The earl had already heard of the burning, and so be knew the men
at once, and then the earl asked Flosi, “What hast thou to tell
me about Helgi Njal’s son, my henchman.”
“This,” said Flosi, “that I hewed off his head.”
“Take them all,” said the earl.
Then that was done, and just then in came Thorstein, son of Hall
of the Side. Flosi had to wife Steinvora, Thorstein’s sister.
Thorstein was one of Earl Sigurd’s bodyguard, but when be saw
Flosi seized and held, he went in before the earl, and offered
for Flosi all the goods he had.
The earl was very wroth a long time, but at last the end of it
was, by the prayer of good men and true, joined to those of
Thorstein, for he was well backed by friends, and many threw in
their word with his, that the earl took an atonement from them,
and gave Flosi and all the rest of them peace. The earl held to
that custom of mighty men that Flosi took that place in his
service which Helgi Njal’s son had filled.
So Flosi was made Earl Sigurd’s henchman, and he soon won his way
to great love with the earl.
153. KARI GOES ABROAD
Those messmates Kari and Kolbein the Black put out to sea from
Eyrar half a month later than Flosi and his companions from
Hornfirth.
They got a fine fair wind, and were but a short time out. The
first land they made was the Fair Isle, it lies between Shetland
and the Orkneys. There that man whose name was David the White
took Kari into his house, and he told him all that he had heard
for certain about the doings of the burners. He was one of
Kari’s greatest friends, and Kari stayed with him for the winter.
There they heard tidings from the west out of the Orkneys of all
that was done there.
Earl Sigurd bade to his feast at Yule Earl Gilli, his brother-in-law, out of the Southern isles; he had to wife Swanlauga, Earl
Sigurd’s sister; and then, too, came to see Earl Sigurd that king
from Ireland whose name was Sigtrygg. He was a son of Olaf
Rattle, but his mother’s name was Kormlada; she was the fairest
of all women, and best gifted in everything that was not in her
own power, but it was the talk of men that she did all things ill
over which she had any power.
Brian was the name of the king who first had her to wife, but
they were then parted. He was the best-natured of all kings. He
had his seat in Connaught, in Ireland; his brother’s name was
Wolf the Quarrelsome, the greatest champion and warrior; Brian’s
fosterchild’s name was Kerthialfad. He was the son of King
Kylfi, who had many wars with King Brian, and fled away out of
the land before him, and became a hermit; but when King Brian
went south on a pilgrimage, then he met King Kylfi, and then they
were atoned, and King Brian took his son Kerthialfad to him, and
loved him more than his own sons. He was then full grown when
these things happened, and was the boldest of all men.
