re a spear had cut. But he was still
fighting and laughed as he worked.

"Wolf meets wolf to-day," he said. "But things are going badly in the
prow," he cried. "Ivar fallen, Thorstein wounded, a dozen men lying in
the bottom of the boat!"

He leaped down from the deck and ran along the gunwale, shouting as he
went:

"Harald and victory!"

So he came to the bow and stood swinging his sword as fast as he
breathed. Every time it hit a man of Arnvid's men. Harald's own warriors
cheered, seeing him.

"Harald and victory!" they shouted, and went to work again with good
heart.

Slowly King Arnvid's men fell back before Harald's biting sword. Then
Harald's men threw a great hook into that boat and pulled it alongside
and still pushed King Arnvid's people back.

"Come on! Follow me!" cried Harald.

Then he leaped into King Arnvid's boat, and his warriors followed him.

"He comes like a mad wolf," King Arnvid's men said, and they turned and
ran back below the deck.

Then Arnvid himself leaped down and stood with his sword raised.

"Can this young Shockhead make cowards of you all?" he cried.

But Harald's sword struck him, and he fell dead. Then a big, bloody
viking of King Arnvid leaped upon the edge of the ship and stood there.
He held his drinking-horn and his sword high in his hands.

"Ran[9] and not you, Shockhead, shall have them and me!" he cried, and
leaped laughing into the water and was drowned.

Many other warriors chose the same death on that terrible day.

[Illustration: "_Then he leaped into King Arnvid's boat_"]

All along the line of boats men fought for hours. In some places the
cables had been cut, and the boats had drifted apart. Ships lay
scattered about two by two, fighting. May boats sank, many men died,
some fled away in their ships, and at the end King Harald had won the
battle. So he had King Arnvid's country and King Audbiorn's country.
Many men took the oath and became his friends. All people were talking
of his wonderful battles.

[Decoration]

FOOTNOTES:

[9] See note about Ran on page 198.

[Illustration]

King Harald's Wedding

It had taken King Harald ten years to fight so many battles. And all
that time he had not cut his hair or combed it. Now he was feasting one
day at an earl's house. Many people were there.

"How is it, friends?" Harald said. "Have I kept my vow?"

His friends answered:

"You have kept your vow. There is no king but you in all Norway