e ship. This hill stood
up against the sky and seemed to say: "Here lies a great man." Sighvat
put a stone on the top, with runes on it telling whose grave it was.
All this time a skald stood by and played on his harp and sang a song
about that time when Ingolf came to Iceland. He called him the father of
Iceland. People of that country still read an old story that the men of
that long ago time wrote about Ingolf, and they love him because he was
a brave man and "the first of men to come to Iceland."

[Decoration]

FOOTNOTES:

[10] See note about foster-brothers on page 197.

[11] See note about Valkyrias on page 198.

[12] See note about Odin's ravens on page 198.

[13] See note about Reykjavik on page 199.

[Illustration]

Eric the Red

It was a spring day many years after Ingolf died. All the freemen in the
west of Iceland had come to a meeting. Here they made laws and punished
men for having done wrong. The meeting was over now. Men were walking
about the plain and talking. Everybody seemed much excited. Voices were
loud, arms were swinging.

"It was an unjust decision," some one cried. "Eric killed the men in
fair fight. The judges outlawed him because they were afraid. His foe
Thorgest has many rich and powerful men to back him."

"No, no!" said another. "Eric is a bloody man. I am glad he is out of
Iceland."

Just then a big man with bushy red hair and beard stalked through the
crowd. He looked straight ahead and scowled.

"There he goes," people said, and turned to look after him.

"His hands are as red as his beard," some said, and frowned.

But others looked at him and smiled, saying:

"He walks like Thor the Fearless."

"His story would make a fine song," one said. "As strong and as brave
and as red as Thor! Always in a quarrel. A man of many places--Norway,
the north of Iceland, the west of Iceland, those little islands off the
shore of Iceland. Outlawed from all of them on account of his quarrels.
Where will he go now, I wonder?"

This Eric strode down to the shore with his men following.

"He is in a black temper," they said. "We should best not talk to him."

So they made ready the boat in silence. Eric got into the pilot's seat
and they sailed off. Soon they pulled the ship up on their own shore.
Eric strolled into his house and called for supper. When the
drinking-horns had been filled and emptied, Eric pulled himself up and
smiled and shouted out so that the great ro