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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wulf the Saxon, by G. A. Henty
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Wulf the Saxon
+       A Story of the Norman Conquest
+
+Author: G. A. Henty
+
+
+Release Date: August, 2005 [EBook #8745]
+First Posted: August 9, 2003
+Last Updated: September 24, 2013
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WULF THE SAXON ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Distributed Proofreaders
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+WULF THE SAXON
+
+A Story of the Norman Conquest
+
+By G. A. HENTY
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+Although the immediate results of the Battle of Hastings may have
+been of less importance to the world than were those of some other
+great battles, the struggle has, in the long run, had a greater
+influence upon the destiny of mankind than any other similar event
+that has ever taken place. That admixture of Saxon, Danish, and
+British races which had come to be known under the general name of
+English, was in most respects far behind the rest of Europe. The
+island was, as it had always been,--except during the rule of two
+or three exceptionally strong kings,--distracted by internal
+dissensions. Broad lines of division still separated the North
+from the South, and under weak Kings the powerful Earls became
+almost independent. The enterprise that had distinguished their
+Saxon and Danish ancestors seems to have died out. There was a
+general indisposition to change, and except in her ecclesiastical
+buildings, England made but little progress in civilization from
+the time of Alfred to that of Harold. Its insular position cut it
+off from taking part in that rapid advance which, beginning in
+Italy, was extending throughout Europe. The arrival, however, of
+the impetuous Norman race, securing as it did a close connection
+with the Continent, quickened the intellect of the people, raised
+their intelligence, was of inestimable benefit to the English, and
+played a most important part in raising England among the nations.
+Moreover, it has helped to produce the race that has peopled Northern
+America, Australia, and the south of Africa, holds possession of
+India, and stands forth as the greatest civilizer in the world. The
+Conquest of England by the Normans was achieved without even a
+shadow of right or justice. It was at the time an unmixed curse to
+England; but now we can recognize the enormous benefits that accrued
+when in his turn the Englishman conquered the Norman, and the foreign
+invaders became an integral portion of the people they had overcome.
+For the historical details of the story, I have only had to go to
+Freeman's magnificent _History of the Norman Conquest of England_,
+which I hope will be perused by all of my readers who are able to
+obtain it.
+
+G. A. HENTY
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+CHAP.
+
+
+I. A QUARREL
+
+II. COUNTRY LIFE
+
+III. AT COURT
+
+IV. A STORM
+
+V. ROUEN
+
+VI. RELEASE OF THE EARL
+
+VII. THE OATH
+
+VIII. TROUBLE WITH WALES
+
+IX. IN THE WELSH VALLEYS
+
+X. PORTHWYN
+
+XI. THE SECRET PASSAGE
+
+XII. EDITH
+
+XIII. HAROLD, THE KING
+
+XIV. WULF'S SUSPICIONS
+
+XV. A MEETING BY THE RIVER
+
+XVI. A VOYAGE NORTH
+
+XVII. AN ATTEMPT AT ASSASSINATION
+
+XVIII. THE NORTHERN INVASION
+
+XIX. STAMFORD BRIDGE
+
+XX. THE LANDING OF THE FOE
+
+XXI. HASTINGS
+
+XXII. THE LORD OF BRAMBER
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+THE LAST STAND AT HASTINGS
+
+THE YOUNG THANE COMES BACK TO STEYNING
+
+WULF AND HIS FOLLOWERS STORM LLEWELLYN'S STRONGHOLD
+
+WULF LEAPT FORWARD AND CAUGHT THE UPLIFTED WRIST
+
+WULF THE SAXON.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+A QUARREL.
+
+The great Abbey of Westminster was approaching its completion; an
+army of masons and labourers swarmed like bees upon and around it,
+and although differing widely in its massive architecture, with
+round Saxon windows and arches, from the edifice that was two or
+three generations later to be reared in its place,--to serve as a
+still more fitting tomb for the ashes of its pious founder,--it was
+a stately abbey, rivalling the most famous of the English fanes of
+the period.
+
+From his palace hard by King Edward had watched with the deepest
+interest the erection of the minster that was the dearest object
+of his life. The King was surrounded by Normans, the people among
+whom he had lived until called from his retirement to ascend the
+throne of England, and whom he loved far better than those over
+whom he reigned. He himself still lived almost the life of a recluse.
+He was sincerely anxious for the good of his people, but took small
+pains to ensure it, his life being largely passed in religious
+devotions, and in watching over the rise of the abbey he had founded.
+
+A town had risen around minster and palace, and here the workmen
+employed found their lodgings, while craftsmen of all descriptions
+administered to the wants both of these and of the nobles of Edward's
+court.
+
+From one of the side doors of the palace a page, some fifteen or
+sixteen years of age, ran down the steps in haste. He was evidently
+a Saxon by his fair hair and fresh complexion, and any observer of
+the time would have seen that he must, therefore, be in the employment
+of Earl Harold, the great minister, who had for many years virtually
+ruled England in the name of its king.
+
+The young page was strongly and sturdily built. His garb was an
+English one, but with some admixture of Norman fashions. He wore
+tightly-fitting leg coverings, a garment somewhat resembling a
+blouse of blue cloth girded in by a belt at the waist, and falling
+in folds to the knee. Over his shoulders hung a short mantle of
+orange colour with a hood. On his head was a cap with a wide brim
+that was turned up closely behind, and projected in a pointed shovel
+shape in front. In his belt was a small dagger. He wore shoes of
+light yellow leather fastened by bands over the insteps. As he ran
+down the steps of the palace he came into sharp contact with another
+page who had just turned the corner of the street.
+
+"I crave your pardon, Walter Fitz-Urse," he said hurriedly, "but I
+was in haste and saw you not."
+
+The other lad was as clearly Norman as the speaker was
+Saxon. He was perhaps a year the senior in point of age, and
+taller by half a head, but was of slighter build. The expression
+of his face differed as widely from that of the Saxon as did
+his swarthy complexion and dark hair, for while the latter
+face wore a frank and pleasant expression, that of the Norman
+was haughty and arrogant.
+
+"You did it on purpose," he said angrily, "and were we not
+under the shadow of the palace I would chastise you as you
+deserve."
+
+The smile died suddenly out from the Saxon's face. "Chastise
+me!" he repeated. "You would find it somewhat difficult,
+Master Fitz-Urse. Do you think you are talking to a Norman
+serf? You will please to remember you are in England; but if
+you are not satisfied with my apology, I will ride with you a
+few miles into the country, and we will then try with equal
+arms where the chastisement is to fall."
+
+The Norman put his hand to his dagger, but there was an
+ominous growl from some men who had paused to listen to the
+quarrel.
+
+"You are an insolent boor, Wulf of Steyning, and some day
+I will punish you as you deserve."
+
+"Some day," the Saxon laughed, "we shall, I hope, see you
+and all your tribe sent across the Channel. There are few of
+us here who would not see your backs with pleasure."
+
+"What is this?" an imperious voice demanded; and turning
+round, Wulf saw William, the Norman Bishop of London, who,
+followed by several monks and pages, had pushed his way
+through the crowd. "Walter Fitz-Urse, what means this altercation?"
+
+"The Saxon ran against me of set purpose, my lord," Walter Fitz-Urse
+said, in tones of deep humility, "and because I complained he
+challenged me to ride with him into the country to fight, and then
+he said he hoped that some day all the Normans would be sent across
+the Channel."
+
+"Is this so?" the prelate said sternly to Wulf; "did you
+thus insult not only my page, but all of us, his countrymen?"
+
+"I ran against him by accident," Wulf said, looking up fearlessly
+in the prelate's face. "I apologized, though I know not that I was
+more in fault than he; but instead of taking my apology as one of
+gentle blood should do, he spoke like a churl, and threatened me
+with chastisement, and then I did say that I hoped he and all other
+Normans in the land would some day be packed across the Channel."
+
+"Your ears ought to be slit as an insolent varlet."
+
+"I meant no insolence, my Lord Bishop; and as to the slitting of
+my ears, I fancy Earl Harold, my master, would have something to
+say on that score."
+
+The prelate was about to reply, but glancing at the angry faces of
+the growing crowd, he said coldly:
+
+"I shall lay the matter before him. Come, Walter, enough of this.
+You are also somewhat to blame for not having received more courteously
+the apologies of this saucy page."
+
+The crowd fell back with angry mutterings as he turned, and, followed
+by Walter Fitz-Urse and the ecclesiastics, made his way along the
+street to the principal entrance of the palace. Without waiting
+to watch his departure, Wulf, the Saxon page, pushed his way through
+the crowd, and went off at full speed to carry the message with
+which he had been charged.
+
+"Our king is a good king," a squarely-built man,--whose bare arms
+with the knotted muscles showing through the skin, and hands begrimed
+with charcoal, indicated that he was a smith,--remarked to a gossip
+as the little crowd broke up, "but it is a grievous pity that he
+was brought up a Norman, still more that he was not left in peace
+to pass his life as a monk as he desired. He fills the land with
+his Normans; soon as an English bishop dies, straightway a Norman
+is clapped into his place. All the offices at court are filled
+with them, and it is seldom a word of honest English is spoken in
+the palace. The Norman castles are rising over the land, and his
+favourites divide among them the territory of every English earl
+or thane who incurs the king's displeasure. Were it not for Earl
+Harold, one might as well be under Norman sway altogether."
+
+"Nay, nay, neighbour Ulred, matters are not so bad as that. I dare
+say they would have been as you say had it not been for Earl Godwin
+and his sons. But it was a great check that Godwin gave them when
+he returned after his banishment, and the Norman bishops and nobles
+hurried across the seas in a panic. For years now the king has left
+all matters in the hands of Harold, and is well content if only he
+can fast and pray like any monk, and give all his thoughts and
+treasure to the building of yonder abbey."
+
+"We want neither a monk nor a Norman over us," the smith said
+roughly, "still less one who is both Norman and monk I would rather
+have a Dane, like Canute, who was a strong man and a firm one, than
+this king, who, I doubt not, is full of good intentions, and is a
+holy and pious monarch, but who is not strong enough for a ruler.
+He leaves it to another to preserve England in peace, to keep in
+order the great Earls of Mercia and the North, to hold the land
+against Harold of Norway, Sweyn, and others, and, above all, to
+watch the Normans across the water. A monk is well enough in a
+convent, but truly 'tis bad for a country to have a monk as its
+king."
+
+"There have been some war-loving prelates, Ulred; men
+as ambitious as any of the great earls, and more dangerous,
+because they have learning."
+
+"Ay, there have been great prelates," the smith agreed. "Look at
+Lyfing of Worcester, to whom next only to Godwin the king owed his
+throne. He was an Englishman first and a bishop afterwards, and was
+a proof, if needed, that a man can be a great churchman and a great
+patriot and statesman too. It was he rather than Godwin who overcame
+the opposition of the Danish party, and got the Witan at last to
+acquiesce in the choice of London and Wessex, and to give their
+vote to Edward.
+
+"Well was it he did so. For had he failed we should have had as
+great a struggle in England as when Alfred battled against the
+Danes. We of London and the men of Wessex under the great Earl were
+bent upon being ruled by a prince of our own blood. The last two
+Danish kings had shown us that anything is better than being governed
+by the Northmen. It was Lyfing who persuaded the Earl of Mercia to
+side with Wessex rather than with Northumbria, but since Lyfing,
+what great Englishman have we had in the church? Every bishopric
+was granted by Edward to Norman priests, until Godwin and his sons
+got the upper hand after their exile. Since then most of them have
+been given to Germans. It would seem that the king was so set against
+Englishmen that only by bringing in foreigners can Harold prevent
+all preferment going to Normans. But what is the consequence? They
+say now that our church is governed from Rome, whereas before
+Edward's time we Englishmen did not think of taking our orders from
+Italy.
+
+"There will trouble come of it all, neighbour. Perhaps not so long
+as Edward reigns, but at his death. There is but one of the royal
+race surviving, and he, like Edward, has lived all his life abroad.
+There can be no doubt what the choice of Englishmen will be. Harold
+has been our real ruler for years. He is wise and politic as well
+as brave, and a great general. He is our own earl, and will assuredly
+be chosen. Then we shall have trouble with the Normans. Already
+they bear themselves as if they were our masters, and they will not
+give up their hold without a struggle. Men say that William, their
+duke, makes no secret of his hope to become master of England, in
+which case God help us all. But that won't come as long as Harold
+lives and Englishmen can wield sword and battle-axe. As for myself,
+I have patched many a Norman suit of armour, but, by St. Swithin,
+I shall have far more pleasure in marring than I have ever had in
+mending them."
+
+"Know you who were the boys who had that contention just now?"
+
+"The Norman is a page of William, our Norman bishop; I know no more
+of him than that the other is Wulf, who is a ward and page of Earl
+Harold. His father was thane of Steyning in South Sussex, one of
+Godwin's men, and at his death two years ago Harold took the lad
+into his household, for he bore great affection for Gyrth, who had
+accompanied him in his pilgrimage to Rome, and fought by his side
+when he conquered the Welsh. It was there Gyrth got the wound that
+at last brought about his death. Wulf has been to my smithy many
+times, sometimes about matters of repairs to arms, but more often,
+I think, to see my son Osgod. He had seen him once or twice in
+calling at the shop, when one day Osgod, who is somewhat given to
+mischief, was playing at ball, and drove it into the face of a son
+of one of the Norman lords at court. The boy drew his dagger, and
+there would have been blood shed, but Wulf, who was passing at the
+time, and saw that the thing was a pure mishap and not the result
+of set intention, threw himself between them.
+
+"There was a great fuss over it, for the boy took his tale to his
+father, who demanded that Osgod should be punished, and would
+doubtless have gained his end had not Wulf spoken to Earl Harold,
+who intervened in the matter and persuaded the Norman to let it
+drop. Since then the boys have been great friends in their way.
+Osgod is a year older than the young thane, and has already made
+up his mind to be his man when he grows up, and he has got me to
+agree to it, though I would rather that he had stuck to my handicraft.
+Still, the prospect is not a bad one. Harold will be King of England,
+Wulf will be a powerful thane, and will doubtless some day hold
+high place at court, and as he seems to have taken a real liking
+to Osgod, the boy may have good chances.
+
+"Wulf will make a good fighting man one of these days. Harold sees
+that all his pages are well instructed in arms, and the two boys
+often have a bout with blunted swords when Wulf comes to my smithy;
+and, by my faith, though I have taught Osgod myself, and he already
+uses his arms well, the young thane is fully a match for him. You
+would hardly believe that the boy can read as well as a monk, but
+it is so. Earl Harold, you know, thinks a good deal of education,
+and has founded a college at Waltham. He persuaded Wulf's father
+to send him there, and, indeed, will take none as his pages unless
+they can read. I see not what good reading can do to most men, but
+doubtless for one who is at court and may hold some day a high post
+there, it is useful to be able to read deeds and grants of estates,
+instead of having to trust others' interpretation."
+
+"I wondered to see you press forward so suddenly into the crowd,
+neighbour, seeing that you are a busy man, but I understand now
+that you had an interest in the affair."
+
+"That had I. I was holding myself in readiness, if that Norman boy
+drew his dagger, to give him such a blow across the wrist with my
+cudgel that it would be long before he handled a weapon again. I
+fear Wulf has got himself into trouble. The bishop will doubtless
+complain to the king of the language used by one of Harold's pages,
+and though the earl is well able to see that no harm comes to the
+lad, it is likely he will send him away to his estates for a time.
+For he strives always to avoid quarrels and disputes, and though
+he will not give way a jot in matters where it seems to him that
+the good of the realm is concerned, he will go much farther lengths
+than most men would do in the way of conciliation. Look how he has
+borne with Tostig and with the Earls of Mercia. He seems to have
+no animosity in his nature, but is ready to forgive all injuries
+as soon as pardon is asked."
+
+The smith was not far wrong in his opinion as to what was likely
+to happen. As soon as Wulf returned to the palace he was told that
+the earl desired his presence, and he proceeded at once to the
+apartment where Harold transacted public business. It was a hall
+of considerable size; the floor was strewed with rushes; three
+scribes sat at a table, and to them the earl dictated his replies
+and decisions on the various matters brought before him. When he
+saw Wulf enter he rose from his seat, and, beckoning to him to
+follow, pushed aside the hangings across a door leading to an
+apartment behind and went in. Wulf had no fear whatever of any
+severe consequence to himself from his quarrel with Walter Fitz-Urse,
+but he was ashamed that his thoughtlessness should have given the
+slightest trouble to the earl, for, popular as he was among all
+classes of men in southern England, Harold was an object of love
+as well as respect to his dependents, and indeed to all who came
+in close contact with him.
+
+The earl was now forty-one years of age. He was very tall, and was
+considered the strongest man in England. His face was singularly
+handsome, with an expression of mingled gentleness and firmness.
+His bearing was courteous to all. He united a frank and straightforward
+manner with a polished address rare among his rough countrymen.
+Harold had travelled more and farther than any Englishman of his
+age. He had visited foreign courts and mingled with people more
+advanced in civilization than were those of England or Normandy,
+and was centuries ahead of the mass of his countrymen. He was an
+ardent advocate of education, a strong supporter of the national
+church, an upholder of the rights of all men, and although he
+occasionally gave way to bursts of passion, was of a singularly
+sweet and forgiving disposition.
+
+King Edward was respected by his people because, coming after two
+utterly worthless kings, he had an earnest desire for their good,
+although that desire seldom led to any very active results. He was
+a member of their own royal house. He was deeply religious. His
+life was pure and simple, and although all his tastes and sympathies
+were with the land in which he had been brought up, Englishmen
+forgave him this because at least he was a Saxon, while his
+predecessors had been Danes. But while they respected Edward, for
+Harold, their real ruler, they felt a passionate admiration. He was
+a worthy representative of all that was best in the Saxon character.
+He possessed in an eminent degree the openness of nature, the frank
+liberality, the indomitable bravery, and the endurance of hardship
+that distinguished the race. He was Earl of the West Saxons, and
+as such had special claims to their fealty.
+
+London, it was true, did not lie in his earldom, but in that of his
+brother Leofwyn, but Leofwyn and Harold were as one--true brothers
+in heart and in disposition. The gentleness and courtesy of manner
+that, although natural, had been softened and increased by Harold's
+contact with foreigners, was not only pardoned but admired because
+he was England's champion against foreigners. He had fought, and
+victoriously, alike against the Norwegians, the Danes of Northumbria,
+and the Welsh, and he struggled as sturdily, though peacefully,
+against Norman influence in England. Already the dread of Norman
+preponderance was present in the minds of Englishmen. It was no
+secret that in his early days Edward had held out hopes, if he had
+not given an actual promise, to William of Normandy that he should
+succeed him. Of late the king had been somewhat weaned from his
+Norman predilections, and had placed himself unreservedly in Harold's
+hands, giving to the latter all real power while he confined himself
+to the discharge of religious exercises, and to the supervision of
+the building of his abbey, varied occasionally by hunting expeditions,
+for he still retained a passionate love of the chase; but men knew
+that the warlike Duke of Normandy would not be likely to forget the
+promise, and that trouble might come to England from over the sea.
+
+Harold, then, they not only regarded as their present ruler, but
+as their future king, and as the national leader and champion.
+Edward had no children. The royal house was extinct save for Edward
+the Atheling, who, like the present king, had lived all his life
+abroad, and could have no sympathy with Englishmen. There being,
+then, no one of the royal house available, who but Harold, the head
+of the great house of Godwin, the earl of the West Saxons, the
+virtual ruler of England, could be chosen? The English kings,
+although generally selected from the royal house, ruled rather by
+the election of the people as declared by their representatives in
+the Witan than by their hereditary right. The prince next in
+succession by blood might, at the death of the sovereign, be called
+king, but he was not really a monarch until elected by the Witan
+and formally consecrated.
+
+It had been nine months after he had been acclaimed to the throne
+by the people of London that King Edward had been elected king by
+the Witan, and formally enthroned. Thus, then, the fact that Harold
+did not belong to the royal family mattered but little in the eyes
+of Englishmen. To them belonged the right of choosing their own
+monarch, and if they chose him, who was to say them nay?
+
+Wulf felt uncomfortable as he followed the stately figure into the
+inner room, but he faced the Earl as the door closed behind him
+with as fearless a look as that with which he had stood before the
+haughty prelate of London. A slight smile played upon Harold's face
+as he looked down upon the boy.
+
+"You are a troublesome varlet, Wulf, and the Lord Bishop has been
+making serious complaint of you to the king. He says that you brawled
+with his page, Walter Fitz-Urse; that you used insolent words against
+his countrymen; and that you even withstood himself. What have you
+to say to this?"
+
+"The brawling was on the part of the bishop's page and not of mine,
+my lord. I was running out to carry the message with which you
+charged me to Ernulf of Dover when I ran against Fitz-Urse. That
+was not my fault, but a pure mischance, nevertheless I expressed
+my regret in fitting terms. Instead of accepting them, he spoke
+insolently, talked of chastising me, and put his hand on the hilt
+of his dagger. Then, my lord, I grew angry too. Why should I, the
+page of Earl Harold, submit to be thus contemptuously spoken to by
+this young Norman, who is but the page of an upstart bishop, and
+whom, if your lordship will give permission, I would right willingly
+fight, with swords or any other weapons. Doubtless, in my anger, I
+did not speak respectfully of Walter's countrymen, and for this I
+am sorry, since it has been the ground of complaint and of trouble
+to you."
+
+"In fact, Wulf, you spoke as a quarrelsome boy and not as the page
+of one who has the cares of this kingdom on his shoulders, and whose
+great desire is to keep peace between all parties," the earl put
+in gravely.
+
+For the first time Wulf hung his head:
+
+"I was wrong, my lord."
+
+"You were wrong, Wulf; it is not good always to say what we think;
+and you, as my page, should bear in mind that here at court it
+behoves you to behave and to speak not as a headstrong boy, but as
+one whose words may, rightly or wrongly, be considered as an echo
+of those you may have heard from me. And now to the third charge,
+that you withstood the prelate; a matter that, in the king's eyes,
+is a very serious one."
+
+"The bishop would give ear to nought I had to say. He listened to
+his own page's account and not to mine, and when I said in my defence
+that though I did use the words about the Normans, I did so merely
+as one boy quarrelling with the other, he said I ought to have my
+ears slit. Surely, my lord, a free-born thane is not to be spoken
+to even by a Norman bishop as if he were a Norman serf. I only
+replied that before there was any slitting of ears your lordship
+would have a say in the matter. So far, I admit, I did withstand
+the bishop, and I see not how I could have made other reply."
+
+"It would have been better to have held your peace altogether,
+Wulf."
+
+"It would, my lord, but it would also surely have been better had
+the bishop abstained from talking about slitting ears."
+
+"That would have been better also, but two wrongs do not make a
+right. I was present when the bishop made his complaint, and upon
+my inquiring more into the matter, his version was somewhat similar
+to yours. I then pointed out to him that if holy bishops lost their
+tempers and used threats that were beyond their power to carry into
+effect, they must not be too severe upon boys who forget the respect
+due to their office. Nevertheless, I admitted that you were wrong,
+and I promised the king, who was perhaps more disturbed by this
+incident than there was any occasion for, that I would take you to
+task seriously, and that to avoid any further brawl between you and
+young Fitz-Urse, you should for a time be sent away from court. I
+did this on the agreement that the bishop should, on his part,
+admonish Walter Fitz-Urse against discourteous behaviour and unseemly
+brawling, and had I known that he had put his hand on his dagger,
+I would have gone further. Have you any witnesses that he did so?"
+
+"Yes, my lord; I saw the smith Ulred among those standing by, and
+doubtless he would see the action."
+
+"That is well," Harold said. "I shall acquaint the bishop with the
+fact when I tell him that I have ordered you to leave for your
+estate at Steyning, and that if his page denies it, I have witnesses
+to prove the truth of your assertions. I think in that case he will
+be glad to drop the matter, for were I to mention the fact to the
+king, he, who has a horror of the drawing of weapons, would order
+Walter Fitz-Urse to be sent back to Normandy. So your exile is not
+likely to be of long duration. You understand, Wulf, that I am not
+seriously angered with you in this matter. You are but a boy, and
+one cannot expect that you will behave as a prudent man; but remember,
+lad, even a boy's words may do mischief, especially when placed as
+you are. There may come a time when you shall show by deeds and not
+by words your feelings against the Normans, but till then bear
+yourself prudently. We Saxons are over given to hasty words, and
+this is a fault. I myself, as all men know, have no love for the
+Normans, but no one has heard me speak against them. The king loves
+them, as is but natural, seeing that he was brought up amongst them,
+and I have not withstood his wishes in the matter, trying only that
+a certain amount of preferment in the land should be bestowed upon
+those who are its owners and not strangers to it and its tongue.
+You will ride this afternoon for Steyning, Wulf, but I hope it will
+not be long before you are back again. If I had my own way in the
+matter, I should think that sufficient had already been said and
+done in so trifling a matter as a boys' quarrel; but as it has been
+brought before our king by a bishop, it is in the king's eyes a
+serious business, for assuredly he himself would have borne a reproof
+from William of London more meekly than you did, and having therefore
+become a church matter, it is altogether beyond my power to interfere.
+At any rate, a short sojourn on your estate will do you no harm;
+it is sometime since you were there, and it is a good thing that
+the lord of the soil should be well known by those over whom he is
+placed."
+
+Wulf bowed deeply and withdrew. The prospect of a visit for a few
+weeks or even months to Steyning was not a terrible one. It was
+some years since he had stayed there for any time. He had been two
+years at Waltham, and since his father's death had been for the
+most part with Harold, and the thought of an unrestricted life and
+of spending his time as he chose, hunting and hawking, and going
+about among his tenants, was by no means unpleasant. He was quite
+satisfied that Harold was not seriously angered with him, and for
+anything else he cared little.
+
+As he understood that his duties as a page were at present at an
+end, he thought he would first call upon Ulred the smith, to ask
+him if he had seen Walter Fitz-Urse handle his dagger, and also to
+tell Osgod that he was going away for a time. He found the smith
+at work.
+
+"Good morning, Master Wulf; though this is not the first time I
+have seen you today, for I was at hand when you had that quarrel
+with the Norman page."
+
+"Yes, I caught sight of your face, Ulred. It was about that I have
+come to you. The bishop has made complaint against me to the king,
+and Earl Harold has ordered me to go down to Steyning for a time.
+Of course I acted wrongly in speaking as I did to the bishop, but
+so far as Walter Fitz-Urse is concerned I maintain that I did no
+wrong. I told my lord as much, and that the Norman put hand upon
+his dagger. The earl said that if I could prove that it would benefit
+my case. I told him that I had seen you close by, but that I did
+not know whether you saw the page do it."
+
+"Assuredly I did," the smith replied, "and had my cudgel in readiness
+to tap him on the wrist if he had drawn his dagger. I would testify
+the same before King Edward himself."
+
+"Thank you, Ulred, I will tell my lord so."
+
+"I am sorry you are to be sent away from court. That is a bad job,
+Master Wulf, and Osgod here will miss you greatly."
+
+"That shall I," the lad said. "Could you not take me down with you,
+young master? You could teach me there how to comport myself as
+your squire, so that when the time comes that you need one, I should
+know my duties. Besides, you could practise on me with sword and
+battle-axe."
+
+"I could not do much in the way of teaching you, Osgod, seeing as
+yet I am myself but a learner, but I should be glad, in truth, to
+have you with me, and it would be good for me to keep up my practice
+in arms. I shall feel almost like a stranger there, and should like
+to have one I know with me. I could ask Earl Harold to let me have
+a horse for you from his stables, where he has two or three score
+doing nothing."
+
+"With your favour, sir, I would rather trust to my own feet. I am
+a stout walker, and though I shall not be able to keep up with you,
+I think that each night I can get to the hostelrie where you may
+put up; but, if not, it matters little, I can make my way after you
+and join you there--that is, if my father will give me permission
+to go."
+
+"You may as well go sooner as later," the smith said. "Since you
+have taken into your head that you will be Master Wulf's man, I see
+not that it will benefit you remaining in the forge. You know enough
+now to mend a broken rivet and to do such repairs to helm and armour
+as may be needed on an expedition; therefore, if the young thane
+is minded to take you I have naught to say against it."
+
+"Then so shall it be," Wulf said, "I shall see my Lord Harold before
+I start, and will tell him that you are minded to be my man, and
+that I am minded so to take you. He will not object, I am sure, but
+it were best to ask him, since, when I return to court, I shall
+have you about me."
+
+"When do you start, Master Wulf?"
+
+"I am ordered to go to-day; therefore, as soon as I have
+seen the earl again I shall be off."
+
+"Where will you sleep to-night?"
+
+"I shall ride to Guildford this afternoon."
+
+"Then you had better lay aside your hammer at once, Osgod,"
+the smith said, "and don fresh clothes, and make your best suit
+into a bundle and start without delay; it is but ten o'clock,
+and you may be at Guildford before sunset. 'Tis but thirty
+miles, and eight hours' walking will take you there. If the young
+thane tells you that Lord Harold makes objection to his taking
+you, you can turn your face backward to-morrow and no harm
+will be done."
+
+"I shall overtake you before you are half-way, Osgod, and
+can then take you up behind me on my horse; and now I will
+go back to the palace. I may have to wait some time before I
+can see Earl Harold. From sunrise to sunset he has but a few
+moments to himself, and I shall have to watch my time to get
+a word with him."
+
+It was not, indeed, until two o'clock in the afternoon that
+Wulf had a chance of speaking to the duke. Then, seeing that
+he was for the moment alone, he entered the room and stood
+with bowed head waiting for Harold to address him.
+
+"So you have come to say good-bye, Wulf," the latter said kindly;
+"it is best so, boy. A time in the country will do you good, and
+there will be much for you to do down there. I have ordered two of
+my men to be in readiness to mount and ride with you, for I would
+not that you should go unattended. One of them will bear a message
+from me and a letter under my hand to the steward, and will tell
+him that although you will, of course, remain as my ward until you
+come of age, you are in all respects to be treated as if you were
+already my sworn man, and thane. It would be well if you could
+gather among your tenants twenty stout men as house-carls. The
+steward is ordered to pay to you whatever moneys you may require,
+and to account for them to me when he sends me in his checkers.
+These house-carls will, of course, be paid. There must be ample
+store of armour at Steyning for them, for your father was followed
+by forty house-carls when he went with me to the Welsh wars. One
+of the men who goes with you is a stout man-at-arms and is one of
+my own house-carls; he will remain with you and will instruct your
+men in arms and teach them to fight shoulder to shoulder. There may
+be bad times ere long, and it is upon trained troops and not upon
+hasty levies that we must most depend. In time I trust you will be
+able to place fifty such men in the field, but at present twenty
+will suffice. Have you aught to say to me before you go?"
+
+"Yes, my lord; first, to thank you for your kindness, and to say
+that I will carry out your instructions; secondly, to tell you that
+Ulred the smith saw Walter Fitz-Urse handle his dagger, and was
+standing ready to knock it from his hand did he draw it. Lastly,
+that Ulred's son Osgod, who is a stout lad a year older than myself,
+and for his age well accustomed to arms, desires to be sworn as my
+man and to serve me in hall and in field. I like him much and have
+almost daily practised with him in arms, and I should be glad to
+have him with me if you see no objection."
+
+"Not at all, Wulf; it is well that a man should have at his side
+one in whom he can altogether trust, be he of gentle blood or simple
+man-at-arms."
+
+"Then I may take him down with me, my lord?"
+
+"Yes, if it pleases you. Can he ride?"
+
+"Not as yet, my lord, I will see that he is instructed down at
+Steyning. He started to walk this morning, understanding that if
+you refused him permission to be my man he would at once return.
+We shall overtake him on the road."
+
+"Bid one of your escort take him up behind," the earl said, "I like
+his spirit. See that he is fittingly apparelled. You shall hear
+from me ere long."
+
+Half an hour later Wulf mounted, and with his two followers rode
+from Westminster.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+COUNTRY LIFE.
+
+Far from being depressed, Wulf felt his spirits rise as he rode
+away on his banishment from court, for instead of feeling it a
+disgrace he regarded it as a step forward in life. Earl Harold
+could certainly, had he been so inclined, have smoothed down the
+angry prelate, and could have retained him at court; but by the way
+he had spoken, Wulf was convinced that the earl let him go because
+he thought that it was good for him to be away. For four years he
+had been under tutelage, first at Waltham, and then at the court.
+In the last position his life had indeed been a pleasant one, for
+as one of Harold's pages he had mixed with all the noble youths of
+the court, and had had a place at every festive gathering. Still,
+he had been but a page, and treated as a boy. Now he was to go
+forth, and to learn his duties as his father's successor.
+
+Harold's steward, who had since the thane's death acted as the
+earl's agent in the management of the estate, would instruct him
+doubtless in his civil duties, while the soldier who rode behind
+him would teach him how to lead men in battle, and how to make the
+fighting force of the estate efficient. Beyond these duties his
+time would be his own. He would have responsibilities, but they
+would be the responsibilities of a thane towards his tenants, and
+not of a page towards his master. He was going away a boy, but if
+it pleased Harold that he should remain away for two years he would
+return a thane. A young one, indeed, but one who had learned the
+duties of his station, and who, if needs be, could take his place
+in the field of battle at the head of his followers. For, even
+putting aside the Normans, from whom the earl seemed to think the
+greatest danger would come, there was never any long cessation of
+fighting in England.
+
+There were the Welsh, who were always turbulent; the Danes of
+Northumbria, who were still a distinct people, although throughout
+the rest of England their identity was fast being merged into that
+of the Saxons. There were the Norsemen, still ready to take every
+opportunity of interfering in the affairs of England, or, if none
+offered, to plunder and harry the coast. There were the earls of
+Mercia, who bore no great love to the house of Godwin, and who
+resented the ascendency of the West Saxons. Lastly, there was
+Harold's brother Tostig, a fiery and turbulent noble, now Earl of
+Northumbria, who was jealous of Harold, ever ready to join in plots,
+and in close alliance with Norway already; he had several times
+withstood the royal authority, and would assuredly again become a
+fomenter of trouble should he see a favourable opportunity. At the
+king's death, if not before, that opportunity would be sure to
+present itself. Harold would be certainly chosen king by the people
+of London and by the West Saxons, but almost as certainly would his
+claim be disputed by the earls of Mercia on one hand, and by Tostig
+and the Danes on the other. Wulf was sure, therefore, that the work
+spent in preparing his tenants to take the field when called upon
+to do so, would not be wasted.
+
+Full of these thoughts he rode for some miles from Westminster
+without addressing himself to the two men behind him; then, bethinking
+him that these were trusted followers of the earl, and had been
+specially told off by him to accompany and stay with him, he called
+them up to his side. Wulf had donned a riding suit instead of court
+attire, which, in deference to the king's partiality for the Normans,
+was, even among the staunchest opposers of the foreigners, a
+compromise between Saxon and Norman fashions. He now wore a tunic
+of a bright green cloth, girded in at the waist and reaching only
+to the knee. Over this was worn a garment closely resembling the
+Roman toga, though somewhat less ample. The folds in front fell
+below the waist, but it was looped up at each shoulder by a brooch,
+leaving the arms bare. His legs were clad in tightly-fitting trousers,
+and his feet in somewhat high shoes. On his head he wore a cap in
+shape closely resembling the Phrygian bonnet. He was armed with a
+dagger, and a short sword, which hung by a leather strap, two or
+three inches long, from his belt. The outer garment had a hood which
+could in bad weather be drawn over the head.
+
+The man who was the bearer of Harold's orders to the steward wore
+a civilian dress, not unlike that of Wulf's. He occupied the position
+of a confidential scribe to Harold. The other wore the garb of a
+soldier. He was clothed from head to foot in a tight fitting leather
+suit, upon which were sewn iron rings overlapping each other, and
+strongly resembling in appearance the chain-armour of later days.
+His casque, with a curtain of leather similarly covered and affording
+a protection to the neck, cheeks, and throat, hung from his saddle-bow,
+and he wore a cap with a long projecting peak, while a cloak was
+thrown over his shoulders and fell almost to his feet.
+
+"I am afraid you will find it but dull time with me, Leof," Wulf
+said as they came up abreast of him, "for the earl says that he has
+charged you to remain with me at Steyning."
+
+"I shall not be sorry for that," the soldier said bluntly, "for I
+shall be right glad to be away from these Normans who fill every
+place at court and swagger there as if Englishmen were but dirt
+under their feet. Moreover, I love not London nor its ways, and
+shall be glad to be down again among honest country folk, though I
+would still rather be following my lord the earl in the field."
+
+"And you, Master Gurth, will your stay down at Steyning be a long
+one?"
+
+"No, indeed. I have but to bear my master's wishes and instructions
+to the steward, and to stay for a few days to see that they are
+carried out according to his desires. I am not like Leof, for I
+prefer life in London, where one meets with learned monks and others,
+can obtain sometimes the use of a choice manuscript, and can hear
+the news from beyond the seas, whereas in the country there is
+nought to talk about save beeves and sheep. I like the journey well
+enough, though I would that the animal I bestrode were more gentle
+in his paces. He has for the last half-hour been fretting on the
+rein to place himself by the side of yours. Horses are well enough
+for nobles and fighting men, but for a peaceful scrivener like
+myself a chair makes a far more comfortable seat."
+
+The soldier gave a contemptuous grunt, and Wulf laughed. "It is
+well that we have not all the same tastes, but for my part a seat
+in a chair tires me more than one in a saddle, and I am never more
+happy than when galloping briskly along," and he shook the reins,
+a signal which the horse had been expecting for a considerable time,
+and at once responded to by breaking into a canter.
+
+"Stay you, I pray, Master Wulf," the scrivener cried in great
+tribulation as his horse followed the example of its companion.
+"Even if the animal does not break my neck he will jolt the life
+out of me. I pray you curb him in if you would not see me prone in
+the dust; and if I am disabled, who is to carry the earl's message
+to the steward?"
+
+Wulf reined in his horse. "Pardon me, good Gurth. I had forgotten
+that you are not accustomed to journey on horseback. I was scarce
+conscious, indeed, that I touched my horse, but he is used to travel
+more rapidly, and was so eager to be off at the slightest hint that
+I was willing that he should do so. We will try and journey soberly
+for the rest of the distance."
+
+Osgod was overtaken, plodding steadily along the road, fifteen miles
+from town. Leof took him up on his horse, and they reached Guildford
+just as the sun was setting. The inn, which stood in the principal
+street of the town, was a low building built with a massive framework
+filled in with bricks. The ground-floor was occupied by a single
+room. At one end was the great fireplace where, over a pile of
+blazing logs, were hung many cauldrons and pots. Round the room ran
+a raised bench some six feet wide on which the guests disposed
+themselves for sleep at night; rough tables and benches occupied
+the rest of the room. Some twenty or thirty travellers were seated
+at these. Few were eating, but the greater portion had horns of
+beer or mead before them. As Wulf and his companions entered, after
+giving over their horses to one of the helpers, the host, seeing
+by his attire that he was of condition above the ordinary, came
+forward and led him to the end of the room nearest the fire, where
+the floor was raised a foot and a half above the general level,
+forming a sort of dais where travellers of distinction could take
+their meals apart from the rest of the guests. Leof was now spokesman.
+
+"We will have supper, and of your best, master host, for we have
+ridden from London. We are in the service of Earl Harold, and are
+riding with this young thane, Wulf of Steyning."
+
+The name of Earl Harold was sufficient to gain for them the best
+attentions of their host, and in twenty minutes supper was served,
+consisting of trout broiled over the fire, swine's flesh, and a
+stew of fowls and smoked bacon flavoured with herbs. Wulf took the
+head of the table, and the other three sat a short distance below
+him. The dishes were handed round, and each with his dagger cut off
+his portion and ate it on his wooden platter with the assistance
+of dagger and fingers only, for the utility of forks was at that
+time a matter undreamt of. After the meal was over, the host brought
+a ewer of water with a napkin, and each dipped his fingers into the
+water, an operation necessary even for the most dainty feeder.
+Presently a glee singer came in, and for an hour amused the guests
+with songs, for the most part of a patriotic character.
+
+Wulf was then conducted by the host to a small chamber upstairs,
+where there was the luxury of a bed stuffed with straw. The rest
+of the travellers, including Wulf's companions, merely wrapped
+themselves in their cloaks and lay down on the raised bench which
+ran round the room.
+
+On the afternoon of the third day the party arrived at Steyning.
+It was four years since Wulf had been at home, and he gave a shout
+of pleasure as his eye fell on the long low house with its background
+of trees, and touching his horse with his heel he left his companions
+behind and galloped towards the door. An old servitor came out.
+
+"Why, Cedric, do you not know me? I am Wulf, whom you first taught
+to play single-stick and to draw a bow."
+
+"Why, surely it is my young master," Cedric said, taking the hand
+that Wulf held out to him and placing it to his lips; "this is a
+glad day indeed for us all. We have longed sorely for a sight of
+you, for though I say nought against Master Egbert the steward, who
+is well liked by all, it is not the same as having our lord with
+us. You have come to stay, I trust."
+
+"For a time at any rate, Cedric. Earl Harold wishes me to learn my
+duties as a thane and to fit myself to lead my people in the field
+if it be necessary."
+
+"I trust that it never will be so," Cedric said, "but as we fought
+under your father so will we all be ready to fight under you should
+it be needful. The men of Steyning were never backward when there
+was fighting to be done, and in my young days there was no lack of
+that, though we have had quiet times since King Edward came to the
+throne."
+
+The house was not built for the purpose of resistance, for, unlike
+the Normans, the Saxons did not deem it necessary to convert their
+houses into castles. It was, however, massively framed, the windows
+on the ground-floor were barred, the door was strong and solid, and
+after nightfall none could come in or go out without the knowledge
+and consent of the master. Wulf's companions came up just as the
+steward himself appeared at the door. He knew both Gurth and Leof,
+having himself been in the service of Harold before being deputed
+by him to manage the estates of Steyning during the earl's guardianship
+of its thane.
+
+"The earl sends his greetings to you, Egbert," Gurth said, "and he
+has sent us hither with the young thane, who, as the letter I bring
+from the earl will inform you, has come down to take up his position
+as lord here, and to learn from you all things connected with his
+estate."
+
+"Welcome to Steyning, thane," the steward said, doffing his cap;
+"it is well that you should be here. I have done my best to carry
+out the earl's commands to keep all things in readiness for your
+coming, and to be just and fair to the tenants, seeing that they
+pay their dues, and yet not pressing too hardly upon them if things
+go not well with them; but it is always best that the master should
+be in his own place, and right willingly do I give over my authority
+to you."
+
+"The authority has been in good hands, I know well," Wulf said,
+"and right heartily do I thank you for having so well filled my
+place; but I would not take up my thaneship as yet I am but a boy,
+and have to learn my duties from you, and shall account myself but
+as your pupil. I know something of the ways of court, but nothing
+at all of those of the country, and it will be long before I am fit
+to take the control of things into my own hands."
+
+They had by this time entered the great hall which formed the common
+room of the establishment. Its arrangement was similar to that of
+the room at the inn, with its raised dais for the master, his family,
+and guests, while the rest of the room was devoted to the retainers
+and servants. The cooking, however, was carried on in a room apart.
+There were two fireplaces, one upon the dais and the other in the
+body of the hall. On the walls hung trophies of the chase and arms
+of all sorts. The wooden roof was supported by massive beams, and
+with the exception of the trophies on the walls there was no attempt
+at decoration of any kind. During the residence of the family at
+the house, however, the hangings of tapestry, the work of generations
+of dames of Steyning, their daughters and maids, hung upon the walls
+round the dais.
+
+The news quickly spread of the arrival of the young thane, and a
+score of men and eight or ten women and maids flocked into the hall
+to welcome him, and as he stood on the dais each in turn came forward
+to kiss his hand and salute him.
+
+"I think my first order must be," he said to the steward, "that a
+cask of your best ale be broached."
+
+"That shall be done at once," Egbert replied; "there is never a
+lack of drink here, but the best is none too good for the occasion.
+And who is this youth with you?" he went on when he had given the
+necessary orders, pointing to Osgod, who was standing somewhat shyly
+apart.
+
+"He is my friend, and is going to be my body attendant and squire,"
+Wulf said. "He, like myself, knows nothing as yet of his duties,
+but that he will be faithful and trusty I know full well, and the
+earl himself said that I did wisely to bring him with me."
+
+"I will myself instruct him in his duties," Egbert said, "which
+indeed are not hard to learn by one of willing mind. He will stand
+behind you at table, will hand you your cup and take your orders.
+In the old times it would have been his duty to see that you were
+not struck down by a traitorous blow while you drank, but those
+days are passed. When in the field he will carry your helmet till
+you need to put it on; will keep close to you in the fight and guard
+you with his shield from arrows, and with his sword from attacks
+from behind; he will carry your banner, and see that as long as he
+has strength to hold it, it floats fairly out as a rallying point
+for your men. In the field indeed his duties are numerous, but at
+home in peace, beyond seeing that your arms are bright and clean,
+and that your orders are carried out properly, he will have but
+little to do. It is well that you brought him with you, for otherwise
+you would have had to choose one of the sons of your tenants, and
+the choice would have been a difficult one, for each would have
+desired the honour, and whichever you chose there would have been
+sore jealousy among the others."
+
+The next day there was a great gathering in the hall. The whole of
+the tenants attended, and took the oath to be Wulf's men, as they
+had been those of his father, to obey his orders, and to follow him
+in the field with the due number of men according to the size of
+their holdings; while Wulf on his part swore to protect them from
+all wrong and oppression, to be a just master, calling upon them
+only for such service as he was entitled to demand, and exacting
+no feus or payments beyond those customary. A bullock had been
+killed, and after the ceremony was over all present sat down to a
+banquet at which much ale was drunk and feasting went on till
+nightfall.
+
+The next morning Wulf, accompanied by Leof and Egbert, rode round
+the estate, choosing among the sons of the tenants thirty stout
+young men willing to enrol themselves as house-carls, receiving a
+regular rate of pay, and ready at all times to give service under
+arms, and to remain in the field as long as they might be required,
+whereas the general levy could only be kept under arms for a limited
+time. He had already gone into the matter with Leof, who pointed
+out that, as at present he had no wish to keep up any show or to
+have a body of armed men in the house, it would suffice if the men
+were exercised every day for a month, and after that merely practised
+with sword and battle-axe for two or three hours once a week. On
+these terms he had no difficulty in obtaining considerably more
+than the number he asked for, and finally fifty men were enrolled.
+
+For those carls helmets were bought and coats of ringed armour made,
+and for a month they exercised daily. Of manoeuvring there was
+little indeed. The Saxons and Danes alike fought in line, with but
+room enough between them to swing their battle-axes. Each carried
+a spear as well as an axe, and when repelling the assault of an
+enemy closed up so that their shields well-nigh touched each other.
+Their exercise was generally either to engage in combats between
+chosen pairs, or, dividing into two parties, to fight line against
+line with blunted poles for spears and with stout cudgels for axes.
+Leof in these combats acted as judge, decided which side had gained
+the victory, praised the skilful, and chided the careless and
+sluggish. He gave lessons in the use of the sword and battle-axe
+to Wulf and Osgod, sometimes pitting them against each other,
+sometimes fighting himself against Wulf, and teaching Osgod how to
+assist his master by covering him with his shield.
+
+Sometimes he would order three or four of the men to shoot with
+blunted arrows at Wulf, whom he taught to catch them on his shield
+or to sever the shafts with a blow of his sword, while Osgod standing
+by helped to cover him when two or three arrows flew at him together.
+This was a daily exercise, and even after the month's regular work
+was over some of the men came up every day to shoot, until Wulf had
+attained such coolness and skill that he could in the great majority
+of cases cut the shafts in two with his sword.
+
+But the whole day was by no means given up to warlike exercises.
+Wulf rode out with the steward inspecting the houses and farms,
+learning what there was to be learned of the rude processes of
+agriculture, investigating the complaints of the depredations
+committed by errant herds of swine or by neighbours' cattle and
+sheep, seeing what was required in the repairs of farmhouses, and
+learning from Egbert to discriminate between those who were unable
+to pay their dues owing to misfortune, illness, or murrain among
+the animals, and those whose losses were due to their own sloth or
+carelessness. Upon these visits, too, the arms of the tenants were
+inspected to ascertain that they could properly fulfil their service
+if summoned to take the field.
+
+The lands embraced by Wulf's feof were of considerable extent,
+reaching down to the sea, where they were some eight miles broad,
+and running back twelve miles beyond Steyning. Several small hamlets
+lay within it, and in case of war he could summon more than three
+hundred men to his banner. Several of the neighbouring thanes rode
+in as soon as they heard that Wulf had returned to fill his father's
+place at Steyning, and these visits were duly returned. But accustomed
+as Wulf had been to the orderliness of the court of the ascetic
+King Edward the rude manners and nightly revelry of these rough
+thanes by no means pleased him, so that he was glad when the visits
+were over, and he could remain quietly at home, where he was not
+without frequent guests.
+
+The most regular of his visitors was the prior of the monastery at
+Bramber, which had been founded by the piety of one of Wulf's
+ancestors. The prior had, though Wulf was ignorant of it, received
+a letter from Earl Harold asking him to befriend Wulf, to encourage
+him to keep up the studies he had followed at Waltham, and to see
+that he did not fall into the drinking habit so common among the
+Saxons. The priest was well fitted for the mission. He was by no
+means a strict disciplinarian, but the monastery had the reputation
+of being one of the best managed in Sussex, and among the monks
+were many of good blood. He was passionately fond of art, and
+encouraged its exercise among the monks, so that the illuminated
+missals of Bramber were highly prized, and added largely to the
+revenues of the monastery.
+
+The prior had been one of the monks at Waltham, and owed his elevation
+to the influence of Earl Harold with the late thane of Steyning.
+He was well taught in all the learning of the day, and having been
+for a time at Westminster, knew more of court life than the majority
+of the priors of isolated monasteries, and could suit his conversation
+to his hearer. Harold had said in his letter, "The lad has good
+parts. He is somewhat full of mischief, and has got into a scrape
+here by a quarrel with a Norman page, and by failing somewhat in
+the respect due to William of London, who took his compatriot's
+part with too much zeal. But Wulf is shrewd, and benefited greatly
+by his stay at Waltham, and both for the lad's own sake and for my
+friendship with the good thane, his father, I would fain that he
+grew up not only a sturdy Englishman, as to which I have no manner
+of doubt, but one who may some day play his part at court, and be
+a worthy friend and counsellor of an English king. Therefore I pray
+you, father, to keep an eye on the lad, and spare him what time you
+can from your duties. Tell him not that I have written to you, for
+it is the nature of youth to be averse to anything that looks like
+guardianship."
+
+Such a request from Earl Harold was regarded by the prior as an
+order, and a few days after Wulf was installed at Steyning the prior
+rode over on his palfrey, accompanied only by the almoner of the
+convent.
+
+"Peace to you, my son," he said, as Wulf bowed respectfully to him,
+"I have called not only as the prior of the monastery founded by the
+piety of one of the thanes of Steyning, but to welcome one who was
+a pupil at Earl Harold's college of Waltham, in which I at one time
+was a preceptor. Not when you were there, for I was installed here
+just before your good father's death."
+
+"I left there two years since," Wulf said, "in order to be one of
+Earl Harold's pages; but I have not forgotten my reading, for the
+earl insists that his pages give two hours a day to study."
+
+"Tis a good rule," the prior said, "for learning is like a weapon,
+it soon becomes rusted when thrown aside. You will, I hope, continue
+the habit."
+
+"I should wish to do so, father, but there are no manuscripts here."
+
+"In that at least I can supply your wants," the prior said. "My
+monastery has a good library, and it will be quite at your service,
+and also my advice in any matters that may concern you. My almoner
+here, brother John, knows pretty well the circumstances of most of
+your people, and may be able to tell you where your alms may be
+well bestowed, and where they would do more harm than good. The
+worthless are ever the most importunate, and for every honest man
+in need there are twenty rogues abegging."
+
+The ice once broken, the prior came over frequently. His conversation
+was bright and interesting. He himself was engaged in writing a
+history of the Saxon and Danish monarchs from the times of Alfred,
+and had stores of anecdotes of people and events of whom Wulf had
+before heard only vague traditions from the wandering singers and
+story-tellers who travelled the country, and were welcome guests
+in every household. As Wulf was urged by the prior to come over
+whenever time hung on his hands, his visits to the monastery were
+naturally very much more frequent than those of the prior to Steyning.
+Sometimes he would sit in the private apartment of the prior, but
+more often he spent his time studying the rare manuscripts, or
+watching the monks at their work of copying and illuminating. If
+he went in the evening he generally sat in the refectory, where the
+monks for the most part spent their evening in talk and harmless
+amusement, for the strict rules and discipline that prevailed in
+monastic establishments on the Continent had been unknown up to
+that time in England, although some of the Norman bishops were doing
+their best to introduce them into the establishments in their
+dioceses,--a proceeding that caused great discontent, and was
+strongly opposed by the English monks. These had, hitherto, regarded
+monastic life as one of work for the good of the poor, and as
+affording for those who wished it a tranquil retirement from the
+trials of the world. Moreover, it offered special attractions to
+those of quiet and studious tastes, since the monasteries provided
+the architects and the painters, the teachers and the writers, and
+it was here alone that learning was maintained and fostered.
+Consequently, at Bramber there was none of that monastic asceticism
+that prevailed abroad, and later became the rule in England also.
+
+During the day the monks had their pursuits according to their
+tastes. There were those who worked in the copying and painting
+room. There were some who drew plans for churches or the dwellings
+of the wealthy, and who sometimes went out and superintended the
+carrying out of their designs. Some were in charge of the garden,
+where the work was chiefly done by the lay servitors, and where the
+herbs and simples were grown that were used in the concoction of
+the medicines distributed among the sick, and highly prized throughout
+the country round. Two or three were skilled in music, and these
+taught and conducted the choir, while two acted as teachers to
+youths, the sons of thanes and others, who, moved by the ardour
+with which their earl advocated learning, intrusted their sons to
+the monks for education. Then when the day's work was done, and
+vespers sung in the chapel, the monks gathered in the refectory.
+The conversation was of a bright and varied description, and as
+Wulf moved about from group to group he listened to the talk with
+far greater pleasure than he had ever derived from that at court,
+and largely increased his knowledge in many respects.
+
+National matters were discussed with keen interest, for the monks
+were all English, and viewed with bitter hostility the elevation
+of foreigners to the chief dignities of the church, not only because
+they were foreigners, but because they introduced innovations of
+all kinds, and sought to reduce the Church of England to subjection
+to Rome, whereas previously it had been wholly independent of Papal
+authority. In secular matters, too, there were dangers that threatened
+the tranquillity of the country. Chief among these were the turbulence
+and ambition of Tostig, and the menace to the kingdom by his extensive
+earldom of Northumbria with its alien Danish population, which was
+rendered more serious by his alliance with the kings of Norway.
+
+Then, too, it was doubtful whether the great central earldom of
+Mercia could be relied upon to act cordially with the West Saxons;
+Griffith of Wales was still restless and turbulent; and lastly,
+there was the ever-present menace of the Norman duke. Had England
+been united it could have laughed at the pretensions of the Duke
+of Normandy; but with Northumbria ready at any moment to break into
+civil war, and with Mercia doubtful, the claim of Normandy, however
+shadowy and indefensible, could not but be considered as a grave
+element of danger.
+
+Listening to the talk of the monks Wulf learned much more as to the
+actual situation than he had done in the court of the Normanized
+king, and his feelings of patriotism became more and more developed
+and strengthened, while he applied himself with even greater ardour
+to his military exercises, as he recognized more fully the necessity
+that might arise for every West Saxon to be ready to take his place
+in the line of battle. The evenings that he spent at home were by
+no means dull. It was only in considerable towns that there were
+inns for the accommodation of travellers. Everywhere else these
+were dependent upon hospitality, and no door was ever closed in
+their faces. It was seldom that less than five or six travellers
+rested for the night at Steyning, and often that number was largely
+exceeded. Besides the wayfarers there were the professional wanderers,
+the minstrels, the story-tellers, and occasionally a troupe of
+buffoons.
+
+All these were welcome, for they brought the news from without; the
+last rumours in London concerning the quarrels of the earls; the
+movements of the Danish ships that were harrying the coast, and
+those of the vessels Earl Harold despatched to cope with them; the
+prices of wool and hides in the chief markets; and even reports of
+what was happening beyond the seas. Leaving the dais, Wulf would
+go down and listen to the talk of the travellers, or, when they
+were of a degree above the common, have them up beside him, and
+question them as to their journeyings, the places they had visited,
+and the personages they had seen. Thus his hours were fully occupied
+from morning until night. He found far less time than he had expected
+for sport, and although he occasionally went out with his falcons
+or hunted the stag in the forest, which covered a wide extent of
+country beyond the hills, it was but seldom that he could find
+leisure for these amusements.
+
+"It seems to me that you are always doing something, Wulf," Osgod
+said one day. "It is not at all the sort of life I should have
+thought a young thane would live. Why, you work many more hours a
+day than I did in my father's forge. It is either books, or the
+affairs of the tenants, or visiting the monastery all day when you
+are not at work with your sword exercises. When I have done with
+my work with Leof I like to lie down in the sun and take it quietly,
+and I cannot understand how you can be for ever on foot."
+
+"I have so many things to do, Osgod; there is so much to learn, and
+I do not wish to grow up a mere beer swiller like Edmund of Angmering
+or Ethelred of Arundel. Their lives are, as far as I can see, no
+whit higher or more worthy than that of their own serfs, from whom
+they differ only that they eat more, drink more, and sleep on softer
+beds. Earl Harold expects better things than that of me, and I want
+to make myself worthy of being one of those in whom he can place
+confidence and on whom he can depend in case of trouble. I have
+heard him say how bad it is for England that our thanes are, in
+learning and culture, so far behind the nobles of other countries,
+and that if England is ever to take her place among great nations
+it must be by her thanes first raising themselves to the level of
+the nobles abroad, who are the counsellors of their kings. I can
+never hope to be anything like Earl Harold, who is the wisest and
+greatest of Englishmen, but I do hope so to fit myself that some
+day he may think me worthy of trust and confidence."
+
+"Well, master," Osgod said lazily, "every one to his liking. I
+hope to be a good soldier and your true servant, but as for all
+this thinking and learning it would weary me to death."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+AT COURT.
+
+Two months after Wulf had gone down to Steyning one of Harold's men
+brought a short letter from the earl himself. "I am glad to hear,
+Wulf," it began, "from my steward, Egbert, that you are applying
+yourself so heartily to your work. I have also good accounts of you
+from the Prior of Bramber, who sometimes writes to me. He is a good
+and wise man, as well as a learned one, and I am right glad to hear
+that you are spending your time so well. I told you that you should
+hear if there was any alteration in your affair. Some change was
+made as soon as you had left; for, two days later, meeting William
+of London in the presence of the king, I told him that I had inquired
+further into the matter, and had found that you were by no means
+the aggressor in the quarrel with young Fitz-Urse, for that he had
+fingered his dagger, and would doubtless have drawn it had there
+not been many bystanders. I also said that, with all respect to
+the bishop, it would have been better had he not inclined his ears
+solely to the tale of his page, and that under the circumstances
+it was scarcely wonderful that, being but a boy, you had defended
+yourself when you were, as you deemed, unjustly accused.
+
+"The prelate sent at once for his page, who stoutly denied that he
+had touched the hilt of his dagger, but I too had sent off for
+Ulred, the armourer, and he brought with him a gossip who had also
+been present. I asked the king's permission to introduce them, and
+they entirely confirmed your story. Fitz-Urse exclaimed that it was
+a Saxon plot to do him harm, and I could see that the bishop was
+of the same opinion; but the king, who is ever anxious to do justice,
+declared at once that he was sure that the two craftsmen were but
+speaking the truth. He sternly rebuked Fitz-Urse as a liar, and
+signified to the bishop that he would do well to punish him severely
+by sending him back to Normandy, for that he would not tolerate his
+presence at court--an order which the bishop obeyed with very bad
+grace. But at any rate the lad was sent away by a ship a week later.
+
+"After the bishop had left the audience-chamber the king said that
+he was afraid he had acted with harshness to you, as it seemed that
+the fault was by no means wholly on your side, and that I could at
+once recall you if I wished to do so. I thanked his majesty
+dutifully, but said I thought it were best in all ways that for a
+time you should remain away from court. In the first place, you
+deserved some punishment for your want of respect for the bishop,
+to whom you should have submitted yourself, even if you had thought
+him unjust. In the second place, as Fitz-Urse had been sent away,
+it would create an animosity against you on the part of his countrymen
+at court were you to reappear at once; and lastly, that I considered
+it would be to your benefit to pass at least some months on your
+estates, learning your duties as thane, and making the acquaintance
+of your people. Therefore, I wished you to continue at Steyning.
+It will assuredly be pleasant for you to know that you are no longer
+to be considered as being there in consequence of having fallen
+under the king's displeasure, but simply because it is my wish that
+you should for a time dwell among your people, and fit yourself to
+be a wise lord to them."
+
+Wulf was much pleased at the receipt of this letter, partly because
+the fact that he had been sent away in disgrace stung him, and he
+had felt obliged frankly to acknowledge to the neighbouring thanes
+that he had been sent down on account of a quarrel with a Norman
+page; but chiefly because it showed the kindly interest that Harold
+felt in him, and that although absent he had still thought of him.
+
+It was nigh ten months before he heard again. During that time he
+had grown a good deal, and although he would never be tall, his
+frame had so widened out that it was evident he would grow into an
+exceptionally powerful man.
+
+At sixteen he was still a boy, and although his position at Steyning,
+where, although still under the nominal tutelage of the earl's
+steward, he was practically lord and master, accustomed to play the
+part of host within its walls, and that of feudal lord over the
+wide estates, had given him the habits of authority and the bearing
+of one who respected himself, the merry expression of his face,
+aided by a slight upward turn of his nose, showed that in other
+respects he was unchanged. He had learned with his weapons all that
+Leof could teach him. He could wield a light battle-axe, and with
+his sword could turn aside or sever an arrow however sharply shot
+at him, provided that he had time to mark its flight. With a
+quarter-staff he was a match for any youth on the estate, and he
+could hurl a dart with unerring aim.
+
+Osgod had sprung up into a powerful young fellow, taller than his
+master by well-nigh a head, and his equal in exercises requiring
+strength rather than quickness and skill. His duties at table had
+been delegated to another, for there was a certain clumsiness in
+Osgod's strength that no teaching could correct; and in his eagerness
+to serve his master he so frequently spilled the contents of a cup,
+or upset a platter, that even Egbert acknowledged that it was
+hopeless to attempt to make a skilful servitor of him.
+
+The earl's second letter contained only the words:
+
+"Come up to London as soon as you receive this. Leave Egbert in
+charge of everything as before."
+
+Although the time had not seemed long, and his occupations were so
+varied that he had never felt dull since he had come down, Wulf was
+delighted to receive the summons. He had, unconsciously to himself,
+begun to feel restless, and to wonder whether Earl Harold had
+altogether forgotten his existence.
+
+"We are going back to London, Osgod," he shouted.
+
+"I am right glad of it," the young giant said, stretching his arms
+lazily. "I am grievously tired of the country, and had it not been
+that nothing would induce me to leave your service, I have thought
+sometimes that I would gladly be back again in my father's smithy,
+hammering away on hot iron. I used to think it would be the grandest
+thing possible to have nothing to do, but I have found that one can
+have too much of a good thing. Certainly I am glad to be going back,
+but I am not sure whether it won't be worse at court than it is
+here."
+
+"Perhaps we may not be staying there," Wulf said encouragingly.
+"Maybe the earl is going to start on some expedition; though we
+have heard of no trouble, either in the North or in Wales. But even
+if I stay at court, Osgod, you will often be able to be away, and
+can spend some hours a day at the smithy, where, if you like, you
+can take off your smock and belabour iron to your heart's content.
+I should say you would be a rare help to your father, for, as Leof
+says, for a downright solid blow there are not many men who could
+surpass you."
+
+Osgod laughed. "Leof has not forgiven that blow I dealt him a month
+ago, when I flattened in his helmet with my blunted axe and stretched
+him senseless on the ground; in faith, I meant not to hit so hard,
+but he had been taunting me with my slowness, and seeing an opening
+for a blow at his head I could not resist it, and struck, as he was
+always telling me to do, quickly."
+
+"You well-nigh killed him," Wulf said, shaking his head; "he has
+not taken an axe in his hand since, at least not with either of us.
+He said to me the first time I invited him to a bout, it was high
+time a man should give up teaching when he came to be struck senseless
+by a boy."
+
+"Not much of a boy," Osgod replied, "seeing that I stand over six
+feet high, and got my muscles hardened early at the forge. However,
+he bears me no ill-will; all he ever said to me on the matter was,
+'I am glad to see that you can shake off your sluggishness sometimes,
+Osgod; I should have been less earnest in my advice to you to strike
+more quickly if I had thought that you were going to do it at my
+expense. Keep those blows for your master's enemies, lad. If you
+deal them to his friends you will lessen their number.'"
+
+"Have my horse brought round at once, Osgod, have the wallets packed,
+and be ready to start in an hour's time. I cannot go without riding
+over to say good-bye to the prior and some of the monks. Do you,
+when you have packed, follow me; it is not greatly out of the way,
+and I shall meet you on the road. A short half-hour will suffice
+for me there."
+
+"So Harold has sent for you, Wulf?" the prior said, when the young
+thane told him that he was on the point of starting for London.
+"'Tis as well. Come back when you may, you will now be fit to rule
+at Steyning, and to rule well, but I foresee that we are likely to
+have you but seldom down here. You are in good train to rise high
+among Englishmen. You already possess the favour of Earl Harold,
+who is, in all respects but name, King of England. You possess far
+more learning than most young men of your rank, and as Harold rightly
+thinks much of such knowledge, you are likely, if you live, to learn
+more. But better than this, so far as your prospects are concerned
+in the troubled times that may be coming, you are quick witted and
+ready. I hear that you are already very proficient in arms, and a
+match for most grown men. Best of all, so far as your future happiness
+is concerned, you have a kind heart and a good disposition. You
+could scarce be a page of Earl Harold's and not be a true Englishman
+and patriot; therefore, my son, I think that I can predict a bright
+and honourable future for you if Harold lives and reigns King of
+England. Be steadfast and firm, lad. Act ever in what your heart
+tells you is the right; be neither hasty nor quarrelsome. But,"--he
+broke off with a smile, "you have had one lesson that way already.
+Now I will detain you no longer. _Pax vobiscum_, may God keep
+and guard you! If opportunity offer, and a messenger comes this
+way, write me a few lines; news of you will be always welcome at
+Bramber."
+
+Leaving the prior, Wulf paid a hurried visit to the chambers where
+the monks were engaged in their various avocations, and then started
+at a canter and met Osgod coming along with a sumpter-horse carrying
+the wallets, a store of provisions for the way, and Wulf's arms and
+armour fastened to the crupper of his saddle.
+
+"You have done well, Osgod," Wulf said as he turned his horse, and
+at a quieter pace proceeded beside him. "I forgot to give you any
+directions or to speak about your bringing a pack-horse with you,
+but I am glad you thought of it, for our steeds would have been
+heavily burdened had all that baggage been divided between them."
+
+"We go back more heavily laden than we came," Osgod remarked. "My
+wardrobe was then of the scantiest, and your own has been considerably
+added to since we came here. Truly, Wulf, I feel that I have changed
+mightily in this year, and can scarce believe that it is but a
+twelvemonth back since I flung down my hammer and started on my
+tramp to Guildford with a change of clothes dangling from the end
+of my cudgel. I was glad when you and your party overtook me, for
+I was badly scared once or twice when I met a rough fellow or two
+on the way, though, fortunately, they did not deem me worth robbing.
+We could give a good account of four or five of such knaves now."
+
+"There has been a change indeed, Osgod, and in me as much as in
+you, though I have not shot up into such huge proportions. I was a
+page then, and had learned but to obey. I am a boy still, but I
+have begun to learn to rule; at any rate, to rule myself. I have
+not conquered my fault of hastiness altogether."
+
+Osgod smiled broadly.
+
+"You are quick in temper still, Wulf. You remember it was but
+yesterday that you rated me soundly because I had fed your hawks
+early, and they were too lazy to fly when you wanted them."
+
+"Well, it was annoying," Wulf laughed; "and you deserved rating,
+since you have been told over and over again that the hawks were
+not to be fed early in the morning. Besides, the rating did you no
+harm."
+
+"None at all, master. I know that you mean not what you say, and
+hard words break no bones. I should have thought no more of it had
+you yourself not remarked that you were still somewhat hasty of
+temper."
+
+"I was wrong, Osgod," Wulf said, holding out his hand, "but you
+know that I love you, and that though your carelessness and
+forgetfulness chafe me sorely at times, I mean not what I say."
+
+"I know it, master, and I would not have you other than you are. I
+suppose it is the thickness of my skull that prevents me from taking
+in all that I am told, and perhaps if I had more to do I might do
+it better. I shall be able to play my part when it comes to hard
+blows, and you must remember that no one can excel in all things.
+A staghound is trusty and sure when on the chase, but he could not
+be taught to fetch and to carry and to perform all sorts of tricks
+such as were done by the little mongrel cur that danced to the order
+of the mountebank the other evening. My father always said I was a
+fool, and that, though for a piece of rough hammering I was by no
+means amiss, I should never learn the real intricacies of repairing
+fine armour. Everything has its good, you see, Master Wulf; for had
+my father thought better of me in his trade, I doubt if he would
+ever have given me leave to quit it, and go as your man."
+
+"I have no doubt that is so, Osgod, and heartily glad am I that you
+showed no genius for smith's work. Nature evidently intended you
+to damage casques and armour rather than to repair them. You have
+not got all my clothes with you," he added, as he looked round at
+the led horse.
+
+"No indeed, Wulf," Osgod said, "nor a quarter of them, for in truth
+your wardrobe has grown prodigiously since we came here. I had to
+talk it over with Egbert, having but little faith in my own wits.
+He advised me to take the two suits that were most fitted for court,
+saying that if he heard you were going to remain there he would
+send on the rest in charge of a couple of well-armed men."
+
+"That is the best plan, doubtless," Wulf agreed. "My hawking suit
+and some of the others would be useless to me at court, and it would
+have been folly to have burdened ourselves with them if we are
+likely to return hither shortly."
+
+"Where shall we stop to-night?" Osgod asked.
+
+"At the monastery of the Grey Friars, where we put up on our way
+from London. It will not be a long ride, but we started late.
+To-morrow we shall of course make a long day's journey to Guildford.
+I don't know what travellers would do were it not for the priories."
+
+"Sleep in the woods, Wulf, and be none the worse for it. For myself,
+I would rather lie on the sward with a blazing fire and the greenwood
+overhead, than sleep on the cold stones in a monk's kitchen,
+especially if it happened to be a fast-day and one had gone to rest
+on a well-nigh empty stomach."
+
+"It is never so bad as that," Wulf laughed; "as a rule, however
+much the monks may fast, they entertain their guests well."
+
+"If it is an English monastery they do," Osgod admitted, "but not
+where there is a Norman prior, with his new-fangled notions, and
+his vigils and fasts and flagellations. If I ever become a monk,
+which I trust is not likely, I will take care to enter a Saxon
+house, where a man may laugh without its being held to be a deadly
+sin, and can sleep honestly without being wakened up half a dozen
+times by the chapel bell."
+
+"You would assuredly make but a bad monk, Osgod, and come what will
+I do not think you will ever take to that vocation. But let us urge
+on our horses to a better pace, or the kitchen will be closed, and
+there will be but a poor chance of supper when we reach the priory."
+
+"Well, Osgod," Wulf asked the next morning as they rode on their
+way, "how did you fare last night?"
+
+"Well enough as to the eating, there was a haunch of cold venison
+that a king needn't have grumbled at, but truly my bones ache now
+with the hardness of my couch. Couch! there was but the barest
+handful of rushes on the cold stone floor, and I woke a score of
+times feeling as if my bones were coming through the skin."
+
+"You have been spoilt, Osgod, by a year of sleeping softly. I marked
+more than once how thickly the rushes were strewn in that corner
+in which you always slept. How will it be when you have to stand
+the hardships of a soldier's life?"
+
+"I can sleep well on the ground with my cloak round me," Osgod said
+steadily, "and if the place be hard you have but to take up a sod
+under your hip-bone and another under your shoulder, and you need
+not envy one who sleeps on a straw bed. As to cold and wet, I have
+never tried sleeping out of doors, but I doubt not that I can stand
+it as well as another. As to eating and drinking, they say that
+Earl Harold always looks closely after his men, and holds that if
+soldiers are to fight well they must be fed well. At any rate,
+Master Wulf, I shall be better off than you will, for I have never
+been accustomed, as you have, to such luxuries as a straw bed; and
+I doubt whether you ever went hungry to bed as I have done many and
+many a time, for in the days when my father hoped to make an armourer
+of me I was sent off supperless whenever I bungled a job or neglected
+his instructions. I wonder what the earl can want you for in such
+haste?"
