s an
earl there at that time. They were the sons of Queen Ingerid and Henrik
Halte, who was a son of the Danish king Svein Sveinson. The princess
Kristin took care of King Inge's body, which was laid on the stone wall
of Halvard's church, on the south side without the choir. He had then
been king for twenty-three years (A.D. 1137-1161). In this battle many
fell on both sides, but principally of King Inge's men. Of King Hakon's
people fell Arne Frirekson. Hakon's men took all the feast and victuals
prepared for the wedding, and a great booty besides.

19. OF KING HAKON AND QUEEN KRISTIN.

Then King Hakon took possession of the whole country, and distributed
all the offices among his own friends, both in the towns and in the
country. King Hakon and his men had a meeting in Halvard's church, where
they had a private conference concerning the management of the country.
Kristin the princess gave the priest who kept the church keys a large
sum of money to conceal one of her men in the church, so that she might
know what Hakon and his counsellors intended. When she learnt what they
had said, she sent a man to Bergen to her husband Erling Skakke, with
the message that he should never trust Hakon or his men.

20. OF OLAF'S MIRACLE.

It happened at the battle of Stiklestad, as before related, that King
Olaf threw from him the sword called Hneiter when he received his wound.
A Swedish man, who had broken his own sword, took it up, and fought with
it. When this man escaped with the other fugitives he came to Svithjod,
and went home to his house. From that time he kept the sword all his
days, and afterwards his son, and so relation after relation; and when
the sword shifted its owner, the one told to the other the name of the
sword and where it came from. A long time after, in the days of Kirjalax
the emperor of Constantinople, when there was a great body of Varings in
the town, it happened in the summer that the emperor was on a campaign,
and lay in the camp with his army. The Varings who had the guard, and
watched over the emperor, lay on the open plain without the camp. They
changed the watch with each other in the night, and those who had been
before on watch lay down and slept; but all completely armed. It was
their custom, when they went to sleep, that each should have his helmet
on his head, his shield over him, sword under the head, and the right
hand on the sword-handle. One of these comrades, whose lot it wa