CHAP­TER VII

GISLI afterwards got him­self a boat and carried to it the greater amount of his goods. Then he fared away with Aud, his wife, and Gudrid, his foster-child, and came out to Hu­saness, where he went to land. There he went up to a house and met a man, who asked who he was, and Gisli answered him in such wise as seemed best to himself and not as really was. Gisli then took up a stone and hurled it out to the little island which was there off the land and bade the franklin's son to dupli­cate it when he came home. Then, when the son came home, remarked Gisli, he would know what man was he who had just come thither. But this feat was in no man's power to do, and from that it fol­lowed that Gisli was greater at feats of skill than most other men.

Thereafter, Gisli went to his boat and rowed out beyond the headland to Arnarfirth and beyond that to the firth which goes inland from Arnarfirth and is called Geirthjofsfirth. At that place he went to land and built himself a house and stayed there through­out the winter.

Next to tell is that Gisli had talk with his kins­men, Aud's and Vestan's uncles, named Helgi, Si­gurd, and Vestgar, and asked them that they fare to the Thing and offer settlement for him that he be not outlawed. They went, the three sons of Bjart­mar, but made no progress at all with their case. Men say that they bore themselves ill and brought them­selves into almost every unmanly condition before they made an end to the matter. They told Thorkel Wealthy what had happened and said there was no need to tell Gisli of his guilt.

There were no tidings at the Thing other than that Gisli was outlawed. Thorkel Wealthy then went to a meeting with Gisli and told him of the decision. Gisli quoth these verses:

Another spoke he:

Gisli then asked what hope might be had or ex­pected from near by. Thorkel said he would give shelter to him with this understanding, that he be not called upon to give away or to spend money for ransom. Then Thorkel went away to his own home. It was said that Gisli stayed three years at Geirth­jofsfirth and a while with Thorkel Ericson. Another three years he journeyed all about the island and met men of rank and asked help of them. But because of the troll's cloak which Thorgrim Nef had used in his sorcery and on account of the spell itself, this was not to be, namely, that the chiefs should wish to take him in; and although at times it seemed to them that his case was not so hopeless and unlikely, yet something always came between to prevent their aid­ing him.

However, Gisli stayed a long time with Thorkel Ericson and had now been six years in outlawry. After that he was a while at Geirthjofsfirth at the home of Aud and at times in a hiding place which he had made for himself north of the river. Another, too, he had among the rocks on the cliff to the south of the house. He was sometimes in the one place; sometimes in the other.

When Bork heard about this, he went from home and met Eyjolf Gray, who lived in Otradale, on Ar­narfirth. He urged him to search for Gisli and kill him in outlawry and offered him three hundred of silver, all pure and refined, with the understanding that he keep ever at the task of running him down. Eyjolf took the money and promised his aid.

There was a man with Eyjolf who was called Helgi and nicknamed Spying Helgi. He was both swift of foot and keen of eye. He was, besides, much at home around all the firths. Helgi was sent to Geirthjofsfirth to find out whether Gisli was there.

He soon found out about a man, such as Gisli was, but he knew not for certain whether it was Gisli or some other. Then he fared home and so told Eyjolf of the house and of what he had seen.

Eyjolf said he knew for certain that the man must have been Gisli, and he made up his mind at once, and with six men set out from home for Geirthjofs­firth; but he saw nothing of him there, and thus fared back home again.

Gisli was a wise man  and a great dreamer, a man having clear visions of things to be.

All the men who know are agreed in this, that Gisli lived the longest of all men in outlawry; the other one was Grettir Asmundarson.²⁵

Thereafter it is said that one autumn Gisli was restless in his sleep while he was at the home of Aud and that when he awoke, she asked him whereof he had dreamed.

He answered and said: "Two dream-women I have, and one is kind to me and ever gives me good counsel, but the other always tells me something which seems worse than before and to me foretells only what is ill.

"And this dreamed I even now, that I thought I went to a house and entered therein, and within were many kinsmen and friends. They were seated by the fires, drinking. There were seven fires in all. Some were much burned down, but some were very bright and fresh. Then came in my dream-wife, the good one, and told me that the fires marked my life, what I had yet to live; and she warned me of this, while I lived, ever to loathe heathen customs, to take no stock in sorcery or witchcraft, and to be kindly disposed toward the halt and the blind and to lesser men. There ended the dream."

Then he spoke several strophes:

Now is it to be said that Bork drove Eyjolf hard, for Gisli seemed not so followed after as Bork had wished; and not much he thought had come as a return from the money which Eyjolf had received into his hands. Moreover he said that this one thing was certain, that Gisli was at Geirthjofsfirth. This word he spoke to a man of Eyjolf's who fared be­tween them, that he search for Gisli; otherwise he said he would do so himself.

