Part 2
"The knife is in the meat and the drink is in the horn, and there is revelry in Arthur's Hall; and no man may enter in save the son of a king from a friendly land. But never shall it be said that a wayfarer was turned harshly 25 away from Arthur's door. Food enough for thee and thy fifty men shall be prepared; collops shall be cooked and peppered for all. In the stables there is fodder for thy horses and food in plenty for thy dogs. And thou shalt fare as well in the guest chamber as in the hall; only be 30 content, and disturb not the king and his knights at the table."
"Nay, I will have nothing of all this," said young Kilhugh. "If thou wilt open the door, well and good. But if not, I will bring dishonor upon Arthur and shame upon thee. Here, on the spot where I stand, I will shout thrice and make the welkin ring. Sounds more deadly than 5 those three shouts have never been heard in this land. They shall resound from Land's End to Cold Blast Ridge in Ireland, and turn the hearts of youths and maidens cold as stone. Matrons shall grow wan and weakly and many a mother's child shall die of fright--so dreadful 10 will be my voice."
The Dusky Hero with the Mighty Grasp stood firm, although his heart misgave him. "No clamor that thou canst make," said he, "will ever admit thee here against King Arthur's wishes. However, I will go and tell him 15 thou art here."
Well might he be perturbed by Kilhugh's threat. For he remembered what had once happened in the days of King Lud, when all Britain had been shaken by a fearful shriek. At the sound of it, men had grown pale and feeble, 20 women listless and sad, and youths and maidens forlorn and woebegone. Beasts deserted their young ones, birds left their nestlings, trees cast off their fruit, the earth yielded no harvest.
* * * * *
Pondering upon these things, the Dusky Hero with the 25 Mighty Grasp strode into the hall. King Arthur saw him and called out, "Hast thou come with tidings from the door?"
The Dusky Hero bowed, and answered in stately phrase, becoming a knight of the Table Round: 30
"Half of my life is past, noble king, and half of thine. I have been with thee in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, and in the Island of Corsica. I was thy companion when thou didst spread the terror of the sword from Scandinavia to Spain. I fought by thy side in the Battle of Shades, when we brought away twelve hostages from the Dim Land under 5 the Sea. I have been in Jerusalem and in Castle Covert-and-Clearing, built all of dead men's bones. I have been in Turning Castle, and in the Castle of Riches; and there thou knowest we saw nine kings of nations, all comely men of noble mien. Yet, I protest and declare that I never 10 before saw a youth so handsome and dignified as that one who is now sitting astride his horse and waiting outside the door of this hall."
Then cried the king, "Thou didst walk hither to tell me of him; now hie thee back to him, running at full speed. 15 Invite him to come in; and let every man who sees the light, and every man who blinks the eye, stand ready to do him honor."
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The Dusky Hero with the Mighty Grasp returned to the great door. He drew back bolt and bar, and set it 20 wide open before the prince and his train. The men at arms dismounted at the horse block in the courtyard, but Kilhugh still sat upon his steed and rode into the Hall.
"Hail to thee, King Arthur!" he cried. "I greet thee and thy guests and thy companions and thy warriors. 25 My greeting is to the lowest as well as to the highest of all that have a seat within this Hall. May thy name, King Arthur, and thy fame and thy renown be forever held in glorious memory throughout the length and the breadth of this land!" 30
"Hail to thee, noble youth!" returned Arthur. "Thou art right welcome. Here is a place for thee between two of my knights. Sit down, and my minstrels will play for thee."
But Kilhugh made answer: "I have not come hither, sire, to eat and drink, but to crave of thee a boon. If thou wilt grant it me, I will do thee such service as thou mayest 5 command; and I will carry the praise of thy bounty and thy power into every land. But if thou dost refuse, I will spread ill reports of thee to the four quarters of the world."
Then King Arthur was greatly pleased, and he said: "Ask thy boon, young chieftain. Thou shalt have whatever 10 thy tongue may name, as far as the wind dries and the rain moistens and the sun revolves and the sea encircles and the earth extends. Thou shalt have anything that is mine, except my ship that bears me over the sea, and the mantle in which I can walk unseen, and my good sword, 15 and my keen lance, and my shield, and my gleaming dagger, and Guinevere my wife. Ask what thou wilt."
"My request is, that thou wilt cut my hair," answered Kilhugh.
