drew his sword, and stepped quickly forward. At the same instant
Estein jumped to his feet, and with a shout sprang at him. The
blades were on the point of crossing, when his enemy stopped
short, dropped his point, and then burst into an uncontrollable
fit of laughter.

"Estein, by the beard of Thor!" he gasped.

"Helgi!" cried his quondam foe.

They looked each other in the face for an instant, and then
simultaneously broke out into another fit of mirth.

"By my faith, Estein, that was a plan worthy of yourself!" cried
Helgi. "But 'tis lucky I fired not at you on the ground, as I had
some thoughts of doing, knowing the trickery of these
Jemtlanders."

"Two things I feared," replied Estein. "One that you might do
that; the other, that a troop of as villainous-looking knaves as
you now are yourself might hive out of the wood behind you. But
how did you escape last night, and how came you here?"

"Those are the questions I would ask of you," said Helgi; "but one
story at a time, and shortly this is mine--a tale, Estein, that
for credit to its teller, yoked with truthfulness, I will freely
back against yours or ever I hear it."

"I doubt it not," replied his friend, with a smile; "you have the
look of one who is high in favour with himself."