And I ended by saying how Lodbrok was even now at court with Eadmund, our king, and high in favour with him and all lesser men.
Many were the questions that the Danes asked me as I spoke, and I answered them plainly, for indeed I was glad to see the look in Halfden's eyes as I spoke to him of his father, I having naught but pleasant things to tell of him, which one may say of few men, perhaps.

And by and by I spoke of his having taught me the use of the Danish axe.
"Ho!" said Thormod; "hold your peace for a while, and we will see what sort of pupil he had." Then he rose up and took his axe, and bade me take Halfden's, which I did, not over willingly maybe, while Halfden stood by, smiling.
"I will not harm you," said Thormod shortly, seeing that I was not over eager.

"See here!" His ale horn stood on the low table where we had been sitting, and now he placed it on the gunwale, going from under the awning.

The men who sat along the decks looked up at him and were still.
Then he heaved up the axe with both hands and whirled it, bringing it down with such force that I looked to see both horn and gunwale shorn through.

But so skilful was he that he stayed that mighty stroke so that the keen edge of the axe rested on the horn's rim without marking it, and all the men who were watching cried out: "Skoal {viii} to Thormod the axeman!" "So," said he; "now stand up and guard a stroke or two; only strike not as yet, for maybe your axe would go too far," and he smiled grimly, as in jest.
But I had learned that same trick from the jarl.
Now Lodbrok had told me that when one has a stronger axeman to deal with than one's self the first thing is to guard well.