e three Scandinavian
kingdoms was broken by the secession of Sweden, only two of sixteen
kings in either country had gone to their rest without ripping up
the old feud. It was now Christian's turn. The pretext was of little
account: there was always cause enough. Gustav Adolf, whose father
was then on the throne of Sweden, said in after years that there was
no one he had such hearty admiration for and whose friend he would
like so well to be as Christian IV: "The mischief is that we are
neighbors." King Christian crossed over into Sweden and laid siege
to the strong fortress of Kalmar where he first saw actual war and
showed himself a doughty campaigner of intrepid courage. It came
near costing him his life when a cannoneer with whom he had often
talked on his rounds deserted to the enemy and picked the King out
as his especial target. Twice he killed an officer attending upon
him, but the King he never hit. It is almost a pleasure to record
that when he tried it again, in another fight, Christian caught him
and dealt with him as the traitor he was, though the rough justice
of those days is not pleasant to dwell on. The besieged tried to
create a diversion by sneaking into camp at night and burying wax
images of the King and his generals in the earth, where they were
afterwards found and spread consternation through the army; for such
things were believed to be wrought by witchcraft and to bring bad
luck to those whom they represented.

However, neither the real courage of the defenders, nor their
dallying with the black art, helped them any. King Christian stormed
the town at the head of his army and took it. The burgomaster hid in
the church, disguised as a priest, and pretended to be shriving some
women when the crash came, but it did not save him. When the
Swedish king came with a host twice the size of his own, there was
a battle royal, but Christian drove him off and laid siege to the
castle where dissension presently arose between the garrison and its
commander who was for surrendering. In the midst of their noisy
quarrel, King Christian was discovered standing upon the wall,
calmly looking on. He had climbed up alone on a rope ladder which
the sentinel let down at his bidding. At the sight they gave it up
and opened the gates, and the King wrote home, proudly dating his
letter from "our castle Kalmar."

Its loss so angered the Swedish king who was old and sick, that he
challenged Christian to single combat, w