l give to Thor in thanks for the victory," he said.
"This pile is mine because I am king. Here are the piles for the chiefs,
and these things go to the other men of the army."

So every man went away from that battle richer than he was before, and
Thor looked down from Valhalla upon his full temple and was pleased.

The next morning King Harald led his army back. But on the way he met
other foes and had many battles and did not lose one. The kings either
died in battle or ran away, and Harald had their lands.

"He has kept his vow," men said, "and ground his father's foes under his
heel."

So King Harald sat in peace for a while.

[Illustration]

Gyda's Saucy Message

Now Harald heard men talk of Gyda, the daughter of King Eric.

"She is very beautiful," they said, "but she is very proud, too. She can
both read and make runes. No other woman in the world knows so much
about herbs as she does. She can cure any sickness. And she is proud of
all this!"

Now when King Harald heard that, he thought to himself:

"Fair and proud. I like them both. I will have her for my wife."

So he called his uncle, Guthorm, and said:

"Take rich gifts and go to Gyda's foster-father[8] and tell him that I
will marry Gyda."

So Guthorm and his men came to that house and they told the king's
message to the foster-father. Gyda was standing near, weaving a rich
cloak. She heard the speech. She came up and said, holding her head
high and curling her lip:

"I will not waste myself on a king of so few people. Norway is a strange
country. There is a little king here and a little king there--hundreds
of them scattered about. Now in Denmark there is but one great king over
the whole land. And it is so in Sweden. Is no one brave enough to make
all of Norway his own?"

She laughed a scornful laugh and walked away. The men stood with open
mouths and stared after her. Could it be that she had sent that saucy
message to King Harald? They looked at her foster-father. He was
chuckling in his beard and said nothing to them. They started out of the
house in anger. When they were at the door, Gyda came up to them again
and said:

"Give this message to your King Harald for me: I will not be his wife
unless he puts all of Norway under him for my sake."

[Illustration: "_I will not be his wife unless he puts all of Norway
under him for my sake_"]

So Guthorm and his men rode homeward across the country. They did not
talk. They were