will mean some time between A.D. 975 and
994; and, by the order they put it in, probably soon after A.D. 975, or
the beginning of this Kenneth's reign. Buchanan's narrative, carefully
distilled from all the ancient Scottish sources, is of admirable quality
for style and otherwise quiet, brief, with perfect clearness, perfect
credibility even, except that semi-miraculous appendage of the
Ploughmen, Hay and Sons, always hanging to the tail of it; the grain of
possible truth in which can now never be extracted by man's art! [6] In
brief, what we know is, fragments of ancient human bones and armor
have occasionally been ploughed up in this locality, proof positive of
ancient fighting here; and the fight fell out not long after Hakon's
beating of the Jomsburgers at the Cape of Stad. And in such dim glimmer
of wavering twilight, the question whether these of Loncarty were
refitted Jomsburgers or not, must be left hanging. Loncarty is now the
biggest bleach-field in Queen Victoria's dominions; no village or hamlet
there, only the huge bleaching-house and a beautiful field, some six or
seven miles northwest of Perth, bordered by the beautiful Tay river
on the one side, and by its beautiful tributary Almond on the other; a
Loncarty fitted either for bleaching linen, or for a bit of fair duel
between nations, in those simple times.

Whether our refitted Jomsburgers had the least thing to do with it is
only matter of fancy, but if it were they who here again got a good
beating, fancy would be glad to find herself fact. The old piratical
kings of Denmark had been at the founding of Jomsburg, and to Svein of
the Forked Beard it was still vitally important, but not so to the great
Knut, or any king that followed; all of whom had better business than
mere thieving; and it was Magnus the Good, of Norway, a man of still
higher anti-anarchic qualities, that annihilated it, about a century
later.

Hakon Jarl, his chief labors in the world being over, is said to have
become very dissolute in his elder days, especially in the matter of
women; the wretched old fool, led away by idleness and fulness of bread,
which to all of us are well said to be the parents of mischief. Having
absolute power, he got into the habit of openly plundering men's pretty
daughters and wives from them, and, after a few weeks, sending them
back; greatly to the rage of the fierce Norse heart, had there been any
means of resisting or revenging. It did, after a little