CHAPTER XXI: THE BATTLE IN SVOLD SOUND.
King Olaf stood on the poop deck of the Long Serpent, a conspicuousfigure among his fighting men, with his gold wrought helm towering highabove the others' heads. From this position he could survey themovements of his foes, command the actions of his own shipmen, anddirect the defence. From this place also he could fire his arrows andfling his spears over the heads of his Norsemen. His quivers werefilled with picked arrows, and he had near him many racks of javelins.The larger number of his chosen chiefs--as Kolbiorn Stallare, Thorfinnthe Dashing, Ketil the Tall, and Thorstein Oxfoot--had their stationsforward on the forecastle deck or in the "close quarters" nearer theprow. These stood ready with their spears and swords to resistboarders, and they were protected by the shield men, who were rangedbefore them at the bulwarks with their shields locked together. Atvarious points of vantage groups of archers had been placed, the bestmarksmen being stationed before the mast, where no rigging or cordagewould mar their aim. At this part stood Einar Eindridson throughout thewhole battle. Loud and shrill sounded the war horns from both sides.Nearer and nearer King Sweyn of Denmark drew onward to the attack. Thewind had fallen, the sea was calm; the sun hung hot and glaring in acloudless sky, flashing on burnished helmet and gilded dragon head.King Olaf's prows were pointed towards the north, so that the enemy asthey came down upon him had the strong midday sunlight in their eyes.King Sweyn Fork Beard opened his attack with a shower of arrowsdirected at the stem defenders of the Long Serpent. King Olaf's archersat once replied in like manner. This exchange of arrows was continuedwithout ceasing while Sweyn's ships came onward at their fullest speed.Then, as the Danes drew yet closer under the Norsemen's prows, arrowsgave place to javelins and spears, which were hurled with unerring aimfrom side to side.
Sweyn's men turned their stems towards both bows of the Long Serpent,as she stood much further forward than any others of Olaf's ships. Manywho could not approach this coveted position turned their attention tothe Short Serpent and the Crane. And now the battle raged fiercely. Yetthe Norsemen stood firm as a wall of rock, while the Danes, assailed bya heavy rain of spears and arrows from the Serpent's decks, began tolose heart ere ever a man of them was able to make his way through theclose bulwark of shields. Olaf's prows were so lofty that they couldnot be scaled, while the defenders, from their higher stand, had fullcommand over their foes. Thrand Squint Eye and Ogmund Sandy were thefirst of the Norsemen to fall. These two leapt down upon the deck ofKing Sweyn's dragon, where, after a tough hand to hand fight, in whichthey vanquished nine of the Dane King's foremost warriors, they wereslain. Kolbiorn Stallare was very angry at these two having broken theranks, and he gave the order that none of the Norsemen were to attemptto board the enemy's ships without express command.
Sweyn's ship lay under the larboard bow of the Serpent, and Wolf theRed had thrown out grappling hooks, holding her there. She was alongship, of twenty banks of oars, and her crew were the pick of allthe warmen of Denmark. Sharp and fierce was the fight at this side, andgreat was the carnage. While Kolbiorn and others of Olaf's stemdefenders kept up an incessant battle with their javelins and swords,King Olaf and his archers shot their arrows high in air so that theyfell in thick rain upon the Danish decks. Yet the Danes, and the Swedesfrom the rear, were not slow to retaliate. Although they found itimpossible to board the Serpent, they nevertheless could assail hercrowded decks with arrows and well aimed spears, and the Norsemen fellin great numbers. In the meantime Sweyn's other ships--not one of whichwas larger than the smallest of King Olaf's eleven dragons--made avigorous onset upon Olaf's left and right wings. The Norsemen foughtwith brave determination, and as one after another of the Dane shipswas cleared of men it was drawn off to the rear, and its place wasoccupied by yet another ship, whose warriors, fresh and eager, renewedthe onset. All along Olaf's line there was not one clear space, not ayard's breadth of bulwark unoccupied by fighting men. The air wasfilled with flying arrows and flashing spears and waving swords. Theclang of the weapons upon the metal shields, the dull thud of blows,the wild shouts of the warriors and cries of the wounded, mingledtogether in a loud vibrating murmur. To Earl Sigvaldi, who lay with hisships apart at the far end of the bay, it sounded like the humming ofbees about a hive. Not only at the prows, but also behind at the sternsof Olaf's compact host, did the Danes attempt to board. The Norsemen,indeed, were completely surrounded by their foemen. King Olaf foughtfrom the poop deck of the Serpent with no less vigour than did Kolbiornand his stem defenders at the prow. He assailed each ship as itapproached with showers of well directed arrows. Then, as the stem ofone of the Danish longships crashed into his vessel's stern, he droppedhis longbow and caught up his spears, one in either hand, and hurledthem into the midst of his clamouring foes. Time after time he calledto his followers, and led them with a fierce rush down upon the enemy'sdecks, sweeping all before him. Seven of King Sweyn's vessels did hethus clear; and at last no more came, and for a time he had rest. But agreat cry from the Serpent's forecastle warned him that his stem menwere having a hard struggle. So he gathered his men together and ledthem forward. Many were armed with battleaxes, others with spears, andall with swords. Calling to his shield bearers to make way for him, hepressed through the gap and leapt down upon the deck of SweynForkbeard's dragon.
