he does not find out how few we are, should he make an attempt on us;
but if he boards, we must submit, and make the best bargain we can."

So he passed word that the men were to lie down on deck, leaving only a
few to be seen, that the Viking might think us as he had known us
before; and then the arms-chests were opened, and the bows and throwing
weapons were set to hand by us boys while the men armed themselves.

Then my father spoke to them, saying, "I do not know if this Viking will
pass us by as too hard a nut to crack, seeing that he knows of us
already; but if he does not, it will be of no use our trying to fight
him, as you can see. I would not waste your lives for naught. But it may
be that a show of force will keep him off, so we will wait under arms
until we are sure what he will do."

Then the men broke out, saying that they had beaten this man before with
him as leader, and they were in no mind to give up without a fight.

"Well, then," my father answered, "it is plain that you will back me,
and so I will call on you if there is need or chance. But we have the
women folk to think of now, and we must not risk aught."

Now the longship held on her course steadily, never shifting her helm
for so much as a point. In half an hour or so we must be alongside one
another, at this rate, and that Arngeir did not altogether like the look
of, for it would seem as if she meant to find out all about us at least.
There was some little sea running, and it might be thought easier to
board us on the lee side, therefore. We could not get away from her in
any way, for even now, while she was closer hauled than we, she kept
pace with us, and had she paid off to the same course as ourselves, she