to the sons of Asgeir;
with the further information that he had charged as guilty of the
slaying of Kjartan all the men who had taken part in the ambush,
except Ospak, son of Osvif, for he was already under outlawry because
of a woman who was called Aldis, the daughter of Holmganga-Ljot of
Ingjaldsand. Their son was Ulf, who later became a marshal to King
Harold Sigurdsson, and had for wife Jorunn, the daughter of Thorberg.
Their son was Jon, father of Erlend the Laggard, the father of
Archbishop Egstein. Olaf had proclaimed that the blood-suit should be
taken into court at Thorness Thing. He had Kjartan's body brought
home, and a tent was rigged over it, for there was as yet no church
built in the Dales. [Sidenote: Olaf protects Bolli] But when Olaf
heard that Thorstein had bestirred him swiftly and raised up a band of
great many men, and that the Willowdale men had done likewise, he had
men gathered together throughout all the Dales, and a great multitude
they were. The whole of this band Olaf sent to Laugar, with this
order: "It is my will that you guard Bolli if he stand in need
thereof, and do it no less faithfully than if you were following me;
for my mind misgives me that the men from beyond this countryside,
whom, coming soon, we shall be having on our hands, will deem that
they have somewhat of a loss to make up with Bolli. And when he had
put the matter in order in this manner, Thorstein, with his following,
and also the Willowdale men, came on, all wild with rage. Hall
Gudmund's son and Kalf Asgeirson egged them on most to go and force
Bolli to let search be made for the sons of Osvif till they should be
found, for they could be gone nowhere out of the countryside. But
because Olaf set himself so much against their making a raid on
Laugar, messages of peace were borne between the two parties, and
Bolli was most willing, and bade Olaf settle all terms on his behalf,
and Osvif said it was not in his power to speak against this, for no
help had come to him from Snorri the Priest. A peace meeting,
therefore, took place at Lea-Shaws, and the whole case was laid freely
in Olaf's hand. For the slaughter of Kjartan there were to come such
fines and penalties as Olaf liked. Then the peace meeting came to an
end. Bolli, by the counsel of Olaf, did not go to this meeting. The
award should be made known at Thorness Thing. Now the Mere-men and
Willowdale men rode to Herdholt. [Sidenote: The death of Hrefna]
Thorstein Kugg
|