Part 32 (1/2)
”And Skallagririm lives--fear not!”
”And my comrades, hoent it with them?”
”But ill, Eric Ran has theroaned aloud ”I had rather died also than live to hear such heavy tidings,” he said ”Witch-work! witch-work! and that fair witch-face wrought it” And once again he slept, nor did he wake till the sun was high But Atli couldof his words
When Swanhild left the side of Eric she met Hall of Lithdale face to face and his looks were troubled
”Say, lady,” he asked, ”will Brighteyes live?”
”Grieve not, Hall,” she answered, ”Eric will surely live and he will be glad to find aleft so many yonder,”
and she pointed to the sea
”I shall not be glad,” said Hall, letting his eyes fall
”Why not, Hall? Fearest thou Skallagrim? or hast thou done ill by Eric?”
”Ay, lady, I fear Skallagrim, for he swore to slay me, and that kind of promise he ever keeps Also, if the truth ether ith Eric, and of all men I least wish to talk with hi forced to it, Hall told her so careful to put another colour on it
”Now it seems that thou art a coward, Hall,” Swanhild said when he had done, ”and I scarcely looked for that in thee,” for she had not been deceived by the glozing of his speech ”It will be bad for thee to oest hence before they wake, for they will sit this winter here in Atli's hall”
”And whither shall I go, lady?”
Swanhild gazed on hiht caht serve her ends
”Hall,” she said, ”thou art an Icelander, and I have known of thee from a child, and therefore I wish to serve thee in thy strait, though thou deservest it little See now, Atli the Earl has a farm on the mainland not two hours' ride froo, if thou art wise, and thou shalt sit there this winter and be hidden frorim Nay, thank me not, but listen: it may chance that I shall have a service for thee to do before spring is come”
”Lady, I shall wait upon thy word,” said Hall
”Good Now, so soon as it is light, I will find a man to sail with thee across the Firth, for the sea falls, and bear e to the steward at Atli's far-money thou shalt have it
Farewell”
Thus then did Hall fly before Eric and Skallagririm arose, sick and bruised indeed, but not at all harmed, and went down to the shore There they found many dead men of their company, but never a one in whoriainst the wind: last night anhild's wraith upon the waves, and there is the path it showed, and there”--and he pointed to the dead men--”is the witch-seed's flower Now to-day we sit in Atli's hall and here we must stay this winter at Swanhild's side, and in all this there lies a riddle that I cannot read”
But Eric shook his head, ri back alone towards the hall, sat down on a rock in the ho his face with his hands, wept for his comrades
As he wept Swanhild caently on the arm