r to visit
him, and Edmund and his kinsman were taken by their Italian friends to
his presence. The pope received them most graciously, and after
inquiring after King Alfred and the state of things in England, asked
how it was that a Saxon ship had made so long a voyage.

Edmund explained that he was in search of a Danish damsel who had once
shown him great kindness, and who had been carried off from her father
by one of the vikings of Hasting's fleet. When he said that they had
taken part in the defence of Paris the holy father told him that he now
recognized his name, for that a full account of the siege had been sent
to him by one of the monks there, and that he had spoken much of the
valour of a Saxon captain and the crew of his galley, to whom indeed
their successful resistance to the Northmen was in no slight degree due.

"Would I could aid you, my son, in your enterprise against these
northern pirates. The depredations which they are committing on the
shores of Italy are terrible indeed, and we are powerless to resist
them; they have even threatened to ascend the Tiber and attack Rome,
and though I trust that we might resist their attacks, yet rather than
such misfortune as a siege should fall upon my people I have paid a
large sum of money to the leader of the Northmen to abstain from coming
hither; but I know that the greed of these pirates does but increase
with their gains, and that ere long we may see their pagan banner
floated before our walls. A few galleys I could man and place under
your orders, but in truth the people of this town are not skilled in
naval fighting. I have already endeavoured to unite the states of
Genoa, Pisa, and Venice against them, for it is only by common effort
that we can hope to overwhelm these wolves of the sea."

Edmund expressed his thanks to the pope for his offer, but said that he
would rather proceed with the Dragon alone.

"She is to the full as swift as the Northmen's vessels," he said; "and
although I would right gladly join any great fleet which might be
assembled for an attack upon them, I would rather proceed alone than
with a few other ships. Not being strong enough to attack their whole
armament I must depend upon stratagem to capture the galley of which I
am specially in pursuit, and will with your permission set out as soon
as I have transformed my ship so that she will pass muster as a galley
of Genoa or Venice."

The holy father gave orders that every assis