n
hangings on the walls or the wooden pillars, up which tongues of flame
were creeping.

For blindly now flew spears and axes, and golden and silver drinking
horns; and many who would have striven for peace, or trodden out the
flames, had fallen, struck down by both sides.

"Must we alone stand idle among the strange guests at this bloody
midsummer feast?" said the Danish Jarl Hako, to the Irish King Konal,
"so that the Skalds shall taunt us as drink valiant but battle shy. We
have an old strife about stolen horses. Let us fight it out here, thou
Irish Greenpeak!"

"Thou drunkard of Zealand," was the answer, "I will quench for ever thy
thirst and thy reviling;" and he struck his broad short Irish knife
through his teeth into his throat.

Then Sveno, his brother, fell furiously upon the Irish king, and their
followers, Danes and Irish, fought by themselves their own battle in
the forefront of the hall, and thus blocked up the door, so that no one
could escape from the hall into the open air.

And those who had no weapons tore down the trophies from the pillars,
or hurled about the heavy drinking horns, and even the flaming beams
and blocks which already fell from the ceiling, and instead of shields
they defended themselves with the tables.

And all wildly mingled fought the people of Tiunderland and Iceland, of
Westgothaland and Eastgothaland, of Zealand and Ireland. And hardly did
anyone know who was friend or foe; and many, many men sank down,
wounded or burnt.

And at last the flames had burst through the roof, and shot blazing up
towards heaven.

And as the wind from above blew down upon the swelling hangings on the
walls, they flashed up suddenly in a brighter blaze.

And now the highest beam fell with a crash; and thereupon rang out a
sound as though forty harp strings had all at once uttered their dying
wail. And it was even so, for the beam had severed in twain Halfred's
silver harp, which lay close by his head.

At this wailing harp cry Halfred opened his eyes, and looked around
him, and all the truth broke upon him. He sprang up and shouted
threateningly through slaughter and flames--Hartvik and Eigil protected
him with shield and sword--

"Hold! Peace, peace in the hall! Magic has frenzied us all! Quench,
quench the fire which devours us all!"

And so great was his power over friends and foes that for a moment all
paused.

Then hark! From without there thundered on the hindmost door of the
h