The Wake (14 page)

we lifd in this holt near to langetof for sum daegs we macd a small hus of timber and leafs we cnawan how to lif. we was eatan roots and leafs for the winter was gan and the spring was cuman and things was lifan again. we hunted the hara and i was eatan my mete from my swine though i was doan this when grimcell and tofe was not near for this was my mete and not for them. soon we wolde cwell one of the swine what tofe had brought but it was not yet time for we wolde haf to smoc or salt the mete to cepe it long and we colde not do that in this place so for now we ate the hara and the fugol

in this time we was locan at the straet locan for this frenc man. one of us was always locan and we seen him efry daeg cum down the straet from the west on his hwit hors and then he gan baec again sum time later. sum times he did this one time and sum times he cum and gan two or efen three times in one daeg. this cilde tofe this yonge cilde of mine he had saed he cnawan this man so i was macan him tell me all he cnawan. he telt me that this man had been seen also in his ham

what was he doan there i ascs

he is our new thegn saes tofe

thegn i saes

thegn saes grimcell

he is a fuccan ingenga i saes he has a shafd heafod he specs sum ingenga tunge this man can be no thegn of angland

he telt us he was the thegn now saed tofe he telt us that wulmaers land was now his land that we was now his men and that he was mofan around the hams to see the lie of the land to cnawan the fenns what now he was a man of. he spac anglisc to us but a lytel only and in an ingenga way

thy mothor saes grimcell thy father thu saed they was cwelled by the frenc was it him

no it was not him saes tofe it was sum others and it was not my mothor in triewth i nefer has had one. my mothor died in bringan me to this world my father has cept me since that daeg

did he cepe thu well

well enough saes the cilde all was well until the frenc cum and then one daeg three frenc men on hors cum into our ham. they locd lic this man and they telt us we moste gif mor geld for our land and all was ired but when they cum for the geld in the end folcs gaf it for there had been so micel blud and it was clere who was cyngs now. but my father he wolde not gif it and sum others wolde not gif it also and so one daeg these three frenc men they cum to the ham with sweords and they tacs those who wolde not gif geld from us and they saes we moste haf laws in this land and they tacs these men away into the holt and my father with them and they nefer cums out

what becum of them saes grimcell specan soft

after sum hours when the frenc had gan saes tofe sum of us from the ham went into the holt to find them to see if they was still there. we did not go far into the treows and we found them hangan from lines all cwelled. i seen my father hangan he was mofan as the treow was mofan his face it was red lic the sunne at dusc his tunge

the cilde then he locs down at the ground and naht mor he saes and grimcell he tacs him by the sceoldor and saes i is sorry cilde they is scuccas all of them

scuccas yes i saes for i does not cnaw what mor to sae

our folc saes tofe our folc we moste haf done sum great yfel for this. we moste haf done sum great yfel agan the word of god for this to cum to us so many good men tacan away by this ire and blud what is the yfel that we has done

there is no yfel i saes these is the lies of preosts there is no yfel

tofe then he is locan down for sum time and grimcell locan at me and not saen naht and then tofe he specs

i wolde lic to cwell this frenc man he saes

cwell him i saes. i did not thinc he wolde sae a thing lic this

we is grene men saes tofe we is free men we is men of the holt now. a wergild is owed on my fathers lif and who will gif it me

many anglisc folcs is owed wergilds saes grimcell who of us is not

what wolde thu do ring gifer saes tofe to me

oh yes ring gifer saes grimcell tell us what wolde thu do

cwell him i saes cwell him yes we colde we colde

and then how many frenc will cum here saes grimcell ten twentig one hundred and all will be locan for us with line

how many frenc is here now saes tofe and how micel line

the cilde is right i saes frenc men is in all parts beornan and cwellan what wolde thu do man sitt on thy arse and loc at them

well of course i will follow thu great buccmaster saes grimcell so now tell us what sceolde we do

well i saes we will tac this ingenga and we will cut him up send him baec to the frenc lands as a warnan to those who cum to angland in fyr and blud

yes saes tofe yes and he is smercan. grimcell only locs at me lic i is mad

how he saes

why does thu not fuccan thinc about this also i saes. do not sitt there saen how and why and what but help us man help rid thy land of these things

