Part 163 - Of The Earl's Murder

When they had played a while the king made a false move, at which the earl took a knight from the king; but the king set the piece again upon the board, and told the earl to make another move; but the earl grew angry, threw over the chess-board, stood up, and went away.

The king said,

"Runnest thou away, Ulf the coward?"

The earl turned round at the door and said,

"Thou wouldst have run farther at Helga river, if thou hadst come to battle there. Thou didst not call me Ulf the coward, when I hastened to thy help while the Swedes were beating thee like a dog."

The earl then went out, and went to bed. A little later the king also went to bed.

The following morning while the king was putting on his clothes he said to his footboy,

"Go thou to Earl Ulf, and kill him."

The lad went, was away a while, and then came back.

The king said,

"Hast thou killed the earl?"

"I did not kill him, for he was gone to Saint Lucius' church."

There was a man called Ivar White, a Norwegian by birth, who was the king's courtman and chamberlain.

The king said to him,

"Go thou and kill the earl."

Ivar went to the church, and in at the choir, and thrust his sword through the earl, who died on the spot.

Then Ivar went to the king, with the bloody sword in his hand.

The king said,

"Hast thou killed the earl?"

"I have killed him,"

says he.

"Thou didst well."

After the earl was killed the monks closed the church, and locked the doors. When that was told the king he sent a message to the monks, ordering them to open the church and sing high mass.

They did as the king ordered; and when the king came to the church he bestowed on it great property, so that it had a large domain, by which that place was raised very high; and these lands have since always belonged to it. King Canute rode down to his ships, and lay there till late in harvest with a very large army.