Part 55 (2/2)

”It is o and whose severed head spoke with thee!” gasped Skallagrih!” said Eric; ”but where may his head be?”

”Perchance the head will coht to see, surely Say, lord, shall I fall upon hirim, let him bide; he does but cohosts can only be laid in one way--by the hewing off of the head and the laying of it at the thigh But this one has no head to hew”

Now as he spoke the headless h to look

Once more there came the sound of feet and lo! men rim looked up and knew them

They were those of Ospakar's folk whohts; all their wounds were on thehosts gazed upon Eric and Skallagrim with cold dead eyes, then they too sat down by the fire Now once more there came the sound of feet, and from every side rim First came those who fell on that shi+p of Ospakar's which Eric sank by Westmans; then the crew of the Raven who had perished upon the sea-path Even as the host come Some had been drowned and their harness dripped water! Some had died of spear-thrusts and the spears were yet fixed in their breasts!

Soht of the axe of Skallagri on their ounds!

Then carim had slain upon the seas, those who had fallen before thelish wars, and all that company who had been drowned in the waters of the Pentland Firth when the witchcraft of Swanhild had brought the Gudruda to her wreck

”Now here we have a goodly crew,” said Eric at length ”Is it done, thinkest thou, or will Mosfell send forth rey-headed man drew near He had but one arm, for the other was hewn from him, and the byrnie on his left side was red with blood

”Welcoainst host of the Earl seated itself and looked on Eric with sad eyes, but it spake never a word

Then came another company, and at their head stalked black Ospakar

”These be they who died at Middalhof,” cried Eric ”Welcoe-feast of thine went ill!”

”Now rim; ”but see!

here come more”

As he spoke, Hall of Lithdale came, and with him Koll the Half-witted, and others And so it went on till all the rim had slain, or who had died because of theathered in deep ranks before them

”Now it is surely done,” said Eric

”There is yet a space,” said Skallagri to the other side of the fire, ”and hell holds many dead”

Even as the words left his lips there ca of horse's hoofs, and one clad in white rode up It was a woolden hair flowed down about her white arht of the fire, and behold! her white robe was red with blood, a great sas set in her heart, and the face and eyes were the face and eyes of Gudruda the Fair, and the horse she rode was Blackhteyes saw her he gave a great cry

”Greeting, sweet!” he said ”I aer afraid, since thou coht--ay even in yon death-sheet

Greeting, sweet, my May! I laid thee stiff and cold in the earth at Middalhof, but, like a loving wife, thou hast burst thy bonds, and art corip of trolls Thou art welcohter! Cohost of Gudruda spake no word She walked through the fire towards hiain when she had passed Then she sat down over against Eric and looked on him ide and tender eyes Thrice he stretched out his arth left theh they struck a wall of ice and were numbed by the bitter cold