Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair Page 10

  But when they heard his friendly words, and saw the beauty of the fairwoman whose hand he held, his face grew so well-beloved to them, thatthey cried out with so great a voice of cheer, wordless for their veryjoy, that the timbers of the hall quavered because of it, and it wentout into the wild-wood as though it had been the feastful roaring of theancient gods of the forest.

  But when the tumult sank a little, then cried out Jack of the Tofts:"Bring now the mickle shield, and let us look upon our King."

  So men went and fetched in a huge ancient shield, plated withberry-brown iron, inlaid with gold, and the four biggest men in thehall took it on their shoulders and knelt down anigh the dais, beforeChristopher, and Jack said aloud: "King! King! Stand up here! for thiswar-board of old days is the castle and the burg alone due to thee, andthese four fellows here are the due mountains to upbear it."

  Then lightly strode Child Christopher on to the shield, and when hestood firm thereon, they rose heedfully underneath him till they werestanding upright on their feet, and the King stood on the shield as ifhe were grown there, and waved his naked sword to the four orts.

  Then cried out an old woman in a shrill voice: "Lo, how the hills riseup into tall mountains; even so shall arise Child Christopher to thekingship."

  Thereat all the folk laughed for joy and cried out: "Child Christopher!Child Christopher, our King!" And for that word, when he came to thecrown indeed, and ruled wide lands, was he called Child Christopher; andthat name clave to him after he was dead, and but a name in the tale ofhis kindred.

  Now the King spake and said: "Friends, now is it time to get to theboard, and the feast which hath been stayed this while; and I pray youlet it be as merry as if there were no striving and unpeace betwixt usand the winning of peace. But to-morrow we will hallow-in the Mote, andmy earl and my barons and good men shall give counsel, and then shall itbe that the hand shall do what the heart biddeth."

  Therewith he leapt down from the shield, and went about the hall talkingto this one and that, till the board was full dight; then he took hisplace in the high-seat, beside Jack of the Tofts; and David and Gilbertand his other foster-brethren sat on either side of him, and their wiveswith them; and men fell to feasting in great glee.

  But one thing there is yet to tell of this feast. When men had drunk acup or two, and drunk memories to good men dead, and healths to good menliving, amidst this arose a grey-head carle from the lower end of thehall, and said: "Child Christopher, thy grace, that I may crave a boonof thee on this day of leal service.'

  "Ask then," said Christopher, with a pleasant face.

  "King," quoth the carle, "here are we all gathered together, and we havebefore us the most beautifullest woman of the world, who sitteth by thyside; now to-night we be all dear friends, and there is no lack betweenus; yet who can say how often we may meet and things be so? I do not saythat there shall enmity and dissension arise between us, though that maybetide; but it is not unlike that another time thou, King, and thy mate,may be prouder than now ye be, since now ye are new to it. And if thatdistance grow between us, it will avail nought to ask my boon then."

  "Well, well, ask it now, friend," said the King, laughing; "I were fainof ending the day with a gift."

  "This it is then, King," said the carle: "since we are here set downbefore the loveliest woman in the world, grant us this, that all wemen-folk may for this once kiss the face of her, if she will have itso."

  Huge laughter and cheers arose at his word; but King Christopher aroseand said: "Friend, thy boon is granted with a good will; or how sayestthou, Goldilind my beloved?"

  For all answer she stood up blushing like a rose, and held out her twohands to the men in the hall. And straightway the old carle rose up andwent in haste to the high-table, before another man might stir, and tookGoldilind by the chin, and kissed her well-favouredly, and again menlaughed joyously. Then came before her Jack of the Tofts and all hissons, one after other, and kissed her face, save only David, who knelthumbly before her, and took her right hand and kissed it, while thetears were in his eyes. Then came many of the men in the hall, and somewere bold, but many were shy, and when they came before her durst kissneither hand nor face of her, but their hearts were full of her whenthey went to their places again; and all the assembly was praising her.

  So wore the time of that first night of the kingship of ChildChristopher.

  CHAPTER XXVII. OF THE HUSTING OF THE TOFTS.

