wo hundred men and got into ships.

"We will make that Shockhead smart," he said.

So they harried the coast of King Harald's country. They filled their
ships with gold. They ate other men's meals. They burned farmhouses
behind them. The people cried out to the earls for help. So the earls
had out their ships all the time trying to catch Solfi, but he was too
clever for them.

In the spring he went to a certain king, Audbiorn, and said to him:

"Now, there are two things that we can do. We can become this Shockhead
Harald's thralls, we can kneel before him and put our heads between his
knees. Or else we can fight. My father thought it better to die in
battle than to be any man's thrall. How is it? Will you join with my
cousin Arnvid and me against this young Shockhead?"

"Yes, I will do it," said the king.

[Decoration]

FOOTNOTES:

[8] See note about foster-father on page 197.

[Illustration]

The Sea Fight

Many men felt as Solfi did. So when King Audbiorn and King Arnvid sent
out their war arrows, a great host gathered. All men came by sea. Two
hundred ships lay at anchor in the fiord, looking like strange swimming
animals because of their high carved prows and bright paint. There were
red and gold dragons with long necks and curved tails. Sea-horses reared
out of the water. Green and gold snakes coiled up. Sea-hawks sat with
spread wings ready to fly. And among all these curved necks stood up the
tall, straight masts with the long yardarms swinging across them holding
the looped-up sails.

When the starting horn blew, and their sails were let down, it was like
the spreading of hundreds of curious flags. Some were striped black and
yellow or blue and gold. Some were white with a black raven or a brown
bear embroidered on them, or blue with a white sea-hawk, or black with
a gold sun. Some were edged with fur. As the wind filled the gaudy
sails, and the ships moved off, the men waved their hands to the women
on shore and sang:

"To the sea! To the sea!
The wind in our sail,
The sea in our face,
And the smell of the fight.
After ship meets ship,
In the quarrel of swords
King Harald shall lie
In the caves under sea
And Norsemen shall laugh."

In the prow stood men leaning forward and sniffing the salt air with
joy. Some were talking of King Harald.

"Yesterday he had a hard fight," they said. "To-day he will be lying
still, dressing his wounds and men