Earl Hako)i and the Joins- Vikings 177 



beautiful valley past Husum and Borgund to hide 

 themselves anions: the hills. 



The Vik part — the southern part — of Norway seems 

 to have adhered to its allegiance to the Danish crown ; 

 so that Hakon henceforward ruled only over the 

 country of the east coast — that is to say, over his 

 ancient earldom of Throndhjem, and all the coast 

 downwards to the southernmost ancjle of the kingdom, 

 the entrance to the Skagerrak ; sixteen districts in all. 

 Other small kings reigned in the Vik country, and in 

 the country immediately behind it; they reigned as 

 vassals of the Danish king. Hakon's portion of 

 Norway became once more totally independent, and 

 Hakon, in fact, though not in name, a king. 



This change had taken place some time ago, for, as 

 we have seen, Harald had died, and Sweyn, his son, 

 succeeded to the crown of Denmark. Now there huno' 

 over Hakon — though as yet he knew nothing of it — 

 that threatened attack of the Joms- vikings. The day 

 after the feast Sigvald and his comrades — though, as 

 our Saga- writer says, they tliought that they had spoken, 

 more than enough the niglit before — set to work at 

 once on the preparations for their expedition. The first 

 news of these preparations came to Earl Erik, Hakon's 

 son. He at once set to work to collect as many troops 

 as possible in the inner districts, and then marched 

 north to join his father at Throndhjem. Hakon and 

 Erik sent along all the coast districts the famous war- 

 token, the split arrow; they collected all the sliips they 

 could from the Throndhjem Fjord ; then they rowed out, 

 going round the coast from fjord to fjord, beating up 

 troops, and adding to their fleet. Meanwhile the Joms- 



M 



