Scandinavian-Britain

28 SCANDINAVIAN BRITAINIII.THE WICKING FLEETSThou Sea that pickest and cullest the race in time, and unitestnations,Suckled by thee, old husky nurse, embodying theeIndomitable, untamed as thee.THE development of national life in Norway, consequenton the increase of trade and population, bythe end of the eighth centuryis shown by the growthof tribal leagues, and by the increased appreciationof common laws and common peace over large areasthat rendered possible the career of the lawyer king,Halfdan the Black, who succeeded in establishing akind of imperial sway over a broad territory, hithertoparcelled out under small tribal kings. But forour present purpose the points to dwell on are theimprovement of the ship and war organisation.The earlier Swedish graven stones, anS earlier boatshaped,stone-marked graves, show that, as Tacitustells from the report of some Teuton traveller orcaptive of his day, the Suiones [Swedes] had fleets ofboats, with prows at either end, but without sailsor regular row of oars. These were long canoesprobably shaped of wood and skin-covered wattle,and moved by paddles. But the Ueneti of Brittany,at least as early as 60 B.C., had already, helped nodoubt by seeing some foreign models (possiblyCarthaginian galleys), got to building vessels thatwould stand the rough weather of the Atlantic, and