by the fact that the great sail, which was but loosely furled to
its yard, burst the ropes, and the wind catching it buried the craft
still further, and she would have filled and sunk had not the
ship-master seized the tiller, and aided by the two sailors there
pushed it up, and so the boat's head payed off from the wind and
ran before it.

The master shouted to the men to lower the sail, which was bellying
and flapping violently, but before his orders could be obeyed there
was a crash. The mast snapped off at the slings of the yard, and
the wreck fell over the bow of the boat. All hands were employed
for some minutes in getting the sail on board and furling it to its
yard, which was laid lengthways along the thwarts. It was found
that three men standing in the bows had been killed, and several
others badly hurt. The vessel was by this time some distance from
shore. Nothing could be done until she was freed of the water, with
which she was nigh half-full, and all hands were employed in bailing
it out.

The squall had increased rather than lessened in fury, and by the
time the water was cleared out they were two miles from the headland.
Orders were then given to man the oars again but it was found that
several of these had been lost, having been washed away when the
men leapt up, believing that the boat would capsize, or had slipped
from the rowlocks unnoticed while they were engaged in getting in
the sail. This was a serious misfortune, for every oar was needed
to force her through the water in the teeth of the wind, which was
blowing directly off shore. The remaining oars were all double-banked,
Harold himself and his thanes taking their places among the rowers.