“Sure enough,” says Lyting, “I had hard work to get away, but still I wish now that thou wouldest get me atoned with Njal and his sons, so that I might keep my farm.”

“So it shall be,” says Hauskuld.

After that Hauskuld made them saddle his horse, and rode to Bergthorsknoll with five men.  Njal’s sons were then come home and had laid them down to sleep.

Hauskuld went at once to see Njal, and they began to talk.

“Hither am I come,” said Hauskuld to Njal, “to beg a boon on behalf of Lyting, my uncle.  He has done great wickedness against you and yours, broken his atonement and slain thy son.”

“Lyting will perhaps think,” said Njal, “that he has already paid a heavy fine in the loss of his brothers, but if I grant him any terms, I shall let him reap the good of my love for thee, and I will tell thee before I utter the award of atonement, that Lyting’s brothers shall fall as outlaws.  Nor shall Lyting have any atonement for his wounds, but on the other hand, he shall pay the full blood-fine for Hauskuld.”

“My wish,” said Hauskuld, “is, that thou shouldest make thine own terms.”

“Well,” says Njal, “then I will utter the award at once if thou wilt.”

“Wilt thou,” says Hauskuld, “that thy sons should be by?”

“Then we should be no nearer an atonement than we were before,” says Njal, “but they will keep to the atonement which I utter.”

Then Hauskuld said, “Let us close the matter then, and handsel him peace on behalf of thy sons”.

“So it shall be,” says Njal.  “My will then is that he pays two hundred in silver for the slaying of Hauskuld, but he may still dwell at Samstede; and yet I think it were wiser if he sold his land and changed his abode; but not for this quarrel; neither I nor my sons will break our pledges of peace to him:  but methinks it may be that some one may rise up in this country against whom he may have to be on his guard.  Yet, lest it should seem that I make a man an outcast from his native place, I allow him to be here in this neighbourhood, but in that case he alone is answerable for what may happen.”

After that Hauskuld fared home, and Njal’s sons woke up as he went, and asked their father who had come, but he told them that his foster-son Hauskuld had been there.

“He must have come to ask a boon for Lyting then,” said Skarphedinn.

“So it was,” says Njal

“Ill was it then,” says Grim.

“Hauskuld could not have thrown his shield before him,” says Njal, “if thou hadst slain him, as it was meant thou shouldst.”

“Let us throw no blame on our father,” says Skarphedinn.

Now it is to be said that this atonement was kept between them afterwards.

CHAPTER CV.

OF AMUND THE BLIND.

That event happened three winters after at the Thingskala-Thing that Amund the blind was at the Thing; he was the son of Hauskuld Njal’s son.  He made men lead him about among the booths, and so he came to the booth inside which was Lyting of Samstede.  He made them lead him into the booth till he came before Lyting.