So they went along with him. He turns short away from the path
on which they had walked before, and they came to a dell. There
up sprang Hrapp before them, and there it was that he had hidden
himself at first.
The earl urges on his men to run after him, but Hrapp was so
swiftfooted that they never came near him. Hrapp made for
Hlada. There both Thrain and Njal’s sons lay “boun” for sea at
the same time. Hrapp runs to where Njal’s sons are.
“Help me, like good men and true,” he said, “for the earl will
slay me.”
Helgi looked at him, and said, “Thou lookest like an unlucky man,
and the man who will not take thee in will have the best of it.”
“Would that the worst might befall you from me,” says Hrapp.
“I am the man,” says Helgi, “to avenge me on thee for this as
time rolls on.”
Then Hrapp turned to Thrain Sigfus’ son, and bade him shelter
him.
“What hast thou on thy hand?” says Thrain.
“I have burnt a shrine under the earl’s eyes, and slain some men,
and now he will be here speedily, for he has joined in the hue
and cry himself.”
“It hardly beseems me to do this,” says Thrain, “when the earl
has done me so much good.”
Then he shewed Thrain the precious things which he had borne out
of the shrine, and offered to give him the goods, but Thrain said
he could not take them unless he gave him other goods of the same
worth for them.
“Then,” said Hrapp, “here will I take my stand, and here shall
I be slain before thine eyes, and then thou wilt have to abide by
every man’s blame.”
Then they see the earl and his band of men coming, and then
Thrain took Hrapp under his safeguard, and let them shove off the
boat, and put out to his ship.
Then Thrain said, “Now this will be thy best hiding place, to
knock out the bottoms of two casks, and then thou shalt get into
them.”
So it was done, and he got into the casks, and then they were
lashed together, and lowered overboard.
Then comes the earl with his band to Njal’s sons, and asked if
Hrapp had come there.
They said that he had come.
The earl asked whither he had gone thence?
They said they had not kept eyes on him, and could not say.
“He,” said the earl, “should have great honour from me who would
tell me where Hrapp was.”
Then Grim said softly to Helgi, “Why should we not say, What know
I whether Thrain will repay us with any good?”
“We should not tell a whit more for that,” says Helgi, “when his
life lies at stake.”
“May be,” said Grim, “the earl will turn his vengeance on us,
