Havelok the Dane

by Charles W. Whistler

timeswere quiet for these poor folk. There was a wise man, too, of theirfaith, who lived in the wild hills not far from the city, and they werewont to go to him for advice if they needed it. They said also that theking of Lindsey had once been a Christian, for he was Welsh by birth onhis mother's side, and had been so brought up. It is certain that hissister Orwenna, who married Ethelwald of East Anglia, was one, but Ihave seen Alsi the king at the feasts of the Asir at Thor's Way whenYuletide was kept, so it is not so certain about him. He had many Welshnobles about him at the court, kinsmen of his mother mostly, so that itdid not seem strange, though there is not much love lost between theEnglish and the folk whom they conquered, as one might suppose.

  Now, as I have said, none but Withelm thought twice about these things;but in the end the love of the marsh folk was a thing that was needed,and that Withelm had learned somewhat of their faith was the greatesthelp that could be, as will be seen.

  CHAPTER VII. BROTHERHOOD.

  True are the words of the Havamal, the song of the wisdom of Odin, whichsay, "One may know and no other, but all men know if three know."

  Therefore for all these years my father told none of us the secret ofHavelok's birth; and when Arngeir married my sister Solva he made himtake oath that he would not tell what he knew to her, while she, beingbut a child at the time of the flight, had forgotten how this well-lovedbrother of hers came to us. But it happened once that Grim was sick, andit seemed likely that he would die, so that this secret weighed on him,and he did not rightly know what to do for the best, Havelok at the timebeing but seventeen, and the time that he should think of his own placenot being yet come. At that time he told Arngeir all that he foresaw,and set things in order, that we three should not be backward when need was.

  He called us to him, Havelok not being present, and spoke to us.

  "Sons," he said, "well have you all obeyed me all these years, and Ithink that you will listen to me now, for I must speak to you ofHavelok, who came to us as you know. Out of his saving from his foescame our flight here; and I will not find fault with any of the thingsthat happened, for they have turned out well, save that it seems that Imay never see the land of my birth again, and at times I weary for it.For me Denmark seems to lie within the four square of the ancientstones; but if you will do my bidding, you and Havelok shall see heragain, though how I cannot tell."

  Then I could hardly speak for trouble, but Withelm said softly, "As wehave been wont to do, father, so it shall be."

  "Well shall my word be kept, therefore," Grim said, smiling on us."Listen, therefore. In the days to come, when time is ripe, Arngeirshall tell you more of Havelok your foster-brother, and there will besigns enough by which he shall know that it is time to speak. And thenHavelok will need all the help that you can give him; and as your lordshall you serve him, with both hands, and with life itself if need be.And I seem to see that each of you has his place beside him--Radbardas his strong helper, and Raven as his watchful comrade, and Withelm ashis counsellor. For 'Bare is back without brother behind it,' sonRadbard and 'Ere one goes out, give heed to the doorways,' son Raven;and 'Wisdom is wanted by him who fares widely' son Withelm. So say theold proverbs, and they are true. No quarreller is Havelok; but if hemust fight, that will be no playground. Careful is he; but he has metwith no guile as yet, and he trusts all men. Slow to think, if sure, areso mighty frames as his becomes, even when quick wit is needed."

  He was silent for a while, and I thought that he had no more to say, andI knew that he had spoken rightly of what each was best fitted for, buthe went on once more.

  "This is my will, therefore, that to you shall Havelok be as the eldestbrother from this time forward, that these places shall not have to comesuddenly to you hereafter. Then will you know that I have spokenrightly, though maybe it seems hard to Radbard and Raven now, they beingso much older."

  Then I said truly that already Havelok was first in our hearts. And thatwas true, for he was as a king among us--a king who was served by allwith loving readiness, and yet one who served all. Maybe that is justwhat makes a good king when all is said and done.

  Then my father bade us carry him out of the house and down to the shorewhere there was a lonely place in the sandhills, covered with the sweet,short grass that the sheep love; and, while Raven and I bore him,Withelm went and brought Havelok.

