by G. A. Henty
Produced by Distributed Proofreaders
WULF THE SAXON
A Story of the Norman Conquest
By G. A. HENTY
PREFACE.
Although the immediate results of the Battle of Hastings may havebeen of less importance to the world than were those of some othergreat battles, the struggle has, in the long run, had a greaterinfluence upon the destiny of mankind than any other similar eventthat has ever taken place. That admixture of Saxon, Danish, andBritish races which had come to be known under the general name ofEnglish, was in most respects far behind the rest of Europe. Theisland was, as it had always been,--except during the rule of twoor three exceptionally strong kings,--distracted by internaldissensions. Broad lines of division still separated the Northfrom the South, and under weak Kings the powerful Earls becamealmost independent. The enterprise that had distinguished theirSaxon and Danish ancestors seems to have died out. There was ageneral indisposition to change, and except in her ecclesiasticalbuildings, England made but little progress in civilization fromthe time of Alfred to that of Harold. Its insular position cut itoff from taking part in that rapid advance which, beginning inItaly, was extending throughout Europe. The arrival, however, ofthe impetuous Norman race, securing as it did a close connectionwith the Continent, quickened the intellect of the people, raisedtheir intelligence, was of inestimable benefit to the English, andplayed a most important part in raising England among the nations.Moreover, it has helped to produce the race that has peopled NorthernAmerica, Australia, and the south of Africa, holds possession ofIndia, and stands forth as the greatest civilizer in the world. TheConquest of England by the Normans was achieved without even ashadow of right or justice. It was at the time an unmixed curse toEngland; but now we can recognize the enormous benefits that accruedwhen in his turn the Englishman conquered the Norman, and the foreigninvaders became an integral portion of the people they had overcome.For the historical details of the story, I have only had to go toFreeman's magnificent _History of the Norman Conquest of England_,which I hope will be perused by all of my readers who are able toobtain it.
G. A. HENTY
CONTENTS.
CHAP.
I. A QUARREL
II. COUNTRY LIFE
III. AT COURT
IV. A STORM
V. ROUEN
VI. RELEASE OF THE EARL
VII. THE OATH
VIII. TROUBLE WITH WALES
IX. IN THE WELSH VALLEYS
X. PORTHWYN
XI. THE SECRET PASSAGE
XII. EDITH
XIII. HAROLD, THE KING
XIV. WULF'S SUSPICIONS
XV. A MEETING BY THE RIVER
XVI. A VOYAGE NORTH
XVII. AN ATTEMPT AT ASSASSINATION
XVIII. THE NORTHERN INVASION
XIX. STAMFORD BRIDGE
XX. THE LANDING OF THE FOE
XXI. HASTINGS
XXII. THE LORD OF BRAMBER
ILLUSTRATIONS
THE LAST STAND AT HASTINGS
THE YOUNG THANE COMES BACK TO STEYNING
WULF AND HIS FOLLOWERS STORM LLEWELLYN'S STRONGHOLD
WULF LEAPT FORWARD AND CAUGHT THE UPLIFTED WRIST
WULF THE SAXON.
CHAPTER I.
A QUARREL.
The great Abbey of Westminster was approaching its completion; anarmy of masons and labourers swarmed like bees upon and around it,and although differing widely in its massive architecture, withround Saxon windows and arches, from the edifice that was two orthree generations later to be reared in its place,--to serve as astill more fitting tomb for the ashes of its pious founder,--it wasa stately abbey, rivalling the most famous of the English fanes ofthe period.
From his palace hard by King Edward had watched with the deepestinterest the erection of the minster that was the dearest objectof his life. The King was surrounded by Normans, the people amongwhom he had lived until called from his retirement to ascend thethrone of England, and whom he loved far better than those overwhom he reigned. He himself still lived almost the life of a recluse.He was sincerely anxious for the good of his people, but took smallpains to ensure it, his life being largely passed in religiousdevotions, and in watching over the rise of the abbey he had founded.
A town had risen around minster and palace, and here the workmenemployed found their lodgings, while craftsmen of all descriptionsadministered to the wants both of these and of the nobles of Edward'scourt.
From one of the side doors of the palace a page, some fifteen orsixteen years of age, ran down the steps in haste. He was evidentlya Saxon by his fair hair and fresh complexion, and any observer ofthe time would have seen that he must, therefore, be in the employmentof Earl Harold, the great minister, who had for many years virtuallyruled England in the name of its king.
