The Norsemen in the West

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

  CHANGES IN BRATTALID--THE SCOTS CONTINUE TO PLOT AND PLAN.

  Greenland again! Flatface standing on the wharf at Brattalid; Andersbeside him; groups of Norse men, women, and children, and Skraelingers,around and scattered along the bay.

  What a commotion there was in the colony, to be sure, when it wasdiscovered that two large ships were sailing up the fiord; and what acommotion it created in the breasts of those on board these ships whenit was discovered that two other large ships were already at anchor inthe harbour!

  It is not necessary to detain the reader with the details of questionand reply, by which the truth was at last elicited on both sides.Suffice it to say that the two ships were found to be merchant-vesselsfrom Iceland, and that, among other colonists, they had brought outseveral men whose purpose was to teach and plant the new religion.Already a small building had been set up, with a short tower on theroof, which the Norsemen were told was a church, and in which some ofthe services of the Christian religion were performed. Elsewhereseveral new houses had been built, and everywhere there were signs ofincreasing population and prosperity.

  Leif was half pleased, half disappointed at all this. It was gratifyingto find things prospering so well, but it was not pleasant to see theold place so greatly changed, and to have much of the old home-feelingdone away.

  However, little was said on the subject. The Vinland colonists were toobusy at first, meeting with relations and old companions, and beingintroduced to new friends, to say or think much about the matter. Aftera few days they became reconciled to the change, and settled down into aregular busy life.

  One evening Heika went to the house of his friend Edwinsson, who ownedthe boat that he wished to become possessed of. He found that the manwas not at home, but there was a serving-woman in the house.

  "Edwinsson no longer lives here," said the girl. "He has gone to livewith old Haraldson and manage his boats, for the old man is not able forthat work now."

  "Do you mean Bertha's father?" asked Heika.

  "Yes; Haraldson is Bertha's father."

  Heika went at once to search for his friend. By the way he chanced tomeet with his brother.

  "Come, Hake," said he, "I want you to go with me to find Edwinsson."

  "With all my heart," said Hake.

  They soon came to old Haraldson's house, which lay at the extreme westof Brattalid; and when Heika opened the door, there he saw the old manseated in a large chair, propped up with eider-down pillows. Bertha wasseated on a stool at his feet holding one of his hands.

  "Come in, Heika," she cried, springing up and hasting forward withpleasure. "I have been trying to tell dear father about the whale youkilled in Vinland."

  She stopped abruptly on observing that Hake was behind his brother.Recovering herself quickly, however, she welcomed him also with a slightblush.

  "I want you, Heika," she continued, "to tell the story to my father."

  "Ay, sit down here, young man, and tell it me," said Haraldson, in atremulous voice. "I love to hear anything about Vinland, especiallywhat pleases Bertha. Dear Bertha! I have become very frail since shewent away--very frail; and it has been a weary time--a weary time. Butcome, tell me about the whale."

  "Gladly would I do that," said Heika; "but I have business with your manEdwinsson--business which I want to put out of hands at once. But Hakewill tell the story of the whale. He is a better sagaman than I."

  "Let Hake tell it, then," returned the old man. "You will findEdwinsson somewhere about among my boats."

  Hake gladly sat down beside Bertha, and began the story of the whale,while his brother went down to the beach, where he found his friend.

  "Edwinsson," said Heika, after some conversation had passed betweenthem, "you have a good boat near Leif's wharf. Will you lend it to me?"

  "Right willingly," replied his friend.

  "But I am bound on an excursion that may chance to end in the wreck ofthe boat," said Heika. "Will you hold me responsible if I lose it?"

  "'Twill be difficult to hold thee responsible," returned Edwinsson,laughing, "if ye lose your life along with it. But that matters not. Igift thee the boat if thou wilt have it. I count it a small gift to theman who saved my life."

  "Thanks, Edwinsson--thanks. I accept the gift, and, if my venture issuccessful, I shall try to let you share the benefit in some way orother."

  "Hast discovered a new fishing-ground, Heika? What venture do yeintend?" asked the other.

  "That I will keep secret just now," said Heika, laughing carelessly. "Idon't want to be followed at first. Ye shall know all about it soon.But hearken, friend, make no mention of it. One does not like to belaughed at if one fails, you know."

