aces from him a turf fire still
smouldered, and by it were sheep's bones, and beyond, in the face of the
overhanging precipice, was the mouth of a cave.

"The wolf is at home, or was but lately," said Eric; "now for his lair;"
and with that he walked warily to the mouth of the cave and peered
in. He could see nothing yet a while, but surely he heard a sound of
snoring?

Then he crept in, and, presently, by the red light of the burning
embers, he saw a great black-bearded man stretched at length upon a rug
of sheepskins, and by his side an axe.

"Now it would be easy to make an end of this cave-dweller," thought
Eric; "but that is a deed I will not do--no, not even to a Baresark--to
slay him in his sleep," and therewith he stepped lightly to the side
of Skallagrim, and was about to prick him with the point of Whitefire,
when! as he did so, another man sat up behind Skallagrim.

"By Thor! for two I did not bargain," said Eric, and sprang from the
cave.

Then, with a grunt of rage, that Baresark who was behind Skallagrim
came out like a she-bear robbed of her whelps, and ran straight at Eric,
sword aloft. Eric gives before him right to the edge of the cliff.
Then the Baresark smites at him and Brighteyes catches the blow on his
shield, and smites at him in turn so well and truly, that the head of
the Baresark flies from his shoulders and spins along the ground, but
his body, with outstretched arms yet gripping at the air, falls over the
edge of the gulf sheer into the water, a hundred fathoms down. It was
the flash that Whitefire made as it circled ere it smote that Jon saw
while he waited in the dell upon the mountain side. But of the Baresark
he saw nothing, for he passed down into the great fire-riven cleft and
was never seen more, save once only, in a strange fashion that shall be
told. This was the first man whom Brighteyes slew.

Now the old tale tells that Eric cried aloud: "Little chance had this
one," and that then a wonderful thing came to pass. For the head on the
rock opened its eyes and answered:

"Little chance indeed against thee, Eric Brighteyes. Still, I tell thee
this: that where my body fell there thou shalt fall, and where it lies
there thou shalt lie also."

Now Eric was afraid, for he thought it a strange thing that a severed
head should speak to him.

"Here it seems I have to deal with trolls," he said; "but at the least,
though he speak, this one shall strike no more," and he looked at th