Wulf the Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  THE NORTHERN INVASION.

  The news of Harold's marriage to Ealdgyth put an end to the demands ofWilliam of Normandy that Harold should take one of his daughters to wife,and in the complaints that he addressed to all Christendom against Haroldthe breach of his promise in this respect was placed far more prominentlythan his failure to carry out his oath to be the duke's man. It must havebeen evident indeed to all that it was beyond the power of the English kingto keep this oath, obtained from him by force and treachery. He had beenelected by the voice of the English people, and had no more power than themeanest of his subjects to hand the crown they had bestowed to another.

  The breach of this oath, however, served to obtain all the aid that thechurch could give to William. Harold was solemnly excommunicated, and thestruggle for which the duke was preparing thereupon assumed the characterof a sacred war. In England itself the Bull of excommunication had noeffect whatever. The great bulk of bishops and clergy were Englishmen, andthought far more of their king than of any foreign prince or prelate. Eventhe bishops and abbots of Norman blood disregarded the commination, andremained staunch to Harold. He had been a generous patron to the church,had maintained them in all the privileges and dignities that Edward hadbestowed upon them, and possessed the love of the whole English people;therefore, in spite of bann and interdict the churches remained open,services were held as usual, and people were married and buried as if thePapal Bull had never been issued.

  But it was not so on the Continent. The Norman barons as a body had atfirst refused to support the duke in an invasion of England, but asindividuals they had been brought round to join in William's project, andto give far more aid in ships and men than they were bound to do by theirfeudal engagements. Having accomplished this, William issued an invitationto all adventurous spirits in Europe to join him in his crusade against theexcommunicated King of England, promising that all should share alike inthe plunder of England and in the division of its land. The bait was atempting one. Some joined the enterprise merely for the sake of gainingglory under the banner of one who was regarded as the greatest militaryleader in Europe, others were influenced by love of gain, while, as in thecrusades, numbers joined to obtain absolution for past misdeeds by takingpart in an enterprise blessed by the Pope. Thus the force which William wascollecting greatly exceeded that which the resources of Normandy alonecould have set on foot.

  Among the first to hurry to the court of William, as soon as Harold'saccession to the throne was known, was Tostig, in whose mind the refusal ofHarold to embark in a civil war for his sake, and to force him upon thepeople of Northumbria in spite of their detestation of him, was an injurynot to be forgiven. The fact that Tostig was ready thus to sacrificeEngland to his own private quarrel showed a baseness and recklessness thatcould hardly be expected from his early career. William naturally acceptedthe alliance, received Tostig's oath of allegiance, and aided him infitting out a number of ships manned by Norman and Flemish adventurers.Evading the watch kept by the English fleet they crossed the sea, landed,and plundered and ravaged a considerable extent of country, and thenretired, Tostig being enraged that William of Normandy was unwilling tosend an expedition to act in concert with him until the whole of his planswere prepared and his great army ready for sea.

  Normandy indeed had been converted into a vast camp. In every port greatnumbers of workmen laboured night and day building ships, for Normandy hadceased to be a naval power, and its shipping was utterly insufficient tocarry the great army across. Tostig, impatient and hasty, thought no moreof the oath of allegiance that he had sworn to William. Driven fromYorkshire by the forces of the northern earls he sailed to Scotland, wherehe was welcomed by King Malcolm, both as a sworn brother and as the enemyof England. From Scotland he entered into negotiations with Harold Hardradaof Norway. This warlike monarch was in a fit mood to listen to hisadvances; he had for years been engaged in a struggle with Denmark, whichhe had ineffectually attempted to conquer, and had at last been forced toconclude a treaty of peace with Sweyn, its king.

  Tostig had already endeavoured by personal persuasions to induce Sweyn torevive his claim to the crown of England, and to undertake its conquest;but he altogether declined to undertake so dangerous and difficult anenterprise, and Tostig had then turned to Harold of Norway. Whether hisinterview with him was before he went to Scotland or whether he went thenceto Norway is a point on which historians differ. Some deny that anyinterview took place, but the balance of probability lies strongly infavour of an early interview, at which Harold entered heartily intoTostig's plans, and began at once to make preparations for the enterprise.

