here speedily, for he has joined in the hue and cry
himself."

"It hardly beseems me to do this," says Thrain, "when the Earl has done
me so much good."

Then he showed Thrain the precious things which he had borne out of the
shrine, and offered to give him the goods, but Thrain said he could not
take them unless he gave him other goods of the same worth for them.

"Then," said Hrapp, "here will I take my stand, and here shall I be
slain before thine eyes, and then thou wilt have to abide by every man's
blame."

Then they see the Earl and his band of men coming, and then Thrain took
Hrapp under his safeguard, and let them shove off the boat, and put out
to his ship.

Then Thrain said, "Now this will be thy best hiding place, to knock out
the bottoms of two casks, and then thou shalt get into them".

So it was done, and he got into the casks, and then they were lashed
together, and lowered over-board.

Then comes the Earl with his band to Njal's sons, and asked if Hrapp had
come there.

They said that he had come.

The Earl asked whither he had gone thence.

They said they had not kept eyes on him, and could not say.

"He," said the Earl, "should have great honour from me who would tell me
where Hrapp was."

Then Grim said softly to Helgi--

"Why should we not say. What know I whether Thrain will repay us with
any good?"

"We should not tell a whit more for that," says Helgi, "when his life
lies at stake."

"Maybe," said Grim, "the Earl will turn his vengeance on us, for he is
so wroth that some one will have to fall before him."

"That must not move us," says Helgi, "but still we will pull our ship
out, and so away to sea as soon as ever we get a wind."

So they rowed out under an isle that lay there, and wait there for a
fair breeze.

The Earl went about among the sailors, and tried them all, but they, one
and all, denied that they knew aught of Hrapp.

Then the Earl said, "Now we will go to Thrain, my brother-in-arms, and
he will give Hrapp up, if he knows anything of him".

After that they took a long-ship and went off to the merchant ship.

Thrain sees the Earl coming, and stands up and greets him kindly. The
Earl took his greeting well and spoke thus--

"We are seeking for a man whose name is Hrapp, and he is an Icelander.
He has done us all kind of ill; and now we will ask you to be good
enough to give him up, or to tell us where he is."

"Ye know, Lord," said Thrain, "that I slew y