her off, and this willnot surprise any. Go to the sheriff and tell him that it has happened,and he will hang the men on sight when you have taken them. Then get tosea with the girl, and to Hodulf, and both he and I will reward you."
"Thanks," says Griffin, with a sneer; "I have my own men. Yours mighthave orders that I am the one to be hanged. It would be worth your whilenow to make a friend of your kitchen knave. You are not to be trusted."
So these two wrangle for a while bitterly, for Alsi is not overlord ofGriffin in any way. And the end is that the thane rides towards Grimsbyfirst of all, with twenty men at his heels, knowing more than wethought. But he hears naught of us, and presently meets Arngeir on hisway thence to see us. Him he knows, for already he has had dealings withhim in the hiring of the ship. So he learns from him that certainly nosuch party as he seeks is on the road, and therefore rides off to theErmin Street to stay us from going south.
But now we had time for a long start; and so he follows the Roman roadwhen he reaches it all that day and part of next, and we hear no more ofhim at that time. There are many parties travelling on that way, and hefollows one after another.
Now Arngeir knew at once that somewhat had happened when he heard fromGriffin that the most notable man of those whom he sought was namedCuran, and therefore he turned back at once and waited for us. And whenwe came in sight of the long roof of the house that Grim, our father,had built, standing among the clustering cottages of our fishers, withthe masts of a trading ship or two showing above it in the haven, he wasthere on the road to greet us, having watched anxiously for our comingfrom the beacon tower that we had made.
Maybe we were two miles out of Grimsby at this time, for one can see faralong the level marsh tracks from our tower; and Withelm and Mord and Irode on to him as soon as we saw him, that we might tell him all thathad happened, and we rode slowly and talked for half a mile or so.
Then Withelm waited and brought Havelok to us, staying himself with theprincess, that he might tell her the wondrous story of her husband; forwe thought that it would be easier for him than for our brother maybe.Havelok was not one to speak freely of himself.
And when Goldberga had heard all, she was silent for a long way, andthen wept a little, but at last told Withelm that all this had beenforetold to her in her dream.
"Yet I am glad," she said, "that I did not know this for certain, elsehad my Havelok thought that I did but wed him for his birth. Tell him,brother, that it was not so; say that I knew him as the husband Heavensent for me when first I saw him."
Now Havelok listened to Arngeir as he told him the well-kept secret, andnow and again asked a question.
And when all was told he said, "Now have the dreams passed, and thelight is come. I mind all plainly from the first."
And he told all that had happened after Hodulf caught him, from themurder of his sisters to the time when I helped my father to take himfrom the sack. Only he never remembered the death of his mother or thestorm, or how we came to Grimsby. Maybe it is rather a wonder that afterall those hard things gone through he should recall anything, for he wasnearly dying when we came ashore, as I have told.
"But I am Grim's son," he said, "for all this, and never shall I forgetit. By right of life saved, and by right of upbringing, am I his, and byright of brotherhood to his sons. Gunnar, who was my father, would haveme say this, if I am like him, as Mord tells me I am."
Then he looked at us in brotherly wise, as if we would maybe not allowthat claim now; but there needed naught to be said between us when hemet our eyes. He was Grim's son indeed to us, and we his youngerbrothers for all the days that were to come.
"One thing there is that makes me glad," he said, "and that is because Imay now be held worthy of this sweet bride of mine so strangely given,as indeed I fear that I am not. Men will say that she has done no wrongin wedding me; and for all that Alsi may say, it will be believed thatshe knew well whom she was wedding. There will be no blame to her."
That seemed to be all his thought of the matter now, and it was likehim. Then he went back to his princess, and we spurred on to Grimsby,and set all to work, that the greeting might be all that we could make it.
And so, when those two rode into our garth, and the gates were closedafter them, we reined our horses round them, and drew our swords, andcried the ancient greeting with one mighty shout:
"Skoal to Havelok Gunnarsson--Skoal to Goldberga, Havelok's wife!Skoal! Yours we are, and for you we will die! Skoal!"