The young page was strongly and sturdily built. His garb was anEnglish one, but with some admixture of Norman fashions. He woretightly-fitting leg coverings, a garment somewhat resembling ablouse of blue cloth girded in by a belt at the waist, and fallingin folds to the knee. Over his shoulders hung a short mantle oforange colour with a hood. On his head was a cap with a wide brimthat was turned up closely behind, and projected in a pointed shovelshape in front. In his belt was a small dagger. He wore shoes oflight yellow leather fastened by bands over the insteps. As he randown the steps of the palace he came into sharp contact with anotherpage who had just turned the corner of the street.
"I crave your pardon, Walter Fitz-Urse," he said hurriedly, "but Iwas in haste and saw you not."
The other lad was as clearly Norman as the speaker wasSaxon. He was perhaps a year the senior in point of age, andtaller by half a head, but was of slighter build. The expressionof his face differed as widely from that of the Saxon as didhis swarthy complexion and dark hair, for while the latterface wore a frank and pleasant expression, that of the Normanwas haughty and arrogant.
"You did it on purpose," he said angrily, "and were we notunder the shadow of the palace I would chastise you as youdeserve."
The smile died suddenly out from the Saxon's face. "Chastiseme!" he repeated. "You would find it somewhat difficult,Master Fitz-Urse. Do you think you are talking to a Normanserf? You will please to remember you are in England; but ifyou are not satisfied with my apology, I will ride with you afew miles into the country, and we will then try with equalarms where the chastisement is to fall."
The Norman put his hand to his dagger, but there was anominous growl from some men who had paused to listen to thequarrel.
"You are an insolent boor, Wulf of Steyning, and some dayI will punish you as you deserve."
"Some day," the Saxon laughed, "we shall, I hope, see youand all your tribe sent across the Channel. There are few ofus here who would not see your backs with pleasure."
"What is this?" an imperious voice demanded; and turninground, Wulf saw William, the Norman Bishop of London, who,followed by several monks and pages, had pushed his waythrough the crowd. "Walter Fitz-Urse, what means this altercation?"
"The Saxon ran against me of set purpose, my lord," Walter Fitz-Ursesaid, in tones of deep humility, "and because I complained hechallenged me to ride with him into the country to fight, and thenhe said he hoped that some day all the Normans would be sent acrossthe Channel."
"Is this so?" the prelate said sternly to Wulf; "did youthus insult not only my page, but all of us, his countrymen?"
"I ran against him by accident," Wulf said, looking up fearlesslyin the prelate's face. "I apologized, though I know not that I wasmore in fault than he; but instead of taking my apology as one ofgentle blood should do, he spoke like a churl, and threatened mewith chastis
ement, and then I did say that I hoped he and all otherNormans in the land would some day be packed across the Channel."
"Your ears ought to be slit as an insolent varlet."
"I meant no insolence, my Lord Bishop; and as to the slitting ofmy ears, I fancy Earl Harold, my master, would have something tosay on that score."
The prelate was about to reply, but glancing at the angry faces ofthe growing crowd, he said coldly:
"I shall lay the matter before him. Come, Walter, enough of this.You are also somewhat to blame for not having received more courteouslythe apologies of this saucy page."
The crowd fell back with angry mutterings as he turned, and, followedby Walter Fitz-Urse and the ecclesiastics, made his way along thestreet to the principal entrance of the palace. Without waitingto watch his departure, Wulf, the Saxon page, pushed his way throughthe crowd, and went off at full speed to carry the message withwhich he had been charged.
"Our king is a good king," a squarely-built man,--whose bare armswith the knotted muscles showing through the skin, and hands begrimedwith charcoal, indicated that he was a smith,--remarked to a gossipas the little crowd broke up, "but it is a grievous pity that hewas brought up a Norman, still more that he was not left in peaceto pass his life as a monk as he desired. He fills the land withhis Normans; soon as an English bishop dies, straightway a Normanis clapped into his place. All the offices at court are filledwith them, and it is seldom a word of honest English is spoken inthe palace. The Norman castles are rising over the land, and hisfavourites divide among them the territory of every English earlor thane who incurs the king's displeasure. Were it not for EarlHarold, one might as well be under Norman sway altogether."
