, Kolbein, must
stand next him to-morrow; people must go down to where the ships of the
Bonders lay, and punctually bore holes in every one of them; _item_, to
the farms where their horses wore, and punctually unhalter the whole of
them, and let them loose: all which was done. Snorro continues:--

"Now the king was in prayer all night, beseeching God of his goodness
and mercy to release him from evil. When mass was ended, and morning was
gray, the king went to the Thing. When he came thither, some Bonders had
already arrived, and they saw a great crowd coming along, and bearing
among them a huge man's image, glancing with gold and silver. When
the Bonders who were at the Thing saw it, they started up, and bowed
themselves down before the ugly idol. Thereupon it was set down upon the
Thing field; and on the one side of it sat the Bonders, and on the other
the King and his people.

"Then Dale Gudbrand stood up and said, 'Where now, king, is thy God? I
think he will now carry his head lower; and neither thou, nor the man
with the horn, sitting beside thee there, whom thou callest Bishop, are
so bold to-day as on the former days. For now our God, who rules over
all, is come, and looks on you with an angry eye; and now I see well
enough that you are terrified, and scarcely dare raise your eyes. Throw
away now all your opposition, and believe in the God who has your fate
wholly in his hands.'

"The king now whispers to Kolbein the Strong, without the Bonders
perceiving it, 'If it come so in the course of my speech that the
Bonders look another way than towards their idol, strike him as hard as
thou canst with thy club.'

"The king then stood up and spoke. 'Much hast thou talked to us this
morning, and greatly hast thou wondered that thou canst not see our God;
but we expect that he will soon come to us. Thou wouldst frighten us
with thy God, who is both blind and deaf, and cannot even move about
without being carried; but now I expect it will be but a short time
before he meets his fate: for turn your eyes towards the east,--behold
our God advancing in great light.'

"The sun was rising, and all turned to look. At that moment Kolbein gave
their God a stroke, so that he quite burst asunder; and there ran out
of him mice as big almost as cats, and reptiles and adders. The Bonders
were so terrified that some fled to their ships; but when they sprang
out upon them the ships filled with water, and could not get away.
Others