Then the earl rose up, lifting his hand and saying, very solemnly:

"Farewell, thou who art innocent. Blame not my blindness, nor think
ill of me. For I do my best, leaving you in the Hand of God, and
not of man!"

So he spoke; then the oars swung and fell, and in a few moments his
boat was gone into the shoreward shadows and we were alone, and I
was glad.

Now I looked at Beorn, and I thought him strangely still, and so
watched him. But I soon saw that he was in some sort of fit or
swoon, and paid no heed to aught. Yet I thought it well to take his
dagger from where it lay, lest he should fall on me in some frenzy.

I took up the weapon, and straightway I longed to draw it and end
his life at once, while all sorts of plans for escape thereafter
came into my mind. But I could not slay a helpless man, even this
one, though I sat fingering the dagger for a long while. At last
the evilness of these thoughts was plain to me; so quickly I cast
the dagger overboard, and it was gone.

Then I thought I would sleep while I might, for there was no sea to
fear, and the tide set with the wind away from shore from the river
mouth, as I knew well, for it was ebbing. It was weary work to
watch the land growing less and less plain under the moon. Yet I
feared Beorn's treachery, and doubted for a while, until the coil
of rope that lay at my feet caught my eye as I pondered. With that
I made no more ado, but took it and bound him lightly, so that at
least he could not rise up unheard by me. Nor did he stir or do