SWIMMING. 379 



Ilastigi was the stronger, but Hord was more agile and nimble. 

 The king said : " Thou dost not pull, Hastigi, as thou allowest 

 this child to struggle so long against thee.' Hastigi replied : 

 ' It will not last long if I use all my strength.' While they 

 were speaking, Hjalmter took the sword and the sax, and put 

 them in front of the feet of Hord ; nobody saw this, because 

 the fur-cloak projected. Then Hastigi pulled so hard that 

 Hord nearly fell into the fire, and thought he had never had 

 such a tug. They both pulled so hard, that all wondered that 

 they were not dead from over-exertion and could endure it. 

 Hord said to Hastigi : ' Look out ; for now I will use my 

 strength, and thou wilt not live long.' ' I will,' answered 

 Hastigi. Hord then pulled with all his strength, and pulled 

 Hastigi forward into the fire, and threw the hide over him ; 

 he jumped on his back, and then went to his bench. The 

 king ordered them to take the man out of the fire ; he 

 was much burnt. The king was very angry, though he saw 

 it was chiefly his own fault" (Hjalniter's and Giver's Stiira, 

 ch. 17). 



To such a maritime people, the idrott of swimming 

 was most important. There were men who could swim 

 for miles with armour on, or with a companion on their 

 shoulders. Occasionally it happened that a fierce struggle 

 ensued in the water, and that the stronger carried his adver- 

 sary down to the bottom, holding him until he was almost 

 half drowned, and unable to offer any further resistance. 



" One day in fine weather and warm sunshine many men were 

 swimming, both from the long-ship and the trading-ship. An 

 Icelander who was swimming amused himself by taking under 

 water the men who did not swim so well as himself. They 

 laughed at it. King Sigurd heard it and saw ; then he threw 

 off his clothes and jumped out, swam to the Icelander, took 

 hold of him and put him under water, and kept him there, and 

 as soon as the Icelander came up again the king put him down 

 again. Then Sigurd Sigurdsson said : ' Shall we let the king 

 drown the man ? ' A man said that no one seemed very willing 

 to go to them. Then he answered: 'If Dag Eilifson wnv 

 here, he would be the man to do it.' Then he jumped overboard 

 and swam to the king, took hold of him, and said : ' Do not 

 kill the man, lord ; all now see that thou swimmest far better. 

 The king said : ' Let me alone, Sigurd, I shall kill him ; he 

 wants to drown our men.' Sigurd said : ' Now let us play first ; 

 and thou, Icelander, swim to the land.' He did so. The king 



