th, but that seldom
would the unresisting be harmed, even if the ship were wantonly
burnt after plunder, and the crew set adrift in their boat.

Still the oars drew nearer, and I thought of the words that Lodbrok
had spoken--how that shipmen would be glad of his presence--and I
wished that he were indeed with me, for now I knew what he meant.

Now, too, I knew his gift of the ring to be our safety, and surely
he had given it to me for this. So I grew confident, and even
longed to see the sharp bow of the boat cleave the mist, if only
her crew knew of our friend by name at least. Yet they might be
Norse--not Danish.

But the sound of oars crossed our bows and died away again, and
then a voice hailed from the ship, as I thought, and there was
silence.

Kenulf and I breathed more freely then, and we too went forward and
ate and drank, and afterwards spoke of the chance of slipping away
when the tide turned, though I was sure that, if the ship were what
we thought, she would up anchor and drift with us.

So the hours of flood tide passed, and then the ship began to swing
idly as the slack came. Then with the turn of tide came little
flaws of wind, and we hoisted the sail, and Kenulf hove the anchor
short. Yet we heard no more sounds from the other ship.

Then all in a minute the fog thinned, lifted, and cleared away, and
I saw the most beautiful sight my eyes had ever lighted on, and the
most terrible.

For, not half a mile from us, lay a great viking snekr {vii},
with the sunlight full on her and flashing from the towering green
and gold and crimson dragon's head that formed her stem, and from
the gay line of crimson and yellow shields that hung along her rail
from end to end of the long curve of her sides. Her mast was
lowered, and rested, with the furled blue and white striped sail,
on the stanchions and crossbars that upheld it, to leave the deck
clear for swing of sword and axe; and over the curving dragon tail
of the stern post floated a forked black and golden flag. And
wondrously light and graceful were the lines on which she was
built, so that beside her our stout cargo ship showed shapeless and
heavy, as did our log canoes beside Lodbrok's boat. As soon should
our kitchen turnspit dog fly the greyhound that I had given
Lodbrok, as such a ship as ours from this swift viking's craft.

But her beauty was not that which drew the eyes of my men. Little
they thought of wonder or pleasure in gazing on the ship