vinous canopy.

When next he opened his eyes, groaned, rolled over, sat up, and yawned,
the sun was beginning to peep above the eastern sea.

"Ho!" exclaimed Tyrker. "I have forgot myself." To refresh his memory
he scratched his head and shook it; then he raised his eyes, saw the
grapes, leaped up and burst into a fit of joyous laughter.

Thereafter he again sat down and breakfasted, after which he filled his
cap, his wallet, his various pockets, the breast of his coat--every
available compartment, in fact, outside as well as in--with grapes, and
hastened homeward at his utmost speed in order to communicate the joyful
news to his comrades.

Now the disappearance of Tyrker had caused no small amount of anxiety to
his friends at the hamlet, especially to Karlsefin, who was very fond of
him, and who feared that his strength might have given way, or that he
had fallen into the hands of savages or under the paws of bears. He sat
up the greater part of the night watching and hoping for his return, and
when the first grey light of dawn appeared he called up a number of the
men, and, dividing them into several bands, organised a systematic
search.

Placing himself at the head of one band he went off in the direction in
which, from Krake's account of what had taken place, it seemed most
probable that Tyrker might be found. They advanced so rapidly that when
the sun rose they had got to within a mile or so of the spot where Krake
and his party had given up their search on the previous evening. Thus
it came to pass that before the red sun had ascended the eastern sky by
much more than his own height, Karlsefin and Tyrker met face to face in
a narrow gorge.

They stopped and gazed at each other for a few moments in silence,
Karlsefin in astonishment as well--and no wonder, for the figure that
stood before him was a passing strange one. To behold Tyrker thus
dishevelled and besmeared was surprising enough, but to see him with
grapes and vine-leaves stuffed all about him and twined all round him
was absolutely astounding. His behaviour was little less so, for,
clapping his hands to his sides, he shut his eyes, opened his big mouth,
and burst into an uproarious fit of laughter.

The men who came up at that moment did so also for laughter is catching.

"Why, Tyrker, where have you been?" demanded Karlsefin.

"Grapes!" shouted Tyrker, and laughed again.

"Are these grapes?" asked Karlsefin, regarding the fruit with mu