94. But when those who were on board the Dromond saw that ships were rowing
up to them, and that men meant to make an onslaught on them, they took silken
stuffs and costly goods and hung them out on the bulwarks, and then made great
shoutings and hailings; and it seemed to the earl's men as though they dared
the Northmen to come on against them. Earl Rognvald laid his ship aft alongside
the Dromond on the starboard, but Erling aft too on the larboard. John and Aslak,
they laid their ships foreward each on his own board, but the others amidships
on both boards, and all the ships hugged her close, broadside to broadside.
And when they came under the Dromond, her sides were so high out of the water
that they could not reach up with their weapons. But they [the foe] poured down
blazing brimstone and flaming pitch over them. And it was as Erling guessed
it would be, that the greatest weight of weapons fell out beyond the ships,
and they had no need to shield themselves on that side which was next to the
Dromond, but those who were on the other side held their shields over their
heads and sheltered themselves in that way. And when they made no way with their
onslaught, the bishop shoved his ship off and two othes, and they picked out
and sent thither their bowmen, and they law within shot, and shot thence at
the Dromond, and then that onslaught was the hardest that was made. Then those
[on board the Dromond] got under cover, but thought little about what those
were doing who had laid their ships under the Dromond. Earl Rognvald called
out then to his men that they should take their axes and hew asunder the broadside
of the Dromond in the parts where she was least iron-bound. But when the men
in the other ships saw what the earls men were about, they also took the like
counsel. Now where Erling and his men had laid their ship a great anchor hung
on the Dromond, and the fluke was hung by the crook over the bulwark, but the
stock pointed down to Erling's ship. Audun the red was the name of Erling's
bowman; he was lifted up on the anchor-stock. But after that he hauled up to
him more men, so that they stood as thick as every they could on the stock,
and thence hewed at the sides as they best could, and that hewing was by far
the highest up. And when they had hewn such large doors that they could go into
the Dromond, they made ready to board, and the earl and his men got into the
lower hold, but Erling and his men into the upper. And when both their bands
had come up on the ship, there was a fight both great and hard. On board the
Dromond were Saracens, what we call Mahomet's unbelievers. There were many blackamoors,
and they made the hardest struggle. Erling got there a great wound on his neck
near his shoulders as he sprang up into the Dromond. That healed so ill, that
he bore his head on one side ever after. That was why he was called wryneck.
And when they met, earl Rognvald and Erling, the Saracens gave way before them
to the forepart of the ship, but the earl's men then boarded her one after another.
Then they were more numerous, and they pressed the enemy hard. They saw that
on board the Dromond was that one man who was both taller and fairer than the
others; the Northmen held it to be the truth that that man must be their chief.
Earl Rognvald said that they should not turn their weapons against him, if they
could take him in any other way. Then they hemmed him in and bore him down with
their shields, and so he was taken, and afterwards carried to the bishop's ship,
and few men with him. They slew there much folk, (16)
and got much goods and many costly things. When they had ended the greatest
part of their toil, they sat down and rested themselves. Then the earl sang
this:
“Famous in victorious glory,And again he sang:
Erling, brave in battle, went
'Gainst the galleon, tree of spears, (17)
When our banners dripped with blood;
Low we laid the swarthy champions,
Blood of foemen then was shed
Far and wide, and soldiers brave
Died their keen-edged faulchions red.”
“We make up our minds to winMen spoke of these tidings which had happened there. Then each spoke of what he thought he had seen; and men talked about who had been the first to board the Dromond, and could not agree about it. Then some said that it was foolish that they should not all have one story about these great tidings; and the end of it was that they agreed that earl Rognvald should settle the dispute; and afterwards they should all back what he said. Then the earl sang:
The galleon, slaughter this I call;
At early dawn the warrior crew
Reddened all their blades with gore;
North and from the north the lady
Of this shower of spears will hear
Up to Nerbon; from our people
Foemen loathsome life-loss bore.”
“First upon the gloomy galleonWhen they had stripped the Dromond, they put tire into her and burnt her. And when that tall man whom they had made captive saw that, he was much stirred and changed colour, and could not hold himself still. But though they tried to make him speak, he said never a word, and made no manner of sign, nor did he pay any heed to them whether they promised him good or ill. But when the Dromond began to blaze, they saw as though blazing molten ore ran down into the sea. That moved the captive man much. They were quite sure then that they had looked for goods carelessly, and now the metal had melted in the heat of the fire, whether it had been gold or silver. Earl Rognvald and his men sailed thence south under Sarkland, and lay under a sea-burg, and made a seven nights' truce with the townsmen, and had dealings with them, and sold them the men whom they had taken. No man would buy the tall man. And after that the earl gave him leave to go away, and four men with him. He came down the next morning with a train of men, and told them that he was a prince of Sarkland, and had sailed thence with the Dromond and all the goods that were aboard her. He said too he thought that worst of all that they burnt the Dromond, and made such waste of that great wealth, that it was of no use to any one. “But now I have great power over your affairs. Now ye shall have the greatest good from me for having spared my life, and treated me with such honour as ye could; but I would be very willing that we saw each other never again. And so now live safe and sound and well.” After that he rode up the country, but earl Rognvald sailed thence south to Crete, and they lay there in very foul weather. Then Armod sang a song when he kept watch at night on board the earl's ship.
Ruddy Audun went with eager
Daring, and the warrior dauntless
Swift dashed on to seize the spoil;
There at last we reached to redden
Weapons in our foeman's blood;
Mankind's God hath ruled it so;
On the planks fell corses black.”
