Grettir the Outlaw 6

Grettir the Outlaw 6

"I have brought you guests for Yule," said Grettir. "We shall not keep

it in as dull a fashion as we feared. Here come visitors uninvited, but

merry, uncommon merry."

 

"Who are they?" asked the housewife.

 

"Thorir wi’ the Paunch and Ogmund the Bad, and ten of their comrades."

 

Then she cried out: "What have you done? These are the worst ruffians

in all Norway. Is this the way you repay the kindness Thorfin has shown

you in housing and keeping you here, without it’s costing you anything?"

 

"Stay your woman’s tongue!" growled Grettir. "Now bestir yourself and

bring out dry clothes for the guests."

 

Then the housewife ran away crying, and her sick daughter, who saw the

house invaded by ill-looking men all armed, hid herself.

 

"Well," said Grettir, "as the women are too scared to attend on you, I

will do what is necessary; so give me your wet clothes, and let me wipe

your weapons and set them by the fire lest they get rusted."

 

"You are a different fellow from all the rest in the house."

 

"I do not belong to the house. I am a stranger, an Icelander."

 

"Then I don’t mind taking you along with us when we go away."

 

"As you will," answered the young fellow; "only mind, I don’t behave

like this to every one."

 

Then the freebooters gave him their weapons, and he wiped the salt water

from them, and laid them aside in a warm spot. Next he removed their

wet garments, and brought them dry suits which he routed out of the

clothes-chests belonging to Thorfin and his men.

 

By this time it was night. Grettir brought in logs and faggots of fir

branches, and made a roaring fire that filled the great hall with ruddy

light and warmth. In those days the halls were long buildings with a

set of hearths running down the middle, and benches beside the fires.

 

"Now, then, my men," said Grettir, "come to the table and drink, for I

doubt not you are thirsty with long rowing."

 

"We are ready," said they. "But where are the cellars?"

 

"Oh, if you please, I will bring you ale."

 

"Certainly, you shall attend on us," said Thorir.

 

Then Grettir went and fetched the best and strongest ale in Thorfin’s

cellars, and poured it out for the men. They were very tired and

thirsty, and they drank eagerly. Grettir did not stint them in meat or

drink, and at last he took his place by them, and recited many tales

that made them laugh, he also sang them songs; but they were becoming

fast too tipsy to rack their brains to find out the meaning in the

poetry.

 

Not one of the house-churls showed his face in the hall that evening;

they slunk about the farm, in the stables and sheds, frightened and

trembling.

 

Then said Thorir: "I’ll tell you what, my men. I like this young chap,

and I doubt our finding another so handy and willing. What say you all

to our taking him into our band?"

 

The pirates banged their drinking-horns on the table in token of

approval. Then Grettir stood up and said:

 

"I thank you for the offer, and if you are in the same mind to-morrow

morning when the ale is no longer in your heads, I will strike hands and

go with you."

 

"Let us drink brotherhood at once," shouted the rovers.

 

"Not so," said Grettir calmly. "I will not have it said that I took

advantage of you when you were not sober. It is said that when the wine

is in the wit is out."

 

They all protested that they would be of the same mind next morning, but

Grettir stuck to his decision. They were now becoming so tipsy that he

proposed they should go to bed.

 

"But first of all," said he, "I think you will like to run your eyes

over Thorfin’s storehouse where he keeps all his treasures."

 

"That we shall!" roared Thorir, staggering to his feet.

 

Then Grettir took a blazing firebrand from the hearth, and led the way

out of the hall into the night.

 

The storehouse was detached from the main buildings. It was very

strongly built of massive logs, firmly mortised together. The door also

was very solid, and the whole stood on a strong stone basement, and a

flight of stone steps led up to the door. Adjoining the storehouse was

a lean-to building divided off from it by a partition of planks.

 

The sharp frosty air of night striking on the faces of the revellers

increased their intoxication, and they became very riotous, staggering

against each other, uttering howls and attempting to sing.

