Havelok the Dane

by Charles W. Whistler

us boys while the men armed themselves.

  Then my father spoke to them, saying, "I do not know if this Viking willpass us by as too hard a nut to crack, seeing that he knows of usalready; but if he does not, it will be of no use our trying to fighthim, as you can see. I would not waste your lives for naught. But it maybe that a show of force will keep him off, so we will wait under armsuntil we are sure what he will do."

  Then the men broke out, saying that they had beaten this man before withhim as leader, and they were in no mind to give up without a fight.

  "Well, then," my father answered, "it is plain that you will back me,and so I will call on you if there is need or chance. But we have thewomen folk to think of now, and we must not risk aught."

  Now the longship held on her course steadily, never shifting her helmfor so much as a point. In half an hour or so we must be alongside oneanother, at this rate, and that Arngeir did not altogether like the lookof, for it would seem as if she meant to find out all about us at least.There was some little sea running, and it might be thought easier toboard us on the lee side, therefore. We could not get away from her inany way, for even now, while she was closer hauled than we, she keptpace with us, and had she paid off to the same course as ourselves, shewould have left us astern in a very short time.

  Presently a man swarmed up her rigging in order to look down on ourdecks, and as he went up, my father bade our men crawl over to windward,so that he should see all one gunwale lined with men, and so think thatboth were, and deem that we were setting a trap for them in order toentice them alongside by pretending to be hardly manned. At the sametime, he sent the ladies and children into the cabin, so that they mightnot be seen.

  That did not please Havelok at all, for he seemed to scent a fight inthe air, and wanted weapons, that he might stand beside the other men,asking for an axe for choice. It was all that I could do to quiet him bysaying that if there was any need of him I would call him, but that justnow we thought the Vikings would go away if they saw many warriors ondeck. Which indeed was all that we hoped, but he thought that wouldspoil sport, and so hastened into the shelter.

  After that there fell a silence on us, for at any moment now we might behailed by the other ship. And when we were but a bow shot apart the hailcame. The two vessels were then broadside on to each other, we a littleahead, if anything. My father was steering now, fully armed, and Arngeirwas beside him with myself. I had the big shield wherewith one guardsthe helmsman if arrows are flying.

  The Viking bade us strike sail, and let him come alongside, but myfather made no answer. Still we held on, and the Viking paid off alittle, as though he were not so sure if it were wise to fall on us, aswe showed no fear of him.

  Then my father spoke to Arngeir in a stern voice that I had heard onlywhen we met this same ship before.

  "This will not last long. If there is one chance for us, it is to runhim down and it may be done. Our ship will stand the blow, for theselongships are but eggshells beside her. Pass the word for the men toshoot the steersman when I give the word. Then they must run forward,lest the Vikings climb over the bows as we strike her."

  Arngeir's eyes flashed at that, and at once he went to the men, andthere was a click and rattle as the arrows went to string, and theygathered themselves together in readiness to leap up when the word came.There seemed every chance that we should be upon the longship beforethey knew what we were about, for we had the weather gauge.

  Now the Viking hailed again, and again bore up for us a little, whereatmy father smiled grimly, for it helped his plan. And this time, as therewas no answer, his men sent an arrow or two on board, which did no harm.

  "It is plain that we are to be taken," my father said on that, "so wewill wait no longer. Stand by, men, and one lucky shot will do all. Shoot!"

  The helm went up as he spoke, and the men leaped to their feet, rainingarrows round the two men who were at the helm, and down on the Viking weswept with a great cheer.

  But in a moment there were four men on her after deck, and whether thefirst helmsman was shot I cannot say; but I think not, for quickly as wehad borne down on her she was ready, rushing away from us, instead ofluffing helplessly, as we had expected. It would almost have seemed thatour move had been looked for.

  Ten more minutes passed while we exchanged arrow flights, and then thelongship had so gained on us that she struck sail and waited for us withher long oars run out and ready.

