dinn. But hast thou never heard how
things went between me and Mord?" Then Hedinn sung another stave--

Once I ween I heard the rumour,
How the Lord of rings[8] bereft thee;
From thine arms earth's offspring[9] tearing,
Trickful he and trustful thou.
Then the men, the buckler-bearers,
Begged the mighty gold-begetter,
Sharp sword oft of old he reddened,
Not to stand in strife with thee.

So they went on, till Hrut, in answer told him how the suit must be
taken up, and recited the summons. Hedinn repeated it all wrong, and
Hrut burst out laughing, and had no mistrust. Then he said, Hrut must
summon once more, and Hrut did so. Then Hedinn repeated the summons a
second time, and this time right, and called his companions to witness
how he summoned Hrut in a suit which Unna Mord's daughter had made over
to him with her plighted hand. At night he went to sleep like other men,
but as soon as ever Hrut was sound asleep, they took their clothes and
arms, and went out and came to their horses, and rode off across the
river, and so up along the bank by Hiardarholt till the dale broke off
among the hills, and so there they are upon the fells between
Laxriverdale and Hawkdale, having got to a spot where no one could find
them unless he had fallen on them by chance.

Hauskuld wakes up that night at Hauskuldstede, and roused all his
household, "I will tell you my dream," he said. "I thought I saw a great
bear go out of this house, and I knew at once this beast's match was not
to be found; two cubs followed him, wishing well to the bear, and they
all made for Hrutstede, and went into the house there. After that I
woke. Now I wish to ask if any of you saw aught about yon tall man."

Then one man answered him--"I saw how a golden fringe and a bit of
scarlet cloth peeped out at his arm, and on his right arm he had a ring
of gold".

Hauskuld said--"This beast is no man's fetch, but Gunnar's of Lithend,
and now methinks I see all about it. Up! let us ride to Hrutstede." And
they did so. Hrut lay in his locked bed, and asks who have come there?
Hauskuld tells who he is, and asked what guests might be there in the
house.

"Only Huckster Hedinn is here," says Hrut.

"A broader man across the back, it will be, I fear," says Hauskuld, "I
guess here must have been Gunnar of Lithend."

"Then there has been a pretty trial of cunning," says Hrut.

"What has happened?" says Hauskuld.

"I told him how to take up Unna's s