As to the wares in your ship, if ye will give me aught I will take it with a good will; and chiefly if ye have a fair knife or two and a roll of linen cloth, that were a good refreshment to me.

But in any case what I have to give is free to you and welcome." The shipmaster laughed: "Friend," said he, "we can thee mickle thanks for all that thou biddest us.

And wot well that we be no lifters or sea-thieves to take thy livelihood from thee.

So to-morrow, if thou wilt, we will go with thee and upraise the hunt, and meanwhile we will come aland, and walk on the green grass, and water our ship with thy good fresh water." So the old carle went back to his house to make them ready what cheer he might, and the shipmen, who were twenty and one, all told, what with the mariners and Arnold and Walter's servants, went ashore, all but two who watched the ship and abode their turn.

They went well-weaponed, for both the master and Walter deemed wariness wisdom, lest all might not be so good as it seemed.