Chapter 27 - Slaying of Hallvard and Sigtrygg.

All through the summer Kveldulf and Skallagrim kept a look-out shorewards on the highway of vessels. Skallagrim was very sharp-sighted. He saw Hallvard's company sailing by, and he knew the ship, for he had seen it before when Thorgils went with it. Skallagrim watched their course, and where they lay to in haven at eventide. Then he went back to his own people, and told Kveldulf what he had seen, and withal how he had recognised the ship, being that which once was Thorolf's, and was taken by Hallvard from Thorgils, and doubtless there were some men on board who would be worth catching.

So they made them ready with both their boats, and twenty men in each. Kveldulf steered one, Skallagrim the other. Then they rowed and made for the ship. But when they came where it lay, they put in to land.

Hallvard's men had set up the tent over their ship, and laid them down to sleep. But when Kveldulf's force came upon them, then the watchmen who sat at the gangway-end leapt up, and called out to the ship; they bade the men rise, for an enemy was upon them. Hallvard's party leapt to their weapons. But when Kveldulf with his men came to the gangway-end, he went out by the stern gangway, while Skallagrim went forward to the other gangway.

Kveldulf had in his hand a battle-axe; but when he got on board, he bade his men go along the outer way by the gunwale and cut the tent from its forks, while he himself rushed aft to the stern-castle. And it is said that he then had a fit of shape-strength, as had also several of his comrades. They slew all that came in their way, the same did Skallagrim where he boarded the ship; nor did father and son stay hands till the ship was cleared. When Kveldulf came aft to the stern-castle, he brandished high his battle-axe, and smote Hallvard right through helm and head, so that the axe sank in even to the shaft; then he snatched it back towards him so forcibly that he whirled Hallvard aloft, and slung him overboard. Skallagrim cleared the forecastle, slaying Sigtrygg. Many men plunged into the sea; but Skallagrim's men took one of the boats, and rowed after and slew all that were swimming.

There were lost with Hallvard fifty men in all. The ship and the wealth that was in it Skallagrim's men took. Two or three men whom they deemed of least note they seized, and gave them their lives, asking of them who had been in the ship, and what had been the purport of the voyage. After learning all the truth about this, they looked over the slain who lay on ship-board. It was found that more had leapt overboard, and so perished, than had fallen on the ship. The sons of Guttorm had leapt overboard and perished. Of these, one was twelve years old, the other ten, and both were lads of promise.

Then Skallagrim set free the men whose lives he had spared, and bade them go to king Harold and tell him the whole tale of what had been done there, and who had been the doers of it. 'Ye shall also,' said he, 'bear to the king this ditty:

      'For a noble warrior slain
      Vengeance now on king is ta'en:
      Wolf and eagle tread as prey
      Princes born to sovereign sway.
      Hallvard's body cloven through
      Headlong in the billows flew;
      Wounds of wight once swift to fare
      Swooping vulture's beak doth tear.'

After this Skallagrim and his men took out to their ships and captured ship and her cargo. And then they made an exchange, loading the ship they had taken, but emptying one of their own which was smaller; and in this they put stones, and bored holes and sank it. Then, as soon as ever the wind was fair, they sailed out to sea.

It is said of shape-strong men, or men with a fit of Berserk fury on them, that while the fit lasted they were so strong that nought could withstand them; but when it passed off, then they were weaker than their wont. Even so it was with Kveldulf. When the shape-strong fit went from him, then he felt exhaustion from the onset he had made, and became so utterly weak that he lay in bed.

And now a fair wind took them out to sea. Kveldulf commanded the ship which they had taken from Hallvard. With the fair wind the ships kept well together, and for long time were in sight of each other.

But when they were now far advanced over the main, Kveldulf's sickness grew worse. And when it came to this, that death was near, then he called to him his shipmates, and told them that he thought it likely they and he would soon take different ways. 'I have never,' he said, 'been an ailing man; but if it so be (as now seems likely) that I die, then make me a coffin, and put me overboard: and it will go far otherwise than I think if I do not come to Iceland and take land there. Ye shall bear my greeting to my son Grim, when ye meet, and tell him withal that if he come to Iceland, and things so turn out that unlikely as it may seem I be there first, then he shall choose him a homestead as near as may be to where I have come ashore.'

Shortly after this Kveldulf died.

His shipmates did as he had bidden them do; they laid him in a coffin, and shot it overboard. There was a man named Grim, son of Thorir Kettlesson Keel-fare, of noble kin and wealthy. He was in Kveldulf's ship; he had been an old friend of both father and son, and a companion both of them and of Thorolf, for which reason he had incurred the king's anger. He now took command of the ship after Kveldulf was dead.

