CHAPTER III. WHAT CAME IN A NORTH SEA FOG.
Night saw our ship off Orfordness, and there the breeze failed us,and a thick fog, hiding the land and its lights, crept up fromseaward and wrapped us round. But before it came, on Orfordness afire burnt redly, though what it was, unless it might be somefisher's beacon, we could not tell.
The fog lifted as we drifted past the wide mouth of Stour andOrwell rivers with a little breeze, and the early daylight showedus the smoke of a fire that burnt on the higher land that shuts inthe haven's mouth on its southern shores. But even as we saw it,the fog closed round us again and the wind died away, so that welowered the sail, and the men got out the oars, and slowly, whileKenulf swung the lead line constantly, we crept on among the sandbanks down the coast.
Presently the tide turned against us, and Kenulf thought well thatwe should drop anchor and wait for its turning again. The mengladly laid in the oars, and the anchor rattled out and held. Theship swung to her cable, and then there seemed deep silence afterthe even roll and creak of the great sweeps in their rowlocks. Thefog was very dense, and beyond our stem head I could see nothing.
Then to break the silence came to us, over no great stretch ofwater as it seemed, the sound of a creaking block, the fall of ayard on deck, and a voice raised in some sharp order. Then Ithought I heard an anchor plunge, and there was silence. Veryghostly it seemed to hear these familiar sounds and to see naught,and it was the more so that we might by no means judge from whichside of us, or fore or aft, the noises came, for fog will confuseall things, and save a driving snowstorm, I dread nothing more atsea.
Now the men began to speak in whispers, for the silence andweirdness of the fog quieted us all. And, moreover, when the foglifted we had seen no ship, though there must be one close to usnow, and we wondered.
But Kenulf came to me presently with a scared face, and waitingtill the men had gone forward to find their food, he asked me if Iheard the voice that spoke.
"Aye, surely," I answered. "What of it?"
"Master," he said, "the voice was a Danish voice, as I think. And Imind me of the fires we saw."
"What then?" said I carelessly, though indeed I could see well whatfear was in the old man's mind. Yet I would have him put the thinginto words, being ready to look the worst in the face at any time.
"The vikings, master," he answered; "surely they were in Orwellmouth and saw us, and have given chase."
"We should have seen them also," I said.
"Not so, master, for the fog hung inland, and if a Dane lies insuch a place he has ever men watching the sea--and they will sailtwo ship's lengths to our one."
"Supposing the ship is a viking, what should we do now?" I asked,for I knew of naught to do but bide where we were.
"Go back with tide and slip past them even now," said Kenulf,though I think he knew that this was hopeless, for if we rowed, thesound of our oars would betray us, and if not we should be on ashoal before long, whence any escape would be impossible.
"Hark!" I said in another moment, and we listened.
There was little noise beyond the lapping of the swift tide againstour sides. The men forward were silent, and I had thought that Iheard the distant sound of voices and oars.
It came again in the stillness; a measured beat that one could notwell mistake, as of a ship's boat leisurely pulled.
Then one of our men began to sing in an undertone, and Kenulf smotehis hands together in terror, for the sound would betray us, and hewas going forward to stop the song.
"No matter," said I, "they know we are not far off, for I thinkthey must have anchored when they heard us do so, as we heard them.If they seek us they will soon find us."
"They are coming nearer," said Kenulf, and I heard the oars moreplainly yet.
Now the thought of calling my men to arms came over me, but Iremembered how Lodbrok had told me that resistance to vikings,unless it were successful, meant surely death, but that seldomwould the unresisting be harmed, even if the ship were wantonlyburnt after plunder, and the crew set adrift in their boat.
Still the oars drew nearer, and I thought of the words that Lodbrokhad spoken--how that shipmen would be glad of his presence--and Iwished that he were indeed with me, for now I knew what he meant.
Now, too, I knew his gift of the ring to be our safety, and surelyhe had given it to me for this. So I grew confident, and evenlonged to see the sharp bow of the boat cleave the mist, if onlyher crew knew of our friend by name at least. Yet they might beNorse--not Danish.
But the sound of oars crossed our bows and died away again, andthen a voice hailed from the ship, as I thought, and there wassilence.
