Egil’s Saga by E. R. Eddison Read Free Book Online

thou hiddest
From unwitting sword-saplings,
(An ill cheat have you cheated!)
Bard, thine heart of evil.
    Bard bade him drink, and have done with his fleering ditties. Egil drank every cup that came to him, and so too for Oliver.Then Bard went to the Queen and said to her that that man was there who brought shame upon them, and never drank so much but that he said he was still thirsty. The Queen and Bard blended then the drink with venom, and bare it then in. Bard signed the cup: brought it therewith to the cup-maid: 4 she bare it to Egil and bade him drink.
    Egil drew then his knife and stuck it into the palm of his hand: he took the horn and scored runes 5 thereon and did them over with the blood. He quoth: 6
    Write we runes on the horn now:
Redden the spells with life-blood:
These be the words I’ll choose for
Root of the fierce beast’s ear-tree.
Drink we free of the draught borne
By good gleesome bondmaids.
Let us know how this will medicine us:
Ale that Bard did sign.
    The horn sprang asunder, and the drink spilt down into the straw.
    Then it began to go ill with Oliver. Up stood Egil then, and led Oliver out to the doors, and had his sword in hand. But when they come to the doors, then came Bard after them and bade Oliver drink his parting-health. Egil took it, and drank, and quoth a stave: 7
    Ale bear to me, sith ale now
Gars Oliver turn greenish.
Let I wild ox’s bill-drops
Drizzle through my moustachios.
Clean miss goes thy foretelling
What weather’s toward, O spear-sky’s
Rain-boder! lo, it raineth
Rain of Gods most High!
    Egil casteth down the horn, but grabbed his sword and drew. It was dark in the fore-hall. He laid the sword through Bard’s middle, so that the point leapt out at his back: he fell down dead, and the blood leapt out from the wound. Then fell Oliver, and the spew gushed out of him. Egil leapt out then forth from thehall: then was it moonless dark without: Egil took straight to running from the house.
    But within, in the fore-hall, men saw that they were both fallen, Bard and Oliver. Then came the King thither and let bear lights: then saw men what was betided, that Oliver lay there senseless, but Bard was slain, and all the floor swam with his blood. Then asked the King where might he be, that big man, that had drunken most there that evening. Men said that he went out.
    “Search for him,” said the King, “and let him come to me.”
    Now was search made for him about the house, but nought found of him. But when they came into the firehouse, there lay many men of Oliver’s: the King’s men asked if Egil perchance had come there. They say that he had leapt in there and taken his weapons, “And went out after that”.
    Then was that said unto the King. The King bade his men fare at their nimblest and take all the ships that were in the island; “But in the morning, when it is light, we shall ransack 8 all the island and then slay the man”.
    CHAPTER XLV. OF EGlL’S FLIGHT.
    E GIL fared now through the night and looked about where the ships were. But wheresoever he came to the strand, everywhere there was men before him. He fared all that night and found never a ship: and when it began to be light, he was stood on a certain ness. He saw then an isle, and there was a sound there between, and marvellous broad. Then was this his rede, that he took his helm, sword, and spear, and broke that off its shaft and shot the shaft out to sea: but the weapons he wrapped in his overmantle and made him a bundle of it and bound it on his back. Then leapt he into the sound and stayed not till he came to the isle: it was named Sheppey, and is not a great isle, and grown over with bushes. There was in it cattle, neats and sheep, and that belonged to Atley. But when he cameto the isle he wrung out his clothes. Then was it daylight and the sun risen.
    Eric the King let ransack the isle as soon as it was light. That went slowly, for the isle was great, and Egil was not to be found. Then they went by ship to