+
+"I do not suppose he wants me in any haste at all. He may have
+spoken to the king about me, and when Edward again spoke of my
+returning he would simply send for me to come at once."
+
+Such indeed proved to be the case. When he waited on Harold as soon
+as he arrived the latter held out his hand; "I am glad to see you
+back again, Wulf. A year of country air and exercise has done wonders
+for you, and though you are not as tall as you might be, you have
+truly widened out into fair proportions, and should be able to swing
+a battle-axe of full weight. Thinking it was time for you to return
+here, I spoke to the king, who was in high good-humour, for he had
+been mightily pleased that morning at some of the figures the monks
+have wrought in stone for the adornment of his Church of St. Peter;
+therefore he not only consented to your return, but chided me gently
+for not having called you up to town before. 'The matter had
+altogether slipped my mind,' he said; 'I told you that he might
+return directly it was shown that it was the bishop's page who was
+in fault, and from that day I have never thought of it.'
+
+"I told the king that I had purposely kept silence, for I thought
+the day had come when you should learn your duties down there instead
+of dawdling away your time at court. You need not put on a page's
+attire any more. You will remain here as my ward, and I have had
+so good an account from the good prior of Bramber that in a short
+time I shall be able to receive your oath as Thane of Steyning. You
+will attend me to court this evening as one of my gentlemen, and I
+will then present you to the king, whom it is well that you should
+thank for having pardoned you. I hear from the prior that the varlet
+you took down with you has grown into a big man, and is well-nigh
+as tall as I am already. He must have lodging with my followers
+while you are here."
+
+Finding that he was to remain for the present at Westminster, Wulf
+sent off a messenger at once to request Egbert to forward the rest
+of his clothes immediately. That evening the earl took him into a
+chamber, where the king was seated surrounded by a few of his
+favourites.
+
+"This is Wulf of Steyning, my lord king," Harold said, "the youth
+who was unfortunate enough to incur your royal displeasure a year
+since, and who has upon your order returned from his estates. I
+have had excellent accounts of him from my good friend the prior
+of Bramber, who speaks well alike of his love of study and his
+attention to the affairs of his estate. I have also heard from other
+hands of his progress in military exercises, and that he bids fair
+to become a valiant and skilful soldier of your majesty. He has
+prayed me to express his thanks to your majesty for having pardoned
+him, and having authorized me to enrol him again in the ranks of
+my followers here."
+
+The king nodded pleasantly in answer to the deep bow that Wulf made.
+"I was somewhat hasty in your matter," he said graciously, "and
+dealt out somewhat hard measure to you, but doubtless, as Earl
+Harold said, your stay in the country has been for your good, and
+I am glad to hear that the worthy prior of Bramber speaks so well
+of you."
+
+The earl gave a little nod to Wulf, and the latter, gathering that
+his case was concluded, and that he could now go at once, retired
+with another deep obeisance.
+
+Leaving the palace he made his way to the armourer's, whither he
+had sent Osgod as soon as they arrived. The smith doffed his cap
+as he entered. "I am right glad to see you back again, young master.
+My son gave me a rare surprise, for truly when he walked in I did
+not know him again, not having had him in my thoughts or having
+heard of his arrival. The varlet saw that I did not know him, and
+said, 'Canst mend me a broken dagger, master armourer?'
+
+"'That can I,' I answered, and would have said more, when a laugh
+came from his great mouth that well-nigh shook the house, and I
+knew that it was my son, though the note was deeper than his used
+to be, and was, as I told him, more like the bellow of a bull than
+the laugh of a young fellow of eighteen. His mother looked in from
+behind the shop and said, 'Surely that must have been Osgod's laugh.'
+'It was,' I said, 'and there he stands before you. The impudent
+rascal has topped me by over half a head, though I am a fair height
+myself.' Then she carried him away, and I saw no more of him until
+I had finished my work. Since supper he has been telling me somewhat
+of what he has been doing down with you, which, as far as I can
+learn, amounts to nothing, save the exercising of his arms and the
+devouring of victuals."
+
+"He did all there was to do, Ulred, except that he could not bring
+that long body and those loose arms of his to offer me cup or platter
+without risk to my garments, and even Egbert was forced to agree
+that he should never be able to make a courtly servant of him; but
+save in that matter Osgod has got on right well. He has always been
+ready when I wanted him, and prepared at once to start with me
+either on foot or horseback whenever I wished to go out. He is
+growing into a mighty man-at-arms, and well-nigh broke the skull
+as well as the casque of the captain and teacher of my house carls.
+Another two years, if he goes on as he has done and we go into
+battle again, no thane in the land will have a stouter body-guard."
+
+"Are you going to stay in London, Master Wulf?"
+
+"Yes; that is, while the earl is here. When he is away hunting or
+attending to the affairs of the state I suppose I shall go with
+him. Osgod of course will go with me. While here I shall have but
+little use for his services, and he can be at home most part of the
+day."
+
+"Then I trust you will soon be off," the smith said bluntly, "for
+to have a youth six feet and a hand in height hanging about doing
+nothing would set all the men thinking it well that they too should
+be idle. Osgod was always ready enough for a talk, though I do not
+say he could not work when it was necessary, but now that he is in
+your worship's service and under no orders of mine, his tongue will
+never cease wagging."
+
+"Oh, I am ready to work a bit, father. I know how long it took me
+to hammer out a bar before, and I shall be curious to find out in
+what time I can do it now."
+
+"I doubt you will spoil more than you make, Osgod. Still, I too
+shall be curious to see how many strokes you can give with the big
+hammer, and how quickly you can beat a bar into a blade."
+
+The stay in town was, however, of short duration, for four days
+later the earl told him that he was going down to his house at
+Bosham, and that he was to accompany him.
+
+"'Tis three months since I was away from London," he said. "The
+king is going down into Hereford to hunt, and I am therefore free
+for a while, as there are no matters of state that press at present,
+though I fear that ere very long the Welsh will be up again. I hear
+that their King Griffith, not content with the beating he had a
+short time since, is again preparing for war. Still it may be some
+time before the storm bursts, and I am longing to be down again
+among the green woods or afloat on the water."
+
+Harold took with him a large party of personal friends, his brother
+Wulfnoth, and his nephew Hakon. Among the party was Beorn, a young
+thane, who also was a ward of the earl. He was two years older
+than Wulf, but there had been a close friendship between them at
+Edward's court. Shortly after Wulf's departure Beorn had also been
+sent by the earl to his estates in Hampshire, and had been recalled
+at the same time.
+
+Beorn was far less strong and active than Wulf, having been very
+weakly during the early years of his life, nor had he had the same
+advantages of education, as he only became Harold's ward a year
+after Wulf was installed as a page at Westminster. He was a youth
+of good and generous disposition, and looked with feelings of
+admiration upon the strength and skill in arms of the younger lad,
+and especially at his power of reading.
+
+"I can never be like you there, Wulf," he would say, "but I hope I
+may some day grow as strong as you and as skilful in arms."
+
+Beorn's stay in the country had done much for him, his thin tall
+frame had filled out and there was a healthy colour on his cheek.
+He had practised diligently at military exercises, and although he
+found when, on the first day after Wulf's arrival in London, he
+challenged him to a trial in arms, he was still very greatly his
+inferior in skill and strength, he bade fair to become a gallant
+fighter.
+
+"It is a disappointment to me, Wulf," he said as he picked up the
+battle-axe that had been struck from his hand and sent flying across
+the hall by a sweeping blow of Wulf's weapon. "I have really worked
+very hard, and I did think that I ought to have caught you up,
+seeing that I am two years the elder. But you have gained more than
+I have. I did as well as the other youths who were taught with me
+by the house-carl Harold sent down with me, but I am sure I shall
+never be as quick or hit as strongly as you do."
+
+"Oh yes, you will, Beorn. Age is nothing. You see you were sick and
+ailing till you were fifteen years old, so those years counted for
+nothing, and instead of being two years older than I am you are
+many years younger. In another four or five years you will come to
+your full strength, and will be able to strike a far heavier blow
+than I can now; although I do not say heavier than I may be able
+to do then, as you are neither so wide nor so deep chested as I am.
+But what does it matter, one only fights sometimes. You have other
+advantages, you are gentler in speech and manner and have a handsome
+face. When we were pages together the bower-maidens of the queen
+always made much of you, while they called me impudent, and would
+give me many a slap on the cheek."
+
+"Well, you deserved it richly, Wulf, for you were always playing
+tricks upon them--hiding their distaffs or tangling their thread,
+and giving them pert answers when they wanted you to do their
+errands. Well, I hope we shall be always great friends, Wulf. Your
+estates lie not far from mine, and though we can scarce be called
+neighbours we shall be within a day's ride of each other, and I
+trust that we shall fight together under the good earl, and often
+spend our time at each other's houses, and hunt and feast together."
+
+"I hope we shall be much together, Beorn," Wulf said warmly, "and
+that we shall be sworn friends; but as for feasting, I care but
+little for it. We Saxon thanes are too fond both of food and wine-cup,
+and though I am no monk I would that our customs could be altered.
+I hate foreigners, but their ways are in many respects better than
+ours. The Normans, it is true, may not be much better than we are,
+but then they are but Northmen a little civilized; but I have heard
+the earl say that the French, and still more the Italians, are
+vastly ahead of us in all arts, and bear themselves with a courtesy
+and gentleness to each other that puts to shame our rough manners."
+
+"We should be neither happier nor better that I can see, Wulf, did
+we adopt the manners of these Italians you speak of instead of our
+own."
+
+"Perhaps not, Beorn, but we should be able to make the people happier
+and better if we could raise them."
+
+"I will not even grant that, Wulf. Think you that the smith and the
+shepherd, the bowmaker and the weaver, would be any the happier
+could they read or even write than they are as they sing Saxon songs
+over their work? I should like to be able to read, because Harold
+thinks much of it, but except for that I see not that it would do
+me much good. If the king makes me any further grant of land it
+will be doubtless properly made out, and I can get a clerk or a
+monk to read it to me. My steward will keep the tallies of the
+tenants' payments. I can learn the history of our forefathers as
+well from the songs and tales of the gleemen as from books."
+
+"You are as bad as my man Osgod," Wulf said indignantly.
+
+"Well, you need not get hot about it, good Wulf," Beorn laughed.
+"When you come to see me I will have gleemen to sing the deeds of
+our fathers to you. When I come to you I will sit as mum as a mouse
+while you read to me from some monk's missal. I will force you
+neither to eat nor to drink more than it pleases you, and you shall
+give me as much to eat and drink as it pleases me, then we shall
+be both well satisfied. As for your man Osgod, I wish I had such
+a fellow. He will be well-nigh a giant one of these days, and in
+strength may come to rival the earl, who is said to be the strongest
+man on English soil."
+
+"He is a good fellow, Beorn, and I could wish for no better to hold
+a shield over me in the day of battle or to stand back to back with
+me in a hand-to-hand fight."
+
+"You should get him to stand in front of you," Beorn laughed. "He
+would be a rare screen against arrows and javelins."
+
+The friends were well pleased when they heard they were both to
+accompany Harold to Bosham, which was one of the favourite abodes
+of the Earls of Wessex. It had originally been built as a hunting-seat,
+but Godwin had grown to love the place, with its woods extending
+for miles back and its quiet landlocked harbour, and additions had
+been made until it had grown to be, in point of size at least, a
+residence worthy of the great earls, and Harold preferred it to any
+of the many mansions belonging to him. It was a large and gay party
+that rode down the road through the quiet woods of Surrey and Sussex.
+They put up each night at the houses of thanes, where, as notice
+had been sent of their coming, they were royally entertained, and
+those selected were proud to afford hospitality to the earl.
+
+For a week they stayed at Bosham, hunting in the forests, going off
+in parties under the guidance of the foresters, some who cared not
+for hard labour, hunting in the woods between Bosham and the hills,
+while others went far inland into the weald, which was for the most
+part covered by a great forest, with but a few scattered hamlets
+here and there. Smoke rising among the trees showed where the
+charcoal-burners were at work, or where the furnaces were glowing,
+converting the ore into the tough iron that furnished arms and
+armour for the greater portion of the men of the south. At the end
+of the week the earl announced to his guests that he had provided
+a new diversion for them.
+
+"You see those three ships in the harbour," he said. "They were
+brought here last night, and three hundred men have been at work
+all day preparing them for our reception. I propose that we all
+embark with our dogs and servants, and sail along the coast, landing
+where we please and taking our sport. As we sail eastward there
+are abundant forests, and the game is far more plentiful than here,
+and our trip will partake of the character of an adventure in thus
+dropping upon unknown places. Tents have been stored on board the
+vessels, with abundance of good cheer of all kinds, so that we can
+establish ourselves where we will, and sleep on shore instead of
+rocking uneasily on the waves."
+
+The proposal was received with acclamation, and the following morning
+the whole party embarked upon the three ships. The largest was
+occupied by Harold himself, his brother and nephew, and six or seven
+of his principal thanes. In this craft too went Wulf and Beorn with
+their men. On issuing from the harbour the ships' heads were turned
+to the east. The wind was light and fitful, the sails therefore
+were not loosed, and they proceeded under oars. There was but little
+tide until they reached the extremity of the long point of Selsea,
+past which they were hurried at great speed by the rapid current.
+Rowing closer inshore they got into quieter water, and continued
+their way until tide turned, when they anchored, and landing with
+their dogs hunted in the woods for some hours.
+
+On their return to the sea-shore they found the tents erected and
+supper prepared, and the sport having been good they remained another
+day. The tide took them the next day past the shore of Wulf's estate,
+and he begged the earl to land there and to pass a day or two with
+his company at Steyning; but all were bent upon the chase, and they
+kept on until they reached the point where the white cliffs began
+to rise from the edge of the water. Here they landed again, and
+spent two or three days in hunting. Neither Wulf nor Beorn had been
+to sea before, and the quiet motion of the ships with their bellying
+sails and banks of sturdy oarsmen delighted them. There had been
+scarcely any motion, and neither had felt the qualms which they had
+been warned were generally experienced for a while by those who
+went upon the sea for the first time.
+
+When the journey was resumed Wulf was struck with surprise and
+almost awe by the mighty cliffs that rose up from the water's edge.
+Neither he nor Beorn had seen anything like this, for although both
+their estates bordered the sea, the shores were flat, and vessels,
+if needs be, could be hauled up on shore.
+
+"What would happen if a gale were to burst upon us here?" Wulf said
+to his companion. "If the waves were to dash us against those white
+rocks the ships would be broken up like egg-shells."
+
+"Your question is answered," Beorn said, as a bay suddenly opened
+to their sight. "You see we are going in here, and shall anchor
+snugly somewhere up this river in front of us, which is truly the
+best haven we have seen since we left Bosham." Half an hour later
+the vessels were moored to the bank, close to a wooden bridge which
+spanned the little river.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+A STORM.
+
+After hunting for two days in the forests lying behind Newhaven,
+and in the valley in which Lewes lies, they again embarked. The
+master of Harold's ship had expressed some doubts as to the weather,
+but as he stated that it was but some eight miles round the great
+cliff that they saw to the east, and that beyond this the rocks
+ceased and there was a bay in which they could ride at anchor, or
+if necessary beach their vessels, it was determined to proceed, as
+Harold had the day before been visited by a thane whose house lay
+but two miles from the shore, and had accepted his invitation for
+the party to take up their abode there for a few days, as he promised
+them good sport in the forest. The cliffs rose higher as they
+proceeded. They kept closer inshore, and although they could see
+that the clouds were flying rapidly overhead they felt no breeze
+whatever, being protected from the wind by the lofty cliffs. The
+master was evidently uneasy, for he urged the rowers to exert
+themselves to the utmost. Wulf and Beorn stood looking with amazement
+at the cliffs towering up beside them.
+
+"Is it not strange that they should rise like this--like a wall
+from the water?" Wulf said. "Had they been built up by human hands
+they could scarcely have been more erect and regular. I have never
+seen anything at all like it on land."
+
+"Then it must be something formed by the sea, Wulf. Do you see those
+caverns at the foot of the cliff, and in some places you see there
+is a mound of rocks as if newly formed? It may be that this white
+stone is soft, and that the sea beating against the foot wears it
+away in time, and then the rock overhead gives way by its weight
+and so leaves an upright wall. Perhaps, long back, these hills were
+like other hills, sloping gradually down into the sea; but in time,
+perhaps many, many years before the Romans landed here, the sea
+began to eat them away, and has continued to do so ever since, until
+they are as we see them."
+
+"That may be so, Beorn. My father has told me that he could remember
+when our estates stretched a good half-mile farther seaward, but
+had since been eaten away by the waves, and he says that his father
+had told him the same thing; therefore, as you say, in many hundreds
+of years even hills, if the stone were soft, might also be worn
+away. There we are rounding the point, and beyond there are no more
+cliffs; doubtless it is in this bay that the Shipmaster Edred thinks
+to anchor."
+
+At that moment their conversation was cut short by a tremendous
+gust of wind rushing down the sloping hill into the bay striking
+them with such terrible force that the ship heeled over until the
+water rushed above the bulwark. The men were thrown against each
+other, and several fell down to leeward. The confusion was heightened
+by the fact that the great sail, which was but loosely furled to
+its yard, burst the ropes, and the wind catching it buried the craft
+still further, and she would have filled and sunk had not the
+ship-master seized the tiller, and aided by the two sailors there
+pushed it up, and so the boat's head payed off from the wind and
+ran before it.
+
+The master shouted to the men to lower the sail, which was bellying
+and flapping violently, but before his orders could be obeyed there
+was a crash. The mast snapped off at the slings of the yard, and
+the wreck fell over the bow of the boat. All hands were employed
+for some minutes in getting the sail on board and furling it to its
+yard, which was laid lengthways along the thwarts. It was found
+that three men standing in the bows had been killed, and several
+others badly hurt. The vessel was by this time some distance from
+shore. Nothing could be done until she was freed of the water, with
+which she was nigh half-full, and all hands were employed in bailing
+it out.
+
+The squall had increased rather than lessened in fury, and by the
+time the water was cleared out they were two miles from the headland.
+Orders were then given to man the oars again but it was found that
+several of these had been lost, having been washed away when the
+men leapt up, believing that the boat would capsize, or had slipped
+from the rowlocks unnoticed while they were engaged in getting in
+the sail. This was a serious misfortune, for every oar was needed
+to force her through the water in the teeth of the wind, which was
+blowing directly off shore. The remaining oars were all double-banked,
+Harold himself and his thanes taking their places among the rowers.
+
+For an hour they laboured their hardest, but at the end of that
+time they were farther from shore than when they began, the force
+of the wind acting on the poop and broad hull driving her seaward
+faster than the rowers could force her shoreward. The sea, too,
+was now getting up, and the motion of the vessel rendered it
+increasingly difficult to row. Edred left his place at the tiller
+and went forward to Harold.
+
+"My lord," he said, "it is useless. In spite of your efforts we are
+drifting farther and farther out, and from the look of the sky I
+fear that we are going to have a great gale, and there is nothing
+to do but to set a little sail and to run before it. Maybe there
+will presently be a shift of wind, which may enable us to make for
+shore. At present you are but exhausting yourselves in vain, and
+the sea will soon get up so much that it will be impossible to use
+the oars."
+
+"So be it," Harold replied; and at the master's orders the oars
+were laid in, and the men prepared to get sail upon her. A sailor
+climbed up the mast and fastened the stays close to the point which
+was broken off. Then another joined him, and a block was lashed to
+the mast just below the stays, and the halliards were rove through
+it; then Edred brought out a small sail, and this was hoisted, and
+the vessel, which had before been rolling heavily, began to glide
+swiftly through the water. They had had the satisfaction of seeing
+that their consorts, although like themselves nearly capsized by
+the squall, had suffered no damage, but after lowering their sails
+and yards to the deck, had succeeded in rowing into the bay, their
+lighter hull and draught enabling the oars to drive them through
+the water in the teeth of the wind.
+
+"She is going along finely now," Wulf said.
+
+"Yes," Beorn agreed; "but before night there is like to be a sea
+that will try her."
+
+Harold held a consultation with the master, and presently all the
+men were called to work. The great sail was unrolled from its yard
+and a portion cut off, somewhat wider than the beam of the boat,
+and in length reaching from the bow to the mast. Nails and hammers
+were brought up from the little cabin, and the canvas was stretched
+from bulwark to bulwark and strongly nailed to the wood on either
+side, oars being first lashed across at short intervals to support
+it.
+
+"I suppose that is for us to lie under, Master Wulf?" Osgod said.
+"It is a pity it was not erected before, for there is not a man on
+board who is not drenched to the skin."
+
+"It is not put there to keep you dry, Osgod, but to keep the waves
+from coming into the ship. But she goes over them well. The wind
+is getting up, Osgod, and we shall have a great sea presently."
+
+"Then why don't we turn and sail back again? It seems to me to be
+folly to be running away from the land if such is going to be the
+weather."
+
+"How can we sail back again? Do you not see that it is the wind
+that is blowing us off, and the vessel must go as the wind takes
+her. One can go a little this way or that, but no man ever yet
+sailed in the teeth of the wind."
+
+"This is the first time I have ever been to sea," Osgod said, "and
+I trust it will be the last. The tossing of the ship makes me
+strangely giddy, and many of the servants are downright ill with
+it. Why men should go on the water when they can walk upon the land
+is more than I can say. I think I will go and lie down under the
+shelter of the sail, for indeed I feel as if I were about to die."
+
+Wulf himself was feeling strangely uncomfortable. As long as they
+had been at work he had not felt unwell, for the necessity of holding
+on to the bulwarks or ropes, and the excitement of their strange
+position, had saved him from experiencing many qualms; but both he
+and Beorn were soon glad to follow Osgod's example, and to lie down
+on the boards under the rowers' benches. Fiercer and fiercer blew
+the wind, more and more violent became the motion of the ship;
+masses of water fell on the canvas forward, as she plunged into the
+waves, and would have soon beaten it in had it not been for the
+support of the oars. By evening most of the men were lying under
+the shelter, while Harold's brother and friends had retired to the
+little cabin in the stern. The earl himself remained by the side
+of the ship-master, who had taken his place close to the tiller,
+which was worked by four men.
+
+"Think you that she will weather it, Edred?"
+
+"I have little fear about that, my lord. She is a staunch boat, and
+I have been aboard her in seas as heavy as this. Besides, that
+thought of yours of stretching the canvas across her bow has greatly
+improved her chances. The water runs off as fast as it falls on it,
+and none comes on board. Had it not been for this every man would
+have had to bail all night. No, I have no fear of her weathering
+the gale. What I am afraid of is, that if this wind continues to
+blow we shall assuredly be lost on the coast of Normandy."
+
+"That would be an ill fortune, indeed, for I know that the Normans
+count all that are cast on their shores as lawful prey; and even
+if we reach the land in safety and escape murder at the hands of
+the lord of the soil and his people, I may fall into the hands of
+Duke William, who is assuredly no friend of mine, seeing that I
+stand in the way of his designs upon the throne of England. Truly
+it was an evil moment when the thought of taking to the sea occurred
+to me, and I would give a broad slice of my earldom to be back at
+Bosham."
+
+Hour by hour the waves increased in size and violence, and often
+poured in over the sides. The number of men on board was too great
+for all to work effectively. They therefore were divided into two
+parties, one being engaged in bailing while the other lay under
+cover, the change being made every hour. Wulf preferred working
+to lying still, for as the craft rolled the water washed over them,
+while the din of the waves striking the ship's side, and the cataracts
+of spray falling on to the canvas above were deafening, and it was
+impossible to get a moment's sleep. All were glad when morning
+broke, although the scene that met their eyes was the reverse of
+comforting. Small as was the amount of sail the vessel tore through
+the water under the pressure of the following wind. Great waves
+with white crests pursued her, and as they neared her stern it
+seemed to Wulf that they must inevitably fall over and crush her.
+The spray torn from the crest by the wind filled the air. The wind
+shrieked in the cordage, and the vessel creaked and groaned as she
+rolled from side to side.
+
+"I would not have believed if I had not seen it, that the sea could
+be so violent and ill-behaved," Wulf shouted to Osgod, who was then
+standing beside him.
+
+"If my clothes were but dry and my stomach full I would not mind
+so much," Osgod replied; "but to be drenched in water all night and
+to have nought to eat in the morning, takes the courage out of one
+mightily. How long, think you, will this go on?"
+
+"That no one can say. It may last two or three days."
+
+"And no food all that time!" Osgod exclaimed in dismay.
+
+"We could stand that well enough, Osgod; but I do not think there
+is much chance of our being called upon to do so, for I heard one
+of the sailors say that unless the storm abates marvellously we are
+likely to be cast upon the French coast before nightfall."
+
+"I should be glad to be cast anywhere so it were out of this. At
+least, whether it be France or England, there must be food to be
+had on shore."
+
+"You do not understand, Osgod. Unless we happen to be cast upon a
+shelving coast with sand or gravel the craft may be dashed to pieces,
+and all lose their lives; for assuredly none could swim long in
+such a sea as this."
+
+"Well, we must hope that we shall find a shore such as you speak
+of," Osgod said tranquilly; "but for my part, I am content to take
+the risk rather than wait another three days before getting anything
+to eat."
+
+"And I would rather fast for a week than run the risk of the ship
+being broken up on the rocks," Wulf replied. "I can swim but little
+even in calm water, and I am sure that I could do nothing among
+those waves."
+
+"I can swim, and will look after you," Osgod said confidently. "I
+used to swim every day in the Thames."
+
+Wulf shook his head. "I daresay you might look after me if I fell
+into the Thames, Osgod, but it is a very different thing in a sea
+like this. These waves would dash a swimmer hither and thither as
+if he were but a chip of wood; besides, the spray would smother
+him. Even at this height above the water it is difficult to breathe
+when one turns round and faces the wind. I think that our only
+hope lies in running upon a flat shore, where the waves will wash
+the vessel up so high that we may be able to leap out from the bow
+on to the land beyond the reach of their fury."
+
+Late in the afternoon one of the sailors on the poop astern shouted
+out that land was visible, and it was not long before it could be
+seen from the deck. All eyes were directed anxiously towards it.
+
+"It is a rocky coast," Edred said, "but the rocks are not high, and
+if we can manage to direct the vessel between two of them we may
+escape. At present it is needful that most of the crew should keep
+in the stern, but when we are about to strike they must all run
+suddenly forward, so as to leap out as soon as she touches the
+ground. There will be but little time given to them, for assuredly
+the seas will batter her to pieces the moment she falls among the
+rocks."
+
+Harold issued the order. All were to remain at their posts until
+he gave the word, and were then to run forward. The master scanned
+the shore anxiously.
+
+"See you, my lord, that opening right ahead of us? It seems to me
+barely the width of the ship, but if I can direct her truly between
+the rocks methinks that most of the crew will gain the land. I shall
+myself take the helm. That is my duty and my right, and should I
+not succeed in making the shore, I shall at least die well contented
+with the thought that you who are the hope of England will be saved."
+
+"I would fain stay with you, Edred."
+
+"That cannot be, my lord. As it is my duty to stay by the ship to
+the last, so it is your first duty to save your life for England.
+I need no aid, for the vessel steers well, and by the help of a
+rope round the tiller I can manage her alone. Farewell, my lord,
+if we are not to meet again on earth. A very few minutes will decide
+our fate."
+
+"Swimming will be of no use there, Osgod," Wulf said. "Look how
+the spray dashes itself against the black rocks."
+
+"I thought not that it would be so bad," Osgod replied. "I wonder
+the master does not cast anchor."
+
+"The ropes would not hold for a moment," Wulf said, "and when they
+broke we might drift broadside on to the rocks, which would mean
+destruction for all. The master is steering for that narrow opening
+between these two great rocks ahead. It will be but two or three
+minutes now before our fate is decided."
+
+At this moment Harold shouted:
+
+"Let each man make his peace with God." And baring his head he stood
+silently for a minute or two, imitated by all on board. Then Harold
+again raised his voice in a shout that was heard above the storm:
+
+"Move forward now all of you, but not further forward than the mast;
+for if her head were too far down the master could not hold her
+straight. Moreover, the mast will assuredly fall forward and crush
+those in front of it. Therefore, let no man go forward of it until
+the ship strikes."
+
+The sailors had already cut away the canvas stretched across the
+bow, and all on board clustered just aft the mast. Wulf looked back,
+and saw the master standing alone on the poop, with his eyes fixed
+in front of him and a look of grim resolve on his face. Then he
+turned again to look ahead. The scene was terrible. On either side
+extended a long line of white foam. Great masses of water were
+hurled against the rocks with a thundering crash, and the spray
+flew high up into the air, and then, caught by the wind, was carried
+far inland. The rocks were now but a few lengths ahead, and the
+passage between them looked terribly narrow, so narrow that he
+doubted if the ship could possibly pass through them. Not a word
+was spoken on board as the ship neared the opening. Now she swerved
+a little to one side, now a little to the other, as the waves lifted
+her stern and swept her along, but the hand of the master checked
+her immediately, and brought her head back to the line.
+
+She was but a length away from the passage when there was a crash
+that shook her from stem to stern; then another great wave lifted
+her, and Wulf saw a black wall of rock gleaming with the water that
+streamed down it. The wall of rock flashed past the bulwarks so
+closely that he could have touched it. A moment later the ship struck
+again, this time with a force that threw many off their feet, while
+the mast fell over the bow. Then once more she lifted, shot a few
+feet further, then struck with tremendous force and remained
+stationary.
+
+There was a grinding and splintering of planks, as the men rushed
+forward, and then a wave swept over the vessel, carrying all on
+deck before it into the cove beyond the rock, rolling them over and
+over up a sandy shore behind. Some managed to dig their hands and
+feet into the sand and to scramble out; more were sucked back again
+by the receding waters. As Wulf found himself in the water he felt
+his arm clutched, and Osgod shouted in his ear: "Do not struggle,
+I can keep you up!"
+
+When thrown up on the sand Wulf tried in vain to resist the backward
+rush of the water; he and Osgod were borne out again. When the next
+wave again swept them up Wulf saw the earl standing knee-deep in
+the water, and as he was swept past, Harold seized him and Osgod,
+and with tremendous strength lifted them right out of the water.
+"Keep still!" he shouted; "your weight will help me to keep my
+feet." Wulf felt his supporter quiver as the water rushed out, for
+he was waist-deep now; but directly afterwards he set them both
+down on their feet, saying, "Run before the next wave comes." Ten
+yards farther and they were beyond the reach of the sea. Harold
+was with them, and directed those who had got ashore to form lines,
+taking hold of each other's hands, and so to advance far into the
+surf and grasp their comrades as they were swept up. Many were saved
+in this way, although some of the rescuers were badly hurt by
+floating pieces of wreckage, for the vessel had entirely broken up
+immediately after her course had been arrested.
+
+As soon as all who could be seen were brought ashore it was found
+that ten men were missing, among whom was the master of the ship,
+most of them having probably been struck by floating timbers. As
+soon as it was certain that no more would come ashore alive Harold
+called the men together. Rough litters were made of oars and pieces
+of sail, for the conveyance of those who had broken limbs or were
+too much injured to walk, and the party prepared for a start. By
+this time several men, apparently of the fishing class, had approached,
+but stood a short distance away, evidently waiting for the departure
+of the party before beginning the work of collecting whatever the
+sea might cast up. Harold went over to them, and asked in the Norman
+tongue:
+
+"What shore is this, and how far is it to the nearest town where
+we can obtain shelter and assistance?"
+
+"You are in Ponthieu, in the territories of Count Conrad. The town
+of St. Valery is but two miles along the coast. There you can obtain
+all you need."
+
+Returning to his men, Harold ordered the wounded to be raised, and
+the party at once set out. Harold had already taken off his gold
+chain and rings, and had told his companions to do the same, in
+order that the cupidity of the natives might not be excited nor
+their rank guessed at. As soon as they started Wulf went up to him.
+
+"My lord," he said, "I fear that you have already been recognized
+by one of the fishermen. I saw him looking earnestly at you, and
+then whisper to one of his companions. After doing so he hurried
+away."
+
+"That is bad news, Wulf; but I could hardly expect that I should
+be long unrecognized. There are many vessels come and go between
+the northern ports and our own, and in St. Valery there must be
+numbers of sailors and fishermen who have seen me in London. Besides,
+we are sure to be questioned by the count as to our rank and
+condition, and even could we conceal it for a while, the news is
+certain to be brought ere long from England of our having been blown
+off the coast, and when it was known it would be speedily guessed
+that we were the missing party. Hark you, Wulf; I have never heard
+aught good of Count Conrad, and one cannot say what steps he may
+take to force us to pay a heavy ransom, but it is like enough that
+he will do all he can to prevent the news of my being in his hands
+from reaching the ears of the duke. It is likely that you and Beorn,
+being but lads, will be watched less rigorously than the rest of
+us. Should this be so, try, if you find an opportunity, to send the
+news to the duke that we are all held prisoners here. I shall, of
+course, endeavour to communicate with him, but some chance may occur
+by which you can do so more readily than I can."
+
+"I will try to do so, my lord; but I trust this Norman count will
+treat you with all due honour and courtesy."
+
+Wulf then fell back to Beorn's side, and half an hour later the
+shipwrecked party entered the gates of St. Valery. The townspeople
+flocked round them, and as soon as they learned that they were a
+party of shipwrecked Saxons who had been blown by the gale from
+England, they were led to the house of the officer in command of
+the town. He asked them a few questions, saying, "I must refer the
+matter to the count. By the usages of our land all who are cast
+upon it become his prisoners, to be put to ransom or otherwise as
+he may decide. However, food shall be supplied you at once, but
+you must be content to remain under guard until his pleasure is
+known."
+
+They were accordingly at once placed in a disused granary, under
+the charge of a strong guard. Food was brought to them, and as soon
+as they had consumed this, most of the men threw themselves on the
+ground, worn out by their long exertions.
+
+"This is a sorry welcome, Wulf, after our escape from the sea,"
+Beorn said. "Truly the land seems as inhospitable as the ocean."
+
+"It is not pleasant, Beorn, but at present I feel so thankful for
+my escape from those terrible waves that even the thought that we
+are all prisoners to this petty noble does not greatly concern me.
+Doubtless William of Normandy, who is the liege lord of the land,
+will speedily take us out of his hands. Were we alone it may be
+that we should suffer a long stay in his dungeons, but Harold and
+his brother are far too important personages to be allowed to remain
+in the hands of one of the duke's vassals."
+
+"It is shameful," Beorn said indignantly. "I do not say that those
+who are cast on our shores may not be often pillaged and ill-treated
+by the common folk, but surely none of gentle blood would fail to
+show them kindness and hospitality."
+
+"That is so on our coast of Sussex, but I have heard that further
+west, and certainly among the Danes of Northumbria, vessels cast
+on the coast are considered as gifts from the sea, and even the
+lives of those who gain the shore are not often respected. I regret
+much that Harold should be with us. It is true that his being here
+will doubtless shorten the term of our imprisonment, but it is
+unfortunate that he should fall into the hands of William, who is
+as famous for craft and subtlety as he is for bravery and skill as
+a leader."
+
+"But what can he gain from Harold?" Beorn asked. "Our earl is
+well-nigh as much known throughout Europe as William of Normandy,
+and all Christendom would cry out with shame were he treated with
+ought but courtesy by the duke."
+
+"I doubt not that he will treat him with courtesy, Beorn, but he
+may well wring some concessions from him before he lets him depart.
+He may bargain that the Normans may be again allowed to hold land
+in England, and to build their castles, as they did before Godwin
+and his sons returned from exile, and the Normans had to fly the
+land, save those around the person of the king. He may beg so many
+bishoprics for Norman priests. There is no saying what concessions
+he may extort. Of all princes in Europe I had rather Harold had
+fallen into the hands of any other than into those of William of
+Normandy."
+
+"Truly I have never troubled my head about such matters, Wulf, and
+thought that it would be time to do so when I became a thane, and
+had a vote at the Witan."
+
+"I have heard much of them from the prior of Bramber, who is a true
+Englishman, and though a priest, learned in all matters that appertain
+to the history of times past and of our own; he impressed upon me
+that just as a boy must practise arms if he is to bear them worthily
+as a man, so he should study the story of our kings, and learn what
+is passing, not only in our own country but in others, if he is
+ever to raise his voice in council."
+
+Harold and his thanes sat apart discussing the position, their
+conclusion being very similar to that arrived at by Wulf. Chivalry
+had but slight influence as yet in the West of Europe. Kings and
+princes cared little as to the means by which they attained an end.
+Rivals to a throne were put out of the way without scruple; the
+profession of arms was a business like any other, carried on for
+gain; a captured foe was valued chiefly for the amount of ransom
+that could be obtained for him; petty barons and powerful nobles
+alike levied exactions on those who might fall into their hands,
+unless previously provided with a safe-conduct. Years later, when
+King Richard was made a prisoner on his return from the Holy Land,
+it was only because of his great exploits for the recapture of the
+Holy Sepulchre that any feeling of reprobation was excited against
+his captors. Thus then, although Normandy was at peace with England,
+it did not seem an unnatural thing to Harold and his companions
+that the noble into whose hands they had fallen should demand a
+heavy ransom, or that the Duke of Normandy himself should utilize
+the opportunity for his advantage.
+
+On the following morning they heard a large body of horsemen ride
+up. A minute later the governor accompanied by a Norman noble
+entered. They were followed by a number of men-at-arms, among whom
+was a fisherman.
+
+"Now, fellow," the count said to this man, "which is the Saxon
+Harold?"
+
+"I am," Harold said, advancing a step before his companions. "I
+am Harold, Earl of Wessex. I have with my companions been cast on
+your shores. I expect honourable treatment, and am willing to pay
+any reasonable ransom should you demand one."
+
+"We will talk of that afterwards," the count said roughly; "for the
+present you go with me to my castle at Beaurain. But first do you
+and your men hand over all valuables that you may possess; they are
+forfeited to me, being cast up on my land."
+
+Without a word Harold produced his chain of office and other
+ornaments, and dropped them into a helmet which a soldier at the
+orders of the count held out for them. His companions did the same,
+the thanes first and then the two lads.
+
+"That will do," the count said to the soldiers. "That is my share,
+you can search the rest yourselves."
+
+"I protest against this robbery," Harold said haughtily, "and will
+proclaim you in all the courts of Europe as one who is false to his
+station, and who condescends to pillage those whom fortune has cast
+on his shores."
+
+"You can wait until you get an opportunity to do so," the count
+sneered; "it is not likely to come for some time. You can do as you
+like to the others," he went on to the governor, "I want not to be
+cumbered with them. You can doubtless find work for them on the
+fortifications, but if you can put them to no use or they are
+troublesome, cut their throats and throw them into the sea."
+
+The Saxons fingered their knives, but Harold said in their own
+tongue, "Resistance would be folly, the time may come when we may
+turn the tables on this fellow." The soldiers now closed round
+Harold and the thanes and led them out of the house. Here they were
+ordered to mount each behind a soldier, and as soon as they had
+done so they rode out from St. Valery, and crossing the river Somme
+at Abbeville, and the Authie by a ford near Crecy, reached the
+fortress of Beaurain on the river Canche near the town of Hesdin
+before nightfall. On the road Wulf watched anxiously for a chance
+to escape, but none offered itself. Soldiers rode on both sides of
+the captives, and had he slipped from the horse he could not have
+hoped to make his escape across an open country. As soon as they
+entered the fortress Harold and the thanes were all consigned to
+dungeons, but the count, learning that the two lads had been Harold's
+pages, said they should wait on himself. "And see," he said to them,
+"that your service is good, if you do not wish to dangle over the
+moat at the end of a rope."
+
+"It is a shame that such a man should be a nobleman," Beorn exclaimed
+indignantly to Wulf, as he saw that the soldiers were placing chains
+upon Harold before they led him away.
+
+"He is a hateful-looking villain," Wulf said. "It is but lately
+that he revolted against William. I heard of it from the prior. His
+brother, the last Count of Ponthieu, joined France in an invasion
+of Normandy. He fell in an ambush at St. Aubin, and this man became
+count. For a time he was held prisoner by the duke, but afterwards
+he was freed, and received back his dominions as a vassal. His face
+is at once cruel and base. I told you the instructions Harold gave
+me, Beorn; the need for carrying them out has arrived, and I will
+try to make my escape without loss of time from this fortress to
+bear the tidings to the duke."
+
+"I will escape with you, Wulf; two can get on better than one."
+
+"That is so, Beorn, and I would gladly have you with me, but maybe
+I shall be detected in attempting to escape and be slain, or I may
+fall into the hands of peasants and be brought back here, and if
+we were together all hope of letting the duke know of our lord's
+captivity would be at an end. Therefore it were best that I made
+the attempt first. If I fail, which is like enough, then do you in
+turn try to get away and bear the news to the duke."
+
+Beorn did not like to stay behind, but he saw that Wulf's plan was
+best, and accordingly fell in with it.
+
+"Will you go at once?" he asked.
+
+"No; I will stay for a day or two to lull suspicion. They may watch
+us just at first, but if they see that we do as we are ordered with
+good-will they will cease to regard us so narrowly; moreover, it
+will be needful to know the place well before I devise a plan of
+escape."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+ROUEN.
+
+For the next two days the lives of the two young Saxons were well-nigh
+unbearable. At meals the count by turns abused and jeered at them,
+and his companions, following his example, lost no opportunity of
+insulting them in every way.
+
+"If this goes on, Wulf," Beorn said as they threw themselves down
+on the ground late that night, when the carousal was ended, "I shall
+snatch the count's dagger from his belt and bury it in his heart,
+though they put me to death by torture afterwards."
+
+"I thought of doing so myself, Beorn, to-night, when he threw a cup
+of wine over me. But I said to myself my life is not my own, Harold's
+rescue depends on it. We are bound as his men to suffer in patience
+whatever may befall us. In another hour I shall try to make my
+escape. When it was your turn to wait this evening I stole away for
+a time, and went to the shed where they keep the war-engines and
+took thence a coil of rope, which I have hidden in the courtyard.
+You know that we noticed last night where the sentries were placed,
+and decided where I might best drop from the wall unobserved.
+Fortunately the moat is dry at present, though they can turn water
+into it from the stream at will, so that once down I shall have no
+difficulty in getting away. Now I want you to go to sleep directly,
+I shall not stir until you do so, then when you are questioned in
+the morning you can say that I was by your side when you went to
+sleep, and that when you woke in the morning the place was vacant.
+You can say that I told you during the day that I could not suffer
+these insults much longer, and that you suppose that after you had
+gone to sleep I must have got up and either killed myself or in
+some way made my escape."
+
+Beorn lay quiet for a time and then Wulf said suddenly, "I have
+changed my mind, Beorn; we will go together. I feel it is likely
+that in his wrath at my escape the count may slay you, and thus the
+object with which you remained behind would come to nothing, therefore
+it is best that you go with me."
+
+"I was thinking so myself, Wulf, though I would not say it; but in
+truth I think the risks we may run in making our way to Rouen are
+small compared to those of staying here."
+
+"We must lose no time, Beorn. The castle is quiet now, and we must
+be many miles away from here before morning, for you may be sure
+the count's horsemen will scour the country far and wide in pursuit
+of us."
+
+They had that morning, before the count was up and their services
+were required, wandered about the fortress, apparently paying no
+attention to anything, but really closely observing the approaches
+to the walls and the general features of the country outside. They
+now stole out, keeping in the shadow of the building, until they
+reached the staircase leading up to the battlements, close to the
+point Wulf had fixed upon for making their descent. This had been
+chosen chiefly because no sentry was placed on that part of the
+wall, the watch generally being careless, as Normandy was at present
+at peace with its neighbours. When they reached the top of the steps
+they listened for a short time, but everything was silent. Then
+they stepped out on to the narrow pathway along the battlements,
+fastened one end of the rope round a piece of stonework and let the
+other end drop down into the fosse.
+
+"Shall we both go down together, the rope is strong enough?" Beorn
+asked.
+
+"It is strong enough, but we had better go separately, Beorn; we
+are neither of us accustomed to climb ropes, and if the upper one
+were to slip down too fast he might knock the other off the rope.
+It makes no matter who goes first. I will if you like, only mind
+if you hear a footstep approaching let yourself down at once whether
+I am off the rope or not. Be sure and twist your legs tightly round
+it, or it will run through your fingers."
+
+Taking hold of the rope he at once swung himself over, and without
+much difficulty reached the bottom in safety. He had scarcely done
+so when Beorn came down beside him with a rush.
+
+"What made you come down like that, you narrowly missed coming on
+my head?"
+
+"I believe I have cut my fingers to the bone," Beorn groaned; "I
+feel as if I were holding a bar of hot iron. You had scarcely started
+before I heard voices; they were evidently those of men going their
+rounds, so I caught hold of the rope and swung myself off, but
+before I got my legs fairly round the rope I began to slip, and
+though I gripped it as hard as I could I could not stop myself, but
+slid down like lightning."
+
+"Hush!" Wulf whispered, "they are coming along above." The voices
+came nearer until they sounded directly overhead Wulf knew that it
+was very unlikely they would notice the rope in the dark, but he
+felt much relieved as he heard them pass on. He waited until they
+could no longer be heard.
+
+"Now, Beorn, we can safely be off."
+
+It was muddy at the bottom of the fosse, but not so deep as they
+thought it would be, and they scrambled up the opposite side and
+then struck across the country south. Presently they came upon a
+road, which they followed, until after three hours' walking they
+reached the Authie river, at a spot where the bank was broken down.
+
+"This must be a ford, we had best try to wade across. Anyhow there
+cannot be very many yards to swim, and we can both manage that."
+
+They found that the bottom was pebbly, and that even in the middle
+the water was not much above their waists.
+
+"That is something done, at any rate," Beorn said. "Now which way
+shall we go? This road we are on seems to lead south and we cannot
+do better than follow it, the stars give us light enough, now that
+our eyes are accustomed to the darkness."
+
+"Yes, we can keep this road, which is no doubt that by which we
+travelled before, as far as the village which I heard them call
+Noyelle, then we shall have to strike off to the left, for that
+place was not far from Abbeville, and shall have to follow the Somme
+up some distance, unless we can find means of crossing it."
+
+"I should think we had better leave the road before we get to the
+village, so as to be well away from it. If any peasant were going
+to work early and caught sight of us he would be sure to mention
+it to any horseman who might come along searching for us. I noticed
+that there were several woods on our right as we rode along."
+
+"That would be the safest way, no doubt," Wulf agreed. "Fortunately
+we can do without food for to-morrow"--for both had managed to get
+some supper after they had finished in the hall,--"and having made
+up my mind to escape to-night I hid away a large piece of bread
+under my smock. We can manage very well on that."
+
+Accordingly after an hour's walking they left the road and bore to
+the south-west. But little of the land was cultivated, and they
+were fortunate in not coming upon any woodland until light began
+to break in the sky. Then they made their way to the nearest wood,
+went in for some distance and then threw themselves down, and in a
+few minutes were fast asleep. Accustomed to judge time by the
+position of the sun, they saw when they awoke that it was already
+past noon, and after eating a few mouthfuls of bread they continued
+their journey. For the most part their course lay among woods, and
+they did not venture across an open piece of country until after a
+careful examination to see that no one was in sight.
+
+Shortly after starting they caught sight of a village in the distance,
+which they afterwards learned was St. Riguier, but with these
+exceptions saw no human habitation. Late in the afternoon they came
+down on the bank of the Somme. This was thickly covered with long
+reeds and rushes, and among these they sat down and ate the rest
+of their bread, confident that however vigilant the search they
+would not be traced.
+
+"This is a very different matter to the last crossing," Beorn said.
+"This is a wide river, and I fear that I could not swim across it."
+
+"Nor should I like to try. But fortunately there is no occasion for
+us to trust to swimming; for we can pull up or break off a number
+of these great rushes and make them into two bunches; these will
+give us ample support for our passage."
+
+"So they will, Wulf; I should never have thought of that."
+
+Two large bundles were soon made, the reeds being tied together by
+a tough climber that wreathed itself everywhere among them, and as
+soon as it was quite dark they went down to the water's edge, and
+found to their satisfaction that the reeds possessed ample buoyancy
+for their purpose. Wading in they started swimming, resting their
+chests on the reeds and striking out with their legs, and in a few
+minutes were on the southern bank of the river.
+
+"Now we must make to the east of south," Wulf said. "I should say
+if we walk steadily all night we shall be beyond the territory of
+this vile count. I hope before long we shall strike on some road
+leading in the right direction, for if we get among the woods again
+we shall be able to make no progress. But any road we may come upon
+going at all in the right direction is likely to lead to Rouen."
+
+"How far is it, do you think?"
+
+"I have a very vague idea. The prior had a map of Normandy, and on
+this he pointed out to me how the duchy had grown since William
+came as a boy to be its duke. I can remember the general position
+of the town, but not more than that. I should think from the Somme
+to Rouen must be over seventy miles and less than a hundred, but
+more closely than that I cannot guess."
+
+They came upon no road before morning, but as the country was open
+they made good progress, and when they lay down in a thicket as the
+day was breaking they calculated that they must be nearly thirty
+miles south of the Somme.
+
+"I feel that I want sleep," Beorn said, "but still more that I want
+food. If it is another sixty miles to Rouen I know not how we are
+going to travel the distance fasting."
+
+"No, we must get some food to morrow or rather to day, Beorn. We
+have nothing of any value to offer for it. They searched us too
+closely for anything to escape them. We dare not go into any town
+or village until we are quite sure that we are beyond the count's
+territories, but we might enter some solitary hut and pray for a
+piece of bread for charity, or we can walk all day, by which time
+we shall surely be well beyond the Count of Ponthieu's territory,
+and could boldly go into a town. If we are seized, we can demand
+to be sent to Rouen, saying we are bearers of an important message
+to Duke William, and even if they do not send us straight on, they
+would hardly keep us without food."
+
+After sleeping for four or five hours they again started, and after
+walking some miles came upon a herdsman's cottage The man was out,
+and his wife looked with surprise at the two lads, whose garments,
+though stained by sea water and travel, were evidently those of
+youths of a class above the common. Beorn addressed her in her own
+language, and told her that they were wayfarers who had lost their
+road and were grievously in need of food. She at once invited them
+to come in, and set before them some black bread and some cheese
+made from goats' milk. They learned to their satisfaction that they
+had long passed the limits of Ponthieu, and that Rouen was distant
+about fifty miles.
+
+"The road from Amiens lies five miles to the east," she said; "but
+it would be shorter for you to keep due south, for it inclines in
+that direction. You will strike it after seven miles' walking, and
+after that you cannot miss your way."
+
+After warmly thanking the woman for her hospitality the lads again
+started, feeling greatly strengthened and refreshed by their meal;
+but want of sleep told upon them, and when they got within sight
+of the road they again lay down, and slept until the sun was setting.
+Resuming their journey they followed the road, and before morning
+crossed over a range of hills, and presently arrived at a small
+hamlet close to which was a monastery. Towards this they directed
+their steps, and seating themselves on the ground near the door,
+waited until it was unbarred.
+
+"You are early wayfarers, my sons," the monk who opened the gates
+said as they went up, "and you seem to have travelled far."
+
+"That have we, father, and are sorely in need of food."
+
+The hospitality of the monasteries was unbounded, and the monk at
+once led them into the kitchen, where bread, meat, and wine were
+placed before them.
+
+"Truly you were hungry," the monk said smilingly as he watched their
+onslaught upon the joint.
+
+"We were well-nigh starving, father. For two days we have had nought
+to eat save a crust of bread we had brought with us, and some that
+a shepherd's wife bestowed upon us out of charity, and we have
+walked from near Hesdin."
+
+"I do not ask out of curiosity, my sons," the monk said after a
+pause, "and you know it is not our custom to question wayfarers who
+come in to ask our hospitality; but it is strange to see two youths,
+who by their dress and manner seem to belong to a superior station,
+in so pitiable a state as you are, and wandering alone, as it would
+seem, penniless through the country. I ask not your confidence, but
+if you chose to give it maybe we might aid or advise you. Our prior
+is a kindly man and very gentle with the faults of others."
+
+"We are Saxons, father. We were wrecked four days since near St.
+Valery, and are now bound on an errand of high importance to Duke
+William, to whom it is urgent we should arrive as soon as possible.
+We have run sore peril on the way, and have been stripped of our
+money and valuables."
+
+"Is your mission of importance to the duke as well as to yourselves?"
+the monk asked gravely.
+
+"It is of great importance to him. I am sure that he would consider
+that any one who assisted us on our way had done him good service."
+
+The monk look earnestly at them. "I will speak to the prior," he
+said. He returned in a few minutes and bade them follow him.
+
+The prior was a tall, gentle old man. "I have heard your story from
+brother Gregory," he said, "and I wished to see you that I might
+judge for myself whether so strange a tale, as that two shipwrecked
+boys should have important business with our duke, could be believed,
+before I did aught to help you forward. You look to me honest of
+purpose and of gentle blood, and not, I am sure, belonging to the
+class of wayfarer who will trump up any story for the purpose of
+gaining alms. Whether your errand with the duke is of the importance
+you deem it I cannot say, but if you give me your word that you
+consider it an urgent matter, I will aid you to proceed at once."
+
+"We do indeed consider it most urgent, father, and we are sure that
+the duke will so regard it. We should not have walked well-nigh a
+hundred miles in two days and nights, and that almost without food,
+had we not deemed it so."
+
+"Brother Gregory," the prior said, "bid lay-brother Philip at once
+prepare three palfreys, and tell him he is to ride himself with
+these two Saxon youths to Rouen. The distance is thirty miles," he
+went on as the monk left the room. "It is not yet six o'clock, and
+though our palfreys are not accustomed to travel at rapid speed,
+you will be there this afternoon in time to have audience with the
+duke."
+
+The lads returned their warm thanks to the prior. "We would gladly
+tell you the purport of our mission," Beorn said, "but we are only
+the bearers of news, and the duke might be displeased did he know
+that we had confided to any before it reached his own ear."
+
+"I wish not to learn it, my son. It is sufficient for me that you
+have a mission to our duke, and that I am possibly furthering his
+interest by aiding you to reach him. But, in sooth, I am more moved
+by the desire to aid two stranger youths, whom the sea and man alike
+seem to have treated hardly. Is it long since you left England?"
+
+"We have well-nigh lost account of time, father, so much has taken
+place in a few days. 'Tis but a week since we were sailing along
+the English coast with a large company in three ships, when a sudden
+tempest arose, carried away our sail, blew us off the shore, and
+then increasing in fury drove us before it until we were wrecked
+on the coast of Ponthieu, near St. Valery. Since then we have been
+prisoners, have escaped, and have journeyed here on foot."
+
+"Truly a bad week's work for you," the prior said. "Were all your
+ships wrecked?"
+
+"No; our two consorts, being lighter and more easily rowed, regained
+the land when we were blown off it."
+
+"Conrad of Ponthieu is an evil man," the prior said. "Had you come
+ashore twenty miles farther south you would have been beyond his
+jurisdiction. I fear that all the seacoast people view the goods
+obtained from vessels cast ashore as a lawful prey, but your company
+would assuredly have received fair hospitality if cast on the shores
+of Normandy itself. But now methinks I hear the patter of the
+palfreys' hoofs. Farewell, my sons, and may God who has protected
+you through these dangers give you his blessing."
+
+The lads knelt before him as he placed his hands on their heads and
+gave them his benediction. As they rose brother Gregory entered to
+say that the horses were ready, and with renewed thanks to the prior
+they followed him to the courtyard, mounted, and rode off with the
+lay-brother, glad indeed to find their journey on foot thus abridged.
+Impatient as they were to reach Rouen, the gentle pace at which the
+palfreys ambled along fretted them very much. Brother Philip kept
+up a constant string of talk on the monastery, its estates, the
+kindness of the prior, the strictness of the subprior, and other
+matters of great interest to himself, but of none to the boys, whose
+thoughts were with Harold, chained and in prison. The palfreys,
+however, made very fair progress, and it was but three o'clock when
+they rode into the streets of Rouen, whose size and grandeur would
+at any other time have impressed them much, for it was an incomparably
+finer city than London.
+
+"That is the duke's palace," brother Philip said, as they approached
+a stately building. "I will put up the horses at the convent at the
+farther corner of this square, and will then go with you to the
+palace, as I have orders to tell any officer who may make a difficulty
+about you entering, that I am bid by the prior of Forges to say
+that you are here on urgent business with the duke, and to pray
+that you may have immediate audience with him."
+
+In those days great men were easy accessible, and one of the ushers,
+on receiving the message from the prior, at once led the boys to
+an apartment in which the duke was sitting. He looked up in some
+surprise on seeing the two lads standing bareheaded at the door,
+while the usher repeated the message he had received.
+
+"Advance," he said. "What is this business of which the prior of
+Forges has sent me word?"
+
+The two boys advanced and knelt before the duke. He was a man of
+about the same age as Harold, with dark hair and complexion, less
+tall than the earl, but of a powerful figure, and a stern, resolute
+face. The boys had discussed among themselves which should be the
+speaker. Wulf had desired that Beorn, being the elder, should deliver
+the message, but Beorn insisted that as Wulf himself had received
+it from Harold, it was he who should be the one to deliver it to
+the duke.
+
+"My Lord Duke," Wulf said, "we are Saxons, pages of Earl Harold,
+and we bring you by his orders the news that the vessel in which
+he was sailing along his coast had been blown off by a tempest and
+cast on the shore of Ponthieu, near St. Valery, and that he and
+his companions have been villainously ill-treated by Conrad, Count
+of Ponthieu, who has seized them and cast them into dungeons in his
+fortress of Beaurain, Harold and his companions being fettered like
+malefactors."
+
+The duke was astounded at the news. No greater piece of good fortune
+could have befallen him, for he had it in his power to lay his great
+rival under an obligation to him, to show himself a generous prince,
+and at the same time to obtain substantial benefits. He rose at
+once to his feet.
+
+"By the Host," he exclaimed, "but this is foul treatment indeed of
+the noble earl, and brings disgrace alike upon the Count of Ponthieu
+and upon me, his liege lord. This wrong shall be remedied, and
+speedily. You shall see that I waste no moment in rescuing your
+lord from this unmannerly count." He struck his hand on the table,
+and an attendant entered, "Pray the knights Fitz-Osberne and Warren
+to come hither at once. And how is it, boys," he went on, as the
+attendant hurried away, "that you were enabled to bear this message
+to me?"
+
+"While Harold and his thanes were cast into prison," Wulf said, "the
+count kept us to wait upon him; not for our services, but that he
+might flout and ill-treat us. We obtained possession of a rope, and
+let ourselves down at night from the battlements, and made our way
+on foot as far as Forges, where the good prior, learning from us
+that we had a message of importance to you, though nothing of its
+import, sent us forward on palfreys, so that no time might be lost."
+
+"When did you leave Beaurain?"
+
+"It will be three days come midnight," Wulf said.
+
+"And how did you live by the way?"
+
+"We took a piece of bread with us, and once obtained food at a
+shepherd's hut, and this morning we were well entertained at the
+convent of Forges."
+
+"You have proved yourselves good and trusty messengers," the duke
+said. "Would I were always as well served. As you are the earl's
+pages you are of course of gentle blood?"
+
+"We are both his wards, my lord, and shall be thanes when we come
+of age."
+
+"And how is it that you, young sir, who seem to be younger than
+your companion, are the spokesman?"
+
+"It happened thus," Wulf said modestly. "Some fishermen came up
+just after we had gained the shore with the loss of many of our
+company. I marked that one of them started on seeing Earl Harold,
+and whispered to a companion, and feeling sure that he had recognized
+my lord, I told the earl of it as we walked towards St. Valery. He
+then charged me if he was taken prisoner by the count to endeavour
+to bear the news to you, and to give the same orders to my comrade
+Beorn, saying it was likely that we might not be so strictly watched
+as the men of the company, and might therefore succeed in slipping
+away, as indeed turned out to be the case. I was desirous that Beorn
+should tell you the tale, being older and more accustomed to the
+speech of the court than I was, but he held that the message, being
+first given to me, it was I who should deliver it."
+
+"He judged rightly," the duke said, "and deserves credit for thus
+standing aside."
+
+At this moment two knights entered. "Fitz-Osberne, Warren," the
+duke said, "a foul wrong has been done by Conrad of Ponthieu to
+Earl Harold of Wessex, the foremost of Englishmen next to the king
+himself, who has, with a company of his thanes, been cast ashore
+near St. Valery. Instead of receiving honourable treatment, as was
+his due, he has been most foully seized, chained, and with his
+friends thrown into prison by the count, who has sent no intimation
+of what has taken place to me, his lord, and had it not been for
+these two brave and faithful youths, who effected their escape over
+the battlements of Beaurain in order to bring me the news, the earl
+might have lingered in shameful captivity. I pray you take horse
+at once, with twenty chosen spears, and ride at the top of your
+speed to Beaurain. There express in fitting terms to Conrad my
+indignation at his foul treatment of one who should have been
+received as a most honoured guest. Say that the earl and his company
+must at once be released, and be accorded the treatment due not
+only to themselves, but to them as my guests, and bid the count
+mount with them and ride to my fortress of Eu, to which I myself
+will at once journey to receive them. Tell Conrad that I will account
+to him for any fair ransom he may claim, and if he demur to obey
+my orders warn him that the whole force of Normandy shall at once
+be set on foot against him. After having been for two years my
+prisoner, methinks he will not care to run the risk of again being
+shut up within my walls."
+
+"We will use all haste," Fitz-Osberne said. "Conrad's conduct is a
+disgrace to every Norman noble, for all Europe will cry shame when
+the news of the earl's treatment gets abroad. That Conrad should
+hold him to ransom is only in accordance with his strict rights,
+but that he should imprison and chain him is, by the saints, almost
+beyond belief."
+
+As soon as the knights had left, the duke sent for his chamberlain,
+and ordered him to conduct Beorn and Wulf to an apartment and to
+see that they were at once furnished with garments befitting young
+nobles, together with a purse of money for their immediate wants.
+Then taking a long and heavy gold chain from his neck he placed it
+on the table, and with a blow with his dagger cut it in sunder, and
+handed half to each of the lads.
+
+"Take this," he said, "in token of my thanks for having brought me
+this news, and remember, that if at any time you should have a boon
+to ask that it is within my power to grant, I swear to you upon my
+ducal honour that it shall be yours. Never have I received more
+joyful news than that the great Earl of Wessex will shortly be my
+guest."
+
+The lads bowed deeply, and then followed the chamberlain from the
+apartment.
+
+"Well, what think you of it, Beorn?" Wulf said, when they found
+themselves alone in a handsome chamber.
+
+"So far as rescuing Harold from the power of the Count of Ponthieu
+we have surely succeeded even beyond our hopes. As to the rest, I
+know not. As you were speaking I marked the satisfaction and joy
+on the duke's face, and I said to myself that it was greater than
+need have been caused by the thought that Earl Harold was to be his
+guest."
+
+"So I thought myself, Beorn. There can be no doubt that, as he said,
+he deemed it the best news he had ever received, and I fear greatly
+that Harold will but exchange one captivity for another. It will
+doubtless be a more pleasant one, but methinks Harold will find
+himself as much a prisoner, although treated as an honoured guest
+by William, as he was while lying in the dungeon of Conrad. It is
+a bad business, and I greatly fear indeed that Harold will long rue
+the unfortunate scheme of hunting along the coast that has brought
+him to this pass."
+
+In a short time an attendant arrived with ewers, water, and four
+suits of handsome garments, belts embroidered with gold thread, and
+daggers, together with two plumed caps and purses, each containing
+ten gold pieces; he informed them that two horses had been provided
+for their use, and that they were to take their meals with the
+duke's household, and to consider themselves in all respects as his
+guests.
+
+"We look finer birds than we did when we rode in with brother
+Philip," Beorn laughed when they had attired themselves in their
+new garments. "The more sober of these suits are a good deal gayer
+than those we wore at home even at court ceremonies."
+
+"King Edward objects to show," Wulf said, "and his own pages are
+so sober in their attire that the earl likes not that we should
+outshine them, and we usually cut a poor figure beside those of
+William of London and the other Normans of his court."
+
+In a short time the chamberlain came in and informed them that
+supper was served, and conducted them to the hall, where he presented
+them to the duke's gentlemen and pages as William's guests, and
+wards and pages of the Earl of Wessex. The news of Harold's shipwreck
+and imprisonment travelled quickly, for orders had already been
+issued for the court to prepare to start early the next morning to
+accompany the duke to Eu, in order to receive with due honour
+William's guest and friend, Harold of England; and while the meal
+went on many questions were asked as to the shipwreck and prisonment
+of the earl, and the liveliest indignation was expressed at the
+conduct of Conrad of Ponthieu.
+
+"Truly all Normans will be reckoned churls," one of the gentlemen
+exclaimed indignantly. "The fame of Harold's bravery, wisdom, and
+courtesy to all men is known in every court in Europe, and that the
+duke's vassal should have dared to imprison and chain him will
+excite universal indignation. Why, the rudest of our own Norse
+ancestors would not have so foully treated one so noble whom fate
+had cast into his hands. Had we been at war with England it would
+be shameful, but being at peace there are no words that can fitly
+describe the outrage."
+
+When the meal was over, one of the duke's pages who was about the
+same age as Beorn asked him what they were going to do with themselves.
+
+"If you have nothing better," he said, "will you ride with me to
+my father's castle, it is but five miles away? My name is De Burg.
+I can promise you a hearty welcome. My father was one of the knights
+who accompanied the duke when he paid his visit to England some
+fifteen years ago, and he liked the country much, and has ever since
+spoken of the princely hospitality with which they were received
+by your king. He did not meet Earl Harold then."
+
+"No, the earl with his father and brothers was away in exile," Wulf
+said rather shortly, for that visit had been a most unpleasant one
+to Englishmen. It had happened when the Norman influence was
+altogether in the ascendant. The king was filling the chief places
+at court and in the church with Normans, had bestowed wide domains
+upon them, and their castles were everywhere rising to dominate the
+land. Englishmen then regarded with hostility this visit of the
+young Norman duke with his great train of knights, and although at
+the return of Godwin and his sons the greater portion of the intruders
+had been driven out, their influence still remained at court, and
+it was even said that Edward had promised the duke that he should
+be his successor.
+
+It was true that Englishmen laughed at the promise. The King of
+England was chosen by the nation, and Edward had no shadow of right
+to bequeath the throne even to one of his sons much less to a foreign
+prince, who, although related to himself by marriage, had no drop
+of English blood in his veins. Still, that the promise should ever
+have been made rankled in the minds of the English people, the more
+so as the power of Normandy increased, and the ambition as well as
+the valour of its duke became more and more manifest According to
+English law the promise was but an empty breath, absolutely without
+effect or value. According to Norman law it constituted a powerful
+claim, and Duke William was assuredly not a man to let such a claim
+drop unpressed.
+
+Wulf had heard all this again and again, and the prior of Bramber
+had explained it to him in all its bearings, showing him that little
+as Englishmen might think of the promise given by Edward so long
+ago, it would be likely to bring grievous trouble on the land at
+his death. He might perhaps have said more in reference to William's
+visit had not Beorn at once accepted the invitation to ride with
+young De Burg to his father's castle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+
+RELEASE OF THE EARL
+
+In a few minutes the three horses were brought out. Wulf and Beorn
+were much pleased with the animals that had been placed at their
+service. They were powerful horses, which could carry a knight in
+his full armour with ease, and seemed full of spirit and fire. They
+were handsomely caparisoned, and the lads felt as they sprang on
+to their backs that they had never been so well mounted before.
+
+"You would have made the journey more quickly and easily if you had
+had these horses three days ago," young De Burg laughed.
+
+"Yes, indeed. There would have been no occasion to hide in the woods
+then. With our light weight on their backs they would have made
+nothing of the journey."
+
+"You must not expect to see a castle," De Burg said presently,
+"though I call it one. In his early days the duke set himself to
+destroy the great majority of castles throughout Normandy, for as
+you know he had no little trouble with his nobles, and held that
+while the strength of these fortresses disposes men to engage either
+in civil war or in private feuds with each other, they were of no
+avail against the enemies of the country. My father, who is just
+the age of the duke, was his loyal follower from the first, and of
+his free will levelled his walls as did many others of the duke's
+friends, in the first place because it gave the duke pleasure, and
+in the second because, had only the castles of those opposed to the
+duke been destroyed, there would have been such jealousy and animosity
+on the part of their owners that matters would never have quieted
+down in the country. Thus it is that throughout the land you will
+find but few castles remaining. The nobles felt it strange at first
+to be thus dwelling in houses undefended against attack, but they
+soon learnt that it was far more convenient than to be shut up
+within massive walls, and the present dwellings are much larger and
+more comfortable than those of former days. The duke said rightly
+that the abolition of fortresses well-nigh doubled his fighting
+power, for that so many men were required to garrison them as to
+greatly diminish the number their lords could take with them into
+the field. You do not have castles in England, do you?"
+
+"No, we live in open houses, and hold that it is far better and
+more pleasant to do so. There is no fighting between neighbours
+with us. The great earls may quarrel and lead their forces into the
+field, or may gather them against Danish and Norwegian pirates, but
+except on these occasions, which are rare, all dwell peaceably in
+their homes."
+
+The horses were fresh, and the five miles quickly passed over.
+
+"There is the house," De Burg said, pointing to a large building
+standing on an eminence. It was castellated in form, and much of
+the old building had been incorporated with the additions, but the
+outer wall had been pulled down and the moat filled up. Broad
+casements had replaced the narrow loopholes, and though the flag
+of the De Burgs still waved over the keep, which stood a little
+apart from the rest, the family no longer dwelt in it.
+
+"It is chiefly used as a storehouse now," Guy De Burg explained;
+"but there, as you see, the old loopholes still remain, and in case
+of trouble it might be held for a time. But of that, however, there
+is little chance; the duke's hand is a heavy one, and he has shown
+himself a great leader. He has raised Normandy well-nigh level with
+France, and so long as he lives and reigns there is no fear of
+domestic trouble."
+
+The gate stood open and they rode into a courtyard, when several
+men came out and took the horses. Guy de Burg ran up a broad staircase
+to the entrance of the house itself, and passed beneath a noble
+entrance with a lofty pointed arch supported by clustered pillars.
+Inside was a spacious hall paved with stone, and from this De Burg
+turned into an apartment whose walls were covered with rich hangings.
+Here a lady was at work embroidering, surrounded by several of her
+maids similarly engaged. A girl some fourteen years old was reading
+a missal, while the master of the castle was sitting in a chair
+with low arms, and was playing with the ears of a hound whose head
+was lying on his knee.
+
+"Well, Guy, what is your news?" he asked as his son entered. "Half
+an hour since I received a message from the duke desiring me to
+appear with ten men-at-arms in their best trappings to ride with
+him to Eu. Is Conrad of Ponthieu giving trouble again, and who are
+these young gentlemen with you?"
+
+Guy went down on one knee to kiss his father's hand, and then did
+the same to his mother, then he said, "I will with your permission
+answer the last question first, father. My friends are young Saxon
+thanes, pages to Earl Harold, and at present guests of the duke."
+
+"You are bearers, doubtless, of some message from the king to our
+duke?"
+
+"No, my lord," Beorn said, "we were bearers of a message from Earl
+Harold."
+
+"It is to meet him, father, that we are to ride to Eu to-morrow.
+He has been wrecked on the shores of Ponthieu, and has been foully
+imprisoned and even fettered by Count Conrad. Beorn and Wulf escaped
+from the prison and brought the news to the duke, who this afternoon
+dispatched Fitz-Osberne and Warren at full speed to bid the count
+at once free his prisoners, and deliver them over to him at Eu under
+pain of his direst displeasure."
+
+"Harold in Normandy and a prisoner! This is strange news indeed.
+We shall surely make him welcome, for he is in all respects a great
+man, and save our own duke has a reputation second to none in
+Europe."
+
+Wulf thought as he looked at the speaker that at least he had no
+second thought in his mind. It was a frank honest face, martial in
+its outline, but softened by a pleasant smile.
+
+He had spoken in a genial tone of affection to his son, and Wulf
+thought, that although no doubt he was ready to take the field at
+the summons of his lord, he preferred a quiet life in this stately
+home.
+
+"This is news for you, wife," he went on. "You will have to furbish
+up your gayest attire, for we shall be having grand doings in honour
+of this great English earl, and our dames will have to look their
+best in order that he may carry home a fair report of them to the
+Saxon ladies. And how did you manage to escape, young sirs, and
+when did you arrive with the news?"
+
+Beorn, who as the elder was specially addressed, shortly related
+the story of their escape and journey.
