200 



SEA BATTLES. 



was bright, clear, and warm, and many took off their clothes 

 on account of the heat, and wore only their armour. , Now 

 Eirik goaded his men on, and they made an attack on Aslak, 

 and struck his head with swords and axes, thinking it would 

 be most dangerous to him as his head was bare. Nevertheless 

 it is said that the weapons rebounded from his skull, whether 

 they were swords or axes, and did not cut, and sparks flew 

 from the skull at the blows. Whatever they did, he went 

 forward fiercely, and cleared his way by many hard and heavy 

 blows, slaying many a man. Vigfus, son of Vigagliim, caught 

 up a large beaked anvil which lay on the deck of the Jarnbardi, 

 on which he had previously rivetted the guards of his sword as 

 they had been unfastened ; he struck at Aslak so that its beak 

 sank into his head ; Aslak could not withstand that, and at once 

 fell dead. Vagn went along the other side, and cleared his 

 way, dealing blows on both sides and wounding many ; then 

 Thorleif Skiinia ran to meet Vagn, struck at him with his club, 

 and hit his helmet ; the blow was so strong that the skin 

 under the helmet was grazed, and Vagn leant over and stag- 

 gered towards Thorleif, and at the same time thrust his sword 

 at Thorleif ; then he leapt from the Jarnbardi, and came down 

 standing on his skeid, and none made a harder onset than he 

 and all his men. Nevertheless he and Aslak had killed so 

 many on the Jarnbardi, that Eirik put men from other ships 

 on it till it was fully manned, as he thought it needful ; and 

 a very fierce fight followed. Then Eirik saw that Hakon with 

 his array had landed, and there was some pause in the battle. 

 . . .* The sky began to darken in the north, and a dark and 

 black cloud glided up from the sea, spreading quickly ; it 

 was about noon, and the cloud soon spread all over the sky, 

 and a shower of hail followed at once, and the Jomsvikings 

 had all to fight with their faces against the hail, which seemed 

 to be followed by lightning and thunder-claps. This hail- 

 shower was so terrible, that some of the men could do no more 

 than stand against it, as they had previously taken off their 

 clothes on account of the heat. They began to shiver, though 

 they fought boldly enough. It is said that Havard Hoggvandi, 

 Btii's follower, was the first who saw Hordabrud in the host of 

 Hakon jarl, and many with second sight, 2 and even those who 

 had no second sight, saw. When the hail-shower abated a 

 little, they also saw that an arrow flew from each finger of the 

 Troll, 'M'tch ' as it seemed to them, and always hit and killed 

 a man. They told Sigvaldi and others ; and Plakon and his men 



1 Part is here omitted, referring to the 

 sacrifice of Hakon's son. See Vol. I., 

 page 367, "Sacrifices." 



2 A man who can see supernatural 



beings. 



