GLUMM GAINS A GREAT PRIVATE VICTORY--THE DALESMEN ASSEMBLE TO FIGHT FOR
FREEDOM--THE FOE APPEARS, AND THE SIGNAL OF BATTLE IS SOUNDED.
Again we return to the mound near Ulfstede, the top of which was now
bathed in the rays of the morning sun--for the day had only begun, the
events narrated at the end of the last chapter having occurred within a
period of less than three hours.
Here stood the fair Hilda and the volatile Ada, the former leaning on
the arm of the latter, and both gazing intently and in silence on the
heart-stirring scene before them. Once again Horlingdal with its fiord
was the scene of an assembly of armed men, but this time the concourse
was grander, because much greater, than on a previous occasion. Men had
learned by recent events that momentous changes were taking place in the
land. The news of the King's acts had been carried far and wide.
Everyone felt that a decisive blow was about to be struck somewhere, and
although many hundreds had little or no opinion of their own as to what
was best for the interests of the kingdom, they knew that a side must be
taken, and were quite willing to take that which appeared to be the
right, or which seemed most likely to win, while a large proportion of
them were intelligently and resolutely opposed to the King's designs.
Thus, when the war-token was sent round, it was answered promptly.
Those who dwelt nearest to the place of rendezvous were soon assembled
in great numbers, and, from the elevated point on which the girls stood,
their glittering masses could be seen on the shore, while they launched
their longships and loaded them with stones--the ammunition of those
days--or passed briskly to and fro with arms and provisions; while all
up the valley, as far as the eye could see, even to the faint blue
distance, in the haze of which the glaciers and clouds and mountain tops
seemed to commingle, troops of armed men could be seen pouring down from
gorge and glen, through wood and furze and fen. On the fiord, too, the
same activity and concentration prevailed, though not quite to the same
extent. Constantly there swept round the promontories to the north and
south, boat after boat, and ship after ship, until the bay close below
Ulfstede was crowded with war-craft of every size--their gay sails, and
in some cases gilded masts and figureheads, glancing in the sunshine,
and their shield-circled gunwales reflected clearly in the sea.
"What a grand sight!" exclaimed Ada with enthusiasm, as she listened to
the deep-toned hum of the busy multitude below.
"Would God I had never seen it!" said her companion.
"Out upon thee, Hilda! I scarce deem thee fit to be a free Norse
maiden. Such a scene would stir the heart of stone."
"It _does_ stir my heart strangely, sister," replied Hilda, "I scarcely
can explain how. I feel exultation when I see the might of our
district, and the bold bearing of our brave and brisk men; but my heart
sinks again when I think of what is to come--the blood of men flowing
like water, death sweeping them down like grain before the sickle; and
for what? Ada, these go not forth to defend us from our enemies, they
go to war with brothers and kindred--with Norsemen."
Ada beat her foot impatiently on the sod, and frowned a little as she
said--
"I know it well enough, but it is a grand sight for all that, and it
does no good to peep into the future as thou art doing continually."
"I do not peep," replied Hilda; "the future stares me full in the face."
"Well, let it stare, sister mine," said Ada, with a laugh, as she
cleared her brow, "and stare past _its_ face at what lies before thee at
present, which is beautiful enough, thou must allow."
At that moment there seemed to be increasing bustle and energy on the
part of the warriors on the shore, and the murmur of their voices grew
louder.
"What can that mean, I wonder?" said Ada.
"Fresh news arrived, perhaps," replied her friend. "The Christians' God
grant that this war may be averted!"
"Amen, if it be His will," said a deep voice behind the girls, who
turned and found the hermit standing at their side. "But, Hilda," he
continued, "God does not always answer our prayers in the way we
expect--sometimes because we pray for the wrong thing, and sometimes
because we pray that the right thing may come to us in the wrong way. I
like best to end my petitions with the words of my dear Saviour Jesus
Christ--`Thy will be done.' Just now it would seem as if war were
ordained to go on, for a scout has just come in to say that King Harald
with his fleet is on the other side of yonder point, and I am sent to
fetch thee down to a place of safety without delay."
"Who sent thee?" demanded Ada.
"Thy foster-father."
"Methinks we are safe enough here," she said, with a gesture of
impatience.
"Aye, if we win the day, but not if we lose it," said the old man.
"Come," said Hilda, "we must obey our father."
"I have no intention of disobeying him," retorted the other, tossing her
head.
Just then Alric ran up with a look of anxiety on his swelled and
blood-stained face.
"Come, girls, ye are in the way here. Haste--ah! here comes Erling--and
Glumm too."
The two young men ran up the hill as he spoke.
"Come with us quickly," cried Erling; "we do not wish the King's people
to see anyone on this mound. Let me lead thee down, Hilda."
He took her by the hand and led her away. Glumm went forward to Ada,
whose old spirit was evidently still alive, for she glanced at the
hermit, and appeared as if inclined to put herself under his protection,
but there was something in Glumm's expression that arrested her. His
gruffness had forsaken him, and he came forward with an unembarrassed
and dignified bearing. "Ada," he said, in a gentle but deliberate
voice, while he gazed into her face so earnestly that she was fain to
drop her eyes, "thou must decide my fate _now_. To-day it is likely I
shall fight my last battle in my fatherland. Death will be abroad on
the fiord, more than willing to be courted by all who choose to woo him.
Say, dear maid, am I to be thy protector or not?"
Ada hesitated, and clasped her hands tightly together, while the
tell-tale blood rushed to her cheeks. Glumm, ever stupid on these
matters, said no other word, but turned on his heel and strode quickly
away.
"Stay!" she said.
She did not say this loudly, but Glumm heard it, turned round, and
strode back again. Ada silently placed her hand in his--it trembled as
she did so--and Glumm led her down the hill.
The girls were escorted by their lovers only as far as Ulfstede. With
all the other women of the place, and the old people, they were put
under the care of the hermit, who conveyed them safely to Haldorstede,
there to await the issue of the day.
Meanwhile, Haldor, Erling, Glumm, Hakon of Drontheim, Ulf, Guttorm
Stoutheart, and all the other Sea-kings, not only of Horlingdal, but of
the surrounding valleys, with a host of smaller bonders, unfreemen, and
thralls, went down to the shores of the bay and prepared for battle.
It is needless to say that all were armed to the teeth--with coats of
mail and shirts of wolf-skin; swords and battle-axes, bows and arrows,
halberds and spears, "morning stars" and bills, scythes, javelins,
iron-shod poles--and many other weapons.
The principal ships of the fleet were of course those belonging to
Haldor, Ulf, and the wealthier men of the district. Some of these were
very large--having thirty benches of rowers, and being capable of
carrying above a hundred and fifty men. All of them were more or less
decorated, and a stately brilliant spectacle they presented, with their
quaint towering figureheads, their high poops, shield-hung sides, and
numerous oars. Many proud thoughts doubtless filled the hearts of these
Sea-kings as they looked at their ships and men, and silently wended
their way down to the strand. In the case of Haldor and Erling,
however, if not of others, such thoughts were tempered with the feeling
that momentous issues hung on the fate of the day.
Well was it for all concerned that the men who led them that day were so
full of forethought and energy, for scarcely had they completed their
preparations and embarked their forces when the ships of Harald Fairhair
swept round the northern promontory.
If the fleet of the small kings of Horlingdal and the south was
imposing, that of the King of Norway was still more so. Besides, being
stronger in numbers, and many of the warships being larger--his own huge
vessel, the Dragon, led the van, appearing like a gorgeous and gigantic
sea-monster.
The King was very proud of this longship. It had recently been built by
him, and was one of the largest that had ever been seen in Norway. The
exact dimensions of it are not now known, but we know that it had
thirty-two banks for rowers, from which we may infer that it must have
been of nearly the same size with the Long Serpent, a war vessel of
thirty-four banks, which was built about the end of the tenth century,
and some of the dimensions of which are given in the Saga of Olaf
Tryggvesson. The length of her keel that rested on the grass, we are
told, was about 111 feet, which is not far short of the length of the
keel of one of our forty-two gun frigates. As these warships were long
in proportion to their breadth, like our modern steamers, this speaks to
a size approaching 400 tons burden. As we have said, the Dragon was a
gorgeous vessel. It had a high poop and forecastle, a low waist, or
middle part, and a splendidly gilt and painted stern, figurehead, and
tail. The sides, which were, as usual, hung round with the red and
white painted shields of the crew, were pierced for sixty-four oars,
that is, thirty-two on each side, being two oars to each bank or bench,
and as there were three men to each oar, this gave a total crew of 192
men; but in truth the vessel contained, including steersmen and
supernumeraries, above 200 men. Under the feet of the rowers, in the
waist, were chests of arms, piles of stones to be used as missiles,
provisions, clothing, goods, and stores, all of which were protected by
a deck of movable hatches. On this deck the crew slept at nights,
sheltered by an awning or sail, when it was not convenient for them to
land and sleep on the beach in their tents, with which all the vessels
of the Norsemen were usually supplied. There was but one great mast,
forty feet high, and one enormous square sail to this ship. The mast
was tipped with gilding, and the sail was of alternate strips of red,
white, and blue cloth. Each space between the banks served as the berth
of six or eight men, and was divided into half berths--starboard and
larboard--for the men who worked the corresponding oars. On the richly
ornamented poop stood the King himself, surrounded by his bodyguard and
chief men of the Court, including Jarl Rongvold and Thiodolph the scald.
From the stem to the mid-hold was the forecastle, on which were
stationed the King's berserkers, under Hake of Hadeland. All the men of
Hake's band were splendid fellows; for King Harald, having a choice of
men from the best of every district, took into his house troop only such
as were remarkable for strength, courage, and dexterity in the use of
their weapons.
