Havelok The Dane by Charles Whistler (most inspirational books of all time txt) 📕

girl, and to Hodulf, and both he and I will reward you."

"Thanks," says Griffin, with a sneer; "I have my own men. Yours might have orders that I am the one to be hanged. It would be worth your while now to make a friend of your kitchen knave. You are not to be trusted."

So these two wrangle for a while bitterly, for Alsi is not overlord of Griffin in any way. And the end is that the thane rides towards Grimsby first of all, with twenty men at his heels, knowing more than we thought. But he hears naught of us, and presently meets Arngeir on his way thence to see us. Him he knows, for already he has had dealings with him in the hiring of the ship. So he learns from him that certainly no such party as he seeks is on the road, and therefore rides off to the Ermin Street to stay us from going south.

But now we had time for a long start; and so he follows the Roman road when he reaches it all that day and part of next, and we hear no more of him at that time. There are many parties travelling on that way, and he follows one after another.

Now Arngeir knew at once that somewhat had happened when he heard from Griffin that the most notable man of those whom he sought was named Curan, and therefore he turned back at once and waited for us. And when we came in sight of the long roof of the house that Grim, our father, had built, standing among the clustering cottages of our fishers, with the masts of a trading ship or two showing above it in the haven, he was there on the road to greet us, having watched anxiously for our coming from the beacon tower that we had made.

Maybe we were two miles out of Grimsby at this time, for one can see far along the level marsh tracks from our tower; and Withelm and Mord and I rode on to him as soon as we saw him, that we might tell him all that had happened, and we rode slowly and talked for half a mile or so.

Then Withelm waited and brought Havelok to us, staying himself with the princess, that he might tell her the wondrous story of her husband; for we thought that it would be easier for him than for our brother maybe. Havelok was not one to speak freely of himself.

And when Goldberga had heard all, she was silent for a long way, and then wept a little, but at last told Withelm that all this had been foretold to her in her dream.

"Yet I am glad," she said, "that I did not know this for certain, else had my Havelok thought that I did but wed him for his birth. Tell him, brother, that it was not so; say that I knew him as the husband Heaven sent for me when first I saw him."

Now Havelok listened to Arngeir as he told him the well-kept secret, and now and again asked a question.

And when all was told he said, "Now have the dreams passed, and the light is come. I mind all plainly from the first."

And he told all that had happened after Hodulf caught him, from the murder of his sisters to the time when I helped my father to take him from the sack. Only he never remembered the death of his mother or the storm, or how we came to Grimsby. Maybe it is rather a wonder that after all those hard things gone through he should recall anything, for he was nearly dying when we came ashore, as I have told.

"But I am Grim's son," he said, "for all this, and never shall I forget it. By right of life saved, and by right of upbringing, am I his, and by right of brotherhood to his sons. Gunnar, who was my father, would have me say this, if I am like him, as Mord tells me I am."

Then he looked at us in brotherly wise, as if we would maybe not allow that claim now; but there needed naught to be said between us when he met our eyes. He was Grim's son indeed to us, and we his younger brothers for all the days that were to come.

"One thing there is that makes me glad," he said, "and that is because I may now be held worthy of this sweet bride of mine so strangely given, as indeed I fear that I am not. Men will say that she has done no wrong in wedding me; and for all that Alsi may say, it will be believed that she knew well whom she was wedding. There will be no blame to her."

That seemed to be all his thought of the matter now, and it was like him. Then he went back to his princess, and we spurred on to Grimsby, and set all to work, that the greeting might be all that we could make it.

And so, when those two rode into our garth, and the gates were closed after them, we reined our horses round them, and drew our swords, and cried the ancient greeting with one mighty shout:

"Skoal to Havelok Gunnarsson--Skoal to Goldberga, Havelok's wife! Skoal! Yours we are, and for you we will die! Skoal!"

CHAPTER XVIII. JARL SIGURD OF DENMARK.

Now one would like to tell of quiet days at Grimsby; but they were not to be. Three days after Havelok's homecoming we were on the "swan's path," and heading for Denmark, with the soft south wind of high summer speeding us on the way. And I will tell how that came about, for else it may seem strange that Havelok did not see to the rights of his wife first of all.

