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Updated: June 18, 2025
For himself yield he would not: when all was over, he would flee to the sea, with Torfrida and his own housecarles, and turn Viking; or go to Sweyn Ulfsson in Denmark, and die a free man. The English did not foresee these things. Their hearts were lifted up with their victory, and they laughed at William and his French, and drank Torfrida's health much too often for their own good.
For he would ever leave the hall as at this time, so that the housecarles and lesser guests might have greater freedom of talk when we were gone. So we rose up, and as we did so I saw Beorn, the falconer, look sourly at Lodbrok; and it misliked me that he should harbour any ill will even yet against the Dane who had done him no wrong.
"Those others will know," said Martin, sullenly, without answering the last question. "Who?" "His housecarles outside there." "He has promised that they shall not touch thee. But how knowest thou what is in this letter?" "I will take it," said Martin: he held out his hand, took it and looked at it, but upside down, and without any attempt to read it. "His own mother," said he, after a while.
And their housecarles went with them, forty men, tried and trained, who had vowed to follow Hereward round the world. And there were two long ships ready, and twenty good mariners in each. So when the Danes made the South Foreland the next morning, they were aware of two gallant ships bearing down on them, with a great white bear embroidered on their sails.
And how I have slain I know not how many men in battle, though that, I trust, need not lay heavily on my soul, seeing that I killed them all in fair fight." Again the priest groaned. "And how I robbed a certain priest of his money and gave it away to my housecarles." Here the priest groaned more bitterly still.
"Gospatrick," she said, with a half-sneer, "will be as sure, as he is able, to get something worth having for himself out of any medley. Let him have Scotch Northumbria, if he claim it. He is a Dane, and our work will be to make a Danish England once and forever." "But what of Sweyn's gallant holders and housecarles, who are to help to do this mighty deed?"
So send off the messenger, good mother mine: and I will promise you I will not have him ham-strung on the way, as some of my housecarles would do for me if I but held up my hand; and let the miracle-monger fill up the measure of his folly, by making an enemy of one more bold fellow in the world." And he swaggered out of the room.
That took all the fortitude in Biorn's heart, and not till the thing was dared and done could he go happily to sleep. One night Leif the Outborn watched him at his game. Sometimes the man was permitted to sleep there when he had been making sport for the housecarles. "Behold an image of life!" he had said in his queer outland speech.
And Relf grew very fond of her in those few days, as one might see. Nor do I know how anyone could help doing so. Even the rough housecarles would watch for a chance of doing some little service for her. And yet, as I have said, Uldra was not the fairest maiden that I had seen. Men are apt to think that the fairest must ever be the best, and a man learns that it is not so only by degrees, maybe.
"Let me pass!" roared Hereward. "There is rich booty in the room above, and you may have it as these ladies' ransom. Them you do not touch. Back, I say, let me pass!" And he rushed forward. Winter and the housecarles formed round him and the women, and hurried down the hall, while the savages hurried up the ladder, to quarrel over their spoil.
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