ing,
were attentive to it.

"This insolent Tryggveson," Queen Sigrid would often say, and had long
been saying, to her Svein, "to marry thy sister without leave had or
asked of thee; and now flaunting forth his war navies, as if he, king
only of paltry Norway, were the big hero of the North! Why do you suffer
it, you kings really great?"

By such persuasions and reiterations, King Svein of Denmark, King
Olaf of Sweden, and Jarl Eric, now a great man there, grown rich by
prosperous sea robbery and other good management, were brought to take
the matter up, and combine strenuously for destruction of King Olaf
Tryggveson on this grand Wendland expedition of his. Fleets and forces
were with best diligence got ready; and, withal, a certain Jarl Sigwald,
of Jomsburg, chieftain of the Jomsvikings, a powerful, plausible,
and cunning man, was appointed to find means of joining himself to
Tryggveson's grand voyage, of getting into Tryggveson's confidence, and
keeping Svein Double-Beard, Eric, and the Swedish King aware of all his
movements.

King Olaf Tryggveson, unacquainted with all this, sailed away in summer,
with his splendid fleet; went through the Belts with prosperous winds,
under bright skies, to the admiration of both shores. Such a fleet, with
its shining Serpents, long and short, and perfection of equipment and
appearance, the Baltic never saw before. Jarl Sigwald joined with new
ships by the way: "Had," he too, "a visit to King Burislav to pay; how
could he ever do it in better company?" and studiously and skilfully
ingratiated himself with King Olaf. Old Burislav, when they arrived,
proved altogether courteous, handsome, and amenable; agreed at once to
Olaf's claims for his now queen, did the rites of hospitality with a
generous plenitude to Olaf; who cheerily renewed acquaintance with that
country, known to him in early days (the cradle of his fortunes in the
viking line), and found old friends there still surviving, joyful to
meet him again. Jarl Sigwald encouraged these delays, King Svein and Co.
not being yet quite ready. "Get ready!" Sigwald directed them, and they
diligently did. Olaf's men, their business now done, were impatient to
be home; and grudged every day of loitering there; but, till Sigwald
pleased, such his power of flattering and cajoling Tryggveson, they
could not get away.

At length, Sigwald's secret messengers reporting all ready on the part
of Svein and Co., Olaf took farewell of Burislav