ff in full gallop. Harald stood still, and
Magnus looked back, and called, "Set off now."

Then Harald ran quickly past the horse, and came to the end of the
course so long before him that he lay down, and got up and saluted
Magnus as he came in.

Then they went home to the town. In the meantime King Sigurd had been at
high mass, and knew nothing of this until after he had dined that day.
Then he said to Magnus angrily, "Thou callest Harald useless; but I
think thou art a great fool, and knowest nothing of the customs of
foreign people. Dost thou not know that men in other countries exercise
themselves in other feats than in filling themselves with ale, and
making themselves mad, and so unfit for everything that they scarcely
know each other? Give Harald his ring, and do not try to make a fool of
him again, as long as I am above ground."

36. OF SIGURD'S SWIMMING.

It happened once that Sigurd was out in his ship, which lay in the
harbour; and there lay a merchant ship, which was an Iceland trader, at
the side of it. Harald Gille was in the forecastle of the king's ship,
and Svein Rimhildson, a son of Knut Sveinson of Jadar, had his berth the
next before him. There was also Sigurd Sigurdson, a gallant lenderman,
who himself commanded a ship. It was a day of beautiful weather and warm
sunshine, and many went out to swim, both from the long-ship and the
merchant vessel. An Iceland man, who was among the swimmers, amused
himself by drawing those under water who could not swim so well as
himself; and at that the spectators laughed. When King Sigurd saw and
heard this, he cast off his clothes, sprang into the water, and swam to
the Icelander, seized him, and pressed him under the water, and held him
there; and as soon as the Icelander came up the king pressed him down
again, and thus the one time after the other.

Then said Sigurd Sigurdson, "Shall we let the king kill this man?"

Somebody said, "No one has any wish to interfere."

Sigurd replies, that "If Dag Eilifson were here, we should not be
without one who dared."

Then Sigurd sprang overboard, swam to the king, took hold of him, and
said, "Sire, do not kill the man. Everybody sees that you are a much
better swimmer."

The king replies, "Let me loose, Sigurd: I shall be his death, for he
will destroy our people under water."

Sigurd says, "Let us first amuse ourselves; and, Icelander, do thou set
off to the land," which he did. The king now got loose