"Over the foaming salt sea spray The Norse sea-horses took their way, Racing across the ocean-plain Southwards to Denmark's green domain. The gallant chief of Hordaland Sat at the helm with steady hand, In casque and shield, his men to bring From Dovre to his friend the king. He steered his war-ships o'er the wave To help the Danish king to save Mordalf, who, with a gallant band Was hastening from the Jutes' wild land, Across the forest frontier rude, With toil and pain through the thick wood. Glad was the Danish king, I trow, When he saw Hakon's galley's prow. The monarch straightway gave command To Hakon, with a steel-clad band, To man the Dane-work's rampart stout, And keep the foreign foemen out." The Emperor Otta came with his army from the south to Danavirke, but Earl Hakon defended the rampart with his men. The Dane-work (Danavirke) was constructed in this way:--Two fjords run into the land, one on each side; and in the farthest bight of these fjords the Danes had made a great wall of stone, turf, and timber, and dug a deep and broad ditch in front of it, and had also built a castle over each gate of it. There was a hard battle there, of which the "Vellekla" speaks:-- "Thick the storm of arrows flew, Loud was the din, black was the view Of close array of shield and spear Of Vind, and Frank, and Saxon there. But little recked our gallant men; And loud the cry might be heard then Of Norway's brave sea-roving son-- 'On 'gainst the foe! On! Lead us on!" Earl Hakon drew up his people in ranks upon all the gate-towers of the wall, but the greater part of them he kept marching along the wall to make a defence wheresoever an attack was threatened. Many of the emperor's people fell without making any impression on the fortification, so the emperor turned back without farther attempt at an assault on it. So it is said in the "Vellekla":-- "They who the eagle's feast provide In ranked line fought side by side, 'Gainst lines of war-men under shields\ Close packed together on the fields, Earl Hakon drive by daring deeds The Saxons to their ocean-steeds; And the young hero saves from fall The Danavirke--the people's wall." After this battle Earl Hakon went back to his ships, and intended to sail home to Norway; but he did not get a favourable wind, and lay for some time outside at Limafjord. 27. HARALD AND HAKON ARE BAPTIZED.