"Pull with a will," he said; "we will be out of this. There's war in this country. Up the street I saw men fighting. There will be no trading here."
"What," said one of them, "are we to see nothing of the sport, master? That will be a poor tale to take home with us."
"We are here to trade, not to go to peep-shows," said Ogmund testily. "Do you do as I bid you. There is a wind coming strong off the land which will hold the night out. By morning light we shall be in the open sea. Fortunate for us that it is so."
The men did as they were bid. One of them said, "It's plain you have been in the fray. You have changed cloaks with a foe, I see, and lost by the bargain. That is bad trading for such a keen merchant."
"Pull, man, pull, and hold your tongue," said Ogmund Dint.
They reached the ship and he swung himself aboard. Then while the crew were busy hauling on the tackle he got himself a great stone from the ballast. This he rolled into the hood of Gunnar's cloak, and then cast the thing into the water. As he saw the waves lap over the hole he had made, he took a long breath.
All went well with him; as he had thought, he was out at sea by the morning. Even then his luck held, with a quarter wind which carried him to Eyefirth. People were surprised to see him; but he made a very good tale of it, and spoke at length about the sad state of things in Norway, the risks, the frays, the bloodshed in the streets, burnings, ravishings, cut throats, men hanging by the thumbs and so on. He did not forget to work into it much about the killing of Earl Haakon, and King Olaf's baptizings. After a bit he rode South to Thwartwater to see his foster-father Battle-Glum.
Glum joined his shaggy brows and blinked hard when he saw him. Ogmund said he brought him news which he would be pleased to hear. "I have avenged the insult done me by Halward the Strong, and though I have been slow about it I have done it surely. He will insult no man hereafter."
"What," said Glum, "have you slain Halward?"
"I have," said Ogmund.