THE BEACONS OF THE ORKNEYS DESTROYED.
EARL RÖGNVALD and his men said they would wait until the tidal currents
were met by an east wind, for then it is hardly possible to go from
Westrey to Hrossey, but with east wind one can sail from Hjaltland to
Westrey. For this Rögnvald and his men waited, and came one Friday
evening to Höfn,[338] in Westrey, to Helgi, who dwelt there.
No beacons could be lighted, for when the sails were seen from Fridarey,
Eirik prepared to go to Earl Paul, and sent a man to Uni to light the
beacon, but when he came there Uni was away. When the man tried to light
the beacon himself, it was so wet that it would not burn. When Eirik
heard this, he knew what was the matter, and went to Earl Paul and told
him.
When Earl Rögnvald had arrived in Westrey, the islanders ran together.
Helgi and Kugi put themselves at their head, and their first plan was to
try to make peace with the Earl; and their dealings ended in such a way
that the Westreymen submitted to Earl Rögnvald, and swore him oaths of
fealty.