Viking Boys Read online

  CHAPTER VI.

  "NOW EACH GOES HIS WAY."

  Some hours later Mr. Adiesen appeared at his own door laden with blocksof serpentine, fragments of lichen, moss, seaweed, and shells. Yaspardfollowed him into a little room which was doing duty as a study untilthe Den was restored to order, and as the scientist put down histreasures the lad said--in a trembling voice, be it confessed--"I wantto tell you about something, uncle; something I've been doing."

  "Well, go on," said Mr. Adiesen, not looking up, and in a very grimtone.

  "I--I--there used to be--I've heard you say--that our ancestors wereVikings; and I--I thought I'd be--a Viking."

  Yaspard got so far, and stuck. It was hard to go on telling of hisromantic fancy and wild escapade with that grave face before him.

  "You thought you'd be a Viking," Mr. Adiesen repeated calmly, thenpaused, and asked in ice-cold tones, "Well, what else do you wish tosay?"

  "I think it right to tell you--I feel I ought--even about what--Imean--in fun;--but, uncle," and again poor Yaspard came to a deadlock,and might never have made a satisfactory confession if help had notcome to him in the form of Signy.

  She had been hovering about the door in much trepidation, and, fearingthat her brother's courage might fail him, she stole to his side, puther hand in his, looked fearlessly at Uncle Brues, and said--

  "He has not done anything to be ashamed of, uncle; only we thought youought to know, because it came out of the feud partly."

  The Laird's brows came together in a frown, but he was very fond ofSigny. She was his one "weakness," Aunt Osla said, and said truly.

  "Let Yaspard speak for himself, my dear," her uncle answered gently,while his grim feature relaxed as he looked at her; and the boy, bracedby the touch of the little hand in his, blurted out--

  "I wanted to know the lads of Lunda, and have some fun, as they haveand most boys have; and I couldn't be friends with them because you hadforbidden that, so I took up the feud in a sort of way on my ownaccount, and determined to make raids upon them, and have fights(sham-fights) and do as the Vikings did--in a kind of play, of course.They are the enemy; and we could make-believe to slaughter and captureeach other, and----"

  Mortal man could stand no more than that. Mr. Adiesen, drawing hisbrows together savagely to hide his strong inclination to burst intolaughter, called his nephew by some not complimentary names, anddismissed him abruptly, saying, "Go along with you, and take your funany way you please. Only remember--no friendships with Lunda folk.Play with them under the black flag, if that gives you amusement; andsee that your Viking-craze keeps within the bounds of civilised laws."

  Yaspard escaped, rejoicing; but Signy lingered to ask, "Would youobject to taking prisoners, uncle?"

  "Child, let him prison every man and boy in Lunda if he likes--if hecan catch them."

  Signy flew to tell her brother of this further concession, and Mr.Adiesen shut the door upon himself. If the young folks had listenedoutside that door they would have heard a curious noise; but whether itmeant that the old man was growling to himself or suppressing laughter,we, who do not know Mr. Adiesen's moods very well, cannot tell.

  Yaspard was only too glad to get off so easily, and paused for nothing,but, racing off to his boat with Signy, was soon sailing up thevoe--not across, as before, for his destination was not Noostigard.

  Boden voe is very beautiful It curves between steep shores, and at oneplace narrows so much that you could almost touch either shore with asillack-rod from a boat passing through. When it is ebb-tide you canwalk dry-shod across this passage (called the Hoobes). Here the voeterminates in a lovely little basin, almost land-locked, and placid asa mountain tarn.

  Where the voe ends there is only a mere neck of land. It risesabruptly from both sides, and is crowned by a peak known as the Heogne.

  Under shelter of the Heogne, and commanding a magnificent view ofislands and ocean-wastes, stands the old dwelling of Trullyabister.Mr. Neeven was the cousin of Mr. Adiesen: he left Shetland in his earlyyouth, and no one heard whether he was alive or dead for thirty years.Then he returned to his native land, a gloomy, disappointed man, hardto be recognised as the light-hearted lad who had gone away to make afortune in California, and be happy ever afterwards. It seemed that hehad made the fortune, but the happiness had eluded him. He would giveno account of his life, and seldom cared to converse with any oneexcept Brues Adiesen, from whom he asked and readily obtained thehalf-ruined home of their fathers. Two or three rooms were madehabitable; the half-witted brother of James Harrison was hired asattendant; cart-loads of books were brought from the South (by whichvague term the Shetlanders mean Great Britain); and Gaun Neeven settledhimself in that wild, lone spot, purposing to end his days there. Hewas there when Yaspard was very small, therefore the boy alwaysassociated his hermit-relative with the "haunted" house of Boden; andas he grew older, and the romantic side of his character developedrapidly, he was greatly attracted to Trullyabister and its queeroccupants--fule-Tammy being, in his way, as mysterious a recluse as hismaster.

