brothers; then he called other six men, and among them were
Lambi, and Modolf, and Glum. Then he called three men. Last of
all he called Gunnar Lambi’s son, and Kol Tborstein’s son. After
that he came up to me; I asked him `What news?’ He said he had
tidings enough to tell. Then I asked him for his name, but he
called himself Irongrim. I asked him whither he was going; he
said he had to fare to the Althing. `What shalt thou do there?’
I said. `First I shall challenge the inquest,’ he answers, `and
then the courts, then clear the field for fighters.’ After that
he sang this song:
“Soon a man death’s snake-strokes dealing
High shall lift his head on earth,
Here amid the dust low rolling
Battered brainpans men shall see;
Now upon the hills in hurly
Buds the blue steel’s harvest bright;
Soon the bloody dew of battle
Thigh-deep through the ranks shall rise.”
“Then he shouted with such a mighty shout that methought
everything near shook, and dashed down his staff, and there was a
mighty crash. Then he went back into the fell, but fear clung to
me; and now I wish thee to tell me what thou thinkest this dream
is.”
“It is my foreboding,” says Kettle, “that all those who were
called must be `fey.’ It seems to me good counsel that we tell
this dream to no man just now.”
Flosi said so it should be. Now the winter passes away till Yule
was over. Then Flosi said to his men, “Now I mean that we should
fare from home, for methinks we shall not be able to have an idle
peace. Now we shall fare to pray for help, and now that will
come true which I told you, that we should have to bow the knee
to many ere this quarrel were ended.”
133. OF FLOSI’S JOURNEY AND HIS ASKING FOR HELP
After that they busked them from home all together. Flosi was in
long-hose because he meant to go on foot, and then he knew that
it would seem less hard to the others to walk.
Then they fared from home to Knappvale, but the evening after to
Broadwater, and then to Calffell, thence by Bjornness to
Hornfirth, thence to Staffell in Lon, and then to Thvattwater to
Hall of the Side.
Flosi had to wife Steinvora, his daughter.
Hall gave them a very hearty welcome, and Flosi said to Hall, “I
will ask thee, father-in-law, that thou wouldst ride to the Thing
with me with all thy Thingmen.”
“Now,” answered Hall, “it has turned out as the saw says, `but a
short while is hand fain of blow’; and yet it is one and the same
man in thy band who now hangs his head, and who then goaded thee
on to the worst of deeds when it was still undone. But my help I
am bound to lend thee in all such places as I may.”
