ng fire with them and spreading it widely among the
house roofs. Thus one house after the other was set on fire, until the
castle itself was in flames. Then the people came out of the castle and
begged for mercy; the same men who for many days had set at defiance
the Greek army and its leader. Harald granted life and safety to all who
asked quarter, and made himself master of the place.

7. BATTLE AT ANOTHER CASTLE.

There was another castle before which Harald had come with his army.
This castle was both full of people and so strong, that there was no
hope of breaking into it. The castle stood upon a flat hard plain. Then
Harald undertook to dig a passage from a place where a stream ran in a
bed so deep that it could not be seen from the castle. They threw out
all the earth into the stream, to be carried away by the water. At this
work they laboured day and night, and relieved each other in gangs;
while the rest of the army went the whole day against the castle, where
the castle people shot through their loop-holes. They shot at each other
all day in this way, and at night they slept on both sides. Now when
Harald perceived that his underground passage was so long that it must
be within the castle walls, he ordered his people to arm themselves. It
was towards daybreak that they went into the passage. When they got to
the end of it they dug over their heads until they came upon stones laid
in lime which was the floor of a stone hall. They broke open the floor
and rose into the hall. There sat many of the castle-men eating and
drinking, and not in the least expecting such uninvited wolves; for
the Varings instantly attacked them sword in hand, and killed some, and
those who could get away fled. The Varings pursued them; and some seized
the castle gate, and opened it, so that the whole body of the army
got in. The people of the castle fled; but many asked quarter from the
troops, which was granted to all who surrendered. In this way Harald got
possession of the place, and found an immense booty in it.

8. BATTLE AT A THIRD CASTLE.

They came to a third castle, the greatest and strongest of them all,
and also the richest in property and the fullest of people. Around this
castle there were great ditches, so that it evidently could not be taken
by the same device as the former; and they lay a long time before it
without doing anything. When the castle-men saw this they became bolder,
drew up their array on the