and
get out your arms," said Olaf, and had not to wait long till Erling came
bounding in, past the rocky promontory, and with astonishment beheld
Olaf's fleet of twelve with their battle-axes and their grappling-irons
all in perfect readiness. These fell on him, the unready Erling,
simultaneous, like a cluster of angry bees; and in a few minutes cleared
his ship of men altogether, except Erling himself. Nobody asked his
life, nor probably would have got it if he had. Only Erling still
stood erect on a high place on the poop, fiercely defensive, and very
difficult to get at. "Could not be reached at all," says Snorro, "except
by spears or arrows, and these he warded off with untiring dexterity;
no man in Norway, it was said, had ever defended himself so long alone
against many,"--an almost invincible Erling, had his cause been good.
Olaf himself noticed Erling's behavior, and said to him, from the
foredeck below, "Thou hast turned against me to-day, Erling." "The
eagles fight breast to breast," answers he. This was a speech of the
king's to Erling once long ago, while they stood fighting, not as now,
but side by side. The king, with some transient thought of possibility
going through his head, rejoins, "Wilt thou surrender, Erling?" "That
will I," answered he; took the helmet off his head; laid down sword and
shield; and went forward to the forecastle deck. The king pricked, I
think not very harshly, into Erling's chin or beard with the point of
his battle-axe, saying, "I must mark thee as traitor to thy Sovereign,
though." Whereupon one of the bystanders, Aslak Fitiaskalle, stupidly
and fiercely burst up; smote Erling on the head with his axe; so that
it struck fast in his brain and was instantly the death of Erling.
"Ill-luck attend thee for that stroke; thou hast struck Norway out of my
hand by it!" cried the king to Aslak; but forgave the poor fellow, who
had done it meaning well. The insurrectionary Bonder fleet arriving soon
after, as if for certain victory, was struck with astonishment at this
Erling catastrophe; and being now without any leader of authority,
made not the least attempt at battle; but, full of discouragement and
consternation, thankfully allowed Olaf to sail away on his northward
voyage, at discretion; and themselves went off lamenting, with Erling's
dead body.

This small victory was the last that Olaf had over his many enemies
at present. He sailed along, still northward, day after day; several