Erling the Bold

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY.

  IN WHICH THE SKY AGAIN BECOMES OVERCAST--THE WAR-TOKEN IS SENT OUT--ALRIC GETS A SURPRISE, AND A BERSERK CATCHES A TARTAR.

  Erling the Bold was very fond of salmon-fishing, and it was his wont,when the weather suited, and nothing of greater importance claimed hisattention, to sally forth with a three-pronged spear to fish in theHorlingdal river, which swarmed with salmon in the summer season of theyear.

  One evening he left Haldorstede with his fishing-spear on his shoulder,and went up to the river, accompanied by one of the house-carles. Theyboth wore shirts of mail, and carried shield and sword, for these werenot times in which men could venture to go about unarmed. On reaching aplace where the stream ran shallow among rocks, our hero waded in, andat the first dart of his spear struck a fish of about fifteen poundsweight, which he cast, like a bar of burnished silver, on the grassybank.

  "That will be our supper to-night," observed the carle, as he disengagedthe spear.

  Erling made no reply, but in a few minutes he pulled out another fish,and said, as he threw it down--

  "That will do for a friend, should one chance to turn in to usto-night."

  After that he tried again, but struck no more, although he changed hisground frequently; so he cast his eyes upwards as if to judge of thetime of evening, and appeared to doubt whether or not he shouldpersevere any longer.

  "Try the foss," suggested the house-carle; "you seldom fail to get onethere."

  "Well, I will try it. Do thou leave the fish under that bush, andfollow me. It needs three big fish to make a good feast for my father'shousehold."

  "Besides," said the carle, "there is luck in an odd number, as KettleFlatnose is fond of telling us."

  They were about to ascend the bank to the track which led to thewaterfall, about half a mile farther up the river, when their attentionwas arrested by a shout; looking down the stream in the direction whenceit came, they saw a figure approaching them at full speed.

  "That must be my brother Alric," said Erling, on hearing the shoutrepeated.

  "It looks like him," said the carle.

  All doubt on the point was quickly set at rest by the lad, who ran at apace which soon brought him near. Waving his cap above his head heshouted--

  "News! news! good news!"

  "Out with thy news, then," said Erling, as Alric stood before him,panting violently, "though I dare say the best news thou hast to give isthat thou hast come back to us safe and well."

  "Hah! let me get wind! nay, I have better news than that," exclaimedAlric; "Harald is coming--King Harald Haarfager--with a monstrous fleetof longships, cutters, dragons, and little boats, and a mighty host ofmen, to lay waste Horlingdal with fire and sword, and burn us all alive,perhaps eat us too, who knows!"

  "Truly if this be good news," said Erling, with a laugh, "I hope I maynever hear bad news. But where got ye such news, Alric?"

  "From the widow Gunhild, to be sure, who is true to us as steel, andcomes all the way from Drontheim, out of love to thee, Erling, to tellit. But, I say, _don't_ you think this good news? I always thought youwould give your best battle-axe to have a chance of fighting Harald!"

  "Aye, truly, for a chance of fighting Harald, but not for that chancecoupled with the other chance of seeing Horlingdal laid waste with fireand sword, to say nothing of being eaten alive, which, I suppose, isthine own addition to the news, boy. But come, if this be so, we do notwell to waste time chattering here. Fetch the two fish, carle.To-night we must be content with what luck lies in an even number inspite of the opinion of Kettle Flatnose.--Come, Alric, thou canst tellme more of this as we hasten home."

  "But I have more good news than that to tell," said the lad, as theyhurried towards Haldorstede. "Solve Klofe with his men have come backwith us--indeed, I may rather say that we have come back with Solve, forour own ship has been wrecked and lost, but Kettle and I and Thorer andall the men were saved by Solve, with nearly everything belonging to us,and all the booty. It is not more than an hour since we sailed into thefiord, loaded to the shield-circle with, oh! _such_ splendid things--gold, silver, cups, tankards, gems, shawls--and--and I know not whatall, besides captives. It was just after we landed that a small boatcame round the ness from the north with the widow Gunhild in it, and shejumped ashore, and told what she had seen and heard at Drontheim, andthat we may expect Ada's father, King Hakon, in his longship, to ouraid; perhaps he may be coming into the fiord even now while we aretalking. And--and, she said also that Rolf Ganger had left the King ina huff, and perhaps we might look for help from him too. So methinks Ibring good news, don't I?"

