Wulfric the Weapon Thane / A Story of the Danish Conquest of East Anglia

blue through the haze of the late September day. Only the promise of Lodbrok's son, that on English shores I should not fight, helped me a little, else should I have been fain t

ack upon, and, moreover, I should have fu

hould Bosham, the place of Wilfrith the Saint, be held in reverence by every South Saxon; because there, unmindful of his wrongs {i

of buildings--Wilfrith's own--there the little cliff over which the starving heathen had cast themselves in their despair, and there, at last, the village, clustering round the little monastery that Dicul, the Irish monk, had f

d told him my trouble, putting him i

re with the first, and speak to the Saxons to give us ransom, if they have aught, or if any man is foolish enough to bide in the place when we come. Then, if you will, you shall leave us and

at me, and put his a

ulfric, my brother, yet it

gave me good Saxon arms and helm, and a chain-mail byrnie {x} of the best, such as Saxon or Dane alike wou

" he said, "might well mistrust you. So you m

nough that I should need gold withal to buy a horse. And this I took

of booty; we surely gained enough on

armed and ready, he gave me many messages for his father, and thanks to mine. A ring, too, he gave me for a sure token of his friendship to me; and so as the ship crept,

g of a bell from the low tower of the church, and the Danes began to look to their arms, stringing

s a mile astern of us, there was no man. Only a small fishing v

nd marched up among the trees of the village street. Th

ame over me now, and I asked Halfden to let me warn them, for I

ell till we meet at Reedham. We shall bide here t

me "Farewell, axeman!" heartily enough, knowing of my going to Reedham,

eserted, and all along the road were scattered goods, showing that the people had fled

e side of the courtyard into which the gate would lead. A farm cart stood outside; but the gates were closed, and when I looked, I saw that the pi

swer, though I thought the ringing of the bell grew mor

name of Eadm

w how well loved was the under-king of East Anglia would think of naming him. And I was right, for at his name the littl

r, for the Danes

mbled, and let me in, holding the gate f

ldren, while among them stood the half-dozen monks of the place

scared at my arms. But one of the monks, a tall man on whose breast was a gol

me. Gathering his monks around him, and rousing the people, he led them to the rearward gate that opened toward the forest

be allowed to stay with him, and also what should become of

id the prior; "I and this warrio

for there was little cleared land round the villa

open gate for a moment and listened. We

l this while the bell had tolled unceasingl

the bell," the prior said, "and bid him l

ed him without question, even as had the villagers. And even as I went there came the sound of many rushing fee

n in the tower himself; while I stood opposite the gate, looking to see it fall with every blow. Yet it was not so weakly mad

an into the church, while I watched the trembling of the sorely-tried gate, and had it fallen I should surely have smitten the first Dane who entered, even had Halfden himself been foremost, for in the four walls of that

hough his face was pale, while behind him the sacris

would fall; and now they were at the other gate, and blows rained on it. Yet th

ere was the well of the monastery, and without a word the sacristan hove the heavy chest from

aid the prior; "n

well, and at once the sacristan swung himself on it, slid down, and was gone. The

r on which were iron hooks. These he fastened to the edge of the oaken platform that covered the

y. I saw the sacristan's face glimmer white before me from a hollow in the well shaft, as I set my foot on the last rung of the ladder, and I

a few feet above the water, and the well rope hung down into the blackness before us, but I was sure that no man could see

d the prior; "and we m

tery," I said. "One torch

ought, for my eyes were gro

de afresh. There is oaken timber in plenty in Andredsweald,

t time, for there came a great shouting. One of the ga

cristan, "surely they

laughed a

e same fear was rebuked also, for indeed that I should go down the well had never

presently, and began to toll the bell unskillfully while the men below jeered at those wh

her," he said, "now I hope that o

e strain and terror of the danger we had so far escaped, it

t to the furthest corner of our little den and sat there trembling, while I and the other monk listened with set teeth to the words that came down to us. Nor will I say that I was not somewhat frig

that was not much," said one man; "let us try the water,

bucket, and it splashed over

lace," growled another man. "Maybe they

stifled groan of terror, and I

!" answered one or two, but

no bubbles came, or so soon that they were lost in the splash, and the prior took some of the crumbling mortar from

e well must be many a fathom deep--ho

useless to go down therefore, and anyhow th

d one; "and moreover no man has lu

hey kicked the bucket dow

h one another as they drank from the bucket; pushing each other's heads therein, and the helm of one fell off and fled past us to the bottom; and some words passed pretty roughly. And after they had done quarrelling they crowded over the trapdoor, as one might know by the darkening of the shaft. Then one

ucky chance!"

