e necessary." Now Sigurd made himself ready for the journey with
a ship, sailed east to Viken, and there summoned the lendermen to him.
Then a Thing was appointed to Viken, to which the people were called
who dwelt on the Gaut river, besides others; so that it was a numerous
assembly. When the Thing was formed they had to wait for Sveinke. They
soon after saw a troop of men coming along, so well furnished with
weapons that they looked like pieces of shining ice; and now came
Sveinke and his people to the Thing, and set themselves down in a
circle. All were clad in iron, with glowing arms, and 500 in number.
Then Sigurd stood up, and spoke. "My master, King Magnus, sends God's
salutation and his own to all friends, lendermen and others, his
subjects in the kingdom; also to the powerful bondes, and the people in
general, with kind words and offers of friendship; and to all who will
obey him he offers his friendship and good will. Now the king will, with
all cheerfulness and peace, show himself a gracious master to all who
will submit to him, and to all in his dominions. He will be the leader
and defender of all the men of Norway; and it will be good for you to
accept his gracious speech, and this offer."

Then stood up a man in the troop of the Elfgrims, who was of great
stature and grim countenance, clad in a leather cloak, with a halberd
on his shoulder, and a great steel hat upon his head. He looked sternly,
and said, "Here is no need of wheels, says the fox, when he draws the
trap over the ice." He said nothing more, but sat down again.

Soon after Sigurd Ulstreng stood up again, and spoke thus: "But little
concern or help have we for the king's affairs from you, Elfgrims, and
but little friendship; yet by such means every man shows how much
he respects himself. But now I shall produce more clearly the king's
errand." Thereupon he demanded land-dues and levy-dues, together with
all other rights of the king, from the great bondes. He bade each of
them to consider with himself how they had conducted themselves in these
matters; and that they should now promote their own honour, and do the
king justice, if they had come short hitherto in doing so. And then he
sat down.

Then the same man got up in the troop of Elfgrims who had spoken before,
lifted his hat a little up, and said, "The lads run well, say the
Laplanders, who have skates for nothing." Then he sat himself down
again.

Soon after Sigurd arose, after speaki