"Then a lie was told thee. Still, I love to hear of fair maids, and seekone for a wife if she be but fair enough. So speak on, Koll the Fox, andlie not to me, I warn thee, else I will knock what wits are left therefrom that red head of thine."
So Koll took up the tale and greatly bepraised Gudruda's beauty; norin truth, for all his talk, could he praise it too much. He told of herdark eyes and the whiteness of her skin, of the nobleness of her shapeand the gold of her hair, of her wit and gentleness, till at lengthOspakar grew afire to see this flower of maids.
"By Thor, thou Koll," he said, "if the girl be but half of what thousayest, her luck is good, for she shall be wife to Ospakar. But if thouhast lied to me about her, beware! for soon there shall be a knave theless in Iceland."
Now a man rose in the hall and said that Koll spoke truth, for he hadseen Gudruda the Fair, Asmund's daughter, and there was no maid like herin Iceland.
"I will do this now," said Blacktooth. "To-morrow I will send amessenger to Middalhof, saying to Asmund the Priest that I purpose tovisit him at the time of the Yule-feast; then I shall see if the girlpleases me. Meanwhile, Koll, take thou a seat among the thralls, andhere is something for thy pains," and he took off the purple cloak andthrew it to him.
"Thanks to thee, Gold-scatterer," said Koll. "It is wise to go soon toMiddalhof, for such a bloom as this maid does not lack a bee. There isa youngling in the south, named Eric Brighteyes, who loves Gudruda, andshe, I think, loves him, though he is but a yeoman of small wealth andis only twenty-five years old."
"Ho! ho!" laughed great Ospakar, "and I am forty-five. But let not thissuckling cross my desire, lest men call him Eric Holloweyes!"
Now the messenger of Ospakar came to Middalhof, and his words pleasedAsmund and he made ready a great feast. And Swanhild smiled, but Gudrudawas afraid.
IV
HOW ERIC CAME DOWN GOLDEN FALLS
Now Ospakar rode up to Middalhof on the day before the Yule-feast. Hewas splendidly apparelled, and with him came his two sons, Gizur theLawman and Mord, young men of promise, and many armed thralls andservants. Gudruda, watching at the women's door, saw his face in themoonlight and loathed him.
"What thinkest thou of him who comes to seek thee in marriage,foster-sister?" asked Swanhild, watching at her side.
"I think he is like a troll, and that, seek as he will, he shall notfind me. I had rather lie in the pool beneath Golden Falls than inOspakar's hall."
"That shall be proved," said Swanhild. "At the least he is rich andnoble, and the greatest of men in size. It would go hard with Eric werethose arms about him."
"I am not so sure of that," said Gudruda; "but it is not likely to beknown."
"Comes Eric to the feast by the road of Golden Falls, Gudruda?"
"Nay, no man may try that path and live."
"Then he will die, for Eric will risk it."
Now Gudruda thought, and a great fire burned in her heart and shonethrough her eyes. "If Eric dies," she said, "on thee be his blood,Swanhild--on thee and that dark mother of thine, for ye have plotted tobring this evil on us. How have I harmed thee that thou shouldst dealthus with me?"
Swanhild turned white and wicked-looking, for passion mastered her, andshe gazed into Gudruda's face and answered: "How hast thou harmed me?Surely I will tell thee. Thy beauty has robbed me of Eric's love."
"It would be better to prate of Eric's love when he had told it thee,Swanhild."
"Thou hast robbed me and therefore I hate thee, and therefore I willdeliver thee to Ospakar, whom thou dost loath--ay and yet win Brighteyesto myself. Am I not also fair and can I not also love, and shall I seethee snatch my joy? By the Gods, never! I will see thee dead, and Ericwith thee, ere it shall be so! but first I will see thee shamed!"
"Thy words are ill-suited to a maiden's lips, Swanhild! But of this besure: I fear thee not, and shall never fear thee. And one thing I knowwell that, whether thou or I prevail, in the end thou shalt harvest thegreatest shame, and in times to come men shall speak of thee with hatredand name thee by ill names. Moreover, Eric shall never love thee; fromyear to year he shall hate thee with a deeper hate, though it may wellbe that thou wilt bring ruin on him. And now I thank thee that thouhast told me all thy mind, showing me what indeed thou art!" And Gudrudaturned scornfully upon her heel and walked away.
