It will
be well enough if so."
"You shall have your chance," said I. "Maybe I will help."
Now we said no more. Bertric luffed, and we flattened in the sheet,
Gerda hauling with us, laughing, and saying that it was not for the
first time. Then Bertric's face cleared, for the ship went to
windward like a swallow, her length helping her in spite of her
lightness. We had to cut adrift our boat at this time, as she would
hinder us. We had no more need of her.
Heidrek altered his course at once, sailing a point or two more
free than we, either, as Bertric thought, because he could lie no
closer to the wind, or else meaning to edge down on us. And, he
being so far to windward, for a time it seemed as if he neared us
fast.
In two hours we knew that we outsailed him, close hauled. Little by
little we gained to windward, until he was three miles astern of us
and losing still more rapidly, as he went to leeward. He could not
look up to the wind any closer. One of his ships, indeed, was
astern and to leeward of the other, so that if that one only had
had to be counted with, we were safe.
Then he took to his oars, and Bertric and I knew that the worst was
yet to come, as we saw the sun flash from the long row of rising
and falling blades across the miles of sea.
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