Havelok the Dane

by Charles W. Whistler

Welsh folk that Hodulf held the kingdom fortheir lord; and it is likely that he humoured them by saying that hewould do so, which was a safe promise to make, as even King Arthurhimself could never have reached him to make him pay scatt.

  CHAPTER II. KING HODULF'S SECRET.

  My father came home heavy and anxious enough, for he did not know howthings would go under this new king, though he had promised peace to allmen who would own him. We in our place saw nothing of him or his men forthe next few weeks, but he was well spoken of by those who had aught todo with him elsewhere. So my father went on trying to gather a cargo forEngland; but it was a slow business, as the burnt and plundered folk ofthe great town had naught for us, and others sold to them. But he wouldnever be idle, and every day when weather served we went fishing, for heloved his old calling well, as a man will love that which he can dobest. Our two boats and their gear were always in the best of order, andour kinsman, Arngeir, used and tended them when we were away in the shipin summertime.

  Now, one evening, as we came up from the shore after beaching the boaton the hard below the town, and half a mile from the nearest houses, andbeing, as one may suppose, not altogether in holiday trim, so that Grimand his boys with their loads of fish and nets looked as though afisher's hovel were all the home that they might own, we saw a horseman,followed at a little distance by two more, riding towards us. The duskwas gathering, and at first we thought that this was Jarl Sigurd, whowould ask us maybe to send fish to his hall, and so we set our loadsdown and waited for him.

  But it was not our lord, and I had never seen this man before. From hisarms, which were of a new pattern to me, he might be one of the host ofHodulf, as I thought.

  "Ho, fisher!" he cried, when he was yet some way from us; "leave yourlads, and come hither. I have a word for you."

  He reined up and waited, and now I was sure that he was a Norseman, forhis speech was rougher than ours. He was a tall, handsome man enough;but I liked neither his voice nor face, nor did I care to hear Grim, myfather, summoned in such wise, not remembering that just now a strangercould not tell that he was aught but a fisher thrall of the jarl's.

  But my father did as he was asked, setting down the nets that he wascarrying, and only taking with him the long boathook on which he hadslung them as he went forward. I suppose he remembered the old saying,that a man should not stir a step on land without his weapons, as onenever knows when there may be need of them; and so, having no other, hetook this.

  I heard the first questions that the man asked, for he spoke loudly.

  "Whose man are you?"

  "Sigurd's," answered my father shortly.

  "Whose are the boats?"

  "Mine, seeing that I built them."

  "Why, then, there is somewhat that you can do for me," the horsemansaid. "Is your time your own, however?"

  "If the jarl needs me not."

  "Tonight, then?"

  "I have naught to do after I have carried the nets home."

  "That is well," said the stranger; and after that he dropped his voiceso that I heard no more, but he and my father talked long together.

  We waited, and at last the talk ended, and my father came hack to us,while the stranger rode away northward along the sands. Then I asked whothe man was, and what he wanted.

  "He is some chief of these Norsemen, and one who asks more questions ofa thrall, as he thinks me, than he would dare ask Sigurd the jarl, orGrim the merchant either, for that matter."

  Seeing that my father did not wish to say more at this time, we askednothing else, but went homeward in silence. It seemed as if he was illat ease, and he went more quickly than was his wont, so that presentlyRaven and little Withelm lagged behind us with their burdens, for ourcatch had been a good one.

  Then he stopped outside the garth when we reached home, and told me notto go in yet. And when the others came up he said to them, "Do you twotake in the things and the fish, and tell mother that Radbard and I haveto go down to the ship. There is cargo to be seen to, and it is likelythat we shall he late, so bid her not wait up for us."

  Then he told me to come, and we left the two boys at once and turnedaway towards the haven. There was nothing strange in this, for cargooften came at odd times, and we were wont to work late in stowing it. Idid wonder that we had not stayed to snatch a bit of supper, but itcrossed my mind that the Norseman had told my father of some goods thathad maybe been waiting for the whole day while we were at sea. And thenthat did not seem likely, for he had taken us for thralls. So I waspuzzled, but held my peace until it should seem good to my father totell me what we were about.

