第85章

Now the manner of combat was as follows.A ring, plaited of withy or rope, used to be offered to the combatants for them to drag away by wrenching it with a great effort of foot and hand;and the prize went to the stronger, for if either of the combatants could wrench it from the other, he was awarded the victory.Erik struggled in this manner, and, grasping the rope sharply, wrested it out of the hands of his opponent.When Erode saw this, he said: "I think it is hard to tug at a rope with a strong man."And Erik said: "Hard, at any rate, when a tumour is in the body or a hunch sits on the back."And straightway, thrusting his foot forth, he broke the infirm neck and back of the old man, and crushed him.And so Westmar failed to compass his revenge: zealous to retaliate, he fell into the portion of those who need revenging; being smitten down even as those whose slaughter he had desired to punish.

Now Frode intended to pierce Erik by throwing a dagger at him.

But Gunwar knew her brother's purpose, and said, in order to warn her betrothed of his peril, that no man could be wise who took no forethought for himself.This speech warned Erik to ward off the treachery, and he shrewdly understood the counsel of caution.

For at once he sprang up and said that the glory of the wise man would be victorious, but that guile was its own punishment; thus censuring his treacherous intent in very gentle terms.But the king suddenly flung his knife at him, yet was too late to hit him; for he sprang aside, and the steel missed its mark and ran into the wall opposite.Then said Erik: "Gifts should be handed to friends, and not thrown; thou hadst made the present acceptable if thou hadst given the sheath to keep the blade company."On this request the king at once took the sheath from his girdle and gave it to him, being forced to abate his hatred by the self-control of his foe.Thus he was mollified by the prudent feigning of the other, and with goodwill gave him for his own the weapon which he had cast with ill will.And thus Erik, by taking the wrong done him in a dissembling manner, turned it into a favour, accepting as a splendid gift the steel which had been meant to slay him.For he put a generous complexion on what Frode had done with intent to harm.Then they gave themselves up to rest.In the night Gunwar awoke Erik silently, and pointed out to him that they ought to fly, saying that it was very expedient to return with safe chariot ere harm was done.He went with her to the shore, where he happened to find the king's fleet beached: so, cutting away part of the sides, he made it unseaworthy, and by again replacing some laths he patched it so that the damage might be unnoticed by those who looked at it.

Then he caused the vessel whither he and his company had retired to put off a little from the shore.

The king prepared to give them chase with his mutilated ships, but soon the waves broke through; and though he was very heavily laden with his armour, he began to swim off among the rest, having become more anxious to save his own life than to attack that of others.The bows plunged over into the sea, the tide flooded in and swept the rowers from their seats.When Erik and Roller saw this they instantly flung themselves into the deep water, spurning danger, and by swimming picked up the king, who was tossing about.Thrice the waves had poured over him and borne him down when Erik caught him by the hair, and lifted him out of the sea.The remaining crowd of the wrecked either sank in the waters, or got with trouble to the land.The king was stripped of his dripping attire and swathed round with dry garments, and the water poured in floods from his chest as he kept belching it; his voice also seemed to fail under the exhaustion of continual pantings.At last heat was restored to his limbs, which were numbed with cold, and his breathing became quicker.He had not fully got back his strength, and could sit but not rise.Gradually his native force returned.But when he was asked at last whether he sued for life and grace, he put his hand to his eyes, and strove to lift up their downcast gaze.But as, little by little, power came back to his body, and as his voice became more assured, he said:

"By this light, which I am loth to look on, by this heaven which I behold and drink in with little joy, I beseech and conjure you not to persuade me to use either any more.I wished to die; ye have saved me in vain.I was not allowed to perish in the waters; at least I will die by the sword.I was unconquered before; thine, Erik, was the first wit to which I yielded: I was all the more unhappy, because I had never been beaten by men of note, and now I let a low-born man defeat me.This is great cause for a king to be ashamed.This is a good and sufficient reason for a general to die; it is right that he should care for nothing so much as glory.If he want that, then take it that he lacks all else.For nothing about a king is more on men's lips than his repute.I was credited with the height of understanding and eloquence.But I have been stripped of both the things wherein I was thought to excel, and am all the more miserable because I, the conqueror of kings, am seen conquered by a peasant.Why grant life to him whom thou hast robbed of honour?