  "That is all we can do," said my father, with a sort of groan. "Put upyour weapons, men, for it is no good fighting now."

  They did so, growling; and as we neared the longship, her oars took thewater, and she flew alongside of us, and a grappling hook flung deftlyfrom her bows caught our after gunwale, and at once she dropped astern,and swung to its chain as to a tow line. We were not so much as biddento strike sail now, and the Vikings began to crowd forward in order toboard us by the stern, as the grappling chain was hove short by theirwindlass.

  "Hold on," my father cried to them "we give up. Where is your chief?"

  Now the men were making way for him when a strange thing happened. Outof the after cabin ran Havelok when he heard that word, crying that itwas not the part of good warriors to give up while they could wieldsword--words that surely he had learned from Gunnar, his father. Andafter him came his mother, silent, and terrified lest he should be harmed.

  Havelok ran up the steps to my father, and the queen followed. I havesaid that there was a little sea running, and this made the ships jerkand strain at the chain that held them together fiercely, now that itwas so short. And even as the queen came to the top step, where therewas no rail, for the steps were not amidships, but alongside thegunwale, one of these jerks came; and in a moment she was in the sea,and in a moment also Arngeir was after her, for he was a fine swimmer.

  The Vikings cried out as they saw this, but the poor queen said no word,nor did she ever rise again after the first time. It is likely that shewas drawn under the longship at once.

  So for a little while there was no talk of terms or fighting, but allheld their breath as they watched to see if the queen floated alongsideanywhere; but there was only Arngeir, who swam under the lee of theViking, and called to her men for guidance. They threw him a rope's endas he came to the stern, and he clung to it for a little while, hopingto see the flash of a white hood that the queen wore, over the whitewave crests: but at last he gave up, and the Vikings hauled him onboard, praising him for his swimming, as he had on his mail.

  Then the chief turned to my father, and spoke to him across the fewfathoms of water that were between the ships.

  "We meet again, Grim, as time comes round; and now I have a mind to letyou go, though I have that old grudge against you, for I think that yourwife is loss enough."

  "Not my wife, Arnvid, but a passenger--one whom I would not have lostfor all that you can take from me."

  "Well, I am glad it is no worse. But it seems that you are in ballast.How comes it that you have no cargo for me, for you owe me one?"

  Then my father told him shortly that he had fled from Hodulf; and allthose doings were news to the Viking, so that they talked in friendlywise, while the men listened, and the ships crept on together down the wind.

  But when all was told, save of the matter of Havelok, and who the lostlady was, the Viking laughed shortly, and said, "Pleasant gossip, Grim,but not business. What will you give us to go away in peace? I do notforget that you all but ran us down just now, and that one or two of ushave arrows sticking in us which came from your ship. But that first wasa good bit of seamanship, and there is not much harm from the last."

  "Well," said my father, "it seems to me that you owe me a ship, for itis certain that I once had that one, and gave her back to you."

  The Viking laughed.

  "True enough, and therefore I give you back your ship now, and we arequits. But I am coming on board to see what property I can lift."

  My father shrugged his shoulders, and turned away, and at once theVikings hauled
on the chain until their dragon head was against ourquarter, when the chief and some twenty of his men came on board. Theway in which they took off the hatches without staying to question wherethey should begin told a tale of many a like plundering.

  Then, I do not know how it was rightly, for I was aft with my father,there began a quarrel between the Vikings and our men; and though bothGrim and the chief tried to stop it, five of our few were slainoutright, and three more badly hurt before it was ended. The rest of ourcrew took refuge on the fore deck, and there bided after that. The wholefray was over in a few minutes, and it seemed that the Vikings halfexpected somewhat of the sort.

  Then they took all the linen and woollen goods, and our spare sails, andall the arms and armour from the men and from the chests to their ownship. Only they left my father and Arngeir their war gear, saying thatit were a shame to disarm two brave men.

  Then the chief said, "Little