The Advocate-Democrat. (Crawfordville, Ga.) 1893-current, July 30, 1897, Image 2
THE STORY OF ULLfl / i i Told at the/Edge of the Northern Sea, and Written for This Paper. o LY i5I>\VIN LESTER ARNOLD. CHAPTER IV. We cTept out by tl - green Island d Thymy;*>i*i,, where the white sheep wen feedieg to the water’s edge, and pas) God/io on ur right, and the long, blael shore of Bom me Is on the loft, and so b many a green oelaud and <lark rock on Into the , pray and fresh salt wind wen Joyfully lurching the old fiea Wolf. Th frothy pillow of the foam giltterin/ under her prow, und behind 1he gree* wail of the Norway pines, and the gra; rocks, an 1 the sweet sea surge tlia tumbled forever at their feet ami thru’ Its white arms up as though, lover-likt it would enlace its sliver fingers wit the green hair of the nodding brache overhead. Gown won tour gallant shore down peak, and pine, and point, und a the great black bosom of our motho 'proudly sea opened to us, tier firstling sons we turned our faces west ward and each eye grew bright a' thought of the plunder to come, an/ each heart boat high as wo smelt tin Incense of fight in the strong breath o the son. Oh! nut I was proud as, ra; hand on the pulsing tiller that throbbo* under the racing surges not less loudl; j than my hi-nrt., I stood by the high sterr and led the wild, free song to Odin wherewith gallant ’ my company rnocke/ the waves proud! Oh, tho salt spray j rises again in these old eyes of min* but. to remember the fierce wine of ,lifi j that usurped my blood ami flew horr and there in my young veins that day ! this cold mind of mine burns again bu to recall the ecstasy of the unfotterer ! passions that then besot me; but ti * think for an ungodly minute on thus* 1 splendid vistas of unbridled Just an/ j cruelty and rapine which dazed mi " soul. AVoil! it is over, and I do wrong evci to remember. No more the salt win/ takes the war song of Ulla, like a her aid of death, to the land of tile stranger no more for him is the joyful rattle o the ranged shields clattering on lit vessel's Hide as she stoops to the stoe| blue valleys of the midland non; 1)1 more the old viking's plough shall tun that, frothy furrow ho did onoe deligb in; no more the lovely smoke of burn¬ ing thorps shall rise from Ella's torcl to Odin's no more his heart shall melt, to pleasure as his ves sol staggers homeward through tin yeast and spuino, and every swirl d the cold dark water spinning enviousl; ugulnst her laboring side tell of riel ! >lunder hid within. It is over for me tut it was a noble frenzy while All that noon of our settlo w plunged b- f',’-- 1 ,, J*tiai ~ a aUTWater. nTTW liy the second even lng the wave began to wear another nolo ae the sea shoaled up to tho Britisi shore. At the untno tlmo tho breow gave out with the sun and wo took h our sweeps, and all night long undo tho starlight tho Soa Wolf crept silent!; awl secretly info the land. In the gra; of the morning that followed a Imz grew up and under tho curtain of* th ■white sea mist that lay soft and hoav; as wool on tho gently rocking soa w Bo uni the sound of tho waves beatln, on the dim North Umbrian shore. W approached ns close as wo dared, am then waited for the sun, rolling an idli hour or two on the smooth, long heav. of tho swell, and, in the dead silence listening to the chatter of the wild few and the laugh of the klttiwako on th unseen cliffs; or the chafe and i reak o an oar now and then In tho rowlock and tbe hins ot tho water swirling gen tly /igjiinnt our sides. So still lay th 8e» Wolf in tho shadow of tho niorninj mist that tho shy grobos and speckle* divers came paddling nil about he and stored with eyes bead black wili wonder to see the silver mist; turn on sudden Into a painted damp gall hulk with ranko oars, and great affap agains? the ruddy mast, and golden dragon hea snifllng the chill morning air aloft , an grim warriors loaning on battle-ax an spear crowding her de k. Ami strung fish swam lapping pinions lound, and the Hafdnn' swif gannet*s white stirred listless Hag as she swept unheeding am,,,,; b; through tho milky haze Neman un spoke until on a sudden the curlin. wavelets in the cast sparkled with