The king turned to Hanund and asked her in what spirit she received the charge; and she not only confessed her guilt by a cry, but also put forth in her face a blushing signal of her sin, and gave manifest token of her fault.  The king, observing not only her words, but also the signs of her countenance, but doubting with what sentence he should punish the criminal, let the queen settle by her own choice the punishment which her crime deserved.  When she learnt that the sentence committed to her concerned her own guilt, she wavered awhile as she pondered how to appraise her transgression; but Grep sprang up and ran forward to transfix Erik with a spear, wishing to buy off his own death by slaying the accuser.  But Roller fell on him with drawn sword, and dealt him first the doom he had himself purposed.

Erik said:  “The service of kin is best for the helpless.”

And Roller said:  “In sore needs good men should be dutifully summoned.”

Then Frode said:  “I think it will happen to you according to the common saying, `that the striker sometimes has short joy of his stroke’, and `that the hand is seldom long glad of the smiting’.”

Erik answered:  “The man must not be impeached whose deed justice excuses.  For my work is as far as from that of Grep, as an act of self-defence is from an attack upon another.”

Then the brethren of Grep began to spring up and clamour and swear that they would either bring avengers upon the whole fleet of Erik, or would fight him and ten champions with him.

Erik said to them:  “Sick men have to devise by craft some provision for their journey.  He whose sword-point is dull should only probe things that are soft and tender.  He who has a blunt knife must search out the ways to cut joint by joint.  Since, therefore, it is best for a man in distress to delay the evil, and nothing is more fortunate in trouble than to stave off hard necessity, I ask three days’ space to get ready, provided that I may obtain from the king the skill of a freshly slain ox.”

Frode answered:  “He who fell on a hide deserves a hide”; thus openly taunting the asker with his previous fall.  But Erik, when the hide was given him, made some sandals, which he smeared with a mixture of tar and sand, in order to plant his steps the more firmly, and fitted them on to the feet of himself and his people.  At last, having meditated what spot he should choose for the fight—­for he said that he was unskilled in combat by land and in all warfare—­he demanded it should be on the frozen sea.  To this both sides agreed.  The king granted a truce for preparations, and bade the sons of Westmar withdraw, saying that it was amiss that a guest, even if he had deserved ill should be driven from his lodging.  Then he went back to examine into the manner of the punishment, which he had left to the queen’s own choice to exact.  For she forebore to give judgment, and begged pardon for her slip.  Erik added, that woman’s