Then they went to sleep first of all, but when Brodir woke up, he
drew his breath painfully, and bade them put off the boat.
“For,” he said, “I will go to see Ospak.”
Then he got into the boat and some men with him, but when he
found Ospak he told him of the wonders which had befallen them,
and bade him say what he thought they bodcd.
Ospak would not tell him before he pledged him peace, and Brodir
promised him peace, but Ospak still shrank from telling him till
night fell.
Then Ospak spoke and said, “When blood rained on you, therefore
shall ye shed many men’s blood, both of your own and others. But
when ye heard a great din, then ye must have been shown the crack
of doom, and ye shall all die speedily. But when weapons fought
against you, that must forebode a battle; but when ravens pressed
you, that marks the devils which ye put faith in, and who will
drag you all down to the pains of hell.”
Then Brodir was so wroth that he could answer never a word, but
he went at once to his men, and made them lay his ships in a line
across the sound, and moor them by bearing their cables on shore
at either end of the line, and meant to slay them all next
morning.
Ospak saw all their plan, and then he vowed to take the true
faith, and to go to King Brian, and follow him till his deathday.
Then he took that counsel to lay his ships in a line, and punt
them along the shore with poles, and cut the cables of Brodir’s
ships. Then the ships of Brodir’s men began to fall aboard of
one another when they were all fast asleep; and so Ospak and his
men got out of the firth, and so west to Ireland, and came to
Connaught.
Then Ospak told King Brian all that he had learnt, and took
baptism, and gave himself over into the king’s hand.
After that King Brian made them gather force over all his realm,
and the whole host was to come to Dublin in the week before Palm
Sunday.
156. BRIAN’S BATTLE
Earl Sigurd Hlodver’s son busked him from the Orkneys, and Flosi
offered to go with him.
The earl would not have that, since he had his pilgrimage to
fulfil.
Flosi offered fifteen men of his band to go on the voyage, and
the earl accepted them, but Flosi fared with Earl Gilli to the
Southern isles.
Thorstein, the son of Hall of the Side, went along with Earl
Sigurd, and Hrafn the Red, and Erling of Straumey.
He would not that Hareck should go, but said he would be sure to
be the first to tell him the tidings of his voyage.
The earl came with all his host on Palm Sunday to Dublin, and
there too was come Brodir with all his host.
Brodir tried by sorcery how the fight would go, but the answer
