Автор литература - Njal's Saga

and all welcomed him with joyful hands. But at their parting

Olaf said, “I will give thee three things of price, a gold ring,

and a cloak which Moorkjartan the Erse king owned, and a hound

that was given me in Ireland; he is big, and no worse follower

than a sturdy man. Besides, it is part of his nature that he has

man’s wit, and he will bay at every man whom he knows is thy foe,

but never at thy friends; he can see, too, in any man’s face,

whether he means thee well or ill, and he will lay down his life

to be true to thee. This hound’s name is Sam.”

After that he spoke to the hound, “Now shalt thou follow Gunnar,

and do him all the service thou canst.”

The hound went at once to Gunnar and laid himself down at his

feet.

Olaf bade Gunnar to be ware of himself, and said he had many

enviers, “For now thou art thought to be a famous man throughout

all the land.”

Gunnar thanked him for his gifts and good counsel, and rode home.

Now Gunnar sits at home for sometime, and all is quiet.

70. MORD’S COUNSEL

A little after, those namesakes and Mord met, and they were not

at all of one mind. They thought they had lost much goods for

Mord’s sake, but had got nothing in return; and they bade him set

on foot some other plot which might do Gunnar harm.

Mord said so it should be. “But now this is my counsel, that

thou, Thorgeir Otkell’s son shouldest beguile Ormilda, Gunnar’s

kinswoman; but Gunnar will let his displeasure grow against thee

at that, and then I will spread that story abroad that Gunnar

will not suffer thee to do such things. Then ye two shall some

time after make an attack on Gunnar, but still ye must not seek

him at home, for there is no thinking of that while the hound is

alive.”

So they settled this plan among them that it should be brought

about.

Thorgeir began to turn his steps towards Ormilda, and Gunnar

thought that ill, and great dislike arose between them.

So the winter wore away. Now comes the summer, and their secret

meetings went on oftener than before.

As for Thorgeir of the Threecorner and Mord, they were always

meeting; and they plan an onslaught on Gunnar when he rides down

to the isles to see after the work done by his housecaries.

One day Mord was ware of it when Gunnar rode down to the isles,

and sent a man off under the Threecorner to tell Thorgeir that

then would be the likeliest time to try to fall on Gunnar.

They bestirred them at once, and fare thence twelve together, but

when they came to Kirkby there they found thirteen men waiting

for them.

Then they made up their minds to ride down to Rangriver and lie

in wait there for Gunnar.

But when Gunnar rode up from the isles, Kolskegg rode with him.

Gunnar had his bow and his arrows and his bill. Kolskegg had his

short sword and weapons to match.

71. THE SLAYING OF THORGEIR OTKELL’S SON

That token happened as Gunnar and his brother rode up towards

Rangriver, that much blood burst out on the bill.

Kolskegg asked what that might mean.

Gunnar says, “If such tokens took place in other lands, it was

called `wound-drops,’ and Master Oliver told me also that this

only happened before great fights.”

So they rode on till they saw men sitting by the river on the

other side, and they had tethered their horses.

Gunnar said, “Now we have an ambush.”

Kolskegg answered, “Long have they been faithless; but what is

best to be done now?”

“We will gallop up alongside them to the ford,” says Gunnar, “and

there make ready for them.”

The others saw that and turned at once towards them.

Gunnar strings his bow, and takes his arrows and throws them on

the ground before him, and shoots as soon as ever they come

within shot; by that Gunnar wounded many men, but some he slew.

Then Thorgeir Otkell’s son spoke and said, “This is no use; let

us make for him as hard as we can.”

They did so, and first went Aunund the Fair, Thorgeir’s kinsman.

Gunnar hurled the bill at him, and it fell on his shield and

clove it in twain, but the bill rushed through Aunund. Augmund

Shockhead rushed at Gunnar behind his back. Kolskegg saw that

and cut off at once both Augmund’s legs from under him, and

hurled him out into Rangriver, and he was drowned there and then.

Then a hard battle arose; Gunnar cut with one hand and thrust

with the other. Kolskegg slew some men and wounded many.

Thorgeir Starkad’s son called out to his namesake, “It looks very

little as though thou hadst a father to avenge.”

“True it is,” he answers, “that I do not make much way, but yet

thou hast not followed in my footsteps; still I will not bear thy

reproaches.”

With that he rushes at Gunnar in great wrath, and thrust his

spear through his shield, and so on through his arm.

Gunnar gave the shield such a sharp twist that the spearhead

broke short off at the socket. Gunnar sees that another man was

come within reach of his sword, and he smites at him and deals

him his deathblow. After that, he clutches his bill with both

hands; just then, Thorgeir Otkell’s son had come near him with a

drawn sword, and Gunnar turns on him in great wrath, and drives

the bill through him, and lifts him up aloft, and casts him out

into Rangriver, and he drifts down towards the ford, and stuck

fast there on a stone; and the name of that ford has since been

Thorgeir’s ford.

Then Thorgeir Starkad’s son said, “Let us fly now; no victory

will be fated to us this time.”

So they all turned and fled from the field.

“Let us follow them up now,” says Kolskegg “and take thou thy bow

and arrows, and thou wilt come within bowshot of Thorgeir

Starkad’s son.”

Then Gunnar sang a song:

“Reaver of rich river-treasure,

Plundered will our purses be,

Though to-day we wound no other

Warriors wight in play of spears

Aye, if I for all these sailors

Lowly lying, fines must pay —

This is why I hold my hand,

Hearken, brother dear, to me.“_

“Our purses will be emptied,” says Gunnar, “by the time that

these are atoned for who now lie here dead.”

“Thou wilt never lack money,” says Kolskegg; “but Thorgeir will

never leave off before he compasses thy death.”

Gunnar sang another song:

“Lord of water-skates (1) that skim

Sea-king’s fields, more good as he,

Shedding wounds’ red stream, must stand

In my way ere I shall wince.

I, the golden armlets’ warder,

Snakelike twined around my wrist,

Ne’er shall shun a foeman’s faulchion

Flashing bright in din of fight.”

“He, and a few more as good as he,” says Gunnar, “must stand in

my path ere I am afraid of them.”

After that they ride home and tell the tidings. Hallgerda was

well pleased to hear them, and praised the deed much.

Rannveig said, “May be the deed is good; but somehow,” she says,

“I feel too downcast about it to think that good can come of it.”

ENDNOTES:

(1) “Water-skates,” a periphrasis for ships.

72. OF THE SUITS FOR MANSLAUGHTER AT THE THING

These tidings were spread far and wide, and Thorgeir’s death was

a great grief to many a man. Gizur the White and his men rode to

the spot and gave notice of the manslaughter, and called the

neighbours on the inquest to the Thing. Then they rode home