"Nay, nay, neighbour Ulred, matters are not so bad as that. I daresay they would have been as you say had it not been for Earl Godwinand his sons. But it was a great check that Godwin gave them whenhe returned after his banishment, and the Norman bishops and nobleshurried across the seas in a panic. For years now the king has leftall matters in the hands of Harold, and is well content if only hecan fast and pray like any monk, and give all his thoughts andtreasure to the building of yonder abbey."
"We want neither a monk nor a Norman over us," the smith saidroughly, "still less one who is both Norman and monk I would ratherhave a Dane, like Canute, who was a strong man and a firm one, thanthis king, who, I doubt not, is full of good intentions, and is aholy and pious monarch, but who is not strong enough for a ruler.He leaves it to another to preserve England in peace, to keep inorder the great Earls of Mercia and the North, to hold the landagainst Harold of Norway, Sweyn, and others, and, above all, towatch the Normans across the water. A monk is well enough in aconvent, but truly 'tis bad for a country to have a monk as itsking."
"There have been some war-loving prelates, Ulred; menas ambitious as any of the great earls, and more dangerous,because they have learning."
"Ay, there have been great prelates," the smith agreed. "Look atLyfing of Worcester, to whom next only to Godwin the king owed histhrone. He was an Englishman first and a bishop afterwards, and wasa proof, if needed, that a man can be a great churchman and a greatpatriot and statesman too. It was he rather than Godwin who overcamethe opposition of the Danish party, and got the Witan at last toacquiesce in the choice of London and Wessex, and to give theirvote to Edward.
"Well was it he did so. For had he failed we should have had asgreat a struggle in England as when Alfred battled against theDanes. We of London and the men of Wessex under the great Earl werebent upon being ruled by a prince of our own blood. The last twoDanish kings had shown us that anything is better than being governedby the Northmen. It was Lyfing who persuaded the Earl of Mercia toside with Wessex rather than with Northumbria, but since Lyfing,what great Englishman have we had in the church? Every bishopricwas granted by Edward to Norman priests, until Godwin and his sonsgot the upper hand after their exile. Since then most of them havebeen given to Germans. It would seem that the king was so set againstEnglishmen that only by bringing in foreigners can Harold preventall preferment going to Normans. But what is the consequence? Theysay now that our church is governed from Rome, whereas beforeEdward's time we Englishmen did not think of taking our orders fromItaly.
"There will trouble come of it all, neighbour. Perhaps not so longas Edward reigns, but at his death. There is but one of the royalrace surviving, and he, like Edward, has lived all his life abroad.There can be no doubt what the choice of Englishmen will be. Haroldhas been our real ruler for years. He is wise and politic as wellas brave, and a great general. He is our own earl, and will assuredlybe chosen. Then we shall have trouble with the Normans. Alreadythey bear themselves as if they were our masters, and they will notgive up their hold without a struggle. Men say that William, theirduke, makes no secret of his hope to become master of England, inwhich case God help us all. But that won't come as long as Haroldlives and Englishmen can wield sword and battle-axe. As for myself,I have patched many a Norman suit of armour, but, by St. Swithin,I shall have far more pleasure in marring than I have ever had inmending them."
"Know you who were the boys who had that contention just now?"
"The Norman is a page of William, our Norman bishop; I know no moreof him than that the other is Wulf, who is a ward and page of EarlHarold. His father was thane of Steyning in South Sussex, one ofGodwin's men, and at his death two years ago Harold took the ladinto his household, for he bore great affection for Gyrth, who hadaccompanied him in his pilgrimage to Rome, and fought by his sidewhen he conquered the Welsh. It was there Gyrth got the wound thatat last brought about his death. Wulf has been to my smithy manytimes, sometimes about matters of repairs to arms, but more often,I think, to see my son Osgod. He had seen him once or twice incalling at the shop, when one day Osgod, who is somewhat given tomischief, was playing at ball, and drove it into the face of a sonof one of the Norman lords at court. The boy drew his dagger, andthere would have been blood shed, but Wulf, who was passing at thetime, and saw that the thing was a pure mishap and not the resultof set intention, threw himself between them.
"There was a great fuss over it, for the boy took his tale to hisfather, who demanded that Osgod should be punished, and woulddoubtless have gained his end had not Wulf spoken to Earl Harold,who intervened in the matter and persuaded the Norman to let itdrop. Since then the boys have been great friends in their way.Osgod is a year older than the young thane, and has already madeup his mind to be his man when he grows up, and he has got me toagree to it, though I would rather that he had stuck to my handicraft.Still, the prospect is not a bad one. Harold will be King of England,Wulf will be a powerful thane, and will doubtless some day holdhigh place at court, and as he seems to have taken a real likingto Osgod, the boy may have good chances.
