nk that
thy father the 'Beardless Carle' must have given it, for many know not
who look at him whether he is more a man than a woman."

"Such words are ill-spoken," said Skarphedinn, "to make game of him, an
old man, and no man of any worth has ever done so before. Ye may know,
too, that he is a man, for he has had sons by his wife, and few of our
kinsfolk have fallen unatoned by our house, so that we have not had
vengeance for them."

Then Skarphedinn took to himself the silken scarf, but threw a pair of
blue breeks to Flosi, and said he would need them more.

"Why," said Flosi, "should I need these more?"

"Because," said Skarphedinn, "thou art the sweetheart of the Swinefell's
goblin, if, as men say, he does indeed turn thee into a woman every
ninth night."

Then Flosi spurned the money, and said he would not touch a penny of it,
and then he said he would only have one of two things: either that
Hauskuld should fall unatoned, or they would have vengeance for him.

Then Flosi would neither give nor take peace, and he said to the sons of
Sigfus--

"Go we now home; one fate shall befall us all."

Then they went home to their booth, and Hall said--

"Here most unlucky men have a share in this suit."

Njal and his sons went home to their booth, and Njal said--

"Now comes to pass what my heart told me long ago, that this suit would
fall heavy on us."

"Not so," says Skarphedinn; "they can never pursue us by the laws of the
land."

"Then that will happen," says Njal, "which will be worse for all of us."

Those men who had given the money spoke about it, and said that they
should take it back; but Gudmund the powerful said--

"That shame I will never choose for myself, to take back what I have
given away, either here or elsewhere."

"That is well spoken," they said; and then no one would take it back.

Then Snorri the priest said, "My counsel is, that Gizur the white and
Hjallti Skeggi's son keep the money till the next Althing; my heart
tells me that no long time will pass ere there may be need to touch this
money".

Hjallti took half the money and kept it safe, but Gizur took the rest.

Then men went home to their booths.

CHAPTER CXXIII.

AN ATTACK PLANNED ON NJAL AND HIS SONS.

Flosi summoned all his men up to the "Great Rift," and went thither
himself.

So when all his men were come, there were one hundred and twenty of
them.

Then Flosi spake thus to the sons of Sigfus--

"In