"Good booty had OElla and Cissa our forbears, but they have left
some for us," said Earl Wulfnoth.

"Here is gold enough to buy a good fleet for Ethelred," said Olaf
thoughtfully.

"Gold enough for you and me to win England for ourselves withal,"
said the earl in a low voice. "You take the Danelagh, and I the
rest, and we will keep Ethelred for a puppet overlord."

"If Cnut wins there will be time enough to think of that," answered
Olaf coldly. "Eadmund is my friend."

"Not Ethelred?" said Wulfnoth eagerly.

"I fight for him," answered Olaf.

"Well, well. I did but speak my own wish," said the earl. "You and
I will not be agreed on this matter."

Then he turned to Relf, and began to give him some directions about
a horse whereon to load the treasure. And Olaf and I went back up
the ladder, leaving them, for the vault grew close and hot, and
this was their business. The earl would take it back to Pevensea,
where it would be safe. Word would go round quickly enough
concerning the find, and of what value it was. Nor would that grow
less in the telling, though none of us had ever seen so much gold
together before.

I suppose that I had been in the place for two hours or more, and
the morning sky had changed strangely since the fight began. The
sun was hidden with a great mass of heavy clouds that were driving
up fast from the southwest, although the woods around us were still
and motionless in the hot, heavy air. The smoke that still rose
from the burnt houses went up straight as a pine tree.

Olaf looked up at the sky, and seemed anxious.

"There is a gale brewing," he said. "I am glad Rani is with the
ships."

Then he walked away to a spur of the hill that looked down the
valley towards the sea. We could see all the tidal water, and
almost to Pevensea, and there came a long murmur of the sea on the
pebble beach, even to where we stood, so hushed were all things.
Surely there was a heavy sea setting in to make so loud a noise as
that. And all the hills and marshes seemed close at hand, so clear
was the air.

Then came to us Olaf's ship master, and he was uneasy also.

"Tide is at its highest tonight," he said, "and if the wind gets up
from the southwest, as seems likely, it will be higher yet than
usual. See how the clouds whirl over us."

Then the king went back to the building and called to Wulfnoth, who
came up the ladder asking what was amiss, for he heard that Olaf's
voice was urgent.

"Here is a