The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-04
MARE SWALLOW.
A Steed Who Figured in
English History.
HER LIFE AND TRAGIC END.
She Served the Last of the English
Faithfully, and Her Bones Lie
in the Peat TO This Day.
written for THE MORNING CALL.


OF all the famous horses we read of in
history Mare Swallow has always been my
fayorite You remember that she was,
through all the active years of his life, the
trusted friend aud helper of Hereward the
Wake, uereward, the son of Lady Godiva
of Coventry, whose great deed for her peO-
pie Tennyson has sung. and OF LeOfric, the
great Earl Of Mercia and Chester; Here
ward, the wayward boy, whose own mother
caused lis uuuawry for some boyish out
rage against one of her priestly friends.
and who, in the time Of Edward the Con-
lessor, was sent a wanderer from bonnie
England, that so needed his strong arm and
keen sword, and instead of becoming Lord
Of Bourne and the Kings good man, as he
should have done, became wv offs Head"
and went north TO seek his fortunes in
stranger countries.
Much we know of Hereward from the
chronicles of William of Malmesbury, and
from Kingsley's great story; how he slew
the great bear and succ0red the Princess or
Cornwall; how he was wrecked upon the
Flanders shore and won the love OF Tor
frda the wise; how lie went to war in
ScaldmaTland and gained the magic armor
how he took the news from Stanford Brig
and Hastings, and how, when he sailed for
England. once and for all. he found there a
wiser man than himself; how, when he had
become false 10 himself and to 1orfrlda,
the wise and the faithful he lost Mare Swal-
low, lost sword brain bitter. and, becoming
the man at last Of him who in the days of
his honorable strength lie had scoTnfully
called ''the tanners grandson" got his
souls pTicP, and at the last had no one but
daft Martin LightfoOt 10 take down his
bn. ba III af,
ornamented the gate ut Bourne. and take ii
back TO CrOwland TO Torfrida, whose name
he had died shouting.
And with him died the last of the English
TO stand against the cunqutror. Al those
who had his spirit left in them, we are told
fed to the merry greenwood and became
bold outlaws. with ROBIN Hood, Scarlet and
Little John, Adam Bell and Clyne of the
Cleugh and William OF CloudeSlee, aud
watched the N0Tmans strive among them
selves ana well-nigh make shipwreck of the
land they had gained.
But about Mare Swallow.
1t was of Dirk Hammerbead, the richest
mau in Walcheren. that Hereward won her.
The story goes that Dirk sat at his house
door watching his herd of horses in the
pen, drinking his ale and thanking Thor
and Odn that owing to his princely supply
of horses TO Princess Gertrude Robert the
Prison and his Christian Franks had not
harried him to the bare walls, as they
looked at tie horses some half mile of he
saw strange commotion among them, and
striding over the pen to see its occasion be-
held a wonderful sight. There running
about on all tours was a long, lean man eat
ing grass and Deighing like a horse He adj
vanced 10 break tie mans head ith his
staff, wheTeupOn the stranger kicked up MS
hind legs like horse into the face of Dirk
and ran away with astonishing speed.
'Beest thou man or devil| cried Dirk.
Ia -.
In bad trlSlaD, snoring and neighing meau-
while.
Dick hesitated. and began to wish he
were, having heard that the sign of the
cross was Of great efficacy in driving away
fends but the Thing gave him nc chance
10 lie about il.
Thou art not Christian? Thou belevest
in Thor and Odln9 Then there is hope"
Hope Of what?" Toared Dirk. more scared
than ever. "Of my sister" I've no mans
sister here cried the Tristan. cat least
my wlfe's brother is dead But
the Thing interrupted. and told the
frightened worshper of Thor and
Odin now that his sister had been
by magic turned into gray mare, as ugly
as the damsel had been beautiful but
swifter than a swallow on the wing: that
he had been told that lie would find her in
the field of one who worshiped the old
gods. lie, too, had been Transformed into
horse anG sold to merchant, from whom
be escaped, and bathing in a magic fountain
had been restored and was now seeking his
sister He claimed 10 have found her ia the
gulse OF certain mare tEen running in
DIX s field. Il see, | see," be cried, run
ming toward her My mothers eyes, my
fathers nose"
king, them. grinned Dirk to himself.
The mares nose is as big as a buck
basket"
But he denied his visitors claim and
protested stoutly that the mare was A mare
and nc enchanted princess. and he had paid
honest money for her. and how could she
be princess with a foal running at her
side? and he swore by all the gods the
mare should not leave him. Then the
stranger proceeded TO call down malpdic-
dletlons from all the saints upon this FRS
ian heather who kept in durance vile a
Catholic princess. Dirk was in terror, for
he feared the evil eye. Mercy" he cried.
"but It's hard that man should lose money
because a rogue sells him princess in
disguise"
Then the visitor urged him to sell the
mare to the first Christian who came along,
else in less than a month the seven wears
OF her enchantment would expire and she
would resume her natural form and with
her son disappear forever from bis field
The foal be declared TO be the child of her
foe. an enchanter who had disguised him
self as horse, because he had been unable
to win and WOO her when both were in
human form, and had thus further wrought
her ruin. Then, threatening dire evil to
Dirk, the Thing departed. leaving him to
curse the mare and the man who had sold
her t. him.
Next day shabby traveller rode to Dirk's
door. locking for horses for the priests OF
his master. the Lord Bishop of Utrecht.
Here was Dirk's chance, and though the
horse-buyer demurred at the idea of colt.
he persuaded him to go down to the fens and
look at Mare Swallow. The trader jeered
at her roandly, for. according to the old
chronicle, the mare was as ill-favored as
she was swift. She had great chuekle-
head. like bucket; her TANKS were tucked
up like the TANKS of greyhound-her quar-
ters, too. dropped like those of lean
hound. and her tail was SO low-set
and badly carried that she almost APP
peared to have none. 'She's all head
and ne tail" quoth the stranger. Where
at Dirk became uneasy lest the prin-
cess should take offense. Here, lass. -
he called to her. though he was really
afraid of her, and was greatly relieved whef,
she obeyed bis cali. Respectfully he
mounted her and began showing her PAGES
to the buyer There was no doubt of her
powers. and the stranger was forced 10 adj
NIT that, ugly as she was, she could gallon
bit. After some hagging Dirk, who was