kept pressing forward with this great enterprise; and on the whole did
thoroughly shake asunder the old edifice of heathendom, and fairly
introduce some foundation for the new and better rule of faith and
life among his people. Sigurd, Jarl of Lade, his wise counsellor in
all these matters, is also a man worthy of notice.

Hakon's arrangements against the continual invasions of Eric's sons,
with Danish Blue-tooth backing them, were manifold, and for a long
time successful. He appointed, after consultation and consent in the
various Things, so many war-ships, fully manned and ready, to be
furnished instantly on the King's demand by each province or fjord;
watch-fires, on fit places, from hill to hill all along the coast,
were to be carefully set up, carefully maintained in readiness, and
kindled on any alarm of war. By such methods Blue-tooth and Co.'s
invasions were for a long while triumphantly, and even rapidly, one
and all of them, beaten back, till at length they seemed as if
intending to cease altogether, and leave Hakon alone of them. But
such was not their issue after all. The sons of Eric had only abated
under constant discouragement, had not finally left off from what
seemed their one great feasibility in life. Gunhild, their mother,
was still with them: a most contriving, fierce-minded, irreconcilable
woman, diligent and urgent on them, in season and out of season; and
as for King Blue-tooth, he was at all times ready to help, with his
good-will at least.

That of the alarm-fires on Hakon's part was found troublesome by his
people; sometimes it was even hurtful and provoking (lighting your
alarm-fires and rousing the whole coast and population, when it was
nothing but some paltry viking with a couple of ships); in short, the
alarm-signal system fell into disuse, and good King Hakon himself, in