uld not help him when he bade them set shoulder to her bows and shove.
Albeit he got the skiff into the water without much ado, and got into
her, and brought her to where a stream running from out of his wood made
a little haven for her up from the sea. There he tied her to a
tree-hole, and busied himself that even with getting the gear into her,
and victual and water withal, as much as he deemed he should need: and
so, being weary, he went to his house to sleep, thinking that he should
awake in the grey of the morning and thrust out into the deep sea. And
he was the more content to abide, because on that eve, as oftenest betid,
the wind blew landward from the sea, whereas in the morning it oftenest
blew seaward from the land. In any case he thought to be astir so timely
that he should come alone to his keel, and depart with no leave-takings.
But, as it fell out, he overslept himself, so that when he came out into
the wood clad in all his armour, with his sword girt to his side, and his
spear over his shoulder, he heard the voices of folk, and presently found
so many gathered about his boat that he had some ado to get aboard.

The folk had brought many gifts for him of such things as they deemed he
might need for a short voyage, as fruit and wine, and woollen cloths to
keep the cold night from him; he thanked them kindly as he stepped over
the gunwale, and some of the women kissed him: and one said (she it was,
who had met him at the stead that morning when he went to fetch timber):
"Thou wilt be back this even, wilt thou not, brother? It is yet but
early, and thou shalt have time enough to take all thy pleasure on the
sea, and then come back to us to eat thy meat in our house at nightfall."

She spake, knitting her brows in longing for his return; but he knew that
all those deemed he would come back again soon; else had they deemed him
a rebel of the King, and might, as he thought, have stayed him. So he
changed not countenance in any wise, but said only: "farewell, sister,
for this day, and farewell to all you till I come back."

Therewith he unmoored his boat, and sat down and took the oars, and rowed
till he was out of the little haven, and on the green sea, and the keel
rose and fell on the waves. Then he stepped the mast and hoisted sail,
and sheeted home, for the morning wind was blowing gently from the
mountains over the meadows of the Glittering Plain, so the sail filled,
and the keel leapt forward and sp