Chapter XI. The Winning of "The Raven."
Now we none of us like much to speak of the fight that came nextmorning, for it went ill enough. Yet we were outnumbered by twiceour force, for some more of the host beyond the fens made Alfredsend many of his men back to watch the crossing at Bridgwater.
Hubba brought his ships up on the tide, and when he saw that wewere waiting for him, he made as if to go on up the river; and webegan to move from our position, thinking that he would go and fallon the town. Then, very suddenly, he turned his ships' bows to thebank at the one place where he saw that the land was high almost tothe river's edge; and before we knew that we must be there to stayhim, his men were ashore, and had passed the strip of marsh, andwere on a long, gentle rise that ends in Cannington hill and theCombwich fort, half a mile away.
We fought well for an hour, and then our men began to give oneither wing, for they were, as I would have it remembered, rawlevies that Odda had brought with him--valiant men and strong, butwith no knowledge of how to fight in line or how to hold together.And when a force like that begins to go, it is ended.
Hard fought we in the centre after that. There were the Athelneythanes, and my fifty men, and Odda's Exeter and Taunton townsfolk,who had fought before; but when the wings broke, Hubba's greatforce of veterans lapped round us, and we had nought left us but tocut our way out, and make the best retreat we could. My men shoutedas they struck, in our Norse way; but a deadly silence fell on theSaxons, and I thought that, as they grew quiet, their blows becameever more stern and fell, until at last even Hubba's vikings gaveway before the hard-set faces and steadfast eyes of thewest-country spearmen, whom no numbers seemed to daunt, and theydrew back from us for a space.
Then we were clear of them, and at once Ethelnoth closed in on theking, taking his horse's rein, and praying him to fly toBridgwater, where a stand could be made. And at last he persuadedhim, and they turned. Then fearing that this might set the examplefor general flight, I spoke to Odda, and we shouted to the men tostand fast and hold back pursuit; and so a guard of some fiftythanes went with Alfred, and we faced the Danes even yet.
They saw what was done, and roared, and charged on us; and we beganto retreat slowly, fighting all the way, up the long slope of landtowards the fort. But I saw Heregar's horse rear and fall, and thebanner went down, and I thought him slain in that attack.
Presently they let us go. We won ever to better ground, and theyhad to fight uphill; and then we gained the fort, and there theydurst not come.
Then rode towards me a man in silver armour that was dinted andhacked--shieldless, and with a notched sword in his hand. It wasHeregar.
"I thought you slain, friend," I said gladly.
"Would that I were! for my charge is lost; they have my banner," heanswered.
"That may be won back yet," I said. "But there is no shame to you;we were outnumbered by more than two to one."
"I have borne it through ten battles," he said, and that was all;but he put his face in his hands and groaned.
Now I looked out over the field we had left, and saw the Danesscattering in many ways. Some were going in a long line up thesteep hill beyond which the village lay, and over this line swayedand danced the lost banner. There was a crowd of our men from thebroken wings gathered there--drawn together by the king as he fled,as I knew afterwards; and I think the Danes bore our banner withthem in order to deceive them. I knew that the lane was deep andhollow up which they must go, and there were woods on either side.
Whereat I sprang up.
"Thane," I said, "here is a chance for us to win back the banner,as I think."
He looked up sharply, and I pointed.
"Let us ride at once into the wood, and wait for them to pass us.Then, if we dare, we can surely dash through them."
Kolgrim sat close to me, and our horses were tethered to a spear.He rose up when he heard me speak, saying:
"Here is more madness. But trust to Ranald's luck, thane."
Then in a few more minutes we were riding our hardest towards thewood. I heard Odda shout after us from the entrance to the fort aswe went, but we heeded him not.
We edged up to the deep lane through the trees until we were sonear that we could almost see into it. The banner was at the headof the column, and there were no mounted men with it. Hubba hadbrought no horses with him from across the sea.
