breeze, which dropped as they came out to the islands. He now lies by
Oxe-isle half a month without a fair wind rising for a start.
[Sidenote: Thured follows Giermund] At that time Olaf had to leave
home to look after his foreshore drifts. Then Thured, his daughter,
called to his house-carles, and bade them come with her. She had the
maid Groa with her, and they were a party of ten together. She lets
run out into the water a ferry-boat that belonged to Olaf, and Thured
bade them sail and row down along Hvamfirth, and when they came out to
the islands she bade them put out the cock-boat that was in the ferry.
Thured got into the boat with two men, and bade the others take care
of the ship she left behind until she returned. She took the little
maid in her arms, and bade the men row across the current until they
should reach the ship (of Giermund). She took a gimlet out of the
boat's locker, and gave it to one of her companions, and bade him go
to the cockle-boat belonging to the merchant ship and bore a hole in
it so as to disable it if they needed it in a hurry. Then she had
herself put ashore with the little maid still in her arms. This was at
the hour of sunrise. She went across the gangway into the ship, where
all men were asleep. She went to the hammock where Giermund slept. His
sword Footbiter hung on a peg pole. Thured now sets the little maid in
the hammock, and snatched off Footbiter and took it with her. Then she
left the ship and rejoined her companions. Now the little maid began
to cry, and with that Giermund woke up and recognised the child, and
thought he knew who must be at the bottom of this. He springs up
wanting to seize his sword, and misses it, as was to be expected, and
then went to the gunwale, and saw that they were rowing away from the
ship. [Sidenote: Thured's revenge] Giermund called to his men, and
bade them leap into the cockle-boat and row after them. They did so,
but when they got a little way they found how the coal-blue sea poured
into them, so they went back to the ship. Then Giermund called Thured