Havelok the Dane

by Charles W. Whistler

gathered himself together, and spoke some few words to hismen in his own tongue; but my brother paid no heed to them, for he knewwhat the way of the Briton was likely to be. And he was not wrong, forwithout warning Griffin flew on him, sword point foremost, and lefthanded, for he might not use the right for many a long day yet.

  Biorn shouted; but Havelok was ready, and the heavy bar caught andshivered the light sword, and then swung and hurled the thane back amonghis men with a rib broken. Havelok followed that up, falling on the meneven as their leader was among their feet. Two he felled with downrightstrokes, and another shrank away in time to save himself from the likefate. Then a fourth got in under his guard, and wounded Havelok slightlyin the left arm; and unless Biorn had been out and beside him by thattime it would have gone hard with him, for both those who were left wereon him, and another was hanging back for a chance to come.

  There was shouting enough now, for the Briton does not fight in silenceas do the northern men, and we had waked. First of all Raven ran down tothe great room, half dazed with sleep, and blaming himself for all thistrouble, for he had seen that a ship was coming in, and he might havethought it possible that it had brought Griffin and his men, whosetongue had told him at once what had happened.

  Now he called to us to arm quickly, and sought for a weapon for himself;and in that familiar place he went to the old corner where the oars werewont to be set. There was one, for I have said that this Biorn was afisher, and the place that was handy for us had been so for him. Thatwas a homely weapon to Raven, and out into the moonlight he came withit, and swept a Welshman away from Havelok's side as he came. But nowmore men were coming--townsfolk who had been roused by the noise--and they knew nothing of the attackers, and so thought them friends ofours, who joined us in falling on their sheriff; and there was a wildconfusion when Withelm and I came down armed.

  But what we saw first was a dim, white figure in the doorway of theother room; and there stood Goldberga, wide eyed and trembling.

  "My dream, my dream!" she said.

  But of that we knew nothing; and we could but tell her to be of goodcourage, for we would win through yet, and so went out to the fight.

  By this time Griffin was up again, and as I came from the door he wasonce more ready to fall on Havelok from behind. So I thought it best tostay him, and I shouted his name, and he turned and made for me. Butthere was no skill in his coming, or he did not think me worth it, forthe axe had the better, and there was an end of Griffin.

  Withelm saw at once that Havelok had no weapon but the bar, and he ranto him and held out his own axe.

  "Thanks, brother. Mine is inside the door. Get it for me," said he; butnow he was laughing, and doing not much harm to anyone, and as I gotbehind his back I saw why this was.

  There was only one of Griffin's men left, and all the rest of the crowdof half-armed men were townsfolk. Havelok and Raven were keeping theseback with sweeps of their long weapons, and behind them against the wallwas the sheriff, swearing and shouting vainly to bid his people hold offand listen to him. And the noise was so great that they did but thinkthat he was calling them to rescue him from these who had taken himprisoner. It seemed that the Welshman was keeping this up also; butneither he nor any of the men cared to risk any nearness to the sweep ofbar and long oar in such hands. There were many broken heads in thatcrowd; but it was growing greater every minute, and those who werecoming were well armed, having taken their time over it. They say thatthere were sixty men there at one time.

  Now ran Withelm with the axe, and at that Havelok parted with the doorbar, and ended the last Welshman at the same time, for he hurled it athim endwise, like a spear, and it took him full in the chest, and hewent down to rise no more. And at that the townsmen ran in, and we werebusy for a space, until once more they were in a howling circle roundus. But they had wounded Havelok again; and Biorn was at his wit's end,for he had had to take part in the fight this time. The men were madwith battle, and forgot who he was, as it seemed. And now some raised acry for bows.

  That was the worst thing that we had to fear, and Raven called to us,"Into the house, brothers, and keep them out of it till the jarl comes.He will hear, or be sent for."

