"HAPPY WAS HE IN HIS WARRING."
When the sun was well up next morning, which meant about three o'clock,
Yaspard came downstairs, carrying his armour, and treading softly, as
he did not wish to disturb anybody. Pirate was dozing in the porch,
but when the lad appeared he got up and followed him to the quay.
Signy's eyes too followed--for she had heard her brother leave his
room--and again her heart was troubled when she saw the weapons of
warfare. All unconscious of her gaze, he proceeded to stow these into
his boat, where Pirate had stepped gravely, and Signy's soul was
comforted as she returned to her bed murmuring, "Any way, he has Pirate
with him, and Pirate is more than a match for anything!"
Yaspard was soon across the voe, and he soon had the Harrisons out of
their beds. When they reached the beach Lowrie pulled out of a
fish-chest two neatly made wooden swords, two slings, two bows, and a
sheaf of arrows. As he handed some to his brother he said to Yaspard,
"We made the swords last night, and most of the arrows. I think they
are a great improvement on the last."
"Yes, certain!" was the ready answer; but Yaspard's eyes gleamed as he
pointed to his ancestral old iron, and said, "What think you of mine?"
"Oh, grand! splendid!" they cried.
"You are going to have a share--a loan of them, I mean." And then he
rapidly explained what he purposed doing, and what he wished them to
do. As the boat slipped rapidly along, the lads rigged themselves for
action. Playing at "Robinson Crusoe" and "Hawk eye" had been favourite
games, therefore they were provided with all sorts of belts and pouches
for holding every conceivable kind of weapon; and queer figures they
looked when their war toilet was complete, and they sat down to talk
over their scheme and project a great many more.
Once outside of Boden voe, it did not take long to reach Havnholme.
The _Laulie_ was lying along the crags safely moored there, and her
crew were asleep in the old shed, where they had spent many a night
before. They had had a long day of exciting sport, and were wrapped in
sleep more profound than usual.
But when the _Osprey_ came within hailing distance, Yaspard ran up a
black flag and raised a shout of "A Viking! a Viking!" His companions
took up the cry, and Pirate, setting his fore-paws on the bow, barked
and howled like mad. Such a hullaballoo was enough to waken anybody,
and the Lunda boys--half-awake--rushed out of the shed, and stood
staring in dumb-foundered amazement at the foe!
The Harrisons burst out laughing at the ludicrous spectacle of four
lads rubbing their eyes, scratching their heads, shaking themselves
straight in their clothes, and looking as if there never had been half
an idea in one of their minds. But Yaspard shouted in grandiloquent
style--
"You, lads of Lunda there, listen! We are Vikinger in search of glory
and spoil, and all the rest of it. But we do not take our enemy
unawares. We would not assail slumberers. We are nineteenth century
enough to fight fair. So now, look to yourselves!"
During these few minutes the _Osprey_ had reached the crags, and was
alongside of the _Laulie_. As he finished speaking the young marauder,
leaning over to the other boat, undid her painter, and hitching it to
his own boat, shouted to his companions to row off again. They pulled
out from the shore, and the _Laulie_ was captured before her crew had
waked up enough to comprehend what was going on.
"It's Yaspard Adiesen masquerading like an ass," said Harry Mitchell at
last.
"It will only be a bit of fun," Gloy Winwick ventured to say, for by
that time he had recognised Lowrie and Gibbie. They were his cousins,
and he had often met them, and heard of the curious games which young
Adiesen invented for their amusement and his own. "There will be nae
harm in it. It's just his way. He's queer."
The last half of his remarks was given in an aside to Tom Holtum, but
Tom only growled, "Bother the fellow! What does he mean by such
preposterous impudence?"
Tom's temper was easily roused; and, followed by the others, he ran to
the crag and shouted, "Give us none of your humbug! Bring back the
boat, or it will be the worse for you!"
A mocking laugh was all the answer he got; and this so exasperated Tom
that he was about to fling a volley of abuse to the enemy, but Harry
checked him. Harry was always the first to look at a thing from more
points than one, and now he said in an undertone, "I expect it is only
some nonsensical make-believe. Yaspard is a baby in some ways, I am
told; and he never exchanges a word with gentlemen's sons--lives
horribly alone, you know. Let's humour him a bit, and see what it will
come to."
Tom grunted, but Bill and Gloy seconded Harry, so Harry called out, "I
say, you might as well come on shore first and tell us what's up, and
then let us start fair all round."
