards and servants. thou art safe!" if this were indeed the craft of the governor, it was well hidden, for the soldiers went forward smiting all in their way, and armed men from the palace went also. by this very charge, however, the chariot would have been left alone save for caius and his charioteers and a few mounted bondsmen. not in the silken robes of a man at a feast was the centurion at this moment, nevertheless. the robes were to be seen in the light of the torches, but they covered good mail and armor, and suddenly upon his head was a helmet and in his hand a pilum. "treachery!" he shouted. "the jarl was correct! o for my saxons!" "here, o caius!" loudly responded a voice from among the shadows of the palace front. "halt not thy chariot, but drive slowly. we have abundant javelins." the torches held by the bondsmen flared in swinging, more being lighted, and past them seemed to go dull red flashes, but these were the bright blades of syrian darts obtained by ulric for this business. strong were the arms hurling, and the darts were better than arrows at so short a distance. "jupiter tonans!" roared caius. "i have a sheaf of them here in the chariot, for myself and my charioteers. wise is the saxon, and he provided them for me!" a good thrower was he, and some who had stealthily crept on too nearly were smitten as they sprang forward. then came the charge which had been purposed across the open space, but between its front and the chariot was a wall of saxons, in full armor, shouting with the fierce joy of battle. down went the small leader, cloven to the jaws as if his helmet were of wood. down went his companions rapidly, while the battle laughter of the vikings rang derisively in their ears. the other multitude the legionaries were slaughtering pitilessly, but the command of the governor had been to follow, and the soldiers came not back at once. "slay! slay!" shouted caius. "i come!" "come not!" replied ulric. "abide where thou art and press on to thy house. we will keep these wolves at bay." "a fight and i not in it?" said caius, angrily. "commandest thou me?" "in the fight i am jarl!" said ulric. "i am answerable for thy head. drive on!" "thou art right!" said caius, justly. "on, o charioteer! obey thou the saxon. i forgot that he is a prince and a captain among his own people. i will make him a roman yet. he should not be a barbarian." hardly might any less than a king, nor even a king except at great cost and for policy, obtain roman citizenship, but this was the meaning of the words of caius. then an arrow flew and struck him upon the left arm, wounding him; but he mentioned it not, for he saw that the charge was broken and that the saxons came to march with the chariot. "not one of them is missing," he thought. "so much for broad shields and good mail. the rioters had weapons, but no armor, and they were slain as cattle. this arm of mine is but scratched." "on!" commanded the jarl, to his men. "i heard the centurion say he is wounded. o caius, how art thou?" "a sting on my arm," replied caius. "we shall soon be at the house. this is naught." "let me see it speedily," said ulric. "i have picked up an arrow with a grooved head. thou knowest what that meaneth." "haste! haste!" shouted caius. "this thing is of herod, the jackal! i am lost." but the tumult had been stricken to quiet and the ground was strewn with the dead. now as they went there came swiftly armed horsemen of the governor and behind these marched the iberian legionaries. no visible fault might be charged by caius upon his host of the feast. not far was it to his place of abiding, but when the chariot halted there he sprang down and entered in a gloomy silence, followed by the jarl. "home, now," commanded the officer of the legionaries. "our duty is done." back with them went all servants of the governor, but caius was in an inner room removing his armor. "i wore no armlets," he said, "lest the governor might see them. the arrow went past my shield while i threw a spear. thou hast done well, o saxon chief. but for thee i had been murdered. this is a small wound." "i will suck it for thee before i bind it," said ulric. "then watch thou if it beginneth to burn, but set thou out hence before dawn." "that will i this hour," said caius, and orders went forth. great was the declared wrath of the governor of samaria, for he came himself to inquire concerning the welfare of his guest. not to him was anything said of a groove in an arrow wherein might be pressed some deadly juice, and he returned to his palace a seeming friend of caius, complaining bitterly of the jews and samaritans, more of whom he threatened to slaughter for this night's business. ulric cared for his men. they had cuts and bruises which they made light of, but among them was no arrow wound. so light a missile would have been stopped by a leathern hauberk, and all their mail was of the highest temper of steel. "we will ride soon," he told them. "be ready to mount and leave this place of thieves." "i like it well!" exclaimed knud the bear. "it was not a hard fight, as if these fellows had been danes or northmen, but i cleft many skulls and i think wulf the skater killed a score of them. tostig was unlucky, and ven, the son of gerta, slew more samaritans that he did." "he did not," said wulf. "thy counting is not good. and i slew two men in armor also." chapter xxxiii. the house of pontius the spearman. the road from samaria to jerusalem hath many windings and there are hills to weary the wayfarer. climbing one of these slowly was the chariot of caius of thessalonica. he was lying heavily upon the back seat, as one to whom this journey had become an insupportable burden. "this long day draweth to its close, o jarl," he said to the horseman nearest him on the right. "the roads are worse to pass than were those of yesterday. we are now on the level near the ridge of the mount of olives. soon we may see the city. my arm burneth and it is swelling." "i would we were already with thy learned physician," replied ulric. "be of better cheer. i know little of such matters, but i think thou doest well. i will offer sacrifices for thee in this temple of the jews. hast thou ever done aught against their god? he is revengeful." "i have not harmed him," said caius. "i have not slain jews. do as thou wilt, for at this time there is no other god in jerusalem. i will pay for thy oxen and pontius will command the priests to offer them upon his altar. thinkest thou, o saxon, that any god hath power to heal the wound made by a poisoned arrow?" "that i know not," said ulric. "i have often wondered much what the gods may do. one of them healed me of my hurts from the tiger of julius. such a god might cast out a poison. he casteth out demons and he healed a leper. he opened the eyes of a blind man. i would that he were now in jerusalem and that thou mightest look into his face. also i must offer sacrifices of thanks for that matter. it is not right to obtain a gift from any god and then not to keep faith with him. a god should be dealt with as if he were a brave warrior." "well for thee!" exclaimed caius. "i would indeed that he were here instead of in galilee. no god may heal aught so far away, and as for this god of the jews, they will not that a roman enter his temple." "ben ezra told me of the temple," said ulric, "that a court is prepared into which all may come. there only will i enter. it is not well to anger priests in their temple, for they know the ways of their god and we know them not." "thou art young, but thou art cunning," said caius. "but i have a great fear concerning this wound in my arm. it is not like any other, and i have been wounded often. a strange thing is poison. i have considered why the gods make such a thing and why they put it into the teeth of serpents. they are evil!" "a god may need a serpent as thou needest a spear," said ulric. "it is plain to me. if i were a god, i would make what i required for my errands. so do they work with winds and seas and rocks, and with thunders and with plagues of many kinds. no man getteth away from them if they have aught against him. anger not the gods, for they are powerful and they are cunning." "as thou hast said," replied caius, gloomily, "i have spoken against them at times, and now they have reached me with this syrian arrow from the quiver of herod the jackal." "odin!" suddenly exclaimed the jarl; for the overwearied horse under him stood still without a pull of the rein, and before the eyes of the saxons was the city of the great king, the holy city, jerusalem the beautiful. deep is the valley of jehoshaphat, through which runneth the brook kidron under its many bridges and between its gardens and palaces. beyond this valley, as the whole company stood still to admire, they saw the mighty walls of the city, high and white, and the castles and the towers, but beyond and above all these, in the bright light of the declining sun, they saw the glories of the temple which was accounted one of the seven wonders of the world. "it is asgard!" said ulric, thoughtfully, "and i see the temple of a god that hath power on earth to heal wounds and to give sight, and to whom demons give obedience. i think he is not as are the gods of the north, and i will ask this son of his more about him." but the saxons who were halted with him said one to another: "we have come out into the world far enough. we will see this one city and we will do somewhat of fighting perhaps. but then we will find a keel, or take one, and we will return to the northland, whether the jarl goeth with us or not. the winter of this land is warm, not cold, and we may not abide it. we will go into our own fiords as the ice cometh out, seeing we may not get there sooner." so strong is homesickness, and so it will change the hearts and the wills of brave men. at that hour a youth sat in a vaulted chamber of a great building upon one of the hills of jerusalem. around him the furniture was good, but somewhat plain, and there were weapons and armor of many kinds scattered here and there. in a corner was a couch, and there were chairs and tables, and on the tables unlighted lamps. "i do know," he said, "that pontius the spearman is in the city. why doth he not send for me? i am not in a prison, yet i am not permitted to go out into the city since i returned from cæsarea. the procurator cannot think that i know aught more than my messages, nor fear lest i should betray him. why, then, am i shut up in this chamber of the castle?" little remembered the haughty procurator of so small a matter as a young greek messenger for whom he had no present need. somewhere among the household this lysias was sure to be awaiting a summons, and there were weighty matters on hand. one was before him pressingly in the hall of audience, for he himself stood there angrily reading a written scroll which had been brought to him. "the high priest and the eagles once more!" he exclaimed. "this god of the jews! what is he to me? i anger him not. little he careth for the standards of the cohorts. go thou! tell caiaphas it shall be as he willeth, and i will send him oxen for his sacrifices. the tribute gatherers have brought me even too many horned cattle, and his god may have them." a dignified man, long-robed, gray-bearded, solemn-faced, who stood before him, bowed low, responding: "i hear thee, most noble pontius. i will bear to the high priest thy answer. it shall be to us as a promise from cæsar. may the blessing of jehovah of hosts be upon him and thee." "go!" said pontius, petulantly. "if he cannot do better for the romans than he hath done for the jews, my oxen are but wasted." lowly bowed the jewish noble, but there was pride in his obeisance, and as he went out at the gate he muttered: "the gift of jehovah to these heathen would be the coming of messiah the prince and the slaughter of their legions in the valley that is before jezreel until the blood should be as a river to wade horses in." "what thinkest thou, cornelius," said the procurator to a soldier of noble presence who stood near him; "must we yield to these dogs forever, with their continual turmoil?" "they have their god," said cornelius. "i have read much about him. he is gone from them for a while, but he hath promised to come back again. i think we should make him one of the gods of rome and set up his image in the pantheon with that of jupiter." "that were good policy," said pontius, "and it would leave these priests of his nothing more to complain of. they are a pestilent nest of fault-finders and some of them get to the ear of cæsar, doing us mischief; for they are crafty serpents." "i fear god," said cornelius. "we are but men and we see but little, while the eyes of god are everywhere." "go thou to joppa, then," said pontius, "and let no man pass out of the fort without thy knowledge. thou keepest the gate. keep it well." soldierly, friendly, was the parting word of cornelius to his commander, but he was a free roman and there was no servility in his courtesy, nor was there any fear. "him, also, i may trust," said pontius, "but o for the coming of caius of thessalonica! i will see, also, lysias, the greek, and i would that ben ezra were returned from his cave in carmel with his treasures. i will let him keep a part of them because i have further use for him before he dieth." in the strong inner chamber of the procurator's castle lysias walked slowly up and down chafing at his imprisonment, but his eyes glanced hither and thither and they were watchful. "what!" he suddenly exclaimed, low-voiced. "is the corridor door ajar? would it be my death warrant to look out into the corridor? i am under no command not to look, but i may well be prudent where there are so many sharp swords." the door was but slightly opened, as if he who last passed through had shut it carelessly; but there are traps in prison houses, and lysias hesitated, going to listen at the narrow crevice, but not laying a hand upon wall or door. "no sound," he thought. "i may open and close again. who knoweth what may be here? i offend no order of any officer." nevertheless, he trembled as he obeyed the strong impulse that was in him. a step forward and he was in the corridor. it was lofty, its floor was of pictured tiling, and it was lighted by windows at each end. into it came another vaulted passage three fathoms away, and he went swiftly to that opening. "vast is this palace," he was thinking, but at the next beating of his heart he went forward with a great bound, for the music of a woman's voice in a gay song fell upon his ear. "she is here!" he exclaimed. "now i care not if i die, so i but see her." wide open was a door into this second passage and through it poured the song, accompanied by the touching of a small harp. it was a love song, and he heard: "now cometh he, my love, from the land beyond the sea, and the fair wind blowing knoweth, that it bringeth him to me." "sapphira! o my beloved! i am here!" she sprang to her feet and the lyre fell from her hand. o she was beautiful, in her sudden astonishment and fear, but he who came toward her with open arms seemed even more beautiful than she, for his face was radiant and his eyes were a flame of fire. "sapphira?" "o rash one! thou art lost! what am i to thee any more? am i not the slave of the procurator of judea? thou art not my lysias; thou art but a rider of horses." in her face was a great struggle of pain, nevertheless, and in his was a whiteness, for he fell upon the floor and lay there moaning. "foolish boy!" she said, stooping over him. "i love thee, but i am not now thine, nor can i be. the past is dead, and the gods have bidden us eternal separation. destroy me not and destroy not thyself. go lest the sword find thee here! the scourge is close to thee, and sudden death both for thee and me." "i care not for the scourge or the sword," said lysias, slowly rising and gazing at her. "i care only for thee, o false one! hast thou utterly changed away from me?" "what i was that i am not," she said. "what thou art thou knowest. art thou mad, also, to cast thyself against the power of pontius? leave me lest i call for help! i will not die on thy account. i love life, and life is full of love for such as i am. what need have i of thee, o lost lover?" anger was in her eyes now, and greater fear, for that which she said was true. "kiss me!" he said, faintly, "and i will go. the gods have abandoned me!" then stepped she forward and kissed him on the lips and a spasm shook him from head to foot, shaking her also. "let thy love die within thee," she said, "and trouble me no more, for i live happily in this palace, where all are my friends. make me not thine enemy, for in this thou art a robber." "that am i," he murmured. "i will go. i came far and risked all to see thee. i knew nothing concerning women. now that i know thee, what thou art, i have no need of thee. love will die, for all else is dead. sing thou thy song, but be sure that all thy roses will wither on thy bosom." "cursest thou me?" she exclaimed. "beware what thou sayest! i have power!" "as a caged leopard hath power, so hast thou," said lysias. "i leave thee. be thou a slave, for that is all that is in thee"--and he was gone. she stood and looked at the doorway by which he had departed, and her lips were without color and her hand was on her bosom. "what is this?" she asked. "did i love him better than i knew? was i too much in fear that i sent him from me? one cometh who would slay him. it is best that he should go lest he should die. women must be prudent, but this pain is great. i did love him. o that he had not come again, for before he came i was happy. o ye gods, what shall i do? o beautiful aphrodite, help me, for thou knowest love!" in the corridor lingered lysias listening, and then he walked on, staggering as he went. "o woman! woman!" he whispered. "what is woman and what is man? she is changed and i change not. i cannot hate her, as i thought i could, now she hath spoken. i will wait cunningly, for i am sure that in this palace is one who calleth for my knife or for a spear thrust. i will find him." in a moment more he was in his own place, still leaving its door ajar, as at the first, but he began to search among the weapons and the armor in the room, finding a small, sharp blade with an ivory handle, and hiding it in his bosom. "it will do," he said, "but i would i might wear mail." at that he was stooping over some fine steelwork and he heard a step behind him. it was a crafty thought which bade him continue his speech. "the procurator knoweth me only as a postboy," he said. "i might serve him better in mail. he hath not many who would be true to him as i would. there are those who are false, but i could bring him a good sword in a hand he might surely trust." "o greek!" said a deep, stern voice. "what is this that thou sayest? put on the mail!" "o most noble pontius!" exclaimed lysias, turning, but lifting the armor. "thou didst not send for me, therefore i came not." "speak not," said pontius, "save to tell me all that thou hast seen and heard here and at joppa and at cæsarea. i have a work for thee." lysias told all save his meeting with sapphira, and the procurator listened. "thou hast ears and thou hast eyes," he said at last. "i set thee free of all other service but this that i now tell thee. thou wilt have another abiding place than this, but thou wilt come and go freely among my servants, being known to them as my messenger whom none may hinder. now hath one come from the damascus gate saying that my friend caius of thessalonica draweth near, and with him his saxon gladiators. he is wounded, and my physician meeteth him. go thou. hear all. see all. report to me of his swordsmen. "now hearken! among the female slaves of my wife is one in whom is a peril, for she is fair. for women i care not, but there are men who are fools before bright eyes. in the banquet room and in the balconies get thou speech with this sapphira. she will be spoken to by my wife that she may hide nothing from thee lest she die in the arena. judea and samaria are worth more to me than is the blood of one fair serpent. come!" lysias now stood before the procurator in mail and helmet, girded with a light sword and bearing a silver-gilded buckler. it was the arms and armor of the syrian mercenaries of pontius, but as of an officer among them, ordered to duty at the palace. "thou wilt go on foot to the damascus gate," said pontius. "the physician waiteth caius at his house. deliver this scroll to caius and remain with his company until thou canst bring me exact tidings concerning his wound." "o most noble pontius," said lysias, "i pray thee permission to say this word." "say on!" said the spearman. "only in being true to thee have i any hope of life, for thy enemies are my enemies. i also will at times to attend at the school of gamaliel, as i told thee." "that is thy value to me," said pontius. "wert thou any man's bondservant, or wert thou other than a youth, a scholar of gamaliel, i would have no use for thee. all they of his manner of teaching are handicraftsmen, even if they are rich. what is thy work?" "i am a shaper of arrows," said lysias, "and i know the making of a bow. thou mayest yet require to have a sharp arrow sent surely to a mark of thy choosing." "say thou no more!" commanded the procurator. "thou art wise to preserve thy head. only a fool throweth away his life. go!" for they had walked out along the passage and before them was a gate of the palace. it was not the great gate, but even here were armed legionaries, and their officer and others with him took note of lysias and of the manner of his sending. "he is the trusted messenger of the procurator," said one. "i heard of him from the captain of the temple. when he hath borne many messages we shall cease to see him." lysias passed on down the steep street in his brilliant armor as one having a shadow of authority, but his heart was bitter within him. "i am to see her again," he murmured. "i would she were dead and i dead with her. i will but live to strike this unknown one, even if i stab him with a blade of pontius. but i must be cunning with these saxons. do i not know what manner of pirates they are? not among any other crew, i think, shall i find men so tall and so strong as are my old comrades from _the sword_. their jarl would be a prince of gladiators, but i am not glad that he and his come now to jerusalem." away behind him in the palace, in the room where he had met her, sat sapphira. "what is this?" she exclaimed. "did i not see him walking with the procurator as one walketh with a near friend? is he, then, more than a horse boy? is he an officer of the palace, and greater than i? now am i indeed in pain, for i have need of friends. o love! why was i cruel to thee? come again, o my beloved! my lysias! i will tell thee that i am not changed! will he return if i call him? he will, for i am beautiful. i am favored by aphrodite. she will make him bend to me as i will. it was but for a moment, and i was in fear. none must see me this day. i will go at once as if i were summoned by the wife of the procurator. woe to any who shall hinder me." she caught up and threw over her head a veil and over her body a flowing robe of silk embroidered with needlework. then, as if fear hastened her, she flitted away along the main corridor and disappeared. chapter xxxiv. the school of gamaliel. with all honor did the captain of the damascus gate of jerusalem receive caius of thessalonica, the friend of pontius the spearman. the chariot halted before the gate and in it sat the stern roman centurion, giving no external token of a wound or of suffering. "o noble caius," said the captain, after his first greeting, "i have this, also, for thee from the procurator, that his physician, who is also thine, hath gone before thee to thy house. may the gods give him both skill and success." "i thank the procurator and thee, also," said caius. "i will now drive on." "a moment, o most noble caius," interrupted the officer of the guard. "a messenger even now. he is from the procurator." there was no stir among the mounted swordsmen who rode before and behind the chariot, but they sent quick glances to each other as their eyes fell upon this messenger. "silence, o jarl," he had said in greek to ulric as he drew near him. "i shall go with thee speedily. i thank the gods that i now see thee again. i can do many good things for thee and thine. i pray thee bid them, also, to be as if we were strangers." "they need no bidding," said ulric. "hael to thee." no further word did either of them speak, but lysias waited at the side of the chariot while caius read the parchment epistle. it was but brief, and when it was ended the centurion said to lysias: "go thou and come again. i will answer for thee to pontius. say that i bid him be with me within the hour lest evil come. haste! on thy head! o charioteer, drive to my house! on, o jarl!" "behold," thought lysias, "i am in a sore strait. pontius will scourge me! but i will run." a swift runner was he, even with the mail upon him, and at the gate of the procurator's palace he halted to draw breath. "in! in!" exclaimed the officer of the portal. "i will announce thee. the procurator giveth a feast, but i may go to him. this must be some strange errand!" "the gods be with thee!" said lysias. "tell him!" it was but a few terrible moments, full of fear for the young greek, and he stood in an anteroom before the stern spearman. "what did i bid thee?" he demanded. "slay thou me if thou wilt, most noble procurator," bravely responded lysias, "but caius of thessalonica sendeth thee greeting and these words: 'be thou with me within the hour lest evil come.' i beg thee, o pontius, let me say this much more: for i heard him whisper, 'lest he give his power into the hand of him of the black castle and his neck to the headsman of cæsar.' i have not at all disobeyed thee, o pontius. he bade me return to his house for another commandment." "be thou there on his arrival and i will count it thy strict obedience," said pontius. "thou art not a legionary, nor under the law of the legion. i think thou servest me well." away ran lysias murmuring: "so narrow is the measure between roman favor and roman vengeance! he may die ere i risk his wrath again." nevertheless, it is not easy for one of the great to depart from a feast whereat governors and senators and princes are reclining, and pontius went in to pay the duty of host to his many guests, so that lysias was in no peril concerning his errand. the chariot had reached its halting place and caius had walked into his house, upheld somewhat by his pride, but more by the arm of ulric, the son of brander. already the physician had examined the wound made by the syrian grooved arrow. "o saxon," he asked, "thou didst suck this poison well and quickly?" ulric did but nod his head. "then know thou, my lord caius," said the man of skill, "that but for thy swordsman thou wert already dead. i will do what i can for thee, but it will be long before thou wilt bear thine armor. this wound must be neither bandaged nor closed, but washed only and kept open. saxon, give me thy sharpest blade." "it is my seax," said ulric, drawing it. "what am i to do?" "cut into this hard swelling," said the physician. "cut the depth of two finger breadths and withdraw thy blade." "cut!" said caius. "am i afraid of an edge?" "so bidden, i will cut," said ulric, and the sword point went into the swollen arm. "i thought so," said the physician. "with that green corruption spurteth out much evil. widen the cut. caius is saved. i will put into the gash an ointment that i will bring. it is well for thee, o caius, that thy strong swordsman is thy trusty friend. i go." behind them, by express authority, now stood lysias, listening, and he said: "most noble caius, this is my command from the procurator. i must go to him." "tell thou him the saying of the physician," said caius. "tell him, also, that i change not my greeting. he must come." again went lysias, and again he stood before the procurator telling all that he had heard and seen. "pause thou here a moment," said pontius. "i would have speech with my wife." still as a statue stood the young greek, and none who came or went dared ask him whence he came, but suddenly an arm was around his neck and a kiss was upon his cheek. "i am here, beloved, but i may not linger. i will see thee often. i am still thy sapphira." he stirred not, spoke not, nor did he turn to see, but there was a grating of teeth. "o lysias! o love!" "speak not of that which is dead," he said to her. "go thou thy way. this is no place for the foolishness of unfaithful women. i will indeed meet thee again, but thou art a slave and i am a free warrior. go!" white was now the face of sapphira and her lips were quivering, but she whispered: "scorn me not! i was frightened, and so i was cruel. i do love thee; and thou wilt need me in this place, which is as a spider's web. i go. follow me not!" "follow thee?" laughed lysias, scornfully. "i did follow thee from far, but now i am as a weapon in the hand of the procurator. i shall serve not thee, but him." "ha!" muttered one who heard. "this is, then, the trusted one. him we must slay." well for that speaker if his lips had been closed, for in the shadow behind him stood pontius the spearman. "they who will not betray me must die?" he thought within himself. "then do i now know one mark at which my greek may send his sharpest arrow and be guiltless. he may slay this iberian swine with his own hand." for the mutterer was a guest who had risen from a table, and he was one who had been an officer of herod's household, but was now pretending to be an enemy of the cunning tetrarch, the jackal of the black castle. the guest returned to his reclining, and sapphira had vanished as a lamp that goeth out, but the procurator came forward. "say to caius that i come. abide thou in his house this night and on the morrow until i send for thee, save that thou mayest go in the morning to the school of gamaliel. hast thou money for thy uses?" "o most noble pontius," said lysias, "the swift ass that was mine own is in thy stable. all baggage of mine is in the armory room where thou didst find me. i have gold and silver pieces enough in my pouch for this present. i am not poor, so that what i have be not taken from me." "i will give orders in these thy matters," replied pontius. "he who serveth me well is rich enough. thou shalt have thy swift ass and such other beasts as thou wilt. go now. i believe thee brave and prudent. thou art young, too, and the girl is fair. youth is the time for trifling. provide thee soon a good bow and arrows of thine own choosing." "thanks, o noble pontius! thanks! i will send sure arrows at thy bidding!" so saying, the young greek departed. long was the conference that night between the saxons and lysias. "we are little surprised," said the jarl, "for we knew thou wert going to this place. thou art a good fighter and thou hast rightly taken the procurator for thy captain. i have heard that he casteth the pilum even better than do other romans. i could follow such a man into battle, knowing that he is fitted to lead. hast thou found thy sapphira?" "speak not of her, o jarl," said lysias. "ere long thou mayest thyself look upon her, but there is a peril in her name at this hour." "i read thy face," said ulric. "keep thou thine own secret. but thou mayest say to pontius the spearman that he hath no surer friend than caius of thessalonica." "even now they are together," replied lysias. "the procurator will know all that is known to thy friend, but i fear the careless tongues of thy saxons. they speak to one another concerning triremes and old fights at sea. i would they were in their north country." "so would not i," said ulric, "unless i were to sail with them. i may not now leave this city of jerusalem, and to sail to the north were to sail into ice fields. we must wait until the spring." not so thought the homesick vikings in their comfortable lodgings in the house of caius. even now they were talking of the sea. "it is but a few miles to this seaport called joppa," they said. "we will learn somewhat concerning the road thither and the shipping. we are free men, with the middle sea so near at hand." caius of thessalonica slept well after his long communing with the procurator, and when he awoke the jarl sat near him. "thou art watchful!" exclaimed caius. "but in jerusalem i am safe. i have to tell thee, however, that thy gladiators may not abide within the walls. the quarters for such as they are out in the valley of jehoshaphat, near the amphitheater. no games are going on at this time, but there will be abundant sport in the days after the passover feast, when herod cometh." the jarl's brow darkened, but he said only: "so be it. i will guide them to their place. i myself will inspect the city and the forts and offer sacrifices, as i told thee. but this know thou, o noble caius, that not in this city nor in any other is treachery dead. i fear for thee. how is thine arm? i would see it." "thou hast knowledge of wounds, but not of poison," replied caius. "uncover it." the jarl did so, and he looked thoughtfully at the sore and then at the feverish face of the noble roman. "this man will die slowly," he thought, "but he will die, for this wound healeth not. i will not be here when he dieth, lest i be deemed by others only fit food for wild beasts. so will i say to my companions." "it changeth little," he said aloud to caius. "who shall read a thing like this? i will go and return, but i would my sword might be near thee if there is need of it." "go, o jarl," said caius. "i will send for thee if i require thee. fulfill thy will concerning the city, for all men may come and go. only that thou must leave thy weapons from thee or the legionaries will disarm thee. the jews, also, go unarmed." "for that i have no care," said ulric, "but it were a sore thing for tostig the red, for instance, to have no hilt near his grip." "march them away quickly!" exclaimed caius. "while thou art known to be with me as a guard thou mayest wear thy sword and thy mail. the rules go no further, for there have been many tumults and much bloodshed in jerusalem." the jarl answered not to that, but took his leave, and not at all as a servant. rather did it seem as if the centurion were under his command. he went to his men, and well pleased were they to find their quarters were to be without the walls. "o jarl," said wulf the skater, "this is much better. i would thou wert able now to show us our way to the sea. we have learned much from lysias and from others. there is good shipping upon the coast and the right keel might be found by brave men." "also triremes of cæsar," replied the jarl. "the coast is well guarded. we will wait a little." out into the streets they marched, with him at their head, and many turned to look upon their array as they went on to the gate. the dwellers in jerusalem were accustomed to seeing various kinds of armed men, but these were unlike any others. nevertheless, there were devout jews who lifted hands to curse them in the name of jehovah, as heathen gladiators whose presence was a pollution of the city of god. the amphitheater, when they came to it, was found to be larger than that of tiberias, with more dens for wild beasts and with a better and longer course for the running of races. "i have been told," said the circus servitor who guided them, "that herod the great delighted much in horses. also that one value of the circus was as a place of execution for tribes who had rebelled against him. his horsemen on the frontier scouted far and wide for captives and his cages here were ever full." "i care not for circuses," said wulf the skater. "i have seen enough of them." "and i," replied tostig; "if i might kill an elephant, it would please me. i have a curiosity to know how long it taketh so huge a beast to die." "thou wilt see elephants enough," said the servitor, "but they do not often spend them upon the games. they are costly, and they come from far. men and women are plentiful, and they make as good sport in the killing." the buildings prepared as quarters for trained gladiators, not slaves, were rude but spacious, and here did ulric leave his friends while he returned to the city, but he remembered the saying of caius concerning his armor. "i may wear a tunic and robe only at most times," he said to himself. "but under the tunic may be a coat of fine mail and hidden by the robe may be a seax. i will not be defenseless altogether where there are so many secret daggers as i hear of. i would have speech with lysias, if i may. i trust him not entirely, and i forget not that he is now of the household of the procurator." not justly altogether was he thinking of the young greek, for lysias was a man walking among perils and having a wounded heart under his bright mail and his gay apparel. it was but the next day when he made his first entrance at the school of gamaliel. celebrated over the inhabited earth was this academy, and many came from distant lands to hear the teachings of the great and learned rabbi. among them, also, were those whose real purpose was to obtain for themselves the reputation of scholarship through the name of gamaliel their teacher, and they were even as lysias in that matter. in such a company, however, small attention was paid to one more young greek, who seemed to be rich, save that none questioned him unwisely after being informed that his protector was pontius the spearman. moreover, if there were those who bowed and made way for him on that account, there were others who bent their brows and drew aside their garments that he should not touch them. "thou art imprudent," said an elderly man to one of these. "restrain thy zeal, i pray thee." "he is a dog!" growled the zealot. "his heathen master slew my father causelessly in the temple, mingling his blood with his sacrifice to jehovah. i am of galilee." "i will ask thee, then," said his adviser, "sawest thou ever this galilean prophet who cometh from nazareth? it is said that he worketh many wonders." "i have seen him," said the zealot, "and wonders he doth work. hath any other rabbi raised the dead? who else cleanseth a leper or openeth the eyes of the blind?" "if thou liest not," was the surly response, "he is indeed one of the learned. i will hear his teachings when he cometh to jerusalem to the passover feast. but he will work no wonders here." "knowest thou that?" sneered the zealot. "but this thou knowest from the law, that it is not well for thee to speak evil of a rabbi. he who revileth one of the learned goeth to gehenna." "i reviled him not!" exclaimed the adviser, as if in sudden fear. "i am a pharisee of the pharisees. i am a keeper of the whole law. verily i will hear thy rabbi when he speaketh. but beware thou of offending the procurator!" "messiah cometh!" said the galilean fiercely. "he bringeth a sword! he will make his garments red in the blood of the heathen!" "let not the priests hear thee!" sharply responded the pharisee. "to them only is given the discerning of such matters. thou wilt yet be cast out of the synagogue." the angry galilean walked slowly away. "what know the pharisees and the priests concerning jesus of nazareth?" he muttered. "i think of him that he is a more learned rabbi than any here in jerusalem." now lysias heard these men, and already had he learned from the saxons in what manner their jarl had been healed of his hurts in galilee. "this prophet!" he thought. "i will see him if i may. alas for me, there is no temple here to mercurius or to apollo! i have great need to offer sacrifices. no! not to juno nor to venus! they have not dealt well with me. i think i shall now hate sapphira when i see her. how is it then that i also love her, seeing that i would slay her if i could? this is that strange thing between a fool and a woman." chapter xxxv. in the court of the women. it was still the winter time in the northland, but in judea the spring had returned. in the lowlands there was already much heat and a swift growth of all fruits of the earth, but in a high place, like jerusalem upon her hills, the days were cooler and oft the nights were frosty, so that men builded fires in their braziers. "this is not according to nature," said lars, the son of beolf, among his companions. "we have had no snow save a few flakes, and there hath been no ice thicker than the blade of my seax. i weary of this land!" "hael to the northland!" exclaimed tostig the red. "hael to the driving storms and the glittering ice, and to the frost and to the snow!" "i will not stay here," said knud the bear. "i will depart from an accursed country wherein there is never good winter. but didst thou hear the keeper? he saith that ships at joppa dare not put to sea because of the rough weather. what seamen are these!" "o men!" said wulf the skater. "by odin! if vikings were at the oars and if i were at the helm, a keel would seek the open sea." "we will even go to joppa when we may," said tostig. "but our errand will be to the northland, that we may bring back fleets, and in them saxons, to march with the jarl into the great battle in esdraelon. we are too few." "i am with thee," said another tall viking. "i have considered this matter, and i think it is also the mind of the jarl. he may not go with us, but his secret will is that we go speedily without him. then will he truthfully say to the romans that he did not command us to go. i will no longer be shut up in this place as if i were one of the beasts in yonder dens waiting for my turn to be made a bloody show of. i am a free warrior, not a caged wild creature. i will go to the sea." other voices were raised in strong accord with his, and their talk went on until their minds were on fire and their purposes had become firmly fixed, for they were men of experience and of great courage. the jarl came not among them at this time, for he was even then at the temple gate inquiring as to the right method of obtaining cattle for his sacrifices to jehovah. a servitor went into one of the inner courts and brought out a dealer who had bullocks at hand, and this man began to name prices, counting them in shekels of the temple. "what know i of shekels?" exclaimed ulric. "thou dost not need to know," broke in a voice behind him. "o jarl, i am here. he asketh thee too much. let me attend to this matter. well for thee that thou hast it in thy mind to offer sacrifices to the living jehovah!" "o my friend!" exclaimed the jarl. "glad am i of thy coming! this charge is thine." "who art thou that meddlest with another man's affair?" demanded the dealer angrily. "silence, thou!" was the peremptory reply. "i am ben ezra, the interpreter of caius of thessalonica, and this is the captain of his guard and of his saxons. beware that thou deal not fraudulently with any of his people lest i have a hand laid upon thee. i am in my right in this matter." "that do i now admit," replied the dealer in a changed manner, "but i charge him not too much. come thou and see the cattle." but the prices he shortly named were less than the half of his former asking. "pay him, o jarl," said ben ezra. "it is well. offer thy burnt offering, for thou hast great need of the favor of jehovah in that which cometh upon thee. i will remain with thee, for i also offer sacrifices. o dealer, i will buy of thee. let the beasts be without blemish. i will have, also, a lamb and two doves and wine for the oblation. pause not, for i have conferred with the high priest and he knoweth my matter, and this is of his direction." but for the guiding of ben ezra the jarl had been dealt with as an ignorant man, a foreigner having money, but now all things were accomplished with order and rectitude. nevertheless, the jarl was displeased that he was compelled to remain without in the court of the heathen, not going near the altar whereon his offerings were burnt. "they would prevent such as i am," he said, "from drawing too near their god and getting acquainted with him. i would both see his face and hear his voice. evil, evil, is this manner of the jews! are they of higher degree in the sight of their god than am i, the son of odin?" nevertheless, from the place assigned him he might see all, and there he stood watching the manner of the slaying of his bullocks and the going up of the great smoke and the swinging of the censers. he listened, also, reverently to the chanting of the priests and the levites and the responses of the jewish congregations in the other courts. "ben ezra," he remarked, "might enter the inner court, going where he would, for he is a jew of high degree. he told me, also, that over yonder is the court of the women. i have offered my sacrifice. why do i linger here?" for his face grew suddenly pale as if he had been stricken through with a spear, and he exclaimed again, "the court of the women." loudly swelled the sonorous chorus of the many chanting voices and there came back strange echoes from the inner walls of the temple. the majesty and the splendor of the temple service were unspeakable, but the jarl turned away from it and strode swiftly out of the court of the heathen. he walked on until he might stand in a place near the broad passage by which the women worshipers, veiled or unveiled, were continually coming and going. "o miriam!" he thought. "my eyes have sought thee as i have walked the streets of this city. hilda cometh not any more to counsel me. i am dark in all my mind. if thou art not here what do i any longer in jerusalem? it is not asgard, and here are no gods at all. it is but a city of men like myself, and the women are as other women, and the romans have the rule in spite of this jehovah." his thoughts were burning within him and he felt the sickness of disappointment and failure, and his eyes were dull with longing as he gazed upon this procession of hebrew women. suddenly his heart gave a great leap, but he stood still, for he heard a voice saying: "miriam! thy veil! cover thyself! yonder roman stareth at thee!" "i will cleave him to the jaws!" exclaimed ulric, turning quickly. but before he could move a pace or discern one man from another whom to strike a hand was upon his arm and he heard a whisper which thrilled him from head to foot. "i am miriam! i am now veiled! harm not thyself nor me. i think he heard thee not. strike not a roman lest thou be crucified. follow me, o beautiful one. follow not too nearly, but mark well the house into which i go. the woman with me is my aunt. the roman of whom she warned me is but a dealer in slaves--but he is a roman. come!" "i follow thee, o my beloved," whispered the jarl, "but if he toucheth thee, he shall die if he were cæsar!" sunken-eyed, hollow-cheeked, with a forehead low and sloping, was the dealer in human cattle who stood shortly at the street side without the portal. his lips were moving with an evil expression upon them, and his eyes had seen too well the exceeding beauty of the jewish maiden. "a thousand sesterces for her at rome," he muttered. "how shall i obtain her? pontius hath bidden us beware of angering the jews." then he came forward a pace and spoke aloud, with small ceremony, to ulric. "she spoke unto thee, o gladiator. who is she, and what doest thou here?" even for the sake of miriam was the jarl somewhat calm in his manner and cunning in his speech, but his voice was unpleasant. "o roman," he said, "art thou unwise? seest thou not that i am a sword? one greater than thou art will answer for my going and coming. i but do his bidding. when thy head passeth suddenly from thy shoulders thou wilt ask no more questions concerning a damsel who is guarded by the strong and high one. i will watch for thee henceforth. i am one who needeth not to be commanded a second time concerning a sword cut." "aha!" snarled the dealer. "i have seen thee heretofore. thou art captain of the gladiators of caius of thessalonica. i quarrel not with him." "nor dost thou need any quarrel with the procurator," said ulric. "his arm is longer than thine. keep back thy foot from unknown ground lest thou shalt meet a man coming unto thee in sudden haste." no word came back, but the man's face darkened venomously, for a roman liketh not a rebuke from a barbarian; but there was fire in the eyes of the jarl and his right hand went under his mantle, and the dealer understood well the meaning of the movement. nevertheless, a mere trafficker in the flesh of men and women may not wisely stir the wrath of a centurion or of a man in authority. a roman may not be scourged or crucified, but he may die suddenly as well as another. so turned he sullenly away about his affairs, and the jarl went on his way. the streets of jerusalem are narrow with the exception of the broad thoroughfares which lead to the outer gates and the main approaches to the temple. it was a narrow passage between high palace buildings into which miriam and her aunt hastily turned their feet not long after, escaping from observation by the cruel eyes of the dealer in slaves. no word did they utter, and those whom they met spoke not unto them, for there are laws of privacy and due reserve among the jews relating to the public greeting of women. he who annoyeth them transgresseth and is liable to be called to an accounting. they walked onward rapidly, and now the way led along the side of a mount beyond which was the valley which divideth the city into, as it were, two cities. ever at a little distance behind them strode a tall shape which did not manifestly appear to pursue them, but for which all other wayfarers made room on approaching. "the gladiator seemeth to be in wrath," said one who looked upon him. "beware of the anger of these wild heathen, for they are even as tigers, and they know no law." light was now in his eyes, nevertheless, and his stepping was that of a stag upon the hills. "i have found her!" he muttered, joyously. "i have fulfilled the token that was given me by hilda in my dream upon _the sword_. now shall i not soon see hilda herself? hath she not guided me in this, and is she not now with the gods? this may indeed be the city from which i shall pass on into asgard. i am glad that i offered sacrifices in the temple this day, for at once have i received this answer from jehovah that he hath shown favor unto me. he is indeed the chief god of this land to this day, for he hath not permitted the romans to destroy his temple nor to slay his priests. i think that if they were to do so, he would be angry and he would surely take his revenge upon them. that would i do if i were a god." the door of a large house swung open as of itself before miriam and her companion, but miriam paused upon the threshold. turning and glancing quickly up and down the street, and seeing no peril, she raised a hand and beckoned. ulric came quickly, but miriam's aunt was already within. "think not to enter with me now," said the jewish maiden, hastily. "but tell me quickly, what art thou in jerusalem? why art thou here? what doest thou in jehovah's temple?" "o miriam, the beautiful!" he responded, gazing upon her joyously, "i am even as i said to thee in esdraelon. i am ulric, the jarl of the saxons. i am of odin's line. of the sons of the gods. i offered sacrifices in the temple of jehovah asking for thee, and thou seest that he granted my petition." even as he spoke she stepped back within the doorway, and he also entered with her, but as yet the door closed not behind them. "i understand thee partly," she said, trembling greatly. "thou art a prince among thine own people. o that thou wert a son of abraham! o that thou wert not a slayer of men in the circus!" "that i am not!" exclaimed ulric. "such business is not for me. i am a free warrior. i go not again into the circus. i am with caius of thessalonica for a season, for i am his friend and his guard. i came out from the northland into the world that i might seek for the city of the gods, that there i may meet my kindred. but i will ask of thee, o beautiful one! o miriam! how knowest thou hilda of the hundred years?" her eyes burned earnestly upon him while he was speaking and her face was as the dawn of a new day, for in it there were many changes, the color coming and departing and the lips quivering. "i know her not," she said; and now they had drifted on into a small anteroom near the door, her veil, also, having been put aside more perfectly. "who is this hilda, that thou askest of me such a question?" "surely thou knowest her?" he said. "she is a saga woman of the northland. she is learned in all the old runes that are written on the rocks and on the tombs, and she talketh with the gods in their places. i know that it is now many months since she hath been laid in her own tomb in the cleft of the rocks, but i saw her with thee, speaking to me in a dream, when i was on the sea in my ship. she bade me sail on and find thee, and this i have done. therefore i am glad that i offered sacrifices to thy god. henceforth he shall be to me as odin, the god who is over all the other gods." she listened as if his voice were music and as if she willed that he might not cease speaking. "thou hast said!" she now exclaimed, and a voice behind her, deep and sonorous, added: "amen! a great king is he, above all gods. he is the god of gods, and beside him there is no other; for jehovah, our god, is one god, and there is none like him. o heathen man, thou hast well spoken. this day hast thou become his servant, for he hath sent unto thee his commandment in a dream, and thou hast obeyed him. also thou hast done well in offering thy burnt sacrifices." "that did i according to the directions given me by ben ezra from the priests," said the jarl. "but who art thou?" "i am isaac, the aged, the kinsman of this maiden," was the response. "o heathen man, i am glad that thou hast powerful friends, for at this hour we are among perils, both she and i--and all our house. i will tell thee, for one abbas--accursed be he of jehovah!--threateneth us with destruction." "do i not know him!" exclaimed ulric. "but surely he is nidering! he is a weak man, and a traitor and a thief. if this be so, his blood be upon his own head, for he must die. i have a matter concerning him that he knoweth not. o miriam, i am a leader of men, and i am not imprudent. evil is he who is careless concerning such as thou art. tell thou me, that i may have strength to obey thee, do i now remain here longer, or do i depart?" as a man wrestling with himself was the jarl, and her face grew wonderfully kind and sweet as she looked upon him; but isaac now stood by her gazing at the jarl, and the wrinkled features of the old man were full of fear and trouble. "depart!" she said, softly. "it is enough that i have seen thee again. fail not to return, but when thou comest to the door ask only for isaac. o that thou wert of my own people!" "i care not for that matter!" exclaimed ulric. "it will not be long before i come----" but his eyes were looking down, for upon his own broad, powerful hand came, gently alighting as a bird, a whiteness which was lighted wonderfully by the red glow of the ruby in the ring. but the hand of miriam lingered not, flitting coyly away as if the bird were frightened, and in the fingers of the jarl, the son of odin, there was a strong tremor. "ulric," she said, pronouncing his name for the first time, with a great sigh, "god hath sent us this promise of deliverance from our destroyers. thy hilda was in the northland?" "an hundred years old was she," said the jarl, "when i bade her farewell. i loved her more than aught else upon earth. she was a princess, and her hair was as the snow, and her smile was exceedingly dear to me. didst thou ever know and love such a one?" "i think she is as hannah, the prophetess of my people!" exclaimed miriam. "but she, too, hath departed. she was a mother in israel!" "haste!" interrupted isaac. "let the young heathen go his way! this is unseemly for a maiden of judah! he may not remain. but, o youth, if thou canst do anything, withhold not thy hand." "fear not!" said the jarl. "i will quickly attend to abbas and to whoever worketh with him!" but his eyes were gazing deeply into the eyes of miriam, and it seemed as if in this manner they were speaking to one another. "go!" she whispered. "have i not thy ruby? keep thou, also, my token. i am thine!" "o miriam," whispered back ulric, "i think thee also a daughter of the gods. i go!" the door closed behind him and he strode away, but immediately isaac spoke chidingly. "thou art mad!" he exclaimed, "o foolish daughter of israel! o unwise damsel! what is this stranger unto thee?" "o isaac, my kinsman," she replied, "this matter concerneth both thy life and mine. did he not fulfill the law of sacrifices? i will go to my chamber, but i enjoin upon thee that thou greet him kindly when he returneth." "that much i will do," said the old man as one who prudently considereth a difficult affair. "am not i a man of understanding? if jehovah hath sent us a sword for our protection, blessed be his name! even this day hath abbas been with me, and he hath afflicted me sorely." "what said he?" she inquired. "more than i may wisely tell thee," said isaac. "only that he again hath demanded thee as the bride of this tyrsus of chronea. if thou shalt refuse, he will surely bring thee and thy household before a judge with whom is a gift and in whose hand is destruction." "tell thou that to ulric the jarl!" she said, vehemently. "where is now thy wisdom? what more, then, hast thou to say? is not this the spoiling of thy goods? if i were given to tyrsus wouldst thou escape the greed of abbas?" "father abraham!" groaned the old man. "we are in the power of the heathen. do as thou wilt and i will speak well to thy swordsman." far down the street, not knowing or caring whither he went, was ulric the jarl, but one who stood at the wayside watched his coming and put out a hand. "halt, o jarl! go no further. such as thou art have need of caution. at yonder turn into the valley there are roman guards and they will arrest thee as a gladiator escaped from the circus. enter not a difficulty." "o ben ezra," exclaimed ulric, "what sayest thou? am not i a free warrior?" "not long wilt thou be free at all," said the jew, "if thou wanderest imprudently. the edicts have been strengthened. the master of the games is a hard man and subtle. go thou rather to the house of caius or out into the valley of jehoshaphat." "thou art my friend," said ulric, "and i will ask thee of an important matter. knowest thou of the doings of abbas?" "he is in the city," said ben ezra. "what is thy need of him? he is evil." "i require of him nothing but his blood upon a blade," said ulric. "he is a plotter against both caius and the procurator." "come thou with me to thy friend's house," replied ben ezra. "i know this to be true, but abbas may not be slain openly." "if pontius will command me," said ulric, "i will bring him this serpent's head on the morrow. otherwise i will guide my own doing. it is but a stroke of a sharp sword." little said they after that until they were in the house of caius, but when they were there it was ben ezra and not the jarl who was summoned to confer with the centurion. not long was he absent, but when he returned his face was dark. "trust not a roman," he whispered to ulric. "to them all other men are but as cattle. thou art only a swordsman in the eyes of this caius. slay not abbas lest thou anger him. he is thy friend truly, but it is a roman friendship, with a dagger in it. go thou to thy men. would thou wert on the sea! thou hast no right to sell them to the circus." "that will i not!" said ulric. "but i will confer with them speedily." so went he away, but he went with ben ezra. there are many cunnings among those who struggle in the net of power, and a great subtlety had been born in the mind of lysias. "if the saxons remain," he had thought, "i am lost. it is long before they may be slain in the arena. i will go and talk with them again. this galley that, is to bear the messenger of herod lieth at joppa." therefore, even while ulric had offered his sacrifices, the young greek was among the saxons telling them many things. "this is no merchant craft," he had told them. "this galley of herod is small, but strong for a rough sea. ye are crew enough." "that are we," said tostig the red. "but the jarl might forbid our going." "if ye go not," said lysias, "ye will be penned as dangerous beasts. the jarl only is secure among the great, his friends. he cannot protect you from the master of the games." "that dog was here to look at us to-day," said knud the bear. "i like him not. i will wear no fetters of his clamping. o ye sons of the free vikings, i go to the sea. who will go with me to take this keel of herod?" "no man will remain behind," said wulf. "the night shadows come. there are horses in the stables. every man to his armor, and let us take our treasure with us. we will slay as we go and leave behind us a good mark." nevertheless, they were prudent, as became warriors who were few in number, and the guards of the circus had as yet no command concerning them save to let them come and go as they would for a season. the stables were near and the horses were many, and with these were only slaves who feared to speak to a swordsman. therefore, if a saxon came to look at beasts or to examine saddles and bridles, no man hindered him. it was but thought that he had curiosity as to trappings which he might use in the games. he did well to take thought concerning his own business against the hour when he must slay or be slain. but all the while a fire burned more hotly in the hearts of the men, for the words of lysias were in full accord with many sayings of the jarl. "he hath been troubled in mind concerning us," they said. "he knoweth not what to do. we will take away from him this burden, for we are men and we may save ourselves. it is not meet that we should encumber our jarl unduly. he hath done well with us. he would not have us linger to be slain." nevertheless, the dusky hour was at hand and ulric came not to them, as he at first thought. from the house of caius he had been silently led to the house of ben ezra, his friend guiding him as a man who is in deep thought. the way seemed one which led toward the valley of jehoshaphat, through many streets, but they came to a door before which ben ezra paused and turned to the jarl. "i will trust thee," he said, "for it is needful. this is the house of my abiding." "not large," said ulric, "and the front of it is dark and ancient. i will go in with thee." "in it dwelleth no other beside myself," said ben ezra, opening the door with a key. "but he who knoweth of this place knoweth of death. it is a hidden thing in israel, and i charge thee by thy gods and by the wrath of jehovah, my god, that thou make thyself as one of us to keep well a thing that is shown unto thee in secret." "i am a keeper of faith," said ulric. "i will call it a secret of the gods, as if it were the tomb of my father. but in this chamber which we have entered i see nothing save plain and simple matters." "come further," said ben ezra, "for thou hast taken upon thee thy oath. did i not tell thee that i had been to the cave in carmel and that i had made thy treasure secure?" "it was buried well," said ulric. "i think no stranger could have found it." "neither would it have been of any use to thee or me," said ben ezra. "couldst thou strike with thy seax if it were buried in a cave in carmel? it is better at thy hand." "i understand thee," exclaimed ulric. "at this hour, here in jerusalem, i have need of money. i was never so at any time. it is true that gold coins may be good weapons. i will be glad of them and of the jewels." "o jarl," said ben ezra, "already have i paid much to pontius the spearman and to the high priest and to the captain of the temple. greedy were they, but i have satisfied them. of thy share in the matter they know not. thou hast no need to go to thy men this night, for the morning will do as well, and thou canst plan how they may escape to their own land." "so will i do," said ulric. "i will abide with thee. but this seemeth to be as other houses." "so hath it seemed to any who dwelt here," said ben ezra, "unless they were as i am. is not this back wall strongly made of well-fitted masonwork?" "a well-made wall," said ulric. "none may break it through. the stones are very large." far back from the street were they now, and the house which had appeared small was seen to be of great extent, as if builded down a steep slope. suddenly the jarl exclaimed: "a door of a stone! o jew, how is it that this great marble turneth at thy pushing?" "see thou," said ben ezra. "it is set into the wall upon pivotings. therefore it is as firm as the rest of the wall unless it shall be tried by one who knoweth the catch-pin at the side. even then a weak hand moveth it not. i will show thee, and then do thou make trial for thyself." the jarl watched and understood. "a marvelous trick!" he exclaimed, opening and shutting the secret door and finding that much strength was required. "o jew, beyond is a corridor of stone, and i see steps which go downward." "before thee is a great deep," replied ben ezra. "thou art trusted as to this thing in the name of jehovah. go in, o jarl of the saxons. thou wilt go down into the secret chambers of jerusalem with me." chapter xxxvi. the secret messenger. lysias, the greek, stood reverently before the roman ruler of jerusalem, and the dark, piercing eyes of pontius were watching his face intently. "o most noble pontius," said lysias, "i have done as thou didst order. all these were the words of ben ezra, nor have i failed to tell thee every saying of abbas and of him who was with him. the messenger from machærus goeth swiftly to joppa and the galley of herod waiteth for him." they were standing in the small chamber near the banquet hall, and the voice of lysias was hushed and tremulous, for the brows of the procurator were knitting and the veins in his temples were swelling. "well for thee, o greek," he muttered, hoarsely. "but now it is as if herod himself were to be with cæsar, bringing gifts. the very gods are against me!" "o most noble pontius," said lysias, raising his head courageously, "bid me depart and it may be that neither galley nor messenger shall cross the sea to rome." "i may not hinder a royal messenger," said pontius, gloomily. "to do so were sure destruction. thou canst do nothing." "but if," whispered lysias--"if herod, the tetrarch, might know that his galley had departed, and if afterward no man came to tell him of her voyage?" "a man may hear good tidings," said the procurator, with a dark smile dawning in his face. "but be not thou at any time the bringer of news concerning this galley. thou hast a letter to bear for me to cornelius at cæsarea. i bid thee to go by way of joppa and to return. i now write the parchment. ride thou thy own swift beast. whoever may be traveling upon their own errands at this time, i meddle not with their affairs." "thanks, noble pontius," said lysias, "but i will give thee a token. a man will come to thee in haste shortly from the keeper of the circus. he will know nothing of the galley of herod, but he will tell thee of her departure from joppa and of her crew. so shalt thou be sure that i know not aught except my errand to cornelius." hasty was now the going and the returning of the procurator, but lysias had now a small tablet and not a parchment to put into his pouch, neither looked he upon the writing on the tablet. "go!" said pontius. "i will wait for thy man from the circus. tell me no more!" then passed lysias out into the corridor and the eyes of pontius followed him. "subtle are the greeks," he muttered. "already yonder youth knoweth enough to kindle a fire that would burn to tartarus. let him do this one thing and i will give him a gift which he hath never yet received." not far had lysias gone along the corridor when a hand withheld him and there was a whisper. "lysias! love! whither goest thou?" "sapphira! o beautiful one! i may not linger. i ride swiftly to cæsarea. i will return to thee. wait thou for me!" "o lysias! favored of aphrodite! go and return to me. i shall then have many things to tell thee. then shalt thou know i have loved thee." her arms were around him, her kiss was upon his lips, and she was gone. he, too, went on in haste, leaving the palace, but she had retreated into an inner chamber, luxuriously furnished, wherein a lamp was burning. "i will wait here for my mistress," she said. "a strange thing is love, for it may be lighted like this lamp. it may go out and it may burn again if one willeth. i think i must put out this love of mine for lysias lest it should burn me. alas for him or for any who may be made the bearer of secret messages! and i? o lysias! well for thee that thou knowest not this change which is in store for me. and thou, o beautiful aphrodite, be not angry with me that i am to become also a jewish proselyte and offer sacrifices to the god of the jews. my mistress hath bidden me to become free and to wed ananias. it is better so than to be a slave, or to throw myself away upon a greek youth who must shortly disappear. i love not ruin. i am to be rich and i shall be the favorite of more gods than one." she spoke with a triumph upon her face and with exultation in her voice. then she reclined upon a couch, with the light of the lamp shining brilliantly upon her goodly raiment and her beauty, and so she awaited the coming of the wife of the procurator. through the damascus gate passed lysias, and not long afterward an ass halted near the amphitheater, further down the valley. a slave came out to attend to the ass, and was followed by the master of the games. "who art thou?" he demanded, surlily. "see that thou hinder me not," said lysias. "look well upon this signet." "i obey the procurator," said the master of the games. "do thou his bidding. but i will see nothing that thou hast in thy hand by any commandment from him. hold thou thy peace, o messenger. i meddle not." lysias had dismounted and, without more words, he passed on into the quarters of the saxons. excepting themselves, no others were present to observe or to hear, but he did not find men who were taking rest. some were making up packages for carrying, some were examining carefully their arms and armor as if about to go into battle, but they greeted the greek heartily. he looked around him for a moment, not without an understanding of this which they were doing. "i am in season, o tostig the red," he said altogether as if he had been expected to come. "but put ye on roman helmets, every man. ye are to ride fast to joppa this night. right glad am i to be your guide, for the roads might prove misleading." "hael to thee, o greek!" exclaimed tostig. "even now are the horses nearly prepared. we will mount at thy bidding. but hast thou at all seen the jarl?" "by the will of the gods, and not by his own, he may not now come," said lysias. "were he here, he would say that ye go forth at once and that ye ride well. mark this saying, however, that there will be one at the shore who must by all means enter the galley, but who must not travel far in her." "it is but a spear thrust," said knud the bear. "we will attend to his case." silently all, but openly and boldly as by men who obeyed a high command, were the horses led out and mounted. there were also led horses for the packages and for changes, and there was no roman officer of rank at hand to call this doing in question. "ride!" said tostig. "odin! it will not be well for any who shall cross our path!" none was likely to do so. the romans held judea by garrisons in forts and camps, and not greatly by moving forces. the highway to joppa would be deserted after nightfall. who should rashly interfere with mounted spearmen, whose very helmets were as a sharp warning to the imprudent? "swiftly! swiftly!" exclaimed lysias, before long. "we now pass the hill of golgotha. on that mount have many been crucified. make thee sure that ye get well away with this galley of herod and that no man may find you upon it in after time. i tell you truly that if ye are now taken prisoners ye would but climb yonder hill of skulls." silent were the saxons at that hard saying, but the horses under them appeared to spring forward as if with one accord. it was at the foot of a steep declivity that the galloping ceased for a brief resting of the horses, and tostig exclaimed: "o knud the bear, this is well. we have gone far. but i like not this manner of departing from our jarl. i think i should have seen his face and heard his commandment. were he to need my sword on the morrow, i would be at his side." "i also," responded knud. "we are his own men and he is ours. it is in his heart that we may return to the middle sea with a hundred keels. what, then, would we care for roman triremes? we could slay all the legionaries in judea." "if we might indeed land here again," said wulf the skater, doubtfully. "at all events we have no more upon our hands this night than to take the keel which is prepared for us and to put to sea." so said they all, and again they pushed forward, but after a while the road by which they traveled was no longer so rugged and so hilly. "we shall kill the horses," they said, "but we may reach the sea before the dawn." so did it prove, for more than one horse gave out and his rider mounted another from those which were led without any heavy burden. it was yet dark, at the last, when tostig exclaimed: "o greek, i hear the sound of waves upon a beach. are we now near joppa?" "too near," replied lysias, "for into the town itself we may not safely go. we will turn here by this road at the right. if we encounter guards or a patrol, let there be no report made of our passing." "halt!" rang out in the road a little ahead of them. "the password! who are ye?" it was a legionary at his post, a sentry on guard, and to him rode knud the bear. "i am this," he said. "take thou my token!" down fell the soldier, speared through the face, so that he spoke not again, and on rode the saxons toward the sea. "we have now only starlight," said lysias, "but yonder at anchor floateth the galley of herod, the tetrarch. this is according to the saying of the procurator. all is well, for he who cometh hath not arrived. there are boats; take them. but here do i leave you, for i have a further errand. fare thee well." "success to thee, o lysias," said tostig. "we are thy friends henceforth. haste thee about thy business. we can care for ourselves now that we see keels and waves." many voices bade him good speed, and the strong ass appeared but little wearied as he sprang away northward along the beach. "glad am i not to be in joppa this day," said lysias. "if i am heard from next at the house of cornelius at cæsarea, no man will accuse me of having too much acquaintance with the doings of the gladiators of caius. i did but bring to them an order whereof i knew not the meaning. i am but a messenger, carrying letters to and fro." nevertheless, his heart was full of great anxiety and he remembered how dark had been the hard face of the procurator. the fishing boats were many, but only two large ones were taken. into these the saxons put their baggage of all kinds, but they drove away their horses to a good distance down the beach. then they took the oars and in a short rowing they were near the galley. over the bulwark leaned an armed man as the boats touched the side. "whence come ye?" he demanded, but he spoke as to friends, for he was at that hour expecting such an arrival and he saw the roman helmets. for a moment no voice replied to him, but the saxons went quickly over the bulwark. "slay now, but cast none overboard!" commanded tostig. "here are soldiers sleeping." these who slept were not many of them romans, but more were soldiers of herod, jews and arabians and edomites. they died speedily under the swift thrusting of the saxon spears, but the watchman had fallen first. "spare the rowers in their places," said wulf the skater. "we will use them." but these rowers were all slaves, in chains, and they looked upon the slaughter in silence, as if it were no affair of their own. "be ready, all!" suddenly commanded tostig. "utter no sound! a boat cometh from the shore, as lysias gave us to expect. not from this beach, but from a pier in the harbor. in it are but few men. in the prow is some great one, but he weareth no helmet. let them come on board with all safety, but none in that boat may return to joppa." for a cause known to themselves not one of them had any purpose of at once returning. they came swiftly to the galley and all climbed eagerly on board, casting adrift their boat to float where it would. "away!" shouted he who seemed their leader, as if speaking to sailors who were under his own direction. "row out of the harbor quickly. speed, or a scourge for every back!" saxon hands were already raising the anchor and the rowers put out their oars as they were bidden. "o all ye gods!" suddenly cried out the great man, stumbling over a fallen soldier. "what is this? o my destruction! the hand of pontius the spearman is here! i perish!" then fell his head upon the deck at the stroke of knud the bear, and shortly all his companions went down in like manner, for they were astonished and they did no fighting. being in fear of death, the rowers rowed with great vigor and tostig was at the helm. "she is swift!" he exclaimed. "she is a good keel and she rideth well the waves. we are upon the sea! hael to the northland!" loudly shouted all the vikings, clashing their shields, for it was a joy to feel the lifting of the long billows and once more to wipe the salt spray from their faces. they rapidly examined the ship from stem to stern, but there was much which required more thorough searching. "o that the jarl were here with us!" groaned tostig. "the day is here. we, his friends, have escaped from the romans and from the circus, but our jarl is on the land. it is evil! how shall i answer concerning him when i am inquired of at his own house? will not some men say that i am nidering?" long leagues were rowed and then, for the wind was now right, the sail was lifted. "we will cast overboard these who were slain," said knud. "we will weight them, that they may sink. so shall none tell a tale of us to any who may follow. we do as the jarl would have bidden." "thou art prudent," said tostig. "so much for the secret messengers of herod. we have shed blood upon this ship and the gods of the north are with us. only let us with care avoid all triremes, for we do not need to be inquired of by a stronger force." "this is now the spring," said lars, the son of beolf. "if we pause not needlessly, we shall soon reach the fiords, but there will be no ice in them." "it is a good cruise," said another. "we may take much plunder by the way. let us now search again the cabins of this galley." much that astonished them had been found with those who came on board in the boat that they might be slain. more was now discovered in secret places. "odin!" exclaimed knud, examining these matters. "here are many coins of silver and of gold and a number of bright stones. i think these may have been gifts from herod, the king, to cæsar at rome, but he will not soon see them." "there are also fine weapons and garments," said wulf. "it is a very rich galley." the sun was unclouded, the wind blew fairly from the east, the galley sped forward gallantly, and the rowers rested upon their seats, but now tostig the red stood upon the after deck with all the saxons around him. "i have heard ye all," he said, for they had been speaking many things. "we are of one mind. but if it be your will that i shall now take upon me the command of this keel, put ye your hands in mine and give me your oath to this saying, that we will be satisfied with this great plunder which we have already taken; that we will keep the open sea, not landing save for food or water; that we will care to take no other keel but this; and that we will sail on until we see the house of brander the brave upon the shore of the northland. after that we will come back to the middle sea with many swords and we will seek for ulric, our jarl, until we find him." "so will we do!" shouted knud the bear. one by one did the saxons then step forward and put their hands between the hands of tostig, and the oath was an oath. nevertheless, they were as men who had sailed away forever, unless the gods should see fit to accomplish this their purpose of coming again with a fleet, and with a host to follow ulric the jarl and his captain into the great battle in esdraelon. well was it for them that they had thus escaped the sure perils of the circus if they might also escape the many perils of the sea. they might indeed avoid the triremes of rome, and little cared hardy vikings for rough weather, but the voyage would be long and they were not many spearmen. the slave rowers, however, were sturdy fellows, well selected, and these were likely to be better contented with masters who flogged them not unduly and who thought it a shame that even a beast, being their own, should not be well fed and cared for. as for tostig the red, he had become stern and moody, smiling not at all, and he told the rest of the vikings that ulric, the son of brander, was still his jarl, and that as ulric, to his thinking, would have directed in any case, so would he order. "that will be well for us," they said. "i have been troubled in my mind," he told them. "i think that i may yet slay many romans at the side of the son of odin. i myself saw that jewish god of his that healed him of his hurts. i heard his words and they were good to hear, although i understood him not very well. if he is to be the captain of the host, over the jarl, i am contented. but never yet did i see a better sword than is our jarl." "nor did we," they answered him. "we will surely return with thee to the middle sea, and our treasure shall go with thine to the making of many great keels and the gathering of the swordsmen of the north." all things seemed going well with them, but there was, nevertheless, a shadow upon the ship, and when the sun was setting tostig the red sat upon the after deck sharpening his seax upon a stone and now and then gazing backward toward the east. "would i were with him this hour," he said in a low, sad voice. "how shall the years go by with me henceforth if i am never again to see the face of my jarl?" chapter xxxvii. the house of ben ezra. in the house of ben ezra, at the head of the flight of stone steps in the secret passage, ulric the jarl stood looking down into a great darkness. but now ben ezra came to him, having lighted a large brazen lamp which swung like a cresset at the end of a wooden rod a fathom long. the flame of the lamp was very brilliant, but the smoke thereof was unpleasant to the smell because of some strange oil which burned in it. such a lamp might not be lighted at a feast or in the dwellings of men. "follow me, o jarl," he said. "this is the underworld and thou and i are alone in this place. but not all the swords of cæsar could find thee if thou wert hidden here. it hath been a refuge for some who fled from a destroyer." "o jew," said ulric, "i will cover this thy secret. may i fail of valhalla, dying as a cow dieth, if i betray thee!" "come!" said ben ezra, and they went on down the stairway together. at the foot of it was a low chamber, the air of which was heavy, but ben ezra turned to the left, and as he lifted his lamp there might be seen a narrow cleft in the masonry. a little inside of this cleft there was a barrier of iron-bound woodwork. "lift it away by its hand pieces," said ben ezra. "thou art stronger than i." very massive was the wooden barrier, but it might be dragged forth and laid upon the floor, and at once a current of cold, damp air poured through the opening, bringing with it a smell as of earth. "i will go in first," said ben ezra. "now will i show thee my crypt." in a moment more they were stooping over an open coffer, and he said: "here are my treasures and thine, and somewhat which belongeth to thy men. i would they might have it, for we need not any goods but our own. thou shalt take away at thy will whatever is thine own." "i may not remove it now," said ulric, "save a bag of golden coins. but i would ask of thee, if thou wilt tell me, what is this place that we are in and how is there such a cavern, with masonwork and corridors and pillars and cunning doors? are we to go on into it?" "thou wilt go no further lest thou lose thyself as in a wilderness," said the jew, pointing down the passageway. "it is like a cave," said ulric. "i never heard of caves under a city." "behold," said ben ezra, "the secret of jerusalem. it is from the earliest time. there was a fort here in the days of adam and here the giants had their dwelling. there are no writings of those ancient days. but on these hills and in these valleys city after city hath been builded and destroyed. for those walls and buildings much masonry was needed. there were vast halls and hollows made in quarrying stone during ages. afterward these openings were sealed and made of the secrets of priests and kings. they will not be opened until messiah cometh." "he is to be thy great king," said ulric. "what need hath he of caves?" "not any," said ben ezra, "but he will know in what hidden depth he shall find the treasures of adam and of the giants and of the old kings and of solomon, for all are yonder, where none but he may lay a hand upon them. let us go." "i have seen a wonder," said ulric following his guide. "but if this god from nazareth is to be thy king, wilt thou not thyself inform him of the way through thy house into his hidden places?" "he will have no need," said ben ezra; "but if i saw that he had the right to know, i would tell him. messiah knoweth all things. as for this rabbi of galilee, he cometh to jerusalem even now, for the passover feast draweth near. i would gladly hear him again. during years that are gone there have been many sayings concerning him." "i know that he hath healed my hurts," said ulric. "he hath also done in like manner by many another. i think that i shall yet be a captain of men under him, and the great battle cometh." they were now in the upper room and the stone door had been closed behind them, swinging upon its pivots. "am i to abide here this night?" asked ulric. "i have an errand of mine own in the morning. after that is done i must go to my men. they will surely need counsel and ordering." "i will now show thee thy chamber wherein thou art to sleep," said ben ezra. "but, i pray thee, do not too many errands within the city walls, and neglect not to visit caius of thessalonica lest thou lose thy strong friend. it is needful for thee to be seen much at his house." "i will truly care for him," said ulric. "it is my duty. but i have a great concern as to my companions. o that they were even now upon the sea and utterly escaped from the circus!" "else they will surely all be slain," said ben ezra; but he led the way to a place for sleeping and the night closed over all. when the next morning came the watchmen upon the walls of joppa took note that the swift galley of herod, the tetrarch, had already departed. so sent they in their due report, but already had it been discovered that whoever might now be in her had left behind them strange tokens. in the highway north of the tower came a company of legionaries to change the sentries, and at the turning of the road they found but a dead man, slain by a spear thrust through his head. who could have done this deed in a day of peace they guessed not at all, but their officer spoke of the jackal of machærus. not long afterward a horseman in bright armor rode along the beach seeing empty boats that were cast up by the waves, and also the empty place where the evening before the galley had been anchored. "i am too late!" he shouted, angrily. "the traitor hath escaped to rome! what answer shall i give to herod antipas? his brother hath again outwitted him and i think he is in league with the procurator." further up the beach men led along many horses, saddled and bridled, which they had found astray and ownerless, and this thing also was a riddle. the governor of joppa was quickly informed of all, that he might make his report to his commander; but at that hour pontius the spearman was sitting in the seat of judgment thinking not of joppa, and before him came not only his own officers, but jews, also, and people from the towns and the provinces. suddenly, however, he turned from aught else to look into the face of one who came in haste, seeming to be greatly disturbed in mind. it was the master of the games who now stood opposite the chair of judgment, and at a sign of the procurator's hand he spoke rapidly until he had told his errand, speaking low that none else might hear. "o thou," said pontius, calmly, "go back to thy affairs. i care not greatly what caius hath done with his gladiators. if indeed they have rebelled and if they are in judea or samaria, i will retake them for him in season for the games. the fault is not thine." "o most noble pontius," said the master of the games, "what sayest thou of the greek? he came unto them, as i testified." "what is that to thee?" responded the procurator haughtily. "care thou for thy beasts and thy cages. see that thou speak not at all to him of this matter when thou seest him. go thy way!" the master of the games trembled somewhat as he went forth and pontius followed him not with his eyes, but muttered to himself: "the greek hath made good his token of a man from the circus. i will now wait for a word from joppa, but i will not question him imprudently when he returneth from cæsarea." heavy matters were now coming before him, and among them all was none which seemed to trouble him more than did certain testimonies concerning the evil deeds of robbers from the wilderness of judea. "o ye jews!" exclaimed the angry magistrate. "how shall i execute justice when so many of you are in league with these evil-doers? in this city is the refuge of these wicked men. who will capture for me this bar abbas that i may crucify him? he hath kindred among you and ye shelter him!" loud were the indignant protests which replied to him from scribes and rabbis and rulers, but far back, near the entrance of the hall of judgment, were twain who listened eagerly. "father abraham!" hoarsely whispered one of these. "i may not upon any account bring my matter before him. even now is my son at my house and he brought much profit with him. he is worth more to me than are all the robbers of gilboa or the tribes beyond jordan. he must not fall into the hands of these roman heathen lest i also be destroyed. the god of israel be my protector against the enemy!" searching eyes were upon him, but the thought in the mind of ulric, the son of brander, was: "well for me that i fell in with him as i left the house of ben ezra. well that i followed him even here. now will i not cease until i know his abiding place." cowering and hiding his face, did abbas hasten away, hardly daring to look behind him. many were coming and going, however, and the guilty dealer in stolen goods might not take warning of the manner in which he was followed vengefully from street to street. "i may not smite him now," said the pursuer, "but he and another will shortly be touched by a sharp edge. there entereth he a door and i will leave him for this time. now must i see caius and then i go to my companions. would that they were on their way to the northland. woe to me if i bring harm to them!" nevertheless, even before going to the house of caius, the jarl did one thing which relieved both his heart and his hands from a heavy weight. he went to the door of a house and he was admitted, but he tarried not there, and he came out again, going on in haste, but with less gloom upon his face. "she will think well of me!" he exclaimed. "i might not have speech with her, but she will look upon my token and she will bless me." in the house from which he had departed, and in an inner chamber of it, stood the hebrew maiden, and before her was isaac, the aged, her near kinsman. he placed upon a table a heavy bag and he essayed to speak, but his lips trembled and his voice failed him. "o isaac, what is this?" she exclaimed. "where didst thou obtain money, seeing the manner in which we are hindered? hast thou indeed betrayed me again by thy weakness?" "nay! nay! it is thine!" shouted isaac. "thy heathen prince came to the door. i saw him, but he lingered not and none other had speech with him. 'this is for her,' he said. 'tell her i watch and i return, but that she may not go forth, not even to the temple.' so i brought the bag to thee, wondering. count it, for i have not counted." he himself untied the bag and poured out the coins upon the table, counting, while miriam watched as one who seeth dimly in a dream of the night. "ulric, ulric," she muttered, "thou art more to me than are these. i think of thee that thou art pure gold, but who may weigh thee in the balances? come to me, for great is my need of thy counsel!" "of rome and of greece and of judea are these coins," said isaac. "they are thrice our present requirement. jehovah hath turned to thee the heart of this idolater and thou doest well to make him serve thee. thou hast the understanding which is given to women. we will pay our oppressors. we will give a goodly gift to the judge and to the chief priests. we will offer a sacrifice of burnt offering of a sweet savor. and god, even our god, will yet deliver thee also from the hand of this heathen gladiator." "isaac," she exclaimed, "peace! speak not of him unduly! would that a false judgment concerning money were our only peril." "o miriam," said the old man, putting the coins in again and tying the bag, "that also hath been provided for. in this house we may not safely remain, but a sure refuge hath been offered and we shall be for a season as if we were hidden in a well. one cometh shortly to be our guide, and it is needful that thy heathen prince, also, should have information, for he hath more gold than this and his hand is now open." "peace!" she again exclaimed, but isaac went out with the bag, saying: "great are the gifts of jehovah of hosts! would that he might now send the sword of this philistine who loveth her upon the necks of our enemies!" "i will wait," she was whispering, "until i see him." long was the remaining of ulric the jarl at the house of caius of thessalonica, but afterward he went out at the damascus gate purposing to visit the amphitheater. he went on down into the valley of jehoshaphat, walking slowly, and he came to the bridge over the brook kidron, by which he was to pass. "o jarl," said a youth who waited at the bridge, "a token from ben ezra!" "none heareth," replied ulric. "say on." "thy men are not at the circus, he bade me tell thee, and no man knoweth whither they are gone. go thou not thither now, but let the house of caius be thy refuge, for there will be an inquiry for thee." still as a stone stood the jarl while one might breathe three times. "i thank thee and him, o youth," he said then. "go thou to him with his word only, that neither he nor i need any to tell us whereunto the sons of the northland have departed. i will do as he hath said." the youth went from him running, but ulric did not reenter the city by the damascus gate. "it will be safer to choose another," he said. "i was seen by the guards when i came forth. they may by this time have some evil commandment concerning me." so therefore he made a great circuit of the walls, going far, and even after he selected a gate by which he might prudently go in he seemed to have another matter upon his hands. the hours went by, one after another, and it was long after the sunset before he was known to be in the house of caius. then speedily he was sent for and he went in to what was now the sick chamber of the centurion. "o jarl," said he, "how is it with thee?" "o most noble caius," replied the jarl, "i am well, but i am alone in jerusalem. all of my companions have returned to their own land." "well for thee," said caius. "of that i had been informed. a swift messenger from the governor of joppa brought strange news to the procurator. what sayest thou if thy men have been hired to serve upon a ship by herod, the tetrarch? would they not guard well?" "o caius," said the jarl, "thou knowest them and i need say no more, for i am ignorant of all this matter save that they are gone." "i find no fault with thee," said caius. "the messenger was sent to me and i have fully questioned him. also word came from the procurator that i trouble thee not, for herod must be allowed to direct his own affairs. if he have hired good swordsmen, surely his galley is in safe keeping." ulric looked at him darkly, for the voice of caius was as of one who mocketh bitterly. "o caius," said the jarl, "if thou wilt hear me, i have another affair upon my mind. i like not the appearance of thy sore." "jarl of the saxons," exclaimed the centurion, "i seem to myself to be rotting away. i am as one who hath the leprosy. but what knowest thou of any healing?" "only this that i have heard this day," said ulric. "i would have thee live until the arrival of this jesus of nazareth. he cometh now to the feast of the jews. he is of the sons of the gods. did he not heal me? and may he not also do something for thee?" "o that he might come quickly!" said caius. "but the gods can do little for such a torment as mine. there are many things which are too much for them. but i will see him when he cometh. i would make him rich with gifts if he would heal me." "i will watch for him," said the jarl. "i may not go again to the circus----" "go not!" exclaimed caius. "remain much with me. o saxon, when this fire burneth within me i would gladly fall upon my sword but that it would please my enemies. but if thou goest out now, return quickly. of this be thou sure in thy mind, that i will not permit thee to enter the circus. thy sword will have better business. i will speak of thee again to the procurator. a messenger from him hath arrived. leave me with him." more words might not be spoken and the jarl went out, but it could be understood that with difficulty did the centurion restrain himself and conceal from all the extremity of his suffering from that deadly thing. "i will go to the house of ben ezra," thought ulric. "already have i made sure that there are fewer enemies to bring peril upon miriam and her people. i will see if the jew hath well attended to his portion of her business. but unless help cometh to him speedily, caius will surely die." chapter xxxviii. the son of abbas. long and thoughtfully and with many questionings did ben ezra listen to the jarl in an inner chamber of his house. "thou hast done well," he said, at last, "but trust thou not too much the favor of the great. neither be thou too sure concerning their power. the leaves fall from all the trees in due season. full of jealousy and of suspicion and of murder are all they who prosper under cæsar. in the day and in the night is there a weapon not far from any of them. so deal they with others. a roman friend is ever also a roman enemy holding a knife, and by the hands of their friends do men die continually at rome." "that do i believe," said ulric. "i will be exceedingly prudent. but, o my friend, what hast thou done concerning miriam?" "i have done all thus far," said ben ezra. "i did but need to buy the good-will of the judge and one peril passed away. to him and to another i could both pay more and promise more than was in the will of abbas. but thou, o jarl, hast thou seen the face of this roman dealer in slaves?" "that peril also hath departed," said ulric. "i am told that a man in haste met him in the valley of hinnom. the patrol found him there in their passing, and his head lay at six cubits' length from his body." "he had many enemies," said ben ezra, thoughtfully. "one may even have followed him from the city. i have now another word for thee concerning abbas, now that thou hast heard the procurator upon the judgment seat give authority to all such as thou art concerning the taking of his son. the robbers are a power in jerusalem and the sword of bar abbas is against thee." "i have never seen him," said ulric. "then will i tell thee of his face," said ben ezra, and he minutely did so, line by line. "fear not," said ulric. "i would now know that man if but half his face were shown." "he is said to be cunning in disguises," replied ben ezra, "but his best keeper is the fear of men that by denouncing him they may bring upon themselves secret daggers and a vengeance which faileth not." "no fear have i," muttered ulric, "but how am i to find him!" "i trust that thou wilt be prospered in that matter," said ben ezra, "but i have this much more for thee. it behooved me to bring both miriam and isaac to this house, that i might cover them until this peril pass. roman eyes that thou knowest not may have looked upon her. we must wait. the slaying of one slave dealer may but make needful the hiring of another by some great one. the house in which isaac dwelt was but hired, and another taketh it, that he and his may be thrust out. the net is a wide one." "evil! evil! evil!" exclaimed ulric. "this city is full of injustice! no such thing could be among the north peoples. i saw no thief ever, nor a purchased jarl or judge, until i came southward." "so doth the whole land groan," said ben ezra. "so doth the blood of the innocent cry out unto jehovah." "why, then, answereth he not?" shouted ulric, vehemently. "surely the god of a people should come to their help in such a distress, else they will surely say of him that he is no god at all." "so have said many," groaned ben ezra, "and i grow weary in heart waiting for a messiah who doth not come. o that our king were already here. peace, now, o jarl, concerning him. but i will tell thee of miriam that thou mayest not have speech with her this night. be thou not also her enemy, to do her harm." "where is indeed thy god," said ulric, "if any hurt may come to such as she is?" "o jarl," said ben ezra, "all jerusalem hath heretofore been heaped with the slain, and the maidens of zion were led away captive, because of the anger of jehovah. dost thou not understand? we do suffer for our sins and for the sins of our fathers." "i think the gods do not well in such matters," said ulric. "they are not just. surely justice becometh well a brave god. he should not strike down the innocent ones with those who are guilty of evil." "i know not the counsel of the most high," said ben ezra. "his judgments are a great deep, but they are just and righteous altogether." "no man," said the jarl, "findeth fault with a stroke of a sword fairly given, since he who dieth in battle goeth to valhalla and hath attained his inheritance from his brave ancestors. i myself wait for the valkyrias, and i am often weary thinking of the gods and of asgard. who would avoid a sword if it were in the hand of a brave warrior in battle? not i, ulric, the son of brander." "thou art a mighty man of valor," said ben ezra. "i have thought of thee that thou art almost as a son of abraham. go thou to thy sleeping, for this house must be even more thy abiding place than is the house of caius now thy companions are departed." sleep came as to one who is weary both in mind and body, but early upon the morrow the two friends were together again taking counsel. "o jew," said the jarl, "i am ill at ease concerning my men. would that i might see them this day and make sure of their welfare." "so often doth one think of those who are departed from him," said ben ezra; "but have thou a care that thou inquire not imprudently. all that i may learn i will tell thee when thou comest again. it is well for thee to go now." out walked the jarl, going along a corridor which led toward the door into the street. "very wonderful is all this," he thought. "a strange place is this city of jerusalem, with its many rulers and its secrets of the gods and of the old time, and with these things which are done here. of what good is it that it hath so great a temple and so many priests?" at that moment there came to his ears a beautiful, low music murmuring through the cool air of the corridor. "ulric, art thou here?" "miriam!" he exclaimed, turning to listen. "o, i thank thee that thou hast come," she said. "i have had such fear upon me! much rather would i die. one moment i must see thee and speak to thee! tarry a moment!" "more i may not do, o miriam," he said, with a great light rising in his eyes. "but i have given my promise to ben ezra and to thy god concerning thee that no harm shall come upon thee. i will but look upon thy face." "thou art wonderful!" she said, and then they saw not aught of all the world except each other for that breathing space. "o thou," she whispered, "i know not if thou art of the heathen or if i am of abraham's seed. o what but death should part me and thee!" "i think not even death," he said, "seeing that we go to one place after the sword cometh. but if indeed thy jehovah be a god and if he have given me to thee, i will offer to him many sacrifices. i must go forth now, for i have many things to do for thee and for a friend. if this jesus of nazareth arriveth, i must have speech with him. i have told thee how he healed me." "so must i see him," she said. "i listened to him many times in galilee. he is a very learned rabbi and i would hear him again." "he is more than a rabbi," said ulric. "he is a god--and he knoweth the other gods. i would ask him concerning asgard and valhalla and concerning thee. thy slave dealer is dead, o miriam, and soon will i deal justly with this abbas and those who are with him." "thou art my warrior!" she exclaimed. "thou art as one of the heroes of israel. i trust thee!" "farewell!" he said stepping quickly away from her, but no word escaped her lips. she did but seem to hold back her hand from its purpose of detaining him, and her breath came and went rapidly as he passed out at the door. then her voice came again and she said, looking upward: "o thou jehovah of hosts, my god, hast thou not made him also? how am i better than he that i should be withheld from him? do i not love him?" the feet of ulric went but slowly from the house of ben ezra, and he paid little heed to their guiding, but they brought him to the house of caius of thessalonica and the warder of the portal stood before him. "i have a word for thee, o swordsman," he said. "thou art well arrived." "say on," said ulric. "even now, o saxon, the procurator himself is with our master caius and with them is the governor of joppa. thou mayest not go in. but pass thou to the damascus gate, for caius would know of the arrival of this galilean healer. it is reported that he is near at hand. also the procurator would have speech with thee when caius will send thee to him. these are thy commands and thou wilt do them." "say thou, o warder," replied ulric, "that i go as i am bidden. well for thee and for us all if the centurion were cured of this evil. thou wilt fall into no better hands than his if he dieth. i am his friend, and he suffereth." "go! go!" said the warder, earnestly. "all the gods forbid that he should die. if this same jew rabbi will not heal caius, it is thy duty to slay him with thy sword." "speak thou only good concerning him," said ulric, sternly. "what hast thou to do with a sword? i go." the warder stepped backward a pace, for not many men willed to stand before the jarl when his hand seemed to be seeking for the hilt of his seax. "a sudden man!" he muttered, as he watched his going. "and they say he hath cleft both a lion and a tiger in one combat and that he would wear no armor. a man's head might go from his shoulders as if it were but a flower from a stem. his eye is a fire!" "i would i better knew the streets," said the jarl, as he strode swiftly onward. "i learn them but slowly, for they are very many and they are crooked and the city is great. whither, now, shall this one lead me?" as in an unknown path, therefore, he went on, thinking of many things. the way led him over a hill and through a valley and to a gate in the outer wall that he knew well. here were roman guards standing at rest, hindering none, and ulric halted near them. "many go out," he thought, "but a multitude cometh yonder along the road across the mount of olives. i will wait and see." nearer and nearer along the broad highway poured a vast throng of people, while through the gate passed on a tide which went to mingle with them. many of those who were coming bore in their hands branches of palm trees and they were shouting joyously. "what is this which they sing?" said ulric. "what is the meaning of 'hosanna in the highest,' and who is david, and what is his son? it is a saga of the jews. the whole city is stirred up behind me. this is a wonder!" across the valley and then up toward the gate came on the multitude. among them were some who took off their outer robes and cast them upon the road before an ass and before his rider, shouting and singing. "i have heard them say 'a king,'" said ulric. "but here is no king. none of these men are armed. what saith the procurator to this business?" "o gladiator of caius of thessalonica," suddenly responded a legionary of the guard of the gate, "thou art but a sword. what careth pontius the spearman for a mob of women and children? we know thee that thou art accounted trustworthy, and thou doest well to inquire concerning any tumult of the jews, but this is no affair of either thine or ours." "i meddle not," said the jarl. "i am under orders from the centurion and from the procurator, but i may watch this matter." "watch," said the officer. "thou art in thy duty. we hinder thee not. but who art thou?" the man whom he now addressed was plainly a jew, in sordid raiment, tall and strong, but who was eyeing the jarl with an evil eye, and his manner was insolent. "i am a servant of the high priest and i am here by his command," said the jew. "there is an order for the arrest of this gladiator." "let no accursed jew take upon him that business," laughed the officer. "thy high priest hath enough to settle with the procurator. but whither goest thou from hence?" "i go to the gate of the valley of hinnom," replied the jew, "and thou mayest not detain me." "o officer," said ulric, who had been searching the jew with keen inspection, "i have an errand to that gate and know not the way overwell. i pray thee that thou command him to guide me after i have seen this present matter." "i object not to that," said the jew, with a fierce glitter in his eyes, "so that he touch me not to render me unclean against the passover feast." "curse thy uncleanness!" said the roman, haughtily. "thou needest not to touch him; but i would he might have a commandment to touch thee. o gladiator, i am told that thou art a sure blade, the slayer of the great numidian lion. i hope to see thee slay another yet in the circus, but take not the head from this worthless one until thou art duly bidden to smite him." "as thou doest so do i," said ulric. "shall a soldier question his captain?" "not if that commander be one pontius the spearman," replied the officer, "or even caius of thessalonica. thou art right, o gladiator. none will interfere with thee and thy sharp edge." "stand by, thou," said ulric to the jew. "i will be with thee presently." but now the man became seemingly cringing and friendly in his deportment, bowing low and standing in silence awaiting direction. nearer and nearer came the multitude along the highway and toward the gate. ulric heard many of them shouting: "this is jesus of nazareth, the prophet of galilee! he is the son of david! he is the king of israel. he is the one who was to come! this is the messiah, the deliverer!" others there were who loudly gainsaid these acclamations, protesting indignantly; but ulric's thoughts were full of astonishment. "i see that the man upon the ass is jesus. i know that he is of the sons of the gods. this is a wonderful affair. but why cometh he now without an army into a fortified city which hath a roman garrison? odin! there is no prudence in this coming! they will slay him before he hath opportunity to gather men for one good legion." so pondering in his mind, he watched until the ass and his rider passed by him through the gate and into the city. "i have again seen his face," he said. "i may not have speech with him at this time. but i will take upon me this other errand and see unto what it will lead me. o thou, my guide, we will depart." "come, o gladiator," said the jew. "it is well for thee to have me with thee among so many crooked streets. touch me not. but what are thy commandments?" "hold thou thy peace concerning them," replied the jarl. "lead on!" hot wrath burned for a moment in the face of the tall jew, but he obeyed, girding himself and striding forward, but the officer of the gate laughed derisively. "the dog jew," he said, "will do well not to stir the temper of a saxon. his head were loosened from his shoulders too quickly. i will not fail to see that fellow in the circus. it mattereth not to me what work there may be for his blade in hinnom." "dost thou not bear in mind," said one of the legionaries, "a certain slave dealer and the loosening of his head? this same gladiator was seen that day at the hinnom gate, but the guards were bidden to forget him." "thou thyself rememberest too much," said the officer, sternly. "forget that thou hast seen him here this day. but it is good sport to slay jews. i would there might soon be another tumult. i have made the floor of the temple red with the blood of galileans. the procurator may have a sharp teaching for more of them during this passover gathering." so talked the soldiers of rome, but the jarl was silent and moody as he walked until he and his guide were drawing near to the southerly wall of the city. then he spoke quietly, as a man may speak to his friend, one whom he hath known well aforetime. "o thou," he said, "when hast thou seen thy father, abbas, and what did he give unto thee concerning me?" the guide turned suddenly, scowling and trembling, but he responded: "how knowest thou me? the guards knew me not, nor did any other, for i am changed for that reason. what hast thou to do with abbas, and what is thy purpose?" "thou art but a fool," said ulric. "i read thy name in thy face. thou art bar abbas. i have known thy father many days. did he not tell thee how i rescued him in the tower in esdraelon that he died not? but i have thought him a prudent man. how is it that he hath permitted this folly?" "o gladiator," said bar abbas with a deep, dark smile, "it is no folly. they who would slay me seek me in the wilderness, not in jerusalem. a man who waiteth within the gate among the legionaries is hidden from the hunters among the hills. i have seen my father and now i go to meet him and his friend the master of the games in the valley of hinnom, as i believe thou, also, art informed beforehand." "then thou hast delivered to him thy spoils?" said ulric. "but canst thou give me a reason why i should go to meet him in hinnom?" "that i know not," said bar abbas. "but the master of the games is thy master also. he will give thee thy direction." "nevertheless, thou and he are unwise," said the jarl. "i would thou wert armed." "save my dagger, i am not," replied the robber, "and thou hast no weapon." "a warrior is always armed," said ulric. "but now we are at the gate and here is the officer. be thou silent." "whither goest thou, o gladiator?" demanded the sentinel. "this is forbidden thee. thou art too far from the circus." "dost thou indeed not know me?" responded the jarl. "or knowest thou not this signet of caius of thessalonica?" "i do know thee, who thou art," said the officer, "and i know the signet." "by commandment of pontius the spearman, the procurator," said ulric. "i hear," said the roman. "bind thou this bar abbas, the robber, and take him to the prison and report to the procurator that i have done as he did give me instruction. this thing is upon thy life!" forward sprang bar abbas dagger in hand, but the strong blow of a soldier smote him to the earth and he was bound with cords. "o man," shouted the captain of the gate, coming hastily, "do as he biddeth thee. we also have full commands concerning bar abbas. well do i know that this is of the procurator." then turned he to the jarl. "thou hast more to do, o gladiator?" "i may not answer thee," said ulric, respectfully. "but now do i go out into the valley to meet one who cometh, and my duty is in my hand. i will return unto thee shortly." "thou hast no weapon," said the roman; but upon his face was a look of understanding, for he was a man of experience and he had been scanning carefully the raiment of ulric. "what if an evil person were to meet thee?" "o captain," said ulric, "he who obeyeth a command doeth well. but if i return not with due speed know thou that i am slain, and inquire into that business." "that will i do," said the officer; "but they who slay thee may indeed need an inquiry. i think it will not be entirely well with them." the jarl answered not a word, but he had now upon his mind the things that had been told to him by bar abbas on their way, and he went down into the valley, walking rapidly. "before me is a trap," he said, "although it was not set for me, but for some other. i will now fall into it, and glad am i that i am so well prepared. this heavy, sharp-edged gladius is better than my light seax." even then the captain of the gate was replying to a question from the quaternion. "the gladiator unarmed?" he exclaimed. "do i not know how a sheath will cause a wrinkle of a robe to enlarge and stiffen? they who sent him are responsible, not thou or i." the jarl went on a mile, it might be, and around him was the smoke of the everlasting burning of hinnom and the smell from the untellable pollution. here and there, also, he saw heaps of half-consumed offal in which many worms were crawling. this place was to all jews the picture and symbol of the punishment of the wicked after death. not many wayfarers were at any time to be encountered here, for all men knew that it was a favorite haunt of evil spirits, of demons, and of robbers. nevertheless, as the jarl looked forward through the unpleasant clouding of smoke he exclaimed, aloud: "they come! yonder is abbas himself, and with him are four men. they ride horses. i will wait until they dismount, but woe to me if so much as one of them shall escape." he stood still, making sure of the hilt of his weapon, but the horsemen came near and at once sprang to the ground, coming forward. "knowest thou me?" said the foremost man. "thy fellows have escaped me, but thou shalt not. i will feed thee to the wild beasts!" "o master of the games," replied the jarl, "i am of the household of caius." "and i am from pontius the spearman!" shouted the master of the games. "o ye of ethiopia, bind him fast!" the three with him were black slaves, armed with shields and short swords and jereeds, but they were naked to their waists. "yield thee, o saxon," cried out abbas, mockingly. "i have thy miriam securely and she will soon belong to my friend." now the master of the games was in full armor, but he had turned a moment for the ordering of his slaves. he stooped a little, also, to loosen a coil of cordage that was in his hand for the binding of the jarl, supposing him to be unarmed and helpless against five armed men. then swiftly flashed the bright gladius in the hand of ulric and the head of the master of the games fell to the earth. "thou hast sold miriam?" heard abbas, a hoarse whisper, but he heard no more, for the sword had flashed again. the light shaft of a jereed snapped as its blade struck upon the hidden mail of the jarl and the black striker fell across the body of abbas. his next companion was as a defenseless man before the angry might of ulric, and hardly was he down before the slave to whom had been given the holding of the horses lay among their hoofs. "sure am i that abbas is dead," said ulric, stooping over him. "not one of the others liveth. the horses must now go back at speed. i would not have them seen from the gate." he pricked them sharply so that they ran in fear. then he wiped the gladius clean, concealed it well, and walked back to the hinnom gate of jerusalem. "hast thou accomplished thy command?" asked the officer. "the time hath been but brief." "else were i not here," said ulric. "there were those who came by appointment and one of them was the father of bar abbas. the others were but robbers like him." "o gladiator," said the officer, "so will i report well of thee. i think thou art a sure messenger for an errand of blood." questions might not be pressed in such a case, but soldiers were at once sent down the valley to make due inquest. onward went ulric through the streets of the city. "o miriam!" he groaned. "would that i might live for thee! but for this day's deed i think that i may soon die. i will now go to the house of ben ezra and i will tell him what hath thus been accomplished for him and for her." even as he went his haste was hindered in a narrow street by a great procession which seemed to be one of rejoicing. maidens came first, with clashing of cymbals and with singing. behind them were other musicians not a few and many men and women. then walked lightly on a veiled one in bright robes that were adorned with jewels. attending her and following joyfully was the remainder of the procession. "wilt thou inform me what this may be?" asked ulric of one who stepped apart from the others for a moment. "o gladiator," replied the jew, "this is the wedding of my kinsman, ananias, the son of the money changer of the temple. he marrieth the greek proselyte, sapphira the beautiful, the freed woman and favorite of the wife of the procurator. she hath become a daughter of abraham. she now goeth to the house of the bridegroom to meet her husband. there also is to be the wedding feast." "i thank thee," said ulric, but he walked on muttering doubtfully: "sapphira? of the household of pontius the spearman? i remember well. that was the name of the beloved of lysias." chapter xxxix. the passover feast. "o jarl," exclaimed ben ezra as they stood together in the house, "would that thou also wert a son of abraham! but thou hast done a deed for which thou wilt be held to answer. o mighty man of valor, i fear that thy life is forfeited to the law." "thinkest thou, o my friend," replied ulric, "that there is now any more peril to miriam?" "not any," said ben ezra, "save that all dwellers upon the earth are ever in peril from the evil. every payment hath been made. her enemies are slain with the sword. she may dwell in peace for a season. but if harm cometh to thee----" "then," interrupted the jarl, "thou knowest that whatever of mine thou hast in thy keeping belongeth to miriam. see thou to that!" "before jehovah!" said ben ezra, "that will i do. the jewels and the gold are hers. but what doest thou now, seeing that the officer of the hinnom gate will report thee?" "i sleep this night," said ulric. "after that i purpose going to the temple to hear the words of this son of the gods from nazareth. i will speak to him concerning caius. as for this affair of the valley of hinnom, it is no secret, and i may not hide myself." "i also will hear the rabbi from galilee," said ben ezra. "yesterday he did boldly cleanse the temple of such as were there contrary to the law." the jarl listened in silence while the jew told him many things rapidly, but then he said: "he is brave. i would i had been with him. i will ask him if he needeth now a good sword. i will do as he shall command me." but now a servant of isaac came to summon ben ezra, and ulric was alone. "would that i might see miriam!" he murmured, slowly, and a delight spoke laughingly in the soft tone of his voice. "ulric, thy miriam is here! art thou in any peril? wilt thou not save thyself?" she stood at his side touching him, and his strong arms opened and he uttered a great cry, for she glided into them and they were closed around her. who shall hear or tell the words that are uttered at such a time, seeing that they are a thousandfold more than words? he who would strive to repeat them is a foolish one, as if he would echo the far-away music of a song in the night. "thou art safe!" he said at last. "that is enough for me. trouble not thy heart overmuch. only the gods may see that which cometh to us on the morrow. go thou to thy chamber and thank thy god for me, telling him that i will offer him a great offering and that henceforth he shall be my god also for this thing which he hath done for thee and me." so she departed as one who must, but who willeth not to go, and the night hours came upon all the city of jerusalem. now at an earlier hour of that day there had been standing in the private room of pontius the spearman a tall and stately matron attired in costly garments, and before her stood a youth whose face was full of great agony. "be thou silent!" she commanded. "this was my doing. questionest thou me? what is my freed woman unto such as thou art? thou hast naught to do with sapphira! speak not of the matter to the procurator! i do counsel thee well. thou art but a youth, o lysias, and in youth there is folly!" low bent his head and his bosom heaved with pain, but he was silent. the face of the matron was noble in shape, and not unkindly, but in it was great haughtiness, for the wife of the procurator was as a queen and no man might question her will. she looked now at the young greek, pitying him for a moment, and then she went from the room, saying no more, for the matter was ended, and he yet stood there alone. "all the gods have forgotten me," murmured lysias. "i will but make my report to the procurator and i will depart--i care not whither." even as he spoke the ruler of judea entered the room, striding as if in haste. "thou art here?" he said, and his face was red, as if in hot anger. "speak on, o greek! tell me of all thy doings, from the first to the last, beginning with cornelius at cæsarea." "o most noble pontius," said lysias, "from the centurion, this parchment, sealed. he gave me no words to utter." "i will read," said pontius, but the epistle may have been not only brief but troublesome, for his face darkened yet more angrily. "speak on!" he commanded, and his messenger told all, to the place where he had parted from tostig and the saxons upon the shore of the harbor of joppa. "more than this is already known to me," said pontius. "hast thou spoken at all of this matter?" "not to any ear but thine, my lord," said lysias. "i have been utterly prudent. even the master of the games cannot know concerning thy dealing with the secret messenger of herod." "thou knowest?" almost gasped the procurator. "very great is thy knowledge. thou hast done well in this affair. i will give thee now another errand. call unto me the sentinel in the outer corridor." quickly lysias went and returned, bringing with him one of the trusted legionaries of the palace guard who had been on duty. "take thou this youth," said pontius, "and lead him to the fifth chamber of the lower corridor. summon thou to that room one whom thou knowest. say to him that i will see him again without delay. then return thou to thy post." "follow!" said the soldier to lysias. "i am bidden to show thee a certain matter." lysias obeyed, but with a faintness coming coldly upon him, but as he went there was a sad thought weighing upon his heart. "o that i might but see her! did she indeed wed him of her own free will? my beloved! o my sapphira! o my beautiful one! i found thee but to lose thee!" there was a stairway, and at the bottom of that there was a long passage. it was gloomy and dingy as of a prison, with closed cages on either side. here, also, one shortly came and walked with them, a short, broad man in armor, who spoke not. lysias himself counted the doors. "the fifth," he said. "it is open." "enter!" commanded the soldier, but he followed not, and the short, dark man went in behind lysias. the door closed clanging, and then there was a silence save for the feet of the departing legionary and a sharp sound of a cry from that fifth chamber. a minute passed and then another, and the short, dark man came out alone. "the greek," he said, "hath accomplished the errand upon which the procurator sent him. but there is blood upon my hand, and i will wash well before i report to the spearman lest he inquire of me." at that hour there was joyous feasting at the house of the father of the jew ananias. the bridegroom welcomed his kindred and his friends and the red wine was plentiful. in the apartment of the women sat the bride arrayed in her jeweled robes. all the women who looked upon her praised her, wondering at her great beauty. they said that ananias had won the pearl, the pearl of pearls, the ruby of rubies, the rose of sharon and the lily of the valley. very joyful, also, was sapphira, for her triumph and her happiness had come to her; but there came a moment when she suddenly put her hand upon her bosom. "lysias!" she whispered. "did i hear him speak to me? again! it is gone! thank aphrodite and thank juno. it is better to be a wedded woman, a proselyte of the temple, than to be a bondwoman of the procurator." the days of the wedding feast were to be cut short by the coming of the passover, for only by express permission of the rabbis had the command of the wife of pontius been obeyed at such a time. it was well, they admitted, to change a law to obtain a proselyte from the household of the procurator. the next day, however, would not be altogether sacred, and the wedding feast might go on, but it might be extended no further lest there should be a grievous sin against the counting of days. when the next day came, therefore, all things belonging to it followed in their order. there was a great gathering in the court of the women in the temple, for here had come the prophet from galilee, and he was not only preaching, but healing also. in front of him where he stood there was seated upon the pavement a closely veiled one, whose head was bowed. it was as if she might also be praying silently. the sick and the maimed and the blind and many who were in tribulation came and stood by her for a moment to be touched by the rabbi and to make room for others to be healed in like manner. these fell away full of joy over that which had come to them, but the veiled one moved not, nor did several of the other women who were near. once only did she lift her head, drawing aside her veil, and her voice was low and sweet. "o master, what shall i ask of thee concerning ulric? canst thou do aught for him?" "be thou contented," he said. "he followeth me." he stooped and put his hand upon her head and turned away, for he was departing from that place to the court of the heathen. so she covered her face with her veil and left the temple. in the court of the heathen was a gathering that was dense for multitude, and here, also, were many who asked for healing. near to a pillar by the outer portico stood twain who had just arrived. "o caius," said one, "hast thou strength to stand upon thy feet for a little?" "hardly, o jarl," said the centurion. "but i am a roman. what part have i in this jew rabbi and his god?" "nay, but stand thou here," said ulric, "while i go and ask him." on pressed he through the crowd until he stood before the prophet of galilee. "o thou of the sons of the gods," he said, "wilt thou heal a roman, standing yonder, as thou hast healed me, who am a saxon? i pray thee have mercy upon him, for he is my friend." now he had thus interrupted men of dignities and learning who were standing there asking questions of jesus and gainsaying him, and these rebuked the jarl angrily. the reply of jesus was to them in words, but ulric fell back thinking within himself: "his face hath answered me. i know not what this is. i will have speech with him at another time. o that i may be with him in the day of the great battle!" slowly through the throng he went back to caius at the pillar against which he had been faintly leaning. "o caius," he said, "i did ask him. thou wilt yet speak to him for thyself." "jarl of the saxons," exclaimed caius, "i go now to my chariot. speak not. seest thou not that i am standing firmly? the pain of the hurt hath departed! but here came one with a commandment from the procurator bidding thee to his house with speed. delay not thy going, and deal with him as thou wouldst deal with me. i thank thee and i thank the rabbi. go!" "o gladiator, come thou in haste!" said one in the raiment of a bondservant who stood near. "the thing is important!" "tell him i come," said ulric. "wait not. i go not in thy company. but glad am i, o caius, my friend, if thou art healed of the poison." "that i know not," said caius; "but the burning ceaseth. return thou soon to me." "o most noble caius," said ulric, "i think this matter of the procurator is already known to me. if i see thee not again, may all be well with thee!" his countenance was bright and his step was firm and he turned away from caius, going toward the outer entrance of the court of the women. the distance was but short, and here under the portico waited the veiled one. "art thou here?" she said. "hast thou indeed seen him? i spoke to him concerning thee and he told me thou wouldst surely follow him." "i know not that," he said, "but lift thy veil, o miriam, that i may see thee--this last seeing. i go hence to death, but o that to thee might come life and joy forever!" her unveiled face before him was white with terror and with agony. "o my beloved, what sayest thou?" she exclaimed. "to thy death?" "i will wait for thee in valhalla," said the jarl. "i will have a fair house for thee in the city of asgard. there thou shalt live with me among the gods. i think this jesus of nazareth will also be there, for he is a son of god and he is my friend and thy friend. go thou to thy house. fare thee well!" strong and brave grew her face and her form was erect when she responded: "o my beloved, if thou art indeed going now to thy death, then will i also wait and i will come unto thee in thy high place, as thou hast said. from the prophet of galilee have i heard a new thing concerning those who die, that they have a better country than this and a better city to dwell in. i had not known----" "o miriam," said ulric, "it is not new to me. so say all the old sagas of the northland. this have i been taught by hilda from my childhood. she also will be there, and all my kindred, with thee and me." none saw, but a swift kiss fell upon her lips and then her veil was drawn, but ulric went from the portico joyously, exclaiming: "i care not now! she may bring me my ruby in the city of the gods, and i, the son of odin, will keep tryst with her whom i love. o pontius! o spearman! o procurator! i will show thee how little a saxon jarl careth for the edge of a sword." nevertheless, from that hour onward none saw the jarl, and two days went by. these were days of sorrow and of doubt for miriam, waiting lonely in the house of ben ezra. she indeed went forth veiled to listen to the preaching of the prophet of galilee, but ever her eyes were searching among the throngs of hearers for one who came not. "o that he might have heard these things also," she said within her heart. "did not ulric himself say that this is the captain who is also his king? how shall he now follow him into any battle? o that it might be!" so thought miriam, praying and weeping, and around her were many other women. "o weeping one," said one of these, "knowest thou not? the master himself hath said to us that he is to be crucified!" "crucified!" exclaimed miriam. "yea," said the other, "but that in three days he will arise from the dead and that then he will take the kingdom. it is a hard saying." "that the dead rise we do know," replied miriam, "but none hath ever seen them after their resurrection. i think this saying is like the words of my beloved concerning the city of the gods where i am to live with him. and he--o god of israel! where is he now and what hath befallen him?" the evening of that day was set apart for the feast of the passover. many were gathered to eat of it at the house of ben ezra, for the kinsfolk of isaac came also to partake of it. the scriptures were read and hymns and psalms were sung, and they communed sorrowfully concerning the present desolation of their people, the terrors of the herods, the oppression of the romans, and their fears of the things which were yet to come upon them. after this some of them slumbered, but not all. there were those who waked and watched, for through all the city had gone a saying of jesus of nazareth that he was the messiah, and that his kingdom was at hand. even the romans had heard of this saying, but pontius the spearman had laughed, for he thought of his forts and his legionaries and he troubled not his mind concerning some unarmed mob of jewish enthusiasts. chapter xl. "a little while." it was toward the morning of a new day that one came knocking loudly at the door of the house of ben ezra. "what wilt thou?" asked the porter, partly opening the door and looking forth. "tell thou to those who are within," was responded, "that the romans and the chief priests have taken the prophet of galilee by force. he is now at the palace of the procurator and a great multitude gathereth. i am a kinsman of isaac, the aged." several were within hearing and the message passed quickly throughout the house. there was then hurried girding of robes and putting on of sandals. "we will go forth," said ben ezra. "i would see what this thing meaneth. he hath done nothing for which he might be taken, either under the law of the jews or the law of the romans." some said one thing and some another, and so it was over the entire city, for great was the tumult which was arising in jerusalem. it was said that jesus had been arrested in the night upon the mount of olives, beyond the brook kidron, after he had eaten the passover in the city with his disciples. neither he nor they had fought save for a blow or two, and no man had been slain. jesus had been taken before the high priest and before herod, the tetrarch, and before the procurator, by whom he was now to be judged, the others not having due authority. the tetrarch was in the city at this season by reason of the passover, although it was known that he was at enmity with pontius the spearman. there were many rumors, nor was it easy to determine what report to believe, but when ben ezra and isaac and their company came to the palace of the procurator they saw a strange matter. outside of the palace was a place which was called the pavement, and to this, and not into the house, the strictest jews might advance and not become unclean, to be afterward unfitted for the passover worship in the temple. out of this place had been brought a throne chair of the procurator, and in it he now was seated for judgment, surrounded by armed legionaries and men of high degree, as if some matter of importance called for his decision. before him, as one who is accused of some crime and is awaiting decision, stood jesus of nazareth, but not as any had ever before seen him. he had been both stripped and scourged, and the soldiers of the procurator, besides beating and mocking him, had derisively arrayed him in a purple robe of royalty; but the crown which they had put upon his head was a torture crown, plaited of thorn-tree twigs. the procurator himself now spoke, not to the prisoner before him, but to the surging mob of jews upon the pavement and in the street. "behold the man!" he said. then arose an angry roar of many voices, among which the loudest words were: "crucify! crucify! crucify!" "take him yourselves and crucify him," said the procurator, "for i find no crime in him." then said one to ben ezra: "already he hath been tried and condemned before herod, the king. also he hath been well examined and scourged duly by the procurator. let him die!" there were many who responded in divers forms of speech to the utterance of the procurator, but a ruler among the jews shouted loudly: "we have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the son of god." when pontius heard that he arose and went into the palace for a little space, taking the prisoner with him. what further examination was made thus in private the multitude knew not, but when again the procurator came forth, having jesus brought also, he said to the jews: "which of these twain shall i release unto you, bar abbas, the robber, or jesus who is called the christ, the king of the jews?" but they all answered him with shouts of "bar abbas!" for among the rabble were many priests and scribes who were stirring them up to do this thing. other things were said, both by the procurator and the accusers, but it seemed that he would willingly have refrained from doing any further violence to this man. "behold your king!" he said, at last. "away with him! crucify! crucify!" came back the tumult of fierce voices. "shall i crucify your king?" he asked. "we have no king but cæsar," responded one, and another added: "if thou spare him, thou art no friend of cæsar." then a servant of the procurator brought out to him a basin of water, and in this he washed his hands, saying to them: "i am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. see ye to it." "his blood be upon us and upon our children!" roared the mob. then pontius reentered the palace and the soldiers led away the prisoner, for his crucifixion had been commanded, and there is never any great delay in the performance of a roman execution. "let us follow, o isaac," said ben ezra. in the shadow behind him stood miriam. "i also will follow with you," she said, "for jesus of nazareth is my king." within the palace shortly after this, and in the small chamber near the hall of judgment, stood twain who seemed to be having earnest words with one another. "o caius, my friend," said the procurator, gloomily, "am i not in a strait place this day? i have heard thee. gladly would i grant any request of thine, as thou knowest. i may not hear thee as to this king of the jews. as to thy gladiator, i would give him back to thee if it were possible, but his evil deeds are too many. without warrant or command he slew my slave dealer in the valley of hinnom. he slew the master of the games who was over him, and with him also three slaves and the jew merchant abbas. moreover, i have word from the proconsul of spain that saxon pirates under this ulric the jarl destroyed two of cæsar's triremes in the british seas. more things than these are justly charged to his account. what say est thou?" "thou art justified," said caius, reluctantly. "i may urge thee no more. but i would gladly have saved him. this matter of jesus of nazareth would indeed be brought against thee before cæsar. it is well for thee that thou art at peace with herod, the fox." "i did indeed strive to save the galilean rabbi," said pontius. "i will tell thee a thing. my own wife had a dream concerning him and she warned me not to condemn him as of myself. to me, also, he declared himself to be of the gods. i meddle not with them, for little do we know of the gods. but i have this to ask of thee, that thou wilt be my witness of this crucifixion, that i may truly know of whatever shall there occur." "that will i do!" exclaimed caius. "i also would see how he dieth, for i have heard many strange things. it would be a rare thing to see a god upon a cross. where, now, will be his kingdom and who shall do him reverence? i know not, surely, that it was indeed through him that i am healed of my hurt. so say a great many others who are cured. their evils have departed from them, they know not how. we do know that no man hath such power as this." "how did he deal with thee?" asked pontius. "not at all," replied the centurion. "i stood at a distance when he looked upon me, and i felt the blood changing in my veins. he did not touch me. how, then, was the healing?" "this is wonderful," said the procurator. "i will hear thee again about that matter. go, now, i pray thee. with him and with thy saxon there will also be crucified a strong rebel from the lebanon who was captured in judea. upon his hands is the blood of many. for this consent of thine i thank thee." during this time a long procession, accompanied and followed by a mixed and growing multitude, was passing slowly through the streets of jerusalem. at its head, although many marched on in advance, were a quaternion of legionaries and their officer. close by these were functionaries of the high priest and rulers of the jews, with zealous scribes and pharisees and officers from the household of herod, the tetrarch. next in the procession walked three who bore upon their shoulders heavy beams of wood. all three were suffering from the lacerations of the roman scourge, and one was so far weakened that he fell under his burden. "bring me hither that huge jew!" said the roman officer in command. "i bring him," quickly replied a soldier. "he saith that he is one simon of cyrene." "let him carry the cross for jesus of nazareth," said the officer. "we may not be delayed. scourge him forward!" so again the procession moved on toward the place of execution. upon the bosom of each of the condemned ones, to be afterward affixed over his head upon his wood of torment, swung a wooden tablet inscribed with his name and with his crime. of these tablets the first was written in latin only, and it told of the rebel of the lebanon. upon the second was written: "ulric, the saxon murderer." upon the third, a larger tablet, was inscribed, in latin and in greek and in hebrew: "this is jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews." of this rather than of the others the rabble shouted mockeries as they read, for here, they said, was a king upon his way to die as a common malefactor, and for him there was no salvation. silent was ulric the jarl, even when his eyes met those of caius of thessalonica, but the centurion drew near to him and said: "o jarl of the saxons, i did what i could, but it was beyond my power to rescue thee. thy sword hath fallen upon too many and thy condemnation is just." no answer made ulric, and the centurion turned away his horse. the gate had been passed and now the low hill of calvary, or golgotha, was at hand. the multitude grew as the rising tide of the sea, for all jerusalem was stirred by this affair and the prophet of galilee had friends as well as enemies, and many who came were weeping bitterly. "in a strange manner," thought the jarl, "have the valkyrias come for me and for him. where, now, is his father, that he hath thus deserted his son in such a place? are the romans more powerful than the gods? it is but little that we must die. shortly i shall be in valhalla, and i think hilda will come to meet me at some place that is appointed. there, also, i will wait for miriam until she shall come. i am glad that i have smitten down her enemies, giving my life for hers, and that i have made provision for her welfare." the summit of the hill was level, and here a space was kept clear that the multitude might not hinder by pressing. here were three holes in the earth already dug to receive the long timbers after the crosspieces and the victims should be spiked upon them. the raiment of the condemned was the execution fee of the roman soldiers, and there was a stripping done, but the tunic of jesus was gambled for by them because it was of one piece, to be spoiled by dividing. the three crosses now lay upon the sand and ulric looked earnestly upon them, for a strong and sudden memory came into his mind. "the token of hilda!" he exclaimed, but in a whisper, hoarse with pain. "these are but as the runes that she showed me upon the sandy beach of the north coast before i sailed thence in _the sword_. now know i that my voyage is ended, and i die, as she said, by the hands of the soldiers of cæsar. but i had not thought of such a death as this!" first of all did the soldiers seize rudely upon jesus, scoffing at him, and terrible was the swiftly performed work of the driving of the spikes, but there was not heard by any a cry of pain. "brave is he!" thought ulric. "i also will hold my peace." firm, also, was the courage of the rebel jew from the lebanon, and the multitude wondered greatly at the fortitude of these who suffered this horror silently. one by one did the soldiers and their helpers lift the crosses, fixing them firmly in the earth, and a loud shouting of the rabble arose at the lifting, but there was also weeping and wailing and beating of breasts among the multitude. at the foot of the cross of jesus now knelt women and men to whom he spoke, and he also uttered words to some who were not so near. in front of the cross whereon the jarl was nailed there came for a moment a veiled one, putting aside her veil and gazing wistfully into his face. "o my beloved, thou!" she exclaimed. "miriam! loved one!" he groaned, being in great agony, "tarry not here! look not upon me! thine eyes are more than i may bear! go to thy house!" her lips parted and she strove to speak, but a great tremor shook her, and no voice came from her lips except a low, hard cry, having in it what seemed the name of her god. then turned she away and she had fallen but that the arm of ben ezra went quickly around her, and he compelled her to go away a little space that she might kneel and wait. time passeth slowly to one who hangeth upon a cross, desiring the coming of the end. the sun beat down hotly. the multitude came and went, and all the open space, to the highway and beyond, was a dense throng. "i heard him," thought ulric. "he hath spoken to his father more than once. if i speak to the gods, are they now near enough to hear me? i think not; but i shall see them shortly." the man upon the third cross turned now in his writhing and he said to jesus: "art not thou the christ? save thyself and us!" jesus answered not, but the jarl cried out: "dost not thou fear god, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? and we, indeed, justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done nothing amiss." then he said to the christ: "jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom!" unto him did jesus make answer: "verily i say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with me in the garden." then followed a stillness, but the jarl thought of the word which was given him. "i knew not of this garden. there it is that i am to be with him and with the gods. there, also, i shall see hilda, and miriam will dwell with me in the garden. it is enough! i am content!" great was the cruelty of the jews and of the rabble, and the hatred of some for jesus was exhibited in mocking speeches. it was as if they took pleasure in the tokens of his sufferings. it was now afternoon, and for some time jesus had been silent, but suddenly and with a loud voice he cried out: "my god! my god! why hast thou forsaken me?" to that utterance the jews replied in a manner which ulric did not understand, but again jesus cried out, saying: "i thirst!" a horrible thirst cometh upon those who are crucified, and a drink of vinegar and myrrh with other bitterness is always provided for them by some who are merciful. one ran and took a sponge, soaking it with this provision, and lifted it upon a reed to the lips which were burning. at that moment jesus uttered an exceedingly great voice of pain, and instantly it was seen that his soul had departed from his body. he was dead. "would that i were as he!" thought the jarl, "that i might be free of this agony and pass on to valhalla and into this garden to which jesus hath gone before me!" the multitude were not gazing as before upon these who were crucified, for now the light of the sun was withdrawn and a great gloom was over all things. the earth quaked under their feet. great rocks were rended. fear fell upon men and women, and with one accord they fled away toward the city, beating their breasts and mourning. caius of thessalonica stood watching these things, and other romans with him. "certainly," he exclaimed, "this was a righteous man. truly this was the son of god!" but the jews had taken thought beforehand for yet another matter. the next day would be their sabbath, a holy day, and by their law it was not well for one to be left upon a cross over the sabbath. therefore they had obtained from the procurator an order that the deaths of these three might be hastened by the breaking of their bones. for this business came soldiers with clubs, but they struck not any limb of jesus, who was already dead. "i have no mark of a spear," thought ulric. "it is not well. i die without any wound except of these spikes." near to him then were these soldiers, but he saw one of them thrust a pilum blade into the side of jesus, making a wound from which poured both blood and water. quickly, now, came merciful relief to the two others, for the soldiers made an end. afterward were all the bodies taken down from the crosses, as was required by the law of the religion of the jews, and the friends of any man were permitted to do their will concerning him. the sun had long since set, and the darkness was over the earth, when a little company of men and women entered the door of the house of ben ezra. "o miriam, my daughter," said isaac, the aged, when they were within, "thou mayest mourn, but be thou comforted. we have buried him in my own tomb. and didst thou not hear what was said to him by jesus of nazareth? in him do i now believe. he is god!" "o my beloved!" wailed miriam, and she said no more for weeping. "miriam," continued ben ezra, "i also believe; trust thou, concerning thy husband, that it is well with him!" "ye are my friends," said miriam. "i heard the saying, faintly and far. they are at this hour in the garden, do you say? but i am here and i am alone, for my love hath been taken from me. nevertheless, i will be patient. it is but for a little while; a little while!" the end. books of travel and adventure. by egerton r. young. =winter adventures of three boys in the great lone land.= crown vo, gilt edges. eighteen full page illustrations, s. d. =summer adventures of three boys in the wild north land.= third thousand. twenty-eight full page illustrations. crown vo gilt edges, s. d. =by canoe and dog train among the cree and salteaux indians.= twentieth thousand. with photographic portraits of the rev. e. r. young and mrs. young. map, and thirty-two illustrations, s. d. "young and old will read this amazing story with delight. his heroic journeys through the snow are described in a way that will secure the attention of all."--_sword and trowel._ "one of the most thrilling narratives of missionary life and adventure ever published."--_birmingham daily gazette._ =stories from indian wigwams and northern camp fires.= ninth thousand. forty-three illustrations. imperial mo, s. d. "i regard it as one of the most fascinating, instructive, and stimulating of modern missionary books."--dr. arthur t. pierson. =oowikapun;= or, how the gospel reached the nelson river indians. fourth thousand. illustrated. imperial mo, s. d. "another stirring and delightful volume by the rev. e. r. young. it has all the delightful and entertaining features of the best fiction."--_lincolnshire free press._ "it abounds in fine descriptions of indian life, with its superstitions, customs, modes of travelling, conflicts with wild beasts, and other thrilling adventures, which will be read with almost breathless excitement."--_leeds mercury._ books of travel, adventure, and history. =across three oceans and through many lands with pen and camera.= by fred. reynolds. second thousand. imperial mo. illustrations, chiefly from photographs. with portrait. _s._ _d._ "mr. reynolds has produced a bright and chatty volume, and gives an interesting account of each place visited."--_methodist recorder._ "a capital book of travel, well suited as a present for the young. the pictures are a feature of the book; the narrative is bright and chatty."--_the scotsman._ =across siberia on the great post road.= by charles wenyon, m.d. with portrait, map, and twenty-seven illustrations. third thousand. imperial mo, _s._ _d._ "one of the pleasantest books of travel we have read for some time. one lays it down with the feeling of parting from a congenial fellow-traveller on a long and memorable journey."--_sheffield independent._ =two men of devon in ceylon.= a story of east and west. by s. langdon, author of "my mission garden," etc. ten illustrations. imperial mo, _s._ _d._ "an unusually fine historical romance."--_the christian endeavour._ "the story is exceedingly well told, and is both interesting and instructive."--_glasgow herald._ "an interesting and instructive romance."--_christian leader._ =a south australian romance.= how a colony was founded and a methodist church formed. by rev. john blackett, south australia. crown vo, illustrated. _s._ =kenooshao.= a red indian tragedy. by rev. george barnley, formerly missionary in the hudson bay territory. crown vo, illustrated, _s._ =rambles in bible lands.= by the rev. richard newton, d.d. seventy illustrations. imperial mo, _s._ _d._ "an admirable book."--_methodist recorder._ "from the juvenile standpoint we can speak in hearty commendation of it."--_literary world._ =our indian empire: its rise and growth.= by the rev. j. s. banks, author of "martin luther, the prophet of germany," etc., etc. thirty-five illustrations, and a map. imperial mo, _s._ _d._ "the imagination of the young will be fired by its stirring stories of english victories, and it will do much to make history popular."--_daily chronicle._ "a well-condensed and sensibly-written popular narrative of anglo-indian history."--_daily news._ =our sea-girt isle.= english scenes and scenery delineated. by rev. j. marrat. illustrations, and map. revised and enlarged edition. imperial mo, _s._ _d._ "a very pleasant companion."--_daily telegraph._ "bright and pleasant, full of information and good feeling."--_literary world._ "an unusually readable and attractive book."--_christian age._ pictures of methodist life. lancashire stories by john ackworth. =doxie dent.= a clog shop chronicle. crown vo, illustrated, art linen, gilt top, _s._ _d._ (_new volume._) =beckside lights.= fifth thousand. crown vo, art linen, gilt top, _s._ _d._ "his touch is almost as perfect as mr. barrie's, and he has to the full the art of presenting his characters in such wise as to leave us with the impression that we have been on intimate terms with living men and women.... we heartily commend this volume to lovers of real life as presented by an artistic temperament."--_daily chronicle._ =clog shop chronicles.= tenth thousand. crown vo, art linen, gilt top, _s._ _d._ "mr. ackworth has achieved here a distinct success.... the author knows his way to the common human heart. his humour, his pathos, and his at times broad comedy, steeped as they are in the ennobling element of religious faith and love, make us laugh and cry by turns, while they keep us voraciously reading to the end.... there is, in fact, not a story in the book which does not leave us hungering for more."--_christian world._ =the scowcroft critics.= fifth thousand. crown vo, art linen, gilt top, _s._ _d._ cornish sketches. =where the tamarisk blooms.= by rev. james dunk. crown vo, art linen, gilt top, _s._ _d._ "drawn with a vividness and subtle charm that must appeal to all who love to study the poetry of human nature. mr. dunk is a master in the art of expression. each tale is a poem in prose, and his knowledge of the heart and mind of the cornish methodist is profound, while his originality and grace of expression are of a high order."--_birmingham daily gazette._ sketches of lincolnshire life and character. =kittie lonsdale,= =and some rumsby folk.= by e. m. bryant. crown vo, art linen, gilt top, _s._ _d._ "presented with a vividness and tender sympathy that appeal strongly to those who have any knowledge of the reality of the religious life of the village methodists of the past generation. homely, kindly, saturated with a belief in the vitality of religion, these simple folk live and move in a lifelike way. humour and pathos alternate with strong religious feeling and simple narrative."