ed on board of Jon's
ship. The second was Arnbjorn Ambe, who afterwards married Thorstein's
daughter in Audsholt; the third was Ivar Dynta, a son of Stare, but on
the mother's side of a Throndhjem family,--a very agreeable man. When
the troops came to know that these three were on board his ship,
they took their weapons and assaulted the vessel, and some blows
were exchanged, and the whole fleet had nearly come to a fight among
themselves; but it came to an agreement, so that Jon ransomed his
brothers Ivar and Arnbjorn for a fixed sum in ransom, which, however,
was afterwards remitted. But Ivar Dynta was taken to the shore, and
beheaded; for Sigurd and Gyrd, the sons of Kolbein, would not take any
mulct for him, as they knew he had been at their brother Beintein's
murder. Ivar the bishop said, that never was there anything that touched
him so nearly, as Ivar's going to the shore under the axe, and turning
to the others with the wish that they might meet in joy here-after.
Gudrid Birger's daughter, a sister of Archbishop Jon, told Eirik Odson
that she heard Bishop Ivar say this.

11. SIGURD SLEMBE TAKEN PRISONER.

A man called Thrand Gialdkere was the steersman of King Inge's ship. It
was come so far, that Inge's men were rowing in small boats between the
ships after those who were swimming in the water, and killed those they
could get hold of. Sigurd Slembe threw himself overboard after his ship
had lost her crew, stripped off his armour under the water, and then
swam with his shield over him. Some men from Thrand's vessel took
prisoner a man who was swimming, and were about to kill him; but he
begged his life, and offered to tell them where Sigurd Slembe was, and
they agreed to it. Shields and spears, dead men, weapons, and clothes,
were floating all around on the sea about the ships, "Ye can see," said
he, "a red shield floating on the water; he is under it." They rowed
to it immediately, took him, and brought him on board of Thrand's ship.
Thrand then sent a message to Thjostolf, Ottar, and Amunde. Sigurd
Slembe had a tinder box on him; and the tinder was in a walnut-shell,
around which there was wax. This is related, because it seems an
ingenious way of preserving it from ever getting wet. He swam with a
shield over him, because nobody could know one shield from another where
so many were floating about; and they would never have hit upon him, if
they had not been told where he was. When Thrand came to the la