  It was certain that an invading force from Norway would land inNorthumbria, and Harold, although he might not be able to rely greatly uponthe assistance of the northern earls as against the Normans, knew that theywould do their best to defeat an expedition landing on their own shores,especially when Tostig was a sharer in the invasion. His own thoughts werewholly bent upon repelling the mighty expedition gathering in Normandy, andfor this purpose, by immense efforts, he collected the greatest army andfleet that had ever been got together in England. An incessant watch waskept up along the coast where the Normans might be expected to land, whilethe fleet cruised for months between the Thames and the Isle of Wightprepared to give battle to the invaders.

  But the conditions of service in England were such that it was impossibleto keep a great force on foot for an indefinite time. The housecarls werethe only regular portion of the army The great bulk of the force, both landand sea, consisting of the levies or militia, whose term of service wasvery limited. It says much for the influence of Harold that he was ablefor four months to keep his army and navy together. Had the foe appeared,soldiers and sailors would have done their duty, but the long term ofinaction, the weary waiting for a foe that never came, was too much, andwhen September arrived and the harvest was ready to be gathered it wasimpossible even for him to keep the men longer together. The armydisbanded, the levies went to their homes, and the ships of the fleetsailed away to the ports to which they belonged. All the efforts andanxieties of Harold, all his lavish expenditure in feeding and providingfor so great a number of men had been thrown away. England lay for a timeabsolutely defenceless against the coming storm.

  It was not until August that Wulf had completely recovered his strength,and was able to join the army.

  "This is not a time," Harold said to him on the day he arrived at the camp,"for the granting of dignities or the bestowal of grants. But if we aresuccessful, and I remain King of England, the services you have rendered meat the risk of your life, Wulf, shall be worthily rewarded."

  "I need no reward," Wulf replied. "My estates are sufficient for all myneeds, and I desire neither land nor dignity, being more than content thatI have been enabled to render a service to you and to England."

  Wulf was, however, at once appointed as commander of the whole of thehousecarls supplied by the thanes of the south coast of Sussex. None ofthese bodies were equal in strength to his own carefully preparedcontingent, few of the thanes having kept up more than fifteen or twentymen constantly under arms, and these only for the past few months, inconsequence of Harold's exhortations. Altogether the force amounted toabout four hundred men. Each party had its own sub-officer, and Wulf didhis best to weld them into one body. When the army broke up, he returnedwith the king to Westminster. The day after he arrived there a man met himas he issued from the palace, and handed him a letter. It contained but thewords:

  "_I would fain see you. If you will follow the bearer he will bring youto me. Say naught to any one of this message. Edith._"

  "Is the distance far?" he asked the man.

  "It is to Croydon, my lord. I have ridden here on horseback."

  Wulf at once ordered his horse to be brought to him.

  "Will you be back to-night, my lord," Osgod asked, as he mounted, "in casethe king should wish to see you?"

  "I shall not be back till late, possib
ly not until to-morrow I do not tellyou where I am going, in order that if you are asked you may be able trulyto reply that I said nothing before I mounted, as to my destination."

  It was just mid-day when Wulf drew up his horse before a modest housestanding in a secluded position a quarter of a mile from the village ofCroydon. Edith met him at the doorway.

  "I thank you, Wulf, for answering my request so speedily. There is muchthat I would ask you about my lord. I hear of him only by general report,for although from time to time I send him messages I give him noopportunity for writing to me, and I know that he has respected my wishes,and has caused no search to be made for me."

  "Harold sometimes speaks to me of you, lady, and has in no way forgottenyou. He did charge me to find out if I could the place of your abode; notthat he would seek an interview with you, but, should there be need, hemight be able to send a message." By this time they were seated in the roomwhere Edith spent the greater part of her time.

  "It is better that we should not meet," she said earnestly. "His missionis to work and to fight for England; mine to remain apart from all men andto spend my time in prayers for him. I know that he places great confidencein you, as indeed he well may, for I heard how you had saved his life, wellnigh at the expense of your own. Is he happy with his new queen?"

