ll all this game is played and another game is set," and the
shape of Swanhild crouched upon the floor before the hag-headed toad
muttering "Pass! pass!"

Then Swanhild felt her flesh come back to her, and as it grew upon her
so the shape of the Death-headed toad faded away.

"Farewell, Blood-sister!" piped a voice; "make merry as thou mayest, but
merrier shall be our nights when thou hast gone a-sailing with Eric on
the sea. Farewell! farewell! _Were-wolf_ thou didst call me once, and
as a wolf I came. _Rat_ thou didst call me once, and as a rat I came.
_Toad_ didst thou call me once, and as a toad I came. Say, at the last,
what wilt thou call me and in what shape shall I come, Blood-sister?
Till then farewell!"

And all was gone and all was still.

XVII

HOW ASMUND THE PRIEST WEDDED UNNA, THOROD'S DAUGHTER

Now the story goes back to Iceland.

When Brighteyes was gone, for a while Gudruda the Fair moved sadly about
the stead, like one new-widowed. Then came tidings. Men told how Ospakar
Blacktooth had waylaid Eric on the seas with two long ships, dragons of
war, and how Eric had given him battle and sunk one dragon with great
loss to Ospakar. They told also how Blacktooth's other dragon, the
Raven, had sailed away before the wind, and Eric had sailed after it in
a rising gale. But of what befell these ships no news came for many a
month, and it was rumoured that this had befallen them--that both had
sunk in the gale, and that Eric was dead.

But Gudruda would not believe this. When Asmund the Priest, her father,
asked her why she did not believe it, she answered that, had Eric been
dead, her heart would surely have spoken to her of it. To this Asmund
said that it might be so.

Hay-harvest being done, Asmund made ready for his wedding with Unna,
Thorod's daughter and Eric's cousin.

Now it was agreed that the marriage-feast should be held at Middalhof;
for Asmund wished to ask a great company to the wedding, and there was
no place at Coldback to hold so many. Also some of the kin of Thorod,
Unna's father, were bidden to the feast from the east and north. At
length all was prepared and the guests came in great companies, for no
such feast had been made in this quarter for many years.

On the eve of the marriage Asmund spoke with Groa. The witch-wife had
borne herself humbly since she was recovered from her sickness. She
passed about the stead like a rat at night, speaking few words and
with downc