lost their lives, and Hjort the fifteenth.
Gunnar brought Hjort home, laid out on his shield, and he was
buried in a cairn there. Many men grieved for him, for he had
many dear friends.
Starkad came home, too, and Hildigunna dressed his wounds and
Thorgeir’s, and said, “Ye would have given a great deal not to
have fallen out with Gunnar.”
“So we would,” says Starkad.
ENDNOTES:
(1) “Rhine’s fire,” a periphrasis for gold.
63. NJAL’S COUNSEL TO GUNNAR
Steinvor, at Sandgil, besought Thorgrim the Easterling to take in
hand the care of her goods, and not to sail away from Iceland,
and so to keep in mind the death of his messmate and kinsman.
“My messmate Thorir,” said he, “foretold that I should fall by
Gunnar’s hand if I stayed here in the land, and he must have
foreseen that when he foreknew his own death.”
“I will give thee,” she says, “Gudruna my daughter to wife, and
all my goods into the bargain.”
“I knew not,” he said, “that thou wouldest pay such a long
price.”
After that they struck the bargain that he shall have her, and
the wedding feast was to be the next summer.
Now Gunnar rides to Bergthorsknoll, and Kolskegg with him. Njal
was out of doors and his sons, and they went to meet Gunnar and
gave them a hearty welcome. After that they fell a-talking, and
Gunnar said, “Hither am I come to seek good counsel and help at
thy hand.”
“That is thy due,” said Njal.
“I have fallen into a great strait,” says Gunnar, “and slain many
men, and I wish to know what thou wilt make of the matter?”
“Many will say this,” said Njal, “that thou hast been driven into
it much against thy will; but now thou shalt give me time to take
counsel with myself.”
Then Njal went away all by himself, and thought over a plan, and
came back and said, “Now have I thought over the matter somewhat,
and it seems to me as though this must be carried through — if
it be carried through at all — with hardihood and daring.
Thorgeir has got my kinswoman Thorfinna with child, and I will
hand over to thee the suit for seduction. Another suit of
outlawry against Starkad I hand over also to thee, for having
hewn trees in my wood on the Threecorner ridge. Both these suits
shalt thou take up. Thou shalt fare too, to the spot where ye
fought, and dig up the dead, and name witnesses to the wounds,
and make all the dead outlaws, for that they came against thee
with that mind to give thee and thy brothers wounds or swift
death. But if this be tried at the Thing, and it be brought up
against thee that thou first gave Thorgeir a blow, and so mayst
neither plead thine own cause nor that of others, then I will
answer in that matter, and say that I gave thee back thy rights
