206 SEA BATTLES. 



it is clear that all of them who are living ought to be slain as 

 soon as possible, for they are too hard for us to deal with, and 

 their bravery and hardihood have not been exaggerated.' 

 Eirik said to his father : ' We want to know, father, who they 

 are before they are all slain ; what is thy name, young man ? ' 

 ' Svein,' answered he. ' Whose son art thou,' asked Eirik, ' and 

 what is thy kin ? ' He said : ' My father was called Bui, the 

 stout, son of Veseti, on, Borgundarholm. I am of Danish kin.' 

 ' How old art thou ? ' said Eirik. ' If I live this winter I am 

 eighteen winters old,' said he. Eirik said : ' Thou shalt live 

 this winter, if I have my will, and not be slain.' He took him 

 into peace, and into the company of himself and his men. 

 When Hakon saw this, he said : ' I do not know what thou art 

 thinking of, as thou savest a man who has caused us so much 

 shame and digrace as this young man ; he has done us most 

 harm, but nevertheless I like not to take him out of thy hands, 

 and thou shalt have thy will this time.' Thus Eirik had his 

 will. Hakon said to Thorkel : ' Behead the men quickly 

 Eirik answered : ' They shall not be beheaded before I have 

 first spoken with them, and I want to know who each of them 

 is.' 



" A man was untied from the rope when he said this ; the 

 rope got a little entangled round his feet, so that he was not 

 quite loose. This man was of large and handsome shape, 

 young, and bold-looking. Thorkel asked him how he liked to 

 die. ' Well,' said he, ' if I might first fulfil my vow.' Eirik 

 jarl asked : ' What is thy name ? And what is thy vow, 

 which thou desirest specially to fulfil before thou diest ? ' He 

 answered : ' My name is Vagn ; 1 am son of Aki, son of 

 Palnatoki, of Fyeii ; so I have been told.' Eirik said : ' What 

 vow didst thou make, as thou sayest thou wouldst like to die 

 if thou hadst fulfilled it according to thy will ? ' 'I made the 

 vow,' said Vagn, 'to get into the bed of Ingibjorg, the 

 daughter of Thorkel Leira against his will, and that of all her 

 kinsmen, and slay Thorkel if I came to Norway, and much do 

 I lack if I cannot perform this before I die.' ' I will prevent 

 thy doing this before thou diest,' said Thorkel. He rushed 

 toward him and struck at him, holding his sword with both 

 hands. Bjorn the British, Vagii's foster-father, kicked him 

 with his foot away from the blow quickly. Thorkel missed 

 Vagn, and hit the rope with which Vagn was tied and cut it 

 asunder. Now Vagn was loose, and not wounded. Thorkel 

 stumbled when he missed the man, and fell ; the sword dropped 

 out of his hands. Bjorn had kicked Vagn so strongly that he 

 fell, but he lay not a long time, and soon jumped up. He 



