when, having taken one ship, Eric boarded the other
with but few men, he was driven back and fell over a beam, and would
have been slain, had not Skallagrim thrown himself across his body,
taking on his own back that blow of a battle-axe which was aimed at
Eric's head. This was a great wound, for the axe shore through the steel
of the byrnie and sank into the flesh. But when Eric's men saw their
lord down, and Skallagrim, as they deemed, dead athwart him, they made
so fierce a rush that the foemen fell before them like leaves before
a winter gale, and the end of it was that the vikings prayed peace of
Eric. Skallagrim lay sick for many days, but he was hard to kill, and
Eric nursed him back to life. After this these two loved each other as
brother loves twin brother, and they could scarcely bear to be apart.
But other people did not love Skallagrim, nor he them.

Eric sailed on up the Thames to London, bringing the viking ships with
him, and he delivered their captains bound to Edmund, Edward's son,
the king who was called Edmund the Magnificent. These captains the King
hung, for they had wrought damage to his ships.

Eric found much favour with the King, and, indeed, his fame had
gone before him. So when he came into the court, bravely clad, with
Skallagrim at his back, who was now almost recovered of his wound, the
King called out to him to draw near, saying that he desired to look on
the bravest viking and most beauteous man who sailed the seas, and on
that fierce Baresark whom men called "Eric's Death-shadow."

So Eric came forward up the long hall that was adorned with things more
splendid than ever his eyes had seen, and stood before the King. With
him came Skallagrim, driving the two captive viking chiefs before him
with his axe, as a flesher drives lambs. Now, during these many months
Brighteyes had grown yet more great in girth and glorious to look on
than he was before. Moreover, his hair was now so long that it flowed
like a flood of gold down towards his girdle, for since Gudruda trimmed
it no shears had come near his head, and his locks grew fast as a
woman's. The King looked at him and was astonished.

"Of a truth," he said, "men have not lied about thee, Icelander, nor
concerning that great wolf-hound of thine," and he pointed at Skallagrim
with his sword of state. "Never saw I such a man;" and he bade all the
mightiest men of his body-guard stand forward that he might measure them
against Eric. But Br