Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/79

 KINGS OF NOKWAY. 67 said, " Every one here would now willingly be called saga ix. Hakon ;" and then went his way. Earl Hakon went in winter to the Uplands, and was 9"^^ j"" all winter in his domains. He was much beloved by Of the all the Uplanders. It happened, towards spring, that foll^^ some men were sittino: drinkiner in the town, and the ^^^^ h^- kon. conversation turned, as usual, on the Nisaa battle; and some praised Earl Hakon, and some thought others as deserving of praise as he. When they had thus disputed a while, one of them said, "It is pos- sible that others fought as bravely as the earl at Nisaa ; but none, I think, has had such luck with him as he." The others replied, that his best luck was his driving so many Danes to flight along with other men. The same man replied, " It was a greater luck that he gave King Swend quarter." One of the company said to him, " Thou dost not know what thou art saying." He replied, " I know it for certain, for the man told me himself who brought the king to the land." It went according to the old proverb, that the king has many ears. This was told the king, and he imme- diately ordered horses to be gathered, and rode away directly with 200 men. He rode all that night, and the following day. Then some men met them, who were riding to the town mth mead and malt. In the king's retinue was a man called Gammel, who rode to one of these bonders who was an acquaintance of his, and spoke to him privately. " I will pay thee," said he, "to ride with the greatest speed, by the shortest private paths that thou knowest, to Earl Hakon, and tell him the king will kill him ; for the king has got to the knowledge that Earl Hakon set King Swend on shore at Nisaa." They agreed on the payment. The bonder rode, and came to the earl just as he was sitting drinking, and had not yet gone to bed. When the bonder told his errand, the earl immediately stood F 2