"And who may this tyrant be?"
"Harald Haarfager, tyrant King of Norway," replied the lad stoutly.
"I thought so," said Hauskuld, with a grim twist of his features.
"Well, young eaglet, thou art worthy to be made mincemeat of to feed the
crows, but it may be that the tyrant would like to dispose of thee
himself. Say now, whether will ye walk down that cliff quietly in front
of me, or be dragged down?"
"I would rather walk, if I _must_ go."
"Well, thou _must_ go, therefore--walk, and see thou do it as briskly as
may be, else will I apply the spur, which thou hast felt once already
this morning. Lead the way, comrade; I will bring up the rear to
prevent the colt from bolting."
As he knew that resistance would be useless, the boy promptly and
silently descended the cliff with his captors, and entered the boat,
which was immediately pushed off and rowed along-shore.
"Now listen to me, Alric, son of Haldor," said Hauskuld, seating himself
beside his captive: "King Harald is not the tyrant you take him for; he
is a good king, and anxious to do the best he can for Norway. Some
mistaken men, like your father, compel him to take strong measures when
he would fain take mild. If you will take me to a spot where I may
safely view the valley of Horlingdal, and tell me all you know about
their preparations for resistance, I will take you back to Drontheim,
and speak well of you to the King, who will not only reward you with his
favour, but make good terms, I doubt not, with your father."
The wily berserk had changed his tone to that of one who addresses a
superior in rank while he thus tempted the boy; but he little guessed
the spirit of his captive.
"What!" he exclaimed scornfully; "wouldst thou have me turn traitor to
my own father?"
"Nay, I would have you turn wise for the sake of your father and
yourself. Think well of what I say, and all I ask of you is to guide me
to a good point of observation. There is a cave, they say, near
Ulfstede, with its mouth to the sea, and a secret entrance from the
land. No doubt I could find it myself with a little trouble, but it
would save time if you were to point it out."
"Never!" exclaimed Alric sternly.
"Truly thou art a chip of the old tree," said Hauskuld, taking Alric's
ear between his finger and thumb; "but there are means to take which
have been known to bend stouter hearts than thine. Say, wilt thou show
me the cave?"
He pinched the ear with gradually increasing force as he spoke, but
Alric neither spoke nor winced, although the blood which rushed to his
face showed that he felt the pain keenly.
"Well, well," said the berserk, relaxing his grip, "this is a torture
only fit for very small boys after all. Hand me the pincers, Arne."
One of the men drew in his oar, and from a locker pulled out a pair of
large pincers, which he handed to his chief, who at once applied them to
the fleshy part at the back of Alric's arm, between the elbow and the
shoulder.
"When thou art willing to do as I bid thee, I will cease to pinch," said
Hauskuld.
Poor Alric had turned pale at the sight of the pincers, for he knew well
the use they would be put to; but he set his teeth tightly together, and
determined to endure it. As the pain increased the blood rushed again
to his face, but an extra squeeze of the instrument of torture sent it
rushing back with a deadly chill to his heart. In spite of himself, a
sharp cry burst from his lips. Turning suddenly round, he clenched his
right hand, and hit his tormentor on the mouth with such force that his
head was knocked violently against the steering oar, and two or three of
his front teeth were driven out.
"Thou dog's whelp!" shouted Hauskuld, as soon as he could speak.
"I'll--"
He could say no more; but, grasping the boy by the hair of the head, he
seized his sword, and would certainly have slain him on the spot, had
not the man named Arne interposed.
"The King will not thank thee for his slaying," said he, laying his hand
on Hauskuld's arm.
The latter made no reply except to utter a curse, then, dropping his
sword, he struck Alric a blow on the forehead with his fist, which
knocked him insensible into the bottom of the boat.
"Yonder is the mouth of the cave," exclaimed one of the men.
"It may be the one we look for," muttered Hauskuld. "Pull into it."
So saying, he steered the boat into the cavern, and its keel soon grated
on the gravelly beach inside. The sound aroused Alric, who at first
could not see, owing to the gloom of the place, and the effects of the
blow; but he was brought suddenly to a state of mental activity and
anxiety when he recognised the sides of the well-known cave. Rising
quickly but cautiously, he listened, and knew by the sounds that the
boatmen, of whom there were eight, were searching for an outlet towards
the land. He therefore slipped over the side of the boat, and hastened
towards the darkest side of the cave, but Hauskuld caught sight of him.
