Part 24

|| Ever since the death of King Magnus had King Svein ruled the whole of the Danish realm; remained he at peace during the winters, but by summer went he out with his host & did threaten to journey north with the Danish host, and there do no less harm than Harald had done in Denmark. In the winter King Svein offered to meet King Harald in the River, and there fight together to the last, or else come to agreement; and thereafter, during that winter, were both one and other of them busied arming their ships, so that in the summer to come might one half of the general host be abroad.

It was in that summer that there came from Iceland Thorleik Svein Ulfson; he had heard to wit, when he was north in Norway, that King Harald had fared south to the River against King Svein. Then did Thorleik chant this:

''Tis awaited that in spear-storm On the sea-king's path The doughty men of inner Throndhjem Will meet the hardy King. God only can bring it to pass That one of them there taketh Life or land of the other; Little wots Svein of concord.'

And furthermore he chanted this:

'Harald the harsh who beareth Oft a red shield off the land, Is guiding on Budli's waysSec. The broad long-ships from the north. But southward o'er the seas, Doth come the warlike Svein In animals gold-mouthed, masted, And painted in colours fair.'

|| To the appointed trysting-place came King Harald with his host, and there heard that King Svein was to the south and lying off Zealand with his fleet. Then did King Harald part his host, sending the greater number of the peasant-host back, but retaining to himself his body-guard & friends and feudatories, also that part of the peasant-host which had been mustered nighest to the Danes.

They fared south (west) to Jutland, southward of Vendilskagi, & thereafter still south past Thioda, & went everywhere with the war-shield aloft. Thus saith Stuf the Skald:

'Fled Thioda folk from meeting with the King, Bold was he the stately dealer of blows. Harald's soul in Heaven.'Sec.

|| They fared southward all the way to Heidaby, and when they were come thither seized they that town and burned it. Then a man that was thrall to King Harald wrought this:

'Burnt from one end to another Was the whole of Heidaby; Ruthless treatment this, methinks; Our work, I trow, arouses grief in Svein. In the town spent I last night: Ere the eighth hour the flames shot up from the houses.'

|| Likewise Thorleik telleth in his poem that he heard that no battle befell at the River:

'Among the King's followers Each asks who doth not wot it How 'twas that the prince avenger To Heidaby did hie him, When Harald from the east with ships Sped early, without reason, To the royal town. In sooth Destruction ne'er should have been done.'

|| After this fared Harald northward and with him had he sixty ships, the greater number were large & well laden with what plunder had been taken in the summer. But as they were faring northward and past Thioda came down King Svein from the land with a large host; & he proffered King Harald to come ashore & do battle. Now King Harald had less than half as many men as Svein and so he bade Svein fight with him at sea. Thus saith Thorleik the Fair:

'Svein, even he who was born to success in Midgard, Called on the mighty King in fight on land to meet him; But Harald shy of failing would liefer fight, quoth he, Aboardship, since the bold King held the land.'

|| Thereafter sailed Harald northward past Vendilskagi; but the wind was against them & they brought-to under Lesey where they remained the night. Then were the ships encompassed with a thick sea-fog, but when it was morning, & the sun rose, beheld they on the other side of the sea what seemed to them like burning fires. And King Harald being informed thereof gazed thereat, & said straightway: 'Strike the ships' tilts, and let the men fall to their oars. The Danish host hath come after us. The darkness hath lifted, I ween, there where they are, and the sun is shining on their dragon-heads the which are overlaid with gold.' And it was even as Harald said for behold there was come Svein, the Danish King, with a mighty host.

Both the fleets now rowed with all speed, but the Danish ships were lighter under oars, the Norwegian ships being both water-logged and heavy laden. So the Danes drew on apace.

Then did Harald perceive that this would never serve his purpose. Now his dragon was faring astern of all his other ships, and he commanded that some timber should be thrown overboard and apparel with other wares be placed thereon, and as the water was calm these things drifted with the current.

When the Danes saw these goods drifting along on the sea those who were rowing ahead swerved aside after them, for they deemed it easier to take the goods as they were floating loose on the water than to seek them on board the Norwegian ships, and in this manner did their ships linger. When King Svein overtook them in his ship bade he them proceed, and said shame was it that with an host as large as his they could not take the Norwegians, to whom was but few men, and get the fellows into their power.

Then began the Danes to row the harder again, and when King Harald saw that they were making way bade he his men lighten their ships by throwing overboard malt and wheat and swine-flesh, even to chopping open their kegs of drink, and for a while these aids availed them well. Then did King Harald command that the war-hurdles should be taken, also casks, and empty barrels, and be cast overboard and on them and in them were placed prisoners of war.

Now when King Svein saw all of these floating together on the sea he ordered that the men should be rescued, and accordingly was this done. While his men were occupied in this their task, grew greater the distance between the fleets, and when the Danes were again about the chase had the Norwegians already made good their escape. Thus saith Thorleik the Fair:

'I heard tell in what manner Svein The eastmen put to flight at sea, How the other King quick-minded gat him gone; All the plunder of the Thrond-folk's King On the Jutland sea was floating; And sundry ships lost he withal.'

|| Under Lesey, did King Svein withdraw his fleet, and there found he seven Norwegian ships, but aboard them were only peasants and men who had been mustered for war.

When King Svein took them begged they for quarter and offered money in ransom. Thus saith Thorleik the Fair:

'For grace did Harald's friends stout-hearted Pray the King, and they few laid down their arms; The peasants ready-witted refused to fight thereafter, Speaking because their lives out they wished to live.'

|| Anent King Harald be it said that he was masterful and a strong ruler in his own land, a very sage man withal, & it be common talk that there was never a chief in the Northlands so wise or ready in resource as he.

A great warrior also, and very valiant, stronger, & defter with weapons than any other man; but all this have we recorded before.

Nevertheless the greater number of his doughty deeds go unrecorded, and this in part by reason of our lack of knowledge thereof, & in part by reason that we will not put in books tales for which there is no witness, even though in our hearing have such things been told. It beseemeth us better that something may be added hereafter than that much should need to be taken herefrom. About King Harald are many tales set forth in lays which the Icelandic men made to him or to his sons, & for this reason was he a firm friend to them. A firm friend also was he to all our countrymen, and once when there was a great famine in Iceland permitted King Harald four of his ships to carry meal to that island, and decreed that six bushels thereof should not cost more than a hundred ells of homespun; furthermore allowed he those that were stricken by poverty to leave if so be that they could find themselves in victuals the voyage thro' over to the main, and by these means was the land saved and the harvest thereof bettered.

King Harald set up a bell for the church which was builded with timber sent hither by the sainted King Olaf, and raised on a site nigh by where the Althing takes place. Such memories have we here of King Harald & of many other great gifts which he granted to men that sought them.