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a passage for him and the boy.

"You will have to be on board this afternoon," the owner said. "The

shipmaster will not waste a tide, but as soon as it turns will up anchor

and make his way down the river in the dark. He knows the channel well, and

there will be light enough to enable him to hold on his course all night.

The east wind may return again, and he might be caught; so he has decided

to start as soon as the last bale is on board. He knows the sands well, and

you may reckon on a speedy passage if the wind holds as it is, or even if

it goes round to the east again, when he is once abreast of Harwich."

On returning to Westminster Ulred learnt from Beorn that Fitz-Urse was

there no longer, having, as the servant said, left for Normandy.

"I am just starting, Ulred. Which will be at York first, you or I?"

"It depends upon the wind, my lord. A ship can sail night and day, but a

horse and rider must take some rest. It may be that we shall lay to at

night, but that must depend upon the shipmaster. If the breeze holds and

the ship goes on without stopping, methinks we shall be there before you."

"At any rate," Beorn said, "we may feel sure that we shall both be in time.

Whatever their designs they will have to lay their plans and wait their

opportunity, and such may not come for some time. Farewell, then, Ulred,

and a safe voyage to you. As for me, I have had enough of the sea, and

never wish to set foot on board ship again; for what with the want of space

and the tossing and the sickness, I would rather pass the time in bonds in

a prison cell than be cooped up in a ship."

A few minutes later Beorn, attended by his servants, started for the North,

and in the afternoon Ulred, after giving many orders to his head man as to

the conduct of his business during his absence, took boat, and with Ulf

went on board the ship. To the armourer it was a very serious undertaking

upon which he was embarking. He had never before set foot on board of a

ship, and a sea-voyage in those days was regarded as a very dangerous

business. Nothing short of his loyalty to Harold would have induced him to

have ventured on such an expedition. It was but a few months since that

the Northumbrians had been burning and sacking the country round

Northampton, and even putting aside the dangers of the sea, he regarded the

visit to the North as full of peril.

Ulf on the other hand was delighted. To him the journey was full of

interest and excitement, and on his return he would be regarded as a great

traveller by his comrades. His face, therefore, as he climbed on board

ship, was in strong contrast to the grave and serious visage of his master.

Before the vessel had passed Greenwich he had made the acquaintance of the

two ship's-boys, and soon felt perfectly at home on board. He watched with

great interest other craft that they met or passed, and noted with great

satisfaction that they overhauled several who had, when first seen, been

two or three miles ahead. The wind was blowing briskly from the south-west,

and with her great sail set the vessel ran quickly through the water. Even

when the tide turned she held on her course, and keeping close inshore made

good way against it. Many times during the night he went out from the close

sleeping--place to assure himself that the vessel was still making way.

When morning broke the tide had again turned, and Ulf found that the vessel

was now holding her course near the middle of the river, which had widened

to an extent that seemed wonderful to him.

"Where have we got to now?" he asked one of the boys. "Are we out at sea?

There does not seem to be any land on the right hand."

"You would see it if it were clear. We are just opposite Foulness."

"The vessel rolls about a good deal."

"Do you feel ill?" the boy laughed. "This is nothing."

"No; I feel hungry, but that is all."

"If the wind holds as it is we shall not have it rougher than this, for we

shall steer more and more north, and as we always keep inside the sands the

land will shelter us. The shortest passage is straight ahead, but we

generally go through a channel between two sands into the Wallet, which

lies between the sands and the Essex shore. There are not many ship-masters

who will come down the river below Sheerness at night, and even our master

would not try it with a falling tide; but even if one does touch when the

tide is rising, one soon gets off again. She won't roll about so much when

we get inside the sands; and besides, I heard the master say that he

thought the wind would fall lighter as the sun got up."

"I should like it to keep on just as it is," Ulf said. "I do not want it to

blow so hard that we must go into port, and I don't want it to blow so

light that we shall go slowly."

"What are you in such a hurry for?" the boy asked.

"There are some people my master knows who have gone up in a ship that

started yesterday morning, and my master wants to be there before them."

"You need not be afraid, he is sure to be there first. Like enough we have

passed them already. The wind was not so strong yesterday as it was in the

night, and I expect they had to anchor when the tide turned. If they have a

master who knows the sands well they may have gone on when the tide turned

again, but it was likely they would anchor before they got down to

Sheerness. If they did, we passed them three or four hours ago. But anyhow

you are sure to be in first. We often beat vessels that started with us, by

a week. Most of them go outside all the sands when it is fine weather, but

we always keep inside; and it makes a great difference, for the tides do

not run so strong, and even with a light wind we can make way against them,

while those outside have to anchor."

"I can't make out how you can find your way in the dark."

"If it is a thick night and the weather is bad we anchor, but when it is

clear enough to see the stars, or if the wind is steady so as to give us

our direction, we go on. There is a man always standing at the side with a

lead-line, and that tells us the depth of water, which is quite guide

enough for the master. Of course we never sail in rough weather, for if we

went on the sand then we should soon go to pieces; but if it is fine when

we stick fast, which is very seldom, we put out the anchor and lower the

sail, and go to sleep until the tide floats us again. Come up into the

top; you can see a great deal farther from there than you can from the

deck."

Ulf found no difficulty in mounting to the top, although he was much longer

than his companion in getting up. There were several sail following them,

and Ulf was surprised at the knowledge his companion showed of vessels that

appeared to him almost precisely similar.

