But Craft, the freeman, would not speak of these things again, but said to the Jew full many a long story about the German gods, also battles from Hellia even unto Asgard and from Asgard back to Hellia. And he said unto Simon that the Gauls were all liars, for they told the old tales about the German's gods in such fashion as to make seem that the Germans were a bloody people. But the Jew perceived very clearly that the stories were bloodier by far as Craft told them than ever he had heard them in Gallia, Aquitania, Hispania, or any other part whatsoever. So, that the man might speak concerning other matters, the Jew inquired: "Why paint ye all your houses of a red hue?"

""Tis the color of blood," answered Craft, "and there is no other color like unto it for beauty."

Then remembered the Jew that he was faint for hunger, and he quoth as much, and Craft called out to the wif as she sat in her place among the kine, and she set out cheeses on a board and flesh both of deer and horses and wolves. But, for the milk, the wif said to the Jew: "Go to the cow and milk her into thine own mouth." But the father of the house stepped suddenly apart. Opening the cattle door which stood in the side wall of the hill, he shouted like a trumpet of brass: "It is to eat. O ye children of Craft, come quickly."

Swifter than light came darting through the cattle-door, first one then another of the children of Craft-tall and straight and sunnyheaded, and wholly unafraid of anything at all. The next to the oldest came in last, for he held by the throat a full-grown wolf. "I killed him without sword-point or javelin or club," said he to the father.

"Thou!" cried the father angrily, "thou wilt get thine eyes scratched if thou use not weapons on a wolf." He struck the child (whose name, as he said to Simon, was Woodcraft) a resounding whack on his head.

"Anger not me," said the son, who did not even touch the stricken spot, "for Firecraft, here, was about to be eaten by him, and my weapons were not nigh. Moreover, I shall consume his flesh, and so shall get braver even than what I am.'

But the father said to them all that care was as good sometimes as bravery, and thus he continued counselling his brood till the meal was over and he cried: "The Balls!"

At this the children shot from the eat-board, straightway returning with round, bearded objects which they began to trundle. "The kinder got them from the palings about my cone-house,"

explained Craft. One and then another of the balls he lifted up, boasted (if boasting it were) of his exploits in the battles of the twelvemonth. "This was the head of Yellow-hair (I had to hit him twice). This of Wood-wise (he was easier). These the heads of Forkbeard, of Red-beard and Long-beard. These six here- What sayest, O Simon of Cyrene? Come back, on a day, for thou art very welcome at our eat-board. In any case, I soon will follow thee to the Moot." The children echoed, "Welcome, stranger, at our eat-board. But anger us not at all at any time."

"And bring us always excellent spear-points," added the father. "Bring us always excellent spear-points, and everything with which to kill," echoed the children.

But the Jew, having arisen into the world of light, espied a cheorl coming toward him, a man of gigantic stature with a great red beard, a mass of flame-like hair, and enormously long arms. "Thou hast come for me?"

"I have come."

The Jew went with him, a Sabbath day's journey or more, deeply and yet more deeply into the gloomy woods.

A wind sprang up suddenly, and began to moan in innumerable pines. Above the tree-tops solitary clouds scurried from place to place, as seeking, and never finding, a shelter. His grim conductor, drawing a sword, motioned toward a narrow pass that led more deeply still into the forest. He explained, "I am here to remain: thou to go yonder. Go."

The Jew, so bidden, went.

Rounding the corner of a great, riven rock, he suddenly beheldthe vast place of assembly.

CHAPTER XXXVI

SELI-SECG

Ar the farther end of the moot-plain was a lofty hill, with a single giant oak upon its summit. On the plain, this side the hill, stood the whole moot-crowd, hatless giants, each grasping a great shield and a suerd. The multitude was silent, looking with stern blue eyes at the Jew.

Now Simon, for a moment, stopped stock still, feeling a presentiment of evil such as he had never known before.

His eyes caught sight of the altar underneath the oak. The whiteclad priest, Drugi-thing, he with the treacherous eyes, was just issuing from behind the oak, leading a tall black horse.

The horse was thrown, and, being bound, was cast by the priest's assistants up upon the altar.

At a sweep the priest cut the horse's throat, and the King ran up first of all and drank of the blood. Next, his own many sons. Next unto these, his fair daughter. Then all freemen came, in pairs, and with shields and suerds, as fast as the priest cried off their names: "Wood-wise and Long-hand, Plow-holder and Red-beard, Wood-father and Wood-teacher, Hand-grip and Iron-hand, Strikequick and Fight-hard, War-long and Kill-soon, Wolf-choker and Manstabber," with hundreds and hundreds of pairs of other warriors with fierce and insatiable names.

Then, when all had drunken, the priest of all craftiness, even Drugithing, the man with the ever-shifting eyes, prayed to the war-god Thor (as well as also unto other lords of battles, of which there were many) that the courage and the strength of the horse should straightway pass into the hearts and bones of all them that had drunk of the blood this day.

Thereat thought Simon, "Behold the trap that now I am come into. If, perchance, in what I am yet to accomplish, I should prove cowardly, these men will of a surety slay me. Yet, if I appear unto them brave, they will wish to drink my blood, that my spirit may be theirs. Moreover, the smith is jealous for that I have come with better javelin-points than his hand can fashion or his brain devise. And the priest-O Jehovah! doth he not feel that I am surely his competitor, I whose God is indeed an only god, a god of purity, righteousness and mercy?"

