Автор литература - Njal's Saga

grew, and cut the oats for them, that they might not die of

hunger. Kari made such a near guess, that he rode away thence at

the very time that they gave over seeking for him. He rode by

night up through the Hundred, and after that he took to the fell;

and so on all the same way as they had followed when they rode

east, and did not stop till they came at Midmark.

Then Bjorn said to Kari, “Now shalt thou be my great friend

before my mistress, for she will never believe one word of what I

say; but everything lies on what you do, so now repay me for the

good following which I have yielded to thee.”

“So it shall be; never fear,” says Kari.

After that they ride up to the homestead, and then the mistress

asked them what tidings, and greeted them well.

“Our troubles have rather grown greater, old lass!”

She answered little, and laughed; and then the mistress went on

to ask, “How did Bjorn behave to thee, Kari?”

“Bare is back,” he answers, “without brother behind it, and Bjorn

behaved well to me. He wounded three men, and, besides, he is

wounded himself, and he stuck as close to me as he could in

everything.”

They were three nights there, and after that they rode to Holt to

Thorgeir, and told him alone these tidings, for those tidings had

not yet been heard there.

Thorgeir thanked him, and it was quite plain that he was glad at

what he heard. He asked Kari what now was undone which he meant

to do.

“I mean,” answers Kari, “to kill Gunnar Lambi’s son and Kol

Thorstein’s son, if I can get a chance. Then we have slain

fifteen men, reckoning those five whom we two slew together. But

one boon I will now ask of thee.”

Thorgeir said he would grant him whatever he asked.

“I wish, then, that thou wilt take under thy safeguard this man

whose name is Bjorn, and who has been in these slayings with me,

and that thou wilt change farms with him, and give him a farm

ready stocked here close by thee, and so hold thy hand over him

that no-vengeance may befall him; but all this will be an easy

matter for thee who art such a chief.”

“So it shall be,” says Thorgeir.

Then he gave Bjorn a ready-stocked farm at Asolfskal, but he took

the farm in the Mark into his own hands. Thorgeir flitted all

Bjorn’s household stuff and goods to Asolfskal, and all his live

stock; and Thorgeir settled all Bjorn’s quarrels for him, and he

was reconciled to them with a full atonement. So Bjorn was

thought to be much more of a man than he had been before.

Then Kari rode away, and did not draw rein till he came west to

Tongue to Asgrim Ellidagrim’s son. He gave Kari a most hearty

welcome, and Kari told him of all the tidings that had happened

in these slayings.

Asgrim was well pleased at them, and asked what Kari meant to do

next.

“I mean,” said Kari, “to fare abroad after them, and so dog their

footsteps and slay them, if I can get at them.”

Asgrim said there was no man like him for bravery and hardihood.

He was there some nights, and after that he rode to Gizur the

White, and he took him by both hands. Kari stayed there somme

while, and then he told Gizur that he wished to ride down to

Eyrar.

Gizur gave Kari a good sword at parting.

Now he rode down to Eyrar, and took him a passage with Kolbein

the Black; he was an Orkneyman and an old friend of Kari, and he

was the most forward and brisk of men.

He took Kari by both hands, and said that one fate should befall

both of them.

152. FLOSI GOES ABROAD

Now Flosi rides east to Hornfirth, and most of the men in his

Thing followed him, and bore his wares east, as well as all his

stores and baggage which he had to take with him.

After that they busked them for their voyage, and fitted out

their ship.

Now Flosi stayed by the ship until they were “boun.” But as soon

as ever they got a fair wind they put out to sea. They had it

long passage and hard weather.

Then they quite lost their reckoning, and sailed on and on, and

all at once three great waves broke over their ship, one after

the other. Then Flosi said they must be near some land, and that

this was a ground-swell. A great mist was on them, but the wind

rose so that a great gale overtook them, and they scarce knew

where they were before they were dashed on shore at dead of

night, and the men were saved, but the ship was dashed all to

pieces, and they could not save their goods.

Then they had to look for shelter and warmth for themselves, and

the day after they went up on a height. The weather was then

good.

Flosi asked if any man knew this land, and there were two men of

their crew who had fared thither before, and said they were quite

sure they knew it, and, say they, “We are come to Hrossey in the

Orkneys.”

“Then we might have made a better landing,” said Flosi, “for Grim

and Helgi, Njal’s sons, whom I slew, were both of them of Earl

Sigurd Hlodver’s son’s bodyguard.”

Then they sought for a hiding-place and spread moss over

themselves, and so lay for a while, but not for long, ere Flosi

spoke and said, “We will not lie here any longer until the

landsmen are ware of us.”

Then they arose, and took counsel, and then Flosi said to his

men, “We will go all of us and give ourselves up to the earl; for

there is naught else to do, and the earl has our lives at his

pleasure if he chooses to seek for them.”

Then they all went away thence, and Flosi said that they must

tell no man any tidings of their voyage, or what manner of men

they were, before he told them to the earl.

Then they walked on until they met men who showed them to the

town, and then they went in before the earl, and Flosi and all

the others hailed him.

The earl asked what men they might be, and Flosi told his name,

and said out of what part of Iceland he was.

The earl had already heard of the burning, and so be knew the men

at once, and then the earl asked Flosi, “What hast thou to tell

me about Helgi Njal’s son, my henchman.”

“This,” said Flosi, “that I hewed off his head.”

“Take them all,” said the earl.

Then that was done, and just then in came Thorstein, son of Hall

of the Side. Flosi had to wife Steinvora, Thorstein’s sister.

Thorstein was one of Earl Sigurd’s bodyguard, but when be saw

Flosi seized and held, he went in before the earl, and offered

for Flosi all the goods he had.

The earl was very wroth a long time, but at last the end of it

was, by the prayer of good men and true, joined to those of

Thorstein, for he was well backed by friends, and many threw in

their word with his, that the earl took an atonement from them,

and gave Flosi and all the rest of them peace. The earl held to

that custom of mighty men that Flosi took that place in his

service which Helgi Njal’s son had filled.

So Flosi was made Earl Sigurd’s henchman, and he soon won his way

to great love with the earl.

153. KARI GOES ABROAD

Those messmates Kari and Kolbein the Black put out to sea from

Eyrar half a month later than Flosi and his companions from

Hornfirth.

They got a fine fair wind, and were but a short time out. The

first land they made was the Fair Isle, it lies between Shetland

and the Orkneys. There that man whose name was David the White

took Kari into his house, and he told him all that he had heard