Then we waited for a long minute, hearing the tramp of the comingmen, and their loud talk and laughter as they boasted of theirprize. They were going very carelessly.
"If we get it," I whispered to the thane, whose eyes were shining,"ride hard up the hill to our folk who are there."
He nodded and then before us fluttered the folds of his treasure.Instantly he spurred his great white horse, and leaped straight atit into the lane, and after him on either side came Kolgrim and I.
A great howl rose from the startled Danes, and I saw Heregar wheelhis horse and tear the banner from the man who held it, cuttingdown another warrior who tried to catch his bridle. Then Helmbiterwas hard at work for a moment, and Kolgrim's axe rattled on a helmor two; and we were away up the lane before the shouting andconfusion were over, none of the Danes knowing but that more of uswould follow from out the cover.
One or two arrows, shot by men who found their wits sooner than therest, pattered after us, and we gained the hilltop and the greatcheer that went up from our few men who were there made the Daneshalt and waver, and at last turn back to the open again.
We stayed on that hilltop for an hour. Then the Danes were comingup in force, and there was no hope in staying, so we got back tothe fort before they could cut us off.
Soon after this there was a general movement on the part of ourfoes, and before evening we were surrounded on all sides by strongposts, and it was plain that we were not to move from the fort.
Now this is not very large, but it is very strong--the hill whichhas been fortified being some two hundred feet high, and steepsided as a house roof on all sides but the east, where the entrancemust needs be. But this again has outworks; and the road into theramparts from the long slope of Cannington hill to the southwardruns slantwise through them, so that the gap it makes in the firstline is covered by the second. And both upper and lower rampart goright round the circle of the hilltop, and are very strong, havingbeen made by the British folk, who well understood such matters,and had such fighters as the old Romans and our own forefathers todeal with. Some parts of the works were of piled stones, and therest of earth, as the ground required.
There is but one way in which that fort could be taken by force, asI think, and that is by attacking on all sides at once, which needsa greater force than would ever be likely to come against it.Moreover, on one side the marshy course of the Combwich streamwould hinder any heavy onslaught.
So inside these ramparts were we with some six hundred men, andthere we were watched by three times our number. There was a strongpost on Cannington hill, between us and Bridgwater; another--andthat the main body--between us and the ships, on a little, sharphill crest across a stony valley two bowshots wide that lay betweenit and the fort; and so we were well guarded.
At first this seemed of little moment, for we were to stay Hubbabefore the place; and for a while there was nothing but rejoicingover the return of the banner. Then I found there was no water inthe place, and that we had but what food each man happened to carrywith him. Presently that want of water became terrible, for ourwounded began to cry for it piteously. Maybe it was as well that wehad few with us, because the field was left in the hands of theDanes.
Up and down among those few went Etheldreda and Alswythe and Thora,tending them and comforting them, where we had sent them--to thehighest point of the hilltop, inside the upper rampart; and I couldsee the flutter of their dresses now and then from where I watchedbeside Odda on the lower works. I had spoken to neither since wecame here.
Towards dusk I spoke to Odda, and he gave me twenty men; andgathering all the vessels of any sort that would
hold water, weclimbed over the rampart next the marsh, and stole down to thenearest pool and brought back all we could, using helms andleathern cloaks and the like, for want of buckets. We got backsafely that time, and I sent the same men again, thinking thatthere was no danger, and so not going myself.
They got back, indeed, but with a party of Danes after them; andbut for our arrow flights from the earthworks, they would have hadto fight, and lose what they brought. After that Hubba knew what weneeded, and sent a strong picket to keep us from the marsh.
So the night passed and we had some hopes that a force might cometo our help from Bridgwater in the morning, for it was possiblethat the king would be able to gather men there. It was a slenderhope, though, for the host on Polden Hills had to be watched.
