If I live till England , I will build me a stout keep over Dallington out of my share . '' ' `` I will buy cattle and amber and warm red cloth for the wife , '' said Witta , `` and I will hold all the land at the head of Stavanger Fiord . Many will fight for me now . But first we must turn North , and with this honest treasure aboard I pray we meet no pirate ships . '' ` We did not laugh . We were careful . We were afraid lest we should lose one grain of our gold , for which we had fought Devils . ' `` Where is the Sorcerer ? '' said I , for Witta was looking at the Wise Iron in the box , and I could not see the Yellow Man . ' `` He has gone to his own country , '' said he . `` He rose up in the night while we were beating out of that forest in the mud , and said that he could see it behind the trees . He leaped out on the mud , and did not answer when we called ; so we called no more . He left the Wise Iron , which is all that I care for -- and see , the Spirit still points to the South . '' ` We were troubled for fear that the Wise Iron should fail us now that its Yellow Man had gone , and when we saw the Spirit still served us we grew afraid of too strong winds , and of shoals , and of careless leaping fish , and of all the people on all the shores where we landed . ' ` Why ? ' said Dan . ` Because of the gold -- because of our gold . Gold changes men altogether . Thorkild of Borkum did not change . He laughed at Witta for his fears , and at us for our counselling Witta to furl sail when the ship pitched at all . '
`` Better be drowned out of hand , '' said Thorkild of XXXXX , `` than go tied to a deck-load of yellow dust . ''
Borkum Dallington Dan Devils North South Witta first left night