The Story of Rolf and the Viking's Bow

by Allen French

  CHAPTER XI

  OF ROLF'S SEARCH FOR ONE TO SURPASS HIM WITH THE BOW

  Two vows Rolf made before he slept that night: the first was that hewould yet show his father's slaying unlawful; the second was that, solong as he might, he would neither stand, sit, nor lie, without weaponwithin reach of his hand. For Hiarandi might have saved himself had hebut had his sword. Asdis and Frodi, who stood by and heard the vows,might not blame him; for such was the custom of those days. Then Rolfbegged Frodi to stay with him to help finish the sowing, and that wasdone. And when the spring work was finished on the farm, then it waswithin six weeks of the sitting of the Althing. But Rolf felt that thework had to be done, for his mother's sake.

  Then Rolf set forth on that quest of his, to find a man to beat him atthe bow. First he went to Surt of Ere, and begged him to try skillwith him. Then it was seen that Rolf's strength had so waxed duringthe winter, that Surt overshot him by no more than two yards. NextRolf went to Thord of Laxriver, but that failed completely, for by nowRolf could shoot even as far as Thord. After that he went about in thedales, to find men who were good at archery; but though he heard ofmany with great names, those men proved to be nothing helpful to Rolf,for none could surpass him at all. So he began to learn how much is alittle distance, even so much as a palm's breadth, at the end of arace or of the fling of a weapon. And time drew on toward the sittingof the Althing, so that Rolf feared that he should be able to make outno case against Einar. At last, after wide wanderings, he got himselfback to Cragness, and sat wearily at home for three days, with littleto say or to do.

  That third morning Asdis said to him: "Leave, my son, thy brooding,and let this matter rest for a while. Over-great are our enemies, yetmayhap in time our deliverance will come."

  Rolf answered nothing but: "Little comes to those who seek not."

  Now Frodi had gone for one night to his smithy, which was ten milesfrom Cragness, beyond Helgafell, at the head of Hvammfirth, wherethere was a ferry by a little river. When he came back quoth he:"Yesterday crossed at the ferry those two men who are most famous inall the South Firths, and they had a great company with them."

  "Who were they?" asked Rolf at once, "and what kind was theirfollowing, whether fighting-men or not?"

  "Fighting-men were they," answered Frodi, "but on a journey of peace.For Kari and Flosi were on their way to visit Snorri the Priest at hishall at Tongue. Great would have been thy pleasure at seeing the bravearray."

  "Now, would I had been there!" cried Rolf, springing up. "But I wouldhave looked at more than the brave array. So farewell, mother, andfarewell, Frodi, for I too go on a visit to Snorri the Priest."

  They could not stay him; he took food and a cloak, with his bow, andwent out along the firth on that long journey to Tongue. For he saidto himself that in that company or nowhere else in Iceland would hefind an archer to shoot for him.

  Too long is it to tell of that journey, but it was shortened inasmuchas fishermen set Rolf across Hvammfirth. Then he went from Hvamm up toTongue, and came to the hall of Snorri the Priest. A great sight wasthat hall, for no other that Rolf had seen was equal to it, and thehall at Cragness might have been set inside it. Long it was, andbroad; wide were the porch-doors, and beautiful the pillars thatflanked them. Men went in and out, carrying necessaries from thestorehouse which stood at another side of the great yard. And so noblewas the housekeeping of Snorri the Priest, that at first Rolf fearedto enter the hall. But at last he asked a servant:

  "Will it be taken well if I enter?"

  "Who art thou," asked the man, "not to know that all are welcome atSnorri's house?"

  So Rolf went in where all were feasting, for it was the hour of thenoonday meal. Many men were there, and none took notice of Rolf, savethat when he sat down on the lowest bench one came and offered food.Rolf would take none. He cast his eyes about the place, where twelvefires burned along the middle of the hall, where were seats for manypeople, and where continually servants went to and fro. All seats werefilled save one or two. But at the further end of the hall, on thedais, sat a small man, gray-haired and thin-bearded, with bright eyesof a light blue. And that was Snorri the Priest, the greatest man inall the west of Iceland.

