his hand, and was girded with a short
sword. She asked this man his name.

"Atli is my name," says he.

She asked whence he came.

"I am an Eastfirther," he says.

"Whither shalt thou go?" she says.

"I am a homeless man," says he, "and I thought to see Njal and
Skarphedinn, and know if they would take me in."

"What work is handiest to thee?" says she.

"I am a man used to field-work," he says, "and many things else come
very handy to me; but I will not hide from thee that I am a man of hard
temper and it has been many a man's lot before now to bind up wounds at
my hand."

"I do not blame thee," she says, "though thou art no milksop."

Atli said--"Hast thou any voice in things here?"

"I am Njal's wife," she says, "and I have as much to say to our
housefolk as he."

"Wilt thou take me in then?" says he.

"I will give thee thy choice of that," says she. "If thou wilt do all
the work that I set before thee, and that though I wish to send thee
where a man's life is at stake."

"Thou must have so many men at thy beck," says he, "that thou wilt not
need me for such work."

"That I will settle as I please," she says.

"We will strike a bargain on these terms," says he.

Then she took him into the household. Njal and his sons came home and
asked Bergthora what man that might be?

"He is thy house-carle," she says, "and I took him in." Then she went on
to say he was no sluggard at work.

"He will be a great worker enough, I daresay," says Njal, "but I do not
know whether he will be such a good worker."

Skarphedinn was good to Atli.

Njal and his sons ride to the Thing in the course of the summer; Gunnar
was also at the Thing.

Njal took out a purse of money.

"What money is that, father?"

"Here is the money that Gunnar paid me for our house-carle last summer."

"That will come to stand thee in some stead," says Skarphedinn, and
smiled as he spoke.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

THE SLAYING OF KOL, WHOM ATLI SLEW.

Now we must take up the story, and say that Atli asked Bergthora what
work he should do that day.

"I have thought of some work for thee," she says; "thou shall go and
look for Kol until thou find him; for now shalt thou slay him this very
day, if thou wilt do my will."

"This work is well fitted," says Atli, "for each of us two are bad
fellows; but still I will so lay myself out for him that one or other of
us shall die."

"Well mayest thou fare," she says, "and thou shalt not