King Alfred's Viking

ountry that is beautiful in sunlight. So when at last every Danish chief had made submission, and the whole host had marched back to what they held as their own land in Merci

hold; and all went armed, for the country we had to cross was of the wildest, though we went by the great road that runs from west to east of England, made even before th

id that with the ending of the war, and the beginning of new hopes for his fleet, he would cast care aside for a little. So he was joyous and free in speech, and at times h

daylight. So he went in, maybe fearing his sickness, which was indeed a sore burden to him, though he was wont to make light of it; but Ethelnoth asked me if we should not spend the hours of evening light in coursing a busta

We took hawks--the king had given me a good one when we started, for a

the moor folk, who were wild enough to fall on a small party at times. It was of little moment,

nds in leash beside his horse. We went across the first hillside, and from its top looked

im whooped, and slipped the leash, and the hounds sprang after it, and we followed cheering. It was good to feel the rush of hillside air in our faces, an

hillside, and forgot him. For when the bustard took wing for a heavy flight, and lit and ran again, and again flew with wings that failed each time more and more,

. So we took the bird after a good chase, and then I knew that we had in some way shaken off the Saxons, and that we three vikings were together.

aid; "one must have a thou

nd cast her off, and straightway forgot everything but the most wonderful sight that the field and forest can give us--the dizzy

hill, and still they soared, drifting westward with the wind over our heads. Then with a great rushing sound the heron gave up, and fell, sto

y of mockery; then the wondrous swing and sweep of the long, tireless wings of the passage hawk, and the cry of another heron far off, scared by its fellow's note; and again for us a canter over the moorland, eye and hand and kn

ll we seek Ethe

Harek. "We had better make o

her hills. One does not note how the miles go when one finds sport such as this, and presently we began to be sure that we had ridden farther than we had thought. We knew, as we thou

leys, and we had nought to steer by

ke us home; they k

. And presently we let the dogs loose, thinking that they would go homewards. But a greyhound

r own accord. There was a sheer rock on one side, and the hil

he night. It is of no use wandering

ether and off-saddled and hobbled the horses, and so sat down supperless to wait for morning under the rock. The mist was clammy ro

long. Then the dogs grew uneasy, and presently wandered away into the fog and darkn

pain, and sat up suddenly. Then came a second, and after that the

" I said, for my comrades were listening al

them," said Kolgrim. "They are hungry, an

they have found our own lodging, where some are w

n another minute or s

t that made a wide glow in the denser fog that hung there. One could hardly say how far off it was, for fog of any sort confu

These mists are chill, and I will confess that I am hungry. We cannot l

t down the banks of the stream at once; and the way proved to be easy enough, if rocky. The bank on this side was highe

went on, and at last we came near enough to hear many voices plainly; but

the Cornish tin traders, of whom the king told us. They are honest fo

an to draw nearer to the fire, the voices growing pl

ust about to call out that we were friends, when there began a low, even beating, as of a drum of some sort, and then suddenly a wild howl that sounded like a war cry of maddene

name, is this?" r

e scald. "Let us get back to th

hat rolled from under it, and he fell heavily with a cla

rily, and there came a pattering of unshod feet round us in the thickness, with a word or two that seemed

I yet thought of nothing but tin merchants whom we had disturbed in s

nd I suppose that some dull glitter of steel from helms or sword hilts betrayed us to them, for word was muttered amo

," I said. "We mean no harm,

; and Harek was whirled by a dozen pairs of hands off his feet, and fell heavily with his foes upon him. I slew one, or thought I slew hi

my arms, and at once they drew it tight, jerking me off my feet. As I went down, a howling crowd fell o

t him. I was sure he was dead then, and I fell in

y Cornish folk, but wild-looking men, black haired and bearded, clad in skins of wolf, and badger, and deer, and sheep, with savage-eyed faces, and r

