The Norwegian account of Haco's expedition against Scotland, A.D. MCCLXIII. eBook

Sturla Þórðarson
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 43 pages of information about The Norwegian account of Haco's expedition against Scotland, A.D. MCCLXIII..

The Norwegian account of Haco's expedition against Scotland, A.D. MCCLXIII. eBook

Sturla Þórðarson
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 43 pages of information about The Norwegian account of Haco's expedition against Scotland, A.D. MCCLXIII..
and Allan his brother, Angus, Margad, Vigleik Priestson and Ivar Holm.  When they came into the inlet they took their boats, and drew them[79] up to a great lake which is called Loch-Lomond.  On the far side round the lake was an Earldom called Lennox.[80] In the lake there were a great many islands well inhabited;[81] these islands the Norwegians wasted with fire.  They also burned all the buildings about the lake, and made great devastation, as Sturlas relates.

     13.

The persevering shielded warriors of the thrower of the whizzing spear[82] drew their boats across the broad isthmus.  Our fearless troops, the exactors of contribution, with flaming brands wasted the populous islands in the lake, and the mansions around its winding bays.

Allan the brother of King Dugal, marched far over into Scotland, and killed great numbers of the inhabitants.  He took many hundred head of cattle, and made vast havoc, as is here described.

     14.

Our veterans fierce of Soul, feeders of wolves, hastened their wasteful course through the spacious districts of the mountains.  Allan, the bravest of mortals, at the fell interview of battle, often wreaked his fatal vengeance on the expiring foe.

Afterwards the Norwegians retired to their fleet, and met with so violent a storm that it dashed in pieces about ten of their ships in Loch-Long.  At this time Ivar Holm was seized with an acute disease, which occasioned his death.

King Haco, as was before written, still lay in the Hebrides.  Michaelmas fell on a Saturday; and, on the Monday night after, there came a great tempest with hailstones and rain.  The watch on the fore-castle of the King’s ship called out, and said that a transport vessel was driving full against their cable.  The sailors immediately sprung upon deck; but the rigging of the transport getting entangled in the King’s ship, carried away its beak.  The transport then fell aboard in such a manner, that the anchor grappled the cordage of the King’s ship, which then began to drag its anchors.  The King, therefore, ordered the cable of the transport to be cut, which was accordingly done.  It then drove out to sea, but the King’s ship remained steadfast, and continued uncovered[83] till daylight.  On the morning, the transport floated with the tide, and, together with a galley, was cast ashore on Scotland.  The wind gradually increasing, the crew of the King’s ship got more cables, and dropt a fifth anchor.  The King himself then took to his long-boat, and rowing out to the islands, ordered mass to be sung.  The fleet in the meantime was forced up the channel; and the tempest that day was so furious that some vessels cut away their masts, others ran aground.  The King’s ship also drove into the sound, tho’ seven anchors, including that taken from the transport, had been used.  They then let go an eighth, which was the sheet anchor; the ship still drove, but the anchors at length took fast hold.  Five vessels were cast ashore.  So great was this storm that people said it was raised by the power of Magic, and the quantity of rain was prodigious, as is thus described.

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The Norwegian account of Haco's expedition against Scotland, A.D. MCCLXIII. from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.