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Frey and his Wife

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[Pg 247] THE END OF THE TALE <hr /> [Pg 249] <h2>CHAPTER XX THE END OF THE TALE</h2> Gunnar found himself rich with all his Swedish treasure, and bought land in a dale of Drontheim, and set to work building a fine house. About Christmas-time Sigrid gave birth to a son, which was a great affair. But before any of these things happened to him he had to see King Olaf, who received him with a wry smile. "So you are not only contumacious, but inveterate in sin," he said; but Gunnar could see that he wasn't angry. "You not only deny my God, but set yourself up as His rival. And now you are in my hands, what am I to do?" "Sir," said Gunnar, "it is rather true that the only way I had of escaping your[Pg 250] rope was to run among the heathen. As for my godhead, that in a sense was forced upon me. I would have you remark that I slew a god before I became one myself." "You slew a god and took his wife," said the king. "I should like to see Frey's wife. You shall bring her to me, if you please. I have many questions to put to her." So Sigrid was brought to King Olaf, who questioned her alone. But he found it one thing to question and another thing to get answered. As for her origin she was quite willing to repeat all that she had told Gunnar early in her acquaintance with him. King Olaf knew her country and the city of Prag, from which it seemed she had come, very well. Then he wanted to know about her marriage with Frey, and she became dumb. How long was it before she knew that Frey was nought? No answer. What sort of communication had passed between her and Frey? No answer.[Pg 251] Was Frey kind to her? Did he beat her? Was it his eyes which dominated her? No answers. Lastly he said this: "Have you told Gunnar everything that there is to tell?" To that she answered, "Yes," and her eyes were unclouded and not afraid of the king's. "Well!" said Olaf; and that was all there was to say about it. The king told Gunnar that he was not married at all, to which Gunnar answered, "Ho, am I not?" But he went on to say that he had vowed himself to Christianity on the night of his marriage, and that he and Sigrid were very ready to accomplish the vow. The king agreed to it; so the pair of them went into the water with the Bishop of Drontheim, and were afterwards married again by the laws of Christendom and Holy Church. Men sat still then for the winter, and in the spring King Olaf gathered his hosts[Pg 252] and fitted out his long ships for work in Iceland. Gunnar excused himself, saying that he was busy with his new house and his child; but he spoke more freely to Sigurd. "I know one thing which you intend doing over there," he said, "and I will have no share in it myself. I owe no grudge to Ogmund Dint, though it was a dirty trick he played me for his own beastly ends. But I got Sigrid out of the adventure and everything I possess, and that's enough for me." "Plenty," said Sigurd, "and I am with you, and should do the same if I were in your place. But the king won't have slayings done in Norway unavenged. He is very bitter against Ogmund, and I fancy it will go hard with him." "I don't doubt that," said Gunnar. "King Olaf is a hard nut to crack." The expedition sailed, and sailed north.[Pg 253] The landing was made in Shaw Firth where Ogmund's father, Raven, was a great man. But Ogmund himself was not there. Wigfus, who was in the host, told the king where he would be found, and when matters had been settled in the north the fleet sailed about to the east of Iceland and made a new landing, not far from Thwartwater. Ogmund was one of the first of the chieftains in those parts to submit himself to King Olaf's baptism. The king received him coldly and put him on one side. "I will consider of it," he said, "but first I wish to see old Battle-Glum, who is a man after my own heart." Battle-Glum was brought before him, and refused to have anything to do with Christianity. "I am an old man now," he said, "looking out for my end. It is late for me to change my opinions. Thor is the god I worship, and in that faith will I die. It matters very little to me whether[Pg 254] I die at your hands, or in my bed. I have settled all my affairs. Wigfus will take Thwartwater after me. He is young and can follow what gods he pleases. So also can Ogmund, my foster-son." "Wigfus your son," said the king, "is a Christian already; but Ogmund your foster-son is not. He is here at hand, and I will have him in before you that you may know something about him before you die." Ogmund was brought in, and Sigurd also was present. Sigurd said, "The last time you were in Drontheim you left something behind you which I desire to give back. But there is some doubt left open which of two things is yours, and I would have you settle it, Ogmund." Ogmund said that he would do so with pleasure. Then Sigurd said, "You left a dead man lying in his blood, and a cloak." Ogmund Dint said that he left no cloak, "and as for the man, I slew him fairly." [Pg 255] Sigurd said, "You left two cloaks, one in the water with a great stone in it, and one on the back of my brother Gunnar. Here they are. Which do you say is yours?" Ogmund was very troubled. He touched the fine cloak. "I say that that is mine." "You lie, Ogmund," said Sigurd. "That was in Gunnar's keeping. He gave it to me." Then Ogmund was for justifying himself to the king; but King Olaf told the story at length to Battle-Glum. Glum listened to it, and said little. "Thrall's blood will show itself," he said. "I expected something of the kind." Then he turned to King Olaf and said, "Do you propose to have this man baptized?" The king said, "I do." Then Battle-Glum said, "And do you ask me to be of the same religion?" The king told him he could do as he pleased. "You are a credit to any religion," he told him. [Pg 256] Ogmund Dint asked vehemently for baptism. "You shall have it," said King Olaf. "You shall be baptized first and hanged afterwards, lest your punishment be eternal as well as temporal." Which was done. THE END   <hr class="smler" /> Butler & Tanner; Frome and London. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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