OF SKAMKELL'S LYING.
Skamkell came to Mossfell, and repeated all the offers to Gizur.
"It so seems to me," says Gizur, "as though these have been bravely
offered; but why took he not these offers?"
"The chief cause was," answers Skamkell, "that all wished to show thee
honour, and that was why he waited for thy utterance; besides, that is
best for all."
So Skamkell stayed there the night over, but Gizur sent a man to fetch
Geir the priest; and he came there early. Then Gizur told him the story
and said--
"What course is to be taken now?"
"As thou no doubt hast already made up thy mind--to make the best of the
business for both sides."
"Now we will let Skamkell tell his tale a second time, and see how he
repeats it."
So they did that, and Gizur said--
"Thou must have told this story right; but still I have seen thee to be
the wickedest of men, and there is no faith in faces if thou turnest out
well."
Skamkell fared home, and rides first to Kirkby and calls Otkell out. He
greets Skamkell well, and Skamkell brought him the greeting of Gizur and
Geir.
"But about this matter of the suit," he says, "there is no need to speak
softly, how that it is the will of both Gizur and Geir that this suit
should not be settled in a friendly way. They gave that counsel that a
summons should be set on foot, and that Gunnar should be summoned for
having partaken of the goods, but Hallgerda for stealing them."
"It shall be done," said Otkell, "in everything as they have given
counsel."
"They thought most of this," says Skamkell, "that thou hadst behaved so
proudly; but as for me, I made as great a man of thee in everything as I
could."
Now Otkell tells all this to his brothers, and Hallbjorn said--
"This must be the biggest lie."
Now the time goes on until the last of the summoning days before the
Althing came.
Then Otkell called on his brothers and Skamkell to ride on the business
of the summons to Lithend.
Hallbjorn said he would go, but said also that they would rue this
summoning as time went on.
Now they rode twelve of them together to Lithend, but when they came
into the "town," there was Gunnar out of doors, and knew naught of their
coming till they had ridden right up to the house.
He did not go indoors then, and Otkell thundered out the summons there
and then; but when they had made an end of the summoning Skamkell said--
"Is it all right, master?"
"Ye know that best," says Gunnar, "but I will put thee in mind of this
journey one of these days, and of thy good help."
"That will not harm us," says Skamkell, "if thy bill be not aloft."
Gunnar was very wroth and went indoors, and told Kolskegg, and Kolskegg
said--
"Ill was it that we were not out of doors; they should have come here on
the most shameful journey, if we had been by."
"Everything bides its time," says Gunnar; "but this journey will not
turn out to their honour."
A little after Gunnar went and told Njal.
"Let it not worry thee a jot," said Njal, "for this will be the greatest
honour to thee, ere this Thing comes to an end. As for us, we will all
back thee with counsel and force."
Gunnar thanked him and rode home.
Otkell rides to the Thing, and his brothers with him and Skamkell.