  "His thoughts at present, lady, are altogether turned to public affairs,and it is well perhaps that it should be so. I do not think that hereceives much sympathy from the queen, who cares more, I should say, forher brothers, the northern earls, than for her husband."

  "It is scarce a wonder that it should be so," Edith replied; "though itseems strange to me that any woman could live with Harold without lovinghim with all her heart. And yet she may well feel that she, like Harold,has been sacrificed. There was no shadow of love between them before theirmarriage, in fact she may even have hated him, for it was he who broughtruin and death upon her husband, the Welsh king. She must know that heonly married her in order to gain the firm alliance of her brothers, andthat her hand was given by them to Harold without any reference to herfeelings. I would that the king were happy, even though it were withanother. But it was not for his happiness that I left him, but that Englandmight be one. Is it true that the army is broken up and the fleetscattered?"

  "It is true, lady. Save for three or four thousand housecarls, there is notan armed man in readiness to defend England."

  "It must be a terrible trial to him."

  "It is, my lady. He returned to town yesterday dispirited and cast down atthe failure of the work of months."

  "Still they will reassemble rapidly," she said, "when the Normans reallycome?"

  "Doubtless they will. But the loss of the fleet is greater than that of thearmy, for at sea we could have met and almost assuredly have conqueredthem, for the Normans are no match for our sailors; whereas to meet sogreat an army of trained soldiers, with hastily assembled levies, is tofight under every disadvantage."

  "And is the rumour true which says that Tostig and Harold of Norway arealso preparing for an invasion?"

  "All reports that come to us through Denmark are to that effect."

  "It is enough to make the stones cry out," Edith said indignantly, "that ason of Godwin should thus betray England. I never thought it of him. Hewas headstrong and passionate; yet as a young man he was loved almost asmuch as Harold himself, nay, some loved him more. But it was not on accountof public affairs that I brought you here, but to talk of Harold. I knownought of his daily doings, of his thoughts, or his troubles. Tell me allyou can of him, Wulf."

  For a long time they talked of the king. She had from the first been drawntowards Wulf by seeing how he loved Harold, and as they talked her tearsoften fell.

  "I am proud of him," she said at last; "more proud of him than when he wasthe light of my life. My sacrifice has not been in vain. He is what I wouldhave him. One whose thoughts are all fixed upon his country; who gives allhis energy, all his wisdom, all his time to her service. Humbler men can behappy, but a king has higher duties than others, and for him love andmarriage, wife and children, the joys of the peasant, must be altogethersecondary. The good of his country, the happiness and welfare of tens ofthousands are in his hands; and if in these respects he acts worthily, ifhe gains the blessings of his people, he can afford to do without the homejoys that are so much to lesser men. You are sure that he is not unhappy?If I did but know this, I would be content."

  "I do not think he is unhappy," Wulf said confidently. "He has theapplause and love of all men, and the knowledge that all his work is forthe good of his country and his people. He may have regrets, but he haslittle time to spend upon them when he has in hand so vast a work, uponwhich night and day his every thought is directed."

  "I suppose you wish to get back to-night, Wulf?"

  "I should greatly prefer it," he said.

  "And I would rather that you did not remain here. It may seem inhospitable,but I feel it would be better so. No one here knows who I am, and at firstmy servants were plied with questions whenever they went abroad; but thewonder has died away, and the villagers have come to believe that I am, asI gave out, the widow of a court official. Should it be known that a youngthane stayed here the night, it would set them gossiping afresh. Stay andsup with me before you start."

  "And am I to tell the king I have seen you?" he asked.

  "What think you yourself, Wulf?"

  "I am sure that he would be glad to know. I need not say where you areliving. I will say that you have charged me to keep it secret, and he willforbear questioning me. But I am sure that it will give him deep pleasureto know that I have seen you, to learn how you look, how you are living,how you occupy yourself, and how you think of him. It cannot but be a trialto him to know nothing of one he so loves. More than once he has told methat he wondered whether you had entered a convent, whether you were inhealth, how you bore yourself, and other matters."

