eed how shall I set about it?

Thus he turned the matter over and over; and at last, seeing that if he
grew no foolisher over it, he grew no wiser, he became weary thereof, and
bestirred him, and saw to the trussing up of his goods, and made all
ready for his departure, and so wore the day and slept at nightfall; and
at daybreak comes Arnold to lead him to their keel, which hight the
Bartholomew. He tarried nought, and with few farewells went aboard ship,
and an hour after they were in the open sea with the ship's head turned
toward Langton on Holm.

CHAPTER IV: STORM BEFALLS THE BARTHOLOMEW, AND SHE IS DRIVEN OFF HER
COURSE

Now swift sailed the Bartholomew for four weeks toward the north-west
with a fair wind, and all was well with ship and crew. Then the wind
died out on even of a day, so that the ship scarce made way at all,
though she rolled in a great swell of the sea, so great, that it seemed
to ridge all the main athwart. Moreover down in the west was a great
bank of cloud huddled up in haze, whereas for twenty days past the sky
had been clear, save for a few bright white clouds flying before the
wind. Now the shipmaster, a man right cunning in his craft, looked long
on sea and sky, and then turned and bade the mariners take in sail and be
right heedful. And when Walter asked him what he looked for, and
wherefore he spake not to him thereof, he said surlily: "Why should I
tell thee what any fool can see without telling, to wit that there is
weather to hand?"

So they abode what should befall, and Walter went to his room to sleep
away the uneasy while, for the night was now fallen; and he knew no more
till he was waked up by great hubbub and clamour of the shipmen, and the
whipping of ropes, and thunder of flapping sails, and the tossing and
weltering of the ship withal. But, being a very stout-hearted young man,
he lay still in his room, partly because he was a landsman, and had no
mind to tumble about amongst the shipmen and hinder them; and withal he
said to himself: What matter whether I go down to the bottom of the sea,
or come back to Langton, since either way my life or my death will take
away from me the fulfilment of desire? Yet soothly if there hath been a
shift of wind, that is not so ill; for then shall we be driven to other
lands, and so at the least our home-coming shall be delayed, and other
tidings may hap amidst of our tarrying. So let all be as it will.

So in a little while