nd stores, and
rode on his way until he came to Laugar. He bade his men get off their
horses, and said that some should look after the horses and some put
up the tents. At that time it was the custom that outhouses were
outside, and not so very far away from the dwelling-house, and so it
was at Laugar. Kjartan had all the doors of the house taken, and
forbade all the inmates to go outside, and for three nights he made
them do their errands within the house. After that Kjartan rode home
to Herdholt, and each of his followers rode to his own home. Olaf was
very ill-pleased with this raid, but Thorgerd said there was no
reason for blame, for the men of Laugar had deserved this, yea, and a
still greater shame. Then Hrefna said, "Did you have any talk with any
one at Laugar, Kjartan?" He answered, "There was but little chance of
that," and said he and Bolli had exchanged only a few words. Then
Hrefna smiled and said, "It was told me as truth that you and Gudrun
had some talk together, and I have likewise heard how she was arrayed,
that she had coifed herself with the head-dress, and it suited her
exceeding well." Kjartan answered, and coloured up, and it was easy to
see he was angry with her for making a mockery of this. "Nothing of
what you say, Hrefna, passed before my eyes, and there was no need for
Gudrun to coif herself with the head-dress to look statelier than all
other women." Thereat Hrefna dropped the talk. The men of Laugar bore
this exceedingly ill, and thought it by much a greater and worse
disgrace than if Kjartan had even killed a man or two of them. The
sons of Osvif were the wildest over this matter, but Bolli quieted
them rather. Gudrun was the fewest-spoken on the matter, yet men
gathered from her words that it was uncertain whether any one took it
as sorely to heart as she did. Full enmity now grows up between the
men of Laugar and the Herdholtings. As the winter wore on Hrefna gave
birth to a child, a boy, and he was named Asgier. [Sidenote: The
buying of the land at Tongue] Thorarin, the goodman of Tongue, let it
be known that he wished to sell the land of Tongue. The reason was
that he was drained of money, and that he thought ill-will was
swelling too much between the people of the countryside, he himself
being a friend of either side. Bolli thought he would like to buy the
land and settle down on it, for the men of Laugar had little land and
much cattle. Bolli and Gudrun rode to Tongue at the advice o