King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 2

by Bernhard Severin Ingemann

  CHAP. XVI.

  Drost Aage was compelled to prosecute his journey early the nextmorning, without having been able to discover Sir Helmer and thesquire. When Aage and the royal halberdiers left Skanor, they werefollowed through the streets by a great crowd of persons. It appearedthat the burghers had learned, or conjectured, the object of this showyprocession.

  The ballad, "For Eric the youthful king!" was as popular in Scania asin Denmark. "Long live king Eric and his true men!" shouted the crowd."Bring him and Denmark a second Dagmar, good sirs!"

  Aage rejoiced at these tokens of the disposition of the brave Scanians;but he entertained little hope of a happy result from his embassy, andhe was under great anxiety for the fate of the brave Sir Helmer and hisown alert and trusty squire. Two of his other squires, and three of theyoung knights remained dangerously wounded at Skanor.

  Sir Helmer, and his companions, had followed the bragging Rostocker andhis seamen to their inn. They had unanimously resolved with their ownhands to chastise and humble the overbearing Hanseatics. While at theinn the Drost's squire had displayed a false coin, with which one ofthe lower class had been imposed upon in Berner Kopmand's booth, and itwas affirmed the Rostockers had brought with them whole chests of suchmoney. It was conjectured, and with reason, that this false money wascoined by the outlaws, who the preceding year had captured some of theking's chief coiners. Complaints of false coin had frequently been madebefore, and now that it was heard the Rostockers imported them bybushels, the indignation instantly became great and general, and afight soon commenced with the foreign merchants and skippers. When theHanseatics were chased from the quay of Skanor, Sir Helmer had eagerlypursued the armed seamen, and had assisted in rolling into the sea somechests containing their bad money; at last, accompanied by the Drost'ssquire, the daring Canute, he had sprung after them into the boat tohinder their flight; but here they were overpowered by numbers, anddragged captive on board the Rostock vessel.

  Sorely wounded, and with hands and feet fast bound, Helmer and hiscompanion were thrown down into the ship's hold. Here they lay thewhole night among a number of ale barrels, firkins of salt, and sacksof groceries, which had not been unladen. The vessel rolled heavily;the weather had become boisterous, and those on board seemed onlybusied in saving ship and goods. At length the weather grew calmer. Thestrong motion of the ship ceased; it glided slowly and almostimperceptibly forward, and all became quiet on deck. The wearied seamenappeared to sleep. Sir Helmer now perceived a faint light above hishead. He thought it was daylight; but soon discovered it was the moonshining in upon him through a chink in the ship's hatches directlyabove him. He presently heard the voices of two men in the stillness ofthe night; and recognised the tones of Berner Kopmand and HenrikGullandsfar. "I cannot sleep for wrath and wound-smarting," growled theRostocker. "Lo! this is the free trade and security one has to expectwhen a greenhorn sits on the throne, and justice lies in the knights'lances. Pestilence and destruction on the whole pack of puffed-uparistocrats! The accursed sycophants and slaves of kings and tyrants!They would have it _seem_ as if they protected the people and theburghers--pshaw! It is but for themselves and their high master theyfight. Had I not spoken those bold words against their struttingknight-king at Sjoeborg, nor had that piece of royal game of an outlawon board, our money would surely have been as good ware as before. Theyare a vile robber pack, the whole set of them that call themselvesknights and noble, as well here as in Germany--as long as there arethrones and knights' castles left, neither trade nor burghership canthrive. So soon as the sun rises those two jackanapes we laid hold ofshall dangle at the yard-arm."

  "Hearest thou, countryman?" whispered Helmer in the hold to hisfellow-prisoner, "that concerns us two; a pleasant prospect! Could webut sink the ship and drown the braggart grocers we could go down to ourhome with some sort of pleasure."

  "That would be truly but a sorry jest, and a slender satisfaction. SirHelmer; still, it would be better than to let oneself be hanged bythose rascals," answered the squire. "I have torn the skin off my lefthand," he continued; "but it can slip well enough out of the knot. If Iam allowed but half an hour for it our bonds shall be loosened. I havea good clasp knife in my pocket; yonder lies a good ship's auger, andan axe; many a hearty blow shall be dealt ere they get the halter roundour necks."

  "The Lord and St. George assist us!" whispered Helmer, breathing hard,"if I 'scape hence alive, and see my dear Anna again," he added, with asmothered sigh, "I promise St. George a new altar-table, and everybottle-nosed Hanseatic I meet a broken head!"

  "'Tis a pious vow, noble sir!" whispered the squire, "you will see itwill help us. Now my hand slides out of the knot; but it pinches hard."

  "Hush!" whispered Helmer, rolling himself nearer to the chink in thehatches.

  "I ever told you it was a bad business with that money-trading, andthat coining with the outlaws," now said the smoother, toned voice ofHenrik Gullandsfar above the knight's head. "No clear profit is evergot by such dealings; it lessens faith, and rarely pays in the longrun, Master Berner! No! with _pure_ gold and silver might we rule theworld; and sober prudence would sway the gold sceptre--that I have eversaid. With a little less eagerness we should, perhaps, have made abetter market in Scania; but you will drive everything through withmight, Master Berner!"

