o say of him," says Njal; "and besides, I will lay down
as much money as will seem fitting to thy niece and thyself, if thou
wilt think of making this match."

"We will call her hither," says Flosi, "and know how she looks on the
man."

Then Hildigunna was called, and she came thither.

Flosi told her of the wooing, but she said she was a proud-hearted
woman.

"And I know not how things will turn out between me and men of like
spirit; but this, too, is not the least of my dislike, that this man has
no priesthood or leadership over men, but thou hast always said that
thou wouldest not wed me to a man who had not the priesthood."

"This is quite enough," says Flosi, "if thou wilt not be wedded to
Hauskuld, to make me take no more pains about the match."

"Nay!" she says, "I do not say that I will not be wedded to Hauskuld if
they can get him a priesthood or a leadership over men; but otherwise I
will have nothing to say to the match."

"Then," said Njal, "I will beg thee to let this match stand over for
three winters, that I may see what I can do."

Flosi said that so it should be.

"I will only bargain for this one thing," says Hildigunna, "if this
match comes to pass, that we shall stay here away east."

Njal said he would rather leave that to Hauskuld, but Hauskuld said that
he put faith in many men, but in none so much as his foster-father.

Now they ride from the east.

Njal sought to get a priesthood and leadership for Hauskuld, but no one
was willing to sell his priesthood, and now the summer passes away till
the Althing.

There were great quarrels at the Thing that summer, and many a man then
did as was their wont, in faring to see Njal; but he gave such counsel
in men's lawsuits as was not thought at all likely, so that both the
pleadings and the defence came to naught, and out of that great strife
arose, when the lawsuits could not be brought to an end, and men rode
home from the Thing unatoned.

Now things go on till another Thing comes. Njal rode to the Thing, and
at first all is quiet until Njal says that it is high time for men to
give notice of their suits.

Then many said that they thought that came to little, when no man could
get his suit settled, even though the witnesses were summoned to the
Althing, "and so," say they, "we would rather seek our rights with point
and edge."

"So it must not be," says Njal, "for it will never do to have no law in
the land. But yet ye have much to sa