--_sheffield and rotherham independent._ charles h. kelly, , castle street, city road, e.c.; and , paternoster row, e.c. transcriber's note: italics are indicated by _underscores_. bolds are indicated by =equal signs=. small capitals have been rendered in full capitals. a number of minor spelling errors have been corrected without note. transcriber's note: minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed. words printed in italics are noted with underscores: _italics_. [illustration: "it was rolf in his weapons"] the story of rolf and the viking's bow by allen french author of "the junior cup," "sir marrok," etc. illustrated by bernard j. rosenmeyer boston little, brown, and company _copyright, _, by little, brown, and company. _all rights reserved_ the university press, cambridge, u.s.a. to my brother hollis french preface from thirty to sixty years ago appeared the greater number of the english translations of the icelandic sagas. since then the reading of these heroic tales has so completely gone out of style that their names are rarely mentioned in schools or even colleges. what boy feels his blood stir at the mention of grettir? how many lovers of good reading know that the most human of all epics lie untouched on the shelves of the public libraries? the wisdom of njal, the chivalry of gunnar, the villainy of mord, the manhood of kari, the savagery of viga-glum, the craft of snorri, and the fine qualities of biarni, of biorn, of skarphedinn, of illugi, of kolskegg, of hrut, of blundketil--all these are forgotten in the curious turn of taste which has made the stories of a wonderful people almost a lost literature. for the icelanders were a wonderful people. to escape the tyranny of kings they settled a new land, and there built up the laws and customs in which we see the promise of modern civilization. few early peoples had such a body of laws; few developed such manhood. no better pictures of a law-abiding, rural, and yet valiant race have ever been made than in the tales which the icelanders had the skill to weave about their heroes, those men who, at home in their island, or so far abroad as constantinople, made the name of icelander respected. we read of these men and this people in stories which, somewhat too "old" for boys and girls, reveal the laws, customs, habits of a thousand years ago. the njal's saga, the grettir's saga, the ere-dwellers' saga, and the gisli's saga are perhaps the greatest of those which have been translated. they are reinforced by such shorter pieces as hen thorir's saga, and the stories of the banded men, the heath-slayings, hraffnkell frey's priest, and howard the halt. the spirit of those days is particularly well given in that wonderful fragment of thorstein staffsmitten which (not being part of any complete saga) has been drawn upon for the closing incidents of the present story. many other such incidents are preserved, a reference to one of which (in a footnote to--i think--the ere-dwellers' saga) gave the suggestion for the main plot of this book. at the same time, in contemporary writings, we may read of the life of other divisions of the scandinavian race; the story nearest to this book is the orkneyingers' saga. the main interest of all these tales is the same: they tell of real men and women in real circumstances, and show them human in spite of the legends which have grown about them. the sagas reveal the characteristics of our branch of the aryan race, especially the personal courage which is so superior to that of the greek and latin races, and which makes the teutonic epics (whether the niebelungen lied, the morte darthur, or the njala) much more inspiring than the iliad, the odyssey, or the aeneid. the prominence of law in almost every one of the icelandic sagas has been preserved in the following story; and the conditions of life, whether at home or abroad, have been described as closely as was possible within the limits of the simple narrative form which the sagas customarily employed. allen french. concord, massachusetts, _may, _. table of contents chapter page i. of the lighting of the beacon ii. of the soursops, and the curse which hung on them iii. kiartan at cragness iv. of einar and ondott v. the summoning of hiarandi vi. of what hiarandi should do vii. how hiarandi received the lesser outlawry viii. of schemings ix. of the outcome of ondott's plottings x. how rolf named witnesses for the death of hiarandi xi. of rolf's search for one to surpass him with the bow xii. of the trial of skill at tongue xiii. of that robber xiv. how rolf and einar summoned each other xv. of suits at the althing xvi. the act of distress xvii. rolf and frodi fare abroad xviii. how those two came into thraldom xix. now men are shipwrecked xx. how rolf won his freedom xxi. how rolf won the viking's bow xxii. now kiartan returns xxiii. of the coming of earl thorfinn xxiv. now rolf and grani quarrel xxv. here rolf comes to cragness xxvi. of grani's pride xxvii. odd doings at cragness xxviii. of that harvest feast xxix. of the trial of grani's pride xxx. of the saying of those two words list of illustrations "it was rolf in his weapons" _frontispiece_ "'now einar dies if my father is hurt'" _page_ "so tall was she that the vikings could not board her" " "there he sat as if he were still alive, but there was no sight in his eyes" " "grani took his sword and his shield, and they stood up to fight by the spring" " the story of rolf chapter i of the lighting of the beacon in the time after iceland had become christian, and after the burning of njal, but before the deaths of snorri the priest and grettir the outlaw, there lived at cragness above broadfirth a man named hiarandi, called the unlucky. and well was he so named, for he got a poor inheritance from his father, but he left a poorer to his son. now the farm of cragness was a fertile fell, standing above the land round about, and girt with crags. below lay broadfirth, great and wide, and cragness jutted out into it, a danger to ships. it had no harbor, but a little cove among the rocks, where hiarandi kept his boat; and many ships were wrecked on the headland, bringing fortune to the owners of cragness, both in goods and firewood. and all the land about once belonged to the farm. rich, therefore, would have been the dwellers at cragness, but for the doings of hiarandi's father. he would always be striving at the law, and he was of ill judgment or ill luck, for what he gained at the farm he always lost. the older he grew, the more quarrelsome he became; and judgments heaped heavy on him, until at last he was so hard put that he must sell all his outlying lands. so the farm, from a wide estate, became only the land of cragness itself, and another holding of a few acres, lying inland on the uplands, within sight of cragness and the sea. in the time when hiarandi was young, iceland was still heathen. he sought his fortune in a trading voyage, and sailed west-over-the-sea, trading in the south isles as a chapman, trafficking in goods of all kinds. and he made money there, so that at last when he sailed again for home he counted on a fair future. but the ship was wrecked in a storm, and few of the men came ashore; and hiarandi himself was saved by means of a maid who dwelt at the place, who dragged him from the surf. so hiarandi came home on foot, his clothes in tatters, having lost money rather than gained it. then his father, whose losses pressed heavy on him, struggled no more with the world, but went to his bed and died. and in that summer when all iceland took to the new faith, hiarandi became master at cragness. hiarandi was a silent man, not neighborly, but hard-working. an unworldly choice he made of a wife, for he took that woman who had saved him from the waves; she was the daughter of a small farmer and brought neither dowry nor kinship of any power. so men said that hiarandi had no wish to rise in the world. he lived upon his farm, with two thralls and a bondservant; and husbanding his goods well, by little and little he made money which he put out at call, and so bade fair to do better than his father, for all his poor start in life. and a loving spouse he had in asdis, his wife, who one day bore him a son. they named the lad rolf, and he grew to be well knit; he was not powerful, but straight and supple, and of great craft in his hands. and from delight in the boy hiarandi changed his ways, and became more gay, going to fairs and meetings for the sake of rolf. and hiarandi taught the lad all he knew of weapon-craft, which was not a little. the lad was swift of foot; he was skilled in the use of the sword and javelin, but most he delighted in the use of the bow. and that was natural, for upon the cliffs sea-birds lived in thousands, hard to catch. the boy went down to their nests with ropes, and took eggs in their season, or the young before they could fly, and both for food. so skilled was he in this that he was called craggeir, the cragsman; and no man could surpass him, whether in daring or skill. but there were times when there were no eggs nor fledglings, and from his earliest boyhood rolf practised in shooting with his bow at the birds, and he kept the larder ever full. happy was hiarandi watching his son, and his pride in him was great. as the lad grew stronger, the father made for him stronger bows and heavier arrows, until at the age of fourteen rolf used the bow of a man. then one winter they went down together into the valley, father and son, and watched the sports and games on the frozen mere. there the men of the place played at ball, and great was the laughter or deep was the feeling. now hiarandi would not let rolf play, for often matters came to blows, and he would not have his son maimed. but when it came to shooting with the bow, hiarandi put rolf forward, and it was seen who was the best at that play. for though the men shot, rolf surpassed them all, not in distance but in skill. he hit the smallest mark at the greatest distance; and when hiarandi brought a pigeon and freed it, then rolf brought it down. no one there had seen such shooting. then those who were not envious named the lad rolf the bowman. but a man named einar stood by, and he lived on the land which hiarandi's father had sold. he was rich but covetous, and fond of show, and fond of praise. there lived with him one named ondott, an eastfirther who had left his district and come west, a man without property. he stood with einar and watched the games. "see," said einar, "how proud is hiarandi of his son!" "thou hast a son as well," said ondott. "how he will shine among these churls when he returns from his fostering in the south isles!" "aye," answered einar. "like an earl will he be, and no farmer of these parts will compare with him." "and as for the shooting of this lad," remarked ondott, "it is not so fine after all." "in the orkneys," said einar aloud, so that others should hear him, "they are better bowmen than here, and the earl will have my son taught everything." now some who stood by brought hiarandi this tale. "have a care," said they. "thy neighbor einar sets himself above thee." "then he must set himself high," answered hiarandi with a laugh, "for his land lies far lower than mine." then others carried that tale to einar, and he laid it up in his mind; but hiarandi forgot all that had been said, nor did he remember to tell of it to asdis when they had returned from the games. then the winter passed on with severe storms, and ships were wrecked on cragness rocks, but no men reached shore. and einar envied the more the riches that came to hiarandi from the wrecks, in firewood, timber, and merchandise. and once a whale came ashore, and that was great fortune. but one evening, as those at cragness sat within the hall, asdis came and stood beside her husband, and said, "listen to the wind." "there is no need to listen," said hiarandi. "the wind howls for a storm, and this night will be bad." then thurid the bondservant, who sat by the fire, looked up and said, "ships are off the land." "hearest thou that?" asked asdis in a low voice. "the woman is strange, but she forecasts well." "aye," answered hiarandi, "it is likely that ships will be on the rocks by morning. "now," asked asdis, "dost thou remember the time thou camest ashore, these many years ago?" "how should i forget it?" responded hiarandi. "but no one can rush into the water here," said asdis, "to save those who are wrecked." "that is true," quoth hiarandi. "i am sorry for the mariners, yet how is one to help?" then the bondservant raised her head and sang this song: "the sea brings money; money is bonny. bless then the sea which brings good to thee." after that she sat silent and sunken as before. "hear the hag," said asdis, shuddering. "but we prosper through the misfortunes of others." "what is to be done?" asked hiarandi. "it is in my mind," said asdis, "that if we made a fire-beacon, people could steer from shore and so into safe harbor farther up the firth." "now," quoth hiarandi, "that might be done." "wilt thou do it?" asked asdis. then the woman raised her head and sang again: "he is a fool who leaves old rule. set heart 'gainst head. how then butter thy bread?" then hiarandi said to asdis: "no man has ever yet set beacons against shipwreck. all men agree to take the fortune of the sea; and what is cast on a man's beaches, that is his by old custom." "thinkest thou that is right?" asked asdis. "moreover," went on hiarandi, "the sea is but giving me again what it took away." "never can the sea," answered asdis, "give thee true happiness through other men's misfortunes." "remember the boy," said hiarandi. "shall i leave him with nothing to begin the world with? for my own earnings bring me at most a mark of silver in the year." "for all that," replied asdis, "it is in my mind that to do otherwise were to do better. now canst thou have the heart that men should die longer on our rocks, and we not do our best to save them?" then hiarandi, answering nothing, rose and paced up and down before the fire. and the carline sang once more: "take what is given. no man is wise who asketh twice if earth or heaven sends him his prize." but asdis stood upright, and she sang: "suffer not wrong to happen long, lest punishment from heaven be sent." now in iceland all men loved the singing of skalds; but though hiarandi had heard the carline sing many times before, never had he heard rhymes from his wife. so he stood astonished. then the bondservant sang again: "ill will attend the beacon's lighting. bad spirit's guiding will bring false friend." but asdis sang with great vehemence: "let god decide what fate shall ride upon the wind. be thou not blind to duty's hest. my rede is best. list to the storm! go! save from harm the mariner whose fate is near. to others do as i did once to you." and it seemed to hiarandi as if she commanded him. moreover, as he listened, the storm roared louder. then he seized his cloak, and cried to his thralls, "up, and out with me to make a beacon!" though they dared not disobey, they grumbled, and they got their cloaks slowly. for they saw slipping away from them the fine pickings from the wreck, which brought them warm clothes and handsome. out they went with hiarandi into the storm, and kindled a great fire at the edge of the cliff. and rolf toiled too; but asdis did best of all, for she brought out in a kettle great strips of whale's blubber, and flung them on the fire. then the flames flared high and wide, as bright as day. and rolf sprang to the edge of the cliffs and gazed upon the water. then, pointing, he cried, "look!" down below was a ship; its sail flapped in rags, and the crew were laboring mightily at the oars to save themselves, looking with dread at the white breakers and the looming rocks. now in the strength of their fear they held the vessel where she was; and by the broad light of the fire every man of them was visible to the cragness-dwellers. to rolf that was a dreadful sight. but the bit of a sail was set, and men ran to the steering-oar to hold the vessel stiff; and behold, she moved forward, staggered past the rocks, made clearer water, and wore slowly out into the firth. even the thralls shouted at the sight. then hiarandi left one of the thralls to keep the fire, and went back to the hall with those others. there the carline still sat. "so he is safe past the rocks?" she asked, yet speaking as if she knew. "aye, safe," answered hiarandi. "now," said she, "thou hast brought thy evil fortune on thyself, and it will be hard to avoid the extreme of it." "i care not," answered hiarandi, "even though i suffer for a good deed." "nevertheless," said the carline, "the future may be safe, though without riches, if thou wilt be guided by me. wilt thou follow my redes?" "no advices of thine do i follow," replied hiarandi. "for methinks thou still servest the old gods, and canst work witchcraft. speak no more of this matter in my house; and practise not thy sorcery before my eyes, for the law gives death as punishment." "now," answered the woman, "like a foolish man, thou rushest on thy fate. and i see clearly that thou art not he who was spoken of in the prophecy. not a fortunate soursop art thou." "since the slaying of kol, who put the curse on all our stock," answered hiarandi, "has but one of the soursops prospered. how then should i be fortunate?" "two were to prosper," the woman replied. "and each was to put an end to the curse in his branch of thy race. snorri the priest is one of those two, as all men know. but thou art not the other; and i believe that thou art doomed to fail, even as thy father was." "so i have long believed," said hiarandi calmly. then the carline rose, and her eyes were strange, as if they saw beyond that upon which she looked. "more misfortune is coming than thou deemest," she said. "outlawry. mayhap even death. be warned!" "thou art a heathen and a witch," said her master. "be still!" but she said: "i will not abide the curse. hiarandi, i have worked long in thy house. give me now my freedom and let me go." "thou hast long been free to go," he replied. "take thy croaking to another man's board! but this little prophecy i give to thee, that no man will believe thine ill-speaking." "no great foresight hast thou in that," she answered. "never have i been believed." then she drew on her cloak and hooded her face. "thou wilt not go in the storm?" asked asdis. "all times are alike," the woman said. "heed thou this, hiarandi. beware the man who came in the ship thou didst save!" "he is one," answered hiarandi, "whom i fear not at all." "beware suits at law," said the carline again, and she turned to go. "it needs no great wisdom to say that," retorted hiarandi upon her. "but stay! i send not people from my door penniless. nothing is owing from me to thee, yet i will give a piece of money." "soon," answered thurid, "thou wilt need all thou hast." and she went out into the night. chapter ii of the soursops, and the curse which hung on them of those things which had been said, rolf heard all, yet he had not spoken. now he drew near to his father, and said to him: "explain to me, father, the things of which the woman spoke. what is the curse upon us, and can such a thing be true?" then hiarandi answered: "thou knowest we are of the soursops, who got their name when they sopped with sour whey the fire which was kindled to burn them in their house. now gisli, the first of us, slew kol, his wife's foster-father, for the sake of his sword graysteel, and kol laid the curse of misfortune on us. slayings arose by means of that sword; there came the outlawing of gisli, the grandson of the first gisli, and death fell in most branches of the house. fourteen years gisli was outlaw, even as has been, to this year, grettir the strong, who is the great outlaw of our day. but gisli was slain, and his brother, while his sister died. son of that sister is snorri the priest, who alone of us has prospered; for though no slayings have ever happened in our branch, unlucky are we all, as is plain to see." "i have often wondered," said rolf, "how it is that we live here in this great hall and have but us three and the servants to fill it. there are places for seven fires down the middle of the hall, yet we use but one. and all the benches were once used, since they are worn: seats for fifty men, and the women's seats besides." "once," said hiarandi, "my father had so many on his farm that nightly the hall was full. but those serving-men are einar's now, and all our riches have passed away to him. yet this house is the finest in all these parts. i was at the building of it in my youth, and" (here he made sure that the thrall was not listening) "i myself made the secret panels by which we can escape in case of burning. for since that burning so long ago, no soursop builds himself a house in which men may trap him." "but thou hast no enemies, father?" asked the lad. "no enemies, i hope," answered hiarandi, "but few friends, i am sure, since only frodi the smith, my mother's cousin, is of our kin; for i count not snorri the priest." "but why not snorri the priest?" asked rolf. "my father," answered hiarandi, "quarrelled with him and called him coward. for snorri would not take up at arms a suit my father lost at law." then rolf thought awhile. all men knew of snorri the priest, who was no temple priest at all but a priest of the law. for the title had come down from heathen times, when leaders had sway over all matters, both in religion and law, and to be priest was to be chieftain. but usage and the new religion changed that by degrees; so that to be priest now meant to be a giver of the law, with a seat at the quarter courts and at the althing, the great yearly gathering to which from all iceland men went to settle suits. and snorri the priest was well known as the richest man in broadfirth dales, the shrewdest and wisest in all things worldly, and a master at the law. "it would be well," said the lad, "to have snorri on our side." "it is better," said asdis, "never to go to the law. lawsuits and quarrels are bad things, and they bring a man's fortune to naught." and hiarandi added, "by law we have ever suffered." then rolf was silent, and thought of what had been said: how the old woman had prophesied trouble at the law, and by what man that trouble should come. and as he thought upon the words she and his father had spoken, he thought that they had spoken with knowledge, though of different kinds: for while the woman prophesied vaguely, his father had seemed to know who the man should be. "father," asked rolf, "knowest thou who the man is that came upon the ship?" "i know," answered hiarandi. asdis asked: "who then is he?" hiarandi said: "saw ye upon the ship, as it lay below us, the faces of any of the men?" "aye," answered they both, "for it was as clear as day." "saw ye then," asked hiarandi, "one who stood by the mast, a tall man with a great beard?" "i saw him," answered rolf. "he stood and held by a rope and the mast, and i thought he should be the captain; but he gave no commands, nor did any man heed him, for all worked of themselves." "yet, as i guess," said hiarandi, "the captain was he, and he was the man of whom the carline spoke." "who is he, then?" asked the boy. "listen," said hiarandi, "and i will tell thee of one in my family of whom i have never yet spoken. there were two of us when i was a lad, brothers; and the other was named kiartan. he was younger than i by a year, and different in all his ways; yet i have often thought that my father had not enough patience with him. for he sent him to bad companions rather than weaned him from them, and at last he drove him from the house altogether. then kiartan took to the sea--he was not bad, remember, but weak perhaps and foolish--took to the sea, and we saw him not for years. once only he came back, out at elbow, and asked my father for money. money he got, but gave the promise to ask nothing from the inheritance; and this was handselled before witnesses, my father giving much, the rest to come to me. then kiartan went away again, and not until this night have i seen him. but if that was his ship, then he has prospered." "yet it was he the woman meant?" asked rolf. "who else?" returned his father. "how should he," asked the boy, "bring trouble on thee?" "i see not," answered hiarandi, "how he should bring either evil or good." then he closed his mouth and became thoughtful, in a manner he had. asdis motioned rolf to be silent, and nothing more was said in the matter. chapter iii kiartan at cragness on the morning of the fifth day thereafter, as rolf stood by the gate of the enclosure which protected the farm buildings, he saw a man coming on a horse, and knew him for his father's brother kiartan. he was a big man, heavily bearded, dressed in bright-colored clothes and hung about with gold chains. his eye was bright and roving; his face was genial, and he looked about him as he came as one who is well contented. yet rolf liked him not. now kiartan rode up to the enclosure and saw the boy. "ho!" he cried, "come hold my horse and stable him." so rolf took the horse by the bridle and held him while the man dismounted. then the boy started to lead the beast to the stable. "where is thy mistress?" asked kiartan. "my mother is in the house," answered rolf. "now," kiartan cried, "i took thee for a stable-boy. but thy father had ever a love of the earth, and so perhaps hast thou. knowest thou me?" "thou art my uncle," replied the lad. "now," cried kiartan, staring, "what spirit told thee of me?" "five nights ago," answered rolf, "thou stoodst below on the deck of thy ship, and lookedst up at cragness. and our beacon saved thee." "aye," said kiartan. "we had work to save our lives, and a close miss we made of the tusks." but he never gave a word of thanks, either to rolf or to hiarandi, for the saving of his life. "thou art wise to stay at home, boy; for see how a sailor's life hangs ever on a thread. now stable the horse, and i will see thy mother. the farmer is likely in the field." so rolf stabled the horse, and called his father from his work; and hiarandi came, muttering (though he meant not that rolf should hear), "poor steel comes often home for a new edge." but he greeted his brother well, and bade him stay with them for the winter. "even for that am i come," answered kiartan. "for my cargo is already sold, and my ship laid up for the winter near hvamm, and i come home to my kinsman. no poor penny am i this time, to need any man's help. perhaps," and he looked about him, "i can even help thee." but the buildings were neat and weather-tight, and the farm was in no need of improvement. "i need nothing," said hiarandi, "and i even have money out at call there in the neighborhood where thy ship is laid. but come, the wife prepares the meal. lay aside thy cloak and be at home." and so kiartan entered on his wintering at cragness. quiet is the winter in iceland, when men have no work to do in the field, save the watching of horses and the feeding of the sheep and kine. weatherwise must a man be to prepare against the storms, which sweep with suddenness from off the water and enfold the land with snow. yet hiarandi's flocks were small, and his sheep-range was not wide, and both he and rolf were keen to see the changes in the weather; and as for their horses, they stayed ever near the buildings. so all were free to go to the gatherings which men made for games and ball-play, in times of fair weather. thither kiartan loved to go, dressed in his fine clothes, and talking much. but nights when he sat at home he would speak of his travels, and what a fine place the world was, and how little there was for a man here in iceland. he said it was nothing to be a farmer, but a great thing to rove the sea, and to live, not in this land where all were equal, but where there were kings, earls, and other great men. once as he spoke thus he provoked hiarandi to words. "meseems, brother," the farmer said, "that thou hast forgotten the way our forefathers thought. for it was to avoid kings and earls that they left their lands in norway and came over the sea hither. and those whom thou prizest so high are so little thought of here that we make nothing of them whatever." "now," answered kiartan, "thy neighbor einar thinks well of earls, for he has fostered his son with the earl of the orkneys." "the lad will understand little of our ways when he returns," replied hiarandi. "for all that," kiartan said, "i name the son of einar luckier than thy son here. a great court is held in the orkneys, and all matters are to be learned there." then hiarandi made response: "no court can teach good sense to a dolt, and no wisdom will flourish unless there be good ground for it to sprout. i have seen wise men bred in this little land, and fools that came out of norway." then kiartan talked not so much before hiarandi of the things he had seen, nor for a time before rolf either. but when there came again the great winter ball-play, to which all went, and rolf shot again with the bow before them all, and proved himself the most skilful, though not yet the strongest: after that kiartan made more of the lad. "men," said he to rolf one day when they were alone, "may be able to shoot farther than thou with the bow, for two did it. but none shot so surely. and some day thou wilt outshoot them as well." "i think not much of it," answered rolf. "now," said kiartan, "thou shouldst learn to prize thyself higher. for in the orkneys good archers are welcome in the earl's body-guard, and a man is honored and well paid." "yet he is no longer his own man," answered rolf. "what of that?" asked kiartan. "if for a few years he can see the world, and make his fortune also, then he is forever after a greater man at home. think more of thyself!" and at other times he spoke in the same strain, bidding rolf value himself higher. and he told of the great world, and described his journeys. for he had been, he said, as far as the great middle sea, had traded in italy, and had even seen rome. and rolf was greatly interested in those tales; for the lands across the sea were of moment to all icelanders, since many a man fared abroad often, and no man thought himself complete who had not once made the voyage. so he listened willingly, when kiartan told his tales at evening in the hall. the parents were inattentive; but sometimes hiarandi, and sometimes asdis, would interrupt the story, sending the lad to some task or to bed. now at last it draws toward spring, and the time approaches when kiartan must go away to his ship, to dight it for the voyage. and it was remembered afterward how one evening he drew hiarandi on to talk of his savings, and learned what money he had out at interest, and with whom. and kiartan spoke the oftener with rolf, praising him for the fine man he was growing to be. then at his last night at cragness the shipmaster said, as all sat together before the fire: "brother, thou knowest i must go away to-morrow." "aye," answered hiarandi. "now," said kiartan, "let me say to thee what is in my mind. take it not ill that i speak freely. but i think it wrong of thee that thou keepest here at home such a fine lad as is rolf thy son." and he would have put his hand upon the boy's shoulder, but rolf drew away. kiartan went on: "now i am going to the south isles. send rolf with me, and let him see the world." then hiarandi grew uneasy, and he answered: "speak no more of this. some day he shall see the lands across the main, but as yet he is too young." "nay," answered kiartan, "he is nearly full-grown. what sayest thou, rolf? wilt thou not go with me?" rolf answered: "i will be ruled by my father." "i have made much money," reasoned kiartan, "and thou canst do the same." "i care not for trading," replied rolf. "there are courts to be seen," said kiartan, "and thou mayest serve in them thyself." "i am not ready to be a servant," quoth rolf. "but thou mayest see wars and fighting," cried kiartan. "i have no quarrels of my own," answered the boy, "and i mix not in the affairs of others." now hiarandi and asdis had listened with both anger and fear,--anger that kiartan should so tempt the boy, and fear at what rolf might answer. but rolf spoke with wisdom beyond his years; and at his last response hiarandi smiled, and asdis clapped her hands. then kiartan started from his seat and cried: "out upon ye all for stay-at-homes!" and he would speak no more with them that night, but went to his locked bed and shut himself in. yet he spoke to the lad once more in the morning, out by the byre while rolf was saddling the horse. "surely," said kiartan, "thou didst not mean what thou saidst last night, for the fear of thy parents was in thy mind. now let me tell thee what we can do. i will go on for the lading of my ship, and that will take a fortnight's time. then i will wait for thee at the mouth of laxriver, and thou canst come thither and join me secretly." "now," said the lad, "if i tell my father this, he will give thee a beating. therefore i will remain silent until thy ship has sailed." then kiartan turned pale, and cursed, and made as if to strike his nephew. but rolf put his hand to his belt, and kiartan drew away. yet rolf had no knife. "i see," said rolf, "that thou art not quick at arms nor sure of thy own strength, even against me. and i knew thou wert a coward long ago, when i saw thee on thy ship's deck, giving no orders, but letting other men save thy ship and thyself. no great deeds of daring would i see with thee as shipmaster." when kiartan rode away, he was as glad at parting as were those of the house. "he is not changed," said hiarandi, "in all the years he has been gone." "where," asked asdis, "is the harm which he was to do us?" and she laughed, but rejoiced too soon. for after six weeks men came to hiarandi, sent from laxriverdale, where traders had given goods to kiartan upon his promise that hiarandi should pay. and it was discovered that kiartan had not only used the money which hiarandi had out at call in that region, but had obtained goods from other men creating debts. and he had filled all his ship at hiarandi's expense. then rolf told to his father his own tale of kiartan's secret offer, and hiarandi was bitterly wroth. and then began those troubles which thurid had foreseen. for when hiarandi refused to pay for the goods, but instead sought to regain his money from those who had supplied kiartan, the matter was brought to the law. and first at the quarter thing, and then at the althing, many small suits were disputed. but the end of the matter was, that hiarandi was beaten by the skill of lawyers; and he had to lose his money and pay more besides, and stood stripped of all which he had laid up against his age, or against that time when rolf should need a start in life. and the farmer was greatly cast down, recalling the misfortunes of the soursops, and how he himself had been always called the unlucky. but asdis and rolf strove to keep him in good heart. chapter iv of einar and ondott now the tale turns to speak of einar and his household, how they dwelt at fellstead, upon the low-lying land. einar was a rich man, and he kept a large household of many thralls and servants. and for his pleasure, that he might seem the greater in the eyes of his neighbors, he kept men who did no work, but bore arms wheresoever they went; yet it had never been known that einar brought any matter to bloodshed. he was not firm in any dealings, but he wished to be thought a great man. his holding was wide, for he owned all that the fathers of hiarandi had had. yet from his yard he often looked with no contented eye toward the hall of hiarandi, where it stood above the crags, looking far over firth and fell. now of the men of einar's household ondott had the ruling, for he pleased einar much, yet they were different in all outward ways. for einar was short and plump, given to puffing and swelling as he spoke, and of many smooth words; but ondott was tall and thin, lean-visaged and sour, and of surly speech. einar was fond of dress, while ondott went in simple clothes; yet they both loved money, and some accused ondott of hoarding, but einar spent freely, seeking to gain by gifts what his wit could not win for him. for he was not loved, and men thought little of his counsels. of the women at fellstead one old freedwoman was chief; and she held in especial care the daughter of einar, helga by name, who was yet young, being but thirteen years of age. she was of a sweet nature. now one morning helga stood with dalla the old woman before the women's door of the hall, and they saw where came toward them a woman much bent, and covered with a cape and hood; when she came near, they knew her for thurid from cragness. she begged them for lodging and work. dalla sent for einar. "how is it come," asked einar, "that thou hast left hiarandi?" "the man," said she, "calls upon his doom, and i will not stay to share it." and she told of the beacon, and how thereby a ship had been saved. "now," quoth einar, "hiarandi is a fool, so to break an old custom." "yet meseems," said helga timidly, "that it was a kind thing to do." "thou art but a child," he answered reprovingly. but she came closer to him and pulled his sleeve. "let not the old woman stay here," she whispered. "for i like not her looks, and i mistrust her." but ondott, who heard, said: "nay, let us keep the old carline, if only to spite hiarandi." and dalla added: "she is a good worker, and handy to have about the place. let us give her room." so einar bade thurid go within, and do what work was set her, in pay for her keep. but he asked her before he went away: "why camest thou here?" "a rat," said she, "will leave a house that is sure to fall, and seek one which will stand." then einar was greatly pleased with her, and bade give her a better cloak. so it was that thurid dwelt at fellstead, and paid well with her work for her keep; but at cragness she was missed, and the work was harder. yet thurid made no more prophecies, nor spoke of those which had been made. but it was known that the thralls of hiarandi were set to light beacons on stormy nights, and he was much laughed at by the dwellers at fellstead. and his thralls found it hard work, and became greatly discontented; yet since it was winter time, they had little else to do. now one of them was named malcolm, a scot, and he came one day to fellstead, when he was not needed at the farm. and ondott met him, and asked him in, and asked him questions of matters at cragness. as they spoke by the fire, thurid passed by, and she sang to herself: "evil and ill come together still." malcolm asked: "does the woman still make her rhymes with you?" "little have i heard her sing," answered ondott. "but what sang she with you?" then malcolm told of the singing of thurid and asdis, and of the prophecies of the old woman. and when he went away, ondott gave him a small piece of money and bade him come again. then ondott called thurid, and asked her of the things she had said at cragness, what they might mean. but he got little from her; for first she would not speak, and then she only muttered, and at last all she said was this rhyme: "no need to teach or trick or speech to him whose mind all wiles will find." and ondott could make nothing out of that; moreover, because it was kiartan whom hiarandi had saved, he thought that the farmer had strengthened himself by his deed. for only when the news came of the trick of kiartan in cheating his brother did ondott think that there might be something in the old woman's forecasting. and he and einar spoke cheerfully together of the misfortune to their neighbor. then summer drew on, and the quarter thing was held, and then came bad news to einar in his hall. for a seafaring man landed at hunafloi, and came across to broadfirth; and he brought word that in the orkneys kiartan had foully slain a man of broadfirth, whose nearest of kin was einar, so that it was einar's duty to follow up the blood-suit. here it must be said, for those who know not the customs of those days, that the death of a man called for atonement from the slayer, either his death or a payment in money, unless the slaying could be justified. the nearest of kin must take the suit against the slayer; and if the slayer should die, then his nearest of kin must take the defence. and the law is clearly shown by the case of the heath-slayings and other famous quarrels, when from small broils great feuds arose, from the duty of kinship and the unwillingness to pay blood-fines for another's deed. thus einar took upon him his duty, and vowed that kiartan should pay with either money or blood. all stood by and heard this, and they applauded. but ondott said: "come now outside with me and speak of this, but give the messenger food and bid him rest here the night." so that was done, and einar went out into the yard with ondott, and walked up and down with him. said ondott: "long are we likely to wait ere we lay hands on kiartan. for he hath set his own brother strong against him, and scarce will he dare return to iceland." "that may be true," said einar gloomily. "i like it not," said ondott, "that hiarandi should know this spite his brother has done thee, and yet be free himself. in the old days, which are not so long past, a man would have gone against hiarandi with weapons. and he hath no relatives to harm thee." "for all that," answered einar, "the men of the quarter would not like it. lawfully must vengeance be taken, or not at all. yet it is hard if my money and thy wit cannot rid me of these brothers, who anger me, and hiarandi more than kiartan." and he looked across at cragness with fretting. "well mayest thou say that," answered ondott, "for there stands hiarandi's hall, which he cannot fill, while thou in thine art cramped for room. it is plainly true what people say, that thou canst never come into the honor which should be thine, while thou livest here, where strangers take thee for hiarandi's tenant, or even his freedman." "they take me for his freedman!" cried einar. "now that is not to be borne! and i say to thee, get me hiarandi's house and i will reward thee well." then ondott laid a plan before him. it should be given out that kiartan was dead: the man who brought the news of the slaying might be bribed to swear to kiartan's death. then the blood-suit could be brought against hiarandi in place of kiartan; and all men knew that hiarandi had no money to pay the fine, so that he must sell his farm. "now," quoth einar in great delight, "i will lengthen thy name, and thou shalt be called ondott crafty." for that was a saying in those days, to lengthen a man's name by giving him a nickname. then they called from the house that man who had brought the news. because he was an outlander he was easily persuaded to swear to kiartan's death. einar gave him money, both for himself and to pay his passage outward. then witnesses were called to hear the oath; and on the morrow the man departed, and took ship for ireland, and he is out of the story. chapter v the summoning of hiarandi when that man who had brought the news and made the false swearing was well out of the country, then ondott bestirred himself to go against hiarandi. said he to einar: "it is time that we summon hiarandi soon to answer to the blood-suit, for the sitting of the althing draws nigh." to that einar assented, and on the morrow ondott bade two men arm themselves and go with them to cragness. "why need we men?" asked einar. "we must have witnesses to the summoning," answered ondott. "but it is not necessary to bear arms," said einar. "we will prepare ourselves," replied ondott, "as becomes thy dignity and as regards thy safety, for hiarandi hath a quick temper." then einar said no more, and they rode to cragness. but ondott knew well that at such summonings quarrels often arose; and he said privily to his men, hallmund and hallvard: "look that your swords be loose in their sheaths." they rode into the yard at cragness and called hiarandi from his house. hiarandi came, and with him rolf, bearing his bow, for he was about to go out for birds. "hiarandi," said einar, "we have come to speak of the blood-suit for the slaying of my kinsman." "that thy kinsman is slain i knew," answered hiarandi, "but i see not how it affects me in any way, so long as my brother be living." "but thy brother is dead," replied einar, and told that kiartan was shipwrecked in the orkneys. "this is the first i have heard of it," said hiarandi. then ondott spoke. "knowing thy suspicious nature," said he, "i brought with us the men who were witnesses to the oath the messenger made. thus canst thou know thy brother is truly dead." hallvard and hallmund said they had witnessed the oath. hiarandi answered no word, but looked from one to the other. "now," said ondott, "these same men will be witnesses to what we say here together." and this he said in a manner to provoke hiarandi, yet he still answered nothing. "is it not better," asked einar, "that this matter be settled here quietly, between neighbors, rather than be brought before the judges at the althing?" "quietly settled is always best," answered hiarandi. "yet i see not how this matter is to be settled at all, seeing i have no money to make atonement." "now," said ondott quickly to einar, "let me speak for thee in this affair." then einar gave the matter into the hands of ondott. "all men know," began ondott then, "that thou art poor, hiarandi." and he saw hiarandi flush with anger. then he went on to propose that an exchange be made of cragness for some parts of einar's land, much less in value. and he spoke with such words that hiarandi would feel insulted, and marked him grow ever redder in the face. when he had finished, hiarandi burst out upon him. "foolish are ye to suppose," cried hiarandi, "that i will ever give up this stead which my fathers have settled. let this matter come to the courts of law." ondott spoke to einar. "there is no reasoning with a madman. thou must recite the summons." then einar, who knew the law well, spoke the summons, and named the deed which was done on his kinsman, and made hiarandi answerable; and called him to appear before the quarter court at the althing, there to justify the slaying, or pay the blood-fine, or be made an outlaw. everything he said in due legal form, and ondott and the two men were named as witnesses. then he prepared to ride away, but ondott spoke once more. "if thou canst not keep land, hiarandi, better than thy father, then must thou lose this place in the end." hiarandi could not restrain his wrath. he spoke no word; but he strode to ondott, and smote with his staff. ondott warded the blow, but the arm was broken at the wrist. then ondott cried to hallvard and hallmund: "set upon him!" those two drew their swords, and in that moment hiarandi stood in danger of his life. but rolf had strung his bow and set an arrow on the string. he drew the shaft to its head, and aimed at einar, and cried: "now einar dies if my father is hurt!" [illustration: "'now einar dies if my father is hurt'"] they drew away hastily, and dared do no more, for they knew the aim of the lad. nothing more was done in violence; yet before he rode away did ondott summon hiarandi for that hurt to him. and there the matter rested, with two suits against hiarandi. then all was quiet until the time came for folk to ride to the althing. chapter vi of what hiarandi should do hiarandi spoke not at all of the suits against him, yet he was continually gloomy. and one day he said: "much better were it now, had i never lighted the beacon that night." "thou knowest," responded asdis, "that thou didst right." "still," said hiarandi, "summer gales oft bring wrecks, and one ship might pay the blood-fine for me." "for all that," asdis answered, "thou hast not now the heart to stop lighting the beacon." then on the second night thereafter came a storm; but nothing was said, except that hiarandi bade the beacon be lighted. yet he was gloomier than ever. one night rolf asked him: "why is it that thou art to answer for that deed which my uncle has done?" "one must answer for a kinsman's deed," answered his father, "when that kinsman is dead." "and what is the punishment," asked rolf, "for slaying?" "a fine or outlawry," replied hiarandi. "tell me of outlawry," begged rolf. "for i hear of outlaws who live and work among men, and of those who flee into hiding, and of those who go overseas." "there are outlaws of many kinds," answered hiarandi. "some outlaws are condemned not to leave a district, or even a farm; but some must leave iceland or else defend their lives. but most outlawries are like this, that a man must go abroad three winters, and then he is free to return. if he stays, his enemies may slay him if they can, and no man may ask atonement. thus they who burned njal in his house did fare abroad; but on the other hand gisli our ancestor lived in hiding, and would not go. and grettir the strong, as all men know, lives to-day an outlaw, in one district or another; and no man has taken him, though there is a great price set upon his head." "if thou art made outlaw," asked rolf, "what wilt thou do?" "ask me not," said hiarandi. "for the matter troubles me. if i go abroad, how will ye all live? and it will profit you nothing if i stay and am slain. yet if i am made outlaw, and go not, my goods and the farm are forfeit." as greatly as hiarandi feared the outcome of these suits, so were those at fellstead pleased by their hopes. and no one heard the carline thurid, who sang to herself when she heard ondott boast: "he laughs too soon who doth forget, soursop blood binds kinsmen yet." but asdis thought rightly in the matter. for she said to hiarandi: "what wilt thou do for thy defence at law? is there no lawyer to help thee?" "help is offered," answered her husband, "to those who have money. and i have none." "then wilt thou ask help of snorri the priest? there is no other to give thee counsel." "not close," replied hiarandi, "is the tie of blood between us, and small is the friendship. moreover, snorri draws ever to those who wax in fortune, and such is einar; and he helps little those whose fortunes wane, and such am i." "now," cried asdis, "be not as a man who sees his own doom, and stirs not to help himself. where is thy manhood? bestir thyself for my sake and rolfs, and do what thou canst for our good! now promise me that thou wilt ask help of snorri." thus she stirred hiarandi to shake off his gloom, so that he promised. and when the time came for him to ride to the althing, he went with a better heart. chapter vii how hiarandi received the lesser outlawry hiarandi travelled to the althing all alone; he had a good horse and stout clothes, but in nothing was he noticeable, so that men who passed him on the road gave him only the good-day, yet asked him not to join their company. and he saw how men of power rode with their thingmen behind them, all in colored clothes and well armed. he saw hrut, the famous swordsman, how he rode with eleven full-grown sons at his back, and men besides, so that all thought that a grand sight. and many others rode to the althing with great pride. then hiarandi recalled that his own father had ridden in holiday guise to bring his suits; and as he compared his father's state with his own, he who went alone and unnoticed, but at home was called the unlucky, then his heart was greatly cast down within him. he came to the thingvalla, where all the plain was a busy hive of men. and he found humble lodging at a booth, and stabled his horse under the cliff, and spent the night alone amid the throng. then on the morrow, at midday, he went out to have speech with snorri. at snorri's booth he was told that snorri was at talk with a client within. "then i will wait," said hiarandi, and sat down on a bench at the door. but it was bitter to him that he should sit there, a poor suitor, at the door of his kinsman. now he had not sat there long when he heard his own name spoken within, and he knew the voice of his neighbor einar. and einar was saying, "thou art not bound to hiarandi in any way." then he heard another voice, the voice of an old man--for snorri was advanced in years--saying: "small enough are the ties between myself and hiarandi." then hiarandi rose and walked away. and he forgot all he had promised his wife, and all she had said to him: how he should forget himself in struggling for her sake and rolf's. but that melancholy came over him which was his greatest weakness. "i am too late," he said to himself, "for einar is before me. my case is lost, and my farm too; for on whose side snorri is, on that side has fallen the judgment for this score of years. and the twists of the law are too hard for me to understand, since meseems right hath no place in a law-finding. yet i will defend myself as i may." then on the morrow the althing was opened, and the four quarter courts sat in their places, and the fifth court sat at the hill of laws. and hiarandi, as he went to the court of the westfirthers, saw where einar walked also thither with snorri, keeping close by his elbow, and laughing as he talked. ondott also was there, slinking behind like a fox. and on that very first day hiarandi's case was called early. now einar had men of the law as his friends, and they had taught him what to say. and he opened the case, speaking loud and clearly, and called on hiarandi to answer the charges. but hiarandi stood up alone, without counsel, and spoke for himself. soon he saw that the case went against him. for einar and his friends knew so much of the law that their wiles were many, and hiarandi was soon confused, so that his answers were not wise. and einar smiled where he stood, so that he confused hiarandi the more. then einar demanded judgment unless hiarandi had more to say. and he was about to give up his case. then came some one and stood at hiarandi's elbow, and said: "thou shouldst demand a stay in the proceedings." hiarandi looked at the man, but he was muffled in a cloak, so that his face was not to be seen. then hiarandi asked: "for what reason can i ask a stay?" the man replied: "it is always permitted to ask it, to get counsel." but hiarandi said: "no counsel can save me here. let an end come now." "foolish art thou," answered the man. "dost thou forget those at home? do as i bid!" then hiarandi asked a stay, and it was granted him until the morrow. but when he turned to ask the man his advice, he was gone, and hiarandi could not see him anywhere. then he went to beg help of those versed in the law, but they said he should have come sooner, for they were now too busy to help him. once more, thinking again of asdis and rolf, he went to ask help of snorri the priest; but he was not at his booth, and men said he would be at the courts all day. at that hiarandi went away again; and he wandered about the thing-field, seeing no one whom he could ask for help, but beholding everywhere men too busy with their own affairs to heed him. at last toward dusk his courage forsook him once more, and he went and sat down on the bank of the river, believing his case lost. as he sat there the light grew dim, and of a sudden he saw at his side the man muffled in the cloak. "now is seen," said the man, "the truth of the old saw: 'he that pleadeth his own cause hath a fool for his client.' for a sound case hadst thou, but it is well-nigh ruined beyond remedy." "what should i have done?" asked hiarandi. "thou shouldst have asked aid of snorri the priest." "but he," said hiarandi, "has been in talk with einar, who sues me." "since when," asked the man, "has snorri been used to pledge himself to all who come to him? hast thou forgotten he is of thy kin?" "we are both come," said hiarandi, "from the stock of gisli the outlaw. but if gisli was his uncle, so also was gisli the slayer of his father. so snorri is both against us and for us by the tie of blood; and he forgetteth and remembereth as he chooseth, or as his interest bids." then said the man: "thou givest him no good character. yet at least thou couldst have let him have the say, which way his interest lies." but hiarandi answered in bitter mood: "snorri casteth his weight where is the greater power, that his own strength may grow." "he would not thank thee should he hear thee," answered the stranger. "yet methinks that even in matters which concern his own advancement, he should be free to choose for himself." "now," asked hiarandi, "shall i go to snorri and crave his help?" "nay," replied the cowled man, "now it is too late. for this evening snorri holdeth counsel on weighty matters concerning chiefs from the south firths, who are to meet him at his booth." "why, then," asked hiarandi, "didst thou persuade me to ask a stay of judgment? for my fate meets me after all." "perhaps even i," said the man, "know more of the law than thou. now wilt thou be ruled by me?" "that i will," answered hiarandi quickly. "then shalt thou do thus and so," said the man. and he instructed hiarandi how he should speak on the next day. "and this shalt thou do even though thou seest snorri in company with einar.--nay, make no question, for else thou art ruined." and with this the man went away. in the morning all men go to the courts again; and hiarandi marks how einar walks with snorri, and they seem merry together, though einar laughs the most. nevertheless, hiarandi stands up when his case is called, and does as the cowled man had said, for he demands of einar what forfeiture he will name. "either," said einar, "that thou shalt pay down the worth of three hundreds in silver, or that thou shalt be outlawed." "now," said hiarandi, "it seems hard that so much shall be my punishment. but wilt thou take this offer, that we handsel this case to snorri the priest, and abide by his finding?" einar hesitated. but many standing by said that was fair; moreover, that was a custom much followed. and again, einar did not wish the outlawing of hiarandi; but he felt sure that snorri would lay a blood-fine, which must force hiarandi to sell his farm. and he thought his cause was sure, so he said after a moment: "i will." so they handselled the suit to snorri, striking hands together before the judges, and agreeing to abide by his decision. then snorri stood up to speak. einar smiled at him that he might remind him of their companionship, but snorri smiled not at all. "thus it seems to me," he said, and all men listened while he spoke--for snorri was one of those who had known the great men of old time, who had seen the great fight at the althing after njal's burning, and who had swayed its event. "thus it seems to me," said snorri. "the case of hiarandi was a good one at the beginning, yet he has well-nigh spoiled it. but the case of einar seems strong, yet it is weak. for he has named as witnesses two men of kin to the slain man; also he has not called a man who is nearer neighbor than one he has called. also these men are neither landholders, nor money owners, nor owners of sheep or cattle; but they live in einar's hall at his expense. now let einar say if all these things are not true." then einar had to speak; and he acknowledged that his witnesses, who should make the jury, were chosen as snorri had said. then snorri set those men out of the jury, and only six were left. "seven men are needed to make the tale of the witnesses complete," quoth snorri. "therefore it is plain that this case of the slaying shall fall to the ground, and no atonement shall be paid. but as to the case of the striking of ondott, that is another matter; and it is a case of contempt of the thing, for one who goes to serve summons in a suit is free to go and come unscathed, and is under the protection of the men of the quarter. therefore i doom hiarandi to the lesser outlawry, after this manner: he shall remain upon his farm for the space of one year, nor go beyond its limits more than the length of a bowshot, upon penalty of full outlawing. but shall he become a full outlaw, then his property, and the inheritance of his son, is not to be forfeit, but only hiarandi's life is to be in danger. and such is my finding." then snorri sat him down. then men murmured together, discussing the judgment; and all said that he knew the law to its uttermost quibble, and he knew men as well, for who told him that the jury was wrongly constituted? and einar was wroth, complaining that snorri was tender of his relative. but hiarandi was glad, and a weight fell from him, for he saw how he had been saved from all that threatened him. he went to snorri to thank him. snorri took his thanks, and smiled at hiarandi. "now is clearly seen," quoth he, "how much snorri thinks of his own honor, and how little of that of his kinsmen." hiarandi had nothing to answer. "and it is also plain," said snorri, "how i always favor the rich, but care nothing for poor men." "now i see," said hiarandi, "that thou wert the man in the cloak." "mayest thou perceive as well," responded snorri, "that thou hast a friend in the world who will help thee when he can." but he would take no more thanks, advising hiarandi to go home and set his affairs in order, since from the rising of the althing to its next sitting he must not quit his farm. "and take heed," quoth snorri, "that thou losest not thy life from carelessness, or from the wiles of thine enemies." then hiarandi betook himself home. chapter viii of schemings until the time when the althing must rise, hiarandi set his affairs in order, and was busy thereat. he arranged who should buy his hay, and who should supply him with this matter and that, although it was clear that many things must be done by the hands of rolf. also frodi the smith, kinsman of the cragness-dwellers, was to come to cragness whenever he might. thus it was all settled; and when the althing rose, then hiarandi withdrew upon his farm for the space of one year. but rolf had to see to the sheep-shearing, since the washing was best done beyond the farm, upon common land. also the selling of the wool came to rolf's lot, and he travelled to the market therewith. through the autumn he was much busied with his father's matters; and it rejoiced his parents that the lad, who had come now into his fifteenth year, was wise and foreseeing, and looked well to all that was trusted to his hand. then the winter drew nigh; and the hay was stored, and the time came when the sheep must be gathered from their summer pastures, when the frosts drove them down from the uplands. all men met at the great sheep-fold which the father of hiarandi had built; but hiarandi might not be there, because the fold was now on einar's land, full five bowshots from the boundaries of cragness. rolf went with the thralls to the separating of the sheep by means of their marks; but hiarandi sat at home, looking out at the gathering of people, and might not be at any of the doings. now ondott crafty had oversight of einar's sheep, and he examined the sheep's ear-marks, and said whose they were. rolf gave to the thralls the sheep to drive home; but frodi the smith, who was the mildest of men, took the sheep from the hands of ondott. this task rolf gave to frodi, because he would not himself have speech with ondott, who was now well of his broken arm, but whose temper was not improved by his hurt. now ondott came to a sheep which had torn its ear, so that the mark was scarred. then said ondott: "this sheep is einar's." "nay," said frodi, "i remember the wether, and he is hiarandi's." "looks not the mark," asked ondott, "like the mark of einar?" "yes," said frodi, "but the mark is scarred, and is changed." "now," quoth ondott, "call hiarandi hither, and let him decide." this he said with a sneer: but frodi answered gravely: "my cousin shall not break his outlawry for a sheep. but call rolf hither." "i call no boys to my counsel," answered ondott. "the matter is between thee and me." then frodi was perplexed, for in disputes and bargains he mixed little. "but," said he, "meseems this is best. drive the sheep to cragness, and let hiarandi see it." "now," said ondott, "i have no time for that. but draw thy whittle, and we can settle the matter here." then frodi looked upon his long knife, and said nothing. "why carriest thou the whittle, then," asked ondott, "if thou art not ready to use it?" "my whittle," answered frodi, "is to cut my bread and cheese, and to mend my shoes on a journey." then all the men who stood about hooted at the simple answer. ondott said: "betake thyself then to bread and cheese, but the sheep is ours." and he sent the sheep away to join einar's flock. now frodi was puzzled, and he said: "i will not follow up the matter, but will pay for the sheep out of mine own savings." but when he offered to pay, rolf and hiarandi were angered, for the wether was a good one. yet they could get no satisfaction from einar, although they might not blame frodi, knowing his peaceful nature. now, as the winter approached, came chapmen, traders, into the neighborhood, and laid up their ship near cragness; and all men went to chaffer with them. but hiarandi must stay at home. then for company's sake he sent and bade the shipmaster dwell with him for the winter; but ondott crafty, learning of it, won the shipmaster, by gifts, to stay with einar. and that pleased hiarandi not at all. then the winter came, and men had little to do, so they held ball-play on the ponds; yet hiarandi could not go thither. and the life began to irk him much. when spring drew near, frodi went back to his smithy, and the household was small. one day ondott said to einar: "still we sit here, and gaze at the house where we should live." "what is there to do?" asked einar. "nothing brings hiarandi from his farm, not even the loss of his wether. i have set spies to watch him, but he never comes beyond the brook which marks his boundary." "yet there is something to be done," answered ondott. "wait awhile." and the winter passed, and the chapmen began to dight their ship for the outward voyage. now malcolm the scot, the thrall of hiarandi, stood often on the crag when his day's work was done, and gazed at the ship of the chapmen. one evening ondott went thither to him, seeing that he was out of sight of the hall. "why gazest thou," asked ondott, "so much at the ship? wouldst thou go in her?" "aye," answered the thrall, "for she goes to my home. but i have not the money to purchase my freedom, though hiarandi has promised in another year to set me free." "wilt thou wait another year when thou mightest slip away now?" cried ondott. "but perhaps thou fearest that the shipmaster would give thee up." "that also," said the thrall, "was in my mind." then ondott said: "the shipmaster has dwelt with us the winter through, and i know well what sort of man he is. now i promise that if thou comest to him three nights hence, he will keep thee hidden, and no one shall see thee when they sail in the morning." the thrall hesitated, but in the end he did as ondott desired, and he gained his freedom by the trick. thus was the work at cragness rendered harder for those who remained, and frodi could not come to help. "hiarandi," said ondott to einar, "is at last coming into those straits where i wished him. now be thou guided by me, and i promise that in the end thy wishes will be fulfilled. come, we will go to cragness as before, and make offer to hiarandi to buy his land." and he persuaded einar to go. they went as before, with hallvard and hallmund. "shall we go armed?" asked the men. "nay," answered ondott, "only witnesses do i desire." now when hiarandi was called forth by einar, rolf also was by, but he saw that they of fellstead bore no arms. again ondott spoke in the place of einar. "hiarandi," said he, "all men can see what fortune is thine, since thy thrall has left thee and thy work is harder. truly thou art called unlucky. but einar pities thy condition, and he offers thus: take from him a smaller farm, and the difference in silver. and since this outlawry is from us, from the time ye two handsel the bargain thou art free to go where thou wilt, without fear of thy life." but hiarandi spoke to einar, and not to ondott. "why comest thou hither," he said, "like a small man to chaffer over little things? this outlawry irks me not, and in two months i am free to go where i wish. go home; and when thou comest again, find thy tongue and speak for thyself!" then he went indoors and left them. so einar and those others rode homeward, and he thought his journey shameful. "see," said he to ondott, "where thy counsels have brought me. i am mocked and sent away." "now," ondott replied, "that has happened which i desired, and i brought men to hear. for thou hast made a fair offer to hiarandi, and hast shown a good heart. now what happens to him is his own fault, and no man can blame us." then he commanded the two men that they should tell everyone what had been said, showing how einar had been generous, but hiarandi insulting. and when they reached the house, ondott said to einar in private: "thou shalt see that hiarandi hath sown the seeds of his own destruction. leave all to me." not many evenings thereafter, ondott put himself in the way of the second thrall of hiarandi, and spoke with him. "how goes all at cragness?" asked ondott. "hard," said the thrall, "for we are at the spring work; and hiarandi spares not himself, nor me either, and the work is heavy since my fellow is gone." "now, why not make thy lot lighter," asked ondott, "by taking service elsewhere?" "i am a slave," said the man, "and not a servant." he did not tell that his freedom had been promised him, for he thought that time far away, since it was three years. for hiarandi had the custom that a thrall should serve with him not for life, but for only seven years, and this man had been with him a less time than malcolm. "the life of a thrall," said ondott, "is very hard." "aye," said the man. "yet thy fellow went away," quoth ondott. "aye," answered the thrall, "but he fled over the sea. no ship is now outward bound, nor is there anyone to hide me. else might i also flee." "come to einar," said ondott. "there shalt thou be safe." "if thou sayest true," answered the thrall, "then it shall be done." "but thou must come," said ondott, "in the way i shall name. thus only shalt thou be of service to einar; but thou shalt be well rewarded if thou showest thyself a man of courage." "who will not dare much for his freedom?" replied the thrall. "but is harm meant to hiarandi?" "that is not thine affair," quoth ondott. then for a time they spoke together, and certain matters were agreed upon between them. chapter ix of the outcome of ondott's plottings now spring was well advanced, but the work was ever hard at cragness, and hiarandi grew very weary. so his melancholy gained on him again. there came a morning when he was troubled in his demeanor, and spoke little. "what ails thee this day?" asked asdis of him. "now," said hiarandi, "for all my words to einar, this life irks terribly. better to be an outlaw, and go where i will--as doth grettir the strong, who lives secure from all his foes." asdis answered: "and what use then couldst thou be to thy wife and son; and is not the time short enough until the ban leaves thee? be a man, and wait with patience a little while yet!" "yet something weighs upon me," pursued hiarandi, "for last night i dreamed, and the dream forebodes ill. methought i was working in the field, and i left my work and my land; some good reason i had, but it is not clear to me now. i did not go a bow-shot beyond the boundary, but from behind a copse wolves sprang out and fell upon me. as they tore me and i struggled, i awoke, yet the fear is heavy on me still." asdis laughed, though with effort, and quoth she: "now take thy boat and fish near the rocks this day. then no wolves can come near thee." "nay," answered hiarandi, "how canst thou ask me to fish when so much must be done on the farm?" "at least," said asdis, "work on the northern slope, at the ploughing, and away from the boundary." "the frost still lies there in the earth in places," replied hiarandi. "but on the south slope, where the sun lies, all is ploughed and to-day we must seed." "take thy sword, then," begged asdis, "and have it at thy side as thou workest. then no wolf will hurt thee." but hiarandi answered, "the day is fine and the wind soft. the sun and the air will clear my head, and we will laugh at this at even-tide. i will take no sword, for it gets in the way." then he called the thrall and rolf; and they took the bags of seed, and went out to work. now that was a fine spring day, so fine that the like of it seldom comes. old farmers in broadfirth still call such a day a day of hiarandi's weather. but asdis detained rolf, and spoke to him earnestly. "dreams often come true, and wolves in dreams mean death. see, i will lay by the door thy father's sword and thy bow, so that thou canst snatch them at need. be near thy father this day, for i fear he is 'fey' [as is said of those who see their fate and avoid it not], and watch well what happens." so rolf stayed near his father all that morning, working with him and the thrall at the sowing. but nothing happened; and the sun and the air cleared from rolf's head all fear of ill. yet hiarandi was still gloomy and absent-minded. then when they stopped for their meal at noon, and ate it as they sat together on a rock, rolf spoke to hiarandi, trying to take his mind from himself. "tell me," he begged, "what sort of man is that outlaw grettir the strong, and for what is he outlawed?" then hiarandi told the tale, and as he spoke he grew more cheerful. "grettir," said he, "is the strongest man that ever lived in iceland, and no three men can master him. for he himself hath said that he hath no fear of three, nor would he flee from four; but with five he would not fight unless he must. all his life he has been rough, impatient of control, and at home only amid struggles and slayings. yet for all that he is a man of ill luck rather than misdeeds, for he hath been greatly hated and provoked. and it is great harm for iceland that grettir ever was outlawed. "now this was the cause of his outlawing. once in norway grettir lay storm-bound with his companions, and they had had much ado to make the land at all. they lay under the lee of a dyke, and had no shelter nor wherewith to make fire, and the weather was exceeding cold, for winter was nigh. then night came on, and they feared they should all freeze; and when they saw lights on the mainland across the sound, they desired greatly to unmoor their ship and cross, but dared not for the storm. then grettir, to save the lives of the others, swam the sound, and came to the hall where those lights were, and therein people were feasting. then he went into the hall; but so huge is he, and so covered with ice were his clothes and hair and beard, that those in the hall thought him a troll. up they sprang and set upon him, and some snatched firebrands to attack him, for no weapons will bite on witch or troll. he took a brand and warded himself, and won his way out, but not before fire had sprung from the brands to the straw in the hall. and he swam back with his brand to his companions, but the hall burned up, and all those that were therein. now there were burned the sons of a man powerful here in iceland; and for that deed, before ever he returned, grettir was made outlaw. because of the injustice he would not go away for his three years, but stayed here. nigh sixteen years he has been outlaw now, and lives where he may, so that many rue his outlawry. and he is not to be overcome by either force or guile; great deeds, moreover, he has done in laying ghosts that walked, and monsters that preyed on men." now so far had hiarandi got in his story, when he turned to the thrall who sat thereby. "at what lookest thou, man?" "nothing," answered the thrall, and turned his face another way. "methought thou wert looking, and signalling with the hand," said hiarandi. "and is there something there in those willows on einar's land? what didst thou see?" "nothing," answered the thrall again. "nevertheless," said hiarandi, "go, rolf, and fetch me my sword; for i repent that i came without weapon hither." now rolf had seen nothing in the bushes; yet he went for the sword, and hastened, but the distance was two furlongs. then after a while hiarandi grew weary of waiting, and he saw nothing at all in the willows, so he said to the thrall: "now let us go again to work." but they had not worked long when the thrall looked privily, and he saw a hand wave in the willows. then he cried aloud: "good-bye, master," and he ran toward the place. hiarandi sprang from his work, and ran after the thrall. now the land at that place lay thus. at the foot of the slope was that brook which was hiarandi's boundary, and toward the sea on einar's land was the thicket of dwarf willows. and a gnarled oak grew at a place away from the willows, standing alone by itself. so when rolf came from the hall, bearing the sword, and having also his bow and arrows, he saw the thrall fleeing, and hiarandi running after. they reached the brook, and leaped it, and ran on, hiarandi pursuing most eagerly. the thrall ran well, but hiarandi used thought; for he turned a little toward the clump of willows, and cut the thrall off from them, where he might have hidden. yet he might not catch the man, who fled past the oak. then hiarandi heard the voice of rolf, calling him to stop; so he remembered himself, and stood still there at the oak, and turned back to go home. but men with drawn swords started up out of the willows, and ran at hiarandi. he leaped to the tree, and set his back against it to defend himself. and rolf, as he came running, saw how the men fell upon his father. the lad strung his bow as he ran, and leaped the brook, and laid an arrow on the string. when he was within killing distance, he sent his arrow through one of the armed men. then that struggle around hiarandi suddenly ceased, and the men fled in all directions, not stopping for their companion; but one of them carried a shaft in his shoulder, and a third bore one in his leg. and then rolf saw how the thrall had loitered to see what was being done, but he ran again when the men fled. rolf took a fourth arrow, and shot at the slave, and it stood in the spine of him. freedom came to the man, but not as he had deemed. then rolf ran to his father, who lay at the foot of the tree. he looked, and saw that hiarandi was dead. chapter x how rolf named witnesses for the death of hiarandi it happened that on that morning frodi the smith had travelled to cragness to see his kinsmen, and he arrived at the hour of misfortune. for he found asdis weeping and wringing her hands by the door of the hall, while below on einar's land rolf stood over the body of hiarandi. then frodi hastened down to rolf and wept aloud when he came there. when he could speak, he said: "come now, i will help thee bear hiarandi's body to the house, as is proper." but rolf had stood without weeping, and now he said: "let us bear him only to our own land, for a nearer duty remains than burial." and he and frodi carried hiarandi across the brook, and there laid him down; and asdis covered him with a cloak. then rolf said to frodi: "well art thou come, who art my only kinsman, and withal the strongest man in broadfirth dales. and i would that thou hadst with thee more weapons than thy whittle. art thou ready, frodi, to help me in my feud?" frodi said uneasily: "a man of peace am i, and never yet have drawn man's blood. i am loth to bare weapon in any cause. and meseems thou hast no feud against anyone; for hiarandi was lawfully slain, since he was beyond the limit which snorri set." "that is to be seen," quoth rolf, and he went to the edge of the brook. "yonder," said he, "stands the tree where my father was slain, and no step went he beyond it. [and that tree, until it decayed entirely, was known as hiarandi's tree.] now see," said rolf, "if i can throw an arrow so far." then he sent an arrow, and it fell short by three roods; and the second shaft went but two yards farther, so that fourteen yards more were needed. then rolf tried again, and put all his skill and strength into the effort, yet the arrow fell scarce a foot beyond the second. rolf dropped the bow and put his face in his hands. "i cannot do it," groaned he. "it is impossible to any man," said frodi. "he gives up easily," answered rolf, "who hath no heart in the cause. yet it remains to be seen if there are not men who can shoot farther than i. try thou for me." frodi replied: "i am strong for the working of iron and the lifting of weights, but to shoot with the bow is another matter. that requires skill rather than strength." "but try!" beseeched rolf. so frodi tried, but he failed lamentably. "said i not," asked he, "that i was not able? and now i say this, that by all thou art accounted the best archer in the district. for last winter, when we tried archery on the ice, and all did their uttermost, only surt of ere and thord of laxriver shot farther than thou, and that by not so much as a rood. yet thou art much stronger each month, while they are grown men, and their strength waxes not at all. and if they surpass thee by no more than a rood, no help is in them for this matter." rolf knew frodi spoke wisely, for that man must be found who could shoot three roods farther than himself. but he said: "would i were the weakest in all broadfirth dales, if only men might be found to surpass me by so much. but i will not leave this matter, and all the rest shall be done as is right." so rolf called frodi to witness that the man whom he had slain, well known to them both, was a man of einar's household. and rolf cast earth upon his face, as a sign that he acknowledged the slaying of him. then the two bore the body of hiarandi to the hall, where asdis prepared for the burial. but frodi and rolf went forth and summoned neighbors, men of property, who were not kinsmen of einar's, to be at cragness at the following morning. twelve men were summoned. and the cragness-dwellers did no more on that day. but at fellstead, although there were some wounds to be dressed, men were cheerful. for hiarandi was gone, and now only a boy stood between einar and the owning of cragness; and a boy would be easy to dispose of. the wounded men were sent out of the way, that they might not be accused of the slaying; and when dark came ondott sent and let bring the body of the man that was slain, and it was buried secretly. then he and einar spoke of the future, feeling no guilt on their souls, since all had been done lawfully. and no one noted how the old woman thurid sat in a corner and crooned a song to herself. now these were the words of her song: "a tree grows and threatens woes. let axes chop so that it fall. let fire burn its branches all. let oxen drag its roots from ground. let earth afresh be scattered round. let no trace stay of oaken tree,-- so shall good fortune come to thee. but if the tree shall stand and grow, then comes to einar grief and woe." yet as she sat muttering the song to herself, einar went by and bade her be silent, for he was going to sleep. then she sang to herself: "to-night to sleep, some day to weep." after that she said no more. but on the morrow those witnesses whom rolf had summoned came together. they stood at hiarandi's side, as the custom was, and rolf named the head wound and the body wound by which he had been slain. then they went to the place of the slaying; they viewed the tree, and rolf named it as the spot to which hiarandi went farthest; and he called on those men to witness that the tree stood there; and the distance was measured, and the tree was put under the protection of the men of the quarter, so that it might not be cut. thus all was done that could be done, and the news was taken to fellstead. then einar said to ondott: "where were thy wits? had we last night destroyed the tree and smoothed the ground, no trial of bow-shooting might ever be made. now we may be proved in the wrong, and this slaying turn against us." ondott had nothing to say, save that no man could shoot that distance. and they dared not now cut the tree. that night hiarandi was laid in his cairn, which they made of stones, by the edge of the cliff where all mariners could see it. and he was remembered as the first man in iceland who lighted beacons against shipwreck, so that those who sailed by prayed for his soul. chapter xi of rolf's search for one to surpass him with the bow two vows rolf made before he slept that night: the first was that he would yet show his father's slaying unlawful; the second was that, so long as he might, he would neither stand, sit, nor lie, without weapon within reach of his hand. for hiarandi might have saved himself had he but had his sword. asdis and frodi, who stood by and heard the vows, might not blame him; for such was the custom of those days. then rolf begged frodi to stay with him to help finish the sowing, and that was done. and when the spring work was finished on the farm, then it was within six weeks of the sitting of the althing. but rolf felt that the work had to be done, for his mother's sake. then rolf set forth on that quest of his, to find a man to beat him at the bow. first he went to surt of ere, and begged him to try skill with him. then it was seen that rolf's strength had so waxed during the winter, that surt overshot him by no more than two yards. next rolf went to thord of laxriver, but that failed completely, for by now rolf could shoot even as far as thord. after that he went about in the dales, to find men who were good at archery; but though he heard of many with great names, those men proved to be nothing helpful to rolf, for none could surpass him at all. so he began to learn how much is a little distance, even so much as a palm's breadth, at the end of a race or of the fling of a weapon. and time drew on toward the sitting of the althing, so that rolf feared that he should be able to make out no case against einar. at last, after wide wanderings, he got himself back to cragness, and sat wearily at home for three days, with little to say or to do. that third morning asdis said to him: "leave, my son, thy brooding, and let this matter rest for a while. over-great are our enemies, yet mayhap in time our deliverance will come." rolf answered nothing but: "little comes to those who seek not." now frodi had gone for one night to his smithy, which was ten miles from cragness, beyond helgafell, at the head of hvammfirth, where there was a ferry by a little river. when he came back quoth he: "yesterday crossed at the ferry those two men who are most famous in all the south firths, and they had a great company with them." "who were they?" asked rolf at once, "and what kind was their following, whether fighting-men or not?" "fighting-men were they," answered frodi, "but on a journey of peace. for kari and flosi were on their way to visit snorri the priest at his hall at tongue. great would have been thy pleasure at seeing the brave array." "now, would i had been there!" cried rolf, springing up. "but i would have looked at more than the brave array. so farewell, mother, and farewell, frodi, for i too go on a visit to snorri the priest." they could not stay him; he took food and a cloak, with his bow, and went out along the firth on that long journey to tongue. for he said to himself that in that company or nowhere else in iceland would he find an archer to shoot for him. too long is it to tell of that journey, but it was shortened inasmuch as fishermen set rolf across hvammfirth. then he went from hvamm up to tongue, and came to the hall of snorri the priest. a great sight was that hall, for no other that rolf had seen was equal to it, and the hall at cragness might have been set inside it. long it was, and broad; wide were the porch-doors, and beautiful the pillars that flanked them. men went in and out, carrying necessaries from the storehouse which stood at another side of the great yard. and so noble was the housekeeping of snorri the priest, that at first rolf feared to enter the hall. but at last he asked a servant: "will it be taken well if i enter?" "who art thou," asked the man, "not to know that all are welcome at snorri's house?" so rolf went in where all were feasting, for it was the hour of the noonday meal. many men were there, and none took notice of rolf, save that when he sat down on the lowest bench one came and offered food. rolf would take none. he cast his eyes about the place, where twelve fires burned along the middle of the hall, where were seats for many people, and where continually servants went to and fro. all seats were filled save one or two. but at the further end of the hall, on the dais, sat a small man, gray-haired and thin-bearded, with bright eyes of a light blue. and that was snorri the priest, the greatest man in all the west of iceland. at his sides sat two other men: the one to his right was iron-gray, bearded and strong, a man of sixty summers; and to the left sat a younger man, with no gray in his light hair, slighter in body, and yet of vigorous frame. and it was strange that those two men sat together in peace, who once had been the bitterest of foes. for the older was burning-flosi, who had burned njal in his house; but the other was kari solmund's son, who had been njal's son-in-law, and alone of all the fighting-men had escaped from that burning. and his vengeance upon the burners was famous, for he followed them in iceland, and slew many; and great was his part in the fight at the althing, as may be read in njal's saga. but when the burners were outlawed and fared abroad, then kari followed them by land and sea, and slew them where he met them. no other vengeance is like to that which kari, alone, took for his own son, and for njal and his sons, grim the strong, and helgi the gentle, and skarphedinn the terrible. but kari missed flosi in his searchings; so that flosi came to rome, and was absolved from the sin of the burning, and so journeyed home. but kari came also to rome, and was absolved from the sin of his vengeance, and went home. then kari was wrecked at flosi's door, and went to his house for shelter, to put his manhood to the proof. but flosi welcomed him, and they were accorded; and friends they were thenceforth. now all this tale was known to rolf, as it was to all men in iceland, and as it should be known to all who read of the deeds of great men. so he sat and marvelled at those two, how noble they looked, men who had never done a guileful deed; and in that they were different from snorri, who had won his place by craft alone. rolf looked also at those others who sat by the dais, all men of station who looked like warriors, some one of whom might be the man who should help him against einar. and he took great courage, for there were the men of most prowess in all iceland. now one of the southfirthers had been telling a story of grettir the outlaw, how he flogged gisli the son of thorstein with birch twigs. but when the story was ended, snorri said: "mayhap my son thorod will tell us what he knoweth of grettir." then began a snickering among the servingmen, and those of tongue looked mighty wise. but thorod, snorri's son, got up from his seat and left the hall, saying he would not stay to be laughed at. when he was gone a great laughter rose, so that flosi asked to be told the cause of it. snorri said: "this will show all how grettir has wits in his head. some time ago i was wroth with my son, for he seemed to me not manly enough. so i sent him from me, bidding him do some brave deed ere he returned. and he went seeking an outlaw, to slay him. he found one who had been outlawed for an assault, but he was a lad; and the woman of the house where he worked sent my son further, to find grettir where he lurked on the hillside. and thorod found him and bade him fight. "'knowest thou not,' asked grettir, 'that i am a treasure-hill wherein most men have groped with little luck?' "but for all that my son would fight. so he smote with his sword, but grettir warded with his shield and would not strike in return. so at last when he was weary of such doings, grettir caught up thorod and sat him down beside him, and said: 'go thy ways now, foolish fellow, before i lose my patience with thee. for i fear thee not at all, but the old gray carle, thy father, i fear truly, who with his counsels hath brought most men to their knees.' so my son went away, and came home, and because the story pleased me i received him again." so they laughed again, southfirthers and westfirthers together, and joyous was the feast. but when all was quiet again, men saw that snorri wished to speak, and they listened. snorri called his steward, and said: "fetch a stool, and set it here on the dais, for a new visitor hath come to see me." then the steward fetched a carved stool, and set it on the dais. he put a cushion in it, and threw a broidered cloth over it. and all grew curious to see who should sit on that stool. then snorri said again: "few are my kindred on my mother's side, and not in many years hath one entered this hall. but one sits here whose face recalls the features of my mother thordisa. let that stranger under my roof who claims to bear the blood of the soursops, come forward to me!" rolf arose, and while all men stared at him, he walked to the dais and stood before snorri. chapter xii of the trial of skill at tongue snorri asked of rolf: "art thou the son of hiarandi my kinsman?" "his son am i," answered rolf. "so must thy father be dead," said snorri. "for i feared he would break his bounds." "it is yet to be proven," replied rolf, "whether he be lawfully slain or no." then flosi said: "let us hear this tale, for it hath not yet come to our ears. sit here before us, and tell what hath happened." so rolf sat there on the stool which had been prepared, and he told his story. all who sat there listened, and the men of the south firths drew up close. it was a new thing for rolf thus to speak before great men, and before fighting-men; but he bore himself well and spoke manfully, forbearing to complain, so that they murmured praise of him. and it seemed to them wrong that he had been so treated, and the younger men grew wroth. when rolf had finished telling of the death of hiarandi, one of the southfirthers sprang up and stood before the dais. that was kolbein the son of flosi, and he asked: "may i speak what is in my mind?" they bade him speak. "this place on broadfirth," said kolbein, "is not so far out of our way when we journey back. let us make a stop there, and pull this man einar out of his house, and so deal with him that he shall do no evil hereafter." this he said with fire, for he was a young man. but flosi answered: "now is seen in thee the great fault of this land, for we are all too ready to proceed unlawfully. and men can know by me how violence is hard repaid." all knew he spoke of the burning, and of that vengeance which took from him many kinsmen. "let us do nothing unlawful. what sayest thou, kari?" then kari said that nothing should be done without the law. and the young man sat down again. but kari called on snorri for his opinion. "methinks," said snorri, "that the lad hath some way of his own which may serve." "if that is all," answered kari, "then we will help him." "it is only," said rolf, "that one of you here will shoot with the bow three roods farther than i. thus can my father's death be proved unlawful, and einar stand punishable." with great eagerness the young men sprang up and got their bows. all said they would do their best to help the lad, but it was plain that they regarded the matter an easy one. so rolf took heart at their confidence. then all went out to the mead, where was good space for shooting. "but first," said kari, "let us get our hand in with shooting at a mark. then when we are limber we will shoot to show our distance." so that was done, and all thought that great sport, and a fine opportunity for each to show what man he was. the southfirthers and the westfirthers set apples on sticks and shot them off, and they shot next at the sticks themselves, and last they shot at a moving mark. then they called rolf to show his skill. flosi asked of kari: "thinkest thou the lad can shoot?" "slender is he," answered kari, "but strong in the arms and back, and his eye is the eye of an eagle. our young men will not find their task easy." rolf struck the apples, and then the sticks, and then the moving mark. then they swung a hoop on the end of a pole, and rolf sent his arrow through it, but most of the others failed. kari laughed. "ye forget," quoth he, "that the lad shoots at birds and cannot afford to lose his arrows. who among us hath had such training? but now let us try at the distance." so the ground was cleared for that, and the weaker bowmen shot first, and some good shots were made. rolf was called upon to say what he thought. he shook his head. "ye must do better," he said. then better bowmen shot, all those who were there except kari and kolbein. snorri would not shoot, but flosi did, and a great honor it was deemed that he should oblige the lad. but when all had finished, then rolf took his bow, and his arrow fell upon the farthest which had been sent, and split it. snorri laughed. "so hath my kinsman come here," he said, "and all for naught." but kari said: "kolbein and i have yet to shoot, and we are about alike in skill." so they shot one after the other, and they shot equally, so far that all were pleased, and some ran to measure the distance, finding it three roods and more beyond rolfs arrow. many cried that the matter was now settled. but snorri said: "let rolf shoot once more. mayhap he hath not yet done his best." then rolf took his bow again, and the arrow flew; it fell less than a rood behind the arrows of kari and kolbein. so it was proved that none there might help rolf in his need. then he was greatly cast down; and he wished to go away at once, but they detained him over night. no men could be kinder to him. and in the morning, when he was to start home, they offered him money, but he would take none. so snorri gave him a cape, and flosi a belt, and kari gave a short sword, handsome and well made; much was he honored by those gifts. snorri lent him a horse to take him to hvamm, and there boatmen set him again across the firth. weary and disheartened, he came to cragness on the morning of the second day, and without joy he entered the hall. there asdis met him in great trouble. "here has been," said she, "a great man and a rough, who made me feed him. misfortunes come to us from all sides, for frodi is away, and the man took our milk-ewe, and has driven it away before him, going toward the fells." "when was he here?" asked rolf. "not two hours ago." "i will seek him," said the lad, and turned from the house. "nay," cried asdis in alarm, "i beg thee, go not! for he was huge and fierce of aspect. thou art too tender to meet such as he. put up with this matter and let it pass." "mother," answered rolf, "i am sixteen years old, and since the death of my father i am a man in the eye of the law. wouldst thou have me less than a man in fact?" and he went his way after the robber. chapter xiii of that robber rolf followed that man who had stolen the ewe, and the way led first down into the dales, and then upward to the fells. there had been rain and the paths were soft, so that the tracks of man and sheep were clear. it was strange to rolf that the robber showed such boldness as to go on beaten ways. but when at last he reached the region where all the paths were grassy and tracks could no longer be seen, then rolf knew not what to do until he met a wayfarer. "hast thou seen," asked rolf, "one who goes driving a ewe?" "he is not far before thee," answered the man. "but what seekest thou with him?" "the ewe is mine," said rolf. "i will have it again." "thou art foolhardy," cried the man. "a life is more than a sheep. turn back!" "not i," quoth rolf, and he went on. then in a little while he saw the man before him, going without haste behind the ewe. and rolf marvelled at his confidence, for the man did not even look back to see if he were followed. so rolf strung his bow and went faster, going quietly until he was but fifty feet behind the man. and then he called to the robber. that man turned at once, drawing his sword. grim and harsh was he in face when he found he was followed, but when he saw a lad, alone, then he smiled. "seekest thou me?" he asked. and his voice was harsh, like his face, so that he was a man to terrify many. "that sheep is mine," said rolf. "leave it and go thy way." "go home, boy!" said the man. "i would not hurt thee." "once more," cried rolf, "i bid thee leave the ewe, else will i strive with thee for it." "what," sneered the man, "wilt thou set thyself against me? draw thy sword, then!" but the robber's sword was long and heavy, while rolf's was short and light. "nay," he responded, "but i will hurt thee with my arrows. take thy shield and defend thyself." "no shield do i need," sneered the man again, "against such as thou. shoot, and see if thou canst touch me!" so great was his contempt that he stung rolf to the quick. "let us see, then!" the lad cried. and in great heat of anger, at short range, rolf drove a shaft at the middle of the man's body. but behold! the man swung his heavy sword as lightly as a wand, and brushed the arrow aside! "once more!" quoth he. and then rolf shot again, and yet again, but each time the arrow was swept aside. and the robber called with jeers to shoot faster. so rolf sent his shafts as swiftly as he could, and it was astonishing to see how fast they followed each other; but though he shot half a score of times, each arrow, just as it reached its mark, was brushed aside. of them all, one touched the clothing on the robber's breast, so that it tore the cloth; and one, sent at the face, scratched the skin ere it was turned. when that was done, the man jeered no more, for he saw that rolf was closing in. and what might have happened is not known. but to rolf, even in his anger to be so foiled, there came admiration of the stranger's skill. "now," he thought, "such a thing is a marvel, for it is related of the men of old time, but not of the men of to-day. i had not deemed anyone so quick or so strong." then his own words told him who the man must be; he stopped advancing, and lowered his bow. but in a twinkle the man dropped his sword and strung his own bow, and he laid an arrow on the string. "now," cried he, "we have changed about, and can play the game the other way. perhaps thou also canst guard thyself." he drew the bow. "art thou minded to try?" rolf made no movement to ward himself. "thou art grettir the strong," he said. "grettir asmund's son am i," answered the man, "whom men call grettir the strong. perhaps thou art now the more minded to slay me, even as fools whom i meet from time to time. for nine hundreds in silver is the price set upon my head." "nay," answered rolf, "i would not slay thee." the man laughed mightily. "i owe my life to thee!" he cried. then he changed his manner suddenly. "go, leave me, boy, for my temper is short, and i might do thee a mischief!" and then he went on his way, still driving the ewe before him; but rolf remained in that place. after a time the lad gathered those of his arrows which were not broken, and turned back toward his home. but when he looked behind, and saw that a roll of land hid him from grettir, then he turned again, and followed after the outlaw. a long time rolf followed, warily at first, for grettir looked back once or twice; then the lad might go more boldly. and the outlaw led him up into the hills, where were rocks and crags and much barrenness, a region where men might lurk long and not be found. and grettir made a halt at a strong place, a shelf on the crags, protected from above by a sheer cliff, and reached only from one side. it seemed as if he had often been there before. while he made a fire, rolf lay at a distance, and wondered how he might steal nigher. only one vantage did he see which commanded the outlaw's lair: a great spur of rock which stood out from the cliff, but which it would be hard to reach. then grettir laid himself to sleep while it was yet day, and rolf crept forward till he was under the spur. from above no man might reach it; yet there were crevices here and there in the rock by which rolf could climb. so he slung his bow on his back and tried the ascent. but so slow must he climb, for fear of noise, that it was dark when he reached the flat top; and though grettir was scarce forty feet away, rolf could not see him at all. so he watched there through the night. ever at that little distance he heard grettir labor in his sleep, and oft the outlaw moaned and groaned. at times he started up and looked abroad, but he could see nothing by the light of the stars. but when dawn came, then grettir slept peacefully; and when it was broad day he still lay sleeping. his face in sleep was sad and noble, with signs of a hasty temper; his frame was great indeed. he lay so long that rolf at last strung his bow and shot an arrow into the ground by him. grettir started from his sleep, grasping his weapons and looking about for his foes. never in his life rolf forgot that sight, which few men had seen without ruing it, of grettir angry and ready for the fray. but grettir saw no one, for he looked about on the hillside below him. then rolf spoke: "here am i, grettir." then the outlaw saw him, and put up his shield against a second arrow. rolf said: "had i wished, i could have slain thee in thy sleep." "rather will i believe," answered grettir, "that thou hast shot thy last arrow, and missed." rolf showed him his full quiver, and grettir lowered his shield. "how camest thou here?" he asked. "i made sure that thou wert gone." "not very sure," answered rolf. "and how," asked grettir, "didst thou reach that place? i had weened no man could mount that rock." "i am but a boy," answered rolf, "yet men call me cragsman." "now i am well shamed," cried grettir, "that a boy hath so outwitted me! and this i believe, that thou mightest have slain me; for a good archer i found thee yesterday. still more will i say, that yesterday i had near suffered a hurt at thy hands, so that i was considering whether to retreat before thee, or to take my shield, and neither have i yet done before a single archer. now let me ask thee, why didst thou stop shooting then; and why didst thou not slay me here as i lay?" "because," answered rolf, "thou, or no man in iceland, canst give me the help i need." "come down," said grettir, "and we will eat together." so they breakfasted together, of dried meat and the milk of the ewe. "how was thy sleep there on the crag?" asked grettir. "no worse," answered rolf, "than thine here on the ledge. why didst thou sleep so ill?" then grettir answered soberly: "one of my few good deeds is so repaid that i see shapes in the dark, and my sleep is broken. for i slew glam the ghost who wasted thorhallstead, but ere i cut off his head he laid on me that spell. so i am a fearsome man in the dark, though in the day no man may daunt me. but what can i do for thee?" "let me see," answered rolf, "if with the bow thou canst shoot farther than i." "thou art a vain lad," said grettir, somewhat displeased. "for that alone earnest thou hither?" "be not wroth," begged rolf, "for i have the best of reasons." and he told the story of his father's death and of the need for a good archer. grettir smiled. "and couldst thou find no man," asked he, "who is within the law, to do this for thee?" then rolf told of the trial with those southfirthers at tongue, and grettir looked upon him with surprise. "so skilled art thou then?" he asked. "now string thy bow, and show me how far thou canst shoot." so rolf strung his bow, and shot along the hillside, and the arrow fell far away. "now do i wonder," said grettir. "let me see thy bow." and when he had looked on it he said: "that any one could shoot so far with such light gear i had not thought possible. thou art a good bowman. but what thinkest thou of my bow?" rolf took the bow of grettir in his hand, and a strange weapon it was. for it was shorter than his own bow, and scarcely shaped at all, but was heavy and thick, so that it had seemed not to be a bow, save for the string and the notched ends. "such a bow," said rolf, "saw i never." "canst thou string it?" asked grettir. then rolf tried, but he could scarce bend it a little way. yet grettir took it and strung it with ease. then he showed rolf his arrows, which were heavy, short, and thick, like the bow. he laid one on the string, and drew it to the head, and behold! it rushed forth with a great whir, and with such force that it might pierce a man behind his shield. and it flew far beyond the arrow of rolf, full five rood further. "what thou dost with skill," said grettir, "i do with strength." but rolf cried with great joy: "thou art the man i have been seeking!" then he asked: "wilt thou go with me and shoot an arrow before witnesses, to prove that my father was unlawfully slain?" "that i will," quoth grettir, "and joyfully too, for i see little of men. only one thing i require, that safe conduct be promised me to go and come, for i have enemies in thy dales." "how shall i get thee safe conduct?" asked rolf. "it must be granted," answered grettir, "by the quarter court at the althing." then they talked the matter over, and grettir advised rolf once more to seek snorri the priest, to find what steps should be taken. then it was bespoken where rolf should meet grettir again, and the outlaw offered to lay out in the hills north of the thingvalla, in the valley of the geysirs, and await tidings of the outcome of the suit. "now," said rolf, when he was ready to go, "keep the ewe for thy kindness's sake." "do thou take her," answered grettir. "for had i known that thy mother was a widow, i would never have taken the sheep. and the first booty is this, which ever i rendered again." so rolf returned toward home driving the ewe; and when he reached the highway which led to the south firths, there came riding a company, kari and flosi and their followers, and snorri the priest was with them. they asked tidings. then he told them of grettir, and those three chiefs left their horses, and sat down with rolf on the fell a little way from their company; they had talk what was to be done. for snorri declared he saw a flaw in the case, since grettir was an outlaw, and no outlaw had ever yet come into a suit at law. but at last he said: "now go thy way, and summon einar with a formal summons. [and he taught rolf the form.] but be thou sure that no mention is made of grettir. and i believe that, since no such case has ever yet been tried, it can lawfully be brought about that grettir may shoot." then those chiefs went their way, and rolf went his, and he came back to cragness. chapter xiv how rolf and einar summoned each other because of the state of matters at cragness, frodi the smith journeyed there frequently to see his relatives. here it must be told what kind of man he was. he was tall and heavy-jointed, with a long neck and a long face, and somewhat comic to look upon. frodi the slow was he by-named, for his movements were cumbersome and his mind worked slowly. but since that affair at the sheep-fold, many called him whittle-frodi. now rolf sends for him one day, and tells him all that had happened, and how he was sure of making einar an outlaw. and he asks frodi to go with him to the house of einar, to be witness to the summons. then said frodi: "let me say what i think of this affair. first thou shouldst ask a peaceful atonement. for in the beginning it seems that there is danger to thee, so great is the strength against thee. and in the second place such continual blood-feuds as daily go on are unchristian, and evil for the land." then rolf was thoughtful. "shall i have done all my seeking for nothing?" he asked. "more than that, shall i take money for my father's slaying?" "it is the custom of the land," said frodi, "and many men do it for the sake of peace." "i heard flosi say at tongue," said rolf, "how strife between neighbors was the greatest bane of this land. and i am half minded to do as thou sayest. but why has not einar offered me atonement, if any is to be paid? i tell thee, hard is his heart, and he is glad!" "at least," begged frodi, "let me ask einar what he will do." "so i will," answered rolf, "and a great sacrifice i make, to lay aside my grief and vengeance. nay, i even break my vow which i made before thee. but i think only scorn will be thy portion, and matters will be made worse." then they went together to the house of einar, and were seen from the hall as they entered the yard, and men came and stood in the porch as they approached. there were einar and ondott, and other men of the household. all bore weapons. but no one spoke when the cousins stood before them. "will no one here give us welcome?" asked frodi. ondott mimicked frodi's slow voice, and said: "be welcome." the men of einar laughed. "laugh not," said frodi mildly. "now, einar, it is known how hiarandi came by his death, and men say thou art responsible therefor." "i was not by at his slaying," answered einar. said rolf: "what is done by a man's servants, with his knowledge, is as his deed." and frodi said: "were it not better to atone rolf for the death of his father, rather than have bad blood between neighbors? for thou knowest this, that some day a man may be found to shoot an arrow beyond that little oak." now einar was plainly smitten by the answer of frodi, and the scorn went from his face, and he thought. and here may be seen how the evil which a bad man does is not half so much in quantity as the good which he mars. for ondott crafty saw what was in einar's mind, and he spoke quickly. "an award may be given, einar," said he, "which will honor you both. shall i utter it?" now einar was accustomed to the bitter jokes of ondott, and when he thought he saw one coming, he forgot his design of peace, and said: "utter the award." "but does rolf agree to it?" asked ondott. "i will hear it," answered rolf. "but if thou meanest to scoff, think twice, lest in the end it be bad for thee." meanwhile some of the women of the household had come out of the hall at its other end, by the women's door, and now stood near to hear what was said. helga the daughter of einar was there, but she hung back; nearest of all stood thurid the crone, listening closely. "now this i would award," said ondott, "if i were in thy place, einar. thy son grani is abroad, in the fostering of the orkney earl; but some day he will come home, and then will need men to serve him. let rolf give up his holding and become thy man; so canst thou protect him from all harm. then when thy son returns rolf shall be his bow-bearer, and shall be atoned by the honor for the death of his father." some laughed, but not for long, and so far was this from a jest that the most were silent. then thurid chanted: "for einar's son shall rolf bear bow. which in the end shall bear most woe?" but none paid attention, for rolf was gathering himself to speak. and he cried: "ill jesting is thine, ondott! now hear what i am come hither to say: outlaw shall einar be made, for that man is found who can make the shot beyond the little oak. and thus i summon einar." so he recited the summons. he named the deed and the place, and the wounds of which hiarandi had died. he named witnesses, those householders who had already been summoned. and he called einar to answer for the deed before the westfirther's court at the althing. ondott alone laughed when the summons was spoken in full. "so here are come a boy and a peaceling," quoth he, "to pick a quarrel with men." "heed him not," said frodi to rolf, "for he seeks cause to draw sword on thee." then rolf made no answer to ondott, but he and frodi turned away and started to go home. ondott whispered to einar: "a spear between the shoulders will settle this matter for good." and he signed to hallvard that he should have his spear ready to throw. einar stood irresolute. but the maid helga went forward quickly and walked by rolf's side. "may i go with thee to the gate?" she asked. great anger possessed him against all of einar's house, but the sight of her astonished him, and he said she might come. in silence they went to the gate of the yard; then helga stood there in the way while those two from cragness went homeward. and einar had already bidden that no violence be done, for fear of harming his daughter. he went into the hall and sat down in his seat, brooding over the outcome. ondott said: "too squeamish art thou." einar said: "if thou findest me not a way out of this, it will go ill with thee." now a way out of that would have been hard to find, had not one day ondott met that man who had set rolf on the right road as he pursued grettir. said the man: "so thy neighbor rolf won his sheep again from grettir the strong. that was a great deed!" then ondott learned of the stealing of the sheep, and how rolf had been seen driving it home again. he thought, and knew who must be that man who would shoot for rolf. then he went homeward with a light heart. "now," said he to einar, "thy defence is sure. but come with me, and we will summon rolf for those wounds he dealt, and that man he slew, when hiarandi was slain." "no court," answered einar, "will punish rolf for that." and he would not go, though he gave ondott permission to go in his stead. ondott took a witness and went to cragness, where rolf and frodi were at work in the yard. ondott recited the summons; rolf and frodi went on with the work, and answered naught. and now all is quiet until men ride to the althing. chapter xv of suits at the althing rolf journeyed to the althing, and as he went he fell in with the company of snorri the priest, and travelled with them. snorri heard how the summons had gone, and he asked whether rolf had said anything of grettir. rolf answered that he had not. then he told of the summons which ondott had made, and snorri laughed. it was not many days before they came to the thingvalla, and rolf saw that great wonder of iceland. for from the plain on which they journeyed a large part had fallen clean away, many yards down, and it lay below like the bottom of a pan. the great rift was the name of the western precipice, and there was no way down save by one steep path; snorri had held that path on the day of the battle at the althing, nor would he let flosi and the burners escape that way. when rolf had got down to the plain, he saw all the booths for the lodging of those who came to the althing, ranged along the river. he saw the places where the quarter courts were held, and he went to the hill of laws, where the fifth court sat to hear appeals. now the hill of laws is cut off from the plain by deep rifts, and men showed rolf where, to save his life, flosi had leaped one rift at its narrowest part, and that was a great deed. other wonders were to be seen. then on the second day the sitting of the courts began, and rolf watched closely for the calling of his suit. but that came not until the sitting was near its end. now snorri conducted the case of rolf, and all went in due order. einar answered what was said against him, that he was not present at the slaying of hiarandi. snorri called on the court to say whether einar were not answerable, because his men did the deed. the judges said he was. then it came to proving whether or not the slaying were illegal, and snorri said that a man had been found who could shoot the distance. and this he asked of the judges: "is it not true that when, before witnesses, an arrow is shot from the boundary and falls beyond the tree, that will prove the slaying unlawful?" "that is so," said the judges. "now say further," demanded snorri. "is it not true that in the moment when the slaying is proved unlawful, the guilt of einar is established, so that no suit at law is needed?" "that also is true," answered the judges. "now," said snorri, "one last thing do i ask, whether or not he who goes to make the proof by shooting an arrow, may go and come freely, whatsoever man he be?" "we see no reason why this may not be so," said the judges. "now give that decision here aloud in the open court," required snorri. but einar arose and said: "one exception only shall i ask to this, that no outlaw be allowed to take part in this suit, by shooting the arrow." then said snorri to rolf, "they have learned of grettir." he said to the judges: "well do i know that no outlaw is ever allowed to give witness in court, nor to sit on juries. but no such case as this has ever arisen, and it seems to me that an outlaw might be permitted to shoot." then there was great talking on both sides, for the greater part of an hour: it would be tedious to tell what was said. but the end was, that the judges were divided, so the question was referred to the lawman. and his answer was, that no outlaw might take part in a law matter in any way whatsoever. there was an end to rolf's hopes to prove einar guilty by the means of grettir. but snorri called all men to witness that when some day a man might be found to shoot the distance, then einar was guilty without going to law. now men began to whisper and say that the end of grettir's outlawry was but four years off, and then rolf could be justified. so einar tried to have a limit of three years set on that time when it was lawful to try the shooting; but snorri strove mightily against that, and that question went to the lawman, and he said that seven years should be the limit. that was the end of the suit, and rolf got no satisfaction at all. one more thing was done on that day, for snorri went to einar where he stood with ondott, and he asked of the second suit, for which rolf had been summoned. ondott spoke for einar. "we shall not bring that suit." "that is well," said snorri, "for ye had no case, and i could have a fine laid on you if the case was brought falsely." then he took rolf with him to his booth. but here is the trick which ondott had prepared. for the next day was the last of the sittings, and snorri was busy with many matters; but rolf stayed at the booth, much cast down. then toward the sunset hour the cases were all finished, and men left the courts, all save the judges, who stayed for the formal closing. then ondott brought forward the case against rolf, and summoned him into court, but no one was there to tell either snorri or the lad. nevertheless it was the law that the suit might go on, because lawful summons had been given. and einar stood up and said: "i take witness to this, that i give notice of a suit against rolf hiarandi's son, in that he slew by a body wound, by an arrow, my herdsman thorold. i say that in this suit he ought to be made a guilty man, an outlaw, not to be fed, not to be forwarded, not to be helped or harbored in any need. i say that all his goods are forfeited, half to me, and half to the men of the quarter, who have a right by law to take his forfeited goods; i give notice of this suit in the quarter court into which it ought by law to come. i give notice in the hearing of all men on the hill of laws. i give notice of this suit to be pleaded now, and of full outlawry against rolf hiarandi's son." all that was said in the manner laid down by law. then einar pushed the case, and no one was there to answer him. all steps were taken then and there, and judgment was called for and given, and in his absence rolf was made full outlaw, and his goods were declared forfeited. not till the court had risen, and nothing might be done, was the news brought to snorri and rolf. snorri was angry that he had been tricked, yet he could see no way to help himself. this one thing he brought about, that the judges declared that rolf, outlaw though he was, might shoot to prove his innocence, if he might but get himself safely to the spot. and snorri sought to comfort rolf, but the lad was dazed. "the farm is lost!" he cried. "thou canst win it back," answered snorri. "thou art young and thy strength will grow. before the seven years are past thou canst make that shot." "nay," said rolf. "i can never do it until i find some bow as strong as grettir's, yet which a common man may string. never have i found a bow too stiff for me, save his alone." "skill may beat strength," quoth snorri. "somewhere mayest thou find the bow thou dreamest of." "where?" demanded rolf. snorri was silent, for he feared no such bow was to be found. rolf sighed. "and my mother?" he asked next. "she shall live with me at tongue. and now," said snorri, "meseems best that thou goest home at once. thou knowest all that is to be done?" "i know," replied rolf; and snorri believed him, because to the priest all the ways of the law were so familiar that it seemed all men must know them. yet rolf did not know, and they meant different things. "shall i lend thee money," asked snorri, "or hast thou enough?" "i have plenty," said rolf; yet he had only enough for the journey, whereas much more was needed. then rolf took his leave of snorri, and gave him his thanks; and taking his horse, he went from the thingfield by the path up the great rift. and he passed two men of einar's, who spoke together that they were to start very early in the morning. from the top of the rift rolf looked down on that plain where all men were still busy, and which in years had brought misfortune on all his family. then at last he went his way. now those men of einar's went to their booth, and told that they had seen rolf departing. "hasten back at once," said ondott, "and find what direction he takes." and they went and watched. "he went northwest," said they, "and he took not the straight track toward home." "then he is gone elsewhere," quoth ondott, and seemed glad. "hurry, all of you, for he delivers himself into our hands." meanwhile rolf went northwest to the valley of the geysirs, and on the second day found grettir the strong cooking his food at a boiling spring. chapter xvi the act of distress rolf told grettir all that had happened, and much was the outlaw disappointed thereat. for he had counted upon going again among men, and had hoped to win glory from the shooting, so he was sorry on his own account. but also he consoled the boy. for he spoke of the great world over the sea, how there were places and peoples to be seen, and fame to be won. this is clearly seen by those who read the story of grettir, that all his life he sought fame, and his fate was lighter to him because he knew men would sing of him after his death. but no such thoughts uplifted rolf, since he grieved for his mother and for the loss of the farm, and it seemed no pleasure to go abroad. "now," said he, "far rather would i stay here in this island, until the time of outlawry is past. why may i not stay with thee?" "knowest thou not," asked grettir, "that if one fares abroad the outlawry is for three years, but if one stays it is twenty? and that is a third of most men's lifetime." "yet," said rolf, "i am minded to do it." for he cared not what happened to him. "now," said grettir, "listen to me, and learn what it means to be an outlaw. no man will take thee within his house, so soon as he knows who thou art. so must thou live in the open, like a beast, or else make hiding-places for thyself. and a miserable life it becomes after a while. no man mayest thou trust, lest he take thy head. well do i know that gisli thy ancestor lived an outlaw, fourteen years; yet he lived in holes and caves, and was slain at the end. he was the greatest outlaw of iceland before me, save only gunnar of lithend, who tried to stay in his home and was slain. but i have maintained myself sixteen years, and miserable have they been. too tender art thou of years and frame to bear the life. moreover, i know my mother mourns me at home. think then of thine, and put this idea from thee!" then rolf was ashamed that he had ever thought of such a thing. so he spent a night with grettir, there among the geysirs, and wonderful were the things that he saw. and in the morning they cooked again at the boiling spring. then, as they sat eating, grettir said by chance: "thou saidst thou art poor. did snorri give the money for the priest's dues, and the court's?" "what are those dues?" asked rolf. grettir cried: "has no money been paid for thine outlawry?" "none by me," answered rolf. "and thy neighbor einar," asked grettir. "what was he doing when thou earnest away?" "they were preparing for departure, so that i heard a groom say they would start before sunrise in the morning." then grettir sprang up, and went and caught rolf's pony; he saddled it, and brought it to the lad. "go home!" he cried. "too little dost thou know of the law. for if those dues were paid, then thou hadst a year in which to take ship. but they are not paid, so thy enemy can make thee full outlaw ten days after the rising of the althing, by executing the act of distress at thy house. three days are gone already, and thou art far from home. for this was einar hastening away. now take my advice, and go south, and ship thence." "nay," answered rolf, "first i must see my mother, and perhaps i can reach home in time. now fare thee well, grettir. when thy outlawry is finished, then thou shalt gain me my property again." but grettir said nay to that. "well do i know," said he, "that we two shall never meet again. for from here i go to the island of drangey, to keep myself if i may until my outlawry is over. no stronger place is there in iceland for defence. but hallmund the air-sprite, my friend, foretold i should never come out of my outlawry. thus i shall never again mix in this affair of thine." rolf could answer nothing. "and in my turn," said grettir, "thus i foretell thy fate. no man shall help thee here. with thine own strength and craft must thou regain thine own, or never more be master of thy fathers hall!" then rolf was heavy-hearted as he bade grettir farewell. and grettir did as he had said: he went to his home at biarg, and went thence with his brother illugi to drangey. how he fared there may be read in the grettir's saga. but rolf fared west to his home. he had lost much time, as grettir had feared; yet as he neared cragness on the eleventh day after the rising of the althing he saw no one, and it was just noon. and only at high noon might the act be executed which would make him full outlaw. so he rode into the yard. then there stepped out to meet him from the house ondott crafty, who came forward with a greeting. he spoke well to the boy, and bade him alight, yet seemed to wish to get very near. rolf dismounted on the further side of his horse. "what doest thou here?" he asked. "einar hath sent me," said ondott, still coming closer. "he biddeth thee come to his house, where somewhat can be said concerning this outlawry of thine, to make it easier for thee." but then asdis came running from the house. "flee!" she cried. "einar and his men are at the crags, and there they make thee outlaw. flee!" then ondott snatched at rolf with his lean arms, but the lad felled him with a buffet. rolf would have mounted his horse again to get away, but men appeared at the gate of the yard, so that there was no way out. then rolf passed quickly into the hall, and kissed his mother farewell, and leaped from a window at the other side, meaning to gain the cliffs. his way was all but clear; for spies had seen rolf's coming and reported it to einar, who sent his men to seize the lad. they had gone to right and left around the hall, while einar alone completed the act of distress at the crags; for thus the law said: it must be done at a barren spot where no shade fell, not far from the house of the outlaw. and einar completed the act, and started toward the house. he alone stood between rolf and his escape. so rolf ran at him, drawing his sword. but einar fled when he saw the lad's steel. then rolf ran up behind, put his sword between einar's legs, and tripped him. einar rolled over on his back. "mercy!" cried he, and made no attempt to ward himself. rolf laid the flat of his sword against einar's forehead; he shrank from the cold steel, but still did not struggle. "now," quoth rolf, "i go across the sea, yet thou shalt hear from me again. and if i meet in the outlands thy son, of whom thou boastest, i promise thee to put this sword to his forehead, but with the edge, and to draw his blood." by that, the men of einar were close at hand. rolf ran to the crags and let himself down at a place which he knew well. when men with spears came to the edge and looked after him, nothing of him was seen. chapter xvii rolf and frodi fare abroad rolf comes to frodi where he works in his smithy, there at the head of hvammfirth. now the weather is rough, and a strong sea rages among the islands at the mouth of the firth, and the tide-rips are bad. rolf comes into the smithy, and frodi greets him well. "how went thy suit at the althing?" asks he. then rolf tells him all, how he was now an outlaw, and how he escaped. "and men are out to catch me, for as i came down over the hill, i met one who said that armed men were at the ferry below, waiting for someone. now lend me thy boat, frodi, that i may cross to hvamm, and seek passage on that ship which is there outfitting." "remain with me overnight," answered frodi, "for the wind is rough." but rolf would not stay. "then," said frodi, "i will row with thee, to help against the wind, and coming back i can row easily alone." "thou wouldst thus come into danger for forwarding an outlaw," replied rolf, and on no account would he suffer frodi to go. so perforce frodi lent him the boat, and they bade each other god-speed, and rolf set out. that was a hard row in the face of the wind, yet rolf got safely to hvamm. then, desiring that his enemies should think him dead, he set the boat adrift, and the oars separately, and saw the waves carry them from the shore. then he went on his way to the ship which was fitting for the outward voyage; and because it was the law that no shipmaster might refuse passage to an outlaw, rolf was sure of safety. as he went he met a man of snorri the priest, and rolf sent by him a message to his master: "forget not thy promise to keep my mother till my return." and so he came to the ship, and was sheltered. but that boat drifted across the firth, and the wind and tide brought it again to frodi's smithy, where it lay and beat upon the beach. frodi went out and drew it up, and knew it as his own, and believed that rolf was drowned. he went back to his smithy, and sat there weeping. then came that way men of einar's, hallvard and hallmund, with ondott crafty; and seeing they were three, and frodi so mild of temper, they went into the smithy to taunt him with the misfortunes of rolf. because he wept, they fell to laughing, and asked him: "why weepest thou, whittle-frodi?" frodi told them that rolf was dead. "for he took my boat to row across the firth, and now is the boat come empty to land, without oars or thole-pins." then they laughed the more, and taunted him grievously, saying they were glad at the news, and mocking his weeping. so hallmund came near, and put his hand on frodi, calling him a fool. frodi seized the hand, and rose, and they all saw his face was changed. "never in my life," said frodi, "have i been angry till now!" he drew the man to him, and snapped the bones of his arm; then he raised him and cast him at hallvard, so that the two fell, but ondott remained standing. "now, ondott," quoth frodi, "here is the whittle which once thou badst me draw. let us see if it will cut!" but when he drew the whittle, ondott fled, and the others scrambled together out of the smithy. then frodi was afraid of the law, for he thought: "they will make me an outlaw for this assault." so he took his boat, and got new oars and thole-pins. then he fetched his money from his sleeping loft, and fared across hvammfirth to that same ship where rolf was. great was his joy when he saw rolf. "what dost thou here?" asked rolf. "i will go with thee," answered frodi. then he paid the shipmaster his faring, and paid rolf's also. two days thereafter they sailed down broadfirth, and saw cragness at a little distance. the cairn of hiarandi was to be seen at the edge of the cliff, but many persons were at work in the field. rolf knew that his enemies had already set up their household there; but the ship took him, heavy-hearted, east over the sea. chapter xviii how those two came into thraldom two earls ruled in the orkneys: brusi and thorfinn, half-brothers. of the islands, two thirds were under brusi, the elder; but besides his third thorfinn had inherited caithness and sunderland in scotland from his grandfather the scot king. so thorfinn lived on those lands, and brusi guarded all the isles; but thorfinn complained that the guard was ill-kept, since vikings harried oft in the isles, coming from norway or denmark. there was a man named ar the peacock, who was a thane of brusi the earl and lived on the mainland of orkney. now the mainland of orkney is an island, and ar ruled its northern end, having charge of the tribute to the earl and the keeping of order. he lived at that place called hawksness in hawkdale, below the downs and sheepwalks, where is good harbor in winter. forty men he kept, and a war-ship; his hall was great, and there was a stone church close by; fisher-folk and farmers lived in the same settlement. ar was a vain man and fond of show, kindly but weak. because he had no child he had taken to him a lad to foster, who was called grani the proud, ar's fosterling. grani was tall and fair, of sixteen summers, skilled in games but ignorant of war. he was dear to his foster-father's heart, and ar could deny him nothing. that war-ship of ar's was for the ward of the isles, and ar kept it at all times in readiness. one day news came that vikings were on the west coast, plundering and burning. ar sent for sweyn, the master of his ship. "thou shalt take the best of thy men," said ar, "and search for those vikings. and because earl thorfinn has complained that our work is ill-done, thou shalt take all pains." sweyn said he would. then grani stood before ar, and said: "thou hast many times promised i should go a-fighting. now may i go with sweyn, or wilt thou put me off yet another time?" ar remembered that he had heard of but one viking-ship, so he said: "thou mayest go." "thou hast promised me thralls when the next captives are taken. may i choose them from this ship?" "two thralls mayest thou have," answered ar, "but all orkneymen are to be freed." when they made ready to go, ar said to sweyn that grani should be guarded in the fight, and sweyn promised to look well to that. they went on board and sailed round into the open sea; there they passed first the great cliffs, and then cruised along the shore, looking for the ship of the vikings. now the ship of those chapmen who had given passage to rolf and frodi had a good voyage; those two broadfirthers were the only icelanders aboard. to them the orkneyingers boasted much of their land. "in spite of what ye say," quoth rolf to them, "the orkneys are no such safe place as iceland, as i see clearly, now that we are nearing land." "in what dost thou see it?" asked the others. "with us are no sea-robbers," answered rolf, "but ye have set a watch against vikings, and fear them." this the orkneyingers could not deny, for they had kept a look-out ever since they had neared the land. yet all their care did not avail them, for they met a ship in the pentland firth, a war-ship, weather-stained and hardy; shields hung along its sides, and it sailed swiftly. when the chapmen saw the shields taken from the rail, they knew that was a viking-ship. so the chapmen prepared to defend themselves. rolf got ready to fight; but when the vikings drew near, frodi sat himself down on a rowing bench, and looked troubled. "wilt thou not fight?" asked the shipmaster. frodi answered: "it is not clear to me what i should do." "shame on thee," cried the other, "if thou wilt not fight for the men who harbored thee!" [illustration: "so tall was she that the vikings could not board her"] so frodi, all without arms, stood up as the two ships came together, and knew not where to place himself. the vikings came leaping aboard, and all began fighting in confusion; but the vikings were many and were well armed, and the chapmen had no leader. men fell dead at frodi's side, and a viking came at him with brandished sword. frodi caught him and hurled him into the water. then he took those other vikings who came near him, and cast them overboard one after another; "and it is no affair of mine," thought he, "if they cannot swim." and he cleared a space about him, but one from a distance cast at him a throwing-axe; it struck him flatwise on the head, and down he fell. by this time the chapmen were ceasing to fight; but rolf saw frodi fall, and fought the harder, to avenge him. the vikings penned him by the rail, yet he broke through them; then when he passed near where frodi had fallen, frodi rose up and caught rolf by the waist, and said: "now sit we down comfortably here together, for we have done our part." that was the end of the fight, for no men fought more, and the vikings gave peace to them. now men began to shout from the water, where they were swimming. three were hauled up over the side. "how many," asked rolf of frodi, "threwest thou over?" frodi turned white and would not answer. then the vikings despoiled the ship of the chapmen and set her adrift, but the captives were set to row the war-ship. rolf and frodi toiled at one oar together, and sore was the labor, but not for long. for on the third day, as they rowed under a bright sky with no wind, they heard a clamor among the vikings, who cried that a long ship was bearing down on them--an orkney ship, great in size. some of the vikings snatched their shields from the bulwarks and armed themselves; but many, crying that no mercy would be shown, would take no shields, and instead cast off their shirts of mail, preparing to go into battle baresark. "never have i seen that," said rolf, "though much have i heard of it." for northmen, in danger of death, often went into battle bare of armor, fighting with fury and mindless of wounds. they believed that thus they came surely into valhalla; but that was a custom of the heathen, and was not done by christian folk. rolf and frodi were tied to their bench, and saw nothing of the orkneymen as they came up astern. but at last the splash of oars was heard; next a grapple came flying aboard; then of a sudden the orkney ship loomed alongside, and she was a big ship indeed. so tall was she that the vikings could not board her; but from her the orkneymen sent down arrows, stones, and spears. bodies of men fell among the rowers' benches, and rolf and frodi took each a shield, sat close together, and warded themselves against weapons. then the orkneyingers, having cleared the waist of the viking-ship of fighters, came tumbling aboard. that was a fight with method, for the orkneymen in two parties drove the vikings to the stem and the stern, and so either slew them or thrust them into the sea. very hot was the fighting, but it was short; the sixth part of an hour was not over when the fighting was finished. now that orkney ship was the ship of ar the peacock, and they who led the fighting were sweyn and grani. sweyn drove the vikings to the bow; but grani led those who fought in the stern, and two old fighting-men warded him, one on either side. grani did not know that they were guarding him. when the fighting was finished, sweyn and grani met in the waist, near where rolf sat. sweyn asked grani if he had any wound. grani said nay thereto. "but i gave wounds, and this has been a great fight." "now," said sweyn, "let us free those who worked at the oars." "remember," answered grani, "that i am to have thralls from the captives." but of those who had been taken with the ship, it was found that all the vikings were either dead or sore wounded; and all the rowers were orkneymen save only rolf and frodi. "no orkneymen can i give thee as thrall," said sweyn. grani answered: "then i take the two others." then rolf stood up and said: "icelanders are we. since when are icelanders enthralled in the orkneys, and why is this injustice?" "ye are captives," said grani. sweyn took him aside to speak with him; but he would not listen, and said, pouting: "ar promised me." "take them then," replied sweyn. grani said to rolf and frodi: "ye are my thralls; i will treat you well. what are your names?" rolf answered: "rolf hight i." "of what father and what place?" "a thrall," answered rolf, "hath no father and no home." frodi replied in like manner. "it is plain to see," said sweyn, "that these two should be free men." "let them win their freedom, then," answered grani. then a division of men was made, and sweyn took the chapmen with him in the large ship, but grani stayed on board the viking-ship as its master. they sailed together for the orkney coast. when night came grani called rolf and frodi, and bade them watch by turns while he slept. "i will be a good master so long as ye serve me well." rolf thought grani to be about his age, yet not so old in mind. much pleased was grani to own thralls. he seemed kindly, but petulant and uncertain. chapter xix now men are shipwrecked those two ships sailed together, all that day; but in the night they became separated, for there was a little wind. in the morning grani's ship was close to a shore, and that was the mainland of orkney. for miles great cliffs stood up out of the water, the wind fell, and there was a long ground-swell. then said grani: "often have i seen these cliffs from above; now it will be sport to see them from below. put in close, and sail along under the cliffs." those two old men who had warded him in the fight both spoke to him, saying it were better to keep away. but grani pouted and gave his order again. "all men say," quoth he, "that the water is deep there, and no harm can befall." then they sailed along under the cliffs, and a grand sight that was, to see them high above and stretching far ahead. rolf stood in the bow, and he looked first up at the cliffs, and then down into the green water. there came a great wave, larger than the others, and after it the water fell away. just before the ship, rolf saw a rock break the water with scarcely a ripple, for it was very sharp; sea-weed floated around its sides. another wave came and lifted the ship up, and the rock disappeared as if it had sunk down. rolf shouted in warning. but the wave passed, the ship rushed down into the hollow, and struck the rock. the planks tore apart beneath the bow, and all heard the splintering; then the water poured in, a wave lifted the ship, and she slid back into deep water. she began to sink. there was scarcely time to throw over oars and shields, and to leap after them into the water. the ship went down; the men were swimming, there under the wall of rock. they swam toward the cliff, and those who swam worst clung to the oars. but the cliff rose sharp from the water, only hand-hold was to be had, and the waves bruised the men as they tried to support themselves. eighteen men in all were there, and they swam in a line along the cliff for an hour, until at last they found a foothold where a shelf of rock jutted under water, and all might stand waist deep. then one of the men asked: "is the tide coming or going?" they watched to find out, and at last it was sure: the tide was coming. it rose above their waists, so that the smaller men were lifted by the waves; and it was lucky that there was no storm, for they would all have been killed. then the tide rose still higher, and men began to look anxious. there they stayed half an hour more, and the sea-otters swam about and looked at them. frodi said to rolf: "what dost thou think, and why look'st thou so at the cliffs above us?" "they seem to me like the cliffs at home. were we there i could climb up." "seest thou no way here?" asked frodi. "i see two ways," answered rolf, "yet neither seems good." grani asked: "what are my thralls saying?" "the water," said rolf, "will take thy thralls from thee." but one of the men had heard what had been said, and told grani. grani cried: "why dost thou not try the climb?" "send one of those," answered rolf, "who cares to save his life." this he said of a set purpose, for of the men some were heavy and some were old. they all shook their heads and said they could not win to the top of the cliff. grani said: "i will give thee thy freedom if thou wilt save us." "is there a farm above?" asked rolf. one of the men said: "within a mile." rolf still stayed where he was. "why dost thou not go?" cried grani. "what of the freedom of my fellow?" asked rolf. "he also shall be free," answered grani. then rolf essayed to climb the cliff by the way which seemed surest; he went up quickly until they lost sight of him, so that they began to say that now he was at the top, and would soon bring a rope. then something fell with a great splash in the water. "he hath reached the top and thrown down a rock," cried the men. but that was rolf himself, for he had fallen from near the top; presently they saw his head. all breathless and bruised, he swam to them and waited a while; then he sought to climb by the other way, and that was more in sight of the others; marvellous climbing they agreed it was. after a while he went again out of their sight, and in the end they heard him hail. so they were sure he was at the top. then they waited for him to bring the rope, and the water rose to the breastbone of frodi, who was tallest; but it was at the chin of the shortest, who had to float, while frodi held him. they stayed there a long time, and the water rose still higher; it was cold, and some of the men grew very faint. at last shouts were heard, and a rope came dangling down. then the shortest man climbed the rope, and he was glad. but others were too weak to climb, and had to be drawn up, one after another. grani would not go, but sent up the men in the order of their height. when he and frodi alone were left, grani said to frodi: "go thou next." "great is thy pride," answered frodi, "and thou wishest to do a brave deed, yet thy strength is not sufficient. for see, thou art blue about the lips, and i am holding thee upright. how shouldst thou stay alone after i have gone up? but i could stand here yet another hour. thou must go next." "i will stay to the last," answered grani. then the rope came down again. "i will not go," said grani. "then i shall tie thee by force, and send thee up," said frodi. but then was heard a great shouting, and there came a ship which had seen the work of rescue, and had put in shore. grani said: "i will go in the ship; they are sending a boat." when the boat came from the ship, grani went in it; but frodi climbed the rope and told rolf what had been said. that was a ship of chapmen, and its master asked grani who he was, and gave him food and drink, and carried him round the end of the mainland to hawksness; but those others who had reached the top of the cliff had no other way than to walk. four leagues they fared on foot, reaching hawksness after nightfall. meanwhile grani spoke much with the shipmaster, and they grew very friendly. they came to hawksness about the same time as the other men came from the moors, and they all walked up to the hall together. rolf walks with frodi, but the shipmaster goes with grani, and passes near them; the shipmaster sees them, but they do not mark him. then the shipmaster pulls at grani's sleeve, and draws him aside. the shipmaster asks: "those two who walk there are thy thralls?" grani said so. then the shipmaster said: "didst thou say thou wouldst set them free?" "aye," answered grani. "it hath come to my mind," said the other, "that they did not save thee, but i did. moreover, there was no need for climbing the cliff, for i should have been able to save ye all." "that is true," said grani. "now," quoth the shipmaster, "thou art very reckless of thy possessions if thou settest those thralls free." "truly," answered grani, "i will not free them." when they reached the hall sweyn had arrived before them, and the booty of the vikings lay in the hall; but ar was waiting anxiously for his foster-son, and welcomed him gladly. then a true tale was required of all that had happened. grani told each thing as it had come about. when he told of his thralls, ar said: "since those two are icelanders, who are close to us by ties of blood, it were better to have set them free." "thou didst not reserve any save orkneymen," answered grani. then he told of the wreck and the rescue. said ar: "so those two have their freedom in the end?" grani called rolf and frodi to the dais. "thou didst not save my life," said he. "that is true," answered rolf. "moreover," quoth grani, "the ship would have saved us all." "that also is true," said rolf. "therefore i see no reason," said grani next, "why i should set thee free." rolf and frodi answered nothing. "see," said grani to ar, "they make no objection; therefore i shall keep them as thralls. but i will give each of them what he cares to choose of the spoil, if thou permit." then permission was given, and the spoil of the vikings was spread out there before the dais; there were fine things of many kinds. but rolf put the gold and silver by, and took only a cloak. then said grani: "choose again." rolf took a belt. "choose again," repeated grani. rolf took a short sword. "choose yet again!" cried grani. but rolf would take nothing more, and frodi took naught but a cloak and a whittle. "a strange pair are ye," quoth grani. but ar called them to him and asked them why they had chosen so little. "we take only our own," answered rolf. "sea-worn cloaks and weapons," said ar, "are they dear to ye?" "his mother," said frodi, "made me my cloak, but the whittle belonged to my father." "and thy things," asked ar of rolf. "who gave them to thee?" "snorri the priest," answered rolf, "gave me the cloak, and burning flosi gave the belt; but if ye do not know these names--" "i know them both," said sweyn the sea-captain. "but who gave the sword?" "kari solmund's son," answered rolf, "and that name thou shouldst know best of all." sweyn cried: "i know the man himself, for he is an orkneyman by birth, tribute-taker here under earl sigurd, and of great fame. now tell us the story why he gave thee the sword." but rolf would tell nothing. then sweyn offered to buy rolf of grani, but he puffed out his lips and would not sell his thrall. so nothing came of that rescue by rolf, save to give him a name among the orkneyingers. now all men sit down for the evening meal. that shipmaster wishes to leave the hall, saying he must look to his ship; but grani will not let him go. then frodi sees him, and pushes rolf in the side. says frodi: "men said your uncle was dead." "so they did," answers rolf. but he does not attend, and falls to brooding. so frodi says that again. rolf asks him why. "who sits by the dais?" asked frodi. rolf looked on that shipmaster, and it was his father's brother, kiartan. chapter xx how rolf won his freedom now when that meal was ended, kiartan rose up and said that he must go; he thanked ar, and grani walked with him to the door. but as they passed by the bench whereon rolf and frodi were sitting, grani beckoned them to rise up, and he said to kiartan: "look on my thralls, now that thou canst see them closer, and tell me what thou thinkest of them." kiartan scarcely looked at them. "they seem a good pair," he answered. "it is fitting for thy dignity to have thralls." then he went away. frodi asked of rolf: "did he know us?" "he knew us well," answered rolf. "what wilt thou do?" asked frodi. "i see naught to do," said rolf. "for what he did against my father was done in iceland, so that i could not bring a suit at law here. moreover, no thrall can bring a suit in any land." "wilt thou claim kinship with him?" frodi asked. "wilt thou?" responded rolf. no more words were said, but it was seen in their eyes that for their pride's sake they would make no claim on kiartan. kiartan found that nothing was said in the matter; so he stayed there in the place, and won the friendship of ar by gifts, and traded with success. he ate often at the hall, and slept there whenever he would; but no word passed between him and those kinsmen, nor did they ever look at him. grani was proud that he owned thralls, and he commanded them to show what they could do. so rolf shot with the bow, and grani made him his bow-bearer. but frodi said he knew little of weapons; yet when they gave him a spear he shot it through two shields braced together against posts. he asked for work as a smith, but grani made him spear-bearer. and the youth often walked abroad with those other two attending him. ar was pleased with that show, but the thralls smiled grimly to each other. once kiartan saw that smile, and he said to grani privily: "thy thralls smile at thy back, and make as if they feel shame. now be careful lest they harm thee sometime when thou art alone with them. if i were thee, i would set them at the sheep-herding or the field-work." grani answered: "i fear no harm from them, and indeed i like them more every day. i cannot spare them." now the truth of the matter was this, that grani cast a great love upon rolf, and would have him as a friend, not thinking that no friendship can be between master and slave. he gave rolf gifts, everything but his freedom; he spoke much with rolf, yet the talk was most upon the one side, for rolf grew very silent. yet rolf went everywhere after grani, and did him much service of all kinds, being clever with his hands and wise in his ways; he knew a boat and all the modes of fishing; when it came to cliff-climbing, no man in that place was his match. grani often went seeking adventure with rolf and frodi; they managed in such wise that frodi did the work and rolf directed what should be done. when they went after birds frodi sat at the top of the cliff and held the rope, but on the cliff's face rolf would let grani take no risks. nay, sometimes it seemed as if rolf were the master and grani the man. but when other people were about, rolf did all that grani said. one day a bishop came to hawksness and visited the parish. he held service in the church, and lived at the hall for two days. when he was about to go away, he asked if any man needed from him counsel or comfort. frodi stood up. said he: "lord bishop, are all manslayings sinful?" the bishop answered: "state me the case, for some manslayings are blameless." so frodi spoke thus: "if a man is on a ship, and vikings come, and that man casts a viking overboard, and the viking is drowned--hath the man committed a mortal sin?" many men smiled at these words, for the story of frodi and the vikings had been told. the bishop said: "vikings are the worst plague of the land, and they deserve no mercy. since the viking came to take life, it was no sin to slay him." frodi drew a long breath, but he asked further: "if two vikings were drowned, what of that?" "it is the same," answered the bishop. "but if three men were thus drowned," asked frodi, "what then?" "even if thirty died," answered the bishop, "the answer is still the same." then frodi heaved a great sigh, and looked so relieved that all who stood by shouted with merriment. grani was pleased most of all, and he gave command that frodi should be called drowning-frodi. frodi liked that little, yet by that name he was called for a while. and grani was so pleased with all this that he boasted much about his thralls. one day he spoke of them with kiartan, and told how when they went away together rolf took the lead. "and he cares for me," said grani, "as if i were his brother; but so soon as others are by he is as any other thrall, and says no word unless spoken to." kiartan said: "in that he appears to me sly." "how should that be?" asked grani. "he seeks to gain influence over thee," answered kiartan. "nay," said grani, "he and i are friends." kiartan shook his head. quoth he: "in my country we have a saying: 'ill is a thrall for a friend.' moreover, to lack dignity at any time is not seeming in one of thy station." grani took those sayings much to heart; he went no more away alone with his thralls, but stayed where were other men. now that was the time when the summer had passed by and harvests were all in, but winter had not yet come and the weather was mild. men were saying that when winter should come, it would be with suddenness. there came a day when the wind was high, but it was as soft as summer. a man named thord the weatherwise came to ar and said: "see to it that all is ready for the winter!" and without more words departed. ar inquired of his men if the sheep were yet gathered in from the downs above the cliffs. it was answered that they were not. ar bade send a man quickly to warn the shepherds. it was told ar that the fishers had just come in, and that all the serving-men were busied at the beach, being much needed to save the catch of fish, for the waves were high. ar said to grani: "lend me one of thy thralls to take my message." "thou mayest have both of them," answered grani. so rolf and frodi prepared to go to the downs, and a long jaunt that would be. but when grani saw they were ready he felt desire to go with them, since he had not done much for some days, and needed action. so he said that rolf and frodi should wait till he could go with them. they went outside the hall to wait, and grani bound on his shoes. now kiartan had stood by and heard all that, and he said: "so thou goest out again with thy friends?" grani answered with pride: "i go with my thralls!" he went outside the hall and found rolf and frodi waiting. rolf looked him over, and seeing there was no one by, he said: "take thy cloak, for we may be benighted." "lo," answered grani, "the thrall gives orders to his master! we shall be back before men go to bed. no cloak is needed, and i forbid ye to take yours." so rolf and frodi left their cloaks behind, and went with grani to the moors. the moors were wide and rolling, and lay above those cliffs whereby they had once been wrecked. the three travelled not as had been their wont, all together; but grani went ahead, saying to himself they should remember that they were thralls. in going so he missed his way, and they came to the sheepcotes roundabout and late. there they found the men busy gathering in the sheep, making ready to drive them to the valleys when this gale should pass. some men said that would be on the morrow, for the wind was falling. even while they spoke the wind dropped completely, and there was a calm. "see," said grani, "the storm is over; it was but a gale." the head shepherd said he thought not so, and that more was to be looked for. "moreover, thy icelanders think the same, as i can see by their faces." "i ask not what they think," answered grani. "there is blue sky in the south." "thy thralls and i," replied the shepherd, "look to the north. and now i beg that thou wilt stay here overnight, for company's sake." "i see thou hast fear for me," said grani. "but i will return." "then hasten," begged the shepherd. but grani would not hurry, and started leisurely. the shepherd called a man, and privately told him he should guide those three, for he knew the moors. then the shepherd begged grani that the man might go to hawksness with him, for his work at the folds was done. the four started together. soon a little wind, thin and keen, began to blow from the north; it grew greater quickly until it was half a gale. by that time they were where they could see the sea, and grani looked out upon it. quoth he: "fog is coming from the water." now rolf had been silent so far, all that afternoon; yet he could be so no longer. said he: "not fog is that, but snow, and i beg thee to turn back." "lead forward!" said grani to the shepherd. so they went on as they had been going, another half-hour, and each minute the wind grew stronger. they neared the line of the cliffs, and walked parallel with them at a half-mile's distance. then that which had appeared to be fog on the water at last moved inland, so that they saw it coming like a wall. it left the sea, and swallowed up the land before it; then it swept upon them silently, and they bent before its onslaught. wind buffeted them and roared in their ears; a few snowflakes drove along the ground; then they were enfolded in the swirl of snow. all around them became one gray fleece, they could not see for a rod in front, and they shivered with the cold. they struggled onwards, bending to the wind; and night came down an hour before its time. the snow began to heap thickly, and now it was above the ankle, now a foot in depth; wonderful was that fall of snow. they walked one behind the other, the shepherd in front, then grani, rolf, and frodi, each so close as to touch the next one with his hand. the night grew black, and the wind was loud. then at last rolf shouted that they should stop. "why sayest thou that?" asked grani. "because i think we near the cliffs," said rolf. "i hear no surf," answered grani. but the guide thought that rolf was right. grani asked what they should do. rolf answered: "best stay here till morning." "shall i freeze?" asked grani. "let us turn away and walk further inland." "we cannot keep our direction," said rolf. "wilt thou never be silent?" asked grani. "we will go inland." so they sought to do so, and they walked for another while. then grani asked the shepherd if he knew where he was, and the man could not say. when they went on again, frodi pressed forward and took the place behind the shepherd; and when grani asked for the place frodi would not give it. so they walked thus for another while, their feet clogged by the snow, their faces stung with the wind, plodding with great effort and weariness. then at the end that happened which rolf had feared. for of a sudden the roar of the sea burst up at them from their very feet, and the guide, with a cry, sank in the darkness. frodi clutched at him, but caught only the cloak; the clasp broke, and the man fell to his death. those other three stood at the edge of the cliff, while below the sea thundered, yet they saw nothing. then rolf took grani by the arm and drew him away. frodi followed. the noise of the surf was suddenly lost in the wind, and no one would have known they were near the cliff. rolf led the way inland, and frodi walked last; they went very cautiously, and frodi was ever ready to seize on grani. at last they reached a mound. in its lee the wind was less, and the snow was piling deep; rolf scooped space for them all, and there they sat down side by side. after a space grani said, "it grows cold." frodi wrapped him in the guide's cloak. for another while they sat silent, until grani said again: "i am too weary to walk another step, yet if i sit here i shall freeze. frodi, what can we do?" frodi knew nothing which could be done. "either we should walk over the cliffs, or die of freezing in the first mile. we must stay here. take warmth from us." they sat closer to him, but still he was cold. after a while he said: "i am sorry we brought not our cloaks." they answered nothing. the snow heaped around them, yet grani fell to shivering. then he said: "i am sorry we turned not back." they still said nothing. at last grani could bear it no longer, and he cried: "rolf, if thou hast anything to say, say it before we all die!" rolf answered: "i have been thinking. what is this mound behind us?" "there is but one mound on all the heaths," answered grani. "men call it the barrow of a viking, who died off the coast, and was buried here with his ship, that he might forever look out upon the sea." "then," said rolf, "there is one thing we can do, and only one, to save our lives; and that is to break into the barrow." so they fell to digging with their hands at the mound, and they could have done nothing had the earth been frozen. but it was still soft; and they dug until they came to timbers, two feet within the mound. then frodi thrust his hands between the timbers, and strained at one, and rolf and grani tugged at his waist. the timber broke, and they fell back together in the snow; yet an entrance to the mound was thus made, and when they had enlarged it rolf went in first, and the others followed. within, the air was dead and close; they stayed at the entrance to breathe, yet the place was warmer, and it was a great relief not to feel the wind. but grani was still all of a shiver, so rolf went into the mound further, and they heard him stumbling and slipping in the darkness. after a while he came back to them and said: "here is wood for a fire." then they pulled stalks of grass and shook them free of snow; they found in the shepherd's cloak a flint and steel, and so made a fire at the mouth of the barrow. the wind bore the smoke away, and by degrees the air cleared in the mound. then with brands they went within, and cast the light about. the mound was made of a viking-ship, a small one, which had been borne there on the shoulders of men. it was propped upright with stones, and roofed over with timbers and planks; dirt had been cast over the whole. they climbed into that ship, and saw by the light of the torches where the old viking sat in the stern. he was in such armor as men had worn long before; he had a helm on his head, and held a sword in his hand, and was very stern of face. there he sat as if he were still alive, but there was no sight in his eyes. before him in the ship were precious things of gold and silver, cloths, and weapons. all the oars lay in their places as if ready for men to use them. very strange was that sight, and those three gazed at it in silence. "he looks," said frodi, "as if he would walk." [illustration: "there he sat as if he were still alive, but there was no sight in his eyes"] "now," said grani, "i remember the shepherds say he has been seen, and lights have burned at this mound sometimes of nights. yet he has never done harm." "if he is ever to do it, he will do it now," said rolf. "for he looks as if he mislikes us here." by that time the place was very smoky from the torches, so they went back again to the entrance and lay down to sleep; they took with them cloths and broidered hangings which had lain by the viking, and with these and the fire they made themselves warm. so, very weary from their walking, they fell asleep. in the middle of the night rolf and grani waked, and missed frodi from their side. moreover they heard a noise, which was not the howling of the storm, but was like the splintering of wood and the snarling of men's breaths as they wrestled in fight. then rolf snatched a torch from the fire and ran within the mound; grani followed, and they climbed on board the ship. there lay frodi and the viking together: they had been fighting all about the place, and the thwarts and oars were broken; in one place even the bulwark of the ship was torn away. but frodi had forced the viking into the seat where first he had sat; and there frodi held him, while the viking struggled still, glaring from glassy eyes, and frodi could do naught but keep him where he was. little more breath had frodi, but yet he held his grip on the viking's arms. then rolf drew his short-sword, and sprang in at the viking, and hewed at the neck of him, so that the head sprang off at the stroke; but no blood followed. frodi lay and breathed deeply, but rolf took the head of the viking and laid it at his thigh. with those heathen ghosts which did harm to man, there was no way to quiet them except to hew off the head and lay it at the thigh. and such things happened to many men, even as is here told; but the greatest ghost-layer, says sturla the lawman, was grettir the strong. when frodi had got his breath, they asked him how all that had come about. "nothing do i know about it," answered frodi, "save that he came and dragged me in my sleep hither, and sought to throttle me. i had much ado to master him." they went back and slept until the day came, but the storm was still so violent that they could not travel. then they made larger the entrance to the mound so that light came into the ship; and they buried the viking in the ground. now when they came to examine his treasures, grani and frodi were busy long, casting aside each thing for something better. but after rolf had searched for only a short while, he sat still and looked no further. grani saw that he had something. "what precious thing hast thou there?" asked he. "this," said rolf, "which i found on the back of the viking's seat." he showed them a bow which had hung there in a leathern case. of some foreign wood it was, tipped with horn, and bound at the middle with wire of fine gold to form a grip. it seemed very strong, cunningly made: a wonderful weapon. and there was a quiver with it, bearing thirty arrows, long and barbed for war. "now," said grani, "this is far better than jewels or fine cloths, and it is the best weapon here. thou shalt give it to me." rolf gave him the bow. and when they went again to look out upon the storm, the clouds were breaking and sunbeams were coming through. so they took the bow and some small gear, and started for hawksness, where they found ar nigh wild for fear; but their coming made him happy. and grani told all that had happened to them. said ar: "methinks thy thralls have saved thy life." "that is true," answered grani. "what wilt thou give them?" asked ar. "whatever they wish," answered grani. he called on rolf to say what gift he would like at his hands. "that bow and those arrows," said rolf. "now," asked grani, "which is dearest to thee, that bow, or thy freedom and frodi's?" "our freedom," answered rolf. "your freedom shall you have," said grani. then, before all who were in the hall, he spoke rolf and frodi free. chapter xxi how rolf won the viking's bow grani sent men to the viking's mound, and they fetched home all the precious things which were there, whether gold, silver, cloths or weapons. among these last was the viking's bill. that was a notable weapon, having a curving blade with a hook springing from its back, and set like a great spearhead upon a pole as high as a man's shoulder. grani kept all weapons; but he gave rolf and frodi things to the value of some hundreds in silver, and begged that they should remain with him in the hall of ar the peacock. yet rolf bore himself as if he expected more from grani than gold and silver, and said he could not stay in the hall. grani complained of that to ar. ar asked: "knowest thou not what he will have of thee?" said grani, "the bow, belike." "not so," answered ar. "well," grani said, "i will make amends to him by pressing him again to live here with us." "thou shalt never succeed with him in that," replied ar, "until thou hast said those words which will make him forget that he was once a thrall in this place. but this i beg thee, drive him not away from hawksness; for war with the scots is threatened in the spring, and all fighting-men will be of value." so grani did not press rolf to stay in the hall, and he asked: "where will ye live?" "we go," answered rolf, "to stay a while with that shipmaster who has been living here." but when they searched after kiartan, it was told that he had gone with his ship with great suddenness when he learned that rolf and frodi were set free. yet in his haste he had left merchandise, and had outstanding credits; so rolf took kiartan's lodgings, and said he would wait his return. then winter came on, and the place was snowed and frozen up, so that men had nothing to do save to hold sports on the ice, or to sit long of evenings in the hall, talking of many things. but now all was different from before, and rolf and grani came seldom together. one time when all were at games on the ice, grani sent for his bow, and it was brought out to him. men took it and handled it, admiring it much. "let us see," said grani, "what shooting we can do with it." he tried to string the bow. but it was with him as it had been with rolf and the bow of grettir: it would not bend for him, but was almost as stiff as a spear shaft. he got red in the face, first with trying and then with anger; at last he gave over and said that others should try. but though the strongest of the orkneyingers did their best, they could do no better than grani. thereat he felt better, and offered the bow to frodi. frodi held it in his hands, and turned it this way and that. "break it i might," quoth he, "but string it never." he offered the bow to rolf, saying: "do thou try it, for i have seen thee do with skill what others have failed to do with force." but rolf would not try to string the bow. so grani sent it back to the hall, and let bring the viking's bill, which had lain by his side in the ship. but when it was brought, it proved too heavy for any of the orkneyingers to wield. then said grani: "i will give the bill as a present to ghost-frodi." "why callest thou me that?" asked frodi. grani only said, "why should i not call thee so?" and he pressed the bill on frodi, who drew back. "i know nothing of weapons," said he. then all the orkneyingers shouted to see the strongest man drawing away from the bill; and when grani made him take it, they laughed the more, for he handled it, said all, as if it were the smithy broom. they called him ghost-frodi after that, thinking it fine that he who could master a spirit could not handle a weapon. now in that winter ar was continually sick with little fevers, and he would not let grani stir far from his side. one day a messenger from earl brusi came to say that ar should keep a watch for vemund the pitiless, who had been driven from the north, and had gone toward the south. now no one needed to be told who vemund was. for he was the worst of all vikings who had ravaged in the orkneys, since he not only took tribute, but burnt towns and slaughtered people wantonly. a baresark he was, with the strength of seven men, and so defended by magic that on him no steel might bite. only twenty men had he with him, but they had the power of fifty, being baresarks all, outlawed and reckless of life. they had first done great damage in norway, but were driven thence to the shetland isles, and thence to the northern orkneys, but now were coming further south. rewards and fame were sure to the men who could overcome those baresarks. grani begged of ar that he might go in the war-ship in search of them; but ar said no to that. ar gave orders that sweyn should keep the ship in readiness; men slept near the boat-stand, ready to launch her day or night. one night in a storm, fire was seen on that island which is off hawksness, where dwell only fisher-folk; the cottages were seen to burn to the ground, but the sea was high, and no one crossed over. in the morning a ten-oared boat left that little island, and went away eastward; that was a venturesome thing in a storm, and by that deed that was known for the boat of vemund the pitiless. then sweyn let launch the war-ship, and with all his men went after the baresarks. rolf made no offer to go, and grani watched the chase from the shore, angry that he must stay. the two ships drove away out of sight, and no one could say that the larger gained upon the smaller. nothing more was seen of them all that day. but in the night the baresarks gave sweyn the slip; they came straight back as they had gone, but sweyn went on, first east, then south, searching the coast. vemund's ship came to hawksness; and in the morning, behold, there it was off the landing, and the baresarks were just rowing it to shore. the fisher-folk left their cottages and ran to the hall, and all took hasty counsel. but when word was brought to ar of the baresarks, first he became red in the face, and then he lost power of speech, and there was no leader save grani. grani said: "this is no place for us to stay, for the baresarks will burn us alive. take ar and the women and children into the stone church, and let us men go also thither and defend it." then that was done; and when they reached the church, going hastily and in a body so that none should be left behind, they found rolf and frodi sitting at the door, with their weapons. then all went within the church, but rolf and frodi stayed outside. "come ye not inside?" asked grani. "all those riches which ar has in his hall," responded rolf, "are those to be burned or lost?" then grani said he would go back again, and called for men to help defend the hall. only nine came. but those, with rolf and frodi, went back to the hall; both the hall and the church were barred against the baresarks. those outlaws came up into the place; a strange crew they were, wearing no armor but skins of beasts, and wild to look on. they burned some huts, but the church and the hall they might not force. then, because they feared sweyn's return, and so dared not to lose time, they knew not what to do. men shot at them from the hall and the church; so the baresarks went back again to the shore, and took counsel together. now all the time in the hall frodi had walked up and down, looking very white and knocking his bill against everything, as if he were afraid. so when the outlaws went away, grani scoffed at him. "what dost thou with that bill," asked grani, "if thou canst not stand up like a man, and be ready for what comes?" "truly," answered frodi, "i feel strange inwardly, and my hands are cold. yet what dost thou with that bow, which is so handsome that man never saw finer, yet which no one in these islands has yet strung?" then grani took the quiver from his shoulders and laid down the bow. "i am justly rebuked," said he. he took a lighter bow. "now wilt thou take a smaller weapon?" "no man can say," answered frodi, "what he will do in time of trial. but i will keep the bill." now some voice was heard without, calling; they listened to what was said. that was a messenger from vemund, who made this offer: a champion should be sent out by the orkneyingers, to meet vemund, and whichever champion should fall, his side should yield itself into the other's hands. but if the orkneyingers refused, fire should be set to the hall and also to the roof of the church. and that was the same as offering them one small chance for their lives. grani asked: "what man will go out against vemund?" no one offered. then grani said: "he who goes against the baresark will die swiftest, therefore i am willing to go myself." all the orkneyingers cried out against that, saying they should die together within the hall; it might be sweyn would come in time to save them. then rolf spoke and said: "no man in this place, not even frodi our strongest, will have any chance against vemund, so long as we fight with steel weapons. for i have heard the ways of such men to be these: before fighting they look upon the weapons of the other champion, and when they look, by witchcraft they make steel or iron powerless against them. such a man is vemund named. yet if thou, grani, wilt give me what i desire, i will find a way to slay him." "anything i have," answered grani, "is thine." "give me then," said rolf, "the bow and arrows of the viking." then grani gave him the bow and the quiver, and rolf cried to the messenger to say to vemund that in half an hour one would meet him with the bow. at that great laughter rose among the outlaws, and those in the hall and in the church felt no confidence in rolf. but he said to frodi, "go to the forge and heat it." and he said to grani, "bring me here some silver." then when the forge was heated and the silver was brought, rolf said to frodi: "make me now three silver arrowheads, the best thou canst, after the pattern of these here in the quiver." so frodi made the arrow-heads quickly and with great skill, so that no one could have told them apart from the arrow-heads of iron, for they were black from the fire. and rolf first set a dish of whale-oil to heat by the forge, and then took the heads from three of the arrows. when the new arrow-heads were made, rolf bound them with sinews upon the shafts. a man said: "but what wilt thou do with the arrows if thou canst not string the bow?" rolf answered nothing. he took the whale-oil and oiled those three arrows. then he heated the oil hotter, and began to rub it on the bow. first he oiled the string and rubbed it long; then he oiled the wood. and the wood became darker with the oil, and took a finer polish; fresher it seemed, gleaming in the light of the forge. rolf rubbed for many minutes, and the bow became ever darker; he held it then over the forge, turning it in every way, and it took to itself the fire of the coals. then rolf oiled the string once more, heating it as well; and at last they saw he meant to string the bow. against his foot he set it, and bent it, and slipped the string up to the notch; it seemed as if a child could have done the deed, and the men burst out with a shout. then rolf took one of the old arrows and set it on the string; he drew the bow and shot the arrow along the hall. no one could see that it dropped in its flight; but it struck an oaken beam by the high seat, and when men came to measure it afterward, the arrow had entered the oak by the breadth of a palm. men spoke afterward of the sweet twang of that bow, like as if it were an harp. then the orkneyingers went out of the hall with much shouting, and stood upon a knoll which was between the hall and the church. the baresarks came near, and vemund stood out before them; he was a huge man, very hairy, with a great beard. he asked who was to come against him. "i," answered rolf. vemund laughed, and the other baresarks also, calling rolf a boy. "let me see thy weapons," said vemund. rolf showed him his quiver, and the baresark touched the point of each arrow with his finger. "wilt thou look upon my weapons?" asked vemund. rolf said he would not. "now," said he, "withdraw thy men to the beach, and let us begin." "thou art eager for death," said vemund with a grin. "i will do as thou sayest, and then will come at thee. thou mayest shoot as soon as thou wilt." vemund withdrew his men to the beach, and the orkneyingers went aside from the knoll. frodi wept before he left rolf, commending him to god. then rolf took those three arrows with silver points, and stuck them in the ground by his feet. by then vemund was ready to return; he bore no shield nor armor; he threw down his bow, and shouted that this should be between whatever weapons each man chose. then with sword in hand he began to walk to the knoll. rolf took an arrow from his quiver and laid it on the string. when vemund was nearer, rolf drew the bow; no bow had ever drawn harder, yet none had been so lively in his hand. the arrow sped; vemund turned not aside, but when the shaft struck on his breast the wood flew to splinters, and the point fell down. all the orkneymen cried out in fear, but the baresarks shouted. rolf took a second arrow and waited awhile. then he shot again, and the arrow struck vemund on the throat; it turned aside, and flew sliddering away. some of the orkneymen withdrew to the door of the church, crying that they should be let in. but the outlaws began to come forward. then rolf drew one of those arrows from the ground, and wiped the point, and made ready. when vemund was twenty paces away rolf shot for the third time. the arrow went in a level flight, and struck vemund on the breast; there it sunk to the feathers. those baresarks, coming behind, saw a foot of the shaft stand out from vemund's back. then vemund brandished his sword and ran at rolf; rolf took the second arrow and sent it at him. in the eye it struck him, and pierced to the brain; down fell the baresark, and died before he reached the ground. rolf took the third arrow and put it in his quiver. then the orkneyingers came running from the church with their weapons, and all rushed at the outlaws. grani shouted that the baresarks should lay down their arms; but they, fearing death, drew into a circle and would not yield. they began to cast spears at the orkneyingers. "shoot arrows at them," said grani to rolf. "i have done my share," quoth he. then the orkneyingers ran round that circle of outlaws, and did their best to pry into it; but they got only wounds. the baresarks began to grit their teeth and work themselves to anger as if they had been wolves; that was their way in battle. frodi went nearer to look at that sight. then one baresark shot a spear at frodi, and cut his shoulder so that it bled. at that frodi turned red, and took his bill, and went at that man. the baresark swung his sword, but frodi caught it with the bill and spun it aloft; then he hooked at the man with the back of the bill, and caught him by the neck, and pulled him down grovelling. an orkneyman pierced the outlaw as he lay. so the circle of the baresarks was broken, but they sought to draw again together. then frodi took his bill, and made at the two men to right and left of the opening; one he caught with the point of the bill, and pitched him sideways; that man fell on the circle at another place and broke it there. next frodi pitched the other baresark clean across the circle against the men at the other side; two fell at once. then grani shouted and rushed within the ring, and all the orkneyingers fell on the baresarks at every point. some were slain right there; some broke away and were chased about; one by one they died among the huts and the frames for drying fish. frodi, when he had done that much, stood by rolf and struck no more. when the fighting was finished the orkneyingers looked to their hurts, and it was found that no one was badly wounded. all said that the death of vemund the pitiless was not so bad by half as the living of him. now grani was very happy and talkative, and he praised his men much; but he seemed constrained before rolf, and spoke to frodi. "and thou saidst thou couldst not use the bill!" frodi answered, "so i thought, but it is no different from handling a pitchfork." grani whooped with laughter, and would tell that saying to others. frodi beseeched him: "cease thy talking, lest men give me a new nickname." but grani told frodi's words in the presence of many, and all cried that frodi should be called pitchfork frodi. he grumbled to rolf thereat. "better be glad," said rolf, "that nothing worse has come to thee than a sore shoulder and a new name." now sweyn came sailing back, angered that he had been tricked, but much afraid of what might have happened at hawksness in his absence. as for ar the peacock, he lay without speech until the morrow, when he came to himself; but he was a broken man ever after that shock. grani took the spoil from the baresark ship, and divided it into five parts. two parts he gave to those fishers whose houses the baresarks had burned; one part he divided among those who had wounds; the rest he sent to the lodging of rolf and frodi. grani took nothing for himself, nor did he go with the treasure to rolf; and men said among themselves that, during all these doings, rolf and grani had spoken to each other only when they must. from that time the viking's bow was rolf's own. those two arrows which had slain the baresark were hung up in the church; but rolf took the third arrow with the silver point, and bound it in the quiver with a silken thread. chapter xxii now kiartan returns as weakness grew on him, ar the peacock kept grani much by his side. one day ar said: "i see that thou art troubled at times. is aught weighing on thee?" grani answered: "rolf is on my mind." ar said: "put away the thought of him." "that i cannot do," replied grani, "for i feel i did wrong in enthralling him, and i cannot be easy until he hath forgiven me." "meseems," quoth ar, "that thou expectest rolf to come and say 'i forgive thee,' before ever thou hast shown him that thou art sorry." grani answered nothing. "go now," said ar, "and seek him out. confess thyself in the wrong." "it is hard to do that," responded grani. "thou art well named grani the proud," said ar; but then he added: "never have i blamed thee till now, but thou shouldst have done this thing at the very first. and the longer this estrangement lasts, the harder it will be to forget." grani made no answer, but communed for a while with himself; though it was hard to his pride, at last he decided to humble himself before rolf. he went to the dwelling of rolf and frodi; they were on the headland watching the fishing fleet, and thither grani followed. he sat down at the edge of the cliff beside those two, and had speech with frodi; but between him and rolf passed at the first only the good-day. frodi asked: "war with the scots is expected in the spring?" "aye," answered grani. "i would i were in iceland!" frodi said. "oh ye icelanders!" cried grani. "why is it ye always burn to return--whether ye love your foggy isle and plain men more, or our realm less?" "in your realm," answered frodi, "there are three pests which no icelander can bear. the first is your baresarks, which in iceland are held in restraint, but here they go at large. the second is your vikings, which dare not come to us, but here they harry the coasts. and the third is the habit of burning a man in his house, which by us has been done some few times in great matters, yet is always punished; but here it is done in any little quarrel, and little shame is felt for it. and if i leave this land without being burned, then i am lucky." grani laughed, and then rolf spoke. quoth he: "and as for our land of simple men against thy realm of kings and earls, all i know is that with us there is law to restrain all men. but if thy earls fall out, then the orkneys are rent with war. and at all times your lives lie in the power of the scots, who any summer day may come and sweep the land. nay, the winter is open: why may they not fall upon us now?" "it is possible," said frodi, but grani had nothing to reply. "and consider this," rolf said. "thou art grani, fosterling of ar the thane; thou hast honor, and a part of all spoils are thine. but ar is coming to his end, and some day another thane will rule here. when thy honors fall away, and thou must take thy place like other men: how then wilt thou think of the doings of kings and earls?" "i fear no misfortune," answered grani. "then," quoth rolf, "thou art fitted to be an icelander. and now i will say what i have many times thought: that thy speech is more of iceland than of this place. whence did ar take thee?" grani grew red, but answered: "thou hidest thy parentage." "true," replied rolf. "now i crave thy pardon for questioning thee." that was the end of that talk, for rolf drew within himself, and grani felt shame that he could not ask pardon so easily as the icelander; and the more he looked on rolf's countenance the more it seemed that they should be friends. he ceased speaking, and sat with his back half turned, trying to say the words; but for a long time they would not come. at length he said: "rolf." "aye?" rolf answered. grani said nothing for a while more; at length again he said, "rolf." "what is it?" rolf asked. but for a second time grani could not bring himself to speak. yet at last he made ready to speak without fail and ask forgiveness, and the words were on his tongue. then suddenly rolf rose, and pointed out upon the water, where a ship had come into view; and he cried, "at last cometh he for whom i have waited!" no need to ask whose ship that was, for grani saw that it was kiartan's. and weakly he put aside the chance to set himself right with rolf, and inquired instead why rolf waited there for kiartan so long. "tell me first," responded rolf, "why he cometh in such haste, with oars and sails both. he thinks that by this time i am surely gone; but his debts and goods will not flee from him, and he hath hours before sunset to make the harbor. can he be pursued by aught? let us watch the headland to the eastward." "there comes another ship," cried frodi. they watched that ship appear: a war-ship, long and low. grani cried that that must be a viking, and was for running to the hall; but rolf bade him wait. then there came a second war-ship, and two more together, and then a great ship, very large; after that the nose of yet another vessel pushed around the headland. "is earl thorfinn," asked grani, "coming to visit his realm?" "why should kiartan," responded rolf, "flee before the earl, who hath sold him permission to trade here? that is the fleet of the scots!" "more of them are in sight," said frodi. so they stayed only long enough to see that the fisher fleet, leaving nets and lines, was hurrying to the shore. those three left the headland and ran to hawksness; there they told the tidings and gathered men, arming all those who came to the hall. the women were sent into the church with the children, but the men went down to the beach. there the fishermen first made a landing, and hurried for their arms; but when all were gathered together they were very few against what must be the might of the scots. then the ship of kiartan neared the shore. frodi said to rolf: "before the scots come there will be time to claim thy due of him." "not in the face of this danger," answered rolf. kiartan ran his ship upon the beach, and his men leaped out and pushed her higher up the shingle. kiartan ran to ar, and begged protection. "fight thou with us," quoth ar. "we shall be but six score against six hundred." kiartan turned pale and bit his fingers. frodi said, "he is as big a coward as i." grani laughed. now when the scots neared the shore, the people gave way from the beach and drew a little up the hillside; and the nearer the scots came, the more the orkneymen withdrew. then when the scots were landing, some of the hawksness men threw away their arms and sat down where they were; and some fled away to the downs and the heather, where they might hide. but ar said he would not flee, and went back again to fight. those who went with him were only grani and sweyn, and rolf and frodi followed behind. "this is no icelanders quarrel," said ar. "we go to die, but the scots will give you peace." "nevertheless we will look on a while," answered rolf. then ar took his stand on that knoll whence rolf had slain the baresark; he had his church and his hall at his back, and thinking to die as became a man he seemed to gain his strength again, and shot arrows in marvellous wise. twenty he sent among the scots as they landed, and hurt a man with each; then he took his spear, and waited for the scots to come nearer. "now," said frodi to rolf, "shall we stay or go?" "if we stay," answered rolf, "we never see iceland again. yet i have not the heart to leave those three as they stand there." so he and frodi drew still nearer to ar, and stood at his back. but some archer in the fleet sent forth a shaft, and it smote ar; in the throat it smote him, and he fell. like a man he died there, near his father's hall; and the scots, shouting, began to come forward. "flee!" said sweyn to grani. "wilt thou flee?" asked grani. a spear struck sweyn in the leg, and down he sat. "here i stay," quoth he. "then here stay i," answered grani. but those fisher-folk who had thrown down their arms ran to grani in a crowd, and cried that he should not stay to be killed. some bore sweyn within the church, where no scot would slay him before the altar; and when grani saw that, he suffered himself to be pushed away. so he came to the hillside before ever the scots reached him; and when they began to shoot at him with arrows, he ran. and rolf and frodi ran along the hillside a little higher up. now the scots sent swift archers in chase. grani was armed and had heavy weapons; frodi was slow and rolf would not leave him; so the archers began to come up on them, and it looked bad for them. grani knew the country; he sought the best ways, calling to rolf that they should meet at the vale of the hermit. then he threw off his mail and ran freely, and shook off his pursuers in a little wood. but in that same wood rolf took the wrong course; for thinking he knew the way to the vale he led frodi where should be a glen with a growth of trees.