CHAPTER FOUR.
DESCRIBES WARLIKE PREPARATIONS, AND A NORSE HALL IN THE OLDEN TIME--TELLS ALSO OF A SURPRISE.
Instead of returning to Ulfstede, Erling directed his steps homeward ata brisk pace, and in a short space of time reached the door of hisforge. Here he met one of his father's thralls.
"Ho! fellow," said he, "is thy mistress at home?"
"Yes, master, she is in the hall getting supper ready against yourfather's return."
"Go tell her there will be no men to eat supper in the hall to-night,"said Erling, unfastening the door of the forge. "Say that I am in theforge, and will presently be in to speak with her. Go also to Thorer,and tell him to get the house-carles busked for war. When they areready let him come hither to me; and, harkee, use thine utmost speed;there may be bloody work for us all to do this night before the birdsare on the wing. Away!"
The man turned and ran to the house, while Erling blew up thesmouldering fire of the forge. Throwing off his jerkin, he rolled uphis sleeves, and seizing the axe on which he had been engaged when Hildainterrupted him, he wrought so vigorously at the stubborn metal with thegreat forehammer that in the course of half an hour it was ready to fiton the haft. There was a bundle of hafts in a corner of the workshop.One of these, a tough thick one without knot or flaw, and about fivefeet long, he fitted to the iron head with great neatness and skill.The polishing of this formidable weapon he deferred to a period ofgreater leisure. Having completed this piece of work, Erling nextturned to another corner of the forge and took up the huge two-handedsword which he had made for his friend Glumm.
The weapon was beautifully executed, and being highly polished, theblade glittered with a flashing light in the ruddy glare of the forgefire. The young giant sat down on his anvil and put a few finishingtouches to the sword, regarding it the while with a grim smile, as if hespeculated on the probability of his having formed a weapon wherewithhis own skull was destined to be cloven asunder. While he was thusengaged his mother Herfrida entered.
The soft-eyed dame could scarcely be called a matronly personage.Having married when about sixteen, she was now just thirty-eight yearsof age; and though the bloom of maidenhood was gone, the beauty of awell-favoured and healthy woman still remained. She wore a cloak ofrich blue wool, and under it a scarlet kirtle with a silver girdle.
"How now, my son," she said; "why these warlike preparations?"
"Because there is rumour of war; I'm sure that is neither strange nornew to you, mother."
"Truly no; and well do I know that where war is, there my husband and myson will be found."
Herfrida said this with a feeling of pride, for, like most of the womenof that time and country, she esteemed most highly the men who wereboldest and could use their weapons best.
"'Twere well if we were less noted in that way, and more given topeace," said Erling half-jestingly. "For my own part, I have no likingfor war, but you women will be for ever egging us on!"
Herfrida laughed. She was well aware of what she was pleased to termher son's weakness, namely, an idea that he loved peace, while he wasconstantly proving to the world that he was just cut out for war. Hadhe ever shown a spark of cowardice she would have regarded thosespeeches of his with much anxiety, but as it was she only laughed atthem.
"Erling, my boy," she said suddenly, as her eye fell on the axe at hisside,--"what terrible weapon is this? Surely thou must have purchasedThor's hammer. Can ye wield such a thing?"
"I hope so, mother," said Erling curtly; "if not, I shall soon be inValhalla's halls."
"What are these rumours of war that are abroad just now?" askedHerfrida.
Erling replied by giving his mother an account of King Harald's recentdeeds, and told her of the calling of the Thing, and of the appearanceof the Danish vikings off the coast.
"May good spirits attend thee, my son!" she said, kissing the youth'sforehead fervently, as a natural gush of tenderness and womanly anxietyfilled her breast for a moment. But the feeling passed away as quicklyas it came; for women who are born and nurtured in warlike times becomeaccustomed and comparatively indifferent to danger, whether it threatensthemselves or those most dear to them.
While mother and son were conversing, Thorer entered the smithy, bearingErling's armour.
"Are the lads all a-boun?" [armed and ready] enquired Erling as herose.
"Aye, master; and I have brought your war-gear."
The man who thus spoke was Haldor's chief house-carle. He was a veryshort and extremely powerful man of about forty-five years of age, andso sturdy and muscular as to have acquired the title of Thorer theThick. He wore a shirt of scale armour, rather rusty, and somewhat theworse of having figured in many a tough battle by land and sea. Atriangular shield hung at his back, and his headpiece was a simplepeaked helmet of iron, with a prolongation in front that guarded hisnose. Thorer's offensive armour consisted of a short straight sword, ajavelin and a bow, with a quiver of arrows.
"How many men hast thou assembled, Thorer?" asked Erling as he donnedhis armour.
"Seventy-five, master; the rest are up on the fells, on what errand Iknow not."
