Part 9 (1/2)

Black rage swelled in his heart He ground his fangs, and thought on guile By his foot gleamed the naked foot of Eric Suddenly he stamped on it so fiercely that the skin burst

”Ill done! ill done!” folk cried; but in his pain Eric ether down, for he did but sit upon his haunches, and still he clung to Blacktooth's thighs, and twined his legs about his ankles Noith all his strength Ospakar strove to force the head of Brighteyes to the ground, but still he could not, for Eric clung to hiahteyes was pressed back till his yellow hair almost swept the sand

Then the folk of Ospakar shouted in triumph, but Gudruda cried aloud:

”Be not overthrown, Eric; loose thee and spring aside”

Eric heard, and of a sudden loosed all his grip He fell on his outspread hand, then, with a swing sideways and a bound, once more he stood upon his feet Ospakar ca, but he could no longer roar aloud They closed and this tiled round and round till their feet tore the frozen turf, then once more they stood face to face Now the tere al Eric froe, and hugged hihteyes was nearly pressed to death, and black bruises sprang upon the whiteness of his flesh Ospakar grew th in his fury he fixed his fangs in Eric's shoulder and bit till the blood spurted

”Ill kissed, thou rat!” gasped Eric, and with the pain and rush of blood, his strength caht hand was beneath the fork of Blacktooth's thigh and his left on the hollow of Blacktooth's back Twice he lifted--twice the bulk of Ospakar rose fro on Eric's forehead burst, and the blood streareat Blacktooth flew in air Up he flew, and backward he fell into the bank of snow, and was buried there almost to the knees

VI

HOW ASMUND THE PRIEST WAS BETROTHED TO UNNA

For a moment there was silence, for all that coreatness of the deed Then they cheered and cheered again, and to Eric it see reached hih snow Suddenly he woke and saw a man rush at him with axe aloft It was Mord, Ospakar's son,aside, or the blow had been his bane, and, as he sprang, smote with his fist, and it struck heavily on the head of Mord above the ear, so that the axe flew from his hand, and he fell senseless on his father in the snow

Noords flashed out, and uard hi of blood, for the people of Ospakar gnashed their teeth to see so great a hero overthrown by a youngling, while the southern folk of Middalhof and Ran River rejoiced loudly, for Eric was dear to their hearts

”Doords,” cried Asmund the priest, ”and haul yon carcass from the snow”

This then they did, and Ospakar sat up, breathing in great gasps, the blood running froht to see, for ith blood and snow and rage his face was like the face of the Swinefell Goblin

But Swanhild spoke in the ear of Gudruda:

”Here,” she said, looking at Eric, ”o have a , foster-sister”

”Ay,” answered Gudruda, ”worth and orth!”

Now Ashteyes on the brow

”In sooth,” he said, ”thou art a lory of the south This I prophesy of thee: that thou shalt do deeds such as have not been done in Iceland Thou hast ill been served, for a knave unknown greased thy shoes Yon swarthy Ospakar, the hty of all h, like a wolf, he fastened his fangs in thee, and, like a coward, stareat sword that thou hast won and wear it worthily”

Now Eric took snow and wiped the blood frorasped Whitefire and drew it froh aloft flashed the war-blade Thrice he wheeled it round his head, then sang aloud:

”Fast, yester Eric to thy feast, Ass to clasp

But to-day on Giant Blacktooth Hath he done a needful deed: Hurling hie”