--nothing was there of the kind, but a bare hillside rose, where was no cover, and the scots began to shout as they saw them close in front. now grani knew the way better. when he reached the copse he stood and looked where rolf and frodi ran on the hillside above him. then he heard a panting, and looked down. there was kiartan hiding in the fern. "look up now," said grani, "and see who runneth there above us." when kiartan saw rolf, first he started and then he looked sidewise at grani. "they can never escape," said he. "i will call them hither," replied grani. "that will bring us in danger!" kiartan cried. but grani leaped upon a boulder and prepared to shout. then as he stood there, kiartan snatched up a billet of wood and smote at him from the side: foul was that assault. the stroke fell on the shoulder, but grani twisted his arm and cast the billet aside; he smote in return, and kiartan fell. so grani shouted aloud to rolf, who stood on the hillside with frodi and studied his road. so many copses did rolf see that he knew not where to go, for most were but small clumps, where was no safety; and only one led to the hidden winding watercourse and the secluded dell. but when he heard grani and saw him, he turned thither, although he must go back a little way. he and frodi ran hastily, rushing down the hillside with much speed. and they saw they could avoid all but one of the scots. that man had run wide of their track, flanking them lest they should double back; now he ran in on them and prepared to strike with his sword. on that slope was no good footing; but the scot braced himself where the icelanders must pass, and they could hardly both escape him without a wound. but when rolf rushed down on him, with sword raised, and those two looked into each other's eyes, then the scot did not strike, but stood like stone. neither did rolf smite, but frodi struck hard with the butt of his bill; they left that scot lying in a heap, and sped downward into the hollow. there they found grani with kiartan, and grani had bound the shipmaster's hands behind his back. hastily they went into the copse, driving kiartan before them; they found the crooked watercourse and followed it among the stones; it was dry and they wet not their feet. so in a while they came to a little dell, nestled among the hills; the place was called the vale of the hermit. but no one lived there, only in one place had been a farm; the hall had been burned, but a storehouse still stood stout against the weather. thither they went and rested, knowing that no scot could find them in that place. grani loosed kiartan and bade him gather wood. "and if thou seekest to flee thou wilt carry an arrow in the ribs. make a fire, for i see beef is in the storehouse, drying, and the green hide hangs against the wall. we will sup." so kiartan gathered wood and made a fire. "one thing i fail to understand," said frodi to rolf: "why neither thou nor that scot smote at the other, and it was left to me to knock him down." "that was strange to me also," said grani. rolf said: "i knew that man, and he was malcolm, my father's thrall. for very astonishment we could not strike." "then i gave him a headache," quoth frodi, "to make him remember his manner of gaining his freedom." "preserve me from such headaches as thou dealest!" said rolf. "the butt of thy bill is worse than the point." then grani told why he had bound kiartan. "and now," said he, "thou canst take on him thy vengeance, whatever that may be." "call him here," said rolf. so kiartan was called thither and crouched thereby; it was plain that he expected to be killed. "in what has he offended thee?" asked grani. "now," answered rolf, "that which i say in his hearing will be to him the worst part of his punishment. he is my uncle, and through him my father came to his death." but when they looked to see him weep, or hear him blame himself, kiartan rose and thanked them that his life was spared. in loathing they bade him go into the storehouse and lie; then they laid themselves down inside the door, and slept. for the sake of air, they left the door wide. in the morning they found that kiartan was gone; and while they were asking where he might be, they heard his voice at a little distance, saying that there those three lay in that storehouse, and the scots should slay them. then was heard the rush of feet. chapter xxiii of the coming of earl thorfinn rolf shut the storehouse door, and frodi held it until it was barred. the scots could move neither frodi nor the bars, and knew not what to do. all within was dark, save for light from the crack of the door; and when the scots who stood before the crack felt frodi's bill, they stood back. then rolf shot arrows out through the crack, and the scots stood aside, so that those within could do no more. they heard the scots say that no time should be wasted for three men. "now," said frodi, "they will go away." "be not too hopeful," said grani. when smoke began to puff in, they knew that the thatch had been fired over their heads. "so," quoth frodi, "i shall be burned in the orkneys after all. seest thou, grani, why no icelander loves thy land?" they sat there a while and the place grew hot; then grani began to pace up and down. "would that i," he said at last, "had never seen the orkneys!" "what is this?" asked rolf. grani said after a silence: "i shall never speak again to my father, whom i have not seen these many years." next he said: "my sister must be almost a woman." after that said he: "peaceful was our home." frodi tried to comfort him, but grani would not listen. "let us die in the open," he cried, "and give an account of ourselves!" but when they tried to leave that smothering place, they found the scots had braced the door, and it could not be moved. then a corner of the roof fell down, and burned inside the storehouse. "now," cried grani in despair, "would i were once more on the home-field of fellstead, looking abroad on old broadfirth and the peaceful dales!" "a wonderful thing thou sayest!" exclaimed rolf. "let wonders be," said frodi. "but since we cannot leave this place by the front door, why not by the rear?" "how do that?" asked grani. frodi drew aside the heavy hide which hung at the back of the storehouse, against the rock of the hillside; there were a carved stone doorway and a black cave. "now," cried grani, "rightly is this place called the vale of the hermit; this was his house, though i never knew of it till now. let us be quick!" so they went into that cave and sat there, while the fire burned the storehouse quite away, and its roof-beams fell across the door of the cave and hid it. moreover the green hide did not burn through, and kept out the smoke; and a little air came in through a fissure of the rock. then the scots who watched went their way, and kiartan with them. when they were gone, those three thrust the hide and the beams aside from the cave-mouth, and leaped out over the embers. they were near stifled, and weak from the heat. those scots and kiartan went back to hawksness, and for what he had done they gave him his ship unplundered. but they plundered the hall and the church, and with the riches of ar they had both sport and quarrels, until all was divided. then they sent out vessels to ravage in the orkneys; but the main body, and the leader, sat there at hawksness, and because it was believed earl thorfinn thought them still in scotland, and no ship had been spared to go south and tell of them, they had no fear of him. for it would have been a great undertaking for any small boat to cross the pentland firth. but on a day when the earl sat in his hall, in thurso of caithness, his men came to him, saying: "there are messengers without, and they would speak with thee." but the men laughed. "why laugh ye?" asked the earl. "the messengers say they are from the orkneys, yet no ship has come, and they are the worst of scarecrows." "but bring them in," said the earl. so three men were brought before the earl. one was of middle height, and slender; he bore a bow. one was taller, and carried a sword. the third was as big as any man in that place, and he held in his hand a great bill. all in rags were those men, as if their garments had been scorched. they told the earl that the scots were in the orkneys, and the earl's men laughed mightily. "sailed ye across the firth?" asked the earl. "we rowed," answered they. "in what?" asked the earl. "and where is the boat?" "it sunk off the shore," said those men, "and we swam the last mile." "why are ye so burned?" they said they had been nigh burned to death. then the earl stilled the laughter of his men, and he leaned to that one who bore the bow; he was not much more than a lad. "where didst thou get," asked the earl, "that short-sword which thou wearest? for i know the weapon well, since once it belonged to earl sigurd my father." "that may be so," said the lad, "but it was given me out in iceland." "now," said the earl, "i know the man to whom my father gave the sword, and he went out to iceland. tell me what man gave it thee; if the name is the same, then will i believe this news of thine. but if the name is different, then ye three shall die for your false word." "a light matter on which to hang lives," quoth that one. "who knows how many have owned this sword? but i got it from kari, solmund's son." the earl smote his thigh. "and to kari my father gave it! up, men, and dight yourselves for war! this day we sail for the orkneys." so earl thorfinn sailed north, and with him went grani, rolf, and frodi, those bearers of the tidings. and before ever the scots were ready for them the orkneyingers closed in upon hawksness, and attacked the scottish fleet. some of the scots were away, and some were ashore; those who might fight lashed their ships in a line, as in a line the earl's ships bore down on them. that fight lasted not long, and all the scottish ships were taken; the scots who were on shore were hunted down, and as their ships came in from the other isles, they were taken one by one. kiartan's ship was still on the beach, and he was found in the church. chapter xxiv now rolf and grani quarrel now says the tale that rolf goes before the earl, and tells of kiartan's treachery. "thou shalt have thine own way with him," quoth thorfinn. "shall he die by the hands of my men, or what atonement wilt thou take?" "i ask not his death," said rolf. "give me his ship to return to iceland in, and his goods to repay my mother for all her sufferings." but of those sufferings, nor of all that kiartan had done, the earl did not ask until later. "thou art easy," said he, "upon him who sought thy life; but all shall be as thou sayest." then grani spoke apart with the earl, and after that thorfinn gave orders to his men. where the sward lay greenest (for no snow lay on southern slopes all that winter) they cut a strip of turf; its middle they raised and propped aloft on spears, but its ends were still in the ground. then the earl called rolf to come, and bade all men stand there and hear what grani had to say. before all, grani told that he had wrongfully enthralled rolf, and led by kiartan had treated him unfairly. his sorrow he confessed, and he asked for pardon. answered rolf: "for this i grant pardon readily enough." "meseems thou sayest that coldly, man," said the earl. "now here stands grani to swear blood-brothership with thee, under this turf. what sayest thou to that?" now blood-brothership was a sacred ceremony, and those who swore it must uphold each other until death, if once the oath was taken under such a strip of turf, by letting blood from the arms mingle in the ground. and no greater honor might one man do another than to offer blood-brothership. but again rolf spoke coolly, and said: "mayhap i am willing to do that." "come, then," said thorfinn. "lay aside thy sword, and step under the turf with grani." "once i swore," replied rolf, "never to leave weapon from my reach. and another oath i call to mind, which later i may tell thee here. now since blood-brothership is asked, here i name myself: rolf, son of hiarandi, of cragness above broadfirth in iceland. and remembering what grani said when we were like to be burnt together, i ask his true name, and his father's name, and his birthplace." "grani hight i," answered that one. "years long have i been fostered here, and i remember little of my childhood. but einar is my father, fellstead was our home, and the place is that same broadfirth out in iceland. so much i know and no more." then those who stood by saw rolf draw his short-sword and spring at grani. at his forehead rolf laid the sword, the flat to the skin. "thus," cried he, "i laid this sword to thy father's head. but thus" (and he turned the sword) "i lay it to thine, edge to thy flesh. and because i promised to do it, thus i draw thy blood!" he drew the sword lightly across grani's forehead, and the blood started out in little drops. then rolf dropped his arm, sheathed his sword, and stood quiet; but grani, white with rage, snatched a spear from one of the earl's men, and would have slain rolf had not the earl himself come between. "now," quoth thorfinn grimly, "here is an odd end to blood-brothership. the cause of this shall i hear, from first unto last." then rolf told the story of his father's wrongs and his own, and frodi said it all was true. grani, though he learned what his father had done, stood still and said no word, except that he cried at the end: "great insult hath rolf offered me in drawing my blood, and for that shall he pay with his." "meseems," answered the earl, "that the weight of blood-debt is still on thy side, and it is well for thee that rolf took not payment in full. and this i advise, that here ye two make up the feud; and all money atonements i will make to rolf, if so be i see ye accorded." "i will lay down the feud on these terms," said rolf, "if grani will get me my homestead again." but deep anger burned in grani that his offer of blood-brothership had been so answered, by the shedding of his blood. he strode to the spears that held the strip of turf, and cast them down. "my feud do i keep!" he cried. "then of thee," said the earl, "i wash my hands. but i will take rolf to me, to be of my bodyguard so long as he will." "lord earl," answered rolf, "i thank thee for the honor, but in the ship which thou hast given me i must return to iceland, there to clear me of mine outlawry by means of my bow." and then that meeting of men broke up, and rolf set himself to fit his ship for the outward voyage, and to hire sailors. he had wealth enough, in kiartan's goods, to pay for all his father had lost; but in the viking's bow he had that treasure which he most prized, for it should win him his honor again, and the homestead which his fathers had built. he provisioned his ship, and he hired men and a shipmaster, and soon was ready for the voyage outward. now the spring was early, without storms as yet. but grani went unhappily about, knowing that danger was preparing for his father, through rolf, and seeing not what could be done. for in that place, except rolf's ship, lay no vessels plying either north or south, and none to go to iceland. so there was no way for grani to send warning to einar, and no means by which he himself might go to iceland, to stand by his father's side. he would have challenged rolf to the holm, but holm-gangs and all duels were forbidden by the earl. and now came the day when rolf's ship was ready; the wind was fair from the east, and on the morrow they should start. then grani went and sat on the hillside at sunset, watching the men at a little distance as they worked about the ship where it lay upon the strand; but rolf and frodi had gone to the hall, and were feasting there with the earl and his men. grani thought: "to save my father i must sail on that ship. now the night will be dark, and the men will sleep at the huts, but rolf and frodi at the hall. naught hinders me from hiding myself on the ship, so that on the morrow they will sail with me." that pleased him well. but before dark rolf and frodi returned from the hall, having said farewell to the earl. the ship was then pushed off, and all men got them aboard; they anchored off the boat-steads, ready to sail at first twilight in the morning. then when grani saw his plan spoiled, in great uncertainty of mind he went to the hall and sat down on the lowest bench. quoth the earl: "come forward, grani, and sit here near the dais; for thou didst save my realm as much as did those other two who have just said farewell." "i know that well, lord," answered grani. "come, sit here by my side," said the earl, "and what thou askest in reward for thy deed, that i will give thee." so grani sat there by the earl's side until it was dark out of doors, and he knew the stars were out, but no moon. with the feast, thorfinn waxed joyous, for good tidings had come that day; and he began to press grani to name the reward he would have for crossing the pentland firth to bring him news. so grani said: "stretch forth thy hand now, earl thorfinn, and promise to grant me that thing which i ask, which shall take from no man his right or his own." so the earl stretched forth his hand in promise, and said: "ask what thou wilt." then all the orkneyingers listened while grani made his request. "oh earl," said he, "make me thine outlaw!" "nay," cried the earl, "what request is this? dost thou mock me and my power?" and his men were angry, and some drew their swords. but grani said most earnestly, "i mean no insult, but much lies on it that thou shouldst make me outlaw." wroth indeed were the orkneyingers, and thronged around grani to slay him; but the earl signed them to give peace, and sat with his eye on the youth, and thought. then at last he smiled in his beard, and said: "thou art a clever lad, and bold withal. here i grant thy desire." and he stretched out his hand and said: "outlaw do i make thee in all my lands--not to be fed, not to be forwarded, not to be helped or harbored in any need, save only by masters of ships outward bound. i grant thee three days' space to seek shelter, and here i give notice among my men of thy full outlawry." then grani thanked the earl with all his heart, and went from the hall; after him the earl's men scoffed, but still the earl smiled in his beard. now that night a small boat rowed to the side of rolf's ship, and a man climbed aboard, and the boatmen rowed the boat ashore again. one of the ship's men told rolf, who sent for that one who had thus come aboard. he stood before rolf in the starlight, wrapped in a cloak. rolf asked why he came aboard the ship in that manner. "outlaw am i," said that one, "and by law thou must give me shelter when it is claimed." "good is the law," quoth rolf, "and once it helped me ere now. but thy voice is muffled in the cloak, man. what is thy name?" "no-man is my name," answered the muffled man, "and here is my faring money." rolf laughed. "no-man's fare costs nothing," said he, and would not take the silver. "find thyself a place to sleep; thou art welcome here." so that one found himself a place to sleep, and early in the morning the ship set sail. now it is said that when the ship was gone the earl saw kiartan on the strand bewailing his loss. thorfinn ordered that kiartan be set in a galley as rower, and for two years did kiartan labor at the oar. then he escaped, and fled away southward; but he became thrall to a chapman, and was a thrall to the end of his days. so now he is out of the story. but that outlaw who had come on rolf's ship lay like a log all the first day, while the ship sped westward; and only at night did he rouse to take food. four days he did thus, while the ship ran before the wind until the faroe islands were well astern. then on a morning the man rose and walked by the rail, and looked upon the sea. rolf sent for him to come and speak to him, and when the man was face to face with him, behold, it was grani! then rolf stood and looked on him, and grani stood fast and looked on rolf. and rolf turned away and walked in the stern, but grani waited in the same place. at last rolf came back to him and said: "only one thing will i ask of thee. wast thou indeed outlaw of the earl?" grani stretched out his hand and swore to the truth. "outlaw was i, and the earl gave me but three days to quit his land." "now," said rolf, "thou art on my ship lawfully, and naught will i do against thee. we will leave it to the fates, which of us shall prosper in this affair." so grani was out of danger of his life. now that east wind lasted until they made iceland--a quick voyage. and they sailed along the south of the land, and rounded the western cape, and sailed across the mouth of faxafirth. but when they would round the cape into broadfirth the wind freshened, and blew them off the land a day's sail; there they lay when the wind dropped. but then the wind came from the west, and blew them back to the land, and drove them ever faster till there was a high gale. the smallest sail they could set split from the mast, the mast itself went next, and so they came to broadfirth and drove up it. night drew near, and the sailors were in fear of their lives. now frodi was in great uneasiness, and clung to his place, and looked upon the waters. sometimes he made as he would speak, and yet he said nothing. rolf and grani stayed at opposite sides of the ship, and were steadfast in all danger, though the waves washed over them. then rolf makes his way to grani, and says he: "now we near the land, and it is likely that we shall never need more of it than a fathom apiece, for burial. therefore here i offer thee peace, asking no atonement from thee or thy father, save only my farm again, if we twain get ashore." grani looks upon rolf, and his heart nearly melts: but he makes himself stubborn and drops his eyes. says he: "this is no time to speak of that." rolf clambers back to his place. the moon rises behind broken clouds, and he sees that the ship drives toward cliffs. chapter xxv here rolf comes to cragness now turns the tale to speak of einar, how he took possession of cragness (for he bought the share of the men of the quarter); and how snorri the priest sent for asdis that she should come to him for the sake of rolf her son, and wait the three years of his exile. but asdis answered the messenger of snorri: "i go to our little farm in the upland, where i can look upon my home. we will see if einar sends me away also from that." so she took what goods she might, and drove the milch ewe before her, and went to the turf hut in the upland, there to live alone. now einar might have sent her thence, and ondott was urgent with him that he should; but for very shame einar could not do that wrong, and that one good deed of his stood him after in stead, as the saga showeth. asdis over-wintered there, and folk brought her meal; but snorri sent her much provision and dried fish, to keep her. before they went away his men bought wood and drew it for her, and cut turf for burning; and on parting they gave her a purse of one gold-piece and six silver pennies, so asdis was safe from all want. but no happiness could come to her so long as each day she looked out upon the hall at cragness, and saw strangers there. einar abode in great pride at his new hall, and kept high state, sending to fetch whatever travellers came that way. and when harvest came he had a great feast, with all his house-carles and thralls and bonders and neighbors bidden; notable was the state of that feast. but ondott, when all were merry, and those who were bidden were saying that einar was a great chief, on account of his open-handedness--ondott let call for bows, and said that all should go down to the boundary. there by the brook he held a mock shoot; and one called himself rolf and made as if he would shoot to the oak tree, but shot into the brook, and wept, and besought others to shoot for him. the looser sort hooted and thought that sport, and shot toward the oak a little way. then they cried that hiarandi was lawfully slain, and rolf was outlaw. but the neighbors of the better sort liked that not, and changed their aspect of cheer, and went away early. einar said to ondott, "why didst thou such foolery?" "that we may know," said ondott, "who are of thy friends, and who thy ill-wishers. and now we know who are with us." einar let himself be pleased with that answer. so the harvest passed, and winter went by and spring came on, an early spring without storms. all men looked to their plowing and sowing; and einar took pleasure in the home-fields at cragness, which were so fertile. but he disliked the lack of storms, for since he came to cragness no wealth had come to him from wrecks, which he had counted on as part of his riches. and einar had no custom to light beacons, but all through that spring he and ondott looked for storms. men said that storms must come, and that early farers from overseas might be caught thereby. then at last that steady wind which had blown from the east first dropped, and then shifted, and blew hard from the west, a great gale. all men housed themselves, and a murky night came on. now in the hall at cragness the old crone thurid sat by the fire and sang to herself; and ondott, who was ever prowling to hear what men said, came behind her and listened. she sang: "bad luck and good are both abroad. if beacon light be set this night, comes cragness feud to quickest good." "hearest thou that?" said ondott to einar. he sang the song after her. einar asked, "shall we light the beacon?" for he was easily turned in his purposes. but ondott smote the old woman, and cried: "thou singest otherwise than when thou wert with hiarandi. ill was it with hiarandi when he made the beacon, and ill would it be with us!" he asked if he should thrust the woman from the house, but einar had not the heart for that. the old woman said she would go ere the light came again, and was silent for an hour. now it is said that had einar lighted the beacon, good would have come of it; for he who saves life is minded to continue in right doing. then after a while the carline sang again. she sang: "thy rocks beneath, men fight with death. go, see what woe lies there below!" einar hurries his men out into the storm, and himself after them. now though the gale continues the moon is bright at last, and men can see their way. on the rocks was a ship, and her timbers were breaking away from her and driving down into the cove to the lee. thither einar sent most of his men, to save what they could from the sea, of wood, chests, cloths, and all merchandise. but he watched from the cliffs, with ondott and hallvard and hallmund, to see if men escaped from the fury of the sea. he saw no living thing at all, until at the last one man came climbing the cliff toward him. that one had a rope around his waist; when he reached a shelf of rock he made the rope fast, and drew on it, and pulled up a long case and a bundle: he cast down the rope again, and drew up weapons, and cast again, and drew up clothes. "fishes he," asked einar, "with a hook on that rope?" said hallvard: "other men must be below, helping him." then that man threw down the rope again, and waited a while, and held the rope securely; it seemed as if a weight were on it. then another man climbed to his side, a large man, and they two pulled on the rope together, drawing it up. there came into sight what seemed a dead body; but now, where climbing was easier, those two carried the body to the top of the cliffs, and then drew up the case and the arms. einar and his men went thither in the moonlight, but ere they reached the place the men took the body between them, and carried it to the hall, and into the hall, those others following. einar went to the door to see what the men would do. they laid the body down before the fire, and einar saw it was a handsome youth. then the men looked about them as they stood; their backs were to einar, but the crone thurid saw their faces, and she hobbled up and said "welcome!" "there is no welcome for me here," said the shorter of those men, "till these strange hangings are gone from the hall, and it has been purged with the smoke of fire from their contamination." now einar thought he should know that voice. the seafarer said to the crone: "tell einar that here lies his son, who comes back to him so; and if the beacon had been lighted, grani had come in better wise, for i could have beached the ship in the cove. but yet i think he is not dead. and so farewell to cragness for a space." so those two turned to the door; and einar ran forward and cast himself on the body of his son, not looking at those men. but ondott looked on them, and they were rolf and frodi, spent with toil in the water and on the rocks. and when ondott bade his two men seize them, they were too weary to resist; so they were bound with ropes. now einar saw that grani was not dead, but stunned by some blow. he called the women and bade them bring cloths, and heat water, and use all craft to bring his son to life again. they set to work, and helga grani's sister came and looked on her brother's face for the first time since he had been a little boy. but ondott brought before einar those two, rolf and frodi, and said he: "here we have that ravening outlaw and his cousin; now what is thy will of them? shall they die here under the knife?" einar said: "nay, but rather set them free." ondott cried: "what is thy thought? here they have come again with designs on thee, and wilt thou let them go? and they will dispossess thy son of his heritage; wilt thou suffer that? rolf is out of the law, and no harm will come of the slaying." and ondott pressed einar with other reasons, saying that most of their men were at the cove for the jetsam, and hallmund and hallvard would never tell. now helga heard, and stood before her father, saying: "take not this sin on thy head, but rather let both the men go." yet einar's heart was turned to evil as he saw how but two of his men were there, and those of the trustiest; so that those cousins might be quickly slain, and buried, and none would know that they had come ashore from the wreck. "stand aside," quoth he to helga, "and let these foes of thy heritage die as they should." but helga stepped before rolf and frodi, and fronted the drawn swords of ondott and his men. "unlawful is such a deed," she cried, "until the morning light comes. for all night-slayings are forbidden, even of outlaws, and such slayings are murder." and when she saw her father waver again she told him how even the earl of the orkneys (and he was father of earl thorfinn) dared not slay those sons of njal who came into his hands, and so take the sin of midnight slaying on his soul; but he set them aside till morning should come. "aye," answered ondott, "and in the morning the twain were fled." that helga knew, and had the same thought in her mind; but she begged her father not to take such shame on himself, rather to let rolf and frodi lie in bonds till morning. and at last einar promised her that those two should not die until the day. rolf said to her: "i thank thee, maiden; and when i come into mine own again i shall not forget this. for it has been prophesied me that i shall yet sleep in my father's locked bed, and that means that this house shall be mine again." then ondott laughed. "not so is the prophecy to be read!" he cried. "throw them into the locked room of hiarandi for this night. to-morrow they shall sleep soundly elsewhere." so in that little room where rolf's fathers had slept he was cast with frodi, and there they lay on the floor, and had no comfort of that place because of their bonds. "now," grumbled frodi, "vikings have we escaped, and baresarks, and the scots, and all manner of dangers, and the sea, only to die here at last. what was that foolish tale of thine about a prophecy? i never heard of such a thing." "free me of my bonds," answered rolf, "and thou shalt learn why i made that pretence." frodi strove against his bonds, but they were too strong for him; and so those cousins lay there for a while. but outside in the hall the women worked over grani until at last he moved and groaned, and they saw that he would live. so for joy einar knew not what to do; and he became talkative, and walked about, and so stumbled on those things (the bundle, and the clothes, and the arms, and the case) which had been brought there with grani. when he examined them the arms pleased him right well, for in the case he found the marvellous bow of the viking. all admired the bow. but the old woman thurid muttered to herself as she saw them handling the bow, and at last drew near and asked to see it. the bow she handled, and the arrows she looked on; then at last she shuddered and let the bow fall, and sang of it: "enemy fierce to einar's fame, now lieth here. ere thee it pierce, or bringeth grame, fire it should sear. break it and burn! thus shalt thou turn ill from thy hall, ruin from all. --this i discern." einar looked with aversion on the bow where it lay, but ondott raised it and held it aloft. "now," asked he, "shall such a beautiful weapon be broken for a crone's rhymes?" all cried out that it should not be so; and einar took the bow, and hung it on his high seat, vowing to keep it. then he said to thurid she should be gone ere morning, as she had promised. the old woman took her cloak, and went to the door, but on the threshold she sang: "here got i one gray cloak, one winter's meat: these from einar here got i. --one gray cloak, one winter's meat, be given einar ere he die!" so she went out into the storm. now the moon had clouded again, and snow fell thickly, a blinding squall; so the old woman was bewildered, and very cold. she found herself a place by a rock, and sat there, singing verses, until at last she fell asleep. but while all were admiring the bow in the hall, helga came to the door of the locked bed, and took away the brace that closed it, and cast in a knife, and shut up the door again. rolf and frodi saw; and they conceived this plan, that rolf should hold the knife in his hands, and frodi should rub his bonds thereagainst. then that was done, and they freed themselves. "yet we are not out of the hall," said frodi, "and with helping grani the place will be awake all night." "now remember the prophecy which i coined," answered rolf. "look here and hold thy peace." and he showed frodi how a panel in the wall might be taken out, so that the way was free. "come then," frodi said. but rolf would not. "why stay we here in danger?" asked frodi. "i must have my bow," replied rolf. "how else shall i win my heritage again?" but when they tried the door into the passage which led to the hall, it could not be opened without great noise; and ever they heard the women walking about, as they tended on grani. "remember," said frodi at last, "the choice which grani once offered thee: the bow or thy freedom. freedom was then thy choice, and afterward thou didst win the bow. show now the like wisdom." so they stole away in the first light of the morning. chapter xxvi of grani's pride in the early morning grani slept quietly at last, and the household of einar had peace. then ondott called hallvard and hallmund, and bade them come with him. to the locked bed they went, but though the door was still secure, no sign of those two cousins was to be found, nor any way of their escape. and outside the wind had so drifted the snow that no marks of feet were to be seen. ondott and his men searched, and came at last to the cove where men watched for the wreckage. he asked if they had seen those two. thither had come, said the men, two whom they knew not, bearing between them old thurid the crone. now at that hour a spar from the ship had just come ashore, and in it was fixed a great bill, its blade driven so deep into the wood that with all their might three men could not draw it forth; they were about to hew it out with axes. then the taller of those two men came down to the shingle, and said naught to einar's men; but he laid hold of the bill and with one tug plucked it forth from the spar, and went off brandishing it and muttering to himself. next the two took the old crone again, and went away. ondott and his men hurried on their track, and when they had passed down into the hollows, there the marks of feet were found, pointing straight to the little hut on the hillside where asdis dwelt, a league away. so ondott took more men, and went thither, and knocked on the door. within were asdis, and frodi, and the carline thurid; but no sign of rolf was to be seen. frodi sat by the fire and handled the great bill, and thurid lay muffled on the floor as she was wont; there was a smell of cooking, while very pleased did asdis seem. "where is thy son?" asked ondott. "find him who can," answered asdis. they searched that place and found him not, and there was no room to have hidden a man. so ondott was angry, and he said to frodi: "give us that bill, which is einar's, since it came ashore on his beaches." frodi answered mildly: "i pray thee leave it me." but as he spoke he thrust the butt of the bill down upon the floor, where the earth was tramped as hard as any stone; and the butt made a great dent in the floor. ondott thought it best not to meddle with him, and went home empty-handed. grani lay two days sick and weary, but then he was himself again. neither einar nor any of his men told him how he came ashore, but spoke as if they had saved him. einar sent men everywhere to find rolf and seize him; yet in all the dales no man had seen or heard of him. so when grani asked if others got ashore from the wreck, einar answered: "that outlaw rolf, and his cousin frodi. and frodi is at his smithy again, there not far from the ferry to hvamm." "where is rolf?" grani asked. "no man knows save frodi," answered einar, "and he sayeth not." then spoke grani, lying on his bed. "father, rolf told a hard tale against thee in the orkneys: how thou slewest his father foully, and now holdest his land in spite of right. now tell me the truth of all this, ere i accept aught from thee." then einar was greatly frightened lest grani should learn the truth and despise him; he made as if he were offended, and went away, saying: "and canst thou think that of me?" but when he was out of grani's sight, he sought ondott in haste, and asked him what he should do. quoth ondott: "leave all to me. i will settle this." so he went to grani, and einar with him. einar said: "i have brought ondott to tell the truth, for thou wilt better believe some one else, speaking in my defence." then ondott told a long tale of hiarandi, how he was overbearing and insolent, and preyed on einar's crops and cattle. moreover hiarandi was a dangerous and violent man, going always armed, so that one day when he was in the act of theft and einar's men were about to seize him--but einar had commanded not to harm him--hiarandi had so attacked those men that to save their own lives they had slain him. and rolf had no right to the land, being outlawed at the althing. "now tell me," said ondott, "when ye twain were together in orkney, did not rolf offer peace if thou wouldst but get him this homestead again?" "twice he did that," answered grani. "see now," cried ondott, "the guile that is in him!" then grani believed all that ondott had said, and thought evil of rolf, and craved his father's pardon. einar forgave him. and when grani was well again einar showered him with kindnesses, for fearing lest his son should learn evil of him he did all that he might to earn grani's love, sparing neither words, deeds, nor money. einar gave the finest of clothes, and horses, and attendants, so that not with ar the peacock had grani had such state. wherefore he took to himself such pride as had been his in the orkneys. he went abroad among the iceland folk, and saw that they were a simple people, each man living upon his own farm and dressing in plain clothes, loving direct speech and homely ways. so grani missed the best that was in the people, but thought them mean-spirited. he dressed always in colored clothes, and had attendants with him, and expected such respect from men as he had received when he was ar's fosterling. now at cragness honor was always showed him; but the neighbors of einar were to grani blunt of speech, sometimes biting; and he loved them little, thinking them rough. two more matters troubled grani. for he had little happiness in his sister, who seemed almost always downcast, and as if disappointed in him. and ever deep within his heart lay that love of his for rolf, nor could he forget their comradeship, nor the dangers they had together borne. he took no great satisfaction, therefore, to be a princeling on his land, but away from it to be treated roughly, and always to have that desire to see his friend again. yet he never made to himself any confession of fault, believing rolf in the wrong, both toward himself and toward einar. so he hardened his heart and increased his outward pride, even while he was ever on the watch for news of rolf. now one day he rode abroad with ondott and his men, and they came to the hut on the hillside where dwelt asdis the mother of rolf. summer was come; asdis sat out of doors by the spring combing flax, with thurid cowled by her side. no welcome gave asdis to them, but asked their errand. "to learn whether thou hast news of thy son," ondott said. now that was not true, for they came thither by accident, having hunted higher up in the hills. but grani said nothing, wishing to learn of rolf. "ever thou liest in wait for blood," answered asdis. "but ask not me for news of rolf. rather of those who have been near the isle of drangey shouldst thou inquire, if none resembling my son have been seen on the island-top; and whether he, and grettir the strong, and illugi his brother, are likely to be won thence against their wills." "now," cried ondott, "i thank thee for this news. and one in that land-side, thorstein angle, he is my cousin; he will let me know if ever thy son comes thence." "if thorstein angle is thy cousin," said asdis, "that shows the saying true, that all rogues are akin. but if thou nearest aught from that region, i pray thee let me know if my son is well." now all the time thurid sat there, and combed no flax, nor said a word. "and yet," said ondott, "i hear that the woman works well at times." "speak not so loud in her presence," said asdis, "for methinks now she is tranced. mayhap when she comes to she will prophesy and tell me of my son." "nay," said ondott, "the woman is clean daft, so they say, ever since she left our house to wander in the cold. now who has split the wood that lieth here, and piled it against the house? for thou hast not done it." "i will tell thee," said asdis, and lowered her voice. "on that night the frost got in her brain, mayhap; for she was ever strange, but now she is little short of marvellous. sometimes she works with a man's strength; and at such times she splits wood, or carries water, or spades here in my little field. i have done no heavy work since she came. but she is very silent, nor hath any save me and frodi seen her face or heard her voice. such is her mood." "now let us ride hence," said ondott to grani. "asdis, i wish thee joy of thy mad-woman." "better live with her than alone," quoth asdis. so those men rode away, and they spread abroad the news that rolf was gone from broadfirth dales, for he was in drangey with grettir the strong, and none could draw them from that isle. steep were its rocks and high, to be scaled only by ladders, and three might hold the place against three hundred. word was also spread about of thurid the crone: how she had fits of man's strength, and did work for asdis. men saw her going with great strides, or working in the field; at a distance she seemed taller than before, and bigger across the shoulders; but when one came near she shrank within herself. moreover no one heard her voice now, save when she mumbled hoarsely. now on another day grani rode to the settlement at hvammferry, and on his way homeward came by the smithy of frodi. ondott was in his company, with hallvard and hallmund; they proposed that they should have sport with the smith, and take from him his bill. "sport mayest thou try," said grani, "but beware lest it turn out against thee." "he is soft as custard," quoth ondott. "otherwise was he in the orkneys," replied grani. but for all that ondott rode to the smithy-door, and called frodi to come out. he came, and leaned on the handle of his hammer, which was so big that no man had wielded it since he went away. he asked what they would of him. said ondott: "here is grani earl's fosterling to require something of thee." frodi said to him: "was then grani fostered by the earl?" and he fixed grani with his eye; but that one blushed and said naught. for he knew that his father had boasted of his fostering with the earl, and never had grani said nay thereto. asked ondott, "was he not?" frodi said, "he came last from the earl's court." so frodi, who might have spoken honor away from grani, made him feel more shame than if the truth had been said. "now," said ondott, "bring forth the bill which is einar's, and deliver it to us." "asks grani that?" frodi replied. grani said, "i ask nothing." and he spurred his horse a few rods away. frodi went within the smithy and brought out the bill, but set also a helm on his head. said he: "here is the bill for whomsoever wishes it." but grani said over his shoulder, "leave the bill with him. no use is it to us, for we have none that can wield it." then ondott was wroth that grani did not support him in that claim, and he said: "now, frodi, i call to mind that ere thou wentest away, thou didst assault me here in this smithy. outlaw will i make thee therefor." frodi made a sudden step, and behold! there he was within reach of ondott, holding the bill in such wise that he might have thrust ondott through, albeit frodi neither raised the weapon aloft nor brandished it. he said: "now for the love which has always been between us, be so kind as to speak me free of guilt in that matter, when i drew weapon on thee." in a fright ondott stretched forth his hand and spoke frodi free of that guilt. so frodi suddenly shifted the bill in his hand, and the point touched the ground; none who had not looked close would have supposed any threat had been made. said frodi: "see how kind ondott is to me, in asking no atonement, being in no danger from me. witness ye all that i am clear in that matter." grani smiled and rode away, and the men next; ondott followed, mightily vexed that that simple one had so bested him. now the time came for men to ride to the althing, and with all state einar rode thither with his son. then for the first time grani saw the power of that land which he had despised, for chiefs met there who were greater in riches than orkney thanes, having great followings, all richly dressed. but all were obedient to the law; and a wonderful thing that was, to see men of such power yielding in lawsuits to lesser men, and bringing no cases to weapons. and grani learned that his father was of no consequence at all in that place, for men passed him by and gave him no honor. yet for all that grani's pride grew, and he said that men should some day recognize him there. and he rode home moodily behind his company. now as men rode again toward the west, grani saw one man whom he had oft remarked at the thing: kolbein the son of burning-flosi, destined to be a leader among men. grani wished friendship with him greatly. and kolbein rode to grani and said: "keeps thy father his harvest feast this year as before, asking company thereto?" "yea," answered grani. "wilt thou come?" "gladly will i come," answered kolbein, "and will bring friends with me, if so be we shall be welcome." "welcome will ye all be," said grani, and rode home cheered. now when they were come to cragness, helga met them at the door and welcomed them in. they asked if aught had happened in their absence. said she, "nothing save that the carline thurid was here yestreen, and i am the first that has heard her speak since she left here in the spring." they asked what were her words. "i was here alone in the hall," helga said, "for all the women were making cheeses in the out-bower. and thurid came in and shuffled about the place, looking at things. i bade her be seated, for i would bring her milk and oat-cake; but when i brought them she had the great bow in her hands, and looked at it but would not eat. so i set the food away again; and when i returned she had the bow and the quiver, and was near the door as if to take them away. she said nothing when i asked what she did with those; so i stood in her way, thinking i was stronger than she. with one hand she set me aside, and i might resist her no more than if she were a man. so she bore the bow and arrows from the house, and i thought they were gone; but on a sudden she was back again, and laid them on the bench. and she said in a deep voice not like her own: "'not with women do i strive.' "then with great steps she went out of the hall, and came not again." those three, einar and ondott and grani, looked at each other with alarm. for if that bow, left in the ward of women, had thus been taken, men could know neither the day nor the hour when rolf might come, and make the shot at the oak-tree before witnesses, when all would be over with the house of einar. and ere aught was said einar took the bow and bestowed it under a settle, where it was well hid. then they praised their fortune that they had it still. so all sat down to meat, and ate gladly, for they had journeyed days long from the thing-field. then night fell, and they spoke of many things; at last einar asked his son: "what said to thee kolbein son of flosi, there ere our roads parted?" "he asked me," answered grani, "whether we hold the harvest feast as last year, and if he and his company would be welcome." says einar, rubbing his hands: "now the great folk come to alliance with us; and when a few chiefs have visited here, then thou mayest count thyself their equal in all things, even as thou art in wealth. of course thou badst him come?" "that i did," says grani. so ondott praised him. "men have marked thee, there at the thing, and seek to ally themselves with thee." but helga, who had listened, burst into tears. "what is it," asks grani, "that makes thee weep?" helga dashed the tears from her eyes, and stood before those two, her father and her brother. "much had i hoped," says she, "that wicked doings would cease in this house--for to mock the dead and the unfortunate is wicked. and if ye hold the feast as last year, and shoot at the boundary as then, laughing at hiarandi's fortune, then ye tempt your own fate, for such deeds go not unpunished long." "now," asked grani of his father, "hast thou so mocked that luckless man's fate?" einar said he had, and it was seen that grani thought that act far too strong. "yet see," said ondott, "what friends that brings you now, for from the house of flosi comes this offer of friendship." now as they spoke someone knocked at the door, and there was a housecarle of snorri the priest. "my master," said he, "passes on his way home from the althing, and sends me to ask: hold ye your harvest feast as last year, and will he and his company be welcome?" "oh, hold it not!" cried helga. then einar turned to grani. "the mightiest man in broadfirth dales offers now his friendship, and thy future is sure. shall we not hold the feast?" grani turns to the housecarle of snorri, and says: "beg thy master to come!" chapter xxvii odd doings at cragness now time wears toward harvest, and in the dales all is quiet and busy, so that men when they meet have little gossip, save only of the doings of thurid the crone. for she travelled far and wide in the night, and men saw her so distant from home that it was said she rode the wind; she was seen near the farm of burning-flosi, far to the east, and near the hall of snorri the priest, to the west. ever when seen in the dark she strode furiously; by day she was always bent and slow. old men spoke of her youth, when she was brisk and handy; it seemed as if her youth came again in these fits, foretelling her death. moreover by asdis's work nothing now lagged, and the field was plowed, sowed, and harrowed, so that never had such a crop stood on those poor acres, and that by the work of two women. some questioned whether indeed rolf were not about; but there was no place in the hut for hiding a man, howbeit busybodies pried about there much. now all that they found was what looked to be a grave, not far from the home-mead. so then the tale ran that rolf was dead, and there buried; but when questioned asdis would only laugh and say: "whether it is a grave, or the place where stood a little tree that i uprooted for fuel, that ye may guess." but she was always so blithe that it was sure her son still lived. now on a day word came to ondott from thorstein angle his cousin, that three men for sure dwelt on the island of drangey; they were grettir the strong and illugi his brother and some man unknown; but whether more men dwelt there no one could say, for so high were the cliffs that nothing could be seen from the mainland, and another three might for a twelvemonth lie there hidden. many believed that others were there. so ondott was satisfied that rolf lay in hiding there afar off, and would not trouble the cragness-dwellers for a long time to come. now came harvest rich and full, a bountiful year; men worked hard in the fields, the women too, and at night sleep was sound. there came a morning when it was found that cragness had been entered at night and the whole hall ransacked, its passages, lofts, and store-rooms. goods were taken from their places and laid aside; chests had been moved, opened, and emptied; and there was scarce a corner of the place but had been searched. yet gold and silver, whether in money, rings, or vessels, were left behind, nor were they even gathered together for booty. so it was seen that no common thief had been there, and men wondered wherefore that had been done. but grani sent all his men to work in the field, and the women to righting the house; then he took the bow from under the settle where it was hid with its arrows, and he thrust it within the dais whereon were the seats of honor. now a night passed again, and no one heard the dogs bark; but in the morning it was seen that the thief had come again, and all the settles were out of their places, as if one had searched beneath them. no other places were searched, and nothing had been taken; all thought it strange that the dogs had not barked. then another day passed, and men came home to sleep as tired as before; so then grani took the bow and hid it up under the thatch, when all had gone to their beds. in the morning nothing had happened save that the seats on the dais had all been moved, and the dais was found set up against the wall. now the dais was heavy, and that work had been done with much strength. while men were marvelling the neatherd came in, and said he had been awake early in the byre, with a sick calf. before sunrise he looked out of the window; the light was not strong, but he could see a little way. there he saw the crone thurid standing, near the house; but when he ran out to speak with her, she had moved toward the cliffs. whether she saw or heard him he could not say, but suddenly she began to go with long strides. a little mist hung above the crags; into that mist she went, seeming to walk upon the air; and while he stood astonished the mist wreathed around her, and she was lost from sight. he said to himself that was the end of the old woman; but in an hour, looking toward the upland, he saw her walking to the hut of asdis, and that matter he could not explain. grani sent all men about their work again; he took the bow from the hall, with its quiver, and carried them to the great store-house, and hid them beneath sacks of grain. then a night passed, and nothing happened; but on the second night noises were heard; men took lights and searched in the hall, finding nothing. yet in the morning it was seen that someone had been at work under the thatch of the hall, by every rafter; and it was a bold deed to do that ransacking in the dark, for a fall might mean death. no one had seen thurid nor any living soul; yet a tatter of cloth was found, like as it had been torn from the old woman's gray cloak. now grani takes the bow from the store-house, and thinks much by himself, and at last hides it in a haystack, an old one; and there the bow lies deep within. that night he sets men to watch in the store-house, and fetches dogs from a tenants farm, and hopes now to catch the thief. but one comes by night, and enters the store-house by the thatch, and takes the watchmen asleep, binding them with their heads in the bags that lay there. and all the store-house was searched and everything moved, and the thief away before day, but nothing taken. those dogs which had been brought and tied by the door had had their leashes cut, and were off to their master; but the dogs of the place had given no sign. those were the best watch-dogs in the dales, and had belonged to hiarandi. no footprints were found about the place, and the watchmen said but one person had been there, marvellous silent and strong. grani took much thought where now to hide the bow, and bespoke the matter with einar and ondott; but they found no better place than where it lay, so there they let it bide. and ondott went with men to the hut of asdis, and called for the woman thurid. asdis said she slept within, and would not come out. so ondott spoke to her from the doorway, as the crone lay within by the hearth; a bundle of rags she was. "is it thou that comest to our house," asked ondott, "making this mischief there?" "she speaks to no one save me," said asdis, "and never when questioned." "tell her," said ondott, "that if more searchings go on at cragness, we will hale the old woman before the bishop and exorcise her for sorcery, since there must be witchcraft in these doings. so take heed to her, goodwife, and thyself as well." "thou art brave," said asdis, "to threaten two women." so ondott rides away again, and that was the end of those happenings at cragness. some said the thief could not find what he sought; but some that thurid was the thief, and ondott had frighted her. time now fell for the harvest feast, and all preparations were made for receiving guests; great store of good things was made ready, and food and fodder for man and beast. comes at last helga to grani, and begs him not to hold the feast at all, for her mind misgives her because of it. he says that the guests must be on the way, and bids her work at the cooking, and forget those thoughts. she goes away sorrowful, and says no more of this to anyone. then on the morrow the guests are seen riding, both snorri the priest, that old man, and kolbein flosi's son, each with a large company. chapter xxviii of that harvest feast now einar's shepherd came in haste, and said the folk of the country-side were coming from all directions, and a great number would be at the feast. "yet many," said he, "bear weapons, and i know not what that may mean." so men looked, and it was seen that the farmers and bonders were coming over the hills, in small companies or large. those of keen eyes said that most carried short-swords. then ondott looked at those two large parties that came riding, one from the east and one from the north, and thought them very numerous. "meseems," said he, "that snorri and kolbein bring more men than they need." "fearest thou, ondott?" asked grani. "this only do i fear, that we have not enough food ready. only on going to church do men lay aside weapons; not strange were it if snorri and kolbein, coming from so far, bade their men bring longswords, spears, and shields. yet they wear no mail, and bear only the one weapon--clear token of peace. come, bid the women prepare more food; and do thou, father, let bring out more casks of ale, to welcome so many guests!" thus he shamed the household, and all went quickly to make ready more food and drink. then the neighbors began to arrive, some on horses and some on foot, all in holiday guise save that each man bore a single weapon. grani and einar welcomed each as he came; and then the companies of those chiefs rode in, and there was great bustle to receive them. the horses were taken to the stalls, and the men led within the hall. gracious to einar was snorri the priest, and he said fine words of grani's growth and fair looks, and the goodly house. kolbein was more silent, but looked about him much; and all those at cragness were pleased with their great guests, save only helga, who worked among her women and looked sad. when grani saw that, he sought to cheer her, bidding her mark the pleasure of the visitors. "methinks," said helga, "the old man smiles too much and the young man too little. little good does my heart prophesy of this visit." grani was impatient with her and left her alone. now guests continued to come in, a great number, so many that they were not all able to come into the hall; those of lesser condition sat outside on the mead. and the time drew near noon before all were there. so at last einar asked if more were to be seen coming, and his men looked abroad from the hilltop, and saw no one travelling. they saw only three living souls: two were asdis and thurid where they worked in the garden by the little hut across the valley, and one was a great man who lolled on a nearer hillside and seemed to look out upon broadfirth. something glittered in the grass by his side, but no one knew who or what it might be. so einar let call all forth from the house, and he stood on a stool, and spake to them. first he bade them welcome, and then he spoke of that custom which the last year had seen begun: shooting at the boundary in memory of his ownership of those lands and that hall. some, he knew, had been displeased thereat, yet he trusted that now they saw his reasons for it. "for in the sight of all," quoth einar, "i will have it known that my title is just, and will prove that all which made me master here was done within the law." very reasonable was that speech: snorri smiled and nodded graciously, and einar's folk applauded, but the others not so much. "now," einar said, "men claim that grettir the strong can make this shot and put me from my lands, but since the law allows no outlaw to meddle in suits, he may not make the trial. yet i invite all other men hither to prove me guiltless; therefore come ye with me to the brookside, and let all try who will. few do i think will assay, but all are free to it. in token of peace leave your arms here, and let us go down to the boundary." when they heard that, einar's men laid aside what weapons they had; but those strangers made as if they heard not, yet all together began walking to the meadow by the brook. and einar, when he saw they took no heed to his request, was of two minds: whether to say no more, or to ask them again to lay aside their swords. but that seemed a slight to his guests; so he spoke not of it again, and all together they went down the hillside, leaving at the hall only the women, still cooking for so many people. einar had given orders that no ribald mocking should be made in shooting, such as the baser of his men had done before, for all should be decorous. so bows were brought, the best there were; his bowmen made ready, and one by one they shot before the guests. snorri sat on a dais which einar had let make, and kolbein and einar sat on either hand; but grani stood. he was very anxious to see how near the arrows would fall to the oak; but the nearest fell roods away, and he said to himself, "now my father is completely justified, for not even grettir could shoot so much farther than these men." so he begged the visitors to shoot, and of snorri's men and kolbein's some few made the trial, but shot no better than those who assayed afore. grani was much pleased. then einar stood up with smiles, and said he, "let us now go to the feast, for it is ready at the hall." "here cometh one," said snorri, "who may wish to try; wait we here for yet a little while." men looked, and there was a great man coming down the hill, and they knew him for the huge fellow who had been lolling across the valley. on his shoulder he bore a bill with a shaft big as a beam. coming so, down the hillside above them, he looked so large that einar was uneasy, wondering what champion he should be; the sun was behind him, and he seemed like one who might do all manner of feats of strength, even to making the long shot with the bow. einar felt fear. but when the large man reached the first of the people, and they could see his face, then laughter began among them, and one cried aloud, "'tis only frodi the smith!" so frodi came before them, and einar was wroth because he had feared such an one, who was all softness. said einar: "what dost thou here with that great weapon at our feast, where no man comes in war? seekest thou to take up the feud for this land?" and he gave sign that his men should be near, ready to seize frodi if only cause were given. but frodi laid the bill at the feet of einar, and said: "i bring thee the bill which is thine own, since it came ashore on thy beaches. as for that feud, it is not mine, but it belongs to the nearest of kin. who knows where he is? let me stay here a space, i beg, and watch the shooting." "the shooting is past," said einar, "but stay if it pleases thee. as for that bill, keep it for thine own, if it is at all dear to thee." then he turned to snorri, and said, "shall we not go to the feast?" "but tell us of this great bill," said snorri. "and were there not perchance other heathen weapons which are thine, coming ashore in that great storm?" so grani told of the bill, how it had belonged to that dead viking; and he said there had been a bow with it, which was useless because no one could string it. "much would i like to see that bow," says snorri. grani knows not what to answer and looks at einar, and einar looks back at grani; but at last einar says: "old and useless is the bow, and it is in some out-of-the-way place. come now to the feast, for it is all ready." "it is not yet noon," answered snorri, "and before noon i am never ready to feast. but here comes another one down the hill, who may give us sport until we sit down." so men looked again up the hillside, and there was another figure coming, seen against the sun. (now in iceland, even in summer noon, the sun never stands overhead.) fast the figure strode, all muffled in a cloak which flapped in the wind; and so wild and large did the newcomer seem that again einar was afraid at the strange sight. but when it came near the figure dwindled, and the people laughed again, crying to make way for thurid. with slow and halting step the crone came through the lane of men to einar. "wishes the strange woman anything here?" asked snorri. "give her money," said einar to ondott, "and bid her begone." but she turned her back on ondott with his purse, and went nearer einar; and then she saw the bill which frodi had left lying at einar's feet. a strong shudder seized her, and there she stood shuddering, gazing beneath her hood at that great weapon. "what is wrong with the woman?" asked snorri as if impatient. "bid her to speak." "she speaks never," answered einar. but it seemed as if she were talking to herself, for first she began to mumble hoarsely, and then a little louder, and then at last she began to drone a song, in a cracked voice which, to those who had known her, seemed not her own. she sang thus: "here is come from foreign shore, a heathen weapon and one more. first the bill which can be swung by the peaceful smith alone; next the bow which can be strung nor by him nor anyone. yet i say in one of those, laid in spells by christ his foes, danger lies to einar's house." when she had sung thus, she drew her hood still closer over her head and crouched down there by the dais. mark now all that which next was said and done, as if those visitors knew the fearsome nature of einar, and played with it. first kolbein drew his feet away from the blade of the bill which lay before them; and he looked uneasy, saying to einar: "of human force i have no fear, but evil and witchcraft like i not." but snorri leaned forward and looked in the face of frodi. "tell us," says snorri the priest, "for what reason thou hast brought the bill here." answered frodi: "i live alone in my smithy, and the bill stands always in the corner. now sometimes it gives out a strong humming, there as i work, or as i sit by myself of nights; and at such times i think evil thoughts of vengeance, longing to do violence with the bill, until sometimes i fear i will snatch the weapon and rush forth and slay. and methinks the thing must be like the terrible bill of gunnar of lithend, which before every one of his slayings gave forth a singing sound. yet gunnar got his bill by the mere death of a man; but i won this in fight with a ghost, and so i fear more dreadful things will happen from mine than ever came from his. lest blood-guilt come on my soul i brought the bill hither, to restore it to its rightful owner." "but he gave it thee again," says snorri. "so," answered frodi, "i see no way at all to avoid that blood-guiltiness." "thou canst cast the bill in the sea," says snorri. on a sudden frodi started back from the bill, and clutched at the clothes on his breast, and cried: "heard ye how it hummed even then?" said grani, "i heard naught." but kolbein hitched his stool further away from the bill, saying: "i heard something." snorri looked upon einar, who was pale with fear. "now," said snorri, "what of that bow which, if shooting here at this boundary may cost thee thy life, is mayhap the greater danger to thee of the two?" einar answered nothing. "come," says snorri, "do this if thou wouldst avoid all evil: cast this bill and that bow into the sea." now the crone rose up again, and she sang this song: "bring ye here those weapons forth. lay them crossing, east and north, here upon the fateful ground where death hiarandi found. over them make ye the sign of the church, with holy wine. build ye then a fire great; ere the flames to coals abate, cast those weapons in them here. power of spells will disappear; no fate then need einar fear!" "now," said snorri, "this burning is the best counsel, for weapons cast in the sea would come again to shore." then thurid covered her head again and crouched down as before. but einar rose in a panic and bade grani fetch the bow, the arrows, and some wine. grani departed hastily, and ran to the hall, and called his sister, bidding her bring wine while he got the bow and arrows. "now," cried helga, "wilt thou mock the death of hiarandi, and jeer at rolf, who saved thy life here on the rocks?" "what sayest thou of saving my life?" asked grani. helga told how rolf and frodi had borne him to shore. "be comforted," said grani. "no man shoots with the great bow, for rolf, who alone can string it, is away. but witchcraft lies in it, and it shall be burnt. and when this feast is ended i will send for rolf, and offer him peace and friendship." "no peace comes from rolf," answers helga, "while we own his lands, nor friendship while we sit in his hall. violence meets violence, so says the good book." but she went and got the wine, and grani seized the bow and its quiver from out the rick, and bore all to the brookside again. there the fire was already built. snorri received the bow in his hands, for neither kolbein nor einar would touch it. the priest of snorri's household took the wine, to hallow it; and snorri drew the bow from its case. "let all give back," said he. "make space for the fire and the burning of the bow. let the crone say when all is ready." so all men gave space; and the home-men and the guests, mingled together, made a great circle round the spot where the bow should be burnt with the bill. at only one place the ring was broken: the shelving bank of the brook, where men might not stand. then thurid rose and began to circle the fire. thrice around it she walked, and snorri with the bow came down from the dais and stood near; but kolbein went and stood by grani, and frodi kept his place at the feet of einar. so when the cloaked woman had circled the fire three times, she stopped and said to snorri, "give me the bow." snorri gave it her. all watched to see what she would do, whether mutter spells or breathe upon it. but she looked at it carefully from end to end, and overlooked the string, and after that she raised it and shook it aloft. then first men saw any part of her, namely her arm, which was not withered, but firm and large, like a man's. when she spoke her voice was no longer cracked. "water hath not harmed thee, oh my bow! thou art the same as when thou slewest the baresark. now shalt thou do a greater deed!" and in a moment she set the end of the bow to her foot, and bent the bow, and slipped the string along, and the bow was strung! there stood the homefolk gazing, but the crone cast off the cloak. no woman was she at all, but rolf in his weapons! then frodi laid his hand on einar's knee, and said: "sit still!" kolbein set a knife to grani's throat, saying: "thy life if thou stirrest." and snorri cried on high: "where are ye, men of tongue and swinefell?" all those guests drew their short-swords; and it was seen that by every one of the homefolk was a man of snorri's or kolbein's, or haply two of them. they threatened death to all of einar's folk. rolf looked around on his enemies, and there was not one that could either fight or flee. so he took the quiver from snorri, and looked within it; he chose that arrow with the silver point, and snapped the silken thread that bound it, and drew the arrow forth. at no man he looked, but up to heaven. then he set the arrow on the string; he drew the bow and sped the shaft. high it flew, and far--across the brook, across the mead. it passed through the upper branches of the little oak, and fell to the ground three roods beyond. then in the sight of all rolf bowed his head, nor for a while could he speak at all. but when at last he turned again toward that high seat where einar sat, his eye fell first on ondott who stood by. said rolf: "bring me that fellow here!" yet when they would seize ondott he slipped away, and fearing death ran shrieking up the hill with men in chase. such was his speed that they caught him not, so great was his fright that he recked not where he was going, he ran to the cliffs, nor saw them; from their top he fell and died. "so is the greater villain gone," said rolf when all saw ondott fall, "but the less remains. einar, ondott hath made his choice of death and life; what choice makest thou? wilt thou bring this to the courts, where outlawry is sure; or wilt thou handsel the case to me, to utter my own award for the death of my father and the seizing of my land?" einar said quickly: "on thy mercy i rely, and i handsel all to thee, for i am too old to fare abroad." so he came down from the dais, and hastened to rolf, offering his hand and calling snorri to witness that handselling. there they struck hands before all those witnesses. said rolf: "now i hold in my hands thy death or thy life, even as once thou heldest my father at thy mercy. no pity hadst thou then. shall i spare thee now?" "it was all ondott's doing," said einar. "now," quoth rolf, "this do i award, and thy forgetting it will be thy death. thou shalt go to the little farm where my mother has lived, but now she is on her way to cragness. on those few acres thou shalt abide, and stay within all space a bowshot from it. the one ewe which is there thou mayest have; the store of meat which is in the loft is thine; my mother's gray cloak hangs by the door: take it. but thine own livelihood thou shalt earn from the soil when these are spent; and when thou comest from thy boundary farther than this bow can shoot, thy life is forfeit to me." einar accepted that award. then rolf turned to grani, and said: "grani, it lies in thy power to change all this by uttering two words." grani said nothing. "only two words," said rolf again. but still grani answered nothing, and rolf turned from him sadly. "proud is the heart of youth," quoth snorri. "come, let us sheathe our weapons. the sun stands at noon; now shall we execute the act of distress which will make rolf master of his own--yes, and of the half of einar's wealth, for the rest goes to the men of the quarter. let us go to the hall." so all men went to the hall; and there went not only those guests from afar, but also those from the dales. aye, and the men of einar left him, and went to the hall with the others. only grani stayed with his father, and helga whom anxiety had driven from the hall. "let us go to our new home," said einar. so they went, and from the first hilltop they saw how the act of distress was beginning at the crags; but from the second hilltop they saw that the act was finished. and when they rested on the long climb to the hut, whence asdis had gone to her own old home, they saw how outside the hall men were seated at the long tables, and the women passed the food and drink, and all was merry at cragness. chapter xxix of the trial of grants pride gay was that harvest feast, and all men learned how thurid had died in the snow on the night of the wreck. in her cloak had rolf lived, serving his mother, and he had travelled to tongue and swinefell in order to make the plan for gaining his own; but because flosi could not come he had sent kolbein his son. rolf gave great thanks to snorri and kolbein, and gifts beside; with all good wishes they parted on the morrow. then asdis took over the care of the household of her son, and frodi was bidden to live there with them. they began again the custom of hiarandi, to light beacons against shipwreck. so now rolf dwells at cragness in his honor, but at the hut on the upland those others live with little ease. rolf looks out sometimes at the little farm, and sees grani and his father working in the field to get in the small harvest, hay for the ewe and grain for themselves. now for asdis alone that store had been enough, but for three the outlook was not so good. once frodi saw rolf as he watched them working, and the smith said, "thou takest pleasure in the sight?" rolf asked, "rememberest thou what jewels grani wore, or his father, or helga, that time when they went away?" "grani and einar," said frodi, "had rings on their arms and brooches on their breasts, but helga wore none at all." "silver pennies also they had in their purses," said rolf. "what is their wealth to thee?" asks frodi. "much," answers rolf. now the time draws toward winter. the tale tells next how rolf kept many people by him in the hall, to do the field work and to tend the cattle and horses (but the sheep were in the fold, save twenty which had not come in). now some of those folk of einar still dwelt at cragness, having deserted their master, and none at the hall bade them either go or stay. yet both asdis and frodi showed them little favor, and one by one they slipped away to seek livings elsewhere, save only those two, hallvard and hallmund, men of loud talk, strong of growth but not given to work. evenings in the hall they spoke much, and frodi scowled thereat; but rolf sat in his seat and seemed neither to see nor to hear them. frodi said to him one day: "this one thing i mislike in thee, that thou keepest here those two who deserted their master." rolf asked: "was their master worth devotion?" "maybe not," says frodi, "yet ingrates are they both." "they are free," said rolf, "either to stay or go." frodi grumbled to himself, but said no more to rolf. now october comes in very cold, but no snow as yet; and all harvests are in. grani had stacked his neatly in ricks against the weather, for there was no room in the hut. there was a pen outside for the ewe; she was a good beast and never wandered, coming home at night. on a day rolf called hallvard and hallmund to him, and said: "it were not strange if grani's ewe were to break out of its pen and eat at my ricks, which stand not far away." and he looked hard at hallvard, who was the slyer of those two. said hallvard with a grin: "that is likely to happen." rolf gave them each a piece of money, and said: "beware of that ewe." on a morning not long after came those two, leading the ewe. "master, here have we found this ewe eating at thy ricks, nor know we whose it may be." said rolf: "the ewe is einar's. take it to him, and ask payment for the hay which has been eaten." so they take the ewe to einar, and bring back silver. "keep that for yourselves," rolf said, "but will the ewe stay now at home?" "her pen is not strong," hallvard said. so on the morrow those two came again, bringing the ewe a second time; rolf sent them for money as before. this time they brought back a gold arm-ring; so rolf knew that einar and grani had taken with them nigh empty purses, and he was glad. he took the ring, giving the men silver, and said to them as before: "will the ewe stay now at home?" hallvard answered, "we left grani strengthening the pen, but still it is not high." and on the morrow they brought the ewe, saying, "see how fat she hath gorged herself, master." then said rolf, "go now and say to einar: 'a third time hath thine ewe trespassed; now must thou pay not only damages, but the trespass fine, or else bring this to the courts.'" they went and brought back jewels, one arm-ring and two brooches; and hallvard said, "all that he had einar gave, rather than trust himself to the law." rolf gave them money, saying: "if the ewe wanders a fourth time, she will become mine. is her pen strong?" "grani has no more wood to make the pen higher," answered hallvard, "but he was tying her with a rope." "belike the rope is not strong," said rolf. and that seemed true; for on the morrow those two brought the ewe for the fourth time; they said she had again been eating at rolfs ricks. "go now," said rolf. "say to einar: 'pay me damages and another fine, or yield thine ewe.'" they went and returned, and said to rolf: "the ewe is thine." then rolf gave them silver rings, and they were well content. but frodi came to rolf, and said: "what is this thou hast suffered those two to do to thy neighbor? now einar will have no milk for the winter." rolf answered shortly: "he can use the pen of the ewe for firewood, and sell the hay for money." and he would speak no more of that. now october passed, and november came, and still there was no snow; the land was colder for that. one day when rolf stood and looked at the hut on the upland, hallvard came to him and said, "small cheer is there over yonder, master; yet i have heard that grani has sold his hay, and it is soon to be fetched from his farm." rolf answered: "see now how all their ricks stand in a line, and the wind is in that line, so that a fire which took the weathermost rick would burn them all. it was careless of grani to set them so." "for fire might come by chance," said hallvard, and he went and spoke with hallmund. now that night people were stirring in the hall, for a servingman was sick there; and in the early morning one came knocking at the door of rolfs locked bed, crying, "there is fire across the valley." so rolf threw on a cloak and went out; there was a great fire at the little farm, where the ricks were burning. in their light grani was seen, saving what he might; but einar stood by wringing his hands, and helga weeping. so while those of cragness stood and watched, hallvard and hallmund came up the hill and joined them. "where have ye been?" asks frodi. they had no good answer to give. when it was day rolf sent to inquire of einar if he had had great loss; hallvard was sent. "and ask if they will have any help of me; and mark how much they have saved and where it is bestowed." so hallvard went and returned again, and said that grani needed no help. "but," said he, "the old man would have taken help, yet the young man would not allow it. and they have saved no hay, and but little grain; it is there in the pen of the ewe." "now," rolf said privately to hallvard, "thou and hallmund shall take my shepherd and go into the hills, a day's journey; he shall show thee where are folded those twenty of my sheep which came not with the others, and which men call lost. send him then home before thee, and do ye twain drive the sheep.--and see to it," quoth rolf, "that those sheep do no damage to the fodder which grani saved." so that day those two took their staves, and went with the shepherd to do as rolf had bidden. on the second day the shepherd came again; but on the fourth came hallvard and hallmund, driving the sheep. now one of them was all bloody. "what hath happened to the ram?" asked rolf. "we came home," answered hallvard, "over the fell which is above einar's farm; we pastured the sheep as we came, yet there is now no good grazing, and the beasts were terribly thin. so when we came late at night near to grani's stead, and could not make cragness in the dark, we rested and let the sheep stray. in the morning, behold, the sheep had found the grain which grani had saved from the fire, and were eating the last of it when he came out by the first light. he saw the sheep, and drove them thence with fury; but the ram was obstinate, and would not leave the food, so grani wounded him. and he gave us hard words before we gathered the flock to come away." "take the sheep to the fold," said rolf, and he gave each of the men a piece of money. then he went in and sat down to meat; but frodi followed him and seemed much discontented. "what ails thee?" asked rolf. "this ails me," said frodi, "that thou hast no mercy upon them whose lot is hard enough. i cannot bear that thou shouldst use those base men to do such work against grani, whom once thou lovedst. for i perceive clearly that all this has been done with intention, both the trespassing of the ewe and the burning of the ricks; likewise this last happening is not by chance. what change is on thee, that thou doest so?" also asdis came and said: "thou art hard on those unfortunate ones, my son. leave this persecution and do what is worthy of thee." but rolf said to frodi: "hast thou forgotten that grani made thee thrall?" and of asdis he asked: "who slew hiarandi my father?" the law of vengeance came to their minds, and they were silent, yet not satisfied. then hallvard and hallmund came in and helped themselves to meat, and began talking loudly. said hallvard, "thou art called now, master, to avenge thy honor. einar spoke shame on thee while we were gathering the sheep to drive from his house, for he said thou hadst the hope to starve him and his children." "a great slander is that," quoth hallmund, wagging his head. "many a man hath died for such; and at least a money-fine should einar pay." "hold your tongues!" cried frodi in anger. but rolf rebuked frodi, and said to those twain: "i give thanks for your thought of mine honor. but i do not desire blood, only money-atonement for the slander. einar hath no money; but grani hath yet his sword, a fine weapon. now you who have my honor in your care, go to-morrow to grani. tell him i demand atonement; but if he sends me his sword his father's slander will be forgotten." those two looked at each other in doubt, for that would be a hard thing, to get from grani his sword. but frodi sprang from his seat, and cried: "what dost thou now, to insult grani so? never will an icelander yield his sword! call now to mind when ye two were comrades, and slept together, and fought the scots together, and crossed the pentland firth together in a little boat, and swam the last mile side by side. put all this in thy mind, and unsay what thou hast said." rolf answered: "all this i remember, and that is why i send for grani's sword." "then," frodi cried, "i leave thy roof now, nor ever are we friends again!" "frodi," answered rolf, "sleep one night more under my roof; then if thou art minded thou shalt leave me forever." then frodi called to mind his great love for his cousin, and yielded, and sat down. in the morning hallmund and hallvard sat late at meat. rolf said to them: "why linger ye here? do as i bade!" then they took swords, axes, and shields, and went to the hut across the valley, but had no heart in their going. now rolf watched from the hillside, and he saw them go into the farmyard, very slowly; and he waited a while, and saw them come out, very slowly. and they came back to cragness, and climbed the hill to him; and behold, they had not their arms any more, but were wounded, and complained as they came. "grani," said they, "has done this to us. now, master, avenge us on him!" "now," said rolf, "all is come about as i wished." and he bade bring his sword and his shield. "wilt thou then," asked frodi, "take up the quarrel of these wretched carles?" rolf put on his sword and took his shield; he made no answer to frodi, but he beckoned his housecarles and pointed to hallvard and hallmund. "whip me," said rolf to his servants, "these wretches from this place; if they wait till my return they shall feel the weight of my hand. but as for all the rest of you, bide ye here till i come again." hallvard and hallmund ran with all haste away along the cliffs, but rolf set out across the valley to the little farm. chapter xxx of the saying of those two words now the tale turns to speak of einar and his two children: how they went away from their home with but the clothes on their backs, and with purses nigh empty, and but little jewelry. they came to the hut, to make a home where there was no room for a fourth to sleep, and where there was but a rack of dried meat, and a gray cloak hanging by the door, and little else for comfort. grani looks about the farm, and sees how it has a good spring, and a small garden well tended, and a pen for the ewe. beyond the garden were the other crops; yet the hay had not been cut, nor the grain reaped, and there was nothing stored against the winter. said grani: "rolf awaited this turn of fortune, and why should he lay up food for us?" then he turned about, and looked off from the hillside. there he saw cragness, and the folk feasting; and he saw fellstead and many other farms. there lay broadfirth, and the sea beyond; fishing vessels were thereon. and he saw the ferry to hvamm, with all the four roads which led to it, where people travelled; but the little farm was far away from all these things. now it was a bright warm day, and the ewe bleated in the pasture, and the birds called each other above his head. then grani's heart fainted within him, and he cried to einar: "better hadst thou chosen exile for us all, rather than condemn us to die in this place!" einar sought to excuse himself to his son, but appeased him not. then helga said: "is this all thou didst learn in the orkneys, thus to meet the fate which thou hast brought upon thyself?" then grani was quiet, and went and fetched water, and wood which was there for the cooking (but there was no great store). after a while he said to his sister, "no more will i complain, though worse things come upon us." so in the following days he sets himself to work, and cuts the hay, and stacks it in ricks; and cuts and stacks the grain likewise, working hastily lest the snow should come. einar was of no account in such work, for his body was not used to it; but he watches the ewe upon the mead, and fetches water; and helga works at the house, and when the grain is reaped she begins to grind it in a handmill; a slow labor that was, to make flour each day for their bread. now when grani had finished harvesting he began to cut peat and stack it near the house. it was hard work, for the cold was severe and the ground freezing. einar began to complain as the cold came on; he was not warm enough under the gray cloak, but sat much of the day by the fire. he disliked his food and wanted better, although naught better was to be had. it was not easy to bear his complainings; but helga was patient, and grani sought to lighten her labors, doing woman's work. yet he was troubled for the shame of his life, and slept badly, and lost flesh. now hard frost and bitter winds came, but still no snow. grani's clothes were thin, and he was not used to the rough life; his hands cracked with the cold, all his joints ached, his feet were sore from his thin shoes, and it seemed as if he would perish with the wind. yet still he cut peat, hewing it from the frozen ground in a little boggy place; and he brought it home with fingers all bleeding. then helga bewailed the weather, how without snow the ground froze ever deeper: but though at first grani was minded to complain with her, he bethought himself and spoke cheerily. helga asked: "why dost thou conceal thy thoughts?" "the worst of my thoughts," said grani, "are so bad that i dare not dwell on them. but the better is that i must be manly; and i have a memory to help me." "what is that memory?" asked helga. so grani told of that time when he and his thralls were lost in the snow in orkney, and those two icelanders bore the cold, but he complained of it. "and they gave me the cloak and the warmth of their own bodies, yet i could not be brave. so now when i shiver in the cold i call to mind their hardiness, and strive to copy it." "that is well said," quoth helga, "and i will show courage, even as thou." so those two fortified each other; but einar's mind dwelt always on his misfortunes: the great state he had lost, and the trick that had betrayed him, and all those servants who had deserted him. "years long," said einar, "i fed many of those men, yet they all turned from me at the end. not one had the gratitude to follow me hither." "there is luck in that," answered grani, "for how could we feed them?" "most i hate hallvard and hallmund," said einar, "for i favored them in everything, but now they cling to rolf." "he will get small profit from them," says helga. now at the farm they took much comfort in their ewe, which never wandered far, and came home at night, sleeping always in the pen. but one morning she was gone and the pen broken down, and no trace of her was to be seen. then einar lamented greatly, since her milk was needed: he declared that she was stolen. but in the forenoon came those two, hallvard and hallmund, leading the ewe. "this beast," said hallvard, "was found eating from our masters ricks." "wherefore," asked grani, "ate she not from our ricks, which were nearer?" "i know not," said hallvard, "but she hath been at our ricks; and rolf has said: twenty in silver must you pay." grani took his purse; and though his father scolded he gave silver, all that he had, and hallvard and hallmund went away. now this happened again, and to redeem the ewe grani gave a gold ring. then he built up the pen again of double strength, so that a bullock could not have broken out; but on another morning the ewe was gone, and unless she were a goat she might not have jumped out. einar was terribly enraged with an old mans anger, and swore those two ruffians had killed the ewe; yet after a while they were seen coming, leading the beast. einar said to grani, "take now thy sword and slay them when they come." but grani held his tongue and heard those two quietly when they claimed trespass money; he gave them all the jewels that he had, and the twain went away. then einar cried, "i have no son at all, but two daughters; and no one will defend me from this shameful persecution." grani grew red as blood; but he said naught in answer, and tied the ewe in the pen. when he was alone helga came to him. asks she: "thinkest thou that the ewe broke out those two times, and leaped out the third?" he answers: "those two stole her, yet i cannot prove it, for there is no snow to show their tracks." "i blame not thy mildness at all," says helga, "rather do i praise it. but why art thou so quiet under injustice?" "i call to mind," says grani, "that when i enthralled rolf he never complained, but took what fortune brought him, seeing that he could not help himself. he bided his time and avenged his father; and i suffer in silence, to keep my father alive. that lesson which rolf set me, now i follow; i cannot resist him, save to my death, and what then would become of my father and of thee?" now there came another night, and in the morning the ewe was gone; that day grani yielded her to rolf, as already told, while einar upbraided him that he was so unmanly. and in the next days the old man was miserable, missing his milk, and not eating the broth helga made, though the broth was very good. he made himself sick with his anger and his selfishness, and went to bed in the middle of the day, and scolded from where he lay. "men tell," said he, "of gisli the outlaw, who entered his enemy's house and slew him for the slaying of his blood-brother. but nowadays no man will do such a deed--no, not to save his father." then grani started from his place, and said: "violence enough has been done in this feud, nor will i ever have hand in such." he went out of the house, and helga after him. she said to him: "be comforted, my brother." grani answered: "it is true that i might take rolf unawares, and slay him. but i remember when he was my thrall in the orkneys, going with me everywhere, and my life was daily in his hands. for when we were on the cliffs he might have cast me down, and no man would have known he did it. or when we were fishing he might have drowned me, and have sailed away in the boat. but he never did evil for evil, and i remember it now." then grani planned to sell his fodder, and the money would be welcome. but on another morning they woke in the hut with the crackle and glare of fire, and there were the ricks burning, all of them; grani could save little from the flames. now that was a great loss, and einar bewailed it, saying that since the wheat was gone they would all three starve. then by day they saw hallvard coming. "he comes to insult us," said einar, and egged grani on to meet him with his sword, and wound him for punishment. but grani received hallvard mildly, and said he had no need of help, and sent him away. "now," said einar, "we might have had help of rolf, and thou hast refused it." grani answered naught to his father, but afterward when helga asked why he sent hallvard away, grani said, "what help gave we to rolf when he was shipwrecked at our door? thou savedst his life, else he had been slain in our hall. for very shame we can take no help of him." now some days passed, and einar grumbled ceaselessly, so that life with him was well nigh unbearable; yet he was the cause of all their misfortune. in nothing that she did might helga please him; and though grani had grown thin with labor, his father did not spare the lash of his tongue. it was plain that they had not enough food to keep them through the winter, now that so much grain was gone, and their fate was much on grani's mind; yet he was cheerful. helga came to him at last, and said, "brother, give me of thy courage, for with my fathers harshness and our hard work i feel my heart failing me. on what thought dost thou sustain thyself?" "dost thou remember," asked grani, "that when we first came here i complained, and thou didst ask: had i learned no more in the orkneys than to bewail my fate?" "forgive me that saying," begged helga. "why not forgive?" grani said. "for i was reminded of a boast i made to rolf there on the cliff by hawksness, saying that i feared no misfortune. and he answered: then i was fitted to be an icelander. then, though i had dwelt so long in the orkneys, my heart warmed to my own land whose children love her so; and i resolved to show myself an icelander, for the sake of winning rolf's praise. therefore i strive, my sister, to be a true son of this dear iceland, and to bear my misfortunes even as rolf sends them." "mayhap," says helga, "rolf remembers also that boast of thine." "aye," says grani. "and mayhap," helga says, "he sends these trials only to test thee, for it is clear that they are of design." "so i have thought," grani answers. "either it is that, or it is revenge; yet rolf has no spite in him." "greatly dost thou praise him," helga says. "not overmuch," quoth grani. "and now i will say i repent my pride when i refused his friendship: first at hawksness, when he had done me that slight hurt, and then on the ship. but i have most shame that i offered him no atonement when i was prosperous here in iceland, and he was in hiding." "go to him now," cries helga. "ask forgiveness!" grani answers: "i asked it not when i might with honor; it were cowardice to do so when i am under his feet." now helga wished to argue against that; but their father called them, complaining, and there was no more of their talk. but grani, while helga tended on einar, ground corn in the handmill (but there was little of the grain left) and sang this song: "once i, most fortunate, met swords in fight. now, sin to expiate, i show this plight: grind corn to make my bread.-- evil pursues my head." and it seemed to him that scarce ever had a warrior, not in thraldom, come to such fortune. then when he had ground enough meal for another day he stacked the grain carefully against the weather, and went about other tasks, and that night slept soundly. but in the morning, waking with the first light, he heard as it were a scuffling of feet close outside the door; when he opened he saw sheep there, a small flock, eating eagerly at the grain, which was almost all gone. in despair he rushed out upon them, and drove them away; they all fled before him but one lean old ram, who stood his ground and still would eat. then grani took a club and smote the ram, and wounded it, so that it ran away. next he saw how at a little distance were hallvard and hallmund, who came and excused them of the doings of the sheep, which had strayed while the men slept. grani answered nothing, though his sister wept; but einar was nigh out of his mind for anger and despair, and cursed those twain, and rolf their master, until grani took him and led him into the house, when those two drove the sheep away. einar was so spent with rage that he fell at last in a stupor; and grani went and gathered all that remained of the grain. there were but two measures of it left. then as he gleaned those few stalks from the ground, where the sheep had trodden them, and as he cleansed them of dust and saved every small particle: bitterness grew in him, and then wrath, and he nursed his wrath all that day. now helga was busy with her father, and saw not how grani brooded; there was not much food for him, but he fed on his despair. and he slept ill that night, and rose early, and went without food to dig in the garden for roots. there those twain found him, hallvard and hallmund, when they came into the yard that day for his sword. now his back was toward them, and they asked each other: "shall we rush on him and wound him, or slay him, and so search the place at our will for his sword?" that seemed to them the best counsel, and they stole upon him. he was so busy that he heard them not; and but for helga he had been slain. but she saw the men, and cried "beware!" so grani turned with his spade uplifted, and they rushed at him. then he dashed the sword from the hand of hallmund, and struck fiercely at hallvard. hallvard he wounded with the spade, but hallmund with his own weapon, and with their wounds they limped away. then all of grani's anger left him, and he sat in the house by the hearth, and his father waked and looked at him. said grani, "much didst thou do to hiarandi for my sake, and harshly has hiarandi's son repaid me for thy sake. but let us forgive each other, father, before the end of life comes to us." asked einar: "how comes the end of life now?" helga says from the doorway: "i see rolf coming across the valley, and he is armed." "thus comes the end," says grani, and they embraced and kissed each other all three, and grani made ready for death, and he went out to meet rolf. rolf came into the yard, and he had his sword and shield. says rolf: "what hast thou to say to me for the wounding of my house-carles?" grani looked on rolf, and remembered how he had loved him once, and loved him still, yet never might they be friends. "this offer will i make," said grani. "i will fare abroad, and never come back to trouble thee, if so be thou wilt give my father, while he lives, his winter's food." "hast thou nothing better to say?" asked rolf. "i will make this offer," said grani. "i will be thy thrall, and labor for thee, if only thou wilt maintain my father out of thine abundance." "canst thou say no better?" asked rolf again. grani remembered how he might have been friends with rolf, and would not; and how he should have asked forgiveness, and could not. "nothing better to offer have i," said he. "nothing worth offering." for he despised himself, and thought his life ended. [illustration: "grani took his sword and his shield, and they stood up to fight by the spring"] "take then thy weapons," said rolf, "and fight me here on the level space by the spring." so grani took his sword and his shield, and they stood up to fight by the spring and those in the hut heard the clash of steel. the two looked strangely fighting, grani gaunt and ragged, and rolf well fed and in holiday clothes. now grani thought to be slain quickly; but rolf seemed to have no power at first; yet he warmed to the strife, and began to strike manfully, and at last he smote away a part of grani's shield. then grani by a great stroke shore away the half of rolf's shield. "well smitten!" cried rolf, and they fought on; but grani found himself growing weak, and marvelled much that rolf smote no faster. "but if he means to tire me out," thought grani, "he can win me easily." then rolf drew away, and said: "my shoestrings are loose, i will tie them." so he laid aside his shield and sword, and knelt before grani to tie his shoes; grani might have slain him there, but he waited. and not to be tempted to that treachery, grani looked about; he saw the hut where were his father and sister, and looked off on the firth and the wide land, and waited for rolf to rise. then they fought again. but grani grew weary and desperate, and his thoughts grew hard. for there were his sister and father close at hand, and the world was beautiful. and while they fought slowly he thought that cruel, so to prolong death, since for rolf he was no match at all. he wished for death, and exposed his breast to rolf's strokes, and cared not what happened. but rolf drew away again, and said, "i am thirsty," and knelt down by the spring to drink. then in his great weariness grani gave way to an evil thought, and cried, "i will free my father, even if the deed be foul." and he heaved up his sword to slay rolf. but rolf rose upon his knees, looking fair in grani's face; and though rolf made no defence, grani stayed the sword in midair, and cast it far away. then he sat down on a stone and covered his face with his hands. rolf rose, and came to him, and said: "wherefore didst thou not slay me?" grani answered: "because once i loved thee." "grani, grani," cried rolf, "has thy pride at last come to its end? now once more i ask: what hast thou to say to me? "for the wounding of thy henchmen, and for all i ever did to thee since first we met," said grani, "only this i beg: forgive me!" "i forgive thee!" rolf cried, and there they embraced and made peace. this is the end of the tale, that frodi slept yet other nights at cragness than that one, and lived with rolf his life long. but grani took his father home to fellstead, and dwelt there, he and einar and helga. grani was ever the greatest friend of rolf, but einar never came into rolf's sight so long as he lived; and that was not long, for the old man was broken with his shame. then after that rolf took to wife helga the sister of grani, and the curse of the soursops never troubled their children. between the households of cragness and fellstead was ever the closest bond, and famous men are come of both rolf and grani. so here we end the story of rolf. _the summer vacation series_ four on a farm by mary p. wells smith _author of "the old deerfield series," etc._ illustrated. mo. $ . net it is a pleasing story, which will aid in making young people appreciate the beauties and the delights of country life.--_philadelphia press._ it would be well for american city youth if more such books descriptive of the joys and healthfulness of country life could be written.--_pittsburgh chronicle-telegraph._ _by the same author_ two in a bungalow illustrated. mo. $ . net the second volume in the "summer vacation series" is, like "four on a farm," a story of out-door life which tells the story of the first summer spent by the strongs in their bungalow on mount pisgah, near the hoosac tunnel, and describes the doings of sydney and clyde strong, eleven and six years old. they built a shack, went swimming, fishing, berrying, etc. the book is wholesome and natural: it will teach children to appreciate the joy and beauty of life out-of-doors and will make many a boy wish for equally happy summers on mount pisgah. little, brown & co., publishers beacon street, boston _bright, lively, and enjoyable_ "jolly good times" series by mary p. wells smith . jolly good times; or, child life on a farm . jolly good times at school . jolly good times at hackmatack . more good times at hackmatack . jolly good times to-day . a jolly good summer . the browns . their canoe trip illustrated. cloth. each $ . net. these books ("jolly good times," etc.) give the best possible picture of new england child life about seventy-five years ago.--miss hunt, _supt. children's dept. brooklyn public library_. allow me to express, unasked, the zest and satisfaction with which i read "jolly good times." i am delighted that the joyous country life of new england is painted in its true colors for children.--col. thomas wentworth higginson. there is a fine fresh flavor of country life in what mrs. smith writes, and her characters, particularly her children, are thoroughly real and human.--r. h. stoddard in _new york mail and express_. a bit of real literature is "jolly good times at hackmatack." it has all the vividness of actual experience.--_new york tribune._ little, brown, & co., _publishers_ beacon street, boston books by allen french the story of rolf and the viking's bow illustrated. mo. $ . net a stirring tale by the author of "the junior cup," presenting a vivid account of the old norse life and of the people of iceland.--_brooklyn eagle._ boys will follow the fortunes of rolf with ever-increasing attention, for his skill as a marksman, his intrepidity in scenes of peril, and his noble character make him a very engaging hero.--_boston beacon._ the author of this artistic story of iceland has caught the spirit of the times and men he depicts most happily.--_outlook_, new york. pelham and his friend tim illustrated by ch. grunwald. mo. $ . net one of the very best boys' books. in the two boys, who are the chief characters, he has drawn a picture of manliness and honesty. the plot centres about a mill strike and contains exciting scenes.--_providence journal._ a good, wholesome book for boys, especially to be recommended for the unobtrusive, matter-of-course way in which it makes character, instead of social station, the thing that counts.--_new york times._ heroes of iceland adapted from dasent's translation of "the story of burnt njal," the great icelandic saga, with a new preface, introduction, and notes. illustrated by e. w. d. hamilton. mo. $ . net he has preserved the spirit of the saga in the abridgment, and even in this form the northland epic makes better and healthier reading for boys than most of the books that are written specially for them.--_new york sun._ the reform of shaun illustrated by philip r. goodwin. $ . net two of the best dog stories that we have read in a long time.--_the churchman_, new york. little, brown, & co., _publishers_, boston _depicts the joys of country life_ summer vacation series by mary p. wells smith . four on a farm. . two in a bungalow. . three in a camp. illustrated. cloth. $ . _net_ each "four on a farm" is a pleasing story, which will aid in making young people appreciate the beauties and delights of the country.--_philadelphia press._ it would be well for american city youth if more such books like "four on a farm," descriptive of the joys and healthfulness of country life, could be written.--_pittsburgh chronicle-telegraph._ the author knows her ground, for she has reproduced the atmosphere of new hampshire farm life to perfection in "four on a farm."--_washington times._ "two in a bungalow" describes the usual vacation sports of swimming, fishing, berrying, in an interesting and instructive way and gives a pleasant picture of a vacation outing among the mountains.--_chicago post._ this series, as the name indicates, is made up of outdoor books, books that healthy, hearty, happy boys and girls like.--_christian register._ little, brown & co., _publishers_ beacon street, boston the saga of grettir the strong grettir's saga by unknown author written in icelandic, sometime in the early th century. chapter i. the family and early wars of onund the son of ofeig there was a man named onund, the son of ofeig clumsyfoot, who was the son of ivar horsetail. onund was the brother of gudbjorg, the mother of gudbrand knob, the father of asta, the mother of king olaf the saint. his mother came from the upplands, while his father's relations were mostly in rogaland and hordland. he was a great viking and used to harry away in the west over the sea. he was accompanied on these expeditions by one balki, the son of blaeing from sotanes, and by orm the wealthy. another comrade of theirs was named hallvard. they had five ships, all well equipped. they plundered the hebrides, reaching the barra isles, where there ruled a king named kjarval, who also had five ships. these they attacked; there was a fierce battle between them, in which onund's men fought with the utmost bravery. after many had fallen on both sides, the battle ended with the king taking to flight with a single ship; the rest were captured by onund's force, along with much booty. they stayed there for the winter, and spent the succeeding three summers harrying the coasts of ireland and scotland, after which they returned to norway. chapter ii. the battle of hafrsfjord at that time norway was very disturbed. harald shockhead, the son of halfdan the black, till then king of the upplands, was aiming at the supreme kingship. he went into the north and fought many battles there, in which he was always victorious. then he marched harrying through the territories to the south, bringing them into subjection wherever he came. on reaching hordland he was opposed by a motley multitude led by kjotvi the wealthy, thorir long-chin, and soti and king sulki from south rogaland. geirmund swarthyskin was then away in the west, beyond the sea, so he was not present at the battle, although hordland belonged to his dominion. onund and his party had arrived that autumn from the western seas, and when thorir and kjotvi heard of their landing they sent envoys to ask for their aid, promising to treat them with honour. they were very anxious for an opportunity of distinguishing themselves, so they joined thorir's forces, and declared that they would be in the thickest part of the battle. they met king harald in a fjord in rogaland called hafrsfjord. the forces on each side were very large, and the battle was one of the greatest ever fought in norway. there are many accounts of it, for one always hears much about those people of whom the saga is told. troops had come in from all the country around and from other countries as well, besides a multitude of vikings. onund brought his ship alongside of that of thorir long-chin in the very middle of the battle. king harald made for thorir's ship, knowing him to be a terrible berserk, and very brave. the fighting was desperate on either side. then the king ordered his berserks, the men called wolfskins, forward. no iron could hurt them, and when they charged nothing could withstand them. thorir defended himself bravely and fell on his ship fighting valiantly. the whole ship from stem to stern was cleared and her fastenings were cut, so that she fell out of the line of battle. then they attacked onund's ship, in the forepart of which he was standing and fighting manfully. the king's men said: "he bears himself well in the forecastle. let us give him something to remind him of having been in the battle." onund was stepping out with one foot on to the bulwark, and as he was striking they made a thrust at him with a spear; in parrying it he bent backwards, and at that moment a man on the forecastle of the king's ship struck him and took off his leg below the knee, disabling him at a blow. with him fell the greater number of his men. they carried him to a ship belonging to a man named thrand, a son of bjorn and brother of eyvind the easterner. he was fighting against king harald, and his ship was lying on the other side of onund's. then there was a general flight. thrand and the rest of the vikings escaped any way they could, and sailed away westwards. they took with them onund and balki and hallvard sugandi. onund recovered and went about for the rest of his life with a wooden leg, wherefore he was called onund treefoot as long as he lived. chapter iii. meeting of defeated chiefs in the west and marriage of onund there were then in the western parts many distinguished men who had fled from their homes in norway before king harald, for he declared all who fought against him outlaws, and seized their property. as soon as onund had recovered from his wound, thrand went with his party to geirmund swarthyskin, who was the most eminent of the vikings in the west. they asked him whether he was not going to try and regain his kingdom in hordland, and offered to join him, hoping by this means to do something for their own properties, for onund was very wealthy and his kindred very powerful. geirmund answered that harald had such a force that there was little hope of gaining any honour by fighting when the whole country had joined against him and been beaten. he had no mind, he said, to become the king's thrall, and to beg for that which he had once possessed in his own right. seeing that he was no longer in the vigour of his youth he preferred to find some other occupation. so onund and his party returned to the southern islands, where they met many of their friends. there was a man named ofeig, nicknamed grettir. he was the son of einar, the son of olvir the babyman. he was a brother of oleif the broad, the father of thormod shaft. another son of olvir was named steinolf, the father of una, whom thorbjorn the salmon-man married. a third son of olvir was steinmod, who was the father of konal, the father of alfdis of the barra isles. konal's son was named steimnod; he was the father of halldora, whom eilif, the son of ketil the one-handed, married. ofeig grettir married asny, the daughter of vestar, the son of haeing. his sons were asmund the beardless and asbjorn, and his daughters were named aldis, aesa, and asvor. ofeig had fled from the wrath of king harald into the west over the sea, along with his kinsman thormod shaft and all their families. they ravaged far and wide in the western seas. thrand and onund treefoot were going west to ireland to join thrand's brother, eyvind the easterner, who had command of the irish defences. eyvind's mother was named hlif; she was the daughter of hrolf, the son of ingjald, the son of king frodi, while thrand's mother was helga, the daughter of ondott crow. the father of eyvind and thrand was bjorn, the son of hrolf of ar. he had had to leave gautland because he had burnt in his house sigfast the father-in-law of king solvi. then he went to norway and spent the winter with grim the hersir, a son of kolbjorn the sneak, who wanted to murder him for his money. thence bjorn went to ondott crow, who lived in hvinisfjord in agdir. there he was well received, stayed the winter, and went campaigning with ondott in the summer until his wife hlif died. eventually ondott gave bjorn his daughter helga, and bjorn then no longer went out to fight. eyvind had taken over his father's ships and become a great chief in the western parts. he married rafarta, the daughter of the irish king kjarval. their sons were helgi the lean and snaebjorn. when thrand and onund came to the southern islands they found there ofeig grettir and thormod shaft, with whom they became very friendly, for each thought the others had risen from the dead, their last meeting having been in norway when the war was at its worst. onund was very silent, and thrand, when he noticed it, asked what was on his mind. onund answered with a verse: "no joy is mine since in battle i fought. many the sorrows that o'er me lower. men hold me for nought; this thought is the worst of all that oppresses my sorrowing heart." thrand said: "why, you still seem as full of vigour as ever you were. you may yet settle down and marry. you shall have my good word and my interest if you will only tell me whom you fancy." onund said he behaved nobly; but said there had once been a time when his chances of making a profitable marriage had been better. thrand said: "ofeig has a daughter named aesa; we might mention it if you like." onund said he would like it, and soon afterwards ofeig was approached on the subject. he received the proposal favourably, saying he knew the man to be of good lineage and to have some wealth in movable property, though his lands were not worth much. "but," he said, "i do not think he is very wise. why, my daughter is quite a child." thrand said that onund was more vigorous than many a man whose legs were sounder. so with the aid of thrand the terms were settled. ofeig was to give his daughter a portion in cash, for neither would reckon anything for his lands in norway. soon afterwards thrand was betrothed to the daughter of thormod shaft. both the maids were to remain plighted for three years. then they went on fighting expeditions in the summer, remaining in the barra isles during the winter. chapter iv. fight with vikings vigbjod and vestmar there were two vikings from the southern isles, named vigbjod and vestmar; they were abroad both summer and winter. they had eight ships, and harried mostly round the coast of ireland, where they did many an evil deed until eyvind undertook the defence of the coast, when they retired to the hebrides to harry there, and right in to the scotch firths. thrand and onund went out against them and learned that they had sailed to an island called bot. onund and thrand followed them thither with five ships, and when the vikings sighted them and saw how many there were, they thought their own force was sufficient, so they took to their arms and advanced to the attack. onund ordered his ships to take up a position between two rocks where there was a deep but narrow channel, open to attack from one side only, and by not more than five ships at once. onund was a very wily man. he sent his five ships forward into the channel so that, as there was plenty of sea room behind them, they could easily retire by merely backing their oars. one ship he brought under an island lying on their beam, and carried a great stone to a place on the front of the rock where it could not be seen from the enemy's ships. the vikings came boldly on, thinking they had caught them in a trap. vigbjod asked who they were that he had hemmed in. thrand answered that he was a brother of eyvind the easterner, and the man with him was his comrade, onund treefoot. the vikings laughed and said: "trolls take the rascal treefoot and lay him even with the ground. never yet did i see men go to battle who could not carry themselves." onund said that could not be known until it was tried. then the ships came together. there was a great battle in which both sides fought bravely. when the battle was thick onund ordered his ships to back their oars. the vikings seeing it thought they were taking to flight, and pushed on with all their might, coming under the rock just at the moment when the party which had been dispatched for that purpose arrived. they launched upon the vikings stones so huge that nothing could hold against them. a number of the vikings were killed, and others were so injured that they could fight no more. then the vikings tried to escape, but could not, as their ships were in the narrowest part of the channel and were impeded both by the current and by the enemy's ships. onund's men vigorously attacked the wing commanded by vigbjod while thrand engaged vestmar, but effected little. when the men on vigbjod's ship had been somewhat reduced, onund's men, he himself with them, prepared to board her. on seeing that, vigbjod spurred on his men resolutely. he turned against onund, most of whose men gave way. onund was a man of immense strength and he bade his followers observe how it fared with them. they shoved a log under the stump of his leg, so that he stood pretty firm. the viking dashed forward, reached onund and hewed at him with his sword, which cut right through his shield and into the log beneath his leg, where it remained fixed. as vigbjod bent down to pull his sword clear again, onund dealt him a blow on his shoulder, severing his arm and disabling him. when vestmar saw his comrade fall, he sprang on to the outermost ship and escaped along with all who could get on to her. then they examined the dead. vigbjod had already expired. onund went up to him and said: "bloody thy wounds. didst thou see me flee? 'one-leg' no hurt received from thee. braver are many in word than in deed. thou, slave, didst fail when it came to the trial." they took a large quantity of booty and returned to the barra isles in the autumn. chapter v. visit of onund and thrand to eyvind in ireland the following summer they made ready for a voyage to the west, to ireland. at the same time balki and hallvard sailed westwards, to iceland, where they had heard that good land was available for occupation. balki took up some land at hrutafjord, and had his abode in two places called balkastad. hallvard occupied sugandafjord and skalavik as far as stigi, where he lived. thrand and onund went to visit eyvind the easterner, who welcomed joyfully his brother thrand; but when he heard that onund had also come, he became very angry and wanted to fight him. thrand asked him not to do so, and said it would ill become him to quarrel with men from norway, especially with such as had given no offence. eyvind said that he had given offence before, when he made war on kjarval the king, and that he should now pay for it. the brothers had much to say to each other about the matter, till at last thrand said that he and onund should share their fortune together. then eyvind allowed himself to be appeased. they stayed there a long time in the summer and went with eyvind on his expeditions. eyvind found onund to be a man of the greatest valour. in the autumn they went to the hebrides, and eyvind made over to thrand all his share in their father bjorn's patrimony in the event of bjorn dying before thrand. they stayed in the hebrides until they married and some years after. chapter vi. death of bjorn; disputes over his property in norway the next thing that happened was the death of thrand's father bjorn. when the news of it reached grim the hersir he proceeded against ondott crow and claimed bjorn's estate. ondott held thrand to be the rightful heir of his father, but grim contended that thrand was away in the west. bjorn, he said, came from gautland, and the succession to the estate of all foreigners passed to the king. ondott said that he would hold the property on behalf of thrand, who was his daughter's son. grim then departed, having effected nothing by his claim. thrand, when he heard of his father's death, prepared to leave the hebrides, and onund treefoot decided to go with him. ofeig grettir and thormod shaft went to iceland with all their belongings, landing at eyrar in the south. they spent the first winter with thorbjorn the salmon-man, and then occupied gnupverjahrepp. ofeig took the outer part lying between the rivers thvera and kalfa, and lived at ofeigsstad near steinsholt, while thormod took the eastern part, living at skaptaholt. thormod's daughters were named thorvor and thorve; the former afterwards became the mother of thorodd the godi at hjalli, thorve of thorstein the godi the father of bjarni the wise. we now return to thrand and onund, who sailed back from the west to norway. a strong wind blew in their favour, so that they arrived at the house of ondott crow before any one knew of their journey. he welcomed thrand and told him of the claim which grim the hersir had raised for bjorn's estate. "to my thinking, kinsman," he said, "it is better that the property should go to you than to the king's thralls. it is a fortunate thing for you that no one knows of your having come here, for i expect that grim will make an attack upon one or the other of us if he can. i should prefer if you would take over your property and stay in other countries." thrand said that he would do so. he took over the property and prepared to leave norway. before leaving he asked onund treefoot whether he would not come to iceland. onund said he wanted first to visit some of his relations and friends in the south. "then," said thrand, "we must part. i should be glad if you would give my kinsmen your support, for our enemies will certainly try to take revenge upon them when i am gone. i am going to iceland, and i want you to come there too." onund said he would come, and they parted with great friendship. thrand went to iceland, where he met with a welcome from ofeig and thormod shaft. he took up his dwelling at thrandarholt to the west of thjorsa. chapter vii. murder of ondott crow, and the vengeance therefor onund went to rogaland in the south and visited many of his relations and friends. he lived there in concealment with a man named kolbeinn. he there learned that king harald had taken all his property and given it into the charge of a man named harekr, one of his officials. onund went by night to harekr's house and caught him at home; he was led to execution. then onund took possession of all the loose property which he found and burnt the building. that autumn grim the hersir murdered ondott crow because he had not succeeded in getting the property for the king. ondott's wife signy carried off all their loose property that same night to a ship and escaped with her sons asmund and asgrim to her father sighvat. a little later she sent her sons to hedin, her foster-father in soknadal, where they remained for a time and then wanted to return to their mother. they left at last, and at yule-tide came to ingjald the trusty at hvin. his wife gyda persuaded him to take them in, and they spent the winter there. in the spring onund came to northern agdir, having learned of the murder of ondott. he met signy and asked her what assistance they would have of him. she said they were most anxious to punish grim for the death of ondott. so the sons were sent for, and when they met onund treefoot they all joined together and had grim's doings closely watched. in the summer there was a beer-brewing at grim's for a jarl named audun, whom he had invited. when onund and the sons of ondott heard of it, they appeared at his house unexpectedly and set fire to it. grim the hersir and about thirty men were burnt in the house. they captured a quantity of valuables. then onund went into the forest, while the two brothers took the boat of their foster-father ingjald, rowed away and lay in hiding a little way off. soon jarl audun appeared, on his way to the feast, as had been arranged, but on arriving he missed his host. so he collected his men around him and stayed there a few nights, quite unaware of onund and his companions. he slept in a loft with two other men. onund knew everything that was going on in the house and sent for the two brothers to come to him. on their arrival he asked them whether they preferred to keep watch on the house or to attack the jarl. they chose to attack. they then battered the entrance of the loft with beams until the door gave way. asmund seized the two men who were with the jarl and threw them to the ground with such violence that they were well-nigh killed. asgrim rushed at the jarl and demanded of him weregild for his father, for he had been in league with grim and took part in the attack when ondott was murdered. the jarl said he had no money about him and asked for time. asgrim then placed the point of his spear against his breast and ordered him to pay up on the spot. then the jarl took a necklace from his neck and gave it to him with three gold rings and a velvet mantle. asgrim took the things and bestowed a name upon the jarl. he called him audun nannygoat. when the farmers and people about heard of the disturbances they all came out to help the jarl. onund had a large force with him, and there was a great battle in which many a good farmer and many a follower of the jarl were slain. the brothers returned to onund and reported what had occurred with the jarl. onund said it was a pity they had not killed him. it would, he said, have been something to make up for the losses which he had suffered from king harald. they said the disgrace was far worse for the jarl as it was, and they went off to surnadal to eirik beery, a landman there, who took them all in for the winter. at yule-tide they had a great drinking bout with a man named hallsteinn, nicknamed stallion. eirik opened the feast and entertained them generously. then it was hallsteinn's turn, and they began to quarrel. hallsteinn struck eirik with a deer's horn, for which eirik got no revenge, but had to go home with it, to the great annoyance of ondott's sons. a little later asgrim went to hallsteinn's house and gave him a severe wound. all the people who were present started up and attacked asgrim. he defended himself vigorously and escaped in the dark, leaving them under the belief that they had killed him. onund and asmund, on hearing that asgrim had been killed, were at a loss what they could do in the matter. eirik's advice was that they should betake themselves to iceland, for it would never do for them to remain in the land where the king could get at them. this they determined to do. each of them had his own ship and they made ready for the voyage to iceland. hallsteinn was laid low with his wound and died before onund sailed with his party. kolbeinn, the man who was mentioned before, went in the ship with onund. chapter viii. onund and asmund sail to iceland onund and asmund set sail directly when they were ready and their ships kept together. onund said: "hallvard and i were aforetime deemed worthy in storm of swords to bear us. with one foot now i step on the ship towards iceland. the poet's day is o'er." they had a rough passage with cross winds, mostly from the south, so that they drifted away to the north. they made iceland right in the north, at langanes, where they regained their reckonings. the ships were near enough to each other for them to speak together. asmund said they had better make for eyjafjord, and this was agreed to. they kept under the land and heavy weather set in from the south-east. just as onund was tacking, the yard was carried away; they lowered the sail and were driven out to sea. asmund got under the lee of hrisey, where he waited until a fair wind set in which took him up to eyjafjord. helgi the lean gave him the whole of kraeklingahlid, and he lived at south-glera. a few years later his brother asgrim came to iceland and took up his residence at north-glera. his son was ellidagrim the father of asgrim. chapter ix. onund settles in kaldbak onund treefoot was driven away from the shore for several days, after which the wind shifted and blew towards the land. then they made land again, which those of them who had been there before recognised as the western coast of the skagi peninsula. they sailed in to strandafloi, almost to sudrstrandir. there came rowing towards them a ten-oared boat with six men on board, who hailed the sea-going ship and asked who was their captain. onund told them his name and asked whence they came. they said they were the men of thorvald from drangar. then onund asked whether all the land round that coast was occupied; they answered there was very little left at sudrstrandir and none at all in the north. so onund asked his men whether they would seek some land further to the west or take that of which they had just been told. they said they would first explore a little further. they sailed in along the coast of the bay and anchored off a creek near arnes, where they put off in a boat to the shore. here dwelt a wealthy man named eirik snare, who had taken the land between ingolfsfjord and ofaera in veidileysa. on hearing that onund had arrived in those parts, he offered to let him have such portion as he needed from his own lands, adding that there was little land which had not already been taken up. onund said he would first like to see what there was. then they went further into the bay past some fjords and came to ofaera, where eirik said: "here is what there is to see. from here down to the lands of bjorn is unoccupied." a high range of mountains, on which snow had fallen, rose from beside the river. onund looked at the mountains and spoke a verse: "my lands and my might have drifted away as drifts the ship on the ocean. my friends and my home i have left behind me, and bartered my acres for kaldbak." "many a man," answered eirik, "has lost so much in norway that it may not be mended. i expect too that nearly all the lands in the main districts have been taken, so that i will not urge you to leave these parts and seek elsewhere. i will keep to my word and let you have whatever lands of my own you may require." onund said he would take advantage of his offer, and in the end he took some of the ofaera land and the three creeks byrgisvik, kolbeinsvik, and kaldbaksvik as far as kaldbak's cliff. afterwards eirik gave him veidileysa with reykjarfjord and the outer part of reykjanes on that side. nothing was settled about the drift which came to the coast, because there was so much of it that every one could have what he wanted. onund made his home in kaldbak and had a large household. his property increased and he had another house in reykjarfjord. kolbeinn lived in kolbeinsvik and for some years onund lived quietly at home. chapter x. ofeig grettir is killed. visit of onund to aud the deep-minded onund was a man of such valour that few, even of those whose limbs were sound, could measure themselves against him. his name, too, was renowned throughout the whole country on account of his ancestry. it happened that a dispute arose between ofeig grettir and one thorbjorn called jarlakappi, which ended in ofeig being killed by thorbjorn in grettisgeil near haell. the feud was taken up by ofeig's sons who assembled a large force of men. onund treefoot was sent for, and in the spring he rode south to hvamm, where he stayed with aud the deep-minded. he had been with her over the sea in the west, and she received him with welcome. her grandson, olaf feilan, was then grown up, and aud was very infirm. she consulted onund concerning her kinsman olaf, for whom she wished to ask in marriage alfdis of the barra isles, the cousin of onund's wife aesa. onund thought it a very suitable match, and olaf rode with him to the south. then onund met friends and kinsmen, who made him their guest. the matter of the dispute was talked over between them, and finally laid before the kjalarnes thing, for the all-thing had not yet been established. eventually it was settled by arbitration and heavy weregilds were imposed for the murder. thorbjorn jarlakappi was exiled. his son was solmund, the father of svidukari. these kinsmen were long abroad after that. thrand invited onund and olaf with his party to stay with him, as did thormod shaft. the matter of olaf's marriage was then pressed, and an agreement easily arrived at, for aud's rank and influence were well known to them. the settlement was arranged and onund's party rode home again. aud thanked him for his aid in behalf of olaf, who married alfdis of the barra isles that autumn. then aud the deep-minded died, as is told in the laxdaela saga. chapter xi. death of onund. disputes between the sons of onund and of eirik onund and aesa had two sons; the elder was named thorgeir, the younger ofeig grettir. soon afterwards aesa died and onund married a second wife, thordis thorgrim's daughter of gnup in midfjord, a kinsman of skeggi of midfjord. by her onund had a son named thorgrim, who grew up quickly to manhood, tall and strong, wise and a good manager. onund continued to live at kaldbak until his old age. he died a natural death and lies in treefoot's howe. he was the boldest and most active one-legged man that ever came to iceland. among onund's sons thorgrim was the foremost, although the others were older. when he was twenty-five years old his hair was grey, whence they nick-named him greyhead. his mother thordis married again, taking as her second husband audun skokull. they had a son named asgeir of asgeirsa. thorgrim greyhead and his brothers had a large property, which they managed together without dividing it up. eirik lived, as was mentioned, at arnes. he had married alof, the daughter of ingolf of ingolfsfjord, by whom he had a son named flosi, a very promising young man with many friends. there came to that part of iceland three brothers, named ingolf, ofeig, and eyvind, and took the three fjords which are called by their names, where they lived. eyvind had a son named olaf. he at first lived at eyvindsfjord, but went later to drangar. he was a most capable man. so long as their fathers were living no disputes arose among these men; but when eirik was dead it occurred to flosi that those of kaldbak had no legal title to the lands which eirik had given to onund. out of this serious dissensions arose between them. thorgrim and his brothers continued in possession of the lands as before, but they would not join in games together. thorgeir, the eldest brother, was managing the farm at reykjarfjord, and often rowed out fishing, as the fjords were full of fish. the men of vik now laid their plans. flosi had a man in arnes named thorfinn, and sent him to fetch thorgeir's head. this man hid himself in the boatshed. one morning when thorgeir was preparing to row out with two other men, one of whom was named brand, thorgeir was walking ahead with a leather skin on his back containing some drink. it was very dark, and as he passed the boat-house thorfinn sprang out upon him and dealt him a blow with an axe between his shoulders. the axe went into something and made a squeaking noise. thorfinn let go his axe, feeling quite sure that no bandages would be needed, and being very anxious to escape as fast as he could. he ran north, and reaching arnes before the day had quite broken, said that he had killed thorgeir and that flosi must protect him. the only thing to be done was to offer some compensation in money. "that," he said, "will be the best thing for us after such a terrible piece of work." flosi said he must first learn more about it, and that he thought thorfinn seemed very frightened after his doughty deed. we must now tell what had happened to thorgeir. he turned round when he was struck, but the blow had gone into the leather bottle, and he was unhurt. they could make no search for the man because it was dark, so they rowed on down the fjord to kaldbak, where they told what had happened. people made great game of the affair and called him thorgeir bottleback, a name which stuck to him ever after. a verse was made: "in days gone by men bathed their blades in the streaming gore of a foeman's wound. but now a wretch of all honour bereft reddens his dastard axe in whey." chapter xii. battle at rifsker at that time there came over iceland a famine the like of which had never been seen before. nearly all the fisheries failed, and also the drift wood. so it continued for many years. one autumn some traders in a sea-going ship, who had been driven out of their course, were wrecked at vik. flosi took in four or five of them with their captain, named steinn. they all found shelter in the neighbourhood of vik and tried to rig up a ship out of the wreckage, but were not very successful. the ship was too narrow in the bow and stern and too broad amidships. in the spring a northerly gale set in which lasted nearly a week, after which men began to look for drift. there was a man living in reykjanes named thorsteinn. he found a whale stranded on the south side of the promontory at the place now called rifsker. it was a large rorqual, and he at once sent word by a messenger to flosi in vik and to the nearest farms. at gjogr lived a man named einar, a tenant of the kaldbak men whom they employed to look after the drift on that side of the fjord. he got to know of the whale having been stranded and at once rowed across the fjord in his boat to byrgisvik, whence he sent a messenger to kaldbak. when thorgrim and his brother heard the news they got ready to go with all speed to the spot. there were twelve of them in a ten-oared boat, and six others, with ivar and leif, sons of kolbeinn. all the farmers who could get away went to the whale. in the meantime flosi had sent word to his kinsmen in the north at ingolfsfjord and ofeigsfjord and to olaf the son of eyvind who lived at drangar. the first to arrive were flosi and the men of vik, who at once began to cut up the whale, carrying on shore the flesh as it was cut. at first there were about twenty men, but more came thronging in. then there came the men of kaldbak with four ships. thorgrim laid claim to the whale and forbade the men of vik to cut, distribute, or carry away any portion of it. flosi called upon him to show proof that eirik had in express words given over the drift to onund; if not, he said he would prevent them by force. thorgrim saw that he was outnumbered and would not venture on fighting. then there came a ship across the fjords, the men rowing with all their might. they came up; it was svan of hol from bjarnarfjord with his men, and he at once told thorgrim not to let himself be robbed. the two men had been great friends, and svan offered thorgrim his aid, which the brothers accepted, and they attacked valiantly. thorgeir bottleback was the first to get on to the whale where flosi's men were. thorfinn, who was spoken of before, was cutting it up, standing near the head on the place where he had been carving. "here i bring you your axe," said thorgeir. then he struck at thorfinn's neck and cut off his head. flosi was up on the beach and saw it. he urged on his men to give it them back. they fought for a long time and the kaldbak people were getting the best of it. most of them had no weapons but the axes with which they were cutting up the whale and short knives. the men of vik were driven from the whale on to the sandbanks. the men from the east, however, were armed and able to deal wounds. their captain steinn cut off the leg of kolbeinn's son ivar, and ivar's brother leif beat one of steinn's men to death with a rib of the whale. then they fought with anything they could get, and men were slain on both sides. at last olaf came up with a number of ships from drangar and joined flosi; the men of kaldbak were then overpowered by numbers. they had already loaded their ships, and svan told them to get on board. they therefore retired towards the ships, the men of vik after them. svan on reaching the sea struck at steinn their captain, wounding him badly, and then sprang into his own ship. thorgrim gave flosi a severe wound and escaped. olaf wounded ofeig grettir fatally, but thorgeir carried him off and sprang on to his ship with him. the kaldbak men rowed into the fjord and the two parties separated. the following verse was composed on these doings: "hard were the blows which were dealt at rifsker; no weapons they had but steaks of the whale. they belaboured each other with rotten blubber. unseemly methinks is such warfare for men." after this they made peace, and the dispute was laid before the all-thing. on the side of the kaldbak men were thorodd the godi, skeggi of midfjord, and many others from the south. flosi was exiled, along with several others who had been with him. he was put to great expense, for he insisted upon paying all the fines himself. thorgrim and his brothers were unable to show that they had paid any money either for the land or for the drift which flosi claimed. the lawman was thorkell mani, and the question was referred to him. he declared that by law something must have been paid, though not necessarily the full value. "there was a case in point," he said, "between my grandfather ingolf and a woman named steinvor the old. he gave her the whole of rosmhvalanes and she gave him a dirty cloak for it; the transfer was afterwards held to be valid. that was a much more important affair than this. my advice is that the land be divided in equal portions between the two; and henceforward it shall be legally established that all drift shall be the property of the owner of the land upon which it has been stranded." this was agreed to. thorgrim and his brothers were to give up reykjarfjord with all on that side, and were to keep kamb. for ofeig a large sum of money was paid, and thorfinn was assessed at nothing at all; thorgeir received compensation for the attack made upon his life, and all the parties were reconciled. flosi went to norway with steinn the captain and sold his lands in vik to geirmund hvikatimbr, who lived there thenceforward. the ship which steinn's sailors had built was rather a tub. she was called trekyllir--tree-sack. flosi went on his journey in her, but was driven back to oxarfjord; out of this arose the saga of bodmod the champion and grimolf. chapter xiii. thorgrim settles at bjarg and marries. his son asmund visits norway and marries twice after these events thorgrim and his brothers divided up the property between them. thorgrim took the movable property and thorgeir the lands. then thorgrim went inland to midfjord and bought some land at bjarg with the aid of skeggi. he married thordis, the daughter of asmund from asmund's peak who had land in thingeyrasveit. they had a son named asmund, a great man and strong, also wise, and notable for his abundance of hair, which turned grey very early. he was called longhair. thorgrim occupied himself with the management of his estate and kept all the men of his household hard at work. asmund did not want to work, so that he and his father got on rather badly together. this continued until asmund was grown up, when he asked his father to give him the means to go abroad. thorgrim said he should have little enough, but he gave him some ready cash. so asmund went away and soon increased his capital. he sailed to divers lands, became a great trader and very wealthy. he was popular and enjoyed good credit, and had many friends among the leading men of norway. one autumn asmund was in the east on a visit to a certain magnate named thorsteinn. his family came from the upplands, and he had a sister named rannveig who had excellent prospects. asmund asked this girl in marriage and obtained her through the interest of her brother thorsteinn; he settled there for a time and was highly thought of. he and rannveig had a son named thorsteinn, who became a handsome man, strong, and with a powerful voice. he was very tall and rather sluggish in his movements, wherefore he was nicknamed dromund. when young thorsteinn was half grown up his mother fell ill and died, and asmund cared no more for norway. thorsteinn was taken over by his mother's relations along with his property, while asmund went on voyages and became famous. asmund came in his ship to hunavain, where thorkell krafla was chief of the vatnsdalers. on hearing of asmund's arrival thorkell went to the ship and invited him to stay, and asmund went to visit him in marsstadir in vatnsdal where he lived. thorkell was a son of thorgrim, the godi of karnsa, and a man of great experience. this was soon after the arrival of bishop fridrek and thorvald the son of kodran, who were living at laekjamot when these events happened, preaching christianity for the first time in the north of the island. thorkell and many of his men received the prima signatio. many things might be told of the dealings between the bishop's men and the northerners, which, however, do not belong to this saga. there was a girl named asdis who was being brought up in thorkell's house. she was a daughter of bard the son of jokull, the son of ingimund the old, the son of thorsteinn, the son of ketil raum. her mother's name was aldis, whom we have already heard of as the daughter of ofeig grettir. asdis was not betrothed as yet, and was a most desirable match, both on account of her connections and her wealth. asmund now became sick of travelling about and wanted to settle down in iceland. so he spoke up and asked for asdis as his wife. thorkell knew all about him and knew that he was a man of wealth, able to manage his affairs, so the marriage was arranged. asmund married asdis, and became a close friend of thorkell. he was a great man of affairs, learned in the law and very strenuous. soon afterwards thorgrim greyhead died at bjarg; asmund succeeded to his property and took up his residence at bjarg. chapter xiv. asmund's children. grettir's childhood asmund longhair now set up a large and sumptuous household in bjarg, where he maintained a numerous retinue and became very popular. his children were as follows: the eldest was atli, an able and accomplished man, tactful and easy to deal with; he was much liked by all. his second son was called grettir. he was very hard to manage in his bringing up. he spoke little and was rough in his manners and quarrelsome, both in words and deeds. he got little affection from his father asmund, but his mother loved him dearly. grettir was a handsome man in appearance, with a face rather broad and short, red-haired and somewhat freckled; not very precocious in his youth. there was a daughter named thordis, who afterwards married glum the son of ospak, kjallak's son from skridinsenni. another daughter was named rannveig; she married gamli the son of thorhall of vineland, and they dwelt at melar in hrutafjord and had a son named grim. glum and thordis had a son named ospak who fell into a dispute with odd the son of ofeig, which is told of in the "saga of the banded men." grettir grew up at bjarg until he was ten years old, when he began to develop a little. asmund told him that he must do some work. grettir said that would not suit him very well, but asked what he was to do. "you must mind the geese," said asmund. "that is wretched work, only fit for an idiot," grettir answered. "you do that properly," his father said, "and we shall get on better together." so grettir went to mind the geese. there were fifty of them, and a number of goslings. before long he began to find them troublesome, and the goslings would not come on quickly enough. this put him out, for he could never control his temper. soon afterwards some wanderers found the goslings lying outside dead, and the geese with their wings broken. this was in the autumn. asmund was very much annoyed and asked grettir whether he had killed the birds. grettir grinned and answered: "always when winter is coming on i like to wring the goslings' necks. if among them there are geese i treat the creatures all alike." "you shan't twist any more of their necks," said asmund. "the friend aye warns his friend of ill," answered grettir. "i will give you other work to do." "he knoweth most who most hath tried. but what am i to do now?" grettir asked. "you shall rub my back when i am sitting by the fire, as i am in the habit of having it done." "warm work for the hands." he answered. "it is only fit for an idiot." this for a time was grettir's occupation. as the autumn advanced asmund wanted more warmth, and was constantly telling grettir to rub his back hard. it was the custom in those days for people to have large rooms with long fires in them in their houses, where men sat by the fire in the evenings on benches, sleeping afterwards at the side away from the fires. by day the women carded their wool there. one evening when grettir had to scratch asmund's back his father said to him: "now you will have to put aside your laziness, you good-for-nothing you." grettir answered: "`tis ill to rouse a hasty temper." "you are fit for nothing at all," said asmund. grettir saw some wood-combs lying on one of the benches; he took up one of them and drew it along asmund's back. asmund sprang up and was going to thrash him with his stick, but he escaped. his mother came up and asked what they were fighting about. grettir answered in a verse: "oh lady, the giver of treasure, i see, has dire intent to burn my hands. with nails uncut i was stroking his back. clearly i see the bird of wounds." his mother was much vexed with grettir for what he had done and said he would not grow up very prudent. the affair did not improve the relations between asmund and his son. soon after this asmund spoke to grettir and told him to look after his horses. grettir said that would be better than back-fire-warming. "you are to do what i tell you," said asmund. "i have a dun mare with a dark stripe down her back whom i call keingala. she is very knowing about the weather and about rain coming. when she refuses to graze it never fails that a storm will follow. you are then to keep the horses under shelter in the stables, and when cold weather sets in keep them to the north of the ridge. i hope you will perform this duty better than the two which i gave you before." grettir said: "that is cold work, and fit for a man to do; but it seems to me rash to trust to the mare, when to my knowledge no one has done so before." so grettir took to minding the horses, and went on until yule-tide was past, when very cold weather set in, with snow, so that grazing was difficult. he was very badly provided with clothes and little hardened to the weather. he began to feel it very cold, and keingala always chose the windiest places whatever the weather was. she never came to the meadow early enough to get home before nightfall. grettir then thought he would play a trick upon keingala to pay her out for her wanderings. one morning early he came to the stables, opened the door and found keingala standing in front of the manger. she had taken the whole of the fodder which had been given to all the horses for herself. grettir jumped upon her back, with a sharp knife in his hand which he drew across her shoulder and along her back on both sides. the horse was fat and fresh; she shied back very frightened and kicked out till her hoofs rattled against the walls. grettir fell off, but picked himself up and tried to mount her again. there was a sharp struggle, which ended in his shaving all the skin on her back down to her flank. then he drove the horses out to the meadow. keingala would not take a bite except off her back, and soon after noon she bolted off to the stables. grettir locked the door and went home. asmund asked him where the horses were; he said he had looked after them as usual. asmund said there must be a storm close at hand if the horses would not stay out in such weather as there was then. grettir said: "many seem wise who are lacking in wit." the night passed and there was no storm. grettir drove out the horses, but keingala could not endure the pasture. asmund thought it very strange that no change came in the weather. on the third morning he went himself to the horses and on seeing keingala he said: "ill indeed have the horses fared in this beautiful weather! thy back will not deceive me, my bleikala." "the likely may happen--also the unlikely," said grettir. asmund stroked the back of the horse and all her coat came off on his hand. he could not understand how she had got into that state and thought grettir must have done it. grettir grinned and said nothing. asmund went home and became very abusive. he heard his wife say: "my son's watching of the horses must have prospered well." then he spoke a verse: "he has cheated me sorely, and keingala shorn. 'tis the pride of a woman that urges her tongue. artful he holds my commands in derision. consider my verses, oh wife of my heart." "i do not know," she said, "which seems to me the more perverse, for you to make him work, or for him always to get out of it in the same way." "now there shall be an end to it," said asmund. "he must have something worse than merely making good the damage." "let neither speak of it to the other," said grettir, and so it remained. asmund had keingala killed. many more childish pranks did grettir play which are not told in the saga. he now began to grow very big, but men did not clearly know what strength he had because he had never been tried in wrestling. he kept making verses and ditties which were always a little ironical. he did not sleep in the common room and was generally very silent. chapter xv. games at midfjordvatn there were then a good many youths growing up in midfjord. a certain skaldtorfa, whose home was in torfustadir, had a son named bersi, an accomplished young man and a clever poet. two brothers named kormak and thorgils lived at mel and had with them a youth named odd, who was dependent upon them, and was nicknamed odd the needy-skald. another was named audun; he grew up in audunarstad in vididal, a pleasant good-natured youth and the strongest of his age in the north. kalf the son of asgeir and his brother thorvald lived at asgeirsa. grettir's brother atli was then growing to a man; he was most gracious in manners and universally liked. these youths used to play at ball together at midfjord water. those from midfjord and from vididal used to meet there, and there came many from vestrhop and vatnsnes with some from hrutafjord. those who came from afar used to lodge there. those who were about equal in the ball-game were matched together, and generally they had much fun in the autumn. grettir went to the sports when he was fourteen years old at the request of his brother atli. the parties were made up. grettir was matched against audun, the youth already mentioned, who was a few years the elder. audun struck the ball over grettir's head so that he could not reach it, and it bounded far away over the ice. grettir lost his temper, thinking he had done it out of mischief, but he fetched the ball, brought it back and going up to audun drove it straight into his forehead, so that the skin was broken. audun then struck at grettir with the bat that he was holding, but grettir ducked and the blow missed him. then they seized each other with their arms and wrestled. it was evident to the people around that grettir was stronger than they had supposed, for audun was very strong indeed of body. they struggled long together until at last grettir was thrown. audun then set his knees on his stomach and dealt unmercifully with him. atli and bersi and a number of the others ran up and separated them. grettir said they need not hold him like a mad dog, and added: "the thrall alone takes instant vengeance, the coward never." the rest had no mind to let the affair create discord among them, and the brothers kalf and thorvald tried to reconcile them. audun and grettir were distantly related to each other. the games went on and there was no further disturbance. chapter xvi. grettir kills skeggi and is outlawed for three years thorkell krafla now began to grow very old. he was a great chieftain and held the vatnsdal godord. he was a close friend of asmund longhair, as befitted the near relations in which they stood to each other. he had, therefore, been in the habit of riding every year in the spring to bjarg to visit his kinsmen there, and he did so in the spring which followed the events just related. asmund and asdis received him with both hands. he stayed there three nights and many a matter did the kinsmen discuss together. thorkell asked asmund what his heart told him about his sons, and what professions they were likely to follow. asmund said that atli would probably be a great landowner, very careful and wealthy. "a useful man, like yourself," said thorkell. "but what can you tell me of grettir?" "i can only say," he replied, "that he will be a strong man; but headstrong and quarrelsome. a heavy trial has he been to me." "that does not look very promising, kinsman!" said thorkell. "but how are we to arrange our journey to the thing in the summer?" "i am getting difficult to move," he said. "i would rather stay at home." "would you like atli to go for you?" "i don't think i can spare him," asmund said, "because of the work and the provisioning. grettir will not do anything. but he has quite wit enough to carry out the duties at the thing on my behalf under your guidance." "it shall be as you please," said thorkell. then thorkell made himself ready and rode home; asmund dismissed him with presents. a little later thorkell journeyed to the thing with sixty men. all the men of his godord went with him. they passed through bjarg, where grettir joined them. they rode south through the heath called tvidaegra. there was very little grazing to be had in the hills, so they rode quickly past them into the cultivated land. when they reached fljotstunga they thought it was time to sleep, so they took the bits from their horses and turned them loose with their saddles. they lay there well on into the day, and when they woke began to look for their horses. every horse had gone off in a different direction and some had been rolling. grettir could not find his horse at all. the custom was at that time that men should find their own provisions at the thing, and most of them carried their sacks over their saddles. when grettir found his horse its saddle was under its belly, and the sack of provisions gone. he searched about but could not find it. then he saw a man running very fast and asked him who he was. he said his name was skeggi and that he was a man from ass in vatnsdal in the north. "i am travelling with thorkell," he said. "i have been careless and lost my provision-bag." "alone in misfortune is worst. i also have lost my stock of provisions; so we can look for them together." skeggi was well pleased with this proposal, and so they went about seeking for a time. suddenly, when grettir least expected it, skeggi started running with all his might along the moor and picked up the sack. grettir saw him bend and asked what it was that he had picked up. "my sack," he said. "who says so besides yourself?" grettir asked. "let me see it! many a thing is like another." skeggi said no one should take from him what was his own. grettir seized hold of the sack and they both pulled at it for a time, each trying to get his own way. "you midfjord men have strange notions," said skeggi, "if you think that because a man is not so wealthy as you are, he is not to dare to hold to his own before you." grettir said it had nothing to do with a man's degree, and that each should have that which was his own. skeggi replied: "audun is now too far away to strangle you as he did at the ball-play." "that is well," said grettir; "but however that may have been you shall not strangle me." skeggi then seized his axe and struck at grettir, who on seeing it seized the handle of the axe with his left hand and pulled it forward with such force that skeggi at once let go. the next moment it stood in his brain and he fell dead to the earth. grettir took the sack, threw it across his saddle and rode back to his companions. thorkell rode on, knowing nothing of what had happened. soon skeggi was missed in the company, and when grettir came up they asked him what news he had of skeggi. he answered in a verse: "hammer-troll ogress has done him to death. thirsting for blood the war-fiend came. with hard-edged blade she gaped, o'er his head, nor spared she his teeth. i saw it myself." then thorkell's men sprang up and said it was impossible that a troll should have taken the man in full daylight. thorkell was silent for a moment. then he said: "there must be something more in it. grettir must have killed him. what was it that really happened, grettir?" grettir then told him all about their fight. thorkell said: "it is a most unfortunate occurrence, because skeggi was entrusted to my service, and was a man of good family. i will take the matter upon myself and pay whatever compensation is adjudged. but a question of banishment does not lie with me. now, grettir, there are two things for you to choose between. either you can go on to the thing with us and take the chance of what may happen there, or you can turn back and go home." grettir decided to go on to the thing, and to the thing he went. the matter was taken up by the heirs of the man slain. thorkell gave his hand to pay the compensation and grettir was to be banished for three years. on their way back from the thing all the chiefs halted at sledaass before they parted company. it was then that grettir lifted a stone lying in the grass, which is still known as grettishaf. many went afterwards to see this stone and were astounded that so young a man should have lifted such a mountain. grettir rode home to bjarg and told his father about his adventures. asmund was much put out and said he would be a trouble to everybody. chapter xvii. grettir sails for norway and is wrecked on haramarsey there dwelt at reydarfell on the banks of the hvita a man named haflidi, a mariner, owning a ship of his own which was lying in dock in the hvita river. he had as his mate a man named bard who had a young and pretty wife. asmund sent a man to haflidi asking him to take grettir and look after him. haflidi answered that he had heard that grettir was very difficult to get on with, but out of friendship for asmund he took him. grettir, therefore, prepared to go to sea. his father would not give him any outfit for his voyage beyond his bare provisions and a little wadmal. grettir asked him to give him some sort of weapon. asmund answered: "you have never been obedient to me. nor do i know what you would do with a weapon that would be of any profit. i shall not give you any." grettir said: "work not done needs no reward." father and son parted with little love between them. many wished him a good voyage, but few a safe return. his mother went with him along the road. before they parted she said: "you have not been sent off in the way that i should have wished, my son, or in a way befitting your birth. the most cruel thing of all, i think, is that you have not a weapon which you can use. my heart tells me that you will want one." then she took from under her mantle a sword all ready for use, a valuable possession. she said: "this was the sword of jokull, my father's father and of the ancient vatnsdal men, in whose hands it was blessed with victory. i give it to you; use it well." grettir thanked her warmly and said it would be more precious to him than any other possession though of greater value. then he went on his way and asdis wished him all possible happiness. he rode south over the heath and did not stop till he reached his ship. haflidi received him well and asked him about his outfit for the voyage. grettir spoke a verse: "oh trimmer of sails i my father is wealthy, but poorly enough he sent me from home. my mother it was who gave me this sword. true is the saying: the mother is best." haflidi said it was evident that she had most thought for him. directly they were ready and had a wind they got under way. when they were out of shallow water they hoisted their sail. grettir made himself a corner under the ship's boat, whence he refused to stir either to bale or to trim the sails or to do any work in the ship, as it was his duty to do equally with the other men; nor would he buy himself off. they sailed to the south, rounded reykjanes and left the land behind them, when they met with stormy weather. the ship was rather leaky and became very uneasy in the gale; the crew were very much exhausted. grettir only let fly satirical verses at them, which angered them sorely. one day when it was very stormy and very cold the men called out to grettir to get up and work; they said their claws were quite frozen. he answered: "twere well if every finger were froze on the hands of such a lubberly crew." they got no work out of him and liked him even worse than before, and said they would pay him out on his person for his squibs and his mutinous behaviour. "you like better," they said, "to pat the belly of bard the mate's wife than to bear a hand in the ship. but we don't mean to stand it." the weather grew steadily worse; they had to bale night and day, and they threatened grettir. haflidi when he heard them went up to grettir and said: "i don't think your relations with the crew are very good. you are mutinous and make lampoons about them, and they threaten to pitch you overboard. this is most improper." "why cannot they mind their own business?" grettir rejoined. "but i should like one or two to remain behind with me before i go overboard." "that is impossible," said haflidi. "we shall never get on upon those terms. but i will make you a proposal about it." "what is that?" "the thing which annoys them is that you make lampoons about them. now i suggest that you make a lampoon about me. then, perhaps, they will become better disposed towards you." "about you i will never utter anything but good," said he. "i am not going to compare you with the sailors." "but you might compose a verse which should at first appear foul, but on closer view prove to be fair." "that," he answered, "i am quite equal to." haflidi then went to the sailors and said: "you have much toil; and it seems that you don't get on with grettir." "his lampoons," they answered, "annoy us more than anything else." then haflidi, speaking loud, said: "it will be the worse for him some day." grettir, when he heard himself being denounced, spoke a verse: "other the words that haflidi spake when he dined on curds at reydarfell. but now two meals a day he takes in the steed of the bays mid foreland shores." the sailors were very angry and said he should not lampoon haflidi for nothing. haflidi said: "grettir certainly deserves that you should take him down a little, but i am not going to risk my good name because of his ill-temper and caprice. this is not the time to pay him out, when we are all in such danger. when you get on shore you can remember it if you like." "shall we not endure what you can endure?" they said. "why should a lampoon hurt us more than it does you?" haflidi said so it should be, and after that they cared less about grettir's lampoons. the voyage was long and fatiguing. the ship sprung a leak, and the men began to be worn out. the mate's young wife was in the habit of stitching grettir's sleeves for him, and the men used to banter him about it. haflidi went up to grettir where he was lying and said: "arise from thy den! deep furrows we plough! remember the word thou didst speak to the fair. thy garment she sewed; but now she commands that thou join in the toil while the land is afar." grettir got up at once and said: "i will rise, though the ship be heavily rolling. the woman is vexed that i sleep in my den. she will surely be wrath if here i abide while others are toiling at work that is mine." then he hurried aft where they were baling and asked what they wanted him to do. they said he would do little good. he replied: "a man's help is something." haflidi told them not to refuse his help. "maybe," he said, "he is thinking of loosening his hands if he offers his services." in those days in sea-going ships there were no scuppers for baling; they only had what is called bucket or pot-baling, a very troublesome and fatiguing process. there were two buckets, one of which went down while the other came up. the men told grettir to take the buckets down, and said they would try what he could do. he said the less tried the better, and went below and filled his bucket. there were two men above to empty the buckets as he handed them. before long they both gave in from fatigue. then four others took their places, but the same thing happened. some say that before they were done eight men were engaged in emptying the buckets for him. at last the ship was baled dry. after this, the seamen altered their behaviour towards grettir, for they realised the strength which was in him. from that time on he was ever the forwardest to help wherever he was required. they now held an easterly course out to sea. it was very dark. one night when they least expected it, they struck a rock and the lower part of the ship began to fill. the boats were got out and the women put into them with all the loose property. there was an island a little way off, whither they carried as much of their property as they could get off in the night. when the day broke, they began to ask where they were. some of them who had been about the country before recognised the coast of sunnmore in norway. there was an island lying a little off the mainland called haramarsey, with a large settlement and a farm belonging to the landman on it. chapter xviii. adventure in the howe of kar the old the name of the landman who lived in the island was thorfinn. he was a son of kar the old, who had lived there for a long time. thorfinn was a man of great influence. when the day broke, the people on the island saw that there were some sailors there in distress and reported it to thorfinn, who at once set about to launch his large sixteen-oared boat. he put out as quickly as possible with some thirty men to save the cargo of the trader, which then sank and was lost, along with much property. thorfinn brought all the men off her to his house, where they stayed for a week drying their goods. then they went away to the south, and are heard of no more in this story. grettir stayed behind with thorfinn, keeping very quiet and speaking little. thorfinn gave him his board, but took little notice of him. grettir held rather aloof, and did not accompany him when he went abroad every day. this annoyed thorfinn, but he did not like to refuse grettir his hospitality; he was a man who kept open house, enjoyed life and liked to see other men happy. grettir liked going about and visiting the people in the other farms on the island. there was a man named audun, who dwelt at vindheim. grettir went to see him daily and became very intimate with him, sitting there all day long. one evening very late when grettir was preparing to return home, he saw a great fire shoot up on the headland below audun's place, and asked what new thing that might be. audun said there was no pressing need for him to know. "if they saw such a thing in our country," said grettir, "they would say the fire came from some treasure." "he who rules that fire," answered the man, "is one whom it will be better not to inquire about." "but i want to know," grettir said. "on that headland," said audun, "there is a howe, wherein lies kar the old, the father of thorfinn. once upon a time father and son had a farm-property on the island; but ever since kar died his ghost has been walking and has scared away all the other farmers, so that now the whole island belongs to thorfinn, and no man who is under thorfinn's protection suffers any injury." "you have done right to tell me," said grettir. "expect me here to-morrow morning, and have tools ready for digging." "i won't allow you to have anything to do with it," said audun, "because i know that it will bring thorfinn's wrath down upon you." grettir said he would risk that. the night passed; grettir appeared early the next morning, and the bondi, who had got all the tools for digging ready, went with grettir to the howe. grettir broke open the grave, and worked with all his might, never stopping until he came to wood, by which time the day was already spent. he tore away the woodwork; audun implored him not to go down, but grettir bade him attend to the rope, saying that he meant to find out what it was that dwelt there. then he descended into the howe. it was very dark and the odour was not pleasant. he began to explore how it was arranged, and found the bones of a horse. then he knocked against a sort of throne in which he was aware of a man seated. there was much treasure of gold and silver collected together, and a casket under his feet, full of silver. grettir took all the treasure and went back towards the rope, but on his way he felt himself seized by a strong hand. he left the treasure to close with his aggressor and the two engaged in a merciless struggle. everything about them was smashed. the howedweller made a ferocious onslaught. grettir for some time gave way, but found that no holding back was possible. they did not spare each other. soon they came to the place where the horse's bones were lying, and here they struggled for long, each in turn being brought to his knees. at last it ended in the howedweller falling backwards with a horrible crash, whereupon audun above bolted from the rope, thinking that grettir was killed. grettir then drew his sword jokulsnaut, cut off the head of the howedweller and laid it between his thighs. then he went with the treasure to the rope, but finding audun gone he had to swarm up the rope with his hands. first he tied the treasure to the lower end of the rope, so that he could haul it up after him. he was very stiff from his struggle with kar, but he turned his steps towards thorfinn's house, carrying the treasure along with him. he found them all at supper. thorfinn cast a severe glance at him and asked what he had found so pressing to do that he could not keep proper hours like other men. "many a trifle happens at eve," he replied. then he brought out all the treasure which he had taken from the howe and laid it on the table. one thing there was upon which more than anything else grettir cast his eyes, a short sword, which he declared to be finer than any weapon which he had ever seen. it was the last thing that he showed. thorfinn opened his eyes when he saw the sword, for it was an heirloom of his family and had never been out of it. "whence came this treasure?" he asked. grettir then spake a verse: "scatterer of gold! 