“Thou art a great man for show, Thrain,” said the Earl, “and so have both of you, kinsmen, been, Gunnar and thou; and now I will give thee this ship, but it is called the ‘Vulture’.  Along with it shall go my friendship; and my will is that thou stayest with me as long as thou wilt.”

He thanked him for his goodness, and said he had no longing to go to Iceland just yet.

The Earl had a journey to make to the marches of the land to meet the Swede-king.  Thrain went with him that summer, and was a shipmaster and steered the Vulture, and sailed so fast that few could keep up with him, and he was much envied.  But it always came out that the Earl laid great store on Gunnar, for he set down sternly all who tried Thrain’s temper.

So Thrain was all that winter with the Earl, but next spring the Earl asked Thrain whether he would stay there or fare to Iceland; but Thrain said he had not yet made up his mind, and said that he wished first to know tidings from Iceland.

The Earl said that so it should be as he thought it suited him best; and Thrain was with the Earl.

Then those tidings were heard from Iceland, which many thought great news, the death of Gunnar of Lithend.  Then the Earl would not that Thrain should fare out to Iceland, and so there he stayed with him.

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.