The Norsemen in the West

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER EIGHT.

  A CHAPTER OF INCIDENTS AND EXPLORATION, IN WHICH A BEAR AND A WHALE PLAYPROMINENT PARTS.

  Although arrested thus suddenly and unexpectedly in their progresstoward the shore, these resolute Norsemen were not to be balked in theirintention of reaching the land that forenoon--for it was morning whenthe vessel stuck fast on the shallows.

  The tide was ebbing at the time, so that Karlsefin knew it would beimpossible to get the ship off again until the next flood-tide. Hetherefore waited till the water was low enough, and then waded to theland accompanied by a large band of men. We need scarcely say that theywere well-armed. In those days men never went abroad either by land orsea without their armour, which consisted of swords, axes, spears andbows for offence, with helmets and shields for defence. Some of the menof wealth and position also wore defensive armour on their breasts,thighs, and shins, but most of the fighting men were content to trust tothe partial protection afforded by tunics of thick skin.

  They were not long of reaching the mouth of the river which Biarne hadpointed out, and, after proceeding up its banks for a short distance,were convinced that this must be the very spot they were in search of.

  "Now, Biarne," said Karlsefin, stopping and sitting down on a largestone, "I have no doubt that this is Leif's river, for it is broad anddeep as he told us, therefore we will take our ship up here.Nevertheless, before doing so, it would be a satisfaction to makepositively certain that we are in the right way, and this we may do bysending one or two of our men up into the land, who, by following theriver, will come to the lake where Leif built his booths, and so bringus back the news of them. Meanwhile we can explore the country heretill they return."

  Biarne and Thorward thought this advice good, and both offered to leadthe party to be sent there.

  "For," said Thorward, "they may meet with natives, and if the nativeshere bear any resemblance to the Skraelingers, methinks they won'treceive us with much civility."

  "I have thought of that," returned Karlsefin with a smile, "but I likenot your proposal. What good would it do that either you or Biarneshould lead so small a party if ye were assaulted by a hundred or moresavages, as might well be the case?"

  "Why, we could at all events retreat fighting," retorted Thorward in aslightly offended tone.

  "With fifty, perhaps, in front, to keep you in play, and fifty detachedto tickle you in rear."

  Thorward laughed at this, and so did Biarne. "Well, if the worst cameto the worst," said the latter, "we could at any rate sell our livesdearly."

  "And, pray, what good would that do to _us_?" demanded Karlsefin.

  "Well, well, have it your own way, skipper," said Biarne; "it seems tome, nevertheless, that if we were to advance with the whole of the menwe have brought on shore with us, we should be in the same predicament,for twenty men could not easily save themselves from a hundred--or, asit might be, a thousand--if surrounded in the way you speak of."

  "Besides that," added Thorward, "it seems to me a mean thing to send outonly one or two of our men without a leader to cope with such possibledangers, unless indeed they were possessed of more than mortal powers."

  "Why, what has become of your memories, my friends?" exclaimedKarlsefin. "Are there none of our men possessed of powers that are, atall events, more than those of _ordinary_ mortals?"

  "O-ho! Hake and Heika! I forgot them," cried Biarne; "the very men forthe work, to be sure!"

  "No doubt of it," said Karlsefin. "If they meet with natives who arefriendly, well and good; if they meet with no natives at all,--better.If they meet with unfriendly natives, they can show them their heels;and I warrant you that, unless the natives here be different from mostother men, the best pair of savage legs in Vinland will fail to overtakethe Scottish brothers."

  Thorward agreed that this was a good plan, but cautioned Karlsefin togive the brothers strict injunctions to fly, and not upon any account tofight; "for," said he, "these doughty Scots are fiery and fierce whenroused, and from what I have seen of them will, I think, be much moredisposed to use their legs in running after their foes than in runningaway from them."

  This having been settled, the brothers were called, and instructed toproceed into the woods and up the bank of the river as quickly aspossible, until they should come to a lake on the margin of which theywould probably see a few small huts. On discovering these they were toturn immediately and hasten back. They were also particularly cautionedas to their behaviour in the event of meeting with natives, and strictlyforbidden to fight, if these should be evil disposed, but to run back atfull speed to warn their friends, so that they might be prepared for anyemergency.

