st find that there are others who equal
her in science."

It happened in the course of the following winter that Gunlaugar, in
company with Oddo, the son of Katla, had renewed one of those visits to
Geirrida with which Katla had upbraided him.

"Thou shalt not depart to-night," said the sage matron; "evil spirits
are abroad, and thy bad destiny predominates."

"We are two in company," answered Gunlaugar, "and have therefore nothing
to fear."

"Oddo," replied Geirrida, "will be of no aid to thee; but go, since
thou wilt go, and pay the penalty of thy own rashness."

In their way they visited the rival matron, and Gunlaugar was invited to
remain in her house that night. This he declined, and, passing forward
alone, was next morning found lying before the gate of his father
Thorbiorn, severely wounded and deprived of his judgment. Various causes
were assigned for this disaster; but Oddo, asserting that they had
parted in anger that evening from Geirrida, insisted that his companion
must have sustained the injury through her sorcery. Geirrida was
accordingly cited to the popular assembly and accused of witchcraft. But
twelve witnesses, or compurgators, having asserted upon their oath the
innocence of the accused party, Geirrida was honourably freed from the
accusation brought against her. Her acquittal did not terminate the
rivalry between the two sorceresses, for, Geirrida belonging to the
family of Kiliakan, and Katla to that of the pontiff Snorro, the
animosity which still subsisted between these septs became awakened by
the quarrel.

It chanced that Thorbiorn, called Digri (or the corpulent), one of the
family of Snorro, had some horses which fed in the mountain pastures,
near to those of Thorarin, called the Black, the son of the enchantress
Geirrida. But when autumn arrived, and the horses were to be withdrawn
from the mountains and housed for the winter, those of Thorbiorn could
nowhere be found, and Oddo, the son of Katla, being sent to consult a
wizard, brought back a dubious answer, which seemed to indicate that
they had been stolen by Thorarin. Thorbiorn, with Oddo and a party of
armed followers, immediately set forth for Mahfahlida, the dwelling of
Geirrida and her son Thorarin. Arrived before the gate, they demanded
permission to search for the horses which were missing. This Thorarin
refused, alleging that neither was the search demanded duly authorised
by law, nor were the proper witnesses cited to be