It must not be supposed that the rest of Harald's fleet was composed of
small vessels. On the contrary, some of them were not far short of his
own in point of size. Many of his jarls were wealthy men, and had
joined him, some with ten or twenty, and others with thirty, or even
forty, ships of various sizes. Many of them had from twenty to thirty
banks for rowers, with crews of 100 or 150 men. There were also great
numbers of cutters with ten or fifteen banks, and from thirty to fifty
men in each, besides a swarm of lesser craft, about the size of our
ordinary herring boats.
There were many men of note in this fleet, such as King Sigurd of Royer
and Simun's sons; Onund and Andreas; Nicolas Skialdvarsson; Eindrid, a
son of Mornef, who was the most gallant and popular man in the Drontheim
country, and many others; the whole composing a formidable force of
seven or eight thousand warriors.
With Haldor the Fierce, on the other hand, there was a goodly force of
men and ships; for the whole south country had been aroused, and they
came pouring into the fiord continuously. Nevertheless they did not
number nearly so large a force as that under King Harald. Besides those
who have been already named, there were Eric, king of Hordaland; Sulke,
king of Rogaland, and his brother Jarl Sote; Kiotve the Rich, king of
Agder, and his son Thor Haklang; also the brothers Roald Ryg, and Hadd
the Hard, of Thelemark, besides many others. But their whole number did
not exceed four thousand men; and the worst of it all was that among
these there were a great many of the smaller men, and a few of the
chiefs whose hearts were not very enthusiastic in the cause, and who had
no very strong objection to take service under Harald Fairhair. These,
however, held their peace, because the greater men among them, and the
chief leaders, such as Haldor and Ulf, were very stern and decided in
their determination to resist the King.
Now, when the report was brought that Harald's fleet had doubled the
distant cape beyond Hafurdsfiord, the people crowded to the top of the
cliffs behind Ulfstede to watch it; and when it was clearly seen that it
was so much larger than their own, there were a few who began to say
that it would be wiser to refrain from resistance; but Haldor called a
Thing together on the spot by sound of horn, and a great many short
pithy speeches were made on both sides of the question. Those who were
for war were by far the most able men, and so full of fire that they
infused much of their own spirit into those who heard them. Erling in
particular was very energetic in his denunciation of the illegality of
Harald's proceedings; and even Glumm plucked up heart to leap to his
feet and declare, with a face blazing with wrath, that he would rather
be drowned in the fiord like a dog, or quit his native land for ever,
than remain at home to be the slave of any man!
Glumm was not, as the reader is aware, famed for eloquence; nevertheless
the abruptness of his fiery spirit, the quick rush of his few sputtered
words, and the clatter of his arms, as he struck his fist violently
against his shield, drew from the multitude a loud burst of applause.
He had in him a good deal of that element which we moderns call "go".
Whatever he did was effectively done.
The last who spoke was Solve Klofe. That redoubtable warrior ascended
the hill just as Glumm had finished his remarks. He immediately stood
forward, and raised his hand with an impassioned gesture. "Glumm is
right," he cried. "It is now clear that we have but one course to take;
and that is to rise all as one man against King Harald, for although
outnumbered, we still have strength enough to fight for our ancient
rights. Fate must decide the victory. If we cannot conquer, at all
events we can die. As to becoming his servants, that is no condition
for _us_! My father thought it better to fall in battle than to go
willingly into King Harald's service, or refuse to abide the chance of
weapons like the Numedal kings."
"That is well spoken," cried Haldor, after the shout with which this was
received had subsided. "The Thing is at an end, and now we shall make
ready, for it can be but a short time until we meet. Let the people
take their weapons, and every man be at his post, so that all may be
ready when the war-horn sounds the signal to cast off from the land.
[See note 1.] Then let us throw off at once, and together, so that none
go on before the rest of the ships, and none lag behind when we row out
of the fiord. When we meet, and the battle begins, let people be on the
alert to bring all our ships in close order, and ready to bind them
together. Let us spare ourselves in the beginning, and take care of our
weapons, that we do not cast them into the sea, or shoot them away in
the air to no purpose. But when the fight becomes hot, and the ships
are bound together, _then_ let each man show what spirit is in him, and
how well he can fight for country, law, and freedom!"
A loud ringing cheer was the answer to this speech, and then the whole
concourse hurried down the hill and embarked; the vessels were quickly
arranged in order according to their size; the war-horn sounded;
thousands of oars dipped at the same moment, the blue waters of the
fiord were torn into milky foam, and slowly, steadily, and in good order
the fleet of the Sea-kings left the strand, doubled the cape to the
north of Horlingfiord, and advanced in battle array to meet the foe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note 1. Signals by call of trumpet were well understood in those times.
We read, in the ancient Sagas, of the trumpet-call to arm, to advance,
to attack, to retreat, to land, and also to attend a Court Thing, a
House Thing, a General Thing. These instruments were made of metal, and
there were regular trumpeters.