nd when he said that I had been so
afraid that Thorolf Lopt's son of Eyrar bore me abroad in his
ship among his meal-sacks, and so carried me to Iceland, that I
would never share in the blood feud for his death."

"Now there is no need to bear such things in mind," said Gizur
the White, "for he is dead who said that, and thou wilt surely
grant me this, though thou wouldst not do it for other men's
sake."

"This quarrel," says Skapti, "is no business of thine, except
thou choosest to be entangled in it along with them."

Then Gizur was very wrath, and said, "Thou art unlike thy father,
though he was thought not to be quite cleanhanded; yet was he
ever helpful to men when they needed him most."

"We are unlike in temper," said Skapti. "Ye two, Asgrim and
thou, think that ye have had the lead in mighty deeds; thou,
Gizur the White, because thou overcamest Gunnar of Lithend; but
Asgrim, for that he slew Gauk, his foster-brother."

"Few," said Asgrim, "bring forward the better if they know the
worse, but many would say that I slew not Gauk ere I was driven
to it. There is some excuse for thee for not helping us, but
none for heaping reproaches on us; and I only wish before this
Thing is out that thou mayest get from this suit the greatest
disgrace, and that there may be none to make thy shame good."

Then Gizur and his men stood up all of them, and went out, and so
on to the booth of Snorri the Priest.

Snorri sat on the cross-bench in his booth; they went into the
booth, and he knew the men at once, and stood up to meet them,
and bade them all welcome, and made room for them to sit by him.

After that, they asked one another the news of the day.

Then Asgrim spoke to Snorri, and said, "For that am I and my
kinsman Gizur come hither, to ask thee for thy help."

"Thou speakest of what thou mayest always be forgiven for asking,
for help in the blood-feud after such connections as thou hadst.
We, too, got many wholesome counsels from Njal, though few now
bear that in mind; but as yet I know not of what ye think ye
stand most in need."

"We stand most in need," answers Asgrim, "of brisk lads and good
weapons, if we fight them here at the Thing."

"True it is," said Snorri, "that much lies on that, and it is
likeliest that ye will press them home with daring, and that they
will defend themselves so in like wise, and neither of you will
allow the others' right. Then ye will not bear with them and
fall on them,