inherited the lordship of Aar and its subject lands. No one remained
save my dark-browed uncle, Leif, the priest of Odin, Freydisa, the wise
woman, my nurse, and Steinar, my captive foster-brother, who had been
the cause of all this war.

The dying words of Ragnar had been noised abroad. The priest of Odin had
laid them before the oracle of the gods, and this oracle declared that
they must be fulfilled without change.

So all the folk of that land met together at my bidding--yes, even
the women and the children. First we laid the dead in the largest
of Athalbrand's ships, his people and Athalbrand himself being set
undermost. Then on them we set the dead of Thorvald, Thorvald, my
father, and his son Ragnar, my brother, bound to the mast upon their
feet. This done, with great labour we dragged the ship on to high
ground, and above it built a mighty mound of earth. For twenty days
we toiled at the task, till at last it was finished and the dead were
hidden beneath it for ever. Then we separated to our homes and mourned a
while.

But Steinar was carried to the temple of Odin at Aar, and there kept in
the prison of the temple.



CHAPTER VI

HOW OLAF FOUGHT WITH ODIN

It was the eve of the Spring Feast of Odin. It comes back to me that at