Eyjolf woke up suddenly and again sent Spying Helgi to Geirthjofsfirth. He took provisions with him and stayed away a week, and he hung around until he became aware that Gisli was there. One day he saw how he went from his hiding-place, the one to the north, and he recognized him. Then he set off with great speed and hurried away to tell Eyjolf of what he was now certain.

Eyjolf made ready his journey from home with nine men and came to Geirthjofsfirth to the home of Aud. They saw no trace of Gisli there. So they searched all the woods roundabout, but found him not. Then they went back to Aud's house, and Ey­jolf offered her much money to say news of Gisli, but that was far from her thoughts and wishes. Then they vowed that they would in some way do harm to her, but their threats availed them nothing, and they had to turn back again homeward. Their jour­ney thither seemed the most disgraceful.

Eyjolf now stayed at home in the harvest season, for he decided that, although Gisli was not yet found, he might at any time be taken, so short was the dis­tance between them.

Gisli meanwhile planned to go away inland to Bardastrand, and he rode to meet Thorkel, his brother, at Hvamm. He knocked on the door of the sleeping room in which Thorkel was lying, and Thorkel came out and greeted him. "Now I will know," said Gisli, "whether thou wilt aid me in any way. Hope I have that thou wilt give me succour. I am hard pressed, and long have I shrunk from asking this of thee."

Thorkel gave him the same answer as before and said he would give him no aid in outlawry since charges might be brought against him, but he added that he would get him silver or a horse, if he had need thereof, and do such things as he had said be­fore he would.

"Plain it is to me now," said Gisli, "that thou wilt not give me aid. Get me three hundred ells of wadmal and take this to thy comfort, that I shall henceforth seldom crave help of thee."

Thorkel did so and brought him wares and some silver. Gisli said he would take the money, but he added, though, that he would not act so miserably with him, his brother, if Thorkel were standing in his own present plight. Gisli took it much to heart when they parted from each other.

He went out to Vadil to the mother of Gest Oddleif's son, and came there just before day and tapped on the door. The housewife came at the knocking. She was often wont to take in forest-men, or outlaws, and had a house underground. One path from the earth-home led to the river, and another, toward the firehouse, or kitchen, in her home. Traces of all this can still be seen today.

Thorgerd received Gisli well, "and I shall grant thee this, that thou mayest dwell here awhile, but I do not know whether it will prove other than woman's help." Gisli told her he would be glad to accept of her offer, and said that he had not of late done so well at the hands of men themselves; that it was quite beyond hope to expect that things should be better in respect to women.

Gisli was there over the winter and nowhere had he been so well done by in his outlawry as here. But as soon as spring came, he went back to Geirthjofs­firth, for he might then no longer stay away from Aud, his wife, so much did they love each other. He abode there in hiding throughout the summer and up to the autumn. Then came the dreams again as soon as the nights lengthened, and the worse dream-wife appeared to him, so that awful visions arose before him. And one time, when Aud asked about it, he told her what he had dreamed.

Gisli said that the evil woman now came often to him and always smeared him with blood or some­thing red, and washed him in it, and showed her­self ever more hideous and hateful. Then he made a strophe:

Another, too, he spoke:

Things were now quiet. Gisli went again to Thor­gerd and was with her another winter. The following summer he fared to Geirthjofsfirth and stayed there till the autumn.

Then he went again to Thorkel, his brother, and knocked on the door. Thorkel would not go outside, so Gisli took a stick and cut runes on it, and threw it in. Thorkel saw it and picked it up and looked at it. Then he got up, and went out, and hailed Gisli, and asked him tidings. Gisli said he knew nothing to tell him--"and am I now come the last time to see thee, kinsman. Let thy help to me, therefore, be all the greater, and I shall give thee this reward, in that I shall never make demands upon thee hereafter."

Thorkel gave ever the same answer as before. He offered him a horse or ship but denied him all other forms of succour. Gisli took the boat and asked Thorkel to help him take it down to the water. He did so, and he gave his brother six vaettir [about 480 pounds] of food and a hundred wadmal.

When Gisli got into the boat, Thorkel stood there on the shore. Then said Gisli to him, "Now seemest thou to stand with both feet in the manger. Thou art the friend of many leading men and have no apprehension of danger, but I am condemned to outlawry and have the hatred of many against me. Yet this can I say to thee, that thou wilt come to thy death before me. And now we shall part, and worse, or less friendly, than should be, and see each other never again. And this shalt thou know, that I would not do so unto thee."

