King Olaf steered his ships within the ordinary ships' course when he
came abreast of Fjaler district, and ran into Saudungssund. There he
laid his two vessels one on each side of the sound with a thick cable
between them. At the same moment Hakon, Earl Eirik's son, came rowing
into the sound with a manned ship; and as they thought these were but
two merchant-vessels that were lying in the sound, they rowed between
them. Then Olaf and his men draw the cable up right under Hakon's ship's
keel and wind it up with the capstan. As soon as the vessel's course was
stopped her stern was lifted up, and her bow plunged down; so that the
water came in at her fore-end and over both sides, and she upset. King
Olaf's people took Earl Hakon and all his men whom they could get hold
of out of the water, and made them prisoners; but some they killed with
stones and other weapons, and some were drowned. So says Ottar:--
"The black ravens wade
In the blood from thy blade.
Young Hakon so gay,
With his ship, is thy prey:
His ship, with its gear,
Thou hast ta'en; and art here,
Thy forefather's land
From the earl to demand."
Earl Hakon was led up to the king's ship. He was the handsomest man that
could be seen. He had long hair, as fine as silk, bound about his bead
with a gold ornament.
When he sat down in the fore-hold, the king said to him, "It is not
false what is said of your family, that ye are handsome people to look
at; but now your luck has deserted you."
Hakon the earl replied, "It has always been the case that success is
changeable; and there is no luck in the matter. It has gone with your
family as with mine, to have by turns the better lot. I am little
beyond childhood in years; and at any rate we could not have defended
ourselves, as we did not expect any attack on the way. It may turn out
better with us another time."
Then said King Olaf, "Dost thou not apprehend that thou art in that
condition that, hereafter, there can be neither victory nor defeat for
thee?"
The earl replies, "That is what thou only canst determine, king,
according to thy pleasure."
Olaf says, "What wilt thou give me, earl, if for this time I let thee
go, whole and unhurt?"
The earl asks what he would take.
"Nothing," says the king, "except that thou shalt leave the country,
give up thy kingdom, and take an oath that thou shalt never go into
battle against me."
The earl answered, that he would do so. And now Earl Hakon took the oath
that he would never fight against Olaf, or seek to defend Norway against
him, or attack him; and King Olaf thereupon gave him and all his men
life and peace. The earl got back the ship which had brought him there,
and he and his men rowed their way. Thus says Sigvat of him:--
"In old Saudungs sound
The king Earl Hakon found,
Who little thought that there
A foeman was so near.
The best and fairest youth
Earl Hakon was in truth,
That speaks the Danish tongue,
And of the race of great Hakon."