Thrand had told them that he had lain down in a
thicket.

The earl goes thither to look for him, but Hrapp was off and
away. Then the earl set his men to search for him, but still
they could not find him. So the earl was in the hue and cry
himself, but first he bade them rest a while.

Then the earl went aside by himself, away from other men, and
bade that no man should follow him, and so he stays a while. He
fell down on both his knees, and held his hands before his eyes;
after that he went back to them, and then he said to them, "Come
with me."

So they went along with him. He turns short away from the path
on which they had walked before, and they came to a dell. There
up sprang Hrapp before them, and there it was that he had hidden
himself at first.

The earl urges on his men to run after him, but Hrapp was so
swift-footed that they never came near him. Hrapp made for
Hlada. There both Thrain and Njal's sons lay "boun" for sea at
the same time. Hrapp runs to where Njal's sons are.

"Help me, like good men and true," he said, "for the earl will
slay me."

Helgi looked at him, and said, "Thou lookest like an unlucky man,
and the man who will not take thee in will have the best of it."

"Would that the worst might befall you from me," says Hrapp.

"I am the man," says Helgi, "to avenge me on thee for this as
time rolls on."

Then Hrapp turned to Thrain Sigfus' son, and bade him shelter
him.

"What hast thou on thy hand?" says Thrain.

"I have burnt a shrine under the earl's eyes, and slain some men,
and now he will be here speedily, for he has joined in the hue
and cry himself."

"It hardly beseems me to do this," says Thrain, "when the earl
has done me so much good."

Then he shewed Thrain the precious things which he had borne out
of the shrine, and offered to give him the goods, but Thrain said
he could not take them unless he gave him other goods of the same
worth for them.

"Then," said Hrapp, "here will I take my stand, and here shall
I be slain before thine eyes, and then thou wilt have to abide by
every man's blame."

Then they see the earl and his band of men coming, and then
Thrain took Hrapp under his safeguard, and let them shove off the
boat, and put out to his ship.

Then Thrain said, "Now this will be thy best hiding place, to
knock out the bottoms of two casks, and then thou shalt get into
them."

So it was done, and he got into the casks, and then they were
lashed t