nor will it be any new thing to submit to him."

That pleased all, and the end of it was that Sigurd was chosen to hold
the land for Havelok.

Then Sigurd sat on the steps of the high place at Havelok's feet, and
the king said, "I have no need to tell any man here who this is, and why
I think him worthy of the highest honour, for all know him and his worth
as well as I. Mainly by him was the thought of my return kept in the
minds of men, so that when the time came all were ready to hail me, as
you have done. Therefore, as by him I am king, so I make him king also
for me. He shall rule all the land while I am away, and to him shall all
men account as to me. And because it is right that his kingship should
be certain, I give him all his jarldom as a kingdom from henceforth,
only subject to me and my heirs as overlord. King therefore he is, and
none can say that you are ruled by naught but a jarl."

Then Havelok girt on the new king's sword, and set his own crowned helm
on his head for a moment; and all the Thing hailed him gladly, for he
was the right man without doubt.

Then Sigurd did homage for his new honour; and after that he rose up,
and grew red and uneasy, as if there was somewhat that he wished to say,
and was half afraid to do so.

Thereat some friend in the hall said, "You take your kingship worse than
did Radbard himself, as it seems. What is amiss?"

"Why, I wanted to go on the Viking path with Havelok, and now it seems
that I cannot."

Then one shouted, "I never heard of a land going wrong while its king
was away risking his life to get property for his men. There is no man
here who is going to rise against either you or Havelok. And it is only
to send a message to our great overlord to say what we are about, and he
will see that the land is in peace. Nor do I think that any king would
harry Havelok's land, for he is well loved by all his peers."

Wherefore it seemed that Sigurd must go also, and we had to set Biorn as
head man while Sigurd was away; but that would only be for a month or
two. So all things were ordered well, and in a month we set sail with
twenty ships, and in them a matter of fifteen hundred men.

At first we thought that we would make for Grimsby; but then it seemed
best to land elsewhere, and more to the south, for we would have
messages sent at once to Ragnar to call East Anglia to Havelok's banner,
and Alsi would have less chance of cutting us off from him. So we sailed
to Sal