  "Nevertheless," said Karlsefin, in conclusion, "ye may carry weaponswith you if ye will."

  "Thanks," replied Heika. "As, however, you appear to doubt our powersof self-restraint, we will relieve your mind by going without them."

  Thus instructed and warned, the brothers tightened their belts, and,leaping nimbly into the neighbouring brake, disappeared from view.

  "A pair of proper men," said Karlsefin.--"And now, comrades, we willexplore the neighbourhood together, for it is advisable to ascertain allwe can of the nature of our new country, and that as quickly as may be.It is needful, also, to do so without scattering, lest we be set uponunexpectedly by any lurking foe. This land is not easily surveyed likeIceland or Greenland, being, as you see, covered with shrubs and trees,which somewhat curtail our vision, and render caution the morenecessary."

  While the Norsemen were engaged in examining the woods near the coast,the two Scots held on their way into the interior. There was somethingabsolutely exhilarating, as Krake once remarked, in the mere beholdingof these brothers' movements. They had been famed for agility andendurance even in their own country. They did not run, but trottedlightly, and appeared to be going at a moderate pace, when in reality itwould have compelled an ordinary runner to do his best to keep up withthem. Yet they did not pant or show any other symptom of distress. Onthe contrary, they conversed occasionally in quiet tones, as men do whenwalking. They ran abreast as often as the nature of the ground wouldallow them to do so, taking their leaps together when they came to smallobstructions, such as fallen trees or brooks of a few feet wide; butwhen they came to creeks of considerable width, the one usually pausedto see the other spring over, and then followed him.

  Just after having taken a leap of this kind, and while they were runningsilently side by side along the margin of the river, they heard a crashamong the bushes, and next instant a fine deer sprang into an open spacein front of them. The brothers bent forward, and, flying like the wind,or like arrows from a bow, followed for a hundred yards or so--thenstopped abruptly and burst into a hearty fit of laughter.

  "Ah! Heika," exclaimed the younger, "that fellow would be more than amatch for us if we could double our speed. We have no chance withfour-legged runners."

  While he was speaking they resumed the jog-trot pace, and soonafterwards came to a rocky ridge, that seemed to traverse the countryfor some distance. Here they were compelled to walk, and in some placeseven to clamber, the ground being very rugged.

  Here also they came to a small branch or fork of the river that appearedto find its way to the sea through another channel. It was deep, andalthough narrow in comparison with the parent stream, was much too broadto be leaped over. The pioneers were therefore obliged to swim. Beingalmost as much at home in the water as otters, they plunged in, clothesand all, without halting, and in a few seconds had gained the otherside.

  When they reached the top of the ridge they stopped and gazed in silentadmiration, for there lay stretched out before them a vast woodlandscene of most exquisite beauty. Just at their feet was the lake ofwhich they were in search; some parts of it bright as the blue sky whichits unruffled breast reflected; other parts dark almost to blacknesswith the images of rocks and trees. Everywhere around lay a primevalwilderness of wood and water which it is beyond the power of mortal penadequatel
y to describe; and while all was suffused with the golden lightof an early summer sun, and steeped in the repose of an absolutely calmday, the soft and plaintive cries of innumerable wild-fowl enlivened,without disturbing, the profound tranquillity of the scene.

  "Does it not remind you of our own dear land?" said Heika in a low softvoice.

  "Ay, like the lowlands on the shores of the Forth fiord," replied Hake,in the same low tone, as if he feared to break the pleasing stillness;"and there, surely, are the booths we were to search for--see, in thehollow, at the head of yonder bay, with the gravelly beach and thebirch-trees hanging from the rocks as if they wished to view themselvesin the watery mirror."

  "True--there are three of them visible. Let us descend and examine."

  "Hist! Some one appears to have got there before us," said Hake, layinghis hand on his brother's shoulder and pointing in the direction of thehuts.

  "It is not a human visitor, methinks," observed Heika.

  "More like a bear," returned Hake.

  In order to set the question at rest the brothers hastened round by thewoods to a spot immediately behind the huts. There was a hill there sosteep as to be almost a precipice. It overlooked the shores of the lakeimmediately below where the huts were, and when the pioneers came to thecrest of it and peeped cautiously over, they beheld a large brown bearnot far from the hut that stood nearest to the hill, busily engaged indevouring something.

