As soon as Starkath had run away, the sons of Gandalf took to flight, and we captured great booty; and after that Sigurth went home to his realm and remained there for a while.
VIII.[°] A short time after, we heard that Starkath had committed a foul murder, slaying King Ali in his bath.
It chanced one day that as Sigurth Fafnisbani was riding to some gathering or other, he rode into a muddy pool, and his horse Grani leapt up so wildly that his saddle-girth burst asunder and the buckle fell to the ground. And when I saw where it lay shining in the mud, I picked it up and handed it to Sigurth; but he said that I might keep it. It was that very piece of gold that you were looking at a short time ago. Then Sigurth got down from his horse, and I rubbed it down and washed the mud off it; and I pulled a lock of hair out of its tail as a proof of its great size."
Then Guest showed the lock and it was seven ells long.
King Olaf said: "I think your stories are very entertaining."
Everybody praised his stories and his talent.
Then the King wanted him to tell them much more about the adventures he had met with on his travels. So Guest told them many amusing stories till late in the evening. It was then time to go to bed; but next morning the King sent for Guest, and wanted to talk to him still further.
The King said: "I can't quite make out your age and how you can be old enough to have been present when these events took place. You will have to tell another story so as to make us better acquainted with things of this kind."
Guest replied: "I suspected before that you would want to hear another of my stories, if I told you what had happened about the gold."