irected him.

He came to the King and asked his daughter's hand, which he readily
granted him, but only on the condition that he should remain there as
long as he could, for the King himself was not strong and not very
able to govern his kingdom. Sigurd accepted this condition, but added
that he would have to get leave to go home again to his own country
when he heard news of his father's death. After that Sigurd married
the Princess, and helped his father-in-law to govern the kingdom. He
and the Princess loved each other dearly, and after a year a son came
to them, who was two years old when word came to Sigurd that his
father was dead. Sigurd now prepared to return home with his wife and
child, and went on board ship to go by sea.

[Footnote 31: From the Icelandic.]

[Illustration: The Witch Comes on Board]

They had sailed for several days, when the breeze suddenly fell, and
there came a dead calm, at a time when they needed only one day's
voyage to reach home. Sigurd and his Queen were one day on deck, when
most of the others on the ship had fallen asleep. There they sat and
talked for a while, and had their little son along with them. After a
time Sigurd became so heavy with sleep that he could no longer keep
awake, so he went below and lay down, leaving the Queen alone on the
deck, playing with her son.

A good while after Sigurd had gone below the Queen saw something black
on the sea, which seemed to be coming nearer. As it approached she
could make out that it was a boat, and could see the figure of someone
sitting in it and rowing it. At last the boat came alongside the ship,
and now the Queen saw that it was a stone boat, out of which there
came up on board the ship a fearfully ugly Witch. The Queen was more
frightened than words can describe, and could neither speak a word nor
move from the place so as to awaken the King or the sailors. The Witch
came right up to the Queen, took the child from her and laid it on the
deck; then she took the Queen, and stripped her of all her fine
clothes, which she proceeded to put on herself, and looked then like a
human being. Last of all she took the Queen, put her into the boat,
and said--

'This spell I lay upon you, that you slacken not your course until you
come to my brother in the Under-world.'

The Queen sat stunned and motionless, but the boat at once shot away
from the ship with her, and before long she was out of sight.

When the boat could no longer be