ll sides, wrapped in a glowing blaze. The sails streamed like
fiery wings from the mast.

Silently, with folded arms, Halfred sat upon the upper deck, his eyes
rigidly fixed upon the flower mound.

Swift as an arrow flew the burning ship before the wind. The fire had
rapidly consumed the dried wood grass, and Thora's form and face were
fully visible. Then Halfred saw how the scorching flames seized upon
Thora's long floating golden hair. "That was the last thing," he said
to me, "that I saw for a long time."

In unutterable anguish he sprang up, and rushed all along the burning
ship, straight through the flames, to Thora, He sprang upon the flower
mound to embrace the body.

Then he felt a frightful blow upon his head, and left eye. The half
burned mast had fallen with a crash upon him; he was dashed upon his
face among the flowers and the flames, and darkness closed over him.

CHAPTER XVI.

When Halfred again awoke he lay in the bottom of a small boat, which
drove over the open sea.

His hammer lay at his right hand. A cruise of water stood at his left
hand. Two oars were in the stem of the boat.

Halfred started up to look around him.

Then he perceived that he could only see with difficulty what was on
his left side. He felt for his left eye, and found a bleeding cavity. A
splinter of the mast had struck it out, and a stabbing pain beat
through his brain, which he said never again left him as long as he
lived.

He looked at his body. In charred rags his burnt clothing hung upon
him. Far in the distance he saw a craft which he recognized as the
larger boat of the Singing Swan.

The Singing Swan herself had disappeared; but away to the south there
lay a cloud of vapour and smoke over the sea.

The boat in which Halfred stood he recognised as the smaller boat of
the Singing Swan. Evidently his sailing comrades had dragged the
half-burned maniac from the burning ship, and saved him.

They had abandoned him to the Gods whom he had blasphemed, and in whom
they believed, to be saved by them, or perish. But no more fellowship
would they have with a man stricken by the heaviest of curses--madness.

For mad Halfred was, from the hour when he sprang into the flames, and
the mast struck him, until shortly before his death.

Therefore could he only tell me very little of all that in the meantime
happened either to, or through him.

But what he did tell me, here I faithfull