The king thought this good counsel. ’We will here make ready our army,’ said he, ’as soon as it is
light, and move to support you.’

This plan they fixed upon, and so ended the council.

Chapter 53 - Of the fight.
Earl Hring and Adils his brother made ready their army, and at once in the night moved southwards
for the heath. But when day dawned, Thorolf’s sentries saw the army approaching. Then was a war-
blast blown, and men donned their arms selects spirited and that they began to draw up the force, and
they had two divisions. Earl Alfgeir commanded one division, and the standard was borne before him.
In that division were his own followers, and also what force had been gathered from the countryside. It
was a much larger fours than that which followed Thorolf and Egil.

Thorolf was thus armed. He had a shield ample and stout, a right strong helmet on his head; he was
girded with the sword that he called Long, a weapon large and good. If his hand he had a halberd,
whereof the feather-formed blade was two ells long, ending in a four-edged spike; the blade was broad
above, the socket both long and thick. The shaft stood just high enough for the hand to grasp the
socket, and was remarkably thick. The socket fitted with iron prong on the shaft, which was also
wound round with iron. Such weapons were called mail-piercers.

Egil was armed in the same way as Thorolf. He was girded with the sword that he called Adder; this
he had gotten in Courland; it was a right good weapon. Neither of the two had shirt of mail.

They set up their standard, which was borne by Thofid the Strong. All their men had Norwegian
shields and Norwegian armour in every point; and in their division were all the Norsemen who were
present. Thorolf’s force was drawn up near the wood, Alfgeir’s moved along the river.

Earl Adils and his brother saw that they would not come upon Thorolf unawares, so they began to
draw up their force. They also made two divisions, and had two standards. Adils was opposed to earl
Alfgeir, Hring to the freebooters. The battle now began; both charged with spirit. Earl Adils pressed
on hard and fast till Alfgeir gave ground; then Adils’ men pressed on twice as boldly. Nor was it long
before Alfgeir fled. And this is to be told of him, that he rode away south over the heath, and a
company of men with him. He rode till he came near the town, where sate the king.

Then spake the earl: ’I deem it not safe for us to enter the town. We got sharp words of late when we
came to the king after defeat by king Olaf; and he will not think our case bettered by this coming. No
need to expect honour where he is.’

Then he rode to the south country, and of his travel ’tis to be told that he rode night and day till he and
his came westwards to Earls-ness. Then the earl got a ship to take him southwards over the sea; and he
came to France, where half of his kin were. He never after returned to England.

Adils at first pursued the flying foe, but not far; then he turned back to where the battle was, and made
an onset there. This when Thorolf saw, he said that Egil should turn and encounter him, and bade the
standard be borne that way; his men he bade hold well together and stand close.

’Move we to the wood,’ said he, ’and let it cover our back, so that they may not come at us from all
sides.’

They did so; they followed along the wood. Fierce was the battle there. Egil charged against Adils, and
they had a hard fight of it. The odds of numbers were great, yet more of Adils’ men fell than of Egil’s.