Scandinavian-Britain

4 2 SCANDINAVIAN BRITAINskill (being expert carpenters and shipwrights) inmaking palisades, shelter-works, wooden towers forassailing tall walls, and the like, and good knowledgein throwing up earthen lines and dykes, diggingtrenches, and making portages to haul their ships overdifficult ground, in those cases where the use of fire, orfair words, or a sudden and bold attack was impossible.The numbers of the hosts varied greatly, butreckoning the average crew as forty men and upwards,we hear 'of fleets of hundreds of ships. These largefleets were made up of lesser fleets, two or threesailing together on some enterprise too weighty forone sea-king's command to deal with. There wereseldom less than two leaders, each a king or king'sson, to a fleet, and usually two captains to each vessel,one to each watch, no doubt. This had its use inlessening the chance of a commander's death breakingup the expedition, or leading to disaster in battle.Itmay be noted that Earl is used for the first time,itseems, as a technical term for a leader of less rankthan king, in these wicking voyages, and in the ninthcentury. It is especially used by the North-men ;the Danes are led by sea-kings.lCf. B.M. Anglo-Saxon Coin Catalogue, C. F. Keary, No.11077, p. 230. Sitric Coins.