l
To pierce his coat of ringed mail.
The King stands on the blood-stained deck;
Trampling on many a foeman's neck;
And high above the dinning stound
Of helm and axe, and ringing sound
Of blade, and shield, and raven's cry
Is heard the shout of--`Victory!'"

In this poem the scald gives only an outline of the great fight. Let us
follow more closely the action of those in whom we are peculiarly
interested.

For more than two hours the battle raged with unabated fury--victory
inclining to neither side; but as the day advanced, the energy with
which Solve Klofe pushed the right wing began to tell, and the King's
men gave way a little at that part. Harald, however, was on the alert.
He sent some of his loose ships to reinforce them, and so regained his
position. A short time after that, some of Solve's ships were boarded,
but at that moment Erling and Glumm chanced to pass in their cutters--
for they kept always close together--and they gave such a shout, while
they turned and pulled to the rescue, that the men, who were wavering,
took heart again and drove the foe overboard. Just then the ship on the
right of Solve Klofe's vessel was also boarded by the enemy. Seeing
this, Erling called to Glumm that there was need of succour there, and
they rowed swiftly to the spot.

"Art thou hard pressed, Solve?" asked Erling, as he ranged up to the
stern of his friend's ship.

Solve was so furious that he could not answer, but pointed to the ship
next his, and sprang on the edge of his own, intending to leap into that
of the enemy, and get to the forefront. At the same time Eindrid, son
of Mornef, stood up on the high foredeck of his ship with a large stone
in his hand. He was a very powerful man, and hurled the stone with such
force against Solve's shield that it battered him down, and he fell back
into his own ship much stunned. Seeing this, Erling bade two of his men
follow him, leaped into Solve's ship, and thence into the one where the
fight was sharpest. Glumm followed him closely with his long two-handed
sword, and these two fought so dreadfully that Eindrid's men were driven
back into their own ship again. Then Erling ran to the place where the
high stern was wedged between two of the enemy's ships, and sprang on
the forecastle of Eindrid's ship.

"Thou art a bold man!" said Eindrid, turning on him.

"That may be as thou sayest," replied Erling, at the same time catching
a thrust on his shield,