minutes more of painful sawing and
straining and I felt another strand give way. That made three, and
now one of the two turns of line that held my arms could have but
one strand left, and that ought to be no more than I could break by
force. Then I wrestled with it with little care if my struggles as
I bent and strove made noise that might call attention to me, for
it was my last chance. The lines bruised and cut me sorely, even
through my mail, but I heeded that no more than I did the hardness
of the timbers against which I rolled; and at last it did snap,
with a suddenness that let my elbow fly against the iron that had
been my saving, almost forcing a cry from me.

I was yet bound to my splints, but with my arms free it was but the
work of a few seconds to cast off the last of my bonds, and within
five minutes after the strand had parted I was on my feet, and
rubbing and stretching my bruised and cramped limbs into life
again. Then I felt in the darkness for the bale that held my gear,
and found it and tore it open.

How good it was to gird the sword on me again, and to feel the cold
rim of the good helm round my hot forehead! I was myself again, and
as I slipped Gerent's gold ring on my arm I thought that it was
almost worth the bondage to know what pleasure can be in the
winning of freedom. I forgot that I was troubled with thirst and
hunger, having touched nothing since I broke my fast with Owen;
though, indeed, there was little matter in that, for I had done
well at that meal with the long ride before me, and one ought to be
able to go for a day and a night without food if need be, as a
warrior.

Still, I was not yet out of the trouble. Thorgils had gone to some
place that I knew nothing of, and I had yet to learn if there was
any hope from Evan's shore going, which might make things easier or
might not. I could hear no one moving about the ship, so I pushed
the door open for an inch or two, and looked out into the
moonlight, with my drawn sword ready in my hand.

We were in a strange place. The ship's bows were landward, so that
as I looked aft I could see that we lay just inside the mouth of a
little cove, whose guarding cliffs towered on either side of the
water for not less than ten-score feet above the fringe of
breakers, falling sheer to the water with hardly so much as a
jutting rock at their feet. There was no sign of house or man at
the hilltop, so that it was plain that we were not at Tenby.

T