Couldthefair—hairedmaninthegravehavebeenoneofthese？
ThusIspeculatedbeforeIlookedatthepileofparchmentssoevidentlypreparedfromsheepskinsbyonewhohadonlyaveryrudimentaryknowledgeofhowtoworksuchstuff,notknowingthatinthoseparchmentswashidtheanswertomanyofmyquestions。TotheseIturnedlastofall,forweallshrinkfromparchments;theircontentsaregenerallysodull。Therewasagreatbundleofthemthathadbeenlashedtogetherwithakindofstrawrope,finestrawthatremindedmeofthatusedtomakePanamahats。Butthishadrottedunderneathtogetherwithallthebottompartoftheparchments,manysheetsofthem,ofwhichonlyfragmentsremained,coveredwithdrymouldandcrumbling。Thereforetheropewaseasytoremoveandbeneathit,holdingthesheetsinplace,wasonlysomestoutandcomparativelymodernstring——ithadaredthreadinitthatmarkeditasnavycordofanoldpattern。
Islippedthesefasteningsoffandliftedablankpieceofskinsetuponthetop。Beneathappearedthefirstsheetofparchment,closely,verycloselycoveredwithsmall\"black—letter\"writing,sofaintandfadedthatevenifIwereabletoreadblack—letter,whichIcannot,ofitIcouldhavemadenothingatall。Thethingwashopeless。
Doubtlessinthatwritinglaythekeytothemystery,butitcouldneverbedecipheredbymeoranyoneelse。TheladywiththeeyeslikeadeerhadappearedtooldPottsinvain;invainhadshebiddenhimtohandoverthismanuscripttome。
SoIthoughtatthetime,notknowingtheresourcesofscience。
Afterwards,however,Itookthathugebundletoafriend,alearnedfriendwhosebusinessinlifeitwasandis,todealwithandtodecipheroldmanuscripts。
\"Looksprettyhopeless,\"hesaid,afterstaringatthese。\"Still,let\'shaveatry;oneneverknowstillonetries。\"
Thenhewenttoacupboardinhismunimentroomandproducedabottlefullofsomestraw—colouredfluidintowhichhedippedanordinarypaintingbrush。Thischargedbrushherubbedbackwardsandforwardsoverthefirstlinesofthewritingandwaited。Withinaminute,beforemyastonishedeyes,thatfaint,indistinguishablescriptturnedcoal—black,asblackasthoughithadbeenwrittenwiththebestmoderninkyesterday。
\"It\'sallright,\"hesaidtriumphantly,\"it\'svegetableink,andthisstuffhasthepowertobringitupasitwasonthedaywhenitwasused。Itwillstaylikethatforafortnightandthenfadeawayagain。
Yourmanuscriptisprettyancient,myfriend,timeofRichardII,I
shouldsay,butIcanreaditeasilyenough。Look,itbegins,\'I,HubertdeHastings,writethisinthelandofTavantinsuyu,farfromEnglandwhereIwasborn,whitherIshallnevermorereturn,beingawandererastheruneupontheswordofmyancestor,Thorgrimmer,foretoldthatIshouldbe,whichswordmymothergavemeonthedayoftheburningofHastingsbytheFrench,\'andsoon。\"Herehestopped。
\"Thenforheaven\'ssake,doreadit,\"Isaid。
\"Mydearfriend,\"heanswered,\"itlookstomeasthoughitwouldmeanseveralmonths\'work,andforgivemeforsayingthatIampaidasalaryformytime。NowI\'lltellyouwhatyouhavetodo。Allthisstuffmustbetreated,sheetbysheet,andwhenitturnsblackitmustbephotographedbeforethewritingfadesoncemore。Thenaskilledperson——so—and—so,orso—and—so,aretwonamesthatoccurtome——mustbeemployedtodecipheritagain,sheetbysheet。Itwillcostyoumoney,butIshouldsaythatitwasworthwhile。Wherethedevilis,orwas,thelandofTavantinsuyu？\"
