[CHAPTER XII.]
Svein the Cunning Jarl.
Sailing on in the darkness, over an unknown sea, the trireme, which was now the viking ship The Sword, moved toward the dawn. None on board of her knew the low-lying coast which was in sight when the sun looked over the horizon.
"We are nearer than I deemed," said Ulric; but he was at the prow now, and an old Danish seaman was at the helm.
"There are rocks hereaway at the right," replied Tostig the Red, "but I can see houses and lines of palisades. The Britons build not such houses. They are like our own."
"There are fields, also, and cattle," said Knud the Bear. "There are men on the beach. Let us sail in. Hark! War horns! We are waited for."
"It is a good harbor," said Ulric. "There are four keels on the strand, but they are small. And there are boats. These are not Romans."
"They will deem that we are," said Tostig. "Thy horn, O jarl."
"Not yet," said Ulric. "We will go nearer. All rowers to the oars! Let down the sail!"
Then came a surprise to those who were on The Sword, so very numerous were the warriors who came down to the shore outside of the lines of the palisades on the harbor side of the village. This, too, was seen to be larger as they drew nearer, and some of the houses were as great as was the home house of Brander the Brave.
"It is as Olaf told me," thought Ulric. "The Romans do well to fear the Saxons of this coast. We will be friends with these men."