Sing the verses that ha

ll can abide within hearing of, so that those who bore him fell back amazed, and stared at him. Then I saw that on the arms and necks of one or two of

or fly before the spells

he said at last, "else

ogether of slaying us, as I thought. I mind that the flint-tipped spears seemed cruel weapons. At last on

nderstand," said Harek,

beyond the fire and set them on what seemed a bank, some yards from it. Th

ake a rush for the swords beyond

fire," said the scald, very coolly. "H

d yet he struggled. This was sport to these savages, and those who were not wrestling with him leaped and yelle

said, breat

arms are like

men that I could see anywhere. Half of these were making a great ring with joined hands round the fire, and some piled more fuel on it--turf and branches of dwarf oak t

hands, and each gripped the scald by the wrist and yelled aloud, and at once the man beat on the great pot's cover drum-wise, and the ring of me

his footing, and fell, and was dragged up; and then he too must dance, or be haled along the ground

go on for lon

he place of a dancer who seemed to tire; and so at last one came and gripped Harek's wrist and swung into the p

at. It was the dance of the pixies, in truth--the dance that ends but with the death of him who has broke

him go, flinging him out of the circle like a stone, and h

some brought earthen vessels of drink to refresh them, whi

most laughed, for a hope seemed to lie in a s

t house, as it were, made of three flat stones for walls, and a fourth for a roof, so heavy that none know how such are raised nowadays. They might have served for a table, or maybe a stool, for a Jotun. The two side walls came together from the back, so that the doorway was

d. The drum was taken up once more, and a dozen men came and unbound me. I also struggled as Harek had

without waiting for them to seize me. The man on my right took my wrist in a grasp like st

I thought; and even as the hand closed there came the yell

ring, and once I found out the measure of the chant I went on easily, keeping my eyes on the man ahead of m

ering grip could come. In a moment the man let go of his fellow with the other hand, and screamed aloud, and cast himself on the ground, staying the dance, so that those after him fell over us. I let go, and swung round and smote my other holder across the face; and he too let go, and I was free

ile the wild men gathered in a ring and howled at me. One ran and brought the long line that had noosed me before, but

h on me. Harek lay within sweep of my sword, and his weapon was nearer

back a little at my onslaught. Whereon I drew my comrade back

ped at me, club in air; but I was watching for him, a

ker fury on him, was among the wild crowd from out of the

ken, seeming to melt into the mist. In two minutes the firelit circle was quiet and deserted, sa

in gladness, "I tho

red; "but I came round in time. Wh

, for now I saw that his face was ash

adly hurt?

t--that is all. W

down beside him and bent over him, lean

de this house, and then he will be safe till daylight--unless the t

who lay between us and the fire in a lane where Kolgrim ha

Sigurd's sword wil

s your doing," I sai

puzzled, and s

mong them, but no

going among these wild people, whatever they were, and they had not waited to take anything. So

meal, sitting in the door of the dolmen, while the moon rose. But first we tried to make Harek drink of the strong ale. He was beginning to breathe heavily now, and I thought

im, when we had supped well

reshed, was glad to lie down and sleep inside the dolm

sun came straight into the narrow doorway and woke me. And it waked Ha

aid, "you have h

m also," he answere

out fire, and the slain, and the st

it true that I was made to dance r

danced also in

m how things had g

of fifty trolls," I said; "which is mor

rowled from

uch feared to know

e and drank, and spoke of going to where we had left the h

s fled up the hillsides and passed, we saw that the horses yet fed quietly where we

llsides glowed purple with heather in a great cup round us, and we were on a little rise in the midst of them whereon stood the dolmen, and the same hands doubtless tha

no cover for them anywhere, unless they dwelt in clefts and caves of the bare tors around us. So we

, the raw hide thongs we had been bound with, and the food and drink; and that was a

as one might well think," I said,

lets, being the chief, as I think. Kolgrim took these off and gave them to me, an

. "These folk will come b

mhead and took it, and then c

ek, laughing; for he seemed none the worse for the things of last night, which indee

. "It will make a sword scabbard that will avail somew

and I hung the gold trophies in my belt, and Harek took some of the remains of o

d ruffled her feathers to hear us. I unhooded and fed her; and we washed in the stream, and set out gaily enough, making southward, for

, riding easily; so that, what with the swift gallop of the hunting and the long hours of riding in mist and darkness, we had covered many miles. We saw no ho

village to wait for us in case we came back there; but he laughed at us for losing ourselves,

him what had befallen us, he lis

ixies dwell in the moorland, and will dance to death thos

m, one could not doubt that t

e coming of the Romans or before. There were the like in the great fens of East Anglia and Mercia when Guthlac the Holy went there, and he thought them devils. None can reach these men or know wh

hat they were very old; but when he handled the dr

have seen it on beasts about the hills before now. The pi

nish moor folk. But one should hear Kolgrim's tale of the matter as he shows his sword sheath that

ace with us, he would have told a

d troubled king was the most wondrous man that I had ever seen. And now, as I look back and remember, I know that

d to Neot not at all. But when we came to his place, I was