The story of Burnt Njal From the Icelandic of the Njals Saga

CHAPTER LXXXII.

NJAL'S SONS SAIL ABROAD.

Now it must be told how Njal's sons, Grim and Hel­gi, left Ice­land the same sum­mer that Thrain and his fel­lows went away; and in the ship with them were Olaf Ket­tle's son of El­da, and Bard the black. They got so strong a wind from the north that they were driv­en south in­to the main; and so thick a mist came over them that they could not tell whith­er they were driv­ing, and they were out a long while. At last they came to where was a great ground sea, and thought then they must be near land. So then Njal's sons asked Bard if he could tell at all to what land they were like­ly to be near­est.

“Many lands there are,” said he, “which we might hit with the weath­er we have had--the Orkneys, or Scot­land, or Ire­land.”

Two nights af­ter, they saw land on both boards, and a great surf run­ning up in the firth. They cast an­chor out­side the break­ers, and the wind be­gan to fall; and next morn­ing it was calm. Then they see thir­teen ships com­ing out to them.

Then Bard spoke and said, “What coun­sel shall we take now, for these men are go­ing to make an on­slaught on us?”

So they took coun­sel whether they should de­fend them­selves or yield, but be­fore they could make up their minds, the Vikings were up­on them. Then each side asked the oth­er their names, and what their lead­ers were called. So the lead­ers of the chap­men told their names, and asked back who led that host. One called him­self Grit­gard, and the oth­er Snow­colf, sons of Moldan of Dun­cans­by in Scot­land, kins­men of Mal­colm the Scot king.

“And now,” says Grit­gard, “we have laid down two choic­es, one that ye go on shore, and we will take your goods; the oth­er is, that we fall on you and slay ev­ery man that we can catch.”

“The will of the chap­men,” an­swers Hel­gi, “is to de­fend them­selves.”

But the chap­men called out, “Wretch that thou art to speak thus! What de­fence can we make? Lad­ing is less than life.”

But Grim, he fell up­on a plan to shout out to the Vikings, and would not let them hear the bad choice of the chap­men.

Then Bard and Olaf said, “Think ye not that these Ice­landers will make game of you slug­gards; take rather your weapons and guard your goods”.

So they all seized their weapons, and bound them­selves, one with an­oth­er, nev­er to give up so long as they had strength to fight.