Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/477

 room weeping as the king came in. The king said, "See here, queen, is a great angelica stalk, which I give thee." She threw it away, and said "A greater present Harald Gormson gave to my mother; and he was not afraid to go out of the land and take his own. That was shown when he came here to Norway, and laid waste the greater part of the land, and seized on all the scatt and revenues; and thou darest not go across the Danish dominions for this brother of mine, King Swend." As she spoke thus, King Olaf sprang up, and answered with a loud oath, "Never did I fear thy brother King Swend; and if we meet he shall give way before me!"

Soon after the king convoked a Thing in the town, and proclaimed to all the public, that in summer he would go abroad upon an expedition out of the country, and would raise both ships and men from every district; and at the same time fixed how many ships he would have from the whole Drontheim fiord. Then he sent his message-token south and north, both along the sea coast and up in the interior of the country, to let an army be gathered. The king ordered the Long Serpent to be put into the water, along with all his other ships both small and great. He himself steered the Long Serpent. When the crews were taken out for the ships, they were so carefully selected that no man on board the Long Serpent was older than sixty or younger than twenty years, and all were men distinguished for strength and courage. Those who were Olaf's body-guard were in particular chosen men, both of the country and foreigners and the boldest and strongest,

Ulf Rode was the name of the man who bore King Olaf's banner, and was in the forecastle of the Long Serpent; and with him was Kiolbiorn the marshal,