Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/255

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 243 Sigurd Stok, a son of Endrid of Gautdal, and his saga^xiv. brother Eric Hael, and Andreas Keldusked, son of Grim of Ord, all fled away into the fiords. But Sigurd Slembe, Magnus the Blind, and Thorleif Skieppe, sailed outside the isles with three ships north to Halogaland ; and Magnus was in winter north in Biarko Isle with Vidkun Johnsson. But Sigurd had the stem and stern-post of his ship cut out, made a hole in her, and sank her in the inner part of Egisfiord, and thereafter he passed the winter at Tialdasund by Glufrafiord in Kinnfielde. Far up the fiord there is a cave in the rock: in that place Sigurd sat with his followers, who were above twenty men, secretly, and hung a grey cloth before the mouth of the hole, so that no person could see them* from the strand. Thorleif Skieppe, and Einar son of Ogmund of Sund, and of Gudrun daughter of Einar Aresson of Reikiaholm, procured food for Sigurd during the winter. It is said that Sigurd made the Laplanders construct two boats for him during the winter up in the fiord ; and they were fastened toge- ther with deer sinews, without nails, and with twigs of willow instead of knees, and each boat could carry twelve men. Sigurd was with the Laplanders while they were making the boats ; and the Laplanders had good ale, with which they entertained Sigurd. Sigurd made these lines on it : — "■ In the Lapland tent Brave days we spent. Under the grey birch tree; In bed or on bank We knew no rank. And a merry crew were we. '- Good ale went round As we sat on the ground. Under the grey birch tree; And up with the smoke Flew laugh and joke, And a merry crew were we." II 2