"Seventy-five will do. Haste thee, carle, and lead them to my longshipthe Swan. Methinks we will skate upon the ocean to-night. [Longships,or war-vessels, were sometimes called ocean-skates.] I will follow thee.Let every man be at his post, and quit not the shore till I come onboard. Now fare away as swiftly as may be, and see that everything bedone stealthily; above all, keep well out of sight of Ulfstede."
Thus admonished, Thorer quickly left the forge; and a few seconds laterthe clanking tread of armed men was heard as Erling's followers tooktheir way to the fiord.
"Now I will to the hall, my son, and pray that thou mayst fare well,"said Herfrida, once more kissing the forehead which the youth lowered toreceive the parting salute. The mother retired, and left her sonstanding in the forge gazing pensively at the fire, the dying flames ofwhich shot up fitfully now and then, and gleamed on his shining mail.
If Erling the Bold was a splendid specimen of a man in his ordinarycostume, when clad in the full panoply of war he was truly magnificent.The rude but not ungraceful armour of the period was admirably fitted todisplay to advantage the elegant proportions of his gigantic figure. Ashirt or tunic of leather, covered with steel rings, hung loosely--yet,owing to its weight, closely--on his shoulders. This was gathered in atthe waist by a broad leathern belt, studded with silver ornaments, fromwhich hung a short dagger. A cross belt of somewhat similar make hungfrom his right shoulder, and supported a two-edged sword of immenseweight, which was quite as strong, though not nearly so long, as thatwhich he had forged for Glumm. It was intended for a single-handedweapon, though men of smaller size might have been constrained, inattempting to wield it, to make use of both hands. The youth's lowerlimbs were clothed in closely-fitting leather leggings, and a pair ofuntanned leather shoes, laced with a single thong, protected his feet.On his head he wore a small skull-cap, or helmet, of burnished steel,from the top of which rose a pair of hawk's wings expanded, as if in theact of flight. No gloves or gauntlets covered his hands, but on hisleft arm hung a large shield, shaped somewhat like an elongated heart,with a sharp point at its lower end. Its top touched his shoulder, andthe lower part reached to his knee.
This shield was made of several plies of thick bull-hide, with an outercoat of iron--the whole being riveted firmly together with iron studs.It was painted pure white, without device of any kind, but there was aband of azure blue round it, near the margin--the rim itself being ofpolished steel. In addition to his enormous axe, sword, and dagger,Erling carried at his back a short bow and a quiver full of arrows.
The whole of this war gear bore evidence of being cherished with theutmost care and solicitude. Every ring on the tunic was polished ashighly as the metal would admit of, so that the light appeared totrickle over it as its wearer moved. The helmet shone like a globe ofquicksilver, and lines of light gleamed on the burnished
edge of theshield, or sparkled on the ornamental points of the more precious metalswith which the various parts of his armour were decorated. Above allhung a loose mantle or cloak of dark-blue cloth, which was fastened onthe right shoulder with a large circular brooch of silver.
The weight of this panoply was enormous, but long habit had so inuredthe young Norseman to the burthen of his armour that he moved under itas lightly as if it had been no heavier than his ordinary habiliments.Indeed, so little did it impede his movements that he could spring overchasms and mountain streams almost as well with as without it; and itwas one of the boasts of his admiring friends that "he could leap hisown height with all his war gear on!"
We have already referred to Erling's partiality for the axe as anoffensive weapon. This preference was in truth--strange though theassertion may appear--owing to the peculiar adaptation of thatinstrument to the preservation of life as well as the taking of it!
There are exceptions to all rules. The rule among the Northmen informer years was to slay and spare not. Erling's tendency, andoccasionally his practice, was to spare and not to slay, if he could doso with propriety. From experience he found that, by a slight motion ofhis wrist, the edge of his axe could be turned aside, and the blow whichwas delivered by its flat side was invariably sufficient, withoutkilling, to render the recipient utterly incapable of continuing orrenewing the combat--at least for a few days. With the sword thisdelicate manoeuvre could not be so easily accomplished, for a blow fromthe flat of a sword was not sufficiently crushing, and if delivered withgreat force the weapon was apt to break. Besides, Erling was a blunt,downright, straightforward man, and it harmonised more with hisfeelings, and the energy of his character, to beat down sword and shieldand headpiece with one tremendous blow, than to waste time in fencingwith a lighter weapon.
Having completed his toilet and concluded his meditations--which latterfilled him with much perplexity, if one might judge from the frequencywith which he shook his head--Erling the Bold hung Glumm's long sword athis back, laid his huge axe on his shoulder, and, emerging from thesmithy, strode rapidly along the bridle path that led to the residenceof Ulf of Romsdal.
