‘How about this, then? Fit for a jarl’s cloak,’ coaxed the old man. Struggling with the weight of it, he unrolled a massive white bearskin. The head and paws were still attached. I had witnessed the injuries inflicted on a dog by the hooked black claws of a yearling bear. Now the huge teeth set in the gaping jaw of an adult made me shudder. There was no need to confirm with the old man that he had purchased the bearskin from Ohthere.
We found Ohthere himself on the edge of town, as before, staring moodily in through the wooden bars of the stout cage. The two yearling ice bears were slumped on the bare earth, eyes closed. They lay so still that it was difficult to tell whether they were even breathing. Just inside the cage’s heavy door was placed a wooden water trough. Beside it were two trenchers heaped with what looked like strips of yellowy-white pig fat with thick black rind.
‘They’re still refusing to eat,’ said Ohthere, his frustration evident. He had his wooden stick with him and put the tip between the bars of the cage and pushed one of the trenchers closer to the nose of an ice bear.
Both animals ignored him.
‘What are you trying to feed them?’ asked Redwald.
‘Whale blubber, from my own larder.’
‘You must be getting desperate,’ teased the shipmaster. It was obvious that the two men were on friendly terms.
The shipmaster turned to me. ‘Ohthere has a weakness for whale blubber and hoards the stuff like a child. Don’t know why. It tastes vile.’
Ohthere snorted. ‘Not everyone thinks so. Wait here a minute.’ He strode off in the direction of his leather tent.
Redwald peered in at the two ice bears. ‘Are you sure about buying them, Sigwulf? They look as though they’re not long for this world.’
‘I’ll have to take that chance. They’re the only ones available, and maybe we can find a way of making them eat.’
Redwald shrugged resignedly. ‘Leave the negotiations to me. At least I should be able to get them cheaply because they’re half-starved.’
‘I’ve already told Ohthere that they are for King Carolus,’ I confessed. ‘I’m afraid that will have put up the price considerably.’
Ohthere emerged from his tent holding a slab of something in his hand. We walked across to meet him as he held it up for our inspection. One side had a thick skin, dark and slightly wrinkled. The rest of it was pale yellowish-white, two inches thick, and resembled solid jelly.
‘Best whale blubber, air dried,’ he announced. ‘Here, try a bite.’
He took a sailor’s knife from his belt, cut off a small cube, and offered it to me.
I popped the piece of whale blubber into my mouth and chewed cautiously, not knowing what to expect. The taste was surprisingly pleasant. As I bit down, I felt the oil squeeze out and run down my throat. It was vaguely soothing and reminded me faintly of hazelnuts.
At that moment Ohthere gave an annoyed grunt. He was gazing over my shoulder. ‘What’s that idiot doing!’ he growled.
Alarmed, I swung round on my heel.
It was Walo. We had left him standing beside the bear cage and had failed to keep an eye on him. He had unfastened the heavy door to the cage, opened it, and was crawling inside on his hands and knees.
‘He’ll get himself killed,’ I blurted, and started forward. But Ohthere’s grip on my wrist stopped me. ‘Don’t rush and don’t shout. It’ll only upset them. We need to get close enough to speak to your man quietly and tell him to back out.’
He glanced at Redwald. ‘The fewer the better. Best you stay here.’
Slowly and deliberately Ohthere and I began to walk towards the cage. Walo was fully inside now, crouched on all fours, facing towards the two ice bears. To my dismay I saw that both animals had raised their heads and were staring at him. The gap between them and Walo was no more than four or five feet.
‘I suspected he wasn’t quite right in the head,’ Ohthere muttered.
Walo had turned his back on the bears and was pulling the door shut behind him. I was appalled to see him then put an arm out through the bars and push in place the peg that served as a catch. He was now locked in with them.
‘At least they can’t escape, whatever happens,’ Ohthere said quietly.
Just then there was a low growl close to my right knee. My heart flew into my mouth. One of the scavenger curs had come between us, hackles raised, and with a continuous, rumbling deep in its throat was keeping pace with us.
Ohthere’s hand shot down. He grabbed the dog by the neck, squeezed fiercely, and the growl suddenly choked off. We halted while Ohthere bent down, placed his other hand around the dog’s throat, tightened his grip and held it until the dog’s frantic thrashing stopped. Calmly he laid its corpse on the ground.