& King Harald commanded his men to
sit up on the hillside: 'Let us first tempt them to make an onset; Hakon
hath no mind to wait,' said he.

The weather was frosty with some driving snow, and the men to Harald sat
under their shields.

Now the Gauts had taken little apparel on them and were starved with the
cold, but the Earl bade them bide until the King should make an onset
and they could all stand alike in height. Earl Hakon had the banner
which had been that of King Magnus Olafson. Now the head-man to the
Gauts was one hight Thorvid, and he was mounted on a horse the reins of
which were tied to a stake standing in the bog. He spake & said: 'God
knows we have a large host here and many stout men; let not King
Steinkell hear that we are not helping this good Earl well. I wist that
if the Norwegians make onset against us we shall stand firm, but if the
young men falter & bide not, then do not let us run farther than thither
to the brook, and if the young men again falter, which I wot will not
befall, then do not let us run farther than thither to the hill.'

At that moment ran up the host of the Norwegians shouting their war-cry
and beating their shields, & then the host of the Gauts likewise began
to shout, and the horse to the head-man pulled so hard at its rein,
being afrighted at the host-cry, that the stake came up & flew past the
head of the chief, wherefore he shouted: 'Such a mischance as thou
shootest, Northmen,' and therewith galloped away. King Harald had ere
this said to his men: 'Though we make din and shouting about us, yet let
us not go down the hill or ever they come hither to us,' and they did
according as he had said.

As soon as the war-cry was heard, caused the Earl his banner to be borne
forward, and when they were come under the hill rushed the King's men
down upon them, and some of the men to the Earl fell forthwith and some
fled; but the Norwegians drave not them that fled very far, for it was
late in the day. There took they the banner of Earl Hakon, and as much
of weapons and apparel as they could lay hands on. And the King let both
the banners be borne in front of him when he fared down the hill; and
his men spake one with another as to whether or no Earl Hakon might be
fallen. Now when it came to faring through the wood they had to ride in
single train, and behold a certain man rode straight across their way,
and thrust a spear through him that bore the banner to the King, and
seizing t