ison:--

"With falcon eye, and courage bright,
Our king saw glory in the fight;
To fly, he saw, would ruin bring
On them and him--the folk and king.
'Hands up the arms to one and all!'
Cries out the king; 'we'll win or fall!
Sooner than fly, heaped on each other
Each man shall fall across his brother!'"

Then King Harald drew up his ships to attack, and brought forward his
great dragon in the middle of his fleet. So says Thiodolf:--

"The brave king through his vessels' throng
His dragon war-ship moves along;
He runs her gaily to the front,
To meet the coming battle's brunt."

The ship was remarkably well equipt, and fully manned. So says
Thiodolf:--

"The king had got a chosen crew--
He told his brave lads to stand true.
The ring of shields seemed to enclose
The ship's deck from the boarding foes.
The dragon, on the Nis-river flood,
Beset with men, who thickly stood,
Shield touching shield, was something rare,
That seemed all force of man to dare."

Ulf, the marshal, laid his ship by the side of the king's and ordered
his men to bring her well forward. Stein Herdison, who was himself in
Ulf's ship, sings of it thus:--

"Our oars were stowed, our lances high,
As the ship moved swung in the sky.
The marshal Ulf went through our ranks,
Drawn up beside the rowers' banks:
The brave friend of our gallant king
Told us our ship well on to bring,
And fight like Norsemen in the cause--
Our Norsemen answered with huzzas."

Hakon Ivarson lay outside on the other wing, and had many ships with
him, all well equipt. At the extremity of the other side lay the
Throndhjem chiefs, who had also a great and strong force.

64. OF KING SVEIN'S ARMAMENT.

Svein, the Danish king, also drew up his fleet, and laid his ship
forward in the center against King Harald's ship, and Fin Arnason laid
his ship next; and then the Danes laid their ships, according as they
were bold or well-equipt. Then, on both sides, they bound the ships
together all through the middle of the fleets; but as the fleets were
so large, very many ships remained loose, and each laid his ship forward
according to his courage, and that was very unequal. Although the
difference among the men was great, altogether there was a very great
force on both sides. King Svein had six earls among the people following
him. So