284 Norway and the Xorivegians 



undergo by the constancy of their leader, and the faith 

 which he was able to inspire. 



In 1179 a sudden change came to the fortunes of the 

 hunted troop. For the third or fourth time they made 

 their way over the mountains to Throndlijem, and there 

 succeeded in surprising the army, under the command 

 of Earl Erling Skakki in person. Erling's army was far 

 the larger ; but it had been feasting the day before, and 

 when the pickets brought the news of the approach of 

 the Birch-legs, tlie greater part of the men were too 

 drunk to answer the call to arms. About six hundred 

 of them gathered round the standards ; still were they 

 superior in numbers to their opponents ; but they were 

 no match in valour for the Birkibeinar, and after a 

 sharp engagement Erling's army was put to flight, and 

 the earl himself was slain. Henceforward Fortune 

 crenerally attended the standards of Sverri. We find 

 him entering Bergen after his victory over Erling, and 

 wintering in that town, which was now becoming, or 

 had become, the chief city of Norway, Nidaros 

 (Throndhjem) falling to the second rank. 



In the year 1181 a hard-fought naval battle took 

 place at Bergen between the fleet of Sverri, sixteen sail, 

 and that of Magnus Erlingsson of thirty-two sail. The 

 battle took place off the Nordnses, the promontory which 

 lies between the two harbours ; and along which runs 

 the Strandgaden. In this the Heklungs, as Magnus' 

 party w^as now called, were defeated by the Birki- 

 beinar. But while the latter were still rejoicing in 

 their victory, iMagnus returned upon them from 

 Stavanger, to which place he had fled. It was now 

 the turn for the Birch-legs to take to flight, for they 



