friends withal, they recognized their common peril in this imminence;
and had, in repeated consultations, taken measures the best that their
united skill (which I find was mainly Olaf's but loyally accepted by
the other) could suggest. It was in this year that Olaf (with his
Swedish king assisting) did his grand feat upon Knut in Lymfjord of
Jutland, which was already spoken of. The special circumstances of
which were these:

Knut's big armament arriving on the Jutish coasts too late in the
season, and the coast country lying all plundered into temporary wreck
by the two Norse kings, who shrank away on sight of Knut, there was
nothing could be done upon them by Knut this year,--or, if anything,
what? Knut's ships ran into Lymfjord, the safe-sheltered frith, or
intricate long straggle of friths and straits, which almost cuts
Jutland in two in that region; and lay safe, idly rocking on the
waters there, uncertain what to do farther. At last he steered in his
big ship and some others, deeper into the interior of Lymfjord, deeper
and deeper onwards to the mouth of a big river called the Helge
(_Helge-aa_, the Holy River, not discoverable in my poor maps, but
certainly enough still existing and still flowing somewhere among
those intricate straits and friths), towards the bottom of which Helge
river lay, in some safe nook, the small combined Swedish and Norse
fleet, under the charge of Onund, the Swedish king, while at the top
or source, which is a biggish mountain lake, King Olaf had been doing
considerable engineering works, well suited to such an occasion, and
was now ready at a moment's notice. Knut's fleet having idly taken
station here, notice from the Swedish king was instantly sent;
instantly Olaf's well-engineered flood-gates were thrown open; from
the swollen lake a huge deluge of water was let loose; Olaf himself
with all his people hastening down to join his Swedish friend, and get