The savage wilderness, p.2
The Savage Wilderness, page 2
That idea appealed to Arne, too, and would mean I did not need to haul the hull out of the water.
We took just half of the men from the island to go hunting. Older men like Snorri would stay to protect the women although as we were just going for one day there seemed little threat to our home. In truth, the women needed little protection for all of them could handle a sword and a spear quite adeptly. The deaths of Benni and most of his family had given them the encouragement to become more skilled. Loki decided that we would not use the sail for he sent winds which swirled in every direction. We did not bother to raise the mast; it rested on the mast fish. It would be just as easy to row and so, with each oar manned by a single oarsman, Arne had them sing to help us row the few miles to the island.
The Clan of the Fox has no king
We will not bow nor kiss a ring
We fled our home to start anew
We are strong in heart though we are few
Lars the jarl fears no foe
He sailed the ship from Finehair’s woe
Drekar came to end our quest
Erik the Navigator proved the best
When Danes appeared to thwart our start
The Clan of the Fox showed their heart
While we healed the sad and the sick
We built our home, Larswick
The Clan of the Fox has no king
We will not bow nor kiss a ring
We fled our home to start anew
We are strong in heart though we are few
When Halfdan came with warriors armed
The Clan of the Fox was not alarmed
We had our jarl, a mighty man
But the Norns they spun they had a plan
When the jarl slew Halfdan the Dane
His last few blows caused great pain
With heart and arm, he raised his hand
‘The Clan of the Fox is a mighty band!’
The Clan of the Fox has no king
We will not bow nor kiss a ring
We fled our home to start anew
We are strong in heart though we are few
I was at the steering board with Fámr Haraldsson and it was I who saw the smoke drifting from the island. Arne and Sven Svenson were on the two leading oars I said, “There is smoke coming from the island. Fámr, up to the prow and climb on to the dragon’s head. See what you can spy.” This was the problem with not raising the mast; we could not see as far ahead.
Arne said, “It must be Skraelings.”
“Perhaps we should have brought Bear Tooth.”
Arne remained unconvinced about the worth of the captive, “If it is the natives then he would have run back to them. We will deal with them if they are there.” I did not point out that Bear Tooth had a lame leg and running was the last thing he would do. My brother was grinning for he saw the opportunity to go to war. It was a subtle change but since the last battle, my brother had begun to change. It was not just his estrangement from Gytha, he had distanced himself from Fótr and me. Ada put it down to his wife, Freja. When Arne had first married her, she had been a sweet young woman but she seemed to like the power of being the wife of the jarl.
We were almost at the island when Fámr ran back down the drekar, “Captain, there are small boats drawn up on the beach.”
It was then I knew that the Skraelings had chosen to do what we were planning. While we could use our drekar to complete the task in one day they would have to take several days. The sounds of dogs barking confirmed that this was a hunt. As we neared the beach, I counted the boats which could be seen on the beach. We had examined them after the raid and discovered that they had a simple frame covered by birch bark. Each one could carry four or five men and I counted ten boats. In theory that meant fifty warriors but I knew there would be far less than that for they would not be fully laden and would have dogs as well. I guessed there would be half that number. I knew that what we should have done was to turn around and come back another day but I saw, in my brother’s eyes, that he wished to fight and returning to Bear Island was not an option.
“Fámr, we will need an empty part of the beach on which to land for I will not risk the hull. Go back to the prow and signal me when you spy one.”
As he ran Arne said, “Just crush their boats beneath our hull!”
“I am captain and I will not risk our only drekar. We cannot make another drekar easily. We will find an empty part of the beach.”
Arne shrugged, “You are the Navigator but I am the warrior!” He raised his voice to shout, “When we land, we arm ourselves for war and hunt Skraelings.” He laughed, “Who knows, they may have done our work for us! Now let us pull for the sooner we land the sooner my blade can taste blood!”
Fámr’s arm waved me slightly to steerboard and I could see, a little more easily, the bark boats on the beach. They would have had a guard and I could not see him. That meant they would be warned for he would have run to warn the hunters. The drekar was slicing through the water and we were approaching too quickly. I saw Fámr raise his arms and that told me that our course was perfect. One of the skills of a navigator is to know how to use a ship to do the work of men. Loki’s wind was now coming from behind us and I shouted, “In oars! We have enough pace to reach the beach!”
My words pleased my brother and the oars were drawn in and the men stacked them on the mast fish. None of the men had come for war. We had neither shields nor helmets but a warrior does not leave his home without his sword. Even I had a weapon strapped to my belt. The spears and bows we had planned on using to hunt would now be used for war. The Norns had been spinning and they had made this happen. Had they conspired with Loki?
Fámr knew what he had to do and he had a rope already coiled. Ebbe and Sven, not to mention Fótr, had also sailed with me enough to take a rope and secure the drekar to the shore. Fámr shouted, “Thirty paces!”
There was an art to landing and I had to get this just right or risk damaging the irreplaceable drekar.
“Twenty paces!”
