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The messengers went home, and came back on the third day according to promise; they now said to
king Olaf that Athelstan would give all that he offered before, and over and above, for distribution
among king Olaf s soldiers, a shilling to every freeborn man, a silver mark to every officer of a
company of twelve men or more, a gold mark to every captain of the king s guard, and five gold marks
to every earl. Then the king laid this offer before his forces. It was again as before; some opposed this,
some desired it. In the end the king gave a decision: he said he would accept these terms, if this too
were added, that king Athelstan let him have all Northumberland with the tributes and dues thereto
belonging. Again the messengers ask armistice of three days, with this further, that king Olaf should
send his men to hear Athelstan s answer, whether he would take these terms or no; they say that to
their thinking Athelstan will hardly refuse anything to ensure peace. King Olaf agreed to this and sent
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his men to king Athelstan.
Then the messengers ride all together, and find king Athelstan in the town that was close to the heath
on the south. King Olaf s messengers declare before Athelstan their errand and the proposals for
peace. King Athelstan s men told also with what offers they had gone to king Olaf, adding that this
had been the counsel of wise men, thus to delay the battle so long as the king had not come.
But king Athelstan made a quick decision on this matter, and thus bespake the messengers: Bear ye
these my words to king Olaf, that I will give him leave for this, to go home to Scotland with his forces;
only let him restore all the property that he has wrongfully taken here in the land. Then make we peace
between our lands, neither harrying the other. Further be it provided that king Olaf shall become my
vassal, and hold Scotland for me, and be my under-king. Go now back, said he, and tell him this.
At once that same evening the messengers turned back on their way, and came to king Olaf about
midnight; they then waked up the king, and told him straightway the words of king Athelstan. The
king instantly summoned his earls and other captains; he then caused the messengers to come and
declare the issue of their errand and the words of Athelstan. But when this was made known before the
soldiers, all with one mouth said that this was now before them, to prepare for battle. The messengers
said this too, that Athelstan had a numerous force, but he had come into the town on that same day
when the messengers came there.
Then spoke earl Adils, Now, methinks, that has come to pass, O king, which I said, that ye would find
tricksters in the English. We have sat here long time and waited while they have gathered to them all
their forces, whereas their king can have been nowhere near when we came here. They will have been
assembling a multitude while we were sitting still. Now this is my counsel, O king, that we two
brothers ride at once forward this very night with our troop. It may be they will have no fear for
themselves, now they know that their king is near with a large army. So we shall make a dash upon
them. But if they turn and fly, they will lose some of their men, and be less bold afterwards for conflict
with us.
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.
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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
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