Well it was for us that we had refuge so handy. For by noonday the
gale was blowing from the southwest, and two Danish ships were
wrecked in trying to gain the harbour--preferring to yield to us
rather than face the sea, with a lee shore, rocky and hopeless,
waiting for them.

We went into the Poole inlet, which is on the eastern side of the
wide waters of the haven, and there found good berths enough. The
village was empty, save for a few Saxon fishermen, who hailed us
joyfully. And then Odda made for us as good a feast as he might in
the best house that was there, bidding every shipmaster to it.
Merry enough were all, though we had but ship fare; for the Saxons
had great hopes from this victory.

Now Odda made much of what I had done--though it was little
enough--saying that I and my men deserved well of Alfred, and that
he hoped that we should stay with him for this winter, which would
perhaps see the end of the war.

"Why," said I, "things would have been much the same if I had not
been here."

"That they would not," he answered. "I should have blundered past
this place in the night, and so lost the Danes altogether; or if I
had not done that, they would soon have found out what state my men
were in. You should have heard old Thord rate them into order; it
is in my mind that he even called me--Odda the ealdorman--hard
names in his broad Norse tongue. But at least he gave us somewhat
more to think of than the sickness that comes of heaving planks