But when they were come to Iceland, approaching the land from the south, they sailed westwards along the coast, because they had heard that Ingolf had settled there. But coming over against Reykja-ness, and seeing the firth open before them, they steered both ships into the firth.

And now the wind came on to blow hard, with much rain and mist. Thus the ships were parted.

Grim the Halogalander and his crew sailed in up the Borgar Firth past all the skerries; then they cast anchor till the wind fell and the weather cleared. They waited for the flood-tide, and then took their ship up into a river-mouth; it is called Gufu-river. They drew the ship up this river as far as it could go; then unshipped the cargo, and remained there for the first winter. They explored the land along the sea both inwards and outwards, and they had not gone far before they found Kveldulf's coffin cast up in a creek. They carried the coffin to the ness hard by, set it down there, and raised thereover a pile of stones.

 



27. kafli - Hefnd Kveld-Úlfs ok andlát.

Kveld-Úlfr ok þeir Skalla-Grímr heldu njósnum jafnan um sumarit inn á þjóðleiðinni. Skalla-Grímr var hverjum manni skyggnri. Hann sá sigling þeira Hallvarðs ok kenndi skipit, því at hann hafði þat skip sét fyrr, þá er Þorgils fór með. Skalla-Grímr helt vörð á um ferð þeira, hvar þeir lögðu til hafnar um kveldit. Síðan ferr hann aftr til liðs síns ok segir Kveld-Úlfi þat, er hann hafði sét, svá þat, at hann hafði kennt skipit, þat er þeir Hallvarðr höfðu tekit af Þorgísli ok Þórólfr hafði átt, ok þar myndi þeir menn nökkurir fylgja, er veiðr myndi í vera.

Síðan búast þeir ok búa báða bátana ok höfðu tuttugu menn á hvárum. Stýrði öðrum Kveld-Úlfr, en öðrum Skalla-Grímr. Róa þeir síðan ok leita skipsins, en er þeir koma at, þar er skipit lá, þá lögðu þeir at landi.

Þeir Hallvarðr höfðu tjaldat yfir skipi sínu ok höfðu þá lagízt til svefns. En er þeir Kveld-Úlfr kómu at þeim, þá hljópu varðmenn upp, er sátu við bryggjusporð, ok kölluðu á skip út, báðu menn upp standa, sögðu, at ófriðr fór at þeim. Hljópu þeir Hallvarðr til vápna sinna.

En er þeir Kveld-Úlfr kómu at bryggjusporðinum, þá gekk hann út at skutbryggju, en Skalla-Grímr gekk fram at bryggjunni. Kveld-Úlfr hafði í hendi bryntröll. En er hann kom á skipit, þá bað hann menn sína ganga it ytra með borðum ok höggva tjöldin ór klofum, en hann óð aftr til lyftingarinnar, ok svá er sagt, at þá hamaðist hann, ok fleiri váru þeir förunautar hans, er þá hömuðust. Þeir drápu menn þá alla, er fyrir þeim urðu. Slíkt sama gerði Skalla-Grímr, þar er hann gekk um skipit. Léttu þeir feðgar eigi, fyrr en hroðit var skipit. En er Kveld-Úlfr kom aftr at lyftingunni, reiddi hann upp bryntröllit ok höggr til Hallvarðs í gegnum hjálminn ok höfuðit, ok sökk allt at skafti. Hnykkði hann þá svá hart at sér, at hann brá Hallvarði á loft ok slöngði honum útbyrðis. Skalla-Grímr ruddi framstafninn ok drap Sigtrygg. Margt hljóp manna á kaf, en menn Skalla-Gríms tóku bátinn, er þeir höfðu þangat haft, ok reru til ok drápu þá alla, er á sundinu váru.

Þar lézt alls manna Hallvarðs meir en fimm tigir manna, en þeir Skalla-Grímr tóku skipit, þat er þeir Hallvarðr höfðu þangat haft, ok fé allt, þat sem á var.

Þeir tóku höndum menn tvá eða þrjá, þá er þeim þótti sem minnstir væri fyrir sér, ok gáfu grið ok höfðu af þeim tíðendi, fréttu, hverir menn hefðu verit á skipinu ok svá, hvernig ferð þeira hefði ætluð verit. En er þeir váru vísir orðnir alls ins sanna, þá könnuðu þeir valinn, þann er á skipinu lá. Fannst þeim þá þat á, at meiri hlutr manna hafði fyrir borð hlaupit ok höfðu týnzt en þat, er fallit hafði á skipinu. Þeir synir Guttorms höfðu fyrir borð hlaupit ok höfðu týnzt. Þá var annarr þeira tólf vetra, en annarr tíu ok inir vænligstu menn.

