as paid an
atonement for him as for two men".

"Who slew him?" says Skarphedinn.

"Sigmund and Skiolld, but Thrain was standing near too," says Njal.

"They thought they had need of much strength," says Skarphedinn, and
sang a song--

Bold in deeds of derring-do,
Burdeners of ocean's steeds,
Strength enough it seems they needed
All to slay a single man;
When shall we our hands uplift?
We who brandish burnished steel--
Famous men erst reddened weapons,
When? if now we quiet sit?

"Yes! when shall the day come when we shall lift our hands?"

"That will not be long off," says Njal, "and then thou shalt not be
baulked; but still, methinks, I set great store on your not breaking
this peace that I have made."

"Then we will not break it," says Skarphedinn, "but if anything arises
between us, then we will bear in mind the old feud."

"Then I will ask you to spare no one," says Njal.

CHAPTER XLIV.

SIGMUND MOCKS NJAL AND HIS SONS.

Now men ride home from the Thing; and when Gunnar came home, he said to
Sigmund--

"Thou art a more unlucky man than I thought, and turnest thy good gifts
to thine own ill. But still I have made peace for thee with Njal and his
sons; and now, take care that thou dost not let another fly come into
thy mouth. Thou art not at all after my mind, thou goest about with
jibes and jeers, with scorn and mocking; but that is not my turn of
mind. That is why thou gettest on so well with Hallgerda, because ye two
have your minds more alike."

Gunnar scolded him a long time, and he answered him well, and said he
would follow his counsel more for the time to come than he had followed
it hitherto. Gunnar told him then they might get on together. Gunnar and
Njal kept up their friendship though the rest of their people saw little
of one another. It happened once that some gangrel women came to Lithend
from Bergthorsknoll; they were great gossips and rather spiteful
tongued. Hallgerda had a bower, and sate often in it, and there sate
with her daughter Thorgerda, and there too were Thrain and Sigmund, and
a crowd of women. Gunnar was not there nor Kolskegg. These gangrel women
went into the bower, and Hallgerda greeted them, and made room for them;
then she asked them for news, but they said they had none to tell.
Hallgerda asked where they had been over night; they said at
Bergthorsknoll.

"What was Njal doing?" she says.

"He was hard at work sitting still," they said.