Havelok the Dane Part 12

"Ho, master cook," cried a ragged man at last, "this is not the custom, and it is not fair that one man should do all the work, and all for one wage."

Berthun took no notice of this; and so the cry was repeated, and that by more than one. And at last he turned round and answered.

"Go to, ye knaves," he said with a red face and angrily; "if I find a man who will save me the trouble of your wrangles every day, shall I not do as I please?"

Then there was a tumult of voices, and some of them seemed sad, as if a last hope was gone, and that Havelok heard.

"There is somewhat in this," he said to the cook. "What pay have you given to each man who carries for you?"

"A yesterday's loaf each," answered Berthun, wondering plainly that Havelok paid any heed to the noise.

"Well, then, let us go on, and we will think of somewhat," Havelok said; and then he turned to the people, who were silent at once.

"I am a newcomer, and a hungry one," he said, smiling quietly, "and I have a mind to earn my loaf well. Hinder me not for today, and hereafter I will take my chance with the rest, if need is."

Thereat the folk began to laugh also, for it was plain that none had any chance at all if he chose to put forth his strength; but an old man said loudly, "Let the good youth alone now, and he shall talk with us when he has done his errand and fed that great bulk of his. He has an honest face, and will be fair to all."

That seemed to please the crowd; and after that they said no more, but followed and watched the gathering up of Havelok's mighty burden. And presently there was more than he could manage; and he spoke to Berthun, who checked himself in a half bow as he answered.

Then Havelok looked over the faces before him, and beckoned to two men who seemed weakly and could not press forward, and to them he gave the lighter wares, and so left the market with his master, as one must call the steward.

"What told I you?" said the old man, as they came back from the great gate. "Never saw I one with a face like that who harmed any man, either in word or deed."

Now when Havelok had set down his load in the kitchen, he straightened himself and said to Berthun, who was, as one may say, waiting his pleasure.

"This is today's task; but it is in my mind that I would stay up here and work."

"What would you do?"

"There are men yonder who will miss the carrying if I am market porter always. But here are things I can earn my keep at, and help the other servants with at the same time. Water drawing there is, and carrying of logs for the fire, and cleaving them also, and many other things that will be but hardening my muscles, while they are over heavy to be pleasant for other folk."

"Well," answered Berthun, "that is all I could wish, and welcome to some here will you be. Let it be so."

"Now, I do not think that you would make a gain by my work this morning?"

"Truly not, if any one is wronged by my doing so," the puzzled steward said.

Then Havelok asked how many men would have been needed to carry up the goods that he had brought, and Berthun said that he was wont to send one at least from each stall, and more if the burden was heavy.

"Then today four poor knaves must go dinnerless by reason of my strength, and that does not please me altogether," said Havelok gravely. "Give these two their loaves; and then, I pray you, give me the other four, and let me go back to the market."

And then he added, with a smile, "I think that I can order matters there so that things will be more fair, and that you will have less trouble with that unmannerly scramble."

"If you can do that, you are even as your name calls you. Take them and welcome, Curan, and then come here and do what work you will," Berthun said in haste.

"Tasks you must set me, or I shall grow idle. That is the failing of over-big men," Havelok said; and he took the loaves and left the palace with the two market men at his heels.

I saw him come back, and at once the crowd of idlers made for him, but in a respectful way enough. I knew, however, how easily these folks took to throwing mud and stones in their own quarrels, and I was a little anxious, for to interfere with the ways of the market is a high offence among them.

But Havelok knew naught of that, and went his way with his loaves to the bridge end, and there sat on the rail and looked at the men before him. And lo! back to my mind came old days in Denmark, and how I once saw Gunnar the king sitting in open court to do justice, and then I knew for certain that I was looking on his son. And when Havelok spoke it was in the voice of Gunnar that I had long forgotten, but which came back to me clear and plain, as if it were yesterday that I had heard it. Never does a boy forget his first sight of the king.

"Friends," said Havelok, "if I do two men's work I get two men's pay, or else I might want to know the reason why. But I am only one man, all the same, and it seems right to me that none should be the loser. Wherefore I have a mind to share my pay fairly."

There was a sort of shout at that and Havelok set his four loaves in a row on the rail beside him. But then some of the rougher men went to make a rush at them, and he took the foremost two and shook them, so that others laughed and bade the rest beware.

"So that is just where the trouble comes in," said Havelok coolly; "the strong get the first chance, as I did this morning, by reason of there being none to see fair play."

"Bide in the market, master, and we will make you judge among us," cried a small man from the edge of the crowd.

"Fair and softly," Havelok answered. "I am not going to bide here longer than I can help. Come hither, grandfer," and he beckoned to the old man who had bidden them wait his return, "tell me the names of the men who have been longest without any work."

The old man pointed out three, and then Havelok stopped him.

"One of these loaves is my own wage," he said; "but you three shall have the others, and that will be the easiest day's work you ever did. But think not that I am going to do the like every day, for Lincoln hill is no easy climb, and the loaf is well earned at the top. Moreover, it is not good to encourage the idle by working for them."

So the three men had their loaves, and Havelok began to eat his own slowly, swinging his legs on the bridge rail while the men watched him.

"Master," said the small man from behind, pushing forward a little, now that the crowd was looser, "make a law for the market, I pray you, that all may have a chance."

"Who am I to make laws?" said my brother slowly, and, as he said this, his hand went up to his brows as it had gone last night when the palace had wearied him.

"The strong make laws for the weak," the old man said to him in a low voice. "If the strong is honest, for the weak it is well. Things are hard for the weak here; and therefore say somewhat, for it may be of use."

"It can be none, unless the strong is at hand to see that the law is kept."

"Sometimes the market will see that a rule is not broken, for itself. There is no rule for this matter."

Again Havelok pa.s.sed his hand over his eyes, and he was long in answering. The loaf lay at his side now. Presently he looked straight before him, and, as if he saw far beyond Lincoln Hill and away to the north, he said, "This is my will, therefore, that from this time forward it shall be the law that men shall have one among them who may fairly and without favour so order this matter that all shall come to Berthun the steward in turns that shall be kept, and so also with the carrying for any other man. There shall be a company of porters, therefore, which a man must join before he shall do this work, save that every stranger who comes shall be suffered to take a burden once, and then shall be told of this company, and the custom that is to be. And I will that this old man shall see to this matter."

And then he stopped suddenly, and seemed to start as a great shout went up from the men, a shout as of praise; and his eyes looked again on them, and that wonderingly.

"They will keep this law," said the old man. "Well have you spoken."

"I have said a lot of foolishness, maybe," answered Havelok. "For the life of me I could not say it again."

"There is not one of us that could not do so," said his adviser. "But bide you here, master, in the town?"

"I am in service at the palace."

Then the old man turned round to the others and said, "This is good that we have heard, and it is nothing fresh, for all trades have their companies, and why should not we? Is this stranger's word to be kept?"

Maybe there were one or two of the rougher men who held their peace, for they had had more than their share of work, but from the rest came a shout of "Ay!" as it were at the Witan.

"Well, then," said Havelok suddenly, getting down from his seat and giving his loaf to the old man, "see you to it; and if any give trouble hereafter, I shall hear from the cook, and, by Odin, I will even come down and knock their heads together for them. So farewell."

He smiled round pleasantly, yet in that way which has a meaning at the back of it; and at that every cap went off and the men did him reverence as to a thane at least, and he nodded to them and came across to me.

"Come out into the fields, brother, for I shall weep if I bide here longer."