round his shoulders, because the boat was blocked up with goods, chiefly piled-up chests, and the cargo was heaped up very high; but land was near about, while on the boat there was but little way, because of the raging current against them.  Then they sailed on to a hidden rock, but were not wrecked.  Thorstein bade them let down the sail as quickly as possible, and take punt poles to push off the ship.  This shift was tried to no avail, because on either board the sea was so deep that the poles struck no bottom; so they were obliged to wait for the incoming tide, and now the water ebbs away under the ship.  Throughout the day they saw a seal in the current larger by much than any others, and through the day it would be swimming round about the ship, with flappers none of the shortest, and to all of them it seemed that in him there were human eyes.  Thorstein bade them shoot the seal, and they tried, but it came to nought. [Sidenote:  Gudmund’s story] Now the tide rose; and just as the ship was getting afloat there broke upon them a violent squall, and the boat heeled over, and every one on board the boat was drowned, save one man, named Gudmund, who drifted ashore with some timber.  The place where he was washed up was afterwards called Gudmund’s Isles.  Gudrid, whom Thorkell Trefill had for wife, was entitled to the inheritance left by Thorstein, her father.  These tidings spread far and near of the drowning of Thorstein Swart, and the men who were lost there.  Thorkell sent straightway for the man Gudmund, who had been washed ashore, and when he came and met Thorkell, he (Thorkell) struck a bargain with him, to the end that he should tell the story of the loss of lives even as he (Thorkell) was going to dictate it to him.  Gudmund agreed.  Thorkell now asked him to tell the story of this mishap in the hearing of a good many people.  Then Gudmund spake on this wise:  “Thorstein was drowned first, and then his son-in-law, Thorarin”—­so that then it was the turn of Hild to come in for the money, as she was the daughter of Thorarin.  Then he said the maiden was drowned, because the next in inheritance to her was Osk, her mother, and she lost her life the last of them, so that all the money thus came to Thorkell Trefill, in that his wife Gudrid must take inheritance after her sister.  Now this tale is spread abroad by Thorkell and his men; but Gudmund ere this had told the tale in somewhat another way. [Sidenote:  The ordeal] Now the kinsmen of Thorarin misdoubted this tale somewhat, and said they would not believe it unproved, and claimed one-half of the heritage against Thorkell; but Thorkell maintained it belonged to him alone, and bade that ordeal should be taken on the matter, according to their custom.  This was the ordeal at that time, that men had had to pass under “earth-chain,” which was a slip of sward cut loose from the soil, but both ends thereof were left adhering to the earth, and the man who should go through with the ordeal should walk thereunder.