Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/283

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 275 orders to let the sails gently sink, and to unship the SAGA vn - booms and out -riggers, which was done. When Erling saw this he calls out to his people, and orders them to get on more sail. " Ye see," says he, " that their sails are diminishing, and they are getting fast away from our sight." He took the reef out of the sails of his ship, and outsailed all the others immediately ; for Erling was very eager in his pursuit of King Olaf. King Olaf then steered in towards the Isle of Boken, Chapter by which the ships came out of sight of each other, of Erling Thereafter the king ordered his men to strike the f^f^ sails, and row forwards through a narrow sound that was there, and all the ships lay collected within a rocky point. Then all the king's men put on their weapons. Erling sailed in through the sound, and observed nothing until the whole fleet was before him, and he saw the king's men rowing towards him with all their ships at once. Erling and his crew let fall the sails, and seized their weapons ; but the king's fleet surrounded his ship on all sides. Then the fight began, and it was of the sharpest ; but soon the great- est loss was among Erling' s men. Erling stood on the quarter-deck of his ship. He had a helmet on his head, a shield before him, and a sword in his hand. Sigvat the scald had remained behind in Viken, and heard the tidings. He was a great friend of Erling, had received presents from him, and had been at his house. Sigvat composed a poem upon Erling's fall, in which there is the following verse : — " Erling has set his ship on sea — Against the king away is he : He who oft lets the eagle stain Her yellow feet in blood of slain. His little war-ship side by side With the king's fleet, the fray will bide. Now sword to sword the fight is raging, Which Erling with the king is waging." Then Erling's men began to fall, and at the same t 2