Epic and Romance: Essays on Medieval LiteratureKer, W. P. (William Paton)
History
Epic and Romance: Essays on Medieval Literature
Ker, W. P. (William Paton)
Epic poetry -- History and criticism; Literature, Medieval -- History and criticism; Romances -- History and criticism
And with this talk of Gudrun, Bolli was made to magnify his
ill-will and his grievance against Kjartan; and took his
weapons and went along with the others. They were nine
altogether; five sons of Osvifr, that is to say, Ospak and
Helgi, Vandrad, Torrad, and Thorolf; Bolli was the sixth,
Gunnlaug the seventh, sister's son of Osvifr, a comely man;
the other two were Odd and Stein, sons of Thorhalla the
talkative. They rode to Svinadal and stopped at the gully
called Hafragil; there they tied their horses and sat down.
Bolli was silent all the day, and laid him down at the edge
of the gully, above.
Kjartan and his companions had come south over the pass, and
the dale was opening out, when Kjartan said that it was time
for Thorkell and his brother to turn back. Thorkell said
they would ride with him to the foot of the dale. And when
they were come south as far as the bothies called the North
Sheilings, Kjartan said to the brothers that they were not
to ride further.
"Thorolf, the thief, shall not have this to laugh at, that I
was afraid to ride on my way without a host of men."
Thorkell Whelp makes answer: "We will give in to you and
ride no further; but sorry shall we be if we are not there
and you are in want of men this day."
Then said Kjartan: "Bolli my kinsman will not try to have my
life, and for the sons of Osvifr, if they lie in wait for
me, it remains to be seen which of us shall tell the tale
afterwards, for all that there may be odds against me."
After that the brothers and their men rode west again.
Now Kjartan rides southward down the valley, he and the two
others, An the Swart and Thorarinn. At Hafratindr in
Svinadal lived a man called Thorkell. There is no house
there now. He had gone to look after his horses that day,
and his shepherd along with him. They had a view of both
companies; the sons of Osvifr lying in wait, and Kjartan's
band of three coming down along the dale. Then said the herd
lad that they should go and meet Kjartan; it would be great
luck if they could clear away the mischief that was waiting
for them.
"Hold your tongue," said Thorkell; "does the fool think he
can give life to a man when his doom is set? It is but
little I grudge them their good pleasure, though they choose
to hurt one another to their hearts' content. No! but you
and I, we will get to a place where there will be no risk,
where we can see all their meeting and have good sport out
of their play. They all say that Kjartan has more fighting
in him than any man; maybe he will need it all, for you and
I can see that the odds are something."
And so it had to be as Thorkell wished.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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