CHAPTER XI. MEN MAKE OATH AT BURGSTEAD ON THE HOLY BOAR.
A WEEK after the ransacking at Greentofts the snow and the winter came onin earnest, and all the Dale lay in snow, and men went on skids when theyfared up and down the Dale or on the Mountain.
All was now tidingless till Yule over, and in Burgstead was therefeasting and joyance enough; and especially at the House of the Face washigh-tide holden, and the Alderman and his sons and Stone-face and allthe kindred and all their men sat in glorious attire within the hall; andmany others were there of the best of the kindreds of Burgstead who hadbeen bidden.
Face-of-god sat between his father and Stone-face; and he looked up anddown the tables and the hall and saw not the Bride, and his heart misgavehim because she was not there, and he wondered what had befallen and ifshe were sick of sorrow.
But Iron-face beheld him how he gazed about, and he laughed; for he wasexceeding merry that night and fared as a young man. Then he said to hisson: ‘Whom seekest thou, son? is there someone lacking?’
Face-of-god reddened as one who lies unused to it, and said:
‘Yea, kinsman, so it is that I was seeking the Bride my kinswoman.’
‘Nay,’ said Iron-face, ‘call her not kinswoman: therein is ill-luck, lestit seem that thou art to wed one too nigh thine own blood. Call her theBride only: to thee and to me the name is good. Well, son, desirest thousorely to see her?’
‘Yea, yea, surely,’ said Face-of-god; but his eyes went all about thehall still, as though his mind strayed from the place and that home ofhis.
Said Iron-face: ‘Have patience, son, thou shalt see her anon, and that insuch guise as shall please thee.’
Therewithal came the maidens with the ewers of wine, and they filled allhorns and beakers, and then stood by the endlong tables on either sidelaughing and talking with the carles and the older women; and the hallwas a fair sight to see, for the many candles burned bright and the fireon the hearth flared up, and those maids were clad in fair raiment, andthere was none of them but was comely, and some were fair, and some veryfair: the walls also were hung with goodly pictured cloths, and the imageof the God of the Face looked down smiling terribly from the gable-endabove the high-seat.
Thus as they sat they heard the sound of a horn winded close outside thehall door, and the door was smitten on. Then rose Iron-face smilingmerrily, and cried out:
‘Enter ye, whether ye be friends or foes: for if ye be foemen, yet shallye keep the holy peace of Yule, unless ye be the foes of all kindreds andnations, and then shall we slay you.’
Thereat some who knew what was toward laughed; but Gold-mane, who hadbeen away from Burgstead some days past, marvelled and knit his brows,and let his right hand fall on his sword-hilt. For this folk, who wereof merry ways, were wont to deal diversely with the Yule-tide customs inthe manner of shows; and he knew not that this was one of them.
Now was the Outer door thrown open, and there entered seven men, whereoftwo were all-armed in bright war-gear, and two bore slug-horns, and twobore up somewhat on a dish covered over with a piece of rich cloth, andthe seventh stood before them all wrapped up in a dark fur mantle.
Thus they stood a moment; and when he saw their number, back toGold-mane’s heart came the thought of those folk on the Mountain: forindeed he was somewhat out of himself for doubt and longing, else wouldhe have deemed that all this was but a Yule-tide play.
Now the men with the slug-horns set them to their mouths and blew a longblast; while the first of the new-comers set hand to the clasps of thefur cloak and let it fall to the ground, and lo! a woman exceedingbeauteous, clad in glistering raiment of gold and fine web; her hairwreathed with bay, and in her hand a naked sword with goodly-wroughtgolden hilt and polished blue-gleaming blade.
Face-of-god started up in his sear, and stared like a man new-wakenedfrom a strange dream: because for one moment he deemed verily that it wasthe Woman of the Mountain arrayed as he had last seen her, and he criedaloud ‘The Friend, the Friend!’
His father brake out into loud laughter thereat, and clapped his son onthe shoulder and said: ‘Yea, yea, lad, thou mayst well say the Friend;for this is thine old playmate whom thou hast been looking round the hallfor, arrayed this eve in such fashion as is meet for her goodliness andher worthiness. Yea, this is the Friend indeed!’
Then waxed Face-of-god as red as blood for shame, and he sat him down inhis place again: for now he wotted what was toward, and saw that thisfair woman was the Bride.