  "Might against might! that was ever my word in the covenant: there maybe something in what you say," answered the Rostocker, "of the gold andsilver sceptre; it may just as well, however, be alloyed with a littlecopper or tin, when none perceive it; but with pure sharp steel it mustbe defended. Ere we can lay the sword in the balance against all thecrowns and armorial bearings in the world, our proud plan is but aglittering castle in the air."

  "Give time, Master Berner," resumed Gullandsfar; "the great Rome wasnot built in one day, yet she became the ruler of the world. Let usfirst rid the seas and the highways of petty robbers, and then we maylet fly at the great in their castles and thrones. Let us first getpossession of the sea! then shall it overflow the earth with our waves!It shall heap us up mountains of gold, and wash away every castle andthrone that stands in our way. We Wisbye men lie very close to the Kingof Denmark; we must be cautious, even though as prudent merchantswe give patriotism to death and the devil. You Rostockers are toohot-headed; one should not break too soon with authorities. The menaceat Sjoeberg was a stupid trick: I did but assent to it, and was silentfor your sake. It never answers to bluster and threaten unless one canfight at the same time; and it answers just as little to fight, unlesswe know we are the strongest."

  "Out upon your caution!" growled the Rostocker. "We have power alreadyif we will but use it; we may have as many souls in our service as wecan pay for."

  "Men's souls are dear merchandise," observed Gullandsfar; "and besidesit easily corrupts and spoils. How many marks of pure silver hath notthat miserable fellow on the quarter deck yonder already cost you?And he is, after all, but a villanous outlaw and renegade from ourhigh-born deadly foes. That pack no wise burgher should count on."

  "Such a fellow is worth his weight in gold," said the Rostocker with alaugh. "Mark! those aristocratic vermin shall now devour each other. Adishonoured and death-doomed knight, without castle and lands, whosehonour and name have been scalded off him may be the best king-killerone could have; he, yonder, is practised in the trade! He was inFinnerup barn. I will let him loose in the harbour! I will smuggle himin among our agents--there will soon be troubled waters to fish in. Thecrowned green-horn shall not have turned his back on us at Sjoeberg fornothing. Mark! he shall have other things to think on than keeping hisbridal in the summer."

  "We are not authorised by the covenant to go so far as that, however,Master Berner," remarked Gullandsfar. "What yon dishonoured knight mayhave to avenge is his own concern; his and your secret trade concernsnot the league; I would rather have nothing to do with that smugglingtraffic. When the prosperity of the league, and a great and matchlessplan like ours is in question, we sho
uld wisely set aside privaterevenge, and all petty personal views."

  "Do you slink? Are you afraid, Master colleague?" growled BernerKopmand, beginning to talk loud. "Let not that concern _you_ my wiseMaster Henrik! You need not tell an old reckoner what is small and whatis great. I can as well as you make a difference between what Iundertake in the Hanse-towns' name, and what I risk in my own. If Ireckon wrong, the loss is Berner Kopmand's. I know what that man canstand; and you are right--the covenant hath naught to do with it!"

  "If it fails, it may however injure our trade and enterprises in greatmatters," replied Henrik Gullandsfar in a tone of calm calculation."Consider the point well, Master Berner! All ports are now open to us;the king is proud and authoritative, but nevertheless he favours us farmore than we could expect from his policy. Our 'prentices and agentsare protected in the sea-ports--our trade is as free and untaxed hereas any where--it hath not struck any one but the king himself that theroad to salt and pepper, to ale and German cloth, as we heard from hisown lips, is equally broad and convenient for all, and Danish corn andcattle will give a good return, and pay both wages and taxes. St.Nicolas and St. Hermes be thanked! the _navigation is ours_. _They aretoo dull and lazy to understand their own interests_. The peasant iscontent with small beer, and the citizen with skim milk, and they letus run off with the ale and the cream; but if you make good yourthreat, secretly or openly, and if anything a little too notoriouschances here, in which the Hanse have lot or part, people's eyes may beopened, and our trading dominion is at an end here in the north."

  "The eyes which might be most dangerous to us were they wide open, arejust those I would have shut," muttered the Rostocker. "Greater servicecould none do the Hanse in these kingdoms and lands,--but silence! Whatis that? I heard something move under us. The captives are surely notloose?"

  "The captives! Death and misfortune!" exclaimed Henrik. "Have they castthem into the hold? Then perhaps they now know more than any livingsoul must carry farther."

  "It matters not, Master colleague," said the Rostocker with a scornfullaugh, "they shall not carry it farther, however, than to the yard-arm!Now doth the sun rise red as pure gold--that sight they shall see forthe last time. Ho! steersman!" he shouted, "how far are we?"

  "If a breeze springs up, we shall reach Kallebo ere it rings to mass inCopenhagen, Master!" answered a hoarse voice at the helm.

  "That's well! Then we will keep mattins and ship's law on our ownground, ere the Bishop takes Lubeck law out of our hands. Up! allhands! Ring the great bell!"

  The sound of a brass bell instantly assembled all the seamen upon deck.

