"What now is in the way?"
"The Danes," said Alric, "are on the fiord--more than six hundred men.
Skarpedin leads them. One of them pitched me into the sea, but I marked
his neck to keep myself in his memory! They have plundered and burnt at
the Springs, and Erling has gone away to attack them all by himself,
with only sixty house-carles. You will have to be quick, father."
"Quick, truly," said Haldor, with a grim smile, as he drew tight the
buckle of his sword-belt.
"Aye," said Ulf, "with six hundred Danes on the fiord, and armed men
descending the vale, methinks--"
"Oh! I can explain that" cried Alric, with an arch smile; "Erling made
me change the baton for the split arrow when I was sent round with the
token."
"That is good luck," said Haldor, while Ulf's brow cleared a little as
he busked himself for the fight; "we shall need all our force."
"Aye, and all our time too," said Guttorm Stoutheart, as he put on his
armour with the cheerful air of a man who dons his wedding dress.
"Come, my merry men all. Lucky it is that my longships are at hand just
now ready loaded with stones:--
"`O! a gallant sight it is to me,
The warships darting o'er the sea,
A pleasant sound it is to hear
The war trump ringing loud and clear.'"
Ulf and his friends and house-carles were soon ready to embark, for in
those days the Norseman kept his weapons ready to his hands, being
accustomed to sudden assaults and frequent alarms. They streamed out of
the hall, and while some collected stones, to be used as missiles,
others ran down to the shore to launch the ships. Meanwhile Ulf,
Haldor, Guttorm, and other chief men held a rapid consultation, as they
stood and watched the assembling of the men of the district.
It was evident that the split arrow had done its duty. From the grassy
mound on which they stood could be seen, on the one hand, the dark
recesses of Horlingdal, which were lost in the mists of distance among
the glaciers on the fells; and, on the other hand, the blue fiord with
branching inlets and numerous holms, while the skerries of the coast
filled up the background--looming faint and far off on the distant sea.
In whatever direction the eye was turned armed men were seen. From
every distant gorge and valley on the fells they issued, singly, or in
twos and threes. As they descended the dale they formed into groups and
larger bands; and when they gained the more level grounds around
Haldorstede, the heavy tread of their hastening footsteps could be
distinctly heard, while the sun--for although near midnight now it was
still above the horizon--flashed from hundreds of javelins, spears,
swords, and bills, glittered on steel headpieces and the rims of
shields, or trickled fitfully on suits of scale armour and shirts of
ring mail. On the fiord, boats came shooting forth from every inlet or
creek, making their appearance from the base of precipitous cliffs or
dark-mouthed caves as if the very mountains were bringing forth warriors
to aid in repelling the foe. These were more sombre than those on the
fells, because the sun had set to them by reason of the towering hills,
and the fiord was shrouded in deepest gloom. But all in the approaching
host--on water and land--were armed from head to foot, and all converged
towards Ulfstede.
When they were all assembled they numbered five hundred fighting men--
and a stouter or more valiant band never went forth to war. Six
longships were sufficient to embark them. Three of these were of the
largest size--having thirty oars on each side, and carrying a hundred
men. One of them belonged to Haldor, one to Ulf, and one--besides
several smaller ships--to Guttorm, who chanced to be on viking cruise at
the time he had turned aside to visit his kinsman. The warlike old man
could scarce conceal his satisfaction at his unexpected good fortune in
being so opportunely at hand when hard blows were likely to be going!
Two of the other ships were cutters, similar to Erling's Swan, and
carrying sixty men each, and one was a little larger, holding about
eighty men. It belonged to Glumm the Gruff; whose gruffness, however,
had abated considerably, now that there was a prospect of what we
moderns would call "letting the steam off" in a vigorous manner.
Soon the oars were dipped in the fiord, and the sails were set, for a
light favourable wind was blowing. In a short time the fleet rounded
the ness, and came in sight of the ground where Erling and Skarpedin
were preparing to renew the combat.