Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/264

 256 CHRONICLE OF THE baga vil They said the Danes would not dare to attack them, although they lay with so great a force right in the way. But the king was a man of too much under- standing not to see that this was impracticable. He knew also that Olaf Tryggvesson had found it quite otherwise, as to the Danes not daring to fio-ht, when he with a few people went into battle against a great body of them. The king also knew that in King Canute's army there were a great many Norwegians ; therefore he entertained the suspicion that those who gave this advice were more favourable to King Canute than to him. King Olaf came at last to the deter- mination, from all these considerations, that the peo- ple who would follow him should make themselves ready to proceed by land across Gotland, and so to Norway. " But our ships," said he, " and all things that we cannot take with us, I will send eastward to the Swedish king's dominions, and let them be taken care of for us there." chapter Harek of Thiotto replied thus to the king's speech : Hai^kdf 1 ' "It is evident that I cannot travel on foot to Nor- way^ I am old and heavy, and little accustomed to walking. Besides, I am unwilling to part with my ship ; for on that ship and its apparel I have be- stowed so much labour, that it would go much against my inclination to put her into the hands of my enemies." The king said, " Come along with us, Harek, and we shall carry thee when thou art tired of walking." Then Harek sang these lines : u I'll mount my ocean steed, And o'er the sea I'll speed; Forests and hills are not for me, — I love the moving sea. Though Canute block the Sound, Rather than walk the ground, And leave my ship, I'll see What my ship will do for me." Thiotto's voyage