It was only when this interesting episode was over that our young rover allowed his vision to return to the homeward course; but when his glance fell upon the sea ahead he saw a sight to rejoice the spirit of a Viking. Near the mouth of Boden voe, straight before him, keeping watch for him, lay the _Laulie_, her blue flag with its golden star flying merrily at the mast-head, her white sail spread, her jolly crew all alert and "on the war-path."

She was cruising about the entrance to the fiord, with the obvious intention of preventing the _Osprey_ from reaching her own lawful domain.

Up Yaspard sprung, and keenly surveyed the enemy's position and his own, calculating his "chances" with as much anxiety as if life and honour were at stake. He did not dream of turning aside, or trying to reach any harbour of refuge save his own voe; but he knew that to pa.s.s the _Laulie_ in safety would require considerable manoeuvring and daring seamanship.

With utmost pleasure, and

"The stern joy that warriors feel In foemen worthy of their steel,"

he drew from the locker his black Viking flag and ran it aloft, smiling as the ugly thing spread itself in the breeze.

Thor watched this performance with profound gravity and attention; and when Yaspard resumed his position Sir Raven solemnly hopped away and took up a position on the bow, with his weather-eye sagaciously fixed upon the black flag high overhead. He had so lately suffered so much from dark-hued things flying above him that he was suspicious of that pennon's intentions, and felt it necessary to observe its movements with the closest heedfulness.

Yaspard, however, put another construction on the bird's behaviour.

"You're a genuine old brick!" he said; "a real Viking's raven, and no mistake, Thor. Now I call that very fine of you, to take your proper place on my prow. They'll think I've trained you to it. What prime fun this is, to be sure!"

Thor lifted his shoulders, bent forward his head, and croaked as dismally as ever his congeners croaked over a field of the slain in days gone by; and Yaspard nodded to him, then gave entire attention to the management of his boat.

CHAPTER XII.

"ENOUGH AND TO SPARE OF BALE IS IN THY SPEECH."

We may be sure that the _Laulie's_ crew watched our hero's movements with quite as much interest as he noted theirs, and when his battle-flag was seen they shouted for joy.

"He knows what we are up to. He has challenged us," Harry Mitch.e.l.l exclaimed with great satisfaction. "Now, boys, we've got to nail him before he pa.s.ses Yelholme."

"His boat goes very fast; she is light too, and he has her well in hand," Tom remarked critically as the _Osprey_ drew nearer, skimming the waves as airily and swiftly as any bird.

Yelholme, to which reference had been made, lay near the course Yaspard was on. If the _Laulie_ could not intercept Yaspard before he reached the little island she would lose ground by being obliged to tack a good deal, while he, having the wind with him, would easily get ahead.

"If it becomes a chase we haven't a chance," said Harry, "so we must try and cut him off at the holme."

But Yaspard knew pretty well what their tactics were likely to be, and acted accordingly.

It is not possible to describe with any degree of accuracy the very clever way in which the boats tried to circ.u.mvent each other; how the _Osprey_ dodged here and there, striving to outrace the other, and how the _Laulie_ gallantly defeated every attempt so made. At last Yaspard, seeing that nothing but a very bold effort had any chance of success, determined to try a delicate manoeuvre. His boat, being smaller and lighter than the _Laulie_, could venture much nearer a skerry or holme. He resolved to run straight for Yelholme. He knew that the other boat would do likewise, but approaching from another point, would be obliged to lower sail and trust to the oars. He hoped he could keep "on wing," and round the holme in safety before the _Laulie_ had got on the same course. Accordingly he altered his tactics, and sent his skiff careening toward the holme as if he meant to dash right into it.

"What on earth is he up to now?" Bill exclaimed in wonder; "he will be under our stern in a jiffy if he holds on like that."

"If he pa.s.ses astern he will reach the holme and be round it before us.

We must not allow that; drop the sail, Bill," said Harry.

Down went the _Laulie's_ sail, and in a short time she was rowing swiftly for the same point that the _Osprey_ seemed bent on gaining.

Yaspard did not alter his course one bit until he was within talking distance of the enemy, and dangerously near the holme.

"Don't be rash, man," Harry sung out. "You will be flung on the holme by that undertow on the lee side."

