Автор литература - Njal's Saga

Now Gudmund rides home north and had praise from every man for

the part he had taken in these quarrels.

Thorgeir Craggeir asked Kari to go along with him, but yet first

of all they rode with Gudmund right up to the fells north. Kari

gave Gudmund a golden brooch, but Thorgeir gave him a silver

belt, and each was the greatest treasure. So they parted with

the utmost friendship, and Gudmund is out of this story.

Kari and Thorgeir rode south from the fell, and down to the

Rapes (1), and so to Thursowater.

Flosi, and the burners along with him, rode east to Fleetlithe,

and he allowed the sons of Sigfus to settle their affairs at

home. Then Flosi heard that Thorgeir and Kari had ridden north

with Gudmund the Powerful, and so the burners thought that Kari

and his friend must mean to stay in the north country; and then

the sons of Sigfus asked leave to go east under Eyjafell to get

in their money, for they had money out on call at Headbrink.

Flosi gave them leave to do that, but still bade them be ware of

themselves, and be as short a time about it as they could.

Then Flosi rode up by Godaland, and so north of Eyjafell Jokul,

and did not draw bridle before he came home east to Swinefell.

Now it must be said that Hall of the Side had suffered his son to

fall without a fine, and did that for the sake of an atonement,

but then the whole host of men at the Thing agreed to pay a fine

for him, and the money so paid was not less than eight hundred in

silver, but that was four times the price of a man; but all the

others who had been with Flosi got no fines paid for their hurts,

and were very ill pleased at it.

The sons of Sigfus stayed at home two nights, but the third day

they rode east to Raufarfell, and were there the night. They

were fifteen together, and had not the least fear for themselves.

They rode thence late, and meant to reach Headbrink about even.

They baited their horses in Carlinedale, and then a great slumber

came over them.

ENDNOTES:

(1) “Swinestye,” ironically for Swinefell, where Flosi lived.

(2) This is the English equivalent for the Icelandic Hrep, a

district. It still lingers in “the Rape of Bramber,” and

other districts in Sussex and the southeast.

145. OF KARI AND THORGEIR

Those two, Kari Solmund’s son and Thorgeir Craggeir, rode that

day east across Markfleet, and so on east to Selialandsmull.

They found there some women. The wives knew them, and said to

them, “Ye two are less wanton than the sons of Sigfus yonder, but

still ye fare unwarily.”

“Why do ye talk thus of the sons of Sigfus, or what do ye know

about them?”

“They were last night,” they said, “at Raufarfell, and meant to

get to Myrdale to-night, but still we thought they must have some

fear of you, for they asked when ye would be likely to come

home.”

Then Kari and Thorgeir went on their way and spurred their

horses.

“What shall we lay down for ourselves to do now,” said Thorgeir,

“or what is most to thy mind? Wilt thou that we ride on their

track?”

“I will not hinder this,” answers Kari, “nor will I say what

ought to be done, for it may often be that those live long who

are slain with words alone (1); but I well know what thou meanest

to take on thyself, thou must mean to take on thy hands eight

men, and after all that is less than it was when thou slewest

those seven in the sea-crags (2), and let thyself down by a rope

to get at them; but it is the way with all you kinsmen, that ye

always wish to be doing some famous feat, and now I can do no

less than stand by thee and have my share in the story. So now

we two alone will ride after them, for I see that thou hast so

made up thy mind.”

After that they rode east by the upper way, and did not pass by

Holt, for Thorgeir would not that any blame should be laid at his

brother’s door for what might be done.

Then they rode east to Myrdale, and there they met a man who had

turf-panniers on his horse. He began to speak thus, “Too few

men, messmate Thorgeir, hast thou now in thy company.”

“How is that?” says Thorgeir.

“Why,” said the other, “because the prey is now before thy hand.

The sons of Sigfus rode by a while ago, and mean to sleep the

whole day east in Carlinedale, for they mean to go no farther

to-night than to Headbrink.”

After that they rode on their way east on Arnstacks heath, and

there is nothing to be told of their journey before they came to

Carlinedale-water.

The stream was high, and now they rode up along the river, for

they saw there horses with saddles. They rode now thitherward,

and saw that there were men asleep in a dell and their spears

were standing upright in the ground a little below them. They

took the spears from them, and threw them into the river.

Then Thorgeir said, “Wilt thou that we wake them?”

“Thou hast not asked this,” answers Kari, “because thou hast not

already made up thy mind not to fall on sleeping men, and so to

slay a shameful manslaughter.”

After that they shouted to them, and then they all awoke and

grasped at their arms.

They did not fall on them till they were armed.

Thorgeir Craggeir runs thither where Thorkell Sigfus’ son stood,

and just then a man ran behind his back, but before he could do

Thorgeir any hurt, Thorgeir lifted the axe, “the ogress of war,”

with both hands, and dashed the hammer of the axe with a back-blow into the head of him that stood behind him, so that his

skull was shattered to small bits.

“Slain is this one,” said Thorgeir; and down the man fell at

once, and was dead.

But when he dashed the axe forward, he smote Thorkell on the

shoulder, and hewed it off, arm and all.

Against Kari came Mord Sigfus’ son, and Sigmund Sigfus’ son, and

Lambi Sigurd’s son; the last ran behind Kari’s back, and thrust

at him with a spear; Kari caught sight of him, and leapt up as

the blow fell, and stretched his legs far apart, and so the blow

spent itself on the ground, but Kari jumped down on the spear-shaft, and snapped it in sunder. He had a spear in one hand, and

a sword in the other, but no shield. He thrust with the right

hand at Sigmund Sigfus’ son, and smote him on his breast, and the

spear came out between his shoulders, and down he fell and was

dead at once, With his left hand he made a cut at Mord, and smote

him on the hip, and cut it asunder, and his backbone too; he fell

flat on his face, and was dead at once.

After that he turned sharp round on his heel like a whipping-top,

and made at Lambi Sigurd’s son, but he took the only way to save

himself, and that was by running away as hard as he could.

Now Thorgeir turns against Leidolf the Strong, and each hewed at

the other at the same moment, and Leidolf’s blow was so great

that it shore off that part of the shield on which it fell.

Thorgeir had hewn with “the ogress of war,” holding it with both

hands, and the lower horn fell on the shield and clove it in

twain, but the upper caught the collarbone and cut it in two and

tore on down into the breast and trunk. Kari came up just then,

and cut off Leidolf’s leg at mid-thigh, and then Leidolf fell and

died at once.

Kettle of the Mark said, “We will now run for our horses, for we

cannot hold our own here, for the overbearing strength of these