But Stone-face from the other side looked keenly on him.
Then blew the horns again, and the Bride stepped daintily up the hall,and the sweet odour of her raiment went from her about the fire-warmeddwelling, and her beauty moved all hearts with love. So stood she at thehigh-table; and those two who bore the burden set it down thereon anddrew off the covering, and lo! there was the Holy Boar of Yule on whichmen were wont to make oath of deeds that they would do in the comingyear, according to the custom of their forefathers. Then the Bride laidthe goodly sword beside the dish, and then went round the table and satdown betwixt Face-of-god and Stone-face, and turned kindly to Gold-mane,and was glad; for now was his fair face as its wont was to be. He inturn smiled upon her, for she was fair and kind and his fellow for many aday.
Now the men-at-arms stood each side the Boar, and out from them on eachside stood the two hornsmen: then these blew up again, whereon theAlderman stood up and cried:
‘Ye sons of the brave who have any deed that ye may be desirous of doing,come up, come lay your hand on the sword, and the point of the sword tothe Holy Beast, and swear the oath that lieth on your hearts.’
Therewith he sat down, and there strode a man up the hall, strong-builtand sturdy, but short of stature; black-haired, red-bearded, andruddy-faced: and he stood on the daïs, and took up the sword and laid itspoint on the Boar, and said:
‘I am Bristler, son of Brightling, a man of the Shepherds. Here by theHoly Boar I swear to follow up the ransackers of Penny-thumb and theslayers of Rusty. And I take this feud upon me, although they be no goodmen, because I am of the kin and it falleth to me, since others forbear;and when the Court was hallowed hereon I was away out of the Dale and theDowns. So help me the Warrior, and the God of the Earth.’
Then the Alderman nodded his head to him kindly, and reached him out acup of wine, and as he drank there went up a rumour of praise from thehall; and men said that his oath was manly and that he was like to keepit; for he was a good man-at-arms and a stout heart.
Then came up three men of the Shepherds and two of the Dale and swore tohelp Bristler in his feud, and men thought it well sworn.
After that came a braggart, a man very gay of his raiment, and swore withmany words that if he lived the year through he would be a captain overthe men of the Plain, and would come back again with many gifts for hisfriends in the Dale. This men deemed foolishly sworn, for they knew theman; so they jeered at him and laughed as he went back to his placeashamed.
Then swore three others oaths not hard to be kept, and men laughed andwere merry.
At last uprose the Alderman, and said: ‘Kinsmen, and good fellows, gooddays and peaceable are in the Dale as now; and of such days little is thestory, and little it availeth to swear a deed of derring-do: yet threethings I swear by this Beast; and first to gainsay no man’s asking if Imay perform it; and next to set right above law and mercy above custom;and lastly, if the days change and war cometh to us or we go to meet it,I will be no backwarder in the onset than three fathoms behind theforemost. So help me the Warrior, and the God of the Face and the HolyEarth!’
Therewith he sat down, and all men shouted for joy of him, and said thatit was most like that he would keep his oath.
Last of all uprose Face-of-god and took up the sword and looked at it;and so bright was the blade that he saw in it the image of the goldenbraveries which the Bride bore, and even some broken image of her face.Then he handled the hilt and laid the point on the Boar, and cried:
‘Hereby I swear to wed the fairest woman of the Earth before the year isworn to an end; and that whether the Dalesmen gainsay me or the menbeyond the Dale. So help me the Warrior, and the God of the Face and theHoly Earth!’
Therewith he sat down; and once more men shouted for the love of him andof the Bride, and they said he had sworn well and like a chieftain.
But the Bride noted him that neither were his eyes nor his voice like totheir wont as he swore, for she knew him well; and thereat was she ill atease, for now whatever was new in him was to her a threat of evil tocome.
Stone-face also noted him, and he knew the young man better than allothers save the Bride, and he saw withal that she was ill-pleased, and hesaid to himself: ‘I will speak to my fosterling to-morrow if I may findhim alone.’
So came the swearing to an end, and they fell to on their meat andfeasted on the Boar of Atonement after they had duly given the Gods theirdue share, and the wine went about the hall and men were merry till theydrank the parting cup and fared to rest in the shut-beds, and wheresoelse they might in the Hall and the House, for there were many men there.
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