red the King.

"He is my foster-brother!" said Hauskuld, with a peculiar and unpleasant
smile.

The King looked a little perplexed.

"Thou wilt not have much heart to the business if that be so," he said.

"When you command, sire, it is my duty to obey," replied Hauskuld.

"Nay, but I can find other stout men for this thing. There is Hake of
Hadeland. Go, send him hither. I will not put this on thy shoulders."

"Sire, you are considerate," said Hauskuld, "but this foster-brother of
mine I count an enemy, for reasons that I need not tell. Besides, he is
said to be a warlock, and for my part I firmly believe that he is in
league with Nikke, so that it would be a service to the gods to rid the
world of him. If you will permit me, I will gladly go on this errand,
and as this Atli is a stout man, it would be well to take Hake and a few
of the berserkers along with me."

"Do as thou wilt," replied the King, with a wave of his hand, as he
turned away; "only, what thou doest, see thou do it well and quickly."

The berserk shouldered his battle-axe and left the hall. As he walked
away the King stood in the doorway looking after him with a mingled
expression of admiration and dislike.

"A stalwart knave," he muttered to himself, while a grim smile played on
his large handsome features; "a good fighting brute, no doubt, but, with
such a spirit, a bad servant, I fear."

"There are many such in your army," said a deep, stern voice behind him.

The King turned quickly round, with a look of anger, and fixed a
searching glance on the huge form of Rolf Ganger, who stood leaning on
the hilt of his sword with a quiet, almost contemptuous smile on his
face.

"It is well known that birds of a feather are fond of flying in
company," said the King, with a flushed countenance; "no doubt thou
speakest from personal knowledge and experience."

It was now Rolf's turn to flush, but the King did him injustice, having
no ground for such a speech, further than a knowledge that there existed
between them mutual antipathy which neither was particularly careful to
conceal.

"Have I done aught to merit such words?" demanded Rolf sternly.

Harald was on the point of making an angry rejoinder, but, placing a
powerful restraint upon himself, he said--

"It may be that thine actions are loyal, but, Rolf, thy words are
neither wise nor true. It is not wise to attempt to shake my confidence
in my followers, and it is not true that man