"I will not praise his colour; but if you forget that and look at his build, you will like him." So I did; but if a man wanted to be noticed everywhere in such wise that folk would reckon a week's time from the day when the man on the skew-bald rode through the village, he could not choose a better mount, and I said so, laughing.
"There is somewhat in that," Erling allowed; "but if you ride through the foe at the head of your men on such an one, none can deny that you did it.

Nor can your men say that they lost sight of you." In the end I mounted and tried the horse.

Presently I rode him out of the town and away across the heaths, and had no fault to find with him.

Indeed, by the time that I brought him back I did not care if he was of all the colours of the rainbow, for he was the best horse I ever backed.
Then the franklin who owned him asked me a long price for him, and I left Erling to settle that.

Afterwards I knew that the man was a known breeder of these horses, and that men thought me lucky to get the steed.