in Bjarkey Isle with Vidkun Jonson. But Sigurd had the
stem and stern-post of his ship cut out, made a hole in her, and sank
her in the inner part of Egisfjord, and thereafter he passed the winter
at Tialdasund by Gljufrafjord in Hin. Far up the fjord there is a cave
in the rock; in that place Sigurd sat with his followers, who were above
twenty men, secretly, and hung a grey cloth before the mouth of the
hole, so that no person could see them from the strand. Thorleif
Skiappa, and Einar, son of Ogmund of Sand, and of Gudrun, daughter of
Einar Arason of Reikiaholar, procured food for Sigurd during the winter.
It is said that Sigurd made the Laplanders construct two boats for him
during the winter up in the fjord; and they were fastened together with
deer sinews, without nails, and with twigs of willow instead of knees,
and each boat could carry twelve men. Sigurd was with the Laplanders
while they were making the boats; and the Laplanders had good ale, with
which they entertained Sigurd. Sigurd made these lines on it:--

"In the Lapland tent
Brave days we spent.
Under the grey birch tree;
In bed or on bank
We knew no rank,
And a merry crew were we.

"Good ale went round
As we sat on the ground,
Under the grey birch tree;
And up with the smoke
Flew laugh and joke,
And a merry crew were we."

These boats were so light that no ship could overtake them in the water,
according to what was sung at the time:--

"Our skin-sewed Fin-boats lightly swim,
Over the sea like wind they skim.
Our ships are built without a nail;
Few ships like ours can row or sail."

In spring Sigurd and Magnus went south along the coast with the two
boats which the Laplanders had made; and when they came to Vagar they
killed Svein the priest and his two sons.

7. OF SIGURD'S SLEMBE'S CAMPAIGN.

Thereafter Sigurd came south to Vikar, and seized King Sigurd's
lendermen, William Skinnare and Thorald Kept, and killed them both. Then
Sigurd turned south-wards along the coast, and met Styrkar Glaesirofa
south of Byrda, as he was coming from the south from the town of
Nidaros, and killed him. Now when Sigurd came south to Valsnes, he met
Svinagrim outside of the ness, and cut off his right hand. From thence
he went south to More, past the mouth of the Throndhjem fjord, where
they took Hedin Hirdmage and Kalf Kringluauge.