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.
"Some of them will be mighty tired yet before they overhaul us," I said.

"A stern chase is a long chase." Now I began to look restlessly for some sign of the high land of the Norway shore, but there was naught to be seen.

Only to eastward the sky was dull and grayish, as it were with the loss of light in the sky over hill and forest.

And Heidrek was gaining on us steadily if very slowly.