Boyhood in Norway | Page 9

him, and they needed no urging. Viggo
was now near the middle of the basin, with twenty or thirty picked

archers close behind him. They fired volley after volley of arrows
against the enemy, and twice drove him back to the shore.
But Halvor Reitan, shielding his face with a piece of bark which he had
picked up, pushed forward in spite of their onslaught, though one arrow
knocked off his red-peaked cap, and another scratched his ear. Now he
was but a dozen feet from his foe. He cared little for his bow now; the
boat-hook was a far more effectual weapon.
Viggo saw at a glance that he meant to pull his raft toward him, and,
relying upon his greater strength, fling him into the water.
His first plan would therefore be to fence with his own boat- hook, so
as to keep his antagonist at a distance.
When Halvor made the first lunge at the nose of his raft, he foiled the
attempt with his own weapon, and managed dexterously to give the
hostile raft a downward push, which increased the distance between
them.
"Take care, General!" said a respectful voice close to Viggo's ear.
"There is a small log jam down below, which is getting bigger every
moment. When it is got afloat, it will be dangerous out here."
"What are you doing here, Sergeant?" asked the General, severely. "Did
I not tell you to be the last to leave the shore?"
"You did, General," Marcus replied, meekly, "and I obeyed. But I have
pushed to the front so as to be near you."
"I don't need you, Sergeant," Viggo responded, "you may go to the
rear."
The booming of the cataract nearly drowned his voice and Marcus
pretended not to hear it. A huge lumber mass was piling itself up
among the rocks jutting out of the rapids, and a dozen men hanging like
flies on the logs, sprang up and down with axes in their hands. They cut
one log here and another there; shouted commands; and fell into the
river amid the derisive jeers of the spectators; they scrambled out again
and, dripping wet, set to work once more with a cheerful heart, to the
mighty music of the cataract, whose thundering rhythm trembled and
throbbed in the air.
The boys who were steering their rafts against each other in the
comparatively placid basin were too absorbed in their mimic battle to
heed what was going on below. Halvor and Viggo were fighting
desperately with their boat-hooks, the one attacking and the other

defending himself with great dexterity. They scarcely perceived, in
their excitement, that the current was dragging them slowly toward the
cataract; nor did they note the warning cries of the men and women on
the banks.
Viggo's blood was hot, his temples throbbed, his eyes flashed. He
would show this miserable clown who had dared to insult him, that the
trained skill of a gentleman is worth more than the rude strength of a
bully. With beautiful precision he foiled every attack; struck Halvor's
boat-hook up and down, so that the water splashed about him,
manoeuvring at the same time his own raft with admirable adroitness.
Cheer upon cheer rent the air, after each of his successful sallies, and
his comrades, selecting their antagonists from among the enemy, now
pressed forward, all eager to bear their part in the fray.
Splash! splash! splash! one East-Sider was dismounted, got an
involuntary bath, but scrambled up on his raft again. The next time it
was a West-Sider who got a ducking, but seemed none the worse for it.
There was a yelling and a cheering, now from one side and now from
the other, which made everyone forget that something was going on at
that moment of greater importance than the mimic warfare of boys.
All the interest of the contending parties was concentrated on the duel
of their chieftains. It seemed now really that Halvor was getting the
worst of it. He could not get close enough to use his brawny muscles;
and in precision of aim and adroitness of movement he was not Viggo's
match.
Again and again he thrust his long-handled boat-hook angrily against
the bottom (for the flooded parts of the banks were very shallow), to
push the raft forward, but every time Viggo managed to turn it
sideward, and Halvor had to exert all his presence of mind to keep his
seat. Wild with rage he sprang up on his slender raft and made a vicious
lunge at his opponent, who warded the blow with such force that the
handle of the boat-hook broke, and Halvor lost his balance and fell into
the water.
At this same instant a tremendous crash was heard from below,
followed by a long