should have not the slightest chance of escape in the days to come;
but I could say nothing to my comrades. Men of the crew sat just
outside the low doorway, with their backs against the bulkhead, as
if set there to overhear what we might say.

I looked among them for those two men of ours who had been ready to
join Heidrek as their one chance of life, but I could not see them.
Perhaps this was no wonder, as it is likely that they were drafted
to the other ships in order to keep them apart from us. It was
certainly the safest thing to do.

Asbiorn himself seemed to have some thought of this sort with
regard to us seven presently. Before sunset, he called some of the
men and bade them bring Dalfin and myself and shut us into the
after cabin, under his own feet, as he sat at the steering oar. Two
of my men were to be left in the fore peak, for they were unhurt
and could be shut in safely, while the other three were set
amidships, with men of the crew round them. These three had some
slight hurts, and a man set about caring for them, roughly but
skilfully enough.

But what I chiefly noticed as we were led aft, was that the ale was
passing freely, and, as I should have thought, too often for good
seamanship. That, however, was not my business, if it did seem to
explain why Asbiorn separated us. Seven desperate men might do much
among a helpless crowd, once they had snatched the arms they could
reach from those who had forgotten to guard them.

The young chief paid no heed to us as we passed into the darkness
of the low cabin. The door was closed and barred after us, and we
were left to our own devices, though in a few minutes some man on
the after deck took off the little square hatch cover which let the
light into the place. It was half full of plunder of all sorts, and
there was barely room, if soft stowage, for us.

"Well," I said to Dalfin, "if we can sleep, let us do so. I know
that every word we speak can be heard on deck."

Whereon he answered me in Erse, and I could understand him well,
for the old tongues of Scot of Ireland and Scot of Caithness are
the same, if ages have wrought some changes in the way of speaking
them here and there.

"Let these Danes make what they can of that," he said. "It will
take a man born to the Gaelic to catch aught of it through yon
hole, if he thinks he understands it in the open."

So in the Erse we spoke for a little while, and it was a hopeless
talk at best. Only we agree