way from
me, and then sat on his haunches and looked at us with his red eyes.
Then came three more wolves, slowly, over the snow; they came down from
under the beech trees that were in front of us, and these also sat down
on their haunches and stayed looking at us with their eyes. Then came
one wolf more from in front of me, who did as the others had done. Then
others came, till there were almost thirty of them, and they sat and
stared at us; but whether they could see me I know not. The moon was
just over us, and neither He nor the wolves cast any shadow. I turned
and took Him in my arms, and holding Him to me, I whispered in a low
voice, "You will fight holmgang here with me to-night." He did not
understand, and His fine white hair lifted a little in the breeze. From
above on the hill-top looked the horse that we had ridden, stupidly; I
had tied him to a branch of beech, and the wolves sat round making no
noise except the whispering and the brushing of their tails in the
snow-glaze. I still held Him in my arms. "You will fight now," I said,
"before the moon casts its shadow, and then I will leave You"; and he
shuddered a little, and shook his head, this time half-understanding. I
held Him close, pressing the horse-cleaner's cloths about Him. "You must
take out your sword, and you must fight with me--you must fight with me
here, now."

"Why?" He murmured feebly, His head sinking on my shoulder.

"Because I say it!" I answered in the same low voice; and with that I
held Him from me and began to untie the cloths. When He was free, I drew
myself apart and unsheathed my old sword, leaving the belt and scabbard
lying on the snow by one of the wolves. Now I went up and whispered to
the trembling figure again, "You shall fight!" I whispered, still in a
low voice.

"I will not fight!" He said.

"You will fight for your honour!"

"I will not fight!" He replied.

"You will fight for your name."

"I will not fight," He said once again.

Then I stopped for a moment. Then I went up to Him slowly, and
whispering to Him, "I was the husband of Elsa, and you broke my life
when you were young, and now that you are old and I am dead, I shall
kill you here where the wolves stand"; and with that, lightly, that I
might not strike Him down, I hit Him on the cheek.

For an instant He stared at me, one side of His face white as the other
grew crimson, and His old eyes flashed for a moment, and His shoulders
squared themselves; but