+
+"You have done well," the baron said when he had concluded. "Guy,
+you may learn from these young Saxons that even pages may be called
+upon to do work of more importance than handing wine-cups and
+standing behind their lord on state occasions. Had it not been for
+their readiness and courage Harold might have lain weeks in prison,
+maybe months, while the count was striving to wring the utmost
+ransom from him. The lads would doubtless have been slain had they
+been detected in making their escape or overtaken on the way, and
+the attempt was therefore one that required courage as well as
+devotion to their lord. I doubt not that you would exhibit both
+qualities did opportunity offer, but I question whether you could
+have walked the distance they did, and that on such scanty fare.
+We Normans are too apt to trust wholly to our horses' legs to the
+neglect of our own, and although I have no doubt that you could
+ride as far as a horse could carry you, I warrant that you could
+hardly have performed on foot the journey from Beaurain in twice
+the time in which they did it. They must have exercised their legs
+as well as their arms, and although in a campaign a Norman noble
+depends upon his war horse both on the march and on the day of
+battle, there may often be times when it is well that a knight
+should be able to march as far as any of the footmen in the army.
+Well, Agnes, and what have you to say to these Saxon youths? Methinks
+your eyes are paying more attention to them than to your missal."
+
+"I can read my missal at any hour, father, but this is the first
+time that I have seen young Saxon nobles. I thought there would
+have been more difference between them and us. Their hair is fairer
+and more golden and their eyes bluer, but their dress differs in
+no way from our own." She spoke in a matter-of-fact and serious
+air, as if it were a horse or a dog that she was commenting upon,
+and both Beorn and Wulf smiled, while Guy laughed outright.
+
+"It is little wonder that their attire is like ours, Agnes," he
+said, "seeing that they were furnished with it by the duke's orders.
+You do not suppose that after being tossed about on the sea and
+well-nigh drowned in landing, and being made prisoners, and then
+travelling through the country and sleeping in the woods, Beorn and
+Wulf would arrive here with their garments new and spotless. That
+would indeed have been a miracle."
+
+"But, indeed," Beorn said, "our garments differ not greatly from
+those we now have on, for Norman fashions are prevalent at King
+Edward's court, and we had no choice but to conform to them. Your
+language is always spoken there, and methinks that were you to visit
+Westminster you would see but little difference between King Edward's
+court and that of your own duke."
+
+"And your sisters, do they too dress like us?"
+
+"Queen Edith's ladies dress like her in Norman fashion, but away
+from the court the attire is different and more simple. Sisters,
+Wulf and I have none; we are orphans both, and wards of Earl Harold,
+who holds our estates until we are of age to take the oaths to him
+and to lead our men in battle."
+
+"And will you be barons like my father, or counts, or simple knights?"
+
+"We shall be none of these things, Lady Agnes. We have our great
+earls as in France you have your great dukes, but below that we
+have no titles. We are thanes, that is land owners, who hold their
+land direct from our earls. Some have wider lands than others, but
+as free thanes we are all equal. As to knights, we have not in
+England the titles and ceremonies which are so much thought of in
+France and in other courts."
+
+"That is a pity," the girl said gravely, "for the vows of knighthood
+make a knight courteous and gentle to enemies and friends alike."
+
+"Or rather, Agnes," her mother put in, "they should do so; but in
+truth, looking round at the cruel wars we have had in Normandy, I
+do not see that men have been more gentle or courteous than they
+would have been had they never taken the vows or had knightly spurs
+buckled on; and in truth it seems to me from the news of what has
+taken place beyond the sea, that in the civil troubles they have
+had in England men are much more gentle with each other, and foes
+are far more easily reconciled than with us in Normandy, who are
+supposed to be bound by the laws of chivalry. Had our duke been
+cast upon the shores of England as Harold has been cast upon that
+of Ponthieu, I think that he would not have been so dishonourably
+treated by one of the English thanes as Harold has been by Count
+Conrad. When Godwin and his sons returned from the exile into which
+they had been driven, and again became all powerful, there was not,
+as I have heard from your father, a single drop of blood shed, nor
+any vengeance taken upon the men who had brought about their exile.
+It would have been very different had such things happened here."
+
+"You speak rightly, wife. The English are of a more gentle disposition
+than we are, though nowise backward in battle. But now, Guy, it
+is time that you were returning. You have already made a longer
+stay than usual. I shall see you again to-morrow when we start for
+Eu. Young sirs, I hope that on your return you will often ride over
+here when your lord does not require you. We shall always be pleased
+to see you, and although the forest lies some miles away, Guy can
+show you good hunting, though not so good as that which, as I hear,
+you can get in England, where the population is not so thick as it
+is in this part of Normandy."
+
+The horses were brought round, and the three lads rode into Rouen
+just as night was falling.
+
+Long before daybreak there was a stir in the streets of the city,
+as parties of knights and nobles rode in with bodies of their
+retainers in obedience to the orders of the duke. All in the palace
+were awake early. A hasty breakfast was eaten, while just as the
+sun rose the duke mounted his horse, and at the head of an array,
+composed of some twenty barons and knights and four hundred
+men-at-arms, rode out of the city.
+
+"There is a good deal more pomp and show here than there was when
+we rode with Harold from London," Wulf said. "In truth these Norman
+nobles make a far braver appearance in their armour and robes, and
+with their banners carried behind them, than we do. Were the king
+himself to ride in state through London he would scarce be so gaily
+attended."
+
+"Duke William does not look as if he cared for show," Beorn said.
+
+"Nor does he," Guy, who was riding beside them, put in. "For himself
+he is simple in his tastes, but he knows that the people are impressed
+by pomp, and love to see a brave cavalcade, therefore he insists
+on the observance of outward forms; and his court here on state
+occasions vies, as they tell me, with that of Henry of France."
+
+"Where shall we rest tonight?" Wulf asked. "Methinks from the
+appearance of the sky that we shall have rain, and unless we sleep
+under shelter, many of these fine robes that we see are like to be
+as much dabbled in mud as were those in which we arrived."
+
+"We shall sleep in no town, for there is no place on the road between
+this and Eu that could receive so large a party; but soon after we
+rode out yesterday a train of waggons with tents and all else needful
+started from Rouen, and half-way to Eu we shall find the camp erected
+and everything in readiness for our reception."
+
+This was indeed the case. The camp had been erected in a sheltered
+valley, through which ran a stream that supplied the needs of man
+and horses. The tents were placed in regular order, that of the
+duke in the centre, those of his chief nobles in order of rank on
+either side. Behind was a line for the use of the court officials,
+pages, and knights of less degree, while the soldiers would sleep
+in the open. As the party rode up a chamberlain with three or four
+assistants met them. Each was provided with lists containing the
+names of all the duke's following, and these were at once conducted
+to the tents alloted to them, so that in a few minutes all were
+housed without the slightest confusion or trouble. The squires of
+the knights and nobles and the attendants of the officers and pages
+at once took the horses and picketed them in lines behind the tents,
+rubbing them down and cleaning them with the greatest care, and
+then supplying them with forage from the piles that had that morning
+been brought in from the neighbouring farms. Fuel in abundance had
+also been stacked. A number of cooks had come on with the tent
+equipage, and supper was already prepared for the duke and his
+party, while animals had been slaughtered and cut up, and the
+men-at-arms soon had the joints hanging over their bivouac fires.
+
+"This is all wonderfully well managed, Beorn," Wulf said. "I doubt
+whether it could be done so well and orderly with us at home."
+
+"What does it matter?" Beorn said contemptuously. "It makes no
+difference whether one sups five minutes after arrival or an hour."
+
+"It matters nothing, Beorn; but what is but a question of an hour's
+waiting in a small party is one of going altogether supperless to
+bed when it is a large one. The Normans have been constantly fighting
+for the last twenty years, and you see they have learned how important
+it is that everything should be regular and orderly. If they manage
+matters with a large force as well as they do with a small one, as
+it is probable that they do, see what an advantage it gives to them.
+Were two armies to arrive near each other with the intention of
+fighting in the morning, and one knew exactly what to do, and could
+get their food in comfort and then lie down to rest, while the other
+was all in confusion, no one knowing where he should go or where
+to bestow himself, and, being unable to obtain food, forced to lie
+down supperless, the first army would obtain a great advantage when
+they met the next morning, especially if it had breakfasted well
+while the other went into the fight still fasting. Look at ourselves
+how weak we were that morning when we had lain down hungry and got
+up fasting, while on the morning when the woman gave us that food,
+simple as it was, we stepped out boldly and in spirits."
+
+"That is true enough, Wulf, but you know that among us it is said
+that Earl Harold is always most careful for the comfort of his
+soldiers."
+
+"Yes, the earl always thinks of those around him. As I have never
+been in the field I know not what the arrangements are, but I cannot
+think they would be so well ordered in a great gathering of Englishmen,
+or that we should manage matters as well as the Normans with all
+their experience have learnt to do."
+
+"Well, Wulf," Beorn laughed, "you had best study the matter, and
+then ask the earl to appoint you to take charge of the arrangements
+when he takes the field."
+
+"One could hardly have a more useful office," Wulf said earnestly;
+"but it would need a man of experience and of high rank and position,
+for our Saxon thanes are not accustomed to discipline as are these
+Norman barons, and only one of great authority could induce them
+to observe regulations and carry out any plan in due order."
+
+Beorn nodded. "That is true enough, Wulf, and it is therefore clear
+that a good many years must pass before you can properly fill the
+post of chief chamberlain to the army. For myself, I shall be well
+content to do what fighting is required, and to leave all these
+matters in your hands."
+
+"Yes; but it can't be left in the hands of one officer," Wulf said
+warmly, "unless all give their aid willingly to carry out his plans."
+
+"Well, you need not be angry about it, Wulf. There will be time
+enough for that when you get to be grand chamberlain. You know
+what the Saxon thanes are--how ease-loving, and averse to trouble
+themselves with aught save the chase. I would as soon marshal a
+flock of sheep in military order and teach each to keep its place
+as get the thanes to conform to strict orders and regulations."
+
+"And yet, Beorn," said Baron De Burg, who had just entered the tent
+unnoticed by them in order to speak to his son, who with another
+page shared it with them, "unless all will conform to strict orders
+and regulations an army is but a mere gathering of armed men,
+animated not by one will, but by as many wills as it contains men.
+Such an army may be valiant; every man may be a hero, and yet it
+may be shattered to pieces by another which gives itself up wholly
+to the direction of one will. That is why we Normans have so badly
+beaten the French. Every mail has his place in battle. He charges
+when he is ordered to charge, or he is held in reserve the whole
+day, and the battle ended without his ever striking a blow. We may
+fret under inaction, we may see what we think chances of falling
+upon the enemy wasted, but we know that our duke is a great leader,
+that he has a plan for the battle and will carry it through, and
+that disobedience to his orders would be an offence as great as
+that of riding from the field. Hence we have learned to obey, and
+consequently we have always been victorious against men as brave
+as ourselves, but each obeying his own feudal lord, and so fighting
+in detached bodies rather than as a whole. Your young companion is
+in the right. In a duel between two men strength and skill is
+everything; in a struggle between two armies obedience to orders
+is a virtue even higher than bravery and skill at arms. Where is
+Guy?"
+
+"He is in attendance on the duke, my lord," Beorn said. "We presented
+ourselves also at his tent, but he told us that he required no duty
+from us."
+
+"Let him come to my tent when he returns," the baron said; "that
+is as soon as he has finished supper. I shall be glad if you will
+also come, unless the duke sends for you, which methinks he is not
+likely to do. He is in thoughtful mood to-day, and will probably
+be alone."
+
+Two or three other knights were assembled in Baron de Burg's tent
+when the three lads went in. De Burg said a few words to his
+companions, explaining who they were, and then continued his
+conversation with the others. Beorn and Wulf, as they stood behind
+the chairs and listened to the talk, could not help being struck
+with the difference between it and the conversations they had heard
+at the houses of Saxon thanes.
+
+With Harold they had been accustomed to hear matters of state touched
+on. The church and the struggle going on between the Norman prelates
+and monks on the one hand and the English clergy on the other was
+one that was frequently talked over, as were also the projects
+Harold had at heart for encouraging the spread of education and
+raising the condition of people generally. At the houses of the
+thanes, however, the evenings were passed in feasting and song, and
+it was seldom that there was anything like discussion upon general
+affairs. Indeed, between men heated with wine and accustomed to
+state their opinions bluntly anything like friendly argument was
+well nigh impossible. De Burg and his companions made no allusion
+at all to public affairs, but discussed gravely and calmly, and
+with a courteous respect for each other's opinions, questions
+connected with the art of war, hunting, the changed conditions
+brought about by the demolition of castles, the improvements gradually
+being introduced in armour, and other kindred topics. The other
+nobles were men of about the same age as De Burg, and although the
+latter's page from time to time carried round wine the goblets were
+rarely emptied.
+
+Certain topics were touched upon only to be dropped at once, and
+Wulf saw that subjects upon which there was any disagreement among
+them were carefully avoided.
+
+When the boys returned to their tent Wulf said, "Their talk reminds
+me of the evenings I spent with the prior, his almoner, and two or
+three other monks, rather than of those at the houses of Saxon
+thanes."
+
+Beorn nodded. "I am not so much against our customs of feasting and
+merriment as you are, Wulf, and should not care to spend my evenings
+often in listening to such grave talk, but truly these Norman barons
+and knights are far more courteous in their speech than our own
+thanes, and seem to care but little for the wine cup. I admit that
+such men must be far wiser advisers for a king than are our Saxons,
+saving of course Harold and his brothers."
+
+"The Normans are not all so abstemious as my father and those you
+saw with him," Guy laughed. "Listen. You can hear songs and loud
+laughter from many of the tents, ay, and might hear quarrels too
+did you listen long enough. But those you saw were all men high in
+the confidence of the duke. They have fought together under his
+banner in many a field, and are all powerful barons. They are content
+to hold their own, and have nothing to gain at the expense of others.
+Their value is well established, and I believe that all of them
+would be well pleased were they never called upon to set lance in
+rest again. Methinks this evening they avoided all public questions
+chiefly because we were present; and you see no word was spoken of
+the unexpected accident that has thrown Harold on our shores,
+although it must have been in all their minds; and doubtless they
+talked it over as they rode hither to-day. I should not be surprised
+if my father had us in his tent for the very reason that your being
+there would prevent more being said about it. I do not suppose any
+of them know exactly what is in the duke's mind--possibly he has
+not even made it up himself; and it is assuredly wise here in
+Normandy to express no strong opinion until the duke's own mind is
+manifest."
+
+"I daresay you are right, Guy. I rather wondered why your father
+had asked us as well as you to his tent when he had others with
+him; but it is like enough that he thought our presence would prevent
+any discussion on delicate topics."
+
+The next morning the cavalcade mounted early, and in the afternoon
+rode into the fortress of Eu. It stood upon the river Bresle, and
+had, previous to the conquest of Ponthieu, been the frontier guard
+of Normandy on the north. It lay only some ten miles from the spot
+where the Saxon galley had been wrecked. A messenger had arrived
+there early in the day from Fitz-Osberne saying that Conrad of
+Ponthieu had assented to the demand of the duke for the surrender
+of his captives, that these had been at once released from their
+confinement, and were now honourably entertained. They would start
+on the following morning from Beaurain, and would be accompanied
+by Conrad, who desired to come to Eu to pay his respects to the
+duke.
+
+Although it had been certain that Conrad would not venture to refuse
+the command of his powerful over-lord, Wulf and Beorn were greatly
+delighted to hear that Harold and his companions had at once been
+released from their imprisonment, and that they would so speedily
+arrive at Eu. In the afternoon of the following day a messenger
+arrived stating that the cavalcade was but an hour's ride away, and
+preparations were at once made to receive it with all honour. The
+garrison of the castle in their bravest attire lined the courtyard,
+hangings brought from Rouen were disposed round the walls of the
+great hall, two chairs of state were placed on the dais, the
+men-at-arms who had come from Rouen were drawn up on either side
+of the great entrance, and here William with his nobles assembled
+when the cavalcade approached the castle.
+
+The procession was headed by the Norman men-at-arms of Fitz-Osberne
+and Warren. After them rode Conrad of Ponthieu with Harold by his
+side. Both carried hawks on their wrists, and were, apparently, on
+the most amiable terms. Behind them rode Harold's brother and nephew
+and the two Norman barons; they were followed by the Saxon thanes
+and the officers of the count's household. Behind these came on
+foot the Saxons of inferior degree who had been left at St. Valery,
+and who had by Conrad's orders been sent to join the cavalcade where
+it crossed the Somme at Abbeville; the procession was closed by a
+strong body of the count's men-at-arms. They rode through the double
+line of spearmen until they reached the entrance. Then as Harold
+dismounted, the duke descended the steps and embraced him with the
+warmest expressions of satisfaction at thus meeting the most
+illustrious of Englishmen.
+
+Harold replied in suitable terms, and the duke then turned to Conrad
+and thanked him warmly for having acceded to his request.
+
+Ponthieu was but newly conquered, and might yet be a thorn in the
+side of Normandy in the event of a renewal of war with France. It
+was therefore to William's interest to treat Conrad's obedience to
+his orders as if it had been a voluntary submission, and to ignore
+his discourteous treatment of his captives. In order to eradicate
+all sense of injury on the part of his vassal, he not only paid him
+the ransom for Harold but gave him a considerable grant of territory.
+The duke now presented his nobles and principal officers to Harold,
+and then with his arm placed familiarly on his guest's shoulder led
+him into the hall, and placed him in the chair of state beside his
+own, other seats being placed for Wulfnoth and Hakon and for some
+of the principal Norman barons, while the rest mingled with the
+Saxon thanes in the body of the hall. As soon as the reception was
+over Wulf hurried out into the courtyard to speak to Osgod.
+
+"Right glad am I to see you again, Osgod; I have been troubled as
+to how you were faring."
+
+"In truth we have fared badly enough, master; we have been working
+like beasts of burden, without having food that would suffice for
+an ass. However, it was not for long, and will do us no harm, though
+there are more than one of those fellows at St. Valery with whom I
+would gladly have ten minutes play with cudgel or quarter-staff.
+You may guess how surprised we were yesterday evening when we were
+suddenly called out from the shed where we were sleeping, and with
+many professions of regret and apology for our treatment conducted
+to better quarters, where a good honest meal was set before us, and
+we were then told that the duke himself had just arrived at Eu, and
+that Harold and all his following were there to be given up to him.
+We had fresh rushes for our beds, and a hearty breakfast this
+morning, and were then placed in boats and taken up to Abbeville.
+We had been there but an hour when the earl arrived with the thanes,
+and glad were we, as you may imagine, to see his face again. They
+stopped there for an hour to rest their steeds and to dine, and
+then we marched hither as you saw. I had missed you and Beorn from
+Harold's party, and made shift to approach the earl and humbly ask
+him what had become of you. 'No harm has befallen your master and
+his friend, good fellow,' the earl said. 'They have indeed done me
+good service, for they made their escape from Beaurain and carried
+the news of our detention to Duke William, and it is thus that we
+have all obtained our liberty.' You seem to have fared bravely,
+Wulf, judging from your attire."
+
+"Yes, we were in sore plight when we arrived at Rouen, but the duke
+saw that we were provided with clothes and with horses for our
+journey here."
+
+At this moment an attendant came out from the hall and informed
+Wulf that the duke desired speech with him. Beorn was already at
+the entrance, and they were conducted on to the dais.
+
+"Here are your two pages," the duke said to Harold. "I hold myself
+to be greatly their debtor for having carried me the news that has
+brought about this meeting, and given me the pleasure of having you
+as my guest. They are faithful lads and quick-witted, for no men
+could have carried out the mission better or more promptly than
+they did."
+
+"Still more am I indebted to them," Harold said as he held out his
+hand to the two lads, who bent on one knee while they kissed it.
+"I knew not of their going until I learnt from your barons that
+they had reached Rouen with the news. They are wards of mine, and
+although at one time my pages they have ceased to be so for more
+than a year, and have both been down upon their estates learning
+the duties of their station, which I deemed better for them than
+wasting their time and getting into mischief at court."
+
+The duke nodded. "The result shows that your course was a wise one.
+At court youths learn but little good. The atmosphere is not healthy
+for men still less for boys, and these youths will shortly be of
+an age when they will be fit to render men's service, as indeed
+they have already done." The lads now retired from the dais.
+
+"It has been a fortunate week's work for us," Beorn said. "We have
+obtained the freedom of our lord and have gained his approbation
+and that of Duke William; though, indeed, it matters not greatly
+as to the duke."
+
+"I don't know, Beorn; one cannot look into the future, and there
+is no saying what may happen. Anyhow, even now it may be of advantage
+to us. Honourably as the duke is treating Harold, the earl is still
+wholly in his power, and until we hear something of his intentions
+we are all just as much prisoners as we were to Conrad, although I
+admit the captivity is a very much more pleasant one."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+THE OATH.
+
+From Eu the party travelled back to Rouen where there were feastings
+and entertainments in honour of Harold. Nothing could be more
+courteous than the duke's manner to his guest. He professed an
+almost fraternal affection for him, and handsome lodgings were
+assigned in the town to his thanes. A solemn court was held, at
+which Harold was knighted by William himself with much state and
+ceremonial, according to the rites of chivalry, which had then been
+but recently introduced, and had not as yet extended into England.
+There were great hunting parties in the forest, and to all outward
+appearance the friendship between William and Harold was of the
+warmest and most sincere nature. Harold himself was really gratified
+at the pains that William took to show the esteem in which he held
+him, and his thanes were all well satisfied with the attentions
+bestowed upon them by the Norman barons.
+
+Beorn and Wulf had nothing to do save to make friends with young
+Normans of their own age, to visit their castles and to join in the
+hunting parties. The duke lost no opportunity of showing the sincerity
+of the feelings of gratitude he had expressed to them for bringing
+him the news of Harold's presence in his dominions, and they were
+always specially invited to all court ceremonials, enjoying themselves
+exceedingly. Wulf occasionally expressed his surprise to his
+companion that no word was said as to their return to England, but
+Beorn's answer always silenced him.
+
+"The earl himself seems well satisfied, Wulf. Why should you be
+more anxious for him than he is for himself?"
+
+Once indeed he replied, "Harold is of so open and generous nature,
+Beorn, that he would be the last person to suspect another of
+dishonourable motives. Moreover, it is not because he is apparently
+well content here that we must judge him to be without uneasiness.
+Whatever he felt it would be impolitic to show it, and we see but
+little of him now save when in company of the Normans. He cannot
+but know that his presence is required in England."
+
+It was a matter of satisfaction to Wulf that Walter Fitz-Urse was
+not at the court, he having a few weeks before returned to England,
+where he was again in the suite of the Norman bishop of London. He
+himself had become firm friends with Guy de Burg, and often rode
+over with him to his father's residence, where they hunted in the
+forest together or rode out with falcons on their wrists, Agnes de
+Burg often accompanying them on her pony.
+
+Three weeks after their arrival at Rouen the Bretons broke out in
+insurrection, and the duke invited Harold to accompany him on an
+expedition to subdue them, courteously saying that he should obtain
+great advantage from the military experience of his guest.
+
+Harold accepted the invitation, and with his thanes set out with
+the duke. Against the disciplined forces of Normandy the Breton
+peasants had no chance whatever in the open field, but their wild
+and broken country, well-nigh covered with forest, afforded them
+an opportunity for the display of their own method of fighting by
+sudden surprises and attacks, and they defended their rough but
+formidable intrenchments with desperate valour. Harold's experience
+gained in his warfare with the Welsh was of much utility, and the
+duke committed to his hands the formal command of the troops engaged,
+averring that he himself knew comparatively little of warfare such
+as this.
+
+Harold conducted the operations with equal vigour and prudence.
+Stronghold after stronghold was attacked and captured, a small
+portion of the force only being engaged in active operations, whilst
+the rest were posted so as to repel the attempts of the Bretons to
+aid the besieged. By his advice clemency was always shown to
+the garrisons when the fortresses were stormed, and they were
+permitted to return unharmed to their people, bearing the news that
+the duke bore no ill-will towards them, and was ready to show mercy
+to all who laid down their arms. Wulf and Beorn were permitted to
+share in the assaults, and with the Saxon thanes followed Harold,
+as he led the way on foot up to the intrenchments at one point,
+while the duke with a party of his barons attacked at another. More
+than once the English banner was carried into the heart of the
+Breton fortress before the Normans had fought their way in, and on
+each of these occasions the duke warmly expressed his admiration
+for the courage of his English allies. At last there remained but
+one formidable stronghold to be captured, and so strong was this
+by nature, and so desperately defended, that for some time the
+efforts of the besiegers were fruitless.
+
+One evening Guy de Burg had been with Wulf in his tent. Beorn was
+out spending the evening with some of his Norman friends. When Guy
+rose to go Wulf said that he would walk with him to his father's
+tent, which was situated some little distance away. As there had
+been strict regulations that none were to move about without arms,
+he buckled on his sword and put on his helmet before starting.
+Osgod, who was lying outside the tent, rose when they issued out
+and followed them at a short distance. They went along at the rear
+of the tents, when Wulf suddenly said:
+
+"It seems to me that I hear sounds in the forest, Guy."
+
+"De Launey's men are posted behind us," Guy said carelessly; "there
+is no fear of an attack."
+
+"Not if they are vigilant," Wulf agreed. "But the Bretons have for
+some time abstained from night surprises, and De Launey's men may
+be keeping a poor watch."
+
+Suddenly there was a loud cry, followed immediately by the Breton
+war-shout, and by a confusion of shouts, cries, and the sound of
+the clashing of arms.
+
+The lads drew their swords and ran towards the scene of conflict,
+when, from some bushes a short distance from them, a number of wild
+figures sprung out. It was a party of the enemy who had made their
+way through De Launey's sleeping men unobserved, and who now, knowing
+that further concealment was useless, were rushing forward towards
+the tents. Wulf's first impulse was to turn back, but young de
+Burg, shouting his father's battle-cry, ran forward, and without
+hesitation Wulf followed him. A moment later they were engaged with
+the Bretons.
+
+"Back to back, Guy!" Wulf exclaimed, as he ran his sword through
+the first man who attacked him.
+
+He had scarcely spoken when Osgod ran up and joined them, and
+wielding the heavy axe he carried as if it had been a featherweight,
+struck down several of the Bretons who ventured within its swing.
+
+Wulf defended himself as firmly, but had to shift his ground
+continually to avoid the blows of the heavy spiked clubs with which
+his assailants were armed. Presently he heard his name shouted, and
+an instant later a crash, as Guy de Burg was struck down.
+
+"Stand over him, Osgod!" he shouted, and with a bound was beside
+his companion, cutting down a Breton who was about to thrust his
+spear into him. At the same moment a club descended on his helmet,
+bringing him for a moment to his knee. He sprang up again, Osgod
+striking his opponent to the ground before he could repeat his blow.
+
+For two or three minutes the fight went on. Wulf received more than
+one stab from the Breton knives, as two or three of them often
+rushed in upon him at once, but each time when he was hard pressed
+Osgod's axe freed him from his assailants, for so terrible were the
+blows dealt by the tall Saxon that the Bretons shrank from assailing
+him, and thus left him free at times to render assistance to Wulf.
+But the combat was too unequal to last long. A pike-thrust disabled
+Wulf for a moment, and as his arm fell a blow from a club stretched
+him beside Guy. Osgod had also received several wounds, but furious
+at his master's fall he still defended himself with such vigour
+that the Bretons again fell back. They were on the point of attacking
+him anew, when there was a shout, and William and Harold, bareheaded
+as they had leapt from the table, and followed by a score or two
+of Norman barons and soldiers, fell upon the Bretons. The latter
+with cries of alarm at once fled.
+
+By this time the Norman trumpets were everywhere sounding, and the
+troops hastening out to repel the attack, which a few minutes later
+ceased as suddenly as it began, the Bretons flying into the forest,
+where pursuit by the heavily-armed Normans was hopeless. Returning
+to the tents, the duke and Harold paused where Osgod, who had sunk
+to the ground as soon as the Breton attack had ceased, was sitting
+by the side of his master.
+
+"Whom have we here?" the duke asked. "Whoever they are we owe our
+safety to them, Harold, for had it not been for the resistance they
+made, the Bretons would have been among our tents before we had
+time to catch up our arms. Bring a torch here!" he shouted; and two
+or three soldiers came running up from the tents with lights.
+
+"Methinks it is one of my men," Harold said, and repeated the duke's
+question in Saxon.
+
+"I am Osgod, my lord, the servant of Wulf of Steyning, who with his
+friend, Guy de Burg, lies here beside me, I fear done to death."
+
+"I trust not, indeed," Harold said, stooping over the bodies.
+
+At this moment the men came up with the lights. "By the rood,"
+William exclaimed, "but they fought stoutly, whoever they are. The
+ground round them is covered with the bodies of these Breton rascals.
+There must be at least a score of them, while so far as I can see
+there are but three of our men. Who are they, Harold?"
+
+"One is Guy, son of the Baron de Burg," Harold replied. "Another
+is young Wulf, and this stout fellow is his man."
+
+"Right gallantly have they done," the duke exclaimed, "and I trust
+that their lives are not spent. Let someone summon De Burg here
+quickly. Carry his son to his tent, and bid my leech attend at once
+to his wounds and to those of these brave Saxons."
+
+"I will carry Wulf to his tent myself," Harold said, raising the
+lad and carrying him off, while four soldiers followed bearing
+Osgod. They were laid down together in Wulf's tent. As the young
+thane's helmet was removed, he opened his eyes and looked round in
+bewilderment as he saw, by the light of the torches, Harold and
+several others standing beside him.
+
+"What has happened?" he asked faintly.
+
+"The best thing that has happened is that you have come to yourself
+and are able to speak, Wulf," Harold said. "But do not try to talk,
+lad, until the leech comes and examines your wounds. You have done
+us all a rare service to-night, for thanks to the carelessness of
+De Launey's men, most of whom have paid for their error with their
+lives, we should all have been taken by surprise had it not been
+for the brave stand you made. Now we will take off your garments
+and see where you are wounded. They seem to be soaked everywhere
+with blood."
+
+"I received three or four gashes with their knives," Wulf said
+feebly, "and I think a spear wound. How are the others?"
+
+"I know not about Guy," Harold said, "but your man is able to speak,
+and has not, I hope, received mortal injuries."
+
+"Don't trouble yourself about me, Master Wulf," Osgod put in. "I
+have got a few pricks with the knaves' knives, and a spear-thrust
+or two, but as I was able to keep on my feet until the earl arrived
+with help, I think the wounds are of no great consequence."
+
+"If aught happens to me," Wulf said to Harold, "I pray you to see
+to him, my lord, and to take him as one of your own men. Had it not
+been for him the Bretons would have made short work of us."
+
+He could barely utter the words, and again became insensible from
+loss of blood.
+
+When he recovered the leech was kneeling beside him, pouring oil
+into his wounds and applying bandages.
+
+"Do not try to talk," he said quietly, as Wulf opened his eyes.
+"Lie quite still, the least movement might cause your wounds to
+break out afresh. They are serious, but I think not of a mortal
+nature."
+
+"Guy?" Wulf whispered.
+
+"He is in a more perilous condition than you are, but it is possible
+that he too may live. As for your man here, I have as yet but glanced
+at his wounds; but though cut sorely, I have no fear for his life.
+Now drink this potion, and then go off to sleep if you can."
+
+Wulf drank off the contents of the goblet placed to his lips, and
+in a few minutes was fast asleep. When he woke it was broad daylight,
+and Beorn was sitting by his side. The latter put his finger to his
+lips.
+
+"You are not to talk, Wulf. The leech gave me the strictest orders
+when he was here a short time since, and said that you seemed to
+be doing well. Osgod he says will surely recover, and be none the
+worse for the letting out of some of his blood. The Bretons were
+too hasty with their strokes, and although he has a dozen wounds
+none of them are serious. Guy de Burg is alive, but as yet the
+leech can say nothing. It has been a bad business. It seems that
+De Launey's men were most of them killed whilst they were asleep.
+The bodies of the sentries were found at their posts, but whether
+they were asleep, or whether, as is thought more likely, their foes
+stole up and killed them before they had time to utter a cry, we
+know not. The Bretons attacked at two or three other points, but
+nowhere with such success, though many Normans have fallen. Everyone
+says that the party which passed through De Launey's men would have
+reached the tents and probably killed most of those in them had
+they not stopped while some of their number attacked you and Guy
+de Burg. The duke and Harold have both said that your bravery saved
+us from a great disaster. I would that I had been with you, but the
+tent I was in was the farthest along the line, and the Bretons were
+in full flight before we came upon the scene."
+
+Presently the Baron de Burg came to the side of the pallet on which
+Wulf was lying. "I cannot say that I owe you the life of my son,"
+he said, laying his hand gently upon Wulf's, "for I know not as yet
+whether he will live, but he was sensible when we brought him to
+my tent, and he told me that you had stood over him and defended
+him from the Bretons until you too fell. He was sensible all the
+time, though unable to move."
+
+"It was Osgod who did most of the fighting, my lord," Wulf said.
+
+"He did much, Wulf, and it will be my pleasure to reward him, but
+the duke, who is full of admiration at the slaughter done by three
+alone, has caused the bodies to be examined. Twelve of them were
+killed with axe wounds, nine by sword wounds. Guy tells me that he
+knows that only two fell to his sword, therefore you must have slain
+seven. Truly a feat that any man might be proud of, to say nothing
+of a lad of your age. Guy is anxious to have you with him, and the
+leech said that if you keep quiet to-day, and none of your wounds
+break out afresh, it will do you no harm to be carried to my tent."
+
+Accordingly the next day Wulf was carried across to Lord de Burg's,
+and his pallet set down by the side of Guy's. The latter was a
+little better, and the leech had faint hopes of his recovery. His
+right arm had been broken by a blow with a club, and so badly
+fractured that it had already been taken off near the shoulder. His
+most dangerous wound was a pike-thrust on the left side, which had
+penetrated his lungs. He smiled faintly as Wulf was placed by his
+side. Wulf tried to smile back again, but he was too much shocked
+at the change in his friend's appearance. His cheeks had fallen
+in, and his face was deadly pale. His lips were almost colourless,
+and his eyes seemed unnaturally large. Wulf made an effort to speak
+cheerfully.
+
+"We did not expect to come to this so soon, Guy," he said. "We
+have often talked about fighting, but we never thought that our
+first serious fight would end like this."
+
+"You have nothing to regret," Baron de Burg said. "You have both
+done your duty nobly, and one of gentle blood can wish for no better
+end than to die doing his duty against great odds. God grant that
+you may both be spared, but if it be otherwise, death could not
+come to you more gloriously than in giving your lives to save your
+lords from surprise."
+
+Wulf's recovery was comparatively rapid. He was greatly pleased
+when, a week after his removal, Osgod was brought into the tent by
+Harold. He was still pale and feeble, but was able to walk, and
+assured his young lord that he should soon be ready for another
+fight with the Bretons.
+
+"There will be no more fighting," Harold said. "Yesterday their
+chiefs came in to make their submission and ask for mercy, and on
+this being granted their fortress has surrendered this morning.
+They will pay a heavy fine in cattle, and their two strongest
+fortresses are to be garrisoned by Norman troops. A considerable
+slice of their territory is to be taken from them. In a week I hope
+we shall all be on our way back to Rouen."
+
+Guy was mending very slowly. Even yet the leech could not say with
+certainty that his life would be saved, and warned his father that
+in any case he would for a very long time be an invalid. In another
+week the camp was broken up. Wulf declared that he was well enough
+to sit a horse, but the leech insisted that he should be carried
+on a litter.
+
+"In another fortnight," he said, "you may be able to ride, but it
+would not be safe to attempt to do so now. You are going on as well
+as could be wished, and it would be madness to risk everything by
+haste."
+
+Accordingly he and Guy were transported in litters to the baron's
+residence, where Wulf steadily recovered his health and strength.
+Osgod, who had received a heavy purse of gold from the baron, had
+at the end of that time entirely recovered; Guy still lay pale and
+feeble on his couch.
+
+"I scarcely wish to live," he said one day to his father. "I can
+never be a warrior now. What have I got to live for?"
+
+"You have much to live for, Guy," his father said, "even if you
+never bestride a war-horse. You have made a name for yourself for
+bravery, and will always be held in respect. It is not as if you
+had been from your birth weak and feeble. You will in time, I hope,
+come to be lord of our estates and to look after our people, and
+be beloved by them; and, if you cannot yourself lead them in the
+field, you can see that they go well equipped, and do honour to
+your banner. There are other things besides fighting to live for."
+
+"I would that you had had another son, father, and that Wulf had
+been my brother. I should not so much have minded then that I could
+not myself carry the banner of De Burg into the field."
+
+"Had he been one of ourselves, Guy, that might have come about,"
+his father said, "for if I have no other son I have a daughter. But
+this young Saxon has his own estates in his own country. He would
+not settle down here as a Norman baron, and I would not lose Agnes
+nor be willing that she should go from us to dwell in a foreign
+land. But no one can say what the future will bring about. The duke
+has promised one of his daughters to Harold, and should the marriage
+come off it will bind the two peoples more closely together. Besides,
+you know, Edward of England has promised to Duke William that he
+should succeed him."
+
+"I was speaking to Wulf about that one day, father, and he said
+that Edward had no power to make the gift, for that the people of
+England chose their king themselves, and that Edward's promise would
+go for nothing with them. It is not with them as it is with us,
+where a prince can name his successor."
+
+"That may be Saxon opinion, Guy, but it is not Norman, and assuredly
+it is not the duke's; and friendly as are the relations between him
+and Harold, it is clear that until this question is settled no
+permanent friendship can be looked for between the two nations."
+
+Wulf was sorry when the time came that he could no longer linger
+at Baron de Burg's chateau. The earl had more than once sent over
+to say that his presence was looked for at court as soon as he was
+sufficiently recovered to attend there, but he stayed on until he
+felt so thoroughly strong and well that he could not make his health
+any longer an excuse. On leaving, De Burg and his wife both pressed
+him to come over whenever he could spare time.
+
+"You know, Wulf," the former said, "how warm is the affection Guy
+has for you, and he will look very eagerly for your visits. Just
+at present he has very few pleasures in life, and chief among them
+will be your comings. We are all dull here, lad, and Agnes will
+miss you sorely."
+
+"I will ride over whenever I can. I should be ungrateful indeed did
+I not do so, after the great kindness you and Lady de Burg have
+shown me; but even putting this aside I will come every day if I
+can, if only for half an hour's talk with Guy."
+
+"I am glad to see you back again, Wulf," Earl Harold said as the
+lad entered his room. "You look strong and well again, and might,
+methinks, have come to us before now."
+
+"I could have done so, doubtless, my lord, but it pained me to leave
+Guy, who is still on his couch, and will, I fear, never be strong
+and well again."
+
+"We heard but a poor account of him from the duke's leech," Harold
+said. "It is a sad thing; for one, who as a lad has shown such
+bravery, would have turned out a gallant knight. I should have let
+you linger there for some time yet, but the duke has frequently
+asked after you, and I thought it were best that you came over;
+though, in truth, there will be little for you to do here, and you
+will be able to ride and see your friend when you will."
+
+"Are we likely to go back to England soon, my lord?"
+
+"I trust it will not be long. I have spoken of it more than once
+to the duke, but he chides me for being weary of his company; which
+indeed I am not, for no man could have treated another better than
+he has done me. Still," he said, walking up and down the room, "I
+am impatient to be off, but I am no more free to choose my time
+here that I was at Beaurain. It is a velvet glove that is placed
+on my shoulder, but there is an iron hand in it, I know right well."
+
+"Is there no possibility of escaping, my lord?"
+
+Harold looked keenly at the boy. "No, Wulf, treated as I am as a
+guest I cannot fly without incurring the reproach of the basest
+ingratitude, nor even if I wished it could I escape. Under the
+excuse of doing me honour, there are Norman soldiers at the gate,
+and a Norman sentry stands at my door. I must go through with it
+now, and if need be promise all that William asks. This time there
+is nowhere to send you to fetch aid for me. You have heard, I
+suppose, that William has promised me his daughter in marriage?"
+
+"Yes, my lord, I have heard it. Is the marriage to take place soon?"
+
+Harold smiled. "The duke will not wish it to take place until he
+sees that he can secure my services by the marriage. If that time
+should never come I shall probably hear no more of it. Engagements
+have been broken off before now many a time, and absolution for a
+broken promise of that kind is not hard to obtain. You must attend
+the court this evening, Wulf."
+
+Wulf bowed and withdrew, and in the evening attended the court in
+the suite of Harold. As soon as the duke's eye fell upon him he
+called him up.
+
+"Messieurs," he said to the barons present, "this lad is Wulf, Thane
+of Steyning, and a follower of Earl Harold. He it was who, with the
+young Guy de Burg, and aided only by a Saxon man-at-arms, withstood
+the first rush of the Bretons, and so gained time by which I myself
+and my barons were able to prepare ourselves to resist the attack.
+Had it not been for them we should all have been taken by surprise,
+and maybe slain. The Saxon and the two lads, Wulf and De Burg, all
+fell wounded well-nigh to death, but not before twenty-one Bretons
+lay dead around them. This was indeed a feat of arms that any of
+you, valiant knights and barons as you are, might have been proud
+to perform.
+
+"Already I had promised him any boon that in reason he may ask for
+having borne to me the news that Earl Harold, my honoured guest and
+brother-in-arms, had been cast on our shores, and I promise him
+now, that should at any time it happen that I have any power or
+influence in England, his estates shall remain to him and to his
+heirs free from all service or dues, even though he has withstood
+me in arms;--nay, more, that they shall be largely added to. Should
+such issue never arise, and aught occur to render him desirous of
+crossing the seas hither, I promise him a baron's feu as a token
+of my gratitude for the great service he rendered me; and I am well
+assured that, whether to a King of England or to a Duke of Normandy,
+he will prove himself a true and faithful follower. I call on you
+all here to witness this promise that I have made, and should there
+be need, to recall it to my memory."
+
+The Normans above all things admired valour, and when Wulf, after
+kneeling and kissing the duke's hand, retired shamefacedly to a
+corner of the room, where he was joined by Beorn, one after another
+came up to him and said a few words of approbation.
+
+"You have done well, young sir," Fitz-Osberne, one of the duke's
+most trusted councillors said to him. "The duke is not given to
+overpraise, and assuredly no one of your age has ever won such
+commendation from his lips. After making so fair a commencement,
+it will be your own fault indeed if you do not make a great name
+for yourself in the future. There is not one of us who was in the
+duke's camp that evening but feels that he owes you much for the
+few minutes' delay that saved us from being taken altogether by
+surprise. You are young, and may think but little of the promise the
+duke has given you this evening, but the day may come when you will find
+it stand you in good stead."
+
+Harold said nearly the same thing to Wulf when he saw him the next morning.
+
+"But there is no chance of the duke ever having power in England, my lord,"
+Wulf said.
+
+"I trust not, Wulf, but there is no doubt that his whole mind is bent upon
+obtaining the throne of England. He has spoken to me openly about it, and
+has more than hinted to me that I, if married to his daughter, would still,
+as Earl of Wessex, be the foremost man in the land next to its sovereign
+should he ever gain the kingdom."
+
+"And what said you, my lord, if I may be so bold as to ask?"
+
+"I said but little, lad. I am a prisoner, and I am well assured that I
+shall never return to England until William thinks that he can depend upon
+me. It is needful that I should return, and that quickly, for I hear that
+there is fresh trouble in Wales, and I have received an urgent message from
+the king to hasten to his side. It is hard to see what it is best to do."
+
+Four days later a grand ceremony was announced to take place, but few knew
+what its nature was to be. That it was something beyond the ordinary was
+certain by the number of barons and knights that were bidden to attend. A
+dais was erected in the courtyard of the palace, and on this a table
+covered with a cloth was placed.
+
+"I don't like this business," Wulf said to Beorn, as with the other Saxons
+they took their place near the dais. "There is something very mysterious
+about it, and I believe that at last we are going to see what William's
+full intentions are."
+
+A religious ceremony was first held, and then the duke rose to his feet and
+addressed the barons. He first recalled to them the promise that Edward of
+England had made to him, and then went on: "The saints have worked in my
+favour," he said, "by sending here as my guest my well-beloved
+brother-in-arms, the great Earl of Wessex. Between us there is the closest
+friendship, and to cement and make even closer the bonds between us, he has
+become betrothed to my daughter, and through the lands I shall bestow upon
+her he will become a baron of Normandy. Relying upon his affection and
+friendship, I have called you here together to hear him swear in public
+that which he has already told me privately--that he will be my faithful
+feudatory, and will in all ways aid me to gain my lawful rights."
+
+Harold changed colour. The matter had come upon him as a surprise.
+Doubtless he had in a vague way when discussing his future relations as
+son-in-law to the duke, expressed his warm friendship and a general
+willingness to be of service to him, but to be called upon to take an oath
+publicly was a different matter. Most of those present had taken oaths of
+allegiance to William and had broken them again and again, and William
+himself had not less frequently broken his feudal oaths to his suzerain,
+the King of France. But Harold was a man with a deep sense of religion, and
+did not esteem as lightly as these Norman barons an oath thus sworn; but he
+felt that he had fallen into a trap, and that resistance would but consign
+him to a prison, if not a grave.
+
+He at once understood how hollow had been the pretended friendship of his
+host; but he was in William's power, and unless as a friend the duke would
+never permit so formidable a rival to quit his shores. As he hesitated he
+saw a movement on the part of the Norman knights near the dais, and
+understood that they had been previously informed of William's intentions,
+and were there to enforce them. Their brows were bent on him angrily as he
+hesitated, and more than one hand went to the hilt of the wearer's sword.
+There was no drawing back, and placing his hand on the table he swore the
+oath William had dictated. When he concluded William snatched the cloth
+from the table, and below it were seen a number of bones and sacred relics
+that had been brought from the cathedral.
+
+Enlightened as Harold was, he was not altogether free from the
+superstitions of the age. For a moment he shuddered slightly and grew paler
+than before, then he drew himself up to his full height, and looked calmly
+into the exulting face of William.
+
+"I call you all to witness," the duke said in a loud voice, "that Harold,
+Earl of Wessex, has taken a solemn oath upon the holy relics to be my
+faithful feudatory."
+
+The shout that answered him was by no means universal, for there were many
+among the Norman nobles who were shocked at the base trick that the duke
+had played upon a guest for whom he had professed the warmest friendship.
+The Saxon thanes could scarce contain their expressions of indignation, but
+Harold as he sat down among them made a gesture commanding silence.
+
+"We sail for England to-morrow night," he said in low tones. "The duke told
+me so as we came hither. The two ships will be in readiness for us to
+embark in the morning. I did not understand then the price I was to pay.
+Restrain yourselves now; when we are free men we can talk this over."
+
+An hour later they returned to the palace, where there was a brief and
+formal interview between Harold and the duke. Both dissembled their real
+feelings. The duke said that he regretted that the King of England's wishes
+forced his guest to start so suddenly, and that he much regretted his
+departure. Harold thanked him for the hospitality he had shown him, but
+neither made any allusion whatever to the scene that had taken place in the
+courtyard. Wulf rode over to say good-bye to Guy and his father. The latter
+was walking up and down the hall with a gloomy face.
+
+"I blush for what has taken place to-day, Wulf," he said. "Tell the earl
+that had we known what was going to occur there are few indeed who would
+have attended at the ceremony, and that I for one shall hold him in no way
+dishonoured if he breaks the vow that has thus been dishonourably extorted
+from him. It was a trick and a base one, and I would tell Duke William so
+to his face. What will men think of Norman faith when guests are thus
+tricked to their disadvantage?"
+
+For an hour Wulf remained talking with the baron and his family.
+
+"I hope to see you again, Wulf," De Burg said, as the lad rose to take
+leave. "Guy regards you as a brother, and though assuredly no Saxon will
+set foot on Norman soil after to-day's doings, we may yet meet again."
+
+"I shall come over to England to see you, Wulf, if you come not here," Guy
+said. "I begin to think that I shall get over this, although I may never be
+really strong again. We shall often think and talk of you, Agnes and I; and
+I should like, of all things, to come and stay in your Saxon home."
+
+"No one would be so welcome, Guy. If we are never to be brothers-in-arms as
+we once talked of, we shall surely be brothers in heart, whether absent or
+present."
+
+A few more words and Wulf took leave of them all and rode back to Rouen. In
+the morning the duke accompanied Harold to the river bank and there took a
+courteous farewell of him. It is not probable that he thought for a moment
+that Harold would observe the oath, but he saw that its breach would be
+almost as useful to him as its fulfilment, for it would enable him to
+denounce his rival as a perjured and faithless man, and to represent any
+expedition against England as being a sort of crusade to punish one who had
+broken the most solemn vows made on the holy relics. Harold himself
+preserved his usual calmness of demeanour, and stood talking quietly to the
+duke while the latter's presents of hawks and hounds were taken on board
+the ship, and the Saxons, silent and sullen, had passed over the gangway.
+Then an apparently affectionate embrace was exchanged between the two
+rivals. Harold crossed on to the ship, the great sails were hoisted, and
+the two vessels proceeded down the river.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+TROUBLE WITH WALES.
+
+Harold took his place on the poop as the vessel started, and remained
+looking fixedly at the duke, until the latter with the group of barons
+turned and entered the town.
+
+"Farewell, William of Normandy," he said; "false friend and dishonoured
+host. How shall we meet next time, I wonder, and where?"
+
+Hitherto the presence of the Norman attendants had prevented any private
+converse between Harold and his followers, but having the poop to
+themselves they now broke out into angry exclamations against the duke.
+
+"It was an unworthy and unknightly trick," Harold said calmly; "but let us
+not talk of it now; it will be for the English people to decide the
+question some day, and for English bishops to determine whether I am bound
+by a vow thus extorted. Better at all events that I should be held for all
+time to have been false and perjured, than that the English people should
+fall under the Norman yoke. But maybe there will be no occasion for the
+oath ever to come in question, William of Normandy or I may die before the
+king, and then there will be an end of it. Let us talk of other things.
+Thank God we are free men again, and our faces are set towards England,
+where, from what I hear, we may have to meet open foes instead of false
+friends, and may have to teach the Welsh, once and for all, that they and
+their king cannot with impunity continually rise in rebellion against
+England.
+
+"Well, Wulf, you are the only one among us who has brought back aught from
+Normandy, at least you and Beorn, for you have your horses and chains, and
+the promise of the duke to grant you a boon. But these are small things.
+You have gained great credit, and have shown yourself a gallant fighter,
+and have further promises from the duke."
+
+"I care not for his promises," Wulf said hotly. "I hold him to be a
+dishonoured noble, and I would take naught from his hands."
+
+"You are young yet, Wulf," Harold smiled, "and the duke's promise, made
+before his nobles, will be held binding by him if ever the time should come
+for you to claim it. Do not refuse benefits, lad, because you do not like
+the hands that grant them. You rendered him a service, and need feel no
+shame at receiving the reward for it. As soon as we return I shall take
+steps to raise you and Beorn to the full dignity of thanes, with all rights
+and privileges. My brother and my friends here can all testify to the
+service you rendered to us, for much as I may have to complain of the
+ending of my visit, it has at least been vastly better than our lot would
+have been had we remained in the hands of Conrad of Ponthieu. You are both
+very young to be placed in the position of rulers of your people, and in
+ordinary cases you would not have been sworn to thane's services for some
+years to come; but, as Earl of Wessex, I see good reason for departing from
+the rule on this occasion, and I think that my thanes here will all be of
+that opinion." There was a warm expression of approval from the Saxons.
+"Then as soon as we set foot on English soil we will hold a court, and
+invest you with your full rank."
+
+They started from the mouth of the Seine, and as there was no nearer port
+than that from which they had sailed, Harold directed the masters of the
+ships to make for Bosham.
+
+"It is like to be a fairer voyage than the last," he said, as with a light
+breeze blowing behind them they sailed out from the mouth of the Seine. "It
+will be longer, but assuredly more pleasant."
+
+No incident whatever marked the voyage. The Saxons gave a shout of joy when
+they first made out the outline of the hills of the Isle of Wight, some
+twelve hours after leaving the mouth of the river; but it was not until
+eight hours afterwards that they entered the harbour of Bosham. As soon as
+the two Norman vessels were seen sailing up the quiet sheet of water,
+everywhere fringed with forest, boats put out to meet them, to ascertain
+the reason of their coming and to inquire for news of Harold and his
+companions. As soon as his figure was made out standing on the poop, one of
+the boats rowed off with the news, and by the time the vessels dropped
+anchor off Bosham the whole of the inhabitants had gathered on the shore,
+with loud shouts of joy and welcome.
+
+As soon as they landed Harold and his companions proceeded at once to the
+church, where a solemn service of thanksgiving was held for their
+preservation from the dangers of the sea and for their safe return to
+England. As soon as the service was over Harold sent off two horsemen to
+bear to the king the news of his return, and to state that he himself would
+ride to London on the following day. Then the earl bestowed handsome
+presents upon the masters and crews of the ships that had brought them
+over, and gave into their charge hawks and hounds, rich armour, and other
+presents for the Duke of Normandy, and jewelled cups and other gifts to the
+principal barons of his court.
+
+The gifts were indeed of royal magnificence; but Harold's wealth was vast,
+and, as he said to his brother, "We will at least show these Normans, that
+in point of generosity an English earl is not to be outdone by a Norman
+duke." As soon as these matters were attended to Harold held a court in the
+great hall of Bosham, and there received the oaths of fealty from Wulf and
+Beorn, and confirmed to them the possessions held by their fathers, and
+invested them with the gold chains worn by thanes as the sign of their
+rank. He afterwards bestowed a purse of gold upon Osgod, equal in value to
+the one he had received from the Duke of Normandy.
+
+"Should aught ever happen to your master," he said, "come you to me and you
+shall be one of my own men, and shall not lack advancement in my service."
+
+"In faith, Master Wulf," Osgod said after the ceremony, "my father warned
+me that the trade of a soldier was but a poor one, and that a good
+handicraftsman could gain far more money. He will open his eyes when I
+jingle these purses before him, for I might have hammered armour for years
+before I gained as much as I have done in the three months since I left
+England. I have enough to buy a farm and settle down did it so please me,
+and I have clothes enough to last me well-nigh a lifetime, and rings enough
+to set up a goldsmith's shop. For scarce one of the duke's barons and
+knights but followed his example, and gave me a present for my share in
+that little fight with the Bretons."
+
+"As for the clothes, they will always be useful, Osgod; but were I you I
+would get a stout leathern bag and put the purses and rings into it, and
+bury them in some place known only to yourself, and where none are ever
+likely to light upon them. You have no occasion for money now, and we may
+hope that ere long all occasion for fighting will be over, and then, as you
+say, you can buy a farm and marry."
+
+"I am going always to remain your man," Osgod said in an aggrieved tone.
+
+"Certainly, Osgod, I should wish for nothing else. You will always be my
+friend, and shall have any post on the estates or in the house that you may
+prefer. There will be no occasion for you to farm your land yourself, you
+can let it, receiving the value of half the produce, and so taking rank as
+a landowner, for which you yourself may care nothing, but which will enable
+your wife to hold her head higher."
+
+"I am not thinking of wives, my lord."
+
+"Nonsense, Osgod, I want not to be called my lord."
+
+"But you are a thane now and must be called so," Osgod said sternly; "and
+it would be ill-becoming indeed if I your man did not so address you. But I
+will take your advice about the gold, and when I get down to Steyning will
+bury it deeply under the roots of a tree. It will be safer there than if I
+buried it in my father's forge, for London is ever the centre of troubles,
+and might be sacked and burnt down should there ever be war between Mercia
+or Northumbria and Wessex."
+
+"Heaven forbid that we should have more civil wars, Osgod."
+
+"Amen to that, but there is never any saying. Assuredly Edwin and Morcar
+love not our earl, and as to Tostig, though he is his brother, he is
+hot-headed and passionate enough to play any part. And then there are the
+Normans, and there is no doubt the duke will have to be reckoned with.
+Altogether methinks my money will be safer under an oak-tree down at
+Steyning than at Westminster."
+
+"You are right enough there, Osgod; by all means carry out your ideas. But
+there is the bell for supper, and I must go."
+
+The next morning the party started at daybreak, and late that night arrived
+at Westminster. There were great rejoicings in London and throughout the
+south of England when it was known that the great earl had returned from
+Normandy. Much uneasiness had been felt at his long absence, and although
+accounts had come from time to time of the honour with which he had been
+treated by Duke William, many felt that his prolonged stay was an enforced
+one, and that he was a prisoner rather than a guest of the duke.
+
+The king himself was as rejoiced as his subjects at Harold's return.
+Although in the early years of his reign he had been bitterly opposed to
+the powerful family of Earl Godwin, to whom he owed his throne, he had of
+late years learnt to appreciate the wisdom of Harold; and although still
+Norman in his tastes as in his language, he had become much more English at
+heart, and bitterly regretted the promise that he had years before rashly
+given to the Duke of Normandy.
+
+Harold too had relieved him of all the cares of government, which he hated,
+and had enabled him to give his whole time and thought to religious
+exercises, and to the rearing of the splendid abbey which was his chief
+pleasure and pride. In his absence Edward had been obliged to attend to
+state business. He was worried with the jealousies and demands of the Earl
+of Mercia, with the constant complaints of the Northumbrians against their
+harsh and imperious master Tostig, and by the fact that the Welsh were
+taking advantage of the absence of Harold to cause fresh troubles. It was
+just Christmas when Harold returned, and the snow fell heavily on the night
+of his arrival at Westminster.
+
+"It was lucky it did not come a few hours earlier, Beorn," Wulf said, as he
+looked out of the casement. "We had a long and heavy ride yesterday, and we
+could not have done it in one day had the snow been on the ground. I
+suppose there will be a number of court festivities over Harold's return.
+We have had enough of that sort of thing in Normandy, and I hope that
+Harold will let us return at once to our estates."
+
+"Speak for yourself, Wulf; for myself I love the court, and now that I am a
+thane I shall enjoy it all the more."
+
+"And I all the less," Wulf said. "Fifteen months ago we were but pages and
+could at least have some fun, now we shall have to bear ourselves as men,
+and the ladies of the court will be laughing at us and calling us the
+little thanes, and there will be no getting away and going round to the
+smithy to watch Osgod's father and men forging weapons. It will be all very
+stupid."
+
+In a short time an attendant summoned them to breakfast, and here they sat
+down with the other thanes, Harold's wing of the palace being distinct from
+that of the king. The earl sat at the head of the table, and talked in
+undertones to his brother Gurth and two or three of his principal thanes.
+The personal retainers of the nobles stood behind their seats and served
+them with food, while Harold's pages waited on him and those sitting next
+to him.
+
+"We were a merrier party in the pages' room," Beorn whispered to Wulf, for
+but few words were spoken as the meal went on.
+
+"I think there is something in the air," Wulf said, "the earl looks more
+serious than usual. Generally the meals are cheerful enough."
+
+As soon as it was finished Harold said, "The king will receive you all in
+half an hour, he desires to express to you his pleasure at your return
+home. After that I beg that you will again gather here, as I have occasion
+to speak to you."
+
+The court was a more formal one than usual, the king's Norman functionaries
+were all present as were several ecclesiastics. Among them the Bishop of
+London, behind whom stood Wulf's old adversary, Walter Fitz-Urse. Earl
+Harold introduced his companions in captivity, the king receiving them very
+graciously.
+
+"I am glad to see that you have all returned safely," he said. "The earl
+tells me that you have all borne yourselves well in the battles you have
+fought under the banner of my friend and ally Duke William of Normandy, and
+that you have proved to his countrymen that the English are in no whit
+inferior to themselves in courage. The earl specially recommended to me his
+newly-made thanes, Wulf of Steyning and Beorn of Fareham, who did him the
+greatest service by effecting their escape from the castle of Beaurain, and
+at great risk bearing the news of his imprisonment to Duke William. Wulf
+of Steyning, he tells me, gained the highest approval of the duke and his
+knights by a deed of bravery when their camp was surprised by the Bretons.
+The earl has informed me that in consideration of these services he has
+advanced them to the rank of thanes, and confirmed them in their father's
+possessions, and as service rendered to him is service rendered to me, I
+thus bestow upon them a token of my approval;" and beckoning to the young
+thanes to advance, he took two heavy gold bracelets from his arm, and
+himself fastened them on those of the kneeling lads.
+
+When the ceremony was over, Harold's party returned to the room where they
+had breakfasted. It was an hour before the earl joined them.
+
+"I have been in council with the king," he said, "and have thus been forced
+to keep you waiting. We heard when abroad that the Welsh were again
+becoming troublesome, but I find that matters are much worse than I had
+supposed. Griffith has broken out into open rebellion; he has ravaged all
+the borders, has entered the diocese of Wulfstan, the new Bishop of
+Worcester, and carried his arms beyond the Severn, laying waste part of my
+own earldom of Hereford. Edwin, who has just succeeded his father in the
+earldom of Worcester, is young and new to his government, and, moreover,
+his father was an ally of Griffith's. In any case, he needs far larger
+forces than those at his command to undertake a war with the Welsh. This
+time we must finish with them; treaties are of no avail they are ever
+broken on the first opportunity, and a blow must be dealt that will render
+them powerless for harm for generations to come.
+
+"Therefore the king has commissioned me forthwith to act in the matter, not
+only as Lord of Hereford but as Earl of the West Saxons. Winter is upon us,
+and it will be impossible to undertake a regular campaign. Still a blow
+must be struck, and that quickly and heavily in order to stop the
+depredation and ruin they are spreading in the west counties. The
+preparations must be secret and the blow sudden. There is no time for
+calling out levies, that must be done in the spring. I must act only with
+mounted men. I have already sent off a messenger to Bosham to bid my
+housecarls mount and ride to Salisbury. They will number two hundred. I
+pray you all to leave at once for your estates, or to send an order by a
+swift messenger for your housecarls to ride to Salisbury, whither I myself
+shall proceed in three days. Will each of you give me the tale of the
+number of armed men who can take horse at an hour's notice."
+
+Each of those present gave the number of housecarls in his service, and
+they all expressed their willingness to ride themselves, in order to get
+them ready the more speedily. The total mounted to three hundred and fifty
+men.
+
+"That with my own two hundred will be well-nigh sufficient," Harold said;
+"but I will send off messengers at once to some of the thanes of Dorset and
+Somerset to join us at Gloucester with their men, so that we shall be fully
+a thousand strong, which will be ample for my purpose. I need not impress
+upon you all to preserve an absolute silence as to the object for which you
+are calling out your men. News spreads fast, and an incautious word might
+ruin our enterprise. There is no occasion for you all to accompany your
+men. Those of you who have been with me in Normandy will doubtless desire
+to stay for a while with your wives and families, and you may do equally
+good service by making preparations there for a more serious campaign in
+the spring. I beg these to send with their housecarls a trusted officer,
+and bid him place himself and his men under my orders."
+
+The meeting at once broke up.
+
+"I suppose you young warriors will bring your own men to Salisbury?" Harold
+said, as Wulf and Beorn came up to take their leave of him.
+
+"Certainly, my lord," Beorn said. "We have neither family nor relations to
+keep us at home, and even if we had it would not suffice to keep us from
+following your banner."
+
+"It will be a warfare like that in which you have been engaged across the
+sea," Harold said. "The Bretons you there fought with are kinsfolk of the
+Welsh, speaking the same language, and being alike in customs and in
+fighting. They trust to surprises, and to their speed of foot and
+knowledge of their wild country, rather than to hard fighting in the open
+plain. They have few towns to capture, and it is therefore hard to execute
+reprisals upon them. Like the Bretons they are brave, and fight savagely
+until the last, neither giving nor asking for quarter. They believe that
+their country, which is so wild and hilly as to be a great natural
+fortress, is unconquerable, and certainly neither Saxon nor Dane has ever
+succeeded in getting any foothold there. But when the spring comes I hope
+to teach them that even their wild hills are no defence, and that their
+habits of savage plundering must be abandoned or we will exterminate them
+altogether. But I have no thought of undertaking such a campaign now. Of
+course you will take that tall follower of yours with you, Wulf."
+
+"I fear that he would not stay behind even if I ordered him to do so," Wulf
+laughed. "He will be overjoyed when I tell him there is a prospect of
+fighting again, and all the more if it is against kinsmen of the Bretons,
+against whom he feels a special grudge."
+
+"The feeling would be more natural the other way," Harold said smiling,
+"seeing that he inflicted upon them far greater damage than he received.
+You will find fresh horses awaiting you. None of those that carried us from
+Bosham yesterday are fit for another such journey to-day."
+
+Wulf had told Osgod the first thing in the morning that he could return to
+his family for a few days, only coming to the palace to serve his meals,
+and he now hurried away to the armourer's shop, where he found that but
+little work was going on, the men being absorbed in listening to Osgod's
+account of his adventures. Ulred and the men rose and saluted respectfully
+as Wulf entered.
+
+"I am sorry to disturb you, Ulred," he said, "but I have come to fetch
+Osgod away again. That is if he would prefer riding with me to remaining
+quiet with you at home."
+
+"If you are going, master, assuredly I am going with you," Osgod said. "I
+am dry with talking already, and father must wait for the rest of my story
+until I come back again. Are we going down to Steyning, my lord?"
+
+"There first and afterwards elsewhere, but that is all I can tell you now.
+The horses are ready, and there is not a moment to lose. We must get as far
+on our way as possible before nightfall, for the matter is an urgent one."
+
+"I am ready," Osgod said, girding on his sword and putting his cap on his
+head. "Good-bye, father. Tell mother I shall be back when I am back, and
+that is all I can say about it."
+
+They reached Steyning at two o'clock on the following afternoon, and
+messengers were instantly sent round to the farms, bidding the men who were
+bound as housecarls to appear on horseback and armed, with two days' food
+in their wallets, an hour before daybreak next morning. Then a messenger
+was despatched with a letter to the prior of Bramber, telling him of Wulf's
+safe return, and begging him to excuse his coming over to see him, as he
+had ridden nigh a hundred and fifty miles in three days, and was forced to
+set out again at daybreak the next morning. As Wulf had hoped, the letter
+was answered by the prior in person, and to him Wulf related that evening
+the incidents of their stay in Normandy.
+
+The prior shook his head.
+
+"I have feared ever since I heard that Harold had fallen into the clutches
+of the duke, that he would never get off scot free, but would either have
+to pay a heavy ransom or make some concessions that would be even worse for
+England. It is a bad business, Wulf, a bad business. The church has ever
+been ready to grant absolution from oaths extracted by violence, but this
+affair of the relics makes it more serious, and you may be sure that
+William will make the most of the advantage he has gained. Harold is
+absolutely powerless to fulfil his oath. Neither he nor the king, nor any
+other man, can force a foreign monarch upon free England. And did Harold
+declare for the Duke of Normandy, powerful and beloved as he is, he would
+be driven into exile instantly. If he himself is elected king by the
+people, as there is no doubt whatever will be the case, he must needs obey
+their voice, and will have no choice between being King of England or an
+exile. Still it is unfortunate. He will be branded as a perjurer. William's
+influence may even induce the pope to excommunicate him, and although the
+ban would go for but little here, it would serve as an excuse for the other
+great earls to refuse to submit to his authority. Now tell me, how is it
+that you have to ride again so suddenly when but just arrived?"
+
+"I can tell you, father, though I can tell no one else. Harold has ordered
+us to bring out our housecarls, and with them he means to deal a blow
+against the Welsh, who have been devastating our western counties. The
+expedition is to be secret and sudden, although against what point and in
+what manner the blow is to be struck Harold has kept his own counsel."
+
+"The Welsh are ever a thorn in our side," the prior said, "and treaties
+with them are useless. I trust that Harold will succeed in thoroughly
+reducing them to obedience, for whenever there is trouble in the kingdom
+they take advantage of it, and are ready to form alliances with any
+ambitious earl who hoists the standard of revolt. And so you say Harold has
+already made you full thane? I am well pleased to hear it, if for no other
+reason than that it is good for people when they are ruled over by their
+own lord and not by a stranger; though I say nothing against Egbert,
+Harold's steward. Still no man can rule like the master himself."
+
+At the first dawn of day Wulf mounted, and rode away from the palace
+followed by Osgod. He was clad now in the ringed armour, a suit of which he
+had had made of lighter material than usual. Only on the shoulders and over
+the chest was the leather of the usual thickness, elsewhere it was thin and
+extremely soft, and the rings did not overlap each other as much as usual.
+The weight, therefore, was much less than that ordinarily worn by thanes,
+although it differed but little from it in appearance. The helmet, also,
+was of stout leather, thickly covered with metal rings, and the flap fell
+down over the neck and ears, having a bar coming down in front to protect
+the nose.
+
+Osgod's suit was thicker and heavier, and was similar to that of the forty
+men who were drawn up in two lines under the soldier whom Harold had sent
+down to train them. They were a stout set of young fellows, well mounted
+and armed, and as they broke into a cry of "Welcome to our thane," Wulf
+felt proud to command such a body.
+
+"Thanks, my friends," he said heartily. "I am glad to see that not one is
+missing from your number, and feel sure that you will do credit to my
+banner."
+
+They rode that day to Fareham, where they received a hearty welcome from
+Beorn, and starting in the morning with his troop of thirty men, reached
+Salisbury late that evening. They were met at the entrance to the town by
+one of Harold's officers, who conducted them to a large barn, where straw
+had been thickly strewn for the men to sleep on. The horses were fastened
+outside.
+
+"Earl Harold arrived an hour since," the officer said, "and bade me tell
+you that he is lodged at the reeve's, where he expects you."
+
+They found on arriving at the house that many of the thanes had already
+come in, and that some six hundred horsemen were bestowed in the town. On a
+great sideboard were pies, cold joints of meat, wine and ale, and each
+thane as he arrived helped himself to such food as he desired, and then
+joined the party gathered round Harold.
+
+"We shall pick up another hundred or two as we march along to-morrow,"
+Harold was saying when the two young thanes joined the group, "and shall
+have a good nine hundred men by the time we reach Gloucester, where I
+expect to find four or five hundred more awaiting us. I hear that our
+coming has made a great stir here in Salisbury, the citizens do not know
+what to make of so large a body of housecarls arriving in their midst. The
+reeve tells me that they were in some fear of being eaten out of house and
+home until they heard that we were to march on in the morning; after that
+they did their best for us, and have arranged that every man shall have his
+fill of meat and ale to-night, and again before starting."
+
+Travelling as fast and as far as the horses could carry them, the force
+reached Gloucester. Here they received an even warmer welcome than had
+greeted them elsewhere, for the citizens had been greatly alarmed at the
+Welsh forays, and as soon as they knew that the great earl himself was with
+the troops they had no doubt that he had come to give them protection and
+to punish their enemies. The contingents from Somerset and Dorset had
+already arrived, and without the delay of a single day the troops again
+started.
+
+The housecarls, although mounted, were not trained to fight on horseback.
+Their steeds were valuable only as enabling them to move with greater
+celerity across the country than they could do on foot, and to bring them
+fresh and in fighting condition to the scene of action. Once there they
+dismounted, and a portion being told off to look after the horses, the main
+body advanced on foot against the enemy.
+
+There was yet a long ride before them. Following the Severn on its western
+side so as to avoid the passage of the Avon, they rode to Worcester, and
+then up through Dudley and Shrewsbury.
+
+It would have been shorter to have passed through Hereford and Ludlow, but
+Harold feared that they might there come upon some marauding party of the
+Welsh, and any of these who escaped might carry the news across the border,
+when the fleet-footed mountaineers would quickly have conveyed it to the
+Welsh king at his castle at Rhuddlaw. Rhuddlaw, now a small village, is
+situated in Denbighshire, and was an important military position, situated
+as it was at no great distance from the sea, and commanding the Vale of
+Clwyd, the most important avenue into Wales from the north. From Shrewsbury
+they pushed forward as rapidly as possible to Rhuddlaw; but quickly as they
+had journeyed, the news of their coming was borne more rapidly. Griffith
+received the news an hour before their arrival, and mounting, rode down to
+the Avon and embarked on board ship.
+
+Great was the disappointment of the earl and his followers when they found
+that the object of their long march across England had failed, and that the
+capture of the Welsh king, which would have put an end to the trouble, had
+been missed so narrowly. The castle was at once set on fire, the Welsh
+ships on the Avon were also given to the flames, and the very same day
+Harold led his troops away and by easy marches took them back to
+Gloucester. Here they halted. The housecarls from the south, who had never
+been in contact with the Welsh, were inclined to murmur among themselves at
+having been led back without striking a blow, but the contingents from the
+western counties, who had had experience of this wild warfare, told them
+that they might consider themselves fortunate.
+
+"You know not what a war with these savages is," an old housecarl who had
+fought them again and again said to a listening group of Wulf's men. "You
+might as well fight with the evil spirits of the air as with them. Fight!
+there is no fighting in it, save when they have with them Danes from the
+North, or Norwegians. With these to bear the brunt of the battle the Welsh
+will fight valiantly in their fashion, but alone they know that they cannot
+withstand us for a moment. I have been after them a score of times, and it
+is a night-mare. You go up hills and through forests, you plunge into
+morasses, you scramble up precipices; you are wet, you are hungry, you are
+worn out, but never do you catch sight of one of them.
