Page:Popular Tales and Romances of the Northern Nations (Volume 3).djvu/38

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26
The Field

his adversary, without victory declaring herself upon either side; till at length Constantine, by his superior skill in wrestling, managed to bring his opponent to the earth, and having placed his knee upon the chest of his fallen foe, began to pummel him most furiously, exclaiming: “I’ll teach you to attack your master, my precious Lord of the Hills.”

The Lord of the Hills, however, laughed so heartily at this address, that Constantine conceiving his manly efforts to be the subject of derision, only laid on with redoubled vigour, till at length the former exclaimed: “For God’s sake hold! I am not laughing at you, I am laughing at myself and I humbly beg your pardon!”

“That is another sort of affair,” said Constantine, as he rose up and assisted his conquered adversary to regain his legs.

“I have now learnt what human life is, from the very foundation upwards,” said the latter, still continuing his noisy laughter. “I doubt if any of my kindred have ever pursued the study so profoundly. But harkee! my good fellow, you must admit that I carried on the