CHRONICLE OE THE sAGAjx. Jiis wounds. Then the bonder's son attended him on the way east over the ridge of the land, and they went by all the forest paths they could, avoiding the common road. The bonder's son did not know who it was he was attending ; and as they were riding to- gether between two uninhabited forests, Harald made these verses : — ^' My wounds were bleeding as I rode ; And down below the bonders strode. Killing the wounded with the sword. The followers of their rightful lord. From wood to wood I crept along. Unnoticed by the bonder-throng ; ' Who knows,' I thought, *^ a day may come My name will yet be great at home.' " He went eastward over the ridge through Jemte- land and Helsingialand, and came to Sweden, where he found Rognvald Brusesson, and many others of King Olaf's men who had fled from the battle at Stiklestad, and they remained there till winter was over. The spring after Harald and Rognvald got ships, and went east in summer to Russia to King Jarisleif, and were with him all the following winter. So says the scald Bolverk, in the poem he composed about Chapter II. Harald's journey to Constan- tinople. King Harald : The king's sharp sword lies clean and bright, Prepared in foreign lands to fight : Our ravens croak to have their fill. The wolf howls from the distant hill. Our brave king is to Russia gone, — Braver than he on earth there's none: His sharp sword will carve many a feast To wolf and raven in the East." King Jarisleif gave Harald and Rognvald a kind reception, and made Harald and Eilif the son of Earl Rognvald chiefs over the land-defence * men of the king. So says Thiodolf : —
- Landvarnar-madr konungs — the landwehr men of the king. The
landvser or landwehr force appears to have been very early an un- bodied military standing army in every country.
