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Chap. XVII.’ PALNATOKE. 261
towers, and the coasts of Sweden appear scarcely at a
stone’s throw; the Kulien hills in the distance; the
rival town of Helsingborg, with her massive square
watch-tower, looks poor and mean, quite cut out by the
frowning turrets of her Danish sister.
Palnatoke (Danish Knave of Spades now, as well as
William Tell), the most celebrated skater of his age,
one winter’s eve, when intoxicated, laid a wager with
Harald Blue-Tooth that he would skate down the
Kulien Hills. Next morning, when he was sober, the
king insisted on his performing the feat. “It is my
certain death,” answered Palnatoke; “but better die
than break my word.” So he mounted the hills to fulfil
his promise. Down he came with a fearful rapidity to
instant destruction; but, luckily, the band of one skate
giving way arrested his descent; he arrived in safety at
the bottom, and escaped in a little ship which was lying
in wait for him.
Palnatoke was greatly skilled in archery; so Harald
Blue-Tooth ordered him to shoot an apple off his child’s
head, declaring that if he missed it he should forfeit his
life. Palnatoke desired his boy to be steady—not to
flinch. He cleaves the apple in twain, and the child is
unscathed. But he has three arrows, and owns his
intention, had he failed, to have shot the contriver of
the death. This story, with all due respect to the Swiss,
is related in the Sagas, some four hundred years before
William Tell was born or thought of.
Marienlyst boasts of a certain historic interest,
particularly to us English, for here was founded, early in
the fifteenth century, a Carmelite cloister by our English
princess Queen Philippa, of whom the Danes think so
mucß, and of whom we her countrymen know so little.
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