feast at Olaf's was to last a week. The
next day Gudrun spoke on the sly to Hrefna, and asked her to show her
the head-dress, and Hrefna said she would. The next day they went to
the out-bower where the precious things were kept, and Hrefna opened a
chest and took out the pocket of costly stuff, and took from thence
the coif and showed it to Gudrun. She unfolded the coif and looked at
it a while, but said no word of praise or blame. After that Hrefna
put it back, and they went to their places, and after that all was joy
and amusement. And the day the guests should ride away Kjartan busied
himself much about matters in hand, getting change of horses for those
who had come from afar, and speeding each one on his journey as he
needed. [Sidenote: The loss of Kjartan's sword] Kjartan had not his
sword "King's-gift" with him while he was taken up with these matters,
yet was he seldom wont to let it go out of his hand. After this he
went to his room where the sword had been, and found it now gone. He
then went and told his father of the loss. Olaf said, "We must go
about this most gently. I will get men to spy into each batch of them
as they ride away," and he did so. An the White had to ride with
Osvif's company, and to keep an eye upon men turning aside, or
baiting. They rode up past Lea-shaws, and past the homesteads which
are called Shaws, and stopped at one of the homesteads at Shaws, and
got off their horses. Thorolf, son of Osvif, went out from the
homestead with a few other men. They went out of sight amongst the
brushwood, whilst the others tarried at the Shaws' homestead. An
followed him all the way unto Salmon-river, where it flows out of
Saelingsdale, and said he would turn back there. Thorolf said it would
have done no harm though he had gone nowhere at all. The night before
a little snow had fallen so that footprints could be traced.
[Sidenote: An finds the sword] An rode back to the brushwood, and
followed the footprints of Thorolf to a certain ditch or bog. He
groped down with his hand, and grasped the hilt of a sword. An wished
to have witnesses with him to this, and rode for Thorarin in
Saelingsdale Tongue, and he went with An to take up the sword. After
that An brought the sword back to Kjartan. Kjartan wrapt it in a
cloth, and laid it in a chest. The place was afterwards called
Sword-ditch, where An and Thorarin had found the "King's-gift." This
was all kept quiet. The scabbard was never found again. Kjarta