Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/421

 be long before they are upon you." On this the earl rowed into every fiord, going in along the one side of the land and out at the other, collecting men; and thus he drove along night and day. He sent spies out upon the upper ridges, and also southwards into the Fiords; and he proceeded north to meet Eric with his men. This appears from Eric's lay:—

Eric hastened southwards with his forces the shortest way he could.

Earl Sigvald steered with his fleet northwards around Stad, and came to the land at Hero Island. Although the vikings fell in with the country people, the people never told the truth about what the earl was doing; and the vikings went on pillaging and laying waste. They laid to their vessels at the outer end of Had Island, landed, plundered, and drove both men and cattle down to the ships, killing all the men able to bear arms.

As they were going back to their ships, came a bonder, walking near to Bue's troop, who said to them, "Ye are not doing like true warriors, to be driving cows and calves down to the strand, while ye should be giving chase to the bear, since ye are coming near to the bear's den."

"What says the old man?" asked some. "Can he tell us any thing about Earl Hakon?"

The peasant replies, "The earl went yesterday into the Horundar fiord with one or two ships, certainly not more than three, and then he had no news about you."