Now Asmund the Priest went out into the courtyard, and meeting OspakarBlacktooth, greeted him heartily, though he did not like his looks, andtook him by the hand and led him to the hall, that was bravely deckedwith tapestries, and seated him by his side on the high seat. AndOspakar's thralls brought good gifts for Asmund, who thanked the giverwell.
Now it was supper time, and Gudruda came in, and after her walkedSwanhild. Ospakar gazed hard at Gudruda and a great desire entered intohim to make her his wife. But she passed coldly by, nor looked on him atall.
"This, then, is that maid of thine of whom I have heard tell, Asmund? Iwill say this: fairer was never born of woman."
Then men ate and Ospakar drank much ale, but all the while he stared atGudruda and listened for her voice. But as yet he said nothing of whathe came to seek, though all knew his errand. And his two sons, Gizurand Mord, stared also at Gudruda, for they thought her most wonderfullyfair. But Gizur found Swanhild also fair.
And so the night wore on till it was time to sleep.
On this same day Eric rode up from his farm on Ran River and took hisroad along the brow of Coldback till he came to Stonefell. Now all alongColdback and Stonefell is a steep cliff facing to the south, that growsever higher till it comes to that point where Golden River falls overit and, parting its waters below, runs east and west--the branch to theeast being called Ran River and that to the west Laxa--for these twostreams girdle round the rich plain of Middalhof, till at length theyreach the sea. But in the midst of Golden River, on the edge of thecliff, a mass of rock juts up called Sheep-saddle, dividing the watersof the fall, and over this the spray flies, and in winter the icegathers, but the river does not cover it. The great fall is thirtyfathoms deep, and shaped like a horseshoe, of which the points lietowards Middalhof. Yet if he could but gain the Sheep-saddle rock thatdivides the midst of the waters, a strong and hardy man might climb downsome fifteen fathoms of this depth and scarcely wet his feet.
Now here at the foot of Sheep-saddle rock the double arches of watersmeet, and fall in one torrent into the bottomless pool below. But, somethree fathoms from this point of the meeting waters, and beneathit, just where the curve is deepest, a single crag, as large as adrinking-table and no larger, juts through the foam, and, if a man couldreach it, he might leap from it some twelve fathoms, sheer into thespray-hidden pit beneath, there to sink or swim as it might befall. Thiscrag is called Wolf's Fang.
Now Eric stood for a long while on the edge of the fall and looked,measuring every thing with his eye. Then he went up above, where theriver swirls down to the precipice, and looked again, for it is fromthis bank that the dividing island-rock Sheep-saddle must be reached.
"A man may hardly do this thing; yet I will try it," he said to himselfat last. "My honour shall be great for the feat, if I chance to live,and if I die--well, there is an end of troubling after maids and allother things."
So he went home and sat silent that evening. Now, since ThorgrimurIron-Toe's death, his housewife, Saevuna, Eric's mother, had grown dimof sight, and, though she peered and peered again from her seat in theingle nook, she could not see the face of her son.
"What ails thee, Eric, that thou sittest so silent? Was not the meat,then, to thy mind at supper?"
"Yes, mother, the meat was well enough, though a little undersmoked."
"Now I see that thou art not thyself, son, for thou hadst no meat, butonly stock-fish--and I never knew a man forget his supper on the nightof its eating, except he was distraught or deep in love."
"Was it so?" said Brighteyes.
"What troubles thee, Eric?--that sweet lass yonder?"
"Ay, somewhat, mother."
"What more, then?"
"This, that I go down Golden Falls to-morrow, and I do not know how Imay come from Sheep-saddle rock to Wolf's Fang crag and keep my lifewhole in me; and now, I pray thee, weary me not with words, for my brainis slow, and I must use it."
When she heard this Saevuna screamed aloud, and threw herself beforeEric, praying him to forgo his mad venture. But he would not listento her, for he was slow to make up his mind, but, that being made up,nothing could change it. Then, when she learned that it was to get sightof Gudruda that he purposed thus to throw his life away, she was veryangry and cursed her and all her kith and kin.
"It is likely enough that thou wilt have cause to use such words beforeall this tale is told," said Eric; "nevertheless, mother, forbear tocurse Gudruda, who is in no way to blame for these matters."
