Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/315

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 307 pany him, and Thorgeir offered his two sons also for saga vii. the journey ; and although the king said that he did not want them with him, the lads would go. As they would not stay behind, the king's court-men were about binding them; but the king seeing it said, "Let them come with us: the lads will come safe back again." And it was with the lads as the king foretold. Thereafter the army advanced to Staf *, and when Chaiter ccxv the king reached Staf's moor he halted. There he oftheba'p- 2ot the certain information that the bonders were ad- tlsmofthe <-> # t vagabond vancing with an army against him, and that he might forest-men. soon expect to have a battle with them. He mustered his force here, and, after reckoning them up, found he had more than 3000 men. There were in the army 900 heathen men, and when he came to know it he ordered them to allow themselves to be baptized, saying that he would have no heathens with him in battle. " We must not," says he, " put our confidence in numbers, but in God alone must we trust ; for through his power and favour we must be victorious, and I will not mix heathen people with my own." When the heathens heard this, they held a council among themselves, and at last 400 men agreed to be bap- tized ; but 500 men refused to adopt Christianity, and that body returned home to their land. Then the brothers Gauka-Thorer and Afarfaste presented them- selves to the king, and offered again to follow him. The king asked if they had now taken baptism. Gauka-Thorer replied that they had not. Then the king ordered them to accept baptism and the true faith, or otherwise to go away. They stepped aside to talk with each other on what resolution they should take. Afarfaste said, " To give my opinion, I will not turn back, but go into the battle, and take a part on the one side or the other ; and I don't care much in x 2
 * A farm in Vaerdal.