And as to my loss, he bade me take
heart, for a seaman has ever risks such as these to run; and, as it
seemed, this ship of ours had ever been lucky. Which was true
enough, as my father had told me by the fireside many a time.

After this we headed over to the Frankish shore, and there I had my
first fight. For we raided a town there, and the citizens stood up
to us well. I fought in silence, while my comrades yelled to Thor
and Odin as they smote, for those against whom we fought were
Christian men, and to fight against them by the side of heathen
went against me. Yet the lust of battle took hold on me, and fight
I must. But I will tell no more of that business, save that Halfden
and Thormod praised me, saying that I had done well. And after that
the crew asked that I should lead the men amidships, for their head
man had been slain, and Halfden was on the fore deck, and Thormod
aft. So my boyish dreams were like to come to pass, for I was thus
a viking indeed. Yet I had little pride therein.

Thence we raided ever eastward and westward along that shore, and I
grew to love Halfden well, strange as were his wild ways to me. For
he was in all things most generous; nor was he cruel, but would
hold back the more savage of the men when he could--though, indeed,
that was seldom--when they were mad with fighting.

So the weeks went on, until at last one day as we left a haven
where we had bided for a while, taking ransom from the town that we
might leave it in peace, we spied a sail far off coming from
eastward, and Thormod would have us bear up for her, to see what
she might be. But instead of flying, as a trading ship would, the
strange vessel waited for us, lowering her sail and clearing for
action, so that there was doubt if she was not Norse. Now between
Dane and Northman is little love lost, though at times they have
joined hands, loosely as one might say, or as if cat and dog should
go together to raid a rabbit warren.

"If she be Norse," said Halfden, and his eyes shone, "we will fight
her, and that will be a fight worth telling of by the crew that is
left when we have done!"

But she turned out to be Danish, and a boat came from her to us.
She was on the same errand as ourselves, and, moreover, belonged to
one Rorik, who was a friend of Lodbrok's, so that again I must go
through all the story of his perils.

Now if Halfden's men had seemed rough and ill-favoured to me when
first I saw them, time and comradeshi