"THAT WORK SHALL BE WROUGHT."
"What a capital job you've made of the story," quoth Yaspard when Garth
had finished. "I feel as if I ought to thank you in the name of my
great-grand-uncle."
"Just so! Bad boy! Uncle! uncle! uncle!" said Thor from a hillock
close by. He spoke so very distinctly, and as if he understood every
word, that even the elderly ladies of the party gazed in a sort of awe
at the uncanny bird.
"Come here, Thor!" Mr. Adiesen called out, extending a tempting bit of
chicken towards Sir Raven, who immediately obeyed the invitation, and
hopped to his master's knee. "Why, you old rascal," the scientist went
on, "I believe you are the great-grand-nephew of that raven of Hel-ya
Water fame; indeed, if I had not taken you myself from the nest when
you were only half-fledged, and I was a boy, I would believe that you
were the identical bird of the legend."
"If Thor lives as long as the former Thor did," said Mr. Neeven, "he
will be over a century when he dies. You remember that fellow, Brüs?"
Of course Mr. Adieson remembered his grandfather's raven, who had been
the spy and plague of the lives of both Gaun and Brüs (when they were
children), and whom they believed was possessed of an evil spirit.
The conversation drifted into chat about pet birds, until some of the
restless young people proposed a rowing match around the island, and
out of that project sprang another.
"I should like," said Fred, "to take the little lady of the isle around
it in the _Mermaid_ first. She really ought to be the first to
circumnavigate Havnholme. Will you trust her in my boat, Miss Adiesen?"
"I suppose it is quite safe?" Aunt Osla asked by way of reply; and
Signy answered, "I shall be as safe in the _Mermaid_ as I was on Arab."
"Perhaps Mr. Adiesen will accompany us, to make safety safer," Fred
suggested; and the girl seconded his proposal by a "Yes, please, Uncle
Brüs."
The old gentleman agreed, and away they went; and Dr. Holtum said aside
to the minister that nothing more satisfactory had he ever witnessed
than the sailing round Havnholme of those two men together, with so
sweet a bond between them as fair little Signy.
When the long, happy day was nearing its close, and the party was
preparing to embark, Isobel Garson said, "I didn't like to spoil Fred's
beautiful oration and funereal ceremonies with any small idea of my
own, but _now_ perhaps I may be allowed to suggest that we each take a
beach stone and cast it on those 'turned' sods, and so erect a cairn in
memory of this day."
"A capital suggestion, my dear!" said Mr. Adiesen, who had taken quite
a fancy to Isobel, whose bright, high-spirited ways attracted him very
much, and he was ready to second any suggestion she might offer.
"Good for you, Isobel!" exclaimed her brother; "but I don't see why we
need confine ourselves to one stone each. Let us make the cairn a good
big one, boys."
In a short time a considerable heap of round, smooth stones from the
shore were piled over the sepulchre of the feud, and Yaspard remarked,
"There never was a fend strong enough to escape from under that big
rougue."
"Shoo! shoo! shoo! Uncle!" screamed Thor, quite impatient over such
(to him) meaningless proceedings. Then, despairing of convincing
anybody there that they ought to go home, he spread his great wings and
deliberately sailed away through the air to Boden.
"Thor is right for once," said Dr. Holtum, "and it is quite time we
were all on the wing for our homes; so, shoo! shoo! shoo!" and he put
out his hands, as if he were driving away a flock of birds, with the
result that every one "made tracks" for the boats.
There was a good deal of whispering between Yaspard and the Manse boys
before they parted; and there was a very significant "Good-bye," from
the Yarl of Broch. He had kept our Viking-boy very much with him
throughout the day, and had quite enchanted him by suggesting a scheme
which contained the germ of much exciting adventure, although there was
no enemy to meet or circumvent. And this scheme must have been on
Viking lines, if we may judge from old Hoskald Halsen's farewell words
to Yaspard.
"Now mind, boy," he shouted, as the _Osprey_ parted company from the
other boats, "mind you think it well out, and come to Burra Wick. No
Viking should sail from a legitimate voe. Garth and I spell 'wick'
with a 'v' and no 'c' in it, remember."
"Oh, brodhor, are you to go a-Vikinging still?" Signy asked in an
ecstatic whisper; and our hero, squeezing her close to him, answered,
"Yes, Mootie, thanks to that jolly old brick! I don't believe I should
ever have thought of _his_ plan. It is even better than mine, for it
has got no enemy in it, but the chance of ever so many adventures."
