Bókastaðir

Chapter 16

Turn we now to Atli lying under the haystack, who, when he saw them depart from the shore, crept out from under the stack; and was so stiff that he might scarce stand up; he drags himself home to the store-house, and every tooth in his head chattered again ; he stared wide and wild round about, and seeth that the storehouse hath been cleared; then saith he: "What robbers have been here ?"

Thordis answered: "None have robbed here; but here have been Steinthor my brother, and his men, and I have given them what thou callest robbed"

Atli answered: "Of all things I shall rue most that ever I wedded thee; wretched man that I am for that wedding I I wot of none worse than is Steinthor thy brother, nor greater robbers than they of his house. Now is all taken and stolen and harried from me, so that we shall soon have td take to the road."

Then said Thordis: "We shall never lack for wealth : come thou to bed and let me warm thee somewhat, for meseems thou art wondrous cold."

So he crawled under the bedclothes to her. Steinthor deemed his brother-in-law a very starveling: he had nought on his feet; his cowl was pulled over his head, and came nowhere down him.

So Atli nestles under the clothes beside her, and is mad of speech, ever scolding at Steinthor, and calling him a robber. Then he was silent for awhile.

But when he waxed warm, then said.he; "Sooth to say, I have a great treasure in thee,; and truly no such a noble-minded man may be found as is Steinthor my brother-in-law, and that is well bestowed which he hath gotten; it is even as if I had it myself."

And so he went on a long while praising Steinthor. Then Steinthor came forth to the bed, and Atli seeth him and standeth up and greeteth him.

Then said Steinthor: "What thinkest thou, brother-in-law Atli, have we cleared out thy storehouse?"

Atli answered: " It is most sooth that all is best bestowed! which thou hast, and I bid thee take all thou wilt of my goods, for nought is lacking here: thou hast done as most befitteth a chieftain in taking to. thee those men who have wreaked their griefs, and thou wilt be minded to see them through it as a great man should."

Said Steinthor: "Atli, I will bid thee be nought so miserly as thou hast been hitherto; live thy life well, and get thee workmen, and mingle with men; I know thee for no paltry man, though thou makest thyself such for perverseness sake.' r Atli promised this; and Steinthor went home that day, and the brothers-in-law parted in all kindness. Steinthor cometh home to Ere, and deemeth he hath sped well. There they sit at home now, and the. winter wears: there were holden sturdy skin-plays and hall-plays.

Chapter 17

There was one Swart, a thrall at Ere, a big man, and so'strong that he had four men's might; he was handy about the stead, and did much work. Now on a day Stein-thor let call this thrall to him, and said: "They will have thee in the game with us to-day, for we lack a man." Swart answered: "It is idle to bid me this, for I have much work to do, and I deem not that thy champions will do it for me; yet I will grant thee this if thou wilt."

So saith it that Hallgrim was matched against Swart, and the best one may tell of it is, that every time they fell to, Swart went down, and after every fall his shoes came off, and he would be a long while binding them on again. This went on for long in the day, and men made great jeering and laughter thereat; but Howard sang a stave:

The lords of sea-king's stallion,Valbrand's sons the doughty,Nought so long they loutedLow o'er shoe-thongs, mind we,When we went, O Valkyr,Toward my son's avenging,And Gylfi's garth swelled round meOn that day of summer.

The play was of the best. Hallgrim was then eighteen winters old, and was deemed like to be a most doughty man by then he came to his full growth. .

So sayeth it that the winter wore, and nought befell to tell of, yea and until they were ready to go to the Thing.

Steinthor said he knew not what he would do for those fellows; he would not have them with him to the Thing, and he thought it not good to let them abide at his house the while. But a few days before the Thing he and Atli his brother-in-law met, and Atli asked what He was minded to do with his guests while the Thing lasted. Steinthor said he knew not where he could bestow them, so as to be unafraid for them: "Unless thou take them." Atli said : "I will bind myself to take these men." "Thou dost well therein," said Steinthor. Said Atli: "I will help thee in all thou wilt so far as my might goeth."'

