Thus he spoke, but still men looked doubtfully upon him, for his eye wasthe eye of a liar--and Eric, as they knew, did not lie.
"It is hard to find the truth between lawman's brain and tongue," saidthe old viking Ketel. "Eric is no lawman, but a true man, and he sanganother song. I would slay Eric indeed, for between him and me there isa blood-feud, since my brother died at his hand when, with Whitefirefor a crook, Brighteyes drove armed men like sheep down the hall ofMiddalhof--ay and swordless, slew Ospakar. Yet I say that Eric is atrue man, and, whether or no thou art true, Gizur the Lawman, that thouknowest best--thou and Swanhild the Fatherless, Groa's daughter. If thoudidst slay Gudruda as thou tellest, say, how come Gudruda's blood onWhitefire's blade? How did it chance, Gizur, that thou heldest Whitefirein thy hand and not thine own sword? Now I tell thee this: either thoushalt go up against Eric and clear thyself by blows, or I leave thee;and methinks there are others among this company who will do the same,for we have no wish to be partners with murderers and their wickedness."
"Ay, a good word!" said many who stood by. "Let Gizur go up with us toMosfell, and there stand face to face with Eric and clear himself byblows."
"I ask no more," said Gizur; "we will ride to-night."
"But much more shalt thou get, liar," quoth Ketel to himself, "for thathour when thou lookest once again on Whitefire shall be thy last!"
So Gizur and Swanhild made ready to go up against Eric. That day theyrode away with a great company, a hundred and one in all, and this wastheir plan. They sent six men with that thrall who had shown them thesecret path, bidding him guide them to the mountain-top. Then, when theywere come thither, and heard the shouts of those who sought to gain theplatform from the south, they were to watch till Eric and his folk cameout from the cave, and shoot them with arrows from above or crush themwith stones. But if perchance Eric left the platform and came to meethis foes in the narrow pass, then they must let themselves down withropes from the height above, and, creeping after him round the rock,must smite him in the back. Moreover, in secret, Gizur promised a greatreward of ten hundreds in silver to him who should kill Eric, for he didnot long to stand face to face with him alone. Swanhild also in secretmade promise of reward to those who should bring Eric to her, bound, butliving; and she bade them do this--to bear him down with shields and tiehim with ropes.
So they rode away, the seven who should climb the mountain from behindgoing first, and on the morrow morning they crossed the sand and came toMosfell.
XXXII
HOW ERIC AND SKALLAGRIM GREW FEY
Now the night came down upon Mosfell, and of all nights this was thestrangest. The air was quiet and heavy, yet no rain fell. It was sosilent, moreover, that, did a stone slip upon the mountain side or ahorse neigh far off on the plains, the sound of it crept up the fell andwas echoed from the crags.
Eric and Skallagrim sat together on the open space of rock that isbefore the cave, and great heaviness and fear came into their hearts, sothat they had no desire to sleep.
"Methinks the night is ghost-ridden," said Eric, "and I am fey, for Igrow cold, and it seems to me that one strokes my hair."
"It is ghost-ridden, lord," answered Skallagrim. "Trolls are abroad, andthe God-kind gather to see Eric die."
For a while they sat in silence, then suddenly the mountain heaved upgently beneath them. Thrice it seemed to heave like a woman's breast,and left them frightened.
"Now the dwarf-folk come from their caves," quoth Skallagrim, "and greatdeeds may be looked for, since they are not drawn to the upper earth bya little thing."
Then once more they sat silent; and thick darkness came down upon themountain, hiding the stars.
"Look," said Eric of a sudden, and he pointed to Hecla.
Skallagrim looked, and lo! the snowy dome of Hecla was aglow with a rosyflame like the light of dawn.
"Winter lights," said Lambstail, shuddering.
"Death lights!" answered Eric. "Look again!"
They looked, and behold! in the rosy glow there sat three giant forms offire, and their shapes were the shapes of women. Before them was a loomof blackness that stretched from earth to sky, and they wove at it withthreads of flame. They were splendid and terrible to see. Theirhair streamed behind them like meteor flames, their eyes shone likelightning, and their breasts gleamed like the polished bucklers of thegods. They wove fiercely at the loom of blackness, and as they wove theysang. The voice of the one was as the wind whistling through the pines;the voice of the other was as the sound of rain hissing on deep waters;and the voice of the third was as the moan of the sea. They wovefearfully and they sang loudly, but what they sang might not be known.Now the web grew and the woof grew, and a picture came upon the loom--agreat picture written in fire.
