At last men met together to consider how they might stop the raiding.
Thorbeorg would not be left behind by Eindride, though he warned her
that she would hear nothing pleasant at the meeting. The crowd became
silent as she entered, and she spoke immediately to some of the chief
men.... Here, Philip got up out of bed looking very grim while he
uttered the words of Thorbeorg: “I know what you want to do. Very
good. I cannot stop you by myself. But this I can do, and will--I will
be the death of the man who kills Haurd....” Philip stood entranced and
still as a statue at the window, as if he could see her so long as he
remained still. His weakness, however, made him totter, and he got into
bed, saying: “She was magnificent. I would have done anything for her.
She said nothing else. She rode away without waiting for an answer.”
Torfe advised swift and violent measures against the Islanders, but
when Ref suggested that someone should put them off their guard by
pretending that they were free to go where they wished and be at peace
with all men, he thought well of the plan: in fact he said they should
ride that very night to a place out of sight of the Islanders. Next day
they saw Thorgar and Sigrod with twelve other outlaws coming for water.
Twice their number were sent against them. Thorgar and seven others
ran away. He formed a band of his own and was only killed after a long
freedom. Sigrod and those who were left made a hard fight, but all were
killed.
It was not easy to get a man to go next day and play the traitor on
the Holm, although Torfe declared that whoever went would have great
honour. In the end, Ref’s brother, Kiartan, offered to go, if he could
have Haurd’s ring for a reward. He took the boat of Thorstan Goldknop,
both because he disliked that man and because, being his, it would
not excite suspicion. The story he told the outlaws was that, chiefly
through Illuge and his friends, it had been decided that they should be
free to go where they wished and have peace. If they agreed, he himself
would row them ashore. Geir believed Kiartan, especially as he came in
the boat of one who was sworn never to betray them. Many others also
were eager to leave. But Haurd thought that Kiartan did not look like
a man who was bringing good, and he said so. Kiartan offered to swear
that he was speaking truth, and still Haurd told him that he had the
eyes of a man whose word was not worth much. Haurd did not hide his
doubts. Nevertheless, a full boat-load went off with Kiartan, talking
cheerfully. They were landed out of sight of the Holm, and every one of
them was penned in and killed on the spot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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