"Little do I care about thy foretelling," an­swered Thorkel and they parted thus.

Gisli then rowed out to Hergilsisle on Breidafirth. There he took from the ship the planks of the decks the rowing benches, the oars, and all that was loose on board, and upset the boat and let it drift out to­ward the headland. And this men guessed, who saw the ship, that Gisli must have drowned, for the ship was all broken and had drifted to land, the one they knew he had received from Thorkel, his brother. Then Gisli went on Hergilsisle to a house where lived a man whose name was Ingjald. His wife was Thorgerd. Ingjald was, by kin, sister's son of Gisli's mother and had fared with Gisli when he first came out hither to Iceland. And when they met now, he offered Gisli shelter and help, such as was in his power to grant him. Gisli took it gladly and tarried there in peace for some time.

With Ingjald was a thrall and a bondwoman. The thrall's name was Swart and the bondwoman's, Bot­hild. Helgi was the name of Ingjald's son. He was a fool, the worst halfwit there could be, and a boor. For him was this precaution taken, that a stone with a hole in it was fastened to his neck, and he was put outdoors to nibble grass like sheep and cattle. He was called Ingjald's Fool. Very big he was, even like a troll.

Gisli stayed there throughout the winter and built a boat for Ingjald, and many other things, and everything he made was wonderful to look at and easy to recognize, because he was handier than most other men. Men began to wonder why the many things that Ingjald owned were so well made, because he was himself not at all skilled.

Gisli was always at Geirthjofsfirth in the summer. Three years had now passed in this manner from the time when he had had his last dreams, and there was to him the greatest comfort in the aid and protection that Ingjald had given him.

Now men put two and two together, for things seemed strange, and they began to suspect that Gisli might still be alive and living with Ingjald, and not drowned as had been thought and rumored.

Men said openly that Ingjald now had three ships, all well made. This loose rumor came to the ears of Eyjolf Gray, and Helgi was told to be off again and came to Hergilsisle.

Gisli always went to the earth-house when men came to the island. Ingjald was a good host and gave lodgings to Helgi. He stayed there the night. Ing­jald was a hard-working man. He rowed out to sea every day when one could go out on the water; and this morning when he was about to set out to fish, he asked Helgi whether he was not ready to take his leave, and why he still lay abed.

Helgi said he was not feeling well, and he drew a deep breath and rubbed the bones of his head. Ing­jald bade him then to lie as quietly as possible, and himself went down to the sea. Helgi lay there groaning.

Now it is said that Thorgerd went to the earth­house, intending to give Gisli his day-meal. There was a partition between the kitchen and the room in which Helgi was lying. Helgi climbed up and saw that there was enough food dealt out for a man. At that very moment Thorgerd came back, and Helgi jumped back quickly and fell off his perch. Thorgerd asked him why he was trying to climb up on the roof instead of lying still. He said he was so frenzied with pain in his legs that he could not lie quiet "and I wish," said he, "that thou wouldst help me to bed." She did so.

Afterwards she went away with the food, and Helgi rose up immediately and followed her and saw what happened. Then he stole back and lay down in his bed and was there the rest of the day.

Ingjald came home in the evening and went to Helgi and asked whether he felt somewhat relieved. Helgi said he had turned for the better and asked him for ferrying in the morning from the island.

So he was fleeted across to Flatey and hastened thence south to Thorsness. There he reported his findings, that Gisli was with Ingjald.

Bork set out at once from home with fourteen men and sailed from the south across Breidafirth.

That same day had Ingjald rowed to the fishing bank, taking Gisli with him. His thrall and the bondwoman were in another boat. Both parties lay off some islands which are called Skutilisles. Ingjald became aware of a ship sailing from the south and said, "A ship is sailing over there, and I think it might be Bork the Fat."

"What counsel is to be taken?" asked Gisli. "I shall now know whether thou art as wise as thou art good-hearted."

"We must think and act quickly; that much I know, though it takes no wisdom on my part to see it," answered Ingjald. "Let us row our fastest to the island and go thereon up Vadstein-cliff, and make our defence as long as we have breath in us."

"Thus has it happened as I have thought," said Gisli, "that thou wouldst hit upon a plan which would reveal thyself as a brave man likewise. And a worse reward should I give thee for thy sheltering than I had intended, if thou shouldst in my cause and for my sake give up thy life. We shall not do as thou sayest. I have another plan to follow. Thou shalt row to the island with the thrall and go up there on the rock where thou shalt make ready to defend thyself. They will think me someone else as they sail from the south before the headland. I shall change clothes as one time I did before with the thrall, and then go into the boat with Bothild."