  When morning was, there were horns sounding from the tower on the toft,and all men hastening in their war-gear to the topmost of the othertoft, the bare one, whereon was no building; for thereon was ever themote-stead of these woodmen. But men came not only from the stead andhouses of the Tofts, but also from the woodland cots and dwellingsanigh, of which were no few. And they that came there first found KingChristopher sitting on the mound amid the mote-stead, and Jack of theTofts and his seven sons sitting by him, and all they well-weaponedand with green coats over their hauberks; and they that came last foundthree hundreds of good men and true gathered there, albeit this was butthe Husting of the Tofts.

  So when there were no more to come, then was the Mote hallowed, and thetalk began; but short and sharp was their rede, for well did all men wotwho had been in the hall the night before that there was now no time tolose. For though nigh all the men that had been in the hall were wellknown to each other, yet might there perchance have been some spyunknown, who had edged him in as a guest to one of the good men. Withal,as the saw saith: The word flieth, the wight dieth. And it were well ifthey might gather a little host ere their foeman might gather a mickle.

  First therefore arose Jack of the Tofts, and began shortly to put forththe sooth, that there was come the son of King Christopher the Old, andthat now he was seeking to his kingdom, not for lust of power and gain,but that he might be the friend of good men and true, and uphold themand be by them upholden. And saith he: "Look ye on the face of this man,and tell me where ye shall find a friend friendlier than he, and moresingle-hearted?" And therewith he laid his hand on Christopher's head,and the young man rose up, blushing like a maid, and thereafter a longtime could no lord be heard for the tumult of gladness and the clashingof weapons.

  But when it was a little hushed, then spake Jack again: "Now need no mansay more to man on this matter, for ye call this curly-headed lad theKing of Oakenrealm, even as some of ye did last night."

  Mighty was the shout of yea-say that arose at that word; and when it wasstilled, a grey-head stood up and said: "King Christopher, and thou, ourleader, whom we shall henceforth call Earl, it is now meet that we shearup the war-arrow, and send it forth to whithersoever we deem our friendsdwell, and that this be done at once here in this Mote, and that thehosting be after three nights' frist in the plain of Hazeldale, whichall ye know is twelve miles nigher to Oakenrealm than this."

  All men yea-said this, no one gainsaid it; and straightway was firekindled and the bull slain, for the said elder had brought him thither;and the arrow was sheared and scorched and reddened, and the runnerswere fetched, and the word given them, and they were sped on theirerrand.

  Up rose then another, a young man, and spake: "Many stout fellows behere, and some wise and well-ruled, and many also hot-head and wilful:Child Christopher is King now, and we all know him that when he comethinto the fray he is like to strike three strokes for two that any otherwinneth; but as to his lore of captainship, if he hath any, he was bornwith it, as is like enough, seeing who was his father; therefore we needa captain well-proven, to bid us how to turn hither and thither, andwhere to gather thickest, and where to spread thinnest; and when to fallon fiercely and when to give way, and let the thicket cover us; for wisein war shall our foemen be. Now therefore if anyone needeth a bettercaptain than our kin-father and war-father Jack of the Tofts, he mustneeds go fetch him from otherwhere! How sayest thou, Christopher lad?"

  Great cheer there was at the word, and laughter no little therewith. ButChristopher stood up, and took Jack by the hand, and said:
"Now say I,that if none else follow this man into battle, yet will I; and if noneelse obey him to go backward or forward to the right hand or to the leftas he biddeth, yet will I. Thou, Wilfrid Wellhead, look to it that thoudost no less. But ye folk, what will ye herein?"

  So they all yea-said Jack of the Tofts for captain; and forsooth theymight do no less, for he was wary and wise, and had done many deeds, andseen no little of warfare.

  Then again arose a man of some forty winters, strong built and notungoodly, but not merry of countenance, and he spake: "King andwar-leader, I have a word to say: We be wending to battle, we carles,with spear in fist and sword by side; and if we die in the fray, ofthe day's work is it; but what do we with our kinswomen, as mothers anddaughters and wives and she-friends, and the little ones they have borneus? For, see ye! this warfare we are faring, maybe it shall not lastlong, and yet maybe it shall; and then may the foeman go about us andfall on this stead if we leave them behind here with none to guard them;and if, on the other hand, we leave them men enough for their warding,then we minish our host overmuch. What do we then?"

