Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/16

2, 1859.] “I will not do that, lord,” he said.

“Wilt thou give it me, then?” says the king.

“That, too, I will not do,” says the Icelander.

“What wilt thou do with it, then?” said the king.

Audun answers, “What I have already made up my mind to do; go south to Denmark and give it to King Sweyn.”

Then King Harold said: “Is it now that thou art so ignorant a man that thou hast not heard of all this war and strife which is between the lands here, or dost thou think thy luck so great that thou wilt be able to bring this treasure to King Sweyn when others cannot get to his land without trouble, even when need forces them to go.”

Audun answers: “Lord, this now lies in your power, but I will say yes to no other way than the one I have already spoken of, and made up my mind to follow.”

Then the king said: “I see no reason why thou shouldst not go as thou pleasest, but I make this bargain that thou comest here to me when thou gettest back, and tell me how King Sweyn rewarded thee for the beast. May be thou art a man of luck.”

“I’ll give you my word to do that,” said Audun. And away he went, and got a passage south to Denmark. But when he got there every penny of his money was spent, and he had to beg for food both for his bear and himself. So he went to a bailiff of the king, whose name was Auki, and begged him to get him some food, that he might feed himself and the bear, which he meant to give to King Sweyn.

Auki answers: “I will sell thee food, if thou wilt.”

“I have nothing to give for it now,” said Audun; “but I would be glad to hit upon some way of bringing the beast to the king, for it were a great scathe if so precious a thing were to die on my hands.”

Auki said: “Ye’ll both of you need much food before ye get to the king. And now I’ll make you this offer: I will feed ye both till then, but then I must have half the beast; and what thou hast now to look at is this—that thou wilt not have even half of it if it starves to death on your hands.”

Audun thought this choice hard, but still could see nothing better for it as things stood; so they struck a bargain, and he agreed to sell Auki half the bear, on condition that they started for where the king was at once, and should reckon the worth on both sides, first on the food which Auki gave him, and then of the beast; and that Auki should pay Audun so much as was over, if the king thought half the bear worth more than the