Part 25 (1/2)

”The track of the Dragon to the River is broad, for he takes ever the one track. Dig a pit in the middle of that track, and when Fafnir comes over it strike up into his coils of mail with Gram, thy great sword.

Gram only may pierce that mail. Then will Fafnir be slain and the h.o.a.rd will be left guardless.”

”What thou sayst is wise, Regin,” Sigurd answered. ”We will make this pit and I will strike Fafnir in the way thou sayst.”

Then Sigurd went and he rode upon Grani, his proud horse, and he showed himself to King Alv and to Hiordis, his mother. Afterwards he went with Regin to the Heath that was the haunt of the Dragon, and in his track they dug a pit for the slaying of Fafnir.

And, lest his horse should scream aloud at the coming of the Dragon, Sigurd had Grani sent back to a cave in the hills. It was Regin that brought Grani away. ”I am fearful and can do nothing to help thee, son of the Volsungs,” he said. ”I will go away and await the slaying of Fafnir.”

He went, and Sigurd lay down in the pit they had made and practiced thrusting upward with his sword. He lay with his face upward and with his two hands he thrust the mighty sword upward.

But as he lay there he bethought of a dread thing that might happen; namely, that the blood and the venom of the Dragon might pour over him as he lay there, and waste him flesh and bone. When he thought of this Sigurd hastened out of the pit, and he dug other pits near by, and he made a pa.s.sage for himself from one pit to the other that he might escape from the flow of the Dragon's envenomed blood.

As he lay down again in the pit he heard the treading of the Dragon and he heard the Dragon's strange and mournful cry. Mightily the Dragon came on and he heard his breathing. His shape came over the pit. Then the Dragon held his head and looked down on Sigurd.

It was the instant for him to make stroke with Gram. He did not let the instant pa.s.s. He struck mightily under the shoulder and toward the heart of the beast. The sword went through the hard and glittering scales that were the creature's mail. Sigurd pulled out the sword and drew himself through the pa.s.sage and out into the second pit as Fafnir's envenomed blood drenched where he had been.

Drawing himself up out of the second pit he saw the huge shape of Fafnir heaving and las.h.i.+ng. He came to him and thrust his sword right through the Dragon's neck. The Dragon reared up as though to fling himself down on Sigurd with all his crus.h.i.+ng bulk and dread talons, with his fiery breath and his envenomed blood. But Sigurd leaped aside and ran far off.

Then did Fafnir scream his death scream. After he had torn up rocks with his talons he lay p.r.o.ne on the ground, his head in the pit that was filled with his envenomed blood.

Then did Regin, hearing the scream that let him know that Fafnir was slain, come down to where the battle had been fought. When he saw that Sigurd was alive and unharmed he uttered a cry of fury. For his plan had been to have Sigurd drowned and burnt in the pit with the stream of Fafnir's envenomed blood.

But he mastered his fury and showed a pleased countenance to Sigurd.

”Now thou wilt have renown,” he cried. ”Forever wilt thou be called Sigurd, Fafnir's Bane. More renown than ever any of thy fathers had wilt thou have, O Prince of the Volsungs.”

So he spoke, saying fair words to him, for now that he was left alive there was something he would have Sigurd do.

”Fafnir is slain,” Sigurd said, ”and the triumph over him was not lightly won. Now may I show myself to King Alv and to my mother, and the gold from Fafnir's h.o.a.rd will make me a great spoil.”

”Wait,” said Regin cunningly. ”Wait. Thou hast yet to do something for me. With the sword thou hast, cut through the Dragon and take out his heart for me. When thou hast taken it out, roast it that I may eat of it and become wiser than I am. Do this for me who showed thee how to slay Fafnir.”

Sigurd did what Regin would have him do. He cut out the heart of the Dragon and he hung it from stakes to roast. Regin drew away and left him. As Sigurd stood before the fire putting sticks upon it there was a great silence in the forest.

He put his hand down to turn an ashen branch into the heart of the fire.

As he did a drop from the roasting Dragon-heart fell upon his hand. The drop burnt into him. He put his hand to his mouth to ease the smart, and his tongue tasted the burning blood of the Dragon.

He went to gather wood for the fire. In a clearing that he came to there were birds; he saw four on a branch together. They spoke to each other in birds' notes, and Sigurd heard and knew what they were saying.

Said the first bird: ”How simple is he who has come into this dell! He has no thought of an enemy, and yet he who was with him but a while ago has gone away that he may bring a spear to slay him.”

”For the sake of the gold that is in the Dragon's cave he would slay him,” said the second bird.

And the third bird said: ”If he would eat the Dragon's heart himself he would know all wisdom.”

But the fourth bird said: ”He has tasted a drop of the Dragon's blood and he knows what we are saying.”

The four birds did not fly away nor cease from speaking. Instead they began to tell of a marvelous abode that was known to them.