"Shield against shield, the earl and king Made shields and swords together ring. The gold-decked heroes made a play Which Hild's iron-shirt men say They never saw before or since On battle-deck; the brave might wince, As spear and arrow whistling flew, Point blank, death-bringing, quick and true."

They fought at the bows, so that the men only on the bows could strike; the men on the forecastle thrust with spears: and all who were farther off shot with light spears or javelins, or war- arrows. Some fought with stones or short stakes; and those who were aft of the mast shot with the bow. So Says Thiodolf: --

"Steel-pointed spear, and sharpened stake, Made the broad shield on arm shake: The eagle, hovering in the air, Screamed o'er the prey preparing there. And stones and arrows quickly flew, And many a warrior bold they slew. The bowman never twanged his bow And drew his shaft so oft as now; And Throndhjem's bowmen on that day Were not the first tired of this play: Arrows and darts so quickly fly, You could not follow with the eye."

Here it appears how hot the battle was with casting weapons. King Magnus stood in the beginning of the battle within a shield- rampart; but as it appeared to him that matters were going on too slowly, he leaped over the shields, and rushed forward in the ship, encouraging his men with a loud cheer, and springing to the bows, where the battle was going on hand to hand. When his men saw this they urged each other on with mutual cheering, and there was one great hurrah through all the ships. So says Thiodolf: --

"`On with our ships! on to the foe!' Cry Magnus' men -- on, on they go. Spears against shields in fury rattle, -- Was never seen so fierce a battle."

And now the battle was exceedingly sharp; and in the assault Svein's ship was cleared of all her forecastle men, upon and on both sides of the forecastle. Then Magnus boarded Svein's ship, followed by his men; and one after the other came up, and made so stout an assault that Svein's men gave way, and King Magnus first cleared that ship, and then the rest, one after the other. Svein fled, with a great part of his people; but many fell, and many got life and peace. Thiodolf tells of this: --

"Brave Magnus, from the stern springing On to the stem, where swords were ringing From his sea-raven's beak of gold Deals death around -- the brave! the bold! The earl's housemen now begin To shrink and fall: their ranks grow thin -- The king's luck thrives -- their decks are cleared, Of fighting men no more appeared. The earl's ships are driven to flight, Before the king would stop the fight: The gold-distributor first then Gave quarters to the vanquished men."

This battle was fought on the last Sunday before Yule. So says Thiodolf: --