When the Earl the ships of Skani called out to battle.
Quickly then the peace was broken ‘twixt the men.’
¶ Now it will be marked that, according unto the bard, were the ships of King Olaf & Earl Sigvaldi seventy-one in number what time sailed they from the south.
¶ Now lying there were Svein, the King of the Danes, Olaf the King of the Swedes, and Earl Eirik, with all the might of their fleet, and fair weather was with them with bright sunshine. Went up to the islet all the chieftains with a large company of men, and spied they thence that a many ships were sailing together out at sea. ¤ And they beheld a large ship and brave sailing, and said both the Kings: ‘There goes a great ship, passing fair, none other can this be save only the “Long Serpent.”’ ¤ Then made Earl Eirik answer, saying: ‘That is not the “Long Serpent.”’ ¤ And it was as he opined, for this ship belonged to Eindrid of Gimsar. A while later saw they yet another ship sailing, much greater than the first, and then spake King Svein: ‘Afeard is Olaf Tryggvason, for he dareth not sail with the head upon his ship.’ Then said Earl Eirik: ‘That is not the King’s ship; that ship and the sail thereof know I, for the sail is a striped one; Erling Skialgson it is who hath command thereof. ¤ Let them sail on! Better is it for us that this ship should be lacking from Olaf’s fleet, so well appointed is it.’ A while later saw they and recognized the ships of Sigvaldi the Earl, and one of them also was great. ¤ Then spake King Svein and bade them go to their ships; for, said he, there sails the ‘Long Serpent’; but Earl Eirik called out, ‘Many more ships and fine ones have they besides the ‘Long Serpent,’ let us bide a while.’ ¤ Then many of the men fell to talking, & they said: ‘Eirik the Earl will not fight to avenge his father. Shame, shame is it, & throughout all the land will it be heard, if we lie here with so great a fleet & let King Olaf sail out to sea on our very flank.’ But after they had been talking thus a while saw they that four more ships came sailing by, and one of these was a dragon, large indeed, and bedecked with gold. Then rose up King Svein and said: ‘High shall the “Serpent” carry me this eve; and I will steer her.’ Many of the men called out that the ‘Serpent’ was a mighty great ship and beautiful to look upon, and a glorious work had it been to build such a craft. ¤ Then Earl Eirik said so loud that sundry heard him: ‘E’en had King Olaf no larger ship than this, King Svein would with the Danish host alone never wrest it from him.’ Then went the men to their ships and took the tilts from off them; whilst the chiefs were talking among themselves of that which is writ above saw they sailing along three very large ships, and a fourth ship last of all, and that was the ‘Long Serpent.’ Now of those large ships which had sailed past before, and had been deemed by the men to be the ‘Long Serpent,’ the first was the ‘Crane’ and the last the ‘Short Serpent.’ But when they beheld the ‘Long Serpent,’ and none gainsaid this, then wotted all that now indeed was Olaf Tryggvason sailing by. Then went they to their ships, and made ready to row to the onset. Now a compact had been struck between the chiefs, King Svein, King Olaf, and Earl Eirik, that to each one of them should be given a third part of Norway if it befell that King Olaf was slain; moreover he who first boarded the ‘Long Serpent’ was for his own to have all the booty taken therefrom, and each of them was to have what ships he himself cleared. ¤ Earl Eirik had a very large long-ship which he was wont to use on his viking cruises; a beard was there on the higher part of both prow and stern, and thick plates of iron going from thence all the breadth of the beard right down to the water-line.
¶ Now when Earl Sigvaldi & his men headed in towards the islet, observed closely Thorkel Dydril of the ‘Crane’ and the captains of the other ships sailing with him, what he was doing, and they too lowered sail, and rowing after him, called out to him to know why thus he was faring. ¤ The Earl answered that he was going to bide the coming of King Olaf, for most like did it seem that war was at hand. ¤ So then they likewise let their ships lie-to until such time as Thorkel Leira with the ‘Short Serpent’ was come up and with him too the three other ships which were following him, and the same tidings were told unto them; then they also lowered sail, laid-to and bided the coming of King Olaf. ¤ But when the King sailed out towards the isle, then rowed out into the sound the whole of the hostile fleet even for to meet him; and his men witnessing this same prayed the King sail his way, and not engage in battle with so large an host. ¤ But King Olaf stood up on the poop, and shouted with a loud voice: ‘Let no men of mine lower sail or think of fleeing; never have I fled in battle. May God look to my life, for never will I turn to flight.’ And it was done even as the King said. Thus saith Hallfrod:
‘Fain would I name those words,
Which Olaf’s warriors tell us
The lord deed-mighty spake there,
To his men before the battle.
The warlike King forbade