come and feed youto my dogs. A piece at a time--a very small piece--do you understand?"
She snarled at him.
"An _extremely_ small piece," said Cappen amiably. "Have you heard me?"
Something broke in her. "Yes," she whimpered. He let her go, and shescuttled from him like a rat.
He remembered the firewood and took an armful; on the way, hethoughtfully picked up a few jeweled rings which he didn't think shewould be needing and stuck them in his pouch. Then he led the girloutside.
The wind had laid itself, a clear frosty morning glittered on the seaand the longship was a distant sliver against white-capped blueness. Theminstrel groaned. "What a distance to row! Oh, well--"
* * * * *
They were at sea before Hildigund spoke. Awe was in the eyes thatwatched him. "No man could be so brave," she murmured. "Are ye a god?"
"Not quite," said Cappen. "No, most beautiful one, modesty grips mytongue. 'Twas but that I had the silver and was therefore proof againsther sorcery."
"But the silver was no help!" she cried.
Cappen's oar caught a crab. "What?" he yelled.
"No--no--why, she told ye so her own self--"
"I thought she lied. I _know_ the silver guards against--"
"But she used no magic! Trolls have but their own strength!"
Cappen sagged in his seat. For a moment he thought he was going tofaint. Then only his lack of fear had armored him; and if he had knownthe truth, that would not have lasted a minute.
He laughed shakily. Another score for his doubts about the overall valueof truth!
The longship's oars bit water and approached him. Indignant voicesasking why he had been so long on his errand faded when his passengerwas seen. And Svearek the king wept as he took his daughter back intohis arms.
The hard brown face was still blurred with tears when he looked at theminstrel, but the return of his old self was there too. "What ye havedone, Cappen Varra of Croy, is what no other man in the world could havedone."
"Aye--aye--" The rough northern voices held adoration as the warriorscrowded around the slim red-haired figure.
"Ye shall have her whom ye saved to wife," said Svearek, "and when I dieye shall rule all Norren."
Cappen swayed and clutched the rail.
Three nights later he slipped away from their shore camp and turned hisface southward.
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Fantastic Universe_ January 1957. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
The Valor of Cappen Varra Page 4