o the gods for peace and a fruitful
season; and ordered them to be laid hold of immediately. Now when the
bondes saw that they were not strong enough to make head against the
king, they asked for peace, and submitted wholly to the king's pleasure.
So it was settled that all the bondes who had come there should be
baptized, and should take an oath to the king to hold by the right
faith, and to renounce sacrifice to the gods. The king then kept all
these men as hostages who came to his feast, until they sent him their
sons, brothers, or other near relations.

75. OF THE THING IN THRONDHJEM.

King Olaf went in with all his forces into the Throndhjem country; and
when he came to Maeren all among the chiefs of the Throndhjem people who
were most opposed to Christianity were assembled, and had with them all
the great bondes who had before made sacrifice at that place. There
was thus a greater multitude of bondes than there had been at the
Frosta-Thing. Now the king let the people be summoned to the Thing,
where both parties met armed; and when the Thing was seated the king
made a speech, in which he told the people to go over to Christianity.
Jarnskegge replies on the part of the bondes, and says that the will
of the bondes is now, as formerly, that the king should not break their
laws. "We want, king," said he, "that thou shouldst offer sacrifice, as
other kings before thee have done." All the bondes applauded his speech
with a loud shout, and said they would have all things according to what
Skegge said. Then the king said he would go into the temple of their
gods with them, and see what the practices were when they sacrificed.
The bondes thought well of this proceeding, and both parties went to the
temple.

76. THE THRONDHJEM PEOPLE BAPTIZED.

Now King Olaf entered into the temple with some few of his men and a few
bondes; and when the king came to where their gods were, Thor, as
the most considered among their gods, sat there adorned with gold and
silver. The king lifted up his gold-inlaid axe which he carried in his
hands, and struck Thor so that the image rolled down from its seat. Then
the king's men turned to and threw down all the gods from their seats;
and while the king was in the temple, Jarnskegge was killed outside of
the temple doors, and the king's men did it. When the king came forth
out of the temple he offered the bondes two conditions,--that all should
accept of Christianity forthwith, or t