King Olaf then steered in towards the Bokn fjord, by which the ships
came out of sight of each other. Thereafter the king ordered his men
to strike the sails, and row forwards through a narrow sound that was
there, and all the ships lay collected within a rocky point. Then all
the king's men put on their weapons. Erling sailed in through the sound,
and observed nothing until the whole fleet was before him, and he saw
the king's men rowing towards him with all their ships at once. Erling
and his crew let fall the sails, and seized their weapons; but the
king's fleet surrounded his ship on all sides. Then the fight began, and
it was of the sharpest; but soon the greatest loss was among Erling's
men. Erling stood on the quarter-deck of his ship. He had a helmet on
his head, a shield before him, and a sword in his hand. Sigvat the skald
had remained behind in Viken, and heard the tidings. He was a great
friend of Erling, had received presents from him, and had been at his
house. Sigvat composed a poem upon Erling's fall, in which there is the
following verse:--
"Erling has set his ship on sea--
Against the king away is he:
He who oft lets the eagle stain
Her yellow feet in blood of slain.
His little war-ship side by side
With the king's fleet, the fray will bide.
Now sword to sword the fight is raging,