'Then fix it,' said Gunnar, who was waxing wroth at this delay; but once
more Otkell turned to Skamkell, and asked what he should answer.
'Let the award be made by Gizur the white and Geir the priest,' and this
saying pleased Otkell.
'Do you as you will,' replied Gunnar, 'but do not think that men will
speak well of your refusing the choices that I gave you.'
And after that he rode home with his men.
Then Hallbjorm spoke to Otkell, saying: 'Ill was it to refuse the offers
of Gunnar, which were good offers, as you know well. Can it be that you
think yourself a match for Gunnar in fight, when he has proved himself
better than any man in the island? But go and see Gizur the white and
Geir the priest at once, and see if the offers of Gunnar do not seem
good to them! For he is a just and gentle-hearted man, and perchance he
will still hearken to you, if you accept them.'
So Otkell, who ever listened to the last speaker, bade, them bring out
his horse and set forth, Skamkell walking by his side. In a little
while, when they had gone a mile or two, Skamkell said: 'You have much
to look to at Kirkby, and no one but yourself can see after the men. Get
home, therefore, and let me ride to Gizur the white and Geir the priest
instead of you.'
'Go, then,' answered Otkell, who was lazy and never took the trouble to
think for himself; 'but see you do not tell them lies, as you are wont
to do.'
'I will lie no more than I can help, master,' answered Skamkell, jumping
on Otkell's horse.
Otkell fared home and found Hallbjorm in front of the house.
'Has anything befallen you that you have returned on foot?' asked he;
and Otkell, who feared him, said hurriedly:
'I had many men to look over, and much work to do, so I sent Skamkell in
my stead,' But Hallbjorm held his peace and eyed him scornfully.
'He who makes a thrall his friend rues it ever more,' he answered at
last. 'And it is ill done when men's lives are at stake to send the
biggest liar in Iceland on such an errand.'
'If you are afraid now, what would you be if Gunnar's bill were
singing,' asked Otkell, who was always brave when there were none to
slay, and whose courage always waxed great when there were none to
fight.
Hallbjorm laughed as he heard him.
'Who can tell who will fear most at the sound of that singing? But this
you know well, that when the fight has begun Gunnar does not give his
bill much time to sing!'
Now when Skamkell reached Mossfell, he told truly to Gizur the white the
offers Gunnar had made.
'Why did not Otkell accept them?' asked Gizur, 'they were generous and
noble, as Gunnar's offers are.'
'Otkell wished to do you honour,' replied Skamkell; but Gizur for all
answer bade Geir the priest be sent for, and next morning, as soon as
he arrived, Gizur told him the story, and after he had finished he said:
'Let Skamkell tell it again, for I misdoubt him greatly.'
So Skamkell was called in, but he was wary, and he told his tale the
second time as he had done the first, and though Gizur still misdoubted
him he could find no fault.
'Mayhap you speak the truth,' he said; 'but I know the wickedness of
your deeds, and if you die in your bed your face belies you.'
And after a little more talking Skamkell rode home to Kirkby.
'Gizur and Geir greet you,' said Skamkell, 'and they wish that this
matter should have a peaceful ending. They will that Gunnar shall be
summoned as having received and eaten the goods, likewise Hallgerda for
stealing them!'
So Otkell followed this counsel, and five days before the opening of the
Althing he rode with his brother and Skamkell and a great following to
Lithend.
When Gunnar heard what errand they were on, he was very wroth, and after
Otkell had read the summons, and departed with his men, he went away to
seek Njal.
But Njal told him not to trouble, as before the Thing was over he should
be held in greater honour than before.
Gizur the white rode to the Thing also, and he spoke to Otkell, and
asked why he had summoned Gunnar to the Thing. Otkell listened in amaze
and then answered that he had done so because of the counsel that Gizur
himself and Geir the priest had told Skamkell.
'He lied, then,' replied Gizur; 'we gave no such counsel;' and Gunnar
and his friends were called, and Gizur stood forth and bade Gunnar make
his own award. At first Gunnar refused, but at length, after Gizur and
Geir the priest swore that what Skamkell had said was false, he agreed
to do it. And his award was this: that atonement in full should be made
for the burnt storehouses and for the stolen food. 'But for the thrall,'
said Gunnar, 'I will give nothing, for you knew what he was when you
sold him to me. Therefore I will restore him to you. On the other hand,
the ill-words which you have spoken of me, and the way in which you
sought to put me to shame, I count to be worth full as great an
atonement as the burning of a few sheds, of the stealing of a few
cheeses. So that for money we stand equal. One thing more I would say,
Beware lest you seek again to do me evil.'
