Chapter 16 - Thorolf and the king.

In the summer Thorolf went south to king Harold at Throndheim, taking with him all the tribute and much wealth besides, and ninety men well arrayed. When he came to the king, he and his were placed in the guest-hall and entertained magnificently.

On the morrow Aulvir Hnuf went to his kinsman Thorolf; they talked together, Aulvir saying that Thorolf was much slandered, and the king gave ear to such tales. Thorolf asked Aulvir to plead his cause with the king, 'for,' said he, 'I shall be short-spoken before the king if he choose rather to believe the lies of wicked men than truth and honesty which he will find in me.'

The next day Aulvir came to see Thorolf, and told him he had spoken on his business with the king; 'but,' said he, 'I know no more than before what is in his mind.'

'Then must I myself go to him,' said Thorolf.

He did so; he went to the king where he sat at meat, and when he came in he greeted the king. The king accepted his greeting, and bade them serve him with drink. Thorolf said that he had there the tribute belonging to the king from Finmark; 'and yet a further portion of booty have I brought as a present to thee, O king. And what I bring will, I know, owe all its worth to this, that it is given out of gratitude to thee.'

The king said that he could expect nought but good from Thorolf, 'because,' said he, 'I deserve nought else; yet men tell two tales of thee as to thy being careful to win my approval.'

'I am not herein justly charged,' said Thorolf, 'if any say I have shown disloyalty to thee. This I think, and with truth: That they who speak such lying slanders of me will prove to be in nowise thy friends, but it is quite clear that they are my bitter enemies; 'tis likely, however, that they will pay dearly for it if we come to deal together.'

Then Thorolf went away.

But on the morrow Thorolf counted out the tribute in the king's presence; and when it was all paid, he then brought out some bearskins and sables, which he begged the king to accept. Many of the bystanders said that this was well done and deserved friendship. The king said that Thorolf had himself taken his own reward. Thorolf said that he had loyally done all he could to please the king. 'But if he likes it not,' said he, 'I cannot help it: the king knows, when I was with him and in his train, how I bore myself; it is wonderful to me if the king thinks me other now than he proved me to be then.'

The king answered: 'Thou didst bear thyself well, Thorolf, when thou wert with us; and this, I think, is best to do still, that thou join my guard, bear my banner, be captain over the guard; then will no man slander thee, if I can oversee night and day what thy conduct is.'

Thorolf looked on either hand where stood his house-carles; then said he: 'Loth were I to deliver up these my followers: about thy titles and grants to me, O king, thou wilt have thine own way, but my following I will not deliver up while my means last, though I manage at my own sole cost. My request and wish, O king, is this, that thou come and visit me at my home, and the hear word of men whom thou trustest, what witness they bear to me in this matter; thereafter do as thou findest proof to warrant.'

The king answered and said that he would not again accept entertainment from Thorolf; so Thorolf went out, and made ready to return home.

But when he was gone, the king put into the hands of Hildirida's sons his business in Halogaland which Thorolf had before had, as also the Finmark journey. The king claimed ownership of the estate at Torgar, and of all the property that Brynjolf had had; and all this he gave into the keeping of Hildirida's sons. The king sent messengers with tokens to Thorolf to tell him of this arrangement, whereupon Thorolf took the ships belonging to him, put on board all the chattels he could carry, and with all his men, both freedmen and thralls, sailed northwards to his farm at Sandness, where he kept up no fewer and no less state than before.




 



16. kafli - Hildiríðarsynir fá sýslu Þórólfs.

Þórólfr fór um sumarit suðr til Þrándheims á fund Haralds konungs ok hafði þar með sér skatt allan ok mikit fé annat ok níu tigu manna ok alla vel búna. En er hann kom til konungs, var þeim skipat í gestaskála ok veitt þeim it stórmannligsta.

Eftir um daginn gekk Ölvir hnúfa til Þórólfs, frænda síns. Töluðust þeir við. Sagði Ölvir, at Þórólfr var þá hrópaðr mjök ok konungr hlýddi á slíkar fortölur.

Þórólfr bað Ölvi byrja mál sitt við konung, - "því at ek mun," sagði hann, "vera skammtalaðr fyrir konungi, ef hann vill heldr trúa rógi vándra manna en sannendum ok einurð, er hann mun reyna at mér."

