all oaths broken. Then too, when
I would have left her, she drugged me with a witch-draught--ay, she
drugged me, and I woke to find myself false to my oath, false to Atli,
and false to thee, Gudruda. I cursed her and I left her, waiting for
the Earl, to tell him all. But Swanhild outwitted me. She told him
that other tale of shame that ye have heard, and brought Koll to him as
witness of the tale. Atli was deceived by her, and not until I had cut
him down in anger at the bitter words he spoke, calling me coward and
niddering, did he know the truth. But before he died he knew it; and
he died, holding my hand and bidding those about him find Koll and slay
him. Is it not so, ye who were Atli's men?"

"It is so, Eric!" they cried; "we heard it with our own ears, and we
slew Koll. But afterwards Swanhild brought is to believe that Earl Atli
was distraught when he spoke thus, and that things were indeed as she
had said."

Again men murmured, and a strange light shone in Gudruda's eyes.

"Now, Gudruda, thou hast heard all my story," said Eric. "Say, dost thou
believe me?"

"I believe thee, Eric."

"Say then, wilt thou still wed yon Ospakar?"

Gudruda looked on Blacktooth, then she looked at golden Eric and opened
her lips to speak. But before a word could pass them Ospakar rose in
wrath, laying his hand upon his sword.

"Thinkest thou thus to lure away my dove, outlaw? First I will see thee
food for crows."

"Well spoken, Blacktooth," laughed Eric. "I waited for such words from
thee. Thrice have we striven together--once out yonder in the snow, once
on Horse-Head Heights, and once by Westman Isles--and still we live
to tell the tale. Come down, Ospakar: come down from that soft seat of
thine and here and now let us put it to the proof who is the better man.
When we met before, the stake was Whitefire set against my eye. Now the
stake is our lives and fair Gudruda's hand. Talk no more, Ospakar, but
fall to it."

"Gudruda shall never wed thee, while I live!" said Bjoern; "thou art a
landless loon, a brawler, and an outlaw. Get thee gone, Eric, with thy
wolf-hound!"

"Squeak not so loud, rat--squeak not so loud, lest hound's fang worry
thee!" said Skallagrim.

"Whether I wed Gudruda or whether I wed her not is a matter that shall
be known in its season," said Eric. "For thy words, I say this: that it
is risky to hurl names at such as I am, Bjoern, lest perchance I answer
them with spear-thrusts. Thy answer, Ospakar