SO when Frithiof and his men were come out of the Sognfirth there fell
on them great wind and storm, and an exceeding heavy sea: but the ship
drave on swiftly, for sharp built she was, and the best to breast the
sea.
So now Frithiof sang:--
“Oft let I swim from Sogn
My tarred ship sooty-sided,
When maids sat o'er the mead-horn
Amidst of Baldur's Meadows;
Now while the storm is wailing
Farewell I bid you maidens,
Still shall ye love us, sweet ones,
Though Ellidi the sea fill.”
Said Biorn: “Thou mightest well find other work to do than singing songs
over the maids of Baldur's Meadows.”
“Of such work shall I not speedily run dry, though,” said Frithiof.
Then they bore up north to the sounds nigh those isles that are called
Solundir, and therewith was the gale at its hardest.
Then sang Frithiof:
“Now is the sea a-swelling,
And sweepeth the rack onward;
Spells of old days cast o'er us
Make ocean all unquiet;
No more shall we be striving
Mid storm with wash of billows,
But Solundir shall shelter
Our ship with ice-beat rock-walls.”
So they lay to under the lee of the isles hight Solundir, and were
minded to abide there; but straightway thereon the wind fell: then they
turned away from under the lee of the islands, and now their voyage
seemed hopeful to them, because the wind was fair awhile: but soon it
began to freshen again.
Then sang Frithiof:
“In days foredone
From Foreness strand
I rowed to meet
Maid Ingibiorg;
But now I sail
Through chilly storm
And wide away
My long-worm driveth.”
And now when they were come far out into the main, once more the sea
waxed wondrous troubled, and a storm arose with so great drift of snow,
that none might see the stem from the stern; and they shipped seas, so
that they must be ever a-baling. So Frithiof sang:
“The salt waves see we nought
As seaward drive we ever
Before the witch-wrought weather,
We well-famed kings'-defenders:
Here are we all a-standing,
With all Solundir hull-down,
Eighteen brave lads a-baling
Black Ellidi to bring home.”
Said Biorn: “Needs must he who fareth far fall in with diverse hap.”
“Yea, certes, foster-brother,” said Frithiof. And he sang withal:
“Helgi it is that helpeth
The white-head billows' waxing;
Cold time unlike the kissing
In the close of Baldut's Meadow!
So is the hate of Helgi
To that heart's love she giveth.
O would that here I held her,
Gift high above all giving!”
“Maybe,” said Biorn, “she is looking higher than thou now art: what
matter when all is said?”
“Well,” says Frithiof, “now is the time to show ourselves to be men of
avail, though blither tide it was at Baldur's Meadows.”
So they turned to in manly wise, for there were the bravest of men come
together in the best ship of the Northlands. But Frithiof sang a stave:
“So come in the West-sea,
Nought see I the billows,
The sea-water seemeth
As sweeping of wild-fire.
Topple the rollers,
Toss the hills swan-white,
Ellidi wallows
O'er steep of the wave-hills.”
Then they shipped a huge sea, so that all stood a-baling. But Frithiof
sang:
“With love-moved mouth the maiden
Mepledgeth though I founder.
Ah! bright sheets lay a-bleaching,
East there on brents the swan loves.”
Biorn said: “Art thou of mind belike that the maids of Sogn will weep
many tears over thee?”
Said Frithiof: “Surely that was in my mind.”
Therewith so great a sea broke over the bows, that the water came in
like the in-falling of a river; but it availed them much that the ship
was so good, and the crew aboard her so hardy.
Now sang Biorn:
“No widow, methinks,
To thee or me drinks;
No ring-bearer fair
Biddeth draw near;
Salt are our eyne
Soaked in the brine;
Strong our arms are no more,
And our eyelids smart sore.”
Quoth Asmund: “Small harm though your arms be tried somewhat, for no
pity we had from you when we rubbed our eyes whenas ye must needs rise
early a-mornings to go to Baldu's Meadows.”
“Well,” said Frithiof, “why singest thou not, Asmund?”
“Not I,” said Asmund; yet sang a ditty straightway:
“Sharp work about the sail was
When o'er the ship seas tumbled,
And there was I a-working
Within-board 'gainst eight balers;
Better it was to bower,
Bringing the women breakfast,
Than here to be 'mid billows
Black Ellidi a-baling.”
“Thou accountest thy help of no less worth than it is?” said Frithiof,
laughing therewith; “but sure it showeth the thrall's blood in thee that
thou wouldst fain be awaiting at table.”
Now it blew harder and harder yet, so that to those who were aboard
liker to huge peaks and mountains than to waves seemed the sea-breakers
that crashed on all sides against the ship.
Then Frithiof sang:
“On bolster I sat.
