The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-11-09

champions, who bit their swords, ant
cooled their parched tongues on the blade
Next morning the honder said to tn
king, shaking his head, "You ride agains
Adlls, king Of Sweden, with but feeble
folk, for there is thirst for wine and {
thirst for blood, and he who thirsts for tht
one cares little Tor the other. Send back
the second half OF your men alarms"
"Well sad," answered the king and he
prepared to dismiss the second fifty. Pres
sently violent storm burst over the farm
SO that every timber cracked, ahd tn,
vanes on the gables shri, ked like the Huld
folk when the wild huntsman binds them
to his saddle.bow. Thus the king was
detained another night with the aged bon
der. And now, as they feasted in the hall
and the wind sobbed without, the farmer
hcapcd on more and more wood, till the
fire reared up to the ra:ters and the hall was
red and firery as a furnace. One by one
the Bersefkirs retreated from their seats
and fled from the heat TO cool r hooks OF
the hall; only the twelve champions and
King HroiC sat still over the fire, their
faces scarlet in the glow. ...1 ..-
Then tie bonder came up to the king
and said: You 60 against King Adils
with poor, for there is a fire hotter than
tins blazr, and that is the fire Of battle,
Those who II e,he lesser fire will Shun the
greater. Send back the B rSeiklrS." f.
Now Adils fled away. But Queen Yrso,
mother Of ll,olf, entered the hall, and
KISSING hlm, gave him Of the trcasurers OF
King Adil> her husband as much as he
listed; and the best of all the gifts was
Sviag'is, glorious gold ringoi AdiIs. She
gave them also horscs-rei horses for each
of the champions, and one of the pnrest
white for her son, Hrolf Krakr; and she
babe them ride away with speed, as AdilS
was collecting men t. destroy them.
The KING iiroIf and his men rode out Of
UpSala laurn with gold aud silver, with
crowns aud rings aud slken cloakS, and no
man dared w,ths ,and them til they reached
the great grassy plains of Fvri>vellir.-
When they were on the plains they looked
b hind, aud Adl> with large body of men
was IN pursuit 20 they strewed gold upon
he grass, and when the Sw,des saw the
scattered treasure tAey sprang from their
horses and paid no attention 70 the threats
oi their king, for they were intent on gath
cring up the strewed silver and gold. Now
is Hrlf midway across the PLAN, and the
Swcdcs are again in full pursuit. King
Hrof plucks IF the glprioaS ring, and drops
It twnklng As it tails upon the grass
When Adi> saw b.s loved ring Sviagris, he
could not restrain himself, though he was
now close upon llroif; bu, he bowed him.
self and struck his spear through the ring,
rndcavOring ,hus to secure it without dis
mounting Now turns HroIf Krake. wheel
ing his white horse around aud brandishing
his bright sword Sk"fnung. The blade de
scends as the Swedish king is still bowed
over the ring, aud the Dane has Smittcn
him on the hams and male a greviouS
wound, and avenged the murder Of his
father IIelgi.
So Hr"f Krake and his champions rode
on unmole>ied. aud 10y sunlown they reach.
ed httlc farm in the midst Of the forest,
where no sound reached save the moaniag
Of the wind among the pines, and the patter
Of tn" falling cones, and, now and then,
the song. glorious as a trumpet blast. Of the
swans fling north. Outside this house
stood an I'D man with one eye. and 10! the
king had lighted on the samc farm and far.
mer as he had lighted on before. The old
b"ndei greeted llrolf courteu u>ly, aud ask
ID whether all had not Jared well with the
king VERY WE'LL" answered he. "And
were you not as successful with your twelve
champions as you could have been had yO,
AIKEN with you the twelve BerkerSirS and
the hundred men at arms to boot ~
Quite so,' answered the king. "Now."
continued the old man, 81 will make you a
gOodly present, hcseeming your worth,
and he entered his byre. Soon he cam
out again, bearing a sword, corselet, and
Il shield. The corSclet was rusted with
the shield but eleven. "rhoSe are grim
y wcapons," said the king; and he would
not receive them, -... .
Then the old bondcr waxed wroth, and
he cri' d, Thou takest ,hySelf t. be wise
and strong, but thou art neither wise no,
strong' HIS face became dark with anger
and his one eye sparkled like burning
coal. For it is an insult to man to ri Ct
an offer winch he makes. Yc, Hrolf d,d
Mt desire to insult the boadcr, but he re
fI> d the present as h. b,lieved it t. he Of
tered in foolish jest Then the bonde,
would not ask thr king and his champions
M" his house, and they rode away through
the wood, IN, ugh it was night. s. ..u..-
Presently B dvar drew rein. Death
doomed m,n are blinded y he cried. Nv d.
were wrong in not receiving the present o
the aged man =" And the king answered
You lhink the same as do: We wer,
bended to our destruction. That old carl.
was Odin the Aged, and We have ange,ed
the God" Then said Svipdag. Let us
ride back +" So they rode back; but tn,
farm ami III. farmer had vanished quit,
away. and there was only green turf wner.
the byre had ben .. ...
Aner this Hr"lf krakc rode unmolsstcd
| To his ships and sailed over the rough seas
to The DANISH isles; aud now he enters tn.
lc G"rd, aud the ships dance on rhr l,gh'
wave. and now he dis, mbarks before tn,
castle Of Leidre.
have not told you Of half his fights in
Sweden and of the blnnd that was shed
but you may still see what great and brave
king WA lirolt Krake q"
Ill How Hro!f Kr"ke fell in with his
champions. .,....... ....... .....
l" time Hr"lf became old. and his twelve
champions with him; and they sat every
evening in the great hall a, Leihre. drinking
and telling of their valiant deeds in the days
when their hearts were fresh and their arms
full Of vigor. "..f
In King Hjorvard's heart had long ran
lied the thought that h. ha | brcome under
king to Hrolf. and that he must av"nge
himself for all the skat he had paid
Skulds, his queen, urged him on with great
vehemencc. ....
Once he sent 10 ask King Hrolf to excuse
him from paying skat during three years
and the fourth y,ar he was to bring the
tribute for four Hroif Krake agreed to
this. But Hjorvard secretly spent the
money in collecting men of renown and
men strong in Lat,lc; and at last he wen,
to Leidre and planted his tent outside the
walls. HrOlf paid no attention, for b.