"Onward, Christ men, Cross men!" he cried as full three score of hisbravest warriors followed close at his back. And he cut his way throughthe crowd of Danes, who, led by Sweyn himself, had been making a finalrally and preparing to board the Serpent. King Sweyn was wounded in theright arm by a blow from Kolbiorn's sword. Kolbiorn was about to repeatthe blow when several of the Danes, retreating aft, crowded between himand their king. Sweyn drew back, and crying aloud to his men to followhim, turned tail and led them over the bulwarks on to the deck of aship that was alongside of him. This ship, which had not yet beensecured by the Norsemen's grappling irons, he now withdrew to thefarther shores of the bay. As he thus retreated from the battle hesounded his horns, calling off those of his ships that were not yetaltogether vanquished. Tired, wounded, and despairing, he owned himselfno match for Olaf the Glorious. He had made the attack with five andforty fully manned warships, and yet all this great force had been asnothing against the superior skill and courage of the defenders. Thusit befell, as Olaf Triggvison had guessed, that the Danes did not gaina victory over the Norsemen. While the Danes were in full retreat theSwedes hastened forward to renew the attack. The Swedish king,believing that Olaf Triggvison must certainly have suffered terribleloss at the hands of the Danes, had the fullest hope that he would takevery little time in turning the defeat of King Sweyn into a victory forhimself. He had already, from a distance, kept up an intermittent fireof arrows into the midst of the Norse ships, and it may be that he hadthus helped to reduce King Olaf's strength. He now rowed proudly uponthe left wing of the Norse fleet. Here he divided his own forces,sending one division to an attack upon Olaf's prows, and himself rowinground to the rear. Many of the disabled Dane ships barred his way, buthe at last brought his own longship under the poop of the Long Serpent.This interval had given the Norsemen a brief respite in which to cleartheir disordered decks and refresh themselves with welcome draughts ofcooling water which their chief ordered to be served round.
Vain were the Swede king's hopes. When he advanced upon the SerpentOlaf Triggvison was ready to meet him, refreshed by his brief rest,unwounded still, and with his warlike spirit burning eager within him.
"Let us not lose courage at the sight of these heathen devourers ofhorse flesh!" he cried as he rallied his men. "Onward, my braveChristians! It is for Christ's faith that we fight today. Christ'scross against Thor's hammer! Christian against pagan!"
Then, when the anchors and grappling hooks were fastened upon the Swedeking's ship, Olaf hastened to the rail and assailed her men first withjavelin and long spear, and then with sword. So high was the Serpent'spoop above the other's stem that the Norsemen had to bring theirweapons to bear right down below the level of
their sandalled feet, andwhenever the Swedish soldiers, emboldened by seeing an occasional gapin King Olaf's ranks, tried to climb on board, they were hewn down orthrown back into the sea.
At last Olaf of Sweden came forward with a strong body of swordsmen andaxemen, intent upon being the first of the three hostile princes toplant his foot on the deck of the Long Serpent. Olaf Triggvison saw himapproaching, and again calling his Norsemen to follow him, he leaptover the rail and landed on the enemy's deck. The son of Queen Sigridstood still on his forecastle. His face suddenly blanched, but hegripped his sword, ready to encounter Norway's king. Here the two Olafsmet and crossed swords, and a desperate duel ensued. Scarcely had theymade half a dozen passes when Olaf Triggvison, with a quick movement ofhis wrist, struck his opponent's sword from his grasp and it fell onthe deck.