All day we waited, and no help came; and with evening the last foodhad gone. It had rained heavily, however, and the want of water waspast for the time. The Danes never moved from their places, waitingto starve us out; and in the last light of evening a small partycame across the little valley from the main body, bearing a whiteflag in token of parley. Hubba bid us yield, and our lives shouldbe spared.
"It is good of Hubba to give us the chance of living a littlelonger," answered Odda; "but we will wait here a while, so pleasehim."
The Danes threatened us, and mocked, and so went back. We had nomore messages from their chief after that.
That night we slept round the standard where it flapped on thehilltop. The men watched, turn by turn, along the lower ramparts;and the Danes were not so near that we could be surprised by them,for there was no cover to hide their coming. Nestled under thenorthwest rampart was a little hut--some shepherd's shelter wherethe three poor ladies were bestowed. Osmund the jarl sat a littleapart from us, but all day and night he had been tending thewounded well. Harek who, as befitted a scald, was a good leech,said that the jarl knew almost as much of the craft as he.
Now, in the early morning, when the light was grey, I woke, hearingthe rattle of arms and the quiet passing of the word as the menchanged guard, and I thought I would go round the ramparts; andthen Odda woke also. The rest slept on, for they had taken theirturns on watch--Heregar with his arm round the pole of thestandard, and his sword beneath his head.
Odda looked at me as we sat up stiffly, and spoke what was in hismind and mine also.
"I have a mind to send Osmund to Hubba, and ask him to let thewomen go hence. There is nought to eat today."
"There is enough kept for them," I said; for Heregar had seen tothat, and none had grudged a share.
"Ay," he answered; "but what are we to do? Are we to be starvedlike rats here?"
"There are the half-dozen horses," I said.
"And nought to cook them withal. I would that the king would come."
"It is in my mind that he cannot," I answered; "there has been somemove of the other host."
Now that was true, for Guthrum's great following had suddenly sweptdown towards Bridgwater, and that could not be left. They werecamped now at the foot of the hill, watching there as Hubba watchedus.
Then some one came, stepping lightly, but with clank of mail,towards us; and I glanced round, thinking that some message wasbrought from the ramparts. Odda turned idly at the same time, andhe started up.
"Ah!" he said, under his breath, "what is this?"
A tall maiden, mail clad and bearing a broad-bladed spear, stoodbeside us; and I thought her one of the Valkyrias--Odin'smessengers--come to us, to fight for us in some strife to which shewould lead us. I rose too, saluting.
"Skoal to the shield maiden!" I said.
"Skoal to the heroes!" she answered; and then I knew the voice,though, under the helm and in the grey light, the face of theealdorman's daughter Etheldreda had been strange to me. And Oddaknew also.
"What would you in this guise, my daughter?" he cried.
"I think that I have come as Ranald thought--as a Valkyria to leadyou to battle," she answered, speaking low, that she might not wakethe tired warriors around her. "There is but one thing for us todo, and that is to die sword in hand, rather than to perish forwant of food and water here."
I know that this had been in my mind, and most likely in Odda'salso; but Alfred might come.
"We wait the king," the ealdorman said.
"No use," she answered. "One may see all the Polden Hills from thisplace, and tonight there are no fires on Edington height, where wehave been wont to see them."
Odda groaned. "My Etheldreda, you are the best captain of us all,"he said.
Then suddenly Heregar rose up on his elbow from beside thestandard, crying strangely:
"Ay, Father Eahlstan--when the tide is low. Somerset and Dorsetside by side. What say you, father--Somerset and Devon? Even so."
The other sleepers stirred, and the lady turned and looked on thethane, but he slept even yet.
"Heregar dreams of the bishop he loved, and of the great fight theyfought yonder and won thirty rears ago," she said {xv}.
"Worn out is the brave thane," said I. "Strange dreams come to onewhen that is so."
Then Heregar woke, and saw the maiden, and rose up at her side.
"Dear lady," he asked, "what is this?"
"Ranald thought me a Valkyria, friend; and I come on a Valkyria'serrand."
