A Fisherman's Boy

There was a King whose name was Aethelwold, whose only heir was a tiny
little girl. And the little girl's name was Goldborough. Alas, the King
found he must die and leave his little girl fatherless! So he called to
him the wisest and mightiest of his earls. The name of this Earl was
Godrich. And the King made the Earl promise that he would guard his
little girl until she was twenty years old, and that then he would give
her in marriage to the fairest and strongest man alive.

But when the Earl Godrich saw how lovely little Goldborough was going
to be, and knew that he would have to give up the kingdom to her before
long, he was angry, and took her from Winchester to Dover on the
English seacoast and shut little Goldborough up in a castle so that she
could not get out.

In Denmark, just about this time, there lived a King whose name was
Birkabeyn who had one boy and two sweet little girls. He, too, realized
that he had to die. So he called to him his wisest Earl, a man by the
name of Godard, and charged him to care for his children until Havelok,
the boy, was old enough to rule the land. But this wicked Earl shut
little Swanborow and Helfled up in a castle and had them killed.

And Godard was just about to kill Havelok, too, when he bethought him
he would have somebody else do this terrible deed. The wicked Earl sent
for a fisherman who would, he knew, do his will.

"Grim," said the wicked Earl, "to-morrow I will make thee rich if thou
wilt take this child and throw him into the sea to-night."

Grim took the boy Havelok and bound him and gagged him and took him
home in a black bag. When Grim carried the sack into his cottage, Dame
Leve, his wife, was so frightened that she dropped the sack her husband
had handed to her, and cracked poor little Havelok's head against a
stone.

They let the boy lie this way until midnight, when it would be dark
enough for Grim to drown Havelok in the sea. Leve was just bringing
Grim some clothes that he might put on to go out and drown the King's
son, when they saw a light shining about the child.

"What is this light?" cried Dame Leve. "Rise up, Grim."

In haste the fisherman rose and they went over to the child, about
whose head shone a clear light, from whose mouth came rays of light
like sunbeams. It was as if many candles were burning in that tiny
fisherman's hut. They unbound the boy and they found on his right
shoulder a king's mark, bright and fair like the lights.

They were overcome by what Godard had done and had almost led them to
do. They fell upon their knees before the little boy and promised to
feed and clothe him. And so they did, and they were very good to him
and kept him from all harm. But Grim and his wife became frightened,
for fear that Godard would discover that they had not drowned the
child and would hang them. Thereupon Grim sold all that he had, sheep,
cow, horse, pigs, goat, geese, hens--everything, in short, that was
his. Taking his money, he put his wife, his three little sons, and two
pretty little girls and Havelok into his fishing-boat and they set sail
for England.

The north wind blew and drove them down upon the coast of England near
the river Humber, and there Grim landed, and the place is called
Grimsby to this day. Then Grim set himself to his old occupation of
fishing, and he caught sturgeon, whale, turbot, salmon, seal, porpoise,
mackerel, flounder, plaice, and thornback. And he and his sons carried
the fish about in baskets and sold them.

Yet while Grim fed his family well, Havelok lay at home and did naught.
And when Havelok stopped to think about that, he was ashamed, for he
was a fine, strong boy.

"Work is no shame," said the King's son to himself.

And the next day he carried to market as much fish as four men could.
And every bit of fish did he sell and brought back the money, keeping
not a farthing for himself. Alas! there came a famine about this time,
and Grim had great fear on Havelok's account lest the boy starve.

"Havelok," said Grim, "our meat is long since gone. For myself it does
not matter, but I fear for thee. Thou knowest how to get to Lincoln,
and there they will give thee a chance to earn thy food. Since thou art
naked, I will make thee a coat from my sail."

This he did, and with the coat on and barefoot the King's son found his
way to Lincoln. For two days the lad had no food. On the third day he
heard some one crying, "Bearing-men, bearing-men, come here!" Havelok
leaped forward to the Earl's cook and bore the food to the castle.
Another time he lifted a whole cart-load of fish and bore it to the
castle.

The cook looked him over and said: "Wilt thou work for me? I will feed
thee gladly."

"Feed me," answered Havelok, "and I will make thy fire burn and wash
thy dishes."