So spake Gunnar, and no man said him nay. But after a little Gizur asked
that Gunnar might forgive the wrongs Otkell had done him, and hold him
his friend. At this Gunnar laughed out in scorn and answered:
'Let Skamkell be his friend. It is to him Otkell looks for counsel. They
are fitting mates. But one piece of counsel I will give him, and that is
to take shelter with his kinsfolk, for if he stays in this country his
end will be speedy.'
For a while Gunnar rested in peace at home and there was no more
quarrelling. He gathered in his harvest and tended his cattle, ploughed
his fields, and so the autumn and winter passed away and the spring
came.
One day when the sun was shining Gunnar took his small axe, and a bag of
corn, and set out to sow seed. And while he was stooping to do this,
Otkell galloped past, on a wild horse that carried him faster than he
would, and he did not see Gunnar. As ill-chance would have it, Gunnar
raised himself at that moment from stooping over the furrow, and
Otkell's spur tore his ear, and he was very wroth.
'You summon me first, and then you ride over me,' he said, and, as was
his wont, Skamkell made answer:
[Illustration: OTKELL AND GUNNAR IN THE FIELD]
'The wound might have been far sorer, but your anger was greater at
the Thing, when you judged the atonement and clenched your bill in your
fist.'
'When we next meet my bill shall have something to say to you,' said
Gunnar, and went on sowing his corn.
The corn was all sown, and Gunnar was beginning to think of other work,
when one morning his shepherd came riding fast.
'I passed eight men in Markfleet,' said he; 'their faces were set this
way, and Skamkell was with them. He ever speaks ill of you, and I have
heard him tell how you shed tears when Otkell rode over you.'
'It does not do to mind words,' answered Gunnar; 'but for the warning
you have given me you shall henceforth do the work that pleases you. Now
go to sleep.'
So the shepherd slept, and Gunnar took the saddle off his horse, and
laid his own saddle on it; he fetched his shield, and buckled on his
sword, and then he took his bill, and as his hand touched it it sang
loudly. Rannveig his mother heard the sound, and came out from the door
to the place where Gunnar was fastening on his helmet.
'Never have I seen you so full of wrath,' said she. But Gunnar answered
her nothing and rode quickly away.
Rannveig went back to the sitting-room, where many men were talking,
and, looking at them, she said:
'Loud is your talk, but the bill sang louder when Gunnar rode away.'
When Kolskegg heard that, he saddled his horse and hasted after Gunnar.
* * * * *
Gunnar's horse was swift and steady, and he never drew rein till he
reached the ford which he knew Otkell's men must pass. There he tied up
his horse, and awaited them on foot. When Otkell's men came up, they,
too, sprang to the ground, and Hallbjorm strode towards Gunnar.
'Keep back,' said Gunnar, 'I have no quarrel with brave men like you,'
but Hallbjorm answered:
'I cannot for shame stand by while you kill my brother;' and he smote
with his spear at Gunnar. While they were fighting, Skamkell struck at
Gunnar's back with his axe, but Gunnar turned round, and, with his bill
caught the axe from beneath, so that it fell out of Skamkell's hands. A
second thrust with the bill stretched Skamkell on the ground, and after
him Otkell and three others. They slew eight men in all, Kolskegg
aiding.
After that they rode home, and as they went Gunnar said: 'I wonder if I
am less base than others because I kill men less willingly than they.'
* * * * *
The first thing Gunnar did was to seek counsel of Njal, who bid him take
care never to break the peace which was made between him and his foes,
and never to slay more than one man of the same race, 'else your life
will be but short.'
'Do you know the death you yourself will die?' he asked.
'Yes, I know it,' answered Njal.
'And what is it?' asked Gunnar once more.
'One that none could guess,' replied Njal, and Gunnar went away.
Now at the next Thing there was great dispute over this suit, but in the
end it was settled to Gunnar's honour, and Gizur the white and Geir the
priest gave pledges that they would keep the peace. But there were other
men who thought they had been wronged by Gunnar, and laid plots to anger
him, so that he might be outlawed and forced to leave the country.