 

Drawing back the bolt Grettir flung the door open, and showed the twelve

rovers into the treasury; and he held the flaming torch above his head

and showed the silver-mounted drinking-horns, the embroidered garments,

the rich fur mantles, gold bracelets, and bags filled with silver coins

obtained from England. The drunken men dashed upon the spoil, knocking

each other over and quarrelling for the goods they wanted.

 

In the midst of this noise and tumult Grettir quietly extinguished the

torch, stepped outside and ran the bolt into its place; he had shut them

all—all twelve, into the strong-room, and not one of them had his

weapons about him.

 

Then Grettir ran to the farm door and shouted for the housewife. But

she would not answer, as she mistrusted him; and no wonder, for he had

seemed to be hand and glove with the pirates.

 

"Come, come!" shouted Grettir, "I have caught all twelve, and all I need

now are weapons. Call up the thralls and arm them. Quick! not a moment

must be lost."

 

"There are plenty of weapons here," answered the poor woman, emerging

from her place of concealment. "But, Grettir, I mistrust you."

 

"Trust or no trust," said Grettir, "I must have weapons. Where are the

serving-men? Here, Kolbein! Swein! Gamli! Rolf! Confound the

rascals, where are they skulking?"

 

"Over Thorfin’s bed hangs a great barbed spear," said the housewife.

"You will also find a sword and helmet and cuirass. No lack of weapons,

only pluck to wield them is needed."

 

Grettir seized the casque and spear, girded on the sword and dashed into

the yard, begging the woman to send the churls after him. She called

the eight men, and they came up timidly—that is to say, four appeared

and took the weapons, but the other four, after showing their faces, ran

and hid themselves again, they were afraid to measure swords with the

terrible rovers.

 

In the meantime the pirates had been trying the door, but it was too

massive for them to break through, so they tore down the partitions of

boards between the store and the lean-to room at the side. They were mad

with drink and fury. They broke down the door of the side-room easily

enough, and came out on the platform at the head of the stone steps just

as Grettir reached the bottom.

 

Thorir and Ogmund were together. In the fitful gleams of the moon they

seemed like demons as they scrambled out, armed with splinters of deal

they had broken from the planks and turned into weapons. The brothers

plunged down the narrow stairs with a howl that rang through the

snow-clad forest for miles. Grettir planted the boar-spear in the

ground and caught Thorir on its point. The sharp double-edged blade,

three feet in length, sliced into him and came out between his

shoulders, then tore into Ogmund’s breast a span deep. The yew shaft

bent like a bow, and flipped from the ground the stone against which the

butt-end had been planted. The wretched men crashed over the stair,

tried to rise, staggered, and fell again. Grettir trod on Thorir,

wrenched the spear out of him, and then running up the steps cut down

another rover as he came through the door. Then the rest came out

stumbling over each other, some armed with bits of broken stick, others

unarmed, and as they came forth Grettir hewed at them with the sword, or

thrust at them with the spear.

 

In the meantime the churls had come up, armed indeed, but not knowing

how to use the weapons, and in a condition of too great terror to use

them to any purpose. The pirates saw that they were being worsted, and

their danger sobered them. They went back into the room and ripped the

planks till they had obtained serviceable pieces, and then came two

together down the stair, warding off Grettir’s blows with their sticks,

and not attempting to strike. Then they forced him back and allowed

space and time for those behind to leap down to the ground. If then they

had combined they might have recovered the mastery, but they did not

believe that they were assailed by a single enemy, they thought that

there must have been many; consequently those who had leaped from the

platform, instead of attacking Grettir from behind, ran away across the

farmyard, and those who were warding off his blows, finding themselves

unsupported, lost heart, and leaped down as well and attempted to

escape. The yard was full of flying frightened wretches, too blinded by

their fear to find the gate, and in the wildness of their terror they

climbed or leaped over the yard wall and ran towards the boat-house.

Grettir went after them. They plunged into the dark boat-shed, and

possessed themselves of the oars, whilst some tried to run their boat

down into the water. Grettir followed them in the gloom, smiting to right and left. The bewildered wretches in the darkness hit each other, stumbled and fell in the boat, and some wounded went into the water.