"Woe to her," responded the vikings. "She moveth too fast for her good."
"The land riseth fast," said Biorn. "The breakers are not far away. Under them are sand shoals."
"The Roman is but a hundred fathoms behind us," replied Ulric. "Wulf the Skater, steer thou through the breakers. Let us see if she will dare to follow."
Comus, the trierarch, was overeager, or he would have remembered that which he seemed to have forgotten. They who were with him were stung by the death of Lentulus and by the ravages of the Saxon spears and stones. None counseled him to prudence, and he dashed on in the foaming wake of _The Sword_.
"Breakers, but no rocks," muttered Wulf, as he grasped his tiller strongly. "Now, if we fill not, we shall dash through. Pull! For the Northland pull!"
Hard strained the rowers. High sprang the curling breakers on either hand. Loud rang the shouts and the war horns. But _The Sword_ rose buoyantly over the crown of a great billow and passed on into smoother water.
"Odin!" roared Biorn the Berserker. "The trireme is but fifty paces--"
"Struck!" shouted Ulric. "On, lest we ourselves may be stranded!"
"Deep water here, Jarl Ulric," calmly responded an old seaman near him. "We have passed the sand bar. It may be the tide is falling. The gods of the sea are against that Roman keel."
"Or they are not with her to-day," said Ulric. "She is held fast. Cease rowing and put the sail up again. We will see if there is aught else that we may do. I like not to let her escape me."
Up went the sail, and for an hour _The Sword_ did but cruise back and forth, only now and then venturing near enough for the hurling of a stone or the sending of an arrow. It was then too far for any harm to the Romans, but they could hear the taunting music of the horns.
"Low tide," said Biorn at last, "and she lieth upon bare sand. We are well away. We can do no more."
"Watch!" said Ulric. "They are troubled."
"She lieth too deeply. What is this?" So asked the Roman seamen of their captain as they leaned over their bulwarks and studied that bed of sand. He answered not, but one, a legionary in full armor, stepped down from the ship to examine more closely--and an unwise man was he. In places the sandy level seemed firm enough, and a horse may gallop along a sandy beach after the tide is out and leave but a fair hoofprint. That way armies have marched and chariots have driven. There were other patches, however, whereon the sand seemed to glisten and to change in the sunlight, and here there was potent witchcraft working. At these had the sailors been gazing, but the soldier did not reach one of them.