nt to danger, whether it threatens
themselves or those most dear to them.

While mother and son were conversing, Thorer entered the smithy, bearing
Erling's armour.

"Are the lads all a-boun?" [armed and ready] enquired Erling as he
rose.

"Aye, master; and I have brought your war-gear."

The man who thus spoke was Haldor's chief house-carle. He was a very
short and extremely powerful man of about forty-five years of age, and
so sturdy and muscular as to have acquired the title of Thorer the
Thick. He wore a shirt of scale armour, rather rusty, and somewhat the
worse of having figured in many a tough battle by land and sea. A
triangular shield hung at his back, and his headpiece was a simple
peaked helmet of iron, with a prolongation in front that guarded his
nose. Thorer's offensive armour consisted of a short straight sword, a
javelin and a bow, with a quiver of arrows.

"How many men hast thou assembled, Thorer?" asked Erling as he donned
his armour.

"Seventy-five, master; the rest are up on the fells, on what errand I
know not."

"Seventy-five will do. Haste thee, carle, and lead them to my longship
the Swan. Methinks we will skate upon the ocean to-night. [Longships,
or war-vessels, were sometimes called ocean-skates.] I will follow thee.
Let every man be at his post, and quit not the shore till I come on
board. Now fare away as swiftly as may be, and see that everything be
done stealthily; above all, keep well out of sight of Ulfstede."

Thus admonished, Thorer quickly left the forge; and a few seconds later
the clanking tread of armed men was heard as Erling's followers took
their way to the fiord.

"Now I will to the hall, my son, and pray that thou mayst fare well,"
said Herfrida, once more kissing the forehead which the youth lowered to
receive the parting salute. The mother retired, and left her son
standing in the forge gazing pensively at the fire, the dying flames of
which shot up fitfully now and then, and gleamed on his shining mail.

If Erling the Bold was a splendid specimen of a man in his ordinary
costume, when clad in the full panoply of war he was truly magnificent.
The rude but not ungraceful armour of the period was admirably fitted to
display to advantage the elegant proportions of his gigantic figure. A
shirt or tunic of leather, covered with steel rings, hung loosely--yet,
owing to its weight, closely--on his shoulders. This was gathered in at
the waist by a broad lea