Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/261

KINGS OF NORWAY. 249 taken to the shore, and beheaded; for Sigurd and sa ga x iv. Gyrder, the sons of Kolbein, would not take any mulct for him, as they knew he had been at their brother Beintein's murder. Ivar the bishop said, that never was there any thing that touched him so nearly, as Ivar's going to the shore under the axe, and turning to the others with the wish that they might meet in joy hereafter. Gudrid Berg's daughter, a sister of Archbishop John, told Eric Oddsson that she heard Bishop Ivar say this. A man called Thrand Gialdker was the steersman Chapter of King Inge's ship. It was come so far, that Inge's sigurd men were rowing; in small boats between the ships si^^mbe alter those who were swimming m the water, and soner. killed those they could get hold of. Sigurd Slembe threw himself overboard after his ship had lost her crew, stripped off his armour under the water, and then swam with his shield over him. Some men from Thrand's vessel took prisoner a man who was swimming, and were about to kill him ; but he begged his life, and offered to tell them where Sigurd Slembe v/as, and they agreed to it. Shields and spears, dead men, weapons, and clothes, were floating all round on the sea about the ships. " Ye can see," said he, " a red shield floating on the water : he is under it." They rowed to it immediately, took him, and brought him on board of Thrand's ship. Thrand then sent a message to Thiostolf, Ottar, Aasmund, and Gyrder. Sigurd Slembe had a tinder-box on him, and the tinder was in a walnut-shell, around which there was wax. This is related, because it seems an ingenious way of preserving it from ever getting wet. He swam with a shield over him, because nobody could know one shield from another where so many were floating about ; and they would never have hit upon him, if they had not been told where he was. When Thrand came to the land with Sigurd, and it was told to the