he had seen in his night and day dreams; forty oars
in iron rowlocks, the deck pavillioned with shields, the sails
purple-striped, the prow carved with runes against breakers, and the
ropes of sea-dogs' skin. And the high-arched silver wings of the swan
were ingeniously carved, and the wind rushed through them with a
melodious sound.

And Halfred sprang up to the seat of honour on the upper-deck, upon
which lay spread a purple royal mantle, and a silver harp, with a
swan's head, leaned against it.

And Halfred said--

"Singing Swan shalt thou be called, my ship;
Singing and victorious shalt thou sail."

And many said the elf who had given him his name had sent the Singing
Swan to him.

But that is an idle tale of the heathen people. For it has often
happened that slightly anchored ships have broken away in storms, while
the seamen were carousing ashore.

CHAPTER II.

And forthwith it became known that Halfred had armed the best of his
house churls, and his followers, with good weapons, to set forth as a
Viking to conquer, and as a Skald to sing.

And over the whole of Iceland, and the islands all around, there was
much talk about the Singing Swan, which "Oski"[1] himself--that is the
god of the heathen people--had sent to Halfred Hamundson. "He is the
son of Oski; nothing shall miscarry with him, be it man's hate, or
woman's love, in sword thrusts, or in harp playing; great treasure and
rich Skald rewards shall he win, and his gentle hand can take and
spend, but keep nothing."

And now there came many, drawn to him by the wish to be his sailing
comrades, even from the furthest islands of the western sea, so that he
could have manned seven ships. He manned, however, only the Singing
Swan, with three hundred men whom he chose himself, and with them he
set sail upon the sea.

And now there would be much which might be told about the great
victories which Halfred won, through many long years, with hammer
and harp, on all the seas from Mikilgard--which the Latins call
Byzantium--even to the island of Hibernia, in the far west.

And of all these feats and victories, voyages and minstrelsy, and
contests of arms and harp playing, had I, as a child by the cloister
hearth, heard the Skalds sing, and wandering guests recount, long
before I looked into Halfred's sea-grey eyes.

For during the long time that he was wholly lost sight of, and the
Singing Sw