WOLF’S HEAD.
Foredone with his anger, Hundi crept home to Lowick by the dawn of
the day, and told the grewsome tale to Halldora. She, good soul, wept
bitterly for Thorstein, and most of all for the part she had taken in
mating him with that false and heartless minx. When she had her fill of
weeping, she looked up and ran forth of the house as she was, like one
bewitched.
The day was far spent when she came back, queer to look at.
“Is there any quarrel between thee, Hundi Sweinson, and thy brother?”
“Nay,” said he. “Would not I have saved him, but I was bound?”
“And if he had fled?” says she, between laughing and crying.
Aye, there he was, at the door, bemired and bloody with wounds, and the
hair of head singed off him, and his eyes nigh bleared away with the
fire through which he had fled. But she had found him in the woods, and
comforted him, and wormed a true tale out of him, and led him home. There
he was and there he stayed in safe hiding, for Lowick was an outlying
spot, with no passing: so they nursed him for weeks until he was whole
again.
But if his body was whole, his heart was hardened, and never a word would
he speak of good or ill, after that first talk in the wood with kind
Halldora.
Now Halldora’s one hope was to see this wrong righted; all the rather
because she could not help blaming herself for the hasty wedding. But it
was not easy. For there sat Thorstein like a log, and if he showed his
face it would be death to him and shame to them. Hundi was a good boy and
no fool, but he was not to be sent on ticklish errands, she knew that.
And now she was tied, for there was a lusty urchin, Thorstein Hundason by
name, in her arms, with a face as round as the harvest moon that rose up
night after night over Colton fell.
So one fine day came to Greenodd door the Lowick folk, with a led
horse, bidding Unna to visit her first grandchild, which she could not
refuse. And when Halldora had got her as pleased with all as she could
be, out came the story of Thorstein: not easily, for at first Unna was
woe and wrath at her son’s death, and would hear nothing to excuse the
slayer. But who can say nay to a mother with her first babe newborn? and
Thorstein was ever the best loved and longest lost of the three. Unna’s
eyes were opened, and when she came upon her boy, so beaten down and
disheartened that he scarce knew her, she could do nothing but weep over
him. And going home she sent for her brother Raud and set the case before
him, and made him a promise of the priesthood, which had now fallen into
her hands to bestow as she liked. And so he was brought into the business.
And then Halldora sent for her father, Master Grimkel Mani, and won him
over likewise. And they plotted that when the autumn Thing was held at
the Greenodd Legbarrow, Raud should be made Godi, and be there with a
great following. Then Mani should come with all he could bring, and a
round sum of money, which Unna would find, to get Thorstein’s outlawry
taken off; and Hundi should confirm the true tale, and back up the suit.
But in the meanwhile, what with all this going and coming, and the
tattling of thralls, it leaked out that Thorstein was not dead after all:
and that the men who had burnt Blawith were but fools for their pains.
Asmund sent a furious message to Hundi to warn him of the danger of
harbouring an outlaw: and bade him look for visitors some night when he
did not want them. Hundi was greatly put about, but Halldora laughed, and
said that she knew Asdis would never forgive Thorstein for finding her
out. Grimkel Mani sent some of his biggest men to bide at Lowick, in case
they might be wanted: and they slept with one eye open.
Well, the day came for the Thing: and folk were there from far and wide
in their feast array, and everyone that could be spared of Thorstein’s
kin together with their people. Before the meeting, Unna feasted the
elders and householders at Greenodd, and sat among them in her widow’s
weeds; and after the tables were cleared she bade them to witness that
through her son’s death the Godord had fallen to her: that, alas, one of
her sons was outlawed, and the other was ill looked upon by neighbours,
so that she could name neither of them to the office: whereupon she would
give the place to her brother Raud, who lived hard by, and was an able
man, and would see that the Thing was kept up with due offerings to the
gods, and entertainment to all comers, and so forth.
