Ulric the Jarl

by William Stoddard

  “This is now the spring,” said Lars, the son of Beolf. “If we pause not needlessly, we shall soon reach the fiords, but there will be no ice in them.”

  “It is a good cruise,” said another. “We may take much plunder by the way. Let us now search again the cabins of this galley.”

  Much that astonished them had been found with those who came on board in the boat that they might be slain. More was now discovered in secret places.

  “Odin!” exclaimed Knud, examining these matters. “Here are many coins of silver and of gold and a number of bright stones. I think these may have been gifts from Herod, the king, to Cæsar at Rome, but he will not soon see them.”

  “There are also fine weapons and garments,” said Wulf. “It is a very rich galley.”

  The sun was unclouded, the wind blew fairly from the east, the galley sped forward gallantly, and the rowers rested upon their seats, but now Tostig the Red stood upon the after deck with all the Saxons around him.

  “I have heard ye all,” he said, for they had been speaking many things. “We are of one mind. But if it be your will that I shall now take upon me the command of this keel, put ye your hands in mine and give me your oath to this saying, that we will be satisfied with this great plunder which we have already taken; that we will keep the open sea, not landing save for food or water; that we will care to take no other keel but this; and that we will sail on until we see the house of Brander the Brave upon the shore of the Northland. After that we will come back to the Middle Sea with many swords and we will seek for Ulric, our jarl, until we find him.”

  “So will we do!” shouted Knud the Bear.

  One by one did the Saxons then step forward and put their hands between the hands of Tostig, and the oath was an oath.

  Nevertheless, they were as men who had sailed away forever, unless the gods should see fit to accomplish this their purpose of coming again with a fleet, and with a host to follow Ulric the Jarl and his captain into the great battle in Esdraelon.

  Well was it for them that they had thus escaped the sure perils of the circus if they might also escape the many perils of the sea. They might indeed avoid the triremes of Rome, and little cared hardy vikings for rough weather, but the voyage would be long and they were not many spearmen. The slave rowers, however, were sturdy fellows, well selected, and these were likely to be better contented with masters who flogged them not unduly and who thought it a shame that even a beast, being their own, should not be well fed and cared for.

  As for Tostig the Red, he had become stern and moody, smiling not at all, and he told the rest of the vikings that Ulric, the son of Brander, was still his jarl, and that as Ulric, to his thinking, would have directed in any case, so would he order.

  “That will be well for us,” they said.

  “I have been troubled in my mind,” he told them. “I think that I may yet slay many Romans at the side of the son of Odin. I myself saw that Jewish god of his that healed him of his hurts. I heard his words and they were good to hear, although I understood him not very well. If he is to be the captain of the host, over the jarl, I am contented. But never yet did I see a better sword than is our jarl.”

  “Nor did we,” they answered him. “We will surely return with thee to the Middle Sea, and our treasure shall go with thine to the making of many great keels and the gathering of the swordsmen of the North.”

  All things seemed going well with them, but there was, nevertheless, a shadow upon the ship, and when the sun was setting Tostig the Red sat upon the after deck sharpening his seax upon a stone and now and then gazing backward toward the east.

  “Would I were with him this hour,” he said in a low, sad voice. “How shall the years go by with me henceforth if I am never again to see the face of my jarl?”

  * * *

  CHAPTER XXXVII. The House of Ben Ezra.

  IN THE HOUSE OF Ben Ezra, at the head of the flight of stone steps in the secret passage, Ulric the Jarl stood looking down into a great darkness. But now Ben Ezra came to him, having lighted a large brazen lamp which swung like a cresset at the end of a wooden rod a fathom long. The flame of the lamp was very brilliant, but the smoke thereof was unpleasant to the smell because of some strange oil which burned in it. Such a lamp might not be lighted at a feast or in the dwellings of men.

  “Follow me, O jarl,” he said. “This is the underworld and thou and I are alone in this place. But not all the swords of Cæsar could find thee if thou wert hidden here. It hath been a refuge for some who fled from a destroyer.”

