arose at this time on the right; for there the wing of the
Southland men was broken, and everywhere King Harald's men were
victorious.

"Hold thou them in check, Glumm," cried Erling to his friend, as he
quickly raised his father in his arms and bore him away to his cutter.

Glumm, who had followed his friend like his shadow, sprang forward and
engaged Hake, who had recovered his sword, and who found this new enemy
little, if at all, less formidable than the other.

Erling placed his father carefully in the cutter.

"Here, Thorer," he said, "do thou guard my father, and hold thyself and
the carles in readiness to push off. The day is lost, I see. I go to
slay the King, and will return presently."

He leaped away as he spoke, and regained the foredeck of the Dragon,
where Glumm and his men were still engaged with the berserkers, just as
the King came to the front. The instant he saw Erling he leaped upon
him with a fierce shout, and shook back his shaggy flaxen locks as a
lion might shake his mane. Erling was not a whit behind him in anxiety
to meet. He sprang upon him with a crashing blow of his great pole-axe,
which rang loudly on the King's shield, but did him no hurt. They were
a well-matched pair. Harald was fully as stout, though not quite so
tall as his opponent, whose fine silky hair was almost as bushy as that
of the King, though neither so long nor so tangled.

Men drew back and stood aside when they heard the shock and shout of
their onset, and suspended the fight around them, while they gazed on in
silent awe. For a time it seemed doubtful which was the better man; for
the King's blade whirled incessantly around his head like flashing
light, and rang on Erling's shield, which was ever upraised to meet it.
At the same time the axe of our hero, if not so swift in its gyrations,
was more tremendous in its action; more than once the King was seen to
stagger beneath its thundering blows, and once he was beaten down on one
knee. How long this might have lasted it is impossible to tell; but,
seeing that the King was likely to get the worst of it, one of his men
crept round by the outside of the ship, and coming suddenly up behind
Erling, put out his hand and caught him by the leg, causing him to
stagger backwards, so that he fell overboard. In falling our hero
caught the man by the throat, and both fell into the sea together.

It was seen that Erling dived with his foe and dragged him down as if to