  "Now it is a pity," whispered Heika, "that we brought no arms with us.Truly, little cause have we men to be proud of our strength, for yonderbeast could match fifty of us if we had nothing to depend on save ourfists and feet and fingers."

  "Why not include the teeth in your list, brother?" asked Hake, with aquiet laugh; "but it is a pity, as you say. What shall--"

  He stopped abruptly, for a large boulder, or mass of rock, against whichhe leaned, gave way under him, made a sudden lurch forward and thenstuck fast.

  "Ha! a dangerous support," said Hake, starting back; "but, hist! supposewe shove it down on the bear?"

  "A good thought," replied Heika, "if we can move the mass, which seemsdoubtful; but let us try. Something may be gained by trying--nothinglost."

  The boulder, which had been so balanced on the edge of the steep hillthat a gentle pressure moved it, was a mass of rock weighing severaltons, the moving of which would have been a hopeless task for twenty mento attempt, but it stood balanced on the extreme edge of the turn of thehill, and the little slip it had just made rendered its position stillmore critical; so that, when the young men lay down with their backsagainst a rock, placed their feet upon it and pushed with all theirmight, it slowly yielded, toppled over, and rolled with a tremendoussurge through a copse which lay immediately below it.

  The brothers leaped up and gazed in breathless eagerness to observe theresult. The bear, hearing the crash, looked up with as much surprise asthe visage of that stupid creature is capable of expressing. The thingwas so suddenly done that the bear seemed to have no time to form anopinion or get alarmed, for it stood perfectly still, while the boulder,bounding from the copse, went crashing down the hill, cutting a clearpath wherever it touched, attaining terrific velocity, and drawing animmense amount of debris after it. The direction it took happened to benot quite straight for the animal, whose snout it passed within six oreight feet--causing him to shrink back and growl--as it rushed smokingonward over the level bit of sward beneath, through the mass of willowsbeyond, across the gravelly strand and out to the lake, into which itplunged and disappeared amid a magnificent spout of foam. But theavalanche of earth and stones which its mad descent had created did notlet Bruin off so easily. One after another these latter, small andlarge, went pattering and dashing against him,--some on his flank, someon his ribs, and others on his head. He growled of course, yet stoodthe fire nobly for a few seconds, but when, at last, a large boulder hithim fairly on the nose, he gave vent to a squeal which terminated in apassionate roar as he turned about and made for the open shore, alongwhich for some distance he ran with the agility of a monstrous wild-cat,and finally leaped out of sight into his forest home!

  The brothers looked at each other with sparkling eyes, and next momentthe woods resounded with their merriment, as they held their sides andleaned for support against a neighbouring cliff.

  Heika was first to recover himself.

  "Hold, brother," he exclaimed, "we laugh loud enough to let Bruin knowwho it was that injured him, or to bring all the savages in these woodsdown upon us. Peace, man, peace, and let us return to our friends."

  "As soon as ye please, brother," said Hake, still laughing as hetightened his belt, "but was it not rare fun to see Bruin stand thatstony rain so manfully until his tender point was touched? And then howhe ran! 'Twas worth coming here to see a bear leave off his rollinggait so and run like a very wild-cat.--Now I'm ready."

  Without staying to make further examination of Leif's old huts--for fromthe place where they stood all the six of them could be clearly seen--the young pioneers started on their return to the coast. They ran backwith much greater speed than they had pushed forward--fearing that theircompanions might be getting impatient or alarmed about them. They didnot even converse, but with heads up, chests forward, and elbows bent,addressed themselves to a quick steady run, which soon brought them tothe branch of the river previously mentioned. Here they stopped for amoment before plunging in.

  "Suppose that we run down its bank," suggested Hake, "and see whetherthere be not a shallow crossing."

  "Surely ye have not grown afraid of water, Hake?"

  "No, not I, but I should like to see whither this branch trends, andwhat it is like; besides, the divergence will not cost us much time, aswe can cross at any point we have a mind to, and come at the main riveragain through the woods."

  "Well, I will not balk you--come on."

  They accordingly descended the smaller streams and found it to be brokenby various little cascades and rapids, with here and there a longishreach of pebbly ground where the stream widened into a shallow ripplingriver with one or two small islands in it. At one of these places theycrossed where it was only knee-deep in the centre, and finally stoppedat the end of a reach, where a sudden narrowing of the banks produced abrawling rapid. Below this there was a deep pool caused by a greateddy.

