a great but comparatively bloodless fight, which ends peculiarly, and with singular results.
when the sun rose above the trees next day, karlsefin began to think that the natives had left the place, for there was no sign of them anywhere, and he was about to issue from behind his defences and go out to reconnoitre, when a man came running from the ship shouting “skraelingers!”
it is probable that by that term he meant savages generally, because the men who had been seen bore very little resemblance to the hairy savages of greenland. they were taller, though not stouter, and clothed in well-dressed skins of animals, with many bright colours about them. but whatever they were, the sensation they created among the norsemen was considerable, for it was found, on going to the margin of the lake, that they were now approaching in canoes by water. this at once accounted for the delay in their appearance.
that their intentions were hostile was plain from the fact that the canoes came on abreast of each other in regular order, while the men shouted fiercely and brandished their weapons. there could not have been fewer than three or four hundred of them.
karlsefin saw at once that his only chance of saving the ship was to go on board of it and fight on the water.
“get on board all of you,” he cried to those who stood beside him. “away, biarne, thorward, call in the outposts and have them on board without delay. here, swend, heika, tyrker, station the men as they arrive. get up the war-screens round the sides of the ship; and, harkee, give orders that the men use their weapons as little as possible, and spare life. i shall want you on the poop, hake. see that no one throws down the gangway or loosens the ropes till the order is given. i will see to the women.—away!”
each man ran with speed to obey, for the case was urgent.
karlsefin found the women, with olaf, assembled in the large house waiting for orders.
“come,” he cried; “not a moment to be lost. give me your hand, gudrid.”
he seized it as he spoke, and hurried down to the ship, where the men were already trooping on board as fast as they could. the women were soon put under cover out of the reach of missiles, and in a few minutes more all were on board. of course the cattle, and live stock generally, being scattered about the hamlet, were left to their fate. then the ropes were cast loose, the gangway was thrown down, the ship was pushed out into the bay, and the anchor let go.
all this had barely been accomplished when the canoes came sweeping round the nearest point of land and made straight for the ship, with the foam curling at their bows.
then karlsefin’s voice rose loud and clear as he issued his final commands.
“my lads,” he cried, “remember my orders about using your weapons as little as possible. be careful to throw only the smaller stones. kill no one if you can avoid it, but give as many of them the toothache as you can. we must be friends with these people if we are to live in peace here, and that won’t be possible if we kill many of them.”
the men answered with a great shout, mingled with some laughter, which latter was such a strange sound to hear on the eve of an engagement, that the savages stopped short for a moment. but soon they came on again with redoubled impetuosity.
no sooner were they within range than the norsemen rose up in a body and hurled a shower of stones at them. they were evidently not prepared for such artillery, for they again stepped short, but after a brief pause once more advanced. three times did they receive a shower of stones before getting alongside. these hurt many, but disabled none, for, according to orders, no heavy stones were used. when within a few yards of the ship the canoes surrounded her and lay still while the savages began to discharge arrows in abundance. the norsemen kept well behind the shields, which formed a screen round the ship, and replied with stones, only a few of the best marksmen using arrows, when they saw a chance to wound without killing any of the foe.
karlsefin stood exposed on the high poop with hake and heika beside him. all three wore iron helmets, and the leader protected himself with his shield. heika devoted his attention to warding off missiles from his brother, who, having to use his bow, could not manage a shield.
presently the savages made a grand assault. but the moment they came to close quarters they found that they had to cope with a formidable foe, for the norsemen, using only bludgeons, knocked them down whenever they came within reach, and one or two of the boldest among them who succeeded in clambering up the sides were seized by the legs and arms and hurled back into the lake as if they had been mere puppets.
thus beaten off they continued the arrow shower, and some of the norsemen were wounded.
all this time karlsefin stood close to the helm, looking sharply about him, and whenever he saw a savage who was bolder and stouter than his fellows, he made hake send an arrow through his right hand. in this way most of the best men among them were sent off howling with pain, and for the time disabled. suddenly a very tall active savage succeeded in clambering up by the rudder unobserved, and leaping on the poop, stood behind karlsefin with uplifted club. karlsefin, without turning quite round, gave him a back-handed slap under the left ear and sent him flying overboard. he fell into a canoe in his descent and sank it.
at this juncture a number of the canoes were detached from the fight, and karlsefin observed, with much anxiety, that the savages were going to ransack the houses.