+
+"Now and then, as you wind along the face of a hill, rocks will come
+thundering down; in the woods and swamps you hear their mocking yells and
+laughter. At the end of the day you drop down where you halt, and then just
+as you fall off to sleep there is a wild yell, and in a moment they are
+swarming among you, slashing and ripping with their long knives, crawling
+on the ground and springing upon you, getting among the horses and
+hamstringing or cutting them open. By the time those of you that are alive
+have got together they have gone, and all is so quiet that were it not for
+the scattered bodies you might believe that it was all a dream. Two or
+three times before morning the attack will be repeated, until you are
+forced to keep under arms in military array. As soon as it is light you
+recommence your march, and so it goes on day after day, until at last,
+worn-out and spent, and less in strength by half than when you started, you
+gather under the shelter of the walls of one of the border towns.
+
+"I should have been glad indeed if we had caught their king, for if he had
+been held hostage in London we might have had peace; but well content am I
+that Harold has abstained from entering upon a campaign which, terrible as
+it is even in summer, would be beyond endurance of the strongest in
+winter."
+
+"Well, for my part," Osgod, who was one of the listeners, remarked, "I
+would rather go on by myself and take the chance of getting a good blow at
+some of these wild men than ride all the way back to Steyning to be laughed
+at by the women there, as brave soldiers who have marched across England
+and back and never unsheathed their swords. Nor will I believe that Earl
+Harold can intend so to make a laughing-stock of us. The Bretons were just
+as active as are these Welshmen, but he brought them to reason there, and I
+warrant me he will do the same here. At any rate, he seems in no hurry to
+move. We have been here nigh a week already, and why should he keep us here
+if we are not to be employed?"
+
+It was not very long before it became known that Harold had no intention of
+marching away and leaving the Welsh unpunished, and that in the spring a
+campaign on a great scale was to be undertaken against them. The thanes of
+all the western counties were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to
+join with their levies in the spring. The Somerset and Devon men were to
+gather at Bristol, and thence to be conveyed by ships to the southern coast
+of Wales; the troops at Gloucester were to march west, and Tostig was to
+bring down a body of Northumbrian horse, and to enter Wales from Chester.
+The housecarls, to their surprise, were ordered to lay aside their ringed
+armour and heavy helmets, in place of which leather jerkins and caps were
+served out to them; their heavy axes were to be left behind, and they were
+to trust to the sword alone. They were to abandon the tactics in which
+they had been trained of fighting shoulder to shoulder, with shield
+overlapping shield, and were to exercise themselves in running and
+climbing, in skirmishing with an imaginary foe, and rapidly gathering in
+close formation to resist anticipated attack. Harold himself gave them
+these instructions.
+
+"You will have no foe to meet breast to breast," he said; "if we are to
+conquer and to root out these hornets it must be by showing ourselves even
+more active than they are. Speed and activity go for everything in a war
+like this, while our own methods of fighting are absolutely useless. Unless
+we make an end of this matter you may be called away from your homes once a
+year to repel these attacks, while if you conquer now there will be no
+Welsh foray again during your lifetime. Therefore it is worth while to make
+a great effort, and for once to lay aside our own method of fighting. Your
+commanders will see that all the exercises are well carried out, and will
+report to me regarding those who show most zeal and energy. Extra pay will
+be given to all, and I shall know how to reward those who are reported to
+me as most deserving of it."
+
+The troops set to work with great energy, and soon recognized the advantage
+they gained by laying aside their heavy arms and armour. Swimming, running,
+and climbing were practised incessantly, and when May arrived, and with it
+the time for the commencement of the campaign, all felt confident of their
+ability to cope with the Welsh in their own methods of warfare.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+IN THE WELSH VALLEYS.
+
+Wulf and Beorn did not form part of the expedition which was to embark with
+Harold from Bristol, and to enter Wales by one of its southern valleys. It
+was necessary that the gathering of the levies at Gloucester should be
+strengthened by having as a nucleus three hundred trained soldiers. The
+levies were lightly armed, and accustomed to fight in the same irregular
+manner as their Welsh adversaries, whom they held in considerable dread,
+for the fierce hillmen had again and again proved themselves more than a
+match for the peaceable natives on the English side of the border. The
+addition then of three hundred housecarls was required to give them
+confidence. These had indeed abandoned for the time their armour, heavy
+weapons, and solid formation, but they could still were it necessary gather
+in a line, behind which the levies could rally, and which would be
+impregnable to the undisciplined attacks of the Welsh.
+
+The young thanes were somewhat disappointed at finding that they were not
+to accompany the earl, but, as he told them, it was a mark of his
+confidence that he should post them with the force where the fighting was
+likely to be more severe and the risk greater than with that he himself
+led.
+
+"I shall penetrate into the heart of Wales," he said. "I shall have
+horsemen with me, a strong force of trained soldiers and the levies, and
+the enemy will, I feel sure, be unable to oppose us successfully; but it is
+likely enough that when the Welsh find that my force from the south and
+Tostig's from the north cannot be withstood, they will pour out on their
+eastern frontier, and try to light such a flame in Worcester, Hereford, and
+Gloucester, that we should be obliged to abandon our work, and hurry back
+to stem the tide of their invasion. It is necessary therefore that from
+this side also there should be a forward movement. My brother, Gurth, will
+command here. I have strongly recommended you to him. Your experience in
+the Breton war will be of assistance to you, and I have told him that you
+can be far better trusted than many older than yourselves in carrying out
+expeditions among their hills and valleys.
+
+"I do not anticipate there will be any pitched battles; the Welsh know that
+they cannot withstand our trained soldiers. It will be a war of
+skirmishes, of detached fighting, of surprises, long marches, and great
+fatigues. Every valley in the country is to be harried with fire and sword.
+They are to be made to feel that even in their mountains they are not safe
+from us, and as they never take prisoners nor give quarter in the forays on
+our side of the border, so we will hunt them down like wolves in their own
+forests. The work must be done so thoroughly that for a hundred years at
+least the lesson will not be forgotten."
+
+In the last week of May Gurth moved forward, marching first to Hereford as
+a more central point of attack, and then crossing the border and entering
+Wales. The troops carried no heavy baggage. Meat they expected to find;
+flour was carried on two hundred pack-horses. The force was about 4000
+strong. The housecarls marched in a body, keeping solid order. Behind them
+came the pack animals, each led separately, so that they could the more
+easily make their way through forests or over broken ground. They marched
+in lines, forty abreast. The light-armed levies, led by their respective
+thanes, moved as they chose on the flanks of the trained troops or followed
+in the rear.
+
+When they halted on the first evening after crossing the frontier they
+lighted their fires and bivouacked. Wulf and Beorn walked together through
+the camp.
+
+"In spite of the fact that they are all dressed somewhat alike in leather
+jerkins, it is easy to see which are the trained soldiers," Wulf said. "The
+housecarls are as merry over the food they have brought with them as if
+they were going upon a march of pleasure through the hills, while the
+border levies evidently regard the business as a serious one."
+
+"That is no wonder," Beorn replied, "seeing how for years they have
+suffered at the hands of the Welsh. Look at those hills, Wulf, I can count
+a dozen beacons alight. Of course, they have heard of the preparations for
+attack, and they are flashing the news from hill to hill of the advance of
+our force. It will not be long before they gather to oppose us."
+
+"It is like enough they may attack us to-night, Beorn. They may have had
+spies at Hereford, and will have known two days ago of our coming. They may
+reckon that we should anticipate no attack until farther among their hills,
+and that we shall in consequence be careless, as in truth we seem to be. I
+think it would be well to offer Gurth our housecarls to stand sentry
+to-night."
+
+"He might laugh at us," Beorn said doubtfully.
+
+"Well, let him laugh; he will laugh good-humouredly anyhow, for he is of a
+kindly and light-hearted disposition. At any rate there cannot be any harm
+in proposing it, and after the surprise we got from the Bretons we cannot
+be too cautious."
+
+They walked to the fire where Gurth was sitting with four or five of his
+friends, all of whom had furnished bodies of housecarls. The border thanes
+had by his orders each remained with his own following, so that at all
+times they should be in readiness to give orders and lead them in case of
+surprise.
+
+"Where have you been, young thanes?" Gurth asked. "You slipped away as soon
+as our meal was finished, as if you were afraid of the wine-cup."
+
+"We care not much for drinking," Beorn said, "and have been going through
+the force to see how it was disposed. We have come to offer that our men
+shall to-night furnish guards for the camp."
+
+"There is no occasion for it," Gurth said, "the Welshmen will not attack us
+until we are entangled among their hills."
+
+"It depends upon how well they are led, my Lord Gurth," Wulf said. "If they
+are well led they may attack us to-night, for they must know of our
+approach, and will think it probable that we shall, being so near our own
+border, be at first careless. The Bretons gave us just such a lesson, and
+inflicted heavy loss upon the Norman army."
+
+"Well, post your men as you like," Gurth said; "though it seems to me that
+it would be better for them to husband their strength for to-morrow's
+march."
+
+"They shall have half a night's sleep each," Wulf said.
+
+"If I had not known how stoutly you fought, and how your courage saved the
+Norman camp, I should have said you were over-cautious," Gurth laughed.
+"However I will not refuse your offer, young thanes, though methinks there
+is no chance whatever of the Welsh disturbing us here."
+
+Having obtained the permission, Beorn and Wulf returned to the fires of
+their men.
+
+"We are to have the honour of furnishing the guards to-night, Osgod. Tell
+the men that Gurth relies upon our watchfulness. We don't want a
+repetition of the surprise we had from the Bretons. It will be but a short
+night's watch. 'Tis nine now, and by four it will be broad daylight.
+Beorn's men and ours will march a hundred yards out from the camp. Half can
+lie down to sleep at once, the other half we can post as sentries and
+relieve them at half-past twelve. An attack if it comes will come from the
+front, therefore we will post the men twenty or thirty yards apart along
+there, and for some distance round the flanks. One of us will remain with
+the party that lies down, so as to be in readiness to lead them at once
+against any point attacked, the other will move round and round to see that
+the sentries are vigilant."
+
+"That is good news to me," Osgod said. "Methinks that affair in the Breton
+wood has shaken my courage, for I have been looking at those trees in front
+of us, and wondering whether the Welsh are gathering there, and thinking
+how it would be with all these raw levies if they came down upon us
+to-night It went hard for a bit with the Normans, tried soldiers though
+they were, but I would not trust these levies to stand for a moment, for
+they hold the Welsh in mighty respect."
+
+The men cheerfully took their arms and fell in. They considered it a
+compliment that they had been chosen to furnish the first guard. Beorn's
+men, with a portion of Wulf's, were to furnish the first line of sentries.
+The two young thanes, accompanied by Osgod, went round with them and posted
+them, after giving them strict injunctions to be watchful and vigilant.
+
+"These savages," Beorn said, "will creep up through the grass as
+noiselessly as cats, so you must keep your ears as well as your eyes well
+open; and if you hear but the breaking of a twig challenge at once. Then,
+if they rise, shout the alarm at the top of your voice, and do the whole of
+you run back to us here if the cry comes from the front, if from either
+flank hurry to that spot, and we shall do the same from here; but be
+careful not to rouse the camp by a false alarm, for if you do, instead of
+gaining credit we shall become the jest of the whole force."
+
+When the sentries were placed, Beorn, with the leader of his band, began to
+go the rounds, while Wulf and Osgod returned to their party.
+
+"You can sleep, master, while I watch beside you," Osgod said. "I could not
+sleep if I lay down, for I have got the yells of those Bretons in my ears,
+and could not close an eye."
+
+"Very well, Osgod; in that case I may as well take a nap."
+
+He was soon sound asleep, and remained so until Osgod touched him. He sat
+up in a moment.
+
+"By the stars it is past midnight, my lord, and it is time for us to
+relieve Beorn's party." The men were at once called to their feet, and the
+relief effected.
+
+"If an attack comes," Wulf said, as with Osgod he proceeded to walk
+backwards and forwards along the line of sentries, "I fancy it will be just
+before daybreak. Many of them may come from long distances, and their
+leader would wait until the last moment in order to gather as large a force
+together as possible. Besides, men sleep heaviest at that time, and they
+would reckon that hour as best for a surprise." As they walked they
+frequently paused to listen intently, and though once or twice they thought
+they heard distant sounds, these might be caused by the passage of a wild
+animal through the bushes. The sentries were all vigilant. It was the first
+time that the Sussex lads had been in face of an enemy, and the stillness
+of the night, the sombre forest in front of them, and the possibility of a
+savage and unknown foe lurking there, kept them thoroughly on the alert.
+Once or twice Wulf and Osgod went forward to examine some bush that had
+seemed to the imagination of a sentry to have moved, but in each case the
+alarm was groundless.
+
+"It must be nearly three o'clock now, Osgod," Wulf said at last. "Another
+half hour will decide it. I shall be glad when the morning comes, for this
+work is trying, and I keep on fancying I hear noises."
+
+"I fancy so too," Osgod said. "It seems to me like a sort of whisper or
+rustling of leaves."
+
+"That is just what it seems to me, Osgod. Let us stay where we are. We are
+just in the centre of the line now."
+
+"There are certainly sounds, my lord. I thought it was fancy before, but I
+am sure now."
+
+"I hear something," Wulf said. "It comes from the front. Run round to the
+right and bring the sentries from that flank and post them in the intervals
+of those in front, while I do the same on the left."
+
+They had but just returned, when they heard a sharp sound like the cracking
+of a stick a short distance in front. A dozen of the sentries at once
+challenged. In an instant a number of figures sprang to their feet at a
+distance of some fifty yards in front of them. Then a wild yell was raised,
+and swarms of men came rushing towards them, while a volley of arrows and
+javelins whizzed through the air.
+
+"Fall back on the others, men!" Wulf shouted at the top of his voice, and
+the line of sentries rushed back to Beorn's party, who leapt to their feet
+at the sound of the Welsh war-cry. They had scarce formed in line when the
+enemy were upon them. They received them with a volley of javelins, and
+then shield to shield they withstood the attack They were fighting in their
+own way now, and numerous as the Welsh were, they were unable, as they ran
+up in scattered order, to break through the line.
+
+"Steady, men, steady!" Wulf shouted out from his post in the middle of the
+line. "Our friends will soon be up. Show a stout front. Do not give way a
+foot."
+
+In vain the Welshmen, with wild yells, strove to beat back the Saxon line.
+Their very numbers were a hindrance to them. Those in front pressed
+forward, so that those behind were unable to use their javelins or arrows.
+Many creeping between the legs of the fighters of the front rank leapt with
+a cat-like spring upon the Saxons, and strove to rip them with their
+knives, but the light wicker-work shields covered with leather, which had
+taken the place of the solid and heavy ones generally carried by the
+housecarls, stood Wulf's followers in good stead; and although many of the
+shields were penetrated by the knives of the Welsh, they in most cases
+effectually screened the bodies of the soldiers.
+
+The lightly-armed Welsh, on the other hand, were hewn down by the long
+swords of the Saxons in the front rank, while the javelins of those behind
+them flew with terrible effect among their assailants. There was, however,
+no pause in the fury of the attacks of the Welsh, until, with a great
+shout, the main body of the Saxons came up, and pressed forward in line
+with the little body who had hitherto borne the brunt of the battle, while
+on their flank the thane's levies poured in volley after volley of darts
+and arrows. The fight ceased as suddenly as it began. The sound of a
+deep-toned horn rose in the air, whereupon the Welsh instantly abandoned
+the struggle, and before the Saxons had time to realize that the fighting
+was over, they had disappeared in the forest.
+
+"By St. Peter, young thanes!" Earl Gurth exclaimed as he came up to Wulf's
+band, who were panting from their exertions, "you have saved us from a
+grievous mishap this night. I take shame unto myself that I treated your
+suggestion so lightly; for, by the saints, we should have fared badly
+indeed had this wild foe taken us asleep. The thanks of the whole force are
+due to you, and I will take care that my brother Harold knows how narrow an
+escape we have had, and in telling the tale I shall not spare either myself
+or the older thanes, who were disposed to mock your proposal to keep guard
+over the camp, as showing an amount of caution altogether unnecessary. The
+attack has been a lesson to me that I shall not forget, and henceforth I
+shall select you and your force for any special service requiring
+watchfulness and valour."
+
+In going among their men Wulf and Beorn found that but six had fallen, for
+the most part under the shower of javelins with which the Welsh had
+heralded their attack. Many of the others had received wounds more or less
+severe, but few of them were so badly hurt as to render it necessary to
+leave them behind. Gurth called the thanes at once to a council. Fresh wood
+was thrown on to his fire, and some twenty of the thanes took their places
+round it. Wulf and Beorn were specially asked by Gurth to attend. The
+attack of the Welsh had shown that they were by no means dismayed at the
+extent of the preparations for the invasion of their mountains, and that
+the advance must be conducted with the greatest caution and prudence.
+
+"It is well," Gurth said, "that in the absence of Griffith they have many
+leaders, and will therefore fight without any general plan. Did their whole
+force fall upon one or other of our columns it might go very hard with it;
+but we may be sure that each chief will desire to keep his followers by
+him, in order to defend his own valleys. Nevertheless, they have shown
+to-night that they can gather rapidly and in considerable force, and we
+shall have to root them out piecemeal, and shall not be able to scatter our
+force too widely. I am told that the valley at whose mouth we now are
+contains a large number of villages, and to this we must confine ourselves
+until we have done the work there. I trust that they will oppose us
+stoutly. In that case we shall have the less trouble with them when we
+come to undertake the more difficult task of pursuing them among their
+hills."
+
+The next morning the advance began, and they had proceeded but a short
+distance when the Welsh again poured down upon them. This time the force
+was prepared for the attack, and although the Welsh fought obstinately,
+they were driven back without much difficulty. As soon as the attack ceased
+Gurth gave the order for pursuit, and the housecarls held their course
+straight up the valley at full speed, while the levies swarmed up the
+hillsides to prevent the Welsh from rallying and attacking in flank. The
+troops now felt the benefit of the abandonment of their heavy armour and
+weapons, and pressed so hotly upon the flying Welsh that they entered the
+first village with them. For a time the natives turned and fought
+desperately in defence of their homes, but they were unable to withstand
+the skill and discipline of the Saxon troops, and the measure that they had
+so frequently dealt out to the Saxon villagers now fell on them. No quarter
+was given. Every man, woman, and child was slaughtered, and the houses
+given to the flames. Village after village was captured and burnt, but the
+resistance became fainter and fainter, and the last three villages at the
+head of the valley were found to be entirely deserted. Then, just as the
+sun set, the force bivouacked for the night, the horns calling in the
+scattered levies, who gradually rejoined them.
+
+The next morning the force was broken up into five or six columns, each
+having a proportion of the regular soldiers and a body of the levies. These
+penetrated side valleys and climbed the hills. In many cases they
+encountered resistance, stones being rolled down upon them, and the Welsh
+defending strong barricades of felled trees. But everywhere the Saxons were
+successful, and day after day continued the work, until at the end of five
+days they were able to move where they would without encountering any
+resistance. The force now marched forward from the head of the valley,
+crossed a range of hills, and descended into another valley. They had now
+grown more confident in themselves, and while a third of the force
+proceeded to lay waste the valley, the rest, broken up into small columns,
+ascended the hills on either side, carrying fire and sword into every
+hamlet they came upon.
+
+Several of the fortalices of the Welsh chiefs, perched on almost
+inaccessible eminences, gave great trouble, and were only taken after
+serious loss. One day Beorn and Wulf, with their own following and two
+hundred and fifty light-armed levies, were despatched by Gurth to Porthwyn,
+a stronghold belonging to a powerful chief named Llewellyn ap Rhys.
+
+"It is, from all I hear," he said, "a very strong place, and will require
+all our force to capture it. Indeed it is reported to be so strong that it
+may be necessary to leave it unmolested until we form a junction with
+Harold, and can besiege it regularly. It would not do to make an
+unsuccessful attack, for that would raise the spirits of the Welsh. All
+that I wish of you is to obtain a view of the castle from all sides if
+possible, to bring me back an exact account of its defences, and to give me
+your opinion as to our chances of capturing it if we decide to lay siege to
+it."
+
+Porthwyn was forty miles distant, and Beorn and Wulf determined to march
+some thirty of these, and then to push forward at daybreak so as to obtain
+a view of the fortress in the early morning. They took with them a Welsh
+boy as a guide. He had been spared in the last village captured, and had
+been told that his life depended upon his guiding them faithfully. The
+places of ten men who had fallen during the various fights had been filled
+up by an equal number of Gurth's own housecarls. The seventy soldiers kept
+with their leaders and the guide, the levies spreading out on either side.
+
+Two of the irregulars who spoke a little Welsh accompanied the young thanes
+to question the guide if necessary. The march was a heavy one. At times
+they passed through thick forests in the valleys and on the lower
+hillsides, at times crossed over bare hills, on whose summits the ground
+was frequently so boggy that the men had to march with the greatest
+caution. The guide, a sullen lad with matted hair, whose only attire was a
+sheep-skin, was several times questioned sharply as to whether he was
+certain of the way. He answered in monosyllables, saying that he knew every
+foot of the road, and indeed he never hesitated for a moment.
+
+"I suppose he is right," Wulf said, "although I thought it lay more to the
+west than we are going, but we have wound about so among these forests and
+hills that I am quite confused. There is one comfort, Beorn, if the guide
+proves treacherous and we lose ourselves altogether, we have but to set our
+faces to the rising sun and we shall find ourselves back on the border, for
+I am sure that we could not retrace our steps to Gurth's camp."
+
+The sun was just setting when they found themselves on a bare plateau on
+the crest of a range of hills higher than any they had before crossed.
+
+"Ask him how far we are from Porthwyn," Wulf said to the interpreter.
+
+"He says twelve miles, my lord."
+
+"Then when we get across this flat, which looks full two miles wide, we
+will camp in the first valley we come to."
+
+As they advanced the ground became more and more boggy, and the troops had
+to move carefully, stepping from one tussock of coarse grass to another,
+the intervals being filled with black slimy mud.
+
+"Ask him if this gets deeper," Beorn said angrily, "for if it does so we
+are like to be all swallowed up. I believe he must be leading us wrong."
+
+Osgod had charge of the boy, and was walking close beside him. As the
+question was put by the interpreter the boy muttered that he knew the way.
+The man turned to translate his answer to Beorn, when there was a sudden
+shout. At the moment that Osgod was making a long step from one tuft to
+another the boy stooped and caught his foot, and with a roar of surprise
+and fury Osgod fell head-foremost into the morass. At the same moment the
+lad darted away with a yell of defiance, leaping from tuft to tuft with the
+agility of a hare. Several of the men started after him, but unaccustomed
+to the treacherous bog four or five were immersed in it to their waist
+before they had gone a dozen paces.
+
+"Shoot! shoot!" Beorn shouted, and a dozen javelins were thrown, but the
+boy was almost beyond distance, and his rapid and irregular movements
+rendered it well-nigh impossible to take aim with any accuracy. Most of the
+javelins flew wide of him, and he was soon beyond reach. Osgod was
+well-nigh smothered before he could be rescued, and some of the other men
+were only hauled out with the greatest difficulty. Three or four of the
+most active men were sent forward, but presently returned with the news
+that the bog became worse.
+
+"The sun has already set," Wulf said, "and if darkness catches us here our
+plight will be a bad one. Let us retrace our steps at once, Beorn."
+
+It was with great difficulty that they made their way back to firm ground.
+By the time they did so darkness had fallen.
+
+"This is a bad business altogether, Beorn," Wulf said. "In the first place
+we have lost our guide; in the second place we have no idea where we are,
+for we may for aught we know have been going in the wrong direction all the
+time; and, besides this, the boy will raise the country against us, and in
+the morning we may be attacked by an overwhelming force."
+
+"What do you think we had better do, Wulf?"
+
+"Well, I should say we had better, in the first place, retrace our steps to
+the valley, there we will light fires and cook the meat we have brought
+with us. Then I should say we had best march for some hours. It matters not
+in what direction so that we get as far as possible from here."
+
+As Beorn could suggest nothing better, Wulf's counsel was carried out.
+Supper was cooked and eaten in the forest, and after two hours for rest,
+for the march had been a very fatiguing one, they started. The night was
+moonless, and in the shadow of the trees the darkness was intense. The
+housecarls kept together, moving as closely as possible to each other. The
+levies were ordered to follow them.
+
+After proceeding for two hours, Wulf said, "Let us halt and see if we are
+all together." The housecarls halted, but when he went to the rear Wulf
+could see no signs of the irregulars.
+
+"Let no man speak or move," he said, "I want to listen."
+
+But no sound broke the stillness of the wood.
+
+"How foolish of Oswald and Edred," he said to Beorn.
+
+"We told them to follow with their levies close behind us, and they must
+have allowed them to fall to the rear. However, they can't be far behind."
+
+They waited for half an hour, but the silence continued unbroken.
+
+"Do you shout, Osgod," Wulf said; "they ought to hear miles away on a still
+night like this."
+
+Osgod--who had scarcely spoken since his fall, so furious was he at having
+been outwitted by a boy, and having not only allowed him to escape, but
+being himself rolled in the mire--raised his voice in a tremendous shout.
+All listened intently, but no answering sound came back.
+
+"They must have gone altogether wrong," Wulf said. "You know that we
+crossed a streamlet that ran into this brook soon after we started. They
+must have followed that up, thinking we had done so, and have gone up some
+other valley. What is to be done, Beorn?"
+
+"We crossed that streamlet half an hour after starting," Beorn said, "and
+as we have spent half an hour here they must have by this time marched up
+it two-hours' journey, and if we retrace our steps to that point they will
+have got an hour and a half farther away; besides, they may have gone back
+when they missed us. There is no saying which way to look for them. I think
+we had better go on as before. In the morning we shall be able to see the
+nature of the country, but to look for people who may be miles and miles
+away, when one cannot see one's own hand, would be but lost time and
+labour, and methinks we shall have need to husband all our strength before
+we get out of the scrape into which we have fallen. If the two thanes had
+obeyed orders and kept closer this would not have happened. They have lost
+us by their own carelessness, and must manage as they can. We shall have
+all our work to do to look out for ourselves. Seventy men lost in the heart
+of these savage hills, which by to-morrow morning will swarm with Welsh,
+have but a poor chance of ever seeing the English border again."
+
+"It is not so bad as that, Beorn. I do not say that we are not in an
+unpleasant position, but at any rate we are a great deal better off than we
+were when we were driving headlong on to the coast of Normandy, or when
+there were but three of us in the midst of the Bretons. They have to find
+us in the first place, and it will need a good many of them to overcome us
+when they do. I fancy that we are very near the head of this valley, the
+ground is rising rapidly. I propose that we push on now till the trees
+cease, and lie down there till morning breaks, and then cross the next hill
+so as to find shelter in some other valley before the sun is fairly up.
+From the top of the hill we may get a general view of the country, and
+shall have some idea as to the course to take. We must first of all try to
+find a native who can tell us which is the direction of Porthwyn and how
+far it lies away. Our orders are to reconnoitre it and that must be done
+before there is any question of return. Even if I were absolutely alone, I
+would carry out that order."
+
+Beorn was silent for a minute, and then said doubtfully, "Perhaps you are
+right, Wulf; but when Gurth gave us the order he gave us more than three
+hundred men to carry it out, and we have now but seventy."
+
+By this time they were on their way up the valley, followed by their men.
+
+"The fact that two hundred and fifty men have left us really makes the
+matter easier than it would otherwise have been," Wulf said. "Of course our
+guide carried the news of our coming straight to Porthwyn, and it is like
+enough that fires are at present blazing on the hills. The larger division
+is more likely to be seen than ours, and to be attacked, and we shall have
+all the more chance of getting up unobserved. I sincerely trust that the
+thanes, when they discover that they have lost us, will at once lead their
+men back to Gurth's camp. In that case they may escape before the Welsh can
+assemble and attack them; and as it would naturally be supposed that as
+soon as we had lost our guide we retreated in a body, the Welsh will
+imagine that there is no occasion for further vigilance."
+
+"You are always too full of arguments for me, Wulf," Beorn laughed; "and if
+you have made up your mind to go on, it is not of the least use my saying
+anything against it; so have your own way."
+
+At last the forest became less dense, and when they reached its edge they
+lay down. Wulf slept for two or three hours, and then roused himself and
+waited for the first sign of dawn. It was a heavy responsibility, for
+though Beorn was of equal rank with himself he always gave way to his
+opinion. He thought over whether it would not be better that Beorn should
+march with all speed with the force to the east, and that he himself with
+Osgod and perhaps two other men should make their way to Porthwyn; already
+the Welsh might be out all over the mountains, and it was the larger body
+that would be likely to be discovered and attacked. The Welsh would know
+that on such a dark night, and in a strange country, they could not have
+got a very long distance from the bog where the guide had escaped from
+them, and the valley at whose head he now was would be the first place to
+be searched. However, he did not like severing himself from the men who had
+marched under his banner from Steyning, and he finally determined that the
+whole should stay together. It was about half-past two when he roused the
+band, and they at once started up the bare hillside.
+
+"As it gets lighter," he said, "scatter and proceed singly. We shall be
+far less likely to be noticed by anyone at a distance than if we march
+together in a solid body. We must travel as fast as possible, so as to get
+under shelter again before the sun is really up."
+
+The men were all by this time well accustomed to climbing and hardened by
+exercise, and at a rapid pace they breasted the hill, although it was in
+some places exceedingly steep. By the time they reached its crest there was
+light enough to permit of a view of the country round. In all directions
+hills rose around them, bare and brown, and the growing light in the sky
+showed that the east lay behind them. After waiting for a minute or two to
+recover breath, they proceeded at a brisk trot. They met with no bogs of
+importance, and after running for a mile the ground began to slope
+downwards again, and they saw below them a wooded valley, similar to that
+which they had left. By this time the hilltops were all lit up by the
+rising sun. The spot where they stood, however, was still in shadow, and
+in scattered order they ran rapidly down the hillside until they reached
+the cover of the trees.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+PORTHWYN.
+
+There was a short halt to enable the band to quench their thirst at a
+little rivulet that trickled down the centre of the valley; then they
+prepared to continue their march, Wulf impressing upon them the necessity
+for moving as silently as possible.
+
+"If we come upon a village of any size," he said, "we must avoid it. The
+main point is to capture a native, and find out exactly where we are."
+
+After walking for an hour they came suddenly upon a hut. It stood in a
+cleared patch of ground; a small herd of goats were browsing round, and
+some smoke curled up from a hole in the roof. Wulf halted his men.
+
+"Beorn, you and I and Osgod and one of the interpreters had best go in
+alone; there are not likely to be more than one or two men within, and it
+will be well at any rate that our numbers should not be known."
+
+Before advancing, however, he told the band to surround the clearing. "Let
+no one escape," he said; "it would cost us our lives did one get away to
+tell of our being here. See, too, that you bring down two or three of the
+goats. Our meat is nearly exhausted, and it is well to replenish our
+store."
+
+After waiting until the men were in their places, Wulf ran forward across
+the open ground with his three companions. There was no door to the hut,
+and on entering it they saw that its only occupant was a decrepit old
+woman. She gave a cry of dismay at the entrance of the strangers.
+
+"Tell her not to be alarmed," Wulf said to the interpreter.
+
+"We do not desire to do her any harm. Now ask her if she lives here by
+herself," he went on, when the interpreter had spoken to the old woman.
+
+"She lives here with her two sons," the man said; "they are away. There
+were beacon-fires on the hills last evening, and they went out. She does
+not know when they will return."
+
+"Ask her how far it is to Porthwyn."
+
+The answer was most satisfactory. "It is but three miles away, my lord. It
+lies in the valley of which this is a branch."
+
+"That is good news indeed, Beorn," Wulf said. "The boy led us in the right
+direction, perhaps because he thought that if he did not do so we should
+perceive it and tax him with treachery. But it is more likely that he
+wished to lead us so close that he could, when he escaped, carry the news
+of our being in the neighbourhood, in time for the Welshmen to surround and
+cut us off before we could return. As she says that the beacon-fires were
+lighted in the evening he can have lost no time, and the country must be
+aroused. I wish we had the whole force here."
+
+"What shall we do with this old crone?" Beorn said. "It would never do to
+risk her giving an alarm, and though she looks feeble she might be able to
+get down to Porthwyn."
+
+"We will tie her securely, Beorn; we can't hurt the poor old creature. Her
+sons are no doubt out with the Welsh bands hunting for us; but they will
+return here sooner or later, so that no harm will come to her."
+
+By his orders Osgod securely bound the old woman with a rope he found in
+the hut, and then leaving her they went outside and called upon the men to
+close in. Eight of the goats were killed, and were then cut up and divided
+among the men. After a consultation Wulf and Beorn agreed that instead of
+following the valley down, where they might meet with other huts, or even a
+good-sized village, they had best keep along on the hillside, just inside
+the line of trees, as in that way they would come out high up on the side
+of the main valley, and probably obtain a good view of the fortalice.
+
+In single file they made their way among the trees, and in an hour the
+valley that they were in opened considerably, and through the trees they
+saw a large village at their feet. A quarter of a mile farther and they
+stood on the side of a wide valley. There were numerous flocks and herds to
+be seen grazing in it, and four or five villages could be made out; their
+attention, however, was chiefly directed to the object of their journey.
+Some three hundred feet below the spot where they stood a rock jutted out
+from the hillside, and extended some five or six hundred feet into the
+valley. Its sides were perpendicular save where it stood out from the hill.
+Here a strong wall some forty feet high ran across it; two square towers
+stood at the angles, but there was no gateway visible. The wall was
+continued right round the top of the rock, which was crossed by two other
+walls each defended by flanking towers. The castle itself stood at the
+extremity of the rock, and was a strong and massive-looking building. The
+men were all ordered to lie down as soon as the castle was visible between
+the trees, and among these Wulf and Beorn followed by Osgod moved
+cautiously, until they reached a spot whence they could obtain through the
+foliage a full view of the building.
+
+"It is a formidable place," said Beorn. "The chief who first planted
+himself here knew what he was doing. Yes. I should fancy from the look of
+it the castle at the end was built first, then gradually the walls were
+added until the whole rock was inclosed. This bit nearest to us is
+evidently an addition during the last few years. You can see that by the
+colour of the stone. You see the other two walls have gateways in them
+while this has none. I should say until this was built the entrance to the
+castle was along the neck, but they must have got some other way now, and
+so shut it up altogether. How on earth can they get in?"
+
+"Certainly not at the sides," Wulf said, "for they are as near
+perpendicular as possible. It must be at the other end of the rock, which
+we can't see. It may slope a little more gradually there, and they may have
+cut a zigzag road up. Suppose we climb the hill behind us, till we get
+high enough to see over the trees and get a complete view of the valley.
+There is no fear of our being noticed. We are a good five hundred feet
+above it now, and even if anyone did see us up there they would take us for
+two herdsmen. Of course we will leave our shields and weapons behind us."
+
+On attaining a spot from which a clear view of the whole valley could be
+obtained, Wulf said:
+
+"There, Beorn, do you see the hill juts out into the plain on the right,
+half a mile from the castle, and is wooded to its foot. I think if we were
+to make our way down there we should be able to obtain a view of the face
+of the rock below the castle without leaving the shelter of the trees."
+Beorn agreed that it was worth trying, and they returned to the men,
+rearmed themselves, and spoke to Osgod.
+
+"We are going to reconnoitre, Osgod, and may be an hour away. As we shall
+not leave the forest there is no danger, and even were we seen we can climb
+the hill again as fast as any Welshman can follow us. Do you keep an eye on
+the castle, but do not stir until we return even if you hear shouts. I have
+no doubt that we shall be able to rejoin you, and it is most important that
+even if they do make us out they should have no reason for supposing that
+there is any force behind us." After half an hour's walking Beorn and Wulf
+found themselves at the edge of the wood in the valley.
+
+"There is the road, you see," Wulf exclaimed. "It goes straight up that
+gradual slope to the bottom of the rock, then it makes two zigzags to the
+edge of that point that juts out a little, whence there is a bridge thrown
+across a gap to the point where there is a turret. I can't see it beyond
+that. I should think they must have driven a tunnel from there right up
+into the castle, for you see there are fifty feet of perpendicular rock
+above that turret. In case of attack, of course, they would cut away the
+bridge, and it would be next to impossible to throw another across. They
+could overwhelm any force attempting it with stones from above, besides
+sweeping the zigzag road below."
+
+Beorn agreed that the place was absolutely impregnable on that side, and
+that it could only be attacked from the hillside, and by carrying the walls
+in succession.
+
+"Well, there is nothing more to see," Wulf said, "so we may as well return.
+You see there is a large village nestling down there just at the foot of
+the rock. We could not see it from where we were before.
+
+"Well, Osgod, have you seen anything going on in the castle?"
+
+"No, my lord, everything has been very quiet It seems to me that there are
+very few men about for such a strong place."
+
+"No doubt most of them are out in pursuit of us, Osgod; we know that the
+country was roused by the beacons, and that there must be a big force
+somewhere in the hills. I only hope they wont find Oswald and Edred, or I
+fear it will go hard with them. The levies fight well when they have the
+housecarls with them, but by themselves and in a strange country I am
+afraid they would lose heart. Now, Beorn, I am going down to the wall on
+this side. We can see that there is no sentry on it, and I want to find out
+if there is any other defence besides what we can see. It is very important
+to know that, as we agreed that this is the side from which the attack must
+be made."
+
+Descending among the trees Wulf cautiously approached the wall. He found on
+nearing it that a perpendicular cut some thirty feet wide and twenty feet
+deep had been made across the rock. It stretched from the foot of one
+flanking tower to the foot of the other, the wall between them being some
+ten feet from its edge. Having ascertained this he returned to Beorn.
+Having told him what he had seen, he sat looking at the castle.
+
+"What are you thinking of, Wulf?" Beorn asked. "I suppose we had better
+stop where we are till nightfall and then make eastward."
+
+"I am thinking, in the first place, that it would cost a great number of
+lives to take that place by assault."
+
+"That it would," Beorn agreed. "We have seen no place of anything like
+equal strength in Wales, or indeed anywhere else."
+
+"There is no doubt about that," Wulf agreed. "If well defended it ought to
+hold out for weeks, for when we have taken that wall in front of us only a
+third of the work has been done. In the next place, I am thinking that
+Llewellyn and the greater part of his garrison are away in the hills."
+
+Beorn nodded.
+
+"And that being so, it seems to me that the best plan will be to take it
+ourselves."
+
+Beorn looked at his friend to see if he were serious, but there was no
+smile on Wulf's face.
+
+"Do you really mean it, Wulf?"
+
+"Yes I mean it, certainly. What is to prevent our taking it? There may
+never be such a good opportunity again. We have not seen a dozen men on the
+walls, and I don't suppose there are fifty there altogether. But even if
+there are a hundred, they will have no chance with our men if we are once
+among them. You see the gates through those inner walls are open, and once
+over this first one the place will be all open to us."
+
+"That is true enough, but how in the world are we to climb that wall?"
+
+"That is what I am puzzling over, Beorn. You see there is no time to lose,
+for Llewellyn and his men may be back to-night. If they find Oswald's party
+this morning they will return at once, if they don't they may not be back
+till the morning. But we cannot count on that, what has to be done must be
+done at once."
+
+He sat thinking a little longer. "We must cut down a couple of trees and
+make a ladder, Beorn. The pine-trees grew very close together where we
+passed through them a quarter of a mile before we got here, and were very
+slender for their height. We have no axes or we could fell a couple of them
+in a few minutes; but even if we had them, we should not dare use them, for
+the chances are that the villagers are forbidden to cut down trees anywhere
+near the castle, and the sound might bring people up from below to see who
+was chopping. I was thinking of burning two of them down, but in this dry
+weather the flames might run up them, and we should get a blaze that would
+bring all the villagers up here." He beckoned to Osgod, and when he came up
+told him that Beorn and he had agreed to try and take the place.
+
+"That is good," Osgod said joyfully. "I have been thinking of it, but I did
+not see how you were to climb that wall."
+
+"We must cut down two young pine-trees, but we must not chop them down."
+
+"It would take a long time with our knives," Osgod said doubtfully. "It is
+easy enough to cut through a pole three inches thick, but when it comes to
+nine or ten it is a different matter."
+
+"Then we must cut down small ones and tie them together. Bring twenty men
+at once with you, Osgod, let the rest lie quiet, the less movement there is
+the better."
+
+As soon as the men were ready Wulf led them back to the point where the
+pine-trees grew, then he selected eight of the tallest and slightest. They
+were about three inches through at the foot, and were, he judged, at least
+an inch and a half at twenty feet from the ground. Two men were set to work
+at each tree, and in less than half an hour the eight trees were on the
+ground. The branches were then lopped off, and four of the stems were cut
+across five-and-twenty feet from the foot. The thin ends were then placed
+together so as to overlap five feet. There was no difficulty about
+lashings, as thongs were cut off the bottom of the men's leather jerkins.
+The joint was made stronger by a light pole fifteen feet long being firmly
+lashed across the junction. Thus the two poles for the ladder forty-five
+feet long were ready for use. It needed only to lash cross-pieces for
+steps, and in little over an hour from the time that work was begun the
+ladder was complete. From the other young trees two ladders, each
+twenty-five feet long, had been constructed in the meantime, and the whole
+were then raised and carried back to the place where the band was lying.
+
+"Now, men," Wulf said, "we are going to take this castle at once. I should
+wait until nightfall were it not that I fear the return of the Welsh, but
+as they may come back at any time there is not a minute to be lost. Now let
+each understand his work. The short ladders are to enable us to cross a cut
+twenty feet deep they have made through the rock; when we get over this we
+can plant the long ladder against the wall. As soon as we gain the top
+every man must lie down and crawl along over those who have preceded him.
+If we are seen before a few of us are on the top of the wall we shall fail,
+because they will have time to give the alarm, and shut the inner gates.
+
+"So far we have seen no one go in or out of the courts between these walls,
+and have every hope that we shall find no one there. I expect they are
+places where the cattle are kept in case of siege. Our great danger is in
+the chance of our being noticed by men on other parts of the walls or on
+the castle. However, as far as we can see their attention is entirely
+directed the other way, for they are no doubt on the look-out for news from
+their chief or for his return. My intention is that all shall gain the top
+of the wall before a movement is made, but if an alarm is given, those who
+have got to the top are at once to follow us down the staircase into the
+courtyard and run at full speed to the gate. Not a moment's halt is to be
+made there; we must run on to the next gate and there defend ourselves
+until the rest come to our aid. They will be taken so completely by
+surprise that, even if we are but four or five, we can hold the gate until
+the rest come up, and each man, as soon as he gains the top of the ladder,
+must run on at full speed to our aid. Cut down all with arms in their
+hands, but do not hurt women or children. Tell off six men, Osgod, to carry
+the ladder and place it against the wall, and to be the first to follow us.
+Let the others follow in the order in which they stand in rank."
+
+They made their way down through the trees. As soon as they reached the cut
+one short ladder was lowered, and the other was handed down and placed
+against the opposite side of the cut. The end of the long ladder was then
+lowered, and it was swung over and the upper end placed against the wall.
+Six men then ascended the short ladder, and raised the long one until it
+stood on the rock at the foot of the castle-wall.
+
+"Now, Beorn, do you mount first and I will follow you."
+
+"You should go first," Beorn said, "but I will do as you tell me."
+
+As soon as Beorn was half-way up Wulf began to follow him, saying to Osgod
+and the men, "Keep the same distance apart. Do not let more than two be on
+the ladder at once whatever happens inside, if it were to break it would be
+fatal to us all." As soon as he gained the top Wulf threw himself down by
+the side of Beorn, and lay there watching the men on the other walls and on
+the summit of the castle. Osgod and four men had joined them when Wulf
+noticed a sudden stir and heard a shout. He leapt to his feet.
+
+"Follow quickly, but be careful of the ladder," he called to those below;
+then he dashed along the wall to the top of the staircase, and closely
+followed by the others ran down and on through the gate in the next wall.
+Here some five or six men were asleep in its shade, while some women were
+standing in front of some low huts which bordered the yard on either side.
+They gazed in astonishment for a moment at the seven men who appeared so
+suddenly from the outer yard, and then set up a shrill cry of alarm.
+Without heeding them Wulf ran on to the next gateway. Just as he reached it
+a number of men came running up from the other side. "Osgod, do you and
+Alfred cover our rear while we keep these men in front at bay."
+
+The five men held the gate without difficulty against the Welsh who first
+arrived, for these, at the shout of one of their comrades that men were
+climbing the wall, had run down only with their knives, and could do
+nothing against the Saxon shields and long swords. Presently, others with
+spears and axes ran up, but the two young thanes and their three followers
+still kept them back, for in the narrow gateway they could not be attacked
+by more than their own number. Amid the yells of the Welsh Wulf could hear
+nothing of what was passing behind them, and he was delighted when he heard
+the voice of Osgod in his ear.
+
+"There are eight here now, Wulf; we have finished with the Welshmen in the
+courtyard, so you are clear behind. Our men are coming down from the wall
+fast. In five minutes we shall have the whole band here. Now let me have a
+turn;" and he stepped forward and took the place of one of the Saxons who
+staggered back with a javelin in his shoulder.
+
+Every moment added to the number of the Saxons.
+
+"Let me know when they are all up," Wulf said to one of those behind him,
+as he cut down a Welshman who sprang at him with uplifted knife. The attack
+was growing weaker, as their assailants saw that instead of five men they
+had now to face a considerable number, and Wulf had difficulty in
+restraining his men.
+
+"Keep back!" he shouted; "we must wait until we are all up, and then drive
+them headlong before us and follow them into the castle. If they have once
+time to shut the doors there we shall have a troublesome task." As he spoke
+he yielded his place in the front rank to one of his followers, and turned
+to see how matters stood behind. "Are they all up?" he asked.
+
+"The last man told me that there were six more to come, my lord."
+
+"Then we need wait no longer. Now, Beorn, all is ready--charge!" and with a
+rush the Saxons swept through the gate, carrying the Welsh before them and
+hewing down the front ranks. In an instant the defenders turned and fled,
+but the Saxons pressed hard on their heels. Some of the Welsh ran up the
+staircases to the walls, and many of the Saxons would have followed them,
+but at Wulf's "To the castle, to the castle, we can deal with them
+afterwards!" they followed him at once. On the steps up to the gateway of
+the castle a desperate struggle was going on among the Welsh themselves.
+
+Seeing the Saxons pressing on the rear of the fugitives, those within the
+castle strove to shut the door, but strove in vain, as the terror-stricken
+men outside tried to force their way in. The two young thanes, with Osgod
+and many of their followers, cut their way through the struggling mass and
+reached the door. Those trying to shut it had already seen the hopelessness
+of the endeavour, and had fled into the hall beyond, in which a number of
+terrified women were wailing and shrieking. As Wulf burst in he shouted to
+the Welsh, "Throw down your arms and surrender, and your lives shall be
+spared" but his words were not understood, and as the Welsh never gave
+quarter themselves they had no thought of quarter being offered to them.
+
+The women ceased screaming and broke into a death chant, many of them
+seizing weapons from the walls, and joining the men in a last desperate
+effort to drive back the Saxons.
+
+For a moment those who had entered had difficulty in resisting the
+desperate attack, but as others poured in they advanced, and although Wulf
+continued to shout, "Spare all who throw down their arms," his orders were
+of no avail, for the Welsh continued to fight desperately until the last
+fell under the Saxon swords, most of the women, who fought with even
+greater fury than the men, sharing their fate. As soon as the struggle was
+over Wulf ordered Osgod to take eight or ten men, to find the entrance to
+the tunnel leading down to the road on the face of the cliff, and to guard
+it against any attack from without. Then, through his interpreters, he
+called to the Welshmen on the walls that their lives should be spared if
+they would lay down their arms. He was answered by derisive shouts and a
+shower of javelins.
+
+"We should lose a good many men in storming those two narrow staircases,
+Beorn. There are but twenty or thirty of them, but that is enough to defend
+such steep approaches. Let us take twenty men up to the top of the castle,
+from there they can hurl javelins down at them, and they will soon see that
+resistance is useless."
+
+They ascended the stairs, but paused at the end of the room over the hall
+which had been the scene of the conflict. An aged woman, whose dress showed
+her high rank, was seated on a settle; beside her was a white-headed
+harper, while two little children, a boy and a girl, stood at her knee and
+looked fearlessly at the intruders.
+
+Wulf despatched one of the men down to the hall to bring up the
+interpreter. As soon as he arrived Wulf doffed his helmet and stepped
+forward.
+
+"Ask who this lady is and who are these children."
+
+At a gesture from the old lady the harper answered:
+
+"This is my mistress, Gweneth, the mother of Prince Llewellyn ap Rhys;
+these are his children. In his name she bids you defiance. You have taken
+his castle, but he will know how to avenge her and his children."
+
+"I have no desire or intention of acting with any disrespect, still less of
+injuring either your mistress or the children of Llewellyn," Wulf replied,
+when this was translated to him. "My friend and I are Saxon thanes, who
+have been forced to leave our homes and to embark on this war in order to
+put a stop to the ravages committed across the border--the burning of towns
+and villages, and the massacre of men, women, and children by your
+countrymen. Llewellyn ap Rhys has brought this misfortune upon himself, and
+did we render him motherless and childless, it would be but the fate that
+he and his followers have inflicted upon many an Englishman. But we do not
+make war upon women or children. Prisoners, of course, you must be, but be
+assured of honourable treatment. None shall enter this room save with your
+permission, and you can have your female attendants to serve you as usual."
+
+While the interpreter was repeating his speech Wulf and Beorn left the
+room, and with the men ascended to the top of the castle, where they were
+joined by the interpreter, who addressed the Welsh on the walls. These
+replied with shouts of defiance, and a volley of javelins was poured down
+upon them. Three or four were struck, the rest, seeing that all hope was
+gone, rapidly gathered in a body at the head of the staircase leading from
+the wall.
+
+"They are going to run down," Beorn exclaimed, and leaning over the parapet
+shouted to the Saxons in the courtyard below to stand on their guard.
+
+A minute later the Welsh rushed down, each intent on killing at least one
+foe before he died. The Saxons' weapons and discipline were, however, too
+much for them; but they fought until the last, not one of them throwing
+down his weapon or asking for quarter.
+
+"They are brave men. I would that we were not forced to slay them; but it
+is their choosing and not ours, Beorn, and if they would but leave us alone
+I am sure that nobody would wish to interfere with these wild countrymen."
+
+"What is the next thing to be done, Wulf?"
+
+"I should say let us turn all the women and children, save the old lady's
+attendants, out of the castle, they would only be a trouble to us. Then we
+must examine the store of provisions, plant sentries and cut away that
+bridge, or, at any rate, cut away so much of it that a blow or two with an
+axe will suffice to send it down. We must not forget to haul up our
+ladders. Llewellyn and his men may be back at any moment. Let us go down
+together to that turret we saw on the face of the rock."
+
+Orders were at once given, and the women and children collected and told to
+leave the castle. They were allowed to carry away with them some eight or
+ten men who were found to be still living. They went for the most part in
+silence, but some of the elder women poured out voluble curses on the
+Saxons. Beorn and Wulf had already gone down to the turret. There was a
+very strong gateway in the courtyard, beyond this a tunnel sloping steeply
+down, eight feet high and four feet wide, had been cut in the solid rock.
+Following it they emerged upon a platform, principally occupied by the
+turret. The path led through a strong gateway under this on to the wooden
+bridge. Here Osgod with his ten men had taken their station.
+
+"The women and children and a few wounded will be coming down directly,
+Osgod. As soon as they have passed do you set to work with your men and
+pull up the planking of the bridge, all save a single plank; loosen that,
+so that you can if necessary at once cast it down after the rest. If you
+see the Welshmen pouring up the road, throw it over at once without waiting
+for further orders, then close the gate and take your station in the
+turret."
+
+"We are all getting very hungry, master. We have eaten nothing this
+morning, and fighting sharpens the appetite."
+
+"I had forgotten all about it, Osgod. I will see that food is cooked at
+once, and will send down a portion for you and your men, and some tankards
+of whatever liquor we can find in the cellars. We are going to make an
+examination of them at once."
+
+Returning to the courtyard, they told off a body of men to search the
+cellars and granaries, and were glad to find that there was an ample store
+of grain to last for months, together with large quantities of ale and a
+few casks of wine.
+
+"So far all is well," Beorn said, "but would it not be prudent to send off
+at once to Gurth, to let him know that though we are masters of the castle
+at present, we may in a few hours be surrounded by a swarm of angry
+Welshmen?"
+
+"That certainly is most desirable," Wulf agreed. "The question is, who are
+we to send? It would be a terribly dangerous enterprise. Even now there are
+a score of men from the village watching our movements from the wood above.
+At any rate we must wait until nightfall."
+
+Four sentries were posted on the wall by which they had ascended, as after
+making a circuit of the place, this was they agreed the only point at which
+a surprise was possible, unless there existed some secret passage into the
+castle. They had just finished their inspection of the walls, when there
+was a shout from their look-out at the top of the castle.
+
+"A great number of men are coming down the valley," he cried to the thanes
+in the courtyard below, and they at once mounted to the battlements. A mile
+away great numbers of men could be seen running at the top of their speed.
+There was neither order nor formation. Among them were a few horsemen
+riding in a knot together, and round these a number of the footmen were
+running in a close mass; but by far the greater proportion straggled across
+the valley, some being a considerable distance behind the rest.
+
+"They are like a swarm of bees," Beorn said.
+
+"Yes, and are just as angry. Of course, the news of what has happened here
+was sent off to them at once, and has brought them back again. I trust that
+it reached them before they came upon Oswald's party."
+
+"They must have been on their return," Beorn said. "It was but two hours
+ago that we won the castle. Had a swift messenger started the moment the
+news reached the village, and had he known exactly the position where he
+would find Llewellyn, he could not have taken the news to him and brought
+them back here had they been some eight miles away. It must be farther than
+that to the spot where we lost Oswald, and as the thanes would surely be
+making their way either back to camp or eastward to the border, they must
+have been many miles from here an hour since. We know that the Welsh levies
+were summoned in the evening, and probably reached the spot where we were
+deserted by the guide, before daybreak, and took up the search at once.
+Therefore I think, Wulf, there can be no doubt that the messenger from here
+must have met them as they were returning; but whether they had overtaken
+and destroyed Oswald's command, or had failed in their search for them, we
+cannot tell."
+
+Wulf shook his head. "I fear the former is most likely. The Welsh here must
+know every foot of their mountains, so that by scattering through the
+valleys they could scarcely fail to come upon the traces of Oswald's
+passage, and they would pursue him as hotly as wolves chase a deer. My only
+hope is that Oswald may have established himself at daybreak this morning
+in some strong position, and fortified himself there, in hopes that we
+might rejoin him, and that Llewellyn had not begun the attack upon it when
+the news reached him of the capture of his castle. How many, think you, are
+there in that approaching throng?"
+
+"Some four or five thousand I should say."
+
+"Yes, quite five thousand, Beorn."
+
+At the call of the watchmen the men had, of their own accord, all mounted
+to the walls.
+
+"We had better divide our commands," Beorn said. "Your force is double
+mine. For the present I will undertake the defence of the rear walls if you
+will take the front. Of course till an attack actually commences it will
+not be necessary to keep more than a strong guard on duty."
+
+"Certainly not," Wulf agreed. "The danger will be far greater at night than
+by day, and we must give the men as much rest as possible. But I think that
+you with your men and half of mine ought to take the command in front,
+while I with the rest defend the rear."
+
+"Not at all, Wulf, this is your affair altogether. I should never have
+thought of trying to take the castle. It was your idea, and has been
+carried out by you altogether. You are much fuller of plans than I am. I
+will do my best to second you, but you must continue to be the head in the
+matter."
+
+"Very well, Beorn. I refuse to be considered in command, but we will
+apportion our forces as you suggest. We will take care that at any rate the
+Welsh shall not capture the castle as rapidly as we did, and so will put
+four men always on duty at each of the gates in the interior walls, so that
+if by any chance they manage to effect an entrance into one of the yards
+they will be able to get no farther until our whole force can assemble to
+oppose them."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+THE SECRET PASSAGE.
+
+Beorn called his men together and distributed them along the rear wall,
+while Wulf made a fresh examination of the front. He had before noticed
+that great piles of stone in blocks from fifty to a hundred pounds in
+weight were piled along by the parapet, in readiness to hurl down upon any
+foe attempting to ascend the road, while in the courtyard below was an
+immense reserve of these missiles. He placed twenty of his men here, and
+posted the other ten as sentries on the side walls, and then went down
+through the passage to Osgod. The bridge was entirely demolished as he had
+directed, with the exception of a single plank, which could be thrown over
+in a moment. Osgod had closed the gate, and had fastened a rope from the
+top of the turret to the plank, so that this could be hauled up, without
+those engaged in the operation being exposed to missiles from the other
+side of the chasm.
+
+"One feels almost ashamed at being so safe," Osgod said, as Wulf joined him
+on the turret. "It does not give one the chance of a fight."
+
+"You have had one good fight to-day, Osgod, and can do without another. I
+should be glad if we did not have to strike a blow till we see Gurth's
+banner coming down the valley."
+
+"We have done very well," Osgod agreed; "and I should be quite contented if
+I had but come across that rascal who nearly smothered me in the bog."
+
+"You need not bear malice against him, Osgod; for if he had not deserted us
+and led Llewellyn's force away to the spot where he left us, we should not
+be masters of the place as at present, and it would have been a terrible
+business had we been obliged to take this stronghold by storm."
+
+"That is true enough, master; except by hunger or by a surprise, such as we
+carried out, I don't see how the place is to be taken if stoutly defended.
+There is no reason why the Welsh should have been in such a hurry to
+return, for they must know as well as we do that there is but little chance
+of their getting in again. They have come to a halt now down there, and
+half of them have thrown themselves on the ground like a pack of tired
+hounds."
+
+"I have no fear whatever of an open attack, Osgod. They can see for
+themselves that the bridge is destroyed, and I do not think they will dream
+of coming up that road, which, as they know, we can sweep with stones from
+above. If they attack openly at all, it will be by the wall we scaled. If
+they make twenty ladders such as we had they may think they might gain a
+footing, especially as their archers high among the trees would be able to
+fire down on the defenders of the wall. But what I am really afraid of is
+that there may be some secret passage."
+
+"Do you think so?" Osgod said, startled. "Where could it come from?"
+
+"Well, Osgod, you see they have cut this winding road up the rock and have
+made the tunnel hence to the courtyard, so the chiefs have had abundance of
+labour at their disposal. They would naturally wish to provide a means of
+escape if the castle were besieged, and like to fall by force or famine;
+moreover it would enable them to send out messengers or receive messages
+from without. A passage four feet high and two feet wide would suffice.
+They may have driven such a passage from some place in the wood behind and
+it may come up somewhere in the courtyard, perhaps in one of the little
+huts along the side. Of course the entrance would be covered here by a
+stone, and would be hidden among the bushes at the other end. Still I do
+not think that this is likely, for a hostile force would almost certainly
+take up its post in that wood, and attack the place in the rear. If there
+is such a passage I think that it must open somewhere on the face of the
+rock, on one side or the other. It looks to us almost perpendicular, but
+there may be inequalities by which active men might ascend at some point or
+other. For a considerable distance we could see there were tufts of shrubs
+growing here and there, and one of these may conceal a small opening. From
+this point a staircase may have been driven up into the castle."
+
+"That would be very awkward, master, if it were so."
+
+"It would indeed. To-night all the force except the sentries shall gather
+in the castle, where ten men by turns shall keep guard, one or two being
+placed in the lower chambers. In this way we shall be safe; for before more
+than three or four can enter we should be all on foot, and as they can but
+come up in single file, could repulse them without difficulty. Tomorrow we
+will lower men down with ropes from the walls, and examine every clump of
+bushes growing on the face of the rock If we find any signs of a path or
+entrance we shall have no difficulty in discovering where it enters into
+the castle, and can effectually block it up. I shall then feel much more
+comfortable than I do at present."
+
+"I was looking forward to a good night's sleep," Osgod grumbled, "but your
+idea, master, has quite done away with that. If I went off I should dream
+that I had one of those Welsh wolves at my throat. However, it is a good
+thing that you thought of it."
+
+"I think, my lord," one of the soldiers said, "there are a number of our
+men among the Welsh. I can make out helmets and shields, and I think many
+are clad in leather jerkins."
+
+Wulf looked attentively.
+
+"Yes, there are certainly shields and helmets," he said. "I fear there is
+no doubt they have overtaken Oswald's levies."
+
+"And have made them prisoners?"
+
+Wulf shook his head. "They never take prisoners, you know. I fear they have
+slain them all and possessed themselves of their arms and clothes. In no
+other way can there be Saxon shields and helmets among them."
+
+"By St. Nicholas!" Osgod exclaimed, "it is too bad that we should be
+standing here doing nothing. Why doesn't Llewellyn attack us instead of
+keeping his men gaping there at the castle?"
+
+"Because at present he can do nothing, and is not fool enough to throw away
+hundreds of lives; besides, he must know that his mother and children are
+in our hands."
+
+Presently a white flag was raised among the Welsh. Wulf had expected this,
+and had ordered a white cloth to be held in readiness to raise in reply. As
+soon as this flew out to the wind three men were seen to advance with the
+flag towards the foot of the road up to the castle. Wulf at once sent for
+the two interpreters to join him.
+
+"Shall you let them come up, master?" Osgod asked. "They are as treacherous
+as snakes. See how that boy led us astray in the bog."
+
+"You cannot get that boy out of your head, Osgod," Wulf laughed. "There is
+no conceivable way by which three men could recapture this castle. There is
+nothing for them to learn. They know its strength and everything connected
+with it, and they can see for themselves that we have destroyed the bridge.
+I shall be glad to hear what they have to say. Llewellyn himself is, most
+likely, one of the number."
+
+The little party mounted the road until they stood on the platform from
+which the bridge started. One of them was a tall figure, dressed in armour,
+and with long black hair flowing down from under his helmet over his
+shoulders. Wulf at once, from the descriptions he had heard of the chief's
+appearance, recognized him as Llewellyn ap Rhys.
+
+"I would speak with the commander of the Saxons who have, in my absence,
+taken my castle by treachery."
+
+"I am the commander," Wulf said.
+
+The Welshman's fingers clenched, and he glanced furiously at the young
+Saxon. By a great effort, however, he restrained his passion, and said
+courteously: "I am Llewellyn ap Rhys. To whom have I the pleasure of
+speaking?"
+
+"I am Wulf of Steyning, prince. I don't know altogether that I have taken
+your castle by treachery, indeed I claim to have won it by fair fighting.
+You went out with your force to attack me among the hills, and during your
+absence I attacked and captured your castle. I will do your garrison credit
+to say they fought bravely in spite of the surprise. I would gladly have
+given them quarter, but they refused my offers, and, save a few wounded,
+whom I allowed the women to carry off, died to a man fighting bravely. No
+women were hurt or insulted, save those who took up arms and fought among
+the men, and it was no fault of ours that they were killed. Methinks that
+in your incursions into England you have not always shown the same mercy."
+
+Llewellyn was silent for a minute. He had indeed never shown any pity in
+his forays, but had never expected that his castle and family would be in
+the hands of the Saxons.
+
+"I learn," he said at last, "from the women, that my mother and my children
+are alive in your hands, and I thank you for the honorable treatment I hear
+that they have received."
+
+"They are safe and well," Wulf replied. "We Saxons do not massacre women
+and children in cold blood. They will be honourably treated until I can
+hand them over to the care of Earl Gurth, who will doubtless send them to
+England as hostages."
+
+"I shall try to win back my castle," Llewellyn said. "May I be sure that
+whatever happens they will be safe?"
+
+"You may. Even were you forcing your way into the castle I will guarantee
+that no hair of their heads shall be injured. And now, prince, it is my
+turn to question. I see Saxon helmets and shields among your followers.
+Whence come they?"
+
+A cloud passed over Llewellyn's face. He had not reckoned on their being
+observed from the castle. Concealment was now out of question, and he said
+boldly: "I defeated a party of your countrymen this morning. They came with
+hostile intent into my territory, and they have been destroyed." Although
+he had expected the answer, Wulf was shocked at the confirmation of his
+fears. Llewellyn, indeed, had fallen on Oswald's levies and annihilated
+them soon after daybreak. Having no idea that a party had separated from
+them during the night, he was returning exulting in the idea that he had
+destroyed the whole of the invaders, when the news had reached him of the
+capture of his castle. Wulf was silent. "It is the fortune of war," he
+said gravely. "It is not to me that you have to reckon for the deed, but
+with Earl Gurth, for whom I hold this castle."
+
+Llewellyn made no reply, but with a wave of his hand turned and went down
+the hill again.
+
+"I am even more than before convinced, Osgod, that there is a secret
+passage. I was watching him closely when the interpreter told him that I
+should hand his mother and children over to Gurth. He pressed his lips
+together, and his face lighted up with exultation for a moment."
+
+"What do you think he came here for, master?"
+
+"He came here to assure himself if possible that their lives would not be
+sacrificed in the event of his attacking."
+
+"It is a pity you told him they would be safe," Osgod said.
+
+"But they will be safe, and even if we are surprised and slain I would not
+that Llewellyn should say that it was only the suddenness of his attack
+that saved their lives. I will place two of our best men at their door with
+orders that come what may they are to prevent anyone from entering. But I
+don't think it will come to that. Should the passage enter into the castle,
+as, if it exists, I have no doubt it does, we shall be prepared to deal
+with them, if it opens elsewhere we shall have all our force save a few
+sentries assembled, and though all the walls fall into their hands, we
+ought to be able to hold it successfully till Gurth arrives to our rescue."
+
+Wulf returned to the castle, and then joined Beorn at his post on the wall
+facing the wood. He communicated to him his ideas as to the probable
+existence of a secret passage.
+
+"We must provide a mode of retreat for your men on guard here, Beorn, in
+case the Welsh enter by either of these yards instead of by the castle.
+These flanking towers at the angles of the walls cut off all passage. We
+will construct bridges with two or three planks across these towers, so
+that your sentries can retreat from the rear wall to the next, and again on
+to the inner wall. The doors between the courtyards shall be closed, so
+that should they enter either of these outer courts they will be delayed,
+and your men will have plenty of time to join us in the defence of the last
+wall. However, I am convinced the castle itself will be the scene of
+action. Five sentries will be enough to place on this wall. I will put two
+on each of the cross walls, so that if your men give the alarm it will be
+passed along speedily. I shall remove the last plank of the bridge at
+nightfall, and have Osgod and four men in the turret and two on the wall
+above them. We shall therefore have fifty-five men in the castle, and that
+should be ample. They can keep watch and watch, so there will be over
+twenty-five men under arms, and ready to throw themselves upon the Welsh
+wherever they may enter."
+
+These arrangements were carried out. At ten o'clock all lights were
+extinguished, save a torch burning in each room on the ground floor. The
+floors and walls had been carefully examined and sounded, but nothing
+suspicious had been discovered. Four men were told off to each room except
+the great hall, where twenty were gathered in reserve. Half were to keep
+watch, but all were to lie down. The orders to those who were to keep awake
+were strict If they heard a noise or saw a stone move they were to keep
+silent, until two or three men had stepped out, then they were to give the
+alarm, leap up, and throw themselves upon them.
+
+"Were the alarm given," he said, "before they fairly issued out the stone
+might be moved back again, and it would give us immense trouble before we
+could demolish it or find the secret of the spring. Therefore, let them get
+a footing first."
+
+From time to time either Beorn or Wulf got up and went noiselessly round to
+the different rooms to see that the watch was vigilant. As had been
+arranged, each of those on guard raised a hand as they entered a room, so
+as to show that they were awake. Wulf did not expect that any attempt would
+be made before midnight. After that hour he sat in a corner of the dais,
+leaning as if asleep, but with his eyes wandering round the room watching
+every stone, and his ears listening for the faintest sound. He had no
+feeling of sleepiness whatever, his senses being all strung up to the
+highest pitch.
+
+From time to time he held up a hand, and ten others were at once elevated,
+showing that the watchers were as vigilant as himself. It was, he thought,
+about one o'clock when he heard a faint creaking sound. It did not seem to
+him to be in the hall itself, but in a room adjoining it, the doors having
+all been left open. He rose to his feet, touched Beorn, who lay a pace or
+two away, and stole noiselessly out, grasping his sword in his hand. He
+stopped before he got to the open door of the next room and listened. All
+seemed perfectly quiet. He stood motionless, until a minute later there was
+a sudden shout, followed almost instantly by a clash of arms.
+
+With a shout to his followers Wulf ran into the room. The four Saxons were
+on their feet, and were attacking three men, who, as he entered, were
+joined by a fourth from behind. He and Beorn threw themselves into the fray
+just as one of the Saxons fell with his head cloven by a sweeping blow from
+the tall figure opposed to him. One after another in rapid succession the
+Welsh poured in from a narrow opening, but the Saxons rushed up in
+overwhelming numbers. There was a brief fierce fight, and the Welsh were
+slain or overpowered. The men who last emerged turned to fly, but meeting
+those crowding up from behind were unable to do so. Others ran in only to
+be cut down as soon as they appeared; a sound of fierce shouting and angry
+struggle came through the opening. When no more showed themselves, Wulf
+called for torches, and a dozen were soon at hand. Seizing one he passed
+through the narrow opening. A winding staircase met his view. With Beorn
+and some Saxons following close behind him, he descended for a considerable
+distance, then he found himself in a low and narrow passage, and following
+this for twenty yards stepped out into the open air.
+
+"We need do no more to-night, Beorn," he said. "We will see where this
+comes out and block it up in the morning, though they are not likely to try
+again. We can sleep now without fear of interruption."
+
+His first step was to examine the bodies of the fallen Welshmen. He had
+recognized in the tall man with whom he had crossed swords Llewellyn ap
+Rhys, and found him lying beneath four of his followers, who had stood over
+him and defended him to the last. He was glad to find that the Welsh prince
+still lived, and directed that he should be at once carried to a room and
+that every attention should be shown him. None of the other fourteen
+Welshmen who had fallen showed any signs of life.
+
+Ordering their bodies to be carried out into the courtyard, Wulf placed
+four men on guard at the upper opening of the secret passage. They were to
+be relieved every hour. He then went out and saw to the relief of the
+sentries on the walls, and called down to Osgod that the attack had been
+made and repulsed. He then went back and slept soundly till daybreak. On
+going to the walls he learned that there had been a great commotion down in
+the valley. Fierce shouts, loud wailing cries, and a confused sound of
+running and talking had been heard. At daybreak the Welsh were still there,
+and their fires had been lighted: one party were seen to march away as soon
+as it was light, but others arrived, and their numbers appeared about the
+same as on the previous evening. There was no general movement, but it
+could be seen that they gathered in clusters, and listened to men who
+addressed them with animated gestures.
+
+"They don't know what to do," Wulf said to Osgod, whom he had joined in the
+turret. "They believe their chief to be dead; they know that his mother and
+children are prisoners in our hands; they can have little hope of capturing
+this place, which they believe to be impregnable to open attack. At present
+they must be without a leader, and yet they must be so animated by a spirit
+of hate and revenge, and by the desire to wipe out their humiliation by
+retaking this place, that they will not stir from in front of it."
+
+As he spoke a messenger came from Beorn, saying that the Welsh were pouring
+arrows and javelins from the hill upon his sentries on the walls, and that
+these were unable to show a head above the parapet. In one of the sheds a
+large quantity of hides had been found, and taking a party laden with them
+Wulf proceeded to the wall at the rear. Here he directed the ladders that
+were still lying there to be cut up into lengths of eight feet. These were
+fixed at intervals upon the parapet, and a cord fastened along the top, the
+men engaged in the operations being protected by the shields of their
+comrades from the rain of missiles from the trees. Hides were thrown over
+the ropes, and these hid those on the wall from the view of the enemy,
+while they themselves could peep out from time to time between the hides to
+see that no preparations were being made for an attack.
+
+The secret passage was next investigated; it was found that the opening was
+about half-way down the rock, and that the assailants must have climbed up
+by a path that a goat could scarce traverse. Wulf set a party to work to
+carry down stones from the courtyard, and to block up the passage solidly
+for ten feet from the opening, a sentry being posted on the wall above.
+After the erection of the shelter of hides the Welsh only sent an
+occasional javelin from the trees, but by the loud yells that were from
+time to time raised, there was no doubt they were still there in force.
+
+"It is evident that they are going to besiege us, Beorn," Wulf said when
+they sat down to breakfast together. "The question is, are we to remain
+here until rumour carries the report of our capture of the place to Gurth,
+or shall we despatch messengers to him?"
+
+"As you yourself said yesterday, the messengers could never get away, Wulf.
