1 80 Norway and the Norwegians 



distinguished man who had gone out to the west, and 

 who at present went among men's mouths by the name 

 of Ole simply. Hakon suspected the truth, that Ole was 

 no other than Olaf Tryggvason ; so he sent one of his 

 henchmen to Dublin, where Olaf was then living, to 

 entice the stranger over to Norway. The man fulfilled 

 his mission ; but when Olaf Tryggvason did arrive in 

 his native land he found that Hakon had been hunted 

 from the throne by his enraged subjects. For he had, 

 during these later years, given the rein to his unbridled 

 passions. The bonders of Throndhjem, exasperated 

 by a wanton outrage done to one of their number, rose 

 in a mass ; and the earl, to escape their fury, had to 

 hide himself in a pit dug beneath a pig-sty, along with 

 a single companion, a thrall named Kark, who he 

 thought was devoted to him ; for this Kark had been 

 born on the same day as Hakon, and had been his 

 thrall almost from birth. But Hakon began to suspect 

 Kark, and for a night or two Hakon and the man kept 

 watch upon each other, neither daring to go to sleep. 

 At last Hakon slept, but he dreamed so ill that he drew 

 his legs under him, and raised his head in his sleep, 

 and screamed violently, so that Kaik, in terror lest they 

 should be discovered, took out his knife and cut his 

 master's throat. Afterwards he severed the head and 

 bore it to Olaf Tryggvason, the new King of Norway, 

 hoping for a reward. Olaf had him executed. 



Thus comes on the theatre of authentic history the 

 great hero of Norwegian history, Olaf Tryggvason, of 

 whose early adventures (fabulous for the most part) we 

 have already spoken. Of Olaf Tryggvasou's early years 

 we actually know little more than that he was a Norse- 