  Then spake Jack of the Tofts: "This is well thought of by Haward ofWhiteacre, and we must look to it. And, by my rede, we shall have ourwomen and little ones with us; and why not? For we shall then but bemoving Toftstead as we move; and ever to some of us hath it been as acamp rather than an house. Moreover, ye know it, that our women be nouseless and soft queans, who durst not lie under the oak boughs for anight or two, or wade a water over their ankles, but valiant they be,and kind, and helpful; and many of them are there who can draw a bowwith the best, and, it may be, push a spear if need were. How say ye,lads?"

  Now this also they yea-said gladly; forsooth they had scarce been fainof leaving the women behind, at least the younger ones, even had theybeen safe at the Tofts; for there is no time when a man would gladlierhave a fair woman in his arms than when battle and life-peril aretoward.

  Thereafter the Mote sundered, when the Captain had bidden his men thisand that matter that each should look to; and said that he, for hispart, with King Christopher and a chosen band, would set off forHazeldale on the morrow morn, whereas some deal of the gathering wouldof a certainty be come thither by then; and that there was enough leftof that day to see to matters at the Tofts.

  So all men went about their business, which was, for the most part,seeing to the victualling of the host.

  CHAPTER XXVIII. OF THE HOSTING IN HAZELDALE.

  On the morrow early was Jack of the Tofts dight for departure, withChristopher and David and Gilbert and five score of his best men. Butwhen they went out of the porch into the sweet morning, lo! there wasGoldilind before them, clad in her green gown, and as fresh and dearas the early day itself. And Jack looked on her and said: "And thou, myLady and Queen, thou art dight as thou wouldst wend with us?"

  "Yea," she said, "and why not?"

  "What sayest thou, King Christopher?" said the Captain.

  "Nay," said King Christopher, reddening, "it is for thee to yea-say ornay-say; though true it is that I have bidden her farewell for two days'space." And the two stood looking on one another.

  But Jack laughed and said: "Well, then, so be it; but let us get tothe way, or else when the sweethearts of these lads know that we have awoman with us we shall have them all at our backs." Thereat all laughedwho were within earshot, and were merry.

  So they wended the woodland ways, some afoot, some a-horseback, ofwhom was Jack of the Tofts, but Christopher and David went afoot. AndGoldilind rode a fair white horse which the Captain had gotten her.

  As they went, and King Christopher ever by Goldilind's right hand,and were merry and joyous, they two were alone in the woodland way; soChristopher took her hand and kissed it, and said: "Sweetling, whydidst thou tell me nought of thy will to come along with us? Never had Ibalked thee."

  She looked at him, blushing as a rose, and said: "Dear friend, I willtell thee; I knew that thou wouldst make our parting piteous-sweet thismorning; and of that I would not be balked. See, then, how rich I am,since I have both parted from thee and have thee." And therewith shelouted down from her saddle, and they kissed together sweetly, and sothereafter wore the way.

  So came they to the plain of Hazeldale, which was a wide valley with amiddling river winding about it, the wild-wood at its back toward theTofts, and in front down-land nought wooded, save here and there a treenigh a homestead or cot; for that way the land was builded for a space.Forsooth it was not easy for the folk thereabout to live quietly, but ifthey were friends in some wise to Jack of the Tofts.

  So when the company of the Tofts came out into the dale about threehours after noon, it was no wonder to them to see men riding and goingto and fro, and folk pitching tents and raising booths nigh to the coverof the wood; and when the coming of the Toft-folk was seen, and thewinding of their horns heard, there was many a glad cry raised inanswer, and many an horn blown, and all men there came running togethertoward where now was stayed Jack of the Tofts and Christopher and theirmen.

  Then Goldilind bade Christopher help her light down; so he took her inhis arms, and was not over hasty in setting her down again. But whenshe stood by him, she looked over the sunny field darkened by the folkhastening over the greensward, and her eyes glittered and her cheekflushed, and she said: "Lord King, be these some others of thy men?"

  "Yea, sweetling," said he, "to live and die with me."

  She looked on him, and said softly: "Maybe it were an ill wish to wishthat I were thou; yet if it might be for one hour!"