Kenulf and I breathed more freely then, and we too went forward andate and drank, and afterwards spoke of the chance of slipping awaywhen the tide turned, though I was sure that, if the ship were whatwe thought, she would up anchor and drift with us.
So the hours of flood tide passed, and then the ship began to swingidly as the slack came. Then with the turn of tide came littleflaws of wind, and we hoisted the sail, and Kenulf hove the anchorshort. Yet we heard no more sounds from the other ship.
Then all in a minute the fog thinned, lifted, and cleared away, andI saw the most beautiful sight my eyes had ever lighted on, and themost terrible.
For, not half a mile from us, lay a great viking snekr {vii},with the sunlight full on her and flashing from the towering greenand gold and crimson dragon's head that formed her stem, and fromthe gay line of crimson and yellow shields that hung along her railfrom end to end of the long curve of her sides. Her mast waslowered, and rested, with the furled blue and white striped sail,on the stanchions and crossbars that upheld it, to leave the deckclear for swing of sword and axe; and over the curving dragon tailof the stern post floated a forked black and golden flag. Andwondrously light and graceful were the lines on which she wasbuilt, so that beside her our stout cargo ship showed shapeless andheavy, as did our log canoes beside Lodbrok's boat. As soon shouldour kitchen turnspit dog fly the greyhound that I had givenLodbrok, as such a ship as ours from this swift viking's craft.
But her beauty was not that which drew the eyes of my men. Littlethey thought of wonder or pleasure in gazing on the ship herself.All her decks were crowded with scarlet-cloaked men, and thesunlight which made the ship so bright flashed also from helm andspear and mail coat from stem to stern. And at that sight everytale of viking cruelty they had heard came into their minds, andthey were overcome with terror, so that I thought that severalwould have cast themselves into the sea, away from the terribleship, choosing rather death by water than by the sword. But I sawsome half dozen whose faces set hard with other thoughts thanthese, and they turned to seek their weapons from under the foredeck.
Then I spoke to them, for it was time; and I would have neitherfear nor defiance shown, for I knew that we should be boarded.
"Yonder ship belongs, as I think, to the people of our guest,Lodbrok the Dane. So it seems to me that they will gladly hear newsof him from us, as he is a great man in Denmark. And surely we havedeserved well of his folk in every way, and we of East Anglia areat peace with the Danish host. Therefore, let us wait till theyboard us, and then let no man stir from his place or speak a word,that I may talk with them in peace."
Those words were listened to eagerly, and they wrought on the mindsof my poor fellows as I wished. Moreover, to put our one chance ofsafety into form thus heartened me also, for I will not say that Ifeared nothing from these vikings, who might know and care naughtconcerning our sea-borne guest, even were they Danes.
Yet it seemed that none saw my fears, for in a little the men askedif they might take their weapons. And though it seemed hard to meand them alike to bide unarmed, I knew it was safer, and so badethem meet the Danes in all peaceful seeming.
Now we saw a boat lowered from the longship's side, and one by onearmed men entered her, and she sank deeply in the water. Ten Icounted, and at last one more, who, I supposed, was the leader.
So deep w
as she that, as she left the ship, I thought how that onesack of our grain, hove into her as she came alongside, would sinkher and leave her crew to drown in our sight. But then the shipherself would close on us, and not one of us but would pay for thatdeed with his life.
So she came slowly over the glassy water of the slack tide, and mymen watched her, saying nothing.
Soon she came alongside, and at a sign from me Kenulf threw a linewhich the bowman caught, and I thought that a word or two of wonderpassed among her crew. They dropped to where the curve of our deckwas lowest, and instantly the leader leapt on board and all but oneof his men followed, axe or drawn sword in hand. As I had biddenthem, not one of my men stirred save Kenulf, who made fast the lineand stood watching.
The leader was a young man, of about my own age, clad in goldenshining bronze scale armour and wearing a silver helm on which wereshort, black, curving horns; and he bore a double-headed axe,besides the sword at his side. He looked round on us--at the menstanding silent, at Kenulf, and at me as I stood on the after deckresting on the tiller, and broke into a great laugh.
"Well," he cried, "are you all dumb, or fools, or wise men; or alittle of all three?"
But my men answered nothing, even as I had bidden them, and Ithought that my time was not yet come to speak.
"The fog has got into their throats," said a Dane; for with a greatlifting of my heart I knew their tongue, and it was Lodbrok's andnot Norse.