whltenes Uqui fire, the hang ug shroud or flushed with a yellow radiance, strange, bright light shone through th green-created waves, un i as tho frc< sweet breath of the morning drift* down upon us, aud each man drank of ' deep and silently, the curtain of th night was lifteil ami the vellow feet < the sun came striding over the blao plains of the restless northern sea. Silent and deep w«* laughed wit pleasure, and my grim, stout follow shook the mist-beads from their lawn lips, then —muttering n prayvr to Odl — again the white wattr fretted unde the stern of our ship and the long, slot : din of the oars fell with a pleasan sound on the calm of the uioruin* Bound under the rugged knees of grea cliffs crept i ue Wolf, so secret an sw'ift that tii,* speckled i,H>ns stoo* agape in rows to watch the guide dragon head go dipping bv their lonel evries. and the blue pigeon on her eav era s o,! astride of her white egg stood wonders truck and forgot to tty- , thus she went across tho mouth of love iv bavs and under grassy headlands an ! - big bights fringed with endless lomd meadows and past fair estuaries wher rank fields of westral crops were a' I a waste between neglected woixiland | and southward constantly for many sai a hour, but nothing could we see to or burn. Noon came and went, and th warm sweat glared the sinewy for. -v. of ZI i^Uat - rowers until t • --------- — last I saw them begin to turr the bronze fa'-es ovi-r their filth *i shoulders shore and and angrily scan the ruinei white swear deep between theil strong teeth; swear at the Dan* j who had swept this fair country ; clean, swear at liiom Grlmear, •up. : Hakonson the avaricious, and Inge th# j bloody, and Gutbern of Hagbard, wht had pillaged here last autumn am wiped out maid and matron, croft an< 'astle, and left nothing for any honest viking who came after them. Ay! i was sad, we thought, to see so sweet i country so void of life, and we pullec on southward for many miles, looking j now on the sunny shore made by natur« to be rich and happy, and yet had noth big on It to burn or plunder, and thei trning sadly to our piles of blooJIesI words and battle axos, our empt; reasure boxes and untenantod rows o! ron fetters for the white anklos of fait fritish girJs. We had rowed on like this, cursing Biorn and Inge and Ilakon* son uli the morning, arid had seer nothing but the blackened ruins of i low villages upon the hillside, when Hipping by one lonely promontory, w* taw upon tho rocks a mad ok woman, sad-eyed and lean an/ pinched, solo remnant of somr pillaged English hamlet, wh< tnew ns for what we wer< ipon tho instant as she gathered hei poor harvest on the beach and leaped ipon a rock aud cursed us fiercely ou' if the black reservoir of her despai; mil hatred, cursed us for pirates ant yrants, asked where were tho two-yel ow-hnirod girls we stole ten years ago t here lior two tall sons, where her bus hind and her kin, and tossed her tangle/ ticks upon the wind and yelled am tried until, as we crept by, Thoralf o rtsund took a javelin from the hea; ipon tho deck and mocked her. “Where pu foul old sea hag? Where? Why lown In hell. Go thero and look.” Am mm^> '-r>‘ n r2:3.v " \ A'v'x - '* ■'.{ -"'mv fuiMirvii;: Ju fit \ i t “TUB JAVKI.m VI.KW XSD TOO TRUE.* is ho spoko tho javelin flew, and, tor (rue, struck its mark and pierced dec| nto the old crone's withered bosom, md with hatred a scream she of surprise an/ leathloss spun round upot ier heels and grinned and staggeie/ md then plunged headlong into the set it her feet, and as we passed her erim ton blood was spreading in a great re/ mol upon the dark heave of the smooti lowing surf. I know not whether it were true, ai ome among my comrades thought, tha hat thin old blood spilt so would brin/ is luck, but presently it is true enougl re had another sign, for a raven can; lying off from the land and circle* omul us and foil into our wake behind md as the black wings of Odin's friem nd messenger went Hupping overborn i new spirit was born in my fierce crew They stretched their hands to heavet md shouted with one voice a vers* rum out tho raven war song, then dowt hey went and with new eourag* tret hed them to