The Story of Sigurd the Volsung

So he arose to his feet and sought for him about the crannies of the rocks, and found him not; and he shouted for him, and had no answer. Then he said, "Belike he has gone down

r aught else save the water and the living rock. Then was he exceeding wroth, for he knew that he had been beguiled, and he was in

mself: "I might well have known that he was false and a liar, whereas he could scarce ref

e-tufted rushes shook in the wind, and here and there stretches of moss blended with red-blossomed sengreen; and otherwhere nought but the wind-bitten creeping willow clinging to the black sand, with a white bleached stick and a leaf or two, and again a stick and a leaf. In the offing looking landward were

ling on toward the shore far below him, and long he gazed thereon and all about, but could se

ight he not flit me at least to the Land of the Glittering Plain? Woe is me! now am I of

ther man dwelling on this hapless Isle, and then the worst of it will be battle with him, and death by point and edge rather than by hunger; or at the best we may become friends and fellows and deliver each other." Therewith he came to the reef, and with much ado climbed to the topmost of its rocks and looked down thence landward: and betwixt him and the mountains, and by seeming not very far off, he saw smoke arising: but no house he saw, nor any other token of

eheld a wide valley grass-grown for the more part, with a river running through it, and sheep and kine and horses feeding up and

nd passed close by the horse-herd and a woman that was with him. They scowled at him as he went by, but meddled not with him in any way. Although they were giant-like of stature and fierce of face, they

llblithe entered stooping lowly, and the fire of the steel of his spear that he held before him was quenched in the mirk of the hall, he smiled and said to himself: "Now if there were one anigh who would not have me enter alive

ither on the floor or the high seat nor in any ingle could he see a man; and there was silence there, save for the cr

ince none had greeted him he refrained him from searching them for fear of a trap, and he thought, "I will a

walked he thought he heard a small thin peevish voice, which yet was too husky for the squeak of a rat. So he stay

nd down our hall, doing nothing, even as the Ravens flap croaking abo

g in the hall: "Who calleth Hallblithe a

eth not the fool to the m

leaned his spear against a pillar, and went into the shut-bed he had noted, and saw where there lay along in

d a thin cracked laugh as if in mockery

said Ha

in the ingle, and thou shalt see a cask of mead exceeding good, and a stoup thereby, and two silver cups; fill the stoup and bring it hither with the cups; and then m

e his fill, and came away with the drink back to the Long-hoary man, who chuckled as he cam

e elder: "And I wish thee more wits; is luck all that t

"what shall I wish thee? Woulds

the Long-hoary, "t

y avail thee aught," said Hallbli

ly, "take a third cup, and wish me you

he cup: "Herewith I wish

e elder; "now ask thou the

e: "What is th

"hast thou heard it cal

lithe, "but what

name," said t

other lands?"

hen the light winds blow,

" said Hallblithe. "How do

elder, "but the gainfullest is

from me the Hostage of t

ways my kinsmen traffic, and they visit many land

e, thou old runagat

e elder. Then Hallblithe flushed red a

the carle, "since he is t

a liar and a rogue

," said he; "there are few bigger liar

Isle?" said Hallblit

s he hath turned fool since yesterday: why should he abide thy s

les a long while, and then sai

nought to ask," he said; "and now I am in

not for a man," said the carle, "and t

hile. Then the carle said, "Anothe

of Ransom because of thy beguiling by the Puny Fox: but therein thou errest. The Puny Fox is our chiefest l

, "why did the Puny Fox bewr

w, but I will not tell

t, tell me, is it verily true that my trot

reasure of the Sea, that she is not here: