The Story of Rolf and the Viking's Bow

by Allen French

  CHAPTER XXV

  HERE ROLF COMES TO CRAGNESS

  Now turns the tale to speak of Einar, how he took possession ofCragness (for he bought the share of the men of the Quarter); and howSnorri the Priest sent for Asdis that she should come to him for thesake of Rolf her son, and wait the three years of his exile. But Asdisanswered the messenger of Snorri: "I go to our little farm in theupland, where I can look upon my home. We will see if Einar sends meaway also from that."

  So she took what goods she might, and drove the milch ewe before her,and went to the turf hut in the upland, there to live alone. Now Einarmight have sent her thence, and Ondott was urgent with him that heshould; but for very shame Einar could not do that wrong, and that onegood deed of his stood him after in stead, as the saga showeth.

  Asdis over-wintered there, and folk brought her meal; but Snorri senther much provision and dried fish, to keep her. Before they went awayhis men bought wood and drew it for her, and cut turf for burning; andon parting they gave her a purse of one gold-piece and six silverpennies, so Asdis was safe from all want. But no happiness could cometo her so long as each day she looked out upon the hall at Cragness,and saw strangers there.

  Einar abode in great pride at his new hall, and kept high state,sending to fetch whatever travellers came that way. And when harvestcame he had a great feast, with all his house-carles and thralls andbonders and neighbors bidden; notable was the state of that feast.

  But Ondott, when all were merry, and those who were bidden were sayingthat Einar was a great chief, on account of his open-handedness--Ondottlet call for bows, and said that all should go down to the boundary.There by the brook he held a mock shoot; and one called himself Rolfand made as if he would shoot to the oak tree, but shot into thebrook, and wept, and besought others to shoot for him. The looser sorthooted and thought that sport, and shot toward the oak a little way.Then they cried that Hiarandi was lawfully slain, and Rolf was outlaw.

  But the neighbors of the better sort liked that not, and changed theiraspect of cheer, and went away early. Einar said to Ondott, "Why didstthou such foolery?"

  "That we may know," said Ondott, "who are of thy friends, and who thyill-wishers. And now we know who are with us."

  Einar let himself be pleased with that answer.

  So the harvest passed, and winter went by and spring came on, an earlyspring without storms. All men looked to their plowing and sowing; andEinar took pleasure in the home-fields at Cragness, which were sofertile. But he disliked the lack of storms, for since he came toCragness no wealth had come to him from wrecks, which he had countedon as part of his riches. And Einar had no custom to light beacons,but all through that spring he and Ondott looked for storms. Men saidthat storms must come, and that early farers from overseas might becaught thereby. Then at last that steady wind which had blown from theeast first dropped, and then shifted, and blew hard from the west, agreat gale. All men housed themselves, and a murky night came on.

  Now in the hall at Cragness the old crone Thurid sat by the fire andsang to herself; and Ondott, who was ever prowling to hear what mensaid, came behind her and listened. She sang:

  "Bad luck and good Are both abroad. If beacon light Be set this night, Comes Cragness feud To quickest good."

  "Hearest thou that?" said Ondott to Einar. He sang the song after her.

  Einar asked, "Shall we light the beacon?" For he was easily turned inhis purposes.

  But Ondott smote the old woman, and cried: "Thou singest otherwisethan when thou wert with Hiarandi. Ill was it with Hiarandi when hemade the beacon, and ill would it be with us!"

  He asked if he should thrust the woman from the house, but Einar hadnot the heart for that. The old woman said she would go ere the lightcame again, and was silent for an hour.

  Now it is said that had Einar lighted the beacon, good would have comeof it; for he who saves life is minded to continue in right doing.

  Then after a while the carline sang again. She sang:

  "Thy rocks beneath, Men fight with death. Go, see what woe Lies there below!"

  Einar hurries his men out into the storm, and himself after them. Nowthough the gale continues the moon is bright at last, and men can seetheir way.

  On the rocks was a ship, and her timbers were breaking away from herand driving down into the cove to the lee. Thither Einar sent most ofhis men, to save what they could from the sea, of wood, chests,cloths, and all merchandise. But he watched from the cliffs, withOndott and Hallvard and Hallmund, to see if men escaped from the furyof the sea. He saw no living thing at all, until at the last one mancame climbing the cliff toward him. That one had a rope around hiswaist; when he reached a shelf of rock he made the rope fast, and drewon it, and pulled up a long case and a bundle: he cast down the ropeagain, and drew up weapons, and cast again, and drew up clothes.

  "Fishes he," asked Einar, "with a hook on that rope?"

  Said Hallvard: "Other men must be below, helping him."

  Then that man threw down the rope again, and waited a while, and heldthe rope securely; it seemed as if a weight were on it. Then anotherman climbed to his side, a large man, and they two pulled on the ropetogether, drawing it up. There came into sight what seemed a deadbody; but now, where climbing was easier, those two carried the bodyto the top of the cliffs, and then drew up the case and the arms.Einar and his men went thither in the moonlight, but ere they reachedthe place the men took the body between them, and carried it to thehall, and into the hall, those others following. Einar went to thedoor to see what the men would do.

  They laid the body down before the fire, and Einar saw it was ahandsome youth. Then the men looked about them as they stood; theirbacks were to Einar, but the crone Thurid saw their faces, and shehobbled up and said "Welcome!"

  "There is no welcome for me here," said the shorter of those men,"till these strange hangings are gone from the hall, and it has beenpurged with the smoke of fire from their contamination."

  Now Einar thought he should know that voice. The seafarer said to thecrone: "Tell Einar that here lies his son, who comes back to him so;and if the beacon had been lighted, Grani had come in better wise, forI could have beached the ship in the cove. But yet I think he is notdead. And so farewell to Cragness for a space."

  So those two turned to the door; and Einar ran forward and casthimself on the body of his son, not looking at those men. But Ondottlooked on them, and they were Rolf and Frodi, spent with toil in thewater and on the rocks. And when Ondott bade his two men seize them,they were too weary to resist; so they were bound with ropes.

  Now Einar saw that Grani was not dead, but stunned by some blow. Hecalled the women and bade them bring cloths, and heat water, and useall craft to bring his son to life again. They set to work, and HelgaGrani's sister came and looked on her brother's face for the firsttime since he had been a little boy.

  But Ondott brought before Einar those two, Rolf and Frodi, and saidhe: "Here we have that ravening outlaw and his cousin; now what is thywill of them? Shall they die here under the knife?"

  Einar said: "Nay, but rather set them free."

  Ondott cried: "What is thy thought? Here they have come again withdesigns on thee, and wilt thou let them go? And they will dispossessthy son of his heritage; wilt thou suffer that? Rolf is out of thelaw, and no harm will come of the slaying."

  And Ondott pressed Einar with other reasons, saying that most of theirmen were at the cove for the jetsam, and Hallmund and Hallvard wouldnever tell.

  Now Helga heard, and stood before her father, saying: "Take not thissin on thy head, but rather let both the men go."

  Yet Einar's heart was turned to evil as he saw how but two of his menwere there, and those of the trustiest; so that those cousins might bequickly slain, and buried, and none would know that they had comeashore from the wreck. "Stand aside," quoth he to Helga, "and letthese foes of thy heritage die as they should."

  But Helga stepped before Rolf and Frodi, and fronted the draw
n swordsof Ondott and his men. "Unlawful is such a deed," she cried, "untilthe morning light comes. For all night-slayings are forbidden, even ofoutlaws, and such slayings are murder." And when she saw her fatherwaver again she told him how even the Earl of the Orkneys (and he wasfather of Earl Thorfinn) dared not slay those sons of Njal who cameinto his hands, and so take the sin of midnight slaying on his soul;but he set them aside till morning should come.

