Sacred Texts Legends & Sagas Iceland Index Previous Next
They rode three together, Gunnar and his brothers. Gunnar had the bill and his sword, Oliver's gift; but Kolskegg had his short sword; Hjort, too, had proper weapons.
Now they rode to Tongue, and Asgrim gave them a hearty welcome, and they were there some while. At last they gave it out that they meant to go home there and then. Asgrim gave them good gifts, and offered to ride east with them, but Gunnar said there was no need of any such thing; and so he did not go.
Sigurd Swinehead was the name of a man who dwelt by Thurso water. He came to the farm under the Threecorner, for he had given his word to keep watch on Gunnar's doings, and so he went and told them of his journey home; "and," quoth he, "there could never be a finer chance than just now, when he has only two men with him."
"How many men shall we need to have to lie in wait for him?" says Starkad.
"Weak men shall be as nothing before him," he says; "and it is not safe to have fewer than thirty men."
"Where shall we lie in wait?"
"By Knafaholes," he says; "there he will not see us before he comes on us."
"Go thou to Sandgil and tell Egil that fifteen of them must busk themselves thence, and now other fifteen will go hence to Knafaholes."
Thorgeir said to Hildigunna, "This hand shall show thee Gunnar dead this very night."
"Nay, but I guess," says she, "that thou wilt hang thy head after ye two meet."
So those four, father and sons, fare away from the Threecorner, and eleven men besides, and they fared to Knafaholes, and lay in wait there.
Sigurd Swinehead came to Sandgil and said, "Hither am I sent by Starkad and his sons to tell thee, Egil, that ye, father and sons, must fare to Knafaholes to lie in wait for Gunnar."
"How many shall we fare in all?" says Egil.
"Fifteen, reckoning me," he says.
Kol said, "Now I mean to try my hand on Kolskegg."
"Then I think thou meanest to have a good deal on thy hands," says Sigurd.
Egil begged his Easterlings to fare with him. They said they had no quarrel with Gunnar; "and besides," says Thorir, "ye seem to need much help here, when a crowd of men shall go against three men."
Then Egil went away and was wroth.
Then the mistress of the house said to the Easterling, "In an evil hour hath my daughter Gudruna humbled herself, and broken the point of her maidenly pride, and lain by thy side as thy wife, when thou wilt not dare to follow thy father-in-law, and thou must be a coward," she says.
"I will go," he says, "with thy husband, and neither of us two shall come back."
After that he went to Thorgrim his messmate, and said, "Take thou now the keys of my chests; for I shall never unlock them again. I bid thee take for thine own whatever of our goods thou wilt; but sail away from Iceland, and do not think of revenge for me. But if thou dost not leave the land, it will be thy death."
So the Easterling joined himself to their band.