CHAPTER XX: SO NOW SAILETH HALLBLITHE AWAY FROM THE GLITTERING PLAIN
But as to Hallblithe, he soon lost sight of the Glittering Plain and themountains thereof, and there was nought but sea all round about him, andhis heart swelled with joy as he sniffed the brine and watched thegleaming hills and valleys of the restless deep; and he said to himselfthat he was going home to his Kindred and the Roof of his Fathers of oldtime.
He stood as near due north as he might; but as the day wore, the windheaded him, and he deemed it not well to beat, lest he should make hisvoyage overlong; so he ran on with the wind abeam, and his little craftleapt merrily over the sea-hills under the freshening breeze. The sunset and the moon and stars shone out, and he still sailed on, and durstnot sleep, save as a dog does, with one eye. At last came dawn, and asthe light grew it was a fair day with a falling wind, and a bright sky,but it clouded over before sunset, and the wind freshened from the northby east, and, would he, would he not, Hallblithe must run before it night-long, till at sunrise it fell again, and all day was too light for him tomake much way beating to northward; nor did it freshen till after themoon was risen some while after sunset. And now he was so weary that hemust needs sleep; so he lashed the helm, and took a reef in the sail, andran before the wind, he sleeping in the stern.
But past the middle of the night, towards the dawning, he awoke with thesound of a great shout in his ears. So he looked over the dark waters,and saw nought, for the night was cloudy again. Then he trimmed hiscraft, and went to sleep again, for he was over-burdened with slumber.
When he awoke it was broad daylight; so he looked to the tiller and gotthe boat's head a little up to the wind, and then gazed about him withthe sleep still in his eyes. And as his eyes took in the picture beforehim he could not refrain a cry; for lo! there arose up great and grimright ahead the black cliffs of the Isle of Ransom. Straightway he gotto the sheet, and strove to wear the boat; but for all that he could doshe drifted toward the land, for she was gotten into a strong current ofthe sea that set shoreward. So he struck sail, and took the oars androwed mightily so that he might bear her off shore; but it availednothing, and still he drifted landward. So he stood up from the oars,and turned about and looked, and saw that he was but some three furlongsfrom the shore, and that he was come to the very haven-mouth whence hehad set sail with the Sea-eagle a twelvemonth ago: and he knew that intothat haven he needs must get him, or be dashed to pieces against the highcliffs of the land: and he saw how the waves ran on to the cliffs, andwhiles one higher than the others smote the rock-wall and ran up it, asif it could climb over on to the grassy lip beyond, and then fell backagain, leaving a river of brine running down the steep.
Then he said that he would take what might befall him inside the haven.So he hoisted sail again, and took the tiller, and steered right for themidmost of the gate between the rocks, wondering what should await himthere. Then it was but a few minutes ere his bark shot into thesmoothness of the haven, and presently began to lose way; for all thewind was dead within that land-locked water. Hallblithe looked steadilyround about seeking his foe; but the haven was empty of ship or boat; sohe ran his eye along the shore to see where he should best lay his keeland as aforesaid there was no beach there, and the water was deep rightup to the grassy lip of the land; though the tides ran somewhat high, andat low water would a little steep undercliff go up from the face of thesea. But now it was near the top of the tide, and there was scarce twofeet betwixt the grass and the dark-green sea.
Now Hallblithe steered toward an ingle of the haven; and beyond it, alittle way off, rose a reef of rocks out of the green grass, and therebywas a flock of sheep feeding, and a big man lying down amongst them, whoseemed to be unarmed, as Hallblithe could not see any glint of steelabout him. Hallblithe drew nigh the shore, and the big man stirred not;nor did he any the more when the keel ran along the shore, and Hallblitheleapt out and moored his craft to his spear stuck deep in the earth. Andnow Hallblithe deems that the man must be either dead or asleep: so hedrew his sword and had it in his right hand, and in his left a sharpknife, and went straight up to the man betwixt the sheep, and found himso lying on his side that he could not see his face; so he stirred himwith his foot, and cried out: "Awake, O Shepherd! for dawn is long pastand day is come, and therewithal a guest for thee!"
The man turned over and slowly sat up, and, lo! who should it be but thePuny Fox? Hallblithe started back at the sight of him, and cried out athim, and said: "Have I found thee, O mine enemy?"
