m; the earl gave a
willing ear hereto, and Gunnlaug brought the song, which was a shorter
lay.

The earl thanked him, and rewarded the song well, and bade him abide
there that winter.

Earl Sigurd had a great Yule-feast in the winter, and on Yule-eve came
thither men sent from Earl Eric of Norway, twelve of them together, and
brought gifts to Earl Sigurd. The earl made them good cheer, and bade
them sit by Gunnlaug through the Yule-tide; and there was great mirth at
drinks.

Now the Gothlanders said that no earl was greater or of more fame than
Earl Sigurd; but the Norwegians thought that Earl Eric was by far the
foremost of the two. Hereon would they bandy words, till they both took
Gunnlaug to be umpire in the matter.

Then he sang this stave:--

"Tell ye, staves of spear-din,
How on sleek-side sea-horse
Oft this earl hath proven
Over-toppling billows;
But Eric, victory's ash-tree,
Oft hath seen in east-seas
More of high blue billows
Before the bows a-roaring."

Both sides were content with his finding, but the Norwegians the best.
But after Yule-tide those messengers left with gifts of goodly things,
which Earl Sigurd sent to Earl Eric.

Now they told Earl Eric of Gunnlaug's finding: the earl thought that he
had shown upright dealing and friendship to him herein, and let out some
words, saying that Gunnlaug should have good peace throughout his land.
What the earl had said came thereafter to the ears of Gunnlaug.

But now Earl Sigurd gave Gunnlaug a guide east to Tenthland, in Sweden,
as he had asked.

CHAPTER IX. Of the Quarrel between Gunnlaug and Raven before the Swedish King.

In those days King Olaf the Swede, son of King Eric the Victorious, and
Sigrid the High-counselled, daughter of Skogul Tosti, ruled over Sweden.
He was a mighty king and renowned, and full fain of fame.

Gunnlaug came to Upsala towards the time of the Thing of the Swedes in
spring-tide; and when he got to see the king, he greeted him. The
king took his greeting well, and asked who he was. He said he was an
Iceland-man.

Then the king called out: "Raven," says he, "what man is he in Iceland?"

Then one stood up from the lower bench, a big man and a stalwart, and
stepped up before the king, and spake: "Lord," says he, "he is of good
kin, and himself the most stalwart of men."

"Let him go, then, and sit beside thee," said the king.

Th