EARL HARALD COMES UNPERCEIVED TO THE ORKNEYS.
THE eleventh day of Yule-tide, it happened in Gáreksey that Swein was
sitting at his drink with his men. Rubbing his nose, he said: “I think
Earl Harald is now on his way to the Islands.”
His men replied that this was unlikely, on account of the strong gales
prevailing at that time.
He replied: “I know such is your opinion, and I shall not therefore send
intelligence to the Earl now, merely on the strength of my presentiment;
yet I suspect it is necessary.” Then the subject was dropped, and they
went on drinking as before.
Earl Harald commenced his voyage to the Orkneys during Yule-tide. He had
four ships, and a hundred men. Two nights he lay under Gáreksey
(Grimsey?). They landed in Hafnarvag,[404] in Hrossey, and the
thirteenth day of Yule-tide they walked to Fiörd (Firth). They spent the
Yule-holiday at Orkahaug.[405] There two of their men were seized with
madness, which retarded their journey. It was near day when they came to
Fiörd (Firth). There they learned that Earl Erlend was on board his
ship, but that he had been drinking during that day at a house on shore.
There Harald and his men killed two men—one was named Ketill, the name
of the other is not mentioned—and made four prisoners: Arnfinn, Anakol’s
brother, another man called Liótólf, and two others. Harald and
Thorbiörn Klerk returned to Thórsá; the brothers Benedict and Eirík went
to Lambaborg, taking Arnfinn with them.
As soon as Earl Erlend became aware of the enemy, he sent men during the
night to Gáreksey to tell Swein. He pushed out his boats immediately,
and went to see Earl Erlend, according to the message, and they stayed
on board the ships a great part of the winter. Benedict and his brother
sent word that Arnfinn would not be liberated unless Earl Erlend sent
them back their ship which had been seized off Kjárekstadir. The Earl
was willing to give up the ship, but Anakol dissuaded him from it,
saying that Arnfinn would get away without this sacrifice.
On the Wednesday before Lent, Anakol and Thorstein, Ragna’s son, went
over by night to Ness (Caithness) in a boat with twenty men. They hauled
the boat ashore under a cliff in a hidden creek. Then they went up and
hid themselves in some copsewood a short distance from Thrasvík
(Freswick). They had fitted up the boat in such a way that the men
seemed to be each in his place. Some men had come past the boat in the
morning, and had not suspected anything.
Anakol and his men saw some men rowing from the borg[406] and landing at
the river-mouth.[407] Then they saw a man riding from the borg, and
another walking, whom they recognised to be Eirík. Then they divided
themselves into two parties. Ten went along the river down to the sea,
to prevent them from getting to the boat; other ten went to the hamlet.
Eirík came a short time before them to the hamlet, and walked towards
the drinking-hall. Then he heard armed men moving about, and ran into
the hall, and out through another door, and down to his boat; but there
he came upon men who seized him, and brought him out to the Islands to
Earl Erlend. Then messengers were sent to Earl Harald to tell him that
Eirík would not be liberated until Arnfinn and his companions came safe
to Erlend. And the wishes of both were complied with.