  "Now, we go no further," said Heika. "Here we shall cross through thewoods to the main branch."

  "'Tis a pretty stream," observed Hake when they were about to leave it.

  As he spoke a large salmon leaped high out of the pool below, flashedfor one moment in the sunshine like a bar of living silver, and fellback into the water with a sounding splash. Hake caught his breath andopened wide his eyes!

  "Truly that is a good sight to the eyes of a Scotsman," said Heika,gazing with interest at the place where the fish had disappeared; "itreminds me of my native land."

  "Ay, and me of my dinner," observed Hake, smacking his lips.

  "Out upon thee, man!" cried Heika, "how can ye couple our native landwith such a matter-o'-fact thought as dinner?"

  "Why, it would be hard to uncouple the thought of dinner from our nativeland," returned Hake, with a laugh, as they entered the forest; "forevery man--not to mention woman--within its circling coast-line is adiner, and so by hook or crook must daily have his dinner.--But say,brother, is it not matter of satisfaction, as well as matter of fact,that the waters of this Vinland shall provide us with abundance of foodnot less surely than the land? If things go on as they have begun Ishall be well content to stay here."

  "Ye do not deserve the name of Scot, Hake," said the other gravely. "Myheart is in Scotland; it is not here."

  "True, I know it," replied Hake, with a touch of feeling; "in a doublesense, too, for your betrothed is there. Nevertheless, as _I_ did notleave my heart behind me; surely there is no sin in taking some pleasurein this new land. But heed not my idle talk, brother. You and I shallyet live to see the bonny hills of--. Ha! here we are on the big strea
monce more, sooner than I had expected, and, if I mistake not, withinhail of our comrades."

  Hake was right. The moment they emerged from the woods upon the openbank of the large river they saw a party of men in the distanceapproaching them, and, an instant later, a loud halloo assured them thatthese were their friends.

  When the pioneers had related all that they had seen and done, the wholeparty returned to the shore and hailed the ship, for, the tide havingrisen, they could not now reach it by wading. A boat was immediatelysent for them, and great was the interest manifested by all on board tolearn the news of Vinland. They had time to give an account of all thathad been done and seen, because it still wanted an hour of flood-tide,and the ship still lay immoveable.

  While they were thus engaged, Gudrid happened to cast her eyes over thestern of the ship, and thought she saw an object moving in the water.

  "What is that I see?" she said, pointing towards it.

  "The great sea-serpent!" exclaimed Biarne, shading his eyes with hishand.

  "Or his ghost," remarked Krake.

  From which observations, coupled together, it would appear that thefamous monster referred to was known by repute to the Norsemen of theeleventh century, though he was to some extent regarded as a myth!

  Be this as it may, the object which now attracted the attention andraised the eyebrows of all on board the "_Snake_" evidently possessedlife, for it was very active--wildly so--besides being large. It dartedhither and thither, apparently without aim, sending the water in curlingfoam before it. Suddenly it made straight for the ship, then it turnedat a tangent and made for the island; anon it wheeled round, and rushed,like a mad creature, to the shore.

  Then arose a deafening shout from the men--

  "A whale! an embayed whale!"

  And so in fact it was; a large whale, which, as whales will sometimesdo--blind ones, perhaps--had lost its way, got entangled among thesandbanks lying between the island and the shore, and was now makingfrantic efforts to escape.

  Need we say that a scene of the wildest excitement ensued among the men!The two boats--one of which was, as we have said, a large one--were gotready, barbed spears and lances and ropes were thrown into them, as manymen as they could hold with safety jumped in, and pulled away, might andmain, after the terrified whale.

  You may be sure, reader, that little Olaf was there, fast by the side ofhis friend and hero Karlsefin, who took charge of the large boat, withThorward in the bow to direct him how to steer. Biarne was there too asa matter of course, in charge of the little boat, with Krake as hisbowman and Tyrker pulling the stroke-oar. For Tyrker was strong, thoughlittle, ugly, and old, and had a peculiar talent for getting involved inany fighting, fun, or mischief that chanced to be in hand. Men saidthat he was afraid of dying in his bed, and had made up his mind to rushcontinually into the jaws of danger until they should close upon andcrush him; but we are of opinion that this was a calumny. Those of themen who were necessarily left in the ship could scarce be prevented fromswimming after the boats as they shot away, and nothing but thecertainty of being drowned restrained them from making the mad attempt.As it was, they clambered upon the figure-head and up the rigging,where, with gaping mouths and staring eyes, they watched the movementsof their more fortunate companions.