+I would give a year's revenue if we could do so, for it may be a long time
+before news comes to Gurth's ears. He may possibly hear of the annihilation
+of Oswald's force, for any Welsh woman taken captive might mention that in
+triumph, but they would certainly say nothing of such a grievous blow to
+the Welsh cause as the capture of Porthwyn and the death of Llewellyn in an
+attempt to recapture it. Gurth, therefore, naturally supposing that we had
+been involved in Oswald's disaster, may abandon all idea of moving against
+this place until the greater part of the country was reduced to obedience."
+
+"I see, Beorn, that the difficulty of a messenger getting through would be
+indeed enormous; the Welsh must know that we are but a small band, and that
+our first aim would be to communicate with Gurth. You may be sure,
+therefore, that they will keep a vigilant guard all round the place at
+night to see that no messenger makes his way out. Our two interpreters do
+not know anything like enough Welsh to pass as natives, none of our people
+know a word of the language, it would be sending anyone to almost certain
+death. I think we must be content to depend upon ourselves. Gurth is sure
+to learn the news sooner or later, for it will make a great stir all
+through the country. I have just seen Llewellyn, he is very sorely wounded.
+I think it would be a good thing to let the Welsh know that he is in our
+hands, it will render them more chary of attacking us. We might hang out a
+flag of truce, and when they come up in reply tell them that he is alive
+but sorely wounded, and that they may send up a leech, who would better
+attend to his wounds than we can do."
+
+This was accordingly done. Two Welshmen of rank came up to the broken
+bridge and were informed that their prince was sorely wounded, and that a
+leech would be allowed to enter to attend upon him. An hour later a man
+with a boy carrying a large basket came up the hill and crossed the plank
+into the turret. The basket, which contained various herbs and medicaments,
+was taken from the boy, who was then sent back again, while the leech was
+taken up to the room where Llewellyn was lying, in the care of his mother
+and her maids.
+
+Three days passed without any change. The force in the valley was seen to
+be considerably diminished, no hostile demonstration had taken place; but
+twenty men always remained in the courtyard in the rear, in readiness to
+run up to the wall in case the sentries gave an alarm.
+
+On the fourth morning, just as day was breaking, a man ran into the castle
+with the news that the Welsh were attacking the wall. Beorn and Wulf sprung
+to their feet, and with every man except those on duty as sentries ran off
+to the scene of attack. That it was a serious assault was evident by the
+wild yells and shouts that were heard.
+
+Wulf ran up the stairs to the wall. A storm of missiles was striking
+against the hides; many of them failed to penetrate, but others did so, and
+several of the men were lying wounded under shelter of the parapet, while
+the rest were hurling down javelins between the openings of the hides.
+
+"What are they doing?" he asked the sub-officer in command of the party.
+
+"They are preparing to scale the wall, my lord; they have numbers of
+ladders."
+
+Wulf was about to look out between the hides, but the officer exclaimed,
+"Do not so risk your life, my lord; you can see down without danger;" and
+he pushed out the lower side of one of the skins from the wall, so that
+Wulf could look down without being seen by the Welsh archers. The fosse in
+the rock and the narrow platform at the foot of the wall were alike crowded
+with foes, who were planting a number of ladders side by side. These were
+strongly constructed, and were each wide enough for two men to mount
+abreast. Eight or ten of these ladders were already planted against the
+wall, and the enemy were climbing up them. Wulf turned, and waving his
+sword shouted to the men running into the courtyard from the walls and
+castle to hasten up. Already a dozen had joined him, and scarce had these
+placed themselves along the battlements when the heads of the Welshmen
+appeared above it.
+
+For a minute or two it seemed that these would overmaster the defence.
+Several succeeded in crossing the parapet, but they were either cut down or
+cast headlong into the courtyard. By this time the whole of the Saxons,
+save the guard in the turret by the bridge, were on the wall, and were able
+to form a close line along the parapet against which the ladders were
+placed. The Welsh fought with an utter disregard of life; as fast as those
+at the top were cut down or hurled backwards others took their place. So
+closely did they swarm up the ladders that several of these broke with
+their weight, killing many of those clustered below as well as those on the
+rungs. But for an hour there was no pause. It was well for the defenders
+that they had the protection of the line of hides, and were therefore
+screened from the arrows of the bowmen on the hill; but these soon ceased
+to shoot, as many of their comrades were hit by their missiles, while they
+were unable to see whether the arrows had any effect whatever upon the
+hidden defenders. At length the leaders of the assailants saw that the task
+could not be achieved, and gave the signal by the blowing of cow-horns that
+the attack should cease; but so furious were their followers that many
+disregarded the summons, and continued their efforts to gain a footing upon
+the wall, or at least to kill one of its defenders, for some time after the
+main body had withdrawn. As soon as the last of these was killed the
+garrison hurled the ladders backwards and then gave a shout of triumph,
+which was answered by renewed yells of defiance by the Welsh.
+
+"It has been a hard fight, Wulf," Beorn said, as he removed his helmet.
+
+"It has indeed. It was a well-planned attack, and was nearly successful. We
+ought to have had a stronger guard there; but I did not think that they
+would venture to attack at daylight, nor that they could have so quickly
+run forward and placed their ladders. Had we been but a minute later in
+arriving here they would have gained this wall and the courtyard. They
+would, indeed, have got no farther, but their success would have so excited
+them that we should have had to fight night and day. What has been our
+loss?"
+
+Five of the men were killed; many of the others had received severe wounds
+on the head and shoulders from the knives of their assailants, and had it
+not been for the protection afforded by the leathern helmets and jerkins
+the number of killed would have been very much larger.
+
+"I would as lief fight with a troop of wild cats," exclaimed Osgod--who, as
+soon as he saw that there was no movement down on the plain, had run up
+with half his little garrison to join in the defence of the wall,--as he
+tried to staunch a deep wound that extended from his ear to his chin. "Over
+and over again I saw a shock head come up above the wall, and before I had
+time to take a fair blow at it the man would hurl himself over upon me like
+a wild animal. Three times was I knocked down, and I am no chicken either;
+if it had not been for my comrades on each side it would have gone hard
+with me. I was able to return the service several times, but had the Welsh
+been imps they could not have been more active or more fierce. There must
+be a hundred lying slain along here or in the courtyard. I do not wonder
+that Oswald's men were all killed by them, though after our previous fights
+I held them in but small respect."
+
+"It is a different thing, Osgod," Beorn said. "In the field we have always
+had the advantage from our order and our discipline; but here it was man
+against man. We had the advantage of position and they of numbers; but
+discipline went for nothing on either side, and I doubt if we should have
+done as well as they did had we been the assailants."
+
+"I am ready to own that," Osgod agreed. "I like to fight with my feet on
+firm ground, and should make but a poor figure balanced on the top of a
+ladder."
+
+When the tumult in the wood had died away Wulf raised a white flag, and
+ordered one of the men who spoke Welsh to shout to the enemy that they
+might approach without molestation and remove their wounded and dead from
+the foot of the wall, and also said that the Saxon leaders desired to speak
+to an officer of rank.
+
+Two of these came out from the trees. "Hitherto," the interpreter cried
+with a loud voice, "my lords, the noble thanes, Beorn of Fareham and Wulf
+of Steyning, have given the most honourable treatment to your chief,
+Llewellyn ap Rhys, wounded and a prisoner in their hands, and to his
+family. Nor have they altered that treatment while you were attacking our
+walls; but they bid me warn you and all others in arms against the
+authority of our sovereign lord the king, that henceforth they will hold
+them as hostages, and that their lives will be forfeited if any fresh
+attack be made upon the castle."
+
+Three days passed without any further acts of hostility by the Welsh. At
+the end of that time Llewellyn was sufficiently recovered to sit up
+supported by pillows on his couch. He had already heard of the defeat, with
+terrible slaughter, of the attempt of his countrymen to recapture the
+castle, and of the warning that had been given the Welsh that if the attack
+was renewed the lives of himself and his family would be forfeited. Beorn
+and Wulf paid him a visit as soon as they heard that he was in a condition
+to talk to them.
+
+"Prince," Wulf said through his interpreter, "it is, you must see, hopeless
+for your followers to attempt to recapture this castle. The bridge is
+destroyed, the secret passage by which you entered blocked up, and we can
+resist any attack upon the rear wall. We have shown you and yours a mercy
+such as you would certainly not have extended to English men and women
+under similar circumstances, and grieved as we should be to be obliged to
+proceed to extremities with prisoners, yet were the castle again attacked,
+and were we to see that there was a prospect of its being recaptured, we
+should not hesitate to slay you, as it would be treachery to the king to
+allow so formidable an enemy as yourself to regain his freedom.
+
+"Your cause is hopeless. Harold, Tostig, and Gurth are carrying fire and
+sword through your valleys, and your people will have to choose between
+submission and death. Why should so hopeless a struggle continue? Gurth
+will be here shortly, and then the fate that has befallen the districts
+already subdued will light upon yours. Surely it will be better for
+yourself and your people that this should be averted. This can only be done
+by your sending orders to your followers to scatter to their homes and to
+lay down their arms. We will at once in that case send a messenger to the
+earl to tell him that the district has submitted. I must request that in
+order the message shall reach him you shall bid two officers of rank
+accompany our messenger to Gurth's camp; we giving them our undertaking
+that they shall be allowed to leave it unmolested."
+
+"Your offer tallies with my own intentions," Llewellyn said. "Had I been
+free I would have resisted to the last, but as a prisoner, and with my
+mother and children in your hands, I am powerless. My harper tells me that
+fully four hundred of my followers fell in the attack, and with my
+stronghold in your power, my tribesmen without a leader, and your armies
+desolating the land, I see that further resistance here would but add to
+the misfortunes of my people. I am ready, therefore, to send down my harper
+and doctor to bid four of my chiefs come up here, under your safe conduct.
+I shall lay the matter before them, and tell them that I being a prisoner
+can no longer give them orders, but shall point out to them that in my
+opinion further resistance can but bring terrible disasters upon the
+district. This, on their return, they will lay before their men, and if, as
+I trust, these will agree to scatter to their homes, they will furnish the
+escort you desire for your messenger."
+
+Two hours later three of the chiefs summoned arrived, the fourth having
+fallen in the assault. They had a private interview with Llewellyn and then
+left. A great meeting was held down in the valley, and in the afternoon the
+three chiefs and six others came up to the castle and formally made their
+submission before Beorn and Wulf, and besought them to send a messenger to
+the earl praying him to forgive past offences and to have mercy on the
+people. An hour later two of the Saxons bearing a letter from Beorn and
+Wulf to Gurth started under an escort provided by the chiefs.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+
+EDITH.
+
+Two days after the departure of the messengers from the castle the look-out
+gave notice that he perceived a large body of horsemen and footmen coming
+down the valley, and half an hour later the banner of Gurth could be made
+out. The garrison at once set to work to replace the planking of the
+bridge, and this was accomplished by the time that the Saxon earl,
+accompanied by several thanes, and followed by a strong body of troops,
+reached the platform at the other end. As he did so Beorn and Wulf crossed
+the bridge to meet him.
+
+"You have done well indeed, thanes!" Gurth exclaimed. "You have made a
+conquest to be proud of; for as we rode along this place seemed to us
+well-nigh impregnable. But your messengers have told me how you captured
+it, and how stoutly you have since defended it. It was a daring thought,
+indeed, to attempt the assault of such a place with a handful of men. You
+have rendered a splendid service to the king; for with the capture of this
+fortress, and of Llewellyn himself and his children, there is no fear that
+there will be trouble in this part of Wales for years to come. We, too, are
+specially indebted to you, for had we been forced to besiege this place it
+could only have been taken with a vast loss of life, and it might well have
+resisted all our efforts. That seventy men should have taken it, even if
+weakly defended, is wonderful indeed."
+
+"It is to Wulf, my lord, that the credit is chiefly due," Beorn said. "It
+was he who proposed and planned the attack; and though I have done my best
+to support him, I have but acted as his second in command. He is
+quicker-witted than I am, and far more fitted to lead."
+
+Wulf was about to speak, when Gurth stopped him with a gesture of the hand.
+
+"At any rate, Beorn," he said, "you possess qualities that are by no means
+common. That you are a brave soldier I know well, but so I trust are all my
+thanes; still, it is not every one who has the wit to perceive that another
+has sharper wits than himself, still fewer who would have the generosity to
+stand aside and to give the major share in an exploit like this to another.
+What you may lose in credit by your avowal you will at least gain in the
+esteem of us all. Now, commandant," he said to Wulf with a smile, "show us
+the way into this capture of yours."
+
+Before entering the castle itself Gurth made a detour of the walls, and
+upon seeing them was still more surprised than before at the manner in
+which the capture had been effected.
+
+"You see, thanes," he said, "the matter hinged on the possession of these
+gates through the cross walls. That the rear walls should have been taken
+by surprise was a daring action, but it would have availed nothing had the
+garrison had time to close even the second of these gates; for though, as
+it seems, no more numerous than our men, they could have easily held it
+until reinforced from the village below, and would then have turned the
+tables on their assailants. The capture was due to the quickness and
+boldness with which Wulf and Beorn, with the few men who had obtained a
+footing on the wall when the alarm was given, rushed forward and held the
+inner gateway until the rest came up."
+
+Gurth paused for a time on the wall above the point where the secret
+passage came out on the face of the rock, and having asked many questions
+as to how it was that they were so well prepared for Llewellyn and his
+followers when they made the attack, he commended Wulf very strongly for
+his conduct in this matter.
+
+"Others might have taken the castle as you did, young thane," he said, "but
+assuredly most would have lost it again, for having set guards on the walls
+they would have given themselves up to feasting and sleep, without a
+thought that there might possibly exist a secret passage through this rock,
+which looks as if nothing short of a winged army could scale it. What say
+you, thanes?"
+
+The Saxons cordially agreed with the earl. They were stout fighters, but
+better in the field than in council, and it was in no small degree to the
+Danish blood in their veins that the sons of Godwin owed the vigour and
+intellect that had raised the family to so lofty a position among their
+countrymen. On concluding his inspection of the walls Gurth entered the
+castle, and after first examining the entrance to the secret passage, sat
+down with the thanes to a banquet, the preparation of which had been begun
+as soon as their coming was perceived. After that Gurth paid a visit to
+Llewellyn.
+
+"Your fate is not in my hands, prince," he said to him, "but in that of my
+brother Harold. As, however, you have used your influence to persuade your
+people to submit, I shall do my best to induce him to take a favourable
+view of your case."
+
+The next day the main body of Gurth's force arrived, and encamped in the
+valley. Llewellyn's chiefs all came in and made their submission, but the
+people for the most part took to the hills. As, day after day, news came of
+the terrible retaliation dealt out by the troops of Harold and Tostig they
+lost heart altogether, and sent in messengers craving to be allowed to come
+in and lay down their arms. Gurth at once accepted their submission, and
+hundreds returned to their homes. In other parts of Wales the feeling that
+resistance was vain rapidly extended. Their most fertile valleys had all
+been turned into deserts, and even on their own hills and among their own
+forests, where they had hitherto deemed themselves safe from attack, they
+were pursued and hunted down by the now lightly-armed Saxons. From all
+parts, therefore, offers to submit were sent in, and as a proof of their
+submission and regret for past behaviour, they seized Griffith their king,
+killed him, and sent his head to Harold, who thereupon granted them terms,
+and ordered his forces to withdraw beyond the border.
+
+The campaign had lasted less than three months, but so terrible had been
+the blow dealt to the Welsh that a hundred years passed before they again
+ventured to renew their incursions into England. Llewellyn was pardoned,
+but great breaches were made in the walls of the fortress facing the hill,
+and these he was forbidden ever to repair. His children were taken to
+England, to be brought up there, and to serve as hostages for his future
+good behaviour. Harold, when he learnt the particulars of the capture and
+defence of Porthwyn, expressed his approval in the warmest terms.
+
+"You have performed the greatest and most important feat of the war, Wulf,"
+he said. "Yes, it is right that you should give every credit Beorn for his
+share in the matter; but I know you both well, and am assured that Beorn
+would never have conceived and carried out the attack, and that had he done
+so successfully, he and his men would all have been slain by Llewellyn that
+night. Beorn is a good youth; he is brave and kind-hearted; he is no fool,
+and will make and excellent thane; will become a favourite at court, and be
+always loyal and staunch. But I shall look to see you more than this. You
+have a head quick to plan, readiness and decision in danger, and, as you
+have shown, a genius for war. Study the writings of the Romans, the
+greatest masters of war the world has ever seen, make yourself acquainted
+with the methods of Caesar and other great commanders, and do not neglect
+to ponder on their laws and customs.
+
+"When matters are settled here, travel to the various courts of Europe and
+acquaint yourself with the ways of peoples who are far more advanced than
+we in civilization, and you may come to stand some day among the most
+trusted councillors of the king, and as one of the best leaders of his
+troops. I see that the success you have attained while as yet so young has
+not puffed you up in any way. Always remember, Wulf, that though success
+may be envied, those who are successful may yet be liked if only they
+themselves do not seem conscious of success. I should say you had best not
+make a long stay at court, but betake you, shortly, to your estate. It is a
+good school, and one who can rule his own people wisely has a sound
+preparation for posts of larger responsibility. You will always find in the
+prior of Bramber a wise adviser, who will direct your studies, and will aid
+you where your Latinity falls short.
+
+"It will be time enough in another five years for you to go abroad; but, of
+course, I do not wish you to remain all that time away from court. It is
+never good to be forgotten; therefore, come up two or three times a year. I
+trust that there will be no fresh wars or troubles to hinder your studies
+or interfere with your life; but remember that there is always danger from
+Normandy, therefore always keep on foot your force of housecarls; and if,
+as I think, your estates can afford it, add to their number, so that if
+trouble does come you will be able to again play a prominent part in it."
+
+Wulf's contingent marched with the rest of the troops from the east as far
+as Reading, and there struck off by the nearest road to Steyning. He and
+Beorn accompanied Harold to London, and after staying there for a short
+time, and taking part in the fetes with which the conquest of the Welsh was
+celebrated, Wulf returned to Steyning and took up the life he had
+previously led there. Before starting he asked Harold's advice as to
+whether he should fortify Steyning after the manner of the Norman castles.
+
+"By no means, Wulf. Such castles are useful only against quarrelsome
+neighbours. Wars are decided by great battles, and if these are lost a
+castle does but bring ruin upon its possessor, for it must sooner or later
+be taken. The man who, when a cause is lost, returns quietly to his home
+and goes about his usual work may escape unnoticed, while one who shuts
+himself up in a castle is certain to suffer at last from the vengeance of
+the conquerors. Resistance maintained in forests and swamps, as was done by
+the Bretons and Welsh, may weary out a foe, but a conqueror can wish for
+nothing better than that the defeated may assemble themselves in towns and
+castles, where he can slowly, perhaps, but surely destroy them piecemeal."
+
+The time passed quickly and pleasantly at Steyning. Wulf studied hard for
+three or four hours a day, looked after his tenants, hunted and hawked,
+doubled the number of his company of housecarls, and often rode over to the
+priory of an evening. He now took his place naturally among the thanes in
+that part of the country, the reputation he had gained in the two wars
+giving him a standing among them, to which, from his youth, he would not
+otherwise have been entitled. In accordance with Harold's advice he went
+three times during the year up to court, where he generally met Beorn, who
+spent the greater part of his time there.
+
+"How you can like all this formality and ceremony is more than I can
+imagine, Beorn."
+
+"I don't care either for the formality or the ceremony, but I like the
+amusement and the gaiety, and should ask with much more reason how can you
+like to spend your time studying parchments and reading the doings of those
+old Romans, when you might be enjoying yourself here. The matter is
+altogether beyond me."
+
+"I like it for itself, and I like it because it may some day be of great
+service to me."
+
+"You see you are ambitious, Wulf, and I am not. I don't want to be a great
+commander or a state-councillor, and if I did want it ever so much I know I
+should never be one or the other. I am content to be a thane, as my father
+was before me, and seek no greater change than that of a stay for a month
+at court. That brightens one up more than anything; and one cannot be all
+one's life hunting in the woods and seeing after the tenants. By the way,
+I had a quarrel the other day with your old Norman enemy, Fitz-Urse. Your
+name was mentioned, and he chose to sneer offensively. I told him that you
+had done more already than he would ever do if he lived to be an old man.
+We came to high words, and next day met in the forest and there settled it.
+He ran me through the arm, and I slashed his cheek. As quarrelling is
+strictly forbidden he made some excuse and went over to France, while I
+went down home till my arm was well again. I fancy we hurt each other about
+equally, but the scar on my arm won't show, while I fancy, from what the
+leech who dressed his wound told me, the scar is likely to spoil his beauty
+for life."
+
+"I am sorry you quarrelled with him about me, Beorn. It would have been
+better to have said nothing, though I thank you for your championship."
+
+"Nonsense, Wulf. I know very well you would not hear anyone speak ill of me
+without taking up the cudgels for me."
+
+Wulf could not deny this. "Certainly not, Beorn; still it is a pity to make
+an enemy, and Fitz-Urse has shown in my case that he is not one who
+forgives."
+
+The Welsh campaign had terminated at the end of August, and it was a month
+later that Wulf had returned to Steyning. Just a year afterwards he
+received a message from Harold to come up to London, and to order his
+housecarls to hold themselves in readiness to start immediately on
+receiving an order from him. Somewhat surprised, for no news had reached
+him of any trouble that could call for the employment of an armed force,
+Wulf rode for London alone, bidding Osgod follow with the housecarls as
+soon as he heard from him. When he reached the palace he heard news that
+explained the cause of his summons. Northumbria had risen in rebellion
+against Earl Tostig. He was accused of tyranny and oppression, and had
+been continually away from his earldom, leaving it to be governed in his
+absence by a thane.
+
+The country north of the Humber had for a long period of years been
+independent, appointing their own rulers, who owed no allegiance whatever
+to the kings of the West Saxons. Although now incorporated in the kingdom
+of England the Northumbrians regretted their lost independence, and this
+all the more, that the population were for the most part Danish, and viewed
+with an intense feeling of jealousy the preponderance gained by the West
+Saxons. Tostig at the time the revolt declared itself was hunting with the
+king--who had a great affection for him--in the forests of Wiltshire, and
+had not arrived in town when Wulf reached the capital. It was not until the
+afternoon that Wulf had an interview with Harold. The earl had just come
+from a council and was alone.
+
+"Thank you for coming up so speedily," he said as he shook the young thane
+by the hand. "You have heard the news, I suppose?"
+
+"I have heard that Northumberland has risen in rebellion."
+
+"Yes, that was the news that arrived four days since."
+
+"Is it serious?"
+
+"Yes, very serious; the rebellion grows each day. It is headed by several
+of the greatest landowners in the north, both Danish and Saxon, and the
+worst part of the news is that the trouble has, as I hear, been stirred up
+by Edwin of Mercia and his brother. It is the old rivalry between the House
+of Leofric and ours. They are jealous of our influence with the king, and
+would gladly rend England into two kingdoms again. We hear to-day that the
+Northumbrian nobles have summoned a Gemot to meet, which amounts in fact to
+a rebellion, not only against Tostig but against the king."
+
+"If Mercia joins Northumbria it would be a more serious business than that
+in Wales."
+
+"I think not that it will be so," Harold said. "Edwin has been always
+conspiring. He stirred up the Welsh, he has encouraged the Norwegians, he
+has intrigued in Northumbria. He and his brother have ever been a source
+of trouble, and yet he has never openly rebelled; he sets others to do the
+fighting for him, prepared if they are successful to reap the fruits of
+their victory. There is, of course, still hope that moderate councils may
+prevail, but I fear that the Northumbrians will consider that they have
+gone too far to turn back. At present, at any rate, no steps will be taken.
+As long as no armed forces are set in motion there are hopes that matters
+may be arranged, but the approach of an army would set all Northumbria on
+fire. The Gemot is summoned to meet this day week--that is on the third of
+October--and we shall wait to hear what steps they take. Messengers have
+already been sent to a large number of thanes to be prepared for service. I
+would that all kept a force of housecarls as you do. I am going down
+to-night to my house near Hampton. Do you come down with me, Wulf. Edith
+will be glad to see you."
+
+Wulf had in the days of his pageship several times accompanied Harold to
+Hampton, and knew well the lady, who was known to the Saxons as Edith of
+the Swan-neck. She was by birth far inferior in position to Harold. The
+relation between them was similar to that known throughout the middle ages
+as left-hand marriages. These were marriages contracted between men of high
+rank and ladies of inferior position, and while they lasted were regarded
+as being lawful; but they could be, and frequently were, broken off, when
+for politic or other reasons the prince or noble had to seek another
+alliance. The lady was of great beauty and talent, and exercised a large
+influence over Harold. This was always employed for good, and she was much
+beloved by the Saxons.
+
+The alliance had been formed while Harold was quite a young man, and he and
+Edith were fondly attached to each other. His rise, however, to the
+position of the foremost man in England, and the prospect of his accession
+to the throne, rendered it probable that ere long he would be obliged to
+marry one who would strengthen his position, and would from her high birth
+be fitted to share the crown with him. William of Normandy was perfectly
+well aware of the relation in which Edith stood to Harold, and had not
+regarded her as any obstacle to the earl's marriage with his daughter; and
+even Harold himself had not attempted to give it as a reason for declining
+the offer of the hand of the Norman princess.
+
+As they rode down to Hampton the earl said, "I dare say you are somewhat
+surprised at my leaving the court at this crisis, Wulf, but in truth I want
+to keep my hands free. Tostig, you know, is rash and impetuous. I love him
+well, but am not blind to his faults; and I fear that the people of
+Northumbria have some just cause for complaint against him. He is
+constantly away from his earldom. He was absent for months when he went to
+Rome, and he spends a great part of his time either at the court here or
+with the king at his hunting-lodges. The Northumbrians are a proud people,
+and it is small wonder that they object to be governed by an absent earl.
+Tostig is furious at what he terms the insolence of the Northumbrians, and
+I would fain avoid all questions of dispute with him. It is not improbable
+that the king and his councillors may be called upon to hear the complaints
+of the Northumbrians, and to decide between them and Tostig. This will be
+bitter enough for my brother. He may return at any moment, and I greatly
+wish to avoid all argument with him before the matter is discussed in
+council."
+
+The house at Hampton was a large one, and here Edith lived in considerable
+state. Grooms ran up and took the horses as Harold and Wulf dismounted. Six
+retainers in jerkins embroidered with the earl's cognizance appeared at the
+doors. As they entered the house, Edith came out from an inner room and
+fondly embraced Harold.
+
+"Who is this you have with you, Harold?"
+
+"What, have you forgotten Wulf of Steyning, who has, as I told you, turned
+out a great fighter, and was the captor of the castle of Porthwyn, and of
+its owner, Llewellyn ap Rhys?"
+
+"I did not know you again, Wulf," Edith said holding out her hand to him,
+"but now that I hear who you are I recognize you. Why, it is four years
+since I saw you, and you were then a mischievous little page. Harold has
+often spoken to me about you, and your adventures in Normandy and Wales. I
+did not expect to see you, Harold," she went on turning to the earl, "after
+what you told me in the letter you sent me yesterday, about the troubles in
+the north. I feared that you would be kept at court."
+
+"Tostig and the king are still away," he said, "and he will return so
+furious at this revolt against his authority, that, thinking as I do that
+he is in no small degree at fault--for I have frequently remonstrated with
+him at spending so large a portion of his time away from his earldom,--I
+thought it best to get away."
+
+"It is strange how Tostig differs from the rest of you," Edith said. "You
+and Leofwyn, and Gurth are all gentle and courteous, while Tostig is fierce
+and impetuous."
+
+"Tostig has his faults," Harold said; "but we love each other dearly, and
+from the time we were boys together we have never had a dispute. It will be
+hard indeed upon me if I am called upon to side against him. We have
+learnt, Edith, that Edwin and Morcar have been intriguing with the
+Northumbrians. These Mercian earls are ever bringing troubles upon the
+country, and I fear they will give even greater trouble in the future. If
+they stir up disturbances, as they have done, against the king, who is king
+by the will of the people, and also by right of birth, what will it be
+when--" and he stopped.
+
+"When you shall mount the throne, my Harold," Edith said proudly. "Oh, that
+this feud between Leofric's house and Godwin's were at an end. It bodes ill
+for England."
+
+"It is natural," Harold said gently. "It is as gall and wormwood to the
+earls of Mercia to see the ascendancy of the West Saxons, and still more
+would it be so were I, Godwin's son, without a drop of royal blood in my
+veins, to come to be their king."
+
+"The feud must be closed," Edith said firmly, though Wulf noticed that her
+face paled. "I have told you so before, Harold, and there is but one way."
+
+"It shall never be closed in that way, Edith; rather would I lie in my
+grave."
+
+"You have not to think of yourself, Harold, still less of me. It is of
+England you have to think--this England that will assuredly choose you as
+its king, and who will have a right to expect that you will make any or
+every sacrifice for its sake."
+
+"Any but that," Harold said.
+
+She smiled faintly and shook her head. Wulf did not understand the
+conversation, but there was a look of earnest resolve in her face that
+deeply impressed him. He had moved a short distance away, and now turned
+and looked out of the window, while they exchanged a few more words, having
+been, as he saw, altogether oblivious of his presence in the earnestness
+with which they both spoke.
+
+For a week Harold remained at Hampton. Wulf saw that he was much troubled
+in his mind, and concluded that the messengers who came and went every day
+were the bearers of bad tidings. It was seldom that he was away from the
+side of Edith. When they were together she was always bright, but once or
+twice when Wulf found her alone her features bore an expression of deep
+sadness.
+
+"We must ride for London, Wulf," Harold said one morning after reading a
+letter brought by a royal messenger. "The king has laid his orders on me to
+proceed at once to town, and indeed the news is well-nigh as bad as can be.
+The Gemot has voted the deposition of Tostig, has even had the insolence to
+declare him an outlaw, and has elected Morcar in his place. It has also
+issued decrees declaring all partisans of Tostig outlaws, and confiscating
+their estates. Two of Tostig's Danish housecarls were slain on the first
+day of their meeting. Two hundred of Tostig's personal followers have since
+been massacred; his treasury has been broken open, and all its contents
+carried off. The election of Morcar shows but too plainly the designs of
+the earls of Mercia. They wish to divide England into two portions, and to
+reign supreme north of the Wellan. This will give them full half of
+England, and would assuredly, even did we not oppose them now, lead to a
+terrible war. The more terrible as William of Normandy will be watching
+from across the channel, ready to take instant advantage of our
+dissensions. God avert a war like this. Every sacrifice must be made rather
+than that the men of the north and south of England should fly at each
+other's throats."
+
+The earl scarcely spoke a word during the ride to London, but rode absorbed
+in his thoughts with a sad and anxious countenance.
+
+Day after day the news became more serious. Morcar accepted the earldom of
+Northumbria, hurried to York, and placing himself at the head of the
+Northumbrian forces, marched south, being joined on the way by the men of
+Lincoln, Nottingham, and Derby, in all of which shires the Danish element
+was very strong. At Northampton, which had formed part of the government of
+Tostig, Morcar was joined by his brother Edwin at the head of the forces of
+Mercia, together with a large body of Welsh. They found the people of
+Northampton less favourable to their cause than they had expected, and in
+revenge harried the whole country, killing and burning, and carrying off
+the cattle as booty and the men as slaves.
+
+Harold bore the brunt of the trouble alone, for, regardless of the fact
+that half the kingdom was in a flame, King Edward and Tostig continued
+their hunting expeditions in Wiltshire, in spite of the urgent messages
+sent by Harold entreating them to return. In the meantime, still hoping
+that peace might in some way be preserved, Harold sent messages to all the
+thanes of importance in Wessex, ordering them to prepare to march to London
+with the whole of their retainers and levies, as soon as they received
+orders to get in motion. But while he still tarried in Wiltshire the king
+acceded to Harold's request that he might be empowered to go to Northampton
+to treat in Edward's name with the rebels.
+
+As soon as he received this permission Harold hastened to Northampton,
+accompanied by only half a dozen of his thanes, among whom was Wulf. He was
+received with respect by the rebels, but when their leaders assembled, and
+in the king's name he called upon them to lay down their arms, to cease
+from ravaging, and to lay any complaints they might have to make against
+Tostig before the king or the National Gemot, he met with a flat refusal.
+They would not listen to any proposition that involved the possibility of
+the return of Tostig, and boldly said that if the king wished to retain
+Northumbria as part of his realm he must confirm the sentence of their
+Gemot upon Tostig, and must recognize their election of Morcar to the
+earldom.
+
+In all this Harold perceived clearly enough that, although it was the
+Northumbrian leaders who were speaking, they were acting entirely under the
+influence of Edwin and Morcar. All that he could obtain was that some of
+the northern thanes should accompany him to lay their demands before the
+king himself. Edward, upon hearing, by a swift messenger sent by Harold, of
+the failure of his attempt to induce the Northumbrians to lay down their
+arms, reluctantly abandoned the pleasures of the chase, and proceeded to
+Bretford, near Salisbury, where there was a royal house, and summoned a
+Witenagemot. As, however, the occasion was urgent, it was attended only by
+the king's chief councillors, and by the thanes of that part of Wessex.
+
+Between Tostig and Harold the quarrel that the latter had feared had
+already broken out. Harold was anxious above all things for peace, and
+although the blow to his own interests and to those of his family, by the
+transfer of Northumbria from his brother to one of the Mercian earls, was a
+most serious one, he preferred that even this should take place to
+embarking in a war that would involve the whole of England. Tostig was so
+furious at finding that Harold was not willing to push matters to the last
+extremity in his favour, that he accused him of being the secret instigator
+of the Northumbrian revolt. The absurdity of such an accusation was
+evident. It was as much to Harold's interest as to that of Tostig that the
+great northern earldom should remain in the hands of his family; but an
+angry man does not reason, and Tostig's fury was roused to the highest
+point by the outspoken utterances of many of the members of the
+Witenagemot. These boldly accused him of cruelty and avarice, and declared
+that many of his acts of severity were caused by his determination, under a
+show of justice, to possess himself of the wealth of those he condemned.
+Tostig then rose and declared before the assembly that the whole rising was
+the work of Harold.
+
+The latter simply denied the charge on oath, and his word was accepted as
+sufficient. The Witan then turned to the question as to how the revolt was
+to be dealt with. The king was vehemently in favour of putting it down by
+force of arms. Tostig was of all the Saxons his favourite friend, and he
+considered the insult offered to him as dealt against himself. So
+determined was he, that he sent out orders for the whole of the forces of
+Wessex to march and join the royal standard. In vain Harold and Edward's
+wisest councillors endeavoured to dissuade him from a step that would
+deluge the country in blood, and might lead to terrible disaster. In vain
+they pointed out that while all the thanes would willingly put their forces
+at his disposal to resist a foreign foe, or even to repel an invasion from
+the north, they would not risk life and fortune in an endeavour to force a
+governor upon a people who hated him, and, as most thought, with good
+reason.
+
+The king was immovable; but Harold and his councillors took steps quietly
+to inform the thanes that the Witan was opposed to the order, and that for
+the present no harm would be done by disregarding the royal mandate. The
+king, in his anger and mortification at finding himself unable to march
+against the rebels with an overwhelming force, fell ill, and the control of
+affairs passed into Harold's hands; and the king, whose fits of passion,
+though extreme while they lasted, were but short-lived gave him full power
+to deal with the matter as he thought best.
+
+Harold had done all that he could for Tostig when he went to Northampton,
+but had failed. There was no alternative now between a great war, followed
+probably by a complete split of the kingdom, or acquiescence in the demands
+of the men of the North. He did not hesitate, but in the name of the king
+confirmed the decisions arrived at by the Gemot of York--recognized Morcar
+as Earl of Northumbria, and granted a complete amnesty for all offences
+committed during the rising, on condition only that a general Witenagemot
+should be held at Oxford. At this meeting Northern and Southern England
+were again solemnly reconciled, as they had been forty-seven years before
+at an assembly held at the same place.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+
+HAROLD, THE KING.
+
+The day before the great Witenagemot was to assemble, Wulf, as he came out
+from the house where Harold had taken up his abode, was approached by a
+man, who by his attire appeared to be a retainer of a thane; his face
+seemed familiar to him, as he placed a letter in his hand. Wulf was now
+very much in the confidence of Harold. It was a relief to the earl in the
+midst of his trials and heavy responsibilities to open his mind freely to
+one of whose faith and loyalty he was well assured, and he therefore was
+far more communicative to the young thane than to the older councillors by
+whom he was surrounded. Wulf opened the letter. It contained only the
+words: "I am here; the bearer of this will lead you to me. Edith."
+
+Looking more closely at the man he recognized him at once as one of the
+servitors at Hampton, though his dress bore no signs of any cognizance.
+Greatly surprised to hear of Edith's presence in Oxford unknown to Harold,
+he at once followed the servant, who conducted him to a house on the
+outskirts of the town. Wulf was ushered into a room, and the servant then
+left him. A moment later Edith entered.
+
+"My message must have surprised you, Wulf," she said, as he knelt on one
+knee to kiss the hand she held out to him.
+
+"It did indeed, lady, for it was but yesterday that the earl received a
+letter from you written at Hampton. He said to me as he opened it, 'Would I
+were in peace at Hampton, free from all these troubles and intrigues.'"
+
+"I have come down in a horse-litter," she said, "and save the two retainers
+who accompanied me none knew of my intentions. I know, Wulf, that you have
+the confidence of the earl and that you love him and would do your best for
+him."
+
+"I would lay down my life for him, lady. Even did I not love and honour him
+as I do, I would die for him, for he is the hope of England, and he alone
+can guide the country through its troubles, both from within and without.
+The life of a single man is as nought in the scale."
+
+"Nor the happiness of a single woman," she added. "Now, Wulf, I want to
+know from you exactly how matters stand here. My lord, when he writes to me
+always does so cheerfully, ever making the best of things; but it is most
+important that I should know his real mind. It is for that that I have
+travelled here. This Witenagemot that assembles to-morrow--what will come
+of it?"
+
+"The earl thinks it will doubtless pass the resolution reconciling the
+North and South, and declaring that there shall be oblivion for the past,
+and that all things shall go back to their former footing save as to the
+change of earls."
+
+"It is easy to vote that," she said quietly; "but will it be held to? It
+depends not upon Northumbrians nor Saxons, but upon Edwin and Morcar. They
+have made a great step forward towards their end; they have united under
+their government the northern half of England, and have wrested Northumbria
+from Godwin's family. After making this great step, will they rest and
+abstain from taking the next? Northumbria and Mercia united are as strong
+as Wessex and East Anglia. Will they be content to remain under a West
+Saxon king? Above all, will they submit to the rule of one of Godwin's
+sons? I feel sure that they will not. What thinks the earl?"
+
+"He thinks as you do, lady, although he considers that for the time the
+danger is averted. He himself said to me yesterday, 'If these Mercian earls
+are ready to defy the head of the royal line of England, think you that
+they will ever recognize the sway of a member of my father's house?'"
+
+"And what said you, Wulf?"
+
+"I said that I did not doubt the ill-will of the Mercian earls, but that I
+doubted whether Mercia would follow them if they strove to break up the
+kingdom. 'Mercia is following them now,' he said; 'and has with Northumbria
+stood in arms for some weeks past. There has ever been jealousy of the
+supremacy of the West Saxons since the days when the kingdom was united in
+one. These brothers will intrigue as their father did before them. They
+will bring down the Welsh from their hills to aid them, for though these
+people will not for generations try their strength alone against us, they
+would gladly take advantage of it should such an opportunity for revenge
+occur. Even now, when the blood is scarce dry on their hearthstones, there
+is a large force of them under Edwin's banner.'"
+
+"It is a grievous look-out for England," Edith said. "It would seem that
+nothing can bring about peace and unity save the end of this terrible feud
+between the families of Godwin and Leofric."
+
+"That would indeed be a blessing for the country," Wulf agreed; "but of all
+things that seems to me most hopeless."
+
+"They must be reconciled!" Edith said, rising from her seat. "What is a
+woman's love or a woman's life that they should stand in the way of the
+peace of England? See you not, Wulf, there is but one way in which the feud
+can be healed? Were it not for me Harold could marry the sister of these
+earls, and if she were Queen of England the feud would be at an end. A
+daughter of the house of Leofric, and a son of the house of Godwin, would
+command the support of Mercia and Wessex alike, and as brothers of the
+queen, Edwin and Morcar might well be content to be friends with her
+husband and his brothers. I only stand in the way of this. I have already
+urged this upon Harold, but he will not hear of it. Until now the Mercian
+brothers might be a trouble, but they were not strong enough to be a danger
+to the kingdom. Now that they hold half of it in their hands this marriage
+has become a necessity. I must stand aside. What is my happiness and my
+life that I should be an obstacle alike to my lord's glory and the peace of
+England? Go to Harold; tell him that I am here, and pray that he will come
+to me. Give your message to him briefly; say naught of what I have said to
+you, though his heart will tell him at once what has brought me here."
+
+Silent, and confounded by the immensity of the sacrifice she proposed, for
+he knew how deep and tender was her love for Harold, Wulf knelt on both
+knees and reverently placed her hand to his lips, and then without a word
+left the house, half blinded with tears, signing to the servant, who was
+waiting without, to follow him. When he reached Harold's house he found
+that the earl was with his brother Gurth and several of his councillors. He
+did not hesitate, however, but entering the room, said, "My Lord Harold, I
+pray to have speech of you for a minute upon an affair of urgent
+importance."
+
+Somewhat surprised the earl followed him out.
+
+"What is it, Wulf?" he asked as they entered Harold's private closet. "You
+look pale and strange, lad."
+
+"I have a message to give you, my lord. The Lady Edith is here, and prays
+that you will go to her at once."
+
+The earl started as if struck with a blow. "Edith here!" he exclaimed, and
+then with a troubled face he took several short turns up and down the room.
+
+"Where is she?" he said at last in a low voice.
+
+"Her servant is without, my lord, and will conduct you to her."
+
+"Tell Gurth and the others I am called away for an hour on urgent
+business," he said. "Say nothing of Edith being here." Then he went out.
+
+The man who was waiting doffed his hat, and at once led the way to the
+house where Edith was staying. She moved swiftly towards him as he entered
+the room and fell on his neck. Not a word was spoken for a minute or two,
+then he said:
+
+"Why have you come, Edith? But I need not ask, I know. I will not have it,
+I will not have it! I have told you so before. Why is our happiness to be
+sacrificed? I have given my work and my life to England, but I will not
+give my happiness too, nor will I sacrifice yours."
+
+"You would not be worthy of the trust England reposes in you, Harold," she
+said quietly, "were you not ready to give all. As to my happiness, it is at
+an end, for I should deem myself as a guilty wretch, as the cause of
+countless woes to Englishmen, did I remain as I am. I have been happy,
+dear, most happy, many long years. To my last day it will be a joy and a
+pride, that nothing can take away, that I have been loved by the greatest
+of Englishmen, and my sacrifice will seem light to me under the feeling
+that it has purchased the happiness of England."
+
+"But is my happiness to go for nothing?" Harold exclaimed passionately.
+
+"You too, Harold, will have the knowledge that you have sacrificed
+yourself, that as you have often risked your life, so have you for
+England's sake given up your love. I have seen that it must be so for
+years. As Earl of Wessex I might always have stood by your side, but as
+soon as I saw that the people of England looked to you as their future
+monarch, I knew that I could not share your throne. A king's heart is not
+his own, as is that of a private man. As he must lead his people in battle,
+and if needs be give his life for them, so must he give his hand where it
+will most advantage them."
+
+"I cannot do it," Harold said. "I will not sacrifice you even for England.
+I will remain Earl of Wessex, and Edwin may reign as king if he so
+chooses."
+
+"That cannot be, Harold. If the people of England call you to the throne,
+it is your duty to accept the summons. You know that none other could guide
+them as you can, for already for years you have been their ruler. They love
+you, they trust in you, and it were a shame indeed if the love we bear each
+other should stand in the way of what is above all things needful for the
+good of England. You know well enough that when the national council meets
+to choose a king the South will declare for you. But if Edwin and Morcar
+influence Mercia and the North to declare for another, what remains but a
+breaking up of the kingdom, with perhaps a great war?"
+
+"I cannot do it, and I will not," Harold said, stopping in his walk and
+standing before her. "My life, my work, all save you I will give up for
+England--but you I will not."
+
+Edith turned even paler than before. "You will not give me up, Harold, but
+you cannot hold me. I can bear my life in seclusion and retirement, and can
+even be happy in the thought of our past love, of your greatness, and in
+the peace of England, which, I should have the consolation of knowing, was
+due to the sacrifice that we had both made, but I could not live happy,
+even with your love and your companionship, knowing that I have brought
+woes upon England. Nor will I live so. Death will break the knot if you
+will not do so, and I could die with a smile on my lips, knowing that I was
+dying for your good and England's. If you will not break the bond death
+shall do so, and ere to-morrow's sun rises, either by your sacrifice or by
+my own hand, you will be free. Marry for the good of England. Here is the
+ring by which you pledged your troth to me," and she took it from her
+finger and dropped it in the fire that blazed on the hearth. "There is the
+end of it, but not the end of our love. I shall think of you, and pray for
+you always, Harold. Oh, my dear lord and master, do not make it too hard
+for me!" and she threw herself on his neck in a passion of tears. For two
+or three minutes they stood locked in each other's close embrace, then she
+withdrew herself from his arms.
+
+"Farewell," she said. "You have left my side many a time for battle, and we
+parted bravely though we knew we might never meet again. Let us part so
+now. We have each our battles to fight, but God will comfort us both, for
+our sacrifice will have brought peace to England. Farewell, my dear lord,
+farewell!" She touched his hand lightly and then tottered from the room,
+falling senseless as soon as she had closed the door behind her.
+
+Harold sank into a chair and covered his face with his hands, while his
+breast heaved with short sobs. So he sat for some time; then he stood up.
+
+"She is stronger and braver than I," he murmured; "but she is right. Only
+by this sacrifice can England be saved, but even so I could not have made
+it; but I know her so well that I feel she would carry out her threat
+without hesitation." Then he went out of the house, but instead of
+returning to the town took his way to the lonely path by the river, and
+there for hours paced up and down. At last his mind was made up, the
+sacrifice must be accepted. As she had said, their happiness must not stand
+in the way of that of all England. He walked with a firm step back to
+Oxford, and went straight to the house where Edwin and Morcar had taken up
+their quarters.
+
+"Tell Earl Edwin that Harold would speak with him," he said to the retainer
+at the door. The man returned in a minute, and led the way to the room
+where Edwin and his brother were standing awaiting him. They had had
+several interviews since they arrived at Oxford, and supposed that he had
+come to arrange some detail as to the assembly on the following day.
+
+"Edwin," Harold said abruptly, "methinks that for the good of our country
+it would be well that our houses should be united. Why should the sons of
+Leofric and Godwin regard each other as rivals? We are earls of the English
+people, and we cannot deny that the unfriendly feeling between us has
+brought trouble on the country. Why should there not be an end of this?"
+
+Greatly surprised at this frank address, Edwin and Morcar both hastened to
+say that for their part they had no quarrel whatever with any of the house
+of Godwin, save with Tostig.
+
+"Tostig will soon be beyond the sea, and will no longer be a source of
+trouble. There is, it seems to me, but one way by which we can unite and
+bind our interests into one. I have come to you to ask for the hand of your
+sister Ealdgyth in marriage."
+
+The two earls looked at each other in surprise. The proposition was
+altogether unexpected, but they at once saw its advantages. They knew as
+well as others that the choice of the nation at Edward's death was likely
+to fall upon Harold, and it would add both to their dignity and security
+that they should be brothers-in-law of the king. Such an alliance would do
+away with the danger, that once seated on the throne Harold might become
+reconciled with Tostig, and endeavour to replace him in the earldom of
+Northumbria. This danger would be dissipated by the marriage.
+
+"You would perhaps like to consult together before giving an answer,"
+Harold said courteously.
+
+"By no means," Edwin said warmly. "Such an alliance is, as you say, in all
+respects to be desired. Ealdgyth could wish for no nobler husband. We
+should rejoice in obtaining such a spouse for her, and the union would
+assuredly unite our families, do away with the unfriendly feeling of which
+you spoke, and be of vast advantage to the realm in general. We need no
+word of consultation, but accept your offer, and will with pleasure give
+Ealdgyth in marriage to you. But is there not an obstacle?"
+
+"The obstacle is at an end," Harold said gravely. "Of her own free will and
+wish, and in order that there should be peace and union in England, the
+Lady Edith has broken the tie that bound us."
+
+The brothers, seeing that the subject was a painful one, wisely said no
+more, but turned the conversation to the meeting on the following day, and
+assured Harold that they hoped the decision would now be unanimous, and
+then after a short time skilfully brought it round again to the subject of
+the marriage. By nightfall the news was known throughout the city, and was
+received with universal joy. The union seemed to all men a guarantee for
+peace in England. The two great rival houses would now be bound by common
+interests, and the feud that had several times been near breaking out into
+civil war was extinguished.
+
+The moment he returned to his house Harold called Wulf.
+
+"Wulf, go at once to the Lady Edith. Tell her that though it has taken all
+the brightness out of my life, and has made all my future dark, I have done
+her bidding, and have sacrificed myself for England. Tell her that I will
+write to her to-night, and send the letter to Hampton, where, I trust, it
+will find her."
+
+Wulf at once carried the message. He found Edith sitting with eyes swollen
+with weeping, and yet with a calm and composed expression on her face.
+
+"I knew that my lord would do as I prayed him," she said; "he has ever
+thought first of England and then of himself. Tell him that I start in an
+hour for Hampton, and shall there stay till I get his letter; there I will
+answer it. Tell him I thank him from my heart, and that, much as I loved
+and honoured him before, I shall to the end of my life love and honour him
+yet more for having thus sacrificed himself for England. Tell him that you
+found me calm and confident that he would grant my prayer, and that with
+all my heart I wish him happiness."
+
+Her lips quivered and her voice broke, and Wulf hurried away without saying
+another word, for he felt that he himself was at the point of bursting into
+tears. Harold was anxiously awaiting his return, and after listening to the
+message turned abruptly and entered his private closet, with a wave of the
+hand signifying that Wulf would not be further required.
+
+The next day the Witenagemot met. It was solemnly decreed that all old
+scores should be wiped out; that Northern and Southern England were again
+to be reconciled, as they had been forty-seven years before in an assembly
+held by Canute in Oxford. It was decreed unanimously that the laws of
+Canute should be renewed, and should have force in all parts of the
+kingdom.
+
+Until this decision was arrived at by the assembly Tostig had remained with
+the king, but he now went into exile, and crossed the sea to Flanders,
+where he had at an earlier period of his life, when Godwin's whole family
+were in disgrace, taken refuge. He was accompanied by his wife and many
+personal adherents. He left filled with rage and bitterness, especially
+against Harold, who ought, he considered, to have supported him to the
+utmost, and who should have been ready to put the whole forces of Wessex in
+the field to replace him in the earldom.
+
+By the time that Harold returned to London Edith had left his abode at
+Hampton. He would have gladly handed it over to her and maintained it as
+before, but she would not hear of this, though she had accepted from him an
+income which would enable her to live comfortably in seclusion.
+
+"I only do this," she said in her letter to him, "because I know that it
+would grieve you if I refused; but I entreat you, Harold, make no inquiries
+whither I have gone. I do not say that we can never meet again, but years
+must pass over before we do so. You must not think of me as always
+grieving. I have done what I am sure is right, and this will give me
+comfort, and enable me to bear your absence; but you know that, even if I
+never see you again, you will dwell in my heart as long as I live, its sole
+lord and master. I have so many happy memories to look back upon that I
+should be sorely to blame did I repine, and although I may not share the
+throne that will ere long be yours, nor the love which Englishmen will give
+their king, I shall be none the less proud of you, and shall be sure that
+there will be always in your heart a kind thought of me. Forbear, I pray
+you earnestly, to cause any search to be made for me. Doubtless you might
+discover me if you chose, but it would only renew my pain. In time we may
+be able to meet calmly and affectionately, as two old friends, but till
+then it were best that we stood altogether apart."
+
+Harold put down the letter with a sigh. But he had little time to lament
+over private troubles. The king was ill; he had not rallied from the state
+of prostration that succeeded his outburst of passion when he found himself
+powerless to put down the Northern insurrection by force, and to restore
+his favourite Tostig to his earldom. Day succeeded day, but he did not
+rally. In vain the monks most famous for their skill in medicine came from
+Canterbury and Glastonbury; in vain prayers were offered up in all the
+cathedrals, and especially in his own Abbey of Westminster, and soon the
+report spread among the people that Edward, the king, was sick unto death,
+and all felt that it was a misfortune for England.
+
+Edward was in no sense of the word a great king. He was a monk rather than
+a monarch. The greatest object of his life had been to rear an abbey that
+in point of magnificence should rival the stateliest fane in England. To
+that his chief care was devoted, and for many years he was well content to
+leave the care of government to Harold. But after the monarchs who had
+immediately preceded him, his merits, if of a passive kind, were warmly
+appreciated by his subjects. His rule had been free from oppression, and he
+had always desired that justice should be done to all. In the earlier part
+of his reign he was Norman in tongue, in heart, and in education; but in
+the latter years of his life he had become far more English in his
+leanings, and there can be no doubt that he bitterly regretted the promise
+he had rashly given to William of Normandy that he should succeed him.
+
+It was not only because the people respected and even loved the king that
+they were grieved to hear that his days were numbered, but because they saw
+that his death would bring trouble on the land. With him the line of the
+Oethelings would become extinct, save for the boy Edgar and his sisters.
+The boy had been born beyond the sea, and was as much a foreigner as Edward
+himself had been, and Edward's partiality for the Normans in the early
+years of his reign had so angered the English that Edgar's claims would on
+this account alone have been dismissed. Moreover, boys' hands were unfit to
+hold the sceptre of England in such troubled times. It was to Harold that
+all eyes turned. He had for years exercised at least joint authority with
+Edward; he was the foremost and most noble of Englishmen. He was skilled in
+war, and wise in counsel, and the charm of his manner, the strength and
+stateliness of his figure, and the singular beauty of his face rendered him
+the popular idol. And yet men felt that it was a new departure in English
+life and customs for one who had in his veins no drop of royal blood to be
+chosen as king. His sister was Edward's wife, he was Edward's friend and
+counsellor, but although the men of the South felt that he was in all ways
+fitted to be king, they saw too that Northumbria would assuredly stand
+aloof, and that the Mercian earls, brothers-in-law as they were to be to
+Harold, would yet feel jealous that one of their own rank was to be their
+sovereign.
+
+The Witan, as the representative of the nation, had alone the right of
+choosing the sovereign; but though they had often passed over those who by
+birth stood nearest to the throne, they had never yet chosen one altogether
+outside the royal family. It was a necessary step--for young Edgar was not
+to be thought of--and yet men felt uneasy, now that the time had come, at
+so complete a departure from custom.
+
+Rapidly the king grew worse, and prayers were uttered up for him in every
+church in England. The Christmas Witan met at Westminster, but little was
+done. The great minster was consecrated on December 18th, and the absence
+of its founder and builder was keenly missed at the ceremony.
+
+The members of the Witan remained in attendance near the palace, hoping for
+some guidance from the dying king. He had no power to leave the throne to
+whom he wished, and yet his words could not but have great weight; but he
+lay almost unconscious, and for two days remained speechless. But on the
+5th of January, the year being 1066, he suddenly awoke from sleep, in the
+full possession of his senses. Harold was standing on one side of his bed,
+Archbishop Stigand at the other. His wife sat at the foot of the bed,
+chaffing her husband's feet; Robert Wymarc, his personal attendant, stood
+by his head. The king on awakening prayed aloud, that if a vision he had
+had was truly from heaven he might have strength to declare it; if it were
+but the offspring of a disordered brain he prayed that he might not be able
+to tell it.
+
+Then he sat up in bed, supported by Robert; some of his chosen friends were
+called in, and to them, with a strangely clear voice and with much energy,
+he told the vision. It was that some monks he had known in his youth had
+appeared to him, and told him that God had sent them to tell him that on
+account of the sins of the earls, the bishops, and the men in holy orders
+of every rank, God had put a curse upon England, and that within a year and
+a day of his death fiends should stalk through the whole land, and should
+harry it from one end to another with fire and sword.
+
+The king's words filled his hearers with awe, Stigand alone deeming the
+story but the dream of a dying man. Then Edward gave orders as to his
+burial. He bade his friends not to grieve for him, but to rejoice in his
+approaching deliverance, and he asked for the prayers of all his people for
+his soul. At last those standing round called his mind to the great
+subject which was for the moment first in the heart of every Englishman.
+Who, when he was gone, they asked, would he wish to wear the royal crown of
+England? The king stretched out his hand to Harold and said, "To thee,
+Harold, my brother, I commit my kingdom." Then, after commending his wife
+and his Norman favourites to Harold's care and protection, he turned his
+thoughts from all earthly matters, received the last rites of the church,
+and soon afterwards passed away tranquilly.
+
+Rapidly the news spread through London that the king was dead. The members
+of the Witan were still there, for the assembly had not separated, but
+knowing that the king was dying had waited for the event. The earls and
+great thanes of the South and West, of East Anglia and Wessex, were all
+there together, probably with many from Mercia. There was no time lost. In
+the afternoon they assembled. All knew on whom the choice would fall, for
+Harold had been for long regarded as the only possible successor to the
+throne, and the news that the dying king had, as far as he could, chosen
+him as his successor, doubtless went for much in the minds of many who had
+hitherto felt that it was a strange and unknown thing to accept as monarch
+of England one who was not a member of the royal house. There was no
+hesitation, no debate. By acclamation Harold was chosen king of the land,
+and two great nobles were selected to inform him that the choice of the
+Witan had fallen upon him.
+
+They bore with them the two symbols of royalty, the crown and the axe, and
+bade him accept them as being chosen both by the voice of the Witan and by
+the king, whom he had so well and faithfully served. There was no
+hesitation on the part of Harold. He had already counted the cost and taken
+his resolution. He knew that he alone could hope to receive the general
+support of the great earls. Leofric and Gurth were his brothers, the Earls
+of Mercia and Northumbria had been mollified by the alliance arranged with
+their sister. The last male of the royal line was a lad of feeble
+character, and would be unable either to preserve peace at home or to unite
+the nation against a foreign invader. The oath he had sworn to William,
+although obtained partly by force partly by fraud, weighed upon him, but he
+was powerless to keep it. Did he decline the crown it would fall upon some
+other Englishman, and not upon the Norman. The vote of England had chosen
+him, and it was clearly his duty to accept. The die had been cast when
+Edith had bade him sacrifice her and himself for the good of England, and
+it was too late to turn back now. Gravely he accepted the dignity offered
+him.
+
+Throughout London first, and then throughout the country, the news that the
+Witan had unanimously chosen him, and that he had accepted, was received
+with deep satisfaction. There was no time to be lost. The next day was
+Epiphany, the termination of the Christian festival, the last upon which
+the Witan could legally sit, and had the ceremony not taken place then it
+must have been delayed until another great feast of the church--another
+calling together of the Witan. All night the preparations for the two great
+ceremonials were carried on. At daybreak the body of the dead king was
+borne to the noble minster, that had been the chief object of his life to
+raise and beautify, and there before the great altar it was laid to rest
+with all the solemn pomp of the church. A few hours passed away and the
+symbols of mourning were removed. Then the great prelates of the church,
+the earls and the thanes of England, gathered for the coronation of the
+successor of the king whom they had just laid in his last resting-place.
+Eldred the primate of Northumberland performed the rites of
+consecration--for Stigand, primate of England, had been irregularly
+appointed, and was therefore deemed unfit for the high function. Before
+investing him with the royal robes Eldred, according to custom, demanded in
+a loud voice of the English people whether they were willing that Harold
+should be crowned their king, and a mighty shout of assent rang through the
+abbey. Then the earl swore first to preserve peace to the church and all
+Christian people; secondly, to prevent wrong and robbery to men of every
+rank; thirdly, to enforce justice and mercy in all his judgments as he
+would that God should have mercy on him. Then after a solemn prayer the
+prelate poured the oil of consecration upon Harold's head; he was vested in
+royal robes, and with symbols appertaining to the priesthood. A sword was
+girded to his side, that he might defend his realm, and smite his enemies
+and those of the church of God. Then the crown was placed on his head, the
+sceptre surmounted with the cross and the rod with the holy dove placed in
+his hands, and Harold stood before the people as the king chosen by
+themselves, named by his predecessor, and consecrated by the church. A
+great banquet followed the coronation, and then this day memorable in the
+history of England came to its close.
+
+Wulf had been present at the two great events at the abbey and at the
+banquet, and knew, better than most of those present, that the gravity on
+Harold's face was not caused solely by the mighty responsibility that he
+had assumed, but by sad thoughts in his heart. Wulf on his return from the
+abbey had handed to Harold a small roll of parchment that had been slipped
+into his hand by a man, who at once disappeared in the crowd after handing
+it to him, with the words, "For the king". In the interval before the
+banquet he handed this to Harold, who had opened and glanced at it, and had
+then abruptly turned away. It contained but the words: "_That God may
+bless my dear lord and king is the prayer of Edith._"
+
+"Do you know where she is?" Harold asked abruptly, turning upon Wulf.
+
+"No, my lord."
+
+"I have respected her wishes and made no inquiry," the king said. "Others
+think, doubtless, that I am rejoicing at having gained the object of my
+ambition, but as God knows, I would far rather have remained Earl of the
+West Saxons with her by my side than rule over England."
+
+"I know it, my lord," Wulf said. "But who beside yourself could rule here?"
+
+"No one," Harold answered; "and it is for England's sake and not my own
+that I have this day accepted the crown. If you can find out where she has
+betaken herself without making public inquiry I charge you to do so, and to
+tell her that on this day I have thought mostly of her. Tell me not where
+she is. What is done cannot be undone, but I would fain that, in the time
+that is to come, I may at least know where to send her a message should it
+be needful."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+
+WULF'S SUSPICIONS.
+
+Beyond the fact that the name of the king had changed, the death of Edward
+and the accession of Harold made no sensible difference in the government
+of the southern half of England. Harold had practically reigned for years,
+and the fact that he was now able to give his orders direct instead of
+having nominally to consult Edward, had only the effect that the affairs of
+the state moved somewhat more promptly. Such of the Norman favourites of
+Edward as desired to leave were permitted to do so, and were honourably
+escorted to the coast, but many remained. The Norman prelates and abbots
+retained their dignities undisturbed, and several of the court officials of
+Edward held the same positions under Harold.
+
+A fortnight after the coronation a party of Norman barons arrived, bearing
+a summons from Duke William to Harold to fulfil the oath he had sworn to be
+his man, and also to carry out his engagement to marry one of William's
+daughters. They were received with all honour, and Harold informed them
+that he would, without delay, reply to the duke's summons. A few days
+later three thanes of high rank started for Normandy with Harold's reply.
+Wulf accompanied them.
+
+"I would that you should go with them, Wulf," Harold had said to him. "You
+are too young to be one of my embassy to Duke William, but it would be well
+that you should form one of the party. The duke knows you and has a liking
+for you, and possibly may speak more freely to you than to my official
+messengers. Moreover, you have many acquaintances and friends there, and
+may gather valuable news as to the feeling in Normandy and the probability
+of William's barons embarking in a desperate war for his advantage."
+
+"I shall be glad to go, my lord."
+
+"The duke knows well enough what my answer must be. He is aware that were
+I ready either to resign my kingship to him, or to agree to hold my crown
+as his vassal, the people of England would laugh to scorn my assumption so
+to dispose of them, and would assuredly renounce and slay me as a traitor
+who had broken the oath I swore at my coronation. It is a mere formal
+summons William makes, as one summons a city to surrender before
+undertaking its siege. It is but a move in the game. That he will, if he
+can, strike for the kingdom, I doubt not in any way, but it may well be
+that his barons will refuse to embark in a war beyond the seas, which is
+altogether beyond the military service they are bound to render. At any
+rate, we have breathing time. Vast preparations must be made before he can
+invade England, and until he is ready we shall have messengers passing to
+and fro. A few of my chief councillors, the earls and great thanes, refuse
+to believe that William will ever attempt by force of arms to grasp the
+crown of England, but for myself I have no doubt he will do so. I shall at
+once prepare for war; and the first step of all is to unite England from
+the northern border to the southern sea, so that we may oppose the Normans
+with our whole strength. This must be my personal work, other matters I
+must for a time intrust to the earls."
+
+The train was not a large one. One ship bore the thanes and their
+attendants from Southampton to Rouen. They were received with all honour at
+their landing, conducted to a house that had been assigned to their use,
+and informed that they would be received by the duke on the following day.
+They had brought their horses with them, and as soon as they were housed
+Wulf mounted, and attended by Osgod rode to the castle of the De Burgs.
+Three years had past since he had last been there. He had from time to time
+received letters and greetings from Guy de Burg by the hands of Normans who
+visited the court, and knew that although he had gained in health and
+strength the predictions of the surgeons had been fulfilled, and that he
+would never be able to take part in knightly exercises or deeds of arms.
+The warden at the gate had sent in Wulf's name, and as he alighted a tall
+young man ran down the steps and embraced him.
+
+"I am overjoyed to see you, Wulf," he exclaimed. "When we heard that Harold
+would send over an English embassy to answer the duke's demands, I hoped
+that you would be among the number. Harold would be likely to choose you,
+and I felt sure that you would come over to see me. I had a messenger
+waiting at Rouen to bring me tidings of the arrival of your ship, and it is
+scarcely an hour since he rode in with the news that, by inquiries among
+the servants as they landed, he had learned that you were indeed of the
+party. But I had hardly looked to see you until to-morrow morning, and had
+indeed intended to ride over on my palfrey at daybreak."
+
+"I would not delay, Guy, for the answer we bear will not be to the duke's
+liking, and for aught I know he may pack us off again as soon as the
+interview is ended. Therefore, I thought it best to lose not a moment."
+
+"I see you have brought your tall retainer with you, Wulf. I am glad to
+see the stout fellow again. But come in, they will chide me for keeping you
+so long at the entrance."
+
+Wulf was warmly received by the baron and his wife. "You are just what I
+thought you would grow up, Wulf," the former said. "Indeed your figure was
+so set and square before, that there was little chance of great alteration.
+We have heard of you from time to time, and that you distinguished yourself
+greatly in the war against the Welsh, and stood high in the favour and
+affection of Harold. Guy has overshot you, you see, in point of height,
+though he is scarce half your breadth," and the baron looked with a
+suppressed sigh at the fragile young fellow, who stood with his hand on
+Wulf's shoulder.
+
+"He looks better and stronger than I expected, my lord," Wulf said. "You
+must remember when I last saw him he could scarce walk across the room, and
+in my heart I scarce hoped to ever see him again."
+
+"He gains strength very slowly," De Burg said wistfully; "but although he
+has to be careful of himself, he has no ailment."
+
+"He could hardly gain strength while growing so fast," Wulf said; "but now
+that he has gained his full height he will, doubtless, gather strength, and
+as three years have done so much for him, another three years will I hope
+do far more. The Lady Agnes is well, I trust?"
+
+"She is well, and will be here anon," the baroness said.
+
+Guy laughed with something of his former heartiness. "She was here when the
+man brought news of your arrival, Wulf, but she fled away like a startled
+deer, and has, I suppose, gone to put on her best kirtle in your honour."
+
+As he spoke Agnes entered the room. Considerable as was the change that
+three years had wrought in the young men, it was still greater in her case,
+for she had grown from a pretty young girl into a very lovely maiden, whose
+cheek flushed as she presented it for Wulf's salute.
+
+"Would you have known her again, Wulf?" Guy asked with a smile.
+
+"I should certainly have known her, though she has so greatly changed,"
+Wulf replied. "I thought that you would be grown up and altered, but I
+scarcely looked for so great an alteration in her, though I might of course
+have known that it would be so."
+
+"And now tell me, Wulf," the baron said, abruptly changing the
+conversation, "how go things in England--are people united in choosing
+Harold as their king?"
+
+"The South, the East, and West are as one man," Wulf said. "Mercia, which
+comprises the midlands, has accepted the choice. Northumbria has as yet
+held itself aloof, although its earl has sworn allegiance and its primate
+has placed the crown on Harold's head; but in time, I am well assured, the
+North will also accept him. As I said when we spoke about it after Harold
+had been tricked into taking an oath to be William's man, he had no more
+power to pledge himself for England than I had. Englishmen are free to
+choose their own king, and as Harold has long been their ruler, their
+choice naturally fell on him.
+
+"Harold is about to marry the sister of the Earls of Northumbria and
+Mercia, the widow of Griffith of Wales, and this will, I hope, bind these
+two powerful nobles to him. The only trouble is likely to come from Tostig,
+who is, as you know, at the court of Norway. But as he is hated in
+Northumbria, and the earl and his brother of Mercia both have personal
+enmity against him, he can gather no following there, while Anglia and
+Wessex are devoted to Harold. Still he and the King of Norway may cause
+trouble."
+
+"The answer of Harold's ambassadors is, of course, a refusal?"
+
+"Assuredly," Wulf said. "I do not know the exact import of the reply, as,
+although I have accompanied them, I am not a member of the embassy, being
+too young to be intrusted with so weighty a matter. But there can be but
+one answer. Harold is powerless to carry out his oath. He had the choice of
+becoming King of England, and thus defending our rights and freedom, or of
+refusing the crown, in which case he must have fled here, and could have
+given no aid whatever to William, as he himself would be regarded as the
+worst of traitors by the English. The duke must be perfectly well aware
+that a king of England could not, without the assent of the people, accept
+a foreign prince as his liege lord."
+
+De Burg nodded.
+
+"That is plainly so, Wulf; and although the duke professes intense
+indignation against Harold, he himself has, over and over again, broken his
+own oaths of allegiance to the King of France. Breaches of oaths go for
+little, except they serve as pretexts for war. It would have been the same
+thing if Harold had never taken the oath, except that his breach of it will
+be an aid to William in a war against him. We northmen came to France and
+conquered a province, simply by the right of the strongest. The duke has
+doubled his dominions by the same right. He deems himself now strong enough
+to conquer England; whether he is so remains to be seen. At present
+methinks that but few of us are disposed to follow him in such an
+enterprise, but there is never any saying how things will go at last. When
+war is in the air men's minds become heated. There will be dignities,
+estates, and titles to be won, and when many are ready to go, few like to
+hang back. More than once already William has embarked on a war against the
+wishes of the majority, but he has finally carried all with him, and it may
+be so again, especially if he can win over the pope to excommunicate Harold
+for the breach of an oath sworn on the relics."
+
+"His excommunication will go for little in England," Wulf said sturdily.
+"Many of our prelates, and almost all our clergy are Englishmen, and hold
+in very small respect the claim of the pope to interfere in the affairs of
+England."
+
+"And if Harold died who would be likely to succeed him?"
+
+"I have never thought of that," Wulf said, "and I should think that few
+Englishmen have done so. If such a misfortune should happen, methinks that
+England would be rent in two, and that while Wessex and Anglia would choose
+one of his brothers, Mercia and the North would take Edwin or his brother
+Morcar as their king, but assuredly no foreign prince would be chosen."
+
+"No, but with England divided the chance of conquest would be easier. You
+are about the king, Wulf. Keep a shrewd guard over him. I say not for a
+moment that the duke would countenance any attempt to do him harm, but
+there are many rough spirits who might think that they would gain his
+favour greatly did they clear his path of Harold, and who would feel all
+the less scruple in doing so, should the pope be induced to excommunicate
+him. Such things have happened again and again. Mind, I have no warrant for
+my speech. Methinks the honour of De Burg is too well known for anyone to
+venture to broach such a project before him, but so many kings and great
+princes have fallen by an assassin's knife to clear the way for the next
+heir or for an ambitious rival, that I cannot close my eyes to the fact
+that one in Harold's position might well be made the subject of such an
+attempt. The history of your own country will furnish you with examples of
+what I say."
+
+"Thank you, my lord," Wulf said gravely. "The thought that an assassin's
+knife might be raised against Harold, who is of all men the most beloved in
+England, has never once entered my mind, but I see there may be indeed a
+danger of such an attempt being made. I do not greatly trust Morcar or his
+brother, and the danger may come from them, or, as you say, from one
+desirous of gaining favour with your duke. I will lay your warning to
+heart."
+
+The conversation now turned on other topics, on the Welsh war and the life
+Wulf had been leading since they last met, and upon what had happened to
+the many acquaintances Wulf had made in Normandy. They talked until long
+past the usual hour for retiring to rest; Wulf slept at the chateau, and
+rode into Rouen at an early hour in the morning.
+
+The audience next day was a public one. William was surrounded by his
+officers of state, and by a large number of his barons. The English envoys
+were ushered in, and the duke asked them in a loud voice what answer they
+brought to his just demands on the part of his sworn liegeman, Harold.
