whole of the Danish galleys were unmoored and started in the
pursuit of the supposed Italian vessel. The breeze was light, but
somewhat helped the Dragon. Four of the Northmen vessels were large
ships with sails, and these speedily fell behind, but the others with
their oars gained slowly on the Dragon.

Edmund saw with satisfaction that the two galleys of Sweyn, which he at
once recognized, were somewhat faster than their consorts, and the
slaves were made to row as hard as they could in order to prolong the
chase as much as possible, by which means Sweyn's galleys would be the
further separated from the others.

After the pursuit had been continued for some miles Sweyn's galleys
were but a few hundred yards in the rear, and were nearly a quarter of
a mile ahead of those of their comrades, which had gained but little
upon the Dragon since the chase began. Edmund ordered the men to cease
rowing, as if despairing of escape. The Genoese took their station on
the poop, and as Sweyn's galley came rushing up they shouted to it that
they would surrender if promised their lives. The Northmen answered
with a shout of triumph and derision, and dashed alongside.

Sweyn's own galley was slightly in advance of the others. Edmund
ordered the oars to be pulled in as the Northmen came up, so as to
allow them to come alongside. Not a word was spoken on board the Dragon
till the Danes, leaving their oars, swarmed up the side headed by Sweyn
himself. Then Edmund gave a shout, the Saxons leaped to their feet, and
raising their battle-cry fell upon the astonished Danes.

Those who had climbed up were instantly cut down or hurled back into
their own galley, and the Saxons leaping down, a tremendous fight
ensued. Edmund with Siegbert and half his crew boarded the Dane close
to the poop, and so cut the Northmen off from that part of the vessel,
while Egbert with the rest boarded farther forward. The Danes would
have been speedily overpowered had not the second galley arrived upon
the spot; and these, seeing the combat which was raging, at once leaped
upon Sweyn's galley. With this accession of force, although numbers of
the Danes had fallen in the first attack, they still outnumbered the
Saxons.

Sweyn, heading his men, made a desperate effort to drive back Edmund's
party. His men, however, fought less bravely than usual. Their
astonishment at finding the ship which they had regarded as an easy
prize manned by Saxons was overwhelming, a