Styrkar, King Harald Sigurdson's marshal, a gallant man, escaped upon a horse, on which he rode away in the evening.It was blowing a cold wind, and Styrkar had not much other clothing upon him but his shirt, and had a helmet on his head, and a drawn sword in his hand.As soon as his weariness was over, he began to feel cold.A waggoner met him in a lined skin-coat.Styrkar asks him, "Wilt thou sell thy coat, friend?""Not to thee," says the peasant: "thou art a Northman; that Ican hear by thy tongue."Styrkar replies, "If I were a Northman, what wouldst thou do?""I would kill thee," replied the peasant; "but as ill luck would have it, I have no weapon just now by me that would do it."Then Styrkar says, "As you can't kill me, friend, I shall try if I can't kill you." And with that he swung his sword, and struck him on the neck, so that his head came off.He then took the skin-coat, sprang on his horse, and rode down to the strand.
Olaf Haraldson had not gone on land with the others, and when he heard of his father's fall he made ready to sail away with the men who remained.
99.OF WILLIAM THE BASTARD.
When the Earl of Rouen, William the Bastard, heard of his relation, King Edward's, death, and also that Harald Godwinson was chosen, crowned, and consecrated king of England, it appeared to him that he had a better right to the kingdom of England than Harald, by reason of the relationship between him and King Edward.He thought, also, that he had grounds for avenging the affront that Harald had put upon him with respect to his daughter.From all these grounds William gathered together a great army in Normandy, and had many men, and sufficient transport-shipping.The day that he rode out of the castle to his ships, and had mounted his horse, his wife came to him, and wanted to speak with him; but when he saw her he struck at her with his heel, and set his spurs so deep into her breast that she fell down dead; and the earl rode on to his ships, and went with his ships over to England.His brother, Archbishop Otto, was with him; and when the earl came to England he began to plunder, and take possession of the land as he came along.Earl William was stouter and stronger than other men; a great horseman and warrior, but somewhat stern; and a very sensible man, but not considered a man to be relied on.
100.FALL OF KING HARALD GODWINSON.
King Harald Godwinson gave King Harald Sigurdson's son Olaf leave to go away, with the men who had followed him and had not fallen in battle; but he himself turned round with his army to go south, for he had heard that William the Bastard was overwhelming the south of England with a vast army, and was subduing the country for himself.With King Harald went his brothers Svein and Gyrd, and Earl Valthiof.King Harald and Earl William met each other south in England at Helsingja-port (Hastings).There was a great battle in which King Harald and his brother Earl Gyrd and a great part of his men fell.This was the nineteenth day after the fall of King Harald Sigurdson.Harald's brother, Earl Valthiof, escaped by flight, and towards evening fell in with a division of William's people, consisting of 100 men; and when they saw Earl Valthiof's troop they fled to a wood.Earl Valthiof set fire to the wood, and they were all burnt.So says Thorkel Skallason in Valthiof's ballad: --"Earl Valthiof the brave His foes a warming gave:
Within the blazing grove A hundred men he drove.
The wolf will soon return, And the witch's horse will burn Her sharp claws in the ash, To taste the Frenchman's flesh."101.EARL VALTHIOF'S DEATH.
William was proclaimed king of England.He sent a message to Earl Valthiof that they should be reconciled, and gave him assurance of safety to come to the place of meeting.The earl set out with a few men; but when he came to a heath north of Kastala-bryggia, there met him two officers of King William, with many followers, who took him prisoner, put him in fetters, and afterwards he was beheaded; and the English call him a saint.
Thorkel tells of this: --
"William came o'er the sea, With bloody sword came he:
Cold heart and bloody hand Now rule the English land.
Earl Valthiof he slew, --
Valthiof the brave and true.
Cold heart and bloody hand Now rule the English land."William was after this king of England for twenty-one years, and his descendants have been so ever since.
102.OF OLAF HARALDSON'S EXPEDITION TO NORWAY.