The Puny Fox sat up a little straighter, and rubbed his eyes and said:"Yea, thou hast found me sure enough. But as to my being thine enemy, aword or two may be said about that presently."
"What!" said Hallblithe, "dost thou deem that aught save my sword willspeak to thee?"
"I wot not," said the Puny Fox, slowly rising to his feet, "but I supposethou wilt not slay me unarmed, and thou seest that I have no weapons."
"Get thee weapons, then," quoth Hallblithe, "and delay not; for the sightof thee alive sickens me."
"Ill is that," said the Puny Fox, "but come thou with me at once, where Ishall find both the weapons and a good fighting-stead. Hasten! timepresseth, now thou art come at last."
"And my boat?" said Hallblithe.
"Wilt thou carry her in thy pouch?" said the Puny Fox; "thou wilt notneed her again, whether thou slay me, or I thee."
Hallblithe knit his brows on him in his wrath; for he deemed that Fox'smeaning was to threaten him with the vengeance of the kindred. Howbeit,he said nought; for he deemed it ill to wrangle in words with one whom hewas presently to meet in battle; so he followed as the Puny Fox led. Foxbrought him past the reef of rock aforesaid, and up a narrow cleft of thecliffs overlooking the sea, whereby they came into a little grass-grownmeadow well nigh round in shape, as smooth and level as a hall-floor, andfenced about by a wall of rock: a place which had once been the mouth ofan earth-fire, and a cauldron of molten stone.
When they stood on the smooth grass Fox said: "Hold thee there a little,while I go to my weapon-chest, and then shall we see what is to be done."
Therewith he turned aside to a cranny of the rock, and going down on hishands and knees, fell to creeping like a worm up a hole therein, whichbelike led to a cavern; for after his voice had come forth from theearth, grunting and groaning, and cursing this thing, and that, out hecomes again feet first, and casts down an old rusty sword without asheath; a helm no less rusty, and battered withal, and a round target,curled up and outworn as if it would fall to pieces of itself. Then hestands up and stretches himself, and smiles pleasantly on Hallblithe andsays: "Now, mine enemy, when I have donned helm and shield and got mysword in hand, we may begin the play: as to a hauberk I must needs golack; for I could not come by it; I think the old man must have chafferedit away: he was ever too money-fain."
But Hallblithe looked on him angrily and said: "Hast thou brought mehither to mock me? Hast thou no better weapons wherewith to meet awarrior of the Raven than these rusty shards, which look as if thou hadstrobbed a grave of the dead? I will not fight thee so armed."
"Well," said the Puny Fox, "and from out of a grave come they verily: forin that little hole lieth my father's grandsire, the great Sea-mew of theRavagers, the father of that Sea-eagle whom thou knowest. But since thouthinkest scorn of these weapons of a dead warrior, in go the old carle'streasures again! It is as well maybe; since he might be wrath beyond hiswont if he were to wake and miss them; and already this cold cup of theonce-boiling rock is not wholly safe because of him."
So he crept into the hole once more, and out of it presently, and stoodsmiting his palms one against the other to dust them, like a man who hasbeen handling parchments long laid by; and Hallblithe stood looking athim, still wrathful, but silent.
Then said the Puny Fox: "This at least was a wise word of thine, thatthou wouldst not fight me. For the end of fighting is slaying; and it isstark folly to fight without slaying; and now I see that thou desirestnot to sl
ay me: for if thou didst, why didst thou refuse to fall on mearmed with the ghosts of weapons that I borrowed from a ghost? Nay, whydidst thou not slay me as I crept out of yonder hole? Thou wouldst havehad a cheap bargain of me either way. It would be rank folly to fightme."
Said Hallblithe hoarsely: "Why didst thou bewray me, and lie to me, andlure me away from the quest of my beloved, and waste a whole year of mylife?"
"It is a long story," said the Puny Fox, "which I may tell thee some day.Meantime I may tell thee this, that I was compelled thereto by one farmightier than I, to wit the Undying King."
