Sigurd and His Brave Companions: A Tale of Medieval Norway

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.HE moon rode high, and in the east the stars were paling, when they came to the bridge by the saeter. It was so cold that white puffs of steam hovered around the bodies of the horses, and the air had a strange, cold smell that Sigurd imagined must be the smell of morning. With difficulty Sigurd got off the mare. He took off the mantle, and was careful not to drop the lantern nor the bell; but he was so stiff, his whole body ached with weariness and cold. Sira Eirik waited by the sseter door, tall and silent, and motioned to Sigurd to precede him into the room, ringing the bell. 94 T Sigurd 6- His Brave Companions Inside, it was almost pitch dark; only a small heap of red embers glowed and flickered on the hearth. When Sigurd lighted the lantern he saw Ivar and Helge, huddled in a corner of the bunk, as far from the bed of the stranger as they could possibly retire. Ivar looked pale and drawn; Helge's face was swollen with weeping , his hair dark and damp upon his cheeks. The man in the bed seemed changed in some strange way. His nose had grown big and prominent; the nostrils looked as if they had been pinched, and his closed eyes had sunk deep into his head. For a moment Sigurd felt as if his heart stopped beating. Surely, he must be dead. But then he heard him breathe fitfully, laboriously . Sira Eirik lifted his hand and made the sign of the cross towardsthe four corners of the room: "Oremus, et deprecemur Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, ut benedicendo henedicat hoc tabernaculum et omnes habitantes in eo." He beckoned to Sigurd to moveforward with the lantern. Leaning over the dying man, Sira Eirik felt his pulse, touched his forehead, and looked down on the dark, handsome, and haughty face, in surprise. The stranger opened his eyes. "I see you recognize me, Priest." "I do, Herra Andres Peterson. I saw you with King 95 Sigurd if His Brave Companions Haakon at his coronation, and I saw you in Nidaros, four years ago." "Listen, Priest, your name is Eirik Halsteinsson, is it not? The boys said so, I think. Listen, Sira Eirik, I know I am dying. My time is running out. You must hear my confession, and afterwards, if there is time, I will confess before witnesses. I'll tell all about the wrongs which I charge you to see are put right." The priest nodded. "You will have to stay outside in the milk chamber, boys, while I hear his confession. But, Ivar, before you go, mend the fire, and go out and put the horses in the stable, and fetch my saddlebags. There are some candles in it. We had better have more light." When Ivar returned with the saddlebags, the priest whispered, "Can you find the twoflasks?In the big one there is wine. Pour it into a vessel and empty the small black bottle into it." When Ivar approached with the wooden bowl—it was the only drinking cup he could find—the priest lifted the head of the sick man and made him drink. "This will strengthen your heart, Herra Andres, and help you to live until I can giveyou the last sacraments." Herra Andres drank greedily, and soon a faint shadow of color seemed to rise in his wizened face. "Now, children, go out into the milk chamber and stay 96 Sigurd 6- His Brave Companions there, till I call you. Push the door shut and sit down against the farther wall, lest by mischance, you should overhear some words of his confession.You may take a candle with you, and pray for Herra Andres, while you wait." The candlelight did not make the deserted milk chamber look less depressing. The three boys crouched on the dirt floor. "And how did you fare?" Sigurd whispered. Helge buried his face in his hands and began to cry softly. Ivar grew pale and caught his breath. "He—we were frightened—I believe he was convulsed once, and then we believed—oh, I