, in spite of the ship's wallowing and the tumult of
the wind and waves, he fell asleep again, and woke no more till it was
full daylight, and there was the shipmaster standing in the door of his
room, the sea-water all streaming from his wet-weather raiment. He said
to Walter: "Young master, the sele of the day to thee! For by good hap
we have gotten into another day. Now I shall tell thee that we have
striven to beat, so as not to be driven off our course, but all would not
avail, wherefore for these three hours we have been running before the
wind; but, fair sir, so big hath been the sea that but for our ship being
of the stoutest, and our men all yare, we had all grown exceeding wise
concerning the ground of the mid-main. Praise be to St. Nicholas and all
Hallows! for though ye shall presently look upon a new sea, and maybe a
new land to boot, yet is that better than looking on the ugly things down
below."

"Is all well with ship and crew then?" said Walter.

"Yea forsooth," said the shipmaster; "verily the Bartholomew is the
darling of Oak Woods; come up and look at it, how she is dealing with
wind and waves all free from fear."

So Walter did on his foul-weather raiment, and went up on to the quarter-
deck, and there indeed was a change of days; for the sea was dark and
tumbling mountain-high, and the white-horses were running down the
valleys thereof, and the clouds drave low over all, and bore a scud of
rain along with them; and though there was but a rag of sail on her, the
ship flew before the wind, rolling a great wash of water from bulwark to
bulwark.

Walter stood looking on it all awhile, holding on by a stay-rope, and
saying to himself that it was well that they were driving so fast toward
new things.

Then the shipmaster came up to him and clapped him on the shoulder and
said: "Well, shipmate, cheer up! and now come below again and eat some
meat, and drink a cup with me."

So Walter went down and ate and drank, and his heart was lighter than it
had been since he had heard of his father's death, and the feud awaiting
him at home, which forsooth he had deemed would stay his wanderings a
weary while, and therewithal his hopes. But now it seemed as if he needs
must wander, would he, would he not; and so it was that even this fed his
hope; so sore his heart clung to that desire of his to seek home to those
three that seemed to call him unto them.

CHAPTER V: NOW THEY COME TO A NEW LAND