  "Bring the prisoners up here, boatswain!" continued the captain of thevessel. "Sing out, fellows! Shout forth the poor sinners' vigil. Letthe Danish scoundrels hear we are good Christians! and let theirhoundish souls go to hell amid song and clang!"

  While the ship's crew with a fearful bellowing chaunted a sort of hymnon the departure of sinners from the world, and two sturdy fellows intarry jackets coolly fastened two ropes to the yard-arm, the hatches ofthe ship's hold were opened and the boatswain went below with two armedmen. Cries and tumult were heard in the hold; all became instantlyquiet again, but neither the boatswain nor the two men returned.

  "What is this?" exclaimed Berner Kopmand in dismay. "What is become ofthem? Those Danish hell-hounds must be loose! Down after them fellows!Bring them up here dead or alive! Hence! below! or ye shall be scourgedat the mast!"

  The whole ship's crew were in commotion; they flocked to the hatchway,but none seemed to like to go below, despite the threats of the sterncaptain.

  "The first who sets foot here below dies!" said Sir Helmer's voice fromthe hold. "Ere, I and my comrade will let our necks be twisted by yourgrocer hands, by St. Michael and his flaming sword! ye shall all of yego with us to the bottom of the sea--Any moment I please every soul ofus shall perish. We have bored a ground-leak--we loosen ye a plank witha single pull."

  "That devil of a fellow!" cried the Rostocker, growing deadly pale, "hehath us all in his power. What are we to do?"

  "We must treat with them," answered Gullandsfar. "Aside all men! Let mespeak with that worthy knight. This is doubtless a little stratagem ofwar, noble Sir knight!" began Master Henrik, courteously; "but since wecannot search into the matter without peril of our lives we will submitto necessity, and acknowledge you have this once very craftily ensnaredus. What have ye done to our three men, noble sir?"

  "They have met with their deserts, and lie here stone dead," answeredthe knight. "Thus it shall fare with all of ye--if ye will fight withus fairly, three at once, we will encounter on dry boards; but if morecome, the sea shall help us. Throw us our own good swords belowinstantly! or we will try who best can swim."

  "You have won back your freedom with honour, noble sir!" answeredGullandsfar, "If ye would believe my word you might safely come hereamong us; we are peaceable people, and purpose not to measure our skillin arms with yours. Your swords shall instantly be returned to you;but upon one condition, noble knight--you must only use the sword inself-defence, and not to assault any of us as long as you are here onboard; for this I demand your knightly word of Honour."

  "That I promise on my faith and honour," cried Helmer,--and two swordswere instantly thrown down to them.

  "We will set you unscathed on shore at Copenhagen, noble sir,"continued Henrik Gullandsfar, "provided you promise to be silentconcerning what you perhaps may have heard and perceived, which mightget us into disfavour in high places, or injure our trade andenterprises."

  "I leave grocers and pettifoggers to wage war with the tongue,"answered the knight haughtily. "What I have heard of your fine plansand projects I deem not worth wasting one word upon; but from this hourI defy you all to the death.--Until I set foot on shore you areunmolested; but from the moment we separate broken heads will be theconsequence of our meeting."

  "That is but natural," returned Gullandsfar. "We accept your proffer inthe first instance; keep but quiet! In a few hours you will be onshore."

  There was a murmur of dissatisfaction and uneasiness on board thevessel. Some of the boldest seamen grumbled at the shameful peace withthe two captives. They blamed Henrik Gullandsfar for cowardice andtreachery; but none cared to go down into the hold, and dare anencounter with the redoubted captives, who had both ship and crew intheir power. At last, however, they submitted to necessity. BernerKopmand had lost the use of his tongue, and the discreet Master Henrikhad taken the command of the ship. He ordered every one to go quietlyabout their business, and was obeyed without any objections being made.The captain himself stood on the forecastle, with rolling eyes andcrimson cheeks. He concealed with his large person a man in a blackpriestly mantle, who conversed with him in a low tone, and kept hisback constantly turned towards the stern. A fresh breeze had sprung up.The wind was favourable, and ere noon the vessel glided into Kallebostrand, between the Isle of Amak and the green pastures of the villageof Solbierg, which occupied the whole of the western side where thesuburb of Copenhagen, Vesterbro, was afterwards built. It was a finespring day. The proud castle of Axelhuus[12] rose towards the east inthe sunshine, with its circular walls and its two round towers, and wasmirrored in the surrounding waters. The castle lay apart from the town,without any bridge, and was only accessible by boats. Behind the castleisland were two other small islands, almost covered with buildings,whither boats were constantly plying. The one was the abode of thestationary skippers, and on the other (Bremen Island) the warehouses ofthe Bremen merchants seemed to tower in emulation of the castle ofAxelhuus itself. The Rostock vessel steered not to the great haven,from which the city afterwards derived its name, but ran into theCatsound, on both sides of which were seen a number of small houses offrame-work, the walls of which were plastered with clay, and the roofsthatched with straw and reeds; between the houses were cabbage gardensand orchards, with wooden fences, or thorn hedges; and in theneighbourhood of the quay was seen the little church of St. Clement.