ts own ruler, but
also on the arms and wisdom of most valiant nobles. Moreover, the king
did not lack a son nor the kingdom an heir; and they were to know that
he had made up his mind to fight not only the son of their king, but
also, at the same time, whatsoever man the prince should elect as his
comrade out of the bravest of their nation."

The envoys laughed when they beard this, thinking it idle lip-courage.
Instantly the ground for the battle was agreed on, and a fixed time
appointed. But the bystanders were so amazed by the strangeness of
Uffe's speaking and challenging, that one can scarce say if they were
more astonished at his words or at his assurance.

But on the departure of the envoys Wermund praised him who had made
the answer, because he had proved his confidence in his own valour by
challenging not one only, but two; and said that he would sooner quit
his kingdom for him, whoever he was, than for an insolent foe. But when
one and all testified that he who with lofty self-confidence had spurned
the arrogance of the envoys was his own son, he bade him come nearer
to him, wishing to test with his hands what he could not with his eyes.
Then he carefully felt his body, and found by the size of his limbs and
by his features that he was his son; and then began to believe their
assertions, and to ask him why he had taken pains to hide so sweet an
eloquence with such careful dissembling, and had borne to live through
so long a span of life without utterance or any intercourse of talk, so
as to let men think him utterly incapable of speech, and a born mute. He
replied that he had been hitherto satisfied with the protection of his
father, that he had not needed the use of his own voice, until he saw
the wisdom of his own land hard pressed by the glibness of a foreigner.
The king also asked him why he had chosen to challenge two rather than
one. He said he had desired this mode of combat in order that the death
of King Athisl, which, having been caused by two men, was a standing
reproach to the Danes, might be balanced by the exploit of one, and
that a new ensample of valour might erase the ancient record of their
disgrace. Fresh honour, he said, would thus obliterate the guilt of
their old dishonour.

Wermund said that his son had judged all things rightly, and bade him
first learn the use of arms, since he had been little accustomed to
them. When they were offered to Uffe, he split the narrow links of the
mail-