2 74 Norway and the Norwegians 



horseback — had among the men of his court two lender- 

 men of great power and influence in the country, two 

 king-makers, as we may call them. The first of the 

 two, leader of Ingi's party till his death, Gregorius 

 Dagsson, had a quarrel with Sigurd when the latter 

 came once to a conference with his brother Ingi at 

 Throndhjem ; and Dagsson's men captured Sigurd in 

 a house in the town and put him to death. 



Eystein was the next of the brothers to fall. He 

 had collected a fleet and set out upon an expedition to 

 meet Ingi's following in the south ; but his ships' crews 

 began to desert him, until he was obliged to abandon 

 his fleet and make his way into the interior. He had 

 still 1200 followers, but the number gradually dwindled, 

 until at last he was caught by one of Ingi's officers, 

 accompanied by one attendant only, and was slain. 

 This was in the interior mountain country, far from 

 where he had abandoned his fleet. Thereupon Eystein's 

 party elected a new pretender — the party, as we have 

 said, now making the claimant, and not the pre- 

 tender the party — a son of Sigurd, Avhose name was 

 Hakon Herdibreid. Hakon's reign w^as inaugurated by 

 a disgraceful defeat inflicted upon him by Gregorius 

 Dagsson, near Kongshalle, the frontier town on the 

 Gota Kiver. Hakon, it is said, had 4000 men in this 

 engagement, and Gregorius only 400. The new king 

 then made his way to Throndhjem, where he had a 

 large following. He collected a fleet there, and sailed 

 to the south. By an artifice he caused the death of 

 Gregorius Dagsson. Gregorius was, says Snorri, 'the 

 most gallant lenderman in Norway that any one could 

 remember.' Hakon next attacked King Ingi himself. 



