'I had killed kings when you were shooting frogs,' cried Smid.
'Listen to me, my sons! A coward grips sharply at first, and
loosens his hand after a while, because his blood is soon hot and
soon cold. A brave man's grip grows the firmer the longer he holds,
because the spirit of Odin comes upon him. I watched the boy's
hands on my threat; and he will make a man; and I will make him one.
However, we may as well make him useful at once; so give him an
oar.'

'Well,' answered his new protector, 'he can as well row us as be
rowed by us; and if we are to go back to a cow's death and the pool
of Hela, the quicker we go the better.'

And as the men settled themselves again to their oars, one was put
into Philammon's hand, which he managed with such strength and skill
that his late tormentors, who, in spite of an occasional inclination
to robbery and murder, were thoroughly good-natured, honest fellows,
clapped him on the back, and praised him as heartily as they had
just now heartily intended to torture him to death, and then went
forward, as many of them as were not rowing, to examine the strange
beast which they had just slaughtered, pawing him over from tusks to
tail, putting their heads into his mouth, trying their knives on his
hide, comparing him to all beasts, like and unlike, which they had
ever seen, and laughing and shoving each other about with the fun
and childish wonder of a party of schoolboys; till Smid, who was the
wit of the party, settled the comparative anatomy of the subject for
them-

'Valhalla! I've found out what he's most like!--One of those big
blue plums, which gave us all the stomach-ache when we were encamped