Flosi and his band.
All chose to go with him; and then he sails south to Wales, and
there they lay in hiding in a creek out of the way.
That morning Kol Thorstein’s son went into the town to buy
silver. He of all the burners had used the bitterest words. Kol
had talked much with a mighty dame, and he had so knocked the
nail on the head, that it was all but fixed that he was to have
her, and settle down there.
That same morning Kari went also into the town. He came where
Kol was telling the silver.
Kari knew him at once, and ran at him with his drawn sword and
smote him on the neck; but he still went on telling the silver,
and his head counted “ten” just as it spun off his body.
Then Kari said, “Go and tell this to Flosi, that Kari Solmund’s
son hath slain Kol Thorstein’s son. I give notice of this
slaying as done by my hand.”
Then Kari went to his ship, and told his shipmates of the
manslaughter.
Then they sailed north to Beruwick, and laid up their ship, and
fared up into Whitherne in Scotland, and were with Earl Malcolm
that year.
But when Flosi heard of Kol’s slaying, he laid out his body, and
bestowed much money on his burial.
Flosi never uttered any wrathful words against Kari.
Thence Flosi fared south across the sea and began his pilgrimage,
and went on south, and did not stop till he came to Rome. There
he got so great honour that he took absolution from the Pope
himself, and for that he gave a great sum of money.
Then he fared back again by the east road, and stayed long in
towns, and went in before mighty men, and had from them great
honour.
He was in Norway the winter after, and was with Earl Eric till he
was ready to sail, and the earl gave him much meal, and many
other men behaved handsomely to him.
Now he sailed out to Iceland, and ran into Hornfirth, and thence
fared home to Swinefell. He had then fulfilled all the terms of
his atonement, both in fines and foreign travel.
158. OF FLOSI AND KARI
Now it is to be told of Kari that the summer after he went down
to his ship and sailed south across the sea, and began his
pilgrimage in Normandy, and so went south and got absolution and
fared back by the western way, and took his ship again in
Normandy, and sailed in her north across the sea to Dover in
England.
Thence he sailed west, round Wales, and so north, through
Scotland’s firths, and did not stay his course till he came to
Thraswick in Caithness, to master Skeggi’s house.
There he gave over the ship of burden to Kolbein and David, and
Kolbein sailed in that ship to Norway, but David stayed behind in
