Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/239

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 227 " There are not many who seek help from me, so I sa ga x m. may well help this one." It happened the same win- ter that a woman had committed a theft, and Thor- gil, who was angry at her for it, was going to punish her; but she ran to Sigurd to ask his help, and he set her upon the bench by his side. Thorgil told him to give her up, and told him what she had com- mitted ; but Sigurd begged forgiveness for her, since she had come to him for protection, and that Thorgil would dismiss the complaint against her, but Thorgil insisted that she should receive her punishment. When Sigurd saw that Thorgil would not listen to his entreaty, he started up, drew his sword, and bade him take her if he dared ; and Thorgil seeing that Sigurd would defend the woman by force of arms, and observing his commanding mien, guessed who he must be, desisted from pursuing the woman, and par- doned her. There were many foreign men there, and Sigurd made the least appearance among them. One day Sigurd came into the sitting-room, and a North- man who was splendidly clothed was playing chess with one of Thorgil' s house- servants. The Northman called Sigurd, and asked him his advice how to play ; but when Sigurd looked at the board, he saw the game was lost. The man who was playing against the Northman had a sore foot, so that one toe was bruised, and matter was coming out of it. Sigurd, who was sitting on the bench, takes a straw, and draws it along the floor, so that some young kittens ran after it. He drew the straw always before them, until they came near to the house-servant's foot, who, jumping up with a scream, threw the chessmen in disorder on the board ; and thus it was a dispute how the game had stood. This is given as a proof of Sigurd's cunning. People did not know that he was a learned clerk until the Saturday before Easter, when Q 2