to his foe. Here did he come, and
here came I, to win as the brave win, or die as the brave die!"

A rider of younger and slighter form than the rest, here whispered the
Saxon King:

"Delay no more, or thy men's hearts will fear treason."

"The tie is rent from my heart, O Haco," answered the King, "and the
heart flies back to our England."

He waved his hand, turned his steed, and rode off. The eye of Hardrada
followed the horseman.

"And who," he asked calmly, "is that man who spoke so well?" [246]

"King Harold!" answered Tostig, briefly.

"How!" cried the Norseman, reddening, "how was not that made known to me
before? Never should he have gone back,--never told hereafter the doom
of this day!"

With all his ferocity, his envy, his grudge to Harold, and his treason to
England, some rude notions of honour still lay confused in the breast of
the Saxon; and he answered stoutly:

"Imprudent was Harold's coming, and great his danger; but he came to
offer me peace and dominion. Had I betrayed him, I had not been his foe,
but his murderer!"

The Norse King smiled approvingly, and, turning to his chiefs, said
drily:

"That man was shorter than some of us, but he rode firm in his stirrups."

And then this extraordinary person, who united in himself all the types
of an age that vanished for ever in his grave, and who is the more
interesting, as in him we see the race from which the Norman sprang,
began, in the rich full voice that pealed deep as an organ, to chaunt his
impromptu war-song. He halted in the midst, and with great composure
said:

"That verse is but ill-tuned: I must try a better." [247]

He passed his hand over his brow, mused an instant, and then, with his
fair face all illumined, he burst forth as inspired.

This time, air, rhythm, words, all so chimed in with his own enthusiasm
and that of his men, that the effect was inexpressible. It was, indeed,
like the charm of those runes which are said to have maddened the
Berserker with the frenzy of war.

Meanwhile the Saxon phalanx came on, slow and firm, and in a few minutes
the battle began. It commenced first with the charge of the English
cavalry (never numerous), led by Leofwine and Haco, but the double
palisade of the Norman spears formed an impassable barrier; and the
horsemen, recoiling from the frieze, rode round the iron circle without
other damage than the spear and javelin could effect. Meanwhile, King
Harold, who had dismount