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"Aye, to England I shall surely come not to seek you, but at Ingvar's bidding. Yet to East Anglia for your sake I will not come." Then he grasped my hand again in farewell, and he went inside the gates and closed them, and Raud and I went quickly to his place.
"But now I have come to offer ransom for the king, and you must tell Guthrum and the other chiefs that it would be paid very quickly if they will take it." At that Raud shook his head. "I will tell them, but it is of little use. There has been talk of it before, but when we came into East Anglia Ingvar claimed the king for himself, giving up all else." "Why?" I asked.
"I will not touch him," I said, "and I think that he dies." "Then shall you see the vengeance of Ingvar on his father's murderer," the jarl said savagely. "Call the men together into the courtyard, Raud, and let them bring the man there." "Let him die, Jarl," I said boldly; "he has suffered already."
Now the bird had got free in some way, and finding neither of her masters, had fled home, even as Lodbrok said she would. "Now is your story proved to be true," said Hubba, smiling gravely at me, but speaking for Ingvar's ear. "Aye, over true," answered his brother; "serve this man well, Raud and Rolf, for he has been a close friend of Jarl Lodbrok."
"Where is this stranger?" said the jarl's voice; "bring him forth." Raud turned to beckon me, but I was close to him, and came out of the hut unbidden.
And foremost came the two monks, bearing between them a cloak, wherein was surely that we looked for, and after them came my dog and Raud, and then the rest. And when they saw me they cried softly to me: "Master, we have found the head of our king." So they laid open the cloak before me, and I knelt and looked.
And once set on that matter, the two honest men were unwearied in telling tales of the valour and skill of their master, so that I had no room for my own thoughts, which was as well. Then came a man, riding swiftly, to say that the jarls had left their hunting, and that we were to be taken to the great house. Moreover, that Rolf and Raud were to be held answerable for our safe keeping.
We came to the shores of a haven at a river mouth, and there we saw the town clustering round a large hall that rose in the midst of the lesser houses, which were mostly low roofed and clay walled, like that of Raud, though some were better, and built of logs set upon stone foundations.
"One may trust him," said Raud; telling of how Vig the dog had made friends with me at first, and he nodded in friendly wise to me, so that I would not seem to hold aloof, and spoke to him. "That is Jarl Hubba, surely?" "Aye, and the best warrior in all Denmark," said Raud. "We fear Ingvar, and we love Halfden; but Hubba is such a hero as was Ragnar himself."
Then I was glad, for here was one whom I could trust, even if his help was of little use. "Glad am I to see you, Raud my friend, though it must be in this way. Why is the jarl so angry?" "Why, because the bishop has escaped us. We never saw so much as his horse's tail. And if he be like the bishop we saw at Hedeby, I am glad." "Surely he is," I said.
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