+
+"The king of England bids us state, duke, that he holds an oath taken by a
+prisoner under force to be invalid, especially when taken in ignorance of
+the sanctity of the concealed relics; secondly, he says that he has been
+elected by the people of England, and that he has no power whatever to
+transfer the rights that they have conferred upon him, and which he has
+sworn to maintain, and that they would absolutely refuse to be bound by any
+act on his part contrary to the welfare of the kingdom, and to their rights
+as freemen; thirdly, as to your demand that he should carry out his promise
+to marry your daughter, he points out that the lady whose hand was promised
+to him has since that time died; and lastly, that although as Earl of
+Wessex he might transfer that engagement to another of your daughters, as
+king of England he is unable to do so, as the will of the people is that
+their king shall marry no foreign princess, but that the royal family shall
+be of unmixed English blood."
+
+William frowned heavily. "You hear, my lords," he said, after a pause, to
+the Norman barons, "this English earl who was here as my guest refuses to
+carry out the engagements to which he swore upon the holy relics. I cannot,
+however, bring myself to believe that he will really persist in this foul
+perjury, and shall persevere in my endeavours to bring him to a sense of
+his duty, and to show him the foul dishonour that will rest upon him should
+he persist in this contempt alike of our holy church and his honour as a
+knight and a Christian, conduct that would bring upon him eternal infamy
+and the scorn and contempt of all the princes and nobles of Europe, and
+draw upon his head the wrath of the church." Then he abruptly turned on his
+heel and left the audience-chamber, while the English envoys returned to
+their house and made preparations for immediate departure.
+
+A few minutes after his arrival there one of the duke's pages brought word
+to Wulf that the duke desired to speak to him in private. He at once went
+across to the palace. The duke received him cordially.
+
+"I marked you were with the other thanes, and was glad to see one whom I
+count as my friend. Tell me frankly, what think the people of England of
+this monstrous act of perjury on the part of Harold?"
+
+"To speak the truth, my lord duke," Wulf replied, "they trouble their heads
+in no way about it. They hold that the right of electing their king rests
+wholly with them, and that Harold's promise, to do what he had no more
+power to do than the lowest born of Englishmen, was but a waste of words.
+Harold himself feels the obligation far more than anyone else, and had
+there been any other Englishman who could have united the people as well as
+he could himself, he would gladly have stood aside; but there is none such,
+and he had no choice but to accept the decision of the Witan, and, for the
+sake of England, to lay aside his own scruples. The late king, too,
+nominated him as his successor, and although his voice had no legal weight,
+he is now regarded as almost a saint among the people. The fact, therefore,
+that he, full of piety and religion as he was, should have held that
+Harold's oath in no way prevented the people from choosing him, has gone
+very far to satisfy any scruples that might have been felt."
+
+"Edward at one time named me as his successor," the duke said shortly.
+
+"So I have heard, my lord duke; but as he grew in years and learned more of
+English feeling and character he became fully aware that the people would
+accept no foreign prince, and that only the man who had for thirteen years
+governed in his name could be their choice."
+
+"And the great earls and thanes are likewise of that opinion?"
+
+"Assuredly in Anglia and Wessex they are so. I know not the minds of Earls
+Morcar and Edwin, but they were at the Witan and stood by his side at the
+coronation, and doubtless felt that they could not rely upon their own
+people if they attempted any open opposition to Harold."
+
+"And you will support this usurper against me, Wulf?"
+
+"I shall fight, my lord duke, for the king chosen by the people of England.
+Should that choice some day fall on you I should be as faithful a follower
+of yours as I am now of Harold."
+
+"Well answered, young thane. You have twice done me loyal service, and I at
+least do not forget my promises. As yet my mind is not made up as to my
+course, but should fate will it so, William of England will not forget the
+services rendered to William of Normandy."
+
+A few minutes later Wulf rejoined his companions, and before nightfall the
+ship was far on her way down the river.
+
+"Shall we go back to Steyning, my lord, when we return home?" Osgod asked
+as they stood by the bulwark together watching the passing shores.
+
+"No, Osgod. I mean for a time to remain with the king. Baron de Burg
+yesterday hinted to me that he thought it possible that some of the duke's
+followers might endeavour to remove the obstacle between him and the throne
+of England. There are in every country desperate men, who are ready for any
+crime or deed of violence if they but think that its committal will bring
+them a reward. We have had English kings assassinated before now, and it
+has been the same in other countries. Moreover, there are many Normans who
+were forced to fly from England when Godwin's family returned from exile.
+These having a personal grudge against him would be willing to gratify it,
+and at the same time to earn a place in William's favour. Harold is so
+frank and unsuspicious that he will never think of taking precautions for
+his personal safety. You and I, then, must serve as his watch-dogs. It may
+be a difficult task, for we have no idea from what quarter that danger may
+come, and yet by chance we may discover some clue or other that will set us
+on the right track At any rate, if we are near him, and keep a watchful eye
+on any strangers approaching him, we may save him from a treacherous blow."
+
+"Good, my lord. Methinks that Harold was wrong in not sending every Norman
+across the seas, and every man with whom I have spoken thinks the same. But
+at any rate we can, as you say, keep a sharp look-out, and although I
+cannot be always near his person, I shall go about and listen; and it will
+be hard if anything is on foot without my hearing some whisper of it. You
+will tell him no word of your suspicions, I suppose?"
+
+"Certainly not. I have fears rather than suspicions, and Baron De Burg
+certainly spoke as if he regarded it as likely that such an attempt might
+be made, and he knows his own people better than I do. He expressly said
+that he had no special reason for giving me the warning, but he may have
+heard some angry remark or some covert threat against Harold; and although
+the duke would not, I feel sure, openly countenance his slaying, I think
+that the slayers might confidently look for a reward from his gratitude did
+they by their daggers open a way for him to the throne of England."
+
+On the return of the embassy to London King Harold said to Wulf: "I have no
+further occasion for your services at present, Wulf, and I suppose you will
+return home and increase the number of your housecarls. It is not with
+undisciplined levies that the Normans, if they come, must be met. It is no
+question this time of Welsh mountaineers but of trained warriors, and
+should they land they must be met by men as firm and as obedient to orders
+as themselves. I am trying to impress this on all our thanes, but most of
+them are hard to move, and deem that all that is necessary on the day of
+battle is that men shall have strength and courage and arms."
+
+"With your permission, my lord, I would rather abide near you, and leave
+the training of my men to the officer who taught those who fought by my
+side in Wales."
+
+"I thought you did not care for the gaieties of the court?" Harold said, in
+some surprise.
+
+"Nor do I, my lord. For its gaieties I care nothing, but in times like
+these there is much to be learned, and I would not bury myself in Steyning
+when there is so much of importance going on in London."
+
+"Then stay, Wulf, I shall be glad to have you here. I have but little time
+to myself now, but it is a relief to put aside grave matters sometimes. I
+will appoint a room for you near my own chamber. You have heard no news of
+her, I suppose?"
+
+"In truth, my lord, I know not how to set about the task, and it seems to
+me that my only chance is to run against one of her serving-men in the
+street."
+
+"That is but a slight chance, Wulf; but even I, with all the power of
+England in my hands, am equally at a loss. I cannot send round to all the
+thanes of Wessex to ask if a strange lady has taken a house in their
+jurisdiction, nor to all the parish priests to ask if a new worshipper has
+come to their church. However, I believe that sooner or later she will
+herself advise me where she has hidden. It may be that your stay here will
+not be a long one, for I purpose journeying to the North."
+
+"To Northumbria!" Wulf said in surprise.
+
+"Yes; the people there refuse to recognize me, and I would win them by
+going among them rather than by force. My dear friend Bishop Wulfstan will
+accompany me. I shall take with me a body of my housecarls, partly as a
+guard, but more because I cannot now travel as a private person. It is very
+many years since an English king has visited Northumbria, and it is not
+strange that these northern men should object to be ruled by a stranger
+from the South. I shall take with me two or three of my thanes only, but
+shall be glad for you to ride with me. Young as you are, you have a quick
+eye and ready wit, and in case trouble should arise, I can rely upon you
+more than upon many men far older than yourself."
+
+The palace of Westminster was not an imposing edifice. London had not yet
+become the capital of England, Oxford being the seat of government of most
+of the kings, so that the palace was built on a simple plan, and had been
+altered by Edward until the interior arrangements more nearly resembled
+those of a convent than of a palace. Below was the great banqueting-hall,
+and beyond this the chamber where the king heard complaints and
+administered justice. Leading from this were the king and queen's private
+chambers, where the one sat and read or received his chief councillors, and
+the other worked with her maids, and listened to the music of the harpers
+or the tales of war and love sung by bards.
+
+Behind was the chapel. On the floor above a corridor ran from one end of
+the building to the doors which separated the royal sleeping-rooms from the
+rest. On either side of the corridor were small bed-chambers, where the
+officers of the household and guests at the court slept, their attendants
+lying in the corridor itself or in the kitchens, which with other offices
+were contained in a separate building. The room assigned to Wulf, and which
+Harold had ordered was henceforth to be retained for him, was that on the
+right hand of the corridor, next to the door leading to the royal
+apartments. Like the others it was a mere cell, with the straw pallet
+covered with sheep-skins, with some rugs for covering. This constituted the
+whole of the furniture. In the morning water was brought in brass ewers and
+basins, either by the pages or servants of the guests.
+
+"Nothing could be better, my lord, than this," Osgod said. "I am a light
+sleeper, and lying across your door I am sure that no one could enter the
+king's apartments without my hearing those heavy doors move."
+
+"There is but little chance, Osgod, of an attack being made on him in that
+fashion. Doubtless some of the royal servants sleep on the other side of
+the door. No, if any design be attempted against his life it will be when
+he is travelling, or when he is abroad amid a crowd."
+
+"I saw Walter Fitz-Urse to-day, master, in the train of William of London."
+
+"Then he must have returned within the last day or two, Osgod, for he has
+been absent for more than a year, and I know that when we sailed for
+Normandy he was still absent, for I inquired of one of the court officials
+if he had been here of late. What should bring him back again, I wonder.
+He has long been out of his pageship, and he can hope for no preferment in
+England while Harold is king. He has, I know, no great possessions in
+Normandy, for I asked Guy about him, and learned that his father was a
+knight of but small consideration, either as to his state or character, and
+that the boy owed his place as page to William of London, to the fact that
+he was a distant relation of the prelate.
+
+"I would say harm of no man, but I should think he is as likely as another
+to be mixed up in such a plot as we are talking of. He is landless,
+hot-tempered, and ambitious. He owes no goodwill to Harold, for it was by
+his intervention that he was sent away in disgrace after that quarrel with
+me. At any rate, Osgod, since we have no one else to suspect, we will in
+the first place watch him, or rather have him looked after, for I see not
+how we ourselves can in any way keep near him. He knows me well, and has
+doubtless seen you with me, and having seen you once would not be likely to
+forget you."
+
+"I think I can manage that," Osgod said confidently. "My father has a small
+apprentice who well-nigh worries his life out with tricks and trifling. I
+have more than once begged him off a beating, and methinks he will do
+anything for me. He is as full of cunning as an ape, and, I warrant me,
+would act his part marvellously. My father will be glad enough to get him
+out of the forge for a while, and when I tell him that it is in your
+service he will make no difficulty about it. He is fifteen years old, but
+so small for his age that he would pass for three years younger than he
+is."
+
+"I think it is a very good plan, Osgod. You had best see your father in the
+morning, and if he consents to your having the boy, bring him down to the
+river-bank behind the abbey, where I will be awaiting you, and can there
+talk to him without observation. You are sure that he can be trusted to
+keep silence regarding what I tell him?"
+
+"He can be trusted, my lord. In the first place he will enjoy playing his
+part, and in the second he will know well enough that I should nearly flay
+him alive with my stirrup-leather if he were to fail me, and that his life
+in the forge would be worse than ever."
+
+The next morning Wulf strolled down to the river-bank after breaking his
+fast, and it was not long before Osgod joined him with the boy.
+
+"Have you told him what he is required for, Osgod?" Wulf asked, as the boy,
+doffing his cap, stood before him with an air of extreme humility.
+
+"I am not good at the telling of tales, as you know, my lord, and I thought
+it better that you should tell him just as much or as little as you chose."
+
+"You don't like your work at the forge, Ulf?" for that Wulf had learned was
+the boy's name.
+
+"I think that I like it better than it likes me," the boy replied. "When I
+get to do the fine work I shall like it, but at present it is 'fetch this
+tool, Ulf, or file that iron, or blow those bellows,' and if I do but smile
+I get a cuff."
+
+"No, no, Ulf," Osgod said. "Of course, at present you are but a beginner,
+and at your age I too had to fetch and carry and be at the bidding of all
+the men; and it is not for smiling that you get cuffed, but for playing
+tricks and being away for hours when you are sent on a message to the next
+street, and doing your errands wrongly. My father tells me you will be a
+good workman some day. You will never be strong enough to wield a heavy
+hammer or to forge a battle-axe, but he says your fingers are quick and
+nimble, and that you will some day be able to do fine work such as clumsy
+hands could not compass. But that is not to the point now."
+
+"You will be glad to be out of the forge for a bit, Ulf?" Wulf asked.
+
+"That should I, but not always."
+
+"It will not be for very long. I want a watch set upon a Norman in order to
+know where he goes, and whom he meets, and what he purposes. Osgod tells me
+that he thinks you could play the part rarely, and that you would be
+willing for his sake to do our bidding."
+
+The boy looked up into Osgod's face with an expression of earnest
+affection.
+
+"I would do anything for him," he said, "even if I were to be cut to
+pieces."
+
+"Osgod is as much interested in the matter as I am, Ulf; and as he has
+assured me that you are to be trusted, I will tell you more as to the man,
+and my object in setting you to watch him."
+
+"You can trust me, my lord," the boy said earnestly. "I will do your
+bidding whatever it is."
+
+"You know, Ulf, that the Duke of Normandy desires the crown of England?"
+
+"So I have heard men say, my lord."
+
+"Were King Harold out of the way, his chances of obtaining it would be
+improved."
+
+The boy nodded.
+
+"I am sure that the duke himself would take no hand in bringing about
+Harold's death, but there are many of his people who might think that they
+would obtain a great reward were they to do so."
+
+The boy nodded again.
+
+"The man I wish you to watch is Walter Fitz-Urse, who is in the train of
+the bishop. I have no particular reason for suspecting him, beyond the fact
+that he has but just come over here, and this is scarcely a time a Norman
+would come to London; though as the bishop is a relation and patron of his
+he may have come merely to visit him. Still he has, as he thinks, a cause
+for enmity against the king. He is needy, and, as I know, somewhat
+unscrupulous. All this is little enough against a man; still it seems to me
+that his coming bodes danger to the king, and this being so I desire that
+he shall be watched, in order that I may find out what is his real object
+in coming over here. I want you to post yourself near the gate of the
+bishop's palace, and whenever he comes out to follow him save when he is in
+the train of the bishop--most of all if he sallies out alone or after dark.
+
+"It will not do for you to be always dressed as an apprentice. Osgod will
+procure for you such clothes as you may require for disguises. One day you
+can be sitting there as a beggar asking alms, another as a girl from one of
+the villages with eggs or fowls. You understand that you will have to
+follow him, to mark where he goes in, and especially, should he be joined
+by anybody when out, to endeavour to overhear something of what they say to
+each other. Even a few words might suffice to show me whether my suspicions
+are true or not. Do you think you can do that? Osgod tells me that you are
+good at playing a part."
+
+"I will do it, my lord, and that right gladly. It is a business after my
+own heart, and I will warrant that those who see me one day will not know
+me when they see me the next."
+
+"Osgod will go with you now, and will stay near the bishop's palace until
+the man you are to watch comes out, and will point him out to you. In a day
+or two I may be going away with the king; when we return you will tell us
+what you have found out. Till we go, Osgod will meet you here each morning
+as the abbey bell rings out the hour of seven. You can tell him anything
+that you have learned, and then he will give you such further instructions
+as may seem needful; and remember you must be cautious, for Walter
+Fitz-Urse would not hesitate to use his dagger on you did he come upon you
+eaves-dropping."
+
+"I will give him leave to do so if he catches me," the boy said.
+
+"Very well, then; Osgod will go with you to buy such clothes as may be
+necessary, and remember that you will be well rewarded for your work."
+
+"I want no reward," the boy said, almost indignantly. "I am an apprentice,
+and as my master has bid me do whatever Osgod commands, he has a right to
+my services. But this is nothing. There is not one in London who would not
+do aught in his power for Harold, and who would scorn to take pay for
+it. As this is a matter in which his very life may be concerned, though I
+am but a boy, and a small one at that, there is nought that I would not do,
+even to the giving of my life, to spoil these Norman plots."
+
+Osgod was about to chide the boy angrily for this freedom of speech, but
+Wulf checked him.
+
+"You are right, lad; and I am sorry I spoke of a reward. I myself would
+have answered the same at your age, and would have died for Harold then as
+I would now. I should have bethought me that the feelings of Englishmen,
+gentle or simple, are the same towards the king, and I crave your pardon
+for treating your loyal service as a thing to be paid for with money."
+
+The boy's eyes filled with tears; he dropped on one knee, and seizing
+Wulf's hand placed it to his lips, and then without a word sped away,
+halting a hundred yards off till Osgod should join him.
+
+"You have made a good choice," Wulf said; "the boy is wholly trustworthy,
+and unless his face belies him he is as shrewd as he is faithful. My only
+fear in the matter is, that he may be over rash in his desire to carry out
+the trust we have given him. Warn him against that, and tell him that
+should he be discovered and killed it would upset all our plans."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+
+A MEETING BY THE RIVER.
+
+During the three days that elapsed between Ulf's being set upon the track
+of Walter Fitz-Urse and the departure of the king for the North, the boy
+had no news to report to Osgod. The young Norman had not left the bishop's
+palace alone. He had accompanied the prelate several times when he went
+abroad, and had gone out with some of his countrymen who still held office
+at the court. In one or other of the disguises Wulf had suggested, the boy
+had hung about the gate of the bishop's palace until late in the evening,
+but Walter Fitz-Urse had not come out after dark. On the day before
+starting, Wulf was with Osgod when the latter met the boy at the
+rendezvous.
+
+After he heard Ulf's report Wulf said: "As we leave to-morrow this is the
+last report you will have to make to us. So far it would seem that there is
+nothing whatever to give grounds for suspicion, and if, after a few days,
+you find that the Norman still remains quietly at the bishop's, there will
+be no occasion for you to continue your watch until the time is approaching
+for the king's return."
+
+"Yes, my lord. But I cannot say surely that he does not go out of an
+evening."
+
+"Why, I thought you said that he certainly had not done so?"
+
+"No, my lord; I said only that I had not seen him. He has certainly not
+gone out through the great gates in his Norman dress, but that it seems to
+me shows very little. As the bishop's guest he would pass out there, but
+there is another entrance behind that he might use did he wish to go out
+unobserved. Even at the main entrance I cannot tell but that, beneath the
+cowl and frock of one of the many monks who pass in and out, Walter
+Fitz-Urse may not be hidden. He would scarce go about such a business as we
+suspect in his dress as a Norman noble, which is viewed with little favour
+here in London, and would draw attention towards him, but would assume, as
+I do, some disguise in which he could go about unremarked--it might be that
+of a monk, it might be that of a lay servitor of the palace."
+
+"You are right, Ulf; I had not thought of that. That is indeed a
+difficulty, and one that I do not see how you can get over. Are you sure
+that he has not passed out by the main gate?"
+
+"I have marked his walk and carriage closely, my lord. He steps along with
+a long stride, and unless he be a better mummer than I judge him to be, I
+should know him whether in a monk's gown or a servitor's cloak. It is no
+easy thing to change a knight's stride into the shuffle of a sandalled
+monk, or the noiseless step of a well-trained servitor in a bishop's
+palace."
+
+"You are a shrewd lad indeed, Ulf," Wulf said warmly; "and I feel that you
+will fathom this matter if there be aught at the bottom. But, as you say,
+you cannot watch more than one place."
+
+"The other entrance is not altogether unwatched, my lord. The first day
+you gave me my orders I went to one of my cronies, who has shared with me
+in many an expedition when our master deemed that we were soundly asleep.
+Without, as you may be sure, giving any reason, I told him that I had come
+to believe that the Norman I pointed out to him was in the habit of going
+out in disguise, and that I was mightily curious to find whither he went
+and why, and therefore wanted him to watch, at the entrance behind the
+palace. I bade him mark the walk of the persons that went out, and their
+height, for the Norman is tall, and to follow any who might come out of
+lofty stature, and with a walk and carriage that seemed to accord ill with
+his appearance. So each evening, as soon as his house was closed and the
+lights extinguished, he has slipped out, as he knows how, and has watched
+till ten o'clock at the gate. It seemed to me that that would be late
+enough, and indeed the doors are closed at that hour."
+
+"You have done well, Ulf; but has not the boy questioned you as to your
+reasons for thus setting a watch on the Norman?"
+
+"I have told him nought beyond what I have said, my lord. He may guess
+shrewdly enough that I should not myself take so much trouble in the matter
+unless I had more reason than I have given; but we are closely banded
+together, and just as I should do, without asking the reasons, any such
+action did he propose it to me, so he carried out my wishes. I cannot feel
+as sure as if I had watched him myself that Fitz-Urse has not passed out in
+disguise unnoticed, but I have a strong belief that it is so. At any rate,
+my lord, you can go away with the assurance that all that is possible shall
+be done by us, and that even if he pass out once or twice undiscovered
+there is good hope that we shall at last detect him."
+
+After again commending the boy, Wulf returned to the palace with Osgod.
+
+"I feel half ashamed of having entertained a suspicion of Fitz-Urse on such
+slight grounds, Osgod."
+
+"I think you have done quite right, my lord. You know how the fellow gave a
+false report to the bishop of that quarrel with you. At any rate, should
+nothing come of it, no harm will have been done. As to the boys, so far
+from regarding it as a trouble, I feel sure that they view it as an
+exciting pleasure, and are as keenly anxious to detect the Norman going out
+in a disguise as you yourself can be. When they get tired of it they will
+give it up."
+
+Ulf, at any rate, was determined not to relax his watch during the absence
+of the king. The more he thought of it the more certain he felt that if
+Walter Fitz-Urse went out on any private business after nightfall he would
+use one or other of the entrances at the rear of the palace, and
+accordingly next day he arranged that one friend should watch the front
+entrance of an evening, while he himself took post behind. As soon as it
+was dark he lay down by the wall close to the entrance at which the
+servitors generally passed in and out. The moon was up but was still young,
+and the back of the palace lay in deep shadow; a projecting buttress
+screened him to a great extent from view, while by peeping round the corner
+he could watch those who came out and see them as they passed from the
+shadow of the building into the comparatively light space beyond.
+
+Many came in and out. The evening was bitterly cold, and his teeth
+chattered as he lay, cautiously putting his head beyond the edge of the
+stonework every time he heard any one leaving the palace. The heavy bell
+had just struck eight, when a man wrapt up in a cloak passed out. He
+differed in no respect from many of those who had preceded him, save that
+he was somewhat taller. The hood of the cloak was drawn over his head. Ulf
+raised himself to his knees and gazed after the figure. The man was walking
+more slowly than the others had done, for most of them had hurried along as
+if in haste to get their errands finished and to be in shelter again from
+the keen wind.
+
+"If that is Fitz-Urse, he is walking so as to avoid the appearance of haste
+in case anyone should be looking after him," Ulf muttered to himself. "At
+any rate I will follow him, he is more like the Norman than anyone I have
+yet seen, though he carries his head forwarder and his shoulders more
+rounded." As he watched him, the boy saw that as he increased the distance
+from the palace the man quickened his pace, and when he came into the
+moonlight was stepping rapidly along.
+
+"That is my man," Ulf exclaimed. "He knows well enough that no one is
+likely to be standing at the door, and thinks he need no longer walk
+cautiously." Feeling sure that even if the man looked back he would not be
+able to see him in the shadow, he started forward at a run, paused before
+he reached the edge of the moonlight, and then, as soon as the figure
+entered a lane between some houses, ran forward at the top of his speed.
+The man was but a hundred yards in front of him when Ulf came to the
+entrance of the lane. Just as he turned into it the man stopped and looked
+round, and Ulf threw himself down by the side of a wall.
+
+"That settles it," he said to himself. "No one who had not a fear of being
+followed would turn and look round on such a night as this."
+
+Ulf was barefooted, for although he generally wore soft shoes which were
+almost as noiseless as the naked foot, he was dressed in rags, and a foot
+covering of any sort would have been out of place. Always keeping in the
+shade, having his eyes fixed on the man he was pursuing, and holding
+himself in readiness to leap into a doorway or throw himself down should he
+see him turn his head, he lessened the distance until he was within some
+fifty yards of the other. The man took several turns, and at last entered a
+long street leading down to the river. As soon as Ulf saw him enter it he
+darted off at full speed, turned down another lane, and then, when he got
+beyond the houses, and on to the broken ground that lay between them and
+the river, ran until he was nearly facing the end of the street which he
+had seen the man enter, and then threw himself down.
+
+He had scarcely done so when he saw the figure issue from the street and
+strike across the open ground towards the water. Crawling along on his
+stomach Ulf followed him, until he halted on the bank. The man looked up and
+down the river, stamped his foot impatiently, and then began to walk to and
+fro. Presently he stopped and appeared to be listening; Ulf did the same,
+and soon heard the distant splash of oars. They came nearer and nearer. Ulf
+could not see the boat, for it was close under the bank, which was some
+twenty yards away from him, but presently when the boat seemed almost
+abreast of him the man on the bank said, "Where do you come from?"
+
+"From fishing in deep water," a voice replied.
+
+"That is right, come ashore."
+
+The words were spoken by both in a language Ulf could not understand, and
+he muttered a Saxon oath. The thought that any conversation Fitz-Urse might
+have with a Norman would naturally be in that tongue had never once
+occurred to him. Three men mounted the bank. One shook hands with
+Fitz-Urse, the others had doffed their caps and stood listening bareheaded
+to the conversation between their superiors. It was long and animated. At
+first the stranger stamped his foot and seemed disappointed at the news
+Fitz-Urse gave him, then as the latter continued to speak he seemed more
+satisfied.
+
+For fully half an hour they talked, then the men got into the boat and
+rowed away, and Fitz-Urse turned and walked back to the palace.
+
+Ulf did not follow him. The meeting for which Fitz-Urse had come out had
+taken place, he would be sure to go straight back to the palace. Ulf lay
+there for some time fairly crying with vexation. He had done something, he
+had discovered that Fitz-Urse was indeed engaged in some undertaking that
+had to be conducted with the greatest secrecy; but this was little to what
+he would have learned had he understood the language. His only consolation
+was that both Wulf and Osgod had likewise forgotten the probability that
+the conversations he was charged to overhear might be in Norman.
+
+Had Wulf still been in London he could have gone to him for fresh
+instructions, but he had started at daybreak, and the king's party would
+assuredly ride fast. There was no time to be lost. These men had a boat,
+and probably came from a ship in the port. Were there really a conspiracy
+against the king they might sail north and land in the Humber, though it
+seemed more probable that they would wait for his return, for on his
+journey he would be surrounded by his housecarls, and there would be far
+less chance of finding him alone and unguarded than in London. Had it been
+their intention to sail at once for the North, Walter Fitz-Urse would
+probably have rowed away with them without returning to the palace. At any
+rate it was too important a matter for him to trust to his own judgment,
+and he determined to take counsel with his master.
+
+He had not been near the forge since he had begun the search, and was
+supposed to have gone down to stay with his family, who lived near Reading.
+He had hidden away his apprentice dress beneath some stones in a field half
+a mile from Westminster, and he presented himself in this at the forge in
+the morning.
+
+"You are back sooner than I expected, Ulf," Ulred said as he entered. "I
+did not look for you for another week to come. Is all well at home?"
+
+"All is well, master; but I have a message to deliver to you concerning
+some business."
+
+The armourer saw that his apprentice wished to speak to him in private. He
+knew nothing of the reason for which Osgod had asked him to release the boy
+from his work at the forge for a time, but had quite understood that the
+wish to pay a visit to his family was but a cloak, and that the boy was to
+be employed in some service for Wulf. Guessing, therefore, that the message
+was one that should be delivered in private, he bade the boy follow him
+from the forge and took him into the room above.
+
+"What is it you would say to me, Ulf? Mind, I wish to hear nothing about
+any private matter in which you may be engaged either by Wulf or Osgod.
+They are both away and may not return for a month or more. I judged the
+matter was a private one, as Osgod said nought of it to me."
+
+"The matter is a private one, master, but as they are away I would fain
+take your counsel on it."
+
+The armourer shook his head decidedly. "I can listen to nought about it,
+boy. It can be no business of mine, and unless he has given you license to
+speak I would not on any account meddle with the affairs of the young
+thane, who is a good lord to my son."
+
+"That he has not done, sir; but I pray you to hear me," he added urgently
+as the armourer was turning to leave the room. "It is a matter that may
+touch the safety of our lord the king."
+
+The armourer stopped. "Art well assured of what you say, Ulf?"
+
+"For myself I can say nothing, master, but the young thane told me that he
+had fears that some attempt or other might be made from the other side of
+the sea against the king's life, and that although he had no strong
+grounds, he thought that Walter Fitz-Urse, who had just returned here,
+might be concerned in it, he having reasons for enmity against the king.
+Therefore he appointed me to watch him."
+
+He then related the scene he had witnessed on the river bank the evening
+before.
+
+"It is a strange story indeed, Ulf, and whatever it may mean, this meeting
+can have been for no good purpose. The secrecy with which it was conducted
+is enough to prove it. It is indeed unfortunate that you did not understand
+what was said, for much may depend upon it. Well, this is a grave affair,
+and I must think it over, Ulf. You have done well in telling me. Has any
+plan occurred to you?"
+
+"I thought that you might accompany me, master."
+
+"That would I willingly, but though I have picked up enough of their tongue
+to enable me to do business with the Normans at the king's court when they
+come in to buy a dagger or to have a piece of armour repaired, I could not
+follow their talk one with another. We must obtain someone who can speak
+their language well, and who can be trusted to be discreet and silent. Why,
+were it but whispered abroad that some Normans are plotting against the
+life of the king, there would be so angry a stir that every Norman in the
+land might be hunted down and slain. Do not go down to the forge, I will
+tell my wife to give you some food, and you had best then go up to the
+attic and sleep. You will have to be afoot again to-night, and it were well
+that you kept altogether away from the others, so as to avoid inconvenient
+questions. I will come up to you when I have thought the matter over."
+
+"Is aught troubling you, Ulred?" the armourer's wife asked when breakfast
+was over and the men had gone downstairs again to their work. "Never have I
+seen you sit so silently at the board."
+
+"I am worried about a matter which I have learned this morning. It matters
+not what it is now. Some time later you shall hear of it, but at present I
+am pledged to say no word about it. I want above all things to find one who
+speaks the Norman tongue well, and is yet a true Englishman. I have been
+puzzling my brains, but cannot bethink me of anyone. Canst thou help me?"
+
+"Except about the court there are few such to be found, Ulred. If Wulf of
+Steyning had been here he could doubtless have assisted you had it been a
+matter you could have confided to him; for Osgod said that although he
+himself had learned but little Norman his master was able to talk freely
+with the Norman nobles."
+
+"Ay, he learnt it partly when a page at court. But what you say reminds me
+that it was but yesterday afternoon his friend Beorn came into my shop. He
+had just arrived from his estate, and said how disappointed he was at
+finding that Wulf had left London. I will go to the palace and see him at
+once. I know but little of him save that I have heard from Osgod that he is
+Wulf's firmest friend, and they fought together across in Normandy and
+again against the Welsh. He has been here several times to have weapons
+repaired, and knows that Osgod is Wulf's man. I wonder I did not think of
+him, but my thoughts were running on people of our own condition."
+
+Ulred at once put on his cap and proceeded to the palace, where he found
+Beorn without difficulty.
+
+"You have not come to tell me that the blade I left with you yesterday
+cannot be fitted with a new hilt, Master Ulred? It is a favourite weapon
+of mine, and I would rather pay twice the price of a new one than lose it."
+
+"I have come on another matter, my Lord Beorn. It is for your private ear.
+May I pray you to come with me to my house, where I can enter upon it
+without fear of being overheard?"
+
+"Certainly I will come, Ulred, though I cannot think what this matter may
+be."
+
+"It concerns in some way the Thane of Steyning, my lord, and others even
+higher in position."
+
+"That is enough," Beorn said. "Anything that concerns Wulf concerns me, and
+as he is in the matter you can count on me without question."
+
+Upon reaching his house Ulred left Beorn for a moment in the room upstairs,
+and fetched Ulf down from the attic.
+
+"This is an apprentice lad of mine," he said, "and as it is he who has been
+employed by the Thane of Steyning in this affair, it were best that he
+himself informed you of it."
+
+When Ulf had finished his story Beorn exclaimed, "I will go at once, and
+will put such an affront upon this Walter Fitz-Urse that he must needs meet
+me in mortal combat."
+
+"But even if you slay him, my lord, that may not interfere with the
+carrying out of this enterprise, in which, as we know, another of equal
+rank with him is engaged."
+
+"That is true, master armourer, and I spoke hastily. I thought perhaps it
+was for this that you had informed me of the matter."
+
+"No, my lord; it seemed to me that the first thing was to assure ourselves
+for a certainty that the affair is really a plot against the king's life,
+of which we have as yet no manner of proof, but simply the suspicion
+entertained by my son's master. The first necessity is to find out for a
+truth that it is so, and secondly to learn how and when it is to be carried
+out; and this can only be by overhearing another conversation between the
+plotters. As you have heard, Ulf could have learnt all this if he had but
+understood the Norman tongue. Could I have spoken it well enough to follow
+the conversation I would not have troubled you, but it seemed to me that at
+their next meeting it needed that one should be present who could speak
+Norman well. After considering in vain how to find one who should at once
+know the Norman tongue and be a true and trustworthy Englishman, my
+thoughts fell upon you, of whom I have always heard my son speak as the
+companion and friend of his master, and I made bold to come and lay the
+matter before you, thinking that you might either take it in hand yourself
+or name one suitable for it."
+
+"Certainly I will take it in hand myself," Beorn said, "and right glad am I
+that you came to me. A matter in which the king's life is concerned I would
+trust to no one but myself. And now, how think you shall we proceed? for
+it may well be that these plotters may not meet again for some time, seeing
+that the king is away."
+
+"So it seems to me," the armourer said; "and, moreover, they may in their
+talk last night have appointed some other place of meeting."
+
+"What think you, Ulf?" Beorn said, turning to the boy. "Wulf would not
+have chosen you for this business had he not had a good opinion of your
+shrewdness; and, indeed, you have shown yourself well worthy of his
+confidence."
+
+"I should say, my lord, that I must go on the watch as before. It is most
+likely that the Norman will, sooner or later, go out in the same disguise
+and by the same way as before, and that the hour will be between seven and
+nine in the evening--most likely between seven and eight, in order that he
+may return from the meeting before the bishop's doors are closed for the
+night."
+
+"I will keep watch with you, Ulf. Were I sure that the meeting would take
+place at the same spot as before you should show me where they landed, and
+I would lie down there in readiness, but as they may meet elsewhere, it
+seems to me that I must post myself by your side."
+
+"It would be better, my lord, if you would take your place on the other
+side of the open space, for although I, being small, can escape notice, you
+might well be seen by those approaching the door. It will be necessary,
+too, that you should put on sandals of soft leather or cloth, so that your
+footfall should not be heard. Then, as I follow him, I would run to where
+you are posted, and you could follow me, so that you could keep me in sight
+and yet be beyond his view, for all our plans would be foiled should he
+suspect that he was being followed."
+
+"I will do as you advise. Come with me now and we will fix upon a station
+to night, and afterwards you may be sure of finding me there between
+half-past six and ten. Should you wish to see me at any other time you will
+find me at the palace; I will not stir out between eight and nine in the
+morning. I must say I wish it were warmer weather, for a watch of three
+hours with the snow on the ground--and it is beginning to fall now--is not
+so pleasant a way of spending the evening as I had looked for when I came
+hither."
+
+Beorn went out with Ulf, and they fixed upon a doorway some twenty yards
+from the street down which the Norman had before gone.
+
+"We must hope he will go by the same way," Beorn said, "for should he turn
+to the right or left after issuing from the gate he will have gone so far
+before you can run across and fetch me that we may well fail to pick up his
+track again. It were well if we could arrange some signal by which you
+would let me know should he so turn off. It would not do for you to call or
+whistle."
+
+"No, my lord; but I could howl like a dog. He would but think it some cur
+lying under the wall I might howl once if he turns to the right, twice if
+he turns to the left, and you could then cross the ground in that
+direction, and I could meet you on the way without losing sight of him for
+long."
+
+"That would do well, Ulf, if you are sure you could imitate the howl of a
+dog so nearly that he would not suspect it."
+
+"I can do that," Ulf said confidently. "I have used the signal before with
+my comrades, and to make sure will go out to the fields and practise
+daily."
+
+A month passed. Harold was still away in the North, and complete success
+was attending his journey. The influence of Bishop Wulfstan, who was
+greatly respected throughout the kingdom, did much, but Harold himself did
+more. His noble presence, his courtesy to all, the assurances he gave of
+his desire that all men should be well and justly ruled, that evil-doers of
+whatever rank should be punished, that there should be no oppression and no
+exaction of taxes beyond those borne by the whole community, won the hearts
+of the people. They were, moreover, gratified by the confidence that he had
+shown in coming among them, and in seeing for the first time in the memory
+of man a monarch of England in Northumbria.
+
+Ulf and Beorn had kept regular watch, but without success, and Ulf's
+comrades had as steadily watched the other entrances. Beorn had two or
+three conferences with Ulf. He was becoming impatient at the long delay,
+though he acknowledged that it was possible it had been arranged that no
+more meetings should take place until it was known that Harold was about to
+return. The armourer was perhaps the most impatient of the three. He was
+doing nothing, and his anxiety made him so irritable and captious at his
+work that his men wondered what had come over their master. After fretting
+for three weeks over his own inaction, he one morning told Ulf to go to
+Beorn and say that he begged to have speech with him. An hour later Beorn
+returned with Ulf.
+
+"I bethought me last night, my lord," Ulred said, "while I lay awake
+wondering over the matter, whether these fellows are still on board ship or
+are in lodgings in London."
+
+"It might be either, Ulred. I have frequently thought over the matter.
+Possibly they may have stayed on board their ship till she left, and then
+have come on shore in the guise of peaceful traders."
+
+"If the ship did not return at once they may still be on board," the
+armourer said, "for the wind has blown steadily from the east for the last
+five weeks, and no ships have been able to leave the port. I blame myself
+sorely that I did not think of it before, but at least I will lose no time
+now if you think that good might come of it."
+
+"It would certainly be good if you could find either the ship or the house
+where the men are in lodging, but seeing that you know nothing of their
+appearance or number, nor the name of the ship in which they came nor the
+port she sailed from, I see not how you could set about it."
+
+"I will first go to the port-reeve's office and find out the names of the
+ships that arrived just before the time that the meeting by the river took
+place. She may have come in early that day, or on the day before. They
+would surely send word at once to him that they had arrived."
+
+"You might learn something that way, Ulred, but we do not know that the
+meeting Ulf saw was their first."
+
+"That is true. But as Ulf's friend declares that he certainly had not gone
+out that way during the evenings that he had been keeping watch, it is
+likely that it was their first meeting."
+
+"That is so, Ulred; and at any rate it would be well that you should make
+the inquiries, and that, while we are keeping our watch as before, you
+should try to gather some tidings of the fellows in another way."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+
+A VOYAGE NORTH.
+
+The armourer found without any difficulty that twenty-five vessels,
+exclusive of small coasters, had arrived in the port during the thirty-six
+hours previous to the time of the meeting on the bank. Of these, eighteen
+were from English ports, seven from Normandy, France, or Flanders. Three of
+the latter had sailed away, and of the four remaining in the port two were
+from Rouen, one from Calais, and one from Flanders. Having obtained the
+names of these, he took boat and rowed down the river and ascertained where
+each lay at anchor. He then, with the assistance of some citizens of
+standing of his acquaintance, obtained a view of the manifests of their
+cargoes. The Flemish vessel carried cloth, the other three miscellaneous
+cargoes--wine, dried fish, cloth, and other goods.
+
+The Flemish vessel was the largest, those from Rouen and Calais were about
+the same size. All had discharged their cargoes, and were waiting for a
+change of wind to drop down the river. There was nothing unusual to be
+observed on any of the ships. The men were for the most part down in the
+forecastle, for the weather was too severe for them to lounge about on
+deck. He talked the matter over with Beorn, and they agreed that it was
+most probable that the men would embark from Calais rather than Rouen. It
+was a far shorter and less perilous voyage, and moreover, as Frenchmen they
+could move about without attracting attention, while as Normans they would
+be viewed with a certain amount of hostility and suspicion.
+
+"I will make it my business to watch that vessel. I know not whether any
+good can come of it, but I would fain be doing something. If the wind
+changes she will doubtless proceed to sea, and if they are still on board
+of her they will come ashore, and I could see their numbers and where they
+put up."
+
+"That will indeed be important," Beorn said, "for we should then have two
+places to watch, and should be almost certain to get to the root of the
+matter. But how will you watch her?"
+
+"There are many houses near the water's edge, on the southern side of the
+river near which the ship is lying, she having moved away from the quays
+when she discharged her cargo. I will hire a room in one of these, and will
+there pass as much of my time as I can; and I will take with me my
+apprentice Ernulf, whom I shall bid keep his eye upon the ship whenever I
+myself am away. I need say nothing whatever of the reason of my desire that
+I should be acquainted with everything that passes on board."
+
+Ulred succeeded in getting a room exactly opposite the French vessel, and
+sitting back from the window, was able, himself unseen, to notice
+everything that passed on board the ship, which lay scarce her own length
+from the shore. Upon the third day a boat containing a man wearing an ample
+cloak with a hood, which was pulled far over his face, rowed up to the side
+of the ship, and climbed up right nimbly into her waist.
+
+"It is a Saxon cloak," the armourer said to himself, "but those are Norman
+leggings. The man is tall, and the quickness with which he climbed over
+shows that he is young. I doubt not that it is our man. I would give a
+year's profits of the forge to be hidden down below at present. However, it
+is much to have learnt that this is really the ship, and that the Norman's
+friends are still on board. I would that Wulf were in London. He has a keen
+wit, and would hit on some plan by which we might get to the bottom of the
+matter. Beorn is a brave young thane, and were Wulf here would second him
+valiantly, but he has none of the other's quickness of thought. As soon as
+this fellow leaves the ship I will hurry back to take counsel with him, and
+hear what the boy Ulf, who is a marvellously shrewd little knave, may think
+of the matter."
+
+Half an hour later the boat put off again; a man came to the side with the
+visitor and retired below as soon as he left the ship. Ulred at once
+hurried off, hailed a boat a short distance higher up and was rowed to
+Westminster. As soon as he gained the house he despatched Ulf to Beorn. The
+latter listened to the discovery that had been made, and then asked the
+armourer what he advised should be done.
+
+"That is just what I am at a loss about, my lord. Doubtless were we to go
+to the city and tell the port-reeve that there are men on that craft who
+have designs against the king's life, he would pounce upon them and throw
+them into jail. But we have no evidence to give in support of the charge."
+
+Beorn nodded his head in agreement. "If I had half a dozen of my own men
+here," he said hotly, "I would go down in a boat after nightfall, seize the
+vessel, and put all on board to the sword."
+
+"That would hardly do, my lord," the armourer said gravely. "On the high
+sea doubtless the thing might be done, but here in the port of London it
+would be a desperate undertaking, especially as we have nought that in the
+eyes of the law would in any way justify such action."
+
+"Well, let us have your own advice, then," Beorn said impatiently. "You
+think they cannot be arrested and they may not be slain. What do you
+counsel shall be done!"
+
+"I see nought to do but to continue to wait and to watch. We are better
+off than we were before, inasmuch as we know where these men are."
+
+"Yes, but we do not know where they will be to-morrow, for we know nothing
+of what passed between Fitz-Urse and them; doubtless some settlement of
+their plans has been come to. They may land or may sail away, for methinks
+from the look of the sky there is like to be a change in the weather. You
+see, the Norman may have taken them news that Harold will soon be on his
+way back, for indeed a message arrived from him this morning with news that
+all things had been well-nigh settled, and that he will shortly make for
+York, where he is to wed the sister of the Northern earls. It may be that
+the ship may be bound thither also. You left your apprentice on the watch,
+I suppose?"
+
+"Yes, I bade him keep his eye on the ship, and should any men leave her he
+is to follow on their track and mark their movements."
+
+"At any rate there can be little need for me to watch this evening," Beorn
+said. "As Fitz-Urse has seen the others to-day he cannot want to meet them
+to-night."
+
+"No, that is certain," the armourer agreed; "but with your permission I
+will call Ulf in. I told him before I sent him to you what I had observed.
+Are you going to watch again this evening, boy?" he asked when Ulf entered.
+"Methinks there can be little chance of his going out again to-night."
+
+"I shall keep even a stricter watch than usual, master," Ulf said, "for it
+may be that the agreement at which they arrived to-day is that they sail
+north, and in that case Walter Fitz-Urse may go on board the ship, and hide
+there until the wind changes and they can get up sail."
+
+"I think the boy is right, my lord. In a dark matter like this, where we
+know so little, it behoves us to provide for every chance. But I think not
+that there can be any need for you to be on watch, for it can hardly be
+that they will hold another consultation on the river bank."
+
+Ulf returned soon after ten o'clock. "He has not gone out by my gate,
+master, but I find that my comrade is missing. When I went round as usual
+to the other entrance he was not there."
+
+"Perhaps he was tired and went home."
+
+"No, indeed," the boy replied indignantly; "he has sworn to do what I told
+him, and he knows that it would be bad for him if he broke his word;
+besides, we are sworn comrades. He has never before failed me, and I
+cannot but think that he must have seen the man go out and followed him. I
+instructed him that if at any time he saw a man like the one we are looking
+for he was to follow him wherever he went, and to bring me word whether he
+met anyone and whether he returned to the palace or went into any house. If
+he did so he was to make a small mark on the door-post with chalk, so that
+in the morning he would be able to point it out with surety. I will sit at
+my window and watch, and I warrant it will not be long before he is here."
+
+Half an hour later Ulf heard steps rapidly approaching; then a low whistle.
+He put his head out of the window.
+
+"What is the news, Edwyn?"
+
+"A man came out in a cloak. He was tall. I followed him and heard a sword
+clink under the cloak, and so felt sure it was the man we have been looking
+for. I stole after him. He went straight down to the river and gave two
+short calls. A boat was rowed up. Only a word or two was spoken, and then
+he took his seat in it, and it was rowed away down the river."
+
+"You have done well, comrade," Ulf said. "I warrant that some good will
+come to us through your discovery. Good-night."
+
+Ulf went and knocked at his master's door, and on Ulred opening it he told
+him the news.
+
+"I will go down right early," the armourer said.
+
+"It is beginning to rain, master. The frost has broken, and the wind is
+soft and warm."
+
+"So much the worse, boy. I will be up at daylight, and you shall go down
+the river with me. I may want to send you back with a message to Beorn."
+
+Next morning they had rowed near to London Bridge when they saw a boat
+approaching. The day had broken, but the light was still uncertain. As the
+boat approached, however, Ulf said: "There is a boy in the boat, master,
+and he wears an apprentice's cap. Maybe that it is Ernulf." The other boat
+was keeping close inshore, for the tide had begun to run down. The
+armourer told the boatman to row closer in, and presently called the boy's
+name.
+
+"Yes, master, it is I; I was just coming to you with news."
+
+In a couple of minutes the boats were alongside of each other. "What is
+your news, Ernulf? But I can guess; the ship has sailed."
+
+"Yes, master; I lay down by the open window, and an hour before day broke I
+was aroused by the creaking of ropes, and looking out could see that the
+ship was getting up sail. Tide was then just on the turn, and five minutes
+later her sails were spread and she went down the river. I came off to tell
+you, but was some time before I could get a boat."
+
+"Come on board here, Ernulf," the armourer said, "your message has saved us
+further journey." He then paid off the lad's boatman, and with his two
+apprentices returned to Westminster. "Beorn will be up by this time, Ulf.
+You had best go and tell him the news. I will come with you to save time,
+though I see not that there is aught to be done."
+
+The thane at once came out and chatted for some time with Ulred, while Ulf
+stood by, cap in hand. "It is certain that something should be done, and
+yet I see not what it can be. What think you, boy? I see by your eyes that
+you would fain speak."
+
+"I should say, my lord, that it would be a good thing if we could discover
+whether the Norman is still at the bishop's palace. He may have returned
+early this morning."
+
+"That can easily be done," Beorn said. "I will send my man to the bishop's
+and bid him ask one of the servants if Walter Fitz-Urse is in. He need not
+say that he comes from me, only that he has a message to deliver. If the
+servant says he is there I will bid my fellow slip away when the man goes
+to fetch him down. Supposing he has gone, as I should think he has done,
+what then?"
+
+"Then, my lord, I think there is more danger than if the Norman remained
+here. It may be that the Normans have returned to France and abandoned any
+plans they may have entertained. But it seems to me far more likely that
+they have gone north to carry out the enterprise."
+
+"Whither, think you, will they be bound, Ulf?"
+
+"I should say to the Humber, my lord. They may on landing proceed to York,
+or, if they have really designs against the king's life, may take post
+somewhere on the road down from that city."
+
+"By my faith the boy is right," Beorn said. "What say you, master
+armourer?"
+
+"I say the same, my lord. The villains have slipped through our fingers,
+and we can do nought to stay them. It seems to me that not an hour should
+be lost in sending a warning to the Thane of Steyning."
+
+"I will mount myself and ride north," Beorn said.
+
+"And I, my lord, will at once go down to the port and inquire if there be a
+ship sailing to-day for the Humber. Scarce a day passes that one or more
+do not start for the northern ports. Yes, Ulf, I shall take you with me.
+You are charged with this business by the Thane of Steyning, and I am but
+aiding you in it. I will go straight away to the city, my lord, and if a
+ship be sailing--and after so long a bout of east wind it is like that many
+will be doing so--I will be back in an hour with the news. Maybe I can find
+a quick sailer, and shall be at one of the ports in the Humber before the
+craft that left this morning."
+
+"By the time you return I shall have found out whether Fitz-Urse is at the
+bishop's palace, and shall have my horses ready to mount."
+
+The armourer learnt in the city that several ships for the North had
+already dropped down the river, and that three others were hastily
+completing their lading, and would follow by the next tide. He learnt from
+a trader that one of them was considered especially fast, and being
+acquainted with the owner, he took the armourer with him, and arranged for
+a passage for him and the boy.
+
+"You will have to be on board this afternoon," the owner said. "The
+shipmaster will not waste a tide, but as soon as it turns will up anchor
+and make his way down the river in the dark. He knows the channel well, and
+there will be light enough to enable him to hold on his course all night.
+The east wind may return again, and he might be caught; so he has decided
+to start as soon as the last bale is on board. He knows the sands well, and
+you may reckon on a speedy passage if the wind holds as it is, or even if
+it goes round to the east again, when he is once abreast of Harwich."
+
+On returning to Westminster Ulred learnt from Beorn that Fitz-Urse was
+there no longer, having, as the servant said, left for Normandy.
+
+"I am just starting, Ulred. Which will be at York first, you or I?"
+
+"It depends upon the wind, my lord. A ship can sail night and day, but a
+horse and rider must take some rest. It may be that we shall lay to at
+night, but that must depend upon the shipmaster. If the breeze holds and
+the ship goes on without stopping, methinks we shall be there before you."
+
+"At any rate," Beorn said, "we may feel sure that we shall both be in time.
+Whatever their designs they will have to lay their plans and wait their
+opportunity, and such may not come for some time. Farewell, then, Ulred,
+and a safe voyage to you. As for me, I have had enough of the sea, and
+never wish to set foot on board ship again; for what with the want of space
+and the tossing and the sickness, I would rather pass the time in bonds in
+a prison cell than be cooped up in a ship."
+
+A few minutes later Beorn, attended by his servants, started for the North,
+and in the afternoon Ulred, after giving many orders to his head man as to
+the conduct of his business during his absence, took boat, and with Ulf
+went on board the ship. To the armourer it was a very serious undertaking
+upon which he was embarking. He had never before set foot on board of a
+ship, and a sea-voyage in those days was regarded as a very dangerous
+business. Nothing short of his loyalty to Harold would have induced him to
+have ventured on such an expedition. It was but a few months since that
+the Northumbrians had been burning and sacking the country round
+Northampton, and even putting aside the dangers of the sea, he regarded the
+visit to the North as full of peril.
+
+Ulf on the other hand was delighted. To him the journey was full of
+interest and excitement, and on his return he would be regarded as a great
+traveller by his comrades. His face, therefore, as he climbed on board
+ship, was in strong contrast to the grave and serious visage of his master.
+Before the vessel had passed Greenwich he had made the acquaintance of the
+two ship's-boys, and soon felt perfectly at home on board. He watched with
+great interest other craft that they met or passed, and noted with great
+satisfaction that they overhauled several who had, when first seen, been
+two or three miles ahead. The wind was blowing briskly from the south-west,
+and with her great sail set the vessel ran quickly through the water. Even
+when the tide turned she held on her course, and keeping close inshore made
+good way against it. Many times during the night he went out from the close
+sleeping-place to assure himself that the vessel was still making way.
+When morning broke the tide had again turned, and Ulf found that the vessel
+was now holding her course near the middle of the river, which had widened
+to an extent that seemed wonderful to him.
+
+"Where have we got to now?" he asked one of the boys. "Are we out at sea?
+There does not seem to be any land on the right hand."
+
+"You would see it if it were clear. We are just opposite Foulness."
+
+"The vessel rolls about a good deal."
+
+"Do you feel ill?" the boy laughed. "This is nothing."
+
+"No; I feel hungry, but that is all."
+
+"If the wind holds as it is we shall not have it rougher than this, for we
+shall steer more and more north, and as we always keep inside the sands the
+land will shelter us. The shortest passage is straight ahead, but we
+generally go through a channel between two sands into the Wallet, which
+lies between the sands and the Essex shore. There are not many ship-masters
+who will come down the river below Sheerness at night, and even our master
+would not try it with a falling tide; but even if one does touch when the
+tide is rising, one soon gets off again. She won't roll about so much when
+we get inside the sands; and besides, I heard the master say that he
+thought the wind would fall lighter as the sun got up."
+
+"I should like it to keep on just as it is," Ulf said. "I do not want it to
+blow so hard that we must go into port, and I don't want it to blow so
+light that we shall go slowly."
+
+"What are you in such a hurry for?" the boy asked.
+
+"There are some people my master knows who have gone up in a ship that
+started yesterday morning, and my master wants to be there before them."
+
+"You need not be afraid, he is sure to be there first. Like enough we have
+passed them already. The wind was not so strong yesterday as it was in the
+night, and I expect they had to anchor when the tide turned. If they have a
+master who knows the sands well they may have gone on when the tide turned
+again, but it was likely they would anchor before they got down to
+Sheerness. If they did, we passed them three or four hours ago. But anyhow
+you are sure to be in first. We often beat vessels that started with us, by
+a week. Most of them go outside all the sands when it is fine weather, but
+we always keep inside; and it makes a great difference, for the tides do
+not run so strong, and even with a light wind we can make way against them,
+while those outside have to anchor."
+
+"I can't make out how you can find your way in the dark."
+
+"If it is a thick night and the weather is bad we anchor, but when it is
+clear enough to see the stars, or if the wind is steady so as to give us
+our direction, we go on. There is a man always standing at the side with a
+lead-line, and that tells us the depth of water, which is quite guide
+enough for the master. Of course we never sail in rough weather, for if we
+went on the sand then we should soon go to pieces; but if it is fine when
+we stick fast, which is very seldom, we put out the anchor and lower the
+sail, and go to sleep until the tide floats us again. Come up into the
+top; you can see a great deal farther from there than you can from the
+deck."
+
+Ulf found no difficulty in mounting to the top, although he was much longer
+than his companion in getting up. There were several sail following them,
+and Ulf was surprised at the knowledge his companion showed of vessels that
+appeared to him almost precisely similar.
+
+"The one nearest to us is the Alfred," he said. "I know her by that patch
+on her sail. She trades with Harwich. Those two smaller craft behind are
+bound, I should say, for Colchester or Maldon. That craft two miles ahead
+of us is a foreigner. You can see her sail has a longer yard than the
+others, and the sail is narrower at the bottom than it is at the top. Those
+two or three small craft you see more inshore have passed through the
+channel we shall follow into the Wallet. The farthest one is going on to
+Harwich, the others into the rivers. There is a craft about our own size
+hull down close by the land. She may be going to Harwich, or may be going
+on north. She looks to me like a foreigner. If so, she has come last from
+London. French and Flemish ships do not come within fifty miles of this.
+And now I must go down. We do the cooking, and breakfast must be ready in
+half an hour, or the master will be storming at us."
+
+The wind held steadily from the south-west, and the vessel ran along near
+the shore in smooth water. The armourer had been ill the first night, but
+he came on deck soon after breakfast, and when once the vessel was past the
+mouth of Harwich Bay and was close inland, he soon recovered. On the
+morning of the fourth day after leaving port she entered the mouth of the
+Humber, and by nine o'clock arrived at Hull. Landing at once the armourer
+found a small vessel on the point of starting for York, and in half an hour
+from the time of weighing anchor the tide turned, and they ran rapidly
+along, helped by the flood.
+
+"At what time will you reach York?" the armourer asked the master.
+
+"By daylight to-morrow. We shall sail on until the flood is spent, and then
+anchor and go on again as soon as the ebb has done."
+
+"How far will you be from York when you anchor?"
+
+"We shall most likely get to Selby, some fourteen miles away by the road,
+though farther by the turns of the river."
+
+"Could you put us ashore there, for we are anxious to reach the city as
+soon as possible?"
+
+"Oh, yes. I will put you ashore in the boat either there or wherever else
+we may bring up."
+
+They were three miles short of Selby when the ebb began to come down and
+the anchor was dropped. The armourer and Ulf were at once landed, and
+shouldering their bundles they set out at a brisk pace and passed through
+Selby at four o'clock. No questions were asked them. There was but small
+difference of dress between the people of the various parts of England, and
+it was no unusual sight to see traders and others passing along the road on
+their way to the Northern capital.
+
+"I am right glad to be on firm land again," Ulred said; "for although,
+after the first night, matters have been better than I expected, there was
+always a movement that seemed to make my head swim."
+
+"I liked it, master," Ulf said, "and if it were not that I am going to be
+an armourer I would gladly be a sailor."
+
+"You might not have said so if you had seen bad weather; and moreover, it
+is one thing to be a passenger with nought to do but to amuse yourself, and
+another to be always hauling at ropes and washing down decks as a sailor. I
+am glad night is coming on, for I feel strange in this country I know
+nothing of, and in the dark one place is like another."
+
+"I would much rather walk along this road in the dark," Ulf laughed, "than
+along some of the streets of London, where one may step any moment into a
+deep hole or stumble into a heap of refuse."
+
+"At any rate, in the dark no one can see we are strangers, Ulf, and though
+I should not think there would be robbers on the road so near to York,
+these Danes are rough folk, and I want to meet none of them. One man, or
+even two, I in no ways fear, but when it comes to half a dozen even the
+best sword-player may wish himself out of it."
+
+They met, however, but one or two men on the road, and beyond exchanging
+the usual salutation nothing was said; but Ulred was well pleased when
+about seven o'clock they entered the streets of York.
+
+They had already learned that the royal marriage had taken place on the
+previous day, and that the king was expected to remain in York two days
+longer before journeying south. There was a banquet being held at the
+archbishop's palace, where the king was lodged, and on arriving there they
+found that it would at present be impossible to get at Wulf, as supper had
+just been served. A small bribe, however, was sufficient to induce one of
+the bishop's servants to take the message to Osgod, who would be stationed
+near his master's chair, that his father was at the entrance and prayed him
+to come out to him as soon as possible. A few minutes later the tall Saxon
+came out with an expression of utter bewilderment on his face.
+
+"Is it really you, father, in flesh and blood?" he exclaimed as his eyes
+fell on Ulred.
+
+"I have never been taken for a ghost, Osgod, and if I were to give thee a
+buffet methinks you would have no doubt upon the matter."
+
+"But what brings you here, father? If they had told me that the great Abbey
+tower stood without I could not be more surprised."
+
+"Do you not see that I have brought Ulf with me, Osgod? If your head were
+not so thick you would guess at once that I have come about the business
+with which he was charged."
+
+Osgod looked relieved. That his father should be in York had seemed to him
+so strange and outrageous that he had first doubted his own eyes, and then
+his father's sanity. Now for the first time the object of his coming
+flashed upon him.
+
+"Is there danger, father?"
+
+"Methinks there is great danger. But the story is a long one."
+
+"Then I cannot wait to hear it now, for I must needs return to Wulf. I
+whispered in his ear that I must leave for a moment, but that I should be
+back directly."
+
+"Then just whisper to him again, Osgod, that I have urgent need for speech
+with him. I suppose Beorn has not arrived?"
+
+"Beorn!" Osgod repeated vaguely.
+
+"The Thane of Fareham," the armourer said sharply. "Are your wits
+wool-gathering altogether?"
+
+"No, he is not here; nor has Wulf said a word of his coming, as he
+assuredly would have done had he expected him."
+
+"Well, when I tell you that he is riding from London, while I have come
+thence by sea, you may suppose that we thought the matter urgent."
+
+"I will tell Wulf at once, father, but I am sure that he cannot come out
+for an hour yet."
+
+"The matter will keep that while. I will go and look for a lodging for us
+and get something to eat, for we have walked some seventeen miles, and my
+legs are not so accustomed to exercise as my arms. In an hour we will be
+here again."
+
+Ulred and his apprentice had returned to the gate of the bishop's palace
+but a few minutes when Wulf came out, followed by Osgod. "Your message must
+be an important one, indeed, Ulred, to cause you to leave the forge and to
+undertake so long a voyage. And you say Beorn is riding hither on the same
+errand?"
+
+"He is. It is a sort of race between us, and it seems that we have won."
+
+"Let us step aside from here," Wulf said. "There are too many gathered
+about to stare at the guests as they come and go for us to talk unobserved.
+The cathedral yard is close by, and there will be no fear of eaves-droppers
+there."
+
+"It is Ulf's story," the armourer said when they reached the shadow of the
+cathedral. "It is to him that the matter was committed, and though he was
+forced to take me into his confidence, the merit of following up the
+matter, if merit there be, is his."
+
+Ulf accordingly related the story of his watching, the discovery he had
+made by the river, and how Walter Fitz-Urse had been afterwards seen to
+embark and had not returned. Ulred then stated how he had discovered the
+ship from which the boat had come, and had seen the Norman go on board, and
+how, when he learned that the ship had sailed, he had, after seeing Beorn,
+taken passage in another vessel. "We have come up fast," he said, "and the
+opinion of the master was that we have gained a full day on any craft that
+started that morning. Of course, we know not that the villains have come
+hither; they may have returned to France, they may have gone up some of the
+other rivers in order to take post on the road the king will follow on his
+way south. But at any rate we felt it right that you should know that
+Fitz-Urse, with those with whom he has been holding secret communication,
+have left London."
+
+"You have done rightly indeed, Ulred, and in the king's name and for myself
+I thank you heartily. Of course, we are still without any proof that
+Fitz-Urse is conspiring against the king's life. It was unfortunate indeed
+that Ulf did not understand the first conversation he heard, but I ought to
+have foreseen that it was likely that any talk Fitz-Urse might have with
+others would be in Norman. I cannot think now how I could have overlooked
+such a probability. Of course, in the years that he has been over here he
+has learnt to speak our language, but it would be with Normans he would
+deal in the matter of which we suspect him. I will give myself the night to
+think over the matter before I decide what steps we had better take. Inside
+the bishop's palace, at any rate, the king is safe, and, as you say, it is
+not likely that the Normans can be here for a day at least. If their ship
+is a French one the master will be ignorant of the dangers of the coast,
+and instead of threading his way through the channels of the sands, as your
+master did, will have held his course far outside them. I would we knew how
+many men are engaged in the matter."
+
+"As to that we have no clue," the armourer said. "There was the man of his
+own rank and the other two who met him on the bank, but whether these were
+all, or whether there were a score of others on board the ship, I know not.
+Certainly none showed themselves on the deck while I was watching them. But
+this proves nothing. They would naturally be kept in concealment, for had
+there been an unusual number of men on board, inquiries would have been
+made as to whom they were and their business."
+
+"I will meet you here at seven to-morrow morning, Ulred, and we shall then
+have time to talk the matter over more fully."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+
+AN ATTEMPT AT ASSASSINATION.
+
+When Wulf met the armourer next morning in the cathedral close he was
+accompanied by Beorn, who said, laughing, to the latter, "You have beaten
+me fairly, friend Ulred, and it is well that I had no wager with you on the
+race. But it was not by much, for I rode in here as the bells were chiming
+eleven. I was glad to hear from Wulf when I roused him up that he had
+learnt all the news from you, for indeed I was sore weary, and was right
+pleased to wrap myself in my cloak and go straight to sleep instead of
+having to sit up for an hour expounding my story."
+
+"We have resolved in the first place, Ulred, to say nought of this matter
+to the king," began Wulf. "He will have enough to occupy all his thoughts
+in the affairs of the kingdom, and in the second place his nature is so
+open that he will refuse to believe in such villainy unless upon strong
+proof, and of actual proof we have none. Beorn's appearance here will
+excite no surprise. He will say that having nought in particular to occupy
+him he had ridden north to be at the wedding, and finding that he was too
+late, would at any rate ride back with the king. With him and me and Osgod
+ever on the watch, methinks there will be little fear of a surprise; and it
+is by surprise only that they can succeed, for Harold himself is a match
+for any four or five ordinary men if he has but time to draw his sword. I
+will, however, on some excuse have half a score of Harold's housecarls
+placed under my orders, and sleeping or waking the king shall never be a
+moment unguarded.
+
+"I should not think it is likely that Fitz-Urse will have more than five or
+six men associated with him in such an enterprise. He would not take more
+into his confidence than he could help, and six would suffice as well as a
+score for a surprise; and that number could travel in disguise without
+exciting attention, while twenty would assuredly do so; therefore I feel
+sure that we shall not have to deal with more than six, including the two
+leaders. Ulf, do you station yourself at the river-bank and mark any
+vessels arriving. If the men come hither they will probably do as you did,
+leave their ship at Hull and come up by a local trader. They would thus
+avoid all questions they might be asked if passing through the country on
+foot."
+
+"And what is there for me to do, my lord Wulf?" the armourer said.
+"Frankly, I have gone so far in this matter that I would fain see it
+through."
+
+"Of course we reckon upon you, Ulred. I have been talking it over with
+Beorn, and it seemed to us that the best thing will be for you to ride with
+Osgod. You can either make some slight change in your clothes and ride as a
+man of mine, or you can ride as Osgod's father, who, having come up here on
+matters connected with your business, have obtained permission to ride in
+my train with him. I will see that you have that permission."
+
+"I care not how I go so that I can be at hand if there is a blow to be
+struck for the king."
+
+"Then in that case, Ulred, it were best you went as my man, for you would
+then have the entry of the houses where the king will stop and can aid us
+in keeping guard."
+
+"That will do well for me," Ulred replied. "Ulf had best journey back as he
+came. He might go by ship after the king has left here."
+
+"No, he shall travel with us. I will see the chamberlain who has charge of
+the arrangements of the journey, and will get leave for him to ride in the
+waggons with the servants."
+
+During the three days before the king left York Ulf kept a vigilant watch
+over the boats that came up the river, but he could see nothing of the men
+he was searching for. Wulf had bought a horse for the armourer, and when
+they started the latter took his place by Osgod's side, while Ulf was
+seated in one of the waggons. The king rode with Bishop Wulfstan, next to
+them rode the four thanes who had accompanied them through their journey,
+and next to these Wulf and Beorn came on together. Behind came the queen's
+litter, with a guard of housecarls, the main body of whom rode just behind,
+while the waggons and servants brought up the rear.
+
+"We need not trouble ourselves on the march, Beorn. It is not while the
+king rides with so strong a following that the blow will be struck."
+
+"I see not when they can ever get a chance," Beorn said. "The king will
+stop always at religious houses, and they will scarcely storm a convent to
+get at him."
+
+"They would not attempt to storm it, Beorn, but they might enter it
+secretly. But for my own part I think the most dangerous time is when he
+mounts or dismounts. There is always a crowd assembled to see him, and two
+or three reckless men might rush forward and stab him."
+
+"It would be at the cost of their own lives," Beorn objected.
+
+"It might be, but they would reckon much on the confusion that would
+follow, and might think so to get away. They would probably have horses
+somewhere close at hand, and might ride for the port where they had left
+their ship. It is a great stake they are playing for, and doubtless they
+are desperate men; though they would know the danger they might calculate
+that some at least would escape to claim the reward. Then again, they
+might manage to mingle with the servitors at one of the places where we
+stop. This would not be difficult, for many beside the usual establishment
+would be hired to aid in the preparations for the reception of the king.
+That might be their safest plan, for were he stabbed suddenly at a meal the
+assassins might very well escape in the confusion."
+
+The first night they slept at a monastery at the village of Bautre. The
+establishment was but a small one, and could entertain only the king and
+queen, with the thanes and their personal attendants. The rest of the train
+were lodged in the village. Although they had little fear that an attack
+would be ventured in so quiet a village where the presence of strangers
+would at once attract attention, Wulf, Beorn, and Osgod kept watch in turns
+all night in the corridor. The night passed without cause of alarm, and the
+next day they rode to Nottingham, where they were lodged in the bishop's
+palace. Beorn and Wulf agreed that this was the place where there was the
+greatest likelihood of an attack being made on Harold's life. The ship
+might have sailed up the river and landed her passengers a few miles from
+the town, where, among the number of country people who would flock in to
+obtain sight of the king, no one would think of questioning strangers. The
+armourer and Ulf were charged to wander about the streets, and to closely
+scan every face. Wulf had with some difficulty obtained from Harold the
+command of twelve of the soldiers.
+
+"I have my reasons, my lord king, though I would rather not state them. I
+would remind you that I have shown that it is not my habit to take alarm
+lightly. Your brother Gurth laughed at me when I begged to watch over his
+camp with my housecarls, and I saved him from a sudden attack by the Welsh
+thereby."
+
+"Then you think that there is danger of an attack upon me, Wulf?"
+
+"I said not so, my lord. I have only begged you to appoint twelve of your
+men to obey my orders solely, during your journey to London."
+
+"You shall do as you like, Wulf," the king said at last. "You have proved
+yourself brave as well as prudent before now, and are not given to vain
+fears, therefore do as you please, but let me know nought about it. I shall
+have to receive the visits of all the thanes of the neighbourhood when I
+reach Nottingham, and the same in other towns. There will be many persons
+coming in with petitions for the redress of grievances, and I would not
+have my thoughts disturbed by other matters."
+
+"You shall know nought about it, my lord," Wulf said. "It is like enough
+that nothing will come of the matter, and none will be more glad than
+myself to find that I am mistaken."
+
+Orders accordingly had been given to the officer of the king's guard to
+hand over twelve of his men to Wulf, and the latter had begged him to
+choose twelve of his most intelligent men for this service. As soon as they
+reached Nottingham Wulf took his small command aside.
+
+"You have been chosen," he said, "for a special duty. I have learned that
+there are disaffected men who may possibly make an attempt on the king's
+life. You are to say no word of what I tell you to anyone. Meet me over by
+that wall half an hour after sunset. Gather quietly one by one so as to
+attract no attention. You will be posted round the palace, to keep watch
+and ward during the night. As soon as it is daylight half of you will lie
+down and sleep till mid-day, and then be in readiness for fresh duty. The
+others I will instruct as to where to hold themselves. The king will remain
+here two days, and watch must be kept over his safety night and day."
+
+As soon as their apartments were assigned to the different guests Wulf went
+outside and examined the windows of the rooms to be occupied by the king.
+They were on the first floor, and looked into a garden surrounded by a high
+wall.
+
+"At any rate, there is little fear of a successful surprise from this
+side," Wulf said to Beorn, who was with him. "It would need a ladder to
+scale the wall; this would have to be pulled up for them to descend into
+the garden, and then carried across to mount to the window. If we post
+Ulred with two men here and let four others lie down near to change guard
+every two hours, it will be ample, for on an alarm being given, the Normans
+however numerous will see that their attempt must fail. We can therefore
+send the other six to bed after supper is over, for we cannot suppose that
+they would be so daring as to force their way into the palace at any other
+point."
