stood, and his goods had gained much since he was away. Then
Hrut said, “The reward is less worth than it ought to be, but I
will give thee as much meal as thou needst for thy household next
winter.”
Then they drew the ship on land on rollers, and made her snug in
her shed, but all the wares on board her they carried away into
the Dales westward. Hrut stayed at home at Hrutstede till winter
was six weeks off, and then the brothers made ready and Auzur
with them, to ride to Hrut’s wedding. Sixty men ride with them,
and they rode east till they came to Rangriver plains. There
they found a crowd of guests, and the men took their seats on
benches down the length of the hall, but the women were seated on
the crossbenches on the dais, and the bride was rather downcast.
So they drank out the feast and it went off well. Mord pays down
his daughter’s portion, and she rides west with her husband and
his train. So they ride till they reach home. Hrut gave over
everything into her hands inside the house, and all were pleased
at that; but for all that she and Hrut did not pull well together
as man and wife, and so things went on till spring, and when
spring came Hrut had a journey to make to the Westfirths, to get
in the money for which he had sold his wares; but before he set
off his wife says to him, “Dost thou mean to be back before men
ride to the Thing?”
“Why dost thou ask?” said Hrut.
“I will ride to the Thing,” she said, “to meet my father.”
“So it sball be,” said he, “and I will ride to the Thing along
with thee.”
“Well and good,” she says.
After that Hrut rode from home west to the Firths, got in all his
money, and laid it out anew, and rode home again. When he came
home he busked him to ride to the Thing, and made all his
neighbours ride with him. His brother Hauskuld rode among the
rest. Then Hrut said to his wife, “If thou hast as much mind now
to go to the Thing as thou saidst a while ago, busk thyself and
ride along with me.”
She was not slow in getting herself ready, and then they all
rode to the Thing. Unna went to her father’s booth, and he gave
her a hearty welcome, but she seemed somewhat heavy-hearted, and
when he saw that he said to her, “I have seen thee with a merrier
face. Hast thou anything on thy mind?”
She began to weep, and answered nothing. Then he said to her
again. “Why didst thou ride to the Thing, if thou wilt not tell
me thy secret? Dost thou dislike living away there in the west?”
Then she answered him, “I would give all I own in the world that
I had never gone thither.”
“Well!” said Mord, “I’ll soon get to the bottom of this.” Then
be sends men to fetch Hauskuld and Hrut, and they came
straightway; and when they came in to see Mord, he rose up to
meet them and gave them a hearty welcome, and asked them to sit
