Masters in the smithying craft was he;
And he dealt with the wind and the weather and the stilling of
the sea."

But though he was so wise, he had an evil heart, and he soon
determined to use the young Sigurd for his own ends.

So one day he began to instil a spirit of discontent within the lad,
asking him if he knew how much wealth his father Sigmund had and who
now had it in charge.

And the boy answered: "The king himself has it in charge."

"Dost thou then trust him so utterly?" sneered Regin.

"It is but right he should have it so," answered Sigurd, "for he knows
better how to guard it than I."

So Regin waited awhile, and then tried again, saying: "Surely it is a
marvellous thing that thou, a king's son, should run about on thy feet
like a horse-boy, and do the bidding of King Alf!"

"That is not so," said Sigurd, "for I have my way in all things, and
whatever I desire is granted to me."

"Well, then," said Regin, "ask for a horse for thyself."

"Yes," said the boy; "and that shall I have when I have need of such a
thing."

After this Sigurd went to the king, who smiled on him and said: "What
wilt thou of me?"

And Sigurd said: "I would have a horse of my very own."

To which the king replied: "Choose for thyself a horse from any part
of the kingdom it seems good to thee."

So Sigurd went away to the wild woods to consider where he should
search for the finest steed in all the world; and as he pondered he
met in the way a tall, old man, with a grey hat drawn over his
forehead and a grey-blue cloak about his shoulders, who asked him
where he was going.

"I want to choose a horse," said Sigurd. "Come thou with me, old man,
and give me thy counsel."

So they went together to a meadow where all the finest horses in the
king's dominions were feeding, in charge of the royal grooms. And the
stranger said: "See now, let us drive all these horses into the deeps
of the river and choose the one that best can cross the foaming tide."

And this they did. And it came to pass that, because of the strong
swirl of the waters, all but one of the horses turned back and
scrambled again to land.

But one not only breasted the tide as though it were still water, but,
having gained the opposite bank, he raced round the meadow as though
he were a colt. Then plunging into the river again he swam back quite
easily and rejoined his companions.

"That is the horse that I will choose," said young Sigurd, an