Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/146

 13-i CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA XI. and K'lig I Dire. Chapter XIV. Of the Northmen. a son of Steinkel, was king, and was a good and power- ful king, strong and stout beyond most men ; and he was king of Sweden when King Magnus was king of Norway. King Magnus insisted that the boundaries of the countries in old times had been so, that the Gotha river divided the kingdoms of the Swedish and Norwegian kings, but afterwards the Wener lake up to Vaermeland. Thus King Magnus insisted that he was owner of all the places lying west of the Wener lake up to Ya^rmeland, which are the districts of Sundal, Nordal, Year, and Yardyniar, with all the woods belonging thereto. But these had for a long time been under the Swedish dominion, and with re- spect to scatt were joined to West Gotland; and, besides, the forest- settlers preferred being under the Swedish king. King Magnus rode from Yiken up to Gotland with a great and iine army, and when he came to the forest-settlements he plundered and burnt all round; on which the people submitted, and took the oath of fidelity to him. When he came to the Wener lake, when autumn was advanced he went out to the island Qualdinsey, and made a stronghold of turf and wood, and dug a ditch around it. When the work was finished, provisions and other necessaries that might be required were brought to it. The king left in it 300 men, who were the chosen of his forces, and Finn Skoptesson and Sigurd Ullstring as their commanders. The king himself returned to Yiken. When the Swedish king heard this he drew together people, and the report came that he would ride against these Northmen ; but there was delay about his riding, and the Northmen made these lines : — " The fat-hipped king, with heavy sides, Finds he must mount before he rides.'' But when the ice set in upon the Wener lake King Inge rode down, and had near 300 men with him. Pie sent a message to the Northmen who sat in the