I put the steering board over so that almost all the way went from the drekar and she side-slipped towards the beach. The four warriors with ropes leapt into the water and I lost sight of them. Then I saw them rushing up the beach with their ropes. As soon as I felt the sand and shingle beneath the hull, I secured the steering board.
Arne turned to me; he had a spear as well as his sword. “You and Fámr will have to guard the drekar. Can you do that?”
I laughed, “Go, brother! We will manage.”
The warriors quickly left us and waded ashore. I waved Fámr back to the drekar, “Fetch your bow for we may need it.” I should have brought my yew bow for it was the best in the clan but the Norns had been spinning and it lay in my home.
As he strung his hunting bow, I walked the deck to check that all of the lines which held us to the shore were secure and that we were not close to any rocks. That done I returned to the steering board. I had my sword and I had my dagger but if danger came, I could also use one of the spears which had been left aboard. I looked south to Bear Island and saw that it looked as though it was far out to sea yet the reality was, we were quite close to land. Perhaps that was why it had been uninhabited or it may have been the presence of the bear family. From what Bear Tooth had told me his tribe somewhat revered the bear. It would explain their aggressive behaviour for we would be seen to be a threat to the bear.
I could no longer hear the dogs nor could I hear the sound of fighting and I wondered who was hunting whom? Were the Skraelings using their knowledge of the island to lure our men into a trap or had my clever brother devised a way to hunt them? I soon had my answer for I caught sight of a movement in the woods which bordered the beach. It could have been an animal but it did not do to take chances and so I said, “Fámr, have your bow ready for there may be enemies out there. If there are do not panic. Better to slow your arrows as you release them and ensure that you hit what you intend.”
There was a horn by the steering board, we used it to let those at home know that we were close, but I would not summon Arne and the others until I was certain that we were in danger. A second movement allowed me to fix the patch of wood with my eye and I saw the dark flesh of a Skraeling. I still did not sound the horn. If this was nothing more than a couple of scouts then I could handle it. I drew my sword and placed it between two of the planks on the deck. I could pick it up more easily that way. I hefted a spear. Perhaps my actions and those of Fámr alerted the natives for five of them burst from cover. Five could be handled by the two of us.
Fámr knew his limitations and he waited until the nearest Skraeling was forty paces away and then an iron tipped arrow slammed into the warrior’s chest. As the man fell, with a surprised look on his face, I heard the sound of battle deep in the woods to the north of us. There was no point in sounding the horn for my brother and the others were already engaged. Fámr nocked a second arrow and hit another native in the chest. Then four others joined in the attack. There were now seven of them.
“Fámr, when they board get behind me and I will try to protect you.”
The warriors who ran at us had spears and stone clubs in their hands. Had they had bows things might have turned out differently. Fámr’s third arrow was sent as the first three warriors reached the water and his arrow drove deep into the warrior’s collar bone between his head and his shoulder. Blood spurted and I rammed my spear into the face of a fourth Skraeling who was attempting to clamber up the side. He tried to grab the spearhead but we had well-sharpened spearheads and he merely succeeded in slashing his hand. I pushed, twisted and turned the spear, ensuring that he died. The second wave of attackers divided into two. The last of the original group jabbed his spear upwards. He could jab all he liked for while he jabbed, he could not climb.
“Fámr, aim at the ones nearer to the prow.”
“Aye Captain. I only have four arrows left.”
“When they are gone use one of the hatchets or this spear.”
Leaning over I took my spear in both hands and thrust it at the warrior who was trying to climb the side of the drekar. I caught his arm and he fell back into the water. Fámr then made his first mistake. He sent an arrow the length of the drekar and the warrior he aimed at was able to avoid it by ducking below the mast fish. The remaining warriors were now aboard and had seen that Fámr was unable to hit them if they used the mast fish as a barrier. They crawled along the deck.
“Fámr, take this spear and stay behind me.”
The one in the water had been hurt and if he tried to climb the side then my sword could end his life quickly. The four who came towards us were the bigger threat. I took out my dagger and twirled my sword. I did it to catch the light from the sun. These natives had not seen metal weapons. Bear Tooth had told me that and I wanted them to think this was magic. It was then, as the four warriors rose and walked towards us that I had an idea. I put my dagger in my belt and holding the bear tooth necklace in my left hand, I shouted in the language of the Skraeling, “I am a shaman!” I was not sure if I said it right but the four men stopped and seemed to see the bear’s teeth.
They stopped and stared; I am not sure what would have happened if the wounded warrior in the water had not begun to climb over the side. I seemed to sense him for I did not turn my head but some instinct took over and I took my dagger, King Raedwulf’s dagger, and hurled it to the side without even looking. There was a scream and a splash as the body hit the water.
I shouted, “I am a shaman!” and began to move towards the four who had boarded. They turned and ran, barely pausing as they threw themselves into the sea. I ran to the side and saw that my hastily thrown dagger had caught the warrior in the chest. His body lay floating in the shallows. Fámr shook his head, “Captain! How did you do that?”
“I have no idea. Climb over and fetch the dagger back for me and then we had better collect the arrowheads.”
