WELL, they had a long and hard passage, and are out more than a hundred
days: they made the north of the island, and coasted it westward along the
Strand, and so on west off the firths. At last they ran their ship into
Dyrafirth, at the mouth of the Hawkdale river. Then they unlade their ship and
set up tents, and it was soon noised abroad that a ship had come. There was a
man named Thorkel who dwelt at Alvidra, on the north side of Dyrafirth: he was
a wealthy man of good birth. In Springdale, on the south side of the firth,
dwelt another Thorkel, the son of Eric. At that time all the land round the west
firths was settled. This Thorkel, Eric's son, sold land in Hawkdale to
Thorbjorn Soursop, for he was so called after he quenched the fire with the
sour whey; the inner bight of the stream was already settled, and Thorgrim
Bottlenose was the name of the man who lived there. Far up the dale dwelt
another Thorkel, and his nickname was "Faulty." He had a wife, and
her name was Thorhalla; she was a sister of Thorgrim Bottlenose. Thorkel the
Faulty was just what his nickname called him, but it could not be said that
Thorhalla made any of his faults better, for she was worse than her husband.
They had a son called Thorstein: he was tall and strong. In Tweendale, that
turns aside from Hawkdale, dwelt a man whose name was Aunund: he was well to
do, and a trustworthy man. So there, at Sæbol in Hawkdale, Thorbjorn, and
Gisli, and Thorkel took up their abode, and Gisli built their house.
In
the same neighbourhood dwelt Vestein, the son of Vestein. He was a seafaring
man, but he had a house under Hest, a hill in Aunundarfirth. His sister's name
was Auda. Just about this time Thorbjorn Soursop and Isgerda his wife died, and
were buried in a howe in Hawkdale. Thorkel and Gisli took the homestead at
Sæbol after him. A little after, Thorkel looked out for a wife. There was a man
named Thorbjorn Sealnip. He dwelt at Talknafirth. His wife's name was Thordisa,
and Asgerda was their daughter. Thorkel Soursop asked Asgerda to wife, and got
her; but his brother Gisli wooed Auda, the sister of Vestein, and got her. So
both of them went on living under the same roof at Sæbol in Hawkdale, and did
not part their goods though they were married. The story goes on to say that
one spring Thorkel of Alvidra had to make a journey south to Thorsness Thing,
and Gisli and Thorkel, the Soursops, went with him. At that time Thorstein
Codbiter dwelt on Thorsness. He was the son of Thorolf Mosttrarskegg. Thorgrim
and Bork the Stout were the sons of Thorstein, and his daughter's name was
Thordisa. When Thorkel had got through his business at the Thing, Thorstein
Codbiter asked him and the Soursops to come to his house, and gave them good
gifts, and ere they parted they asked Thorstein's sons to come and see them the
spring after, west at the Dyrafirth Thing. So the winter passed over, and there
were no tidings. Now the next spring comes, and the sons of Thorstein fared
from home--Thorgrim and Bork and fourteen men more. When they came west to the
Valsere Thing they met the Soursops there, and they asked the sons of Thorstein
to come home with them after the Thing, for up to that time they had been
guests of Thorkel of Alvidra. So they accepted the bidding, and fared home with
the Soursops. But Thordisa, the sister of those brothers, seemed fair in the
eyes of Thorgrim, and he lifted up his voice and asked for her, and she was
then and there betrothed to Thorgrim, and the wedding-feast took place at once,
and it was settled that she should have Sæbol for her dower, the farm where
these brothers had dwelt before. Then Gisli and Thorkel went to Hol and set up
their abode there; but Thorgrim took up his abode there in the west, and dwelt
at Sæbol. Bork, his brother, had the management in Thorsness when his father
Thorstein died, and there with him dwelt his nephews Quarrelsome Stein and
Thorodd.
So
those brothers-in-law dwell hard by as neighbours in Hawkdale, and are great
friends. Thorkel. and Gisli built a fine house at Hol, so that it was soon no
less a homestead than Sæbol: their lands touched and their friendship seemed
likely to last. Thorgrim had the priesthood, and he was a great stay to those
brothers. Now they fare in spring-time to the leet, forty men of them together
and they were all in holiday clothes. There too, was Vestein, Gisli's
brother-in-law, and every man of the Soursops following. Gest, the son of
Oddleif, the wisest man in Iceland, had also come to that leet, and he turned
into the booth of Thorkel the Wealthy of Alvidra. The Hawkdalemen sit at drink,
while the rest of the freemen were at the court, for it was a Thing for trying
suits. All at once there came into the Hawkdale booth a great oaf, Arnor by
name, who spoke and said: "You Hawkdalemen are strange fellows, who take
heed for naught but drink, and never go near the court where your followers
have suits to settle. This is what all think, though I alone utter it."
Then
Gisli said: "Let us go to the courts as soon as ever we can; maybe that
others than Arnor utter this."
Now
they go to the courts, and Thorgrim asks if there were any there who stood in
need of their help, "for we will leave nothing undone to help our men, and
they shall never be shorn of their rights so long as we stand straight."
Then
Thorkel the Wealthy spoke and said: "This business that we have in hand is
little worth. We will send and tell you as soon as we need your help."
Now
men fell to talking about their band, how brave it was in attire, and about
Thorgrim's haughty speech, and about his gallant bearing; and when men went
home to their booths Thorkel the Wealthy said to Gest the Wise: "How long
thinkest thou that the spirit of these Hawkdalemen will last? How long will
they bear all before them?"
"They
will not," said Gest, "be all of one and the same mind as they are
now three springs hence."
But
Arnor the oaf was by when Gest said this, and ran at once to the Hawkdale
booth, and told these words which had passed between Thorkel and Gest.
Then
Gisli answered: "He must have said this because all feel it; but let us
beware that it does not turn out true, for Gest says sooth about many things;
and now methinks I see a plan by which we may well guard against it."
"What
is that?"
"We
shall bind ourselves by more lasting utterances than ever. Let us four take the
oath of foster-brothers."
Well,
they all thought that good counsel; and after that they went out of their booth
to the point of the "ere," 1 and there cut up a sod of turf in such
wise that both its ends were still fast to the earth, and propped it up by a
spear scored with runes, so tall that a man might lay his hand on the socket of
the spear-head. Under this yoke they were all four to pass--Thorgrim, Gisli,
Thorkel, and Vestein. Now they breathe each a vein, and let their blood fall
together on the mould whence the turf had been cut up, and all touch it; and
afterwards they all fall on their knees and were to take hands, and swear to
avenge each the other as though he were his brother, and to call all the gods
to witness.
But
now, just as they were going to take hands, Thorgrim said: "I shall have
quite enough on my hands if I do this towards Thorkel and Gisli, my
brothers-in-law; but towards Vestein I have no tie to bind me to so great a
charge." As he said this he drew back his hand.
"Then
more will do the like," says Gisli, and drew back his hand. "I will
be bound by no tie to the man who will not be bound by the same tie to my
brother-in-law Vestein."
Now
men began to think there was some weight in Gest's spaedom. But Gisli said to
Thorkel: "All this happened as I foreboded, and this which we have done is
of no good, for I guess that fate rules in this too."
Now men fare home from the leet, and
all is still and tidingless.
Footnotes
1 "Ere,"
old English for a sandy spit of land; from the Icelandic eyri.
-----------------------
From “THE STORY OF GISLI THE OUTLAW”
ISBN: 978-1-907256-46-2
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