It happened once that Sigurd was out in his ship, which lay in the
harbour; and there lay a merchant ship, which was an Iceland trader, at
the side of it. Harald Gille was in the forecastle of the king's ship,
and Svein Rimhildson, a son of Knut Sveinson of Jadar, had his berth the
next before him. There was also Sigurd Sigurdson, a gallant lenderman,
who himself commanded a ship. It was a day of beautiful weather and warm
sunshine, and many went out to swim, both from the long-ship and the
merchant vessel. An Iceland man, who was among the swimmers, amused
himself by drawing those under water who could not swim so well as
himself; and at that the spectators laughed. When King Sigurd saw and
heard this, he cast off his clothes, sprang into the water, and swam to
the Icelander, seized him, and pressed him under the water, and held him
there; and as soon as the Icelander came up the king pressed him down
again, and thus the one time after the other.