the snake as it
wound and writhed forward, and destroyed it. And when he demanded the
gage which was attached to victory by the terms of the covenant, Siward
answered that he would accept that man only for his daughter's husband
of whom she made a free and decided choice. None but the girl's mother
was stiff against the wooer's suit; and she privately spoke to her
daughter in order to search her mind. The daughter warmly praised her
suitor for his valour; whereon the mother upbraided her sharply, that
her chastity should be unstrung, and she be captivated by charming
looks; and because, forgetting to judge his virtue, she cast the gaze of
a wanton mind upon the flattering lures of beauty. Thus Alfhild was led
to despise the young Dane; whereupon she exchanged woman's for man's
attire, and, no longer the most modest of maidens, began the life of a
warlike rover.

Enrolling in her service many maidens who were of the same mind, she
happened to come to a spot where a band of rovers were lamenting the
death of their captain, who had been lost in war; they made her their
rover captain for her beauty, and she did deeds beyond the valour of
woman. Alf made many toilsome voyages in pursuit of her, and in winter
happened to come on a fleet of the Blacmen. The waters were at this time
frozen hard, and the ships were caught in such a mass of ice that they
could not get on by the most violent rowing. But the continued frost
promised the prisoners a safer way of advance; and Alf ordered his men
to try the frozen surface of the sea in their brogues, after they had
taken off their slippery shoes, so that they could run over the level
ice more steadily. The Blacmen supposed that they were taking to flight
with all the nimbleness of their heels, and began to fight them, but
their steps tottered exceedingly and they gave back, the slippery
surface under their soles making their footing uncertain. But the Danes
crossed the frozen sea with safer steps, and foiled the feeble advance
of the enemy, whom they conquered, and then turned and sailed to
Finland. Here they chanced to enter a rather narrow gulf, and, on
sending a few men to reconnoitre, they learnt that the harbour was being
held by a few ships. For Alfhild had gone before them with her fleet
into the same narrows. And when she saw the strange ships afar off, she
rowed in swift haste forward to encounter them, thinking it better to
attack the foe than to await them. Alf's men were a