The water was hot to the hand , and the sky was hidden by hot , grey mists , out of which blew a fine dust that whitened our hair and beards of a morning . Here , too , were fish that flew in the air like birds . They would fall on the laps of the rowers , and when we went ashore we would roast and eat them . ' The knight paused to see if the children doubted him , but they only nodded and said , ` Go on . ' ` The yellow land lay on our left , the grey sea on our right . Knight though I was , I pulled my oar amongst the rowers . I caught seaweed and dried it , and stuffed it between the pots of beads lest they should break . Knighthood is for the land . At sea , look you , a man is but a spurless rider on a bridleless horse . I learned to make strong knots in ropes -- yes , and to join two ropes end to end , so that even Witta could scarcely see where they had been married . But Hugh had tenfold more sea-cunning than I. Witta gave him charge of the rowers of the left side . Thorkild of Borkum , a man with a broken nose , that wore a Norman steel cap , had the rowers of the right , and each side rowed and sang against the other . They saw that no man was idle . Truly , as Hugh said , and Witta would laugh at him , a ship is all more care than a Manor . ` How ? Thus . There was water to fetch from the shore when we could find it , as well as wild fruit and grasses , and sand for scrubbing of the decks and benches to keep them sweet . Also we hauled the ship out on low islands and emptied all her gear , even to the iron wedges , and burned off the weed , that had grown on her , with torches of rush , and smoked below the decks with rushes dampened in salt water , as Hlaf the Woman orders in her Ship-Book . Once when we were thus stripped , and the ship lay propped on her keel , the bird cried , `` Out swords ! '' as though she saw an enemy .
XXXXX vowed he would wring her neck . '
Borkum Hlaf Hugh Knighthood Witta fall left oar right rowers