  Yaspard found a great many excuses for going to Trullyabister, althoughhe very rarely was permitted to enter Mr. Neeven's rooms, and was neverallowed near the "haunted" portion of the dwelling. But Tammy wasusually pleased enough to see him, and would entertain the boy withmany strange legends of the old house; for Tammy was shrewd andimaginative; his "want" exhibited itself in no outrageous manner, butrather in a kind of low cunning and feebleness of will. It was Tammy'stalent for story-telling, and his skill as a player of the violin,which drew Yaspard to him. Also the lad felt a kind of pity for thecreature, and tried, in his plain boy-fashion, to instruct him, andmake him "a little more like other folk."

  Signy did not like fule-Tammy: she did not like his sidelong, leeringexpression; and she always avoided him, notwithstanding her brother'soft-repeated declaration that the man "wasn't so bad as he looked."Therefore, when Yaspard moored the _Osprey_ at the head of the voe, andannounced his intention of running up the hill to have a word withTammy, Signy said--

  "I'll stay on the beach, brodhor. There are lovely shells about, and Ican gather a heap while you are away."

  "All right," said he, and up the hill he bounded, while Signy setherself to picking up shells. She was soon so interested in heroccupation that she forgot how time slips past, and was not aware thatYaspard had been absent a whole hour when he returned looking very muchannoyed.

  "Bother that fellow!" he said, as he helped Signy into the boat andtook his place at the oars.

  "You mean fule-Tammy?" she asked.

  "Of course. The impudence of _him_, to say I mayn't have anytumble-down bit of Trullyabister for a play-place! I had it all sonicely planned--to hide Gloy there, and bring our armour and our spoilthere. It was just the very place. It _is_ an old Viking's place--atleast one bit of it is said to be. But I'll circumvent fule-Tammy yet."

  "Why not ask permission from Mr. Neeven?" Signy ventured to suggest;but Yaspard shook his head.

  "He would not hear of such a thing. Besides, that would take all thesecrecy and dark plotting and fun out of it all. But, never mind, I'llhave my prisoner in Trullyabister in spite of everything."

  No cloud rested for many minutes on Yaspard's smooth brow, and verysoon he was laughing merrily as he pulled his boat along.

  As they neared Moolapund, Loki came slowly sailing homewards, and,feeling heavy and lazy after a long day's fishing, gravely dropped intothe boat, and looked at Yaspard as much as to say, "Your oars arebetter able than my wings at present."

  "Just look at the Parson! What a cool customer he is!" laughedYaspard. He had given Loki the nickname of "Parson" because of hiswhite choker and dignified visage.

  Just then another pair of dark-hued wings hove near, and Thor, themajestic raven which was Mr. Adiesen's particular pet, alighted on thebow with a croak so hoarse and solemn that Signy cried out, "Oh dear,how very eerie this is! How terribly grave Thor and Loki are! Theymake me feel creepy."
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  "I shall take them with me on some of my Viking raids," Yaspardexclaimed. "Just as the Vikinger did, you know. They always carried araven with them; and as for Loki--he can be an imp, or a Valkyrur. Itsounds quite fine, doesn't it?"

  Chatting gaily they reached the shore, and as soon as the boat touched,Thor and Loki flew off in stately flight to the house. Signy followedon foot, wishing she had wings; and Yaspard, shoving off again, wentacross to Noostigard.

  He had a hearty tea with the Harrisons. He was a great favourite inthe factor's house, and was always allowed to be there as much as hepleased, for Mrs. Harrison was a religious as well as judicious woman,and exercised a very wholesome influence over the somewhat spoilt andwayward boy.

  Her sons had told her all about the expedition to Havnholme, and shewas delighted when Yaspard informed them that Uncle Brues had notdisapproved.

  "Ye mun bring puir Gloy _here_ before ye pit him in prison," shelaughingly called out, when twilight came and the three boys set offfor the geo.

  When they were out of hearing the factor remarked with a thoughtfulsmile, "It's a strange way the young anes hae o' turning trouble intaefun, and makin' guid come oot o' ill."