"Wulf will make a good fighting man one of these days. Harold seesthat all his pages are well instructed in arms, and the two boysoften have a bout with blunted swords when Wulf comes to my smithy;and, by my faith, though I have taught Osgod myself, and he alreadyuses his arms well, the young thane is fully a match for him. Youwould hardly believe that the boy can read as well as a monk, butit is so. Earl Harold, you know, thinks a good deal of education,and has founded a college at Waltham. He persuaded Wulf's fatherto send him there, and, indeed, will take none as his pages unlessthey can read. I see not what good reading can do to most men, butdoubtless for one who is at court and may hold some day a high postthere, it is useful to be able to read deeds and grants of estates,instead of having to trust others' interpretation."
"I wondered to see you press forward so suddenly into the crowd,neighbour, seeing that you are a busy man, but I understand nowthat you had an interest in the affair."
"That had I. I was holding myself in readiness, if that Norman boydrew his dagger, to give him such a blow across the wrist with mycudgel that it would be long before he handled a weapon again. Ifear Wulf has got himself into trouble. The bishop will doubtlesscomplain to the king of the language used by one of Harold's pages,and thoug
h the earl is well able to see that no harm comes to thelad, it is likely he will send him away to his estates for a time.For he strives always to avoid quarrels and disputes, and thoughhe will not give way a jot in matters where it seems to him thatthe good of the realm is concerned, he will go much farther lengthsthan most men would do in the way of conciliation. Look how he hasborne with Tostig and with the Earls of Mercia. He seems to haveno animosity in his nature, but is ready to forgive all injuriesas soon as pardon is asked."
The smith was not far wrong in his opinion as to what was likelyto happen. As soon as Wulf returned to the palace he was told thatthe earl desired his presence, and he proceeded at once to theapartment where Harold transacted public business. It was a hallof considerable size; the floor was strewed with rushes; threescribes sat at a table, and to them the earl dictated his repliesand decisions on the various matters brought before him. When hesaw Wulf enter he rose from his seat, and, beckoning to him tofollow, pushed aside the hangings across a door leading to anapartment behind and went in. Wulf had no fear whatever of anysevere consequence to himself from his quarrel with Walter Fitz-Urse,but he was ashamed that his thoughtlessness should have given theslightest trouble to the earl, for, popular as he was among allclasses of men in southern England, Harold was an object of loveas well as respect to his dependents, and indeed to all who camein close contact with him.
The earl was now forty-one years of age. He was very tall, and wasconsidered the strongest man in England. His face was singularlyhandsome, with an expression of mingled gentleness and firmness.His bearing was courteous to all. He united a frank and straightforwardmanner with a polished address rare among his rough countrymen.Harold had travelled more and farther than any Englishman of hisage. He had visited foreign courts and mingled with people moreadvanced in civilization than were those of England or Normandy,and was centuries ahead of the mass of his countrymen. He was anardent advocate of education, a strong supporter of the nationalchurch, an upholder of the rights of all men, and although heoccasionally gave way to bursts of passion, was of a singularlysweet and forgiving disposition.
King Edward was respected by his people because, coming after twoutterly worthless kings, he had an earnest desire for their good,although that desire seldom led to any very active results. He wasa member of their own royal house. He was deeply religious. Hislife was pure and simple, and although all his tastes and sympathieswere with the land in which he had been brought up, Englishmenforgave him this because at least he was a Saxon, while hispredecessors had been Danes. But while they respected Edward, forHarold, their real ruler, they felt a passionate admiration. He wasa worthy representative of all that was best in the Saxon character.He possessed in an eminent degree the openness of nature, the frankliberality, the indomitable bravery, and the endurance of hardshipthat distinguished the race. He was Earl of the West Saxons, andas such had special claims to their fealty.
