"My name is Koll the Half-witted, Groa's thrall, lord. Am I welcome
here?" he answered.

"That is as it may be. Why do they call thee half-witted?"

"Because I love not work overmuch, lord."

"Then all my thralls are fellow to thee. Say, what brings thee here?"

"This lord. It was told among men down in the south that thou wouldst
give a good gift to him who should discover to thee the fairest maid in
Iceland. So I asked leave of my mistress to come on a journey and tell
thee of her."

"Then a lie was told thee. Still, I love to hear of fair maids, and seek
one for a wife if she be but fair enough. So speak on, Koll the Fox, and
lie not to me, I warn thee, else I will knock what wits are left there
from that red head of thine."

So Koll took up the tale and greatly bepraised Gudruda's beauty; nor
in truth, for all his talk, could he praise it too much. He told of her
dark eyes and the whiteness of her skin, of the nobleness of her shape
and the gold of her hair, of her wit and gentleness, till at length
Ospakar grew afire to see this flower of maids.

"By Thor, thou Koll," he said, "if the girl be but half of what thou
sayest, her luck is good, for she shall be wife to Ospakar. But if thou
hast lied to me about her, beware! for soon there shall be a knave the
less in Iceland."