  “O Jew,” said Ulric, “I will cover this thy secret. May I fail of Valhalla, dying as a cow dieth, if I betray thee!”

  “Come!” said Ben Ezra, and they went on down the stairway together.

  At the foot of it was a low chamber, the air of which was heavy, but Ben Ezra turned to the left, and as he lifted his lamp there might be seen a narrow cleft in the masonry. A little inside of this cleft there was a barrier of iron-bound woodwork.

  “Lift it away by its hand pieces,” said Ben Ezra. “Thou art stronger than I.”

  Very massive was the wooden barrier, but it might be dragged forth and laid upon the floor, and at once a current of cold, damp air poured through the opening, bringing with it a smell as of earth.

  “I will go in first,” said Ben Ezra. “Now will I show thee my crypt.”

  In a moment more they were stooping over an open coffer, and he said:

  “Here are my treasures and thine, and somewhat which belongeth to thy men. I would they might have it, for we need not any goods but our own. Thou shalt take away at thy will whatever is thine own.”

  “I may not remove it now,” said Ulric, “save a bag of golden coins. But I would ask of thee, if thou wilt tell me, what is this place that we are in and how is there such a cavern, with masonwork and corridors and pillars and cunning doors? Are we to go on into it?”

  “Thou wilt go no further lest thou lose thyself as in a wilderness,” said the Jew, pointing down the passageway.

  “It is like a cave,” said Ulric. “I never heard of caves under a city.”

  “Behold,” said Ben Ezra, “the secret of Jerusalem. It is from the earliest time. There was a fort here in the days of Adam and here the giants had their dwelling. There are no writings of those ancient days. But on these hills and in these valleys city after city hath been builded and destroyed. For those walls and buildings much masonry was needed. There were vast halls and hollows made in quarrying stone during ages. Afterward these openings were sealed and made of the secrets of priests and kings. They will not be opened until Messiah cometh.”

  “He is to be thy great king,” said Ulric. “What need hath he of caves?”

  “Not any,” said Ben Ezra, “but he will know in what hidden depth he shall find the treasures of Adam and of the giants and of the old kings and of Solomon, for all are yonder, where none but he may lay a hand upon them. Let us go.”

  “I have seen a wonder,” said Ulric following his guide. “But if this god from Nazareth is to be thy king, wilt thou not thyself inform him of the way through thy house into his hidden places?”

  “He will have no need,” said Ben Ezra; “but if I saw that he had the right to know, I would tell him. Messiah knoweth all things. As for this rabbi of Galilee, he cometh to Jerusalem even now, for the Passover feast draweth near. I would gladly hear him again. During years that are gone there have been many sayings concerning him.”

  “I know that he hath healed my hurts,” said Ulric. “He hath also done in like manner by many another. I think that I shall yet be a captain of men under him, and the great battle cometh.”

  They were now in the upper room and the stone door had been closed behind them, swinging upon its pivots.

  “Am I to abide here this night?” asked Ulric. “I have an errand of mine own in the morning. After that is done I must go to my men. They will surely need counsel and ordering.”

  “I will now show thee thy chamber wherein thou
art to sleep,” said Ben Ezra. “But, I pray thee, do not too many errands within the city walls, and neglect not to visit Caius of Thessalonica lest thou lose thy strong friend. It is needful for thee to be seen much at his house.”

  “I will truly care for him,” said Ulric. “It is my duty. But I have a great concern as to my companions. O that they were even now upon the sea and utterly escaped from the circus!”

  “Else they will surely all be slain,” said Ben Ezra; but he led the way to a place for sleeping and the night closed over all.

  When the next morning came the watchmen upon the walls of Joppa took note that the swift galley of Herod, the tetrarch, had already departed. So sent they in their due report, but already had it been discovered that whoever might now be in her had left behind them strange tokens. In the highway north of the tower came a company of legionaries to change the sentries, and at the turning of the road they found but a dead man, slain by a spear thrust through his head. Who could have done this deed in a day of peace they guessed not at all, but their officer spoke of the Jackal of Machærus. Not long afterward a horseman in bright armor rode along the beach seeing empty boats that were cast up by the waves, and also the empty place where the evening before the galley had been anchored.

