144 WAR-SHIPS. 



tween which was the drink ; but the barrel itself was filled 

 with grey skins, beaver and sable " (St. Olaf s Saga, c. 149). 



Gars. In calm weather ships were generally propelled with 

 oars, which were fastened with a strap attached to the tholes, 

 or openings made as in the Gokstad ship and Nydam 

 boat. The oars had to be strong, and each was generally 

 manned by two, three, or four men, heavy or large ships being 

 with difficulty propelled by oars. 



Sometimes men were so strong that they could, on the 

 smaller vessels, ply an oar alone, but this was an exception. 



" King Hakon (Herdibreid) lay in the harbour with fourteen 

 ships. He himself and his men were at some games upon the 

 island, while his lendir men sat on a mound. They saw a boat 

 rowing towards the south of the island ; two men were in it, 

 and they pulled the oars so hard that they bent themselves to 

 the bottom of the boat " (Magnus Erlingsson's Saga, c. 6 

 (Heimskringla)). 



Only in one instance is the length of the oars given those 

 of the EUidi which are said to have been 26 feet long. The 

 largest ship must have had oars still longer than those of the 

 Ellidi, which was not a large vessel. 



They were called by the figurative names of The long arms ; 

 The feet of the horse of the sea ; The wave sweeper ; The feet 

 of the ship, &c. 



Among the numerous fragments of oars of the Gokstad ship, 

 four were found in tolerable preservation, and only one well- 

 preserved, measuring nearly sixteen feet. The oar tholes were 

 protected inside by round oaken shutters to prevent the water 

 from running in. The large ones found show that no single 

 man could row with one for a long time together ; and the oars 

 which propelled the large dragon-ship must have been very 

 heavy. 



Every large ship had its boats, sometimes two or more. 



" Sigurd took two barJds l and dragged them up on the rock 

 above the door of the cave, and fastened thick ropes around 

 the ribs of the ship under the stem and stern " (Sigurd 

 Jorsalafari, 2 c. 6). 



1 Ship boat, also a small vessel. | - Cf. also Eyrbyggja, c. 29. 



