Herr Arnes penningar. English

by Selma Lagerlöf

  When Herr Arne had been dead a fortnight there came some nights ofclear, bright moonlight, and one evening Torarin was out with hissledge. He checked his horse time after time, as though he haddifficulty in finding the way. Yet he was not driving through anytrackless forest, but upon what looked like a wide and open plain,above which rose a number of rocky knolls.

  The whole tract was covered with glittering white snow. It hadfallen in calm weather and lay evenly, not in drifts and eddies.As far as the eye could see there was nothing but the same evenplain and the same rocky knolls.

  "Grim, my dog," said Torarin, "if we saw this tonight for thefirst time we should think we were driving over a great heath. Butstill we should wonder that the ground was so even and the roadfree from stones and ruts. What sort of tract can this be, weshould say, where there are neither ditches nor fences, and howcomes it that no grass or bushes stick up through the snow? Andwhy do we see no rivers and streams, which elsewhere are wont todraw their black furrows through the white fields even in thehardest frost?"

  Torarin was delighted with these fancies, and Grim too foundpleasure in them. He did not move from his place on the load, butlay still and blinked.

  But just as Torarin had finished speaking he drove past a loftypole to which a broom was fastened.

  "If we were strangers here, Grim, my dog," said Torarin, "we mightwell ask ourselves what sort of heath this was, where they set upsuch marks as we use at sea. 'This can never be the sea itself?'we should say at last. But we should think it utterly impossible.This that lies so firm and fast, can this be only water? And allthe rocky knolls that we see so firmly united, can they be onlyholms and skerries parted by the rolling waves? No, we shouldnever believe it was possible, Grim, my dog."

  Torarin laughed and Grim still lay quiet and did not stir. Torarindrove on, until he rounded a high knoll. Then he gave a cry asthough he had seen something strange. He put on an air of greatsurprise, dropped the reins and clapped his hands.

  "Grim, my dog, so you would not believe this was the sea! Now youcan tell what it is. Stand up, and then you will see that there isa big ship lying before us! You would not recognize the beacons,but this you cannot mistake. Now I think you will not deny thatthis is the sea itself we are driving over."

  Torarin stayed still awhile longer as he gazed at a great vesselwhich lay frozen in. She looked altogether out of place as she laywith the smooth and even snowfields all about her.

  But when Torarin saw a thin column of smoke rising from thevessel's poop he drove up and hailed the skipper to hear if hewould buy his fish. He had but a few codfish left at the bottom ofhis load, since in the course of the day he had been round to allthe vessels which were frozen in among the islands, and sold offhis stock.

  On board were the skipper and his crew, and time was heavy ontheir hands. They bought fish of the hawker, not because theyneeded it, but to have someone to talk to. When they came down onto the ice, Torarin put on an innocent air.

  He began to speak of the weather. "In the memory of man there hasnot been such fine weather as this year," said Torarin. "Forwellnigh three weeks we have had calm weather and hard frost. Thisis not what we are used to in the islands."

  But the skipper, who lay there with his great gallias full-ladenwith herring barrels, and who had been caught by the ice in a baynear Marstrand just as he was ready to put to sea, gave Torarin asharp look and said: "So then you call this fine weather?"

  "What should I call it else?" said Torarin, looking as innocent asa child. "The sky is clear and calm and blue, and the night isfair as the day. Never before have I known the time when I coulddrive about the ice week after week. It is not often the seafreezes out here, and if once and again the ice has formed, therehas always come a storm to break it up a few days after."

  The skipper still looked black and glum; he made no answer to allTorarin's chat. Then Torarin began asking him why he never foundhis way to Marstrand. "It is no more than an hour's walk over theice," said Torarin. But again he received no answer. Torarin couldsee that the man feared to leave his ship an instant, lest hemight not be at hand when the ice broke up. "Seldom have I seeneyes so sick with longing," thought Torarin.

  But the skipper, who had been held ice-bound among the skerriesday after day, unable to hoist his sails and put to sea, had beenbusy the while with many thoughts, and he said to Torarin: "Youare a man who travels much abroad and hears much news of all thathappens: can you tell me why God has barred the way to the sea solong this year, keeping us all in captivity?"

  As he said this Torarin ceased to smile, but put on an ignorantair and said: "I cannot see what you mean by that."