"The one nearest to us is the Alfred," he said. "I know her by that patch

on her sail. She trades with Harwich. Those two smaller craft behind are

bound, I should say, for Colchester or Maldon. That craft two miles ahead

of us is a foreigner. You can see her sail has a longer yard than the

others, and the sail is narrower at the bottom than it is at the top. Those

two or three small craft you see more inshore have passed through the

channel we shall follow into the Wallet The farthest one is going on to

Harwich, the others into the rivers. There is a craft about our own size

hull down close by the land. She may be going to Harwich, or may be going

on north. She looks to me like a foreigner. If so, she has come last from

London. French and Flemish ships do not come within fifty miles of this.

And now I must go down. We do the cooking, and breakfast must be ready in

half an hour, or the master will be storming at us."

The wind held steadily from the south-west, and the vessel ran along near

the shore in smooth water. The armourer had been ill the first night, but

he came on deck soon after breakfast, and when once the vessel was past the

mouth of Harwich Bay and was close inland, he soon recovered. On the

morning of the fourth day after leaving port she entered the mouth of the

Humber, and by nine o'clock arrived at Hull. Landing at once the armourer

found a small vessel on the point of starting for York, and in half an hour

from the time of weighing anchor the tide turned, and they ran rapidly

along, helped by the flood.

"At what time will you reach York?" the armourer asked the master.

"By daylight to-morrow. We shall sail on until the flood is spent, and then

anchor and go on again as soon as the ebb has done."

"How far will you be from York when you anchor?"

"We shall most likely get to Selby, some fourteen miles away by the road,

though farther by the turns of the river."

"Could you put us ashore there, for we are anxious to reach the city as

soon as possible?"

"Oh, yes. I will put you ashore in the boat either there or wherever else

we may bring up."

They were three miles short of Selby when the ebb began to come down and

the anchor was dropped. The armourer and Ulf were at once landed, and

shouldering their bundles they set out at a brisk pace and passed through

Selby at four o'clock. No questions were asked them. There was but small

difference of dress between the people of the various parts of England, and

it was no unusual sight to see traders and others passing along the road on

their way to the Northern capital.

"I am right glad to be on firm land again," Ulred said; "for although,

after the first night, matters have been better than I expected, there was

always a movement that seemed to make my head swim."

"I liked it, master," Ulf said, "and if it were not that I am going to be

an armourer I would gladly be a sailor."

"You might not have said so if you had seen bad weather; and moreover, it

is one thing to be a passenger with nought to do but to amuse yourself, and

another to be always hauling at ropes and washing down decks as a sailor. I

am glad night is coming on, for I feel strange in this country I know

nothing of, and in the dark one place is like another."

"I would much rather walk along this road in the dark," Ulf laughed, "than

along some of the streets of London, where one may step any moment into a

deep hole or stumble into a heap of refuse."

"At any rate, in the dark no one can see we are strangers, Ulf, and though

I should not think there would be robbers on the road so near to York,

these Danes are rough folk, and I want to meet none of them. One man, or

even two, I in no ways fear, but when it comes to half a dozen even the

best sword-player may wish himself out of it."

They met, however, but one or two men on the road, and beyond exchanging

the usual salutation nothing was said; but Ulred was well pleased when

about seven o'clock they entered the streets of York.

They had already learned that the royal marriage had taken place on the

previous day, and that the king was expected to remain in York two days

longer before journeying south. There was a banquet being held at the

archbishop's palace, where the king was lodged, and on arriving there they

found that it would at present be impossible to get at Wulf, as supper had

just been served. A small bribe, however, was sufficient to induce one of

the bishop's servants to take the message to Osgod, who would be stationed

near his master's chair, that his father was at the entrance and prayed him

to come out to him as soon as possible. A few minutes later the tall Saxon

came out with an expression of utter bewilderment on his face.

"Is it really you, father, in flesh and blood?" he exclaimed as his eyes

fell on Ulred.

"I have never been taken for a ghost, Osgod, and if I were to give thee a

buffet methinks you would have no doubt upon the matter."

"But what brings you here, father? If they had told me that the great Abbey

tower stood without I could not be more surprised."

"Do you not see that I have brought Ulf with me, Osgod? If your head were

not so thick you would guess at once that I have come about the business

with which he was charged."

Osgod looked relieved. That his father should be in York had seemed to him

so strange and outrageous that he had first doubted his own eyes, and then

his father's sanity. Now for the first time the object of his coming

flashed upon him.

"Is there danger, father?"

"Methinks there is great danger. But the story is a long one."

"Then I cannot wait to hear it now, for I must needs return to Wulf. I

whispered in his ear that I must leave for a moment, but that I should be

back directly."

"Then just whisper to him again, Osgod, that I have urgent need for speech

with him. I suppose Beorn has not arrived?"

"Beorn!" Osgod repeated vaguely.

"The Thane of Fareham," the armourer said sharply. "Are your wits

wool-gathering altogether?"

"No, he is not here; nor has Wulf said a word of his coming, as he

assuredly would have done had he expected him."

"Well, when I tell you that he is riding from London, while I have come

thence by sea, you may suppose that we thought the matter urgent."

"I will tell Wulf at once, father, but I am sure that he cannot come out

for an hour yet."

"The matter will keep that while. I will go and look for a lodging for us

and get something to eat, for we have walked some seventeen miles, and my

legs are not so accustomed to exercise as my arms. In an hour we will be

here again."

Ulred and his apprentice had returned to the gate of the bishop's palace

but a few minutes when Wulf came out, followed by Osgod. "Your message must

be an important one, indeed, Ulred, to cause you to leave the forge and to

undertake so long a voyage. And you say Beorn is riding hither on the same

errand?"