By ill-fortune the words which Njal had spoken when he bade Gunnar never
to slay more than one man of the same race were noised abroad, and his
enemies made a plan by which Gunnar should be forced to fight Thorgeir,
son of Otkell, so that his doom might come upon him.
[Illustration: How Gunnar slew Thorgeir, Otkell's son.]
Thus matters stood for a while, and then Gunnar rode down to the isles
to see what his thralls were doing, and his foes heard of it, and
resolved to lie in wait for him at the Rang river.
But when Gunnar returned he was not alone, as they expected he would be,
for Kolskegg his brother was at his side, and carried the short sword
which some of them knew well, while Gunnar was armed with his sword and
his bill.
The two were yet far from the Rang river when the bill which Gunnar bore
in his hand sweated with blood, and Kolskegg, who had not yet seen this
sight, grew cold with terror.
'This has some dreadful meaning,' said he; and Gunnar nodded.
'It only happens before a great fight,' he answered, 'and they are
called "wound drops" in other lands. So beware. Let us not be taken
unawares;' and they looked well about them, till they saw some men lying
hidden on the banks on the other side of the ford.
Long it were to tell of that fierce fight, and of the men that were
slain by Kolskegg and Gunnar. At last Thorgeir, Otkell's son, forced his
way to the front and swung his sword at Gunnar. The blow would have been
deadly had it fallen, but, leaping aside, he thrust his bill through
Thorgeir's body, and flung him far into the river.
At that the other men turned and fled away.
'Our money-chests will be emptied for atonement for these men,' said
Gunnar as they drew near Lithend, and when they told their mother,
Rannveig shook her head.
'I fear lest ill should come of it,' said she.
And ill _did_ come of it.
Njal's heart was sore when Gunnar told him of the fight by the Rang
river, for he said:
'You have gone against my counsel, and have slain two men of the same
race. So take heed, if you break the award, your life will pay forfeit.
But whatever befalls I am always your friend.'
Soon the Thing was held, and upon the Hill of Laws Gizur the white
summoned Gunnar, for manslaughter of Thorgeir, Otkell's son, and
demanded that his goods should be forfeited and his body outlawed, and
that no man should help or harbour him.
After this there was much talking, but at last the award was given by
twelve men.
And this was it.
Money was to be paid down for the men slain, and Gunnar and Kolskegg
were to depart from Iceland and not return for three winters. But if
Gunnar should break the settlement and stay at home, any man might slay
him as he would.
Gunnar promised to keep the award, but he did not hold it a just one.
Then Kolskegg began to inquire of the vessels that were sailing that
summer, and he settled that he would go on board the ship of Armfin of
the Bay, and Gunnar his brother would go with him.
They sent down to the shore those things that they might need in foreign
lands, and then Gunnar bade farewell to Njal and his men, and thanked
his friends for the help they had given him.
At the last he took leave of the thralls at Lithend, and of his mother,
and told them that, since his own country had outlawed him, he would
never return to it. Then he threw his arms round every man, and without
looking back sprang into the saddle.
As they rode along the Mark fleet, his horse stumbled, and Gunnar fell
to the ground. When he got up he did not mount at once, but stood and
looked round him for a while. Suddenly he turned and said to Kolskegg:
'Never has my home seemed to me so fair as now when the corn is ripe and
ready for cutting. Come what may, I will not leave it.'
'Do not let your foes triumph over you,' answered Kolskegg. 'For if you
should break your atonement, any man may deal with you as he will.'
'I will go no whither,' repeated Gunnar, 'and I would that you would stay
with me.'
'I cannot do this thing,' answered Kolskegg; 'but if you go back, tell
my mother and my kindred that I bid them farewell for ever, for you will
soon be dead, and I shall have naught to bind me to Iceland.'
Hallgerda's heart was filled with joy when Gunnar came under the
doorway, but Rannveig said nothing, for her heart was sad.
All that winter Gunnar sat fast at Lithend and would not be prevailed on
to leave it, and when the winter had gone and the Thing had met, Gizur
the white proclaimed Gunnar an outlaw for having broken his atonement.