  At his sides sat two other men: the one to his right was iron-gray,bearded and strong, a man of sixty summers; and to the left sat ayounger man, with no gray in his light hair, slighter in body, and yetof vigorous frame. And it was strange that those two men sat togetherin peace, who once had been the bitterest of foes. For the older wasBurning-Flosi, who had burned Njal in his house; but the other wasKari Solmund's son, who had been Njal's son-in-law, and alone of allthe fighting-men had escaped from that burning. And his vengeance uponthe Burners was famous, for he followed them in Iceland, and slewmany; and great was his part in the fight at the Althing, as may beread in Njal's saga. But when the Burners were outlawed and faredabroad, then Kari followed them by land and sea, and slew them wherehe met them. No other vengeance is like to that which Kari, alone,took for his own son, and for Njal and his sons, Grim the strong, andHelgi the gentle, and Skarphedinn the terrible. But Kari missed Flosiin his searchings; so that Flosi came to Rome, and was absolved fromthe sin of the Burning, and so journeyed home. But Kari came also toRome, and was absolved from the sin of his vengeance, and went home.Then Kari was wrecked at Flosi's door, and went to his house forshelter, to put his manhood to the proof. But Flosi welcomed him, andthey were accorded; and friends they were thenceforth.

  Now all this tale was known to Rolf, as it was to all men in Iceland,and as it should be known to all who read of the deeds of great men.So he sat and marvelled at those two, how noble they looked, men whohad never done a guileful deed; and in that they were different fromSnorri, who had won his place by craft alone. Rolf looked also atthose others who sat by the dais, all men of station who looked likewarriors, some one of whom might be the man who should help himagainst Einar. And he took great courage, for there were the men ofmost prowess in all Iceland.

  Now one of the Southfirthers had been telling a story of Grettir theOutlaw, how he flogged Gisli the son of Thorstein with birch twigs.But when the story was ended, Snorri said:

  "Mayhap my son Thorod will tell us what he knoweth of Grettir."

  Then began a snickering among the servingmen, and those of Tonguelooked mighty wise. But Thorod, Snorri's son, got up from his seat andleft the hall, saying he would not stay to be laughed at. When he wasgone a great laughter rose, so that Flosi asked to be told the causeof it. Snorri said:

  "This will show all how Grettir has wits in his head. Some time ago Iwas wroth with my son, for he seemed to me not manly enough. So I senthim from me, bidding him do some brave deed ere he returned. And hewent seeking an outlaw, to slay him. He found one who had beenoutlawed for an assault, but he was a lad; and the woman of the housewhere he worked sent my son further, to find Grettir where he lurkedon the hillside. And Thorod found him and bade him fight.

  "'Knowest thou not,' asked Grettir, 'that I am a treasure-hill whereinmost men have groped with little luck?'

  "But for all that my son would fight. So he smote with his sword, butGrettir warded with his shield and would not strike in return. So atlast when he was weary of such doings, Grettir caught up Thorod andsat him down beside him, and said: 'Go thy ways now, foolish fellow,before I lose my patience with thee. For I fear thee not at all, butthe old gray carle, thy father, I fear truly, who with his counselshath brought most men to their knees.' So my son went away, and camehome, and because the story pleased me I received him again."

  So they laughed again, Southfirthers and Westfirthers together, andjoyous was the feast. But when all was quiet again, men saw thatSnorri wished to speak, and they listened. Snorri called his steward,and said:

  "Fetch a stool, and set it here on the dais, for a new visitor hathcome to see me."

  Then the steward fetched a carved stool, and set it on the dais. Heput a cushion in it, and threw a broidered cloth over it. And all grewcurious to see who
should sit on that stool.

  Then Snorri said again: "Few are my kindred on my mother's side, andnot in many years hath one entered this hall. But one sits here whoseface recalls the features of my mother Thordisa. Let that strangerunder my roof who claims to bear the blood of the Soursops, comeforward to me!"

  Rolf arose, and while all men stared at him, he walked to the dais andstood before Snorri.