"I had a strange dream but now," Heregar said, as if it dwelt inhis mind, so that he hardly heeded what Etheldreda answered him. "Ithought that Bishop Eahlstan stood by me as in the old days, andminded me of words that I spoke long ago, words that were taught meby a wise woman, who showed me how to trap the Danes, when the tideleft their ships aground, so that they had no retreat. Then hesaid, 'Even again at this time shall victory be when the tide islow.' And I said that Somerset and Dorset would fail not at thistime. Then said he, 'Somerset and Devon.' Then it seemed that heblessed me and passed. Surely I think that he would tell us thatvictory is before us."
Now the other sleepers woke, and listened wondering. The light wasstrong, and I looked away towards the Danes between us and theriver. Their fires were burning up one by one as they roused also;but I thought there was some bustle down at the shore of the river,where the ships were now afloat on the rising tide.
Then Etheldreda spoke to us in words that were brave and good tohear--words to make a man long to give his life for country and forfriends--telling us that, since we must needs die, it was well thatwe should fall sword in hand, ridding England of her foes man toman, rather than perish in this place for nought.
And when she ended the chiefs were silent, looking on the Daneswith eyes that gleamed; and Kolgrim put the thoughts of all intowords when he said:
"Once or twice has the Berserker fury come on me when my master hasbeen in peril. Berserker again will you drive me, lady, so that Icare not for six foemen against me or sixty."
Then Odda cried:
"What goes on yonder? Do they leave us?" and he shaded his eyesagainst the rising sun, and pointed. Certainly the Danes weredrawing towards the ships in parties of twenty and thirty at atime, but their sentries went on their beats without heeding them.There was no movement, either, among those on the other hill, andthe Raven banner that told of Hubba's presence was not borne away.
Now we forgot all but that here was a new hope for us, and wewatched for half an hour. Then it was plain that full half theforce was drawn off, and that the Danes were crossing the river inthe ships. We saw them land on the opposite shore, where the roadcomes down to the Combwich crossing, that can only be used atlowest tides; and they marched eastward, doubtless in search ofcattle and plunder.
Then Heregar's eyes shone, and he said:
"Now has our time come, even as Eahlstan foretold to me. In twohours or three none of that force can return, and we have but halfas many again as ourselves left here for us to deal with."
"Let me lead you on them," said Etheldreda.
Then with one voice we prayed her to bide in the fort, and for longshe would not be persuaded. But we told her that the men wouldfight as well under
her eye as if they were led by her--if, indeed,her presence did not weaken them, in fear for her safety--and so atlast she gave way.
After that there was no more doubt as to what should be done; butOdda went round among the men, and spoke to them in such wise thathe stirred their hearts to die bravely hand to hand with the Danes.And I thought that some of us might live to see a great ifdearly-bought victory; for it was certain that not one of theseSaxons but meant to die before he left the field.
Then Heregar and Osmund went with Etheldreda to the other twoladies, and they bade them take the horses and fly to Dowsboroughcamp as soon as the fighting drew every Dane to the eastward sideof the fort and left the way clear. Osmund would go with them, andso no fear for them was on our minds.
Then we got the soundest of the wounded down to the lower rampart,and drew off the men there towards the gateway, so that the Danesmight think our movement was but a changing of guard; then wewaited until we saw that the ships on the far bank had taken theground.
Then we sallied out, and as I went I looked back once. Three womenstood alone on the hilltop, and one waved to us. That was theValkyria, for her mail sparkled in the sun; but I had eyes only forthat one whom I thought I should not see again, whose little glovewas on my heart.
Now, if we were desperate, Odda was not the man to waste any chanceof victory that there might be. We went swiftly up the long slopeof Cannington hill, and fell on the post there before they on themain guard could reach them. There was no withstanding the terribleonset of our Saxons; half that force was slain, and the rest werein full flight in a few minutes.
