Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/415

 which the peasant had said he wanted; and all were marked with the same mark, which showed that the dog knew the right beasts, and was very sagacious. Olaf then asked the peasant if he would sell him the dog. " I would rather give him to yon," said the peasant. Olaf immediately presented him with a gold ring in return, and promised him his friendship in future. This dog was called Vige, and was the very best of dogs, and Olaf owned him long afterwards.

The Danish king, Harald Gormson, heard that Earl Hakon had throwm off Christianity, and had plundered far and wide in the Danish land. The Danish king levied an army, with which he went to Norway; and when he came to the country which Earl Hakon had to rule over he laid waste the whole land, and came with his fleet to some islands called Solen Isles. Only five houses were left standing in Lerdal; but all the people fled up to the Fielde, and into the forest, taking with them all the moveable goods they could carry with them. Then the Danish king proposed to sail with his fleet to Iceland, to avenge the mockery and scorn all the Icelanders had shown towards him; for they had made a law in Iceland, that they should make as many lampoons against the Danish king as there were headlands in his country; and the reason was, because a vessel which belonged to certain Icelanders was stranded in Denmark, and the Danes took all the property, and called it wreck. One of the king's bailiffs called Birgir was to blame for this; but the lampoons were made against both. In the lampoons were the following lines:—

The gallant Harald in the field

Between his legs lets drop his shield;

Into a pony he was changed.

And kicked his shield, and safely ranged.

And Birgir, he who dwells in halls

For safety built with four stone walls,