“would that i were on shore with twenty of my best men!” he said bitterly. “send a shaft, hake, at yonder fellow who leads. it is out of range, i fear, but — ha! well hit!” he exclaimed, on seeing an arrow from hake’s prompt hand strike the man full in the back. the savage fell, and his comrades crowded round him.
by that time others of the canoes had put ashore, and their owners ran up to the crowd who surrounded the fallen leader.
at this moment an incident occurred which put a most unexpected termination to the fight.
for a considerable time olaf’s huge pet, blackie, had viewed the fight with calm indifference from the heart of a thicket close by, in which he chanced to be cooling himself at the time. now, it happened that one of the many arrows which were discharged by the savages on the offshore side of the ship glanced from a neighbouring tree and hit the bull on the flank. associating the pain resulting therefrom with the group of savages before him, blackie at once elevated his tail, lowered his head, and, with a bellow that would have shamed a thousand trumpets, charged furiously down upon the foe.
horror-struck is but a feeble word to indicate the feelings of that foe! although, no doubt, some of them might have heard of, perhaps seen, the ponderous and comparatively quiet bison of the western prairies, none of them had ever imagined anything so awful as a little black bull with tremendous horns, blood-red nostrils, flashing eyes, and cat-like activity. one awe-struck look they gave it, and then fled howling into the woods. the sounds were so startling that those of the enemy still round the ship were panic-stricken and made off by water as fast as their fellows had escaped by land, leaving the norsemen victorious!
“hurrah for blackie!” shouted olaf, who was wild with excitement and delight.
the cheer thus claimed was given with intense enthusiasm, and then the ship was rowed back to the shore.
here a great prize was found, in the shape of twenty canoes, which had been left by the party that had fled to the woods. these were carried carefully up to the hamlet and placed in security. on the way up another prize was found, which afterwards turned out to be of the utmost importance. this was the wounded savage, who had been forsaken by his friends when the bull charged, and who only escaped from the horns of that infuriated animal by lying quite motionless beside a log which fortunately chanced to be near him.
“take care, krake; lift him gently,” said biarne, as he came up and found that worthy turning the poor savage over as if he had been already a dead carcase. “let me see; the arrow does not seem to have gone far in. he’ll recover, perhaps. come, hake and swend, lift his shoulders, and run, olaf, tell astrid or one of the other women to— ha! bertha, well met. here is a subject for your care. you are a good nurse, i’m told.”
“i try to be,” replied bertha.
“she who tries to be is sure to be,” returned biarne; “nursing, like fighting, is an art, and must be acquired; though, to say truth, some folk seem born to learn more rapidly than others, whether as regards nursing or fighting. have the poor fellow into the house, and do your best for him, bertha.”
while this was being said the native was lying on his back, looking very stern, but pale. it is probable that the poor wretch expected to be taken off summarily to have his eyes punched out, or to be roasted alive,—for the natives of vinland, no doubt, expected from their foes, in those days, the same treatment that they accorded to them—although the saga says nothing to that effect. when, therefore, he was put into a comfortable bed, had his wound dressed, and an agreeable though strange drink given to him by the fair hands of bertha, the expression of his countenance seemed to imply that he believed himself to have passed from earth and got into the happy hunting-grounds of his fathers. if so, the increasing pain of his wound must have perplexed him not a little. however, it is due to him to say that he bore his surprises and pains with the uncomplaining resignation of a stoic.
karlsefin employed the remainder of that day in strengthening his defences and connecting them in such a way with that part of the shore where his vessel lay, that there would be no possibility of surrounding him in the event of future hostilities.
this accomplished, he organised his men into three bands, which were to be commanded respectively by biarne, thorward, and himself. these were appointed to particular localities and duties in the little fortress—for it was now almost entitled to such an appellation. when night drew on, sentinels were posted as before. but there was no alarm during the night. the savages appeared to have had enough of fighting for that time, and next morning’s sun arose, as it was wont to do, on a peaceful scene.
