says that so it shall be. So they pulled up to them, and
then the battle began the second time; but when they had fought a
little while, Kari springs up on Snowcolf's ship; he turns to
meet him and smites at him with his sword. Kari leaps nimbly
backwards over a beam that lay athwart the ship, and Snowcolf
smote the beam so that both edges of the sword were hidden. Then
Kari smites at him, and the sword fell on his shoulder, and the
stroke was so mighty that he cleft in twain shoulder, arm, and
all, and Snowcolf got his death there and then. Gritgard hurled
a spear at Kari, but Kari saw it and sprang up aloft, and the
spear missed him. Just then Helgi and Grim came up both to meet
Kari, and Helgi springs on Gritgard and thrusts his spear through
him, and that was his death blow; after that they went round the
whole ship on both boards, and then men begged for mercy. So
they gave them all peace, but took all their goods. After that
they ran all the ships out under the islands.

84. OF EARL SIGURD

Sigurd was the name of an earl who ruled over the Orkneys; he was
the son of Hlodver, the son of Thorfinn the skullsplitter, the
son of Turf-Einar, the son of Rognvald, Earl of Moeren, the son
of Eystein the Noisy. Kari was one of Earl Sigurd's body-guard,
and had just been gathering scatts in the Southern Isles from
Earl Gilli. Now Kari asks them to go to Hrossey (1), and said
the earl would take to them well. They agreed to that, and went
with Kari and came to Hrossey. Kari led them to see the earl,
and said what men they were.

"How came they," says the earl, "to fall upon thee?"

"I found them," says Kari, "in Scotland's firths, and they were
fighting with the sons of Earl Moldan, and held their own so well
that they threw themselves about between the bulwarks, from side
to side, and were always there where the trial was greatest, and
now I ask you to give them quarters among your body-guard."

"It shall be as thou choosest," says the earl, "thou hast already
taken them so much by the hand."

Then they were there with the earl that winter, and were worthily
treated, but Helgi was silent as the winter wore on. The earl
could not tell what was at the bottom of that, and asked why he
was so silent, and what was on his mind. "Thinkest thou it not
good to be here?"

"Good, methinks, it is here," he says.

"Then what art thou thinking about?" asks the earl.

"Hast thou any realm to guard in Scotland