Now Flosi rides east to Hornfirth, and most of the men in his
Thing followed him, and bore his wares east, as well as all his
stores and baggage which he had to take with him.
After that they busked them for their voyage, and fitted out
their ship.
Now Flosi stayed by the ship until they were "boun." But as soon
as ever they got a fair wind they put out to sea. They had it
long passage and hard weather.
Then they quite lost their reckoning, and sailed on and on, and
all at once three great waves broke over their ship, one after
the other. Then Flosi said they must be near some land, and that
this was a ground-swell. A great mist was on them, but the wind
rose so that a great gale overtook them, and they scarce knew
where they were before they were dashed on shore at dead of
night, and the men were saved, but the ship was dashed all to
pieces, and they could not save their goods.
Then they had to look for shelter and warmth for themselves, and
the day after they went up on a height. The weather was then
good.
Flosi asked if any man knew this land, and there were two men of
their crew who had fared thither before, and said they were quite
sure they knew it, and, say they, "We are come to Hrossey in the
Orkneys."
"Then we might have made a better landing," said Flosi, "for Grim
and Helgi, Njal's sons, whom I slew, were both of them of Earl
Sigurd Hlodver's son's bodyguard."
Then they sought for a hiding-place and spread moss over
themselves, and so lay for a while, but not for long, ere Flosi
spoke and said, "We will not lie here any longer until the
landsmen are ware of us."
Then they arose, and took counsel, and then Flosi said to his
men, "We will go all of us and give ourselves up to the earl; for
there is naught else to do, and the earl has our lives at his
pleasure if he chooses to seek for them."
Then they all went away thence, and Flosi said that they must
tell no man any tidings of their voyage, or what manner of men
they were, before he told them to the earl.
Then they walked on until they met men who showed them to the
town, and then they went in before the earl, and Flosi and all
the others hailed him.
The earl asked what men they might be, and Flosi told his name,
and said out of what part of Iceland he was.
The earl had already heard of the burning, and so he knew the men
at once, and then the earl asked Flosi, "What hast thou to tell
me about Helgi Njal's son, my henchman."
"This," said Flosi, "that I hewed off his head."
"Take them all," said the earl.
Then that was done, and just then in came Thorstein, son of Hall
of the Side. Flosi had to wife Steinvora, Thorstein's sister.
Thorstein was one of Earl Sigurd's bodyguard, but when he saw
Flosi seized and held, he went in before the earl, and offered
for Flosi all the goods he had.
The earl was very wroth a long time, but at last the end of it
was, by the prayer of good men and true, joined to those of
Thorstein, for he was well backed by friends, and many threw in
their word with his, that the earl took an atonement from them,
and gave Flosi and all the rest of them peace. The earl held to
that custom of mighty men that Flosi took that place in his
service which Helgi Njal's son had filled.
So Flosi was made Earl Sigurd's henchman, and he soon won his way
to great love with the earl.