"Too bold is Queen Sigrid's son," cried Olaf, "if he thinks to boardthe Long Serpent. Now have I got you in my power and might put an endto you and your worship of heathen idols. But never shall it be saidthat Olaf Triggvison struck down a foe who was unarmed. Pick up yourblade, proud King of the Swedes, and let us see who is the better man,you or I."
So when Swedish Olaf stood again on guard, the two crossed swords oncemore.
"Now will I avenge the insult you offered my mother!" cried OlafSigridson, "and you who struck her on the cheek with your glove shallbe struck dead with a weapon of well tempered steel instead of foxskin."
"Guard well your head," returned Triggvison, "lest I knock off yourhelmet. The man who taught you the use of the sword might have beenbetter employed, for in truth he has taught you very little."
"He has taught me enough to enable me to slay such a man as you!" criedthe Swede, gathering his strength for a mighty blow.
"That remains to be proved," retorted Olaf Triggvison. "Wait! you havegot the wrong foot foremost!"
But without heeding, the Swede king brought down his sword with a greatsweep, aiming at Olaf Triggvison's head. As with a lightning flash Olafraised his sword to meet the blow. His opponent's blade was broken intwo halves, while at the same moment he fell severely wounded upon thedeck.
"Swedish sword blades are good," said Olaf Triggvison, "but the swordsof the Norsemen are better."
He thought that he had made an end of the King of Sweden. But some ofthe Swedish soldiers who had been watching the duel rushed forward,and, raising their fallen king, carried him off on board another of hisships, while Olaf Triggvison went aft along the crowded decks, and menfell beneath his blows, as the ripe grain falls before the mower'sscythe. It happened to the Swedes, as to the Danes, thatnotwithstanding their superior numbers they found that they were illmatched in skill and prowess with the Norsemen. Their picked championswere speedily killed or wounded, their best ships were disabled, andalthough they had indeed reduced Olaf Triggvison's forces by abouthalf, yet they had not succeeded in boarding any one of his ships, muchless in carrying any of them off as prizes. As King Sweyn hadretreated, so did King Olaf of Sweden. His ships were called off fromthe combat and withdrawn out of range of the Norsemen's arrows. He hadwon no fame by his daring attack, but only ignominious defeat, and hewas fain to escape alive, albeit very badly wounded.
Thus Olaf Triggvison had made both the Danes and the Swedes take toflight, and it had all befallen as he had said.
And now it must be told how Earl Erik Hakonson fared in that fight.True to the agreement which he and the two allied kings had come toover their dice throwing on the morning of that same fateful day, hehad stood apart from the battle while Sweyn had vainly striven to makea prize of the Long Serpent; and during the midday and until theretreat of King Sweyn he had engaged no more in the conflict than todirect his arrows from afar into the thick of Olaf Triggvison's host.Now, Earl Erik was wise in warfare, and a man of keen judgment. He hadfought with his father in the great battle against Sigvaldi and thevikings of Jomsburg, and from what he had seen on that day of OlafTriggvison's prowess, and from what he had since heard of Olaf'swarfare in England and other lands, he had made a very true estimate ofthe man who now fought in defence of the Long Serpent. He had also seenSweyn Forkbeard in the thick of battle, and Olaf of Sweden no less. Hewas, therefore, well able to judge that neither the king of the Danesnor the king of the Swedes was capable of overcoming so brave andmighty a warrior as the king of the Norsemen, or of wresting the LongSerpent from the man who had built her and who knew so well how todefend his own. Pride in his own countryman may have had some share inthe forming of this opinion. But Earl Erik had fought against the menof every land in Scandinavia. He had a firm belief that the men ofNorway were braver and bolder, stronger in body, more skilful in theuse of their weapons, and had greater powers of endurance than any oftheir neighbours. And it may be that in this he was right. He at leastsaw cause for thinking that the only men who could succeed invanquishing King Olaf's Norsemen were the Norsemen of Earl ErikHakonson. Earl Erik's vikings and berserks, eagerly watching the fray,had seen how the Danish ships had one after another been driven off,disabled and defeated. They had watched every movement of the tall andsplendid form of the Norse king as he fought in his shining armour andhis bright red tunic on the Serpent's lypting. For a time they had notbeen certain whether Olaf Triggvison was at the stem or on the poop ofhis great dragonship, for it was seen that at each of these importantpoints there was a tall chief whose prowess and whose attire alikedistinguished him from all other men; and these two champions soresembled one the other that it was not easy to tell which was KolbiornStallare and which King Olaf. But Earl Erik had not a moment's doubt.He would have known Olaf Triggvison had a score of such men as Kolbiornbeen at his side. Earl Erik was the eldest son of the evil Earl Hakonwho had fled from Thrandheim at the time of Olaf's coming into Norway,and been slain while taking refuge at the farmstead of Rimul, and Erikhad naturally hoped that on his father's death he would succeed to thethrone. Olaf Triggvison had shattered all his plans of future glory;and during the five years that had already passed of King Olaf's reignhe thirsted for such an opportunity as now presented itself, not onlyof avenging his father's death but also, it might be, of placinghimself upon the throne of Norway. His only uneasiness at the presentmoment arose from his fear lest King Olaf should be overcome in thebattle ere he had himself encountered him face to face and hand to hand.
