of falling on him, and they were forty men in this league, and
they thought it would be a light thing for them to hunt down
Gunnar, now that Kolskegg was away, and Thrain and many other of
Gunnar’s friends.
Men ride from the Thing, and Njal went to see Gunnar, and told
him of his outlawry, and how an onslaught was planned against
him.
“Methinks thou art the best of friends,” says Gunnar; “thou
makest me aware of what is meant.”
“Now,” says Njal, “I would that Skarphedinn should come to thy
house, and my son Hauskuld; they will lay down their lives for
thy life.”
“I will not,” says Gunnar, “that thy sons should be slain for my
sake, and thou hast a right to look for other things from me.”
“All thy care will come to nothing,” says Njal; “quarrels will
turn thitherward where my sons are as soon as thou art dead and
gone.”
“That is not unlikely,” says Gunnar, “but still it would mislike
me that they fell into them for me; but this one thing I will ask
of thee, that ye see after my son Hogni, but I say naught of
Grani, for he does not behave himself much after my mind.”
Njal rode home, and gave his word to do that.
It is said that Gunnar rode to all meetings of men, and to all
lawful Things, and his foes never dared to fall on him.
And so some time went on that he went about as a free and
guiltless man.
ENDNOTES:
(1) “Great Rift,” Almannagja — The great volcanic rift, or
“geo,” as it would be called in Orkney and Shetland, which
bounds the plain of the Allthing on one side.
75. THE RIDING TO LITHEND
Next autumn Mord Valgard’s son sent word that Gunnar would be all
alone at home, but all his people would be down in the isles to
make an end of their haymaking. Then Gizur the White and Geir
the Priest rode east over the rivers as soon as ever they heard
that, and so east across the sands to Hof. Then they sent word
to Starkad under the Threecorner, and there they all met who were
to fall on Gunnar, and took counsel how they might best bring it
about.
Mord said that they could not come on Gunnar unawares, unless
they seized the farmer who dwelt at the next homestead, whose
name was Thorkell, and made him go against his will with them to
lay hands on the hound Sam, and unless he went before them to the
homestead to do this.
Then they set out east for Lithend, but sent to fetch Thorkell.
They seized him and bound him, and gave him two choices — one
that they would slay him, or else he must lay hands on the hound;
but he chooses rather to save his life, and went with them.
There was a beaten sunk road, between fences, above the farm yard
at Lithend, and there they halted with their band. Master
