AFT i: It Till'] J1ATTLE, 



207 



seized Thorkel's sword and gave him a deadly blow. ' Now I 

 have fulfilled one of my two vow s,' said Vagn, ' and I feel a 

 great deal better than before.' Hakon said : ' Do not leave 

 him loose long ; slay him first, for he has done us much harm.' 

 Eirik said : ' You shall not slay him, if I have my will, before 

 you slay me ; I take him away.' Hakon said : ' Now I need 

 not meddle with this ; thou wilt have thy way alone, kinsman.' 

 Eirik said: 'Vagn is a good man-bargain ( = acquisition), 

 father, and I think it a good bargain to let him take Thorkel's 

 place and honour ; Thorkel might expect what happened to 

 him, for now it is proved which often is said that "a wise 

 man's guess is a prophecy " ; thou sawest already to-day that 

 he was death-fated.' Eirik took Vagn into his power, and then 

 he was in no danger ; Vagn said : ' I will accept life from 

 thee, Eirik, only on condition that all my comrades who arc 

 living are given their lives ; otherwise we will all go the same 

 way, we comrades.' Eirik said : ' I will speak to thy 

 comrades, but I do not refuse what thou askest.' Eirik went 

 to Bjorn the British, and asked who he was, or what was his 

 name. He answered ' Bjorn.' * Art thou the Bjorn who 

 fetched the man in King Svein's hall so boldly ? ' 1 'I know 

 not,' said Bjorn, ' that I fetched him boldly, but nevertheless 

 I took the man away.' ' What didst thou seek,' said Eirik, 

 ' in coming hither, old man, or what induced thee, bald and 

 white haired, to come on this journey? It is true that all 

 straws want to sting us, the Noregs-men, since even the mm 

 who are off their feet on account of old age came hither to 

 fight us. Wilt thou receive thy life from me, for I think a 

 man as old as thou ought not to be slain.' Bjorn answered : 

 ' I will receive my life from thee on condition that the lives 

 of my foster-son Vagn, and of all our men who are living are 

 spared.' ' That shall be granted to all of you,' said Eirik, 

 ' if I have my will, which I shall have.' He went to his 

 lather, and entreated him to spare the lives of all the living 

 Jomsvikings, which the jarl granted him ; and they were all 

 untied, plighted faith was given to them, and they were taken 

 into peace. It was arranged by Hakon and Eirik so that 

 Bjorn the British went to the bu of Hallstein Kellingarbani. 

 Five landed men were slain, beside Hallstein. Vagn Akason 

 went to the Vik with Eirik's consent, and before thev parted 

 Eirik said to him that, regarding his wedding with Ingibjorg, 

 Thorkel's daughter, he might do what he liked. When Vagn 

 came to Vik, he went to Ingibjorg, and stayed there during 



1 Allusion to an incident when Bjorn 

 after a fight in King Svein's hall went in 



alone again to fetch one of his men who 

 had been left inside. 