  "Good, aye, and stirring news, my boy," cried Erling striding onward atsuch a pace that the carle with the fish was left behind, and Alric wascompelled to adopt an undignified trot in order to keep up with his hugebrother. "From this I see," continued Erling in a tone of deepseriousness, "that the long-looked-for time is at last approaching.This battle that must surely come will decide the fate of freemen. KingHarald Haarfager must now be crushed, or Norway shall be enslaved.Alric, my boy, thou hast been styled Lightfoot. If ever thou didststrive to merit that title, strive this night as ye have never strivenbefore, for there is urgent need that every friendly blade in the landshould assemble in the dale without delay. I will send thee forth withthe split arrow as soon as I have seen and spoken with my father.--Ha!I see him coming. Go into the house, lad, and sup well and quickly, forno sleep shall visit thine eyelids this night."

  Alric's breast swelled with gratification at being spoken to thusearnestly and made of such importance by his brother, whom he admiredand loved with an intensity of feeling that no words can convey.Looking up in his face with sparkling eyes, he gave him a little nod.Erling replied with another little nod and a sedate smile, and the boy,turning away, dashed into the house, at which they had now arrived.

  "Hast heard the news, Erling?" asked Haldor, as his son drew near.

  "Aye, Alric has told it me."

  "What thinkest thou?"

  "That the game is about to be played out."

  Haldor looked full in Erling's face, and his own noble countenanceglowed with an expression of majesty which cannot be described, andwhich arose from the deep conviction that one of the most momentous erasin his life had arrived--a period in which his own fate and that of allhe held most dear would in all probability be sealed. Death or victory,he felt assured, were now the alternatives; and when he reflected on thegreat power of the King, and the stern necessity there was for theexertion of not only the utmost bravery, but the most consummate skill,his whole being glowed with suppressed emotion, while his bearingbetokened the presence, and bore the dignified stamp, of a settledpurpose to do his best, and meet his fate, for weal or woe, manfully.

  "Come," said he, putting his arm within that of his stout son, "let usturn into the wood awhile. I would converse with thee on this matter."

  "Alric is ready to start with the token," said Erling.

  "I know it, my son. Let him sup first; the women will care well forhim, for they will guess the work that lies before him. The people ofUlfstede are with us to-night, and Glumm is here; but Glumm is not ofmuch use as a counsellor just now, poor fellow. It were kind to let himbe, until it is time to rouse him up to fight!"

  A quiet smile played on Haldor's lips as he thus alluded to theimpossibility of getting Glumm to think of anything but love or fightingat that time.

  While the father and son strolled in the wood conversing earnestly, anoisy animated scene was presented in the great hall of Haldorstede; forin it were assembled, besides the ordinary household, the family fromUlfstede, a sprinkling of the neighbours, Gunhild and her men, GuttormStoutheart, and Solve Klofe, with Kettle Flatnose, Thorer the Thick, andthe chief men who had arrived from the recent viking cruise; all of whomwere talking together in the utmost excitement, while the fair Herfridaand her daughters and maids prepared a sumptuous meal.

  In those days, and at such an establishment as that of Ha
ldor theFierce, it was not possible for friends to appear inopportunely. Adozen might have "dropped in" to breakfast, dinner, or supper, withoutcosting Dame Herfrida an anxious thought as to whether the cold joint ofyesterday "would do", or something more must be procured, for she knewthat the larder was always well stocked. When, therefore, a miniaturearmy of hungry warriors made a sudden descent upon her, she was quiteprepared for them--received them with the matronly dignity andcaptivating smile for which she was celebrated, and at once gavedirections to her commissariat department to produce and prepare meatand drink suitable to the occasion.

  The evening which had thus grown so unexpectedly big with present factsand future portents had begun in a very small way--in a way somewhatequivalent to the modern "small tea party". Ulf of Romsdal, feeling adisposition "to make a night of it", had propounded to Dame Astrid theidea of "going up to Haldorstede for the evening." His wife, beingamiably disposed, agreed. Hilda and Ada were equally willing, andGlumm, who by a mere chance happened to be there at the time, could notchoose but accompany them!

