Egil’s Saga - E. Eddison R.

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CHAPTER XV. OF MORE LIES AND SLANDERS OF THOSE SONS OF HILDIRID.

      HILDIRID’S sons had been that winter with Harald the King and had with them homemen of theirs and neighbours. Those brethren were oft a-talking with the King, and drave still o’ the same road with Thorolf’s case.

      Harek asked: “Liked you well of the Finn-scat, King, that Thorolf sent you?”

      “Well,” said the King.

      “Then should you have found matter indeed,” saith Harek, “if you had had all that which was yours of right: but now it fares far otherwise. Much the greatest part it was that Thorolf kept for himself. He sent you for a gift three beaver-skins; yet I know for a truth that he kept back thirty of them, that were yours of right, and well I think it must have fared on such wise with other things. Sooth it is, King, if thou give the stewardship into the hand of us brethren, we shall fetch you more fee.”

      Now unto all this they said against Thorolf did the men of their company bear witness with them. And so it came about that the King was of the wrathfullest.

      THOROLF fared that summer south to Thrandheim to see Harald the King, and had there along with him all the scat and much fee beside and ninety men and all well arrayed. But when he came to the King then was place made for them in the guest-hall and entertainment done them of the noblest. Afterward the same day goeth Oliver Hnufa to Thorolf his kinsman. They talked together. Oliver said that Thorolf was then much evil spoke of, and that the King gave ear to such stories. Thorolf bade Oliver take up his case for him with the King; “Because I”, said he, “am like to be short-spoken before the King, if he will rather believe slander of wicked men than true things and singleness such as he may approve in me”.

      Another day came Oliver to find Thorolf and said that he had talked of his case with the King. “I know not now,” said he, “no whit better than afore, what he hath in his mind.”

      “Then shall I myself go to him,” saith Thorolf.

      He did so: went to the King when he sat at meat; and when he came in he hailed the King. The King took his greeting and bade give Thorolf to drink. Thorolf said that he had there the scat which was the King’s, which was come from Finnmark; “And yet more things have I for gifts of remembrance1 unto you, King, that I have to bring to you. I know that all will best betide me in these things that I have done to do you pleasure”.

      The King saith that nought might he look for from Thorolf save good only, “Seeing that nought else”, saith he, “am I deserving of. And yet men’s speech goeth somewhat two ways about this, how far thou art apt to give heed to what shall like me”.

      “I am not truly spoke of”, saith Thorolf, “if any say that, that I have shown me untrue to you, King. Well I think that they must be thy friends less than I, they that have borne up such tales before thee. But this much is clear, that they must mean to be unfriends unto me-ward, full and perfect: and that is likeliest, too, that they shall get that they came to market for,2 if we shall have the settling of it, I and they.”

      Therewith Thorolf gat him gone.

      Another day after this Thorolf paid the scat out of hand, and the King was stood by; and when all was paid over, Thorolf bare forth certain beaver-skins and sables: said that he will give these to the King. Many that were standing by spake and said that that was well done, and was a thing worthy of friendship: the King said Thorolf had himself portioned out his own reward. Thorolf said that he had with truth and honesty done all that he knew to pleasure the King, “And if yet it like him not, then must I find all my doing brought to naught. It was known to the King, when I was with him and in his following, what way I carried me; and that meseemeth wonderful if the King will think me now another man than the man he did then approve me for”.

      The King saith, “Well didst thou fare, Thorolf, of thine haviour, when thou wast with us. And now I am minded that the best way to do of it is that thou go into my bodyguard. Take ward of my banner, and be over the other men of my bodyguard. Then may no man slander thee if I may overlook thee night and day, what way thou carriest thee”.

      Thorolf looked to either hand of him. There stood his housecarles. He spake: “Loth must I be to let go from mine hand this following of mine. Thou must do as thou wilt, King, with the titles of dignity you gave me and these thy revenues, but these followers of mine may I not let go from mine hand for so long as there remaineth to me the means to keep them, though ’twere at mine own private cost. This is my boon and my wish, that you, King, should come and see me at home and hear the words of those men that thou trustest, what witness they bear me in this matter. And after that, do according as you shall find to be true”.

      The King answereth and saith that he will not be feasted a second time by Thorolf.

      Then Thorolf gat him gone, and therewith made ready for his journey home. But when he was gone away, then gave the King into the hand of Hildirid’s sons those stewardships in Halogaland which till now Thorolf had had, and so too the Finn-fare. The King seized to himself the house at Torgar and all the possessions that Bryniolf had owned: gave all this into the keeping of Hildirid’s sons.

      The King sent men with tokens to find Thorolf and tell him of these dispositions that the King had made. And now Thorolf took those ships that were his own and bare aboard them all the loose fee that he might away with him, and had with him all his men, both freedmen and thralls. And now fared he north to Sandness to his own place. There had Thorolf no smaller throng of men and no smaller largesse.

      HILDIRID’S sons took up the stewardship in Halogaland. No man spake against it, because of the might of the King. But to many this change seemed much against their liking, to such as were kinsmen of Thorolf’s or friends of his.

      They fared that winter to the fell, and had with them thirty men. The Finns made much less account of those bailiffs than when Thorolf fared thither. Altogether in much worse wise was that gild paid which the Finns should yield.

      That same winter fared Thorolf up into the fell with a hundred men: fared straightway east to Kvenland and met with King Faravid. They took rede together, and this was their rede, to fare on the fell even as last winter; they had four hundred men, and came down into Kirialaland; fell upon the settled parts whereso they deemed it fit for the strength of men they had: harried there and gat them fee. Then fared they back, as winter wore, up into the Mark.

      Thorolf fared home about spring-time to his own place. He had then men in the cod-fishing in Vagar,1 and some in the herring-fishing, and sought all manner of provision for his household. Thorolf had a great ship: she was built for the main sea. She was wrought in all ways of the best, well painted down to the water-line; there went with her a sail streaked with stripes blue and red: all the gear was well wrought in the ship. That ship Thorolf let make ready and appointed thereto housecarles of his to fare with her: let bear aboard of her dried fish and hides and white-wares. He let go therewith much grey-wares withal, and other skin-wares that he had gotten off the fell, and that was exceeding great fee. That ship he let Thorgils the Yeller sail west to England, to buy him clothes and other provision whereof he stood in need. They held their course south along the land and after that out on the main sea and came their ways to England, found good cheaping there, loaded the ship with wheat and honey, wine and clothes, and set sail home again in the autumn. They had wind at will, and came to Hordaland.

      That same autumn fared Hildirid’s sons with the scat and brought it to the King. But when they paid the scat out of hand, the King himself was by and saw it. He spake: “Is now all the scat paid out of hand, the same which ye took up in Finnmark?”

      “So it is”, said they.

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