KINGS OF NORWAY. G3 towards the sea, both small and great. Yandraade sag^ix. steered where he thought there was most room be- tween the vessels ; and when they came near to Norway ships the earl's men gave their names, and then they all allowed them to go where they pleased. Yan- draade steered along the shore, and only set in towards the land when they had come past the crowd of ships. They then went up to Karl the bonder's farm, and it was then beginning to be light. They went into the room where Karl had just put on his clothes. The earl's men told him their message, and Karl said they must first take some food ; and he set a table before them, and gave them water to wash with. Then came the housewife into the room, and said,
- ' I wonder why we could get no peace or rest all
night mth the shouting and screaming." Karl replies, " Dost thou not know that the kings were fighting all night?" She asked which had the best of it. Karl answered, The Northmen gained." " Then," said she, " our king will have taken flight." " Nobody knows," says Karl, " whether he has fled or is fallen." She says, " What a useless sort of king we have ! He is both slow and frightened." Then said Yandraade, " Frightened he is not ; but he is not lucky." Then Yandraade Avashed his hands; but he took the towel and dried them right in the middle of the cloth. The housewife snatched the towel from him, and said, "Thou hast been taught little good; it is wasteful to wet the whole cloth at one time." Yandraade replies, " I may yet come so far forward in the world as to be able to dry myself with the middle of the towel."