Síðan lét Skalla-Grímr lausa fara þá menn, er hann hafði grið gefit, ok bað þá fara á fund Haralds konungs ok segja honum vendiliga frá þeim tíðendum, er þar gerðust, ok svá, hverir þar höfðu at verit.

"Skuluð þér," sagði hann, "bera til konungs kviðling þenna:

      Nús hersis hefnd
      við hilmi efnd.
      Gengr ulfr ok örn
      of ynglings börn.
      Flugu höggvin hræ
      Hallvarðs á sæ.
      Grár slítr undir
      ari Snarfara."

Síðan fluttu þeir Grímr skipit með farmi út til skipa sinna, skiptu þá skipunum, hlóðu þetta, er þá höfðu þeir fengit, en ruddu hitt, er þeir höfðu áðr ok minna var, báru þar í grjót ok brutu þar á raufar ok sökkðu niðr, sigldu síðan á haf út, þegar byr gaf.

Svá er sagt, at þeim mönnum væri farit, er hamrammir eru, eða þeim, er berserksgangr var á, at meðan þat var framit, þá váru þeir svá sterkir, at ekki helzt við þeim, en fyrst, er af var gengit, þá váru þeir ómáttkari en at vanða. Kveld-Úlfr var ok svá, at þá er af honum gekk hamremmin, þá kenndi hann mæði af sókn þeiri, er hann hafði veitt, ok var hann þá af öllu saman ómáttugr, svá at hann lagðist í rekkju.

En byrr bar þá í haf út. Kveld-Úlfr réð fyrir skipi því, er þeir höfðu tekit af þeim Hallvarði. Þeim byrjaði vel ok heldu mjök samfloti, svá at hvárir vissu löngum til annarra.

En er sóttist hafit, þá elnaði sótt á hendr Kveld-Úlfi. En er dró at því, at hann var banvænn, þá kallaði hann til skipverja sína ok sagði þeim, at honum þótti líkligt, at þá myndi brátt skilja vega þeira. "Hefi ek," sagði hann, "ekki kvellisjúkr verit, en ef svá ferr, sem mér þykkir nú líkligast, at ek öndumst, þá gerið mér kistu ok látið mik fara fyrir borð, ok verðr þetta annan veg en ek hugða, at vera myndi, ef ek skal eigi koma til Íslands ok nema þar land. Þér skuluð bera kveðju mína Grími, syni mínum, þá er þér finnizt, ok segið honum þat með, ef svá verðr, at hann kemr til Íslands, ok beri svá at, þótt þat muni ólíkligt þykkja, at ek sjá þar fyrir, þá taki hann sér þar bústað sem næst því, er ek hefi at landi komit."

Litlu síðar andaðist Kveld-Úlfr. Gerðu skipverjar hans svá, sem hann hafði fyrir mælt, at þeir lögðu hann í kistu ok skutu síðan fyrir borð.

Grímr hét maðr, sonr Þóris Ketilssonar kjölfara, kynstórr maðr ok auðigr. Hann var skipveri Kveld-Úlfs. Hann hafði verit aldavinr þeira feðga ok hafði verit í ferðum bæði með þeim ok Þórólfi, hafði hann ok fengit reiði konungs fyrir þá sök. Hann tók til forráða skipit, eftir er Kveld-Úlfr var dauðr.

En er þeir váru komnir við Ísland, þá sigldu þeir sunnan at landi. Þeir sigldu vestr fyrir landit, því at þeir höfðu þat spurt, at Ingólfr hafði sér þar bústað tekit. En er þeir kómu fyrir Reykjanes ok þeir sá firðinum upp lúka, þá stefna þeir inn í fjörðinn báðum skipunum. Veðr gerði hvasst ok væta mikil ok þoka. Skilðust þá skipin. Sigldu þeir inn eftir Borgarfirði, til þess er þraut sker öll, köstuðu þá akkerum, til þess er veðr lægði ok ljóst gerði. Þá biðu þeir flæðar. Síðan fluttu þeir skipit upp í árós nökkurn, - sú er kölluð Gufuá, - leiddu þar skipit upp eftir ánni, svá sem gekk, báru síðan farm af skipinu ok bjuggust þar um inn fyrsta vetr.

Þeir könnuðu landit með sæ, bæði upp ok út. En er þeir höfðu skammt farit, þá fundu þeir í vík einni, hvar upp var rekin kista Kveld-Úlfs. Fluttu þeir kistuna á nes þat, er þar varð, settu hana þar niðr ok hlóðu at grjóti.




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