  The family at Haldorstede were delighted to see their friends. DameHerfrida carried off Dame Astrid to her apartment to divest her of herhat and mantle. Ingeborg bore off Ada, and the younger girls of thehousehold made away with Hilda, leaving Ulf to talk the politics of theday with Haldor, while Glumm pretended to listen to them, but listened,in reality, for Ada's returning footsteps. In a short time the fairones re-entered the hall, and there they had supper, or, more properly,an interlude supper--a sort of supperlet, so to speak, composed of coldsalmon, scones, milk, and ale, which was intended, no doubt, to givethem an appetite for the true supper that should follow ere long. Overthis supperlet they were all very talkative and merry, with theexception, poor fellow, of Glumm, who sat sometimes glancing at, andalways thinking of, Ada, and pendulating, as usual, between thecondition of being miserably happy or happily miserable.

  No mortal, save Glumm himself, could have told or conceived what a lifeAda led him. She took him up by the neck, figuratively speaking, andshook him again and again as a terrier shakes a rat, and dropped him!But here the simile ceases, for whereas the rat usually crawls away, ifit can, and evidently does not want more, Glumm always wanted more, andnever crawled away. On the contrary, he crawled humbly back to the feetof his tormentor, and by looks, if not words, craved to be shaken again!

  It was while Glumm was drinking this cup of mingled bliss and torment,and the others were enjoying their supperlet, that Solve Klofe and hismen, and Kettle Flatnose, Thorer the Thick, and the house-carles, burstclamorously into the hall, with old Guttorm Stoutheart, who had met themon the beach. Scarcely had they got over the excitement of this firstinvasion when the widow Gunhild and her niece arrived to set thehousehold ablaze with her alarming news. The moment that Haldor heardit he dispatched Alric in search of Erling, who, as we have seen,immediately returned home.

  Shortly afterwards he and Haldor entered the hall.

  "Ho! my men," cried the latter, "to arms, to arms! Busk ye for thefight, and briskly too, for when Harald Haarfager lifts his hand he isnot slow to strike. Where is Alric?"

  "Here I am, father."

  "Hast fed well, boy?"

  "Aye, famously," answered Alric, wiping his mouth and tightening hisbelt.

  "Take the war-token, my son, and see that thou speed it well. Let itnot fail for want of a messenger. If need be, go all the round thyself,and rest not as long as wind and limb hold out. Thy fighting days havebegun early," he added in a softer tone, as he passed his large handgently over the fair head of the boy, "perchance they will end early.But, whatever betide, Alric, quit thee like a man--as thou art truly inheart if not in limb."

  Such words from one who was not at any time lavish of praise might, ashort time before, have caused the boy to hold up his head proudly, butthe last year of his life had been fraught with many lessons. Helistened with a heaving breast and beating heart indeed, but with hishead bent modestly down, while on his flushed countenance there was abright expression, and on his lips a glad smile which spoke volumes.His father felt assured, as he looked at him, that he would never bringdiscredit on his name.

  "Ye know the course," said Haldor; "away!"

  In another minute Alric was running at full speed up the glen with thewar-token in his hand. His path was rugged, his race was wild, and itsresults were striking. He merely shouted as he passed the windows ofthe cottages low down in the dale, knowing that the men there would beroused by others near at hand; but farther on, where the cottages weremore scattered, he opened the door of each and showed the token,uttering a word or two of explanation, during the brief moment he stayedto swallow a mouthful of water or to tighten his belt.

  At first his course lay along the banks of the river, every rock andshrub of which he knew. Farther on he left the stream on the right, andstruck into the mountains just as the sun went down.

  High up on the fells a little cottage stood perched on a cliff. It wasone of the "saeters" or mountain dairies where the cattle were pasturedin summer long ago--just as they are at the present day. Alric ran upthe steep face of the hill, doubled swiftly round the corner of theenclosure, burst open the door, and, springing in, held up the token,while he wiped the streaming perspiration from his face.

  A man and his wife, with three stout sons and a comely daughter, wereseated on a low bench eating their supper of thickened milk.

  "The war-token!" exclaimed the men, springing up, and, without amoment's delay, taking down and girding on the armour which hung roundthe walls.

  "King Harald is on his way to the dale," said Alric; "we assemble atUlfstede."

  "Shall I bear on the token?" asked the youngest of the men.

  "Aye; but go thou with it up the Wolf's Den Valley. I myself will bearit round by the Eagle Crag and the coast."

  "That is a long way," said the man, taking his shield down from a peg inthe wall.

  Alric replied not, for he had already darted away, and was againspeeding along the mountain side.