"Thy request is granted," quoth the king. 20
Then Arthur called for a golden comb and a pair of scissors with silver loops. And he combed the hair of the prince, as he sat upon his steed, and cut it front and back.
"Now tell me thy name," he said.
"My name is Kilhugh," replied the prince. "My father 25 is Prince Kilith, and my mother was a sister of the fair Ygerne."
"Then we are cousins," cried Arthur, "and I give thee leave to ask another boon. Ask what thou wilt." "Promise me, for the honor of thy kingdom, to grant 30 my boon," said Kilhugh.
"I promise."
"Then do I crave of thee to obtain for me Olwen, the daughter of Thistlehair, chief of the Giants, to be my wife. . . . For the sake of the daughters of the Island of the Mighty, I crave thy help to seek this maiden. For the sake of Guinevere and of her sister; for the sake of Lynette 5 of the Magic Ring; for the sake of Cordelia the daughter of King Lear, the loveliest maiden in this island; and for the sake of Iseult la Belle, and of Elaine, and of Angarad of the Golden Hand--for the sake of these and many others, I crave thy help." 10
Then said Arthur, "O prince and cousin, I have never heard of this maiden, Olwen; I have never heard of her kindred. But I will send messengers to seek her; only grant them time to find her and return."
"To-day is New Year's Day," answered the prince. 15 "I give them from this hour till the last day of the year."
And having said these words, he dismounted from his steed and went and sat by King Arthur's side in the midst of the heroes of the Table Round.
--_Fifty Famous Rides and Riders._
1. This is a capital story in its representation of the knight in olden days. Do you think Kilhugh would be an agreeable fellow to have in your class? Give reasons for your answer.
2. What other legends of Arthur do you know?
3. The Arthurian tales have long furnished English writers with themes for stories and songs. Tennyson's _Idylls of the King_, for example, is a group of narrative poems describing the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
THE GIFT OF THE WHITE BEAR
BY GEORGE WEBBE DASENT
A long time ago there lived in Iceland a man whose name was Audun. His means were small, but everybody knew of his goodness. In order to see the world and to add to his wealth, he once sailed to Greenland with a sea captain named Thorir. Before he went, he gave everything 5 that he had to his mother--and this was not much.
In Greenland Audun bought a white bear that was well tamed and trained--and it was the greatest treasure of a bear that had ever been thought of. The next summer Thorir sailed back to Norway, and Audun went with him, 10 taking the bear.
Now Audun had made up his mind to give the bear to Sweyn, the king of Denmark; and so, leaving Thorir, he made his way south to the Cattegat. While he was waiting for some vessel that would carry him across the channel, it 15 so happened that Harold, the king of Norway, came also to the same place.
Of course some one soon told King Harold about the Icelander who had lately come from Greenland with a wonderful white bear, and he at once sent for Audun. 20
"I have heard about your white bear," said Harold, "and I wish to buy it."
"I will not sell it," answered Audun.
"But I will pay you twice as much as you gave for it," said the king. 25
"Not for any price will I sell it," said the Icelander.
"Then will you give it to me?" asked the king.
"No, my lord, I will not do that," answered Audun.
"What, then, will you do with it?" asked the king.
Audun answered, "I have made up my mind to take it to Denmark and give it to King Sweyn, for he is also the 5 king of my own country."
Then Harold spoke up sharply: "Don't you know, my fellow, that there is war between Norway and Denmark, and between myself and your King Sweyn? Don't you know that I have the power to prevent you from ever 10 getting to his land?"
Audun answered, "I know that you have the power, and that all rests with you. But I will consent to nothing save to do as I have told you."
The king sat in thought for a moment and then said, 15 "Well, I see no reason why you should not do as you please in this matter. But promise me that when you come this way again, you will tell me how King Sweyn rewarded you for the beast."
"I give you my word to do that," answered Audun. 20
Then, leading the bear behind him, he went away. But it was a long time before he could find any means to cross over into Denmark, and when at last he set foot upon the shores of that country he had not even a penny with which to buy food. Both he and the bear were starving, and it 25 was a long way to the place where the king was staying.
In his distress, Audun went to a rich man named Auki and begged for food for himself and his bear.
"What are you going to do with the beast?" asked Auki. 30
"Give him to King Sweyn," answered the Icelander.
"And how much do you expect to receive for him?"
"Only so much as the king in his bounty wishes to give."
Then the rich man answered, "If you will give me one half of the bear, I will feed you both."
