Comic Sagas and Tales from Iceland (Penguin Classics) by Authors Various

Author:Authors, Various [Authors, Various]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141975528
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2013-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

‘I’ve ended up the same way as the wolves – they devoured one another, and didn’t notice it until they got down to the tail. I had the choice of many chieftains, and now the only one left is a man from whom everyone expects the worst. He is known to be guilty of more injustice than any of the others, and he doesn’t care what he does for money as long as he gets more than he had before. But he has an excuse for being unscrupulous in this case, when so many others have got tangled in it who previously had a reputation for fairness, but have abandoned honour and integrity in exchange for injustice and greed. Now it would never occur to anyone that I would choose a man of whom everyone expects the worst, when there isn’t a craftier man to be found in your party, but that’s what it comes down to, since all the others have been counted out.’

Egil grinned and said, ‘It’s not the first time I’ve ended up with an honour which other people didn’t want me to have. What we must do now, Gellir, is stand up and withdraw to discuss the case.’

This they did: walked away from there and sat down.

Then Gellir said, ‘What shall we say about this?’

Egil said, ‘It’s my advice that we impose a small fine, and I don’t see what else can be done. But we’re not going to win much popularity by this.’

‘Wouldn’t it be quite sufficient if we settled for thirteen ounces of scrap silver?’ said Gellir. ‘Seeing that the whole charge was based on a great injustice, the worse they like it, the better. But I’m not keen to announce the settlement, because I expect it to be badly received.’

‘Choose which you’d rather do,’ said Egil. ‘Either announce the settlement or field the criticism.’

‘I prefer to make the announcement,’ said Gellir.

Then they went back to the confederates.

Hermund said, ‘Let’s rise and listen to this disgraceful business.’

Then Gellir spoke: ‘We two won’t be any wiser for putting it off, and it will all come to the same thing in the end. Egil and I have decided to award to us, the confederates, thirteen ounces of silver.’

‘Did I hear that right?’ said Hermund. ‘Did you say a hundred and thirty ounces of silver?’

Egil answered, ‘Come now, Hermund, you can’t have been sitting on your ear when you were standing up. Thirteen ounces was what we said, and of such silver as no one would accept who wasn’t wretchedly poor: it’s to be paid in broken brooches and bits of rings and all the poorest stuff that can be found, to please you least.’

Then Hermund said, ‘You’ve cheated us, Egil!’

‘Oh really,’ said Egil. ‘You think you’ve been cheated?’

‘Yes, I think myself cheated, and it’s you who’ve cheated me.’

Egil answered, ‘I’m glad I have managed to cheat a man who trusts no one, not even himself. I can prove what I say of you: you went and

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.