In Baldur's Mead erst,
And all songs that I could
To the king's daughter sang;
Now on Ran's bed belike
Must I soon be a-lying,
And another shall be
By Ingibiorg's side.”
Biorn said: “Great fear lieth ahead of us, foster-brother, and now dread
hath crept into thy words, which is ill with such a good man as thou.”
Says Frithiof: “Neither fear nor fainting is it, though I sing now of
those our merry journeys; yet perchance more hath been said of them than
need was: but most men would think death surer than life, if they were
so bested as we be.”
“Yet shall I answer thee somewhat,” said Biorn, and sang:
“Yet one gain have I gotten
Thou gatst not 'mid thy fortune,
For meet play did I make me
With Ingibiorgs eight maidens;
Red rings we laid together
Aright in Baldur's Meadow,
When far off was the warder
Of the wide land of Halfdan.”
“Well,” said he, “we must be content with things as they are,
foster-brother.”
Therewith so great a sea smote them, that the bulwark was broken and
both the sheets, and four men were washed overboard and all lost.
Then sang Frithiof:
“Both sheets are bursten
Amid the great billows,
Four swains are sunk
In the fathomless sea?
“Now, meseems,” said Frithiof, “it may well be that some of us will
go to the house of Ran, nor shall we deem us well sped if we come not
thither in glorious array; wherefore it seems good to me that each man
of us here should have somewhat of gold on him.”
Then he smote asunder the ring, Ingibiorg's gift, and shared it between
all his men, and sang a stave withal:
“The red ring here I hew me
Once owned of Halfdan's father,
The wealthy lord of erewhile,
Or the sea waves undo us,
So on the guests shall gold be,
If we have need of guesting;
Meet so for mighty men-folk
Amid Ran's hall to hold them.”
“Not all so sure is it that we come there,” said Biorn; “and yet it may
well be so.”
Now Frithiof and his folk found that the ship had great way on her, and
they knew not what lay ahead, for all was mirk on either board, so that
none might see the stem or stern from amidships; and therewith was there
great drift of spray amid the furious wind, and frost, and snow, and
deadly cold.
Now Frithiof went up to the masthead, and when he came down he said to
his fellows: “A sight exceeding wondrous have I seen, for a great whale
went in a ring about the ship, and I misdoubt me that we come nigh to
some land, and that he is keeping the shore against us; for certes
King Helgi has dealt with us in no friendly wise, neither will this
his messenger be friendly. Moreover I saw two women on the back of the
whale, and they it is who will have brought this great storm on us
with the worst of spells and witchcraft; but now we shall try which may
prevail, my fortune or their devilry, so steer ye at your straightest,
and I will smite these evil things with beams.”
Therewith he sang a stave:
“See I troll women
Twain on the billows,
Een they whom Helgi
Hither hath sent.
Ellidi now
Or ever her way stop
Shall smile the backs
Of these asunder.”
So tells the tale that this wonder went with the good ship Ellidi, that
she knew the speech of man.
But Biorn said: “Now may we see the treason of those brethren against
us.” Therewith he took the tiller, but Frithiof caught up a forked beam,
and ran into the prow, and sang a stave:
“Ellidi, hail!
Leap high o'er the billows!
Break of the troll wives
Brow or teeth now!
Break cheek or jaw
Of the cursed woman,
One foot or twain
Of the ogress filthy.”
Therewith he drave his fork at one of the skin-changers, and the beak of
Ellidi smote the other on the back, and the backs of both were broken;
but the whale took the deep, and gat him gone, and they never saw him
after.
Then the wind fell, but the ship lay waterlogged; so Frithiof called out
to his men, and bade bale out the ship, but Biorn said:
“No need to work now, verily!”
“Be thou not afeard, foster-brother,” said Frithiof, “ever was it the
wont of good men of old time to be helpful while they might, whatsoever
should come after.” And therewith he sang a stave:
“No need, fairfellows,
To fear the death-day;
Rather be glad,
Good men of mine:
For if dreams wot aught
All nights they say
I yet shall have
My Ingibiorg.”
Then they baled out the ship; and they were now come nigh unto land; but
there was yet a flaw of wind in their teeth. So then did Frithiof take
the two bow oars again, and rowed full mightily. Therewith the weather
brightened, and they saw that they were come out to Effia Sound, and so
there they made land.
The crew were exceeding weary; but so stout a man was Frithiof that he
bore eight men a-land over the foreshore, but Biorn bore two, and Asmund
one. Then sang Frithiof:
“Fast bare I up
To the fire-lit house
My men all dazed
With the drift of the storm;
And the sail moreover
To the sand I carried;
With the might of the sea
Is there no more to do.”