  "Tell him then, Wulf. You can tell him that great as has been my grief overour separation, I can yet feel happy in my solitude in knowing how nobly heis doing his kingly work, and that I have never wavered in my assurancethat I was right when I bade him go. Tell him that I have no thought ofentering a cloister; that I have my old servants and my garden andneedle-work; that I spend much of my time in ministering to my poorerneighbours, and that I am getting to be loved by them. Say that my healthis good, and that I have every comfort I need save his presence. Tell himthat if I fall ill, and the leeches say that I shall die, I shall send forhim to see me once again, but that in such manner only will we meet in thislife; and that it is my prayer that he will not seek to alter myresolution, for that the pain of parting again would be more than the joyof seeing him. He is another woman's now, and that by my act, therefore itwould be a grievous sin for us, loving each other as we do, to meet again,unless he or I was on a death-bed."

  The supper was served early, and when it was eaten Wulf's horse was broughtround to the door.

  "Am I to come again?" he asked.

  She did not answer for a time. "Not unless I send for you, Wulf. Ourmeeting has given me much pleasure, and I shall be the happier for it, butfor a time our talk of the past and present will unsettle me and stir upafresh regrets and longings. Therefore, it were best that you come notagain until I send for you."

  The darkness was just closing in when Wulf rode into Westminster.

  "The king has twice asked for you, my lord," Osgod said, as he alighted."The last time a quarter of an hour since."

  Wulf at once went to the king's closet, where he was at work with two orthree secretaries, to whom he was dictating.

  "I want you, Wulf," the king said as he entered. "Where hast been?" Wulfglanced at the secretaries, and Harold bade them retire till he summonedthem again. Wulf then related at length his interview with Edith. Haroldlistened in silence.

  "I am right glad at your news," he said, when the latter had finished. "Itis just what I thought she would do. Her words are lofty and wise; truly aking can
little hope for happiness such as that which is in the reach ofthe humblest of his subjects. But we will talk of this again. For thepresent I must think of public business. News has been brought me by a surehand from Denmark that the fleet of Norway has sailed. 'Tis said thatHarold has called out a levy of half the fighting men of his kingdom, andthat he has five hundred war-ships besides transports. His son, Magnus, hasbeen left behind to rule Norway with the title of king. Harold intends toconquer England and reign here. I must lose no moment in sending the newsto the northern earls. Doubtless it is on their coast he will first land.There is no one I would sooner trust than yourself, and you shall be mymessenger.

  "I have the letters already written to them, warning them that every mancapable of bearing arms should be summoned to their standard, and everypreparation made to repulse the foe. Of help at present I can give themnone; my army is dispersed, my shores undefended, and at any momentWilliam's fleet may appear off the coast. Let them meet the Norwegians,while I meet the Normans. It is for you to press upon them the counsels Igive in my letters; and I would that you should remain with them, sendingmessages to me from time to time, giving me full tidings of what takesplace at York and how they fare in their struggle with Harold of Norway,and, as I fear, with my brother Tostig. They met you at Northampton, andthey know the confidence I place in you and the services you rendered inthe Welsh campaign. However, although they may receive you well I fear thatyour counsel will go for nought. They are haughty and headstrong, andassuredly they will not be guided by one of my thanes. Do not, therefore,press the matter with them, or risk incurring their anger. I want you tostand well with them, for so only can you learn their views and keep meinformed of what is doing. Being assured that you would undertake the dutyI have highly commended you to them as my representative at York, and Idoubt not that you will be well received. Brothers-in-law though they are Ican count on but little aid from them in our struggle with the Normans, butthere they will be fighting for their own earldoms and will do their best,though I fear the result, for they have been deaf to my entreaties to keepan army on foot, and the hurried levies of the North will scarce standagainst the mighty army Harold Hardrada is bringing against them."

  "I will start immediately, my lord."

