FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134  
135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   >>   >|  
epherd rode straight into the "town"; and Gunnar said, "Why ridest thou so hard?" "I would be faithful to thee," said the man; "I saw men riding down along Markfleet, eight of them together, and four of them were in coloured clothes." Gunnar said, "That must be Otkell". The lad said, "I have often heard many temper-trying words of Skamkell's; for Skamkell spoke away there East at Dale, and said that thou sheddest tears when they rode over thee; but I tell it thee because I cannot bear to listen to such speeches of worthless men". "We must not be word-sick," says Gunnar, "but from this day forth thou shalt do no other work than what thou choosest for thyself." "Shall I say aught of this to Kolskegg thy brother?" asked the shepherd. "Go thou and sleep," says Gunnar; "I will tell Kolskegg." The lad laid him down and fell asleep at once, but Gunnar took the shepherd's horse and laid his saddle on him; he took his shield, and girded him with his sword, Oliver's gift; he sets his helm on his head; takes his bill, and something sung loud in it, and his mother, Rannveig, heard it. She went up to him and said, "Wrathful art thou now, my son, and never saw I thee thus before". Gunnar goes out, and drives the butt of his spear into the earth, and throws himself into the saddle, and rides away. His mother, Rannveig, went into the sitting-room, where there was a great noise of talking. "Ye speak loud," she says, "but yet the bill gave a louder sound when Gunnar went out." Kolskegg heard what she said, and spoke, "This betokens no small tidings". "That is well," says Hallgerda, "now they will soon prove whether he goes away from them weeping." Kolskegg takes his weapons and seeks him a horse, and rides after Gunnar as fast as he could. Gunnar rides across Acretongue, and so to Geilastofna, and thence to Rangriver, and down the stream to the ford at Hof. There were some women at the milking-post there. Gunnar jumped off his horse and tied him up. By this time the others were riding up towards him; there were flat stones covered with mud in the path that led down to the ford. Gunnar called out to them and said, "Now is the time to guard yourselves; here now is the bill, and here now ye will put it to the proof whether I shed one tear for all of you". Then they all of them sprang off their horses' backs and made towards Gunnar. Hallbjorn was the foremost. "Do not thou come on," says Gunnar; "thee
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134  
135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Gunnar
 

Kolskegg

 

mother

 
Rannveig
 
saddle
 
shepherd
 

Skamkell

 

riding

 

louder

 

sprang


horses
 
Hallgerda
 

tidings

 

betokens

 

covered

 

sitting

 

foremost

 

Hallbjorn

 

talking

 

Geilastofna


Acretongue
 

jumped

 

Rangriver

 
stream
 

called

 
stones
 
milking
 

weeping

 

weapons

 

girded


sheddest

 

listen

 
speeches
 
worthless
 

temper

 
faithful
 

ridest

 

epherd

 

straight

 

Markfleet


Otkell

 

clothes

 
coloured
 

Wrathful

 
throws
 
drives
 

Oliver

 

thyself

 
choosest
 

brother