anked line fought side by side,
'Gainst lines of war-men under shields\
Close packed together on the fields,
Earl Hakon drive by daring deeds
The Saxons to their ocean-steeds;
And the young hero saves from fall
The Danavirke--the people's wall."

After this battle Earl Hakon went back to his ships, and intended to
sail home to Norway; but he did not get a favourable wind, and lay for
some time outside at Limafjord.

27. HARALD AND HAKON ARE BAPTIZED.

The Emperor Otta turned back with his troops to Slesvik, collected his
ships of war, and crossed the fjord of Sle into Jutland. As soon as the
Danish king heard of this he marched his army against him, and there was
a battle, in which the emperor at last got the victory. The Danish king
fled to Limafjord and took refuge in the island Marsey. By the help
of mediators who went between the king and the emperor, a truce and a
meeting between them were agreed on. The Emperor Otta and the Danish
king met upon Marsey. There Bishop Poppo instructed King Harald in
the holy faith; he bore red hot irons in his hands, and exhibited his
unscorched hands to the king. Thereafter King Harald allowed himself to
be baptized, and also the whole Danish army. King Harald, while he
was in Marsey, had sent a message to Hakon that he should come to his
succour; and the earl had just reached the island when the king had
received baptism. The king sends word to the earl to come to him, and
when they met the king forced the earl to allow himself also to be
baptized. So Earl Hakon and all the men who were with him were baptized;
and the king gave them priests and other learned men with them, and
ordered that the earl should make all the people in Norway be baptized.
On that they separated; and the earl went out to sea, there to wait for
a wind.

28. HAKON RENOUNCES CHRISTIANITY.

When a wind came with which he thought he could get clear out to sea, he
put all the learned men on shore again, and set off to the ocean; but
as the wind came round to the south-west, and at last to west, he sailed
eastward, out through Eyrarsund, ravaging the land on both sides. He
then sailed eastward along Skane, plundering the country wherever he
came. When he got east to the skerries of East Gautland, he ran in and
landed, and made a great blood-sacrifice. There came two ravens flying
which croaked loudly; and now, thought the earl, the blood-offering has
been accepted