“There is danger in that for thee,” said Palnatoki. “For even if God should give thee that glory, to prevail over me, ’tis likely my many brave lads that be here ashipboard with us would be angry with thee beyond all letting or leashing, and they would have thee slain despite all oaths.”
“Then send them back,” said Styrbiorn, “aboard of thine own ship. And let them take up with them my men that be hurt and tend their wounds. So let them ungrapple their ship and row apart. And thou and I may then try it out at ease among the dead corpses.”
Palnatoki looked at him and said, “Thou art hurt already. The blood drips from under thy shield down from thy left shoulder. Why wilt thou not take mine offer and sail away?”
He answered, “It was not in the bargain.”
“It is sore against my liking,” said Palnatoki, “to send to hell untimely so good a man as thou art, and but for the game’s sake only and thine own pigheadedness. It is in my mind the rather to deliver thee from thine own folly: bid my men bear thee down with their shields, and so save thy life.”
Said Styrbiorn, “I will not be took alive. Of that be well assured. If that thou beest a man indeed, do as I bid.”
“Well,” said Palnatoki, “it is sore against my liking. And think well that I am not the man to spare thee any whit, once the grey silver is aloft betwixt us.”
“Make haste,” said Styrbiorn, “ere I grow stiff with waiting.”
So the Jomsburgers at Palnatoki’s command gat them back aboard of their own ship, and had along with them all those of Styrbiorn’s shipmates that were yet alive: and not one of those was able for his wounds to stand upon his feet and wield weapon.
Palnatoki and Styrbiorn stood now foot to foot on the poop of Styrbiorn’s ship. Styrbiorn said, “Thou shalt strike the first blow.”
“None ever made me that offer till now,” answered Palnatoki; “and from thee I will no wise take it.” Styrbiorn heaved up his sword and aimed at him a great round-armed swashing stroke, but he caught it slantwise on his shield and it glented aside in air off the shield’s boss. Then Palnatoki hewed at him with a downstroke on the helm, but the sword did not bite, but glanced down the helm and smote off from it the left wing and so crashed onward towards Styrbiorn’s shoulder, but he caught it with his shield and turned it. “There winged I the hawk,” said Palnatoki then.
And now for some while they bandied great blows, but well they warded them, so that no stroke came well home and neither was hurt. Yet was Styrbiorn bleeding from his former wound in the left shoulder, and for all his strength and fierceness he moved somewhat more heavily as the fight went on, as if his wound irked him and the loss of blood; and his face waxed wondrous dark and grim, and his breath began to come in great pants and snorts. Yet never the lighter fell his sword. But Palnatoki was light and slender of limb, yet exceeding strong withal, as if his sinews were bands of iron; and for all he was now well three-and-forty winters old, he was with all his war-gear light of foot as a boy at the ball-play, and leaped in and out like a cat; until, leaping backward from one of Styrbiorn’s mighty flail-sweeps of his sword, his foot came down in a slime of half-clotted gore, slid from under him like a skate on new ice, and landed him flat on his back with his enemy sprung over him weapon in hand.
Styrbiorn gave backwards a pace and lowered his sword. His face looked grey now, that was so red, and he spake through gritted teeth. “Stand thou up, and let us play out the play.” He leaned, with his right hand that gripped the sword-hilt, heavily on the ship’s gunwale. The timbers quivered under his hand.
Palnatoki leaped lightly to his feet again, and faced him again with sword and shield. Looking with his eagle eyes on Styrbiorn, he said, “It will be better for us to give over now. Wise is he that can read the signs of the Gods.”
Styrbiorn said, “Thou art a good man, Palnatoki. I would not do a dastard’s deed by thee. But let us play out the play.”
Palnatoki let fall his sword with a clatter among the stretchers and came to Styrbiorn with open hand: “Better side by side shall the swords of us two bite, than one against the other.”
Styrbiorn, all fordone with weariness and bloodletting, had scarce might to grip hands with him.
By then were the fleets of either part rowed up, and great clamour was there, and much likelihood it seemed of a battle-royal now betwixt them. For Earl Wolf and his folk, when they had seen the ships part and the ship of the Jomsburgers row away, were at a set and knew not what to make of it, and so put their ships in motion, meaning to see closer at hand the ending of this matter. Which when Sigvaldi beheld, he bade all row out of harbour and make ready to set upon them out of hand anon, since it was clear that these Swedes were going about to break truce with them and bewray Palnatoki. And certain it is, it had been short work of Earl Wolf and Styrbiorn’s host had they foughten it out there against the men of Jomsburg.
But Palnatoki standing high on the poop of Styrbiorn’s ship there, his hand in Styrbiorn’s, shouted to them of both sides with his voice that was like a trumpet of brass, clear thundering through the hubbub of voices and clanking oars and waves awash and gurgling, letting them know the fight was done, and peace given to
