Færeyinga Saga
Part 7
[35] There are three men told of in the story that all grew up at Gate with Thrond. One was named Sigurd; he was the son of Thorlac, and brother's son to Thrond. He was a big man and strong, a comely man to look on; he had light hair that fell in curls; he was skilled in all feats, and it is said that he came nighest of all men to Sigmund Brestesson in feats of skill. Thord was the name of his brother. He was called the Low. He was very stoutly built and strong of his body. The third was named Geat the Red; he was Thrond's sister's son. They were all three big strong men. Laf was fostered at Gate also, and they were all about the same age.
These were the children of Sigmund and Thurið. Thora was their eldest daughter; she was born on the fells. She was a big, brave-looking woman, not very pretty, but of wisdom above her years. Thoralf was the name of their eldest son, the second was Stangrim, the third Brand, the fourth Here. They were all hopeful men.
It fared now with Christendom in the Færeys as it did in other parts of the Earl's realm---each man lived as he would, but they themselves held fast to their faith. Sigmund held fast to his faith and all his household with him, and let build a church at his homestead. Of Thrond it is told that he changed his faith a good deal and all his company with him.
In those days the Færey folk called a moot; thither came Sigmund and Thrond of Gate and much people. Thrond spoke and said to Sigmund, "Things have turned out so, kinsman Sigmund, that I shall ask thee now for boot in the name of Laf Ossursson, which thou shalt give him for his father." Sigmund answered that they ought to keep to the award that Earl Hacon had made between them on all the matters that were at issue between them. Thrond said that it would be most seemly to give Laf such boot for his father as the best men out in the island should fix on. Sigmund said it was no good pulling and hauling over it, for he would never have it so. Then Thrond said, "It is most true that thou art a hard man to take by the loins, but it may yet be that my kinsmen who are growing up in my house will think thee by no means fair in thy dealing, in that thou wilt not share thy lordship with them, though no more than half that thou hast is thine own by right, and it is not likely that men will let this go on long. Thou hast brought me to shame these many times," said he, "but the greatest was when thou cowedst me into changing my faith; that hour I think the worst of all that I have ever passed. And thou mayst brood over it well, for men will not always be willing to have their rights cut short by thee." Sigmund said that he should sleep soundly in spite of all his threats. With that they parted.
Of Sigmund.
[36] It is told that one day in the summer Sigmund Brestesson fared out to little Dimun in a boat, and Thore and Einar the Southrey-man with him. For Sigmund wished to get some of the sheep on that island for slaughter. Sigmund and Thore were on the island when they saw some men landing on the island and the glittering of their bright shields. They counted them, and they were twelve men that had landed. Sigmund asked who they could be. Thore said he could tell that they were the Gate-Beardies, Thrond and his kinsmen. "And what shall we do now?" said he. "That is not hard to tell," said Sigmund; "we will go all together and meet them with our weapons in our hands, and if they make for us, we will run down, each by himself, and get together where the path is that goes up the island." Thrond and his men fixed it among them that Laf should set on Sigmund and the Thorlacssons with him, and a fourth man with him. Sigmund and they that were with him heard it. They went towards each other, and Thrond and his men ran towards them, but Sigmund and they that were with ran down, each his own way, and got into the path. But one man had got there before them. Sigmund was the first to get at him, and he made short work of him. Then Sigmund kept the path, but Thore and Einar ran down to Thrond's boat. There was one man there holding the painter and another on board. Thore ran at the man that was holding the painter and slew him. Einar ran to Sigmund's boat and launched it. Sigmund was keeping the path, but now he leapt down to the sea on to the shore to try and get at their boat and felled one of their crew on the shore. Then he leapt on board their boat and Thore after him, and threw the man overboard that was in it. Then they rowed away in the two boats, but the man that Sigmund threw overboard swam ashore. Thrond and his men lit a beacon-fire, and men rowed out to them and took them home to Gate. Sigmund gathered men to him and was minded to lay hands on Thrond and his kinsmen on their island, before he heard that they had got away.