"Right well I trust thee so to do," said Steinthor.

Chapter 18

After this Howard and his fellows went their ways with Atli, and came to Otter-dale, and there Atli welcomed Howard with both hands. Nought lacked there that they needed, and Atli made them the most goodly feast: there were ten stout men there now. Atli cleared out the store-house, and made their beds there, and hung up their weapons, and all was arrayed in the best wise. But Steinthor summoned men to him, and lacked neither for friends nor kin, and with great men also was he allied : so he rode to the Thing with three hundred men, all which were his Thingmen, kin, friends, or men allied to him.

Chapter 19

There was a man hight Thorarin, the priest of Dyrafirth in the west country, a great chief, and somewhat stricken in years; He was the brother of those sons of Thiodrek, but by far the thoughtfullest and wisest of them. He had heard of these tidings and of the slaying of his brethren and kinsmen, and deemed himself nigh touched by it, and that he might not sit idle in the matter whereas the blood-feud fell to him most of all. So before folk rode to the Thing, he summoned to him the men of Dyrafirth, his friends and kinsfolk. There was one Dyri, next of account after Thorarin the priest, and a great friend of his; Thorgrim was the name of his son, a man full grown at this time: it is told of him that he was both big and strong, and a wizard of the cunningest, who dealt much in spells. Now when Thorarin laid this matter before his friends, they were of one accord in this, that Thorarin and Dyri should ride to the Thing with two hundred men; but Thorgrim, Dyri's son, offered himself to compass the slaying of Howard, and all those kinsmen and fellows : he said how the word went that Steinthor of Ere had held them through the winter, and that he had promised to uphold their case at law to the uttermost against such as had the blood-feud after those kinsmen.

Thorgrim said that he knew how Steinthor was ridden from home, a great company, to the Thing, and that those fellows were gotten to Otterdale to Atli the Miser, brother-in-law of Steinthor: "And there is nought to hinder our slaying them one on the heels of the other."

So this rede was taken, that Thorgrim should ride from home with eighteen men: of whose journey is nought to tell till they come to Atli's stead in Otterdale early of a morning, and ride into a hollow whence they might not be seen from the house; then bade Thorgrim to light down, and they did so, and baited their horses; but Thorgrim said that he was so sleepy that he might not sit up, so. he slept with a skin drawn over his head, and was ill at ease in his sleep.

Chapter 20

Of Atli's Dreaming

Now must we take up the tale of what they were about in the house at Otterdale : they slept in the store-house that night according to wont, arid in the morning they were waked, because Atli in his sleep laboured so, that none of them might sleep because of it; for he tossed about and breathed heavily, and beat about with hand and foot in the bed; till Torfi Valbrandson leapt up and woke him, laying, that they might not sleep for him and his goings on. Then sat up Atli, stroking his bald head.

Howard asked if aught had been shown to him, and he said verily it was so: "Methought I went forth from the store-house, and I saw how wolves ran over the wold from the south eighteen in company, and before the wolves went a vixen fox, and so sly a creature as was that, saw I never erst; exceeding ogre-like was it and evil; it peered all about, and would have its eyes on everything", and right grimly methought all the beasts did look. But even as they were come to the stead Torfi woke me; and well I wot that these are fetches of men ; so stand we up straightway."

Nor did Atli depart from his wont, but sprang up and cast his cape on him, and so out as swift as a bolt is shot, while they take their weapons and clothes and array themselves at their briskest; and when they were well-nigh dight, cometh Atli back clad in a strong byrny, and with a drawn sword in his hand; then spake Atli: "Most like it is that it falleth out now as many guessed it would, to wit, that it would avail not Steinthor my brother-in-law to find you a harbour here; but I pray you to let me rule in what now lies before us ; and first it is my rede that we go out under the house-wall, and let them not gore us indoors ; as for fleeing away, I deem that hath not come into your heads.' And they say that so it shall be.