Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/229

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 221 to a levy both of men and ships, and then proceed, saga vil with all the force I can muster, against King Canute the Great ; for I know for certain that he does not intend to treat as a jest the claim he has awakened upon my kingdom. Now I let thee know my will, Finn Arneson, that thou proceed on my errand to Halogaland, and raise the people there to an expedition, men and ships, and summon that force to meet me at Agdanass." Then the king named other men whom he sent to Drontheim, and some southwards in the country, and he commanded that this order should be circulated through the whole land. Of Finn's voyage we have to relate that he had with him a ship with about thirty men, and when he was ready for sea he prosecuted his journey until he came to Haloga- land. There he summoned the bonders to a Thing, laid before them his errand, and craved a levy. The bonders in that district had large vessels, suited to a levy expedition, and they obeyed the king's message, and rigged their ships. Now when Finn came farther north in Halogaland he held a Thing again, and sent some of his men from him to crave a levy where he thought it necessary. He sent also men to Biarko Island to Thorer Hund, and there, as elsewhere, craved the quota to the levy. When the message came to Thorer he made himself ready, and manned with his house-servants the same vessel he had sailed with on his cruise to Biarmeland, and which he equipped at his own expense. Finn summoned all the people of Halogaland who were to the north to meet at Yaage. There came a great fleet together in spring, and they waited there until Finn returned from the North. Thorer Hund had also come there. When Finn arrived he ordered the signal to sound for all the people of the levy to attend a House-Thing ; and at it all the men produced their weapons, and also the fighting men from each ship-district were mustered.