grimcell shrugs and saes i wolde lic to see no mor death now i wolde lic only to lif

thu will see see death in all parts i saes to him efen if thy eages is scut. does thu thinc thu can go baec to thy hus what is aesc there is naht now but death

death is in all parts saes tofe. he is a good cilde i is sean a good cilde and wise

grimcell locs at us both for sum small time then he mofs his head lic a hors mofs his to cnoc away a fleoge

well he saes what wolde thu do

the thought about the line was not tofes it was mine. i sent the cilde in to the ham of langetof and i telt him to get a length of line for if line was what cwelled anglisc men then line it was what wolde cwell frenc. he cum baec sum time later with a length of strong line though he saed it had not been easy to get with folcs ascan from where he was cum and what we wolde gif for it

well i had this thought and i telt it to grimcell and tofe and both saed it was good and we slept that night in our hus in the holt and the daeg that was to cum we saed wolde be the last daeg on eorth of this man what called himself our thegn. when the light cum up we cum up from our beds on the ground and we toc the line and i toc my sweord and my scramasax and we went down the straet to the west for one or it may be two miles. we went to where the holt cums up to the straet where no men is. we went away from the ham and grimcell and i we done our worc with line and treows and then we satt in the holt and we waited

it was sum time we waited in triewth. men cum up that path with small hors and with sacs and foda and wud and cycens and in the holt we satt grimcell and tofe and me we satt locan at them and they not sean us for we was in the treows and of them. then after sum time we seen him cum

from the west he cum on his hwit hors sittan straight cuman down this straet and he was alone as we had hoped and none others on the straet at this time. here the straet was straight for a way and this frenc man he colde see maybe half a mile before the straet teorned and was lost in the wud

now at the place where the straet teorned in to the wud again a cilde stept on to the straet sum way ahead of this frenc man but where he colde be seen by him and this cilde he spoc

frenc cunt he saes frenc fuccer

this man then he locs at this cilde

frenc fuccer calls the cilde thu cwelled my father and i will cwell thu and all the hores thu calls thy folc and the bastard thu calls thy cyng. go home frenc cunt or thu will die. at this the cilde then tacs down his breces and teorns his bare arse at the thegn

this is what thu lics he calls thu and thy frenc men. cum and see if thu can get it cunt thu is no thegn but only a deoful

tofe has done well here and i was smercan as i stood by the straet in the treows. now he runs down the straet what gan to the ham and is lost behind treows him self. here we had hoped that this scucca wolde go after him and on this all things satt. the frenc thegn he sits it seems for a long time but in triewth it was i thinc a scort time and then he ciccs his hors and he calls to him to mof and he gan fast now down the straet to where he has seen this cilde gan

now me and grimcell we locs to our selfs. the line we had put ofer the straet was lyan down and us behind two treows on eacc side of it and when this hors cum up to us mofan fast too fast to stop i calls to grimcell and we both pulls baec around the treow and the line cums up ofer the path of the hors and the man and he sees it cuman at him and he roars out but he is mofan at succ speed that naht can be done for him and the line tacs him across the throta and baec ofer his hors and on to the ground

well this is what we had wanted and we is blithe to see how this has gan. all three of us we runs then in thryll to the straet where this man lays cluccan at his throta what is torn and gaspan and locan up at us and his eages locan through us to the heofon. here now is his great bec of a nose and his scafd heafod and his haer lic a helm and his ingenga clothes and he is writhan but we will not allow him to rise

so ingenga i saes thu saes thu is our thegn thu saes our land is thy land well loc now scucca at what thu is cum to

scucca saes tofe locan down at him. the frenc man tries to sae sum words but he can not mac his words cum

well cilde i saes well then. i locs at tofe and he locs at me also

well he saes

well i saes i is thincan on what thu saed. i wolde lic to cwell this man thu saed i wolde lic to cwell this frenc man well now then he is at thy feet.

