HOW VAGN KEPT HIS VOW.
"That is all, I think; twenty of them. No, this one stirred
somewhat. Here, lift him up."
Sigurd opened his eyes. Over him were bending two men, one his
handsome opponent, the other--Thorkel Leira. The boy struggled to
his feet, the former assisting.
It was only mid-afternoon, the storm had passed, and about the
Jomsborg ships lay the Norse fleet. Glancing around, Sigurd saw the
decks heaped with dead, and in the waist of the ship was a little
group of Jomsvikings, their arms bound. Then he remembered Vagn.
Thorkel Leira was holding a horn of water to Vagn's lips, and as
Sigurd, weak and dizzy, knelt at his friend's side, he wondered why
Thorkel thus aided his deadly enemy. He was soon to know.
Vagn looked up. As he caught sight of Thorkel he dashed the horn
aside and struggled up on Sigurd's arm. Before he could speak,
however, a group of men approached and bound the boys' arms, under
the orders of the handsome chief. Then they were led into the waist
of the ship and joined the others.
The men gave a murmur of joy. "It was a noble fight, eh, Vagn?"
muttered an old viking, Biorn of Bretland, or Wales. "I have fought
for twenty years under your father Aki and your grandfather
Palnatoki, and I never saw a greater battle than this."
"It is a sad one for the brotherhood, Biorn," replied Vagn weakly,
"when the Jarl himself turned tail and fled."
A murmur of anger ran around the group, then Sigurd asked, "Who is
the tall man, and what will they do with us?"
Biorn nodded toward some small boats near by. "They are taking us on
shore, I know not why. Neither do I know the man."
A group of Norsemen approached, and the captives were led to the
boats, which were swiftly rowed to the shore. Here, upon a long
fallen tree, sat the Jomsborg men, with their feet bound in a long
rope; but their hands were left free.
The Norsemen surrounded them, binding up wounds, exchanging rough
jests on the battle, and examining with awe and wonder these vikings
whose name was so famous, and who had fought so stoutly against such
great odds.
Presently the tall man and Thorkel Leira landed. "I have it,
Sigurd!" cried Vagn. "That handsome man must be Jarl Eirik, Hakon's
son!"
At that instant the handsome man came up to the captives.
"You fought well and stoutly, Jomsvikings," he said, "and I am in
truth sorry that Jarl Hakon has ordered that no quarter be given, for
I would fain spare your lives if I might."
"It is the fortune of war," replied Vagn, smiling bravely. "Had we
conquered, I do not think that Sigvald would have spared Hakon
either, yet Christian men have more merciful customs than you who
follow Thor and Odin."
The other flushed slightly, turning to Thorkel. "It is not to my
taste, Thorkel, to slay these helpless men thus."
Thorkel smiled his cunning, cruel smile. "It is much to my taste,
Jarl, to slay Vagn Akison!"
At this Vagn cried out, "Yet you feared to stand before me in battle,
Thorkel! Say, will you loose my bonds and meet me now with sword or
axe?"
A murmur of assent arose from the Norsemen who stood around, but
Thorkel shook his head, as he fingered the big axe in his hand.
As Thorkel withdrew to speak with the handsome man for a moment, old
Biorn leaned over and whispered excitedly to Sigurd: "It is just a
chance, Fairhair, so try it."
Sigurd nodded as Thorkel returned. "Best begin with the chiefs,
Thorkel," he cried, although his heart beat madly, for if Biorn's
plan did not work nothing could save his life. Thorkel advanced and
stood in front of him.
"Since you are in haste to die, let it be so."
"Wait!" exclaimed Sigurd, as the man swung his axe aloft. "Let
someone hold my hair, lest it be defiled and soiled."
A Norseman, with a word of admiration at the lad's bravery, stepped
forward and gathered up the boy's long, fair hair in his hands, and
the axe swung.
As it descended, Sigurd jerked his body so strongly to one side that
the axe was buried in the earth, and Thorkel lost his balance and
fell forward. A laugh went up from the crowd as the angry man rose,
but the handsome chief advanced and held his arm.
"Who are you, handsome lad?"
"I am called Sigurd, and am Bui's son," replied Sigurd, looking up to
the other's eyes, which met his in admiration. "The Jomsborg men are
not yet all dead!"
"Truly you are a son of Bui!" exclaimed the other. "Will you take
life and peace from me?"
"If you have the power to give it," answered Sigurd.
The man drew himself up. "He offers who has power to give--Jarl
Eirik Hakonson."
"Thanks, Jarl," replied Sigurd, with a breath of relief, "I will
accept it." The whisper of old Biorn had proved true.
Thorkel, with a dark frown, plucked up his axe, and cried angrily,
"Though you spare all these men, Eirik, Vagn shall not escape me!"