Behold! it was the semblance of a storm-awakened sea, and a giant shipfled before the gale--a dragon of war, and in the ship were piled thecorses of men, and on these lay another corse, as one lies upon a bed.They looked, and the face of the corse grew bright. It was the face ofEric, and his head rested upon the dead heart of Skallagrim.
Clinging to each other, Eric and Skallagrim saw the sight of fear thatwas written on the loom of the Norns. They saw it for a breath. Then,with a laugh like the wail of wolves, the shapes of fire sprang upand rent the web asunder. Then the first passed upward to the sky, thesecond southward towards Middalhof, but the third swept over Mosfell, sothat the brightness of her flaming form shone on the rock where they satby the cave, and the lightning of her eyes was mirrored in the byrnie ofSkallagrim and on Eric's golden helm. She swept past, pointing downwardsas she went, and lo! she was gone, and once more darkness and silencelay upon the earth.
Now this sight was seen of Jon the thrall also, and he told it inhis story of the deeds of Eric. For Jon lay hid in a secret place onMosfell, waiting for tidings of what came to pass.
For a while Eric and Skallagrim clung to each other. Then Skallagrimspoke.
"We have seen the Valkyries," he said.
"Nay," answered Eric, "we have seen the Norns--who are come to warn usof our doom! We shall die to-morrow."
"At the least," said Skallagrim, "we shall not die alone: we had agoodly bed on yonder goblin ship, and all of our own slaying methinks.It is not so ill to die thus, lord!"
"Not so ill!" said Eric; "and yet I am weary of blood and war, of gloryand of my strength. Now I desire rest alone. Light fire--I can bear thisdarkness no longer; the marrow freezes in my bones."
"Fire can be seen of foes," said Skallagrim.
"It matters little now," said Eric, "we are feyfolk."
So Skallagrim lighted the fire, piling much brushwood and dry turf overit, till presently it burnt up brightly, throwing light on all the spaceof rock, and heavy shadows against the cliff behind. They sat thus awhile in the light of the flames, looking towards the deep gulf, tillsuddenly there came a sound as of one who climbed the gulf.
"Who comes now, climbing where no man may pass?" cried Eric, seizingWhitefire and springing to his feet. Presently he sank down again withwhite face and staring eyes, and pointed at the edge of the cliff. Andas he pointed, the neck of a man rose in the shadow above the brink, andthe hands of a man grasped the rock. But there was no head on the neck.The shape of the headless man drew itself slowly over the brink, itwalked slowly into the light towards the fire, then sat itself down inthe glare of the flames, which shrank away from it as from a draught ofwind. Pale with terror, Eric and Skallagrim looked on the headlessthing and knew it. It was the wraith of the Baresark that Brighteyes hadslain--the first of all the men he slew.
"It is my mate, Eric, whom thou didst kill years ago and whose severedhead spoke with thee!" gasped Skallagrim.
"It is he, sure enough!" said Eric; "but where may his head be?"
"Perchance the head will come," answered Skallagrim. "He is an evilsight to see, surely. Say, lord, shall I fall upon him, though I lovenot the task?"
"Nay, Skallagrim, let him bide; he does but come to warn us of our fate.Moreov
er, ghosts can only be laid in one way--by the hewing off of thehead and the laying of it at the thigh. But this one has no head tohew."
Now as he spoke the headless man turned his neck as though to look.Once more there came the sound of feet and lo! men marched in from thedarkness on either side. Eric and Skallagrim looked up and knew them.They were those of Ospakar's folk whom they had slain on Horse-HeadHeights; all their wounds were on them and in front of them marchedMord, Ospakar's son. The ghosts gazed upon Eric and Skallagrim with colddead eyes, then they too sat down by the fire. Now once more there camethe sound of feet, and from every side men poured in who had died at thehands of Eric and Skallagrim. First came those who fell on that ship ofOspakar's which Eric sank by Westmans; then the crew of the Raven whohad perished upon the sea-path. Even as the man died, so did each ghostcome. Some had been drowned and their harness dripped water! Some haddied of spear-thrusts and the spears were yet fixed in their breasts!Some had fallen beneath the flash of Whitefire and the weight of the axeof Skallagrim, and there they sat, looking on their wide wounds!
