Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/298

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286 CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA XV. The cold blue river now runs red With the warm blood of warriors dead, And stains the waves in Karmt Sound With the last drops of the death-wound. " All down the stream, with unmann'd prow^ Floats many an empty long-ship now. Ship after ship, shout after shout, Tell that King Hakon can't hold out. The bowmen ply their bows of elm. The red swords flash o'er broken helm: King Hakon's men rush to the strand. Out of their ships, up through the land." Einar composed a song about Gregorius Dagsson, which is called the River-song. King Inge granted life and peace to Nicolas Skialdvarsson when his ship was deserted, and thereupon he went into King Inge's service, and remained in it as long as the king lived. Endrid Johnsson leaped on board of King Inge's ship when his own was cleared of men, and begged for his life. King Inge Avished to grant it ; but Havard Klining's son ran up, and gave him a mortal wound, which was much blamed ; but he said Endrid had been the cause of his father's death. There was much lamentation at Endrid' s deatli, but principally in the Drontheim district. Many of Ha- kon's people fell here, but not many chiefs. Few of King Inge's people fell, but many were wounded. King Hakon fled up the country, and King Inge went north to Viken Avith his troops ; and he, as well as Gregorius, remained in Viken all winter. AVhen King Inge's men, Bergliot and his brothers, sons of Ivar of Elda, came from the battle to Bergen, they slew Nicolas Skiaeg, who had been Hakon's treasurer, and then went north to Drontheim. King Hakon came north before Yule, and Sigurd was sometimes home at Eoyr ; for Gregorius, who was nearly related to Sigurd, had obtained for him life and safety from King Inge, so that he retained all his estates. King Hakon was in the merchant-town of