ve runes
that will, as I think, keep away such pain if you bear them on you.
Thord, whom you know, taught me them. Maybe it would be better for
him to grave them, for runes wrongly written are worse than none,
and these are very powerful."

"That is a kindly thought, cousin," Alfred answered; "but I am sure
that no runes will avail when the prayers of my people, from holy
Neot to the little village children, do not. And I fear that even
would they heal me, I must sooner bear the pain than seek to magic
spells."

"Nay, but try them, King Alfred," I said; "there is no ill magic in
them."

Now he saw that I was in earnest, and put me by very kindly.

"I must ask Sigehelm, our bishop here, who is my best leech next to
Neot.

"What say you, father?"

"Even as you have said, my king."

"Maybe, bishop," said I, "you have never tried the might of runes?"

Whereat the good man held up his hands in horror, making no answer,
and I laughed a little at him.

"Well, then," said the king, "we will ask Neot, for mostly he seems
to say exactly what I do not."

"Neot has gone to Cornwall, and I had forgotten to give you that
message from him. He says he will be there for a time," I said,
rather ashamed at having let slip the message from my mind.

"So you saw him?" said Alfred.

"I knew he went to the ships yesterday after Godred came back," he
added, laughing.

"He read my letter for me, and after that I had a good deal of talk
with him," I said.

"Then," said Sigehelm, "you have spoken with the best man in all
our land."

Now the king said that he would let the question of the runes, for
which he thanked me, stand over thus; and then he asked me to sit
down and hear what he would ask me to do for him, if I had no plans
already made for myself.

I said that I had nothing so certainly planned but that I and my
men would gladly serve him.

"Then," he said, "I would ask you to winter with me, and set my
ships in order. There will be work for you and all your men, for
you shall give them such command in any ship of mine as you know
they are best fitted for. I would ask you to help me carry out that
plan of which you spoke to me when I was Godred."

When Odda heard that, he rubbed his hands together, saying:

"Ay, lord king, you have found the right man at last."

"Then in the spring you shall take full command of the fleet we
will build and the men we shall raise; and you shall keep the seas
for me, if by that