  So saying, Heika went off to Leif's wharf, loosed the boat which hefound there, hoisted the sail, and dropped down with the tide to themouth of the fiord. Here a light breeze was blowing, under theinfluence of which he soon ran round the point of land that dividedEricsfiord from Heriulfness. In the course of another hour he reachedthe western skerries.

  The skerries or islets in question were little better than bare rocks,which lay about fifty yards from the mainland, along which they formed asort of breakwater for a distance of nearly a quarter of a mile. Withinthis breakwater there were several narrow and well-sheltered inlets.Into one of these Heika ran his boat, and made it fast in a place whichwas so well overshadowed by rocks, that the boat could neither be seenfrom the land nor from the sea.

  On the landward side this inlet could be reached by a path, which,though it appeared somewhat rugged, was nevertheless easy to traverse.Up this path Heika hastened after making the boat fast, intending toreturn to Brattalid by land. The distance over land was much shorterthan by water, so that he could soon reach Leif's house, and his briefabsence would attract no attention.

  Just as the Scot issued from behind the rocks which concealed the pathto the inlet, he was suddenly bereft almost of the power to move by theunexpected sight of Leif himself advancing towards him!

  Poor Heika's heart died within him. He felt that all his long-cherishedand deeply-laid plans were crushed, just as they were about to becarried into effect, and a feeling of fierce despair prompted him, for amoment, to commit some wild deed of violence, but he observed thatLeif's head was bent forward and his eyes rested on the ground, as headvanced slowly, like one who meditates. Heika drew swiftly back behindthe rock, from the shelter of which he had barely passed, and breathedfreely again when Leif passed by, without showing any symptom of havingobserved him. Waiting till he had sauntered beyond the next turn in thepath, he started at his utmost speed, and was soon beyond the reach ofLeif's eyes, and back in Brattalid with a relieved mind.

  Had the Scot waited to observe the motions of his master after passingthe turn in the path above mentioned, he would not have experienced somuch mental relief; for no sooner had Leif got behind a small but thickbush than he turned abruptly, raised his head with an intelligent smile,lay down behind the bush, and looked quietly through its foliage. Hesaw Heika issue from behind the rock, observed his cautious glances fromside to side, and, with something like a chuckle, witnessed his rapidflight in the direction of the settlement.

  "Hem! something i' the wind," muttered Leif, rising and walking towardsthe spot whence his thrall had issued.

  He found the rugged path, descended to the inlet, discovered the boat,and stood looking at it with a perplexed air for full ten minutes.Thereafter he shook his head once or twice, smiled in a grave manner,and slowly sauntered home absorbed in meditation.

  "Hake," whispered Heika to his brother that night, as they sat downtogether in the little sleeping-closet off Leif's hall, that had beenallotted to their use, "all my hopes and plans were on the point ofbeing ruined to-day."

  "Ruined! brother. How was that?"

  Heika related to him all that had occurred at the inlet near the westernskerries.

  "Art thou sure he saw thee not?" asked Hake earnestly
.

  "There can be no doubt of that," replied Heika, "for he had no cause tosuspect that anything was wrong; and if he had seen me as I first stoodbefore him, motionless with surprise, he would doubtless have hailed me.No, no; something was working very hard in his brain, for he passed onwithout the least sign of having seen me."

  "That is well, brother, yet I do not feel easy, for it is well-knownthat Leif is a shrewd man, with great command over his feelings. Butnow, tell me how best I shall aid you in this enterprise."

  "That is best done by using your bow well, for we shall require a largesupply of dried meat for the voyage, and we must work diligently as wellas secretly during our few hours of leisure, if we would get ready intime to sail before the rough winds of autumn set in. There are sometight casks in Leif's old store which I mean to take possession of, atthe last, for water. Our service will more than pay for these and anyother trifles we may find it needful to appropriate."

  Hake thought in his heart that the enterprise was a wild and foolishone, but, having promised to engage in it, he resolved not to cast theslightest hindrance in the way, or to say a single word ofdiscouragement. He therefore approved of all that Heika suggested, andsaid that he would give his aid most vigorously.