  “I am too late!” he shouted, angrily. “The traitor hath escaped to Rome! What answer shall I give to Herod Antipas? His brother hath again outwitted him and I think he is in league with the procurator.”

  Further up the beach men led along many horses, saddled and bridled, which they had found astray and ownerless, and this thing also was a riddle.

  The governor of Joppa was quickly informed of all, that he might make his report to his commander; but at that hour Pontius the Spearman was sitting in the seat of judgment thinking not of Joppa, and before him came not only his own officers, but Jews, also, and people from the towns and the provinces. Suddenly, however, he turned from aught else to look into the face of one who came in haste, seeming to be greatly disturbed in mind. It was the master of the games who now stood opposite the chair of judgment, and at a sign of the procurator’s hand he spoke rapidly until he had told his errand, speaking low that none else might hear.

  “O thou,” said Pontius, calmly, “go back to thy affairs. I care not greatly what Caius hath done with his gladiators. If indeed they have rebelled and if they are in Judea or Samaria, I will retake them for him in season for the games. The fault is not thine.”

  “O most noble Pontius,” said the master of the games, “what sayest thou of the Greek? He came unto them, as I testified.”

  “What is that to thee?” responded the procurator haughtily. “Care thou for thy beasts and thy cages. See that thou speak not at all to him of this matter when thou seest him. Go thy way!”

  The master of the games trembled somewhat as he went forth and Pontius followed him not with his eyes, but muttered to himself:

  “The Greek hath made good his token of a man from the circus. I will now wait for a word from Joppa, but I will not question him imprudently when he returneth from Cæsarea.”

  Heavy matters were now coming before him, and among them all was none which seemed to trouble him more than did certain testimonies concerning the evil deeds of robbers from the wilderness of Judea.

  “O ye Jews!” exclaimed the angry magistrate. “How shall I execute justice when so many of you are in league with these evil-doers? In this city is the refuge of these wicked men. Who will capture for me this Bar Abbas that I may crucify him? He hath kindred among you and ye shelter him!”

  Loud were the indignant protests which replied to him from scribes and rabbis and rulers, but far back, near the entrance of the hall of judgment, were twain who listened eagerly.

  “Father Abraham!” hoarsely whispered one of these. “I may not upon any account bring my matter before him. Even now is my son at my house and he brought much profit with him. He is worth more to me than are all the robbers of Gilboa or the tribes beyond Jordan. He must not fall into the hands of these Roman heathen lest I also be destroyed. The God of Israel be my protector against the enemy!”

  Searching eyes were upon him, but the thought in the mind of Ulric, the son of Brander, was: “Well for me that I fell in with him as I left the house of Ben Ezra. Well that I followed him even here. Now will I not cease until I know his abiding place.”

  Cowering and hiding his face, did Abbas hasten away, hardly daring to look behind him. Many were coming and going, however, and the guilty dealer in stolen goods might not take warning of the manner in which he was followed vengefully from street to street.

  “I may not smite him now,” said the pursuer, “but he and another will shortly be touched by a sharp edge. There entereth he a door and I will leave him for this time. Now must I see Caius and then I go to my companions. Would that they were on their way to the Northland. Woe to me if I bring harm to them!”

  Nevertheless, even before going to the house of Caius, the jarl did one thing which relieved both his heart and his hands from a heavy weight. He went to the door of a house and he was admitted, but he tarried not there, and he came out again, going on in haste, but with less gloom upon his face.

  “She will think well of me!” he exclaimed. “I might not have speech with her, but she will look upon my token and she will bless me.”

  In the house from which he had departed, and in an inner chamber of it, stood the Hebrew maiden, and before her was Isaac, the aged, her near kinsman. He placed upon a table a heavy bag and he essayed to speak, but his lips trembled and his voice failed him.

