Part 48 (1/2)

This plan pleased Gizur, and he said that it should be so

So very early on the followingsent many men to watch Gudruda's shi+p, rode away secretly with Gizur and the thrall, and before it was again dawn they were on the northern slopes of Mosfell

It was on this saht that Eric went down fro was easy, but at length they cah, on which no fox s

”Here now is an end of our journey,” said Gizur, ”and I only pray this, that Eric ain” For he did not know that Brighteyes already rode hard for Middalhof

”Not so,” said the thrall, ”if only I can find the place by which, soh it the crest of the fell,” and he pointed to a narrow cleft in the face of the rock high above their heads, that was clothed with greybehind stones and birch-bushes, till presently he held up his hand and whistled They passed along the slope and found hi by a little streareat rock

”Here is the place,” the man said

”I see no place,” answered Swanhild

”Still, it is there, lady,” and he cli her after hiroith ain

”Then it is one that I have no o thou with the man and see if his tale is true I will stay here till ye come back”

Then the thrall let himself down into the hole and Gizur went after him

But Swanhild sat there in the shadow of the rock, her chin resting on her hand, and waited Presently, as she sat, she sao ht towards a turf-booth which stood the half of an hour's ride away Noanhild was the keenest-sighted of all women of her day in Iceland, and when she looked at these two men she knew one of them for Jon, Eric's thrall, and she knew the horse also--it was a white horse with black patches, that Jon had ridden for o till they came to the booth, and it seemed to her that they left their horses and entered

Swanhild waited upon the side of the fell for nearly two hours in all

Then, hearing a noise above her, she looked up, and there, black with dirt and ater, was Gizur, and with him was the thrall

”What luck, Gizur?” she asked

”This, Swanhild: Eric may hold Mosfell no more, for we have found a way to bolt the fox”

”That is good news, then,” said Swanhild ”Say on”

”Yonder hole, Swanhild, leads to the cleft above, having been cut through the cliff by fire, or perhaps by water Now up that cleft a h hardly, as by a difficult stair, till he co the crest, on the further side, perhaps six fathoms below him, he sees that space of rock where is Eric's cave; but he cannot see the cave itself, because the brow of the cliff hangs over And so it is that, if any come from the cave on to the space of rock, it will be an easy matter to roll stones upon them from above and crush thehed aloud

”Eric shallagainst rocks rolled on hio back to Coldback and suhteyes”

So they went on down the mountain till they came to the place where they had hidden their horses Then Swanhild re to the booth, and she told Gizur of them

”Now,” she said, ”ill snare these birds, and perchance they will twitter tidings e squeeze the near, they sao horses grazing without Now they got off their horses, and creeping up to the booth, looked in through the door which was ajar And they saw this, that onestock-fish, while Jon made bundles of fish and meal ready to tie on the horses For it was here that those of his quarter who loved Eric brought food to be carried by his men to the cave on Mosfell

Noanhild touched Gizur on the ar the fish and then to the spear in Gizur's hand Gizur thought a while, for he shrank from this deed

Then Swanhild whispered in his ear, ”Slay the s froh the man's heart, and he was dead at once Then he and the thrall leapt into the booth and threw the swords over hiht and his fellow dead he was afraid, and prayed for mercy