Scandinavian-Britain

THE WICKING FLEETS 35There must be no feud or old quarrel taken upwhile on board or on service.Women were not allowed on board ship or inside afort.News was to be reported to the captain alone.(See Origines Islandicce^ Book II, sec. 2.)The famous crew of King Anlaf's Long Serpent (themuster-roll of which reads like that of David's mightymen) and the 45 ships' companies (last relics of thebuccaneer city of lorn) that followed Thor-cytel theTall to fight for or against /Ethelraed, or his rival Cnut,and afterward formed the nucleus of that renownedguard, the house carles of the English kings, the peersof the Warangians themselves, these were but thehighest expression of a discipline, skill, and power,that were present in more or less perfect form onboard every ship in the fleets that were the terror ofevery European coast throughout the ninth century.The fact is that ship lifegave to every free Northman much of the training and skill that were inEngland and France peculiar to the immediate following of the prince, his gesiths, antrustiones, so/ones, asthey are variously called in various Teutonic tribes.Even the personal obligation of honour to the lordthat paid and fed him, so strongly felt by the comes,was felt in some degree towards the captain of eachship by the crew.For warlike purposes, or external action of anykind, the Scandinavian lands were organised likeother Teutonic lands, the country being divided intodistricts, from each of which so many picked free