CHAPTER XIII 



THE LIVING TRUNK AND BRANCHES 



' I ^HIRTY years ago, newspapers were telling 

 ■*■ about the finding of a wonderful ship, which 

 had been lying for ten centuries covered by the 

 coast sands of southern Norway. Some forgot- 

 ten sea-king had been buried in his ship with its 

 prow pointed toward the sea, ready to sail forth 

 again on the day of Resurrection. 



The ship was of oak, and though it had lain in 

 the sand for a thousand years, it was almost per- 

 fect. The wooden shields of the spearmen, gor- 

 geously painted, hung all a-row along the gun- 

 wale. There were the oars, and the holes through 

 which they were worked. The ship, under way, 

 must have looked like some many-legged creature 

 crawling on the surface of the sea. 



The rowers' seats were still strong and firm. 

 The ship's water butt — a huge tub of pine staves 

 — was as perfect as when the crew dipped their 

 last draught from it. 



Historians learned much about the construc- 

 tion of the ships in which Norse vikings used to 

 explore strange seas and pillage distant coasts. 



134 



