第80章

Then Kraka, accompanied by her husband, took away the brothers on their journey to the sea.They embarked in a single ship, but soon attached two others.They had already reached the coast of Denmark, when, reconnoitering, they learned that seven ships had come up at no great distance.Then Erik bade two men who could speak the Danish tongue well, to go to them unclothed, and, in order to spy better, to complain to Odd of their nakedness, as if Erik had caused it, and to report when they had made careful scrutiny.These men were received as friends by Odd, and hunted for every plan of the general with their sharp ears.He had determined to attack the enemy unawares at daybreak, that he might massacre them the more speedily while they were swathed in their night garments: for he said that men's bodies were wont to be most dull and heavy at that hour of dawn.He also told them, thereby hastening what was to prove his own destruction, that his ships were laden with stones fit for throwing.The spies slipped off in the first sleep of the night, reported that Odd had filled all his vessels with pebbles, and also told everything else they had heard.Erik now quite understood the case, and, when he considered the smallness of his own fleet, thought that he must call the waters to destroy the enemy, and win their aid for himself.

So he got into a boat and rowed, pulling silently, close up to the keels of the enemy; and gradually, by screwing in an auger, he bored the planks (a device practiced by Hadding and also by Frode), nearest to the water, and soon made good his return, the oar-beat being scarce audible.Now he bore himself so warily, that not one of the watchers noted his approach or departure.As he rowed off, the water got in through the chinks of Odd's vessels, and sank them, so that they were seen disappearing in the deep, as the water flooded them more and more within.The weight of the stones inside helped them mightily to sink.The billows were washing away the thwarts, and the sea was flush with the decks, when Odd, seeing the vessels almost on a level with the waves, ordered the heavy seas that had been shipped to be baled out with pitchers.And so, while the crews were toiling on to protect the sinking parts of the vessels from the flood of waters, the enemy hove close up.Thus, as they fell to their arms, the flood came upon them harder, and as they prepared to fight, they found they must swim for it.Waves, not weapons, fought for Erik, and the sea, which he had himself Enabled to approach and do harm, battled for him.Thus Erik made better use of the billow than of the steel, and by the effectual aid of the waters seemed to fight in his own absence, the ocean lending him defence.The victory was given to his craft; for a flooded ship could not endure a battle.Thus was Odd slain with all his crew;the look-outs were captured, and it was found that no man escaped to tell the tale of the disaster.

Erik, when the massacre was accomplished, made a rapid retreat, and put in at the isle Lesso.Finding nothing there to appease his hunger, he sent the spoil homeward on two ships, which were to bring back supplies for another year.He tried to go by himself to the king in a single ship.So he put in to Zealand, and the sailors ran about over the shore, and began to cut down the cattle: for they must either ease their hunger or perish of famine.So they killed the herd, skinned the carcases, and cast them on board.When the owners of the cattle found this out, they hastily pursued the free-booters with a fleet.And when Erik found that he was being attacked by the owners of the cattle, he took care that the carcases of the slaughtered cows should be tied with marked ropes and hidden under water.Then, when the Zealanders came up, he gave them leave to look about and see if any of the carcases they were seeking were in his hands;saying that a ship's corners were too narrow to hide things.

Unable to find a carcase anywhere, they turned their suspicions on others, and thought the real criminals were guiltless of the plunder.Since no traces of free-booting were to be seen, they fancied that others had injured them, and pardoned the culprits.

As they sailed off, Erik lifted the carcase out of the water and took it in.

Meantime Frode learnt that Odd and his men had gone down.For a widespread rumour of the massacre had got wind, though the author of the deed was unknown.There were men, however, who told how they had seen three sails putting in to shore, and departing again northwards.Then Erik went to the harbour, not far from which Frode was tarrying, and, the moment that he stepped out of the ship, tripped inadvertently, and came tumbling to the ground.

He found in the slip a presage of a lucky issue, and forecast better results from this mean beginning.When Grep heard of his coming, he hastened down to the sea, intending to assail with chosen and pointed phrases the man whom he had heard was better-spoken than all other folk.Grep's eloquence was not so much excellent as impudent, for he surpassed all in stubbornness of speech.So he began the dispute with reviling, and assailed Erik as follows: