s faith. And now men began to shout their war cries
that friend might rally to friend rather than smite him coming as a
ghost through the mist. Then a man next me cried between his teeth:

"It is Ragnaroek come--and these are Odin's foes against whom we
fight."

And so smote the more fiercely till he fell beside me, crying:
"Ahoy! A Raven!--a Raven!"

Then was I down on the slippery deck, felled by a blow from a great
stone hammer that some wild pirate flung over the heads of his
comrades before me, and Cyneward dragged me up quickly, so that I
think he saved my life that time. And I fought on, dazed, and as in
a dream I fancied that I was on the deck of my father's ship
fighting the fight that I looked for in the fog that brought my
friend Halfden.

When my brain cleared, I knew not which way we faced. Only that
Cyneward was yet with me, and that out of the dimness came against
us Jomsburgers clad in outlandish armour, and with shouts to
strange gods as they fell on me.

"Hai, Wainomoinen! Swantewit, ho!"

Then I cast away my shield, for I grew weary, and taking both hands
to my axe, fought with a dull rage that I should have fallen, and
that there were so many against me. And all alone we two seemed to
fight by reason of the fog, though I heard the shouts of our crew
to right and left unceasingly.

Then I felled a man, and one leapt back into mist and was gone, and
a giant shape rose up against me out of the thickness, towering
alone, and at this I smote fiercely. Yet it was not mail or
hardened deerskin that I smote, but solid timber, and I could not
free my axe again, so strongly had I smitten.

It was the high stem head of the vessel. For I and my men had
cleared away the foe from amidships to bows, and still the noise of
fight went on behind us, while the fog was thick as ever.

Then Cyneward leaned against the stem head and laughed.

"Pity so good a stroke was wasted on timber, master," he said.

"Pull it out for me," I answered, "my arm is tired."

For now I began to know that my left shoulder was not yet so strong
as once.

He tugged at the axe and freed it, not without trouble.

"What now?" said one of the men.

But a great shout came from aft, and then a silence that seemed
strange. We were still, to hear what we might, and I think that
others listened for us.

"Surely we have cleared the ship?" I said. "Let us go and see."

Then I hailed our men, asking how they fared--and half I feare