Then we went steadily down the hill to where Hubba himself waitedfor us. His war horns were blowing, to call in every man who waswithin hearing; and his men were formed in line four deep at thefoot of the spur on which their camp had been.
Now, when I saw this I looked on our men, who were in column again;and it seemed to me that the old Norse plan would be good, for itwas certain that on this field we meant to stay.
"Ealdorman," I said, "while there is yet time let us form up in awedge and go through that line. Then shall we fight back to back,and shall have some advantage. I and my men, who have axes, will gofirst."
Then my few vikings cried, "Ay, king!" and shouted; whereat Oddalaughed grimly.
"Go on, Berserker--axes must needs lead--we will do it."
Then we changed the ranks quickly, and I and Kolgrim and Harek madethe point of that wedge. Heregar and the banner were in the midst,and Odda himself was not far behind me, putting his best men alongthe two foremost faces of the wedge.
"We shall not be foremost long," I said; "we shall be surroundedwhen once we are through the line."
But as we came on, Hubba closed up his men into a dense, squaremass.
"Ho!" said Harek to me; "you are wrong, my king."
Now we were close at hand, and the Danish arrows flew among us, andthe javelins fell pretty thickly. I think that a wedge bears thisbetter than any other formation, for it is easy to stop the weaponsthat reach it.
Our men were silent now, and I was glad, having known already whatthat meant; but the Danes began to yell their war cries. Then wewere within ten paces of them, and I gripped shield and axe andgave the word to charge, and Odda answered it.
Then was such a terrible roar from the Saxons as I had neverheard--the roar of desperate men who have their foes before them,more awful than any war shout. And at that even the vikings shranka little, closing their ranks, and then, with all the weight of theclose-ranked wedge behind me, we were among them, and our axes wereat work where men were driven on one another before us; and thepress thinned and scattered at last, while the Danes howled, andfor a moment we three and a few lines behind us stood with nofoemen before us, while all down the sides of the wedge the fightraged. Then we halted, and the Danes lapped round us. I do not knowthat we lost more than two men in this first onset, so heavy wasit; but the Danes fell everywhere.
Now began fighting such as I had heard of, but had never seenbefore. The scalds sing of men who fought as fights a boar at bayin a ring of hounds, unfearing and silent; and so fought we. My axebroke, and I took to sword Helmbiter, and once Kolgrim wentBerserker, and howled, and leaped from my side into a throng whichfell on us, and drove them back, slaying three outright, andmeeting with no hurt.
Our wedge held steady. Men fell, but we closed up; and there grew abarrier of slain before us. I had not seen Hubba since we firstclosed in, and then he had been a little to the right of where westruck his line, under a golden banner, whereon was a ravenbroidered, that hung motionless in the still morning air.
Presently the Danish onslaught slackened. Men were getting awayfrom their line to the rear, worn out or wounded, and the hillbeyond them was covered with those who had fallen out. They hadbeaten against our lines as one beats on a wall--hewing out stones,indeed, but without stirring it. They had more hurt than we.
Odda pushed to my side, and said to me:
"What if we advance towards the hill crest?"
"Slowly, then," I said.
He passed the word, and we began to move, and the Danes tried tostay us. Then their attack on the rear face of the wedge slackenedand ceased, and they got round before us to fight from the higherground. At once Odda saw that an attack in line as they waveredthus would do all for us, so he swung his hard Devon levies toright and left on us Norsemen as the centre--maybe there weretwenty of us left at that time--and as the wings swung forward witha rolling cheer, the Danes crumbled away before them, and we drovethem up the little hill and over the brow, fighting among thehalf-burnt watch fires and over heaps of plunder, even to where thetall "Raven" drooped from its staff.
Then I saw the mighty Hubba before me; and had I not known italready, one might see defeat written in his face as he lookedacross to his ships. His men were back now, and stood on the farshore, helpless. Then was a cheer from our left, and he lookedthere, and I looked also.
