“Faith!” said Asbiorn, with a grave face, “it is somewhat to have no sort of character at all, as it seems.”

Hakon looked at him and laughed a little.

“Take service with me and make a good name for yourself,” he said.  “It is a pity to see a good warrior who will do a kindly turn to a captive naught but a wolf’s-head Viking.  I have need of courtmen.”

“I might do worse,” he answered; “but hither comes my father, and I have no mind to fight him at the very beginning of my service.”

Hakon looked at the two ships, which were nearing us fast, though we were still close-hauled, as when the boat was brought alongside.

“I had no mind to fight him,” said Hakon.

“It is not his way to let a ship pass without either toll or battle,” Asbiorn said bluntly.

“Why, then, go forward and get dried,” Hakon said.  “We will speak of this presently, after we have met your ships.”

Thereon Asbiorn ungirt his sword and gave it to me solemnly.

“It is in my mind that this might get loose when our men come over the side,” he said.  “Better that I am your captive for a while.”

With that he walked forward, and Hakon looked after him with a smile that was somewhat grim.  Then someone touched my arm, and there was Father Phelim, with a face full of trouble.  With him were two men, dressed in somewhat the same way as himself.  They were Hakon’s English chaplains, and they could not understand his Erse.

“Malcolm,” he said, “what of our brethren on the island?  There are the wild Danes yet there—­on the shore.  I can see them.”

Hakon asked with some concern what was amiss with the hermit, and I told him, adding that they had only too much reason to fear the Danes.  And when he heard he turned to Earl Osric, who seemed to be his shipmaster, and asked him to send a boat with men enough to take these Danes, if possible, and anywise to see that the hermits came to no harm.

“If we are to fight this Heidrek,” the earl said doubtfully, “you will want us all.  We are not over-manned.”

Nor were they.  The ship pulled five-and-thirty oars a side, but had no more than two men to each, instead of the full fighting number, which should be three—­one to row, one to shield the rower, and one to fight or relieve.  King Athelstane had given Hakon these ships and sailing crews, but could not find Norsemen for him.  Those who were here had been picked up from the Norse towns in Ireland, where many men of note waited for his coming.  Eric, his half brother, was not loved in Norway.

Presently I learned that Hakon was steering westward thus in order to find that ship which we had seen when we were wrecked.  It belonged to some friend of his cause.

But Hakon would have the hermits protected, and Osric manned our boat and sent it away, bidding the men hasten.  They had a two-mile sail to the island now, but the Danes stood and watched the coming of the boat as if unconcerned.  Doubtless they had not seen what happened to their comrades, and thought they were returning.