rd his
preparations, and that so briskly that he too was enabled to start
before the berserk.

Meanwhile King Harald gave himself up entirely to festivity--laughed and
talked with his courtiers, and seemed so light of heart that the greater
part of his followers thought him to be a careless, hearty man, on whom
the weighty matters of the kingdom sat very lightly. But Jarl Rongvold
knew that this free-and-easy spirit was affected, and that the King's
mind was much troubled by the state of things in several parts of the
kingdom. He also knew, however, that Harald had an iron will, which
nothing could bend from its purpose, and he felt convinced that the
course which his sovereign pursued would end either in his total
overthrow, or in the absolute subjection of Norway.

It happened that at this time one of the festivals of sacrifice was
being celebrated by the people of the Drontheim country. It was an old
custom that, when there was sacrifice, all the bonders should come to
the spot where the heathen temple stood, and bring with them all that
they required while the festival of the sacrifice lasted. The men were
expected to bring ale with them, and all kinds of cattle as well as
horses, which were to be slaughtered, boiled, and eaten.

In order to conciliate the people, the King on this occasion issued a
proclamation that he meant to pay all the expenses of the festival.
This had the double effect of attracting to the locality a vast
concourse of people, and of putting them all in great good humour, so
that they were quite ready to listen to, and fall in with, the plans of
the King, whatever these might be. Of course there were many freeborn
noble-spirited udallers who could not thus be tickled into the selling
of their birthright; but Harald's tremendous energy and power, coupled
with his rigorous treatment of all who resisted him, had the effect of
reducing many of these to sullen silence, while some made a virtue of
necessity, and accepted the fate which they thought it impossible to
evade.

On the evening of the day of which we write, the fire was kindled in the
middle of the floor of the temple, and over it hung the kettles. Full
goblets were handed across the fire, and the King blessed the full
goblets and all the meat of the sacrifice. Then, first, Odin's goblet
was emptied for victory and power to the King; thereafter Niord's and
Freya's goblets for peace and a good season. After that there was much
f