anders in the town, and commanded that
self-same hour that they should all be slain; but Kiartan and Gissur and
Hialti and those that were of them who had made profession of the faith
of Christ entered into his presence & said: 'We trow, O King, that thou
wilt not go from thy word, for thou hast said that no man may make thee
so wrathful but shall he have thy forgiveness an he will be baptized and
abjure heathendom. Now will all the Icelanders who are here suffer
themselves to be baptized, & we can well devise a means whereby
Christianity may gain an entrance into Iceland. The sons of many mighty
men of Iceland are here present, & their fathers will, we trow, lend
their aid in this matter. But Thangbrand there, as here, ever went about
masterful and manslaying, and the people there would not endure it of
him.' Now the King lent an ear to these speeches, and all the men of
Iceland who were there were baptized.

|| Of all men of Norway of whom record hath come down to us was King Olaf
in every wise the one most skilful in manly exercises; stronger was he &
more active than any other man, and many are the tales that have been
written on this matter. One of these recounts how that he climbed the
Smalshorn, and made fast his shield on the topmost peak; and another is
of how he brought succour to one of his own body-guard who had climbed
aforehand up the mountain and was come into such a plight that he could
neither get up nor down, so that the King helped him by going unto him &
bearing him down under his arm to the level land. King Olaf would walk
from oar to oar, on the outer side of the ship while his men were rowing
the 'Serpent', and with such ease could he play with three daggers that
one was ever in the air and always caught he it by the hilt; with either
hand could he strike equally well, and two javelins could he throw at
one time. Of all men was King Olaf the lightest-hearted & of a very
merry disposition; kindly was he withal & lowly-hearted; very eager in
all enterprises, great in his bounty, & the foremost among those who
surrounded him. Above all others was he brave in battle, but very grim
when he was angered, and on his foes laid he heavy penalties; some he
with fire burned, some maimed he & caused to be cast down from high
rocks. For these things was he beloved by his friends, but dreaded by
his foes; his furtherance was manifold for the reason that some did his
will from love and friendship, and others aga