HRAPP'S VOYAGE FROM ICELAND.
There was a man named Kolbein, and his surname was Arnljot's son; he was
a man from Drontheim; he sailed out to Iceland that same summer in which
Kolskegg and Njal's sons went abroad. He was that winter east in
Broaddale; but the spring after, he made his ship ready for sea in
Gautawick; and when men were almost "boun," a man rowed up to them in a
boat, and made the boat fast to the ship, and afterwards he went on
board the ship to see Kolbein.
Kolbein asked that man for his name.
"My name is Hrapp," says he.
"What wilt thou with me?" says Kolbein.
"I wish to ask thee to put me across the Iceland main."
"Whose son art thou?" asks Kolbein.
"I am a son of Aurgunleid, the son of Geirolf the fighter."
"What need lies on thee," asked Kolbein, "to drive thee abroad?"
"I have slain a man," says Hrapp.
"What manslaughter was that," says Kolbein, "and what men have the
blood-feud?"
"The men of Weaponfirth," says Hrapp, "but the man I slew was Aurlyg,
the son of Aurlyg, the son of Roger the white."
"I guess this," says Kolbein, "that he will have the worst of it who
bears thee abroad."
"I am the friend of my friend," said Hrapp, "but when ill is done to me
I repay it. Nor am I short of money to lay down for my passage."
Then Kolbein took Hrapp on board, and a little while after a fair breeze
sprung up, and they sailed away on the sea.
Hrapp ran short of food at sea, and then he sate him down at the mess of
those who were nearest to him. They sprang up with ill words, and so it
was that they came to blows, and Hrapp, in a trice, has two men under
him.
Then Kolbein was told, and he bade Hrapp to come and share his mess, and
he accepted that.
Now they come off the sea, and lie outside off Agdirness.
Then Kolbein asked where that money was which he had offered to pay for
his fare?
"It is out in Iceland," answers Hrapp.
"Thou wilt beguile more men than me, I fear," says Kolbein; "but now I
will forgive thee all the fare."
Hrapp bade him have thanks for that. "But what counsel dost thou give as
to what I ought to do?"
"That first of all," he says, "that thou goest from the ship as soon as
ever thou canst, for all Easterlings will bear thee bad witness; but
there is yet another bit of good counsel which I will give thee, and
that is, never to cheat thy master."
Then Hrapp went on shore with his weapons, and he had a great axe with
an iron-bound haft in his hand.
He fares on and on till he comes to Gudbrand of the Dale. He was the
greatest friend of Earl Hacon. They two had a shrine between them, and
it was never opened but when the Earl came thither. That was the second
greatest shrine in Norway, but the other was at Hlada.
Thrand was the name of Gudbrand's son, but his daughter's name was
Gudruna.
Hrapp went in before Gudbrand, and hailed him well. He asked whence he
came and what was his name. Hrapp told him about himself, and how he
had sailed abroad from Iceland.
After that he asks Gudbrand to take him into his household as a guest.
"It does not seem," said Gudbrand, "to look on thee, as though thou wert
a man to bring good luck."
"Methinks, then," says Hrapp, "that all I have heard about thee has been
great lies; for it is said that thou takest every one into thy house
that asks thee; and that no man is thy match for goodness and kindness,
far or near; but now I shall have to speak against that saying, if thou
dost not take me in."
"Well, thou shalt stay here," said Gudbrand.
"To what seat wilt thou show me?" says Hrapp.
"To one on the lower bench, over against my high seat."
Then Hrapp went and took his seat. He was able to tell of many things,
and so it was at first that Gudbrand and many thought it sport to listen
to him; but still it came about that most men thought him too much given
to mocking, and the end of it was that he took to talking alone with
Gudruna, so that many said that he meant to beguile her.
