right to make his own award; but I know not
whether he will take that now."

Many men spoke ill of Skamkell, and he lay sick all through the Thing.

Gizur and his friends went to Gunnar's booth; their coming was known,
and Gunnar was told as he sat in his booth, and then they all went out
and stood in array.

Gizur the white came first, and after a while he spoke and said--

"This is our offer--that thou, Gunnar, makest thine own award in this
suit."

"Then," says Gunnar, "it was no doubt far from thy counsel that I was
summoned."

"I gave no such counsel," says Gizur, "neither I nor Geir."

"Then thou must clear thyself of this charge by fitting proof."

"What proof dost thou ask?" says Gizur.

"That thou takest an oath," says Gunnar.

"That I will do," says Gizur, "if thou wilt take the award into thine
own hands."

"That was the offer I made a while ago," says Gunnar; "but now,
methinks, I have a greater matter to pass judgment on."

"It will not be right to refuse to make thine own award," said Njal;
"for the greater the matter, the greater the honour in making it."

"Well," said Gunnar, "I will do this to please my friends, and utter my
award; but I give Otkell this bit of advice, never to give me cause for
quarrel hereafter."

Then Hrut and Hauskuld were sent for, and they came thither, and then
Gizur the White and Geir the priest took their oaths; but Gunnar made
his award, and spoke with no man about it, and afterwards he uttered it
as follows:--

"This is my award," he says; "first, I lay it down that the storehouse
must be paid for, and the food that was therein; but for the thrall, I
will pay thee no fine, for that thou hiddest his faults; but I award him
back to thee; for as the saying is, 'Birds of a feather flock most
together'. Then, on the other hand, I see that thou hast summoned me in
scorn and mockery, and for that I award to myself no less a sum than
what the house that was burnt and the stores in it were worth; but if ye
think it better that we be not set at one again, then I will let you
have your choice of that, but if so I have already made up my mind what
I shall do, and then I will fulfil my purpose."

"What we ask," said Gizur, "is that thou shouldst not be hard on Otkell,
but we beg this of thee, on the other hand, that thou wouldst be his
friend."

"That shall never be," said Gunnar, "so long as I live; but he shall
have Skamkell's friendship; on that he has long leant