it a great horn of mead, and cakes and dried fish.

So was the hall arrayed for the feast very fairly, and Hallblithe sat
there while the sun westered and the house grew dim, and dark at last,
and they lighted the candles up and down the hall. But a little after
these were lit, a great horn was winded close without, and thereafter
came the clatter of arms about the door, and exceeding tall weaponed men
came in, one score and five, and strode two by two up to the foot of the
dais, and stood there in a row. And Hallblithe deemed their war-gear
exceeding good; they were all clad in ring-locked byrnies, and had steel
helms on their heads with garlands of gold wrought about them and they
bore spears in their hands, and white shields hung at their backs. Now
came the women to them and unarmed them; and under their armour their
raiment was black; but they had gold rings on their arms, and golden
collars about their necks. So they strode up to the dais and took their
places on the high-seat, not heeding Hallblithe any more than if he were
an image of wood. Nevertheless that man sat next to him who was the
chieftain of all and sat in the midmost high-seat; and he bore his
sheathed sword in his hand and laid it on the board before him, and he
was the only man of those chieftains who had a weapon.

But when these were set down there was again a noise without, and there
came in a throng of men armed and unarmed who took their places on the
end-long benches up and down the hall; with these came women also, who
most of them sat amongst the men, but some busied them with the serving:
all these men were great of stature, but none so big as the chieftains on
the high-seat.

Now came the women in from the kitchen bearing the meat, whereof no
little was flesh-meat, and all was of the best. Hallblithe was duly
served like the others, but still none spake to him or even looked on
him; though amongst themselves they spoke in big, rough voices so that
the rafters of the hall rang again.

When they had eaten their fill the women filled round the cups and the
horns to them, and those vessels were both great and goodly. But ere
they fell to drinking uprose the chieftain who sat furthest from the
midmost high-seat on the right and cried a health: "THE TREASURE OF THE
SEA!" Then they all stood up and shouted, women as well as men, and
emptied their horns and cups to that health. Then stood up the man
furthest on the left and cried out,