There were two brothers named Sigtrygg Swiftfarer and Hallvard Hardfarer, kinsmen of king Harold on the mother's side; from their father, a wealthy man, they had inherited an estate in Hising. Four brothers there were in all; but Thord and Thorgeir, the two younger, were at home, and managed the estate. Sigtrygg and Hallvard carried all the king's messages, both within and without the land, and had gone on many dangerous journeys, both for putting men out of the way and confiscating the goods of those whose homes the king ordered to be attacked. They kept about them a large following; they were not generally in favour, but the king prized them highly. None could match them at travelling, either on foot or on snow-shoes; in voyaging also they were speedier than others, valiant men they were, and very wary.

These two men were with the king when those things happened that have just been told. In the autumn the king went to a banquet in Hordaland. And one day he summoned to him the brothers Hallvard and Sigtrygg, and when they came he bade them go with their following and spy after the ship which Thorgils had taken westward to England in the summer.

'Bring me,' said he, 'the ship and all that is in it, except the men; let them go their way in peace, if they do not try to defend the ship.'

The brothers made them ready for this, and, taking each one his long-ship, went to seek Thorgils, and learnt that he was come from the west, and had sailed northwards along the coast. Northwards after him went they, and found him in Fir Sound. They knew the ship at once, and laid one of their ships on the seaward side of her, while some of them landed, and thence went out on to the ship by the gangways. Thorgils' crew, apprehending no danger, made no defence; they found out nothing till many armed men were aboard, and so they were all seized, and afterwards put on shore weaponless, with nothing but the clothes they wore. But Hallvard's men drew out the gangways, loosed the cables, and towed out the ship; then turned them about, and sailed southwards along the coast till they met the king, to whom they brought the ship and all that was in it. And when the cargo was unloaded, the king saw that it was great wealth, and what Harek had said was no lie.

But Thorgils and his comrades got conveyance, and went to Kveldulf and his son, and told of the misadventure of their voyage, yet were they well received. Kveldulf said all was tending to what he had foreboded, that Thorolf would not in the end have good luck in his friendship with king Harold.

'And I care little,' said he, 'for Thorolf's money loss in this, if worse does not come after; but I misdoubt, as before, that Thorolf will not rightly rate his own means against the stronger power with which he has to deal.'

And he bade Thorgils say this to Thorolf:

'My counsel is that you go away out of the land, for maybe you will do better for yourself if you serve under the king of England, or of Denmark, or of Sweden.'

Then he gave Thorgils a rowing-cutter with tackling complete, a tent also, and provisions, and all things needful for their journey. So they departed, and stayed not their journey till they came to Thorolf and told him all that had happened.

Thorolf took his loss cheerfully, and said that he should not be short of money; ''tis good,' said he, 'to be in partnership with a king.' He then bought meal and all that he needed for the maintenance of his people; his house-carles must for awhile, he said, be less bravely attired than he had purposed. Some lands he sold, some he mortgaged, but he kept up all expenses as before; he had no fewer men with him than last winter, nay, rather more. And as to feasts and friends entertained at his house, he had more means for all this than before. He stayed at home all that winter.

Sigtryggr snarfari ok Hallvarðr harðfari hétu bræðr tveir. Þeir váru með Haraldi konungi, víkverskir menn. Var móðurætt þeira á Vestfold, ok váru þeir í frændsemistölu við Harald konung. Faðir þeira hafði kyn átt tveim megum Gautelfar. Hann hafði bú átt í Hísing ok var maðr stórauðigr, en þá höfðu þeir tekit við arfi eftir föður sinn. Þeir váru fjórir bræðr. Hét einn Þórðr ok Þorgeirr, ok váru þeir yngri. Þeir váru heima ok réðu fyrir búi. Þeir Sigtryggr ok Hallvarðr höfðu sendiferðir konungs allar, bæði innan lands ok útan lands, ok höfðu margar ferðir þær farit, er háskasamligar váru, bæði til aftöku manna eða fé upp at taka fyrir þeim mönnum, er konungr lætr heimferðir veita. Þeir höfðu sveit mikla um sik. Ekki váru þeir vingaðir alþýðu manns, en konungr mat þá mikils, ok váru þeir allra manna bezt færir bæði á fæti ok á skíðum, svá ok í skipförum váru þeir hvatfærri en aðrir menn. Hreystimenn váru þeir ok miklir ok forsjálir um flest. Þeir váru þá með konungi, er þetta var tíðenda.

