"
They accordingly descended on the other side of the mountain, and
reached the strand, where they fortunately found a boat. Orm pushed
off, and the boat drove into the open sea. They had escaped their
pursuers, but they were now exposed to dangers of another kind:
whither should they turn? They could not venture to land, for Aslog's
father was lord of the whole coast, and they would infallibly fall
into his hands. Nothing then remained for them but to commit their
bark to the wind and waves. They were driven along the entire night.
At break of day the coast had disappeared, and they saw nothing but
the sky, the sea, and the waves. They had not brought one morsel of
food with them, and thirst and hunger began now to torment them. Three
days did they toss about in this state of misery, and Aslog, faint and
exhausted, saw nothing but certain death before her.
At length, on the evening of the third day, they discovered an island
of tolerable magnitude, and surrounded by a number of smaller ones.
Orm immediately steered for it, but, just as he came near it, there
suddenly rose a violent wind, and the sea rolled every moment higher
and higher. He turned about with a view of approaching it on another
side, but with no better success; his vessel, as often as it neared
the island, was driven back as if by an invisible power. "God help
us!" he cried, and crossed himself, and looked on poor Aslog, who
seemed to be dying of weakness before his eyes.
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