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Alric jumped up unhurt, and, for want of a better weapon, seized a mass of stone, which he raised above his head, and hurled at the wolf, hitting it fairly on the skull. At the same moment Glumm ran up, intending to transfix the brute with his spear. "Hold thy hand, Glumm," gasped the boy. Glumm checked himself.
He pinched the ear with gradually increasing force as he spoke, but Alric neither spoke nor winced, although the blood which rushed to his face showed that he felt the pain keenly. "Well, well," said the berserk, relaxing his grip, "this is a torture only fit for very small boys after all. Hand me the pincers, Arne."
Suffice it to say, that they had several hard fights both with Swedish and Danish vikings, in all of which Alric distinguished himself for reckless daring, and would certainly have been carried home dead upon his own shield had not Kettle Flatnose watched over him with the solicitude of a father, and warded off many a blow that was aimed at his pugnacious head.
Come, cease thy kicking, else will I give thee an inch of steel to quiet thee. Tell me thy name, and what thou art about here, and I will consider whether to make use of thee or hurl thee over the cliffs." By this time Alric had fully recovered his senses and his self-possession. He stood boldly up before the berserk and replied
"My name is Alric son of Haldor the Fierce, out of whose way I advise thee to keep carefully, if thou art not tired of life. I have just been round with the war-token rousing the country." "A most proper occupation for an eaglet such as thou," said Hauskuld; "that is to say, if the cause be a good one." "The cause is one of the best," said Alric. "Prithee, what may it be?"
"Why, Alric!" exclaimed Erling in surprise, on seeing the boy's swelled and bloody face, "what ails thee?" "Quick, come with me, all of ye! There is work for your swords at hand. Lend me thy sword, Erling. It is the short one, and the axe will be enough for thee."
Poor Alric was tumbled somewhat unceremoniously to one side, but that failed to awaken him, for he was not yet sufficiently trained to sleep in the midst of alarms, and felt very naturally inclined to growl and bite when shaken or told to "get up!"
Fortunately for him, the Dane had, in accordance with the usual custom of the time, hung his shield on his back when he took to flight, so that the shaft rebounded from it and fell harmless to the ground. By this time the hermit had descended from the roof. Running out he seized Alric, and, dragging him into the house, reclosed the door.
"Let us go on, then," said Alric, "for there is nothing to be gained and only time to be lost by thus talking across a stone." The path which they followed was broad at that part, and not quite so rugged, so that Alric could walk alongside of his stout friend as he related to him the incident that was the means of enlightening him as to Ada's feelings towards her lover.
The boy pointed to a track of some animal in the snow a few yards to one side of the path. "A wolf track," said Glumm, turning aside. "A notably huge one," remarked the boy. "And quite fresh," said the man. "Which is proved," rejoined Alric in a slow, solemn voice, "by the fact that there is no ball of snow beneath the "
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