'twas the lust of wealth that urged my hand to ravish the grave. this know; but none hereafter, i ween, will be fain to ransack fafnir's lair." thorfinn said: "you don't seem to take it very seriously; no one ever before had any wish to break open the howe. but since i know that all treasure which is hidden in the earth or buried in a howe is in a wrong place i hold you guilty of no misdeed, especially since you have brought it to me." grettir answered: "the monster is slain! in the dismal tomb i have captured a sword, dire wounder of men. would it were mine i a treasure so rare i never would suffer my hand to resign." "you have spoken well," thorfinn answered. "but before i can give you the sword you must display your prowess in some way. i never got it from my father whilst he lived." grettir said: "no one knows to whom the greatest profit will fall ere all is done." thorfinn took the treasure and kept the sword in his own custody near his bed. the winter came on bringing yule-tide, and nothing more happened that need be told of. chapter xix. berserks at haramarsey the following summer jarl eirik the son of hakon was preparing to leave his country and sail to the west to join his brother-in-law king knut the great in england, leaving the government of norway in the hands of hakon his son, who, being an infant, was placed under the government and regency of eirik's brother, jarl sveinn. before leaving eirik summoned all his landmen and the larger bondis to meet him. eirik the jarl was an able ruler, and they had much discussion regarding the laws and their administration. it was considered a scandal in the land that pirates and berserks should be able to come into the country and challenge respectable people to the holmgang for their money or their women, no weregild being paid whichever fell. many had lost their money and been put to shame in this way; some indeed had lost their lives. for this reason jarl eirik abolished all holmgang in norway and declared all robbers and berserks who disturbed the peace outlaws. thorfinn the son of kar of haramarsey, being a man of wise counsel and a close friend of the jarl, was present at the meeting. the worst of these ruffians were two brothers named thorir paunch and ogmund the bad. they came from halogaland and were bigger and stronger than other men. when angry they used to fall into the berserk's fury, and nothing escaped that was before them. they used to carry off men's wives, keep them for a week or two and then send them back. wherever they came they committed robberies and other acts of violence. jarl eirik had declared them outlaws throughout norway. the man who had been most active in getting them outlawed was thorfinn, and they were determined to pay him out in full for his hostility. the jarl's expedition is told of in his saga, and the government of norway was left in the hands of jarl sveinn, with the regency. thorfinn returned home and remained there until about yule-tide, as has already been told. towards yule-tide he made ready to go on a journey to his farm called slysfjord on the mainland, whither he had invited a number of his friends. he could not take his wife with him, because their grown-up daughter was lying sick, so they both had to stay at home. grettir and eight of the serving men remained with them. thorfinn went with thirty freemen to the yule festival, at which there was much gladness and merriment. yule-eve set in with bright and clear weather. grettir, who was generally abroad in the daytime, was watching the vessels which came along the coast, some from the north, some from the south, meeting at the places agreed upon for their drinking-bouts. the bondi's daughter was then better and could go out with her mother. so the day passed. at last grettir noticed a ship rowing up to the island, not large, covered with shields amidships and painted above the water-line. they were rowing briskly and making for thorfinn's boat-houses. they ran the boat on to the beach and all sprang ashore. grettir counted the men; there were twelve in all, and their aspect did not look peaceful. after hauling up their boat out of the water they all made for the boat-house where thorfinn's great boat, mentioned already, was stowed. she always required thirty men to put her to sea, but the twelve shoved her along the beach at once. then they brought their own boat into the boat-house. it was very evident to grettir that they did not mean to wait for an invitation, so he went up to them, and greeting them in a friendly way asked who they were and who was their captain. the man whom he addressed answered him at once, saying his name was thorir, called paunch; the others were his brother ogmund with their companions. "i think," he added, "that your master thorfinn has heard our names mentioned. but is he at home?" "you must be men who have luck," said grettir, "you have come most opportunely, if you are the people i take you for. the bondi has gone from home with all his freedmen and will not be back until after yule. the goodwife is at home with her daughter, and if i had any grudge to repay, i would come just as you do, for there is everything here which you want, ale to drink and other delights." thorir was silent while grettir went on talking. then he turned to ogmund and said: "has anything not happened as i said it would? i should not be sorry to punish thorfinn for having got us outlawed. this man seems ready to tell us everything; we don't have to drag the words out of his mouth." "every one is master of his own words," said grettir. "if you will come home with me i will give you what entertainment i can." they thanked him and said they would accept his invitation. when they reached the house grettir took thorir by the hand and led him into the hall. he was very talkative. the mistress was in the hall decorating it and putting all in order. on hearing what grettir said, she came to the door and asked who it was that grettir was welcoming so warmly. grettir answered: "it will be advisable, mistress, to be civil to these men who have come. they are the bondi thorir paunch and his followers, and have come, all twelve of them, to spend yule-tide here. it is fortunate for us, for we have had little company till now." she said: "i don't call them bondis, nor are they decent men, but arrant robbers and malefactors. i would gladly pay a large portion of my property for them not to have come just at this time. it is an ill return that you make to thorfinn for having saved you from shipwreck and kept you this winter like a free man, destitute as you were." "you would do better," said grettir, "if you first took off the wet clothes from your guests instead of casting reproaches upon me. you will have plenty of time for that." then thorir said: "don't be angry, mistress! you shall lose nothing by your husband being away, for you shall have a man in his place and so shall your daughter and all the other women." "that is spoken like a man," said grettir. "the women shall be quite contented with what they get." then all the women fled and began to weep, being overcome by terror. grettir said to the berserks: "give me all the things which you want to lay aside, your weapons and your wet clothes, for the men will not obey us while they are frightened." thorir said he cared little for the women's whining. "but," he said, "we mean to treat you in a different way from the other men of the house. it seems to me that we may make a comrade of you." "see to that yourselves," said grettir. "but i do not look upon all men alike." then they laid aside most of their weapons. grettir said: "i think now you had better sit down at the table and have some drink. you must be thirsty after your rowing." they said they were quite ready for a drink, but did not know where the cellar was. grettir asked whether they would let him arrange for their entertainment, which they willingly agreed to. so grettir went and fetched some ale which he gave them to drink. they were very tired and drank enormously. he kept them well plied with the strongest ale there was, and they sat there for a long time whilst he told them funny stories. there was a tremendous din amongst them all, and the servants had no wish to approach them. thorir said: "i never yet met with a stranger who treated me like this man. what reward shall we give you for all that you have done, grettir?" grettir replied: "i don't expect any reward for my services at present. but if when you depart we are still as good friends as we seem to be now, i should very much like to join your company, and though i may not be able to do as much work as any of you, i will not be a hindrance in any doughty undertaking." they were delighted, and wanted to swear fellowship with him at once. grettir said that could not be, "for," he added, "there is truth in the saying that ale is another man, and such a thing should not be done hastily, so let it remain at what i said; we are both little in the habit of restraining ourselves." they declared that they did not mean to go back. the night was now coming on and it was getting very dark. grettir noticed that they were rather fuddled, and asked whether they did not think it was time to go to bed. thorir said: "so it is; but i have to fulfil my promise to the mistress." grettir then went out and called out loud: "go to bed, women! such is the will of thorir the bondi." the women execrated him and could be heard howling like wolves. the berserks then left the room. grettir said: "let us go outside; i will show you the room in which thorfinn keeps his clothes." they were agreeable and all went out to an enormous outhouse, which was very strongly built, and had a strong lock on the outer door. adjoining it was a large and well-built privy, with only a wooden partition between it and the room of the outhouse, which was raised above the ground and had to be reached by steps. the berserks then began skylarking and pushing grettir about. he fell down the in steps, as if in sport, and in a moment was out of the house, had pulled the bolt, slammed the door to, and locked it. thorir and his mates thought at first that the door had swung to of itself, and paid little attention; they had a light with them by which grettir had been showing them all thorfinn's treasures, and they continued looking at them for some time. grettir went off to the homestead, and on reaching the door cried out very loud, asking where the mistress was. she was silent, being afraid to answer. he said: "here is rather good sport to be had. are there any arms which are good for anything?" "there are arms," she said; "but i don't know for what purpose you want them." "we will talk about that afterwards; but now let each do what he can; it is the last chance." "now indeed were god in the dwelling," she said, "if anything should happen to save us. over thorfinn's bed there hangs the great halberd which belonged to kar the old; there, too, is a helmet and a corselet and a good short sword. the weapons will not fail if your heart holds firm." grettir took the helmet and spear, girt the sword about him and went quickly out. the mistress called to her men and bade them follow their brave champion. four of them rushed to their arms, but the other four durst not go near them. meantime the berserks thought that grettir was a long time away and began to suspect some treachery. they rushed to the door and found it locked. they strained at the woodwork till every timber groaned. at last they tore down the wooden partition and so gained the passage where the privy was, and thence the steps. then the berserks' fury fell upon them and they howled like dogs. at that moment grettir returned, and taking his halberd in both hands he thrust it right through thorir's body just as he was about to descend the steps. the blade was very long and broad. ogmund the bad was just behind pushing him on, so that the spear passed right up to the hook, came out at his back between the shoulderblades and entered the breast of ogmund. they both fell dead, pierced by the spear. then all the others dashed down as they reached the steps. grettir tackled them each in turn, now thrusting with the spear, now hewing with the sword, while they defended themselves with logs lying on the ground or with anything else which they could get. it was a terrible trial of a man's prowess to deal with men of their strength, even unarmed. grettir slew two of the halogaland men there in the enclosure. four of the serving-men then came up. they had not been able to agree upon which arms each should take, but they came out to the attack directly the berserks were running away; when these turned against them they fell back on the house. six of the ruffians fell, all slain by grettir's own hand; the other six then fled towards the landing place and took refuge in the boat-house, where they defended themselves with oars. grettir received a severe blow from one of them and narrowly escaped a serious hurt. the serving-men all went home and told great stories of their own exploits. the lady wanted to know what had become of grettir, but they could not tell her. grettir slew two men in the boat-house, but the other four got away, two in one direction, two in another. he pursued those who were nearest to him. the night was very dark. they ran to vindheim, the place spoken of before, and took refuge in a barn, where they fought for a long time until at last grettir killed them. by this time he was terribly stiff and exhausted. the night was far spent; it was very cold and there were driving snow-storms. he felt little inclination to go after the two who yet remained, so he went back home. the goodwife kindled a light and put it in a window in the loft at the top of the house, where it served him as a guide, and he was able to find his way home by the light. when he came to the door the mistress came to meet him and bade him welcome. "you have earned great glory," she said, "and have saved me and my household from a disgrace never to be redeemed if you had not delivered us." "i think i am much the same person as i was last evening when you spoke so roughly to me," said grettir. "we knew not then the might that was in you," she said, "as we know it now. everything in the house shall be yours, so far as it is fitting for me to bestow and right for you to receive. i doubt not that thorfinn will reward you in a better way when he comes home." "there is little that i want as a reward at present," said grettir. "but i accept your offer until your husband returns. i think now that you will be able to sleep in peace undisturbed by the berserks." grettir drank little before he retired and lay all night in his armour. in the morning, directly the day broke, all the men of the island were called together to go forth and search for the two berserks who had escaped. they were found at the end of the day lying under a rock, both dead from cold and from their wounds; they were carried away and buried in a place on the shore beneath the tide, with some loose stones over them, after which the islanders returned home, feeling that they could live in peace. when grettir came back to the house and met the mistress he spoke a verse: "near the surging sea the twelve lie buried. i stayed not my hand but slew them alone. great lady! what deed that is wrought by a man shall be sung of as worthy if this be deemed small." she answered: "certainly you are very unlike any other man now living." she set him in the high seat and gave him the best of everything. so it remained until thorfinn returned. chapter xx. thorfinn's return. grettir visits the north when yule-tide was past, thorfinn made ready for his homeward journey and dismissed his many guests with gifts. he sailed with all his men and landed near the place where the boat-houses were. they saw a ship lying on the sand which they at once recognised as his great boat. thorfinn had heard nothing of the vikings and told his men to put him on shore, "for i suspect," he said, "that they are not friends who have been at work here." thorfinn was the first to land, and went straight to the boat-house, where he saw a craft which he knew at once to be that of the berserks. he said to his men: "i suspect that things have taken place here such that i would give the whole island and everything that is in it for them not to have happened." they asked how that was. "vikings have been here, men whom i know as the worst in all norway, namely thorir paunch and ogmund the bad. they will not have dealt gently with us. i mistrust that icelander." then he spoke many things to his men. grettir was at home and detained the men from going down to the shore. he said he did not care if the bondi got a little fright from what he saw. the goodwife asked his leave to go down, and he said she was mistress of her own ways, but that he was not going. so she hurried away to greet thorfinn and embraced him joyfully. he was rejoiced to see her and said: "god be praised that i see you well and my daughter too. but what has happened to you since i left?" "it has ended well," she said. "but we were nigh to suffering a disgrace which could never have been wiped out, had not your winter-guest aided us." thorfinn said: "let us sit down and you shall tell me everything." then she told him fully all that had happened, praising highly grettir's courage and resourcefulness. thorfinn was silent while she was speaking, and when she had finished he said: "true indeed is the word, `long shall a man be tried'. but where is grettir?" "he is at home in the hall," she answered. then they went up to the house. thorfinn went to grettir and turned towards him and thanked him with the fairest words for his courageous conduct. "i will say a word to you," he said, "which few would say to their friend. i would it might happen that you should need the help of a man, for you to know whether i count for anything or not; i cannot repay what you have done for me as long as you are not in straits. you shall have in my house whatever you desire, and shall be in the highest honour in my household." grettir thanked him and said he would have accepted his offer even if he had made it earlier. grettir stayed there the rest of the winter in high favour with thorfinn. the fame of his deed spread through all norway, especially in those parts where the berserks had ravaged most mercilessly. in the spring thorfinn asked him what he would like to do. he said he would go north to vagar while the fair was on there. thorfinn said that any money which he required should be at his service; grettir said he did not want more just then than enough to pay for his living. thorfinn said that was his due, and brought him to a ship, where he gave him the excellent short sword. grettir kept it as long as he lived; it was a most precious possession. thorfinn bade him come to him if ever he wanted any help. grettir then travelled to vagar, which was crowded with people. many whom he had never set eyes on before greeted him warmly because of his exploit in killing the vikings, and several of the leading men invited him to stay with them, but he preferred to return to his friend thorfinn. so he took his passage in a trading ship belonging to one thorkell, a man of some consideration in salfti in halogaland. grettir went to visit thorkell in his home, where he received a hearty welcome and a very pressing invitation to stay there for the winter. grettir accepted the invitation and stayed the winter with thorkell, who treated him with great honour. chapter xxi. adventure with a bear there was a man named bjorn who was then on a visit to thorkell. he was of a somewhat violent character of good family and related in some way to thorkell. he was not generally liked, because he was too much given to talking against the men who were about thorkell and drove many away from him. he and grettir did not get on at all. bjorn thought him of small account compared to himself; grettir paid him little deference, and it became an open feud. bjorn was a boisterous swaggering man, and many of the younger men imitated him, loitering about outside in the evenings. it happened at the beginning of the winter that a savage brown bear broke out of its den and raged about destroying men and cattle. every one declared that it had been provoked by the noise which bjorn and his company made. the beast became most mischievous, attacking the flocks in the very face of the men themselves. thorkell, being the wealthiest man of that part, suffered most. one day he called up his men to come with him and search out the bear's den. they found it in a cliff by the sea where there was a cave under an overhanging rock, with a narrow path leading to the entrance. below was a sheer precipice down to the beach, threatening certain death to any one who stumbled. in this den the bear lay in the daytime, going abroad at night. fences were of no avail against him, nor could the dogs do anything, so that all were in the utmost distress. thorkell's kinsman bjorn declared that the main thing was gained now that they had found the den. "now we shall see," he said, "how the game will go with me and my namesake." grettir pretended not to hear what he said. in the evenings when the others retired to bed, bjorn used generally to go out. one night he went to the bear's den and found the creature inside, growling horribly. he lay down in the path, placing his shield over him, intending to wait until the beast came out as usual. bruin, however, got wind of him and was rather slow in coming out. bjorn got very sleepy where he was lying and could not keep awake; in the meantime out came the bear from his den and saw a man lying there. he clawed at him, dragged off his shield and threw it down the cliff. bjorn woke up, not a little startled, took to his heels and ran off home, narrowly escaping the bear's clutches. his friends knew all about it, having watched his movements; on the next morning they found the shield and made great game of his adventure. at yule-time thorkell himself went out to the den with bjorn, grettir and others of his men, a party of eight in all. grettir had on a fur cape which he put off when they were attacking the bear. it was rather difficult to get at him, since they could only reach him with spear-thrusts, which he parried with his teeth. bjorn kept urging them on to tackle him, but himself did not go near enough to be in any danger. at last, when no one was looking out, he took grettir's fur cloak and threw it in to the bear. they did not succeed in getting the bear out, and when night came on turned to go home. grettir then missed his cloak and saw that the bear had got it into his grip. "who has been playing tricks on me?" he cried. "who threw my cloak into the cave?" bjorn answered: "he who did it will not be afraid to say so." "things of that sort do not trouble me much," said grettir. then they started on their way home. after they had gone a little way grettir's garter broke. thorkell told them to wait for him, but grettir said it was not necessary. then bjorn said: "there is no need to suppose that grettir will run away from his cloak. he wants to have the honour of killing the beast all alone, and he will say that we eight men went away. then he would appear to be what he is said to be. he has been backward enough all day." "i don't know how you stand in that matter," said thorkell. "you and he are not equal in valour; do not make any to-do about him." bjorn said that neither he nor grettir should choose the words out of his mouth. there was a hill between them and grettir, who had turned back along the footpath. now he had no others to reckon with in making the attack. he drew his sword jokulsnaut and tied a loop round the handle which he passed over his wrist, because he thought that he could carry out his plans better if his hand were free. he went along the path. when the bear saw a man coming, he charged savagely, and struck at him with the paw that was on the side away from the precipice. grettir aimed a blow at him with his sword and cut off his paw just above the claws. then the creature tried to strike him with his sound paw, but to do so he had to drop on the stump, which was shorter than he expected, and over he fell into grettir's embraces. grettir seized the beast by the ears and held him off so that he could not bite. he always said that he considered this holding back the bear the greatest feat of strength that he ever performed. the beast struggled violently; the space was very narrow, and they both fell over the precipice. the bear being the heavier came down first on the beach; grettir fell on the top of him, and the bear was badly mauled on the side that was down. grettir got his sword, ran it into the heart of the bear and killed him. then he went home, after fetching his cloak which was torn to pieces. he also took with him the bit of the paw which he had cut off. thorkell was sitting and drinking when grettir entered. they all laughed at the ragged cloak which he was wearing. then he laid the piece of the paw upon the table. thorkell said: "where is my kinsman bjorn? i never saw iron bite like that in your hands. now i would like you to show grettir some honour to make up for the shame which you cast upon him." bjorn said that could wait, and that it mattered little to him whether grettir was pleased or not. grettir then spoke a verse: "oft returned the watcher at night trembling home, but sound in limb. none ever saw me sit in the dusk at the cave; yet now i am home returned." "it is true," said bjorn, "that you have fought well; and also true that our opinions differ. i suppose you think that your taunts hurt me." thorkell said: "i should be glad, grettir, if you would not revenge yourself upon bjorn. i will pay the full weregild of a man for you to be reconciled." bjorn said he might invest his money better than in paying for that; and that it would be better for him and grettir to go on bickering since "each oak has that which it scrapes from the other." thorkell said: "but i ask you, grettir, to do so much for my sake as not to attack bjorn while you are both with me." "that i promise," said grettir. bjorn said that he would walk without fear of grettir wherever they met. grettir grinned, and would accept no money on account of bjorn. they stayed there the winter. chapter xxii. grettir kills bjorn and is summoned before jarl sveinn in the spring grettir went north to vagar with thorkell's men. they parted with friendship. bjorn went west to england in thorkell's ship, of which he was master, staying there for the summer and transacting the business which thorkell had entrusted to him. in the end of the autumn he returned from the western parts. grettir stayed in vagar till the trading ships left, and then sailed south with some of the traders, as far as the port of gartar at the mouth of the thrandheim's fjord, where he set up the awnings to make a stay. when they were settled down a ship came up along the coast from the south, which they at once recognised as one of the ships from england. she made fast further out off the coast and her crew landed. grettir went out with his companions to visit them. on their meeting grettir found bjorn amongst the company and said: "it is well that we meet here, for now we can continue our former quarrel. i should like to try which of us is the better man." bjorn said that was all past now, as far as he was concerned. "but," he said, "if there has been anything between us i will pay you such compensation that you shall be satisfied." grettir spoke a verse: "time was when the bear was slain by my hand; my cloak in tatters was torn. a rascally knave was the cause of it all but now he shall make me amends." bjorn said that weightier matters than this had been settled by payment. grettir said that few men had any reason to act maliciously towards him; he had accepted no money-atonement, nor would he do so now; that if he had his way they should not both go away unhurt, and that if bjorn refused to fight he would brand him as a coward. bjorn saw that excuses would not avail him, so he took his arms and went out. they rushed at each other and fought; soon bjorn was wounded and then he fell dead to the ground. on seeing that, his men went on board their ship, sailed away to the north along the coast to thorkell's place and told him what had happened. he said it had not come sooner than he expected. directly afterwards he sailed to the south to thrandheim where he found jarl sveinn. grettir, after slaying bjorn, went to more to his friend thorfinn and told him exactly what had happened. thorfinn received him in a most friendly way. "i am glad," he said, "that you will now have need of a friend. you must stay with me until this affair is finished." grettir thanked him for his invitation and said he would accept it. jarl sveinn was staying at steinker in thrandheim when he heard of the slaying of bjorn. with him was a brother of bjorn named hjarrandi, as one of his bodyguard. on hearing of bjorn's death he became very angry and begged the jarl for his support in the matter, which the jarl promised that he should have. he sent messengers to thorfinn to summon both him and grettir to appear before him. immediately on receiving the jarl's commands they both made ready and came to thrandheim. the jarl held a council on the matter and ordered hjarrandi to be present. hjarrandi said he was not going to weigh his brother against his purse, and that he must either follow him or avenge him. when the case was looked into, it became evident that bjorn had given grettir many provocations. thorfinn offered to pay a fine such as the jarl thought suitable to the position of his kinsman, and dwelt at length upon grettir's achievement in killing the berserks, and how he had delivered the men in the north from them. the jarl answered: "truth do you speak, thorfinn! that was indeed a cleansing! it would befit us well to accept the compensation for your sake. grettir, too, is a fine fellow, and noted for his strength and valour." hjarrandi, however, would accept no compensation, and the meeting came to an end. thorfinn appointed one of his kinsmen, arnbjorn, to accompany grettir every day, for he knew that hjarrandi was plotting against his life. chapter xxiii. grettir kills hjarrandi one day grettir and arnbjorn were walking along the road for their diversion when they passed a gate, whence a man rushed out holding an axe aloft with both hands and struck at grettir, who was not on his guard and was moving slowly. arnbjorn, however, saw the man coming, seized grettir and pushed him aside with such force that he fell on his knee. the axe struck him in the shoulder-blade and cut down to below the arm, inflicting a severe wound. grettir turned quickly and drew his sword; he saw that it was hjarrandi who had attacked him. the axe had stuck fast in the road, and hjarrandi was slow in recovering it. grettir struck at him and cut off his arm at the shoulder. then there came running up five of hjarrandi's followers and a battle began with them. they were soon routed; grettir and arnbjorn killed the five who were with hjarrandi; one man escaped and bore the tale to the jarl forthwith. the jarl was very angry indeed, and summoned the assembly for the next day. thorfinn and his party appeared thereat. the jarl brought a charge of manslaughter against grettir, who admitted it and said that he had been obliged to defend himself. "i bear the marks of it," he said. "i should have been killed if arnbjorn had not defended me." the jarl said it was a pity he had not been killed, for this affair would lead to many a man being slain if he lived. there had come to the jarl's court bersi the son of skaldtorfa, grettir's comrade and friend. he and thorfinn stepped before the jarl and begged for pardon for grettir. they asked that the jarl should decide the matter himself as he thought best, only that grettir should have his life and the freedom of the country. the jarl was averse to any terms being granted to him, but gave way to their entreaties. he granted immunity to grettir until the spring, but not absolutely until gunnar the brother of bjorn and hjarrandi should be present. gunnar was a landed proprietor in tunsberg. in the spring the jarl ordered grettir and thorfinn to appear at tunsberg, where he himself intended to be while the shipping was assembled. so thither they went, and found the jarl was already in the town. there grettir met his brother thorsteinn dromund, who greeted him joyfully and invited him to be his guest. he was a landowner in the town. grettir told him all about his case, and thorsteinn took his view of it, but told him to beware of gunnar. so the spring passed. chapter xxiv. grettir kills gunnar. his friends rally round him and save him from the vengeance of the jarl gunnar was in the town and was plotting against grettir's life. wherever he went gunnar dogged his steps wherever he found a chance of getting near him. one day grettir was sitting in a booth and drinking, because he wanted to keep out of gunnar's way. suddenly there was a bang at the door, so hard that it broke in pieces, and in rushed four men armed and attacked grettir. they were gunnar with his followers. grettir seized his arms which were hanging above his head and ran into a corner, where he defended himself, holding his shield before him, and hewing with his sword. they made little way against him. one blow he succeeded in delivering upon one of gunnar's followers, who needed nothing more. then grettir advanced, driving them before him out of the booth, and killing another of them. gunnar would fain have got away with his men, but on reaching the door he caught his foot on the doorstep, fell over and was not able to recover himself at once. he held his shield before him and retreated as grettir pressed him hard. then grettir sprang on to the crossbenches near the door. gunnar's hands and the shield were still inside the door, and grettir struck down between him and the shield, cutting off both his hands at the wrist. he fell backwards out of the door, and grettir gave him his death-blow. then the man who was behind him got on his feet and ran off at once to tell the jarl what had happened. sveinn was furious, and called the assembly to meet there and then in the town. when thorfinn and thorsteinn dromund heard the news, they called all their followers and friends together and went to the meeting in force. the jarl was very wroth, and it was no easy matter to get speech with him. thorfinn was the first to come before the jarl, and he said: "i have come to offer an honourable atonement for the man who has been slain by grettir. the judgment shall remain with you alone if you but spare his life." the jarl replied in great wrath: "it is too late to beg for grettir's life, and you have no case that i can see. he has killed three brothers, one at the feet of the other; men of noble minds who would not weigh each other against their purses. now, thorfinn, it will not avail you to beg for grettir; i will not do such a wrong in the land as to accept atonement for such a crime as this." then bersi the son of skaldtorfa came up and begged the jarl to accept blood-money. "grettir," he said, "is a man of high birth and is my good friend. i offer you what i possess. may you see, my lord, that it is better by sparing one man to earn the goodwill of many and to fix the penalty yourself than to refuse honourable terms and risk whether you can arrest the man or not." the jarl replied: "you do right, bersi; and herein as ever you show your worth. but i do not mean to break the laws of the land by granting life to a man who has forfeited it." then thorsteinn dromund came forward, and he, too, offered blood-money on behalf of grettir, adding many fair words thereto. the jarl asked what moved him to offer blood-money for the man. thorsteinn said grettir was his brother. the jarl said he had not known that. "it shows a manly spirit in you," he said, "that you want to help him. but as i am determined not to accept blood-money in this case, i must treat the requests of all of you alike. i must have grettir's life whatever it cost, directly i can get him." then the jarl rose quickly up and refused to hear any more about atonement. they all went home with thorsteinn and made their preparations, whereupon the jarl ordered all the men of his guard under arms and went forth with a large force. before they came up, grettir's friends had made ready to defend the house. thorfinn, thorsteinn, grettir himself, and bersi were in the forefront, each with a large force of followers behind him. the jarl summoned them to give up grettir, and not to bring trouble on themselves. they repeated their former offers, but the jarl would not listen to them. thorfinn and thorsteinn said that more was at stake for the jarl than the taking of grettir's life. "one fate shall fall upon us all," they cried, "and men shall say that you have given much for the life of one man when we are all laid low with the ground." the jarl said he would spare none of them, and they were on the very verge of a battle when many of the well-disposed men came up to him and begged him not to land himself in such a difficulty. he should bear in mind that these men would work great havoc among his own followers before they fell. the jarl thought this counsel was wise and let himself be somewhat appeased. then the terms of atonement were settled. thorfinn and thorsteinn were ready to pay so long as grettir's life was spared. the jarl said: "you must know that although i agree to this compromise, i do not consider it a full amnesty. only i have no mind to fight against my own men, although they appear to hold me of little account in the matter." thorfinn said: "yours is all the greater honour, my lord, that you will have the fixing of the penalty yourself." the jarl said that grettir should have leave from him to depart from the country in peace for iceland, directly there was a ship leaving, if so it seemed good to them. they agreed and paid the money to the jarl to his satisfaction. they parted with little friendship. grettir went with thorfinn after bidding an affectionate farewell to his brother thorsteinn. thorfinn earned great honour for the support which he had given grettir against such odds as he had to deal with. not one of the men who had helped grettir was ever received into favour again with the jarl, excepting bersi. grettir then spoke: "comrade of odin, thorfinn was born to rescue my life from the fangs of hel. no less was thorsteinn dromund's aid when i was doomed to the realm of the dead." and again: "the prince's retainers withdrew in fear when bersi threatened their hearts to pierce." grettir returned with thorfinn to the north and stayed with him until he found a ship with some traders who were bound for iceland. thorfinn gave him many valuable garments and a coloured saddle with a bridle. they parted with friendship, and thorfinn invited him to come and see him if ever he returned to norway. chapter xxv. events in iceland. thorgils maksson attacked by the foster-brothers and slain asmund longhair was in bjarg whilst grettir was away, and was much respected as a bondi in midfjord. thorkell krafla had died during grettir's absence. thorvald asgeirsson dwelt in ass in vatnsdal and was a great chief. he was the father of dalla who married isleif, afterwards bishop in skalaholt. asmund had great support from thorvald in legal suits and in other matters. there grew up in asmund's household a youth named thorgils maksson, a near kinsman of his. thorgils was a strong man of his body and made much money under asmund's guidance; he dwelt at laekjamot, on a property which asmund had bought for him. thorgils was a good manager and went to strandir every year, where he obtained whales and other things. he was a man of great courage, and went as far as the eastern almenningar. at that time the two foster-brothers thorgeir havarsson and thormod coalbrow-skald were very much to the front; they kept a boat, gathering what they wanted from the country around, and had not the reputation of dealing fairly. one summer thorgils maksson found a whale at the almenningar and went out at once with his men to cut it up. when the two foster-brothers heard of it they went there too, and at first it seemed as if matters would be settled peaceably. thorgils proposed that they should share equally that part of the whale which was yet uncut, but they wanted to have all the uncut part or else to share the entire whale. thorgils positively refused to give up any portion of what had already been cut. they began to use threats and at last took to their arms and fought. thorgeir and thorgils fought each of them desperately together without either prevailing. after a long and furious battle thorgils fell slain by thorgeir. in another place thormod was fighting with the followers of thorgils, and he overcame them, killing three. those who remained of thorgils' party went off after he fell to midfjord, taking his body with them and feeling that they had suffered a great loss. the foster-brothers took possession of the whole whale. the affair is referred to in the memorial poem which thormod composed upon thorgeir. news of the death of his kinsman was brought to asmund longhair, on whom as nearest of kin the blood-feud devolved. he went to the spot, called witnesses to testify to the wounds and brought the case before the all-thing, which appeared to be the proper course in this case where the act had been committed in another quarter. some time was passed over this. chapter xxvi. the feud with the foster-brothers is taken up by asmund and thorsteinn kuggason there was a man named thorsteinn; he was the son of thorkell kuggi, the son of thord yeller, the son of olaf feilan, the son of thorsteinn the red, the son of aud the deep-minded. thorsteinn kuggason's mother was thurid, daughter of asgeir hothead. asgeir was the brother of asmund longhair's father. thorsteinn kuggason was equally responsible in the blood-feud over thorgils' death with asmund longhair, who now sent for him. thorsteinn was a great warrior and very masterful. he came at once to his kinsman asmund and they had a talk together about the suit. thorsteinn was for extreme measures. he said that no blood-money should be accepted; that with their connections they were powerful enough to carry through a sentence of either banishment or death on the slayer. asmund said he would support any measures whatever that he chose to adopt. they rode then north to thorvald their kinsman and asked for his support, which he at once promised them. so the suit was begun against thorgeir and thormod. thorsteinn then rode home to his dwelling at ljarskogar in the hvamm district. skeggi in hvamm also joined thorsteinn. he was a son of thorarin fylsenni, a son of thord the yeller. his mother was fridgerd, a daughter of thord from hofdi. they had a large following at the all-thing and pressed their suit valiantly. asmund and thorvald rode from the north with sixty men, halting several days at ljarskogar. chapter xxvii. sentences on the foster-brothers there dwelt at reykjaholar a man named thorgils, the son of ari, the son of mar, the son of atli the red, the son of ulf squint-eye, the first settler at reykjanes. thorgils' mother was thorgerd the daughter of alf of dalir. alf had another daughter named thorelf, who was the mother of thorgeir the son of havar. thorgeir, therefore, had a very strong backing through his connections, for thorgils was the most powerful chief in the vestfirding quarter. he was very open-handed and gave hospitality to any free-man for as long as he would. there was consequently always a crowd at reykjaholar, and he lived in great grandeur. he was both kindly and wise. thorgeir stayed with him in the winter and went to strandir in the summer. after slaying thorgils the son of mak, thorgeir went to reykjaholar and told thorgils arason what had happened. thorgils told him his house was open to him. "but," he said, "they will press the matter vigorously, and i am most unwilling to involve myself in difficulties. i will send a man now to thorsteinn and offer him blood-money for the thorgils affair; if he will not accept it i will not adopt any violent measures." thorgeir declared that he would submit to his wisdom. in the autumn thorgils sent a messenger to thorsteinn kuggason to try and arrange a settlement. thorsteinn was very disinclined to accept any money in atonement for the slaying of thorgils, although for the others he was willing to follow the advice of men of counsel. thorgils on receiving the report of his messenger called thorgeir to a consultation with him and asked him what support he thought was proper. thorgeir said that if a sentence of banishment were passed upon him he would go. thorgils said that his resolve would be put to the trial. there came a ship into the nordra river in borgarfjord, and thorgils secretly took a passage in her for the two foster-brothers. the winter now passed, and thorgils heard that thorsteinn and his party had assembled in great force for the all-thing and were then in ljarskogar. so he put off his departure, intending that they should arrive from the north before he came up from the west. so it came to pass. thorgils and thorgeir then rode towards the south, thorgeir killing one boggul-torfi on the way at marskelda and two other men named skuf and bjarni at hundadal. thormod sings about this affair in his thorgeir's drapa: "the hem slew the son of mak; there was storm of swords and raven's food. skuf and bjarni he also felled; gladly he bathed his hands in blood." thorgils settled for the slaying of skuf and bjarni there and then in the dale, and was delayed by the affair longer than he intended. thorgeir embarked on the ship and thorgils went to the thing, where he did not arrive before they were proceeding to judgment in thorgils maksson's case. asmund longhair then called for the defence. thorgils appeared before the court and offered blood-money in atonement on condition of thorgeir not being sentenced to banishment. he endeavoured to meet the charge by pleading that finds in the almenningar were free to all. the question whether this was a valid defence or not was referred to the lawman, who at that time was skapti. he upheld asmund's view on account of their kinship together. he declared that this was indeed the law in the case of men equal in position, but that a bondi had precedence over a vagrant. asmund further urged that thorgils had offered to share the uncut portion of the whale with the foster-brothers when they arrived. the defendants were non-suited on that point. then thorsteinn and his party pressed their suit resolutely and said they would not be satisfied with any sentence short of banishment upon thorgeir. thorgils saw that no choice was left to him but either to call up his men and try to carry his case with violence, the issue of which would be uncertain, or else to submit to the sentence demanded by the opposite party, and since thorgeir was already on board his ship thorgils had no desire to press the case further. thorgeir was banished, but thormod was discharged upon payment of blood-money. asmund and thorsteinn gained great glory by this case. the men rode home from the thing. there were some who said that thorgils had not taken much trouble in the case, but he paid little attention and let them say what they pleased. when thorgeir heard that he was banished, he said that if he had his way, those who had brought it about should be repayed in full before it was over. there was a man named gaut, called the son of sleita, a kinsman of thorgils maksson. he was intending to travel in the same ship with thorgeir, with whom he was on very bad terms, and frowned on him. the traders thought it would never do to have them both together in the ship. thorgeir said he did not care what gaut did with his eyebrows. nevertheless they decided that gaut should leave the ship. he went into the northern districts and for that time nothing happened, but the affair brought about a feud between them which broke out later. chapter xxviii. grettir's visit to audun in vididal; offers his services to bardi in the course of that summer grettir asmundsson returned to skagafjord. he had such a reputation for strength that none of the younger men was supposed to be his equal. he soon came to his home in bjarg, and asmund gave him a fitting welcome. atli was then managing the property and the brothers agreed well together, but grettir became so over-weening that he thought nothing was beyond his powers. many of the youths with whom grettir had played at midfjordsvatn before he left were now grown up. audun, the son of asgeir, the son of audun, was now living at audunarstad in vididal. he was a good bondi and a kindly man, and was the strongest of all the men in the northern parts, as well as the most modest. grettir had not forgotten how he had seemingly been worsted by audun at the ball-play, as related above, and he was anxious to try which of them had gained most since. with this object he went at the beginning of the hay-harvest to audunarstad. grettir put on all his finery and rode with the coloured and richly ornamented saddle which thorfinn had given him, on a splendid horse and in his best armour to audun's place, where he arrived early in the day and knocked at the door. few of the men were in the house, and to grettir's question whether audun was at home, they replied that he had gone to the hill-dairy to bring home some produce. grettir took the bridle off his horse. the hay had not been mown in the meadow and the horse went for the part where the grass was thickest. grettir entered the room and sat down on the bench, where he fell asleep. soon audun returned home and saw a horse in the meadow with a coloured saddle on its back. he was bringing two horses loaded with curds in skins tied at the mouth--so-called "curd-bags." audun took the skins off the horses and was carrying them in his arms so that he could not see in front of him. grettir's leg was stretched out before him and audun stumbled over it, falling on the curd-bags which broke at the neck. audun sprang up and asked what rascal that was in his house. grettir told him his name. "that was very awkward of you," said audun. "but what do you want here?" "i want to fight with you." "first i must look after my dairy produce," audun said. "you can do that," answered grettir, "if you have no one else to do it for you." audun bent down, gathered up the skin and threw it right into grettir's breast, telling him to take what he sent him. grettir was all covered with curds, and felt more disgusted than at any wound which audun could have given him. then they went for each other and wrestled pretty smartly. grettir rushed at him, but audun escaped his grasp. he saw, however, that grettir had gained upon him. they drove up and down the room, overthrowing everything that was near them. neither of them spared himself, but grettir had the advantage, and at last audun fell, after tearing off all grettir's weapons. they struggled hard and the din was terrific. then there was a loud noise below. grettir heard a man ride up to the house, get off his horse and come quickly inside. he saw a handsome man in a red jacket wearing a helmet. hearing the commotion going on in the room where they were wrestling, he came in and asked what was in the room. grettir told him his name; "but who is it that wants to know?" he asked. "my name is bardi," answered the stranger. "are you bardi the son of gudmund from asbjarnarnes?" "the same," he replied. "but what are you after?" grettir said: "i and audun are playing here." "i don't know about your play," said bardi. "but you are not alike. you are overbearing and insolent, while he is modest and good-natured. let him get up at once." grettir said: "many a man seizes the lock for the door. you would do better to avenge your brother hall than to come between me and audun when we are contending." "i am always hearing that," said bardi, "and i don't know whether i shall ever obtain my vengeance. but i want you to leave audun in peace, for he is a quiet man." grettir said he was willing to do so because of bardi's intercession, though he did not like it much. bardi asked what they were contending about. grettir replied in a verse: "i know not if for all your pride he may not try your throat to squeeze. thus when within my home i dwelt did he once belabour me." bardi said there was certainly some excuse if he was taking revenge. "let me now settle it between you," he said. "let matters remain as they are and cease your strife." so they consented, for they were kinsmen. but grettir had little liking for bardi or his brothers. they all rode away together. on the way grettir said: "i hear, bardi, that you intend to go south to borgarfjord this summer; i propose that i shall go with you, which i think is more than you deserve." bardi was very pleased with this offer, and at once accepted it most thankfully. then they parted. bardi then turned back and said to grettir: "i would like it to be understood that you only come with me if it meets with thorarin's approval, since all the arrangements for the expedition are with him." "i thought," said grettir, "you were competent to make your arrangements for yourself. i do not leave my affairs to other people to settle. i shall take it very ill if you refuse me." then each went his own way. bardi promised to send grettir word "if thorarin wished him to go." otherwise he could remain quietly at home. grettir then rode to bjarg and bardi to his own home. chapter xxix. horse-fight at langafit that summer there was a great horse-fight at langafit below reykir, whither a great many people came together. atli of bjarg had a good stallion of keingala's race; grey with a dark stripe down his back. both father and son valued the horse highly. the two brothers kormak and thorgils in mel had a very mettlesome brown stallion, and they arranged to match it against that of atli from bjarg. many other excellent stallions were brought. odd the needy-skald, kormak's kinsman, had the charge of their horse on the day. he had grown into a strong man and had a high opinion of himself; he was surly and reckless. grettir asked atli who should have charge of his stallion. "that is not so clear to me," said atli. "would you like me to back him?" "then you must keep very cool, kinsman," he said. "we have men to deal with who are rather overbearing." "let them pay for their bluster," he said, "if they cannot control it." the stallions were led out and the mares tethered together in the front on the bank of the river. there was a large pool just beyond the bank. the horses fought vigorously and there was excellent sport. odd managed his horse pluckily and grettir gave way before him, holding the tail of his horse with one hand and with the other the stick with which he pricked it on. odd stood in the front by his horse, and one could not be sure that he was not pricking off atli's horse from his own. grettir pretended not to notice it. the horses then came near the river. then odd thrust with his pointed stick at grettir and caught him in the shoulder-blade which grettir was turning towards him. he struck pretty hard, and the flesh swelled up, but grettir was little hurt. at the same moment the horses reared. grettir ducked beneath the flank of his horse and drove his stick into odd's side with such violence that three of his ribs were broken and odd fell into the pool with his horse and all the mares that were tethered there by the bank. some people swam out and rescued them. there was great excitement about it. kormak's men on one side and those of bjarg on the other seized their arms, but the men of hrutafjord and vatnsnes came between them and parted them. they all went home in great wrath, but kept quiet for a time. atli said very little, but grettir rather swaggered and said that they should meet again if he had his way. chapter xxx. thorbjorn oxmain and the fray at hrutafjardarhals there was living in thoroddsstad in hrutafjord a man named thorbjorn. he was the son of arnor downy-nose, the son of thorodd who had settled in that side of hrutafjord which lies opposite to bakki. thorbjorn was of all men the strongest, and was called oxmain. he had a brother named thorodd, called drapustuf. their mother was gerd, daughter of bodvar from bodvarsholar. thorbjorn was a great swashbuckler and kept a large troop of followers. he was noted for being worse at getting servants than other men, and scarcely paid them any wages. he was not a man easy to deal with. there was a kinsman of his, also named thorbjorn, called slowcoach. he was a mariner, and the two namesakes were in partnership together. he was always at thoroddsstad and people did not think he made thorbjorn any better. he liked to talk scandal and spoke offensively of several men. there was a man named thorir, a son of thorkell, at bordeyr. he first lived at melar in hrutafjord, and had a daughter named helga who married sleitu-helgi. after the fagrabrekka affair thorir went south to haukadal and lived in skard, selling the property at melar to thorhall the winelander, the son of gamli. thorhall's son gamli married rannveig, the daughter of asmund longhair, grettir's sister. they lived at that time in melar and had a good establishment. thorir of skard had two sons, gunnar and thorgeir, both promising men, who took over the property from their father, but were always with thorbjorn oxmain, and became very overbearing. in the summer of that year kormak and thorgils rode with a kinsman of theirs named narfi south to nordrardal on some business. odd the needy-skald had recovered from the hurts which he had received at the horse-fight and was of the party. while they were south of the heath grettir was journeying from his home at bjarg with two of atli's men. they rode to burfell and then across the neck to hrutafjord, reaching melar in the evening, where they spent three nights. rannveig and gamli gave grettir a friendly reception and invited him to stay, but he wanted to return home. then grettir learned of kormak's company having come from the south, and that they were staying at tunga at night. he prepared to leave melar at once, and gamli offered to send some of his men with him. gamli's brother grim, who was very smart and active, and another rode with grettir. the party, five in number, came to hrutafjardarhals to the west of burfell, where the great stone called grettishaf lies; he struggled a long time with that stone, trying to lift it, and delayed his journey thereby until kormak's party came up. grettir went towards them and both alighted from their horses. grettir said it would be more seemly for free men to set to work with all their might instead of fighting with sticks like tramps. kormak told them to take up the challenge like men and to do their best. so they went for each other. grettir was in front of his men and told them to see that nobody got behind him. they fought for a time and both were hurt. on the same day thorbjorn oxmain had ridden across the neck to burfell, and as he returned with thorbjorn slowcoach, gunnar and thorgeir, the sons of thorir, and thorodd drapustuf, he saw the fight going on. on coming up, thorbjorn called upon his men to go between them, but they were struggling so furiously that nobody could get at them. grettir was making a clean sweep of everything round him. before him were the sons of thorir. he pushed them back and they both fell over. this made them furious, and the consequence was that gunnar gave a blow to one of atli's men which killed him. thorbjorn on seeing that ordered them to separate, saying that he would give his support to whichever side obeyed him. by then two of kormak's men had fallen. grettir saw that it would scarcely do if thorbjorn joined the opposite side, so he gave up the battle. all those who had fought were wounded. grettir was much disgusted at their being separated, but both parties rode home and were not reconciled on this occasion. thorbjorn slowcoach made great game of all this, and the relations between the men of bjarg and thorbjorn oxmain became strained in consequence, until at last there was a regular feud, which however broke out later. no compensation was offered to atli for his man, and he went on as if he knew nothing of it. grettir stayed at bjarg till the tvi-month. it is not known that he and kormak ever met again; at least it is not mentioned anywhere. chapter xxxi. grettir's vain endeavour to provoke bardi bardi the son of gudmund and his brothers rode home to asbjarnarnes when they left grettir. they were the sons of gudmund the son of solmund. solmund's mother was thorlaug, daughter of saemund the southerner, the foster-brother of ingimund the old. bardi was a man of great distinction. soon he went to see his foster-father thorarin the wise, who welcomed him and asked what help he had been able to obtain, for bardi's journey had been arranged beforehand by them both. bardi answered that he had engaged a man whose help he thought worth more than that of two others. thorarin was silent for a moment and then said: "that must be grettir the son of asmund." "the guess of the wise is truth," said bardi. "that is the very man, my foster-father." thorarin answered: "it is true that grettir is beyond all other men of whom there is now choice in the country; nor will he be easily subdued by arms so long as he is sound. but great arrogance is in him now, and i have misgivings as to his luck. it is important for you that all your men on your expedition are not men of an evil star. it is enough if he does not fare with you. he shall not come if my counsel is followed." "i did not expect, my foster-father," said he, "that you would deny me the man who is bravest in all that he undertakes. a man in such straits as i seem to be in cannot provide against everything." "it will be better for you," he replied, "to let me provide." so it came about that as thorarin desired, word was not sent to grettir. bardi went to the south and the battle of the heath was fought. grettir was at bjarg when he received the news that bardi had started on his expedition. he was very angry that word had not been sent to him, and said it should not end there. he found out when they were expected back from the south, and rode off to thoreyjargnup, where he meant to lie in wait for bardi and his men as they rode back. he left the homestead behind and remained at the cliffs. on that day rode bardi back from the battle of the heath from tvidaegra; there were six of them in his party, all sorely wounded. when they came to the homestead bardi said: "there is a man up there on the cliff, very tall and armed. whom do you take him for?" they could not say who he was. bardi said: "i believe it is grettir the son of asmund. if it is, he will be wanting to meet us, for i expect he is little pleased at not having been with us. it seems to me that we are not in a very fit condition if he wants to annoy us. i will send home to thoreyjargnup for some men and not allow myself to be put out by his evil intentions." they said that was the best thing he could do, and it was done. bardi's party rode on; grettir watched where they were going and went there too. they met and greeted each other. grettir asked what the news was, and bardi told him without hesitation. grettir asked who had been with them. bardi answered that his brothers and eyjvolf his brother-in-law had been with him. "you have wiped out your disgrace," said grettir. "now the next thing is for us two here to try which is the stronger." "i have more urgent business," said bardi, "than to fight with you about nothing. i think i may be excused that now." "it seems to me that you are afraid, bardi; that is the reason why you dare not fight me." "call it what you please. if you wish to bully, find some one else; that seems to be what you want, for your insolence passes all bounds." grettir thought luck was against him. he hesitated now whether he should attack any of them; it seemed rather rash as they were six and he was only one. then the men from thoreyjargnup came up and joined bardi's party, so he left them and went back to his horse. bardi and his men went on, and there was no greeting between them when they parted. we are not told that any strife arose between bardi and grettir after this. grettir once said that he would trust himself to fight with most men if there were not more than three against him. even with four he would not give way without trying, but more he would not attempt, except in self-defence. thus he says in a verse: "oh skilled in war! when three are before me i yet will endeavour to fight with them all. but more than four i dare not encounter in the clashing of arms, if the choice is with me." on leaving bardi, grettir returned to bjarg, and was much aggrieved at finding nothing to try his strength on. he sought everywhere for something to fight with. chapter xxxii. the spook at thorhallsstad. glam the shepherd killed by a fiend. his ghost walks there was a man named thorhall living in thorhallsstad in forsaeludal, up from vatnsdal. he was the son of grim, the son of thorhall, the son of fridmund, who was the first settler in forsaeludal. thorhall's wife was named gudrun; they had a son named grim and a daughter named thurid who were just grown up. thorhall was fairly wealthy, especially in live-stock. his property in cattle exceeded that of any other man. he was not a chief, but an honest bondi nevertheless. he had great difficulty in getting a shepherd to suit him because the place was haunted. he consulted many men of experience as to what he should do, but nobody gave him any advice which was of any use. thorhall had good horses, and went every summer to the thing. on one occasion at the all-thing he went to the booth of the lawman skapti the son of thorodd, who was a man of great knowledge and gave good counsel to those who consulted him. there was a great difference between thorodd the father and skapti the son in one respect. thorodd possessed second sight, but was thought by some not to be straight, whereas skapti gave to every man the advice which he thought would avail him, if he followed it exactly, and so earned the name of father-betterer. so thorhall went to skapti's booth, where skapti, knowing that he was a man of wealth, received him graciously, and asked what the news was. "i want some good counsel from you," said thorhall. "i am little fit to give you counsel," he replied; "but what is it that you need?" "it is this: i have great difficulty in keeping my shepherds. some get injured and others cannot finish their work. no one will come to me if he knows what he has to expect." skapti answered: "there must be some evil spirit abroad if men are less willing to tend your flocks than those of other men. now since you have come to me for counsel, i will get you a shepherd. his name is glam, and he came from sylgsdale in sweden last summer. he is a big strong man, but not to everybody's mind." thorhall said that did not matter so long as he looked after the sheep properly. skapti said there was not much chance of getting another if this man with all his strength and boldness should fail. then thorhall departed. this happened towards the end of the thing. two of thorhall's horses were missing, and he went himself to look for them, which made people think he was not much of a man. he went up under sledaass and south along the hill called armannsfell. then he saw a man coming down from godaskog bringing some brushwood with a horse. they met and thorhall asked him his name. he said it was glam. he was a big man with an extraordinary expression of countenance, large grey eyes and wolfgrey hair. thorhall was a little startled when he saw him, but soon found out that this was the man who had been sent to him. "what work can you do best?" he asked. glam said it would suit him very well to mind sheep in the winter. "will you mind my sheep?" thorhall asked. "skapti has given you over to me." "my service will only be of use to you if i am free to do as i please," he said. "i am rather crossgrained when i am not well pleased." "that will not hurt me," said thorhall. "i shall be glad if you will come to me." "i can do so," he said. "are there any special difficulties?" "the place seems to be haunted." "i am not afraid of ghosts. it will be the less dull." "you will have to risk it," said thorhall. "it will be best to meet it with a bold face." terms were arranged and glam was to come in the autumn. then they parted. thorhall found his horses in the very place where he had just been looking for them. he rode home and thanked skapti for his service. the summer passed. thorhall heard nothing of his shepherd and no one knew anything about him, but at the appointed time he appeared at thorhallsstad. thorhall treated him kindly, but all the rest of the household disliked him, especially the mistress. he commenced his work as shepherd, which gave him little trouble. he had a loud hoarse voice. the beasts all flocked together whenever he shouted at them. there was a church in the place, but glam never went to it. he abstained from mass, had no religion, and was stubborn and surly. every one hated him. so the time passed till the eve of yule-tide. glam rose early and called for his meal. the mistress said: "it is not proper for christian men to eat on this day, because to-morrow is the first day of yule and it is our duty to fast to-day." "you have many superstitions," he said; "but i do not see that much comes of them. i do not know that men are any better off than when there was nothing of that kind. the ways of men seemed to me better when they were called heathen. i want my food and no foolery." "i am certain," she said, "that it will fare ill with you to-day if you commit this sin." glam told her that she should bring his food, or that it would be the worse for her. she did not dare to do otherwise than as he bade her. when he had eaten he went out, his breath smelling abominably. it was very dark; there was driving snow, the wind was howling and it became worse as the day advanced. the shepherd's voice was heard in the early part of the day, but less later on. blizzards set in and a terrific storm in the evening. people went to mass and so the time passed. in the evening glam did not return. they talked about going out to look for him, but the storm was so violent and the night so dark that no one went. the night passed and still he had not returned; they waited till the time for mass came. when it was full day some of the men set forth to search. they found the animals scattered everywhere in the snow and injured by the weather; some had strayed into the mountains. then they came upon some well-marked tracks up above in the valley. the stones and earth were torn up all about as if there had been a violent tussle. on searching further they came upon glam lying on the ground a short distance off. he was dead; his body was as black as hel and swollen to the size of an ox. they were overcome with horror and their hearts shuddered within them. nevertheless they tried to carry him to the church, but could not get him any further than the edge of a gully a short way off. so they left him there and went home to report to the bondi what had happened. he asked what could have caused glam's death. they said they had tracked him to a big place like a hole made by the bottom of a cask thrown down and dragged along up below the mountains which were at the top of the valley, and all along the track were great drops of blood. they concluded that the evil spirit which had been about before must have killed glam, but that he had inflicted wounds upon it which were enough, for that spook was never heard of again. on the second day of the festival they went out again to bring in glam's body to the church. they yoked oxen to him, but directly the downward incline ceased and they came to level ground, they could not move him; so they went home again and left him. on the third day they took a priest with them, but after searching the whole day they failed to find him. the priest refused to go again, and when he was not with them they found glam. so they gave up the attempt to bring him to the church and buried him where he was under a cairn of stones. it was not long before men became aware that glam was not easy in his grave. many men suffered severe injuries; some who saw him were struck senseless and some lost their wits. soon after the festival was over, men began to think they saw him about their houses. the panic was great and many left the neighbourhood. next he began to ride on the house-tops by night, and nearly broke them to pieces. almost night and day he walked, and people would scarcely venture up the valley, however pressing their business. the district was in a grievous condition. chapter xxxiii. doings of glam's ghost. awful condition of vatnsdal in the spring thorhall procured servants and built a house on his lands. as the days lengthened out the apparitions became less, until at midsummer a ship sailed up the hunavatn in which was a man named thorgaut. he was a foreigner, very tall and powerful; he had the strength of two men. he was travelling on his own account, unattached, and being without money was looking out for employment. thorhall rode to the ship, saw him and asked if he would take service with him. thorgaut said he would indeed, and that there would be no difficulties. "you must be prepared," said thorhall, "for work which would not be fitting for a weak-minded person, because of the apparitions which have been there lately. i will not deceive you about it." "i shall not give myself up as lost for the ghostlings," he said. "before i am scared some others will not be easy. i shall not change my quarters on that account." the terms were easily arranged and thorgaut was engaged for the sheep during the winter. when the summer had passed away he took over charge of them, and was on good terms with everybody. glam continued his rides on the roofs. thorgaut thought it very amusing and said the thrall must come nearer if he wished to frighten him. thorhall advised him not to say too much, and said it would be better if they did not come into conflict. thorgaut said: "surely all the spirit has gone out of you. i shall not fall dead in the twilight for stories of that sort." yule was approaching. on the eve the shepherd went out with his sheep. the mistress said: "now i hope that our former experiences will not be repeated." "have no fear for that, mistress," he said. "there will be something worth telling of if i come not back." then he went out to his sheep. the weather was rather cold and there was a heavy snowstorm. thorgaut usually returned when it was getting dark, but this time he did not come. the people went to church as usual, but they thought matters looked very much as they did on the last occasion. the bondi wanted them to go out and search for the shepherd, but the churchgoers cried off, and said they were not going to trust themselves into the power of trolls in the night; the bondi would not venture out and there was no search. on yule day after their meal they went out to look for the shepherd, and first went to glam's cairn, feeling sure that the shepherd's disappearance must be due to him. on approaching the cairn they saw an awful sight; there was the shepherd, his neck broken, and every bone in his body torn from its place. they carried him to the church and no one was molested by thorgaut. glam became more rampageous than ever. he was so riotous that at last everybody fled from thorhallsstad, excepting the bondi and his wife. thorhall's cowherd had been a long time in his service and he had become attached to him; for this reason and because he was a careful herdsman he did not want to part with him. the man was very old and thought it would be very troublesome to have to leave; he saw, too, that everything the bondi possessed would be ruined if he did not stay to look after them. one morning after midwinter the mistress went to the cow-house to milk the cows as usual. it was then full day, for no one would venture out of doors till then, except the cowherd, who went directly it was light. she heard a great crash in the cow-house and tremendous bellowing. she rushed in, shouting that something awful, she knew not what, was going on in the cow-house. the bondi went out and found the cattle all goring each other. it seemed not canny there, so he went into the shed and there saw the cowherd lying on his back with his head in one stall and his feet in the other. he went up and felt him, but saw at once that he was dead with his back broken. it had been broken over the flat stone which separated the two stalls. evidently it was not safe to remain any longer on his estate, so he fled with everything that he could carry away. all the live-stock which he left behind was killed by glam. after that glam went right up the valley and raided every farm as far as tunga, while thorhall stayed with his friends during the rest of the winter. no one could venture up the valley with a horse or a dog, for it was killed at once. as the spring went on and the sun rose higher in the sky the spook diminished somewhat, and thorhall wanted to return to his land, but found it not easy to get servants. nevertheless, he went and took up his abode at thorhallsstad. directly the autumn set in, everything began again, and the disturbances increased. the person most attacked was the bondi's daughter, who at last died of it. many things were tried but without success. it seemed likely that the whole of vatnsdal would be devastated unless help could be found. chapter xxxiv. grettir visits his uncle jokull we have now to return to grettir, who was at home in bjarg during the autumn which followed his meeting with warrior-bardi at thoreyjargnup. when the winter was approaching, he rode north across the neck to vididal and stayed at audunarstad. he and audun made friends again; grettir gave him a valuable battle-axe and they agreed to hold together in friendship. audun had long lived there, and had many connections. he had a son named egill, who married ulfheid the daughter of eyjolf, the son of gudmund; their son eyjolf, who was killed at the all-thing, was the father of orin the chaplain of bishop thorlak. grettir rode to the north to vatnsdal and went on a visit to tunga, where dwelt his mother's brother, jokull the son of bard, a big strong man and exceedingly haughty. he was a mariner, very cantankerous, but a person of much consideration. he welcomed grettir, who stayed three nights with him. nothing was talked about but glam's walking, and grettir inquired minutely about all the particulars. jokull told him that no more was said than had really happened. "why, do you want to go there?" he asked. grettir said that it was so. jokull told him not to do it. "it would be a most hazardous undertaking," he said. "your kinsmen incur a great risk with you as you are. there does not seem to be one of the younger men who is your equal. it is ill dealing with such a one as glam. much better fight with human men than with goblins of that sort." grettir said he had a mind to go to thorhallsstad and see how things were. jokull said: "i see there is no use in dissuading you. the saying is true that luck is one thing, brave deeds another." "woe stands before the door of one but enters that of another," answered grettir. "i am thinking how it may fare with you yourself before all is done." "it may be," said jokull, "that we both see what is before us, and yet we may not alter it." then they parted, neither of them well pleased with the other's prophetic saying. chapter xxxv. the fight with glam's ghost grettir rode to thorhallsstad where he was welcomed by the bondi. he asked grettir whither he was bound, and grettir said he wished to spend the night there if the bondi permitted. thorhall said he would indeed be thankful to him for staying there. "few," he said, "think it a gain to stay here for any time. you must have heard tell of the trouble that is here, and i do not want you to be inconvenienced on my account. even if you escape unhurt yourself, i know for certain that you will lose your horse, for no one can keep his beast in safety who comes here." grettir said there were plenty more horses to be had if anything happened to this one. thorhall was delighted at grettir's wishing to remain, and received him with both hands. grettir's horse was placed securely under lock and key and they both went to bed. the night passed without glam showing himself. "your being here has already done some good," said thorhall. "glam has always been in the habit of riding on the roof or breaking open the doors every night, as you can see from the marks." "then," grettir said, "either he will not keep quiet much longer, or he will remain so more than one night. i will stay another night and see what happens." then they went to grettir's horse and found it had not been touched. the bondi thought that all pointed to the same thing. grettir stayed a second night and again the thrall did not appear. the bondi became hopeful and went to see the horse. there he found the stable broken open, the horse dragged outside and every bone in his body broken. thorhall told grettir what had occurred and advised him to look to himself, for he was a dead man if he waited for glam. grettir answered: "i must not have less for my horse than a sight of the thrall." the bondi said there was no pleasure to be had from seeing him: "he is not like any man. i count every hour a gain that you are here." the day passed, and when the hour came for going to bed grettir said he would not take off his clothes, and lay down on a seat opposite to thorkell's sleeping apartment. he had a shaggy cloak covering him with one end of it fastened under his feet and the other drawn over his head so that he could see through the neck-hole. he set his feet against a strong bench which was in front of him. the frame-work of the outer door had been all broken away and some bits of wood had been rigged up roughly in its place. the partition which had once divided the hall from the entrance passage was all broken, both above the cross-beam and below, and all the bedding had been upset. the place looked rather desolate. there was a light burning in the hall by night. when about a third part of the night had passed grettir heard a loud noise. something was going up on to the building, riding above the hall and kicking with its heels until the timbers cracked again. this went on for some time, and then it came down towards the door. the door opened and grettir saw the thrall stretching in an enormously big and ugly head. glam moved slowly in, and on passing the door stood upright, reaching to the roof. he turned to the hall, resting his arms on the cross-beam and peering along the hall. the bondi uttered no sound, having heard quite enough of what had gone on outside. grettir lay quite still and did not move. glam saw a heap of something in the seat, came farther into the hall and seized the cloak tightly with his hand. grettir pressed his foot against the plank and the cloak held firm. glam tugged at it again still more violently, but it did not give way. a third time he pulled, this time with both hands and with such force that he pulled grettir up out of the seat, and between them the cloak was torn in two. glam looked at the bit which he held in his hand and wondered much who could pull like that against him. suddenly grettir sprang under his arms, seized him round the waist and squeezed his back with all his might, intending in that way to bring him down, but the thrall wrenched his arms till he staggered from the violence. then grettir fell back to another bench. the benches flew about and everything was shattered around them. glam wanted to get out, but grettir tried to prevent him by stemming his foot against anything he could find. nevertheless glam succeeded in getting him outside the hall. then a terrific struggle began, the thrall trying to drag him out of the house, and grettir saw that however hard he was to deal with in the house, he would be worse outside, so he strove with all his might to keep him from getting out. then glam made a desperate effort and gripped grettir tightly towards him, forcing him to the porch. grettir saw that he could not put up any resistance, and with a sudden movement he dashed into the thrall's arms and set both his feet against a stone which was fastened in the ground at the door. for that glam was not prepared, since he had been tugging to drag grettir towards him; he reeled backwards and tumbled hind-foremost out of the door, tearing away the lintel with his shoulder and shattering the roof, the rafters and the frozen thatch. head over heels he fell out of the house and grettir fell on top of him. the moon was shining very brightly outside, with light clouds passing over it and hiding it now and again. at the moment when glam fell the moon shone forth, and glam turned his eyes up towards it. grettir himself has related that that sight was the only one which ever made him tremble. what with fatigue and all else that he had endured, when he saw the horrible rolling of glam's eyes his heart sank so utterly that he had not strength to draw his sword, but lay there well-nigh betwixt life and death. glam possessed more malignant power than most fiends, for he now spoke in this wise: "you have expended much energy, grettir, in your search for me. nor is that to be wondered at, if you should have little joy thereof. and now i tell you that you shall possess only half the strength and firmness of heart that were decreed to you if you had not striven with me. the might which was yours till now i am not able to take away, but it is in my power to ordain that never shall you grow stronger than you are now. nevertheless your might is sufficient, as many shall find to their cost. hitherto you have earned fame through your deeds, but henceforward there shall fall upon you exile and battle; your deeds shall turn to evil and your guardian-spirit shall forsake you. you will be outlawed and your lot shall be to dwell ever alone. and this i lay upon you, that these eyes of mine shall be ever before your vision. you will find it hard to live alone, and at last it shall drag you to death." when the thrall had spoken the faintness which had come over grettir left him. he drew his short sword, cut off glam's head and laid it between his thighs. then the bondi came out, having put on his clothes while glam was speaking, but he did not venture to come near until he was dead. thorhall praised god and thanked grettir warmly for having laid this unclean spirit. then they set to work and burned glam to cold cinders, bound the ashes in a skin and buried them in a place far away from the haunts of man or beast. then they went home, the day having nearly broken. grettir was very stiff and lay down to rest. thorhall sent for some men from the next farms and let them know how things had fared. they all realised the importance of grettir's deed when they heard of it; all agreed that in the whole country side for strength and courage and enterprise there was not the equal of grettir the son of asmund. thorhall bade a kindly farewell to grettir and dismissed him with a present of a fine horse and proper clothes, for all that he had been wearing were torn to pieces. they parted in friendship. grettir rode to ass in vatnsdal and was welcomed by thorvald, who asked him all about his encounter with glam. grettir told him everything and said that never had his strength been put to trial as it had been in their long struggle. thorvald told him to conduct himself discreetly; if he did so he might prosper, but otherwise he would surely come to disaster. grettir said that his temper had not improved, that he had even less discretion than before, and was more impatient of being crossed. in one thing a great change had come over him; he had become so frightened of the dark that he dared not go anywhere alone at night. apparitions of every kind came before him. it has since passed into an expression, and men speak of "glam's eyes" or "glam visions" when things appear otherwise than as they are. having accomplished his undertaking grettir rode back to bjarg and spent the winter at home. chapter xxxvi. thorbjorn slowcoach at home thorbjorn oxmain gave a great feast in the autumn at which many were assembled, whilst grettir was in the north in vatnsdal. thorbjorn slowcoach was there and many things were talked about. the hrutafjord people inquired about grettir's adventure on the ridge in the summer. thorbjorn oxmain praised grettir's conduct, and said that kormak would have had the worst of it if no one had come to part them. then thorbjorn slowcoach said: "what i saw of grettir's fighting was not famous; and he seemed inclined to shirk when we came up. he was very ready to leave off, nor did i see him make any attempt to avenge the death of atli's man. i do not believe there is much heart in him, except when he has a sufficient force behind him." thorbjorn went on jeering at him in this way. many of the others had something to say about it, and they thought that grettir would not leave it to rest if he heard what thorbjorn was saying. nothing more happened at the festivities; they all went home, and there was a good deal of ill-will between them all that winter, though no one took any action. nothing more happened that winter. chapter xxxvii. grettir sails for norway and kills thorbjorn slowcoach early in the spring, before the meeting of the thing, there arrived a ship from norway. there was much news to tell, above all of the change of government. olaf the son of harald was now king, having driven away jarl sveinn from the country in the spring which followed the battle of nesjar. many noteworthy things were told of king olaf. men said that he took into favour all men who were skilled in any way and made them his followers. this pleased many of the younger men in iceland and made them all want to leave home. when grettir heard of it he longed to go too, deeming that he merited the king's favour quite as much as any of the others. a ship came up to gasar in eyjafjord; grettir engaged a passage in her and prepared to go abroad. he had not much outfit as yet. asmund was now becoming very infirm and scarcely left his bed. he and asdis had a young son named illugi, a youth of much promise. atli had taken over all the management of the farm and the goods, and things went much better, for he was both obliging and provident. grettir embarked on his ship. thorbjorn slowcoach had arranged to travel in the same vessel without knowing that grettir would be in her. some of his friends tried to dissuade him from travelling in grettir's company, but he insisted upon going. he was rather a long time over his preparations and did not get to gasar before the ship was ready to sail. before he left home asmund longhair was taken ill and was quite confined to his bed. thorbjorn slowcoach arrived on the beach late in the day, when the men were going on board and were washing their hands outside near their booths. when he rode up to the rows of booths they greeted him and asked what news there was. "i have nothing to tell," he said, "except that the valorous asmund at bjarg is now dead." some of them said that a worthy bondi had left the world and asked how it happened. "a poor lot befell his valour," he replied. "he was suffocated by the smoke from the hearth, like a dog. there is no great loss in him, for he was in his dotage." "you talk strangely about such a man as he was," they said. "grettir would not be much pleased if he heard you." "i can endure grettir's wrath," he said. "he must bear his axe higher than he did at hrutafjardarhals if he wishes to frighten me." grettir heard every word that thorbjorn said, but took no notice as long as he was speaking. when he had finished grettir said: "i prophesy, slowcoach, that you will not die of the smoke from the hearth, and yet perhaps you will not die of old age either. it is strange conduct to say shameful things of innocent men." thorbjorn said: "i have nothing to unsay. i never thought you would fire up like this on the day when we got you out of the hands of the men of mel who were belabouring you like an ox's head." then grettir spoke a verse: "too long is the tongue of the spanner of bows. full often he suffers the vengeance due. slowcoach! i tell thee that many a man has paid for less shameful speech with his life." thorbjorn said his life was neither more nor less in danger than it was before. "my prophecies are not generally long-lived," said grettir, "nor shall this one be. defend yourself if you will; you never will have better occasion for it than now." grettir then struck at him. he tried to parry the blow with his arm, but it struck him above the wrist and glanced off on to his neck so that his head flew off. the sailors declared it was a splendid stroke, and that such were the men for the king. no one would grieve, they said, because a man so quarrelsome and scurrilous as thorbjorn had been killed. soon after this they got under way and towards the end of the summer reached the south coast of norway, about hordland, where they learned that king olaf was in the north at thrandheim. grettir took a passage thither with some traders intending to seek audience of the king. chapter xxxviii. grettir fetches fire--the sons of thorir are burnt there was a man named thorir dwelling in gard in adaldal. he was a son of skeggi bodolfsson, who had settled in kelduhverfi, on lands extending right up to keldunes, and had married helga the daughter of thorgeir at fiskilaek. thorir was a great chief, and a mariner. he had two sons whose names were thorgeir and skeggi, both men of promise, and pretty well grown up at that time. thorir had been in norway in the summer in which olaf came east from england, and had won great favour with the king as well as with bishop sigurd. in token of this it is related that thorir asked the bishop to consecrate a large sea-going ship he had built in the forest, and the bishop did so. later he came out to iceland and had his ship broken up because he was tired of seafaring. he set up the figures from her head and stem over his doors, where they long remained foretelling the weather, one howling for a south, the other for a north wind. when thorir heard that olaf had become sole ruler of norway he thought he might expect favour from him, so he dispatched his sons to norway to wait upon the king, hoping that they would be received into his service. they reached the south coast late in the autumn and engaged a rowing vessel to take them up the coast to the north, intending to go to the king. they reached a port to the south of stad, where they put in for a few days. they were well provided with food and drink, and did not go out much because of the bad weather. grettir also sailed to the north along the coast, and as the winter was just beginning he often fell in with dirty weather. when they reached the neighbourhood of stad the weather became worse, and at last one evening they were so exhausted with the snow and frost that they were compelled to put in and lie under a bank where they found shelter for their goods and belongings. the men were very much distressed at not being able to procure any fire; their safety and their lives seemed almost to depend upon their getting some. they lay there in a pitiful condition all the evening, and as night came on they saw a large fire on the other side of the channel which they were in. when grettir's companions saw the fire they began talking and saying that he who could get some of it would be a happy man. they hesitated for some time whether they should put out, but all agreed that it would be too dangerous. then they had a good deal of talk about whether there was any man living doughty enough to get the fire. grettir kept very quiet, but said that there probably had been men who would not have let themselves be baulked. the men said that they were none the better for what had been if there were none now. "but won't you venture, grettir? the people of iceland all talk so much about your prowess, and you know very well what we want." grettir said: "it does not seem to me such a great thing to get the fire, but i do not know whether you will reward it any better than he requires who does it." "why," they said, "should you take us to be men of so little honour that we shall not reward you well?" "well," said grettir, "if you really think it so necessary i will try it; but my heart tells me that no good will come to me therefrom." they said it would not be so, and told him that he should have their thanks. then grettir threw off his clothes and got ready to go into the water. he went in a cloak and breeches of coarse stuff. he tucked up the cloak, tied a cord of bast round his waist, and took a barrel with him. then he jumped overboard, swam across the channel and reached the land on the other side. there he saw a house standing and heard sounds of talking and merriment issuing from it. so he went towards the house. we have now to tell of the people who were in the house. they were the sons of thorir who have been mentioned. they had been there some days waiting for a change of weather and for a wind to carry them to the north. there were twelve of them and they were all sitting and drinking. they had made fast in the inner harbour where there was a place of shelter set up for men who were travelling about the country, and they had carried in a quantity of straw. there was a huge fire on the ground. grettir rushed into the house, not knowing who was there. his cloak had all frozen directly he landed, and he was a portentous sight to behold; he looked like a troll. the people inside were much startled, thinking it was a fiend. they struck at him with anything they could get, and a tremendous uproar there was. grettir pushed them back with his arms. some of them struck at him with firebrands, and the fire spread all through the house. he got away with his fire and returned to his companions, who were loud in praise of his skill and daring, and said there was no one like him. the night passed and they were happy now that they had fire. on the next morning the weather was fine. they all woke early and made ready to continue their journey. it was proposed that they should go and find out who the people were who had had the fire, so they cast off and sailed across the channel. they found no house there, nothing but a heap of ashes and a good many bones of men amongst them. evidently the house with all who were in it had been burned. they asked whether grettir had done it, and declared it was an abominable deed. grettir said that what he expected had come to pass, and that he was ill rewarded for getting the fire for them. he said it was thankless work to help such miserable beings as they were. he suffered much annoyance in consequence, for wherever the traders went they told that grettir had burned the men in the house. soon it became known that it was the sons of thorir of gard and their followers who had been burned. the traders refused to have grettir on board their ship any longer and drove him away. he was so abhorred that scarcely any one would do him a service. his case seemed hopeless, and his only desire was at any cost to appear before the king. so he went north to thrandheim where the king was, and had heard the whole story before grettir came, for many had been busy in slandering him. grettir waited several days in the town before he was able to appear before the king. chapter xxxix. grettir appears before the king and fails to undergo the ordeal one day when the king was sitting in judgment grettir came before him and saluted him respectfully. the king looked at him and said: "are you grettir the strong?" "so i have been called," he replied, "and i have come here in the hope of obtaining deliverance from the slanders which are being spread about me, and to say that i did not do this deed." the king said: "you are worthy enough; but i know not what fortune you will have in defending yourself. it is quite possible that you did not intend to burn the men in the house." grettir said that he was most anxious to prove his innocence if the king would permit him. then the king bade him relate faithfully all that had happened. grettir told him everything exactly as it was, and declared that they were all alive when he escaped with his fire; he was ready to undergo any ordeal which the king considered that the law required. king olaf said: "i decree that you shall bear iron, if your fate so wills it." grettir was quite content with that, and began his fast for the ordeal. when the day for the ceremony arrived the king and the bishop went to the church together with a multitude of people who came out of curiosity to see a man so much talked about as grettir. at last grettir himself was led to the church. when he entered many looked at him and remarked that he excelled most men in strength and stature. as he passed down the aisle there started up a very ill-favoured, overgrown boy and cried to him: "wondrous are now the ways in a land where men should call themselves christians, when evil-doers and robbers and thieves walk in peace to purge themselves. what should a wicked man find better to do than to preserve his life so long as he may? here is now a malefactor convicted of guilt, one who has burnt innocent men in their houses, and yet is allowed to undergo purgation. such a thing is most unrighteous." then he went at grettir, pointing at him with his finger, making grimaces and calling him son of a sea-ogress, with many other bad names. then grettir lost his temper and his self-control. he raised his hand and gave him a box on the ear so that he fell senseless, and some thought he was dead. no one seemed to know whence the boy had come nor what became of him afterwards, but it was generally believed that he was some unclean spirit sent forth for the destruction of grettir. there arose an uproar in the church; people told the king that the man who had come to purge himself was fighting with those around him. king olaf came forward into the church to see what was going on, and said: "you are a man of ill luck, grettir. all was prepared for the ordeal, but it cannot take place now. it is not possible to contend against your ill-fortune." grettir said: "i expected, oh king, more honour from you for the sake of my family than i now seem likely to obtain." then he told again the story as he had done before of what had taken place with the men. "gladly," he said, "would i enter your service; there is many a man with you who is not my better as a warrior." "i know," said the king, "that few are your equals in strength and courage, but your luck is too bad for you to remain with me. you have my leave to depart in peace whithersoever you will for the winter, and then in the summer you may return to iceland, where you are destined to lay your bones." "first i should like to clear myself of the charge of burning, if i may," said grettir; "for i did not do it intentionally." "very likely it is so," said the king; "but since the purgation has come to naught through your impatience you cannot clear yourself further than you have done. impetuosity always leads to evil. if ever a man was doomed to misfortune you are." after that grettir remained for a time in the town, but he got nothing more out of olaf. then he went to the south, intending after that to go east to tunsberg to find his brother thorsteinn dromund. nothing is told of his journey till he came to jadar. chapter xl. adventure with the berserk snaekoll at yule grettir came to a bondi named einar, a man of wealth who had a wife and a marriageable daughter named gyrid. she was a beautiful maiden and was considered an excellent match. einar invited grettir to stay over yule, and he accepted. it was no uncommon thing throughout norway that robbers and other ruffians came down from the forest and challenged men to fight for their women, or carried off their property with violence if there was not sufficient force in the house to protect them. one day at yule-tide there came a whole party of these miscreants to einar's house. their leader was a great berserk named snaekoll. he challenged einar to hand over his daughter to him or else to defend her, if he felt himself man enough to do so. now the bondi was no longer young, and no fighter. he felt that he was in a great difficulty, and asked grettir privately what help he would give him, seeing that he was held to be so famous a man. grettir advised him to consent only to what was not dishonourable. the berserk was sitting on his horse wearing his helmet, the chin-piece of which was not fastened. he held before him a shield bound with iron and looked terribly threatening. he said to the bondi: "you had better choose quickly: either one thing or the other. what does that big fellow standing beside you say? would he not like to play with me himself?" "one of us is as good as the other," said grettir, "neither of us is very active." "all the more afraid will you be to fight with me if i get angry." "that will be seen when it is tried," said grettir. the berserk thought they were trying to get off by talking. he began to howl and to bite the rim of his shield. he held the shield up to his mouth and scowled over its upper edge like a madman. grettir stepped quickly across the ground, and when he got even with the berserk's horse he kicked the shield with his foot from below with such force that it struck his mouth, breaking the upper jaw, and the lower jaw fell down on to his chest. with the same movement he seized the viking's helmet with his left hand and dragged him from his horse, while with his right hand he raised his axe and cut off the berserk's head. snaekoll's followers when they saw what had happened fled, every man of them. grettir did not care to pursue them for he saw that there was no heart in them. the bondi thanked him for what he had done, as did many other men, for the quickness and boldness of his deed had impressed them much. grettir stayed there for yule and was well taken care of till he left, when the bondi dismissed him handsomely. then grettir went east to tunsberg to visit his brother thorsteinn, who received him joyfully and asked him about his adventures. grettir told him how he had killed the berserk, and composed a verse: "the warrior's shield by my foot propelled in conflict came with snaekoll's mouth. his nether jaw hung down on his chest, wide gaped his mouth from the iron ring." "you would be very handy at many things," said thorsteinn, "if misfortune did not follow you." "men will tell of deeds that are done," said grettir. chapter xli. thorsteinn dromund's arms grettir stayed with thorsteinn for the rest of the winter and on into the spring. one morning when thorsteinn and grettir were above in their sleepingroom grettir put out his arm from the bed-clothes and thorsteinn noticed it when he awoke. soon after grettir woke too, and thorsteinn said: "i have been looking at your arms, kinsman, and think it is not wonderful that your blows fall heavily upon some. never have i seen any man's arms that were like yours." "you may know," said grettir, "that i should not have done the deeds i have if i had not been very mighty." "yet methinks it would be of advantage," said thorsteinn, "if your arm were more slender and your fortune better." "true," said grettir, "is the saying that no man shapes his own fortune. let me see your arm." thorsteinn showed it to him. he was a tall lanky man. grettir smiled and said: "there is no need to look long at that; all your ribs are run together. i never saw such a pair of tongs as you carry about! why, you are scarcely as strong as a woman!" "it may be so," said thorsteinn, "and yet you may know that these thin arms of mine and no others will avenge you some day;--if you are avenged." "who shall know how it will be when the end comes?" said grettir; "but that seems unlikely." no more is related of their conversation. the spring came and grettir took a ship for iceland in the summer. the brothers parted with friendship and never saw one another again. chapter xlii. death of asmund longhair we have now to return to where we broke off before. thorbjorn oxmain when he heard of the death of thorbjorn slowcoach flew into a violent passion and said he wished that more men might deal blows in other people's houses. asmund longhair lay sick for some time in the summer. when he thought his end was nigh he called his kinsmen round him and said his will was that atli should take over all the property after his day. "i fear," he said, "that the wicked will scarce leave you in peace. and i wish all my kinsmen to support him to the best of their power. of grettir i can say nothing, for his condition seems to me like a rolling wheel. strong though he is, i fear he will have more dealing with trouble than with kinsmen's support. and illugi, though young now, shall become a man of valiant deeds if he remain unscathed." when asmund had settled everything with his sons according to his wish his sickness grew upon him. he died soon after and was buried at bjarg, where he had had a church built. all felt his loss deeply. atli became a great bondi and kept a large establishment. he was a great dealer in household provisions. towards the end of the summer he went to snaefellsnes to get dried fish. he drove several horses with him and rode from home to melar in hrutafjord to his brother-in-law, gamli. then grim, the son of thorhall, gamli's brother, made ready to accompany him along with another man. they rode west by way of haukadalsskard and the road which leads out to the ness, where they bought much fish and carried it away on seven horses; when all was ready they turned homewards. chapter xliii. the sons of thorir of skard are slain by atli and grim thorbjorn oxmain heard of atli and grim having left home just when gunnar and thorgeir, the sons of thorir of skard, were with him. thorbjorn was jealous of atli's popularity and egged on the two brothers, the sons of thorir, to lie in wait for him as he returned from snaefellsnes. they rode home to skard and waited there for atli returning with his loads. they could see the party from their house as they passed skard, and made ready quickly to pursue them with their servants. atli on seeing them ordered his horses to be unloaded. "perhaps," he said, "they want to offer me compensation for my man whom gunnar slew last summer. we will not be the first to attack, but if they begin fighting us we will defend ourselves." then they came up and at once sprang off their horses. atli greeted them and asked what news there was, and whether gunnar desired to offer him some compensation for his servant. gunnar answered: "you men of bjarg, you deserve something else than that i should pay compensation for him with my goods. thorbjorn whom grettir slew is worth a higher atonement than he." "i have not to answer for that," said atli, "nor are you the representative of thorbjorn." gunnar said it would have to be so nevertheless. "and now," he cried, "let us go for them and profit by grettir being away." there were eight of them, and they set upon atli's six. atli led on his men and drew the sword jokulsnaut which grettir had given him. thorgeir cried: "good men are alike in many things. high did grettir bear his sword last summer on hrutafjardarhals." atli answered: "he is more accustomed to deeds of strength than i am." then they fought. gunnar made a resolute attack on atli, and fought fiercely. after they had battled for a time atli said: "there is nothing to be gained by each of us killing the other's followers. the simplest course would be for us to play together, for i have never fought with weapons before." gunnar, however, would not have it. atli bade his servants look to the packs, and he would see what the others would do. he made such a vigorous onslaught that gunnar's men fell back, and he killed two of them. then he turned upon gunnar himself and struck a blow that severed his shield right across below the handle, and the sword struck his leg below the knee. then with another rapid blow he killed him. in the meantime grim, the son of thorhall, was engaging thorgeir, and a long tussle there was, both of them being men of great valour. when thorgeir saw his brother gunnar fall he wanted to get away, but grim pressed upon him and pursued him until at last his foot tripped and he fell forward. then grim struck him with an axe between the shoulders, inflicting a deep wound. to the three followers who were left they gave quarter. then they bound up their wounds, reloaded the packs on to the horses and went home, giving information of the battle. atli stayed at home with a strong guard of men that autumn. thorbjorn oxmain was not at all pleased, but could do nothing, because atli was very wary. grim was with him for the winter, and his brother-in-law gamli. another brother-in-law, glum the son of ospak from eyr in bitra, was with them too. they had a goodly array of men settled at bjarg, and there was much merriment there during the winter. chapter xliv. settlement of the feud at the hunavatn thing thorbfron oxmain took up the suit arising from the death of thorir's sons. he prepared his case against grim and atli, and they prepared their defence on the grounds that the brothers had attacked them wrongfully and were, therefore, "ohelgir." the case was brought before the hunavatn thing and both sides appeared in force. atli had many connections, and was, therefore, strongly supported. then those who were friends of both came forward and tried to effect a reconciliation; they urged that atli was a man of good position and peacefully disposed, though fearless enough when driven into a strait. thorbjorn felt that no other honourable course was open to him but to agree to a reconciliation. atli made it a condition that there should be no sentence of banishment either from the district or the country. then men were appointed to arbitrate: thorvald asgeirsson on behalf of atli, and solvi the proud on behalf of thorbjorn. this solvi was a son of asbrand, the son of thorbrand, the son of harald ring who had settled in vatnsnes, taking land as far as ambattara to the west, and to the east up to the thvera and across to bjargaoss and the whole side of bjorg as far as the sea. solvi was a person of much display, but a man of sense, and therefore thorbjorn chose him as his arbitrator. the decree of the arbitrators was that half penalties should be paid for thorir's sons and half should be remitted on account of the wrongful attack which they made and their designs on atli's life. the slaying of atli's man at hrutafjardarhals should be set off against the two of theirs who had been killed. grim the son of thorhall was banished from his district and the penalties were to be paid by atli. atli was satisfied with this award, but thorbjorn was not; they parted nominally reconciled, but thorbjorn let drop some words to the effect that it was not over yet if all happened as he desired. atli rode home from the thing after thanking thorvald for his assistance. grim the son of thorhall betook himself to the south to borgarfjord and dwelt at gilsbakki, where he was known as a worthy bondi. chapter xlv. atli murdered by thorbjorn oxmain there was dwelling with thorbjorn oxmain a man whose name was ali, a servant, rather stubborn and lazy. thorbjorn told him he must work better or he would be beaten. ali said he had no mind for work and became abusive. thorbjorn was not going to endure that, and got him down and handled him roughly. after that ali ran away and went to the north across the neck to midfjord; he did not stop till he reached bjarg. atli was at home and asked whither he was going. he said he was seeking an engagement. "are you not a servant of thorbjorn?" atli asked. "we did not get on with our bargain. i was not there long, but it seemed to me a bad place while i was there. our parting was in such a way that his song on my throat did not please me. i will never go back there, whatever becomes of me. and it is true that there is a great difference between you two in the way you treat your servants. i would be glad to take service with you if there is a place, for me." atli said: "i have servants enough without stretching forth my hands for those whom thorbjorn has hired. you seem an impatient man and had better go back to him." "i am not going there of my own free will," said ali. he stayed there for the night, and in the morning went out to work with atli's men, and toiled as if he had hands everywhere. so he continued all the summer; atli took no notice of him, but allowed him his food, for he was pleased with the man's work. soon thorbjorn learned that ali was at bjarg. he rode thither with two others and called to atli to come out and speak with him. atli went out and greeted him. "you want to begin again provoking me to attack you, atli," he said. "why have you taken away my workman? it is a most improper thing to do." atli replied: "it is not very clear to me that he is your workman. i do not want to keep him if you can prove that he belongs to your household; but i cannot drive him out of my house." "you must have your way now," said thorbjorn; "but i claim the man and protest against his working for you. i shall come again, and it is not certain that we shall then part any better friends than we are now." atli rejoined: "i shall stay at home and abide whatever comes to hand." thorbjorn then went off home. when the workmen came back in the evening atli told them of his conversation with thorbjorn and said to ali that he must go his own ways, for he was not going to be drawn into a quarrel for employing him. ali said: "true is the ancient saying: the over-praised are the worst deceivers. i did not think that you would have turned me off now after i had worked here till i broke in the summer. i thought that you would have given me protection. such is your way, however you play the beneficent. now i shall be beaten before your very eyes if you refuse to stand by me." atli's mind was changed after the man had spoken; he no longer wanted to drive him away. so the time passed until the hay-harvest began. one day a little before midsummer thorbjorn oxmain rode to bjarg. he wore a helmet on his head, a sword was girt at his side, and in his hand was a spear which had a very broad blade. the weather was rainy; atli had sent his men to mow the hay, and some were in the north at horn on some work. atli was at home with a few men only. thorbjorn arrived alone towards midday and rode up to the door. the door was shut and no one outside. thorbjorn knocked at the door and then went to the back of the house so that he could not be seen from the door. the people in the house heard some one knocking and one of the women went out. thorbjorn got a glimpse of the woman, but did not let himself be seen, for he was seeking another person. she went back into the room and atli asked her who had come. she said she could see nobody outside. as they were speaking thorbjorn struck a violent blow on the door. atli said: "he wants to see me; perhaps he has some business with me, for he seems very pressing." then he went to the outer door and saw nobody there. it was raining hard, so he did not go outside, but stood holding both the door-posts with his hands and peering round. at that moment thorbjorn sidled round to the front of the door and thrust his spear with both hands into atli's middle, so that it pierced him through. atli said when he received the thrust: "they use broad spear-blades nowadays." then he fell forward on the threshold. the women who were inside came out and saw that he was dead. thorbjorn had then mounted his horse; he proclaimed the slaying and rode home. asdis, the mistress of the house, sent for men; atli's body was laid out and he was buried beside his father. there was much lamentation over his death, for he was both wise and beloved. no blood-money was paid for his death, nor was any demanded, for his representative was grettir, if he should ever return to iceland. the matter rested there during the summer. thorbjorn gained little credit by this deed, but remained quietly at home. chapter xlvi. sentence of outlawry passed upon grettir at the all-thing in that same summer before the assembly of the thing there came a ship out to gasar bringing news of grettir and of his house-burning adventure. thorir of gard was very angry when he heard of it and bethought himself of vengeance for his sons upon grettir. thorir rode with a large retinue to the thing and laid a complaint in respect of the burning, but men thought nothing could be done as long as there was no one to answer the charge. thorir insisted that he would be content with nothing short of banishment for grettir from the whole country after such a crime. then skapti the lawman said: "it certainly was an evil deed if all really happened as has been told. but one man's tale is but half a tale. most people try and manage not to improve a story if there is more than one version of it. i hold that no judgment should be passed for grettir's banishment without further proceedings." thorir was a notable person and possessed great influence in the district; many powerful men were his friends. he pressed his suit so strongly that nothing could be done to save grettir. thorir had him proclaimed an outlaw throughout the country, and was ever afterwards the most bitter of his opponents, as he often found. having put a price upon his head, as it was usual to do with other outlaws, he rode home. many said that the decree was carried more by violence than by law, but it remained in force. nothing more happened until after midsummer. chapter xlvii. grettir returns to bjarg--sveinn and his horse saddle-head later in the summer grettir the son of asmund came back to iceland, landing in the hvita in borgarfjord. people about the district went down to the ship and all the news came at once upon grettir, first that his father was dead, then that his brother was slain, and third that he was declared outlaw throughout the land. then he spoke this verse: "all fell at once upon the bard, exile, father dead and brother. oh man of battle! many an one who breaks the swords shall smart for this." it is told that grettir changed his manner no whit for these tidings, but was just as merry as before. he remained on board his ship for a time because he could not get a horse to suit him. there was a man named sveinn who dwelt at bakki up from thingnes. he was a good bondi and a merry companion; he often composed verses which it was a delight to listen to. he had a brown mare, the swiftest of horses, which he called saddle-head. once grettir left vellir in the night because he did not wish the traders to know of it. he got a black cape and put it over his clothes to conceal himself. he went up past thingnes to bakki, by which time it was light. seeing a brown horse in the meadow he went up and put a bridle on it, mounted on its back and rode up along the hvita river below baer on to the river flokadalsa and up to the road above kalfanes. the men working at bakki were up by then, and told the bondi that a man was riding his horse. he got up and laughed and spoke a verse: "there rode a man upon saddle-head's back; close to the garth the thief has come. frey of the odin's cloud, dreadful of aspect, appears from his strength to be busy with mischief." then he took a horse and rode after him. grettir rode on till he came to the settlement at kropp, where he met a man named halli who said he was going down to the ship at vellir. grettir then spoke a verse: "tell, oh tell in the dwellings abroad tell thou hast met with saddle-head. the handler of dice in sable cowl sat on his back; hasten, oh halli!" then they parted. halli went along the road as far as kalfanes before he met sveinn. they greeted each other hurriedly and sveinn said: "saw you that loafer ride from the dwellings? sorely he means my patience to try. the people about shall deal with him roughly; blue shall his body be if i meet him." "you can know from what i tell you," said halli, "that i met the man who said he was riding saddle-head, and he told me to spread it abroad in the dwellings and the district. he was a huge man in a black cloak." "well, he seems to think something of himself," said the bondi. "i mean to know who he is." then he went on after him. grettir came to deildartunga and found a woman outside. he began to talk to her and spoke a verse: "mistress august! go tell of the jest that the serpent of earth has past on his way. the garrulous brewer of odin's mead will come to gilsbakki before he will rest." the woman learned the verse and grettir rode on. soon after sveinn rode up; she was still outside, and when he came he spoke the verse: "who was the man who a moment ago rode past on a dusky horse in the storm? the hound-eyed rascal, practised in mischief. this day i will follow his steps to the end." she told him as she had been taught. he considered the lines and said: "it is not unlikely that this man is no play-fellow for me. but i mean to catch him." he then rode along the cultivated country. each could see the other's path. the weather was stormy and wet. grettir reached gilsbakki that day, where grim the son of thorhall welcomed him warmly and begged him to stay, which he did. he let saddle-head run loose and told grim how he had come by her. then sveinn came up, dismounted and saw his horse. then he said: "who has ridden on my mare? who will pay me for her hire? who ever saw such an arrant thief? what next will be the cowl-man's game?" grettir had then put off his wet clothes, and heard the ditty. he said: "home i rode the mare to grim's, a better man than the hovel-dweller! nothing will i pay for hire! now we may be friends again." "just so shall it be," said the bondi. "your ride on the horse is fully paid for." then they each began repeating verses, and grettir said he could not blame him for looking after his property. the bondi stayed there the night and they had great jokes about the matter. the verses they made were called "saddle-head verses." in the morning the bondi rode home, parting good friends with grettir. grim told grettir of many things that had been done in midfjord in the north during his absence, and that no blood-money had been paid for atli. thorbjorn oxmain's interest, he said, was so great that there was no certainty of grettir's mother, asdis, being allowed to remain at bjarg if the feud continued. grettir stayed but a few nights with grim, for he did not want it to become known that he was about to travel north across the heath. grim told him to come back to visit him if he needed protection. "yet," he said, "i would gladly avoid the penalty of being outlawed for harbouring you." grettir bade him farewell and said: "it is more likely that i shall need your good services still more later on." then grettir rode north over the tvidaegra heath to bjarg, where he arrived at midnight. all were asleep except his mother. he went to the back of the house and entered by a door which was there, for he knew all the ways about. he entered the hall and went to his mother's bed, groping his way. she asked who was there. grettir told her. she sat up and turned to him, heaving a weary sigh as she spoke: "welcome, my kinsman! my hoard of sons has quickly passed away. he is killed who was most needful to me; you have been declared an outlaw and a criminal; my third is so young that he can do nothing." "it is an ancient saying," said grettir, "that one evil is mended by a worse one. there is more in the heart of man than money can buy; atli may yet be avenged. as for me, there will be some who think they have had enough in their dealings with me." she said that was not unlikely. grettir stayed there for a time, but few knew of it, and he obtained news of the movements of the men of the district. it was not known then that he had come to midfjord. he learned that thorbjorn oxmain was at home with few men. this was after the hay-harvest. chapter xlviii. death of thorbjorn oxmain one fine day grettir rode to the west across the ridge to thoroddsstad, where he arrived about noon and knocked at the door. some women came out and greeted him, not knowing who he was. he asked for thorbjorn, and they told him that he was gone out into the fields to bind hay with his sixteen-year-old son arnor. thorbjorn was a hard worker and was scarcely ever idle. grettir on hearing that bade them farewell and rode off north on the road to reykir. there is some marsh-land stretching away from the ridge with much grass-land, where thorbjorn had made a quantity of hay which was just dry. he was just about to bind it up for bringing in with the help of his son, while a woman gathered up what was left. grettir rode to the field from below, thorbjorn and his son being above him; they had finished one load and were beginning a second. thorbjorn had laid down his shield and sword against the load, and his son had his hand-axe near him. thorbjorn saw a man coming and said to his son: "there is a man riding towards us; we had better stop binding the hay and see what he wants." they did so; grettir got off his horse. he had a helmet on his head, a short sword by his side, and a great spear in his hand without barbs and inlaid with silver at the socket. he sat down and knocked out the rivet which fastened the head in order to prevent thorbjorn from returning the spear upon him. thorbjorn said: "this is a big man. i am no good at judging men if that is not grettir the son of asmund. no doubt he thinks that he has sufficient business with us. we will meet him boldly and show him no signs of fear. we must act with a plan. i will go on ahead towards him and see how we get on together, for i will trust myself against any man if i can meet him alone. do you go round and get behind him; take your axe with both hands and strike him between the shoulders. you need not fear that he will hurt you, for his back will be turned towards you." neither of them had a helmet. grettir went along the marsh and when he was within range launched his spear at thorbjorn. the head was not so firm as he had intended it to be, so it got loose in its flight and fell off on to the ground. thorbjorn took his shield, held it before him, drew his sword and turned against grettir directly he recognised him. grettir drew his sword, and, turning round a little, saw the boy behind him; so he kept continually on the move. when he saw that the boy was within reach he raised his sword aloft and struck arnor's head with the back of it such a blow that the skull broke and he died. then thorbjorn rushed upon grettir and struck at him, but he parried it with the buckler in his left hand and struck with his sword a blow which severed thorbjorn's shield in two and went into his head, reaching the brain. thorbjorn fell dead. grettir gave him no more wounds; he searched for the spear-head but could not find it. he got on to his horse, rode to reykir and proclaimed the slaying. the woman who was out in the field with them witnessed the battle. she ran home terrified and told the news that thorbjorn and his son were killed. the people at home were much taken aback, for no one was aware of grettir's arrival. they sent to the next homestead for men, who came in plenty and carried the body to the church. the blood-feud then fell to thorodd drapustuf, who at once called out his men. grettir rode home to bjarg and told his mother what had happened. she was very glad and said he had now shown his kinship to the vatnsdal race. "and yet," she said, "this is the root and the beginning of your outlawry; for certain i know that your dwelling here will not be for long by reason of thorbjorn's kinsmen, and now they may know that they have the means of annoying you." grettir then spoke a verse: "atli's death was unatoned; fully now the debt is paid." asdis said it was true: "but i know not what counsel you now mean to take." grettir said he meant now to visit his friends and kinsmen in the western regions, and that she should have no unpleasantness on his account. then he made ready to go, and parted with much affection from his mother. first he went to melar in hrutafjord and recounted to his brother-in-law gamli all his adventure with thorbjorn. gamli begged him to betake himself away from hrutafjord while the kinsmen of thorbjorn were abroad with their men, and said they would support him in the suit about atli's slaying to the best of their power. then grettir rode to the west across the laxardal heath and did not stop before he reached ljarskogar, where he stayed some time in the autumn with thorsteinn kuggason. chapter xlix. grettir visits thorsteinn kuggason and snorri godi thorodd drapustuf now made inquiries who it was who had killed thorbjorn and his son. they went to reykir, where they were told that grettir had proclaimed the slaying. thorodd then saw how matters stood and went to bjarg, where he found many people and asked whether grettir was there. asdis said that he was gone, and that he would not hide if he were at home. "you can be well content to leave things as they are. the vengeance for atli was not excessive, if it be reckoned up. no one asked what i had to suffer then, and now it were well for it to rest." then they rode home, and it seemed as if there were nothing to be done. the spear which grettir had lost was never found until within the memory of men now living. it was found in the later days of sturla the lawman, the son of thord, in the very marsh where thorbjorn fell, now called spearmarsh. this is the proof that he was killed there and not in midfitjar, as has been elsewhere asserted. thorbjorn's kinsmen learned of grettir's being in ljarskogar and called together their men with the purpose of going there. gamli heard of this at melar and sent word to thorsteinn and grettir of their approach. thorsteinn sent grettir on to tunga to snorri the godi, with whom he was then at peace, and advised grettir to ask for his protection, and if it were refused to go west to thorgils the son of ari in reykjaholar, "who will surely take you in for the winter. stay there in the western fjords until the affair is settled." grettir said he would follow his counsel. he rode to tunga where he found snorri and asked to be taken in. snorri answered: "i am now an old man, and have no mind to harbour outlaws, unless in a case of necessity. but what has happened that the old man should have turned you out?" grettir said that thorsteinn had often shown him kindness; "but we shall need more than him alone to do any good." snorri said: "i will put in my word on your behalf, if it will be of any use to you. but you must seek your quarters elsewhere than with me." so they parted. grettir then went west to reykjanes. the men of hrutafjord came with their followers to samsstad, where they heard that grettir had left ljarskogar, and went back home. chapter l. grettir winters with thorgils at reykjaholar in company with the foster-brothers grettir came to reykjaholar towards the beginning of the winter and asked thorgils to let him stay the winter with him. thorgils said he was welcome to his entertainment, like other free men; "but," he said, "we do not pay much attention to the preparation of the food." grettir said that would not trouble him. "there is another little difficulty," thorgils continued. "some men are expected here who are a little hot-headed, namely, the foster-brothers thorgeir and thormod. i do not know how it will suit you to be together with them. they shall always have entertainment here whenever they wish for it. you may stay here if you will, but i will not have any of you behaving ill to the others." grettir said that he would not be the first to raise a quarrel with any man, more especially since the bondi had expressed his wish to him. soon after the foster-brothers came up. thorgeir and grettir did not take very kindly to one another, but thormod behaved with propriety. thorgils said to them what he had said to grettir, and so great was the deference paid to him that none of them spoke an improper word to the other, although they did not always think alike. in this way the first part of the winter was passed. men say that the islands called olafseyjar, lying in the fjord about a mile and a half from reykjanes, belonged to thorgils. he had there a valuable ox, which he had not brought away in the autumn. he was always saying that he wanted him to be brought in before yule. one day the foster-brothers prepared to go and fetch the ox, but wanted a third man to help them. grettir offered to go with them and they were very glad to have him. so the three set out in a ten-oared boat. the weather was cold and the wind from the north; the boat was lying at hvalshausholm. when they left the wind had freshened a little; they reached the island and caught the ox. grettir asked whether they preferred to ship the ox or to hold the boat, for there was a high surf running on the shore. they told him to hold the boat. he stood by her middle on the side away from the land, the sea reaching right up to beneath his shoulders, but he held the boat firmly so that she could not drift. thorgeir took the ox by the stern and thormod by the head, and so they hove him into the boat. then they started heading for the bay, thormod taking the bow-oars with thorgeir amidships and grettir in the stern. by the time they reached hafraklett the wind was very high. thorgeir said: "the stern is slackening." grettir said: "the stern will not be left behind if the rowing amidships is all right." thorgeir then bent his back to the oars and pulled so violently that both the rowlocks carried away. he said: "pull on, grettir, whilst i mend the rowlocks." grettir pulled vigorously whilst thorgeir mended the rowlocks. but when thorgeir was about to take over the oars again they were so damaged that on grettir giving them a shake on the gunwale they broke. thormod said it would be better to row less and not to break the ship. then grettir took two spars which were on board, bored two holes in the gunwale, and rowed so energetically that every timber creaked. as the boat was well found and the men in good condition they reached hvalshausholm. grettir asked whether they would go on home with the ox or whether they would beach the boat. they preferred to beach the boat, and they did so with all the water that was in her all frozen. grettir got off the ox, which was very stiff in its limbs and very fat and tired; when they got to titlingsstad it could go no more. the foster-brothers went home, for none of them would help the other at his job. thorgils asked after grettir; they told him how they had parted, and he sent men out to him. when they came below hellisholar they saw a man coming towards them with an ox on his back; it was grettir carrying the ox. they all admired his great feat, but thorgeir became rather jealous of grettir's strength. one day soon after yule grettir went out alone to bathe. thorgeir knew of it and said to thormod: "let us go out now and see what grettir does if i attack him as he comes out of the water." "i don't care to do that," thormod said; "and i do not think you will get any good from him." "i mean to go," thorgeir said. he went down to the bank, carrying his axe aloft. grettir was just coming out of the water, and when they met thorgeir said: "is it true, grettir, that you once said you would not run away from any single person." "i don't know whether i did," grettir said; "but i have scarcely run away from you." thorgeir raised his axe. in a moment grettir ran at him and brought him over with a heavy fall. thorgeir said to thormod: "are you going to stand there while this devil knocks me down?" thormod then got grettir by the leg and tried to drag him off thorgeir but could not. he was wearing a short sword, and was just about to draw it when thorgils came up and told them to behave themselves and not to fight with grettir. they did as he bade and made out that it was all play. they had no more strife, so far as has been told, and men thought thorgils blessed by fortune in having been able to pacify men of such violent tempers. when the spring set in they all departed. grettir went on to thorskafjord. when some one asked him how he liked his entertainment at reykjaholar he answered: "our fare was such that i enjoyed my food very much--when i could get it." then he went west over the heath. chapter li. grettir's case overborne at the all-thing thorgils, the son of ari, rode to the thing with a large following. all the magnates were there from all parts of the country, and he soon met with skapti the lawman and had some talk with him. skapti said: "is it true, thorgils, that you have been giving winter entertainment to three of the most unruly men in the country, all three of them outlaws, and that you kept order so well that none of them did any harm to the other?" thorgils said it was true. skapti said: "well, i think it shows what authority you possess. but how did their characters appear to you? who is the most valorous among them?" "they are all entirely valiant," he answered, "but of two of them i will not say that they never fear; only there is a difference. thormod fears god, and is a man of great piety; and grettir fears the dark. he will not, if he may follow his own inclination, venture anywhere after nightfall. but thorgeir, my kinsman, he i think cannot fear." "they must be each of them as you say," said skapti, and there their conversation ended. at the thing thorodd drapustuf laid his complaint in the matter of the slaying of thorbjorn oxmain, for he had failed in the hunavatn thing through the influence of atli's kinsmen. here he thought that there was less likelihood of his case being overborne. atli's party sought counsel of skapti the lawman; he said that their defence appeared to him a good one, and that full blood-money would have to be paid for atli. then the case was brought before the judges, and the opinion of the majority was that the slaying of atli was set off by that of thorbjorn. skapti when he heard of it went to the judges and asked them on what grounds their decision rested; they said that the two slain bondis were of equal rank. skapti asked: "which happened first, the outlawing of grettir or the death of atli?" they reckoned up and found that a week had elapsed between the two events. grettir was outlawed at the all-thing and atli was killed just after it. "that was what i expected," skapti said. "you have overlooked the facts; you have treated as a party to the suit a man who was an outlaw, a man who was stopped from appearing either as plaintiff or defendant. i maintain that grettir has no standing in the case, and that it must be brought by the kinsmen of the deceased who are nearest at law." thorodd drapustuf said: "who then is to answer for the slaying of my brother thorbjorn?" "see to that yourself," said skapti. "grettir's kinsmen are not liable to pay for his deeds unless his sentence be removed." when thorvald the son of asgeir learned of grettir's status in court having been disallowed, inquiry was made for atli's nearest of kin, and these were found to be skeggi the son of gamli at melar and ospak the son of glum of eyr in bitra. both were valiant and strenuous men. thorodd was then mulcted in blood-money for the slaying of atli and had to pay two hundreds of silver. then snorri the godi spoke: "men of hrutafjord! are you willing now to agree to the remission of the fine in consideration of grettir's sentence being commuted? i expect that as an outlaw he will bite you sorely." grettir's kinsmen welcomed this proposal, and said they did not care about the money if grettir could have peace and freedom. thorodd said he saw that his case was beset with difficulties, and that for his part he was willing to accept the proposal. snorri said that inquiry must first be made whether thorir of gard would agree to grettir being freed. when thorir heard of it he was furious, and said that never should grettir either go or come out of his outlawry. so far from consenting to his being amnestied, he would put a higher price upon his head than was put upon any other outlaw. when they knew that he would take it so ill, nothing more was said about the amnesty. ospak and skeggi took the money that was paid and kept it, while thorodd drapustuf got no compensation for his brother thorbjorn. he and thorir each offered a reward of three marks of silver for grettir's head; this seemed to men to be an innovation, for never before had more than three marks in all been offered. snorri said it was very unwise to make such efforts to keep a man outlawed who could do so much mischief, and that many would suffer for it. then they parted and men rode home from the thing. chapter lii. grettir is captured by farmers and released by thorbjorg grettir went over the thorskafjord heath to langadal, where he let his hands sweep over the property of the smaller cultivators, taking what he wanted from every one. from some he got weapons, from others clothes. they gave up their property very variously, but when he was gone all said that they had been compelled to do it. there dwelt on the vatnsfjord one vermund the slender, a brother of viga-styr, who had married thorbjorg the daughter of olaf peacock, the son of hoskuld, called thorbjorg the fat. at the time when grettir was in langadal vermund was away at the thing. he went across the ridge to laugabol where a man named helgi was living, one of the principal bondis. thence grettir took a good horse belonging to the bondi and rode on to gervidal, where dwelt a man named thorkell. he was well provided but in a small way of business. grettir took from him what he wanted, thorkell daring neither to withhold anything nor to protest. thence grettir went to eyr and on to the coast of the fjord, obtaining food and clothes from every homestead and making himself generally disagreeable, so that men found it hard to live while he was about. grettir went boldly on, taking little care of himself. he went on until he came to vatnsfjardardal and entered a dairy shelter, where he stayed several nights. there he lay sleeping in the forest, fearing for nothing. when the shepherds learned of it they reported in the homesteads that a fiend had come into the place who they thought would be hard to deal with. all the farmers came together and a band of thirty of them concealed themselves in the forest where grettir could not know of them. they set one of the shepherds to watch for an opportunity of seizing him, without however knowing very clearly who the man was. one day when grettir was lying asleep the farmers came up to him. they considered how they should take him with least danger to themselves, and arranged that ten should fall upon him while others laid bonds round his feet. they threw themselves on to him, but grettir struggled so violently that he threw them all off and came down on his hands and knees. then they threw ropes round his feet. grettir kicked two of them in the ears and they fell senseless. one came on after the other; long and hard he struggled, but at last they succeeded in getting him down and binding him. then they began to ask themselves what they were going to do with him. they asked helgi of laugabol to take him over and look after him until vermund returned from the thing. he said: "i have something better to do than to keep my men guarding him. i have labour enough with my lands, and he shall not come in my way." then they asked thorkell of gervidal to take him and said he had sufficient means. he objected strongly and said he had no accommodation for him, "i lie at home with my wife, far from other men. you shall not bring your basket to me." "then you, thoralf of eyr," they said; "you take grettir and look after him well while the thing lasts, or else hand him on to the next farm; only be answerable for his not escaping. give him over bound, just as you receive him." he said: "i am not going to take grettir. i have neither means nor money to keep him, nor was he captured on my property. so far as i can see much more trouble than credit is to be got by taking him or having anything to do with him. he shall not enter my house." each of the bondis was asked, but all refused. some witty person wrote a poem about these confabulations and called it "grettir's faring," adding many jests of his own for the dilectification of men. after parleying for a long time they all came to an agreement that they would not throw away their luck, and set to work to raise a gallows there and then in the forest upon which grettir should hang. their delight over this proposal was uproarious. then they saw three people riding along the valley from below, one of them in a dyed dress. they guessed that it must be thorbjorg the mistress of vatnsfjord on her way to the dairy, and so it was. thorbjorg was a person of great magnificence, and tremendously wise. she was the leading personage of the district and managed everything when vermund was away. she came up to where the crowd was gathered and was lifted from her horse; the bondis saluted her respectfully. she said: "what is your meeting about? who is this thick-necked man sitting there in bonds?" grettir told his name and saluted her. "what has moved you, grettir," she said, "to commit violence upon my thing-men?" "i cannot overlook everything," he said. "i must be somewhere." "you are indeed unfortunate," she said, "that a pack of churls like these should have captured you and that none of them should have paid for it. what are you men going to do with him?" the bondis said that they were going to hoist him on to a gallows for his misdeeds. she said: "it may be that grettir has deserved it, but it will bring trouble upon you men of isafjord if you take the life of a man so renowned and so highly connected as grettir, ill-starred though he be. now what will you do for your life, grettir, if i give it to you?" "what do you wish me to do?" "you shall swear never to commit any violence here in isafjord; nor shall you take revenge upon those who have had a hand in capturing you." grettir said it should be as she desired, and he was released. he said it was the greatest effort of self-restraint that he ever made that he did not thrash the men who were there triumphing over him. thorbjorg told him to come home with her and gave him a horse to ride on. so he went to vatnsfjord and stayed there well cared for by the mistress until vermund returned. she gained great renown from this deed through the district. vermund was very much put out when he got home and asked why grettir was there. thorbjorg told him everything which had happened with the isafjord men. "to what does he owe it that you gave him his life?" he asked. "many reasons there were," she said. "the first is that you might be the more respected as a chief for having a wife who would dare to do such a thing. next, his kinswoman hrefna will surely say that i could not let him be slain; and thirdly, because he is in many respects a man of the highest worth." "you are a wise woman," he said, "in most things. i thank you for what you have done." then he said to grettir: "you have sold yourself very cheap, such a man of prowess as you are, to let yourself be taken by churls. this is what always happens to those who cannot control themselves." grettir then spoke a verse: "full was my cup in isafjord when the old swine held me at ransom." "what were they going to do with you when they took you?" vermund asked. "to sigar's lot my neck was destined when noble thorbjorg came upon them." "would they have hanged you then if they had been left to themselves?" "my neck would soon have been in the noose, had she not wisely saved the bard." "did she invite you to her home?" "she bade me home with her to fare. a steed she gave me, life and peace." "great will your life be and troublous," said vermund; "but now you have learnt to beware of your foes. i cannot keep you here, for it would rouse the enmity of many powerful men against me. your best way is to seek your kinsmen; there are not many who will be willing to take you in if they can do anything else; nor are you one who will easily follow the will of another man." grettir remained for a time in vatnsfjord and went thence to the western fjords and tried several of the leading men there, but something always happened to prevent their taking him in. chapter liii. grettir winters in ljarskogar with thorsteinn kuggason during the autumn grettir returned to the south and did not stop till he came to his kinsman thorsteinn kuggason in ljarskogar, who welcomed him. he accepted thorsteinn's invitation to stay the winter with him. thorsteinn was a man who worked very hard; he was a smith, and kept a number of men working for him. grettir was not one for hard work, so that their dispositions did not agree very well. thorsteinn had had a church built on his lands, with a bridge from his house, made with much ingenuity. outside the bridge, on the beam which supported it, rings were fastened and bells, which could be heard from skarfsstadir half a sea-mile distant when any one walked over the bridge. the building of the bridge had cost thorsteinn, who was a great worker in iron, much labour. grettir was a first-rate hand at forging the iron, but was not often inclined to work at it. he was very quiet during the winter so that there is not much to relate. the men of hrutafjord heard that grettir was with thorsteinn, and gathered their forces in the spring. thorsteinn then told grettir that he must find some other hiding-place for himself, since he would not work. men who did nothing did not suit him. "where do you mean me to go to?" asked grettir. thorsteinn told him to go south to his kinsmen, but to return to him if he found them of no use. grettir did so. he went to borgarfjord in the south to visit grim the son of thorhall, and stayed with him till the thing was over. grim sent him on to skapti the lawman at hjalli. he went south over the lower heaths and did not stop before he reached tunga, where he went to thorhall, the son of asgrim the son of ellidagrim, and paid few visits to the farms around. thorhall knew of grettir through the relations which had been between their ancestors; indeed grettir's name was well known throughout the country because of his exploits. thorhall was a wise man and treated grettir well, but did not want to keep him there for very long. chapter liv. adventure with lopt grettir went from tunga up the haukadal valley northwards to kjol and was there for some time in the summer. for men travelling either to the north or to the south there was no certainty of their not being stripped of what they had on them, for he was hard pressed for the means of living. one day when grettir was keeping to the north near dufunesskeid he saw a man riding south along the kjol valley. he was a tall man on horseback, riding a good horse with a studded bridle, and was leading another horse loaded with sacks. he had a slouched hat on his head, so that his face was not clearly seen. grettir was very pleased to see his horse and his property, and went to meet him and asked him his name. he said it was lopt, and added: "i know what your name is; you are grettir the strong, son of asmund. whither are you going?" "i have not made up my mind yet about that," said grettir. "my present business is to know whether you will lay off some of the property which you are travelling with." "why should i give you what belongs to me? what will you give me for the things?" "have you not heard that i never pay anything? and yet it seems to most people that i get what i want." lopt said: "make this offer to those who seem good to you; i am not going to give my property away for nothing. let us each go our own way." then he whipped on his horse and was about to ride away from grettir. "we shall not part so quickly as that," said grettir, and seized the bridle of lopt's horse in front of his hands, pulled it from him and held it with both hands. "go your own way," said lopt; "you will get nothing from me as long as i am able to hold it." "that shall now be tried," said grettir. lopt reached down along the cheek-strap and got hold of the reins between the end ring and grettir's hands, pulling with such force that grettir let go, and at last lopt wrenched the whole bridle away from him. grettir looked at his palms and thought that this man must have strength in his claws rather than not. then he looked at him and said: "where are you going to now?" he answered: "to the storm-driven den, over ice-clad heights, i ride to the rock and the rest of the hand." grettir said: "there is no certainty to be had from asking where your dwelling is if you do not speak more clearly." then lopt spake and said: "i seek not to hide thy ways from thy ken. 'tis the place which the borgfirdings balljokull call." then they parted. grettir saw that he had no strength against this man. then he spoke a verse: "illugi brave and atli were far. never again may such hap be mine! the bridle was torn away from my hand. her tears will flow when i am afeared." after this grettir left kjol and went south to hjalli where he asked skapti for shelter. skapti said: "i am told that you are acting with violence and are robbing men of their property; that ill becomes a man so highly connected as you are. it would be easier to negotiate if you gave up robbing. now as i am called lawman of this country, it would not be seemly for me to break the law by harbouring outlaws. i would like you to betake yourself somewhere where you do not need to commit robbery." grettir said he would be very glad to, but that he could scarcely live alone owing to his fear of the dark. skapti said he would have to content himself with something short of the best: "and trust no one so fully that what happened to you in the western fjords may be repeated. many have been brought to death by over-confidence." grettir thanked him for his good advice and turned back to borgarfjord in the autumn, when he went to his friend grim, the son of thorhall, and told him what skapti had said. grim advised him to go to the north to fiskivotn in the arnarvatn heath, and he did so. chapter lv. grettir in the arnarvatn heath. death of grim the forest-man grettir went up to the arnarvatn heath and built himself a hut there of which the remains are still to be seen. he went there because he wanted to do anything rather than rob, so he got himself a net and a boat and went out fishing to support himself. it was a weary time for him in the mountains because of his fear of the dark. other outlaws heard of his having come there and wanted to go and see him, thinking that he would be a great protection to them. there was an outlaw from the north named grim. this man was bribed by those of hrutafjord to kill grettir. they promised him pardon and money if he succeeded. he went to visit grettir and asked for his hospitality. grettir said: "i do not see how you will be holpen by coming to me, and you men of the forest are untrustworthy. but it is ill to live alone; i have no choice. only he shall be with me who is willing to work at whatever comes to hand." grim said that was just what he wished and pressed grettir much, until grettir let himself be persuaded and took him in. he stayed there right into the winter, and watched grettir closely, but it seemed no easy matter to attack him, for grettir was suspicious and kept his weapons at hand night and day; when he was awake the man would not venture to approach him. one morning grim came home from fishing and went into the hut stamping with his feet and wanting to know whether grettir was asleep. grettir lay still and did not move. there was a short sword hanging above his head. grim thought he would never have a better opportunity. he made a loud noise to see whether grettir took any notice, but he did not, so grim felt sure that he was asleep. he crept stealthily to the bed, reached up to the sword, took it down and raised it to strike. just at the moment when he raised it grettir sprang up on to the floor, and, seizing the sword with one hand, grim with the other, hurled him over so that he fell nearly senseless. "this is how you have proved yourself with all your friendly seeming," he said. then he got the whole truth out of him and killed him. he learned from this what it was to take in a forest-man. so the winter passed. the hardest thing of all to bear was his fear of the dark. chapter lvi. treachery and death of thorir redbeard thorir of gard now heard where grettir had taken up his abode and meant to leave no stone unturned to get him slain. there was a man named thorir redbeard, a stout man and a great fighter, on which account he had been declared outlaw throughout the country. thorir of gard sent word to him, and when they met asked redbeard to undertake the business of slaying grettir. redbeard said that was no easy task, as grettir was very wide awake and very cautious. thorir told him to try it, saying: "it would be a splendid deed for a valiant man like you; i will get your outlawing removed and give you sufficient money as well." so redbeard agreed and thorir told him how he should go to work to deal with grettir. redbeard then went away into the east in order that grettir might not suspect where he came from. thence he came to the arnarvatn heath, where grettir had then been for one winter, found grettir and asked him for entertainment. he said: "i cannot allow people to play with me again as the man did who came here last autumn, pretending to be very friendly; before he had been here very long he began plotting against my life. i cannot risk taking in anymore forest-men." "i think you have reason," thorir said, "to mistrust forest-men. it may be you have heard tell of me as a man of blood and a disturber of peace, but never did you hear of such a monstrous deed of me as that i betrayed my host. ill is the lot of him who has an ill name; for men think of him but as such; nor would i have come here if i had had any better choice. all is not lost for us if we stand together. you might venture so much to begin with as to try how you like me, and then if you find any unfitness in me turn me away." "well," said grettir, "i will risk it with you; but know of a surety that if i suspect you of any treachery it will be your death." thorir agreed. grettir took him in and found that in whatever he did he had the strength of two men. he was ready for anything that grettir gave him to do. nothing did grettir need to do for himself, and he had never lived so comfortably since he had become an outlaw. nevertheless he was so wary that thorir got no chance. two years was thorir redbeard with grettir on the heath, and at last he began to weary of it. he thought over what he could do to take grettir off his guard. one night in the spring a heavy gale sprang up while they were asleep. grettir awoke and asked where their boat was. thorir sprang up, ran to the boat, broke her all in pieces, and threw the fragments about so that it looked as if the storm had wrecked her. then he returned to the hut and said aloud: "you have had bad luck, my friend. our boat is all broken in pieces and the nets are lying far out in the lake." "get them back then," said grettir. "it seems to me to be your doing that the boat is smashed." "of all things which i can do," said thorir, "swimming is that which suits me least. in almost anything else i think i can hold my own with any ordinary man. you know very well that i have been no burden to you since i came here; nor would i ask you to do this if i were able to do it myself." grettir then arose, took his arms and went to the lake. there was a point of land running out into the lake with a large bay on the further side of it. the water was deep up to the shore. grettir said: "swim out to the nets and let me see what you are able to do." "i told you before," thorir said, "that i cannot swim. i do not know now where all your boldness and daring are gone to." "i could get the nets," he said; "but betray me not if i trust you." "do not think such shameful and monstrous things of me," said thorir. "you will prove yourself what you are," grettir said. then he threw off his clothes and his weapons and swam out to the nets. he gathered them together, returned to the shore and cast them up on to the bank. just as he was about to land thorir quickly seized his short sword and drew it. he ran towards grettir as he stepped on to the bank and aimed a blow at him. grettir threw himself down backwards into the water and sank like a stone. thorir stood by the shore intending to guard it until he came up. grettir swam beneath the water, keeping close to the bank so that thorir could not see him, and so reached the bay behind him, where he landed without letting himself be seen. the first thorir knew of it was when grettir lifted him up over his head and dashed him down with such violence that the sword fell out of his hand. grettir got possession of it and without speaking a word cut off his head. so his life ended. after that grettir refused to take in any forest-men, and yet he could not live alone. chapter lvii. attack on grettir by thorir of gard with eighty men repulsed with the aid of hallmund at the all-thing thorir of gard learned of thorir redbeard having been killed. it was evident that the matter was not so easy to deal with. he now determined to ride from the thing in a westerly direction through the lower heath, and with the aid of about eighty men whom he had with him to take grettir's life. grim the son of thorhall heard of his plans and sent word to grettir, bidding him beware of himself. grettir therefore continued closely to watch the movements of men who came and went. one day he saw a number of men coming in the direction of his place of dwelling. he went into a gorge between two rocks, but did not go right away because he did not see the whole of the troop. thorir then came up with his whole party and bade them go between his head and his body, saying that the scoundrel had but a poor chance now. "a filled cup is not yet drunk," answered grettir. "you have come far to seek me, and some of you shall bear the marks of our game before we part." thorir urged his men on to attack him. the gorge was very narrow so that he could easily defend it from one end, and he wondered much that they did not get round to his rear to hurt him. some of thorir's men fell and some were wounded, but they effected nothing. then thorir said: "i always heard that grettir was distinguished for his courage and daring, but i never knew that he was so skilled in magic as i now see he is; for there fall half as many again behind his back as before his face, and i see that we have to do with a troll instead of a man." so he bade his men retire, and they did so. grettir wondered what the explanation could be, but was terribly exhausted. thorir and his men withdrew and rode into the northern parts. their expedition was considered very disgraceful. thorir had left eighteen men on the ground and had many wounded. grettir then went up the gorge and found there a man of huge stature sitting up against the rock and sorely wounded. grettir asked his name, and he said it was hallmund, adding: "that you may recognise me i may remind you that you thought i gripped the reins rather tightly when i met you in kjol last summer. i think i have now made that good." "indeed," said grettir, "i think you have done me a manly service; whenever i can i will repay it." "now i wish," said hallmund, "that you may come to my home, for it must seem wearisome to you here on the heath." grettir said he would come willingly, and they both went together to the foot of the balljokull, where hallmund had a large cave. there they found his daughter, a fine and well-grown maiden. they treated grettir well, and the daughter nursed both the wounded men to health again. grettir stayed there some time that summer. he composed an ode on hallmund in which the line occurs: "hallmund steps from his mountain hall"; further: "the war-fain sword in arnarvatn went forth to hew its bloody path. heroes inherit kelduhverfi. hallmund the brave came forth from his den." it is said that at that encounter grettir slew six men and hallmund twelve. as the summer passed grettir began to long for the habitations of men, and to see his friends and kinsmen. hallmund told him to visit him when he returned to the south and grettir promised to do so. he went westwards to borgarfjord and thence to breidafjardardalir and sought counsel of thorsteinn kuggason as to where he should go next. thorsteinn said that his enemies were now becoming so numerous that few would care to take him in; but told him to go to myrar and see what he found there. so in the autumn he went to myrar. chapter lviii. grettir visits bjorn the hitdale warrior and takes refuge in the fagraskogafjall there lived in holm bjorn the hitdale warrior, who was the son of arngeir, the son of bersi the godless, the son of balki, who was the first settler in hrutafjord, as has already been told. bjorn was a great chief and a valiant man, always ready to take in outlaws. he received grettir well when he came to holm on account of the friendship which had existed between their former kinsmen. grettir asked if he would give him shelter, and bjorn said that he had so many quarrels throughout the land that men would be reluctant to take him in for fear of being outlawed themselves. "but," he said, "i will give you some help if you will leave the men who are under my protection in peace, whatever you do to others in this part." grettir promised that he would, and bjorn continued: "i have thought of something. in the mountain which stretches away from the hitara river there is a good position for defence, and likewise a good hiding-place if it is skilfully managed. there is a hole through the mountain from which you can see down upon the high road that lies immediately beneath it, and a sandy slope down to the road so steep that few could get up it if it were defended above by one doughty man up in the hollow. it may, i think, be worth your while to consider whether you can stay there; it is easy to go down from there to the myrar to get your supplies, and to reach the sea." grettir said he would trust to his foresight if he would help him a little. then he went to fagraskogafjall and made himself a home there. he hung some grey wadmal in front of the hole, and it looked from the road below as if one could see through. then he began to get in his supplies, but the myramen thought they had an unhappy visitor in grettir. thord the son of kolbeinn was an excellent poet who dwelt in hitarnes. there was a great feud between him and bjorn at that time, and bjorn thought it would be more than half useful to him if grettir were to busy himself with thord's men or his cattle. grettir was a great deal with bjorn and they had many games of strength. it is related in bjorn's saga that they were considered equal in strength, but the opinion of most people is that grettir was the strongest man that had been in the land since the days when orin storolfsson and thoralf skolmsson ceased their trials of strength. grettir and bjorn swam in one course the whole length of the hitara from the lake at its head down to the sea. they brought the stepping-stones into the river which neither floods nor freezing nor icedrifts have since moved from their places. grettir stayed a year in fagraskogafjall without any attack being made upon him, and yet many lost their property through his means and got nothing for it, because his position was strong for defence and he was always in good friendship with those who were nearest to him. chapter lix. the chastisement of gisli there was a man named gisli; he was the son of that thorsteinn whom snorri the godi had caused to be slain. he was a big strong man, very ostentatious in his dress and in his armour, a man with a high opinion of himself and very boastful. he was a mariner, and landed at the hvita river in the summer after grettir had spent a winter in the mountains. thord the son of kolbeinn rode to his ship and was welcomed by gisli, who offered him of his wares whatever he cared to have. thord accepted his offer and they began to have some talk together. gisli asked: "is it true what i hear that you are in difficulty how to rid yourself of a forest-man who is doing you much hurt?" "we have made no attempt yet," said thord, "because a great many think he is difficult to reach, and have found it so." "it seems likely that you will have trouble with bjorn, unless you drive him away. all the worse it is that i must be too far away next winter to give you any help." "it is better for you to know of him only by hearsay." "don't talk to me about grettir," said gisli. "i have been in much greater straits in my campaigns with king knut the mighty and in the western seas, where i was always considered to have held my own. only let me come within reach of him and i will trust myself and my armour." thord answered that he should not do it for nothing if he killed grettir: "there is more money on his head than on that of any other outlaw. first there were six marks of silver, this summer thorir of gard added three more, and men think that he who wins it will have had enough trouble." "everything will be attempted for money," said gisli: "especially with us traders. but we must keep quiet about what we have been saying, for grettir will be more on his guard if he hears that you have taken me into your counsels. i intend next winter to be at olduhrygg; is there any hiding-place of his on my way there? he will not be prepared for this, and i shall not take many men with me to attack him." thord approved of his proposal. he rode home soon after and kept very quiet about it. and now was proved what has often been said, that: off in the woods is a listener nigh. men who were friends of bjorn in hitardal overheard their conversation and reported it accurately to him. bjorn told grettir of it when they met, and said now he should see how to encounter him. "it would be no bad joke," he said, "if you were to injure him in some way without killing him if you can." grettir grinned but said little. towards the time of gathering in the cattle grettir went down to flysjuhverfi to get some sheep and got four wethers. the bondis heard of his having come and went after him. they came up just at about the moment when he reached the foot of his mountain and wanted to drive the sheep away from him. but they would not attack him with weapons. there were six of them and they stood across his path to bar his way. he was concerned about his sheep, got angry, seized three of them and threw them down the hill so that they lay senseless. the others when they saw it went at him, but rather halfheartedly. grettir took the sheep, fastened them together by the horns, threw two over each shoulder and carried them off. then he went up into his den. the bondis turned back feeling they had had the worst of it, and were more discontented with their lot than ever. gisli stayed with his ship that autumn until she was ready to be hauled up. several things happened to delay him, so that he was late in getting away and rode off very little before the winter nights. then he rode north and stayed at hraun on the south bank of the hitara. next morning before he rode out he said to his servants: "now we will ride in red clothes and let the forest-man see that we are not like the other travellers who beat about here every day." there were three of them and they did as he bade. when they had crossed the river he said: "here i am told dwells the forest-man, up in that peak; but the way is not an easy one. would it not please him to come to us and see our array?" they said this was always his habit. that morning grettir had got up early. the weather was cold, it was freezing and some snow had fallen, but very little. he saw three men riding from the south across the hitara, and the light shone from their apparel and from their enamelled shields. it occurred to grettir who it might be, and he thought he would relieve them of some of their accoutrements. he was very curious to meet a man who went about so ostentatiously. so he took his weapons and hurried down the hillside. gisli when he heard the clattering of the stones said: "a man, rather tall, is coming down the hill and wants to meet us. let us act boldly and we shall have good sport." his men said that this fellow had great confidence in himself to run into their hands; but that he who asked should have. then they got off their horses. grettir came up to them and laid hold of a bag of clothes which gisli had behind him on his saddle, saying: "i must have this; i often stoop to little things." gisli said: "you shall not; do not you know with whom you have to do?" grettir said: "no; that is not so clear to me. nor do i make much difference between one man and another since i claim so little." "may be it seems little to you," said gisli; "but i would sooner part with thirty hundred ells of wadmal. it seems that extortion is your way. go for him, boys! let us see what he can do." they obeyed. grettir fell back a little and reached a stone which is still standing by the side of the way and is called grettishaf, where he stood at bay. gisli urged on his men, and grettir saw that he was not quite so valiant as he pretended to be, for he kept well behind them. grettir got tired of being hemmed in, so he made a lunge with his sword and killed one of gisli's men, sprang from his stone and assailed them so vigorously that gisli fell back all along the foot of the hill. then his other man was killed. grettir said: "one would scarcely see that you have achieved much in the world abroad, and you have shamefully forsaken your comrades." gisli answered: "the fire is hottest to him who is in it; it is ill dealing with men from hel." they had exchanged few more blows when gisli threw away his arms and bolted right away along the foot of the mountain. grettir gave him time to throw away whatever he liked, and at every opportunity he threw off something more of his clothes. grettir never followed him so closely that there was not some distance between them. he ran right away from the mountains, across kaldardal, round aslaug's cliff, above kolbeinsstad and out to borgarhraun. by that time he had nothing left on him but his shirt, and was terribly exhausted. grettir still followed, keeping now within reach of him. he pulled off a great branch. gisli did not stop till he reached haffjardara river, which was all swollen and difficult to ford. gisli was going right out into the river when grettir pressed forward and seized him and showed him the difference in their strength. grettir got him down, sat on the top of him and asked: "are you the gisli who wanted to meet grettir?" "i have found him now," he answered; "but i know not how i shall part with him. keep what you have taken and let me go free." grettir said: "you will not understand what i am going to tell you, so i must give you something to remember it by." then he pulled up gisli's shirt over his head and let the rod play on both sides of his back. gisli struggled to get away, but grettir gave him a sound whipping and then let him go. gisli thought that he would sooner not learn anything from grettir than have another such flogging, nor did he do anything more to earn it. directly he got his feet under him again he ran off to a large pool and swam across the river. in the evening he reached the settlement called hrossholt, very exhausted. there he lay for a week, his body covered with blisters, and afterwards went on to his own place. grettir turned back, gathered up all the things which gisli had thrown away and took them home. gisli never got them back again; many thought he had only got what he deserved for his noisy boasting. grettir made a verse about their encounter: "the horse whose fighting teeth are blunted runs from the field before his foe. with many an afterthought ran gisli. gone is his fame, his glory lost!" in the spring after this gisli prepared to go on board his ship and forbade in the strongest terms anything which belonged to him being carried south by the way of the mountains; for he said that the fiend himself was there. gisli when he went south to join his ship kept all the way along the coast and he never met grettir again. nobody considered him worth thinking about, nor do we hear any more of him in this saga. grettir's relations with thord the son of kolbeinn became worse than ever, and thord tried every means to get grettir driven away or killed. chapter lx. the battle with the myramen when grettir had been two winters in fagraskogafjall and the third winter had set in, he went south into myrar to the farm called laekjarbug, where he took six wethers without their owner's permission. then he went down to akrar and drove off two oxen for slaughter with several sheep, and went up south to the hitara. when the bondis heard of his exploits they sent word to thord at hitarnes and asked him to take the lead in the slaying of grettir. he was rather reluctant, but as they had asked him he sent his son arnor, afterwards called jarlsbard, to go with them, and told them not to let grettir escape. messengers were then sent round to all the farms. there was a man named bjarni who dwelt in jorvi in flysjuhverfi. he collected men on the other side of the hitara; the intention was that each band should keep on its own side. grettir had two men with him, one named eyjolf, a stout man, the son of a bondi in fagraskogar, and another. the party came on, about twenty in number, under thorarin from akrar and thorfinn of laekjarbug. grettir tried to get out across the river, but was met by arnor and bjarni coming from the coast. there was a narrow point jutting out into the river on grettir's side, and when he saw the men approaching he drove his animals on to it, for he never would let go anything of which he had once got possession. the myramen prepared to attack in good order and grettir told his companions to guard his rear. they could not all come on at once. there was a hard struggle between them; grettir used his short sword with both hands and they found it not easy to get at him. some of the myramen fell and some were wounded. the men on the other side of the river were rather slow in coming up because there was no ford near. before they had been fighting very long they fell back. thorarin of akrar was a very old man and not able to join in the fighting. when the battle was over there came up his son thrand, his brother ingjald's son thorgils, finnbogi the son of thorgeir, the son of thorhadd of hitardal, and steinolf the son of thorleif of hraundal. they set on their men and there was a hard struggle. grettir saw that there was no choice left but either to flee or else to do his utmost and not spare himself. he pressed on hard and nothing could hold against him, for his foes were so numerous that there was no chance of escaping except by fighting to the last before he fell. he tried always to engage those who seemed most courageous; first he went for steinolf of hraundal and cleft his skull down to his shoulders; then he struck at thorgils the son of ingjald and almost cut him in two. then thrand tried to spring forward and avenge his kinsmen, and grettir hewed at his right thigh, cutting out all the muscles so that he could fight no more. next he gave finnbogi a severe wound. then thorarin ordered them off. "the longer you fight," he said, "the worse you will get from him and the more will he choose out the men from your company." they obeyed and fell back. ten had fallen; five were wounded to death or crippled, and nearly all who had been in the battle were hurt. grettir was terribly fatigued but little wounded. the myramen drew off, having suffered heavy losses, for many a good man had fallen. those who were beyond the river came over slowly and did not arrive till the fight was over, and when they saw the plight of their men arnor would not risk himself any further, for which he was much blamed by his father and by others. men thought he was not much of a warrior. the place where they fought is now called grettisoddi. grettir and his companions were all wounded; they took their horses and rode back along the foot of the mountain. when they reached fagraskogar eyjolf was behind. there was a bondi's daughter there and she asked for their tidings, which grettir told her fully and spoke a verse: "goddess of horn-floods! steinolf's wounds are such that scarcely may be healed. of thorgils' life is little hope; his bones are smashed; eight more are dead." then grettir went to his retreat and spent the winter there. chapter lxi. grettir winters under the geitland glacier the next time that bjorn met grettir he told him that this was a very serious affair, and that he would not be able to stay there in peace much longer. "you have killed kinsmen and friends of mine, but i will not depart from my promise to you so long as you are here." grettir said he was sorry to have given him offence, but that he had to defend his hands and his life. bjorn said it would have to remain so. soon there came to him some of the men who had lost their kinsmen through grettir and petitioned him not to allow such a ruffian as he was to stay there any longer and molest them. bjorn said he would do as they desired directly the winter was over. thrand the son of thorarin of akrar had now recovered from his wound. he was a man of much worth, and had married steinunn the daughter of hrut of kambsnes. steinolf's father thorleif of hraundal was a great man; from him are sprung the hraundal men. no more meetings are told of between grettir and the myramen while he was in the mountains. bjorn continued in friendship with him, but some of bjorn's other friends fell away from him because of his allowing grettir to remain there, for they were annoyed at getting no compensation for the slaying of their kinsmen. when the thing assembled grettir left the myrar district and went to borgarfjord, where he visited grim the son of thorhall and sought counsel of him where he should move to next. grim said he was not powerful enough to keep him there, so grettir went off to his friend hallmund and stayed there till the end of the summer. in the autumn grettir went to geitland, where he stayed till bright weather set in. then he ascended the geitlandsjokull and turned his steps south-east along the glacier, taking with him a kettle and fuel. it is supposed that he went there by the counsel of hallmund, who knew the country far and wide. he went on till he came to a long and rather narrow valley in the glacier, shut in on every side by the ice which overhung the valley. he went about everywhere, and found fair grass-grown banks and brushwood. there were hot springs, and it seemed as if volcanic fires had kept the ice from closing in above the valley. a little stream flowed down the dale with smooth banks on either side. little did the light of the sun enter there, and the number of sheep in the valley seemed to him countless. they were much better and fatter than any which he had ever seen. grettir stayed there and built himself a hut out of logs which he found about. he caught a sheep to eat, and it was better for slaughter than two in other places. there was a ewe there with her lamb; she had a brown head and excelled all the others in size. he was anxious to have the lamb, so he caught it and slaughtered it and got half a measure of suet out of it, and it was better in every way. when brownhead missed her lamb she came up every night to grettir's hut and bleated so that he never could get any sleep. he regretted much having killed the lamb on account of the disturbance which she caused him. every evening when the twilight set in he heard a voice calling in the valley, and then the sheep used to run together into a place of shelter. grettir has told us that a blending ruled over the valley, a giant named thorir, under whose protection he remained. grettir called the valley after him thorisdal. he said that thorir had daughters with whom he had some play, and that they were very pleased, because not many people came there. and when the days of fasting came grettir remembered to tell them that fat and liver should be eaten in lent. nothing particular occurred that winter, and grettir found it so dull that he could not stay there any longer. he left the valley and went to the south through the glacier, reaching the middle of skjaldbreid from the north. there he took up a stone, cut a hole in it and said that if a man put his eye to the hole he could see into the gully which flows out of thorisdal. then he went across the country south and reached the eastern fjords. he spent the summer and the winter on this journey and visited all the great men, but found them all against him so that nowhere could he get lodging or shelter. so he returned to the north and stayed in various places. chapter lxii. hallmund is killed by a forest-man named grim soon after grettir had left the arnarvatn heath there came a man there named grim, the son of a widow at kropp. he had killed the son of eid of ass, the son of skeggi, and been outlawed for it. so there he stayed where grettir had been before him and got plenty of fish out of the lake. hallmund was not at all pleased at grim being there instead of grettir, and said that he should have little advantage from his great catches of fish. one morning grim had caught a hundred fish, which he brought to the hut and arranged outside. the next morning when he went there every fish was gone. he thought it very strange, but returned to the lake and caught this time two hundred. he carried them home and arranged them; again everything happened as before; in the morning all were gone, evidently through the same agency as before. the third day he caught three hundred, carried them home and kept a watch on his hut. he looked out through a hole in the door to see if any one came, and so he remained for a time. when about one third of the night had passed he heard some one walking near and stepping rather heavily; so he immediately took his axe, which was very sharp, and wanted to know what was the matter. there came a man with a big basket on his back; he put it down and looked round, but saw no one outside. he rummaged about among the fish and seemed to think that they would do for him to lay hands upon. he threw them all into his basket and they quite filled it. the fishes were so large that grim thought no horse would be able to carry more. this man then took the load and got beneath it. just as he was about to rise grim rushed out and taking his axe in both hands struck a blow at his neck which went through the skin. he started in surprise and then ran off towards the south of the hill with his basket. grim went after him to see whether he had got him. they went south along the foot of the balljokull where the man entered a cave. there was a bright fire in the cave and a woman standing in it, very tall but shapely. grim heard her greet her father, calling him hallmund. he flung down his load and heaved a great sigh. she asked why he was covered with blood. he answered in a verse: "no man, i see, may trust his might. his luck and heart will fail at death." then she pressed him to say what had happened, and he told her everything. "hear now," he said, "what i tell you of my adventure. i will tell it to you in verse, and you shall cut it in runes on a staff." she did so, and he spoke the hallmundarkvida, in which the following occurs: "i was strong when grettir's bridle i seized i saw him gazing long at his palms. then thorir came on the heath with his men. 