ueen may give, if
never again. And maybe it is as well that some of these treasures
should be shared among us because we know not what may come."

"Well," said Bertric, laughing, "maybe they will not be so likely
to go overboard without us."

Now, I cannot tell all that was in her mind, but so she would have
it; and as it was true enough that if we were wrecked we were more
likely to save somewhat if it was on us, we let her have her way.
So in the end she chose out the heavy golden bracelets which
Bertric and I should wear, and then asked Dalfin, laughing, what
was the token of the rank of a prince in his land. It was the
torque which Heidrek's men had taken from him, and I told her so.

Whereon she took from the casket a wonderful, twisted torque, the
like of which I had never seen, for it was not of Norse work, and
gave it to him. He took it and looked at it curiously, and his face
lighted up. It had some strange writings on it, and he read them.
Then he turned to Gerda, and it was plain that somewhat had pleased
him mightily.

"Queen," he said, "this is a greater gift to me than you ken. It is
strange that this torque should come to me here, for there is a
song of it which I have known since I was able to learn aught. It
is the song of its losing."

"Thorwald, my grandfather, won it on the high seas from Danish
Vikings," she answered eagerly. "What is the story?"

"It is the royal torque of our house," he said. "It was lost when
my kinsman, Dubhtach of the Spearshafts, fell at Howth. In the song
are the names of Danish princes who fell ere it was won from us,
and they are not a few. Now your folk have avenged the loss, and
the luck of the O'Neills has come back. And, faith, it was time it
did, for mighty little luck have we had since it went from us."

Then he bent his knee in princely fashion, and kissed the hand of
the giver, and so set the torque on his neck. It bent easily, and
fastened with hooked ends. Plain enough it was that he felt that he
had recovered a treasure.

"See," said Bertric, "here is wind coming."

There were thunder clouds working up from the north and east, and a
haze was gathering overhead. Soon, in the stillness, the thunder
rumbled across the sea, and the heavy drops of the first rain fell,
bringing with them cold draughts of wind, which filled the sail for
a moment, uselessly, and were gone.

Then across the northern sea grew and spread a line of white which
swept down on us