fortunate, and many fell fighting, while a
few were taken prisoners.

Foreseeing that this would be the result, Haldor and Erling called off
their men, hastened on board their ships, and gave chase, while the rest
of the force looked after the prisoners and the booty, and dressed their
own and their comrades' wounds.

"A bloody day this," said Ulf to Guttorm, as the latter came up, wiping
the blade of his sword.

"I have seen worse," observed the old warrior, carefully returning his
weapon to its scabbard.

"The Danes will long remember it," observed Glumm. "The ravens will
have a good feast to-night."

"And Odin's halls a few more tenants," said Guttorm:

"The Danes came here all filled with greed,
And left their flesh the crows to feed.

"But what is to be done with these?" he added, pointing to the
prisoners, about twenty of whom were seated on a log with their feet
tied together by a long rope, while their hands were loose.

"Kill them, I suppose," said Ulf.

There were thirty men seated there, and although they heard the words,
they did not show by a single glance that they feared to meet their
doom.

Just then Swart of the Springs came up. He had a great axe in his
hands, and was very furious.

"Thou hast killed and burned my wife, children, and homestede," he said
fiercely, addressing the prisoner who sat at the end of the log, "but
thou shalt never return to Denmark to tell it."

He cut at him with the axe as he spoke, and the man fell dead. One
after another Swart killed them. There was one who looked up and said--

"I will stick this fish bone that I have in my hand into the earth, if
it be so that I know anything after my head is cut off."

His head was immediately cut off, but the fish bone fell from his hand.

Beside him there sat a very handsome young man with long hair, who
twisted his hair over his head, stretched out his neck, and said, "Don't
make my hair bloody."

A man took the hair in his hands and held it fast. Then Swart hewed
with his axe, but the Dane twitched his head back so strongly, that he
who was holding his hair fell forward; the axe cut off both his hands,
and stuck fast in the earth.

"Who is that handsome man?" asked Ulf.

The man replied with look of scorn, "I am Einar, the son of King Thorkel
of Denmark; and know thou for a certainty that many shall fall to avenge
my death."

Ulf said, "Art thou certainly Thorkel's son? Wilt thou now take thy
life