Erling came to the town just as vespers was being sung in Christ church.
He and his men ran into the town, to where it was told them that the
lenderman, Alf Rode, a son of Ottar Birting, was still sitting at table,
and drinking with his men. Erling fell upon them; and Alf was killed,
with almost all his men. Few other men were killed; for they had almost
all gone to church, as this was the night before Christ's Ascension-day.
In the morning early, Erling called all the people by sound of trumpet
to a Thing out upon Evrar. At the Thing Erling laid a charge against the
Throndhjem people, accusing them of intending to betray the country,
and take it from the king; and named Bard Standale, Pal Andreason, and
Razabard, who then presided over the town's affairs, and many others.
They, in their defence, denied the accusation; but Erling's writer stood
up, produced many letters with seals, and asked if they acknowledged
their seals which they had sent to the Danish king; and thereupon the
letters were read. There was also a Danish man with Erling who had gone
with the letters in winter, and whom Erling for that purpose had taken
into his service. He told to these men the very words which each of them
had used. "And you, Razabard, spoke, striking your breast; and the
very words you used were, 'Out of this breast are all these counsels
produced.'" Bard replied, "I was wrong in the head, sirs, when I spoke
so." There was now nothing to be done but to submit the case entirely to
the sentence Erling might give upon it. He took great sums of money from
many as fines, and condemned all those who had been killed as lawless,
and their deeds as lawless; making their deaths thereby not subject to
mulct. Then Erling returned south to Bergen.