advisable to be the bearer of an alarm of war to the king, as be bad set heavy penalties on those who raised such alarms falsely, yet they thought it unsuitable that the king should remain in ignorance of what they saw.[1] Then one of them went into the room and asked Eyvind Finsson to come out as fast as possible, for it was very needful. Eyvind immediately came out, and went to where he could see the ships, and saw directly that a great army was on the way; and he returned in all haste into the room, and, placing himself before the king, said, " Short is the hour for acting, and long the hour for feasting." The king cast his eyes upon him, and said, u What now is in the way?" Eyvind said —
"Up, king! the avengers are at hand!
Eric's bold sons approach the land!
The judgment of the sword they crave
Against their foe. Thy wrath I brave;
Tho' well I know 'tis no light thing
To bring war-tidings to the king,
And tell him 'tis no time to rest.
Up! gird your armour to your breast:
Thy honour's dearer than my life;
Therefore I say, up to the strife!"
Then said the king, " Thou art too brave a fellow, Eyvind, to bring us any false alarm of war." The others all said it was a true report. The king ordered the tables to be removed, and then he went out to look at the ships; and when it could be clearly seen that these were ships of war, the king asked his men what resolution they should take—whether to give battle with the men they had, or go on board ship and sail away northwards along the land. "For it is
- ↑ A curious instance of the discipline and deference for the king of these Northmen, and which accounts for their success against the people they invaded, and is also singularly in contrast with what follows—the reference by the king to his men for approving his plan of giving battle, and not retreating. This strict discipline and freedom united accounts for the success of their predatory expeditions.
