nd called his
forecastlemen, and ordered them to board the king's ship; but they
answered, this was no easy matter, for there were beams above with an
iron comb on them. Then Erling himself went to the bow, and stayed there
a while, until they succeeded in getting on board the king's ship: and
then the ship was cleared of men on the bows, and the whole army gave
way. Many sprang into the water, many fell, but the greater number got
to the land. So says Einar Skulason:--

"Men fall upon the slippery deck--
Men roll off from the blood-drenched wreck;
Dead bodies float down with the stream,
And from the shores witch-ravens scream.
The cold blue river now runs red
With the warm blood of warriors dead,
And stains the waves in Karmt Sound
With the last drops of the death-wound.

"All down the stream, with unmann'd prow,
Floats many an empty long-ship now,
Ship after ship, shout after shout,
Tell that Kign Hakon can't hold out.
The bowmen ply their bows of elm,
The red swords flash o'er broken helm:
King Hakon's men rush to the strand,
Out of their ships, up through the land."

Einar composed a song about Gregorius Dagson, which is called the
River-song. King Inge granted life and peace to Nikolas Skialdvarson
when his ship was deserted, and thereupon he went into King Inge's
service, and remained in it as long as the king lived. Eindride Jonson
leaped on board of King Inge's ship when his own was cleared of men, and
begged for his life. King Inge wished to grant it; but Havard Klining's
son ran up, and gave him a mortal wound, which was much blamed; but he
said Eindride had been the cause of his father's death. There was much
lamentation at Eindride's death, but principally in the Throndhjem
district. Many of Hakon's people fell here, but not many chiefs. Few of
King Inge's people fell, but many were wounded. King Hakon fled up the
country, and King Inge went north to Viken with his troops; and he, as
well as Gregorius, remained in Viken all winter (A.D. 1160). When King
Inge's men, Bergliot and his brothers, sons of Ivar of Elda, came from
the battle to Bergen, they slew Nickolas Skeg, who had been Hakon's
treasurer, and then went north to Throndhjem.

King Hakon came north before Yule, and Sigurd was sometimes home at
Reyr; for Gregorius, who was nearly related to Sigurd, had obtained for
him life and safety from King Inge, so that he r