"Ha! is the little dog trying to get away?" he shouted, running after
him.
The lad formed his plan instantly. "Come on, Hauskuld," he shouted,
with a wild laugh; "I will show thee the outlet, and get out before thee
too."
He then ran to the inner part of the cave that was farthest from the
secret opening, shouting as he ran, and making as much noise as
possible. The berserk and his men followed. The instant he reached the
extremity of the place Alric became as silent as a mouse, kicked off his
shoes, and ran nimbly round by the intricate turnings of the inner wall,
until he came to the foot of the dark natural staircase, which has been
referred to at the beginning of our tale. Up this he bounded, and
reached the open air above, while his pursuers were still knocking their
shins and heads on the rocks at the wrong end of the cave below.
Without a moment's pause the exulting boy dashed away towards Ulfstede.
He had not run two hundred yards, however, when he observed three men
standing on the top of the little mound to which the people of Ulfstede
were wont to mount when they wished to obtain an uninterrupted view of
the valley and the fiord. They hailed him at that moment, so he turned
aside, and found, on drawing near, that they were his brother Erling,
Glumm the Gruff, and Kettle Flat-nose.
"Why, Alric!" exclaimed Erling in surprise, on seeing the boy's swelled
and bloody face, "what ails thee?"
"Quick, come with me, all of ye! There is work for your swords at hand.
Lend me thy sword, Erling. It is the short one, and the axe will be
enough for thee."
The excited lad did not wait for permission, but snatched the sword from
his brother's side, and without further explanation, ran back towards
the cliffs, followed closely by the astonished men. He made straight
for the hole that led to the cave, and was about to leap into it when
Hauskuld stepped out and almost received him in his arms. Before the
berserk could plant his feet firmly on the turf, Alric heaved up his
brother's sword and brought it down on Hauskuld's head with right good
will. His arm, however, had not yet received power to cleave through a
steel helmet, but the blow was sufficient to give it such a dint that
its wearer tumbled back into the hole, and went rattling down the steep
descent heels over head into the cave. The boy leaped down after him,
but Hauskuld, although taken by surprise and partially stunned, had
vigour enough left to jump up and run down to the boat. His men, on
hearing the noise of his fall, had also rushed to the boat, and pushed
off. The berserk sprang into the water, and swam after them, just as
his pursuers reached the cave. Seeing this, his men being safe beyond
pursuit, lay on their oars and waited for him. But Hauskuld's career
had been run out. Either the fall had stunned him, or he was seized
with a fit, for he suddenly raised himself in the water, and, uttering a
cry that echoed fearfully in the roof of the cavern, he sank to the
bottom. Still his men waited a minute or two, but seeing that he did
not rise again, they pulled away.
"It is unlucky that they should have escaped thus," said Alric, "for
they go to tell King Harald what they have seen."
"Friends," said Erling, "I have a plan in my head to cheat the King. I
shall send Thorer round with my Swan to this cave, and here let it lie,
well armed and provisioned, during the battle that we shall have to
fight with Harald ere long. If ill luck should be ours, those of us who
survive will thus have a chance of escaping with the women."
"What need is there of that?" said Glumm; "we are sure to give him the
tooth-ache!"
"We are sure of nothing in this world," replied Erling, "save that the
sun will rise and set and the seasons will come and go. I shall do as I
have said, chiefly for the sake of the women, whom I should not like to
see fall into the hands of King Harald; and I counsel thee to do the
same with thy small ship the Crane. It can well be spared, for we are
like to have a goodly force of men and ships, if I mistake not the
spirit that is abroad."
"Well, I will do it," said Glumm.
"And Alric will not object, I dare say, to stand sentinel over the ships
in the cave with two or three men till they are wanted," said Erling.
"That will not I," cried Alric, who was delighted to be employed in any
service rather than be left at home, for his father, deeming him still
too young, had strictly forbidden him to embark in the fleet.
"Well then, the sooner this is set about the better," said Erling, "for
there is no counting on the movements of the King."
"Humph!" ejaculated Glumm.
"Ill luck to the tyrant!" said Kettle Flatnose, as they turned and left
the cave.