  "Well," said the skipper, "I once lay in the harbour of Bergen awhole month, and a contrary wind blew all that time, so that noship could come out. But on board one of the ships that lay therewind-bound was a man who had robbed churches, and he would havegone free but for the storm. Now they had time to search him out,and as soon as he had been taken ashore there came good weatherand a fair wind. Now do you understand what I mean when I ask youto tell me why God keeps the gates of the sea barred?"

  Torarin was silent awhile. He had a look as though he would makean earnest answer. But he turned it aside and said: "You havecaught the melancholy with sitting here a prisoner among theskerries. Why do you not come in to Marstrand? I can tell youthere is a merry life with hundreds of strangers in the town. Theyhave naught else to do but drink and dance."

  "How can it be they are so merry there?" asked the skipper.

  "Oh," said Torarin, "there are all the seamen whose ships arefrozen in like yours. There is a crowd of fishermen who had justfinished their herring catch when the ice stayed them from sailinghome. And there are a hundred Scottish mercenaries discharged fromservice, who lie here waiting for a ship to carry them home toScotland. Do you think all these men would hang their heads andlose the chance of making merry?"

  "Ay, it may well be that they can divert themselves, but, as forme, I have a mind to stay out here."

  Torarin gave him a rapid glance. The skipper was a tall man andthin; his eyes were bright and clear as water, with a melancholylook in them. "To make that man merry is more than I or any othercan do," thought Torarin.

  Again the skipper began of his own accord to ask a question."These Scotsmen," he said, "are they honest folk?"

  "Is it you, maybe, that are to take them over to Scotland?" askedTorarin.

  "Well," said the skipper, "I have a cargo for Edinburgh, and oneof them was here but now and asked me would I take them. But Ihave small liking to sail with such wild companions aboard and Iasked for time to think on it. Have you heard aught of them? Thinkyou I may venture to take them?"

  "I have heard no more of them but that they are brave men. I doubtnot but you may safely take them."

  But no sooner had Torarin said this than his dog rose from thesledge, threw his nose in the air, and began to howl.

  Torarin broke off his praises of the Scotsmen at once. "What ailsyou now, Grim, my dog?" he said. "Do you think I stay here toolong, wasting the time in talk?"

  He made ready to drive off. "Well, God be with you all!" he cried.

  Torarin drove in to Marstrand by the narrow channel betweenKlovero and Koo. When he had come within sight of the town, henoticed that he was not alone on the ice.

  In the bright moonlight he saw a tall man of proud bearing walkingin the snow. He could see that he wore a plumed hat and richclothes with ample puffs. "Hallo!" said Torarin to himself; "theregoes Sir Archie, the leader of the Scots, who has been out thisevening to bespeak a passage to Scotland."

  Torarin was so near to the man that he drove into the long shadowthat followed him. His horse's hoofs were just touching the shadowof the hat plumes.

  "Grim," said Torarin, "shall we ask if he will drive with us toMarstrand?"

  The dog began to bristle up at once, but Torarin laid his handupon his back. "Be quiet, Grim, my dog! I can see that you have nolove for the Scotsmen."

 
; Sir Archie had not noticed that any one was so close to him. Hewalked on without looking round. Torarin turned very quietly toone side in order to pass him.

  But at that moment Torarin saw behind the Scottish gallantsomething that looked like another shadow. He saw something longand thin and gray, which floated over the white surface withoutleaving footprints in the snow or making it crunch.

  The Scotsman advanced with long and rapid strides, looking neitherto the right hand nor to the left. But the gray shadow glided onbehind him, so near that it seemed as though it would whispersomething in his ear.

  Torarin drove slowly on till he came abreast of them. Then hecould see the Scotsman's face in the bright moonlight. He walkedwith a frown on his brow and seemed vexed, as though full ofthoughts that displeased him.

  Just as Torarin drove past, he turned about and looked behind himas though aware of someone following.

  Torarin saw plainly that behind Sir Archie stole a young maid in along gray garment, but Sir Archie did not see her. When he turnedhis head she stood motionless, and Sir Archie's own shadow fellupon her, dark and broad, and hid her.

  Sir Archie turned again at once and pursued his way, and again themaiden hurried forward and made as though she would whisper in hisear.

  But when Torarin saw this his terror was more than he could bear.He cried aloud and whipped up his horse, so that it brought him atfull gallop and dripping with sweat to the door of his cabin.

  CHAPTER V

  HAUNTED