The ship was to be called a Dragon, and wasto be painted so as to look like one, having a gilded dragon's head at thebow and a gilded tail on the stern; while the moving oars would look likelegs, and the row of red and white shields, hung along the side of theboat, would resemble the scales of a dragon, and the great square sails,red and blue, would look like wings. This was the vessel which youngHarald was to command.He had already made trips in just such vessels with his father; hadlearned to attack the enemy with arrow and spear; also with stones throwndown from above, and with grappling-irons to clutch opposing boats. He hadlearned to swim, from early childhood, even in the icy northern waters,and he had been trained in swimming to hide his head beneath his floatingshield, so that it could not be seen. He had learned also to carry tinderin a walnut shell, enclosed in wax, so that no matter how long he had beenin the water he could strike a light on reaching shore. He had alsolearned from his father acts of escape as well as attack. Thus he had oncesailed on a return trip from Denmark after plundering a town; the shipshad been lying at anchor all night in a fog, and at sunlight in themorning lights seemed burning on the sea. But Erik the Red said, "It is afleet of Danish ships, and the sun strikes on the gilded dragon crests;furl the sail and take to the oars.
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