e
were assembled at it. King Olaf was also there, and offered Erling an
earldom. Erling replied thus: "All my relations have been herses only,
and I will take no higher title than they have; but this I will accept
from thee, king, that thou makest me the greatest of that title in the
country." The king consented; and at his departure the king invested
his brother-in law Erling with all the land north of the Sognefjord, and
east to the Lidandisnes, on the same terms as Harald Harfager had given
land to his sons, as before related.

65. RAUMSDAL AND FJORD-DISTRICTS BAPTIZED.

The same harvest King Olaf summoned the bondes to a Thing of the four
districts at Dragseid, in Stad: and there the people from Sogn, the
Fjord-districts, South More, and Raumsdal, were summoned to meet. King
Olaf came there with a great many people who had followed him from
the eastward, and also with those who had joined him from Rogaland and
Hordaland. When the king came to the Thing, he proposed to them there,
as elsewhere, Christianity; and as the king had such a powerful
host with him, they were frightened. The king offered them two
conditions,--either to accept Christianity, or to fight. But the
bondes saw they were in no condition to fight the king, and resolved,
therefore, that all the people should agree to be baptized. The king
proceeded afterwards to North More, and baptized all that district. He
then sailed to Hlader, in Throndhjem; had the temple there razed to the
ground; took all the ornaments and all property out of the temple, and
from the gods in it; and among other things the great gold ring which
Earl Hakon had ordered to be made, and which hung in the door of the
temple; and then had the temple burnt. But when the bondes heard of
this, they sent out a war-arrow as a token through the whole district,
ordering out a warlike force, and intended to meet the king with it. In
the meantime King Olaf sailed with a war force out of the fjord along
the coast northward, intending to proceed to Halogaland, and baptize
there. When he came north to Bjarnaurar, he heard from Halogaland that
a force was assembled there to defend the country against the king. The
chiefs of this force were Harek of Thjotta, Thorer Hjort from Vagar,
and Eyvind Kinrifa. Now when King Olaf heard this, he turned about
and sailed southwards along the land; and when he got south of Stad
proceeded at his leisure, and came early in winter (A.D. 998) all the
way e