第83章

Earl Svein sent men out to Gaulardal to his brother-in-law, Einar Tambaskelfer; and when Einar came the earl told him how it had been with him and King Olaf, and that now he would assemble men to go out against King Olaf, and fight him.

Einar answers, "We should go to work cautiously, and find out what King Olaf intends doing; and not let him hear anything concerning us but that we are quiet.It may happen that if he hears nothing about our assembling people, he may sit quietly where he is in Steinker all the Yule; for there is plenty prepared for him for the Yule feast: but if he hears we are assembling men, he will set right out of the fjord with his vessels, and we shall not get hold of him." Einar's advice was taken; and the earl went to Stjoradal, into guest-quarters among the bondes.

When King Olaf came to Steinker he collected all the meat prepared for the Yule feast, and made it be put on board, procured some transport vessels, took meat and drink with him, and got ready to sail as fast as possible, and went out all the way to Nidaros.Here King Olaf Trygvason had laid the foundation of a merchant town, and had built a king's house: but before that Nidaros was only a single house, as before related.When Earl Eirik came to the country, he applied all his attention to his house of Lade, where his father had had his main residence, and he neglected the houses which Olaf had erected at the Nid; so that some were fallen down, and those which stood were scarcely habitable.King Olaf went now with his ships up the Nid, made all the houses to be put in order directly that were still standing, and built anew those that had fallen down, and employed in this work a great many people.Then he had all the meat and drink brought on shore to the houses, and prepared to hold Yule there; so Earl Svein and Einar had to fall upon some other plan.

41.OF SIGVAT THE SKALD.

There was an Iceland man called Thord Sigvaldaskald, who had been long with Earl Sigvalde, and afterwards with the earl's brother, Thorkel the Tall; but after the earl's death Thord had become a merchant.He met King Olaf on his viking cruise in the west, and entered into his service, and followed him afterwards.He was with the king when the incidents above related took place.Thord had a son called Sigvat fostered in the house of Thorkel at Apavatn, in Iceland.When he was nearly a grown man he went out of the country with some merchants; and the ship came in autumn to the Throndhjem country, and the crew lodged in the hered (district).The same winter King Olaf came to Throndhjem, as just now related by us.Now when Sigvat heard that his father Thord was with the king, he went to him, and stayed a while with him.Sigvat was a good skald at an early age.He made a lay in honour of King Olaf, and asked the king to listen to it.The king said he did not want poems composed about him, and said he did not understand the skald's craft.Then Sigvat sang: --"Rider of dark-blue ocean's steeds!

Allow one skald to sing thy deeds;

And listen to the song of one Who can sing well, if any can.

For should the king despise all others, And show no favour to my brothers, Yet I may all men's favour claim, Who sing, still of our great king's fame."King Olaf gave Sigvat as a reward for his verse a gold ring that weighed half a mark, and Sigvat was made one of King Olaf's court-men.Then Sigvat sang: --"I willingly receive this sword --By land or sea, on shore, on board, I trust that I shall ever be Worthy the sword received from thee.

A faithful follower thou hast bound --

A generous master I have found;

Master and servant both have made Just what best suits them by this trade."Earl Svein had, according to custom, taken one half of the harbour-dues from the Iceland ship-traders about autumn (A.D.

1014); for the Earls Eirik and Hakon had always taken one half of these and all other revenues in the Throndhjem country.Now when King Olaf came there, he sent his men to demand that half of the tax from the Iceland traders; and they went up to the king's house and asked Sigvat to help them.He went to the king, and sang: --"My prayer, I trust, will not be vain --No gold by it have I to gain:

All that the king himself here wins Is not red gold, but a few skins.

it is not right that these poor men Their harbour-dues should pay again.

That they paid once I know is true;

Remit, great king, what scarce is due."

42.OF EARL SVEIN.

Earl Svein and Einar Tambaskelfer gathered a large armed force, with which they came by the upper road into Gaulardal, and so down to Nidaros, with nearly 2000 men.King Olaf's men were out upon the Gaular ridge, and had a guard on horseback.They became aware that a force was coming down the Gaulardal, and they brought word of it to the king about midnight.The king got up immediately, ordered the people to be wakened, and they went on board of the ships, bearing all their clothes and arms on board, and all that they could take with them, and then rowed out of the river.Then came the earl's men to the town at the same moment, took all the Christmas provision, and set fire to the houses.

King Olaf went out of the fjord down to Orkadal, and there landed the men from their ships.From Orkadal they went up to the mountains, and over the mountains eastwards into Gudbrandsdal.

In the lines composed about Kleng Brusason, it is said that Earl Eirik burned the town of Nidaros: --"The king's half-finished hall, Rafters, root, and all, Is burned down by the river's side;The flame spreads o'er the city wide."43.OF KING OLAF.

King Olaf went southwards through Gudbrandsdal, and thence out to Hedemark.In the depth of winter (A.D.1015) he went about in guest-quarters; but when spring returned he collected men, and went to Viken.He had with him many people from Hedemark, whom the kings had given him; and also many powerful people from among the bondes joined him, among whom Ketil Kalf from Ringanes.He had also people from Raumarike.His stepfather, Sigurd Syr, gave him the help also of a great body of men.They went down from thence to the coast, and made ready to put to sea from Viken.