louds looked like heavy rain and thunder.
As the mist that is over the sea-beach in those countries in the morning
cleared off, I looked again, and I found that the men who disputed with
us from the beach were few, they being but six knights in half-armour.
Now, lying and watching, for I felt that I could do nothing till the
world was level again, I saw the fifteen of our men jump from the
fore-deck at a word from the oar-captain, and thrusting the long oars
over the sides, strain on them in the sand as each wave came in, and as
they strained upon them the ship would lift and glide out more, and
faster; till at last we were quite afloat and the great waves took us,
and turned us about, like a piece of bark. Then the men fell into their
places and we headed the white seas, the half-armed men on the beach
riding knee-high on their horses into the foam, and calling curses at
us. So, after weary rowing, and every man of us wet as the sea, we came
out of that bay and rode the great smooth waves that had been white the
day before.

Well, we kept far from the land, only seeing, one dusk, a white cliff on
our right from a distance; then the gale took us again and drove us
westward and then northward, till the men would throw down their oars
and cry out to the gods of the sea, to say which one of them should be
sacrificed to their hate.

We were half mad with the drink we had in the ship--for we had no
beer--and as we lurched and swayed in the depth between two seas, or as
we climbed up sideways and balanced for a moment while the foam flew and
then surged down with sick motion, the men would trail their oars on the
water and sink their heads on the handles. So, for many days we were
driven as the wizards drive the storm-ships across the face of the icy
moon, as the waves kiss her wet sides and the clouds break over her. So
northward we went, till the cold struck into our bones and we ate fried
fat like the savages of Finland; and we passed great ice-fields
sometimes, at night, when the moon shone on them for miles and gave them
smoothness which the sun took all away again, and made them grey and
rugged and small.

Still we went north; our water was almost gone and we had only the
devil's drinks, and the wet bread and fish. Now, when we passed the
ice-fields the oar-captain would order us to fasten to them, and we
would bring into the ship great chunks of ice and melt them in the
cauldron by the mast-foot. But there came a ti