\"Iknow,\"Ianswered,gladtobeabletoshowmyselfsuperiortomylearnedfriendinonehumbleinstance。\"TavantinsuyuwasthenativenamefortheEmpireofPerubeforetheSpanishInvasion。ButhowdidthisHubertgetthereinthetimeofRichardII？ThatissomecenturiesearlierthanPizarrosetfootuponitsshores。\"
\"Goandfindout,\"heanswered。\"Itwillamuseyouforquitealongwhileandperhapstheresultsmaymeettheexpensesofdecipherment,iftheyareworthpublishing。Iexpecttheyarenot,butthen,Ihavereadsomanyoldmanuscriptsandfoundmostofthemsojollydull。\"
Well,thatbusinesswasaccomplishedatacostthatIdonotliketorecord,andherearetheresults,moreorlessmodernised,sinceoftenHubertofHastingsexpressedhimselfinaqueerandarchaicfashion。
AlsosometimesheusedIndianwordsasthoughhehadtalkedthetongueofthesePeruvians,orrathertheChancavarietyofit,solongthathehadbeguntoforgethisownlanguage。MyselfIhavefoundhisstoryveryromanticandinteresting,andIhopethatsomeotherswillbeofthesameopinion。Letthemjudge。
Butoh,Idowonderwhatwastheendofit,someofwhichdoubtlesswasrecordedontherottedsheetsthoughofcoursetherecanhavebeennoaccountofthegreatbattleinwhichhefell,sinceQuillacouldnotwriteatall,leastofallinEnglish,thoughIsupposeshesurviveditandhim。
TheonlyhintofthatendistobefoundinoldPotts\'sdreamorvision,andwhatistheworthofdreamsandvisions？
BOOKI
CHAPTERI
THESWORDANDTHERING
I,HubertofHastings,writethisinthelandofTavantinsuyu,farfromEngland,whereIwasborn,whitherIshallnevermorereturn,beingawandererastheruneupontheswordofmyancestor,Thorgrimmer,foretoldthatIshouldbe,whichswordmymothergavemeonthedayoftheburningofHastingsbytheFrench。IwriteitwithapenthatIhaveshapedfromawingfeatherofthegreateagleofthemountains,withinkthatIhavemadefromthejuicesofcertainherbswhichIdiscovered,andonparchmentthatIhavesplitfromtheskinsofnativesheep,withmyownhands,butbadlyIfear,thoughIhaveseenthatartpractisedwhenIwasamerchantoftheCheapinLondonTown。
Iwillbeginatthebeginning。
Iamthesonofafishing—boatownerandwasatraderintheancienttownofHastings,andmyfatherwasdrownedwhilefollowinghistradeatsea。Afterwards,beingtheonlychildleftofhis,Itookonhisbusiness,andonacertaindaywentouttoseatonetfishwithtwoofmyservingmen。Iwasthenayoungmanofaboutthreeandtwentyyearsofageandnotuncomely。Myhair,whichIworelong,wasfairincolourandcurled。Myeyes,setwideapart,wereandstillarelargeandblue,althoughtheyhavedarkenedsomewhatandsunkintotheheadinthislandofheatandsunshine。Mynosewaswide—nostrilledandlarge,mymouthalsowasover—large,althoughmymotherandsomeothersusedtothinkitwell—shaped。Intruth,Iwaslargealloverthoughnotsotall,beingburly,withagreatbreadthofchestanduncommonthicknessthroughthebody,andverystrong;sostrongthattherewerefewwhocouldthrowmewhenIwasyoung。
Fortherest,likeKingDavid,I,whoamnowsotannedandweatherwornthatatalittledistanceweremyhairandbeardhiddenImightalmostbetakenforoneoftheIndianchiefsaboutme,wasofaruddyandapleasantcountenance,perhapsbecauseofmywonderfulhealth,whohadneverknownadayofsickness,andofaneasynaturethatoftengoeswithhealth。Iwilladdthis,forwhyshouldInot——thatI
wasnofool,butoneofthosewhosucceedinthatuponwhichtheysettheirminds。HadIbeenafoolIshouldnotto—daybethekingofagreatpeopleandthehusbandoftheirqueen;indeed,Ishouldnotbealive。
Butenoughofmyselfandmyappearanceinthoseyearsthatseemasfaroffasthoughtheyhadneverbeensaveinthelandofdreams。
