THE MAGICIAN. 303 



overtaking two of the men whom he had chased into a 

 marsh, he slew them there. He himself also stuck fast 

 in the mire; but his friends coming to his aid, helped 

 him out and conveyed him home, where, after a time, he 

 recovered from his wounds. 



Whilst these events were passing, the assault of the 

 pirates on the fortress 'was perseveringly continued, 

 though now on less equal terms ; for the regular weapons 

 of the townspeople were all but exhausted, so that they 

 had few others remaining than stones and staves ; and, to 

 enable them to prolong the combat, they were even 

 obliged to split the latter in twain. The courage of 

 the Christians, nevertheless, failed them not; and when 

 the King of the Wendians offered, for the second time, to 

 spare their lives, they replied only by blows. 



Two of the enemy's greatest champions now fell. One 

 was an archer whose shaft never failed ; and no one could 

 harm him, because his person was protected by the 

 bucklers of two of his comrades. Ssemund Husfreja said, 

 therefore, to his son Asrnund, " We will both shoot at one 

 and the same instant; thou shalt aim at the champion, 

 and I at one of the shield-bearers." They did so ; and 

 when the man drew aside his buckler to guard himself, 

 Asmund's arrow found its way between the two shields; 

 and, hitting the champion in the forehead, passed out at 

 his neck, so that he never dre'w his bow again. 



The other champion was without any visible armour, 

 and was bold enough to go up to the very gate of the 

 fortress, where he slew a sentinel on guard; but, in spite 

 of all the arrows directed against him, he escaped unhurt, 

 and was therefore looked on as a Trollkarl, or sorcerer. 

 When the parson, Anders Brunsson, saw this, he took a 

 portion of the sacred fire from the altar; and, after 

 blessing it, placed it within some soft down affixed to an 

 oaken arrow. This he handed to Asmund, who forthwith 



