|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 10
So long as their fathers were living no disputes arose among
these men; but when Eirik was dead it occurred to Flosi that
those of Kaldbak had no legal title to the lands which Eirik had
given to Onund. Out of this serious dissensions arose between
them. Thorgrim and his brothers continued in possession of the
lands as before, but they would not join in games together.
Thorgeir, the eldest brother, was managing the farm at
Reykjarfjord, and often rowed out fishing, as the fjords were
full of fish. The men of Vik now laid their plans. Flosi had a
man in Arnes named Thorfinn, and sent him to fetch Thorgeir's
head. This man hid himself in the boatshed. One morning when
Thorgeir was preparing to row out with two other men, one of whom
was named Brand, Thorgeir was walking ahead with a leather skin
on his back containing some drink. It was very dark, and as he
passed the boat-house Thorfinn sprang out upon him and dealt him
a blow with an axe between his shoulders. The axe went into
something and made a squeaking noise. Thorfinn let go his axe,
feeling quite sure that no bandages would be needed, and being
very anxious to escape as fast as he could. He ran North, and
reaching Arnes before the day had quite broken, said that he had
killed Thorgeir and that Flosi must protect him. The only thing
to be done was to offer some compensation in money. "That," he
said, "will be the best thing for us after such a terrible piece
of work."
Flosi said he must first learn more about it, and that he thought
Thorfinn seemed very frightened after his doughty deed.
We must now tell what had happened to Thorgeir. He turned round
when he was struck, but the blow had gone into the leather
bottle, and he was unhurt. They could make no search for the man
because it was dark, so they rowed on down the fjord to Kaldbak,
where they told what had happened. People made great game of the
affair and called him Thorgeir Bottleback, a name which stuck to
him ever after. A verse was made:
"In days gone by men bathed their blades
in the streaming gore of a foeman's wound.
But now a wretch of all honour bereft
reddens his dastard axe in whey."
CHAPTER XII
BATTLE AT RIFSKER
At that time there came over Iceland a famine the like of which
had never been seen before. Nearly all the fisheries failed, and
also the drift wood. So it continued for many years.
One autumn some traders in a sea-going ship, who had been driven
out of their course, were wrecked at Vik. Flosi took in four or
five of them with their captain, named Steinn. They all found
shelter in the neighbourhood of Vik and tried to rig up a ship
out of the wreckage, but were not very successful. The ship was
too narrow in the bow and stern and too broad amidships. In the
spring a northerly gale set in which lasted nearly a week, after
which men began to look for drift.
There was a man living in Reykjanes named Thorsteinn. He found a
whale stranded on the south side of the promontory at the place
now called Rifsker. It was a large rorqual, and he at once sent
word by a messenger to Flosi in Vik and to the nearest farms.
At Gjogr lived a man named Einar, a tenant of the Kaldbak men
whom they employed to look after the drift on that side of the
fjord. He got to know of the whale having been stranded and at
once rowed across the fjord in his boat to Byrgisvik, whence he
sent a messenger to Kaldbak. When Thorgrim and his brother heard
the news they got ready to go with all speed to the spot. There
were twelve of them in a ten-oared boat, and six others, with
Ivar and Leif, sons of Kolbeinn. All the farmers who could get
away went to the whale.
In the meantime Flosi had sent word to his kinsmen in the North
at Ingolfsfjord and Ofeigsfjord and to Olaf the son of Eyvind who
lived at Drangar. The first to arrive were Flosi and the men of
Vik, who at once began to cut up the whale, carrying on shore the
flesh as it was cut. At first there were about twenty men, but
more came thronging in. Then there came the men of Kaldbak with
four ships. Thorgrim laid claim to the whale and forbade the men
of Vik to cut, distribute, or carry away any portion of it.
Flosi called upon him to show proof that Eirik had in express
words given over the drift to Onund; if not, he said he would
prevent them by force. Thorgrim saw that he was outnumbered and
would not venture on fighting. Then there came a ship across the
fjords, the men rowing with all their might. They came up; it
was Svan of Hol from Bjarnarfjord with his men, and he at once
told Thorgrim not to let himself be robbed. The two men had been
great friends, and Svan offered Thorgrim his aid, which the
brothers accepted, and they attacked valiantly. Thorgeir
Bottleback was the first to get on to the whale where Flosi's men
were. Thorfinn, who was spoken of before, was cutting it up,
standing near the head on the place where he had been carving.
"Here I bring you your axe," said Thorgeir. Then he struck at
Thorfinn's neck and cut off his head. Flosi was up on the beach
and saw it. He urged on his men to give it them back. They
fought for a long time and the Kaldbak people were getting the
best of it. Most of them had no weapons but the axes with which
they were cutting up the whale and short knives. The men of Vik
were driven from the whale on to the sandbanks. The men from the
East, however, were armed and able to deal wounds. Their captain
Steinn cut off the leg of Kolbeinn's son Ivar, and Ivar's brother
Leif beat one of Steinn's men to death with a rib of the whale.
Then they fought with anything they could get, and men were slain
on both sides. At last Olaf came up with a number of ships from
Drangar and joined Flosi; the men of Kaldbak were then overpowered
by numbers. They had already loaded their ships, and Svan told
them to get on board. They therefore retired towards the ships,
the men of Vik after them. Svan on reaching the sea struck at
Steinn their captain, wounding him badly, and then sprang into his
own ship. Thorgrim gave Flosi a severe wound and escaped. Olaf
wounded Ofeig Grettir fatally, but Thorgeir carried him off and
sprang on to his ship with him. The Kaldbak men rowed into the
fjord and the two parties separated.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|