"'It is enough,' said the man, 'come thou with us. And ye maidens
sit ye there, and move not till we have made way on our ship, unless
ye would feel the point of the arrow. For ye are within bowshot of
the ship, and we have shot weapons aboard.'

"So the Hostage departed with them, and she unweeping, but we wept
sorely. And we saw the small boat come up to the side of the round-
ship, and the Hostage going over the gunwale along with those evil
men, and we heard the hale and how of the mariners as they drew up
the anchor and sheeted home; and then the sweeps came out and the
ship began to move over the sea. And one of those evil-minded men
bent his bow and shot a shaft at us, but it fell far short of where
we sat, and the laugh of those runagates came over the sands to us.
So we crept up the beach trembling, and then rose to our feet and got
to our horses, and rode hither speedily, and our hearts are broken
for thy sorrow."

At that word came Hallblithe's own sister out from the hall; and she
bore weapons with her, to wit Hallblithe's sword and shield and helm
and hauberk. As for him he turned back silently to his work, and set
the steel of the spear on the new ashen shaft, and took the hammer
and smote the nail in, and laid the weapon on a round pebble that was
thereby, and clenched the nail on the other side. Then he looked
about, and saw that the other damsel had brought him his coal-black
war-horse ready saddled and bridled; then he did on his armour, and
girt his sword to his side and leapt into the saddle, and took his
new-shafted spear in hand and shook the rein. But none of all those
damsels durst say a word to him or ask him whither he went, for they
feared his face, and the sorrow of his heart. So he got him out of