“How came they,” says the earl, “to fall upon thee?”
“I found them,” says Kari, “in Scotland’s firths, and they were
fighting with the sons of Earl Moldan, and held their own so well
that they threw themselves about between the bulwarks, from side
to side, and were always there where the trial was greatest, and
now I ask you to give them quarters among your bodyguard.”
“It shall be as thou choosest,” says the earl, “thou hast already
taken them so much by the hand.”
Then they were there with the earl that winter, and were worthily
treated, but Helgi was silent as the winter wore on. The earl
could not tell what was at the bottom of that, and asked why he
was so silent, and what was on his mind. “Thinkest thou it not
good to be here?”
“Good, methinks, it is here,” he says.
“Then what art thou thinking about?” asks the earl.
“Hast thou any realm to guard in Scotland?” asks Helgi.
“So we think,” says the earl, “but what makes thee think about
that, or what is the matter with it?”
“The Scots,” says Helgi, “must have taken your steward’s life,
and stopped all the messengers, that none should cross the
Pentland Firth.”
“Hast thou the second sight?” said the earl.
“That has been little proved,” answers Helgi.
“Well,” says the earl, “I will increase thy honour if this be so,
otherwise thou shalt smart for it.”
“Nay,” says Kari, “Helgi is not that kind of man, and like enough
his words are sooth, for his father has the second sight.”
After that the earl sent men south to Straumey (2) to Arnljot,
his steward there, and after that Arnljot sent them across the
Pentland Firth, and they spied out and learnt that Earl Hundi and
Earl Melsnati had taken the life of Havard in Thraswick, Earl
Sigurd’s brother-in-law. So Arnljot sent word to Earl Sigurd to
come south with a great host and drive those earls out of his
realm, and as soon as the earl heard that, he gathered together a
mighty host from all the isles.
ENDNOTES:
(1) The mainland of Orkney, now Pomona.
(2) Now Stroma, in the Pentland Firth.
85. THE BATTLE WITH THE EARLS
After that the earl set out south with his host, and Kari went
with him, and Njal’s sons too. They came south to Caithness.
The earl had these realms in Scotland, Ross and Moray,
Sutherland, and the Dales. There came to meet them men from
those realms, and said that the earls were a short way off with a
great host. Then Earl Sigurd turns his host thither, and the
name of that place is Duncansness above which they met, and it
came to a great battle between them. Now the Scots had let some
of their host go free from the main battle, and these took the
earl’s men in flank, and many men fell there till Njal’s sons
turned against the foe, and fought with them and put them to
