Far inland the great mountains rose, snow-capped now, and shone golden and white and purple in the evening sun; and everywhere the forests climbed to meet the snow, and the sound of the cattle horns came at the homing hour to tell of the saeters hidden in the valleys.
Once we met a ship passing swiftly northward under oars, and were not so sure that we might not have to fight or fly.

But her crew were flying from the south, and hailed us to know if it were true that Hakon had come from England to claim his own.

And when we hailed in answer that so it was, and that we were of his force, the men roared and cheered while we might hear them.

Eric's day was done.
I think that it was on the fifth day that we came at last to the break in the line of fringing islands which marks the opening of the Stavanger Fjord.

There we met the long heave and swell of the open sea, and it was good to feel the lift and quiver of the staunch ship as she swung over the rollers again.
Across the open stretch of sea we sailed, and the land along which we coasted was flat and sandy, all unlike that which we had passed for so many days.