“On the keel-horse we keep watch,
Where below the stiff ribs dashes
Wave on wave; this weary work
Have we here to win till morning;
O'er my shoulder now I look
Back on Crete, while milksop soft
Sleeps to night with sleek-skinned maiden,
Kind in her close-fitting smock.”
95. The earl and his men lay under Crete till they got a fair wind for Jewry-land, and came to Acreburg early on a Friday morning, and landed then with such great pomp and state as was seldom seen there. Thorbjorn the swarthy then made a song:
“In the Orkneys for a winterThe earl and his men stayed in Acreburg a while. There sickness came into their ranks, and many famous men breathed their last. There Thorbjorn the swarthy a liegeman breathed his last. Oddi the little sang:
Was I serving with the chief;
Feeder of the bird of battle
First arose to strive in fight;
Now the shield on Friday morning
Here we bear with eager haste,
With the earl in battle proven,
In watery port of Acre town.”
“Barks of chieftainsEarl Rognvald and his men then fared from Acreburg, and sought all the holiest places in the land of Jewry. They all fared to Jordan and bathed there. Earl Rognvald and Sigmund angle swam across the river, and went up on the bank there, and thither where was a thicket of brushwood, and there they twisted great knots. Then the earl sang:
Thorbjorn bore,
Swarthy of hue,
By Thrasness swift;
Under the best of skalds
Woodbear (18) trode
Ati's acres
To Acreburg.
Then saw I him,
The hero's friend,
Sprinkled with mould
In mother church;
Now the soil stony,
By sunbeam blest,
Lies heavy o'er him
In southern land.”
“For the men a coil I twistedThen Sigmund sang:
Of the way-thong on the heath,
Out on Jordan's further bank;
Clever woman this will learn;
But I trow that it will seem
Long to go so far as this
To all lazy stay-at-homes;
On wide field the blood falls warm.”
“I will wreathe another knotThe earl sang:
For the sloth who sits at home;
Sooth to say that we have set
For his child a snare today.”
“To the coward here we twineAfter that they fared back to Jerusalem. And when they came close to the city, then earl Rognvald sang:
In the thicket close a knot,
On this feast of holy Laurence;
Tired to quarters good I came.”
“At this bard's breast hangs a cross,
Twixt his shoulder-blades a palm;
Pride of heart shall be laid low;
Soldiers scale the cliffs in order.”
96. Earl Rognvald and his men fared that summer from the land of Jewry, and meant to go north to Micklegarth, and came about autumn to that town which is called Imbolar. (19) They stayed there a very long time in the town. They had that watchword in the town if men met one another walking where it was throng and narrow, and the one thought it needful that the other who met him should yield him the path, then he says thus: “Out of the way,” “Out of the way.” One evening as the earl and his men were coming out of the town, and Erling wryneck went out along the whart to his ship, some of the townsmen met him and called out, “Out of the way,” “Out of the way.” Erling was very drunk, and made as though he heard them not, and when they ran against one another, Erling fell off the wharf, and down into the mud which was below, and his men ran down to pick him up, and had to strip off every stitch of his clothes, and wash him. Next morning when he and the earl met, and he was told what had happened, he smiled at it and sang:
“ 'Mid-street' my friend would not callThese tidings happened a little while after there in the town, when they came out of the town very drunk that John limpleg's men missed him, but no man else. They sent at once to look for him on board the other ships that night, and he could not be found, but they could not look for him upon the land in the night. But next morning they rose up as soon as ever it was light, and found him a little way from the burg-wall, and he had breathed his last, and they found wounds on him. But it was never known who had given him his hurt. Then they bestowed burial on his body, and found him a grave at the church. After that they fared away thence. And nothing is told of their voyage before they come north to Engilsness [Cape St. Angelo]. There they lay some nights and waited for a wind which would seem fair to them to sail north along the sea to Micklegarth. They took great pains then with their sailing, and so sailed with great pomp just as they had heard that Sigurd Jewryfarer had done. And as they sailed north along the sea, earl Rognvald sang a song:
So he had in filth to fall
Head and heels, and thus in that
Great misfortune nearly followed;
Then I trow the king's own cousin
Little comely looked when rolling
midst the mud in Imbolar;
To his breeks the blue clay clung.”
“Let us ride on Refil's steed (20)
Out to Micklegarth with speed;
From the field draw not the plough,
Ear the main with dripping prow;
Take we bounty of the king,
Push we on while weapons ring,
Redden maw of wolf with gore,
Mighty monarch bow before.”
Notes:
16. Fl. reads, “but every other man's child they slew,” which is wrong. Compare the sale of the prisoners further on. [Back]
17. Periphrasis for man, i.e. Erling. [Back]
18. A periphrasis for “ship.” [Back]
19. Imbolar] It is very hard to identify this place. If Ægissness be the true reading at the end of this chapter, Imbolar may very well be the island of Imbros at the mouth of the Dardanelles, for Ægisness is said to be the extreme point of the Thracian Chersonese. On the other hand, if Engilsness be the true reading in the passage referred to, Imbolar must be sought for in the south-western part of Asia Minor, or even in Crete, for Engilsness, or Egilsness, is identified with Cape Malea or St. Angelo in the Peloponese. Munch inclines to the latter view, N. H. iii, 840, note. G. V. supposes, in the Icel. Dict., that Imbolum is a mistake of the Northmen for “empolij” as “miðhæfi” a little further on is a distortion of “metabhqi” “get down” or “out of the way.” [Back]
20. A periphrasis for “ship.” [Back]
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