  Night had begun to close in, for the season had not yet advanced to theperiod of endless daylight. Far away in an offshoot vale, a brightruddy light gleamed through the surrounding darkness. Alric's eye wasfixed on it. His untiring foot sped towards it. The roar of a mightycataract grew louder on his ear every moment. He had to slacken hispace a little, and pick his steps as he went on, for the path was ruggedand dangerous.

  "I wonder if Old Hans of the Foss is at home?" was the thought thatpassed through his mind as he approached the door.

  Old Hans himself answered the thought by opening the door at thatmoment. He was a short, thick-set, and very powerful man, of apparentlysixty years of age, but his eye was as bright and his step as light asthat of many a man of twenty.

  "The war-token," he said, almost gaily, stepping back into the cottageas Alric leaped in. "What is doing, son of Haldor?"

  "King Harald will be upon us sooner than we wish. Ulfstede is themeeting-place. Can thy son speed on the token in the next valley?"

  The old warrior shook his head sadly, and pointed to a low bed, where ayoung man lay with the wasted features and bright eyes that told of adeadly disease in its advanced stage.

  An exclamation of regret and sympathy escaped from Alric. "I cannotgo," he said; "my course lies to the left, by the Stor foss. Hast noone to send?"

  "I will go, father," said a smart girl of fifteen, who had been seatedbehind her mother, near the couch of the sick man.

  "Thou, bairn?"

  "Yes, why not? It is only a league to Hawksdal, where young Eric willgladly relieve me."

  "True," said the old warrior, with a smile, as he began to don hisarmour. "Go; I need not tell thee to make haste!"

  Alric waited to hear no more, but darted away as the little maid trippedoff in another direction.

  Thus hour by hour the night passed by and Alric ran steadily on hiscourse, rousing up all the fighting men in his passage through thedistrict. As he
advanced, messengers with war-tokens were multiplied,and, ere the morning's sun had glinted on the mountain peaks or lightedup the white fields of the Justedal glacier, the whole country was inarms, and men were crowding to the rendezvous.

  Daylight had just commenced to illumine the eastern sky, when Alric,having completed his round, found himself once more on the cliffs abovethe sea. But he was still six or eight miles from Ulfstede, and thepath to it along the top of the cliffs was an extremely rugged one.Earnestly then did the poor boy wish that he had remembered to put apiece of bread in his wallet before leaving home, but in his haste hehad forgotten to do so, and now he found himself weary, foot-sore, andfaint from exertion, excitement, and hunger, far from any humanhabitation. As there was no remedy for this, he made up his mind totake a short rest on the grass, and then set off for home as fast aspossible.

  With this end in view he selected a soft spot, on a cliff overlookingthe sea, and lay down with a sigh of satisfaction. Almost instantly hefell into a deep slumber, in which he lay, perfectly motionless, forsome hours. How long that slumber would have lasted it is impossible tosay, for it was prematurely and unpleasantly interrupted.

  In his cat-like creepings about the coast, Hauskuld the berserk, havingobtained all the information that he thought would be of use to hisroyal master, landed for the last time to reconnoitre the position ofUlfstede, and see as much as he could of the doings of the people beforeturning his prow again to the north. The spot where he ran his boatashore was at the foot of a steep cliff, up which he and a comradeascended with some difficulty.

  At the top, to his surprise, he found a lad lying on the grass soundasleep. After contemplating him for a few minutes, and whispering a fewwords to his comrade, who indulged in a broad grin, Hauskuld drew hissword and pricked Alric on the shoulder with it. An electric shockcould not have been more effective. The poor boy sprang up with a loudcry, and for a few seconds gazed at the berserks in bewilderment. Thenit flashed upon his awakening faculties that he was standing beforeenemies, so he suddenly turned round and fled, but Hauskuld sprang afterhim, and, before he had got three yards away, had caught him by the napeof the neck with a grip that made him gasp.

  "Ho, ho! my young fox, so ye thought to leave the hounds in the lurch?Come, cease thy kicking, else will I give thee an inch of steel to quietthee. Tell me thy name, and what thou art about here, and I willconsider whether to make use of thee or hurl thee over the cliffs."

  By this time Alric had fully recovered his senses and hisself-possession. He stood boldly up before the berserk and replied--

  "My name is Alric--son of Haldor the Fierce, out of whose way I advisethee to keep carefully, if thou art not tired of life. I have just beenround with the war-token rousing the country."

  "A most proper occupation for an eaglet such as thou," said Hauskuld;"that is to say, if the cause be a good one."

