be dauntless in an onslaught."
"I can't blame myself," says Bjorn, "for wanting either sharp
sight, or dash, or any other bravery; but no doubt thou camest
hither because all thy other earths are stopped. Still at thy
prayer, Kari, I will not look on thee as an everyday man; I will
surely help thee in all that thou askest."
"The trolls take thy boasting and bragging," said his housewife,
"and thou shouldst not utter such stuff and silliness to any one
than thyself. As for me, I will willingly give Kari meat and
other good things, which I know will be useful to him; but on
Bjorn's hardihood, Kari, thou shalt not trust, for I am afraid
that thou wilt find it quite otherwise than he says."
"Often hast thou thrown blame upon me," said Bjorn, "but for all
that I put so much faith in myself that though I am put to the
trial I will never give way to any man; and the best proof of it
is this, that few try a tussle with me because none dare to do
so."
Kari was there some while in hiding, and few men knew of it.
Now men think that Kari must have ridden to the north country to
see Gudmund the Powerful, for Kari made Bjorn tell his neighbours
that he had met Kari on the beaten track, and that he rode thence
up into Godaland, and so north to Goose-sand, and then north to
Gudmund the Powerful at Modruvale.
So that story was spread over all the country.
148. OF FLOSI AND THE BURNERS
Now Flosi spoke to the burners, his companions, "It will no
longer serve our turn to sit still, for now we shall have to
think of our going abroad and of our fines, and of fulfilling our
atonement as bravely as we can, and let us take a passage
wherever it seems most likely to get one."
They bade him see to all that. Then Flosi said, "We will ride
east to Hornfirth; for there that ship is laid up, which is owned
by Eyjolf Nosy, a man from Drontheim, but he wants to take to him
a wife here, and he will not get the match made unless he settles
himself down here. We will buy the ship of him, for we shall
have many men and little freight. The ship is big and will take
us all."
Then they ceased talking of it.
But a little after they rode east, and did not stop before they
came east to Bjornness in Homfirth, and there they found Eyjolf,
for he had been there as a guest that winter.
There Flosi and his men had a hearty welcome, and they were there
the night. Next morning Flosi dealt with the captain for the
ship, but he sa
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