With that he raised the axe. As the weapon whirled, Biorn flung
himself against Thorkel's knees. The man stumbled, the axe fell; and
Vagn, springing up in a flash, seized it and fulfilled his vow.
A great shout of applause rang out, for above all things Norsemen
love a brave deed. They crowded around admiringly, and Jarl Eirik
with a smile, said, "Will you also take life, Vagn?"
"That I will," answered Vagn, "if you will also give it to my men as
well."
"Loose them from the rope," commanded the Jarl, and it was done.
By this time evening was coming on, and the Norsemen hastily made a
camp on the shore; Jarl Hakon was encamped across the bay. The men
sat around the fires and talked in low tones, and presently the two
boys were summoned to the fire of the Jarl.
Eirik greeted them with a winning smile. "Sit down and eat, friends,
for I have somewhat to think over. My father gave express commands
that no Jomsviking was to be spared; why I gave you life I know not,
save that you were but boys, and full of courage. Now, whither would
you go?"
Vagn looked at Sigurd. The latter nodded, and Vagn told Eirik the
story of Ulf and Astrid, who were waiting a few miles away. When he
finished the Jarl sat in thought for a moment.
"Here is my counsel. If I send you both off together, my father will
send a ship after you to slay you, and I will not have my promise
broken. I go home from here by land to the mountains, and so to my
own earldom. I would advise that you, Vagn, come with me, for I can
protect you, and let Sigurd rejoin Ulf with the eighteen Jomsvikings
who are left. I will send you home, Vagn, within a month at most."
"That is a good plan," exclaimed Vagn. "Do you not think so,
Fairhair?"
Sigurd assented, though he disliked to part with his cousin; but
there was no help for it, and so it was decided.
Early the next morning the Jomsborg men and Sigurd ran out three
small boats and said farewell to Vagn. Eirik armed them all well,
and made them many presents; and as they pushed off Vagn stood on the
shore, waving farewell.
"I'll see you at Jomsborg next month," called Sigurd. "Farewell!"
Under a fair wind the three boats ran quickly down the bay, rounded
the end of Hod Island, and arrived in an hour at the Herey Islands.
Steering in between the largest and smallest, they reached into the
bay, and there before them lay the "Otter."
A shout of greeting came to them, and as they pulled up to the side
Ulf Ringsson sprang on the rail.
"What news of the battle? Who won?"
Sigurd pointed to his men, all of them wounded. "These are all left
of the Jomsvikings," he replied. A cry of horror went up, and Ulf
staggered back.
"Impossible! Where is your father Bui, Jarl Sigvald, Vagn Akison,
Aslak Holmskalle? They cannot be dead!"
"Some are even worse off," said Sigurd, climbing the rail wearily.
"Vagn is safe, my father is dead with Aslak, and Sigvald and his men
have fled home again."
While Astrid greeted Sigurd, and his wounded and weary men clambered
on board, Ulf remained stunned with amazement. "Fled! Fled!" he
muttered. "The Jarl himself false to his vows!"
He could not believe it; for it was the most sacred law of Jomsborg
that no viking should turn his back to a foe. Sigurd told of the
fight, while the excited sailors questioned his men, and as he
finished Astrid sprang forward.
"You are wounded, Sigurd! See, your arm is all red, and your head is
bloody!"
"Yes, bind it up," laughed Sigurd bitterly, "for the Jomsborg rules
are shattered with the brotherhood forever!" Then he reeled, and
would have fallen save for the strong hand of Ulf.
They carried him to the cabin, and while the men set sail, Ulf, who
was skilled as a leech, extracted the broken arrow-head and bound up
the wound. The other, on his head, was not dangerous, and Sigurd
soon fell into a deep sleep, not waking till the afternoon.
The rocking of the ship told him that they were out at sea, so he
hastened on deck; to his surprise, the land was out of sight, and a
heavy gale was blowing.
"So you are awake!" cried Astrid. "How do you feel?"
"Ready for another battle," laughed Sigurd, then his brow clouded
over as he thought of his father. Astrid, divining his thoughts, was
silent for a moment, then changed the subject.
"We had no sooner left the land than this gale broke on us, and Ulf
says that it is growing stronger every minute."
Sigurd looked around. Indeed, the gale was a heavy northeaster, and
now he noticed that the sail was close-reefed, and that everything
was stowed away save the three boats in which he had come to the
"Otter," which were lashed securely in the shelter of the high stern.
"Hello, I'm glad to see you around so soon!" cried Ulf cheerily, and
the boy gripped his hand in thanks.
"If Jarl Hakon were here, Ulf, he would say that Ran, the ocean
queen, was trying to complete the work begun by Thor and Odin at
Hiorunga Bay."
Sigurd smiled at Astrid, but the captain looked about anxiously.
"We are in for a bad blow, Sigurd. It is good that the 'Otter' is
stanch, for to tell you the truth, we are far from our course for
Denmark, and it may well be that we shall be driven farther still."