"ENOUGH AND TO SPARE OF BALE IS IN THY SPEECH."
We may be sure that the _Laulie's_ crew watched our hero's movements
with quite as much interest as he noted theirs, and when his
battle-flag was seen they shouted for joy.
"He knows what we are up to. He has challenged us," Harry Mitchell
exclaimed with great satisfaction. "Now, boys, we've got to nail him
before he passes Yelholme."
"His boat goes very fast; she is light too, and he has her well in
hand," Tom remarked critically as the _Osprey_ drew nearer, skimming
the waves as airily and swiftly as any bird.
Yelholme, to which reference had been made, lay near the course Yaspard
was on. If the _Laulie_ could not intercept Yaspard before he reached
the little island she would lose ground by being obliged to tack a good
deal, while he, having the wind with him, would easily get ahead.
"If it becomes a chase we haven't a chance," said Harry, "so we must
try and cut him off at the holme."
But Yaspard knew pretty well what their tactics were likely to be, and
acted accordingly.
It is not possible to describe with any degree of accuracy the very
clever way in which the boats tried to circumvent each other; how the
_Osprey_ dodged here and there, striving to outrace the other, and how
the _Laulie_ gallantly defeated every attempt so made. At last
Yaspard, seeing that nothing but a very bold effort had any chance of
success, determined to try a delicate manoeuvre. His boat, being
smaller and lighter than the _Laulie_, could venture much nearer a
skerry or holme. He resolved to run straight for Yelholme. He knew
that the other boat would do likewise, but approaching from another
point, would be obliged to lower sail and trust to the oars. He hoped
he could keep "on wing," and round the holme in safety before the
_Laulie_ had got on the same course. Accordingly he altered his
tactics, and sent his skiff careening toward the holme as if he meant
to dash right into it.
"What on earth is he up to now?" Bill exclaimed in wonder; "he will be
under our stern in a jiffy if he holds on like that."
"If he passes astern he will reach the holme and be round it before us.
We must not allow that; drop the sail, Bill," said Harry.
Down went the _Laulie's_ sail, and in a short time she was rowing
swiftly for the same point that the _Osprey_ seemed bent on gaining.
Yaspard did not alter his course one bit until he was within talking
distance of the enemy, and dangerously near the holme.
"Don't be rash, man," Harry sung out. "You will be flung on the holme
by that undertow on the lee side."
Even as he spoke Yaspard saw the danger he had not considered, and
promptly dropped his sail. By that time the boats were almost within
an oar's length of each other, but the _Osprey_ was ahead. With
wondrous speed the Viking-boy had his oars out, and would soon have
been round the holme and on his course again, but at that moment Tom
Holtum caught up a coil of rope lying handy, and flung it like a lasso
over the _Osprey_. The bight fell over her rudder and horn, and before
the hapless Viking could leave his seat or lift a finger to save
himself, his boat was hauled alongside of the _Laulie_, and he was
captured.
"Fairly caught!" cried Bill, leaning over to thump him on the back,
while Tom clutched the _Osprey_ with both hands, determined that she
should not escape.
Then Yaspard struck his colours, and remarked, "You need not be so
particular with your grappling-irons, Holtum; I yield myself to the
fortune of fair fight."
"Come aboard us," said Harry. "You did awfully well, and needn't mind
that Tom's dodge was more successful than yours. It was a low kind of
trick on the whole, but we were determined to make you our prisoner."
By that time Yaspard was in the _Laulie_, and his boat towing ignobly
in the rear. Thor, puzzled out of his dignity by such extraordinary
proceedings, afraid to trust himself with his master in the enemies'
hands, and too tired to seek refuge in flight, then gave vent to his
feelings in speech--
"Uncle, uncle. Croak! bad boy! croak! croak! croak! Yap! yap! yap!
Pirate; hi, good dog! Dog! Uncle! oh my!"
He had never spoken so much at one time before, but the situation
called for a supreme effort.
When he concluded his oration, amid yells of laughter, Thor turned up
his eyes till nothing but a streak of white was visible, and shoved his
beak among the feathers on one shoulder as if he meant to go to sleep.
"What a fellow, to be sure!" exclaimed Tom. "He licks Crawbie all to
nothing."
Harry explained to Yaspard that Crawbie was a hoodie crow belonging to
Svein Holtum, and a great talker, but nothing like Thor in that respect.
Harry was soon on his hobby, and would have discoursed on birds for an
hour if Bill had not stopped him by asking, "Well, boys, what's the
next move?"
"Home, of course," said Harry; "at least, to Collaster first, for the
Viking is Tom's prize, and must be taken to the Doctor's house."