"Struck speechless with fear more like," said another.
"Ho, men," said the leader, "which is your captain?"
One of our crew pointed to me, and I came to the break of the decksaying:
"I am master of this ship."
And I spoke as a Dane, for my long company with Lodbrok had givenme the very turn of his speech.
At that the viking stared at me, and one of his men said:
"When did Danes take to trading on this coast?"
"You are Saxon by all seeming," said the leader, "yet you speaklike a Dane. Whence are you, and how learned you our tongue soglibly?"
"We are from Reedham in East Anglia, which is at peace with theDanish host," I said; "and I learnt the Danish speech from one whois my friend, Lodbrok the Dane, whom men call Jarl Lodbrok."
Now at that word the Danes all turned to me, and hardly one but letfall some word of wonder; and the young leader took two great stepstowards me, with his face flushing and his eyes lit up with a newlook.
Then he stopped, and his face changed, growing white and angry, andhis teeth closed tightly as he looked at me. Then he said:
"Now if you are making a tale to save your skins, worse shall it befor you. What know you of Lodbrok?"
I held out my hand, on which the jarl's ring shone white againstthe sea-browned skin.
"Here is a token he gave me before I sailed, that some friend ofhis might know it and speak to me," I said.
The viking dropped his axe on the deck and seized my hand, gazingat the ring and the runes graven thereon.
"Lives he yet?" he said, breathless.
"Aye, Halfden Lodbroksson, your father lives and is well in ourhouse," I answered; for now I knew that this was surely theyoungest of those three sons of whom the jarl had told me so often.
Now at that word the Danes broke into a great cheer, but Halfdenlaid his hands on my shoulders and kissed me on both cheeks, whilethe tears of joy ran down his face.
"Well must Lodbrok my father love you if he has told you so muchthat you know me by name," he cried; "and well does he trust yousince he has given you his ring. Tell me more and ever more ofhim."
Then sudden as before his mood changed, and he let me go andclimbed on the rail with his arm round a backstay, and taking offhis helm he lifted up a mighty shout to his ship:
"Found is Jarl Lodbrok, ahoy!"
And with uplifted weapons his men repeated the shout, so that itseemed as though the loved name was heard across the still water,for the men on board the ship cheered in answer.
Now nothing would serve Halfden but that I must go with him onboard his own ship, there to tell him all I might; and he laughedgaily, saying that he had looked indeed for a rich booty, but hadgained that which was more worth to him.
Then I told Kenulf that we would bide at anchor till we knew whatshould be done, thinking it likely that Halfden would wish us topilot him back to Reedham.
"We shall lose our tide," grumbled the old man, who was himselfagain, now that he knew we had naught to fear.
"That is all we shall lose," I answered, "and what matters it? wehave all our time before us."
"I like not the weather," he said shortly.
But I paid no more heed to him, for Halfden spoke to me.
"Let me leave a few men here," he said; "the boat is overladen, andthe sea is rising with the breeze;" and then he added with a smilethat had much grim meaning in it. "They bide as friends with you,and but for our safety; not to take charge of your ship."
So I bade Kenulf give the three who remained the best cheer that wemight, treating them as Lodbrok's men; for the old pilot loved thejarl well, and I knew that for his sake he would do much.
Then in a few more minutes I stood on the deck of Halfden's ship,and word went round quickly of my news, so that I had a goodwelcome. Yet I liked not the look of the Danish men, after thehonest faces of our own crew. It seemed to me that they were hardfeatured and cruel looking, though towards me were none butfriendly looks. Yet I speak of the crew only, for Halfden was likehis father in face and speech, and that is saying much for him inboth.
They spread a great awning, striped in blue and white like thesail, over the after deck, and there they set food and wine for us,and Halfden and I sat down together. And with us one other, anolder man, tall and bushy bearded, with a square, grave facescarred with an old wound. Thormod was his name, and I knewpresently that he was Halfden's foster father, and the real captainof the ship while Halfden led the fighting men.
"Food first and talk after," quoth this Thormod, and we fell to.
So when we had finished, and sat with ale horns only before us,Halfden said:
"I have sought tidings of my father from the day when he was lostuntil this. Now tell me all his story from end to end."
