The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and Counsellor. Unknown
and told them his errand, and after that they talked over their plans by themselves. Then Auzur said to Hrut, "Methinks, kinsman, here is little need for long talk, our plans are ready made for us; for I know Gunnhillda's temper; as soon as ever we say we will not go to her she will drive us out of the land, and take all our goods by force; but if we go to her, then she will do us such honour as she has promised."
Augmund went home, and when he saw Gunnhillda, he told her how his errand had ended, and that they would come, and Gunnhillda said, "It is only what was to be looked for; for Hrut is said to be a wise and well-bred man; and now do thou keep a sharp look out, and tell me as soon as ever they come to the town."
Hrut and Auzur went east to the King's Crag, and when they reached the town, their kinsmen and friends went out to meet and welcome them. They asked whether the king were in the town, and they told them he was. After that they met Augmund, and he brought them a greeting from Gunnhillda, saying, that she could not ask them to her house before they had seen the king, lest men should say, "I make too much of them." Still she would do all she could for them, and she went on, "Tell Hrut to be out-spoken before the king, and to ask to be made one of his body-guard;" "and here," said Augmund, "is a dress of honour which she sends to thee, Hrut, and in it thou must go in before the king." After that he went away.
The next day Hrut said, "Let us go before the king."
"That may well be," answered Auzur.
So they went, twelve of them together, and all of them friends or kinsmen, and came into the hall where the king sat over his drink. Hrut went first and bade the king "Good-day," and the king, looking steadfastly at the man who was well-dressed, asked him his name. So he told his name.
"Art thou an Icelander?" said the king.
He answered, "Yes."
"What drove thee hither to seek us?"
Then Hrut answered, "To see your state, lord; and, besides, because I have a great matter of inheritance here in the land, and I shall have need of your help if I am to get my rights."
The king said, "I have given my word that every man shall have lawful justice here in Norway; but hast thou any other errand in seeking me?"
"Lord!" said Hrut, "I wish you to let me live in your court, and become one of your men."
At this the king holds his peace, but Gunnhillda said, "It seems to me as if this man offered you the greatest honour, for methinks if there were many such men in the body-guard, it would be well filled."
"Is he a wise man?" asked the king.
"He is both wise and willing," said she.
"Well," said the king, "methinks my mother wishes that thou shouldst have the rank for which thou askest, but for the sake of our honour and the custom of the land, come to me in half a month's time, and then thou shalt be made one of my body-guard. Meantime, my mother will take care of thee, but then come to me."
Then Gunnhillda said to Augmund, "Follow them to my house, and treat them well."
So Augmund went out, and they went with him, and he brought them to a hall built of stone, which was hung with the most beautiful tapestry, and there too was Gunnhillda's high seat.
Then Augmund said to Hrut, "Now will be proved the truth of all that I said to thee from Gunnhillda. Here is her high seat, and in it thou shalt sit, and this seat thou shalt hold, though she comes herself into the hall."
After that he made them good cheer, and they had sat down but a little while when Gunnhillda came in. Hrut wished to jump up and greet her.
"Keep thy seat!" she says, "and keep it too all the time thou art my guest."
Then she sat herself down by Hrut, and they fell to drink, and at even she said, "Thou shalt be in the upper chamber with me to-night, and we two together."
"You shall have your way," he answers.
After that they went to sleep, and she locked the door inside. So they slept that night, and in the morning fell to drinking again. Thus they spent their life all that halfmonth, and Gunnhillda said to the men who were there, "Ye shall lose nothing except your lives if you say to any one a word of how Hrut and I are going on."
When the half-month was over Hrut gave her a hundred ells of household woollen and twelve rough cloaks, and Gunnhillda thanked him for his gifts. Then Hrut thanked her and gave her a kiss and went away. She bade him "farewell." And next day he went before the king with thirty men after him and bade the king "Good-day." The king said, "Now, Hrut, thou wilt wish me to carry out towards thee what I promised."
So Hrut was made one of the king's body-guard, and he asked,
"Where shall I sit?"
"My mother shall settle that," said the king.
Then she got him a seat in the highest room, and he spent the winter with the king in much honour.
4. OF HRUT'S CRUISE
When the spring came he asked about Soti, and found out he had gone south to Denmark with the inheritance. Then Hrut went to Gunnhillda and tells her what Soti had been about. Gunnhillda said, "I will give thee two long-ships, full manned, and along with them the bravest man, Wolf the Unwashed, our overseer of guests; but still go and see the king before thou settest off."
Hrut did so; and when he came before the king, then he told the king of Soti's doings, and how he had a mind to hold on after him.
The king said, "What strength has my mother handed over to thee?"
"Two long-ships and Wolf the Unwashed to lead the men," says
Hrut.
"Well given," says the king. "Now I will give thee other two ships, and even then thou'lt need all the strength thou'st got."
After that he went down with Hrut to the ship, and said, "fare thee well." Then Hrut sailed away south with his crews.
5. ATLI ARNVID SON'S SLAYING
There was a man named Atli, son of Arnvid, Earl of East Gothland.
He had kept back the taxes from Hacon Athelstane's foster child, and both father and son had fled away from Jemtland to Gothland.
After that, Atli held on with his followers out of the Maelar by Stock Sound, and so on towards Denmark, and now he lies out in Oresound.2 He is an outlaw both of the Dane-King and of the Swede-King. Hrut held on south to the Sound, and when he came into it he saw a many ships in the Sound. Then Wolf said,
"What's best to be done now, Icelander?"
"Hold on our course," said Hrut, "for `nothing venture, nothing have.' My ship and Auzur's shall go first, but thou shalt lay thy ship where thou likest."
"Seldom have I had others as a shield before me," says Wolf, and lays his galley side by side with Hrut's ship; and so they hold on through the Sound. Now those who are in the Sound see that ships are coming up to them, and they tell Atli.
He answered, "Then may be there'll be gain to be got."
After that men took their stand on board each ship; "but my ship," says Atli, "shall be in the midst of the fleet."
Meantime Hrut's ships ran on, and as soon as either side could hear the other's hail, Atli stood up and said, "Ye fare unwarily. Saw ye not that war-ships were in the Sound. But what's the name of your chief?"
Hrut tells his name.
"Whose man art thou," says Atli.
"One of king Harold Grayfell's body-guard."
Atli said. "'Tis long since any love was lost between us, father and son, and your Norway kings."
"Worse luck for thee," says Hrut.
"Well," says Atli, "the upshot of our meeting will be, that thou shalt not be left alive to tell the tale;" and with that he caught up a spear and hurled it at Hrut's ship, and the man who stood before it got his death. After that the battle began, and they were slow in boarding Hrut's ship. Wolf, he went well forward, and with him it was now cut, now thrust. Atli's
Oresound, the gut between Denmark and Sweden, at the entrance of the Baltic, commonly called in English, the Sound.