One of the servants who had followed Lord Joachim to the capital
managed to make a safe return to tell Gustavus the terrible news of
the Carnage of Stockholm. He was also told that a high price had been
placed on his own head.
Gustavus at once prepared for flight. Accompanied by a single servant
he secretly left Ræfsnæs one day toward the end of November, travelling
on horseback northward to Dalecarlia. He arrived at Kopparberg in
Dalecarlia, where he had his hair close cropped and put on peasant’s
clothes. Putting an axe over his shoulder, he went about looking for
employment. The first man whom he tried was Andrew Persson, a wealthy
mine owner at Rankhytta. Gustavus found employment with him, taking
part in the threshing. But the other servants soon detected that the
new man had a carriage and habits different from their own, and they
commenced to watch him closely. They noticed that he was not accustomed
to the work, and one of the servant girls saw a collar of silk above
the coarse blouse. Andrew Persson called before him the suspect, and
was highly surprised when recognizing in him a comrade from the time
of his student days at Upsala. He was favorably disposed, but was
afraid of sheltering Gustavus, advising him to flee to the less thickly
settled parts of the province, and to change often from one place to
another. Gustavus continued his way in a westerly direction, following
the shore of a lake named Runn, and arrived at Ornæs the following day.
He knew he had an old comrade and friend in the owner of the place.
This man, Arendt Persson, received him in the most hospitable manner,
but was in his heart desirous of obtaining the price placed upon the
head of the young squire. Gustavus went to bed in the attic, not
suspecting treachery. The host himself accompanied him to his resting
place, according to the mediæval custom. This done, Arendt travelled
in great haste to one of his neighbors, the much-respected Mons
Nilsson of Aspeboda. Arendt asked him to assist in capturing Gustavus
Vasa; but Mons Nilsson flatly refused, taking no pains to hide his
indignation. Arendt left and went past his own home to Sætra, which was
the residence of the Danish bailiff. He started for Ornæs the following
morning, accompanied by the bailiff and twenty men ready to capture
the fugitive. But Arendt’s wife, Lady Barbro Stigsdotter (Swinhufwud),
had not been inactive. Her suspicion was aroused when she noticed
her husband travelling back and forth to disappear in the direction
where the bailiff resided. She divined that the safety of her guest
was threatened and decided to take action. Lady Barbro went to the
attic, roused her sleeping guest and told him of the impending danger.
Gustavus let himself down to the ground by means of towels fastened to
the window-sill, assisted by Lady Barbro, who had a horse and sleigh
in readiness for him, in charge of a faithful servant. He reached the
residence of John, the priest of Sværdsjœ. Arendt was enraged when he
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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