One day, towards evening, King Onund's spies saw King Canute coming
sailing along, and he was not far off. Then King Onund ordered the
war-horns to sound; on which his people struck their tents, put on their
weapons, rowed out of the harbour and east round the land, bound their
ships together, and prepared for battle. King Onund made his spies run
up the country to look for King Olaf, and tell him the news. Then King
Olaf broke up the dam, and let the river take its course. King Olaf
travelled down in the night to his ships. When King Canute came outside
the harbour, he saw the forces of the kings ready for battle. He thought
that it would be too late in the day to begin the fight by the time his
forces could be ready; for his fleet required a great deal of room at
sea, and there was a long distance between the foremost of his ships and
the hindmost, and between those outside and those nearest the land,
and there was but little wind. Now, as Canute saw that the Swedes and
Norwegians had quitted the harbour, he went into it with as many ships
as it could hold; but the main strength of the fleet lay without the
harbour. In the morning, when it was light, a great part of the men went
on shore; some for amusement, some to converse with the people of other
ships. They observed nothing until the water came rushing over them
like a waterfall, carrying huge trees, which drove in among their ships,
damaging all they struck; and the water covered all the fields. The men
on shore perished, and many who were in the ships. All who could do it
cut their cables; so that the ships were loose, and drove before the
stream, and were scattered here and there. The great dragon, which King
Canute himself was in, drove before the stream; and as it could not so
easily be turned with oars, drove out among Olaf's and Onund's ships. As
they knew the ship, they laid her on board on all quarters. But the ship
was so high in the hull, as if it were a castle, and had besides such a
numerous and chosen crew on board, well armed and exercised, that it was
not easy to attack her. After a short time also Earl Ulf came up with
his fleet; and then the battle began, and King Canute's fleet gathered
together from all quarters. But the kings Olaf and Onund, seeing they
had for this time got all the victory that fate permitted them to gain,
let their ships retreat, cast themselves loose from King Canute's ship,
and the fleets separated. But as the attack had not been made as King
Canute had determined, he made no further attempt; and the kings on each
side arranged their fleets and put their ships in order. When the fleets
were parted, and each sailing its course, Olaf and Onund looked over
their forces, and found they had suffered no loss of men. In the
meantime they saw that if they waited until King Canute got his large
fleet in order to attack them, the difference of force was so great that
for them there was little chance of victory. It was also evident that if
the battle was renewed, they must suffer a great loss of men. They took
the resolution, therefore, to row with the whole fleet eastward along
the coast. Observing that King Canute did not pursue them, they raised
up their masts and set sail. Ottar Svarte tells thus of it in the poem
he composed upon King Canute the Great:--
"The king, in battle fray,
Drove the Swedish host away:
The wolf did not miss prey,
Nor the raven on that day.
Great Canute might deride
Two kings if he had pride,
For at Helga river's side
They would not his sword abide."