NowIandmytwoservingmen,sailorsbothofthemlikemyselfandmostofthefolkofHastingssetoutuponasummereve,purposingtofishallnightandreturnatdawn。Wecametoourchosengroundandcastoutthenet,meetingwithwonderfulfortunesincebythreeinthemorningthebigboatwasfullofeverykindoffish。Neverbefore,indeed,hadwemadesolargeahaul。
Lookingbackatthatgreatcatch,ashereinthisfarlanditismyhabittodouponeverything,howeversmall,thathappenedtomeinmyyouthbeforeIbecameawandererandanexile,Iseemtoseeinitanomen。Forhasitnotalwaysbeenmylotinlifetobekissedoffortuneandtogathergreatstore,andthenofasuddentoloseitallasIwastolosethatrichmultitudeoffishes？
To—day,whenIwritethis,oncemoreIhavegreatwealthofpompandloveandpower,ofgoldalso,morethanIcancount。WhenIgoforth,myarmies,whostilllookonmeashalfagod,shouttheirwelcomeandkisstheairaftertheirheathenfashion。Mybeauteousqueenbowsdowntomeandthewomenofmyhouseholdabasethemselvesintothedust。
ThepeopleoftheAncientCityofGoldturntheirfacestothewallandthechildrencovertheireyeswiththeirhandsthattheymaynotlookuponmysplendourasIpass,whilemaidensthrowflowersformyfeettotread。Uponmyjudgmenthangslifeordeath,andmylightestwordisasthoughitwerespokenfromheaven。Theseandmanyotherthingsaremine,thetrappingsofpower,theprerogativeoftheLord—
from—the—SeawhobroughtvictorytotheChancapeopleandledthembacktotheirancienthomewheretheymightlivesafe,farfromtheInca\'srage。
Andyetoften,asIsitaloneinmysplendourupontheroofoftheancienthallsorwanderthroughthestarlitpalacegardens,IcalltomindthatgreatcatchoffishesintheEnglishseaandofwhatfollowedafter。IcalltomindalsomyprosperityandwealthasoneofthefirstmerchantsofLondonTownandwhatfollowedafter。Icalltomind,too,thewinningofBlancheAleys,theladysofarabovemeinrankandstationandwhatfollowedafter。ThenitisthatIgrowafraidofwhatmayfollowafterthispresenthourofpeaceandloveandplenty。
Certainlyonethingwillfollow,andthatisdeath。Itmaycomelateoritmaycomesoon。ButyesterdayarumourreachedmethroughmyspiesthatKariUpanqui,theIncaofTavantinsuyu,hewhooncewasasmybrother,butwhonowhatesmebecauseofhissuperstitions,andbecauseItookaVirginoftheSuntobemywife,gathersagreathosttofollowonthepathwetrodmanyyearsagowhentheChancasfledfromtheIncatyrannybacktotheirhomeintheancientCityofGoldandtosmiteushere。Thathost,saidtherumours,cannotmarchtillnextyear,andthenwillbeanotheryearuponitsjourney。Still,knowingKari,Iamsurethatitwillmarch,yes,andarrive,afterwhichmustbefallthegreatbattleinthemountainpasseswherein,asofold,IshallleadtheChancaarmies。
PerchanceIamdoomedtofallinthatbattle。DoesnottheruneuponWave—Flame,theswordofThorgrimmermyancestor,sayofhimthatholdsitthat,\"Conquering,conqueredshallhebe,Andfarawayshallsleepwithme\"？
Well,iftheChancasconquer,whatcareIifIamconquered？\'Twouldbeagooddeathandaclean,tofallbyKari\'sspear,ifIknewthatKariandhishostfellalso,asIswearthatfalltheyshall,St。
Huberthelpingme。ThenatleastQuillaandherchildrenwouldliveoninpeaceandgreatnesssincetheycanhavenootherfoetofear。
Death,whatisdeath？Isaythatitisthehopeofeveryoneofusandmostofalltheexileandthewanderer。Atthebestitmaybeglory;