A little later on that summer Sigmund and the other two took boat to go and see after his rents. They rowed down a narrow sound between some islands, and when they got out of the sound they saw a ship sailing towards them, and it was very near them already. They could tell who the men were; they were the Gate-Beardies Thrond and eleven men with him. Then speaks Thore: "They are mighty near us," said he, "and what shall we do now, kinsman Sigmund?" "No need of much craft," said Sigmund; "but we will do this; row towards them; then they will strike their sail, and when our boat is close alongside of theirs, do you two handle your swords and cut away the stays on the side the sail is not lying, and I will do what I see best to do meanwhile." So they rowed towards them, and when they lay close alongside of Thrond's, Thore and Einar shore away all the stays on the side the sail was not lying. But Sigmund caught up a fork that lay in his boat and drove it so hard at the hull of their boat that the keel came up out of the water as she heeled over; then he shifted the fork to the side of the boat on which the sail lay, for she had heeled over on that side, and bore on it with all his might. With that the boat capsized suddenly, and five of Thrond's crew were drowned there. Thore said that they ought to kill every one they could come up with. But Sigmund said he would not have that, but that he would rather put them to as much shame as he could. With that they left them. Sigurd Thorlacsson called out, "We shall fare as ill at Sigmund's hands this time as the last." Then he righted the boat and saved many of the men. When Thrond got on board he said, "Luck must have shifted from Sigmund to us, for it must have warped his eyes just now so that he slew us not, though he could have done as he liked with us; let us therefore fear no ill henceforward, and never stay till we have Sigmund in hell." They said they were right fain of that, and so they went home to Gate. The summer went by, and they had no more dealings with each other for that time.
The Meeting of Sigmund and Thrond.
[37] It came to pass that one day, as the winter was drawing nigh, Thrond gathered men to him, and there came to him sixty men, and he told them they should go to seek Sigmund, for he said that he had dreamed they would get very near him this time. They had two ships and a picked crew. There were with Thrond on this raid Laf Ossursson, Sigurd Thorlacsson, Thord the Low, Geat the Red, an Eastrey franklin named Stangrim, and Eldearn Combhood, who had been long with Thrond. Swiney-Bearne took no part in these things ever since he and Sigmund were set at one. Thrond and his men set out and got to Scufey, and drew up their ships, and went up altogether till they came to the path on to the island. Scufey is such good vantage-ground that they say the island could never be won if there were but ten men to keep the path; came there never so many, they should never win it. Eldearn Combhood went up first, and met Sigmund's warder by the path; they made at each other at once, and the end of their struggle was that they fell over the cliff together and got their death there both of them. Then Thrond went up and they all, and came to the homestead and made a ring round it: and their coming was so unawares that they within knew nought of it till they broke down the doors. Sigmund and his men ran quickly to their weapons, and all those that were in the house did likewise. Yea, Thurið the goodwife took weapon in hand, and did as well as any man of them. Thrond and his fellows set fire to the houses, and set on the homestead with fire and weapons, and made a hard onslaught; but when they had been fighting for some time, goodwife Thurið went out to the doors and called out, "How long are you going to fight with the headless men, Thrond?" said she. Thrond answered, "As true as day," said he, "Sigmund must have got away." Then he went round the houses withershins whistling after them, till he came to the mouth of an earth-house a little way off the homestead. There he stopped and put his other hand down on the ground, and then brought it up to his nose once or twice. At last he said, "Three men have gone this way---Sigmund, Thore, and Einar." Then he went about for a little snuffling as if he were tracking their slot like a hound; then bidding none follow him, he went on till he came to a rift. Now this rift runs across the island of Scufey. Then he said, "They have gone this way, and Sigmund must have leapt over here, whatever they have done with themselves. Now we will deal out our company," says Thrond; "Laf Ossursson and Sigurd Thorlacsson shall go to the other end of the rift and some of the men with them, but I will go to the other end, and we will meet on the other side of the rift." They did so. Then Thrond called out, "Now is the time, Sigmund, to show thyself if thou hast as brave a heart and wouldst be thought as bold a man as thou hast long been held." It was then as dark as it could be. Soon after this a man leapt over the rift to where Thrond and his men were, and hewed at Stangrim Thrond's neighbour with his sword, and clove him down to the shoulders. It was Sigmund. Then he leapt swiftly backward over the rift again. "There goes Sigmund," says Thrond; "let us keep after them to the end of the rift." They did so, and there Laf and Thrond and all their men met. Sigmund and his fellows had now got to a rock that jutted over the sea, and could hear men's voices all round them. Then Thore said, "Let us stand at bay here, as fate will have it." "I am not fit for fighting," said Sigmund, "for I lost my sword when I leapt backward over the rift; let us therefore leap off the rock and betake us to swimming." "We will do as it pleases thee," said Thore. They took that counsel, and leapt off the cliff into the sea. And when Thrond heard the splash he said, "There they go! Let us take boat as we can and follow them, some on sea and some on land." And so did they, but found them not.
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