Annan dag kom Ölvir til móts við Þórólf ok sagði, at hann hefði rætt mál hans við konung. "Veit ek nú eigi," sagði hann, "gerr en áðr, hvat honum er í skapi."

"Ek skal þá sjálfr ganga til hans," segir Þórólfr.

Gerði hann svá, gekk til konungs, þá er hann sat yfir matborði, ok er hann kom inn, heilsaði hann konungi. Konungr tók kveðju hans ok bað Þórólfi gefa at drekka.

Þórólfr sagði, at hann hafði þar skatt þann, er konungr átti, er kominn var af Finnmörk, - "ok enn fleiri hluti hefi ek til minningar við yðr, konungr, þá er ek hefi yðr at færa. Veit ek, at því mun mér vera öllu bezt varit, er ek hefi gert til þakka yðvarra."

Konungr segir, at ekki mátti hann vænta at Þórólfi nema góðs eins, - "því at ek em engis," segir hann, "annars af verðr. En þó segja menn nökkut tvennt til, hversu varfærr þú munt um vera, hvernig rnér skal líka."

"Eigi em ek þar fyrir sönnu hafðr," segir Þórólfr, "ef nökkurir segja þat, at ek hafa ótrúleika lýst við yðr, konungr. Hygg ek, at þeir muni vera þínir vinir minni en ek, er slíkt hafa upp borit fyrir þér. En hitt er ljóst, at þeir munu vilja vera óvinir mínir fullkomnir, en þat er ok líkast, at þeir komist þar at keyptu, ef vér skulum einir við eigast."

Síðan gekk Þórólfr á brott. En annan dag eftir greiðir Þórólfr skattinn af hendi, ok var konungr við staddr. Ok er þat var allt greitt, þá bar Þórólfr fram bjórskinn nökkur ok safala, sagði, at þat vill hann gefa konungi. Margir mæltu, er þar váru hjá staddir, at þar var vel gert ok var vináttu fyrir vert. Konungr sagði, at Þórólfr hafði þar sjálfr sér laun fyrir skapit.

Þórólfr sagði, at hann hefði með trúleik gert allt þat, er hann kunni, til skaps konungs, - "ok ef enn líkar honum eigi, þá mun ek fá ekki at gert. Var konungi þat kunnigt, þá er ek var með honum ok í hans sveit, hverja meðferð ek hafða, en þat þykkir mér undarligt, ef konungr ætlar mik nú annan mann en þá reyndi hann mik."

Konungr segir: "Vel fórtu, Þórólfr, með þínum háttum, er þú vart með oss. Ætla ek þat enn bezt af at gera, at þú farir til hirðar minnar. Tak við merki mínu ok ver fyrir öðrum hirðmönnum. Mun þá engi maðr rægja þik, ef ek má yfir sjá nótt ok dag, hverjar meðferðir þú hefir."

Þórólfr sá til beggja handa sér. Þar stóðu húskarlar hans. Hann mælti: "Trauðr mun ek af hendi láta sveit þessa. Muntu ráða, konungr, nafngiftum við mik ok veizlum þínum, en sveitunga mína mun ek ekki af hendi láta, meðan mér endast föng til, þótt ek véla um mína kosti eina. Er hitt bæn mín ok vili, at þér, konungr, farið at heimboði til mín ok heyrið þá orð þeira manna, er þú trúir, hvert vitni þeir bera mér um þetta mál. Gerið þá eftir sem yðr finnast sannendi til."

Konungr svarar ok segir, at eigi mun hann oftar veizlu þiggja at Þórólfi. Gekk Þórólfr þá í brott ok bjóst síðan til heimferðar.

En er hann var í brott farinn, þá fekk konungr í hönd Hildiríðarsonum sýslu þá á Hálogalandi, er áðr hafði Þórólfr haft, ok svá finnferð. Konungr kastaði eigu sinni á bú í Torgum ok allar þær eignir, er Brynjólfr hafði átt, fekk þat allt til varðveizlu Hildiríðarsonum.

Konungr sendi menn með jartegnum á fund Þórólfs at segja honum þessa tilskipan, sem hann hafði gert. Síðan tók Þórólfr skip þau, er hann átti, ok bar þar á lausafé allt, þat er hann mátti með fara, ok hafði með sér alla menn sína, bæði frelsingja ok þræla, fór síðan norðr á Sandnes til bús síns. Hafði Þórólfr þar eigi minna fjölmenni ok eigi minni rausn.


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