nd severe. Thorberg laid it before his friends, and asked their advice
if he should venture to go to the king after what had taken place. The
greater number dissuaded him, and thought it more advisable to let
Stein slip out of his hands than to venture within the king's power: but
Thorberg himself had rather more inclination not to decline the journey.
Soon after Thorberg went to his brother Fin, told him the circumstances,
and asked him to accompany him. Fin replied, that he thought it foolish
to be so completely under woman's influence that he dared not, on
account of his wife, keep the fealty and law of his sovereign.

"Thou art free," replied Thorberg, "to go with me or not; but I believe
it is more fear of the king than love to him that keeps thee back." And
so they parted in anger.

Then Thorberg went to his brother Arne Arnason, and asked him to go
with him to the king. Arne says, "It appears to me wonderful that such
a sensible, prudent man, should fall into such a misfortune, without
necessity, as to incur the king's indignation. It might be excused if it
were thy relation or foster-brother whom thou hadst thus sheltered; but
not at all that thou shouldst take up an Iceland man, and harbour the
king's outlaw, to the injury of thyself and all thy relations."

Thorberg replies, "It stands good, according to the proverb,--a rotten
branch will be found in every tree. My father's greatest misfortune
evidently was that he had such ill luck in producing sons that at last
he produced one incapable of acting, and without any resemblance to our
race, and whom in truth I never would have called brother, if it were
not that it would have been to my mother's shame to have refused."

Thorberg turned away in a gloomy temper, and went home. Thereafter
he sent a message to his brother Kalf in the Throndhjem district, and
begged him to meet him at Agdanes; and when the messengers found Kalf he
promised, without more ado, to make the journey. Ragnhild sent men east
to Jadar to her father Erling, and begged him to send people. Erling's
sons, Sigurd and Thord, came out, each with a ship of twenty benches
of rowers and ninety men. When they came north Thorberg received them
joyfully, entertained them well, and prepared for the voyage with them.
Thorberg had also a vessel with twenty benches, and they steered their
course northwards. When they came to the mouth of the Throndhjem fjord
Thorberg's two brothers, Fin and Arne, were the