Monday 6 February 2023

Olaf Sigurdsen's Raid - the survivors sail home...

 After the battle at the river side camp the longship with the Viking survivors on board made its way down-river...only nine of them left, just enough to crew the ship... 

downstream they went, as the river widened, some of them got some oars out to help with the steering...

A little later, they spotted some men waving and shouting at them from the river bank ... it was Torsten and the hunting party that had gone downstream... 
They made their way over to them and got them on board (now they were thirteen in number ..)
As they left the estuary they were able to set sail and start the voyage home ....
the repairs to the longship made while encamped were holding....

---oXo---

... After crossing the sea and in sight of their homeland, the sky darkened and a tumultuous storm commenced. The ship was driven before the wind, in vain they tried to get down the sail but to no avail there was a sharp crack as the mast snapped. They hurriedly cut the rigging ropes and got the debris over the side ... the coast was nearer and they were being driven towards it... they steered the ship as best they could but .... rocks tore through the underside of the hull as they were washed up onto a beach ........

The next morning, they picked over the ship for anything of use ...
The men elected Torsten Halvorsen as their leader, they set off into the hinterland ..
.. it would be a long walk home...