Out of the fort came our wounded--every one who could put one footbefore another--a strange and ghastly crowd of fifty or sixty menwho would yet do what they might for England. And with them was amixed crowd of thralls and village folk, bearing what arms theycould find on the place whence we drove the first Danes, and forks,and bill hooks, and heavy staves.
I do not know if the Danes saw what manner of force came to ourhelp; but I think they did not. Many broke and fled to the ships;but Hubba's face grew hard and desperate, and he cried to his mento stand, and they gathered round him and the Raven banner.
Once again our great wedge formed up, and again charged into thethick of the Danes. Then I faced the great chief, and men fell backfrom us to see what fight should be. But from beside me came Odda.
"My fight, Ranald," he said, and strode before the Dane.
His sword was gone--the hilt and three inches of blade hung fromhis wrist--and his shield was notched and gashed. His only weaponwas the broad-bladed Saxon spear, ashen shafted, with iron studsalong its length below the head. He was a head shorter than theDane, who was, in truth, the most splendid warrior I had ever seen;and he bore a broad axe, wedge beaten and gold inlaid. There wasnot much to choose between his shield and Odda's, but I thought thespear the weaker weapon.
"Axe against spear," said Harek; "here is somewhat of which tosing."
Once Odda feinted, lunging at Hubba's face; and the Dane raised hisshield a little, but did not move else, nor did his eyelids so muchas flinch, and his steady look never left his foe's face. Then, asOdda recovered, the great axe flashed suddenly, and fell harmlessas its mark sprang back from its sweep; while like light the spearpoint went forward over the fallen axe, that recovered too slowlyto turn it, and rang true on the round shield that met it.
I had not thought much of spear play until now, for we think littleof the weapon.
Again the Saxon lunged, and Hubba hewed at the spear shaft,splintering it a little as the quick-eyed spearman swung it awayfrom the blow. Then the butt was over Odda's left shoulder, andbefore o
ne could tell that its swing aside had ended, forward flewthe point, darting from left to right over Hubba's arm that had notyet recovered from the lost axe blow, and behind the shield's rim.That blow went home, and the mighty Dane reeled and fell.
One moment's silence, and then a howl from the Danes who watched,and they flew on us, bearing us back a pace or two. Odda went downunder the rush that was made on him, and I called to my comrades,and stood over him, and beat them back. But Hubba's fall was theend.
Even as I stood there, there came a rash of men from our ranks pastme; and I cheered, for I saw Heregar's silver mail driving straightfor the Raven standard, at the head of the young thanes who werethe shield wall of the Dragon of Wessex. Then, too, closed in thewounded men and the country folk; and the Danes broke and fledtowards the ships in disorder. We followed for a little way, andthen the thralls ended matters. They say that not one Dane reachedthe river's bank, beyond which their comrades watched and raged,powerless to help them.
I went back to where Odda had fallen, and at that time there rose athundering cheer of victory from our wearied line, and helms werecast into the air, and weapons waved in wild joy. That roused onewho lay before me, and white and shaking, up rose Odda from amongthe slain. I went to him, and got my arm round him; and again themen cheered, and little by little the colour came back to his face.
"I thought you slain outright," I said; "are you much hurt?"
"I cannot tell," he said. "I believe I am sound in limb, but mywind is gone. It is ill for a stout man to have mail-clad Daneshurled on him by heavy-handed vikings."
So he said, gasping, but trying to laugh. And, indeed, he wasunwounded, save for a cut or two, and he still grasped his redspear in his right hand.
Now I looked on our men, and saw that we might not bide for anotherfight. Already some whom the wild joy of battle had kept strong inspite of wounds were falling among their comrades, and it seemed tome that wounds were being bound up everywhere.
But there was a token of victory that made these seem as nothing.In the midst of all Heregar stood with the Dragon banner, and byhis side his son-in-law, Turkil the thane of Watchet, bore thecaptured "Raven."
Harek the scald looked at it once, and then went to its heavyfolds, and scanned carefully the runes that were thereon.
