Chapter LXXXI: Earl Rognvald Takes a Castle

THE tenth day of Yule-tide was a fine day, and Earl Rögnvald arose and commanded his men to arm themselves, and summoned them with trumpets to the attack of the castle. They dragged the wood close to it, and heaped up large piles round the walls. Then the Earl gave orders where each should make the attack. He himself with the Orkneymen had the attack from the south, Erling and Aslák from the west, Jón and Guttorm from the east, and Eindridi Ungi from the north. When they were ready for the attack, they set fire to the wood, and the Earl sang:

Maids in lace and snow-white linen
Bring us here the white wine sparkling.
Fair to see was Ermingerda,
When we met her in our travels.
Fare we now to try the castle
With our flaming oaken firebrands;
Quickly leaping from the scabbard
Gleams the sharp-edged smiter. Forward!

Now they began to attack the castle vigorously, both with weapons and with fire. They shot missiles into it, for that was the only way of attack. The besieged did not stand firm on the walls, because they had to guard themselves against the missiles. They poured down burning pitch and brimstone, which, however, did very little harm to the Earl’s men. What Erling had foretold came to pass; the lime could not stand the fire, and the wall fell down, leaving large breaches open.

A man named Sigmund Ongul (fish-hook), the Earl’s stepson, was one of the keenest in the attack, and frequently went in front of the Earl, although he was then hardly a full-grown man. When the attack had lasted for a while, all the besieged were driven from the wall. The wind blew from the south, and drove all the smoke towards Eindridi, and when the fire began to spread rapidly the Earl had water poured on it to cool the burnt stones, and then there was a short pause in the attack. The Earl sang a song:

Now I mind me of the Yule-tide
Which I spent with friends and brave men
On the east of Agdir’s mountains,
With the valiant warrior Sölmund;
Now, again, another Yule-tide
Am I in the same way busy
At the south side of this castle,
Adding to the din of weapons.

Further he sang:

Glad I was when that fair lady
Listened to my love-tale’s telling;
Hopelessly was I led captive
By a Valland maid in autumn.
Still I love the noble lady,
And I spread the feast for eagles.
Stone and lime, well bound together,
Now before me fall asunder.

Then Sigmund Ongul sang:

When, in spring-time, o’er the waters
Ye go homeward to the Orkneys,
Tell the lady whom I most love—
Lady of the splendid garments—
That, beneath the castle ramparts,
There was none who stepped more boldly
’Mong the young men than her lover.

Then the Earl and Sigmund prepared to force their way into the castle, and meeting with little resistance, they entered it, and many were killed; but those that surrendered to the Earl received quarter. They obtained a great deal of property, but did not find the chief, and almost no treasure. There was a great discussion about the escape of Gudifrey, and how he had effected it; and they soon suspected Eindridi Ungi that he had given him the means of escaping, and that he had followed the smoke, and thus gained the forest.

After this Earl Rögnvald and his men stayed a short time in Galicialand, and directed their course along the west of Spain. They plundered far and wide in heathen Spainland,[378] and obtained great booty. They went into a certain village, but the villagers ran together and offered fight. They made a stout resistance, but fled at last, when many of them had been killed. The Earl sang:

When in Spainland I went fighting,
Quickly we o’erthrew the foemen,
For, when tired of our hard hewing,
Home they ran to see their sweethearts:
All the land was strewed with corpses.
Our deeds in song shall now be famous;
And my hope is, to be worthy
Of the lovely Ermingerda.

Then they sailed along the west of Spain, and were overtaken by a gale. There they lay at anchor three days, and great waves broke over them, so that the vessels nearly foundered. Then the Earl sang:

Here I’m storm-tossed, but undaunted,
While the cables hold together,
And the tackle of the vessel
Breaks not, as she breasts the billows;
I am promised to the fair one
Whom we left out in the North-land;
Now again there comes a fair wind;
Speed we on into the channel.

Then they set sail, and ran into Njörfasund[379] with a fair wind, and Oddi sang:

When the faithful friend of heroes,
In the guest-hall sweet mead quaffing,
Sat beside the fair ring-giver,
That was a week to be remembered.
Now the splendid steeds of billows
Bear the noble-minded Rögnvald
And his warriors, wearing bucklers,
Quickly through the Sound of Njörfi.

When they were tacking into the Sound, the Earl sang:

By an east wind, breathing softly,
As from lips of Valland lady,
Are our ships now wafted onward,
As we push the yards out farther;
Though we had to tie the canvas
Tighter than we had expected
To the middle of the sailyard,
South off Spain—we bear away now.

They sailed through Njörfasund, and then the gale began to abate; and when they had cleared the Sound, Eindridi Ungi parted from the Earl with six ships, and sailed across the sea to Marselia (Marseilles), but Earl Rögnvald and his men remained at the Sound. It was said that Eindridi now himself proved that he had allowed Gudifrey to escape. The Earl’s men sailed out to sea, and stood southwards to Serkland.[380] Then Earl Rögnvald sang:

Now our good ship, land forsaking,
Laves her breast in limpid waters.
Long ere he who sings these verses,
Sees again the northern islands;
With the sharp prow I the yielding
Earth-surrounding sea am carving,
Far off Spain-land, sweeping southward.

More is not said of the Earl’s progress till they came south off Serkland, and lay near Sardinia, not knowing where the land was. It was very calm, and a thick fog spread over the water, so that they could hardly see anything from the ships, and they sailed therefore slowly. One morning the mist disappeared, and the crew arose and looked around and saw two islets. When they looked for them the second time, there was but one islet. This they told to the Earl. Then he said: “This cannot have been islets which you have seen; it must be ships such as they have in this part of the world, and which they call Drómundar.[381] From a distance they look as big as holms. But where the other Drómund lay, a puff of wind has probably swept over the water, and she has sailed away; but they are likely some rovers.”

Then he summoned the Bishop and all the ship-commanders, and said: “I ask of you my Lord Bishop, and Erling my kinsman, whether you see any chance or device by which we may overcome those in the Drómund.”

The Bishop replied: “I think you will find it difficult to attack the Drómund in your long-ships, for you will hardly be able to reach their bulwarks with a boarding-pike, and they have probably brimstone and boiling pitch to pour under your feet and over your heads. You may see, Earl Rögnvald, wise as you are, that it would be the greatest rashness to place yourself and your men in such jeopardy.”

Then Erling said: “My Lord Bishop, it may be that you are right in thinking that we shall not obtain the victory by rowing at them; yet I cannot help thinking that if we try to push close to the Drómund, their missiles will fall beyond our ships lying close alongside; but if this be not the case, we can push away quickly, for they will not be able to chase us in the Drómund.”

The Earl said: “That is bravely spoken, and very much to my own mind. I will now make it known to the ships’ commanders and all the men, that every one may arm and prepare himself, each in his own place, as well as he can. Then let us attack them, and if they are Christian merchants, we can make peace with them; but if they are heathens, which I think they are, by the favour of Almighty God we shall be able to overcome them, but of the booty we obtain we shall give every fiftieth penny to the poor.”

Then they unfastened their arms, prepared the bulwarks of their ships for battle, and made themselves ready in other ways as their circumstances permitted. The Earl assigned to each vessel its place in the attack; then they pulled vigorously onwards.