As may be supposed, we were worn out, and the warmth may have made us drowsy.

The roar of the sea, and the singing of the wind in the stiff grass of the sand hills was in our ears, unnoticed, and we had made up our minds that there was no man on the island and that we need fear no meddling with the ship until the sea calmed, and men might come from the mainland to see what they could take from the wreck.

Presently we ourselves would get what was worth aught to us and hide it here.
So it came to pass that when from out of the hills round us came a small, rough brown dog which barked wildly at us, we leapt to our feet with our hands on our swords as if Heidrek himself had come.
But no man came with him, and suddenly he turned and fled as if he had heard a call.

I was about to follow him to the top of the sand hill to see what his coming meant, when the pebbles rattled on the near beach, and I halted.

There were sounds as of a bare foot among them.
Into the little cleft between the dunes, out of which we looked over the sea, came a short man, dressed in a long, brown robe which was girt to him with a cord, and had a hood which framed his pleasant, red face.