s fleet in the Orkney Islands. King Harald stopped but a short time
in Shetland before sailing to Orkney, from whence he took with him
a great armed force, and the earls Paul and Erlend, the sons of
Earl Thorfin; but he left behind him here the Queen Ellisif, and her
daughters Maria and Ingegerd. Then he sailed, leaving Scotland and
England westward of him, and landed at a place called Klifland. There
he went on shore and plundered, and brought the country in subjection
to him without opposition. Then he brought up at Skardaburg, and fought
with the people of the place. He went up a hill which is there, and made
a great pile upon it, which he set on fire; and when the pile was in
clear flame, his men took large forks and pitched the burning wood down
into the town, so that one house caught fire after the other, and the
town surrendered. The Northmen killed many people there and took all the
booty they could lay hold of. There was nothing left for the Englishmen
now, if they would preserve their lives, but to submit to King Harald;
and thus he subdued the country wherever he came. Then the king
proceeded south along the land, and brought up at Hellornes, where there
came a force that had been assembled to oppose him, with which he had a
battle, and gained the victory.

87. OF HARALD'S ORDER OF BATTLE.

Thereafter the king sailed to the Humber, and up along the river, and
then he landed. Up in Jorvik were two earls, Earl Morukare, and his
brother, Earl Valthiof, and they had an immense army. While the army
of the earls was coming down from the upper part of the country, King
Harald lay in the Usa. King Harald now went on the land, and drew up his
men. The one arm of this line stood at the outer edge of the river, the
other turned up towards the land along a ditch; and there was also a
morass, deep, broad, and full of water. The earls let their army proceed
slowly down along the river, with all their troops in line. The king's
banner was next the river, where the line was thickest. It was thinnest
at the ditch, where also the weakest of the men were. When the earls
advanced downwards along the ditch, the arm of the Northmen's line which
was at the ditch gave way; and the Englishmen followed, thinking the
Northmen would fly. The banner of Earl Morukare advanced then bravely.

88. THE BATTLE AT THE HUMBER.

When King Harald saw that the English array had come to the ditch
against him, he ordered the charge to