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Beware, thou prophet-messenger, beware!" But the palmer cast a fearful look on Biorn, which seemed to quench the light of his fiery eyes, and said solemnly, in a thundering voice, "Between me and thee, old man, the case stands quite otherwise. We have nothing to reproach each other with. And now suffer me to sing a song to you on the lute."
Karlsefne was sure that the scouts had found Wineland where Leif had once been; Thorhall the Huntsman thought not. Karlsefne was for going up the creek as far as a ship could go, and there to land their stock and spend the winter. Biorn, who was afraid of attack by natives, desired to keep to the open sea. It was compromised finally.
Now it seemed that Sigurd had a mind to go after him. But as he was leaving the crowd he met a certain rich merchant of the town, and he said: "Tell me, Biorn, who is this yellow haired lad that has just proved himself so skilful at the knife feat? And whence came he into Esthonia?" The merchant shook his head and said: "He is a wild and wilful loon, hersir, and of no account to any man.
"He requested me to suggest something that would please you, and I told him that all at the parsonage were grieving over the death of poor old Biörn. He immediately decided to send you a dog, and this is a noble sagacious creature." "What is his name?" "That is left entirely to your taste; but I hope you will not go all the way to Greece to find a title, as you did for your classic gander."
Then came the oath-taking, when Ironbeard and his Bearsarks swore brotherhood in battle upon the ship's bulwarks, and the shield's rim, and the horse's shoulder, and the brand's edge. There followed the mixing of blood in the same footprint, a rite to which Biorn was admitted, and a lesser oath for all the people on the great gold ring which lay on the altar.
"That will do well," said Sigurd; and the chief went back, and at once the host sat down. Then Havelok rode to them, and with him went we three and Sigurd and Biorn. There was a murmur of wonder as he came, and it grew louder as he unhelmed and stayed before them. And then one shouted, "Skoal to Havelok Gunnarsson!" and at once the shout was taken up along the line.
The party had gone inland far enough to discover that creeping bushes grew on the hills, and rushes on the bogs; that it was an island, as Biorn had stated, and that forests equal in size to those of Greenland grew in sheltered places. But they had seen nothing to alter their unflattering first opinion.
I have been seven weeks at sea since I left Iceland, and no man alive knows where I have been least of all myself." "Be careful of my lines," said his father. "I am in the way to catch monsters, and have pots down and out all round me." At that Biorn threw his head up and laughed till he cried. "A scurvy on your monster pots," he said.
He sailed west to England, as master of Thorkel's ship; when he returned he met Grettir at a place called Drontheim-firth. The two took up their old quarrel again, fought on the strand, and Biorn was killed. At that time Earl Svein was ruling over Norway as regent, the rightful king being but a boy.
"Father, whom have you here with you?" cried Sintram; and his suspicions rose to certainty as the miner turned round, and the detestable face of the little Master grinned from under his dark hood. "Yes, just see, my fair son," said the wild Biorn; "thou hast not been here for a long while, and so to-night this jolly comrade has paid me a visit, and thy place has been taken.
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