Gunnar thanked him for his gifts and good counsel, and rode home.

Now Gunnar sits at home for some time, and all is quiet.

CHAPTER LXX.

MORD’S COUNSEL.

A little after, those namesakes and Mord met, and they were not at all of one mind.  They thought they had lost much goods for Mord’s sake, but had got nothing in return; and they bade him set on foot some other plot which might do Gunnar harm.

Mord said so it should be.  “But now this is my counsel, that thou, Thorgeir Otkell’s son shouldest beguile Ormilda, Gunnar’s kinswoman; but Gunnar will let his displeasure grow against thee at that, and then I will spread that story abroad that Gunnar will not suffer thee to do such things.”

“Then ye two shall some time after make an attack on Gunnar, but still ye must not seek him at home, for there is no thinking of that while the hound is alive.”

So they settled this plan among them that it should be brought about.

Thorgeir began to turn his steps towards Ormilda, and Gunnar thought that ill, and great dislike arose between them.

So the winter wore away.  Now comes the summer, and their secret meetings went on oftener than before.

As for Thorgeir of the Threecorner and Mord, they were always meeting; and they plan an onslaught on Gunnar, when he rides down to the isles to see after the work done by his house-carles.

One day Mord was ware of it when Gunnar rode down to the isles, and sent a man off under the Threecorner to tell Thorgeir that then would be the likeliest time to try to fall on Gunnar.

They bestirred them at once, and fare thence twelve together, but when they came to Kirkby there they found thirteen men waiting for them.

Then they made up their minds to ride down to Rangriver and lie in wait there for Gunnar.

But when Gunnar rode up from the isles, Kolskegg rode with him.  Gunnar had his bow and his arrows and his bill.  Kolskegg had his short sword and weapons to match.

CHAPTER LXXI.

THE SLAYING OF THORGEIR OTKELL’S SON.

That token happened as Gunnar and his brother rode up towards Rangriver, that much blood burst out on the bill.

Kolskegg asked what that might mean.

Gunnar says, “If such tokens took place in other lands, it was called ‘wound-drops,’ and Master Oliver told me also that this only happened before great fights”.

So they rode on till they saw men sitting by the river on the other side, and they had tethered their horses.

Gunnar said, “Now we have an ambush”.

Kolskegg answered, “Long have they been faithless; but what is best to be done now?”

“We will gallop up alongside them to the ford,” says Gunnar, “and there make ready for them.”

The others saw that and turned at once towards them.