Chapter 1
There was a man named Grim Camban. He first settled the Færeys in the days of Harold Fairhair. For before the king's overbearing many men fled in those days. Some settled in the Færeys and began to dwell there, and some sought to other waste lands. Aud the deeply wealthy fared to Iceland, and on her way thither she came to the Færeys, and there she gave Olof the daughter of Thorstan the Red in marriage: whence is come the greatest lineage of the Færey-folk, whom they call the Gatebeards, that dwell in Eastrey.
Chapter 2
Thorbeorn was the name of a man who was nicknamed Gatebeard. He dwelt in Eastrey in the Færeys; Gudrun was the name of his wife. They had two sons. The elder was named Thorlac, but the younger Thrond. They were likely men. Thorlac was both tall and strong; so far Thrond was like him when he was full grown, but there was a great unlikeness between the two brothers. Thorbeorn was a wealthy man, and was already old when these things came to pass. Thorlac took him a wife there in the islands, but he dwelt at home with his father at Gate. Now, soon after Thorlac was married, Thorbeorn Gate-beard died, and he was laid in the barrow and buried after the old way; for in those days all the Færey-folk were heathens. His sons shared the heritage between them, and each of them wanted to have the homestead at Gate, for that was the greatest treasure. So they cast lots for it, and the lot fell to Thrond. After the lot fell, Thorlac begged Thrond to let him have the homestead, and himself take the more part of the chattels; but Thrond would not do that. Then Thorlac went abroad, and gat him another dwelling there in the islands. Thrond let out the land at Gate to many men, and took the highest rent; and in the summer he took ship, albeit he had little merchandise, and fared to Norway, and there he had his dwelling through the winter, seeming always moody of mind.
In those days Harold Grayfell was ruling over Norway. Next summer Thrond fared south to Denmark with certain merchantmen, and came to Haleyre while the summer still lasted. There was at that time a very great gathering of people. And it is said that ever there comes thither the greatest gathering of men of all the Northlands while the market stands. In those days King Harald Gormsson, who was called Blue-tooth, ruled over Denmark. King Harald was at Haleyre that summer, and a great following with him. Two of the king's henchmen [brethren] are named of them that were there with him. The one was named Sigurd, the other Harec. These brothers went together into the market to buy them the best and biggest gold ring they could find. They came into a booth that was right well stocked, and in it there sat a man who greeted them well, and asked them what they would buy. They said they wished to buy a gold ring, both big and good. He said that there was a good choice there. Then they asked him his name, and he said his name was Holmgar the Wealthy. Then he unpacked his treasures, and showed them a thick gold ring. The greatest treasure it was, but it was so dear they could not see how they were to get all the silver that he wanted for it there on the spot; so they begged him to wait till the morrow for it, and he agreed to do so. And with that they went off, and so the night passed. Now in the morning Sigurd went forth out of his booth, but Harec stayed behind; and after a while Sigurd came outside to the edge of the tilt and called out. "Kinsman Harec," said he, "give me here quickly the purse with the silver in it, that we got ready for buying the ring, for the bargain is just struck; but do thou wait here the while and take care of the booth. "Then he [Harec] gave him the silver out through the edge of the tilt.
Chapter 3
Now not long after this Sigurd came into the booth to his brother, and said, "Take thou now the silver, for the bargain is just struck. "He answered him, "I gave thee the silver a short while ago. ""Nay," said Sigurd, "I have had none of it. "Then they began to wrangle about it, but afterwards they went and told the king about it, and the king and other folk soon saw that their money had been stolen. Then the king laid his ban on all that were there, that no ship should sail thence while things stood in this way. And many thought this a great hinderance that they should be bound to stay there after the market was over. Whereupon the Northmen held a meeting among themselves to take counsel over it. Thrond was at their meeting, and he called out, "Men are sorely lacking in counsel here. "Then they asked him, "Knowest thou counsel for this case?""So it seems," says he. "Put forth thy counsel!" said they. "It must be paid for, then," he said. They asked him what he wanted for it. He answered, "Each of you must give me an ounce of silver. "They said that was a great deal. But they made this bargain withal, that each man should give him half an ounce there in hand, and another half ounce afterwards if his counsel turned out well. Now the next day after this the king held a moot, and spake to this end there, that no man whatever should leave the haven till all about the theft was found out. Then there stood up to speak a certain young man; he had a shock head of red hair, and was freckled of face and right grim of look, and he called out, "Men are mighty badly off for counsel here," says he. The king's counsellors asked him what counsel he saw for the matter. He answered, "This is my counsel, that every man that is come here lay down so much silver as the king shall say, and when that money is got together in one place, then they shall be paid out of it who have suffered this harm, and that which remains over the king shall take to himself for his fee, and I know he will be well pleased with his share; and men will lie here no longer as though they were weather-bound, to their great hinderance, such a crowd as have come together here. "This was quickly taken up by the whole people, and they said they would sooner lay out their money in feeing the king than sit there to their hinderance. And this counsel was taken, and the money was got together; and it was a great sum. And straightaway upon this a great many of the ships sailed abroad. Then the king held a moot, and there they looked through that great sum of money, and the brothers were paid for their loss out of it. Then the king talked with his men of what was to be done with this great sum. Then a man got up to speak, and said, "My lord, what think ye he deserves that gave the counsel?"Then they looked about to find the young man who had given the counsel in this matter, and there he was before the king. Then spake King Harold, "This money shall be dealt into two halves; my men shall have one half, and the other half I shall deal into two lots, and this young man shall have one lot, and I will look after the other. "Thrond thanked the king with fair words and blithe. And it was such a great sum of money that Thrond got that it was hard work to tell it out into marks. Then King Harold sailed away, and all the multitude of men that had been there also. Thrond fared to Norway with the merchants that had come thither with him, and they paid him the money he had asked for; and he bought him there a merchant ship both big and good, and loaded it with the great goods that he had gotten on that voyage. Then he held on his course in this ship to the Færeys, and came thither with all his goods safe and sound. And he took up his dwelling in Gate the spring after; and he felt no lack of chattels now. Thrond was a big man of growth, and red-haired he was, and red-bearded, freckled and grim of look, gloomy of mind, cunning and shrewd towards all men, bad to deal with, and ill-natured to most folk, yet fair of speech to greater men than himself; but in his heart he was ever false.
