Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/239

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 231 put on their clothes, and some breakfast was given sa ga v h. them ; and Arnliot gave each of them also a pair of snow-scates.* Arnliot made himself ready to accom- pany them, and got upon his snow-scates, which were both broad and long ; but scarcely had he swung his snow-scate staff before he was a long way past them. He waited for them, and said they would make no progress in this way, and told them to stand upon the edge of his scates beside him. They did so. Thorodd stood nearest to him, and held by Arnliot' s belt, and his comrade held by him. Arnliot strode on as quickly with them both, as if he was alone and without any weight. The following day they came, towards night, to a lodge for travellers, struck fire, and prepared some food ; but Arnliot told them to throw away nothing of their food, neither bones nor crumbs. Arnliot took a silver plate out of the pocket of his cloak, and ate from it. When they were done eating, Arnliot gathered up the remains of their meal, and they prepared to go to sleep. In the other end of the house there was a loft upon cross-beams, and Arnliot and the others went up, and laid themselves down to sleep. Arnliot had a large halberd, of which the upper part was mounted with gold, and the shaft was so long that with his arm stretched out he could scarcely touch" the top of it ; and he was girt with a sword. They had both their weapons and their clothes up in the loft beside them. Arnliot, who lay outermost in the loft, told them to be per- fectly quiet. Soon after twelve men came to the house, who were merchants going with their wares to Jemteland ; and when they came into the house they made a great disturbance, were merry, and made a great fire before them ; and when they took their sup- leather loop in the middle,, into which the foot is thrust ; and the expert scater shuffles along at a great rate, especially down a slope. Q 4
 * Snow-scates are slips of light wood about five feet long, with a