them before the game is over," Rolf returned. "The
first ones are even now coming to land."

As he spoke, the two shaggy swimmers clambered out of the water, like
dripping spaniels, on the very spot that the white men's bodies had
pressed less than an hour before.

"I am glad that we are not now lying there without our clothes," Alwin
murmured.

And Rolf ejaculated under his breath, "Now it is certain that I would
rather be the only human being in the land than be in company with such
as these, granting them to be human. For by Thor's hammer, they have
more the appearance of dwarfs than of men!"

They were not imposing, certainly, from all that could be seen of them
through the leaves. Two of their lean arms would not have made one of
the Wrestler's magnificent white limbs, and the tallest among them could
not have reached above Alwin's shoulders. Skins were their only
coverings; and the coarseness of their bristling black locks could have
been equalled only in the mane of a wild horse. Though two of the eight
were furnished with bows and arrows, the rest carried only rudely-shaped
stone hatchets, stuck in their belts. When they began talking together,
it was in a succession of grunts and growls and guttural sounds that
bore more resemblance to animal noises than to human speech.

Rolf sniffed with contempt. "Pah! Vermin! I think we could put the whole
swarm to flight only by drawing our knives."

But at that moment one of the number below raised his face so that Alwin
caught a glimpse of the fierce beast-mouth and the small tricky eyes in
the great sockets. The Saxon lifted his eyebrows dubiously.

"I am far from certain how that attempt would end," he answered. "Though
it is likely that it will have to be tried, if their intention is to
settle here for the day, as it appears to be."

The men of the stone hatchets had indeed settled themselves with every
look of remaining. Though one of the bowmen continued to pace the bank
like a sentinel, his fellows sprawled themselves upon the turf in
comfortable attitudes, carrying on their uncouth conversation with deep
earnestness.

"We shall certainly have to stay here all day if we do not do
something," Rolf bent from his branch to whisper to his companion. Alwin
did not answer, for at that moment the harsh voices below ceased
abruptly, and there ensued a hush of listening silence.

Up in the tree, Saxon gray eyes and Norse blue ones asked each other an
anxious que