turned away, speaking in a low voice to the thanes with him, and
they seemed to agree with his words.

At length he turned to us and spoke gravely:

"It is, as I said, too hard for me. The Lord shall judge. Even as
Lodbrok came shall you two go, at the mercy of wind and wave and of
Him who rules them. You shall be put into Lodbrok's boat this
night, and set adrift to take what may come. Only this I lay upon
you, that the innocent man shall not harm the guilty. As for
himself, he need, as I think, have no fear, for the guilty man is a
coward and nidring {xii}. Nor, as it seems to me, if all may be
believed, can the guiltless say for certain that the other did it."

Then was a murmur of assent to this strange manner of justice of
Earl Ulfkytel's, and I, who feared not the sea, was glad; but Beorn
would have fallen on the ground, but for his guards, and almost had
he confessed, as I think.

"Eat and drink well," said Ulfkytel, "for maybe it is long before
you see food again."

"Where shall you set them afloat?" asked a thane.

"Am I a fool to let men know that?" asked the earl sharply. "There
would be a rescue for a certainty. You shall know by and by in
private."

The guards took us away, and unbinding our hands, set plenty of
good food and drink before us. And for my part I did well, for now