Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/372

 self up in a wolf-skin, and went back to bis boat; but before they rowed away from the skip, every man in bis suite bought such another wolf-skin as the king wore for himself. In a few days so many people came to buy skins, that not half of them could be served with what they wanted; and thereafter the king was called Harald Grey skin.

Earl Hakon came one winter to the Uplands to a feast and it so happened that he had intercourse with a girl of mean birth. Some time after the girl had to prepare for her confinement; and she bore a child, a boy, who had water poured on him, and was named Eric. The mother carried the boy to Earl Hakon, and said that he was the father. The earl placed him to be brought up with a man called Thorleif the Wise, who dwelt in Midaldal, and was a rich and powerful man, and a great friend of the earl. Eric gave hopes very early that he would become an able man, was handsome in countenance, and stout and strong for a child; but the earl did not pay much attention to him. The earl himself was one of the handsomest men in countenance,—not tall, but very strong, and well practised in all kinds of exercises: and withal prudent, of good understanding, and a deadly man at arms.

It happened one harvest that Earl Hakon, on a journey in the Uplands, came to Hedemark; and King Tryggve Olafsson and King Gudrod Biomeson met him there, and Dale-Gudbrand also came to the meeting. They had agreed to meet, and they talked together long by themselves; but so much only was known of their business, that they were to be friends of each other. They parted, and each went home to his own kingdom. Gunhild and her sons came to hear of this meeting, and they suspected it must have been to lay a treasonable plot against the kings; and they often talked of this among themselves. When