"Thou art a faithless son," Saevuna said, "who wilt slay thyselfstriving to win speech with thy May, and leave thy mother childless."
Eric said that it seemed so indeed, but he was plighted to it and thefeat must be tried. Then he kissed her, and she sought her bed, weeping.
Now it was the day of the Yule-feast, and there was no sun till one hourbefore noon. But Eric, having kissed his mother and bidden her farewell,called a thrall, Jon by name, and giving him a sealskin bag full of hisbest apparel, bade him ride to Middalhof and tell Asmund the Priest thatEric Brighteyes would come down Golden Falls an hour after mid-day, tojoin his feast; and thence go to the foot of the Golden Falls, to awaithim there. And the man went, wondering, for he thought his master mad.
Then Eric took a good rope, and a staff tipped with iron, and, so soonas the light served, mounted his horse, forded Ran River, and rode alongColdback till he came to the lip of Golden Falls. Here he stayed a whiletill at length he saw many people streaming up the snow from Middalhoffar beneath, and, among them, two women who by their stature should beGudruda and Swanhild, and, near to them, a great man whom he did notknow. Then he showed himself for a space on the brink of the gulf andturned his horse up stream. The sun shone bright upon the edge ofthe sky, but the frost bit like a sword. Still, he must strip off hisgarments, so that nothing remained on him except his sheepskin shoes,shirt and hose, and take the water. Now here the river runs mightily,and he must cross full thirty fathoms of the swirling water before hecan reach Sheep-saddle, and woe to him if his foot slip on the boulders,for certainly he must be swept over the brink.
Eric rested the staff against the stony bottom and, leaning his weighton it, took the stream, and he was so strong that it could not prevailagainst him till at length he was rather more than half-way across andthe water swept above his shoulders. Now he was lifted from his feetand, letting the staff float, he swam for his life, and with such mightystrokes that he felt little of that icy cold. Down he was swept--now thelip of the fall was but three fathoms away on his left, and alreadythe green water boiled beneath him. A fathom from him was the corner ofSheep-saddle. If he may grasp it, all is well; if not, he dies.
Three great strokes and he held it. His feet were swept out over thebrink of the fall, but he clung on grimly, and by the strength of hisarms drew himself on to the rock and rested a while. Presently he stoodup, for the cold began to nip him, and the people below became awarethat he had swum the river above the fall and raised a shout, for thedeed was great. Now Eric must begin to clamber down Sheep-saddle, andthis was no easy task, for the rock is almost sheer, and slippery withice, and on either side the waters rushed and thundered, throwing theirblinding spray about him as they leapt to the depths beneath. He lookeddown, studying the rock; then, feeling that he grew afraid, made an endof doubt and, grasping a point with both hands, swung himself down hisown length and more. Now for many minutes he climbed down Sheep-saddle,and the task was hard, for he was bewildered with the booming of thewaters that bent out on either side of him like the arc of a bow, andthe rock was very steep and slippery. Still, he came down all thosefifteen fathoms and fell not, though twice he was near to falling, andthe watchers below marvelled greatly at his hardihood.
"He will be dashed to pieces where the waters meet," said Ospakar, "hecan never gain Wolf's Fang crag beneath; and, if so it be that he comethere and leaps to the pool, the weight of water will drive him down anddrown him."
"It is certainly so," quoth Asmund, "and it grieves me much; for it wasmy jest that drove him to this perilous adventure, and we cannot sparesuch a man as Eric Brighteyes."
Now Swanhild turned white as death; but Gudruda said: "If great heartand strength and skill may avail at all, then Eric shall come safelydown the waters."
"Thou fool!" whispered Swanhild in her ear, "how can these help him? Notroll could live in yonder cauldron. Dead is Eric, and thou art the baitthat lured him to his death!"
"Spare thy words," she answered; "as the Norns have ordered so it shallbe."
