wide green along the waterside, and across it to the houses, which
were mostly poor enough here.

Many of them stood open, and in one a fire burned on the hearth,
but all were empty. So we turned into a street that led seemingly
from one bridge to the other across the town. Here men were going
hither and thither with torches, and groups were outside some of
the houses. To the nearest of these I went, as if I had all right
to be in the place.

They were bringing goods out of the house, and loading a cart with
them.

"Here is a flitting," said Kolgrim, "and another or two are on hand
yonder."

I stayed a man who came past me from out of a house.

"I have fled from Poole," I said. "What is in the wind here? Are we
to leave Wareham also?"

"If you come from Poole, you should know that it is time we did
so," he answered shortly. "I suppose you saw the whole business."

"So I did," I answered. "What are the orders?"

"Pack up and quit with all haste," said he. "You had better get to
work if you have aught to save."

"Shall we go to Exeter, or back to Mercia?" I said.

"Exeter they say; but I know not. Why not go and ask Jarl Osmund
himself--or follow the crowd and hinder no one with questions?"

He hurried on; but then some men began to question us about the
doings off Swanage, and Kolgrim told them such tales that they
shivered, and soon we had a crowd round us listening. Nor did I
like to hurry away, for I heard a man say that we were Northmen, by
our voices. But there were plenty of our folk among the Danes.

Then came a patrol of horsemen down the street, and they bade the
loiterers hurry. I drew Kolgrim into an open doorway, and stood
there till they passed, hearing them rate their fellows for delay.

"Wareham will be empty tomorrow," I said. "Now we can go; we have
learned enough."

Still I would see more, for there seemed no danger. Every man was
thinking of himself. So we went across the town, and as we came
near the western bridge the crowd grew very thick.

We heard before long that the army was as great as Odda had
thought, and that they were going to Exeter. Already the advance
guard had gone forward, but this train of followers would hardly
get clear of the town before daylight. They had heard great
accounts of our numbers, and I wished we had brought the ships up
here at once. There would have been a rout of the Danes.

But the place was strange to me, and to Odda also, so that we could
no