"I should like that hugely," said the captive; "but may I beg you to
remember my anxious and sorrowing relations, who will strain dim eyes
in vain and all the rest of that sort of thing. They'll be horribly
frightened at Moolapund if I am not back there tonight, and it's late
now."
A long discussion followed as to how the Boden folk were to be informed
of the Viking's position. One suggestion was that a Manse boy was to
return to Boden in the _Osprey_, tell the tale, and bring Gloy away;
but that plan was rejected, because Yaspard declared that his
"followers" would seize the messenger, and hold both him and Gloy as
hostages for their captain.
Then a brilliant idea occurred to Harry, who had always been the most
reflecting boy of the lot.
"I'll tell you what to do. Send Thor with a message tied to his leg.
That was what Svein did once, when he was hurt and in Vega. Crawbie
had gone after him; and he carved two words on the cover of his
pocket-book, tied it to Crawbie, and Crawbie went to Collaster with it."
"Splendid! Yes, the very thing!" the others cried.
So a hard-boiled egg was taken from the ferdimet, and laid temptingly
on Yaspard's hand as a lure for Thor, who was evidently averse to
trusting himself in the _Laulie_. But his weakness was an egg, and he
soon flopped across to his master's knee, where he was detained for
"further orders."
"Will he go home?" was the next debatable point. Yaspard thought Thor
would, if they made it sufficiently plain to his corvidaeous intellect
that he must not remain with the boats.
"He has often followed me, poor old chap!" said Yaspard. "I dare say
he was coming on my tracks when the shooies fell foul of him; he will
return to Moolapund if I drive him off. He won't halt by the way now,
for it is near his roosting time, and he is tired to boot."
They did as Svein Holtum had shown them how, and tearing the cover from
a pocket-book, tied it securely to Thor's leg. To make assurance
doubly sure, a duplicate was fixed around his neck. Yaspard wrote on
these boards--
"Captured on the high seas; taken in chains to Collaster.--THE VIKING."
Then he tossed Thor up from his hand, crying, "Shoo! off with you!
Home now!" But Thor flitted no farther than the _Osprey_, and,
settling in his favourite place at the bow, began to pull viciously at
the book-boards.
Bill hauled the smaller boat alongside and clambered into her, making
noise and demonstration enough, as he did so, to scare any ordinary
bird; but Thor did not stir from the spot until Bill's hands were
almost on him. Then he merely hopped from the one boat to the other,
remarking as he did it, "Just so!" which of course sent the boys off
yelling as before with wild laughter.
Now, no self-respecting raven will endure to be laughed at, especially
when he is merely repeating a boy's pet phrase. Nor will he tamely
submit to being chased from stem to stern with shouts of "Shoo! shoo!"
Thor felt trebly insulted just then; possibly he believed that "Shoo!
shoo!" had something to do with shooies, and the allusion was ill-timed
he considered.
After much noise and hustling, and what Thor looked upon as unseemly
action, he came to the conclusion that a boat is not always an ark of
refuge, nor is one's master always to be depended upon as a sure help
in time of need. With these thoughts came a recollection of the
comforts of Moolapund and the more fit companionship of Mr. Adiesen.
That settled the point in Thor's mind.
"Bad boy! Shoo!" he burst forth wrathfully, and then screeching out,
"Uncle, Pirate, uncle, uncle, uncle!" he spread his great wings and
took a bee-line for Moolapund.
Loud hurrahs followed him; but Thor never looked back once, never
turned to the right or the left, but, swift as possible in his cumbered
condition, flew home, and alighting on the parlour window-sill, began
to jabber every word he knew, without the least attention to either
grammar or construction of words, and in such excited tones that Mr.
Adiesen's attention was drawn to him. Thor was admitted at once, and
freed from his burden. Then the message was read; and while the Laird
read, Miss Osla and Signy waited in fear and trembling, but never a
word spoke the old man.
"What has that boy been doing?" the boy's aunt asked at length.
"Taking his turn at being captive, as I warned him might happen."
"Oh, Uncle Brüs, have they taken Yaspard?" Signy cried in great
excitement.
"'Captured on the high seas; taken in chains to Collaster.--THE
VIKING,'" Mr. Adiesen read with impressive solemnity; and Miss Osla,
scarcely understanding what was the state of the case, or whether her
brother was joking, or the reverse, exclaimed--
"Dear, dear! whatever has he been about now? He is the very strangest
boy. To Collaster! in chains! What a foolish, foolish boy! He must
have been interfering with some of those young Mitchells. Of course
Mr. Garson has nothing to do with his nonsense!"
Mr. Adiesen had walked out of the room long before she stopped; and her
bewilderment was much increased by Signy saying delightedly--
"Captured! and taken to Collaster! Oh, how pleased brodhor must be!"