Hallgerda said he was well fitted to be a grieve. So Brynjolf came from
the west, and Gunnar asked what he was to do there? He said he was going
to stay there.

"Thou wilt not better our household," says Gunnar, "after what has been
told me of thee, but I will not turn away any of Hallgerda's kinsmen,
whom she wishes to be with her."

Gunnar said little, but was not unkind to him, and so things went on
till the Thing. Gunnar rides to the Thing and Kolskegg rides too, and
when they came to the Thing they and Njal met, for he and his sons were
at the Thing, and all went well with Gunnar and them.

Bergthora said to Atli--"Go thou up into Thorolfsfell and work there a
week".

So he went up thither, and was there on the sly, and burnt charcoal in
the wood.

Hallgerda said to Brynjolf--"I have been told Atli is not at home, and
he must be winning work on Thorolfsfell".

"What thinkest thou likeliest that he is working at?" says he.

"At something in the wood," she says.

"What shall I do to him?" he asks.

"Thou shalt kill him," says she.

He was rather slow in answering her, and Hallgerda said--

"'Twould grow less in Thiostolf's eyes to kill Atli if he were alive."

"Thou shalt have no need to goad me on much more," he says, and then he
seized his weapons, and takes his horse and mounts, and rides to
Thorolfsfell. There he saw a great reek of coal smoke east of the
homestead, so he rides thither, and gets off his horse and ties him up,
but he goes where the smoke was thickest. Then he sees where the
charcoal pit is, and a man stands by it. He saw that he had thrust his
spear in the ground by him. Brynjolf goes along with the smoke right up
to him, but he was eager at his work, and saw him not. Brynjolf gave him
a stroke on the head with his axe, and he turned so quick round that
Brynjolf loosed his hold of the axe, and Atli grasped the spear, and
hurled it after him. Then Brynjolf cast himself down on the ground, but
the spear flew away over him.

"Lucky for thee that I was not ready for thee," says Atli, "but now
Hallgerda will be well pleased, for thou wilt tell her of my death; but
it is a comfort to know that thou wilt have the same fate soon; but come
now, take thy axe which has been here."

He answered him never a word, nor did he take the axe before he was
dead. Then he rode up to the house on Thorolfsfell, and told of the
slaying, and after that rode home and told Hallgerda. She sent men to
Bergt