nigh the shore, and the big man stirred not;
nor did he any the more when the keel ran along the shore, and Hallblithe
leapt out and moored his craft to his spear stuck deep in the earth. And
now Hallblithe deems that the man must be either dead or asleep: so he
drew his sword and had it in his right hand, and in his left a sharp
knife, and went straight up to the man betwixt the sheep, and found him
so lying on his side that he could not see his face; so he stirred him
with his foot, and cried out: "Awake, O Shepherd! for dawn is long past
and day is come, and therewithal a guest for thee!"

The man turned over and slowly sat up, and, lo! who should it be but the
Puny Fox? Hallblithe started back at the sight of him, and cried out at
him, and said: "Have I found thee, O mine enemy?"

The Puny Fox sat up a little straighter, and rubbed his eyes and said:
"Yea, thou hast found me sure enough. But as to my being thine enemy, a
word or two may be said about that presently."

"What!" said Hallblithe, "dost thou deem that aught save my sword will
speak to thee?"

"I wot not," said the Puny Fox, slowly rising to his feet, "but I suppose
thou wilt not slay me unarmed, and thou seest that I have no weapons."

"Get thee weapons, then," quoth Hallblithe, "and delay not; for the sight
of thee alive sickens me."

"Ill is that," said the Puny Fox, "but come thou with me at once, where I
shall find both the weapons and a good fighting-stead. Hasten! time
presseth, now thou art come at last."

"And my boat?" said Hallblithe.

"Wilt thou carry her in thy pouch?" said the Puny Fox; "thou wilt not
need her again, whether thou slay me, or I thee."

Hallblithe knit his brows on him in his wrath; for he deemed that Fox's
meaning was to threaten him with the vengeance of the kindred. Howbeit,
he said nought; for he deemed it ill to wrangle in words with one whom he
was presently to meet in battle; so he followed as the Puny Fox led. Fox
brought him past the reef of rock aforesaid, and up a narrow cleft of the
cliffs overlooking the sea, whereby they came into a little grass-grown
meadow well nigh round in shape, as smooth and level as a hall-floor, and
fenced about by a wall of rock: a place which had once been the mouth of
an earth-fire, and a cauldron of molten stone.

When they stood on the smooth grass Fox said: "Hold thee there a little,
while I go to my weapon-chest, and then shall we see what is to be done."

Therewi