"Ho, comrades!" he cried joyfully, "here is a winning that will besung of long after our names are forgotten. This is the magic Raventhat was wrought with wizardry and spells by the daughters ofRagnar Lodbrok. Ill will this news fall on Danish ears from end toend of England. This is worth two victories."
"I have seen it many times before," said Heregar; "nor is this theonly time that I have tried to win it. But never before have I seenit hanging motionless as it hung today. There seems to be somewhatin the tale they tell of its flapping foreboding victory."
"Ay," said Odda. "Today they despised us, and bore it not forward;therefore it flapped not, seeing that there was no wind where ithung."
The ealdorman called us together then, and pointed to the Danes whowere massed beyond the river.
"Now it is time for us to go. We have won a good fight, and some ofus are yet alive. It will not be well to lose all by biding here tobe slain to the last man now. Shall we go to Bridgwater or to theQuantocks, and so to Taunton?"
Then Heregar said:
"To the hills; for we should be penned in Bridgwater between thisforce and the other. I think that while we are yonder they will notdo much on this side the Parret; and men will ever gather to us."
Then we took our wounded and went back to the fort--four hundredmen out of six hundred who sallied out, where we thought that nonewould return. But how many Danes we left on the field it is hard tosay. Some say six hundred, and some more; and it may be so. Theirgraves are everywhere over the hill where they fell. When the tiderose we were gone; and Hubba's men sought the body of their chief,and raised a mound over it. But they had no mind to stay on ourside of the river, and they went to the Polden Hills, and laid theland waste far and wide, even to holy Glastonbury, until theyjoined Guthrum's force at Edington.
Now one may know in what wise Etheldreda the brave shield maidenmet us, as we came back from that hard-won field, with words ofpraise and thanks. But Thora stood not with her as we passedthrough the fort gates, where she waited on the rampart with theLady Alswythe. Nor had she watched the fight at all, being tornwith sorrow and fear alike.
I found her presently, while the men made litters whereon to bearour wounded to safety, having cleansed the stains of war from myarmour. King Harald's mail had kept me from wound worthnotice--though, indeed, I hardly know how it was that I was unhurtthus. Kolgrim would not use his arm for many days, and Harek wasgashed in arm and thigh also.
When Osmund heard my tread, he started up from where he sat besideThora, looking away towards the hills to which we were going, andgreeted me warmly.
"It was a good fight, Ranald, and well won," he said.
Then Thora turned slowly, and looked at me fearfully, as if shefeared me. I was grieved, and would have gone away; but she drewnearer, and the fear went from her eyes when she saw that I wassafe, knowing little of what I had been through. And at last shesmiled faintly, saying:
"King Ranald, they say my warrior has fought well."
"It had been strange had I not, Thora," I said.
"I think I should have hated my own kin had you fallen," she saidthen.
"Ay," said Osmund, "war sees strange chances, and a man's thoughtsare pulled in many ways. Many a time have I seen Dane fight withDane on the old shores; and I can welcome a victor heartily, evenif it is my own kin who have been beaten. Presently we Danes willfight for our new homes in England against such a landing frombeyond seas as you have met."
There was some scratch on my shield arm that drew Thora's eyes atthis time, and as the jarl spoke she came quickly to me, takingsome light scarf she had from her dress at the same moment.
"You are hurt," she said; "though it is little. Let me bind it foryou."
I suffered her to do so, saying nothing, but smiling at her, whilethe colour came brightly into her face as she wrought. The jarlsmiled also, turning away presently as some new shouting came upfrom the fort gateway, where men welcomed those who bore back thespoils from the slain.
Then Thora had finished, and I put my arm round her and kissed heronce.
"My lady," I said, "it was worth the wound that you should tendit."
And so she looked up at me frankly, and we knew well what had grownup between us since the day when we had ridden together intoWareham streets.
King Alfred's Viking Page 12
