Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/107

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 99 stairs wet. " I think," said he, laughing, " the king saga vn. must have given many of us tottering legs to-night." When they came into the house in which light was burning the footboy said, " Have you hurt yourself that you are all over so bloody?" He replied, "I am not wounded, but something must have happened here." Thereupon he wakened Thord Folason, who was standard-bearer, and his bedfellow. They went out with a light, and soon found the blood. They traced it, and found the corpses, and knew them. They saw also a great stump of a tree in which clearly a gash had been cut, which, as was afterwards known, had been done as a stratagem to entice those out who had been killed. Sigvat and Thord spoke together, and agreed it was highly necessary to let the king know of this without delay. They immediately sent a lad to the lodging where Rasrek had been. AH the men in it were asleep ; but the king was gone. He wakened the men who were in the house, and told them what had happened. The men arose, and ran out to the yard where the bodies were ; but, however needful it appeared to be that the king should know it, nobody dared to waken him. Then said Sigvat to Thord, " What wilt thou rather do, comrade, — waken the king, or tell him the tidings?" Thord replies, " I do not dare to waken him, and I would rather tell him the news." Then said Sigvat, " There is much of the night still to pass, and before morning Rserek may get himself concealed in such a way that it may be difficult to find him ; but as yet he cannot be very far off, for the bodies are still warm. We must never let the disgrace rest upon us of concealing this treason from the king. Go thou, Thord, up to the lodging, and wait for me there." Sigvat then went to the church, and told the bell- h 2