'gainst eighty we two had play with our spears. grettir's hands knew how to strike; much deeper the marks that were left by mine. arms and heads then flew as they tried to gain my rear; eighteen of them fell. the giant-kind and the grim rock-dwellers, demons and blendings fell before me, elves and devils have felt my hand." many exploits of his did hallmund recount in the lay, for he had been in every land. the daughter said: "that man was not going to let his catch slip away from him. it was only to be expected, for you treated him very badly. but who is going to avenge you?" "it is not certain that anybody will, but i think that grettir would avenge me if he were able. it will not be easy to go against this man's luck; he is destined to great things." then as the lay continued his strength began to fail. hallmund died almost at the moment when he finished the song. she grieved much for him and wept sorely. then grim came forward and bade her be comforted. "all," he said, "must depart when their fate calls. it was partly his own fault, for i could not look on and see myself robbed." she said he might speak much about that: "the unjust man prospers ill." she was somewhat cheered by the talk with him. grim stayed several nights in the cave and learned the lay; all went well with them. grim was in the arnarvatn heath all the winter after hallmund's death. afterwards thorkell the son of eyjolf came to the heath and fought with him. the meeting ended by grim having thorkell's life in his power, but he would not kill him. thorkell then took him in, sent him abroad and supplied him with means; each was considered to have acted generously towards the other. grim became a great traveller and there is a long saga about him. chapter lxiii. grettir's meeting with thorir on the reykja heath we now return to grettir, who came from the eastern fjords, travelling in disguise and hiding his head because he did not wish to meet thorir. that summer he spent in modrudal heath and other places. for a time too he was on reykja heath. thorir heard of his being on reykja heath, gathered his men and rode thither, determined not to let him escape. grettir scarcely knew of their plans before they came upon him. he was in a hill-dairy a little off the road with another man, and when they saw the troop they had to lay their plans quickly. grettir said they should make their horses lie down inside the house, and they did so. thorir rode forward across the heath in a northerly direction, missed the place, did not find grettir and turned back home. when the troop had ridden round to the west, grettir said: "they will not be pleased with their expedition if they do not meet me. you stay and mind the horses while i go after them. it would be a good jest if they did not recognise me." his companion tried to dissuade him, but he would go. he changed his dress, put on a wide hat which came down over his face and took a stick in his hand. then he went along the road towards them. they addressed him and asked whether he had seen any men riding over the heath. "i have seen the men whom you are seeking," he said, "you very nearly came upon them; they were on your left hand just south of the marshes." on hearing this they galloped off towards the marshes, which were so swampy that they could not get through and had to spend a great part of the day dragging their horses out. they swore much at the supposed traveller for playing a practical joke upon them. grettir returned speedily home to his companion, and when they met spoke a verse: "i will not ride to the warriors' arms; too great the danger is. i dare not meet the storm of vidri; but homeward turn my steps." they rode off as fast as they could westwards towards the homestead in gard before thorir could come there with his company. when they were near the place they met a man on the road who did not know them. there was a young woman standing outside, very much dressed up, and grettir asked who she was. the man who had come up said she was thorir's daughter. then grettir spoke a verse: "maiden, when thy father comes tell him, little though it please him, how i rode his dwelling past; only two who with me rode." from this the man learnt who it was, and rode to the house to tell them that grettir had come round. when thorir returned many men thought that he had been bamboozled by grettir. he then set spies to watch grettir's movements. grettir took the precaution of sending his companion to the western districts with his horse, while he himself went north into the mountains at the beginning of the winter, muffling up his face so that no one should recognise him. every one thought that thorir had fared no better but even worse than at their former encounter. chapter lxiv. ghosts in bardardal there was dwelling at eyjardalsa in bardardal a priest named steinn, a good farmer and wealthy. his son kjartan was grown up and was now a fine young man. thorsteinn the white was a man who dwelt at sandhaugar to the south of eyjardalsa; his wife steinvor was young and of a merry disposition. they had children who at this time were yet young. their place was generally thought to be much haunted by trolls. two winters before grettir came north into those parts, steinvor the mistress of sandhaugar went as usual to spend yule at eyjardalsa, while her husband stayed at home. men lay down to sleep in the evening, and in the night they heard a great noise in the room near the bondi's bed. no one dared to get up to see what was the matter because there were so few of them. the mistress of the house returned home the next morning, but her husband had disappeared and no one knew what had become of him. so the next season passed. the following winter the mistress wanted to go to mass, and told her servant to stay at home; he was very unwilling but said she should be obeyed. it happened just as before; this time the servant disappeared. people thought it very strange and found some drops of blood upon the outer door, so they supposed that some evil spirit must have carried off both the men. the story spread all through the district and came to the ears of grettir, who being well accustomed to deal with ghosts and spectres turned his steps to bardardal and arrived at yule-eve at sandhaugar. he retained his disguise and called himself gest. the lady of the house saw that he was enormously tall, and the servants were terribly afraid of him. he asked for hospitality; the mistress told him that food was ready for him but that he must see after himself. he said he would, and added: "i will stay in the house while you go to mass if you would like it." she said: "you must be a brave man to venture to stay in the house." "i do not care for a monotonous life," he said. then she said: "i do not want to remain at home, but i cannot get across the river." "i will come with you," said gest. then she made ready to go to mass with her little daughter. it was thawing outside; the river was flooded and was covered with ice. she said: "it is impossible for either man or horse to cross the river." "there must be fords," said gest; "do not be afraid." "first carry the maiden over," she said; "she is lighter." "i don't want to make two journeys of it," said he; "i will carry you in my arms." she crossed herself and said: "that is impossible; what will you do with the girl?" "i will find a way," he said, taking them both up and setting the girl on her mother's knee as he bore them both on his left arm, keeping his right arm free. so he carried them across. they were too frightened to cry out. the river came up to his breast, and a great piece of ice drove against him, which he pushed off with the hand that was free. then the stream became so deep that it broke over his shoulder, but he waded on vigorously till he reached the other bank and put them on shore. it was nearly dark by the time he got home to sandhaugar and called for some food. when he had eaten something he told the servants to go to the other end of the hall. then he got some boards and loose logs and laid them across the hall to make a great barricade so that none of the servants could get across. no one dared to oppose him or to object to anything. the entrance was in the side wall of the hall under the back gable, and near it was a cross bench upon which grettir laid himself, keeping on his clothes, with a light burning in the room. so he lay till into the night. the mistress reached eyjardalsa for mass and every one wondered how she had crossed the river. she said she did not know whether it was a man or a troll who had carried her over. the priest said it was certainly a man though unlike other men. "let us keep silence over it; may be that he means to help you in your difficulties." she stayed there the night. chapter lxv. adventure with a troll-woman we return now to tell of gest. towards midnight he heard a loud noise outside, and very soon there walked a huge troll-wife into the room. she carried a trough in one hand and a rather large cutlass in the other. she looked round the room as she entered, and on seeing gest lying there she rushed at him; he started up and attacked her furiously. they fought long together; she was the stronger but he evaded her skilfully. everything near them and the panelling of the back wall were broken to pieces. she dragged him through the hall door out to the porch, where he resisted vigorously. she wanted to drag him out of the house, but before that was done they had broken up all the fittings of the outer door and borne them away on their shoulders. then she strove to get to the river and among the rocks. gest was terribly fatigued, but there was no choice but either to brace himself or be dragged down to the rocks. all night long they struggled together, and he thought he had never met with such a monster for strength. she gripped him so tightly to herself that he could do nothing with either hand but cling to her waist. when at last they reached a rock by the river he swung the monster round and got his right hand loose. then he quickly seized the short sword which he was wearing, drew it and struck at the troll's right shoulder, cutting off her right arm and releasing himself. she sprang among the rocks and disappeared in the waterfall. gest, very stiff and tired, lay long by the rock. at daylight he went home and lay down on his bed, blue and swollen all over. when the lady of the house came home she found the place rather in disorder. she went to gest and asked him what had happened, and why everything was broken to pieces. he told her everything just as it had happened. she thought it a matter of great moment and asked him who he was. he told her the truth, said that he wished to see a priest and asked her to send for one. she did so; steinn came to sandhaugar and soon learnt that it was grettir the son of asmund who had come there under the name of gest. the priest asked him what he thought had become of the men who had disappeared; grettir said he thought that they must have gone among the rocks. the priest said he could not believe his word unless he gave some evidence of it. grettir said that later it would be known, and the priest went home. grettir lay many days in his bed and the lady did all she could for him; thus yule-tide passed. grettir himself declared that the trollwoman sprang among the rocks when she was wounded, but the men of bardardal say that the day dawned upon her while they were wrestling; that when he cut off her arm she broke, and that she is still standing there on the mountain in the likeness of a woman. the dwellers in the valley kept grettir there in hiding. one day that winter after yule grettir went to eyjardalsa and met the priest, to whom he said: "i see, priest, that you have little belief in what i say. now i wish you to come with me to the river and to see what probability there is in it." the priest did so. when they reached the falls they saw a cave up under the rock. the cliff was there so abrupt that no one could climb it, and nearly ten fathoms down to the water. they had a rope with them. the priest said: "it is quite impossible for any one to get down to that." grettir answered: "it is certainly possible; and men of high mettle are those who would feel themselves happiest there. i want to see what there is in the fall. do you mind the rope." the priest said he could do so if he chose. he drove a stake into the ground and laid stones against it. chapter lxvi. grettir slays a giant grettir now fastened a stone in a loop at the end of the rope, and lowered it from above into the water. "which way do you mean to go?" asked the priest. "i don't mean to be bound when i come into the fall," grettir said. "so my mind tells me." then he prepared to go; he had few clothes on and only a short sword; no other arms. he jumped from a rock and got down to the fall. the priest saw the soles of his feet but after that did not know what had become of him. grettir dived beneath the fall. it was very difficult swimming because of the currents, and he had to dive to the bottom to get behind the fall. there was a rock where he came up, and a great cave under the fall in front of which the water poured. he went into the cave, where there was a large fire burning and a horrible great giant most fearful to behold sitting before it. on grettir entering the giant sprang up, seized a pike and struck at him, for he could both strike and thrust with it. it had a wooden shaft and was of the kind called "heptisax." grettir struck back with his sword and cut through the shaft. then the giant tried to reach up backwards to a sword which was hanging in the cave, and at that moment grettir struck at him and cut open his lower breast and stomach so that all his entrails fell out into the river and floated down the stream. the priest who was sitting by the rope saw some debris being carried down all covered with blood and lost his head, making sure that grettir was killed. he left the rope and ran off home, where he arrived in the evening and told them for certain that grettir was dead, and said it was a great misfortune to them to have lost such a man. grettir struck few more blows at the giant before he was dead. he then entered the cave, kindled a light and explored. it is not told how much treasure he found there, but there is supposed to have been some. he stayed there till late into the night and found the bones of two men, which he carried away in a skin. then he came out of the cave, swam to the rope and shook it, thinking the priest was there; finding him gone he had to swarm up the rope and so reached the top. he went home to eyjardalsa and carried the skin with the bones in it into the vestibule of the church together with a rune-staff, upon which were most beautifully carved the following lines: "into the fall of the torrent i went; dank its maw towards me gaped. the floods before the ogress' den mighty against my shoulder played"; and then: "hideous the friend of troll-wife came. hard were the blows i dealt upon him. the shaft of heptisax was severed. my sword has pierced the monster's breast." there too it was told how grettir had brought the bones from the cave. the priest when he came to the church on the next morning found the staff and all that was with it and read the runes. grettir had then returned home to sandhaugar. chapter lxvii. visit to gudmund the mighty when the priest met grettir again he asked him to say exactly what had happened, and grettir told him all about where he had been. he said that the priest had held the rope very faithlessly, and the priest admitted that it was true. men felt no doubt that these monsters were responsible for the disappearance of the men in the valley, nor was there any haunting or ghost-walking there afterwards; grettir had evidently cleared the land of them. the bones were buried by the priest in the churchyard. grettir stayed the winter in bardardal, but unknown to the general public. thorir of gard heard rumours of grettir being in bardardal and set some men on to take his life. men thereupon advised him to depart, and he went into the west to modruvellir, where he met gudmund the mighty and asked him for protection. gudmund said it would not be convenient for him to take him in. "you must," he said, "find a place to settle in where you need be in no fear for your life." grettir said he did not know where such a place was. "there is an island," gudmund said, "in skagafjord, called drangey. it is excellent for defence; no one can get up to it without a ladder. if once you can reach it there is no chance of any one attacking you there with arms or with craft, so long as you guard the ladder well." "that shall be tried," said grettir. "but i am in such dread of the dark that even for the sake of my life i cannot live alone." "it may be that it is so," said gudmund; "but trust no man so well that you trust not yourself better. many are unfit to be trusted." grettir thanked him for his excellent advice and departed from modruvellir. he went on straight to bjarg, where his mother and illugi greeted him joyfully. he stayed there several days and heard of thorsteinn kuggason having been slain in the autumn before he went to bardardal. fate, he thought, was striking hard against him. then he rode south to holtavarda heath, intending to revenge the death of hallmund if he could meet with grim. on reaching nordrardal he learnt that grim had left two or three years before, as has already been related. grettir had not received news of it because he had been in hiding there for two years and a third in thorisdal and had met no one to tell him of what had happened. then he turned his steps towards the breidafjord valleys and waylaid those who passed over brattabrekka. he continued to let his hands sweep over the property of the small farmers during the height of the summer season. when the summer was passing away, steinvor at sandhaugar gave birth to a son who was named skeggi. he was at first fathered on kjartan, the son of steinn the priest at eyjardalsa. skeggi was unlike all his family in his strength and stature. when he was fifteen years old he was the strongest man in the north, and then they put him down to grettir. there seemed a prospect of his growing into something quite extraordinary, but he died when he was seventeen and there is no saga about him. chapter lxviii. fight with thorodd the son of snorri after the death of thorsteinn kuggason, snorri the godi was on bad terms with his son thorodd and with sam the son of bork the fat. it is not clearly stated what they had done to displease him except that they had refused to undertake some important work which he had given them to do; what is known is that snorri turned off his son thorodd and told him not to come back until he had slain some forest-man, and so it remained. thorodd then went to dalir. there dwelt at breidabolstad in sokkolfsdal a certain widow named geirlaug; she kept as her shepherd a grown-up youth who had been outlawed for wounding some one. thorodd snorrason heard of this, rode to breidabolstad and asked where the shepherd was. the woman said he was with the sheep and asked what thorodd wanted with him. "i want to take his life," he said; "he is an outlaw and a forest-man." she said: "such a warrior as you has nothing to gain by killing a miserable creature like him. i will show you a much doughtier deed, should you have a mind to try it." "what is that?" he asked. "up there in the mountains," she said, "is grettir the son of asmund; deal with him; that will be more fitting for you." thorodd liked the proposal and said he would do it. then he put spurs to his horse and rode up along the valleys. on reaching the hills below the austra river he saw a light-coloured horse saddled, with a big man in armour, and at once directed his steps towards them. grettir hailed him and asked who he was. thorodd told his name and asked: "why do you not rather ask my business than my name?" "because," he said, "it is not likely to be very weighty. are you a son of snorri the godi?" "so it is indeed; we shall now try which of us is the stronger." "that is easily done," said grettir, "but have you not heard that i have not proved a mound of wealth to most of those who have had to do with me?" "i know that; but i mean to risk something on it now." then he drew his sword and went valiantly for grettir, who defended himself with his shield but would not use his weapons against thorodd. they fought for a time without his being wounded. grettir then said: "let us stop this play; you will not gain the victory in a battle with me." thorodd struck at him most furiously. grettir was tired of it, so he took hold of him and set him down next to himself, saying: "i could do what i liked with you; but i have no fear of your killing me. i am much more afraid of your grey-headed father, snorri the godi, and of his counsels, which have brought many a man to his knees. you should take up tasks which you are able to accomplish; it is no child's play to fight with me." when thorodd saw that there was nothing to be done he quieted down, and then they parted. he rode home to tunga and told his father of his encounter with grettir. snorri smiled and said: "many a man has a high opinion of himself; but the odds against you were too great. while you were aiming blows at him he was doing what he pleased with you. but he was wise not to kill you, for it would not have been my purpose to leave you unavenged. i will now rather use my influence on his side if i ever have to do with his affairs." snorri showed his approval of grettir's action towards thorodd, for his counsels were always friendly to grettir. chapter lxix. grettir's last visit to bjarg and journey with illugi to drangey soon after thorodd left him grettir rode north to bjarg and remained there in hiding for a time. his fear of the dark grew so upon him that he dared go nowhere after dusk. his mother offered to keep him there, but said she saw that it would not do for him because of the feuds which he had throughout the land. grettir said she should not fall into trouble through him, "but," he said, "i can no longer live alone even to save my life." illugi his brother was then fifteen years old and was a most goodly young man. he heard what they were saying. grettir told his mother what gudmund the mighty had advised him to do, and declared he would try to get to drangey if he could. yet, he said, he could not go there unless he could find some faithful man to stay with him. then illugi said: "i will go with you, brother. i know not whether i shall be a support to you, but i will be faithful to you and will not run from you so long as you stand upright. and i shall know the better how it fares with you if i am with you." grettir answered: "you are such an one amongst men as i most rejoice in. and if my mother be not against it i would indeed that you should go with me." asdis then said: "it has now come to this, that i see two difficulties meeting each other. it is hard for me to lose illugi, but i know that so much may be said for grettir's condition that he will find some way out. and though it is much for one to bid farewell to both of you, yet i will consent to it if grettir's lot is bettered thereby." illugi was pleased at her words, for his heart was set upon going with grettir. she gave them plenty of money to take with them and they made ready for their journey. asdis took them along the road, and before they parted she said: "go forth now, my sons twain. sad will be your death together, nor may any man escape that which is destined for him. i shall see neither of you again; let one fate befall you both. i know not what safety you seek in drangey, but there shall your bones be laid, and many will begrudge you your living there. beware of treachery; yet shall you be smitten with weapons, for strange are the dreams which i have had. guard yourselves against witchcraft, for few things are stronger than the ancient spells." thus she spoke and wept much. grettir said: "weep not, my mother. it shall be said that you had sons and not daughters if we are attacked with arms. live well, and farewell." then they parted. the two travelled north through the districts and visited their kinsmen while the autumn passed into winter. then they turned their steps to skagafjord, then north to vatnsskard on to reykjaskard below saemundarhlid to langholt, reaching glaumbaer as the day was waning. grettir had slung his hat over his shoulder; so he always went when out of doors whether the weather was good or bad. thence they continued their journey, and when they had gone a short way they met a man with a big head, tall and thin and ill clad. he greeted them and each asked the other's name. they told theirs and he said his name was thorbjorn. he was a vagrant, had no mind to work and swaggered much. it was the habit of some to make game of him or fool him. he became very familiar and told them much gossip about the district and the people therein. grettir was much amused. he asked whether they did not want a man to work for them and said he would much like to go with them. so much he got from his talk that they let him join them. it was very cold and there was a driving snow-storm. as the man was so fussy and talkative they gave him a nickname and called him glaum. "the people in glaumbaer," he said, "were much exercised about your going without a hat in this weather, and wanted to know whether you were any the braver for being proof against the cold. there were two sons of bondis there, men of great distinction; the shepherd told them to come out and mind the sheep with him, but they could scarcely get their clothes on for the cold." grettir said: "i saw a young man inside the door putting on his mittens, and another going between the cow-house and the dung-heap. neither of them will frighten me." then they went on to reynines and stayed the night there; then to the sea-shore to a farm called reykir where a man, a good farmer, named thorvald, lived. grettir asked him for shelter and told him of his intention of going to drangey. the bondi said that men of skagafjord would not think his a very friendly visit and drew back. then grettir took the purse of money which his mother had given him and gave it to the bondi. the man's brows unbent when he saw the money and he told three of his servants to take them out in the night by the moonlight. from reykir is the shortest distance to the island, about one sea-mile. when they reached the island grettir thought it looked quite pleasant; it was all overgrown with grass and had steep cliffs down to the sea so that no one could get on to it except where the ladders were. if the upper ladder was pulled up it was impossible for any one to get on to the island. there was also a large crag full of sea birds in the summer, and there were eighty sheep in the island belonging to the bondis, mostly rams and ewes, which were meant for slaughter. there grettir quietly settled down. he had been fifteen or sixteen years an outlaw, so sturla the son of thord has recorded. chapter lxx. the people of skagafjord when grettir came to drangey the following chiefs were in skagafjord: hjalti lived at hof in hjaltadal, the son of thord, the son of hjalti, the son of thord skalp. he was a great chief, very distinguished and very popular. his brother was named thorbjorn angle, a big man, strong and hardy and rather quarrelsome. thord their father had married in his old age, and his then wife was not the mother of these two. she was very much against her stepsons, especially thorbjorn, because he was intractable and headstrong. one day when he was playing at "tables", his stepmother came up and saw that he was playing at "hnettafl"; they played with big peg pieces. she considered that very lazy of him and spoke some words to which he answered hastily. she took up the piece and struck him on the cheek bone with the peg, and it glanced into his eye which hung down on his cheek. he started up and handled her mercilessly so that she was confined to her bed and soon afterwards died; they say that she was pregnant at the time. after that he became a regular ruffian. he took over his property and went first to live in vidvik. halldor the son of thorgeir, the son of thord of hofdi, lived at hof in hofdastrand. he married thordis the daughter of thord, the sister of hjalti and thorbjorn angle. halldor was a worthy bondi and wealthy. bjorn was the name of a man who lived at haganes in fljot, a friend of halldor of hof, and the two held together in every dispute. tungu-steinn dwelt at steinsstadir. he was the son of bjorn, the son of ofeig thinbeard, the son of crow-hreidar, to whom eirik of guddal gave tunga below skalamyr. he was a man of renown. eirik was the son of holmgang-starri, the son of eirik of guddal, the son of hroald, the son of geirmund straightbeard. he lived at hof in guddal. all these were men of high rank. two brothers dwelt at a place called breida in slettahlid, both named thord. they were very strong men, but peaceable. all the men now named had a share in drangey. it is said that the island was owned by no fewer than twenty men, and none of them would part with his share to the others. the largest share belonged to the sons of thord since they were the richest. chapter lxxi. the bondis claim their property in drangey midwinter was passed, and the bondis prepared to bring in their animals from the island for slaughter. they manned a boat and each had a man of his own on board, some two. when they reached the island they saw men on it moving about. they thought it very strange, but supposed that some one had been wrecked and had gone on shore there. so they rowed to where the ladders were. the people on the shore pulled the ladders up. this seemed very strange behaviour and they hailed the men and asked who they were. grettir told his name and those of his companions. the bondis asked who had taken them out to the island. grettir answered: "he brought me out who took me here, and had hands, and was more my friend than yours." the bondis said: "let us take our animals and come to the land with us. you shall have freely whatever you have taken of our property." grettir said: "that is a good offer; but each of us shall have that which he has got. i may tell you at once that hence i go not, unless i am dead or dragged away; nor will i let go that which my hands have taken." the bondis said no more, but thought that most unhappy visitors had come to drangey. they offered money and made many fair promises, but grettir refused them all, and so they had to return home much disgusted, having accomplished nothing. they told all the people of the district of the wolves who had come into the island. this had come upon them unawares and nothing could be done. they talked it over that winter but could think of no way of getting grettir out of the island. chapter lxxii. grettir visits the thing at hegranes the time passed on until the spring, when men assembled at the hegranes thing. they came in great numbers from all the districts under its jurisdiction, and stayed there a long time, both palavering and merry-making, for there were many who loved merriment in the country round. when grettir heard that everybody had gone to the thing he laid a plan with his friends, for he was always on good terms with those who were nearest to him, and for them he spared nothing which he was able to get. he said he would go to the land to get supplies and that illugi and glaum should remain behind. illugi thought it very imprudent but he let grettir have his way. he told them to guard the ladder well since everything depended upon that. then he went to the land and obtained what he wanted. he kept his disguise wherever he went and no one knew that he had come. he heard of the festivities that were going on at the thing and was curious to see them, so he put on some old clothes that were rather shabby and arrived just as they were going from the logretta home to their booths. some of the young men were talking about the weather, said it was good and fair, and that it would be a good thing to have some games and wrestling; they thought it a good proposal. so they sat down in front of their booths. the foremost men in the games were the sons of thord. thorbjorn angle was very uppish and was arranging everything himself for the sports. every one had to do as he bade, and he took them each by the shoulders and pushed them into the field. the wrestling was begun by the less strong ones in pairs, and there was great sport. when most of them had wrestled except the strongest, there was much talk as to who should tackle the two thords mentioned above, and there was no one who would do it. they went round inviting men to wrestle, but the more they asked the more their invitation was declined. thorbjorn angle looked round and saw a big man sitting there, but could not clearly see his face. he seized hold of him and gave a violent tug, but the man sat still and did not move. thorbjorn said: "nobody has held so firm against me to-day as you. but who is this fellow?" "my name is gest." thorbjorn said: "you will be wanting to play with us. you are a welcome guest." "things may change quickly," he said. "i cannot join in your games for i have no knowledge of them." many of them said that they would take it kindly of him if he, a stranger, would play a little with the men. he asked what they wanted him to do, and they asked him to wrestle with some one. he said he had given up wrestling, though he once used to take pleasure in it. as he did not directly refuse they pressed him all the more. "well," he said, "if you want to drag me in you must do one thing for me and grant me peace here at the thing until i reach my home." they all shouted and said they would gladly do that. the man who was foremost in urging that peace should be given was one haf the son of thorarin, the son of haf, the son of thord knapp, who had settled in the land between stifla in fljot and tungua. he lived at knappsstad and was a man of many words. he spoke in favour of the peace with great authority and said: "hereby do i declare peace between all men, in particular between this man here seated who is named gest and all godord's men, full bondis, all men of war and bearers of arms, all other men of this district of the hegranes thing whencesoever they have come, both named and unnamed. i declare peace and full immunity in behoof of this newcomer to us unknown, gest yclept, for the practice of games, wrestling and all kinds of sport, while abiding here, and during his journey home, whether he sail or whether he travel, whether by land or whether by sea. he shall have peace in all places, named and unnamed, for such time as he needeth to reach his home in safety, by our faith confirmed. and i establish this peace on the part of ourselves and of our kinsmen, our friends and belongings, alike of women and of men, bondsmen and thralls, youths and adults. be there any truce-breaker who shall violate this peace and defile this faith, so be he rejected of god and expelled from the community of righteous men; be he cast out from heaven and from the fellowship of the holy; let him have no part amongst mankind and become an outcast from society. a vagabond he shall be and a wolf in places where christians pray and where heathen worship, where fire burneth, where the earth bringeth forth, where the child lispeth the name of mother, where the mother beareth a son, where men kindle fire, where the ship saileth, where shields blink, sun shineth, snow lieth, finn glideth, fir-tree groweth, falcon flieth the live-long day and the fair wind bloweth straight under both her wings, where heaven rolleth and earth is tilled, where the breezes waft mists to the sea, where corn is sown. far shall he dwell from church and christian men, from the sons of the heathen, from house and cave and from every home, in the torments of hel. at peace we shall be, in concord together, each with other in friendly mind, wherever we meet, on mountain or strand, on ship or on snow-shoes, on plains or on glaciers, at sea or on horseback, as friends meet in the water, or brothers by the way, each at peace with other, as son with father, or father with son, in all our dealings. "our hands we lay together, all and every to hold well the peace and the words we have spoken in this our faith, in the presence of god and of holy men, of all who hear my words and here are present." many said that a great word had been spoken. gest said: "you have declared and spoken well; if you go not back upon it, i will not delay to show that of which i am capable." then he cast off his hood and after that all his upper garments. each looked at the other and woe spread over their lips; for they knew that it was grettir who had come to them, by his excelling all other men in stature and vigour. all were silent and haf looked foolish. the men of the district went two and two together, each blaming the other, and most of all blaming him who had declared the peace. then grettir said: "speak plainly to me and declare what is in your minds, for i will not sit here long without my clothes. you have more at stake than i have, whether you hold the peace or not." they answered little and sat themselves down. the sons of thord and their brother-in-law halldor then talked together. some wished to uphold the peace and some not. each nodded to the other. then grettir spoke a verse: "many a man is filled with doubt. a twofold mask has the prover of shields. the skilful tongue is put to shame. they doubt if they shall hold the troth." then said tungu-steinn: "think you so, grettir? which then will the chieftains do? but true it is that you excel all men in courage. see you not how they are putting their noses together?" grettir then said: "together they all their noses laid; they wagged their beards in close converse. they talked with each other by two and two, regretting the peace they afore declared." then said hjalti the son of thord: "it shall not be so; we will hold the peace with you although our minds have altered. i would not that men should have the example of our having broken the peace which we ourselves gave and declared. grettir shall depart unhindered whithersoever he will, and shall have peace till such time as he reach his home from this journey. and then this truce shall have expired whatever happen with us." they all thanked him for his speech, and thought he had acted as a chieftain should under such circumstances. thorbjorn angle was silent. then it was proposed that one or the other of the thords should close with grettir, and he said that they might do as they chose. one of the two brothers thord then came forward. grettir stood upright before him and thord went for him with all his might, but grettir never moved from his place. then grettir stretched over across his back and seizing his breeches tripped up his foot and cast him backwards over his head so that he fell heavily upon his shoulders. then the people said that both the brothers should tackle him together, and they did so. there arose a mighty tussle, each in turn having the advantage, although grettir always had one of them down. now one, now the other was brought to his knees or met with a reverse. so fiercely they gripped that all of them were bruised and bloody. everybody thought it splendid sport, and when they ceased thanked them for their wrestling. those that were sitting near judged that the two together were no stronger than grettir alone, although each had the strength of two strong men. they were so equal that when they strove together neither gained the advantage. grettir did not stay long at the thing. the bondis asked him to give up the island, but this he refused to do, and they accomplished nothing. grettir returned to drangey where illugi rejoiced much at seeing him again. they stayed there in peace and grettir told them of his journeys; so the summer passed. all thought the men of skagafjord had acted most honourably in upholding their peace, and from this may be seen what trusty men lived in those days, after all that grettir had done against them. the less wealthy ones among the bondis began to talk amongst themselves and say that there was little profit in keeping a small share of the island, and now offered to sell their holdings to the sons of thord, but hjalti said he did not want to buy them. the bondis stipulated that any one who wanted to buy a share should either kill grettir or get him away. thorbjorn angle said that he was ready to take the lead, and would spare no pains to attack grettir if they would pay him for it. hjalti his brother resigned to him his share of the island because thorbjorn was the more violent and was unpopular. several other bondis did the same, so that thorbjorn angle got a large part of the island at a small price, but he bound himself to get grettir away. chapter lxxiii. visit of thorbjorn angle to drangey at the end of the summer thorbjorn angle went with a boat fully manned to drangey. grettir and his party came forward on the cliff and they talked together. thorbjorn begged grettir to do so much for his asking as to quit the island. grettir said there was not much hope of that. thorbjorn said: "it may be that i can give you some assistance which will make it worth your while to do this. many of the bondis have now given up the shares which they had in the island to me." grettir said: "now for the very reason that you have just told me, because you own the greater part of the island, i am determined never to go hence. we may now divide the cabbage. it is true that i thought it irksome to have the whole of skagafjord against me, but now neither need spare the other, since neither is suffocated with the love of his fellows. you may as well put off your journeys hither, for the matter is settled so far as i am concerned." "all abide their time," he said, "and you abide evil." "i must risk that," he said. and so they parted. thorbjorn returned home again. chapter lxxiv. the fire goes out in drangey grettir had, it is said, been two years in drangey, and they had slaughtered nearly all the sheep. one ram, it is told, they allowed to live; it was grey below and had large horns. they had much sport with it, for it was very tame and would stand outside and follow them wherever they went. it came to the hut in the evening and rubbed its horns against the door. they lived very comfortably, having plenty to eat from the birds on the island and their eggs, nor had they much trouble in gathering wood for fire. grettir always employed the man to collect the drift, and there were often logs cast ashore there which he brought home for fuel. the brothers had no need to work beyond going to the cliffs, which they did whenever they chose. the thrall began to get very slack at his work; he grumbled much and was less careful than before. it was his duty to mind the fire every night, and grettir bade him be very careful of it as they had no boat with them. one night it came to pass that the fire went out. grettir was very angry and said it would only be right that glaum should have a hiding. the thrall said he had a very poor life of it to have to lie there in exile and be ill-treated and beaten if anything went wrong. grettir asked illugi what was to be done, and he said he could think of nothing else but to wait until a ship brought them some fire. grettir said that would be a very doubtful chance to wait for. "i will venture it," he said, "and see whether i can reach the land." "that is a desperate measure," said illugi. "we shall be done for if you miscarry." "i shall not drown in the channel," he said. "i shall trust the thrall less in future since he has failed in a matter of such moment to us." the shortest passage from the island to the mainland is one sea-mile. chapter lxxv. grettir swims to the mainland for fire grettir then prepared for his swim. he wore a cloak of coarse material with breeches and had his fingers webbed. the weather was fine; he left the island towards the evening. illugi thought his journey was hopeless. grettir had the current with him and it was calm as he swam towards the fjord. he smote the water bravely and reached reykjanes after sunset. he went into the settlement at reykir, bathed in the night in a warm spring, and then entered the hall, where it was very hot and a little smoky from the fire which had been burning there all day. he was very tired and slept soundly, lying on right into the day. when it was a little way on in the morning the servants rose, and the first to enter the room were two women, the maid with the bondi's daughter. grettir was asleep, and his clothes had all fallen off on to the floor. they saw a man lying there and recognised him. the maid said: "as i wish for salvation, sister, here is grettir the son of asmund come. he really is large about the upper part of his body, and is lying bare. but he seems to me unusually small below. it is not at all in keeping with the rest of him." the bondi's daughter said: "how can you let your tongue run on so? you are more than half a fool! hold your tongue!" "i really cannot be silent, my dear sister," said the maid; "i would not have believed it if any one had told me." then she went up to him to look more closely, and kept running back to the bondi's daughter and laughing. grettir heard what she said, sprang up and chased her down the room. when he had caught her he spoke a verse: (verse missing in manuscript) soon afterwards grettir went to the bondi thorvald, told him his difficulty and asked him to take him out to the island again, which he did, lending him a ship and taking him over. grettir thanked him for his courtesy. when it became known that grettir had swum a sea-mile, every one thought his courage extraordinary both on sea and on land. the men of skagafjord blamed thorbjorn angle much for not having ridded drangey of grettir, and all wanted their shares back again. that did not suit him and he asked them to have patience. chapter lxxvi. adventure of haering in drangey that summer a ship came to gonguskardsos, on board of which was a man named haering. he was a young man and very active; he could climb any cliff. he went to visit thorbjorn angle and stayed there into the autumn. he pressed thorbjorn much to take him to drangey, that he might see whether the cliff was so high that he could not get up there. thorbjorn said it should not be for nothing if he succeeded in getting up on to the island and either killing or wounding grettir; he made it appear attractive as a task for haering to undertake. one day they went to drangey and he put the easterner ashore in a certain place, telling him not to let himself be seen if he got to the top. then they set up the ladder and began a conversation with grettir's people. thorbjorn asked him whether he would not leave the island. he said there was nothing on which he was so determined. "you have played much with us," said thorbjorn, "and we do not seem likely to have our revenge, but you have not much fear for yourself." thus they disputed for long, but came to no agreement. we have now to tell of haering. he climbed all about on the cliffs and got to the top in a place which no other man ever reached before or since. on reaching the top he saw the two brothers standing with their backs turned to him. he hoped in a short time to win money and glory from both. they had no inkling of his being there, and thought that nobody could get up except where the ladders were. grettir was occupied with thorbjorn's men, and there was no lack of derisive words on both sides. then illugi looked round and saw a man coming towards them, already quite close. he said: "here is a man coming towards us with his axe in the air; he has a rather hostile appearance." "you deal with him," said grettir, "while i look after the ladder." illugi then advanced against the easterner, who on seeing him turned and ran about all over the island. illugi chased him to the furthest end of the island; on reaching the edge he leaped down and broke every bone in his body; thus his life ended. the place where he perished was afterwards called haering's leap. illugi returned and grettir asked him how he had parted with his man. "he would not trust me to manage for him," he said. "he broke his neck over the cliff. the bondis may pray for him as for a dead man." when angle heard that he told his men to shove off. "i have now been twice to meet grettir," he said. "i may come a third time, and if then i return no wiser than i am now, it is likely that they may stay in drangey, so far as i am concerned. but methinks grettir will not be there so long in the future as he has been in the past." they then returned home and this journey seemed even worse than the one before. grettir stayed in drangey and saw no more of thorbjorn that winter. skapti the lawman died during the winter, whereby grettir suffered a great loss, for he had promised to press for a removal of his sentence when he had been twenty years an outlaw, and the events just related were in the nineteenth year. in the spring died snorri the godi, and much more happened during this winter season which does not belong to our saga. chapter lxxvii. grettir's case before the all-thing that summer at the all-thing grettir's friends spoke much about his outlawry, and some held that his term was fulfilled when he had completed any portion of the twentieth year. this was disputed by the opposite party, who declared that he had committed many acts deserving of outlawry since, and that, therefore, his sentence ought to be all the longer. a new lawman had been appointed, steinn the son of thorgest, the son of steinn the far-traveller, the son of thorir autumn-mist. the mother of steinn the lawman was arnora, the daughter of thord the yeller. he was a wise man, and was asked for his opinion. he told them to make a search to find out whether this was the twentieth year of his outlawry, and they did so. then thorir of gard went to work to put every possible difficulty in the way, and found out that grettir had spent one year of the time in iceland, during which he must be held to have been free of his outlawry. consequently it had only lasted nineteen years. the lawman declared that no man could be outlawed for longer than twenty years in all, even though he committed an outlaw's acts during that time. but before that he would allow no man to be freed. thus the endeavour to remove his sentence broke down for the moment, but there seemed a certainty of his being freed in the following summer. the men of skagafjord were little pleased at the prospect of grettir being freed, and they told thorbjorn angle that he must do one of the two, resign his holding in the island or kill grettir. he was in great straits, for he saw no way of killing grettir, and yet he wanted to keep the island. he tried everything he could think of to get the better of grettir by force or by fraud or in any other way that he could. chapter lxxviii. thorbjorn's foster-mother thorbjorn angle had a foster-mother named thurid. she was very old and of little use to mankind, but she had been very skilled in witchcraft and magic when she was young and the people were heathen. now she seemed to have lost it all. still, although the land was christian, many sparks of heathendom remained. it was not forbidden by the law of the land to sacrifice or perform other heathen rites in private; only the one who performed them openly was sentenced to the minor exile. now it happened to many as it is said: the hand turns to its wonted skill, and that which we have learned in youth is always most familiar to us. so thorbjorn angle, baffled in all his plans, turned for help to the quarter where it would have been least looked for most people, namely, to his foster-mother, and asked her what she could do for him. she replied, "now it seems to me to have come to this, as the saying is: many go to the goat-house to get wool. what would i less than to think myself above the other men of the country, and then to be as nothing when it comes to the trial? i see not that it fares worse with me than with you, even though i scarce rise from my bed. if you will have my counsel then i must have my way in all that is done." he consented, and said that she had long given him counsel for his good. the "double month" of the summer was now approaching. one fine day the old woman said to angle: "the weather is now calm and bright; i will that you go to drangey and pick a quarrel with grettir. i will go with you and learn what caution is in his words. i shall have some surety when i see how far they are prospering, and then i will speak over them such words as i please." angle said: "let us not go to drangey. it is always worse in my mind when i leave that place than when i arrive." the woman said: "i will not help you if you will not let me do as i like." "far be that from me, my foster-mother. i have said that i will go there a third time, that something may come of it for us." "you may venture it," she said, "much labour will you have before grettir is laid in the earth; often your lot will be doubtful and hard will it go with you before it is finished. and yet you are so bound that somehow you must get yourself out of it." then thorbjorn angle had a ten-oared boat manned and went on board with eleven men. the woman was with them and they rowed out to drangey. when the brothers saw them coming they came forward to the ladder and began once more to talk about their case. thorbjorn said he had come once more to hear their answer whether grettir would leave the place. he said he would treat the destruction of his property and grettir's stay there as a light thing, provided they parted in peace. grettir said he had no intention of coming to any terms about his going away. "i have often told you," he said, "that there is no use in talking to me about it. you may do whatever you please; i mean to stay here and abide what happens." thorbjorn saw that his end would not be gained this time, and said: "i knew very well with what men of hel i had to do. it is most likely that some days will pass before i come here again." "it would not hurt me if you never came at all," said grettir. the woman was lying in the stern sheets covered up with clothes. then she began to stir and said: "these men are brave and unfortunate; there is much difference between you; you offer them good and they refuse everything. there are few more certain tokens of evil than not to know how to accept the good. now i say this of you, grettir, that you be deprived of health, of all good luck and fortune, of all protection and counsel, ever the more the longer you live. i wish that your days may be less happy in the future than they have been in the past." when grettir heard that he started violently and said: "what fiend is that in the ship with them?" illugi said: "i think that must be the old woman, thorbjorn's foster-mother." "curse the hag!" he said. "i could have thought of nothing worse! nothing that was ever said startled me more than her words, and i know that some evil will befall me from her and her spells. she shall have something to remind her of her visit here." then he took up an enormous stone and threw it down into the boat. it fell into the heap of clothes. thorbjorn had not thought that any man could throw so far. a loud scream was heard, for the stone had struck her thigh and broken it. illugi said: "i wish you had not done that." "do not blame me for it," said grettir. "i fear it has been just too little. one old woman would not have been too great a price for us two." "how will she pay for us? that will be a small sum for the pair of us." thorbjorn then returned home; no greeting passed between them when he left. he spoke to the old woman and said: "it has happened as i expected. little credit has the journey to the island brought you. you have been injured for the rest of your life, and we have no more honour than we had before; we have to endure unatoned one insult after another." she answered: "this is the beginning of their destruction; i say that from this time onwards they will go downwards. i care not whether i live or not, if i do not have vengeance for the injury they have done me." "you seem to be in high spirits, foster-mother," he said. then they arrived home. the woman lay in bed for nearly a month before her leg was set and she was able to walk again. men laughed much over the journey of thorbjorn and the old woman. little luck had come from the meetings with grettir, first at the peace declaration at the thing, next when haering was killed, and now the third time when the woman's thigh was broken, while nothing had been done on their side. thorbjorn angle suffered much from their talk. chapter lxxix. the spell takes effect the autumn passed and but three weeks remained till the winter. the old woman asked to be driven to the sea-shore. thorbjorn asked what she was going to do. "a small thing only," she said, "yet maybe the signal of greater things to come." they did as she asked them. when they reached the shore she hobbled on by the sea as if directed to a spot where lay a great stump of a tree as large as a man could bear on his shoulder. she looked at it and bade them turn it over before her; the other side looked as if it had been burned and smoothed. she had a small flat surface cut on its smooth side; then she took a knife, cut runes upon it, reddened them with her blood and muttered some spells over it. after that she walked backwards against the sun round it, and spoke many potent words. then she made them push the tree into the sea, and said it should go to drangey and that grettir should suffer hurt from it. then she went back to vidvik. thorbjorn said he did not know what would come of it. the woman said he would know more clearly some day. the wind was towards the land up the fjord, but the woman's stump drifted against the wind, and not more slowly than would have been expected. grettir was sitting in drangey with his companions very comfortably, as has been told. on the day following that on which the old woman had cast her spells upon the tree they went down from the hill to look for firewood. when they got to the western side of the island they found a great stump stranded there. "here is a fine log for fuel," cried illugi, "let us carry it home." grettir gave it a kick with his foot and said: "an ill tree and ill sent. we must find other wood for the fire." he pushed it out into the sea and told illugi to beware of carrying it home, for it was sent for their destruction. then they returned to their hut and said nothing about the tree to the thrall. the next day they found the tree again, nearer to the ladder than on the day before. grettir put it back into the sea and said he would never carry it home. that night passed and dirty weather set in with rain, so that they did not care to go out and told glaum to fetch fuel. he grumbled very much and declared it was cruel to make him plague himself to death in every kind of weather. he descended the ladder and found there the woman's log. he thought himself lucky, laboured home with it to the hut and threw it down with a great noise which grettir heard. "glaum has got something; i must go out and see what it is," he said, and went out, taking his wood-cutting axe with him. "let your cutting up of it be no worse than my carrying of it home!" said glaum. grettir was irritated with the thrall; he used his axe with both hands and did not notice what tree it was. directly the axe touched the tree it turned flat and glanced off into grettir's right leg. it entered above his right knee and pierced to the bone, making a severe wound. grettir turned to the tree and said: "he who meant me evil has prevailed; it will not end with this. this is the very log which i twice rejected. two disasters have you now brought about, glaum; first you let our fire go out, and now you have brought in this tree of ill-fortune. a third mistake will be the death of you and of us all." illugi then bound the wound. it bled little; grettir slept well that night and three days passed without its paining him. when they opened the bandages the flesh had grown together and the wound was almost healed. illugi said: "i do not think that you will suffer very long with this wound." "that would be well," said grettir; "it has happened strangely however it ends; but my mind tells me otherwise." chapter lxxx. the spell continues to work one evening they all went to bed, and about midnight grettir began to toss about. illugi asked him why he was so restless. grettir said his leg was hurting him and he thought there must be some change in its appearance. they fetched a light, unbound the wound and found it swollen and blue as coal. it had opened again and was much worse than at first. he had much pain after that and could not keep quiet, nor would any sleep come to his eyes. grettir said: "we must be prepared for it. this illness of mine is not for nothing; there is witchcraft in it. the old woman has meant to punish me for the stone which i threw at her." illugi said: "i told you that no good would come of that old woman." "it will be all the same in the end," said grettir, and spoke a verse: "often when men have threatened my life i have known to defend it against the foe: but now 'tis a woman has done me to death. truly the spells of the wicked are mighty." "now we must be on the watch; thorbjorn angle will not leave it to end here. you, glaum, must in future guard the ladder every day and pull it up in the evening. do this trustily, for much depends thereon. if you betray us your end will be a short one." glaum promised most faithfully. the weather now became severe. a north-easterly wind set in and it was very cold. every evening grettir asked if the ladder was drawn in. "are we now to look for men?" said glaum. "is any man so anxious to take your life that he will lose his own for it? this weather is much worse than impossible. your warlike mood seems to have left you utterly if you think that everything is coming to kill you." "you will always bear yourself worse than either of us," said grettir, "whatever happens. but now you must mind the ladder however unwilling you may be." they drove him out every morning, much to his disgust. the pain of the wound increased, and the whole leg was swollen; the thigh began to fester both above and below the wound, which spread all round, and grettir thought he was likely to die. illugi sat with him night and day, paying no heed to anything else. they were now in the second week of his illness. chapter lxxxi. thorbjorn again visits drangey thorbjorn angle was now at home in vidvik, much put out at not having been able to overcome grettir. when about a week had passed from the day when the old woman had bewitched the log, she came to speak with thorbjorn and asked whether he did not mean to visit grettir. he said there was nothing about which he was more determined. "but do you wish to meet him, foster-mother?" he asked. "i have no intention of meeting him," she said; "i have sent him my greeting, which i expect he has received. but i advise you to set off at once and go quickly to see him, otherwise it will not be your fate to overcome him." he replied: "i have made so many inglorious journeys there that i am not going again. this weather is reason enough; it would not be possible, however pressing it were." "you are indeed without counsel if you see not through these wiles. now, i will advise you. first go and collect men; ride to your brother-in-law halldor in hof and get help from him. is it too wild a thing to suppose that i may have to do with this breeze that is now playing?" thorbjorn thought it might be that the woman saw further than he supposed, so he sent through the country for men. answer came very quickly that none of those who had given up their shares would do anything to help him. they said that both the island and the grettir affair were thorbjorn's. tungu-steinn gave him two men, hjalti his brother three, eirik in guddal sent him one. of his own he had six. these twelve rode out from vidvik to hof, where halldor invited them to stay and asked their news. thorbjorn told him everything fully. halldor asked who had done it all; he said his foster-mother had urged him much. "that will lead to no good. she is a sorceress, and sorcery is now forbidden." "i cannot overlook everything," said thorbjorn; "i am determined that it shall now be brought to an end somehow. but how shall i go to work to get on to the island?" "it seems to me," said halldor, "that you are relying upon something, but i know not whether it is anything good. if you want to accomplish anything go out to my friend bjorn in haganes in fljot. he has a good boat; ask him from me to lend it to you, and then you will be able to sail on to drangey. it seems to me that if you find grettir well and hearty your journey will have been in vain. one thing know for certain: do not slay him in open fight, for there are enough men to avenge him. do not slay illugi if you can help it. i fear that my counsel may not appear altogether christian." halldor then gave him six men; one was named kar, another thorleif, the third brand. the names of the others are not mentioned. these eighteen men then went to fljot, reached haganes, and gave halldor's message to bjorn. he said it was his duty to do it for halldor's sake, but that he was under no obligation to thorbjorn. he said it was an insane journey to make, and tried hard to dissuade them. they answered that they could not turn back, so they went down to the sea and launched the boat, which was ready with all her gear in the boat-house. then they made ready to sail. all those who were standing on the shore thought it impossible to cross. they hoisted the sail and the boat was soon under way, far out in the fjord. when they got right out to sea the weather quieted and was no longer too heavy. in the evening as it was getting dark they reached drangey. chapter lxxxii. the last battle--death of grettir and illugi it has now to be told how grettir became so ill that he could not stand on his feet. illugi sat with him and glaum had to hold watch. he still continued to object, and said they might think their lives were going to fall out of them, but there was no reason for it. he went out, but most unwillingly. when he came to the ladder he said to himself that there was no need to draw it up. he felt very sleepy, lay down and slept all day, and did not wake until thorbjorn reached the island. they saw then that the ladder was not drawn up. thorbjorn said: "the situation has changed from what it used to be; there are no men moving about, and the ladder is in its place. it may be that more will come of our journey than we expected at first. now let us go to the hut and not let our courage slacken. if they are well we may know for certain that there will be need for each to do his very best." they went up the ladder, looked round and saw close to the ascent a man lying and snoring aloud. thorbjorn recognised glaum, went up to the rascal and told him to wake up, striking his ear with the hilt of his sword and saying: "truly he is in a bad case whose life is entrusted to your keeping." glaum looked up and said: "they are going on as usual. do you think my freedom such a great thing while i am lying here in the cold?" angle said: "have you lost your wits? don't you see that your enemies are upon you and about to kill you all?" glaum said nothing, but on recognising the men cried out as loud as he could. "do one thing or the other," said angle; "either be silent this moment and tell me all about your household, or be killed." glaum was as silent as if he had been dipped in water. thorbjorn said: "are the brothers in the hut? why are they not about?" "that would not be so easy," said glaum, "for grettir is sick and nigh to death and illugi is sitting with him." thorbjorn asked about his condition, and what had happened. then glaum told him all about grettir's wound. angle laughed and said: "true is the ancient saying that old friends are the last to break away, and also this, that it is ill to have a thrall for your friend--such a one as you, glaum! you have shamefully betrayed your liege lord, though there was little good in him." then the others cast reproaches at him for his villainy; they beat him almost helpless and left him lying there. then they went on to the hut and knocked violently at the door. illugi said: "greybelly [ ] is knocking at the door, brother." "he is knocking rather loud," said grettir; "most unmercifully." then the door broke in pieces. illugi rushed to his arms and defended the door so that they could not get in. they assailed it long, but could get nothing in but the points of their spears, all of which illugi severed from their shafts. seeing that they could do nothing, they sprang on to the roof and began to break it in. then grettir got on to his feet, seized a spear and thrust it between the rafters. it struck kar, halldor's man from hof, and went right through him. angle told them to go to work warily and be careful of themselves. "we shall only overcome them," he said, "if we act with caution." then they laid open the end of one of the timbers and bore upon it until it broke. grettir was unable to rise from his knees, but he seized the sword karsnaut at the moment when they all sprang in from the roof, and a mighty fray began. grettir struck with his sword at vikar, a man of hjalti the son of thord, reaching his left shoulder as he sprang from the roof. it passed across his shoulder, out under his right arm, and cut him right in two. his body fell in two parts on the top of grettir and prevented him from recovering his sword as quickly as he wished, so that thorbjorn angle was able to wound him severely between the shoulders. grettir said: "bare is his back who has no brother!" illugi threw his shield before grettir and defended him so valiantly that all men praised his prowess. grettir said to angle: "who showed you the way to the island?" "christ showed us the way," he said. "i guess," said grettir, "that it was the wicked old woman, your foster-mother, who showed you; hers were the counsels that you relied upon." "it shall now be all the same to you," said angle, "upon whom i relied." they returned to the attack; illugi defended himself and grettir courageously, but grettir was unfit for fighting, partly from his wounds, partly from his illness. angle then ordered them to bear illugi down with their shields, saying he had never met with his like amongst older men than he. they did so, and pressed upon him with a wall of armour against which resistance was impossible. they took him prisoner and kept him. he had wounded most of those who were attacking him and killed three. then they went for grettir, who had fallen forward on his face. there was no resistance in him for he was already dead from his wounded leg; his thigh was all mortified up to the rectum. many more wounds they gave him, but little or no blood flowed. when they thought he was quite dead angle took hold of his sword, saying he had borne it long enough, but grettir's fingers were so tightly locked around the hilt that he could not loosen them. many tried before they gave it up, eight of them in turn, but all failed. angle then said: "why should we spare a forest-man? lay his hand upon the log." they did so, and he hewed off the hand at the wrist. then the fingers straightened and were loosed from the hilt. angle took his sword in both hands and hewed at grettir's head. so mighty was the blow that the sword could not hold against it, and a piece was broken out of the edge. when asked why he spoilt a good weapon, he replied: "it will be more easily known if there be any question." they said this was unnecessary, as the man was dead before. "i will do more," he said, and struck two or three blows at grettir's neck before he took off his head. then he said: "now i know for certain that grettir is dead; a great man of war have we laid even with the earth. we will take his head with us, for i have no wish to lose the money which was put upon it. there shall not be any doubt that it was i who slew grettir." they said he might do as he pleased, but they felt much disgusted, and thought his conduct contemptible. then angle said to illugi: "it is a great pity that a man so valiant as you should have committed such a folly as to cast in your lot with this outlaw and follow his evil ways, at last to die unatoned." illugi answered: "when the all-thing is over next summer you shall know who are outlawed. neither you nor the woman, your foster-mother, shall judge this case, for it is your spells and sorcery that have killed grettir, though you bore your iron weapons against him when he was at the door of death. many a base deed did you do over and above your witchcraft." angle said: "you speak bravely, but it shall not be so. i will show how i value you by sparing your life if you will swear by your honour to take no vengeance upon any person who has been with us on this occasion." "i might have thought of it," he said, "if grettir had been able to defend himself or if you had killed him in honourable battle. but now you need not hope that i will try to save my life by becoming a poltroon like you. i tell you at once that if i live no man shall be more burdensome to you than i. long will it be before i forget how you have dealt with grettir; far sooner will i choose to die." then thorbjorn consulted with his companions whether they should allow illugi to live. they said he should decide their doings himself, as he was the leader of the expedition. angle said he was not going to have a man threatening his head who would not promise to hold faith. when illugi knew that they intended to slay him he laughed and said: "now you have resolved upon that which was nearest to my heart." when the day broke they led him to the eastern side of the island and there slew him. all praised his courage, and said there was no man of his years who was like him. they buried both the brothers in the island, but took grettir's head with all weapons and clothes which had any value away with them. his good sword angle would not allow to come amongst the spoils for division, but bore it long himself. they took glaum with them, still complaining and resisting. the weather had calmed down in the night, and in the morning they rowed to the mainland. angle sailed for the most convenient place, and sent the ship on to bjorn. when they came near to osland, glaum became so obstreperous that they refused to carry him any further and slew him there where he was, crying as loud as he could until he was killed. angle went home to vidvik and considered that on this journey he had been successful. they laid grettir's head in salt and put it for the winter in the out-house called grettisbur in vidvik. angle was much blamed for this affair when men came to know that grettir had been overcome by sorcery. he remained quietly at home till after yule. then he went to seek thorir in gard and told him of the slayings, adding that he considered that he had a right to the money which had been put on grettir's head. thorir said that he would not deny that he had brought about grettir's sentence. "i have often suffered wrong from him; but i would not to take his life have become an evil-doer as you have done. i will not pay the money to you, for you seem to me as one who will be doomed to death for magic and witchcraft." angle said: "i think it is much more avarice and meanness on your part than any scruples about the way in which grettir was killed." thorir said there was an easy way of settling it between them; they need only wait for the all-thing and accept what seemed right to the lawman. they then parted with nothing but ill-feeling between thorir and thorbjorn angle. endnotes: [footnote : the tame ram, see chapter lxxiv.] chapter lxxxiii. thorbjorn visits grettir's mother at bjarg the kinsmen of grettir and illugi were deeply grieved when they heard of their death. they held that angle had done a dastardly deed in slaying a man at the point of death, and they also accused him of practising sorcery. they applied to the most learned men, and angle's case was ill-spoken of. four weeks after the beginning of summer he rode westwards to midfjord. when asdis heard of his being in the neighbourhood she gathered her men around her. she had many friends, gamli and glum, skeggi, called short-hand, and ospak, who was mentioned before. so much beloved was she that the whole of midfjord rose to help her, even those who had once been grettir's enemies. chief among these was thorodd drapustuf, who was joined by most of the hrutafjord men. angle reached bjarg with a following of twenty men, bringing grettir's head with him. all those who had promised their support had not yet come in. angle's party entered the room with the head and set it on the floor. the mistress of the house was there and several others; no greeting passed between them. angle spoke a verse: "grettir's head i bring thee here. weep for the red-haired hero, lady. on the floor it lies; 'twere rotten by this, but i laid it in salt. great glory is mine." she sat silent while he spoke his verse; then she said: "the swine would have fled like sheep from the fox if grettir had stood there hearty and strong. shame on the deeds that were done in the north! little the glory you gain from my lay." many said it was small wonder that she had brave sons, so brave was she herself before the insults which she had received. ospak was outside and was talking with those of angle's men who had not gone in. he asked about the fray, and they all praised illugi for the defence that he had made. they also told of grettir's firm grip on his sword after he was dead, and the men thought it marvellous. then a number of men were seen riding from the west; they were the friends of asdis with gamli and skeggi, who had come from melar. angle had intended to have an execution against illugi and to claim all his property, but when all these men came up he saw that it would not do. ospak and gamli were very forward in wanting to fight with angle, but the wiser heads told them to get the advice of their kinsmen thorvald and other chiefs, and said that the more men of knowledge occupied themselves with the affair the worse it would be for angle. through their intervention angle got away and took with him grettir's head, which he intended to produce at the all-thing. he rode home thinking that matters were going badly for him, for nearly all the chiefs in the land were either relations or connections of grettir and illugi. that summer skeggi short-hand married the daughter of thorodd drapustuf, who then took part in the case on the side of grettir's kinsmen. chapter lxxxiv. thorbjorn is exiled at the thing men now rode to the thing. angle's party was smaller than he had expected, because the matter had come to be badly spoken of. halldor asked whether they were to take grettir's head with them to the all-thing. angle said he meant to take it. "that is an ill-advised thing to do," said halldor; "there are quite enough men against you as it is, without your doing such a thing as that to re-awaken their grief." they were then on the road, and meant to ride south by sand, so angle let him take the head and bury it in a sand-hill, which is now called grettisthuf. the thing was very full. angle brought forward his case, making the most of his own deeds. he told them how he had killed the forest-man on whose head the highest price had been laid, and he claimed the money. thorir replied as before. then the lawman was asked for his opinion. he said that he wished to hear whether any counter-charge was made, by which angle should forfeit the outlaw money; if not, the money offered for grettir's head must be paid. then thorvald the son of asgeir asked short-hand to bring the case before the court, and he declared a first summons against thorbjorn angle for witchcraft and sorcery through which grettir had met with his death, and a second for having killed a man who was half dead, crimes which he said were punishable with outlawry. there was a great division of parties, but those who supported thorbjorn were few. it went very unexpectedly for him, for thorvald and his son-in-law isleif held that to do a man to death by sorcery was a crime worthy of death. finally, by the counsel of wise men sentence was passed that thorbjorn was to leave iceland that summer and not to return during the lifetime of any of the men concerned in the case on the side of illugi and grettir. it was enacted as a law that all sorcerers should be outlawed. when thorbjorn saw what his fate was going to be he got away from the thing, for grettir's friends were making preparations to attack him. none of the money that was set upon grettir's head did he get; steinn the lawman would not allow it because of his dishonourable conduct; nor was any blood-money paid for the men who had fallen on his side in drangey; they were set off against illugi, an arrangement, however, with which illugi's kinsmen were not at all pleased. men rode home from the thing, and all the feuds which had arisen on grettir's account were now at an end. skeggi the son of gamli, son-in-law of thorodd drapustuf and sister's son of grettir, went north to skagafjord with the assistance of thorvald asgeirsson and of his son-in-law isleif, who afterwards became bishop of skalaholt. after obtaining the consent of the whole community he took ship and went to drangey, where he found the bodies of grettir and illugi and brought them to reykir in reykjastrand and buried them in the church. testimony of grettir lying there is in the fact that in the days of the sturlungs, when the church at reykir was moved to another place, grettir's bones were dug up, and were found to be enormously big and strong. illugi was buried later on the north side of the church, and grettir's head was buried in the church at his home in bjarg. asdis remained in bjarg and was so beloved that no one molested her any more than they did while grettir was an outlaw. the property at bjarg passed after her death to skeggi short-hand, who became a great man. his son was gamli, the father of skeggi of skarfsstad and of alfdis the mother of odd the monk, from whom many are descended. chapter lxxxv. thorbjorn goes to norway and constantinople thorbjorn angle embarked at gasar with as much of his own property as he was able to get. his lands went to his brother hjalti, including drangey, which angle gave him. hjalti became a great chief later on, but is not mentioned again in our story. angle went to norway and still made himself very important. he was supposed to have done a great deed of valour in slaying grettir, and many who did not know how it really happened honoured him accordingly; but there were some to whom grettir's fame was known. he only told so much of the story as tended to his own glory, but whatever was less creditable to him he omitted. in the autumn his account reached tunsberg and came to the ears of thorsteinn dromund, who kept very quiet, for he had been told that angle was a very doughty man and valiant. he remembered the talk which he had had with grettir in days long past about his arms, and obtained news of angle's movements. they were both in norway that winter, but thorbjorn was in the north and thorsteinn in tunsberg, so that they did not see each other. angle knew, however, that grettir had a brother in norway, and did not feel very secure in a strange country; so he asked advice as to what he had better do. in those days many of the norsemen used to go to mikligard [ ] to take service. thorbjorn thought it would suit him very well to go there and earn wealth and glory instead of staying in the northern parts where there were relations of grettir. so he made ready to leave norway, embarked, and did not stop until he reached constantinople, and obtained service there. endnotes: [footnote : constantinople.] chapter lxxxvi. grettir's death avenged by his brother thorsteinn dromund thorsteinn dromund was a wealthy man and highly thought of. on hearing of angle's departure to constantinople he handed over his property to his kinsmen and followed him, dogging his movements as he went, without angle knowing. he reached constantinople very soon after angle, intending at all costs to kill him. neither knew of the other. both wanted to be received into the varangian guards, and their offer was well received directly it was known that they were norsemen. at that time michael catalactus was king over constantinople. thorsteinn dromund watched for an opportunity of meeting angle where he might recognise him, but failed amidst the crowd, so he kept on the watch, caring little for his own well-being and ever thinking how much he had lost. the next thing that happened was that the varangians were ordered on field service for the defence of the country. the custom and the law were that before they marched a review was held for the inspection of their weapons; this was done on the present occasion. on the day appointed for the review all the varangians and all who were marching with them had to appear and show their arms. thorsteinn and angle both presented themselves. thorbjorn was the first to show his weapons and he presented the sword grettisnaut. as he showed it all marvelled and declared that it was indeed a noble weapon, but said it was a bad fault that a piece was out of the middle of the edge, and they asked how that had come about. angle said that was a tale worth telling. "the first thing i must tell you," he said, "is that out in iceland i slew a hero named grettir the strong. he was a tremendous warrior and so valorous that no one could succeed in killing him until i came. but as i was destined to be his slayer, i overcame him, although he was many times stronger than i am. i cut off his head with this sword and broke a piece out of the edge." those who stood by said he must have had a hard skull, and they showed the sword round. from this thorsteinn came to know which was angle, and asked to be shown the sword with the others. angle willingly showed it to him, for they were all praising his strength and courage, and he, having no notion of its being thorsteinn or any relation of grettir, thought he would do likewise. dromund took the sword, at once raised it aloft and struck a blow at angle. it came into his head with such force that it penetrated to his jaw and thorbjorn fell dead to the ground. thereupon all the men became silent. the officer of the place put thorsteinn under arrest and asked him why he had committed such a breach of discipline in the sanctity of the assembly. thorsteinn said he was a brother of grettir the strong and that he had never been able to obtain his vengeance till that moment. then many of them stood up for him and said there was much excuse for a man who had come such a long way to avenge his brother. the elders of the town thought that this might be true, but as there was no one present to bear out his word they fell back upon their own law, which declared that any man who slew another should lose nothing else than his life. judgment was quickly passed upon thorsteinn, and it was rather hard. he was to sit in a dark chamber in a dungeon and there await his death unless some one came to pay a ransom for him. when he reached the dungeon he found a man who had been there a long time and was all but dead from misery. it was both foul and cold. thorsteinn asked him: "how do you find your life?" "most evil," he replied; "no one will help me, for i have no kinsmen to pay a ransom." "there are many ways out of a difficulty," said thorsteinn, "let us be happy and do something to cheer ourselves." the man said he had no joy in anything. "we will try it," said thorsteinn. then he began to sing songs. he was such a singer that it would be hard to find his like, and he spared nothing. the dungeon was close to the public road and thorsteinn sang so loud that it resounded from the walls; the man who before was half dead had much joy therefrom. in this way he sang every evening. chapter lxxxvii. the lady spes there was a very distinguished lady in that town, the owner of a large establishment, very rich and highly born. her name was spes. her husband's name was sigurd; he too was wealthy, but of lower birth than she was. she had been married to him for his money. there was not much love between them, and the marriage was thought an unhappy one. she was very proud, and had much dignity. one evening when thorsteinn was diverting himself she happened to pass along the street near the dungeon and heard singing so sweet that she declared she had never heard the like. she was walking with several retainers, and told them to go in and find out who it was that had such a magnificent voice. they called out and asked who was there in such close confinement. thorsteinn told his name. spes said: "are you as good at other things as you are at singing?" he said there was not much in that. "what have you done," she asked, "that they should torture you here to death?" he said he had killed a man and avenged his brother; "but i have no witness to prove it," he said; "so i have been put here unless some one comes to release me, of which there seems little hope, since i have no relations here." "a great loss would it be if you were killed," she said. "was your brother then a man of such renown, he whom you avenged?" thorsteinn said he was half as good a man again as himself. she asked what token there was of that. then thorsteinn spoke this verse: "goddess of rings! no eight could meet him, or gain the sword from his vanquished hand. brave was grettir; his foemen doughty severed the hand of the ruler of ships." those who understood the song declared that it told of great nobility. when she heard that she asked: "will you receive your life at my hands if the choice is offered you?" "indeed i will," he said, "if this companion of mine sitting here is released along with me. if not, we must both remain sitting here together." she answered: "i think you are more worth paying for than he is." "however that may be," he said, "either we both of us come out from here together or neither of us comes out." so she went to the varangians' quarters and asked for the release of thorsteinn, offering money. they agreed. with her interest and her wealth she brought it about that both of them were released. directly thorsteinn came out of the dungeon he went to pay his respects to the lady spes. she welcomed him and kept him there secretly. from time to time he went campaigning with the varangians, and was distinguished for his courage in all their engagements. chapter lxxxviii. adventures of thorsteinn and spes at that time harald the son of sigurd [ ] was in constantinople, and thorsteinn became friendly with him. thorsteinn was now a very great personage, for spes kept him well supplied with money, and they became very much attached to one another. she was a great admirer of his skill. her expenses were very great because she tried to keep up many friends. her husband noticed a great change in her character and her behaviour, and especially that she had become very extravagant. treasures of gold and other property which were in her keeping disappeared. one day her husband sigurd spoke with her and said that he was much surprised at her conduct. "you pay no attention to our affairs," he said, "and squander money in many ways. you seem as if you were in a dream, and never wish to be where i am. i am certain that something is going on." she replied: "i told you as i told my kinsmen when we married that i meant to be my own mistress in all matters which concern myself; that is why i do not spare your money. or is there anything more than this that you wish to speak about with me? do you accuse me of anything shameful?" he said: "i am not without my suspicions that you are keeping some man whom you prefer to me." "i do not know," she said, "that there would be very much in that; and yet of a surety there is no truth in what you say. i will not speak with you alone if you bring such improper accusations against me." he dropped the subject for the time. she and thorsteinn continued to carry on as before, and were not very heedful of the talk of evil-minded people; they relied upon her wits and her popularity. they were often sitting together and diverting themselves. one evening when they were sitting in an upper room in which her treasures were kept she asked thorsteinn to sing something, and thinking that her husband was as usual sitting at drink she fastened the door. when he had sung for a time there was a banging at the door, and some one called to them to open it. it was her husband with a number of his followers. the lady had opened a large chest to show thorsteinn the treasures. when she knew who was outside she refused to open the door, and said to thorsteinn: "quickly! jump into the chest and keep very quiet." he did so. she locked the chest and sat upon it. her husband then entered, having forced his way in. she said: "what are you coming here for with all this uproar? are there robbers after you?" he said: "now it is well that you yourself give proof of what you are. where is the man who was letting his voice run on so grandly? no doubt you think his voice is better than mine." "no man is a fool if he keeps silence," she said; "that applies to you. you think yourself very cunning, and would like to fasten your lies on to me, as in this case. well, if you have spoken the truth, find the man. he will not escape through the walls or the roof." he searched all through the room and found nothing. "why don't you take him," she said, "if you are so certain?" he was silent and knew not how he could have been deceived. he asked his men whether they had not heard what he heard, but when they saw that the lady was displeased there was nothing to be got out of them; they said that one was often mistaken about sounds. he then went away, not doubting that he knew the truth, though he could not find the man. after that he ceased for some time to pry into his wife's concerns. on another occasion, much later, thorsteinn and spes were sitting in a tiring-room where dresses were kept which belonged to them, both made up and in the piece. she showed many of the cloths to thorsteinn and spread them out. when they were least expecting it her husband came up with a troop of men and broke into the room. while they were forcing their way in she covered thorsteinn up with a bundle of clothes and leaned against the heap when they entered. "do you again deny," he said, "that there was a man here with you? there are those present here now who saw you both." she told him not to be so violent. "you will not fail to catch him now," she said. "only leave me in peace and do not push me about." they searched the room, but finding nothing had to give it up. "it is always good to have better proofs than people suppose. it was only to be expected that you would not find what was not there. now, my husband, will you admit your folly and free me from this slanderous accusation?" "by no means will i free you," he said, "for i know that what i have accused you of is true, and it will cost you an effort to free yourself of the charge." she said she was quite ready to do that, and therewith they parted. after this thorsteinn remained entirely with the varangians. men say that he acted by the advice of harald the son of sigurd, and it is thought that they would not have got out of it as they did if they had not made use of him and his wits. after a time sigurd gave out that he was about to go abroad on some business. his wife did not try to dissuade him. when he was gone thorsteinn came to spes and they were always together. her house was built on the very edge of the sea and there were some of the rooms under which the sea flowed. here it was that spes and thorsteinn always sat. there was a small trap-door in the floor, known to no one but these two, and it was kept open in case of its being wanted in a hurry. sigurd, it must be told, did not go away, but concealed himself so as to be able to watch his wife's doings. one evening when they were sitting unconcernedly in the room over the sea and enjoying themselves, in came her husband with a party of men, taking them by surprise. he had taken some of the men to the window of the room that they might see whether it was not as he had said. they all said that he had spoken truly, and that it must have been so too on the former occasions. then they rushed into the room. on hearing the noise spes said to thorsteinn: "you must go down here whatever it costs. give me some sign that you have got away from the house." he promised that he would, and descended through the floor. the lady closed the trap-door with her foot, and it fell back into its place so that no one could see any mark of the floor having been touched. sigurd entered the room with his men, searched, and of course found nothing. the room was uninhabited and there was no furniture in it, but only the bare floor and a bed, on which the lady was sitting and twirling her fingers. she paid little attention to them and seemed as if their business did not concern her. sigurd thought it altogether ridiculous and asked his followers if they had not seen the man. they declared that they had seen him most assuredly. the lady said: "now we may say as the proverb has it: all good things are in threes. this is your case, sigurd. three times you have disturbed me, if i remember rightly; and now are you any the wiser than you were in the beginning?" "this time i am not alone to tell the story," he said. "for all that you will have to clear yourself, for on no terms will i allow your shameful deeds to go unpunished." "it seems," she said, "that you require the very thing which i would myself propose. it will please me well to show the falsehood of this accusation, which has been so thoroughly aired that i shall be disgraced if i cannot refute it." "at the same time," he said, "you will have to deny that you have expended my money and my property." she replied: "at the time when i clear myself i will refute all the matters which you brought against me, and you may consider how it will all end. i mean to go at once, to-morrow morning, before the bishop that he may grant me full compurgation from this charge." her husband was satisfied with this and went away with his men. in the meantime thorsteinn had swum away from the house and landed at a convenient place, where he got a firebrand and held it aloft so that it could be seen from the lady's house. she stayed long outside in the evening and the night, for she was anxious to know whether thorsteinn had reached the land. when she saw the light she knew that he had landed, for that was the signal which they had agreed upon. the next morning spes proposed to her husband that they should speak with the bishop on their matter. this he was quite ready to do, so they went before the bishop and sigurd repeated his accusation. the bishop asked whether she had ever been accused of misbehaviour before, but nobody had heard of such a thing. then he asked upon what evidence this charge was brought against her, and sigurd produced the men who had seen her sitting in a room with the door locked and a man with her. her husband said that this was ground enough for supposing that the man meant to seduce her. the bishop said that she might very well purge herself from this accusation if she so desired. she replied that she desired it very much. "i hope," she said, "that i shall have many women to swear for me on this charge." the form of the oath which she was to swear was then communicated to her and the day for the compurgation fixed. she returned home and was quite happy. she and thorsteinn met and laid their plans. endnotes: [footnote : the same harald who, as king of norway, would later challenge king harald i for the throne of england. he lost at the battle of stamford bridge--three weeks before hastings (a.d. ).] chapter lxxxix. the ordeal the day now arrived when spes was to make oath. she invited all her friends and relations, and appeared in the finest clothes that she possessed, with many a fine lady in her train. it was raining heavily and the roads were flooded; on the way to the church there was a swamp to be passed. when spes came with her company to the swamp there was a great crowd on the high road, and a multitude of poor people asking for alms, for all who knew her thought it a duty to give her a greeting and wish her well because of the kindnesses which they had often received from her. amongst these poor people there was a beggar very large of stature and with a long beard. the women halted at the swamp; being people of high rank they did not like to cross the dirty slough. the big beggar, seeing that spes was better dressed than the other ladies, said to her: "good lady, have the condescension to allow me to carry you over the swamp. it is the duty of us gaberlunzies to serve you in whatever way we can." "how can you carry me," she said, "when you can scarcely carry yourself?" "nevertheless, it would be a great condescension. i cannot offer you more than i have, and you will prosper the better in other things for having had no pride with a poor man." "know then for a surety," she said, "that if you carry me not properly the skin shall be flayed from your back." "gladly will i venture upon that," he said, and waded out into the stream. she pretended to dislike very much being carried by him; nevertheless, she got upon his back. he staggered along very slowly, using two crutches, and when they reached the middle he was reeling in every direction. she told him to pull himself together. "if you drop me here," she said, "it shall be the worst journey that you ever made." the poor wretch gathered up all his strength and still went on. by dint of a valiant effort he had all but reached the shore when he struck his foot against something and fell forwards, projecting her on to the bank while he himself fell into the mire up to his armpits. there as he lay he put out his hands, not on her clothes, but on her legs. she sprang up cursing and said she always suffered ill from low vagabonds. "it would only be right that you should have a good beating," she said, "were i not ashamed to beat such a miserable creature as you are." he said: "unequal is the lot of man. i thought to earn some benefit and to receive alms from you, and you only give me abuse and insult without any reward." and he pretended to be very much disgusted. many felt pity for him, but she said he was a very cunning rascal. when they all began to beg for him she took out her purse, wherein was many a golden penny. she shook out the money, saying: "take that, fellow! it would not be right that you should go unpaid for all my scoldings. you are now paid for what you have done." he gathered up the money and thanked her for her liberality. spes then went to the church, which was full of people. sigurd proceeded with energy and told her to clear herself of the charge which he had brought against her. "i pay no heed to your accusation," she said; "but i want to know what man it was whom you pretend to have seen in the room with me, because there is always some proper man near me; there is nothing to be ashamed of in that. but this i will swear, that to no man have i given money and that by no man has my body been defiled excepting by my husband and by that beggar, who put his muddy hands upon my leg to-day when i was carried over the ditch." many then were satisfied and declared that her oath was perfectly good and that she was in no way disgraced by a man having touched her unwittingly. she said she had to tell the story just as it happened, and then she swore the oath in the words appointed for her. many said that she would be observing the saying that: nothing should be omitted from an oath. but she replied that wise men would hold that there was no cause for suspicion. then her relations began to talk with her and said that it was a great insult to a woman of high birth that such lies should be told about her and go unpunished, for they said it was an offence punishable with death if a woman were proved to have been unfaithful to her husband. so spes asked the bishop to divorce her from sigurd, saying that she would not endure the lies which he had told. her kinsmen supported her, and with their help her request was granted. sigurd got little of the property and had to leave the country. so it happened as usual that the weaker had to bow, nor could he accomplish anything although the right was on his side. spes took all the money and was held in high esteem, but when men came to consider her oath they thought it was not altogether above suspicion, and they concluded that very skilful men had composed the latin formula for her. they ferreted out that the beggar who carried her was thorsteinn dromund. but sigurd got no redress. chapter xc. thorsteinn and spes return to norway while the affair was being talked about thorsteinn dromund remained with the varangians, where he was held in such high estimation that his prowess was considered to be beyond that of nearly every man who had come to them. especially harald the son of sigurd did him honour, and claimed kinship with him; it was supposed to have been by his advice that thorsteinn had acted. soon after sigurd was driven from the country thorsteinn proposed marriage to spes; she was quite agreeable, but referred it to her kinsmen. there were family meetings and all agreed that she herself ought to decide. matters were settled between them; their union was most prosperous and they had plenty of money. thorsteinn was considered lucky to have got out of his difficulties in such a way. after they had lived together for two years in constantinople, thorsteinn told her that he would like to visit his property once more in norway. she said he should do as he pleased, and he then sold his property so as to have some ready money. they left the country with a good company of followers and sailed all the way to norway. thorsteinn's kinsmen welcomed them both, and soon saw that spes was both generous and noble; accordingly she quickly became very popular. they had three children, and remained on their property very well contented with their condition. the king of norway was at that time magnus the good. thorsteinn soon went to meet him, and was well received because of the fame which he had earned through having avenged grettir the strong. scarcely an example was known of a man from iceland having been avenged in constantinople, excepting grettir the son of asmund. it is said that thorsteinn entered his bodyguard. thorsteinn remained nine years in norway, both he and his wife being in high honour. after that king harald the son of sigurd returned from constantinople, and king magnus gave him the half of norway. both kings were together in norway for a time. after magnus's death some who had been his friends were less contented, for he was beloved of all, but harald was not easy to get on with, since he was hard and severe. thorsteinn dromund then began to grow old, but was still very vigorous. sixteen winters had now passed since the death of grettir. chapter xci. absolution in rome there were many who urged thorsteinn to visit king harald and become his man, but he would not. spes said to him: "i would not, thorsteinn, that you go to harald, for a larger debt remains unpaid to another king, whereto we must now turn our thoughts. our youth is now passed; we are both becoming old, and we have lived more after our desires than after christian doctrine or regard for righteousness. now i know that neither kinsmen nor wealth may pay this debt if we pay it not ourselves. i would therefore that we now change our way of life and leave the country to betake ourselves to pafagard. [ ] i have hope that so i shall be absolved from my sin." thorsteinn answered: "the matter of which you speak is as well known to me as it is to you. it is right that you should rule now, and most seemly, since you allowed me to rule when our matter was much less hopeful. and so shall it be now in all that you say." this resolve of theirs took men by surprise. thorsteinn was then two years past of sixty-five, but still vigorous in all that he undertook. he summoned all his kinsmen and connections to him and told them his plans. the wiser men approved of his resolve, while holding his departure a great misfortune for themselves. thorsteinn said there was no certainty of his return. he said: "i wish now to thank you all for the care of my goods which you took while i was absent. now i ask you to take over my children along with my property, and to bring them up in your own ways; for i am now come to such an age that even if i live there is much doubt about whether i shall return. manage all that i leave behind as if i should never return to norway." the men answered that matters would be more easily managed if his wife remained to look after them. she answered: "i left my own country and came from mikligard with thorsteinn, i bade farewell to my kinsmen and my possessions, because i wished that one fate should befall us both. and now it has seemed pleasant to me here, but no desire have i to remain in norway or in these northern lands after he has departed. there has always been goodwill between us and no dissension. now we must both depart together; for we ourselves know best about many things which have happened since we first met." when they had thus dealt with their own condition, thorsteinn appointed certain impartial men to divide his property in two parts. thorsteinn's kinsmen took over the half which was to go to the children, and brought them up with their father's relations. they became in time men of the utmost valour, and a large posterity in the vik is sprung from them. thorsteinn and spes divided their share, giving some to the church for the good of their souls and keeping some for themselves. so they set off for rome, bearing the good wishes of many with them. endnotes: [footnote : rome.] chapter xcii. the end of thorsteinn and spes they travelled then the whole way to rome, and appeared before him who was appointed to hear confessions. they related truly all that had happened, all the cunning tricks wherewith they had achieved their union. they submitted with humility to the penances laid upon them, and by reason of their having voluntarily turned their hearts to desire absolution from their sins, without any pressure from the elders of the church, their penance was lightened so far as it was possible, and they were gently admonished to arrange their lives with wisdom for the well-being of their souls, and, after receiving absolution in full, to live henceforward in purity. they were declared to have acted wisely and well. then the lady spes said: "now, i think it has gone well; and now we have not suffered only misfortune together. it may be that foolish men will follow the example of our former lives. let us now end in such way that we may be an example to the good. we will come to an agreement with some men skilled in building to erect for each of us a stone retreat, thus may we atone for all the offences which we have committed against god." so thorsteinn advanced money to stone-masons and such other persons as might be needed, that they might not be without the means of subsistence. when these works were completed and all matters were settled, a fitting time was chosen for them to part company with each other, each to live alone, in order more surely to partake of the eternal life in another world. they remained each in their own retreat, living as long as it pleased god to spare them, and thus ending their lives. most men consider thorsteinn dromund and spes to have been most fortunate in escaping from the difficulties which they had fallen into. none of their children or posterity are mentioned as having come to iceland. chapter xciii. the testimony of sturla the lawman sturla the lawman has declared that no outlaw was ever so distinguished as grettir the strong. for this he assigns three reasons. first, that he was the cleverest, inasmuch as he was the longest time an outlaw of any man without ever being captured, so long as he was sound in health. secondly, that he was the strongest man in the land of his age, and better able than any other to deal with spectres and goblins. thirdly, that his death was avenged in constantinople, a thing which had never happened to any other icelander. further, he says that thorsteinn dromund was a man who had great luck in the latter part of his life. here endeth the story of grettir the son of asmund. the danes in lancashire [illustration: canute.] the danes in lancashire and yorkshire by s. w. partington _illustrated_ sherratt & hughes london: soho square, w. manchester: cross street preface. the story of the 'childhood of our race' who inhabited the counties of lancashire and yorkshire before the norman conquest, is an almost blank page to the popular reader of to-day. the last invaders of our shores, whom we designate as the danes and norsemen, were not the least important of our ancestors. the history of their daring adventures, crafts and customs, beliefs and character, with the surviving traces in our language and laws, form the subject of this book. from the evidence of relics, and of existing customs and traditions, we trace their thought and actions, their first steps in speech and handicraft, and the development of their religious conceptions. our education authorities have realized the fact that "local names" contain a fund of history and meaning which appeals to the young as well as to the adults; and the county committees have been well advised to recommend the teaching of history and geography from local features and events. some articles written by the late mr. john just, m.a., of bury, on our early races, and elements of our language and dialect, formed the incentive to the writer to continue the story of our danish ancestors. to the following writers we are indebted for many facts and quotations: h. colley march, esq., m.d.; w. g. collingwood, "scandinavian britain"; w. s. calverley, "stone crosses and monuments of westmorland and cumberland"; dr. w. wagner's "tales and traditions of our northern ancestors"; mr. boyle, "danes in the east riding of yorkshire"; mr. j. w. bradley, b.a., of the salt museum, stafford, "runic calendars and clog-almanacs"; rev. j. hay colligan, liverpool; professor w. a. herdman, liverpool; mr. jas. t. marquis, of the battle of "brunanburh"; dr. worsäac, "danes in england." messrs. titus wilson & son, kendal, plates, "map of races," etc.; swan, sonnenschein & co., london; williams, norgate & co., london. to charles w. sutton, esq., free reference library, manchester, for valuable advice and assistance grateful thanks are now tendered. s. w. partington. bury, _october , _. contents. page invasion and conquest settlements place-names patronymics physical types still existing political freemen husbandry stone crosses runes memorials literature mythology superstitions agriculture list of illustrations. canute _frontispiece_ page viking settlements extwistle hall brunanburh map old dane's house ancient danish loom heysham hogback danish ornaments, claughton-on-brock halton cross ormside cup clog almanac symbols runic calendar carved wood, with runes bractaetes halton cup calderstones, no. i. calderstones, no. ii. invasion and conquest chapter i. invasion and conquest. a victorious people have always a wide-spreading influence over the people subdued by them. an inferior race never withstood a superior one. the very fact that the danes gained not only an ascendancy in many parts of england during the anglo-saxon dynasties, but even the government of them all, is a proof that they were at that period a race of individuals superior to the natives of the land. the indigenous britons felt the ameliorating influence of the roman superiority and the civilisation which formed an element of the roman sway. the danes exercised and maintained an influence equal to the extent of their amalgamation for the general good of the country. the romans were as much superior to the aboriginal britons as the english of the present day are to the africans and sikhs. the saxons were an advance on the romanised celt, while on the saxons again, the danes or northmen were an advance in superiority and a great element of improvement. leaving the danes to tell their own tale and write their own histories in favour of their own fatherland, we undertake to sketch out their connection with our own county of lancaster, with the permanent, and still existing, effects of that connection. hitherto history has unfolded nothing as to the date when the "vikings" first visited the lancashire coast, plundering the county, and slaughtering the inhabitants. the danes first visited the eastern coasts about the year a.d. , as narrated in the saxon chronicle. in the year the city of chester fell into their hands, under the redoubtable hastings. this celebrated place the danes fortified, and henceforward, along with the other cities of derby, across the island, held at intervals until their power waned by the amalgamation which eventually constituted one people. local names are the beacon lights of primeval history. the names of places, even at this remote period of time, suffice to prove that the danes left an impression of superiority by their invasion. at this time the danes invaded the coast of lancashire, and formed settlements therein. cumberland and westmorland were under the dominion of cumbrian britons. at this early period the danes have so intermingled with the anglo-saxons, as to influence the names of the hundreds into which the shire was sub-divided. no chronicle may register this fact, but the words do, and will do, so long as they constitute the signs and symbols of ideas and things. the northern hundred of the shire was named lonsdale, and extended not only over the district of lunesdale, but also included the territory north of the sands. the second hundred into which the shire was divided was amounderness. if we allow "ness" to be of strictly scandinavian origin, then this hundred has a strictly danish or norse name, "amounder" being the first viking who settled in the fylde country. blackburn, pronounced "blakeburn," is the third name of a hundred which lies more inland, but having little or no coast line within the shire. inland the scandinavian influence diminished. hence the genuine anglo-saxon name of this division; in the early times "blagburnshire." the fourth hundred is that of salford, also inland, hence under no danish influence. the name is genuine anglo-saxon and perhaps this hundred includes natives less mixed with scandinavian population than any other in the north of england. the broad anglo-saxon frame is seen to perfection in the country districts, and the light, ruddy complexion. the men were made for endurance and slow in movements. it would be a difficult task to get them to move if they felt disinclined to do so. the last hundred has much sea coast, and came therefore much under danish influence. hence the name, west derby hundred. no one who knows anything of our early history will hesitate to pronounce this name altogether danish, so that three out of the five hundreds into which the county was apportioned were under danish domination. "bi," danish, in modern english "by," was the common term given by danish settlers to their residence. derby or deorby means not the residence or home of the deer, but a locality where the animals abounded. the danes had, more than any other people, a reverence for the dead. wherever a hero fell, even if but a short time sufficed to cover his remains, this was done; and if nothing better to mark the spot, a boat which brought him hither was placed over him, keel uppermost. failing a boat, a "haugr" or mound was raised over his grave. when christianity upset these "hofs," or sacred enclosures of odin and thor, then crosses were erected over the christian graves. this accounts for the universal number of "crosbys" in the danish district of the kingdom. conquered rome converted and conquered its barbarian and heathen masters to the cross. anglo-saxon converted his danish neighbour, and subdued him to the cross. the higher the superstitions of the pagan the greater the devotee when he is converted. when the danes were converted to christianity by their intercourse with the anglo-saxons they transferred all their superstitious feeling to the emblems of christianity. churches were also built by the naturalised danes in all places where they settled; and just as easy as it is to recognise their dwellings by their "bys," so it is to know the places where they reared their churches. their name for a church was "kirkja." hence in whatever compound name this word enters as a component, there it indicates a danish origin. hence kirkby, formby, ormskirk, and kirkdale are places appertaining to the early anglo-danish history. dale is likewise a genuine appellative, as in kirkdale as already noticed. besides, in this hundred we find: skelmersdale, ainsdale, cuerdale, and birkdale. the only two places which the danes seem to have noticed in their navigation of the ribble were walton-le-dale and the more important cuerdale, now renowned in archæology for the richest find of ancient coins recorded in history. the danes brought a treasure of , pieces to cuerdale. mingled with the coins were bars of silver, amulets, broken rings, and ornaments of various kinds, such as are recorded by scandinavian sagas. many countries had been rifled for this treasure. kufic, italian, byzantine, french, and anglo-saxon coins were in the booty; besides , genuine danish pieces, minted by kings and jarls on the continent. another discovery of danish treasure was made at harkirke, near crosby. the coins here found were of a more recent deposit, and contained but one of canute the great. from the mersey to the ribble was a long, swampy, boggy plain, and was not worth the romans' while to make roads or to fix stations or tenements. from the conquest until the beginning of the th century this district was almost stagnant, and its surface undisturbed. the dane kept to the shore, the sea was his farm. he dredged the coast and the estuary, with his innate love of danger, till liverpool sprang up with the magic of eastern fable, and turned out many a rover to visit every region of the world. the race of the viking are, many of them, the richest merchants of the earth's surface.[a] about half of england--the so-called "danelag," or community of danes, was for centuries subject to danish laws. these laws existed for years after the norman conquest. the normans long retained a predilection for old danish institutions and forms of judicature, and their new laws bear the impress and colour of the older time. this is established beyond doubt, in spite of the boast of the famous sir robert peel in parliament, that he was proud "the danes tried in vain to overcome the institutions of england instead of securing them." the english word "by-law" is still used to denote municipal or corporate law, which is derived from the danish "by-lov." this shows they must have had some share in developing the system of judicature in english cities. the "hustings" were well known in the seven cities under danish rule. the earliest positive traces of a "jury" in england appear in the "danelag," among the danes established there; and that long before the time of william the conqueror. the present village of thingwall, in cheshire, was a place of meeting for the "thing" or "trithing," a court held in the open air to settle laws and disputes in the same manner as that existing at tynwald, isle of man. the division of "ridings" in yorkshire is also derived from this danish custom. the "trithing" was a danish institution, so also was the wapentake. what are called "hundreds" in some counties, are called "wapentakes" in others, thus from the norse "taka," which means a "weapon grasping." tacitus says the ancients used to "express assent by waving or brandishing their weapons." if the sentence pleased they struck their spears together, "since the most honourable kind of assent is to applaud with arms." from this practice the word came to mean the sentence or decree had been thus authenticated. "vapantak" in the grafas of icelandic parliament means the breaking up of the session, when the men resumed their weapons which had been laid aside during the assembly. (cleasby.) local names. as a maritime race the danes brought to our county not only a knowledge of the sea, how to navigate its perils, and the secret of successful trading, but also possessed the art and craft of shipbuilding to a higher degree than any then known. we still have the old danish name in liverpool of david rollo and sons, shipbuilders and engineers. the following danish maritime terms have become part of our language: vrag, a wreck; flaade, fleet; vinde, windlass; skibsborde, shipboard; mast, mast; seile, sails; styrmand, steersman. from the fact that "thingwall" in cheshire and "tynwald" in the isle of man afford the memorial of the assizes, and that "wald" or "vold" signifies a "bank" or "rampart," where these courts were held in order to be safe from surprise, may we not presume the local name "the wylde," in bury, to be derived from the same source, as the "bank" or "rampart" would be used previous to the building of the old castle? the danish "byr," or "by," means a settlement, town, or village, and as the word "berg" means a hill, and "borough," "bury," "brow," and "burgh" are similar terms for a fortified hill, we may suppose "bury" to be taken from this source, instead of from the saxon "byrig," a bridge, when no bridge existed. settlements chapter ii. settlements. from the year the danes became colonists and settlers. raid and plunder gave place to peaceful pursuits. the english chronicle says that in "this year halfdene apportioned the lands of northumbria; and they henceforth continued ploughing and tilling them." this colonisation of deira by the danes was soon followed in other districts. the greater part of central britain with the whole of the north and east came entirely under scandinavian rule. [illustration: the viking settlements] in trading is recorded by the sagas from norway, in a shipload of furs, hides, tallow and dried fish, which were exchanged for wheat, honey, wine and cloth. thus early was established the increase in comfort and wealth, as evidenced by the erection of christian monuments early in the tenth century. the origin of "long-weight" and "long-hundred" count is traceable to the danish settlements. this peculiar reckoning survives in the selling of cheese lbs. to the cwt., and in the counting of eggs, to the hundred. the timber trade counts deals to the hundred. on the east coast fish are counted to the hundred. six score to the hundred is still popular in westmorland measure of crops and timber. this danish method of count was derived from the icelandic term "hundred" which meant . professor maitland, in his "domesday book and beyond," says that the number of sokemen or free men, owing certain dues to the hundred court, or to a lord, who were masters of their own land, like the customary tenants of cumberland, was greater in norfolk and suffolk than in essex, and that in lincolnshire they formed nearly half the rural population. at the time of domesday the number of serfs was greatest in the west of england, but none are recorded in yorkshire and lincolnshire. in the manors bearing english names the sokemen numbered two-fifths of the population, while in those manors with danish names they formed three-fifths of the population. (boyle.) in the danelaw they represent the original freeholders of the settlement and owed obedience to the local "thing" or "trithing court." in those districts which were not conquered by edward the elder the freeholders settled and prospered, and with the spread of christianity they became independent proprietors and traders. the presence of danish place-names marks the district which they conquered, including the counties of lincoln, nottingham, derby, leicester, rutland, and northampton. in the rest of mercia few of these names are to be found, viz., in cheshire, shropshire, staffordshire, worcester, gloucester, hereford and oxfordshire. the eastern part of the danish district came to be known as the five burghs, namely, derby, leicester, lincoln, stamford and nottingham. from the year when halfdene divided the lands of deira among his followers the conditions of life became those of colonists, and the danes settled down to cultivate their own lands, learning the language of the earlier angles, teaching them many words, and ways of northern handicraft, and gradually intermarrying and forming the vigorous character of body and mind which denotes the modern englishman. from the middle of the tenth century men bearing anglo-danish names held high positions in the church; odo was archbishop of canterbury, his nephew oswald was bishop of worcester and afterwards archbishop of york in succession to oskytel, and many norse names appear as witnesses to royal charters. the hatred still existed against these barbarous danes, and it is recorded in the saxon chronicle that the saxons learned drunkenness from the danes, a vice from which before they were free. this character is strangely contrasted by the story of john of wallingford, that "they were wont, after the fashion of their country, to comb their hair every day, to bathe every saturday, laugardag, 'bath day,'--and to change their garments often, and to set off their persons by many such frivolous devices. and in this manner laid siege to the virtue of the women." if we are to accept the evidence of lord coke, we are indebted to the danish invasion for our propensity to make ale the national beverage. this eminent authority says that king edgar, in 'permitting' the danes to inhabit england, first brought excessive drinking among us. the word ale came into the english language through the danish öl. at any rate after the advent of the norsemen, the english left off drinking water and began to drink ale as the regular everyday beverage of the people. the term 'beer' was used by the anglo-saxons, but seems to have fallen into desuetude until the name was revived to distinguish 'ale' from hopped ale.'--_from "inns, ales, and drinking customs of old england," by frederick w. hackwood_. green the historian in his "conquest of england" says the names of the towns and villages of deira show us in how systematic a way southern northumbria was parted among its conquerors.... "the english population was not displaced, but the lordship of the soil was transferred to the conqueror. the settlers formed a new aristocracy, while the older nobles sank to a lower position, for throughout deira the life of an english thane was priced at but half the value of a 'northern hold.'" the inference to be drawn from this passage is that the english lords of the soil were replaced by danish ones, the english settlers remained in possession of their ancient holdings. in the course of time the two races amalgamated, but at the norman conquest this amalgamation had only been partially effected. in the districts where the danes settled they formed new villages, in which they lived apart from the general anglian population. had they not done so the memory of their settlement could never have been perpetuated by the danish names given to their homes. every group of isolated danish place-names teaches the same fact, and there are many such groups. this is the case in the wirral district of cheshire, the peninsula between the mersey and the dee, where we find such names as raby, greasby, frankby, irby, pansby, whitby and shotwick, and in the centre of the district the village called thingwall. while throughout the rest of the county scarcely a danish name can be found, and as these names were conferred by the danish settlers it is impossible not to believe that under analogous conditions the names in other districts were conferred in the same way. where a new village was planted midway between two older villages, its territory would be carved in varying proportions out of the lands of the earlier settlements. sometimes certain rights of the older villages were maintained in the territory of which they had been deprived. thus in a danish village of anlaby, the lands whereof were carved out of the adjoining townships of kirk ella and hessle, the respective rectors of these parishes had curiously divided rights to both the great and the small tithes; whilst in the neighbouring instance of the danish willerby, carved out of kirk ella and cottingham, the rector of kirk ella took all the great tithes, and the rector of cottingham took all the small tithes. this method of danish _village formation_ explains a curious point. the foundation of the earlier anglian settlements preceded the development of the great road system of england. leaving out of consideration the roman roads and the comparatively few british roads, the former of which have relation to nothing but the military needs of that all conquering people, our existing road system is due to the anglo-saxon. our old roads lead from one village to another and each village is a centre from which roads radiate. the danish villages were, on the contrary, usually roadside settlements. new settlements were formed on the vast fringes of wood and waste which surrounded the cultivated lands of the older english villages. the road existed and the one village street was formed along the line. such wayside settlements are carnaby and bessingby, on the road from bridlington to driffield. when, as was sometimes the case, the new settlement was planted at a little distance from the existing road a new road running at right angles from the old one and leading directly to the settlement was formed. skidby, towthorp, kirby, grindalbythe and many others are cases in point. one consequence of such conditions of formation would be that where the english settlements were most numerous the danish settlements would be few and small, because there was less land available in such districts for their formation. while, on the other hand, where english settlements were more sparsely scattered the danish settlements would be more numerous, and comparatively large. taking a large district like the east riding, the average area of the danish townships may be expected to fall below that of the anglo-saxon. the facts comply with all these tests. thus to take the townships with danish names, and compare with similar districts of anglo-saxon names, we arrive at the conclusion as to whether the district was thickly populated before the coming of the danes. many anglo-saxon villages are to be found along the course of the roman road, which coincides with the modern one of to-day. the two classes of population found only in danish districts, the sochmanni and the "liber tenentes," are wholly absent in purely english districts. both held land exempt from villain services, which was a condition of tenure introduced by the danes. this fact shatters the theory of green that english settlers were communities of freemen. they were in fact communities of bondmen, villains, bordars, cottars, and serfs, the last holding no lands, but being bound to the soil as chattels, and the rest holding their lands, "at the will of the lord," and in return for actual services. what then was the sochman? the lawyer of to-day will answer, "he is one who held land by 'socage,' tenure." although in domesday this "sochman" is confined to danish districts, a fact which is recognised in the laws of edward the confessor. after the conquest a type of tenure more or less closely corresponding to that by which the earlier sochman held his land, was gradually established over the whole kingdom. tenants who owned such tenures were called "sochmen," and the tenure itself was called "socage." a distinction was drawn between "free socage" and "villain socage." the fuller development of the feudal system which followed the conquest greatly complicated all questions of land tenure. new conditions of holding superior to that of "socage" were introduced. thus in the pages of britton, who always speaks in the person of the king, we read: "sochmanries are lands and tenements which are not held by knights' fee, nor by grand serjeantries, but by simple services, as lands enfranchised by us, or our predecessors, out of ancient demesnes." bracton is more explicit. he defines free socage as the tenure of a tenement, whereof the service is rendered in money to the chief lords, and nothing whatever is paid, "ad scutum et servitium regis." "socage," he proceeds, "is named from soke, and hence the tenants who held in socage are called sochmanni, since they are entirely occupied in agriculture, and of whom wardship and marriage pertain to the nearest parents in the right of blood. and if in any manner homage is taken thereof, as many times is the case, yet the chief lord has not on this account, wardship and marriage, which do not always follow homage." he then goes on to define "villain socage." the essential principle of socage tenure is rent in lieu of services. it is to this fact no doubt that the vast impetus which was given to the coinage of england soon after the coming of the danes is largely due. as mr. worsaäe says, the danish coiners increased to fifty in number from the reign of aethelred to edward the confessor, and the greater number exercised this vocation at york and lincoln. thus the sochmanni were found only in the settlements of the people who had created in england a tenure of land free from servile obligations. the manner of fixing these early settlements of land was the same in ireland, in the east riding of yorkshire, and in lincolnshire. the same custom is still observed by our modern colonists who launch out into the australian bush. the land was staked out by the settler from the highest ridge downwards to the creek of the river or shore. by this means the settler obtained on outlet to the open sea. the homestead was built by the bondr or husbandman, on the sheltered ground between the marsh and hill. these settlements became byes, and were encircled by a garth, or farmyard. the names of some norse farms and settlements became composed of a norse prefix and saxon ending. thus we find oxton "the farm of the yoke," in the hollow of a long ridge. storeton, from stortun or "big field." many of these names are repetitions of places which exist in cumberland, denmark, and the isle of man. raby and irby were smaller farms on the boundary of large byes, and were derived from the danish chief ivar. each homestead had its pastures and woods, which are denoted by the terminals "well," "wall," and "birket," found in such names as crabwall, thelwall, thingwall. "thwaites" or "hlither" were sloping pastures, cleared of wood, between the hill and marsh, used for grazing cattle and sheep. this system of agriculture is of norse origin, and many such "thwaites" are to be found in wallasey, lancashire, and the lake district. calday and calder, recorded in domesday, "calders," derived from kalf-gard, are names existing in calderstones, at wavertree, and calday near windermere, as well as at eastham and in scotland. each large settler had summer pastures for cattle on the highland or moor, called "soeters" or "saetter," a shelter seat for the dairymaids. from this custom we derive the names seacombe, satterthwaite, seathwaite, seascale, and sellafield. as the population increased the large estates were divided among the families of the early settlers, and these upland pastures became separate farms. evidence that these early norsemen were christians is found in the name preston, in domesday. prestune, the farm of the priest: who in these early days farmed his own land. from its position this farm became known as west kirby. the stone crosses of nelson and bromborough prove that these churches were founded early in the eleventh century. the danish character of chester at this date is shown by the fact that it was ruled by "lawmen," in the same manner as the five boroughs (vide round's "feudal england," p. ), and its growing wealth and importance was due to the trading intercourse through the danish ships with dublin. coming from the north-east another norse and danish settlement sprang up round liverpool. though we have no distinct historical record, the place names indicate the centre was at thelwall (tingwall). such names are roby, west derby, kirkby, crosby, formby, kirkdale, toxteth, found in domesday as "stockestede," croxteth, childwall, harbreck, ravensmeols, ormskirk, altcar, burscough, skelmersdale. out of forty-five names of places recorded in domesday in west derby hundred, ten are scandinavian, the rest might be interpreted in either dialect. all other names in domesday in south lancashire are anglo-saxon, which only amount to twelve: the reason for the small number of names being that the land was for the most part lying waste, and was thus free from assessment. thus we find on the present map that norse names form a large number which are not recorded in domesday. many of these would be later settlements. in west derby the names of three landowners appear in this survey with norse names, while three others are probably norse, and seven saxon. following the fall of the danish dynasty the districts of south lancashire formed part of cheshire and we find the names of six "drengs" around warrington, possessing norman names, while only one bears a norse name. the word "dreng" being norse, would infer that the tenure was of "danelaw" origin and not of anglo-saxon. the founder of the abbey of burton-on-trent, wulfric spot, held great tracts of land in wirral and west lancashire, which are named in his will dated . thus the "bondr" here held his land under mercian rules, from which the hides and hundreds were similar to those of the previous "danelaw." lancashire was the southern portion of deira, which was one of the two kingdoms, bernicia being the other, into which the conquests of ida, king of northumbria, were on his death divided. in a.d. ida died, and aella became king of deira, and afterwards sole king of northumbria, until or . in , edwin son of ella was king of northumbria, the greatest prince, says hume the historian, of the heptarchy in that age. he was slain in battle with penda of mercia. in the kingdom was again divided, eanfrid reigning in bernicia, and osric in deira. then oswald, saint as well as king, appears to have reunited the two provinces again under his kingship of northumberland. authorities, in more than one instance, vary as to the exact dates, within a year or two. the saxon kingdom of northumbria reached from the humber to the forth, and from the north sea to the irish sea. for two centuries after the death of ecgfrith the saxon king and the battle of nectansmere, history only records a succession of plunder and pestilence. green the historian says "king after king was swept away by treason and revolt, the country fell into the hands of its turbulent nobles, its very fields lay waste, and the land was scourged by famine and plague." the pirate northmen or vikings as they were called first, began to raid the coast of england with their fleets with the object of plunder. the english chronicle records their first attacks in the year . "three of their ships landed on the western shores, these were the first ships of danish men that sought the land of engle-folk." the monastery of lindisfarne was plundered six years later by their pirate ships, and the coast of northumbria was ravaged, jan., . the following year they returned and destroyed the monasteries of wearmouth and jarrow. this was the beginning of the norse raids on our eastern shores. in halfdan returned from his campaign against alfred and the year after he divided the lands of northumbria amongst his followers. in many parts we find groups of scandinavian place-names so close and thick, says mr. w. g. collingwood in his "scandinavian britain," that we must assume either depopulation by war, or the nearly complete absence of previous population. there is no reason to suppose that the earlier vikings depopulated the country they ravaged. spoil was their object and slaughter an incident. as canon atkinson has shown in his "analysis of the area of cleveland under cultivation at domesday period," very little of the country in that district was other than moor or forest at the end of the eleventh century, and that most of the villages then existing had scandinavian names. his conclusion is that these districts were a wilderness since roman and prehistoric days, and first penetrated by the danes and norse: except for some clearings such as crathorne, stokesley, stainton, and easington, and the old monastery at whitby. this conclusion receives support, says mr. collingwood, from an analysis of the sculptured stones now to be seen in the old churches and sites of cleveland. it is only at yarm, crathorne, stainton, easington, and whitby, that we find monuments of the pre-viking age, and these are the products of the latest anglian period. at osmotherley, ingleby, arncliffe, welbury, kirklevington, thornaby, ormesby, skelton, great ayton, kirkdale, and kirkby-in-cleveland are tombstones of the tenth and eleventh centuries. it is thus evident that the angles were only beginning to penetrate these northern parts of yorkshire when the vikings invaded and carried on the work of land settlement much further. further extension was made by the norse from the west coast, as the place-names show. monuments of pre-viking art work exist at places with scandinavian names, such as kirkby-moorside, kirkby-misperton, and kirkdale; while in other cases only viking age crosses are found at places with names of anglian origin, such as ellerburn, levisham, sinnington, nunnington. this would indicate that some anglian sites were depopulated and refounded with danish names, while others had no importance in anglian times but soon became flourishing sites under the danes. in the west of yorkshire the great dales were already tenanted by the angles, but the moors between them, and the sites higher up the valleys, were not the sites of churches until the danish period. (see "anglian and anglo-danish sculpture in the north riding," by w. g. collingwood. _yorks. arch. journal_, .) yorkshire at the time of the domesday survey was carucated and divided into ridings and wapentakes. thingwall, near whitby. (canon atkinson, site lost.) thinghow, near ginsborough (now lost), and thinghow, now finney hill, near northallerton. (mr. william brown, f.s.a.) tingley, near wakefield; thingwall, near liverpool; thingwall in wirral, may have been thingsteads. (w. g. collingwood.) names of places ending in -ergh, and -ark are dairy-farms from setr and saetr. names with ulls- as prefix, such as ulpha, ullscarth, ullswater, record the fact that wolves inhabited the hills. beacons were kept up in olden days on hills which bear the names of warton, warcop, warwick and warthole. tanshelf, near pontefract, is derived from taddenesscylfe, blawith and blowick from blakogr--blackwood. axle, acle, arcle from öxl, the shoulder. the battle of brunanburh. was it fought in lancashire? "there is one entry in the anglo-saxon chronicle which must be mentioned here as it throws light upon an archæological discovery of considerable importance. in the chronicle records that the danish army among the northumbrians broke the peace and overran the land of mercia. when the king learned that they were gone out to plunder, he sent his forces after them, both of the west saxons and the mercians; and they fought against them and put them to flight, and slew many thousands of them...." "there is good reason to believe," as mr. andrew shows (brit. numis. jour. i, ), "that the famous cuerdale hoard of silver coins, which was found in in a leaden chest buried near a difficult ford of the ribble on the river bank about two miles above preston, represents the treasure chest of this danish army, overtaken in its retreat to northumbria at this ford and destroyed." * * * * * then follows a process of reasoning in support of the above conclusion, based upon the place of minting and the dating of the coins. "the bulk of the coins, however, were danish, issued by danish kings of northumbria, many of them from york." besides the cuerdale find of , silver coins and , ounces of silver there are records given of other danish finds.--from the victoria county history of lancashire, vol. i., see coins. each historian of this important event has claimed a different site, in as many parts of england. in grose's "antiquities" we find the allied scotch, welsh, irish, and danes, the northumbrian army, under anlaf were totally defeated, in at brunanburgh (bromridge, brinkburn), in northumberland, when constantine, king of the scots, and six petty princes of ireland and wales, with twelve earls were slain. this description is given in the anglo-saxon chronicle. the honour of claiming the lancashire site on the river brun near burnley, belongs to the late mr. thomas turner wilkinson, a master of burnley grammar school, who claimed it for saxifield in . we are indebted to mr. jas. t. marquis, a member of the lancashire and cheshire antiquarian society, for the following summary of evidence which he placed before the above society during the winter session of - , and which will be found recorded in the transactions of the society. he says, "there is overwhelming testimony in favour of the site on the lancashire brun." the reasons for claiming this site are simply two. an old writer spells brinkburn--brincaburh, and there is an artificial mound proving a fight. camden gives brunford, near brumbridge in northumberland, as the place where "king athelstane fought a pitched battle against the danes." this might easily be, but not the battle we refer to. there is no reason given except the word "ford." gibson suggests that it must have been "somewhere near the humber," although he finds a difficulty in carrying constantine and the little king of cumberland so high into yorkshire. the other places suggested are brumborough in cheshire, banbury in oxfordshire, burnham and bourne in lincolnshire, brunton in northumberland, but no good reason beyond a name, and an embankment in some cases, but not all. brownedge in lancashire has been suggested, with excellent reasons. dr. giles and others suggest that the name should be brumby instead of brunanburh. ingram in his map of saxon england places the site in lincolnshire, near the trent, but without assigning good reasons. turner observes that the "villare" mentions a brunton in northumberland, and gibson states what may still be seen in maps of a century old, "that in cheshire there is a place called brunburh near the shores of the mersey." this last would be a serious competitor if there was a river brun, or tumuli, or ford, or battlefield: but nothing is claimed, only the name suggested. brunsford or brunford. let us first establish the site of the "burh," which is a hill that shields or protects a camp, town, or hamlet. the question is, where was the "tun" or village on the brun? it was in saxon times usual for the folk to settle near a "burh" for the protection afforded by an overlord who occupied it. it was also the custom of the early missionaries to establish a feldekirk by setting up a cross near to the hamlet, where they used to preach christianity and bury their dead. tradition says it was intended to build the church on the site of the cross, but that god willed it otherwise. god-ley lane would be the lane which led from the village in saxon times to god's lea or god-ley, on which was the new church and burial ground. thus the new town would take its modern name from the ground on which the church stood, namely brun-ley, bron-ley, and burn-ley. the cross, built in saxon times to mark the spot where christianity was first preached, stood at the foot of the "burh" near the brun, and thus the early name would be brunford. the records of domesday book contain no mention of burnley. to the east and west would be the vast forest of boulsworth and pendle, while the valleys would be marshes and swamps. the ancient roads went along the hill sides, and there is an ancient road from clitheroe by pendle passing along the east side of the hill, now almost obliterated, leading to barrowford. the ancient road on this east side of the valley, was on the boulsworth slope from brunford, via haggate and shelfield, to castercliffe, colne, and trawden which gave its name to the forest, and emmott. dr. whitaker tells us that in his day, "in the fields about red lees are many strange inequalities in the ground, something like obscure appearances of foundations, or perhaps entrenchments, which the levelling operations of agriculture have not been able to efface. below walshaw is a dyke stretching across from 'scrogg wood' to 'dark wood.'" the ninth century annalist says, "the northmen protected themselves according to custom, 'with wood and a heap of earth,'" a walshaw would therefore be a wall of wood. nothing was safer, when attacked by bowmen, than a wood. such was the brun-burh. this burh at red lees with mounds and ditches, in a half circle on each side of the causeway, would have the same appearance on being approached from the east and south-east as the eleventh century "burh" at laughton-en-le-morthen in yorkshire. the ancient way referred to in dr. whitaker, from burnley to townley, would be from the market cross, along godley lane to the brunford cross, up over the ridge to the top of brunshaw, along the causeway to lodge farm, through the deer park, through the watch gate at the foot of the hill, and up to castle hill at tunlay. although egbert was called the first king of england, his son alfred the great at the height of his power only signed himself "alfred of the west saxons, king." england was still governed under the three provinces at the time of henry i., namely wessex, mercia, and danelagh. the latter province comprised the whole tract of country north and east of watling street. mercia included the lands north of the mersey. danish northumbria or deira comprised the lands to the west of the pennines. amongst the hills north of the ribble the hostile nations could meet in security. saxon-mercia north of the mersey, surrounded by alien nations, and having been itself conquered from that claimed as the danelaw, would be the most likely where those nations could meet in time of peace, and was the debatable land in time of war. after the death of alfred, when edward the elder claimed overlordship, the danes rose in revolt in the north. it is recorded that he and his warrior sister "the lady of the mercians" abandoned the older strategy of rapine and raid, for that of siege and fortress building, or the making and strengthening of burhs. edward seems to have recovered the land between the mersey and the ribble, for soon after leaving manchester, the britons of strathclyde, the king of scots, regnold of bamborough who had taken york at this period, and the danish northumbrians take him to be father and lord. the place is not mentioned, but must be somewhere between boulsworth and pendle. [illustration: extwistle hall, near eamott, marks an ancient boundary.] the same thing happened when athelstan claimed his overlordship. profiting by following his father's example, he would travel from burh to burh, and his route would not be difficult to trace, namely, thelwall, manchester, bacup, broad dyke, long dyke, easden fort, copy nook, castle hill, watch gate, brunburh, broadbank, castercliffe, shelfield, winewall, eamot. the anglo-saxon chronicle says that "a.d. , sihtric perished, and king athelstan ruled all the kings in the island, the northumbrians, constantine king of scots, ealdred of bamborough, and others, which they confirmed by pledges and oaths at a place eamot on the th of the ides of july and they renounced idolatry." everything points to the fact that brunanburgh gave its name to this battle. this part of the saxon king's dominions being the one place where all the hostile nations could meet before the attack. there is no other river brun in northern mercia, and the saxon chronicle says the battle was fought near brunanburh. ethelward says brunandune (river and dale). simeon gives wendune (swindon). malmesbury and tugulf names brunanburh or bruford. florence of worcester "near brunanburh." henry of huntingdon gives brunesburh, and gaimar has brunswerc, which we have in worsthorne, which is known to be derived from wrthston, the town of wrth. in the _annales cambriae_ it is styled the "bellum brun" (the battles of the brun). this would explain the many names. william of malmesbury says that the field was "far into england." we have brownedge and brownside. in addition to all this we have "bishops leap," s'winless lane, saxifield, saxifield dyke. we have also a ruh-ley, a red lees, directly opposite to which we have a traditional battlefield and battlestone, also a high law hill, and horelaw pastures, a number of cairns of stones, a small tumuli; all of which may be said to be near the hillfort brunburh. descriptions of battles from the map. from the two ordnance maps, "six inch to the mile," one of briercliffe, and the other of worsthorne, it may be seen that the roads from slack, near huddersfield, pass through the pennine range, one by the long causeway, on the south of the position and on the southern side, near stipernden, is "warcock hill. from here running north, are a series of ridges, shedden edge, hazel edge, hamilton hill, to the other road from slack, passing through the hills at widdop, and immediately on the north side at thursden is another warcock hill. from warcock hill to warcock hill would stretch the army of anlaf in their first position. from the north end of the position a road north to shelfield and castercliffe, by means of which he would be joined by his welsh allies, from the ribble, via portfield, and his strathclyde and cumbrian allies from the north. from this end of the position there is a road due west to the broadbank, where there is the site of a small camp at haggate. [illustration] from here anlaf would send his welsh allies under adalis, and his shipmen under hryngri, for the night attack on the advancing saxons as they crossed the brunford. they fell on them somewhere on the site of bishop's house estate, but were afterwards beaten back across the estates known as saxifield. two days afterwards both sides prepared for the great struggle near the burh, and anlaf, taking his cue from his opponent, advanced his left and took possession of the hill near mereclough, afterwards called high law (round hill), and the pastures behind still known as battlefield, with a stone called battlestone in the centre of it. constantine and the scots were in charge of the hill, and the pict, and orkney men behind. his centre he pushed forward at brown edge, to the "tun of wrst." while his right touched s'winden water under adalis with the welsh and shipmen. two days before the great battle athelstan marched out of brunburh at the north end, and encamped somewhere on the plain called bishop's house estate, his route by the brunford, and probably s'winless lane. we are told that anlaf entered the camp as a spy, and ascertaining the position of athelstan's tent, formed the night attack for the purpose of destroying him. athelstan, however, leaving for another part of his position on the brun, gave wersthan, bishop of sherborne, the command. the bishop met his death somewhere on the estate, the pasture being known as bishop's leap, which undoubtedly gave its name to the estate. adalis, the welsh prince, had done this in the night attack, probably coming by way of walshaw, and darkwood. alfgier took up the command, with thorolf on his right and eglis in support in front of the wood. alfgier was first assaulted by adalis with the welsh and driven off the field, afterwards fleeing the country. thorolf was assaulted by hryngr the dane, and soon afterwards by adalis also, flushed with victory. thorolf directed his colleague eglis to assist him, exhorted by his troops to stand close, and if overpowered to retreat to the wood. thorolf or thorold the viking was the hero of this day, near the netherwood on thursden water. he fought his way to hryngr's standard and slew him. his success animated his followers, and adalis, mourning the death of hryngr, gave way and retreated, with his followers back over saxifield to the causeway camp at broadbank. whatever took place at saxifield the enemy left it entirely, and the decisive battle took place at the other end of brunburh. in walking up s'windene, by s'winden water, the district on the right between that river and the brun is called in old maps roo-ley and in older manuscripts ruhlie, marked in thomas turner wilkinson's time, with a cairn and tumulus. some distance further on we find heckenhurst. the roads down from the burh are at rooley and at brownside and at red lees by the long causeway leading to mereclough. athelstan placed thorolf on the left of his army, at roo-ley, to oppose the welsh and irregular irish under adalis. in front of brownside (burnside) was eglis with the picked troops, and on eglis' right opposite worsthorne, athelstane and his anglo-saxons. across the original long causeway on the red lees, with the burh entrenchments immediately at his back, was the valiant turketul, the chancellor, with the warriors of mercia and london opposite round hill and mereclough. thorolf began by trying to turn the enemy's right flank, but adalis darted out from behind the wood, now hackenhurst, and destroyed thorolf, and his foremost friends on roo-ley or ruhlie. eglis came up to assist his brother viking, and encouraging the retreating troops by an effort destroyed the welsh prince adalis, and drove his troops out of the wood. the memorial of this flight was a cairn and tumulus on roo-ley. athelstan and anlaf were fighting in the centre for the possession of (bruns) weston, neither making much progress, when the chancellor turketul, with picked men, including the worcester men under the magnanimous sinfin, made a flank attack at mereclough, and breaking through the defence of the pict and orkney men, got to the "back o' th' hill." he penetrated to the cumbrians and scots, under constantine, king of the grampians. the fight was all round constantine's son, who was unhorsed. the chancellor was nearly lost, and the prince released, when sinfin, with a mighty effort, terminated the fight by slaying the prince. on round hill, down to one hundred years ago, stood a cairn called high law. when the stones were made use of to mend the roads, a skeleton was found underneath. that would, i believe, be a memorial of the fight. at "back o' th' hill," a blind road leads through what in an old map, and in tradition is called "battlefield," and the first memorial stone is called "battlestone." another similar stone is further on. following the blind road through hurstwood, the chancellor would find himself at brown end, near brown edge. at the other end of the position, eglis having won the wood, would be in the neighbourhood of hell clough, ready to charge at the same time as turketul, on the rear of anlaf's army. [illustration: old daneshouse] at this point of the battle, athelstan, seeing this, made a successful effort and pushed back the centre. then began the carnage, the memorials of which are still to be seen on brown edge, hamilton pasture, swindene, twist hill, bonfire hill, and even beyond. those who could get through the hills at widdop would do so: others however would take their "hoards" from the camps at warcock hill and other places, and burying their "treasures" as they went along, pass in front of boulsworth, and over the moor through trawden forest, between emmott and wycollar. if the saxon description of the battle, in turner's "history of the anglo-saxons" be read and compared with the ordnance maps before named, the reader will see that there is no other place in england which can show the same circumstantial evidence nor any place, having that evidence, be other than the place sought for. danes house, burnley, is thus referred to by the late mr. t. t. wilkinson, f.r.a.s.:--"danes house is now a deserted mansion situated about half-a-mile to the north of burnley, on the colne road. it has been conjectured there was a residence on the same site a.d. , when athelstan, king of the south saxons, overthrew with great slaughter, at the famous battle of brunanburgh, anlaf, the dane, and constantine, king of the scots. tradition states that it was here that anlaf rested on his way to the battlefield from dublin and the isles, hence the name danes house. the present deserted mansion has undergone little change since it was re-erected about the year ." this house has now been pulled down. the dyke or dykes, broadclough, bacup. this mighty entrenchment is over yards in length and for over yards of the line is yards broad at the bottom. no satisfactory solution has yet been offered of the cause of this gigantic work or of the use to which it was put originally. speaking of it newbigging ("history of rossendale") says:-- "the careful investigations of mr. wilkinson have invested this singular work with more of interest than had before been associated with it, by his having with marked ability and perseverance, collected together a mass of exhaustive evidence, enforced by a chain of argument the most conclusive, with regard to the much debated locality of the great struggle between the saxons and the danes, which he endeavours, and most successfully, to show is to be found in the immediate neighbourhood of burnley, and in connection with which the earthwork in question constituted, probably, a not unimportant adjunct." again, he says:-- "if saxonfield (saxifield) near burnley, was the scene of the engagement between the troops of athelstan and anlaf, then it is in the highest degree probable that one or other of the rival armies, most likely that of the saxon king, forced, or attempted to force a passage through the valley of the irwell and that there they were encountered by the confederated hosts intrenched behind the vast earthwork at broadclough that commanded the line of their march. whether this was taken in flank or rear by the saxon warriors, or whether it was successful in arresting their progress, or delaying a portion of their army, it is impossible to determine; but that it was constructed for weighty strategical purposes, under the belief that its position was of the last importance, so much of the remains of the extraordinary which still exists affords sufficient evidence." place-names chapter iii. place-names. an eloquent modern writer has declared, with a good reason, that even if all other records had perished, "anyone with skill to analyse the language, might re-create for himself the history of the people speaking that language, and might come to appreciate the divers elements out of which that people was composed, in what proportion they were mingled, and in what succession they followed one upon the other." from a careful analysis of the names of the more prominent features of the land; of its divisions, its towns and villages, and even its streets, as well as the nomenclature of its legal, civil, and political institutions, its implements of agriculture, its weapons of war, and its articles of food and clothing,--all these will yield a vast fund of history. the place-name liverpool has been the greatest puzzle to local etymologists. from the earliest known spelling--recorded in a deed of the time of richard i. - , where the form is leverpool--to the present, it has gone through more changes than any other local name. as the norse element in the vicinity of liverpool has been very great, we may assume the original derivation to come from "hlith," the old norse for a "slope." the north dialect also contains the word "lither" meaning sluggish. it is an adjective bearing the same meaning as the modern english "lithe," pliant, or gentle. the names lithgoe, lethbridge, clitheroe, and litherland may be derived from it. from the peaceful reign of canute, or knut, we derive the nautical term, some place-names--knuts-ford, knott end, knot mill, knottingley. knot, from old norse "knutr," and "knotta," a ball, was the name given to the measurement of speed of a ship. fifty feet was the distance allowed between the knots on the cord, and as many as ran out in half a minute by the sand-glass indicated the speed of the ship. and thus we speak of a knot breeze blowing.