struction ne'er should have been done.'

|| After this fared Harald northward and with him had he sixty ships, the
greater number were large & well laden with what plunder had been taken
in the summer. But as they were faring northward and past Thioda came
down King Svein from the land with a large host; & he proffered King
Harald to come ashore & do battle. Now King Harald had less than half as
many men as Svein and so he bade Svein fight with him at sea. Thus saith
Thorleik the Fair:

'Svein, even he who was born to success in Midgard,
Called on the mighty King in fight on land to meet him;
But Harald shy of failing would liefer fight, quoth he,
Aboardship, since the bold King held the land.'

|| Thereafter sailed Harald northward past Vendilskagi; but the wind was
against them & they brought-to under Lesey where they remained the
night. Then were the ships encompassed with a thick sea-fog, but when it
was morning, & the sun rose, beheld they on the other side of the sea
what seemed to them like burning fires. And King Harald being informed
thereof gazed thereat, & said straightway: 'Strike the ships' tilts, and
let the men fall to their oars. The Danish host hath come after us. The
darkness hath lifted, I ween, there where they are, and the sun is
shining on their dragon-heads the which are overlaid with gold.' And it
was even as Harald said for behold there was come Svein, the Danish
King, with a mighty host.

Both the fleets now rowed with all speed, but the Danish ships were
lighter under oars, the Norwegian ships being both water-logged and
heavy laden. So the Danes drew on apace.

Then did Harald perceive that this would never serve his purpose. Now
his dragon was faring astern of all his other ships, and he commanded
that some timber should be thrown overboard and apparel with other wares
be placed thereon, and as the water was calm these things drifted with
the current.

When the Danes saw these goods drifting along on the sea those who were
rowing ahead swerved aside after them, for they deemed it easier to take
the goods as they were floating loose on the water than to seek them on
board the Norwegian ships, and in this manner did their ships linger.
When King Svein overtook them in his ship bade he them proceed, and said
shame was it that with an host as large as his they could not take the
Norwegians, to whom was but few men, and get the fellows into their
power.

Then began the Danes