all man proved to be Harold himself and
Magnus was highly pleased with him.

He was not so well pleased when Harold asked to be made king also, laying
claim to half the kingdom. And Harold himself was not well pleased when
one of the Norse chiefs said that if Magnus was to share the kingdom with
him, he should divide his great treasure with Magnus.

Harold replied hastily and haughtily that he had not dared death and won
wealth that he might make his nephew's men rich. The chief answered that
he and his friends had not won Norway from the Danes for the purpose of
giving half of it to a stranger, and all the other earls and warriors
agreed with him, so that Harold found that the apple which he wished to
divide was not so easily to be cut.

After that there was war and plundering and the cruel deeds that take
place when the sword is drawn, and a year or two later Harold called an
assembly of the people of one district of Norway and had himself
proclaimed king. Magnus, who did not want to fight his father's brother,
finally yielded to Harold's claim and agreed that they should both be
kings; not to divide the realm, but both to rule over the whole country
together. Thus it was that Harold won the prize which he had craved as a
young child.

Every one would say that a compact of this kind could not work well. A
gentle, kindly, generous-hearted man like King Magnus was ill matched
with a haughty, wealth-loving, tyrannical man like Harold. No doubt many
bitter words passed between them, and the peasants were so incensed by
Harold's oppression and extortion of money from them that they would have
broken into open rebellion only for the love they bore King Magnus. The
latter was often so incensed that he was tempted to put an end to the
double kingship even if he had to remove his troublesome partner by
violence.

But this was not to be. One day, while out riding, his horse took fright
and threw him, his head striking a stump. He was at first stunned, but
seemed to recover. Soon afterwards he was taken sick with a violent fever
and gradually sank, so that it became apparent that he would die. On his
death-bed he decided that Sweyn, who had fought so hard to win from him
the crown of Denmark, had a better right to that kingdom than Harold, and
men were sent to inform him of his succession to the Danish throne. But
he had barely closed his eyes in death when Harold sent other men to
intercept these messengers. He proposed to