[b] hope, as a place-name, is common from the orkneys to the midlands, and is derived from an old norse word "hoop," for a small land-locked bay, inlet or a small enclosed valley, or branch from the main dale. hope is a common place-name, as well as a surname. in compounds we find it in hopekirk, hopeton, hapton, hopehead, dryhope. from "trow," a trough, we derive trowbridge, troughton, trawden, and probably rawtenstall. the battle of brunanburg, which took place in the year , is supposed to have been fought on the site of the modern burnley, on the river brun. king olaf brought his men over in ships, many containing over men each. he was defeated by athelstane and his brother edmund. there was until recently pulled down in burnley a house called danes-house. though the danes lost this battle, the northern bards recorded its bravery in their war songs, of which their sagas or legends still preserve some remains. among the chief followers of king athelstane in , who subdued the danish kingdom in england, we find the names of the following jarls: urm, gudrum, ingrard, hadder, haward, healden, rengwald, scule, and gunner. it is not difficult to recognise modern surnames from this list, such as urmston, guthrie, hodder, howard, holden, heald, reynolds, scholes, and gunning. "northumbria was the literary centre of the christian world in western europe," says john richard green; and the learning of the age was directed by the northumbrian scholar baeda, the venerable bede. yorkshire. the population of yorkshire, after the retreat of the romans, was composed of angles. when the vikings invaded the county, the wide dales only had been occupied by these early settlers. the higher valleys were densely wooded, the broad moors and mosslands had not been penetrated until the coming of the norse in a.d. some anglian districts were refounded under danish names, and became flourishing settlements. canon atkinson has shown by his analysis of cleveland, that at domesday, very little of that district was under cultivation. to the end of the eleventh century it consisted of moor and forest, and that many of the villages had then danish names. the name ingleby shows the passing of the angles, by the addition of the danish 'by.' at domesday yorkshire was divided into ridings (thrithings), and wapentakes. such names as thingwall near whitby, thinghow near gainsborough, thinghow near northallerton, and tingley near wakefield, though some of the sites have disappeared, remain to show the centres of danish government. the presence of many scandinavian places and names suggests that the country before then was a wilderness. the condition of the country may be gathered from the records and traditions of reginald and symeon of durham. in halfdan the dane began his raid into bernicia, and the abbot of lindisfarne, eardwulf fled before him, taking the relics of st. cuthbert. these wanderings, says symeon, covered a period of nine years. the leader of this band was eadred, the abbot of carlisle (caer-luel), whose monastery had been destroyed, and with the city, lay in ruins for two hundred years. at the places where these relics rested during their wanderings, churches were afterwards erected, and dedicated to this saint. the direction taken by the fugitives has been traced by monsignor eyre and the late rev. t. lees, first inland to elsdon, then by the reed and tyne to haydon bridge, and up the tyne valley; south by the maiden way, and then through the fells by lorton and embleton to the cumberland coast. at derwentmouth, workington, they determined to embark for ireland, but were driven back by a storm and thrown ashore on the coast of galloway, where they found a refuge at whithorn. mr. w. g. collingwood says in his "scandinavian britain," that in this storm the ms. gospels of bishop eadfirth (now in the british museum) were washed overboard, but recovered. at whithorn the bishop heard of halfdan's death, and turned homewards by way of kirkcudbright. the fact that the relics of st. cuthbert found refuge in cumberland and galloway shows that the danish invasion, from which they were saved, took very little hold of these parts. the vikings of the irish sea were already under the influence of christians, if not christianised, and were not hostile to the fugitive monks, while the natives welcomed them. the early historians relate the curious story of the election of guthred, halfdan's successor. eadred, abbot of carlisle, who was with st. cuthbert's relics at craik, in central yorkshire, on the way home, dreamt that st. cuthbert told him to go to the danish army on the tyne, and to ransom from slavery, a boy named guthred, son of hardecnut (john of wallingford says, "the sons of hardecnut had sold him into slavery"), and to present him to the army as their king. he was also to ask the army to give him the land between the tyne and the wear, as a gift to st. cuthbert and a sanctuary for criminals. confident in his mission, he carried out its directions; found the boy, ransomed him, gained the army's consent, and the gift of the land, and proclaimed guthred king at "oswigedune." eardwulf then brought to the same place the relics of st. cuthbert, on which every one swore good faith. the relics remained until at chester-le-street, and there eardwulf re-established the bishopric. in these records of the saxon historian symeon, we have the curious illustration of the viking raiders becoming rapidly transformed from enemies into allies and rulers chosen from among them. the history of guthred's reign was peaceful, and he became a christian king. his election took place about the year . during the reign of guthred, his kingdom became christianised, the sees of lindisfarne and york survived the changes. guthred died in and was buried in the high church at york. in ragnvald, called by symeon "inguald," became king of york. he was one of the most romantic figures of the whole viking history. his name bore many forms of spelling: ragnvald, reignold, ronald, ranald, and reginald. coming from the family of ivar in ireland, ragnvald mac bicloch ravaged scotland in , fought and killed bard ottarsson in off the isle of man. joined his brother at waterford in and set out for his adventure in north britain. landing in cumberland, he passed along the roman wall, and becoming king of york, was the first of the irish vikings who ruled until . the attacks of vikings who were still pagans continued, and many curious lights are shed by the chronicles of pictish writers. the power of st. cuthbert over the lands given for a sanctuary to eadred the abbot, is recorded in the legend of olaf ball (from 'ballr,' the stubborn), a pagan who refused rent and service to st. cuthbert, for lands granted to him by ragnvald, between castle eden and the wear. this pagan came one day to the church of st. cuthbert at chester-le-street. he shouted to bishop cutheard and his congregation, "what can your dead man, cuthbert, do to me? what is the use of threatening me with his anger? i swear by my strong gods, thor and uthan, that i will be the enemy of you all from this time forth." then, when he tried to leave the church, he could not lift his foot over the threshold, but fell down dead. "and st. cuthbert, as was just, thus got his lands." the succession of races which gave many of our place-names, and the order in which they came, has been pointed out in the following names by the late canon hume, of liverpool: maeshir, now called mackerfield, was called maeshir by the britons, meaning longfield; to which the saxons added field, which now becomes longfield-field, wansbeckwater is danish, saxon, and english, three words meaning water. then we have torpenhowhill, a hill in cumberland, composed of four words, each meaning hill. in addition to maritime terms, and terms of government, we derive from danish sources titles of honour and dignity, such as king, queen, earl, knight, and sheriff. the danes have left us traces of their occupation in the word gate, which is of frequent occurrence, and used instead of street in many of our older towns. the saxons, who were less civilised, left many terms, such as ton, ham, stead, and stock. but they had no word to denote a line of houses. "gata" was therefore not the english word used for gate, but a street of houses. from the norman we have row, from rue, a street. the names of many of our streets and buildings are full of historical associations and information. in bolton, wigan, and preston we find some streets bearing the name of gate, such as bradshawgate, wallgate, standishgate, and fishergate. in the towns of york, ripon, newcastle, and carlisle many more of these gates are to be found. york has no less than twenty gates. to the roads of the romans, the danes gave the name of "a braut," _i.e._, the broken course, or cleared way. (from this "a braut" comes the modern english word abroad, and the adjective broad.) the anglo-saxon took the name of street from the roman strata. thus we get the name of broad street, being two words of similar meaning. lone, lonely, and alone come from "i laun," which means banishment, and those thus outlawed formed the brigands of the hill districts. we thus get lunesdale, lune, and lancaster, from which john of gaunt took his english title. skipper was the danish term for the master of a small vessel. in the game of bowls and curling the skipper is the leader or director. "hay," the norse for headland, pronounced hoy, furnishes us with several local place-names, such as huyton, hoylake, howick. a norse festival. trafalgar day is celebrated by the usual custom on october st--by the hoisting of the british flag on the public buildings and by the decoration of the nelson monuments in liverpool and london. this battle was fought in , and decided the supremacy of britain as a sea power. long may the deathless signal of our greatest hero continue to be the lode star of the man and the nation: "england expects that every man will do his duty." let us trace the connection between lord nelson and the danes in our own county. admiral nelson bore a genuine scandinavian name, from "nielsen," and was a native of one of the districts which were early colonised by the danes, namely, burnhamthorpe, in norfolk. his family were connected with the village of mawdesley, near rufford, which still has for its chief industry basket-making. fairhurst hall, at parbold, in the same district of lancashire, was the home of a nelson family for many centuries. this recalls the fact that we have still in existence a curious survival. "a strange festival" is celebrated each year on january st at lerwick, or kirkwall, the capital of the orkney isles. the festival called "up-helly-a" seems to be growing in favour. lerwick becomes the mecca of the north for many days, and young people travel long distances to witness the revels that go to make up the celebration of the ancient festival. all former occasions were eclipsed by the last display. at half-past eight o'clock a crowd of about , people assembled in the square at the market cross. in the centre stood a norse war galley or viking ship, with its huge dragon head towering upwards with graceful bend. along the bulwarks were hung the warriors' shields in glowing colours, the norse flag, with the raven, floating overhead. on board the galley fiddlers were seated. then a light flared below fort charlotte, which announced that the good ship victory would soon be on the scene. and a stately ship she was, as she came majestically along, hauled by a squad in sailor costume, while a troop of instructors from the fort walked alongside as a guard of honour to the good vessel. the victory immediately took up her position, and the guizers began to gather. torches were served out, the bugle sounded the call to light up, and then the procession started on its way round the town. the guizers who took part numbered over three hundred, and seen under the glare of the torches the procession was one of the prettiest. the norse galley led the way, and the victory occupied a place near the centre of the procession. the dresses were very tasteful and represented every age and clime. there were gay cavaliers, red indians, knight templars, and squires of the georgian period. the procession being over, the victory and the norse galley were drawn up alongside each other, near the market cross, while the guizers formed a circle round them. toasts were proposed, songs were sung, and thereafter the proceedings were brought to a close by the guizers throwing their flaming torches on board the ships. as soon as the bonfire was thoroughly ablaze, the guizers formed themselves in their various squads, each headed by a fiddler, and began their house to house visitation. the guizer was costumed as an old norse jarl, with a sparkling coat of mail, and carried a prettily emblazoned shield and sword. the squad of which he was chief were got up as vikings. curiously enough, these were followed by dutch vrows. the orkneys and shetland isles were ceded to james iii. of scotland, as the dowry of his wife, margaret, in , and became part of great britain on the union of scotland with england. james i. married ann of denmark, and passed through lancashire in august, , when he visited hoghton tower. the effusiveness of the prestonians was outdone at hoghton tower, where his majesty received a private address in which he was apostrophised as "dread lord." he is reported to have exclaimed "cot's splutters! what a set of liegemen jamie has!" patronymics chapter iv. patronymics. we are sprung from the sea; a county of seaports is our dwelling-place, and the sea itself our ample dominion, covered throughout its vast extent with our fellow subjects in their "floating cities." these are filled with our wealth, which we commit to the winds and waves to distribute to the extremities of the four quarters of the world. we are therefore no common people, nor are they common events which form eras in our history; nor common revolutions which have combined and modified the elements of our speech. though we have kept no genealogies to record to us from what particular horde of settlers we are sprung--no family chronicles to tell us whether saxon, dane, norse, or norman owns us as progeny--still our names serve partly to distinguish us, and "words" themselves thus still remind us of what otherwise would be totally forgotten. it has been claimed that two-thirds of us are sprung from the anglo-saxons and danes, and had our language kept pace with our blood we should have had about two-thirds of our modern english of the same origin. but we have more. our tongue is, hence, less mixed than our blood. it is therefore easier to trace out the histories of words than of families. it is difficult at first sight to determine whether family names have been derived from family residences or the residences have obtained their names from their first proprietors. the romans imposed their military names upon the towns of the early britons. the danes added their own descrip-names, and previous to becoming converted to christianity gave the names of their heathen deities to the mountains and landmarks. to these were added the names of norse and danish kings and jarls. after the norman conquest, when the land had been divided by william the conqueror among his followers, comes the period when surnames were taken from the chief lands and residences. pagan deities supply us with many surnames. from "balder" comes balderstone, osbaldistone. "thor" gives us tursdale, turton, thursby, thorley, thurston, and thurstaston, in the wirral, near west kirby. "frëyer" supplies frisby, frankby, fry, fryer, fraisthorpe, and fraser. "uller" or "oller" gives elswick, ullersthorpe, elston, ulverston. from "vé," a sacred place, like "viborg," the old jutland assize town, we derive wydale, wigthorpe, wythorpe, willoughby, wilbeforce, wigton, and wyre. some of our earliest lancashire names are derived from "gorm," "billingr," "rollo," who were norse and danish kings. their names and their compounds show us that the danes were christianised, as "ormskirk," which provides very many surnames, such as orme, oram, ormsby, ormerod, ormeshaw; and another form of gorm, "grim" as grimshaw and grimsargh. formby and hornby may also be traced to this origin. from "billingr" we get billinge, the village near wigan, standing on a high hill and having a beacon, billington and other names of this construction. from "rollo" we derive roby, raby, rollo, rollinson, ribby. from "arving," an heir, we get irving, irvin, and irton. from "oter" we have otter, ottley, uttley. the danes sailed up the river douglas, and gave the name tarleton, from "jarlstown." many christian names come from the danish--eric, elsie, karl, harold, hugo, magnus, olave, ralph, ronald, reginald. surnames formed by the addition of "son" or "sen" are common to both danes and english, but never appear in saxon names. thus we have anderson, adamson, howson, haldan, matheson, nelson, jackson, johnson, thomson, and stevenson. the different names we find given to the same trees arise from different settlers giving and using their own form of name: "birch," "bracken," "crabtree," and "cawthorn." "wil-ding" is also known in westmorland and yorkshire. "whasset," which gives its name to a small hamlet near beetham, in westmorland, is danish; "wil-ding" is probably flemish, and also wild, wilde, as this name dates from about the year a.d. , when edward iii. encouraged numbers of flemings to come over from the netherlands to introduce and improve the manufacture of woollens. he located them in different parts of the country, and we find them settled in kendal and in the vicinity of bury and rochdale. this will account for this surname being so frequently found in lancashire. from copenhagen "the harbour of merchants," we derive many important place-names and surnames. a copeman was a chapman, a merchant or dealer; and thus we derive cheap, cheapside, chepstow, and chipping. in surnames we get copeland, copley, copethorne, and capenhurst. the common expression "to chop or change," comes from this source. in the london lyckpeny of we find: "flemings began on me for to cry 'master, what will you copen or buy.'" in , calvin in a sermon said: "they play the copemaisters, and make merchandise of the doctrine of this gospel." these early copmen remind us of the lancashire merchant who had visited the states after the american civil war. he said to the late john bright: "how i should like to return here, fifty years after my death, to see what wonderful progress these people have made." john bright replied: "i have no doubt, sir, you will be glad of any excuse to come back." to the abundance of surnames derived from danish origin the following are important:--lund, lindsey, lyster, galt or geld, and kell. lund was a grove where pagan rites were conducted. lindsey is a grove by the sea. lyster is danish for a fishing fork composed of barbed iron spikes on a pole for spearing fish. galt or geld, an offering of the expiatory barrow pig to the god "frëyer." from kell, in danish a "spring," we get kellet and okell. surnames of a distinct danish character, and customs derived from viking days are to be met with in our local fairs and wakes. writing on this subject, the rev. w. t. bulpit of southport says that, "robert de cowdray, who died in , was an enterprising lord of manor of meols, and obtained a charter from the king, with whom he was a _persona-grata_, for a weekly wednesday market, and a yearly fair, to be held on the eve and day of st cuthbert, to whom the church is dedicated. the charter probably did but legalise what already existed; cowdray was a man of the world, and knew that it would be an advantage to his estate to have a fair. soon after his death the charter lapsed. enemies said it interfered with pre-existing fairs. though legally it had no existence the fair continued for centuries in connection with st. cuthbert's wake in march. it was also the end of the civil year, when payments had to be made, and thus farm stock was sold. this caused the market and wake to be useful adjuncts, and a preparation for welcoming the new year on march th, st. cuthbert's day, the anniversary of his death was held on march rd, and a viking custom demanded a feast. the old name of the death feast was called darval, and the name was transferred to the cakes eaten at the wake, and they were called darvel cakes.[c] long after the event commemorated was forgotten darvel cakes were supplied in lent to guests at churchtown wakes. connected with these fairs there was a ceremony of electing officials, and at these social gatherings of all the local celebrities a mayor was elected who generally distinguished himself by being hospitable. similar ceremonies still exist, where charters no longer survive, at such places as poulton near blackpool, and norden near rochdale. traces of the norman are found in dunham massey and darcy lever and a few others, but along the whole of the east and north of the county the saxon and danish landholder seems to have held in peace the ancestral manor house in which he had dwelt before the conquest, and the haughty insolence of the norman was comparatively unknown. speke, the oldest manor house in south lancashire, near liverpool, is derived from "spika," norse for mast, which was used for fattening swine. "parr" is a wooded hill, and this word enters into many compound names. "bold," near st. helens, signifies a stone house, and is the surname of one of the oldest lancashire families. the norse "brecka," a gentle declivity, is much in evidence in west lancashire, as in norbreck, warbrick, swarbrick, torbrick, killbrick in the fylde district, and also scarisbrick, in the vicinity of ormskirk. this name used to be spelt scaursbreck, and is a compound of "scaur," a bird of the seagull type, and "breck" from the natural formation of the land. birkdale, ainsdale, skelmersdale, kirkdale, ansdell, kirby, kirkby, crosby, are all place-names of danish origin which provide many surnames in the county. where danish names abound the dialect still partakes of a danish character. english surnames. a great majority are derived from trades and callings. some may be traced from ancient words which have dropped out. "chaucer"[d] and "sutor" are now meaningless, but long ago both signified a shoemaker. a "pilcher" formerly made greatcoats; a "reader," thatched buildings with reeds or straw; a "latimer" was a writer in latin for legal and such like purposes. an "arkwright" was the maker of the great meal chests or "arks," which were formerly essential pieces of household furniture; "tucker" was a fuller; "lorimer" was a sadler; "launder" or "lavender," a washerman; "tupper" made tubs; "jenner" was a joiner; "barker" a tanner; "dexter," a charwoman; "bannister" kept a bath; "sanger" is a corruption of singer or minstrel; "bowcher," a butcher; "milner" a miller; "forster," a forester; a "chapman" was a merchant. the ancestors of the colemans and woodyers sold those commodities in former generations; "wagners" were waggoners; and "naylors" made nails. a "kemp" was once a term for a soldier; a "vavasour" held rank between a knight and a baron. certain old-fashioned christian names or quaint corruptions of them have given rise to patronymics which at first sight appear hard to interpret. everyone is not aware that austin is identical with augustin; and the name anstice is but the shortening of anastasius. ellis was originally derived from elias. hood in like manner is but a modern corruption of the ancient odo, or odin. everett is not far removed from the once not uncommon christian name everard, while even stiggins can be safely referred to the northern hero "stigand." the termination "ing," signified son or "offspring." thus browning and whiting in this way would mean the dark or fair children. a number of ancient words for rural objects have long ago become obsolete. "cowdray" in olden days signified a grove of hazel; "garnett," a granary. the suffix "bec" in ashbec and holmbec is a survival of the danish "by," a habitation. "dean" signifies a hollow or dell, and the word "bottom" meant the same thing. thus higginbottom meant a dell where the "hicken" or mountain ash flourished. "beckett" is a little brook, from the norse "beck." "boys" is a corruption of "bois," the french for wood. "donne" means a down; "holt," a grove, and "hurst," a copse. "brock" was the old term for a badger, hence broxbourne; while "gos" in gosford signified a goose. on dialect in lancashire and yorkshire. the district of england which during the heptarchy was, and since has been known by the name of northumbria, which consists of the territory lying to the north of the rivers humber (whence the name north-humbria) and mersey, which form the southern boundaries, and extending north as far as the rivers tweed and forth, is generally known to vary considerably in the speech of its inhabitants from the rest of england. considering the great extent and importance of this district, comprising as it does more than one-fourth of the area and population of england, it seems surprising that the attention of philologists should not have been more drawn to the fact of this difference and its causes. from an essay on some of the leading characteristics of the dialects spoken in the six northern counties of england (ancient northumbria) by the late robert backhouse peacock, edited by the rev. t. c. atkinson, , we learn that, when addressing themselves to the subject of dialect, investigators have essayed to examine it through the medium of its written rather than its spoken language. the characteristics to be found in the language now spoken have been preserved in a degree of purity which does not appertain to the english of the present day. it is therefore from the dialect rather than from any literary monuments that we must obtain the evidence necessary for ascertaining the extent to which this northumbrian differs from english in its grammatical forms,--not to speak of its general vocabulary. the most remarkable characteristic is the definite article, or the demonstrative pronoun--"t," which is an abbreviation of the old norse neuter demonstrative pronoun "hit"--swedish and danish "et." that this abbreviation is not simply an elision of the letters "he" from the english article "_the_," which is of old frisian origin, is apparent from the fact that all the versions of the second chapter, verse , for instance, of solomon's song, "i am the rose of sharon, and the lily of the valleys," the uniform abbreviation for all parts of england is the elision of the final letter "e," making _the_ into "th"; on the other hand, out of fourteen specimens of the same verse in northumbria, eight give the "t" occurring three times in the verse, thus, "i's t' rooaz o' sharon, an' t' lily o' t' valleys." the districts where the scandinavian article so abbreviated prevails are found in the versions to be the county of durham, central and south cumberland, westmorland; all lancashire, except the south-eastern district, and all yorkshire; an area which comprehends on the map about three-fourths of all northumbria. the next leading feature is the proposition--i, which is used for in. this is also a pure scandinavianism, being not only old norse, but used in icelandic, swedish and danish of the present day. two instances occur in the th verse of the same chapter, where for "o my dove, thou art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, etc.," we have idiomatic version: "o my cushat, 'at 's i' t' grikes o' t' crags, i' t' darkin' whols o' t' stairs." another word which occurs in six of the northumbrian versions is also scandinavian, viz., the relative pronoun _at_ for _that_. from this illustration of a short verse and a half of scripture, we have established the norse character of the dialect as distinguished from common english, of five of the most ordinary words in the english language, namely, the representatives of the words _the_, _in_, _that_, _art_ and _am_. these instances from the etymology of the dialects help to establish the following canon: that when a provincial word is common to more than one dialect district (that is, districts where in other respects the dialects differ from each other), it may, as a rule, be relied upon, that the word is not a corruption but a legitimate inheritance. those referred to, we have seen, are the inheritance of a whole province, that province being formerly an entire kingdom. proceeding in the usual order of grammars, having disposed of the article, we come next to the _substantives_. these differ from the ordinary english in that they recognise only one "case" where english has two. the northumbrian dialect dispenses with the possessive or genitive case almost entirely, and for "my father's hat," or "my uncle's wife's mother's house," say, "my faddher hat," and "my uncle wife muddher house." upon which, all that need be remarked is that they have gone further in simplifying this part of speech than the rest of their countrymen, who have only abolished the dative and accusative cases from the parent languages of their speech. extreme brevity and simplicity are eminently norse and northumbrian characteristics. we have already seen some remarkable instances in the versions of solomon's song, where we saw that the first three words, "i am the," are expressed in as many letters, namely, "i's t'"; and again in verse , "thou art in the," by "at 's i t'." we have here another instance in the abolition of the genitive case-ending, out of many more that might be added. in pronouncing the days of the week we find: sunnda for sunday, thorsda for thursday, and setterda for saturday, always with the short da. the remaining days as in ordinary english. in pronouns we find "wer" for "our," in the possessive case, from old norse vârr. relative--_at_ for who, which, that. demonstrative--t' the. that theyar--that one. thoer--these or those. indefinites--summat=something, somewhat. from old norse sum-hvat, somewhat. the two following are common at preston and adjacent districts: sooawhaasse=whosoever. sooawheddersa=whethersoever. correlative adjectival pronoun: sa mich=so much. swedish, sâ mycket. adverbs from scandinavian: backerds--backwards. connily--prettily, nicely. eigh--yes; forrùt, forrud--forwards; helder--preferably; i mornin--to-morrow; i now--presently; lang sen--long since; lowsley--loosely; neddher--lower nether; neya--no; noo--now; reetly--rightly; sa--so; sen--since; shamfully--shamefully. shaply--shapely; sooa--so. tull--to; weel--well; whaar--where. _interjections._ ech!--exclamation of delight. hoity-toity!--what's the matter: from old norse "hutututu." woe-werth!--woe betide. an illustration. a good illustration of danish terms may be gathered from the following conversation heard by a minister in this county between a poor man on his death-bed and a farmer's wife, who had come to visit him: "well, john," she said, "when yo' getten theer yo'll may happen see eaur tummus; and yo'll tell 'im we'n had th' shandry mended, un a new pig-stoye built, un 'at we dun pretty well beawt him." "beli' me, meary!" he answered, "dost think at aw's nowt for t' do bo go clumpin' up un deawn t' skoies a seechin' yo're tummus!" the word "mun" also is in frequent use, and comes from the danish verb "monne;" the danish "swiga," to drink in, as "to tak a good swig," and "heaw he swigged at it!" many danish words become purely english, as foul, fowl; kow, cow; fued, food; stued, stood; drown, drown; "forenoun" and "atternoun" became "forenoon" and "afternoon;" stalker, stalker; kok, cock; want, to want. in popular superstition the races had much in common. the danish river sprite "nok," imagined by some to be "nick," or "owd nick," the devil; but properly "nix," a "brownie." he wore a red cap and teased the peasants who tried to "flit" (danish "flytter") in order to escape him. though we have "gretan," to weep, it also means to salute or bid farewell, from the danish "grata." "give o'er greeting," we hear it said to a crying child. while "greeting" is a popular word of danish origin, so is "yuletide" for christmas, and "yule candles," "yule cakes," "yule log." the word "tandle" means fire or light, and is given to a hill near oldham. from this we derive our "candle." "lake," to play, is still used in our district, but never heard where danish words are not prevalent. in the danish, "slat" means to slop, and it is said, "he slat the water up and down." a very common participle in lancashire is "beawn." the danish "buinn" is "prepared," or "addressed to," or "bound for," as "weere ar't beawn furt' goo?" in danish and lancashire "ling" means heath; but it does not occur in anglo-saxon. from the danish "snig," to creep, we get "snig," eels. locally we also have the name "rossendale," which covers a large extent of our county. may we not suppose this to be from "rost," a torrent or whirlpool, and "dale," the danish for valley? the names of places beginning or ending with "garth," or "gaard," shows that the people were settling in "gaarde" or farms belonging to the chief, earl, or udaller. with the danish "steen," for stone, we have garston, garstang, garton, as well as garswood and garden. the danish having no such sound or dipthong as our "th," must account for the relic of the pronunciation "at" for "that," which is much used in our local dialect, as "it's toime at he were here,"--"at" being the danish conjunction for "that." the word we use for sprinkling water, to "deg," does not come from the anglo-saxon "deagan," which means to dye or tinge with colour, but from "deog" or "deigr." shakespeare uses the word in the "tempest," where prospero says: "when i have deck'd the sea with drops full salt." from "klumbr," a mass or clod, we get "clump," as clump of wood, and "clumpin' clogs." stowe says, "he brought his wooden shoes or clumpers with him." physical types still existing chapter v. physical types still existing. as early as the eleventh century the names of english towns and villages are written in the domesday book with the danish ending "by" or "bi," and not with the norwegian form of "böer" or "bö." this preponderance of danish endings proves the widely extended influence of the danes in the north. that they should have been preserved in such numbers for more than eight centuries after the fall of the danish dominion in england, disproves the opinion that the old danish inhabitants of the country were supplanted or expelled after the cessation of the danish rule ( ), first by the anglo-saxons, and afterwards by the normans. mr. wörsæ says: "the danes must have continued to reside in great numbers in these districts, previously conquered by them, and consequently it follows that a considerable part of the present population may with certainty trace their origin to the northmen, and especially to the danes. the general appearance of the inhabitants is a weighty corroboration of the assertions of history. the black hair, dark eye, the prominent nose, and the long oval face to be found in the southerners remind us of the relationship with the romans, or a strong mixture of the british anglo-saxon and norman races. the difference in physiognomy and stature of the northern races are also easily be recognised. the form of face is broader, the cheekbones stand out prominently, the nose is flatter, and at times turned somewhat upwards. the eyes and hair are of a lighter colour, and even deep red hair is far from uncommon. the people are not very tall in stature, but usually more compact and strongly built than those of the south." [illustration: example of ancient danish loom; from the färoes, now in bergen museum.] the still existing popular dialect is an excellent proof that the resemblance of the inhabitants is not confined to an accidental or personal likeness. many words and phrases are preserved in the local dialect which are neither found nor understood in other parts of the country. these terms are not only given to waterfalls, mountains, rivulets, fords, and islands, but are also in common use in daily life. the housewife has her spool and spinning wheel from "spole"; her reel and yarn-winder from "rock" and "granwindle"; her baking-board from "bagebord." she is about to knead dough, from "deig"; and in order to make oaten bread, or thin cakes beaten out by the hand, we have clap-bread or clap-cake, form "klapperbröd" and "klapper-kake." she spreads the tablecloth, "bordclaith," for dinner, "onden"; while the fire smokes, "reeks," as it makes its way through the thatch, "thack," where in olden times the loft, "loft," was the upper room or bower, "buir." out in the yard or "gaard," is the barn, "lade," where is stored the corn in "threaves." in the river are troughs, "trows," used to cross over. these were two small boats, cut out of the trunks of trees, and held together by a crosspole. by placing a foot in each trough the shepherd rowed himself across with the help of an oar. he goes up the valley, "updaal," to clip, "klippe," the sheep. it is said that canute the great crossed over the river severn in this manner, when he concluded an agreement with edmund ironsides to divide england between them. blether, from "bladdra," is also a common expression, meaning to "blubber or cry," to gabble or talk without purpose. another form of the word is "bleat," as applied to sheep. other words now in use from the norse are "twinter," a two-year-old sheep, and "trinter," a three-year-old. a "gimmer lamb" is a female lamb. the lug-mark, _i.e._, a bit cut out of a sheep's ear that it may be recognised by the owner, is from lögg mark." lög is law, and thus it is the legal mark. the "smit" or smear of colour, generally red, by which the sheep are marked occurs in the bible of ulphilas in the same sense as smear. another proof may be found on the carving in the knitting sticks made and used by the northern peasantry of the present day. the patterns are decidedly scandinavian. of the people of this district, it may be said that in their physical attributes they are the finest race in the british dominions. their scandinavian descent, their constant exposure to a highly oxygenised atmosphere, their hereditary passion for athletic sports and exercises, their happy temperament, their exemption from privation, and many other causes, have contributed to develop and maintain their physical pre-eminence, and to enable them to enjoy as pastime an amount of exposure and fatigue that few but they would willingly encounter. thomas de quincey, who lived thirty years among them, observed them very closely, and knew them, well, after remarking that "it is the lower classes that in every nation form the 'fundus' in which lies the national face, as well as the national character," says: "each exists here in racy purity and integrity, not disturbed by alien inter-marriages, nor in the other by novelties of opinion, or other casual effects derived from education and reading." the same author says: "there you saw old men whose heads would have been studies for guido; there you saw the most colossal and stately figures among the young men that england has to show; there the most beautiful young women. there it was that sometimes i saw a lovelier face than ever i shall see again." the eloquent opium-eater gave the strongest possible proof that his admiration was real by taking one of these "beautiful young women" to wife. the men of our northern dales do not pay much respect to anyone who addresses them in language they are not accustomed to, nor do they make much allowance for ignorance of their own dialect. in a northern village we once stopped to speak to an old lady at her door, and began by remarking that the river was much swollen. "we call it a beck," said the old lady, turning her back upon us, and telling her granddaughter to bring out the scrapple. "whatever may a scrapple be?" we asked, deferentially. "why, that's what a scrapple may be," she said, indicating a coal-rake in the girl's hand. as we moved away, we overheard her say to a neighbour, "i don't know where he has been brought up. he calls th' beck a river, and doesn't know what a scrapple is!" they have a very quick sense of humour, and often practice a little mystification on inquisitive strangers. to a tourist who made the somewhat stupid inquiry, "does it ever rain here?" the countrymen replied: "why it donks, and it dozzles, and sometimes gives a bit of a snifter, but it ne'er comes in any girt pell," leaving the querist's stock of information very much as he found it. the first invasion of the danes took place in the year , and to scotland they gave the name of "sutherland," and the hebrides were the southern islands, or "sudreygar," a name which survives in the title of the bishop of sodor and man. the forest of rossendale contains eleven "vaccaries," or cow-pastures (we are told by mr. h. c. march, m.d.), which were called "booths," from the huts of the shepherds and cowherds. from this we trace cowpebooth, bacopbooth, and crawshawbooth. booth is derived from the old norse "bûd," a dwelling, while from "byr" and "boer" we get the surnames byrom, burton, buerton, bamber, thornber. "forseti" was the judge of one of the norse deities, and the word supplies us with fawcett, facit, or facid as it was spelt in , and foster. unal was a danish chief, whose name survives as a surname neal, niel, and o'neil. from the old norse "yarborg," an earthwork, we get yarborough, yerburgh, sedburg, and sedberg. boundaries have always been matters of great importance, and "twistle" is a boundary betwixt farms. endrod was king of norway in , and his name furnishes endr, whose boundary becomes entwistle, and also enderby. rochdale is derived from "rockr," old norse for rock, and dale from the norse "daal," a wide valley; thus the norsename rochdale supplanted celtic-saxon name of "rachdam." "gamul," meaning old, was a common personal name among norsemen. in a grant of land dated , fifteen years before the conquest, appears the name of gouse gamelson, which is a distinct norse patronymic. gambleside was one of the vaccaries or cow-pastures of rossendale forest, and was spelt gambulside. in anglo-saxon and teutonic dialects "ing" is a patronymic, as in bruning, son of brun, says mr. robert ferguson, m.p., in his "surnames as a science." but it has also a wider sense. thus, in leamington it signifies the people of the leam, on which river the place is situated. from a like origin comes the name of the scandinavian vikings, vik-ing; the people from vik, a bay. sir j. picton, in his "ethnology of wiltshire," says: "when the saxons first invaded england they came in tribes, and families headed by their patriarchal leaders. each tribe was called by its leader's name, with the termination 'ing,' signifying family. where they settled they gave their patriarchal name to the mark, or central point round which they clustered." considering the great number of these names, amounting to over a thousand in england, and the manner in which they are dispersed, it is impossible to consider them as anything else than the everyday names of men. this large number will serve to give an idea of the very great extent to which place-names are formed from the names of men who founded the settlements. it must be remembered that the earlier date now generally assigned for the teutonic settlements tends to give greater latitude to the inquiry as to the races by whom the settlements were made, as well as the fact that all our settlements were made in heathen times. from the neighbouring tribe of picts we retain one form "pecthun," from which we derive the surnames of picton, peyton, and paton. this may suggest that we owe the name peat to the same origin. we have also the word pictures, probably formed from "pict," and "heri," a warrior. political freemen chapter vi. political freemen under the reign of ethelred ii. the supremacy of the anglo-saxons had already passed away. as a people they sank, and left only a part of their civilisation and institutions to their successors, the danes and normans. the development of a maritime skill unknown before, of a bold manly spirit of enterprise, and of a political liberty which, by preserving a balance between the freedom of the nobles and of the rest of the people, ensured to england a powerful and peaceful existence. danish settlers in england conferred a great benefit on the country, from a political point of view, by the introduction of a numerous class of independent peasantry. these people formed a striking contrast to the oppressed race of anglo-saxons. turner says: "the danes seem to have planted in the colonies they occupied a numerous race of freemen, and their counties seem to have been well peopled." the number of these independent landowners was consequently greatest in the districts which were earliest occupied by the danes, where they naturally sprung up from the danish chiefs parcelling out the soil to their victorious warriors. twenty years after the norman conquest there was a greater number of independent landed proprietors, if not, in the strictest sense of the word, freeholders, in the districts occupied by the danes, and under "danelag," than in any other of the anglo-saxon parts of england. the smaller anglo-saxon agriculturists were frequently serfs, while the danish settlers, being conquerors, were mostly freemen, and in general proprietors of the soil. domesday book mentions, under the name of "sochmanni," a numerous class of landowners or peasants in the danish districts of the north, while in the south they are rarely to be found. they were not freeholders in the present sense of the term. they stood in a feudal relation to a superior lord, but in such a manner that the "sochmanni" may best be compared with our present "hereditary lessees." their farm passed by inheritance to their sons, they paying certain rents and performing certain feudal duties; but the feudal lord had no power to dispose of the property as he pleased. the following is an abstract of a paper on tithe and tenure in the north, by the rev. j. h. colligan:-- danish influence on land tenure was originally a military one. in westmorland the manors were granted round several great baronies or fees. the barons held their estates "in capite" from the king, upon conditions that were mainly military, while the lords of the manors held of the barons, their chief duty being, to keep a muster-roll of their tenants for the discharge of the military claims of the barons. the tenants held of the lord by fines and services, the latter being, until the close of the xvith century, of a military character. this baronial system, perfected by william the conqueror, gave enormous power into the hands of the barons. the hudlestons, of millum castle, lancashire, exercised the prerogative of "jura regalia" for twenty-two generations. they also had the privileges of "wreck of the sea." some of the barons had the power of capital punishment, others, again, had the right to nominate sheriffs. they held their own courts and could be either friends or rivals of the king, to whom alone they owed homage, with service at home or abroad. the authority thus obtained by the barons was distributed to the knights and lords of the manors, who, in their turn, levied conditions upon their dependants. this system of devolution of power received from the king was enjoyed also by the church, and kept the counties always ready for war. when the martial spirit began to forsake the land, and peaceful and sporting pleasures arose, we find a new form of tenure. lands and tenements are given for the apparently trifling conditions of keeping up eyries of hawks for the baron, or of providing a gilt spur, or of producing a rose, sometimes out of season but generally in the time of roses, or of making presents of pepper, ginger, cloves, or some other tasty trifle. a number of these rents require no explanation, as they are only the reflex of the passion of the age. horses, dogs and hawks for the knight, pepper, ginger and cloves for the monks, are easily understood. the reasons for the rose and stirrup, the spur and the glove are not so apparent. it is possible that originally they were symbolical of real rent or service. the transition from the actual to the symbolical must have taken place in the xivth and xvth centuries. we have hitherto been speaking of the relationship between the barons and the monks, the knights and the lords of the manor. there is no reference to tenants, because there was no such thing as a free individual tenure before the middle of the xvith century. the soldier-tenants clung round the barony of the manor, and their position was defined as "tenantes ad voluntatem." it was only in elizabeth's reign that the demands of the tenants began to be formulated, and the unique form of tenure called "tenant right" appeared on the border. it is difficult to discover when and how the movement for freedom on the part of the tenants began, but it certainly is associated with the reformation, and is seen plainly in those places where protestantism was vigorous. we shall examine the growth of this form of tenure as it appeared in a cumberland manor. in the neighbourhood under consideration we find three kinds of tenants. at the one extreme were the drenges, who were probably saxon slaves; at the other were tenants by right, who were probably equal in dignity and privilege in the early days to the lord of the manor himself. in cumberland and westmoreland traces of the drengage tenements may be found, and the bondgate, appleby, is an illustration of drengage dwellings. the tenants by right are found in cumberland, where they are now called yeomen, and in westmorland, where they are known as statesmen (steadsmen), and in north lancashire, where, to the regret of the writer in the victoria county history, the yeomen are gradually disappearing. mr. j. brownbill says that tenant right was frequently urged all over furness and cartmel and in warton and the northern border of lancashire. he refers to the particulars in west's "antiquities of furness." we have not been able to ascertain the origin of the tenure as it applies to north lancashire, but on the borders it is the outcome of an interesting and unique form of service called cornage. it is still a disputed point as to the origin of the word. some holding it to from the fact that the lord gave notice of the enemies' approach by winding a horn; others that it was much earlier in its origin, and arises from the horn or cattle tax, still known in westmorland as neat- or nowt-geld. whichever origin be taken, it is clear that, from the time of queen elizabeth, the keeping of the borders was an important service, and is seen from the fact that the tenant could not hire another to take his place. in regard to this border service, known as cornage, the lord had several privileges which included wardship or control over the heir, until he was years of age; marriage, which gave him the right of arranging a marriage if the inheritance had devolved upon a female; and relief, which was the payment of a certain sum by the heir upon taking possession of the inheritance. the chief privilege which the "tenant-by-right" possessed for his border service was that of devising his tenement by _will_, a privilege which is much prized until this day. at the restoration the "drengage tenure" was raised into a socage tenure, and it was under this tenure, with that of cornage, and sometimes with a combination of these forms, that most of the tenements of the manors of cumberland and westmorland were held. these holders came to be described as customary tenants. the customary tenant is distinguished from the freeholder, and the copyholder, in that he is not seised of his land in fee simple, as is the freeholder, and is not subject to the disabilities of the copyholder, nor are his customary dues considered derogatory to the nobility of his tenure. the customary tenant is therefore between the freeholder and the copyholder, with a number of well defined privileges. the two most important duties of the average tenant in cumberland and westmorland were those of warfare and the watching of the forests. the former depended entirely upon the attitude of the other kingdoms, especially scotland; the latter was a long and laborious service laid upon the tenant until the middle of the xvith century. the counties of cumberland and westmorland were dense forests until long after the norman conquest, and the timber for the royal shipyards was grown in these highlands of england. the forests were full of game, and the regulations in connection with the preservation of game and the upkeep of the forests were most exacting upon the people. from the middle of the xvith century, however, these ancient laws and services began to lose their force, and a new set of regulations arose to meet the new environment. slowly but surely the feudal system had passed away. here and there a relic remained, but it was impossible to ignore the rights of men who could no longer be bought and sold with a tenement. from the first year of the reign of elizabeth the border service is well defined and the claims of the tenants became fixed. several years before, lord wharton, as deputy-general of the west marches, drew up a series of regulations for the protection of that part of the border. in an interesting article by mr. graham, we find how the men of hayton, near carlisle, turned out every night with their spears, and remained crouched on the river bank in the black darkness or the pouring rain. it is a typical example of borderers engaged upon their regular service. this system had superseded the feudal system. the feudal tenure survived in many instances where a power. like one of their own tumultuous forces, when once directed into the right stream, they went to form that new product which we call an englishman. the documents, which were discovered at penruddock in the township of hutton soil--the "kist" is in the possession of mr. wm. kitchen, town head, penruddock--relate to a struggle between the lord and the tenants of hutton john, cumberland, on the subject of tenant right. so far as we are aware these documents are unique. the various authorities on cumberland history give reference to a number of these disputes but no mention is made of the hutton john case, so that we have here for the first time a full knowledge of what was probably the most important of all these trials. in addition, while there are no documents relating to the other cases, we have here every paper of the hutton john case preserved. the story of the discovery is that the writer (the rev. j. hay colligan) was searching for material for a history of the penruddock presbyterian meeting house when he came across a kist, or chest, containing these documents. (a calendar of these documents may be found in the cumberland and westmorland transactions for .) the manor of hutton john had long been in the possession of the hutton family when it passed in to a son of sir john hudleston of millum castle by his marriage with mary hutton. her brother thomas had burdened the estate on account of his imprisonment lasting about fifty years. it was the son of this marriage, joseph by name, who became the first lord of the manor, and most of the manorial rights still remain with the hudleston family. after joseph hudleston came three andrews--first, - ; second, - ; third, - --and it was with these four lords that the tenants carried on their historical dispute. the death of thomas hutton took place some time after and was the occasion for raising a number of questions that agitated the manor for almost a century afterwards. it flung the combustible topic of tenure into an atmosphere that was already charged with religious animosity, and the fire in the manor soon was as fierce as the beacon-flare on their own skiddaw. the position of the parties in the manor may be summed up by saying that joseph hudleston insisted that the tenants were tenants-at-will, and the tenants on the other hand claimed tenant right. whatever may have been the origin of cornage, it is clear that by the xviith century it was synonymous with tenant right. the details in the dispute cannot here be treated, but the central point was the subject of a general fine. this fine, frequently called gressome, was the entrance fine which the tenant paid to the lord upon admittance. in some manors it was a two years' rent, in others three. an unusual form in the manor of hutton john was a seven years' gressome, called also a running fine or a town-term. this was the amount of two years' rent at the end of every seven years. the contention of the tenants was, that as this was a running fine, no general fine was due to the lord of the manor on the death of the previous lord. from this position the tenants never wavered, and for over seventy years they fought the claim of the lord. upon the death of thomas hutton the tenants claiming tenant right refused to pay the general fine to joseph hudleston. after wrangling with the tenants for a few years, joseph brought a bill against them in . he succeeded in obtaining a report from the law lord, baron trevor, which plays an important part in the case unto the end. he apparently disregarded the portion which applied to himself, and pressed the remainder upon the tenants. the tenants thereupon decided to send three of their number with a petition to charles i. and it was delivered to the king at newmarket. he ordered his judges to look into the matter. the civil war, however, had begun, and the whole country was about to be filled with smoke and flame. needless to say the tenants took the side of parliament, while the lord of the manor, the first andrew, was described in the records as a papist in arms. during the civil war the whole county of cumberland was in action. the manor of hutton john was mainly for the parliament. greystoke castle, only two miles from the manor, surrendered to the parliamentary troops. the termination of the civil war in was the date for the beginning of litigation between the hudleston family and the parliament on the subject of the manor. after this was over the struggle between the lord and the tenants began again. in their distress the tenants sent a letter to lord howard of naworth castle, whose puritan sympathies were well known. this is a feature of the case that need not be dwelt upon, but without which there can be no complete explanation of the story. the struggle was in fact a religious one. the occasion of it was the entrance into a cumberland manor of a lancashire family, and the consequent resentment on the part of the adherents of the manor, who boasted that they had been there "afore the hudlestons." the motives which prompted each party were those expressed in the words puritan _v._ papist. the year was a memorable one in the history of the dispute. in that year the tenants brought a bill of complaint against the lord at carlisle assizes. the judge, at the opening of the court, declared that the differences could be compounded by some gentlemen of the county. all the parties agreed, and the court made an order whereby sir philip musgrave, kt. and bart., and sir john lowther, bart., were to settle the case before september st. if they could not determine within that time they were to select an umpire within one week, who must make his award before lady-day. sir philip musgrave and sir john lowther accepted the responsibility placed upon them by the court and took great pains to accommodate the differences, but finding themselves unable to furnish the award within the time specified they elected sir george fletcher, bart., to be umpire. sir george fletcher made his award on march rd, . the original document, written, signed and sealed with his own hand, is here before us. its tattered edges prove that it has been frequently referred to. sir george fletcher's award was on the whole in favour of the tenants, and especially on the subject of the general fine, which he declared was not payable on the death of the lord. other important matters were dealt with, including heriots, widows' estates, the use of quarries on the tenements, the use of timber, the mill rent, together with the subject of boons and services. all the tenants acquiesced in the award, and the lord paid the damages for false imprisonment to several of the tenants. in the year andrew hudleston the first died, and andrew the second, - , succeeded to the lordship. he immediately began to encroach. he demanded the general fine in addition to rents and services, contrary to the award. the struggle therefore broke out afresh as fiercely as ever, and both parties returned to the old subject of tenure. the matter became a religious one owing to the restoration and the rigid acts which followed between - . an extraordinary incident occurred at this time in the conversion of the lord to the protestant cause, but this did not affect the dispute between him and the tenants. in the tenants moved again. they requested the court to put into operation the award of sir george fletcher. from that year until the strife was bitterer than ever, and the kist contains more documents relating to this period than to any other. in the year , after several judgments had previously been made against the third andrew hudleston and his late father, the former appealed to the house of lords, and the case was dismissed in favour of the tenants. although the struggle lasted until the year , the climax was reached in . the historical value of the case is the way in which it illustrates the conditions of tenure in the north-west of england, and at the same time pourtrays the pertinacity in spite of serious obstacles of the yeoman class in asserting its rights. _tithe._ the subject of tithe is one that can only be dealt with in a restricted way and from one point of view. it is well known that, through the influence of george fox in north lancashire, quakerism spread with frenzied force through westmorland and cumberland. many of those who had been previously content with puritan doctrines seceded to the quakers. the practice of declining to pay the tithe, in the case which the documents before us illustrate, was of a different character. it occurs in the parish of greystoke, in which the manor of hutton john was situated. five years after the award of sir george fletcher on the tenure case, the nonconforming section of the tenants of hutton john raised another question of a tithe called "bushel corn." this had been regularly paid to the rector of greystoke from time immemorial. even the puritan rectors had received this tithe down to that great puritan, richard gilpin, who was ejected from the rectory of greystoke in . the point in dispute was not a deliberate refusal of the tithe, it was a declaration of the parishioners that the _measure_ was an unjust one. the contest was carried on by john noble, of penruddock, and thos. parsons, the steward of the countess of arundel and surrey, lady of the barony of greystoke. associated with parsons was john robson, a servant and proctor of the rector. parsons and robson were farmers of the tithe, but the case had the full consent of the rector, the rev. allan smallwood, d.d. the immediate cause of the dispute was the question of the customary measure. it resulted in the settlement of a vexatious subject which was as to the size of a _bushel_. the matter was one of contention throughout the country until standard weights and measures were recognised and adopted. in cumberland the most acute form was upon the subject of the corn bushel. the deviations in quantity were difficult to suppress, and several law cases upon this matter are on record. in the parish of greystoke the case was first begun in . the bushel measure had been gradually increased from sixteen gallons, which amount the parishioners acknowledged and were prepared to pay, until it reached twenty-two gallons. the case passed through the assizes of three counties, being held at carlisle, lancaster and appleby, and a verdict for the parishioners was eventually given. the documents, apart from their intrinsic worth, have thus an inestimable value, in that they shed light upon and give information in regard to the doings in a cumberland manor where hitherto there has been but darkness and silence, as far as the records of the people were concerned. we are able now to follow with interest and satisfaction a story that is equal in courage and persistence with the best traditions of english love of justice and fair play. the documents in this case were numerous but small, and were in many cases letters and scraps of paper. as a piece of local history it is not to be compared with the tenure case, but it contains valuable items of parish life in the xviith century. perhaps the best of the letters are those from sir john otway, the well-known lawyer. john noble the yeoman has several letters full of fine touches. the depositions of the witnesses at cockermouth in are picturesque. the lawyers' bills, of which there are many, are not so illuminating. there are several letters of henry johnes of lancaster, who was mayor of that town on two occasions. public men regard it as a great honour to represent the northern districts of england in parliament, merely from the intelligent political character of the voters; and it was certainly through the adherence of the love of freedom in the north that cobden and bright were able to struggle so successfully for the promotion of free trade and for financial reform. sir e. bulwer lytton, the great english writer, says: "those portions of the kingdom originally peopled by the danes are noted for their intolerance of all oppression, and their resolute independence of character, to wit, yorkshire, lancashire, norfolk, and cumberland, and large districts in the scottish lowlands." memorials of the danes are mixed up with england's freest and most liberal institutions; and to the present day the place where the candidate for a seat in parliament addressed the electors bears throughout england the pure danish name of the "husting." when william i. began to conquer england, and to parcel it out among his warriors, it was the old danish inhabitants who opposed him; who would have joined him, their kinsman the norman, especially as he gave it out that one of their objects in coming to england was to avenge the danes and norwegians who were massacred by ethelred, but the normans aimed at nothing less than the abolition of the free tenure of estates and the complete establishment of a feudal constitution. this mode of proceeding was resented, which would rob the previously independent man of his right to house and land, and by transferring it to the powerful nobles shook the foundation of freedom. the danes turned from them in disgust, and no longer hesitated to join the equally oppressed anglo-saxons. the normans were obliged to build strong fortifications, for fear of the people of scandinavian descent, who abounded both in the towns and rural districts. what the normans chiefly apprehended was attacks from the danes who, there was good reason to suppose, might come over with their fleets, to the assistance of their countrymen in the north of england. the norman kings who succeeded william the conqueror dwelt in perfect safety in the southern districts, but did not venture north without some fear, and a chronicler who lived at the close of the twelfth century assures us that they never visited this part of the kingdom without being accompanied by a strong army. abolition of slavery. in those districts where the danes exercised complete dominion the custom of slavery was abolished. this fact is established by a comparison of the population of those districts colonised by the danes with that of the older english districts. the population returns given in domesday book prove that no "servi" existed in the counties where danish influence was greatest. both in yorkshire and lincolnshire at this time there is no record of slavery. in the counties where this influence was less, such as nottingham, the returns show that one serf existed to every of the population. in derbyshire per cent., in norfolk and suffolk per cent., in leicestershire per cent., in northamptonshire per cent., in cambridge, hertford and essex per cent. outside the influence of the danelagh the proportion is much greater. in oxfordshire per cent. were slaves, in worcester, bucks, somerset and wiltshire per cent., in dorset and hampshire per cent., in shropshire per cent., in devonshire per cent., in cornwall per cent., and in gloucestershire per cent., or almost one-fourth of the whole population. these records were not made by danish surveyors, but norman officials, and explode the theory of historians like green who assert that the english settlers were communities of free men. these conditions of tenure were introduced by the danes, and became so firmly established that the names given to such freeholders as "statesmen" in cumberland, "freemen" and "yeomen" in yorkshire, westmorland and north lancashire still exist at the present day. as we have seen, records of struggles for tenant rights have come to light in recent years which prove that feudal conditions were imposed by successive landlords, and were resisted both before and after the commonwealth. invasion and settlement. the norse settlement at the mouth of the dee dated from the year when ingimund, who had been expelled from dublin, was given certain waste lands near chester, by aethelflaed, lady of the mercians. this colony extended from the shore of flint, over the wirral peninsula to the mersey, and it is recorded in domesday by the name of their thingwall or tingvella. along with the group of norse names in the wirral is thurstaston, or thors-stone, or thorstun-tun. this natural formation of red sandstone has been sometimes mistaken for a tingmount or norse monument. several monuments of the tenth century norse colony are to be found in the district, such as the hogback stone in west kirby museum, and the gravestone bearing the wheel-shaped head. a similar monument was found on hilbre island, and other remains of cross slabs occur at neston and bromborough. the norse place-names of wirral prove that these lands were waste and unoccupied, when names of danish origin were given, such as helsby, frankby, whitby, raby, irby, greasby and pensby. some wirral names are composed of celtic and norse, as the settlers brought both gælic and norse names from ireland. these are found in the norse runes in the isle of man and north of lancaster. socmen were manorial tenants who were free in status, though their land was not held by charter, like that of a freeholder, but was secured to them by custom. they paid a fixed rent for the virgate, or part of a virgate, which they generally held; and, taking the peterborough socmen as examples, they were bound to render farm produce, such as fowls and eggs, at stated seasons; to lend their plough teams thrice in winter and spring; to mow and carry hay; to thresh and harrow, and do other farm work for one day ... and to help at the harvest for one or two days. their services contrasted with the _week-work_ of a villein, were little more than nominal and are comparable to those of the radmanni. the peterborough socmen reappear under the "descriptio militum" of the abbey, where it is said they were served "cum militibus," but this appears to be exceptional. socmen were like "liber tenentes" frequently liable to "merchet, heriot and tallage." their tenure was the origin of free socage, common in the thirteenth century, and now the prevailing tenure of land in england. socmen held land by a fixed money payment, and by a fixed though trivial amount of base service which would seem to ultimately disappear by commutation." all socmen as customary tenants required the intervention of the steward of the manor in the transfer or sale of their rights. ("palgrave's dictionary of political economy," p. .) _merchet._ of all the manorial exactions the most odious was the "merchetum," a fine paid by the villain on giving his daughter in marriage. it was considered as a mark of servile descent, and the man free by blood was supposed to be always exempted from it, however debased his position was in every other respect. in the status of socmen, developed from the law of saxon freemen there was usually nothing of the kind. "heriot" was the fine or tax payable to the lord or abbot on the death of the socman. the true heriot is akin in name and in character to the saxon "here-great"--to the surrender of the military outfit supplied by the chief to his follower. in feudal time and among peasants it is not the war-horse and armour that is meant, but the ox and harness take their place. (vinogradoff, "mediæval manors": political exactions, chap. v., .) _mol-men._ etymologically, there is reason to believe that this term is of danish origin, and the meaning has been kept in practice by the scotch dialect (_vide_ "ashley, economic history," i, pp. - .) _tallage._ the payment of arbitrary tallage is held during the thirteenth century to imply a servile status. such tallage at will is not very often found in documents, although the lord sometimes retained his prerogative in this respect even when sanctioning the customary form of renders and services. now and then it is mentioned that tallage is to be levied once a year although the amount remains uncertain. ("villianage in england," chap. v, , vinogradoff.) husbandry chapter vii. husbandry. the influence of the norse has been felt in terms connected with land. "god speed the plough" has been the toast of many a cup at many a merry meeting for many a century past in this realm. yet we seem not generally to know by whom the name of the plough was introduced amongst us. the anglo-saxon knew nothing of such an implement and its uses ere they settled in the land. this is apparent from their not having a term for it in their own tongue. even when they were accustomed to the use of the so-called plough of the romans, which they found in the hands of the british at their settlement in the country, they so confounded the terms of husbandry that they gave the name of "syl" or "suhl" to the roman-british implement, from the furrow "sulcus," which it drew, without attending in the least to the roman-british name. the work of one such plough during a season they have called a "sulling" or furrowing. this so-called plough, from the figures left of it in the anglo-saxon mss., seems to have been but a sorry kind of an article, not fit to be brought into comparison with the worst form of our plough in the neglected districts of england. we owe both the framework and the origin of the modern plough to the northerners. we meet with the word in the old norse "plogr." in swedish it is "plog"; while in danish it occurs both as "plov" and "ploug," as in english, and it was in all probability introduced by that people during the eleventh century, at the latter part of their dynasty within the island. there is no root either in the teutonic or scandinavian tongues from which it is deducible. the british name for their plough was "aradr," their mode of pronouncing the latin "aratum," the word for the roman plough. the sort of agriculture which was known in the very early times must have been extremely simple, if we are to judge it by the terms which have reached our times. ulphilas, in his translation of the greek testament construes the word for plough with the gothic word "hôha," the origin of our modern term "hoe." we may therefore surmise that in these primitive times natives hoed the ground for their crops for want of better implements to turn up the soil. while we owe to the norse the name for plough, we are also indebted to them for the term "husbandry." among the scandinavians, the common name for the peasantry was "bondi," the abstract form of "buondi," dwelling in, or inhabiting a country. as intercourse with more civilised nations began to civilise the inhabitants of these northern climes, certain favoured "bondi" had houses assigned to them, with plots of ground adjoining for the use of their families. as the culture of such private plots was distinct from the common culture of other land, the person so favoured, separated from the general herd, obtained the name of "husbondi," and the culture of their grounds "husbondri." when such families obtained settlements in england, they brought over with them the habits and names of the north; and from mingling with the anglo-saxon natives, with whom adjuncts to introduced terms and titles were common, the suffix of "man" was applied to the name of "husbondi," who thus became "husbandmen," a term still kept up in the northern counties for labourers on farms, who are styled husbandmen to this day. names from trades and handicrafts were given to persons employed therein both by danes and anglo-saxons. such names keep up their distinction to the present day. the general name of artizans of every kind was smith. simple "smiths" are anglo-saxon, "smithies" are norse. "millars," from the trade of millers, are anglo-saxon. "milners" for the same reason are norse. "ulls," "woolley" is anglo-saxon, "woolner" is norse; "fullers" and "towers" are anglo-saxon; "kilners" and "gardners," norse. some names derived from offices as "gotts" from "gopr," a priest, or one who had charge of a "hof," or heathen temple in the north. "goods" comes from "gopa," and "barge" from "bargr." as further instances we may notice the names of buildings. "bigging," applied to a building, shows it to be norse, as in "newbiggin" and "dearsbiggin." such buildings were built of timber, and had an opening for the door and an eyelet for a window. in the norse this opening was called "vindanga," or windeye, which term we have adopted, and modernised it into our word "window." we have also chosen several norse names for our domesticated animals. "bull" we have formed from the norse "bole." "gommer," or "gimmer" we retain in the northern dialect for ewe lamb, from the norse "gimber." "stegg," the name for a gander, is in norse "stegger." in the north nicknames were general, and every man had his nickname, particularly if there was aught remarkable in his appearance or character. some obtained such names from their complexions, as the "greys," "whites," "blacks," "browns," "blakes." short and dwarfish persons took the nicknames of "stutts," nowadays called "stotts." before christianity found its way among the natives, some bore fanciful names, as may be instanced in "bjorn," a bear, now "burns." prefixes to such fanciful names were also common, as in "ashbjorn," the bear of the osir or gods, in modern times spelt "ashburns"; and "thorbjorn," the bear of thor, whence came "thornber" and "thorburn." the name of "mather" is norse for man, and as norse names are general, we may produce the following: "agur" from "ager"; "rigg" from "rig"; "grime" from "grimr"; "foster" from "fostr"; "harland" from "arlant"; "grundy" from "grunrd"; "hawkes" from "hawkr"; and "frost" from "frosti," which are of frequent occurrence in the old norse sagas. in the vale of the lune the danes have left numerous traces. north of lancaster is halton, properly "haughton," named from the tumulus or danish "haugh," within the village. these are the names of the "bojais" or farms belonging to "byes," or residences of their greatmen. near hornby we find such places at "whaitber," "stainderber," "threaber," "scalaber." within the manor of hornby are "santerfell," "romsfell," "litherell," or fell of the hillside. the name of fell for mountain bespeaks norse or danish influence. the raven was the national symbol of the danes. we have ravenstonedale and ravenshore, and we also find the name in rivington pike, from raven-dun-pike. pike is a common name for a hill or spur standing away from the mountain range, and is derived from the picts. the derivation of our common pronoun "same" is to be traced through the old norse "samt," "sama," and "som," and has been selected into our tongue from the definite form "sama," the same. while we might expect to meet with this word, in the lowland scotch, where the norse influence was greater, the people use the anglo-saxon "ilia" or "ylea," while in the general english, where the influence of the northmen was less, we have adopted the norse word "same," to the exclusion of the word we might expect to consider as our own. many a good word do we owe to the norsmen, whatever we may think about their deeds. stone crosses chapter ix. stone crosses. the parish church of st. peter, bolton, was rebuilt entirely by mr. peter ormrod, whose surname is danish, and was consecrated on st. peter's day, . among the pre-norman stones discovered during the re-building were the broken head of a supposed irish cross, of circular type, probably of the tenth century; part of the shaft of a cross bearing a representation of adam and eve, with the apple between their lips, and an upturned hand; and a stone with carving of a nondescript monster. at this period the danes were the rulers of ireland and the isle of man, whose bishops were men bearing danish names, and therefore we may assume that this memorial was erected under their influence and direction. some crosses, says fosbrooke, in his dictionary of antiquities, owe their origin to the early christians marking the druid stones with crosses, in order to change the worship without breaking the prejudice. some of the crosses presumed to be runic rather belong to the civilised britons, were erected by many of the christian kings before a battle or a great enterprise, with prayers and supplication for the assistance of almighty god. at a later period, not probably earlier than the tenth century, a scandinavian influence shows itself, and to a very appreciable extent modifies the ornamentation of these monuments. it went even further, and produced a representation of subjects, which, however strange it may appear, are only explained by a reference to the mythology of that part of europe. the grave covers, to which, on account of their shape, the name of hog-backed stones has been applied, appear to have occurred very rarely beyond the counties of cumberland, durham, york, and lancaster, though some not quite of the ordinary type have been found in scotland, as, for instance, at govan, on the clyde, near glasgow. they developed ultimately, through a transitional form, into the coped stone with a representation of a covering of tiles, the roof of man's last home, and were a common grave cover of the twelfth century. stone crosses. in pre-reformation times there was scarcely a village or hamlet in england which had not its cross; many parishes, indeed, had more than one. we know that at liverpool there were the high cross, the white cross, and st. patrick's cross. while many of these crosses are of undoubted saxon origin, others bear distinct traces of scandinavian mythology. [illustration: heysham hogback.] [illustration] north lancashire relics. in the churchyard of halton, near lancaster, is the shaft of an ancient cross. in the upper part was removed by the rector, in order that the portion remaining might be converted into a sundial. on the east side are two panels, one showing two human figures, in a sitting posture, engaged in washing the feet of a seated figure; the other showing two figures on either side of a tall cross. this is the christian side of a cross erected at a time of transition. on the west side is a smith at work with a pair of bellows. he is forging a large pair of pincers, as he sits on a chair. below the chair is the bust of a man, or a coat of mail. above him is a sword of heavy type, also a second hammer, a second pair of pincers, and a human body, with a "figure of eight" knot, intertwined in a circle, in place of a head, and an object at his feet representing the head. the half-panel above has reference to some event in the sagas. at heysham, near lancaster, also in the churchyard, is an example of a hog-backed stone, a solid mass six feet long and two feet thick, laid over some ancient grave. on the stone is a stag, with broad horns, and as it is not a reindeer it is said to be a rude representation of an elk. the scene on this side of the stone depicts an animal hunt. the termination at each end is a rude quadruped on its hind quarters. a fragment of a beautifully-sculptured cross is still remaining, evidently part of a cross which fitted into the socket of the stone. in the churchyard of st. mary's, lancaster, was a fine cross with a runic inscription, meaning "pray for cynebald, son of cuthbert." this cross has been removed to the british museum. other ancient remains. at whalley are three fine specimens of reputed saxon crosses. tradition says they commemorate the preaching of paulinus in . although they have no remaining inscriptions, their obelisk form and ornaments of fretwork were used in common by the norwegians, saxons, and danes. in winwick churchyard is a great fragment of a crosshead, consisting of the boss and two arms. on the arms are a man with two buckets and a man being held head downwards by two ferocious-looking men, who have a saw beneath them, and are either sawing him asunder or are preparing to saw off his arms. this evidently relates to oswald, for he was dismembered by order of pemba, and the buckets might refer to the miracle-working well which sprang up where his body fell. at upton, birkenhead, is a sculptured stone bearing a runic inscription. dr. browne takes the inscription to mean: "the people raised a memorial: pray for aethelmund." at west kirby is a nearly complete example of a hog-backed stone. the lower part is covered on both sides by rough interlacing bands, and the middle and upper part with scales, the top being ornamented with a row of oblong rings on each side, with a band running through each row of rings. the work at the top, which looks like a row of buckles, is very unusual. the stone, which is of harder material than any stone in the neighbourhood, must have been brought from a distance, and in the memorial of some important person, probably thurstan, as we find the name thurstaston in the locality. there is also at west kirby a flat slab on the face of which a cross is sculptured. this is very unusual in england, though not rare in scotland and ireland. at hilbree, the island off west kirby, there is a cross of like character. principal rhys says that in the eleventh and twelfth centuries the norsemen were in the habit of largely recruiting their fleet in shetland and the orkneys, not merely with thrales, but with men of a higher position. they infused thus a certain amount of pictish blood into the island. the "shetland bind"--oghams distributed over the island, in such places as braddan, turby, michael, onchan, and bride. the norwegian language, says mr. c. roeder, was spoken practically from - ; it was introduced by the shetland and orkney men, and from norway, with which connection was kept, as shown by the grammatical structure of the runic stones in the island, which falls between and . it was the only language of the rulers, and used at "thing" and hall, resembling in this old norman barons and their counts in king william the conqueror's time. the spirit of the norsemen lives in the legal constitution of the government, an inheritance that produced a free parliament, and particularly in its place-names. the sea fringe, with its hundreds of norse rocks, creeks, and forelands, and caves, have left imperishable evidence of the mighty old seafarers, the track they took, and the commingling and fusion they underwent in blood and speech, and their voyages from the shetlands and western isles. [illustration: hammer.] [illustration: brooch.] [illustration: fibula of white metal from claughton.] some human remains. claughton-on-brock, near preston, is named clactune in domesday book. the danes have also left relics of their presence and influence as they have done all over the fylde district. the late monsignor gradwell, a great student of local nomenclature and a lancashire historian of considerable repute, wrote: "in claughton the roman road crosses the fleet, a small brook in the sixacre. about seventy years ago a barrow was found on the west of the new lane, about half a mile south of the street. in it were found an earthenware urn containing the burnt remains of a human body, with some delicately wrought silver brooches, some beads and arms, a dagger and a sword. the brooch of fretwork was precisely similar to many ancient danish brooches still preserved in the copenhagen museum, and this proves that the claughton deposit was also danish. that the danes were strong in claughton and in the neighbourhood is proved by the many danish names. thus, we have dandy birk, or danes hill; stirzacre, and barnacre, respectively stirs land and biorn's land. the danish relics were carefully deposited at claughton hall by the finder, mr. thomas fitzherbert brockholes." the halton cross. now what is to be said about the subjects carved on these crosses and about the date of the work? one of the subjects is most remarkable, and gives a special interest to this cross; for here on the west face and north we have the story of sigurd fafnir's bane; here is his sword and the forging of it, his horse grani, which bore away the treasure; the roasting of the dragon's heart; the listening to the voice of the birds, and the killing of regin the smith. [illustration: halton cross.] the story so far as it relates to our subject is this: we all know that the love of money is the root of all evil. now there were two brothers, fafnir and regin. fafnir held all the wealth, and became a huge monster dragon, keeping watch over his underground treasure-house. regin, his brother, had all skill in smith's work, but no courage. he it was who forged the sword wherewith the hero sigurd went forth to kill the dragon and take the treasure. this he did with the help of his wonderful horse grani, who, when the heavy boxes of treasure were placed on his back, would not move until his master had mounted, but then went off merrily enough. this story, anglicised and christianised, is the story of our english patron saint st. george, the horse rider and the dragon slayer. here is the story written in stone. we know the ancient belief that the strength of every enemy slain passes into the body of the conqueror. illustration of hog-back stone. the stone is perhaps more than a thousand years old, and has been a good deal knocked about. it was once the tomb of a great christian briton or englishman, before the norman conquest; and you may still see four other "hog-backed saxon" uncarved tombstones in lowther churchyard, marking the graves of the noble of that day. when a stone church was built, our sculptured shrine was built into the walls of the church, and some of the mortar still sticks to the red sandstone. when this old church was pulled down to give place to a new one this same stone, covered with lime and unsightly, was left lying about. you will see something twisted and coiled along the bottom of each drawing beneath the figures, and you will see some strange designs (they are sacred symbols used long ago) on either side of one of the heads in the lower picture; but what will strike you most will be the long curls of hair, and the hands pressed to the breast or folded and pressed together as if in prayer; and, above all, you will notice that all these people seem to be asleep; their eyes are closed and their hands folded or pressed to their breast, and they all look as if they were either asleep or praying, or very peaceful and at perfect rest. these people are not dead; look at their faces and mark generally the attitudes of repose. now let us find something worth remembering about all this. the tombstone is made like a little house to represent the home of the dead. but at the time i am speaking of the people believed that only those who died bravely fighting would have a life of happiness afterwards; other people who were not wicked people at all--but all who died of sickness or old age--went to the cold, dark world ruled over by a goddess called "hel," who was the daughter of the evil one. "such is the origin of our word hell, the name of a goddess applied to a locality. her domains were very great and her yard walls very high. hunger is her dish, starvation her knife, care is her bed, a beetling cliff is the threshold of her hall, which is hung with grief." all, except the warriors who died fighting, however good, went to her domain. it might be thought that to be with such a goddess after death was bad enough, but there was a worse place. for the wicked another place was prepared, a great hall and a bad one; its doors looked northward. it was altogether wrought of adders' backs wattled together, and the heads of the adder all turned inwards, and spit venom, so that rivers of venom ran along the hall, and in those rivers the wicked people must wade for ever. the christian wished to show that this terrible idea of man's future state was to fire away to something better through the lord of life, our lord jesus christ, and so they set up crosses and carried triquetra, the sign of the ever blessed trinity, on their sculptured tombs to teach the people to believe no longer in gods and goddesses of darkness, but to look to one god, the father, son and holy spirit, to drive away all evil spirits from their hearts, and to give them a quiet time and a perfect end. was there any wonder that years afterwards, when the bright light shone forth from the cross to disperse the dark clouds of paganism, that men said that holy men, such as patrick, kentigern and cuthbert had driven all poisonous snakes out of the land? the twisted and coiling thing beneath the figures is no doubt the old serpent. the cross of christ and the ash tree yggdrasil of the northern tribes bore a like meaning at a certain time to the mixed peoples on this coast. (w. s. collingwood.) anglo-danish monuments. the great variety of ornament found in the north riding monuments shows that in four centuries many influences were brought to bear upon the sculptors' art, and much curious development went on, of which we may in the future understand the cause. our early sculptors, like the early painters, were men trying hard to express their ideals, which we have to understand before we can appreciate their work. the anglian people included writers and thinkers like bede and alcuin, and that their two centuries of independence in the country of which the north riding was the centre and heart, were two centuries of a civilization which ranked high in the world of that age. the danish invasion, so lamentable in its earlier years, brought fresh blood and new energies in its train, and up to the norman conquest this part of england was rich and flourishing. in writing the history of its art, part of the material will be found in these monuments. the material of which these sculptures are made is usually of local stone. they were carved on the spot and not imported ready made. in the progress of anglian art we have the development which began with an impulse coming from the north, and ending with influence coming from the south. the monuments were possibly executed by anglian sculptors under the control of danish conquerors. even under the early heathen rule of the danes, christians worked and lived, and as each succeeding colony of danes became christianised, they required gravestones, and churches to be carved for them. following a generation of transition, at the end of the ninth century, monuments are found displaying danish taste. the close connection of the york kingdom with dublin, provides a reason for the irish influence. abundant evidence is found in the chain pattern, and ring patterns, the dragons, and wheelheads, which are hacked and not finished into a rounded surface by chiselling. the brompton hogbacks are among the finest works of this period. the stainton bear, and the wycliffe bear, are also of this period. the pickhill hogback has an irish-scandavian dragon, and other dragons are to be seen at gilling, crathorne, easington, levisham, sinnington, and pickering. new influences came from the midlands into yorkshire, after the fall of the dublin-york kingdom, about the year . one instance of this advance in the sculptor's art is to be seen in the round shaft, trimmed square above, at gilling, stanwick, and middleton, which came from mercia, and passed on into cumberland, where it is to be found at penrith and gosforth. these latter have edda subjects and appear to be late tenth century. gilling has a curious device, which may possibly be the völund wing wheel, and völund appears on the leeds cross, and also at neston in cheshire. the scandinavian chain pattern, frequent on the _stones_ of the north riding, and in cumberland, is entirely absent in manuscripts. there must have been books at lastingham, hackness, gilling, and other great monasteries, but the stone-carvers did not copy them. [illustration] [illustration: base and side of the ormside cup.] the ormside cup, on the other hand, has close analogies with the two important monuments at croft and northallerton, which seem to be the leading examples of the finest style, from which all the rest evolve, not without influence from abroad at successive periods. it is to relief work rather than to manuscripts that we must look for the inspiration of the sculptors. in these monuments linked together we can trace the continuation of the viking age style during the later half of the tenth century and the early part of the eleventh centuries. the stone carver's art was reviving, stones were becoming more massive, which means that they were more skilfully quarried, the cutting is more close and varied, and on its terms the design is more decorative and artistic, though still preserving its northern character among impulses and influences from the south. but there is no room here for the bewcastle cross or the hovingham stone. we have an example of this period's attempt to imitate. it is probable that the stone carving was a traditional business, began by st. wilfrid's, and benedict bishop's imported masons, and carried on in a more or less independent development as it is to-day. with the danish invasion began a period of new influences which were not shaken off until after the norman conquest. the interlaced work was abandoned in the tenth century by southern sculptors, remained the national art of the north. the manx, irish, and scotch kept it long after the eleventh century, and so did the scandinavians. the bewcastle cross in the gigurd shaft of the cross at halton in lancashire, and if this development has been rightly described the halton shaft is easily understood. in the period covered by the eleventh century dials inscribed with anglo-danish names date themselves. interlacing undergoes new development, becoming more open and angular, until we get right lined plaits like wensley, it is better cut, as the later part of the century introduces the masons who rebuilt the churches and began the abbeys. no longer was the work hacked but clean chiselled, and intermingled with new grotesques; we find it at hackness, in the impost, and in the fonts at alne and bowes, where we are already past the era of the norman conquest. anglian work of the simpler forms and earlier types date a.d. full development of anglian art, middle of eighth century to its close. anglian work in decline, or in ruder hands, but not yet showing danish influence, early ninth century. transitional, such as anglian carvers might have made for danish conquerors, late ninth century. anglo-danish work showing irish influence, early half of the tenth century. anglo-danish work with midland influence, later part of tenth and beginning of eleventh century. eleventh century, pre-norman. post-conquest, developed out of pre norman art. recumbent monuments were grave-slabs, which may have been coffin lids, such as must have fitted the saxon rock graves at heysham, lancashire, while other forms may have simply marked the place under which a burial was made. they are found with anglian lettering at wensley, another has been removed from yarm, and those of the durham district are well known. the two stones at wensley may have been recumbent, like the melsonby stones. the spennithorne slab bears crosses of the earlier northumbrian type, seen again in the west wilton slab. at crathorne are two slabs, with "maltese" crosses apparently late, all the preceding being of the fine style. levisham slab has an irish scandinavian dragon. grave slabs are found of all periods and styles. shrine-shaped tombs are known in various parts of england, with pre-viking ornament. (w. s. collingwood). runes chapter x. runes. before dealing with the norse and danish antiquities of lancashire, of which we have some remains in the form of sculptured stones, and ancient crosses, it would be profitable to inquire into the origin and development of that mysterious form of letters known as runes or runic. how many of the thousands who annually visit the isle of man are aware that the island contains a veritable museum of runic historical remains? a brief survey of these inscriptions, which have yielded definite results, having been deciphered for us by eminent scholars, will help us to understand the nature of those to be found in our own county. we are told by dr. wägner that runes were mysterious signs. the word rune is derived from rûna, a secret. the form of the writing would appear to be copied from the alphabet of the phoenicians. the runes were looked upon, for many reasons, as full of mystery and supernatural power. in the fourth century ulphilas made a new alphabet for the goths by uniting the form of the greek letters to the runic alphabet, consisting of twenty-five letters, which was nearly related to that of the anglo-saxons. the runes gradually died out as christianity spread, and the roman alphabet was introduced in the place of the old germanic letters. the runes appear to have served less as a mode of writing than as a help to memory, and were principally used to note down a train of thought, to preserve wise sayings and prophecies, and the remembrance of particular deeds and memorable occurrences. tacitus informs us that it was the custom to cut beech twigs into small pieces, and then throw them on a cloth, which had been previously spread out for the purpose, and afterwards to read future events by means of the signs accidentally formed by the bits of wood as they lay in the cloth. in his catalogue of runic inscriptions found on manx crosses, kermode says that "of the sculptors' names which appear all are norse. out of a total of forty-four names, to whom these crosses were erected, thirty-two are those of men, eight of women, and four are nicknames. of men, nineteen names are norse, nine celtic, three doubtful, and one pictish." this proves the predominance of norse and danish chiefs to whom these monuments were erected. runes are simply the characters in which these inscriptions are carved, and have nothing to do with the language, which in the manx inscriptions is scandinavian of the th century. to speak of a stone which bears an inscription in runes as a runic stone is as though we should call a modern tombstone a roman stone because the inscription is carved in roman capitals. canon taylor traces the origin of runes to a greek source, namely, the thracian or second ionian alphabet, which, through the intercourse of the greek colonists at the mouth of the danube with the goths south of the baltic, was introduced in a modified form into northern europe, and had become established as a runic "futhork" as early as the christian era. the main stages of development are classified by canon taylor as the gothic, the anglican, and the scandinavian. the rune consists of a stem with the twigs or letters falling from left or right. this is the most common form to be found, allowing for difference of workmanship, of material, and space. the progress in the development of the rune may be observed from the most simple plait or twist, to the most complex and beautiful geometric, and to the zoomorphic. the latter has the striking features of birds and beasts of the chase, and also of men, many being realistic; and except the latter are well drawn. the forms of the men are sometimes found with heads of birds or wings. in addition to decorative work we find on three of the cross slabs illustrations from the old norse sagas. on a large cross at braddan is a representation of daniel in the lion's den; and at bride, on a slab, is a mediæval carving of the fall of adam, in which the serpent is absent. both pagan and christian emblems derive their ornamentation from the same source, "basket work." long after the introduction of christianity we find the pagan symbols mixed up in strange devices on the same stones, which were erected as christian monuments. in the "lady of the lake," sir walter scott gives an account of the famous fiery cross formed of twigs. "the grisly priest, with murmuring prayer, a slender crosslet framed with care, a cubit's length in measure due; the shaft and limbs were rods of yew." "the cross, thus formed, he held on high, with wasted hand and haggard eye." basketmaking is the parent of all modern textile art, and no other industry is so independent of tools. it is the humble parent of the modern production of the loom, and the most elaborate cloth is but the development of the simple wattle work of rude savages. plaiting rushes is still the earliest amusement of children, the patterns of which are sometimes identical with the designs engraved by our earliest ancestors on their sculptured stones. interlaced ornament is to be met with on ancient stones and crosses all over our islands. ancient pottery also shows that the earliest form of ornament was taken from basket designs. the lough derg pilgrim sought a cross made of interwoven twigs, standing upon a heap of stones, at the east end of an old church. this was known as st. patrick's altar. this is recorded by a certain lord dillon in , who visited the island known as st. patrick's purgatory on the lough derg, in ireland. the wicker cross retained its grasp upon the superstitious feelings of the people after the suppression at the reformation. he says of this miserable little islet that the tenant paid a yearly rent of £ , derived from a small toll of sixpence charged at the ferry. this was probably the last of the innumerable crosses of the same wicker and twigs. (lieut.-col. french, bolton.) runic almanacs. when the northern nations were converted to christianity the old pagan festivals were changed to christian holidays, and the old pagan divinities were replaced by christian saints. the faith placed in the early deities was transferred to the latter. as certain deities had formerly been supposed to exercise influence over the weather and the crops; so the days dedicated to them, were now dedicated to certain saints. the days thus dedicated were called mark-days, and as it may be supposed it became the office of the clergy to keep account of the time and to calculate when the various holidays would occur. owing to the fact that many christian feasts are what are called movable, that is, are not fixed to a certain date but depend on easter, the reckoning was more difficult for the laity than it had been in pagan times. in those days the fixed holidays could be easily remembered. an ordinary man without knowing how to read or write could keep a list of them by cutting marks or notches on strips of wood. the successors of these are called messe, and prim staves. the messe staves are the more simple--_messe-daeg_ means mass day, and the stave only denoted such days. the prim stave contained besides the marks for sundays and the moon's changes. hence their name from prima-luna, or first full moon after the equinox. the messe-daeg staves are frequently met with. they consist generally of flat pieces of wood about a yard or an ell long, two inches wide, and half an inch thick, and have frequently a handle, giving them the appearance of a wooden sword. the flat side is divided into two unequal portions by a line running lengthways. in the narrow part, the days are notched at equal distances, half the year on each side, or marks on one side and on the other. in the wider space and connected with the days are the signs for those which are to be particularly observed: on the edges the weeks are indicated. the marks for the days do not run from january to july and from july to december, but on the winter side (vetr-leid) from october to april , and in the summer side (somar-leid) from april to october . the signs partly refer to the weather, partly to husbandry, and partly the legends of the saints. seldom are two staves formed exactly alike. not only do the signs vary but the days themselves. nor are they always flat, but sometimes square, _i.e._, with four equal sides: when of the latter shape they are called clogs, or clog almanacs. they are called cloggs, _i.e._, logg, almanacks = al-mon-aght, viz., the regard or observation of all the moons, because by means of these squared sticks, says verstegan, they could certainly tell when the new moons, full moons, or other changes should happen, and consequently easter and the other movable feasts. they are called by the danes rim-stocks, not only because the dominical letters were anciently expressed on them in runic characters, but also because the word rimur anciently signified a calendar. by the norwegians with whom they are still in use, they are called prim-staves, and for this reason, the principal and most useful thing inscribed on them being the prime or golden number, whence the changes of the moon are understood, and also as they were used as walking sticks, they were most properly called prim-staves. the origin of these runic or clog-calendars was danish (vide mr. j. w. bradley, m.a., salt library, stafford). they were unknown in the south, and only known by certain gentry in the north. they are quite unknown in ireland and scotland, and are only known from the few examples preserved in the museums. owing to the changes of custom in modern times these wooden perpetual almanacs have become quite superseded by the printed annuals. the inscriptions read proceeding from the right hand side of the notches, are marks or symbols of the festivals expressed in a kind of hieroglyphic manner, pointing out the characteristics of the saints, against whose festivals they are placed, others the manner of their martyrdom; others some remarkable fact in their lives; or to the work or sport of the time when the feasts were kept. thus on january the feast of st. hiliary is denoted by a cross or crozier, the badge of a bishop. explanation of the clog almanac. the edges of the staff are notched chiefly with simple angular indentations but occasionally with other marks to denote the date of certain special festivals. [illustration] jan. .--the feast of the circumcision. sometimes a circle. jan. , , , .--ordinary days. jan. .--the feast of the epiphany. twelfth day. in some examples the symbol is a star. jan. .--ordinary day. jan. - .--the first day of the second week is shown by a larger notch. jan. .--feast of st. hilary. bishop of poictiers, with double cross. jan. .--ordinary day. jan. , .--first day of third week. jan. .--feast of st. anthony. patron saint of feeders of swine. this is the rune for m. jan. .--f. of st. prisca, a.d. . not noticed. jan. .--f. of s. fabian. not noticed. f. of s. sebastian. not noticed. jan. .--f. of s. agnes. jan. .--f. of s. vincent. not noticed. jan. .--conversion of st. paul. symbol of decapitation. no other saints days are noticed in jan. feb. .--candlemas. purification of virgin mary. feb. .--st. blaise, bishop and martyr. the patron saint of woolcombers. bp. sebasti. armenia. a.d. . feb. .--st. gilbert. not noticed. feb. .--st. agatha. palermo. patroness of chaste virgins. feb. .--st. dorothea. not noticed. feb. .--st. apolmia. a.d. . alexandria. feb. .--st. valentine (historian). m. a.d. . plot gives feb. .--st. gregory. pope x. a.d. . feb. , , .--st. mildred, st. millburgh, sisters. feb. .--st. matthias, apostle. mar. .--st. david, bishop. symbol a harp. patron saint of wales, a.d. . mar. .--st. chad. a.d. . mar. .--st. gregory the great, a.d. . mar. .--s. patrick, patron of ireland. mar. .--s. cuthbert. not noticed. mar. .--s. benedict. not noticed, a.d. . mar. .--feast of annunciation. blessed virgin mary. usual symbol heart. these complete one edge of the staff. thus each edge contains three months or one quarter of the year. turning the staff over towards the reader who holds the loop or ring in the right hand. april .--all fools day. custom. not noticed. s. hugh. a.d. . april , .--s. francis of paula, a.d. . s. richard, bishop of chichester, a.d. . april .--st. isidore, bishop of seville. april .--st. vincent. terrer valentia. . april .--s. mary of egypt. not noticed. april .--st. gultitae, abbot of croyland. april .--st. Ælphege, archbishop of canterbury. . april .--st. george, patron saint of england. of garter legend. april .--st. mark. alexandria. apostle and evangelist. april .--st. catherine of siena. may .--may day. st. philip and st. james the less. may .--invention or discovery of the holy cross. may .--st. hilary of arles. a.d. . may .--st. john beverlev. a.d. . may .--st. michael archangel. may .--st. dunstan, archbishop of canterbury. a.d. . june .--st. william, archbishop of york. . note the w. on the line. june .--st. barnabas, apostle. commencement of the hay harvest, hence the rake. june .--nativity of john baptist. turnover staff for rest of june. june .--st. peter, symbol of key. july .--visitation of s. elizabeth. july .--s. ethelburgh. july .--s. swithin, symbol as a.d. . bishop of winchester. shower of rain. july .--st. margaret. july .--st. mary magdalene. july .--st. james, apostle the great. july .--st. anne. august .--lammas day. august .--st. oswald. august .--st. lawrence. august .--assumption of the blessed virgin mary. august .--st. bartholomew. august .--st. john baptist. sept. .--st. giles. patron of hospitals. sept. .-- sept. .--nativity of the blessed virgin mary. sept. .--exaltation of the cross. sept. .--st. matthew, apostle. sept. .--feast of s. michael the archangel. oct. .--st. denis. oct. .--st. edward the confessor. oct. .--st. luke the evangelist. oct. .--st. crispin, patron of shoemakers. oct. .--st. simon and st. jude. nov. .--all saints. nov. .--all souls. nov. .--st. leonard. nov. .--st. martin. bishop of tours, a.d. . nov. .--s. hugh. bishop of lincoln, a.d. . nov. .--st. edmund, king of east anglia. nov. .--st. clement. nov. .--st. catherine of alexandria. nov. .--st. andrew, apostle. dec. .--st. nicholas. dec. .--conception of the blessed virgin mary. dec. .--st. lucia. patroness saint of diseases of the eye. dec. .--st. thomas, apostle. shortest day. plot .--christmas day. plot .--st. stephen, first martyr. plot .--st. john the evangelist. plot .--innocents. plot .--st. thomas of canterbury, . plot .--st. sylvester, pope . made a general festival . the more ancient almanac called runic primitare, so named from the prima-luna or new moon which gave the appellation of prime to the lunar or golden number, so called because the number was marked in gold on the stave. the rim stocks of denmark so called from rim, a calendar and stock a staff. the marks called runic characters were supposed to have magical powers and so were regarded with dread by the christians and were often destroyed by the priests and converts to christianity. they were derived from rude imitations of the greek letters. two of these staves now in the museum at copenhagen are feet - / inches and feet inches long respectively. they are hand carved and not in any sense made by machinery. this accounts from them being rarely alike, and often very different from one another. the sun in his annual career returns to the same point in the zodiac in days, hours, nearly. the moon who is really the month maker, as the sun is the year maker, does of her monthly revolutions in days. so that a lunar year is days shorter than the solar, supposing both to start from the same date. the actual lunar month contains about - / days. therefore in order to balance the two reckonings, it was agreed at a convention of scientist christians of alexandria in the year a.d. , two years previous to the council of nice, to make the distances between the new moon alternately and days, and to place the golden number accordingly. now these egyptian scholars observed that the new moon nearest the vernal equinox in was on the th day of the egyptian month phauranoth, corresponding with our rd of march, so the cycle was commenced on this day. this is the reason why the golden number is placed against it, days from this brought them to the st april, and days from this to the st may, and so on through the year. runic calendar. the explanatory engraving of the calendar shows the year begins on the rd december. that this date is correctly given for the first day of the year is proved by the agreement between the saints days and the days of the month on which they fall and the christian sunday letters. in thus beginning the year this calendar exhibits a rare peculiarity. no other runic calendar begins the year in the same manner, while numbers could be shown which begin the year at yuletide, commencing on the th december. of the two modes of beginning it there is no question that the one here exhibited is the genuine heathen while the other is genuine christian. it is worth noticing that as winter takes precedence of summer in the sense of a year: so night takes precedence of day generally in the sense of a civil day of hours in old icelandic writers, a manner of speech which to this day is far from having gone out of use. considering the heathen tradition preserved in this calendar in the number of days given to the year and in the date given to the commencement of the year, in which it stands unique, in the fact that the interval between and , _i.e._, out of years rich in famous local and famous general saints, not one should be recorded here: that saints of universal adoration in the catholic church, such as st. thomas of canterbury, st. benedict, and others, should not have a place here: we cannot escape referring it to an age when it may be fairly supposed that these heathen traditions were still believed in by at least a considerable number of the community. anterior to it cannot be, long posterior to that date it can scarcely be. that it must be a layman's calendar, is shown because it exhibits no golden numbers, and gives consequently no clue to the paschal cycle or movable feasts. it is a very valuable piece of antiquity and ought to be well taken care of. on nd february were anciently observed all over the pagan north certain rites connected with the worship of fire. in some places the toast or bumper of the fire was drunk by the whole family kneeling round the fire, who at the same time offered grain or beer to the flames on the hearth. this was the so-called eldborgs-skäl, the toast of fire salvage, a toast which was meant to avert disaster by fire for the coming year. fire and sun worship mingled together, no doubt in observance of this feast: for where it was most religiously observed amongst the swedes it was called freysblôt and was a great event. in early christian times only wax candles which had received the blessing of the priest, were burnt in the houses of the people, in the evening. hence candlemas,--see illustration in stephens' scandinavian monuments. from a remarkable treatise by eirikr magnusson, m.a., on a runic calendar found in lapland in , bearing english runes. (cambridge antiq. soc. communications, vol. x., no. , .) [illustration] this english (?) or norwegian runic calendar is dated about a.d. - . what distinguishes this piece is that seemingly from its great age and its having been _made in england_, it has preserved in the outer or lower lines several of _the olden runes_. these are the "notae distortae" spoken of by worm. some of these as we can plainly see are provincial _english_ varieties of the old northern runes. the calendar before us is of bone, made from the jaw-bone of the porpoise. we know nothing of its history. worm says, "probably to this class must be assigned the peculiar calendar carved on a concave bone, part of the jaw-bone of some large fish." although it shows three rows of marks the signs of festivals, the solar cycle and the lunar cycle, this last is here very imperfect and has even some distorted marks as we see in the engraving. each side, the concave as well as the convex, bears near the edge its girdling three rows of marks, so that every series comprehends a quarter of a year, beginning with the day of saint calixtus. as worm has only given one side of this curious rune-blade, we cannot know the peculiarities of the other half, which contained the solar cycle, and the three sign lines for two quarters. on the side given, the runes on the right hand are reversed and read from top to bottom; those on the left hand are not retrograde. it may often have been carried on the person, being only inches long. the clog calendars range in length from to feet, to as many inches. whenever we light upon any kind of _runic_ pieces, we are at once confined _to the north_, scandinavia and england. though so numerous in the northern lands, no runic calendar has ever yet been found in any saxon or german province, except a couple bought or brought by modern travellers, as curiosities from scandinavia. stephens says this whole class of antiquities has never yet been properly treated. it offers work for one man's labours during a long time and many journeys. it would produce a rich harvest as to the signs and symbols, and runes as modified by local use and clannish custom. all the symbol marks should be treated in parallel groups. the various and often peculiar runes should be carefully collected and elucidated. all this is well worthy of a competent rune-smith, computist, and ecclesiologist. on many of the _old_ runic calendars, especially in sweden, we find a "_lake_" or game long famous all over europe, but now mostly known to children, called "the lake" or game of saint peter. this is an ingenious way of so placing persons, that we may save one half from death or imprisonment, by taking out each ninth man as a victim, till only one half the original number is left. these are thus all rescued. of course the man thus taken must not be counted a second time. formerly the favoured were called christians and the other jews. carving this in one line, we get the marks so often found on rune-clogs: xxxx|||||xx|xxx|x||xx|||x||xx| the story about it is this: saint peter is said to have been at sea in a ship in which were persons, the one half christians and the other half jews. but a storm arose so furious that the vessel had to be lightened, and it was resolved to throw overboard half the crew. saint peter then ranged them in the order we see, every ninth man was taken out. the crosses betoken the christians and the strokes the jews. in this way all the jews were cast into the deep while all the christians remained. herewith the old were wont to amuse themselves. _folk-lore of children in rhyme and ritual._ the child is surrounded by an ancient circle of ritualism and custom. visitors to see the infant must take it a threefold gift. in some districts in yorkshire the conditions are a little tea, sugar, and oven-cake. another yorkshire practice is to take an egg, some salt, and a piece of silver. the child must not be brought downstairs to see the visitor, for to bring it downstairs would be to give it a start in life in the wrong direction. the form of this idea is to be found in certain (japanese) customs. the child's finger-nails must not be cut with scissors, for iron had such close association with witchcraft. the nails must be bitten off with the teeth. this practice survives in some adults, much to the disgust of their friends. of children's games, that known as "hopscotch" was originally a religious rite practised at funerals. it was symbolical of the passage of the soul from the body to heaven or the other place to which the ancients gave various names. the pattern which is drawn for the purpose of this game has been found on the floor of the roman forum. another game called "cat's cradle" was played by the north american indians, and has recently found on an island north of australia. when children could not play on account of the rain they recited a little rhyme which is still known to-day by the people of austria and in the wilds of asia. the game of "ring o' roses" is the survival of an old incantation addressed to the corn spirit. when the wind rippled across the cornfield the ancient harvesters thought the corn god was passing by, and would recite the old rhyme, closing with the words, "hark the cry! hark the cry! all fall down!" sometimes the corn spirit was supposed to become incarnated in the form of a cow, hence the line in the nursery jingle, "boy blue! the cow's in the corn." when the boy donned his first pair of breeches he must pass through a ritual. he must be nipped. the significance of the nip was a test to see whether the boy in the new breeches was the same boy, or whether he had been changed by the fairies or evil spirits. this idea of a change by evil spirits might seem far-fetched, but so recently as , in the records of the irish courts there was a case in which an irishman was tried for accusing his wife of not being the same person as when he married her, and of the woman being branded in consequence. superstitions as to the cure of certain childish complaints survive in the cure for whooping cough, to take the sufferer "over t' watter." that is the only medicinal use of the river aire, near leeds. memorials chapter xi. memorials. at the time of the conquest the population in some of the largest and most important cities is said to have been almost exclusively of scandinavian extraction. in the north the norwegian saint, "st. olave," has been zealously commemorated in both towns and country. this proves that churches were built and christian worship performed during the danish dominion, and that these northmen continued to reside here in great numbers after the danish ascendancy ended. in the city of chester there is a church and parish which still bears the name of st. olave, and by the church runs a street called st. olave's lane. this is opposite the old castle and close to the river dee. in the north-west part of york there is a st. olave's church, said to be the remains of a monastery founded by the powerful danish earl sieward, who was himself buried there in the year . long before the norman conquest, the danes and northmen preponderated in many of the towns of the north of england, which they fortified, and there erected churches dedicated to their own sainted kings and warriors. olave is derived from "olaf the white," who was a famous norse viking. he subdued dublin about the middle of the ninth century, and made himself king of the city and district. from this time ireland and the isle of man were ruled by norwegian kings for over three centuries. it may therefore be inferred, by a natural process of deductive reasoning, that during this period the danes were founding their settlements in lancashire. although we have no distinct traces of buildings erected by them, the names given by them to many places still survive. in these compound names the word "kirk" is often met with. this must establish the fact that the danes erected many other churches besides st. olave's at chester and york. from chester and west kirby, in the wirral district, to furness, in the north, we have abundant evidence in the name of kirk, and its compound forms, that many christian churches were erected. at kirkdale, ormskirk, kirkham, kirkby lonsdale, kirby moorside, and kirkby stephen norman churches have superseded danish buildings. kendal was known formerly as kirkby-in-kendal, or the "church-town in the valley of kent." and further memorials here survive in the names of streets, such as stramongate, gillingate, highgate, and strickland-gate. the name furness is distinctly scandinavian, from "fur" and "ness," or far promontory. the abbot of furness was intimate with the danish rulers of manxland, for he got a portion of land there in to build himself a palace. he was followed by the prior of whithorn and st. bede. in the monks of furness obtained all kinds of mines in man, and some land near st. trinian's. by the industry and ability of these monks furness became one of the wealthiest abbeys in england, and thus were laid the foundations of one of the greatest industries in lancashire, viz., the smelting of iron ore. literature chapter xii. literature. during that period when the danes were making their conquests and settlements in the north of england, art and literature did not hold any high position in europe. the fall of the roman empire gave a shock to the pursuits of learning which had not recovered when christian art was in its infancy. the northmen early distinguished themselves in the art of shipbuilding, and also in the manufacture of ornaments, domestic utensils, and weapons. this taste had arisen from the imitation of the roman and arabesque articles of commerce which they brought up into the north. some scandinavian antiquities have been discovered belonging to the period called "the age of bronze," and also the later heathen times, known as "the iron age." the sagas record that the carving of images was skilfully practised in the north, and the english chronicles provide records of richly carved figures on the bows of danish and norse vessels. the normans from denmark who settled in normandy were first converted to christianity, and early displayed the desire to erect splendid buildings, especially churches and monasteries. long before the norman conquest, the danes devoted themselves to peaceful occupations. several of the many churches and convents were erected by danish princes and chiefs, in the northern parts of england, which have now been re-built, or disappeared; but their names survive to distinguish their origin. it has been said that these early buildings were composed of wood. this is proved from the work recently issued by mr. j. francis bumpus, in his "cathedrals of norway, sweden, and denmark." the touching life story of the martyred saint olaf is there told. a wooden chapel was built over his grave about the year . this became the centre of the national religion, and the sanctuary of the national freedom and independence. trondhjem, says mr. bumpus, is the eloquent expression in stone of norway's devotion to the beloved st. olaf. despoiled of much of its ornamentation by protestant zeal, it retains in the octagon of its noble choir a true architectural gem, equal in delicate beauty to the angel choir of lincoln. [illustration: example of danish carved wood-work, with runes, from thorpe church, hallingdal, denmark.] the phrase "skryke of day" is common to south lancashire, and is the same as the old english "at day pype," or "peep of day." "there is a great intimacy," says dr. grimm, "between our ideas of light and sound, of colour and music, and hence we are able to comprehend that rustling, and that noise, which is ascribed to the rising and setting sun." thomas kingo, a danish poet of the seventeenth century, and probably others of his countrymen, make the rising of the sun to pipe (pfeifen), that is to utter a piercing sound. tacitus had long before recorded the swedish superstition, that the rising sun made a noise. the form in which our skryke of day has come down to us is scandinavian. grimm says, "still more express are the passages which connect the break of day, and blush of the morning, with ideas of commotion and rustling." goethe has in "faust" borrowed from the pythagorean and platonic doctrine of the harmony of the spheres, and illustrated grimm's proposition of the union of our ideas of light and sound by describing the course of the sun in its effulgence as a march of thunder. jonson regarded noise as an essential quality of the heavenly bodies-- "come, with our voices let us war, and challenge all the spheres, till each of us be made a star, and all the world turned ears." the noise of daybreak may be gathered from the fracture of metal, and applied to the severance of darkness and light, may well have sound attributed to it. the old meaning of "peep (or pype) of day" was the joyful cry which accompanied the birth of light. "peep," as sound is most ancient, and a "nest of peepers," that is, of young birds, is now almost obsolete english. milton, in "paradise lost," shows the setting sun to make a noise from its heated chariot axles being quenched in the atlantic. once, at creation, the morning stars sang for joy; but afterwards moved in expressive silence. ballads and war songs. as a consequence of the danish and norman conquests, a peculiar composition arose called anglo-danish and anglo-norman. these legends and war songs were produced by the danish wars, and were the expressions of an adventurous and knightly spirit, which became prevalent in england. the most celebrated of them were the romances of "beowulf," "havelock, the dane," and "guy, earl of warwick." in the older romances of scandinavian songs and sages, combats against dragons, serpents, and plagues are celebrated; in later romances of the age of chivalry, warriors are sung who had fallen in love with beautiful damsels far above them in birth or rank, and whose hand they could only acquire by some brilliant adventure or exploit. the heathen poems of the scandinavian north are all conceived in the same spirit, and it is not unreasonable to recognise traces of scandinavian influence in english compositions. in later times, even to the middle ages, this influence is still more apparent in the ballads and popular songs, which are only to be found in the northern or old danish parts of england. many parts of the edda or sagas have been founded on songs in honour of the gods and heroes worshipped in scandinavia. in shakespeare's "hamlet" the young prince is sent to britain with a letter carried by his two comrades. but he re-writes the letter and saves his life. in the original amleth legend of saxo grammaticus the two companions of amleth, carry a wooden rune-carvel. but he cuts away some of the staves and adds others, so that the letter now tells the british king to slay the messengers, and to give his daughter in marriage to amleth. in the "historie of hamlet," london, , we read, "now to bear him company were assigned two of fengons' ministers, bearing letters engraved on wood, that contained hamlet's death, in such sort as he had advertised to the king of england. but the subtle danish prince, being at sea, whilst his companions slept, raced out the letters that concerned his death, and instead thereof graved others." lay of the norse gods and heroes. step out of the misty veil which darkly winds round thee; step out of the olden days, thou great divinity! across thy mental vision passes the godly host, that brugi's melodies made asgard's proudest boast. there rise the sounds of music from harp strings sweet and clear, wonderfully enchanting to the receiving ear. thou wast it, thou hast carried sagas of northern fame, didst boldly strike the harp strings of old skalds; just the same thou span'st the bridge of birfrost, the pathway of the gods: o name the mighty heroes, draw pictures of the gods! these fairy tales of the giants, dwarfs, and heroes, are not senseless stories written for the amusement of the idle; but they contain the deep faith or religion of our forefathers, which roused them to brave actions, and inspired them with strength and courage. these sagas existed for over four hundred years, until they exchanged their hero-god for st. martin, and their thumar, for st. peter or st. oswald, when their glory in scandinavia fell before the preaching of the cross. art. [illustration: bractaetes.] previous to their conquest of england, the danes are said to have been unacquainted with the art of coining money. they are said to have imitated the byzantine coins, by making the so-called "bractaetes," which were stamped only on the one side, and were mostly used as ornaments. the art of coinage was very ancient in england. it was the custom of the anglo-saxon coiners to put their names on the coins which they struck. in the eighth and ninth centuries the names of the coiners are purely anglo-saxon. but in the tenth century, and especially after the year , pure danish or scandinavian names begin to appear; for instance, thurmo, grim, under king edgar ( - ), and rafn, thurstan, under king edward ( - ); also ingolf, hargrim, and others. these scandinavian names are mostly found in the coins minted in the north of england, or in districts which were early occupied by the danes. under king ethelred ii., who contended so long with canute the great before the danish conquest of england was completed, the number of scandinavian coiners arose rapidly, with the danish power, and the names of forty or fifty may be found on the coins of ethelred alone. even after the fall of the danish power, they are to be met with in almost the same number as before on the coins of the anglo-saxon king, edward the confessor. these coins prove much and justify us in inferring a long continued coinage. * * * * * the great hoard of silver coins found at cuerdale in , some two miles above preston, were buried in a leaden chest, near an ancient ford of the river ribble. this treasure composed the war chest of the danish army, which was defeated at this ford early in the tenth century, on its retreat into northumbria. it contained nearly one thousand english coins of alfred the great, and some forty-five of edward the elder. the latest date of any of these coins being of the latter reign, the date of the hoard being buried may be fixed between the years and . many of the coins were continental, belonging to the coast of western france, and from the district round the mouth of the river seine. the appearance of this money agrees with the early records of the saxon chronicle, that of the year , which tells us that "the danish army divided, one part went into the eastern counties, and the other into northumbria, and those who were without money, procured ships and went southwards over the sea to the seine." the other chronicle of states that, "a great fleet came hither from the south, from brittany, and greatly ravaged the severn, but there they afterwards nearly all perished." it may be supposed that the remnant of this band became united with the main danish army, and would account for the large proportion of foreign money. the bulk of the coins were danish, minted by danish kings of northumbria. [illustration: halton cup.] [illustration] from these circumstances, we may believe, this hoard to have been the treasure or war chest of this retreating army. this cuerdale hoard is by far the largest found in lancashire; it contained , silver coins, and nearly , ounces of silver ingots. a smaller find, made at an early date, was the hoard of silver pennies, discovered in at harkirke, which lies on the sea coast between crosby and formby. of this collection, some coins were engraved at the latter part of the tenth century. this engraving shows that these coins were minted by alfred, edward the elder, and the danish king canute, and the ecclesiastical coinages of york and east anglia. these coins were buried within a few years of the deposit at cuerdale. we have numerous records of other danish finds. at halton moor, five miles above lancaster, the discovery was made in of a silver cup of graceful design, containing silver coins of canute, with ornaments, which included a torque of silver wire. mr. j. coombe, of the british museum, describes the coins as danish, and of canute. the latter being nearly all of one type, having on the obverse side the head of the king with helmet and sceptre, and on the reverse a cross, within the inner circle, with amulets in the four angles. the silver cup found on halton moor contained, in addition to the coins of canute, a silver torque, which had been squeezed into the vessel. both these silver articles are highly decorated and of great interest. the cup weighed over ten ounces, and was composed of metal containing three parts silver with one part copper. it appeared to have been gilt originally, some of the gold still remaining, which was of very pale colour. the ornamentation consisted of four circular compartments, divided by branches which terminated in the heads of animals, in arabesque style. in these compartments are a panther and a butting bull alternately. this ornament is included inside two beautiful borders, which encircle the cup in parallel lines. the torque is of equal interest, and is a peculiar example of danish wire-work metal rings, twisted and plated, with the ends beaten together for a double fastening. the face of this portion of the necklace, which is flattened, was decorated with small triangular pieces fixed by curious rivets. it was of pure silver and weighed six ounces six penny-weights. along with these deposits were some gold pieces, struck on one side only, with a rough outline of a human head. similar pieces have been found in denmark, and the danish element is predominant in the whole decoration. the viking age. before the normans came our district was scandinavian. from the year they began to settle and behaved not as raiders but as colonists. they wanted homes and settled quietly down. in the course of years their descendants became leading landowners, as we see from the norse names of the th century records. naturally the art of the district must have been influenced by such people: especially by the scandinavians who had lived in ireland, till then a very artistic country. whether irish taught norse or _vice versa_, we see that there was a quantity of artistic work produced especially along the seaboard, and we are lucky in having analogies not far to seek. in the isle of man the earliest series of crosses have th century runes and figure subjects from the edda and the sigurd story which were late th century. mr. kermode, f.s.a., scot., dates them - (saga book of viking club, vol. i., p. ). we have them in the remains in man a kindred race to ours in the age before the normans came: and we find resemblances between these manx crosses and some of ours both in subject and in style. in subjects the th century crosses of kirk andreas, jurby, and malew find a parallel at halton, which mr. calverley places late in th century and attributes to people under strong scandinavian influence: but danish as it happens rather than norse. the halton crosses are not norse in style. they are like the late pre-norman work in yorkshire where the danes lived. then the hogback stones have to be placed. we have fixed the gosforth and plumland examples by their dragonesque work as of the viking settlement. all these have the chain pattern, which mr. calverley called the tree yggdrasil or tree of existence, which shows that these monuments are of viking origin. from what models or pattern did these early sculptors copy their designs? it is sometimes said that they imitated mss.: assuming that mss. were fairly common and placed in the stone carver's hands. this is far less likely than that sculptors, at a distance from good models in stone, copied patterns from metal work which were the most portable, and most accessible of all forms of art, in the days before printing was invented. suppose, to make it plainer, the sorrowing survivor bids the british workman carve a cross for the dead. "what like shall i work it?" says the mason. "like the fair crosses of england or ireland, a knot above, and a knot below, and so forth." "but," says the mason, and he might say it in the th century, "i have never been in england or ireland or seen your crosses." then answers the patron, "make it like this swordhilt." (calverley.) the earlier irish christians were highly intellectual and literary, but not at first artistic. literature in all races precedes art; it would be contrary to all historical analogy if patrick and columba had lived in the artistic atmosphere of the eighth and ninth century in ireland. patrick's bell is no great credit to assicus his coppersmith: his crosier was a plain stick. there is no indication in our remains that irish missionaries of the seventh century brought a single art idea into the country. it was the irish viking christians of the twelfth century who did. mr. george stephens, in his "old northern runic monuments of scandinavia and england," vol. iii., under the heading "runic remains and runic writings," says:-- "i believe these stones, however altered and conventionalised, were all originally made for worship as gods or fetishes, elfstones, or what not, but in fact, at first as phallic symbols, the zinga and the zoni, creation and preservation, placed on the tumulus as triumphant emblems of light out of darkness, life after death. and the _priapus_ and _cups_ sometimes seen on burial-urns, must have the same meaning. several of the grave minnes bearing old norse runes were worship stones, carved with regular cups, etc., _ages before_ they were used a second time for funereal purposes." prof. j. f. simpson, m.d., edinburgh, has a paper "on the cup cuttings and ring cuttings on the calder stones near liverpool," in the transactions of the historic society of lancashire and cheshire, vol. xvii., , in which he states that-- "the calder stones near liverpool afford an interesting and remarkable example of these cup and ring carvings upon this variety of stones--or, in words, upon the stones of a small megalithic circle. some of the calder stones afford ample evidence of modern chiselling as marked by the sharpness and outray figurings. but in addition to these there are cut upon them, though in some parts greatly faded away, sculpturings of cups and concentric rings similar to those found in various parts of england and scotland, remarkable for not only their archaic carvings, perfect and entire similarity to those found elsewhere, but still more from the fact that we have here presented upon a single circle almost every known and recognised type of these cuttings. the calder circle is about six yards in diameter, consists of five stones which are still upright and one that is fallen. the stones consists of slabs and blocks of red sandstone, all different in size and shape. the fallen stone is small, and shows nothing on its exposed side, but possibly if turned over some markings might be discovered on its other surface. of the five standing stones the largest of the set, no. , is a sandstone slab between feet in height and in breadth. on its outer surface, or the surface turned to the exterior of the circle, there is a flaw above from disintegration and splintering of the stone: but the remaining portion of the surface presents between and cup depressions varying from to and a half inches in diameter, and at its lowest and left-hand corner is a concentric circle about a foot in diameter, consisting of four enlarging rings, but apparently without any central depression. the opposite surface of this stone (no. ) is that directed to the interior of the circle, has near its centre a cup cut upon it, with the remains of one surrounding ring. on the right side of this single-ringed cup are the faded remains of a concentric circle of three rings. to the left of it there is another three-ringed circle with a central depression, but the upper portions of the ring are broken off. above it is a double-ringed cup, with this peculiarity, that the external ring is a volute leading from the central cup, and between the outer and inner ring is a fragmentary line of apparently another volute making a double-ringed spiral which is common on some irish stones, as on those of the great archaic mausoleum at new grange, but extremely rare in great britain. at the very base of this stone towards the left are two small volutes, one with a central depression or cup, and the other seemingly without it. one of these small volutes consists of three turns, the other of two. the cup and ring cuttings have been discovered in a variety of relations and positions. some are sculptured on the surface of rocks _in situ_--on large stones placed inside and outside the walls of old british cities and camps, on blocks used in the construction of the olden dwellings and strongholds of archaic living man, in the interior of the chambered sepulchres and kistvaens of the archaic dead, on monoliths and on cromlechs, and repeatedly in scotland on megalithic or so-called "druidical" circles. the name calder stones is derived from norse calder or caldag, the calf-garth or yard enclosed to protect young cattle from straying. norse and danish grave mounds. amongst the ancient monuments of britain the well-known remains called druidical circles hold a foremost place, though their use, and the people by whom they were erected, are questions which still remain matters of dispute. the stone enclosures of denmark, which resemble the circles of cumbria in many respects, mainly differ from them, in that they are found in connection with burial chambers, whilst the latter are generally situated on the flat surface of moors, with nothing to indicate that they have ever been used for sepulchural purposes. therefore wherever no urns or other remains have been found, we have negative evidence that the place was not intended for a place of sepulture. [illustration: calder stone no outer surface.] [illustration: inner surface.] cairns which are the most undisputed form of a celtic burial place were once very numerous in the northern districts: but a great many have long since been removed. the graves of norway bear an outward resemblance to the celtic cairn, but the main cause appears to be that in mountainous countries stones are more easily procurable than earth. where a doubt exists as to the proprietorship of these mounds, the only means of deciding is by an examination of the interior. the norse cairn should enclose a stone chest or wooden chamber and iron weapons. the norwegians burned the body until about their conversion to christianity. [illustration: calder stone no . outer aspect, two sides.] [illustration: inner side.] [illustration: calder stone no . outer aspect two sides.] [illustration: inner side] tumuli or barrows still remain in great numbers. as far as records have been kept of those removed, nearly all must be claimed for the bronze age, and the main part of those yet standing are essentially of a danish character. in the description of this class of graves, we have no actual mention of iron antiquities. the cairn called mill hill, westmoreland, appears to have been a celtic burial place, whilst loden how was more probably danish than norse. four different names are found in connection with sepulchres of this kind, viz., "how, raise, barrow, and hill," but the distinction is principally that of age, and the order of the words as here placed indicates the period to which each belongs. few traces of the iron age can be regarded as exclusively norwegian wherever the body has been burned. ormstead, near penrith, was possibly a norse burial place; while thulbarrow, in the same neighbourhood, was in all probability danish. memorial stones still remain in considerable numbers, the most remarkable of which is the nine standards in westmoreland. several villages called unthank take their names from monuments no longer in existence, the word being in english "onthink," and the phrase "to think on" is still current in the dialect. mythology chapter xiii. mythology. the religious conceptions of the most famous nations of antiquity are connected with the beginnings of civilisation. we are told by dr. wägner, in his work "asgard and the gods," of the traditions of our northern ancestors, the story of the myths and legends of norse antiquity. the first of their heroes was odin, the god of battles, armed with his war spear, followed by the walkyries, who consecrate the fallen heroes with a kiss, and bear them away to the halls of the gods, where they enjoy the feasts of the blessed. later, odin invents the runes, through which he gains the power of understanding and ruling all things. he thus becomes the spirit of nature, the all-father. then the ash tree, "yggdrasil," grew up; the tree of the universe, of time, and life. the boughs stretched out to heaven, and over-shadowed walhalla, the hall of the heroes. this world-tree was evergreen, watered daily by the fateful norns, and could not wither until the last battle should be fought, where life, time, and the world were all to pass away. this was related by a skald, the northern bard, to the warriors while resting from the fatigue of fighting, by tables of mead. the myths were founded on the belief of the norse people, regarding the creation of the world, gods, and men, and thus we find them preserved in the songs of the "edda. the vague notion of a deity who created and ruled over all things had its rise in the impression made upon the human mind by the unity of nature. the sun, moon, and stars, clouds and mists, storms and tempests, appeared to be higher powers, and took distinct forms in the mind of man. the sun was first regarded as a fiery bird which flew across the sky, then as a horse, and afterwards as a chariot and horses; the clouds were cows, from whose udders the fruitful rain poured down. the storm-wind appeared as a great eagle that stirred the air by the flapping of his enormous wings. these signs of nature seemed to resemble animals. on further consideration it was found that man was gifted with the higher mental powers. it was then acknowledged that the figure of an animal was an improper representation of a divine being. they thus inverted the words of holy writ, that "god created man in his own image," and men now made the gods in their own likeness, but still regarded them as greater, more beautiful, and more ideal than themselves. from the titles of these pagan gods we derive the names of our days of the week, and thus we continue to perpetuate in our daily life the story of norse mythology. the first day of the week was dedicated to the worship of the sun. the second day to that of the moon. the third day was sacred to tyr, the god of war. the fourth day was sacred to wodin, or odin, the chief deity. the fifth day was sacred to thor, the god of thunder. the sixth day of the week, friday, was sacred to frigga, the wife of the great odin. the seventh or last day of the week was dedicated by the romans to saturn, one of the planets, their god of agriculture, whose annual festival was a time of unrestrained enjoyment. the "eddas" were two scandinavian books, the earlier a collection of mythological and heroic songs, and the other a prose composition of old and venerable traditions. these books were meant for the instruction of the norse skalds and bards. it is believed that the learned icelander, saemund, the wise, compiled the older edda in from oral traditions, and partly from runic writings. the younger edda is supposed to have been compiled by bishop snorri sturlason in , and this collection goes by the name of snorra-edda. the language was developed by means of the sagas and songs which had been handed down among the people from generation to generation. the norns were the three fatal sisters, who used to watch over the springs of water, and appeared by the cradle of many a royal infant to give it presents. on such occasions two of them were generally friendly to the child, while the third prophesied evil concerning it. in the pretty story of the "sleeping beauty" these norns appear as the fairies. mythical gods. bragi was the son of the wave maidens and the god of poetry. he was married to the blooming induna, who accompanied him to asgard, where she gave the gods every morning the apples of eternal youth. tyr, the god of war, was tall, slender as a pine, and bravely defended the gods from the terrible fenris-wolf. in doing so he lost his hand, and was held in high honour by the people. baldur, the holy one, and the giver of all good, was the son of odin. his mother frigga entreated all creatures to spare the well-beloved, but she overlooked the weak mistletoe bough. the gods in boisterous play threw their weapons at baldur, and the dart made of the fatal bough was thrown by the blind hödur with deadly effect. forseti, the son of baldur, resembled his father in holiness and righteousness, was the upholder of eternal law. the myth shows him seated on a throne teaching the norsemen the benefits of the law, surrounded by his twelve judges. loki, the crafty god, was the father of the fenris-wolf, and the snake. he was the god of warmth and household fire, and was held to be the corrupter of gods, and the spirit of evil. it was loki who formed the fatal dart, which he placed in the hands of the blind hödur, which caused the death of baldur. after the murder of baldur, loki conceals himself on a distant mountain, and hides himself under a waterfall. here the avengers catch him in a peculiar net which he had invented for the destruction of others. they bind him to a rock, where a snake drops poison upon his face, which makes him yell with pain. his faithful wife, sigyn, catches the poison in a cup; but still it drops upon him whenever the vessel is full. from this myth it is supposed that shakspere derived the story of his greatest drama and tragedy, "hamlet," of the prince of denmark. our forefathers notion of the last battle, the single combats of the strong, the burning of the world, are all to be read in ancient traditions, and we find them described in the poems of the skalds. the norse mythology makes amends for the tragic end of the divine drama by concluding with a description of the renewal of the world. the earth rises fresh and green out of its ruin, as soon as it has been cleansed from sin, refined and restored by fire. the gods assemble on the plains of ida, and the sons of thor bring with them their father's storm-hammer, a weapon no longer used for fighting, but only for consecrating what is right and holy. they are joined by baldur and hödur, reconciled and united in brotherly love. uller is recorded in the edda as the cheery and sturdy god of winter, who cared nothing for wind and snowstorm, who used to go about on long journeys on his skates or snow-shoes. these shoes were compared to a shield, and thus the shield is called uller's ship in many places. when the god uller skated over the ice he carried with him his shield, and deadly arrows and bow made from the yew-tree. he lived in the palace ydalir, the yew vale. as he protected plants and seeds from the severe frosts of the north, by covering the ground with a coating of snow, he was regarded as the benefactor of mortal men, and was called the friend of baldur, the giver of every blessing and joy. uller meant divine glory, as vulder, the anglo-saxon god, was also characterised. this was probably because the glory of the northern winter night, which is often brilliantly lighted by the snow, the dazzling ice, and the aurora-borealis, the great northern light. the myths exist in the present like the stately ruins of a past time, which are no longer suitable for the use of man. generations come and go, their views, actions, and modes of thought change: "all things change; they come and go; the pure unsullied soul alone remains in peace." thousands of years ago our ancestors prayed to waruna, the father in heaven; thousands of years later the romans entered their temple and worshipped jupiter, the father in heaven, while the teutonic races worshipped the all-father. after the lapse of centuries now we turn in all our sorrow and adversities to our father which is in heaven. in the thousands of years which may pass we shall not have grown beyond this central point of religion. "our little systems have their day; they have their day and cease to be; they are but broken lights of thee, and thou, o lord, art more than they. we have but faith; we cannot know; for knowledge is of things we see; and yet we trust it comes from thee, a beam in darkness, let it grow!" in his masterly work on "hero-worship," carlyle traces the growth of the "hero as divinity" from the norse mythology in the following words: "how the man odin came to be considered a god, the chief god? his people knew no limits to their admiration of him; they had as yet no scale to measure admiration by. fancy your own generous heart's love of some greatest man expanding till it transcended all bounds, till it filled and overflowed the whole field of your thought. then consider what mere time will do in such cases; how if a man was great while living, he becomes tenfold greater when dead. what an enormous 'camera-obscura' magnifier is tradition! how a thing grows in the human memory, in the human imagination, when love, worship, and all that lies in the human heart, is there to encourage it. and in the darkness, in the entire ignorance; without date or document, no book, no arundel marble: only here and there some dumb monumental cairn. why! in thirty or forty years, were there no books, any great man would grow 'mythic,' the contemporaries who had seen him, being once all dead: enough for us to discern far in the uttermost distance some gleam as of a small real light shining in the centre of that enormous camera-obscura image: to discern that the centre of it all was not a madness and nothing, but a sanity and something. this light kindled in the great dark vortex of the norse mind, dark but living, waiting only for the light, this is to me the centre of the whole. how such light will then shine out, and with wondrous thousand-fold expansion spread itself in forms and colours, depends not on _it_, so much as in the national mind recipient of it. who knows to what unnameable subtleties of spiritual law all these pagan fables owe their shape! the number twelve, divisiblest of all, which could be halved, quartered, parted into three, into six, the most remarkable number, this was enough to determine the signs of the zodiac, the number of odin's sons, and innumerable other twelves. odin's runes are a significant feature of him. runes, and the miracles of "magic" he worked by them, make a great feature in tradition. runes are the scandinavian alphabet; suppose odin to have been the inventor of letters as well as "magic" among that people. it is the greatest invention man has ever made, this of marking down the unseen thought that is in him by written characters. it is a kind of second speech, almost as miraculous as the first. you remember the astonishment and incredulity of atahaulpa the peruvian king; how he made the spanish soldier, who was guarding him, scratch dios on his thumb nail, that he might try the next soldier with it, to ascertain whether such a miracle was possible. if odin brought letters among his people, he might work magic enough! writing by runes has some air of being original among the norsemen; not a phoenician alphabet, but a scandinavian one. snorro tells us farther that odin invented poetry; the music of human speech, as well as that miraculous runic marking of it. transport yourself into the early childhood of nations; the first beautiful morning light of our europe, when all yet lay in fresh young radiance, as of a great sunrise, and our europe was first beginning to think,--to be! this odin, in his rude semi-articulate way, had a word to speak. a great heart laid open to take in this great universe, and man's life here, and utter a great word about it. and now, if we still admire such a man beyond all others, what must these wild norse souls, first awakened with thinking, have made of him! the rough words he articulated, are they not the rudimental roots of those english words we still use? he worked so, in that obscure element. but he was as a light kindled in it, a light of intellect, rude nobleness of heart, the only kind of lights we have yet: he had to shine there, and make his obscure element a little lighter, as is still the task of us all. we will fancy him to be the type norseman; the finest teuton whom that race had yet produced. he is as a root of many great things; the fruit of him is found growing, from deep thousands of years, over the whole field of teutonic life. our own wednesday, is it not still odin's day? wednesbury, wansborough, wanstead, wandsworth: odin grew into england too, these are still the leaves from that root. he was the chief god to all the teutonic peoples; their pattern norsemen. the essence of the scandinavian, as indeed of all pagan mythologies, we found to be recognition of the divineness of nature; sincere communion of man with the mysterious invisible powers, visibly seen at work in the world around him. sincerity is the great characteristic of it. amid all that fantastic congeries of associations and traditions in their musical mythologies, the main practical belief a man could have was of an inflexible destiny, of the valkyrs and the hall of odin, and that the one thing needful for a man was to be brave. the valkyrs are choosers of the slain, who lead the brave to a heavenly hall of odin: only the base and slavish being thrust elsewhere, into the realms of hela, the death goddess. this was the soul of the whole norse belief. valour is still valour. the first duty of a man is still that of subduing fear. snorro tells us they thought it a shame and misery not to die in battle; and if a natural death seemed to be coming on, they would cut wounds in their flesh that odin might receive them as warriors slain. old kings about to die had their body laid into a ship, the ship sent forth with sail set and slow fire burning in it; that once out at sea, it might blaze up into flame, and in such a manner bury worthily the old hero, at once in the sky and in the ocean." the descent of odin. (from the norse tongue.) by thomas gray. up rose the king of men with speed, and saddled straight his coal black steed. down the yawning steep he rode that leads to hela's drear abode. him the dog of darkness spied; his shaggy throat he opened wide, while from his jaws with carnage fill'd, foam and human gore distill'd; hoarse he bays with hideous din, eyes that glow and fangs that grin, and long pursues with fruitless yell the father of the powerful spell. onward still his way he takes, (the groaning earth beneath him shakes) till full before his fearless eyes the portals nine of hell arise. right against the eastern gate by the moss grown pile he sate, where long of yore to sleep was laid the dust of the prophetic maid, facing to the northern clime, thrice he traced the runic rhyme, thrice pronounced in accents dread, the thrilling verse that wakes the dead. till from out the hollow ground slowly breathed a sullen sound. what call unknown, what charms presume to break the quiet of the tomb? who thus afflicts my troubled sprite and drags me from the realms of night? long on these mouldering bones have beat the winter's snow, the summer's heat. the drenching dews, and driving rain, let me, let me sleep again. who is he with voice unbless'd that calls me from the bed of rest? odin: a traveller to the unknown is he that calls; a warrior's son, thou the deeds of light shall know; tell me what is done below. for whom yon glittering board is spread, dress'd for whom yon golden bed? proph: mantling in the goblet see the pure beverage of the bee, o'er it hangs the shield of gold: 'tis the drink of balder bold: balder's head to death is given: pain can reach the sons of heaven! unwilling i my lips unclose: leave me, leave me to repose. odin: once again my call obey; prophetess! arise and say what dangers odin's child await, who the author of his fate? proph: in hoder's hand the hero's doom; his brother sends him to the tomb, now my weary lips i close, leave me, leave me to repose. odin: prophetess! my spell obey; once again arise and say who th' avenger of his guilt, by whom shall hoder's blood be spilt? proph: in the caverns of the west, by odin's fierce embrace compress'd, a wondrous boy shall rind a bear, who ne'er shall comb his raven hair, nor wash his visage in the stream, nor see the sun's departing beam, till he on hoder's corpse shall smile, flaming on the funeral pile. now my weary lips i close, leave me, leave me to repose. odin: yet awhile my call obey; prophetess awake and say what virgins these in speechless wo, that bent to earth their solemn brow, that their flaxen tresses tear, and snowy veils that float in air? tell me whence their sorrows rose, then i leave thee to repose. proph: ha! no traveller art thou: king of men i know thee now: mightiest of a mighty line. odin: no boding maid of skill divine, art thou, no prophetess of good, but mother of a giant brood! proph: hie thee hence, and boast at home, that never shall enquirer come to break my iron sleep again, till lok his horse his tenfold chain, never till substantial night, has re-assumed her ancient right, till wrapped in fumes, in ruin hurl'd, sinks the fabric of the world. superstitions chapter xiv. superstitions. the most remarkable instance of the tenacity of superstitions is the survival of the practice of "bringing in the new year." not only does it exist among the poor and uneducated, but even amongst educated people at this festive season. it is considered an omen of misfortune if the first person who enters your house on new year's morning has a fair complexion or light hair. this popular prejudice has never been satisfactorily accounted for, says the late mr. charles hardwick, in his "traditions and superstitions." he says: "i can only suggest that it most probably arose from the fact that amongst the keltic tribes, who were the earliest immigrants, dark hair prevailed. this dark characteristic still prevails amongst the welsh, cornish, and irish of the present day. when these earlier races came in contact with the danes and norse as enemies, they found their mortal foes to possess fair skins and light hair. they consequently regarded the intrusion into their houses, at the commencement of the year, of one of the hated race, as a sinister omen. the true kelt does not only resent, on new year's day, the red hair of the dane, but the brown and flaxen locks of the german as well." an old writer, oliver matthew, of shrewsbury, writing in the year , at the age of years, says it was the custom of the danes to place one of their men to live in each homestead of the conquered race, and this was more resented than the tribute they had to pay. this affords another proof that these fair-haired men were the cause of this present superstition. it is also considered unlucky to allow anything to be taken out of the house on new year's day, before something had been brought in. the importation of the most insignificant article, even a piece of coal, or something in the nature of food, is sufficient to prevent this misfortune, which the contrary action would render inevitable. this sentiment is well expressed in the following rhyme:-- take out, and then take in, bad luck will begin. take in, then take out, good luck comes about. it would be rash to speculate how long superstitions of this kind will continue to walk hand in hand with religion; how long traditions from far-off heathen times will exercise this spell not only in our remote country places but in enlightened towns. in the realms of folk-lore, many were firm believers in witchcraft, in signs and omens, which things were dreaded with ignorant awe, while the romantic race of gipsies look upon occult influences from the inside, as a means of personal gain. the prophetic character of the weather during this period is a superstition common to all the aryan tribes. so strongly is this characteristic of the season felt in lancashire at the present day, that many country people may be met with who habitually found their "forecast" on the appearances of the heavens on old christmas day. the late mr. t. t. wilkinson relates a singular instance of this superstition, which shows the stubbornness of traditional lore, even when subjected to the power and influence of legislative enactments. he says: "the use of the old style in effect is not yet extinct in lancashire. the writer knows an old man of habergham, near burnley, about years of age, who always reckons the changes of the seasons in this manner. he alleges the practice of his father and grandfather in support of his method, and states with much confidence that 'perliment didn't change t' seasons wen they chang'd day o't' month.'" a work named "the shepherd's kalender," published in , soberly informs us that "if new year's day in the morning opens with dusky red clouds, it denotes strife and debates among great ones, and many robberies to happen that year." the helm wind. in the neighbourhood of kirkoswald, on the eden in cumberland, a district prolific in arthurian legends, it is said that a "peculiar wind called the 'helm wind,' sometimes blows with great fury in that part of the country. it is believed by some persons to be an electrical phenomenon." this fact may have some remote connection with the superstition under consideration. sir walter scott's version of the legend is as follows: "a daring horse jockey sold a black horse to a man of venerable and antique appearance, who appointed the remarkable hillock upon the eildon hills, called the lucken hare, as the place where at twelve o'clock at night he should receive the price. he came and his money was paid in ancient coin, and he was invited by his customer to view his residence. the trader in horses followed his guide in the deepest astonishment through several long ranges of stalls, in each of which a horse stood motionless, while an armed warrior lay equally still at the charger's feet. 'all these men,' said the wizard in a whisper, 'will awaken at the battle of sheriffmoor.' at the extremity of this extraordinary depôt hung a sword and a horn, which the prophet pointed out to the horse dealer, as containing the means of dissolving the spell. the man in confusion, took the horn and attempted to wind it. the horses instantly started in their stalls, stamped and shook their bridles; the men arose, and clashed their armour; and the mortal terrified at the tumult he had excited, dropped the horn from his hand. a voice like that of a giant, louder even than the tumult around, pronounced these words: "woe to the coward that ever he was born that did not draw the sword before he blew the horn!" the mistletoe was supposed to protect the homestead from fire and other disaster, and, like other mysterious things, was believed to be potent in matters relating to courtship and matrimony. it is to this sentiment we owe the practice of kissing under the bush formed of holly and mistletoe during christmas festivities. this matrimonial element in the mistletoe is artistically presented in the scandinavian mythology. freigga, the mother of baldr, had rendered him invulnerable against all things formed out of the then presumed four elements, fire, air, earth, and water. the mistletoe was believed to grow from none of these elements. but she overlooked the one insignificant branch of the mistletoe, and it was by an arrow fashioned from it that the bright day-god baldr, the scandinavian counterpart of apollo and bel, was killed by the blind hodr or heldr. the gods, however, restored him to life, and dedicated the mistletoe to his mother, who is regarded as the counterpart of the classical venus. hence its importance in affairs of love and courtship. it is not improbable that the far-famed dart of cupid may have some relation to the mistletoe arrow, to which the beautiful baldr succumbed. the medicinal qualities of the mistletoe tree were also in high repute. its healing power was shared by the ash tree, which was the "cloud tree" of the norsemen. the ash (norse "askr,") was the tree out of which the gods formed the first man, who was thence called askr. the ash was among the greeks, an image of the clouds, and the mother of men. other christmas customs and superstitions are peculiar to lancashire. the white thorn is supposed to possess supernatural power, and certain trees of this class, in lancashire called christmas thorns, are believed to blossom only on old christmas day. mr. wilkinson says that in the neighbourhood of burnley many people will yet travel a considerable distance "at midnight, in order to witness the blossoming." the boar's head yet forms a chief object amongst the dishes of christmas festivities. among the impersonations of natural phenomena, the wild boar represented the "ravages of the whirlwind that tore up the earth." in all mythologies the boar is the animal connected with storm and lightning. there yet exists a superstition prevalent in lancashire to the effect that pigs can "see the wind." dr. kuhm says that in westphalia this superstition is a prevalent one. the tradition is at least three or four thousand years old. lancashire has many stories of the pranks played by the wild boar or demon pig, removing the stones in the night on the occasion of the building of churches. stories of this nature are to be found respecting winwick, where a rude carving resembling a hog fastened to a block of stone, by a collar, is to be seen built into the tower of the present church. burnley and rochdale churches, and samlesbury church, near preston, possess similar traditions. all celtic nations have been accustomed to the worship of the sun. it was a custom that everywhere prevailed in ancient times to celebrate a feast at the winter solstice, by which men testified their joy at seeing this great luminary return again to this part of the heavens. this was the greatest solemnity of the year. they called it in many places "yole," or "yuul," from the word "hiaul" and "houl," which even at this day signifies sun in the language of cornwall. "heulo" in modern welsh means to "shine as the sun." and thus we may derive our word halo. some writers, including the venerable bede, derive yule from "hvoel," a wheel, meaning the return of the sun's annual course after the winter solstice. agriculture a comparison of progress between danish and british chapter xv. agriculture. while the scandinavian element is regarded by modern writers as the predominating feature in the composition of englishmen, the danish has been the pre-eminent force in forming the character of the race which dominates the lancashire people of to-day. in our survey of the progress of the race, from the earliest settlement of the danes, we find the impression of their footprints in the place-names of the county, which are our oldest and most enduring monuments. following their character of daring and venture, we have established a maritime power which is the envy of the world. the same spirit which formed our early settlements in lancashire has founded colonies in every quarter of the globe. the enterprise of the early "copemen" has developed into our mercantile fleet, which controls the carrying trade of the seas. the voice of their language still resounds in the names of our laws, the "hundreds" of the county, and in our system of administration, and also in the political freedom which has established the saying that "what lancashire says to-day, england will say to-morrow." in the earliest record of agricultural progress we find the danes have given us the name of "husbandry," and the modern implement called the "plough." therefore, in forming an estimate of the benefits which have resulted from our intercourse with the danes, the primary industry of agriculture and dairy produce must not be omitted. in all other branches of commercial activity, by the application of scientific methods, unbounded progress has been achieved. has the oldest industry of the county had a share in this attainment of wealth, or its rural population derived advancement? for a period of half-a-century our agricultural leaders have held competitions known as agricultural shows, where valuable prizes have been given for live stock of all descriptions, and rewards for every design of mechanical appliance for agriculture. to a stranger visiting these shows, it would appear that we brooked no rival in the production of dairy produce. what are the facts disclosed by the figures for the past or years? in the "year book of the lancashire past agricultural students' association" we are told that parliament handed over, in the year , to local authorities, large sums of money for purposes of technical instruction, and that "this marks the really substantial beginning of agricultural education in lancashire." with this statement, made at the opening of the twentieth century, it may be interesting to notice the increase of our imports of danish dairy produce for a period of eleven years:-- year. imports. exports. £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , £ , , danish agriculture. during the past ten years, says mr. consul l. c. liddell in his report for , denmark has witnessed a considerable increase. the exports of agricultural produce, which in were worth £ , , , reached £ , , in . the amount of butter exported to the united kingdom reaches . per cent. of the total; of bacon, . per cent.; and of eggs, . per cent. the remainder of the butter and bacon goes principally to germany. nearly the entire export of horses and cattle is absorbed by the german market, whilst three-fifths of the beef also finds its way thither, the remainder going to norway. the labour question has, as in other years, attracted much attention. the number of swedish and finnish labourers is decreasing, and it is from galicia that denmark would now appear to recruit her farm hands. the number of galician "season" labourers in reached , , or about , more than in . the co-operative organisations approached the prime minister with the proposal that free passes should be granted on the state railway system to any unemployed at copenhagen having a knowledge of field work to help in farming. this attempt to organise a "back to the land" movement is not expected to be attended with success. these figures show an increase of nearly double in eleven years, or an increase of eight millions, and an increase of two millions from to . it must be remembered that the bulk of danish produce comes to the manchester market, and is distributed from that centre. an analysis of the imports from denmark gives the following details:--butter £ , , , eggs £ , , , fish £ , , lard £ , , bacon £ , , , pork £ , . the item of bacon for shows an increase of one million pounds over the year . the import of danish produce began in the early sixties of last century, and the quality was so indifferent that we are told it was fortunate if two casks of butter were good out of every five. even then the quality was superior to irish butter in its taste and appearance. the population of denmark is two and a half millions, and the cultivated area of land is seven million acres. the yield of crops to the acre is bushels of wheat, while in england it is bushels. in barley the yield is bushels to our bushels, and in oats it is bushels to our . these figures show the comparative fruitfulness of the land to be in favour of england. the live stock per , population in denmark is cattle to our , and pigs to our . the total imports for twenty years show that our dairy produce from abroad has doubled, and is increasing at a rapid rate. comparisons of danish methods of farming to-day cannot be made with the present conditions existing in lancashire or yorkshire, but can only be made by the modern conditions now obtaining in essex under lord rayleigh. crops diminishing. what has been the course of our agriculture for the past sixty years? mr. cobden maintained that free trade would do no injury to agriculture. the following is a comparison of prices in the years and :-- . . [e] lbs. loaf of bread d. - / d. [f] lb. butter d. / . [f] lb. cheese d. d. [f] lb. bacon d. d. [f] lb. beef d. d. sixty years ago home-grown wheat produced flour for twenty-four millions of our population.