CHAPTER XVIII. JARL SIGURD OF DENMARK.
Now one would like to tell of quiet days at Grimsby; but they were notto be. Three days after Havelok's homecoming we were on the "swan'spath," and heading for Denmark, with the soft south wind of high summerspeeding us on the way. And I will tell how that came about, for else itmay seem strange that Havelok did not see to the rights of his wifefirst of all.
That was his first thought, in truth, and we brothers planned many waysof getting to work for her, for it was certain that Alsi would be on hisguard. And on the next day came a man from Lincoln to seek Berthun, withnews. That good friend had done what none of us had been able to manage,for he had told the merchant, his friend, to bide in the hall and hearwhat went on, and then to let him know all else that seemed needful thatwe should hear. Now he had learned all from the words of Griffin andAlsi, who took no care in their speech, thinking that none in the hallknew the Welsh tongue that they used.
It being the business of a merchant to know that of every place where hetrades, and he travelling widely, there was no difficulty to him, andmightily he enjoyed the sport. Then he sent off straightway to us; andnow it was plain that we were in danger--not at once, maybe, but erelong. Griffin would hear sooner or later that his quarry was in Grimsbyafter all. So we went to our good old friend, Witlaf of Stallingborough,and told him all.
"Why," he said, "I will have no Welsh outsiders harrying my friends.Light up your beacon if he comes, and shut your gates in his face, and Iand the housecarls will take him in the rear, and he will not wait herelong. I have not had a fight for these twenty years or so, and it doesme good to think of one."
So we thought that there was little fear of the Welshman.
When I came back from this errand, however, I chose to pass the moundwhere my father slept, and on it, hand in hand, sat Havelok andGoldberga--for it was a quiet place, and none came near it often. Itwas good to see them thus in that place, and happy they seemed together.
Goldberga called me when I came near, and I sat down beside them as shebade me.
"Here we have been talking of what we shall do now, for it seems that toboth of us are many things to hand," she said. "Good it would be if wecould set them aside; but we were born to them, and we cannot let thembe. And, most of all, here in this place we may not forget the duty thatGrim would remind us of. Havelok must go to Denmark and win back hiskingdom from Hodulf first of all."
"We have thought that East Anglia was to be won first from Alsi," I said.
"So says Havelok; but I do not think so. For, indeed, I am but the wife,and the things of the husband come first of all. Now, this is what Iwould say. Sail to Denmark before Hodulf knows what is coming, and therewill be less trouble."
"I am slow at seeing things," said Havelok; "but the same might be saidof your kingdom."
"Alsi is ready, and Hodulf is not," she answered, laughing; "any one cansee that.
"Is it not so, brother?"
So it was; and I thought that she was right.
"Let us ask the brothers," I said, "for here are many things to bethought of; and, first of all, where to get men."
That was the greatest trouble to our minds, but none at all to hers.
"Get them in Denmark," she said, when we were all together in the greatroom of the house that evening. "Let us go as merchant folk, and findSigurd, or his son if he is dead. If I am not much mistaken, all theland will rise for the son of Gunnar so soon as it is known that he hascome again."
"Sigurd is yet alive," Arngeir sai
d; "and more than that, he is waiting.For he promised Grim that he would be ready, and I heard the promise. Ithink that this plan is good, and can well be managed. Here is the shipthat Griffin was to have taken today, and he is not here. Gold enough Ihave, for Grim hoarded against this time."
Then he showed us the store that, through long years, my father hadbrought together to take the place of that of Sigurd's which had beenlost; and it was no small one. And so we planned at once; and in the endwe three brothers were to go with Havelok and Goldberga, leaving Mord toget to Ragnar and tell him that Goldberga was following the fortunes ofher husband, and would return to see to her own if all went well.Berthun would go with him, and Arngeir would bide at home, for we neededone to whom messages might come; and while none would know us now inDenmark, either Arngeir or Mord might be