"Tin?" said Thrond. "Now I would that we had heard thereof before.
I reckon we passed some booty westward. Eh, well, we shall know
better next time."

After that he was silent, watching the ship ahead. She was a great
heavy trader, with higher sides than this swift longship.

And presently, as I watched her, a thought came to me, and I was
ashamed that I had not asked before if it was true that my cousin
had not been hurt in the fighting.

"He was not harmed," answered the old chief. "He hurt us; he is a
good fighter. Get yon shield and hold it ready to cover me. It is
not worth while to have the helmsman shot, and it will set a man
free to fight forward."

Now the ship was within arrow shot, and we could see that there
were few men on her decks. Thorleif hailed her to heave to, sending
an arrow on her deck by way of hint. Whereon she shot up into the
wind, and her sail rattled down. Thrond whistled to himself.

"Empty as a dry walnut shell, or I am mistaken," he said between
his teeth.

Then he shouted to Thorleif, and some order came back. The sail was
lowered, and the ship swung alongside the stranger under oars only,
while a rush of men came aft. Thorleif hailed the other ship to
send him a line from the bows, and one flew on board us as we shot
past. Then in a few moments we were under easy sail again, towing
the great trader slowly after us; and the men were grumbling at the
ease of the capture, thinking, with Thrond, that it boded a useless
chase. Thorleif came aft to speak with the shipmaster from our
stern.

Then there climbed on the bows of the trader a tall, handsome young
man, at the sight of whom I could not withhold a cry of wonder, for
I knew him well. He was Ecgbert the atheling, nephew of our great
king Ina, and the one man whom Bertric feared as a rival when he
came to the throne. His father and mine had been close friends, and
we two had played and hunted together many a time, until the
jealousy of Bertric drove him to seek refuge with Offa of Mercia. I
thought him there yet.

"Yield yourselves," said Thorleif, "and we will speak in peace of
ransom. I will come on board with a score of men, and harm none."

"We have yielded, seeing that there was no other chance for as,"
said Ecgbert quietly. "Come on board if you will, but on my word it
is hardly worth your while. We left in too great a hurry to bring
much with us."

"Whence are you, then, and whither bound?"

"From Mercia, by way of