Havelok the Dane: A Legend of Old Grimsby and Lincoln, Charles W. Whistler [most read books of all time TXT] 📗

the Briton was likely to be. And he was not wrong, for without warning Griffin flew on him, sword point foremost, and left handed, for he might not use the right for many a long day yet.

Biorn shouted; but Havelok was ready, and the heavy bar caught and shivered the light sword, and then swung and hurled the thane back among his men with a rib broken. Havelok followed that up, falling on the men even as their leader was among their feet. Two he felled with downright strokes, and another shrank away in time to save himself from the like fate. Then a fourth got in under his guard, and wounded Havelok slightly in the left arm; and unless Biorn had been out and beside him by that time it would have gone hard with him, for both those who were left were on him, and another was hanging back for a chance to come.

There was shouting enough now, for the Briton does not fight in silence as do the northern men, and we had waked. First of all Raven ran down to the great room, half dazed with sleep, and blaming himself for all this trouble, for he had seen that a ship was coming in, and he might have thought it possible that it had brought Griffin and his men, whose tongue had told him at once what had happened.

Now he called to us to arm quickly, and sought for a weapon for himself; and in that familiar place he went to the old corner where the oars were wont to be set. There was one, for I have said that this Biorn was a fisher, and the place that was handy for us had been so for him. That was a homely weapon to Raven, and out into the moonlight he came with it, and swept a Welshman away from Havelok's side as he came. But now more men were coming -- townsfolk who had been roused by the noise -- and they knew nothing of the attackers, and so thought them friends of ours, who joined us in falling on their sheriff; and there was a wild confusion when Withelm and I came down armed.

But what we saw first was a dim, white figure in the doorway of the other room; and there stood Goldberga, wide eyed and trembling.

"My dream, my dream!" she said.

But of that we knew nothing; and we could but tell her to be of good courage, for we would win through yet, and so went out to the fight.

By this time Griffin was up again, and as I came from the door he was once more ready to fall on Havelok from behind. So I thought it best to stay him, and I shouted his name, and he turned and made for me. But there was no skill in his coming, or he did not think me worth it, for the axe had the better, and there was an end of Griffin.

Withelm saw at once that Havelok had no weapon but the bar, and he ran to him and held out his own axe.

"Thanks, brother. Mine is inside the door. Get it for me," said he; but now he was laughing, and doing not much harm to anyone, and as I got behind his back I saw why this was.

There was only one of Griffin's men left, and all the rest of the crowd of half-armed men were townsfolk. Havelok and Raven were keeping these back with sweeps of their long weapons, and behind them against the wall was the sheriff, swearing and shouting vainly to bid his people hold off and listen to him. And the noise was so great that they did but think that he was calling them to rescue him from these who had taken him prisoner. It seemed that the Welshman was keeping this up also; but neither he nor any of the men cared to risk any nearness to the sweep of bar and long oar in such hands. There were many broken heads in that crowd; but it was growing greater every minute, and those who were coming were well armed, having taken their time over it. They say that there were sixty men there at one time.

Now ran Withelm with the axe, and at that Havelok parted with the door bar, and ended the last Welshman at the same time, for he hurled it at him endwise, like a spear, and it took him full in the chest, and he went down to rise no more. And at that the townsmen ran in, and we were busy for a space, until once more they were in a howling circle round us. But they had wounded Havelok again; and Biorn was at his wit's end, for he had had to take part in the fight this time. The men were mad with battle, and forgot who he was, as it seemed. And now some raised a cry for bows.

That was the worst thing that we had to fear, and Raven called to us, "Into the house, brothers, and keep them out of it till the jarl comes. He will hear, or be sent for."

So we went back and got into the doorway, and we could not bar it at first. But Withelm hewed off the blade of Raven's oar, and I went out and cleared the folk away for a space, and leapt back; and Havelok and I got the door shut quickly against them as they came back on it, and we barred it with the oar loom. That was but pine, however, and it would not last long.

Outside, the people were quiet for a little, wondering, no doubt, how to rescue Biorn. He wanted to go out to them, but it did not seem safe just yet. If they grew more reasonable it might be so.

Then, as we rested thus, Goldberga came quickly, for she saw that her husband was wounded, and she began to bind his hurts with a scarf she had. She was very pale, but she was not weeping, and her hands did not shake as she went to work.

"This is my dream," she said. "Was that the voice of Griffin that I heard? It does not seem possible; but there is none other who speaks in the old tongue of Britain here, surely."

"There is no more fear of him," said Havelok, looking tenderly at her. "Your dream has come true so far, if he was in it. How did it end?"