  "Here is a royal order upon all governors and thanes to give you changes ofhorses and to aid you in all ways. Take that giant of yours with you, he isa faithful fellow and is not wanting in sense; you will find him of greatuse there. You will, of course, accompany the earls to the field. Watchwell how the levies fight, it is long since they have been called upon tomeet a foe, and I would fain know how much they can be trusted on the dayof battle. As your own horse has travelled to-day take two of my best, hereis an order to the head of the stables to deliver them to you. Is thereaught else that I can do for you?"

  "Nothing, my lord. I understand your wishes, and will follow them asclosely as I can."

  "Do not expose yourself too much on the field of battle, Wulf. I cannotspare you, and therefore charge you not to be rash, and if matters go illto provide for your safety as far as you may."

  Wulf found Osgod awaiting him in the hall below.

  "I thought you might require me, master, so I waited till you had seen theking."

  "You did well, Osgod. I am starting on a journey to York and you are toaccompany me. We ride armed, so get on your coat of mail and take yourfavourite axe, then carry this order to the stables and tell them to havethe two horses ready at the gates in half an hour's time; then go to thekitchen and eat a hearty meal and put up some bread and cold meat in awallet. We shall ride fast and with few stoppages, for I have the royalorder for change of horses everywhere."

  "That is good news, my lord. After dawdling away the last four months doingnothing I am glad to hear that there is a chance of striking a strong blowon someone, though who it is I know not."

  "Now go, Osgod, I have also to change my clothes and drink a horn of aleand eat something, though I supped but three hours since. Put my gayestsuit into the saddle-bag, for I may stay some time at York, and must make afair show, going as I do as Harold's messenger."

  The journey was accomplished at an extraordinary rate of speed, Harold'sorder procuring them a change of horses when ever they stopped; and theybut once halted for a few hours' sleep. Wulf found that Edwin and Morcarwere both at York, and alighted at the gate of their residence. Announcinghimself as a messenger from the king, he was at once conducted into theirpresence.

  "It is Wulf of Steyning, is it not?" Edwin said courteously. "The messagemust be urgent indeed since Harold has chosen you to carry it. When did youleave him?"

  "I left Westminster at nine o'clock on the evening of Tuesday."

  "And it is now but mid-day on Thursday," the earl said in a tone ofastonishment. "You have ridden nigh two hundred miles in less than fortyhours."

  "The roads are good, my lord, and I had the king's order for changes ofhorses whenever needed. I slept six hours at Northampton, but have riddenwithout other stop save to take meals. I knew that the message I bore wasof importance, as you will see by the king's letter."

  Edwin opened the letter and laid it before Morcar, and the two read ittogether.

  "This is serious news indeed," Edwin said when they had perused it. "SoHarold of Norway is on his way hither with five hundred warships and halfthe males of Norway. Since the news has come from Denmark he must alreadyhave been nigh a fortnight at sea, and if he had sailed hitherwards weshould have heard long ere this of his being within sight of our shores. Aswe have heard nought of him it may be that his object has been misreported,and that it is not against us that his fleet is bound."

  "I fear that it can have no other destination," Wulf said; "though it maybe that it has sailed first to Scotland to obtain assistance from Malcolm.There, too, he will find Tostig, whom the king fears is in alliance withhim."

  "Then assuredly it is against us that he comes," Morcar said, "and unlessthe winds shatter his fleet we shall hear of him before long. But he mayland anywhere from the border of Scotland to the Humber, and it is uselessour trying to hinder him along so great a line. He may delay his coming asWilliam of Normandy has done, and our men, like those of Harold, will notremain under arms for months doing nothing. With so great an army he mustmove slowly and we shall have plenty of time to gather our forces to meethim. Harold urges us to call out the levies at once, but he does not knowthe Northumbrians as we do. They will fight, and stoutly, but they willscatter as soon as their term expires. It is but six weeks since we calledthem under arms to repulse Tostig, and unless they themselves see thedanger presses they will not leave their homes again after so short aninterval. I am glad to see by the king's letter that he has charged you tostay with us for a while. We shall be glad of your presence, both as theagent of our royal brother and as one who has already proved himself avaliant and skilful soldier."

