Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/17

 KINGS OF NORWAY. £ remove, and pitch their tents elsewhere, saying he sagajx. would himself pitch his tents on their ground. Harald replies, "If ye come first to the night quarter, ye take up your ground, and we must go pitch our tents at some other place where we best can. Now do ye so, in the same way, and find a place where ye will. It is, I think, the privilege of us Vseringers here in the dominions of the Greek emperor to be free, and inde- pendent of all but their own commanders, and bound only to serve the emperor and empress." They dis- puted long and hotly about this, and both sides armed themselves, and were on the way to fight for it ; but men of understanding came between and separated them. They said it w^ould be better to come to an agreement about such questions, so that in future no dispute could arise. It came thus to an arbitration between them, at which the best and most sagacious men should give their judgment in the case. At this arbitration it was determined, with the consent of all parties, that lots should be thrown into a box, and the Greeks and Yasringers should draw which was first to ride, or to row, or to take place in a harbour, or to choose tent ground ; and each side should be satisfied with what the drawing of the lots gave them. Ac- cordingly the lots were made, and marked. Harald said to Gyrger, " Let me see what mark thou hast put upon thy lot, that we may not both mark our lots in the same way." He did so. Then Harald marked his lot, and put it into the box along with the other. The man who was to draw out the lots then took up one of the lots between his fingers, held it up in the air, and said, " This lot shall be the first to ride, and to row, and to take place in harbour and on the tent field." Harald seized his hand, snatched the die, and threw it into the sea, and called out, " That was our lot ! " Gyrger said, " Why did you not let other people see it? " Harald replies, " Look at the one remaining B 3