d to them that this
was passing clever, and so Olaf asked of the peasant whether he would
give him the dog. 'Willingly,' answered he, and Olaf in exchange
therefor gave him a gold ring, and the promise of his friendship.

That dog was named Vigi, and it was the best of all dogs; Olaf had
pleasure in him for a long time thereafter.

|| Now it came to the ears of the King of Denmark, even to him hight
Harald Gormson, that Earl Hakon had cast aside Christianity & had
pillaged in the country pertaining to the King of Denmark who thereon
gathered together an host, & thereafter fared to Norway.

And when he was come to the realm over which Earl Hakon had rule harried
he there, laying bare all the land. Then led he his host to the islets
which are called Solunder. Five homesteads alone stood unburned in
Lardal, in Sogn, and all the folk of the valley were fled to the
mountains and forests, taking with them such of their chattels as they
might carry. Thereafter the Danish King was minded to take his hosts to
Iceland to avenge the mockery of the Icelanders, for it happened that
they had made malicious verses about him.

Now a law had been made in Iceland to the end that for every soul in the
country one lampoon should be made on the Danish King, and the reason
therefor was to this wise, to wit, that a ship pertaining to men of
Iceland had stranded on the coast of Denmark & the Danes had taken all
the cargo thereon, calling it flotsam.

The man who had had the chief concern in this matter was one Birger, the
King's steward. Jests were made both on him and on the King, and this is
one of them:

'When the fight-wonted Harald rode the sea-steed from the south
In the shape of Faxe,
The slayer of Vandals as wax became altogether as impotent.
Birger by guardian sprites outcast in mare's shape met him
As all men did behold.'

|| Now King Harald bade a warlock betake him to Iceland in one or other
guise, that he might bring him back tidings of the country.

And the warlock set forth in the shape of a whale, and when he was come
thither to Iceland he went along the north side of the coast, and he saw
that all the mountains and hills were full of guardian spirits, some
large & others small. When he was arrived at Vapnafjord there went he up
and was like to have gone ashore when, lo! a great dragon came down from
the valley, & in its company many serpents, toads, and vipers, and these
beasts belched venom at him. So