attheworstitmustbesleep。Moreover,amIsohappythatIshouldfeartodie？Quillacannotreadthiswriting,andthereforeIwillanswer,No。IamaChristian,butsheandthoseabouther,aye,myownchildrenwiththem,worshipthemoonandthehostofheaven。Iamwhite—skinned,theyarethehueofcopper,thoughitistruethatmylittledaughter,Gudruda,whomInamedsoaftermymother,isalmostwhite。TherearesecretsintheirheartsthatIshallneverlearnandtherearesecretsinminefromwhichtheycannotdrawtheveilbecauseourbloodsaredifferent。YetGodknows,Ilovethemwellenough,andmostofallthatgreatestofwomen,Quilla。
Oh！thetruthisthathereonearththereisnohappinessforman。
ItisbecauseofthisrumourofthecomingofKariwithhishostthatIsetmyselftothistask,thatIhavelonghadinmymind,towritedownsomethingofmyhistory,bothinEnglandandinthislandwhich,atanyrateforhundredsofyears,mineisthefirstwhitefoottopress。ItseemsafoolishthingtodosincewhenIhavewrittenwhowillread,andwhatwillchancetothatwhichIhavewritten？Ishallleaveordersthatitbeplacedbeneathmyfeetinthetomb,butwhowilleverfindthattombagain？StillIwritebecausesomethinginmyhearturgesmetothetask。
Ireturntothefar—offdays。OurboatbeingfullwithmerryheartswesetsailbeforeafaintwindforHastingsbeach。Asyettherewaslittlelightandmuchfog,stillthelandwardbreezewasenoughtodrawusforward。Thenofasuddenweheardsoundsasofmentalkinguponshipsandtheclankofsparsandblocks。Presentlycameapuffofairliftingthefogforalittleandwesawthatwewereinthemidstofagreatfleet,aFrenchfleet,fortheLiliesofFranceflewattheirmast—heads,saw,too,thattheirprowsweresetforHastings,thoughforthewhiletheywerebecalmed,sincethewindthatwasenoughforourlight,large—sailedfishing—boatcouldnotstirtheirbulk。Moreover,theysawus,forthemen—at—armsonthenearestshipshoutedthreatsandcursesatusandfollowedtheshoutswitharrowsthatalmosthitus。
Thenthefogcloseddownagain,andinitweslippedthroughtheFrenchfleet。
ItmayhavebeenthebestpartofanhourlaterthatwereachedHastings。Beforetheboatwasmadefasttothejetty,Isprangtoitshouting:
\"Stir！stir！theFrenchareuponyou！Toarms！Wehaveslippedthroughawholefleetoftheminthemist。\"
Instantlythesleepyquayseemedtoawaken。Fromtheneighbouringfishmarket,fromeverywheresailormenandotherscamerunning,followedbychildrenwithgapingmouths,whilefromthedoorsofhousesfarawayshotwomenwithscaredfaces,likeferretedrabbitsfromtheirburrows。Inaminutethecrowdhadsurroundedme,allaskingquestionsatonceinsuchafashionthatIcouldonlyanswerthemwithmycryof:
\"Stir！theFrenchareuponyou。Toarms,Isay。Toarms！\"
Presentlythroughthethrongadvancedanoldwhite—beardedmanwhoworeabadgeofoffice,cryingashecame,\"Makewayforthebailiff！\"
Thecrowdobeyed,openingapath,andsoonwewerefacetoface。
\"Whatisit,HubertofHastings？\"heasked。\"Istherefirethatyoushoutsoloudly？\"
\"Aye,Worship,\"Ianswered。\"FireandmurderandallthegiftsthattheFrenchhaveforEngland。TheFleetofFranceisbeatingupforHastings,fiftysailofthemormore。Wecreptthroughtheminthefog,forthewindwhichwouldscarcemovethemservedourturnandbeyondanarrowortwo,theytooknonoteofafishing—boat。\"
\"Whencecomethey？\"askedthebailiff,bewildered。
\"Iknownot,butthoseinanotherboatwepassedinthemidstshoutedthattheseFrenchwereravagingthecoastandheadingforHastingstoputittofireandsword。Thenthatboatvanishedaway,Iknownotwhere,andthatisallIhavetotellsavethattheFrenchwillbeherewithinanhour。\"