their oars unti he red viking flag streamed brave I j *ut astern and the shields rattle. '‘-'fuily . and the . water . , lay m a wht ... , the low -dipping gumial, ,l ’V, 0 ol d ^' a ", '‘i" 1 bay ai }' ieadland , slipped by. \Ve had come mt< ‘ Peopled 1 country, kept when fore-watel on t " }° our flapped his hand upon his thigh an. -'Tied: A burgh, a burgh, and not ye dundercil. And there, following th, /omt of his eager finger, we saw, thre, tiiios away, a strong hall upon a rockj promontory, with trees and meads about t green and fair, and sheep upon th* liIls an,i clustering huts lot-*w al iweet and , peaceful, and a little harooi -everything, indeed, that could g.a i t 'iking heart; and, truly grateful, ", hanked the bird that had brought u; ortune, and paused in a little creek U ‘ait lor nightfall. Allthe afternoon the longsutp lay om -f sight m the little cavern l ax Witt green-tasseied with hanging trasses, nearly meeting oxerh, nd, an the smooth swell of the wate «‘»ving the long tangles of sea gra-* md weeds, and idiv reflecting the stori aces and golden mail of tftat grim erev *» board lolling about upon the deck o tangingover the loaded bulwark to watel h '’ shining fishes at play deep dowr *«lbw. Mho would ha-.e thought thai fretty shadow listlessly rolling there ol he heave cf the wave was bent on suet *“ errand? It was so still as we lay creened in the cover that you coulc j lPa ’' the .arks sing ng to themselves *‘k h “P n blue over the cliff grass ,he bubw * of ‘ ho wat er 11 ; he crevices of the rocks allround , us | was *o suil that presently (ius m,> ! lOtrmy grew wearisome to my fierce ant tented spirit. I chafed and turnec impatiently watched the sue h seemed as though it would set, until at iast a happy MB entered into my head—1 testei so and spy this burgh we were it to tlan r gee how big and strong was, ' o «r many men held it and how much roiflt wo were like to come by in th< enlture. With this fancy in my mind 1 .... ouped my handsome sleepy fellow's, vhA at my voice stretched their great imibs where thev had lain sleeping on he rowers' benches or turned their eyes rt gazing on the shining sea to look jlil % another and say wholly “Ulla is mad!’ mad) yo |Ula Erlingson how is the madness ‘i pointed out Itl vantage us, how greatly it would ,* to know the lie and nature of . ' h 4i§bd, y’mother how I could should disguise not know myself sc me, mis? ’earn and see all I could and b« H In with them safe and sound, ling on a gibbet above the of cave them something no* ■**j_I ag Sarp of Keyr said—be tori wilight fell. f I j 1 CHAPTER -- v. i fellows that they were jjXy wrave V pleased them, and forth* * (disguised as a ragged out U slouch hat and sorry coal Btered legs, with worn wolf " my yellow hair was knot « ridden in my can. mi- fac< VI ■th ■pay and lean w:th good ash Yed- and H>re a little paint or two upon my naked 1 ^S, HBhs might come by want and and with a touch of red and I nano to iook most hideously d had new i J.’jm, i healed seemed wound or when two it upon don/ _________ I was fcy&M , .srable and lean ami put so pititu into my voice ami leant so ffUMvikings t Ylfon my long ash a-laughing, staff tha - ail ami my fell “riiS'wAd 80 loud they hushed the dr her nt 0 the blue pigeon brooding on md started the shaggy, green yed 1 ha crows from their rocky pin iacla iwe'.ll '1 a mile away, and then they I me to a landing, and with jest nd Re advice sent me on my danger us band. fas It | a sweet place, that Englist mrg Even now, long years after, I •id jl wrinkled, still dream in the win er Utts of the warm incense of tha; tftei Ron, and how the grateful sui ire' fragrance from out the earth, .nd hi >w sweet the yellow meadow flow irs dk’lA smell about it, and how the ap eross® ies bifiossomed on tho hanger; and thu my evening vision even now then omes lathe Hand black reek of its burning hatch the hot steam of the blood it he htfLH by tho banquet tables—ay, 1 on jut 1 f* again all these years after ir estlesHR slumber the shine of its many oofs H fi-basking in the April sun, the ilue-ev Led children rolling in frolic sport ibout £ !e grassy court—the twittering ove i ?s i . -* ot the new-come swallows