  "Moreover," he continued, "I have had some consolation to-day which willspur me on, for I have got Bertha to admit that she loves me, and topromise that if I can obtain my freedom she will wed me. She even gaveme to understand that she would wed me as a thrall, if only Leif andKarlsefin would give their consent. But that shall not be. Berthashall never be a thrall's bride. I will return and claim her, as I havesaid."

  Heika made no reply, but continued to gaze at the floor in silence.

  "Methinks ye are perplexed by something, brother," said Hake.

  "I am thinking," replied Heika, "that it is a pity we cannot use thosecurious marks made on skins, wherewith, we are told, men can communicateone with another when they are absent from each other."

  "What causes the regret just now?"

  "I grudge to quit Leif without a parting word," returned Heika, lookingat his brother with peculiar earnestness; "it seems so ungrateful, sounkind to one who has ever treated us well."

  "I think with you in that, brother," said Hake.

  "It would be so easy too," continued Heika, "to have some method ofletting him know what I think, if we could only agree about the signs orsignals beforehand."

  Hake laughed softly.

  "That would not be easy; for we could scarcely go to him and say, `Leif,when you see these particular marks on a certain stone, you are tounderstand that we take leave of you for ever with hearty good-will!' Ifear that his suspicions might be aroused thereby."

  "Nay, but I only express regret that we have not some such mode ofintercourse," returned Heika, smiling. "Ye know the sign of the splitarrow which tells of war. Why might we not multiply such signs? Forinstance, _by laying a billet of firewood across a man's bed_, one mightsignify that he bade him farewell with tender affection and goodwill!"

  "Why, brother," said Hake, laughing, "ye look at me as earnestly as ifyou had said something smart; whereas I regard your idea as but a clumsyone. A billet of wood laid across your friend's bed might more fitlysuggest that you wanted to knock out his brains, or damage his skin, orburn him alive!"

  Heika laughed heartily, and said that he feared he had nothing of thespirit of the skald about him, and that his power of invention was notgreat.

  "But I have more news to give thee, brother, besides that regardingBertha," said Hake. "Do you know there is a countryman of ours on boardof one of the ships that brought out the men of the new religion, and hehas but lately seen our father and Emma?"

  Heika started and laid his hand on his brother's arm, while he gazedearnestly into his face.

  "It is ill jesting on such a subject," he said somewhat sternly.

  "So think I, brother; therefore I recommend you not to jest," returnedHake gravely.

  "Nay, but is it true?"

  "Ay, true as that the sky is over our heads. I have had a long talkwith him, and when he found I was a countryman he gave me a hug thatmade my ribs bend. His name is Sawneysson, a very giant of a man, withhair that might have grown on the back of a Greenland bear, only that itis red instead of white. He told me that he knew our father well bysight, and last saw him taking a ramble on Dunedin hill, whither he hadwalked from our village on the Forth, which shows that the old man'svigour has improved. Emma was with him too, so Sawneysson said, lookingbeautiful, but somewhat sad."

  "How knew he her name?" asked Heika.

  "He knew it not," replied Hake. "He did but say that a fair maidenwalked with our father, and I knew at once from his description that itwas Emma. But you can inquire for yourself at his own mouth, for thiscountryman of ours is an enthusiastic fellow, and fond of talking abouthome."

  "Brother," said Heika, with a sad but earnest look, "I must give thisman the cold shoulder."

  "Nay, then, disappointment must have changed thee much," said Hake, insurprise, "for that is the last thing I had expected thee to say."

  "It is not disappointment but caution that makes me speak and think as Ido. If we seem to be too eager about our native land it may tend tomake Leif more watchful of us, which of all things would be the greatestmisfortune that could befall us just at this time."

  "There is something in that," returned Hake; "but will it not suffice toexercise a little caution and self-restraint, without giving ourcountryman the cold shoulder?"

  "I know not," replied Heika, with a troubled air; "but I would that hehad not turned up just now, though I confess it gladdens me to hear ofour father and Emma.--Now, Hake, we must to bed if we would be upbetimes to secure a little leisure for the carrying out of ourenterprise."

  Without further conversation the brothers threw off their coats andshoes, and lay down together with the rest of their clothing on, so asto be ready for an early start. The shield and helmet of each hung onthe wall just over the bed, and their two swords leaned against the beditself, within reach of their hands, for thus guardedly did men deem itnecessary to take their rest in the warlike days of old.