Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/30

 99 - - CHRONICLE OF THE Chaiter XXVII. King Olaf's ex- pedition to Norway. saga vii. King Olaf separated from them, and would not go back to Valland, but sailed northwards along Eng- land, all the way to Northumberland, where he put into a haven at a place called Furovald *; and in a battle there with the townspeople and merchants he gained the victory, and a great booty. King Olaf left his long- ships f there behind, but made ready two ships of burden ; and had with him 220 men in them, well armed and chosen people. He sailed out to sea northwards in harvest, but en- countered a tremendous storm, and they were in danger of being lost ; but as they had a chosen crew, and the king's luck with them, all went on well. So says Ottar : — " Olaf, great stem of kings, is brave — Bold in the fight, bold on the wave. No thought of fear Thy heart comes near. Undaunted, midst the roaring flood, Firm at his post each shipman stood; And thy two ships stout The gale stood out." And farther he says : — " Thou able chief ! with thy fearless crew Thou meetest, with skill and courage true, The wild sea's wrath On thy ocean path. Though waves mast-high were breaking round, Thou findest the middle of Norway's ground, With helm in hand On Saelo's strand." that is, north of the Humber. But it is to be observed that the ships of that age, even the largest, were worked with oars, and coasted close to the shore, and at night lay at, or even on, the beach ; so that har- bours with anchorage were of less importance than flat shores to haul up their vessels on, and the localities cannot be determined by our har- bours. f There is a distinction evidently here between the class of vessels called long-ships and the large sea-going vessels. The long-ship has been, like the Crane and the Long Serpent, a vessel intended for row- ing up rivers and along the coast, but not for sea voyages, and in au- tumn not thought suitable for crossing the North Sea.
 * Furovald must be some place on the coast of Northumberland —