AN ATTACK AGAINST GUNNAR AGREED ON.
They rode three together, Gunnar and his brothers. Gunnar had the bill
and his sword, Oliver's gift; but Kolskegg had his short sword; Hjort,
too, had proper weapons.
Now they rode to Tongue, and Asgrim gave them a hearty welcome, and they
were there some while. At last they gave it out that they meant to go
home there and then. Asgrim gave them good gifts, and offered to ride
east with them, but Gunnar said there was no need of any such thing; and
so he did not go.
Sigurd Swinehead was the name of a man who dwelt by Thurso water. He
came to the farm under the Threecorner, for he had given his word to
keep watch on Gunnar's doings, and so he went and told them of his
journey home; "and," quoth he, "there could never be a finer chance
than just now, when he has only two men with him".
"How many men shall we need to have to lie in wait for him?" says
Starkad.
"Weak men shall be as nothing before him," he says; "and it is not safe
to have fewer than thirty men."
"Where shall we lie in wait?"
"By Knafahills," he says; "there he will not see us before he comes on
us."
"Go thou to Sandgil and tell Egil that fifteen of them must busk
themselves thence, and now other fifteen will go hence to Knafahills."
Thorgeir said to Hildigunna, "This hand shall show thee Gunnar dead this
very night".
"Nay, but I guess," says she, "that thou wilt hang thy head after ye two
meet."
So those four, father and sons, fare away from the Threecorner, and
eleven men besides, and they fared to Knafahills, and lay in wait there.
Sigurd Swinehead came to Sandgil and said, "Hither am I sent by Starkad
and his sons to tell thee, Egil, that ye, father and sons, must fare to
Knafahills to lie in wait for Gunnar".
"How many shall we fare in all?" says Egil.
"Fifteen, reckoning me," he says.
Kol said, "Now I mean to try my hand on Kolskegg".
"Then I think thou meanest to have a good deal on thy hands," says
Sigurd.
Egil begged his Easterlings to fare with them. They said they had no
quarrel with Gunnar; "and besides," says Thorir, "ye seem to need much
help here, when a crowd of men shall go against three men".
Then Egil went away and was wroth.
Then the mistress of the house said to the Easterling: "In an evil hour
hath my daughter Gudruna humbled herself, and broken the point of her
maidenly pride, and lain by thy side as thy wife, when thou wilt not
dare to follow thy father-in-law, and thou must be a coward," she says.
"I will go," he says, "with thy husband, and neither of us two shall
come back."
After that he went to Thorgrim his messmate, and said, "Take thou now
the keys of my chests; for I shall never unlock them again. I bid thee
take for thine own whatever of our goods thou wilt; but sail away from
Iceland, and do not think of revenge for me. But if thou dost not leave
the land, it will be thy death."
So the Easterling joined himself to their band.