ms of my own, paying no heed to their talk.

Out of those dreams I was roused by Thormod's voice.

"Yon ship is no Dane," he said sharply. "Clear the decks and get to
arms, men. Here is somewhat amiss."

Then was a growl of wrath from our crew, yet no delay, and in a
moment every man was in his place. Down came the sail, and the mast
was lowered and hoisted on its stanchions overhead, and in five
minutes or less the oars were out, and the men who were arming
themselves ran to take them as they were ready, while those who had
rowed should get to arms also. Not for the first time saw I that
ship cleared for action, but never had I seen it done so swiftly,
though we had but half our fighting crew, sixty men instead of a
hundred and thirty or so.

I armed myself swiftly as any, and Thormod bade me take Halfden's
place on the fore deck, where the men were already looking to
bowstrings and bringing up sheaves of arrows and darts.

Then when I came they shouted, and one gray-headed warrior cried:

"Now you have a good fight on hand, axeman."

Then I asked:

"Who are the strangers?"

"It is a ship of the Jomsburg vikings," he said. "They know that
our men are all in England, and have come to see what we have left
behind--Thor's bolt light on them!"

Now, of all savage vikings these Jomsburgers are the worst.
Red-handed they are, sparing none, and it is said of them that they
will sacrifice men to the gods they worship before a great fight.
Nor are they all of one race, but are the fiercest men of all the
races of the Baltic gathered into that one nest of pirates,
Jomsburg.

Now a cold thrill of fear for Osritha ran through me, and then came
hot rage, and for a little I was beside myself, as it were, glaring
on that ship. Then I grew cool and desperate, longing only to be
hand to hand with them.

Swiftly we bore down on the ship, and now from her decks came the
hoarse call of uncouth war horns, and her crew came swarming back
from the streets with shouts and yells, crossing Ingvar's ship to
reach their own, for she lay alongside, stem to stern of the Dane,
and next to the open water.

Now I could see that men fought with the last of the Jomsburgers as
they came down the street to their ship, and there were no houses
burning, so that they could have been for no long time ashore. And
that was good to know.

We came into the channel abreast of her, and then Thormod roared to
me:

"Now I will ram her. Board her