And I did so; though when it came to the throwing of the line tothe boat I said naught of my own part in that, there being no need,and moreover that I would not seem to praise myself. And I ended bysaying how Lodbrok was even now at court with Eadmund, our king,and high in favour with him and all lesser men.
Many were the questions that the Danes asked me as I spoke, and Ianswered them plainly, for indeed I was glad to see the look inHalfden's eyes as I spoke to him of his father, I having naught butpleasant things to tell of him, which one may say of few men,perhaps. And by and by I spoke of his having taught me the use ofthe Danish axe.
"Ho!" said Thormod; "hold your peace for a while, and we will seewhat sort of pupil he had."
Then he rose up and took his axe, and bade me take Halfden's, whichI did, not over willingly maybe, while Halfden stood by, smiling.
"I will not harm you," said Thormod shortly, seeing that I was notover eager. "See here!"
His ale horn stood on the low table where we had been sitting, andnow he placed it on the gunwale, going from under the awning. Themen who sat along the decks looked up at him and were still.
Then he heaved up the axe with both hands and whirled it, bringingit down with such force that I looked to see both horn and gunwaleshorn through. But so skilful was he that he stayed that mightystroke so that the keen edge of the axe rested on the horn's rimwithout marking it, and all the men who were watching cried out:
"Skoal {viii} to Thormod the axeman!"
"So," said he; "now stand up and guard a stroke or two; only strikenot as yet, for maybe your axe would go too far," and he smiledgrimly, as in jest.
But I had learned that same trick from the jarl.
Now Lodbrok had told me that when one has a stronger axeman to dealwith t
han one's self the first thing is to guard well. So he hadspent long hours in teaching me guard after guard, until I couldnot fail in them.
"I am ready," I said, standing out before him.
Thormod feinted once or twice, then he let fly at me, striking withthe flat of his axe, as one does when in sport or practice. So Iguarded that stroke as the jarl had taught me; and as I did so themen shouted:
"Well done, Saxon!"
"No need to go further," said Thormod, dropping his axe andgrasping his wrist with his left hand; for that parry was apt to behard on the arm of the man who smote and met it. "That is thejarl's own parry, and many an hour must he have spent in teachingyou. It is in my mind that he holds that he owes you his life."
And from that time Thormod looked at me in a new way, as I felt.
Halfden was well pleased, and shouted:
"Nay, Thormod; your turn to guard now; let Wulfric smite at you!"
"No, by Thor, that will I not," he said; "he who taught to guardhas doubtless taught to strike, and I would not have my headbroken, even in play!"
Now he sat down, and I said, mindful of Lodbrok's words:
"It seems to me that I have been well taught by the jarl."
"Aye, truly," said Thormod; "he has taught you more than youthink."
Halfden would have me keep his axe, but I told him of that onewhich the jarl had made for me, and straightway he sent the boatfor it, and when it came read the runes thereon.
"Now this says that you are right, Thormod! Here has my fatherwritten 'Life for life'--tell us how that was!"
So I said that it was my good fortune to cast him the line thatsaved his boat, and that was all. But they made as much of that asdid Lodbrok himself. And when the men came from our ship, theybrought that tale from our men also; so that they made me mostwelcome, and I was almost fain to get away from them.
But we sat and talked while the tide went by and turned, and stillwe lay at anchor until the stars came out and the night wind beganto sing in the rigging of the great ship.
Now I had thought that surely Halfden would have wished to sailback to Reedham at once, there to seek his father; but I knew notyet the power which draws a true viking ever onward to the west,and when I said that we would, if he chose, sail back with him onthe next tide, he only laughed, saying:
"Why so? My father is well and in good case. Wherefore we will endour cruise well if we can, and so put in for him on our way home atthe season's end."
"What would you do, then?" I asked, wondering.
"Raid somewhere," he answered carelessly. "We will not go homewithout some booty, or there will be grumbling among the wives; butfor your sake we will go south yet, for you are bound for London,as I think."
I said that it was so, and that I would at once go back to Reedhamwhen my business was done, there to prepare for his coming.
"That is well; and we will sail to Thames mouth together. And youshall sail in my ship to tell me more of my father, and because Ithink we shall be good friends, so that I would rather have youcome and raid a town or two with me than part with you. But as youhave your ship to mind, we will meet again at Reedham, and I willwinter there with you, and we will hunt together, and so take youhome with us in the spring."
