Автор литература - Njal's Saga

Kari Solmund’s son told master Skeggi that he wished he would get

him a ship. So master Skeggi gave Kari a longship, fully trimmed

and manned, and on board it went Kari, and David the White, and

Kolbein the Black.

Now Kari and his fellows sailed south through Scotland’s firths,

and there they found men from the Southern isles. They told Kari

the tidings from Ireland, and also that Flosi was gone to Wales,

and his men with him.

But when Kari heard that, he told his messmates that he would

hold on south to Wales, to fall in with Flosi and his band. So

he bade them then to part from his company, if they liked it

better, and said that he would not wish to beguile any man into

mischief, because he thought he had not yet had revenge enough on

Flosi and his band.

All chose to go with him; and then he sails south to Wales, and

there they lay in hiding in a creek out of the way.

That morning Kol Thorstein’s son went into the town to buy

silver. He of all the burners had used the bitterest words. Kol

had talked much with a mighty dame, and he had so knocked the

nail on the head, that it was all but fixed that he was to have

her, and settle down there.

That same morning Kari went also into the town. He came where

Kol was telling the silver.

Kari knew him at once, and ran at him with his drawn sword and

smote him on the neck; but he still went on telling the silver,

and his head counted “ten” just as it spun off his body.

Then Kari said, “Go and tell this to Flosi, that Kari Solmund’s

son hath slain Kol Thorstein’s son. I give notice of this

slaying as done by my hand.”

Then Kari went to his ship, and told his shipmates of the

manslaughter.

Then they sailed north to Beruwick, and laid up their ship, and

fared up into Whitherne in Scotland, and were with Earl Malcolm

that year.

But when Flosi heard of Kol’s slaying, he laid out his body, and

bestowed much money on his burial.

Flosi never uttered any wrathful words against Kari.

Thence Flosi fared south across the sea and began his pilgrimage,

and went on south, and did not stop till he came to Rome. There

he got so great honour that he took absolution from the Pope

himself, and for that he gave a great sum of money.

Then he fared back again by the east road, and stayed long in

towns, and went in before mighty men, and had from them great

honour.

He was in Norway the winter after, and was with Earl Eric till he

was ready to sail, and the earl gave him much meal, and many

other men behaved handsomely to him.

Now he sailed out to Iceland, and ran into Hornfirth, and thence

fared home to Swinefell. He had then fulfilled all the terms of

his atonement, both in fines and foreign travel.

158. OF FLOSI AND KARI

Now it is to be told of Kari that the summer after he went down

to his ship and sailed south across the sea, and began his

pilgrimage in Normandy, and so went south and got absolution and

fared back by the western way, and took his ship again in

Normandy, and sailed in her north across the sea to Dover in

England.

Thence he sailed west, round Wales, and so north, through

Scotland’s firths, and did not stay his course till he came to

Thraswick in Caithness, to master Skeggi’s house.

There he gave over the ship of burden to Kolbein and David, and

Kolbein sailed in that ship to Norway, but David stayed behind in

the Fair Isle.

Kari was that winter in Caithness. In this winter his housewife

died out in Iceland.

The next summer Kari busked him for Iceland. Skeggi gave him a

ship of burden, and there were eighteen of them on board her.

They were rather late “boun,” but still they put to sea, and had

a long passage, but at last they made Ingolf’s Head. There their

ship was dashed all to pieces, but the men’s lives were saved.

Then, too, a gale of wind came on them.

Now they ask Kari what counsel was to be taken; but he said their

best plan was to go to Swinefell and put Flosi’s manhood to the

proof.

So they went right up to Swinefell in the storm. Flosi was in

the sittingroom. He knew Kari as soon as ever he came into the

room, and sprang up to meet him, and kissed him, and sate him

down in the high seat by his side.

Flosi asked Kari to be there that winter, and Kari took his

offer. Then they were atoned with a full atonement.

Then Flosi gave away his brother’s daughter Hildigunna, whom

Hauskuld the priest of Whiteness had had to wife to Kari, and

they dwelt first of all at Broadwater.

Men say that the end of Flosi’s life was, that he fared abroad,

when he had grown old, to seek for timber to build him a hall;

and he was in Norway that winter, but the next summer he was late

“boun”; and men told him that his ship was not seaworthy.

Flosi said she was quite good enough for an old and deathdoomed

man, and bore his goods on shipboard and put out to sea. But of

that ship no tidings were ever heard.

These were the children of Kari Solmund’s son and Helga Njal’s

daughter — Thorgerda and Ragneida, Valgerda, and Thord who was

burnt in Njal’s house. But the children of Hildigunna and Kari,

were these, Starkad, and Thord, and Flosi.

The son of Burning-Flosi was Kolbein, who has been the most

famous man of any of that stock.

And here we end the STORY of BURNT NJAL.