Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/33

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 21 Swend changed colour, and said, " There are people, sagajx. Harald, who say that thou hast done as much before as only to hold that part of an agreement which ap- pears to suit thy own interest best." Harald answers, " It becomes thee ill to say that I have not stood by an agreement, when I know what King Magnus could tell of thy proceedings with him." Thereupon each went his own way. At night, when Harald went to sleep within the bulwarks of his vessel, he said to his footboy, " I will not sleep in my bed to-night, for I suspect there may be treachery abroad. I observed this evening that my friend Swend was very angry at my free discourse. Thou shalt keep watch, therefore, in case any thing happen in the night." Harald then went aAvay to sleep some- where else, and laid a billet of wood in his place. At midnight a boat rowed alongside to the ship's bul- wark; a man went on board, lifted up the cloth of the tent over the bulwarks, went up, and struck in Harald's bed with a great axe, so that it stood fast in the lump of wood. The man instantly ran back to his boat again, and rowed away in the dark night, for the moon was set ; but the axe remained sticking in the piece of wood as an evidence. Thereupon Harald waked his men, and let them know the treachery intended. " We can now see sufficiently," said he, " that we could never match Swend, if he practises such deliberate treachery against us ; so it Avill be best for us to get away from this place while we can. Let us cast loose our vessel, and row away as quickly as possible." They did so, and rowed during the night northwards along the land ; and then pro- ceeded night and day until they came to King Mag- nus, where he lay with his army. Harald went to his relation Magnus, and there was a joyful meeting betwixt them. So says Thiodolf : — c 3