He begged to see it, and they showed it to him, and it was in
great slices. These he took and kept.
A little after, Mord fared to see Otkell, and bade that he would
bring Thorgerda’s cheese-mould; and when that was done, he laid
the slices down in it, and lo! they fitted the mould in every
way.
Then they saw, too, that a whole cheese had been given to them.
Then Mord said, “Now may ye see that Hallgerda must have stolen
the cheese;” and they all passed the same judgment; and then Mord
said, that now he thought he was free of this matter.
After that they parted.
Shortly after Kolskegg fell to talking with Gunnar and said, “III
is it to tell, but the story is in every man’s mouth, that
Hallgerda must have stolen, and that she was at the bottom of all
that great scathe that befell at Kirkby.”
Gunner said that he too thought that must be so. “But what is to
be done now?”
Kolskegg answered, “Thou wilt think it thy most bounden duty to
make atonement for thy wife’s wrong, and methinks it were best
that tbou farest to see Otkell, and makest him a handsome offer.”
“This is well spoken,” says Gunnar, “and so it shall be.”
A little after Gunnar sent after Thrain Sigfus’ son and Lambi
Sigurd’s son, and they came at once.
Gunnar told them whither he meant to go, and they were well
pleased. Gunnar rode with eleven men to Kirkby, and called
Otkell out. Skamkell was there too, and said, “I will go out
with thee, and it will be best now to have the balance of wit on
thy side. And I would wish to stand closest by thee when thou
needest it most, and now this will be put to the proof. Methinks
it were best that thou puttest on an air of great weight.”
Then they, Otkell and Skamkell, and Hallkell, and Hallbjorn, went
out all of them.
They greeted Gunnar, and he took their greeting well. Otkell
asks whither he meant to go?
“No farther than here,” says Gunnar, “and my errand hither is to
tell thee about that bad mishap, how it arose from the plotting
of my wife and that thrall whom I bought from thee.”
“‘Tis only what was to be looked for,” says Hallbjorn.
“Now I will make thee a good offer,” says Gunnar, “and the offer
is this, that the best men here in the country round settle the
matter.”
“This is a fair-sounding offer,” said Skamkell, “but an unfair
and uneven one. Thou art a man who has many friends among the
householders, but Otkell has not many friends.”
“Well,” says Gunnar, “then I will offer thee that I shall make an
award, and utter it here on this spot, and so we will settle the
matter, and my goodwill shall follow the settlement. But I will
make thee an atonement by paying twice the worth of what was
lost.”