And to this Audun made agreement, for he was almost dead of hunger and so was the bear. 5
Then the Icelander and the rich man went on, leading the bear, until they came to King Sweyn's house. The king greeted Auki in a friendly manner, and turning to Audun, said, "You are a stranger to me. Pray tell me whence you have come." 10
"I am from Iceland," answered Audun, "and have but lately been to Greenland. My errand here is to give you a white bear which I bought in Greenland. But my necessities have obliged me to part with one half of the beast, and I can only beg of you to accept the other half." 15 And then, after much questioning, he told the whole story.
The king turned to the rich man, who was standing by, and asked, "Is this true, Auki?"
"It is, my lord," answered Auki.
Then the king was angry and sent the rich man home, 20 empty-handed and sorrowful. But he said to the Icelander, "I thank you for the rare and wonderful gift which you have brought me. Stay here in my house for a while."
So Audun dwelt for some time with the king's household, and no man was more faithful, more honest, or more 25 brave than he. Many deeds of courage did he perform, and many and worthy were his services. All men liked him, and the king was most gracious to him; but his heart turned always toward Iceland and his poor mother whom he had left behind. 30
One day when the springtide was drawing on, the king spoke to the Icelander and said: "Audun, I have never yet given you anything for the white bear. I have a mind to make you one of my chief officers, so that you shall always be near me."
And Audun answered, "I thank you, my lord, with all my heart. But far away over the northern seas there is a 5 poor woman who is my mother. I fear that by this time she is in want; for although I left her all that I had, it was not much. I cannot bear to sit here in ease and honor while she has not enough to keep hunger away. And so I have set my heart on sailing for Iceland." 10
"There speaks a good man and true," cried the king. "You shall do as you most desire; but wait a little while till a ship is ready."
So Audun waited. And one day when spring was at its best, King Sweyn went with him down to the waterside, 15 where many men were busy freighting ships for foreign lands. They walked till they came to a merchant vessel of fine size.
"What do you think of this ship, Audun?" asked the king. 20
"She is fine enough, surely," answered the Icelander.
"Well," said the king, "I will now repay you for the bear. This ship and all the goods on board of it are yours."
Audun thanked the king as well as he could. And when 25 the day came for the ship to sail, the two walked down to the waterside again.
"I have heard much of the perils of the sea," said King Sweyn, "and if this fair ship should be wrecked, all your goods will doubtless be lost and little will be left to show 30 that you have met the king of Denmark."
As he said this, the king put into Audun's hand a leather bag, full of silver, saying, "Take this, and even if your ship goes down, you will not be entirely penniless."
Audun was so filled with gratitude that he could not speak. But the king had still another surprise for him. He drew a ring of gold, very costly, from his arm and put 5 it upon the arm of the Icelander.
"Take this," he said. "Even though you should lose ship and goods and money, you will still not be penniless, for the gold will be around your arm."
What could Audun do? What could he say? 10
The king shook his hand at parting, and said: "I have this to ask of you: Keep the gold ring on your arm and do not part with it on any account, unless it be to some great man to whom you feel yourself bound to give your best treasure in return for a great favor and much goodness. 15 And now, farewell, and may good luck follow your voyage."
Then Audun, in his fair, rich ship, put to sea.
On his way to Iceland he stopped for a time in a haven of Norway, where he heard that King Harold was holding his court. He was desirous of seeing the king, as he had 20 given his word.
King Harold remembered him well and received him kindly.
"Sit here and tell me how it fared with you in Denmark," he said. 25
Audun told him a part of his story.
"But how did King Sweyn repay you for the white bear?" asked Harold.
"In this wise, my lord," answered Audun: "He took it and thanked me when I offered it." 30
"I would have repaid you as well myself," said Harold, "What more did he give you?"
"He asked me to abide in his house, and he gave me his friendship. He offered me still greater honor if I would stay longer with him."
"That was good; but I would have done as much. He must have given you something more." 5
"Yes. He gave me a merchant ship filled with rich goods for trade in northern ports."
"That was a noble gift," said the king; "but I would have equaled it. Did he give you anything more?"
Audun answered, "Yes, he gave me a leather bag full of 10 silver; for he said that if the ship and her cargo should be lost in the sea, yet would I not go penniless."
"That was nobly thought of," said Harold; "and it is more than I would have done. But what else did he give?"
