They were the last of the fleet that England had had but five years ago--and her mightiest.
Now it happened that I was to see much of this Earl Wulfnoth before we had done with him, so I will say at once how he came to have the king's ships, and how it was that we must ask his help for Ethelred--or rather why he had not given it freely.
It was the fault of Brihtric, Edric Streone's brother, who had some private grudge against him, and would ruin him if possible.

So he accused Wulfnoth of treachery to Ethelred, and that being the thing that the king always dreaded from day to day--seeing maybe that he was not free from blame in that matter himself--so prevailed that the earl was outlawed.

Whereon he fled to the fleet, and sailed away with all the ships that would follow him.
Then Brihtric chased him with the rest, and met with storm and shipwreck on the rugged southern coasts.

And through the storm fell on him Wulfnoth, and beat him and scattered or took the ships the storm had spared.

Brihtric left the rest to their own devices, and the shipmen brought them back into the Thames.