Ingjald did as Gisli had advised, and when they parted, Bothild asked of Gisli, "What is now to be done?"

He replied with a strophe:

Gisli and Bothild now rowed south toward Bork and his men, and let on as if nothing were wrong. Gisli gave instructions as to how she should conduct herself. "Thou shalt say," said he, "that here is a fool on board. And I shall sit in the stern and mimic the simpleton, entangle myself in fishing lines, fall overboard at times, and act as if I were very crazy. And when they are somewhat past us, I shall row as hard as I can and make trial of this, to part the fastest from their company."

So Bothild rowed toward them, though not at all very near, and pretended that she was looking for a good spot to fish. Bork called out to her and asked whether Gisli was on the island.

"That I cannot say, " she replied, "but this I do know, that a man is there who much surpasses other men both in size and handicraft."

"So!" said Bork, "and is Ingjald, the husband­man, at home?

"Long ago he rowed to the island," she answered, "and his thrall with him, where he now is, I think."

"That might very well not be the case," said Bork to his men. "It might have been Gisli. Let us make speed after them. Bonefish might bite now pretty well, if only we can catch them."

They answered, "Great sport it seems to us in the fool there, to look and see how mad he gets." They said, too, that she was in a sad fix, having to follow this fool.

"So it likewise seems to me," she answered. "But this I see by your actions, that it all appears to you very laughable, and that ye pity me very little."

"Let us not meddle with such nonsense," said Bork, "and go on."

So they parted, and Bork rowed to the island and went ashore. They saw men upon Vadstein-cliff and turned thither. Everything looked promising to them, and they were very hopeful. Upon the rocks were Ingjald and his thrall.

Bork suddenly recognized the men and said to Ingjald: "Wise it would be of thee to give up Gisli to us or to tell where he is. A dog of a man and a scoundrel thou art, who hast hidden my brother's slayer, though thou art my tenant. Thou shouldst be deserving of ill from me, and more meet 'twould be that thou be killed."

Ingjald made answer: "Very poor are the clothes I am wearing and it would grieve me little, though I did not tear them any more. But sooner would I lose my life than that I should not do for Gisli such good as I might and help him in his trouble." And this have men said that Ingjald, most of all men, gave help to Gisli and was of greatest aid to him. And, too, it was said that, at the time when Thorgrim Nose worked his sorcery to the effect that nothing should be of assistance to Gisli, though men should shelter him here on the mainland, there came not into his mind the thought of also stipulating the outlying islands; and Gisli lived therefore in outlawry a whit the longest possible, though his luck in the time to come did not carry him to old age.

It seemed to Bork not fitting to set upon Ingjald, his tenant, so he turned from him to the house and made search there for Gisli, but found him not, as was to be expected. They roved about the island and came to the place where the fool lay biting grass in a little valley, and a stone bound around his neck.

Then spoke Bork: "True it is now that many things are told of Ingjald's fool, and indeed he spreads himself out rather more widely in two places than I had thought. No need is there to look further, for there has been to us such lack of shrewdness and fore­sight as amounts to much, and I know not when we can amend it. Gisli must have been in the boat near us and aped the fool, and great shame it is to as many men as we are, if he should now escape from our hands. Let us speed after him and allow him not now to evade his fate."

Then they leaped into the boat and rowed after Gisli and fell fast to at the oars. They were able to see that the two had gone a long way far into the sound, and they doubled their efforts, each man row­ing hard. Their ship moved much more speedily as there were more men in it, and they drew so close together that, when Bork and his men came within bowshot, Gisli and his companion were just come to land.

Then Gisli made utterance and spoke to the bond­woman: "Now shall we part, and here is a finger­ring of gold that thou shalt bear to Ingjald, and an­other to his wife, and tell them that they give thee thy freedom, and take these as the means and tokens. And I will also that Swart likewise be given his free­dom. Of a truth mightest thou be called my life­saver, and it is my wish that thou be rewarded there­for."

Thereupon they separated, and Gisli leaped ashore and into a gorge between two crags. This was just off the coast, facing Hjardarness. The bondwoman rowed away, sweating from her exertion, and she fairly reeked and steamed.

Bork and the rest rowed to land. Saka-Stein was the fastest from the ship and ran to look for Gisli. When he came into the cleft between the crags, Gisli stood facing him with sword drawn, and he crashed it straightway upon his head so that it hung down on his shoulders, and he fell dead to the ground.

