Before I
had been a year at Norwich there came a ship from Denmark into the
river, and soon men told me that her master was asking for news of one
Grim, a merchant, who was lost. So I saw him, not saying who I was or
that I had anything to do with Grim; and then I found that it was not so
much of the master that he wanted news as of the boy we had with us. He
did not ask of the lady at all, and I was sure that this was the man who
came and spoke to Grim just as we were sailing, if you remember. So then
it came to me that we knew nothing of the coming on board of these two,
only learning of their presence when we were far at sea. And now, if
Hodulf troubled himself so much about this boy, there must be something
that he was not meant to know about his flight, for he must be of some
note. Did I not know that the king's son was in his hands at that time,
I should have thought that our passenger was he. However, I told him of
the shipwreck as of a thing that I had seen, saying that Grim and his
family and a few men only had been saved; and I told him also that I had
heard that he had lost some folk in an attack by Vikings. With that he
seemed well satisfied, and I heard no more of him. I have wondered ever
since who the boy was, and if he was yet alive. I mind that he was like
to die when he came ashore."
Then I laughed, and said that he would hear of him soon enough, for all
the town was talking of him; and he guessed whom I meant, for he had
heard of the cook's mighty man.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189