any wound; they made no search
for the man because of the dark, so they rowed over the firths to
Coldback, and told tidings of what had happed; thereat folk made much
mocking, and called Thorgeir, Bottleback, and that was his by-name
ever after.

And this was sung withal--

"The brave men of days of old,
Whereof many a tale is told,
Bathed the whiting of the shield,
In wounds' house on battle-field;
But the honour-missing fool,
Both sides of his slaying tool,
Since faint heart his hand made vain.
With but curdled milk must stain."

CHAP. XII.

In those days befell such hard times in Iceland, that nought like them
has been known there; well-nigh all gettings from the sea, and all
drifts, came to an end; and this went on for many seasons. One autumn
certain chapmen in a big ship were drifted thither, and were wrecked
there in the Creek, and Flosi took to him four or five of them; Stein
was the name of their captain; they were housed here and there about
the Creek, and were minded to build them a new ship from the wreck;
but they were unhandy herein, and the ship was over small stem and
stern, but over big amidships.

That spring befell a great storm from the north, which lasted near a
week, and after the storm men looked after their drifts. Now there was
a man called Thorstein, who dwelt at Reekness; he found a whale driven
up on the firthward side of the ness, at a place called Rib-Skerries,
and the whale was a big whale.

Thorstein sent forthwith a messenger to Wick to Flosi, and so to the
nighest farm-steads. Now Einar was the name of the farmer at Combe,
and he was a tenant of those of Coldback, and had the ward of their
drifts on that side of the firths; and now withal he was ware of the
stranding of the whale: and he took boat and rowed past the firths to
Byrgis Creek, whence he sent a man to Coldback; and when Thorgrim and
his brothers heard that, they got ready at their swiftest, and were
twelve in a ten-oared boat, and Kolbein's sons fared with them, Ivar
and Leif, and were six altogether; and all farmers who could bring it
about went to the whale.

Now it is to be told of Flosi that he sent to his kin in Ingolfs-firth
and Ufeigh's-firth, and for Olaf Eyvindson, who then dwelt at Drangar;
and Flosi came first to the whale, with the men of Wick, then they
fell to cutting up the whale, and what was cut was forthwith sent
ashore; near twenty men were thereat at first, but soon fo