Then they passed on to the Waterfirther’s booth, and then Hall and Ljot came from the east across the river, with all their band; but just when they came to the lava, a spear was hurled out of the band of Gudmund the powerful, and it struck Ljot in the middle, and he fell down dead at once; and it was never known surely who had done that manslaughter.

Flosi and his men turned up round the Waterfirther’s booth, and then Thorgeir Craggeir said to Kari Solmund’s son—­

“Look, yonder now is Eyjolf Bolverk’s son, if thou hast a mind to pay him off for the ring.”

“That I ween is not far from my mind,” says Kari, and snatched a spear from a man, and hurled it at Eyjolf, and it struck him in the waist, and went through him, and Eyjolf then fell dead to earth.

Then there was a little lull in the battle, and then Snorri the priest came up with his band, and Skapti was there in his company, and they ran in between them, and so they could not get at one another to fight.

Then Hall threw in his people with theirs, and was for parting them there and then, and so a truce was set, and was to be kept throughout the Thing, and then the bodies were laid out and borne to the church, and the wounds of those men were bound up who were hurt.

The day after men went to the Hill of Laws.  Then Hall of the Side stood up and asked for a hearing, and got it at once; and he spoke thus—­

“Here there have been hard happenings in lawsuits and loss of life at the Thing, and now I will show again that I am little-hearted, for I will now ask Asgrim and the others who take the lead in these suits, that they grant us an atonement on even terms;” and so he goes on with many fair words.

Kari Solmund’s son said—­

“Though all others take an atonement in their quarrels, yet will I take no atonement in my quarrel; for ye will wish to weigh these manslayings against the Burning, and we cannot bear that.”

In the same way spoke Thorgeir Craggeir.

Then Skapti Thorod’s son stood up and said—­

“Better had it been for thee, Kari, not to have run away from thy father-in-law and thy brothers-in-law, than now to sneak out of this atonement.”

Then Kari sang these verses—­

  Warrior wight that weapon wieldest
  Spare thy speering why we fled,
  Oft for less falls hail of battle,
  Forth we fled to wreak revenge;
  Who was he, faint-hearted foeman,
  Who, when tongues of steel sung high,
  Stole beneath the booth for shelter,
  While his beard blushed red for shame?

  Many fetters Skapti fettered
  When the men, the Gods of fight,
  From the fray fared all unwilling
  Where the skald scarce held his shield;
  Then the suttlers dragged the lawyer
  Stout in scolding to their booth,
  Laid him low amongst the riffraff,
  How his heart then quaked for fear.

  Men who skim the main on sea stag
  Well in this ye showed your sense,
  Making game about the Burning,
  Mocking Helgi, Grim, and Njal;
  Now the moor round rocky Swinestye,[77]
  As men run and shake their shields,
  With another grunt shall rattle
  When this Thing is past and gone.