Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/242

230 CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA XIII. CHArTER XV. Treachery towards King llarald. ClIAVTKR XVI. IMiirder of King llarald. He escaped with life this time ; and the king's men returned, and could not conceal their unsuccessful adventure. Siffurd thouo^ht now that it would be of no use to seek any help from King Harald again ; and he kept himself concealed all the autumn and the beginning of Avinter. He lay hid in Bergen, in the house of a priest. King Harald was also in the toAvn, and many great people with him. Now Sigurd considered how, with his friends' help, he might take the king- by surprise, and make an end of him. Many men took part in this design ; and among them some who were King Harald's court-men and chamberlains, but who had formerly been King Magnus's court-men. They stood in great favour with the king, and some of them sat constantly at the king's table. On St. Lucia's day, in the evening, when they proposed to execute this treason, two men sat at the king's table talking together ; and one of them said to the king, " Sire, we two table-companions submit our dispute to your judgment, having made a wager of a basket of honey to him who guesses right. I say that you will sleep this night with your Queen Ingigerd; and he says that you will sleep with Thora, Guttorm's daughter." The king answered laughing, and without suspect- ing in the least that there lay treachery under the question, — that he who asked had lost his bet. They knew thus where he was to be found that night ; but the main guard was without the house in which most people thought the king would sleep, viz that which the queen was in. Sigurd Slembe, and some men who were in his design, came in the niglit to the lodging in which King Harald was sleeping; killed the watchman first; then broke open the door, and went in with drawn