men never heard. And before the doors of Valhalla
is a great meadow where the warriors fight every day and get glorious
and sweet wounds and give many. And all night they feast, and their
wounds heal. But none may go to Valhalla except warriors that have died
bravely in battle. Men who die from sickness go with women and children
and cowards to Niflheim. There Hela, who is queen, always sneers at
them, and a terrible cold takes hold of their bones, and they sit down
and freeze.

"Years ago Aegir was a great warrior. Aegir the Big-handed, they called
him. In many a battle his sword had sung, and he had sent many warriors
to Valhalla. Many swords had bit into his flesh and left marks there,
but never a one had struck him to death. So his hair grew white and his
arms thin. There was peace in that country then, and Aegir sorrowed,
saying:

"'I am old. Battles are still. Must I die in bed like a woman? Shall I
not see Valhalla?'

"Now thus did Odin say long ago:

"'If a man is old and is come near death and cannot die in fight, let
him find death in some brave way and he shall feast with me in
Valhalla.'

"So one day Aegir came to this rock.

"'A deed to win Valhalla!' he cried.

"Then he drew his sword and flashed it over his head and held his shield
high above him, and leaped out into the air and died in the water of
the fiord."

"Ho!" cried Harald, jumping to his feet. "I think that Odin stood up
before his high seat and welcomed that man gladly when he walked through
the door of Valhalla."

"So the songs say," replied Olaf, "for skalds still sing of that deed
all over Norway."

[Decoration]

[Illustration]

Olaf's Farm

At another time Harald asked:

"What is your country, Olaf? Have you always been a thrall?"

The thrall's eyes flashed.

"When you are a man," he said, "and go a-viking to Denmark, ask men
whether they ever heard of Olaf the Crafty. There, far off, is my
country, across the water. My father was Gudbrand the Big. Two hundred
warriors feasted in his hall and followed him to battle. Ten sons sat at
meat with him, and I was the youngest. One day he said:

"'You are all grown to be men. There is not elbow-room here for so many
chiefs. The eldest of you shall have my farm when I die. The rest of
you, off a-viking!'

"He had three ships. These he gave to three of my brothers. But I stayed
that spring and built me a boat. I made her for only twenty oars because
I thought few me