on he i IfSfe * ; ridge—and then athwart mj black column of av’eueiiu m WT '* Y? iuthe star- .ef.ping lit midnight U----Tofl^i *■ &x crim ■ ! tom f e spring up, and the fierce, ;asp ig cry of stricken men, the plerc ng a frek of women, and affright the low wai ole *f butchered little ones my md unstrung cars! Ayj it seemed a sweet place that un ouched. ancient English citadel and as I lobbied out from the hazels humble md decrepit as became me, craved itt lospitulity. All inland stretching rway into the dim blue distance lay ertile fields and woods, shining greenet han any other woods can shine, wit! trooks and streams between them flash ng in the light, aud splendid herds, moiighto feast an army for a year, kne< leep in the many colored grasses, anc hen all this richness swept round bi ^°^°l a Siy^ihg ho prince s castle stood. It stood up n the very topmost flat of the hill, ant ras approached from below by a rougi rack fashioned of beams laid side by ide, which circled up through tho gors. nd fern to its outer fence. Getting ecretl°y tone' n noang U ver,* r as and" 0 I leu! wmhstmffi "arne anc th! of co soon to ,rst sweep of outer stockade. This wa; , great circle of pointed timbers slopins ■utward ojver a ditch from the crest of all earthen rampart—strong fence, in ;eed, and one that twenty men migh old against a hundred. I enterei 1,rough the ope., gate of this and righ n front rose another rampart and an it her palisade that made me sigh t< ■ i ook ota—I had to walk half-way befon roun i | 1 he grassy flat between these two j j found a gate to pass the second tin; | | >ers. But this latter entrance gainec | t made nie master of the place. Thos ! two tall fences, strong in oaken tim tors, mossy gates and iron rivets, shu I n the whole hilltop, of which the othe i mundary was the sheer cliffs ths j Iropped steep down into the Hea below j in ,j a ii thi^ space was lull of sheds an wildings, aud huts and houses, au canaries of corn and staeKs of t, dd • or th» beasts, and corn for soldiers, an iere a thrashing floor, and th* re a we vitjj rope aha bucket, yonder a row c | ,yens and ai drinking trough and muc ; *l a e. Then.came a grassy green an lext, along 1 the verge, a littie aloo so:n all, tbe prince's house. A fin ride house it stood upon the crag, wib erraces and; courts, doors and windows .trong etonei outer walls and timber* < .rches, a gaWiy p’ace, indeed, with thi u n shining on it, a good wind-eoci wirling ;ic• *qt. red fish-tail tiles upo; roots, br.jss studs upon the doors nd a colonnade round it with wide pro joting ea •-.*-: supported by unsmoothe, illars of oak! to which solid oak log: jade steps all round. Partly behinf hi- was th- toirer Strong place of the fort. ; „[J, rough of solid masonry risinj heer into the air on the very verge o he cliff from j the More peaceful dwell ng places arojmd, and grim and * th* lowless trowupng down feet into rhite surge tR&t broke and thundered ar below. 1 ...... As I entered this burgh a few chiidrea rere plav nit dboot uvon the grass auc ome women jwere gtimbur; y-r-, -E * tone miil at one place, while at anothei , voung and fair serving maid was spill¬ ing flax upon the steps of the chief's ousc. A dog or two lay basking in the an, and as they saw me and fell a-bark lg the damsel stopped her under spinning, the io corn mill came to a stop ands of the old crones, and the litth ,aes fled to cover like a flock of'startled arlridges. But 1 looked harmless mough, a ragged1 fellow there* by th* ate, gaunt and humble, and presently eeing they were reassured I advancer iowlv and begged of the younger wit coulc wo ia n in the meanest whine my caster a drink of milk and an outer ake to stay my hunger. That fair for ,1cm r got up and took me into the hall -and a splendid hall ^ ^as-and pu re at the servant s tressel, then calling orne others, set milk and bread before ae. So I ate and irank and all the time ;ept counting the golden plates and iwers on the master's distant table and .canning his weapons or costly furs umg round the hail, and thinking how nueh my ship could carry home. Ay, md as each fair damsel filled my horn »nd platter, asking me in gentle civility ;he while