CHAPTER XI: THE SEA-EAGLE RENEWETH HIS LIFE
But while they spake together thus, came a man from out of the wood verytall of stature, red-bearded and black-haired, ruddy-cheeked,full-limbed, most joyous of aspect; a man by seeming of five and thirtywinters. He strode straight up to Hallblithe, and cast his arms abouthim, and kissed his cheek, as if he had been an old and dear friend newlycome from over seas.
Hallblithe wondered and laughed, and said: "Who art thou that deemest meso dear?"
Said the man: "Short is thy memory, Son of the Raven, that thou in solittle space hast forgotten thy shipmate and thy faring-fellow; who gavethee meat and drink and good rede in the Hall of the Ravagers." Therewithhe laughed joyously and turned about to the three maidens and took themby the hands and kissed their lips, while they fawned upon him lovingly.
Then said Hallblithe: "Hast thou verily gotten thy youth again, whichthou badest me wish thee?"
"Yea, in good sooth," said the red-bearded man; "I am the Sea-eagle ofold days; and I have gotten my youth, and love therewithal, and somewhatto love moreover."
Therewith he turned to the fairest of the damsels, and she waswhite-skinned and fragrant as the lily, rose-cheeked and slender, and thewind played with the long locks of her golden hair, which hung down belowher knees; so he cast his arms about her and strained her to his bosom,and kissed her face many times, and she nothing loth, but caressing himwith lips and hand. But the other two damsels stood by smiling andjoyous: and they clapped their hands together and kissed each other forjoy of the new lover; and at last fell to dancing and skipping about themlike young lambs in the meadows of Spring-tide. But amongst them all,stood up Hallblithe leaning on his spear with smiling lips and knittedbrow; for he was pondering in his mind in what wise he might further hisquest.
But after they had danced a while the Sea-eagle left his love that he hadchosen and took a hand of either of the two damsels, and led themtripping up to Hallblithe, and cried out: "Choose thou, Raven's baby,which of these twain thou wilt have to thy mate; for scarcely shalt thousee better or fairer."
But Hallblithe looked on them proudly and sternly, and the black-haireddamsel hung down her head before him and said softly: "Nay, nay,sea-warrior; this one is too lovely to be our mate. Sweeter love abideshim, and lips more longed for."
Then stirred Hallblithe's heart within him and he said: "O Eagle of theSea, thou hast thy youth again: what then wilt thou do with it? Wiltthou not weary for the moonlit main, and the washing of waves and thedashing of spray, and thy fellows all glistening with the brine? Wherenow shall be the alien shores before thee, and the landing for fame, anddeparture for the gain of goods? Wilt thou forget the ship's black side,and the dripping of the windward oars, as the squall falleth on when thesun hath arisen, and the sail tuggeth hard on the sheet, and the shiplieth over and the lads shout against the whistle of the wind? Has thespear fallen from thine hand, and hast thou buried the sword of thyfathers in the grave from which thy body hath escaped? What art thou, OWarrior, in the land of the alien and the King? Who shall heed thee ortell the tale of thy glory, which thou hast covered over with the hand ofa light woman, whom thy kindred knoweth not, and who was not born in ahouse wherefrom it hath been appointed thee from of old to take thepleasure of woman? Whose thrall art thou now, thou lifter of the spoil,thou scarer of the freeborn? The bidding of what lord or King wilt thoudo, O Chieftain, that thou mayst eat thy meat in the morning and lie softin thy bed in the evening?"
"O Warrior of the Ravagers, here stand I, Hallblithe of the Raven, and Iam come into an alien land beset with marvels to seek mine own, and findthat which is dearest to mine heart; to wit, my troth-plight maiden theHostage of the Rose, the fair woman who shall lie in my bed, and bear mechildren, and stand by me in field and fold, by thwart and gunwale,before the bow and the spear, by the flickering of the cooking-fire, andamidst the blaze of the burning hall, and beside the bale-fire of thewarrior of the Raven. O Sea-eagle, my guester amongst the foemen, myfellow-farer and shipmate, say now once for all whether thou wilt help mein my quest, or fall off from me as a dastard?"
Again the maidens shrank before his clear and high-raised voice, and theytrembled and grew pale.
But the Sea-eagle laughed from a countenance kind with joy, and said:"Child of the Raven, thy words are good and manly: but it availeth noughtin this land, and I wot not how thou wilt fare, or why thou hast beensent amongst us. What wilt thou do? Hadst thou spoken these words tothe Long-hoary, the Grandfather, yesterday, his ears would have been deafto them; and now that thou speakest them to the Sea-eagle, this joyousman on the Glittering Plain, he cannot do according to them, for there isno other land than this which can hold him. Here he is strong and stark,and full of joy and love; but otherwhere he would be but a gibberingghost drifting down the wind of night. Therefore in whatsoever thoumayst do within this land I will stand by thee and help thee; but not oneinch beyond it may my foot go, whether it be down into the brine of thesea, or up into the clefts of the mountains which are the wall of thisgoodly land.
"Thou hast been my shipmate and I love thee, I am thy friend; but here inthis land must needs be the love and the friendship. For no ghost canlove thee, no ghost may help thee. And as to what thou sayest concerningthe days gone past and our joys upon the tumbling sea, true it is thatthose days were good and lovely; but they are dead and gone like the ladswho sat on the thwart beside us, and the maidens who took our hands inthe hall to lead us to the chamber. Other days have come in their stead,and other friends shall cherish us. What then? Shall we wound theliving to pleasure the dead, who cannot heed it? Shall we curse theYuletide, and cast foul water on the Holy Hearth of the winter feast,because the summer once was fair and the days flit and the times change?Now let us be glad! For life liveth."
Therewith he turned about to his damsel and kissed her on the mouth. ButHallblithe's face was grown sad and stern, and he spake slowly andheavily: "So is it, shipmate, that whereas thou sayest that the daysflit, for thee they shall flit no more; and the day may come for theewhen thou shalt be weary, and know it, and long for the lost which thouhast forgotten. But hereof it availeth nought for me to speak anylonger, for thine ears are deaf to these words, and thou wilt not hearthem. Therefore I say no more save that I thank thee for thy helpwhatsoever it may be; and I will take it, for the day's work lieth beforeme, and I begin to think that it may be heavy enough."
The women yet looked downcast, and as if they would be gone out ofearshot; but the Sea-eagle laughed as one who is well content, and said:"Thou thyself wilt make it hard for thyself after the wont of thy proudand haughty race; but for me nothing is hard any longer; neither thyscorn nor thy forebodings of evil. Be thou my friend as much as thoucanst, and I will be thine wholly. Now ye women, whither will ye leadus? For I am ready to see any new thing ye will show us."
Said his damsel: "We will take you to the King, that your hearts may bethe more gladdened. And as for thy friend the Spearman, O Sea-warrior,let not his heart be downcast. Who wotteth but that these two desires,the desire of his heart, and the desire of a heart for him, may not beone and the same desire, so that he shall be fully satisfied?" As shespoke she looked sidelong at Hallblithe, with shy and wheedling eyes; andhe wondered at her word, and a new hope sprang up in his heart that hewas presently to be brought face to face with the Hostage, and that thiswas that love, sweeter than their love, which abode in him, and his heartbecame lighter, and his visage cleared.