Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/105

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 97 long with him, and whose fidelity he had proof of, to saga vit. attend Rserek day and night ; but it is not said whe- ther they were people of high birth or not. King Raerek's mood was very different at different times. Sometimes he would sit silent for days together, so that no man could get a word out of him ; and some- times he was so merry and gay, that people found a joke in every word he said. Sometimes his words were very bitter. He was sometimes in a mood that he would drink them all under the benches, and made all his neighbours drunk; but in general he drank but little. King Olaf gave him plenty of pocket- money. When he went to his lodgings he would often, before going to bed, have some stoups of mead brought in, which he gave to all the men in the house to drink, so that he was much liked. There was a man from the Uplands called Finn the Chapter T XXXTTT Little, and some said of him that he was of Finnish * of Little race. He was a remarkably little man, but so swift Finn - of foot that no horse could overtake him. He was a particularly well exercised runner with snow shoes, and shooter with the bow. He had long been in the service of King Rserek, and often employed in errands of trust. He knew the roads in all the Upland hills, and was well known to all the great people. Now when King Raarek was set under guards on the journey Finn would often slip in among the men of the guard, and followed, in general, with the lads and serving- men ; but as often as he could he waited upon Raerek, and entered into conversation with him. The king, however, only spoke a word or two with him at a time, to prevent suspicion. In spring, when they came a little way beyond Viken, Finn disappeared from the army for some days, but came back, and staid with them a while. This happened often, Avithout any one VOL. II. H
 * The Laplanders are called Finns in Norway and Sweden.