The brothers cast off their long, black robes now, and stowed them in the bows of the boat with our gear.  They had thick woollen tunics, like those of the fishers, under them, and their arms were bare, and sinewy with long toil with spade and hoe, for these two were the working brothers in field and garden.

We helped Gerda into the stern sheets, and pushed off, splashing knee deep into the water as we ran the boat out among the waves.  Then we took our places and headed straight out to sea, across the broken water where the reef lay still well covered, and so into the long, steady seaway of the offing.  Then we turned eastward for the long row which was before us, and settled down to the work, Bertric rowing the stroke oar, with myself next him, and the brothers in the bows.

The boat travelled swiftly and easily, so that Phelim praised her as the best he had ever known.  He had come from some burnt monastery on Lough Neagh, where the boat was in constant use, whether for fishing or travelling to the cells round the shores.

Soon we opened up the mouth of the strait, and looked anxiously for Heidrek’s boat along the shore, whence the smoke rose still thicker and more black from the burning turf huts of the fishing village.  It was not to be seen in that direction, and we thought for the moment that the men had already crossed to the island, whose strand we could not see until we were well off the mouth.

A dozen more strokes of the oars and we saw it, and were ourselves seen at the same moment.  Whether the men had caught some fisher and had heard where the wreck lay, or whether they had seen the bare ribs of the ship from the far shore I do not know, and it is of little account.  But whatever had led them this way, they were close on us, pulling leisurely toward the end of the island past which we were going, as if to round it to the wreck.  They were not more than a quarter of a mile from us, and had been hidden under the near shore.

One of the men in her stern pointed to us, and the rowers stopped and turned to look.  Then a great hail came over the water, bidding us hold on and wait.  She was full of men, pulling five oars a side, with six or eight in the bows and stern.

We said nothing, but held on quickly.  Bertric never hastened the long stroke he was setting us, but we put more power into it without need of bidding.  Heidrek’s men watched us for a short space, and then made up their minds to chase us, no doubt seeing that this could only be one of the wrecked ship’s boats, and making sure that we had the treasure on board.

They ran the boat ashore hastily, and some of the men landed, hurrying across the narrow head of the island toward the wreck, while the rest put off again.  Now there were but two men in the stern, and the ten rowers bent to their work and were after us.  We could see that they were all armed, and the sun flashed from the bright helms as they rose and fell at the work.