my feast by the
path over Golden Falls; and, if thou comest that way, I promise thee
this: if thou livest I will greet thee well, and if I find thee dead
in the great pool I will bind on thy Hell-shoes and lay thee to earth
neighbourly fashion. But if thou comest by any other path, then my
thralls shall cut thee down at my door." And he stroked his beard and
laughed.

Now Asmund spoke thus mockingly because he did not think it possible
that any man should try the path of the Golden Falls.

Eric smiled and said, "I hold thee to thy word, lord; perhaps I shall be
thy guest at Yule."

But Gudruda heard the thunder of the mighty Falls as the wind turned,
and cried "Nay, nay--it were thy death!"

Then Eric finds his horse and rides away across the snow.

Now it must be told of Koll the Half-witted that at length he came to
Swinefell in the north, having journeyed hard across the snow. Here
Ospakar Blacktooth had his great hall, in which day by day a hundred men
sat down to meat. Now Koll entered the hall when Ospakar was at supper,
and looked at him with big eyes, for he had never seen so wonderful a
man. He was huge in stature--his hair was black, and black his beard,
and on his lower lip there lay a great black fang. His eyes were small
and narrow, but his cheekbones were set wide apart and high, like
those of a horse. Koll thought him an ill man to deal with and half a
troll,[*] and grew afraid of his errand, since in Koll's half-wittedness
there was much cunning--for it was a cloak in which he wrapped himself.
But as Ospakar sat in the high seat, clothed in a purple robe, with
his sword Whitefire on his knee, he saw Koll, and called out in a great
voice:

[*] An able-bodied Goblin.

"Who is this red fox that creeps into my earth?"

For, to look at, Koll was very like a fox.

"My name is Koll the Half-witted, Groa's thrall, lord. Am I welcome
here?" he answered.

"That is as it may be. Why do they call thee half-witted?"

"Because I love not work overmuch, lord."

"Then all my thralls are fellow to thee. Say, what brings thee here?"

"This lord. It was told among men down in the south that thou wouldst
give a good gift to him who should discover to thee the fairest maid in
Iceland. So I asked leave of my mistress to come on a journey and tell
thee of her."

"Then a lie was told thee. Still, I love to hear of fair maids, and seek
one for a wife if she be but fair enough. So speak on, Koll the Fox, and
l