Um haustit fór konungr at veizlum um Hörðaland. Þat var einn dag, at hann lét kalla til sín þá bræðr, Hallvarð ok Sigtrygg. En er þeir kómu til hans, sagði hann þeim, at þeir skyldu fara með sveit sína ok halda njósn um skip þat, sem Þorgils gjallandi fór með, - "ok hann hafði í sumar vestr til Englands. Færið mér skipit ok allt þat, er á er, nema menn. Látið þá fara í brott leið sína í friði, ef þeir vilja ekki verja skipit."

Þeir bræðr váru þess albúnir, ok tók sitt langskip hvárr þeira, fara síðan at leita þeira Þorgils ok spurðu, at hann var vestan kominn ok hann hafði siglt norðr með landi. Þeir fara norðr eftir þeim ok hitta þá í Furusundi, kenndu brátt skipit ok lögðu at annat skipit á útborða, en sumir gengu á land upp ok út á skipit at bryggjunum. Þeir Þorgils vissu sér engis ótta ván ok vöruðust ekki. Fundu þeir eigi fyrr en fjölði manns var uppi á skipinu með alvæpni, ok þeir váru allir handteknir ok leiddir síðan á land upp ok vápnlausir ok höfðu ekki nema ígangsklæði ein. En þeir Hallvarðr skutu út bryggjunum ok slógu strenginum ok drógu út skipit, snúa síðan leið sína ok sigldu suðr, þar til þess er þeir fundu konung, færðu honum skipit ok allt þat, er á var.

En er farmrinn var borinn af skipinu, þá sá konungr, at þat var stórfé ok eigi var þat lygi, er Hárekr hafði sagt.

En Þorgils ok hans félagar fengu sér flutningar, ok leita þeir á fund Kveld-Úlfs ok þeira feðga ok sögðu sínar farar eigi sléttar, fengu þar þó góðar viðtökur.

Sagði Kveld-Úlfr, at þá myndi þar til draga, sem honum hafði fyrir boðat, at Þórólfr myndi eigi til alls endis gæfu til bera um vináttu Haralds konungs, -"ok þætti mér ekki mikils vert um félát þetta, er Þórólfr hefir misst nú, ef nú færi eigi hér it meira eftir. Grunar mik enn sem fyrr, at Þórólfr muni eigi gerr kunna at sjá efni sín við ofrefli slíkt sem hann á at skipta," - ok bað Þorgils svá segja Þórólfi, at - "mitt ráð er þat," segir hann, "at hann fari ór landi á brott, því at vera kann, at hann komi sér betr, ef hann sækir á hönd Englakonungi eða Danakonungi eða Svíakonungi."

Síðan fekk hann Þorgísli róðrarskútu eina ok þar með reiða allan, svá tjöld ok vistir ok allt þat, er þeir þurftu til ferðar sinnar. Síðan fóru þeir ok léttu eigi fyrr ferð sinni en þeir kómu norðr til Þórólfs ok sögðu honum þat, er til tíðenda hafði gerzt.

Þórólfr varð vel við skaða sinn, sagði svá, at hann myndi ekki fé skorta. "Er gott félag at eiga við konung."

Síðan keypti Þórólfr mjöl ok malt ok þat annat, er hann þurfti til framflutningar liði sínu. Sagði hann, at húskarlar myndi vera ekki svá fagrbúnir sem hann hafði ætlat um hríð.

Þórólfr seldi jarðir sínar, en sumar veðsetti hann, en helt upp kostnaði öllum sem fyrr. Hafði hann þá ok ekki færa lið með sér en ina fyrri vetr, heldr hafði hann nökkuru fleira manna. Svá um veizlur ok heimboð við vini sína, þá hafði hann meira efni um þat allt en fyrr. Var hann heima þann vetr allan.