Gunnar rode away to the Thing, but before he rode from home he
said to Hallgerda, "Be good now while I am away, and show none of
thine ill temper in anything with which my friends have to do."
"The trolls take thy friends," says Hallgerda.
So Gunnar rode to the Thing, and saw it was not good to come to
words with her. Njal rode to the Thing too, and all his sons
with him.
Now it must be told of what tidings happened at home. Njal and
Gunnar owned a wood in common at Redslip; they had not shared the
wood, but each was wont to hew in it as he needed, and neither
said a word to the other about that. Hallgerda's grieve's (1)
name was Kol; he had been with her long, and was one of the worst
of men. There was a man named Swart; he was Njal's and
Bergthora's housecarle; they were very fond of him. Now
Bergthora told him that he must go up into Redslip and hew wood;
but she said, "I will get men to draw home the wood."
He said he would do the work she set him to win; and so he went
up into Redslip, and was to be there a week.
Some gangrel men came to Lithend from the east across Markfleet,
and said that Swart had been in Redslip, and hewn wood, and done
a deal of work.
"So," says Hallgerda, "Bergthora must mean to rob me in many
things, but I'll take care that he does not hew again."
Rannveig, Gunnar's mother, heard that, and said, "There have been
good housewives before now, though they never set their hearts on
manslaughter."
Now the night wore away, and early next morning Hallgerda came to
speak to Kol, and said, "I have thought of some work for thee;"
and with that she put weapons into his hands, and went on to say
-- "Fare thou to Redslip; there wilt thou find Swart."
"What shall I do to him?" he says.
"Askest thou that, when thou art the worst of men?" she says.
"Thou shalt kill him."
"I can get that done," he says, "but 'tis more likely that I
shall lose my own life for it."
"Everything grows big in thy eyes," she says, "and thou behavest
ill to say this after I have spoken up for thee in everything. I
must get another man to do this if thou darest not."
He took the axe, and was very wroth, and takes a horse that
Gunnar owned, and rides now till he comes east of Markfleet.
There he got off and bided in the wood, till they had carried
down the firewood, and Swart was left alone behind. Then Kol
sprang on him, and said, "More folk can hew great strokes than
thou alone;" and so he laid the axe on his head, and smote him
his death-blow, and rides home afterwards, and tells Hallgerda of
the slaying.
She said, "I shall take such good care of thee, that no harm
shall come to thee."
"May be so," says he, "but I dreamt all the other way as I slept
ere I did the deed."
Now they come up into the wood, and find Swart slain, and bear
him home. Hallgerda sent a man to Gunnar at the Thing to tell
him of the slaying. Gunnar said no hard words at first of
Hallgerda to the messenger, and men knew not at first whether he
thought well or ill of it. A little after he stood up, and bade
his men go with him: they did so, and fared to Njal's booth.
Gunnar sent a man to fetch Njal, and begged him to come out.
Njal went out at once, and he and Gunnar fell a-talking, and
Gunnar said, "I have to tell thee of the slaying of a man, and my
wife and my grieve Kol were those who did it; but Swart, thy
housecarle, fell before them."
Njal held his peace while he told him the whole story. Then Njal
spoke, "Thou must take heed not to let her have her way in
everything."