Bork and the others now went upon the island, but Gisli leaped into the water and intended to swim from the rocks to the mainland. Bork let go a spear at him, and it hit him in his calf, and tore a hole in the flesh. That was a great wound. Gisli came away with the spear but lost his sword because he was so weary that he had not the strength to hold fast to it. It was night and dark when he got to the land, and he made his way to the woods at that time there were trees and heavy woods covering the land far and wide.

Bork and his men rowed to the place and hunted for Gisli and surrounded him in the woods, for he was so weary and stiff that he could scarcely move, though he knew there were men on all sides of him. So he took counsel with himself and went in the darkness down to the sea and followed along a bank covered at high water to a place called Haug. There he met a settler by the name of Ref, son of Thorstan House-Pillar. He was the craftiest of men. Ref hailed him and asked tidings. Gisli told all that had hap­pened with Bork and his followers. Ref had a wife named Alfdis, handsome to look at, but most wicked in mood and temper. She was a woman monster and a sorceress, but with her Ref could hold his own.

And when Gisli had told Ref the tidings, he called upon him for help, "And they will come here soon," said Gisli. "Hard beset I am, and few there are to give me succour."

"I shall make this as somewhat of a condition," said Ref, "to be the only one to speak in whatsoever way I undertake to help thee. Meddle not at all in what I do."

"That shall I agree to," said Gisli. "I shall not go a step farther."

"Go thou in then," said Ref.

So they did. Then spoke Ref to Alfdis: "Now shall I change men with thee in thy bed." And he took all the covers from the bed and said that Gisli should lie down there in the straw. And he laid over him the bedclothes, and Alfdis lay resting, as it were, above him.

"Stay thou there," said Ref to him, "above all things, whatever happens." Then he bade Alfdis to be the worse to deal with and as furious as possible, "and spare thou not thyself," said he, "from speak­ing all that comes to thy mind, both in cursing and foul language, and I shall go to hold speech with them and so govern my talk as seems to me best."

And the time when next he went out of his house, he saw men coming. They were fellows of Bork, eight in all. Bork stayed behind at Forsa. These were to fare hither to look for Gisli and to take him if he had come there.

Ref stood outside and asked tidings.

"These only can we say that thou mightest have heard. Perhaps thou knowest somewhat of the go­ings of Gisli?" they asked in reply. "Or has he come here at any time?"

"Both these things are the case," said Ref, "that he has not been here, and besides that he will find short end to himself, if ever he should try it. I do not know how much ye believe it when I say that I should be not more unwilling than any one of you to bring Gisli to his death. I have that wit within me to know that I should gain not a little in having the confidence of such a man as Bork, and therefore his friend I wish to be."

They then asked him, "Hast thou any objections if we ransack thee and thy house?"

"That will I gladly," replied Ref, "because I know that ye might the more unfailingly search in other places if ye know of a certainty that he is not here. Go in and hunt your thoroughest."

They went in. And when Alfdis heard the noise they were making, she asked what all the hubbub and racket was about and what fools were thus troubling people in the night. Ref bade her to restrain herself, but she let not be lacking much foolish talk. She yelped at them grossly so that they might have less of their wits about them. They searched none the less, though not so carefully as they might have done, if they had not met with such slander from the housewife.

They then went away. Nothing at all did they find, and they bade the householder "good life" and he wished them "well-faring." They went back to meet Bork, and ill was all they won from their jour­ney, for it seemed to Bork and his men that they had all suffered great and disgraceful loss in the death of Saka-Stein, while nothing was done about it. News of all this flitted over the countryside, and it seemed to men that Bork and the rest hadn't moved a stone, got nowhere from each disastrous journey on which they had fared after Gisli.

Bork now went home and told Eyjolf what had happened.

Gisli stayed with Ref a fortnight, then went his way, and they parted, he and Ref, good friends. Gisli gave him a knife and a belt. They were treasures both. Nothing else had he that was movable, that he could carry away.

Thereafter Gisli went back to Geirthjofsfirth to his wife. By now his fame had much increased, es­pecially from what had but lately occurred. And this, too, of a truth is said, that never had there been a man of greater skill in many things than Gisli, nor a man more fearless, though he was not a lucky one.

NOTES: 

24. 'Gold': a reference to Thorkel's wealth.

25. The hero of the Grettisaga-Grettir really lived the longest of all men as an outlaw, almost the full twenty years, when his outlawry would have ended according to unwritten law and custom.

26. 'Vorlike': Vor, goddess of bonds and bindings; 'Egdir': people in Norway, whence Gisli came to Iceland; 'Giants' drink': poetry.

27. Perhaps a stone in the form of a shield; hence, a 'support' which woman is to man; or a 'wearer of jewelry,' also a general kenning for woman.