“do you think they will attack us again?” asked gudrid as she sat at breakfast.
“i think not,” replied her husband. “they cannot but know that we are troublesome fellows to deal with, even when taken unawares.”
“i hope they won’t go off without giving us a chance to show that we desire to be friendly,” observed thorward.
“no fear of that,” said biarne; “we have got one of their chiefs—at least i think he is so, for he looks like one—and that is as good as a string tied to their great toe.”
“by the way, how is the chief, bertha?” asked karlsefin.
“much better this morning. he slept well, and is even now sitting up on his bed. he looked so well, indeed, that i took the precaution to fasten the door on the outside when i left him just now.”
“ha! didst fasten the window, wench?” cried thorward, starting up and hastening from the room.
“truly, no,” remarked the girl, with a somewhat confused look; “i never thought of the window.”
thorward returned a minute later with a peculiar smile.
“he’s all safe,” said he; “i peeped through a small shot-hole in the parchment, and saw him sitting there meditating as deeply as if he hoped to meditate himself out of his prison.”
“not a difficult thing to do that,” said karlsefin. “i suspect that most prisoners manage to free themselves in that way pretty often! but who comes here in such hot haste? why, swend, what’s i’ the wind now?”
“the skraelingers are coming,” said he. “they come unarmed, and only ten of them.”
“oho! good,” exclaimed karlsefin, rising. “come, methinks i see my way out of this difficulty. fetch me nine of our smartest men, biarne. i will go forth with them unarmed, to meet those messengers of peace. you and thorward will keep the defences, to be ready for any emergency. let the scottish brothers be among the nine.”
when the selected men had assembled, their leader took them aside and conferred with them for a few minutes, after which he led them towards that part of the defences nearest the woods, when they saw the ten natives approaching holding up their empty hands and making other demonstrations of a peaceful nature. far away on the heights in the background the whole army of savages could be seen watching the proceedings of their messengers.
when these latter had come within about a hundred yards of the hamlet, they selected a low grassy knoll in an open spot, in full view of both parties. here they sat down in a row and made signs to the norsemen to approach.
“now, lads, we will accept their invitation,” said karlsefin; “follow me.”
with that he passed through the opening in the defences, holding up his hands as he went to show that he was unarmed, his followers doing the same. karlsefin went up to the native who appeared to be the chief of the band, and, with a bland smile, took his hand gently and shook it.
if the savage did not understand the shake of the hand, he evidently understood the smile, for he returned it and sat down again. karlsefin and his men did the same, and for a few moments the two rows of men sat looking benignantly at one another in silence. the savage chief then spoke. of course karlsefin shook his head and touched his ear, brow, and lips, by way of intimating that he heard, but could neither understand nor reply. he then spoke norse, with similar results. after that the savage leader rose up, touched his back, and fell down as if badly wounded. upon this one of his comrades rose, pointed to the hamlet, lifted the wounded man in his arms, carried him behind his companions, and laid him down exclaiming “utway!” whereupon another savage took a small bundle of beautiful furs from the ground, and laid them at the feet of karlsefin with much humility.
“sure he wants to buy back the wounded chief with these furs,” said krake, who found it difficult to conceal his amusement at all this dumb show.
“no doubt of it, and i suppose utway is his name,” replied karlsefin; “but my object is to get them inside the defences, in order to show them that when we have them in our power we will treat them well. if i let their chief go for these furs nothing will have been gained.”
karlsefin now did his best, by means of signs and encouraging looks, to induce the ten natives to enter the hamlet, but no persuasion would induce them to do this. they held stoutly to their original proposition, and kept constantly pointing to the bundle of furs and going through the pantomime with the wounded man. at last karlsefin appeared to agree to their proposal.
