Being made of stone, there was no chance of
setting it on fire, and as the walls were uncommonly high, it was not
possible to take it by assault. Well, we sat down before it, and for
two days tried everything we could think of to take it, but failed, for
there were plenty of men in it, and they defended the walls stoutly.
Besides this, to say the truth, we had already lost a number of good men
on the cruise and could ill afford to lose more.

"On the third day some of our chief men advised Guttorm to give it up,
but that made him so furious that no one dared speak to him about it for
another two days. At the end of that time his nephew plucked up heart,
and going to him, said--

"`Uncle, do you see the little birds that fly back and forward over the
castle walls so freely, and build their nests in the thatch of the
housetops?'

"`I do, nephew,' says Guttorm. `What then?'

"`My advice is,' says the nephew, `that you should order the men to make
each a pair of wings like those the birds have, and then we shall all
fly over the walls, for it seems to me that there is no other way of
getting into the castle.'

"`Thou art a droll knave,' replies Guttorm, for he was ever fond of a
joke; `but thou art wise also, therefore I advise thee to make a pattern
pair of wings for the men; and when they are ready--'

"Here Guttorm stopped short, and fell to thinking; and he thought so
long that his nephew asked him at last if he had any further commands
for him.

"`Yes, boy, I have. There is more in this matter of the wings than thou
dreamest of. Go quickly and order the men to make snares, and catch as
many of these little birds as they can before sunset. Let them be
careful not to hurt the birds, and send Kettle Flatnose and my
house-carle hither without delay.'

"When I came to the old man I found him walking to and fro briskly, with
an expression of eagerness in his eye.

"`Kettle,' he said smartly, `go and prepare two hundred pieces of cord,
each about one foot long, and to the end of each piece tie a small chip
of wood as long as the first joint of thy thumb, and about the size of a
goose quill. Smear these pieces of wood over with pitch, and have the
whole in my tent within three hours.'

"As I walked away to obey this order, wondering what it could all be
about, I heard him tell his chief house-carle to have all the men armed
and ready for action a little after sunset, as quietly as possible.

"Before the th