Suddenly it occurred to him that he had not yet tried the temper of hisnew weapon, so he stopped abruptly before a small pine tree, about asthick as a man's arm. It stood on the edge of a precipice along themargin of which the track skirted. Swaying the axe once round his head,he brought it forcibly down on the stem, through which it passed as ifit had been a willow wand, and the tree went crashing into the ravinebelow. The youth looked earnestly at his weapon, and nodded his headonce or twice as if the result were satisfactory. A benignant smileplayed on his countenance as he replaced it on his shoulder andcontinued on his way.
A brisk walk of half an hour brought him to Ulfstede, where he found themen of the family making active preparations for the impending journeyto the Thing. In the great hall of the house, his father held earnestdiscussion with Ulf. The house-carles busied themselves in burnishingtheir mail and sharpening their weapons, while Ada and Hilda assistedDame Astrid, Ulf's wife, to spread the board for the evening meal.
Everything in the hall was suggestive of rude wealth and barbarouswarlike times. The hall itself was unusually large--capable of feastingat least two hundred men. At one end a raised hearth sustained a fireof wood that was large enough to have roasted an ox. The smoke fromthis, in default of a chimney, found an exit through a hole in the roof.The rafters were, of course, smoked to a deep rich coffee colour, andfrom the same cause the walls also partook not a little of that hue.All round these walls hung, in great profusion, shields, spears, swords,bows, skins, horns, and such like implements and trophies of war and thechase. The centre of the hall was open, but down each side ran two longtables, which were at this time groaning with great haunches of venison,legs of mutton, and trenchers of salmon, interspersed with platters ofwild fowl, and flanked by tankards and horns of mead and ale. Most ofthe drinking cups were of horn, but many of these were edged with a rimof silver, and, opposite the raised seats of honour, in the centre ofeach table, the tankards were of solid silver, richly though rudelychased--square, sturdy, and massive, like the stout warriors who werewont to quaff their foaming contents.
"I tell thee, Ulf," said Haldor, "thou wilt do wrong to fare to theThing with men fully armed when the token was one of peace. The King isin no mood just now to brook opposition. If we would save ourindependence we must speak him smoothly."
"I care not," replied Ulf gruffly; "this is no time to go aboutunarmed."
"Nay, I did not advise thee to go unarmed, but surely a short swordmight suffice, and--"
At this moment Erling entered, and Ulf burst into a loud laugh as heinterrupted his friend: "Aye, a short sword--something like that," hesaid, pointing to the huge hilt which rose over the youth's shoulder.
"Hey! lad," exclaimed his father, "art going to fight with an axe in onehand and a sword in the other?"
"The sword is for Glumm, father. I owe him one after this morning'swork. Here, friend Glumm, buckle it on thy shoulder. The best wishthat thou and I can exchange is, that thy sword and my axe may neverkiss each other."
"Truly, if they ever do, I know which will fare worst," said Haldor,taking the axe and examining it, "Thou art fond of a weary arm, my lad,else ye would not have forged so weighty a weapon. Take my advice andleave it behind thee."
"Come, come," interrupted Ulf; "see, the tables are spread; let us useour jaws on food and drink, and not on words, for we shall need both tofit us for the work before us, and perchance we may have no longer needof either before many days go by. We can talk our fill at the Thing, anit so please us."
"That will depend on the King's pleasure," replied Haldor, laughing.
"So much the more reason for taking our arms with us, in order that wemay have the means of talking the King's pleasure," retorted Ulf with afrown; "but sit ye down at my right hand, Haldor, and Hilda will waitupon thee. Come, my men all--let us fall to."
It is scarcely necessary to say that this invitation was accepted withalacrity. In a few minutes about fifty pairs of jaws were activelyemployed in the manner which Ulf recommended.
Meanwhile Erling the Bold seated himself at the lower end of one of thetables, in such a position that he could keep his eye on the outer door,and, if need be, steal away unobserved. He calculated that his littlebrother must soon return from his flying journey, and he expected tohear from him some news of the vikings. In this expectation he wasright; but when Alric did come, Erling saw and heard more than he lookedfor.
The meal was about half concluded, and Ulf was in the act of pledging,not absent, but defunct, friends, when the door opened slowly, and Alricthrust his head cautiously in. His hair, dripping and tangled, boreevidence that his head at least had been recently immersed in water.
He caught sight of Erling, and the head was at once withdrawn. Nextmoment Erling stood outside of the house.
"How now, Alric, what has befallen thee? Hey! thou art soaking allover!"
"Come here; I'll show you a fellow who will tell you all about it."
In great excitement the boy seized his brother's hand and dragged ratherthan led him round the end of the house, where the first object that methis view was a man whose face was covered with blood, which oozed from awound in his forehead, while the heaving of his chest, and an occasionalgasp, seemed to indicate that he had run far and swiftly.
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