A Sea Queen's Sailing

gilded truck of the mast. Then we made out that a carven dragon reared itself on the stem, while all down the gunwale were hung the round red and yellow war boards, the shields which are set a

side, pierced for sixteen oars, and bright with the shields, for a moment, and then she was back

ly she yawed and swung away from us as if she would pass us, and at that Dalfin cried out, while I paid off fast to follow her, and again Bertric hailed. Now she was broad off our bows and to the starboard, an a

n and again, all the while edging down to her, unti

" said Bertric, "or we are lef

she been steered, of course she would have left us astern without hope; but as we chased her now, the unsteady flaws of the rising breeze, which we could make full use of, rather hindered her. Now and again, w

ought she must have jibed, for the clew of the

cannot shift. If all holds, she must run till doomsday thus. Her mast may go in

o serve as another. She was meant to run while she might, and that silent and lonely ship, passing us on an endless voyage into the great westward ocean, was as strange and

reeze. Once we might have thrown a line on board her, but had none to heave. Then she gathered way and fled from us, even as we thought w

" said Dalfin, and in t

eld on after her again. Neither Bertric nor myself had the least thought of giving up, for we knew that the chances of the breeze were al

the ship, and took the clew of the sail inboard, shaking and thundering, while the sheets lashed to and fro across the deck. Then somewhere those sheets jammed and held fast, and as if the canvas had been flattened in o

I cried, "if

Bertric, with set teeth. "Then she will fal

as of both tack and clew which had blown inboard. The ship lurched and staggered under the uneasy strain, but the tackle held, and we had her. Bertric went to our halliards and lowered the sail as I luffed alongsi

lost home in far-off Caithness, for a whiff of peat smoke hung round us and w

said. "I smelt the smoke. That means

ief to me if some ship's dog had flown out and barked at us; but all wa

ew or no, we must go on b

e, and then gave me a hand, and together we hauled up

m. Under the gunwales on either board were lashed the ship's oars, and with them two carved gangway planks which seemed never to have been used. Every line and rope's end was coiled down snugly, and every trace of shore litter had

h stood at the ridge some six feet high from the deck, and was about two fathoms long. Its end was closed with timbers also, and against this end, and round, and partly over the roof, had been piled fagots of brushwood, so that it was almost covered. Either from haste, or else loosened by the movement of the ship, one or two of these fagots had not found a

or a land journey at its end. One would say that the ship was flitt

who go there," said Bertric. "That seems to exp

the house yonde

for the women of t

ould do anything with her presently. She was not of the largest build, but both Bertric and I knew that it would be

nst hope. It was enough for us to rejoice in the feel of firm planks under our feet once more, and to find naught terrible, but promise

," he said. "Surely ther

p, and the ship quivered. It was naught to us, but it made the landsman start and

ship while wind is little, if at all. Why, we are not more

l forget the hunger," Dalfin answered rue

once. "That is his

n said quietly "Well, it is to be seen

e close on midsummer, and there was every sign of settled fair weather after the gale. Even now the last breeze was dying away, leaving the sea bright and unruffled under the glow in

e backstay, and that was easily cleared. Then we swung the yard fore and aft, Dalfin hauling as he was bidden, with fixed intent to haul till further orders, which was all we needed from him. Then B

to me that we have seen none yet. But word will go along the coast of what has happened. It is not the first time that a care

by the pile. Seeing that when the ship was to be put about the square sail had to be lowered, brought aft round the mast and rehoisted on the other board, the unhandiness of the thing was terribly unseamanlike. Bertric and I grumbled and wondered at i

ogether gone, and the ship floated idly on still, bright water, with the hush of the night r

se, and nodded to Dalfin. "Food now, if there i

efully rolled up round their carved supports, and they rested on a stout sea bedstead, such as might be carried on board for the chief to whom the ship belonged. Two mo

lighted at sea if need were, but none had been used on it as yet. Hard by were two casks lashed to ringbolts on deck, one of which was covered, and the other had a spigot in it. They held oatcake in one, and water in the other, as perhaps one

as enough in that great sea cauldron for two more such meals as this, and the oatcake barrel was full. We had no fear of hunger again for a time, and if there was no more to

me to me that sharp smell of peat smoke, and at last

said Bertric. "It is a pleasant sm

lfin in surprise. "Why, we should hardly know how to

be fire somewhere!" s

h him. "Under yon fagots is the only place I can

rd, and had at least smelt nothing of the smoke there. But now we set to work and hove the fagots overboard, setting the handsome sledge from

xious, "there is no wind to fan the turfs

whose under side was scorched and blackene

which the fire glowed red, only waiting for the wind to fan it into life. The turfs blazed a little i

There may be more yet. We must

the penthouse, and cleared that. Here again was peat, and more of it, and it had been lighted, and had only been out for a short time. Some of the turfs ma

d looked at me. His face was white as with some fear,

ze there was no wind to set the peat aflame. They meant her to burn when she was in the open sea--when the spark they

her to run far from shore before her rigging went. That is why t

," said Dalfin. "And mayb

y, "that there has been pestilence on board

t the body of their dead chief afloat in his favourite ship, with all his treasure and war gear, and all else that a chief might need in Asgard; and so light his balefire on board, and let him pass to a sea grave beyond the ken of men in strange magnifi

which we had thought of a family flitting across the seas to Iceland--the sail, wet with the thunder rain of yesterday, spread to dry, and then the coming over the hills of the cast wind sud

seful firing of the ship. Yonder lay some mighty chief--an

ade," I said; "but what l

he asked, wondering, f

me chief," I said. "He lies shut in tha

l, a Viking might find a less fitting funeral. Truly, it seem

, crossing himself once

d; "but we must see what is yo

t fearsome risk from the wrath of the dead hero. For, if aught will bring back the life to a warrior who has died, it will be that one should set hands on his war gear. And we hold that the ghost of a man hides near his

s. But my comrades were Christians, and on them was no fear of the q

the chief. I have been told of men who would try to win the treasure from a

re, nor would rob the dead. No doubt the wrath of Heaven lies hard on o

t be,"

seems about the only possible reading of what has puzzled us--then we must needs sail to the Norway shore that

aybe not at all by chance--that we may see honour done at last. Maybe we cannot make for No

ack, making no s

of the hero," I said. "It will be terr

who had seen other lands and knew the ways

be wroth with men who will do naught but honour him. Think--is there any honour

ve been worse. So I set my fears aside as best I could, and went forward with them both to the end of the house, in which we had seen no sign of door. I thought that perhaps the upright t

's carpenter's," said Dalfin. "I opene

w it toward him, and the lower end wrenched free at once, for the nails that held this building which was to be burnt were not long. And while he did this, he stood on one side, that h

to pass through. Then Bertric set down the hammer, and took off his rough sea cap, smiling a lit

he peat smoke. I can se

floor," said Bertric; "

ng peat smoke. I saw him start a little, and Dalfin signed himself with his holy sign onc