etained all his estates.
King Hakon was in the merchant-town of Nidaros in Yule; and one evening
in the beginning of Yule his men fought in the room of the court, and in
this affray eight men were killed, and many were wounded. The eighth
day of Yule, King Hakon's man Alf Rode, son of Ottar Birting, with about
eighty men, went to Elda, and came in the night unexpectedly on the
people, who were very drunk, and set fire to the room; but they went
out, and defended themselves bravely. There fell Bergliot, Ivar's son,
and Ogmund, his brother, and many more. They had been nearly thirty
altogether in number. In winter died, north in the merchant-town, Andres
Simonson, King Hakon's foster-brother; and his death was much deplored.
Erling Skakke and Inge's men, who were in Bergen, threatened that in
winter they would proceed against Hakon and his men; but it came to
nothing. Gregorius sent word from the east, from Konungahella, that
if he were so near as Erling and his men, he would not sit quietly in
Bergen while Hakon was killing King Inge's friends and their comrades in
war north in the Throndhjem country.

12. THE CONFLICT UPON THE PIERS.

King Inge and Gregorius left the east in spring, and came to Bergen; but
as soon as Hakon and Sigurd heard that Inge had left Viken, they went
there by land. When King Inge and his people came to Bergen, a quarrel
arose between Haldor Brynjolfson and Bjorn Nikolason. Bjorn's house-man
asked Haldor's when they met at the pier, why he looked so pale.

He replied, because he had been bled.

"I could not look so pale if I tried, at merely being bled."

"I again think," retorted the other, "that thou wouldst have borne it
worse, and less manfully." And no other beginning was there for their
quarrel than this. Afterwards one word followed another, till from
brawling they came to fighting. It was told to Haldor Brynjolfson, who
was in the house drinking, that his house-man was wounded down on the
pier and he went there immediately. But Bjorn's house-men had come there
before, and as Haldor thought his house-man had been badly treated, he
went up to them and beat them; and it was told to Bjorn Buk that the
people of Viken were beating his house-men on the pier. Then Bjorn and
his house-men took their weapons, hurried down to the pier, and would
avenge their men; and a bloody strife began. It was told Gregorius that
his relation Haldor required assistance, and that his house-men were
bei