Viking Tales. Jennie Hall

May good luck go with you!'

      "'By the beard of Odin!' I cried; 'you have taken our joke like a man.'

      "My men pounded the table with their fists.

      "'By the hammer of Thor!' shouted Grim. 'Here is no stingy coward. He is a man fit to carry my drinking-horn, the horn of a sea-rover and a sword-swinger. Here, friend, take it,' and he thrust it into the farmer's hand. 'May you drink heart's-ease from it for many years. And with it I leave you a name, Sif the Friendly. I shall hope to drink with you sometime in Valhalla.'

      "Then all my men poured around that farmer and clapped him on the shoulder and piled things upon him, saying:

      "'Here is a ring for Sif the Friendly.'

      "'And here is a bracelet.'

      "'A sword would not be ashamed to hang at your side.'

      "I took five great bracelets of gold from our treasure chest and gave them to him.

      "The old man's eyes opened wide at all these things, and at the same time he laughed.

      "'May Odin send me such guests every winter!' he said.

      "Early next morning we shook hands with our host and boarded the 'Waverunner' and sailed off.

      "'Where shall we go?' my men asked.

      "'Let the gods decide,' I said, and tossed up my spear.

      "When it fell on the deck it pointed up-shore, so I steered in that direction. That is the best way to decide, for the spear will always point somewhere, and one thing is as good as another. That time it pointed us into your father's ships. They closed in battle with us and killed my men and sunk my ship and dragged me off a prisoner. They were three against one, or they might have tasted something more bitter at our hands. They took me before King Halfdan.

      "'Here,' they said, 'is a rascal who has been harrying our coasts. We sunk his ship and men, but him we brought to you.'

      "'A robber viking?' said the king, and scowled at me.

      "I threw back my head and laughed.

      "'Yes. And with all your fingers it took you a year to catch me.'

      "The king frowned more angrily.

      "'Saucy, too?' he said. 'Well, thieves must die. Take him out, Thorkel, and let him taste your sword.'

      "Your mother, the queen, was standing by. Now she put her hand on his arm and smiled and said:

      "'He is only a lad. Let him live. And would he not be a good gift for our baby?'

      "Your father thought a moment, then looked at your mother and smiled.

      "'Soft heart!' he said gently to her; then to Thorkel, 'Well, let him go, Thorkel!'

      "Then he turned to me again, frowning.

      "'But, young sharp-tongue, now that we have caught you we will put you into a trap that you cannot get out of. Weld an iron collar on his neck.'

      "So I lived and now am your tooth thrall. Well, it is the luck of war. But by the chair of Odin, I kept my vow!"

      "Yes!" cried Harald, jumping to his feet. "And had a joke into the bargain. Ah! sometime I will make a brave vow like that."

      FOOTNOTES:

       Table of Contents

      [3] See note about drinking-horns on page 195.

      [4] See note about feast hall on page 196.