troth with thy son Gunnlaug?"

Illugi said, "Surely, if thou wiliest it. Little can I say herein, as I
do not know clearly what Gunnlaug is about."

Then Thorstein went to Skapti, and a bargain was struck that the wedding
should be at Burg, about winter-nights, if Gunnlaug did not come out
that summer; but that Thorstein should be free from all troth with Raven
if Gunnlaug should come and fetch his bride.

After this men ride home from the Thing, and Gunnlaug's coming was long
drawn out. But Helga thought evilly of all these redes.

CHAPTER XI. Of how Gunnlaug must needs abide away from Iceland.

Now it is to be told of Gunnlaug that he went from Sweden the same
summer that Raven went to Iceland, and good gifts he had from King Olaf
at parting.

King Ethelred welcomed Gunnlaug worthily, and that winter he was with
the king, and was held in great honour.

In those days Knut the Great, son of Svein, ruled Denmark, and had
new-taken his father's heritage, and he vowed ever to wage war on
England, for that his father had won a great realm there before he died
west in that same land.

And at that time there was a great army of Danish men west there, whose
chief was Heming, the son of Earl Strut-Harald, and brother to Earl
Sigvaldi, and he held for King Knut that land that Svein had won.

Now in the spring Gunnlaug asked the king for leave to go away, but he
said, "It ill beseems that thou, my man, shouldst go away now, when all
bodes such mighty war in the land."

Gunnlaug said, "Thou shalt rule, lord; but give me leave next summer to
depart, if the Danes come not."

The king answered, "Then we shall see."

Now this summer went by, and the next winter, but no Danes came; and
after midsummer Gunnlaug got his leave to depart from the king, and went
thence east to Norway, and found Earl Eric in Thrandheim, at Hladir, and
the earl greeted him well, and bade him abide with him. Gunnlaug thanked
him for his offer, but said he would first go out to Iceland, to look to
his promised maiden.

The earl said, "Now all ships bound for Iceland have sailed."

Then said one of the court, "Here lay, yesterday, Hallfred
Troublous-Skald, out tinder Agdaness."

The earl answered, "That may well be; he sailed hence five nights ago."

Then Earl Eric had Gunnlaug rowed put to Hallfred, who greeted him with
joy; and forthwith a fair wind bore them from land, and they were right
merry.

This was late in the summer: bu