"To the booths of the men of Olfus," says Asgrim.
So they went thither, and Asgrim asked whether Skapti Thorod's
son were in the booth? He was told that he was. Then they went
inside the booth.
Skapti sate on the cross-bench, and greeted Asgrim, and he took
the greeting well.
Skapti offered Asgrim a seat by his side, but Asgrim said he
should only stay there a little while, "But still we have an
errand to thee."
"Let me hear it?" says Skapti.
"I wish to beg thee for thy help, that thou wilt stand by us in
our suit."
"One thing I had hoped," says Skapti, "and that is, that neither
you nor your troubles would ever come into my dwelling."
"Such things are ill-spoken," says Asgrim, "when a man is the
last to help others, when most lies on his aid."
"Who is yon man," says Skapti, "before whom four men walk, a big
burly man, and pale-faced, unlucky-looking, well-knit, and
troll-like?"
"My name is Skarphedinn," he answers, "and thou hast often seen
me at the Thing; but in this I am wiser than you, that I have no
need to ask what thy name is. Thy name is Skapti Thorod's son,
but before thou calledst thyself `Bristlepoll,' after thou hadst
slain Kettle of Elda; then thou shavedst thy poll, and puttedst
pitch on thy head, and then thou hiredst thralls to cut up a sod
of turf, and thou creptest underneath it to spend the night.
After that thou wentest to Thorolf Lopt's son of Eyrar, and he
took thee on board, and bore thee out here in his meal sacks."
After that Asgrim and his band went out, and Skarphedinn asked,
"Whither shall we go now?"
"To Snorri the Priest's booth," says Asgrim.
Then they went to Snorri's booth. There was a man outside before
the booth, and Asgrim asked whether Snorri were in the booth.
The man said he was.
Asgrim went into the booth, and all the others. Snorri was
sitting on the cross-bench, and Asgrim went and stood before him,
and hailed him well.
Snorri took his greeting blithely, and bade him sit down.
Asgrim said he should be only a short time there, "But we have
an errand with thee."
Snorri bade him tell it.
"I would," said Asgrim, "that thou wouldst come with me to the
court, and stand by me with thy help, for thou art a wise man,
and a great man of business."
"Suits fall heavy on us now," says Snorri the Priest, "and now
many men push forward against us, and so we are slow to take up
the troublesome suits of other men from other quarters."
"Thou mayest stand excused," says Asgrim "for thou art not in our
debt for any service."
"I know," says Snorri, "that thou art a good man and true, and
I will promise thee this, that I will not be against thee, and
not yield help to thy foes."
Asgrim thanked him, and Snorri the Priest asked, "Who is that man
before whom four go, pale-faced, and sharp-featured, and who
shows his front teeth, and has his axe aloft on his shoulder."
"My name is Hedinn," he says, "but some men call me Skarphedinn
by my full name; but what more hast thou to say to me."
"This," said Snorri the Priest, "that methinks thou art a well-
knit, ready-handed man, but yet I guess that the best part of thy
good fortune is past, and I ween thou hast now not long to live."
"That is well," says Skarphedinn, "for that is a debt we all have
to pay, but still it were more needful to avenge thy father than
to foretell my fate in this way."
"Many have said that before," says Snorri, "and I will not be
angry at such words."
After that they went out, and got no help there. Then they fared
to the booths of the men of Skagafirth. There Hafr (1) the
Wealthy had his booth. The mother of Hafr was named Thoruna, she
was a daughter of Asbjorn Baldpate of Myrka, the son of
Hrosbjorn.
Asgrim and his band went into the booth, and Hafr sate in the
midst of it, and was talking to a man.
Asgrim went up to him, and bailed him well; he took it kindly,
and bade him sit down.
"This I would ask of thee," said Asgrim, "that thou wouldst
grant me and my sons-in-law help."
Hafr answered sharp and quick, and said he would have nothing to
do with their troubles.
"But still I must ask who that pale-faced man is before whom
four men go, so ill-looking, as though he had come out of the
sea-crags."
"Never mind, milksop that thou art!" said Skarphedinn, "who I
am, for I will dare to go forward wherever thou standest before
me, and little would I fear though such striplings were in my
path. 'Twere rather thy duty, too, to get back thy sister
Swanlauga, whom Eydis Ironsword and his messmate Stediakoll took
away out of thy house, but thou didst not dare to do aught
against them."
"Let us go out," said Asgrim, "there is no hope of help here."
Then they went out to the booths of men of Modruvale, and asked
whether Gudmund the Powerful were in the booth, but they were
told he was.
Then they went into the booth. There was a high seat in the
midst of it, and there sate Gudmund the Powerful.
Asgrim went and stood before him, and hailed him.
Gudmund took his greeting well, and asked him to sit down.
"I will not sit," said Asgrim, "but I wish to pray thee for help,
for thou art a bold man and a mighty chief."
"I will not be against thee," said Gudmund, "but if I see fit to
yield thee help, we may well talk of that afterwards," and so he
treated them well and kindly in every way.
Asgrim thanked him for his words, and Gudmund said, "There is one
man in your band at whom I have gazed for a while, and he seems
to me more terrible than most men that I have seen."
"Which is he?" says Asgrim.
"Four go before him," says Gudmund; "dark brown is his hair, and
pale is his face; tall of growth and sturdy. So quick and shifty
in his manliness that I would rather have his following than that
of ten other men; but yet the man is unlucky-looking."
"I know," said Skarphedinn, "that thou speakest at me, but it
does not go in the same way as to luck with me and thee. I have
blame, indeed, from the slaying of Hauskuld, the Whiteness
Priest, as is fair and right; but both Thorkel Foulmouth and
Thorir Helgi's son spread abroad bad stories about thee, and that
has tried thy temper very much."
Then they went out, and Skarphedinn said, "Whither shall we go
now?"
"To the booths of the men of Lightwater," said Asgrim.
There Thorkel Foulmouth (2) had set up his booth.
Thorkel Foulmouth had been abroad and worked his way to fame in
other lands. He had slain a robber east in Jemtland's wood, and
then he fared on east into Sweden, and was a messmate of Saurkvir
the Churl, and they harried eastward ho; but to the east of
Baltic side (3) Thorkel had to fetch water for them one evening;
then he met a wild man of the woods (4), and struggled against
him long; but the end of it was that he slew the wild man.
Thence he fared east into Adalsyssla, and there he slew a flying
fire-drake. After that he fared back to Sweden, and thence to
Norway, and so out to Iceland, and let these deeds of derring do
be carved over his shut bed, and on the stool before his high
seat. He fought, too, on Lightwater way with his brothers
against Gudmund the Powerful, and the men of Lightwater won the
day. He and Thorir Helgi's son spread abroad bad stories about
Gudmund. Thorkel said there was no man in Iceland with whom he
would not fight in single combat, or yield an inch to, if need
were. He was called Thorkel Foulmouth, because he spared no one
with whom he had to do either in word or deed.