And because Havelok was a strong lad and a good boy, as all kings' sons
are not, he worked hard from that day forth. He bore all the food in
and carried all the wood and the water, and worked as hard as if he
were a beast. And he was a merry lad, too, for he knew how to hide his
griefs. And the old story says that all who saw him loved him, for he
was meek and strong and fair. But still he had nothing but the wretched
coat to wear. So the cook took pity on him and bought him span-new
clothes and gave him stockings and shoes. And when he had put them on
he looked the King's son he was. At the Lincoln games he was "like a
mast," taller and straighter than any youth there. In wrestling he
overcame every one. Yet he was known for his gentleness. Never before
had Havelok seen stone-putting, but when his master told him to try,
Havelok threw the stone twelve feet beyond what any one else could do.

The story of the stone-putting was being told in castle and hall when
Earl Godrich heard it, and said to himself that here was the tallest,
strongest, and fairest man alive, and he would fulfil his promise and
get rid of Goldborough, the King's daughter, by giving her to Havelok,
whom he thought to be just a cook's boy. Now Havelok did not wish to
marry any more than did Goldborough, but they were forced to. And when
they were married Havelok knew not whither they could go, for he saw
that Godrich hated them and that their lives were not safe.

Therefore they went on foot to Grimsby, and royal was their welcome.
Grim, the fisherman, had died.

But his five children fell on their knees and said: "Welcome, dear
lord. Stay here and all is thine."

And that night as they lay on their bed in the fisherman's hut,
Goldborough discovered, because of the bright light which came from the
mouth of Havelok, that he was a King's son. And it was not long after
this they all set sail for Denmark, so that Havelok, with the help of
Grim's sons and many others, might win back the kingdom of Denmark.

It was in the house of Bernard Brown, the magistrate of the Danish
town, that sixty strong thieves, clad in wide sleeves and closed capes,
attacked him. Bernard Brown seized an ax and leaped to the door to
defend his home.

One of the thieves shouted at him, "We will go in at this door despite
thee."

And he broke the door asunder with a boulder. Whereupon Havelok took
the great bar from across the door. And with the bar he slew several,
yet the thieves had wounded him in many places, when Grim's sons came
upon the scene to defend their lord and saw the thieves treating
Havelok as a smith does his anvil. Like madmen the three sons of Grim
leaped into the fight, and they fought until not one of the thieves was
left alive.

When Earl Ubbe heard of this he rode down to Bernard Brown's. Then he
heard the story of Havelok's bravery and of the terrible wounds he had
received, so that Bernard Brown feared he might die because of them.

"Fetch Havelok quickly," commanded Ubbe. "If he can be healed, I myself
will dub him knight."

When a leech saw the wounds of Havelok he told Ubbe that they could be
cured.

"Come forth now," said Ubbe to Havelok, "thou and Goldborough and thy
three servants."

And with rejoicing did Ubbe bring them to his city. And about the
middle of the night Ubbe saw a great light in the tower where Havelok
was sleeping. He peered through a crack and he saw that the "sunny
gleam" came from Havelok's mouth. It was as if a hundred and seven
candles were burning, and on Havelok's shoulder was a clear, shining
cross.

"He is Birkabeyn's heir," said Ubbe, "for never in Denmark was brother
so like to brother as this fair man is like the dead King."

And Earl Ubbe and his men fell at Havelok's feet and awoke him. And
very happy was Havelok, and thankful to God. And then came barons and
warriors and thanes and knights and common men, and all swore fealty to
Havelok. With a bright sword Ubbe dubbed Havelok knight and made him
King. And the three sons of Grim were also made knights. Thereat were
all men happy, and they wrestled and played, played the harp and the
pipe, read romances from a book, and sang old tales. There was every
sort of sport and plenty of food.

Finally they all, a thousand knights and five thousand men, set forth
that Havelok might take vengeance on the wicked Earl Godard. There was
a hard fight, but at last they caught and bound Earl Godard. And he
was hung on the gallows and died there. Such was the end of one who
betrayed his trust.

The wicked Earl Godrich in England, who had robbed Goldborough of her
kingdom, heard that Havelok was become King of Denmark and also that
he was come to Grimsby. So he gathered all his army together and there
was a great battle. And the battle was going against Havelok, when the
wicked hand of Godrich was struck off. After that Havelok and his men
were victorious. Then did they condemn the Earl Godrich to death. And
he was bound to an ass and led through London and burned at the stake.
Such was the end of one who betrayed his trust.

And after that Havelok and Goldborough reigned in England for sixty
years. So great was the love of the King and Queen for each other that
all marveled at it. Neither was happy away from the other. And never
were they angry, for their love for each other was always new.