he had asked that it might be given to
his young friend, and she willingly agreed.

The device was not uncommon, but Isobel's artistic fancy had made it a
perfect work of art. It was the figure of a youth clad in armour
holding high in his right hand a white cross with "Onward" worked in
gold letters upon it.

The flag was blue, with a crimson star in the corner; and altogether
any prince might have been proud to start upon a high quest under such
a banner.

The two girls accompanied the procession, we may be sure; and many were
Gerta's injunctions to "take care of yourselves, and don't be
foolhardy."

Just as the good-byes were being said, Thor called out from his basket,
"Uncle, uncle! Bad, bad, bad!"

"Why on earth have you taken that uncanny fowl with you?" Amy Congreve
asked.

"You ought to know by this time," said Garth, speaking for our
Viking-boy, "that the sea-rovers never went out to maraud or explore
without the bird of Odin."

"I shouldn't like to have a creature like that calling out 'Bad, bad!'
as I started on a voyage of discovery. It is not a good omen," Amy
replied in lower tones, which did not reach the ears of the young
adventurers, for their boat was off, and the Yarl and Garth were
cheering the _Osprey_ as it slid away from the land.

"What very odd fancies that boy has!" Mr. Halsen remarked as they
returned to the house. "Some of his notions are almost childish at the
first glance one takes--so simple, and full of the exaggerated fancy of
a mere child. But soon one finds the germ of the right kind of stuff
in all his fancies; and he carries them out with the shrewd common
sense, the cool determination, energy, and daring of a grown man. It
is a strange mixture."

"It is a mixture that makes a fascinating character, uncle," said
Gerta. "I like Yaspard Adiesen very much just because of that
child-way and man-manner he has. He will do something grand one of
these days."

Yaspard thought he was doing something grand that very day, you may be
sure. He was started on an exploring expedition: and when we remember
that the Shetland group consists of over one hundred islands, large and
small; that many of these have seldom been visited by any one, some
never trod by human foot, and the greater number uninhabited save by
the wild birds and sea creatures, we will see that our hero's voyage
was not unlikely to be one of discovery and adventure.

Some other time I will give you the _Osp