When King Harald was clear for sea, and the wind became favourable, he sailed out into the ocean; and he himself landed in Shetland, but a part of his fleet in the Orkney Islands.King Harald stopped but a short time in Shetland before sailing to Orkney, from whence he took with him a great armed force, and the earls Paul and Erlend, the sons of Earl Thorfin; but he left behind him here the Queen Ellisif, and her daughters Maria and Ingegerd.Then he sailed, leaving Scotland and England westward of him, and landed at a place called Klifland.There he went on shore and plundered, and brought the country in subjection to him without opposition.Then he brought up at Skardaburg, and fought with the people of the place.He went up a hill which is there, and made a great pile upon it, which he set on fire; and when the pile was in clear flame, his men took large forks and pitched the burning wood down into the town, so that one house caught fire after the other, and the town surrendered.The Northmen killed many people there and took all the booty they could lay hold of.
There was nothing left for the Englishmen now, if they would preserve their lives, but to submit to King Harald; and thus he subdued the country wherever he came.Then the king proceeded south along the land, and brought up at Hellornes, where there came a force that had been assembled to oppose him, with which he had a battle, and gained the victory.
87.OF HARALD'S ORDER OF BATTLE.
Thereafter the king sailed to the Humber, and up along the river, and then he landed.Up in Jorvik were two earls, Earl Morukare, and his brother, Earl Valthiof, and they had an immense army.
While the army of the earls was coming down from the upper part of the country, King Harald lay in the Usa.King Harald now went on the land, and drew up his men.The one arm of this line stood at the outer edge of the river, the other turned up towards the land along a ditch; and there was also a morass, deep, broad, and full of water.The earls let their army proceed slowly down along the river, with all their troops in line.The king's banner was next the river, where the line was thickest.It was thinnest at the ditch, where also the weakest of the men were.
When the earls advanced downwards along the ditch, the arm of the Northmen's line which was at the ditch gave way; and the Englishmen followed, thinking the Northmen would fly.The banner of Earl Morukare advanced then bravely.
88.THE BATTLE AT THE HUMBER.
When King Harald saw that the English array had come to the ditch against him, he ordered the charge to be sounded, and urged on his men.He ordered the banner which was called the Land-ravager to be carried before him, and made so severe an assault that all had to give way before it; and there was a great loss among the men of the earls, and they soon broke into flight, some running up the river, some down, and the most leaping into the ditch, which was so filled with dead that the Norsemen could go dry-foot over the fen.There Earl Morukare fell.So says Stein Herdison:
--
"The gallant Harald drove along, Flying but fighting, the whole throng.
At last, confused, they could not fight, And the whole body took to flight.
Up from the river's silent stream At once rose desperate splash and scream;But they who stood like men this fray Round Morukare's body lay."This song was composed by Stein Herdison about Olaf, son of King Harald; and he speaks of Olaf being in this battle with King Harald, his father.These things are also spoken of in the song called "Harald's Stave": --"Earl Valthiof's men Lay in the fen, By sword down hewed, So thickly strewed, That Norsemen say They paved a way Across the fen For the brave Norsemen."Earl Valthiof, and the people who escaped, fled up to the castle of York; and there the greatest loss of men had been.This battle took place upon the Wednesday next Mathias' day (A.D.
1066).
89.OF EARL TOSTE.
Earl Toste had come from Flanders to King Harald as soon as he arrived in England, and the earl was present at all these battles.It happened, as he had foretold the king at their first meeting, that in England many people would flock to them, as being friends and relations of Earl Toste, and thus the king's forces were much strengthened.After the battle now told of, all people in the nearest districts submitted to Harald, but some fled.Then the king advanced to take the castle, and laid his army at Stanforda-bryggiur (Stamford Bridge); and as King Harald had gained so great a victory against so great chiefs and so great an army, the people were dismayed, and doubted if they could make any opposition.The men of the castle therefore determined, in a council, to send a message to King Harald, and deliver up the castle into his power.All this was soon settled;so that on Sunday the king proceeded with the whole army to the castle, and appointed a Thing of the people without the castle, at which the people of the castle were to be present.At this Thing all the people accepted the condition of submitting to Harald, and gave him, as hostages, the children of the most considerable persons; for Earl Toste was well acquainted with all the people of that town.In the evening the king returned down to his ships, after this victory achieved with his own force, and was very merry.A Thing was appointed within the castle early on Monday morning, and then King Harald was to name officers to rule over the town, to give out laws, and bestow fiefs.The same evening, after sunset, King Harald Godwinson came from the south to the castle with a numerous army, and rode into the city with the good-will and consent of the people of the castle.All the gates and walls were beset so that the Northmen could receive no intelligence, and the army remained all night in the town.
90.OF KING HARALD'S LANDING.