e king's court on this
occasion that Hereward first saw and felt the charm of a lovely little
Saxon maiden named Alftruda, a ward of the pious king.

Hereward in Northumbria

Though the king's writ of outlawry might run in Mercia, it did not
carry more than nominal weight in Northumbria, where Earl Siward ruled
almost as an independent lord. Thither Hereward determined to go, for
there dwelt his own godfather, Gilbert of Ghent, and his castle was
known as a good training school for young aspirants for knighthood.
Sailing from Dover, Hereward landed at Whitby, and made his way to
Gilbert's castle, where he was well received, since the cunning
Fleming knew that an outlawry could be reversed at any time, and
Leofric's son might yet come to rule England. Accordingly Hereward was
enrolled in the number of young men, mainly Normans or Flemings, who
were seeking to perfect themselves in chivalry before taking
knighthood. He soon showed himself a brave warrior, an unequalled
wrestler, and a wary fighter, and soon no one cared to meddle with the
young Mercian, who outdid them all in manly sports. The envy of the
young Normans was held in check by Gilbert, and by a wholesome dread
of Hereward's strong arm; until, in Gilbert's absence, an incident
occurred which placed the young exile on a pinnacle so far above them
that only by his death could they hope to rid themselves of their
feeling of inferiority.

The Fairy Bear

Gilbert kept in his castle court an immense white Polar bear, dreaded
by all for its enormous strength, and called the Fairy Bear. It was
even believed that the huge beast had some kinship to old Earl Siward,
who bore a bear upon his crest, and was reputed to have had something
of bear-like ferocity in his youth. This white bear was so much
dreaded that he was kept chained up in a strong cage. One morning as
Hereward was returning with Martin from his morning ride he heard
shouts and shrieks from the castle yard, and, reaching the great gate,
entered lightly and closed it behind him rapidly, for there outside
the shattered cage, with broken chain dangling, stood the Fairy Bear,
glaring savagely round the courtyard. But one human figure was in
sight, that of a girl of about twelve years of age.

Hereward Slays the Bear

There were sounds of men's voices and women's shrieks from within the
castle, but the doors were fast barred, while the maid, in her terror,
beat on the portal with her palms, and begg