e up into the wood, and find Swart slain, and bear him home.
Hallgerda sent a man to Gunnar at the Thing to tell him of the slaying.
Gunnar said no hard words at first of Hallgerda to the messenger, and
men knew not at first whether he thought well or ill of it. A little
after he stood up, and bade his men go with him: they did so, and fared
to Njal's booth. Gunnar sent a man to fetch Njal, and begged him to come
out. Njal went out at once, and he and Gunnar fell a-talking, and Gunnar
said--

"I have to tell thee of the slaying of a man, and my wife and my grieve
Kol were those who did it; but Swart, thy house-carle, fell before
them."

Njal held his peace while he told him the whole story. Then Njal spoke--

"Thou must take heed not to let her have her way in everything."

Gunnar said--"Thou thyself shall settle the terms".

Njal spoke again--"'Twill be hard work for thee to atone for all
Hallgerda's mischief; and somewhere else there will be a broader trail
to follow than this which we two now have a share in, and yet, even here
there will be much awanting before all be well; and herein we shall need
to bear in mind the friendly words that passed between us of old; and
something tells me that thou wilt come well out of it, but still thou
wilt be sore tried".

Then Njal took the award into his own hands from Gunnar, and said--

"I will not push this matter to the uttermost; thou shalt pay twelve
ounces of silver; but I will add this to my award, that if anything
happens from our homestead about which thou hast to utter an award, thou
wilt not be less easy in thy terms".

Gunnar paid up the money out of hand, and rode home afterwards. Njal,
too, came home from the Thing, and his sons. Bergthora saw the money,
and said--

"This is very justly settled; but even as much money shall be paid for
Kol as time goes on."

Gunnar came home from the Thing and blamed Hallgerda. She said, better
men lay unatoned in many places, Gunnar said, she might have her way in
beginning a quarrel, "but how the matter is to be settled rests with
me".

Hallgerda was for ever chattering of Swart's slaying, but Bergthora
liked that ill. Once Njal and her sons went up to Thorolfsfell to see
about the housekeeping there, but that selfsame day this thing happened
when Bergthora was out of doors: she sees a man ride up to the house on
a black horse. She stayed there and did not go in, for she did not know
the man. That man had a spear in