e vessel's rigging was in good order, so that in a few days they were
ready for sea. There were ten or twelve men in the vessel. Thoralf's
ship and theirs had the same wind, and they were generally in sight of
each other. They came to the land at Herna in the evening, and Sigurd
with his vessel lay outside on the strand, but so that there was not
much distance between the two ships. It happened towards evening, when
it was dark, that just as Thoralf and his people were preparing to go to
bed, Thoralf and another went on shore for a certain purpose. When
they were ready, they prepared to return on board. The man who had
accompanied Thoralf related afterwards this story,--that a cloth was
thrown over his head, and that he was lifted up from the ground, and he
heard a great bustle. He was taken away, and thrown head foremost down;
but there was sea under him, and he sank under the water. When he got
to land, he went to the place where he and Thoralf had been parted, and
there he found Thoralf with his head cloven down to his shoulders, and
dead. When the ship's people heard of it they carried the body out to
the ship, and let it remain there all night. King Olaf was at that time
in guest-quarters at Lygra, and thither they sent a message. Now a Thing
was called by message-token, and the king came to the Thing. He had
also ordered the Farey people of both vessels to be summoned, and they
appeared at the Thing. Now when the Thing was seated, the king stood up
and said, "Here an event has happened which (and it is well that it
is so) is very seldom heard of. Here has a good man been put to death,
without any cause. Is there any man upon the Thing who can say who has
done it?"

Nobody could answer.

"Then," said the king, "I cannot conceal my suspicion that this deed has
been done by the Farey people themselves. It appears to me that it has
been done in this way,--that Sigurd Thorlakson has killed the man, and
Thord the Low has cast his comrade into the sea. I think, too, that the
motives to this must have been to hinder Thoralf from telling about the
misdeed of which he had information; namely, the murder which I suspect
was committed upon my messengers."

When he had ended his speech, Sigurd Thorlakson stood up, and desired to
be heard. "I have never before," said he, "spoken at a Thing, and I do
not expect to be looked upon as a man of ready words. But I think there
is sufficient necessity before me to reply something to