While the King of Sweden and his forces were engaged with their attackupon Olaf's centre of battle, Earl Erik adopted a plan which, althoughseemingly more hopeless, was in the end more successful than any thathad yet been attempted by either the Danes or the Swedes. He saw thatwhile the Long Serpent continued to be supported on either side by fivestrong and well manned dragonships she was practically unassailable.Her poop and her prow were the only points of her hull that wereexposed, and these towered so high above the bulwarks of all othervessels that to attempt to board her was both useless and dangerous.Herein lay the secret of Olaf's successful defence, the proof of hisforethought and wisdom in building the Serpent so much larger andhigher than all other vessels in his fleet. Earl Erik, indeed, hadobserved that every ship that had approached her, either fore or aft,had been in its turn completely cleared of men or forced to withdrawout of the conflict.
Urging his rowers to their fullest speed, Erik bore down with his shipsupon the extreme of King Olaf's right wing. The heavy, iron bound bowof the Ram crashed into the broadside of Olaf's outermost longship,whose timber creaked and groaned under the impact. Vikings and berserksleapt down upon her decks, and now Norseman met Norseman in a terrible,deadly combat. The king's men were well nigh exhausted with the longday's fighting under the hot sun; their bronzed faces streamed withperspiration, their limbs moved wearily. But, however, tired andthirsty they were, they could give themselves no respite. Every manthat fell or was disabled by wounds left a gap in the ranks that couldnot be filled. The earl's men were fresh and vigorous; they had waitedfor hours for their chief's orders to enter the fray, and now thatthose orders had been given to them they fought with hot fury, yellingtheir battle crie
s and cutting down their foemen with ponderous axe andkeen edged sword.
So fierce was the onslaught that many of Olaf's men, for the first timethat day, fell back in fear and clambered over the bulwarks of the nextship. Very soon the decks of the first longship were completely clearedof defenders. Then Earl Erik backed out with the Iron Ram, while theseamen on his other ships cut away the lashings that had bound Olaf'soutermost vessel to her neighbour, and drew the conquered craft awayinto the rear, leaving the next ship exposed.
Again Earl Erik advanced with the Ram and crashed as before into theexposed broadside of the outermost ship. As before, the vikings leapton board and renewed the onset. Five of the viking ships lay with theirhigh prows overshadowing the broadside bulwarks, and their men swarmedand clamoured upon the decks from stem to stern, clearing all beforethem. Again the lashings were cut and the conquered longship waswithdrawn.
Two of King Olaf's dragons had now been captured by Earl Erik. It wasnot very long ere yet two others followed; and then the Short Serpentwas exposed, even as her four companions had been. At this junctureEarl Erik paused, for he saw that Thorkel Nefja's decks were denselycrowded with men who had retreated from vessel to vessel before theonslaught of the vikings. With the caution which long years of vikingwork had taught him, the earl decided that the Short Serpent might bestbe assailed by means of arrows, fired from a safe distance, until hernumbers had been sufficiently diminished to warrant his attacking herat closer quarters. So he arrayed six of his ships near hand and sethis archers to work, and for a long while this method of assault wascontinued.
There was no lack of arrows on the Short Serpent, or indeed, on anyother of King Olaf's battleships. But it was noticed by the earl'svikings that the larger number of the shafts that were shot at them bythe defenders were of Danish or Swedish make, and by this it was judgedthat the king's men were using the arrows that had been fired upon themby their enemies.
Leaving his six ships where he had stationed them, Earl Erik now rowedthe Iron Ram round to the left wing of Olaf Triggvison's array. Four ofhis best longships followed him. He passed astern of the king's fleet.As he rowed by under the poop of the Long Serpent he saw the majesticfigure of the King of Norway, looking brilliant in gold and scarlet ashe stood in flood of the afternoon sunlight, sword in hand and shieldat breast. The eyes of the two bravest of Norse warriors met. Wavinghis sword in mock salute, Earl Erik cried aloud:
"Short will be Olaf's shrift when Erik boards the Long Serpent!"
