little stirred at what had befallen them, but said no one
could tell whether things would stop there, "for there is no man like
Kari of all that are now left in Iceland".

CHAPTER CLI.

OF KARI AND BJORN AND THORGEIR.

Now we must tell of Bjorn and Kari that they ride down on the Sand, and
lead their horses under the banks where the wild oats grew, and cut the
oats for them, that they might not die of hunger. Kari made such a near
guess, that he rode away thence at the very time that they gave over
seeking for him. He rode by night up through the Hundred, and after that
he took to the fell; and so on all the same way as they had followed
when they rode east, and did not stop till they came to Midmark.

Then Bjorn said to Kari--

"Now shalt thou be my great friend before my mistress, for she will
never believe one word of what I say; but everything lies on what you
do, so now repay me for the good following which I have yielded to
thee."

"So it shall be; never fear," says Kari.

After that they ride up to the homestead, and then the mistress asked
them what tidings, and greeted them well.

"Our troubles have rather grown greater, old lass!"

She answered little, and laughed; and then the mistress went on to ask--

"How did Bjorn behave to thee, Kari?"

"Bare is back," he answers, "without brother behind it, and Bjorn
behaved well to me. He wounded three men, and, besides, he is wounded
himself, and he stuck as close to me as he could in everything."

They were three nights there, and after that they rode to Holt to
Thorgeir, and told him alone these tidings, for those tidings had not
yet been heard there.

Thorgeir thanked him, and it was quite plain that he was glad at what he
heard. He asked Kari what now was undone which he meant to do.

"I mean," answers Kari, "to kill Gunnar Lambi's son and Kol Thorstein's
son, if I can get a chance. Then we have slain fifteen men, reckoning
those five whom we two slew together. But one boon I will now ask of
thee."

Thorgeir said he would grant him whatever he asked.

"I wish, then, that thou wilt take under thy safeguard this man whose
name is Bjorn, and who has been in these slayings with me, and that thou
wilt change farms with him, and give him a farm ready stocked here close
by thee, and so hold thy hand over him that no vengeance may befall him;
but all this will be an easy matter for thee who art such a chief."

"So it shall be," says Thorgeir.