"Unwarily ye lie here," he says, "or for what end shall this journey have been made? And Gunnar is not a man to be trifled with. But if the truth must be told then, this is the greatest treason. Ye shall also know this, that Gunnar is gathering force, and he will come here in the twinkling of an eye, and slay you all, unless ye ride away home."
They bestirred them at once, for they were in great fear, and took their weapons, and mounted their horses and galloped home under the Threecorner.
Njal fared to meet Gunnar and bade him not to break up his company.
"But I will go and seek for an atonement; now they will be finely frightened; but for this treason no less a sum shall be paid when one has to deal with all of them, than shall be paid for the slaying of one or other of those namesakes, though such a thing should come to pass. This money I will take into my keeping, and so lay it out that it may be ready to thy hand when thou hast need of it."
69. OLAF THE PEACOCK'S GIFTS TO GUNNAR
Gunnar thanked Njal for his aid, and Njal rode away under the Threecorner, and told those namesakes that Gunnar would not break up his band of men before he had fought it out with them.
They began to offer terms for themselves, and were full of dread, and bade Njal to come between them with an offer of atonement.
Njal said that could only be if there were no guile behind. Then they begged him to have a share in the award, and said they would hold to what he awarded.
Njal said he would make no award unless it were at the Thing, and unless the best men were by; and they agreed to that.
Then Njal came between them, so that they gave each other pledges of peace and atonement.