ent to catch the horses--three of which he tied to trees to be
ready for them, while he loaded the fourth with the most valuable of the
arms and garments of the slain. Meanwhile Glumm groaned, and, sitting
up, rubbed his head ruefully.

"I thought someone had sent me to Valhalla," he said, fetching a deep
sigh.

"Not yet, friend Glumm, not yet. There is still work for thee to do on
earth, and the sooner ye set about doing it the better, for methinks the
King will wonder what has become of his berserkers, and will send out
men in search of them ere long. Canst mount thy horse?"

"Mount him? aye," said Glumm, leaping up, but staggering when he had
gained his legs, so that Erling had to support him for a few minutes.
He put his hand to his forehead, and, observing blood on it, asked: "Is
the wound deep?"

"Only a scratch," said Erling, "but the blow was heavy. If the sword of
Kettle Flatnose had not caught it in time, it would have been thy
death."

"Truly it has not been far from that as it is, for my head rings as if
the brain were being battered with Thor's hammer! Come, let us mount."

As he spoke, Kettle brought forward the horses. Glumm mounted with
difficulty, and they all rode away. But Erling had observed a slight
motion of life in the body of Hake, and after they had gone a few yards
he said: "Ride on slowly, Glumm, I will go back to get a ring from the
finger of the berserk, which I forgot."

He turned, and rode quickly back to the place where the berserk's body
lay, dismounted, and kneeled beside it. There was a large silver ring
on the middle finger of Hake's right hand, which he took off and put on
his own finger, replacing it with a gold one of his own. Then he ran to
the spring, and, filling his helmet with water, came back and laved the
man's temples therewith, at the same time pouring a little of it into
his mouth. In a few minutes he began to show symptoms of revival, but
before he had recovered sufficiently to recognise who his benefactor
was, Erling had vaulted into the saddle and galloped away.

They arrived at Glummstede that evening about supper-time, but Glumm was
eager to hear the discussion that was sure to take place when the news
of the fight and of Harald's state of mind was told, so he rode past his
own home, and accompanied his friend to Ulfstede. We cannot say for
certain that he was uninfluenced by other motives, for Glumm, as the
reader knows, was not a communicative m