his
question, there was joy within him at the thought that he had saved
this handsome face of Viggo's from disfigurement, and--who could
know?--perhaps would earn a claim upon his gratitude.

It was this series of incidents which led to the war between the
East-Siders and the West-Siders. It was a mere accident that the
partisans of Viggo Hook lived on the west side of the river, and those
of Halvor Reitan mostly on the east side.

Viggo, who had a chivalrous sense of fair play, would never have
molested any one without good cause; but now his own safety, and, as he
persuaded himself, even his life, was in danger, and he had no choice
but to take measures in self-defence. He surrounded himself with a
trusty body-guard, which attended him wherever he went. He sent little
Marcus, in whom he recognized his most devoted follower, as scout into
the enemy's territory, and swelled his importance enormously by lending
him his field-glass to assist him in his perilous observations.

Occasionally an unhappy East-Sider was captured on the west bank of the
river, court-martialed, and, with much solemnity, sentenced to death as
a spy, but paroled for an indefinite period, until it should suit his
judges to execute the sentence. The East-Siders, when they captured a
West-Sider, went to work with less ceremony; they simply thrashed their
captive soundly and let him run, if run he could.

Thus months passed. The parson's Confirmation Class ceased, and both the
opposing chieftains were confirmed on the same day; but Viggo stood at
the head of the candidates, while Halvor had his place at the bottom. [1]

During the following winter the war was prosecuted with much zeal, and
the West-Siders, in imitation of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, armed
themselves with cross-bows, and lay in ambush in the underbrush, aiming
their swift arrows against any intruder who ventured to cross the river.

Nearly all the boys in the valley between twelve and sixteen became
enlisted on the one side or the other, and there were councils of war,
marches, and counter-marches without number, occasional skirmishes, but
no decisive engagements. Peer Oestmo, to be sure, had his eye put out by
an arrow, as has already been related, for the East-Siders were not slow
to imitate the example of their enemies, in becoming expert archers.

Marcus Henning was captured by a hostile outpost, and was being
conducted to the abode of the chief, when, by a clever stratagem,