  Meanwhile the whale had made what appeared to be a grand and finalneck-or-nothing rush in the direction of the shore. Of course he washigh, although not dry, in a few seconds. That is to say, he got intowater so shallow that he stuck fast, with his great head and shouldersraised considerably out of the sea, in which position he began to roll,heave, spout, and lash his mighty tail with a degree of violence thatalmost approached sublimity.

  He was in these circumstances when the Norsemen came up; for though tooshallow for the whale, the water was quite deep enough for the boats.

  Being light, the small boat reached the scene of action first. Krakestood up in the bow to be ready. He held in his hand a curious woodenspear with a loose barb tipped with the tusk of a walrus. It had beenprocured from one of the Greenland Skraelingers. A rope was attached toit.

  As they drew near, the whale stopped for an instant, probably to recoverbreath. Krake raised his spear--the fish raised his tail. Whizz! wentthe spear. Down came the tail with a thunderclap, and next moment mud,sand, water, stones, foam, and blood, were flying in cataractseverywhere as the monster renewed its struggles.

  "Back! back oars!" shouted Biarne, as they were almost swamped by theflood.

  The men obeyed with such good-will that Krake was thrown head-foremostover the bow.

  "Hold fast!" yelled Krake on coming to the surface.

  "If ye had held fast ye wouldn't have been there," said Biarne; "whereare ye?"

  He rose again out of the foam, yelled, and tossed up his arms.

  "Can the man not swim?" cried Biarne, in alarm; "pull, boys, pull!"

  The men were already pulling with such force that they almost went overthe man. As they rubbed past him Hake dropped his oar and caught him bythe hair, Biarne leaned over the side and got him by the breeches, andwith a vigorous heave they had him inboard.

  "Why, Krake, I thought you could swim!" said Biarne.

  "Ay, so I can, but who could swim with a coil of rope round his neck andlegs?"

  The poor man had indeed been entangled in the rope of the spear, so thathe could not use his limbs freely.

  No more was said, however, for they were still in dangerous proximity tothe tail of the struggling fish, and had to pull out of its way.

  Meanwhile the large boat, profiting by the experience of the small one,had kept more towards the whale's head, and, before Krake had beenrescued, Thorward sent a Skraelinger spear deep into its shoulder. Butthis only acted as a spur to the huge creature, and made it heave aboutwith such violence that it managed to slew right round with its headoffshore.

  At this the men could not restrain a shout of alarm, for they knew thatif the whale were to succeed in struggling again into water where itcould swim, it would carry away spears and ropes; or, in the event ofthese holding on, would infallibly capsize and sink the boats.

  "Come, drive in your spears!" shouted Karlsefin in a voice of thunder,for his usually quiet spirit was now deeply stirred.

  Thorward and one of the men threw their spears, but the latter missedand the former struck his weapon into a part that was too thick to domuch injury, though it was delivered with great force and went deep.

  "This will never do!" cried Karlsefin, leaping up; "here, Swend, takethe helm. Ho! hand me that spear, quick! Now, lads, pull, pull, withheart and limb!"

  As he spoke he sprang like a roused giant into the bow of the boat andcaught up a spear. The men obeyed his orders. The boat rushed againstthe whale's side, and, with its impetus added to his own Herculeanstrength, Karlsefin thrust the spear deep down into the monster's bodyjust behind the shoulder fin.

  The crimson stream that immediately gushed forth besprinkled all in theboat and dyed the sea around.

  "That is his life-blood," said Karlsefin, with a grim smile; "you mayback off now, lads."

  This was done at once. The small boat was also ordered to back off, andthose in it obeyed not a moment too soon, for immediately afterreceiving the deadly wound the whale went into a violent dying struggle.It soon subsided. There were one or two mighty heavings of theshoulder; then a shudder ran through the huge carcase, and it rolledslowly over in a relaxed manner which told significantly that the greatmysterious life had fled.