Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-03-25

him stripping. 1Ouln anu q HBDb
heart carry ths ship against head gale
when age and sorrow drive under torn
canvas "
Thoroh sighed and turned again to
look at the green hillside, the white fig
ure and the dark fir trees beyond, but
some of the rowers heard through the
rumble of their oars the sob that burst
its way between Gudmund's lips.
To those watching from shore the ship
was lessening fast, and the oarsmen' 3
song faded into the tapping Of water
along the beach. Now she had passed
the headland, and they saw her rise and
fall with the long heave of the open
sea. Now the wet oars flashed in the
sun as the rowers tossed them inboard,
and running forward loosed the great
square sail that bellied from the yard.
Twice the canvas tapped, then, sheeted
home, it stood taut and full, while the
good ship. heeling beneath it, plowed
steadily southwark.
The haze had cleared before the fresh
eea wind, and the ocean lay blue and
sparkling in the sunlight. Thorlinda
stood alone, her grave eyes watching
the CLEAN of the sail until it sank from
sight, and the empty, peaceful ocean
gave no sign of the storm which was to
drive that keel far into unknown waters.
Noon lay heavy over southern land
"a land shady with groves of palm and
fruit trees, scented with thick odors,
washed about Its shores by a cloudless
sea. Upon a dazzling stretch of sand
Gudmund sat silent, looking out across
the ocean-an ocean such as he had new
or known in his northern home, for its
waters were of deep and glowing pur-
pie, like the light upon mountain peaks
at sunset, and in place of the thunder
crash of a Norwegian surf low ripples
curled unanimously along the shore.
Gudmund was no longer youth. His
face was older and thinner than ON that
day when they had left the ford.
He sat now with his chin upon his
hand slowly tracing with the tip of his
scabbard woman's face upon the
sand. Throughout his boyhood he had
looked up to his brother as drawer and
stronger than himself, as always doing
the deeds he merely longed to do. Yet
now, sunk in the languor of this new
land, Thorolf had still delayed sailing,
and the vikings ship lay on the beach
like stranded sea monster, her planks
gaping open in the fierce sun.
To Gudmund, gazing seward with
empty eyes, there arose dream of his
own northland. The ford glimmered
gray between black walls of rock; the
snowy land lay white and silent in the
winter twilight, darkened with long
violet shadows upon the eastward hills.
Here and there breath of smoke rose
skyward from some half buried grange.
Again he saw their fathers hall-the
hearth with great logs roaring in red
| flame, the long tables where house
carries laughed and clattered the mead
horns, and high up ON the dais the rud-
dy face and beard Of the old viking
browning the feast, Thorlinda at his
side.
While he unused his brother came from
among the shades Of the thicket seeking
him and threw an arm in kindly way
about his shoulders.
why, Gudmund, were the dark girls
shy, or are you unkind to them?" he
asked.
IT dreamed of home, IS said the youn-
ger duly. How soon do we sail?"
Thorof pushed him roughly away.
"That again? You are an ungrateful
fool who would wander from good
! land to worse. Yet, take the men and
go. I shall stay"
Glow shah greet the home folk
from you, an honorless man, and your
troth to Thorlinda?"
Thorolf scowled, and his hand flew to
his swordless side. Nothing rouses the
wild beast so quickly in the mind of a
weak man as when another steps in to
help his better angel in the losing fight.
Anger famed hot in Thorolf S face as he
sprang forward, but Gudmund's sword
flashed bare, and for the first time the
elder man gave back and shrank from
leaping with clinched hands against n
leveled blade. His glance, which had
ever been stead and as keen as steel
when swords were drawn, changed to q
heavy look, and he lowered his eyes be-
fore the scorn of his brothers. gaze.
Then as the brute within him rose in
final triumph over his better self he
turned away with a laugh.
go to the cold northern land. Go
yourself and shiver between Thorlinda' s
arms. he cried out and strobe back into
the musky shade.
/
Once again the long dragon ship lay
ready to sail. OF her crew some had
been lost at sea, some had died. and
some had wandered away with savage
maidens far into the inland valleys Yet
still a remnant were eager to follow
Gudmund homeward They were rich
with the gold of that land. They could
buy fields and farms in their ewn coun-
try and pass their old age in peace. For
five days they had been working hard
Gudmund hardest of all-calking the
seams of the old warship, filling the
water casks and victualing her with sun
dried fish and fruit and such meat as
they could get
Thorof, with his dark mistress, had