He smiled and shook his head.

“The flesh is very weak,” he answered.  “Now tell me if I may not go back to the cells again.  This crowd of men bewilders me after the quiet.  I am not fit now for the open world.”

“In truth you may, father,” I answered, somewhat surprised, for I had not a thought but that both would do so.  “We shall not take you far.  You will be landed when we go to take up the queen’s treasure.”

“Then we will ask the superior to send me alone,” said Phelim.  “You mind that we deemed that the end of our life here had come.  Now, all is safe once more, for this time at least.”

“I do not think that we shall go to the court of the Irish king now,” said I, thinking that they were sent with us thither.  “King Hakon, who is a friend of the queen’s, is bound for Norway.”

There that talk ended, for Hakon came forward to watch the enemy, and called us to go to the raised foredeck with him.  But he spoke to the hermits in passing, and though they could not understand him, yet they might see that his words were kindly.

We were going to windward of Heidrek fast.  His ships had tried to weather on us, but had failed.  Neither side had taken to the oars, for he saw that we had the advantage, and we had no need to do so, therefore.  It was a fair sailing match.

But now Heidrek saw what sort of ships he had to deal with, and he did not like the look of them, being near enough to note their height of side and strength of build.  It is likely that, like myself, he saw at last what manner of shipbuilder that Alfred was of whom we had heard such tales.  I had ever been told, when shipmen gathered in our hall, that the ships of the west Saxons were framed with all the best points of the best ships yet built, with added size and power, and now I knew that all I had heard was but truth.  Also I minded how Bertric had laughed when I said that most likely Vikings had taken these vessels, and understood why.

Heidrek saw that he had no chance if there was to be a fight, and acted accordingly.  Had he been an honest Viking, cruising for ransom from coast towns, and toll from cargo ships as he met them, or ready to do some fair fighting for any chief who had a quarrel on hand, and needed a little more help toward the ending of it, no doubt he would have borne down on us and spoken with Hakon.  Being what he was, with the smoke of the burning village of the harmless fishers rising black against the hills to prove the ways of his men; or else, being in no wise willing to let us hear of the treasure he had found at last, he did but take a fair look at the great ships, put his helm over, and fled down the coast westward whence he had come.

Asbiorn sat below the break of the foredeck, paying no heed to what went on.  He had taken off his mail, and was drying it carefully with some cloths which Hakon’s men had given him.  I called down to him and told him what had happened.