good to come to words
with her. Njal rode to the Thing too, and all his sons with him.

Now it must be told of what tidings happened at home. Njal and Gunnar
owned a wood in common at Redslip; they had not shared the wood, but
each was wont to hew in it as he needed, and neither said a word to the
other about that. Hallgerda's grieve's[19] name was Kol; he had been
with her long, and was one of the worst of men. There was a man named
Swart; he was Njal's and Bergthora's house-carle; they were very fond of
him. Now Bergthora told him that he must go up into Redslip and hew
wood; but she said--"I will get men to draw home the wood".

He said he would do the work She set him to win; and so he went up into
Redslip, and was to be there a week.

Some gangrel men came to Lithend from the east across Markfleet, and
said that Swart had been in Redslip, and hewn wood, and done a deal of
work.

"So," says Hallgerda, "Bergthora must mean to rob me in many things, but
I'll take care that he does not hew again."

Rannveig, Gunnar's mother, heard that, and said--"There have been good
housewives before now, though they never set their hearts on
manslaughter".

Now the night wore away, and early next morning Hallgerda came to speak
to Kol, and said--"I have thought of some work for thee"; and with that
she put weapons into his hands, and went on to say--"Fare thou to
Redslip; there wilt thou find Swart".

"What shall I do to him?" he says.

"Askest thou that when thou art the worst of men?" she says. "Thou shalt
kill him."

"I can get that done," he says, "but 'tis more likely that I shall lose
my own life for it."

"Everything grows big in thy eyes," she says, "and thou behavest ill to
say this after I have spoken up for thee in everything. I must get
another man to do this if thou darest not."

He took the axe, and was very wroth, and takes a horse that Gunnar
owned, and rides now till he comes east of Markfleet. There he got off
and bided in the wood, till they had carried down the firewood, and
Swart was left alone behind. Then Kol sprang on him, and said--"More
folk can hew great strokes than thou alone"; and so he laid the axe on
his head, and smote him his death-blow, and rides home afterwards, and
tells Hallgerda of the slaying.

She said--"I shall take such good care of thee, that no harm shall come
to thee".

"May be so," says he, "but I dreamt all the other way as I slept ere I
did the deed."

Now they com