At that word the smouldering wrath blazed up in Hallblithe, and he drewhis sword hastily and hewed at the Puny Fox: but he leapt aside nimblyand ran in on Hallblithe, and caught his sword-arm by the wrist, and torethe weapon out of his hand, and overbore him by sheer weight and stature,and drave him to the earth. Then he rose up, and let Hallblithe risealso, and took his sword and gave it into his hand again and said: "Crag-nester, thou art wrathful, but little. Now thou hast thy sword again andmayst slay me if thou wilt. Yet not until I have spoken a word to thee:so hearken! or else by the Treasure of the Sea I will slay thee with mybare hands. For I am strong indeed in this place with my old kinsmanbeside me. Wilt thou hearken?"
"Speak," said Hallblithe, "I hearken."
Said the Puny Fox: "True it is that I lured thee away from thy quest, andwore away a year of thy life. Yet true it is also that I repent methereof, and ask thy pardon. What sayest thou?"
Hallblithe spake not, but the heat died out of his face and he was becomesomewhat pale. Said the Puny Fox: "Dost thou not remember, O Raven, howthou badest me battle last year on the sea-shore by the side of theRollers of the Raven? and how this was to be the prize of battle, thatthe vanquished should serve the vanquisher year-long, and do all hiswill? And now this prize and more thou hast won without battle; for Iswear by the Treasure of the Sea, and by the bones of the great Sea-mewyonder, that I will serve thee not year-long but life-long, and that Iwill help thee in thy quest for thy beloved. What sayest thou?"
Hallblithe stood speechless a moment, looking past the Puny Fox, ratherthan at him. Then the sword tumbled out of his hand on to the grass, andgreat tears rolled down his cheeks and fell on to his raiment, and hereached out his hand to the Puny Fox and said: "O friend, wilt thou notbring me to her? for the days wear, and the trees are growing old roundabout the Acres of the Raven."
Then the Puny Fox took his hand; and laughed merrily in his face, andsaid: "Great is thine heart, O Carrion-biter! But now that thou art myfriend I will tell thee that I have a deeming of the whereabouts of thybeloved. Or where deemest thou was the garden wherein thou sawest herstanding on the page of the book in that dream of the night? So it is, ORaven-son, that it is not for nothing that my grandsire's father lieth inyonder hole of the rocks; for of late he hath made me wise in mightylore. Thanks have thou, O kinsman!" And he turned him toward the rockwherein was the grave.
But Hallblithe said: "What is to do now? Am I not in a land of foemen?"
"Yea, forsooth," said the Puny Fox, "and even if thou knewest where thylove is, thou shouldst hardly escape from this isle unslain, save forme."
Said Hallblithe: "Is there not my bark, that I might depart at once? forI deem not that the Hostage is on the Isle of Ransom."
The Puny Fox laughed boisterously and said: "Nay, she is not. But as tothy boat, there is so strong a set of the flood-tide toward this end ofthe isle, that with the wind blowing as now, from the north-north-east,thou mayst not get off the shore for four hours at least, and I misdoubtme that within that time we shall have tidings of a ship of ours cominginto the haven. Thy bark they shall take, and thee also if thou arttherein; and then soon were the story told, for they know thee for arebel of the Undying King. Hearken! Dost thou not hear the horn'svoice? Come up hither and we shall see what is towards."
So saying, he led hastily up a kind of stair in the rock-wall, until theyreached a cranny, whence through a hole in the cliff, they could see allover the haven. And lo! as they looked, in the very gate and entry of itcame a great ship heaving up her bows on the last swell of the outer sea(where the wind had risen somewhat), and rolling into the smooth, land-locked water. Black was her sail, and the image of the Sea-eagleenwrought thereon spread wide over it; and the banner of the FlamingSword streamed out from the stern. Many men all-weaponed were on thedecks, and the minstrels high up on the poop were blowing a merry song ofreturn on their battle-horns.
"Lo, you," said the Puny Fox, "thy luck or mine hath served thee thistime, in that the Flaming Sword did not overhaul thee ere thou madest thehaven. We are well here at least."
Said Hallblithe: "But may not some of them come up hither perchance?"
"Nay, nay," said the Puny Fox; "they fear the old man in the cleftyonder; for he is not over guest-fain. This mead is mine own, as forother living men; it is my unroofed house, and I have here a house with aroof also, which I will show thee presently. For now since the FlamingSword hath come, there is no need for haste; nay, we cannot depart tillthey have gone up-country. So I will show thee presently what we shalldo to-night."
