Hunger huge of cub of wolf.”
Gunnar was still, so that one man held him, and spoke no ill
words.
Njal tried to bring about a settlement, or to get pledges of
peace; but Thorgeir said he would neither give nor take peace;
far rather, he said, would he see Gunnar dead for the blow.
Kolskegg said, “Gunnar has before now stood too fast, than that
he should have fallen for words alone, and so it will be again.”
Now men ride away from the horse-field, every one to his home.
They make no attack on Gunnar, and so that halfyear passed away.
At the Thing, the summer after, Gunnar met Olaf the peacock, his
cousin, and he asked him to come and see him, but yet bade him be
ware of himself; “For,” says he, “they will do us all the harm
they can, and mind and fare always with many men at thy back.”
He gave him much good counsel beside, and they agreed that there
should be the greatest friendship between them.
59. OF ASGRIM AND WOLF UGGIS’ SON
Asgrim Ellidagrim’s son had a suit to follow up at the Thing
against Wolf Uggis’ son. It was a matter of inheritance. Asgrim
took it up in such a way as was seldom his wont; for there was a
bar to his suit, and the bar was this, that he had summoned five
neighbours to bear witness, when he ought to have summoned nine.
And now they have this as their bar.
Then Gunnar spoke and said,“I will challenge thee to single
combat on the island, Wolf Uggis’ son, if men are not to get
their rights by law; and Njal and my friend Helgi would like that
I should take some share in defending thy cause, Asgrim, if they
were not here themselves.”
“But,” says Wolf, “this quarrel is not one between thee and me.”
“Still it shall be as good as though it were,” says Gunnar.
And the end of the suit was, that Wolf had to pay down all the
money.
Then Asgrim said to Gunnar, “I will ask thee to come and see me
this summer, and I will ever be with thee in lawsuits, and never
against thee.”
Gunnar rides home from the Thing, and a little while after he and
Njal met. Njal besought Gunnar to be ware of himself, and said
he had been told that those away under the Threecorner meant to
fall on him, and bade him never go about with a small company,
and always to have his weapons with him. Gunnar said so it
should be, and told him that Asgrim had asked him to pay him a
visit, “and I mean to go now this harvest.”
“Let no men know before thou farest how long thou wilt be away,”
said Njal; “but, besides, I beg thee to let my sons ride with
thee, and then no attack will be made on thee.”
So they settled that among themselves.
Now the summer wears away till it was eight weeks to winter, and
then Gunnar says to Kolskegg, “Make thee ready to ride, for we
shall ride to a feast at Tongue.”