o saes tofe and he locs lic a cilde again now. from my belt i tacs my scramasax and i gifs it to him

cwell him i saes

o saes tofe again and he locs down at the ingenga who now breathes hefig through his broc throat and locs up at us hefig too. his hors stands sum way from us locan about

folcs will cum down this straet i saes at any time they moste not find us we moste be cwic. cwell him cilde haf thy wergild for thy hanged father

at this tofe locs at me and then grimcell who is standan locan on saen naht and then down at this man on the ground with blud on his hands and his nebb

i has nefer cwelled no man he saes i does not cnawan how

does not cnawan how i saes thu has a scramasax there is his bodig thu has cwelled swine has thu not

it is not the same

it is not the same because swine has not cwelled thy father now fuccan cwell him cilde for all this was thy thought

tofe locs down at this ingenga again and now he is not talcan of cwellan and grene men and feohtan. now he is lic what he is a small cilde from a fenn ham

he may be a good man in his own land saes tofe

what is this i saes what is this scit cilde. this is not a fuccan game a good man a good fuccan man tell that to thy father to my wifman tell that to harald cyng cilde

i tacs the scramasax from him then and i gan down on one cneow and i stics it into the frenc mans throat deop and he gasps and calls then and his arms and shancs they mofs to try and cicc me away but i has my cneow on his breost and with my scramasax i saws up until his throta is cut and blaec blud then cums roaran out lic gathran wind and he claws and cocs and his eages is on on mine first wid then dim then gan

i stands and i gifs the scramasax baec to tofe all wet with blud and his sceacan hand i macs to grip it. he is hwit now this cilde and grimcell who stands there is still. along the blaed of the scramasax i runs my hand until my fingors is all in frenc blud and this blud then i smears on the nebb of this cilde tofe and though he starts he does not stop me

has thu seen the hafoc feohtan with the craw i saes. all of the world is blud cilde it is wiht agan wiht will thu be hafoc or craw will thu be fugol or wyrm will thu be anglisc or frenc will thu hang or be hanged for there is naht else now in all this world

thu has thy wergild now cilde i saes now cum we moste mof him

i had thought to mof the scucca from the straet and leaf him in the holt for the craw and the fox and to tac his hors what was a good hors. but none of this cum to be for as we gan to tac him betweon us to mof him two men on hors cum down the straet and these two men they was frenc also. it seemed to me that these men they was with the thegn for their frenc clothes and haer was lic his and they was cuman not so far behind him. well these men they seen us they seen their man on the ground all in a mere of blud and his hors standan locan and these men they calls out and spurs their hors and they cum down on us and in their hands i sees they has frenc sweords

but here is the thing about these frenc they lufs their hors. seldum does thu see a frenc man who is not on the baec of a hors sittan or walcan. they specs on hors they etes on hors it may be they sleeps on hors. i does not cnawan if this is what they does in their own lands or if they stays on hors only in angland to cepe safe from anglisc folcs but all i does cnaw is that sum times it seems frenc folcs was born on hors

this was good for us now for we seen these two men cuman down on us and we ran all three into the holt. the holt in these parts was thicc the treows old and near the ground thicc with grene and with many small treows also growan in all parts. we was men of the fenns and we cnawan how to mof in these fenn wuds but this was not ground for hors. locan baec i seen these men cum to the treows on hors and loc in and i seen them get down and tie their hors to treows and begin to cum in but it colde be seen that they wolde not cum far. they mofd slow and cept locan baec at their hors for fear of losan them and they did not cnaw what was in the holt in the deorcness. for all they cnawan there colde haf been a great fyrd of anglisc folc waitan for them and so it was not long before they teorned baec to the light on the straet and the bodig of their dead freond

we cept mofan goan south in to the holt and we did not stop until we was sum way from the straet and we had cum to a place where we colde see all around and hiere if any man cum in to the wud. a clene daeg it was and the holt was alyf all with the sounds of small things rustlan in the leafs and in these wuds in these treows a man colde sitt for micel time and breathe deop and it colde seem that angland was all still and that no great sicness was upon her

the night after that daeg i gan to sleep in the small hus in the holt with the swine and with tofe and grimcell slepan near and again i was dreaman of the fyr scip. i stood on the strand and the great scip was before me right by me and the fyr was so hot it was macan me want to go baec and scaps mofd again in the fyr and i did step baec and then from the fyr cum a man and he stood before me and this man was my grandfather