Even as he spoke Yaspard saw the danger he had not considered, and promptly dropped his sail. By that time the boats were almost within an oar's length of each other, but the _Osprey_ was ahead. With wondrous speed the Viking-boy had his oars out, and would soon have been round the holme and on his course again, but at that moment Tom Holtum caught up a coil of rope lying handy, and flung it like a la.s.so over the _Osprey_. The bight fell over her rudder and horn, and before the hapless Viking could leave his seat or lift a finger to save himself, his boat was hauled alongside of the _Laulie_, and he was captured.

"Fairly caught!" cried Bill, leaning over to thump him on the back, while Tom clutched the _Osprey_ with both hands, determined that she should not escape.

Then Yaspard struck his colours, and remarked, "You need not be so particular with your grappling-irons, Holtum; I yield myself to the fortune of fair fight."

"Come aboard us," said Harry. "You did awfully well, and needn't mind that Tom's dodge was more successful than yours. It was a low kind of trick on the whole, but we were determined to make you our prisoner."

By that time Yaspard was in the _Laulie_, and his boat towing ign.o.bly in the rear. Thor, puzzled out of his dignity by such extraordinary proceedings, afraid to trust himself with his master in the enemies'

hands, and too tired to seek refuge in flight, then gave vent to his feelings in speech--

"Uncle, uncle. Croak! bad boy! croak! croak! croak! Yap! yap! yap!

Pirate; hi, good dog! Dog! Uncle! oh my!"

He had never spoken so much at one time before, but the situation called for a supreme effort.

When he concluded his oration, amid yells of laughter, Thor turned up his eyes till nothing but a streak of white was visible, and shoved his beak among the feathers on one shoulder as if he meant to go to sleep.

"What a fellow, to be sure!" exclaimed Tom. "He licks Crawbie all to nothing."

Harry explained to Yaspard that Crawbie was a hoodie crow belonging to Svein Holtum, and a great talker, but nothing like Thor in that respect.

Harry was soon on his hobby, and would have discoursed on birds for an hour if Bill had not stopped him by asking, "Well, boys, what's the next move?"

"Home, of course," said Harry; "at least, to Collaster first, for the Viking is Tom's prize, and must be taken to the Doctor's house."

"I should like that hugely," said the captive; "but may I beg you to remember my anxious and sorrowing relations, who will strain dim eyes in vain and all the rest of that sort of thing. They'll be horribly frightened at Moolapund if I am not back there tonight, and it's late now."

A long discussion followed as to how the Boden folk were to be informed of the Viking's position. One suggestion was that a Manse boy was to return to Boden in the _Osprey_, tell the tale, and bring Gloy away; but that plan was rejected, because Yaspard declared that his "followers" would seize the messenger, and hold both him and Gloy as hostages for their captain.

Then a brilliant idea occurred to Harry, who had always been the most reflecting boy of the lot.

"I'll tell you what to do. Send Thor with a message tied to his leg.

That was what Svein did once, when he was hurt and in Vega. Crawbie had gone after him; and he carved two words on the cover of his pocket-book, tied it to Crawbie, and Crawbie went to Collaster with it."

"Splendid! Yes, the very thing!" the others cried.

So a hard-boiled egg was taken from the ferdimet, and laid temptingly on Yaspard's hand as a lure for Thor, who was evidently averse to trusting himself in the _Laulie_. But his weakness was an egg, and he soon flopped across to his master's knee, where he was detained for "further orders."

"Will he go home?" was the next debatable point. Yaspard thought Thor would, if they made it sufficiently plain to his corvidaeous intellect that he must not remain with the boats.

"He has often followed me, poor old chap!" said Yaspard. "I dare say he was coming on my tracks when the shooies fell foul of him; he will return to Moolapund if I drive him off. He won't halt by the way now, for it is near his roosting time, and he is tired to boot."

They did as Svein Holtum had shown them how, and tearing the cover from a pocket-book, tied it securely to Thor's leg. To make a.s.surance doubly sure, a duplicate was fixed around his neck. Yaspard wrote on these boards--

"Captured on the high seas; taken in chains to Collaster.--THE VIKING."

Then he tossed Thor up from his hand, crying, "Shoo! off with you!

Home now!" But Thor flitted no farther than the _Osprey_, and, settling in his favourite place at the bow, began to pull viciously at the book-boards.