King Olaf saw that near to where Erik stood, on the Iron Ram's forwarddeck, the image of the god Thor was raised, and he cried aloud inanswer:
"Never shall Erik board the Serpent while Thor dwells in his stem!"
"A wise soothsayer is the king," said Earl Erik to one of his warriorsas he passed onward astern of the Crane. "And I have been thinking,ever since this battle began that the great luck of Olaf may be due tothat sign of the cross that we see on all his banners and shields.Often have I felt a wish to turn Christian, for it seems to me that allChristian men have something noble and honest about them--a greatnesswhich we heathens can never achieve. Now do I swear upon the hilt of mysword"--he raised his sword hilt to his lips--"that if I win thisbattle and take the Long Serpent for my prize I will straightway allowmyself to be christened. And, to begin with, I will have that image ofThor thrown overboard into the sea. It is ill made and cumbrous, and afigure of the cross will take less room in our stem and bring us moreluck withal."
So speaking, Earl Erik stepped forward and, gripping the idol in hisstrong arms, flung it over the bulwark. Then he lashed two sparstogether, a long plank crossed with a shorter one, and raised thisrough made crucifix high in the stem of the Iron Ram. By this time hisvessel had passed beyond the extreme of King Olaf's left wing. He badehis rowers stop their rowing on the starboard side. They did so, andthe ship turned about. Then at fullest speed he bore down upon theking's outermost dragon, crashed into her side and renewed hisonslaught.
Erik dealt with the left wing as he had done with the right, and oneafter another of the four ships was cleared and unlashed. And now theLong Serpent lay with only two companions, the Short Serpent at herstarboard and the Crane at her larboard side.
Already the Short Serpent was greatly crippled. Her commander, ThorkelNefja, had fallen, and the larger number of her men had retreated onboard of Olaf's ship, driven thither by the vikings of the six vesselsthat were now ranged close against her. Earl Erik now made a vigorousattack upon the Crane. He boarded her with a vast crowd of his vikings.On the mid deck he encountered her captain, Thorkel the Wheedler, andthe two engaged in a sharp hand to hand fight. Regardless of his ownlife, Thorkel fought with savage fury. He knew how much depended uponhis preventing Erik from boarding the king's ship. But he had alreadyreceived a severe wound from a javelin across the fingers of his righthand, and he was full weary from the heat and long fighting. Hisassailant speedily overcame him, and he fell, calling upon God to savethe king. As Thorkel had fought, so fought his men--desperately,furiously, but yet weakly, and at last both the Crane and the ShortSerpent were cleared; their lashings were unfastened, they werewithdrawn to the rear, and King Olaf's great dragonship stood aloneamong her foes.
CHAPTER XXII: THE DEFENCE OF THE "LONG SERPENT"
The sun was sinking lower and lower to the sea; light clouds weregathering in the western sky. But there would yet be three hours ofdaylight, and Earl Erik deemed that this would be ample time in whichto win the Long Serpent. His own decks were thickly strewn with dead;his men were weary and athirst, and he saw need for a respite fromfighting, if only for a very brief while. Also he saw on coming nearerto King Olaf's ship that it would be no easy matter to win on board ofher; for the Iron Ram was but a third of her length, and her highestbulwarks reached only to a level with the oar holes in the Serpent'swales.
Erik blew his horns for a short truce. His ships were drawn off, andfor a time the battle ceased. In this interval the combatants on bothsides rested themselves and took food and drink. King Olaf had hisdecks cleared of the dead, sent the wounded below into the shelter ofthe holds, and arrayed his men anew. He was himself unwounded still,but his silken tunic was tattered, so that the links of his coat ofmail showed through. His helmet was battered by the many spears andswords that had struck upon it, and his shield bristled with brokenarrows.
When he had freshened himself and got together a new supply of arrowsand spears, he mounted to the poop deck, and there, standing in thesunlight, looked around the bay. The water was strewn with wreckage, anarrow floated on every wave. Small boats had been put out to pick upthe men who had fallen, or been thrust overboard from the ships. Allwas silent now, save for the suppressed cries of the wounded and thehoarse voices of the chiefs who were giving rapid orders to their menfor the renewal of the fight.