Withoutstayingtoaskmorequestions,thebailiffturnedandrantowardsthetown,andpresentlythealarmbellsrangoutfromthetowersofAllSaintsandSt。Clement\'s,whilecrierssummonedallmentothemarket—place。MeanwhileI,notwithoutasadlookatmyboatandtherichcatchwithin,mademywayintothetown,followedbymytwomen。
PresentlyIreachedanancient,timberedhouse,long,low,andrambling,withayardbyitssidefullofbarrels,anchors,andothermarinestoressuchasrope,thathadtodowiththetradeIcarriedonatthisplace。
I,Hubert,withamindfulloffears,thoughnotformyself,andastirringofthebloodsuchaswasnaturaltomyageattheapproachofmyfirsttasteofbattle,ranfastuptothathousewhichIhavedescribed,andpausedforamomentbythebigelmtreethatgrewinfrontofthedoor,ofwhichthelowerboughsweresawnoffbecausetheyshutoutthelightfromthewindows。Irememberthatelmtreeverywell,firstbecausewhenIwasachildstarlingsnestedinaholeinthetrunk,andIrearedoneinawickercageandmadeatalkingbirdofitwhichIkeptforseveralyears。Itwassotamethatitusedtogoaboutsittingonmyshoulder,tillatlast,outsidethetownacatfrighteneditthence,andbeforeIcouldrecaptureit,itwastakenbyahawk,whichhawkIshotafterwardswithanarrowoutofrevenge。
AlsothiselmisimpresseduponmebythefactthatonthatmorningwhenIhaltedbyit,Inotedhowgreenandfullofleafitwas。Nextmorning,afterthefire,Isawitagain,allcharredandblackened,withitsbeautifulfoliagewitheredbytheheat。Thiscontrastremaineduponmymemory,andwheneverIseeanygreatchangeoffortunefromprosperitytoruin,orfromlifetodeath,alwaysI
bethinkmeofthatelm。Foritisbylittlethingswhichweourselveshaveseenandnotbythosewrittenofortoldbyothers,thatwemeasureandcompareevents。
ThereasonthatIransohardandthenpausedbytheelm,wasbecausemywidowedmotherlivedinthathouse。KnowingthattheFrenchmeantmischiefforagoodreason,becauseoneoftheirarrows,orperhapsaquarrelfromacross—bow,whistledjustpastmyheadoutthereuponthesea,myfirstthoughtwastogetherawaytosomeplaceofsafety,noeasytaskseeingthatshewasinfirmwithage。Mysecond,thatwhichcausedmetopausebythetree,washowIshouldbreakthenewstoherinsuchafashionthatshewouldnotbeover—frightened。HavingthoughtthisoverIwentonintothehouse。
Thedooropenedintothesitting—roomthathadalowroofofplasterandbigoakbeams。ThereIfoundmymotherkneelingbythetableuponwhichfoodwassetforbreakfast:friedherrings,coldmeat,andajugofale。Shewassayingherprayersafterhercustom,beingveryreligiousthoughinanewfashion,sinceshewasafollowerofapreachercalledWycliffe,whotroubledtheChurchinthosedays。Sheseemedtohavegonetosleepatherprayers,andIwatchedherforamoment,hesitatingtowakenher。Mymother,aseventhenInoted,wasaveryhandsomewoman,thoughold,forIwasbornwhenshehadbeenmarriedtwentyyearsormore,withwhitehairandwell—cutfeaturesthatshowedthegoodbloodofwhichshecame,forshewasbetterbredthanmyfatherandquarrelledwithherkintomarryhim。
Atthesoundofmyfootstepsshewokeupandsawme。
\"Strange,\"shesaid,\"Isleptatmyprayerswhodidsolittlelastnight,ashasbecomeahabitwithmewhenyouareouta—fishing,forwhichGodforgiveme,anddreamedthattherewassometroubleforward。
Scoldmenot,Hubert,forwhentheseahastakenthefatherandtwosons,itisscarcelywonderfulthatIshouldbefearfulforthelastofmyblood。Helpmetorise,Hubert,forthiswaterseemstogatherinmylimbsandmakesthemheavy。Oneday,theleechsays,itwillgettotheheartandthenallwillbeover。\"