“now, heika and hake,” said he, “nothing remains to be done but to try the plan i have described to you. up, and bring the wounded chief hither without delay.”
the two men obeyed, and in a few minutes were seen re-issuing from the fortress bearing a litter between them, on which lay the wounded chief with a blanket thrown over him, only his head being visible. carrying him towards the row of natives, the brothers laid the burden at their feet as they sat still on the ground looking on with great interest. karlsefin removed the blanket, and revealed the chief bound hand and foot. something covered by another blanket lay at his side. karlsefin took hold of this. as he did so the norsemen rose. the blanket was cast off, and ten naked swords were revealed, which were instantly grasped by ten stalwart arms, and flashed with the speed of light over the ten native heads!
taken thus by surprise they remained seated, and, supposing that to move would be the signal for instant death, they were perfectly motionless, though the colour of their countenances revealed to some extent the state of their feelings.
a terrific yell from the distant heights told that the deed had been noticed and understood. it was answered by a shout from the norsemen as they issued from their fortress, secured their prisoners, and carried them within the defences. in a few minutes thereafter not a man was to be seen on the heights, and the region became as silent and apparently as deserted as it had been before the advent of the savages.
“now then, biarne, get the things ready. is the kettle boiling?” said karlsefin.
“all is prepared,” answered biarne.
“’tis well. we must carry out our plan as quickly as may be,” rejoined karlsefin. “we may be sure that these fellows have only retired behind the heights to hold a council of war, and, in their present humour, it won’t be long before they come on to make an effort to retaliate upon us for our supposed treachery.”
the ten men were conveyed to the largest house in the hamlet, and there ranged in a row against the wall. they looked very grave, but were firm and stern. evidently they imagined that death by torture was to be their doom, and had braced themselves up to die like brave men in the presence of their foes.
karlsefin hastened to relieve them from this state of mind as quickly as possible. he placed before them ten plates of splendid boiled salmon. they regarded this proceeding with some surprise, but shook their heads and refused to eat. doubtless their appetites were not good at the time!
“fetch the wounded chief hither,” said karlsefin, “and tell bertha that she is wanted.”
when the wounded man was carried in and seated opposite to his comrades, a box being placed for him to lean against, karlsefin said to bertha—“now, lass, do thy best to induce the chief to show his friends how to eat. he has had some experience of you, and will doubtless understand.”
with a winning smile that would have compelled any susceptible man to eat or drink, or do anything else that he was bid whether inclined or not, bertha put a plate of salmon before the chief and made signs to him to eat. he smiled in return, and began at once. then bertha patted him on the shoulder, pointed to the ten prisoners, and made signs again. the chief smiled intelligently, and spoke to his companions. he evidently said more than was necessary to order them to eat, for their faces brightened perceptibly, and they commenced dinner in these peculiar circumstances without delay.
it was clear that their appetites had not been much impaired by alarm, for the salmon disappeared in a twinkling. then karlsefin ordered ten plates of fried venison to be placed before them, which was done, and they applied themselves to the consumption of this with equal relish. having concluded the repast, each man received a can of warm water and milk, highly sweetened with sugar. at first they took a doubtful sip of this, and looked at each other in surprise. it was a new sensation! one of them smacked his lips; the rest said “waugh!” nodded their heads, and drained their cans to the bottom at a single draught; after which, observing that there was some sediment left, they scraped it out with their fingers and sucked them.
“so far that is satisfactory,” said karlsefin, with a smile. “now, biarne—the gifts.”
a wooden tray was now brought, on which lay a variety of silver brooches, rings, and other baubles. these were distributed to the prisoners. last of all, each received a yard of bright-coloured cloth, and then they were ordered by signs to rise.
they obeyed with alacrity, and were led out of the house, at the door of which they found a litter similar to the one which they had seen before. it was simply a blanket fastened to two long poles, and rolled round them so as to form a couch of about a yard in width. on this the wounded chief was laid, and two of the natives were ordered to grasp the ends of the poles and raise him. they did so, and were conducted by the norsemen in single file out into the forest. here, to their intense surprise, karlsefin shook hands with them all very kindly, and then, going back with his men to the fortress, left them to return to their kindred!
karlsefin remarked quietly to biarne, as he went along, that one of the precepts of the new religion, which he had remembered well, because it seemed to him so very wise, was, that men should always try to “overcome evil with good.”
thus was established a warm friendship between the natives of vinland and the norsemen; a friendship which might have lasted for ever—to the great modification, no doubt, of american history—had not unfortunate circumstances intervened to break it up. as it was, it lasted for a considerable time.