Now this seemed good to me, and pleased me well enough, as I toldhim. Where Halfden and his crew went, south of Thames mouth, was noconcern of mine--nor, indeed, of any other man in East Anglia inthose days. That was the business of Ethelred, our overlord, if hecared to mind the doings of one ship. Most of all it was theconcern of the sheriff in whose district a landing was made.
So messages were sent to old Kenulf, and glad was he to know thatwe should not have to give up our passage to London, and maybestill more to feel safe in this powerful company from any othersuch meetings. And before the tide served us, Halfden had said thathe also would come to London, so that our ship should lead the wayup the river.
When we weighed anchor Thormod must needs, therefore, reef anddouble reef his sail, else our ship had been hull down asternbefore many hours had passed, so swift was the longship.
Now I have said that old Kenulf had misliked the look of theweather, and now Thormod seemed uneasy. Yet the breeze came freshfrom the southeast; and though it had shifted a good deal, I, formy part, thought little ill of that, for it held in that quartertill we were fairly among the sands of the Thames mouth atnightfall, and Kenulf lit lanterns by which we might follow him. Noman knew the Thames-mouth channels better than our pilot, Kenulfthe sea crafty, as we called him.
Then it fell dead calm, quite suddenly, and we drifted, with thesail flapping against the mast idly, for half an hour or so. Thenfell on us, without warning, such a fierce gale as I had neverbefore seen, blowing from north and west, with rain and brightlightning, and it raised in five minutes a sea that broke over usagain and again as Thormod brought the ship head to wind.
Then I lost sight of Kenulf's lights, and as I clung to the rail,my mind was torn with longing to be back in my own ship in thisdanger, though I knew that Kenulf needed me not, and that, had Ibeen there, it would but have been to obey him with the rest of ourcrew; yet I think that any man who loves his ship will know what Ifelt.
And of the fury and darkness of that night I will say little. Thisis what comes into my mind of all that happened--aye, and at night,when the wind roars round the house, I see it all again, waking inmy dreams as I call to Kenulf. One flash of lightning showed me myship dismasted and helpless, drifting broadside on to a sand overwhich the waves broke white and angry, and when the next flashcame--she was gone!
Then I cried out on my folly in leaving her, and out of theblackness beside me as I clung to the gunwale, straining my eyesagainst the spray, Halfden's voice came, crying, as he gripped myarm:
"By Odin--it is well that I kept you here!"
And Thormod from the helm shouted to his men to stand by the sheet,and the helm went down, and the ship drove through the seas thatbroke clean over her as he saw the danger in time to stand awayfrom it, heading her as free as he dared.
Naught of this I heeded, for I could think but of the stout sailormen with whom I had been brought up, and of whom I knew only toosurely that I should see them not again. And for them I tried topray, for it was all that I could do, and it seemed so little--yetwho knows what help may come therefrom?
Now the longship fought alone with the storm. Hard was the fight,but I, who was willing to die with my own people who had gonebefore my eyes, cared nothing for whether we won through the galeor not. But Thormod called to me, bidding me pilot them as best Imight, and so I was taken a little from my thoughts. Yet can I takeno praise to myself that, when the gale slackened, we were safe andbeyond the dangers of the shoals.
We were far down channel when morning broke, and on either bow werewhite cliffs, plain to be seen in the clear light that came afterthe short fury of the gale was spent. Never had I thought that aship could sail so wondrously as this of Halfden's, and yet I tookno pleasure therein, because of all that I had lost. And it seemedto me that now I knew from my own chance why it was that Lodbrokcould sing no song to us at that feasting, when we came home toReedham; for surely my case was even as his.
So I thought, leaning on the gunwale and staring ever at the whitecliffs of England on our starboard; and there Halfden found me, andcame, putting his hand on my shoulder very kindly.
"Now if you have lost friends and ship by the common chances of thesea," he said, "surely you have found both anew. You shall turnviking and go on this raid with us. Glad shall we be of your axeplay and seamanship."
I turned to him and put my hand into his.
"I will go with you, Halfden," I said, for it seemed at that timethat I had naught else left for me to do.
And ever since I was a child, listening to the songs of thegleemen, had I thought that some day I, too, would make a name formyself on the seas, as my forefathers had made theirs, so that mydeeds should be sung also. Yet that longing had cooled of late, asthe flying peo
ple from Mercia had found their way now and then tous with tales of Danish cruelties.
