Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/159

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 151 living of the people of the interior of Drontheim, and saga VIT - if it really was so that they practised sacrifices to heathen gods. " I will," says the king, " that thou declare to me the things as they are, and as thou knowest to be true ; for it is thy duty to tell me the truth, being my man." Thorald replies, " Sire, I will first tell you. that I have brought here to the town my two children, my wife, and all my loose property that I could take with me, and if thou desirest to know the truth it shall be told according to thy command ; but if I declare it, thou must take care of me and mine." The king replies, " Say only what is true on what I ask thee, and I will take care that no evil befal thee." Then said Thorald, " If I must say the truth, king, as it is, I must declare that in the interior of the Drontheim land almost all the people are heathen in faith, although some of them are baptized. It is their custom to offer sacrifice in autumn for a good winter, a second at mid-winter, and a third in sum- mer. In this the people of Eynar, Sparboe, Vserdal, and Skogn partake. There are twelve men who pre- side over these sacrifice-feasts ; and in spring it is Olver who has to get the feast in order, and he is now busy transporting to Maere every thing needful for it." Now when the king had got to the truth with a certainty, he orderd the signal to be sounded for his men to assemble, and for the men-at-arms to go on board ship. He appointed men to steer the ships, and leaders for the people, and ordered how the people should be divided among the vessels. All was got ready in haste, and with five ships and 300 men he steered up the fiord. The wind was favourable, the ships sailed briskly before it, and nobody could have thought that the king would be so soon there. l 4