'Thorkild had given back before his Devil, till the bowmen on the ship could shoot it all full of arrows'
told me: it was one of their old women healed up Hugh's poor arm.'
'How much gold did you get?'asked Dan.
'How can I say? Where we came out with wedges of iron under the rowers' feet we returned with wedges of gold hidden beneath planks. There was dust of gold in packages where we slept and along the side, and crosswise under the benches we lashed the blackened elephants' teeth.
'"I had sooner have my right arm," said Hugh, when he had seen all.
'"Ahai! That was my fault," said Witta. "I should have taken ransom and landed you in France when first you came aboard, ten months ago."
'"It is over-late now," said Hugh, laughing.
'Witta plucked at his long shoulder-lock. "But think!" said he. "If I had let ye go—which I swear I would never have done, for I love ye more than brothers—if I had let ye go, by now ye might have been horribly slain by some mere Moor in the Duke of Burgundy's war, or ye might have been murdered by land-thieves, or ye might have died of the plague at an inn. Think of this and do not blame me overmuch, Hugh. See! I will only take a half of the gold."