Chapter 4
Hafgrim was the name of a man that dwelt in Southrey in the Færeys; he was a mighty man and hard to deal with, and wealthy in goods. Guðrið was his wife's name; she was Snæulf's daughter. Hafgrim was chief over half the islands, and held his half on loan from King Harold Grayfell, who in those days ruled over Norway. Hafgrim was a very nimble-witted man, but was not counted a man of wisdom. Einar was the name of his head houseman; he was nicknamed the Southrey-man. There was another man, called Eldearn Combhood, who also lived with Hafgrim. He was a man of many words, and evil of speech withal, dull and ill-willed, lazy and quarrelsome, and a liar and backbiter to boot. Two brothers are named in the story also, and they dwelt in Scufey, the one was named Breste and the other Beine; they were the sons of Sigmund. Now Sigmund, their father, and Thorbeorn Gatebeard, Thrond's father, were brothers. Breste and Beine were famous men; they were chiefs over half the islands, and held that in loan of Earl Hacon Sigurd's son, who in those days held, as it were, a kingdom in Throndham. Now these two men, Breste and his brother, were henchmen of Earl Hacon, and very dear friends of his. There was a coldness between them and Thrond, although their kinship was near. The two brothers had another homestead in Dimun, but it was a smaller place. Snæulf, Hafgrim's father-in-law, dwelt in Sandey; he was a Southrey man by blood; he had fled out of the Southreys for manslaughter and masterful deeds that he had done there, into the Færeys. He had been a sea-rover the greater part of his life, and he was even now a masterful man, and hard to stand against.
Chapter 5
Bearne was the name of a man that dwelt in Swiney; he was called Swiney-Bearne. He was a great franklin, and had a great estate; a very guileful man he was. He was Thrond of Gate's mother's brother. The Færey people's mootstead was in Streamsey, at a haven there called Thorshaven. Hafgrim dwelt in Southrey at a homestead that is called Temple; he was a great sacrificer, for in those days all the Færey people were heathens.
One day at harvest-tide, it happened at Hafgrim's homestead in Southrey, that Einar the Southrey-man and Eldearn Combhood were sitting together over a singeing fire, and they fell to matching men against the other. Einar took his two kinsmen Breste and Beine, and Eldearn took Hafgrim, and said that he was the better man. And at last it went so between them that Eldearn sprang up and struck at Einar with the stick he had in his hand, and it fell on Einar's shoulder and hurt him. And Einar caught up an axe and swung it onto Combhood's head, so that he fell down senseless, and spake never word more. And when Hafgrim came to know this, he drove Einar away, and bade him fare "to his kinsmen the men of Scufey, since he had thought most of them. ""And we must needs," says Hafgrim, "sooner or later come to grips with the men of Scufey. "So Einar went away, and came to the two brothers, and told them why he was come. They received him well, and he was with them through the winter, and well cared for. Then Einar begged Breste, his kinsman, to take up his case, and he did so. Now Breste was a wise man and well skilled in the law. That same winter Hafgrim fared in a ship to Scufey, and then he sought the two brethren, and asked them how they would answer for the harm that Einar had done to Eldearn Combhood. Breste answered that they would lay the suit to the best man's umpirage, so that it might be fairly settled. Hafgrim answered, "There shall be no settlement between us, unless I am left to fix the award myself. "But Breste answered him, "That is no fair settlement, and thou shalt not have it so. "Then Hafgrim summoned Einar to the Streameymoot; and so they parted withal. But Breste had made Combhood's assault on Einar known soon after it had happened. Now both parties came to the moot, and many with them. But when Hafgrim came into court on the one side, and laid the charge against Einar as the wrongdoer, the two brethren, Breste and Beine, came in on the other side with a great following; and Breste quashed the charge Hafgrim had made and unhallowed Combhood, by the old law of the land, for smiting a sackless man; and the judgment was given against Hafgrim, and they condemned Eldearn to outlawry and the full fine. Hafgrim said that he would have vengeance for this. Breste said that he would hold himself ready, and that he cared nothing for his threats; and with that they parted.