that
here entreaty was of no avail. Then Hild spake these lines:--

"Think'st thou, King Harald, in thy anger,
To drive away my brave Rolf Ganger
Like a mad wolf, from out the land?
Why, Harald, raise thy mighty hand?
Why banish Nefia's gallant name-son,
The brother of brave udal-men?
Why is thy cruelty so fell?
Bethink thee, monarch, it is ill
With such a wolf at wolf to play,
Who, driven to the wild woods away
May make the king's best deer his prey."

Rolf Ganger went afterwards over sea to the West to the Hebrides, or
Sudreys; and at last farther west to Valland, where he plundered and
subdued for himself a great earldom, which he peopled with Northmen,
from which that land is called Normandy. Rolf Ganger's son was William,
father to Richard, and grandfather to another Richard, who was the
father of Robert Longspear, and grandfather of William the Bastard, from
whom all the following English kings are descended. From Rolf Ganger
also are descended the earls in Normandy. Queen Ragnhild the Mighty
lived three years after she came to Norway; and, after her death, her
son and King Harald's was taken to the herse Thorer Hroaldson, and Eirik
was fostered by him.

25. OF THE FIN SVASE AND KING HARALD.

King Harald, one winter, went about in guest-quarters in the Uplands,
and had ordered a Christmas feast to be prepared for him at the farm
Thoptar. On Christmas eve came Svase to the door, just as the king went
to table, and sent a message to the king to ask if he would go out with
him. The king was angry at such a message, and the man who had brought
it in took out with him a reply of the king's displeasure. But Svase,
notwithstanding, desired that his message should be delivered a second
time; adding to it, that he was the Fin whose hut the king had promised
to visit, and which stood on the other side of the ridge. Now the king
went out, and promised to go with him, and went over the ridge to his
hut, although some of his men dissuaded him. There stood Snaefrid, the
daughter of Svase, a most beautiful girl; and she filled a cup of
mead for the king. But he took hold both of the cup and of her hand.
Immediately it was as if a hot fire went through his body; and he wanted
that very night to take her to his bed. But Svase said that should not
be unless by main force, if he did not first make her his lawful
wife. Now King Harald made Snaefrid his lawful wife,