  "The cause is one of the best," said Alric.

  "Prithee, what may it be?"

  "Self-defence against a tyrant."

  Hauskuld glanced at his comrade, and smiled sarcastically as he asked--

  "And who may this tyrant be?"

  "Harald Haarfager, tyrant King of Norway," replied the lad stoutly.

  "I thought so," said Hauskuld, with a grim twist of his features."Well, young eaglet, thou art worthy to be made mincemeat of to feed thecrows, but it may be that the tyrant would like to dispose of theehimself. Say now, whether will ye walk down that cliff quietly in frontof me, or be dragged down?"

  "I would rather walk, if I _must_ go."

  "Well, thou _must_ go, therefore--walk, and see thou do it as briskly asmay be, else will I apply the spur, which thou hast felt once alreadythis morning. Lead the way, comrade; I will bring up the rear toprevent the colt from bolting."

  As he knew that resistance would be useless, the boy promptly andsilently descended the cliff with his captors, and entered the boat,which was immediately pushed off and rowed along-shore.

  "Now listen to me, Alric, son of Haldor," said Hauskuld, seating himselfbeside his captive: "King Harald is not the tyrant you take him for; heis a good king, and anxious to do the best he can for Norway. Somemistaken men, like your father, compel him to take strong measures whenhe would fain take mild. If you will take me to a spot where I maysafely view the valley of Horlingdal, and tell me all you know abouttheir preparations for resistance, I will take you back to Drontheim,and speak well of you to the King, who will not only reward you with hisfavour, but make good terms, I doubt not, with your father."

  The wily berserk had changed his tone to that of one who addresses asuperior in rank while he thus tempted the boy; but he little guessedthe spirit of his captive.

  "What!" he exclaimed scornfully; "wouldst thou have me turn traitor tomy own father?"

  "Nay, I would have you turn wise for the sake of your father andyourself. Think well of what I say, and all I ask of you is to guide meto a good point of observation. There is a cave, they say, nearUlfstede, with its mouth to the sea, and a secret entrance from theland. No doubt I could find it myself with a little trouble, but itwould save time if you were to point it out."

  "Never!" exclaimed Alric sternly.

  "Truly thou art a chip of the old tree," said Hauskuld, taking Alric'sear between his finger and thumb; "but there are means to take whichhave been known to bend stouter hearts than thine. Say, wilt thou showme the cave?"

  He pinched the ear with gradually increasing force as he spoke, butAlric neither spoke nor winced, although the blood which rushed to hisface showed that he felt the pain keenly.

  "Well, well," said the berserk, relaxing his grip, "this is a tortureonly fit for very small boys after all. Hand me the pincers, Arne."

  One of the men drew in his oar, and from a locker pulled out a pair oflarge pincers, which he handed to his chief, who at once applied them tothe fleshy part at the back of Alric's arm, between the elbow and theshoulder.

  "When thou art willing to do as I bid thee, I will cease to pinch," saidHauskuld.

  Poor Alric had turned pale at the sight of the pincers, for he knew wellthe use they would be put to; but he set his teeth tightly together, anddetermined to endure it. As the pain increased the blood rushed againto his face, but an extra squeeze of the instrument of torture sent itrushing back with a deadly chill to his heart. In spite of himself, asharp cry burst from his lips. Turning suddenly round, he clenched hisright hand, and hit his tormentor on the mouth with such force that hishead was knocked violently against the steering oar, and two or three ofhis front teeth were driven out.

  "Thou dog's whelp!" shouted Hauskuld, as soon as he could speak."I'll--"

  He could say no more; but, grasping the boy by the hair of the head, heseized his sword, and would certainly have slain him on the spot, hadnot the man named Arne interposed.

  "The King will not thank thee for his slaying," said he, laying his handon Hauskuld's arm.

  The latter made no reply except to utter a curse, then, dropping hissword, he struck Alric a blow on the forehead with his fist, whichknocked him insensible into the bottom of the boat.

  "Yonder is the mouth of the cave," exclaimed one of the men.

  "It may be the one we look for," muttered Hauskuld. "Pull into it."

  So saying, he steered the boat into the cavern, and its keel soon gratedon the gravelly beach inside. The sound aroused Alric, who at firstcould not see, owing to the gloom of the place, and the effects of theblow; but he was brought suddenly to a state of mental activity andanxiety when he recognised the sides of the well-known cave. Risingquickly but cautiously, he listened, and knew by the sounds that theboatmen, of whom there were eight, were searching for an outlet towardsthe land. He therefore slipped over the side of the boat, and hastenedtowards the darkest side of the cave, but Hauskuld caught sight of him.

