“Skoal to the axeman!  Ahoy!”

But I looked at Ingvar, and said: 

“Short work have I made, Jarl.”

Whereat he laughed a grim laugh, only answering: 

“Aye, short enough.  The gods are appeased.”

Then I went back to my place beside Halfden, and our men patted my back, praising me, roughly and heartily, for it is not a viking’s way to blame a man for slaying a comrade in fair fight and for good reason.

Now Ingvar stood before the shrine, and called to the gods to be heedful of the blood spilt to purge whatever dishonour or wrong had been done.  And he hung up the weapons of the slain man in the shrine, and after that closed its doors and barred them; and we marched from the Ve silently and swiftly, leaving the body of Rorik alone for a feast to the birds of Odin before the dying altar fire.

Now was I light hearted, thinking that the worst was past, and so also thought Halfden, so that we went back and sought Osritha, who waited, pale and anxious, to know how things should go with me, and when we found her I saw that she had been weeping.

“Why, my sister,” said Halfden, “hardly would you have wept for my danger—­or weeping you would be from my sailing to return.”

But she answered not a word, and turned away, for his saying made her tears come afresh.

“Now am I a blunderer,” said Halfden.  “If there is one thing that I fear it is a weeping maiden.”

And with that he went from the room, leaving me.

Then I took upon me to comfort Osritha, nor was that a hard task.  And again I would have gone through this new danger I had faced, for it had brought the one I loved to my arms.

Not long might we be together, for now the feasting began, and I must go to Halfden and his brothers in the great hall.  And then came remembrance to me.  For now must I refuse to eat of the horse sacrifice, and maybe there would be danger in that.  Yet I thought that no man would trouble more about me and my ways, so that I said naught of it to Osritha.

So I sat between Halfden and Thormod at the high place, and the whole hall was full of men seated at the long tables that ran from end to end, and across the wide floor.  The womenfolk and thralls went busily up and down serving, and it was a gay show enough to look on, for all were in their best array.

Yet it seemed to me that the men were silent beyond their wont, surly even in their talk, for the fear of the omen of that eddying smoke was yet on them.  And presently I felt and saw that many eyes were watching me, and those in no very friendly wise.  Some of the men who watched were strangers to me, but as they sat among our crew, they must be the rest of the saved from Rorik’s following.  Others were men from beyond the village walls, and as Rorik’s men had some reason and the others knew me not, I thought little of their unfriendly looks.

At last they brought round great cauldrons, in which were flesh hooks; to every man in turn, and first of all to Ingvar himself.  He thrust the hook in, and brought up a great piece of meat, cutting for himself therefrom, and at once every man before whom a cauldron waited, did likewise, and it passed on.  They signed Thor’s hammer over the meat and began to eat.