Автор литература - Njal's Saga

of my wife and that thrall whom I bought from thee.”

“‘Tis only what was to be looked for,” says Hallbjorn.

“Now I will make thee a good offer,” says Gunnar, “and the offer

is this, that the best men here in the country round settle the

matter.”

“This is a fair-sounding offer,” said Skamkell, “but an unfair

and uneven one. Thou art a man who has many friends among the

householders, but Otkell has not many friends.”

“Well,” says Gunnar, “then I will offer thee that I shall make an

award, and utter it here on this spot, and so we will settle the

matter, and my goodwill shall follow the settlement. But I will

make thee an atonement by paying twice the worth of what was

lost.”

“This choice shalt thou not take,” said Skamkell; “and it is

unworthy to give up to him the right to make his own award, when

thou oughtest to have kept it for thyself.”

So Otkell said, “I will not give up to thee, Gunnar, the right to

make thine own award.”

“I see plainly,” said Gunnar, “the help of men who will be paid

off for it one day, I daresay; but come now, utter an award for

thyself.”

Otkell leant toward Skamkell and said, “What shall I answer now?”

“This thou shalt call a good offer, but still put thy suit into

the hands of Gizur the White, and Geir the Priest, and then many

will say this, that thou behavest like Hallkell, thy grandfather,

who was the greatest of champions.”

“Well offered is this, Gunnar,” said Otkell, “but still my will

is thou wouldst give me time to see Gizur the White.”

“Do now whatever thou likest in the matter,” said Gunnar; “but

men will say this, that thou couldst not see thine own honour

when thou wouldst have none of the choices I offer thee.”

Then Gunnar rode home, and when he had gone away, Hallbjorn said,

“Here I see how much man differs from man. Gunnar made thee good

offers, but thou wouldst take none of them; or how dost thou

think to strive with Gunnar in a quarrel, when no one is his

match in fight. But now he is still so kind-hearted a man that

it may be he will let these offers stand, though thou art only

ready to take them afterwards. Methinks it were best that thou

farest to see Gizur the White and Geir the Priest now this very

hour.”

Otkell let them catch his horse, and made ready in every way.

Otkell was not sharpsighted, and Skamkell walked on the way along

with him, and said to Otkell, “Methought it strange that thy

brother would not take this toil from thee, and now I will make

thee an offer to fare instead of thee, for I know that the

journey is irksome to thee.”

“I will take that offer,” says Otkell, “but mind and be as

truthful as ever thou canst.”

“So it shall be,” says Skamkell.

Then Skamkell took his horse and cloak, but Otkell walks home.

Hallbjorn was out of doors, and said to Otkell, “Ill is it to

have a thrall for one’s bosom friend, and we shall rue this for

ever that thou hast turned back, and it is an unwise step to send

the greatest liar on an errand, of which one may so speak that

men’s lives hang on it.”

“Thou wouldst be sore afraid,” says Otkell, “if Gunnar had his

bill aloft, when thou art so scared now.”

“No one knows who will be most afraid then,” said Hallbjorn; “but

this thou wilt have to own, that Gunnar does not lose much time

in brandishing his bill when he is wroth.”

“Ah!” said Otkell, “ye are all of you for yielding but Skamkell.”

And then they were both wroth.

50. OF SKAMKELL’S LYING

Skamkell came to Mossfell, and repeated all the offers to Gizur.

“It so seems to me,” says Gizur, “as though these have been

bravely offered; but why took he not these offers?”

“The chief cause was,” answers Skamkell, “that all wished to show

thee honour, and that was why he waited for thy utterance;

besides, that is best for all.”

So Skamkell stayed there the night over, but Gizur sent a man to

fetch Geir the Priest; and he came there early. Then Gizur told

him the story and said, “What course is to be taken now?”

“As thou no doubt hast already made up thy mind — to make the

best of the business for both sides.”

“Now we will let Skamkell tell his tale a second time, and see

how he repeats it.”

So they did that, and Gizur said, “Thou must have told this story

right; but still I have seen thee to be the wickedest of men, and

there is no faith in faces if thou turnest out well.”

Skamkell fared home, and rides first to Kirkby and calls Otkell

out. He greets Skamkell well, and Skamkell brought him the

greeting of Gizur and Geir.

“But about this matter of the suit,” be says, “there is no need

to speak softly, how that it is the will of both Gizur and Geir

that this suit should not be settled in a friendly way. They

gave that counsel that a summons should be set on foot, and that

Gunnar should be summoned for having partaken of the goods, but

Hallgerda for stealing them.”

“It shall be done,” said Otkell, “in everything as they have

given counsel.”

“They thought most of this,” says Skamkell, “that thou hadst

behaved so proudly; but as for me, I made as great a man of thee

in everything as I could.”

Now Otkell tells all this to his brothers, and Hallbjorn said,

“This must be the biggest lie.”

Now the time goes on until the last of the summoning days before

the Althing came.

Then Otkell called on his brothers and Skamkell to ride on the

business of the summons to Lithend.

Hallbjorn said he would go, but said also that they would rue

this summoning as time went on.

Now they rode twelve of them together to Lithend, but when they

came into the “town,” there was Gunnar out of doors, and knew

naught of their coming till they had ridden right up to the

house.

He did not go indoors then, and Otkell thundered out the summons

there and then; but when they had made an end of the summoning

Skamkell said, “Is it all right, master?”

“Ye know that best;” says Gunnar, “but I will put thee in mind of

this journey one of these days, and of thy good help.”

“That will not harm us,” says Skamkell, “if thy bill be not

aloft.”

Gunnar was very wroth and went indoors, and told Kolskegg, and

Kolskegg said, “Ill was it that we were not out of doors; they

should have come here on the most shameful journey, if we had

been by.”

“Everything bides its time,” says Gunnar; “but this journey will

not turn out to their honour.”

A little after Gunnar went and told Njal.

“Let it not worry thee a jot,” said Njal, “for this will be the

greatest honour to thee, ere this Thing comes to an end. As for

us, we will all back thee with counsel and force.”

Gunnar thanked him and rode home.

Otkell rides to the Thing, and his brothers with him and

Skamkell.

51. OF GUNNAR

Gunnar rode to the Thing and all the sons of Sigfus; Njal and his

sons too, they all went with Gunnar; and it was said that no band

was so well knit and hardy as theirs.

Gunnar went one day to the booth of the Dalemen; Hrut was by the

booth and Hauskuld, and they greeted Gunnar well. Now Gunnar

tells them the whole story of the suit up to that time.

“What counsel gives Njal?” asks Hrut.