stranger if you know not, for every one--far andnear--has heard of the wedding of our king's pretty daughter."
"Is she, then, married?" asked the prince, scarcely able to conceal hisanxiety.
"Not yet, but she is to be married to-morrow--if no champion comes toclaim her."
"How? What mean you?"
"I mean what I say. Gunrig, the great chief whom she is to wed, is aproud and a stout man. Many chiefs have been courting the fairprincess, and, in his pride of heart and strength, Gunrig has challengedany one to fight him in single combat, promising that the bride shall begiven to the conqueror."
"And does my--does the king agree to such a base proposal?"
"Well, he objected to it at first, but Gunrig is such a dangerous enemy,and his tribe so powerful, that the king has given in at last. Besides,he knows that the chief is so strong and big, and so well able to usehis weapons, that none of the other chiefs are likely to venture a trialwith him, or, if they do, they are sure to get the worst of it."
"You don't seem to like this Gunrig, I think."
"No. I hate him. Everybody hates him; he is such a proud brute, butwhat can _we_ do? when the king commands, all must obey. If I was asbig and stout as you are," added the man with a steady gaze at theprince, "I'd go at this fellow and win the fair princess myself."
"Perchance I may have a try," returned Bladud with a light laugh. "Doesthe princess hate him? and the queen?"
"Ay, worse than poison."
"Come, let us go and see the sport," said the prince to his companions,as he hurried away from the river. "You know our language well enough,I think, captain, to understand what has been said?"
"Ay, the most of it; and there is no doubt you are much wanted at thisfeast."
In a few minutes our travellers arrived at the suburbs of the littletown, which was embosomed among trees and green fields.
As hundreds of people had come in from all the country round, and someof them were Phoenician mariners from ships then in port, our threeadventurers might not have attracted much attention, had it not been forthe towering height, stalwart frame, and noble bearing of Bladud. As itwas, people commented on them, bestowing looks of admirationparticularly on the prince, but they did not address or molest them inany way--supposing, of course, that they had come from a distance to seethe show; though many wondered that such a strapping fellow as the tallone could have come to the land without having been heard of.
"Perhaps he has only just arrived in one of the ships," was thesagacious remark of one.
"But the ships have been here a long time, and we have seen all theircrews," was the comment of another.
On arriving at the scene of festivities, they found that an immenseassemblage encircled the arena, in which a number of young men werecompeting in athletic sports. The captain and Maikar gently elbowedtheir way to the front, where they could see what was going on.
"I will remain in the back row where I can see well enough," saidBladud. "Keep a look-out for me when you feel lost. I don't mean tomake myself known just yet."
CHAPTER TEN.
THE SPORTS.
At the further end of the ground enclosed for the sports, a slightlyraised platform had been prepared for the king and his household. Theroyal party ascended it soon after the travellers arrived, but thedistance was too great to permit of faces being distinguished. Bladudcould easily perceive, however, the tall form of his father, and thegraceful figure of his mother, as they took their places, closelyfollowed by the chief warriors. These, however, did not bring theirwomen--that privilege being reserved for the household of the king only.Close behind the king and queen walked the young Princess Hafrydda.She was not only graceful, but beautiful, being very fair like hermother, with light-blue eyes like those of her brother Bladud; she hadpeach-bloom cheeks, and a brow of snow, save where her cap failed toprotect it from the sun.
After the princess, and shrinking behind her as if to escape the gaze ofthe courtiers, or rather warriors, who crowded the platform, came a girlof about nineteen summers, the companion of Hafrydda. Branwen was acomplete contrast to her friend in complexion. She was the daughter ofa famous northern chief, and was quite as beautiful as the princess,while her jet-black eyes and curly brown hair gave more of force andcharacter to features which were delicately moulded.
There was reason for poor Branwen's desire to escape observation, forthe proud Gunrig was paying her attentions which were far too pointedand familiar in one who was about to marry the king's daughter. Indeed,it was whispered that he had changed his mind since he had seen Branwen,and would have even resigned the princess in her favour, if he had daredto offer such an affront to the king.
Hudibras himself was the last to ascend the platform. He was afine-looking, portly man, with a great shock of black hair, a longbeard, and limbs so well proportioned that he did not seem taller thanother men until he stood beside them. He was a worthy sire of such ason as Bladud, though three inches shorter.
There was a sort of barbaric splendour in the costumes of both men andwomen, combined with some degree of graceful simplicity. The king wasclothed in a softly-dressed deer-skin jacket, over which he wore awolf-skin with the hair outside. A tunic of purple cotton, brought byPhoenician ships from the far East, covered him as far down as theknees, which were bare, while his lower limbs were swathed in strips ofscarlet cloth. Leather sandals, resembling those made by Bladud whilein Gaul, protected his feet. No crown or other token of royalty restedon his brow, but over his dark and grizzled locks he wore a species ofleather skull-cap which, being exceeding tough, served the purpose of ahelmet. On his breast was a profusion of ornaments in the form of beadsand bosses of gold and tin, the former of which had been brought fromthe East, the latter from the mines of his native land. A bronze swordwith an ivory sheath, inlaid with gold, hung at his left side, and aknife of the same material at his right. Altogether King Hudibras,being broad and strong in proportion to his height, presented a veryregal appearance indeed, and bore himself with becoming dignity. He hadmarried the daughter of a Norse Jarl; and his two children, Bladud andHafrydda, had taken after their gentle mother in complexion anddisposition, though they were not altogether destitute of a sub-currentof their father's passionate nature.
The nobles, or rather warriors--for ability to fight constitutednobility in those days--were clothed in garments which, with sundrymodifications, resembled those of the king. As for the women of thecourt, their costumes were what may be styled flowing, and thereforegraceful, though difficult to describe. Like their lords, they wereprofusely ornamented with precious metals and bands and loops ofcoloured cloth. Hafrydda and her companion Branwen allowed their hairto fall, after the manner of the times, in unrestrained freedom overtheir shoulders--that of the former resembling a cataract of ripplinggold, while that of the latter was a wavy mass of auburn. Both girlswore wild flowers among their tresses. Of course the queen had rolledup her slightly grey hair in the simple knot at the back of the head,which is more becoming to age, and she wore no ornament of any kind onher head.
Public games are pretty much the same in all lands, and have probablybeen similar in all times. We shall not weary the reader by describingminutely all that went on. There was racing, of course, and jumpingboth with and without a run, as well as over a willow-wand held high.There was also throwing the heavy stone, but the method pursued in thisfeat was not in accordance with modern practice, inasmuch as thecompetitor turned his back to the direction in which the stone was to bethrown, heeled instead of toed the line, seized the stone with bothhands and hurled it backwards over his head.
As the games proceeded it was evident that the concourse became muchexcited and deeply interested in the efforts of the variouscompetitors--the king and his court not less so than the people.
After the conclusion of one of the races, Captain Arkal left the frontrow, and pushing his way towards Bladud, whispered--
"It seems to me that you could easily beat the winner of that ra
ce,smart though he be. What say you? Will you try?"
"I fear being discovered by my father if I go so prominently before him,and I wish to announce myself in private."
"Pooh! discovery is impossible! Have you not told me that you were asmooth-chinned boy, and not grown to near your present height when youleft home? How can they ever recognise one who returns a sunburntgiant, with a beard that covers half his face?"
"Perhaps you are right," returned the prince, looking as if uncertainhow to act; but the advice of little Maikar corresponding with that ofthe captain decided him.
In those primitive times the rules and ceremonies connected with gameswere few and simple. "Entries" were not arranged beforehand; men cameand went, and competed or refrained, as they pleased, though, of course,there were a few well-known greyhound-like men and