Then he called together all his foes, and they planned together how that
they should ride to Lithend and slay him. But Njal heard what they had
been saying, and he warned Gunnar.
'You have always dealt truly and kindly with me,' said Gunnar, when Njal
had finished speaking, 'and if ill befall me, take heed, I pray you, of
my son and Hogni. As for Grani, he has an evil nature, and there is no
turning him from bad deeds.'
It was in the autumn that Mord, the son of Valgard, sent word to
Gunnar's foes that the time had come to make the attack upon Lithend, as
all his men had gone to the haymaking on the isles of the sea. So they
set forth secretly, but stopped first at the farm nearest to Lithend,
where they seized the farmer, and warned him that unless he came with
them and put to death the hound Sam which had guarded Gunnar ever since
Olaf the Peacock had bestowed him as a gift, his own life should be
forfeit. Thorkell the farmer was sore at heart when he heard what was
required of him, but he took his axe and went with the rest. It was easy
to entice Sam the hound into a hollow dell; but when he saw the crowd of
men behind Thorkell he knew that evil was afoot, and sprang on Thorkell
and tore open his throat. Then Aumond of Witchwood smote him on the head
with his axe, and Sam gave a howl which was not the utterance of any
mortal dog, and rolled over.
[Illustration: GUNNAR'S LAST FIGHT & HALLGERDA'S REVENGE]
Gunnar, who was sleeping in the narrow space above his great wooden
hall, heard the awful sound, and said to himself: 'So they have killed
thee, Sam, my fosterling. Well, I will follow thee soon;' and, taking
his bill in his hand, he went up into the roof of the hall, where among
the beams were little slits for windows. In the winter there were
shutters fastened over these little slits, but now they were left open.
From the beam on which he was crouching Gunnar saw a red tunic slipping
by the window, and he thrust swiftly out his bill. In a moment a man's
body fell upon the ground below.
'Well, is Gunnar at home?' said Gizur, and Thorgrim the Easterling
answered: 'Go and see for yourselves; but if Gunnar is not at home, his
bill is,' and those were his last words, for the thrust had been mortal.
It hardly seemed possible that one man could keep such a force at bay,
but wherever they went Gunnar's arrows followed them. Three times they
came on, and three times they fell back, and Gunnar's heart beat high,
for he thought that perchance their courage might fail, and that they
would return whither they had come.
'One of their own arrows sticks outside the window,' he said, laughing
loud in his glee; 'I will send it to kill its master.' But his mother
answered: 'It is ill to waken a sleeping dog, my son.'
Her words were wise, but Gunnar would not listen to them. He shot the
arrow into the midst of the men gathered beneath him, and knew not that
it had dealt a death-blow, or that Gizur the white had been watching its
course.
'The arm that drew in that shaft had a ring on it--a gold ring such as
Gunnar wears,' said he, 'and if they had not shot away their own arrows
they would not be needing ours;' and with that he urged them to make a
fresh attack.
'Let us set the house on fire,' said Mord, but Gizur answered him hotly,
and bade him find out some other plan.
Now Mord was a man of many thoughts, and great skill in planning, so he
looked about him to see if there was aught else he could do. Lying near
were some ropes, and as soon as he saw them he cried out, 'If we can
twist one end of the ropes round the beams, and the other round this
rock, we can twist them tight, and pull the roof off the hall.'
And this was done; and when the roof fell down they beheld Gunnar
standing on the beam, shooting arrows at his enemies.
At this Mord cried once more that the house should be burned, but the
rest called shame on him, and then Thorbrand crept up on one side and
cut Gunnar's bowstring with his axe. But before he could reach the
ground again Gunnar had seized his bill, and driven it through his body.
Then, without looking round, Gunnar said swiftly to Hallgerda his wife:
'Let you and my mother cut off two locks of hair from your heads, and
twist them into my bowstring, so that I may shoot at them once more.'
'Does aught depend on it?' she asked. 'My life,' he said; and Hallgerda
made answer: 'Do you remember that time when you struck me in the face?'
said she; 'well, now you shall die for it.'
* * * * *
For many a day men sang of the fight which Gunnar made for his life and
the numbers that he slew before he himself was struck down and slain.
'We have laid low a great chief,' said Gizur, 'and many hearts will be
sore because of his slaying. But, though his body is dead, his name
shall live for ever.'
(_Saga_)