sword from thescabbard, and with a new treachery in his heart, rode after our brotherand was almost on him. The shout was just in time, for Havelok turned inhis saddle as the blow was falling.
Quick as light, he took it on the shaft of the spear he carried, andturned it, wheeling his horse short round at the same time. Lindseytraining was there in that horsemanship of his. Hodulf's horse shot pastas the blow failed, and then Raven seemed to be the next man to be dealtwith.
But Havelok called to him to stand aside, for this was his own fight;and at that Hodulf had his horse in hand again, and was ready to meethis foe fairly.
And now Havelok had cast aside the spear, and taken the axe from thesaddle bow; and these two met, unshielded, for neither had time tounsling the round buckler from his shoulder.
It was no long fight, for now Hodulf's men were coming up, and thereneed be no more thought of aught but ending one who was ready to smite afoul blow before us all shamelessly. Havelok spurred his horse, and thetwo met and closed for one moment. Then down went the Norseman withcleft helm, and the old wrongs were avenged, and there was but one kingin the land.
Then Hodulf's men were on Havelok, but not before Raven was at his back,and over Hodulf there was a struggle in which Havelok was in peril for ashort time before we closed round him. Well fought the courtmen of thefallen king, and well fought my men, and we bore them back, fightingevery foot of ground, until there were only five of them left, and thesefive yielded in all honour, being outnumbered. Yet ours was a smallerband by half ere there was an end.
It had not lasted long, and still the host of Hodulf was so far off thatthey knew not so much as that there was any fighting. Then we went tothe hilltop, and set the banner there, and our line came on and haltedalong the crest.
One hardly need say what wonder and rejoicing there was when it wasknown how Hodulf had met his end, and Sigurd and other chiefs went towhere we had fought, and looked on him. And one took the helm, which hadround it the stolen crown, and gave it to Havelok.
"Set it on the standard," he said, "for we may need that it shall beshown presently. As for Hodulf, bear him aside out of the path of thehost, that we may lay him in mound when all is ended."
One cried that he did not deserve honour of any kind, and there weresome who agreed to that openly. I will not say that I was not one ofthem, for I had seen the foul play, and heard the insult to Grim, my father.
But Havelok answered gravely, "He has been a king, and I have not heardthat he was altogether a bad one. All else was between him and me, andthat is paid for by his death. Think only of the twelve years in whichyou have owned him as lord, and then you will know that it is right thathe should be given the last honours. You had no feud as had I."
Then they did as he bade them, and that gladly, for the words wereking-like, and of good omen for the days to come. I saw Sigurd and theolder chiefs glance at each other, and it was plain that they were wellpleased.
Now the host came on, and it was greater than ours; but when there wasno sign of its leader the march wavered, and at last halted altogether.Whereon some chiefs rode to speak to us, and Havelok met them with hisleaders. He had to speak first, for they could not well ask where Hodulfwas. The helm was a token that told them much.
"I met your king even now," he said, "and I offered him peace andhonourable return to Norway with his property if he would give up thethrone that is mine by right. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that hemight do so, but he refused. There were certain matters between us two,besides that of the crown, which needed settling; and therefore, afterthat, I challenged him to fight on these points, that being needfulbefore they were done with. So we fought, and our feud was ended. Hodulfis dead, and his courtmen would not live after him while there was achance of avenging his fall. That was before the host came up. Now Ioffer peace and friendship to all, and I can blame none who have held tothe king who has fallen. It was not to be expected that all would own meat once. Only those Norsemen who came with Hodulf or have come hithersince must leave the land, and they shall go in honour, taking theirgoods with them. Their time is up; that is all."
It was a long speech for Havelok, but in it was all that could be said.Long and closely did the chiefs look at him as he spoke, for none ofthem had seen him before. His words were not idly to be set asideeither, and they spoke together in a low voice when he had ended.
"This is a matter for the whole host to settle," one said at last. "Wewill speak to them, and give you an answer shortly."
"Take one of Hodulf's courtmen with you, that he may tell all of thefight," Havelok said: "he need not come back."
I gave the man his arms again, for he might as well have them if he stayed.
"Thanks, lord," he said. "Here is one who will tell the truth for Havelok."
Then our host sat down, and we watched the foemen as the news came tothem. We could not hear, of course, for they were a quarter of a mileaway, but if any tumult rose we should be warned in time. They were verystill, however. There was a long talk, and then one chief came back to us.
"I am going to ask a strange thing," he said, "but the men wish to seeHavelok face to face."
Now Sigurd said that this was too great a risk, and even Withelm agreedwith him.
But Havelok answered, "The men are my own men, but they are not surethat I am the right king. It is plain that I am like my father, andtherefore it is safe for me to go."
"That," said the chief, "is what we told them, and what they wish to see."
"Then," said Havelok, "I will come. Bid your men sit down, and bid thehorsemen dismount, and I will ride to them with five others. Then can beno fear on either side."
"That will do well," said Sigurd; and the chief went back, and at oncethe host sat down.
Then Havelok rode to them, and with him went we three and Sigurd and Biorn.
There was a murmur of wonder as he came, and it grew louder as heunhelmed and stayed before them.
And then one shouted, "Skoal to Havelok Gunnarsson!" and at once theshout was taken up along the line. And that shout grew until the chiefsjoined in it, for it was the voice of the host, which cannot begainsaid; and without more delay, one by one the leaders pressed forwardand knelt on one knee to their king, and did homage to him. Only theNorsemen held back; and presently, when we were talking to the Danishchiefs in all friendly wise, they drew apart with their men, and formedup into a close-ranked body that looked dangerous.
"Surely they do not mean to fight!" said Withelm.
Then one of them shouted that he must speak to the king, and that seemedas if they owned him at least, so Havelok went to them.
"You have heard my terms," he said, "and I think that they are all thatyou could ask. What is amiss?"
"Your terms are good enough," the speaker said, "and we know that ourtime is come. But we must have surety that the people will not fall onus, for we are flying, as it were. And we want the body of our king. Wewould not have him buried any wise, as if he was a thrall."
"He shall be given to you, and as for the rest none shall harm you.Moreover, for that saying about your king I will add this: that if thereare any of you who hold lands to which there is no Danish heir, he shalltake service with me if he will, and so keep them."
So there was no man in all the host who was not content; and that wasthe second king-making of Havelok, as it were, for now there was no managainst him. The hosts were disbanded then and there, and we went thatday to Hodulf's town, and took possession of all that had been in hishands. Then was rejoicing over all the land, for a king of the old linewas on the throne once more, and his way was full of promise.
CHAPTER XXII. KING ALSI'S WELCOME.
Now there was one thing that was in the minds of all of us, and that wasthe winning of Goldberga's kingdom for her; but that was a matter whichwas not to be thought of yet for a long while. Two years were we inDenmark, and well loved was Havelok by all, whether one speaks of theother kings who owned him as Gunnar's heir at once, or the people overwhom he and
Goldberga reigned. But we sent messages to Arngeir and toRagnar to say that all was well, and we heard from them in time how Alsifeared what was to come, and had rather make friends with the Angliansthan offend them. So he had not given out anything that was against theprincess, but had told all how she had wedded the heir of Denmark, andthat she had given up her land to himself, and followed her husbandacross the sea. It was not hard for him to feign gladness in herwell-doing; and Berthun counselled Ragnar to let things be thus, and yetprepare for her return.
In my own heart was the wish to go back to England always, for there wasmy home; and I found that it was the same with my brothers, for there isthat in the English land which makes all who touch it love it. And therewas the mound that held my father, and there were the folk among whom wehad been brought up in the town that we had
Havelok the Dane Page 43
