lads, he would have tried
by a sudden turn to sink the accursed boat which kept alongside of him
the whole time as if to mock him; he now understood its evil errand only
too well. If the _Kvejtepig_[9] could reach the Draug before, a knife or
a gaff might surely do the same thing now, and he felt that he would
gladly have given his life for one good grip of the being who had so
mercilessly torn from him his dearest in this world and would fain have
still more.

At three or four o'clock in the morning they saw coming upon them
through the darkness a breaker of such a height that at first Elias
thought they must be quite close ashore near the surf swell.
Nevertheless, he soon recognised it for what it really was--a huge
billow. Then it seemed to him as if there was a laugh over in the other
boat, and something said, "There goes thy boat, Elias!" He, foreseeing
the calamity, now cried aloud: "In Jesus' Name!" and then bade his sons
hold on with all their might to the withy-bands by the rowlocks when the
boat went under, and not let go till it was above the water again. He
made the elder of them go forward to Bernt; and himself held the
youngest close by his side, stroked him once or twice furtively down the
cheeks, and made sure that he had a good grip. The boat, literally
buried beneath the foaming roller, was lifted gradually up by the bows
and then went under. When it rose again out of the water, with the keel
in the air, Elias, Bernt, and the twelve-year-old Martin lay alongside,
holding on by the withy-bands; but the third of the brothers was gone.

They had now first of all to get the shrouds on one side cut through, so
that the mast might come to the surface alongside instead of disturbing
the balance of the boat below; and then they must climb up on the
swaying bottom of the boat and stave in the key-holes, to let out the
air which kept the boat too high in the water, and so ease her. After
great exertions they succeeded, and Elias, who had got up on the top
first, now helped the other two up after him.

There they sat through the long dark winter night, clinging convulsively
on by their hands and knees to the boat's bottom, which was drenched by
the billows again and again.

After the lapse of a couple of hours died Martin, whom his father had
held up the whole time as far as he was able, of sheer exhaustion, and
glided down into the sea. They had tried to cry for help several times,
but gave it up at last as