Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/399

 Were stretched for the black raven's prey;

And when the conquerors took their way

To the sea-shore, they had to tread

O'er piled-up heaps of foemen dead."

After this battle King Ragnfrid fled from Norway; but Earl Hakon restored peace to the country, and allowed the great army which had followed him in summer to return home to the north country, and he himself remained in the south that harvest and winter.

Earl Hakon married a girl called Thora, a daughter of the powerful Skage Skoptason, and very beautiful she was. They had two sons, Swend and Heming, and a daughter called Bergliot, who was afterwards married to Einar Tambarskielver. Earl Hakon was much addicted to women, and had many children; among others a daughter Ragnhild, whom he married to Skopte Skagason, a brother of Thora. The Earl loved Thora so much, that he held Thora's family in higher respect than any other people, and Skopte his brother-in-law in particular; and he gave him many great fiefs in More. Whenever they were on a cruise together, Skopte must lay his ship nearest to the earl's, and no other ship was allowed to come in between.

One summer that Earl Hakon was on a cruise, there was a ship with him of which Thorleif the skopte the Wise was steersman. In it was also Eric, Earl Hakon's son, then about ten or eleven years old. Now in the evenings, as they came into harbour, Eric would not allow any ship but his to lie nearest to the earl's. But when they came to the south, to More, they met Skopte, the earl's brother-in-law, with a well-manned ship; and as they rowed towards the fleet, Skopte called out that Thorleif should move out of the harbour to make room for him, and should go to the roadstead. Eric in haste took up the matter, and