nd said,
"However wroth the earl was last time, now he will be half as
wroth again, and now the life of every man on board the ship lies
at stake."

They all gave their words to hide the matter, for they were all
sore afraid. Then they took some sacks out of the lading, and
put Hrapp down into the hold in their stead, and other sacks that
were light were laid over him.

Now comes the earl, just as they were done stowing Hrapp away.
Thrain greeted the earl well. The earl was rather slow to return
it, and they saw that the earl was very wroth.

Then said the earl to Thrain, "Give thou up Hrapp, for I am quite
sure that thou hast hidden him."

"Where shall I have hidden him, Lord?" says Thrain.

"That thou knowest best," says the earl; "but if I must guess,
then I think that thou hiddest him in the water-casks a while
ago."

"Well!" says Thrain, "I would rather not be taken for a liar, far
sooner would I that ye should search the ship."

Then the earl went on board the ship and hunted and hunted, but
found him not.

"Dost thou speak me free now?" says Thrain.

"Far from it," says the earl, "and yet I cannot tell why we
cannot find him, but methinks I see through it all when I come on
shore, but when I come here, I can see nothing."

With that he made them row him ashore. He was so wroth that
there was no speaking to him. His son Sweyn was there with him,
and he said, "A strange turn of mind this to let guiltless men
smart for one's wrath!"

Then the earl went away alone aside from other men, and after
that he went back to them at once, and said, "Let us row out to
them again," and they did so.

"Where can he have been hidden?" says Sweyn.

"There's not much good in knowing that," says the earl, "for now
he will be away thence; two sacks lay there by the rest of the
lading, and Hrapp must have come into the lading in their place."

Then Thrain began to speak, and said, "They are running off the
ship again, and they must mean to pay us another visit. Now we
will take him out of the lading, and stow other things in his
stead, but let the sacks still lie loose." They did so, and then
Thrain spoke: "Now let us fold Hrapp in the sail."

It was then brailed up to the yard, and they did so.

Then the earl comes to Thrain and his men, and he was very wroth,
and said, "Wilt thou now give up the man, Thrain?" and he is
worse now than before.

"I would have given him up long ago," answers Thrain, "if he