484 SOME EXPEDITIONS AND DEEDS OF GREAT VIKINGS. 



shores of England, and coursed along them with warships, 

 and sailed up into Nyjamoda ( = Newniouth). There was a 

 host of Thingamen. He fought a battle, and got the victory. 

 Then he went far and wide about the country, and received 

 taxes from the people, making warfare if they paid not. At 

 that time he stayed there three winters " (St. Olaf's Saga, 

 c. 14). 



" Olaf had large hurdles made of withies and soft wood, so 

 cut as to make a wicker-house, and thus covered his ships, so 

 that the hurdles reached out over their sides ; he had posts put 

 beneath them so high that it was easy to fight beneath them, 

 and the covering was proof against stones thrown down on it. 

 When the host was ready they rowed up the river ; as they 

 came near the bridges they were shot at, and such large stones 

 thrown down on them that neither their helmets nor shields 

 could withstand them ; and the ships themselves were greatly 

 damaged, and many retreated. But Olaf and the Northmen 

 with him rowed up under the bridges, and tied ropes round 

 the supporting posts, and rowed their ships down stream as 

 hard as they could. The posts were dragged along the bottom 

 until they were loosened from under the bridges. As an armed 

 host stood thickly on the bridges, and there was a great weight of 

 stones and weapons upon them, and the posts beneath were 

 broken, the bridges fell with many of the men into the river ; 

 the others fled into the city, or into South wark. After this they 

 attacked Southwark, and captured it. When the townsmen 

 saw that the river Temps (Thames) was taken, so that they 

 could not hinder ships from going up into the country, 

 they became afraid, gave up the town, and received King 

 ^Ethelred. 



" King Olaf stayed during the winter with King ^Ethelred ; 

 then they fought a great battle on Hringmara-heath in Ulf- 

 kelsland, owned by Ulfkel Smiling, and the kings gained 

 the victory. Then a great part of the land was subdued by 

 ^Ethelred, but the Danes and the Tliingamenn held many 

 tmvns, and a large part of the country" (St. Olaf's Saga, 

 cc. 12, 13). 



" The third spring King Ethelred died, and his sons 

 Edmund and Edward received the kingship. Then Olaf went 

 southward across the sea, fought in Hringsfjord, and took and 

 destroyed the castle at Holar, held by vikings " (St. Olaf's 

 Saga, c. 15). 



The Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Battles. 



" Then Olaf went with his men westward to Grislupollar, 

 and there defeated the vikings before Vilhjalmsbaer (Wil- 



