Saga of Harald Hardrade

64. OF KING SVEIN'S ARMAMENT.

Svein, the Danish king, also drew up his fleet, and laid his ship
forward in the center against King Harald's ship, and Fin Arnason
laid his ship next; and then the Danes laid their ships,
according as they were bold or well-equipt. Then, on both sides,
they bound the ships together all through the middle of the
fleets; but as the fleets were so large, very many ships remained
loose, and each laid his ship forward according to his courage,
and that was very unequal. Although the difference among the men
was great, altogether there was a very great force on both sides.
King Svein had six earls among the people following him. So says
Stein Herdison: --

"Danger our chief would never shun,
With eight score ships he would not run:
The Danish fleet he would abide,
And give close battle side by side.
From Leire's coast the Danish king
Three hundred ocean steeds could bring,
And o'er the sea-weed plain in haste
Thought Harald's vessels would be chased."

65. BEGINNING OF THE BATTLE OF NIS-RIVER.

As soon as King Harald was ready with his fleet, he orders the
war-blast to sound, and the men to row forward to the attack. So
says Stein Herdison: --

"Harald and Svein first met as foes,
Where the Nis in the ocean flows;
For Svein would not for peace entreat,
But, strong in ships, would Harald meet.
The Norsemen prove, with sword in hand,
That numbers cannot skill withstand.
Off Halland's coast the blood of Danes
The blue sea's calm smooth surface stains."

Soon the battle began, and became very sharp; both kings urging
on their men. So says Stein Herdison: --

"Our king, his broad shield disregarding,
More keen for striking than for warding,
Now tells his lads their spears to throw, --
Now shows them where to strike a blow.
From fleet to fleet so short the way,
That stones and arrows have full play;
And from the keen sword dropped the blood
Of short-lived seamen in the flood."

It was late in the day when the battle began, and it continued
the whole night. King Harald shot for a long time with his bow.
So says Thiodolf: --

"The Upland king was all the night
Speeding the arrows' deadly flight.
All in the dark his bow-string's twang
Was answered; for some white shield rang,
Or yelling shriek gave certain note
The shaft had pierced some ring-mail coat,
The foemen's shields and bulwarks bore
A Lapland arrow-scat (1) or more."

Earl Hakon, and the people who followed him, did not make fast
their ships in the fleet, but rowed against the Danish ships that
were loose, and slew the men of all the ships they came up with.
When the Danes observed this each drew his ship out of the way of
the earl; but he set upon those who were trying to escape, and
they were nearly driven to flight. Then a boat came rowing to
the earl's ship and hailed him and said that the other wing of
King Harald's fleet was giving way and many of their people had
fallen. Then the earl rowed thither and gave so severe an
assault that the Danes had to retreat before him. The earl went
on in this way all the night, coming forward where he was most
wanted, and wheresoever he came none could stand against him.
Hakon rowed outside around the battle. Towards the end of the
night the greatest part of the Danish fleet broke into flight,
for then King Harald with his men boarded the vessel of King
Svein; and it was so completely cleared that all the crew fell in
the ship, except those who sprang overboard. So says Arnor, the
earls' skald: --

"Brave Svein did not his vessel leave
Without good cause, as I believe:
Oft on his casque the sword-blade rang,
Before into the sea he sprang.
Upon the wave his vessel drives;
All his brave crew had lost their lives.
O'er dead courtmen into the sea
The Jutland king had now to flee."

And when King Svein's banner was cut down, and his ship cleared
of its crew, all his forces took to flight, and some were killed.
The ships which were bound together could not be cast loose, so
the people who were in them sprang overboard, and some got to the
other ships that were loose; and all King Svein's men who could
get off rowed away, but a great many of them were slain. Where
the king himself fought the ships were mostly bound together, and
there were more than seventy left behind of King Svein's vessels.
So says Thiodolf: --

"Svein's ships rode proudly o'er the deep,
When, by a single sudden sweep,
Full seventy sail, as we are told,
Were seized by Norway's monarch bold."

King Harald rowed after the Danes and pursued them; but that was
not easy, for the ships lay so thick together that they scarcely
could move. Earl Fin Arnason would not flee; and being also
shortsighted, was taken prisoner. So says Thiodolf: --

"To the six Danish earls who came
To aid his force, and raise his name,
No mighty thanks King Svein is owing
For mighty actions of their doing.
Fin Arnason, in battle known,
With a stout Norse heart of his own,
Would not take flight his life to gain,
And in the foremost ranks was ta'en."

66. KING SVEIN'S FLIGHT.

Earl Hakon lay behind with his ships, while the king and the rest
of the forces were pursuing the fugitives; for the earls' ships
could not get forward on account of the ships which lay in the
way before him. Then a man came rowing in a boat to the earl's
ship and lay at the bulwarks. The man was stout and had on a
white hat. He hailed the ship, "Where is the earl?" said he.

The earl was in the fore-hold, stopping a man's blood. The earl
cast a look at the man in the hat and asked what his name was.
He answered, "Here is Vandrad: speak to me, earl."

The earl leant over the ship's side to him. Then the man in the
boat said, "Earl, I will accept of my life from thee, if thou
wilt give it."

Then the earl raised himself up, called two men who were friends
dear to him, and said to them, "Go into the boat; bring Vandrad
to the land; attend him to my friend's Karl the bonde; and tell
Karl, as a token that these words come from me, that he let
Vandrad have the horse which I gave to him yesterday, and also
his saddle, and his son to attend him."

Thereupon they went into the boat and took the oars in hand,
while Vandrad steered. This took place just about daybreak,
while the vessels were in movement, some rowing towards the land,
some towards the sea, both small and great. Vandrad steered
where he thought there was most room between the vessels; and
when they came near to Norway's ships the earl's men gave their
names and then they all allowed them to go where they pleased.
Vandrad steered along the shore, and only set in towards the land
when they had come past the crowd of ships. They then went up to
Karl the bonde's farm, and it was then beginning to be light.
They went into the room where Karl had just put on his clothes.
The earl's men told him their message and Karl said they must
first take some food; and he set a table before them and gave
them water to wash with.

Then came the housewife into the room and said, "I wonder why we
could get no peace or rest all night with the shouting and
screaming."

Karl replies, "Dost thou not know that the kings were fighting
all night?"

She asked which had the better of it.

Karl answered, "The Northmen gained."

"Then," said she, "our king will have taken flight."

"Nobody knows," says Karl, "whether he has fled or is fallen."

She says, "What a useless sort of king we have! He is both slow
and frightened."

Then said Vandrad, "Frightened he is not; but he is not lucky."

Then Vandrad washed his hands; but he took the towel and dried
them right in the middle of the cloth. The housewife snatched
the towel from him, and said, "Thou hast been taught little good;
it is wasteful to wet the whole cloth at one time.

Vandrad replies, "I may yet come so far forward in the world as
to be able to dry myself with the middle of the towel."

Thereupon Karl set a table before them and Vandrad sat down
between them. They ate for a while and then went out. The horse
was saddled and Karl's son ready to follow him with another
horse. They rode away to the forest; and the earl's men returned
to the boat, rowed to the earl's ship and told the success of
their expedition.

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