with those of the present age, were small, yet the mode of attack, the bravery displayed, and the great superiority of the enemy, render the event worthy of the first place in the list of our naval victories. It was actually a hand-to-hand fight against double the number of ships and probably four times the number of men, for the French vessels were filled with troops; and more than one-sixth of their fleet was captured or destroyed. To national courage was united considerable professional skill, for the enemy's force must have been known to De Burgh and his companions before they embarked; and their appearing to steer for Calais was no doubt a stratagem to gain the wind of their opponents, and not the effect of hesitation to attack them. This, together with the manner in which the French were rendered comparatively powerless by causing the sails to fall over them, reflect infinite credit on the English, and affords another proof that superiority in numbers often avails little against skill and intrepidity.

SIR N. H. NICOLAS

THE BATTLE OF LARGS

1263

This account is translated from the Saga of King Hakon Hakonsson, who reigned in Norway from 1217-63. Finding that he was losing his hold on the western islands of Scotland, he made an expedition to assert his authority. The fight here described took place at Largs, within a short distance of the present city of Glasgow, and does not appear to have been decisive.

In the autumn King Hakon lay in the CumbraesMichaelmas was then on a Saturday. But the Monday night after came a violent storm, with hail and tempest. Before day they who kept watch at the moorings of the King's ship called out that a bark was driving on the cables forward. Then the men jumped up hastily and tore down the awnings and clad themselves. The stay of the bark caught the figurehead of the King's ship, and carried away the beaks. After that the bark drifted aft along the sides till her anchor fouled and caught the cable of the King's ship. Then the anchor began to drag, so the King bade them cut the cable of the bark's anchor. She then drove out on to the isle, but the King's ship held the ground, and they lay without awnings till daybreak. In the morning, when the tide. flowed, the bark floated, and then she drifted up on to the Scottish coast.

The wind began to grow all at once. Their ground tackle then stood those who had it in good stead. The fifth anchor was then cast from the King's ship, but

the King got into a boat and rowed out to the isle, and let a mass be sung to him. But the ship drove on into the Sound. Then the sheet-anchor was taken and laid out, but she still drove. Some five ships drove up on to the coast. Then they held on by their anchors on all the ships, and on the King's ship too: she was then riding on seven anchors, and the eighth, which had fouled the bark's cable.

Most men said that witchcraft must have brought about this storm. Then all those ships which had driven on shore held on by their anchors; but three of them were driven altogether on shore, and they suffered the greatest hardships.

When the Scots saw that the ships were drifting on shore, they gathered them together and fared down on the North men and shot at them. But these defended themselves and let the bark shelter them. Sometimes the Scots came on and sometimes they fell off. A few men fell, and many were wounded. Then King Hakon sent a force to the shore in some boats, for the weather had slackened a little.

Afterwards the King went out to his ship in a swift vessel manned by his pages, together with Thorlaug the Hot. As soon as the King's men got ashore the Scots fled inland. The Northmen were on shore that evening and that night, until it drew towards day. Then all the Northmen went into the merchantman. As soon as it was day, men clad themselves on board the King's ship, and took their weapons, and so in the other ships, and rowed to land. The Scots had come to the bark, and taken such of the goods as they could get at. A little after King Hakon came on land, and with him some of the liegemen and much folk. Then the King made them strip the bark and bear her cargo into boats, and carry it out to the ships.

When the bark was all but cleared, the host of the Scots was seen, and most thought that the King of Scots himself must be with them, for the host seemed great. Ogmund Crow-dance was on a hillock and some following of men with him, and the Scots who came up first made a sham attack on them. When they saw that the main battle was drawing near, men begged the King to get into a boat and row out to the ships, and send them much more force. The King offered to be on land with them, but they would not bring him into such risk; so he put off in a boat, and rowed out under the isle to his force. Among the liegemen who were on land were Ogmund Crow-dance, Andrew Pot, and Andrew Nicholas' son. There were near sixty men from the King's ship, and at their head was Andrew Clubfoot. And by the reckoning of most men there were in all eight or nine hundred of the Northmen on land. Nigh two hundred men were up on the hillock with Ogmund, but the other force stood down on the shingle. Then the Scottish host began to draw near, and it was a very great host. It was the reckoning of some men that they numbered five hundred knights, but others said something less. Their force was very well equipped, with mail-clad horses, and many Spanish steeds all covered with armour. The Scots had a great host of footmen, but that force was badly equipped: they most of them had bows and Irish bills.

The Northmen who were on the hillock dropped down toward the sea, so that the Scots should not hem them in. Then Andrew Nicholas' son came up on the hill, and asked Ogmund if he did not think it wiser to go. down to the shingle to the force that was there; and that advice was taken. Andrew bade his men go down, but not to hurry like runaways.

Then the Scots came on fast, and pelted them with

stones, and a great shower of weapons fell upon the Northmen. The latter fell back facing the enemy and shielded themselves. But when they came as far as the brow of the descent which went down from the hillock, then each tried to run faster than the others. And when those who were down below on the shingle saw that, they thought that the Northmen wanted to flee.

Then the Northmen ran to their boats, and in that way some of them put off from the land and came out to the ships. Andrew Pot leaped over two boats and into the third, and so escaped; but most of the boats sank, and some men were lost. Many Northmen ran under the lee of the bark, and some got up into her. When the Northmen came down from the hillock into the dell between it and the shingle, most of them took to running. But some one called out to them to turn back, and some men turned, though only a few. One of the King's bodyguard, Hakon of Stein, fell there. The Northmen still ran away; but when they got down on to the shingle some one again called to them to turn back, and again a few turned. That was south of the shingle beyond the longship which had drifted on shore. Two of the Northmen fell there. Those who had turned back could do nothing but keep on the defensive, and so they fell back until they came north round the longship. There they found some force of the Northmen, and they all shared in the fight together.

man.

Then there was a hard battle, but still a very unequal one, for there must have been ten Scots to one NorthThere fell a young man of the Scots named Perus he was come of the best families, and was the son of a powerful knight, and rode more boldly than any other knight. Men fell on both sides, but more of the Scots.