第14章

Now Ospakar rode up to Middalhof on the day before the Yule-feast. He was splendidly apparelled， and with him came his two sons， Gizur the Lawman and Mord， young men of promise， and many armed thralls and servants. Gudruda， watching at the women's door， saw his face in the moonlight and loathed him.

"What thinkest thou of him who comes to seek thee in marriage， foster-sister？" asked Swanhild， watching at her side.

"I think he is like a troll， and that， seek as he will， he shall not find me. I had rather lie in the pool beneath Golden Falls than in Ospakar's hall.""That shall be proved，" said Swanhild. "At the least he is rich and noble， and the greatest of men in size. It would go hard with Eric were those arms about him.""I am not so sure of that，" said Gudruda； "but it is not likely to be known.""Comes Eric to the feast by the road of Golden Falls， Gudruda？""Nay， no man may try that path and live."

"Then he will die， for Eric will risk it."

Now Gudruda thought， and a great fire burned in her heart and shone through her eyes. "If Eric dies，" she said， "on thee be his blood， Swanhild--on thee and that dark mother of thine， for ye have plotted to bring this evil on us. How have I harmed thee that thou shouldst deal thus with me？"Swanhild turned white and wicked-looking， for passion mastered her， and she gazed into Gudruda's face and answered： "How hast thou harmed me？ Surely I will tell thee. Thy beauty has robbed me of Eric's love.""It would be better to prate of Eric's love when he had told it thee， Swanhild.""Thou hast robbed me and therefore I hate thee， and therefore I will deliver thee to Ospakar， whom thou dost loath--ay and yet win Brighteyes to myself. Am I not also fair and can I not also love， and shall I see thee snatch my joy？ By the Gods， never！ I will see thee dead， and Eric with thee， ere it shall be so！ but first I will see thee shamed！""Thy words are ill-suited to a maiden's lips， Swanhild！ But of this be sure： I fear thee not， and shall never fear thee. And one thing I know well that， whether thou or I prevail， in the end thou shalt harvest the greatest shame， and in times to come men shall speak of thee with hatred and name thee by ill names. Moreover， Eric shall never love thee； from year to year he shall hate thee with a deeper hate， though it may well be that thou wilt bring ruin on him. And now I thank thee that thou hast told me all thy mind， showing me what indeed thou art！"And Gudruda turned scornfully upon her heel and walked away.

Now Asmund the Priest went out into the courtyard， and meeting Ospakar Blacktooth， greeted him heartily， though he did not like his looks， and took him by the hand and led him to the hall， that was bravely decked with tapestries， and seated him by his side on the high seat.

And Ospakar's thralls brought good gifts for Asmund， who thanked the giver well.

Now it was supper time， and Gudruda came in， and after her walked Swanhild. Ospakar gazed hard at Gudruda and a great desire entered into him to make her his wife. But she passed coldly by， nor looked on him at all.

"This， then， is that maid of thine of whom I have heard tell， Asmund？

I will say this： fairer was never born of woman."Then men ate and Ospakar drank much ale， but all the while he stared at Gudruda and listened for her voice. But as yet he said nothing of what he came to seek， though all knew his errand. And his two sons， Gizur and Mord， stared also at Gudruda， for they thought her most wonderfully fair. But Gizur found Swanhild also fair.

And so the night wore on till it was time to sleep.

On this same day Eric rode up from his farm on Ran River and took his road along the brow of Coldback till he came to Stonefell. Now all along Coldback and Stonefell is a steep cliff facing to the south， that grows ever higher till it comes to that point where Golden River falls over it and， parting its waters below， runs east and west--the branch to the east being called Ran River and that to the west Laxà--for these two streams girdle round the rich plain of Middalhof， till at length they reach the sea. But in the midst of Golden River， on the edge of the cliff， a mass of rock juts up called Sheep-saddle， dividing the waters of the fall， and over this the spray flies， and in winter the ice gathers， but the river does not cover it. The great fall is thirty fathoms deep， and shaped like a horseshoe， of which the points lie towards Middalhof. Yet if he could but gain the Sheep-saddle rock that divides the midst of the waters， a strong and hardy man might climb down some fifteen fathoms of this depth and scarcely wet his feet.

Now here at the foot of Sheep-saddle rock the double arches of waters meet， and fall in one torrent into the bottomless pool below. But， some three fathoms from this point of the meeting waters， and beneath it， just where the curve is deepest， a single crag， as large as a drinking-table and no larger， juts through the foam， and， if a man could reach it， he might leap from it some twelve fathoms， sheer into the spray-hidden pit beneath， there to sink or swim as it might befall. This crag is called Wolf's Fang.

Now Eric stood for a long while on the edge of the fall and looked， measuring every thing with his eye. Then he went up above， where the river swirls down to the precipice， and looked again， for it is from this bank that the dividing island-rock Sheep-saddle must be reached.

"A man may hardly do this thing； yet I will try it，" he said to himself at last. "My honour shall be great for the feat， if I chance to live， and if I die--well， there is an end of troubling after maids and all other things."So he went home and sat silent that evening. Now， since Thorgrimur Iron-Toe's death， his housewife， Saevuna， Eric's mother， had grown dim of sight， and， though she peered and peered again from her seat in the ingle nook， she could not see the face of her son.