Earl Erik's ships, among which there were also some of the Swedes andDanes, stood off from the Serpent at a distance of an easy arrow'sflight. They surrounded the Serpent like a pack of eager wolves held atbay; and the most eager of all men there present was Earl Erik.
When he had prepared his men he said to a chief who stood nearhim--Thorkel the High, it was, brother of Earl Sigvaldi:
"Many fierce battles have I fought; but never before have I found menequally brave and so skilled in warfare as the men fighting for KingOlaf today; nor have I ever seen a ship so hard to win as the LongSerpent. Now, as you are one of the wisest of men, Thorkel, give me thebest advice you know as to how that great ship may be won."
"I cannot give you sure advice," Thorkel answered: "but I can say whatseems to me the best; and I would say that you would do well, when wepresently come alongside, to take heavy timbers or such like weightythings, and let them fall across the gunwale of the Serpent, so thatthe ship will lean over. You will then find it easier to board her, forshe will be brought down by the weight to a level with our ownbulwarks."
"The advice is good," said Erik, "and I will follow it."
As he spoke, there
came the loud blast of King Olaf's war horns,calling to his foes to come on.
The Iron Ram, and other ships, to the number of fifteen, then closed inabout the Serpent, and, as they advanced, the archers on their decksopened battle by shooting their arrows high in air, so that they fellinto the midst of Olaf's men in an unremitting shower. Olaf's warriors,one and all, raised their shields above their heads and held them therewhile the rain of shafts pattered upon them with a loud drumming noisethat could be heard far across the bay. Many of the men were killed andmany more wounded by this terrible hail, and when at length theshooting ceased, every shield was found to be closely bristled witharrows.
Earl Erik bore down upon the Serpent with the Iron Ram, whose heavystem struck her amidships with tremendous force, so that the men on herdecks were thrown off their feet. The good ship creaked in all herbeams, but no great damage was done. Erik shipped his oars and drew hisvessel close alongside, and at once his men began to heave great planksand logs of wood over the Serpent's gunwale. In this work they werespeedily stopped, for Olaf's spearmen and archers on the deck of theforeroom assailed them with their weapons in such wise that they darednot continue. Not to be outdone, Erik had all his long oars brought ondeck, and with these he made a bridge from the top of his foreroomacross to the Serpent's gunwale. In this work he lost many of his men,who were shot down by Einar Eindridson and others of the king's bestmarksmen. But a gangway was made, nevertheless, and the chiefdifficulty was surmounted.
Not yet did Earl Erik attempt to board King Olaf's dragon. He sent manyof his best men on board, armed with axe and sword. Most of themcrossed the gangway to certain death; but many of the king's men alsofell, both from wounds and from sheer exhaustion. It was amidships thatthe toughest fighting went on, and it was here that the larger numberof the defenders met their death. But at the foreroom and the stem ofthe Serpent the fray was also of the fiercest. Company after company ofthe vikings clambered on board, for so fully were the king's menoccupied in guarding their own lives that they could give little heedto their foes, who seemed to come from every point, not only from theIron Ram, but also from other ships that were now drawn close inagainst the Serpent's hull. For every viking or Dane or Swede who fell,there were ten ready to take his place. The clang of weapons was now atits highest. Spears and arrows flew in the midst, not aimed at random,but each at its own particular mark, and each carrying death on itskeen point.
King Olaf, surrounded by a burg of shields, flung his spears and shothis arrows with untiring vigour; but often he paused to watch how thebattle fared or to give some new order to his men. He saw that his stemdefenders were quickly becoming fewer and fewer, and that those who yetremained wielded their weapons with slow and heavy strokes. In amomentary lull of the conflict he left his own post and went forward.
"Why do you raise your weapons so slowly?" he cried. "I see they do notbite!"
Bersi the Strong replied: "Our swords are both dull and broken, lord."
The king then went into the foreroom, unlocked the high seat chest andtook therefrom many bright and sharp swords which he carried out in hisarms and put down among his men. As he bent over the weapons and pickedout a very fine one to give to Bersi the Strong, Kolbiorn saw thatblood flowed out of the sleeve of his coat of mail. Others saw theblood; but no one knew where the king was wounded. Then Olaf strodeback to the lypting deck and once more surveyed the battle from onhigh. He saw that his stem defenders, to whom he had served newweapons, had now become so furious that they leapt upon the gunwales inorder to reach their foes with their swords and kill them. But many ofEarl Erik's ships did not lie so close to the Serpent as to afford anyhand to hand fighting. The vikings were still cautious of Olaf'schampions. Still, many of the king's men thought of nothing but goingconstantly forward, and in their eagerness and daring they seemed toforget that they were not on dry land. They went straight overboard,and several sank down with their weapons between the ships. Olaf wasvery angry at their want of care, for he now deemed every man of morevalue than ten had been at the beginning of the battle. Nevertheless,it was easy to see that the greater loss was on the side of Earl Erik.Olaf's archers and spearmen dealt such destruction that the victory forNorway seemed to become more possible with every moment.
Now Earl Erik had found very soon that his gangway of oars was by nomeans satisfactory, because while his men were crossing they became sofully exposed to King Olaf's marksmen that of every three who startedonly one succeeded in gaining a foothold on the Serpent's deck. Manyhundreds of men--vikings, Swedes, and Danes--lost their lives on thisbridge. So when Erik saw that King Olaf was gaining the upper hand ofhim he got his berserks to take down the oars and to fling them overthe Serpent's nearer gunwale, together with all logs of wood, spars,ballast stones, and other weighty things that could be found. And asthe weight increased so did the Serpent lean over, until at last herbulwarks were almost on a level with those of the Iron Ram.
While the vikings were at this work a constant rain of arrows andjavelins was showered upon them by King Olaf himself and his marksmenon the poop, and as Erik saw his best men falling he half repentedhaving taken them from the fight. But when the great obstacle that hadbaffled him so long was overcome, he rallied his vikings, and placinghimself at their head, led them on board the Serpent. And now ensuedone of the sharpest combats that had been seen that day.
Olaf's voice sounded loud above the tumult, calling to his chiefs inthe bow to leave their station and resist the boarders in the waist.Wolf the Red, Ogmund Sandy, and Thrand Squinteye had already fallen,and Ketil the Tall and Vikar of Tiundaland had been sent belowseriously wounded. But there still remained Kolbiorn Stallare,Thorstein Oxfoot, Bersi the Strong, and Thorfinn the Dashing; and thesechampions gathered a score of men about them, and hastening aft to themidships deck, turned against Earl Erik and made a very hard resistance.
Bersi the Strong encountered the earl hand to hand, their swordsclashed, a few blows were exchanged and dexterously guarded; then Bersifell. Thorfinn the Dashing took his place, and while the earl and hewere fighting their hardest, Thorstein Oxfoot and Kolbiorn engaged withfour of the earl's vikings. Kolbiorn felled two of them and turned to athird. Then Thorstein Oxfoot's sword was struck from his hand.Thorstein doubled his fist and struck his opponent on the cheek. Theviking stumbled, and Thorstein snatched up the half of a broken oar andwielding it above his head rushed among the vikings, belabouring themright and left. When King Olaf saw this he called aloud to Thorstein ina loud voice of command:
"Take your weapons, man, and defend yourself with them fairly. Weapons,and not fists or timber, are meant for men to fight with in battle!"
Thorstein then recovered his sword and fought valiantly.
There was still a most fierce fight going on between the earl's men andOlaf's champions. Kolbiorn vanquished the third viking he had engagedwith, while Earl Erik was pressed back and back by Thorfinn theDashing. Then Thorfinn caught sight of King Olaf, and at a sign fromthe king he lowered his blade and drew back a pace. Before Earl Erikcould understand, a javelin whizzed past his left ear and buried itspoint in the bulwark behind him. He turned to see who had flung thejavelin and saw King Olaf standing by the poop rail poising a secondspear. The king flung his weapon, taking good aim; but this spearmissed its mark as the first had done. King Olaf bit his lip invexation, but as the earl turned quickly to beat a retreat on board theRam, Olaf flung a third javelin after him. It struck the crest ofErik's helmet, but did no harm.
"Never before did I thus miss a man!" cried the king as he watched hisenemy's retreat. "Great is Earl Erik's luck today. It must be God'swill that he now shall rule in Norway; and that is not strange, for Isee that he has changed the stem dweller on the Iron Ram. I said todaythat he would not gain victory over us if he had the image of Thor inhis stem."
Now young Einar Eindridson had by this time taken up his position infront of the poop deck, where he found he could command a better sweepof the Iron Ram's deck, and so pick off Earl Erik's champi
ons. Einarsaw the vexation in King Olaf's face, and when he got a good chance helevelled his aim against Earl Erik. He drew his bow. The arrow flewfrom the string and went straight to its mark. But in the same instantthe earl suddenly moved round his head, so that the arrow, meant forhis bared temple, only grazed his ear.
