t of it fell into the sea,--
A part was kept, a proof to be
How sharp and thick the arrow-flight
Among the sea-steeds in this fight."

ENDNOTES: (1) Norn, one of the Fates, stands here for women, whose
business it was to sew the rings of iron upon the cloth
which made these ring-mail coats or shirts. The needles,
although some of them were of gold, appear to have been
without eyes, and used like shoemaker's awls.--L.

44. EARL SIGVALDE'S FLIGHT.

The Jomsborg vikings had larger and higher-sided ships; and both parties
fought desperately. Vagn Akason laid his ship on board of Svein Earl
Hakon's son's ship, and Svein allowed his ship to give way, and was
on the point of flying. Then Earl Eirik came up, and laid his ship
alongside of Vagn, and then Vagn gave way, and the ships came to lie
in the same position as before. Thereupon Eirik goes to the other wing,
which had gone back a little, and Bue had cut the ropes, intending to
pursue them. Then Eirik laid himself, board to board, alongside of
Bue's ship, and there was a severe combat hand to hand. Two or three
of Eirik's ships then laid themselves upon Bue's single vessel. A
thunder-storm came on at this moment, and such a heavy hail-storm that
every hailstone weighed a pennyweight. The Earl Sigvalde cut his cable,
turned his ship round, and took flight. Vagn Akason called to him not to
fly; but as Earl Sigvalde paid no attention to what he said, Vagn threw
his spear at him, and hit the man at the helm. Earl Sigvalde rowed away
with 35 ships, leaving 25 of his fleet behind.

45. BUE THROWS HIMSELF OVERBOARD.

Then Earl Hakon laid his ship on the other side of Bue's ship, and now
came heavy blows on Bue's men. Vigfus, a son of Vigaglum, took up an
anvil with a sharp end, which lay upon the deck, and on which a man had
welded the hilt to his sword just before, and being a very strong man
cast the anvil with both hands at the head of Aslak Holmskalle, and the
end of it went into his brains. Before this no weapon could wound this
Aslak, who was Bue's foster-brother, and forecastle commander, although
he could wound right and left. Another man among the strongest and
bravest was Havard Hoggande. In this attack Eirik's men boarded Bue's
ship, and went aft to the quarter-deck where Bue stood. There Thorstein
Midlang cut at Bue across his nose, so that the nosepiece of his helmet
was cut in two, and he got a great wound;