The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and Counsellor. Unknown
thou perhaps take my goods into thy keeping while I am away, for I wish my brother Kolskegg to fare with me; but I would that thou shouldst see after my household along with my mother."
"I will not throw anything in the way of that," says Njal; "lean on me in this thing as much as thou likest."
"Good go with thee for thy words," says Gunnar, and he rides then home.
The Easterling16 fell again to talk with Gunnar that he should fare abroad. Gunnar asked if he had ever sailed to other lands?
He said he had sailed to every one of them that lay between Norway and Russia, and so, too, I have sailed to Biarmaland17.
"Wilt thou sail with me eastward ho?" says Gunnar.
"That I will of a surety," says he.
Then Gunnar made up his mind to sail abroad with him. Njal took all Gunnar's goods into his keeping.
29. GUNNAR GOES ABROAD
So Gunnar fared abroad, and Kolskegg with him. They sailed first to Tonsberg18, and were there that winter. There had then been a shift of rulers in Norway. Harold Grayfell was then dead, and so was Gunnhillda. Earl Hacon the Bad, Sigurd's son, Hacon's son, Gritgarth's son, then ruled the realm. The mother of Hacon was Bergliot, the daughter of Earl Thorir. Her mother was Olof Harvest-heal. She was Harold Fair-hair's daughter.
Hallvard asks Gunnar if he would make up his mind to go to Earl
Hacon?
"No; I will not do that," says Gunnar. "Hast thou ever a long- ship?"
"I have two," he says.
"Then I would that we two went on warfare; and let us get men to go with us."
"I will do that," says Hallvard.
After that they went to the Bay, and took with them two ships, and fitted them out thence. They had good choice of men, for much praise was said of Gunnar.
"Whither wilt thou first fare?" says Gunnar.
"I wish to go south-east to Hisingen, to see my kinsman Oliver," says Hallvard.
"What dost thou want of him?" says Gunnar.
He answered, "He is a fine brave fellow, and he will be sure to get us some more strength for our voyage."
"Then let us go thither," says Gunnar.
So, as soon as they were "boun," they held on east to Hisingen, and had there a hearty welcome. Gunnar had only been there a short time ere Oliver made much of him. Oliver asks about his voyage, and Hallvard says that Gunnar wishes to go a-warfaring to gather goods for himself.
"There's no use thinking of that," says Oliver, "when ye have no force."
"Well," says Hallvard, "then you may add to it."
"So I do mean to strengthen Gunnar somewhat," says Oliver; "and though thou reckonest thyself my kith and kin, I think there is more good in him."
"What force, now, wilt thou add to ours?" he asks.
"Two long-ships, one with twenty, and the other with thirty seats for rowers."
"Who shall man them?" asks Hallvard.
"I will man one of them with my own house-carles, and the freemen around shall man the other. But still I have found out that strife has come into the river, and I know not whether ye two will be able to get away; for they are in the river."
"Who?" says Hallvard.
"Brothers twain," says Oliver; "one's name is Vandil, and the other's Karli, sons of Sjolf the Old, east away out of Gothland."
Hallvard told Gunnar that Oliver had added some ships to theirs, and Gunnar was glad at that. They busked them for their voyage thence, till they were "allboun." Then Gunnar and Hallvard went before Oliver, and thanked him; he bade them fare warily for the sake of those brothers.
30. GUNNAR GOES A-SEA-ROVING
So Gunnar held on out of the river, and he and Kolskegg were both on board one ship. But Hallvard was on board another. Now, they see the ships before them, and then Gunnar spoke, and said, "Let us be ready for anything if they turn towards us! but else let us have nothing to do with them."
So they did that, and made all ready on board their ships. The others parted their ships asunder, and made a fareway between the ships. Gunnar fared straight on between the ships, but Vandil caught up a grappling-iron, and cast it between their ships and Gunnar's ship, and began at once to drag it towards him.
Oliver had given Gunnar a good sword; Gunnar now drew it, and had not yet put on his helm. He leapt at once on the forecastle of Vandil's ship, and gave one man his death-blow. Karli ran his ship alongside the other side of Gunnar's ship, and hurled a spear athwart the deck, and aimed at him about the waist. Gunnar sees this, and turned him about so quickly that no eye could follow him, and caught the spear with his left hand, and hurled it back at Karli's ship, and that man got his death who stood before it. Kolskegg snatched up a grapnel and cast it at Karli's ship, and the fluke fell inside the hold, and went out through one of the planks and in rushed the coal-blue sea, and all the men sprang on board other ships.
Now Gunnar leapt back to his own ship, and then Hallvard came up, and now a great battle arose. They saw now that their leader was unflinching, and every man did as well as he could. Sometimes Gunnar smote with the sword, and sometimes he hurled the spear, and many a man had his bane at his hand. Kolskegg backed him well. As for Karli, he hastened in a ship to his brother Vandil, and thence they fought that day. During the day Kolskegg took a rest on Gunnar's ship, and Gunnar sees that. Then he sung a song —
"For the eagle ravine-eager,
Raven of my race, to-day
Better surely hast thou catered,
Lord of gold, than for thyself;
Here the morn come greedy ravens
Many any a rill of wolf19 to sup,
But thee burning thirst down-beareth,
Prince of battle's Parliament!"
After that Kolskegg took a beaker full of mead, and drank it off, and went on fighting afterwards; and so it came about that those brothers sprang up on the ship of Vandil and his brother, and Kolskegg went on one side, and Gunnar on the other. Against Gunnar came Vandil, and smote at once at him with his sword, and the blow fell on his shield. Gunnar gave the shield a twist as the sword pierced it, and broke it short off at the hilt. Then Gunnar smote back at Vandil, and three swords seemed to be aloft, and Vandil could not see how to shun the blow. Then Gunnar cut both his legs from under him, and at the same time Kolskegg ran Karli through with a spear. After that they took great war spoil.
Thence they held on south to Denmark, and thence east to Smoland,20 and had victory wherever they went. They did not come back in autumn. The next summer they held on to Reval, and fell in there with sea-rovers, and fought at once, and won the fight. After that they steered east to Osel,21 and lay there somewhile under a ness. There they saw a man coming down from the ness above them; Gunnar went on shore to meet the man, and they had a talk. Gunnar asked him his name, and he said it was Tofi. Gunnar asked again what he wanted.
"Thee I want to see," says the man. "Two warships lie on the other side under the ness, and I will tell thee who command them: two brothers are the captains – one's name is Hallgrim, and the other's Kolskegg. I know them to be mighty men of war; and I know too that they have such good weapons that the like are not to be had. Hallgrim has a bill which he had made by seething- spells; and this is what the spells say, that no weapon shall give him his death-blow save that bill. That thing follows it too that it is known at once when a man is to be slain with that bill, for something sings in it so loudly that it may be heard along way off – such a strong nature has that
Easterling, i.e., the Norseman Hallvard.
Permia, the country one comes to after doubling the North Cape.
A town at the mouth of the Christiania Firth. It was a great place for traffic in early times, and was long the only mart in the south-east of Norway.
Rill of wolf – stream of blood.
A province of Sweden.
An island in the Baltic, off the coast of Esthonia.