f, till they looked under the helmet and saw
the ugly little man with the pale cowardly face. So they turned their
eyes gladly on the Queen and Princess, both tall and beautiful and
glittering with jewels, though inwardly they were not much better than
the King.

A magnificent dinner made the nobles feel more at ease, and they
begged the King to tell them what man there was in Sweden so skilled
in smith's work. Now Nidud had drunk deeply of mead, and longed to
revenge himself on Wayland, whom he held to have caused the loss of
his army; so he gave the key of the tower to one of his Earls, and
bade him take two men and bring forth Wayland, adding that if the next
time he visited the tower he should find a grain of gold missing, they
should pay for it with their lives.

The three men got a boat, and rowed towards the tower, but on the way
one who, like the King, had drunk too much mead, fell into the sea and
was drowned. The other two reached the tower in safety, and finding
Wayland, blackened with dust, busy at his forge, bade him come just as
he was to the boat. With his hands bound they led him before the King,
and Eyvind the Earl bowed low and said, 'We have done your desire, Sir
King, and must now hasten back to look for Gullorm, who fell into the
sea.'

'Leave him where he is,' replied Nidud; 'if he is not drowned by now
he will never drown at all, but in token of your obedience to my
orders I will give you each these golden chains.'

[Illustration: Wayland mocked by the Queen and Banvilda]

The guests had not thought to see the man who had made such wonderful
armour helpless and a cripple, and said so to the King. 'He was once
handsome and stately enough,' answered Nidud, 'but I have bowed his
stubborn head.' And the Queen and her daughter joined in saying, 'The
maidens of Finland will hardly fancy a lover who cannot stand
upright.' But Wayland stood as if he heard nothing till the King's son
snatched a bone from the table and threw it at his head. Then his
patience gave way, and, seizing the bone, he beat Nidud about the head
with it till the straps of the helmet gave way and the helmet itself
fell off. The guests all took his side, and said that, though a
cripple, he was braver than many men whose legs were straight, and
begged the King to allow him to go back to his prison without being
teased further. But the King cried that Wayland had done mischief
enough, and must now be punished, and told them the sto