seen us pass that way. It was a wise inquiry, and the answer was
such as an entirely sober man might have reasonably expected. The
woodman was in the village at the feast, and his wife, good woman,
had been in bed for the last two hours, and strangely enough had
not seen us. So our brisk lads started off at the run again. But
there we parted company, for I was tired of chasing myself, and
the woman had a pleasant voice, and, so far as I could see, a
comely countenance."

Estein laughed aloud. "My story will seem a tame narrative after
this," he exclaimed.

"Did not I say so," said Helgi. "Well, I fell behind, and
presently was knocking up the good woman again, for I said to
myself, 'These dogs will not surely come to this house a second
time, and a night in the cold woods is not to my liking.' So to
make a long story short, I wrought so upon the tender heart of the
woodman's wife that, Norseman as I was, she gave me shelter and
bed, and promised to send me off in the morning before her husband
returned."

"As most wives would," interposed Estein.

Helgi laughed. "Fate had decided otherwise," he continued. "Even
as I was eating my morning meal, the goodwife waiting on me most
courteously, the door opened and the husband entered. I saw from
the man's ugly look that all his wife's wiles were lost upon him;
but the dog was a cowardly dog, and feared the game he thirsted to
fix his treacherous teeth in. He had nothing for it but to equip
me with this great sheep-skin coat and cap, and a stout bow and