Skarphedinn stood with his axe aloft, and smiled scornfully and said—­

“This axe I had in my hand when I leapt twelve ells across Markfleet, and slew Thrain Sigfus’ son, and eight of them stood before me, and none of them could touch me.  Never have I aimed weapon at man that I have not smitten him.”

And with that he tore himself from his brothers, and Kari his brother-in-law, and strode forward to Thorkel.

Then Skarphedinn said—­

“Now, Thorkel foulmouth, do one of these two things:  sheathe thy sword and sit thee down, or I drive the axe into thy head and cleave thee down to the chine.”

Then Thorkel sate him down and sheathed the sword, and such a thing never happened to him either before or since.

Then Asgrim and his band go out, and Skarphedinn said—­

“Whither shall we now go?”

“Home to out booths,” answered Asgrim.

“Then we fare hack to our booths wearied of begging,” says Skarphedinn.

“In many places,” said Asgrim, “hast thou been rather sharp-tongued, but here now, in what Thorkel had a share methinks thou hast only treated him as is fitting.”

Then they went home to their booths, and told Njal, word for word, all that had been done.

“Things,” he said, “draw on to what must be.”

Now Gudmund the powerful heard what had passed between Thorkel and Skarphedinn, and said—­

“Ye all know how things fared between us and the men of Lightwater, but I have never suffered such scorn and mocking at their hands as has befallen Thorkel from Skarphedinn, and this is just as it should be.”

Then he said to Einar of Thvera, his brother, “Thou shalt go with all my band, and stand by Njal’s sons when the courts go out to try suits; but if they need help next summer, then I myself will yield them help”.

Einar agreed to that, and sent and told Asgrim, and Asgrim said—­

“There is no man like Gudmund for nobleness of mind,” and then he told it to Njal.

CHAPTER CXX.

OF THE PLEADING OF THE SUIT.

The next day Asgrim, and Gizur the white, and Hjallti Skeggi’s son, and Einar of Thvera, met together.  There too was Mord Valgard’s son; he had then let the suit fall from his hand, and given it over to the sons of Sigfus.

Then Asgrim spoke.

“Thee first I speak to about this matter, Gizur the white, and thee Hjallti, and thee Einar, that I may tell you how the suit stands.  It will be known to all of you that Mord took up the suit, but the truth of the matter is, that Mord was at Hauskuld’s slaying, and wounded him with that wound, for giving which no man was named.  It seems to me, then, that this suit must come to nought by reason of a lawful flaw.”

“Then we will plead it at once,” says Hjallti.

“It is not good counsel,” said Thorhall Asgrim’s son, “that this should not be hidden until the courts are set.”