And that vow Gunnar kept, in that he bore the bill while he
lived. Those namesakes the two Kolskeggs fought together, and
it was a near thing which would get the better of it. Then
Gunnar came up, and gave the other Kolskegg his deathblow.
After that the sea-rovers begged for mercy. Gunnar let them have
that choice, and he let them also count the slain, and take the
goods which the dead men owned, but he gave the others whom he
spared their arms and their clothing, and bade them be off to the
lands that fostered them. So they went off, and Gunnar took all
the goods that were left behind.
Tofi came to Gunner after the battle, and offered to lead him to
that store of goods which the sea-rovers had stowed away, and
said that it was both better and larger than that which they had
already got.
Gunnar said he was willing to go, and so he went ashore, and Tofi
before him, to a wood, and Gunnar behind him. They came to a
place where a great heap of wood was piled together. Tofi says
the goods were under there, then they tossed off the wood, and
found under it both gold and silver, clothes, and good weapons.
They bore those goods to the ships, and Gunnar asks Tofi in what
way he wished him to repay him.
Tofi answered, “I am a Dansk man by race, and I wish thou wouldst
bring me to my kinsfolk.”
Gunnar asks why he was there away east?
“I was taken by sea-rovers,” says Tofi, “and they put me on land
here in Osel, and here I have been ever since.”
ENDNOTES:
(1) Rill of wolf — stream of blood.
(2) A province of Sweden.
(3) An island in the Baltic, off the coast of Esthonia.
(4) “Endil’s courser” — periphrasis for a ship.
(5) “Sigar’s storm” — periphrasis for a sea-fight.
31. GUNNAR GOES TO KING HAROLD GORM’SSON AND EARL HACON
Gunnar took Tofi on board, and said to Kolskegg and Hallvard,
“Now we will hold our course for the north lands.”
They were well pleased at that, and bade him have his way. So
Gunnar sailed from the east with much goods. He had ten ships,
and ran in with them to Heidarby in Denmark. King Harold Gorm’s
son was there up the country, and he was told about Gunnar, and
how too that there was no man his match in all Iceland. He sent
men to him to ask him to come to him, and Gunnar went at once to
see the king, and the king made him a hearty welcome, and sat him
down next to himself. Gunnar was there half a month. The king
made himself sport by letting Gunnar prove himself in divers
feats of strength against his men, and there were none that were
his match even in one feat.
Then the king said to Gunnar, “It seems to me as though thy peer
is not to be found far or near,” and the king offered to get
Gunnar a wife, and to raise him to great power if he would settle
down there.
