and because the sea was surely too heavy to let one live.

Yet in the end we saw that it was a boat, and that in her,
moreover, was but one man, whose skill in handling her was more
than ours, and greater than we could deem possible.

Whereupon some of us were afraid, seeing how wondrously the tiny
craft came through the swift seas, and a man called out, giving
voice to our fears:

"Surely yon man is a Finn and the wizard who has raised this storm
to drown us; now are we lost!"

And I--who had listened eagerly to all the wild stories of the
seamen, since first I was old enough to wander curiously over the
ships from overseas that put into our haven on their way up the
great rivers to Norwich, or Beccles, or other towns--knew that the
Finns have powers more than mortal (though how or whence I know
not) over wind and sea, often using their power to the hurt of
others, and so looked to see the lines of a great squall, drawn as
it were astern of the wizard's boat, whitening as it rushed upon us
to sink us in sight of home.

But old Kenulf cried out on the man, saying:

"Rather is it one of the holy saints, and maybe the blessed Peter
the fisherman himself," and he bared his gray head, crossing
himself, as he looked eagerly to catch sight of the glory of light
round the seafarer; and that rebuked my fears a little.