Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/344

 332 CHRONICLE OF THE Chapter XXXIV. Battle at Stanger. SAGA XVI. had proceeded with common prudence. He was after- wards called Olaf the Unlucky ; but others called his people Hat-lads. They went with their bands through the Uplands as before. Erling again went down to Yiken to his ships, and remained there all summer. Olaf was in the Uplands, and sometimes east in the forest districts, where he and his troop remained all the next winter. The following spring the Hat-lads went down to Viken, and raised the king's taxes all around, and remained there long in summer. When Earl Erling heard this, he hastened with his troops to meet them in Yiken, and fell in with them east of the Fiord, at a place called Stanger ; where they had a great battle, in which Erling was victorious. Sigurd Agnhat, and many others of Olaf 's men, fell there; but Olaf escaped by flight, went south to Denmark, and was all winter in Aalborg in Jutland. The following spring Olaf fell into an illness which ended in death, and he was buried in the Maria church ; and the Danes call him a saint. King Magnus had a lenderman called Nicolas Ku- fung, who was a son of Paul Skoptesson. He took Harald prisoner, who called himself a son of King Sigurd Haraldsson and the princess Christina, and a brother of King Magnus by the mother's side. Nicolas brought Harald to Bergen, and delivered him into Earl Erling's hands. It was Erling's custom when his enemies came before him, that he either said no- thing to them, or very little, and that in all gentleness, when he had determined to put them to death ; or rose with furious words against them, when he intended to spare their hves. Erling spoke but little to Harald, and many, therefore, suspected his intentions ; and some begged King Magnus to put in a good word for Harald with the earl : and the king did so. The earl replies, " Thy friends advise thee badly. Thou wouldst Chavter XXXV. Harald's death