  “O Isaac, what is this?” she exclaimed. “Where didst thou obtain money, seeing the manner in which we are hindered? Hast thou indeed betrayed me again by thy weakness?”

  “Nay! Nay! It is thine!” shouted Isaac. “Thy heathen prince came to the door. I saw him, but he lingered not and none other had speech with him. ‘This is for her,’ he said. ‘Tell her I watch and I return, but that she may not go forth, not even to the temple.’ So I brought the bag to thee, wondering. Count it, for I have not counted.”

  He himself untied the bag and poured out the coins upon the table, counting, while Miriam watched as one who seeth dimly in a dream of the night.

  “Ulric, Ulric,” she muttered, “thou art more to me than are these. I think of thee that thou art pure gold, but who may weigh thee in the balances? Come to me, for great is my need of thy counsel!”

  “Of Rome and of Greece and of Judea are these coins,” said Isaac. “They are thrice our present requirement. Jehovah hath turned to thee the heart of this idolater and thou doest well to make him serve thee. Thou hast the understanding which is given to women. We will pay our oppressors. We will give a goodly gift to the judge and to the chief priests. We will offer a sacrifice of burnt offering of a sweet savor. And God, even our God, will yet deliver thee also from the hand of this heathen gladiator.”

  “Isaac,” she exclaimed, “peace! Speak not of him unduly! Would that a false judgment concerning money were our only peril.”

  “O Miriam,” said the old man, putting the coins in again and tying the bag, “that also hath been provided for. In this house we may not safely remain, but a sure refuge hath been offered and we shall be for a season as if we were hidden in a well. One cometh shortly to be our guide, and it is needful that thy heathen prince, also, should have information, for he hath more gold than this and his hand is now open.”

  “Peace!” she again exclaimed, but Isaac went out with the bag, saying:

  “Great are the gifts of Jehovah of Hosts! Would that he might now send the sword of this Philistine who loveth her upon the necks of our enemies!”

  “I will wait,” she was whispering, “until I see him.”

  Long was the remaining of Ulric the Jarl at the house of Caius of Thessalonica, but afterward he went out at the Damascus gate purposing to visit the amphitheater. He went on down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, walking slowly, and he came to the bridge over the brook Kidron, by which
he was to pass.

  “O jarl,” said a youth who waited at the bridge, “a token from Ben Ezra!”

  “None heareth,” replied Ulric. “Say on.”

  “Thy men are not at the circus, he bade me tell thee, and no man knoweth whither they are gone. Go thou not thither now, but let the house of Caius be thy refuge, for there will be an inquiry for thee.”

  Still as a stone stood the jarl while one might breathe three times.

  “I thank thee and him, O youth,” he said then. “Go thou to him with his word only, that neither he nor I need any to tell us whereunto the sons of the Northland have departed. I will do as he hath said.”

  The youth went from him running, but Ulric did not reenter the city by the Damascus gate.

  “It will be safer to choose another,” he said. “I was seen by the guards when I came forth. They may by this time have some evil commandment concerning me.”

  So therefore he made a great circuit of the walls, going far, and even after he selected a gate by which he might prudently go in he seemed to have another matter upon his hands. The hours went by, one after another, and it was long after the sunset before he was known to be in the house of Caius. Then speedily he was sent for and he went in to what was now the sick chamber of the centurion.

  “O jarl,” said he, “how is it with thee?”

  “O most noble Caius,” replied the jarl, “I am well, but I am alone in Jerusalem. All of my companions have returned to their own land.”

  “Well for thee,” said Caius. “Of that I had been informed. A swift messenger from the governor of Joppa brought strange news to the procurator. What sayest thou if thy men have been hired to serve upon a ship by Herod, the tetrarch? Would they not guard well?”

  “O Caius,” said the jarl, “thou knowest them and I need say no more, for I am ignorant of all this matter save that they are gone.”