Iobeyed,firstkissingheronthebrow,andwhenshewasseatedinherarmedchairbythetable,Isaid,\"Youdreamtoowell,Mother。Thereistrouble。Hark！St。Clement\'sbellsaretalkingofit。TheFrenchcometovisitHastings。IknowforIsailedthroughtheirfleetjustafterdawn。\"
\"Isitso？\"sheaskedquietly。\"Ifearedworse。Ifearedlestthedreammeantthatyouhadgonetojoinyourbrothersinthedeep。Well,theFrencharenothereyet,asthankGodyouare。Soeatanddrink,forweofEnglandfightbestonfullbellies。\"
AgainIobeyedwhowasveryhungryafterthatlongnightandneededfoodandale,andasIswallowedthemweheardthesoundoffolkshoutingandrunning。
\"Youareinhaste,Hubert,tojointheothersonthequayandsendaFrenchmanortwotohellwiththatbigbowofyours？\"shesaidinquiringly。
\"Nay,\"Ianswered,\"Iaminhastetogetyououtofthistown,whichI
fearmaybeburnt。ThereisacertaincaveupyonderbytheMinnesRockwhereIthinkyoumightliesafe,Mother。\"
\"Ithascomedowntomefrommyfathers,Hubert,thatitwasneverthefashionofthewomenofthenorthtokeeptheirmentoshieldthemwhendutycalledthemotherwhere。Iamhelplessinmylimbsandheavy,andcannotclimb,orbeborneupyonderhilltoanycave。HereIstopwhereIhavedweltthesefive—and—fortyyears,toliveordieasGodpleases。Getyoutoyourduty,man。Stay。Callthosewenchesandbidthemflyinlandtotheirfolk,outBurwashway。Theyareyoungandfleetoffoot,andnoFrenchmanwillcatchthem。\"
Isummonedthegirlswhowerestaring,white—faced,fromtheatticwindow—place。Inthreeminutestheyweregone,thoughitistruethatoneofthem,thebraver,wishedtobidewithhermistress。
IwatchedthemstartupthestreetwithotherfugitiveswhowerepouringoutofHastings,andcamebacktomymother。AsIdidsoagreatshouttoldmethattheFrenchfleethadbeensighted。
\"Hubert,\"shesaid,\"takethiskeyandgototheoakchestinmysleepingroom,liftoutthelinenatthetopandbringmethatwhichlieswrappedinclothbeneath。\"
Ididso,returningwithabundlethatwaslongandthin。Withaknifeshecutthestringthattiedit。WithinwereabagofmoneyandaswordinanancientscabbardcoveredwitharoughskinwhichItooktobethatofashark,whichscabbardinpartswasinlaidwithgold。
\"Drawit,\"saidmymother。
Ididso,andtherecametolightatwo—edgedbladeofbluesteel,suchasIhadneverseenbefore,foronthebladewereengravedstrangecharacterswhereofIcouldmakenothing,althoughasitchancedIcouldreadandwrite,havingbeentaughtbythemonksinmychildhood。Thehilt,also,thatwasintheformofacross,hadgoldinlaiduponit;atthetopofit,alargeknoborappleofamber,muchwornbyhandling。Fortherestitwasabeauteousweaponandwellbalanced。
\"Whatofthissword？\"Iasked。
\"This,Son。Withtheblackbowthatyouhave,\"andshepointedtothecasethatleanedagainstthetable,\"ithascomedowninmyfamilyformanygenerations。MyfathertoldmethatitwastheswordofoneThorgrimmer,hisancestor,aNorseman,aVikinghecalledhim,whocamewiththosewhotookEnglandbeforetheNormantime;whichIcanwellbelievesincemyfather\'sname,likemine,tillImarried,wasGrimmer。Thissword,also,hasanameanditisWave—Flame。Withit,thetaletells,Thorgrimmerdidgreatdeeds,slayingmanyaftertheirheathenfashioninhisbattlesbylandandsea。Forhewasawanderer,anditissaidofhimthatoncehesailedtoanewlandfaracrosstheocean,andwonhomeagainaftermanystrangeadventures,todieatlasthereinEnglandinsomefray。ThatisallIknow,savethatalearnedmanfromthenorthoncetoldmyfather\'sfatherthatthewritingontheswordmeans:——