  "Aye," answered Ondott, "and in the morning the twain were fled."

  That Helga knew, and had the same thought in her mind; but she beggedher father not to take such shame on himself, rather to let Rolf andFrodi lie in bonds till morning. And at last Einar promised her thatthose two should not die until the day.

  Rolf said to her: "I thank thee, maiden; and when I come into mine ownagain I shall not forget this. For it has been prophesied me that Ishall yet sleep in my father's locked bed, and that means that thishouse shall be mine again."

  Then Ondott laughed. "Not so is the prophecy to be read!" he cried."Throw them into the locked room of Hiarandi for this night. To-morrowthey shall sleep soundly elsewhere."

  So in that little room where Rolf's fathers had slept he was cast withFrodi, and there they lay on the floor, and had no comfort of thatplace because of their bonds.

  "Now," grumbled Frodi, "vikings have we escaped, and baresarks, andthe Scots, and all manner of dangers, and the sea, only to die here atlast. What was that foolish tale of thine about a prophecy? I neverheard of such a thing."

  "Free me of my bonds," answered Rolf, "and thou shalt learn why I madethat pretence."

  Frodi strove against his bonds, but they were too strong for him; andso those cousins lay there for a while.

  But outside in the hall the women worked over Grani until at last hemoved and groaned, and they saw that he would live. So for joy Einarknew not what to do; and he became talkative, and walked about, and sostumbled on those things (the bundle, and the clothes, and the arms,and the case) which had been brought there with Grani. When heexamined them the arms pleased him right well, for in the case hefound the marvellous bow of the viking. All admired the bow.

  But the old woman Thurid muttered to herself as she saw them handlingthe bow, and at last drew near and asked to see it. The bow shehandled, and the arrows she looked on; then at last she shuddered andlet the bow fall, and sang of it:

  "Enemy fierce To Einar's fame, Now lieth here. Ere thee it pierce, Or bringeth grame, Fire it should sear. Break it and burn! Thus shalt thou turn Ill from thy hall, Ruin from all. --This I discern."

  Einar looked with aversion on the bow where it lay, but Ondott raisedit and held it aloft. "Now," asked he, "shall such a beautiful weaponbe broken for a crone's rhymes?"

  All cried out that it should not be so; and Einar took the bow, andhung it on his high seat, vowing to keep it. Then he said to Thuridshe should be gone ere morning, as she had promised. The old womantook her cloak, and went to the door, but on the threshold she sang:

  "Here got I One gray cloak, One winter's meat: These from Einar Here got I. --One gray cloak, One winter's meat, Be given Einar Ere he die!"

  So she went out into the storm. Now the moon had clouded again, andsnow fell thickly, a blinding squall; so the old woman was bewildered,and very cold. She found herself a place by a rock, and sat there,singing verses, until at last she fell asleep.

  But while all were admiring the bow in the hall, Helga came to thedoor of the locked bed, and took away the brace that closed it, andcast in a knife, and shut up the door again. Rolf and Frodi saw; andthey conceived this plan, that Rolf should hold the knife in hishands, and Frodi should rub his bonds thereagainst. Then that wasdone, and they freed themselves.

  "Yet we are not out of the hall," said Frodi, "and with helping Granithe place will be awake all night."

  "Now remember the prophecy which I coined," answered Rolf. "Look hereand hold thy peace."

  And he showed Frodi how a panel in the wall might be taken out, sothat the way was free.

  "Come then," Frodi said.

  But Rolf would not. "Why stay we here in danger?" asked Frodi.

  "I must have my bow," replied Rolf. "How else shall I win my heritageagain?"

  But when they tried the door into the passage which led to the hall,it could not be opened without great noise; and ever they heard thewomen walking about, as they tended on Grani.

  "Remember," said Frodi at last, "the choice which Grani once offeredthee: the bow or thy freedom. Freedom was then thy choice, andafterward thou didst win the bow. Show now the like wisdom."

  So they stole away in the first light of the morning.