  So we went back and got into the doorway, and we could not bar it atfirst. But Withelm hewed off the blade of Raven's oar, and I went outand cleared the folk away for a space, and leapt back; and Havelok and Igot the door shut quickly against them as they came back on it, and webarred it with the oar loom. That was but pine, however, and it wouldnot last long.

  Outside, the people were quiet for a little, wondering, no doubt, how torescue Biorn. He wanted to go out to them, but it did not seem safe justyet. If they grew more reasonable it might be so.

  Then, as we rested thus, Goldberga came quickly, for she saw that herhusband was wounded, and she began to bind his hurts with a scarf shehad. She was very pale, but she was not weeping, and her hands did notshake as she went to work.

  "This is my dream," she said. "Was that the voice of Griffin that Iheard? It does not seem possible; but there is none other who speaks inthe old tongue of Britain here, surely."

  "There is no more fear of him," said Havelok, looking tenderly at her."Your dream has come true so far, if he was in it. How did it end?"

  "We fled to a tree," she said, smiling faintly.

  Havelok smiled also, for this seemed dream stuff only to all of us--all of us but Withelm, that is, for at once he said, "This door will bedown with a few blows. What of that tower of yours, Biorn? Might we notget there and wait till the jarl comes?"

  At that Biorn almost shouted.

  "That is a good thought, and we can get there easily. Well it will be,also, for the men are wild now, and there have been too many slain andhurt for them to listen to reason."

  "Bide you here," said Withelm, "for it is we whom they seek. Then youcan talk to them."

  But he would not do that, seeing that we had been put in his charge bythe jarl.

  "I go with you," he said. "Now, if we climb out of the window that is inthe back of the house we can get to the tower before they know we are gone."

  We went into that chamber where Havelok had once been when he was takenfrom the sack, and even as I unbarred the heavy shutter and took itdown, the door began to shake with a fresh attack on it. The trees ofthe grove were two hundred yards from the house, maybe, and among themloomed high and black the watchtower I had seen from the sea. A widepath had been cut to it, and the moonlight shone straight down this tothe door of the building.

  Now Biorn went out first, and then he helped out Goldberga, and afterher we made Havelok go; and we called to these three to get to the toweras Withelm came next, for every moment I looked to see our enemies--ifthey are to be called so when I hardly suppose they knew what they werefighting about--come round to fall on the back of the house.

  Because of Goldberga they went; and Biorn opened the tower door, and shepassed into the blackness of its entry, but the two men stayed outsidefor us. And we three were all out of the house when the first of thecrowd bethought themselves, and made for the back, and saw us.

  At once they raised a shout and a rush, and we did not think it worthwhile to wait for them, as they would get between us and the tower,which was open for us. So we ran, and they were, some twenty of them,hard at our heels as we reached the door, and half fell inside, for thewinding stairway was close to the entry. I think that Biorn and Havelokhad made their plans as they saw what was coming, for Havelok followedus and stood in the doorway, while Biorn was just outside with his axeready.

  "Hold hard, friends!" he called, as the men came up and halted beforehim; "what is all this?"

  "Stand aside and let us get at them," said the foremost, panting.

  "Nay," said Biorn; "what harm have they done?"

  "Slain a dozen men and lamed twice as many more," answered severalvoices; "have them forth straightway."

  "They were attacked, and defended themselves," said the sheriff, "and itis no fault of theirs that th
ey had to do their best. Get you home, andI will answer to the jarl for them. They are the jarl's guests."

  Then was a howl that was strange, and with it voices which seemed to letsome light on the matter.

  "They have slain the jarl's guests."

  And then came forward a big black-bearded man whom I had seen in thecrowd already, and he squared up to Biorn.

  "Lies are no good, master sheriff, for we know that the outlanders whospoke the strange tongue must be the guests who came."

  "I am no liar," answered Biorn. "Is there not one man here who saw theship and her folk this afternoon?"

  Now this man seemed not to want that question answered, for he shoutedto the crowd not to waste time in wrangling, but to have out themurderers; and he took a step towards Biorn, bidding him side no morewith the men, but let the folk