s away, had caught him by the nape
of the neck with a grip that made him gasp.

"Ho, ho! my young fox, so ye thought to leave the hounds in the lurch?
Come, cease thy kicking, else will I give thee an inch of steel to quiet
thee. Tell me thy name, and what thou art about here, and I will
consider whether to make use of thee or hurl thee over the cliffs."

By this time Alric had fully recovered his senses and his
self-possession. He stood boldly up before the berserk and replied--

"My name is Alric--son of Haldor the Fierce, out of whose way I advise
thee to keep carefully, if thou art not tired of life. I have just been
round with the war-token rousing the country."

"A most proper occupation for an eaglet such as thou," said Hauskuld;
"that is to say, if the cause be a good one."

"The cause is one of the best," said Alric.

"Prithee, what may it be?"

"Self-defence against a tyrant."

Hauskuld glanced at his comrade, and smiled sarcastically as he asked--

"And who may this tyrant be?"

"Harald Haarfager, tyrant King of Norway," replied the lad stoutly.

"I thought so," said Hauskuld, with a grim twist of his features.
"Well, young eaglet, thou art worthy to be made mincemeat of to feed the
crows, but it may be that the tyrant would like to dispose of thee
himself. Say now, whether will ye walk down that cliff quietly in front
of me, or be dragged down?"

"I would rather walk, if I _must_ go."

"Well, thou _must_ go, therefore--walk, and see thou do it as briskly as
may be, else will I apply the spur, which thou hast felt once already
this morning. Lead the way, comrade; I will bring up the rear to
prevent the colt from bolting."

As he knew that resistance would be useless, the boy promptly and
silently descended the cliff with his captors, and entered the boat,
which was immediately pushed off and rowed along-shore.

"Now listen to me, Alric, son of Haldor," said Hauskuld, seating himself
beside his captive: "King Harald is not the tyrant you take him for; he
is a good king, and anxious to do the best he can for Norway. Some
mistaken men, like your father, compel him to take strong measures when
he would fain take mild. If you will take me to a spot where I may
safely view the valley of Horlingdal, and tell me all you know about
their preparations for resistance, I will take you back to Drontheim,
and speak well of you to the King, who will not only reward you with his
favour, but make good