_ know
what it is." His father told him at last how the matter was with him
and the sea-maiden. "Let not that put you in any trouble," said the
son; "I will not oppose you." "You shall not; you shall not go, my
son, though I never get fish any more." "If you will not let me go
with you, go to the smithy, and let the smith make me a great strong
sword, and I will go seek my fortune."

His father went to the smithy, and the smith made a doughty sword for
him. His father came home with the sword. The lad grasped it and gave
it a shake or two, and it flew into a hundred splinters. He asked his
father to go to the smithy and get him another sword in which there
should be twice as much weight; and so his father did, and so likewise
it happened to the next sword--it broke in two halves. Back went the
old man to the smithy; and the smith made a great sword; its like he
never made before. "There's the sword for thee," said the smith, "and
the fist must be good that plays this blade." The old man gave the
sword to his son; he gave it a shake or two. "This will do," said he;
"it's high time now to travel on my way."

On the next morning he put a saddle on a black horse that his father
had, and he took the world for his pillow. When he went on a bit, he
fell in with the carcass of a sheep beside the road. And there were a
great black dog, a falcon, and an otter, and they were quarrelling
over the spoil. So they asked him to divide it for them. He came down
off the horse, and he divided the carcass amongst the three, three
shares to the dog, two shares to the otter, and a share to the falcon.
"For this," said the dog, "if swiftness of foot or sharpness of tooth
will give thee aid, mind me, and I will be at thy side." Said the
otter, "If the swimming of foot on the ground of a pool will loose
thee, mind me, and I will be at thy side." Said the falcon, "If
hardship comes on thee, where swiftness of wing or crook of claw will
do good, mind me, and I will be at thy side."

On this he went onward till he reached a king's house, and he took
service to be a herd, and his wages were to be according to the milk
of the cattle. He went away with the cattle, and the grazing was but
bare. In the evening when he took them home they had not much milk,
the place was so bare, and his meat and drink was but spare that
night.

On the next day he went farther on with them; and at last he came to a
place exceedingly grassy, in a great glen, of whic