\"HewholiftsWave—FlameonhighInloveshallliveandinbattledie;
Storm—tossedo\'erwideseasshallroamAndinstrangelandsshallmakehishome。
Conquering,conqueredshallhebe,Andfarawayshallsleepwithme。
\"ThosewerethewordswhichIrememberbecauseofthejingleofthem;
alsobecausesuchseemstohavebeenthefateofThorgrimmerandtheswordthathisgrandsontookfromhistomb。\"
HereIwouldhaveaskedaboutthisgrandsonandthetomb,buthavingnotime,heldmypeace。
\"AllmylifehaveIkeptthatsword,\"wentonmymother,\"notgivingittoyourfatherorbrothers,lestthefatewrittenonitshouldbefallthem,forthoseoldwizardsofthenorth,whofashionedsuchweaponswithtoilandskill,couldforeseethefuture——asattimesI
can,foritisinmyblood。YetnowIammovedtobidyoutakeit,Hubert,andgowhereitsflameleadsyouanddreeyourgloom,whateveritmaybe,forIknowyouwilluseitlikeThorgrimmer\'sself。\"
Shepausedforamoment,thenwenton:
\"Hubert,perhapswepartforthelasttime,forIthinkthatmyhourisathand。Butletnotthattroubleyou,sinceIamgladtogotojointhosewhowentbefore,andotherswiththem,perchanceThorgrimmer\'sself。Hearken,Hubert。Ifaughtbefallsme,orthisplace,staynothere。GotoLondontownandseekoutJohnGrimmer,mybrother,therichmerchantandgoldsmithwhodwellsintheplacecalledCheap。Heknewyouasachildandlovedyou,andlackingoffspringofhisownwillwelcomeyouforbothoursakes。MyfatherwouldnotgiveJohntheswordlestitsfateshouldbeonhim,butI
saythatJohnwillbegladtowelcomeoneofourracewhoholdsitinhishand。Takeitthen,andwithitthatbagofgold,whichmayproveofserviceereallbedone。
\"Aye,andthereisonemorething——thisringwhich,sosaysthetale,camedownwiththeswordandthebow,andoncehadwritingonitlikethesword,thoughthatislongsincerubbedaway。Takeitandwearittillperchance,insomedaytocome,yougiveittoanotherasIdid。\"
Wonderingatallthistalewhich,afterhersecretfashion,mymotherhadkeptfrommetillthathour,Isettheringuponmyfinger。
\"Igaveyonderringtoyourfatheronthedaythatwewerebetrothed,\"
wentonmymother,\"andItookitbackagainfromhiscorpseafterhehadbeenfoundfloatinginthesea。NowIpassitontoyouwhosoonwillbeallthatisleftofbothofus。\"
\"Hark！\"shecontinued,\"thecriersummonsallmenwiththeirarmstothemarket—placetofightEngland\'sfoes。ThereforeonewordmorewhileIbuckletheswordWave—Flameontoyou,asdoubtlesshiswomenfolkdidontoThorgrimmer,yourancestor。Myblessingonyou,Hubert。
BeyousuchaoneasThorgrimmerwas,forweoftheNorseblooddesirethatourlovesandsonsshouldprovenotbackwardwhenswordsarealoftandarrowsfly。Butbeyoumorethanhe,beyouaChristianalso,rememberingthathoweverlongyoulive,andtheBattle—maidenshavenotmarkedyouyet,atlastyoumustdieandgiveaccount。
\"Hubert,youaresuchaoneaswomenwilllove;one,too,who,Ifearme,willbealoverofwomen,forthatweaknessgoeswithstrengthandmanhoodbyNature\'slaws。Becarefulofwomen,Hubert,andifyoumay,choosethosewhoarenotfalseandclingtoherwhoismosttrue。Oh,youwillwanderfar;Ireaditinyoureyesthatyouwillwanderfar,yetshallyourheartstayEnglish。Kissmeandbegone！Lad,areyouforgettingyoursparearrowsandthebull—hidejerkinthatwasyourfather\'s？Youwillwantthembothto—day。Farewell,farewell！GodandHisChristbewithyou——andshootyoustraightandsmiteyouhard。
Nay,notears,lestmyeyesshouldbedimmed,forI\'llclimbtotheatticandwatchyoufight。\"
