sound, raised his head, and the blow struck him in
the head, and made a dreadful wound. As the king saw it would be his
death-wound, he ordered them to let him lie with it. Jokul raised
himself up, and he sang:--

"My hard fate I mourn,--
Alas! my wounds burn,
My red wounds are gaping,
My life-blood escaping.
My wounds burn sore;
But I suffer still more
From the king's angry word,
Than his sharp-biting sword."

194. OF KALF ARNASON.

Kalf Arnason went with Earl Hakon north to Throndhjem, and the earl
invited him to enter into his service. Kalf said he would first go home
to his farm at Eggja, and afterwards make his determination; and Kalf
did so. When he came home he found his wife Sigrid much irritated; and
she reckoned up all the sorrow inflicted on her, as she insisted, by
King Olaf. First, he had ordered her first husband Olver to be killed.
"And now since," says she, "my two sons; and thou thyself, Kalf, wert
present when they were cut off, and which I little expected from thee."
Kalf says, it was much against his will that Thorer was killed. "I
offered money-penalty for him," says he; "and when Grjotgard was killed
I lost my brother Arnbjorn at the same time." She replies, "It is well
thou hast suffered this from the king; for thou mayest perhaps avenge
him, although thou wilt not avenge my injuries. Thou sawest how thy
foster-son Thorer was killed, with all the regard of the king for thee."
She frequently brought out such vexatious speeches to Kalf, to which he
often answered angrily; but yet he allowed himself to be persuaded by
her to enter into the earl's service, on condition of renewing his fiefs
to him. Sigrid sent word to the earl how far she had brought the matter
with Kalf. As soon as the earl heard of it, he sent a message to
Kalf that he should come to the town to him. Kalf did not decline the
invitation, but came directly to Nidaros, and waited on the earl, who
received him kindly. In their conversation it was fully agreed upon that
Kalf should go into the earl's service, and should receive great fiefs.
After this Kalf returned home, and had the greater part of the interior
of the Throndhjem country under him. As soon as it was spring Kalf
rigged out a ship that belonged to him, and when she was ready he put
to sea, and sailed west to England; for he had heard that in spring King
Canute was to sail from Denmark to England, and that King Canute had