ight
to left over his head. Then he again stuck it into the earth and spoke
in murmuring tones:

"Hear me, ancient earth, welling water, ethereal air, flickering flame!
Listen to me well and preserve my words. Here stand five men of the
race of Graut, Teja and Totila, Hildebad and Hildebrand, and Witichis,
Waltari's son.

"We stand here in a quiet hour
To bind a bond between blood-brethren,
For ever and ever and every day.
In closest communion as kindred companions.
In friendship and feud, in revenge and right.
One hope, one hate, one love, one lament,
As we drop to one drop
Our blood as blood-brethren."

At these words he bared his left arm, the others did the same; close
together they stretched their five arms over the cauldron, the old man
lifted the sharp flint-knife, and with one stroke scratched the skin of
his own and the others' forearms, so that the blood of all flowed in
red drops into the brazen cauldron. Then they retook their former
positions, and the old man continued murmuring:

"And we swear the solemn oath,
To sacrifice all that is ours,
House, horse, and armour,
Court, kindred, and cattle,
Wife, weapons, and wares,
Son, and servants, and body, and life,
To the glance and glory of the race of Gaut,
To the good Goths.
And who of us would withdraw
From honouring the oath with all sacrifices--"

here he, and at a sign, the others also, stepped out of the ditch from
under the strip of turf--

"His red blood shall run unrevenged
Like this water under the wood-sod--"

he lifted the cauldron, poured its bloody contents into the ditch, and
then took it out, together with the other implements--

"Upon his head shall the halls of Heaven
Crash cumbrous down and crush him,
Solid as this sod."

At one stroke he struck down the three supporting lance-shafts, and
dully fell the heavy turf-roof back into the ditch. The five men now
placed themselves again on the spot thus covered by the turf, with
their hands entwined, and the old man said in more rapid tones:

"Whosoever does not keep this oath; whosoever does not protect his
blood-brother like his own brother during his life, and revenge his
death; whosoever refuses to sacrifice everything that he possesses to
the people of the Goths, when called upon to do so by a brother in case
of necessity, shall be for ever su