"Shoot me that tall, beardless youth!" cried the earl, pointing atEinar. "Full fifty of our best men has he slain with his arrows thisday!"
Finn Eyvindson, to whom Erik spoke, aimed an arrow at Einar just as thelad was bending his bow for a second shot at the earl. The arrow hitEinar's famous bow in the middle and broke it with a loud snap.
"What was it that broke?" asked King Olaf.
Einar answered sadly as he dropped the pieces of his bow:
"Norway from thy hands, my king!"
"So great was not the breach, I hope," King Olaf said. "Take my bow andshoot with it instead."
Einar seized the king's bow and straightway drew it right over thearrowhead, bending it almost double.
"Too weak, too weak is the king's bow," said he, casting it aside.Then, for the first time that day, he took his shield and sword andrushed into the fray. No man in all King Olaf's host had slain more menin that battle than Einar with his arrows; and now the lad made himselfno less distinguished with his sword.
Earl Erik presently saw that the sun was sinking nearer and nearer tothe line of the sea. The number of his men had become woefully small,and yet, as he believed, Olaf Triggvison was still unwounded,undaunted, and as full of confident hope as he had ever shown himselfto be. So the earl decided to make one more effort after the victoryand to risk his all in a final hand to hand encounter with the King ofthe Norsemen. Gathering all his available men together he prepared tomake a rush upon the Long Serpent's deck.
King Olaf, seeing the earl's design, called his men aft, and rangedthem in a compact body in front of the poop deck, ready to meet theirfoes.
At the same time Kolbiorn Stallare went up to Olaf's side, and the two,so much alike in size and dress, stood shoulder to shoulder, with theirshields before them and their swords in their hands. A row of shieldbearers stood in front of them. Then, with wild yells, the vikings, ledby Earl Erik, rushed upon the mid deck.
As it had been throughout the whole day's battle, so was it now. KingOlaf's men were greatly outnumbered; it was a conflict of skill andendurance against overwhelming odds. This final contest, while itlasted, was fierce and terrible. In a short time, however, many of KingOlaf's champions fell. Brave and strong though they were, they couldnot withstand the furious onslaught of the ambitious and valiant EarlErik. For a moment Olaf Triggvison was tempted to rush down and jointhe poor remnant of his men. He pressed forward to the stairs; butKolbiorn Stallare drew him back.
"Wait, lord!" he cried; and then he whispered in Olaf's ear, and theyboth strode slowly aft to the rail. Here King Olaf turned and spoke toone of the shield bearers.
"How many of our men now remain?" he asked.
The man counted.
"Twelve are still left," he answered.
In a little while the king repeated his question.
"There are now but six," was the answer.
And then there came the sound of hurried feet upon the stairs, andEinar Eindridson rushed upon the upper deck, followed by three of hisshipmates, and pursued by Earl Erik and a great crowd of clamouringvikings.
"Death to King Olaf!" cried the earl, in a voice which, in the silencethat suddenly fell upon the ships, could be heard far across the bay.In that moment King Olaf and Kolbiorn leapt upon the rail, paused thereamid the red light of the setting sun, and then, raising their shieldsabove their heads, threw themselves over into the sea.
A cry that was half a groan escaped Earl Erik's lips. Flinging hissword aside, he went to the rail where King Olaf had stood. He lookeddown into the sea. Shadows were creeping over it. For a moment he sawthe two swimmers. So much alike were they, each with his flowing goldhair, his crested helm, and his tattered red silk tunic, that it wasimpossible to tell which was the king. Presently one disappeared. Theother was assailed by arrows and spears, but instantly he turned overand held his shield above him.
"It is the king! It is Olaf the King!" was the cry and boats were putout to rescue him. But Einar Eindridson kept his eyes upon the wavesuntil at last, in the midst of a bright beam of sunlight far away hesaw the shield of King Olaf appear, with its glistening image of theholy cross. And when the word went round that the rescued man wasKolbiorn Stallare and not the king, the lad pointed outward upon thesea and all looked in amaze upon the shining crucifix as it rose andfell with the motion of the waves.
The tale is told that the king, as he swam beneath the cover of hisshield, stripped off his armour and, making his way to the land, wentaway on a pilgrimage to Rome. But the young grew old, and the worldwent on, and never again did King Olaf the Glorious come back to hisrealm in Norway.
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