So there they sat and watched those men bring their ship to the shore andmoor her hard by Hallblithe's boat. They cried out when they saw her,and when they were aland they gathered about her to note her build, andthe fashion of the spear whereto she was tied. Then in a while the morepart of them, some fourscore in number, departed up the valley toward thegreat house and left none but a half dozen ship-warders behind.
"Seest thou, friend of the Ravens," said the Fox, "hadst thou been there,they might have done with thee what they would. Did I not well to bringthee into my unroofed house?"
"Yea, verily," said Hallblithe; "but will not some of the ship-wards, orsome of the others returning, come up hither and find us? I shall yetlay my bones in this evil island."
The Puny Fox laughed, and said: "It is not so bad as thy sour looks wouldhave it; anyhow it is good enough for a grave, and at this present I maycall it a casket of precious things."
"What meanest thou?" said Hallblithe eagerly.
"Nay, nay," said the other, "nought but what thou knowest. Art thou nottherein, and I myself? without reckoning the old carle in the holeyonder. But I promise thee thou shalt not die here this time, unlessthou wilt. And as to folk coming up hither, I tell thee again they durstnot; because they fear my great-grandsire over much. Not that they arefar wrong therein; for now he is dead, the worst of him seemeth to comeout of him, and he is not easily dealt with, save by one who hath someshare of his wisdom. Thou thyself couldst see by my kinsman, the Sea-eagle, how much of ill blood and churlish malice there may be in ourkindred when they wax old, and loneliness and dreariness taketh hold ofthem. For I must tell thee that I have oft heard my father say that hisfather the Sea-eagle was in his youth and his prime blithe and buxom, agreat lover of women, and a very friendly fellow. But ever, as I say, asthe men of our kind wax in years, they worsen; and thereby mayst thoudeem how bad the old man in yonder must be, since he hath lain so long inthe grave. But now we will go to that house of mine on the other side ofthe mead, over against my kinsman's."
Therewith he led Hallblithe down from the rock while Hallblithe said tohim: "What! art thou also dead that thou hast a grave here?"
"Nay, nay," said Fox, smiling, "am I so evil-conditioned then? I am noolder than thou art."
"But tell me," said Hallblithe, "wilt thou also wax evil as thou growestold?"
"Maybe not," said Fox, looking hard at him, "for in my mind it is that Imay be taken into another house, and another kindred, and amongst them Ishall be healed of much that might turn to ill."
Therewith were they come across the little meadow to a place where was acave in the rock closed with a door, and a wicket window therein. Foxled Hallblithe into it, and within it was no ill dwelling; for it was dryand clean, and there were stools therein and a table, and shelves andlockers in the wall. When they
had sat them down Fox said: "Heremightest thou dwell safely as long as thou wouldst, if thou wouldst riskdealings with the old carle. But, as I wot well that thou art in hasteto be gone and get home to thy kindred, I must bring thee at dusk to-dayclose up to our feast-hall, so that thou mayst be at hand to do what hathto be done to-night, so that we may get us gone to-morrow. Also thoumust do off thy Raven gear lest we meet any in the twilight as we go upto the house; and here have I to hand home-spun raiment such as our war-taken thralls wear, which shall serve thy turn well enough; but this thouneedst not do on till the time is at hand for our departure; and then Iwill bring thee away, and bestow thee in a bower hard by the hall; andwhen thou art within, I may so look to it that none shall go in there, orif they do, they shall see nought in thee save a carle known to them byname. My kinsman hath learned me to do harder things than this. But nowit is time to eat and drink."
Therewith he drew victual from out a locker and they fell to. But whenthey had eaten, Fox taught Hallblithe what he should do in the hall thatnight, as shall be told hereafter. And then, with much talk about manythings, they wore away the day in that ancient cup of the seething rock,and a little before dusk set out for the hall, bearing with themHallblithe's gear bundled up together, as though it had been wares fromover sea. So they came to the house before the tables were set, and thePuny Fox bestowed Hallblithe in a bower which gave into the buttery, sothat it was easy to go straight into the mid-most of the hall. There wasHallblithe clad and armed in his Raven gear; but Fox gave him a vizard togo over his face, so that none might know him when he entered therein.