Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/17

 KINGS OF NORWAY. V than he sent an invitation to all the men who would S AGA v n - enter into his pay, to join him in recovering the coun- try. Then many people flocked to him ; and among others, came King Olaf with a great troop of North- men to his aid. They steered first to London, and sailed into the Thames with their fleet ; but the Danes had a castle within. On the other side of the river is a great trading place, which is called Sudr- viki.* There the Danes had raised a great work, dug large ditches, and within had built a bulwark of stone, timber, and turf, where they had stationed a strong army. King Ethelred ordered a great as- sault; but the Danes defended themselves bravely, and King Ethelred could make nothing of it. Be- tween the castle f and South wark there was a bridge, so broad that two waggons could pass each other upon it. On the bridge were raised barricades, both towers and wooden parapets, in the direction of the river J, which were nearly breast high; and under the bridge were piles driven into the bottom of the river. Now when the attack was made the troops stood on the bridge every where, and defended them- selves. King Ethelred was very anxious to get pos- session of the bridge, and he called together all the chiefs to consult how they should get the bridge broken down. Then said King Olaf he would attempt to lay his fleet alongside of it, if the other ships would do the same. It was then determined in this council that they should lay their war forces under the bridge; and each made himself ready with ships and men. King Olaf ordered great platforms of floating wood Chapter to be tied together with hazel bands, and for this he The sixth took down old houses ; and with these, as a roof, he battle> covered over his ships so widely, that it reached over • On the site, probably, of the Tower of London.
 * Sudrviki — South wark.
 * That is, across the bridge.