I took his bow and nocked an arrow in case any of those we had hit were feigning death. I let the four we had chased run to the birch bark boats. I watched them paddle away north as fast as they could. The shining sword, the necklace and my lucky throw must have convinced them that I had magical powers. I had been lucky and I knew it. Fámr was also lucky for he found all of his arrows and their heads. I now fretted about my brother and the hunters.
The distant sounds of battle had long ceased when I heard the sound of men running towards the beach and I took no chances. “Grab your bow! We may have to fight them off again!” I knew it was the natives and not our men for there was neither the sound of jingling metal nor the thud of sealskin boots. We heard the sound of bare feet pounding on the game trails. When the warriors burst forth, they did not come for the drekar but ran, instead, for their birch bark boats. Fámr pulled back on the bow but I said, “Let them go. They are done and the arrowhead is more valuable than the man you might just wound.”
Most of the boats had but two or three men in them. There were four dogs with them too. Some of those who ran were supported by their fellows for they had been wounded. They had left the beach and were paddling out when my brother and the hunters arrived with bloody weapons. I did a quick headcount and saw that none had died although a couple had bloodied heads and arms. When Fótr and Arne saw the dead men around the drekar they hurried towards us.
“You were attacked too?”
“Aye brother. Four survived the attack and fled.”
Fámr said, proudly, “Captain Erik waved his necklace at them and spoke their language! They ran!”
Arne laughed, “My brother constantly surprises me.” He became serious and shook his head, “This was not just a deer hunt. They came and slaughtered every horse deer on the island. They must have been here for days.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I know not except that if we had done this it would be to deny an enemy food. They have not done that; we can take the butchered animals back on the drekar but they have taken away a source of food. Now we will have to go to the mainland to hunt and they will, perhaps, gather their tribe to fight us.”
I sensed that my brother was no longer as keen on war as he had been. I nodded, “Then it is lucky that we have a volva who can divine the future, for now my voyage south makes more sense, does it not, brother?”
“Aye, Erik, and, once more, our fate lies in your hands!”
Chapter 2
The Skraeling had slaughtered every animal on the island including the young. It must have taken them more than a couple of days. We found the bodies of four or five dogs which had obviously died in the hunt. We would use the meat, the hides, the hooves, everything but it was a waste and I began to believe my brother, this had been an attempt to deny us food and these were not quite the barbarians we had first thought. When we reached home, I would have to speak with Gytha, Snorri and Bear Tooth. The row back was harder because we had been working all day loading the carcasses and that was after we had fought the Skraelings.
The work began, the next day, to turn the horse deer into food and things which we could use. The mighty antlers were strong and along with the bones could be fashioned into serviceable tools. We did not have the metal we had used when we lived across the seas and we needed to improvise. The smaller bones would be carved too for we always needed needles and the like. Much of the meat was either dried or salted. I had the hair from the bulls gathered and the women began to weave ropes, for the hair proved to be as strong as that of the horse. Finally, the hides were cured for they were tough and could be used to make clothes which were hardy and could even stop a stone weapon from penetrating.
On the evening of the first night after our return, Arne, Fótr and I sat with Gytha, Snorri and Bear Tooth. It was the first time Arne had done so since he had been chastised and he only came because he wished to know what Bear Tooth knew. Snorri could now converse well with the captive and I could see a bond had developed between the two of them. The slave who had spent the first two months scowling or cowering at every word now smiled and laughed for Snorri could be funny. I was also able to understand far more of the Mi’kmaq youth’s words.
When Arne put forward his theory about the Skraeling and their slaughter, I saw Gytha nodding. “That makes sense but let us hear what the boy thinks.”
Snorri rattled away some questions and Bear Tooth answered. Gytha and I could understand much of what was said while to Arne it was a series of grunts, but Snorri had the ear for it and we waited for his translation. I smiled at my brothers for they could not decipher a single word. When he had finished Snorri nodded, “You might be right, Arne, for Horse Deer Island has always been left by the Skraeling. Bear Tooth thinks that their chief, Wandering Moos, may be trying to starve us out. His people do not plant in the ground as we do and they move around their land searching for food they can forage, hunt, trap or fish. He does not understand how we plough and turn the soil; he thinks it is magic.”
I nodded, “These must be a people who have very primitive beliefs for when my sword flashed in the sunlight, I saw them recoil, and by calling myself a shaman and pointing to the bear teeth I frightened them away.” As I spoke, I saw Bear Tooth studying me. He was translating my words. Soon, we would have to be careful about what we spoke in front of him.
Arne waved an irritated hand, “That still does not help us. We have enough meat now to last six months but what about the future? What does Gytha the volva and mother of the clan think? Can she see the future?” He looked at her, “Your advice and my brother’s skill have brought us here but is this the end of the voyage?”
Gytha smiled; she knew that Arne was flattering her but there was no harm in that. She nodded, “I have not dreamed, but I shall do so although the spirits may not inhabit this land. It may be a risk for the spirits I find might be Skraeling.” I saw Arne’s hand go to his hammer of Thor. Fighting a Skraeling was one thing but a Skraeling spirit was quite something else. She turned to me, “Erik the Navigator, there was talk of using the drekar to hunt the whale; is that possible?”