Now this was not just what the other party would have liked, but they
could not gainsay it, and away they moved to Legbarrow. Then Raud, as
the custom was, killed a ram, and reddened his hands in the blood of it;
taking at the same time the oath of a Godi: and so after due hallowing of
the spot, sat him down on the topmost seat.
Then stood Asmund on the one side and Mani on the other, each claiming to
be heard. The new Godi ruled that Asmund should have the first word: for
he thought it wise to let them talk it well out. So Asmund set forth that
his daughter Asdis being wedded to a man who had been outlawed, claimed
to be released from him, and to take all that belonged to her, namely the
third of land and goods.
For you must know that in those heathen days, among the Northmen, the
wife was master. She had her own goods and land to herself, and could
sell them for her own use: even against the husband’s will she could
make away with the full half. And yet he had to manage it all, and to
manage it well; and to defend it and her in every way. They were grand
times for the women-folk. A wife could turn off her husband like a hired
servant, for almost anything that displeased her. And there was nothing a
man could do in law that the woman could not do as well, or better. Now
Asdis might have just turned off her husband, with a word, when she left
him: but she would not then have had a claim on his land. So being a wise
woman she held her tongue, and now brought this suit against him.
There were witnesses to the outlawing at the door-doom, and there was
little defence made; for nobody of Thorstein’s friends wished to bind him
to the woman; and as for land, there was plenty more to be taken, if she
made a point of holding to a bit of uncleared timber.
This business being done, the other put in his plea. He was a hearty
carle, was Grimkel Mani,—Master Moon we might call him by interpretation.
With his great grey beard, and his tall figure somewhat barrowbacked,
he was well listened to at meetings, and much respected by high and
low, but no great hand at cunning and trickery. When he began to speak
of Thorstein there was a disturbance. At last Raud got peace, and the
suit went forward. Mani told how Thorstein had not been heard in his
defence,—how could he, standing alone and all his foes about him? And
then he went on to tell the other side of the story; how Raineach had
saved Thorstein as a lad, and had been received by his people as a
sister: how Orm had been a rough kinsman to all his house, and a hard
master to his folk: and how he had tricked Raineach into thralldom, and
made up a lying tale about it.
So far so good: though it was no new story for a stranger, man or wench,
to be sold off as useless or troublesome rubbish. But then Mani went
on to complain that the doom of outlawry had been unlawfully given;
for the crime was done at the Althing, said he, and to the Althing the
case should be taken. He said moreover that so great a penalty as full
outlawry should not have been laid at a door-doom, which was meant for
little cases, such as the distraint of goods from a refractory debtor,
and such like. Then he said that the attack had been continued after
sunset, and therefore if they had killed Thorstein it would have been
murder. “And all this,” said he, “comes of the folly of men I see sitting
over yonder, who have let themselves be led on from bad to worse by a
wicked woman.”
Then there was a terrible to-do. Men ran for their weapons; and the only
way of saving the Thing-stead from blood was for Raud to break up the
meeting, and draw off his friends; begging them to be guided and to save
their strength for another chance.
Thorstein at Blawith heard the news as one who heeds little. He thanked
them for their kindness, and said he must be going, for he would not
bring them into straits. And so Hundi set him on his way across the
Leven to Raud’s-ey, and Raud kept him for a night, and asked him whither
bound. Thorstein said he had a mind to go far. It was in his heart to
go in search of Raineach, even if he had to lait her at York and in the
house of King Olaf: but after her anger and the falsehood of one he had
trusted, he feared and doubted, though he said nothing.
“Kinsman,” said Raud, “take my counsel. Things have gone against thee,
but the tide will turn. Thou hast friends, and good ones, at Mansriggs
and at Greenodd, at Lowick and here; and when the truth gets ground and
springs up, it will bear fruit, never fear. We were in error to open the
case anywhere but at the Althing; but we shall try again and get thee
cleared at last, in spite of that woman and her witch-face. It is only a
fool that throws his oars overboard because his tiller snaps. Now go not
far. Over yonder in Cartmel is out of our bounds. None of our Northmen
will touch thee there: but when good news is to be sent, thou wilt not be
hard to seek.”