“Where is the Lady Osritha?” I said.

“She was here in the town this morning.”

“So, Wulfric,” said Thormod quickly, “she will have fled.  The steward will have seen to that.  No use her biding here when the ship came.”

So I thought, but I was torn with doubt, not knowing if time for flight had been given, or if even now some party of Jomsburgers might not be following hard after her.  I must go into the hall and find out, whatever the risk, for it was certain that it held the rest of the pirates.

“Leave men here to guard the gates,” I said to Thormod.  “Needs must that we see more of this.”

Ten men stayed at the gate, lest Jomsburgers lurked in the houses to fall on us, and we went across to the great porch.  The door was open, nor could we see much within; and there was silence.

“Stand by,” said Thormod, and picked up a helm that lay at his feet.

He hurled it through the door, and it clanged and leapt from the further wall across the cold hearthstone.  Then there was a stir of feet and click of arms inside, and we knew that the hall was full of men.

I know not what my thoughts were—­but woe to any pirate who came within my reach.

“Show yourselves like men!” shouted Thormod, standing back.

Then, seeing that there was no hope that we should fall into this trap they had laid, there came into the doorway a great, black-haired Jomsburg Lett, clad in mail of hardened deerskin, such as the Lapp wizards make, and helmed with a wolf’s head over the iron head piece.  He carried a long-handled bronze axe, and a great sword was by his side.

“Yield yourselves!” said Thormod.

The savage hove up his axe, stepping one pace nearer into the porch.

“What terms?” he said in broken Danish.

“Give up your prisoners and arms, and you shall go free,” answered Thormod, for he feared lest if any captives were left alive they would be slain if we fought.

“Come and take them!” spoke back the Jomsburger in his harsh voice, and with a sneering laugh.

Now I could not bear this any longer, and on that I swung my axe and shouted, rushing on the man.  Up went his long weapon overhead, and like a flash he smote at me—­but he forgot that he was in the porch, and as his blow fell the axe lit on the crossbeams and stuck there.  The handle splintered, and he sprang back out of reach of my stroke.

Then I dropped my axe and closed with him, and I was like a Berserk in my fury, so that I lifted him and flung him clear over my shoulder, and he fell heavily on the threshold on his head.  Nor did he move again.

Cyneward thrust my axe into my hand, as past me Thormod and the men charged into the doorway.  The hall was full of the pirates, and now we fought again as on the decks, hand to hand in half darkness.  But it was no long fight, for those of our men who had been at the gate, finding they might leave it, came round and fell on the Jomsburgers from the back of the hall, coming through the other doors.  So there was an end, and though many of us were wounded, we lost there but three men, for there were ale casks lying about, and the pirates fought ill.