"I'd like to," burst from Yaspard in his natural and impulsive manner,
"but I mustn't. Uncle Brüs has forbidden me to be friends with _any_
of you Lunda fellows, because of the family feud, you know. But I'm
tired of having no chums, and living as I do, so I'm resolved to be a
Viking; and as you are all my enemies, I shall, of course, try to
harass you in every way I can, to fight you, and carry off your
property, and conquer you, and--and--have some good fun!"
Tom and Harry instantly got the right kind of inspiration about the
matter, and replied, "All right, we're your men! strongest fend off!"
but Gloy exclaimed, "I think he must be going off his head," and Bill
called out furiously, "Conquer us! come and try, if you dare."
"I'll dare another day, youngster," answered the Viking loftily; "but
listen now" (addressing the others): "I've got your boat, and you must
agree to what I ask before I will let you have her again."
"Impudence!" shouted Tom.
"Tuts, man, let him haver," said Harry; then to Yaspard, "Well, go on."
"Are you captain of that crew?" Yaspard asked.
"In the absence of my elders and betters, yes!"
"Well, I want you to take a letter (it is really two letters, one
inside the other) to the young Laird of Lunda. He is captain, chief,
yarl, and all the rest of it, over you and your island."
"If it's a proper letter I'll take it," Harry answered promptly.
"One of the letters is quite proper; but, proper or no proper, uncle's
note must also reach Mr. Garson, and you must promise to give it
faithfully before I give you the _Laulie_. She's a splendid little
craft. She would make a glorious Viking's bark! I am tempted to keep
my spoil."
While they were talking Bill said to Gloy very loudly, "Never mind the
jabber, boy. Come for a swim before breakfast! I'm off." They
stripped and went in, and as they did so they whispered together and
winked knowingly, then began to race and splash in the water as if they
had no thought in their heads but the enjoyment of the moment, while
the rival captains continued the engrossing debate.
Harry was not unwilling to carry the letter, but he did not like to be
threatened into doing it.
"Suppose I refuse?" he said.
"Then I go off with your boat, and you remain prisoned on Havnholme."
"You could be severely punished if you did so."
"If you are mean enough to tell, and bring grown people and lawyers
into the business," retorted Yaspard.
"I see no harm in taking the letter to Fred," said Tom then.
Tom strongly objected to telling tales. He also scented some rare
shindies in the game Yaspard was playing, and Harry, seeing that the
situation was an awkward one, agreed.
"Is that all?" he asked. But before the enemy could reply there came a
shout from Tom, a howl from Yaspard, a screech from the Harrisons, and
loud laughter from Gloy in the water.
Gloy and Bill had taken advantage of the attention of the others being
chiefly directed to those on shore, and had, as if by accident, swam
nearer to the boats. Then Gloy had held the Harrisons in talk while
Bill quietly contrived to swim to that side of the _Laulie_ which was
farthest from the other boat. No one was aware of his movements until
he had swiftly crawled into the _Laulie_. Leaning over the side, he
slipped the painter from the thole-pin round which it hung, and then
shoving with all his might, he sent the skiffs a good way apart at once.
"After him, boys!" Yaspard cried; but the boys were not ready. Gloy
had come alongside and had caught hold of Gibbie, Lowrie was laughing
like to split his sides at the sight of Bill, nude and dripping, gaping
like a fresh caught cod, rowing for his life. The _Laulie_ was safe
back at her favourite crag in a minute more, and Yaspard could only
comfort himself for being so outwitted by making a captive of Gloy.
"He isn't worth much without his clothes," Harry told all who cared to
hear.
"We'll paint him," retorted Yaspard, and Gloy began to think that his
position was awkward, to say the least of it; but Tom, whose
good-humour had been completely restored by Bill's clever manoeuvre,
said--
"You might just as well come along and have some breakfast with us, and
then we can arrange the campaign, and settle about ransom for the
captive."
There was no resisting such a suggestion, especially as it did not hint
at compromise of the "position."
The _Osprey_ came to land, and Gloy was permitted to go and resume his
garments, after giving his word of honour to respect the parole.
A white handkerchief was tied to a fishing-rod, which was planted in
the skeö wall, and under that flag of truce the rival parties made
merry in lighting a fire, boiling water, and feasting heartily on the
good things which the Manse boys never failed to find in their ferdimet
basket.