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Heidrek's other ship held on round the bend, and may have been out of sight of her consort before she grounded, as the river bent with its channel close under the banks. At all events, she did not return to help. "This affair is off our hands," said Hakon. "Best not meddle therewith, even if we could. It is a great fight." So it was, for the Danes fought well.
Now we can hardly beat back there, for we are too few to work the sail." "It is as well," she answered sadly. "There wait Arnkel and Heidrek." "We think that Arnkel may have made an end of Heidrek's power," I said. At that she shook her head. "Arnkel has had old dealings with Heidrek. He has sailed with him, I know.
It was the torque which Heidrek's men had taken from him, and I told her so. Whereon she took from the casket a wonderful, twisted torque, the like of which I had never seen, for it was not of Norse work, and gave it to him. He took it and looked at it curiously, and his face lighted up. It had some strange writings on it, and he read them.
Soon we opened up the mouth of the strait, and looked anxiously for Heidrek's boat along the shore, whence the smoke rose still thicker and more black from the burning turf huts of the fishing village. It was not to be seen in that direction, and we thought for the moment that the men had already crossed to the island, whose strand we could not see until we were well off the mouth.
According to Keating, they learnt the art of necromancy in the East, and taught it to the Danes. There is a modern German translation by Simrock. Angantyr. The poems of this cycle are four in number Hjalmar's Death-song: Angantyr and Hervör; Heidrek's Riddle-Poem: Angantyr the Younger and Hlod. All are given in the first volume of the Corpus, with translations.
Thoralf and as strong a crew as could be spared took charge of the Danish ship, and together the two vessels cautiously made their way down the long reach and past the place where Heidrek's other ship was still burning. By that time the dusk was falling, but we were sure that all along the shores the Irish watched us as they had watched us as we came.
"I have heard you laugh at the prince because he cannot do so. What of him?" But those two joined us at this time, and I did not answer, at least directly. Only, I told Dalfin that he had better get hold of somewhat, which might stand him in as good stead as had Heidrek's steersman's bench, in case it was wanted.
Across the strait rose a thick smoke from the foot of the glen. Heidrek's folk were burning the wretched huts for sport. All the fisher people would have fled at their first coming. "They are busy now," said Bertric grimly, nodding toward the signs of pillage. "They will be here next." Now Gerda came with a little bundle, wrapped in her blue cloak.
I heard him name one Clement, who, as I have heard since, is the patron saint of seamen. The boat leapt and quivered again as she fled toward safety. Now I had looked to see the pursuers give up the chase as we neared the ships, but they did not, and a cold fear came over me. Maybe these were known friends of Heidrek's.
The end of it was that in a short time we were on board our own ship, and safely stowed forward, still bound. Heidrek had added her to his force, and manned her from the other two vessels; but before we reached the ship I saw that Heidrek's men had piled their slain into an outhouse, set the fagot stack round it, and fired it to windward.
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