d; "but it seemed to me that for
a moment somewhat like a sail lifted on the sea's rim off yonder."

He pointed off the port quarter, and turned to the helm again,
leaving me to see if I could catch sight of what he had seen. Maybe
it was but the dipping wing of a gull.

But it was not that. Presently I also saw the speck he meant, and
it did not disappear again. It was the head of a square, brown
sail, the ship herself to which it belonged being hull down, but
holding the same course as ourselves, or thereabouts, so far as one
could judge as yet. And before long a second hove up from astern
the first.

"They are running a bit freer than we," Bertric said. "They have a
shift of wind astern of them, whereby they are overhauling us."

"Two brown-sailed ships," said I. "They mind one too much of
Heidrek to be pleasant, else one might welcome the coming of any
honest Norsemen who would help us to do the right."

"Wait, and I will tell you," answered Bertric somewhat grimly. "I
cannot mistake Heidrek's ships once I get a fair sight of them."

In half an hour or so he did tell me. They were undoubtedly
Heidrek's, and were in chase of us. This ship was not to be
mistaken even from a long distance.

"Heidrek has followed in the track this vessel must needs have
taken, and now supposes that some stray fishers have picked her up
and are trying to get away with her and the treasure. Well, that is
near enough to the truth, too," said Bertric, laughing a short
laugh. "No, let Dalfin and the lady rest in peace until we know if
they outsail us. This is a wonderful little craft, but she needs
her crew on board."

Chapter 6: A Sea Queen's Champions.

We were sailing with the easterly wind on our beam, and making
maybe six knots on it, with the two reefs down. The full crew of
such a ship as this for such a cruise without any warlike ending to
it would be about twenty, or perhaps a few less. She pulled sixteen
oars a side, and with a war crew on board would muster ninety-six
men--three to an oar--with a few extra hands, as the helmsman and
the chiefs, to make a total of a hundred. Her decks would be
crowded, of course, but she would be down to her bearings, being
built for war cruises, and in a breeze all her men would be sitting
up to windward as shifting ballast, so to speak. It is not likely,
therefore, that we could have done much better had we managed to
shake out the reefs, seeing that the ship was light. Her pebb