re winters
dwelt he with King Valdamar. Olaf was exceeding fair & tall to look upon
and of mighty stature & of great strength withal. And in prowess in
sports, so it is told, was he the best of all the Norsemen.

|| Earl Hakon Sigurdson abode with the Danish King, Harald Gormson,
during the winter after he had fled from Norway before the sons of
Gunnhild.

Now Hakon had so much on his mind that winter that he took to his bed,
and often lay wakeful, eating & drinking only so much as would maintain
the strength in his body. Then secretly sent he his men northwards to
Throndhjem to his friends there, & counselled them that they should slay
King Erling if it might be that they could compass that deed; adding
furthermore that he himself would fare back to his realm in summer-time.
That winter they that were of Throndhjem slew Erling, as is aforewrit.

Betwixt Hakon and Gold Harald was there a friendship close as that of
brothers that have been laid in the same cradle and Harald would lay
bare his thoughts unto Hakon. Harald confessed he desired to settle on
the land and no more live on his ship of war, and he questioned Hakon if
he thought Harald would share his kingdom with him were he to demand the
half. 'Methinks,' quoth Hakon, 'that the Danish King will not refuse
thee justice; but thou wilt know more concerning this matter if thou
speakest thereon to the King; methinks thou wilt not get the realm save
thou demandest it.' Shortly after this talk spake Gold Harald to King
Harald when they were in company with many mighty men, good friends unto
them both. Gold Harald then demanded that he should halve the kingdom
with him, in accordance with the rights which his birth and lineage gave
him there in Denmark.

At this demand waxed Harald very wroth, & sware that no man had ever
besought his father, Gorm, that he should become King of half of what
pertained unto Denmark, nor yet of his father Horda-Knut (Hardicanute),
nor again of Sigurd Snake-i'-the-eye, nor of Ragnar Lodbrok; & so great
was his fury that none dared parley with him.

[Illustration]

|| Thence came it that his own position was now even less than before to
the liking of Gold Harald, for no kingdom had he any more than
aforetime; while to this was added the wrath of the King. So went he to
his friend Hakon and made wail of his plight unto him, and besought of
him good counsel, if he had such to give him, as to how he might become
possessed of the re