[g] to-day it produces flour for four and a half millions. the acreage under wheat has been reduced in the last thirty years to one-half in england, to one-third in scotland, and to one-fifth in ireland. the same is true of green crops. nine hundred thousand acres less are under crops than were thirty years ago. the same may be said of the area under hop cultivation, which has been reduced every year. the only bright spot in the review of our agricultural position, extending over many years, is to be found in the growth of fruit, although this has not increased as rapidly as foreign importations. the result of these changes during the last thirty years has been an increase of imports of agricultural produce of eighty millions. our imports of wheat have increased by thirty-two millions, our imports of dairy produce have increased by twenty-one millions, and eggs alone have increased by four millions sterling a year; while fruit and vegetables have increased by ten and a half millions. the effect of this must be the increased dependence of our population on foreign supplies. agriculture finds employment for a million less than it did sixty years ago. these are facts and not opinions, and we are compelled to use the figures of the general national imports, as the details of the counties are not available. national savings. statesmen tell us that the post office savings bank deposits are a fair indication of the industrial prosperity. in the report of these post office savings banks we find that denmark heads the list with £ s. per head of the population, while the united kingdom comes ninth in the list with a sum of £ s. per head of the population. the economy of waste has been the keynote of wealth to many industries, and the adaptability of labour to changed conditions has marked the survival of more than one centre of commercial activity. individual cases are not wanting to prove that men who have been found unfit to follow their work in mills and town employments through weak health or the effect of accidents, have succeeded, by the aid of a small capital, in becoming model farmers, and have demonstrated the variety of crops and stock which can be raised on a single farm. the bye-products of the manufacturers are often the source of success, and these are the most neglected in the itinerary of the farmer. the greatest problem which confronts our municipal authorities is the profitable disposal of sewage. where sewage farms are maintained they are invariably conducted at a heavy loss to the ratepayers, while the adjoining farm tenants often succeed in making profits. to reclaim the land which has gone out of cultivation, by the application of unemployed labour and the disposal of waste and sewage, provides the solution of a difficulty which may become a source of wealth, and restore the prosperity of a lost industry. cost of agricultural education. a white paper just issued by the board of education gives particulars as to the amount spent by county councils in england and wales on agricultural education. the amounts vary considerably in the different counties for the year ending march, . in england, lancashire takes the lead with £ , , and in wales the county of carmarthen is prominent with £ . the gross total amounted to £ , , of which £ , was in grants to schools and colleges, £ , for scholarships, and £ , for dairy instruction. the figures are approximate owing to the difficulty of analysing education accounts. there are not wanting those who say that farming cannot be made to pay in england. essex has quite a different experience. for here farms, varying in size from acres to , and over, have been made to return very good profits. the whole secret lies in the work being conducted on scientific principles, and the careful watching of every penny expended, as well as giving the labourers a direct interest in getting good results. on lord rayleigh's estate, terling, which comprises about , acres, striking results have been obtained during the past twenty years, his successes being attributed to the use of business and scientific methods. for many years past his lordship's brother, the hon. e. g. strutt--probably one of the most experienced practical farmers in england--has had the management of the property, and has shown that farming can be carried on with a profit in this country. essex is described as flat, but in the neighbourhood of terling, which abuts on the great eastern railway line at witham, there are numerous gently undulating plains, and even at this time of the year a stroll along the lanes in the neighbourhood reveals many pleasant surprises. here and there the hedgerows are already bursting into delicate green buds, and in some places the crops sown during the early winter for spring are showing above the rich dark brow soil. and many are the birds which are already, as it were, getting into voice for the spring. the county hereabouts is heavily wooded, the chief trees being oak, ash, and elm. many of these are veritable giants and monarchs of the forest, now standing out alone on the sky-line in all their nakedness of winter outline, then in small groups, again in such numbers as to become forests. on every hand are signs of activity. ploughing for the moment is all over, though there are still fields of stubble which have to be turned over and prepared for crops in the near future. fields which have already been ploughed are being heavily manured in readiness for sowing. and herein lies one of the secrets of the successful farming prevailing in this favoured neighbourhood. everyone knows, but not everyone acts upon the knowledge, that as the fertility of the soil is exhausted fresh nutriment must be given. the observance of this rule brings its own reward, as many have learned to their advantage. hedging and ditching are in progress, and by the time that all hands will be required on the land for ploughing, scarifying, harrowing, and sowing, hedges will have been trimmed and ditches cleaned. some eighteen or twenty years ago lord rayleigh decided to offer all his farm labourers, who number about , bonuses on the profits of their industry. this scheme proved eminently successful; so much so, indeed, that lord rayleigh has now gone a step further and offered to give every man who cares to invest his savings in his farms per cent. interest on such money, and a share in any profits which may accrue after that dividend has been paid. a very large proportion of the men employed have taken advantage of this offer, which gives them close upon per cent. more than they were getting from the post office savings bank, where they had been in the habit of putting their money, for they are a thoroughly respectable, self-respecting, and frugal community. it is now just a year since this offer was first made, and the employees put up over £ , , in sums ranging from £ to £ , the latter sum coming from a man who had banked all the bonuses he earned, along with savings from twenty-five years' earnings. lord rayleigh's idea was to get the men not only to study thrift, but to take a keener interest in their daily work. it has been said that that man is a public benefactor who gets two blades of grass to flourish where but one grew before. his lordship has a far higher satisfaction in advancing the position of the men in his employment. in effect this is what he said to them: "my farms represent so much money to me; now for every £ which you put in i will guarantee you per cent. after we have all had our per cent., such surplus profit as may be left, if any, will be divided between us _pro rata_." the result of the first year's farming under this form of co-partnership has been very satisfactory. everyone has not only been paid the guaranteed per cent., which was distributed recently, but each labourer has also received a share in the sum which was over after paying out that amount. while mr. strutt declined to disclose the exact amount of the remaining profit, he hinted that the extra interest might quite possibly be as much as a further per cent. whatever it is, every labourer who put his savings into lord rayleigh's hands is congratulating himself upon his good fortune, and, as saving begets saving, there is a prospect that none of these beneficiaries will ever need the old age pension. lord rayleigh has made only two stipulations with his men, both aimed at unity of administration. one is that they cannot have any voice in the management of the estate, which mr. strutt naturally works to the best advantage, and the other is that only the savings of the labourer himself and his wife may be offered for investment in the farms. probably there is no farm where such intricate or such useful books are kept as on the terling estates. practically every field is treated as a separate farm in itself. say, for instance, a field is to be sown with wheat. it has to be ploughed, the cost of which is charged in the book against that field, as also the value of the manure used, the price of the seeds sown, and all the time occupied in preparing the land, and, later on, in cutting the wheat, threshing, and sending it to market. on the opposite page of the ledger is put the amount obtained for the grain, and the value of the straw, whether sold or used on the farms. a balance can then be struck, and the profit or loss shown at a glance. on the profit shown, those who did the various necessary labours receive their bonus. so with every field. but the system does not end here. a most careful record is kept, for example, of every cow--the original cost, if bought, the amount of milk she yields per year, of her calves, and what they fetch when sold, or their value if retained on the estate. every friday, the morning and evening milkings are accurately measured, and at the end of the year these figures are added up and multiplied by seven for the seven days of the week. in this way it is known exactly how much milk each cow gives. the annual average should be about gallons, which is regarded as a very fair amount. there is, however, one cow, lilac by name, which seems to despise that average. last year her yield of milk was no less than , gallons, which is a big record, even on the terling estates. mr. strutt reckons that a cow should give on an average gallons of milk per year, and the cowmen get a bonus when the yield of the cows in their charge average that amount. the advantage of such records are enormous. if a cow does not give gallons of milk per annum, she is at once sold, as she does not pay for her keep. as there are no less than cows on the estate, the keeping of such records involves an enormous amount of work, but it is work which has a profitable result, facilitating, as it does, the weeding out of poor dairy stock. the same attention is paid to other departments. records are kept of the sheep, of which there are considerable flocks scattered over the fifteen farms comprised in the estate. it is the same with poultry, of which there are thousands roaming about the farms, grubbing much of their food, but, of course, some is thrown down for them in the various poultry yards. no hens are penned up on the estate. while that course is necessary where prize-show birds are reared, in the case of table poultry and poultry kept for eggs pens are neither essential nor profitable. with freedom the birds lay more regularly, and are generally in better condition for the table. asked as to whether eggs were not lost owing to the hens laying in the hedges, mr. isted, who is in charge of the office where all the various books of record are kept, said that few, indeed, if any, are overlooked by those responsible, because of the system of bonuses given by lord rayleigh, to which reference has already been made. those in charge of the hens receive a reward on every score of eggs brought in. every head of poultry reared also means a monetary benefit to the workers. daily between and -gallon churns of milk are despatched to london. it is said that from no station along the great eastern railway line is more milk sent to the metropolis than from witham. at present about of these churns leave the station every day, all the milk coming from the immediate neighbourhood. eggs are also sent to the rayleigh dairies in vast quantities. every egg is carefully tested before it leaves the estate. the poultry is disposed of through middlemen. other produce is sold in the essex markets--at chelmsford, colchester, witham, and braintree. this would include all the cereals not used on the farm, and such hay as was not required for the stock during winter. down in essex wages are regarded as generally good by the farm labourers. at least there is a distinct tendency on the part of the men to remain on the soil. horsemen receive s. a week, cowmen s. and s., the head cowmen getting generally s. and s., while other farm hands earn from s. to s. living is very cheap, and rents are low. a good, comfortable cottage, with a decent bit of garden, where vegetables can be grown, can be had for £ or £ a year. should a man require more ground he can get it at a nominal annual rent of d. per rod--that is, a piece of ground measuring - / yards each way. quite a number of men avail themselves of this offer, and as they knock off work at five p.m., they put in their evenings on their own "estate." it is true that lord rayleigh has only tried his new system of investment, as well as interest in the farms, for a year, but the results amply justify the experiment. so satisfied are the men themselves that many have asked to be allowed to invest their share of the interest earned and their new bonuses in the estate. it would seem that here, at least, is a possible project for checking the ever-increasing rush of young men to the towns, where, while wages may be higher, the conditions are not conducive to either personal or patriotic well-being. the great feature of lord rayleigh's plan is that it is a distinctly profit-sharing one, for no reform, however attractive, can be economically good unless it is financially sound. with wheat in a rising market at s. a quarter, the granaries of the world holding back supplies a considerable proportion of which are already cornered in america--and bread dearer than it has been for many years, the question of the moment is, can england become her own wheat grower? fourteen weeks after harvest the home supplies are exhausted. britain needs altogether, both home and foreign, , , quarters of wheat per annum to provide her people with bread. out of the total area of , , acres under crops of all sorts in the country only , , acres are devoted to the growth of wheat. english climatic conditions can be relied upon to allow an average production of three and a half quarters per acre. the solution of the problem, therefore, is simplicity itself. a matter of , , acres taken from those devoted meantime to other crops, to pasturage (to say nothing of deer forests, grouse moors, golf links), or even lying waste, and developed for wheat growing would produce, roughly speaking, the extra , , necessary to our annual national food supply. millions of acres of the land at present in other crops has grown wheat at a profit in the past. in the sixties and seventies the staple commodity was at its most remunerative price. in it touched the enormous average of s. d. per quarter, while later, in and , it stood at s. d. and s. d. per quarter. with the countries of the east--india, china, japan--awakening to the potentialities of wheat as a food in place of rice, with america's prairies becoming used up and her teeming millions multiplying, and with canada, australia, and argentina remaining at a standstill as regards wheat production, it is clear that england ought to become self-sufficing. to attain the desired end the vast possibilities of the agricultural science of to-day must be appreciated and developed by every possible means. what can be done within england's own borders is the chief point to be considered, and some experiments and experiences may point the way. the first question is, would home produced wheat pay? farmers tell us that at s. a quarter wheat is just worth growing, but that each shilling over s. means about s. clear profit. would not wheat at s. an acre be worth cultivating? as to the practical ways and means of obtaining this sum out of the soil, i must detail some of the more modern scientific methods in agriculture. i have said that , , acres of the present area under crops could make us independent of foreign supplies. by applying certain simple rules of selection regarding seeds, a much smaller area of land would give the same result. instead of - / quarters per acre--the present average--the yield could be doubled, or even trebled. thirty years ago, in france, three quarters an acre was considered a good crop, but the same soil with improved methods of cultivation nowadays yields at least four quarters per acre; while in the best soils the crop is only considered good when it yields five quarters to six quarters an acre. the work of the garton brothers and of professor biffen, of cambridge university, has clearly shown that by careful selection and crossing of the best breeds of wheat the yield can be actually quadrupled. hallet's famous experiments in selection demonstrate that the length of the wheat ear can be doubled, and the number of ears per stalk nearly trebled. the finest ear he developed produced grains, as against in the original ear, and ears to one plant, as against ten in the original. in agriculture, as in other matters in which england claims to take a leading part, we have something to learn from the continent. france, belgium, and germany have adopted a system of co-operation which has reduced the cost of farming to the smallest possible limit. from a fund supplied partly by the governments of these countries and partly by the farmers themselves, small farms, manures, seeds, machinery, etc., are provided on a co-operative basis. would not a system on similar lines have far-reaching results in this country? perhaps the most interesting suggestion, the newest in the fields of scientific agriculture research, is the inoculation of the soil with bacteria. through these wonder-working germs which live in the nodules of plant roots multiplication of the free nitrogen in the air goes on with great rapidity, and this, united with other elements, forms valuable plant food. recent experiments, the results of which have not yet been made public, show that good crops of wheat may be grown in the poorest soil; indeed, the scriptural injunction about sowing seeds in waste places no longer bears scientific examination. on an area which was little more than common sand crops inoculated with bacteria gave an increased yield of per cent. wheat grown on the lines i have touched upon within the united kingdom, and paying the grower s. per quarter, would go far to solve every social and economic problem known. there would be work for all in the country districts, and consequently less poverty in the towns, and to the nation's resources would be conserved the enormous annual expenditure on foreign wheat of £ , , . occupying ownership. "a time there was, ere england's griefs began, when every rood of ground maintained its man," behold a change; where'er her flag unfurled, it presaged forth--goods-maker to the world. then wealth from trade, pure farming handicapped while glittering towns the youthful swain entrapped. in trade, no longer, england stands alone, indeed, too oft, john bull gets "beaten on his own." dependent on the world for nearly every crumb, is this a time when patriots should be dumb? for england needs to guard 'gainst future strife that backing up which comes from rural life. though all indeed may use both book and pen, the nation's weal depends on robust men inured to toil--a hardy, virile band. and these are bred where owners till the land. supply of wheat. strides in the scale of living. earl carrington, president of the board of agriculture, presided at a meeting of the society of arts, when a paper upon the production of wheat was read by mr. a. e. humphries. his lordship gave some very interesting jottings from family history, showing the great advance that had taken place in the scale of living. the subject of the lecture, he said, reminded him that over years ago his grandfather, who was president of the board of agriculture, made a speech in which he said that one of the most important subjects with which the board had to deal was the scarcity of wheat. it was curious that they were discussing the same subject to-day. his father, who was born years ago, had often told him that in the early part of last century they did not have white bread at every meal, as it was so scarce. if that happened at the table of old robert smith, the banker, at whitehall, what must the bread of the working classes have been like! in the five years from to , said mr. humphries in his lecture, we produced lb. of wheat per head per annum, and imported lb., while in the years from to we produced only lb. per head, and imported lb. for many years british wheat had been sold at substantially lower prices than the best foreign, and in the capacity of making large, shapely, well-aerated and digestible loaves the home-grown grain was notably deficient. it was commonly attributed to our climate, and people said that great britain was not a wheat producing country. the real reason was that farmer did not grow the right kind of wheat. it was not a matter of climate or of soil, but of catering for the particular kind of soil in which the grain was to be grown. the crux of the whole question was to obtain a variety of seed that would suit the environment. farmers, instead of aiming at quality, had striven to get as large a yield per acre as possible. the hon. j. w. taverner, agent-general for victoria, said that he had heard a lot of talk about the efficiency of the territorial army and the safety of the country. if only the men were fed on bread baked from australian wheat england had nothing to fear, for the men would be equal to anything. footnotes [a] from an article by the late john just, m.a., of bury. [b] knott is also used for the name of a mountain or hill, as in arnside knott, in westmoreland, but near the lancashire border. [c] from darvel--death and öl--feast. [d] the ancestors of the poet were, however, more likely "chaussiers," makers of long hose. [e] from "free trader," issued by the liberal free traders, dec., . [f] from "the hungry forties," written by mr. cobden's daughter. [g] from report of agricultural committee of the tariff commission. index acle, . adamson, . adalis, , , . aella, king, . agriculture, . ainsdale, . aire, . ale, . alexandria, . alfgier, - . alfred the great (illust.), , . altcar, . amleth, . amounderness, . anastasius, . anderson, . angel choir of lincoln, . anglian population, . anlaby, . anlaf, , , , , , . anstice, . aradr, . aratum, . arcle, . arnside knott, . arncliffe, . art, . athelfloed, lady of the mercians, . athelstan, , , , , , , . asia, . augustin, . austin, . australia, . austria, . axle, . ayton (great), . back o'th' hill, . bacup, . balder, . ball (olaf), . ballads and war songs, . ballr, . balderstone, . bamber, . banbury, . bannister, . barker, . barrowford, . basket making, . bath-day, . battlefield, . battlestone, . beck, . beckett, . bede, . beer, . bellum brun, . bernicia, , , . bessingby, . billingr, . birkdale, . birket, . bishop's house estate, . bishop's leap, , . blagburnshire hundred, . 'blakogr,' . blawith, . blowick, . 'boer,' . 'bois,' . 'bondr,' . bonfire hill, . booth, . boulsworth, . boys, . bractaetes, . 'breck,' . bridlington, . britons, . ---- of strathclyde, . broadclough dykes, . broad dyke, . broadbank, . brock, . brincaburh, . brinkburn, . bromborough, . brownedge, , . brownend, . brownside, . brun, , . brunanburh, , . brunford, . brunton, . brumbridge, . brumby, . 'bud,' . buerton, . 'burh,' . burnley, , . burscough, . burton, . burton-on-trent, . bushel-corn, . 'by-law,' . 'byr,' . byrom, . byzantine coins, . cairns, . calday, . calders, . calderstones, , . canute, , . candlemas, . capenhurst, . castle hill--tunlay, - . cat's cradle, . causeway, . carnaby, . castercliffe, , . celtic burial, . chapman, . cheap, . cheapside, . chepstow, . chester, , , - . chester-le-street, . children's games, . childwall, . christian 'sunday letters,' . churches, - . churchtown, . claughton-on-brock, . clitheroe, , . clog almanacs, . ---- ---- symbols, . coinage, . colne, . constantine, king of scots, . copeland, . copeman, . copenhagen, . copethorn, . copley, . copynook, . corn spirit, . cottingham, . craik, yorkshire, . crathorne, . crosby, , . crosses, . croxteth, . cuerdale, , , . cumberland, . cuthbert, saint, , . cutherd, bishop, . cup-cuttings, . 'dale,' . danelag, . danes house, . darvel cakes, . darvel deathfeast, . dean, . deira, , , , . dell, . derby, . dialect, . drengs, . eadred, abbot of carlisle, . eanfrid, . easden fort, . easington, . ecclesiologist, . ecfrith, . edward the elder, . edwin, king, . egbert (illust.), . eglis, . egyptian scholars, . ellerburn, . elston, . elswick, . emmott, . enderby, . 'endr,' . endrod, . entwistle, . equinox, vernal, . ernot, . everett, . everard, . extwistle hall, . facid, . facit, . fairs and wakes, . fawcett, . 'feldkirk,' . fire and sun worship, . folklore for children, . formby, , . forseti, . foster, . fraisthorpe, . frankby, . fraser, . freyer, . frisby, . fry, . fryer, . furness, . fylde, . 'gaard,' . galt, . gamelson, . gambleside, . gamul, . 'gata,' . garnett, . garstang, . garswood, . garth, . garton, . geld, . godley, , . golden numbers, . 'gos,' . gosford, . grave mounds, . grindalbythe, . guthred, king, , . hackenhurst, . haggate, . halfdan's death, . halfdene, , , . halton, , , - . ---- crosses, . ---- torque, . hamilton hill, , . hamlet, . hapton, . harbreck, . harkirke, , . 'haugr,' . hay, . haydon bridge, . hazel edge, . hell clough, . helm wind, . heptarchy, . heriot, . hessle, . heysham, . highlawhill, . 'hofs,' . horelaw pastures, . 'hlith,' . hoe, . hogback stone, , , . hoop, . hope, . hopehead, . hopekirk, . hopeton, . howick, . hoylake, . hudleston, . hundred court, . hutton john, . hurstwood, . husbandry, , . hustings, . huyton, . hyngr, the dane, , . ida, king, . ingleby, . invasion and conquest, , , . irby, . ireland, . irish christians, . ivar, . jarls, . jarrow, . kell, . kellet, . kendal, . kingo, poet, . kirk ella, , . kirk levington, . kirkby, , . kirkby in cleveland, . kirkby lonsdale, . kirkby misperton, . kirkby moorside, , . kirkby stephen, . kirkdale, , , , . 'kirkja' church, . knott end mill, . 'knotta,' . knottingley, . knut, . 'knutr,' . knutsford, . 'lake,' game, . land tenure, . laugardag, bath day, . lawmen, . lay of norse gods, . leamington, . lethbridge, . levishan, . lindsey, . lindisfarne, . litherland, . literature, . ---- 'skryke of day,' . ---- sunrise, . lithe, . lithgoe, . liverpool, , . log-law, . long hundred, . long weight, . lonsdale, . loom, danish, . lorton, . lorton-en-le-morthen, yorks., . 'lug-mark,' . lunar cycle, . lund, . lyster, . mackerfield, . maeshir, . maiden way, . manchester, . manorial exaction, . manx inscriptions, . memorials, . 'merchet,' . mercia, . mercians, lady of, . ---- rule, . mereclough, . mersey, . 'messe staves,' . moons, changes, . mythology, . names, norse and anglo-saxon, . neilson, . nelson, admiral, . norns, . norse festival, . northumberland, --. northumbria, , , . nunnington, , . 'occupying ownership,' . odin, , . ---- 'the descent of,' . 'ol,' . 'oller,' . olave, saint, . oram, . 'orm,' . orme, . ormerod, . ormesby, . ormeshaw, . ormside cup, . ormskirk, , . ormstead, . osmotherley, . 'osric,' . 'oswald,' . 'oter,' . otter, . ottley, . 'oxl,' . oxton, . paton, . patronymics, . 'pecthun,' . penda, . peyton, . phauranoth, . physical types, . picton, . picts, , . picture, . piko, . place names, - . 'plogr. plov.,' . plough, . political freemen, . preston, . prestune, . prim-staves, . prima-luna, . quakers, . raby, . rachdam, . ragnvald, . raven, . ravenshore, . ravensmeols, . rawtenstall, . red-lees, - . regnold of bamborough, . ribble, - . 'ridings,' yorkshire, . rimstock, - . 'rimur,' . rivington pike, . roby, . rochdale, . roman days, . rooley, . rossendale, . round hill, . royal charters, norse witnesses, . rûnâ, . runes, . runic almanacs, . ---- calender, . ---- characters, , . ---- 'futhork,' . ---- inscriptions, . ---- monuments, . 'ruthlie,' . 'saetter,' . sagas, , . salford hundred, . satterthwaite, . saxifield, , , . scarisbrick, . seacombe, . seascale, . seathwaithe, . sellafield, . 'servi,' . settlements, . shakespere, . sherborne, . sheffield, . shotwick, . sieward, earl, . sigurd-story, . sinnington, . 'sinfin,' , . 'sithric,' king, . skelmersdale, . skelton, . skidby, . skipper, . slavery abolition, . 'socage,' , , . sochman, , . sochmanni, , . sochmanries, . socmen of peterboro', . sodor and man, . solar cycle, . speke, . 'spika,' . statesmen, . stainton, - . steadsmen, . stigand, . stiggins, . 'stockstede,' croxteth, . stokesley, . stone crosses, . storeton, . sudreyjar, . sun, . superstitions, , . sutherland, . swarbrick, . sweden 'lake' game, . swindene, . s'winden water, . s'winless lane, , . tacitus, historian, . 'tallage,' . tanshelf, taddnesscylfe, . thane, . thelwall, , . 'thing,' trithing, . thinghow, , . thingstead, . thingwall, , , , . 'thor,' . thorley, . thornaby, . thorold, . thorolf, . thursby, . thurstaston, . thurston water, . tingley, , . torque, . towneley, . towthorp, . toxteth, . trawden, . tree-yggdrasil, . 'trithing,' , . trithing court, . troughton, . trowbridge, . 'trow'-trough, . turketul, chancellor, . turton, . tursdale, . twist hill, . tynwald, . ullersthorpe, . ullscarth, . ullswater, . ulpha, . ulverston, . unthank, . valkyrs, . valour, . 'vë,' . verstigan, . 'viborg,' . viking age, . wallhalla, . walkyries, . wallasey, . walshaw, . walton le dale, . wandsworth, . wansborough, . wanstead, . wapentake, - . warcock, . warcock-hill, . warthole, . warton, . warwick, . warrington, . watling street, . wavertree, . wearmouth, . wednesbury, . wednesday, . wellborough, . west derby, . ---- ---- hundred, . west kirby, . whasset, . whitby, , , . whithorn, . ---- prior of, . wigton, . wigthorpe, . wilbeforce, . wild, . wilde, . wilding, . willerby, . willoughby, . windermere, . winewall, . winter solstice, . widdop, . wirral, , . woollen manufacture, . worsthorne, . worsthorne, . wulfric spot, . wycollar, . wydale, . wylde, . wyre, . yarborg, . yarborough, . yarm, . yerburgh, . yggdrasil, . yorkshire children's folklore, . yule, origin, . zinga, . zodiac, . zoni, . transcriber's notes punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. simple typographical errors were corrected; frequent unbalanced quotation marks not remedied except as noted below. page : "hopped ale.'" either is missing an opening quotation mark or has a superfluous ending one. page : 'is "warcock hill.' either is missing a closing quotation mark or has a superfluous opening one. page : "descrip-names" was printed that way; may be misprint for "descriptive names". page : text beginning with '"robert de cowdray, who died in ' has no closing quotation mark. page : "proposition" probably should be "preposition". page : ending quotation mark added to "i's t'". page : "helder--preferably;" the semi-colon was printed as a colon, but changed here for consistency with the rest of the list. page : "are also easily be recognised" was printed that way. page : "or clap-cake, form" probably should be "from". page : 'lögg mark."' either is missing an opening quotation mark or has a superfluous closing one. page : likely superfluous quotation mark after 'by commutation."' page : missing quotation mark added after 'is in norse "stegger."' page : there is no "chapter viii" in this book, but the chapter names match the table of contents. page : paragraph beginning "the bewcastle cross in the gigurd shaft" was printed as shown here. pages - : runic symbols appeared to the left of each entry in the clog almanac on these pages, and between some of them. to avoid clutter, this ebook does not indicate where those symbols appeared. page : "st. john beverlev" may be alternate spelling for "beverley". page : no entry for sept. . page : "and has recently found" was printed that way. page : "songs and sages" may be misprint for "sagas". page : '"the calder stones near liverpool' has no closing quotation mark. page : "between feet" is a misprint, possibly for " & ". page : 'songs of the "edda.' either is missing a closing quotation mark or has a superfluous opening one. page : '"how the man odin' is missing a closing quotation mark, or its mate is on page . page : 'the sky and in the ocean."' is missing an opening quotation mark, or its mate is on page . page : "last thirty years" was misprinted as "vast"; changed here. page : "rich dark brow soil" probably should be "brown". page : unclear whether "occupying ownership" is a section heading or just the title of the poem. page : "but of catering" contained a duplicate "of"; changed here. some alphabetizing errors in the index corrected here. index references were not checked for accuracy. page : no page reference given in the index for "northumberland, --". note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see -h.htm or -h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/ / / / / / -h/ -h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/ / / / / / -h.zip) viking boys by j. m. e. saxby author of "the yarl's yacht" etc. [frontispiece: "then there came a sudden flare of light, which showed that yaspard was trying to illuminate the scene."--_page_ ] london nisbet & co. ltd. berners street. w. contents. chap. i. "called after that work which he had to do" ii. "ah, many a memory of how ye dealt with me" iii. "wide told of is this" iv. "happy was he in his warring" v. "thou art young and over-bold" vi. "now each goes his way" vii. "the carl on the cliff top" viii. "therefore they go their ways" ix. "no need of binding or salving here" x. "may the gods give us twain a good day" xi. "fair fellow deem i the dark-winged raven" xii. "enough and to spare of bale is in thy speech" xiii. "he is young and of little knowledge" xiv. "oh, be thou welcome, here" xv. "and peace shall be surer" xvi. "for naught he wotted, nor might see clearly" xvii. "no good it betokeneth" xviii. "oh, need sore and mighty" xix. "so he shut me in shield-wall" xx. "from the hands of my kinsfolk" xxi. "nought had'st thou to praise" xxii. "give ye good counsel" xxiii. "and bound fast their swords in webs goodly woven" xxiv. "meet and right it is, fair lord, that i should go" xxv. "and thereto they plighted troth both of them" xxvi. "that work shall be wrought" xxvii. "of the volsungs' kin is he" xxviii. "sea-runes good at need" xxix. "great is the trouble of foot ill-tripping" xxx. "sweet sight for me thou twain to set eyes on" xxxi. "hild under helm" xxxii. "hail from the main then comest thou home" viking-boys. chapter "called after that work which he had to do." "how i wish i had lived hundreds of years ago, when the vikings lived; it must have been prime!" he was a shetland boy of fifteen who so spoke, and he was addressing his young sister of eleven. they were sitting on a low crag by the shore, dangling their feet over the water, which flowed clear and bright within a short distance of their toes. they were looking out upon a grand stretch of ocean studded with islands of fantastic shape, among which numerous boats were threading their way. it was a fair summer afternoon, and the fishing boats were returning from the far haaf[ ] laden with spoil. it had not required a great stretch of imagination to carry yaspard adiesen's thoughts from the scene before him to the olden days, when his native isles were the haunts of vikinger, whose ships were for ever winging their way over those waters bearing the spoils of many a stormy fight. "yes," the boy went on; "what glorious fun it must have been in those days; such fighting and sailing and discovering new places; such heaps of adventures of all sorts. oh, how grand it must have been!" "i suppose it was," answered signy; "but then these people long ago did not have all the nice things we have--books, you know, and--and everything!" "oh, tuts! they had scalds to sing their history--much nicer than your musty books." "perhaps!" said the girl. she loved books with a mighty love, but she adored her brother, and what he said she accepted, whether it commended itself to her judgment or not. "there is no 'perhaps' about it, signy," he retorted a little sharply. "it is fact--so there! it must have been far more jolly in shetland then than it is now. everything so tame and commonplace: mail-day once a week, sermon every sunday, custom-house officers about, chimney-pot hats and tea! bah!" yaspard caught up a pebble and flung it to skim over the water as a relief to his feelings, which received a little additional comfort from signy's next words. "hats are certainly very ugly, especially when they are tied on with strings, as uncle brüs wears his; and when a sermon lasts an hour it is tiresome. yes, and the custom-house people and the revenue cutter are horrid--though the cutter is very pretty, and the officers look rather nice in uniform. but it is very nice to get letters, yaspard; and tea is nice. why, what on earth would mam kirsty and aunt osla do without tea?" and signy laughed as she looked up in her brother's face. he was not unreasonable, and admitted the comfort of the cup which cheers and a weekly mail-bag. he even allowed that the sloop which looked after her majesty's dues was a tidy little craft, and that a kirk and sunday service were advantages of no ordinary kind. "but," having admitted so much, he said, "why couldn't we have all that, and still be vikings? why not live like heroes? why not roam the seas, and fight and discover and bring home spoil, and wear picturesque garments, as well as go to church and drink tea?" "well, people _do_," answered signy. "there is always somebody going exploring and getting into the most terrible scrapes. and don't you often say that the british people are true sons of the norsemen, and prove it by the way they are always sending out more and more ships, and bringing home more and more riches. as for the fighting--oh dear! there was waterloo not so very very long ago; and the papers say, you know, that we are going to fight the russians very soon. there's always plenty of fighting--if that's what makes a viking." "oh, bother! girls don't understand," yaspard muttered; and then there was a long silence, which was broken at last by the lad clapping his hands together and shouting, "hurrah! i've got an idea! a splendid idea! the very thing!" he sprang to his feet and tossed back his golden-brown curls, and stood like a young apollo all aglow with life and ardour. "you always look so beautiful, yaspard, when you have an idea!" said the worshipping little sister, gazing her admiration of the handsome lad, who was the hero of all her dreams. he laughed. he was accustomed to her homage--if the truth be told, he took it as his right. "never mind about my beauty at present, but come along, for i must set my idea to work at once. i wonder i never thought of it before." "ah, do wait a very little longer, brodhor," the girl begged. when coaxing or caressing him, she always used the old form of the word, which signified the dearest relationship she knew. they were orphans, and "brother" was signy's nearest as well as dearest friend alive. he never could resist the soft tone and word, so answered-- "why do you want to stay here?" "i have been watching loki fish, and it is so funny; i want to see when he _will_ be satisfied. he has been at it for hours." loki was a pet cormorant, and yaspard had taught him to seek food for himself in the voe. the affectionate bird, though allowed such licence, never failed to return to boden when hunger was satisfied; and at all times he would come at once to his master's call. yaspard stood for a minute looking at the bird as it swam about, every now and then taking a sudden leap and "header" after some unwary sillack. there were shoals of small cod-fish in the voe, and loki had no difficulty in filling his most capacious maw. his mode of fishing was certainly comical, but yaspard was not so interested in the matter as signy, therefore his eyes were soon roving again to the islets and boats. presently his attention became riveted on a smart skiff rounding the headlands in a manner which proved that she was managed by skilful hands. as the boat drew nearer, rising lightly on the waves, yaspard said, "yes, it's the _laulie_. what splendid sea-boys those lads of lunda are! they are always off somewhere; always having some grand fun on the water. they are making for havnholme now, and i expect they mean to stay there all night. oh, bother feuds and family fights! i wish i were with them." "they must be nice boys," said signy. "it does seem very sad that you can't have them for chums. i can't see why our grandfathers' quarrels and uncle brüs's grumpiness should hinder you from being friends with the only boys of our rank within reach of boden." "it is a horrible nuisance. but never mind! i'll make the family feud work into my idea, sure as can be! there, signy; there goes loki with five dozen sillacks in his maw, so let's go too." the cormorant had had enough. he began to flap along the surface of the sea until it was possible for him to rise in steady flight. then he floated high overhead and took a straight course for the ha' of boden. yaspard caught up signy in his arms; and as he swung along towards home he chanted-- "as with his wings aslant sails the fierce cormorant seeking some rocky haunt, with his prey laden; so toward the open main, beating to sea again, through the wild hurricane bore i the maiden." when he finished the verse he put his sister down. "there," he exclaimed; "there is a small hint at a part of my new idea." "what is your idea, yaspard?" but yaspard laughed and shook his head. "i can't tell you yet. it isn't shaped at all yet, but by-and-by you shall hear all about it, and help with it too, mootie;[ ] only, mind, it's a secret. you must not tell a soul." "i never tell any of your secrets," signy answered, with gentle reproach in her tone; and her brother answered promptly, "no, you never tell on me, that is true--though you sometimes let things out by mistake. but you are a trump all the same, signy; you are; and as good as a boy. i sometimes wish you were a boy. but if you were you'd plague me. small boys always do plague their big brothers--but _you_ never plague me. never!" she squeezed his hand tight and was perfectly happy while they walked on, and yaspard whistled "the hardy norseman." after executing a few bars he said, "i am going across the voe, and you must not mind if i do not take you with me. i want to have a long talk with the harrison boys. but if you come down to the noost[ ] when i return, i'll take you for a little sail." "i'll be there, brodhor," said signy. she was always "there" when yaspard required or requested. they walked along the shore until they reached a quay of very modest pretensions, where a small boat was lying ready for use. their home was not many yards from the beach, and was situated on a green sloping point of land almost surrounded by the waters of boden voe. yaspard jumped into the boat, hauled up the sail, shoved off, and was soon speeding across the mile of water, which was the broadest bit of that winding picturesque fiord. signy stood a minute to watch him. she would have stood longer, but out of the house bounced a big dog, barking and evidently greatly excited over something. "well, pirate, what is the matter with you?" the girl asked, as the dog rushed up to her. for answer pirate caught her skirt gently in his mouth, and indicated as plainly as if he had expressed himself in choicest english that he desired her presence indoors. so indoors signy went without more ado. [ ] "haaf," deep-sea fishing. [ ] "mootie," little one. [ ] "noost," boat-shelter. chapter ii. "ah, many a memory of how ye dealt with me." when yaspard reached the other shore he was met by two boys, one his own age, the other about thirteen. these were laurence and gilbert harrison, sons of mr. adiesen's factotum, and they were usually styled lowrie and gibbie. boden was a small island, and there were only three houses on it, namely, the ha', the factor's house, and trullyabister, a very ancient dwelling nearly in ruins. every house in shetland has a name of its own, so has every knoll and field and crag and islet, therefore the ha' was called moolapund, and the harrisons' house noostigard. to attend church the inhabitants were obliged to cross to a neighbouring island, and this the majority of them did very regularly. stores were brought twice a year from the town of lerwick; and it seldom happened that these ran short, for miss adiesen was a shrewd housewife and james harrison a notable manager; also the laird was somewhat eccentric, and objecting strongly to all society outside of boden, did not like that "provisions short" should be made an excuse for frequent expeditions to the larger islands. the isolated life of boden had certain charms of its own for a scientist like mr. adiesen, and a quiet domestic creature like his sister, whose happiness had been wrecked in early life, and who desired nothing better than to hide herself at moolapund and devote her life to the wants of her lost twin-brother's children. boden was a pleasant home to the harrisons', for they were a large family, simple crofters, content in each other's society, and cherishing no earthly ambition. it was a satisfactory retreat from the world for gaun neeven, who lived alone with a half-witted attendant in the old house of trullyabister. it was a paradise to little signy, whose imaginative, romantic nature found infinite delight in the beauty of the isle, in its myriads of sea-fowl, in its grand-encircling ocean, in the freedom and poetry of life with such environs. but to a strong lad like yaspard, full of vitality, longing for action and the company of his fellows, there was less to content him, and much to stir in him that spirit of mischief which attends on every energetic boy not blessed with wise guardians, and with plenty of time on his hands. "come into the boat, boys," said yaspard, as he ran his skiff to the noost; and the brothers, nothing loth, scrambled aboard. "i ran across," said our hero, plunging at once into his subject, "to tell you about a magnificent scheme i have in my head. i am going to be a viking!" if he had announced his intention of becoming czar of all the russias these boys would have taken it as a matter of course. they merely opened their eyes and said "weel?" yaspard had rather expected to surprise them, and was a little disconcerted by the way his startling intention was received. "i've told you heaps about vikinger," he said; "you know just what i mean, eh?" "weren't they pirates?" gibbie asked. "no--at least they would be called that now, but it was different when they lived. there was no way of discovering new lands and getting lots of riches, being great men and doing all sorts of grand things, except by becoming vikings. it was the only way." "but they killed people, and robbed, and made slaves. everybody was frightened when a viking ship hove in sight," said lowrie, who was rather reflective for his age and station. "so they did; but it could not be helped. besides, every one tried to do the same. and for the matter of that, don't people do the same now? don't they fight still, and in a worse way? for the vikinger only laid on man for man, but now any nation who invents the most murderous machine for shooting can mow down armies of men miles off. as for the stealing--what is half the trade of the world but a kind of civil picking of somebody's pocket--a 'doing' of some one. and slavery; bah! slaves enough in britain while the pressgang can carry off any man it likes. but there--what's the good of such talk? i'm not going to be a viking in a bad way, so you need not be afraid. it will all be for adventure, and glory and daring, and jolly good fun, i tell you." "all right; we're game for whatever you please," answered the harrisons. after that yaspard entered into some details of his scheme, and explained portions in which he specially required their co-operation. they were soon as enamoured of the project as he, and eager to begin a career which promised such scope for wild adventure. some time slipped past while the confabulation lasted, and the dusk of a shetland summer evening--the poetic "dim"--had fallen upon boden before the lads separated. "i'll be over again to-morrow early," said yaspard, as he pulled out from the shore; "mind you have some armour ready by the time i come." the light breeze which had wafted him to noostigard had fallen to a calm, therefore the sail was of no use; but a pair of oars in his muscular hands soon carried the little _osprey_ to her quay, and there signy was waiting. "i've been longer than i meant to be, mootie," he called out; "i am afraid it is too late to take you off." "never mind," she answered; "i don't want to go now. there has been such a disturbance in the house--such a terrific upset. it has made me laugh and cry--i hardly know which i ought to do now about it." "an upset!" yaspard exclaimed. "praise the powers, as mam kirsty says. i'm glad the humdrum has had a break. what was it, signy?" "it was a letter." "a letter! was that all?" "all!" exclaimed the girl; "you won't say a letter is a little 'all' when you hear what it did. the mailbag came across this afternoon when we were sitting at the teng, never thinking!--and uncle got a letter from the young laird of lunda which made him furious. you know what happens when uncle brüs is angry." "i know. i'm glad it does not happen often, poor old man! well, what next?" "he rampaged, and set aunt osla off crying. then he began experiments with that new chemical machine, and nearly blew up the house. the windows of his den are smashed, and you never saw anything like the mess there is in it--broken glass, books, methylated spirits, specimens, everything." "hurrah!" shouted yaspard, cutting short signy's story; "don't tell me more. let's go and see." he fastened up his boat, took his sister's hand, and ran quickly up the brae to his home. there indeed was a scene of devastation, as far as the scientist's study was concerned. it looked as though a volcano had irrupted there: bookshelves were overturned, chairs and tables were sprawling legs in air, liquids were oozing in rainbow hues over manuscripts, odours of the most objectionable kind filled the air. a tame raven was hopping among the debris, with an eye to choice "remains" dropping from broken jars; a strange-looking fish was gasping its last breath on the sofa, among broken fragments of its crystal tank. a huge grey cat was standing, with her back arched, on the mantelpiece--the only place she deemed secure--surveying the scene, and ready for instant flight, or fight, if another explosion seemed imminent. pirate was lying at the open door, watching the movements of thor (the raven), whose depredatory proclivities were well known to the dog. thor, perfectly aware that a detective's eye was upon him, did not venture to abstract any of the wreckage, but assumed an air of careless curiosity as he hopped about among mr. adiesen's demoralised treasures. mr. adiesen himself had disappeared. he had been stunned for a few moments by the explosion; but on recovering he only waited to realise the ruin he had wrought, and then, seizing a favourite geological hammer, he raced away to the rocks to practise what stood him in place of strong language. no one had dared to attempt restoring order in the den; the maids would not have set foot within its door for their lives. miss adiesen was soothing her nerves with tea, which mam kirsty was administering with loud and voluble speech. "my! what a sight!" yaspard exclaimed, as he looked into the study. "and what a smell! it's enough to frighten the french," and he turned into the parlour, where his aunt was comforting her nerves after her favourite manner, as i said. "you've been having a high old time, auntie," he cried, laughing. "i never saw such a rare turn-out in moolapund before." "you may say so," sobbed aunt osla. "it is a 'turn-out' and a 'high old' business. we were near going high enough, let alone your uncle, whose escape is nothing short of a miracle. i always said there would be mischief done with those mixtures and glass tubes, and machines for heating dangerous coloured stuff. a rare turn-out! yes; there is not much left in his room to turn out--it's all turned. but it isn't the specimens and all that i mind so very much, after all, though that is bad enough, considering all the time and money he has spent on them. it is the--the cause of all this that--that breaks my heart. oh dear!" and she broke out a-weeping again. chapter iii. "wide told of is this." "what had young garson said to make uncle brüs so angry?" asked yaspard. "he did not say much that was unpleasant--even from our point of view. it is the letter of a gentleman anyway; and i know very well that his mother's son could not say or do or think anything that was not like a gentleman. i knew her, poor dear, when we were both young. see, here is the letter. you may read it. it was flung to me. your uncle did not care who saw it, or who knows about his 'feud'--oh, i'm sick of the word." yaspard smoothed out the letter, which his uncle had crushed up in his rage, and read-- "dear mr. adiesen,--i very much regret being obliged to remind you once more that havnholme is part of the lunda property, and that it was my dear father's wish that the sea-birds on the island should not be molested. "i shall always be very pleased to give you, or any other naturalist, every facility for studying the birds in their haunts, but i cannot (knowing as i do so well the mind of my late father in this matter) permit innocent creatures to be disturbed and distressed as they have been of late. you know the circumstances to which i allude. "i do wish (as my father so long wished) that you would meet me and have a friendly talk, when i have no doubt we could smooth this matter--i mean your grievance regarding havnholme. it seems so unneighbourly, not to say unchristian, to keep up a quarrel from generation to generation. "pardon me if it seems presumptuous of a young fellow like me to write thus to you; but i feel as it i were only the medium through which my good noble father were making his wishes known. if you will allow me, i will call upon you at some early time.--yours sincerely, fred garson." "it's a very decent letter," said yaspard, "and everybody who knows the young laird says he is a brick; but i know how uncle brüs would flare up over this. one has only to utter 'holme' or 'lunda' in uncle's hearing if one wants to bring the whole feud about one's ears." here signy put in her soft little voice. "but it really was a shame about the birds, yaspard. you said so, you know; and oh, i have dreamt about them ever so often, poor things!" "that's true. still, uncle persists that the holme is his property; and the lairds of lunda have always got the name of land-grabbers." miss osla looked up at the boy with a kind of terror in her eyes. "o yaspard," she cried, "don't you begin that way too. don't you believe all that's told you. don't you take up that miserable, wicked--yes, wicked--quarrel." "easy, easy, aunt osla! i haven't dug up the hatchet yet. but can you tell me what was the true origin of that affair?" "i don't believe anybody ever knew what it began about, or why. the garsons and adiesens were born quarrelling with one another, i think." "but surely you know about the particular part of the family feud which had to do with havnholme?" "even _that_ began before i was born, and it was about some land that was exchanged. your great-grandfather wanted all this island to himself, and he offered the laird of lunda some small outlying islands instead of the piece of boden which belonged to _him_. mr. garson agreed, so they 'turned turf'[ ] and settled the bargain; and a body would have thought that was enough. but no! by-and-by they got debating that the bargain had not been a fair one, then that havnholme was not included with the other skerries, and so it went as long as they lived. after that their sons took it up, and disputed, and fought, and never got nearer the truth, for there were no papers to be found to prove who was right; and the tenants who had witnessed the 'turning of turf' would only speak as pleased their master. they wrangled all their lives about it. one would put his sheep on the holme, and the other would promptly go and shove the poor beasts into the sea. one would build a skeö,[ ] and the other would pull it down. these were lawless days, and men might do as they pleased." "just like vikinger," said yaspard, who quite enjoyed the story. "well?" "they never would speak to each other, even if they met at the church door, or at a neighbour's funeral. it was very sinful; and they would not let their children become acquainted. my father made me drop acquaintance with my school friend when she married mr. garson, for no reason but because she married the son of his enemy. it has been the same since your uncle came to be laird. if your father had lived it would have been different, for _he_ bore ill-feeling to no one; but he was so much away with his ship, he never got a chance to put things right; which i _know_ he could have done, for the laird of lunda--who died two years ago--was one of the best of men. a land-grabber! my friend's husband. he was as good a man as shetland ere saw. he tried again and again to be friends with brüs, but it was no use, and it will be of no use his boy trying. i know." "_something_ shall be of use," muttered yaspard; then aloud he asked, "will uncle answer this letter?" "my dear, he's done it. there is his answer on the table. he read it to me, and i felt as if i were listening to a clap of thunder." "what did he say?" "he said that havnholme was his, and that he meant to do with his own as he pleased. and he said, 'if you set foot in boden you will receive the thrashing which such a coxcomb deserves.' he told me to send the harrison boys across the sound in your little boat early to-morrow, and they were to leave the letter at the post-office. they were not to go to the ha' for their lives. brüs never told me to do a harder thing than to send such a letter to the son of my friend--to the poor lad who is trying to live like his true-hearted father, and to be at peace with all men! it is a cruel thing." and here miss osla began to weep again. yaspard went to the table and picked up the letter, read the address, and put it in his pocket. "leave this affair to me, auntie," he said; "i'll see that fred garson gets the letter, and gets it right properly." poor miss adiesen was too much troubled to notice anything peculiar in yaspard's words or expression, but signy did, and as he left the room she followed and asked in a whisper-- "is it going to fit into your idea, brodhor?" "fits like the skin to a sealkie," said he. yaspard went up the stairs four steps at every stride until he reached the attics. one of these was used for lumber, and into it he went. there was a marvellous collection of things in that room, but yaspard knew what he had come for, and where to find it. he pulled some broken chairs from off an old chest which had no lid, and was piled full of curious swords, cutlasses, horse-pistols, battle-axes, some foils and masks, and a battered old shield. not one of all these implements had been in use for a century--some were of far more ancient date. they had neither edge, nor point, nor power of any sort beyond what might lie in their weight if it were brought into play. yaspard gathered up as many of these weapons as he could carry, and bore them off to his own room, where he proceeded to scrub the rust from them with some sandpaper and a pair of woollen socks. he whistled at his task, and was infinitely pleased with his own thoughts, which ran something like this:-- "oh yes! i'll make it work. i'll turn this old feud into a rare old lark, i will. how nicely it all fits in for to-morrow--the harrison boys to go with the letter in my boat, and the manse boys spending the night on havnholme! what times those boys have, to be sure. they go everywhere, and stay just as long as they please. i could not count how many times this summer they have camped out for the night on havnholme, and the grün holme, and the ootskerries. guess they'll be surprised at the waking up they'll get tomorrow!" when he had cleaned up the armour to his satisfaction, he sat down to his desk and wrote a letter, which pleased him so much that he read it twice aloud, and ended by saying-- "prime! i didn't know that i could express myself so well on paper. it's as good as garson's own. i wonder what he will say!" then yaspard went down to supper, and while demolishing his porridge he said, "will you make me up a bit of ferdimet,[ ] auntie? i am going off early to-morrow to fish. (it's true," he added to himself, "for i'll take a rod and fish a fish to make it true.") "i suppose the harrisons go with you?" said aunt osla. "don't forget about your uncle's message to lunda." "no, i won't forget." "you could run across to the post-office before going to fish, and get it over," she added. yaspard often went on such expeditions, therefore there was nothing unusual in his proceedings on the present occasion, but signy detected a new fire in his eyes, and a twitching of the mouth that suggested ideas! moreover, she had been on the stair when he came out of the lumber-room with his arms full of weapons, and signy's soul was troubled about its hero. [ ] the old shetland way of taking possession of land. [ ] "skeö," a shed for drying fish in. [ ] "ferdimet," food for a journey. chapter iv. "happy was he in his warring." when the sun was well up next morning, which meant about three o'clock, yaspard came downstairs, carrying his armour, and treading softly, as he did not wish to disturb anybody. pirate was dozing in the porch, but when the lad appeared he got up and followed him to the quay. signy's eyes too followed--for she had heard her brother leave his room--and again her heart was troubled when she saw the weapons of warfare. all unconscious of her gaze, he proceeded to stow these into his boat, where pirate had stepped gravely, and signy's soul was comforted as she returned to her bed murmuring, "any way, he has pirate with him, and pirate is more than a match for anything!" yaspard was soon across the voe, and he soon had the harrisons out of their beds. when they reached the beach lowrie pulled out of a fish-chest two neatly made wooden swords, two slings, two bows, and a sheaf of arrows. as he handed some to his brother he said to yaspard, "we made the swords last night, and most of the arrows. i think they are a great improvement on the last." "yes, certain!" was the ready answer; but yaspard's eyes gleamed as he pointed to his ancestral old iron, and said, "what think you of mine?" "oh, grand! splendid!" they cried. "you are going to have a share--a loan of them, i mean." and then he rapidly explained what he purposed doing, and what he wished them to do. as the boat slipped rapidly along, the lads rigged themselves for action. playing at "robinson crusoe" and "hawk eye" had been favourite games, therefore they were provided with all sorts of belts and pouches for holding every conceivable kind of weapon; and queer figures they looked when their war toilet was complete, and they sat down to talk over their scheme and project a great many more. once outside of boden voe, it did not take long to reach havnholme. the _laulie_ was lying along the crags safely moored there, and her crew were asleep in the old shed, where they had spent many a night before. they had had a long day of exciting sport, and were wrapped in sleep more profound than usual. but when the _osprey_ came within hailing distance, yaspard ran up a black flag and raised a shout of "a viking! a viking!" his companions took up the cry, and pirate, setting his fore-paws on the bow, barked and howled like mad. such a hullaballoo was enough to waken anybody, and the lunda boys--half-awake--rushed out of the shed, and stood staring in dumb-foundered amazement at the foe! the harrisons burst out laughing at the ludicrous spectacle of four lads rubbing their eyes, scratching their heads, shaking themselves straight in their clothes, and looking as if there never had been half an idea in one of their minds. but yaspard shouted in grandiloquent style-- "you, lads of lunda there, listen! we are vikinger in search of glory and spoil, and all the rest of it. but we do not take our enemy unawares. we would not assail slumberers. we are nineteenth century enough to fight fair. so now, look to yourselves!" during these few minutes the _osprey_ had reached the crags, and was alongside of the _laulie_. as he finished speaking the young marauder, leaning over to the other boat, undid her painter, and hitching it to his own boat, shouted to his companions to row off again. they pulled out from the shore, and the _laulie_ was captured before her crew had waked up enough to comprehend what was going on. "it's yaspard adiesen masquerading like an ass," said harry mitchell at last. "it will only be a bit of fun," gloy winwick ventured to say, for by that time he had recognised lowrie and gibbie. they were his cousins, and he had often met them, and heard of the curious games which young adiesen invented for their amusement and his own. "there will be nae harm in it. it's just his way. he's queer." the last half of his remarks was given in an aside to tom holtum, but tom only growled, "bother the fellow! what does he mean by such preposterous impudence?" tom's temper was easily roused; and, followed by the others, he ran to the crag and shouted, "give us none of your humbug! bring back the boat, or it will be the worse for you!" a mocking laugh was all the answer he got; and this so exasperated tom that he was about to fling a volley of abuse to the enemy, but harry checked him. harry was always the first to look at a thing from more points than one, and now he said in an undertone, "i expect it is only some nonsensical make-believe. yaspard is a baby in some ways, i am told; and he never exchanges a word with gentlemen's sons--lives horribly alone, you know. let's humour him a bit, and see what it will come to." tom grunted, but bill and gloy seconded harry, so harry called out, "i say, you might as well come on shore first and tell us what's up, and then let us start fair all round." "i'd like to," burst from yaspard in his natural and impulsive manner, "but i mustn't. uncle brüs has forbidden me to be friends with _any_ of you lunda fellows, because of the family feud, you know. but i'm tired of having no chums, and living as i do, so i'm resolved to be a viking; and as you are all my enemies, i shall, of course, try to harass you in every way i can, to fight you, and carry off your property, and conquer you, and--and--have some good fun!" tom and harry instantly got the right kind of inspiration about the matter, and replied, "all right, we're your men! strongest fend off!" but gloy exclaimed, "i think he must be going off his head," and bill called out furiously, "conquer us! come and try, if you dare." "i'll dare another day, youngster," answered the viking loftily; "but listen now" (addressing the others): "i've got your boat, and you must agree to what i ask before i will let you have her again." "impudence!" shouted tom. "tuts, man, let him haver," said harry; then to yaspard, "well, go on." "are you captain of that crew?" yaspard asked. "in the absence of my elders and betters, yes!" "well, i want you to take a letter (it is really two letters, one inside the other) to the young laird of lunda. he is captain, chief, yarl, and all the rest of it, over you and your island." "if it's a proper letter i'll take it," harry answered promptly. "one of the letters is quite proper; but, proper or no proper, uncle's note must also reach mr. garson, and you must promise to give it faithfully before i give you the _laulie_. she's a splendid little craft. she would make a glorious viking's bark! i am tempted to keep my spoil." while they were talking bill said to gloy very loudly, "never mind the jabber, boy. come for a swim before breakfast! i'm off." they stripped and went in, and as they did so they whispered together and winked knowingly, then began to race and splash in the water as if they had no thought in their heads but the enjoyment of the moment, while the rival captains continued the engrossing debate. harry was not unwilling to carry the letter, but he did not like to be threatened into doing it. "suppose i refuse?" he said. "then i go off with your boat, and you remain prisoned on havnholme." "you could be severely punished if you did so." "if you are mean enough to tell, and bring grown people and lawyers into the business," retorted yaspard. "i see no harm in taking the letter to fred," said tom then. tom strongly objected to telling tales. he also scented some rare shindies in the game yaspard was playing, and harry, seeing that the situation was an awkward one, agreed. "is that all?" he asked. but before the enemy could reply there came a shout from tom, a howl from yaspard, a screech from the harrisons, and loud laughter from gloy in the water. gloy and bill had taken advantage of the attention of the others being chiefly directed to those on shore, and had, as if by accident, swam nearer to the boats. then gloy had held the harrisons in talk while bill quietly contrived to swim to that side of the _laulie_ which was farthest from the other boat. no one was aware of his movements until he had swiftly crawled into the _laulie_. leaning over the side, he slipped the painter from the thole-pin round which it hung, and then shoving with all his might, he sent the skiffs a good way apart at once. "after him, boys!" yaspard cried; but the boys were not ready. gloy had come alongside and had caught hold of gibbie, lowrie was laughing like to split his sides at the sight of bill, nude and dripping, gaping like a fresh caught cod, rowing for his life. the _laulie_ was safe back at her favourite crag in a minute more, and yaspard could only comfort himself for being so outwitted by making a captive of gloy. "he isn't worth much without his clothes," harry told all who cared to hear. "we'll paint him," retorted yaspard, and gloy began to think that his position was awkward, to say the least of it; but tom, whose good-humour had been completely restored by bill's clever manoeuvre, said-- "you might just as well come along and have some breakfast with us, and then we can arrange the campaign, and settle about ransom for the captive." there was no resisting such a suggestion, especially as it did not hint at compromise of the "position." the _osprey_ came to land, and gloy was permitted to go and resume his garments, after giving his word of honour to respect the parole. a white handkerchief was tied to a fishing-rod, which was planted in the skeö wall, and under that flag of truce the rival parties made merry in lighting a fire, boiling water, and feasting heartily on the good things which the manse boys never failed to find in their ferdimet basket. chapter v. "thou art young and over-bold." as they ate they talked, you may be sure. the lunda boys were decidedly in favour of yaspard's scheme--was there ever a boy who would have objected to any such prank? they saw no harm in it whatever, only harry said-- "we must consult fred garson; we never go in for any big thing without consulting fred." "of course," yaspard answered cheerfully. "he will let you read my letter, and you will see by it that i expect he will have a finger in the pie--not to take part in the war, but just to look on and kind of see fair-play, you know, and umpire us when we fall out. he is a nice fellow, people say." "there is no one like him," said harry, with that hearty enthusiasm which all the lads of lunda displayed when their chief was mentioned. "what a pity it is," bill chimed in, "that eric and svein are away, and--too old now for this kind of thing." "i am glad they are too old," replied yaspard, "for that leaves our number about equal." "four to three! you are in a minority," said tom. "there is pirate," yaspard answered, with a smile, and pirate wagged his tail, as much as to say, "i'm ready for any or all of you." "oh, if dogs are to be in it," laughed tom, "there's watchie, that svein rescued off a skerry; and there's old toothless tory at the manse. but now, what about the hapless captive? what do you price him at, mr. viking?" "twenty pebbles wet with the waves of westervoe," was the instant reply, at which the lads roared. "we don't carry our beach about in our pockets," one of them said, as soon as the laugh subsided. "then i must keep my captive till you bring his price." and yaspard stuck to that, and urged his arguments so well that finally it was agreed that he should hold gloy till his friends produced the stipulated ransom. the prisoner did not seem very distressed. he had never been to boden, and he anticipated having a good time during his captivity. he took for granted that his prison would be noostigard, the home of his cousins--so little did he understand the mind and method of a viking boy! it is no part of my intention to tell you just now what those boys arranged. they hugely enjoyed laying plans, and we shall hear presently how these were carried out. before parting they engaged in a preliminary combat--we might be nearer the right term for it if we called it a knightly joust. gloy and pirate were not in the tournament, for yaspard had said the magic words "on guard" to his dog, and pointed out gloy, who did not from that moment dare to move from the spot. the wooden swords were given to bill and gibbie; tom and lowrie had two huge broadswords which had been rendered harmless by chopping sticks. the rival captains chose two rapiers rusted to their sheaths. it was a famous joust. the old iron clashed and sounded very terrible. the young heroes fought valiantly. presently bill's wooden sword broke in two, and he ought to have owned himself beaten, but he didn't. he caught gibbie in a true wrestler's grip, and soon they were rolling together on the sandy seashore. tom very soon settled lowrie by striking his mighty heavy weapon from his hand; but this victory was of no account in the general action when harry's rapier went spinning over his head, and he went down on his back before the vigorous fencing of yaspard. he was on his feet, however, in time to witness the final roll over of bill and gibbie. they had reached the water's edge, and the incoming tide washed over them, putting a most effectual stop to their wrestling-match. choking with sand, and wet with spray, they let go of each other and jumped to their feet, panting, but happy, and declaring that "it wasn't a bad round, that." all agreed that the joust had ended in a draw between the two parties, so--highly pleased with themselves and their new acquaintances--both crews got into the boats, and were soon sailing in opposite directions away from havnholme. when the _osprey_ reached boden, yaspard ran her into a small geo (creek) near the mouth of the voe. the cliffs which formed the geo were lofty, and overhung a strip of dry white sand. the place looked almost like a cave. there was no way out of the geo by land, and yaspard said, as the boat grounded, "this will be a splendid place for a prison." "gracious! you're never going to leave me here?" exclaimed gloy in a kind of comical dismay. "yes, here! what could be better? it is a very nice place. i've spent many a happy hour in this geo reading and fishing. now, don't be frightened. i won't leave you long;--only till i see if the coast is clear, so that we can carry you to a real prison. we'll call this the viking's had,[ ] and in his had he means to keep you for a little while." "oh, come, this is too much," lowrie remonstrated. "not at all. you know very well that uncle brüs will not let anybody from lunda set foot on the island. if he chanced to see gloy he would make us take him straight away again; and he would ask so many questions that i should be obliged to tell the whole affair. now, if we keep him here till the evening, we can then bring him without fear of discovery to a safe place. i know of a splendid place for his prison--so comfortable, and under a roof too! and see, here is a lot of ferdimet left; and" (pulling a small book from his coat pocket) "here is 'marmion' to amuse you, gloy. i'll leave you my fishing-rod--lots of sillacks about the geo. oh, you won't think the time long till we come again." gibbie and gloy exchanged rueful glances, and lowrie, scratching his head, said, "i'm no' just sure that my faither will like our having a hand in ony such prank, sir." the harrisons were very much in earnest when they addressed yaspard as "sir," and he did not like it, for it usually meant that they were going to oppose some darling project of his. he did not suggest concealment; he knew that these boys always recounted all their adventures to their parents; but he rather counted on james harrison seeing no harm in what he proposed, and therefore "winking" at it. "your father will not mind one bit if you tell him that i am going to use up that ridiculous old feud in this business. believe me, he won't see any harm in it." "but our own cousin, and his first visit to boden?" said lowrie, only half satisfied. here gibbie struck in: "it's only a little bit of fun, lowrie; don't let us make a fuss, for that may spoil all." gloy glanced around the geo, evidently calculating how far his powers of climbing were fit to cope with the walls of his prison; and yaspard, guessing his thought, said, "i shall leave pirate on guard with you." gloy resigned himself to fate, and patting the dog, he assured yaspard that he didn't mind staying in the geo a few hours--even days--if that would help to demolish the quarrels which had kept poor young adiesen so isolated from his kind. "you're a brick," the others declared. then pirate got his instructions, and the _osprey_ went on her homeward way. when she had disappeared in a curve of the fiord, a tiny punt came out from behind some crags which formed part of the geo. the punt was propelled by no unskilful hand, although its solitary occupant used a geological hammer more often than an oar. we may judge what gloy winwick felt like when he recognised the new-comer to be the dreaded laird of boden! in blissful ignorance of the fact that his uncle had been so near, and had heard every word of their conference, yaspard landed the harrisons at their own noost; and promising to return for them at dusk, he took himself to moolapund. there signy was looking out eagerly for him, and great was her joy at his safe return. the little girl's lively imagination had been conjuring up all sorts of terrible adventures through which her hero might be passing, and she looked anxiously at him and his boat for signs of a fray. none were visible, not even the armour, for it had been stowed under the foot-boards. "what have you done with pirate?" signy asked. now yaspard was a very truthful boy, and could not tell a "whopper" to save his life. "pirate is all right," he answered; "and if you will come up to my room, mootie, i'll tell you my great secret, for it has begun to work. only think!" there were few things he loved more than his bright little sister's sympathy. he was never so happy as when pouring into her ears the story of his exploits. he thoroughly enjoyed telling her all about his expedition to havnholme, and his pleasure was not even damped by the tears rising in her blue eyes when he described gloy a prisoner in the geo with pirate for jailer. "wasn't it a good lark, signy? don't i make a ripping viking, &c.?" she smiled in spite of her compassion, but she said, "oh, brodhor, you know he is only a poor boy. if it had been one of the others it would not have mattered so much; but gloy winwick is a poor widow's son, and an only son, and it seems just a little--horrid." "i never thought of it that way," yaspard said, looking very crestfallen; "but it can't be helped now, any way. however, i'll make it up to him afterwards. he shan't lose by this, i tell you." signy twined her arms round his neck, and whispered softly, "brodhor, is it quite--quite right, do you think, to do what uncle brüs would be very angry about?" "i don't think it's _wrong_ any way," the lad replied. "i haven't disobeyed uncle, and i haven't told any stories. i've only---- there, signy; if it seems a mean or deceitful thing i've done, i'll set that right in a jiffy. i'll just go and tell uncle brüs about it myself." "how brave you are, brodhor! how straight you go at things, to be sure!" "and how round the corner and round my neck you go with things, mootie-ting!" laughed he; then more gravely asked, "where is uncle, do you know?" "he is out, as usual, after specimens: he has been out a long time." "oh, well, i'll tell him when he comes." [ ] "had," the den of a wild animal. chapter vi. "now each goes his way." some hours later mr. adiesen appeared at his own door laden with blocks of serpentine, fragments of lichen, moss, seaweed, and shells. yaspard followed him into a little room which was doing duty as a study until the den was restored to order, and as the scientist put down his treasures the lad said--in a trembling voice, be it confessed--"i want to tell you about something, uncle; something i've been doing." "well, go on," said mr. adiesen, not looking up, and in a very grim tone. "i--i--there used to be--i've heard you say--that our ancestors were vikings; and i--i thought i'd be--a viking." yaspard got so far, and stuck. it was hard to go on telling of his romantic fancy and wild escapade with that grave face before him. "you thought you'd be a viking," mr. adiesen repeated calmly, then paused, and asked in ice-cold tones, "well, what else do you wish to say?" "i think it right to tell you--i feel i ought--even about what--i mean--in fun;--but, uncle," and again poor yaspard came to a deadlock, and might never have made a satisfactory confession if help had not come to him in the form of signy. she had been hovering about the door in much trepidation, and, fearing that her brother's courage might fail him, she stole to his side, put her hand in his, looked fearlessly at uncle brüs, and said-- "he has not done anything to be ashamed of, uncle; only we thought you ought to know, because it came out of the feud partly." the laird's brows came together in a frown, but he was very fond of signy. she was his one "weakness," aunt osla said, and said truly. "let yaspard speak for himself, my dear," her uncle answered gently, while his grim feature relaxed as he looked at her; and the boy, braced by the touch of the little hand in his, blurted out-- "i wanted to know the lads of lunda, and have some fun, as they have and most boys have; and i couldn't be friends with them because you had forbidden that, so i took up the feud in a sort of way on my own account, and determined to make raids upon them, and have fights (sham-fights) and do as the vikings did--in a kind of play, of course. they are the enemy; and we could make-believe to slaughter and capture each other, and----" mortal man could stand no more than that. mr. adiesen, drawing his brows together savagely to hide his strong inclination to burst into laughter, called his nephew by some not complimentary names, and dismissed him abruptly, saying, "go along with you, and take your fun any way you please. only remember--no friendships with lunda folk. play with them under the black flag, if that gives you amusement; and see that your viking-craze keeps within the bounds of civilised laws." yaspard escaped, rejoicing; but signy lingered to ask, "would you object to taking prisoners, uncle?" "child, let him prison every man and boy in lunda if he likes--if he can catch them." signy flew to tell her brother of this further concession, and mr. adiesen shut the door upon himself. if the young folks had listened outside that door they would have heard a curious noise; but whether it meant that the old man was growling to himself or suppressing laughter, we, who do not know mr. adiesen's moods very well, cannot tell. yaspard was only too glad to get off so easily, and paused for nothing, but, racing off to his boat with signy, was soon sailing up the voe--not across, as before, for his destination was not noostigard. boden voe is very beautiful it curves between steep shores, and at one place narrows so much that you could almost touch either shore with a sillack-rod from a boat passing through. when it is ebb-tide you can walk dry-shod across this passage (called the hoobes). here the voe terminates in a lovely little basin, almost land-locked, and placid as a mountain tarn. where the voe ends there is only a mere neck of land. it rises abruptly from both sides, and is crowned by a peak known as the heogne. under shelter of the heogne, and commanding a magnificent view of islands and ocean-wastes, stands the old dwelling of trullyabister. mr. neeven was the cousin of mr. adiesen: he left shetland in his early youth, and no one heard whether he was alive or dead for thirty years. then he returned to his native land, a gloomy, disappointed man, hard to be recognised as the light-hearted lad who had gone away to make a fortune in california, and be happy ever afterwards. it seemed that he had made the fortune, but the happiness had eluded him. he would give no account of his life, and seldom cared to converse with any one except brüs adiesen, from whom he asked and readily obtained the half-ruined home of their fathers. two or three rooms were made habitable; the half-witted brother of james harrison was hired as attendant; cart-loads of books were brought from the south (by which vague term the shetlanders mean great britain); and gaun neeven settled himself in that wild, lone spot, purposing to end his days there. he was there when yaspard was very small, therefore the boy always associated his hermit-relative with the "haunted" house of boden; and as he grew older, and the romantic side of his character developed rapidly, he was greatly attracted to trullyabister and its queer occupants--fule-tammy being, in his way, as mysterious a recluse as his master. yaspard found a great many excuses for going to trullyabister, although he very rarely was permitted to enter mr. neeven's rooms, and was never allowed near the "haunted" portion of the dwelling. but tammy was usually pleased enough to see him, and would entertain the boy with many strange legends of the old house; for tammy was shrewd and imaginative; his "want" exhibited itself in no outrageous manner, but rather in a kind of low cunning and feebleness of will. it was tammy's talent for story-telling, and his skill as a player of the violin, which drew yaspard to him. also the lad felt a kind of pity for the creature, and tried, in his plain boy-fashion, to instruct him, and make him "a little more like other folk." signy did not like fule-tammy: she did not like his sidelong, leering expression; and she always avoided him, notwithstanding her brother's oft-repeated declaration that the man "wasn't so bad as he looked." therefore, when yaspard moored the _osprey_ at the head of the voe, and announced his intention of running up the hill to have a word with tammy, signy said-- "i'll stay on the beach, brodhor. there are lovely shells about, and i can gather a heap while you are away." "all right," said he, and up the hill he bounded, while signy set herself to picking up shells. she was soon so interested in her occupation that she forgot how time slips past, and was not aware that yaspard had been absent a whole hour when he returned looking very much annoyed. "bother that fellow!" he said, as he helped signy into the boat and took his place at the oars. "you mean fule-tammy?" she asked. "of course. the impudence of _him_, to say i mayn't have any tumble-down bit of trullyabister for a play-place! i had it all so nicely planned--to hide gloy there, and bring our armour and our spoil there. it was just the very place. it _is_ an old viking's place--at least one bit of it is said to be. but i'll circumvent fule-tammy yet." "why not ask permission from mr. neeven?" signy ventured to suggest; but yaspard shook his head. "he would not hear of such a thing. besides, that would take all the secrecy and dark plotting and fun out of it all. but, never mind, i'll have my prisoner in trullyabister in spite of everything." no cloud rested for many minutes on yaspard's smooth brow, and very soon he was laughing merrily as he pulled his boat along. as they neared moolapund, loki came slowly sailing homewards, and, feeling heavy and lazy after a long day's fishing, gravely dropped into the boat, and looked at yaspard as much as to say, "your oars are better able than my wings at present." "just look at the parson! what a cool customer he is!" laughed yaspard. he had given loki the nickname of "parson" because of his white choker and dignified visage. just then another pair of dark-hued wings hove near, and thor, the majestic raven which was mr. adiesen's particular pet, alighted on the bow with a croak so hoarse and solemn that signy cried out, "oh dear, how very eerie this is! how terribly grave thor and loki are! they make me feel creepy." "i shall take them with me on some of my viking raids," yaspard exclaimed. "just as the vikinger did, you know. they always carried a raven with them; and as for loki--he can be an imp, or a valkyrur. it sounds quite fine, doesn't it?" chatting gaily they reached the shore, and as soon as the boat touched, thor and loki flew off in stately flight to the house. signy followed on foot, wishing she had wings; and yaspard, shoving off again, went across to noostigard. he had a hearty tea with the harrisons. he was a great favourite in the factor's house, and was always allowed to be there as much as he pleased, for mrs. harrison was a religious as well as judicious woman, and exercised a very wholesome influence over the somewhat spoilt and wayward boy. her sons had told her all about the expedition to havnholme, and she was delighted when yaspard informed them that uncle brüs had not disapproved. "ye mun bring puir gloy _here_ before ye pit him in prison," she laughingly called out, when twilight came and the three boys set off for the geo. when they were out of hearing the factor remarked with a thoughtful smile, "it's a strange way the young anes hae o' turning trouble intae fun, and makin' guid come oot o' ill." chapter vii. "the carl on the cliff top." our viking-boys were not long rowing out the voe that evening. the twilight had come sufficiently for their purpose. it had not brought darkness, but it indicated that a late hour had come, when the inhabitants of boden were probably at rest indoors. they were so busily engaged laying plans that they did not comment upon the perfect silence which reigned in the geo as they approached. the splash of their oars and the tones of their voices were loud enough to have warned gloy of their approach, and cause him to make some response. but he didn't. a joyous bark from pirate was the first thing to draw the attention, and then the lads noticed that the dog was alone. "guess gloy is taking a nap, stupid fellow!" yaspard remarked, and then he hallooed as they ran the light skiff high and dry upon the sand. no answer came to the halloo, and a brief glance sufficed to show that their prisoner was not in the geo. the place was small and without any corner for concealment. it was light enough to see all round the geo. of a certainty gloy was not slumbering, and gloy was not there! the lads were too amazed to utter a word, but pirate made up for their silence by barking and howling his delight at being in company once more. dogs are very social, and solitude had not been pleasing to pirate. the first person to speak was lowrie, and a certain amount of satisfaction was displayed in his countenance: he rather believed in his own cuteness, and thought he had found the solution of the puzzle. "it was stupid of us," he said, "to forget that gloy can take the water like a sealkie. he would swim round the rocks till he reached an easy landing-place. there are plenty quite near." "pirate was on guard," said yaspard, "and would not have allowed him to quit the geo unless i had given a word of command. besides, gloy let us understand that he would not try to escape, and knew that i trusted him, therefore took no further precautions." "perhaps a boat came by and picked him up," lowrie answered, scratching his head for some new ideas. "has any boat been near boden voe to-day?" "we have not seen any. i think faither wad have kent if any boat had been this way, for he has gleg een in respect o' boats." "there is only one boat he would have gone with, and that is the _laulie_," said yaspard musingly. "perhaps the manse boys came after us in real viking fashion, and in that case----" "hi!" gibbie exclaimed then, catching sight of yaspard's fishing-rod, stuck upright in the sand at the farther side of the geo. a bit of white paper fluttering on top of the rod had drawn gibbie's attention, and he was not long in seizing upon this. it had been carefully tied to the line and fastened on the rod, and when the paper was released the three eagerly put their heads together to read what was written inside. in gloy's cramped, unformed caligraphy was traced a few words, mysterious, but, on the whole, reassuring. "i'm all right. i haven't broken faith with you, and no more has pirate; but you need not be scared about me.--i am still the prisoner." "well, this beats everything!" yaspard exclaimed then grasping pirate by his shaggy coat, he cried, "oh, my dog, if you could speak english! i believe you could if you tried. tell us, pirate, where has our lawful captive gone?" pirate yelped and jumped around, then ran to the boat and looked wistfully at his master as much as to say, "why do you remain in such a horrid hole? this is no place for you or me." interpreting his actions aright, the viking said, "i suppose you are about right, doggie; you've been here too long already, and there is nothing to keep _us_ here any longer." considerably crestfallen and perplexed, they left the geo, and sailed slowly up the voe once more, asking one another what was to be done next. "i suppose we must believe that gloy is all right," said lowrie, "so we needn't concern ourselves about his life at the present time." "he says he is still the prisoner," said yaspard musingly; then after a long pause he added, "look here, boys, we might as well go on with this night's performance as far as we can without our captive. we can possess ourselves of his intended 'cell' (in spite of this horrid 'sell'), and we can make it ready for him as we intended, in the hope that he will render himself into the hands of his conquerors as a true knight should." "all serene," was lowrie's reply; and gibbie added, "just so." so in the grey, quiet "dim" the _osprey_ swept silently through the hoobes and brought up at the "dyke-end," where she had stopped in the afternoon when signy was the viking's sole companion. yaspard alone jumped on shore. "keep her off," he whispered, as if an army of enemies were in ambush close by; "don't fasten her until i give the signal that the coast is clear." having so given his orders, he set off up the hill, dodging behind turf walls and creeping along knolls, so that no watchful eyes at trullyabister could detect his approach. there is no real night in those regions when summer is in its prime, therefore yaspard's precautions were necessary if he required to steal unawares upon the scene. when within a short distance of the old house a backdoor suddenly opened and fule-tammy came out carrying a peat-keschie. he was going to the stack for fuel, and the particular stack he meant to visit happened to be the very object behind which yaspard crouched. "if," thought the boy, "he comes round _this_ end of the stack i'm done for." but tammy didn't. he always attacked a peat-stack from the point nearest the house, so he placed his keschie[ ] at a convenient height on the broken side of the stack, and lazily proceeded to fill it with peats. tammy had a habit, common in half-wits, of talking loudly to himself, and as he filled his keschie he declaimed in yaspard's hearing-- "na, na! i ken wha wad get the raiding-strake[ ] if i was to gie them the run o' the raubit-house; and where wad a' my night-sports be? and what wad come o' the trows if i let the boys rumble ower a'?" as he piled the peats he went on talking in a disconnected, and to yaspard, very incomprehensible, manner about midnight revels and strange beings who doubtless had a certain kind of existence in tammy's imagination. only one thing he said attracted the boy's serious attention, and remained in his recollection to throw light on future events. as tammy raised the keschie to his shoulder he exclaimed in a kind of exultation, "they think me a puir 'natural,' that can do nae gude to man or beast, but for a' that it's myself that's pit mair light upon wir isle as ever men and money will pit, though the laird--puir body--speaks aboot it evermair, and evermair will speak. yea, yea! puir tammy and his pate-keschie does mair for ill-luckit, wandering sea-folk than does the muckle kirk and the peerie[ ] queen pit together. and, though i say it that shouldna, puir tammy kens when tae wake and when tae sleep better than them that has their heads fu' o' brains and books forby." so maundering, tammy returned to the house, and closed the back-door behind him, and then yaspard stole round to the uninhabited and ruined portion of the house to reconnoitre. when satisfied that the "coast was clear," he whistled softly in such perfect imitation of a golden plover, that the harrisons, waiting for that same signal, were not quite sure that it was yaspard, and no bird. but when the wild musical notes had been repeated three distinct times, they knew that it was their captain's call. fastening the boat to the dyke-end, they hastened to raise the foot-boards and open lockers fore and aft. from these hiding-places they took a curious assortment of articles--a blanket and towel, armour in plenty, a knife, fork, plate, and mug; two candles, a box of matches, and a basket of nondescript victuals. stowing these into two keschies brought for the purpose, they slung the baskets on to their backs, and marched confidently up the hill, assured that yaspard would give the alarm if danger was to be apprehended. they reached his side without any adventure, and then all three clambered over the broken wall into what had been a goodly apartment--now roofless and in ruin. at the farther end of this room there was a low doorway, leading to a dark passage; and as yaspard walked boldly towards it gibbie said in a frightened whisper, "no' that way! surely no' _that_ way? yon passage ends in the haunted room." "the haunted room, you goose, is just the place that is to be our captive's cell," replied the viking. "i thought ye meant _this_ room, or some other bit that's fallen tae ruin," gibbie muttered, and hesitating to follow the others, who went boldly along the passage, intending to enter the haunted room by a broken doorway of which yaspard had been aware. his chagrin was great to find that aperture closed by a number of stout boards nailed firmly across it. "what a bother! now, i wonder why on earth this has been done?" yaspard exclaimed aloud, disappointment overcoming caution; but he was recalled to the "position" on hearing some strange sounds on the other side of the boarding, evidently provoked by his own unguarded tones. the sounds were like a child's cry, blended with the sharp short barking noise which is supposed to be the manner in which trows give expression to their mirth; and these vocal utterances were supplemented by a sound of scratching and thumping applied to the boards. the boys retreated into the outer room, where gilbert had remained. he was leaning over the ruin, looking up at a window in the angle of the wall, and when the others reached him he said in tones of fear, "look! there is a light in the haunted room!" [ ] a basket. [ ] "raiding-strake," the final blow which clears up everything. [ ] "peerie," little. chapter viii. "therefore they go their ways." i ought to explain that the passage leading to that "haunted" chamber sloped upwards steeply enough to require a step here and there along it. it might even be called a stairway; therefore the little room--which had been the goal of yaspard's present raid--was situated on a much higher level than the larger and more dilapidated apartment. it was not possible to walk round and peep into the room, from which a flickering light was streaming through a tiny slit in the thick wall that did duty for a window. but we must not suppose that the courage of a viking-boy was going to be daunted by trow-laughter or ghost-lights. no; nor by stone walls and high windows! the walls of trullyabister were rugged, and, on _that_ side at any rate, perforated by holes convenient for supporting the toe of a boot, and for otherwise assisting an athletic youth, thirsting for information, to solve the mysteries of the interior. "i'll know what it means, or----" yaspard did not finish his sentence in words; he shut his mouth up tight, and, scrambling over the ruins like a monkey, he was soon climbing up to the window. the harrisons watched him with intense interest, and when his hands were on the window-sill their excitement reached a climax. it was with some difficulty that the bold adventurer raised himself high enough to see into the room, and it was only for one instant that he occupied such a position. just as his face appeared at the window another face--a horrid face, from which a pair of large melancholy eyes glowed with a wild fierce light--presented itself opposite yaspard, and stared out at him in a manner to startle the stoutest man alive. our hero did not wait for a second glance at that dreadful apparition, but descended from his equivocal position much more rapidly than he had reached it. "what was it? tell us quick," whispered lowrie, and both he and his brother were trembling with fear. they had caught a glimpse of the face that had met yaspard's, and its unearthly appearance had been greatly exaggerated by the shadows and the distance. although they were too intelligent to credit any story of trows, they had lively imaginations, and had been bred in a land where the mysteries of creation take fantastic shapes in the minds of a wonder-loving and superstitious peasantry. they had shrunk from penetrating the secrets of that haunted room, and were not altogether surprised, though entirely frightened, that "something" had "appeared" to rebuke and check their leader's audacity. while yaspard gasped for breath after his hasty descent the harrisons again begged, "tell us quick about it," but yaspard was in no hurry to tell. he retreated again into the ruin, whither his companions followed, and, sitting down by the loaded keschies, he cast his eyes on the ground and would not speak. there was something awesome in the silence, in the surroundings, in the whole adventure, therefore it is not to be wondered that lowrie felt creepy, and gibbie's teeth chattered in his head. at last the elder brother took courage to say, "let's go back to our boat. there's nae gude tae be got o' sitting here like gaping fish left dry and high upon a skerry." "put the keschies in the passage, anyway," said yaspard, agreeing to the proposal; but the harrisons were not willing to enter that passage again, so they suggested another hiding-place, namely, the chimney, which was stopped up and grown over _above_, but had capacious ledges inside which suited admirably for the purpose they required. their things were deposited there, and then the three adventurers stole silently away from trullyabister, two feeling crestfallen and very uncomfortable, the third plunged in thought, and looking the beau ideal of a pirate chief meditating over some dark and deadly project. it was not until the _osprey_ had passed the hoobes, and was being swiftly rowed to noostigard, that yaspard broke the eerie silence which he had maintained in a most unusual manner. "it all works in!--works in beautiful!" he remarked. now, that was not at all the kind of speech the others had expected, and their amazement was so great that they paused in their rowing and gazed at him in speechless astonishment. he laughed then, his own hearty laugh, which somehow had the effect of dissipating all the fears with which they had been beset, but did not diminish their surprise and curiosity. "ye might tell us _now_!" they begged, in coaxing tones; and yaspard answered, "i just believe mr. neeven is a wizard, and tammy a sort of trow. anyway, they are as bad as vikings, for they have captured a poor lady and shut her up in the haunted room, with her baby too--all just the way people did ages ago! and now, don't you see, we've got to rescue them; we are the noble warriors who defend the weak and rescue them from thraldom!" "has he gone stark mad?" gibbie asked of lowrie. "not he," retorted yaspard. "he is telling you the exact truth--believe it or not, as you please. i saw the mother, and i saw the baby; and i saw the back--i am glad he wasn't looking _my_ way--of their tyrant and jailer, mr. neeven. so there!" "a mother and baby in the haunted room! but how did they get there, can anybody imagine?" "they _are_ there, and that is enough for us." "it's the strangest thing i ever heard tell o'," ejaculated lowrie; "and yet," he added, "we must allow we did hear something uncommonly like a bairn greetin'." "of course we did," retorted yaspard. "but what kind of a critter was it came to the window?" gibbie asked. "that was surely no human critter." "the prettiest lady in creation would cast an ugly shadow from that hole," was the ready reply, which satisfied the brothers, who believed that their imaginations, and the dread they were in, as well as the uncertain light, had caused them to fancy they saw something peculiar. they were then quite ready to denounce mr. neeven for his inhuman conduct, and eager to devise some plan by which the poor prisoners might be rescued. yaspard had no difficulty in winning their approval of his next plan; and indeed, so ardently did they desire to set about it, that they were almost sorry when he said, "easy, easy, boys! one thing at a time! don't let us forget, in our haste to be after _this_ business, that we have other important matters on hand. we have to find gloy, and we have to meet the lads of lunda at havnholme this afternoon. we haven't much time on our hands, if gloy has to be found before we go to receive his ransom." "strikes me," muttered gibbie, "that we are in a mess about gloy." "it's puzzling, but it will all come right," was the chief's reply, spoken in his usual cheery style, which cleared the cloud from gibbie's brow, and sent him home believing as implicitly as before that yaspard would find a way of making things come straight. "he always does," the brothers agreed, as they softly stole up to their room, leaving the viking to paddle himself across the voe. at breakfast next morning mrs. harrison asked in some surprise what they had done with gloy, for she had expected her nephew would certainly be brought to her house. she was not a little disturbed on hearing of his disappearance, but the factor said, "there's nae harm come to the lad. ye need not be frightened. it's plain enough some boat has come by, and the men have insisted on his going wi' them. for, mind ye, yon geo is a dangerous place if a high tide happened tae set in." he would not listen to his boys' arguments against such an explanation. neither gloy's declaring himself still "the prisoner," nor pirate's honesty as policeman, could shake harrison's belief in his own theory of the matter. "you'll see i'm right," he ended with; "but i wad like tae ken what way young master is going tae redd it up wi' the lads o' lunda. my word! he will hae a bourne keschie o' crabs to sort wi' them, if he canno' tell what's come o' their maute." [ ] while gibbie had been answering questions and their parents had been talking, lowrie was fidgeting in his chair, trying to gather courage to tell the yet more startling incident which occurred during the midnight trespass on trullyabister. at last he managed to say, "faither, i never could hae thought that mr. neeven was a--was a bairn-stealer and a wumman-stealer." james harrison stared at his son, as well he might, and one of the older girls cried out, "what in a' the world have ye got in your crazy head, lowrie?" then lowrie told all he knew about the mother and baby prisoned in the haunted room, and his father listened to the story with a preternatural solemnity of countenance. mrs. harrison, the girls, and small children stared and were dumb, as lowrie enlarged upon the baby wails which had stirred his soul, and the great glowing eyes that had appeared for one brief moment at the small window. it was all the most remarkable tale that had ever been told at noostigard, and it was not spoilt by any verbal interruption. when the story was ended harrison asked, in a curious low voice that seemed shaken by some strange emotion, "and so ye'll be for letting out mr. neeven's prisoners instead o' shutting up your ain? weel, my boys, tak care that ye dinna find yoursel's in a trap, as mony a wild fellow o' a sea-rover has found himsel' in times past. mind ye, yon vikings, that ye hae sae muckle sang about, did not aye come aff wi' the best o' it. sometimes they had tae tak their turn in the prisons too." "yaspard will tak care _we_ don't come off second best," said the boys confidently; but their father shook his head. "i'm thinking," he said, "ye'll find ye've got a _rale_ viking tae deal wi' if ye tackle mr. neeven, or meddle wi' ony o' his affairs. i wadna be in yaspard adiesen's shoes if he gets intil mr. neeven's birse." [ ] "but, faither, it's a crying shame of him to keep such puir critters prisoned in such a place; and surely yaspard is right to wish to set them free." "i'll no say he's wrang. i think it is a shame, but i'm just warning you tae be careful;--i mean that ye tell your chief (as ye ca' him) tae be careful--very careful." "we'll tell him what you say," they answered. harrison would not allow his wife or girls to discuss the matter, and a significant look he gave them served to silence them on the subject for that time. [ ] "maute," a comrade, chum, or _mate_. [ ] bristles. chapter ix. "no need of binding or salving here." that afternoon the _osprey_, with the three young rovers and pirate aboard, went out the voe. they were not so jubilant as they had expected to be when sailing to meet the foe, for they were not at all sure how the lads of lunda would receive their story of gloy's disappearance. the place of meeting was havnholme, and when they neared that island yaspard's quick eyes detected the _laulie_ moored by the crags and a group of boys standing near the skeö watching for the boden boat. "they've come in force!" our viking exclaimed. "five of them, no less! and one's a man!" "why, one is gloy!" cried gibbie; and--in more subdued tones--lowrie added "and the man is mr. garson, the young laird o' lunda!" "_that's_ jolly!" yaspard said; "but how gloy got there beats me to imagine," and he cast a reproachful glance at pirate, who was looking up into his master's face with such an expression of fidelity in his honest brown eyes that the boy could not resist their appeal. he took the dog's head between his hands and said, "no, pirate, i will not think _you_ broke faith with me." "the mystery will soon be cleared up now," remarked lowrie, as he lowered the sail and directed his brother to row gently, so that they might bring up alongside of the _laulie_. by the time their boat was moored to the crags, the lunda boys and their chief were standing there, all grinning from ear to ear. as for gloy, he was all "one huge laugh," yaspard said, with some exasperation in his tone. "i suppose i mustn't shake hands with you, mr. garson," the viking said, addressing himself to fred as he jumped on shore; but fred laughed and caught both of yaspard's hands in his as he replied, "nonsense, man! you ought to know that _honourable_ enemies do not scruple to shake hands even on the eve of battle. i was exceedingly pleased with your letter, and very glad to make your acquaintance under _any_ circumstances." "even uncle brüs could not hold out against a fellow like you!" yaspard exclaimed, as he returned that hearty hand-clasp, and looked into the winsome, manly face, so much endowed with the magnetic power that drew all hearts to fred garson. they all laughed at yaspard's words, but they all knew how potent was fred's spell, and did not wonder at the boy's enthusiasm. "i suppose," said fred then, "that before i answer your letter we should explain about your captive, taken in fair war, and here ready to yield himself back into your hands if you are not satisfied with his explanation and the ransom we bring." "it's here--just as you stipulated," bill mitchell exclaimed, rattling a little tin pail he carried; "pebbles wet with the waves of westervoe. see!" and he jerked off the lid and showed some stones in a pail full of salt water. "if i were gloy," burst forth the blunt and tactless tom holtum, "i'd be ashamed of being valued at such a trumpery price. if you had priced him against a bit of lichen torn from the head of calloster, which might have cost us our lives to procure, _that_ would have been more like the thing. but beach stones in salt water, bah!" "tom, lad!" said fred gently, "if you were living in a city far from lunda--as i have been--you would put a higher price on pebbles wet with the sea that girdles the old isle. i picked up a small stone myself, when i left home for the first time, and i carried it always in my pocket. i keep it still for sake of its memories; one values a trifle for reasons known only to himself." his companions had not reached the age when boys learn to put a little sentiment into their actions, so they only stared in surprised silence; but yaspard fully appreciated what fred said, and remarked, "it was a little like that way that i was thinking when i bade them bring those pebbles. i must not go to westervoe myself, so i thought i'd like to have something from it. i thought i should feel more like one of you boys--not so much by myself, and all that sort of thing--if i could handle something that reminded me of you." then, tossing back his head rather proudly, as he caught tom winking to bill, he added, "you value that flag at your masthead for what it reminds you of--not its mere money value. _i_ might call it a dirty old rag, but _you_ price it highly. i dare say you see what i mean now. i'm not good at explaining myself." they broke into a cheer, and tom's voice was the loudest of the lot. "oh, you're not a bad sort," he tried, "and you must take our chaff in good part. you'll see enough of westervoe before you're done with _us_, i'll be bound; and as for adventures--why, man, you're providing us with them! you are the inventor of adventure. take out a patent, and you'll make a fortune out of us, for we love that sort of thing better than a miser loves his money." "i'm burning tae hear gloy's story," said lowrie, as soon as tom gave any one a chance to speak. so gloy was shoved to the front, and bidden to "speak up, and speak quick," which he did right willingly. "it was mr. adiesen in his dingy," he said. "he was ahint the skerry when we were in the geo, and heard a'." "i might have guessed as much if i had not been an ass," yaspard exclaimed. "i might have known that pirate would only obey one of us from moolapund." "was the laird awfu' angry?" gibbie asked. "yes, he was; but when i tell'd him as weel as i could hoo it a' cam aboot, and hoo lonesome mr. yaspard was, and hoo he had heard a' about wis o' lunda and wir ploys and vaidges, and hoo he wanted tae hae the like too;--weel, the laird o' boden mused like upo' what i said; and then he took oot his pocketbook and wrate a peerie letter wi' his pencil. and then he bade me come inta the dingy, and i was tae row ower tae lunda wi' him. sae i did as i was bid--after asking his leave tae pit yon message for you upo' the rod. he asked me a heap aboot wis a'--i mean aboot the manse folk, and dr. holtum's bairns, and maist aboot our young laird and miss isobel and the lady. and when we cam' tae lunda he bade me land and carry the note he had written tae dr. holtum, and after that i was tae do as i liked aboot mysel'. then he rowed awa' again. and so noo my tale is ended;" and, having so delivered himself of the longest speech he ever made in his life, gloy sprawled on the turf, and lay kicking his heels in the sunshine, feeling himself to be the hero of the hour. yaspard drew a long breath. he could scarcely believe it true that his uncle had allowed himself to be so near lunda, and to be so interested in its young people. "what next, i wonder?" he muttered, and looked at fred, who answered the inquiry in the viking's gaze by saying-- "i am not at liberty to tell what mr. adiesen wrote to dr. holtum; but it wasn't like what he wrote to _me_, and it wasn't bad at all. so let your mind be at rest on that point. you are as free as ever to carry on your viking course." "father said," tom interrupted, "that _we_ are now at liberty to bring you as a prisoner to lunda, if we can catch you as easily as you caught gloy, so you will have to look out." "i'll be delighted, quite delighted!" was the answer, which sent the enemy into fits of laughter. then harry asked, trying to look very grave, and extending the tin pail towards yaspard-- "you accept this ransom, and the captive is free?" "place the precious ore in our bark," said the viking chief, handing the pail to gibbie. "and take care," said harry, "that you don't scrape your bark on an oar as you do it." "the perpetrator of such atrocious puns ought to be severely punished," retorted yaspard. "he is always sorry for them afterwards," said bill. "i wish i were _not_ free," muttered gloy. "i wanted to go to noostigard," and he exchanged regretful looks with his cousins; but fred lifted the cloud from their spirits. "i am going to ask you," he said, addressing yaspard, "to take me with you to boden; and perhaps you will allow gloy to come as my henchman?" "you! what? why, didn't uncle brüs--you're never going to beard the lion in his den." "that is just what i intend," fred answered, smiling. "but--oh, you know _i'd_ like it--but you will be insulted. it will be horrid. there will be a row, sure as anything. i can't bear to think of what he may say; and, being an old man, you won't like to answer back, and--you have no idea what bitter words uncle brüs says when he is angry." yaspard's eyes filled with tears, and he hung his head for shame, as he pictured to himself the reception which that gracious, gallant young knight was likely to receive in boden. "don't fear!" said harry mitchell, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. "our captain has a way of his own of turning thunder-clouds into sunshine." "he has a temper, and he likes to be monarch of all he surveys," added tom; "but he is the finest fellow out; and he will tackle old adiesen--beg pardon, the laird of boden--in just the properest way. you needn't be afraid to give fred a passage in your boat." "and gloy, please, sir," added the harrisons. "i am at mr. garson's service," said yaspard. then a brilliant idea came into his head, dispelling in a moment all his doubts and fears. "i'll tell you what," he cried, "you shall meet my little sister first, and _she_ shall take you to uncle brüs. he will do anything for her. she is always there when my boat is coming in, and we'll hand you over to signy. that's the ticket!" "sisters are towers of strength, arks of refuge in a storm," said fred. "well, that's settled," remarked tom, "so the best you can do is to be off as quickly as possible and get it over. _we_ will go and lay our lines at the ootskerries, and have some sport till you return. when will that be?" "don't wait for us," said fred. "i may be detained, and your mothers might be anxious. when you've hauled your lines just go home, and i'll trust to being safely despatched to lunda from boden." the mitchells and tom got into the _laulie_, and were soon sailing to their favourite fishing-ground, while the others embarked in the _osprey_ and made tacks for boden voe. chapter x. "may the gods give us twain a good day." when they arrived there it was as yaspard had said. signy was on the beach waiting for her brother, and great was her surprise to see fred in the _osprey_. but when her brother explained, and told her of the part they expected her to play, the little girl's heart began to beat with the wildest hopes and fears that ever stirred in one so young. the shadow of that terrible family feud had early fallen on her gentle spirit, and the vivid imagination which made her almost realise many merely ideal fancies had exaggerated that inherited enmity into something too dreadful to put into words. such thoughts had been fostered, of course, by the inconsiderate way in which mr. adiesen had spoken and acted, never thinking, as he ought to have done, of the tender years of one who marked his words--never caring that his sentiments were the reverse of christian. i think he rather "prided himself" upon the feud as a thing pertaining to his family tree, and to be cherished along with the motto on his crest! no one had dared to tell the laird of boden plainly that he was acting as no civilised--far less god-fearing--man should act, and he had never taken himself to task upon the subject. consequently he had put no restraint on his speech, nor cared who heard him, when denouncing the lairds of lunda and all pertaining to them! signy would, of her own free will, as soon have put her hand into a red-hot fire as have asked uncle brüs to receive fred garson in a hospitable manner; but she was made of fine metal, and would carry out yaspard's wishes, although all the thunders of thor and odin were ready to burst on her little head. she put her hand frankly into that of fred and walked up to the house, soon followed by yaspard, who had only lingered a moment to give some instructions to the harrisons before they left, with gloy, for their home. when moolapund was reached yaspard said to signy, "take mr. garson to the parlour, and i will go and tell aunt osla he is here." the parlour, you may remember, was being used as a study while the den was undergoing renovation; and mr. adiesen was sitting at a table examining some pieces of rock which greatly delighted him, for he was saying to himself, in tones of extreme satisfaction, "i knew it! i was convinced of it! i always believed it was to be found in those islands! and _i_ am the discoverer!" "uncle!" said the soft little voice, and the scientist turned round to face his hereditary foe! he had never seen fred, but some striking traits peculiar to his race, made it easy for mr. adiesen to recognise a garson in the bold youth who stood there smiling and holding out the hand of good-fellowship. the old man was completely taken aback. the instinct of hospitality, which is held like a sacred thing among shetlanders, bade him receive with a measure of courtesy whoever chanced to come under his "rooftree," but another instinct, as deeply rooted, and more ready to exhibit itself, was also moving within him. fortunately no time was given him to choose between two courses. signy caught his hand between her own, kissed it with quick fervency, and laid it in that of fred, saying as she did so, "dear uncle brüs, for my sake, for your own little signy's sake." they did not give him a single moment to recover himself--not a single demon of hatred, jealousy, or pride got a chance to reassert its power in time to prevent that hand-clasp; and before he could speak either, the ground was half cut from under him! as if they had been meeting every day, and were old friends, fred said, as their hands met, "how do you do? i see _you_ have triumphed where even the famous geologist congreve failed. we have chipped the rocks for years, and mr. congreve has searched high and low, in lunda and burra isle, in every skerry and locality where that" (pointing to the beautifully veined bits of mineral) "ought to be found, but without success. allow me to congratulate you on such a discovery. you are to be envied, mr. adiesen. may i take a near view of your specimens?" how it came about no one could ever tell, but a few minutes later yaspard and aunt osla, coming in much trepidation to the parlour, found fred and mr. adiesen in amicable conversation over the stones, while signy stood between her uncle's knees, with his arm around her, and his fingers lovingly twined among her bright curls! aunt osla was nervous and tearful, and would have made a scene, no doubt, but for fred's admirable tact. he addressed her, as he had done the laird, just as if they were ordinary acquaintances meeting in the most matter-of-fact, every-day kind of manner. wrath and sentiment alike collapsed before such commonplace salutations, and both mr. adiesen and his sister felt they would only make themselves ridiculous if they met young garson's simple civility with any expression of deeper feelings. so the conversation glided smoothly into the well-worn and useful channels of ordinary talk about the weather, and the crops, and the fishing, and "the south," until miss adiesen was at her ease enough to say, "i hope your dear mother is well?" "she is regaining strength and a degree of cheerfulness, thank you," said fred; and then quite naturally, as if he knew he were talking on a subject interesting to his hearers, he went on to speak of the trial they had passed through in the loss of his father; and when he had said just enough about that he quietly glided into mr. adiesen's favourite themes, surprising the old gentleman considerably by his knowledge of natural science and his intelligent appreciation of the scientist himself! yaspard sat near, a delighted listener, while fred, using his utmost powers of fascination, talked uncle brüs into good humour, and so paved the way to an amicable adjustment of some of the differences between the rival lairds. it was not till tea had been served, and the day was far spent, that fred asked the loan of a boat, and his young friend yaspard's crew, to take him back to lunda. permission was given, of course; and when our viking-boy went off to get the _osprey_ ready signy went too, and aunt osla disappeared to indite a letter to her old friend, fred's mother. thus the two men were left alone, which was exactly what fred desired, and he was not long in taking advantage of an opportunity he had been devoutly desiring would come. "what a fine lad that is!" he said, speaking of yaspard. "he is quite the ideal hialtlander!" "he is rather too fond of romance and the like," answered the old man; but he smiled, for he was fond of his nephew, and liked to hear him praised. "yes, i think with you that there is an excess of romantic sentiment in his character; and that kind of thing is apt to become exaggerated into eccentricity or foolishness. i suppose he can't help it, living so much within himself, as it were." "possibly--that is--so!" mr. adiesen replied slowly. "i hope," fred resumed, and he smiled very pleasantly, "that this viking fancy he has taken up may be of service to him in bringing him into contact with boys of his own age and rank. the young mitchells are capital fellows, and _you_ know better than most folk what sort of companions he is likely to find in dr. holtum's family." "the doctor is a man in a thousand. he did me a service i am not likely to forget on this side the grave. i don't see him as often as--might be under different circumstances. but i respect him. yes, young man, i respect dr. holtum!" and the frown which had gathered on the old man's brow at mention of the mitchells cleared up more rapidly than fred had dared to hope for. "i don't know how we should get along without dr. holtum--we young ones, i mean," he remarked. "he enters so much into all our fun, and then he is so very clever too, a first-rate scientist. they have a 'menagerie,' as large and interesting as your own, at collaster. and the twins--they are a little older than your lovely little niece, but she would find them companionable, for she is older than her years, i think. i suppose it will be with her as it is with yaspard in some respects?" "signy is quite contented without girls' society, and she can never become either eccentric or foolish," mr. adiesen said hurriedly; but all the same he suddenly had a vision of his pet growing up to be peculiar, and an old maid perhaps resembling aunt osla, or some other of the many spinster ladies whose insular life had doomed them to that fate. "my sister isobel and i," said fred, "always feel that we are more fortunate than the greater number of lairds' families in having so many companions in our island. it has been desperately good for me, i know, to have such clever chaps as eric mitchell and svein holtum for my chums." "and your sister? dr. holtum's girls are younger?" "yes, and isobel suffers in consequence. we all make a great fuss over isobel, and she thinks a little too much of her own consequence. but still she has advantages--from the society of ladies, for instance--which your signy cannot have." the entrance of signy herself put a stop to the conversation, but fred was satisfied that he had sown good seed which would produce the right kind of fruit by-and-by. when he left boden his heart was light within him. he took mr. adiesen's insolent note from his pocket and tore it to bits, scattering them on the sea, and saying within himself, "a soft answer turneth away wrath;" then to yaspard he said, "now, sir viking, for _your_ letter. you want the answer, don't you?" chapter xi. "fair fellow deem i the dark-winged raven." yaspard and fred were alone in the boat. there was a pleasant breeze blowing fair, and yaspard had preferred taking his passenger himself, leaving the harrisons to entertain gloy at noostigard. thus the conversation between the two could be as confidential as they pleased. "i wonder," said fred, "if you know that it was your letter that brought me to boden?" the viking opened his eyes very wide. evidently he knew nothing of the sort, and fred laughed as he glanced over the sheet of paper which had come out of his pocket with that other letter. "i don't believe you have the least idea _how_ good a letter it is. my mother cried over it, and isobel declared the writer ought to be crowned king of every 'vik' in shetland." "oh, come!" yaspard exclaimed, blushing hotly at his own praises so sung. we will take the liberty of looking over fred garson's shoulder, and reading that epistle which had done so much good. "dear mr. garson,--my uncle has directed that the enclosed letter shall be sent to you, so i must put it with this. it is none of _my_ business to judge him, and i am sure _you_ will not forget that he is an old man, and has been bred up with a lot of old-fangled fads, and lives a very solitary kind of life. i want you to know that i have begun a kind of game which i expect will give me a chance of meeting some of your lunda fellows. i would take it as a great honour if you would keep an eye upon us in this matter, and umpire us when we get anyhow mixed about the rights of the game. i hope to find the manse boys at havnholme, and will tell them, so that they can explain to you. i am going to pretend to be a viking, and make raids. but i'd like _you_ to know something more about it than the mere play and nonsense. "i just hate that horrid, miserable quarrel, which uncle speaks about as the feud; it seems such a stupid, cruel sort of thing. poor aunt osla cries about it, and my little sister and i are sometimes so unhappy over it that we vow we shall make an end of it when we are grown up. it is so awfully hard to think that there are so many boys and girls like us growing up in lunda, and we can't know them because of the feud. the truth is, i have not patience to wait till i am grown up. it will be too late then, for i shall have lost my boy-friends while i was a boy. now, i hope you will understand that my viking exploits have got a really good kind of idea at the bottom of them; so if you hear of fights, and forays, and the like, you will know that i am trying in that way to 'settle' this hideous old vampire of a fend. it's the only way i could think of while uncle brüs feels as he does. "i know you are a right good fellow, as your father was, and you will help me. i do need a good fellow's help, and you can't think how my heart seems sometimes like to burst with longing to be with other boys and like other boys. people talk of your minister, how good he is; and of mrs. mitchell, and that splendid boy frank who died. and i hear of all _you_ do for the poor people, and about the lady. aunt osla has a heap to tell about _her_. i think i would not be so selfish and so foolish as i am if i could talk to some of you lunda folk, and _see_ how you live. but i must obey uncle brüs, and i must not annoy him; so it's hard to see how i can clear up matters unless i go on the 'war-path,' and _you_ help me to manage our 'sham' so that it does not harm anybody. trusting you, i am your honest admirer and hereditary foe, "yaspard adiesen. "p.s.--please, dear mr. garson, forgive uncle brüs, and pray, as i do, that somebody may persuade him how silly and really sinful a feud can be." "yes, it's a prime letter," remarked fred; "and nothing but that letter (particularly the postscript) would have made me pass over---- bah! what is the use of thinking more about it." but even then his face flushed, and his naturally imperious temper rose, as he recalled the rude, angry words which mr. adiesen had written. there was a short silence, which yaspard was the first to break, "you have made a lot of people happy to-day, mr. garson," he said very gratefully. "i hope this is only the beginning of good times for us all," was the answer. "but now, i wonder what is going to be your next adventure?" "i expect they'll grow one out of another. by the way, what shall we do about gloy?" "he isn't your prisoner now, but your guest, so you must let him return when he pleases. no doubt the mitchells will have some plan in head for making capital out of gloy's presence in boden." they chatted in the most friendly manner till they reached lunda, when they parted with mutual regret and many assurances that they should meet again at no very distant time. the wind was even more favourable for the voyage back, and yaspard's little boat went swiftly and easily along. he leaned back and let her go, while giving himself up to ecstatic dreams of adventure in which his new acquaintance played the important part. he had adopted fred garson for his hero, and was already setting him in the chief place in every airy castle of his imagination; but fancy's flight was interrupted by flight of another kind. as he lay back, gazing more into the air than on the course before him, his attention was drawn to a party of shooies (arctic skuas) badgering a raven, who was greatly annoyed, and seemed at a sore disadvantage--a position which the lordly bird seldom allows himself to be in. these shooies live chiefly by preying on other birds. they are winged parasites; they are very audacious, and fear no foe. although they are not larger than a pigeon, they are not afraid to lay siege to an erne or a glaucus gull, and they will often do so as much for amusement as for gain. "mr. corbie is in a fix," quoth yaspard to himself, as he watched the swift, graceful evolutions of the shooies as they darted through the air buffeting and tormenting the unfortunate raven, whose harsh, fierce croak and futile efforts to escape were quite pitiful though amusing. "if he doesn't gain land somehow he's done for, poor wretch: he is tired now, and can't keep on wing much longer; if he touches the water it's all up with him. poor old corbie! they must have been after him a long time." thus our viking soliloquised, as his boat glided on until it was passing below the aerial battlefield. at that moment sir raven, uttering a loud and prolonged scream, shot downward and alighted on the thwart next yaspard, too exhausted to do more than utter one faint croak, which might have been a parting anathema on the shooies, but which charity impels me to believe was an expression of thankfulness for such an ark of refuge as the boat of a viking. yaspard leaned quickly forward, exclaiming, "why, can it be? yes, sure enough--thor, old fellow, how came you to be in such a plight?" still gasping, but self-possessed, thor hopped from the thwart on to yaspard's arm, and then, turning up one side of his head, he leered at the shooies in such an expressive and ludicrous manner that the boy went into fits of laughter, even though one of the shooies swooped so near in its baffled anger as to touch his hair. thor snuggled up to his master, and began to smooth his ruffled plumes a bit, while yaspard, tossing his hand about, so frightened the winged banditti that they flew away, and thor was satisfied. it was only when this interesting episode was over that our young rover allowed his vision to return to the homeward course; but when his glance fell upon the sea ahead he saw a sight to rejoice the spirit of a viking. near the mouth of boden voe, straight before him, keeping watch for him, lay the _laulie_, her blue flag with its golden star flying merrily at the mast-head, her white sail spread, her jolly crew all alert and "on the war-path." she was cruising about the entrance to the fiord, with the obvious intention of preventing the _osprey_ from reaching her own lawful domain. up yaspard sprung, and keenly surveyed the enemy's position and his own, calculating his "chances" with as much anxiety as if life and honour were at stake. he did not dream of turning aside, or trying to reach any harbour of refuge save his own voe; but he knew that to pass the _laulie_ in safety would require considerable manoeuvring and daring seamanship. with utmost pleasure, and "the stern joy that warriors feel in foemen worthy of their steel," he drew from the locker his black viking flag and ran it aloft, smiling as the ugly thing spread itself in the breeze. thor watched this performance with profound gravity and attention; and when yaspard resumed his position sir raven solemnly hopped away and took up a position on the bow, with his weather-eye sagaciously fixed upon the black flag high overhead. he had so lately suffered so much from dark-hued things flying above him that he was suspicious of that pennon's intentions, and felt it necessary to observe its movements with the closest heedfulness. yaspard, however, put another construction on the bird's behaviour. "you're a genuine old brick!" he said; "a real viking's raven, and no mistake, thor. now i call that very fine of you, to take your proper place on my prow. they'll think i've trained you to it. what prime fun this is, to be sure!" thor lifted his shoulders, bent forward his head, and croaked as dismally as ever his congeners croaked over a field of the slain in days gone by; and yaspard nodded to him, then gave entire attention to the management of his boat. chapter xii. "enough and to spare of bale is in thy speech." we may be sure that the _laulie's_ crew watched our hero's movements with quite as much interest as he noted theirs, and when his battle-flag was seen they shouted for joy. "he knows what we are up to. he has challenged us," harry mitchell exclaimed with great satisfaction. "now, boys, we've got to nail him before he passes yelholme." "his boat goes very fast; she is light too, and he has her well in hand," tom remarked critically as the _osprey_ drew nearer, skimming the waves as airily and swiftly as any bird. yelholme, to which reference had been made, lay near the course yaspard was on. if the _laulie_ could not intercept yaspard before he reached the little island she would lose ground by being obliged to tack a good deal, while he, having the wind with him, would easily get ahead. "if it becomes a chase we haven't a chance," said harry, "so we must try and cut him off at the holme." but yaspard knew pretty well what their tactics were likely to be, and acted accordingly. it is not possible to describe with any degree of accuracy the very clever way in which the boats tried to circumvent each other; how the _osprey_ dodged here and there, striving to outrace the other, and how the _laulie_ gallantly defeated every attempt so made. at last yaspard, seeing that nothing but a very bold effort had any chance of success, determined to try a delicate manoeuvre. his boat, being smaller and lighter than the _laulie_, could venture much nearer a skerry or holme. he resolved to run straight for yelholme. he knew that the other boat would do likewise, but approaching from another point, would be obliged to lower sail and trust to the oars. he hoped he could keep "on wing," and round the holme in safety before the _laulie_ had got on the same course. accordingly he altered his tactics, and sent his skiff careening toward the holme as if he meant to dash right into it. "what on earth is he up to now?" bill exclaimed in wonder; "he will be under our stern in a jiffy if he holds on like that." "if he passes astern he will reach the holme and be round it before us. we must not allow that; drop the sail, bill," said harry. down went the _laulie's_ sail, and in a short time she was rowing swiftly for the same point that the _osprey_ seemed bent on gaining. yaspard did not alter his course one bit until he was within talking distance of the enemy, and dangerously near the holme. "don't be rash, man," harry sung out. "you will be flung on the holme by that undertow on the lee side." even as he spoke yaspard saw the danger he had not considered, and promptly dropped his sail. by that time the boats were almost within an oar's length of each other, but the _osprey_ was ahead. with wondrous speed the viking-boy had his oars out, and would soon have been round the holme and on his course again, but at that moment tom holtum caught up a coil of rope lying handy, and flung it like a lasso over the _osprey_. the bight fell over her rudder and horn, and before the hapless viking could leave his seat or lift a finger to save himself, his boat was hauled alongside of the _laulie_, and he was captured. "fairly caught!" cried bill, leaning over to thump him on the back, while tom clutched the _osprey_ with both hands, determined that she should not escape. then yaspard struck his colours, and remarked, "you need not be so particular with your grappling-irons, holtum; i yield myself to the fortune of fair fight." "come aboard us," said harry. "you did awfully well, and needn't mind that tom's dodge was more successful than yours. it was a low kind of trick on the whole, but we were determined to make you our prisoner." by that time yaspard was in the _laulie_, and his boat towing ignobly in the rear. thor, puzzled out of his dignity by such extraordinary proceedings, afraid to trust himself with his master in the enemies' hands, and too tired to seek refuge in flight, then gave vent to his feelings in speech-- "uncle, uncle. croak! bad boy! croak! croak! croak! yap! yap! yap! pirate; hi, good dog! dog! uncle! oh my!" he had never spoken so much at one time before, but the situation called for a supreme effort. when he concluded his oration, amid yells of laughter, thor turned up his eyes till nothing but a streak of white was visible, and shoved his beak among the feathers on one shoulder as if he meant to go to sleep. "what a fellow, to be sure!" exclaimed tom. "he licks crawbie all to nothing." harry explained to yaspard that crawbie was a hoodie crow belonging to svein holtum, and a great talker, but nothing like thor in that respect. harry was soon on his hobby, and would have discoursed on birds for an hour if bill had not stopped him by asking, "well, boys, what's the next move?" "home, of course," said harry; "at least, to collaster first, for the viking is tom's prize, and must be taken to the doctor's house." "i should like that hugely," said the captive; "but may i beg you to remember my anxious and sorrowing relations, who will strain dim eyes in vain and all the rest of that sort of thing. they'll be horribly frightened at moolapund if i am not back there tonight, and it's late now." a long discussion followed as to how the boden folk were to be informed of the viking's position. one suggestion was that a manse boy was to return to boden in the _osprey_, tell the tale, and bring gloy away; but that plan was rejected, because yaspard declared that his "followers" would seize the messenger, and hold both him and gloy as hostages for their captain. then a brilliant idea occurred to harry, who had always been the most reflecting boy of the lot. "i'll tell you what to do. send thor with a message tied to his leg. that was what svein did once, when he was hurt and in vega. crawbie had gone after him; and he carved two words on the cover of his pocket-book, tied it to crawbie, and crawbie went to collaster with it." "splendid! yes, the very thing!" the others cried. so a hard-boiled egg was taken from the ferdimet, and laid temptingly on yaspard's hand as a lure for thor, who was evidently averse to trusting himself in the _laulie_. but his weakness was an egg, and he soon flopped across to his master's knee, where he was detained for "further orders." "will he go home?" was the next debatable point. yaspard thought thor would, if they made it sufficiently plain to his corvidaeous intellect that he must not remain with the boats. "he has often followed me, poor old chap!" said yaspard. "i dare say he was coming on my tracks when the shooies fell foul of him; he will return to moolapund if i drive him off. he won't halt by the way now, for it is near his roosting time, and he is tired to boot." they did as svein holtum had shown them how, and tearing the cover from a pocket-book, tied it securely to thor's leg. to make assurance doubly sure, a duplicate was fixed around his neck. yaspard wrote on these boards-- "captured on the high seas; taken in chains to collaster.--the viking." then he tossed thor up from his hand, crying, "shoo! off with you! home now!" but thor flitted no farther than the _osprey_, and, settling in his favourite place at the bow, began to pull viciously at the book-boards. bill hauled the smaller boat alongside and clambered into her, making noise and demonstration enough, as he did so, to scare any ordinary bird; but thor did not stir from the spot until bill's hands were almost on him. then he merely hopped from the one boat to the other, remarking as he did it, "just so!" which of course sent the boys off yelling as before with wild laughter. now, no self-respecting raven will endure to be laughed at, especially when he is merely repeating a boy's pet phrase. nor will he tamely submit to being chased from stem to stern with shouts of "shoo! shoo!" thor felt trebly insulted just then; possibly he believed that "shoo! shoo!" had something to do with shooies, and the allusion was ill-timed he considered. after much noise and hustling, and what thor looked upon as unseemly action, he came to the conclusion that a boat is not always an ark of refuge, nor is one's master always to be depended upon as a sure help in time of need. with these thoughts came a recollection of the comforts of moolapund and the more fit companionship of mr. adiesen. that settled the point in thor's mind. "bad boy! shoo!" he burst forth wrathfully, and then screeching out, "uncle, pirate, uncle, uncle, uncle!" he spread his great wings and took a bee-line for moolapund. loud hurrahs followed him; but thor never looked back once, never turned to the right or the left, but, swift as possible in his cumbered condition, flew home, and alighting on the parlour window-sill, began to jabber every word he knew, without the least attention to either grammar or construction of words, and in such excited tones that mr. adiesen's attention was drawn to him. thor was admitted at once, and freed from his burden. then the message was read; and while the laird read, miss osla and signy waited in fear and trembling, but never a word spoke the old man. "what has that boy been doing?" the boy's aunt asked at length. "taking his turn at being captive, as i warned him might happen." "oh, uncle brüs, have they taken yaspard?" signy cried in great excitement. "'captured on the high seas; taken in chains to collaster.--the viking,'" mr. adiesen read with impressive solemnity; and miss osla, scarcely understanding what was the state of the case, or whether her brother was joking, or the reverse, exclaimed-- "dear, dear! whatever has he been about now? he is the very strangest boy. to collaster! in chains! what a foolish, foolish boy! he must have been interfering with some of those young mitchells. of course mr. garson has nothing to do with his nonsense!" mr. adiesen had walked out of the room long before she stopped; and her bewilderment was much increased by signy saying delightedly-- "captured! and taken to collaster! oh, how pleased brodhor must be!" chapter xiii. "he is young and of little knowledge." the lads found that it was so late when they neared lunda, that it would be best to divide, one boat going to collaster, and the other proceeding to westervoe; so tom and yaspard (the latter on a kind of parole) were transferred to the _osprey_, which immediately made sail for collaster, while the manse boat conveyed the mitchells to their own home. the holtums were lingering over their supper when tom presented himself, bringing his captive with hands fastened together by a lanyard borrowed from harry mitchell for the purpose. the captive's glowing face, afire with fun and joyous anticipation, did not accord with the humiliating position in which he was introduced by tom; and his reception by the doctor and mrs. holtum certainly did not indicate anything like hostile feeling. the lanyard was laughingly untied by the doctor, who said, as he released and shook yaspard's hands, "i am sure you can trust your prisoner with so much liberty, tom." "of course," said tom; "i didn't see the fun of roping him at all, but he would have it so, and the mitchells said it looked more ship-shape." "besides," added yaspard, "i wanted uncle brüs to know that i didn't come here of my own free will and free-handed." "i quite understand," replied the doctor, very much amused at the whole affair. "but _now_ it is quite proper that your manacles be removed. you remember how the black prince treated his french prisoners? my tom must not be less courteous to a viking! now, boys, let us hear how all this came about." nothing loth, tom and yaspard related their adventures, and very entertaining these were; but when they described the sending home of thor, dr. holtum's face grew somewhat grave, and he seemed pondering within himself. when tom had conducted his prisoner to his cell--which was one of the best bedrooms--and returned to bid good-night, his father said, "tom, lad, i am not altogether satisfied that yon corbie was a trustworthy messenger. suppose he did _not_ carry news of yaspard to moolapund?" "yaspard never doubted he would." the doctor shook his head. "if," he said, "by any chance they have _not_ heard of the boy they will be very anxious about him. i think you must take a note from me to the fishing-station. some of the boats will be leaving for the haaf even now, and as they run past boden, i am sure one of them will put in there with my letter." "let me go with it, father!" tom cried eagerly. "i am not a bit tired or sleepy; and it will be such fun. do let me go!" permission was given, a note to mr. adiesen written by dr. holtum, and tom despatched as envoy. he soon found a skipper willing to land him on boden, and in the grey, quiet night, this most prosaic of the lunda lads was started on a somewhat eerie journey. a great deal of time would have been lost if the haaf-boat had carried him into boden voe, so tom good-naturedly requested to be put ashore at the nearest point, determined to walk across the island to moolapund. tom had declared that he was neither tired nor sleepy, but he was both; and by the time he had walked over a mile of boden heath he was fain to stop more than once and take a brief rest. each time he sat down on the soft, fragrant verdure, he felt less inclined to get up. how it happened at last he never knew, but tom sat down by an old planticrü,[ ] and remained there; and there he was lying in blissful slumber when the sun was well up over the heogue, and gaun neeven had come out for an early stroll. he always took his walks abroad when the rest of the boden folk were in their beds, therefore it was believed that he seldom went out at all. if a philosopher like mr. neeven, who had passed through many years of most exciting life, could be surprised, he was when, coming around the planticrü, he stumbled upon tom holtum, spread out at ease, and unconscious of his position. the man stood stock still for some minutes, contemplating the prostrate figure, until a grim smile gradually spread over his melancholy countenance; then stooping, he touched tom's face and said, "wake up, lad, wake up!" tom's eyes were wide open in a moment, and he sat up and stared at the disturber of his repose. "what are you doing here?" mr. neeven asked, in his usual stern tones, which did not help to clarify tom's understanding of his own position. he stammered some very incoherent words, which were no explanation at all, and did not even attempt to get on his feet. mr. neeven was not a patient man. "get up," he said, "and come with me. i must know what you mean by skulking about my house in the night-time." tom rose slowly, and then discovered that he was in the near vicinity of trullyabister. "this is a pretty fix," thought he, as he followed mr. neeven. "i believe i'll bolt!" but a moment's reflection showed him how futile any attempt at escape would be, so he silently proceeded in mr. neeven's wake, repenting him sorely for being so foolish as to fall asleep that night. when they were in the dismal apartment where the recluse spent the greater part of his time poring over books and nursing his gloomy thoughts, he pointed to a chair, and taking one himself, said briefly-- "now give a proper account of yourself." tom could be concise and to the point in speech as well as mr. neeven, and having recovered his usual _sang-froid_, he explained his appearance in boden in few plain words. it was the first gaun neeven had heard of his young relative turning viking, and he was surprised to find a strange something within himself leap and stir warmly at the tale of yaspard's adventures, even though told in tom's unvarnished matter-of-fact style. was it not a like "craze" which had rioted within his own blood when he was a boy, and had sent him out into the world to fight and jostle men, to win renown, and prove his manhood by risking life and limb in all kinds of mad adventure? nothing had so moved that self-contained, moody man for years, and even obtuse tom could see that his story had touched some hidden spring of feeling. the stern lines had relaxed, and there was a softer though more intense light in the man's eyes. taking advantage of what he would have styled "a melting mood," tom begged to be allowed to carry his father's letter to its destination. "and after that," he said, "on the honour of a gentleman, i will come back to you, and you can make of me what you please." "the letter shall go to mr. adiesen at a proper hour," replied mr. neeven. "he is asleep at present, and i happen to know he is _not_ uneasy about his nephew. you had better lie down on this sofa and finish your own nap, while i finish my walk. later i will tell you what i require you to do." he walked out of the room, shutting the door with a key, and leaving tom a veritable prisoner. "he might have trusted me," muttered tom; "but since he hasn't put me on my honour, i shall do my best to escape---- gracious! what's that?" the lad was very wide-awake, and not the least inclined to go to sleep again. his exclamation had been caused by a curious sharp barking noise, mingled with plaintive crying, which roused tom's pity as well as astonishment. he ran to the window, fancying the sounds came from that side, and hoping to see something to explain what they meant. he was not disappointed. the window of the haunted room was not far from that of mr. neeven's sitting-room, and at that window tom saw the same unearthly visage which had startled yaspard and the harrisons. "whe-e-ew!" whistled tom, thrusting his fists far down his pockets, as was his wont when the solution of any difficulty penetrated the somewhat "thick skin" which enveloped his remarkably sound and shrewd understanding. he stood some time staring thoughtfully at the creature, who stared back at him as no lady of modest demeanour ought to have done; but we must not forget that she was a captive, and looking for a deliverer, and therefore to be excused in part. "poor soul!" muttered tom, as the baby's wails once more broke the beautiful silence of that smiling, sun-watched night-time. "it's a horrible shame. i wish i could let them out. it would serve the old boy right. but it's too risky a job for me to undertake by myself. oh, well! when i get back to lunda--if i'm not going to be shut up as she is--i'll get the manse boys to help. bet harry mitchell will devise a way of circumventing both mr. neeven and mr. adiesen." then tom tried the window, hoping to make his exit by it, but found it was nailed down beyond his power to unfasten. "never heard of such a thing in shetland before," growled tom. "what's he afraid of here? one would think boden was the abode of thieves or pirates at this rate. anyway, there are plenty of books about." he found an interesting book about the buccaneers of the spanish main, so, lying down on the sofa, he was soon lost in the volume, and forgot that he was in durance vile. [ ] planticrü,--a _circular_ enclosure. chapter xiv. "oh, be thou welcome here." when mr. neeven returned to his house the laird of boden was with him, and tom was desired to hand over dr. holtum's letter, which he did with alacrity. after perusing it carefully, mr. adiesen said, "and so you are the doctor's son? you are not very like your father. he was a very handsome youth when he was your age." tom laughed, and there was that in his plain, honest face, which pleased both the gentlemen perhaps more than fine features would have done. "i try to be like father in other ways," said he; "but my brother svein is as like him as can be. you would like svein. he is very clever as well as good-looking. people who can judge say so!" that hearty brotherly speech added still more to the good impression tom had made, and the two men studied him silently for a minute or two, "as they might some curious starfish," tom remarked later, when recounting all that took place. "you are to come with me now," said mr. adiesen at last. "i dare say you will be glad of some breakfast. come along, and we will settle what is to be done about yaspard afterwards." they went off to moolapund, leaving mr. neeven alone; and very much alone he felt himself to be. it was strange, passing strange, thought he, that the "chatter" of a very ordinary boy should have caused such a curious revolution within him. what did it mean? had he not lived his life of action? had he not tasted the fruit of knowledge until it had palled on his appetite? had he not his books for company--books, which could not irritate, and contradict, and bother, as human beings are prone to do? "a boy is a happy creature!" gaun neeven said to himself with a sigh, as he picked up the book tom had been reading; "a happy sort of animal on the whole. i could wish myself a boy once more!" meanwhile tom holtum was being introduced at moolapund, where he was very soon at his ease, and chatting away with his wonted fearless candour, which harry had been heard to call "impudence and vanity rolled up in whale's blubber." his host was in wonderfully good humour, and contrived to get a good deal of information regarding life in lunda out of tom, without allowing it to appear that he was at all interested in the people of that isle. "i suppose," he said by-and-by, "that i must find a way of sending you back; and there is that boy winwick has to go also. but yaspard's misadventure must teach us a lesson. you will have to give me your word that those who convey you to lunda shall not be intercepted in the performance of a neighbourly courtesy as he was." "oh, sir!" tom cried hotly; "why, we never looked at it like _that_, nor did yaspard. it was agreed that we should try and nab each other anywhere and anyhow outside of our own voes. if you had asked fred garson to safeguard the viking, we would not have meddled with him." "and poor brodhor," signy exclaimed, "would not have been enjoying himself at collaster!" "i think," said uncle brüs suddenly, "that yaspard has met vikings as mad as himself. now, master tom, can you tell how he is going to recover his liberty and his boat 'captured on the high seas,' eh?" "i thought i'd talk to his followers--as he calls those harrison boys--and they may help him. of course they are the proper persons to negotiate about his ransom," and tom grinned. signy volunteered to go with him to noostigard; so the ponies were saddled, and off the couple set. such a claver as there was, to be sure, when tom and the harrisons met! the brothers were for seizing tom in place of yaspard; and nothing but signy's vehement protestations that he was under a flag of truce, so to speak, prevented their carrying out some desperate measure of the sort. they wouldn't see the difference between yaspard caught at sea _after_ discharging a hospitable duty, and tom a messenger of peace. "weel," said lowrie at last, "will ye tak' one o' us in his place, then?" "no, we won't--not a dozen of you!" answered tom. "oh, boys!" signy exclaimed then, "yaspard promised at the very first that i should have a share in his viking-ploy. it would be just lovely if you would take _me_ with you, to beg for his freedom. you know that's how the ladies used to do for their knights." "when they happened to be their fathers or brothers," said tom; "and then the girls were married to the knights' enemies, and they all lived happily ever after." "i'm not going to marry you ever, so that isn't to be the way this time," retorted the little lady, with immense spirit. "very well," he answered calmly, "then it will be some other fellow. but upon my word i think it would be a very jolly plan to take you with us; only--will your uncle permit it?" "i'll try and coax him. he is really dear and good, if you only would believe it; and i don't think that he is going to be so camsterie[ ] about lunda folk now that he has seen mr. garson. i just think mr. garson is splendid. he makes me think of prince charlie and sir philip sidney. he looks so like a real hero, does he not?" "fred is to be the other fellow ten years hence," thought tom, but he wisely held his tongue. uncle brüs was not so very difficult to persuade as signy had imagined. perhaps, if she had seen dr. holtum's letter, she would have found a reason for his unexpected complacence; but signy was too glad at the permission given to waste thoughts on "reasons why." she would hardly wait to carry out aunt osla's request that her best frock must be worn on such an important occasion, and nothing short of mam kirsty's tears could have reconciled her to wasting time in brushing out her abundant hair into a profusion of curls, and otherwise making herself "a credit tae them 'at aws (owns) her." but when she was released from those loving feminine hands and went down to the little quay with uncle brüs to join the boys, tom holtum thought he had never seen a sweeter vision of a ladye faire than she appeared in her cream-white frock and navy-blue cloak and hat, her shining hair hanging about the lovely little face, and her eyes shining like stars on a frosty night. "you'll never need to beg one word," he declared; "you will break the viking's chains with the glint of your eyes. he was considered _my_ booty, and i am ready this moment to give him up to you without a single condition. so there!" "thank you, but i don't want my knight for nothing," signy replied, with a saucy toss of the head, as she stepped into the boat. then turning to her uncle, she said, "good-bye, dear uncle; we--yaspard and i--will be back soon." "not to-night, sir, if you please," tom cried eagerly; "we shall want to keep her a little while;" and the laird answered, "it shall be as dr. holtum may think best. take care of her, boys." as the boat rowed away he looked fondly after the child, and thought that never did a fairer maid than his darling signy go on a mission of love. as the boden boat went sliding along the coast of lunda, purposing to bring up at collaster, tom saw their young laird riding over the hill, and as the distance was not great, the lad stood up and waved and yelled to attract fred's notice. he was successful, and the horseman came rapidly to the beach, while the boat drew close in-shore. a few words sufficed to explain matters, for fred had seen dr. holtum that morning, and knew of tom's expedition. "and you have been allowed to bring the little lady to lunda?" fred said. "i think you had better land her here, for there is a good deal of rough water round the head of collaster to-day, and she may get some spray. will you let me carry you on arab to the doctor's house, signy?" "i think that would be nice," she answered; and tom said, "you had better go with fred." the boat was brought along some crags, and tom, jumping out, lifted signy on shore; then, resuming his place, shoved off again, saying as he waved them good-bye, "you will be there before us, i suppose, but we will not be long behind you; so look alive, if you don't want to be beat." fred had dismounted, and he and signy stood together watching the boat get on her course again. then fred said, laughing, "i shall feel like some robber chief carrying off a fair prize when i ride away with you! you will not be afraid to trust me and arab, i hope?" "no! of course i can trust you," was signy's ready answer. he sprang into his saddle, and then with the aid of his hand and stirrup signy climbed lightly to the place before him, and settled herself there composedly. "this is how i used to have delightful rides with uncle brüs," she said; "but he could not hold me so firmly as you do, and once his pony stumbled and i had a fall, and he never would let me up beside him again." "when my sister was a little girl like you, she was never so happy as when our father took her up like this; and sometimes he would ride miles and miles with her. don't you like arab's step? i always think there never was a horse like him. he was a present to me on my birthday--the last gift of my dear father." "how you must love him! he goes as easy as a sail-boat on a smooth sea." and then arab was put at a gallop, to signy's delight. she was perfectly safe (and felt herself to be so) with that strong arm around her, and that firm hand holding the reins. she enjoyed that ride immensely, and remembered the pleasure of it for a long time; but fred remembered it all his life long, because from that moment he could date a new colour in his life, a kind of thought and feeling which were novel in his experience. [ ] headstrong and cross-grained. chapter xv. "and peace shall be surer." a large party were stationed on the lawn at collaster when fred rode up. his sister and mrs. mitchell had come to plan a picnic in honour of yaspard, and the manse boys were of course "to the fore" on such an occasion. the holtum girls, with the doctor, his wife, and the viking, were all there. if it had been pre-arranged it could not have been managed better. "it's like a bit out of a book," signy said in a whisper, as arab pranced up to the door, and everybody there struck an attitude (unconsciously) with quite dramatic effect. yaspard was the first to speak and act. "signy! have you come from boden on a witch's broomstick? where did you find her, mr. garson?" he said, as he lifted his little sister from the saddle. "i've come to ransom you, brodhor," said she; and then she was given up to the ladies to be petted and welcomed with the greatest tenderness, while fred explained; and the appearance of the boat sent yaspard and the mitchell boys racing off to the quay. it had been arranged that the picnic should consist of an excursion up the gill (ravine) near the ha' at blaesound, and a strawberry tea in the ha' garden. fred and his mother were very anxious to draw yaspard within the circle of their best affections, but they knew they must be careful not to touch mr. adiesen's weak points in extending the hand of friendship to his nephew. he would, as likely as not, resent their well-meant intentions if they invited the boy to their house, but a picnic under dr. holtum's auspices to the neighbourhood of the ha' was different. any of us who remember the recorded adventures of the lads of lunda and the yarl of burra isle, will know with what perfect success entertainments of the sort were conducted by the garsons or any of their friends. there seldom had been a day more happily spent by those young folks than _that_ day, and each and all combined to make it a period of unclouded bliss to yaspard and signy. they revelled in the society of so many charming girls and fine boys, and thought that life could need nothing more than the pleasure such companionship afforded. how they enjoyed the scramble up the gill, the fun bubbling up constantly, the manner in which the fathers and mothers shared in the children's play; the running and singing and laughter; the dainty meal of cake and chicken and strawberries with rich cream, dispensed--after a very un-english but wholly satisfactory manner--in heaped platefuls! the scent of flowers, the sunshine and universal hilarity, cast a spell over signy, and she sat on the garden turf eating her strawberries without speaking for some time, but radiant with happiness. "are you dreaming, or composing an ode, little lady?" fred asked her, after having watched the soft play of her expressive features for some minutes. "i was--thinking, and i never enjoyed anything so much before; but"--and she looked up wistfully--"i was wishing too that there had never been any feud, and that uncle brüs could see for himself how good you all are. _i wish he could!