Magnus, the king's son, heard this, and said, "Now he is lying, as he usually does."Harald replies, "It is true that there are men in Ireland whom no horse in Norway could overtake." They exchanged some words about this, and both were drunk.Then said Magnus, "Thou shalt make a wager with me, and stake thy head if thou canst not run so fast as I ride upon my horse, and I shall stake my gold ring."Harald replies, "I did not say that I could run so swiftly; but Isaid that men are to be found in Ireland who will run as fast;and on that I would wager."The king's son Magnus replies, "I will not go to Ireland about it; we are wagering here, and not there."Harald on this went to bed, and would not speak to him more about it.This was in Oslo.The following morning, when the early mass was over, Magnus rode up the street, and sent a message to Harald to come to him.When Harald came he was dressed thus.He had on a shirt and trousers which were bound with ribands under his foot-soles, a short cloak, an Irish hat on his head, and a spear-shaft in his hand.Magnus set up a mark for the race.
Harald said, "Thou hast made the course too long;" but Magnus made it at once even much longer, and said it was still too short.There were many spectators.They began the race, and Harald followed always the horse's pace; and when they came to the end of the race course, Magnus said, "Thou hadst hold of the saddle-girth, and the horse dragged thee along." Magnus had his swift runner, the Gautland horse.They began the race again, and Harald ran the whole race-course before the horse.When came to the end Harald asked, "Had I hold of the saddle-girths now?"Magnus replied, "Thou hadst the start at first."Then Magnus let his horse breathe a while, and when he was ready he put the spurs to him, and set off in full gallop.Harald stood still, and Magnus looked back, and called, "Set off now."Then Harald ran quickly past the horse, and came to the end of the course so long before him that he lay down, and got up and saluted Magnus as he came in."Then they went home to the town.In the meantime King Sigurd had been at high mass, and knew nothing of this until after he had dined that day.Then he said to Magnus angrily, "Thou callest Harald useless; but I think thou art a great fool, and knowest nothing of the customs of foreign people.Dost thou not know that men in other countries exercise themselves in other feats than in filling themselves with ale, and making themselves mad, and so unfit for everything that they scarcely know each other?
Give Harald his ring, and do not try to make a fool of him again, as long as I am above ground."36.OF SIGURD'S SWIMMING.
It happened once that Sigurd was out in his ship, which lay in the harbour; and there lay a merchant ship, which was an Iceland trader, at the side of it.Harald Gille was in the forecastle of the king's ship, and Svein Rimhildson, a son of Knut Sveinson of Jadar, had his berth the next before him.There was also Sigurd Sigurdson, a gallant lenderman, who himself commanded a ship.It was a day of beautiful weather and warm sunshine, and many went out to swim, both from the long-ship and the merchant vessel.An Iceland man, who was among the swimmers, amused himself by drawing those under water who could not swim so well as himself;and at that the spectators laughed.When King Sigurd saw and heard this, he cast off his clothes, sprang into the water, and swam to the Icelander, seized him, and pressed him under the water, and held him there; and as soon as the Icelander came up the king pressed him down again, and thus the one time after the other.
Then said Sigurd Sigurdson, "Shall we let the king kill this man?"Somebody said, "No one has any wish to interfere."Sigurd replies, that "If Dag Eilifson were here, we should not be without one who dared."Then Sigurd sprang overboard, swam to the king, took hold of him, and said, "Sire, do not kill the man.Everybody sees that you are a much better swimmer."The king replies, "Let me loose, Sigurd: I shall be his death, for he will destroy our people under water."Sigurd says, "Let us first amuse ourselves; and, Icelander, do thou set off to the land," which he did.The king now got loose from Sigurd, and swam to his ship, and Sigurd went his way: but the king ordered that Sigurd should not presume to come into his presence; this was reported to Sigurd, and so he went up into the country.
37.OF HARALD AND SVEIN RIMHILDSON.
In the evening, when people were going to bed, some of the ship's men were still at their games up in the country.Harald was with those who played on the land, and told his footboy to go out to the ship, make his bed, and wait for him there.The lad did as he was ordered.The king had gone to sleep; and as the boy thought Harald late, he laid himself in Harald's berth.Svein Rimhildson said, "It is a shame for brave men to be brought from their farms at home, and to have here serving boys to sleep beside them." The lad said that Harald had ordered him to come there.Svein Rimhildson said, "We do not so much care for Harald himself lying here, if he do not bring here his slaves and beggars;" and seized a riding-whip, and struck the boy on the head until the blood flowed from him.The boy ran immediately up the country, and told Harald what had happened, who went immediately out to the ship, to the aft part of the forecastle, and with a pole-axe struck Svein so that he received a severe wound on his hands; and then Harald went on shore.Svein ran to the land after him, and, gathering his friends, took Harald prisoner, and they were about hanging him.But while they were busy about this, Sigurd Sigurdson went out to the king's ship and awoke him.When the king opened his eyes and recognised Sigurd, he said."For this reason thou shalt die, that thou hast intruded into my presence; for thou knowest that I forbade thee:" and with these words the king sprang up.