  Said he: "Shall it not be for more than one hour? Shall it not be forevermore, since we twain are become one?"

  "Nay," she said, "this is but a word; I am but thine handmaid: and now Ican scarce refrain my body from falling before thy feet."

  He laughed in her face for joy, and said: "Abide a while, until thesemen have looked on thee, and then shalt thou see how thou wilt be aflame of war in their hearts that none shall withstand."

  Now were the dale-dwellers all come together in their weapons, and theywere glad of their King and his loveling; and stout men were they all,albeit some were old, and some scarce of man's age. So they were rankedand told over, and the tale of them was over six score who had obeyedthe war-arrow, and more and more, they said, would come in every hour.But now the Captains of them bade the Toft-folk eat with them; and theyyea-said the bidding merrily, and word was given, and sacks andbaskets brought forth, and barrels to boot, and all men sat down on thegreensward, and high was the feast and much the merriment on the edge ofHazeldale.

  CHAPTER XXIX. TIDINGS COME TO HAZELDALE.

  But they had not done their meat, and had scarce begun upon their drink,ere they saw three men come riding on the spur over the crown of thebent before them; these made no stay for aught, but rode straightthrough the ford of the river, as men who knew well where it was, andcame on hastily toward the feasters by the wood-edge. Then would somehave run to meet them, but Jack of the Tofts bade them abide till he hadheard the tidings; whereas they needed not to run to their weapons, for,all of them, they were fully dight for war, save, it might be, the doingon of their sallets or basnets. But Jack and Christopher alone wentforward to meet those men; and the foremost of them cried out at once:"I know thee, Jack of the Tofts! I know thee! Up and arm! up and arm!for the foemen are upon thee; and so choose thee whether thou wilt fightor flee."

  Quoth Jack, laughing: "I know thee also, Wat of Whiteend; and when thouhast told me how many and who be the foemen, we will look either tofighting or fleeing."

  Said Wat: "Thou knowest the blazon of the banner which we saw, three redwolves running on a silver field?"

  "Yea, forsooth," said Jack; "'tis the Baron of Brimside that beareththat shield ever; and the now Baron, hight the Lord Gandolf, how manywas he?"

  Said Wat: "Ten hundreds or more. But what say fellows?"

  Quoth the other twain: "More, more they were."

  Said Jack of the Tofts: "And when shall he be here, deem ye?"

 
"In less than an hour," said Wat, "he will be on thee with great andsmall; but his riders, some of them, in lesser space."

  Then turned Jack about and cried out for David, and when he came, hesaid: "Put thy long legs over a good horse, and ride straight back tothe Tofts and gather whatever may bear spear and draw bow, and hitherwith them, lad, by the nighest road; tarry not, speak no word, be gone!"

  So David turned, and was presently riding swiftly back through thewoodland paths. But Jack spake to the bearers of tidings: "Good fellows,go ye yonder and bid them give you a morsel and a cup; and tell allthe tidings, and this, withal, that we have nought to flee from a goodfightstead for Gandolf of Brimside." Therewith he turned to Christopherand said: "Thy pardon, King, but these matters must be seen tostraightway. Now do thou help me array our folk, for there is heartenough in them as in thee and me; and mayhappen we may make an end tothis matter now and here. Moreover, the Baron of Brimside is a stoutcarle, so fight we must, meseemeth."

  Then he called to them one of the captains of the Tofts and they threespake together heedfully a little, and thereafter they fell to workarraying the folk; and King Christopher did his part therein deftly andswiftly, for quick of wit he was, and that the more whenso anything wasto be done.

  As to the array, the main of the folk that were spearmen and billmen butmoved forward somewhat from where they had dined to the hanging of thebent, so that their foemen would have the hill against them or everthey came on point and edge. But the bowmen, of whom were now some twohundreds, for many men had come in after the first tally, were spreadabroad on the left hand of the spearmen toward the river, where theground was somewhat broken, and bushed with thorn-bushes. And a bight ofthe water drew nearer to the Tofters, amidst of which was a flat eyot,edged with willows and covered with firm and sound greensward, and wassome thirty yards endlong and twenty overthwart. So there they abode thecoming of the foe, and it was now hard on five o'clock.