y the same Hand that sent you here to warn us," a

ll shaft, borne by some breath of wind that

orward, for he had gone into the little ce

ross the doorway, hiding the moss and a tiny fe

though I must needs ma

arm us here,

of wood; sheds and storehouses they are and of no accou

thicker, even so far down as we were. And when I looked out and up t

rom behind us. "How may we get out of this place till men come and rais

o this pass," said the prior g

ile the tears ran from my eyes, for the stinging oak sm

this," I said, thinking of Lodbrok, and

he prior to himself, as it were. "Doubtless when this

r, I thought I would climb to the well's mouth and see if there were any chance of safety for these two monks. Yet I had no thought of aught but dying with t

oke, neither can the Danes,"

ropped again when they had taken the helm from the bucket--catching it easily and swa

gs were blazing higher every moment, and the heat seemed to scorch my head and hands till I could scarcely bear it. But as the wind drove aside the smoke I could

aid. "Come quickly! i

y more, for at that moment a roof fell in with a great crash, and a red glare filled the well as the flame

from the well mouth, part of the fallen roof that had slipped sideways from it. The flames that shot up from the building we

help him out of the well mouth. The prior was close to him; he wa

h was compared with this furnace of heat. "Kilt up your frocks and go swiftly, but run not," for in that

le, covering the well mouth with a pile of blazing timber. The smoke and flame seemed to wrap us round, while the burning timber flew, and the Dane

n time,

s" said the mon

went, and stayed not till we were beyond reach of the yell

ere not pursued, the prior

. May you find help in time of need as near and ready. Now when I read the story of the Th

ed to me that I had forgotten that I wa

iff, and he left us, while we went on alone. Presently I asked who made the chamber

it has served us. For in his days there were many heathen round

hat surely it was a greater thing to be

"We may by no means save life by denying our faith, but we are bidden to flee into anot

was to be truly a martyr, fear

and when the time comes I shall know it, and will die gladly. But while He gives me the power

g on through the woods. At last he laug

fore I do not mind saying that I ha

one with this brave man that I had forgotten that there was little fear for myself, as I hav

broad waters of the haven through their trunks. We had reached the crest of that little cliff

grass, and lying down looked out over haven and village. Even if a prying Dane looked our way

, and her boats waited for the last of the crew at the wharf side. But Rorik's ship was there still, and her men were bus

had not fired the church, and the Danes clustered round the tower doorway, busied with some

eavy things worth carrying a

y have drunk all the ale that

the great bell, it is the

what was tow

o be taken to become metal for mail shirts

ch bell in all England, and if they take it, many a sailor will miss its call through fog and driving m

e for one man to handle," I said

anes, he began to sing to me in low tones the song of

by the

ith t

n a bel

ily b

hould a

he wid

ard t

rdy sh

the bel

lful w

e fierc

t was

and h

rriors

ngly

wel we

and sil

r the m

great

eamen

was a

drous

ll was

ew its

n a ch

d the

aid I, "that is

on, with his eyes fi

the bel

y it s

ard it

ce of th

ng to

e that is

rd the

g with

om the f

hed the go

g the w

its warri

ught; and even as I would have said it, the bell of Bosham spok

nd the bell clanged as they dropped it on the courtyard pavement. The tears ran down the holy man's face as he saw th

it to the crane they had rigged, and place it amidships on deck. Then they all went hastily on board, and put out into the haven, down whic

ifting his hand, cursed ship and crew with so great and bitter a curse that I t

I know not so certainly that they were so. For this is what I saw when the s

a wave curled in foam over her gunwale. Then she righted again quickly, and as though relieved of some weight, yet when a heavier, crested roller came on her

ves for a minute, and then all that was left of her were the masthead and yard--and on them a few men. The rest

aid the prior, and his eyes flashed with triumph.

to myself that the weight of that awesom

frail gunwale, first to one side, and then, with greater force yet, against the other; so that it burst open gunwale and planking below, and already she was filling when the wave came and ended all. For these swift viking ships are built to take no heavy cargo, and planks and timbers are but bound together by r

and it lies at the bottom of the deepest reach of the haven whence the depth and swiftness of the tide will hardly let men bring it

what they might of the wreck, and then ship and Danes passed from Bosham ha

sighed, and tur

r and find shelter. Nig

came into the roadway from the forest land, the prior p

reed for the bell has made them spare the church itself. Surely you must have fallen from

t you trusted

a hard case the first help is ever the best. Yet

part with the Danes. But a few hours of companionship in danger knit closer than many a long day of idleness together, and he

not your friend's ship--for I

d hold my being with the heathen I

ch choice. And as for fighting against o

in a way that told me that he, too, had

e man to blame you. And I know that much good has come to us from your being with the

ry, the names of Thor and Odin were not heard. They sacrificed on going to sea, and on

so that I should find all I needed for my journey in the town. And when we came there--meeting the sheriff

emed to flash again as it crashed through the ship's side. And once I woke thinking that the smell of burning was