A pleasant breeze had sprung up, so there was no rowing to do on the
homeward voyage. Mr. Adiesen was steering, and Aunt Osla was napping,
rolled up in shawls. Mr. Neeven had unbent considerably during the
day, and was talking to his cousin with an unusual degree of
cheerfulness. The Harrison boys were amusing themselves over a wooden
puzzle which Harry Mitchell had invented and given them. Thus Yaspard
and his sister could talk confidentially together without being
overheard. He was as eager to tell her of the new project as she was
to listen, and before long they had not only discussed the Yarl's
scheme, but had built on it a vast structure of romantic adventure.
"It has been the very happiest of days, this," said Signy when they
reached the quay; "but even happiness makes one tired, and so I am glad
to be home. I shall be asleep like winkie as soon as I get into bed."
"Not so your roving brother," quoth Yaspard; "I have other things to do
than sleep," and he grimaced at Lowrie, who grinned back a perfect
understanding of the mysterious allusion; but Signy by that time was
too sleepy to pay further attention, so followed Miss Adiesen to
Moolapund, and was soon resting in dreamless repose in her own room.
Meanwhile Yaspard and the Harrisons politely offered to row the
_Osprey_ to the head of the voe with Mr. Neeven, and he--with less than
his usual sharp suspicion--agreed. He even thanked them as he stepped
ashore, and he strode up the hill without once looking back. If he had
done so he would have seen that the boat did not pass beyond the
Hoobes, but stopped near there, where the old water-mill was located by
the side of a burn whose spring was far up the hill-side. They
fastened the boat, and went into the mill-house, where a quantity of
last year's straw and chaff was heaped. On this the three lads flung
themselves and were soon fast asleep. And there the Harrisons would
have slept on till breakfast time if Yaspard had not roused them
shortly after midnight.
"Up, boys, up!" he said, as he shook himself. "It is high time we were
off; and I hope fule-Tammy is as sound asleep now as you have been for
the last five minutes."
From that mention of Tammy you will guess that another raid on
Trullyabister was proposed. The fact was, Yaspard had made one quiet
visit to the old ruin by himself, and had found that the things they
secreted in the old chimney had disappeared. From a remark of Tammy's,
Lowrie had concluded that the "natural" had discovered their
hiding-place, and had abstracted the articles in question. It would
have been a simple matter to ask the truth and claim the property, but
_that_ course was not the one a Viking-boy was at all likely to
approve. Hence the present "lark."
The three conspirators were not long in reaching the old Ha'house, and
as the back door was never locked, they easily gained admission.
Tammy slept in a small chamber beside the kitchen, and at a distance
from the rooms inhabited by his master, therefore the lads were not
much afraid of being heard even if the recluse had not gone to sleep.
But Gaun Neeven _was_ asleep, and so was Tammy, "like a top, and
snoring too like one," whispered Yaspard as he led the way. Tammy did
not even move when they gently and deftly tied his hands together, and
put a not uncomfortable gag over his mouth, and he only snored a little
louder, but did not wake, when they lifted him up. (Tammy always went
to bed with a complete suit of clothes on, which he kept for the
purpose, saying he did not see why a "puir body" should not be as
decently clothed all night as all day.) They carried him to the ruined
apartment with which we are already acquainted. I ought to have
mentioned that Yaspard had provided masks for himself and his
companions. These were made of brown paper, painted to resemble
tatooed savages, and had been put on as they came up from the mill, so
that Tammy should not recognise his assailants.
But Tammy was far more cute in many ways than he got credit for being;
and though astonished when the cool air and a few gentle shakes woke
him up, he was not frightened by the hideous visages; even the feigned
voices did not deceive him. But he was wise enough to pretend
ignorance of their identity, and stared a well-acted credulity.
"What have you done with what you found in that chimney?" Yaspard
demanded in assumed tones, which did not deceive Tammy, however. "We
are Vikings, and hid our property in that receptacle. Woe to the
person who crosses our path! Moreover, our allies left weapons of war
in this apartment, and it is our business to restore them to their
owners. Tell now what you have done with these hoards."
How could Tammy tell? He could only shake his head and nod in the
direction of the haunted room.
"Is the property there?" Yaspard asked, and Tammy nodded again. "Then
you must take us through the house to that room, for I happen to know
that the way through the passage is now built up with stones and
mortar. I suppose _you_ did that, you duffer!"
Tammy nodded again; and then Gibbie remarked, "He wad be put to the job
by Mr. Neeven."
He spoke unwittingly in his natural voice, and was admonished by a
vigorous nudge from Lowrie; while Yasgard, still addressing their
captive, said, "Lead on, we follow! and for your life make no noise."
Tammy obediently returned to the house, and showed a way from his
kitchen to the haunted room.