that had followed Swein his father, and he had made a pact with the
Lindsey folk, who were Danes of the old settlement, and of landings
long before the time of Ingvar, that they should fight for him and
find provision and horses for his host.

So it seemed most likely that the next thing would be that he would
march on us, and Ethelred gathered all the forces to him here in
London that he could, against his coming. At once the English
thanes came in, and even Sigeferth and Morcar, the powerful lords
of the old Danish seven boroughs in Mercia, brought their men to
his help, and that was almost more than could have been hoped. Then
too came Edric Streone, the great Earl of Mercia, Eadmund's uncle
by marriage and his foster father, praying for and gaining full
forgiveness for having seemed to side with Swein, as he said. With
these was Ulfkytel, our East Anglian earl, and many more, while
word came from Utred of Northumbria that he would not hold back.

So it was not long before Ethelred and Eadmund rode away north
towards Gainsborough at the head of as good a force as they had
ever led, in order to be beforehand with the Danes, who as yet had
made no move. It seemed as though they feared this new rising of
all England against them, although all Swein's men who had been
victors before were there with their new king.

But Olaf, who knew more of Denmark and what might happen there than
we, said that Cnut waited for news from thence. It might be that
some trouble would arise at home, for seldom did a king come to his
throne there without fighting against upstarts who would take it.

"So he holds his force in readiness in the Humber to fall on either