Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-02-02
CHAPTER ".

Wo crept out by the green island OF
Thymnoes, where the white sheep were
feeding to the waters edge, and past
Goddo on our right, and the long, black
shore OF Bommels on the left and 80 by
many green ICELAND and dark rock out
into the spray and fresh salt wind went
joyfully lurching the old Sea Wolf. The
frothy pillow Of the foam glittering
under her prov, and behind the green
wall Of the Norway pines, and the gray
rocks, and the sweet sea surge that
tumbled forever at their feet and threw
It's white arms up as though, lover-lllte,
1t would enace Its silver fingers with
the green hair of the noddng Breaches
overhead. Down went our gallant shore,
down peak, and pine, and point, and as
the great black bosom OF our mother
sea opened to us, her flrstling sons,
proudly We turned our faces west
ward and each eye grew bright at
thought of the plumber to come, and
each heart beat high as we smelt the
incense Of fight in tho strong breath Of
the sea. OH but was proud as, my
hand on the pulsing tiller that throbbed
under the racing surges not less loudly
than my heart, stood by the high stern
and led the wild, free song to Odin.
wherewith my gallant company Knocked
the waves-proud Oh, the salt spray
rises again in these old eyes of mine
but to remember the fierce wine Of life
that usurped my blood and flew here
and there in my young veins that day;
this cold mind Of mine burns again but
to recall the ecstasy OF the unfettereo
passions that then beset me; but to
think for an ungodly minute on those
splendid vistas Of unbridled lust and
cruelty and raplne which dazed my
soul.
Well! 1t Is over, and do wrong even
to remember, No more the salt wind
takes the war song Of Ulla, like her
aid Of death, to the land of the stranger;
no more for him is the joyful rattle of
the ranged shields Gathering on his
vessels side as she stoops to the steep
blue valleys Of the midland sea; no
more the old Vikings plough shall turn
that frothy furrow he did once delight
in; no more the lovely smoke OF burn
ing thorps shall rise from Ulla's torch
to 0din's footstool; no more his stern
sci staggers homeward through tho
yeast and spume, and every swirl of
the cold dark water spinning enviously
against her laboring side tell Of rich
plumber hid within. 1t Is over for me,
but 1t was noble frenzy while it lasted.
All that noon Of our setting out we
plunged before favoring wind across
the salt water, and by the second even
Ing the wave began to wear another color
as the sea shealed up to the British
Shore At the same time the breeze
gave out with the sun and we took to
our sweeps, and all night long under
the starlight the Sea Wolf cIept silently
and secretly into the land. In the gray
Of the morning that followed q haze
grew up and under the curtain of the
white sea mist that lay soft and heavy
as wool on the gently rocking sea we
heard the sound Of the waves beating
on the dim North Umbrian shore. We
approached as close as we dared, and
then waited for the sun, rolling an idle
hour or two on the smooth, long heave
OF the swell, and, in the dead silence,
listening to the chatter of the wild fowl
and the laugh Of the kittiwake on the
unseen cliffs; or the chafe and creak Of
an oar now and then in the rowlocks
and the hiss OF the water swirling gem
thy against our sides. So sJill lay the
Sea Wolf in the shadow Of the morning
mist that the shy grebes and speckled
divers came padding all about her
and stared with eyes bead black with
wonder to see the silver mist turn on a
Gtt16an into a NuinfnI hull with roplrnJ
oars, and great damp sail aflap against
the ruddy mast, and golden dragon head
shifting the chill morning air aloft, and
grim warriors leaning on battle-ax and
spear crowding her deck. And strange
fish swan tapping round, and the swift
gannet's white pinions stirred Hafdan's
llstless flag as she swept unheeding by
through the milky haze. No man among
us spoke until on sudden the curling
wavelets in the east sparkled with liquid
fire, the hanging shroud of Wilderness
flushed with a yellow radiance, q
strange, bright light shone through the
green crested waves, and as the free,
sweet breath Of the morning drifted
down upon us, and each man drank Of it
deep and silently, the curtain OF the
night was lifted, and the yellow feet of
the sun came striding over the black
plains of the restless northern sea.
Silent and deep we laughed with
pleasure, and my grim, stout fellows
shook the mist-beads from their tawny
lips, then--muttering prayer to Odln
again the white water fretted under
the stern Of our ship and the long, slow
dip Of the oars fell with a pleasant
sound on the calm of the morning.
Round under the rugged knees of great
cliffs crept the Wolf, so secret and
swift that the speckled looms stood
agape in rows to watch the golden
dragon head go dipping by their lonely
eyries, and the blue pigeon on her cav
,ern shelf astride of her white eggs
stood wonderstruck and forgot to fly
thus she went across the mouth OF love-
ly bays and under grassy headlands and
big bights fringed with endless lonely
meadows and past fair estuarles where
rank fields of westral crops were all
awaste between neglected woodlands
and southwark constantly for many an
hour, but nothing could we see to sack
or burn. Noon came and went, and the
warm sweat glazed the sinewy fore
arms of my gallant rowers until at
last I saw them begin to turn their
bronze faces over their hitheT
shoulders and angrlly scan the ruined
shore and swear deep between their
strong white teeth; swear at the Dane
who had swept this fair country so
clean, swear at Biorn Grimsar, aud
Hakonson the avaricious, and Inge the
bloody, and Guthern OF Hagbard, who
had pillaged here last autumn and