This was the strongest house that I had ever seen, and I said to
Raud as I looked at it:

"This place is built to stand some fierce fighting. What need have
you of such strength?"

He laughed, and answered:

"Why, much need indeed! For when the ships are gone a-viking we are
weak in men, so needs must have strong walls to keep out all comers
from over seas. And we have an ill neighbour or two, who would fain
share in our booty. However, men know in Sweden, and Finmark, and
Norway also, that it is ill meddling with Jarl Ingvar and his
brothers."

We passed through the stockade gate, and went straight to the
porch; all the woodwork of which was carved and gaily painted, and
so were eaves and rafter ends and tie beams.

Two sturdy axemen stood at the doorway, and they spoke freely to
the brothers, asking questions of us and of our tale.

Then roared the voice of Jarl Ingvar from within, bidding the men
cease prating and bring us in, and so we entered.

A great fire burnt in the centre of the hall, and the smoke rose up
and found its way out under the eaves; and there were skins and
heads of wild beasts on the wall, amid which arms and armour hung
everywhere, bright in the firelight. Yet the hall, though it was
carved on wall, and rafter, and doorway, was not so bright as ours
at Reedham, nor so pleasant.

Ingvar and Hubba sat on one side of the fire, where the smoke was
driven away from them, and before them was set a long bench where
we should be placed. There Hubba bade us sit down, telling the two
men to go without and wait.

So we were left face to face with those two, and I saw that
Ingvar's face was dark with doubt, but that Hubba seemed less
troubled. Yet both looked long and sternly at us.

"Tell us this tale of yours," said Ingvar at last; "and lie not."

Now it seemed to me that it were well to get the worst over at once
without beating about beforehand. And now that the jarls knew that
Lodbrok was dead, the hardest was to tell them how he died, and why
I was here thus.

"Well loved I Lodbrok the Jarl, and well do I love Halfden his
son," I said. "Have patience with me while I tell all from the
first."

"Go on," said Ingvar, knitting his brows.

"Safely came Jarl Lodbrok to the English shores," I went on;
"steering his boat through the storm as I think no other man might.
And my father and I, lying at anchor for tide in our coasting ship,
took him from the breakers. Some of his craft taught