farther than to that stream; but
if they should give way farther, which I am sure they will not do,
let it not be farther than to that hill." At that instant the Northmen
sprang up, raised the war-cry, and struck on their shields; and the
Gautland army began also to shout. The lagman's horse got shy with the
war-cry, and backed so hard that the stake flew up and struck the lagman
on the head. He said, "Ill luck to thee, Northman, for that arrow!" and
away fled the lagman. King Harald had told his people, "If we do make
a clash with the weapons, we shall not however, go down from the hill
until they come nearer to us;" and they did so. When the war-cry was
raised the earl let his banner advance; but when they came under the
hill the king's army rushed down upon them, and killed some of the
earl's people, and the rest fled. The Northmen did not pursue the
fugitives long, for it was the fall of day; but they took Earl Hakon's
banner and all the arms and clothes they could get hold of. King Harald
had both the banners carried before him as they marched away. They spoke
among themselves that the earl had probably fallen. As they were riding
through the forest they could only ride singly, one following the
other. Suddenly a man came full gallop across the path, struck his spear
through him who was carrying the earl's banner, seized the banner-staff,
and rode into the forest on the other side with the banner. When this
was told the king he said, "Bring me my armour, for the earl is alive."
Then the king rode to his ships in the night; and many said that the
earl had now taken his revenge. But Thiodolf sang thus:--

"Steinkel's troops, who were so bold,
Who the Earl Hakon would uphold,
Were driven by our horsemen's power
To Hel, death goddess, in an hour;
And the great earl, so men say
Who won't admit he ran away,
Because his men fled from the ground,
Retired, and cannot now be found."

75. DEATH OF HAL, THE MURDERER OF KODRAN.

The rest of the night Harald passed in his ships; but in the morning,
when it was daylight, it was found that so thick ice had gathered about
the vessels that one could walk around them. The king ordered his men to
cut the ice from the ships all the way out to the clear water; on which
they all went to break the ice. King Harald's son, Magnus, steered the
vessel that lay lowest down the river and nearest the water. When the
people had cleared the ice aw