k
his life to open the door, the many excuses given for refusal, the
mischievous fun in Alftruda's voice as she begged some one to open to
her, and, best of all, the cry of horror with which the knight who had
ventured to draw the bolt shut the door again on seeing the Fairy Bear
waiting to enter. Hereward even carried his trick so far as to thrust
the bear heavily against the bower door, making all the people within
shriek and implore the protection of the saints. Finally, when he was
tired of the jest, he convinced the valiant knights that they might
emerge safely from their retirement, and showed how he, a stripling of
seventeen, had slain the monster at one blow. From that time Hereward
was the darling of the whole castle, petted, praised, beloved by all
its inmates, except his jealous rivals.

Hereward Leaves Northumbria

The foreign knights grew so jealous of the Saxon youth, and so restive
under his shafts of sarcastic ridicule, that they planned several
times to kill him, and once or twice nearly succeeded. This
insecurity, and a feeling that perhaps Earl Siward had some kinship
with the Fairy Bear, and would wish to avenge his death, made Hereward
decide to quit Gilbert's castle. The spirit of adventure was strong
upon him, the sea seemed to call him; now that he had been
acknowledged superior to the other noble youths in Gilbert's
household, the castle no longer afforded a field for his ambition.
Accordingly he took a sad leave of Alftruda, an affectionate one of
Sir Gilbert, who wished to knight him for his brave deed, and a
mocking one of his angry and unsuccessful foes.

Hereward in Cornwall

Entering into a merchant-ship, he sailed for Cornwall, and there was
taken to the court of King Alef, a petty British chief, who, on true
patriarchal lines, disposed of his children as he would, and had
betrothed his fair daughter to a terrible Pictish giant, breaking off,
in order to do it, her troth-plight with Prince Sigtryg of Waterford,
son of a Danish king in Ireland. Hereward was ever chivalrous, and
little Alftruda had made him feel pitiful to all maidens. Seeing
speedily how the princess loathed her new betrothed, a hideous,
misshapen wretch, nearly eight feet high, he determined to slay him.
With great deliberation he picked a quarrel with the giant, and killed
him the next day in fair fight; but King Alef was driven by the
threats of the vengeful Pictish tribe to throw Hereward and his man
Martin i