  "Ha! is the little dog trying to get away?" he shouted, running afterhim.

  The lad formed his plan instantly. "Come on, Hauskuld," he
shouted,with a wild laugh; "I will show thee the outlet, and get out before theetoo."

  He then ran to the inner part of the cave that was farthest from thesecret opening, shouting as he ran, and making as much noise aspossible. The berserk and his men followed. The instant he reached theextremity of the place Alric became as silent as a mouse, kicked off hisshoes, and ran nimbly round by the intricate turnings of the inner wall,until he came to the foot of the dark natural staircase, which has beenreferred to at the beginning of our tale. Up this he bounded, andreached the open air above, while his pursuers were still knocking theirshins and heads on the rocks at the wrong end of the cave below.

  Without a moment's pause the exulting boy dashed away towards Ulfstede.He had not run two hundred yards, however, when he observed three menstanding on the top of the little mound to which the people of Ulfstedewere wont to mount when they wished to obtain an uninterrupted view ofthe valley and the fiord. They hailed him at that moment, so he turnedaside, and found, on drawing near, that they were his brother Erling,Glumm the Gruff, and Kettle Flat-nose.

  "Why, Alric!" exclaimed Erling in surprise, on seeing the boy's swelledand bloody face, "what ails thee?"

  "Quick, come with me, all of ye! There is work for your swords at hand.Lend me thy sword, Erling. It is the short one, and the axe will beenough for thee."

  The excited lad did not wait for permission, but snatched the sword fromhis brother's side, and without further explanation, ran back towardsthe cliffs, followed closely by the astonished men. He made straightfor the hole that led to the cave, and was about to leap into it whenHauskuld stepped out and almost received him in his arms. Before theberserk could plant his feet firmly on the turf, Alric heaved up hisbrother's sword and brought it down on Hauskuld's head with right goodwill. His arm, however, had not yet received power to cleave through asteel helmet, but the blow was sufficient to give it such a dint thatits wearer tumbled back into the hole, and went rattling down the steepdescent heels over head into the cave. The boy leaped down after him,but Hauskuld, although taken by surprise and partially stunned, hadvigour enough left to jump up and run down to the boat. His men, onhearing the noise of his fall, had also rushed to the boat, and pushedoff. The berserk sprang into the water, and swam after them, just ashis pursuers reached the cave. Seeing this, his men being safe beyondpursuit, lay on their oars and waited for him. But Hauskuld's careerhad been run out. Either the fall had stunned him, or he was seizedwith a fit, for he suddenly raised himself in the water, and, uttering acry that echoed fearfully in the roof of the cavern, he sank to thebottom. Still his men waited a minute or two, but seeing that he didnot rise again, they pulled away.

  "It is unlucky that they should have escaped thus," said Alric, "forthey go to tell King Harald what they have seen."

  "Friends," said Erling, "I have a plan in my head to cheat the King. Ishall send Thorer round with my Swan to this cave, and here let it lie,well armed and provisioned, during the battle that we shall have tofight with Harald ere long. If ill luck should be ours, those of us whosurvive will thus have a chance of escaping with the women."

  "What need is there of that?" said Glumm; "we are sure to give him thetooth-ache!"

  "We are sure of nothing in this world," replied Erling, "save that thesun will rise and set and the seasons will come and go. I shall do as Ihave said, chiefly for the sake of the women, whom I should not like tosee fall into the hands of King Harald; and I counsel thee to do thesame with thy small ship the Crane. It can well be spared, for we arelike to have a goodly force of men and ships, if I mistake not thespirit that is abroad."

  "Well, I will do it," said Glumm.

  "And Alric will not object, I dare say, to stand sentinel over the shipsin the cave with two or three men till they are wanted," said Erling.

  "That will not I," cried Alric, who was delighted to be employed in anyservice rather than be left at home, for his father, deeming him stilltoo young, had strictly forbidden him to embark in the fleet.

  "Well then, the sooner this is set about the better," said Erling, "forthere is no counting on the movements of the King."

  "Humph!" ejaculated Glumm.

  "Ill luck to the tyrant!" said Kettle Flatnose, as they turned and leftthe cave.