  Apartments were at once assigned to Wulf in the palace, and he was treatedas an honoured guest. He had been furnished by the royal chamberlain withan ample sum of money, and every two or three days despatched messengers toLondon. He was greatly disturbed in mind, for the earls made no preparationwhatever to meet the coming storm, but continued to hunt or to hawk, togive entertainments, and to pass their time as if the news of a mightyinvasion had never reached them. The first attempts he made to urge them tofollow Harold's counsel were dismissed so curtly that he felt it useless topersevere.

  A fortnight passed by, and then a messenger rode into York with the newsthat a vast fleet had entered the Tyne, and that the Norsemen were harryingand burning the country. Harold Hardrada had first sailed to the Isles ofShetland and Orkney, which, with the northern districts of the mainland,formed a powerful Scandinavian province. Paul and Erning, the two youngearls of the state, and a large number of their subjects, joined the fleet,as did a Scotch contingent sent by Malcolm and commanded by Tostig, whoalso had with him the force he had brought from Flanders. Iceland, then agreat Norwegian colony, sent ships and men, as did
an Irish sovereign ofDanish descent.

  Roused to action at last the northern earls sent out summonses in alldirections for the levies to assemble. The invaders were next heard of atScarborough, which made a brave resistance, but the Norsemen took post onthe steep hill overhanging the town, and gathering there a vast pile ofwood set it on fire, and hurled blazing timbers down on the place. Many ofthe houses caught fire, and this spread rapidly. The inhabitantssurrendered, but the greater portion was slaughtered and the town given upto plunder. Holderness, like Scarborough, bravely but unsuccessfullyresisted the attack, and the great fleet sailing south entered the Humber.Hour by hour messengers rode into York bringing news of the progress of theinvaders; hour by hour the Northumbrian levies poured into the capital.

  Much as he had disapproved of their previous carelessness and delay, Wulfacknowledged that the two northern earls now bore themselves as men. Theysaw to the defences of the town, mustered all the inhabitants capable ofbearing arms, arranged for the feeding and disposition of the levies, anddid all that was possible at so short a notice to get them to take thefield. But he saw, too, that this raw militia was but little calculated tostand before the assault of the Norsemen. There was no body of seasonedtroops like the housecarls to serve as a nucleus, and to bear the chiefbrunt of the battle. All alike were raw, inexperienced, and badly armed,save for the axe, which was the favourite weapon of the English.

  The great fleet made no stay but sailed up the Humber, packing closely inthe river as it narrowed, till it seemed well-nigh covered from shore toshore with the crowded ships. It passed the little village of Selby, andcast anchor beside the left bank of the Ouse, near the village of Riccall,but nine miles' march from York. Olaf, the king's son, the two earls ofOrkney, and the bishop of those islands remained on board to guard theships, for the Northumbrian fleet, which was far too small to encounter sogreat an armament, had taken refuge up the Wharfe, and might descend andattack the Norse vessels were they left unguarded. The main body of thegreat army under the king and Tostig landed and prepared to march uponYork. Sudden as the call had been there was no lack of spirit orpatriotism in the English levies. Among their ranks were many priests andmonks, who felt that it was their duty to aid in the defence of the landagainst the semi-heathen host that invaded it. The memory of the pastinvasion of the Norsemen, when the churches had been sacked and the priestsslain on the altar, inspired them, and they and the monks responded asreadily as did the laymen to the summons of the earls. These had nothesitated to consult Wulf as to the post where they had best stationthemselves to give battle, and the disposition of their forces. One who haddistinguished himself under Duke William of Normandy, and under Harold inWales, had, young though he was, more experience of war than any of thenorthern thanes, and as the representative of Harold all these were readyto listen with respect to his advice. He had already spent four or fivedays in surveying the ground in the direction from which the Norsemen werelikely to advance, and had decided that a place known as Gate Fulford, twomiles from the city, was best calculated for defence, it being situated ona narrow ridge, having the river and its swampy banks on one side, and aflat marshy country on the other. Thither the army of the earls marched totake up its position.