The Battle in the Svold 197 



tlie Long Serpent, which Olaf steered. The fleet of the 

 n Hies was lying within the bay, just out of sight; and 

 Earl Erik and the two kings had mounted the hill 

 behind, where they could watch unseen the vessels 

 sailing up the sound. We can see with their eyes the 

 imposing spectacle of this fleet of seventy-one sail 

 passing, one vessel after another, along the channel. 

 Presently they saw. an unusually large ship, brilliantly 

 painted, and the two kings said : ' That is a very large 

 and beautiful vessel; that will be the Long Serpent! 

 Earl Erik replied : ' That is not the Long Serpent^ and 

 he was right, for it was a ship of Eindridi's of Grimsar. 



Soon after they saw another vessel come sailing 

 along much larger than the first ; but it had not the 

 dragon head, the famous figure-head of the Long Serpent. 

 Then says King Svend : ' Olaf Tryggvason must be 

 afraid ; for he does not venture to sail with the figure- 

 head of the dragon on his ship.' 



Says Earl Erik : ' That is not the king's ship yet ; for 

 I know that ship by the coloured strips of cloth in her 

 sail. That is Erling Skalgsson's.' 



Presently they saw three ships coming along under 

 sail, and one of them very large. King Svend ordered 

 his men to go to their ships, * For there comes the Long 

 Serpent.' 



Earl Erik says : ' Many other great and stately vessels 

 have they besides the Long Serpent. Let us wait a 

 little.' 



Then said many, ' Earl Erik will not fight and avenge 

 his father. And it is a great shame that it should be 

 told that we lay here with so great a force, and allowed 

 Olaf to sail out to sea before our eyes.' But when they 



