ere to seek his father; but I knew not
yet the power which draws a true viking ever onward to the west,
and when I said that we would, if he chose, sail back with him on
the next tide, he only laughed, saying:

"Why so? My father is well and in good case. Wherefore we will end
our cruise well if we can, and so put in for him on our way home at
the season's end."

"What would you do, then?" I asked, wondering.

"Raid somewhere," he answered carelessly. "We will not go home
without some booty, or there will be grumbling among the wives; but
for your sake we will go south yet, for you are bound for London,
as I think."

I said that it was so, and that I would at once go back to Reedham
when my business was done, there to prepare for his coming.

"That is well; and we will sail to Thames mouth together. And you
shall sail in my ship to tell me more of my father, and because I
think we shall be good friends, so that I would rather have you
come and raid a town or two with me than part with you. But as you
have your ship to mind, we will meet again at Reedham, and I will
winter there with you, and we will hunt together, and so take you
home with us in the spring."

Now this seemed good to me, and pleased me well enough, as I told
him. Where Halfden and his crew went, south of Thames mouth, was no
concern of mine--nor, indeed, of any other man in East Anglia in
those days. That was the business of Ethelred, our overlord, if he
cared to mind the doings of one ship. Most of all it was the
concern of the sheriff in whose district a landing was made.

So messages were sent to old Kenulf, and glad was he to know that
we should not have to give up our passage to London, and maybe
still more to feel safe in this powerful company from any other
such meetings. And before the tide served us, Halfden had said that
he also would come to London, so that our ship should lead the way
up the river.

When we weighed anchor Thormod must needs, therefore, reef and
double reef his sail, else our ship had been hull down astern
before many hours had passed, so swift was the longship.

Now I have said that old Kenulf had misliked the look of the
weather, and now Thormod seemed uneasy. Yet the breeze came fresh
from the southeast; and though it had shifted a good deal, I, for
my part, thought little ill of that, for it held in that quarter
till we were fairly among the sands of the Thames mouth at
nightfall, and Kenulf lit lanterns by wh