296 ITS RESULT. 



wife and children should be provided for, nobly volun- 

 teered to sacrifice his life for the good of his fatherland. 



Por the prosecution of the siege of Bohus, King Eric, 

 we are told, had cast a wonderfully large cannon or 

 mortar, " the mouth of which was so capacious that a 

 cobbler could sit within it and mend shoes." From this 

 extraordinary piece of ordnance, which bore the name of 

 Skdgye, great things were expected, as may be inferred 

 from the following distich current at the time : 



" Naur '^kagf/e ' komiiun- til alt ynagge 

 Saa rister haade nuiure oy vetjge ;" 



which may be rendered — 



" When ' Skiigge ' begins to neigh, 



Botli walls and tbnntlations shake." 



Luckily for the Danes, his Swedish Majesty's kind 

 intentions towards them were frustrated ; for, owing to 

 " Skiigge's " great weight, it broke through the ice 

 whilst being conveyed across the river Gotha, and sank 

 to the bottom, where it is believed to be lying at the 

 present day. 



Even after the Bohus-smdll, as the terrible explosion 

 that had caused such a fearful loss of life is called, other 

 attempts were made, and continued until evening, to 

 storm the castle ; but the terror created by the recent 

 catastrophe had so paralyzed every arm, that the Swedes 

 at length retreated from the breach. The siege was, 

 nevertheless, carried on for some time longer, though 

 without vigour, and was finally raised on the 1st of May, 

 1566, after having lasted for 38 days. 



At a subsequent period (1678) Bohus Castle, then in 

 possession of the Swedes, was besieged by the Danes ; and 



