grettir the outlaw 22

grettir the outlaw 22

The battle was going ill with Flossi, when there arrived a contingent of

men from Drangar, with many boats, and gave help to Flossi, and then

those of Coldback were borne back overpowered; but they did not retreat

till they had loaded their boats. Swan shouted to the Coldbackers to get

on board as quickly as they could, for he saw more men coming against

them from the north. Flossi received a wound, but Ufeig, one of the

three brothers, was dealt his death-wound before he could get into the

boat, and he fell on the strand. Thorgeir Bottle-back at once leaped

out of the vessel, ran to his brother, heaved him up in his arms and

plunged back through the surf with him, and lifted him into the boat,

where he died. It is told that in this battle one man was beaten to

death by the rib of a whale, and that was one of the chapmen of the

wrecked vessel.

 

After this, the matter was brought before the assize, for the question

of the right to the shore had to be decided one way or the other. And

it was decided in this manner: Flossi was condemned to outlawry for his

high-handed proceeding, and because of the death of Ufeig Grettir; but

the question of the rights was thus settled by the judge, Thorkel Moon.

He said, "I cannot see that the claim made by the Coldback men is

established, for no money passed between Onund and Eric. I know this

about the land that was possessed by my grandfather Ingolf, and which is

now my own. He received it from Steinver the Old; but then he gave her

a mottled cloak, and that was a pledge of sale; and this has never been

contested. In the matter of the lands inhabited by the Coldback men, as

far as I can learn, not even a straw was given in exchange. However, it

is proved that they have held the land, and have taken the drift for a

long time; and that the original owner, Eric, did not dispute their

doing so. I therefore decide that a compromise shall hold good. The

Coldback brothers must surrender all the Reykja-firth, and content

themselves with the land south of that. And I also decide that they

shall exercise full and undisputed rights to the land, to all that grows

on it, to the sea and what it throws up, along that bit of strand that

remains to them."

 

 

Now when Kuggson had finished this story, then Grettir said, "You have

not told how my grandfather and great-uncle parted."

 

"No," said Kuggson. "There is not much to tell about that. The two

brothers agreed to separate, as your grandfather wanted to marry in the

Middlefirth. Bottle-back remained at Coldback."

 

"Now that you have spoken so much about Coldback," said Grettir, "I will

tell you something, though it is to my discredit."

 

"Say on," answered Kuggson. "Men are generally more ready to boast than

to discredit themselves."

 

"When I was a little boy," said Grettir, "my father suffered from a cold

back and great pains in it, in winter, and he only got ease when it was

rubbed with a hot flannel. I was a bad, idle boy, and I was set in

winter to rub his cold back. This I resented. I thought it was a work

fit only for servants, and one day when my father had made me rub his

old back till I was tired, then he said to me, ’You are growing slack;

rub harder, that I may feel your hand.’ ’Do you so want to feel my

hand, father,’ I said. Then I saw a wool-comb hard by that the women

had used for carding wool, and I caught it and rubbed down my father’s

back with that—so that he shrieked with pain, and I made the blood flow.

It was a wicked act. I think of it now the old man is dead, and I am

sorry."

 

"Yes," said Kuggson, "it was an evil act. Men say that you are an

unlucky man. Now, I do not wonder at your ill-luck, for none ever

raised his hand against his father but there followed him ill in

consequence of so doing all his days."

 

 

 

 

*CHAPTER XXIV.*

 

*THE FOSTER-BROTHERS.*

 

 

_Grettir’s Promise—The Yule Ox—Holding the Boat—A Hard

Pull—Grettir and the Ox—Thorgeir’s Hatred—The Concealed Axe—Evil

Sport—An Iceland Moor_

 

 

Now, the kinsmen of Oxmain heard where Grettir was, so they resolved to

form a party, and fall upon him at Learwood. But Grettir’s

brother-in-law was aware of this and forewarned Grettir, so he went away

to the north, and he followed Gilsfiord till he reached Reyk-knolls,

where was a pleasant farm near the sea, where also were a great number

of ever-boiling springs, that poured and squirted and fizzed out of

mounds of red-clay. Here lived a man called Thorgils Arison, and he

asked this man if he would give him shelter through the winter.

 

Arison said that he would. "But," said he, "there is only plain fare in

my house."