+
+As soon as it was dark Ulred and six of the soldiers were placed in the
+garden; the others were directed to hold themselves in readiness to take
+their post in the banqueting-hall. Just before the bell sounded for supper
+Wulf was told that a boy desired to speak to him at the gate. He hurried
+out, and, as he expected, saw Ulf waiting there.
+
+"What news, Ulf,--hast seen Walter Fitz-Urse?"
+
+"I have not seen him, my lord, but I am sure that I heard him speak. There
+was a great crowd in the square after the king had entered, and among those
+round me I heard one man speak to another in a foreign tongue, and the
+voice was assuredly that of Walter Fitz-Urse. It was but two or three words
+he said, but having listened to him for well-nigh half an hour that night
+by the river, I am certain I was not mistaken in the voice. Close beside me
+were two cowled monks, and I believe that it was one of them who spoke. I
+looked round at the faces of the other men standing near, but they all
+seemed honest countrymen or town folk. I should have followed the monks to
+see where they went, but at that moment there was a rush among the crowd to
+see some mummers who had just commenced their antics, and I was swept along
+by it; and though I have been searching ever since, and have so stared up
+into the cowls of monks, that I have been cursed as an insolent boy many
+times, I have not seen our man."
+
+"Thanks, Ulf. It is something to have learned that he is here. As to his
+disguise, he may by this time have changed it. Still, I will be on my
+guard, and will take care that no cowled monk approaches too closely to the
+king. Take your place here at the gate and watch all who come in and out,
+and if you see aught suspicious send in a soldier, whom I will place by
+your side, to fetch me out."
+
+One of the men was accordingly placed with the boy with orders to come to
+Wulf, whether at the table or in the king's room, the moment Ulf told him
+to do so. When the others went into the banquet Wulf posted two men just
+outside the door, and placed the other three back against the wall nearest
+to the king's chair. Here, standing against the arras, they were concealed
+from the sight of the guests by the crowd of servitors passing to and fro.
+
+"Stand with your hands on your daggers," Wulf said to them, "and watch
+every man who approaches the king, no matter of what degree he may appear.
+Be ready to spring forward in an instant if you see his hand go to his
+dagger."
+
+The bishop and king sat next to each other in the centre of the table on
+the dais; on either side were the king's thanes, abbots and other
+dignitaries of the church, and the nobles of the country. Wulf and Beorn
+had begged to be excused from supping, and permission had been readily
+granted by the king, as he knew that the bishop would be glad at having two
+extra seats at his disposal; and they also, standing back by the wall,
+closely scrutinized the movements of the attendants. It was a relief to
+them when supper was over and the bishop and his principal guests retired
+to a private room. The five soldiers were then told that they would not be
+required until morning.
+
+Wulf went out to the gate, and learnt from Ulf that he had seen no one
+enter whom he took for Fitz-Urse.
+
+"He may have gone in by some other entrance, my lord," he said, "for there
+are three or four ways into the palace."
+
+"We shall be on watch inside, Ulf. You need stay no longer. Be here in the
+morning at seven."
+
+After the king and queen had retired to bed and the palace was quiet Wulf,
+Beorn, and Osgod stole from their room, and noiselessly passed along the
+corridors until they came to the king's apartment, and then lay down across
+the door. They were to keep watch in turns, Osgod being told to keep the
+first watch and to rouse Wulf at midnight. This he did, and Wulf lay for
+some time listening intently. The corridor was faintly lit by two lamps,
+one at either end. Wulf had chosen the middle watch, because he thought
+that if any attempt was made it would be soon after midnight, as the
+assassins would wish to have many hours of darkness in which to make their
+escape. He knew that Beorn was a sound sleeper, and could scarcely be
+trusted to keep awake from midnight until four o'clock, and that it were
+best he himself watched during that time.
+
+Half an hour passed, and then he heard a very slight noise. A moment later
+four figures appeared at the end of the corridor. He dared not wake his
+companions, for they might speak or move, but he grasped his sword-hilt,
+having drawn the blade in readiness when Osgod woke him. The men advanced
+stealthily, and as they approached he saw they had drawn swords in their
+hands. They paused a few paces away, and in a whisper one said:
+
+"Here are three fellows asleep; what shall we do with them?"
+
+"Draw your daggers and stab them to the heart," another replied. "Each take
+one, and do not bungle over it. As you strike I will open the door and rush
+in. Now!"
+
+Wulf had gathered his legs under him in readiness to spring to his feet as
+soon as he saw the figures, and as they swiftly advanced he leapt up with a
+shout and crossed swords with the man nearest to him.
+
+"Cut him down! Kill him! It is too late to draw back now!" one of the men
+cried. The others, who had recoiled a moment when Wulf sprang up, rushed at
+him just as he cut down the man he had first engaged.
+
+"Cut them down and fly!" the one who had before given orders exclaimed,
+lunging furiously at Wulf.
+
+"Easier said than done, Walter Fitz-Urse!" Wulf exclaimed, as he parried a
+blow and dealt one in return. It lighted on his opponent's shoulder, but
+the blade shivered in his hand, for it had fallen upon mail armour
+concealed under the Norman's garment.
+
+"It is my turn now!" Fitz-Urse exclaimed, and raised his sword to strike a
+sweeping blow at Wulf's head, but before it could fall the latter leapt
+forward and caught the uplifted wrist, the impetus of the spring throwing
+his opponent backwards, while Wulf fell heavily upon him, and for a moment
+they rolled over and over. But Wulf was by far the most powerful, and
+speedily got the upper hand. He had not noticed that his opponent, while
+holding his sword in his right hand, had his dagger already drawn in his
+left. The sword had flown from Fitz-Urse's hand as he fell, and Wulf,
+believing him to be powerless, glanced round to see how the fray went with
+the others, when the Norman stabbed him deeply in the side. Before he could
+repeat the blow Wulf snatched his own dagger from his girdle and buried it
+in the assassin's throat Then he raised himself on his left hand. It was
+but a matter of seconds since the fight had commenced, but it was already
+over. Osgod had slain one man, Beorn was following a flying opponent down
+the corridor, and Harold, sword in hand, had just rushed from his chamber.
+Wulf saw no more, but fell over insensible by the side of his adversary.
+
+"What is all this?" Harold shouted as he turned to Osgod, the only figure
+standing, raising his sword as he spoke, for in the dim light he did not
+recognize him.
+
+"It means, my lord, that there has been an attempt on your life. I am
+Osgod, Wulf's man. I fear my brave young master is killed!" and he dropped
+on his knees by Wulf's side. By this time doors were opening all along the
+corridor, and the king's thanes and other guests, awakened by Wulf's shout
+and the clashing of swords, were pouring out, armed with the first weapon
+they could snatch up.
+
+"Bring lights!" Harold shouted. "My life has been attempted, and I fear
+that the brave Thane of Steyning is killed."
+
+The alarm spread fast, and the palace so lately hushed and silent was now
+in an uproar, while the bishop with many other ecclesiastics, with
+servants, retainers, and men-at-arms, mingled with the thanes.
+
+"Keep all back!" Harold cried. "Let none approach these bodies until we
+have examined them."
+
+Torches were soon brought. Harold seized one, and bent over Wulf's body.
+
+"Is he dead?"
+
+"His heart beats, but feebly, my lord," Osgod replied.
+
+"Where is he hurt?"
+
+"There is a great patch of blood here on his right side just over the hip.
+I see no other sign of a wound."
+
+"We will carry him into my chamber," the king said. "But no; I forgot, the
+queen is there. We will take him into the room opposite; it matters not
+whose it is. Now, Osgod, aid me to lift him gently. Bishop, I pray you send
+for the leeches most skilled in the treatment of sword wounds in the city."
+Then he and Osgod carried Wulf into the chamber opposite his own, and laid
+him on a pallet.
+
+"Now see to the staunching of the flow of blood till the leeches arrive. I
+must inquire into this matter. Who knows aught about it?" he asked as he
+went out into the corridor.
+
+"I do, my lord king," Beorn replied as he pushed his way through the
+throng. "It was a plot to take your life. Wulf, his man Osgod, and myself
+had no certain knowledge of it, but we had cause for suspicion, and
+therefore lay outside your door. We were to take it in turns to watch.
+Wulf was on guard, and as I awoke at his shout I saw him cut down that
+villain who lies there with a cleft skull There were three others. I fell
+upon one, Osgod took another, while Wulf engaged the man who seemed to be
+the leader. Wulf's sword broke, but he closed with his opponent and they
+fell together. Osgod ran his man through, and my opponent fled. I could not
+catch him until he reached the door, but as that was closed he could fly no
+farther, and I slew him there."
+
+"Who and what are these men, good Beorn?"
+
+"They are, I believe, Normans; but I know naught for certain beyond the
+fact that the leader, he with whom Wulf was engaged, is Walter Fitz-Urse,
+who was a page of the Bishop William of London, and was well known at the
+court."
+
+Exclamations of fury and indignation broke from those around, with the
+cries of "Death to the Normans!"
+
+Harold raised his hand. "Silence, my friends. Let us be fair and just as it
+becomes Englishmen. There are villains of all nations, and it is not
+because four caitiffs have thought to do a good service to their duke by
+getting rid of me that we should blame men who will abhor this crime as
+much as we can do. First let us see if Beorn is right as to this man. Hold
+a torch to his face. It is Fitz-Urse truly. He was of knightly blood, but
+has died in a most unknightly business. Wulf's dagger is still in his
+throat. Let us see if we know anything of the others."
+
+"I think that you will find them all strangers, my lord," Beorn said. "I
+believe they came from beyond the sea to do this deed."
+
+The man whom Wulf had first slain was evidently by his dress a person of
+some rank; the other was of inferior station, as was also, as it was found,
+the man Beorn had killed.
+
+"Now, my lord bishop," the king said calmly, "we have a right next to ask
+you how these men came to be in your palace. Know you aught of them?"
+
+"I know nothing of them," the bishop replied. "So far as I am aware I have
+never seen any of their faces before, and assuredly they were not here with
+my cognizance. I will at once question all my people shrewdly, and woe be
+to him who has admitted strangers here unknown to me at the time when you
+were beneath my roof."
+
+"And have this house searched from basement to roof, bishop. It may be that
+there are others in hiding."
+
+"With your permission, my lord," said Beorn, "I will at once take your men,
+of whom we have posted six under your window, and will call up some more
+and search the town. It is likely that there are others without with horses
+held in readiness for these assassins to escape."
+
+"Do so, Beorn. It will be well if we can catch some at least, so that we
+can get to the bottom of this matter."
+
+The bishop at once ordered his armed retainers to accompany Beorn, and then
+proceeded to interrogate his officials and the domestics, and to see that
+the latter made a complete search of the palace. All denied any knowledge
+of strangers having entered, and the search revealed nothing but four
+monks' gowns and hoods found wrapped up in a bundle in a small room
+downstairs. Further questions had been then put. Some of the domestics
+remembered that four monks had entered the palace late in the evening, and
+one of the under chamberlains said that he had seen them, and they had told
+him that they had just arrived from Flanders, and craved permission to
+sleep in the palace for the night, as they were going on to Peterborough in
+the morning. He had told them that this was impossible, as he could give no
+permission without the leave of the bishop, who was at present with the
+king and could not be disturbed, and that, moreover, every room in the
+palace was occupied. He had given them the address of a citizen, who would
+he was sure take them in. They had thanked him, and said that they would go
+there, but doubtless instead of doing so they had slipped aside, and had
+hidden themselves in the room where their gowns were found. It was one used
+only for the storage of garments for poor travellers who came along, and no
+one was likely to enter it on such an evening.
+
+This discovery was a great relief to the bishop and all within the palace,
+as it showed that they were not there with the connivance of any of the
+prelate's people. Before the matter was fully unravelled Beorn returned.
+They had in a quiet spot a short distance from the palace come upon two men
+with six horses. Before they could run up and seize them the two men had
+leapt up into the saddles and galloped furiously away. Unfortunately the
+other four horses had followed, and immediate pursuit was therefore
+impossible. The housecarls had run to the spot where their horses were
+stabled and had gone off in pursuit, but Beorn feared that the men would
+have far too great a start to be overtaken. One of the officers had ridden
+with the housecarls, and Beorn had told him to keep by the river-bank, as
+the men would assuredly make for a ship that was lying somewhere down the
+river, though whether at a distance of two miles or of twenty he knew not.
+Long before Beorn's return Wulf's wound had been examined. Unguents had
+been poured into it and bandages applied. The surgeons were of opinion that
+it was a very grave one, but that at present they could not say how the
+matter would terminate.
+
+"Your story will keep till the morning, Beorn," the king said. "It is still
+five hours to daylight, and we may as well retire to rest, unless, indeed,
+you know that there are others engaged in the affair in London or elsewhere
+who should be arrested before the news of the night's business reaches
+them."
+
+"I know of none such," Beorn said, "and believe that these four and the two
+who have escaped were alone concerned in it. I will bring with me in the
+morning a man and a boy who know more than I do of the matter; they and
+Osgod, with whom Wulf will assuredly have talked it over, will be able to
+tell you all that was known up to the moment when these men entered the
+palace."
+
+The armourer and Ulf told their story in the morning, and Beorn took
+Osgod's place by Wulf's bedside, while he too was questioned by the king.
+The latter then went to Wulf's chamber.
+
+"What say the leeches this morning, Beorn?
+
+"They are somewhat more hopeful, my lord. They say that his heart beats
+more strongly than it did last night, Osgod says that he has not moved or
+opened his eyes, but they say that this is not a bad sign, and that it may
+be anxiety has brought on an exhaustion, for his breathing is more like
+that of one who sleeps than of a man wounded to death."
+
+"His face has grieviously changed since yesterday," the king said sadly,
+looking down upon Wulf. "I would give my right hand rather than that he
+should die. You have of a surety saved my life among you, Beorn, you and
+his stout man-at-arms and the worthy armourer and that shrewd apprentice of
+his for had they entered my chamber and taken me unawares they would have
+slain me without doubt."
+
+"I have done the best I could since I learnt from the armourer the
+suspicion that Wulf entertained, but the whole thing is Wulf's doing. Had I
+heard that Walter Fitz-Urse was back in London I should have given the
+matter no further thought than that it was one Norman the more. It was, as
+he told me, some words that Baron de Burg said when he saw him over in
+Normandy the other day that first set him thinking. Then, he could not
+understand why Fitz-Urse should return to London at this time, when Normans
+are not overwelcome there, and this caused him to have some sort of
+suspicion as to his reasons for undertaking such a journey, and determined
+him to set a watch on the fellow's movements. Had it been any other than
+Wulf who had so acted I should have laughed at his suspicions. But he is as
+a brother to me, and knowing how sharp are his wits I am always well
+content to follow him without question. I first heard of the matter after
+the discovery that the Norman was having secret meetings with some of his
+countrymen who were concealed on board a ship, and I at once felt sure that
+Wulf had not been running on a false trail, and so did the little I could
+to aid those who had the matter in hand."
+
+"You have done well, Beorn, though as you say it is doubtless Wulf to whom
+the chief credit is due. I regretted at first that the other two men had
+escaped, but had they been taken they might, to save their own lives, have
+implicated others, and I might have been forced to lay a complaint against
+the Duke of Normandy. As it is now, the matter is at an end. Four men have
+tried to murder me, and have been killed. Their bodies have been buried
+this morning, and there is no more to be said about it.
+
+"I was obliged to go down and show myself to the people an hour since, for
+they assembled in a great crowd, clamouring to see me so that they might
+know I was safe. I told them that while I thanked them for their loyal
+care, there was nought to be alarmed about. It was true that there had been
+an attempt on my life by four men, of whom the leader had a private grudge
+against me for a disservice I did him some years ago, but that all had been
+killed by my guards without even penetrating my chamber, and that I had run
+no sort of personal risk, nor had I any reason whatever to suppose that the
+malefactors had accomplices either within or without the palace."
+
+Late in the evening, when the surgeons were applying pungent salts to his
+nostrils, Wulf opened his eyes. Osgod was standing beside him holding one
+of his hands.
+
+"It is all well, master," he said. "We finished them all off, and no harm
+has happened to the king. You have been hurt, but I hope you will soon be
+better. The leeches say that you are not to talk, and you had best sleep as
+much as you can. They have got some stuff for you to drink here; do you
+lie still and I will pour it between your lips."
+
+A look of intelligence came into Wulf's eyes as Osgod spoke; he smiled
+faintly, and murmured, "Thank God, the king is safe!" He swallowed a few
+spoonfuls of the potion Osgod held to his lips, and then closing his eyes
+his regular breathing soon showed that he was again asleep. On the
+following day the king proceeded on his way to London, Beorn remaining to
+nurse Wulf. The king would have loaded Ulred with presents, but the sturdy
+armourer refused to receive anything save a small gold cup in remembrance.
+
+"I want no reward for doing my duty," he said. "I have my trade that keeps
+me, and should be no happier were I laden with money. All that I have done
+in the matter has been to watch for a few hours at a window, and to make a
+journey by ship to York, and I should be ashamed of myself indeed if I
+could not take that slight trouble for my king without looking for a
+reward."
+
+As to Ulf he was thanked and praised, but the king decided to take no steps
+to alter his condition until Wulf should be well enough to be consulted in
+the matter. It was a fortnight before the doctors were able to state with
+any confidence that the young thane was on the road towards recovery, and
+still another month before he had gained sufficient strength to be carried
+in a litter to London.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+
+THE NORTHERN INVASION.
+
+The news of Harold's marriage to Ealdgyth put an end to the demands of
+William of Normandy that Harold should take one of his daughters to wife,
+and in the complaints that he addressed to all Christendom against Harold
+the breach of his promise in this respect was placed far more prominently
+than his failure to carry out his oath to be the duke's man. It must have
+been evident indeed to all that it was beyond the power of the English king
+to keep this oath, obtained from him by force and treachery. He had been
+elected by the voice of the English people, and had no more power than the
+meanest of his subjects to hand the crown they had bestowed to another.
+
+The breach of this oath, however, served to obtain all the aid that the
+church could give to William. Harold was solemnly excommunicated, and the
+struggle for which the duke was preparing thereupon assumed the character
+of a sacred war. In England itself the Bull of excommunication had no
+effect whatever. The great bulk of bishops and clergy were Englishmen, and
+thought far more of their king than of any foreign prince or prelate. Even
+the bishops and abbots of Norman blood disregarded the commination, and
+remained staunch to Harold. He had been a generous patron to the church,
+had maintained them in all the privileges and dignities that Edward had
+bestowed upon them, and possessed the love of the whole English people;
+therefore, in spite of bann and interdict the churches remained open,
+services were held as usual, and people were married and buried as if the
+Papal Bull had never been issued.
+
+But it was not so on the Continent. The Norman barons as a body had at
+first refused to support the duke in an invasion of England, but as
+individuals they had been brought round to join in William's project, and
+to give far more aid in ships and men than they were bound to do by their
+feudal engagements. Having accomplished this, William issued an invitation
+to all adventurous spirits in Europe to join him in his crusade against the
+excommunicated King of England, promising that all should share alike in
+the plunder of England and in the division of its land. The bait was a
+tempting one. Some joined the enterprise merely for the sake of gaining
+glory under the banner of one who was regarded as the greatest military
+leader in Europe, others were influenced by love of gain, while, as in the
+crusades, numbers joined to obtain absolution for past misdeeds by taking
+part in an enterprise blessed by the Pope. Thus the force which William was
+collecting greatly exceeded that which the resources of Normandy alone
+could have set on foot.
+
+Among the first to hurry to the court of William, as soon as Harold's
+accession to the throne was known, was Tostig, in whose mind the refusal of
+Harold to embark in a civil war for his sake, and to force him upon the
+people of Northumbria in spite of their detestation of him, was an injury
+not to be forgiven. The fact that Tostig was ready thus to sacrifice
+England to his own private quarrel showed a baseness and recklessness that
+could hardly be expected from his early career. William naturally accepted
+the alliance, received Tostig's oath of allegiance, and aided him in
+fitting out a number of ships manned by Norman and Flemish adventurers.
+Evading the watch kept by the English fleet they crossed the sea, landed,
+and plundered and ravaged a considerable extent of country, and then
+retired, Tostig being enraged that William of Normandy was unwilling to
+send an expedition to act in concert with him until the whole of his plans
+were prepared and his great army ready for sea.
+
+Normandy indeed had been converted into a vast camp. In every port great
+numbers of workmen laboured night and day building ships, for Normandy had
+ceased to be a naval power, and its shipping was utterly insufficient to
+carry the great army across. Tostig, impatient and hasty, thought no more
+of the oath of allegiance that he had sworn to William. Driven from
+Yorkshire by the forces of the northern earls he sailed to Scotland, where
+he was welcomed by King Malcolm, both as a sworn brother and as the enemy
+of England. From Scotland he entered into negotiations with Harold Hardrada
+of Norway. This warlike monarch was in a fit mood to listen to his
+advances; he had for years been engaged in a struggle with Denmark, which
+he had ineffectually attempted to conquer, and had at last been forced to
+conclude a treaty of peace with Sweyn, its king.
+
+Tostig had already endeavoured by personal persuasions to induce Sweyn to
+revive his claim to the crown of England, and to undertake its conquest;
+but he altogether declined to undertake so dangerous and difficult an
+enterprise, and Tostig had then turned to Harold of Norway. Whether his
+interview with him was before he went to Scotland or whether he went thence
+to Norway is a point on which historians differ. Some deny that any
+interview took place, but the balance of probability lies strongly in
+favour of an early interview, at which Harold entered heartily into
+Tostig's plans, and began at once to make preparations for the enterprise.
+
+It was certain that an invading force from Norway would land in
+Northumbria, and Harold, although he might not be able to rely greatly upon
+the assistance of the northern earls as against the Normans, knew that they
+would do their best to defeat an expedition landing on their own shores,
+especially when Tostig was a sharer in the invasion. His own thoughts were
+wholly bent upon repelling the mighty expedition gathering in Normandy, and
+for this purpose, by immense efforts, he collected the greatest army and
+fleet that had ever been got together in England. An incessant watch was
+kept up along the coast where the Normans might be expected to land, while
+the fleet cruised for months between the Thames and the Isle of Wight
+prepared to give battle to the invaders.
+
+But the conditions of service in England were such that it was impossible
+to keep a great force on foot for an indefinite time. The housecarls were
+the only regular portion of the army The great bulk of the force, both land
+and sea, consisting of the levies or militia, whose term of service was
+very limited. It says much for the influence of Harold that he was able
+for four months to keep his army and navy together. Had the foe appeared,
+soldiers and sailors would have done their duty, but the long term of
+inaction, the weary waiting for a foe that never came, was too much, and
+when September arrived and the harvest was ready to be gathered it was
+impossible even for him to keep the men longer together. The army
+disbanded, the levies went to their homes, and the ships of the fleet
+sailed away to the ports to which they belonged. All the efforts and
+anxieties of Harold, all his lavish expenditure in feeding and providing
+for so great a number of men had been thrown away. England lay for a time
+absolutely defenceless against the coming storm.
+
+It was not until August that Wulf had completely recovered his strength,
+and was able to join the army.
+
+"This is not a time," Harold said to him on the day he arrived at the camp,
+"for the granting of dignities or the bestowal of grants. But if we are
+successful, and I remain King of England, the services you have rendered me
+at the risk of your life, Wulf, shall be worthily rewarded."
+
+"I need no reward," Wulf replied. "My estates are sufficient for all my
+needs, and I desire neither land nor dignity, being more than content that
+I have been enabled to render a service to you and to England."
+
+Wulf was, however, at once appointed as commander of the whole of the
+housecarls supplied by the thanes of the south coast of Sussex. None of
+these bodies were equal in strength to his own carefully prepared
+contingent, few of the thanes having kept up more than fifteen or twenty
+men constantly under arms, and these only for the past few months, in
+consequence of Harold's exhortations. Altogether the force amounted to
+about four hundred men. Each party had its own sub-officer, and Wulf did
+his best to weld them into one body. When the army broke up, he returned
+with the king to Westminster. The day after he arrived there a man met him
+as he issued from the palace, and handed him a letter. It contained but the
+words:
+
+"_I would fain see you. If you will follow the bearer he will bring you
+to me. Say naught to any one of this message. Edith._"
+
+"Is the distance far?" he asked the man.
+
+"It is to Croydon, my lord. I have ridden here on horseback."
+
+Wulf at once ordered his horse to be brought to him.
+
+"Will you be back to-night, my lord," Osgod asked, as he mounted, "in case
+the king should wish to see you?"
+
+"I shall not be back till late, possibly not until to-morrow I do not tell
+you where I am going, in order that if you are asked you may be able truly
+to reply that I said nothing before I mounted, as to my destination."
+
+It was just mid-day when Wulf drew up his horse before a modest house
+standing in a secluded position a quarter of a mile from the village of
+Croydon. Edith met him at the doorway.
+
+"I thank you, Wulf, for answering my request so speedily. There is much
+that I would ask you about my lord. I hear of him only by general report,
+for although from time to time I send him messages I give him no
+opportunity for writing to me, and I know that he has respected my wishes,
+and has caused no search to be made for me."
+
+"Harold sometimes speaks to me of you, lady, and has in no way forgotten
+you. He did charge me to find out if I could the place of your abode; not
+that he would seek an interview with you, but, should there be need, he
+might be able to send a message." By this time they were seated in the room
+where Edith spent the greater part of her time.
+
+"It is better that we should not meet," she said earnestly. "His mission
+is to work and to fight for England; mine to remain apart from all men and
+to spend my time in prayers for him. I know that he places great confidence
+in you, as indeed he well may, for I heard how you had saved his life, well
+nigh at the expense of your own. Is he happy with his new queen?"
+
+"His thoughts at present, lady, are altogether turned to public affairs,
+and it is well perhaps that it should be so. I do not think that he
+receives much sympathy from the queen, who cares more, I should say, for
+her brothers, the northern earls, than for her husband."
+
+"It is scarce a wonder that it should be so," Edith replied; "though it
+seems strange to me that any woman could live with Harold without loving
+him with all her heart. And yet she may well feel that she, like Harold,
+has been sacrificed. There was no shadow of love between them before their
+marriage, in fact she may even have hated him, for it was he who brought
+ruin and death upon her husband, the Welsh king. She must know that he
+only married her in order to gain the firm alliance of her brothers, and
+that her hand was given by them to Harold without any reference to her
+feelings. I would that the king were happy, even though it were with
+another. But it was not for his happiness that I left him, but that England
+might be one. Is it true that the army is broken up and the fleet
+scattered?"
+
+"It is true, lady. Save for three or four thousand housecarls, there is not
+an armed man in readiness to defend England."
+
+"It must be a terrible trial to him."
+
+"It is, my lady. He returned to town yesterday dispirited and cast down at
+the failure of the work of months."
+
+"Still they will reassemble rapidly," she said, "when the Normans really
+come?"
+
+"Doubtless they will. But the loss of the fleet is greater than that of the
+army, for at sea we could have met and almost assuredly have conquered
+them, for the Normans are no match for our sailors; whereas to meet so
+great an army of trained soldiers, with hastily assembled levies, is to
+fight under every disadvantage."
+
+"And is the rumour true which says that Tostig and Harold of Norway are
+also preparing for an invasion?"
+
+"All reports that come to us through Denmark are to that effect."
+
+"It is enough to make the stones cry out," Edith said indignantly, "that a
+son of Godwin should thus betray England. I never thought it of him. He
+was headstrong and passionate; yet as a young man he was loved almost as
+much as Harold himself, nay, some loved him more. But it was not on account
+of public affairs that I brought you here, but to talk of Harold. I know
+nought of his daily doings, of his thoughts, or his troubles. Tell me all
+you can of him, Wulf."
+
+For a long time they talked of the king. She had from the first been drawn
+towards Wulf by seeing how he loved Harold, and as they talked her tears
+often fell.
+
+"I am proud of him," she said at last; "more proud of him than when he was
+the light of my life. My sacrifice has not been in vain. He is what I would
+have him. One whose thoughts are all fixed upon his country; who gives all
+his energy, all his wisdom, all his time to her service. Humbler men can be
+happy, but a king has higher duties than others, and for him love and
+marriage, wife and children, the joys of the peasant, must be altogether
+secondary. The good of his country, the happiness and welfare of tens of
+thousands are in his hands; and if in these respects he acts worthily, if
+he gains the blessings of his people, he can afford to do without the home
+joys that are so much to lesser men. You are sure that he is not unhappy?
+If I did but know this, I would be content."
+
+"I do not think he is unhappy," Wulf said confidently. "He has the
+applause and love of all men, and the knowledge that all his work is for
+the good of his country and his people. He may have regrets, but he has
+little time to spend upon them when he has in hand so vast a work, upon
+which night and day his every thought is directed."
+
+"I suppose you wish to get back to-night, Wulf?"
+
+"I should greatly prefer it," he said.
+
+"And I would rather that you did not remain here. It may seem inhospitable,
+but I feel it would be better so. No one here knows who I am, and at first
+my servants were plied with questions whenever they went abroad; but the
+wonder has died away, and the villagers have come to believe that I am, as
+I gave out, the widow of a court official. Should it be known that a young
+thane stayed here the night, it would set them gossiping afresh. Stay and
+sup with me before you start."
+
+"And am I to tell the king I have seen you?" he asked.
+
+"What think you yourself, Wulf?"
+
+"I am sure that he would be glad to know. I need not say where you are
+living. I will say that you have charged me to keep it secret, and he will
+forbear questioning me. But I am sure that it will give him deep pleasure
+to know that I have seen you, to learn how you look, how you are living,
+how you occupy yourself, and how you think of him. It cannot but be a trial
+to him to know nothing of one he so loves. More than once he has told me
+that he wondered whether you had entered a convent, whether you were in
+health, how you bore yourself, and other matters."
+
+"Tell him then, Wulf. You can tell him that great as has been my grief over
+our separation, I can yet feel happy in my solitude in knowing how nobly he
+is doing his kingly work, and that I have never wavered in my assurance
+that I was right when I bade him go. Tell him that I have no thought of
+entering a cloister; that I have my old servants and my garden and
+needle-work; that I spend much of my time in ministering to my poorer
+neighbours, and that I am getting to be loved by them. Say that my health
+is good, and that I have every comfort I need save his presence. Tell him
+that if I fall ill, and the leeches say that I shall die, I shall send for
+him to see me once again, but that in such manner only will we meet in this
+life; and that it is my prayer that he will not seek to alter my
+resolution, for that the pain of parting again would be more than the joy
+of seeing him. He is another woman's now, and that by my act, therefore it
+would be a grievous sin for us, loving each other as we do, to meet again,
+unless he or I was on a death-bed."
+
+The supper was served early, and when it was eaten Wulf's horse was brought
+round to the door.
+
+"Am I to come again?" he asked.
+
+She did not answer for a time. "Not unless I send for you, Wulf. Our
+meeting has given me much pleasure, and I shall be the happier for it, but
+for a time our talk of the past and present will unsettle me and stir up
+afresh regrets and longings. Therefore, it were best that you come not
+again until I send for you."
+
+The darkness was just closing in when Wulf rode into Westminster.
+
+"The king has twice asked for you, my lord," Osgod said, as he alighted.
+"The last time a quarter of an hour since."
+
+Wulf at once went to the king's closet, where he was at work with two or
+three secretaries, to whom he was dictating.
+
+"I want you, Wulf," the king said as he entered. "Where hast been?" Wulf
+glanced at the secretaries, and Harold bade them retire till he summoned
+them again. Wulf then related at length his interview with Edith. Harold
+listened in silence.
+
+"I am right glad at your news," he said, when the latter had finished. "It
+is just what I thought she would do. Her words are lofty and wise; truly a
+king can little hope for happiness such as that which is in the reach of
+the humblest of his subjects. But we will talk of this again. For the
+present I must think of public business. News has been brought me by a sure
+hand from Denmark that the fleet of Norway has sailed. 'Tis said that
+Harold has called out a levy of half the fighting men of his kingdom, and
+that he has five hundred war-ships besides transports. His son, Magnus, has
+been left behind to rule Norway with the title of king. Harold intends to
+conquer England and reign here. I must lose no moment in sending the news
+to the northern earls. Doubtless it is on their coast he will first land.
+There is no one I would sooner trust than yourself, and you shall be my
+messenger.
+
+"I have the letters already written to them, warning them that every man
+capable of bearing arms should be summoned to their standard, and every
+preparation made to repulse the foe. Of help at present I can give them
+none; my army is dispersed, my shores undefended, and at any moment
+William's fleet may appear off the coast. Let them meet the Norwegians,
+while I meet the Normans. It is for you to press upon them the counsels I
+give in my letters; and I would that you should remain with them, sending
+messages to me from time to time, giving me full tidings of what takes
+place at York and how they fare in their struggle with Harold of Norway,
+and, as I fear, with my brother Tostig. They met you at Northampton, and
+they know the confidence I place in you and the services you rendered in
+the Welsh campaign. However, although they may receive you well I fear that
+your counsel will go for nought. They are haughty and headstrong, and
+assuredly they will not be guided by one of my thanes. Do not, therefore,
+press the matter with them, or risk incurring their anger. I want you to
+stand well with them, for so only can you learn their views and keep me
+informed of what is doing. Being assured that you would undertake the duty
+I have highly commended you to them as my representative at York, and I
+doubt not that you will be well received. Brothers-in-law though they are I
+can count on but little aid from them in our struggle with the Normans, but
+there they will be fighting for their own earldoms and will do their best,
+though I fear the result, for they have been deaf to my entreaties to keep
+an army on foot, and the hurried levies of the North will scarce stand
+against the mighty army Harold Hardrada is bringing against them."
+
+"I will start immediately, my lord."
+
+"Here is a royal order upon all governors and thanes to give you changes of
+horses and to aid you in all ways. Take that giant of yours with you, he is
+a faithful fellow and is not wanting in sense; you will find him of great
+use there. You will, of course, accompany the earls to the field. Watch
+well how the levies fight, it is long since they have been called upon to
+meet a foe, and I would fain know how much they can be trusted on the day
+of battle. As your own horse has travelled to-day take two of my best, here
+is an order to the head of the stables to deliver them to you. Is there
+aught else that I can do for you?"
+
+"Nothing, my lord. I understand your wishes, and will follow them as
+closely as I can."
+
+"Do not expose yourself too much on the field of battle, Wulf. I cannot
+spare you, and therefore charge you not to be rash, and if matters go ill
+to provide for your safety as far as you may."
+
+Wulf found Osgod awaiting him in the hall below.
+
+"I thought you might require me, master, so I waited till you had seen the
+king."
+
+"You did well, Osgod. I am starting on a journey to York and you are to
+accompany me. We ride armed, so get on your coat of mail and take your
+favourite axe, then carry this order to the stables and tell them to have
+the two horses ready at the gates in half an hour's time; then go to the
+kitchen and eat a hearty meal and put up some bread and cold meat in a
+wallet. We shall ride fast and with few stoppages, for I have the royal
+order for change of horses everywhere."
+
+"That is good news, my lord. After dawdling away the last four months doing
+nothing I am glad to hear that there is a chance of striking a strong blow
+on someone, though who it is I know not."
+
+"Now go, Osgod, I have also to change my clothes and drink a horn of ale
+and eat something, though I supped but three hours since. Put my gayest
+suit into the saddle-bag, for I may stay some time at York, and must make a
+fair show, going as I do as Harold's messenger."
+
+The journey was accomplished at an extraordinary rate of speed, Harold's
+order procuring them a change of horses when ever they stopped; and they
+but once halted for a few hours' sleep. Wulf found that Edwin and Morcar
+were both at York, and alighted at the gate of their residence. Announcing
+himself as a messenger from the king, he was at once conducted into their
+presence.
+
+"It is Wulf of Steyning, is it not?" Edwin said courteously. "The message
+must be urgent indeed since Harold has chosen you to carry it. When did you
+leave him?"
+
+"I left Westminster at nine o'clock on the evening of Tuesday."
+
+"And it is now but mid-day on Thursday," the earl said in a tone of
+astonishment. "You have ridden nigh two hundred miles in less than forty
+hours."
+
+"The roads are good, my lord, and I had the king's order for changes of
+horses whenever needed. I slept six hours at Northampton, but have ridden
+without other stop save to take meals. I knew that the message I bore was
+of importance, as you will see by the king's letter."
+
+Edwin opened the letter and laid it before Morcar, and the two read it
+together.
+
+"This is serious news indeed," Edwin said when they had perused it. "So
+Harold of Norway is on his way hither with five hundred warships and half
+the males of Norway. Since the news has come from Denmark he must already
+have been nigh a fortnight at sea, and if he had sailed hitherwards we
+should have heard long ere this of his being within sight of our shores. As
+we have heard nought of him it may be that his object has been misreported,
+and that it is not against us that his fleet is bound."
+
+"I fear that it can have no other destination," Wulf said; "though it may
+be that it has sailed first to Scotland to obtain assistance from Malcolm.
+There, too, he will find Tostig, whom the king fears is in alliance with
+him."
+
+"Then assuredly it is against us that he comes," Morcar said, "and unless
+the winds shatter his fleet we shall hear of him before long. But he may
+land anywhere from the border of Scotland to the Humber, and it is useless
+our trying to hinder him along so great a line. He may delay his coming as
+William of Normandy has done, and our men, like those of Harold, will not
+remain under arms for months doing nothing. With so great an army he must
+move slowly and we shall have plenty of time to gather our forces to meet
+him. Harold urges us to call out the levies at once, but he does not know
+the Northumbrians as we do. They will fight, and stoutly, but they will
+scatter as soon as their term expires. It is but six weeks since we called
+them under arms to repulse Tostig, and unless they themselves see the
+danger presses they will not leave their homes again after so short an
+interval. I am glad to see by the king's letter that he has charged you to
+stay with us for a while. We shall be glad of your presence, both as the
+agent of our royal brother and as one who has already proved himself a
+valiant and skilful soldier."
+
+Apartments were at once assigned to Wulf in the palace, and he was treated
+as an honoured guest. He had been furnished by the royal chamberlain with
+an ample sum of money, and every two or three days despatched messengers to
+London. He was greatly disturbed in mind, for the earls made no preparation
+whatever to meet the coming storm, but continued to hunt or to hawk, to
+give entertainments, and to pass their time as if the news of a mighty
+invasion had never reached them. The first attempts he made to urge them to
+follow Harold's counsel were dismissed so curtly that he felt it useless to
+persevere.
+
+A fortnight passed by, and then a messenger rode into York with the news
+that a vast fleet had entered the Tyne, and that the Norsemen were harrying
+and burning the country. Harold Hardrada had first sailed to the Isles of
+Shetland and Orkney, which, with the northern districts of the mainland,
+formed a powerful Scandinavian province. Paul and Erning, the two young
+earls of the state, and a large number of their subjects, joined the fleet,
+as did a Scotch contingent sent by Malcolm and commanded by Tostig, who
+also had with him the force he had brought from Flanders. Iceland, then a
+great Norwegian colony, sent ships and men, as did an Irish sovereign of
+Danish descent.
+
+Roused to action at last the northern earls sent out summonses in all
+directions for the levies to assemble. The invaders were next heard of at
+Scarborough, which made a brave resistance, but the Norsemen took post on
+the steep hill overhanging the town, and gathering there a vast pile of
+wood set it on fire, and hurled blazing timbers down on the place. Many of
+the houses caught fire, and this spread rapidly. The inhabitants
+surrendered, but the greater portion was slaughtered and the town given up
+to plunder. Holderness, like Scarborough, bravely but unsuccessfully
+resisted the attack, and the great fleet sailing south entered the Humber.
+Hour by hour messengers rode into York bringing news of the progress of the
+invaders; hour by hour the Northumbrian levies poured into the capital.
+
+Much as he had disapproved of their previous carelessness and delay, Wulf
+acknowledged that the two northern earls now bore themselves as men. They
+saw to the defences of the town, mustered all the inhabitants capable of
+bearing arms, arranged for the feeding and disposition of the levies, and
+did all that was possible at so short a notice to get them to take the
+field. But he saw, too, that this raw militia was but little calculated to
+stand before the assault of the Norsemen. There was no body of seasoned
+troops like the housecarls to serve as a nucleus, and to bear the chief
+brunt of the battle. All alike were raw, inexperienced, and badly armed,
+save for the axe, which was the favourite weapon of the English.
+
+The great fleet made no stay but sailed up the Humber, packing closely in
+the river as it narrowed, till it seemed well-nigh covered from shore to
+shore with the crowded ships. It passed the little village of Selby, and
+cast anchor beside the left bank of the Ouse, near the village of Riccall,
+but nine miles' march from York. Olaf, the king's son, the two earls of
+Orkney, and the bishop of those islands remained on board to guard the
+ships, for the Northumbrian fleet, which was far too small to encounter so
+great an armament, had taken refuge up the Wharfe, and might descend and
+attack the Norse vessels were they left unguarded. The main body of the
+great army under the king and Tostig landed and prepared to march upon
+York. Sudden as the call had been there was no lack of spirit or
+patriotism in the English levies. Among their ranks were many priests and
+monks, who felt that it was their duty to aid in the defence of the land
+against the semi-heathen host that invaded it. The memory of the past
+invasion of the Norsemen, when the churches had been sacked and the priests
+slain on the altar, inspired them, and they and the monks responded as
+readily as did the laymen to the summons of the earls. These had not
+hesitated to consult Wulf as to the post where they had best station
+themselves to give battle, and the disposition of their forces. One who had
+distinguished himself under Duke William of Normandy, and under Harold in
+Wales, had, young though he was, more experience of war than any of the
+northern thanes, and as the representative of Harold all these were ready
+to listen with respect to his advice. He had already spent four or five
+days in surveying the ground in the direction from which the Norsemen were
+likely to advance, and had decided that a place known as Gate Fulford, two
+miles from the city, was best calculated for defence, it being situated on
+a narrow ridge, having the river and its swampy banks on one side, and a
+flat marshy country on the other. Thither the army of the earls marched to
+take up its position.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+
+STAMFORD BRIDGE.
+
+Owing to the difficulty of getting the levies formed up and set in motion,
+the Norsemen had arrived on the ground and had taken up a defensive
+position before the English reached it. Had the force contained a strong
+body of housecarls, Wulf, who had talked the matter over with the earls,
+would have advised that they should fight on the defensive and allow the
+Norsemen to attack; but with freshly-raised troops, ready and eager for
+battle, but wanting the discipline that alone enables trained soldiers to
+endure patiently a long series of attacks, he thought that there was more
+chance of victory in attacking the enemy. Morcar commanded on the left,
+Edwin on the right. Wulf took up his position by the side of Morcar, and
+exchanged a few words with Osgod before advancing to the charge.
+
+"This will be a right royal contest, master," the latter said as he
+fingered his heavy axe. "Never before have I seen a set battle like this."
+
+"Do you keep close to me, Osgod."
+
+"That I am sure to do, master," the latter broke in.
+
+"Yes, I know that while we fight you will be by my side, but it may be that
+we shall have to fly. The Norsemen outnumber us greatly, and their king is
+a host in himself. This is a good position to defend, but a bad one to fly
+from. The king's last words were a charge to me not to throw away my life,
+and therefore while I shall fight as long as fighting can avail, I shall
+also do my best to save myself if we are defeated. As we came along I kept
+near to the edge of the swamp, and some hundred yards back I marked a spot
+where, as it seemed to me, there was a sort of path, worn either by broken
+men and outlaws, who may dwell somewhere in its recesses, or by men from a
+village beyond it. For this point, then, I shall make if we are defeated.
+It may be that it was not a path, but at least it offers a chance of
+escape. So when I give you the word, keep close to my side."
+
+Osgod nodded. His confidence in Wulf was absolutely boundless, and though
+he revolted at the thought of retreat he knew well that so long as a chance
+of victory remained Wulf would not quit the field. When within two or three
+hundred yards of the enemy, Morcar advanced to the front of the line with
+his standard-bearer beside him.
+
+"On men!" he shouted, and with a yell the English poured down to the attack
+The line of the Norsemen was on this side less strong than it was near the
+river where their king had posted himself, and the Norsemen gave way before
+the furious attack of the English. Morcar and many of his thanes fought in
+the front rank. Wulf was close beside him, and before their swords and the
+terrible axe of Osgod the invaders fell back foot by foot, and shouts of
+triumph rose from the English; but it was not for long. On the left Edwin
+could make no impression on the shield-wall of the enemy, and presently
+their king caused his horns to blow the signal for attack, and his line,
+hitherto immovable, flung itself on the English. The king, a head taller
+than any of his men, fought in their front rank, his terrible two-handed
+sword hewing down every man who opposed him. As the English gave way the
+assault became more and more impetuous, and in a few minutes the English
+broke and fled all along the line.
+
+"All is lost, Osgod," Wulf said; as after fighting to the last he turned
+his back on the foe. The scene on the ridge was now terrible; the exulting
+Norsemen followed hard upon the flying English, uttering their shouts of
+victory and cutting down all they overtook. Hampered by the crowd in front
+of them great numbers of the English fell beneath the weapons of their
+pursuers, others turned to the right or left, and hundreds were smothered
+in the swamp by the river or in that on the other side. Once the flight
+began, Osgod placed himself in front of his master, his powerful figure and
+his weight enabling him to push his way through the crowd of fugitives.
+Wulf kept close behind him, and they followed the edge of the swamp until
+Wulf saw the faint indication of a path he had before noticed.
+
+"Turn off here, Osgod; this is the place I spoke of. Let me go first, I am
+lightest."
+
+The ground shook beneath their feet, the slime oozed up to their ankles,
+but, moderating their pace now, they sprang from tussock to tussock until
+two or three hundred yards from the edge of the swamp. Then they paused and
+looked round. The work of slaughter was still proceeding. Along the edge
+of the swamp numbers of English could be seen, some half immerged, some
+fast disappearing. In the din of the struggle none heard or heeded their
+cries, each man was occupied solely with the thought of flight or
+slaughter. Some half-dozen of the fugitives, seeing the two men were making
+their way across the swamp, had followed in their footsteps.
+
+Slowly and cautiously Wulf moved forward again. Sometimes a treacherous
+tuft gave way and he slipped waist-deep into the mire, but Osgod was always
+close at hand, and his long arm enabled him to reach forward to his master
+from a firmer spot and to draw him from the bog. After an hour's painful
+work the ground began to be firmer, and before long they were safe in the
+forest beyond the swamp. Here for a while the party threw themselves down
+exhausted. After an hour's rest the others asked Wulf what they had best
+do.
+
+"There is but one thing to be done," he replied; "make off to your homes.
+The remnant of the army will reach York, and the Norsemen will doubtless
+surround the city and lay siege to it. For the present our cause is lost,
+and there is nought for us to do but to try and save our lives, which have
+been spared well-nigh by a miracle."
+
+Keeping south through the forest Wulf and his follower were several hours
+before they emerged from its shade. Another three miles' walking brought
+them to a village, where they learned they were six miles west of Selby.
+Here they obtained some food, and then bearing off so as to strike the
+south road arrived soon after nightfall at the house of the thane who had
+supplied them with their last change of horses on their way north. The news
+they brought excited the greatest consternation, but their host saw at once
+that the only hope now was that Harold might bring help, and at once placed
+the two horses which they had ridden to his house at their disposal. Wulf
+and Osgod mounted at once, and travelled southwards at a speed equal to
+that at which they had journeyed north.
+
+When within a few miles of Peterborough they received news that seemed
+almost too good to be true. Harold at the head of a great army had already
+reached that town, and was pressing north at the top of his speed. From
+east and west he was being joined by the levies of the thanes. Riding
+forward to Peterborough they found the town crowded with troops, who, as
+they learned, were to march forward again in half an hour. Wulf at once
+made his way to the monastery, in which Harold was lodged.
+
+"I need not ask your news, Wulf," Harold said, as, covered with dust and
+mire, and almost reeling with exhaustion, the young thane entered his
+private closet.
+
+"The army of the northern earls has been well-nigh destroyed two miles from
+York. Whether the earls themselves escaped I know not, for I left the field
+while the slaughter was still going on. York will be at once besieged, and
+as most of its fighting men went out to the battle and a large proportion
+must have been slain, I fear that it can resist but a short time the attack
+of the Norsemen. It was good news indeed when I heard that you were
+advancing north."
+
+"It is bad tidings that you bring, Wulf, but not unexpected. Directly I
+heard that the enemy's fleet were off our northern coast and were burning
+and pillaging unopposed, I speedily gathered what force I could in the
+South, and sending on messengers ahead to summon the levies of East Anglia
+to join me on the way, started north. Yesterday the news reached me that
+the great fleet of Norway had sailed up the Humber, and I saw that I should
+be too late to join Edwin and Morcar before they were forced to give battle
+before York. Now tell me of the fight, and how you managed to escape, for
+I see by your mail-coat and helmet, which are dinted and frayed and the
+steel rings shorn off in many places, that you were in the thick of it."
+
+Wulf related the story of the battle, and the manner in which he had
+escaped.
+
+"You did wisely, Wulf, to mark a way of retreat before the battle
+commenced. A good general should ever be prepared for defeat as well as for
+victory. So the levies fought well?"
+
+"They did, my lord. They engaged the Norsemen gallantly and well--much
+better, indeed, than I had looked for them to do, and the day went
+favourably until the King of Norway with his picked men threw themselves
+upon them. Even after that they fought sturdily for a short time, and had
+there been but a body of housecarls to form a shield-wall, behind which
+they could have rallied, the day might still have been theirs. But you
+look ill, my lord."
+
+"I was on a bed of sickness when the news came; but it was no time for
+lying abed. For the first two or three days' marches I was carried on a
+litter, but I am now well enough to sit my horse. It cost me a sore
+struggle to leave the South unguarded simply because my orders were not
+obeyed here in the North. But there was no help for it, and we have been
+marching well-nigh night and day in hopes that we might bring this matter
+to a close, and return south before the Norman fleet appears off the coast.
+We have already marched farther than would seem possible in the time, but
+the men are all in good heart and eager to meet the Norsemen, and I have
+addressed them and shown them the urgent necessity for speed. We shall set
+forward again in half an hour. They have had six hours for rest, so they
+can do another fifty miles before they halt again. You can tarry here for a
+day to rest yourself, and can then ride on and overtake us."
+
+"I will go down and take a plunge in the river," Wulf said, "and shall be
+ready to mount again by the time that the rearguard is in motion. I could
+have kept on to London had it been needful, and shall be quite ready to
+proceed with the army."
+
+They were within a day's march of York when the news came that the city had
+surrendered without waiting for an assault. The King of Norway had offered
+favourable terms; a local Gemot had been held, and it had been agreed to
+make peace with Harold of Norway, and not only to receive him as king but
+to join him in his warfare against the South. Hostages were given for their
+fidelity to their new lord, who in return gave hostages to York for the
+good conduct of his troops. It was the city only that had so treacherously
+behaved, and the surrender by no means included the whole province. It was
+arranged, however, by the earls, that hostages should be given for
+Northumbria at large, and they promised that a hundred and fifty of these
+should be handed over at Stamford Bridge, eight miles north-east of the
+city.
+
+Here there was a palace of the old Northumbrian kings. The spot was
+favourable for the encampment of an army, for the country round was fertile
+and the bridge across the Derwent afforded facilities for the collection of
+provisions over a large area. The bridge was a wooden one, the country on
+either side of the river was flat, but considerably elevated above the
+stream, with a slope down to it on both sides of the bridge.
+
+The news of the surrender of York made no change in Harold's plans. He had
+come to give battle to the Norsemen, whether he did so under the walls of
+the northern capital or elsewhere; accordingly he pressed rapidly forward.
+
+In a few hours the army arrived in sight of York, which, had it resisted
+but a day longer, would have been saved the humiliation of the surrender
+and treaty. The invaders had all marched to Stamford Bridge, and the people
+opened its gates and received with rejoicing the king, whose authority they
+had the day before cast off. Beyond a short pause for food there was no
+delay. Harold's thoughts were on the South, and he grudged every hour that
+delayed his return to his post there. The men of the city and the
+survivors of the army defeated at Fulford joined the force, which kept on
+its way east to Stamford Bridge. The invaders, believing that Northumbria
+lay at their feet, and without a thought that Harold was advancing, were
+encamped in careless security on the low ground by the river. The greater
+portion of their host had crossed the bridge; their king, Tostig, and many
+of the great chiefs had taken up their abode in the royal palace at Aldby,
+and were preparing to return to York, where the king was to hold his court
+and formally to assume the government and to proclaim the laws for his new
+kingdom.
+
+Already the cortege had set out, clad not in warlike armour but in court
+habiliments, when on the long road leading gently down to the river a cloud
+of dust and the sparkle of arms was seen. There was little room for doubt
+as to the nature of the arriving force. Northumbria could gather no array
+that would venture thus to approach the army that had but five days before
+crushed the levies of the North. It could only be Harold himself who, with
+the men of the South, had thus unexpectedly arrived. Tostig at once
+proposed a retreat to the ships at Riccall, so that the whole army might be
+gathered together, but Harold Hardrada strove to marshal his army for the
+battle, at the same time sending off mounted messengers to summons the
+party left at the ships. But while all was in confusion among the main body
+of the invaders on the eastern bank of the river, while men were buckling
+on their armour and gathering in their ranks, the cloud of war rolled
+rapidly down the descent, and with a mighty shout the English vanguard fell
+upon the Norsemen on the western bank.
+
+Valiantly they fought, but there was no resisting the solid array of the
+English housecarls, or Thingmen as they were also called. Taken altogether
+unprepared, and for the most part without their defensive armour, the
+Norsemen could offer no successful resistance to the English host. Great
+numbers were killed; others were driven headlong across the bridge or were
+drowned in the stream, which is said to have been literally choked with
+dead. But for a time the advance of the English was stayed; for one
+Norseman, a man of great stature and prodigious strength, took post in the
+middle of the narrow bridge and barred the way to the English host. But one
+foe could attack him at a time, and so great was his strength and prowess
+that it is said forty Englishmen fell under the mighty blows of his
+two-handed sword, and at last he was only over-powered by one who made his
+way along beneath the timbers of the bridge and stabbed him with his spear
+from below.
+
+His gallant stand, however, had sufficed to give his countrymen time to
+complete their preparations, and the shield-wall of the Norsemen stretched
+across the gentle ascent from the bridge. With his hands raised aloft, as a
+sign that his mission was a peaceful one, an English thane with twenty
+mounted horsemen rode across the bridge. He was met by the king, Tostig,
+and his chiefs. Raising his voice the thane addressed Tostig, "I bring to
+Tostig the greeting and message of his brother King Harold. Let him return
+to his allegiance and he shall again have the earldom of Northumberland;
+nay, he shall have a third of the kingdom to rule together with the king."
+
+"What, then," Tostig asked, "shall be given to King Harold of Norway?"
+
+"Seven feet of English ground!" the thane said sternly, "or more,
+perchance, seeing he is taller than other men."
+
+"Return to King Harold of England," Tostig said, "and bid him make ready
+for the battle. Never shall men say in Norway that I brought their king
+hither to England and then went over to his foes."
+
+Harold's ambassador returned with his men across the river with Tostig's
+message, and then in solid array the English Thingmen moved forward to the
+attack. Had the King of Norway advanced to the end of the bridge a battle
+would have been impossible, for the English could never have forced their
+way across. But the kings were equally anxious for a battle. Harold of
+Norway knew as well as the King of England that the host of Normandy was on
+the point of sailing, and it was as essential for him to crush the English
+army before the Normans landed as it was for Harold of England to dispose
+at once of the Norse invaders. There were three claimants for the English
+crown, and both kings felt the necessity of having their hands free to meet
+the Normans. Harold of Norway may well have believed that his host of tried
+warriors was capable of disposing of an army that, save for its small body
+of regular troops, was wholly unused to war; therefore, he held his array
+immovable while the English army crossed the bridge and formed up for
+battle.
+
+Steadily and firmly the solid line of the housecarls moved up the ascent,
+and then as Harold's trumpet gave the signal of attack, flung themselves
+upon the shield-wall of the Norsemen. The conflict was a terrible one. The
+heavy two-handed axes of the English clashed against the long two-handed
+swords of the Norsemen. Against such terrible weapons wielded by such
+powerful arms, helmet and hauberk afforded but a poor defence. Casques and
+the heads beneath them were cleft like egg-shells under the terrible blows;
+but the gaps thus made in the ranks were at once filled from behind, and
+for hours the struggle continued with unabated vigour on both sides. Harold
+himself with a body of his thanes fought in the front line, his position
+marked to his followers by his standard kept flying close behind him. His
+great strength and height made him so formidable an assailant that his
+standard generally flew well in advance of his fighting line, while on the
+other side the still greater height and strength of the King of Norway
+rendered him equally conspicuous. At last the obstinate valour of the
+English housecarls prevailed over the resistance of the fierce Norsemen,
+and the invading host was driven backward step by step up the ascent until
+the level ground was reached.
+
+Here the battle again raged as fiercely as ever. In vain did Harold of
+Norway, followed by his bravest warriors, hurl himself upon the ranks of
+the English, his terrible sword carrying death in its path. In vain did his
+followers again and again strive to take the offensive. The English line
+ever bore up against their attacks. The battle was still undecided when, as
+the sun was going down, an English arrow pierced the throat of the giant
+King of Norway. How Tostig, who had throughout the day fought by his side,
+fell, we know not, but he died, as did the Irish prince who had brought his
+followers to share in the plunder of England. There fell, too, most of the
+bravest warriors of Norway, the last of the sea-kings who had carried the
+banner, known as the land-waster, far and wide over Europe.
+
+The slaughter was terrible, and at nightfall the Norsemen who survived
+broke and fled to the shelter of their ships. Never in the history of
+England was there a harder fought battle; never were English valour and
+endurance more splendidly shown. Terrible, too, had been the losses on
+their side. Many of the king's bravest thanes had fallen, and the ranks of
+the housecarls were fearfully thinned. Complete as had been the victory,
+absolute as had been the destruction of their foes, there was but little
+rejoicing in the English camp that night. So exhausted were the troops by
+their long march and the desperate struggle of the day that they threw
+themselves down to sleep on the ground they had won, thickly covered as it
+was with the bodies of friend and foe.
+
+Wulf throughout the day had fought close to Harold. Osgod had kept close
+beside him, and had warded off many a sweeping blow and cut down many a
+pressing enemy. At the end of the day his left arm hung useless by his
+side, well-nigh cleft off by the blow of a Norseman's sword. Wulf himself
+had escaped without a scratch, thanks in a large measure to his follower's
+watchfulness. When the battle was over he was one of the few thanes who
+gathered round Harold. The latter felt no exultation at this victory. It
+had cost him the flower of his army and numbers of his most valued thanes.
+It had cost him, too, the life of a brother, to whom in spite of his faults
+he had been deeply attached. He knew that there was before him a struggle
+even more serious than that from which he had just emerged a victor, and
+there was no saying how that struggle might end.
+
+"I thank God that you are spared to me, Wulf," he said as the young thane
+came up. "I marked you near me all through the battle, and none fought more
+bravely. It has been a terrible day, and our victory is dearly purchased
+indeed. I have sent a messenger to York, praying that every monk skilled in
+surgery will at once hasten hither, that all men and boys shall come and
+help to collect the wounded, and that such women as can aid will accompany
+them. I cannot ask the men who have marched well-nigh night and day since
+we left London, and borne the brunt of the day's battle, to do more.
+England has need of their strength. The messenger was to stop at Helmsley,
+and bid every soul left there to hurry to the field. It is but two miles
+away, and in half an hour they will be here. The first thing for them to do
+is to carry water to the wounded; there are no lack of vessels in the
+Norsemen's camp."
+
+"I will go to the bridge, my lord, and take them in charge when they
+arrive, and set them at the work."
+
+"You need rest as much as any, Wulf."
+
+"I can rest to-morrow," Wulf said; "and at any rate could not sleep
+to-night, for I must see to Osgod, who will, I fear, lose an arm."
+
+"I am sorry to hear it," Harold said, "for one could ill spare so brave a
+fellow. I saw the Norsemen going down under his axe, and assuredly no man
+did more than he to-day."
+
+"I will tell him what you say, my lord; it will do him good. I left him
+sitting down on a bank bemoaning himself that he might not be cured in time
+to fight the Normans."
+
+Harold shook his head. "I would give half my estates, Wulf, that he should
+be well enough to fight by your side in our first battle with the Normans.
+That would mean that they would not land before two months have passed, and
+by that time I would have all the force of England gathered to receive
+them. As you are willing that it should be so, I will leave you in charge
+of the camp to-night. It will be three hours before help can arrive from
+York. Till then there is nought to do but to carry water to the wounded.
+When they arrive the monks will dress the wounds, and the men and women
+carry such as can be moved down by the river, where they can be treated
+more easily than lying in the fields. Have a strict search made for the
+body of my brother, and place a guard over it. Sweyn is in charge of the
+Norse camp. There is great treasure there, which shall to-morrow be partly
+divided among the troops."
+
+Wulf went at once down to the bridge, while Harold and his thanes lay down
+like the soldiers on the field of battle. In a short time men, women, and
+children came in from Helmsley. Having been told what they were required
+for, they had brought with them jugs and drinking cups, and also a supply
+of torches. The first search was made over the ground west of the river.
+Here few English had fallen, but the Norsemen lay thickly. Wulf ordered
+that water should be given to all, foe as well as friend. The number of
+living was small, for the heavy two handed axes had done their work
+thoroughly. When such as survived had been seen to, Wulf led the villagers
+over the bridge.
+
+"Scatter right and left," he said, "and then move forward. You cannot go
+wrong." Having seen them all at work, he hurried away to the spot where he
+had left Osgod sitting. He had before leaving him staunched the flow of
+blood by winding a bow string round the arm above the wound and then
+twisting it tightly.
+
+"How fares it with you, Osgod? Here is a ewer of water."
+
+"That is good," Osgod said, after taking a mighty draught. "Truly I felt
+as if the moisture of my body had all dried up, and not only my mouth but
+my whole frame was parched."
+
+"Why, Osgod," Wulf exclaimed, as he held the torch he carried close to him,
+"your arm has gone!"
+
+"That is so, master, an arm after the bone has been cleft through is of no
+use to anyone, so I thought the sooner I got rid of it the better, and
+having my knife handy I just cut through the flesh that remained. That was
+the end of it. Would that we could get rid of all our evils as readily.
+To-morrow I will walk to York and get the wound seared."
+
+"The king sent to York for aid directly the battle was over, and we shall
+have all the townsfolk here soon, among them monks and others skilled in
+the dressing of wounds. I told the king of your misfortune." And he then
+repeated what Harold had said.
+
+"It does me good to hear that Harold is satisfied with me. I hope to
+strike many a good blow for him yet."
+
+"How still it is here, Osgod! There is scarce a sound to be heard from all
+those lying round."
+
+"There are but few with life in them, I reckon," Osgod said. "A Norse
+sword and an English axe let out the life quickly when they strike fair.
+This blow fell on my arm as my axe was raised to strike, and it were well
+it did so, or it would have taken me in the neck, and then neither monk nor
+leech could have brought me back to life. Had it been my right arm I would
+as lief have been killed at once, for what good is a man without his right
+arm?"
+
+"You would have learned to use your left in time, Osgod. Now if you can
+walk, come down to the river, and I will see that you are among the first
+attended to."
+
+"I will lie down here," Osgod said, "for in truth I feel as if I need
+sleep. For the last two days I have been scarce able to keep my eyes open,
+and now that I have had a drink I feel that a few hours' rest will do me
+more good than any monk."
+
+Osgod's words came slowly and heavily, and as he ended he lay down on his
+back. Wulf saw that it was best that he should sleep, and so left him. In
+two hours a great number of lights were seen along the road, and soon a
+crowd of men and women from York appeared and scattered themselves over the
+battlefield, the monks pouring balm into wounds and bandaging them up,
+while the men and women carried the wounded, as fast as they were attended
+to, down to the river. The bodies of Tostig and of the King of Norway were
+both found, and a guard placed over them, and in the morning that of Tostig
+was carried to York for burial in the cathedral, while Harold Hardrada was
+buried where he fell.
+
+Harold sent messengers to the Norsemen's fleet offering mercy to them if
+they would surrender, and their chiefs come to York and swear never again
+to raise their swords against England--an offer which was thankfully
+accepted, for the English fleet had entered the Humber, and their retreat
+was cut off.
+
+The next day the Norse chiefs went to York and took the required oath, and
+were then escorted back to their ships. So terrible had been the
+slaughter, so complete the destruction of the invading army, that, even
+including the guard that remained at the fleet, twenty-four ships sufficed
+to carry away home the survivors of the mighty host. The task of burying
+the slain was too great to be undertaken, and for many years afterwards the
+field of battle was whitened with the bones of the invaders who had fallen
+there.
+
+On the day after the battle Harold returned with his army to York. Here all
+who had fallen away from the cause of England were pardoned. Measures were
+taken for making the fighting strength of the North available for the
+general defence of the country. The wounded were cared for in the houses of
+the citizens, and for five days the troops rested after their prodigious
+exertions.
+
+Early in the morning after the battle Osgod's wound had been seared with
+red-hot irons. He had borne the pain unflinchingly, saying that he had
+suffered as much from burns more than once while learning his trade as an
+armourer. Wulf was not present, as he had thrown himself down to sleep as
+soon as he had been relieved at daylight, but he saw him before he started
+with the king for York.
+
+"Yes, it hurts a bit, master," Osgod replied in answer to his inquiries. "I
+could not expect otherwise. You will have to do without me for a few days.
+I have made friends with some peasants at Helmsley. I shall stay with them
+till the army marches south. If I were at York I should never keep quiet;
+and the monks tell me the quieter I am the sooner my wounds will heal. They
+are poor creatures, these monks; they wanted to make out that it might be
+two or three months before I was fit for service again. I told them it
+would be a shame to my manhood if in a fortnight I could not wield an axe
+again. It is not as if I had been brought up softly. I have burnt myself
+with hot irons many a time, and know that a few days suffices to heal a
+sore."
+
+"It is not the sore, Osgod; it is the veins that might burst out bleeding
+again."
+
+"That is what they said, master; but at present there is not much blood
+left in me, I think, and by the time it comes again my veins ought to have
+healed themselves. This plaguey bowstring hurts me well-nigh as much as the
+smart of the irons; but the monks say I must bear it for a couple of days,
+when they will put on some tight bandages in its place, but if I can bear
+the pain it were better that it should be kept there for a week or two."
+
+Five days passed. The king laboured incessantly at making a settlement of
+the affairs of the North. The thanes came in from all Northumbria. They
+were full of thankfulness at the deliverance that had been wrought for
+them, and the victor of Stamford Bridge was far more to them than the King
+of England had ever been. All were received with kindness and courtesy, and
+Harold felt that at Stamford Bridge he had conquered not only the host of
+Norway but the Northern earldoms. On the evening of the fifth day after
+the battle they held a great banquet at York. The feasting was at its
+height when Harold was told that a messenger had arrived with urgent news,
+and the man was at once brought in. He had ridden in two days from the
+South, and brought the momentous news that on the third day after the
+victory of Stamford Bridge the Norman host had landed in Sussex.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+
+THE LANDING OF THE FOE.
+
+While Harold with his army had been anxiously and impatiently watching the
+sea on the southern coast of England, the mixed host of the Duke of
+Normandy had been no less anxiously awaiting a favourable breeze at the
+port where the whole of the expedition was gathered. William had, however,
+one great advantage. While Harold's army and navy were composed of levies,
+bound by feudal obligations to remain but a certain time under arms, and
+eager to return to their harvest operations, their wives and families,
+William's was made up to a great extent of seasoned troops and professional
+soldiers, gathered not only from his own dominions but from all parts of
+Europe.
+
+These were far more amenable to orders than were the English militia.
+Tempted by the thought of the plunder of England, they had enlisted under
+the duke's banner for the expedition. They had no thought of returning
+home, and as long as they were well supplied with food, the delay in
+starting mattered comparatively little to them; and thus while at length
+the fleet and army of Harold scattered to their homes the Normans remained
+in their camp, ready to embark on board the ships as soon as a favourable
+wind blew. They were kept in good temper by receiving regular pay and
+provisions, and as all plundering was strictly forbidden the country people
+freely brought in supplies, and for a month the great army was fed without
+difficulty; but as the resources of the country became exhausted the duke
+grew more and more anxious to move to another port, and taking advantage of
+a change of wind to the west he embarked his army and sailed north along
+the coast of Normandy to the mouth of the Somme, and the troops disembarked
+and encamped round the town of St. Valery.
+
+Here there was another long delay, and while Harold was marching north to
+meet the King of Norway the Normans were praying for a favourable wind at
+the holy shrine at the Abbey of St. Valery. Two days after the host of
+Harold Hardrada had been destroyed the wind suddenly shifted to the south.
+There had on the previous day been a great religious ceremony; the holy
+relics had been brought by the priests into the camp; the whole army had
+joined in a solemn service; precious gifts had been offered at the shrine,
+and as the change of wind was naturally ascribed to the influence of the
+saint, the army was filled with enthusiasm, and believed that heaven had
+declared in their favour.
+
+From morning till night the scene of bustle and preparation went on, and
+when darkness fell the whole host had embarked. Every ship was ordered to
+bear a light, and a huge lantern was hoisted at the masthead of the
+_Mora_, the duke's own ship, and orders were issued that all vessels
+should follow the light. The _Mora_, however, was a quick sailer, and
+was not, like the other vessels, deeply laden down with horses and men.
+When daylight broke, therefore, she had so far outstripped the rest that no
+other sail was in sight, and she anchored until the fleet came up, when the
+voyage was continued, and at nine on the morning of Thursday the 28th of
+September the Normans landed on English soil, near the village of Pevensey.
+
+The landing was unopposed; the housecarls were away north with their king,
+the levies were scattered to their homes. To the surprise of the Normans
+who landed in battle array no armed man was to be seen. Parties of mounted
+men at once examined the country for miles round, but without finding signs
+of the defending army they expected to meet. On the following morning a
+small force was left in the Roman fortifications near Pevensey to guard the
+ships, hauled up on the beach, from attack, and the duke with his army
+marched away along the Roman road to Hastings, where William established
+his headquarters and resolved to await the approach of the army of England.
+A wooden castle was raised on the height, and the country for miles round
+was harried by the Norman horse. Every house was given to the flames; men
+were slain, women and children taken as slaves, and the destruction was so
+complete that it seemed as if it had been done with the deliberate purpose
+of forcing Harold to come down and give battle.
+
+No sooner did Harold hear the news that the Normans had landed and were
+harrying the land than he ordered the hall to be cleared and issued a
+summons for the assembly of a Gemot, and in an hour an assemblage of all
+the thanes gathered at York was held in the hall that had so shortly before
+been the scene of peaceful feasting. Harold proclaimed to them the news he
+had heard, and called upon them to arm and call together their levies for
+the defence of England. An enthusiastic reply was given. As the men of the
+South had crushed the invaders of the North, so would the men of the North
+assist to repel the invasion of the South. Morcar and Edwin promised
+solemnly to lead the forces of Northumbria and Mercia to London without a
+day's delay, and though Harold trusted his brothers-in-law but little, he
+hoped they would have to yield to the patriotic spirit of the thanes and to
+play their part as Englishmen.
+
+An hour later messengers started on horseback for the South, bidding all
+men to assemble at London to fight for home and freedom against the foreign
+invader, and orders were issued that the troops who had fought at Stamford
+Bridge should march at daybreak. As soon as the council was over Wulf
+mounted his horse and rode at full speed to Helmsley. He had each day
+ridden over to see Osgod, who in his anxiety for a rapid cure was proving
+himself a most amenable patient, and was strictly carrying out the
+prescriptions of the monk who had taken charge of him and of other wounded
+who were lying in the village. He was asleep on a rough pallet when Wulf
+entered.
+
+"A pest upon the Norman!" he exclaimed angrily when he heard Wulf's news.
+"He might have given me a week longer at any rate. I am feeling mightily
+better already, for to-day the monk has bandaged my arm, and that so tight
+as almost to numb it. But that I care little for, as he has now taken off
+that bow-string which was cutting its way into the flesh. He told me that
+everything depended upon my keeping absolutely quiet for another week, for
+the slightest exertion might make the wound break out afresh, and that if
+it burst there would be but a poor chance for me. Well, I must travel in a
+waggon instead of on horseback."
+
+"You will do nothing of the sort, Osgod; I absolutely forbid it. It would
+be an act of sheer madness. Besides, you would be useless at present even
+if you went south, while if you rest here for three or four weeks you may
+be able to take part in some of the battles; and, moreover, it may be weeks
+before Harold moves against the Normans. At any rate, it is out of the
+question that you should move at present. I am not going to have you risk
+your life by such folly."
+
+Osgod was silent for a minute or two and then said, "Well, master, I must
+obey your orders, but never before did I feel it so hard a thing to do."
+
+"It is for your own good and mine, Osgod. I am not going to lose so
+faithful a follower, and would rather do without you for two months than
+for all my life. But now I must be going, for I shall ride on ahead so as
+to go down to Steyning and fetch our men. I was before sorry that, owing to
+my being here, they did not come down with the king; now I am glad, for I
+might have lost half of them, while as it is I shall have a hundred men as
+good as his own to help to fill up the ranks of Harold's housecarls,
+besides the general levy of my tenants."