_" "i hope he will before long. i think, now the ice is broken, that it will all come right, little one." i ought to have mentioned before that the harrison boys had gone with gloy to see his mother, and had been directed to return in their own boat to boden before night; so when the holtums, with their guest and the viking, returned to collaster at dayset, they were just in time to see james harrison's boat disappear round the head of collaster. "i am so glad," said yaspard, "that uncle gave you leave to come and to stay overnight, mootie." "i wish she might remain some days," said mrs. holtum; but the doctor, understanding best the kind of man mr. adiesen was, remarked, "that will be next time. we must not take more than his lairdship has conceded. by-and-by we may venture to stretch a point with him." "what has been settled about the captive viking?" harry mitchell then asked. "i am sorry to remind you, yaspard, in such an abrupt manner of your precarious position; but we must not forget that we have to make capital of you." "i offered him free, gratis, and for nothing to this high and haughty miss; but she tossed her curls and declined my civility," answered tom. "there would be no fun in that," yaspard said in an aside; and signy remarked, "brodhor is worth a great deal to me, and he ought to be worth a lot to his captors. just put a price on him that i am able to pay, and you shall have it." "bravo!" shouted the boys in chorus. "do you then absolutely refuse my princely offer?" tom asked her, and the little girl replied boldly-- "yes. i'd be ashamed to take him for nothing." "the lads of lunda," answered he loftily, "don't make bargains with ladies. if you won't take my offer you're 'out of it,' miss! now, sir viking, let me tell you under what condition i will set you free. you shall give me your royal word--on the faith of a viking--that you will give me your assistance in a deed of high emprise which i have vowed to perform." "why, harry," exclaimed bill, "you could not have said that in a more booky way yourself!" "i haven't got another word of the sort in my vocabulary, so must return to my usual style, gentlemen," said tom. "the long and the short of it is, when i was a prisoner at trullyabister, i discovered that i was not the only poor wretch whom the ogre had nabbed. there are others----" "oh, goloptious!" shouted yaspard, interrupting tom without the least ceremony. "you have found out the very thing i meant to tell you. i meant to ask you fellows to help me." "then it would seem," said dr. holtum, smiling--for he had had a private talk with tom, and had come to a conclusion of his own--"that yaspard's 'knightly quest' and tom's 'deed of high emprise' are one and the same. you have my approval, boys; only let me warn you to be very wary, for if you do _not_ succeed you will have no support from any one, and may find yourselves in an awkward fix." "doctor!" harry exclaimed, "did the lads of lunda ever fail to carry out their schemes, or squirm out of the ugliest fix in creation?" "i must own," laughed the doctor, "that collectively you have a wonderful faculty for emerging with _eclat_ from every adventure; but i can't say as much for you individually." "one for you, tom," whispered bill. "and one for yourself," retorted tom. meantime signy had crept into yaspard's arms, and was coaxing him to tell her the secret; but he put her off with a promise of telling it when they were on the way home. "and, mootie," he added thoughtfully, "i believe we ought not to stay here very long to-morrow, just that uncle brüs may see that we aren't anxious to take the greatest advantage of his permission. besides, we don't want him to feel that we like being away from boden so awfully much." she squeezed his hand. she understood him perfectly, and yaspard, laughing into her upraised eyes, said aloud, "here is a little girl who wouldn't contradict me for worlds, and is agreed with me in stating that the _osprey_ must be on wing to-morrow morning." but when to-morrow morning came there had been a breeze in the night which had raised the sea a bit, and dr. holtum would not permit them to leave until it had subsided, notwithstanding the viking's declaration that he never minded such a small thing as that. "my boat and i go out in rough weather," he declared; "and even signy would laugh at the idea of calling this a 'rough morning!'" the doctor was firm, however, and the morning slipped happily away in the pleasant companionship of so many new and agreeable friends. it was arranged that the lunda boys were to run across to boden on the evening of the following day, to carry out the mysterious plans of tom and yaspard. they were to wait at the geo for yaspard and his chums, and the mighty deed was to be done at the witching hour of night. so they planned, and put aside with unwonted impatience the doctor's declaration that there was going to be unsettled weather, and that they must not count upon being able to carry out their scheme in such an expeditious way. "i don't know what has come to father," tom muttered; "he is quite scarey: he proposes that some of us go in the boat with you, yaspard; or that we escort you in our own boat!" the viking's face flushed hotly, for he knew himself to be an expert "seaman," and it was exasperating that anybody should be afraid for him; but harry mitchell soothed his wounded pride by saying, "i expect the doctor is thinking of signy. he is always so careful that girls shall not be frightened--and she might be, you know, if she saw a big wave alongside, and no one with her but you." "signy wouldn't be afraid if she were left floating in mid-ocean on a plank _with me_," signy's brother made answer. so the _laulie_ did not go farther than the head of collaster, but took the way to westervoe when the _osprey_ set her face to boden. there was not much wind, but a long and gentle swell, and the little boat went dancing over the waves in a manner wholly delightful to the brother and sister. "this is delicious, brodhor," said signy, "and we have had a splendid time; but it is nice to be going home. now tell me about your quest." chapter xvi. "for naught he wotted, nor might see clearly." "you remember, mootie, about the big row concerning havnholme--i mean the last disturbance which made fred garson write to uncle?" "i know a little about it. uncle killed a number of birds, and a poor seal?" "that wasn't quite how things went, though we heard that was it. we were told correctly enough about the birds; and i must say i think uncle brüs thinks too much of science and specimens, and too little of lives. but we did not hear the right way about the seal i have heard something about it from fred, and i don't wonder he was so indignant. it seems they had a tame seal at the ha'. it had been given to miss garson when it was very young. its mother had been killed by some cockney tourists, and the laird of lunda took the little seal home. it was a great pet, and used to go and fish for itself in blaesound, but would always come home when tired or called upon." "just as loki does," said signy. "yes; and they were all very fond of it. but after the laird died, his people were a good deal away from the ha', and the pets were neglected--servants are so stupid in that way--and so it happened that the seal was out in blaesound one day, and didn't come back as usual. fred says he heard it had become shy, and a bit wild, through not being petted, and perhaps it went off of its free will; but he believes it lost its way among the skerries, and would have returned if it had known how, or if any one had had the sense to go and look for it as soon as it was missed. anyway, it was lost. when the family came home it was looked for everywhere, and fred promised a large reward to any one who should bring it back; but all in vain. sometimes fishermen would come and tell how they had seen a sealkie on a skerry that was not a bit frightened when they came near, but dropped into the water when they tried to catch it. others said that a sealkie had followed their boat, and had looked at them as if it wanted to be friends; and fred was sure that it must be trullya, for no wild seal acts like that. but though he went to the places where these men had seen the seal, _he_ never saw it. then it happened that the manse boys, passing havnholme one day, saw a seal creeping up to the old skeö; and they were quite sure that it was the lost trullya, for wild seals don't go up on land like that. moreover, the seal kept looking around, and never minding a boat not far off, and the boys were as convinced that it was the ha' pet as i am sure you are mine. they were going to land at once and capture it, when uncle brüs, with harrison and fule-tammy, came along in this boat, and uncle ordered the manse boys to get along. there was a row, for the boys stuck to it, and said they _would_ land, for the island was fred's, and the seal belonged to him as well. of course you know how uncle would rampage at that. he was so angry he threatened to shoot them if they came one bit nearer; and they declared afterwards that they were sure he would have done it. while the row was going on the seal disappeared, and the boys, believing it had dropped into the sea and that there was no hope of securing it, decided to quit. but as they sailed away and uncle's boat landed, they saw the poor sealkie's head peep round the skeö; then there were shots fired, and fule-tammy shouted at the pitch of his voice, 'ye've got him, sir, got him! dead as a door-nail!' the mitchells were too disgusted to wait for anything more. they sailed home and told fred." "it was horrible, yaspard--very horrible. how could uncle be so cruel to a poor sealkie, and yet be so kind to me?" yaspard laughed. "there is a difference between you and trullya, mootie! but now comes the nice bit of my story. the seal wasn't killed at all! fule-tammy told me all about it. he said it had a young one with it, and they had been spending the night in the skeö. uncle does not often miss his mark, but he had missed when he shot at the seal. perhaps he missed on purpose, only shot to aggravate the manse boys. when he got to the skeö the creature was there, having hastened back to her little one, and they were easily captured. uncle told harrison that he must not let even his boys know that the seals had been taken alive." signy could keep silence no longer, but clapped her hands delightedly and cried, "it's as good as a fairy story, brodhor. oh, i am glad, for of course they are still alive; uncle would never kill them then." "yes, they are alive, and they are in the haunted room at trullyabister. they were smuggled there so that even i should not know; but tammy can't keep a secret, and he told me one day that mr. neeven had charge of the seal and her baby. i did not dream they were in the haunted room; but when the harrison boys and i were on the prowl the other night i found it out; and then i determined i would restore the sealkie to fred garson. i told the harrisons there were a mother and child imprisoned at trullyabister, and that we must free them from thraldom." "and tom holtum has found it out too; and that is your quest? how fine!" "it is prime, signy, prime! we are not going to tell the garsons a word about it till we restore their lost pet, for we are all convinced it is their seal." "but won't uncle be dreadfully angry if you interfere? won't he stop all your vikinging and our meeting----" "if," yaspard interrupted, "i were fool enough to show my hand in the matter. no, no, mootie, you don't understand a bit. we shall manage it so cleverly that uncle and mr. neeven will take for granted the sealkie escaped of herself. you see, uncle brüs makes laws for himself that are not proper, so he can't grumble if they don't work to his satisfaction at all times." "i wish, though, that we could just beg for the seal, and settle it nicely," said signy. "not a bit of good; that would make more fuss still, and unsettle everything, and--i'd lose my fun." the _osprey_ was not far from yelholme by that time, and yaspard, pointing to the little isle, said, "it was that old rock with the green nightcap that caused my capture." "it's a pretty peerie holme," signy remarked. "i like the little morsel of green turf on top. i wonder how it ever manages to grow there, for the skerry must be swept by the sea more often than not." "there's something white on it," yaspard exclaimed, "something white and moving. why, goodness me!" and he stood up in great excitement, "it is awfully like a person." he moved his helm so as to bring the boat nearer yelholme than his course; and very soon they discovered that the "something white" was really a human being. "it's a man; and he must be hurt, for he is lying on his side waving to us. he would stand up if he could," yaspard cried. "oh, poor creature! we must save him," said signy. "it will not be very easy to reach the holme this afternoon," yaspard remarked thoughtfully. "there's a heavy under-tow there." "but we can't go away and leave him, brodhor. just look at him. now he tries to raise himself. it is dreadful." "i wish the manse boat had come along after all;" and yaspard scanned the sea, hoping some boat might be in sight; but there was nothing moving on the water save the wild birds and his own skiff. after a moment's silence he said, "we'll make a try, signy; and if we don't succeed, we'll tell him we are going to bring more efficient help." with skill and caution yaspard brought his boat alongside of the skerry. the castaway was lying on the turf, battered and helpless. he could only raise his hands, and watch the boy's movements with intense emotion; and it was evident he could not help in his own rescue very much. "i shall have to land," said yaspard, "and lug him into the boat somehow." he had, of course, dropped the sail, and the boat being on the lee side of the rock, was easily attached to it, but swung about considerably, as there was rather more than usual under-tow around the holme, occasioned by the state of the tide--a circumstance which our young hero had not sufficiently considered. "i really don't believe we can get him aboard if he has broken his bones, as seems the case," the lad remarked, as he jumped upon the skerry and fastened the boat by the end of a rope to the rocks. "i am giving her a good length," he said, "so that she can ride free as the water falls. do you think you can keep her from scraping with the boat-hook, signy?" she had often performed a similar duty, though not with so much motion of the sea, and she replied that she would try on the present occasion. having settled these points, yaspard turned to the unfortunate man lying a few yards from the water's edge. "are you much hurt?" was the first question put to him. "i'm half killed," was the feebly uttered reply; and in truth he looked three-fourths killed. one leg was broken, and both arms were much cut and bruised. he had scarcely any clothing on, and was altogether a most pitiable object. but yaspard wasn't going to waste time in talk. "can you get to the boat with my help, do you think?" he asked, stooping to assist the man to rise. but as he attempted to do so the pain overcame him, and he sank back swooning. "poor soul!" muttered yaspard; "i can't think what to do with him," and then he pulled off his jacket, laid it gently over the unfortunate castaway, and tried to revive him by rubbing his chest. signy watched her brother's movements with the most eager interest, and was so engrossed that she scarcely attended to her duty of keeping the boat from bumping against the rocks. although her negligence was not the cause of what happened to the boat, if she had been on the alert she might have given the alarm in time. as the _osprey_ rose and fell with the waves, the rope became chafed on sharp edges of rock, and parted. the boat swung adrift, and was carried on a long sweep of the undertow some yards from the skerry; but the length of rope yaspard had allowed prevented signy from wondering. it was only when she felt the boat dip unchecked over a second long wave that she glanced at the rope, and saw its end trailing in the water. she uttered a startled cry, and yaspard, looking around, saw with horror what had taken place. "oh, signy! fling me a rope! no, sit still; be still, dear, or you'll be over! oh, my signy!" she had half risen from her seat as he sprang to the water's edge and called to her; but next moment she cowered down in terror, for the light boat rocked as if it must capsize, then went whirling on the tideway round the end of the skerry. yaspard did not utter a sound after those first few terror-freighted words. he could only stand motionless and dumb, gazing after the boat, while signy, kneeling, stretched out her poor little hands and cried, "brodhor! brodhor!" a groan from the man, for whom yaspard had inadvertently risked and lost so much, roused the boy from his stupor of despair; and then he broke into bitter cries, which ere long explained to his companion their terrible plight; while farther and farther drifted the _osprey_, until even her taper mast could not be distinguished amid the waste of heaving billows. and then, in the moment of supreme agony, yaspard did what signy had been doing all the time. he flung himself on his knees and lifted up his heart to god. chapter xvii. "no good it betokeneth." the positions of the two on yelholme were reversed, and it became the man's part to speak words of comfort. "there are plenty of boats about--must be in these parts, my lad," he said, "and some one will see your skiff. don't lose courage about the little one. i'm as vexed as can be that this should have happened for me. i'd rather have died straight away." the generous heart of yaspard adiesen was stirred from its bitterness of grief by such words, and after a time he allowed himself to hope that signy might be rescued after all. of his own position he thought not at all, until considering that of his companion. then he remembered that there were some scraps of biscuit in his jacket pocket--kept there for his pets--and pulling these out he said, "i wonder if these will be of any use till some boat picks us up. i dare say you need food?" the biscuit was very welcome; but the jacket had been of still more service in restoring a degree of warmth to the chilled and sorely injured body, and yaspard would not listen to the man's remonstrance as he tucked the coat closer around him. "i am not in the least cold, and don't need a jacket in such sunny weather," said yaspard; "but i hope some of the haaf-boats may come this way soon, for you ought to be in the doctor's hands. now i wonder if i can do anything in the way of a bandage?" it was wonderful how the sight of those wounds had restored the lad's equanimity, and drawn his distracted mind from thoughts of the forlorn child tossing amid the waves. but that was the way god answered his prayers at first; and it is a way god often uses for helping us to bear some overwhelming calamity. the suffering of another is presented before us, and our better nature, our least selfish part, is evoked in a way that makes us dwell less upon our own trial. yaspard's handkerchief and necktie, torn into strips, helped wonderfully to bind up some of the wounds, although the boy's hands were inexperienced at such work, and he sickened over the job. when that was done there was nothing more to do but exercise patience, and scan the seas in hope of sighting a vessel of some sort. while they so waited, and tried to cheer each other's flagging courage, yaspard asked, "did you fall from a ship; or how was it you came to be tossed up here?" the answer was startling. "you have some cursed bad men in those shetland isles," said the sailor, with all the energy he could command. "hanging is too good for wreckers; they should be roasted at the false fires they light for poor seafaring men's destruction." yaspard stared his astonishment. "i never heard the like!" he ejaculated. "wreckers! why, there isn't one left in shetland. not one, i am sure. what _do_ you mean?" "i mean that the stout schooner i sailed in would be in a safe harbour now instead of drifting as spindle-wood among those skerries if there were no wreckers on your islands, my lad!" "there must be some mistake. do tell me what happened," was all yaspard could say. and then he heard the story. the schooner _norna_ was caught in a tempest crossing the north sea, and sustained considerable damage--so much that it was deemed advisable to seek harbour for repairs. she was making for bressa sound when a slight fog came down which compelled the skipper to defer attempting to thread a way among those rock-bound isles till the atmosphere was clearer. while beating about, not quite sure of their exact locality, a bright light was observed which was believed to be lit for their guidance. there was no other reason why a great blaze should appear in the middle of the night on a lonely height, which loomed fitfully through the mist and gloom, and was evidently the crest of some hill. no doubt a safe harbour lay in that neighbourhood, and the _norna_ was confidently put on another course--one which it was believed led her within the safe arms of a sheltering fiord. on the one hand could be dimly discerned a low irregular coast, on the other rose the gaunt shadowy outline of majestic crags. it was no friendly voe the hapless schooner had come into, but the dangerous sound, studded with stacks and holmes, which flow between lunda and boden. guided by that treacherous beacon, the _norna_ sailed slowly on and crashed on a sunken rock not far from the cliffs of trullyabister. the man who told the story had gone aloft to take in sail, when it was discovered that the vessel was among breakers; and when she struck he was dashed from the rigging. he could give no account of what further happened, beyond remembering that he was clinging at one time to a spar, and saw his ship backing (as he described it) into deep ocean. "i think it must have happened not far from here," he said; and yaspard, looking towards boden, over which the soft tints of twilight were beginning to blend with mists from the surrounding seas, replied-- "yes; it must have been the easting ban upon which she struck--that's a sunken rock quite near this holme. but i can't think what light it was you saw. you see the land on lunda is very low along the sound, and there are only a very few people living on my island--that is boden there; the light couldn't have been there." the sailor raised himself on an elbow and looked at the cliffs of boden, and the sound with its many isolated and barbarous rocks; then he said-- "the fire blazed from beside that cone. i recognise its shape," and he pointed to the heogue towering steeply over trullyabister and its range of mighty cliffs. yaspard shook his head. "it couldn't be," he said positively; and then his thoughts once more became filled by the image of his little sister all alone in the _osprey_ drifting out to sea as the evening fell, and he could not take further interest in the _norna's_ fate. he never even asked if it was likely that any others had escaped the fate of their ship. signy, in her holiday attire, with her bright face blanched with fear, her hands stretched to him, her small slight form bent in the attitude of prayer;--signy floating away, away, and alone! it was terrible. he rose up from his place beside the sailor, and going to the other side of the holme, he again knelt down and "wrestled in prayer" for his darling. never once did he think of his own serious position, beyond desiring fervently that help might come in time to enable him to go in search of his sister with some hope of finding her. but the twilight came slowly and softly down, and some sea-fowl who were wont to nest on yelholme circled around it, clamouring to find their night abode invaded, but no welcome boat appeared. the sailor gradually fell into an exhausted sleep, which looked so like death that yaspard's heart sank with a new fear, and he scarcely dared bend over the still, prostrate figure lest he should find that fear realised. by-and-by the mists drew nearer, wrapping the holme in their filmy veil; then the sea-birds, emboldened by the motionless silence of the castaways, dropped upon the crags, and folded their wings for the night. around the lonely islet thundered the ocean, whose waves rocked never-endingly, until yaspard, gazing fixedly on them, felt as though the holme itself were some tremulous cradle swinging with the rhythmical ebb and flow of those majestic billows. his brain seemed on fire, however, and would not be lulled to sleep by the influence of night and the anthem of ocean. the poor lad suffered such torment of soul as we can scarcely imagine; to the young, compulsory inaction during mental pain is almost unendurable, and sometimes yaspard felt that to fling himself into the water, to struggle there and drown, would be better than sitting on the holme idle, helpless, picturing signy's fate. he gave up at last gazing on the sea, which seemed to mock his hopes and fears with its monotonous roll and roar, and fixed his eyes on the dim outline of the heogue, which his sister had named "boden's purple crown;" and he wondered if signy could see the dear old hill from her place amid the waves. he _would not_ think that the _osprey_ had capsized or broken on some crag, but continued to picture the child in the boat as he had last seen her. while yaspard sat there straining his eyes upon the hill-cap, he fancied he saw a flicker of red light on its side. for a moment he believed his sight had deceived him, and he rubbed his lashes and looked again. there it was again, a more distinct flicker than at first; then it grew brighter and steadier, and presently flashed up into a merry blaze which sent its ruddy life far over the sea. yaspard stood up wondering and trembling, till in a moment the truth flashed into his mind, and he sat down again dumfoundered, and saying within himself, "_that_ explains the whole affair! yes. it's fule-tammy without question. a pretty fix he has made for himself!" then yaspard thought of waking the sailor to see the false light; but on second thoughts he muttered, "what's the use? if i _have_ to speak, and am ever in another place than this, i'll do it. but there isn't any use in telling upon that born fool just now. well! i'm glad he is a fool. i could not bear this fellow to accuse us of having wreckers in shetland--though there _have been_ plenty. but so there were in other places when folk were like savages." he watched fule-tammy's fire burn up and blaze steadily, then wane and die out; and when every spark was extinguished there came over the eastern sky a faint blush heralding the dawn of day. the brief dream of night was over, and yaspard, sighing wearily, murmured, "if some boat could but find signy it would not matter so much about us--about me, i mean. i deserve my fate. i ought not to have left her in the boat alone for any earthly consideration. and yet--it seemed the right thing to do." chapter xviii. "oh, need sore and mighty." shortly before yaspard and signy left collaster on that unfortunate expedition, the young laird of lunda was called from the ha' to interview some shipwrecked men who had been found by a haaf-boat on one of the sound skerries. arab soon carried fred to the extreme point of his island, where the men were hospitably lodged by some fisher folk. great was his wrath and astonishment on being told the story of their misadventure, which seemed incredible from one point, and yet was the only explanation admissible, considering that when the accident took place the weather was not rough, and the vessel still under management, if the skipper was telling truth. fred put the men through a searching course of cross-questioning, but could not discover any flaw in their statement regarding the large fire lit on the hill; and he was obliged to admit that there must have been a signal there as described. after seeing that the men had every comfort, he went off to consult the minister and doctor holtum as to what must be done. the sailors were wrathful (as was not wonderful) and vowing vengeance. the fisher folk were puzzled, and affirmed that there must have been some supernatural agency at work. fred felt sure the matter would have to be sifted, and that upon himself and doctor holtum (the only magistrate in lunda since mr. garson's death) would devolve the duty of instituting inquiries in boden. "it will be a very awkward job," fred said, when retailing what had taken place to dr. holtum. "it will certainly put an end to all chance of peace with mr. adiesen, for he is sure to resent such a charge and such a suspicion with the utmost bitterness." "there is no one living on boden but what one might call his own household, for the harrisons are just like home servants; therefore--as you say--he will resent this as a personal matter." "there is that strange man neeven," said fred thoughtfully. "i have heard very curious tales of him. he does not seem to be quite sane, if one may credit all that is reported of his ways. it is possible that _he_ may have lit that fire for some eccentric purpose quite different from that which those men imagine." "you have not unlikely hit upon the truth, fred," said the doctor; "but that makes our task no easier." "if that viking-boy had not been here last night, i should have been convinced it was some prank of his. well for him that we can prove an _alibi_ for him! dear-a-me, doctor, what a business this will be! i am sure being laird of lunda isn't all sugar and spice." "it has happened most unfortunately at this time, just when those young people were bringing the old man round in such a nice way. well, well, fred! we must believe there is some good purpose in even such a 'kettle of fish' as this." after various consultations among the wise-heads, it was agreed that dr. holtum and fred, with the captain and mate of the _norna_, should go over to boden next day and interview mr. adiesen. i need not describe what they meant to say, or how they hoped to mollify the irascible old man, for their intention was never carried out. in crossing the sound they spied yaspard gesticulating wildly from the crest of yelholme. "some of your men on the holme, captain?" the doctor said, as soon as they caught sight of the figure. "i only lost one, and that _may_ be him," was the answer; "but he fell from the rigging, and must have been awfully mashed. indeed, i never dreamt he could be alive; and i can hardly believe he would be able to dance about in _that_ fashion." yaspard was moving restlessly about, afraid that if he stood still he might not be noticed. as the boat approached nearer fred remarked, "that is a mere lad, but there is some one else lying on the skerry." dr. holtum had very keen vision, and very soon he said in agitated tones, "fred, lad, it is very like the boy yaspard; and i don't see any boat about." "it certainly _is_ yaspard, with no jacket on, and a man beside him. whatever can have happened?" the boat went straight for yelholme, and as she reached it the doctor called out, "my dear boy, what has happened to you?" yaspard could not speak, but his haggard, weary appearance, as well as the helpless form beside him, told a tale of sufficient misery. "that's my bo's'n," said the captain, as soon as he saw the man's face. then the doctor and fred scrambled on shore, and while the former--with the instinct of his profession--made for the wounded man first, fred turned to yaspard (foreboding the truth) and asked, "your little sister?" "i have lost her. she has gone with the boat," came in bursting sobs from the poor boy, who was by that time so completely exhausted and unmanned that fred could only take him in his arms and try to comfort him as one might a little child. a brief explanation made the whole matter plain to our friends of lunda, but it took some time to show the _norna's_ captain how it stood. he had been nursing much wrath against the inhabitants of boden, and would scarcely pay sufficient heed to what fred said. but his boatswain's account of the matter satisfied him, and he was as willing as any one of the party to postpone the disagreeable visit to boden, and return to collaster with as much expedition as possible. under the doctor's skilful directions the injured man was removed to the boat, which was soon being rowed by six pairs of strong arms back to lunda; and while so proceeding, fred contrived to revive yaspard's hopes regarding signy. it was impossible, he said, that the boat could go far out to sea, for the many cross-currents would prevent her. nor was it likely that she could upset, unless she came in contact with the rocks. it was even possible that little signy, so intelligent and brave, might think of using the helm to guide herself. she was quite familiar with the working of a boat, and after the first panic was over might find some way of serving herself. thus fred talked, and yaspard's naturally sanguine nature caught inspiration from his words. he was even ready to smile, and say, "yes, the _laulie's_ crew will find her if any can," when fred spoke of the young mitchells and their boat, no doubt available at that time. unfortunately the _laulie_ was not available, for those restless boys had determined on a fishing expedition to the ootskerries preparatory to their viking-raid on trullyabister, and had gone off early that morning. however, there were many other, if less interested and less efficient, crews in lunda ready to do the young laird's bidding; and not long after his return a number of boats were leaving the island to scour its neighbouring seas in search of the lost child. yaspard could scarcely be constrained from embarking in the first available boat, and was only deterred by fred's assurance that he had a plan in his head which was only workable by themselves twain. "when you have fed and rested we will set about it; and while you are obeying the doctor by lying down on that sofa, i will go home and tell my mother what has happened, and what i purpose doing." in the afternoon--just twenty-four hours after the _osprey_ had sailed from the voe of collaster with a happy brother and sister aboard of her--fred and yaspard put off in a small boat, very like our viking's bark in size and build. they sailed straight for yelholme. by that time fred explained what his plan was, and yaspard became much excited over it, hoping everything from its peril and ingenuity. when they reached the holme they hauled down their sail, and waited "on their oars" till the tide was exactly in the same stage in which it was when signy was carried away by it. then the oars went in; the two adventurers sat passive on the middle thwarts, and let the boat go as the waters willed. away she spun round the holme, and out in the same direction that the _osprey_ had taken. "it's going to do, i really believe," yaspard exclaimed, and fred nodded; but fred's heart was heavy at thought of the beautiful little creature who had flown like a dove into his heart so short a time before. he could so easily recall the sweet-confiding way she rested her head against him; he almost felt her soft hair blowing about his face as it had done when arab carried them both to collaster, and he was also carried into the undiscovered country of a young man's ideals! they did not speak much as they drifted with the currents. they saw many of the boats that had been sent out, and spoke some; but no one had any report to make. nothing had been seen or heard of the _osprey_. "it is scarcely time to hear anything yet," said fred. "we must not be discouraged until we have heard from the boats that have gone farther away, and until our own plan fails to put us on her track." "i don't believe it will fail," answered yaspard, with a show of resolution far greater than his inward hope warranted. "we will hope, boy; and we will not forget that the father's watchful care has been about her in her loneliness and peril, poor little lassie!" they lapsed into silence after that, and drearily watched the water as it carried them along, until they began to near a group of skerries which lay on the direct way to havnholme. the steady current flowing past the point of yelholme had borne them in safety beyond all dangerous rocks until nearing that ugly group, and when they noted the direction in which they were then drifting their hearts sank. fred sat white and stern, looking at the black rocks round which the ocean seethed white, and yaspard wondered what he meant to do. he did not have much time to wonder. fred took the seat in the stern, and said in a low voice, "she shall go as far as we dare let her; stand by to lift the sail when i bid you." on went the boat, rolling more perilously as she came among the more disturbed waters; then it seemed that she lay checked between two huge waves for a moment; and while she so seemed to pause, the young fellows anxiously gazed at the group of skerries, fearing everything from their dark and frowning appearance. presently--could it be? yes, the boat was not proceeding as she had done. she was going in another direction; she had met a cross tide, and was being carried by it past the skerries, past the towering cliffs of havnholme, and into the quiet smiling little bay which gave that island its blessed name. chapter xix. "so he shut me in shield-wall." i have not been able to describe yaspard's grief when he lost sight of the _osprey_, and i am less able to describe his joy upon seeing her floating snug against the crags which were the favourite landing-place on havnholme. but neither he nor fred could utter a bound when they caught sight of signy lying under shelter of the skeö, which had been of like service to many a person before; but never surely to so fair, delicate, and forlorn a creature as she--when she quitted the boat on the previous evening, and sank down on the spot to weep herself into unconsciousness. the sun had gone down, and had risen, and was fast sinking to rest behind the western waves again, but signy had never moved from the place. once or twice she had waked up, and gazed wildly around until she had once more realised her position, then with a low cry, that was yet a prayer, she had buried her face in the grass again and lapsed into that state of half slumber, half stupor, which was a merciful relief from the more keen realisation of her position. in trembling haste her brother and fred landed, and ran to where she lay; but so lifeless did she seem that yaspard paused beside her, and dared not even stoop for a nearer look. it was fred garson who lifted her head, and tenderly put the hair back from the white, innocent face; then said with tears, "thank god, this is only sleep!" down yaspard dropped on his knees by signy, and when she opened her eyes they lighted first on her brother's face--white as her own, but full of gladness and love. for a few moments she did not realise what had happened to her. "brodhor! i had a strange dream," she murmured--"a terrible dream. but--where am i? oh! i remember! oh, yaspard! you have found me! oh, god heard all i said to him!" she leaned back on fred's arm again, and looked up at him with the same confiding look she had raised when they were galloping over the lunda heath, and she said very sweetly, "in the boat i thought of you helping yaspard to find me." they had brought wine and other nourishment with them, hoping that these might be found of use in that very way; and after signy had partaken of refreshment, she was able to smile a little and tell them how she managed to land. "the boat just went where it liked," she said, "and i was _so_ dreadfully frightened for a little while. then, as i prayed, it seemed all at once that i wasn't afraid any more, so i sat still and watched the sea, and wondered who would pick me up. after a long, long time the boat stopped rocking, and then i knew she had got out of the tides into the bay here. i had been here with yaspard, and knew it; and i thought if i could row, or steer, or something, i might get the _osprey_ to the land. i was afraid to try with the oars, so i went and steered, and i really managed to turn the boat so that she was carried to the shore at the right place. i got out and tied the rope as i had seen yaspard do. it felt so nice to stand on the ground again! but i was very tired; and i came up here, and looked all round at the sea, and i never had felt it to be a dreadful, dreadful thing before--never in my life! i had so loved the sea! but _then_--oh, it seemed so large, and powerful, and cruel! somehow i began to tremble all over after that, and i am afraid i cried very much. i am not sure when it was i fell asleep, but it seems ages ago." they would not let her talk any more about what had happened, but turned the conversation to home, and signy was soon able to chat on that theme with a degree of composure. after being rested and cheered, fred carried signy to the lunda boat, saying to yaspard as he did so, "we must all go together; and we can't bother with a boat in tow, so we had better secure the _osprey_ here till she can be fetched." "yes; and then if any of the search-party come to havnholme, they will know by that that signy has been found." the hour was late, and yaspard began to speculate upon what aunt osla and uncle brüs would say on being roused from their slumbers to receive the adventurers and hear the story which had so nearly ended in a tragedy. "i am afraid uncle will be very angry," said yaspard; but signy, who lived closer to the eccentric old man's heart and understood it better, affirmed that he would be so pleased to have her back in safety he would not "break out" on anybody. "besides," she added, "he will see that we _couldn't_ leave that poor man, and that it was all just a mere accident." yaspard was not so confident, nor yet was fred, but they did not discuss the point further; only fred remarked, "i'd carry you both straight away to lunda, and get dr. holtum to take you home and smooth matters as _he_ only can; but ill news travels fast, and it is quite possible that the catastrophe has been reported at moolapund; and reported with twenty exaggerations tacked on to it. in that case the sooner you are home the better;" and signy added, "i'd like best to go _home_." home had seemed so dear and far away while she was alone, that now her whole heart was turning to it with a passionate yearning; and her companions thoroughly understood the full meaning of her little sentence. the events of the last twenty-four hours had completely driven all else from our viking's mind, and he did not remember that he had trysted the lads of lunda to meet him that night at (what they had named) gloy's geo. but they, knowing nothing of what had taken place after they parted from the osprey, were not likely to break bargain in such an affair--promising, as it did, some rare fun. the boats which fred had sent out to scour the seas had not approached the ootskerries, knowing that the _laulie_ was there, and that her crew were not likely to miss seeing the lost boat if it came that way. moreover, the fishermen calculated that the tide would carry her in a more southerly direction, altogether ignorant of the influence, at a precise and fortunate moment, of cross-currents. as we have seen, fred garson judged differently and with a better result. but of all these things our lads were ignorant; therefore, shortly after fred's boat entered boden voe the _laulie_ set out from the ootskerries for her rendezvous; and what next happened to her crew you shall learn when we have safely housed the young adiesens at moolapund. there was the complete and brooding silence of nature at rest over land and sea when the boat sailed up the voe, and the three adventurers did not speak a word till signy caught sight of a light. "oh," she cried, "look! uncle has not gone to bed; there is a lamp burning in the parlour still." "that is very satisfactory," quoth fred; "but they can't have heard any rumour about you, else there would be more folks awake than the scientist, and other lamps besides that of the study." "uncle brüs will be grubbing among his specimens," said yaspard concisely. when they reached land they heard pirate begin to bark and whine, evidently aware of their vicinity, and eager to get out and give them welcome; and as they drew near the house the door opened and mr. adiesen appeared, in a fantastic dressing-gown and fair isle cap, saying to the dog, "what's the matter, pirate?" the "matter" became plain to his vision next moment in the form of signy, who flew into his arms crying, "oh, uncle, dear, dear uncle! i am so thankful to be here again. i was lost, and nearly died; and poor yaspard was left on yelholme." "bless the child!" he gasped; "what on earth is she saying? yaspard! do you know it is midnight? what is-- why, mr. garson! what--what!" for once in his life mr. adiesen was thrown off his balance. signy, springing up to bind her arms round his neck, caused him to stagger backwards into the hands of fred and yaspard, while their appearance and the girl's words upset his mind as much as his body. the joyful bounds and barks of pirate added to the old gentleman's confusion, and when set on his feet again he could only turn and walk back to his parlour in blank amazement. the others followed, of course, and stood waiting for him to speak, which he did shortly after resuming the arm-chair, which he had vacated at pirate's request. "explain yourself, sir!" he said severely, addressing fred. so there was nothing for it but for fred to begin and tell the story as best he might; but he had not proceeded far when signy crept to her uncle's knee. _then_ he noticed her face was white and drawn, and her eyes still full of a great fear. "stop a moment, sir," said mr. adiesen; "my child is ill. signy, who has frightened you?" "no one, uncle; only i was alone in the boat and on havnholme, and i was so afraid," and then she began to cry bitterly. he drew her close and looked frowning at yaspard; "you had charge of your sister!" he said very sternly. "the lad is not to blame, mr. adiesen," fred exclaimed. "he was doing a good action, and he has suffered much also. don't be hard on yaspard." "mr. garson saved me, uncle dear," sobbed signy. "he found me on havnholme; he is so good." "havnholme!" the old man muttered, and something like an electric shock went through him at that word. the change in his expression was not lost on fred. in a very few words he explained all; and when the narrative was ended he added, "we know that god had the dear child in his keeping all the time; and i am fain to believe that he who holds the seas in the hollow of his hand guided the boat to havnholme--_to havnholme_--for some wise purpose, mr. adiesen." the old man's face dropped to the curly head lying on his breast, but he only said, "the child must get to rest, and mam kirsty. ring that bell, yaspard, and then go and tell your aunt. sit down, mr. garson, sit down, till i've had time to think." fred did as he was bid, and so of course did yaspard; and a pretty scene he created in miss osla's room when he burst in there and told her all! the ringing of the bell had roused the maids and mam kirsty, who presented herself in the parlour with head discreetly and carefully covered in a huge cap and hap-shawl, but her feet and legs only protected by a short petticoat and pair of wooden clogs. her appearance and incoherent ejaculations were quite too much for the gentlemen, although their mood had been grave enough the moment before. they both laughed; and even signy's tears were checked as she cried out, "oh, dear mam kirsty, you do look so awfully funny." "take the child to her aunt's room," said mr. adiesen, "and see that she sleeps there to-night. she must not be alone. and some of you girls there prepare a room for mr. garson, and bring in some supper. be sharp now." he kissed signy fondly, and had no objections to offer to fred's doing likewise, but when she disappeared with her nurse he muttered, "i ought not to have trusted her out of this isle." chapter xx. "from the hands of my kinsfolk." "what on earth has become of that duffer?" said tom holtum, when the _laulie_ arrived at the geo and no yaspard appeared either on land or sea. "we are a little before our time," harry remarked; "but i don't see his boat anywhere along the voe--that is, as far as one can see in the dim and along such a twisting twirligig of a voe as this." "i vote we land and have a nap," said bill; but no one seconded him, as they expected the viking and his followers to appear at any moment. these did not put in an appearance, however; and after waiting a long hour tom said, "look here, boys, something unforeseen has stopped him--and it's something serious too. i expect the old man has smelt a rat, or yaspard has had qualms of conscience." "he'd have come and told us if _that_ were it," said harry promptly. "anyway," tom replied, "he hasn't come; and it does not look as if he were coming, and we can't sit here all night doing nothing. so i vote we proceed without sir viking." "he would not like it; and it is his quest, you know," harry laughingly made answer. "_his_ quest, but remember it is also _my_ what-you-call-am--little game. mind you i discovered the seal for myself, and i meant the job of taking her to be our job. father said it might have been better if yaspard had less to do with it. on the whole, boys, i don't think we can do better than start and reconnoitre, and take whatever chance comes our way." the others agreed, and, thinking it best not to venture up the voe, they decided to moor their boat at some safe place on the other side of boden and nearer trullyabister. "so said so done" was the way of those lads, and about the time when yaspard and fred were falling asleep, thoroughly tired out, the mitchells, tom, and gloy were stealthily creeping up the hill to the old ha'-hoose. "we must be careful and spry," quoth tom, "for the ogre 'walks' like a ghost o' nights, as i know to my cost." yaspard had described the ruins to them, and they knew all about the passage leading to the haunted room. _his_ plan for liberating the captives had been their plan, since no better could be; but they were not provided with the tools he meant to bring, and could not therefore carry out the programme as at first arranged. but those boys were not often at their wits' end, and whatever substitutes for sacks, saws, and shovels suggested themselves as available were carried with them from the boat. these substitutes consisted of a piece of sail-cloth and some bits of hard wood, an owzkerry[ ] and the boat-hook. they also brought away some stout rope, and a knife which had helped to end the career of many an aspiring fish. they were not without hope of finding a spade lying "handy" somewhere in the vicinity of the house; so that, on the whole, the young marauders were not so badly off for the sinews of war. they met with no adventure by the way, nor saw they the least sign to indicate that either of the night-roving inhabitants of trullyabister were awake. near the peat-stack they found a spade and a large stout keschie, which they appropriated, as harry suggested it would make a handy cradle for the baby seal. they stole into the ruined and roofless apartment as yaspard and the harrisons had done, and listened for sounds from the prisoners; but all was quiet. there was plenty of daylight by that time, so that they did not have to grope their way about. "of course the first thing," whispered harry, "is to make sure they are _there_, so i'll mount as the viking did." he clambered up to the window and took a good look in. it was a pity he did not take as good a look _out_, and then he might have noticed--at a window close by, the window of mr. neeven's study--the eyes of that ogre himself watching the boys with grave intentness. but harry, all unaware of such espionage, came down from the window, and reported mrs. sealkie asleep beside her baby in a corner made comfortable with straw and bits of carpet. to work then went the lads, one with a spade, another with a knife; and when these two were tired, the others took their place, so that the job was rapidly accomplished. their plan was to remove the lowest board which blocked the way to the passage, and to dig from under it a sufficient amount of earth to enable a boy to enter--or a seal to come out. they meant, _after_ capturing the captive, to hack the board and scrape the earth, so that any one would suppose that the seal had gnawed and clawed her own way to freedom; and they thought it a very clever plan indeed, saying that yaspard, with whom it originated, was the great inventor and general of the age. the seal did not sleep while this was going on so near her; but she had partaken of a late and large supper, and did not "fash" beyond now and then whining in a melancholy voice, which stimulated the young heroes to further efforts, and helped to cover the noise they made. before long they were satisfied that the opening was wide enough to allow them to enter crawling. "the first one that goes in will have to watch his head," said bill, "for i've heard that seals are very fierce when they have young ones around." "_this_ seal is trullya, and she will know us. anyway, she never was a crosspatch, and i'll go first," replied harry the wise and brave. "and i don't see," he added, "that any one else need go in there. i'll try and persuade her ladyship to inspect this aperture, and take a 'constitutional' down the passage." but tom wasn't going to let another eclipse him in valour, particularly as this quest was his, so, before harry had done speaking, tom ducked and soon wriggled himself through the opening. harry followed, after cautioning bill and gloy to go out of the passage and keep watch, to give the alarm in case mr. neeven or fule-tammy should come upon the scene. the sealkie was neither alarmed nor disturbed by her visitors. she had evidently returned to her tame confiding ways, and allowed the boys to come close to her. when harry spoke to her by name, using also some soft notes which fred had taught trullya to understand as a call to meals, she responded in her plaintive voice, which left no doubt of her identity; but when tom attempted to touch the baby she uttered a sharp bark and glared at him in a manner that showed she was by no means prepared to allow their overtures to go a step further. "what shall we do if she won't come out?" asked tom; "we couldn't muffle her _here_, could we?" "you go along, and leave madame to me," replied harry; and tom made his exit. harry had "a way" with animals, and he soon managed to persuade trullya to leave her couch. then the baby, restless and curious as small persons are, crept to the opening and peeped out. the mother followed, and finding the barriers against which she had daily fretted removed, waddled slowly into the passage, followed by her young one. harry hastily tumbled the earth and broken bits of wood about the opening, and followed the sealkie into the large room, where he found her looking amazedly at the three boys stationed at spots where they thought she might escape. tom had taken up the piece of sail-cloth, and he was preparing to throw it over the seal when all were startled by the sound of a loud cough not far away. "gracious!" one exclaimed in a horrified whisper. "he's coming!" said another. the cough was repeated, and the person who coughed was nearer. moreover, footsteps were heard! these sounds proceeded from the north side of the house, and the four boys promptly and silently evacuated the ruin over the south wall. "run for the peat-stack," harry whispered; and when they were crouching behind it he said briefly, "it's all up. that was mr. neeven. we must creep round to the knowes, and then make tracks for our boat." setting the example, he started for the knowes, crawling over the ground like a red indian on the war-trail, and followed by his companions. if they reached the knowes unobserved they might hope to get off in safety, for those little hillocks intercepted the view from trullyabister, preventing any one there from seeing across the hill which the lunda boys had to cross. but when they reached the knowes mr. neeven suddenly appeared from behind them, saying sternly, "what is this? what! tom holtum, who calls himself a gentleman!" they were beautifully caught, and rose from their reptile position shamefaced and discomfited. tom, whose audacity frequently stood them in better stead than harry's self-possession, was the first to face the very awkward situation. "we didn't mean any harm, sir," he said. "we only came to take fred garson's pet sealkie." "indeed! and where may fred garson's pet sealkie be?" "she was in the haunted room--goodness knows where she may be by this time," was the very cool answer of master tom. "are you aware, young gentleman, that breaking into a house is a burglarious offence, for which you are liable to imprisonment with hard labour during a term of years?" that was a terrible speech; but a sudden break in the speaker's voice, and a mirthful look which he could not repress, were noted by harry, who took them as hopeful signs; so, plucking up courage, he replied-- "you know what is fair and right as well as we do, sir; and i put it to you--were we doing a bad thing in trying to recover our friend's property in a quiet way? he might have sued mr. adiesen in the law courts, and made no end of a row." "always supposing, my lad," mr. neeven interrupted, "that the seal could be proved to be his." "i can prove it easily," harry answered confidently. "she answered to the old call fred used; and besides that, isabel made a sketch of her. every mark on her skin is in the picture." "and more," said tom; "the sealkie was caught on fred's property, where no person had business to be without _his_ leave." "that, too, is a point open to question. but what _i_ have to do with is this disgraceful burglary. i believe it is admitted that you had less business in trullyabister than mr. adiesen had in havnholme." there was no denying that truth, and the boys hung their heads. "follow me," said the ogre. "first you shall show _me_ if the animal recognises your call, and after that i'll tell you what i mean to do with you." the whole party returned to the ruins; but when they got there they were just in time to see trullya and her baby flopping over some crags near the back of the house, which was situated only a little way from the sea on _both_ sides. the boys were about to start in pursuit, but mr. neeven stopped them. "let her go to her own," he said almost gently. and in a few minutes the seal reached the ocean and was free once more. [ ] "owzkerry," scoop for baling water. chapter xxi. "nought had'st thou to praise." when trullya disappeared, the ogre turned upon the boys with a savageness that was very much put on; for their rueful looks, disappointment, headlong action, and love of fun, had appealed to him in a way he was not prepared to combat very seriously. but he was not going to let them know that. he laid a hand heavily on tom's shoulder, and asked, "how came you to know about the seal?" "i saw her at the window, and i guessed a lot." mr. neeven saw in the four candid faces before him that there was more to tell. "how did you find your way into my house, and to that particular portion of it? very few persons know about those passages and places." they were silent. they would not tell on yaspard, and seeing that his question remained likely to be unanswered, he asked another. "haven't you entered into a viking campaign, with my young relative yaspard adiesen for your 'enemy,' of all games in the world?" "yes," said tom; "but his uncle was told about it, and our fathers know." "then your fathers are as----" he stopped short, for harry mitchell's eyes were flashing on him in a very spirited manner, and harry's voice, raised and determined, interrupted him. "excuse me, sir, but i think we must not listen if you go on _that_ tack. blow us sky high about our _own_ doings. we own up that we might have made our raid in a more open way, and given you warning that we meant to attack your castle. _that_ would have been more like honest vikings; but, all the same, we aren't going to admit that we've done anything really wicked, or that our fathers would have permitted us to carry on so if it had been wrong. and we are ready to take any punishment you think right to inflict." "it was only our madram," [ ] added tom, using an old shetland word, which gaun neeven had heard applied to himself in days gone by more often than any other term. "only _boys' madram_," his gentle mother had so often said to excuse his foolishness and screen him from the results of many an escapade. his boyhood was being swiftly recalled by the antics of those boys, and by tom holtum's ways and words. he saw his boyish self more in tom than in the others, and the contact with those young spirits was doing the recluse good. the hand on tom's shoulder pressed more heavily, but it was not an ungentle touch, and tom wondered what was coming next. "madram!" muttered neeven, as if he were thinking aloud, and had forgotten their presence. "madram, boys' madram! there may be worse things in the world than that." the cloud lifted a little from their spirits then; and a welcome diversion took place at that moment in the form of yaspard, who presented himself on the scene, flustered, and eager to take the blame of whatever had happened on his own shoulders. after a dreamless slumber of an hour or two, he had waked up to remember his tryst, and getting up at once, had hastened to a spot where he could see if the _laulie_ were anywhere near the geo. pirate accompanied him, and did not at all care for going in the direction of the geo, but kept scampering towards another point, frequently looking back, as if he wished his young master to follow. the _laulie_ was not in sight, and yaspard feared the boys had returned home on finding he did not keep his promise, or had heard of the _osprey's_ misfortunes, and had not come at all. while he speculated pirate grew impatient, and begged in every expressive canine manner that he knew better than yaspard, who at last yielded to the dog's persuasions and followed, to find the _laulie_ moored not far from where he was. "just so!" he exclaimed. "i see! when they found i did not come, they started on the adventure without me." after that he set off for trullyabister, and appeared before mr. neeven and his "enemies," as i have stated. "you are early afoot!" was the salutation spoken sarcastically by the master of the situation. but our hero, nothing daunted, answered-- "good morning, sir! well, boys, i suppose you tried it without me, and failed, of course." "i was convinced none other than yourself was head and tail of the affair," remarked mr. neeven, in the same cool, sarcastic manner. "i think you must be finding by this time that vikinging, otherwise burglary, doesn't fit in with modern civilisation." "and there are other things don't fit in either," retorted yaspard quickly; then recovering himself at once, he added hastily, "but i don't mean to fuss. if you please, by-and-by i'll have a quiet talk with you, sir, about a very important matter. now, boys, you want to know why i didn't keep my tryst with you. it is a long story, and a very dreadful and a very strange one." he then recounted all that had occurred since the _laulie_ and _osprey_ parted company, and mr. neeven, as well as the lads of lunda, was deeply moved by the story. yaspard alluded as little as possible to the light which had caused the wreck, and he did not mention at all that he had seen one similar himself. many were the exclamations of astonishment and sympathy with which his story was heard, but when it was finished our young adventurers found their usual mode of expressing much feeling. "three cheers for the little lady, and three times three for fred garson!" tom called out. up went their caps in the air, and out rang their wild hurrahs, louder and heartier at each renewal, to the consternation of fule-tammy, who was waked from slumber by the uproar, and came out rubbing his eyes, with all his hair on end, and wailing, "the trows! the trows! they've come tae pu' doon a' the house at last." he was a comical sight, and laughter took the place of cheering. the boys caught each other's hands and formed a circle round tammy, dancing, laughing, shouting, like the wildest of wild savages, until he recognised some of them, and added to their mirth by squatting in the midst of them, and saying, "weel, noo! and i thought it wis the trows! my lambs, ye can carry on like yon till ye're weary. it's no puir tammy 'at sall stop your madram. but, for a' that, ye're a set o' filskit moniments." [ ] "get up, tammy. boys, come into the house with me," said mr. neeven, when the tumult subsided and he could make himself heard. they followed him to his study, and they were not ungrateful for some scones and milk which he caused tammy to set before them; but his grim expression did not relax, and they did not find their confidence rise very much. after a little time yaspard said, "will you please let me have some private talk with you? i really _must_, before uncle begins to question me to-day, or any one comes from lunda, as i expect they will." he was taken to another room, but we will not intrude upon that interview. mr. neeven's face wore a heavy frown when they returned, but he only said, "you will all go now with yaspard; he can stow you somewhere, i expect, till the family gets out of bed. you and your boat may find employment in conveying the laird of lunda to his own island. i have nothing further to say to you, except to warn you not to make raids upon me again." "thank you, sir," said the mitchell brothers; and tom added, "it is more than good of you to let us off so easy; all the same, i wish we had fred's sealkie for him. but thank you, mr. neeven; and i'm sure if i can ever do anything for yon, i'll be as pleased as punch." then they were dismissed curtly, but not unkindly; and gaun neeven felt his room to be all the darker and lonelier when the mischief-loving laddies were gone. when they got a bit away from the house harry called a halt. "look you," said he, "this is no kind of hour in which to invade a decent house. let's go to our boat, and bring her round to moolapund." "and say we've come for fred, as flat as you like," added tom; "it will be quite like our impudence." "and will be true enough," said yaspard. "only there is more in it than that." "we shan't mind telling your uncle all about it," tom replied, "if you don't think it will make a row." "there won't be any need to tell him at present, and he is bound to hear it from mr. neeven. these two have long confabs every day, and i just believe--for i've sometimes heard bits of their talk--that they don't talk science so much as all about the pranks they played when they were boys. you wouldn't think it, to look at him, but aunt osla says mr. neeven was an awful boy." it was hard to imagine the serious scientist and the melancholy recluse two restless mischievous boys. the irreverent young rascals amused themselves till they reached the _laulie_ with fancy sketches of the two gentlemen (when they were known merely as brüs and gaun) getting into all sorts of ridiculous pickles, until harry checked the nonsensical chatter by remarking, "every man is a boy first, and has to be a bit of a donkey, with the tricks of a monkey, till he grows up and gets sense. i hope we will all grow up with half the brains in our noddles that these two have got." bill mitchell had scarcely spoken a word since the time they were discovered, but now he said very solemnly, "he's full of brains, that man! but i'd rather be more empty-headed, and less like a katyogle[ ] that's been sitting on a stone all day with a dozen of undigested sandyloos[ ] and sna-fowl[ ] in his crop." [ ] "madram," extravagant action, the result of wild, animal spirits. [ ] frisky simpletons. [ ] "katyogle," snowy owl. [ ] "sandyloos," ringed plover. [ ] "sna-fowl," snow buntings. chapter xxii. "give ye good counsel." when they reached moolapund they found all the household up and assembled for breakfast. even signy--though she looked pale and nervous--was there. the _laulie's_ approach had been noticed, but mr. adiesen merely remarked, "your young friends come to fetch you, mr. garson, i suppose?" he exchanged a knowing look with fred. they had been conversing in private that morning for two hours, and both came into the breakfast-room with beaming faces. even aunt osla could see without spectacles that a great change had come over her brother, and the good lady's heart was lightened, for she was sure the feud had come to an end at last. yaspard came to much the same conclusion when he ushered his companions into the house, and saw uncle brüs leaning familiarly on fred's arm, and quite ready to greet the lunda boys with cordiality. this was what our viking-boy had longed for, and had hoped to bring about; yet there was a comical regret mingled with his pleasure as he thought, "there will be no more excuse for my viking raids." as they all gathered around the table mr. adiesen said, "i suppose you came for your captain, young gentlemen?" a moment's pause. "yes," said harry; "we were sure he would want to get home soon to report signy and yaspard all right, but----" "there's a 'but,' is there? well?" said the laird with a smile, which was reflected on fred's face. "we did not _leave home_ with such an intention," harry went on resolutely. "we came to join yaspard in a quest which ended in a muddle." "because i wasn't there," said the viking. and then they told all about their night's work; and tom prefaced the telling by a very sensible remark. "it's got to be known, and we'd much rather have it all out, and take the consequences as you like. it might look like being sneaky, or fibicating, if we held our tongues." when all was confessed mr. adiesen turned to his nephew. "yaspard," he said, "you are usually truthful and candid; why have you allowed me to hear all this from some one else?" "i was afraid that you would stop me from having any more raids, and that the feud would have it all its own way after this." he looked straight at his uncle, ready for a storm if it came, but it didn't. "there will be no more feud, my boy," was the mild answer mr. adiesen made. "i have agreed to bury the feud in gratitude for this child's deliverance from great peril," and he laid his hand tenderly on signy's bright hair. "dear, dear uncle!" she exclaimed; and miss osla, behind the teapot, began to sniff preparatory to a sentimental effusion, which was fortunately checked by yaspard exclaiming, "then that makes an end of our jolly vikinging, boys." they all laughed, all save signy, who so thoroughly entered into her brother's feelings, and she said, "that does seem a pity, brodhor; just when you had got it all so splendidly arranged." "perhaps," fred remarked, "some other method may suggest itself. i don't see why you can't--now that a treaty of alliance is made--join forces and go on the war-path together." "but there's no enemy!" said yaspard; "one can't fight without a foe." "i dare say they will turn up if they are looked for. if you hoist the black flag you will certainly find some one in the world ready to try and haul it down, i am glad to say." "all right, fred," tom cried; "since you counsel such action, we'll range ourselves under yaspard's banner, and it shall be 'boden and lunda against the world.'" "stop! stop! you misunderstand me, tom. i said that i was glad that there were plenty of foes of the black flag, and that you would find it so; but in saying that i did not desire you to sail under it. and, yaspard, i think you are a little adrift about your vikinging. it was only a section of the gallant vikinger who made piracy their profession, or need its hateful sign. why identify yourself with that lot? there are plenty of black flags flying all over the world, and not so many of the red cross, my lad. our boys still call me their captain, so if you will all take your captain's advice, i'd say--let the black flag be the pall of the feud. sail with a noble minority under the christian badge, as many a viking did, and _then_ it should be right well, 'boden and lunda against the world.'" "good for you, fred," said harry; but tom declared he couldn't see through allegories; and that fighting the "world" in that fashion didn't solve yaspard's difficulty about his jolly game; and he turned to yaspard for assistance in the argument. but our hero was "all with" fred, and could see no fault in him. "obedience and no argument is the first rule of all who elect to follow a chief," yaspard said decidedly. "you must see as your captain bids you, tom." "that's right," harry mitchell struck in; "we all agree with fred. good-bye to the black flag; and may balder guide you to fresh fields of adventure, sir viking, for we look to you to provide us with something 'worthy of our steel.'" "quotations from scott and garth halsen are always dodging among harry's yackles,[ ] ready to dance on the tip of his tongue when the smallest opportunity occurs," remarked tom. "practical tom holtum aspires to poetic language," retorted harry, with some heat. "there they go!" exclaimed bill, giving a small kick to each, as he happened to be seated between them. "always sparring at each other like young cocks." "sailing under the black flag, eh?" said mr. adiesen to tom and harry, who looked a little ashamed, but joined in the laugh at bill's next speech. "talk of feuds," quoth he. "these two have had a feud of their own going since they were born." "why, there is the _osprey_ coming up the voe," signy called out. she had left the table a minute before, and had gone to the window to throw out some scraps to the pet birds waiting, well assured that they would not be forgotten. very few boats came up boden voe, especially at such an unusual hour, therefore more than one of the breakfast party followed signy to the window to see who was coming. "it's father for one," said tom. "and that schooner's captain for another," said fred. "now for it," thought yaspard. "i wonder what i ought to do? i can't peach on poor fule-tammy." he was not put to the test, for as the boat reached the quay gaun neeven stalked up to the door followed by the culprit tammy, looking quite satisfied with himself, and not at all disconcerted by the many eyes turned upon him--some in wonder why he was there, some in pity for his half-witted condition which had caused so much trouble. "shall we boys clear out of the way?" harry asked of mr. adiesen, who assured him there was no necessity for their effacing themselves, as he believed a very few words with the _norna's_ skipper would explain everything. "i wish i had not come on a disagreeable errand," said dr. holtum, as he shook hands all round. "yes, tom, i expected to find you boys here. you generally do contrive to get on fred's track. we were so thankful, adiesen, to learn that the child was safe. one of our boats found the _osprey_ at havnholme, and brought the news and the boat to lunda." then mr. neeven spoke abruptly--"before anything further is said i wish to state that i have discovered what caused the deplorable accident to the schooner _norna_, and i will make good the loss--though not bound to do so--to her skipper, who i understand was also her owner." "that's handsomely said," remarked the captain; "and when i hear the explanation i will be better able to judge whether it is justice or generosity." taking no notice of that surly speech, neeven turned to fule-tammy. "tell this gentleman, tammy, about the peat fires you light on the heogue." "weel, sir," said tammy, leering, and shaking himself, "it wis this way. the laird wis aye spakin' and spakin' o' getting yon things 'at they ca' lichthooses upo' wir isles, and he wad say hoo puir seafaring men wis drooned, and ships broken into shallmillins upo' the baus and skerries a' for want o' a licht upo' the laund. and, thinks i, there's plenty o' pates in boden, and a gude pair o' haunds here tae mak a roogue[ ] 'at should lowe a muckle lowe ony nicht. and why shouldna puir tammy's pate-stack do as well tae mak a lowe as a lamp in a lichthoose? the laird, puir body, is that taen up with bukes and bits o' stanes and skroita[ ] that his head wasna big eneuch tae think like puir tammy, 'at had nae mair tae do but gang drodgin[ ] wi' a pate keschie and the like. so, thinks i, tammy sall big a lichthoose o' pates upo' da heogue, and tammy sall be the licht-keeper, and des[ ] be a bonnie lowe when the winds blaw. mony a keschie-fu' has puir tammy carried tae dat spot, and mony a puir seafaring man will hae said, 'blessin's be upo' da cruppin[ ] 'at set yon taunds intae a lowe!'" so perfectly satisfied with himself and his performance was tammy, that not even the _norna's_ skipper would allow himself to laugh or say a harsh word. the poor man's mental condition was so obvious, that no one could doubt for a moment that the truth regarding the mysterious fire had been told. "that will do, tammy; you can go home now," said mr. neeven, and tammy departed forthwith. [ ] double teeth. [ ] heap. [ ] lichen. [ ] go dawdling. [ ] there shall. [ ] body. chapter xxiii. "and bound fast their swords in webs goodly woven." "i think," said fred as tammy shuffled away, "that some of us must follow the 'light-keeper's' example and take ourselves off, especially as we came without invitation." but no one would permit him to say another word about leaving. mr. neeven curtly requested the _norna's_ captain to accompany him to trullyabister "on business." dr. holtum, harry mitchell, and fred followed mr. adiesen to his study, for the purpose of inspecting some of its treasures. aunt osla insisted upon signy's retirement to a sofa--for the child still looked wan and nervous. yaspard carried off tom and bill to noostigard, where gloy had gone immediately after breakfast to tell the harrisons all the astonishing news. thus the lawn at moolapund was cleared of the large human party which had assembled there--the first for many years; and their places were taken by the motley crowd of birds and beasts who daily assembled for the matutinal meal the scientist never failed to give them from his own hands. great was the astonishment created amongst them by his non-appearance on this occasion. loki stretched out his long neck with the curious jerk which makes a cormorant look so idiotic as well as voracious, while one or two scories[ ] gave utterance to a good deal of strong language. pigeons, chickens, shelders,[ ] sparrows, and starlings skirmished for the crumbs, &c., which signy had put out, and wondered what was to happen next; a pony shoved his frowsy head against the window, and a patient large-eyed ox stood near the door with the obvious intention of remaining there till the master put in an appearance. all were envious of the favourite cat who was seated serenely inside the window, blinking complacently at the assemblage through a safe shield of glass, and at last her airs of superiority and content became too much for thor. after hopping sedately about, contriving to annex the tit-bits from signy's contribution, and making inquiries into the position of affairs, sir raven suddenly alighted on the window-sill in front of mistress puss, and screamed harshly in her very face, "shoo! shoo! uncle, uncle, uncle!" the feline person waited for no second remark, but setting up her back at thor, she cursed him in cat language and hastily decamped; whereat the astute thor, turning to the company observant of all that was taking place, said "just so!" by that time the patience of a good many of the creatures was exhausted, and they took to falling out with one another, the result of which was a concert so peculiar that it drew the attention of the gentlemen, even though they were very intently turning out the contents of a cabinet. "ah, poor things! i don't often forget them," mr. adiesen said by way of explaining the clamour outside, and--excusing himself to his guests--he hurried away to his menagerie. dr. holtum and fred stood together at the window and watched the scientist distribute food to his dependants, while fred told the doctor a great deal of what had passed between himself and his hereditary enemy; and we may be sure his listener rejoiced over such a happy termination to the feud of years. a pleasant morning glided swiftly to the hour of noontide dinner, when the boys returned to the ha' hungry and in high spirits. they had concocted a grand "lark" while at noostigard; and they had encountered mr. neeven at the hoobes, when he had invited tom to come to trullyabister whenever he so pleased. "and i'll go," said tom, when the recluse was out of hearing. "i'll go, and i'll take the rest of us with me." after dinner the doctor said, "you have a lunda boat here; and i must be at collaster this afternoon, but i don't want to hurry fred. perhaps some of the boys will take me home and return for him." but fred required to go home too, so it was settled that the whole lunda party were to depart together. "we are to meet, however, on friday," said fred, "and have a splendid picnic in honour of little signy. she is to be queen of our revels." "hurrah! all right! just your style! good for you, fred!" in such words the lads let it be known how thoroughly they appreciated any such project; and when they subsided mr. adiesen said, "i wished the picnic to be here--on boden, i mean; our island is a scrap compared with lunda in size, but we have some cliffs and caves quite as fine as those of any of the shetland isles; and i could show you some fine scenery from the heogue. but mr. garson wishes his picnic to be held on----" the old gentleman came to a very full stop, pushed back his spectacles from his nose to his forehead, drew himself up and looked around, meaning to be very emphatic indeed (which he was). "yes," he resumed, when all his hearers were sufficiently impressed with the importance of what he had to state--"yes, mr. garson desires, and i cordially agree, that the picnic--i might call it the celebration of our thanksgiving for my signy's preservation. yes--hum! this meeting of my family with our _friends_ of lunda is to take place on---- havnholme!" who can say what it cost that old man to agree to fred's proposal; to bury his pride and his resentment, his ancestral prejudice and his personal arrogance, and meet the laird of lunda with his friends on the disputed piece of earth? we cannot understand either the position or the concession, which seem almost ludicrous in our estimation, but were sufficiently solemn, even tragic, in the sight of brüs adiesen, living a secluded life apart from men, and nursing there every fantastic or unreasonable or old-world idea. the boys had not a word to say when their host's speech was concluded; but a sniff from miss osla, which might be the prelude to tears and sentiment, warned dr. holtum not to leave the silence for _her_ to break, and he remarked-- "a good thought. we have not had a picnic on havnholme for ages. the last time i saw the yarl of broch, he was saying he had not set foot on the holme since he was a boy, and got thrashed there by you, adiesen, eh?" "i remember! i remember!" answered the scientist, chuckling and rubbing his hands together. "we were boys then--yes, boys--and boy-like, very ready for a row. it seems so short a time ago! it was, yes, it was a rare good fight--the only time i ever came off best! ha! ha! i was not a fighting boy as a rule. i may say neeven could always lick me; so could my poor brother yaspard. but _that time_--don't know how it happened--i thrashed halsen. i did indeed, though you mayn't think it." "i am awfully surprised," said blunt tom holtum. "you may be that," rejoined the scientist, not in the least nettled by the implication in tom's speech. "you may well be surprised, for he is twice my size; he was a big boy, and is a big man. yes! the yarl is a genuine old shetland viking of the right sort." "he'd suit you down to the ground, yaspard," quoth tom; and fred garson added, "you would freeze to garth halsen, boy. he is as mad about vikinger as you are, only it's in another way. i'll ask them to join our party. you would like to see mr. halsen again, wouldn't you?" "to be sure," mr. adiesen replied. "we'll fight our battle o'er again--with our tongues this time. by all means let's have the yarl and his boy on friday." so things were settled; and in high good-humour the lunda boys escorted dr. holtum and their young captain to the boat, and with hearty good-will rowed home, singing lustily as they pulled-- "a life on the ocean wave, a home on the rolling deep." when the lunda boat was out of sight yaspard heaved a long sigh, and said to signy, who with him had stood watching their new friends until the curves of the voe hid them from sight, "well! i suppose i may stop my raids when i like now. there is no feud, and no occasion to go on the warpath." "it seems almost too good to be true, brodhor," the girl made answer. "you need not mind giving up your vikinging for such a good reason." "that's true," he answered cheerily; "only we were getting no end of fun out of it. however, we must think of some other plan, as mr. garson said. oh! but isn't _he_ a brick, signy?" "he is just splendid," was the fervent answer. "they are _all_ splendid," replied the lad, "except perhaps tom holtum. i don't like him much. and to think of cousin neeven taking to _that_ one of all the lot! well! if tom is to be visiting at trullyabister, where even i have not more than a half-civil 'good-day'-and-don't-stay-long sort of welcome, there will be hot times in boden, and plenty of rows." "oh, brodhor! don't set up a feud of your own, i beseech!" signy cried, with a comical look of dismay on her face, and lifting both hands in appeal. yaspard burst into laughter. "oh, mootie, what a little goose you are! i couldn't keep a feud going to save my life. i can fight! i dare say, if that chap is much about, i shall knock him down if he cheeks me, but we will shake hands on the spot every time, you bet! _i_ a feud! no, signy, i am not a fool just yet; though if i had stayed much longer on yelholme, i'd have lost the little wit i now possess." they strolled away to the house, and did not know that uncle brüs had been lying sunning himself on the other side of the stone wall near which they stood. as the brother and sister departed the old gentleman muttered, "not a fool yet! no, yaspard is not such a fool now as his uncle has been through a wasted long life. heaven pardon me!" [ ] young gulls. [ ] oyster-catchers. chapter xxiv. "meet and right it is, fair lord, that i should go." the day before that on which the picnic was to take place a mysterious communication passed between the young laird of lunda and yaspard adiesen, the effect of which was to set our viking into a fit of the fidgets combined with a state of exhilaration of spirit that threatened to effervesce in a dangerous manner at any moment. but nothing more serious came of it than the startling of miss osla's wits by an apparition of her nephew prancing downstairs with one of signy's old dolls in his arms, and his face and head wrapped in a piece of black linen, upon which our young hero had sketched a death's-head and cross-bones. as the terrific symbols were spread over his face, it was scarcely wonderful that miss osla got a fright, and called him a profane boy; but signy--who was following her brother--explained that "it" was only the "black flag," and that it would never frighten anybody any more; with which explanation the gentle old auntie was quite satisfied. friday came, a glorious summer day, and promising to continue so. yaspard was up early, putting some finishing touches to his boat, which had been undergoing a good deal of cleaning and painting in honour of the occasion. he was all impatience to be off soon, desiring to be the first at the rendezvous; but uncle brüs was not a person who liked to be hurried, and took his usual time to finish breakfast and feed his pets in spite of yaspard's fidgets. fortunately the harrison brothers (who were to be the _osprey's_ crew that day) arrived soon; and he found some relief in discussing with them the projected "lark" to which i have alluded, and which will be recorded in its proper place. at last mr. adiesen and his sister came from the house, the former carrying a vasculum and field-telescope, the latter burdened with shawls and umbrellas, which were an insult to the sun, smiling that day as he seldom condescends to smile on hialtland. signy followed her guardians, and pirate came with her, bounding and barking his delight--for he was still a young dog, and expressed his pleasure naturally, as young creatures do. yaspard's eager impatience did not prevent him from noting his little sister's attractive appearance, and he called out as she came running to the quay, "why, mootie, you do look spiff[ ] to be sure! where on earth did you get that elegant frock from?" "out of aunt osla's bullyament[ ] boxes," said she; and aunt osla herself explained that the bairn's "best things" had been worsted during her terrible adventure, which had obliged miss adiesen to make a new dress. all the same, signy knew that the good lady had consulted with mam kirsty, and had come to the conclusion, fortified by the opinion of her _aide-de-camp_, that "whether or no," such an important occasion demanded a new frock for the queen of the revels. the shetland ladies of that time were wont to keep "by them" a hoard of "material," seeing that shops were beyond their reach; therefore miss adiesen was at no loss to provide a suitable and elegant picnic costume for the darling of boden; and the result did credit to her taste and ingenuity. as the family party were taking their places in the boat, two unexpected guests arrived with the evident intention of joining the others. these were thor and mr. neeven. thor coolly lighted aboard and settled himself close by mr. adiesen, remarking, as he did so, "just so! bad boy! bad boy! uncle!" these observations evidently referred to pirate--not the scientist--who was lying at their master's feet with head lovingly rested against his knee, a position which thor never liked to see occupied by any one, for he was a jealous bird. mr. adiesen welcomed sir raven by handing him a crust from the capacious pocket which never failed to carry a supply of such tokens of good-will. while addressing thor in the way he liked best, the old gentleman greeted his cousin by saying, "glad you thought better of it, and have come, gaun. fine day for an excursion, this. here is a comfortable place for you," and he made room for neeven beside miss osla; but the recluse merely nodded "good morning" to his relatives, stepped along the thwarts to the bow, and seated himself there. his ways, peculiar and not meant for incivility, were too well known to provoke comment. the _osprey_ was shoved off by yaspard, while lowrie and gibbie got out a pair of oars to help the boat along, as the wind was very light. brüs adiesen was in high good spirits, and insisted upon taking an oar too as soon as his nephew sat down to row. then signy began to sing for very gladness of soul, as the birds do. yaspard took up the chorus of her song, which was commented upon by thor in his usual sage manner; and even miss osla forgot to seem afraid of the sea--a sentimental fashion which had been considered a feminine attraction in the days of her youth. altogether the _osprey's_ party was as happy and almost as blithe a one as that of the _laulie_, which arrived at the little bay of havnholme a few minutes after the boden boat. shortly afterwards two more boats arrived in company. these were the _vaigher_ and _mermaid_, containing all the rest of fred's guests. he was in his father's place at the vaigher's helm, presiding, as his father would have done, over the safety of the elder and more sober portion of the party. his sister isobel had the management of the little _mermaid_, and her companions were gerta bruce and amy congreve, who had, of course, accompanied garth halsen and his father, the yarl of burra isle. any of us who made the acquaintance of the yarl, his household, and guests from england, will know all about those girls and garth, and will expect fun where they appear. it is a real pleasure to me (and i hope to you who read this) to renew my acquaintance with the burra isle contingent; to look once more on the tender faces of mrs. holtum and the "little mother" of those manse boys, and to hear the minister's genial laugh, as well as the doctor's cheery voice. what a shaking of hands and clatter of voices there were, to be sure! even pirate had to make a demonstration, for watchie had accompanied the holtums, and was ready to be friends with any dog. the only person who did not share in the general good-will and hilarity, who seemed indeed to be out of place among so many pleasant folk, and to feel himself quite above all such demonstrations of peace, was thor. after surveying the "ongoings" from the safe point of a masthead, he came to the conclusion that the proceedings interested him no more, and with a dismal croak he flew off to the skeö, and, seating himself on the topmost point of its ruinous gable, commented in very uncomplimentary terms upon the ways of mankind. as his opinions were expressed aloud, and accompanied by many grotesque and expressive gestures, he created a good deal of amusement, although mr. adiesen remarked gravely enough, "we ought not to have allowed thor to accompany us." "he won't stay at home unless he is shut up," yaspard explained; and signy added, "poor old thor! i dare say he is more pleased than he _seems_." "perhaps," fred whispered aside to the brother and sister, "the thunderer, the god of war, can appreciate a peace celebration as well as others." "anyway," replied yaspard, "there ought to be a 'chief mourner' at the funeral, and i don't know who can undertake the part if thor will not." "funeral! what do you mean, brodhor?" signy asked, with eyes very wide open; whereupon he beseeched her to be silent, or the cat would be out of the bag in a jiffy; and signy, still wondering but submissive, held her peace, while yaspard went rollicking from group to group, singing to a doleful tune with a grin on his face-- "thus said the rover to his jolly crew, _down_ with the black flag, _up_ with the blue. shake hands on main-deck, shake hands on bow; shake hands amidships, kiss down below." "you are improving on scott, i hear," said garth halsen. "i didn't know you went in for being a poet as well as a viking." "no more i do, but _i_ know you write poetry," retorted yaspard; and then fred said, "yes; and do you know he has been impudent enough to compose a ballad about a legend of your family, boy? think of that! i liked the ballad so well that i asked garth to bring it along and give us all the benefit; so you are to hear the story of your own great-granduncle, whose namesake you are, done into verse, with all the viking and shetlandic accompaniments. what think you of that?" "it depends upon how it is treated," quoth yaspard with most unusual caution, and eyeing garth as if he were some curious specimen more fit for uncle brüs's cabinets than a picnic. aunt osla, however, was charmed with the idea, said it was a very pitiful story, quite true, and just suitable for a ballad; so garth's verses were to be read after lunch and other ceremonies were over--for other ceremonies there were to be, as all could guess who saw fred garson talking eagerly apart with yaspard, then choose a lovely green spot, and say, "this will do. our dining hall can be on that flat lower down, but _this_ is exactly what we want. you might get some of the fellows to bring up a few stones, while i fetch the flag-staff." off went yaspard, and soon the harrisons and mitchell boys were helping him to convey some large stones to the brae which fred had chosen. "to fix a flag-staff" was all he told them, and they were not inquisitive, although our viking's smile and knowing look betokened something much more important than the erection of a flag-staff. "that will do, boys," said fred, returning from his boat with a long stout stick and a spade, and in a short time the noble flag of noblest britain, the beautiful red, white, and blue, with its mingled crosses telling so much of britain's fame and story, was floating over havnholme. [ ] smartly dressed. [ ] odds and ends. chapter xxv. "and thereto they plighted troth both of them." do you wonder how so many people (and the boys in particular) contrived to amuse themselves on that little island for a whole long summer day? i could write a volume about it, and still leave something to tell. perhaps, some day, we shall hear what each person said and did and discovered on that occasion, but at present we must confine ourselves to the chief incidents. first of these was the spreading of a bountiful lunch on a soft flat spot of turf, as green and fragrant as an english lawn, although yearly washed by the wild salt billows of the rough atlantic, and never touched by spade or ploughshare. then there was the lighting of a fire in the skeö, and the boiling of potatoes, and the infusing of tea. and when all these preparations where almost complete, yaspard stood upon a knoll and blew lustily on his "looder-horn" a signal agreed upon, and which brought all the scattered party together near the flag-staff. when they were all assembled, some casting very longing looks towards the banquet so invitingly spread on snowy linen with a border of emerald grass, others looking with some curiosity at the young host and master of ceremonies, fred said, "i've got a little speech to make, friends, if you will have patience to hear me. i have a little present to give to the little queen of our revels, and i can't do so without the little speech." "hear! hear!" from some of the listeners, and one (his sister isobel, be it known) said loud enough for all to hear-- "there was a little man, and he had a little gift for to give unto a little little maiden, oh." fred shook his head at her. "don't spoil my eloquence, bell! i won't say much, you may be sure." he drew a paper from his pocket, and the smile on his bright handsome face deepened into a wonderful resemblance to the chastened gracious light which had given so much attraction to his father's countenance. there was much, too, of his father's dignity and ease in his air, and tears sprang to many eyes as that striking likeness was noted. "his father's son, dear lad!" the yarl whispered to mrs. holtum, who could only look up with quivering lips in reply. "my friends," fred resumed, in graver tones, "you know why we are all here to-day. we meet to rejoice over little signy's preservation, and we meet _here_ to thank god who made this little holme a havn[ ] for her. it was well named havnholme. it has given shelter to many a storm-tossed bark. the tiny bay yonder has ever been the one safe shelter amid the breakers and billows which surround both lunda and boden. there is no other haven of refuge between your island, mr. adiesen, and mine, and we unite to-day in thanking god that little signy was saved on havnholme. in time past, my friends, the cross-currents were too much for some of the human barks that were out for life's voyage, and they swamped among the skerries instead of finding the calm shelter of this islet. we--that is, mr. adiesen and myself--are so thankful to-day, that we have agreed that the best expression of our gratitude will be a conferring of all our rights in havnholme upon the little lady who is queen of our party. little signy, you are to be henceforth sole owner of havnholme! this paper is the legal document transferring to you this island as the free gift of your uncle and myself. but there is another and more interesting method of assuming the rights of property; and, my friends, we purpose that signy adiesen, esquiress, of havnholme, shall 'turn turf' after the old shetland manner. i have loosened one or two sods here, so that she will be able to turn them easily. "there is just one small thing more to say. a number of you heard me, as captain of a crew of sea-rovers, advise yaspard adiesen to sail under this royal old flag, this fair tricoloured cross, and to make the black badge of thor into a pall! yaspard has agreed to my proposal. "his little sister possessed a doll which seems to have been an ill-omened creature all its days. its legs and arms were always coming off, its eyes have been renewed many times, but never kept their position without a squint. it was often lost; it frequently fell on people's toes, bruising them and wounding the feelings of inoffending mortals. it was an evilly-disposed doll evidently, and received the name of the 'feud.' this doll died the day signy went to ransom the viking. it died by the deed of pirate, who, finding it in a place where it ought not to have been, bore it to his hold, as any other pirate would, and gnawed the life out of it! "well, my friends, our viking has shrouded the doll feud in his black flag, and the turf signy turns will cover its grave! and now my little speech is ended." amid the wildest of cheers and the happiest of smiles yaspard deposited the doll feud, rolled up in his viking flag, in the hole which fred had dug; and when it was almost levelled up, signy took the spade and deftly "turned turf" as directed. a few pats with the flat side of the spade soon put the turf in proper position; and when the grave of miss feud was finished, yaspard flung his cap in the air and shouted, "death to all feuds! so perish all the queen's enemies!" "the feud is dead! long live queen signy!" cried fred, lifting the little girl in his arms; and then bill mitchell terminated the proceedings by calling out, "i vote we go to dinner now, or thor will have demolished the best part of it." to be sure, thor, taking advantage of such an excellent opportunity, when no eye was upon him (for pirate had slunk to his master's feet when the doll was produced, thinking that his misdemeanour was about to be declared and punished, and had no attention to bestow on a marauder), had hopped on to the table-cloth, and was rapidly investigating the "spread" with an eye to future confiscation. fortunately, bill was more interested in the food than in the feud, and gave notice of thor's depredation in time to prevent any serious calamity to the dinner. everybody hastened to the level ground, and were soon seated and busy over the good things which mrs. garson had provided with her usual consideration of individual tastes and necessities. when the more serious part of the meal was concluded, and tea and fruit was circulating, there was a great cry for garth's ballad of the boden boy who long years before had come to a tragic end in lunda. so the young scald modestly, but with capital effect, recited his story of hel-ya water.[ ] "where the sod is seldom trodden, where the haunted hillocks lie, where the lonely hel-ya water looks up darkly to the sky; where the daala mists forgather,[ ] where the plovers make complaint, where the stray or timid vaigher[ ] calls upon his patron saint; where the waves of hel-ya water fret around a rugged isle, where the bones of yarl magnus lie below a lichened pile, there the raven found a refuge, there he reared his savage brood; and the young lambs from the scattald were the nestlings' dainty food. year by year the viking's raven made that mystic spot his rest; year by year within the eyot brooded he as on a nest; and no man would ever venture to invade the lone domain where in solitary scheming the grim bird of doom did reign. it was yule-time, and the isles' folk sained[ ] the children by their fires; lit the yatlin,[ ] filled the daffock,[ ] as of ealdon did their sires. there was wassail in each dwelling, and the song and dance went round; and the laugh, the jest, the music, rose above the tempest's sound. ho! the winds are raging wildly, ho! the thunders are awake-- tis the night when trows[ ] have licence over saitor,[ ] hill, and brake. power is theirs on land and water, while the yule-star leads the night; for where trows may trice their circlet there they claim exclusive right. yelling round the hel-ya water, sobbing by its eyot drear, screaming with the tempest-furies, over hillock, over mere; on the wings of silent snow-flakes, on the bulwands[ ] from the rill, by the haunted hel-ya water flit those heralds of all ill. there the dismal bird of boding is exulting with the storm. who will dare to-night, and conquer the old raven's sable form? who will venture to the vatn,[ ] where the phantoms of unrest set their weird and magic signet on each knoll and wavelet's crest? see, young yaspard's eye is blazing, with the fires so fleet and free: come of magnus, yarl and sea-king, son of norland scald is he: well he knows the gruesome story of that evil-omened bird, and of trows and vengeful demons he hath dreamed and he hath heard. but his heart is hot and steadfast, and his hands are strong to try; he will dare with fiends to combat-- he will dare, and he will die. forth against the howling tempest, forth against each evil power, wild and reckless, went young yaspard in a dark unguarded hour. cold the surf of hel-ya water breaks around the norseman's grave, and the boy is lifted rudely by each charmed and chafing wars. now he struggles boldly onward, now he nears the haunted isle, where in grim and boding silence waits the bird of woe and wile. fain is yaspard to encounter that fierce harbinger of gloom-- fain to dare the spells of magic, fain to foil the wrath of doom. hark! the solitary raven croaks a note of death and pain, and a human call defiant answers from the flood again. * * * * morning breaks: a snow-drift cover all the drear deserted earth; in young yaspard's home is weeping, quenched the fire upon his hearth. but he broke the spells of evil, and he found a hero's grave. when you pass the hel-ya water cast a pebble to its wave." [ ] [ ] haven. [ ] holy lake. [ ] lowland mists meet each other. [ ] wanderer. [ ] guarded by christian rites from evil spirits, who are supposed to have great licence at yule. [ ] candles used on festive occasions. [ ] water bucket which was always required to be full of _clean_ water at yule. [ ] trolls. [ ] plains or pasture-land. [ ] bullrushes which trows are supposed to use as aerial horses. [ ] fresh-water lake. [ ] when passing any haunted water people cast therein a stone to appease the troubled spirits. chapter xxvi. "that work shall be wrought." "what a capital job you've made of the story," quoth yaspard when garth had finished. "i feel as if i ought to thank you in the name of my great-grand-uncle." "just so! bad boy! uncle! uncle! uncle!" said thor from a hillock close by. he spoke so very distinctly, and as if he understood every word, that even the elderly ladies of the party gazed in a sort of awe at the uncanny bird. "come here, thor!" mr. adiesen called out, extending a tempting bit of chicken towards sir raven, who immediately obeyed the invitation, and hopped to his master's knee. "why, you old rascal," the scientist went on, "i believe you are the great-grand-nephew of that raven of hel-ya water fame; indeed, if i had not taken you myself from the nest when you were only half-fledged, and i was a boy, i would believe that you were the identical bird of the legend." "if thor lives as long as the former thor did," said mr. neeven, "he will be over a century when he dies. you remember that fellow, brüs?" of course mr. adieson remembered his grandfather's raven, who had been the spy and plague of the lives of both gaun and brüs (when they were children), and whom they believed was possessed of an evil spirit. the conversation drifted into chat about pet birds, until some of the restless young people proposed a rowing match around the island, and out of that project sprang another. "i should like," said fred, "to take the little lady of the isle around it in the _mermaid_ first. she really ought to be the first to circumnavigate havnholme. will you trust her in my boat, miss adiesen?" "i suppose it is quite safe?" aunt osla asked by way of reply; and signy answered, "i shall be as safe in the _mermaid_ as i was on arab." "perhaps mr. adiesen will accompany us, to make safety safer," fred suggested; and the girl seconded his proposal by a "yes, please, uncle brüs." the old gentleman agreed, and away they went; and dr. holtum said aside to the minister that nothing more satisfactory had he ever witnessed than the sailing round havnholme of those two men together, with so sweet a bond between them as fair little signy. when the long, happy day was nearing its close, and the party was preparing to embark, isobel garson said, "i didn't like to spoil fred's beautiful oration and funereal ceremonies with any small idea of my own, but _now_ perhaps i may be allowed to suggest that we each take a beach stone and cast it on those 'turned' sods, and so erect a cairn in memory of this day." "a capital suggestion, my dear!" said mr. adiesen, who had taken quite a fancy to isobel, whose bright, high-spirited ways attracted him very much, and he was ready to second any suggestion she might offer. "good for you, isobel!" exclaimed her brother; "but i don't see why we need confine ourselves to one stone each. let us make the cairn a good big one, boys." in a short time a considerable heap of round, smooth stones from the shore were piled over the sepulchre of the feud, and yaspard remarked, "there never was a fend strong enough to escape from under that big rougue." "shoo! shoo! shoo! uncle!" screamed thor, quite impatient over such (to him) meaningless proceedings. then, despairing of convincing anybody there that they ought to go home, he spread his great wings and deliberately sailed away through the air to boden. "thor is right for once," said dr. holtum, "and it is quite time we were all on the wing for our homes; so, shoo! shoo! shoo!" and he put out his hands, as if he were driving away a flock of birds, with the result that every one "made tracks" for the boats. there was a good deal of whispering between yaspard and the manse boys before they parted; and there was a very significant "good-bye," from the yarl of broch. he had kept our viking-boy very much with him throughout the day, and had quite enchanted him by suggesting a scheme which contained the germ of much exciting adventure, although there was no enemy to meet or circumvent. and this scheme must have been on viking lines, if we may judge from old hoskald halsen's farewell words to yaspard. "now mind, boy," he shouted, as the _osprey_ parted company from the other boats, "mind you think it well out, and come to burra wick. no viking should sail from a legitimate voe. garth and i spell 'wick' with a 'v' and no 'c' in it, remember." "oh, brodhor, are you to go a-vikinging still?" signy asked in an ecstatic whisper; and our hero, squeezing her close to him, answered, "yes, mootie, thanks to that jolly old brick! i don't believe i should ever have thought of _his_ plan. it is even better than mine, for it has got no enemy in it, but the chance of ever so many adventures." a pleasant breeze had sprung up, so there was no rowing to do on the homeward voyage. mr. adiesen was steering, and aunt osla was napping, rolled up in shawls. mr. neeven had unbent considerably during the day, and was talking to his cousin with an unusual degree of cheerfulness. the harrison boys were amusing themselves over a wooden puzzle which harry mitchell had invented and given them. thus yaspard and his sister could talk confidentially together without being overheard. he was as eager to tell her of the new project as she was to listen, and before long they had not only discussed the yarl's scheme, but had built on it a vast structure of romantic adventure. "it has been the very happiest of days, this," said signy when they reached the quay; "but even happiness makes one tired, and so i am glad to be home. i shall be asleep like winkie as soon as i get into bed." "not so your roving brother," quoth yaspard; "i have other things to do than sleep," and he grimaced at lowrie, who grinned back a perfect understanding of the mysterious allusion; but signy by that time was too sleepy to pay further attention, so followed miss adiesen to moolapund, and was soon resting in dreamless repose in her own room. meanwhile yaspard and the harrisons politely offered to row the _osprey_ to the head of the voe with mr. neeven, and he--with less than his usual sharp suspicion--agreed. he even thanked them as he stepped ashore, and he strode up the hill without once looking back. if he had done so he would have seen that the boat did not pass beyond the hoobes, but stopped near there, where the old water-mill was located by the side of a burn whose spring was far up the hill-side. they fastened the boat, and went into the mill-house, where a quantity of last year's straw and chaff was heaped. on this the three lads flung themselves and were soon fast asleep. and there the harrisons would have slept on till breakfast time if yaspard had not roused them shortly after midnight. "up, boys, up!" he said, as he shook himself. "it is high time we were off; and i hope fule-tammy is as sound asleep now as you have been for the last five minutes." from that mention of tammy you will guess that another raid on trullyabister was proposed. the fact was, yaspard had made one quiet visit to the old ruin by himself, and had found that the things they secreted in the old chimney had disappeared. from a remark of tammy's, lowrie had concluded that the "natural" had discovered their hiding-place, and had abstracted the articles in question. it would have been a simple matter to ask the truth and claim the property, but _that_ course was not the one a viking-boy was at all likely to approve. hence the present "lark." the three conspirators were not long in reaching the old ha'house, and as the back door was never locked, they easily gained admission. tammy slept in a small chamber beside the kitchen, and at a distance from the rooms inhabited by his master, therefore the lads were not much afraid of being heard even if the recluse had not gone to sleep. but gaun neeven _was_ asleep, and so was tammy, "like a top, and snoring too like one," whispered yaspard as he led the way. tammy did not even move when they gently and deftly tied his hands together, and put a not uncomfortable gag over his mouth, and he only snored a little louder, but did not wake, when they lifted him up. (tammy always went to bed with a complete suit of clothes on, which he kept for the purpose, saying he did not see why a "puir body" should not be as decently clothed all night as all day.) they carried him to the ruined apartment with which we are already acquainted. i ought to have mentioned that yaspard had provided masks for himself and his companions. these were made of brown paper, painted to resemble tatooed savages, and had been put on as they came up from the mill, so that tammy should not recognise his assailants. but tammy was far more cute in many ways than he got credit for being; and though astonished when the cool air and a few gentle shakes woke him up, he was not frightened by the hideous visages; even the feigned voices did not deceive him. but he was wise enough to pretend ignorance of their identity, and stared a well-acted credulity. "what have you done with what you found in that chimney?" yaspard demanded in assumed tones, which did not deceive tammy, however. "we are vikings, and hid our property in that receptacle. woe to the person who crosses our path! moreover, our allies left weapons of war in this apartment, and it is our business to restore them to their owners. tell now what you have done with these hoards." how could tammy tell? he could only shake his head and nod in the direction of the haunted room. "is the property there?" yaspard asked, and tammy nodded again. "then you must take us through the house to that room, for i happen to know that the way through the passage is now built up with stones and mortar. i suppose _you_ did that, you duffer!" tammy nodded again; and then gibbie remarked, "he wad be put to the job by mr. neeven." he spoke unwittingly in his natural voice, and was admonished by a vigorous nudge from lowrie; while yasgard, still addressing their captive, said, "lead on, we follow! and for your life make no noise." tammy obediently returned to the house, and showed a way from his kitchen to the haunted room. chapter xxvii. "of the volsungs' kin is he." there they found, carefully arranged, all the miscellaneous articles which they had conveyed to trullyabister on the night of their first raid upon it. there too were the things brought by the _laulie's_ crew, when engaged upon tom's "deed of high emprise." the lunda boys had been too ashamed at their defeat to say one word about their property to mr. neeven, but they had spoken of it to yaspard, and had been somewhat comforted by his assurance that all they had lost should be restored before long. our viking eyed the confiscated articles with infinite satisfaction, before instructing his followers how to deal with it. "but time must not be wasted," said he in a moment. "i believe the ogre to be a very sleepless creature, and he may soon rise to wander after his usual style; so let's make haste." they stowed everything into their keschies, and what could not go there was packed in the _laulie's_ "spare canvas," or suspended from their belts; while tammy watched the proceedings with profound interest. when they were ready to depart the marauders conveyed tammy to his kitchen, and left him seated comfortably in his favourite corner, assured that he would sit there till mr. neeven should get up. they were well aware that tammy would allow the kitchen to be burned about his ears before he would venture to disturb the recluse in his chamber. i may mention here that it happened as they supposed it would, and it was not until his breakfast-hour arrived, and mr. neeven came to discover why tammy was not stirring, that he found the "natural" sitting sleeping, gagged and bound! when aroused, released, and able to speak, tammy said, "it wis yon filskit moniments o' boys, sir. but they've taken no' a vestige that wis no' their ain. they'll be far enough by this time; and puir tammy is thinking that there's no' muckle use in trying tae get the better o' the likes o' them." "you are about right for once," replied his master, as he turned away, saying to himself, "boys are certainly more than a match for men in the exercise of their wits." meanwhile the _osprey_ had gone to gloy's geo, and deposited on a safe ledge of rock all which our viking-boys had carried away from trullyabister; and when that was done the marauders returned to their homes. at the breakfast-table yaspard said to his uncle, "the yarl of broch asked me to come to burra isle to-day, if you have no objections. the lunda boys are to be there. it's to be only a _boy party_, not like the picnic." "when the young braves go forth alone," replied mr. adiesen, in a bantering tone, which showed he was in excellent good-humour, and likely to give the required permission, "when the warriors embark without the companionship of women, there are perilous tasks to be performed. may a mere humdrum person inquire what knightly deed a modern viking proposes, and what is to be the result of 'only a boy party'?" "we are going to have some jolly fun--of mr. halsen's planning; but it would spoil it to tell beforehand." "i can leave the responsibility on mr. halsen," answered uncle brüs; "he understands what boys need and like." "i shall want to stay some--days. it might be a whole week; and i need the harrison boys and the _osprey_, of course. i would also like to take thor as well as pirate, if you please, uncle." "you will want clean collars and socks," said miss osla. "no, thank you, auntie. i shall not take any _luggage_ with me, only what i need in----" "of course," she interrupted, "you won't want a lot of clothes, only what is needful;" and the good lady went off as soon as breakfast was over to pack a bag for yaspard, who was obliged to take it with him. "i can leave it at broch anyway," he said to signy as he stowed the bag aboard. she had carried it to the quay, and was watching him get ready for his expedition. "then are you going farther than to broch?" she asked; and, under pledge of secrecy, the girl was told the whole scheme, which delighted her. "oh, what a fine time he will have! it is so nice to be a boy!" signy said to herself, as she slowly turned from the shore when the _osprey_ took wing. when the boden boat reached the geo she was stopped while gibbie went ashore, and brought all the odds and ends recaptured at trullyabister. these were stowed beside the basket containing thor, who made known to all concerned how little he relished being in durance vile by occasional bursts of angry speech and vindictive snaps, through his prison bars, at whatever came within reach. once it was lowrie's jacket tails, another time it was gibbie's sleeve; but what pleased thor best was when he got a chance at pirate's ear. our viking-boy received the warmest of welcomes when he arrived at burra wick. the lunda boys were there, and had brought a parcel for him from fred, which, upon being opened, was discovered to be a fine field-glass, such as yaspard had long wished to possess, and a beautiful silk flag embroidered by isobel. he did not know which to admire and value most; yet i think the letter of manly kind advice and friendship which accompanied these gifts was cherished still more; for i know that when the faded flag was stowed away--long years afterwards--in an old bureau, and the field-glass had been lost on a wild western prairie, yaspard still kept lying near his heart the words of love and christian counsel written to him by his boyhood hero in the golden days of youth and dreams. the rest of that day was spent at broch--delightfully spent, we know, since the yarl was host. gerta and amy were extremely kind to the boys, although they were only the "young ones," and not to be compared with their elder brothers. but yaspard was more attracted to garth than to the girls. he had been abroad with mr. congreve, and had the most interesting stories to tell of the northern lands he had visited. then his books of travel and legend, how bewitching they were! while harry mitchell revelled in garth's specimens, yaspard pored over his books, and could scarcely be torn from them. "oh, harry," he said, "wouldn't you like his chance of going away and discovering all sorts of places and things?" "i'll _make_ a chance of the sort for myself," replied harry, in his usual quiet, determined way, which meant never less than "act to follow word." "it would be fine, glorious!" yaspard mused; then shutting the "wanderings of waterton" with a clap, he exclaimed, "we'll do it, harry--you and i--some day. we will go off as the vikings did, and explore the world." "as you are going to-morrow, eh?" said garth. "boys play at what men achieve," answered harry. and then was begun a dream which yaspard and harry realised in later years. in the evening, amy, seeing yaspard still hankering after garth's scandinavian travels and lore, said, "do, garth, read us what you have written about the jews and the norsemen. i am so fond of that little bit. i suppose because my family was of jewish extraction." "i believe it was composed in compliment to you," laughed gerta, bringing a blush to the sensitive young author's face by her words. but his father seconded amy's request, so garth read-- "there are two races of men who have retained their peculiar characteristics through long ages and through many vicissitudes. they have wandered over the whole globe, and become part of almost every people now existing. they have conquered and been conquered. their blood has mixed with that of all the other tribes of earth. as independent nations they no longer exist, and yet the personality of the jew and the norseman is as distinct to-day as it was when they were mighty ruling powers on the earth. "the egyptian of old, the greek and goth, where are _they_ now? they have left grand memories, but have become 'mixed races,' and the peoples of to-day who bear their names have few, or any, of their attributes. "not so have the wandering arab and the restless scandinavian obeyed the law of nature that says-- 'the old order changeth, yielding place to new, and god fulfils himself in many ways, lest one good custom should corrupt the world.' "like the two currents that roll side by side in one channel, distinct in their nature, those two great races have come down the ages bearing to all lands and all peoples a god-derived power and a god-given message. they have not been lost in each other; and in blending with those among whom they dwelt they have yet never ceased to leave indelible traces, which have made them recognisable always. _they_ have absorbed, but never been absorbed. "when our hearts thrill to some glowing page of eastern imagery, when we listen enraptured to some sacred song, some impassioned speech of one filled with religious fervour; when we read of suffering borne patiently, of fortitude unequalled amid awful tribulation, of quiet perseverance conquering difficulty--we recognise the strength of the hebrew race. when we are told of some venturesome band daring the dangers of iceberg and darkness in penetrating to the secret haunts of nature; when we learn that gallant seamen are guiding civilisation to the farthest corners of the earth, are doing deeds of heroism that stir our deepest feelings of reverence; when we know that our explorers and sailors laugh at peril and face death without fear; when we see numbers of our boys, from the prince who stands by the throne to the city outcast who begs at our door, prefer and seek sea-life rather than any other--we acknowledge with pride that the power of our sea-king sires is dominant yet. "the jew and the norseman have surely been chosen of heaven to keep the human race from degenerating, for the soul of the jew rules our moral being, and the spirit of the norseman controls our intellectual nature. the nursery of our faith was the tent of an arab shiek, and the cradle of our fame was the bark of a northern viking." chapter xxviii. "sea-runes good at need." "well, boys, i suppose you want to be off early," said the yarl next morning, when he came in for breakfast and found his young guests in a ferment of excitement asking each other, "where did you put the knives?" "have you remembered matches?" "i vote we take a whole ham with us." "you've left out the log-book." "for goodness' sake, somebody carry a pencil." "you look like business, on my word," their host added, smiling; "and i wish i were a boy too." "never mind, sir; come with us all the same," cried yaspard, but old halsen shook his head. "the glamour of boyhood is wanting. i could not enjoy such a voyage of adventure and exploring in the right way now. but i shall want to hear all about it; so mind you use garth's note-book and keep an accurate log." "i'll see to that," quoth harry; and tom added, "i do the messing, and harry does the writing." when all preparations were made, the yarl insisted that they should march to the shore in proper style, with yaspard walking in front carrying his new flag, hoisted for the occasion on mr. halsen's walking-stick. it was a lovely flag indeed. isobel had been working on it for a long time, intending it for fred, but he had asked that it might be given to his young friend, and she willingly agreed. the device was not uncommon, but isobel's artistic fancy had made it a perfect work of art. it was the figure of a youth clad in armour holding high in his right hand a white cross with "onward" worked in gold letters upon it. the flag was blue, with a crimson star in the corner; and altogether any prince might have been proud to start upon a high quest under such a banner. the two girls accompanied the procession, we may be sure; and many were gerta's injunctions to "take care of yourselves, and don't be foolhardy." just as the good-byes were being said, thor called out from his basket, "uncle, uncle! bad, bad, bad!" "why on earth have you taken that uncanny fowl with you?" amy congreve asked. "you ought to know by this time," said garth, speaking for our viking-boy, "that the sea-rovers never went out to maraud or explore without the bird of odin." "i shouldn't like to have a creature like that calling out 'bad, bad!' as i started on a voyage of discovery. it is not a good omen," amy replied in lower tones, which did not reach the ears of the young adventurers, for their boat was off, and the yarl and garth were cheering the _osprey_ as it slid away from the land. "what very odd fancies that boy has!" mr. halsen remarked as they returned to the house. "some of his notions are almost childish at the first glance one takes--so simple, and full of the exaggerated fancy of a mere child. but soon one finds the germ of the right kind of stuff in all his fancies; and he carries them out with the shrewd common sense, the cool determination, energy, and daring of a grown man. it is a strange mixture." "it is a mixture that makes a fascinating character, uncle," said gerta. "i like yaspard adiesen very much just because of that child-way and man-manner he has. he will do something grand one of these days." yaspard thought he was doing something grand that very day, you may be sure. he was started on an exploring expedition: and when we remember that the shetland group consists of over one hundred islands, large and small; that many of these have seldom been visited by any one, some never trod by human foot, and the greater number uninhabited save by the wild birds and sea creatures, we will see that our hero's voyage was not unlikely to be one of discovery and adventure. some other time i will give you the _osprey's_ log, carefully kept by harry mitchell, who every evening recorded all the day's doings, however trivial these had been. many of their adventures were so startling that he might well have been excused if his attention had been occasionally diverted from this duty; but that diary was a model of faithful discharging of a promise given to more than one of the dear home friends, whose thoughts we know were with the viking-boys. at present i can only tell you a small part of what happened during the week which the _osprey_ spent in cruising among the lonely skerries and holmes of hialtland. more than once our lads had spoken a haaf-boat, and sent messages to lunda, from whence fred had taken care to despatch the news, "_osprey_ spoken. all well," to boden and burra isle. they never landed on any inhabited spot, but preferred to camp for the night on some lofty rock, whose steep sides they had to scale at the risk of their bones, or on some green holme, where the waves lapped round the place of their rest, tossing spray on them as they slept. they always kept a watch, knowing from past experience how swiftly the squalls arise. it would be no joke, they knew, if their boat were caught by the sea in some geo while they slept on the high rock above; and well they knew that a very little increase of wind would cause the waves to wash them from the low holmes in a moment. they kept a wary eye on the weather, and always contrived to have a safe port to lee when atmospheric disturbance threatened. they gathered a strange, even valuable, collection of curiosities in various departments of science; nothing escaped harry in the shape of plant-life, shells, or geological specimens, and the others followed his example in other lines. a great many rare and beautiful curiosities were brought up on the fishing-line. tom holtum came to grief more than once climbing after birds' nests, and bill mitchell had to be rescued from drowning again and again in consequence of his ardour in pursuit of wreckage. there are always mournful trophies of the power of ocean to be found floating around those isles, and our young adventurers were frequently reminded of this by discovering oars, planks, casks, or other flotsam, which had belonged to some lost ship that had disappeared for ever. i ought to tell you that thor was not kept a prisoner in his basket all this time. yaspard knew that the bird would remain by him and the well-known boat when all familiar land-marks were beyond his ken, therefore he was allowed to hop about as he so pleased. being always well fed and caressed, thor began to think that a voyage of discovery had something to recommend it on the whole, and was in a very amiable frame of mind all the time. indeed, so much did he show himself attached to the _osprey_ and her roving crew, that some of them began to think he would not be inclined to leave them even when they might wish him to do so. for be it known that yaspard meant to send thor home before him with a message, and had told signy to look every day for the coming of the raven. when they had been out a week, and had led a most delightful robinson crusoe life, they found that their provisions were getting near an end; as the yarl had advised their return about that time, therefore he had not supplied them with more than a week's food. the store had been supplemented by many a fine catch of fish, as well as shell-fish; but the lads were healthy and hungry, and had not spared the ferdimet. they might have landed near some cottages and renewed their supplies, but such a prosaic and ordinary method was scouted by all. besides, they had agreed to return as advised about that time; so the homeward voyage was begun, not without some regret, but with many a resolution that this should only be the first of many such expeditions. they sailed steadily onwards all that day without turning once aside, though many a tempting islet lay by their course. when the evening drew near they were well in sight of the heogue and the hills of lunda; while, not far away on their lee, rose the cliffs of burra isle. "suppose we land for the night on swarta stack?" said harry. "it is a good-sized place, and has a first-rate geo where our boat can lie as snug as possible." "swarta stack gets a bad name for mair raisons than ane," gloy winwick remarked, as the _osprey_ made for the island, according to harry's suggestions. "is it haunted?" gibbie asked. "i dinna ken aboot that," replied his cousin. "the minister tells us it's a' nonsense aboot haunted places and the like; but it's said that swarta stack was an ill place when the folk were no' ower particular o' the way they got prül[ ] frae the sea." "you mean there were wreckers hereabout?" yaspard asked, and gloy answered, "i've heard sae." "i wish i could meet them. i just wish i could catch a wrecker at his evil work. wouldn't i pitch into him!" exclaimed the viking-boy; whereat harry, laughing, said, "that's all done with now. wreckers went after the vikings, didn't they?" "with the exception of fule-tammy," retorted yaspard. "and yourself," said tom. "maybe they left as bad behind them," yaspard said quickly. "men who cheat in trade, who scamp work, evade taxes, rack-rent the poor, are no better than pirates and wreckers." "here we are at the stack," harry exclaimed. "look out there with the sail! captain, mind your helm. there now; you nearly had her aground! i declare we've skimmed over a bau!--we may thank our stars we didn't capsize on it--all through your jabber about wreckers who left this planet a century ago." they landed on swarta stack, and made themselves comfortable for the night not far from the geo where the _osprey_ was moored. it was too late to explore the stack that night, so after supper all rolled themselves up in rugs, as had been their wont for a week, and were soon in the mysterious land of dreamless sleep. [ ] odds and ends, or plunder. chapter xxix. "great is the trouble of foot ill-tripping." our boys woke up early next morning, for a chill wind sweeping over swarta stack was as effectual a rouser as the dressing-bell. when fully awake they looked (as if led by one instinct) to the open sea, for from thence was coming the deep mournful moaning which precedes a storm. "mither," said gloy, "wad say that the sea was sending its warning tae wiz." "we will certainly pay heed to that warning," answered yaspard, "as soon as we have had breakfast. let's look alive, boys, and get our fire up as fast as we can, for there's going to be a gale before night, and we should be at broch then." "the _osprey_ won't take long to run into burra wick," said tom; "and we must make a jolly good breakfast here before returning to civilised life." "there will be time to inspect the stack, i hope," harry remarked. "we must have a full report of this isle that has a bad name, according to gloy." they lit their fire, and boiled the last of their potatoes, brewed the last of their tea, and finished the biscuits and ham. "not much to carry back," one said, and another added, "i shouldn't like to be left on a skerry now that the ferdimet is all but done." when breakfast was ended no time was lost in starting for a tour round swarta stack, which is a lofty island about a mile long, very picturesque in outline, and surrounded by lesser islands, as well as isolated rocks, which are the terror of all who know them. the lads found a great deal to interest them in the stack; but their main object was to find the caves which tradition said had been the abode of lawless men in olden times. there was one large cavern in a cliff easily found and well known; but that was not the wrecker's den, for the sea came into it, and in stormy weather filled its vast solitudes with the body and voice of many waters. this cave, however, was supposed to communicate with one inland, as many helyers[ ] do, and our boys were determined to discover the hidden abode. for a long time the search was a vain one; but at last an idea was suggested to harry, who had halted by a small cairn. "boys," he said, "i should not wonder if we are on a wrong tack looking for a natural cave. it is more likely that the wreckers' den was a place dug out of the earth by themselves." "that was a common dodge long ago," quoth yaspard; and tom added, "we got a good illustration of that sort of thing in the old broch of burra isle." "and you are thinking, harry," yaspard exclaimed, "that this cairn may cover some portion of the den--perhaps be the entrance to it?" harry nodded, and after a careful inspection of the rougue, remarked, "i think we shall find something here; but we must not come to grief in a ruin, as garth halsen did when he dug into the old broch." they went to work with a will, and soon removed the cairn and laid bare what was evidently the entrance to a vault of some sort. the mouth of the pit was covered by two enormous stones, and it took a long time to remove these; but so interested were the adventurers in their investigations, that they forgot the warning of the sea and the rising of the wind. "it is curious," said harry, peering into the dark pit at their feet, "that there seems no foul air to speak of down there, and yet i don't see any speck of light that would indicate a passage to the outer world." "might the way not be curved, or sufficiently blocked to exclude light?" yaspard suggested; and harry frankly answered, "of course. you are wiser than i. has any one got a match in his pocket?" matches were produced, and a piece of paper was lighted; but such a meagre illumination revealed nothing beyond the fact that the vault seemed a large one, and roughly built round with a rude kind of masonry. bill was despatched to the boat for candles--which you may remember were part of the "prül" that yaspard hid in the chimney; but the impatience of his companions to learn more would not allow them to wait on his return before descending into the chamber. they could see that there was solid ground some seven or eight feet beneath the opening, and harry swung down, and soon reported himself as standing on a "decently paved floor;" but he was too cautious to explore farther until some light was thrown on the subject. not so tom holtum. he did not see the fun in waiting for candles, and down he jumped beside harry. "there's an awful draught here," he exclaimed. "there must be passages and perhaps other rooms knocking around. i vote we explore," and without listening a moment to harry's warning, tom made for a part of the vault from whence the current of air proceeded. "you are extremely foolish, tom," said harry. "you are a timid ca----" tom began to reply, but was cut short. with an exclamation he suddenly disappeared; and next moment a fall and a groan told, not only harry but those above ground, that an accident had taken place. by that time bill was back with the candles, and yaspard hastened to join harry. after him came the others, as fast as they could, and all gathered around harry, who by that time stood with a lighted candle in his hand over the mouth of a dark hole, peering down and calling, "tom! old chap." but "tom! old chap" made no response, and all attempts to hold the light over the opening proved futile, as a current of air rushing upward put it out. the lads gazed into each other's white, terror-stricken faces with mute fear. the darkness and silence were enough to appal any one; but the courage of our viking-boy rose to the occasion. "he must be awfully hurt, poor chap," he said, "and we must do our best to find and help him. what do you suggest, harry? _i'll_ do anything." "some one must be lowered with a rope," answered the wise head of the party. "that some one is me," was yaspard's prompt reply. "get your rope, boys." they always carried ropes with them. "we can do nothing without a rope," they would say. but the ropes had been dropped, of course, on the turf above, and the emergency which had made all hurry into the vault had caused them to neglect providing for an easy ascent again. the only thing to do was for two to hoist a third on their shoulders so that he could get his hands on the aperture and thus clamber out. lowrie was chosen as the messenger to the outer world, and harry said to him when shoving him aloft, "drop us one rope at once, but fix the other to a boulder and slide down by it. that will give us help in scrambling out of here." the rope was soon in their hands, and yaspard, seizing the end, tied it round his waist, while harry instructed him how to strike a light when lowered, and what signals to make to those above. in breathless excitement they stood around that gruesome hole, and slowly lowered their young leader into its dark and gaping jaws. lower, lower; and the rope was almost all paid out when a sharp jerk told (as agreed upon) that yaspard had reached the bottom. "not so deep as i feared," harry whispered with a sigh of relief. then there came a sudden flare of light, which showed that yaspard was trying to illumine the scene; but it was extinguished again directly. again and again he tried, but evidently in vain. then came darkness and silence as before. but after a little time of fearful suspense the rope was jerked twice, and yaspard was hauled up again. "what of tom?" harry asked as soon as yaspard's head appeared in sight; but yaspard did not reply until he was standing beside them. then he said, "he is lying there senseless, but he is alive." "oh, your hands!" bill screamed, and all eyes turned on yaspard's hands, which were red with blood. "tom is badly hurt. i put my hands on his face and chest," explained too surely that horrible sign. "there is no keeping a match or candle alight down there. the wind is rushing through it as if it were a funnel," yaspard went on, "and i can't think how he is to be got out." "bill," said harry, with the imperious decision which he always assumed in any emergency, where one cool head was worth a score of able undirected hands, "bill, you run for your life to the boat again. bring the tar-pot and a stick or two, the potato bag, and a towel, and a can of water; some more rope, if you can find it handy. gloy, go with him to help carry; and mind, both of you, tom's life is possibly depending on your speed. don't forget anything. keep your wits clear." the two little chaps were off without a moment's delay, scudding across the stack, and too engrossed with their errand and its urgency to note the rising storm, which had set the white horses rampant on the deep and driven the sea-birds to the stack in clamouring crowds. meanwhile harry said, "undo that rope, yaspard. _i_ will go down this time. i can probably be of more use to him than you. you can follow with those things when the chaps return. and look you, lowrie, be canny in lowering him, and in your management of the rope. see that the youngsters are careful; for yaspard and i will send tom up first if possible. you know what to do with the tar and sticks, yaspard?" "make a torch?" "yes; and we shall want the bag and rope to make a sort of hammock for tom. now send me below. but first--your handkerchiefs, boys." he stuffed the collection of grimy "wipes" (as the lads styled their pocket-handkerchiefs) in his pocket, and was carefully lowered into the dismal cavern where poor tom lay. [ ] sea-caves. chapter xxx. "sweet sight for me thou twain to sit eyes on." "tom! tom!" harry had groped his way to tom's head, had lifted it on his arm, and felt the warm blood welling from a deep cut on the forehead, "tom, can you not understand?" he said; but tom made no reply. he was breathing heavily and quite unconscious. dr. holtum had given the lunda boys many a useful lesson in ambulance surgery, and no one had benefited more from his teaching than harry mitchell. with care, and as much precision as was possible without the aid of sight, he bound tom's head in bandages formed from the handkerchiefs provided, and had the satisfaction of finding that the wound was staunched and the pulse beating a little stronger before many minutes had passed. he could not, of course, ascertain what other injuries had been inflicted, but he moved tom's arms and legs gently, and felt satisfied that _their_ bones had escaped. the time seemed very long to harry down there, and to the others waiting above. at last yaspard could keep silence no longer, so leaning over, he shouted, "is he--any better? can't you sing out something to us, harry?" "i have been able to do a little, and i think tom is reviving," was the cheering news harry sang out in reply. tom really was coming round, and the first sign he made was a groan, and then a murmured "time to get up, did you say?" "oh, tom," harry cried, bending close to the wounded head on his arm, and shedding some tears that were not an unmanly sign of gladness at hearing tom's voice once more; "tom, old chap, i'm as sorry as can be for giving you the rough side of my tongue many a time." "eh, what?" faltered tom. "is that harry speaking? are you there, mother? what's up? i don't quite know; my head feels queer--oh dear!" he had tried to raise himself as he spoke, and had been checked by agonising pain, which caused him to relapse into insensibility. "how awful this is! i wish they'd make haste up there," thought harry. and then he turned, as the manse boys had always been taught to turn in trials, to him who is near at all times, a present help in time of trouble. when tom revived again, the first thing he heard was harry mitchell's voice faltering forth prayers to god for his unfortunate comrade; and i think that the childish antagonism which had so long existed between those two died out just then. but now a great flare of light fell on them, and the noise and talk overhead told that relief was coming. "what does it all mean, harry?" tom asked feebly. "you fell down here, and yaspard is coming with a light and things to help you out. cheer up, tom; we'll have you out and all right before long." yaspard descended with an admirable torch in his hand, and the articles harry required strapped around him. great was our hero's joy to find tom so much restored; and when they had bathed his face, and made him drink some water, he was able to speak collectedly. "i am hurt about the left shoulder," he said, when they began to examine him, "and my head feels dreadful." "there is a nasty cut on the brow," said harry, "and a slight one behind the ear. i won't move the clumsy bandage, though, till we get him up, when it can be made more ship-shape. now, tom, you must let us put you in the potatoe-bag and haul you out of this." they were very deft and tender in their handling, and tom bit his lips to refrain from groaning over his acute pain; but for all that the job was a tedious and trying one, and when he was lashed into the sack tom fainted again. "i must go up with him," said harry; "those duffers might do some harm." he tested the rope, and, assured that it would bear a good weight, he put an arm round tom, and then, catching the rope with his other hand, gave the signal. fortunately they had not to be raised very far, and it was accomplished without any misadventure beyond the "skinning" of harry's hand, which he could not guard without leaving tom's poor head unprotected. as soon as yaspard too was got out of that horrible hole, all haste was made to reach the open air; and in the same manner tom was lifted from the upper vault and laid upon the sward. when he came to himself, he was stretched on the grass with bill's knee for a pillow and harry's skilful hands ministering to him; and in that moment tom must have been clearly conscious of all that had taken place, for he murmured with great fervency, "thank god for the blessed light of day." just then a shower of spray came driving over the stack, and, dashing itself against their faces, called the attention of all to the storm now raging on the sea. all around swarta stack the waves were leaping, white and furious. there could be no leaving the island that day, and no chance of any rescue, even if anybody knew of their position--a very unlikely thing. "where can we find shelter for tom?" was the first thing said, and it was harry who spoke. "we must see to our boat," said yaspard. they hurriedly piled a few stones together, and laid their jackets on these to make a shelter and couch for tom; then leaving harry to look after the patient, the others ran off to secure the _osprey_. fortunately she was a light little boat, and they were able to run her up the beach a bit, where she was safe from being knocked about by the waves. the few remains of ferdimet were removed, with other articles which were required for camping out; and as our adventurers returned to the scene of the catastrophe they asked one another what was to be done if the storm lasted longer than one day. "we can't starve, with birds about and rabbits as well as sheep on the isle," said yaspard; "but the storm that could do us no harm may be serious enough for poor tom. there isn't even a morsel of tea left--only a few piltacks and a slice of cheese." "there's a couple of eggs and miss congreve's box of chocolates left," bill said. "we'll keep them for tom; but the sea may run off before night." yaspard shook his head. "not likely. i know the weather-signs. this means to last." "just so! bad boy, bad boy!" screamed thor from a crag close by. he had remained by the _osprey_ while the lads were exploring, and would have remained there still; but when she was beached and the "outward and visible signs" of a meal carried away, thor thought he had better go too, and see what was going to happen next. "ah, thor, my rascal!" yaspard exclaimed; "i must have had a presentiment of what would happen when i took you with us. now" (turning to his companions), "i trust he will go when he is bid, in which case we may be helped sooner than we can help ourselves. i wouldn't," he added hastily, "dream of calling for help if it were not for tom." harry looked up anxiously when his companions arrived. "this is a bad job," he said very seriously; "i fear tom is more hurt than he allows, and he is getting light-headed, too." "i'll send thor now--if he'll go," said yaspard, and harry's face lit up. "i had forgotten thor. yes, send him if you can." but thor was in a sulky and suspicious mood, and would not let his master catch him. there were no alluring morsels left to bribe him with; for the eggs must be kept for tom, and a chocolate ball thor despised as well as cheese. "we must wait till we have to kill a sheep," gibbie harrison remarked, after all efforts to catch the raven had failed; "he will come for a bit of red raw flesh, the ugly brute!" "you needn't call thor an ugly brute for eating what you kill," retorted yaspard, "unless you call yourself another of the same." they all laughed then, and the laugh did them good. it even helped to strengthen tom, who showed a great amount of pluck and endurance during that trying time. he reproached himself for having brought so much trouble on them all, and tried to bear his pain heroically; but in spite of his own efforts, and the thoughtful attention of his comrades, tom's state grew rapidly worse, and before evening he was very fevered. by that time even yaspard considered the situation most critical for all, and was ready to adopt any and every suggestion that might offer the smallest alleviation of their condition. the whole party had strongly objected to using the vault as a shelter, but, as the day waned and the storm increased, they decided upon retreating there, seeing that swarta stack offered no better refuge. anxiety had banished hunger, and no one felt in a mood that evening for slaughter. an egg was whipped up with some sugar still left, and poured down tom's throat, and later a cup of cocoa was made for him from the contents of amy's box of comfits. the rest of the lads lay down to sleep supperless--and, for the matter of that, dinnerless also, not having tasted food since early breakfast, except half a cold piltack and a morsel of cheese. yaspard and harry resolved to watch by tom, whose sleep was fitful and feverish. they had not been able to remove him to the vault, of course, but had built a wall of stones and turf to protect him from the weather; and while the other lads slept quietly enough in the wreckers' den, these two kept guard over their disabled comrade on the exposed ground. "if the storm does not lin[ ] by sunrise," said yaspard, "we must try and move him to the beach, and get him under shelter of the boat; we can turn her up, you know, and make a cosy place for him. it is so windy and disagreeable here." alas! they had not dreamt that the tempest might "turn" the _osprey_ as easily as they could. at the moment when yaspard spoke, his bonnie boat was lying among the great rough stones, with a rent in her side that no mere caulking could cure. a fierce gust had caught her and tossed her over as if she were a toy left there for that purpose. this was discovered when a very sedate procession of boys came down to the beach, carrying tom on a stretcher made (as dr. holtum had shown how) out of their jackets spread between two spars--the spars being passed through the sleeves, and so kept in position. when the _osprey's_ condition was ascertained yaspard said, "i suppose there is nothing left but to try for thor again." but thor was nowhere to be seen then, and though search was made, he could not be discovered. the truth was that thor, hungry and uncomfortable, had been hovering over swarta stack at daybreak in a very discontented state, had recognised some familiar landmarks in a northerly direction, and had decamped for boden straightway. [ ] abate. chapter xxxi. "hild under helm." as one after another their resources seemed to fail, the courage of more than one of the lads sank; but there was no daunting yaspard, and he began to talk of lighting a big tire, or setting up the sail as a signal--of one and all of the devices which castaways use for attracting attention, till bill cut him short by saying, "we can do all that by-and-by, when the sea falls enough to allow a boat to come here if our signals were seen. it isn't any good just now, for all the people are in their beds, and will be for hours, and while they are sleeping we are starving." at that moment pirate came running from the farther side of the stack carrying a dead rabbit, which he proudly laid at his master's feet. he had been amusing himself almost all the time since the landing with hunting rabbits, and had at last caught one. "you needn't starve now. see, bill!" and yaspard picked up the rabbit; "a fine fat beast, thanks to pirate. ah, my dog, if you had thor's wings you would use them for me, not for yourself, i know." harry mitchell looked admiringly at the noble dog; and when the others moved away to collect wood for a fire (plenty of spars on swarta stack) he fell into a reverie with his eyes fastened on pirate. before long a fire was burning and the rabbit was roasting in an oven of mud. the skin was not removed, for those old young campaigners knew the best way to cook meat when the kitchen appliances were beyond reach. while lowrie watched the roast and gloy fed the fire, gibbie went to the shore to secure some shell-fish and bill went in search of plovers' eggs, for all were agreed that, until absolutely driven to it, they would not kill a sheep. yaspard, having set them all thus to work, returned to his place by tom, who had fallen into a sort of stupor more alarming than even the restlessness and raving of the previous evening. "in a brown study still, harry?" the viking asked, as he sat down and looked sorrowfully at the invalid. "i have an idea," was harry's answer. "you see the wind is falling already, and falling fast. it never lasts long at this season. but there is a heavy sea that may not run off for a couple of days. and no one lives on the part of burra isle facing swarta stack. any signal we make will not be seen by the folk of burra isle, and not likely noticed by any one on lunda, which is so much farther away. it really wouldn't matter for any of us except tom; but he must be seen to soon, if his life is to be saved. if he were all right, we could camp here as long as you please; so don't think me impatient or funking." "no, no! i know that. what is your idea?" "your boat can't float, yaspard, but your dog can swim." yaspard sprang to his feet and caught harry's hands in his joyous excitement. "that will do," he cried. "that will be better than thor, for i can go with pirate. i can swim like a fish; and if he sees me try it, he will go too--we could not expect him to fully understand what we wanted if i did not do so. i'll be off as soon as it's possible." "burra isle is three-quarters of a mile from here," answered harry gravely. "i'm good for it," was yaspard's answer; "good for that, and a lot more, in such an emergency as the present." harry's face dropped quickly, and he had some difficulty in keeping back the tears, as a swift thought went back to his brother frank, who had given his life to save another. just as yaspard looked had frank stood, smiling like a hero, when he plunged into wester-voe to save cripple bartle. but even that gallant deed had less risk in it than this which yaspard contemplated, for the distance frank had to swim was not half as far, and the sea was quite calm. "it will be a fearful thing to do, yaspard," harry said after a pause; "ten chances to one against your reaching the other shore. yet--i will not say _don't_--because--i'll try too. did you ever hear of--what our--frank did?" "yes, i heard. it was remembering what he did made me want to do this for poor tom." "well, old man, we will make a try with pirate when the weather falls a little more." "not you, harry. only myself and pirate. it would never do to leave tom with those duffers. and besides, poor chaps, they'd be all at sea if we failed and no relief came. with _you_ still here _something_ would be thought of that had sense in it." harry was obliged to own the wisdom of yaspard's words, knowing full well how little bill was able to take his place as director of affairs. the harrisons and gloy were not to be depended upon for anything beyond willing service and obedience to a guiding head. yet harry wished to share yaspard's responsibility, his peril, and his daring. "let's cast lots," he suggested. "no," said the viking-boy decisively. "this quest is mine. not another word about it, harry." "mother, mother!" tom muttered, rolling his head uneasily, and the word reached their ears as they sat by the boat under which he lay. "you hear?" whispered yaspard; "think of your mother. if i don't reach land i shall go to my mother, but yours is in the manse of lunda, and would break her heart if anything happened to you." by that time the rabbit was cooked, and some plovers' eggs also roasted, along with a large crab which had been taking an airing before gloy's gleg[ ] vision, and was obliged to yield to fate on the instant. the lads were very hungry, and enjoyed their meal in spite of everything. when every morsel was demolished, even to the bones, which fell to pirate's share, the lads gathered in a group beside the boat, and tried to wile away the time with supposing a great many wonderful kinds of rescues which might take place; and it was then that harry told the others of yaspard's project. "you can never do it, sir," lowrie exclaimed; "i ken weel ye canno', and my faither wad never forgive us if we let you try." "tom holtum's life, or mine, to be risked! my life is my own and god's, to be used by me, with his approval, as my judgment thinks best," was the dignified answer, which silenced lowrie. after that they watched the sea, and spoke very little for some hours, until the wind had quite subsided and the waves were less broken. by that time tom's condition made a desperate attempt more urgent still, and yaspard rose up saying, "pirate, old boy, it is time you and i set out. good-bye, lads; and keep up your hearts, for if i fail the dog won't." they silently followed him to the low crags where they had so blithely landed. lowrie meekly stooped and picked up the boots yaspard took off, and gibbie was heard to sob, but no one offered the smallest remonstrance; they were in hearing of tom's broken words and pitiful moans, and each one thought, "i'd do the same thing if i could." "take care of my crew, harry," yaspard said, giving one glance back; and then they called out, "god preserve you." he smiled. "thank you! that sounds good; now, pirate, come!" he plunged into the surf and struck out manfully; and the dog kept close by him, evidently aware that his young master's life was entrusted to his keeping in a great measure. his companions watched their progress with burning anxiety, and hope rose high within them as they saw how easily the dog swam; for they were confident that while pirate floated yaspard was safe. yaspard was not so confident himself after being in the water some time, and he frequently found himself obliged to pause and rest his hands on the dog. they were greatly helped by the tide flowing towards burra isle. indeed, yaspard would not have started on such a dangerous voyage if he had not calculated that he must receive great assistance from the sea itself. all he had to do was to keep himself afloat and drift with the current; but, as all swimmers know, it is often as trying to do that as to breast an opposing force. he found infinite comfort in the companionship of his faithful dog, and frequently spoke to him--more for the purpose of encouraging his own heart than because pirate needed words of cheer. but that piece of water seemed very broad, and there seemed for ever sounding in our hero's ears the refrain of an old song with which mam kirsty used to lull signy to sleep in her baby days-- "my cradle and my grave is the deep deep sea." yet yaspard was not the least afraid, and only thought, even when those doleful words seemed to ring like a knell through the roar of the waves, "tom will be saved if i reach the shore, and if i don't, pirate is sure to land and make his way to a house at once. that will tell as well as any words of mine." he was very nearly exhausted when at last he found himself in shallow water; so, putting on a desperate spurt, he managed to reach a sandy creek where a landing could be easily made. but as he staggered up from the water, thanking god in his heart, a sudden weakness overpowered him, and he fell senseless on the sand. pirate had reached land before his master, and was shaking himself vigorously when yaspard dropped. the wonderful dog-intellect at once divined that something must be very far wrong, and he sniffed around the motionless form, with deep anxiety expressed in every gesture and in the low whining noise he made. at last, when he found that yaspard did not stir, pirate determined upon seeking help without further delay. with a piteous howl he turned from the spot and bounded up the hill, making for the nearest habitation or human being with the unerring instinct of his race. [ ] keen. chapter xxxii. "hail from the main then comest thou home." garth halsen and his father were strolling over the hill that day. the old yarl of broch was always restless during a storm, and never cared to sit in the house when the elements were at war, "for there is sorrow on the sea," he would say at such times; "and i cannot rest when i think some poor souls are fighting for life on the water." as the father and son walked on they saw pirate, and he saw them, and made at once for them, whining in the most distressful manner. "what dog is that? why, i've----" "it's yaspard's dog," garth exclaimed; "and he wants us to go with him. something has happened, i fear." they hurried in the direction which pirate so intelligently indicated, and he soon led them to where our viking-boy lay. by that time yaspard had revived a little, and was sitting up looking around in a dazed state, but the cheery voice of old halsen soon restored his wits, and he could give an account of what had happened. "no time to lose, lads," said the yarl, with all the fire of strong manhood eager to help the forlorn and weak. "we'll carry you over the hill between us, boy, and get out the boats." they swung yaspard up on their arms and went over the hill at a good pace, considering the yarl's age, until they reached a cottage fortunately not far distant. there our hero was left in the care of kindly women, while mr. halsen and garth hastened to the nearest fishing-station and gathered a stout crew. when yaspard was reviving under the influence of warm food and a cozy bed, a sixaern with mr. halsen as skipper was speeding round the north ness, and appeared before the longing eyes on swarta stack like an angel of deliverance. "he has done it!" harry exclaimed. "yaspard has not met his great-grand-uncle's fate!" "how do you know?" lowrie asked. "it may hae been the dog. it's a senseful beast." "don't you see they are coming straight as an arrow for the stack?" answered reflecting harry. "no doubt in their minds as to where we are. now pirate's arrival and demonstrations could only indicate that we were in a strait somewhere among the holmes, but only yaspard's tongue could tell the identical place where we are." "ye're awfully wise!" lowrie exclaimed with much admiration, which became qualified when bill remarked, "some one may have seen our fire, or the sail." "i don't think so," harry answered. "i have had my eyes on the hillside over there all the morning, and i'd have seen any person who came there--unless they were by the creek, which is hidden from us by the curves of the north ness." "any person _there_ would not see us," said bill, "so you must be right. but if yaspard landed, how is it we did not see him?" "he would land at the creek, most likely; and the little daal which leads over the hill from the shore dips under the level of the ness hill, so we could not possibly see him. but we shall know all about it very soon now." "i'd rather die on swarta stack than ken he is in the sea," blubbered lowrie, whose fears on yaspard's account had quite unnerved him. but what a cheer those boys sent up when the sixaern came close, and harry called out "is yaspard safe?" and received for answer a joyous "yes, yes! he's all right by now." they shouted and sobbed together, until tom was recalled from his half-unconscious state to a knowledge that rescue had come, and murmured, "i am so glad for their sakes, poor boys!" the yarl had not omitted to bring such nourishment as could be most quickly procured, and as soon as the boat was moored the castaways were quaffing draughts of milk and devouring oatcakes and butter. nothing had ever tasted so sweet to tom's lips as that milk, and the gentle voice of garth halsen, his cool soft touch, were as good as medicine. he was carefully conveyed to the boat; the _osprey_ was safely beached, high and dry, and loaded with stones to prevent her being buffeted by the winds again, until such time as she could be removed; and the boys, with lightened hearts, scrambled into the haaf-boat, carrying with them all their campaigning effects. "if yaspard were here," said harry, "he would wish to stay by his boat until he had made her fit to float us off the stack again. i don't half like leaving her all by herself, poor old _osprey_." "you and your viking can return and finish up your voyage of discovery another time," quoth garth; "but at present you must submit to being taken to broch in a commonplace manner." but the yarl had been watching tom, as he lay among coats spread on grass in the bottom of the boat, and the kind old man's face had grown more sad and serious every moment. "i think we must not make for burra wick after all," he said. "much as i'd like to have you at broch, i believe we ought to take another course. this lad should be in his father's hands with as little delay as possible. so it's collaster where we will bring up." and to collaster they went, after landing lowrie on the nearest point of burra isle, to carry tidings of them to yaspard, as well as to gerta brace, who would certainly be alarmed if her uncle did not put in an appearance that day. we can imagine the sensation created at the doctor's house when tom was carried there, and the story of his misadventure was told. harry did not tell that it was tom's own fault which brought about the accident, and it was many a long day before tom was able to give the full account of it himself. but we must leave him in the care of his loving mother and skilful father, content to know that he recovered eventually, and lived to take a front place in many a wild adventure with his old antipathy harry, and his new one yaspard adiesen. bill carried the news to wester-voe and fred garson, while gloy took his cousin gibbie to lunda; and harry asked to return with the yarl and garth to burra isle. he wanted above all things to be with yaspard, and in his company finish up the adventurous expedition after a more satisfactory manner than that of being taken home with the wounded. but harry did not say a word beyond expressing his eager desire to return and stand by the viking-boy. next morning the haaf-boat returned to burra isle, and at the same time fred despatched messengers (gibbie being one of them) to boden to report yaspard at broch, "not much the worse of a ducking, and returning home as soon as possible." fred had got the whole story from bill, and he rightly conjectured that the return of the raven would have raised some anxiety, seeing that yaspard had told his sister that thor should bring a message, and thor should precede the _osprey_ by only a few hours. thor bearing no message, and followed by no boat, was indeed an ill omen. moreover, he had reached home _raven_ously hungry, and in a very sulky, savage mood, which added to signy's fears regarding her brother, although uncle brüs pooh-poohed the little girl's presentiment of evil. but the arrival of fred's messenger and gibbie made a commotion in boden, we may be sure, and nothing would satisfy either mr. adiesen or james harrison but they must start off and bring home their boys. you may imagine their surprise and disgust to hear, on arriving at broch, that yaspard--restored to all his wonted spirit and energy by a good night's rest--had borrowed a boat, and accompanied by harry and lowrie, and a clever seaman who knew well how to clamp the broken ribs of a boat, had gone to swarta stack to repair and bring home the _osprey_. "the boy is stark mad!" exclaimed uncle brüs; but the yarl, whose soul throbbed in sympathy with that of our viking-boy, made answer, "his head is as straight on his shoulders as need be. that lad is made of the right stuff, and will be heard of in the world some day. you need not be afraid for him." "i suppose we ought to go and help him?" the scientist said; but halsen shook his head. "even i," he said, "felt it would be best, kindest, to let the lads take their own way. they were bent upon bringing back their boat triumphantly, and they'll do it. let us leave them all the satisfaction and glory that they can get out of their adventures." and i tell you yaspard's heart glowed with a good deal of satisfaction when he sailed the _osprey_ up burra wick that afternoon, her flag flaunting from the mast-head as gaily as when she sailed away on her voyage of discovery and peril. right heartily the good old yarl and his guests and son cheered the gallant boy and his comrades, as the boat, a little lob-sided, and considerably scratched and battered, ran along the crags, and came to below broch. hearty indeed was the welcome they received, and neither mr. adiesen nor harrison let the boys know that they were there for the purpose of looking after "those roving madcaps." in truth uncle brüs was not a little proud of his nephew, and made him repeat the story of his swim with pirate, which yaspard did, entirely unconscious of the heroism he had displayed. "what did you think most about when you were in the water?" mr. adiesen asked after a time--his scientific instincts rising above emotion, and prompting him to discover what are the sensations a human being experiences in such exceptional circumstances. "i thought of mam kirsty's old song, 'my cradle and my grave,' chiefly. i had committed my life to god's hand when i started. just before i landed i thought i saw signy holding out her hands, as she did when she went adrift. that's about all." "well, my dear, i think you must feel that you have had enough of vikinging for the rest of your life," said the scientist with a smile; but he was not ill-pleased when his nephew answered, "it has only made me long for more! i want _now_ to do real good viking work. i want to go out and explore the world--the stars, if that were possible--and to fight all the foes of the red cross, and to bury all feuds, and win name and fame like a right noble and right valiant viking." "you _have_ done so, if you but knew it," quoth garth; and harry mitchell said, "you will do all that, i don't doubt; and i'll follow where your flag leads, old man! i never could stand by the side of a better comrade, and i don't believe i could ever find a finer leader--so there!" "thank you, harry," yaspard answered simply. i need not tell you of the home-coming to moolapund, of aunt osla's tears and tea, of signy's joy, of thor's profound reflections, finished up with a sage "just so!"--of all the talk and enjoyment in fighting their battles o'er again. we can leave our viking-boy at this happy stage of his career, assured (like the yarl of broch) that he was heard of in the world in later days. * * * * * * transcriber's note: this e-book contains the words "boden" and "brodhor". in the original book, the "o" in "boden" and the first "o" in "brodhor" were o-macron. transcriber's note: this etext was produced from amazing stories november . extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed. [illustration: he had to strike at the source of their power ... they leaped to prevent him] day of the druid by knut enferd be'al, all-powerful god, drank the blood of his victims. would gaar be able to save marna, whom be'al kept in eternal sleep, and avenge her people? * * * * * fog lay heavy on the north sea, fog wreathed the land, fog crept into a man's very bones. meanwhile the ships were locked in the harbor. gaar lay stretched on the skin before the fire and cursed the fog. how much longer was this infernal whiteness going to last? a man was thirty years old, in the prime of his life, with the blood running hot through the seven foot length of him. how much longer was he going to have to lie here in the great hall, eating and drinking and waiting for the roll of fat to show around his middle? a man wanted action and instead he was forced to loll around listening to stories. niffleheim and hotunheim were all right, gaar thought. a man didn't want to offend the gods. on the other hand, wodin forgive the thought, a man could tire of listening to the same old tales. but wait. the voice that was speaking had stopped. this was a new voice. elgen was finished with his tale and vornung had started one. and this one wasn't about the gods. gaar twisted around and got up on one elbow. "who?" he demanded. "what did you say they called themselves?" "picts," vornung said. in his day vornung had sailed with the best of them, but now he was old. "it was many years ago. after a storm we found ourselves washed up on this strange shore." "what sort of people are they?" "an unlovely bunch, hairy, dressed in skins." "could they fight?" "ptuh." vornung spat into the fire. "one touch of our swords and they'd had enough. only one thing they could do well. they could tell stories." he leaned back and took a draught of mead and wiped his mouth reflectively. "but what stories! we were stuck there for months and i learned enough of their tongue to understand them. they told tales that could curdle a man's blood, tales of a land that lies to the south of them, of treasure, of a beautiful woman locked in eternal sleep by the priests of her people." treasure and a beautiful woman. this was something to make a man sit up. gaar's big hands were locked about his knees as he rocked back and forth thoughtfully. "how far?" he asked. "that they would not say. when they spoke of this they spoke fearfully. we might have pressed them, but we were in a hurry to get home." gaar was on his feet now. he went to the door and looked out. there was a hint of breeze, from landward for a change. maybe the fog would lift soon. "tell us more," he said over his shoulder.... * * * * * vornung had been wrong about these picts. they weren't afraid to fight, and they weren't waiting for the fight to come to them. under cover of darkness they swarmed in over the gunwales of the ship. unlovely they were, and unwashed. gaar had the scent of one in his nostrils as the dark fellow came at him. gaar struck out and the pict went overboard. luckily, the surprise had not been complete. and these norsemen were used to fighting in close and rocky quarters. they sailed in with a will. gaar was not too busy to do a bit of wondering. a man was crazy to trust an old fool like vornung, crazy to follow a dream of white skin and red lips and incredible beauty. of course, these men of the north would have admitted that they were all a little mad to begin with. who else but madmen would take such a tiny craft across hundreds of leagues of stormy sea? gaar laughed aloud. with ten men like his he'd sail anywhere, fight anyone. elgen, up in the bow, had a pict in each hand and was cracking their heads together. in the stern, asgar was making short work of three picts. this fight wasn't going to last long. and a good thing. the way the picts swung their clubs they might just happen to knock a few holes in the hull. gaar breathed easier when the last of them went down. "now," he said. "maybe we can talk some sense to them." vornung had taught him as much as he could recall of the language of the picts. with a silent prayer that vornung's memory had been good in at least this one respect, gaar hauled a swarthy, bowlegged fellow to his feet. "look here. can you understand me?" then the sun came up and the pict got a look at the man who held him. "i understand you." his words came through chattering teeth. "good. don't be afraid. we mean no harm." so vornung hadn't been completely wrong. gaar talked, keeping his eyes glued on the man before him. the fellow knew what he was talking about. mention of the girl who slept brought a secret gleam to his eye. what about all the others? what about the priests? "_the druids._" it was a whisper. "is that how they are called? how far to this land?" gaar saw there wasn't going to be any answer to that. the pict was scared. he was shaking his head. some of his friends were coming around and they'd heard too. they were all turning pale around the gills. "tell him we'll hold his head under water until he speaks up," asgar suggested. gaar hesitated. fighting was one thing, torture another. it was all right to cut a man to pieces as long as he had a chance to do the same to you. maybe threats would do the trick. he told the pict what asgar had suggested and the man licked his lips. the rest of the picts were in a panic, babbling among themselves. gaar understood enough of what they were saying. they were pointing at the sun. what the devil? was this going to turn into one of those things? were the druids some sort of gods who lived in the sun? no, that wasn't it either. the druids were real enough. but they had some power that came from the sun, that could turn a man to cinders. to speak too much about them would mean death. "no more certain a death than awaits you if you don't talk," gaar said. he narrowed his eyes, made them as cruel as he could. he drew the sword from his scabbard, ran his finger along the edge. the blood was hammering at his temples. that dream wasn't so crazy now. he could see her as though she were before him. black hair hung about alabaster shoulders. lips as red as ripe berries, lips that had waited a thousand years for his kiss. "wait," gaar whispered. "not much longer now." his sword glinted in the sunlight, hovered at the man's throat. "i will tell you all i know," the pict said. * * * * * the inlet was a perfect hiding place for the ship. there were enough branches about to screen it from distant eyes. and yet gaar had the feeling that they were being watched. he swung around suddenly. nothing to be seen except the gently waving branches. a harmless scene, the dancing waters of the inlet and the serenity of the woods, and yet terror lurked there. considering the fact that their knowledge was only from hearsay, the picts had directed him well. down the coast of this great island, they had said, and then through a long channel. and then you sailed around the southern end and to the westward. there was a smaller island and a smaller channel. and now it would be overland travel. not far, the picts had said, and they had wondered at these men who had the daring to sail through strange waters to certain death. there was a plain rising from the coast. somewhere on that plain gaar would find what he sought. "i have a feeling," asgar muttered. he was as blond as the rest, but a foot shorter than gaar and with a chest that threatened to burst through his breastplate. "so have i," gaar admitted. "in my bones." and out of the plain to the north came a scent like an opened grave. they walked through the forest with their hands on their swords, these men of the north. a long twilight here, a twilight that brought shadows that could deceive a man. a strange land this, where spring came early and where the air was soft. swords were worthless here, the picts had said. a man's strength meant nothing. a voice whispered to gaar's mind that the picts were right. but there was another voice, a voice that had grown stronger night by night as he sailed southward. this was a voice that came from long dead lips, but lips that retained their freshness. "i hear something," asgar whispered. "i hear something inside my head." the others had heard it too. they stared at each other in the gathering dusk. there was magic here. but gaar knew that there was magic to fight this magic. and then suddenly it was night. on a far off peak a fire spurted upward. was it a beacon or a device to lure them to doom? gaar wondered. they paused in a grove, in a circle of stones. it was time to rest. a lassitude crept over them. he knew then how strong the dark forces were. his inner voice warned him of the death that lurked in a circle of stones. but the power in this grove was strong. gaar felt the torpor take hold of him. he saw the men stagger. then, with his last ounce of strength, he had his foot against one of the stones and was kicking out. the circle was broken and with it the spell. gaar shook himself. he had learned one thing, to stay outside stone circles. * * * * * overhead the stars wheeled. there was the bear, and there was the bull. if you could read them rightly the ocean was not trackless. the seasons were there if you could read them. tomorrow would be spring. and tonight men in long black robes walked the great circle, related each of the stones to its constellation in the heavens, canted their hymns to the dark powers that had spawned them. tomorrow would be spring. tomorrow the sun would slant down between the two tallest stones and fall blood-red upon the cromlech, upon the altar. tonight they would burn brighter. and be'al would be appeased. be'al the all-powerful would taste the blood of the victims, would smell their flesh, and be'al would know that his sons had not forgotten him. he was all they had not forgotten. too long for them to remember, too long since they had crossed the void from their parent planet. the sciences they had brought were gone. only this residue of blood-lust remained. "the girl stirs," cyngled said. his beard was black and thick, his skin white, and whiter still the circular scar on his forehead. in the sepulchre the air was damp as the high-priest looked down upon the girl. in the light of the flickering yew-torches her eyelids seemed to move. cyngled's fingers hovered at the hilt of the sacrificial knife. "marna stirs," glendyn whispered. "tomorrow she will awaken. let it be for the last time. as long as she lives we are in danger." "she can do nothing alone." "but she is never alone. how many times has her beauty brought men to her aid?" "their bones would make a tall pile," cyngled agreed. his eyes were bright beneath hooded lids. "what about those who landed today?" "they are somewhere in the forest. once we thought we had them, but they broke away." footsteps sounded in the corridor and a hooded priest came hurrying over the worn stones of the floor. his fingers traced the sacred symbols in the damp air of the crypt. "well?" cyngled demanded. "we are having trouble following them. their thoughts are shrouded. something comes between us and them." cyngled's eyes darted back to marna. he knew what it was that protected these strangers. even in her sleep the girl had power. glendyn was right. "tomorrow, then," cyngled murmured. "in the meantime, watch her. you here, glendyn, and you above, twyn." * * * * * gaar moved swiftly. behind him came the others. they had covered miles but they were not tired. not much farther, gaar knew. the growth was thinner. "we'll come at them straight ahead," elgen said, moving up to gaar's side. "they'll never know what hit them." in the starlight gaar could see his outline. asgar's bulk loomed close behind. maybe the usual method of attack was best. maybe elgen was right. yet there was this knowledge that swords would not be enough. then he caught the sound of voices. out of the darkness ahead came a deep-throated, monotonous chant. with startling abruptness the forest ended and they were at the edge of a vast clearing. huge stones, too great for a man to move, formed a perfect circle. towering thirty feet above the others were two monoliths standing a few feet apart. and directly before them was an altar, a great slab of rock supported by four stone legs. about the altar hooded shadows moved slowly, murmuring their endless chants. gaar was tempted. the surprise should be complete. but this thing held him. he waited, and was glad that he had. there was the faint and flickering light of a torch. it seemed to come out of the very ground beyond the circle of stones. it _did_ come out of the ground. there was an opening of some sort, the mouth of a cave. two figures emerged and he saw them clearly before the torch was extinguished. then, even in the dim starlight, gaar saw one of the figures move away. "one of them is guarding the cave," asgar whispered. "in that case there must be something to guard." he thought he knew what it was. he was certain he knew. "listen," gaar whispered. "i'm going to try to get inside." "alone?" "one is better than a dozen for this job. that fellow seems to have pulled back into the mouth of the cave. if i can get him quickly his friends may never notice he's gone." "what about us?" "you wait here. it's almost dawn. by then i should be back." "and if you're not back by then?" "turn around and get to the ship as fast as you can. there's no use trying if i can't get through. don't ask me how i know that. i just do. that's an order. understand?" * * * * * they understood. gaar unbuckled his sword, handed his shield to elgen. next to come off was the breastplate. when a man's greatest need was stealth, he didn't want any metal on him. a moment later he was off through the thin screen of trees, moving silently around the great circle of stones. at every step he felt it stronger, this voice inside himself. he had to keep out of the circle. he knew that. then he was behind the slight rise in the earth that was the opening of the cave. very slowly now, gaar moved, feeling his way. he felt the rock beneath his fingers. a few steps more and there was no rock. he turned inward. hugging the wall he inched forward. there was a shadow, darker then the rest. lips moved in the darkness, forming soundless words. gaar's hands reach out, found a throat. the lips stopped moving. gaar lifted the body, carried it back away from the mouth of the cave. he almost fell down the stone staircase that yawned suddenly at his feet. when gaar had recovered his poise he went on, taking each step gingerly. he was going down into a darkness that smelled of the dungeon and even worse. walls grew damp and clammy where he touched them. slimy things scurried across the floor. the path gaar was following twisted and turned. then there was a door. gaar fumbled in the darkness. the door opened soundlessly. beyond it was a faint and fitful light that led him onward toward its source. it led him into the room. gaar knew it was the end of the search. its bareness told him what he had already suspected. there was no treasure. this was a people that did not believe in jewelled trappings. but the girl was here, in this very room. that was the only thing that mattered. a black-robed figure hid the sarcophagus from gaar's view. a broad back, wearing the folds of the dark priesthood. the back shifted uneasily, as though feeling eyes upon it, and gaar caught a glimpse of something white beyond. he stepped forward, light as a giant cat. he took another step and his foot scraped earth. the sound was minute, almost inaudible, but glendyn heard. he whirled, his hand flashing toward his girdle. gaar closed the gap between them in a single leap. his left hand caught glendyn's wrist, forced the knife back. but glendyn was a tricky one, hard to hold. he shifted, kicked out, and gaar stumbled. the knife was at his throat now. he knocked it aside, drove his fist upward into a soft belly. glendyn doubled and his jaw met gaar's other fist as it came up. there was the splintering of bone. * * * * * beneath a white, filmy covering she lay, beneath a flimsy veil that pressed gently upon her rounded form. her limbs were whiter than the veil that covered them. her hair was black as night. her lips were redder than in his vision. a thousand sleeps she had slept, and more. older than the land from which gaar had come, and yet she was younger than he. he bent forward and pressed his lips to hers. they were warm and yielding. "wake up," gaar whispered. then, louder, "wake up!" was she dead? it seemed to him that she stirred, and yet it might have been the flickering light which created an illusion. now he ran his hand through her hair. his big hands slapped at her cheeks, gently at first and then harder. his voice was insistent, commanding. very slowly, then, her eyes opened. blank and staring, they were, as she hovered on the brink. gaar's will pulled her to life. the blankness went out of her eyes and was replaced by a sudden gladness. "you came. i knew you would come." she struggled to sit up and saw that only the veil covered her nudity. she blushed. gaar turned his back, bent and removed the black robe from the crumpled figure on the floor. over his shoulder he handed the robe to the girl. when he turned to her again she was sitting up, a trace of color still in her cheeks. "where are they?" marna asked fearfully. there was loathing in the glance she threw at glendyn's body. "there are many more. where are they?" "up above," gaar told her. "this one and another were left to watch you." "good. they won't be coming back for a long time. now they are busy preparing the sacrifices to be'al." marna shuddered. "it is the feast of beltane." gaar spoke quickly. "what sort of men are they?" "they are not men. they are devils. a long time ago they came out of the sky in strange ships. they brought strange powers and a strange god who demanded human sacrifices. my people were driven out, killed. i am the only one left." "but why did they save you?" "as a hostage, at first. and later because it pleased them to keep me as a symbol of the race they had vanquished. every year i have awakened and they have used me as a mock sacrifice. and then they have put me to sleep again for another year." "and today again?" "for the last time. they have lost their power to act at a distance. and they grow afraid that i may call someone they cannot defeat. their power is great now on only this one day when the sun comes directly between the two stones they brought with them from their mother world." she started suddenly and gaar stared at her. "what is it?" he demanded. "i feel something. i feel danger." * * * * * there was no time to ask questions. gaar knew she would not be wrong. this daughter of a lost people had a knowledge he could not fathom. he lifted her out of the sarcophagus and set her on her feet. "we've got to get out of here. once we reach my men and set back for the coast they'll never stop us." they were running now, back along the corridor down which gaar had come. half way they went, and then they heard the voices and the feet that came toward them from above. gaar listened intently. there were too many. one or two he would have fought, maybe even a half-dozen. but this was the tramp of many feet. they must have found the body at the head of the stairs. gaar cursed his luck. "we'll have to go back. is there another way out?" "no none. it was the burial place for the kings of my people before the druids came." and it looked like it would be his burial place as well, gaar thought. but he had to go back anyway. he couldn't take a chance on the girl being hurt in a fight in the dark. besides, that fellow he had killed had a knife. it would be better than no weapon at all. the feet were close behind them as they ran. the girl was too slow. gaar scooped her up and ran with her under his arm. but still not swiftly enough. they had been overheard. he had barely time to swing marna behind the sarcophagus and out of immediate danger. he bent and tore the knife from glendyn's loose grasp. and then they were on him, a flood of black-robed figures. blood spurted as the knife in gaar's hand flashed. a man screamed, and then another as gaar's fist made pulp of flesh and bone. his hands struck blows like thor's hammer. he made them pay dearly for every backward step he took. but they came on still. they were too many for him. they forced him back until a cold wall stopped him. then, by the sheer force of numbers they overwhelmed him. he went down under a torrent of blows that drove everything from his mind but the thought that he had failed marna. * * * * * daylight, and gaar's head ached as consciousness returned. he seemed to be a single aching bruise from head to foot. after a while he realized that marna lay beside him at the bottom of the stairs that led to the cavern mouth. light came down strongly, too strongly. it was long after dawn. a stray thought flashed across gaar's mind: his men would be well on their way to the ship: yet there was no use castigating himself. marna would have died before they could have reached her if they had come in a body. "i'm sorry," gaar said, and tried to turn toward marna. leather thongs bound him tightly but he rocked back and forth until he tipped onto his side. "not as sorry as i," she said, her eyes soft on his face. "if i had not called you would never have come." "the only thing a norseman fears is that he should die in bed," gaar told her. but he wasn't ready to die yet. if he could only get a little play into these thongs! his muscles bulged with the strain as he threw his strength into the effort. then a scream filtered down and sent a shiver along his spine. "the sacrifices have started," marna said. "it will not be long now. they will be coming for us soon." "can't _you_ do anything?" gaar asked. "can't you fight them with their own weapons?" "not while i am awake. when i sleep my soul is in communion with my people who have gone and i draw strength from them. but this is the feast of beltane. while the sun comes directly between the two great stones the magic of the druids is at its most potent. and mine is waning." as her voice faded there came again the scream of a soul in mortal fear. the scream died quickly, merging into a rising paean from the druids. then there was a patter of sandal-clad feet and the light from above was blocked by the figure of cyngled, the high priest. in cyngled's hand the great sacrificial knife dripped blood. be'al would drink well this day, be'al would be appeased. behind cyngled came other priests, lesser ones whose faces revealed unholy joy as they came down the stairs. two of them lifted marna but it took four to carry gaar. strong light made him blink as they emerged from the mouth of the cave. shock forced his eyes to remain open as they entered the charmed circle. blood-red came the sun between the two monoliths to fall upon the great cromlech that was redder still with human gore. a wave of nausea swept up from gaar's stomach. he fought it down. then the strength filtered out of him as he was carried into the circle. now he was a child in their hands. he felt himself being lifted, felt his back touch the slippery stone. beside him marna was laid, the black robe she had worn ripped from her body. cyngled's chant rose above them, the knife came up and hovered at gaar's throat. the knife was coming down. and then it stopped! it stopped as the air was split by the battle cry of the norsemen! * * * * * gaar twisted his head and saw them come out of the woods beyond the circle. like madmen they raged across the clearing. but nobody rushed to oppose them! instead, the druid priests drew back, gathered about cyngled. as the norsemen came into the circle the high priest's hands drew the magic symbols in the air. and the norsemen stopped! like men of stone they were, a tableau of arrested motion. there was no hope. the bitterness of gall was in gaar's mouth as he turned his head from the scene. he looked at marna. her eyes were bright, burning into his own. no hopelessness there. her eyes were speaking to him. they were willing him, willing him to strength! gaar felt it come back to him. her magic was stronger than she knew. he felt the strength come back in a surge that would not be denied. this was only leather that held him. the leather could bite into his flesh as he strained. but it could not hurt him. his great chest filled with air and the thongs gave, stretched. and burst! in a single leap he was off the altar. he wanted to rage into the druid priests, to tear them apart with his bare hands. but there were too many. and marna's will was telling him that there was something else he must do. he knew what it was. he had to strike at the source of their power. they were turning to meet his charge, setting themselves solidly. gaar wheeled, spurted around them and then around the cromlech. they guessed his purpose and leaped to stop him. they had to prevent him from reaching the two great stones. gaar battered them aside and went through them. his back was against one of the monoliths, his feet against the other. he climbed that way, ignoring the knives that slashed at his back. then he was above the reach of their arms. the sun was full in his face. his shadow blocked the altar. his back was on stone, his feet were on stone. two great pillars, rooted in the earth, and against them the strength of one man. * * * * * but that man was gaar. slowly his legs straightened, his shoulders went back. all the power that was in his mighty frame went into the thrust. it was a power that would not be denied. a pillar swayed, tottered, and was ripped out of the earth. gaar felt himself falling and twisted catlike in the air to land on his feet. he whirled to meet the charge of the druids. cyngled's hands still traced the air but his power was gone. the norsemen exploded into life again, their swords whirring a song of death. only cyngled did not lose his head. defeated the druids were, and defeated forever, but he could snatch some measure of victory from the defeat. he was at marna's side when gaar reached him. one great hand on cyngled's throat, another at his waist. gaar lifted him high and hurled him earthward. cyngled twitched once and was still. the stone knife was in his hand but it would never be used again. the day of the druids was over. marna was smiling at gaar as he cut the thongs that bound her. this time her lips came up to meet his. for elgen and asgar and the rest there was no treasure. but they had no complaints. it had been a good fight. for gaar there was the greatest treasure of all. the hint of sorrow was out of marna's eyes. the past was gone, and there was nothing here for her now. she was the daughter of a once great people. she would be the mother of a greater one. her arm was linked with gaar's as they took the first steps back toward the ship which would take them northward. the end * * * * *