Then Audun took the gold ring from his arm and put 15 it upon King Harold's arm, saying, "He gave me as a farewell gift this priceless ring; and he bade me never to part with it save to some great man to whom I felt myself indebted for his goodness. And now I have found that man. For it was in your power to take away not only the bear 20 but my life also, and yet you allowed me to go in peace to Denmark."
The king looked at the ring and then at the man; for both were of very great worth. "I thank you, Audun," he said; and they had much pleasant talk before they parted. 25
And when Audun at length came with his ship to Iceland, everybody welcomed him as the luckiest man in the world; and he made his poor mother comfortable for the rest of her life.
1. What was the noblest thing Audun did? Why do you admire the man? What in the story indicates its old age?
2. Sketch the relative locations of Iceland, Norway, and Denmark, showing a possible return course for Audun.
THE STORY OF IRON
This is one of the tales from the _Kalevala_ ("Home of the Heroes"), a group of legends from Finland. These tales were sung in verse very similar to that which Longfellow used in _Hiawatha_. The following is a prose translation of one of the popular myths.
The first of all mothers was Air, and she had three daughters. Of these three maidens there is much to be said. They were as lovely as the rainbow after a storm; they were as fair as the full moon shining above the mountains. They walked with noiseless feet among 5 the clouds and showered gifts upon the earth. They sent the refreshing rain, the silent dew, and the nipping frost, each in its season. They gave life to the fields, and strength to the mountains, and grandeur to the sea. And because of their bounty the earth was glad and the stars twinkled 10 for joy.
"What more can we do to make the land fit for men to dwell in? What other gift have we to bestow?" asked the eldest of the sisters.
And the youngest said, "Let us send down iron--iron 15 of which tools may be made, iron of which sharp weapons may be shaped. For without tools man will not be able to plow, to reap, or to build; and without weapons he cannot defend himself against the savage beasts of the forest." 20
So when the sun was about going down, the sisters went forth in trailing robes of purple and crimson and gold; and in their hands they bore mighty vessels of foaming milk. The eldest sprinkled red milk in the brooks and marshes and along the banks of the rivers. The middle one scattered white milk on the wooded hills and the stony mountains. The youngest showered blue milk in the valleys and by the gray seashore. And, on the morrow, where 5 the red milk had been sprinkled, red and brittle ore of iron flecked the ground; where the white milk had been scattered, powdery ore of a yellow hue abounded; and where the blue milk had been showered, flaky masses of crude iron, tough and dark, lay hidden beneath the soil. 10
Thus came Iron into the world--Iron, the youngest of three brothers. Next older than he was Fire, a raging, dangerous fellow when free, but loving and faithful when held in bonds. Older still was Water, terrible in strength but, when not aroused, as gentle as a mother's caress. 15
Years upon years went by, and at length one day Iron set out to visit his brothers. He found Water at home in the deep sea, and by him he was welcomed kindly enough. But when he climbed a mountain to see his second brother he had quite another reception. Fire was in a raging 20 mood. The terrible fellow leaped and roared and stretched out his long red fingers as though he would devour his visitor.
Iron was so terrified that he turned and fled down the steep slopes, never stopping nor pausing to look behind. 25 He ran on, hiding in clefts and chasms, creeping under rocks, and lurking in the dry beds of mountain torrents. When by and by he reached the level plain, he glanced backward. The hills and the whole mountain top were aflame. 30
Wild with terror he hurried on, hiding himself in the woods and under the roots of trees and resting at last in reedy marshes where swans build their nests and wild geese rear their young.
For ages and ages--nobody knows how many--Iron lay hidden in bogs and forests and lonely caverns. Fear of his raging brother made him lurk in lonely places, made 5 him cover up his face. Lazy bears went ambling through the rocky places; wolves rushed madly over the oozy marshlands; and timid deer ran and leaped among the trees. In time the hiding places of Iron were uncovered. Where the paws of bears had plodded often, where the feet 10 of wolves had pattered, where the sharp hoofs of deer had trodden, there the timid metal, red, gray, yellow, black, peeped shyly out.
At length into that same land there came a skillful Smith. He carried a hammer of stone in one hand and tongs of 15 bronze in the other, and a song of peace was upon his lips. On a green hillock, where the south wind blew, he built him a smithy, and in it he placed the tools of his craft. His anvil was a block of gray granite; his forge was carefully built of sand and clay; his bellows was made of the 20 skins of mountain goats sewn together.