What was that broad, gleaming, heaving plain? Whoever saw earth toss
up and down like that? What was that great animal creeping across it,
borne onward by so many legs, to where others lay silent on the narrow
strip of beach? The time came when he knew better what a longship was,
and the difference between legs and oars. But now--what huge houses
those were to one who had always lived in a hut! Could it be possible
that one could climb up inside and find a room up above the top of
another room? Ulf had never seen a stairway or a ladder in his life.
And what were those creatures with shining yellow and white things in
their own yellow hair, clad in robes of many colours, and some of them
so very, very beautiful? He had not felt fear when he fought with the
Jarl--the leader. He was afraid now, for these might be spirits!

Meanwhile, the "spirits" took a very lively interest in the slender,
black-haired little thrall, as slaves were called. They were in the
habit of saying what they thought in those days, and it was quite a
matter of course when little Edith Fairhair declared that he was "ex-
ceed-ing-ly good-looking," and that she meant to ask her father to
give him to her to play with. As her father happened to be the Jarl
himself, of course she got what she wanted. So Ulf came to live in
Jarl Sigurd's household. It was a very great change from Forest-life,
and he was just the boy to make good use of it.

For one thing, his old life had taught him how to keep his eyes and
ears open and his mouth shut. Few around him knew how many, many
things he thought about, in that silent black head of his. When the
white-headed old man with the harp came in a great longship, with the
train of a visiting jarl, and sang songs that never came to an end,
songs about mighty men of other days, their wars and battles, he
listened right well from his place far down the long hall where the