  When we reached a place where there was no house very near and no manabout, he said to me at last, "What is on hand I do not rightly know,but yon man was Hodulf, the new king, as I suppose we must call him. Hewould not tell me his name, but I saw him when he and the jarl madeterms the other day. Now he has bidden me meet him on the road a milefrom the town as soon as it is dark, and alone. He has somewhat secretfor me to do."

  "It is a risk to go alone and unarmed," I answered; "let me go home andget your weapons, for the errand does not seem honest."

  "That is what I think also," said my father, "and that is why I am goingto meet him. It is a bad sign when a king has a secret to share with athrall, and I have a mind to find out what it is. There may be some plotagainst our jarl."

  He was silent for a few minutes, as if thinking, and then he went on.

  "I cannot take arms, or he would suspect me, and would tell me nothing;but if there is any plotting to be done whereof I must tell the jarl, itwill be as well that you should hear it."

  Then he said that he thought it possible for me to creep very close tothe place where he was to meet Hodulf, so that I could hear all or mostof what went on, and that I might as well be armed in case of foul play,for he did not suppose that the Norseman would think twice about cuttingdown a thrall who did not please him.

  It was almost dark by this time, and therefore he must be going. I wasnot to go home for arms, but to borrow from Arngeir as we passed hishouse. And this I did, saying that I had an errand beyond the town andfeared prowling men of the Norse host. Which danger being a veryreasonable one, Arngeir offered to go with me; and I had some difficultyin preventing him from doing so, for he was like an elder brother to allof us. However, I said that I had no great distance to go, and feignedto be ashamed of myself for my fears; and he laughed at me, and let mego my way with sword and spear and seax[4] also, whichlast my father would take under his fisher's jerkin.

  I caught up my father quickly, and we went along the sands northwardsuntil we came to the place where we must separate. The road was but aquarter of a mile inland from this spot, for it ran near the shore, andit was not much more than that to the place where Hodulf would be waiting.

  "Creep as near as you can," my father said; "but come to help only if Icall. I do not think that I am likely to do so."

  Then we went our ways, he making straight for the road, and I turning tomy left a little. It was dark, for there was no moon now, but save thatI was soundly scratched by the brambles of the fringe of brushwood thatgrew all along the low hills of the coast, there was nothing to preventmy going on quickly, for I knew the ground well enough, by reason ofyearly bird nesting. When I reached the roadway the meeting place wasyet to my left, and I could hear my father's footsteps coming steadilyin the distance. So I skirted the road for a little way, and then cameto an open bit of heath and rising land, beyond which I thought I shouldfind Hodulf. Up this I ran quickly, dropping into the heather at thetop; and sure enough, in a hollow just off the road I could dimly makeout the figure of a mounted man waiting.

  Then my father came along the road past me, and I crawled among the tallheather clumps until I was not more than twenty paces from the hollow,which was a little below me.

  Hodulf's horse winded me, as I think, and threw up its head snorting,and I heard its bit rattle. But my father was close at hand, and thatwas lucky.

  "Ho, fisher,
is that you?" he called softly.

  "I am here," was the answer, and at once my father came into the hollowfrom the road.

  "Are any folk about?" Hodulf said.

  "I have met none. Now, what is all this business?" answered my father.

  "Business that will make a free man of you for the rest of your days,and rich, moreover, master thrall," said Hodulf. "That is, if you do asI bid you."

  "A thrall can do naught else than what he is bidden."

  "Nay, but he can do that in a way that will earn great reward, now andthen; and your reward for obedience and silence thereafter in thismatter shall be aught that you like to ask."

  "This sounds as if I were to peril my life," my father said. "I knownaught else that can be worth so much as that might be."

  "There is