That was his first thought, in truth, and we brothers planned many ways of getting to work for her, for it was certain that Alsi would be on his guard. And on the next day came a man from Lincoln to seek Berthun, with news. That good friend had done what none of us had been able to manage, for he had told the merchant, his friend, to bide in the hall and hear what went on, and then to let him know all else that seemed needful that we should hear. Now he had learned all from the words of Griffin and Alsi, who took no care in their speech, thinking that none in the hall knew the Welsh tongue that they used.

It being the business of a merchant to know that of every place where he trades, and he travelling widely, there was no difficulty to him, and mightily he enjoyed the sport. Then he sent off straightway to us; and now it was plain that we were in danger--not at once, maybe, but ere long. Griffin would hear sooner or later that his quarry was in Grimsby after all. So we went to our good old friend, Witlaf of Stallingborough, and told him all.

"Why," he said, "I will have no Welsh outsiders harrying my friends. Light up your beacon if he comes, and shut your gates in his face, and I and the housecarls will take him in the rear, and he will not wait here long. I have not had a fight for these twenty years or so, and it does me good to think of one."

So we thought that there was little fear of the Welshman.

When I came back from this errand, however, I chose to pass the mound where my father slept, and on it, hand in hand, sat Havelok and Goldberga--for it was a quiet place, and none came near it often. It was good to see them thus in that place, and happy they seemed together.

Goldberga called me when I came near, and I sat down beside them as she bade me.

"Here we have been talking of what we shall do now, for it seems that to both of us are many things to hand," she said. "Good it would be if we could set them aside; but we were born to them, and we cannot let them be. And, most of all, here in this place we may not forget the duty that Grim would remind us of. Havelok must go to Denmark and win back his kingdom from Hodulf first of all."

"We have thought that East Anglia was to be won first from Alsi," I said.

"So says Havelok; but I do not think so. For, indeed, I am but the wife, and the things of the husband come first of all. Now, this is what I would say. Sail to Denmark before Hodulf knows what is coming, and there will be less trouble."

"I am slow at seeing things," said Havelok; "but the same might be said of your kingdom."

"Alsi is ready, and Hodulf is not," she answered, laughing; "any one can see that.

"Is it not so, brother?"

So it was; and I thought that she was right.

"Let us ask the brothers," I said, "for here are many things to be thought of; and, first of all, where to get men."

That was the greatest trouble to our minds, but none at all to hers.

"Get them in Denmark," she said, when we were all together in the great room of the house that evening. "Let us go as merchant folk, and find Sigurd, or his son if he is dead. If I am not much mistaken, all the land will rise for the son of Gunnar so soon as it is known that he has come again."

"Sigurd is yet alive," Arngeir said; "and more than that, he is waiting. For he promised Grim that he would be ready, and I heard the promise. I think that this plan is good, and can well be managed. Here is the ship that Griffin was to have taken today, and he is not here. Gold enough I have, for Grim hoarded against this time."

Then he showed us the store that, through long years, my father had brought together to take the place of that of Sigurd's which had been lost; and it was no small one. And so we planned at once; and in the end we three brothers were to go with Havelok and Goldberga, leaving Mord to get to Ragnar and tell him that Goldberga was following the fortunes of her husband, and would return to see to her own if all went well. Berthun would go with him, and Arngeir would bide at home, for we needed one to whom messages might come; and while none would know us now in Denmark, either Arngeir or Mord might be seen, and men would tell Hodulf that the men of Grim had come home, and so perhaps spoil all. Word might go to Denmark from Griffin even yet.

We had little thought of any sorry ending to our plans, for the dreams that had come so true so far cheered us. And so, with the evening tide of the next day, we sailed in the same ship that had been hired for Griffin.

But first Havelok spent a long hour on my father's mound alone, thinking of all that he owed to him who rested there. And to him came Goldberga softly, presently, lest he should be lonely in that place. And there she spoke to him of her own faith, saying that already he