One day there was a meeting held in the town, at which the king himself
was present. A thief had been taken in the town, and he was brought
before the Thing. The man had before been in the service of Einar, who
had been very well satisfied with him. This was told to Einar, and he
well knew the king would not let the man off, and more because he took
an interest in the matter. Einar, therefore, let his men get under arms,
went to the Thing, and took the man by force. The friends on both sides
then came between and endeavoured to effect a reconciliation; and they
succeeded so far that a meeting-place was appointed, to which both
should come. There was a Thing-room in the king's house at the river
Nid, and the king went into it with a few men, while the most of his
people were out in the yard. The king ordered the shutters of the
loft-opening to be turned, so that there was but a little space left
clear. When Einar came into the yard with his people, he told his son
Eindride to remain outside with the men, "for there is no danger here
for me." Eindride remained standing outside at the room-door. When
Einar came into the Thing-room, he said, "It is dark in the king's
Thing-room." At that moment some men ran against him and assaulted him,
some with spears, some with swords. When Eindride heard this he drew his
sword and rushed into the room; but he was instantly killed along with
his father. The king's men then ran up and placed themselves before the
door, and the bondes lost courage, having no leader. They urged each
other on, indeed, and said it was a shame they should not avenge their
chief; but it came to nothing with their attack. The king went out to
his men, arrayed them in battle order, and set up his standard: but the
bondes did not venture to assault. Then the king went with all his men
on board of his ships, rowed down the river, and then took his way out
of the fjord. When Einar's wife Bergliot, who was in the house which
Einar had possessed in the town, heard of Einar's fall, she went
immediately to the king's house where the bondes army was and urged them
to the attack; but at the same moment the king was rowing out of the
river. Then said Bergliot, "Now we want here my relation, Hakon Ivarson:
Einar's murderer would not be rowing out of the river if Ivar stood here
on the riverbank." Then Bergliot adorned Einar's and Eindride's
corpses and buried them in Olaf's church, beside King Magnus Olafson's
burial-place. After Einar's murder the king was so much disliked for
that deed that there was nothing that prevented the lendermen and bondes
from attacking the king, and giving him battle, but the want of some
leader to raise the banner in the bonde army.