The Story of Rolf and the Viking's Bow

by Allen French

  CHAPTER XXVII

  ODD DOINGS AT CRAGNESS

  Now time wears toward harvest, and in the dales all is quiet and busy,so that men when they meet have little gossip, save only of the doingsof Thurid the crone. For she travelled far and wide in the night, andmen saw her so distant from home that it was said she rode the wind;she was seen near the farm of Burning-Flosi, far to the east, and nearthe hall of Snorri the Priest, to the west. Ever when seen in the darkshe strode furiously; by day she was always bent and slow. Old menspoke of her youth, when she was brisk and handy; it seemed as if heryouth came again in these fits, foretelling her death.

  Moreover by Asdis's work nothing now lagged, and the field was plowed,sowed, and harrowed, so that never had such a crop stood on those pooracres, and that by the work of two women. Some questioned whetherindeed Rolf were not about; but there was no place in the hut forhiding a man, howbeit busybodies pried about there much. Now all thatthey found was what looked to be a grave, not far from the home-mead.So then the tale ran that Rolf was dead, and there buried; but whenquestioned Asdis would only laugh and say:

  "Whether it is a grave, or the place where stood a little tree that Iuprooted for fuel, that ye may guess."

  But she was always so blithe that it was sure her son still lived.

  Now on a day word came to Ondott from Thorstein Angle his cousin, thatthree men for sure dwelt on the island of Drangey; they were Grettirthe Strong and Illugi his brother and some man unknown; but whethermore men dwelt there no one could say, for so high were the cliffsthat nothing could be seen from the mainland, and another three mightfor a twelvemonth lie there hidden. Many believed that others werethere. So Ondott was satisfied that Rolf lay in hiding there afar off,and would not trouble the Cragness-dwellers for a long time to come.

  Now came harvest rich and full, a bountiful year; men worked hard inthe fields, the women too, and at night sleep was sound. There came amorning when it was found that Cragness had been entered at night andthe whole hall ransacked, its passages, lofts, and store-rooms. Goodswere taken from their places and laid aside; chests had been moved,opened, and emptied; and there was scarce a corner of the place buthad been searched. Yet gold and silver, whether in money, rings, orvessels, were left behind, nor were they even gathered together forbooty. So it was seen that no common thief had been there, and menwondered wherefore that had been done.

  But Grani sent all his men to work in the field, and the women torighting the house; then he took the bow from under the settle whereit was hid with its arrows, and he thrust it within the dais whereonwere the seats of honor.

  Now a night passed again, and no one heard the dogs bark; but in themorning it was seen that the thief had come again, and all the settleswere out of their places, as if one had searched beneath them. Noother places were searched, and nothing had been taken; all thought itstrange that the dogs had not barked. Then another day passed, and mencame home to sleep as tired as before; so then Grani took the bow andhid it up under the thatch, when all had gone to their beds.

  In the morning nothing had happened save that the seats on the daishad all been moved, and the dais was found set up against the wall.Now the dais was heavy, and that work had been done with muchstrength. While men were marvelling the neatherd came in, and said hehad been awake early in the byre, with a sick calf. Before sunrise helooked out of the window; the light was not strong, but he could see alittle way. There he saw the crone Thurid standing, near the house;but when he ran out to speak with her, she had moved toward thecliffs. Whether she saw or heard him he could not say, but suddenlyshe began to go with long strides. A little mist hung above the crags;into that mist she went, seeming to walk upon the air; and while hestood astonished the mist wreathed around her, and she was lost fromsight. He said to himself that was the end of the old woman; but in anhour, looking toward the upland, he saw her walking to the hut ofAsdis, and that matter he could not explain.

  Grani sent all men about their work again; he took the bow from thehall, with its quiver, and carried them to the great store-house, andhid them beneath sacks of grain. Then a night passed, and nothinghappened; but on the second night noises were heard; men took lightsand searched in the hall, finding nothing. Yet in the morning it wasseen that someone had been at work under the thatch of the hall, byevery rafter; and it was a bold deed to do that ransacking in thedark, for a fall might mean death. No one had seen Thurid nor anyliving soul; yet a tatter of cloth was found, like as it had been tornfrom the old woman's gray cloak.

  Now Grani takes the bow from the store-house, and thinks much byhimself, and at last hides it in a haystack, an old one; and there thebow lies deep within. That night he sets men to watch in thestore-house, and fetches dogs from a tenants farm, and hopes now tocatch the thief.

  But one comes by night, and enters the store-house by the thatch, andtakes the watchmen asleep, binding them with their heads in the bagsthat lay there. And all the store-house was searched and everythingmoved, and the thief away before day, but nothing taken. Those dogswhich had been brought and tied by the door had had their leashes cut,and were off to their master; but the dogs of the place had given nosign. Those were the best watch-dogs in the dales, and had belonged toHiarandi. No footprints were found about the place, and the watchmensaid but one person had been there, marvellous silent and strong.

  Grani took much thought where now to hide the bow, and bespoke thematter with Einar and Ondott; but they found no better place thanwhere it lay, so there they let it bide. And Ondott went with men tothe hut of Asdis, and called for the woman Thurid. Asdis said sheslept within, and would not come out. So Ondott spoke to her from thedoorway, as the crone lay within by the hearth; a bundle of rags shewas.

  "Is it thou that comest to our house," asked Ondott, "making thismischief there?"

  "She speaks to no one save me," said Asdis, "and never whenquestioned."

  "Tell her," said Ondott, "that if more searchings go on at Cragness,we will hale the old woman before the bishop and exorcise her forsorcery, since there must be witchcraft in these doings. So take heedto her, goodwife, and thyself as well."

  "Thou art brave," said Asdis, "to threaten two women."

  So Ondott rides away again, and that was the end of those happeningsat Cragness. Some said the thief could not find what he sought; butsome that Thurid was the thief, and Ondott had frighted her.

  Time now fell for the harvest feast, and all preparations were madefor receiving guests; great store of good things was made ready, andfood and fodder for man and beast.

  Comes at last Helga to Grani, and begs him not to hold the feast atall, for her mind misgives her because of it. He says that the guestsmust be on the way, and bids her work at the cooking, and forget thosethoughts. She goes away sorrowful, and says no more of this to anyone.

  Then on the morrow the guests are seen riding, both Snorri the Priest,that old man, and Kolbein Flosi's son, each with a large company.