making himself and his place ready; and then they
stretched themselves to their oars. When they saw the earl's ships they
rowed towards them, and made ready to attack. When Svein's men saw the
forces they armed themselves, bound their ships together, and then began
one of the sharpest of battles. So says Thiodolf, the skald:--

"Shield against shield, the earl and king
Made shields and swords together ring.
The gold-decked heroes made a play
Which Hild's iron-shirt men say
They never saw before or since
On battle-deck; the brave might wince,
As spear and arrow whistling flew,
Point blank, death-bringing, quick and true."

They fought at the bows, so that the men only on the bows could strike;
the men on the forecastle thrust with spears: and all who were farther
off shot with light spears or javelins, or war-arrows. Some fought with
stones or short stakes; and those who were aft of the mast shot with the
bow. So Says Thiodolf:--

"Steel-pointed spear, and sharpened stake,
Made the broad shield on arm shake:
The eagle, hovering in the air,
Screamed o'er the prey preparing there.
And stones and arrows quickly flew,
And many a warrior bold they slew.
The bowman never twanged his bow
And drew his shaft so oft as now;
And Throndhjem's bowmen on that day
Were not the first tired of this play:
Arrows and darts so quickly fly,
You could not follow with the eye."

Here it appears how hot the battle was with casting weapons. King Magnus
stood in the beginning of the battle within a shield-rampart; but as it
appeared to him that matters were going on too slowly, he leaped over
the shields, and rushed forward in the ship, encouraging his men with
a loud cheer, and springing to the bows, where the battle was going on
hand to hand. When his men saw this they urged each other on with mutual
cheering, and there was one great hurrah through all the ships. So says
Thiodolf:--

"'On with our ships! on to the foe!'
Cry Magnus' men--on, on they go.
Spears against shields in fury rattle,--
Was never seen so fierce a battle."

And now the battle was exceedingly sharp; and in the assault Svein's
ship was cleared of all her forecastle men, upon and on both sides of
the forecastle. Then Magnus boarded Svein's ship, followed by his men;
and one after the other came up, and made so stout an assault that
Svein's me