Then came more and more. There were those whom Eric and Skallagrim hadslain upon the seas, those who had fallen before them in the Englishwars, and all that company who had been drowned in the waters of thePentland Firth when the witchcraft of Swanhild had brought the Gudrudato her wreck.
"Now here we have a goodly crew," said Eric at length. "Is it done,thinkest thou, or will Mosfell send forth more dead?"
As he spoke the wraith of a grey-headed man drew near. He had but onearm, for the other was hewn from him, and the byrnie on his left sidewas red with blood.
"Welcome, Earl Atli!" cried Eric. "Sit thou over against me, whoto-morrow shall be with thee."
The ghost of the Earl seated itself and looked on Eric with sad eyes,but it spake never a word.
Then came another company, and at their head stalked black Ospakar.
"These be they who died at Middalhof," cried Eric. "Welcome, Ospakar!that marriage-feast of thine went ill!"
"Now methinks we are overdone with trolls," said Skallagrim; "but see!here come more."
As he spoke, Hall of Lithdale came, and with him Koll the Half-witted,and others. And so it went on till all the men whom Eric and Skallagrimhad slain, or who had died because of them, or at their side, weregathered in deep ranks before them.
"Now it is surely done," said Eric.
"There is yet a space," said Skallagrim, pointing to the other side ofthe fire, "and Hell holds many dead."
Even as the words left his lips there came a noise of the galloping ofhorse's hoofs, and one clad in white rode up. It was a woman, for hergolden hair flowed down about her white arms. Then she slid from thehorse and stood in the light of the fire, and behold! her white robewas red with blood, a great sword was set in her heart, and the face andeyes were the face and eyes of Gudruda the Fair, and the horse she rodewas Blackmane, that Eric had slain.
Now when Brighteyes saw her he gave a great cry.
"Greeting, sweet!" he said. "I am no longer afraid, since thou comest tobear me company. Thou art dear to my sight--ay even in yon death-sheet.Greeting, sweet, my May! I laid thee stiff and cold in the earth atMiddalhof, but, like a loving wife, thou hast burst thy bonds, and artcome to save me from the grip of trolls. Thou art welcome, Gudruda,Asmund's daughter! Come, wife, sit thou at my side."
The ghost of Gudruda spake no word. She walked through the fire towardshim, and the flames went out beneath her feet, to burn up again when shehad passed. Then she sat down over against Eric and looked on him withwide and tender eyes. Thrice he stretched out his arms to clasp her, butthrice their strength left them and they fell back to his side. It wasas though they struck a wall of ice and were numbed by the bitter cold.
"Look, here are more," groaned Skallagrim.
Then Eric looked, and lo! the empty space to the left of the fire wasfilled with shadowy shapes like shapes of mist. Amongst them was Gizur,Ospakar's son, and many a man of his company. There, too, was Swanhild,Groa's daughter, and a toad nestled in her breast. She looked with wideeyes upon the eyes of dead Gudruda's ghost, that seemed not to see her,and a stare of fear was set on her lovely face. Nor was this all; forthere, before that shadowy throng, stood two great shapes clad in theirharness, and one was the shape of Eric and one the shape of Skallagrim.
Thus, being yet alive, did these two look upon their own wraiths!
Then Eric and Skallagrim cried out aloud and their brains swam and theirsenses left them, so that they swooned.
When they opened their eyes and life came back to them the fire wasdead, and it was day. Nor was there any sign of that company which hadbeen gathered on the rock before them.
"Skallagrim," quoth Eric, "it seems that I have dreamed a strangedream--a most strange dream of Norns and trolls!"
"Tell me thy dream, lord," said Skallagrim.
So Eric told all the vision, and the Baresark listened in silence.
