OF EARL HARALD AND SWEIN, ASLEIF’S SON.
AFTER Christmas a meeting was appointed to make peace between the Earls
and Swein, when they should finally settle all matters about which
reconciliation had been made. When they met, Earl Rögnvald took great
pains to make peace between them. Others, however, who were not Swein’s
friends or kinsmen, spoke against him, saying that he would always be
causing disturbances if he were not expelled from the Islands. At last,
however, they agreed upon this—that Swein should pay a mark of gold to
each of the Earls, and should keep one-half of his estates and a good
long-ship.
When Swein heard the award, he replied: “Our agreement will be good only
in case I am not oppressed.”
Earl Rögnvald would not accept the payment from Swein, saying that he
would in no way oppress him, as he considered his faithfulness and
friendship worth more than money.
After the peace-meeting, Earl Harald went to Gáreksey, and used Swein’s
corn and other property rather wastefully. When Swein heard this he
complained of his loss to Earl Rögnvald, and said, that “this was a
breach of their agreement, and that he would go home to look after his
property.”
Earl Rögnvald said: “Stay with me, Swein: I shall send a message to Earl
Harald, for he will be more than a match for you to deal with, strong
and brave as you are.”
Swein was not to be dissuaded, and went with ten men in a boat to
Gáreksey, and arrived there late in the evening. They went behind the
houses, and Swein wished to set fire to the hall, and burn down the
homestead, and the Earl within it. A man named Swein, Blákári’s son, the
most notable of Swein’s companions, dissuaded him from doing so, saying
that the Earl was not perhaps in the homestead; and if he was there, he
would neither permit Swein’s wife nor his daughter to go out, and it was
never to be thought of to burn them. Then they went up to the door, and
into the entry. Those who were inside the hall jumped up and closed the
door, and then Swein and his men became aware that the Earl was not in
the house. Those who were within soon ceased resisting, surrendered
their weapons to Swein, and went out unarmed. Swein gave quarter to all
Earl Harald’s men. He poured out all his beer, and took away his wife
and daughter. He asked his wife Ingirid where Earl Harald was, but she
would not tell him. He then said: “Say nothing then, but point to where
he is.” She would not do that either, because she was related to the
Earl. Swein gave up some of the arms, when they came on board the ships.
But the effect of this was that their agreement of peace was at an end.
Earl Harald had gone out to a certain island to hunt hares.[428] Swein
went to Hellisey.[429] It rises abruptly from the sea, and there is a
large cave in the cliffs, the mouth of which is flooded at high-water.
When the Earl’s men got their weapons from Swein, they went to Earl
Harald and informed him of these doings of Swein’s. The Earl had his
ship set afloat, and ordered his men to row after him. He said: “This
time our meeting with Swein shall be decisive.” Then they rowed in
pursuit of him, and soon they saw and recognised each other.
When Swein saw that they gained on him, he said: “We must devise some
scheme, because I do not care to meet the Earl with so great odds
against me as I suspect there are. Let us go to the cave and see how we
fare.”
When Swein came to the cave it was ebb tide. They hauled up the boat
into the cave, which ran into the cliff, and the water rose before the
mouth of the cave. During the day Earl Harald and his men searched for
Swein throughout the island, and did not find him, neither did they see
any boat leave the island. They wondered very much at this, as they
thought it unlikely that Swein’s boat had gone down. They rowed round
the island in search of the boat, but did not find it. Then they
concluded that he must have gone to some of the other islands, and they
went where they thought it most likely. It so happened that, when the
Earl rowed away, the tide was back from the mouth of the cave. Swein had
overheard the talk between the Earl and his men. He left his own boat in
the cave, and took a small boat which the monks[430] had, and went to
Sandey. There they landed, and pushed off the small boat, which drifted
about till it was wrecked. They came to a homestead called
Völuness,[431] where a man lived by name Bárd, who was Swein’s kinsman.
They made themselves known to him secretly, and Swein said he wished to
stay there. Bárd said he might do as he liked, but that he dared not
keep him here unless in hiding. They went in, and sat by themselves in a
part of the house separated from the other inmates by a partition-wall.
There was a secret door to it, filled up with loose stones. That evening
Jón Vœng, Earl Harald’s steward, arrived there with six men, and Bárd
received them well. Large fires were made, at which they warmed
themselves. Jón was excited, and spoke of the dealings of Swein and the
Earls. He blamed Swein very much, said he was a truce-breaker, and
faithful to no one. He had lately made peace with Earl Harald, and yet
he went to attack him and burn him in the house, adding that there would
never be peace in the land till Swein was banished from it. Bárd and
Jón’s companions put in some words in Swein’s defence. Then Jón began to
blame Earl Erlend, saying there was no loss in his death, as he was a
violent man, and nobody could live in safety for him. When Swein heard
this, he could not restrain himself, but seized his weapons, and ran to
the secret door. He pushed the stones down, thus making a great noise.
Swein’s design was to leap before the hall-door. Jón was sitting in his
shirt and linen breeches, and when he heard Swein coming he tied on his
shoes and sprang out from the fire and away from the house. The night
was pitch dark, and it was hard frost. During the night he came to
another farm. His feet were very much frost-bitten, and some of his toes
fell off. Through the intercession of Bárd, Swein gave peace to Jón’s
companions. He remained there during the night, but in the morning he
and his men went away in a boat belonging to Bárd, which he gave to him.
They went south to Bardsvík,[432] and stayed in a certain cave.
Sometimes Swein took his meals at a house during the day, but slept
during the night down by his boat, and thus he guarded himself against
his enemies.