elt they throughout the winter & were well entertained in all
fairness & hospitality.

|| One fair day in spring it befell that Harek was at home on his farm
and with him were but few men. Now the time hung heavy on his hands, and
Sigurd spake to him & asked if they should not row out a little way, and
so pass the time, and this liked Harek well. So betook they themselves
to the shore, and did hale down a six-oared boat, & Sigurd from the
boat-house fetched him a sail and the gear appertaining to the boat, and
moreover shipped he the rudder. Sigurd and his brother were fully armed,
as was their wont to be when they were at home with the goodman, and the
twain were strong men.

Now or ever they gat them into the boat did they throw into it some
boxes of butter and a basket of bread, and between them bare they a
large cask of ale down to the craft. This done did they all row from
land, & having come away from the island hoist the sail, & Harek did
steer, & away bore they speedily from the island.

Then did the brothers go astern to where Harek was sitting. Saith Sigurd
to Harek the yeoman: 'Choose thou now betwixt several things: one of
them is to let us brothers have the upper hand on this cruise, & another
is to let us bind thee, & the third is that we can slay thee.' Then
Harek seeing in what a plight he was, inasmuch as he could not measure
strength with more than one of the brothers even were he and they
matched as to arms, chose what seemed to him the best of a poor business
which was to let them do as pleased the twain.

So swore he to them an oath and on that gave them a promise, and after
that Sigurd was possessed of the tiller and did steer south along the
coast on a fair breeze, and withal of a mighty care were the brothers
not to fall in with other craft. They paused not on their cruise ere
they came to Throndhjem and to Nidaros, and at that last place found
they King Olaf. Then did the King summon Harek to talk with him, and
thereupon offered him that he should embrace the good faith of Christ,
but Harek would have naught of it. On this matter spake for many days
the King and Harek, sometimes in the presence of many men, sometimes
alone; but never were they come of one mind.

So at the last said the King to Harek: 'Home shalt thou go, and on these
counts no harm will I do thee at present: firstly seeing that there is
kinship betwixt us, and again lest thou mightest say that I had gotten
thee by guile,