danced and beat his breast before he could bring himself to stand still
long enough to fasten on his skees.

"Where shall we go, then?" Alwin asked, as they glided out of the gate
in the dim light of an Arctic winter day. "It may be that to go over
that road again might become a misfortune. Once I saw Kark looking after
us with a grin which I would have knocked off his face if I had not been
in a hurry."

Sigurd instantly faced toward the snow-crusted hills that lay between
them and Eric's Fiord. "Then to-day it will be useful to go in another
direction, so that any suspicions he has may go to sleep again. If
Thorhall had been at home, he would have overtaken you before this. His
green eyes are well fitted for spying."

Perhaps it was this reference to green eyes that recalled to Alwin the
scene of the foretelling. Perhaps it had never gone very far out of his
mind.

After they had swung along a while in silent enjoyment of the swift
motion and the answering tingle in their blood, he said abruptly: "It
may be that there was some truth at her tongue-roots, after all."

Sigurd made a sly move with his staff, so that the other suddenly
tripped and fell headlong; whereupon he said gravely: "Lo, I believe so
too, for behold, already it has come true that 'I see your body lying on
the ground.'"

Alwin consented to laugh, as he picked himself up and untangled his
runners; but he was too much in earnest to be turned aside.