of his friend in silence, and then went forward
to assist actively in the preparations already referred to. The men
heaped up the funeral pile round the mast, fastened the stern ropes to
the shore, plied the dead upon the deck, and, when all was ready,
hoisted sail. The squall had increased so that the mast bent, and the
ship strained at her stern ropes like an impatient charger. Then the
men went on shore, and Solve, turning to Guttorm, bent over him, and
spoke a few words in a low, earnest tone, but the old man's strength was
almost gone. He could only utter the single word "Farewell", and wave
his hand as if he wished to be left alone. Solve rose at once, and,
applying a light to the pile, leaped ashore. Next moment the cables
were cut; the brushwood crackled with a fierce noise as the fire leaped
up and the "ocean steed" bounded away over the dark blue sea. Guttorm
was still seated by the helm, his face pale as death, but with a placid
smile on his mouth, and a strange, almost unearthly, fire in his eyes.

The longship rushed over the waves with the foam dashing on her bows, a
long white track in her wake, and a dense black cloud curling overhead.
Suddenly the cloud was rent by a fork of flame, which was as suddenly
quenched, but again it burst upwards, and at last triumphed; shooting up
into the sky with a mighty roar, while below there glowed a fierce fiery
furnace, against which was strongly depicted the form of the grand old
Sea-king, still sitting motionless at the helm. Swiftly the blazing
craft dashed over the waves, getting more and more enveloped in smoke
and flame. Ere long it could be seen in the far distance, a rushing
ball of fire. Gradually it receded, becoming less and less, until at
last it vanished, like a setting star, into the unknown waste of the
great western sea.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

HOPES AND FEARS--THE BURNING OF HALDORSTEDE, AND ESCAPE OF THE FAMILY.

Meanwhile the family at Haldorstede had made a narrow escape, and some
members of it were still in great peril. When Hilda and Ada were sent
thither, with the females of Ulfstede, under the charge of Christian the
hermit, as already related, they found Dame Herfrida and her maidens
busily engaged in making preparations for a great feast.

"I prithee," said Dame Astrid, in some surprise, "who are to be thy
guests to-night?"

"Who should be," replied Herfrida, with a smile, "but the stout fellows
who back my husband in the