Erling the Bold Part 9

"But what is to be done with these?" he added, pointing to the prisoners, about twenty of whom were seated on a log with their feet tied together by a long rope, while their hands were loose.

"Kill them, I suppose," said Ulf.

There were thirty men seated there, and although they heard the words, they did not show by a single glance that they feared to meet their doom.

Just then Swart of the Springs came up. He had a great axe in his hands, and was very furious.

"Thou hast killed and burned my wife, children, and homestede," he said fiercely, addressing the prisoner who sat at the end of the log, "but thou shalt never return to Denmark to tell it."

He cut at him with the axe as he spoke, and the man fell dead. One after another Swart killed them. There was one who looked up and said--

"I will stick this fish bone that I have in my hand into the earth, if it be so that I know anything after my head is cut off."

His head was immediately cut off, but the fish bone fell from his hand.

Beside him there sat a very handsome young man with long hair, who twisted his hair over his head, stretched out his neck, and said, "Don't make my hair b.l.o.o.d.y."

A man took the hair in his hands and held it fast. Then Swart hewed with his axe, but the Dane twitched his head back so strongly, that he who was holding his hair fell forward; the axe cut off both his hands, and stuck fast in the earth.

"Who is that handsome man?" asked Ulf.

The man replied with look of scorn, "I am Einar, the son of King Thorkel of Denmark; and know thou for a certainty that many shall fall to avenge my death."

Ulf said, "Art thou certainly Thorkel's son? Wilt thou now take thy life and peace?"

"That depends," replied the Dane, "upon who it is that offers it."

"He offers who has the power to give it--Ulf of Romsdal."

"I will take it," says he, "from Ulf's hands."

Upon that the rope was loosed from his feet, but Swart, whose vengeance was still unsatisfied, exclaimed--

"Although thou shouldst give all these men life and peace, King Ulf, yet will I not suffer Einar to depart from this place with life."

So saying he ran at him with uplifted axe, but one of the viking prisoners threw himself before Swart's feet, so that he tumbled over him, and the axe fell at the feet of a viking named Gills. Gills caught the axe and gave Swart his death-wound.

Then said Ulf, "Gills, wilt thou accept life?"

"That will I," said he, "if thou wilt give it to all of us."

"Loose them from the rope," said Ulf.

This was done, and the men were set free.

Eighteen of the Danish vikings were killed, and twelve got their lives upon that occasion.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

TELLS OF DISCUSSIONS AND EXCITING DEEDS AT ULFSTEDE.

While the fight at the Springs which we have just described was going on, Christian the hermit sat in the hall at Ulfstede conversing with Hilda and Dame Astrid, and some of the other women. All the fighting men of the place had been taken away--only one or two old men and Alric were left behind--for Ulf, in his impetuosity, had forgotten to leave a guard at home.

"I hope it will fare well with our men at the Springs," said Hilda, looking up with an anxious expression from the mantle with which her nimble fingers were busy.

"I hope so too," said Christian, "though I would rather that there had been no occasion to fight."

"No occasion to fight!" exclaimed Alric, who was dressing the feathers on an arrow which he had made to replace the one he lost in shooting at the Dane,--and the losing of which, by the way, he was particularly careful to bring to remembrance as often as opportunity offered-- sometimes whether opportunity offered or not. "No occasion to fight!

What would be the use of weapons if there were no fighting! Where should we get our plunder if there were no fighting, and our slaves?

why, what would Northmen find to _do_ if there were no fighting?"

The hermit almost laughed at the impetuosity of the boy as he replied--

"It would take a wiser head than mine, lad, to answer all these questions, more particularly to answer them to thy satisfaction.

Notwithstanding, it remains true that peace is better than war."

"That may be so," said Dame Astrid; "but it seems to me that war is necessary, and what is necessary must be right."

"I agree with that," said Ada, with a toss of her pretty head--for it would seem that that method of expressing contempt for an adversary's opinion was known to womankind at least a thousand years ago, if not longer. "But _thou_ dost not fight, Christian: what has war done to thee that thou shouldst object to it so?"

"What has war done for me?" exclaimed the old man, springing up with sudden excitement, and clasping his lean hands tight together; "has it not done all that it could do? Woman, it has robbed me of all that makes life sweet, and left me only what I did not want. It has robbed me of wife and children, and left a burdened life. Yet no--I sin in speaking thus. Life was left because there was something worth living for; something still to be done: the truth of G.o.d to be proclaimed; the good of man to be compa.s.sed. But sometimes I forget this when the past flashes upon me, and I forget that it is my duty as well as my joy to say, `The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'"

The old man sat down again, and leaned his brow on his hand. The women, although sympathetic, were puzzled by some of his remarks, and therefore sat in silence for a little, but presently the volatile Ada looked up and said--

"What thinkest thou, Hilda, in regard to war?"

"I know not what to think," replied Hilda.

"Nay, then, thy spirit must be flying from thee, for thou wert not wont to be without an opinion on most things. Why, even Erling's sister, Ingeborg, has made up her mind about war I doubt not, though she is too modest to express it."

Now this was a sly hit at Ingeborg, who was sitting by, for she was well known to have a shrewish temper, and to be self-willed and opinionated, in so much that most men kept out of her way. She was very unlike Erling, or her father and mother, or her little sisters, in this respect.

"I can express my opinion well enough when I have a mind," said Ingeborg sharply; "and as to war, it stands to reason that a Sea-king's daughter must approve of a Sea-king's business. Why, the beautiful cloths, and gold and jewels, that are so plentiful in the dale, would never have delighted our eyes if our men had not gone on viking cruise, and fallen in with those rich traders from the far south lands. Besides, war makes our men brisk and handsome."

"Aye," exclaimed Alric, laughing, "especially when they get their noses cut off and their cheeks gashed!"

"Sometimes it takes them from us altogether," observed a poor woman of the household, the widow of a man who had been slain on a viking cruise, after having had his eyes put out, and being otherwise cruelly treated.

"That is the other side of the question," said Astrid. "Of course everything has two sides. We cannot change the plans of the G.o.ds.

Sunshine and rain, heat and cold, come as they are sent. We must accept them as they are sent."

"That is true," said Christian, "and thou sayest wisely that we must accept things as they are sent; but can it be said that war is sent to us when we rush into it of our own accord? Defensive warfare, truly, is right--else would this world be left in the sole possession of the wicked; but aggressive warfare is not right. To go on viking cruise and take by force that which is not our own is sinful. There is a good way to prove the truth of these things. Let me ask the question, Astrid,-- How would thy husband like to have thee and all his property taken from him, and Ulfstede burned about his ears?"

"Methinks he would like it ill."

"Then why should he do that to others which he would not like done to himself?"