"It was no dream, lord," said Skallagrim, "for I myself have seen thesame things. Now this is in my mind, that yonder sun is the last thatwe shall see, for we have beheld the death-shadows. All those who weregathered here last night wait to welcome us on Bifrost Bridge. And themist-shapes who sat there, amongst whom our wraiths were numbered, arethe shapes of those who shall die in the great fight to-day. For daysare fled and we are sped!"
"I would not have it otherwise," said Eric. "We have been greatlyhonoured of the Gods, and of the ghost-kind that are around us and aboveus. Now let us make ready to die as becomes men who have never turnedback to blow, for the end of the story should fit the beginning, and ofus there is a tale to tell."
"A good word, lord," answered Skallagrim: "I have struck few strokes tobe shamed of, and I do not fear to tread Bifrost Bridge in thy company.Now we will wash ourselves and eat, so that our strength may be whole inus."
So they washed themselves with water, and ate merrily, and for the firsttime for many months Eric was merry. For now that the end was at handhis heart grew light within him. And when they had put the desire offood from them, and buckled on their harness, they looked out from theirmountain height, and saw a cloud of dust rise in the desert plain ofblack sand beneath, and through it the sheen of spears.
"Here come those of whom, if there is truth in visions, some fewshall never go back again," said Eric. "Now, what counsel hast thou,Skallagrim? Where shall we meet them? Here on the space of rock, oryonder in the deep way of the cliff?"
"My counsel is that we meet them here," said Skallagrim, "and cut themdown one by one as they try to turn the rock. They can scarcely come atus to slay us here so long as our arms have strength to smite."
"Yet they will come, though I know not how," answered Eric, "for I amsure of this, that our death lies before us. Here, then, we will meetthem."
Now the cloud of dust drew nearer, and they saw that this was a greatcompany which came up against them. At the foot of the fell the menstayed and rested a while, and it was not till afternoon that they beganto climb the mountain.
"Night will be at hand before the game is played," said Skallagrim."See, they climb slowly, saving their strength, and yonder among them isSwanhild in a purple cloak."
"Ay, night will be at hand, Skallagrim--a last long night! A hundred totwo--the odds are heavy; yet some shall wish them heavier. Now let usbind on our helms."
Meanwhile Gizur and his folk crept up the paths from below. Now thatthrall who knew the secret way had gone on with six chosen men, andalready they climbed the watercourse and drew near to the flat crest ofthe fell. But Eric and Skallagrim knew nothing of this. So they sat downby the turning place that is over the gulf and waited, singing of thetaking of the Raven and of the slaying in the stead at Middalhof, andtelling tales of deeds that they had done. And the thrall and his sixmen climbed on till at length they gained the crest of the fell, and,looking over, saw Eric and Skallagrim beneath them.
"The birds are in the snare, and hark! they sing," said the thrall; "nowbring rocks
and be silent."
But Gizur and his people, having learned that Eric and Skallagrim werealone upon the mountain, pushed on.
"We have not much to fear from two men," said Gizur.
"That we shall learn presently," answered Swanhild. "I tell thee this,that I saw strange sights last night, though I did not sleep. I maysleep little now that Gudruda is dead, for that which I saw in her eyeshaunts me."
Then they went on, and the face of Gizur grew white with fear.
XXXIII
HOW ERIC AND SKALLAGRIM FOUGHT THEIR LAST GREAT FIGHT
Now the thrall and those with him on the crest of the fell heard themurmur of the company of Gizur and Swanhild as they won the mountainside, though they could not see them because of the rocks.
"Now it is time to begin and knock these birds from their perch," saidthe thrall, "for that is an awkward corner for our folk to turn withWhitefire and the axe of Skallagrim waiting on the farther side."
So he balanced a great stone, as heavy as three men could lift, on thebrow of the rock, and aimed it. Then he pushed and let it go. It smotethe platform beneath with a crash, two fathoms behind the spot whereEric and Skallagrim sat. Then it flew into the air, and, just asBrighteyes turned at the sound, it struck the wings of his helm, and,bursting the straps, tore the golden helm-piece from his head andcarried it away into the gulf beneath.
Skallagrim looked up and saw what had come about.
"They have gained the crest of the fell," he cried. "Now we must flyinto the cave or down the narrow way and hold it."