When King Inge and Gregorius heard that King Hakon was in Viken, they went east with many ships; but when they came King Hakon fled from them, and there was no battle.Then King Inge went to Oslo, and Gregorius was in Konungahella.
13.MUNAN'S DEATH.
Soon after Gregorius heard that Hakon and his men were at a farm called Saurby, which lies up beside the forest.Gregorius hastened there; came in the night; and supposing that King Hakon and Sigurd would be in the largest of the houses, set fire to the buildings there.But Hakon and his men were in the smaller house, and came forth, seeing the fire, to help their people.
There Munan fell, a son of Ale Uskeynd, a brother of King Sigurd Hakon's father.Gregorius and his men killed him, because he was helping those whom they were burning within the house.Some escaped, but many were killed.Asbjorn Jalda, who had been a very great viking, escaped from the house, but was grievously wounded.A bonde met him, and he offered the man money to let him get away; but the bonde replied, he would do what he liked best; and, adding that he had often been in fear of his life for him, he slew him.King Hakon and Sigurd escaped, but many of their people were killed.Thereafter Gregorius returned home to Konungahella.Soon after King Hakon and Sigurd went to Haldor Brynjolfson's farm of Vettaland, set fire to the house, and burnt it.Haldor went out, and was cut down instantly with his house-men; and in all there were about twenty men killed.Sigrid, Haldor's wife, was a sister of Gregorius, and they allowed her to escape into the forest in her night-shift only; but they took with them Amunde, who was a son of Gyrd Amundason and of Gyrid Dag's daughter, and a sister's son of Gregorius, and who was then a boy about five years old.
14.OF THE FALL OF GREGORIUS DAGSON.
When Gregorius heard the news he took it much to heart, and inquired carefully where they were.Gregorius set out from Konungahella late in Yule, and came to Fors the thirteenth day of Yule, where he remained a night, and heard vespers the last day of Yule, which was a Saturday, and the holy Evangel was read before him.When Gregorius and his followers saw the men of King Hakon and Sigurd, the king's force appeared to them smaller than their own.There was a river called Befia between them, where they met; and there was unsound ice on the river, for there went a stream under the ice from it.King Hakon and his men had cut a rent in the ice, and laid snow over it, so that nobody could see it.When Gregorius came to the ice on the river the ice appeared to him unsound, he said; and he advised the people to go to the bridge, which was close by, to cross the river.The bonde-troops replied, that they did not know why he should be afraid to go across the ice to attack so few people as Hakon had, and the ice was good enough.Gregorius said it was seldom necessary to encourage him to show bravery, and it should not be so now.Then he ordered them to follow him, and not to be standing on the land while he was on the ice, and he said it was their council to go out upon the dangerous ice, but he had no wish to do so, or to be led by them.Then he ordered the banner to be advanced, and immediately went out on the ice with the men.As soon as the bondes found that the ice was unsound they turned back.
Gregorius fell through the ice, but not very deep, and he told his men to take care.There were not more than twenty men with him, the others having turned back.A man of King Hakon's troop shot an arrow at Gregorius, which hit him under the throat, and thus ended his life.Gregorius fell, and ten men with him.It is the talk of all men that he had been the most gallant lenderman in Norway that any man then living could remember; and also he behaved the best towards us Icelanders of any chief since King Eystein the Elder's death.Gregorius's body was carried to Hofund, and interred at Gimsey Isle, in a nunnery which is there, of which Gregorius's sister, Baugeid, was then the abbess.
15.KING INGE HEARS OF GREGORIUS'S FALL.
Two bailiffs went to Oslo to bring the tidings to King Inge.
When they arrived they desired to speak to the king: and he asked, what news they brought.
"Gregorius Dagson's death," said they.
"How came that misfortune?" asked the king.
When they had told him how it happened, he said, "They gave advice who understood the least."It is said he took it so much to heart that he cried like a child.When he recovered himself he said, "I wanted to go to Gregorius as soon as I heard of Haldor's murder; for I thought that Gregorius would not sit long before thinking.of revenge.
But the people here would think nothing so important as their Yule feasts, and nothing could move them away; and I am confident that if I had been there, he would either have proceeded more cautiously, or I and Gregorius would now have shared one lodging.
Now he is gone, the man who has been my best friend, and more than any other has kept the kingdom in my hands; and I think it will be but a short space between us.Now I make an oath to go forth against Hakon, and one of two things shall happen: I shall either come to my death, or shall walk over Hakon and his people;and such a man as Gregorius is not avenged, even if all were to pay the penalty of their lives for him."There was a man present who replied, "Ye need not seek after them, for they intend to seek you."Kristin, King Sigurd's daughter and King Inge's cousin, was then in Oslo.The king heard that she intended going away.He sent a message to her to inquire why she wished to leave the town.
She thought it was dangerous and unsafe for a female to be there.
The king would not let her go."For if it go well with me, as Ihope, you will be well here; and if I fall, my friends may not get leave to dress my body; but you can ask permission, and it will not be denied you, and you will thereby best requite what Ihave done for you."16.OF KING INGE.
