therwise to go away. They stepped aside to talk with
each other on what resolution they should take. Afrafaste said, "To give
my opinion, I will not turn back, but go into the battle, and take a
part on the one side or the other; and I don't care much in which army
I am." Gauka-Thorer replies, "If I go into battle I will give my help to
the king, for he has most need of help. And if I must believe in a
God, why not in the white Christ as well as in any other? Now it is my
advice, therefore, that we let ourselves be baptized, since the king
insists so much upon it, and then go into the battle with him." They
all agreed to this, and went to the king, and said they would receive
baptism. Then they were baptized by a priest, and the baptism was
confirmed by the bishop. The king then took them into the troop of his
court-men, and said they should fight under his banner in the battle.

216. KING OLAF'S SPEECH.

King Olaf got certain intelligence now that it would be but a short time
until he had a battle with the bondes; and after he had mustered his
men, and reckoned up the force, he had more than 3000 men, which appears
to be a great army in one field. Then the king made the following speech
to the people: "We have a great army, and excellent troops; and now I
will tell you, my men, how I will have our force drawn up. I will let
my banner go forward in the middle of the army, and my-court-men, and
pursuivants shall follow it, together with the war forces that joined
us from the Uplands, and also those who may come to us here in the
Throndhjem land. On the right hand of my banner shall be Dag Hringson,
with all the men he brought to our aid; and he shall have the second
banner. And on the left hand of our line shall the men be whom the
Swedish king gave us, together with all the people who came to us in
Sweden; and they shall have the third banner. I will also have the
people divide themselves into distinct flocks or parcels, so that
relations and acquaintances should be together; for thus they defend
each other best, and know each other. We will have all our men
distinguished by a mark, so as to be a field-token upon their helmets
and shields, by painting the holy cross thereupon with white colour.
When we come into battle we shall all have one countersign and
field-cry,--'Forward, forward, Christian men! cross men! king's men!'
We must draw up our meal in thinner ranks, because we have fewer people,
and I do not wis