OF JON AND SOLMUND.
AFTER that, Kol and Kali had an interview with Sölmund. Kol wished to
send men to Jón to try to make peace between them; but Sölmund and
Hallvard, Hávard’s brother, refused everything but blood-revenge, and
said it was not becoming to ask for settlement. Yet Kol’s advice was
taken, because he promised not to withdraw from the case until Sölmund
had received honourable amends; and Kol was to lay all the plans. When
the messengers returned, they said they had received a most unfavourable
reply to their demands, and that Jón refused positively to make
compensation for a man who by his own act had forfeited his personal
security. Sölmund said that this had turned out just as he
expected—namely, that little honour would be gained by asking Jón for
settlement; and then he begged Kol to propose a plan that might be of
some avail.
Kol replied: “Is Hallvard willing to run any risk in order to avenge his
brother, even though it may come to little?”
Hallvard said he would not spare himself in order to take revenge, even
if there were danger connected with it.
“Then,” said Kol, “you shall go secretly to Sogn, to a man called Uni,
who lives not far from Jón. He is a wise man, but rather poor, for he
has been a long time oppressed by Jón; he is a great friend of mine, and
considerably advanced in years. You shall take to him from me six marks
(of silver) weighed, in order that he may give you advice how to take
revenge on Brynjúlf, or some other of Jón’s men, whom he considers not
less a loss to him. And if this can be brought about, Uni shall send you
to my kinsman Kyrpinga Orm, at Studla, and his sons Ogmund and Erling,
and there I consider you will be as if you were at home. Tell Uni to
sell his farm and come to me.”
Hallvard prepared to go, and we are not told of his journey or night
quarters, until he came to Uni one evening. He did not tell his true
name. They inquired of each other for current news; and in the evening,
when they were sitting round the fire, the guest asked a great deal
about noble men in Sogn and Hördaland. Uni said that none of the landed
men were considered more powerful than Jón, on account of his family and
his violence; and he further asked whether they had no experience of it
in the south. When he had said this, the guest became silent. Then the
people arose from the fire, and the two remained.
Then Uni said: “Did not you say just now that your name was Hallvard?”
“No,” said the guest; “I called myself Saxi this evening.”
Uni said: “Then I am out of all difficulties; but if my name were
Brynjúlf, I should think yours was Hallvard; and now let us go to
sleep.”
The guest took hold of him and said: “Let us not go yet.” Whereupon he
delivered the purse, and said: “Kol sends you his greeting and this
silver, in order that you may be willing to advise me how to avenge my
brother Havard on Brynjúlf.” Then he told him Kol’s plans.
Uni said: “Kol deserves well of me, but I cannot know what may be done
about the revenge on Brynjúlf; but he is expected here to-morrow to
fetch his concubine’s clothes.”
Thereafter he went with Hallvard to a stable which stood opposite the
door of the house, and concealed him in the manger. This was before the
people got up, but he had slept in the house during the night. When
Hallvard had been a little while in the stable, he saw a brisk man
coming to the house. He called into the house, and told the woman to
make herself ready. She took her clothes and brought them out. Then
Hallvard thought he knew who the man was, and walked out. Brynjúlf had
put down his weapons while he was tying the clothes; and when Hallvard
met him he dealt him a deadly blow, and returned to the stable and hid
himself. While the slaughter was being committed the woman had gone into
the house to take leave of the inmates, but when she came out she saw
what had occurred, and ran in crying and frightened to such a degree
that she was nearly fainting, and told the news. Farmer Uni ran out, and
said that the man had probably been an assassin. He despatched a man to
tell Jón the news, and urged his men with great eagerness to search for
the murderer; therefore no one suspected him. Hallvard remained in the
stable until the search had slackened. Then he went, with Uni’s advice,
to Orm and his sons at Studla, and they sent men with him to the east.
Kol and Sölmund received him well, and were then well satisfied with
their case. After a while the truth came out, and Jón was very much
grieved. Thus that year passed.
Next winter, towards Yuletide, Jón left his home with thirty men, saying
that he was going to pay his uncle Olaf a visit. This he did, and was
very well received. Jón told his uncle that he was going to Agdir to see
Sölmund. Olaf dissuaded him from it, and said that he had held his own
though they parted as matters stood then. But Jón said he was not
satisfied to let Brynjúlf remain unavenged. Olaf said he thought he
would gain very little by trying; yet he had from there thirty men, and
thus he went with half a hundred men across the hills, intending to take
Sölmund and Kol by surprise. When Jón had just gone from the north, Uni
went in haste to Orm and his sons at Studla, and they sent men with him
to Kol. He arrived there at Yule, and told them that Jón was going to
attack them. Kol despatched scouts immediately to all parts where Jón
was expected; and he himself went to see Sölmund, and they and their
kinsmen waited with a great number of men about them. They had news of
Jón’s movements, and started immediately to meet him. They met at a
certain wood, and the fight began immediately. Kol’s men were much more
numerous, and came off victorious. Jón lost many men, and fled into the
wood. He was wounded in the leg, and this wound healed so badly that he
was lame ever after, and was called Jón Fót (leg). He came to the north
during Lent, and his expedition was considered rather ignominious. The
winter thus passed, but the next summer Jón caused two of Kol’s kinsmen
to be killed, Gunnar and Aslák.