London, it was true, did not lie in his earldom, but in that of hisbrother Leofwyn, but Leofwyn and Harold were as one--true brothersin heart and in disposition. The gentleness and courtesy of mannerthat, although natural, had been softened and increased by Harold'scontact with foreigners, was not only pardoned but admired becausehe was England's champion against foreigners. He had fought, andvictoriously, alike against the Norwegians, the Danes of Northumbria,and the Welsh, and he struggled as sturdily, though peacefully,against Norman influence in England. Already the dread of Normanpreponderance was present in the minds of Englishmen. It was nosecret that in his early days Edward had held out hopes, if he hadnot given an actual promise, to William of Normandy that he shouldsucceed him. Of late the king had been somewhat weaned from hisNorman predilections, and had placed himself unreservedly in Harold'shands, giving to the latter all real power while he confined himselfto the discharge of religious exercises, and to the supervision ofthe building of his abbey, varied occasionally by hunting expeditions,for he still retained a passionate love of the chase; but men knewthat the warlike Duke of Normandy would not be likely to forget thepromise, and that trouble might come to England from over the sea.
Harold, then, they not only regarded as their present ruler, butas their future king, and as the national leader and champion.Edward had no children. The royal house was extinct save for Edwardthe Atheling, who, like the present king, had lived all his lifeabroad, and could have no sympathy with Englishmen. There being,then, no one of the royal house available, who but Harold, the headof the great house of Godwin, the earl of the West Saxons, thevirtual ruler of England, could be chosen? The English kings,although generally selected from the royal house, ruled rather bythe election of the people as declared by their representatives inthe Witan than by their hereditary right. The prince next insuccession by blood might, at the death of the sovereign, be calledking, but he was not really a monarch until elected by the Witanand formally consecrated.
It had been nine months after he had been acclaimed to the throneby the people of London that King Edward had been elected king bythe Witan, and formally enthroned. Thus, then, the fact that Harolddid not belong to the royal family mattered but little in the eyesof Englishmen. To them belonged the right of choosing their ownmonarch, and if they chose him, who was to say them nay?
Wulf felt uncomfortable as he followed the stately figure into theinner room, but he faced the Earl as the door closed behind himwith as fearless a look as that with which he had stood before thehaughty prelate of London. A slight smile played upon Harold's faceas he looked down upon the boy.
"You are a troublesome varlet, Wulf, and the Lord Bishop has beenmaking serious complaint of you to the king. He says that you brawledwith his page, Walter Fitz-Urse; that you used insolent words againsthis countrymen; and that you even withstood himself. What have youto say to this?"
"The brawling was on the part of the bishop's page and not of mine,my lord. I was running out to carry the message with which youcharged me to Ernulf of Dover when I ran against Fitz-Urse. Thatwas not my fault, but a pure mischance, nevertheless I expressedmy regret in fitting terms. Instead of accepting them, he spokeinsolently, talked of chastising me, and put his hand on the hiltof his dagger. Then, my lord, I grew angry too. Why should I, thepage of Earl Harold, submit to be thus contemptuously spoken to bythis young Norman, who is but the page of an upstart bishop, andwhom, if your lordship will give permission, I would right willinglyfight, with swords or any other weapons. Doubtless, in my anger, Idid not speak respectfully of Walter's countrymen, and for this Iam sorry, since it has been the ground of complaint and of troubleto you."
"In fact, Wulf, you spoke as a quarrelsome boy and not as the pageof one who has the cares of this kingdom on his shoulders, and whosegreat desire is to keep peace between all parties," the earl putin gravely.
For the first time Wulf hung his head:
"I was wrong, my lord."
"You were wrong, Wulf; it is not good always to say what we think;and you, as my page, should bear in mind that here at court itbehoves you to behave and to speak not as a headstrong boy, but asone whose words may, rightly or wrongly, be considered as an echoof those you may have heard from me. And now to the third charge,that you withstood the prelate; a matter that, in the king's eyes,is a very serious one."
"The bishop would give ear to nought I had to say. He listened tohis own page's account and not to mine, and when I said in my defencethat though I did use the words about the Normans, I did so merelyas one boy quarrelling with the other, he said I ought to have myears slit. Surely, my lord, a free-born thane is not to be spokento even by a Norman bishop as if he were a Norman serf. I onlyreplied that before there was any slitting of ears your lordshipwould have a say in the matter. So far, I admit, I did withstandthe bishop, and I see not how I could have made other reply."
"It would have been better to have held your peace altogether,Wulf."
"It would, my lord, but it would also surely have been better hadthe bishop abstained from talking about slitting ears."
