bearing King Knut the Great's letter and seal, with a message, likely
enough to be far from welcome to Olaf. For some days Olaf refused to
see them or their letter, shrewdly guessing what the purport would be.
Which indeed was couched in mild language, but of sharp meaning
enough: a notice to King Olaf namely, That Norway was properly, by
just heritage, Knut the Great's; and that Olaf must become the great
Knut's liegeman, and pay tribute to him, or worse would follow. King
Olaf listening to these two splendid persons and their letter, in
indignant silence till they quite ended, made answer: "I have heard
say, by old accounts there are, that King Gorm of Denmark
[Blue-tooth's father, Knut's great-grandfather] was considered but a
small king; having Denmark only and few people to rule over. But the
kings who succeeded him thought that insufficient for them; and it has
since come so far that King Knut rules over both Denmark and England,
and has conquered for himself a part of Scotland. And now he claims
also my paternal bit of heritage; cannot be contented without that
too. Does he wish to rule over all the countries of the North? Can
he eat up all the kale in England itself, this Knut the Great? He
shall do that, and reduce his England to a desert, before I lay my
head in his hands, or show him any other kind of vassalage. And so I
bid you tell him these my words: I will defend Norway with battle-axe
and sword as long as life is given me, and will pay tax to no man for
my kingdom." Words which naturally irritated Knut to a high degree.

Next year accordingly (year 1027), tenth or eleventh year of Olaf's
reign, there came bad rumors out of England: That Knut was equipping
an immense army,--land-army, and such a fleet as had never sailed
before; Knut's own ship in it,--a Gold Dragon with no fewer than sixty
benches of oars. Olaf and Onund King of Sweden, whose sister he had
married, well guessed whither this armament was bound. They were