“Hither am I come to seek good counsel and help at thy hand.”

“That is thy due,” said Njal.

“I have fallen into a great strait,” says Gunnar, “and slain many men, and I wish to know what thou wilt make of the matter?”

“Many will say this,” said Njal, “that thou hast been driven into it much against thy will; but now thou shalt give me time to take counsel with myself.”

Then Njal went away all by himself, and thought over a plan, and came back and said—­

“Now have I thought over the matter somewhat, and it seems to me as though this must be carried through—­if it be carried through at all—­with hardihood and daring.  Thorgeir has got my kinswoman Thorfinna with child, and I will hand over to thee the suit for seduction.  Another suit of outlawry against Starkad I hand over also to thee, for having hewn trees in my wood on the Threecorner ridge.  Both these suits shalt thou take up.  Thou shalt fare too to the spot where ye fought, and dig up the dead, and name witnesses to the wounds, and make all the dead outlaws, for that they came against thee with that mind to give thee and thy brothers wounds or swift death.  But if this be tried at the Thing, and it be brought up against thee that thou first gave Thorgeir a blow, and so mayest neither plead thine own cause nor that of others, then I will answer in that matter, and say that I gave thee back thy rights at the Thingskala-Thing, so that thou shouldest be able to plead thine own suit as well as that of others, and then there will be an answer to that point.  Thou shalt also go to see Tyrfing of Berianess, and he must hand over to thee a suit against Aunund of Witchwood, who has the blood feud after his brother Egil.”

Then first of all Gunnar rode home; but a few nights after Njal’s sons and Gunnar rode thither where the bodies were, and dug them up that were buried there.  Then Gunnar summoned them all as outlaws for assault and treachery, and rode home after that.

CHAPTER LXIV.

OF VALGARD AND MORD.

That same harvest Valgard the guileful came out to Iceland, and fared home to Hof.  Then Thorgeir went to see Valgard and Mord, and told them what a strait they were in if Gunnar were to be allowed to make all those men outlaws whom he had slain.

Valgard said that must be Njal’s counsel, and yet every thing had not come out yet which he was likely to have taught him.

Then Thorgeir begged those kinsmen for help and backing, but they held out a long while, and at last asked for and got a large sum of money.

That, too, was part of their plan, that Mord should ask for Thorkatla, Gizur the white’s daughter, and Thorgeir was to ride at once west across the river with Valgard and Mord.

So the day after they rode twelve of them together and came to Mossfell.  There they were heartily welcomed, and they put the question to Gizur about the wooing, and the end of it was that the match should be made, and the wedding feast was to be in half a month’s space at Mossfell.