“You will take the risk, lord king,” he answered laughing.

“Aye, and will hold you blameless if she takes the ground before she is beached.”

Now there was no doubt that Godwine was used to command, and was confident in himself, for he made no more ado, but took charge, and bade Rani signal the rest to follow, while he went to the helm himself.

Then said Olaf to me while the boy was intent on his work:  “Here is one who will be a great man in England some day, and I think before long.”

And I had thought the same; for Earl Wulfnoth’s son would rank high for the sake of his birth, and it seemed that he was fitted to take the great place that might be his.

So Godwine beached the ships well, in the lee of the island on which the great castle stands when the tide is high, and we went ashore.  The castle gates were well guarded in our honour, for Godwine had sent the boat back with word who we were.

There greeted us Earl Wulfnoth himself in the courtyard of his great house.  One went inside the castle walls to find almost a village of buildings, all of timber, that had grown up round the hall that stood in the midst, and that had its courtyard and stockading, as had our own house on the open hill at Bures.  I think there was no stronger place than this castle of Pevensea in all Sussex, if anywhere on the southern coasts.

Now it were long to say how Wulfnoth the earl welcomed King Olaf, but it was after a kingly sort, for he was king in all but name in his earldom, shut off as it is from the rest of England by the deep forests.  But he feasted us for two days before he would speak a word with Olaf as to what he had come to ask him, saying that it was enough for him to see the bridge breaker and the taker of Canterbury town, and to do him honour.  For Olaf’s fame had gone widely through all England.

Now Godwine would ever talk with me, for I could tell him of Olaf, and also of the long war, and of the Norman court, so that we became great friends.  But he had no liking for Ethelred, which was not wonderful, seeing that Wulfnoth his father had not a good word to say for him.

At last, when Olaf told him plainly of the needs of England and of her king, and of what he feared of the return of Cnut, Earl Wulfnoth answered: 

“Had you come to ask me to go a-viking with yourself, gladly would I have joined with or followed you.  Godwine my son has yet some things to learn which a Norseman could teach him, and it would have been well.  But Ethelred holds me as a traitor; and while Edric Streone is at his side I will not have aught to do with him.  I will drive any Dane out of my land, and that is all.  Neither Ethelred nor Cnut is aught to me.  I and my son are earls of Sussex.”

Then he rose up from his high seat and strode out of the hall, bidding us follow him.  He led us to the eastern gate, and climbed to the broad top of the ramparts.