jest as I have not played on a man for many a long day.
Truly I have been more light hearted for my laugh ever since."

"Ay, lord, you had the laugh of me," Kolgrim said, grinning
uneasily.

Then the king nodded gaily to him and asked who Thord was.

"This is my master in sea craft," said Odda. "Verily I fear him as
I have feared no man since I was at school. But he cured the
seasickness of me."

"Maybe I forgot the sickness when I sent landsmen to sea in all
haste," said the king. "Nevertheless, Thord, how fought they when
blows were going?"

"Well enough, king. And I will say that what I tried to teach them
they tried to learn," answered Thord.

"Wherein is hope. You think that I may have good seamen in time,
therefore?"

"Ay, lord. It is in the blood of every man of our kin to take to
the sea. They are like hen-bred ducklings now, and they do but want
a duck to lead them pondwards. Then may hen cackle in vain for
them."

The king laughed.

"Faith," he said, "I--the hen--drove Odda into the pond. He is,
according to his own account, a poor duckling."

"Let him splash about a little longer, lord king," said Thord.

But Odda spoke with a long face.

"Not so, King Alfred, if you love me. Landsman am I, and
chicken-hearted at sea. Keep the gamecock to mind the farmyard;
there be more birds than ducks needed."

"Make a song hereof, Harek," said the king. "Here is word play
enough for any scald."

Then sang Harek, laughing, and ever ready with verses:

"The gamecock croweth bravely,
And guardeth hawk-scared hen roost;
But when the sea swan swimmeth
Against the shoreward nestings,
There mighty mallard flappeth,
And frayeth him from foray;
Yet shoreward if he winneth,
The gamecock waits to meet him."

"That is in my favour," said Odda. "Mind you the scald's words, I
pray you, lord king, and send me to my right place, even with hawk
on one side and swan on the other."

So a pleasant laugh went round, and then the king went back to his
throne, and spoke words of open thanks to us of the fleet who had
gained him such victory. Good words they were, neither too few nor
too many, such as would make every man who heard them long to hear
the like of himself again.

Now, while he was speaking, men came to the tent door and waited
for his words to end; and then one came forward and told a noble,
who seemed to be ordering the state which was kept, that Danish
lords had come to speak with the king.

It se