t three outhouses, and there the beds were made.

So all that were bidden came, and the feast went off very well.
But when men were to go home Hauskuld picked out good gifts for
them, and went a part of the way with Njal's sons.

The sons of Sigfus followed him and all the crowd, and both sides
said that nothing should ever come between them to spoil their
friendship.

A little while after Mord came to Ossaby and called Hauskuld out
to talk with him, and they went aside and spoke.

"What a difference in manliness there is," said Mord, "between
thee and Njal's sons! Thou gavest them good gifts, but they gave
thee gifts with great mockery."

"How makest thou that out?" says Hauskuld.

"They gave thee a horse which they called a `dark horse,' and
that they did out of mockery to thee, because they thought thee
too untried. I can tell thee also that they envy thee the
priesthood. Skarphedinn took it up as his own at the Thing when
thou camest not to the Thing at the summoning of the Fifth Court,
and Skarphedinn never means to let it go."

"That is not true," says Hauskuld, "for I got it back at the
Folkmote last harvest."

"Then that was Njal's doing," says Mord. "They broke, too, the
atonement about Lyting."

"I do not mean to lay that at their door," says Hauskuld.

"Well," says Mord, "thou canst not deny that when ye two,
Skarphedinn and thou, were going east towards Markfleet, an axe
fell out from under his belt, and he meant to have slain thee
then and there."

"It was his woodman's axe," says Hauskuld, "and I saw how he put
it under his belt; and now, Mord, I will just tell thee this
right out, that thou canst never say so much ill of Njal's sons
as to make me believe it; but though there were aught in it, and
it were true as thou sayest, that either I must slay them or they
me, then would I far rather suffer death at their hands than work
them any harm. But as for thee, thou art all the worse a man for
having spoken this."

After that Mord fares home. A little after Mord goes to see
Njal's sons, and he talks much with those brothers and Kari.

"I have been told," says Mord, "that Hauskuld has said that thou,
Skarphedinn, hast broken the atonement made with Lyting; but I
was made aware also that he thought that thou hadst meant some
treachery against him when ye two fared to Markfleet. But still,
methinks that was no less treachery when he bade you to a feast
at his house, and stowed you away