of my home and wayfaring, (jttle did she know that I was wonder (ng how much she would fetch at the (lave stakes in Throndjemmarket place, • tr whether she would scream greatly lint night or no. Indeed, those comely, j dvii ed-haired had English they not maidens been barbarians were so that aid thus to us what the hinds of tha alley are to the hill wolves and tho j peckleil salmon to the gray ospreys I eight almost have rued the red night 3 j , rork that was at hand. But as things 1 rere, I should have blushed as soon to i iiink myself compassionate as coward, j ,nd thus I laughed and chatted with hem, and while I finished my bowl earned of those incautious women ongues that all the men were away aland; that the women and chil | ren from all round came in and he palisades were closed at nightfall, nd saving some half-dozen herders here were to be no men in the burgh hat night. I learnt that their master lad a fair daughter, though I saw her lot. as she was then spinning with her uaidens in the turret; that the master ra 3 wondrous rich, but old and feeble, ,nd thus, having learned all I hoped for, rith a last quick look round the place, I | use to go. As I turned one gentle j j j i j < a m & ; i «i n. j . M I FA --TfiVUci I I fl s / j jpi/ JJrt/. l&J | I * jj V | K*| I tUd, 5 wCA. g-v-—^ « tarewell,.’ she said.* ____ ^ a S ij ver penny that she had a ken from a little store in the corner of ier thread box into my hand. “Fare reli," she said, “old man, and may the (00 d God guide you; it ever grieves my ,eart to see one poor and hungry,” and hat penny ¥ as put out at good interest, or that’very Esavbd night, when the burgh was , urnin ® her from the brief rooiu of Vidkun the rough, and, lead her t0 tl)e fog3j showed her the coin md, pointing to the dark shade of tha tickets, let her go free and unharmed, ^ ^ hem r |to m be mwinrml coxtislld.] —-- How Kilgore Secared Attention. Representative Kilgore was the aero, on a tecenl Friday evening dur ,n XH’U^hichffi « the nl « ht se8S ‘° r n - %-f mU ^ U ‘ attle bill in which his in t eat was 3 ully aroused, arid in its behalf t-kt'd the gentleman in the chair who, it happened, was not Mr. Crisp -for how long a time he might oc ; U pv ',. the attention of the House. The - lker pro tem. gave Mr. Kilgore lrulsu;i Uy good ”, measure, telling him ■ • H<> ahead, as an an hour nour W’as was at at his ms itsposal. the Speaker turned lus at mention elsewhere, and the IIouso iumined away in Its usual conversa donal fortissimo. Then followed a tudden silence, so out of the usual House style that the temporary chair nan was astonished into elevatin *tU only to find the ____... uu ni I ookiug at Mr. Kilgore in silent unusement. There stood Mr. Ki - _ ;ore sawing the air with his arim uul performing all the gestures in !he most complete oratorical text >ook. His Ups opened and shut as f yards of C .ngresssional Record ;opy were is.-uing from between them, 'Ir. Kilgore was extremely animated, yut not a sound was heard. "What is the matter, Mr. Kilgore?’ demanded the Speaker. “I told the gentleman from Texas he could have in hour to address the House on thii measure." "I know it. Mr. Speaker.” smiled Silgore, “but I thought the House vould prefer a pantomine speech and t wouldn't disturb their conversa. don.” The Speaker, according to •Cate Field's Washington, had to im lair his dignity with a smile, bul •vidently Kilgoie knew best what he House appreciated, for when ths >ote waa tcJsen there was not a single .issent. Jild.eioUA A-iv-of UMOg fMiya. PASSING OF THE DRUM. it Will Soon Disappear in Connection with Army Life. Lteiuenant Con Jlarrast . _ Perkins , . of the United States Marine Corps writes an article entitled ‘‘The Last of the Drums,” for St. Nicholas.' Lieuten an t Perkins says: ! think few know that of all the time honored honored eouinments equipments of of war war which these days of military progress have left us, the drum is the oldest; but, like the sword and the bayonet, the drum is fast disappearing. Its companion, the fife, hallowed bv tra valor e y e n in our own his tory, from Lexington to - Gettysburg, is already gone, and another decade will still forever the inspiriting