Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/66

 58 CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA VI! and he saw that the king was not easily dealt with. He saw also that he had only two conditions before him: the one was to make no agreement with the king, and stand by the consequences; the other, to leave it entirely to the king's pleasure. Although it was much against his inclination, he chose the latter, and merely said to the king, " The service will be the most useful to thee which I give with a free will." And thus their conference ended. Erling's relations and friends came to him afterwards, and advised him to give way, and proceed with more pru- dence and less pride. " Thou wilt still," they said, " be the most important and most respected lender- man in Norway, both on account of thy own and thy relations' abilities and great wealth." Erling found that this was prudent advice, and that they who gave it did so with a good intention, and he followed it accordingly. Erling went into the king's service on such conditions as the king himself should determine and please. Thereafter they separated in some shape reconciled, and Olaf went his way east- ward along the coast. Chapter As soon as it was reported that Olaf had come to EiHf of Yiken, the Danes who had offices under the Danish Gotland's king se t off for Denmark, without waiting for Kino: murder. " . . ° ° Olaf. But King Olaf sailed in along Yiken, holding Things with the bonders. All the people of the country submitted to him, and thereafter he took all the king's taxes, and remained the summer in Yiken. He then sailed east from Tunsberg across the fiord, and all the way east to Swinesund. There the Swedish king's dominions begin, and he had set officers over this country ; namely, Eilif Gautske over the north part, and Hroa Skialge over the east part, all the way to the Goth a river. Hroa had family friends on both sides of the river, and also great farms on Hising Island, and was besides a mighty and very