Now men ride home from the Thing; and when Gunnar came home, he
said to Sigmund, "Thou art a more unlucky man than I thought, and
turnest thy good gifts to thine own ill. But still I have made
peace for thee with Njal and his sons; and now, take care that
thou dost not let another fly come into thy mouth. Thou art not
at all after my mind, thou goest about with jibes and jeers, with
scorn and mocking; but that is not my turn of mind. That is why
thou gettest on so well with Hallgerda, because ye two have your
minds more alike."
Gunnar scolded him a long time, and he answered him well, and
said he would follow his counsel more for the time to come than
he had followed it hitherto. Gunnar told him then they might get
on together. Gunnar and Njal kept up their friendship though the
rest of their people saw little of one another. It happened once
that some gangrel women came to Lithend from Bergthorsknoll; they
were great gossips and rather spiteful tongued. Hallgerda had a
bower, and sate often in it, and there sate with her her daughter
Thorgerda, and there too were Thrain and Sigmund, and a crowd of
women. Gunnar was not there, nor Kolskegg. These gangrel women
went into the bower, and Hallgerda greeted them, and made room
for them; then she asked them for news, but they had none to
tell. Hallgerda asked where they had been overnight; they said
at Bergthorsknoll.
"What was Njal doing?" she says.
"He was hard at work sitting still," they said.
"What were Njal's sons doing?" she says; "they think themselves
men at any rate."
"Tall men they are in growth," they say, "but as yet they are all
untried; Skarphedinn whetted an axe, Grim fitted a spearhead to
the shaft, Helgi riveted a hilt on a sword, Hauskuld strengthened
the handle of a shield."
"They must be bent on some great deed," says Hallgerda.
"We do not know that," they say.
"What were Njal's house-carles doing?" she asks.
"We don't know what some of them were doing, but one was carting
dung up the hill-side."
"What good was there in doing that?" she asks.
"He said it made the swathe better there than anywhere else,"
they reply. "Witless now is Njal," says Hallgerda, "though he
knows how to give counsel on everything."
"How so?" they ask.
"I will only bring forward what is true to prove it," says she;
"why doesn't he make them cart dung over his beard that he may be
like other men? Let us call him `the Beardless Carle': but his
sons we will call `Dung-beardlings'; and now do pray give some
stave about them, Sigmund, and let us get some good by thy gift
of song."
"I am quite ready to do that," says he, and sang these verses:
"Lady proud with hawk in hand,
Prithee why should dungbeard boys,
Reft of reason, dare to hammer
Handle fast on battle shield?
For these lads of loathly feature --
Lady scattering swanbath's beams (1) --
Shalt not shun this ditty shameful
Which I shape upon them now.
"He the beardless carle shall listen
While I lash him with abuse,
Loon at whom our stomachs sicken,
Soon shall bear these words of scorn;
Far too nice for such base fellows
Is the name my bounty gives,
Een my muse her help refuses,
Making mirth of dungbeard boys.
"Here I find a nickname fitting
For those noisome dungbeard boys, --
Loath am I to break my bargain
Linked with such a noble man --
Knit we all our taunts together --
Known to me is mind of man --
Call we now with outburst common,
Him, that churl, the beardless carle."
"Thou art a jewel indeed," says Hallgerda; "how yielding thou art
to what I ask!"
Just then Gunnar came in. He had been standing outside the door
of the bower, and heard all the words that had passed. They were
in a great fright when they saw him come in, and then all held
their peace, but before there had been bursts of laughter.
Gunnar was very wroth, and said to Sigmund, "Thou art a foolish
man, and one that cannot keep to good advice, and thou revilest
Njal's sons, and Njal himself who is most worth of all; and this
thou doest in spite of what thou hast already done. Mind, this
will be thy death. But if any man repeats these words that thou
hast spoken, or these verses that thou hast made, that man shall
be sent away at once, and have my wrath beside."
But they were all so sore afraid of him, that no one dared to
repeat those words. After that he went away, but the gangrel
women talked among themselves, and said that they would get a
reward from Bergthora if they told her all this.
They went then away afterwards down thither, and took Bergthora
aside and told her the whole story of their own free will.
Bergthora spoke and said, when men sate down to the board, "Gifts
have been given to all of you, father and sons, and ye will be no
true men unless ye repay them somehow."
"What gifts are these?" asks Skarphedinn.
"You, my sons," says Bergthora, "have got one gift between you
all. Ye are nicknamed `Dungbeardlings,' but my husband `the
Beardless Carle.'"
"Ours is no woman's nature," says Skarphedinn, "that we should
fly into a rage at every little thing."
"And yet Gunnar was wroth for your sakes," says she, "and he is
thought to be good-tempered. But if ye do not take vengeance for
this wrong, ye will avenge no shame."
"The carline, our mother, thinks this fine sport," says
Skarphedinn, and smiled scornfully as he spoke, but still the
sweat burst out upon his brow, and red flecks came over his
checks, but that was not his wont. Grim was silent and bit his
lip. Helgi made no sign, and he said never a word. Hauskuld
went off with Bergthora; she came into the room again, and
fretted and foamed much.
Njal spoke and said, "`Slow and sure,' says the proverb,
mistress! and so it is with many things, though they try men's
tempers, that there are always two sides to a story, even when
vengeance is taken."
But at even when Njal was come into his bed, he heard that an axe
came against the panel and rang loudly, but there was another
shut bed, and there the shields were hung up, and he sees that
they are away. He said, "Who have taken down our shields?"
"Thy sons went out with them," says Bergthora.
Njal pulled his shoes on his feet, and went out at once, and
round to the other side of the house, and sees that they were
taking their course right up the slope; he said, "Whither away,
Skarphedinn?"
"To look after thy sheep," he answers.
"You would not then be armed," said Njal, "if you meant that, and
your errand must be something else."
Then Skarphedinn sang a song,
"Squanderer of hoarded wealth,
Some there are that own rich treasure,
Ore of sea that clasps the earth,
And yet care to count their sheep;
Those who forge sharp songs of mocking,
Death songs, scarcely can possess
Sense of sheep that crop the grass;
Such as these I seek in fight;"
and said afterwards, "We shall fish for salmon, father."
"'Twould be well then if it turned out so that the prey does not
get away from you."
They went their way, but Njal went to his bed, and he said to
Bergthora, "Thy sons were out of doors all of them, with arms,
and now thou must have egged them on to something."
"I will give them my heartfelt thanks," said Bergthora, "if they
tell me the slaying of Sigmund."