martial music of the drum. What boy has not felt his pulses thrill and his heart swell with patriotic pride and martial ardor while gazing upon the well known picture of the Revolution, the ‘‘Minute Men of ’76’' forsaking the ploughshare and flying to take down the old flintlock at the tocsin of war—the throbbing of th* drum and the shrill screaming of the fife, sounded by two scarred.veterans, bare-headed, white-haired, and is their shirt-sleeves, marching through fields and along the roads, calling the ; patriots to Mew arms, England schoolboy has Every Abigail aud Eliza ; Tea d the story of | 3e th, the sisters of Newburyport, who during the Revolution repelled alons an attack of the British by beating furiously an old drum aud blowing a fife. The British troops, who were about to land, hurried back to theil ships, thinking a whole army lay io ambush to repulse them! Thus did a fife and drum drive ofl the enemy and save a town from pil¬ lage and ruin. The military drum is supposed to have been introduced in Europe by the Moors and Saracens, during the middle ages, and was quickly adopted by armies. The drum of to-day diflera little, and in appearance only, from the earliest form. It consists, aa every boy knows, of two pieces of parchment, or batter heads, stretched over the ends of a hollow cylinder and struck with sticks. For ages this in¬ strument has been known among sav¬ age tribes and barbaric nations, who use its weird music to accompany their religious rites, as well as for war pur poses. of the Sioux Indian The tom-tom is a good example of a primitive drum. In civilized warfare the drum has ever been connected with deeds .of aud , . ... dear to , martial . , va.or, its voice is_ the hei. ojt the soldier who has fo b lowed its puls Lug mto the dfcaillvfiH 0 { battle, o* even in reviews military r parades, 1 when rank upon * ' rank . sweep , up a streetkeepmgper feet alignment aud step to the drum s inspiring beat. It has found place in .... history a through the daring bravery of more than one beardless boy who has so nnded at the critical moment the F , )as fturn de charge or “rally” iust in time f the tb]e of battle Johnny Olem, the , n-, drummer , boy of Shiloh,” who beat the rally without orders when his regiment had broken, panic stricken, and thus helped tG aave pbe day, was made au officer for 4 ^ ^ **“ united States army, j n fable, song and story the drum has ever kept pace with the most valiant deeds of men. Rudyard Kip j- - 8 , 1 )a tbetic httle story of “The j-,.,.,,.. t) . B Fnr „ who,’ Aft ” tw0 courageous drummer-boys at the cost ” f their live9 - led tbe all( f saved the honor of their regiment when routed by the Afghans, tells of ^ deed such as is to be found in history W eU as in fiction. More than onca , drum claimed a place in the : f . tank , of , stoimmg , battalions, tdot,dines or or led desperate charges in the van of a victorious army. What wonder, then, that we look sorrowfully into the future, when battling will no longer be inspired by the “war-drum’s throb;” for we know that the advance of military science, with all its death-dealing machine guns, magazine-rifles, and its smoke less powder, will surely sound the knell of the drum. Labor Uprisings in Russia, _ With the decline of Nihilism in Russia has come an uprising of labor. All the factory towns are having trouble now with striking workmen, and the authorities are unable to cope with the difficulty. It is forbidden by law in Russia to form trades unions, but even Russian despotism cannot go to the extent of making a man work when he is not so inclined, The place of the walking delegate is taken by the labor disturbers, and the ignorant and oppressed workmen fol low these men with singular faith and fidelity. preachers have been Sixty of the imprisoned and are to be transported to Siberia for recommending a general strike to the workmen. The Nihilists, Anarchists, and revolutionary elements generally the'power have been quick to recog n ize of the labor movement. j They are influence working the in workmen every way and pos¬ to i sible to make them believe that their only sal¬ 1 vation lies in a general movement,— Foreign Ratter.