"That is well said," he answered, pleased enough. "Where shall wego?"
Then I had yet thought enough left me to say that against our Saxonkin I would not lift axe. And so came to me the first knowledgethat what wiser men than I thought was true--that the old sevenkingdoms were but names, and that the Saxon and Anglian men ofEngland were truly but one, and should strive for that oneness,thinking no more of bygone strifes for headship.
"Why, that is fair enough, so you have no grudge to pay off," hesaid; "but I will help you to settle any, if you have them."
"I have no grudge against any man," I answered, truly enough.
"Then if we raid on English shores, you shall keep ship, as someonemust; and so all will be satisfied," he answered; "but we will gofirst to the Frankish shores, for it is all one to me."
So that pleased me as well as anything would at that time;whereupon we went to Thormod, and he was very willing that I shouldtake part and share with them. And as to my loss, he bade me takeheart, for a seaman has ever risks such as these to run; and, as itseemed, this ship of ours had ever been lucky. Which was trueenough, as my father had told me by the fireside many a time.
After this we headed over to the Frankish shore, and there I had myfirst fight. For we raided a town there, and the citizens stood upto us well. I fought in silence, while my comrades yelled to Thorand Odin as they smote, for those against whom we fought wereChristian men, and to fight against them by the side of heathenwent against me. Yet the lust of battle took hold on me, and fightI must. But I will tell no more of that business, save that Halfdenand Thormod praised me, saying that I had done well. And after thatthe crew asked that I should lead the men amidships, for their headman had been slain, and Halfden was on the fore deck, and Thormodaft. So my boyish dreams were like to come to pass, for I was thusa viking indeed. Yet I had little pride therein.
Thence we raided ever eastward and westward along that shore, and Igrew to love Halfden well, strange as were his wild ways to me. Forhe was in all things most generous; nor was he cruel, but wouldhold back the more savage of the men when he could--though, indeed,that was seldom--when they were mad with fighting.
So the weeks went on, until at last one day as we left a havenwhere we had bided for a while, taking ransom from the town that wemight leave it in peace, we spied a sail far off coming fromeastward, and Thormod would have us bear up for her, to see whatshe might be. But instead of flying, as a trading ship would, thestrange vessel waited for us, lowering her sail and clearing foraction, so that there was doubt if she was not Norse. Now betweenDane and Northman is little love lost, though at times they havejoined hands, loosely as one might say, or as if cat and dog shouldgo together to raid a rabbit warren.
"If she be Norse," said Halfden, and his eyes shone, "we will fighther, and that will be a fight worth telling of by the crew that isleft when we have done!"
But she turned out to be Danish, and a boat came from her to us.She was on the same errand as ourselves, and, moreover, belonged toone Rorik, who was a friend of Lodbrok's, so that again I must gothrough all the story of his perils.
Now if Halfden's men had seemed rough and ill-favoured to me whenfirst I saw them, time and comradeship had worn off the feeling,but it came back to me as I looked on these men, and most of all onthis Rorik; so that for a little I hated myself for being in theircompany to make war on peaceful Christian folk, though, indeed, Icould well excuse myself, seeing what straits had thrown me thusamong them to follow the ways of my own forefathers, Hengist's men.
These newcomers held long counsel with Halfden and Thormod, and theend of it was that they agreed to sail in company, making a raid onthe English coast, and first of all on the South Saxon shores,behind the island that men call Wight. And that was the thing thatI had feared most of all, so that as I sat silent and listened,taking no part, as I might, in the planning, my heart seemed liketo break for the hardness of it.
Yet I set my face, saying naught, so that presently Rorik lookedover at me and laughed, crying in a kind of idle jest:
"Silent is our friend here, though he looks mighty grim, so that Idoubt not he will be glad to swing that big axe of his ashore."
Now I was in ill company, and must fit my speech to theirs,answering truly enough:
"It seems to me that some of us here were a little downcast when wefound that you were no Northmen, for we looked for a fight."
Whereon they all laughed, and Rorik said that maybe his men had thesame longing, but that we would make a great raid between us. Andso the matter passed, and he and his men went back to their ship,and we headed over to the English shore together.
Wulfric the Weapon Thane Page 4