Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/249

 KINGS OF NOKWAY. 237 Magnus the Blind then went to Denmark to King saga xiv. Eric Eymund, where he was well received. He chaiter offered the king to follow him if he would invade KinVEric's Norway with a Danish army, and subdue the coun- expedition try; saying, that if he came to Norway with his ' '"' army, no man in Norway would venture to throw a spear against him. The king allowed himself to be moved by Magnus's persuasions, ordered a levy, and went north to Norway with 200 ships ; and Magnus and his men were with him on this expedition. When they came to Yiken, they proceeded peacefully and gently on the east side of the fiord; but when the fleet came westward to Tunsberg, a great number of King Inge's lendermen came against them. Their leader was Yatn-Orm Dagsson, a brother of Grego- rius. The Danes could not land to get water without many of them being killed ; and therefore they Avent in through the fiord to Opslo, where Thiostolf Aleson opposed them. It is told that some people wanted to carry the holy Halvard's coffin out of the toAvn in the evening when the fleet was first observed, and as many as could took hold of it; but the cofifiin became so heavy that they could not carry it over the church floor. The morning after, however, when they saw the fleet sailing in past the Hoved Isle, four men car- ried the colfin out of the town, and Thiostolf and all the townspeople followed it. It was carried to Fors in Raumarige, snd was kept there three months. King Eric and his army advanced against the town ; Chapter and when Thiostolf made a halt outside, Eric's men -p^^. t^^.^ hastened after Thiostolf and his troop ; and one of the °f ^p"^" burnt. king's forecastle men, who was called Askel, was the first in the pursuit. Thiostolf threw a spear at him, which hit him under the throat, so that the spear point went through his neck ; and Thiostolf thought he had never made a better spear- cast, for, except the place he hit, there was nothing bare to be seen.