Thus, hand in hand, they descended to the lake, and then Thora took from the boat her three-sided harp, and thus they wandered down by the streamlet which flowed from the lake to the sea, and on to the bay, towards the west.
And the ship, which from the west had held her course towards the island, was the Singing Swan.
There, at a short distance, she now lay at anchor in the bay; her sails shining brightly in the evening light. And the ship's boat glided over the water towards the shore, to bring Halfred and the smaller boat, rowed by Hartvik and Eigil.
And the blood brethren sprang on shore, and marvelled greatly, when they saw Halfred stand there, hand in hand with a wonderfully beautiful woman. Silently their glances questioned him.
But Halfred spoke, twining his arms round the slender girl--
"This is Thora the golden-eyed. King Thorul's daughter.
"She was hidden from me here, and clad in boy's clothing that I might not find her.
"Nevertheless I have found her, according to the course of the stars and the will of the Gods--Love her as myself--for she is my wife."
[CHAPTER XIII.]
And now it was very wonderful to see what a wholly different man Halfred had became since he had won Thora.