"T
hat would have been better also, but two wrongs do not make aright. I was present when the bishop made his complaint, and uponmy inquiring more into the matter, his version was somewhat similarto yours. I then pointed out to him that if holy bishops lost theirtempers and used threats that were beyond their power to carry intoeffect, they must not be too severe upon boys who forget the respectdue to their office. Nevertheless, I admitted that you were wrong,and I promised the king, who was perhaps more disturbed by thisincident than there was any occasion for, that I would take you totask seriously, and that to avoid any further brawl between you andyoung Fitz-Urse, you should for a time be sent away from court. Idid this on the agreement that the bishop should, on his part,admonish Walter Fitz-Urse against discourteous behaviour and unseemlybrawling, and had I known that he had put his hand on his dagger,I would have gone further. Have you any witnesses that he did so?"
"Yes, my lord; I saw the smith Ulred among those standing by, anddoubtless he would see the action."
"That is well," Harold said. "I shall acquaint the bishop with thefact when I tell him that I have ordered you to leave for yourestate at Steyning, and that if his page denies it, I have witnessesto prove the truth of your assertions. I think in that case he willbe glad to drop the matter, for were I to mention the fact to theking, he, who has a horror of the drawing of weapons, would orderWalter Fitz-Urse to be sent back to Normandy. So your exile is notlikely to be of long duration. You understand, Wulf, that I am notseriously angered with you in this matter. You are but a boy, andone cannot expect that you will behave as a prudent man; but remember,lad, even a boy's words may do mischief, especially when placed asyou are. There may come a time when you shall show by deeds and notby words your feelings against the Normans, but till then bearyourself prudently. We Saxons are over given to hasty words, andthis is a fault. I myself, as all men know, have no love for theNormans, but no one has heard me speak against them. The king lovesthem, as is but natural, seeing that he was brought up amongst them,and I have not withstood his wishes in the matter, trying only thata certain amount of preferment in the land should be bestowed uponthose who are its owners and not strangers to it and its tongue.You will ride this afternoon for Steyning, Wulf, but I hope it willnot be long before you are back again. If I had my own way in thematter, I should think that sufficient had already been said anddone in so trifling a matter as a boys' quarrel; but as it has beenbrought before our king by a bishop, it is in the king's eyes aserious business, for assuredly he himself would have borne a reprooffrom William of London more meekly than you did, and having thereforebecome a church matter, it is altogether beyond my power to interfere.At any rate, a short sojourn on your estate will do you no harm;it is sometime since you were there, and it is a good thing thatthe lord of the soil should be well known by those over whom he isplaced."
Wulf bowed deeply and withdrew. The prospect of a visit for a fewweeks or even months to Steyning was not a terrible one. It wassome years since he had stayed there for any time. He had been twoyears at Waltham, and since his father's death had been for themost part with Harold, and the thought of an unrestricted life andof spending his time as he chose, hunting and hawking, and goingabout among his tenants, was by no means unpleasant. He was quitesatisfied that Harold was not seriously angered with him, and foranything else he cared little.
As he understood that his duties as a page were at present at anend, he thought he would first call upon Ulred the smith, to askhim if he had seen Walter Fitz-Urse handle his dagger, and also totell Osgod that he was going away for a time. He found the smithat work.
"Good morning, Master Wulf; though this is not the first time Ihave seen you today, for I was at hand when you had that quarrelwith the Norman page."
"Yes, I caught sight of your face, Ulred. It was about that I havecome to you. The bishop has made complaint against me to the king,and Earl Harold has ordered me to go down to Steyning for a time.Of course I acted wrongly in speaking as I did to the bishop, butso far as Walter Fitz-Urse is concerned I maintain that I did nowrong. I told my lord as much, and that the Norman put hand uponhis dagger. The earl said that if I could prove that it would benefitmy case. I told him that I had seen you close by, but that I didnot know whether you saw the page do it."
"Assuredly I did," the smith replied, "and had my cudgel in readinessto tap him on the wrist if he had drawn his dagger. I would testifythe same before King Edward himself."
"Thank you, Ulred, I will tell my lord so."
"I am sorry you are to be sent away from court. That is a bad job,Master Wulf, and Osgod here will miss you greatly."
"That shall I," the lad said. "Could you not take me down with you,young master? You could teach me there how to comport myself asyour squire, so that when the time comes that you need one, I shouldknow my duties. Besides, you could practise on me with sword andbattle-axe."
