Death of Olaf Tryggvason 203 



weut down into the forehold, opened the chest under 

 the throne, and took out many sharp swords, which he 

 handed to his men ; but as he stretched down his right 

 hand with them, some observed that blood was run- 

 ning down under his steel glove, but no one knew 

 where he was wounded. 



Desperate was the defence in the Serpent, and there 

 was the heaviest destruction of men done by the fore- 

 castle crew and those of the forehold, for in both places 

 the men were chosen men, and the ship was highest ; 

 but in the middle of the ship the people were thinned. 

 Now, when Earl Erik saw there were but few people 

 remaining beside the ship's mast, he determined to 

 board, and he entered the Serpent with four others. 

 Then came Hyrning, the king's brother-in-law, and 

 some others against him, and there was the most severe 

 combat, and at last the earl was forced to leap back on 

 board the Iron Beard again, and some who had accom- 

 panied him were killed, and others wounded. 



Now the fight became hot indeed, and many men fell 

 on board the Serpent ; and the men on board of her 

 began to be thinned off, and the defence to be weaker. 

 The eavl resolved to board the Serpent again, and again 

 he met with a warm reception. When the forecastle 

 men of the Serpent saw what he was doing, they went 

 aft, and made a desperate fight ; but so many men of 

 the Serpent had fallen that the ship's sides were in 

 many places quite bare of defenders, and the earl's 

 men poured in all around into the vessel, and all the 

 men who were still able to defend the ship crowded 

 aft to the king, and arrayed themselves for his defence. 



Kolbjorn, the marshal, who had on clothes and 



