e ghost with his lips relaxed into a smile. The
champions passionately sought to avenge him, but were visited by Bjarke
with like destruction; for he used a sword of wonderful sharpness and
unusual length which he called Lovi. While he was triumphing in these
deeds of prowess, a beast of the forest furnished him fresh laurels. For
he met a huge bear in a thicket, and slew it with a javelin; and then
bade his companion Hjalte put his lips to the beast and drink the blood
that came out, that he might be the stronger afterwards. For it was
believed that a draught of this sort caused an increase of bodily
strength. By these valorous achievements he became intimate with the
most illustrious nobles, and even, became a favourite of the king; took
to wife his sister Rute, and had the bride of the conquered as the prize
of the conquest. When Rolf was harried by Athisl he avenged himself on
him in battle and overthrew Athisl in war. Then Rolf gave his sister
Skulde in marriage to a youth of keen wit, called Hiartuar, and made him
governor of Sweden, ordaining a yearly tax; wishing to soften the loss
of freedom to him by the favour of an alliance with himself.

Here let me put into my work a thing that it is mirthful to record. A
youth named Wigg, scanning with attentive eye the bodily size of Rolf,
and smitten with great wonder thereat, proceeded to inquire in jest
who was that "Krage" whom Nature in her beauty had endowed with such
towering stature? Meaning humorously to banter his uncommon tallness.
For "Krage" in the Danish tongue means a tree-trunk, whose branches are
pollarded, and whose summit is climbed in such wise that the foot
uses the lopped timbers as supports, as if leaning on a ladder, and,
gradually advancing to the higher parts, finds the shortest way to the
top. Rolf accepted this random word as though it were a name of honour
for him, and rewarded the wit of the saying with a heavy bracelet. Then
Wigg, thrusting out his right arm decked with the bracelet, put his left
behind his back in affected shame, and walked with a ludicrous gait,
declaring that he, whose lot had so long been poverty-stricken, was glad
of a scanty gift. When he was asked why he was behaving so, he said
that the arm which lacked ornament and had no splendour to boast of
was mantling with the modest blush of poverty to behold the other. The
ingenuity of this saying won him a present to match the first. For
Rolf made him bring out to view, like