"I am ready to hear it," says Kettle.
"I dreamt," says Flosi, "that methought I stood below Loom-nip,
and went out and looked up to the Nip, and all at once it opened,
and a man came out of the Nip, and he was clad in goatskins, and
had an iron staff in his hand. He called, as he walked, on many
of my men, some sooner and some later, and named them by name.
First he called Grim the Red my kinsman, and Arni Kol's son. Then
methought something strange followed, methought he called Eyjolf
Bolverk's son, and Ljot son of Hall of the Side, and some six men
more. Then he held his peace awhile. After that he called five
men of our band, and among them were the sons of Sigfus, thy
brothers; then he called other six men, and among them were
Lambi, and Modolf, and Glum. Then he called three men. Last of
all he called Gunnar Lambi's son, and Kol Thorstein's son. After
that he came up to me; I asked him `What news?' He said he had
tidings enough to tell. Then I asked him for his name, but he
called himself Irongrim. I asked him whither he was going; he
said he had to fare to the Althing. `What shalt thou do there?'
I said. `First I shall challenge the inquest,' he answers, `and
then the courts, then clear the field for fighters.' After that
he sang this song:
"'Soon a man death's snake-strokes dealing
High shall lift his head on earth,
Here amid the dust low rolling
Battered brainpans men shall see;
Now upon the hills in hurly
Buds the blue steel's harvest bright;
Soon the bloody dew of battle
Thigh-deep through the ranks shall rise.'
"Then he shouted with such a mighty shout that methought
everything near shook, and dashed down his staff, and there was a
mighty crash. Then he went back into the fell, but fear clung to
me; and now I wish thee to tell me what thou thinkest this dream
is."
"It is my foreboding," says Kettle, "that all those who were
called must be `fey.' It seems to me good counsel that we tell
this dream to no man just now."
Flosi said so it should be. Now the winter passes away till Yule
was over. Then Flosi said to his men, "Now I mean that we should
fare from home, for methinks we shall not be able to have an idle
peace. Now we shall fare to pray for help, and now that will
come true which I told you, that we should have to bow the knee
to many ere this quarrel were ended."