Page 27 - SagaOfBarak2

Drinking and dicing was all well and good for awhile, but back then in the dark
days slaying was all and everything.
Barak was a man who always made the best of things.
Being so, with this quite unexpected spare time the giant then of course had
been socializing quite heavily with his closest rank and file.
It was these men who rode at Barak’s back, big brave men, brawny blond haired
German mercenaries who hailed from the Rhine Valley.
Barak through his vast experience on the battlefield, oh and of course also many
nights in heaving taverns liked these crude rude rough humoured men very much.
True it was that these fellows were perhaps not good thinkers, but however and
nevertheless more importantly they were as a rule and all of them at that, at least
good drinkers.
Also of course the men from the Rhineland were damn good company, aye this
whether on a blood soaked battlefield or as said rolling about in a beer swilled
tavern brawling, this either with each other or anyone else who was close at hand.
Better still as a most welcome bonus, the Germans for whatever reason were
the most useless of gamblers Barak had ever encountered upon his many years
of wanderings.
Aye as for some reason or other, here were men who carried little or no luck in
a game of chance, aye and this with either the cards the dice or even the tossing
of coins.
Of course with this being so, the big Barak had always paid the Germans up
most handsomely, indeed far more gelt than any of the other sell swords ever
received.
This as cleverly knowing full well, he could and indeed would always win the
coin back from these luckless gamblers in the long run anyway.
But above all and everything else in their favour, well these big, long haired,
full bearded men were also good and the most able of warriors.
True it was that the men of the Rhineland were for the most part reckless,
undisciplined souls at times, still nevertheless they were the most fearless and
reliable of fighters when pushed into a tight corner.
Aye as both the Norse and the Germans were brave reckless souls, with a free
uncaring spirit as they in general cared little of the odds or numbers stacked
against them.
Anyway, there behind his broad back at that particular time were gnarled
hardened veterans, rough, tough men who had campaigned with Barak many
times in the long bloody past.
Thus far these warriors had never taken a backward step, this out of either fear
or despair, nor had they even looked like doing so, this no matter how many the
foe.

30