+
+On his march south Harold was joined by large numbers of men. The news of
+the destruction of the army of Harold Hardrada had excited the greatest
+enthusiasm, and the thanes presented themselves as a rule with more than
+the number of men they were bound to furnish. Wulf rode on fast to London.
+As soon as he arrived there he went to the armourer's shop. Ulred paused
+at his work as he entered. "Welcome back, my lord Wulf!" he said. "So you
+have come safe through the two great battles in the North. Has Osgod fared
+equally well, I see that you have come without him?"
+
+"Not equally well, Ulred. He fought with me at Fulford and received no
+serious hurt, but at Stamford Bridge he was wounded so sorely that for a
+time we thought it would go hard with him; but he has rallied and is doing
+well, and save that he will come home without his left arm, he will, I
+trust, soon be recovered. No man fought more stoutly than he did at
+Stamford Bridge, and the king himself noticed his valour. Although his
+wound was but five days' old when we started, he would have come south at
+once if I would have suffered him, though he must assuredly have been
+carried the whole way in a litter. It troubled him greatly to hear that we
+should be face to face with the Normans, and he not there to strike a blow
+for England."
+
+"I am glad to hear that the boy lives," the armourer said; "for indeed when
+I saw you alone my first thoughts were that he had fought his last battle.
+We have terrible news from the South. The Normans are plundering and
+slaying from Beachy Head well-nigh to Dover, and the people are flying
+before them in crowds. However, matters will be changed as soon as the king
+returns to town. London will send her militia in full strength, and we hear
+that the thanes of the West are hurrying hither. 'Tis a pity indeed that
+Harold was drawn off north, for had he been here the Normans would have had
+to fight their best before they established themselves on our shores."
+
+"They could have landed in any case, Ulred. It was not the King of Norway
+and Tostig, but the impatience of our sailors and troops, that left our
+shores unguarded. Harold tried his best to keep them together, but in vain.
+However, they rallied quickly when they heard of the landing in the North,
+and are coming in freely now."
+
+"Will the troops of Northumbria be here?"
+
+"I doubt it greatly, Ulred. They are not true men, Edwin and Morcar; they
+surrendered York before an arrow was shot against its walls, and received
+Harold Hardrada as their king. They would be equally willing to
+acknowledge William of Normandy so that they might but preserve their
+earldoms under him. They have promised to send their whole forces forward
+without delay, but I have no belief that they will be here. I am going to
+Steyning as soon as I have eaten a meal and rested for a few hours. I shall
+miss Osgod sorely. I trust that it will not be long before I have him by my
+side."
+
+"When will the army be back here, master?"
+
+"In three days at most, I imagine. There will be but short stay here before
+Harold marches south to meet the Normans. The news of the wanton
+destruction they are making has roused him to fury, and he will assuredly
+lose no time, even though he have but half the force of England behind
+him."
+
+"It is as well to have something to fall back on," the armourer said. "It
+is not by one battle that England is to be conquered, and even if we lose
+the first we may gain the second. We can stand the loss better than the
+Normans, for doubtless William has brought all his strength with him, and
+if beaten must make his way back to his ships, while Harold would in a
+short time find himself at the head of a larger army than that with which
+he may first meet them. Was the slaughter as great as they say at Stamford
+Bridge?"
+
+"It was terrible, Ulred; and though the Norsemen suffered vastly more than
+we did, the ranks of the housecarls, on whom the brunt of the fighting
+fell, have been sorely thinned. We shall feel their loss when we meet the
+Normans. Against their heavily-armed troops and their squadrons of knights
+and horsemen one of the Thingmen was worth three untried peasants. Had we
+but half the number of our foe, and that half all housecarls, I should not
+for a moment doubt the issue."
+
+"London will put a strong body in the field, and though we have not the
+training of the Thingmen you may trust us to fight sternly, Master Wulf;
+and if we are beaten I will warrant that there will not be many of us to
+bring the tidings back."
+
+"Of that I am sure, Ulred. The citizens have more to lose and better know
+what they are fighting for than the country levies, and as you say, I am
+sure they will do their part stoutly. Well, I must stay here no longer. I
+shall sleep for two or three hours, and then take a fresh horse from the
+king's stable and to-morrow shall be at Steyning. By nightfall I shall be
+on my way back with every man on the estate, a hundred and fifty besides
+the housecarls, and two days' march will bring us here again. Ulf is well,
+I hope? I do not see him."
+
+"He has but carried home some arms I have been mending. We are working
+night and day; since the news that the Normans had landed came, there has
+been no thought of bed among the armourers and smiths of Westminster and
+London. Each man works until he can work no longer, then throws himself
+down for two or three hours' sleep, and then wakes up to work again; and so
+it will be till the army has moved south with most of us in its ranks."
+
+Wulf reached Steyning soon after daybreak, and as soon as the news that he
+had arrived went round, the tenants flocked in. His coming had been
+anxiously expected, for the alarm caused by the incursions all over the
+country by the Norman horse was intense; and although, so far, none had
+come west of Beachy Head, there was a general feeling that at any moment
+they might make their appearance. The news, therefore, that Harold was
+marching south with his army, and that all were to share in a pitched
+battle with the invader instead of being slaughtered on their hearthstones,
+caused a deep feeling of satisfaction. Wulf gave orders that every man
+should assemble in fighting array at noon, and that if, later on, news came
+that the enemy were approaching, the houses were to be deserted, the stacks
+fired, and, driving the cattle before them, the women and children should
+cross the hills and take shelter in the great forest beyond. A few of the
+older men who were unfit to take part in a long day's fighting were to aid
+the women in their work.
+
+The arms of all the men were carefully inspected, and the weapons remaining
+in the armoury served out to those worst provided. At one o'clock the force
+marched off, Wulf riding at the head of the hundred housecarls, while the
+tenants, a hundred and fifty strong, followed in good order. Each man
+carried six days' provisions. They camped that night in a forest twenty
+miles from Steyning, marched thirty miles the next day, and early the
+following morning joined the great array that was gathering on the hills
+south of London. To his great pleasure Wulf found that Beorn had arrived
+the day before with his levy. They had not met since they had returned from
+the North with Harold.
+
+"So you have been up there again, Wulf, and fought at Fulford and Stamford
+Bridge. It was very unlucky I was not in London when the army marched
+north; but I received no summons, and heard nothing of it until the king
+was well on his march. None of the thanes along the south coast were
+summoned."
+
+"So I heard, Beorn. I fancy the king thought that in case of a landing by
+the Normans the men near the coast would all be wanted to help take the
+women and cattle to places of security."
+
+"No doubt that was the reason," Beorn said. "At any rate, I am sorry I
+missed the fight at Stamford Bridge. The other seems to have been a bad
+affair."
+
+"Very bad; we suffered terribly. So much so, indeed, that the earls will
+have a good excuse for not getting their levies together in time for the
+battle with the Normans."
+
+"They are false loons," Beorn said; "and brothers-in-law as they are of
+his, it would have been well had the king after Stamford Bridge had their
+heads smitten off for their traitorous surrender to the Norsemen."
+
+"I have no doubt they will hold aloof now, Beorn, until they see how
+matters go in the South, and if we are worsted they will hasten to make
+their peace with William, and to swear to be his liegemen, just as they
+swore to be liegemen to Harold Hardrada. But they will find out their
+mistake in the end. William has promised to divide England among his needy
+adventurers if he wins, and Edwin and Morcar will very speedily find that
+they will not, in that case, be allowed to keep half the country as their
+share."
+
+It was a great host that was gathered ready for the march south. Gurth had
+brought down the fighting men of East Anglia; the thanes of the West were
+there with their tenants; the Bishop of Winchester, Harold's uncle, not
+only brought the tenants of the church lands, but he himself with twelve of
+his monks had put on armour under their monkish robes. The Abbot of
+Peterborough headed a contingent from the Fen Country; the men of London
+under the sheriff of the Mid Saxons were there, and prepared to die in
+defence of the royal standard, which it was the special privilege of London
+to guard. In the Abbey of Westminster, where Harold had received his
+crown, and in every church of London, mass was celebrated day and night,
+and was attended by crowds of troops and citizens.
+
+Harold himself snatched a day from the cares of preparation to visit
+Waltham, the abbey that he had founded, and in which he had taken so lively
+an interest, and there earnestly prayed for victory, with the vow that did
+he conquer in the strife he would regard himself as God's ransomed servant,
+and would throughout his life specially devote himself to His service. A
+day or two after Wulf's arrival in London a messenger came from William of
+Normandy calling upon Harold to come down from his throne, and to become,
+as he had sworn to be, the duke's man. Harold in reply sent back a full
+answer to William's claims. He admitted that Edward had promised the crown
+to William, but he said that according to the law of England a man might at
+any time revoke his will, and this Edward had done, and had named him as
+his successor. As to the oath he himself had sworn, he maintained that it
+was an extorted oath, and therefore of no binding force. Finally, he
+offered rich gifts to William if he would depart quietly, but added that if
+he was bent on war he would meet him in battle on the coming Saturday.
+
+It is probable that William's insolent message was meant to have the effect
+of inducing Harold to march against him. The Norman position was a very
+strong one, and had been carefully fortified, and he hoped that Harold
+would attempt to storm it. Gurth urged his brother to remain in London,
+while he himself went with the army to battle. A large number of the levies
+had as yet not come in, and with these, should the first battle be
+unsuccessful, another army could be gathered to continue the struggle.
+Moreover, whether the oath Harold had sworn was binding or not, he had
+sworn, and it were better that another who was perfectly free in his
+conscience should lead the English to battle.
+
+Then, too, Gurth urged, if he himself was slain, it would matter
+comparatively little, while Harold's death would jeopardize the whole
+kingdom. He prayed him therefore to stay in London, and to gather another
+and greater force, and to lay waste the whole land between London and the
+coast, so that the Normans, whether successful or not in their first
+battle, would be starved into a departure from the land. The counsel of
+Gurth was approved of by the thanes, but Harold rejected it. He declared
+that he would never let his brothers and friends go forth to danger on his
+behalf while he himself drew back from facing it, neither could he bring
+himself to harm the lands or the goods of any Englishman.
+
+For six days Harold remained in London waiting, but in vain, for the forces
+from the North to join him, and on the Thursday morning set out with his
+army in order to meet the invaders on the day he had named. Accounts differ
+very widely as to the strength of that army. Norman writers, in order to
+glorify their own victory, speak of it as one of prodigious numbers.
+English writers, on the other hand, endeavour to explain the defeat by
+minimizing the number of those who followed Harold's standard. Doubtless
+the English king, knowing the proved valour of his housecarls, and fresh
+from the crushing defeat inflicted on the Norsemen, considered the numbers
+to be sufficient. His military genius was unquestionable, and next only to
+William the Norman he was regarded as the greatest general in Europe. As
+there was no occasion for haste so long as the Normans remained at Hastings
+he would not have moved forward with a force he deemed insufficient, when
+he knew that in another week its numbers would have been doubled.
+
+On the day that the king made his last visit to Waltham, Wulf rode over to
+Croydon in compliance with an entreaty he received from Edith.
+
+"When does the army march?" she asked anxiously as she entered.
+
+"The day after to-morrow, lady."
+
+"And my lord goes with it?"
+
+"He does. I myself think that Gurth's counsel was good, and that it were
+best for England that he remained at Westminster; and yet I can understand
+well that he himself would feel it a shame did he remain behind."
+
+"I feel sore misgivings," Edith said, bursting into tears. "When he
+marched north against the King of Norway and Tostig I felt no doubt he
+would return victorious; but night after night I have had evil dreams, and
+though I pray continually my spirit has no relief. I have never feared for
+him before. I have always felt sure that whoever died Harold would be
+spared for the sake of England, but I have no such feeling now. It seems to
+me that I sacrificed him and myself in vain when I bade him leave me and
+marry the sister of the Northern earls. No good has come of it. They are
+behaving now as traitors, and he has lost his life's happiness. And yet I
+did it for the best."
+
+"It was a noble sacrifice, lady, and come what may you have no cause to
+regret it."
+
+"The queen is not with him," Edith said bitterly.
+
+"No, she is at Oxford. You must not think, lady, that the king has been
+unhappy since he came to the throne. He has been so incessantly occupied
+with work that he has had no time for domestic happiness, even if it had
+been within his reach. His thoughts are ever on England, and he has no
+thought of self. Labouring ever for the good of his subjects, he has his
+happiness alike in their love, and in the knowledge that he is doing all
+that man can for their welfare. If he dies, he will die the death not only
+of a soldier but of the noblest king that ever sat on the English throne,
+and at all times he will be enshrined in the hearts of the English people,
+whether Normans or Englishmen reign over the land."
+
+"That is true, and I must take comfort from it, Wulf; but it was not for
+this that I sent for you, but to ask you where the battle is likely to be
+fought."
+
+"Near Hastings, assuredly," Wulf replied.
+
+"I shall travel south to-morrow. I have had a message from the king praying
+me to see him, but that would be too much for me. He is another woman's
+husband and I dare not meet him, it were sin for me to do so; but I would
+fain be nearer to the scene of battle, so that in a few hours I might
+journey there, in order that, if my lord dies, I might see him once again.
+I know the superior of a convent at Lewes, and there I will betake myself.
+Thence, as I believe, it is some sixteen miles to Hastings, and so far as I
+have heard the Norman plunderers have not gone so far west. Should aught
+happen to him, will you send a speedy messenger to me?"
+
+"Should I live through the fight I will do so, lady, but even should I not
+return the news will travel swiftly; but God forfend that so great a loss
+should fall upon England."
+
+"Amen," Edith murmured, "and yet I fear. Thanks, Wulf, for coming,
+perchance we may not meet again. I am thinking of entering a convent,
+probably that at Lewes. The struggle and pain here is well-nigh too great
+for me, but in the walls of a cloister I may find peace. If my fears are
+fulfilled I shall assuredly do this, and when I return to the convent I
+shall leave it no more. My life is over. I have a happy past to look back
+upon, in that am blest, and shall be happier than those who have no such
+consolation. Moreover, I can still be proud of Harold, and may love him as
+I might love the memory of a husband who is lost. God bless you, Wulf, and
+protect you through the coming battle!"
+
+Wulf rode sadly back to the camp. Although he had denied it to Edith, he
+could not but admit to himself that the sacrifice that she and Harold had
+made had, so far, been unavailing. It had failed to draw the Northern earls
+closer to the king. The marriage had been productive of no happiness to
+Harold, and the only reward he had gained had been in the sympathy of the
+people, who knew well enough that he had sacrificed his love for the good
+of his country.
+
+The army marched rapidly. Beorn and Wulf rode together, and talked over the
+chances of the coming battle.
+
+"I cannot blame Harold for not remaining behind," Wulf said, "though it
+were certainly more politic for him to have stayed in London. As he could
+not do so, I think it would have been well had he bidden Gurth remain
+behind to gather another army with which to meet the Normans should we be
+defeated; or if he could not spare Gurth he might have left Leofric behind.
+It is assuredly a mistake for the three brothers all to come, for should
+all fall England would no longer have a head."
+
+"Surely no such misfortune as that will befall us, Wulf."
+
+"I know not. They will fight side by side, and should one fall all may
+perish together. One at least ought to remain behind. It matters not how
+many of us are killed, so that one of Godwin's sons is left to rally the
+kingdom. You may be sure that if we are conquered the victors will be in
+but poor condition to meet another foe; but if there is no one to gather an
+army and unite all England against the Normans they will eat us up
+piecemeal."
+
+"We must not think of so terrible a thing, Wulf. It is not like you to look
+at the dark side. Why, when we were in Wales, and in as bad a plight as
+could well be, you always made light of danger, and managed affairs as if
+we were certain to succeed. Why should we be defeated? Why should the king
+be killed? He went through the terrible fight at Stamford Bridge without a
+scratch. We have seen the Normans at work, and know that they are not such
+terrible fellows; and as for their duke, I would assuredly rather meet him
+in battle, doughty as he may be, than have faced Harold Hardrada with his
+two-handed sword."
+
+"I have every hope of winning the day, Beorn, but still I do regret much
+that Gurth and Leofric are both here. Do you remember that in Wales we
+agreed that it was always well to have a way of retreat in case of defeat?
+Well, I feel that defeat this time will mean not only the defeat of an army
+but the ruin of England."
+
+On Friday afternoon the army reached rising ground near the village of
+Senlac, which Harold had beforehand fixed upon as the place where he would
+give battle to the invaders. Kent and Sussex he knew well. They had been
+the home of his family, and he owned vast estates there. Doubtless in the
+long weeks of waiting for the coming of the Norman fleet he had fixed upon
+this spot as one well suited for a battle. It was necessary that the
+English should fight on the defensive. The Normans were strong in cavalry,
+while the English were unaccustomed to fight on horseback, and would have
+been at a grievous disadvantage had they attacked the enemy.
+
+The hill offered many advantages to a force standing on the defensive. The
+great eastern road passed close to its foot, and its possession barred the
+passage of the invaders in that direction. The ground between it and the
+sea was marshy and broken, and its occupation by an English force left the
+Normans no choice but to come out and attack them.
+
+The sides were steep and the ground rose rapidly in the rear, so that the
+Norman cavalry could not attack from behind. It was, indeed, a sort of
+peninsula running southward from the main range of hills.
+
+The moment the troops reached the ground the royal standard was planted,
+and the men set to work to fell trees and to form a triple palisade along
+the accessible sides of the hills. The force at Harold's command must have
+been far nearer to the estimate given of its strength by the English
+chroniclers than by the Normans, for the space occupied was insufficient
+for the standing room of such an army as that enumerated by the latter
+writers.
+
+Harold relied almost entirely upon the housecarls. The levies might be
+brave, but they were undisciplined, and might easily be thrown into
+disorder; they would, too, be impatient under the trial of a long day's
+battle. It is even said that he sent away some of the ill-armed levies, who
+came flocking in from the country round, eager to revenge the injuries
+received at the hands of the Normans. It was upon the shield-wall, the
+favourite formation of the English, that he relied to win the battle. It
+was their national mode of fighting. It was that in which Alfred had led
+the Saxons to victory over the Danes. It was that in which they clashed
+against the shield-wall of Norway and shattered it, and he might well hope
+that the barons of Normandy and the adventurers from all parts of Europe
+who fought under William's banner might well try in vain to break it.
+
+In the evening a messenger arrived from William, again bidding Harold
+resign the kingdom or meet the duke in single combat, the crown of England
+to be the prize of the victor. Harold refused the challenge. He had proved
+his personal courage too often for it to be supposed that he declined from
+any feeling of cowardice, but he knew well that the issue could not be thus
+decided. Were he to fall, the people would still refuse to accept William
+as their king; were William to fall, the host that had gathered for the
+plunder of England would still give battle. Nothing was therefore to be
+gained by the proposed combat.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+
+HASTINGS.
+
+The fiction of the Norman historians, that while the Normans passed the
+night preceding the battle in prayer, the English spent it in feasting, is
+even more palpably absurd than the many other falsehoods invented for the
+purpose of damaging the character of Harold. The English army had marched
+nearly seventy miles in the course of two days, and had in addition
+laboured incessantly for many hours in erecting the palisades and in
+digging ditches. We may be sure that after two such days the great mass of
+the army lay down dog-tired directly their work was done, and slept till
+morning. Harold and his thanes had shared in their labours, and knowing the
+terrible work that awaited them in the morning, would most surely be
+disposed to get as long a sleep as possible to prepare for it.
+
+But what is most opposed to the Norman story is the fact that Harold was a
+sincerely and deeply religious man, far more so than his rival. The life of
+the one man was in accordance with his professions--he was gentle and
+merciful, ever ready to forgive his enemies, averse to bloodshed, and so
+true a friend of the church that the whole of the prelates and clergy set
+the interdict of the pope at naught for his sake. The only exception in his
+clemency to the conquered was in the case of the Welsh, and in this
+instance the stern measures he adopted were in the end the most merciful.
+No oaths could bind these marauders, and the stern punishment he inflicted
+was the means of procuring for the West of England a respite from their
+incursions that lasted for three generations.
+
+William of Normandy, on the contrary, was absolutely merciless in warfare.
+He was not cruel for the sake of cruelty, but where he deemed that the
+policy demanded it, he was ruthless, and spared neither age nor sex. He was
+lavish to the church, but it was rather because he needed and obtained its
+aid than from any feeling of real piety.
+
+In point of ability, both civil and military, the Duke of Normandy and
+Harold of England were perhaps about equal; in point of nobility of
+character there was no comparison between them. We may be sure that the
+night before the battle Harold prayed as earnestly as he had prayed at
+Waltham for the aid of Heaven.
+
+Wulf and Beorn lay down among the thanes, after Harold, sitting with them
+round a fire, had explained his plans for the battle. So calmly and
+confidently did he speak, and so strong was their position, that even those
+who had, like Wulf, doubted the wisdom of an advance until the whole force
+of England had assembled, now felt something like an assurance of victory,
+and all lay down to sleep with the belief that the victory at Stamford
+Bridge would be repeated.
+
+On waking, Wulf visited his men. They were already astir, and he was
+astounded at seeing among them the towering figure of Osgod.
+
+"Why, what means this, Osgod?" he exclaimed. "Did I not order you to rest
+quietly at York?"
+
+"That did you, my lord," Osgod said, "and no man obeys your orders more
+readily than I, and anything that you bid me do I am willing to do if
+possible; but in this it was not possible, for I could not remain at York,
+either in rest or quiet. I should have had fever in my blood, and would by
+this time have been lying as deep in the earth as Harold of Norway himself.
+Therefore, in order to get the rest and quiet you had ordered, it was
+necessary for me to come south. As you had left me well supplied with
+money, I was able to do so in comfort, and though I could well enough walk
+I have had myself carried in a litter by easy stages. I reached London on
+Wednesday night, having been a fortnight on the way, and I arrived here an
+hour since. Each day I walked a little, so as to keep my health and
+exercise my limbs, and so well have I succeeded that my wound has well-nigh
+healed; and although I doubt whether I shall be able to use a heavy axe, I
+trust I shall be able to strike hard enough with the right hand to split a
+few Norman helms."
+
+"But the exertion may set your wounds bleeding afresh, Osgod," Wulf said,
+unable to repress a smile at Osgod's argument.
+
+"Methinks there is no fear of that. The most nights I have slept at
+monasteries, and have inquired from the monks, whom I told that I must
+needs stand by your side to-day, whether I should be fit. They said at
+first that there would be some risk in the matter, but that if I continued
+to take rest and quiet as I was doing, and the wound continued to heal
+favourably, it was possible, if I abstained from actual fighting, I might
+do so; but of late they have spoken more confidently. I told the monk who
+seared my arm to do it heartily, for a little pain more or less was of
+small account, so that he made a good job of it. And so, what with the rest
+and quiet and my mind being at ease, it went on so well that a monk who
+examined it at Westminster on Wednesday evening told me that save for the
+healing of the skin the wound was pretty nigh cured, and that he thought
+there was no chance whatever of its breaking out afresh. He bandaged it
+tightly to prevent any rush of blood into the veins, and though when I
+drove an axe just now into that stump yonder, I felt that I had not got
+back my strength fully, I expect when I warm to the work I shall strike as
+strongly as most."
+
+"Well, at any rate you must take care of yourself, Osgod. You can aid me
+in keeping our men steady, but I charge you not to fight yourself unless
+you see the line waver. Then you can, of course, throw yourself into the
+fray."
+
+"I will keep myself back for that, master; but I am sure we shall all have
+to do our best before sunset, and as all will be risking their lives there
+is no reason why I should not do so as well as the rest."
+
+The troops made a hearty breakfast from the food they carried, and quenched
+their thirst at the little stream that ran down by the side of the slope,
+then they were told off to the ground they were to occupy.
+
+At nine in the morning the vanguard of the Norman army appeared over the
+brow of a rise, and the English at once took up their positions. In the
+centre were the housecarls of the royal house and those of the thanes,
+together with the men of Kent, whose right it was ever to be in the front
+of a battle, and the London citizens under their sheriff. All these were
+armed and attired like the housecarls. In the centre of this array flew the
+royal standard, and around it were the three royal brothers, Aelfwig their
+uncle, with his monk's cowl over his helmet, and their nephew, Hakon, the
+son of Sweyn. The housecarls were in a triple line. To the left and right
+of them were the levies, as brave as their more heavily armed comrades, but
+altogether without discipline, and armed in the most primitive manner. A
+few only carried swords or axes, the majority had spears or javelins. Many
+had only forks or sharp stakes, while some carried stone hammers and axes,
+such as were used by their primitive ancestors.
+
+As the Norman army wound down from the opposite hill and formed up in the
+order of battle, Harold rode along in front of his line exhorting all to
+stand firm.
+
+"They were there," he said, "to defend their country, and to defend their
+country they had but to hold the hill. Were they steadfast and firm they
+could assuredly resist the attack of this host who came to capture and
+plunder England."
+
+The order in which the Normans prepared for battle was similar to that of
+the English. Both commanders had been well informed by spies of the
+strength and position of their opponents, and the duke placed his tried
+Norman troops in the centre to match themselves against the English
+housecarls. His Breton contingent was on his left, while on the right were
+the French, the Flemings, and the other foreign adventurers who had come to
+fight under his banner. In the front line were the archers and slingers,
+who were to open the battle and shake the line of the defenders. Behind
+these came the infantry, who were to hew down the palisades and clear a way
+for the cavalry charge full into the centre of the English host.
+
+A Norman trumpet gave the signal for the commencement of the battle, and
+the archers along the whole line poured a storm of arrows into the English.
+It was unanswered, for there were few bowmen among the defenders of the
+hill, and the distance was too great for the javelin-men to hurl their
+missiles. After the archers had shot several volleys of arrows they fell
+back, and the infantry advanced against the hill; but before they did so
+Taillifer, a Norman minstrel, dashed forward on horseback, and spurring up
+the ascent, tossing his sword in the air and catching it as it fell, rode
+up to the English line. One man he pierced with a lance, another he cut
+down with his sword, and then fell dead under the blow of a heavy axe.
+This mad exploit had scarce terminated when the Norman infantry advanced up
+the hill. They were greeted with a shower of stones and javelins, which
+slew many, but with unbroken front they pressed upwards until they reached
+the palisade. Here a desperate struggle began. The Norman sword and spear
+were met by the axes of the housecarls, and the clubs, spears, and forks of
+the levies. In vain Norman, Breton, Frenchmen, and Fleming strove to break
+the English line. The high position of the defenders gave them a great
+advantage over their assailants, among whose crowded ranks the javelin-men
+did great execution, while the Normans could receive little aid from their
+archers. Both sides fought with obstinate valour. The Norman battle-cry was
+"God help us!" the English "God Almighty and the Holy Cross!" The latter
+invocation being to the relic at Waltham, which was the king's special
+object of devotion.
+
+With jeering cries too they greeted the efforts of their assailants to
+cross the palisade and break their line. At last the Norman infantry fell
+back broken and baffled, having suffered terrible loss, and now the knights
+and horsemen, who formed the backbone of William's army, rode up the hill.
+The duke himself, as well as his brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeau, who fought
+beside him, had laid aside their Norman swords, and were armed with heavy
+maces, weapons as formidable as the English axe. But the valour of the
+horsemen, the strength of their armour, the length of their lances, and the
+weight of their horses, availed no more against the shield-wall of the
+housecarls than the infantry had done. The superior height and strength of
+the English, and the sweep of their terrible battle-axes, counterbalanced
+the advantage the horses afforded to the Normans, and the hitherto
+irresistible chivalry of Normandy and France were, for the first time,
+dashed backwards by trained infantry.
+
+In front of the English line the ground was thickly covered with fallen men
+and horses. There were but few wounded among them, for where the English
+axe fell, whether on horse or rider, it did its work thoroughly. But the
+English, too, had suffered. The action of swinging the axe with both arms
+above the head left the neck and upper part of the body exposed, and many
+had fallen pierced through and through by the Norman spears. A great shout
+of triumph rose from the English line as the Norman horsemen, unable to do
+more, fell sullenly back down the hill. As in the centre the king with his
+thanes and housecarls had repelled the attack of the Normans, so on the
+flanks the English levies had held their ground against the Bretons and
+French; but, carried away by their exultation, the levies on the right,
+forgetful of Harold's express orders that no man was to stir from his place
+until he himself gave the signal for pursuit, broke their line, and rushing
+down the hill fell on the retreating Bretons.
+
+Unable to withstand the onslaught, and already disheartened by their
+failure, the Bretons fled in wild alarm, and rushing towards the centre for
+protection threw the Normans also into confusion. The panic spread rapidly,
+the host wavered, and had already begun to fly, when William, throwing off
+his helmet, rode among them, and exhorting some and striking others with a
+lance he had caught up, at last restored order, and the Breton infantry
+rallied and fell upon their pursuers, killing many and driving the rest
+back up the hill.
+
+Again the Norman infantry and cavalry together advanced up the hill, and
+the terrible struggle recommenced. William and his brother the bishop
+performed prodigies of valour, but not less valiantly fought Harold of
+England and his brothers. The palisade was by this time destroyed in many
+places, and desperate hand-to-hand contests now took place. Cutting his way
+through meaner foes the duke strove to reach the royal standard and
+encounter Harold himself. He was nearing his goal, when Gurth sprang
+forward, eager above all things to protect Harold from harm. He hurled a
+javelin at William, but the dart struck the Norman's horse only, and it
+fell beneath him. William leapt to his feet, and springing upon Gurth smote
+with his heavy mace full on his helmet, and the noble Earl of East Anglia
+fell dead at his feet. Almost at the same moment his brother Leofwin,
+fighting sword in hand, was slain. But the fall of the two royal brothers
+in no way changed the fate of the battle. The men of Kent and Essex,
+furious at the fall of their beloved earls, fought even more fiercely than
+before to avenge their deaths.
+
+William had remounted, but his second horse was also slain. Eustace of
+Boulogne offered him his horse, and himself mounting that of one of his
+followers they fell together upon the English line, but all the valour of
+the duke and his chivalry failed to break it. On the French left the
+Bretons had, indeed, succeeded in completely destroying the palisade, but
+the levies stood firm, and no impression was made upon their solid line.
+The attack had failed, and even William saw that it was hopeless any more
+to hurl his troops against the shield-wall, but the manner in which the
+English irregulars had been induced to break their array led him to try by
+a feigned retreat to induce them to repeat their error. While the fight yet
+raged around him he sent orders to the Bretons to turn and flee, and then
+if the defenders pursued them to turn upon them while he ordered a portion
+of his Norman force to make straight for the gap as soon as the English
+left their posts.
+
+The stratagem was successful. Again with exulting shouts the levies poured
+out in pursuit of the Bretons. These fled for some distance, and then
+suddenly turning fell on their pursuers. Ill-armed and undisciplined as the
+levies were, and unable to withstand the attack of such overwhelming
+numbers, they bore themselves gallantly. One party took possession of a
+small outlying hill, and with showers of darts and stones they killed or
+drove off all who attacked them. The greater part, however, made their way
+to broken ground to the west of the hill, and made a stand on the steep
+bank of a small ravine. The French horsemen charging down upon them,
+unaware of the existence of the ravine, fell into it, and were slaughtered
+in such numbers by the knives and spears of the English that the ravine was
+well-nigh filled up with their dead bodies.
+
+But gallantly as the levies had retrieved their error, it was a fatal one.
+As soon as they had left their line, the Normans told off for the duty
+pressed into the gap, and were followed by the whole of their main body,
+and thus the English lost the advantage of position, and the contending
+hosts faced each other on the hill, the ground now occupied by the Normans
+being somewhat higher than that on which the housecarls stood. It was now
+about three in the afternoon, and the fight had been raging for six hours,
+but though thus outflanked and the order of their battle destroyed, the
+veterans of Harold showed neither alarm nor discouragement. Their formation
+was changed, the shield-wall still faced the Normans, and for a time every
+effort to break it failed.
+
+In vain the Norman cavalry charged down upon it, in vain their duke plied
+his terrible mace. Occasionally men worn out by the long defensive battle
+sprang from the English ranks and engaged knight or baron hand to hand. All
+along the line such single-handed conflicts were going on, and the roar of
+battle was as loud and fierce as at the beginning of the day. So for three
+more hours the fight went on; with diminishing numbers, but with
+undiminished bravery the English still held their ground, and as twilight
+was now closing in, it seemed as if they would maintain it till nightfall.
+Then William ordered up his archers again, bade them shoot their arrows
+high into the air, so that they should fall among the king and his thanes
+grouped round the standard.
+
+The effect was terrible. Through helm and shoulder-guard the arrows made
+their way; the soldiers held their shields above their heads, but the
+thanes had no such protection. Harold glanced up for a moment, and as if
+directed by the hand of fate an arrow struck him full in the eye, and he
+fell prostrate as if struck by a thunderbolt. A cry of horror and dismay
+burst from the thanes around him, but there was no time for the indulgence
+of grief. The Normans too had seen the king fall, and with shouts of
+triumph a body of knights tried to force their way in to take possession of
+his body. But so long as an Englishman could swing axe this was not to be,
+and the assault was repulsed as others had been before. Nor, when the news
+of Harold's fall spread, did the brave housecarls lose heart, but sternly
+and obstinately as ever held together.
+
+At last the Normans burst in at the centre, each baron and knight striving
+to be the first to pluck down the standards, the one the king's own
+cognizance, the other the national banner, that waved side by side. One
+after another the thanes were smitten down. Not one asked for quarter, not
+one turned his back upon the foe.
+
+Beorn and Wulf had, through the long fight, stood side by side, and the
+watchfulness with which they guarded each other had carried them so far
+unharmed through it.
+
+"It is all over now, Beorn," Wulf said. "But it is not hard to die, for
+with Harold the cause of England is lost."
+
+"At any rate we will sell our lives dearly," Beorn said, as he struck a
+Norman knight from his horse. But they were the last defenders of the
+standards, and the end was at hand. Blows rained down upon them. Beorn was
+beaten on to one knee; Wulf was so exhausted by his exertions that he could
+scarce swing his axe, when a Norman baron pressed his horse through the
+throng, and springing to the ground held his sword aloft and shouted:
+"Stand back! stand back! these two men hold the duke's solemn pledge for
+their lives!" Some of the others still pressed on, but he shouted again:
+"Whoever strikes at them strikes at me!"
+
+There was still hesitation, so furious were the Normans at the resistance
+they had met with and the tremendous losses they had suffered. But another
+baron exclaimed, "De Burg is right! I heard the pledge given, and so did
+many of you. This is the young Saxon who saved the duke's camp from the
+attack by the Bretons, and bore the brunt of their assault till we had time
+to arm. The other brought with him the news that Harold was wrecked." The
+words were decisive, and the Normans turned aside their horses to attack
+other foes.
+
+"Thank God I arrived in time, Wulf," Baron de Burg said. "I knew you would
+be near the standard, but I was fighting elsewhere when the news reached me
+that the line was broken and the standard on the point of capture. Are you
+badly hurt, Beorn?"
+
+"I am dizzy and faint," Beorn, who had risen to his feet, replied
+unsteadily, "but I think not badly wounded."
+
+"Walk by me one on each side holding my stirrup-leathers. I would place
+you on my horse, but it were best that I myself should be seen."
+
+He removed his helmet, and bareheaded moved off with the young thanes
+walking beside him. Many Normans stopped as he made his way down the hill,
+but to their questions he replied, "The duke has himself guaranteed the
+safety of these thanes," and as he was well known to stand high in the
+duke's favour his word was at once accepted.
+
+In the meantime Harold's standard, whose emblem was a fighting man, and the
+golden dragon, the national banner, had been carried off in triumph. Four
+of the Normans whose names were long held in infamy by the English
+discovered the body of the dying king, for it is said that he still
+breathed. One of these was Eustace of Boulogne, the only man in the two
+armies who had during the engagement shown signs of craven fear. Another
+was the son of that Count of Ponthieu, who had once held Harold prisoner.
+The others were Gifford and Montfort. One ran his spear through Harold's
+breast, another struck off his head with his sword, a third pierced the
+dead body, while the fourth further insulted the dead hero by cutting off
+one of his legs--an action, however, which William when he heard of it
+pronounced to be shameful, and expelled its perpetrator from the army.
+
+But though the king was dead and the standard lost, the survivors of the
+housecarls still fought on until darkness fell. The levies had fled just
+before, hotly pursued by the Norman horse. Knowing the ground well the
+light-armed footmen fled across a bog, and in the fast-gathering darkness
+their pursuers did not notice the nature of the ground, but galloping on
+plunged into the morass, where great numbers of them perished miserably,
+either suffocated in the mud or slain by the English, who turned and fell
+upon them with axe and spear as soon as they saw their plight. So great was
+the slaughter, that those who had reined up their horses in time were
+stricken with horror even after all the carnage they had witnessed on the
+field of battle.
+
+With darkness the battle came to an end. Few indeed of the housecarls drew
+off under cover of the darkness; their force being almost annihilated. With
+them had perished almost the whole of the thanes of the South of England
+and East Anglia. The Sheriff of London had been carried off desperately
+wounded by a few of his friends, but with this exception none of Harold's
+companions and thanes left the field alive while daylight lasted. A few
+only the next morning were found breathing among the mass of dead, and some
+of these survived and returned at last to their homes: for William,
+satisfied with the complete victory he had gained, issued orders that all
+found alive on the field were to be well treated. He felt that he was now
+King of England, and that clemency was his best policy. Permission was
+given to the women who flocked in from the country round, to search for the
+bodies of their friends and to remove them for burial. He also commanded a
+search to be made for the body of Harold, but during the night, while the
+exhausted soldiers slept heavily after their labours, the camp-followers
+had been busy with the work of plunder, busiest round the spot where the
+standards had stood, for here were stores of gold bracelets and rings, the
+emblems of authority of the thanes, to be collected, and rich garments to
+be carried off. Thus then, the heaps of corpses that marked the spot where
+the fighting had all day been heaviest, were unrecognizable, so terrible
+had been the wounds dealt by sword, battle-axe, and mace.
+
+De Burg had kept Wulf and Beorn with him all night, and they had lain down
+and slept together. In the morning he committed them to the charge of some
+of his personal followers, while he went to the duke to inform him of what
+he had done.
+
+"Thank you, De Burg," William said; "they are two brave young fellows. I
+marked them in the fight more than once when I was near the standard, and I
+should have grieved if ill had befallen them, for they did me loyal
+service. I had given my word that they should retain their estates in case
+I ever came to the throne here. I know not what to do with them. Were I to
+let them go now, they would assuredly take part in any further resistance
+that the English may offer to me. I will not ask them now to swear
+allegiance to me, for fresh from the battle where they have lost so many
+friends and the earl they loved so loyally, they would assuredly refuse."
+
+"If you will grant me a short leave I will take ship back to Normandy and
+place them in the care of my wife, where they can remain until matters have
+settled down here."
+
+"It is a good idea, De Burg; do so without delay. Methinks that after
+yesterday there will be no real resistance offered to me. Harold and his
+brothers and all the leading thanes lie dead. There is no one left to lead
+the people or organize a resistance, therefore I can spare you for a time."
+
+Thanking the duke, De Burg returned to his captives and told them what had
+been arranged.
+
+"We owe you our heartiest thanks, Lord de Burg, for your kindness," Beorn
+said. "Assuredly so long as England resists we will not acknowledge William
+of Normandy as king, but when resistance ceases, we will of course take the
+oath to him if only for the sake of our people; partial risings could but
+bring down his vengeance and cause suffering and ruin to all concerned.
+Therefore, we gratefully accept your offer, but first of all we beg you to
+let us go to the spot where our housecarls fought. You remember Wulf's man,
+Osgod?"
+
+"That do I indeed," De Burg replied. "The great fellow who fought by his
+side that night against the Bretons, and saved my son's life. Was he
+there?"
+
+"He was," Wulf said, "though greatly against my wishes; for he had lost an
+arm in the fight at Stamford Bridge, and though it is little more than a
+fortnight since, he had himself carried down here, contrary to my orders,
+and insisted upon joining in the battle. I would fain search for his body
+and give him burial."
+
+"I will come with you at once," the Norman said, "I too owe him a debt of
+gratitude."
+
+The housecarls of Steyning had fallen to a man where they stood, and among
+them after some searching they came upon the body of Osgod, distinguished
+alike by its bulk and the loss of an arm. His axe lay with a broken shaft
+by his side. His helmet was cleft asunder, and his face covered with
+blood.
+
+"His body is yet warm," Wulf said, as he lifted his arm. "I believe he
+still lives."
+
+De Burg called upon two Norman soldiers near to aid, and with their
+assistance Wulf and Beorn carried Osgod down to the stream, where they
+washed the blood from his face and bathed the wound in his head.
+
+"He is certainly alive," Beorn said. "Doubtless he was stunned by the blow,
+and has remained unconscious from the loss of blood."
+
+De Burg sent for a flask of wine, and a little of this was poured through
+Osgod's lips. Presently there was a deep sigh and a slight motion of the
+figure, and then Osgod opened his eyes.
+
+At first he seemed bewildered, but as his eyes fell on Wulf a look of
+pleasure came into them, and he smiled faintly.
+
+"I am alive, Osgod, and glad indeed to find that you are also. Beorn has
+also escaped. Take a draught of wine; you have lost a lot of blood and had
+none to spare."
+
+They lifted him into a sitting position, and held the cup to his lips while
+he drank a long draught.
+
+"That is better," he murmured. "I can feel it going through my veins. I
+shall be able to wield an axe yet again. This comes of fighting with a
+weapon you don't know. The shaft broke as I was guarding my head, and I
+don't remember anything after."
+
+"It saved your life though, Osgod, for it broke the force of the blow which
+would otherwise have cleft your skull. As it is, it has not gone very deep,
+and the blood you have lost has run chiefly from a wound on your left
+shoulder."
+
+"How is it that you are here?" Osgod asked, looking round at the Normans.
+
+"We are prisoners, though we have not surrendered," Wulf replied. "We were
+saved by our good friend Lord de Burg, who has joined us in our search for
+you. We are to be taken to Normandy as prisoners, and to remain in charge
+of Lady de Burg."
+
+"You shall go too, Osgod," De Burg said. "You will find it hard to be
+nursed here, and my wife will see that your wounds are well cared for. Your
+master will stay with you for the present, for I have matters to see about
+before we start for the coast."
+
+In half an hour he returned. "I have to ask you to perform a last service
+to your dead king," he said. "The bodies of Gurth and Leofwin have been
+found and borne away by your people for burial, but none can find the body
+of Harold. All the dead that were near the standard were removed last
+night by the soldiers, and among the great pile of dead none can recognize
+that of your king."
+
+Well as they knew him, Wulf and Beorn were unable to recognize the body of
+Harold among the ghastly heap of mutilated corpses. After a time Wulf said:
+
+"There is one who might recognize it when all others failed. It is Edith,
+whom he so long loved as his wife. She may recognize it by some mark or
+sign unknown to others. If you will give me leave I will ride to Lewes,
+where she is staying, and bring her hither."
+
+"Certainly, Wulf; I will obtain a safe conduct for you from the duke."
+
+Wulf had ridden, however, but a mile along the western road when he saw a
+litter approaching borne by four men. He reined in his horse by its side.
+An order was given from within, and as the bearers lowered it to the ground
+Edith stepped out. She was deadly pale. Her eyes were red with weeping, and
+she seemed to Wulf to have aged years since he saw her a week before.
+
+"My presentiments have come true, Wulf," she said. "It was no surprise to
+me when last night the news came that the battle was lost and Harold slain.
+I had looked and waited for it. You were coming to fetch me?"
+
+"Yes, lady; Harold's body has not been found. Early this morning two monks
+of Waltham, who had followed the army and seen the fight afar off, came
+into camp, and with them Gytha, Harold's mother. She saw the duke, and
+begged for Harold's body, offering its weight in gold if she might carry it
+for burial to the Abbey of Waltham. The duke refused, saying that an
+excommunicated man could not be buried in a holy place; she might remove
+the bodies of her other two sons, but Harold's, when found, should be
+buried by the seacoast. The monks searched in vain for the body. Beorn and
+I have done the same, but have failed to recognize it in so vast a heap of
+slain."
+
+"I shall know it," Edith said. "Among a thousand dead I should know
+Harold."
+
+"It is a terrible sight, lady, for a woman to look upon," Wulf said gently.
+
+"I shall see nothing but him," she replied firmly.
+
+He accompanied her back to the battle-ground, where the two monks joined
+her. Wulf, who was greatly shaken by the sight of her set and white face,
+left her with them.
+
+What the eye of friendship had failed to accomplish, that of love detected
+unerringly. There were marks on Harold's body by which Edith recognized it.
+One of the monks bore the news to the duke, who charged Sir William Malet
+to superintend the burial, and to do it with all honour. The remains were
+collected and reverently placed together. They were wrapped in a purple
+robe, and laid on a litter. Beorn and Wulf and the two monks lifted it;
+Edith walked behind, followed by Lord de Burg and several other Norman
+knights and barons who had known Harold in Normandy, and could admire and
+appreciate the valour of the dead hero. The little procession went down to
+the shore, where Norman soldiers had already dug a grave, and there by the
+coast he had defended so well Harold was laid to rest, and over his body a
+great cairn of stones was raised by order of the duke.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+
+THE LORD OF BRAMBER.
+
+Edith stood by while the Norman soldiers piled the stones over the grave.
+No tear had fallen from her eyes from the time that she had reached the
+field of battle. Her face was as pale as marble, and looked almost as
+rigid. When the last stone was placed on the top of the cairn she turned to
+Wulf and Beorn:
+
+"Farewell, Wulf! farewell, Beorn! I am glad you were here. I am glad that
+beside me stood two of his most trusted thanes, and two of the monks from
+the abbey he founded, and whose welfare was so dear to him. I go to Lewes,
+and when the doors of the convent close on me I shall be dead to the world.
+Would that I were lying beneath that cairn by the side of my dear lord. I
+cannot weep for him now, the springs of my heart seem frozen, but I have
+time for that. Farewell, thanes! I shall remember you in my prayers." So
+saying she turned away, and walked back to the litter.
+
+"Poor lady!" Beorn exclaimed as he watched the litter, escorted by the two
+monks, carried along the road.
+
+"Poor lady indeed!" Wulf repeated; "and yet there are thousands in England
+and Normandy who were widowed yesterday, and maybe she is better off than
+many. She lost Harold the day she resigned him to another, and it was
+harder perhaps to be parted from him in that fashion than to know that he
+is dead now. She can think of him as his true widow, for assuredly the
+queen who never cared aught for him is a widow but in name. Before, Edith
+was tortured by the desire to see him and to comfort him, and yet his
+marriage stood as a gulf between them, a gulf that she would never have
+passed. Now she can think of him as her very own, as the man who had loved
+her even as she had loved him. It is a grief, a terrible grief, but one
+without bitterness. But see, Lord de Burg is coming this way, and as there
+is a litter behind him I suppose all is ready for our departure."
+
+"I am ready, young thanes," De Burg said as he came up. "We ride at once
+for Pevensey, whither an order was sent some hours ago for a ship to be in
+readiness to sail for Normandy."
+
+Three horses were led up and mounted. They rode away, followed by an armed
+party and the litter on which Osgod was laid.
+
+"You have done your last duty to your king," the Norman said. "It is a fit
+grave for a hero, and assuredly Harold was one. Maybe that it is not his
+last resting-place. The duke at present doubtless felt constrained at first
+to refuse him Christian burial, for had he granted Gytha's request, it
+would have been an acknowledgment that the charges brought against him were
+unfounded, and the excommunication of no avail; but I doubt not that in
+time he will allow his body to be taken to his abbey at Waltham. Now," he
+said less gravely, in order to turn their thoughts from the sad scenes they
+had witnessed, "what think you of the future, will the Northern earls head
+a national movement against us?"
+
+"They are foul traitors!" Beorn exclaimed passionately; "and I would that
+Wulf and I could meet them in fair lists and fight them."
+
+"They will do nothing," Wulf said more quietly. "They will hasten to make
+the best terms they can for themselves, and will ask to be permitted to
+hold their earldoms as his vassals. But they will not long enjoy their
+treachery; they are ever intriguers, and as soon as they see their
+opportunity will conspire against William as they conspired against Harold.
+Thank heaven they will receive scantier mercy at his hands than they
+received at the king's. As for the South and East, who is to lead them?
+There is no one left to whom they can look for guidance; doubtless in some
+places they will resist, but such resistance can only bring ruin upon those
+who attempt it. Maybe some will take to the forests or the great eastern
+marshes, and may perhaps hold out for months, or even years. But what can
+it avail in the end? Had Harold escaped alive there would have been many a
+battle as obstinate as that of yesterday to fight before England was
+conquered. Had any of the greater thanes escaped men would have flocked to
+them, but they are all gone, save the few that were found well-nigh
+lifeless this morning. Perhaps it is better as it is; for now that William
+is victorious he will soon receive large bodies of reinforcements, and as
+resistance would be vain, it were best that no resistance were made. Duke
+William has shown himself a wise and just ruler in Normandy, and will
+doubtless prove himself the same in England if he be not angered by revolts
+and risings. It is hard that Englishmen should be ruled by a foreigner, but
+it is no new thing for us. We Saxons conquered the Britons, and in turn
+Danish kings have ruled over us; but Saxon and Dane have become almost one,
+and the old grudges have died out. Maybe in time you Normans also may
+become English."
+
+"You would take the oath of allegiance to William then, Wulf?"
+
+"Not now, my lord, but when England accepts him as her king I should be
+willing to hold my lands from him as I have held them before from our
+kings, that is, if the lands remain mine."
+
+"They will remain yours," Lord de Burg said confidently. "The duke's
+promise was publicly made, and he will certainly adhere to it; even if he
+wished it, he could not, after charging Harold with perjury, break his own
+promise."
+
+The sun was sinking when they reached Pevensey, for the search for Harold's
+body and the building of his cairn had occupied many hours. They went at
+once on board one of the ships De Burg had himself furnished for the
+expedition, and two days later landed at Rouen. They had brought horses
+with them, and the two young thanes at once rode with the baron to his
+chateau, leaving Osgod to be brought after them in his litter. Lord de Burg
+was received with the greatest joy by his wife, Guy, and Agnes. They had
+been in a state of terrible anxiety for the last twenty-four hours, for a
+swift ship had been despatched by the duke with the news of the victory, at
+daybreak after the battle, and it was known that the fight had been long
+and desperately contested, and that a great number of barons and knights
+had fallen. As soon as the first outburst of delight was over the baron
+called in Wulf and Beorn, who had not followed him into the room, feeling
+that he would prefer to greet his family alone. Guy gave an exclamation of
+surprise and pleasure as they came forward.
+
+"These are my prisoners," the baron said with a smile, "if I can call
+prisoners those who have never surrendered. The duke has intrusted them to
+my keeping, and has ordered that you shall hold them in safe custody."
+
+"Lord de Burg does not tell you, lady, that he saved our lives, which but
+for him were assuredly lost. We were well-nigh spent, and were surrounded
+by a ring of foes when he broke in and stood beside us proclaiming that the
+duke himself had given a pledge for our safety."
+
+"I have paid part of the debt we owe," the baron said, "though I saved them
+at no cost to myself, while Wulf defended Guy at the risk of his life."
+
+"How long do you stay with us, my lord?"
+
+"As long as I can, wife. I went, as you know, unwillingly to the war, but
+when all the Norman barons followed the duke I could not hold back. But I
+trust to have no more of it; so terrible a field no man living has seen,
+and in truth until twilight fell it seemed that we should be beaten, with
+such obstinacy and endurance did the English fight. We won, but it was a
+victory over the dead rather than the living. Of Harold's regular troops no
+man turned, no man asked for quarter, they fell where they stood; and even
+the irregulars, who had fought with equal bravery, when, as night fell and
+all was lost, they fled, inflicted well-nigh as heavy a blow upon us as had
+been dealt during the day. I have no animosity against them, they are
+valiant men, and were in their right in defending their country, and I
+would that I could stay peacefully here until the last blow has been
+struck. I am well content with my estates, and need no foot of English
+land, no share in English spoil I must fight for my liege lord as long as
+fighting goes on, but that over I hope to return here and live in peace.
+At any rate I can tarry quietly here for a week. Certainly no force can be
+raised in time to oppose the duke's advance on London, and my sword
+therefore may well rest in its scabbard. I suppose, thanes, you will not
+object to give me your parole to attempt no escape?"
+
+"Willingly, my lord," Beorn said. "If, contrary to our opinion, England
+should rise and fight one more battle for freedom, we will give you due
+notice that we shall if possible escape and cross the sea to join our
+countrymen."
+
+"That is fair enough," De Burg said with a smile, "and the moment you give
+me notice I will clap you into so firm a cage that I warrant you will not
+escape from it; but I trust the necessity will not arise. Now, Guy, take
+your friends to their chambers and see to their comfort. I will not tell
+the story of the battle until you return, for doubtless you are burning to
+hear it, and in truth it will be famous in all times, both as one of the
+sturdiest fights ever heard of, and because such great issues depended on
+its results."
+
+When Guy returned with his friends and a meal had been eaten, De Burg told
+the story of the battle of Senlac.
+
+"Such is the story as far as I know it," he added in conclusion, "but in
+truth beyond the beginning and the end, and the fact that we twice fell
+back and at one time were flying in headlong rout to our ships, I know
+nothing. All day I was striving to break through a living wall, and
+striving in vain. I can see now the close line of shields, the helmet
+covered faces above them, and the terrible axes rising and falling,
+cleaving through helmet and hauberk as if they had been pasteboard. It may
+well-nigh be said that we have no wounded, for each man struck fell in his
+track as if smitten by lightning. Can you add more, thanes?"
+
+Beorn shook his head.
+
+"It is like a dream," Wulf said. "We never moved through the long day. At
+times there was a short lull, and then each man was fighting as best he
+could. I know that my arms grew tired and that my axe seemed to grow
+heavier, that horse and foot swept up to us, and there was occasionally
+breathing time; that the royal brothers' voices rose ever cheeringly and
+encouragingly until Gurth and Leofwin fell, and after that Harold's alone
+was heard, though I think it came to my ears as from a distance, so great
+was the tumult, so great our exertions. When Harold died I knew that all
+was lost, but even that did not seem to affect me. I had become a sort of
+machine, and fought almost mechanically, with a dim consciousness that the
+end was close at hand. It was only at the last, when Beorn and I stood back
+to back, that I seemed myself again, and was animated with new strength
+that came, I suppose, from despair."
+
+"It was an awful day," De Burg said. "I have fought in many battles under
+the duke's banner, but the sternest of them were but paltry skirmishes in
+comparison to this. Half of the nobles of Normandy lie dead, half the army
+that filled the mighty fleet that sailed from St. Valery have fallen.
+William is King of England, but whether that will in the end repay Normandy
+for the loss she has suffered seems to me very doubtful. And now let us to
+bed. I sleep not well on shipboard, and in truth I had such dreams of death
+and slaughter that I ever awoke bathed with sweat, and in such fear that I
+dared not go to sleep again."
+
+At the end of a week the baron sailed again for England. To the two young
+Englishmen the following weeks passed pleasantly. Ships came frequently
+from England with news of what was doing there. William had tarried for
+some time at his camp at Hastings, expecting to receive the submission of
+all England. But not an Englishman came to bow before him. The Northern
+earls had hurried to London as soon as they heard of the defeat at Senlac
+and the death of the king and his brothers, and a Witan was instantly
+summoned to choose his successor to the throne.
+
+Edwin and Morcar thought that the choice of the nation would surely fall
+upon one or other of them, as in rank and position they were now the first
+men in the realm. They exerted themselves to the utmost to bring this
+about, but no true-hearted Englishman could forgive either their acceptance
+of Harold Hardrada as their king, or the long and treacherous delay that
+had left Southern England to stand alone on the day of battle. The choice
+of the Witan fell on the young Edgar, the grandson of Edmund Ironside, the
+last male survivor of the royal blood. Edgar, however, was never crowned,
+as that ceremony could only take place at one of the festivals of the
+church, and it was therefore postponed until Christmas. London was eager
+for resistance. Alfred had fought battle after battle against the Danes,
+and though without their natural leaders, the people throughout Southern
+England looked forward to a long and determined struggle. With the army of
+the North as a rallying centre a force more numerous than that which Harold
+had led might soon be gathered. But these hopes were dashed to the ground
+by the treacherous Northern earls. Had one of them been chosen to sit on
+the vacant throne they would doubtless have done their best to maintain
+that throne, but they had been passed over, and oblivious of the fact that
+it was to the South they owed the rescue of their earldoms from the sway of
+the King of Norway and Tostig, they sullenly marched away with their army
+and left the South to its fate.
+
+While the cause of England was thus being betrayed and ruined, William was
+advancing eastward along the coast ravaging and destroying. Romney was
+levelled to the ground and its inhabitants slain. Dover opened its gates.
+It is probable that most of the male population had joined Harold, and had
+fallen at Senlac; and that the terrible fate of Romney had struck such
+terror into the hearts of the inhabitants, who knew there was no army that
+could advance to their assistance, that they surrendered at the Conqueror's
+approach. To them William behaved with lenity and kindness. His severity at
+Romney and his lenity at Dover had their effect. There being no central
+authority, no army in the field, each town and district was left to shift
+for itself; and assuredly none of them unaided could hope to offer
+prolonged resistance to the Normans. As, after eight days' stay at Dover,
+William advanced towards Canterbury, he was met by a deputation of the
+citizens offering their submission, and soon from all parts of Kent similar
+messages came in.
+
+Kent had done its full share in the national defence on the hill near
+Hastings, and was not to be blamed if, when all England remained supine and
+inactive, its villagers refused to throw away their lives uselessly. The
+duke was detained by sickness for a month near Canterbury, and there
+received the submission of Kent and Sussex, and also that of the great
+ecclesiastical city of Winchester; but the spirit of resistance in London
+still burned brightly, and William was indisposed to risk the loss that
+would be incurred by an assault upon its walls. He, therefore, moved round
+in a wide circle, wasting the land, plundering and destroying, till the
+citizens, convinced that resistance could only bring destruction upon
+themselves and their city, and in spite of the efforts of their wounded
+sheriff, sent an embassy to the duke at Berkhampstead to submit and do
+homage to him.
+
+Not London alone was represented by this embassy. The young king, elected
+but uncrowned, was with it; two archbishops, two bishops, and many of the
+chief men in England accompanied it, and although they were not the
+spokesmen of any Witan, they might be said fairly to represent London and
+Southern England.
+
+Deserted by the North, without a leader, and seeing their land exposed to
+wholesale ravages, the South and West Saxons were scarcely to be blamed for
+preferring submission to destruction. They doubtless thought that William,
+the wise ruler of Normandy, would make a far better king than the boy they
+had chosen, who was himself almost as much a foreigner as William, save
+that there was a strain of English royal blood in his veins. So had England
+accepted Canute the Dane as her king, and he had ruled as an English
+monarch wisely and well.
+
+The embassy offered William the crown. The Norman prelates and priests, who
+held so many of the dignities in the English Church, had worked hard to
+incline men's minds to this end. Silent while England stood united under
+its king to oppose the invader, their tongues were loosed as soon as the
+strength of England was broken and its king dead, and they pointed out that
+God had clearly designated William as their king by giving him victory and
+by destroying alike Harold and his brothers.
+
+William went through the farce of hesitating to accept the offer of the
+crown, and held a consultation with his officers as to the answer he should
+give. They of course replied that he should accept the offer. William,
+therefore, marched with his army to London, where on Christmas-day the same
+prelate who had anointed Harold King of England crowned William as his
+successor.
+
+A few days later Beorn and Wulf with Osgod, who had now completely
+recovered from his wounds, set sail for England. There was no longer any
+reason why they should not take their oaths to serve William. He was the
+crowned king of England, the accepted of the people, as Harold had been,
+and when all Southern England had submitted it was not for them, who had
+received special favours at William's hand, to hold back. With them went
+Lady de Burg, Guy, and Agnes, with many other Norman ladies on their way to
+rejoin their lords in London. Baron de Burg, on the day after their
+arrival at Westminster, led the two young thanes to the private apartment
+of the king. He received them graciously.
+
+"There are none of your nation," he said, "whose homage I more gladly
+accept. You fought valiantly before under my banner, and will, I am sure,
+be ready to do so again should occasion arise. I am thankful to my Lord de
+Burg that he interposed in my name and saved your lives. I have not
+forgotten the other part of my promise, and have this morning ordered my
+justiciar to add to your estates forfeited lands adjoining."
+
+Beorn and Wulf had previously talked the matter over. Their own
+inclinations would have led them to refuse the offer, but as it was certain
+that all the land forfeited to the crown by the death of its holders in
+battle would be apportioned among William's Norman followers, they thought
+that it would be wholly for the benefit both of the families of the late
+thanes and for their tenants and people that they should accept any estate
+William might bestow on them. They, therefore, thanked the duke in
+suitable terms, and at once took the oaths for the lands he might be
+pleased to bestow on them. A week later they received the formal deeds,
+which in both cases more than doubled the estates they before possessed.
+
+The same evening Lord de Burg said to Wulf, who had tarried in London,
+while Beorn had at once set out for Fareham: "I think the time has come,
+Wulf, when I can speak of a subject that has been in my thoughts for a long
+time, and which, although you have not spoken, has, as my wife and I have
+both seen, been dear to you. Normandy and England are now one, and we are
+vassals of the same king. As long as there was a probability that
+Englishmen and Normans might again be ranged in battle against each other,
+it was not expedient that aught should be done in the matter, but, now this
+obstacle is removed, I can offer you the alliance on which I am sure your
+heart is set, and give you the hand of my daughter in marriage."
+
+"It is the greatest wish of my life," Wulf replied gratefully. "I should
+have asked you for her hand before had it not been for the position of
+public affairs. I love her dearly, though I have until now abstained from
+speaking; and yet I would not wed her unless her heart went freely with her
+hand."
+
+"I think not that she will be disobedient to my wishes," De Burg said
+smiling. "She has proved deaf to all her Norman suitors, and although among
+them were some whom few maidens would have said no to, her mother and I had
+no wish to force her inclinations, especially as we both shrewdly suspected
+where her heart had been bestowed. This alliance, too, has long been the
+dearest wish of Guy. On the bed of sickness where he lay so long, and from
+which it seemed at one time that he would never rise, he often spoke to me
+of it. He was fondly attached to his sister, and again and again said that
+he wished of all things that you should some day become her husband, as he
+was sure her happiness would be safe with you, and that you would worthily
+fill his place to us, and would, when the time came, rule nobly over the
+lands of De Burg."
+
+"God forbid that that should ever be the case," Wulf said earnestly. "I
+trust that Guy will live long, and that he will marry and leave descendants
+to follow him."
+
+The baron shook his head sadly. "Guy is better," he said, "but he is still
+weak and fragile, and the leeches tell me that a rough winter or an illness
+that would be nought to others might carry him off. I have small hopes that
+he will ever marry. I am sure that no such thought is in his mind. He is as
+eager now as he was four years ago that you should be a son to us, and a
+husband to Agnes. He has also earnestly expressed the wish, in which I also
+join, that you should take our name. You English have no family names, but
+that will come with other Norman customs, and marrying a De Burg it would
+seem natural that you should yourself become Wulf de Burg."
+
+"I should feel it a high honour. There is no more noble name in Normandy,
+and I trust I may prove worthy of bearing it."
+
+"That I have no fear of, Wulf, else I should not have offered you the hand
+of my daughter. I will bring my wife and Guy in. I have offered you the
+hand of Agnes, but it is right that you should ask her mother's consent,
+although beforehand assured of it."
+
+He left the room, and soon returned with Lady de Burg and Guy.
+
+"My lord has told me," she said, before Wulf could speak, "that you would
+ask my consent to your marriage with Agnes. I give it you unasked, freely
+and gladly. I have but one regret--that the seas will divide us."
+
+"Not so," the baron said; "William's court will be held in London, and for
+years he will reside here far more than in Normandy, and will expect his
+nobles to be frequently with him. I certainly shall not come alone, and you
+will therefore have as many opportunities of seeing Agnes as if she were
+married to a Norman whose estates did not lie near our own."
+
+"I thank you most deeply, Lady de Burg, for the confidence which you show
+in intrusting your daughter's happiness to me. I swear that with all my
+might and power I will strive to make her happy, and will spare her to
+visit you in Normandy whensoever you may wish it."
+
+Guy came forward now and grasped Wulf's hand.
+
+"How I have longed for this time, my brother," he said. "How I have hoped
+that I might at least live long enough to know that the dearest wish of my
+heart would be gratified. I can go hence now right willingly when God calls
+me, knowing that my father and mother have another son to fill my place,
+and that the happiness of my sister is secured."
+
+"And now, wife, will you fetch Agnes from her chamber," the baron said.
+
+In two or three minutes the baroness returned, leading Agnes, to whom she
+had told the reason of her summons. The baron stepped forward and took her
+hand.
+
+"My daughter," he said, "the Thane of Steyning has asked for your hand in
+marriage, and your mother and I have given our free and full consent, but
+he would fain know from your own lips that you will come to him willingly."
+
+"I have loved you, Agnes, since while still but a boy I first saw you, and
+my love has grown ever since. The happiness of my life depends upon your
+answer, but unless your heart goes with your hand I would rather remain
+unmarried to my dying day."
+
+The girl had stood with downcast eyes and with flushed face until now. When
+Wulf ceased speaking she looked up into his face:
+
+"I love you, Wulf; I have always loved you. It is for your sake that I have
+said no to the suitors of my own race who have sought my hand. I will be a
+true wife and loving to you."
+
+"Then take her, Wulf," the baron said, placing her hand in his. "You are
+now her betrothed husband and our adopted son."
+
+Wulf stooped and kissed the girl's lips, and the betrothal was completed.
+After some talk it was arranged that Wulf should at once journey down to
+Steyning, assume possession of his new estates, set the house in order, and
+prepare for their coming. Guy was to accompany him, and as soon as all was
+in readiness Wulf would come up to London and return with Lord and Lady de
+Burg and Agnes, who would pay a short visit and all would then cross to
+Normandy, for the marriage was to take place at their chateau there.
+
+"I was sure how it would be," Osgod said when Wulf told him the news that
+night. "I should have been blind indeed if I had not seen it long ago. I
+love not the Normans, but I make exception in the case of Lord de Burg and
+his family. And truly it will in all respects be a good thing for your
+tenants. Although the duke, or I suppose I ought to say the king, promises
+greatly at present, there is no saying what he may do later on; and he has
+all these locusts to provide for. 'Tis well indeed, then, that there should
+be a Norman lady as well as an English thane at Steyning."
+
+Wulf's return home gave rise to demonstrations of the greatest joy among
+his tenants. They had heard nothing of him since the battle, and had deemed
+him to have fallen with the rest of the defenders of the standard, and had
+been living in fear of the arrival of some Norman baron to be their lord.
+Wulf was greatly pleased to find that, although not one of his housecarls
+had returned from Hastings, the greater portion of his irregular levies had
+escaped at nightfall with the party who had inflicted so heavy a blow upon
+their pursuers. For the next few days Wulf was thoroughly occupied. The
+tenants of his new estates received him almost as joyfully as his own had
+done, for, like them, they had expected the advent of a Norman master. In
+one of the two estates that had fallen to him the thane he had succeeded
+had left no heirs; while the other thane had left a widow and a young
+family. Wulf arranged that these should remain in their home, receiving for
+their maintenance half the rents of the estate.
+
+Guy was greatly pleased with the fair country in which his sister's lot was
+to be cast, but he owned frankly that the house seemed unworthy now of the
+large estate, and was indeed but a poor place in comparison with the noble
+chateau in which she had been brought up.
+
+"That shall be remedied, Guy, as soon as matters settle down. I have laid
+by none of my revenues, for the keeping up of a hundred housecarls has
+taxed them to the utmost, but now that my income is more than doubled, and
+this expense has altogether ceased, I shall have funds with which I can
+soon begin to build. When I was young, Steyning seemed to me a fine house,
+but after your Norman castles it is indeed but a poor place."
+
+When, a fortnight later, the De Burgs arrived with Wulf, while Agnes
+expressed herself delighted with the quaintness of the old Saxon home, her
+father and mother were decidedly of Guy's opinion.
+
+"The house is a good house in its way," the Baron said, "but there will be
+great changes in the land. Much of it will be transferred to Norman hands,
+and ere long castles and chateaux like ours at home will rise everywhere,
+and as an English noble with broad lands it is but fit that your residence
+should vie with others. But this shall be my care, and shall be my
+daughter's special dowry. I foresee that it will be long ere matters wholly
+settle down. Moreover, though William's hand is strong that of his
+successor may be weak, and in time there will be the same troubles here
+among the barons that there were in Normandy before William put them down
+with a strong hand. Therefore, I should say we will build a castle rather
+than a chateau, for such I am sure will be the style of all the Norman
+buildings here, until England settles down to peace and quiet. I would not
+disturb this house, Wulf; it is doubtless dear to you, and will, moreover,
+serve as a dowager-house or as an abode for a younger son. We will fix on a
+new site altogether, and there we will rear a castle worthy of the estate.
+By the way, I have spoken to the king of your betrothal to my daughter, and
+he is highly pleased. He says that it is his earnest wish that his Norman
+nobles shall marry English heiresses, both because they will thus come into
+possession of lands without disturbing the owners, and because such mixture
+of blood will the more speedily weld the two peoples into one; and that,
+similarly, he is glad to see a Norman maiden united to an English noble of
+whom he has so high an opinion."
+
+Fond as Wulf was of his old home he saw that it would be best to abandon it
+for a new residence more suited to the times and more in accordance with
+his own increased possessions and the home from which he was taking his
+wife. After riding round the estates Lord de Burg and he fixed upon a knoll
+of rising ground near the village of Bramber, and not far from the
+religious house where Wulf had spent so many evenings, and whose prior had
+been one of the first to welcome his return.
+
+"I will charter a ship at Rouen," Lord de Burg said, "and send over a
+master craftsman, skilful in designing and building castles, and a large
+number of quarrymen, masons, and carpenters. Labour here is scarce, and the
+men are unskilled at this kind of work. Rough labour can doubtless be
+obtained, and your tenants can transport the stones from the quarry and dig
+the fosse. I will send over a goodly number of men. It will cost no more to
+employ three hundred for six months than fifty for three years."
+
+A week later Wulf sailed for Rouen with the De Burgs. Beorn accompanied him,
+as well as Osgod, to be present at the wedding, which took place at Rouen
+Cathedral. A month later Wulf returned with his wife to Steyning. Already
+an army of men were at work at Bramber. The tenants all gave their
+assistance readily, and far beyond the amount their feudal tenure required,
+for they saw the advantage it would be to them to have a strong castle in
+their midst to which they could retire in case of danger. Labourers had
+been engaged in large numbers from the country round by the master
+craftsmen. The outlines of the castle had been traced, and the ground dug
+for its foundations, while already the broad deep fosse which was to
+surround it had been dug to a depth of several feet. The stones had to be
+brought from a considerable distance, but as at this time of year there was
+little work for the carts, those belonging not only to the tenants of the
+estate, but to the cultivators for miles round were engaged in the service.
+
+In six months a stately pile had risen in the midst of the tranquil glade.
+When it was ready for occupation Lord and Lady de Burg and their son came
+over, and great festivities were held when Wulf de Burg (now Lord of
+Bramber) moved into the castle.
+
+Soon after the birth of their first son Wulf and his wife received a hasty
+summons to cross the sea, and arrived in time to stand by the death-bed of
+Guy. Wulf had been greatly moved by the storm of war that had swept over
+the North of England, and the terrible vengeance taken by William there.
+He had no pity for the traitor earls, but he grieved for the men who, but
+for their treachery, would have fought at Hastings. He regretted deeply
+the isolated risings in various parts of the country, whose only effect was
+to bring ruin upon whole districts and to increase the sternness and rigour
+of William's rule.
+
+Wulf's after-life was divided between England and Normandy, as he became a
+baron of the latter country at the death of Lord de Burg. He fought no more
+in England, but more than once followed William's banner in his struggles
+with his rebellious sons and turbulent nobles. He lived to see the
+animosities between Englishmen and Normans beginning to die out, and to
+find our kings relying upon sturdy English men-at-arms and bow-men in their
+struggles with French kings and with the Norman barons who held so large a
+portion of English soil. Osgod became the seneschal of the castle, and held
+it for his lord during his absences in Normandy. Wulf took an interest in
+the fortunes of Ulf, who in the course of time succeeded to the business of
+Ulred, and became one of the most skilled and famous armourers in London.
+Beorn married the former heiress of one of the estates William had granted
+him, and his firm friendship with the Lord of Bramber remained unbroken to
+the end of their lives.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wulf the Saxon, by G. A. Henty
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