the serving: all these men were great of stature, but none so big as
the chieftains on the high-seat.

Now came the women in from the kitchen bearing the meat, whereof no
little was flesh-meat, and all was of the best. Hallblithe was duly
served like the others, but still none spake to him or even looked on
him; though amongst themselves they spoke in big, rough voices so
that the rafters of the hall rang again.

When they had eaten their fill the women filled round the cups and
the horns to them, and those vessels were both great and goodly. But
ere they fell to drinking uprose the chieftain who sat furthest from
the midmost high-seat on the right and cried a health: "THE TREASURE
OF THE SEA!" Then they all stood up and shouted, women as well as
men, and emptied their horns and cups to that health. Then stood up
the man furthest on the left and cried out, "Drink a health to the
Undying King!" And again all men rose up and shouted ere they drank.
Other healths they drank, as the "Cold Keel," the "Windworn Sail,"
the "Quivering Ash" and the "Furrowed Beach." And the wine and mead
flowed like rivers in that hall of the Wild Men. As for Hallblithe,
he drank what he would but stood not up, nor raised his cup to his
lips when a health was drunk; for he knew not whether these men were
his friends or his foes, and he deemed it would be little-minded to
drink to their healths, lest he might be drinking death and confusion
to his own kindred.

But when men had drunk a while, again a horn blew at the nether end
of the hall, and straightway folk arose from the endlong tables, and
took away the boards and trestles, and cleared the floor and stood
against the wall; then the big chieftain beside Hallblithe arose and