  "This is well, father," he said gladly. "I had not thought you strongenough to come thus far."

  "Maybe it is the last time that I come living out of the house," Grimsaid; "but there is one thing yet to be done, and it must be done here.See, son Havelok, these are your brothers in all but blood, and theymust be that also in the old Danish way."

  "Nothing more is needed, father," Havelok said, wondering. "I have nobrothers but these of mine, and they could be no more so."

  Thereat my father smiled, as well content, but he said that the ancientway must he kept.

  "But I am sorely weak," he added. "Fetch hither Arngeir."

  It was because of this illness that none of us were at the fishing onthat day, and Arngeir was not long in coming. And while we waited forthat little while my father was silent, looking ever northward to theland that he had given up for Havelok; and I think that foster-son ofhis knew it, for he knelt beside him and set his strong arm round him,saying nothing. So Arngeir came with Raven, who went for him, and myfather told him what he needed to be done; and Arngeir said that it waswell thought of, and went to work with his seax on the smooth turf.

  He cut a long strip where it seemed to be toughest, leaving the ends yetfast, and carefully he raised it and stretched it until it would make anarch some three spans high, and so propped it at either end with moreturf that it stayed in that position.

  Then my father said, "This is the old custom, that they who are ofdifferent family should be brothers indeed. Out of one earth should theybe made afresh, as it were, that on the face of earth they shall be one.Pass therefore under the arch, beginning with Havelok."

  Then, while my father spoke strange and ancient runes, Havelok did as hewas bidden, kneeling down and creeping under the uplifted turf; and as Icame after him he gave me his hand and raised me, and so with each ofthe other two. And then, unbidden, Arngeir followed, for he too lovedHavelok, and would fain be his brother indeed.

  After that my father took a sharp flint knife that he had brought withhim, and with it cut Havelok's arm a little, and each of us set his lipsto that wound, and afterwards he to the like marks in our right arms,and so the ancient rite was complete.

  Yet it had not been needed, as I know, for not even I ever thought ofhim but as the dearest of brothers, though I minded how he came.

  Now after this my father grew stronger, maybe because this was off hismind; but he might never go to sea again, nor even to Lincoln town, forhe was not strong enough. What his illness was I do not rightly know,hut I do not think that any one here overlooked him, though it might bethat from across the sea Hodulf had power to work him harm. It was saidthat he had Finnish wizards about his court; but if that was so, henever harmed the one whom he had most to fear--even Havelok. But thenI suppose that even a Finn could not harm one for whom great things arein store.

  So two years more passed over, and then came the time of which onealmost fears to think--the time of the great famine. Slowly it came onthe land; but we could see it coming, and the dread of it was fearsome,but for the hope that never quite leaves a man until the end. For firstthe wheat that was winter sown came not up but in scattered blades hereand there, and then ere the spring-sown grain had lain in the land forthree weeks it had rotted, and over the rich, ploughed lands seemed torise a sour smell in the springtime air, when one longs for thesweetness of growing things. And then came drought in April, and all daylong the sun shone, or if it were not shining the clouds that hid itwere hard and grey and high and still over land and sea.

  Then before the marsh folk knew what they were doing, the merchants ofLincoln had bought the stored corn, giving prices that should have toldmen
that it was precious to those who sold as to the buyers; and thenthe grass failed in the drought, and the farmers were glad to sell thecattle and sheep for what they could gain, rather than see them starve.

  Then my father bade us dry and store all the fish we might against thetime that he saw was coming, and hard we worked at that. And even as wetoiled, from day to day we caught less, for the fish were leaving theshores, and we had to go farther and farther for them, until at last aday came when the boats came home empty, and the women wept at the shoreas the men drew them up silently, looking away from those whom theycould feed no longer.

  That was the worst day, as I think, and it was in high summer. I mindthat I went to Stallingborough that day with the last of the fresh fishof yesterday's catch for Witlaf's household, and it was hotter thanever; and in all the orchards hung not one green