 

"I am not choice as to my food, so long as I have a roof over my head,"

answered Grettir.

 

"There is one matter further," said Arison. "Somehow or other I get men

come to me and offer to become my guests who cannot settle elsewhere,

and I get a rough lot at times. That comes of being too good-hearted to

bid them pack. Even now I have two such good-for-naughts guesting with

me, two foster-brothers, Thorgeir and Thormod; rough, unkempt men, of

bad tempers both, and I wot not how you will agree together. You may

come and put your head within my doors if you will, but on one

condition, that there be no fighting and knocking about of my other

guests."

 

Grettir answered that he would not be the first to raise strife, and

that if the foster-brothers provoked him beyond endurance he would go

elsewhere, and not give his host annoyance by a brawl in his house.

 

With this promise Arison was content.

 

Thorgils Arison was a firm man, and he told the foster-brothers that he

would have no disturbance whilst they were with him, and they also

promised to be orderly. Thorgeir did not like Grettir. He scowled at

him and contradicted him, but did not pursue his rudeness beyond bounds;

and when Grettir was ruffled, a word from the master of the house served

to appease the rising blood.

 

So the early winter wore away.

 

Now, the good man, Thorgils Arison, owned a cluster of islands in the

firth that are called Olaf’s Isles; they lie a good sea-mile and a half

beyond the ness. On them grass grows, and there the bonder kept his

cattle to fatten in autumn. Now, there was an ox on one of these isles

that Arison said he must have home before the snows and storms of winter

came on, as he intended to kill the beast for the feastings of Yule. So

the foster-brothers and Grettir volunteered to go out to the island, and

fetch the ox home.

 

They went down to the sea and got out a ten-oared boat, and there were

but these three to man it. The weather was cold, and the wind was

shifting from the north and not settled. They rowed hard, and reached

the island; but the sea was running and foaming over the shore, and they

saw it would be no easy matter to get the ox on board with such a surf.

So the brothers told Grettir he must hold the boat, whilst they got the

ox in. He agreed, and went into the water, and stood amidships on the

side out to sea, and thrust the boat towards the shore, whilst the

brothers laboured to get the ox in. Thorgeir took up the ox by the hind

legs, and Thormod by the fore legs, as the beast refused to be driven on

board, and so they carried the animal into the boat; but Grettir, who

held the craft, had the sea up to his shoulder-blades, and he held her

perfectly fast.

 

When the ox was hove in, Grettir let go and got into the boat. Thormod

took oar in the bows, Thorgeir amidships, and Grettir aft, and so they

made out into the open bay. As they came out from the lee of the island

the squall caught them, the waves leaped and foamed, and Thorgeir

shouted "Now then, stern! Have you gone to sleep? Why are you

lagging?"

 

Grettir answered, "The stern will not lag when the rowing afore is

good."

 

Thereupon Thorgeir fell to rowing so furiously that both the tholes were

broken. So he called to Grettir, "Row on steadily whilst I mend the

thole-pins."

 

Then Grettir rowed so mightily, whilst Thorgeir was engaged mending the

pins, that he wore through the oars, and when Thorgeir was ready they

snapped like matches.

 

"Better row with less haste and more caution," growled Thormod.

 

Then Grettir stooped and picked out of the bottom of the boat two

unshapen oar-beams that lay there; but as they were too big to go

between the thole-pins, he bored large holes in the gunwales, and thrust

the oars through, and rowed thus so mightily that every rib and plank of

the boat creaked, and the foster-brothers were in fear lest with his

rowing he would tear the craft to pieces. However, they reached the

shore in safety.

 

Then Grettir asked whether the brothers would rather haul up the boat,

or go home with the ox. They preferred to haul the boat ashore, and

found that it was hung with icicles, for the water had frozen on the

sides; but Grettir led home the ox, which was very fat, and very

unwilling to be dragged along, so that Grettir became impatient.

 

When the foster-brothers had finished bailing out the boat, and had put

her under cover, they went up to the house, and on reaching it Thorgeir

inquired after Grettir, but Arisen the bonder said he had not seen him

or the ox. Then he sent out men in quest of him, for he supposed

something must have befallen him; and when they came to where the land

dipped towards the sea they saw a strange object indeed coming towards

them, and did not know at first whether what they saw was a human being

or a troll.[#] On approaching nearer they saw that this strange object

w