ather and called two fresh ships to thy helping then I
am glad thou art come to my feast in my hall!"

Then Swend--"Thou hast murdered thy host for the sake of his daughter! I,
his kinsman--" and he stopped while the smoke swirled down and I heard
him coughing.

"Who would have been kinsman to me had I slept in my ship, Rudolf's
guest? And the maiden chose freely. He would have bit on my
axe-blade--though he were Odin!" And Lord Snore lifted his axe, shouting
aloud in his anger.

I hear Swend yell to his men through the smoke; the floor shakes as they
come running towards us. They break out of the gloom; they leap on the
table smiting and stabbing. But the long arms of our men pull them
down; they fall. Lord Snore's axe swirls and bangs on their armour; the
table is cleared. They draw back, gasping like dogs; their wounded lie
against the wall in the drip of the candles. I see the chests of our men
heave in their weariness. They lean with their backs against the wall,
wiping their slippery hands on the skirts of their garments. The smoke
comes down; again they come. The fight closes in again the struggling
forms striking over the table, I catch dim sight of swift grey shapes
and the flashing of swords high in the air. Our men are panting like
bulls; I hear the straining of their leather coats as they lean,
striking into the mist. Bodies of men come shocking against the table;
there is roaring, and trampling of feet, and banging and clashing of
armour, and breaking of wood, and the sound of Lord Snore's axe falling
regularly comes through the darkness.

All this comes to me, dimly, as though through a dream, and dreaming, I
catch a passing sight of the shadowy figures in the smoke on the other
side of the table. The fight goes on; it goes on for ever and ever it
seems; and the world in the smoke and the noises and sounds of the
combat grow farther and farther away; they come to me unreally, in a
far-off roar, like the sea.

I hear the sound of waves; the water roars, and roars, and roars--farther
and farther--then nearer again; the ship moves and heaves and turns
slowly round under the motion. And now I hear the sound of my harp
playing, coming through the sound of the water; that ceases, and I hear
the sound of Snore's and Helga's voices speaking softly. I hear the
words--they come to me over the continuous sound of the water--and they
are silly words, about a piece of her hair that she has given him--and I
laugh-