Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/336

 328 CHRONICLE OF THE saga vii. observed of Kalf, that when he speaks fairly he has it in his mind to do ill." The king answered, " It may be, Kali, that thou art inclined to reconciliation ; but, methinks, the bonders do not appear so peaceful." Then Thorgeir of Quiststad said, " You shall now have such peace as many formerly have received at your hands, and which you shall now pay for." The king replies, " Thou hast no occasion to hasten so much to meet us ; for fate has not decreed to thee to-day a victory over me, who raised thee to power and dignity from a mean station." Chapter Now came Thorer Hund, went forward in front of Be™ng' the banner with his troop, and called out, " Forward, ofSe-^ forward, bonderman ! " Thereupon the bondermen stad. raised the war-cry, and shot their arrows and spears. The king's men raised also a war-shout ; and that done, encouraged each other to advance, crying out, " Forward, forward, Christ-man ! cross-man ! king's man ! " When the bonders who stood outermost on the wings heard it, they repeated the same cry ; but when the other bonders heard them they thought these were king's men, turned their arms against them, and they fought together, and many were slain before they knew each other. The weather was beau- tiful, and the sun shone clear ; but when the battle began the heaven and the sun became red, and before the battle ended it became as dark as at night. King Olaf had drawn up his army upon a rising ground, and it rushed down from thence upon the bonder- army with such a fierce assault, that the bonders' array bent before it ; so that the breast of the king's array came to stand upon the ground on which the rear of the bonders' array had stood, and many of the bonders' army were on the way to fly, but the lendermen and their house-men stood fast, and the battle became very severe. So says Sigvat : —