Then he heard, as in an evil dream, his own strange name called out from the plain. His limbs seemed as water, while his tongue clove fast to his gums for dryness.

So he said in his spirit, "In thee, Jehovah, I take my refuge. Bend down thine ear to me, and listen to a son of Abraham and to the husband of the Covenant. Shall my blood be spilt in the snow and my bones left in a far-away land? Shall the birds exalt themselves above me? Thou seest how sorely thy servant is afflicted, and knowest the terrors that encompass him. To thee I cling, God of my fathers. Be merciful, O Jehovah, unto me, for I see none here but enemies, and the strength of mine arms will nowise prevail, unless thou enclose me in thy hand. Rescue me, therefore, lest I become utterly ashamed. I have cried to thee, Jehovah. Let the distress be unto the wicked. Jehovah, O Jehovah!"

Then his heart was straightway lifted up. He gat himself together, took courage, and was very strong once more, and walked

on down into the silent plain of assembly, among those men of much blood and all hate.

Whenas he reached the center of the lane of warriors, which closed up all round about him in a circle, then the King of the Saxons, even Krieg, drew anigh to him and placed a heavy hand upon his shoulder. And the priest, even Drugi-thing, came up closer, and stood before those twain, crying to the multitude: "Be silent, high and low, for the King will speak."

Said Krieg, "Saxons all, freemen and true vassals, this is the fifth day of the week-the day sacred unto Thor. As ye all saw, the lots were cast, and they were favorable. Also, the horse was sacrificed, and behold the signs were again favorable. It is therefore left to us mortals by all the gods to say whether we shall buy this merchant's weapons or shall not buy them, or whether we shall take them without payment and slay him, or whether we shall indeed seize them without payment and yet shall let him go unscathed. In any case, the priest, even Drugi-thing (who hath been both in Spain and in Gaul and in Italy) hath vowed that he will find for us the forge that hath made these points. He hath vowed, and he voweth not in vain. What therefore say ye? Let any freeman speak his mind. All in this assembly have equal rights."

There was one man there, then, in all the assembly, who, taking the Cuning at his word, objected thus: "Why hast thou not said, O Krieg, that thou didst promise this man a safe conduct, and that for his javelin-points he ought to receive (if only the gods were willing) a hundred heavy rings of gold and twice their weight in bright amber?”

At this, the eldest son of the King stepped out, and, saying "Thy name is Craft, but mine is Craftier," slew the man. His blood flew over the prince's shoulder on the face of the Jew. And behold, the man that was dead was the man of the fire-box and the smoke-guide.

The King said unto the son (it was Krieg-deor, which meaneth “War-beast”): "I am much beholden unto thee, O dear first born, for why will any freeman thus attempt to abuse his freedom? That man knew not liberty, nor its rightful use."

The assembled warriors, thereupon, beating loudly on their shields with their suerds, cried: "Hael, Krieg! Hael, Krieg! Thrice hael to the King of the Saxons, him who hath given us liberty!"

Then said the Jew in his spirit, for he saw the trend of matters wholly: "Oh that Messiah had come! Oh that a man might have his justice! Oh that the sword of the Lord were already set upon the earth, and had swept it of unrighteousness! Or if one from

above were come with fire and with hail and with lightning and with thunder, and should wholly devastate the earth. Or give me, 0 Jehovah, merely that Roman law which I- No, no- What then! Nothing. Nothing? Mine arms? What shall they avail?"

But still, as he pondered, he saw with greater and greater clearness that one lone, single thought filled up these Saxons' minds, and that that thought was blood and bravery. Blood and bravery, bravery and blood! There was no other way to reach their hearts and minds than by the road of bravery and blood.

Now the Jew's whole spirit rebelled at what was working in him, for it thoroughly honored the temple of man's soul and would have saved it touch of hurt or injury. Moreover, the law of his people, said it not: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man"?

So the soul of the Jew was riven, and he knew not what to do. He suffered exceedingly.

At last it seemed to him that it was better he should fight. Why indeed should he forever bear? BEAR! A figure arose in sweet tearful majesty, in whose all-compelling presence the scene around him passed away. Once more he beheld, as though with physical vision, the roaring, hell-cursed multitude just outside the choked up Gate of the Gardens, saw the gleaming soldiers, felt the lash, picked up the contaminating cross, and then-BEAR!

Bear what?

Everything.

But he was flesh and blood!

Bear.

Now the sweet compulsion was jarred into and interrupted. Krieg it was who spoke. "The people having mentioned their mind," said Krieg, with a sound like the grating of rough iron, "perhaps will now permit their leader to set his own opinion forth. And that opinion is that we should seize these points (for they are good indeed, as some of you know, having cast them into oak trees and so tested them) and that then we should shew this Simon of Cyrene forth, far beyond the marks, and without any payment for his points. For behold, he is not home-born (is he?) but hath singular marks, being dark of visage and eye, and not at all inclined to blood and warfrom which we know him without doubt to be unworthy."

Then said Simon of Cyrene to the King in a voice of exceeding tenderness and pleading, "I came among you only to be of as excellent service unto you as I could. For I had heard ye were all brave men. Moreover, thou, O Krieg, didst give me a promise at the