ith
their oars, and the ships came in a rush over all the shallows, and
got into the sea without any damage. Now went the Swedes to their king,
Olaf, and told him that Olaf the Great had slipped out to sea; on which
the king was enraged against those who should have watched that Olaf did
not get away. This passage has since been called King's Sound; but large
vessels cannot pass through it, unless the waters are very high. Some
relate that the Swedes were aware that Olaf had cut across the tongue of
land, and that the water was falling out that way; and they flocked to
it with the intention to hinder Olaf from getting away, but the water
undermined the banks on each side so that they fell in with the people,
and many were drowned: but the Swedes contradict this as a false report,
and deny the loss of people. The king sailed to Gotland in harvest, and
prepared to plunder; but the Gotlanders assembled, and sent men to the
king, offering him a scat. The king found this would suit him, and
he received the scat, and remained there all winter. So says Ottar
Svarte:--

"Thou seaman-prince! thy men are paid:
The scat on Gotlanders is laid;
Young man or old
To our seamen bold
Must pay, to save his head:
The Yngling princes fled,
Eysvssel people bled;
Who can't defend the wealth they have
Must die, or share with the rover brave."

7. THE SECOND BATTLE.

It is related here that King Olaf, when spring set in, sailed east to
Eysyssel, and landed and plundered; the Eysyssel men came down to the
strand and grave him battle. King Olaf gained the victory, pursued those
who fled, and laid waste the land with fire and sword. It is told that
when King Olaf first came to Eysvssel they offered him scat, and when
the scat was to be brought down to the strand the king came to meet it
with an armed force, and that was not what the bondes there expected;
for they had brought no scat, but only their weapons with which they
fought against the king, as before related. So says Sigvat the skald:--

"With much deceit and bustle
To the heath of Eysyssel
The bondes brought the king,
To get scat at their weapon-thing.
But Olaf was too wise
To be taken by surprise;
Their legs scarce bore them off
O'er the common test enough."

8. THE THIRD BATTLE.

After this they sailed to Finland and plundered there, and went up the
co