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The Philosophical Strangler(127)

By:Eric Flint


                                          give me passage



                                      Wart Giddle

                                          at the river crossing



                                      So I took out my axe

                                          and killed him.



                                      Then his brother

                                          Thord Herjolfson



                                      Who is the son of

                                          Herjolf Kollson



                                      Who was the brother

                                          of Hallgerd who



                                      Was married to

                                          Hoskuld the Fat



                                      Took umbrage. He had

                                          many thralls and



                                      Neighbors who owned

                                          lots of pigs.”





“And horses!” I shouted. “Don’t forget the horses! And the sheep!”





                                           “And lots of horses

                                          and sheep too.



                                      One horse was called

                                          Red-foot Swiftsure



                                      And she was . . .”





Well, this went on for some time, since Hrundig took care to specify by name all the offspring he sired on Fat Hoskuld’s mares and ewes and sows until the saints started wailing that Hrundig was stalling and so Hrundig veered back on to his other sins: