er Illugi at Gilsbank, three winters
together, and was by now eighteen winters old; and father and son were
now much more of a mind.

There was a man called Thorkel the Black; he was a house-carle of
Illugi, and near akin to him, and had been brought up in his house. To
him fell an heritage north at As, in Water-dale, and he prayed Gunnlaug
to go with him thither. This he did, and so they rode, the two together,
to As. There they got the fee; it was given up to them by those who had
the keeping of it, mostly because of Gunnlaug's furtherance.

But as they rode from the north they guested at Grimstongue, at a rich
bonder's who dwelt there; but in the morning a herdsman took Gunnlaug's
horse, and it had sweated much by then he got it back. Then Gunnlaug
smote the herdsman, and stunned him; but the bonder would in nowise bear
this, and claimed boot therefor. Gunnlaug offered to pay him one mark.
The bonder thought it too little.

Then Gunnlaug sang,--

"Bade I the middling mighty
To have a mark of waves' flame;
Giver of grey seas? glitter,
This gift shalt thou make shift with.
If the elf sun of the waters
From out of purse thou lettest,
O waster of the worm's bedy
Awaits thee sorrow later."

So the peace was made as Gunnlaug bade, and in such wise the two rode
south.

Now, a little while after, Gunnlaug asked his father a second time for
goods for going abroad.

Illugi says, "Now shalt thou have thy will, for thou hast wrought
thyself into something better than thou wert." So Illugi rode hastily
from home, and bought for Gunnlaug half a ship which lay in Gufaros,
from Audun Festargram--this Audun was he who would not flit abroad the
sons of Oswif the Wise, after the slaying of Kiartan Olafson, as is
told in the story of the Laxdalemen, which thing though betid later than
this.--And when Illugi came home, Gunnlaug thanked him well.

Thorkel the Black betook himself to seafaring with Gunnlaug, and their
wares were brought to the ship; but Gunnlaug was at Burg while they made
her ready, and found more cheer in talk with Helga than in toiling with
chapmen.

Now one day Thorstein asked Gunnlaug if he would ride to his horses with
him up to Long-water-dale. Gunnlaug said he would. So they ride both
together till they come to the mountain-dairies of Thorstein, called
Thorgils-stead. There were stud-horses of Thorstein, four of them
toge