In the time of Sigurd Hlodverson, Ulf the Bad, of Sanday in Orkney,
murdered Harald of North Ronaldsay, and seized his lands in the
absence of Harald's son Helgi, a gentle Viking, on a cruise. On his
return, Helgi, to revenge his father's death, slew Bard, Ulf's next of
kin, in fight. Jarl Sigurd blames him for this and for not letting him
settle the feud himself, and Helgi sells all he has, and goes to Ulf's
house and takes his daughter, Helga, away. Ulf follows them up by
sea with a superior force, defeats Helgi off Caithness, and he
jumps overboard with Helga and swims to shore, where a poor farmer,
Thorfinn, as Helgi had always been kind in his "vikings" to such as he
was, has the wedding at his house, and shelters the pair there till
on Ulf's death two years after they can return to Orkney with Bard or
Barth, their infant son. At twelve years of age, Barth desires to fare
away "to those peoples who believe in the God of Heaven Himself," and
fares far away accordingly. Barth works for a farmer, and works so
well that his flocks increase, and gets a cow for himself as a reward,
but meets a beggar who begs the cow of him "for Peter's thanks." Each
year a cow is the reward of Barth's work, and each year he is asked
for the cow, and gives her up, until he has given three cows.
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