by, not having heard
of the disaster, came sailing boldly into the harbor with food and men.
The patriots soon informed him of his error by firing upon him from the
castle walls, and in the conflict which took place it is reported that
six hundred of his men were lost. Most of Vestgoete's forces, after the
fall of Stegeborg, were transferred to the vicinity of Stockholm, to
which Gustavus early in the autumn had again laid siege. The summer's
experience had made manifest that it would be useless to assault the
capital. Gustavus therefore held his forces several miles away from the
city, and with a view to cut off supplies divided them into three
camps,--one on the north, another on the south, and the third on an
island to the west. On Christmas eve the garrison, finding that no
assault was likely to be made, embarked some fifteen hundred men on
yawls and coasting-vessels, and proceeded against the island-camp. The
Swedish leader watched the preparations from a hill; and when he saw
that the enemy were coming against himself, divided his men into squads
of fourteen and sixteen, and placed these squads at intervals through
the woods with orders to sound their horns as soon as the neighboring
squad had sounded theirs. He then waited till the enemy were all on
shore, when he gave the signal, and in a moment it was re-echoed all
along the line. The effect was marvellous. The enemy, horrified by the
apparent number of the Swedes, turned and fled. The Swedes, who had but
about four hundred and fifty men in all, pursued them to their boats and
cut down two hundred of them on the shore. After this the garrison from
time to time made raids upon the northern and southern camps, and
generally got the better of the Swedes, though nothing of marked
importance was accomplished by either side. On the 30th of January the
Castle of Vesteras, hard pressed for food and cut off from supplies,
surrendered. Later in the winter, seemingly in March, Norby came from
Denmark with a large force to Stockholm, and replenished the garrison
with fresh men. About the same time the Swedish camp on the north was
moved nearer; and the Danes, thus reinforced by Norby, came out against
them April 17, and routed them with heavy loss. The day following, a
like sally was made on the southern camp with like result. Having thus
raised the siege of Stockholm, Norby set sail for Finland, and routed
the Swedish forces still besieging Abo. The bishop of Abo, finding h