It was to this old king, or rather to his son Sigtryg, godson of Sigtryg
Silkbeard, and distant cousin of his own, that Hereward now took his way,
and told his story, as the king sat in his hall, drinking "across the
fire," after the old Norse fashion. The fire of pine logs was in the midst
of the hall, and the smoke went out through a louver in the roof. On one
side was a long bench, and in the middle of it the king's high arm-chair;
right and left of him sat his kinsmen and the ladies, and his sea-captains
and men of wealth. Opposite, on the other side of the fire, was another
bench. In the middle of that sat his marshal, and right and left all his
housecarles. There were other benches behind, on which sat more freemen,
but of lesser rank.
And they were all drinking ale, which a servant poured out of a bucket
into a great bull's horn, and the men handed round to each other.
Then Hereward came in, and sat down on the end of the hindermost bench,
and Martin stood behind him, till one of the ladies said,--
"Who is that young stranger, who sits behind there so humbly, though, he
looks like an earl's son, more fit to sit here with us on the high bench?"
"So he does," quoth King Ranald. "Come forward hither, young sir, and
drink."
And when Hereward came forward, all the ladies agreed that he must be an
earl's son; for he had a great gold torc round his neck, and gold rings on
his wrists; and a new scarlet coat, bound with gold braid; and scarlet
stockings, cross-laced with gold braid up to the knee; and shoes trimmed
with martin's fur; and a short blue silk cloak over all, trimmed with
martin's fur likewise; and by his side, in a broad belt with gold studs,
was the Ogre's sword Brain-biter, with its ivory hilt and velvet sheath;
and all agreed that if he had but been a head taller, they had never seen
a properer man.
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