Duncan was the name of the first of King Brian’s sons; the second
was Margad; the third, Takt, whom we call Tann, he was the
youngest of them; but the elder sons of King Brian were full
grown, and the briskest of men.
Kormlada was not the mother of King Brian’s children, and so grim
was she against King Brian after their parting, that she would
gladly have him dead.
King Brian thrice forgave all his outlaws the same fault, but if
they misbehaved themselves oftener, then he let them be judged by
the law; and from this one may mark what a king he must have
been.
Kormlada egged on her son Sigtrygg very much to kill King Brian,
and she now sent him to Earl Sigurd to beg for help.
King Sigtrygg came before Yule to the Orkneys, and there, too,
came Earl Gilli, as was written before.
The men were so placed that King Sigtrygg sat in a high seat in
the middle, but on either side of the king sat one of the earls.
The men of King Sigtrygg and Earl Gilli sate on the inner side
away from him, but on the outer side away from Earl Sigurd, sate
Flosi and Thorstein, son of Hall of the Side, and the whole hall
was full.
Now King Sigtrygg and Earl Gilli wished to hear of these tidings
which had happened at the burning, and so, also, what had
befallen since.
Then Gunnar Lambi’s son was got to tell the tale, and a stool was
set for him to sit upon.
154. GUNNAR LAMBI’S SON’S SLAYING
Just at that very time Kari and Kolbein and David the White came
to Hrossey unawares to all men. They went straightway up on
land, but a few men watched their ship.
Kari and his fellows went straight to the earl’s homestead, and
came to the hall about drinking time.
It so happened that just then Gunnar was telling the story of the
burning, but they were listening to him meanwhile outside. This
was on Yule-day itself.
Now King Sigtrygg asked, “How did Skarphedinn bear the burning?”
“Well at first for a long time,” said Gunnar, “but still the end
of it was that he wept.” And so he went on giving an unfair
leaning in his story, but every now and then he laughed out loud.
Kari could not stand this, and then he ran in with his sword
drawn, and sang this song:
“Men of might, in battle eager,
Boast of burning Njal’s abode,
Have the Princes heard how sturdy
Seahorse racers sought revenge?
Hath not since, on foemen holding
High the shield’s broad orb aloft,
All that wrong been fully wroken?
Raw flesh ravens got to tear.”
So he ran in up the hall, and smote Gunnar Lambi’s son on the
