yet for his age he was full well shapen. So Steelhead came out
of the water presently, and clad himself, while Osberne yet played a
while. Then Steelhead called the lad to him all naked as he was, and
said: "Stand thou before me, youngling, and I will give thee a gift
which shall go well with Boardcleaver." And the lad stood still before
him, and Steelhead laid his hands on the head of him first, and let
them abide there a while; then he passed his hands over the shoulders
and arms of the boy, and his legs and thighs and breast, and all over
his body; and therewith he said: "In our days and the olden time it
was the wont of fathers to bless their children in this wise; but for
thee, thy father is dead, and thy nighest kinsman is little-hearted
and somewhat of a churl. Thus then have I done to thee to take the
place of a father to thee, I who am of the warriors of while agone.
And I think it will avail thee; and it is borne in upon me that before
very long thou wilt need this avail, if thou art to live and do the
deeds I would have thee. Now it is done, so cover thee in thy raiment
and rest a while; and then I will depart and leave thee to the might
which I have given thee, and the valiance which hath grown up in thine
heart."

So they lay down on the greensward and rested; and Osberne had
fetched along with him cakes and cheese and a keg of good drink, and
they took their bever there in all content. But for that time
Steelhead spake no more of his folk and the old days, but about the
fowl and fish and other wild things that haunted that clough, and of
shooting in the bow and so forth. Then they arose and went to their
horses, and Steelhead said to Osberne: "How is it with the might of
thy body, lad? Canst thou do better in wielding of Boardcleaver?" So
the youngling stretched himself and took the sword by the hilts and
shook it and waved it about, and tossed it in the air and caught it
again, and said: "Seest thou, master? Meseems my might is so much
eked, that I deem I could swim the stream of the Sundering Flood and
overcome it." Quoth the hillman, laughing: "Yea, and we know that that
would please the well; but let it be, my son, I bid thee; for no race
of folk who have ever dwelt in the Dale from the beginning of the
world have ever won across the Sundering Flood. So now we depart for
this present; but as for this way-beast I ride, thy grandsire shall
lose nothing and gain much by him; for I took him but to pleasur