And Erik said:  “Hard, at any rate, when a tumour is in the body or a hunch sits on the back.”

And straightway, thrusting his foot forth, he broke the infirm neck and back of the old man, and crushed him.  And so Westmar failed to compass his revenge:  zealous to retaliate, he fell into the portion of those who need revenging; being smitten down even as those whose slaughter he had desired to punish.

Now Frode intended to pierce Erik by throwing a dagger at him.  But Gunwar knew her brother’s purpose, and said, in order to warn her betrothed of his peril, that no man could be wise who took no forethought for himself.  This speech warned Erik to ward off the treachery, and he shrewdly understood the counsel of caution.  For at once he sprang up and said that the glory of the wise man would be victorious, but that guile was its own punishment; thus censuring his treacherous intent in very gentle terms.  But the king suddenly flung his knife at him, yet was too late to hit him; for he sprang aside, and the steel missed its mark and ran into the wall opposite.  Then said Erik:  “Gifts should be handed to friends, and not thrown; thou hadst made the present acceptable if thou hadst given the sheath to keep the blade company.”

On this request the king at once took the sheath from his girdle and gave it to him, being forced to abate his hatred by the self-control of his foe.  Thus he was mollified by the prudent feigning of the other, and with goodwill gave him for his own the weapon which he had cast with ill will.  And thus Erik, by taking the wrong done him in a dissembling manner, turned it into a favour, accepting as a splendid gift the steel which had been meant to slay him.  For he put a generous complexion on what Frode had done with intent to harm.  Then they gave themselves up to rest.  In the night Gunwar awoke Erik silently, and pointed out to him that they ought to fly, saying that it was very expedient to return with safe chariot ere harm was done.  He went with her to the shore, where he happened to find the king’s fleet beached:  so, cutting away part of the sides, he made it unseaworthy, and by again replacing some laths he patched it so that the damage might be unnoticed by those who looked at it.  Then he caused the vessel whither he and his company had retired to put off a little from the shore.

The king prepared to give them chase with his mutilated ships, but soon the waves broke through; and though he was very heavily laden with his armour, he began to swim off among the rest, having become more anxious to save his own life than to attack that of others.  The bows plunged over into the sea, the tide flooded in and swept the rowers from their seats.  When Erik and Roller saw this they instantly flung themselves into the deep water, spurning danger, and by swimming picked up the king, who was tossing about.  Thrice the waves had poured over him and borne him down when Erik caught him by the hair, and lifted him out of