I said nought of this affair, as one might suppose, and made little excuse to Sexberga for leaving her.  We had walked too far, and had returned too late to find her, I said.  She pouted and said nothing, but I thought that her punishment had already begun.

Next day there were ships heading in for Pevensea, and I rode away to find out what I could, and forgot Eldred and his troubles.  For Olaf had come, and that was luck beyond what I could have looked for.

The ten great ships slid into the haven, and I was first on the strand to meet the king.  Wulfnoth and Godwine were riding inland, and doubtless were returning posthaste if they knew that ships had come.  But for a little while I had my kinsman to myself, and great was his wonder to find me in this place.

“I have thought that I should have to ransom you from Cnut’s hand,” he said, “for we have heard that Thorkel’s men took the queen’s ship.  Were you not taken likewise?”

So when he heard of all that had brought me here, he praised Egil highly.

“He is a Norseman, and no Dane, by birth,” he said.  “One may be proud that he is so.  I would that he were my man.”

Then was my turn, and I wondered how Olaf had left London, for the Thames was full of Danish ships, as I had heard.

“Aye, so it is yet,” he told me.  “The Danes cannot take the city, try what they will, though they dug a great ditch round the Southwark fort, and took ships through it above the bridge, and so kept us shut up close enough.  But walls and forts and citizens are too much for them.  Now the siege is but a blind, while the real warfare is to be in Wessex.  So I came away with the Danes, my men being tired of unprofitable warfare where we were not wanted, and gaining, moreover, neither gold nor honour.”

“You came away with the Danes?” I cried.  “Surely you made no pact with them?”

“Not I,” said he.  “But they sailed with an evening tide, which was my chance.  Ten ships among four hundred or so make no odds.  We took off the dragon heads, and when it was quite dark rowed down after them, and so caught them up at Greenwich.  Then we slipped through the fleet easily, for it was mostly of cargo ships full of men, and no one paid any heed to us, as might be supposed.  So by daylight we led the fleet, or nearly, and when the next night came we stood away from it, going across Channel.  Then I came here to see if Wulfnoth or Godwine would cruise with me on some other shore, as I promised.”

Then I asked him what I had better do, for with the sight of his face came the longing to be free again.

“Come with me,” he said.  “I am going to win ransom from a town or two against the time when I shall need gold wherewith to win men to me in Norway.”

I think that I should have done this in the end, though I did not like to leave England without striking one more blow for Eadmund, and I cannot deny that I thought that Uldra would blame me if I did leave our land when she needed every sword that would strike for her.  I had come to think very much of what the steadfast eyes of the brave maiden would tell me as I watched her face.