love between them all, that none of them thought anything that he
said or did any worth unless the others had a share in it.

Hauskuld dwelt long at Ossaby, and each backed the other's honour, and
Njal's sons were always in Hauskuld's company. Their friendship was so
warm, that each house bade the other to a feast every harvest, and gave
each other great gifts; and so it goes on for a long while.

CHAPTER CIII.

THE SLAYING OF HAUSKULD NJAL'S SON.

There was a man named Lyting; he dwelt at Samstede, and he had to wife a
woman named Steinvora; she was a daughter of Sigfus, and Thrain's
sister. Lyting was tall of growth and a strong man, wealthy in goods and
ill to deal with.

It happened once that Lyting had a feast in his house at Samstede, and
he had bidden thither Hauskuld and the sons of Sigfus, and they all
came. There, too, was Grani Gunnar's son, and Gunnar Lambi's son, and
Lambi Sigurd's son.

Hauskuld Njal's son and his mother had a farm at Holt, and he was
always riding to his farm from Bergthorsknoll, and his path lay by the
homestead at Samstede. Hauskuld had a son called Amund; he had been born
blind, but for all that he was tall and strong. Lyting had two
brothers--the one's name was Hallstein, and the other's Hallgrim. They
were the most unruly of men, and they were ever with their brother, for
other men could not bear their temper.

Lyting was out of doors most of that day, but every now and then he went
inside his house. At last he had gone to his seat, when in came a woman
who had been out of doors, and she said--

"You were too far off to see outside how that proud fellow rode by the
farmyard!"

"What proud fellow was that," says Lyting, "of whom thou speakest?"

"Hauskuld Njal's son rode here by the yard," she says.

"He rides often here by the farmyard," said Lyting, "and I can't say
that it does not try my temper; and now I will make thee an offer,
Hauskuld [Sigfus' son], to go along with thee if thou wilt avenge thy
father and slay Hauskuld Njal's son."

"That I will not do," says Hauskuld, "for then I should repay Njal, my
foster father, evil for good, and mayst thou and thy feasts never thrive
henceforth."

With that he sprang up away from the board, and made them catch his
horses, and rode home.

Then Lyting said to Grani Gunnar's son--

"Thou wert by when Thrain was slain, and that will still be in thy mind;
and thou, too, Gunnar Lambi's son, and thou, Lambi Sigurd's