Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/104

 9g CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA VII. " It is hardest of all," says he, " that thou and my other relations, who ought to be men of bravery, art so degenerated that thou wilt not avenge the shame and disgrace brought upon our race." Such dis- course he often brought out. Swend said, they had too great a power to deal with, while they themselves had but little means. Ea3rek said, " Why should we live longer as mutilated men with disgrace? I, a blind man, may conquer them as well as they con- quered me when I was asleep. Come then, let us kill this thick Olaf. He is not afraid for himself at present. I will lay the plan, and would not spare my hands if I could use them, but that I cannot by rea- son of my blindness; therefore thou must use the weapons against him, and as soon as Olaf is killed I can see well enough that his power must come into the hands of his enemies, and it may well be that I shall be king, and thou shalt be my earl." So much persuasion he used that Swend at last agreed to join in the deed. The plan was so laid that when the king was ready to go to vespers, Swend stood on the threshold with a drawn dagger under his cloak. Now when the king came out of the room, it so happened that he walked quicker than Swend expected ; and when he looked the king in the face he grew pale, and then white as a corpse, and his hand sunk down. The king observed his terror, and said, " What is this, Swend ? Wilt thou betray me ?" Swend threw down his cloak and dagger, and fell at the king's feet, saying, " All is in God's hands and thine, king ! " The king ordered his men to seize Swend, and he was put in irons. The king ordered KaBrek's seat to be moved to another bench. He gave Swend his life, and he left the country. The king appointed a different lodging for Rserek to sleep in from that in which he slept himself, and in which many of his court-people slept. He set two of his court-men, who had been