But when Gudbrand was aware of that, he scolded her much for daring to
talk alone with him, and bade her beware of speaking aught to him if the
whole household did not hear it. She gave her word to be good at first,
but still it was soon the old story over again as to their talk. Then
Gudbrand got Asvard, his overseer, to go about with her, out of doors
and in, and to be with her wherever she went. One day it happened that
she begged for leave to go into the nut-wood for a pastime, and Asvard
went along with her. Hrapp goes to seek for them and found them, and
took her by the hand, and led her away alone.
Then Asvard went to look for her, and found them both together stretched
on the grass in a thicket.
He rushes at them, axe in air, and smote at Hrapp's leg, but Hrapp gave
himself a second turn, and he missed him. Hrapp springs on his feet as
quick as he can, and caught up his axe. Then Asvard wished to turn and
get away, but Hrapp hewed asunder his backbone.
Then Gudruna said, "Now hast thou done that deed which will hinder thy
stay any Longer with my father; but still there is something behind
which he will like still less, for I go with child".
"He shall not learn this from others," says Hrapp, "but I will go home
and tell him both these tidings."
"Then," she says, "thou will not come away with thy life."
"I will run the risk of that," he says.
After that he sees her back to the other women, but he went home.
Gudbrand sat in his high seat, and there were few men in the hall.
Hrapp went in before him, and bore his axe high.
"Why is thine axe bloody?" asks Gudbrand.
"I made it so by doing a piece of work on thy overseer Asvard's back,"
says Hrapp.
"That can be no good work," says Gudbrand; "thou must have slain him."
"So it is, be sure," says Hrapp.
"What did ye fall out about?" asks Gudbrand.
"Oh!" says Hrapp, "what you would think small cause enough. He wanted to
hew off my leg."
"What hast thou done first?" asked Gudbrand.
"What he had no right to meddle with," says Hrapp.
"Still thou wilt tell me what it was."
"Well!" said Hrapp, "if thou must know, I lay by thy daughter's side,
and he thought that bad."
"Up men!" cried Gudbrand, "and take him. He shall be slain out of hand."
"Very little good wilt thou let me reap of my son-in-lawship," says
Hrapp, "but thou hast not so many men at thy back as to do that
speedily."
Up they rose, but he sprang out of doors. They run after him, but he got
away to the wood, and they could not lay hold of him.
Then Gudbrand gathers people, and lets the wood be searched; but they
find him not, for the wood was great and thick.
Hrapp fares through the wood till he came to a clearing; there he found
a house, and saw a man outside cleaving wood.
He asked that man for his name, and he said his name was Tofi.
Tofi asked him for his name in turn, and Hrapp told him his true name.
Hrapp asked why the householder had set up his abode so far from other
men?
"For that here," he says, "I think I am less likely to have brawls with
other men."
"It is strange how we beat about the bush in out talk," says Hrapp, "but
I will first tell thee who I am. I have been with Gudbrand of the Dale,
but I ran away thence because I slew his overseer; but now I know that
we are both of us bad men; for thou wouldst not have come hither away
from other men unless thou wert some man's outlaw. And now I give thee
two choices, either that I will tell where thou art,[37] or that we two
have between us, share and share alike, all that is here."
"This is even as thou sayest," said the householder; "I seized and
carried off this woman who is here with me, and many men have sought for
me."
Then he led Hrapp in with him; there was a small house there, but well
built.
The master of the house told his mistress that he had taken Hrapp into
his company.
"Most men will get ill luck from this man," she says; "but thou wilt
have thy way."
So Hrapp was there after that. He was a great wanderer, and was never at
home. He still brings about meetings with Gudruna; her father and
brother, Thrand and Gudbrand, lay in wait for him, but they could never
get nigh him, and so all that year passed away.
Gudbrand sent and told Earl Hacon what trouble he had had with Hrapp,
and the Earl let him be made an outlaw, and laid a price upon his head.
He said too, that he would go himself to look after him; but that passed
off, and the Earl thought it easy enough for them to catch him when he
went about so unwarily.