"We fled to a tree," she said, smiling faintly.

Havelok smiled also, for this seemed dream stuff only to all of us -- all of us but Withelm, that is, for at once he said, "This door will be down with a few blows. What of that tower of yours, Biorn? Might we not get there and wait till the jarl comes?"

At that Biorn almost shouted.

"That is a good thought, and we can get there easily. Well it will be, also, for the men are wild now, and there have been too many slain and hurt for them to listen to reason."

"Bide you here," said Withelm, "for it is we whom they seek. Then you can talk to them."

But he would not do that, seeing that we had been put in his charge by the jarl.

"I go with you," he said. "Now, if we climb out of the window that is in the back of the house we can get to the tower before they know we are gone."

We went into that chamber where Havelok had once been when he was taken from the sack, and even as I unbarred the heavy shutter and took it down, the door began to shake with a fresh attack on it. The trees of the grove were two hundred yards from the house, maybe, and among them loomed high and black the watchtower I had seen from the sea. A wide path had been cut to it, and the moonlight shone straight down this to the door of the building.

Now Biorn went out first, and then he helped out Goldberga, and after her we made Havelok go; and we called to these three to get to the tower as Withelm came next, for every moment I looked to see our enemies -- if they are to be called so when I hardly suppose they knew what they were fighting about -- come round to fall on the back of the house.

Because of Goldberga they went; and Biorn opened the tower door, and she passed into the blackness of its entry, but the two men stayed outside for us. And we three were all out of the house when the first of the crowd bethought themselves, and made for the back, and saw us.

At once they raised a shout and a rush, and we did not think it worth while to wait for them, as they would get between us and the tower, which was open for us. So we ran, and they were, some twenty of them, hard at our heels as we reached the door, and half fell inside, for the winding stairway was close to the entry. I think that Biorn and Havelok had made their plans as they saw what was coming, for Havelok followed us and stood in the doorway, while Biorn was just outside with his axe ready.

"Hold hard, friends!" he called, as the men came up and halted before him; "what is all this?"

"Stand aside and let us get at them," said the foremost, panting.

"Nay," said Biorn; "what harm have they done?"

"Slain a dozen men and lamed twice as many more," answered several voices; "have them forth straightway."

"They were attacked, and defended themselves," said the sheriff, "and it is no fault of theirs that they had to do their best. Get you home, and I will answer to the jarl for them. They are the jarl's guests."

Then was a howl that was strange, and with it voices which seemed to let some light on the matter.

"They have slain the jarl's guests."

And then came forward a big black-bearded man whom I had seen in the crowd already, and he squared up to Biorn.

"Lies are no good, master sheriff, for we know that the outlanders who spoke the strange tongue must be the guests who came."

"I am no liar," answered Biorn. "Is there not one man here who saw the ship and her folk this afternoon?"

Now this man seemed not to want that question answered, for he shouted to the crowd not to waste time in wrangling, but to have out the murderers; and he took a step towards Biorn, bidding him side no more with the men, but let the folk deal with them.

"You overdo your business as sheriff!" he said.

It was Biorn who wasted no more time, for he saw that here was deeper trouble than a common riot. He lifted his axe.

"Come nearer at your peril," he said.

Then the black-bearded man sprang at him, and axe met sword for a parry or two, flashing white in the moonlight. Then one weapon flashed red suddenly, and it was Biorn's, and back into the tower he sprang as his foe fell, and Havelok flung the door to, and I barred it.

"Up," said Biorn; and in the dark we stumbled from stair to stair, while the crowd howled and beat on the door below us. It was good to get out into the moonlight on the roof, where we could rest. I was glad that the tower was there instead of Thor, and also that it was strong. It was no great height, but wide, and the men below looked comfortably far off at all events.

"Here is a fine affair," quoth Biorn, sitting himself down with his back against the high stone wall round the tower top. "It will take me all my time to set this right."

"You have stood by us well, friend," Havelok said, "and it is a pity that you have had to share our trouble so far as this. Who was the man who fell on you?"

"That is the trouble," answered Biorn, "for there will be more noise over him than all the rest. He was Hodulf's steward, the man who gathers the scatt, and therefore is not liked. And all men know that there was no love lost between him and me."

"Hodulf's man," said I; "how long has he been here, and is he a Norseman?"

For I knew him. He was the man who had spoken to me at the boat side when we had to fly -- one, therefore, who knew all of the secret of Havelok.

"Ay, one of the Norsemen who came here with the king at the first, and is almost the last left of that crew. I suppose that you have heard