the shore, and, finding a boat and men who
as yet knew nothing of what had chanced to Atli, they sailed across the
firth at the rising of the moon.

Two days afterwards they found a ship at Wick that was bound for Fareys,
and sailed in her, Eric buying a passage with the half of a gold ring
that the King had given him in London.

Here at Fareys they sat a month or more; but not in the Earl's hall as
when Eric came with honour in the Gudruda, but in a farmer's stead.
For the tale of Eric's dealings with Atli and Atli's wife had reached
Fareys, and the Earl there had been a friend of Atli's. Moreover,
Eric was now a poor man, having neither ship nor goods, nor friends.
Therefore all looked coldly on him, though they wondered at his beauty
and his might. Still, they dared not to speak ill or make a mock of him;
for, two men having done so, were nearly slain of Skallagrim, who seized
the twain by the throat, one in either hand, and dashed their heads
together. After that men said little.

They sat there a month, till at length a chapman put in at Fareys, bound
for Iceland, and they took passage with him, Eric paying the other half
of his gold ring for ship-room. The chapman was not willing to give them
place at first, for he, too, had heard the tale; but Skallagrim offered
him choice, either to do so or to go on holmgang with him. Then the
chapman gave them passage.

Now it is told that when his thralls and house-carles bore the corpse of
Atli the Earl to his hall in Straumey, Swanhild met it and wept over it.
And when the spokesman among them stood forward and told her those words
that Atli had bidden them to say to her, sparing none, she spoke thus:

"My lord was distraught and weak with loss of blood when he spoke thus.
The tale I told him was true, and now Eric has added to his sin by
shedding the blood of him whom he wronged so sorely."

And thereafter she spoke so sweetly and with so much gentleness, craft,
and wisdom that, though they still doubted them, all men held her words
weighty. For Swanhild had this art, that she could make the false sound
true in the ears of men and the true sound false.

Still, being mindful of their oath, they hunted for Koll and found
him. And when the thrall knew that they would slay him he ran thence
screaming. Nor did Swanhild lift a hand to save his life, for she
desired that Koll should die, lest he should bear witness against her.
Away he ran towards the cliffs, and afte