s as Gods, Thorkild told me: it was one of their old women healed up
Hugh's poor arm.'

'How much gold did you get?'asked Dan. 'How can I say? Where we came
out with wedges of iron under the rowers' feet we returned with wedges
of gold hidden beneath planks. There was dust of gold in packages
where we slept and along the side, and cross-wise under the benches we
lashed the blackened elephants' teeth.

"'I had sooner have my right arm," said Hugh, when he had seen all.

"'Ahai! That was my fault," said Witta. "I should have taken ransom
and landed you in France when first you came aboard, ten months ago."

"'It is over-late now," said Hugh, laughing.

'Witta plucked at his long shoulder-lock. "But think!" said he. "If I
had let ye go--which I swear I would never have done, for I love ye
more than brothers--if I had let ye go, by now ye might have been
horribly slain by some mere Moor in the Duke of Burgundy's war, or ye
might have been murdered by land-thieves, or ye might have died of the
plague at an inn. Think of this and do not blame me overmuch, Hugh.
See! I will only take a half of the gold."

"'I blame thee not at all, Witta," said Hugh. "It was a joyous
venture, and we thirty-five here have done what never men have done.
If I live till England, I will build me a stout keep over Dallington
out of my share."

"'I will buy cattle and amber and warm red cloth for the wife," said
Witta, "and I will hold all the land at the head of Stavanger Fiord.
Many will fight for me now. But first we must turn North, and with
this honest treasure aboard I pray we meet no pirate ships."

'We did not laugh. We were careful. We were afraid lest we should
lose one grain of our gold, for which we had fought Devils.

"'Where is the Sorcerer?" said I, for Witta was looking at the Wise
Iron in the box, and I could not see the Yellow Man.

"'He has gone to his own country," said he. "He rose up in the night
while we were beating out of that forest in the mud, and said that he
could see it behind the trees. He leaped out on the mud, and did not
answer when we called; so we called no more. He left the Wise Iron,
which is all that I care for--and see, the Spirit still points to the
South."

'We were troubled for fear that the Wise Iron should fail us now that
its Yellow Man had gone, and when we saw the Spirit still served us we
grew afraid of too strong winds, and of shoals, and of careless leaping
fish, and of al