Now Eric stood at the foot of Sheep-saddle, and within an arm's lengththe mighty waters met, tossing their yellow waves and seething furiouslyas they leapt to the mist-hid gulf beneath. He bent over and lookedthrough the spray. Three fathoms under him the rock Wolf's Fang splitthe waters, and thence, if he can come thither, he may leap sheer intothe pool below. Now he unwound the rope that was about his middle, andmade one end fast to a knob of rock--and this was difficult, for hishands were stiff with cold--and the other end he passed through hisleathern girdle. Then Eric looked again, and his heart sank within him.How might he give himself to this boiling flood and not be shattered?But as he looked, lo! a rainbow grew upon the face of the water, and oneend of it lit upon him, and the other, like a glory from the Gods, fellfull upon Gudruda as she stood a little way apart, watching at the footof Golden Falls.
"Seest thou that," said Asmund to Groa, who was at his side, "the Godsbuild their Bifrost bridge between these two. Who now shall keep themasunder?"
"Read the portent thus," she answered: "they shall be united, but nothere. Yon is a Spirit bridge, and, see: the waters of Death foam andfall between them!"
Eric, too, saw the omen and it seemed good to him, and all fear left hisheart. Round about him the waters thundered, but amidst their roar hedreamed that he heard a voice calling:
"Be of good cheer, Eric Brighteyes; for thou shalt live to do mightierdeeds than this, and in guerdon thou shalt win Gudruda."
So he paused no longer, but, shortening up the rope, pulled on it withall his strength, and then leapt out upon the arch of waters. Theystruck him and he was dashed out like a stone from a sling; again hefell against them and again was dashed away, so that his girdle burst.Eric felt it go and clung wildly to the rope and lo! with the inwardswing, he fell on Wolf's Fang, where never a man has stood before andnever a man shall stand again. Eric lay a little while on the rock tillhis breath came back to him, and he listened to the roar of the waters.Then, rising on his hands and knees, he crept to its point, for he couldscarcely stand because of the trembling of the stone beneath the shockof the fall; and when the people below saw that he was not dead, theyraised a great shout, and the sound of their voices came to him throughthe noise of the waters.
Now, twelve fathoms beneath him was the surface of the pool; but hecould not see it because of the wreaths of spray. Nevertheless, he mustleap and that swiftly, for he grew cold. So of a sudden Eric stood up tohis full height, and, with a loud cry and a mighty spring, bounded outfrom the point of Wolf's Fang far into the air, beyond the reach of thefalling flood, and rushed headlong towards the gulf beneath. Now all menwatching held their breath as his body travelled, and so great is theplace and so high the leap that through the mist Eric seemed but as abig white stone hurled down the face of the arching waters.
He was gone, and the watchers rushed down to the foot of the pool, forthere, if he rose at all, he must pass to the shallows. Swanhild couldlook no more, but sank upon the ground. The face of Gudruda was set likea stone with doubt and anguish. Ospakar saw and read the meaning, and hesaid to himself: "Now Odin grant that this youngling rise not again! forthe maid loves him dearly, and he is too
much a man to be lightly sweptaside."
Eric struck the pool. Down he sank, and down and down--for the waterfalling from so far must almost reach the bottom of the pool beforeit can rise again--and he with it. Now he touched the bottom, but verygently, and slowly began to rise, and, as he rose, was carried along bythe stream. But it was long before he could breathe, and it seemed tohim that his lungs would burst. Still, he struggled up, striking greatstrokes with his legs.
"Farewell to Eric," said Asmund, "he will rise no more now."
But just as he spoke Gudruda pointed to something that gleamed, whiteand golden, beneath the surface of the current, and lo! the bright hairof Eric rose from the water, and he drew a great breath, shaking hishead like a seal, and, though but feebly, struck out for the shallowsthat are at the foot of the pool. Now he found footing, but was sweptover by the fierce current, and cut his forehead, and he carried thatscar till his death. Again he rose, and with a rush gained the bankunaided and fell upon the snow.
Now people gathered about him in silence and wondering, for none hadknown so great a deed. And presently Eric opened his eyes and looked up,and found the eyes of Gudruda fixed on his, and there was that in themwhich made him glad he had dared the path of Golden Falls.
V
HOW ERIC WON THE SWORD WHITEFIRE
Now Asmund the priest bent down, and Eric saw him and spoke:
"Thou badest me to thy Yule-feast, lord, by yonder slippery road and Ihave come. Dost thou welcome me well?"
"No man better," quoth Asmund. "Thou art a gallant man, thoughfoolhardy; and thou hast done a deed that shall be told of while skaldssing and men live in Iceland."
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