"I could not do much in the way of teaching you, Osgod, seeing asyet I am myself but a learner, but I should be glad, in truth, tohave you with me, and it would be good for me to keep up my practicein arms. I shall feel almost like a stranger there, and should liketo have one I know with me. I could ask Earl Harold to let me havea horse for you from his stables, where he has two or three scoredoing nothing."
"With your favour, sir, I would rather trust to my own feet. I ama stout walker, and though I shall not be able to keep up with you,I think that each night I can get to the hostelrie where you mayput up; but, if not, it matters little, I can make my way after youand join you there--that is, if my father will give me permissionto go."
"You may as well go sooner as later," the smith said. "Since youhave taken into your head that you will be Master Wulf's man, I seenot that it will benefit you remaining in the forge. You know enoughnow to mend a broken rivet and to do such repairs to helm and armouras may be needed on an expedition; therefore, if the young thaneis minded to take you I have naught to say against it."
"Then so shall it be," Wulf said, "I shall see my Lord Harold beforeI start, and will tell him that you are minded to be my man, andthat I am minded so to take you. He will not object, I am sure, butit were best to ask him, since, when I return to court, I shallhave you about me."
"When do you start, Master Wulf?"
"I am ordered to go to-day; therefore, as soon as I haveseen the earl again I shall be off."
"Where will you sleep to-night?"
"I shall ride to Guildford this afternoon."
"Then you had better lay aside your hammer at once, Osgod,"the smith said, "and don fresh clothes, and make your best suitinto a bundle and start without delay; it is but ten o'clock,and you may be at Guildford before sunset. 'Tis but thirtymiles, and eight hours' walking will take you there. If the youngthane tells you that Lord Harold makes objection to his takingyou, you can turn your face backward to-morrow and no harmwill be done."
"I shall overtake you before you are half-way, Osgod, andcan then take you up behind me on my horse; and now I willgo back to the palace. I may have to wait some time before Ican see Earl Harold. From sunrise to sunset he has but a fewmoments to himself, and I shall have to watch my time to geta word with him."
It was not, indeed, until two o'clock in the afternoon thatWulf had a chance of speaking to the duke. Then, seeing thathe was for the moment alone, he entered the room and stoodwith bowed head waiting for Harold to address him.
"So you have come to say good-bye, Wulf," the latter said kindly;"it is best so, boy. A time in the country will do you good, andthere will be much for you to do down there. I have ordered two ofmy men to be in readiness to mount and ride with you, for I wouldnot that you should go unattended. One of them will bear a messagefrom me and a letter under my hand to the steward, and will tellhim that although you will, of course, remain as my ward until youcome of age, you are in all respects to be treated as if you werealready my sworn man, and thane. It would be well if you couldgather among your tenants twenty stout men as house-carls. Thesteward is ordered to pay to you whatever moneys you ma
y require,and to account for them to me when he sends me in his checkers.These house-carls will, of course, be paid. There must be amplestore of armour at Steyning for them, for your father was followedby forty house-carls when he went with me to the Welsh wars. Oneof the men who goes with you is a stout man-at-arms and is one ofmy own house-carls; he will remain with you and will instruct yourmen in arms and teach them to fight shoulder to shoulder. There maybe bad times ere long, and it is upon trained troops and not uponhasty levies that we must most depend. In time I trust you will beable to place fifty such men in the field, but at present twentywill suffice. Have you aught to say to me before you go?"
"Yes, my lord; first, to thank you for your kindness, and to saythat I will carry out your instructions; secondly, to tell you thatUlred the smith saw Walter Fitz-Urse handle his dagger, and wasstanding ready to knock it from his hand did he draw it. Lastly,that Ulred's son Osgod, who is a stout lad a year older than myself,and for his age well accustomed to arms, desires to be sworn as myman and to serve me in hall and in field. I like him much and havealmost daily practised with him in arms, and I should be glad tohave him with me if you see no objection."
"Not at all, Wulf; it is well that a man should have at his sideone in whom he can altogether trust, be he of gentle blood or simpleman-at-arms."
"Then I may take him down with me, my lord?"
"Yes, if it pleases you. Can he ride?"
"Not as yet, my lord, I will see that he is instructed down atSteyning. He started to walk this morning, understanding that ifyou refused him permission to be my man he would at once return.We shall overtake him on the road."
"Bid one of your escort take him up behind," the earl said, "I likehis spirit. See that he is fittingly apparelled. You shall hearfrom me ere long."
Half an hour later Wulf mounted, and with his two followers rodefrom Westminster.
