of them. They had five ships, all
well manned, and therewith they harried in the South-isles;[5] and
when they came to Barra, they found there a king, called Kiarval, and
he, too, had five ships. They gave him battle, and a hard fray there
was. The men of Onund were of the eagerest, and on either side many
fell; but the end of it was that the king fled with only one ship.
So there the men of Onund took both ships and much wealth, and abode
there through the winter. For three summers they harried throughout
Ireland and Scotland, and thereafter went to Norway.

[Footnote 4: "West over the Sea," means in the Sagas the British
isles, and the islands about them--the Hebrides, Orkneys, &c.]

[Footnote 5: South-isles are the Hebrides, and the other islands down
to Man.]

CHAP. II.

In those days were there great troubles in Norway. Harald the
Unshorn,[6] son of Halfdan the Black, was pushing forth for the
kingdom. Before that he was King of the Uplands; then he went north
through the land, and had many battles there, and ever won the day.
Thereafter he harried south in the land, and wheresoever he came,
laid all under him; but when he came to Hordaland, swarms of folk came
thronging against him; and their captains were Kiotvi the Wealthy, and
Thorir Longchin, and those of South Rogaland, and King Sulki. Geirmund
Helskin was then in the west over the Sea; nor was he in that battle,
though he had a kingdom in Hordaland.

[Footnote 6: "Harald the Unshorn:" he was so called at first because
he made a vow not to cut his hair till he was sole king of Norway.
When he had attained to this, and Earl Rognvald had taken him to the
bath and trimmed his hair, he was called "Fair-hair," from its length
and beauty.]

Now that autumn Onund and his fellows came from the west over the Sea;
and when Thorir Longchin and King Kiotvi heard thereof, they sent men
to meet them, and prayed them for help, and promised them honours.
Then they entered into fellowship with Thorir and his men; for they
were exceeding fain to try their strength, and said that there would
they be whereas the fight was hottest.

Now was the meeting with Harald the King in Rogaland, in that firth
which is called Hafrsfirth; and both sides had many men. This was the
greatest battle that has ever been fought in Norway, and hereof most
Sagas tell; for of those is ever most told, of whom the Sagas are
made; and thereto came folk from all the land, and many from ot